《Fields of Gold》


 Chapter 1 – Murdered Over a Steamed Bun

    <h4>Chapter 1 ¨C Murdered Over a Steamed Bun</h4>


    Lin Xiaowan¡¯s mind felt groggy and heavy. She could smell a salty and fishy scent distinctive to the beach, while the sound of waves beating on the shore faintly traveled to her ears. This must be a dream! It must be! Her hometown was located in the inner regions. She had only seen the sea once in her life when she visited her sister, who studied in a university located beside the sea. Why would she be able to hear the sound of waves now?


    Lin Xiaowan tried her best to open her eyes, but she was unable to break away from the clinging darkness. It felt like a nightmare. Her mind was sober, but she couldn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°Second Sister, Second Sister! Waahhh... Second Sister, you can¡¯t die! Shitou isn¡¯t hungry anymore, Shitou doesn¡¯t want to eat steamed buns anymore! Second Sister, please wake up!...¡± Lin Xiaowan felt a light weight beside herself, shaking her arm desperately.


    Second Sister? That wasn¡¯t right? She was the eldest child in her family. Her parents had died when she was in middle school. As the eldest sister, she dropped out of school to work and raise her younger siblings all by herself. She has been called ¡®Eldest Sister¡¯ for over twenty years. Why was she suddenly being called ¡®Second Sister¡¯? He must have made a mistake!


    ¡°So wicked! The child had just wanted to pick up a steamed bun to eat, yet that woman had beat her as if she wanted to kill her! Xiaocao has always been a child with a weak constitution. Can she still survive after having her head smashed in? Look at how much blood there is! Is she still alive?¡±


    ¡°Moreover, it was the child¡¯s aunt who did it! A steamed bun doesn¡¯t even cost much money. She hit her so hard the child¡¯s head mmed against the ship. I¡¯ve never seen such a cruel person!¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao¡¯s father is the most famous fisherman around this area. He¡¯s also a good hunter. If it wasn¡¯t for him, Old Yu¡¯s family wouldn¡¯t have been able to build that new five-room house and ship. Why couldn¡¯t she just let the child eat a steamed bun?¡±


    ¡°The child doesn¡¯t seem to be doing that well. Quick, call her mother over! If this drags on, she might not even be able to see her child¡¯sst moments!¡±


    ¡°Li Guihua really has a sharp tongue and cruel heart. She was so vicious even to her own niece! We should keep our distance from her. Otherwise, she might backstab us if we identally offend her in the future!¡±


    ......


    Lin Xiaowan¡¯s ears buzzed with the voices of strangers. Her senses were gradually returning. She felt herself lying on soft sands and her forehead was aching with pain. She seemed to be surrounded by arge crowd.


    This is such a strange dream. When can she wake up?!


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?! If you don¡¯t know what happened, then don¡¯t speak blindly! That darned girl stole a steamed bun that I brought back from my maiden home. I just scolded her a little and lightly pushed her a couple of times. Who could had thought that she would bump into that ship? Didn¡¯t you see me tell my son, Heizi, to call for a doctor?¡± She snorted. ¡°So much money is needed to take care of her fragile body, but she was born in a poor family. She¡¯s always sick, just like her mother! What an utter waste of food!¡± The woman spoke with a sharp voice, which sounded like a broken gong.


    ¡°Second Sister didn¡¯t steal the steamed bun. Brother Heizi dropped it on the ground and didn¡¯t want it since it was dirty! Second Sister picked it up because I was hungry! Second Sister isn¡¯t a thief!¡± It was a young child¡¯s voice. He was obviously sobbing, but his voice still sounded abnormally clear.


    ¡°You little brat! You¡¯ve already learned how to lie at such a young age! Your Brother Heizi clearly said your second sister stole it, yet you still won¡¯t admit it! I just gently pushed her. Maybe she purposely bumped her head on that ship. She might just be using her injury to escape punishment!¡± A sense of guilt emerged within that woman¡¯s bitter tone.


    ¡°Dashan¡¯s wife, your words are unfair! The child has a huge bloody hole in her head and it seems like she¡¯s about to stop breathing. You¡¯re still trying to use the child of using her injury to avoid punishment! She was still just a little girl, so how would she be able to think of such a trick!¡± The speaker¡¯s voice sounded old, but it was full of energy and hidden rage.


    That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! That woman is seriously vile. She battered the child so harshly because of a piece of bun. Moreover, they¡¯re rtives! Lin Xiaowan wanted to open her eyes and see how ¡®impressive¡¯ that vicious woman was. However, her eyelids felt extremely heavy. She couldn¡¯t open her eyes no matter how hard she tried.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er!!!¡± It was a tired voice that also sounded anxious and pained. Lin Xiaowan felt her body being lifted by a pair of thin and weak arms. Several drops of warm tears fell on her face.


    Such a warm embrace. The feeling of having a mother... How long has it been? Since her mother passed away from a car ident when she was fourteen, she had never felt such a warm and secure feeling. Even though she had gritted her teeth and learned to be strong in life, Lin Xiaowan still felt the urge to cry.


    ¡°Younger Sister... She¡¯s bleeding a lot! Mother, it¡¯s not the time to be crying! Quickly call for a doctor!¡± This was a young girl¡¯s voice. She sounded to be at most ten years old, but... Who¡¯s she calling ¡®Younger Sister¡¯? She wouldn¡¯t be calling me, right? A bad feeling suddenly emerged within Lin Xiaowan¡¯s heart. What kind of dream is this? Why is it starting to feel even more real?


    Ow!! Her forehead really hurts and the feeling of being embraced... This definitely wasn¡¯t a dream! However, she had clearly lived as Lin Xiaowan for twenty-nine years. Why did she suddenly turn into ¡®Cao¡¯er¡¯?


    ¡°Move away. Quickly move! Doctor You is here!¡±


    ¡°Doctor You, please save Cao¡¯er! Please save my daughter!¡± The woman, who was holding her, didn¡¯t know what to do besides crying. At this time, she finally raised her head and pleaded with the doctor while trembling. Her voice was weak and helpless.


    ¡°Set the child down. Let me stop her bleeding first...¡± Lin Xiaowan felt a pair of hands gently wiping the blood on her forehead. When her wound was being cleaned, she felt a sharp pain that made her body shake violently. She opened her eyes slightly, but the piercing light made her shut her eyes again.


    ¡°She¡¯s awake, she¡¯s awake! Xiaocao is awake!¡± Someone in the crowd eximed.


    Doctor You gently helped the young girl bandage her wound, while saying, ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s awake. However, her body has always been weak and she had bled so much just now. She needs to properly rest for some time. Be sure to give her some nutritious foods to help her recover.¡±


    Lin Xiaowan slightly opened her eyes and slowly got used to the brightness. She was stunned when she finally saw her surroundings. Why was she surrounded by a group of people wearing ancient period clothing? She thought back to the voices she had heard earlier... Did she get caught up in a ridiculous transmigration plot?


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, you¡¯re awake? Does your head hurt? Tell Mother, do you still feel ufortable anywhere?¡± Lin Xiaowan turned her head towards the voice and stared into a gaze full of concern and pain. Uh... This her mother? Isn¡¯t she too young? She didn¡¯t look that much older than herself.


    ¡°Younger Sister, who beat you up like that? I¡¯ll go scold them for you!!¡± This thin little girl, who seems to be less than ten years old, was her older sister? Lin Xiaowan widened her eyes, then lowered her head to look at herself. She saw a pair of tiny hands and a small body. She smiled bitterly in her heart. Did the heavens take pity on the difficult life she had previously and granted her a chance to regain her childhood?


    However, why didn¡¯t the heavens give her a better family? The whole family were dressed in rags and their faces were wan and haggard. They were so poor that they would even pick up a steamed bun that someone else had thrown away. Doesn¡¯t that seem too miserable?


    Lin Xiaowan gradually recovered from the shock of being transmigrated. Since she had already came, she¡¯s just going to go with the flow. Her younger siblings from her previous life had already gotten jobs and formed their own families. It was probably a good time for her to step back and rest. However, she did wonder if her siblings would be sad about her suddenly ¡®passing away¡¯.


    For a moment, Lin Xiaowan fell into a trance. She thought back to when she was fifteen. She had just entered the second year of middle school that year. Her parents had left early in the morning to sell vegetables like usual, but they had gotten in a car ident on the way and passed away. Her uncles hastily took care of her parents¡¯ funeral before leaving in a hurry, as if they were scared that the three orphaned children would cling on to them.


    As the eldest sister, she had dropped out of school ever since she was young. She took the heavy responsibility of raising her siblings on her slender shoulders. That year, her sister was twelve, while her brother had just turned ten.


    Over the next fourteen years, she not only took care of their family¡¯s three acres of farnd, but also worked various jobs for the sake of her younger siblings¡¯ school fees. She was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be hired because of her age, so she would lie by saying that she was seventeen and that she just looked young.


    She had sold vegetables, helped others sell fruits, and worked as a waiter. She had also worked in a factory... Later on, thedy boss of a braised food store had helped her after she noticed that she was able to endure hardships and was honest and kind. Thedy boss also pitied her due to her circumstances. Thus, she hired her to help out in her store.


    The braised food store provided good benefits. Amodation and meals were provided, and the wage was higher than other stores. Thedy boss had also taught her the secret recipes for her braised foods without any reservation. Later on, when thedy boss decided to return to her hometown, she sold the braised food store, which was well-known and doing rather well, to her at a low price. With this small braised food store, she was able to earn enough money to support her younger siblings through middle school and high school...


    Her younger sister was an intelligent child and her heart ached for her sister who had to wake up while it was still dark to work in order to send her to school. After graduating high school, her younger sister skipped the national college entrance examination without telling her and secretly followed the other girls from the vige to find work in the south.


    Lin Xiaowan had cried her heart out for this matter when she found out. She hated herself for being useless and hindering her sister¡¯s future. Even if it wasn¡¯t a famous university, her sister should have been able to enter a decent university with her grades.


    Her younger brother had always ranked at the top of his ss since he was young. He had even skipped a grade in both elementary school and middle school. When he was fifteen and still a sophomore in high school, he had pestered his homeroom teacher to help him register for the national college entrance examination. On his career form, he only filled in ¡®military academy¡¯ as his first admission choice and left all the other slots nk.


    There were no tuition fees for the military academy and they also gave a standard allowance. Those with excellent grades would be assigned to the local army and would even be ranked as a deputy officer! She knew that her brother had just wanted to lessen her burden!


    Fourteen years had passed in a blink of an eye. While working, her sister had continued to study and earned a bachelor¡¯s degree. After that, she became a white-cor worker and even found love.


    Her younger brother performed outstandingly while studying in the military academy. He graduated when he was neen years old and was assigned to the Jinling Military Camp. He became the youngest officer in the camp. Later on, her tall and handsome brother, who was exceptional in all areas, caught the eye of the deputymander of the camp. The deputymander introduced his granddaughter to her brother and they fell in love.


    When they got married, her sister also brought along her white-cor husband and their one-year old son to the wedding. After seeing her younger siblings with their own happy families, she was so happy that she drank a few more cups of wine...


    After the wedding banquet, when she was walking down the stairs, she identally missed a step and fell down the stairs... When she woke up again, she had already entered the body of this weak, little fisher girl...

 Chapter 2 – Evil Step-Grandmother

    <h4>Chapter 2 ¨C Evil Step-Grandmother</h4>


    ¡°You... you¡¯re my mother?¡± Lin Xiaowan didn¡¯t retain any memories from the original host of this body. However, she had coincidently hit her head, so that gave her a good opportunity to pretend to have amnesia. Weren¡¯t all transmigration novels just like this?


    That weak-looking woman already had a pale face, but her face became even more ashen. She wobbled and asked in disbelief, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong? Why can¡¯t you even remember your own mother? Doctor You, what¡¯s exactly wrong with my daughter?¡±


    Doctor You was an old man in his fifties. He stroked his beard and frowned. After a moment of deliberation, he said, ¡°When I was younger, I had read a medical book that mentioned a simr case. There was a man who stumbled down a mountain and injured his head, losing all his memories. Little girl, try thinking a little harder, can you remember anything?¡±


    Lin Xiaowan, who was now Yu Xiaocao, scrunched up her face and pretended to think harder. After a long moment, she shook her head firmly and said, ¡°My mind ispletely nk. I can¡¯t remember anything at all.¡±


    ¡°My poor daughter... Doctor You, can Cao¡¯er¡¯s illness be cured? Is there any danger to her life?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s new mother in this lifetime held her hand and wept silently.


    The vigers surrounding them clicked their tongues, shook their heads, and sighed. Madam Liu¡¯s life had been rather tough. Her mother-inw was vicious and harsh, while her sister-inw waszy and selfish. After she gave birth to her youngest son, she didn¡¯t get to properly recuperate. Thus, she became prone to illness. However, her mother-inw still ordered her around without letting her rest. Even after all that, her mother-inw was still unsatisfied with her and constantly picked on her.


    Although her husband was capable to earning money, Madam Liu had never received a single cent before her mother-inw, Madam Zhang, pocketed all the money. Her younger daughter was born sickly and wasn¡¯t expected to live very long. Now she even injured her head, ah...


    Doctor You consoled her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as there aren¡¯t any other symptoms, her health wouldn¡¯t be affected. Maybe she will start recovering her memories after a few more days. Bring her home first so that she doesn¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, Doctor You! We¡¯ve troubled you again!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mother, Madam Liu, wiped her tears with the corner of her clothes and bent down to pick up her daughter.


    However, a young man in his twenties had already picked Yu Xiaocao up before she could do so and said, ¡°Second Sister-inw, let me carry her!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked and stared at this tall and thin man with curiosity. He was a young man with a refined aura. As someone with the mentality of a twenty-six years old, it felt somewhat weird to be carried by a young man like this.


    The young man shed a smile at her and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, do you still remember Third Uncle?


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember you!¡± Yu Xiaocao shook her head honestly. Her movement pulled on her wound and made her grimace in pain.


    The young man hastened his pace and carried her towards a room inside a courtyard. Yu Xiaocao wanted to walk by herself, but she had lost too much blood. She was still too dizzy and weak, so she could only stay in her third uncle¡¯s arms. She just kept reminding herself: I¡¯m a child, I¡¯m just a child right now...


    Her eyes weren¡¯t idle as she carefully looked around and got a general idea about her surroundings. This was a small fishing vige that was close to the sea. There were mostly old straw houses in the vige. Their family had a five-room residence with a courtyard, so they can be considered a family with above-average living conditions in the vige.


    However... if her family had decent living conditions, why had the original host of this body died because of a small and dirty piece of steamed bun?


    ¡°What happened?!¡± A white-haired old woman with deep wrinkles around her mouth came out from the main room. When she saw her daughter-inw carrying a blood covered Yu Xiaocao in her arms, she frowned and grumbled, ¡°You went out so early this morning. Where did you go? Wouldn¡¯t her head injury cost a lot of money to be treated? A family full of sick and useless people. Even a rich family will be ruined by all the medical fees! Second Daughter-inw, is this how you look after your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Second Sister didn¡¯t fall by herself! Eldest Aunt pushed her!¡± The little boy, Shitou, swiftly replied. He straightened his back, trying to protect his sick and weak sister.


    The wrinkles on the old woman¡¯s face deepened as she furrowed her brows. Her fierce gaze shot towards the plump figure hidden behind them. She coldly shouted, ¡°Eldest Daughter-inw, what exactly happened?¡±


    Her eldest daughter-inw, Madam Li¡¯s, eyes darted around before she answered evasively, ¡°Heizi told me that Xiaocao stole a steamed bun from my room. I just didn¡¯t manage to hold back my anger.¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian, wasn¡¯t as amicable as her mother. She shouted at the fat Heizi, who was hiding behind his mother, ¡°Brother Heizi always lies, so how can we still believe in his words?¡±


    Li Guihua¡¯s imposing manner had slightly deted, but, when she saw her precious son being criticized, she immediately bounced back like a rubber ball, ¡°You little brat, who are you calling a liar? You¡¯re still refusing to admit that you stole something! Who would still throw a whole steamed bun on the ground when the harvest had been so bad recently? Heizi,e over here! Quicklye and tell everyone how that damned girl, Xiaocao, stole our steamed bun?!¡±


    Yu Ge, whose nickname was Heizi, was tanned and fat. He was the eldest child among the younger generation of the family and was spoiled by his mother. Although he was usually a bully in front of his younger siblings, he was actually aplete coward. Xiaocao had been battered until she was bloody and nearly died because of his careless words. It was impossible for him to not feel guilty at all.


    He kept muttering without actually saying anything relevant until Madam Li smacked him several times. When he finally summoned up the courage to continue lying, he was interrupted by Xiaocao¡¯s older brother, Yu Hang.


    ¡°Brother Heizi, do you still remember the story of ¡®the wronged soulsing back for justice¡¯? Also, the myths about the eighteen levels of hell? Eldest Aunt had also said this earlier, liars will have their tongues cut off in hell!¡± The ten year old Yu Hang was usually very quiet, but he had clearly seen through the current situation.


    Heizi guiltily looked at Xiaocao, who was being carried by her mother. The sickly and pale Yu Xiaocao silently stared at him with her empty eyes. She barely had any flesh on her small face, which made her eyes look frighteningly big. Her dark pupil nearly filled up her entire eyeball. Her face was also stained with streaks of blood. Wasn¡¯t this exactly the same as the wronged ghosts mention in the story?


    Heizi was so scared that he almost wet his pants. He didn¡¯t dare to look at her again and buried his head into his mother¡¯s embrace. He screeched like a dying pig, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who had hurt you, so don¡¯te looking for me! What I said earlier doesn¡¯t count! I dropped the steamed bun on the ground and didn¡¯t want it anymore because it was dirty! Waaahhh... Don¡¯t take my soul away! I don¡¯t want to go to hell and have my tongue be cut off!...¡±


    The truth has been revealed, so Madam Li can¡¯t even argue anymore. She was so angry that she smacked her son¡¯s back several times. Under the onlookers scrutinizing eyes, she could only give in, ¡°Darned brat, why did you lie? Second Sister-inw, I¡¯ve already scolded him, so don¡¯t take a child¡¯s action to heart.¡±


    Yu Lichun, who had followed behind them, spoke up at this time, ¡°Why are you still fighting over a steamed bun when the child was already injured like this? Sister-inw, you should hurry up and give Doctor You the medical fees!¡±


    Yu Lichun was the eldest brother of Xiaocao¡¯s grandfather, Old Yu. The two families didn¡¯t have a close rtionship due to Xiaocao¡¯s grandmother, Madam Zhang.


    When Madam Zhang heard that she needed to pay for that useless brat¡¯s medical fees, she widened her eyes and spoke through gritted teeth, ¡°Brother-inw, that¡¯s easy for you to say. Pay for her medical fees? All the money that we had wasted on that brat and her mother every year is enough to feed an entire family. Where am I going to find the money to pay for them? Money doesn¡¯t just fall from the sky for our family, so we can¡¯t just spend it carelessly! It¡¯s a small wound, so just cover it with some nt ash and it¡¯ll be fine. She doesn¡¯t need any medicine!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not her real granddaughter, so of course she doesn¡¯t want to pay!¡± The vigers, who had followed along, shook their heads and sighed.


    Madam Zhang was actually Yu Hai¡¯s step-mother, who married Old Yu after Yu Hai¡¯s mother died. After they got married, she gave birth to their third son, Yu Bo, and a daughter, Yu Caidie. The eldest son, Yu Dashan, was a child Madam Zhang had from her previous marriage. He had changed his surname after his mother married into the Yu Family.


    Yu Lichun cried out against the injustice for his nephew, ¡°Third Sister-inw! Dahai goes out to the sea to fish every day before dawn. He would also frequently go up the mountain to hunt for pheasants and wild rabbits, then sell them in town. Moreover, all the money he makes goes to the family. We, the vigers, aren¡¯t blind. If Dahai wasn¡¯t in your family, would your family be able to build this five-room house? Can your family afford the new ship? His daughter is badly injured right now, yet you can¡¯t even bear to spend some money? How can he not be disappointed?¡±


    Madam Zhang was upset when she heard Yu Lichun¡¯s words, ¡°Brother-inw, ording to your words, Dahai is the only reason our family is doing well? Let me tell you right now! I¡¯m not going to pay the medical fees! Whoever caused this mess and injured her should be responsible for paying!¡± After she finished speaking, she turned around and went back into the room, mming the door loudly.


    Madam Li¡¯s fleshy body trembled slightly and she muttered in a low voice, ¡°All our money is in Mother¡¯s hands. I don¡¯t have any money...¡± Then, she pulled her son back to their own room.


    Madam Liu gave Doctor You a bitter smile and said, ¡°Doctor You, I¡¯ll have my husband send over the medical fees when hees back... My apologies!¡±


    Under everyone¡¯s sympathetic gazes, Madam Liu sent away Doctor You and the vigers...

 Chapter 3 – Mysterious Rainbow Stone

    <h4>Chapter 3 ¨C Mysterious Rainbow Stone</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao, who was set down on the kang bed [1], stared at the affectionate Madam Liu. She didn¡¯t really know how she felt right now. Even though this mother seemed weak and unreliable, she finally had a mother to love her again after fourteen years.


    Yu Hang stroked Xiaocao¡¯s hair while speaking to his mother, ¡°Mother, Youngest Sister had been weak and often sick ever since she was born. This time, she even suffered a major injury... Grandpa You told us to feed her more nutritious foods to help her recover.¡±


    A brief moment of silence filled the entire room. Madam Liu thought of her stingy mother-inw and went out of the room with an agonized expression on her face. After she left, Shitou came closer and caressed her face with his cold hands. He whispered into her ears with his tender voice, ¡°Older Sister, rest well and get better soon. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll bring you an egg to eat...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sorted out her emotions, then smiled at the young child. She chatted with the cute kid for a while before she felt a wave of fatigue. Right before she fell into a deep slumber, she heard Madam Liu timidly saying, ¡°Mother, the doctor said that Cao¡¯er¡¯s body is weak and that she¡¯ll need to eat some nourishing foods. She only drank a few mouthfuls of porridge in the morning, so I want to make some egg soup for her.¡±


    ¡°Eat, eat, eat! Even a wealthy family wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the sufferings caused by all of you patients. Calling for a doctor and getting medications, which of these doesn¡¯t require money?! We still need to sell the eggs the next time the market opens. There¡¯s still some white rice inside the jar, so just take some to make a bowl of congee...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s body was originally weak and she had just suffered excessive blood loss. Thus, she finally couldn¡¯t resist the call for sleep and fell into a deep slumber.


    She slept for a very long time this time. She didn¡¯t wake up even when they were feeding her the congee and medicine. She felt as if she had fallen into a bottomless darkness. No matter how much she struggled, she was unable to escape from the endless despair.


    After an unknown amount of time, when she was about to give up and ept her fate, a glimmer of light shone within the darkness. A frustrated yet sweet sounding voice appeared in her mind:


    [Darn it! How did I idently pledge my loyalties to a weak human-being? What should I do? What should I do now? Should I... I should just ignore her. If she dies, then our master-servant rtionship will be void. However, I don¡¯t know when I would be able toe out again!]


    That damned Goddess of Spirits. She actually sealed most of this mighty divine stone¡¯s spiritual powers, then abandoned it in some random human realm. It had waited for exactly eight hundred years before it was picked up by a human-woman. However, she had died before it was able to acknowledge its master...


    It used up all its remaining spiritual powers to bring that human-woman¡¯s soul to another realm and found a suitable body for her to revive in. If it didn¡¯t save her with all its powers, then it might really have to experience another eight hundred years before waking up again.


    Ay... It¡¯s better to be a little weaker than stay in endless darkness. However, the wound on her head... Seems like it would need to use the little spiritual powers that it still had to heal her...


    While Yu Xiaocao was amazed by that talkative glowing orb, she suddenly felt a cool and refreshing feeling on the wound on her forehead. The painful sensation was also gone. As the darkness around her gradually faded, she slowly opened her heavy eyelids.


    A dimmp was lit inside the room. She could faintly see thin Madam Liuying on the edge of the kang bed. Her breathing could be clearly heard in the silence.


    Yu Xiaocao recalled that strange dream she just had. She lifted her arm and touched her forehead. It really didn¡¯t hurt anymore. Was that not a dream? Did that glowing golden orb, who calls itself a ¡®Divine Stone¡¯, really exist? Did it also cure the injury on her head?


    Yu Xiaocao felt really hot and stuffy since she was tightly covered by a nket. She took her arms out of the nket and noticed a red string bracelet on her thin wrist. There was a multicolored stone threaded on the red string. Wasn¡¯t this the small stone that she picked up in a mountain stream near the Pot Pce, that only time she went on a vacation?


    The stone was only about the size of a marble. It appeared smooth and round as it sat in the middle of the creek. She had picked it up because she thought that the colorful stone looked really beautiful at that time. After taking it back, she made a hole in it, threaded it on a red string, and wore it on her wrist. Later on, when she was preparing braised foods, she felt that it wasn¡¯t convenient to wear it while working. Thus, she just casually threw it aside and forgot about it. Why did it transmigrate and reincarnate with her?


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, you¡¯re awake! You¡¯ve slept for exactly three days. If you still didn¡¯t wake up, I was about to take you to town to see a doctor.¡± Madam Liu, who was lying on the kang bed, noticed the movement and raised her head. She cried out in happiness when she looked up and saw her daughter studying the rainbow stone.


    Yu Xiaocao stared intently at Madam Liu. Her first impression of her mother was that she was thin. Although she had a beautiful and gentle face, it looked thin and pale. Her hands, which were fixing her nket, were full of rough calluses and scars. With one nce at her hands, it was obvious that she was constantly performing manualbor.


    ¡°Mother...¡± Although Madam Liu wasn¡¯t that much older than her in her previous life, she was touched by the maternal love within her eyes. Thus, she couldn¡¯t help but call out to her. No one had looked at her with such a loving gaze ever since her mother passed away when she was fourteen. Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt like crying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Cao¡¯er. Does your wound still hurt? Mother will blow on it for you...¡± Liu Muyun gently blew on her daughter¡¯s bandaged head, then she quickly turned around and wiped her tears with her sleeve.


    When she was pregnant with the twins, she idently fell into the water while washing clothes and gave birth prematurely. Although Xiaolian was slightly underweight, she grew up with a healthy body. However, it was a different situation for Xiaocao. She couldn¡¯t even drink milk at first. Furthermore, she would frequently fall ill. There were even several times when she almost didn¡¯t survive.


    Her child needed to take medicine throughout the year, but their family haven¡¯t split off yet. All the money that her husband earned from fishing and hunting must be handed to her mother-inw. Every time she asked her mother-inw for money to get medicine, she was always reluctant to give it to her and would say a bunch of unpleasant words. Her eldest sister-inw would also make jeering remarks on the side.


    She can endure anything for her child. However, she had never expected that her daughter almost died in the hands of her eldest sister-inw. The doctor had clearly instructed them to nourish Xiaocao with more nutrition, but her mother-inw was unwilling to even give them an egg.


    Liu Muyun¡¯s face was full of helplessness as she looked at the dark night sky outside the window. She had already married into the Yu Family for thirteen years. Every day, she had to be the first to wake up andst to sleep. She always exhausted because she was responsible for nearly all of the household chores.


    She¡¯s not afraid of being tired, but her mother-inw was never satisfied with her no matter what she does. She often had to suffer from her demanding gaze and mocking remarks. Even her children were treated poorly.


    There was no one in the family who she could rely upon. Xiaocao was injured by Eldest Sister-inw and was unconscious for three days, but Eldest Brother¡¯s family didn¡¯t even appear once. Her youngest sister-inw and father-inw were the only ones who came to check on Xiaocao...


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, are you hungry? Your youngest aunt gave us an egg. I kept it warm with some hot water.¡± Liu Muyun peeled the eggshell for her daughter. She had a satisfied smile on her face as she watched her daughter slowly eat the egg.


    She continued, ¡°My good daughter, you should rest some more. Mother will go prepare dinner. Your favorite congee [2] will be ready by the time you¡¯re awake. I¡¯ll be sure to make it thick and add some pickled vegetables in it. I¡¯ll bring arge bowl of it for our Cao¡¯er to eat!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao remembered what she had heard before she fell asleep. Her mother was rejected after she had asked this body¡¯s grandmother for an egg. It seems like her family rarely had the chance to eat fine grains such as white rice and wheat flour.


    For this bowl of congee, Madam Liu would probably have to endure people cruelly mocking her. Her heart somewhat ached for her, ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll just eat whatever everyone else is eating. Don¡¯t separately prepare something just for me. Didn¡¯t I already eat an egg today?¡±

 Chapter 4 – She Has a Decent Father

    <h4>Chapter 4 ¨C She Has a Decent Father</h4>


    Liu Muyun went to open the door, but briefly paused after hearing her words. She hid her feeling of helplessness within her smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. The doctor said that you lost too much blood and need some nourishment... Your father was heartbroken when he found out that you got injured, so he asked your Uncle Zhao to go hunting early this morning. They should being back soon. At noon, you¡¯ll be able to drink thick chicken soup [1] and eat your favorite drumstick...¡±


    The door closed with a squeak and the room was quiet again. Yu Xiaocao propped herself up and touched the wound on her head. She remembered her dream and took out her arm with the multicolored stone tied on her wrist.


    She gently shook the rainbow stone, which didn¡¯t appear to be very special. She muttered to herself, ¡°It was clearly just my soul that was transmigrated, so how did I bring this stone over? I must had been dreaming earlier. It¡¯s just a useless stone. How could it be a divine stone?¡±


    [You¡¯re a useless stone! Your whole family are useless stones!] Suddenly, a bright spot appeared above the multicolored stone and a child¡¯s infuriated voice emerged within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mind. She was so shocked that she almost threw the stone away in her hand.


    That bright spot gradually became a small golden ball the size of a child¡¯s fist. A pair of big round eyes and a small mouth appeared on the glowing orb, which was leisurely floating in the air. At this time, the small glowing orb was ring at her angrily with a puffed-up face, which made it look rather cute.


    Yu Xiaocao reached out her hand and wanted to hold up the small glowing orb. However, that little thing quickly flew away with a haughty and amusing expression on its face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ll apologize to you, alright? You¡¯re really a divine stone? Do you really have the ability to heal injuries? Were you the one who healed the wound on my head?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked a series of questions.


    The haughty divine stone snorted disdainfully and said, [I, this Divine Stone, was the only mystic stone that Goddess Nuwa personally refined. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m amazing? However, most of my power was sealed by that damned Ling¡¯er. How else would I had been stained by a weak human-being¡¯s blood and foolishly epted you as my master?!]


    ¡°Your powers have already been sealed! Why are you still bragging about yourself? Stop with your nonsense about weak human-beings! The master-servant rtionship has already been established, so I¡¯m your master now. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m happy about this situation. You¡¯re just a useless stone that had your powers sealed. I can¡¯t even eat you when I¡¯m hungry, nor drink you when I¡¯m thirsty. What can I even use you for?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had originally thought that she would be invincible with a point of her finger, just like what was written in the novels. Thus, she pouted in disappointment.


    The small glowing orb turned into a furious little kitten with golden fur and immediately rushed towards her. Its tiny paws almost scratched Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face as it screamed:


    [Who says I¡¯m useless? Who cured the wound on your head? With that big hole in your head, if it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to get up from the kang bed for at least half a month! How else would you still have the energy to argue with me? Despite having most of my powers sealed, I¡¯m still a stone that was personally refined by Goddess Nuwa! My bathing water alone can prolong life and cure all kinds of illnesses. Moreover, it can also enhance beauty and maintain youthfulness!]


    Uh... Bathing water? Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes a few times. The small glowing orb seemed to have noticed her doubt and said, [Before I was picked out by Goddess Nuwa, I was a multicolored stone from a mountain stream. Thus, I really like to bathe in water. While I¡¯m bathing, my energy would emit into the water and create unexpected effects. Your body is too weak, so you should drink more of my bathing water. I can ensure you that your body will be strong and healthy. You won¡¯t suffer from any more illnesses...]


    The small glowing orb used its short paws to pat itself on the chest, as if it was selling quack remedies. Yu Xiaocao had somewhat believed in it earlier, but she be rather unconvinced now.


    [You don¡¯t believe me? How can you not believe in me?! Humph, Humph! I seriously need to show you, this mortal, how awesome I am!] The small glowing orb was furious and flew around the room in a rampage. Then, it rushed towards the wound on her head and emitted a faint golden light, which enveloped her wound over the gauze.


    After a while, Yu Xiaocao untied the gauze on her head. Originally, her wound was only partially healed, but the scab was almost ready to be removed now. She didn¡¯t remove the dry scab because she was afraid that she couldn¡¯t give an exnation when it¡¯s time to change her medicine.


    The small glowing orb proudly snorted at her. However, unexpected sadnesses after extreme joy. Its powers had been depleted, so it abruptly fell down and disappeared into the multicolored stone.


    The moment it disappeared, Yu Xiaocao heard the little fellow speaking with a weak voice, [Remember to soak me in water. It can help me recover my spiritual powers.]


    ¡°Cao¡¯er¡¯s awake? Let me go take a look! I caught a pheasant today. Quickly go and stew it for my precious daughter.¡± A man¡¯s voice sounded from the courtyard. Although it couldn¡¯t be considered a pleasant voice, but he sounded very warm.


    Yu Xiaocao hastily wrapped the gauze back on her head. Her wound was still bleeding a couple days ago, wouldn¡¯t it be weird if it was healed in just three days?


    The door creaked opened right after she finished wrapping the bandage on her head. The wind mischievously entered through the crack and fiddled with the dim candlewick. A tall and burly figure appeared in front of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Father?¡± Yu Xiaocao had vaguely heard that her new father was a very capable man, so she was very curious about why he would let his wife and children live so miserably.


    The man swiftly walked towards the kang bed. She could vaguely see his face under the dim light. He had healthy-looking tanned skin with thick eyebrows and big eyes. With a tall nose and wide mouth, he appeared very masculine.


    ¡°My precious daughter! You had seriously scared me! Fortunately, we were blessed by the heavens and it turned out to be a false rm. After sleeping for so long, you must be hungry, right? Your favorite chicken soup will be ready soon!¡±


    Yu Hai carefully observed his daughter¡¯splexion. She really looked much better than this morning, so he happily supported her to sit up and stuffed a pillow behind her back for her to lean on.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help twitching when she heard him speak in a gentle tone as if he was coaxing a child. She was already a twenty-nine year old woman, so it made her really ufortable to be treated like a young child.


    Yu Xiaocao gently replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already ate an egg and congee. Let mother and younger brother drink the chicken soup. Mother¡¯s body is weak, so she needs to nourish her body. Also, younger brother is still young and had suffered a major fright today...¡±


    Yu Hai gently caressed his daughter¡¯s head with his big fan-like hand, while carefully avoiding her wound. He grinned and revealed a mouth full of white teeth, ¡°Our Cao¡¯er is so understanding. You already know how to take care of your mother and younger brother. But, don¡¯t worry. We have enough for everyone. We¡¯ll leave the rest simmering on the stove, so you can eat it when you¡¯re hungryter.¡±


    Yu Xiaolian heard him and came in with a pout, ¡°Father, stop coaxing us! As soon as you entered the courtyard with the pheasant, people from the east room had already set their eyes on it. Just Brother Heizi can eat half the chicken. By the time it¡¯s our turn, we would be considered lucky if they leave some scraps!¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s no more, then I¡¯ll just hunt for some more tomorrow!¡± Yu Hai smiled at her good-naturedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± Her older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian, secretly rolled her eyes, ¡°If you caught more, then it would be even less likely for us to eat anything. You didn¡¯t get to see grandmother¡¯s pained expression when we needed to pay for the medical fees. She would surely find ways to make up for the loss, while also doubling the earnings.¡±


    ¡°Stop! How can a child reprimand their elder like this?¡± Yu Hai scolded her with a rather gentle tone. After that, he turned toward Xiaocao with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Father will watch over the stove. I¡¯ll make sure Cao¡¯er gets a share even if no one else in this family does.¡±


    Yu Xiaolian stuck her tongue out behind his back, then smiled at her sister, ¡°Everything is great about our father, but it would be better if he can have a firmer attitude. Ay! Grandmother is oppressing us, yet our father is a dutiful son and our mother¡¯s personality is too gentle...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had just transmigrated here, so she still hadn¡¯t figured out this family¡¯s situation. She simply smiled as she listened. When she lowered her head and saw the rainbow stone on her wrist, she hastily asked, ¡°Uh... Xiaolian, can you bring me some water? There¡¯s some bloodstains on the stone...¡±


    Ay! She was too used to being the eldest child in her previous life, so it was really hard for her to call an eight year old girl ¡®Older Sister¡¯.

 Chapter 5 – Lying Without Blinking

    <h4>Chapter 5 ¨C Lying Without Blinking</h4>


    The morning sun quietly lit up the night sky of early spring. In the courtyard, chickens began to crow with their necks stretched out. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian, quietly dressed herself.


    Yu Xiaocao slept a lot during the day, so she was immediately stirred awake by her older sister¡¯s movement. She rubbed her eyes, looked through the window paper, and noticed that it was still very early outside. She muttered, ¡°Why are you waking up so early?¡±


    Yu Xiaolian yawned as she put on a jacket that was covered with patches. She nced at Madam Liu, who was sleeping on the kang bed, and whispered, ¡°Did I wake you up? Mother slept reallyte yesterday. I¡¯ll do more work and let her rest some more. It¡¯s still early, so you should sleep a little more ...¡±


    Xiaocao stared at this young girl¡¯s thin back. She was only an eight year old child. In modern times, she would just be an elementary school kid who was still acting like a spoiled child in front of her parents. However, she was already one of the major contributors in this family.


    In the courtyard, their grandmother began screaming again, ¡°What time is it? Why haven¡¯t you started cooking yet?! Don¡¯t think that you can¡¯t do whatever you want just because there¡¯s a patient in your family!¡±


    This person was also someone who strategically chose her victims. She knew that Madam Liu had a soft personality and Yu Hai was an obedient son. Thus, she was able to grasp all of them within her hands. She was probably somewhat worried about Old Yu, so she treated them slightly better when the men are home.


    Yu Xiaocao frowned with annoyance when she heard Madam Zhang shouting early in the morning again. She had a biased grandmother and her eldest aunt was always nitpicking on them. Furthermore, she also has a greedy andzy older cousin who was always bullying them... In her previous life, she had raised her younger brother and sister up all by herself. Even though they were in a difficult situation, but they had never experienced such grievances.


    For these past few days, besides doing heavy household chores, Madam Liu also had to take care of her daughter at night. Thus, she barely had any time to sleep. Her body had originally been weak and she was so thin that she barely had any flesh on her body. Moreover, her face was so pale that there didn¡¯t seem to be a trace of blood on her face. She also had dark shadows under her eyes.


    Madam Liu hastily stood up when she heard the screaming outside. However, when she got off the bed, she staggered for a few steps before steadying herself.


    Yu Xiaocao hastily got off the kang bed to support her mother, helped her sit on the bed, and said, ¡°Mother, your health doesn¡¯t seem that well either. You should rest some more. They won¡¯t starve just because you didn¡¯t cook for a day! If you got sick, then father would be heartbroken...¡±


    Based on her observation, her new father, Yu Hai, not only spoiled his children, but he also loved his wife dearly. If he was at home, he would always rush to take over his wife¡¯s duties. However, he was usually out fishing, selling fish, and hunting every day. Thus, he seldom spent time at home. Otherwise, Madam Liu¡¯s health wouldn¡¯t have deteriorated so much.


    ¡°You silly girl! Where did you learn to speak like that?!¡± A rosy blush emerged on Liu Muyun¡¯s wan face.


    ¡°Xiaolian can¡¯t finish the work by herself. I¡¯ll go help her...¡± Liu Muyun wanted to walk toward the door to leave, but she was pulled back to sit on the bed by her daughter.


    ¡°Just ignore grandmother. She¡¯s on menopause! Just pretend you can¡¯t hear herints and don¡¯t take her words to heart...¡± Yu Xiaocao paused briefly before she suddenly shouted loudly, ¡°Mother, Mother! What¡¯s wrong?! Grandmothere in quickly! My mother fainted!¡±


    Liu Muyun sat on edge of the kang bed and stared at her daughter dumbfoundedly. Before she could even reacted, Yu Xiaocao swiftly whispered to her, ¡°Mother, you fainted out of exhaustion. Why aren¡¯t you lying down?¡±


    After her younger daughter woke up from her injuries, she became more intelligent. She also has a brighter and sharper disposition. However, she didn¡¯t know who her daughter had learned this from. Liu Muyun lightly tapped her little forehead andy down cooperatively.


    As soon as Liu Muyun closed her eyes, Madam Zhang pushed the door open and came in while grumbling, ¡°What¡¯s the matter now? Such a troublesome family. Xiaocao, why did your mother faint?¡±


    ¡°My mother hasn¡¯t slept for days in order to take care of me. When Grandmother was yelling that no one was cooking earlier, she got up in a hurry and fell down to the ground. She¡¯s still unconscious now. I helped her onto the kang bed after much difficulty... Grandmother, we should ask Doctor You toe check on her. I¡¯m so scared that my mother won¡¯t wake up. Waahhh...¡± Yu Xiaocao covered her face with her hands and pretended to cry.


    Madam Zhang wrinkled her brows and looked at her second daughter-inw, who was so skinny that she barely had any flesh on her body. She couldn¡¯t help muttering inwardly; ¡®Yu Hai¡¯s sickly wife wouldn¡¯t really have gotten sick, right? If she¡¯s really ill, then we¡¯ll have to spend money again!


    She turned towards Yu Xiaocao and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to call for a doctor. Your mother is just sleeping because she¡¯s too tired. Stop being so easily scared. Don¡¯t bother your mother and let her rest some more!¡±


    When Madam Zhang went out and heard her eldest daughter-inw indiscreetly making remarks about no one cooking, she finally exploded in anger, ¡°Eat, eat, eat! You won¡¯t die by just missing a meal! Is it not enough that our family was already in a mess! Stop being so noisy in the morning! If you want to eat earlier, then make it yourself. Can¡¯t you see that Xiaolian is busy working now?!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s younger aunt, Yu Caidie, quietly came out of her own room. She picked up some firewood and wanted to go to the kitchen to make a fire. However, Madam Zhang was unwilling to let her daughter cook. She swiftly picked up a broom and smacked the arm of her eldest daughter-inw, who was leaning against the wall and basking in the sun, ¡°You¡¯re such a tactless person. Hurry up and go cook! You want your youngest sister-inw, who is still in her teens, to serve you?!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was speechless by her words. She was just selfishly taking care of her own daughter without concern about other people¡¯s daughters. Yu Xiaolian was only eight years old and much younger than her daughter. Xiaolian was busily working throughout the day, yet she didn¡¯t even care. However, her heart ached just because her daughter was carrying a bundle of firewood?


    Madam Li covered her arm that was hit and grumbled as she entered the kitchen. She grudgingly made a fire and began preparing breakfast while cursing.


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that her mother had fallen asleep shortly after lying on the bed, she quietly left the room and gently closed the door. She took a basin and went to help Xiaolian feed the chickens.


    However, Yu Xiaolian quickly grabbed it from her. She looked at her bandaged head and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re still injured. How can I let you work? Are you hungry? Go sit down first. Breakfast will be ready soon!¡±


    Madam Li hasn¡¯t worked in the kitchen for many years, so she was sweating profusely while preparing breakfast for the entire family. During this era, people ate twice a day, which was usually around ten in the morning and four in the afternoon. However, it was nearly noon when breakfast was finally served.


    The bean paste soup [1] tasted burnt, while the mixed flour tbread [2] was so dry that it could choke people death. The eldest son, Yu Dasan, had just returned from fishing. After tasting the bean paste soup and tbread, he couldn¡¯t hold back his anger, ¡°How are people supposed to eat this? The tbread is also as hard as a rock. Is it even edible?¡±


    ¡°Ask your wife! I asked her to cook and she was in the kitchen since nine in the morning. However, this was what she made after working in the kitchen for nearly four hours!¡± Madam Zhang broke off a piece of tbread and tried hard to chew it in her mouth. She finally swallowed it after drinking two mouthfuls of the bean paste soup.


    The Yu Family¡¯s bean paste soup was made with soybean powder and mixed with a small amount of millet. There was originally a strong bean vor within the soup, so the taste became even more sour when burnt.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Second Daughter-inw? Why didn¡¯t shee out to cook?¡± Old Yu¡¯s brows creased as he set down the tbread in his hand and asked.


    Yu Xiaocao swiftly answered, ¡°My mother was so exhausted that she fainted. She¡¯s still unconscious and lying on the kang bed.


    ¡°What? Your mother fainted? I¡¯ll go check on her!¡± Yu Hai hastily rushed towards his room without even eating.

 Chapter 6 – Collecting Seafood

    <h4>Chapter 6 ¨C Collecting Seafood</h4>


    ¡°Why did she faint? What did the doctor say?¡± Old Yu had seen his second daughter-inw taking care of his younger granddaughter without rest.


    ¡°Grandmother didn¡¯t let us call for a doctor. She said my mother will be fine after sleeping!¡± Yu Xiaocao found the perfect opportunity to tattle.


    ¡°Nonsense! When we finish eating, go ask Doctor You toe and check on Second Daughter-inw. Don¡¯t let a minor illness turn into a major illness.¡± Old Yu frowned as he forced himself to finish the bean paste soup and wiped his mouth.


    Madam Zhang reluctantly muttered, ¡°We¡¯ll have to spend money if we seek a doctor! Our third son needs to participate in the district examination soon. He¡¯ll need to travel to the prefectural city for the examination! If we waste all our money on Yu Hai¡¯s family and can¡¯t gather enough money for travel expenses, then he would definitely be resentful towards you...¡±


    Old Yu frowned, mmed his chopsticks on the table, and said, ¡°Our family isn¡¯t as poor as you¡¯re making us out to be! Every year, Yu Hai earns more than a dozen taels [1] from just hunting, let alone his earnings from fishing daily! Our third son has been studying for so many years, but he hasn¡¯t even passed the county-level examination. I reckon he should stop studying. He should just save some money to buy a few acres ofnd to farm on.¡±


    With the Yu Family¡¯s circumstances, if they weren¡¯t funding for their third son¡¯s studies for more than a decade, they could live morefortably. Even if they freely ate white rice and wheat flour on a daily basis, they would still have more than enough to eat. However, the payments for a private tutor and the cost of living in town were enough to wear down a middle-ss farming family.


    ¡°What? Old Man! The fortune teller had said that someone in our family is fated to be a government official! I¡¯m still counting on our third son to earn me a title of ¡®noble madam¡¯! Even if I must give up everything, I¡¯ll still fund his studies!¡± Although Madam Zhang was slightly afraid of her husband, she decided to fight to the end for her son¡¯s future and her own glory.


    Old Yu red at his wife, but didn¡¯t continue on the topic. He threw the bowl in his hand and spoke in a muffled voice, ¡°I¡¯ll go tidy our three acres of farnd! By the way, Xiaolian, go cook a bowl of noodles for your mother and add two fried eggs in it. She must have been exhausted from these past few days!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Thank you, Grandfather!¡± Yu Xiaocao rushed to answer in a loud voice and had a bright smile on her face.


    ¡°Xiaolian! Xiaolian, you wretch! Why are you still dawdling in the room? Can¡¯t you see that it¡¯s about to rain? Hurry up and go retrieve the clothes that are being dried!¡± Every day, Yu Xiaocao was woken up by her grandmother¡¯s shrill scolding.


    Madam Liu, who was used to being oppressed by her mother-inw, wanted to get up out of habit. However, Yu Hai stopped her, ¡°You should rest some more! I¡¯ll go take a look!¡±


    It was unsuitable to sail out to the sea because it was too windy today. Thus, Yu Hai was able to idle at home on this rare asion.


    After changing his clothes, he came in again and spoke to his sons, ¡°Today is the second day of June and the tide is receding right now. I just went out to check. It¡¯s cloudy and the wind is blowing in the southwest direction. More marine goods could be found when the tide recedes quickly. Thus, it¡¯s the best weather to go gather food by the sea! Let¡¯s go! Father will take you guys to search for some oysters, crabs, fish, and shrimp. If we¡¯re lucky, we might even find abalone!¡±


    ¡°Collecting seafood by the sea? Father, I¡¯ve never gathered food at the sea before! I want to go too. Bring me along!¡±


    In her previous life, Lin Xiaowan¡¯s hometown was located in the inner regions. She had only seen the ocean once in the twenty-nine years that she had been alive. It was all thanks to that one time she had visited her younger sister, who was studying in a university beside the sea.


    She had transmigrated to this fishing vige for about five or six days. However, Madam Liu had kept her at home in order to recover from her injury. She never went out of the house, let alone go to the sea. When Yu Xiaocao heard that there was a chance to go gather food at the sea, she decided that she¡¯ll follow along even if she had to throw a fit. Well, wasn¡¯t she a child now? Thus, she had the right to be willful and mischievous.


    Madam Liu had been frightened and quickly coaxed her daughter, ¡°It¡¯s windy today and your injury hasn¡¯tpletely healed yet. Wait a few more days and I¡¯ll let you go anywhere you want. I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    Xiaocao refused toply. She was about to be moldy from staying at home. Moreover, today was a rare opportunity for her. Her father, an excellent fisherman, was going to apany them, so they would definitely catch a lot of seafood. How can she miss this perfect opportunity?


    ¡°Mother! Grandpa You had already said that my injury is fine and I¡¯m also much healthier now. My health is really good now and I also have a great appetite! Grandpa You said that moving around more is good for my health. Please let me go with them!¡± As she spoke, Yu Xiaocao looked at her father, who was known for pampering his children endlessly, with a pleading gaze.


    Yu Hai had never been able to refuse his youngest daughter, so he immediately surrendered, ¡°Muyun, I¡¯ll look after Xiaocao, so don¡¯t worry! Rest at home with ease and wait for us toe back. We¡¯ll catch some abalones and make congee for you, to nourish your body!


    As he spoke, he signaled his younger daughter with his eyes, telling her to quickly leave the room. Thus, Yu Xiaocao happily pushed the door open and left.


    In the courtyard, Yu Hang had already prepared all the equipment needed for collecting seafood by the sea. With a bucket and shovel in their hands, Xiaolian and Shitou happily waited for their father toe out. In the children¡¯s hearts, there¡¯s nothing that their father wasn¡¯t capable of. They were already anticipating fruitful results before they had even left.


    In June, the cloudy Dongshan Vige was hot and humid. Xiaocao, who was only wearing a single thin garment, held a small bamboo basket as she tried to keep up with her father¡¯s footsteps.


    Yu Hai, who was tall and burly, seemed to be over 1.8 meters tall [2] . The eight year old Yu Xiaocao was chronically ill for a long period of time, so she about half a head shorter than Yu Xiaolian, who was just fifteen minutes older than her. She was already doing her best to move forward with her short legs, but she was still falling behind them.


    Yu Hai was constantly paying attention to his children and noticed his younger daughter¡¯s situation. He chuckled, lifted her up with one arm, and carried her on his shoulder.


    Yu Xiaocao was initially somewhat nervous and embarrassed. Mentally, she was almost the same as Yu Hai, but she was still being treated like a child. Even Shitou, who was five years old, didn¡¯t receive this kind of treatment. Thus, Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help blushing.


    As the eldest brother, Yu Hang was also quietly observing his frail youngest sister. When he noticed that her face was flushed, he handed her a straw hat woven with bamboo strips. He spoke with concern, ¡°Youngest Sister, although it¡¯s cloudy today, but you¡¯re rarely exposed to the sun. Thus, it¡¯s very easy for you to get sunburned. See, your face is already red.¡±


    During ancient times, time was calcted based on the lunar calendar and June was considered to be midsummer. Even though it was cloudy by the seashore, the intensity of the UV rays wasn¡¯t low. However, the redness on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face wasn¡¯t due to the sun.


    The lowest tide phase was a rare opportunity for the vigers of Dongshan Vige to increase their ies. Experienced old fishermen were already familiar with the time for the ebb tide. Today, the lowest tide period was around noon. The mudt was already full of men and women of all ages who came to gather seafood.


    Yu Hai¡¯s family had arrivedte, so all the good spots were already taken. Shitou was slightly disappointed and muttered, ¡°If it hadn¡¯t taken Eldest Aunt so long to prepare a meal, we could had gotten a good spot.¡±


    Yu Hai caressed his little head and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged! Father knows a good spot. I can guarantee that no one else will be there.¡±


    The good spot that Yu Hai mentioned was a region of reefs beside a cliff. The location of these reefs was rather dangerous. It was usually covered by the sea and hit by high waves during high tide. The only time it emergedpletely was when the tidepletely recedes. Moreover, this ce was far from the vige and most people wouldn¡¯t think ofing this way.


    The sea reefs in this area seemed dangerous, but it was actually just difficult to reach. It was hard to pass the cliff on the way to the reefs. However, this was a simple matter for Yu Hai. He helped the children pass the difficult paths one by one and bypass a cliff. Their eyes lit up when they finally reached their destination.

 Chapter 7 – Rescuing a Little Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 7 ¨C Rescuing a Little Beauty</h4>


    A vast region of reefs appeared in front of the children. When Xiaolian and Shitou cheerfully ran over, a trail of waves followed them. Yu Hang was slightly more calm. However, when he saw therge amount of seafood on the reefs, he couldn¡¯t resist bending down to gather the food more quickly.


    Yu Xiaocao quietly stood on top of the reef, while letting the cool sea breeze blow on her face. A vision of blue greeted her eyes as both the sky and sea were saturated with a pure azure color. It was such a transparent color. Even blue jade, of the best quality, couldn¡¯tpare to the rity and brilliance of the sea and sky.


    This was the sea! The sea without the slightest trace of pollution! Yu Xiaocao fell into a trance that she couldn¡¯t break away from, while being mesmerized by the scenery in front of her.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er,e here! Put on these sharkskin boots. Your feet are different from your siblings. They¡¯re already used to running around the shoals on the beach. If you run around the reef like them, then the bottoms of your feet will be ripped to shreds.¡± She didn¡¯t expect the stalwart Yu Hai to be so attentive. He had actually thought of the fact that his younger daughter¡¯s tender feet had no defense against the rough surface.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was dazzled by the beautiful scene in front of her, woke up from her trance and put on the boots happily. Though the boots were slightly big, they could still be worn. She learned from the others and bent down to thoroughly search around the reefs.


    Sure enough, this was an area that hadn¡¯t been discovered by others! Soon, Yu Xiaocao found a type of ck shellfish. She carefully picked it up and presented it to Yu Hai, as if it was treasure. She said excitedly, ¡°Father, I found a shellfish. Do you think it¡¯s edible?¡±


    Yu Hai took a look and replied with a smile, ¡°This is a mussel. The meat is delicious and also very nourishing. It¡¯s also known as ¡®eggs of the sea¡¯. Pick up as much as you can. If we can get a lot of them, then we can dry them and sell them at a good price in town during the winter!¡±


    ¡®Eggs of the sea¡¯? Doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s very nutritious? Our family does need to eat more nutritious meals! Alright, she should pick up a lot. We¡¯re not going to sell them. We¡¯ll just eat them ourselves! She could just imagine the delicious spicy stir-fried ms that she ate in her previous life! Xiaocao almost drooled as she thought about it.


    I¡¯m going to pick it up. I¡¯m going to pick them up. I¡¯m going to pick all of them up!


    ¡°Huh? Eldest Brother, why are you knocking on that? Is that also edible?¡± Xiaocao had suddenly arrived beside Yu Hang. When she went over for a closer look, she saw him striking something that was as hard as gray limestone with a shovel. Thus, she got curious and asked.


    It was his youngest sister¡¯s first timeing to gather food at the sea, so Yu Hang was very patient as he exined to her, ¡°This is called barnacle. Come look. Doesn¡¯t its shape look like the tooth of a horse? The barnacle doesn¡¯t look like anything special, but it¡¯s very tasty when the meat is stewed with just clear water.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took the shovel that her eldest brother handed her and knocked hard on it. As expected, she found soft meat within the crushed shell. She happily picked it up and ced it into a small bamboo basket.


    ¡°Ah! Isn¡¯t this an oyster? It¡¯s very tasty when roasted!¡± Shortly afterwards, Xiaocao was surprised to find another type of seafood. She shouted in astonishment as she pried it out from the crack in the reef.


    Little Shitouughed at his sister¡¯s ignorance, ¡°Second Sister, that¡¯s a hailizi! The town folks call them muli. After drying them, we can sell them to a pharmacy.¡±


    Muli was just another name for oysters, alright? It was just different names for the same thing. Yu Xiaocao red at him resentfully, then continued her treasure hunting journey on the reefs.


    Snails? It¡¯s a little small, but we can still eat it! I¡¯m taking it!


    Starfish? It looks quite pretty! Is it edible? Whatever, I¡¯ll just pick it up first!


    Sea urchin? It looks like a hedgehog. Is it also edible? Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!


    Wow! Look at what she found?! There was a little octopus between the cracks of the rock. Hahaha! You can¡¯t escape!


    ......


    Yu Xiaocao was very busy on the reef and had unknowingly filled up the bamboo bucket. However, she continued to pry and pick up seafood excitedly.


    Yu Xiaocao was very enthusiastic about her first harvesting trip at the sea. Moreover, she was thrilled by her rewarding results. Without her knowledge, she had gradually moved farther and farther away from her father and siblings. She followed the reef and arrived at the edge of the cliff.


    Huh? What¡¯s that in the water, a person? Yu Xiaocao was startled. Was it a corpse of someone who had drowned? So unlucky!


    ¡°Father! Father! Quick,e here!¡± Even the tone of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice has changed and carried an unconscious sense of tension and fear.


    Yu Hai quickly followed her voice and went over, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened? Are you alright, Xiaocao?¡±


    ¡°Father, look over there. Is that a dead body?¡± Yu Xiaocao loudly shouted as she pointed towards the object floating nearby.


    Yu Hai looked towards the direction that his daughter was pointing at. She¡¯s right! Did a fisherman from a nearby fishing vige suffer a shipwreck? It began to be windy around noon and the waves were even stronger in the sea. So, it was quite possible that someone had encountered a shipwreck!


    After promptly making a decision, he took off his upper garment and plunged into the sea. It seemed like the wind was even stronger now. A thundering roar sounded as the waves pounded against the cliff and reefs.


    Yu Xiaocao nervously shouted at her father, ¡°Father, be careful! There¡¯s a lot of rocks on the bottom, so be careful and don¡¯t hurt yourself!¡±


    When Yu Hai emerged above the water, he was already several meters away from Xiaocao. He heard his daughter¡¯s concerned words and waved at her. After that, he continued to swim towards the person who was floating in the sea.


    Yu Hang and his siblings didn¡¯t care about collecting seafood anymore. They all gathered together and watched as their father swam closer to the unconscious person.


    Yu Hai swam against the waves and dragged the person, who had drowned, back to the reef. However, he was already exhausted by the time he returned. Yu Hang and Xiaolian helped their father pull that person onto the reef.


    The young man, who was dressed in apletely ck outfit, appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. At this time, his face was pale and his eyes were tightly shut. His long eyshes were like small fans that were stuck to the bottom of his eyes, while there wasn¡¯t even a trace of blood on his plump lips.


    ¡°It seems like... he¡¯s still breathing!¡± Yu Xiaocao ced her finger under the young man¡¯s tall nose and eximed in pleasant surprise.


    Yu Hai, who was still exhausted, carried the young man on his shoulder with his head facing downwards. When he pushed the young man¡¯s stomach with the edge of his shoulder, a gush of seawater came out of the young man¡¯s mouth. Yu Hai jolted him a few more times, until the young man stopped throwing up seawater, before putting him down again.


    ¡°Father, can he still be saved?¡± Yu Xiaocao worriedly asked when she saw that the handsome young man was still unconscious.


    Yu Hai examined the young man¡¯s limbs and affirmed, ¡°He didn¡¯t drown for a very long time. If no idents ur, he can still be saved. Did anyone bring water? Feed him some.¡±


    ¡°Father, didn¡¯t he drown? Why are you feeding him water when his stomach was already full of water?!¡± Yu Xiaocao untied the leather bag, which was filled with mystic-stone water, from her waist and asked in confusion.


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± Little Shitou pped his hands as he spoke, ¡°The seawater is salty. If you drink too much salt, you¡¯ll definitely be thirsty. Of course, you¡¯ll drink water when you¡¯re thirsty.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was amused by her younger brother¡¯s childish remark. She pinched his cheeks andughed, ¡°Well, it seems like you know a lot!¡±


    Yu Hai, who sat on the reef wearily, looked at his children and chuckled, ¡°Feeding water to a person who had drowned is to prevent him from dehydrating. Little Shitou is also correct. It¡¯s harmful for the body to consume too much seawater.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao asked Yu Hang to support the young man into a partially reclining position. She carefully parted the young man¡¯s purplish lips and fed the mystic-stone water into his mouth.

 Chapter 8 – Extraordinary Background

    <h4>Chapter 8 ¨C Extraordinary Background</h4>


    That day the little divine stone had wanted to show off its abilities by healing her injury, but it used up all its powers to heal her wound. Thus, it was unable maintain its spiritual form and had disappeared for many days. Xiaocao bathed the rainbow stone in spring water every day, but she still didn¡¯t see the appearance of the divine stone¡¯s spiritual form.


    It¡¯s so worrisome! However, after the little divine stone exhibited its mystical powers, Yu Xiaocao no longer doubted it. Xiaocao would boil the spring water, that the stone bathed in, for her family to drink. It does seem rather effective so far, at least for herself. Her health wasn¡¯t as shabby as when she had just transmigrated here.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake! He woke up!¡± Xiaolian¡¯s voice interrupted her thoughts.


    She turned towards the sound. The young man¡¯s thick eyshes lightly fluttered before he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were dazzling and captivating, and seemed to be as deep as the sea and as bright as the stars.


    ¡°Were you...the ones who rescued me?¡± The young man¡¯s voice was very clear, with a slight sense of indifference and coldness. It was like the spring water from an ancient pond found inside a deep mountain, exceptionally cool.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly and softly said, ¡°We were collecting seafood by the sea when we suddenly noticed you. My father is an excellent swimmer, so he went to save you. You... It¡¯s great that you¡¯re alright!¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s indifferent gaze focused on the young girl in front of him, who looked around five or six years old. (Author note: I¡¯m eight years old! Eight years old!!) Her skin was even lighter and more wless than the winter snow, while her hair looked slightly withered and yellow. Her lips were delicate and soft, like light pink-colored petals.


    She was clearly just a thin and weak girl from a poor peasant¡¯s family. However, she gave him a calm and gentle feeling, like a spring breeze. This feeling was very different from those nobledies, who were like mad dogs after a bone whenever they saw him. They obviously wanted to jump on him, but still acted disgustingly pretentious. At least, this peasant girl wasn¡¯t annoying!


    ¡°Thank you very much! Did you...happen to see anyone else?¡± Zhu Junyang deeply regretted not listening to the experienced captain¡¯s advice and chose a day with such weather for testing out the new ships. As a result,...


    However, this also proved that this new batch of vessels from the shipyard were unsuitable for ocean voyages. It couldn¡¯t even withstand such a small storm. How could it travel to the foreignnds that royal uncle had mentioned?


    ¡°Other people? Do they count?¡± Yu Hai asked, with amazement and admiration, as he pointed towards a sturdy two-decker ship in the distance.


    That was definitely a ship for ocean voyages! It was multiple times bigger than their family¡¯s new fishing ship. If he could also have such a... Ahem, he needed to stop daydreaming!


    ¡°Master, my little ancestor! Where are you?! Please be safe and well!¡± The head steward of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, who was rescued after the shipwreck, really wanted to strangle himself with a rope right now. If he had known this would happen, then he would have risked his life to stop the young prince from boarding the ship!


    After the ship was wrecked, nearly everyone was rescued except for Royal Prince Yang. This matter was about to be the cause of his death!


    ¡°Quickly go find him! Continue to search!¡± The head steward loudly ordered with a sharp voice.


    The old captain, who had tried to stop the trial voyage earlier, noticed that they were getting closer and closer to the cliff. He hesitated and said, ¡°Head Steward, there¡¯re a lot of submerged reefs ahead and the waves are also stronger. If we continue to move closer, our second ship will also be destroyed!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if our second ship is also destroyed. Even if another twenty or thirty ships are wrecked, we still need to find the young prince! Otherwise, everyone on this ship should prepare for death!¡± Since the head steward had given hismand, they had to continue the search. Their lives were on the line for this matter!


    ¡°Then... Let¡¯s send out several lifeboats!¡± The old captain offered the most beneficial option.


    On the faraway reef, Yu Xiaocao observed the young man¡¯s wet clothes. Ordinary people definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to afford the materials of his clothes. This handsome young man has an impressive background!


    ¡°They probably came to search for you! My father said that there are a lot of reefs under the sea in this area, so it¡¯s hard for ships to approach. If you still have strength, it¡¯s better for you to swim over!¡± Yu Xiaocao logically analyzed.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s entire body felt soft and powerless right now. He could hardly stand up, so how would he still have the energy to swim over?


    ¡°Huh? Second Sister quicklye and look. Numerous smalls boats came out of that big ship!¡± Shitou pointed at the distance and shouted.


    After leaving the ship, around ten boats set off towards different directions in the stormy waves. One of the boats, which was led by the head steward and personally operated by the old captain, sailed towards their direction.


    ¡°Hey! Over here! The person who you¡¯re looking for is over here!¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up some kelps on the reef and shook it with her hands. The small boats seemed to have saw her action and elerated their speed.


    ¡°Head Steward, we really can¡¯t go any further ahead. Otherwise, not only would we be unable to rescue the young prince, but we¡¯ll also be sacrificed along with the wrecked boat!¡± When everyone on the boat saw the small figure waving a long green strip on the reef, they quickly rowed over with anticipation. However, they were trapped by the reefs under the sea.


    The head steward rubbed his hands anxiously and turned towards the sailors, ¡°Who is the best swimmer here? Go and check if the young prince is over there. If he is, then bring him back with you.¡±


    The sailors looked at each other. If they went into the sea with such strong waves, would they even be able to survive? Moreover, they also had to bring another person along while swimming. The head steward asked several times and even offered a reward, but no one dared to go into the water.


    Yu Hai, who was resting on the reef, had already recovered his energy. When he saw that the small boat had stopped, he immediately understood their situation, ¡°The boat can¡¯t cross this part of the sea. Let me help you swim over!¡±


    Yu Hai really deserved the reputation of being the best swimmer in Dongshan Vige. He took the young man and swam through the stormy waves. He swiftly passed the rocky area and arrived near the lifeboat.


    ¡°Quick, it¡¯s the young prince! Hurry and go receive him!¡± When the head steward saw the figure in the sea, he cried with excitement. His head was finally saved after much difficulty!


    When the sailors hastily pulled Royal Prince Yang onto the lifeboat, the head steward rushed over while sobbing, ¡°My little master! This old servant had finally found you...¡± Then, he burst into another cry of loyalty.


    Seeing the disordered situation on the boat, Yu Hai didn¡¯t greet the people on the boat. Instead, he swam back as he was worried about his children who were still on the rocky reef. By the time the young prince finally stopped themotion caused by the head steward and remembered his savior, Yu Hai had already returned to the reef.


    Zhu Junyang looked intently towards the direction of the reef. An image of a fragile and wan little face lingered within his mind...


    After the brief episode, the Yu Family continued hunting for seafood on the reefs.


    Oh? What¡¯s this? A big and translucent mushroom? Did mushrooms also grow on underwater shoals? How strange!


    ¡°Youngest Sister don¡¯t move!¡± Yu Hang was extremely relieved that he decided to look towards his youngest sister. He was so frightened that he was drenched in cold sweat right now.


    Yu Hang quickly ran over and almost stumbled on the uneven reef. He pulled Xiaocao¡¯s skinny hand away, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, ¡°This is a jellyfish, which is poisonous. If you got strung, it could be fatal. Wait for a moment. You can take it after I take care of it.¡±


    He used the sharp shovel in his hand to remove the jellyfish¡¯s tentacles and warned, ¡°If you see this in the future, remember not to touch its tentacles. It¡¯s highly poisonous.¡±

 Chapter 9 – A Rewarding Trip

    <h4>Chapter 9 ¨C A Rewarding Trip</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose, embarrassed by her ignorance. She was a girl who lived in the inner regions of the maind, so she didn¡¯t understand the dangers of the sea. It just looked like a milky-white and crystal-like ¡®mushroom¡¯, but it actually had the potential to be deadly. She really learned something new today!


    ¡®Slosh!¡¯


    The siblings heard the sound of shing nearby and turned their heads towards the direction of the sound. They looked over and saw Yu Haiing out of the water. He wasn¡¯t wearing an upper garment, exposing his lean and sturdy chest.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, look at what I found!¡± Yu Hai eximed with a grin and revealed a mouth full of white teeth, which made hisplexion appear even darker. However, his tan skin made him look even more masculine!


    Little Shitou immediately rushed over and shouted, ¡°Abalone! It¡¯s an abalone! Father, you found abalones!¡±


    Xiaocao was curious and hastily went over. She saw several dark greenish-brown colored shellfish within Yu Hai¡¯s big hands. Each one was around ten centimeters in length and looked rather unassuming. Was this the highly popr abalone?


    ¡°Such arge abalone would cost at least a few hundred copper coins [1] if we sell it in town. Father got nine of them. If we sell them to a big restaurant, we should be able to get two or three taels!¡± Yu Xiaolian also came over and eximed in surprise.


    Two or three taels? Based on Xiaocao¡¯s understanding of the current economy, two or three taels can buy three to four hundred catties [2] of first-ss white rice, one hundred catties of first-ss pork, around seventy or eighty chubby live chickens... Two to three taels were enough to buy one year¡¯s worth of food for her entire family, which consisted of over ten people.


    However, Yu Xiaocao knew an abalone¡¯s nutritional value. Her original n of using the abalones to nourish her family¡¯s health was disrupted by the value of abalones.


    Xiaocao had a basic grasp of her new grandmother¡¯s personality. With her grandmother¡¯s temperament, she would tear down whoever dared to suggest that they eat the abalones! If they take them home, then it would just be like throwing a meat bun at a dog¡ª¡ªit will never return!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes darted about, then she acted like a spoiled child and asked, ¡°Father, are these all for me?¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Yu Hai nodded and said, ¡°I already mentioned it earlier, if we find abalones, we¡¯ll use it to cook nutritious foods for you and your mother. We were quite lucky today. If we can¡¯t finish them, then we can slowly eat them after they¡¯re dried.¡±


    Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian casted a skeptical gaze at their father. They knew exactly what kind of person their father was. He was someone who would work wholeheartedly without anyint. Even if Madam Zhang made unreasonable demands, he would never refute her.


    Even Shitou, who was five years old, knew that if they brought the abalones back, then they wouldn¡¯t even be able to touch them, let alone slowly eat them!


    Yu Hai felt ufortable by the way his children were staring at him. He pretended to cough and bent down to carefully put the abalones into the bucket.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes darted around and said, ¡°Father! Let me handle the abalones.¡±


    Yu Hai stuffed the abalones, which were worth around three taels, into his daughter¡¯s hands without hesitation. He stood up, looked at the sky, and said, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We collected a lot of seafood today, so let¡¯s go back now!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao poured all the seafood within her basket into her father¡¯srge barrel, and then carefully ced the abalones into inside her basket. She looked around and ran towards the cliff. She picked up some kelp and sea lettuce, and then used them to securely cover the abalones.


    They really collected a lot of seafood today! The barrel that Yu Hai was carrying was as tall as Shitou and filled with their harvest. Yu Hang and Xiaolian were also holding small buckets that were full to the brim. Even Little Shitou¡¯s small basket was packed with seafood.


    On the way back, vigers, who they were acquainted with, greeted them with admiration, ¡°Dahai is seriously still the most skilled among us. He arrivedter than us, but he also obtained so much more than all of us!¡±


    ¡°Brother Dahai, this mussel that you caught is at least twenty to thirty catties. When it¡¯s dried, it would still weight around five catties. Brother Dahai never fails whenever he makes a move! Do you have any tips? Teach me some!¡± The speaker was a young man in his mid-twenties. He had a short stature, upright face, and tannedplexion.


    In order to prevent disputes when hunting at the sea, the vigers each have their own fixed spots. Thus, their results would depend on their own luck. However, it was different for Yu Hai. He didn¡¯t frequently gather seafood at the sea, but he returned with fruitful results every time.


    Many of the vigers wanted to learn from him, but they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to ask. After all, it was his own know-how to make a living and feed his family. If they learned his skills, it would be the same as snatching food from his mouth. It was fortunate that Liu Shuanzhu was close friends with Yu Hai. If another person asked, they might end up having a fall out!


    ¡°Uncle Shuanzhu, there¡¯re a lot of reefs around the cliff that no one has been to. You can go check it out when the tide recedes!¡± Yu Hang knew Liu Shuanzhu was close friends with his father, so he didn¡¯t hide it from him. However, he didn¡¯t reveal his family¡¯s treasured hunting spot.


    Liu Shuanzhu looked at the vigers who were eavesdropping on them andughed loudly, ¡°Xiaosha, do you think we can climb cliffs, hike up mountains, and enter the sea, just like your father? It¡¯s so dangerous over at the cliff. That was where Uncle Liu Si died! Your Uncle Shuanzhu still wants to live for a few more years!¡±


    Yangfan¡¯s wife walked over with her daughter and asked, ¡°Dahai, where¡¯s your wife?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t feeling very well today, so she stayed at home to rest! How¡¯s Brother Yangfan¡¯s leg?¡± Li Yangfan was another good friend of Yu Hai. He recently encountered a storm on his way back from the sea. His ship crashed into a reef and he injured his leg. Thus, he was recuperating at home right now.


    Yangfan¡¯s wife asked about Liu Muyun¡¯s health with concern, then replied, ¡°He¡¯s fine. The injury on his leg wasn¡¯t very serious. However, our family¡¯s ship was damaged quite badly. Dahai, when you¡¯re free, can youe over to check if it can be fixed?¡±


    Everyone in the nearby fishing viges knew Yu Hai was a very capable person. When it came to fishing in the sea, even three to five ordinary people were iparable to him. A recent example would be early spring this year. At that time, Old Yu¡¯s family caught a shark that weighed around three hundred catties. They had earned several taels with just the shark¡¯s fin. It¡¯s not that the vigers were looking down on Old Yu and his stepson, but without Yu Hai, they wouldn¡¯t even be enough to feed a shark, let alone to hunt for a shark.


    In addition to his fishing and hunting skills, Yu Hai also learned how to repair ships without a teacher. He was capable of fixing most issues and defects of a normal fishing ship. Thus, although many vigers of Dongshan Vige were envious of Yu Hai¡¯s skills, they would only gossip behind his back and wouldn¡¯t dare to offend him.


    ¡°Alright! Tomorrow, when I return from the mountains, I¡¯ll go over to take a look. Yangfan¡¯s wife, here¡¯s some barnacles¡¯ meats. Brother Yangfan really likes eating this. Take some back for him, so he can eat it when he drinks wine.¡± Little Shitou¡¯s basket was filled with barnacles¡¯ meats and Yu Hai generously offered them without any hesitation.


    Yangfan¡¯s wife smiled and shook her head. She looked at the quiet Xiaocao, who was standing beside them, and said, ¡°Keep it for the children to eat! Xiaocao, how¡¯s your health? Does your head still hurt?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao politely smiled at her and replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Grandpa You said I can take off the bandage in two days.¡±


    Yu Hai briefly chatted with them before taking the children home. When he entered the door, he saw his wife, who was supposed to be resting inside the room, serving dinner from the kitchen. Thus, his expression immediately turned grim.


    ¡°Oh! You guys caught quite a lot of good things at the sea today. We¡¯re going to have a feast tomorrow!¡± Madam Li¡¯s piercing voice sounded behind them.


    Yu Xiaolian was so angry that she threw the bucket on the ground and shouted at her eldest aunt, who was halfway into her room, ¡°Eldest Aunt, didn¡¯t Grandmother tell you to cook at home? You were wandering around the vige and had just returned. You just want everyone to starve, right?¡±


    Madam Li nced at her, but she didn¡¯t actually care about that little brat. She sneered, ¡°Someone can pretend to be sick, but I¡¯m not allowed to go out for an errand? How dare you speak to me like that? You have no manners at all. If you¡¯re not careful, you won¡¯t be able to get married in the future!¡±

 Chapter 10 – Hidden Plan

    <h4>Chapter 10 ¨C Hidden n</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao was infuriated, ¡°Eldest Aunt, who are you using of pretending to be sick? Didn¡¯t you see my mother fainting yesterday? You¡¯re such a healthy person, yet you¡¯re ordering a sick person to work. Moreover, you still think you¡¯re in the right. If you want to know whether my mother was faking her illness, then just invite Grandpa You over!¡±


    Madam Zhang, who was inside her room, finally couldn¡¯t sit still anymore when she heard Xiaocao¡¯s words, ¡°Li Guihua, youzy woman! You disappeared once it was time to cook and finally came back now! Why are you still chitchatting? Hurry up and go help in the kitchen!¡±


    We¡¯ll have to spend money if we call for a doctor!


    Madam Zhang walked to the entrance of the kitchen and jeered at Liu Muyun, who was working busily, ¡°You should hurry up and go back to your room to rest. Your daughter¡¯s heart was aching for you.¡±


    ¡°Are there any daughters who doesn¡¯t love their mothers? Mother, you sit down. I¡¯ll help you bring the dishes over!¡± Yu Caodie came out of her room. She and the third son, Yu Bo, were the only ones within the family who could calm the olddy down.


    Madam Zhang turned her head and saw the seafood that Yu Hai and his children were holding. Her gloomy expression turned bright and she immediately smiled, ¡°Give me the barrel! The seafood looks quite fresh. We can keep them overnight and let your eldest brother sell them to a restaurant in town tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, let¡¯s keep some oysters and steam some to eat ourselves! I want know what it tastes like.¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately suggested.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s expression instantly turned grim. She angrily said, ¡°There are plenty of things that you haven¡¯t eaten before! If we sell them in town, one catty of oysters can be worth several copper coins. Won¡¯t you feel vexed for eating them?!¡±


    If Yu Hai wasn¡¯t standing beside them, Madam Zhang would had made even harsherments. She called for her daughter and didn¡¯t even spare the children¡¯s buckets. She wanted to take everything back to her room. As long as it was something that could be exchanged for money, she must grasp it within her own hands by all means.


    She turned around and looked at the basket within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands. She signaled with her lips and said, ¡°Bring the basket you¡¯re holding into my room, too.¡±


    Xiaocao pouted and replied resentfully, ¡°Grandmother, you already took all the seafood. There are only kelp and sea lettuce in my basket, which aren¡¯t worth much money. We should just keep them and make cold dishes for grandfather to apany his drinks in the evening.¡±


    Madam Zhang stretched out her head to take a look. When she saw that it was only glossy and green kelp, she spoke as if she was showing mercy, ¡°Just this once! In the future, I have the final say in everything within the family. You¡¯re not allowed to act on your own!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao agreed. She waited for Madam Zhang to enter the main room before winking at Xiaolian and taking the small basket into the west room.


    Yu Xiaolian understood her meaning and got a worn-out earthenware jar from the corner of the kitchen. She filled it with some water and quietly followed her younger sister into the room.


    It was impossible to sell them today, so the sisters carefully ced the abalones inside the ceramic jar and hid them under the kelp. Yu Xiaocao was still worried, so she added some mystic-stone water inside and hid the jar in a concealed ce in the corner of the kang bed. After that, she came out of the room again with the rest of the kelp.


    Yu Hai followed them inside and saw the sisters¡¯ actions. Xiaolian had always been a hot-tempered person. When she was angry, she had even dared to argue with Madam Zhang. Thus, she was frequently scolded and disciplined for her actions. Xiaocao¡¯s personality was also rather fierce now. However, she had more tricks up her sleeve and was also courageous. She decisively hid the expensive abalones.


    In the kitchen, Madam Liu was almost done preparing dinner. Yu Xiaocao went in and swiftly made shredded kelp with crushed garlic [1] and sea lettuce soup [2]. Hence, dinner was much morevish than in the past.


    During the meal, the men and women in the Yu Family sat separately. On the women¡¯s side, each person had a dark-looking piece of pancake that was about the size of a palm. There were also poached vegetables that were seasoned with a small amount of salt and a bowl of bean paste soup.


    The staple food for the men was an unlimited amount of triple-flour steamed buns [3], which were made with a mixture of wheat flour, millet flour, and potato flour. Their meal also consisted of vegetables that were cooked withrd, and they drank the same soup as the womenfolk. However, this had nothing to do with the idea of men being superior over women. It was just that the men did hardbor that required a lot of energy and strength, so they needed to eat a nice and filling meal.


    Yu Xiaocao won unanimous praise for the two dishes that she personally prepared. The te of shredded kelp with crushed garlic was savory and slightly spicy, while the sea lettuce soup tasted very fresh and full of vors from the sea. Old Yu was especially fond of the shredded kelp with crushed garlic, and praised it endlessly.


    Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t stand seeing the second branch beingplimented. She stuffed mouthfuls of shredded kelp into her mouth and said, ¡°Xiaocao is rather capable. She can gather for seafood at the sea and help prepare meals. Doctor You had already said that her health is fine, so I reckon we can stop preparing separate meals for her in the future.¡±


    Xiaocao was currently holding her savory congee and happily sharing with Little Shitou. However, her expression darkened when she heard her grandmother¡¯s remark. In the future, she would have to also eat the difficult to swallow coarse grain pancakes and disgusting bean paste soup. Urgh! It¡¯s going to be a painful torment! Luckily, those abalones weren¡¯t confiscated!


    Madam Zhang was satisfied upon seeing Xiaocao¡¯s expression. She appeared to be enjoying the coarse grain pancake even more now. She also ate more than half of the bowl of shredded kelp.


    Madam Li and her equally obese son were entirely focused on stuffing their mouths, so the rest of the shredded kelp and the sea lettuce soup were also devoured by them. When the tes werepletely cleared, she pulled her son, who had wanted to continue eating at the men¡¯s table, back to their room stealthily.


    Xiaocao knew that they had gone to secretly eat by themselves again.


    Madam Li¡¯s maiden family had been poor at the time she married into the Yu Family. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t had married the equally poor stepson of the Yu Family. However, several years ago, her brothers earned some money through a small business and improved their family¡¯s circumstances. Madam Li was the youngest and only daughter in her family. Hence, every time she returned home, her parents, brothers, and sisters-inw would provide her with some money and food to help her out. Otherwise, with the meals that the Yu Family eats, how were Madam Li and her son able to be so fat?


    It was silent throughout the night after dinner!


    On the second day, in the west room, Yu Hai¡¯s family had all woken up at the first glimmer of dawn.


    Yu Hai and Hunter Zhao had agreed to go hunting in the mountains. Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian had always gotten up at this time to collect fishworts and pick up firewood at the foot of the mountain. In the courtyard, Madam Liu was already cleaning the chicken and pig pens with a broom.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family was surprised to see her waking up so early. Yu Hai touched her little head and said with a smile, ¡°Sleep some more. It¡¯s still pretty dark outside.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was still concerned about an important matter within her heart, so she couldn¡¯t sleep anymore. She replied to her father with a smile, ¡°Even Little Shitou is helping out with the chores. How can I bezy when I¡¯m his older sister? Father, you should hurry up. Don¡¯t make Uncle Zhao wait for a long time.¡±


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t dy any further and swiftly gathered his belongings. He took the paper bag with two triple-flour steamed buns wrapped up inside from Madam Liu and tied the water bag to his waist. After that, he got his homemade bow and hunting spear, and left.


    Yu Xiaocao took out the earthenware jar that she hid under the kang bed yesterday. The abalones had be even more fresh after being nourished by the mystic-stone water.


    Only a big restaurant can offer a good price for abalones of such good quality. However, she had just transmigrated here and hadn¡¯t even left the vige before. So, how would she know the direction to town?


    ¡°Eldest Brother, is our vige far from town?¡± While the main room and east room were still sleeping, Yu Xiaocao carried the ceramic pot and followed her older siblings out the door.


    Yu Hang gave her a weird look and asked, ¡°It¡¯s quite far. It would take over one shichen by foot. Why are you asking? You wouldn¡¯t be thinking of taking these to sell in town, right?¡± He pointed at the earthenware jar in her hand as he spoke.


    Over one shichen? Doesn¡¯t that mean it would take at least two hours?! Yu Xiaocao looked down at her own short legs, sighed, and said, ¡°Are there any horse carriages or ox carts traveling to town in our vige?¡±

 Chapter 11 – A Famous Restaurant Bullies Its Guests

    <h4>Chapter 11 ¨C A Famous Restaurant Bullies Its Guests</h4>


    ¡°Horse carriage? That¡¯s very expensive. Who can afford that, expect for those wealthy old masters in town? Our vige doesn¡¯t have a lot of farnd, so there wasn¡¯t anyone who raised cattle. However, Uncle Ma, from the neighboring vige, has a donkey cart. He usually helps transport goods, but when he¡¯s free, he would also give people a ride to town.¡± Yu Xiaolian chirped a reply.


    Yu Hang seemed to have understood Xiaocao¡¯s intentions. After a moment of deliberation, he said, ¡°We still have enough firewood at home. Why don¡¯t I apany you to town?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was certainly pleased with his offer, so she hastily nodded. She had wanted to go by herself, but she didn¡¯t know the direction.


    Yu Xiaolian also wanted to go with them when she heard her eldest brother¡¯s suggestion to apany her younger sister to town. However, she knew that if she followed them, then her mother would be responsible for all the chores in the family.


    Xiaolian looked at her younger sister¡¯s pale face, set down the sickle in her hand, and whispered, ¡°Wait for a moment.¡± After that, she ran into the courtyard.


    A whileter, under her siblings¡¯ puzzled gaze, Xiaolian rushed out again and took out a small cloth bag in a mysterious manner. She pulled out several copper coins from the bag and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s younger sister¡¯s first time going to town, so you guys should ride the donkey cart!¡±


    ¡°Where did you get these copper coins?¡± Yu Hang was surprised. All of their family¡¯s ie must be handed to and kept by their grandmother. With their grandmother¡¯s stingy character, even a deity can¡¯t take away a copper coin from her hand.


    Xiaolian gave them a mysterious smile, looked around, and whispered, ¡°Didn¡¯t Doctor You teach us how to distinguish medical herbs? While collecting fishworts, I would also dig up herbs that Ie across and save them up. Then, I sold the herbs that I saved up to a pharmacy and earned a few copper coins. I had originally wanted to buy some candies for younger sister. She can eat the candy after drinking her medication and change the bitter taste in her mouth.


    Yu Xiaocao felt very touched as she held the six copper coins within her hand. She swiftly put away the money and said, ¡°I¡¯m borrowing these copper coins from you. When I have money in the future, I¡¯ll pay you back twice as much.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re family, so there¡¯s no need to mention that! It¡¯s gettingte already. If you guys don¡¯t hurry and leave, you might miss the donkey cart. Remember toe back early. Otherwise, Grandmother will scold you guys again!¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t sure where Xiaolian inherited her frank and brisk personality, but she really likes her this way.


    Yu Hang took the earthen jar from his sister¡¯s hands, then they quickly walked towards the neighboring vige. About thirty minutester, they saw Ma Dafu pulling his donkey cart at the entrance of the vige.


    Although it only cost two copper coins for each person, there weren¡¯t many people who were willing to spend money to ride on the cart these days. On the donkey cart, there were only two women who were taking eggs or vegetables to the morning market. However, there were quite a lot of baskets on the cart.


    ¡°Uncle Ma, my sister and I want to go to town. Please give us a ride!¡± Yu Hang had been to town several times in the past when he followed his father to sell the game that they had caught. Thus, he had ridden on Ma Dafu¡¯s donkey cart before.


    Ma Dafu naturally wouldn¡¯t reject them since it was an opportunity to earn money. He answered with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Brother Dahai¡¯s son, Xiaosha! Is this your younger sister, Xiaolian? Quickly get on!¡±


    The women on the cart sheepishly moved their baskets and emptied a small area for them. Yu Hang lifted his sister up onto the cart, then he went and sat on the thill [1] beside Ma Dafu.


    The corners of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched. She seriously didn¡¯t know how to describe the feeling of being carried by a ten year old child.


    The donkey swiftly trotted forward. It would have originally taken over two hours to reach the town by foot, but the duration of the trip was shortened by nearly half now.


    The siblings finally arrived in town at around eight in the morning. This small town, Tanggu Town, was just an ordinary coastal town. It only takes about an hour to travel from the east side of town to the west side. However, it was a necessary route from the harbor to the Jinwei Prefecture. Thus, despite being small, it was a rather prosperous town.


    The entrance of the small town was crowded with people rushing to the morning market. Xiaocao and her eldest brother thanked Uncle Ma and paid him four copper coins for the ride. Ma Dafu warmly told them the departure time for the return trip, and he also reminded them to meet him at the same gate.


    After bidding farewell to Uncle Ma, the siblings walked on the bustling street, which was wide enough for two horse carriages to run side by side. They would asionally see horse wagons filled with cargos from the wharf rushing through the streets. This town was also an essential route for transporting ocean freights to the capital. Thus, it was no wonder that this town was so lively.


    Both sides of the street were filled with stores. There were so many stores lined up one after another that the siblings didn¡¯t even have time to see everything. Yu Xiaocao was eager to sell the abalones in her hands, so she turned her head towards Yu Hang and asked, ¡°Eldest Brother, do you know where the biggest restaurant in town is? Let¡¯s just go there directly!¡±


    ¡°There are two famous restaurants in this town. One is called ¡®Fulin Restaurant¡¯, while the other one is ¡®Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯. Father also sells his prey to these two restaurants first. Fulin Restaurant is closer to here, should we go there first and ask?¡± Yu Hang has been here several times, so he somewhat familiar with this town.


    Fulin Restaurant was a two-story restaurant. It appeared to be a long-standing business that gave off a sense of simplicity and elegance.


    The siblings stood briefly in front of the entrance. It wasn¡¯t time for them to open the door for business yet, so there was only a young waiter. He was holding a broom and yawningzily, while sluggishly sweeping the floor.


    When the waiter saw the patched clothes on their body, he impatiently swept the dust in their direction and shouted with a disdainful look, ¡°Leave, leave, leave! Is this a ce that people like you cane? Even if you want to beg for food, you should find a better time! Hurry up! Hurry up and leave!¡±


    It was the first time that Yu Xiaocao encountered a situation where someone had called her a ¡®beggar¡¯. A sense of rage rose within the depth of her heart. However, she endured and suppressed her emotions. On the principle that harmony makes money, she squeezed out a smile, ¡°Hey, young brother, is your manager around? I have some fresh seafood here. I was wondering if your restaurant would be interested in buying them.¡±


    That waiter looked up and swept a gaze at the ceramic jar within her hands. He had a look of contempt as he said, ¡°Fulin Restaurant¡¯s seafoods are all delivered by a fixed fisherman. With your poor appearance, would you even have any high-quality goods? Just scram! Why would our manager waste his time to see a filthy little tramp like you?¡±


    ¡°Why are you swearing at us?!¡± Yu Hang frowned and stepped forward to reason with him.


    The waiter threw the broom in his hands, sped his waist, and hollered, ¡°So what if I¡¯m swearing at you! Did you filthy beggars want to scam money? You even wanted to see our manager. Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Why is it so nosy in the morning?!¡± Yu Xiaocao was about to explode in rage when a middle-aged man, who looked like a shopkeeper, came out of the main entrance and scolded.


    The waiter instantly changed his attitude and grinned tteringly, ¡°Manager Liu! This underling was sending away these beggars!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a beggar! Manager Liu, I have several fresh and big abalones here. Would your restaurant be interested in buying them?¡± Yu Xiaocao gave the waiter a fierce re, but she didn¡¯t continue to argue with him and directed her inquiry to Manager Liu.


    Manager Liu looked at the siblings, but he didn¡¯t really take them seriously, ¡°Oh, abalones! If they are of good quality, then we¡¯ll take them!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao walked forward with the earthen jar and said, ¡°These are first-ss abalones, with each being over five inches in length. Would you like to have a look?¡±


    On the street, a young man in an exquisite brocade robe immediately pulled on the reins of his horse upon hearing her words. Abalones that were over five inches in length? If it was true, then they were certainly abalones of the highest quality. County Magistrate Wu is holding his birthday banquet at Zhenxiu Restaurant this afternoon. Weren¡¯t they just missing an impressive main course?

 Chapter 12 – Zhenxiu Restaurant’s Third Young Master

    <h4>Chapter 12 ¨C Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Third Young Master</h4>


    On the other side, Manager Liu had already checked the goods and was inwardly stunned by the quality of the abalones. He came up with a n within his heart and said to the siblings, ¡±You¡¯re troubling me, this manager, just for these few abalones? Alright, since you guys seemed to be in a difficult circumstance, I¡¯ll make an exception and take these abalones for eight hundred copper coins!¡±


    ¡°Eight hundred copper coins?¡± Yu Xiaocao and Yu Hang looked at each other, then she pursed her lips and snatched the earthen jar with the abalones back from Manager Liu¡¯s hands, ¡°Manager Liu, do you really take us as beggars?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Manager Liu looked like a craftly old scoundrel as he twirled his beard and sneered, ¡°With the quality of these abalones, my offer of eight hundred copper coins was already quite a lot. If you can sell them for six hundred copper coins elsewhere, then that just means you¡¯re a skilled seller!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw his firm expression, a sense of uncertainty emerged within the heart. She doesn¡¯t know the market price for abalones! She couldn¡¯t help but shift her gaze towards Yu Hang.


    Yu Hang waspletely unaffected by Manager Liu. He gave his youngest sister a soothing smile and said, ¡°Business is all about mutual consensus. Since we aren¡¯t satisfied with Manager Liu¡¯s offer, then we should excuse ourselves!¡±


    Manager Liu had originally thought that these two children would be easily fooled. He had nned to coax and scare them into selling the abalones at the lowest price possible. However, they didn¡¯t fall for his tricks. They directly turned around to leave without making any unnecessaryments. He felt somewhat anxious inwardly, so he hastily stopped them by saying,


    ¡°You guys should consider carefully! Once you pass up this offer, you won¡¯t be able to find a better deal! Who would dare to ept goods that our Fulin Restaurant had rejected?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Aughter that carried a slight sense of childishness sounded, ¡°Manager Liu, you¡¯re speaking in such an imposing manner. When did your Fullin Restaurant be the overlord of this street?¡±


    Manager Liu abruptly raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and replied with a smirk, ¡°I was wondering who it was! So, it turned out to be Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Third Young Master! What? Is Zhenxiu Restaurant trying to interfere with our Fulin Restaurant¡¯s matters now?¡±


    ¡°Interfering with your matters? This young master doesn¡¯t have that much free time! I¡¯ll just leave that for your own master to worry about!¡± Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s third young master, Zhou Zixu, faintly smiled and said, ¡°I just can¡¯t stand seeing people, on the pretense of doing honest business with all customers, taking advantage of others and forcing them to their precious seafoods at a lowered price.¡±


    ¡°You¨C¨C¡° Manager Liu noticed that a crowd was forming and knew that he shouldn¡¯t continue to argue with him. Thus, he turned towards the siblings and said, ¡°You twoe in first. I¡¯ll definitely offer you an appropriate price!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a price that only you will be satisfied with!¡± A faintly indifferent smile emerged on Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s handsome and somewhat tender-looking face, ¡°Tanggu Town is located near the sea. Therefore, most of the locals are familiar with determining the quality and market price of marine products. Little sister, would you please show everyone the abalones that you¡¯re holding? Let us see if our Fulin Restaurant, who does honest and fair business, gave a ¡®fair¡¯ price.¡±


    Most of the bystanders didn¡¯t know what was going on. However, after listening to Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s words, was there anyone who still didn¡¯t understand? Fulin Restaurant¡¯s manager was bullying these two young siblings. He was using his powers to take advantages of them and forcing them sell their valuable marine goods at a low price.


    Arge market was open today at Tanggu Town, so there were numerous fishermen from nearby fishing viges walking on the street. The most hated thing for these fishermen were dishonest merchants who maliciously demands a lower price. Thus, they volunteered in session to be the sibling¡¯s examiner.


    Although Yu Hang has a quiet temperament, but he had a clear-headed understanding of the situation and had already made a decision in his mind. In the past, when he came to sell game with his father, he had heard about the rivalry between the new restaurant, Zhenxiu Restaurant, and the old brand, Fulin Restaurant.


    This Third Young Master Zhou appeared to be helping them, but he was probably just taking this opportunity to attack Fulin Restaurant. This was a battle between two strongpetitors, so was it really necessary to hurt innocent bystanders?


    Yu Hang held back his youngest sister¡¯s eagerness and politely said, ¡°Business is about the mutual willingness between the two parties. It¡¯s natural for the seller to set a price and the buyer to bargain. Even if the deal doesn¡¯t work out, we can still maintain a benevolent rtionship. We have nothing more to say since Manager Liu didn¡¯t like our goods. Please excuse us!¡±


    As he spoke, he bowed with his hands sped together and pulled Yu Xiaocao out of the crowd.


    Manager Liu was already fuming with anger due to Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s taunting, but he knew that it wasn¡¯t wise to keep thinking about taking those high-quality abalones. Thus, he used this opportunity to get himself out of this awkward situation. With a toss of his sleeves, he snorted and entered the restaurant. However, he broke out in cold sweat inwardly.


    Zhenxiu Restaurant was a new restaurant that had only been opened for less than a year. It was backed by the Zhou Family, who were one of the four major merchants within the entire empire. The Zhou Family¡¯s ancestral home just happened to be in Tanggu Town, so Fulin Restaurant wasn¡¯t in a dominant position.


    Nevertheless, Fulin Restaurant was still an established restaurant. They still had several famous specialty dishes in their restaurant and a group of loyal customers.


    However, these past two months, the Zhou Family¡¯s third young master had returned to his ancestral home. He had mysteriously obtained several new dishes that really suited the county magistrate¡¯s appetite, and also attracted many of Fulin Restaurant¡¯s customers.


    His master was already unsatisfied with him due to that matter. If he also earned the reputation of being a bully today, then he¡¯ll probably be dismissed from his position as the manager of Fulin Restaurant.


    Manager Liu alerted himself inwardly. Although he regretted not being able to obtain those precious abalones, he also didn¡¯t dare to use any devious schemes anymore.


    ¡°Eldest Brother! Why didn¡¯t we take this chance to teach that snob Manager Liu a lesson?¡± Yu Xiaocao was still aggrieved about that matter and angrily asked while shaking her small fist.


    Yu Hang looked at his youngest sister¡¯s puffed up face, which had very lively expression. He couldn¡¯t resist pinching her little face and replied with a smile, ¡°Fulin Restaurant was backed up by people from the government office. Ordinary citizens shouldn¡¯t fight with government officials. If we seriously offend Manager Liu, then it would be difficult for us to stay in this town in the future.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was stunned. As a modern-day citizen who was ¡®born under the red g and raised in the spring breeze¡¯, it was her first time being taught that ¡®people are ssified based on their wealth and status¡¯. Thus, various feelings surged into her heart.


    Yu Hang noticed that his youngest sister had stopped walking and had dazed expression on her face. He thought she was frightened, so he hastilyforted her,


    ¡°Youngest Sister, don¡¯t be afraid. As long as we do the right things, then those rich people and government officials wouldn¡¯t be able harm us. Father said that our emperor was a good ruler, who was intelligent and had fair judgment. The officials under his rule were still mostly fair and honest. A good example would be the county magistrate of Tanggu Town. He was well-known as an upright magistrate!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao collected herposure. In the novels and television, there were many wealthy people and officials who looked down on themon citizens in ancient times. Hence, she inwardly reminded herself to keep a low profile in the future.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, is our emperor really that powerful? He can make all those high-ranking official obediently submit to his ruling?¡± Yu Xiaocao had just recently transmigrated here, so she still didn¡¯t know what dynasty she was in.


    ¡°Shhh¨C¨C¡° Yu Hang almost reached out to cover her mouth. What does she mean by ¡®obediently submit to his ruling¡¯? Fortunately, they were in Tanggu Town, a small coastal town. If they were in the capital, which was full of fourth-rank officials walking on the streets, they would had been convicted of irreverence.


    ¡°Chortle¨C¨C¡°


    Just when Yu Hang felt inwardly d that no one had heard their conversation, he heard a young man¡¯s distinctiveughter.


    When the siblings turned their heads, they saw the young master in refined clothes who they met earlier. He was currently pulling his horse and walking behind them.


    Yu Hang¡¯s face immediately turned pale. He doesn¡¯t know if this noble young master had heard his youngest sister¡¯s disrespectful words. He gritted his teeth, walked towards him, and said, ¡°Thank you so much for speaking up for us earlier...¡±

 Chapter 13 – Utterly Confused

    <h4>Chapter 13 ¨C Utterly Confused</h4>


    Third Young Master Zhou dusted off thepels of his clothes andughed, ¡°Actually, I wasn¡¯t purely speaking up for you guys! As Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s young boss, I wouldn¡¯t miss out on any chance to attack Fulin Restaurant! It was a pity...¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao heard that this young man was the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant, she looked out from behind her elder brother with a bright smile, ¡°You¡¯re the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant? Can you make decisions?¡±


    Yu Hang knew his youngest sister¡¯s intentions, so he quietly pulled on her sleeve.


    There was a slight trace of arrogance that was typical to young people on Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s handsome face, ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant was specially gifted to me by my family so that I can use it as a form of training. Thus, I naturally have the rights to make decisions.¡±


    They had unknowingly arrived at the street where Zhenxiu Restaurant was located. Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s tall and magnificent entrance could be seen from afar.


    Yu Xiaocao waspletely speechless, ¡°This restaurant wasparable to a five-star hotel, but the owner had actually given it to a young child to use as training. This Zhou Family was seriously rich!¡±


    ¡°Third Young Master, why did youe at this time?¡± Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s manager was apetent assistant that the master of the Zhou Family provided for his son.


    The master of the Zhou Family had three sons. When they reached a certain age, they began working to gain experience under one of the family¡¯s businesses. However, the youngest son chose to return to their ancestral home and build a new restaurant. Even his two older brothers didn¡¯t have such courage.


    Zhenxiu Restaurant had very few customers a year ago, but it was difficult to even find a seat nowadays. Thus, the manager sincerely acknowledged his young boss. He was determined to follow the third young master and pursue a sessful career with him.


    Third Young Master Zhou was rather satisfied with this capable and loyal manager. The first step of sess for members of the Zhou Family was to be able to win the loyalties of the people around them. This was something that he had already achieved! He will do even better in the future! He will let those people watch as he bes sessful!


    ¡°Manager Jiang, how are the preparations for County Magistrate Wu¡¯s birthday banquet?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s ready and here¡¯s the menu. Third Young Master, can you check if there¡¯s anything that needs to be taken out?¡± Manager Jiang personally held the birthday banquet¡¯s menu for Third Young Master Zhou to look over.


    County Magistrate Wu had always ced great emphasis on his reputation as a government official. This banquet wasn¡¯t intended to be extravagant and was just a simple family dinner. Therefore, there were ten people in attendance at most.


    County Magistrate Wu was born in an aristocratic family, which had served as officials for generations. Moreover, his wife was the daughter of Marquis Zhongyi. Thus, they wouldn¡¯t be impressed by ordinary dishes. County Magistrate Wu was a major reason for Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s sess in Tanggu Town, so they must serve him well.


    The dishes for the banquet were decided after Zhou Zixu had a thorough discussion with the kitchen. Most of them were specialty dishes and popr dishes of the restaurant. However, Third Young Master Zhou was still unsatisfied with the menu. He felt that it was still missing a top-notch dish that was high-end and elegant.


    ¡°I need to discuss business with these siblings, so prepare a quiet ce for us.¡± Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t take the menu and instructed the manager. After that, he turned around to greet Yu Hang and his sister.


    Discuss business? With these two? Manager Jiang examined the young siblings, who were dressed in old and shabby clothes. There wasn¡¯t any contempt within his eyes, just curiosity¨C¨CThese two little fellows had attracted his young master¡¯s attention, what was so special about them?


    While Yu Xiaocao followed behind Third Young Master Zhou, she curiously looked at Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s furnishing. It was worthy of being a rising star whopeted with the established Fulin Restaurant. There was an expected majestic atmosphere in all aspects of the restaurant, but the details of the decor also made people feel warm andfortable.


    Xiaocao gasped in admiration inwardly, but her every move had fallen into the eyes of Third Young Master Zhou. These siblings had aroused his interest. Although the older brother was young, he could make rational choices and quick decisions. The younger sister was in the grand and upscale Zhenxiu Restaurant, but there was only curiosity and admiration in her eyes, without any trace of unease and timidity.


    Were they not born in a poor fisherman¡¯s family, but actually hiding a secret? Zhou Zixu felt somewhat uncertain in his mind.


    Seeing the wariness within Yu Hang¡¯s eyes, he knew that Yu Hang was still being cautious due to the unintentional remark the little girl made earlier.


    Zhou Zixu smiled and said, ¡°Our Great Ming Dynasty is different from the previous dynasty¡¯s belief that ¡®the people¡¯s speech needs to be suppressed like the flood¡®. Our current emperor is especially open-minded and advocates for freedom of speech. Your younger sister didn¡¯t say anything wrong. His majesty is an excellent ruler, so how was she being disrespectful?¡±


    Advocates for freedom of speech? Yu Xiaocao felt that it was rather strange to hear this phrase from someone from the ancient times. However, she finally found out that she was in the Great Ming Dynasty.


    In her impression, people of the Ming Dynasty were rather fortunate in terms of eating. Numerous ingredients and seasonings had been imported from abroad. As an expert in braised foods, how could she go without any of these?


    ¡°Is Jianwen Emperor, Zhu Yunwen, in power now?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t filter her mouth and carelessly blurted out her knowledge of history. However, as soon as she spoke, she knew that she was in trouble. In ancient times, if she directly called out the emperor¡¯s name, would she be beheaded?


    Zhou Zixu looked at her and spoke with a slightly surprised tone, ¡°It is currently the reign of Jianwen, but... who¡¯s Zhu Yunwen?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao carefully observed Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s expression and determined that her little life was probably safe. Thus, she cautiously asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it currently the reign of the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty?¡±


    At the fishing vige, she had vaguely heard that the current emperor was the second emperor of this dynasty. The second emperor of the Ming Dynasty was Zhu Yunwen! Did she make a mistake with history?


    ¡°You¡¯re right! The first emperor the dynasty passed the imperial throne to his grandson and went on a sightseeing trip. All this had already beenpiled into a storytelling and spread throughout the entire Great Ming Dynasty. However, though our emperor is also surnamed Zhu, his name isn¡¯t Zhu Yunwen. The personal name of our respected Jianwen Emperor is Junfan!¡±


    The personal name of the emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty wasn¡¯t necessarily a taboo. Jianwen Emperor had personally set an example for freedom of speech. It was said that a minister had been overly agitated during court and directly called out the emperor¡¯s name. Not only did the emperor not me him, but he also called him parable to Wei Zheng [1]¡¯ for his courage to give direct criticism.


    Zhu Junfan? Was there an emperor during the Ming Dynasty called Zhu Junfan? I don¡¯t think so? The first emperor of the Ming Dynasty passed his position to his grandson, but that grandson wasn¡¯t Zhu Yunwen? Was this Great Ming Dynasty the same as the Ming Dynasty recorded in history?


    ¡°The personal name of the founder of the Ming Dynasty...¡± Yu Xiaocao bravely continued to ask.


    ¡°The founder of the dynasty was Zhu Huaiyong. He had conquered the world with his military force and established the Great Ming Dynasty, which is well-known throughout the world. Are you really a citizen of the Great Ming Dynasty? How can you not even know this?¡± Zhou Zixu looked at her with disbelief, as if she was an alien.


    Yu Hang immediately helped his younger sister exin, ¡°My youngest sister had been sick and bedridden ever since she was young. She had only begun to gradually recover recently...¡±


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s gaze lingered on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s pale face. He slightly nodded and said, ¡°It seems like Little Sister Yu is quite interest in the Great Ming Dynasty, so I¡¯ll be a good person and tell you about it.¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s next words was a major shock to Yu Xiaocao. Although the Yuan Dynasty was also overthrown by the Ming Dynasty and the emperor¡¯s surname was also Zhu, but this Ming Dynasty wasn¡¯t the same as the Ming Dynasty in history that she was familiar with.


    It wasn¡¯t Zhu Yuanzhang who overthrew thest emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, but the retired emperor, Zhu Huaiyong. The retired emperor had lived in poverty and was allegedly an unsessful person in his youth. However, when he was twenty-two years old, he suddenly became an entirely different person.

 Chapter 14 – Gullible Sheep

    <h4>Chapter 14 ¨C Gullible Sheep</h4>


    Zhu Huaiyong, who was originally timid and cowardly, raised a rebellion under the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty. He was a brilliant strategist with outstanding abilities, so he quickly became the leader of the rebels and achieved glorious results on the battlefield. In less than ten years, he had subverted the rule of the Yuan Dynasty and established the Great Ming Dynasty.


    Afterwards, it took nearly ten years to calm the chaos within the country that was caused by the war. They also had to drive other hostile nations around them far away from the borders, beating them until they didn¡¯t dare to fight back again.


    The retired emperor, Zhu Huaiyong, could be regarded as a military genius who only appeared once in a century. However, his ability to govern the country was mediocre. At the beginning of the establishment of the new dynasty, there were endless battles and chaos. As a result, there was a loss of crops andck of farnd, which caused famine and a price intion for grain. Thus, people lived in misery and poverty.


    The current emperor was the eldest legitimate grandson of the first emperor. He was a young genius, who had led a group of boatmen to build ships for ocean voyages at the age of twelve. He also personally went on a trip and brought back crops like chili peppers, sweet potatoes, and peanuts. Furthermore, he exported tea, porcin, and silk to the New World for trade with the native people.


    The high-yielding sweet potatoes were able to provide the war-weary citizens with food to fill their stomachs. Themon people merely strived for survival, so when a source of food was guaranteed, society gradually stabilized.


    After the current emperor came of age at twenty years old, the first emperor retired from his position and passed the imperial throne to him. After that, the retired emperor lived a leisurely life of traveling and sightseeing.


    After Jianwen Emperor ascended the throne, a series of reforms were carried out to reduce taxes, encourage farming and sericulture, and support the development of industry andmerce. In just five years, he was able to organize and keep the country in good order. It was historically recorded as ¡®the rule of heaven¡¯...


    Yu Xiaocao was confused. Did she transmigrate back in time or to another world with a simr history?


    Ay! What was the point in being bothered by this? Since she was already here, she should just go with the flow. First, she needed to solve the problem of obtaining enough food to eat and warm clothing to wear!


    Yu Xiaocao turned her gaze towards the handsome young boy, Zhou Zixu. This gullible little sheep might be the first step to improve her current living conditions.


    Although they were in the middle of the three hottest days of summer, Third Young Master Zhou suddenly felt a gust of cold air and the hairs on his arms stood up. He inwardly wondered, ¡®Feeling chilly even when there was a scorching sun in the sky. Did I catch a cold?¡¯


    ¡°That... Young Master Zhou, you¡¯re in charge of Zhenxiu Restaurant, right? Do you want these abalones?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked candidly.


    While Zhou Zixu was telling them about the history, he had pretended to unintentionally nce at the earthenware jar within her hands several times. He had been waiting for the right time to ask about it, so he hastily replied, ¡°If they¡¯re high quality abalones, then our Zhenxiu Restaurant will definitely offer you a reasonable price. Can... Can I take a look first?¡±


    The abalones that Yu Hai caught this time were indeed rare. Moreover, they seemed to have grown after being nourished by the mystic-stone water overnight. They appeared to be even more fresh and juicy.


    Zhou Zixu wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable about seafood, so he invited Manager Jiang and Head Chef Wang over. After they saw the abalones, they praised them fervently. Head Chef Wang had been cooking seafood for nearly thirty years. Such big and fresh abalones wereparable to a king abalone, which he had seen only five years ago after a stroke of luck. Moreover, the abalones were all about the same size and abnormally plump.


    ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant will take these abalones!¡± Zhou Zixu decisively said, ¡°How much do you want? Just state a price!¡±


    Based on Manager Jiang¡¯s and Head Chef Wang¡¯s eyes and expressions, Yu Xiaocao already knew that these abalones were very rare. After a moment of deliberation, she said, ¡°We have nine abalones. It costs one tael for each abalone. No bargaining!¡±


    Yu Hang widened his eyes in shock as he looked at his youngest sister. One tael for each abalone, then that would be nine taels. He had originally thought that two or three taels would be the most that they could earn from selling the abalones. But, nine taels! His youngest sister had actually dared to state this price!


    Manager Jiang furrowed his brows slightly. It was understandable for abalones to be expensive in the capital and some ind regions, since scarcity makes things valuable. However, Tanggu Town was a small coastal town that didn¡¯tck seafood. Thus, it was rare to see the price of one tael per abalone.


    When he was about to start bargaining for a lower price, his young boss had already swiftly made a decision. He readily agreed with a wave of his hand, ¡°Manager Jiang, pay!¡±


    Head Chef Wang had already eagerly carried the earthen jar filled with abalones away. For a renowned chef, what else would be more pleasing than obtaining good ingredients?


    Manager Jiang didn¡¯t say anything more and took out two small ingots, which were worth five taels each. He muttered inwardly, ¡°Third Young Master Zhou doesn¡¯t manage the household expenses, so he doesn¡¯t know the cost of living. One tael for one abalone! It¡¯s impossible to find such a price within the entire Tanggu Town! Ay, he¡¯s still too young...¡±


    ¡°Manager Jiang, we don¡¯t have any change...¡± Yu Hang looked at the shiny ingots on the table. He secretly gulped his saliva and didn¡¯t dare reach out his hand to take them.


    Zhou Zixu was in a good mood since he worked out the main dish for the banquet in the afternoon. He directly said, ¡°Keep the change! If your family has any good seafood in the future, remember to send them to Zhenxiu Restaurant first! We can negotiate a good price!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled until her eyes turned a crescent-shaped. She happily took the two ingots and said, ¡°No problem! Our Yu Family are skilled fishermen. In the future, if we catch things like shark fins and sea cucumbers, we¡¯ll definitely send them to Zhenxiu Restaurant first!¡±


    ¡°Yu Family? Is it Yu Dahai¡¯s family from Dongshan Vige?¡± Manager Jiang had heard the rumors about Yu Hai hunting sharks. For arge restaurant, all sorts of delicacies were equally difficult to find.


    It seems like Third Young Master has a keen eye for people. If they can have a good rtionship with the Yu Family, then they wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses either.


    Yu Hang just recovered from the unbelievable shock. He took a deep breath, then gently exhaled. Ten taels! That was several months of ie for their family!


    After Yu Hang finally steadied his emotions, he answered Manager Jiang¡¯s question, ¡°Yes, Yu Hai is my father. He caught these abalones when he dived under the reefs. However, marine treasures like shark fin and sea cucumbers aren¡¯t as easy to obtain. Don¡¯t listen to my youngest sister¡¯s reckless remark!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re difficult to obtain, but not impossible! It¡¯s fine as long as you do as your younger sister promised and think of Zhenxiu Restaurant first when you have good seafood¨C¨Cespecially the valuable ones!¡± Zhou Zixu patted his shoulder and said with a smile.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled brightly like a flower, while fiddling with the two ingots, ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll tell my father when we get back. Third Young Master Zhou, thanks a lot!¡±


    Zhou Zixu smiled even more widely when he saw that the young girl¡¯s expression. She looked like a money-grubber who just hadn¡¯t bitten down on the ingots yet.


    The young girl suddenly raised her head and asked Manager Jiang with a stern expression, ¡°Manager Jiang, can you help me changes these ingots to silver bits?¡±


    Manager Jiang felt that this little girl was rather interesting, so he purposely teased her, ¡°Are you sure? If I change them to silver bits for you, then I¡¯ll only give you nine taels?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t mind this since the price she had requested was nine taels. The extra tael was an unexpected bonus. However, it would be inconvenient if they didn¡¯t change them to silver bits. She and Yu Hang were both children dressed in shabby clothes. If they go shopping on the streets with two small ingots, they would obviously attract thieves!


    ¡°Nine taels, so be it! If it¡¯s not too troublesome, it would be best if you can also change some into copper coins!¡± They could have purchased so much white rice and flour with one tael, so Yu Hang was somewhat bewildered that Yu Xiaocao had given up on it so easily.

 Chapter 15 – The Best Seasoning

    <h4>Chapter 15 ¨C The Best Seasoning</h4>


    Manager Jiang took the silver ingots from them with a smile and left. A few momentster, he came back out. One hand held a in purse made of rough bup and the other had a couple strings of copper coins. ¡°This bag holds about 4 and ? taels worth of silver bits. I changed the rest into these strings of copper cash.¡± The restaurant manager even warned them. ¡°Be careful with how you store this money! You don¡¯t want any thieves to get their eyes onto this!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Manager Jiang!¡± Yu Xiaocao as she carefully ced the pouch full of silver into her clothing. She then divided the strings of copper coins evenly between her and her older brother in preparation for their uing shopping trip. Before the two siblings left, the young girl went into the restaurant¡¯s back kitchen to retrieve their old and damaged ceramic pot. At the same moment, a shipment of oysters hade in. The sight of the pails and pails of fresh seafood flowing into the kitchen astonished her. ¡°Wow!¡± She eximed in awe. ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant must be doing really well! Are you really able to sell all of these oysters out in one day?¡±


    Head Chef Wangughed ruefully. ¡°Unfortunately, oysters aren¡¯t exactly a rare delicacy for a coastal town like us. How is it possible for us to sell this many oysters in one day? It must be Third Young Master buying more than we need again! These darned creatures are hard to keep alive outside of the sea, and it¡¯s hot right now so we can¡¯t let them sit for too long. I guess I¡¯ll have to find someone to turn most of them into dried goods...¡±


    Zhou Zixu had also followed the two children into the kitchen. After seeing the bunch of oysters all piled in the room, he knew he had bought too many. Feeling awkward, he rubbed his nose sheepishly.


    ¡°Uh...¡± said Yu Xiaocao. ¡°I¡¯ll help you guys out since Third Young Master Zhou was so generous! Is there any sugar and cooking wine in here?¡± The little girl rolled up her sleeves as if she was about to do some hard work.


    Zhou Zixu nced at her slender and weak looking arms before he quickly replied, ¡°Of course we do. What kind of restaurant would we be if we didn¡¯t have such basic ingredients? What are you nning to do with these oysters?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao beamed a smile at him but decided to keep him in suspense. ¡°You¡¯ll know once I¡¯m done! Take it as my present to you, young master!¡±


    The two older men exchanged a perplexed look. Just what was the little girl up to? They still had some spare time before the county magistrate¡¯s banquet, so they had enough time to satisfy their curiosity.


    In her previous life, her younger brother loved to eat food vored with oyster sauce. However, the oyster sauce sold at the supermarket all had a bunch of additives in them. In an effort to avoid harming his health, she found a recipe online and started to make her own oyster sauce at home.


    After experimenting and tinkering with the recipe for long time, she finally developed a recipe that was not only delicious but also more healthy. Her brother loved the homemade sauce and thought that it tasted more original and savory than the versions from the store. The only w was that it spoiled more quickly than the manufactured sauces. But it was to be expected. After all, she never added any preservatives to it!


    With a demeanor full of confidence, Yu Xiaocao directed the kitchen staff to start shucking all of the oysters and to leave the meat in a separate wooden cask. She surveyed the kitchen and grabbed thergest pot she could find. She swiftly calcted the ratio, then poured an appropriate amount of water into the pot to boil.


    Once the water started to boil, Yu Xiaocao poured in all of the oyster meat and started to stir the pot vigorously with adle. The cask that held the oysters had some essence left at the bottom. This leftover liquid actually held a lot of the oysters¡¯ savory vor, so she added all of it into the hot pot without a second thought. It would be a pity to waste something that could enhance the taste and increase the output of the sauce.


    ¡°Hey you! Come help me stir this pot.¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s fragile body was still too weak to work for too long.


    ¡°Let me do it instead!¡± Head Chef Wang eximed as he squeezed his fat butt into the crowd and pushed the earmarked kitchen staff aside. ¡°Should I continue stirring in one direction?¡±


    Head Chef Wang had worked as a chef for over ten years and was passionate about uncovering new methods and recipes. Although it was a little shameful to steal skills from other people, this particr person didn¡¯t seem to be guarding her methods. How could he let such a prime opportunity pass him?


    Yu Xiaocao nodded absentmindedly as she silently calcted out the remaining time. The oysters needed to simmer for another twenty to thirty minutes to maximize vor extraction. After that, the meat needed to be separated out to allow the rest of the sauce to develop. However, the leftover oyster meat could still be cooked in other dishes or set out in the sun to dry forter. Not one bit needed to be wasted!


    After the allotted time finished, Yu Xiaocao strained the leftover meat and other solids from the finished oyster essence. She poured some oil into a clean pot to coat the inside to prevent substances from sticking to it. The oyster essence was then added to the vessel along with some fresh water. The contents were set on the fire to stew again.


    During this second process, Yu Xiaocao added some sugar, cooking wine, and some other seasonings while the sauce simmered on low heat. Time passed as she let the ingredients cook and meld together. It was almost lunchtime before she finally dered that it was ready!


    The finished oyster sauce was dark in color and had a glossy sheen. The whole kitchen was filled with its savory fragrance. Head Chef Wang impatiently sampled a taste of the sauce and his eyes opened wide in shock. ¡°This is incredible! How could something have such a dense yet savory taste? It is so full of vor but it doesn¡¯t seem overwhelming!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also took a taste before smiling. ¡°It stillcks a couple of key ingredients that would make it more delicious. Still, this sauce is still pretty good, it retains the original vor from the oysters.¡±


    Zhou Zixu and Manager Jiang followed in trying the sauce out. ¡°What kind of sauce is this? Can it be added to cooked meats and vegetables?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded in assent. ¡°This is called ¡®oyster sauce¡¯. Oyster sauce is also known as the ¡®essence of the sea¡¯. Using it while cooking can increase the overall savoriness and tastiness of a dish.¡±


    She looked around the kitchen and then pointed at a bunch of green leafed vegetables. ¡°Let me make some simmered green vegetables [1] with this. This is one of my specialties!¡±


    Head Chef Wang enthusiastically started washing the vegetables himself. In the meantime, Yu Xiaocao set another pot full of water on the fire and let ite to a boil. After quickly nching the cleaned greens in the water, she set the cooked vegetables onto a serving te and drizzled some oyster sauce and sesame oil on top. The dish was finished! She nced up at everyone in the kitchen and hinted at them to take a taste.


    ¡°Is this already finished?¡± asked someone incredulously. The rest of the people in the room looked at her in dismay. Wasn¡¯t this just boiled green vegetables?


    On the other hand, Head Chef Wang had a thoughtful expression on his face. From his culinary experience, he knew that the more simple a dish was, the more it tested a chef¡¯s capabilities. He grabbed a pair of chopsticks and used them to bring a single stem to his mouth. The taste of the savory oyster sauce and fresh vor of the vegetable melded perfectly together. It was something that he had never tasted before but it was divine to his senses.


    The blissful expression on Head Chef Wang¡¯s face elicited Zhou Zixu¡¯s curiosity. How could someone like the head chef, who had likely eaten many delicious dishes, be so infatuated with something like this? It was just some steamed vegetables with some sauce on top...


    After contemting for another second, the young master finally decided to try it himself. He also picked up one stalk and carefully ced it into his mouth. As someone who grew up in a rich family, he naturally loved to eat meat more than in vegetables. His mother had gone through a lot of effort throughout the years to get him to eat some vegetables at his meals.


    The chef of his family had a practiced hand in cooking vegetables. In fact, many of the nobles and aristocrats had asked one time or another for his family to sell this chef to them. All of the offers had been gracefully declined.


    However, all of those exquisite dishes made by high ss cooks could not even bepared to this simple dish made by this little girl. The secret ingredient was obvious in this case!


    Zhou Zixu and Head Chef Wang looked at each other. Their thoughts and hearts were linked as one in what their next step to be. The light of greed started to shine in their eyes.


    ¡°Young miss from the Yu Family, do you... do you n on selling your method?¡± Third Young Master Zhou and Head Chef Wang asked at same time.


    ¡°Are you two asking about the recipe for the oyster sauce? What do you mean by ¡®selling it¡¯? I didn¡¯t hide anything when I made it earlier. If there are any parts that are confusing, feel free to ask me!¡± Yu Xiaocao had never intended to sell her recipe for money. It was more important for her to build some good karma and connections.


    Zhou Zixu not only was the true owner of the best restaurant in Tanggu Town but was also the young master of one of the four great merchant families of the country, the Zhou Family! In the future, it was likely she would need a couple of favors from him. It was better to leave a good impression now than to be greedy! The more friends she had, the more options she had in the future!

 Chapter 16 – Going Shopping

    <h4>Chapter 16 ¨C Going Shopping</h4>


    Head Chef Wang had grown up in a family who was well known for producing culinary talents and knew first hand just how cutthroat the culinary world was. In his experience, all famous chefs who had signature dishes guarded and hoarded their recipes zealously. However, this particr little girl in front of him had no qualms in sharing her secrets. The older man rubbed his hands sheepishly before he said, ¡°Miss Yu... might it be a good idea to discuss this with your parents before you make a final decision?¡±


    ¡°No need to ask them. This recipe was personally developed by me; no one else at home knows about it. If you don¡¯t believe, ask my older brother right now!¡± Yu Xiaocao waved her hand dismissively at the head chef¡¯s suggestion.


    Once Third Young Master Zhou confirmed her statement with Yu Hang, he thought for a bit before making his final decision. ¡°Alright! Then I will take your generous gift graciously. In the future, if you run into any trouble, feel free toe to the Zhou Family residence to find me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grinned in delight and thought, ¡®Whippersnapper, I was just waiting for those words!¡¯


    ¡°Oh right! Since the weather is hot now, make sure to store any leftover oyster sauce in the icehouse. It can¡¯t be held for more than a month before it goes bad.¡± After leaving herst piece of advice to the two men, she rubbed the pouch containing her hard-earned money and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Although it looks like we have a lot of oyster sauce, we have many customers here at Zhenxiu Restaurant. I¡¯d be surprised if this evensted a week!¡± Head Chef Wang carefully poured the sauce into a bottle and cradled it like it was a world treasure before he reluctantly set it down again.


    At the same time, the flow of customers into Zhenxiu Restaurant started to increase, and the back kitchen started to bustle with activity. Zhou Zixu ordered the restaurant staff to add ¡®Oyster Seasoned Green Vegetables¡¯ to County Magistrate Wu¡¯s banquet menu.


    Head Chef Wang took out the abalone and had a pensive look on his face. He needed to figure out the best way to serve this high-quality abalone to awe and impress the magistrate¡¯s guests.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but give him a suggestion. ¡°You could try making ¡®Abalone with Garlic Sauce [1]¡¯. If the guests don¡¯t like the taste of garlic, you can switch it out for the oyster sauce instead. The sauce can elevate the intrinsic vor of the abalone. But take your time in deciding, Head Chef Wang.¡±


    Under the escort of Third Young Master Zhou and Manager Jiang, the two siblings finally left Zhenxiu Restaurant. Coincidentally, the magistrate¡¯s son hade over directly after finishing school and saw the brother sister pair leave.


    Third Young Master Zhou was not normally a humble person, so seeing him treat a couple of children who were dressed like street urchins so politely was out of the ordinary. The young man couldn¡¯t help but ask incredulously, ¡°Third Young Master Zhou, what are the identities of these two children? They must be extraordinary in order to catch your eye.¡±


    Zhou Zixu sped his two hands together and perfunctorily greeted him. He quickly reverted back to his usual dandy self. ¡°Brother Wu, I see that school must have let out early today? Come in,e in! I just had a new shipment of Clouds and Mists teae in. This batch has a strong fragrance and has the color of fresh dew. Very hard to find now!¡±


    Young Master Wu only had one elegant hobby: drinking andparing teas. Once he heard Zhenxiu Restaurant had received a rare batch, all curious thoughts about the odd sibling pair went straight out of his mind. He followed Zhou Zixu into a private room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping, Eldest Brother! Whatever you want to eat is on me today!¡± Now that Yu Xiaocao had money in her hands, she felt more confident. Her back was ramrod straight as she strode imposingly down the road.


    Yu Hang flicked her forehead teasingly but then lowered his voice before he said, ¡°We¡¯re still one household right now. Any money we earn has to be handed over. If Grandmother finds out we have so much silver now, she definitely would not be happy. I feel like it¡¯s better that we...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao quickly brought her hands up to protect the purse hidden in her clothes. Her eyes glinted with annoyance. ¡°Is the money that our dad brings home not enough? He¡¯s the one keeping the whole family afloat, including our uncle who¡¯s studying in the town! Let the adults find ways to keep the family running! They don¡¯t need to know about this little extra ie that we earned!¡±


    Yu Hang opened his mouth to say something but his sister quickly interrupted him. ¡°Hand it over, hand it over! You guys are just encouraging Grandmother¡¯s behavior. Just think about! How much money has father given to them? And how much of that moneyes back to us? You better not tell anyone about the money we made today, otherwise you¡¯re not my older brother anymore!¡±


    Seeing that Yu Xiaocao was adamant, Yu Hang decided it was useless to try to change her mind. Instead, he reminded her, ¡°Then make sure you hide the money well! You can¡¯t let grandmother or the other family members find out...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about the stuff I¡¯m in charge of!¡± Yu Xiaocao pped her chest to show Yu Hand she had everything handled. Her spirits were up now that she had money in hand. She gleefully pulled her brother along to go shopping for the first time.


    As the two of them strolled, Yu Xiaocao checked out all of the prices and stored them for future use. At the grain shop, millet, potato starch, and maize were all two copper coins a catty. White flour was five copper coins a catty. Northernnds didn¡¯t nt a lot of rice, so it was seven copper coins a catty.


    The price of a catty of high-quality pork twenty copper coins, while one single live chicken was forty copper coins.


    Although the imperial court had stabilized prices recently, peace had only recentlye to the empire. Mostmoners lived simr lives to the fishermen in Dongshan Vige: eking out in poverty day by day.


    The more she understood the circumstances of this world, the more Yu Xiaocao missed her old world. Modern life was still better! Even though her childhood was not easy, it still wasn¡¯t as bad the lives most people led here. After living as the oldest sister in her past live, she had already gotten used to handling all of the responsibilities. Her mind whirled as she started toe up with ideas to get rich. She needed more money in order to help her family live a better life. One where they weren¡¯t always worrying about their next meal.


    A nearby hawker cried out, ¡°Big meat buns [2]! Delicious and tasty meat buns!!¡± The sound of his harsh voice neatly cut through her thoughts.


    Grumble, grumble....Their stomachs groaned and yowled at thought of food. They both had gotten up early that morning, and neither of them had eaten anything before setting out.


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed her shriveled tummy as the smell of the meat buns floated into her nose. She waved a fist in the air and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat some meat buns!¡±


    ¡°Give us four big meat buns and two bowls of egg drop soup [3]!¡± After getting their food, Yu Xiaocao walked over to a low table at the side of the road and made sure to call her brother over to eat food. Although they couldn¡¯t afford to eat at a high ss restaurant, they could still eat as much they wanted from the food stalls!


    Yu Hang had taken trips with his dad before to town. On those trips, neither of them would spend a single copper coin out of frugalness. His little sister, on the other hand, had no qualms on spending a handful of coins in one transaction. The amount of money she spent on their meal was almost enough to buy two catties of white rice and three catties of white flour...


    ¡°I¡¯ll....I¡¯ll just eat three in buns and drink some water instead...¡± said Yu Hang after looking at all of the prices. He settled on spending just one copper coin for his meal.


    Yu Xiaocao knew her brother had thriftiness down to his bones. She silently counted out twelve copper coins and handed it to the hawker selling breakfast foods. The merchant cleverly took out four stuffed buns and had his wifedle out two steaming bowls of soup up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss! We already bought the food, so just eat it now!¡± Yu Xiaocao grabbed one of the hot buns and thrust it into Yu Hang¡¯s hands. She opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into another bun.


    Mmmmm... these ancient people knew how to make some delicious meat buns. The skins were appropriately thin and there was plenty of filling in the bun. Every bite had the satisfying, rich taste of meat. The savory vor filled and melted in her mouth. Perhaps she was too hungry but she thought that there was nothing more delicious in the world than these meat buns right here.


    She alternated between sips of soup and bites of pastry. Within minutes, Xiaocao had polished off two buns and her bowl of soup. Filled to satisfaction, she let out a happy little burp. So full now! In the past few days, she had never been able to eat as much as she did today. It was good to have money! This experience solidified her desire to save up her own private purse in the future.


    Although he was physically older, Yu Hang was still a ten year old child. After seeing his little sister eat so happily, he couldn¡¯t help but also take a bite. The rest was history after that first bite. Before he knew it, all of the food had disappeared into his little belly. He rubbed his bulging tummy sheepishly and grinned in embarrassment.


    ¡°This stall¡¯s meat buns are really too delicious! We need to buy some for mother, father, and Little Shitou too!¡± Yu Xiaocao was not a stingy person and wanted to share her good fortune with her family. Don¡¯t worry little brother, your older sister will always think of you when there¡¯s good food around! Aren¡¯t I a good sister?


    Yu Hang¡¯s cute face scrunched up in worry. ¡°I don¡¯t mind buying some for our parents, little sister, and little brother but this can¡¯t get out to other people! If grandmother finds out, she¡¯ll definitely want to know where we got the money from. Wouldn¡¯t we be dead meat then?¡±

 Chapter 17 – Parental Love

    <h4>Chapter 17 ¨C Parental Love</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao red at her brother. ¡°Are you stupid? Why would we let Grandmother know? Can¡¯t we learn from Eldest Aunt¡¯s example? She eats food on the sly all the time!¡±


    Their eldest aunt, Madam Li, never came back from her maiden home empty-handed. However, all of the food she brought back was hidden in her rooms. Only when no one was around would she surreptitiously take out some snacks and eat them with her son.


    Yu Xiaocao bought ten more meat buns and had the hawker wrap them up carefully in oiled paper. The wrapped package was then stuffed into their battered ceramic pot. Earlier, they had ced some old rags on the top to hide their precious abalones. They also used the same tactic now to hide their forbidden pastries.


    By the time the two of them arrived at the city gate, they could see that Uncle Ma was already there, waiting for them. The older matron who sold vegetables was also there. Her face was lit up with happiness. Judging by therge empty basket next to the woman, it wasn¡¯t hard to see why.


    ¡°Xiaosha, Xiaocao, hurry up! We¡¯re just waiting for you two!¡± Uncle Ma stood up when he saw them and waved to the two siblings.


    ¡°What about thedy who was selling eggs?¡± Yu Xiaocao inquired as she hopped onto the donkey cart. ¡°She¡¯s not here yet.¡±


    The olderdy who sold vegetables smiled, ¡°Oh her? She sold off all of her eggs earlier and left already. She asked me to help her bring her basket back home. Xiaocao, what¡¯s in that pot of yours? It looks pretty heavy.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sighed dejectedly, a sad expression on her little face. ¡°My mother made some fermented soybean paste. We had wanted to see if we could sell them for a few copper coins and buy some coarse grains back home. But we couldn¡¯t even sell a copper coin¡¯s worth earlier! And now we¡¯re down the four copper coins that we used for the ride here!¡±


    When the matron heard it was soybean paste, she lost interest in the contents of the pot. Sheforted the little girl absentmindedly and then leaned her body against the side of the wagon and dozed off.


    Yu Hang couldn¡¯t help but stare at his little sister when he heard her glibly lie between her teeth. Where did she learn to lie so easily? That¡¯s not good. When he got back home, he needed to remind his mother to raise her more carefully. Otherwise, his sister might grow up to be too crooked.


    When the two siblings arrived back to their vige, they saw a familiar, tall figure standing on the road, waiting anxiously for them.


    ¡°Father? Father! We¡¯re back!¡± Yu Xiaocao bnced the heavy ceramic pot in her hand as she ran with a staggering gait towards Yu Hai.


    Yu Hai put down the game in his hands, effortlessly lifted his daughter up in the air, and faced his son with a stern look on his face. ¡°You¡¯re pretty brave, huh? You took your little sister out without a word to anyone, eh? Two little kids running around without anyone to look out for you. What if you guys encountered some bad people?¡±


    He then turned to his daughter and spoke in a softer tone, ¡°Cao¡¯er, in the future, if you want to go into town tell father! Father will bring you there. It¡¯s already past lunchtime, you must be hungry right? Father made sure to leave three steamed rolls [1] for you. You should eat them while they¡¯re still hot!¡±


    Ehhhh! Doting only on the daughter, he was truly a fool for his youngest daughter! Yu Xiaocao had a bashful expression on her face while being carried by her father. She wriggled out of her father¡¯s grasp and said, ¡°Older brother and I have already eaten in town! We ate tworge meat buns! I¡¯m so full now, father! I also bought some for you too! You should eat them while we walk!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew her grandmother¡¯s miserly temperament. Since her father had steamed rolls for them to eat, it meant that he had to go hungry. This man woke up at the crack of dawn to go hunting in the mountains andter had to go into town to sell his game. It wasn¡¯t right for him to go hungry.


    Yu Xiaocao forced three pastries into her father¡¯s hands. She looked at the mangled and bloody game on the ground and felt her heart skip a beat. ¡°Father, I want to eat roasted pheasant. Is it possible to leave one of these for me?¡± Hunting today went so-so. Yu Hai had only caught some small game: two Reeves¡¯s pheasants, three wild hares, and two plump nondescript wild birds.


    Yu Hang pulled gently at his sister¡¯s sleeves and whispered, ¡°Grandmother already saw the game that father caught today. She always knows how much money these will go for. If hees back with less money, all hell will break loose! Didn¡¯t we already eat some meat buns today? We¡¯ll eat some pheasant meat in the future!¡±


    The congenial expression on Yu Hai¡¯s didn¡¯t change throughout the whole interaction between his two children. ¡°Leaving you a pheasant is not a problem! But your older brother is also right, Cao¡¯er. After yourtest illness, your stomach is still quite weak. So you shouldn¡¯t eat roasted pheasant right now. In a few days, once your body is all better, Father will definitely leave you a nice, fat pheasant for you to eat!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was pretty sure that there was nothing wrong with her body now. But it was obvious that no one in her immediate family believed that. It looked like she still had to prove herself to them!


    Following that, the two siblings ran around the vige, looking for their mother, Xiaolian, and little brother. They soon discovered that their mother was at the creek washing the bedsheets. Xiaolian had taken Little Shitou out to the foot of the West Mountains to pick up some firewood.


    No one lived at the foot of the West Mountains, and few people from the vige went there normally. It was the perfect ce¡ªcough cough¡ªfor dividing out their secretly acquired meat buns. The two of them split toplete their mission. Yu Hang went to the river to find Madam Liu while Xiao Cao took the ceramic pot with the pastries to the foot of the mountains.


    ¡°Mother, mother! Xiaocao, she...ah...you shoulde over and look yourself!¡± A lot of other women from the vige were washing theirundry at the bank of the stream. Yu Hang didn¡¯t dare to exin the situation clearly, and he also was too honest toe up with a good lie on the spot. The only thing he could do was to insinuate there was something wrong with his younger sister.


    When Madam Liu heard his half-finished sentence, she hurriedly got up. The sheet in her hands almost slipped out and drifted away into the creek.


    Yu Hang instantly felt guilty when he saw how worried she was. He tried to backtrack, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry! Little sister is fine!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a doctor,¡± Madam Liu retorted. ¡°How would you know for sure your sister is okay? I need to see her myself. Auntie Futian, do you mind keeping an eye on these sheets for me? If I don¡¯te back before you¡¯re done, could you do me a favor and bring them back for me?¡± Liu Muyun wiped her hands dry and then rushed after her son. The two of them pelted in the direction of the West Mountains.


    ¡°Ah...it must be Xiaocao again! Dahai¡¯s wife has a cruel fate in this lifetime...¡± All of the women who were doingundry in the river were used to Madam Liu leaving halfway before she finished her load. Nine times out of ten, it usually had something to do with her sickly daughter.


    On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao was having a more difficult time finding her sister and brother. The mountains here covered arge area, and there were plenty of ces for two children to pick up firewood. Luckily, Xiaolian and Little Shitou were both cautious and didn¡¯t dare to venture deep into the mountain range. The two of them stayed at the foot of the mountains. With a little bit of effort, Xiaocao finally found them.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, I¡¯m so tired right now! You two really lead me on a merry chase!¡±mented Xiaocao when she found the two of them. She copsed onto the ground and sat on the long grass,pletely out of breath. She used her small fists to punch her legs in an effort to loosen the muscles up. This little body is seriously too weak! Even after walking this short of a distance tired it out! In the distance, Madam Liu, who was following her oldest son, could see what had happened. She ran all the way there, her heart in her mouth. When she got to where Xiaocao had copsed, she swept her daughter into her arms and repeatedly asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, where do you feel ufortable? Mother will bring you home... Xiaosha, go find Doctor You right now.¡±


    Yu Hang didn¡¯t immediately leave and instead asked his sister with concern, ¡°Youngest sister, do you really not feel well?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®do you really not feel well¡¯? Are you saying that she¡¯s faking it? Go find the doctor!¡± Liu Muyun eximed. She bent down and held her youngest daughter.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that her mother¡¯s face had gone white with worry, so she quickly scampered up and jumped twice on the ground to show Madam Liu that she was fine. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m fine! Who told you I wasn¡¯t feeling well? Tell me and I¡¯ll hit them for you! Eldest Brother, were you the one who scared mother?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling okay?¡± Madam Liu inspected her daughter from head to toe. Xiaocao really didn¡¯t look like she had fallen ill again. She felt relieved, so she turned to scold her son, ¡°So what did you call me here for? You interrupted me while I was in the middle of washing! I still have half of the sheets to do!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao quickly came to her brother¡¯s defense. ¡°Mom, didn¡¯t we visit town today? I bought some meat buns for all of us. Here, take a taste!¡±

 Chapter 18 – The Handsome Youth From the Mountains

    <h4>Chapter 18 ¨C The Handsome Youth From the Mountains</h4>


    ¡°Meat buns? Second sister, second sister, are those therge buns? The ones stuffed with ground meat and made with white wheat flour?¡± Little Shitou¡¯s eyes opened wide when he saw the pastries in his sister¡¯s hands. Saliva started to pool in his mouth as he stared pitifully at his sister.


    Xiaocao grinned and pinched the little boy¡¯s cheek. ¡°What? Do you think there are other types of meat buns? Rx, I also bought some for you!¡±


    True to her word, she split the remaining seven stuffed meat buns between her mother and two siblings. Madam Liu received three, while her sister and brother got two each.


    Little Shitou carefully wiped his hands on his clothes before he received the pastries from his older sister. He opened his mouth wide and took a giant bite. The slightly sweet breadbined with the dense and fatty taste of the meat harmonized together. In his eagerness to wolf the food down, the little boy almost choked while trying to swallow hisrge mouthful.


    Madam Liu tenderly patted her youngest son¡¯s back. Instead of eating, she began to scold her oldest son and second daughter. ¡°How could you two just disappear without a word and go to town by yourselves? Especially you, Xiaosha! You know your sister has a weak body, how could you make her walk so far? What would you have done if she had copsed from exhaustion?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao interjected to defend her brother, ¡°Mother, we went with Uncle Ma from the neighboring vige. We took his donkey cart into town. Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m not tired at all. Please start eating now. If you let the stuffed buns sit for too long, they won¡¯t taste good anymore!¡±


    ¡°Where did you get the money to ride the cart and to buy these pastries?¡± Madam Liu asked sternly as she stared at her youngest daughter.


    Xiaolian, who was eating a meat bun in tiny, small bites, quietly replied, ¡°Mother, I gave the money to her so she could take the donkey cart. Earlier I had picked some herbal medicine and sold them. Because it was only a few copper coins, I didn¡¯t hand the money over to the main house.¡±


    Madam Liu persisted, ¡°Then where did the money for these pastriese from?¡± The meat buns left for her remained untouched.


    ¡°I know, I know!¡± eximed Little Shitou as he waved a small fist in excitement. He had already devoured one of hisrge meat-filled buns. ¡°Yesterday we went to the sea and caught some abalone. Second Sister hid them, so she must have sold them for money!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grasped the little boy¡¯s cheeks with both hands and pulled gently. She grinned, ¡°Our Little Shitou is so smart! You guessed right! Mother, please don¡¯t worry and eat now. The money I used to buy them is clean.¡±


    Madam Liu had not realized the shenanigans her children had gotten into yesterday. She sighed, ¡°You little imp, you¡¯re quite daring, huh? But...is it right to hide something like this from your grandmother?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? Mother, you and father are too obedient. Just look at Eldest Uncle and Younger Uncle, they¡¯re both so selfish. Younger Uncle lives in a rented house in town and eats white rice every day! His wife even bought a servant girl to do housework!¡± The hot-tempered Yu Xiaolianined as she continued to eat her savory pastry.


    ¡°Also, look at Eldest Aunt and Brother Heizi. Both of them spend the entire day hiding in their rooms eating their own snacks. Look at their figures and then look at yours and little sister¡¯s...They always im that the food they eat is from Eldest Aunt¡¯s maiden home, but it¡¯s not like she doesn¡¯t have any brothers. Why would they give so much to a daughter who¡¯s already married? Such a bad lie!¡±


    Liu Muyun looked at her children¡¯s thin faces and stick-like figures after being prompted by her oldest daughter. She sighed deeply and carefully used the oiled paper in her hands to wrap her share up.


    ¡°Mother, why aren¡¯t you eating them?¡± asked Little Shitou. He had already started on his second meat bun. After stuffing himself with the first one, he was able to savor and enjoy his second one more easily. ¡°The meat buns are really tasty! They have a lot of meat in them! If I could eat some every day, I¡¯d be the happiest boy on earth!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt her heart ache after hearing her little brother¡¯s deration. The little guy was too easily satisfied! His vision of heaven was being able to eat meat-stuffed pastries every day. In her previous life, there were too many spoiled brats who could eat meat every day yet were still very picky. Whenpared to the elementary school aged Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian, their lives were too different! Ah, children who grew up in up poor families truly matured faster.


    Their mother rubbed her youngest son¡¯s head and smiled gently. The hair on his head was brittle and dry. ¡°Your mother isn¡¯t hungry. I¡¯ll leave these buns for you and your second sister for tonight, one for each of you...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hurriedly interrupted, ¡°Mom! Brother Heizi somehow always knows when there¡¯s food around! He¡¯s like a dog, always sniffing around for something to eat. If you bring these buns back, he¡¯ll definitely find them. And if he finds them, grandmother will find out. And if grandmother finds out and asks where we got the money to buy the meat buns, how would you reply?¡±


    After thinking for a bit, Madam Liu had to admit her daughter was right. She unwrapped her share of the food and handed one towards Xiaocao. ¡°Your mother can¡¯t eat this much food. Cao¡¯er,e eat another one.¡±


    Xiaocaoughed and patted her bulging belly. ¡°These buns are too big for me! I already ate two earlier, and I also had a bowl of egg soup. If I eat any more, I think I¡¯ll end up exploding. Older brother and I already ate, so you should hurry and eat. Make sure no one sees you!¡±


    Yu Xiaolian had originally nned on leaving her second pastry behind, so she could give it to her little sister at dinner. However, when she heard what Xiaocao told their mother, she started gnawing on her other stuffed bun without any more hesitation. ¡®Hmph! That shameless fatty, Yu Heizi, absolutely can¡¯t get a piece of this!¡¯


    Shortly after the whole family finished the meat buns, an unfamiliar male voice sounded from a nearby stand of trees. ¡°Eh? Auntie Liu, Xiaosha, Xiaolian, and Little Shitou, why are all of you here?¡± The stranger sounded youthful and had a clear-pitched voice.


    All of them immediately turned their heads around to look. A young man dressed in a neat and casual set of clothes strolled out of gloomy shadows of the trees. A hunting bow was slung on his back. The youth had thick brows and a pair of clear, dark eyes. His nose was straight, and he had a square jawline. Although he was wearing in, homespun clothing, it didn¡¯t detract from his heroic figure one bit.


    ¡®Whoa! The ancients truly did have flower boys! The novels weren¡¯t pulling my leg! The young man who almost drowned, the town¡¯s handsome and youthful restaurant owner, and this hot and rugged teenage boy are all perfect specimens of good-looking men. Now that I think about it, my own two brothers would be quite handsome if they weren¡¯t so thin.¡¯


    Yu Hang threw the piece of firewood from his hand in excitement and eagerly stepped forward. ¡°Brother Han, are you here to check on your traps?¡±


    Zhao Han looked at Xiaocao inquisitively before he smiled and nodded, ¡°I didn¡¯t have time earlier this morning to stop by. Now that I have some free time, I decided to take a walk in the mountains. Is this little girl...your second younger sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is my youngest sister. Her name is Xiaocao. When she was first born, she was weaker than a kitten so my dad decided to give her a name that would help her grow. He hoped that she would be able to grow as quickly as grass and as tenacious as a weed! Little sister, this is Uncle Zhao¡¯s son, Brother Han. Go greet him now!¡± Yu Hang caressed her head as if he was petting a puppy.


    Yu Xiaocao ducked away from her brother¡¯s hand and silently grumbled. ¡®Can you stop embarrassing me in front of strangers? Isn¡¯t it bad enough I have such an...unique...name? Did you really have to exin the reasoning too?¡¯


    ¡®Uncle Zhao¡¯s son, who is Uncle Zhao? Oh right, he must be the son of Hunter Zhao, the vige¡¯s best hunter. I think father learned how to hunt from this guy, so I probably should treat his son well.¡¯


    Xiaocao pasted a polite smile on her face and sweetly said, ¡°Older Brother Zhao!¡±


    Zhao Han guffawed. ¡°Uncle Dahai calls my dad ¡®Older Brother Zhao¡¯, now you also are calling me ¡®Older Brother Zhao¡¯. Who are we referring to now? Xiaocao, just follow Little Shitou¡¯s lead. Call me ¡®Brother Han¡¯ instead!¡±


    ¡°Brother Han! Second Sister, if you follow Brother Han, then you will be able to eat meat!¡± The little foodie, Little Shitou, licked his lips greedily.


    Outnumbered, Yu Xiaocao could only follow their example. ¡°Brother Han....¡± The sound of her voice was soft and weak. If Zhao Han didn¡¯t have good hearing, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear her greeting.


    Zhao Han copied Yu Hang and ruffled her hair affectionately. ¡°Are you not fully recovered? You still seem pretty weak... If there¡¯s any game caught in the traps, your Brother Han will roast some meat for you!¡±

 Chapter 19 – Following Brother Han Means There’s Meat to Eat

    <h4>Chapter 19 ¨C Following Brother Han Means There¡¯s Meat to Eat</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about me, Brother Han!¡± When Little Shitou heard that they could possibly eat meat, he immediately jumped up and circled around Zhao Han with admiration.


    Zhao Han pinched the little boy¡¯s cheeks and grinned. ¡°Of course! I would never leave our Little Shitou behind!¡±


    ¡°Brother Han, why are you like my second sister? Both of you really like pinching other people¡¯s cheeks for some reason.¡± Little Shitou pouted as he scampered away from the youth. The little boy held his face between his two hands and had an aggrieved expression on his face.


    Seeing that all of her children wereughing and ying happily, Madam Liu nced at the sky to check the time. ¡°Go on and y. I still haven¡¯t finished washing the bed sheets so I need to go back to the stream. Don¡¯t y too rough and remember toe home to eat supper!¡±


    The custom of having three meals a day started after the ascension of the first emperor of the current dynasty. Decades had passed since the start of the custom, and so, having breakfast, lunch, and supper was customary among the upper sses and in upscale restaurants. However, most peasants still stuck with having two meals a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. The reality was that they couldn¡¯t afford to eat more frequently. This was something that Yu Xiaocao found very difficult to stomach.


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m here to watch over younger brother and younger sisters!¡± Yu Hang promised. Although he really wanted to tag along with Brother Han to check the traps, he still remembered that they were responsible for gathering firewood.


    He had just found out from Xiaolian that grandmother had thrown a tantrum when she didn¡¯t see him in the morning. In order to appease her, his mother and sister had to take on more chores at home.


    Zhao Han was well aware of the particr circumstances of this group of siblings. He turned to Xiaocao and Little Shitou and beckoned them to follow him. ¡°Do you guys want to follow me to check the traps?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± Little Shitou, who was still a young child, immediately agreed without thinking.


    On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao felt guilty when she saw her older sister and brother working hard to find firewood. When Yu Xiaolian saw her hesitate, she smiled and said, ¡°Little sister, you¡¯re still too weak right now! Do you really think you can help us with this? Don¡¯t be a bother and cause more trouble for us by staying here!¡±


    ¡°Second Sister, we can still help them collect firewood when we hike down the mountainter!¡± Little Shitou had a clever mind and quickly found an excuse to persuade his sister.


    In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had lived on the ins, so she had never experienced hunting in the mountains. Now that she had the chance, she couldn¡¯t resist satisfying her curiosity. After hesitating for a second, she decided to follow the two boys, ¡°Older brother, Xiaolian, I¡¯ll help you guys as soon as I can. I swear I¡¯lle back soon!¡± The traps that Zhao Han had set were all along the periphery of the mountain range, away from the deep forests where more ferocious animals lived. In fact, evenrger game was scarce in this area. This was why he wasfortable with bringing two small children along with him.


    It was still summer right now, so the temperature outside was scorching, especially out in the open and under the blistering sun. However, underneath the cover of the trees, it was shady and cool, almost as if it was autumn. The chilly air feltfortable after sweating the whole morning. Yu Xiaocao started to wonder if this would be a good ce to escape to when the weather got even hotter.


    ¡°Be careful, Xiaocao! There¡¯s a trap right in front of you, so be careful not to fall in!¡± Zhao Han warned suddenly. He had noticed that the little girl was looking around curiously and was not paying attention to the ground at her feet. How could she be so inattentive in such dangerous surroundings?


    A trap? Yu Xiaocao bent over to inspect the ground more carefully. To her surprise, there was one patch on the ground that looked different from the rest of the terrain. She had to admit that this Brother Zhao had some pretty good skills. Had she not looked carefully, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the trap.


    ¡°Are you not afraid that some of the vigers might get hurt from your traps here? Other people go through here too.¡± Yu Xiaocao asked, a concerned look on her face.


    Little Shitou giggled and interjected, ¡°Second Sister, besides you, the entire vige knows the marks that the Zhao family uses on their traps. Even the three year olds in the vige know what to look for. Look at the knotted string over there. If you ever see this, it means that there¡¯s a trap nearby and you have to be careful!¡±


    At this moment, Yu Xiaocao noticed that on a nearby tree, there was indeed a grass rope woven into a distinctive knot. She rubbed her nose sheepishly in embarrassment.


    Zhao Han skillfully switched the conversation topic for her. ¡°It looks like this trap hasn¡¯t been tripped, let¡¯s go further in to check on the others. Xiaocao, if you start feeling tired, make sure to tell me.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised her voice in assent and followed Zhao Han closely. The three of them went deeper into the forest. The light dimmed perceptively the further they walked, and the underbrush became more thick and unruly. Fortunately, there was a worn path in the forest so they didn¡¯t have to push through too much vegetation.


    Little Shitou grabbed a long tree branch and used it to constantly whip the lush underbrush. Not only would this drive away any snakes but it could also startle some hidden pheasants to run out in the open.


    ¡°Wait a moment!¡± The handsome Zhao Han called out. He instructed the two siblings to stay where they were while he disappeared into the nearby brush.


    The forest in the mountains was thick with trees and other nts. Branches criss-crossed against each other and blocked any sunlight from reaching the ground. asionally, some beams of light were able to escape through the cracks. There were a couple beams right now that lit up this little grove. Above them a bird suddenly spread out its wings and flew away. It cried eerily as it left. The two kids noticed that that a bush started shaking not too far away from them, as if there was something walking through there...


    ¡°Second Sister... are you afraid right now?¡± Little Shitou asked with a trembling voice. He scuttled closer to her and pulled on her hand. His eyes wererge with fright as he scanned the area around him.


    Yu Xiaocao deliberately teased him. ¡°Little coward! Didn¡¯t Brother Han tell you? We¡¯re on the outskirts of the deep forest. Most big game won¡¯te here, let alone anything big and mean! Didn¡¯t you just say you were going to ¡®protect your older sister¡¯? Why are you scared now?¡±


    Little Shitou let go of her hand, ashamed, and started to tear a piece of grass apart with his fingers. He softly muttered, ¡°When I grow up, I¡¯ll make sure to protect Second Sister¡ª¡ªoh, look, Brother Han¡¯s back now!¡±


    Xiaocao turned to face the direction that Zhao Han had left earlier. Sure enough, after the brush rattled a bit, Zhao Han¡¯s tall and steady figure appeared in front of them.


    ¡°Look what I have! What do you two think this is?¡± The youth asked as he dangled something in his hands in front of the two little kids.


    Little Shitou hopped up and eximed in a voice that echoed, ¡°Pheasant eggs! Second sister, he has Reeves¡¯s pheasant eggs! Eggs are so tasty, and they¡¯re great for strengthening the body!¡±


    ¡°Here, take them. In a bit we¡¯ll cook some eggs to eat!¡± Zhao Han grinned as he put five pheasant eggs into the two siblings¡¯ hands. Afterwards, he continued to lead the way through the forest.


    All of the traps he had set earlier were ced in the dense undergrowth. From time to time, the young man would walk off the dirt path to inspect his traps while the brother and sister pair stayed on the trail. After inspecting more than ten traps in the past two hours, Xiaocao was starting to feel exhausted.


    Luckily, their trip was not in vain. One of the traps had caught a freshly killed wild hare, while Zhao Han was also able to shoot down a fat and plump turtledove.


    ¡°You guys must be tired now. I bet you both are also hungry. I know a good ce for us to stop at and make some food.¡± Throughout the journey, Zhao Han had kept a close eye on the two siblings.


    Little Shitou¡¯s condition was not bad. He spent most of his time running around like crazy with the other kids from the vige, so he had a decent amount of energy in his little body. On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao had a weaker constitution. The difference between the two wasn¡¯t surprising. For someone who had been sickly since the day she was born, it was a miracle Xiaocao could walk so long on a rough, mountain trail.


    Zhao Han knew this area of the forest like the back of his own hand. He lead the two siblings through the dense underbrush. After tramping through the forest for another quarter-hour, Yu Xiaocao suddenly noticed that they had walked into an unexpected area. They were in a beautiful valley that seemed to appear from nowhere.


    The sides of the valley were bracketed on both sides by the mountains. Verdant green leaves shimmered in the sunlight, and the valley seemed to be carpeted lushly with vegetation. A small creek gurgled happily through the valley. The flowing water cut through the grass like a dark blue thread in a piece of fine brocade. Even the air seemed more clear and fresh here!


    ¡°Wow! This is amazing! It¡¯s such a beautiful ce!¡± Yu Xiaocao deeply inhaled the fresh air into her lungs and breathed out dreamily.


    Zhao Han smiled and watched indulgently as the little girl plunged into the long grass and rolled aroundfortably. To him, she looked like a cute little cat, spoiled and adorable.

 Chapter 20 – The Return of the Divine Stone

    <h4>Chapter 20 ¨C The Return of the Divine Stone</h4>


    ¡°This valley is rather hidden, so no one else has discovered it except me! I¡¯ve already checked inside the valley, and it seems safe inside. You guys wait here for a moment, while I go retrieve the seasonings. Let¡¯s barbecue here!¡±


    Although the Zhao Family lived at the foot of the mountain and far away from Dongshan Vige, Zhao Han had also heard about Madam Zhang¡¯s stingy personality. The Yu Family rarely had the chance to eat meat throughout the year and were only able to asionally eat the fish that couldn¡¯t be sold.


    ¡°Go, go! Quickly go ande back soon!¡± After wandering through the mountain forest for over two hours, Yu Xiaocao had already digested the two big meat buns she ate in the morning. It would be quite interesting to have a pic at such a picturesque mountain valley.


    ¡°Second Sister! There¡¯s fishes in the stream!¡± Little Shitou was washing his hands in the stream when he saw palm-sized fish darting between the cracks of the rocks. He hastily took off his shoes and went to grab them with his hands. However, he was unable to catch the little fish, who were nimbly swimming within the water.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had been holding the worn-out ceramic pot within her hands, immediately went over with great interest when she heard his call, ¡°Watch me, I¡¯ll scoop them up with this jar...¡±


    Huh? These fish were quite strange. They immediately came over when they saw this jar, instead of running away. Moreover, they gathered together as if they sensed the fish baits.


    Little Shitou was also surprised, and eximed in a seemingly clever manner, ¡°Oh! I know! The jar was filled with meat buns earlier, so there was still the tasty smell of the meat buns inside. The little fishes must had been lured over because they were hungry. Let¡¯s catch some more, so we can stew soup when we go back!¡±


    There were more and more little fish gathering around the ceramic pot. They were swimming around as if there was something attracting them within the jar. Was... Little Divine Stone¡¯s spiritual energy also capable of acting as fish bait?


    Yu Xiaocao put the multicolored stone on her wrist inside the jar. After the pot was submerged deeper into the stream, the little fishes were even more eager to squeeze into the jar. Soon, the earthenware jar was densely packed with little fish, squeezing together like sardines. The ones that didn¡¯t get in continued to linger around the mouth of the jar. There seems to be more and more fish gathering over...


    [Yu Xiaocao, you little brat! How dare you use me, this divine stone, as bait! You, you...you¡¯re seriously too much!] After several days of silence, that voice finally sounded besides Yu Xiaocao¡¯s ears again.


    Gradually, a small glittering ball emerged from within the jar. The little divine stone appeared in the form of an angry little golden kitten. It was baring its teeth at Yu Xiaocao and ring at her with its tail raised up.


    ¡°Oh? Little Divine Stone, you¡¯re finally awake? Have your powers recovered?¡± Yu Xiaocao cried in surprise.


    Little Shitou stared at her in confusion and asked, ¡°Second Sister, what did you say? Were you talking to me?¡±


    Xiaocao suddenly remembered that other people couldn¡¯t see the little divine stone¡¯s spiritual form. She rubbed her nose and awkwardly replied, ¡°I¡¯m talking to myself. I¡¯m not talking to anyone. You can carefully take the jar out. There¡¯s enough little fish inside!¡±


    [You¡¯re so dumb! You don¡¯t even know how to use your mind tomunicate with me. It¡¯s like this, if you want to say something, just think about it in your mind and I¡¯ll be able to hear you!] Seeing her embarrassment, the little divine stone somersaulted in the air, whileughing at her mercilessly.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t bothered by it and continued to ask, ¡°Have you recovered all your spiritual powers?¡±


    [It can¡¯t be that fast! I, this divine stone, nearly used up all my powers to cure your injuryst time. If you hadn¡¯t ced me inside the mountain stream, and the spiritual energy in this stream was still intact, I wouldn¡¯t had been able to make an appearance. Although the spiritual energy in this world is too weak, it¡¯s still a hundred times better than your previous world.]


    [No! My spiritual powers are still too weak right now, so I can only appear briefly. I¡¯m leaving now. Remember to soak my body inside the stream!] The golden light around the little divine stone flickered several times, then it disappeared from Xiaocao¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°Hey! Second Sister,e over quickly! There are too many small fishes! Should we tie them to a rope and bring them back?¡± Shitou grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the little fish inside the jar. It was enough to cook a big pot of fish stew with so many little fishes, which will make Grandmother nag less!


    Xiaocao was also grinning happily while thinking about the tasty fish stew, ¡°Leave them in the jar for now. The weather¡¯s too hot, so there will be a stinky smell after they die. Pick out several of the bigger fish. We¡¯ll grill them to eatter!¡±


    As she spoke, she arrived at the side of the stream and put the multicolored stone between the pebbles at the bottom of the stream. Luckily, the little divine stone woke up and controlled its powers. Otherwise, if it attracted all the fish in the stream or other animals, it would have been seriously troublesome!


    ¡°Brother Han, look at the fishes we caught!¡± Little Shitou picked out several fish that were about half a foot long and showed off to Zhao Han who was rushing over.


    Zhao Han was shocked to see so many fish inside the jar, ¡°The fish in this stream are very agile. I¡¯ve tried many times and only caught one or two fish after for a long time. How did you guys catch so many in such a short time? What¡¯s your secret? Teach Brother Han, too.¡±


    ¡°If I told you that the little fishes swam inside themselves, would you believe me?¡± Little Shitou¡¯s big eyes gleamed as he asked with a mischievous expression.


    Zhao Hanughed, then lifted him up and tossed him in the air. While the little guy was screaming, he caught him in his arms again and said, ¡±Do you think your Brother Han is easily fooled? If you told me that a pheasant flew into the pot, I might had believed you. Alright, let¡¯s roast the meat!¡±


    Zhao Han had returned home and brought back a wide range of seasonings. Yu Xiaocao looked over the seasonings he brought over. He even had a spice like cumin. She lowered her head and sniffed that familiar tan-colored power.


    ¡°That¡¯s cumin. You haven¡¯t seen it before, right? Jianwen Emperor brought it back from the south when he was still the imperial crown prince. There¡¯s also chili pepper. Jianwen Emperor was allegedly an avid lover for spicy vors. However, not everyone can get used to spices like cumin and chili peppers. I can eat them, but if you guys don¡¯t like the spices, you don¡¯t have to use them.¡± Zhao Han and his grandfather were also lovers of the piquant taste.


    At this time, chili peppers had not been poprized. All the vegetables that the Yu Family ate were grown in their own gardens, so they naturally didn¡¯t have any chili peppers. Without any oil and spices, their meals were just poached vegetables with a small amount of salt. If Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t hungry, she seriously wouldn¡¯t be able to eat it.


    Yu Xiaocao had great admiration for the gourmet Zhao Han. He was able to collect such a vast variety of spices like the bright red chili powder, cumin, anise, cinnamon, and fennel.


    Without any other choice, Zhao Han took up the responsibility of taking care of the hare and turtledove, Shitou was chattering on the side as he watched him, while Yu Xiaocao voluntary picked up the firewood to start a fire. She asionally looked towards them and thought, ¡®This young man was only around twelve or thirteen years old, but he was quite skilled in skinning the hare and cutting out the internal organs. It was obvious that he was ustomed to doing this.¡¯


    The fire was quickly lit. The hare was smeared with salt and various seasonings, then ced on top of the fire to be roasted. The turtledove was stuffed with spices and covered with mud before being thrown into the fire to be roasted. The pheasant eggs were also covered with ayer of wet mud to prevent them from bursting, then set beside the fire to be baked.

 Chapter 21 – A Person Who Knows How to Roast Meat is the Most Handsome

    <h4>Chapter 21 ¨C A Person Who Knows How to Roast Meat is the Most Handsome</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao had over ten years of experience with cooking and making braised foods, but she wasn¡¯t skilled in cleaning and preparing game. She could only help on the side by mixing the seasonings. It has been a while since shest ate meat. (Author note: Did she forget about the meat buns?) Thus, it was extremely hard for her to resist the alluring aroma of the roast hare.


    Zhao Han wiped the sweat on his face with his shirt. He couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw Xiaocao and her younger brother¡¯s eager expressions, ¡°Be patient. We should be able to eat soon. The wild hare I caught today is quite plump, and it will definitely be tasty!¡±


    The grease from the roast hare dripped into the fire, making a sizzling sound. The zing me carried the appetizing aroma of the roasted meat into the air. The smell floated throughout the valley, enticing the siblings¡¯ hunger.


    By the time the crispy, golden-brown roast hare was finally ready, Yu Xiaocao was already close to drooling! The siblings looked at the steaming roast hare and didn¡¯t know where to begin.


    A smile appeared on Zhao Han¡¯s handsome face. He gently shook his head and took out the sharp dagger that he used to peel the wild hare earlier.


    After carefully washing the dagger in the stream, he cut off and gave the hind legs to the siblings. The hind legs were the most tender parts of the hare.


    There were two young children, so Zhao Han didn¡¯t add too much spicy seasonings on the roasted meats. He gave each of them a hare¡¯s hind leg, which weighed half a catty each. Then, he added more chili powder and cumin on the remaining meat.


    Yu Xiaocao felt really envious when she saw that, so she pestered Brother Han to add some more for her too. Even if there was only a thinyer, it was still able to enhance the taste of the roast hare. With bright red lips, Xiaocao was covered in sweat as she ate. It seemed like she still needed to slowly train herself to be ustomed with spicy foods.


    Little Shitou was eating his non-spicy roast hare leg as he watched his second sister sucking in cold air and tearing up due to the spiciness. He curiously wondered, ¡®If eating the chili pepper is so painful, then why were Brother Han and Second Sister still eating it? He seriously couldn¡¯t understand them. They were obviously just torturing themselves!¡¯


    The little fellow took a big bite of the savory hare whilementing that today was even better than the New Year, ¡®After eating big meat buns at noon, he was also allowed to freely eat roasted meat in the afternoon. Was this really not a dream?¡¯


    By the time they finished eating the roast hare leg, the ¡®beggar¡¯s turtledove [1]¡¯ was also ready. When taking off the thick mud, the turtledove¡¯s feathers were alsopletely peeled off along with the mud shell. The vors of the bright red jujube and fragrant spices, which were inside the stomach, had seeped into the meat of the wild turtledove. With a fragrant aroma, it had a crisp and tender texture, which easily melted in the mouth.


    Xiaocao and her younger brother had both just finished eating a hare leg, but when faced with such appetizing roasted meat, they couldn¡¯t resist eating more. Thus, they ended up eating too much, and were whining while rubbing their bellies.


    Zhao Han looked at them with amusement. After plucking a fewrge leaves, he cleaned them with water and wrapped the remaining meats within the leaves, ¡°Take these roasted meats back home for Xiaosha and Xiaolian to eat. But be careful not to let Heizi see it, or else, he¡¯ll take it all from you guys!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that he didn¡¯t eat a lot of the roasted meat and asked with slight embarrassment, ¡°Brother Han, you were busy working all afternoon. Why don¡¯t you eat some more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already tired of eating game meat. In my opinion, vegetables and tofu are tastier!¡± Zhao Han gave her a half-truth reply. In fact, it was considered pretty good if an ordinary family was able to eat meat two times a year. Even for a hunter¡¯s family, it was impossible to eat meat on a daily basis. So, how would he be tired of eating meat?


    Xiaocao felt very touched because she knew that he just wanted to save the roasted meats for the Yu siblings. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a fish jumping out of the cracked mouth of the earthenware jar. With a cheerful smile on her face, she said, ¡°Brother Han, try my cooking¡ª¡ªspecial grilled fish [2]!¡±


    It was ¡®special¡¯ because grilled fish wasn¡¯t one of Xiaocao¡¯s specialties. In an environment with limited seasonings, she was already rather skilled to be able to make the palm-sized fish crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It smelled quite good after she sprinkled ayer of cumin and chili powder on top.


    ¡°Do you want to taste it?¡± Yu Xiaocao was confident in her cooking skills, but it was her first time grilling fish directly above an open-fire. So, she was somewhat worried.


    Two small whitefish were strung on a wooden stick. Zhao Han went closer and sniffed it. There weren¡¯t any weird smells, so he bravely took a small bite of the fish.


    Oh? It tasted pretty good! He originally had doubts about Xiaocao¡¯s cooking skills since she was constantly bedridden and had never done any chores. Was her cooking even edible? However, it was unexpectedly very crispy and delicious. It was savory and slightly spicy, which was quite difficult to make.


    ¡°How is it? How is it?¡± Xiaocao asked with anticipation in her eyes as she grilled another skewer of fish.


    ¡°Delicious! Your cooking skills are pretty good!¡± As proof of his evaluation, Zhao Han took a big bite of the grilled fish skewer.


    These little wild whitefish had delicate meat and a delicious taste. Moreover, it didn¡¯t have any small bones. Even if it was used to make soup with just in water and salt, it would still be very tasty.


    Although Little Shitou¡¯s tummy was already bulging like a ball, he was still staring at the grilled fish in Zhao Han¡¯s hands and drooling.


    Yu Xiaocao was amused by her younger brother. She tore a small piece of fish meat off the freshly grilled fish skewer andforted him, ¡°You can¡¯t eat anymore. Be careful of your belly bursting. You¡¯re only allowed to have a taste!¡±


    Zhao Hanughed when he saw Shitou savoring the grilled fish within his mouth. Like a hungry little kitten, he was reluctant to even swallow this small bite of fish, ¡°The three of us are the only ones who know about this valley right now. If you want to eat grilled fish, Brother Han can just bring you here again!¡±


    Zhao Han ate a few skewers of grilled fish and noticed that the sky was getting darker. He took the ceramic pot from Xiaocao¡¯s hands and brought the reluctant siblings back to Dongshan Vige.


    They didn¡¯t need to take a detour to check on the traps on the way back, so the return trip took twice as fast. Nevertheless, they still missed dinner time.


    The Yu Family¡¯s customary rule was, ¡®Whoever returnste and misses the mealtime would just have to starve. Don¡¯t even think about preparing a separate meal!¡¯


    However, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to eat the dry pancake and disgusting porridge anyways! She felt more at ease now that she had money in her hands. These nine taels were going to be her capital for earning money in the future, so she must hide them securely.


    Zhao Han had nned to send the siblings home, but as soon as they arrived at the vige, they saw Yu Hang and Xiaolian waiting for them at the entrance.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister! Brother Han caught a wild hare and wild turtledove. They were really tasty when roasted. I saved a lot of roasted meat for you guys!¡± Shitou ran over in an obedient manner and shared the hare meat wrapped in the leaves with his older siblings.


    Yu Hang gently wiped the dirt off his face, then he gave him a knock on his head and said, ¡°You really know how to curry favor. Since it was Brother Han¡¯s game, did you even ask for his consent?!¡±


    Little Shitou rubbed his forehead and giggled, ¡°It was Brother Han who said to save them for you guys. He didn¡¯t even eat much himself!¡±


    Yu Hang was even more unwilling to take the roasted meat from his hands, ¡°Brother Han, you should take it back for Grandpa Zhao and Auntie to eat...¡±


    Zhao Han red at him and spoke with a stern expression, ¡°What? You guys call me ¡®Brother Han¡¯, so what¡¯s wrong with treating you guys to some roasted meat? If you still have respect for your ¡®Brother Han¡¯, then just eat it!¡±

 Chapter 22 – Road Block

    <h4>Chapter 22 ¨C Road Block</h4>


    Among all the children in the vige, except for the gifted schr Qian Wen, Yu Hang admired Zhao Han the most. Zhao Han wasn¡¯t only a skilled fighter but also a good hunter. Thus, he couldn¡¯t turn him down again. He gave most of the roasted meat to his younger sister, then asked Xiaocao and Shitou, ¡°Do you guys want to eat some more?¡±


    Xiaocao hastily shook her hands, ¡°I¡¯m alreadypletely stuffed. Also, look at Shitou¡¯s tummy. It almost looks like a bloated toad.¡±


    Little Shitouughed foolishly as he rubbed his round belly cooperatively.


    ¡°Very well! You guys are secretly eating meat here! I¡¯m going to tell Grandmother. She will definitely beat you guys to death!¡± Yu Heizi jumped out of the dried ditch beside the road and threatened as he stared at the roasted hare meat in Xiaolian¡¯s hands.


    Apart from Yu Hang and his siblings, Zhao Han rarely interacted with the other children in the vige. However, he had heard of Heizi¡¯s ¡®bad reputation¡¯. He couldn¡¯t help but frown and stepped forward to say, ¡°I was the one who gave them the roasted meat. Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    The plump Yu Heizi timidly stepped back when he saw the strong and burly Zhao Han, who was a head taller than him. But, he didn¡¯t n on giving up on the chance to eat meat. His beady eyes swiftly darted around, and he cried out in a seemingly fierce manner,


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! You guys are eating meat by yourselves, andpletely disregarding our grandparents and the rest of the family. You¡¯re being disrespectful to your elders! If I go make aint, you guys will definitely receive a beating. Unless...¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Zhao Han had already seen through his intentions and calmly asked.


    Heizi wiped his saliva with his dirty sleeve and confidently said, ¡°It¡¯s very simple. If you don¡¯t want me toin, just give me half of the meat!¡±


    Zhao Han pursed his beautiful thin lips and sneered, ¡°We can share a portion with you, but half is impossible. The roasted meat should be divided equally among the three of you. If you don¡¯t agree, then I¡¯ll just take them back, and none of you can eat any!¡±


    After hearing Zhao Han¡¯s words, Yu Heizi abandoned his greed and swiftly agreed. If he continued to bargain, he wouldn¡¯t even get to lick the bones.


    Zhao Han took the roast hare, which was missing two hind legs, and tore off the two forelegs, as well as the meat around it. Then, he handed them to Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian. After that, he gave the hare¡¯s ribs and back, which had rtively less meat, to Yu Heizi.


    Yu Heizi really wanted to protest, but he could only give up on that idea after Zhao Han swept a gaze over him. Although he received a smaller portion of meat, but he got a bigger piece. He hadn¡¯t eaten meat in a long time, so he was satisfied that he could at least gnaw on the bones!


    After Heizi left with the roasted meat in his arms, Yu Xiaocao took out the turtledove hidden behind herself and gave it to Yu Hang and Xiaolian. The siblings were only half-full from their meal at home. However, with the roast hare and turtledove, they ate until they were burping.


    The filial Yu Hang said guiltily, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that we couldn¡¯t bring them back for Father and Mother to taste...¡±


    Shitou took out several mud-covered eggs from his pocket and grinned, ¡°That¡¯s alright. We still have some roasted pheasant eggs. Let¡¯s secretly give them to our parents to eat at night!¡±


    They were just eating some eggs, but they had to sneak around like a thief. Zhao Han sighed inwardly as he caressed Little Shitou¡¯s head sympathetically.


    Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t been at home for the entire day, so when they returned home, it was inevitable that she had to endure a series of nagging from Madam Zhang. However, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t one of the mainborers at home. Thus, Madam Zhang paid very little attention to her. She was already grateful if that wretch doesn¡¯t fall ill and waste her money on medical fees!


    ¡°Xiaocao, you haven¡¯t eaten yet, right? Youngest Aunt has a few eggs and half a steamed bun. Take them to share with Little Shitou¡ª¡ªbe careful and don¡¯t let your grandmother see you.¡± Her youngest aunt, Yu Caidie, quietly approached Xiaocao and stuffed the eggs into her hands while Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t looking.


    Although Xiaocao was already very full, but she couldn¡¯t tell her directly. She just whispered, ¡°Youngest Aunt, it¡¯s alright! If Grandmother finds out...¡±


    ¡°Hurry and take it. Isn¡¯t it fine as long as my mother doesn¡¯t find out? Actually, your grandmother just has a sharp tongue. She¡¯s not really a bad person...¡± Yu Caidie had a gentle temper and spoke in a soft voice, which sounded veryforting.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t decline anymore and felt grateful within her heart. There¡¯s still ample time ahead, so she will repay her kindness in the future!


    ¡°Xiaocao! What are you holding in your hands? Are you secretly hiding delicious food?¡± Madam Li¡¯s fat body shook as she ran out of her room. She stared at the worn-out jar within Xiaocao¡¯s hands with her beady eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any good impression of her eldest aunt whatsoever. She replied in a muffled voice, ¡°What is this? You can just check yourself! Eldest Aunt, don¡¯t unfairly use me of stealing again!¡±


    ¡°Second Sister isn¡¯t like Brother Heizi, who¡¯s always going through other people¡¯s room every day! The jar is filled with small fishes that Uncle Zhao¡¯s son, Brother Han, helped us catch. Second Sister said she want to make fish stew for us to eat!¡±


    While his older siblings were distracting everyone, Little Shitou had already sneaked into his room and securely hid the roast pheasant eggs. When he saw Eldest Aunt trying to snatch the jar in his second sister¡¯s hands and ndering his second sister by calling her a thief, he couldn¡¯t resist defending her.


    Madam Li angrily red at Little Shitou with her small eyes, which appeared like a slit on her chubby face. She reached out her fleshy hand and wanted to twist his ear, ¡°You little brat! What nonsense are you talking about? When did your Brother Heizi ever poke around in other people¡¯s room? Be careful that I don¡¯t tear mouth for gossiping!¡±


    Little Shitou skillfully dodged Madam Li¡¯s evil hand and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not speaking nonsense! Who stole the pastries that Younger Uncle brought back thest time his family visited? Brother Heizi still had crumbs on his mouth when he was caught!¡±


    The olddy, Madam Zhang, came out of her room and screamed, ¡°What¡¯s with all the fuss? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being ridiculed by others! Caidie, bring the jar into my room. Your third brother sent a message back and said he¡¯lle home for a few days. We don¡¯t have anything good at home, so let¡¯s make some dishes with these small fish tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, these fish are still alive! It¡¯s better to keep them in a vat filled with water. If the fish die, it would be hard to keep them in this hot weather.¡± Yu Xiaocao handed the earthenware jar to her youngest aunt and suggested. She didn¡¯t want to have stinky fish stew tomorrow.


    ¡°Mhm!¡± Madam Zhang grunted with an awful expression on her face. She watched as her youngest daughter put the fish into the water vat and counted the fish before returning to her room.


    No wonder Grandmother was so ¡®merciful¡¯ and didn¡¯t scold Xiaocao for over an hour when she found out Xiaocao went to town today. It turned out that Younger Uncle¡¯s family wasing home!


    Xiaocao was extremely exhausted today. After carefully hiding the money she earned today, she was already nodding off when her mother bathed her. Xiaocao was so tired that she didn¡¯t even know when she finished bathing. She was in a daze as her mother carried her to the kang bed and immediately fell asleep after being ced on the bed.


    It was alreadyte in the morning on the next day, but Xiaocao was still grunting and refusing to get up. Her legs were sore, and her feet hurt! This body seriouslycked endurance! She really shouldn¡¯t stay in the room all the time in the future. Shitou, who was three years younger than her, ran around the mountain and helped with chores every day, but he was still so energetic after a night¡¯s sleep.


    Yu Xiaocao put on her patched outer garment and went out to the courtyard to wash her face. However, Madam Li, who was wandering around with a broom without actually sweeping the floor, started to look for trouble.

 Chapter 23 – Younger Uncle Comes Home

    <h4>Chapter 23 ¨C Younger Uncle Comes Home</h4>


    ¡°She really has the body of a noble youngdy with the life of a servant. It¡¯s impossible to find another person in the entire vige who gets up thiste! Does she really think she¡¯s some precious child?!¡± Madam Li screeched in a sharp tone, covertly mocking her.


    Xiaocao was somewhat familiar with that fat woman¡¯s personality. The more attention she received, the more excited she became. Everyone in Dongshan Vige knew that whoever spoke with Old Yu¡¯s eldest daughter-inw would have to endure her for at least half of the day. She was a talkative person who would pester anyone who interacted with her.


    ¡°Oh, my precious grandson! Come and give your grandmother a hug¡ª¡ªbe careful of the doorsill¡ª¡ªmy precious grandson is so amazing! You were able to cross over such a high doorsill!¡± Madam Zhang, who usually treated herself as the boss of the family, had actually spoke in such a gentle and soft voice. Moreover, there was even a slight sense of ttery within her voice.


    Yu Xiaoxao looked towards the sound. She saw Madam Zhang bending down to help a chubby two year old infant walk over the doorsill, while a young couple walked behind her.


    The man had a refined appearance with a fairplexion. He had inherited his good looks from the Yu Family. The woman had ordinary features, but she had pale and smooth skin. Her lightplexion enhanced her features, so she wasn¡¯t bad looking. There was a young girl, who looked around twelve or thirteen years old, following behind them with a big baggage in her hands.


    She was wondering why it was so quiet in the courtyard, so it turned out that they went to fetch Younger Uncle¡¯s family. Yu Xiaocao smirked since she was already used to Madam Zhang¡¯s differential treatment.


    ¡°Xiaocao, don¡¯t stand there like a log. Hurry up and go tell your mother toe back to cook. How can she still be indolent at this time?!¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s arrogant and bossy attitude emerged again when facing Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaolian came out of the kitchen expressionlessly and said, ¡°My mother went to wash theundry. She has to wash the whole family¡¯sundry, so how would she be able to finish it so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Watch your mouth! You¡¯re so capable now that you¡¯re rudely rebutting your elders? Is that what your mother teaches you?¡± Madam Zhang swiftly swallowed the vulgar curses that she was about to spit out and peeped at her youngest daughter-inw¡¯s expression from the corner of her eyes.


    Yu Bo¡¯s wife, Zhao Men, didn¡¯t say a single word ever since she entered the courtyard. She had a faint expression on her face, which looked neither happy nor angry.


    Yu Xiaolian wasn¡¯t a pushover and retorted, ¡°Grandmother, I was only speaking the truth. How was I being rude to you? My mother had certainly gone out with a basin full of clothes!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao went into the kitchen, then came out again, ¡°Grandmother, Younger Uncle¡¯s family juste back all the way from town, so they must be tired. You should take them to their room and let them rest for a bit. Xiaolian, quickly go get the fish. Weren¡¯t we nning to add some dishes for Younger Uncle¡¯s family?¡±


    Her younger aunt, Madam Zhao, finally looked at Xiaocao after hearing her speak. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Is this... Second Brother-inw¡¯s youngest daughter?¡±


    Younger Uncle, Yu Bo, finally noticed the wan and thin young girl. He happily said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Xiaocao, you seem to be in good spirits today. Did youe out for some sun?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any ill-feelings towards her younger uncle and aunt, so she replied with a smile, ¡°Younger Uncle, my health is already better now! I haven¡¯t been sick for over a week!¡±


    ¡°Sure enough, you do seem to have recovered from your illness. You have be livelier and more articte! It¡¯s great that you¡¯re better now. It¡¯s good to be healthy!¡± Younger Uncle cheerfully said as he walked forward and touched her head.


    Yu Caidie came out of a room on the west side of the main room. She smiled at her third brother and sister-inw, ¡°Third Brother, Third Sister-inw, your room is ready. Hurry and go take a rest. We soon be eating soon. Doudou, do you still recognize Youngest Aunt?¡±


    ¡°Our Doudou is back! Come and let Eldest Aunt give you a hug! Why is our family¡¯s Doudou so cute?¡± Madam Li spoke in a tone that was filled with an obvious sense of ttery and fawning.


    Yu Xian, whose nickname was Doudou, was pulled into her embrace and his face was buried within Madam Li¡¯s fleshy body. Madam Li was azy person who hated bathing, so there was always a stench of sweat on her body. The young Yu Xian had never encountered such a situation before. He immediately began crying while desperately struggling to escape.


    Madam Zhao¡¯s expression turned cold and ordered the young girl behind her, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you bringing your young master back?!¡±


    The young girl gave the baggage in her hands to Xiaocao, who was enjoying the lively scene. She hastily ran to rescue her young master and shouted, ¡°What are you doing?! Hurry up and let go of our young master! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Madam Li, who had been pushed, loosened her hold on the young Yu Xian with embarrassment. Darn it! She made a mistake while trying to tter them!


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hold me! I don¡¯t want you!¡± The two year old Little Doudou cried until his eyes turned red. He pushed the young girl aside and also refused the embraces of both his parents. With his arms opened, he staggered a few steps as he ran and ended up hugging Yu Xiaocao¡¯s legs.


    Uh? What kind of situation is this? Yu Xiaocao was still holding therge bag that the young girl handed her, so her upper body was practically buried by the mountain-like baggage. Now, there was also a little infant holding onto her leg like a ko.


    The young maid tactfully retrieved the baggage from Xiaocao. She looked at Xiaocao and hinted by nudging her lips at her young master, who was hugging Xiaocao¡¯s legs and seekingfort.


    Ay! It can¡¯t be helped. She just had that protagonist aura. Even a young infant couldn¡¯t escape from her charms as the protagonist! Yu Xiaocao was very pleased with herself as she thought about it. She bent down to lifted up the little fellow, who was crying pitifully.


    Little Doudou looked small, but he actually quite heavy. She tried very hard before she finally lifted the little fellow up while wobbling. Yu Bo, who was beside them, was frightened by the sight and opened his arms to protect them.


    It was often said that children had keen senses. Yu Xiaocao had been drinking mystic-stone water for several days and had also been wearing the multicolored stone every day. Thus, it was natural that she had a bit of spiritual energy on her body.


    After Little Doudou was attacked by Madam Li¡¯s stench, he followed his instinct and searched for the spiritual energy, which was his source offort¡ª¡ªYu Xiaocao.


    Little Doudou stopped crying after Yu Xiaocao unstably lifted him up. He widened his dark eyes and looked at her curiously. He asked in a cute voice, ¡°Who are you? I¡¯ve never seen you before!¡±


    His father interrupted him anxiously, ¡°Doudou, this is your Second Sister¡ªe down quickly. Your second sister can¡¯t hold you. Be careful of falling!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to get down! Doudou likes Second Sister. She smells really good.¡± Little Doudou¡¯s plump arms were wrapped around Xiaocao¡¯s neck as he sniffed her like a little puppy.


    Madam Zhao finally had an expression on her face when interacting with her son. She said rather helplessly, ¡°Doudou, your second sister¡¯s health isn¡¯t very good. If she¡¯s too exhausted, then she can¡¯t y with you anymore. So,e down and let mother carry you!¡±


    Little Doudou looked at Xiaocao, and then looked at his mother. It was difficult for him to make a choice at the moment.


    In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had raised her younger siblings by herself, so she was very skilled in dealing with children, ¡°Our Doudou is so cute, so Second Sister really likes you too! Is Doudou hungry? Do you want Second Sister to make some fish stew for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Doudou wants to drink it!¡± Children were all little gluttons. The little foodie Doudou swiftly came down from Yu Xiaocao and waited for the fish stew.


    Madam Zhang had been constantly trying to attract her little grandson¡¯s attention, but she never expected him to be deceived by that little wretch. After giving Yu Xiaocao a fierce re, she smiled at her youngest son and daughter-inw, ¡°Go take a rest in your room! I¡¯ll go cut some meat and make your favorite ¡®stewed fatty meat and cabbage¡¯ for lunch!¡±

 Chapter 24 – Flattering

    <h4>Chapter 24 ¨C ttering</h4>


    The Yu Family¡¯s meals had alwayscked oil. There were only two asions when the family could eat meat; the first was during the New Year, and the second was when Yu Bo, the hope of the entire family, came home. Stewed fatty meat and cabbage [1] was Yu Bo¡¯s favorite dish during his childhood.


    Yu Bo was already ustomed to eating stir-fried dishes in town, so his taste in food had changed a long time ago. However, he was unable to refuse his mother who wholeheartedly cared for him.


    Madam Zhao nced at him, then entered the west room indifferently. Zhao Men, who was the only daughter of a county schr-official, held contempt for the whole Yu Family. Her mother-inw was stingy, while her eldest sister-inw was vulgar andzy. Her second sister-inw was cowardly and ipetent. Moreover, none of the children in the family were presentable.


    If she had a choice, she seriously didn¡¯t want to stay in the Yu Family¡¯s house at all. However, they were her husband¡¯s family, so she still needed to give her husband some face.


    By the time Madam Zhang returned from the butcher¡¯s in the neighboring vige with half a catty of fat meat, Madam Liu also came back after washing theundry. Without giving her a chance to take a break, Madam Zhang had ordered Madam Li, who was aimlessly wandering around the courtyard with a broom, ¡°You go dry the clothes. Second daughter-inw, you go cook!¡±


    The entire family had unanimous approval for Madam Liu¡¯s culinary skills.


    Madam Zhang personally washed the meat and cut it up on the cutting board. After that, she counted the pieces and instructed Madam Liu, ¡°Third Son likes the dishes that you cook the most, so cook well and don¡¯t ck off. You guys help with the preparations!¡±


    Even if Madam Zhang didn¡¯t say it, Yu Xiaocao and her sister wouldn¡¯t have let their mother do all the work alone. After she left, Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°I doubt Younger Uncle and Aunt like to eat ¡®stewed fatty meat and cabbage¡¯. Mother, why don¡¯t I try making a couple of dishes? I have a lot of recipes in my mind that I haven¡¯t had the chance to try out!¡±


    ¡°You can cook, but you¡¯re not allowed to touch the meat. Your grandmother knows very clearly how many pieces there are!¡± When they had good ingredients, Madam Zhang would always take a count because she was afraid that people would steal some while cooking.


    ¡®Big pot mixed stew¡¯ [2] was very popr in most viges in the north. However, not all ingredients were suitable for the mixed stew. Yu Xiaocao had been craving stir-fried dishes, but she didn¡¯t have any oil. Madam Zhang was so stingy that she wasn¡¯t even willing to purchase vegetable oil.


    Xiaocao looked at the fatty meat and tried to persuade her mother to make somerd with a portion of the meat. The meat can be stewed with cabbage, and she could cook with therd.


    Liu Muyun briefly pondered the idea. The meat would slightly shrink after extracting somerd, but as long as she cooked it carefully, it wouldn¡¯t look too unsightly when stewed. Today, Third Younger Brother and Third Sister-inw came home, so one meat dish really wasn¡¯t enough. Moreover, all the other dishes were nd and tasteless. Thus, she decided to use the meat to make a small bowl ofrd.


    There were a lot of people in the Yu Family, so they usually used two stoves to cook. One was used to cook the bean porridge, while the other was used to make stewed vegetables and millet pancakes. Madam Zhang was very happy today, so with great mercy, she ¡®allowed¡¯ the pancakes to be partially made with wheat flour.


    She would rather be a miser and suffer herself, than let her youngest son suffer a little. She was even more unwilling to be looked down on by her youngest daughter-inw, who was the daughter of a county schr-official. She was still waiting for her youngest son to earn a noble title for her so that she could enjoy old age with her son¡¯s sess!


    Yu Xiaocao saw her mother using the usual method to stew the pork slices and cabbages, which was just throwing them together in one big pot. Afraid that the meat dish would be ruined, she quickly stopped her, ¡°Mother, let me cook this dish. I promise it will be even tastier than the one Mother makes!¡±


    Madam Liu was afraid that the olddy would scold Xiaocao, so she rejected the idea at first. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help giving in to Xiaocao and Xiaolian¡¯s constant pleading. However, she insisted on supervising on the side.


    Xiaocao had already instructed her younger brother to borrow some chili peppers from the Zhao Family. Without a tinge of spiciness, the stewed pork and cabbage [3] would definitely taste nd.


    After deciding not to use the usual method to stew the dishes, she used an oiled pan to stir-fry ginger, scallion, chili pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn. After that, she put the meat into the pan to stir-fry, while also adding some salt and soy sauce. Next, she ced the cabbage millet pancakes in the pan, and after a short deliberation, she also added some mystic-stone water inside. Xiaocao noticed that the mystic-stone water had the ability to enhance freshness! It was still the same dish, but with different cooking methods, the tastes were naturally as different as day and night.


    ¡°It smells great! Are we eating meat today?¡± Yu Heizi, who had been ying wildly outside for the entire day, had a keen nose like a dog. After smelling the fragrant aroma, he followed the scent and entered the kitchen.


    Before he had the chance to ¡®sabotage¡¯ the food, Madam Zhang, who was behind him, had already pulled on his ear and dragged him out, ¡°Eat, eat! You only know how to eat! What else can you do other than eat? Go and stay in your east room! If you dare to sneakily eat the food, I¡¯ll chop your hands off!¡±


    After that, she red warningly at Madam Li, who was lingering in front of the kitchen. The crafty andzy Li Guihua hastily lowered her head. She started to sweep the floor, while repeatedly turning to look back.


    Madam Zhang looked at the stew fatty meat and cabbage, sniffed it a few times, and ndly said, ¡°Hm, your culinary skills have improved! Continue to cook this way in the future!¡±


    Xiaocao interjected, ¡°Grandmother, if you bring back some soybean oil, we can cook like this every day. We can¡¯t do anything without oil!¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s heart ached at the thought of how much money was needed to buy oil. However, in order to maintain her own dignity, she turned to leave while cursing, ¡°Buy oil? Should I just tear up this old body of mine to make oil for you people?¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched and grumbled, ¡°Even if you want to, it doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re willing to eat it. You probably can¡¯t get much oil with that dry and bony body of yours...¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er! How can you speak in that manner to your elders? If this spread out, would you still have a good reputation? You can¡¯t act in this way in the future.¡± Madam Liu was cleaning the pot as she disciplined her daughter.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t rebut her, but she still felt indignant inwardly, ¡®We need to have filial piety to the elderly, but we can¡¯t be foolishly devoted to them either, right?¡¯


    Xiaocao vented her anger through cooking. Whoosh! She swiftlypleted the stir-fried eggnts with garlic [4], dry fried string beans [5], fresh greens with mushroom [6], and stewed meat and cabbage.


    In the other pot, an appetizing aroma was emerging from the delicious fish stew [7]. Even Madam Zhao, who was napping in her room, was inwardly surprised by the Yu Family¡¯s ¡®pig food¡¯. When did it ever smell so good?


    ¡°It¡¯s time to eat!¡± Little Shitou, who had been dutifully helping to tend the kitchen fire, eximed excitedly. Second Sister¡¯s cooking skills were so amazing that he could hardly contain his saliva.


    The men and women sat on separate tables for the morning meal. Today, the women¡¯s table also had the same dishes as the men¡¯s table. Four pots that emitted an appetizing aroma were swiftly served on the table. There were many people in the Yu Family, so their foods were usually served in pots.


    ¡°There¡¯s meat! We¡¯re eating meat!¡± Yu Heizi sniffed up his yellowish snot, while also wiping his mucus with his sleeve ckened with dirt from time to time. Instead of washing her hands, Madam Li also just wiped her dirty hands on the front of her worn-out clothes.


    Madam Zhao took a look and was so disgusted that she almost puked. There was no way she could have any appetite in front of this dirty mother and son duo.


    Madam Zhang, who had been closely observing her youngest daughter-inw, followed her line of sight. She frowned, took a bowl, and grabbed some food from each dish. After that, she turned towards Madam Li and her son, ¡°It¡¯s too crowded at the table, so you two go back to your room to eat!¡±


    Madam Li stared at the alluring meat and tactlessly said, ¡°We have two extra people, so it is a little crowded. Why are the little brats, who are under ten years old, sitting at the table?! Aren¡¯t you brats going to hurry up and make some room?¡±


    As she spoke, she couldn¡¯t resist lifting her chopsticks to grab thergest piece of fatty meat. However, she was blocked midway by her mother-inw. Madam Zhang furiously red at her thoughtless eldest daughter-inw and spoke with an aggravated tone, ¡°I¡¯m telling you to go back to your room to eat, so stop with all your nonsense! By restricting the children from eating at the table, who are you trying to mock?¡±

 Chapter 25 – Praise

    <h4>Chapter 25 ¨C Praise</h4>


    Madam Li watched as Little Doudou earnestly waited at the table to drink his second sister¡¯s fish stew. She suddenly realized that she had said something out of line. Third Brother-inw would likely be an official in the future. She needed to tter her third sister-inw in order to take advantage of having an official in the family.


    ¡°Look at my awkward mouth, I just blurt out words without thinking! Third Sister-inw, I wasn¡¯t scolding your son Doudou, please don¡¯t take it to heart...the table is a little crowded, I¡¯m going to take Heizi out and go back to our rooms to eat!¡± Madam Li finally took the hint from her mother-inw. Although she felt reluctant, she still towed her son behind her to leave.


    Yu Heizi only cared about eating food. However, he was a crafty young fellow and decided to take advantage of the situation and haggle for more food: ¡°If you want me to leave the table, give me a few more pieces of meat! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to stay here to eat!¡±


    Madam Zhang had no other choice but to give into his demands. Although shembasted him under her breath for being a ¡®small minded bastard¡¯, she still ced a couple pieces of meat into his bowl. She red fiercely at Madam Li, reminding her that she needed to leave with her son!


    With the two unhygienic people gone from the table, there wasn¡¯t much toin about for the remaining Madam Liu and her four children. No matter how busy she was, Madam Liu made sure to keep her entire family washed and clean. Her husband¡¯s younger sister, Yu Caidie, was at the age where a girl loved being clean and beautifying herself. Madam Zhang was also a sanitary person.


    Zhao Men barely managed to squeeze herself into a seat next to her son. Under the encouragement of Madam Zhang, she lifted her chopsticks and picked up a piece of stir-fried green vegetable. She slowly ced it into her mouth. Eh? For such a simple dish, the stir-fried fresh green vegetables with shiitake mushrooms tasted surprisingly delicious and refreshing.


    Madam Zhao chewed her mouthful delicately, slowly swallowed, and then raised her head to look her second sister-inw, Liu Muyun, in the eye. She nodded her head in approval and said, ¡°Second Sister-inw¡¯s culinary skills have improved immensely in these past few months. The food tastes betterpared to a few months ago.¡±


    Liu Muyun smiled at her youngest daughter and with a voice full of pride said, ¡°The dishes today were all cooked by Cao¡¯er. I only helped her to wash the vegetables and the pots. I didn¡¯t make any of the food today!¡±


    A rarely seen smile graced Madam Zhao¡¯s face. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have expected Xiaocao to have this kind of talent...¡±


    Madam Zhang felt displeased that her youngest daughter-inw was paying attention to other people. She picked up a thick slice of fatty meat with her chopsticks and thrust it into Madam Zhao¡¯s bowl. ¡°Third Daughter-inw, I especially made sure to select the fattiest cut of meat today. This type of meat will ooze out vorful oil when you eat it. Quickly try some.¡±


    Madam Zhao looked at Madam Zhang¡¯s greasy and oily chopsticks. Who knew how much saliva was on those things? She felt her stomach lurch with disgust.


    Sensitive to her mistress¡¯s likes and dislikes, her servant girl hurriedly took the piece of greasy meat and said, ¡°Elderlydy, my mistress doesn¡¯t like to eat fatty cuts of meat. This servant thanks you in her stead.¡±


    Seeing that a piece of meat that even she herself felt was too precious to eat being taken by a mere servant girl infuriated Madam Zhang. Her expression immediately darkened with anger. She pped the table with a heavy hand and started haranguing, ¡°Huh, you impudent servant! Do you have the status to sit with us at the same table to eat? How arrogant are you? And you even had the gall to eat meat! What kind of servant are you? Third Daughter-inw, you need to discipline this maid...¡±


    Madam Zhao ced the chopsticks onto the wooden table with a loud p. Her full red lips were pressed into a straight line. Despite the obvious signs, Madam Zhang had not noticed that her daughter-inw was tampering down rage and heedlessly continued to spew criticism at the maid.


    ¡°Mother-inw, before you punish a dog you need to ask permission from its master! Anything that my maid did wrong, I will punish her myself. By yelling at her in front of other people, are you insinuating that you are displeased with me?¡± Madam Zhao interjected with a soft and even tempered voice after seeing her servant hold back tears in her eyes.


    Madam Zhang choked down the rest of herints, and her old, wrinkled face turned a bright red color. She wanted to scream a few harsh words at Madam Zhao, like she usually did to her other two daughter inws, to discipline her. However, she was afraid that Madam Zhao would whisper honeyed and poisoned words to her husband in the bedroom and cause her favorite son to grow distant from her.


    Huffing with anger, the old woman thrust her chopsticks into the stewed meat and cabbage dish and picked out arge and thick piece of fatty meat. She dropped it into her bowl¡ª¡ªIf you¡¯re not going to eat the meat, then this olddy will eat it instead!


    Seeing that her grandmother was preupied, Yu Xiaocao saw an opportunity and quickly ced pieces of meat into her mother¡¯s, older brother¡¯s, Xiaolian and Shitou¡¯s bowls. Although she didn¡¯t like to eat fatty cuts of meat, it didn¡¯t mean the other members of her family were the same! The Yu Family considered themselves lucky if they could eat meat once or twice in the year. Therefore, they appreciated the fatty pieces of pork the most.


    When Liu Muyun saw that her youngest daughter was too thrifty to eat meat (Author¡¯s note: You¡¯re thinking too much, she simply doesn¡¯t like to eat it!) but braved her grandmother¡¯s poor temper to ce meat into her own bowl, the piece of meat became hard for Madam Liu to swallow. However, if she tried to put it back, her mother-inw would definitely scream at her if she was found out.


    Noticing that her mother was hesitating, Xiaocao softly whispered into Madam Liu¡¯s ear. ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t like being yelled at, please eat the meat faster...¡±


    Suddenly, she noticed her grandmother lifting her head from her food. Yu Xiaocao hurriedly gave her grandmother a couple of dry fried string brings. She smiled sweetly, ¡°Grandmother, have some string beans dry fried inrd. They¡¯re almost as delicious as meat! You¡¯re old so you should eat more!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a crafty brat, howe you¡¯re not telling me to eat more meat? Our whole courtyard garden is filled with string beans. There¡¯s nothing special about these!¡± Madam Zhang had never mastered the art of filtering her words and always blurted out what was on her mind, no matter how unpleasant it was for others to hear.


    During this exchange, Madam Liu and her other children had all bolted down the meat that they rarely got to eat, even during New Year¡¯s celebrations. Since Yu Xiaocao sessfullypleted her mission, she neatly grabbed a couple servings of dry fried green beans and wrapped them in a pancake. She ate the wrap with lively delight.


    The dark green string beans glistened with a light coating of oil. The fragrant aroma ofrd had infused into each string bean, such that every bite was vorful without feeling greasy. Even Madam Zhao grabbed a couple of extra servings of the vegetables.


    Little Doudou sat at the dinner table like a small adult and kept his mouth wide open, waiting to be fed. The simmered fish stew was as white as cow¡¯s milk and was full of savory vor. The meat of the fish was delicate without any bones to ruin the texture andplemented perfectly with the rich broth. The little boy¡¯s mouth smacked with delight as he happily drank the soup.


    This little fellow had a picky pte, and Madam Zhao had gone through many trials to get him to eat more. She even would be willing to cut off her own flesh if it made her son want to eat more food. This time, her son was eating voraciously. If she was slow in feeding him, he even started opening his mouth wide and made little ¡®ah...ah...¡¯ noises begging for more. The sight of him eating with a hearty appetite made her feel incredibly happy.


    Since, Yu Xiaocao had simmered the delicious soup that her son liked to eat, Madam Zhao¡¯s demeanor towards the little girl improved perceptively. Other than Yu Caidie, Yu Xiaocao was the only other person in the entire Yu Family that Madam Zhao deigned to converse with.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s entire face folded into a brilliant smile as she watched her youngest grandson. ¡°Grandmother¡¯s sweet grandson likes to drink fish soup, so grandmother will leave her bowl for you...¡±


    Madam Zhao looked at her with a nd expression and sweetly said, ¡°Doudou usually doesn¡¯t eat a lot of home. I don¡¯t dare to feed him too much in the event that he might get bloated...¡±


    Hearing that, Madam Zhang dropped the subject and merely smiled while watching Little Doudou eat his fish. She was so preupied that she forgot to eat her own food.


    Xiaocao nced at her little brother who was slurping fish soup next to her. Little Shitou was only a little bit older but he was also Madam Zhang¡¯s grandson. However, the difference in treatment between the two little boys was tantly obvious. It really made her heart ache for her little brother.


    On the other hand, Little Shitou had long be ustomed to his grandmother¡¯s cold treatment. He was solely preupied with eating his own meal. The food today was astoundingly sumptuous and luxurious, more so than usual. His second sister had better culinary talent than mother. Without his cousin, Heizi, there to fight for food, he needed to take advantage of the circumstances and eat more!


    The men at their own table also ate with great gusto. Even Old Yu ate two more pancakes than usual. Yu Hai seized the opportunity toplete his youngest daughter¡¯s mission and suddenly stated, ¡°The vegetables today are pretty much as tasty as the meat. Father, do you think the same too?¡±

 Chapter 26 – Reputation

    <h4>Chapter 26 ¨C Reputation</h4>


    Old Yu took another serving of the eggnts sauteed with garlic. Because his teeth had started to fall out of his mouth, he liked eating soft and tender foods like the stir-fried eggnts. Unconsciously, he devoured about half the te of eggnts by himself.


    After hearing Yu Hai¡¯s opinion, the old man, satisfied by the meal, naturally didn¡¯t stint on his praise. ¡°Yes, yes! The taste is indeed very good! Our family¡¯s Xiaocao has talent, her hand at cooking is better than her mother¡¯s. Xiaocao¡¯s mother did a good job raising her. There¡¯s a well known saying¡ª¡ªthe student has surpassed the master. Third Son, is that how it goes?¡±


    Old Yu was quite proud of the phrase he remembered and thought quite highly of himself. He held his beard out of the way as he sipped a mouthful of wine and smacked his lips in pleasure. Our Yu Family is quite cultured!


    ¡°Father, you said it perfectly. However, Xiaocao¡¯s dishes were all stir fried with oil. Our family usually only boils vegetables with some salt. There¡¯s no fat added, so of course it¡¯s not as delicious as vegetables stir fried with oil. In the future, our family should continue cooking vegetables this way!¡±


    After finally eating a satisfactory meal at his family¡¯s house, the third son, Yu Bo, was in a good mood and topped off his father¡¯s ss.


    Old Yu shook his head after he heard what his son said, ¡°You should know your mother¡¯s personality. If we bought pork every day to makerd, it would hurt her stingy heart more than cutting her flesh directly would!¡±


    At this point, Yu Hai interjected, ¡°We don¡¯t need to userd, vegetable oil could be used instead. Didn¡¯t our family save some dried soybeans fromst year? We could bring them to the oil mill in exchange for some soybean oil for cooking. The food cooked with the oil should still taste good.¡±


    If they used soybeans as the trade instead of money, maybe his wife would be more willing? Old Yu carefully calcted the possibility of his wife agreeing to this.


    When Yu Bo saw how happily everyone at home was eating the food cooked with oil, he considered their circumstances again. Choked with emotion, he couldn¡¯t help but set down his chopsticks and urged his father quietly, ¡°Father, if other people found out that our family found it too much of a burden to even get a bottle of soybean oil for the sake of my education, can I still in the academy anymore? Would no one actually expose this? Father, please advise mother to not be so stingy. There are already people at school who are gossiping behind my back...¡±


    Schrs valued their reputations the most. Yu Bo had already heard bad rumors about himself, such as: ¡®He lives in arge manor in town, eating and drinking good food, while his parents and siblings back home have to count how many pancakes made with coarse grains they could eat for each meal...¡¯. His main goal ining back this time was to persuade his mother to stop being a miser for the sake of his reputation and to stop the rumormongers from discrediting him. However, as her son, he was very familiar with Madam Zhang¡¯s temperament. Therefore, he could only talk about it with his father and have him discuss the situation with his mother.


    The old woman always wished she could spend half a copper coin for something that cost one. She was stingy to everyone in the family, including herself, and always restricted how much food people could eat. His second son¡¯s children were all on the brink of starvation with their bone-thin frames and their unsteady gaits...but, for the sake of his youngest son¡¯s education, Old Yu usually turned a blind eye towards his wife¡¯s miserly ways.


    However, if her thriftiness was starting to impact their son¡¯s reputation, then it could no longer go on! Their youngest son had the fate to be an official, and it would be a disaster if his wife¡¯s penny-pinching ways caused his son to lose that chance. Old Yu came to a resolution and decided he needed to talk to his wife about the situation.


    That night, under the light of themps, the old couple discussed their circumstances. For the sake of her son, Madam Zhang obviously had no objections. The very next day, the olddy went on her own to the oil mill and traded half a sack of soybeans for a pitcher full of soybean oil. In addition, she no longer restricted how many coarse grain pancakes people could eat anymore.


    Without her heavy restrictions, the family¡¯s store of food naturally disappeared more quickly. Madam Zhang¡¯s heart trembled at the sight of the increased expenditures and inwardly screamed, ¡®Who¡¯s the one spewing nonsense from their mouth, all day speaking nonsense. I hope a rat goes and eats his tongue!¡¯


    The people who profited the most with this change, naturally, was Yu Xiaocao and the rest of the second branch. At least now, everyone in the family,rge and small, could eat until they were full. In addition, every few days Yu Xiaocao would intercept some game from her father for their own use. Gradually, the members of the second branch started to flesh out.


    That¡¯s right! Under the attacks from Yu Xiaocao¡¯s strategic pleads and skillful begging, Yu Hai, who already blindly loved his daughter, could only surrender to her whims after a minimal struggle. Every time he came back from a hunt, Xiaocao would always be at the foot of the mountain waiting for him, with no one else around, to choose the fattest piece of game to leave behind. She would then take the game into that hidden valley to either barbecue or simmer the meat in the ceramic urn until cooked and bring hometer for the household to eat.


    Sometimes Zhao Han would divvy out some meat he caught from his traps to give the kids an extra meal. They also plundered the creek¡¯s store of small, white fish frequently.


    For most people, the wild fish were slippery and hard to catch, but Yu Xiaocao never had difficulty harvesting the fish. Although Zhao Han inwardly felt it was odd, he never tried to figure out how the little girl caught the fish.


    Adolescent boys could always out-eat their elders. In fishing viges near the sea, young boys and girls, other than gathering seafood or tending the courtyard gardens, weren¡¯t of much use.


    For the sake of her youngest son¡¯s reputation and future career, Madam Zhang¡¯s heart palpably ached when she increased the family¡¯s food ration. Two months after the change, the family¡¯s expenditures had more than doubled.


    The increased spendingbined with her entrance into menopause caused Madam Zhang to hate everyone she saw. When the men left for the sea, if the old woman wasn¡¯t berating the adults, she was hitting the children. Comints flew out of her in an endless stream.


    During mealtimes, Madam Zhang barely managed to stem herints in an effort to soothe the men¡¯s egos. However, her eyes flitted around like daggers. Whoever grabbed an extra tbread was subject to a hateful re. Naturally, she hoped that her daughters inw and their group of brats would tactfully eat less.


    But her hope was in vain, her eldest daughter-inw wouldn¡¯t know tact even if it hit her in the face. As long as there was food at the table, she would eat it. Her eldest grandson had inherited his mother¡¯s habits and gobbled down food at the table as if he was a starving animal.


    Although her second daughter-inw had a weak and timid personality, her two daughters were nothing like their mother. Even though Madam Zhang would re at them until it felt like her eyes would pop out and her face would burst, the two brats ignored her as if nothing was going on. If they weren¡¯t giving their mother another pancake, they were grabbing their brothers another serving of vegetables.


    Now that there was oil added to their food, it didn¡¯t matter whether the dishes were stewed or stir-fried, the taste of all the food had improved tremendously. Every meal, with her eldest son¡¯s family leading, became a brawl to snatch as much food as possible. Those who had slow hands wouldn¡¯t even be able to lick the leftovers off a te.


    The two chits¡¯ hands flew so quickly on the table that one could only see their shadows. After their hands had stopped, their timid mother who never dared to grab food, even-tempered older brother, and tiny youngest brother, all had their bowls filled with food. Not only did her two granddaughters grab food for their family but their own appetites were also voracious. Seeing all of this made Madam Zhang¡¯s heart throb with pain.


    In the past, with only Xiaolian being unruly, it was easy enough for Madam Zhang to smack the girl a couple of times and then have the bratply. Now that there was an additional troublemaker, Yu Xiaocao, it had be more difficult to maintain discipline because of the wretch¡¯s sickly constitution. Hitting the minx was obviously out of the question, but even yelling at her was enough to ¡®scare¡¯ her into a dead faint.


    A situation that happened before her third son and his family had left was a perfect example of the difference now. At the time, three steamer baskets full of steamed rolls had been brought to the table. The little hellion had immediately transferred one to her mother, and also gave a serving to her two brothers who hadn¡¯t even sat down yet. She acted as if she was the master of the house!


    Madam Zhang really couldn¡¯t stand these perceived transgressions anymore at the time. Her personality was never one to take an insult sitting down, and so, as her temper red, the old woman pped a heavy hand down on the wooden stool. However, before Madam Zhang could open her mouth to start yelling, the little brat¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of her head, and the chit fainted.

 Chapter 27 – Apprentice

    <h4>Chapter 27 ¨C Apprentice</h4>


    Everything immediately turned to chaos. Someone went to call the doctor, while another ran out to buy medicine, and so, hundreds of coins flew out of Madam Zhang¡¯s purse. Spending money was bad enough, but her husband also whisked her aside and scolded her profusely. Furthermore, up until the day her third son¡¯s family left to go back to town, her youngest daughter-inw regarded her with contempt.


    Afterwards, Madam Zhang sank into a gloomy depression and almost ended up ill from her pent-up feelings. From then on, she just pretended that the chit, Xiaocao, was invisible. No matter what the little girl did, the old woman would ignore it as if she had never saw it. Luckily the brat, other than mealtimes, kept to her own devices and didn¡¯t cause other problems that Madam Zhang found hard to abide. For the sake of saving money, she could endure anything!


    ¡°Mother, mother!¡± Madam Li¡¯s obese figure hurriedly came back into the courtyard from outside. As she crossed the threshold, the fat woman almost tripped and fell over.


    She looked around the entire courtyard furtively like a burr before she pulled Madam Zhang into a nearby room. She mysteriously said, ¡°Mother, haven¡¯t we spent a lot of money on the household recently? I feel bad for you!! The entire Second Branch really eats too much. Their four children eat almost as much as three adultsbined!¡±


    Madam Zhang felt her temper rising again andined in agreement, ¡°Exactly! A whole bag of coarse grains disappears in a matter of days. Money flows out this household like water from a river. It¡¯s driving me crazy, and my mouth is full of sores from worry. Second Son¡¯s wifees off as honest, but howe she¡¯s not relieving the burden at home?¡±


    Madam Zhangined as she pped her thigh rhythmically. Her entire face was creased with resentment.


    Madam Li replied in an empathetic tone, ¡°That¡¯s just how it is! Second Son¡¯s wife pretends to be busy on the surface. She even tells outside people that she is the only one who does housework at home. Is there anyone who doesn¡¯t view her as a good wife? On the other hand, outsiders only call mezy. However, mother-inw, you have be an evil mother-inw who treats her daughter-inw poorly in the eyes of others!¡±


    Madam Zhang gnashed her teeth together in anger and snarled, ¡°That vile little wretch. She turned out to be such a malicious woman! I¡¯d misjudged her!¡±


    Seeing that her aim had been achieved, Madam Li came to the true purpose of her visit, ¡°Mother, the only reason why she¡¯s doing this is because she has a lot of children. In the future, she¡¯ll have plenty of people to support her, right? However, I definitely have a method to reduce her confidence.¡±


    ¡°The fact that she has many children only means that she¡¯s able to have them. Unlike you who could onlyy one egg without any other progress!!¡± Madam Zhang had always felt bitter that her eldest daughter-inw only gave birth to Heizi alone. However, now was not the time to pursue this topic. The old woman continued to ask, ¡°What sort of method? I¡¯d like to hear it.¡±


    ¡°My older brother from back home told me that the carpentry shop in town was looking for an apprentice. Second branch¡¯s Xiaosha isn¡¯t young anymore and, as an apprentice, he¡¯ll eat and live away from us. That will save us from feeding another person¡¯s portion of grain, and, in the future, he¡¯ll be able to make a living as a craftsman.¡± Madam Li¡¯s spit flew out of her mouth as she spoke.


    Madam Zhang frowned, ¡°Carpentry shop? Is that the one owned by Zhang Ji? I heard that Shopkeeper Zhang Ji is really cruel and that apprentices in that store keep changing. Some of them had even be permanently injured and disabled, if...¡±


    Madam Li¡¯s waved a plump hand dismissively. ¡°Those are just rumors. My older brother knows Shopkeeper Zhang personally and said he¡¯s usually very friendly. Otherwise, how could he have such a thriving business? He just has high expectations for his apprentices, that¡¯s all. Who doesn¡¯t want to find an apprentice that is morepetent and hardworking, right?¡±


    After thinking a bit, Madam Zhang had to conclude that the second branch¡¯s Xiaosha was not azy boy. Sending him out to be an apprentice wasn¡¯t a bad idea. After all, in several years, the boy would be able to do woodworking and could make a lot of money.


    That night, during mealtime, Madam Zhang disseminated the news to all of the people. ¡°Xiaosha is diligent and sensible. He also learns things quickly. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years he¡¯ll be able to finish his apprenticeship and then make his own money. With a skilled trade he¡¯ll have a much more stable future than relying on the winds and waters to make a living. The carpentry shop is only looking for one apprentice, otherwise, I would also have Heizi go too. In the future, the two cousins could take on work or open a store, wouldn¡¯t that be a good life?¡±


    The rest of the household didn¡¯t have any opinions, but Yu Hai was a bit hesitant. ¡°Mother, I¡¯ve heard that carpentry apprentices spend a long time doing rough and heavy work. Xiaosha is still small, I¡¯m afraid that he doesn¡¯t have the strength to lift and work the heavy wood.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s expression darkened and put her bowl down on the table loudly. ¡°He¡¯s already eleven, you still think he¡¯s small? In two years he¡¯ll be able to marry a wife!! Second Son, you cannot spoil your kids! Mother is trying to treat you guys well. Carpenter Wang back in my hometown worked every year to build other people¡¯s furniture. He always had plenty to eat and clothes to wear. He has a better life by farpared to us!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked anxiously at her older brother who was being left out like a tasty piece of meat. Inwardly she cursed, ¡®It¡¯s not just Carpenter Wang who has a better life. Most vigers eat better and wear better clothes than us. We don¡¯t live like this because we don¡¯t have money, it¡¯s because you¡¯re too stingy, Grandmother. You only care about Younger Uncle. Trying to send out such a young child out to be an apprentice, you¡¯re truly too heartless!¡¯


    She used some force to poke at her bowl of bean soup and muttered, ¡°If this is such a good opportunity, why don¡¯t we send Brother Heizi first? He¡¯s older than Older Brother by three years and is about the size of an adult. He¡¯s still bumming at the vige provoking random cats and dogs all day, shouldn¡¯t he go out and learn something?¡±


    Madam Li promptly jumped in and scolded her, ¡°This is an adult conversation, how could children participate? Second Brother-inw, how could spoil your kids so badly?¡±


    Madam Zhang wanted to yell something but managed to resist and swallowed it back down. Instead she said, ¡°Heizi has a poor personality, what can he do? If we sent him out, he would only be sent back in a couple of days. If we¡¯re talking about ability, Dahai from a young age was always skillful with his hands. When other people were weaving baskets, he only watched them a bit before he learned it. Xiaosha is like his dad and wouldn¡¯t be bad at learning a skill.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I wasn¡¯t saying I don¡¯t want him to go. I just want to wait two years to give him time to mature. Once he has grown in height, then he could go...¡± Yu Hai said goodnaturedly. He still felt worried about his little boy who had slowly grown under his eye.


    Madam Zhang interrupted him, blurting, ¡°Do you think this carpentry house is owned by us? Do you really think you can just let your kide and go as you please? Other families whose kids are apprentices all sent them when they were young. Once he¡¯s older, he¡¯ll be slow at picking things up, who would want him then?¡±


    As Yu Hai was about to reply, the previously silent Yu Hang calmly interjected, ¡°Father, grandmother is right, I¡¯m no longer a little kid anymore. Learning a craft isn¡¯t a bad thing for me. The neighboring vige¡¯s Er Shuan was an apprentice before. He told me that as long as one was clever, quick and diligent with one¡¯s hands, then there wasn¡¯t much suffering to be had. I want to go!¡±


    Yu Hai knew that his oldest son, who usually seemed quiet and dull, had big aspirations and ideas. He thought for a bit and decided that letting his son try wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing. If it didn¡¯t work out, he could spend a couple bits to bring his son back home. Seeing how enthusiastically Eldest Aunt was pushing her older brother to be an apprentice, Yu Xiaocao felt that there was something fishy about the whole situation. However, she couldn¡¯t pinpoint what exactly was wrong with the idea. She could only watch helplessly as her elder brother packed his things in a cloth and was sent to go to the town¡¯s carpentry shop.


    In a sh, the blistering hot summer days had passed and cool and refreshing autumn had leisurely arrived. Right now was just the time to harvest the soybeans and sorghum from the fields, and everyone was brimming with joy from the harvest season.


    The Yu Family was a model example of a fisherman¡¯s household. They focused heavily on fishing and hunting and only had three acres of sandy soil which were nted with the high yielding crop of sweet potatoes. It wasn¡¯t yet the time to harvest those, that was about a month away.


    Game was at its peak in autumn. Every fall, the Yu Family no longer allowed Yu Hai to go out to sea to fish and instead had him stay back home especially to hunt. Almost every day he went up the mountains to hunt. Sometimes he would partner up with Hunter Zhao, but more often than not, he was on his own.


    Yu Xiaocao tried to capitalize on her father¡¯s favor and tried her best to persuade him to take her with him. However, after thinking about all of the dangerous animals he¡¯d encountered throughout the years and his daughter¡¯s sickly body, Yu Hai explicitly refused. He only consoled her by promising her he would always leave a piece of game for her.


    Eating the same thing every day, even wild game, would get cloying after a while. Now that her immediate family had enough to eat every day, Yu Xiaocao was no longer preupied with eating and drinking. She needed to earn money. As long as she had money, there was nothing she needed to worry about. Unfortunately, at this present time, she could only earn money surreptitiously. If they could separate their branch from the rest of the family, then she could make money much more easily. Unfortunately, most families in the ancient world never divided their households, so the hope for this happening was quite uncertain.


    Furthermore, since Yu Xiaocao was only eight years old, her options for making money were so limited that it was pitiful. With thatpounded with the need for secrecy, she really had a hard road ahead of her. Out of desperation, she switched her attention to the multicolored stone that was on her wrist. The divine stone noticed her gaze and leapt out to confront her: [Don¡¯t think you can use me as bait. I¡¯m the magnificent stone that was used to patch the heavenly skies, how can I be used in such a humble manner?]


    Yu Xiaocao replied, slightly embarrassed, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, do you think I have any other options? You once said that every time you helped me, your master, the purity and speed of absorption of spiritual power would increase for you. Being used as a magical fish bait is helping me! Otherwise, how else would my whole family have bodies that are now so strong and healthy? Where else would you find such a chance to disy all of your powers?¡±


    The celestial stone had previously, in a pique over the nickname ¡®Glutinous Dumpling 1¡¯ chosen by its weak owner, refused to acknowledge Yu Xiaocao for several days. Later on since the little girl refused to repent, the stone had to begrudgingly allow itself to be called by such an unimpressive name. It was really quite depressed by this oue.


    Under Yu Xiaocao¡¯s persuasions, the multicolored stone started to waver on its stance. Every time it helped its master, it could feel the Goddess of Spirits¡¯ restrictions loosening a tiny bit. Afterwards, the purity and amount of power it could absorb would also improve. If it wanted to break through the Goddess of Spirits¡¯ chains, shatter the void, and return to Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side, it needed to help its master do more good things.


    At its current state, there were very few opportunities that it could help its master with. Acting as fish bait for Xiaocao really hurt its pride as a divine stone. But for the sake of elerating its power intake to get back to Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side, it was willing to be fish bait.


    While the stone was making a decision, Yu Xiaocao had already prepared a rope. Brother Han had promised that he would teach her how to set traps today. If she had Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯s help, then she would definitely hit bank every day. [Having me help you...it¡¯s not an impossible request!] As before, the stone sent out its spirit in the form of a golden kitten floating in the air. At this moment, it was pointing its little ears back and had an unwilling look on its face. [However, you need to bathe me every day in the water from that valley¡¯s creek with the fish. That ce¡¯s water aura is much more purepared to other sources.]


    ¡°Okay, deal!¡± Xiaocao reached out a hand in an attempt to pet it. A golden kitten about the size of a ping pong ball was really too cute. It made her heart melt. However, the celestial stone proudly blocked her hand with a pair of wings that were made of light from its back. Light flickered as it dodged her caresses, and it twisted its little head to ignore her.


    ¡°Second Sister, why didn¡¯t you call me? I almost overslept!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s clothes were crookedly put on, and the little boy carelessly wiped his face as he ran. On the way, he picked up a carrying basket and followed Yu Xiaocao out the door.

 Chapter 28 – Gathering Money

    <h4>Chapter 28 ¨C Gathering Money</h4>


    The early morning air was crisp and fresh. Yu Xiaocao deeply inhaled a breath of the moist air as her tail, Little Shitou, walked leisurely with her towards the West Mountains.


    ¡°Xiaolian, you¡¯re up so early! Are you out to gather some fishwort for pig feed?¡± Ever since the little divine stone started helping her, Xiaocao¡¯s body became more healthy with every passing day. In addition, she often ate on the sly outside of the Yu residence, so her face and body had both gradually fleshed out. Now that her figure had be more like her older twin sister¡¯s body, the vigers often mixed the two up.


    Little Shitou giddily ran towards the young girl who had mistaken his second sister and said, ¡°Sister Linglong, this my second sister!¡±


    ¡°Second Sister? Xiaocao? Oh my! You¡¯re definitely a twin, you look so simr to your sister.¡± Zhou Linglong curled her lips up into a smile and continued to inspect Xiaocao from head to toe.


    Xiaocao merely smiled but kept silent. Little Shitou introduced his sister in her stead, ¡°Sister Linglong¡¯s family doesn¡¯t live far from the West Mountains and is near our old family residence. Auntie Zhou and mother have a good rtionship. When you were sick, the eggs you ate were all from Auntie Zhou.¡±


    Oh, so she¡¯s the daughter of mother¡¯s best friend. Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly at Zhou Linglong and a faint dimple formed on her left cheek. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Older Sister Linglong. On another day I will need to drop by to thank Auntie Zhou. Without her eggs, I would not be able to recover this quickly!¡±


    Zhou Linglong stared at Xiaocao¡¯s dimple for a bit and then grinned, ¡°It¡¯s just a couple of eggs, nothing worth mentioning¡ª¡ªI figured out how to differentiate between you and your twin. You have a dimple and your older sister doesn¡¯t...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao beamed a smile at her and said, ¡°Sister Linglong, we¡¯re going with Brother Han up the mountain to pick some wild fruits. Do you want toe with us?¡±


    Zhou Linglong revealed the sickle in her hand and shook her head. ¡°I need to harvest some fishwort and then go back home. We have two pigs, and they¡¯ve been squeaking for their food incessantly. You guys can go and y, just be careful!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao waved her hand at the departing girl, linked hands with Little Shitou, and ran towards the hill where the Zhao Family lived.


    The vigers at Dongshan Fishing Vige had all worked for generations as fishermen. The Zhao Family had moved in more than twenty years ago as outsiders. Their family residence was located on top of a small hill that was at the foot of the West Mountains. The house was constructed out of rock and had three rooms. A tall fence made of stone enclosed the courtyard and building. Trees surrounded the residence on all four sides, and gardens full of vegetables and fruits bordered the front and back of the building. The entireplex gave off a feeling of a dwelling suitable for a hermit living in the deep woods.


    ¡°Brother Han, Brother Han,¡± Little Shitou called out as he moved quietly to push open the wooden door and inserted his head in to take a look. In the middle of the courtyard was the Zhao Family¡¯s daughter-inw, Zheng Fangyin. She twisted her head around and saw the little fellow looking around. The older woman smiled benevolently, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s little Yu Fan! Quicklye in!¡±


    Madam Zheng wasn¡¯t sure whether her body had gotten injured after birthing her son, but after Zhao Han was born, she was never able to get pregnant again. In the past few months, Little Shitou had gained some weight and had be a strong and good-natured little boy. Madam Zheng, who loved little children, adored his cute and witty character. She had a heart full of maternal love.


    ¡°Auntie, Brother Han told us that he was going to teach us how to set traps to catch hares. Second Sister really wants to learn, so we came early... hee hee!¡± The little fellow rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment while he threw his sister under the bus.


    Yu Xiaocao had followed behind her younger brother to enter the courtyard. She surreptitiously jabbed him in the back as her pretty and pale little face beamed an incandescent smile at the older woman. ¡°Good morning Auntie Zhao!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Xiaocao!¡± Madam Zheng put down the basin full of chicken feed on the ground and wiped her hands on her apron. She tenderly caressed Xiaocao¡¯s thin and pointy face. She sighed, ¡°One is bound to have good fortune after surviving a great disaster. Being healthy is more important than anything! You¡¯re still a little thin, your grandmother...in the future, if you ever want to eat anything,e to Auntie¡¯s house. Auntie¡¯s cooking skills are not too bad.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Auntie! I¡¯ll have to bother you in the future then!¡± Yu Xiaocao would not bluntly refuse a helping hand, especially when it was offered with a genuine and sincere heart. Instead, she received the older woman¡¯s care with an even more brilliant smile.


    ¡°Shitou, Xiaocao! Why are you both here so early? Have you two eaten breakfast yet?¡± Zhao Han asked with obvious surprise. The youth hade in through the gate carrying a load of water on his shoulder and had seen the two siblings in the courtyard.


    Little Shitou butted in before his older sister could reply, ¡°Our family only eats breakfast at seven in the morning, we don¡¯t have time to wait until then! Anyway, it¡¯s better for us to leave some room in our tummies so we can eat roasted fishter!¡±


    Madam Zheng linked her hands with the two siblings and lead them into the main room. Her voice was full of disapproval as she chided, ¡°You have a long way to walk before you¡¯ll get to the mountains. You¡¯re both so young, if neither of you eat breakfast, how would either of you have the strength to get through the day? I¡¯ve already simmered porridge and griddled pancakes this morning, let¡¯s eat together before you go up the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Zhao!¡± The two children greeted a white-haired old man who had a long beard and sat upright in a formal, proper posture. The elderly man, Zhao Zixiong, cut an imposing figure. From time to time, his eyes would reveal a majestic aura that could not be entirely hidden. The pair of siblings couldn¡¯t help but be a little subdued in his presence.


    The old man looked up and saw two children who, despite being dressed in shabby clothes, still radiated an aura of sweetness. He revealed a smile and said, ¡°You two are both good children but it¡¯s too bad you¡¯re stuck with a father with no backbone. You¡¯ve both endured hardships!¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s fine! He knows how to fish, hunt, and weave some simple bamboo tools. He really loves us too!¡± In front of others, Yu Xiaocao naturally had to defend her father¡¯s reputation.


    Old Zhao raised his bushy eyebrows and chuckled, ¡°You are quite protective of your father! However, it¡¯s too bad that your father can¡¯t protect your siblings and your mother! If he can¡¯t defend the people most dear to him, is he still considered a man?¡±


    ¡°Father-inw! Don¡¯t say such things in front of the children, let¡¯s eat now!¡± Madam Zheng was afraid the brother and sister pair would start feeling awkward and hastily stepped in to change the subject. She immediately served up bowls of congee and tes of tbread to the old man and the children.


    The Zhao Family had kept to the custom of eating three meals a day. Breakfast consisted of a thick porridge made with white rice, while the pancakes were also made with white flour. In addition to that, Madam Zheng had also cooked two vegetables¡ª¡ªbacon stir fried with mushrooms and napa cabbage seasoned with vinegar.


    Being able to eat porridge made with white rice and white flour tbread was already a treat, but there was also meat! Little Shitou stared avidly at the sumptuous breakfast in front of him but didn¡¯t have the courage to start eating. It was only after Madan Zheng hand-delivered him a thin pancake rolled around some mushrooms and bacon did he raise his head sheepishly to look at his second sister.


    Upon seeing the little boy¡¯s hesitation, Zhao Han also stuffed and rolled up a piece of tbread before he ced it in front of Xiaocao. The youth grinned and said, ¡°Eat! We¡¯re going to walk a little farther today, so if you two don¡¯t eat, you¡¯ll be exhausted, right? I don¡¯t have the strength to carry the both of you down if that happens.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Please excuse me as I start then!¡± Yu Xiaocao was tired of eating brown flour pancakes and drinking bean soup every day. She had long missed the taste of eating food made with white flour and white rice. The little girl took the offered pancake, nodded her head at her little brother, and then opened her mouth to take a giant bite.


    She had never thought that a in tbread made of white flour could taste so delicious. Whenbined with the salty and savory taste of bacon, it elevated this humble dish into the realms of delicacies.


    As Madam Zheng served food onto the two children¡¯s tes, she also told her son, ¡°You can¡¯t take these two kids into the deep forests of the mountain. There are wild boars, wolves, and other ferocious creatures in those areas. The children need to be protected from harm.¡±


    Zhao Han peeled a hardboiled egg, ced it into Xiaocao¡¯s congee bowl, and nodded his head. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ve been there many times and thergest animal I¡¯ve ever seen was either a roe deer or mountain goat. Something along those lines. It¡¯s very safe!¡±


    After they finished breakfast, Zhao Han took the two kids, who had identally eaten too much, to a twisted and windy road that snaked up the mountain.


    ¡°When you¡¯re setting traps, the first thing you need to do is to discover which routes the hares like to go on. Hares will often stick to using the same route...see here, there¡¯s a small worn path in the underbrush that a hare left behind!¡± Zhao Han pointed at a slightly messy patch of grass as he patiently exined the process.


    Yu Xiaocao eagerly replied, ¡°Then we should set a trap here! Who knows, maybe by the time we get back we¡¯ll have a rabbit in the trap!¡±


    Zhao Hanughed, ¡°This area is too close to the open outside, so there won¡¯t be a lot of rabbitsing through here. How about we walk a little bit deeper into the woods before we try?¡±


    ¡°We should take the opportunity now to practice first. How should a trap be set? Brother Han, teach me quickly!¡± Yu Xiaocao refused to let go of any opportunity. After all, didn¡¯t she have a secret weapon?


    Zhao Han raised his thick eyebrows and an indulgent smile crossed his face before he said, ¡°Okay! We have plenty of rope with us, so let¡¯s set one here!¡±


    He inspected the area around them first and then broke off a fork-shaped branch from a nearby tree. He trimmed off misceneous twigs and pruned it until the middle of the fork was clear. The youth exined as he cut, ¡°When you¡¯re choosing a branch, make you find one that can handle the weight of a running hare. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to sessfully catch one.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in silence as she tried to engrave the instructions inside her head.


    Zhao Han ced the pruned branch on the hare¡¯s trail and made sure it was in the exact middle of the path. This would ensure that the hare would dive straight in-between the forked branch when it came by again.


    ¡°If we add the rope noose to this, would the trap be ready then?¡± Little Shitou watched the whole process with increasing interest and felt that it was quite easy to set traps.


    Zhao Han ruffled the little boy¡¯s hair and replied, ¡°We still need to insert a couple more branches on the sides of the trap. The purpose of adding those sticks is to prevent the rabbit from swerving past thesso. By plugging up all the other escape routes, the hare can only go into the noose.¡±


    The youth then brought out the rope, tied a loop, and inserted it onto the forked branch. Thesso was about ten centimeters 3 above the ground. Yu Xiaocao used her own hand to measure the distance and memorized how far it was. In the future, this would be her ticket to making money!


    ¡°Brother Han, the noose looks so big, won¡¯t the rabbit be able to escape?¡± Little Shitou asked anxiously as his innocentrge eyes looked at Zhao Han.


    Zhao Han looked at him and then looked at Yu Xiaocao who was also staring at him. ¡°It won¡¯t. Do you see the knot in the rope? Once the hare runs into thesso, the more it struggles, the tighter it will get. If we made itrger, not only would rabbits be unable to escape but also wild boars!¡±


    The pair of siblings nodded their heads in unison. Their eyes were full of worship as they stared at the slender and young youth.


    The thirteen year old Zhao Han felt satisfied having the two kids adore him so much. He proudly waved a fist and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! The deeper we go, the more prey there is for us to catch!¡±


    As Zhao Han turned, Yu Xiaocao took this window of time to open her water sack and sprinkled a couple drops of her mystic-stone stone water around the trap. After that, she caught up with the two boys as if nothing had happened.


    [Stinky Xiaocao, naughty Xiaocao! Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re wasting precious resources? This is the water that I, this heavenly stone, bathed in. It contains more restorative power than an old ginseng root! And you¡¯re using it to lure wild rabbits!¡±]


    The spirit came out of the multicolored stone in its familiar tiny golden kitten form. It climbed onto Yu Xiaocao¡¯s head. Other than its master, no one else could see it.


    Xiaocao cated the arrogant spirit mentally, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, once we trap some game, I will reward you with some water taken from bamboo roots grown in the deep mountains. Didn¡¯t you say that the water from there would restore your spiritual power faster?]


    Actually, the best way to restore its power was to help its master and gain its master¡¯s gratitude. However, the spirit never said it out loud as it was afraid that its master would give it more missions that it deemed beneath itself.


    Seeing that the arrogant spirit had finally calmed down, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s steps became much lighter. She could finally concentrate on learning how to set traps.

 Chapter 29 – Setting Traps

    <h4>Chapter 29 ¨C Setting Traps</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao learned how to set traps very quickly because she was motivated. By noon, she could already do all the steps independently. Before she knew it, the group had entered the deepest part of the forest.


    Bam!


    A hard nut fell down and hit Little Shitou¡¯s head.


    ¡°Yeouch! Who hit me?¡± Little Shitou held his head and lifted his eyes to find the person who attacked him.


    Bam!


    Another nut smacked him on the forehead. An ash gray squirrel peeked its head through the leaves and regarded the three humans inquisitively.


    ¡°Stupid squirrel, how dare you throw stuff at me!¡± Little Shitou picked up a rock from the ground and hurled it up towards the trees. The squirrel, with another nut in its paws, darted across the branches and disappeared.


    Yu Xiaocao bent over and picked up the ¡®lethal weapon¡¯ from the ground and found that it was a hazelnut. Sheughed, ¡°Shitou, we hit the jackpot! This is a hazelnut tree, if we saute these nuts they will taste really good! When we¡¯re done setting traps, we should also harvest some hazelnuts so we¡¯ll have more variety to eat during winter!¡±


    Little Shitou was not interested in the idea and refused, ¡°I don¡¯t want to! All that hard work will not benefit us! We¡¯re not going to be the ones eating these hazelnuts!¡±


    Zhao Han quickly ran through ideas in his head and came up with a solution. ¡°If you two trust me, then you can leave the hazelnuts at my home. Whenever you want to eat them, I¡¯ll have mother cook them for you. You guys can then eat them at my house!¡±


    That¡¯s not a bad idea! Yu Xiaocao grinned in delight. In the future, with the divine stone¡¯s water, the amount of game she caught would not be small. However, she absolutely could not bring the game home as she would not benefit from it. Not having a hiding ce for her hauls had tormented her. Now, her problem was solved. It was as if she had been sleepy and a pillow had appeared out of nowhere!


    Zhao Han scampered up the extremely tall hazelnut tree. He plucked all of the ripe hazelnuts and let them fall to the ground. The harvest was going too slowly for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s taste, so she grabbed a thick branch and started whacking the hazelnut tree. Leaves and twigs showered down around them.


    This particr tree was on the older side. The hazelnuts it grew weren¡¯t very big but the quantity of nuts wasn¡¯t small either. Within minutes, the three of them were able to pick a whole basketful of hazelnuts.


    ¡°Luckily Brother Han carried a basket all the way here. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t know how we¡¯d get these nuts back to the vige!¡± Little Shitou grinned widely, and his eyes squinted up into small crescents.


    As the three of them went back on the same route they came on, Yu Xiaocao kept her eyes wide open to look for the traps they had set earlier. Seeing that, Zhao Han chuckled, ¡°Catching hares takes a little bit longer than that...¡±


    Just as the words came out of his mouth, Yu Xiaocao interrupted him with an excited shriek, ¡°Look! What¡¯s that? Is it a small deer? So cute!¡± This trap was one set personally by Yu Xiaocao. It was obvious that a young creature, barely out of infancy, had been caught by the rope. The animal had a coat of ashy yellow fur, pointy ears that curved up, a dark and round nose, and four slender legs. The fur on its butt and back legs were white and made it look like it was wearing a pair of pants with an open crouch, simr to the ones used for potty training.


    The little creature that had been caught didn¡¯t struggle it all. It stood in ce stupidly and was nibbling on the nearby grass. Zhao Han strode over and, with one hand, caught the foolish little animal. Heughed, ¡°It¡¯s not a small deer, it¡¯s a dumb roe deer. This little guy is quite stupid. After getting caught, it didn¡¯t struggle to get out and is only interested in eating.¡±


    Young children all loved small, cute animals. Little Shitou went up to rub the creature¡¯s ears and cheerfully said, ¡°Second Sister, this roe deer is a little foodie!¡±


    Shitou naturally learned the term ¡®little foodie¡¯ from his second sister. He applied it immediately to the little roe deer.


    Despite being delighted by her catch, Yu Xiaocao feigned being disappointed, ¡°Such a small animal. It doesn¡¯t look like it has much meat on it. Not worth much on the market!¡±


    ¡°Second Sister, we can bring it back to raise. Once it gets bigger, we¡¯ll have meat to eat!¡± Little Shitou was a foodie down to his bones. He challenged himself to take on the difficult task of carrying the roe deer back to the vige. Although he managed to lift the animal off the ground, he could only stagger a few steps before he fell. The roe deer tumbled over with him. Fortunately, the ground underneath them had a thickyer of grasses and weeds so neither of them were hurt.


    Yu Xiaocao dismantled the noose from the trap and then tied up the little roe deer with asso around its neck. She then gathered a couple handfuls of dried, yellow grass and poured thest bit of her celestial stone water on top of it. With that, she lead the roe deer behind her. The rope was in one hand, and the grass was in the other. The small creature opened itsrge, dark, innocent eyes and followed her from behind, like a clever and obedient child.


    ¡°Second Sister, do you think this little roe deer has been raised by humans? Howe it¡¯s not afraid of us and even wants to get closer to us?¡± Little Shitou skipped beside the animal and asionally ran a hand across its fur.


    Zhao Han guffawed, ¡°We¡¯re in the deep wilderness, not a household is in sight! Where would someone raise this? In my opinion, I think this little guy got lost from its mother. It probably thinks you two are its substitute mother!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wanted to cover her eyes in exasperation. Although her clothes were very dull and gray, this didn¡¯te even close to the roe deer¡¯s coloring. How bad would the creature¡¯s eyes have to be in order to mistaken them as its mother?


    As they headed down from the mountain, more than half of their traps had caught some game. The other half had been destroyed by some sort of animal or other. Zhao Han was astonished by their luck. After carefully inspecting the surroundings, he realized that the vegetation near the broken traps had pretty much all been eaten down to a stubble.


    ¡°Looks like the wild animals on the mountain are pretty lively today. Are they all starting their winter preparations early?¡± Zhao Han, who had never seen such a sight, was perplexed by the odd circumstances. He decided to ask his father what was going on today after his father got back from hunting.


    Yu Xiaocao was pleasantly surprised when she discovered that her scheme to making money had worked. She eximed, ¡°Brother Han, we had a fruitful trip today!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Not only did we catch some hares but we also caught some pheasants. Even better is that most of them are still alive. My father told me that live game is easier to sell!¡± Little Shitou excited said.


    Zhao Han had to agree with them. ¡°Our luck today was quite good! However, with all this game, we can¡¯t possibly eat them all. In the afternoon, my father and Uncle Yu were nning on going into town to sell what they caught. How about we also let my father sell some of our game?¡±


    ¡°I want to go into town too!¡± Yu Xiaocao eyed the ten animals that were on the ground. Judging by what she knew about Brother Han¡¯s personality, she figured she could get at least two or three from their harvest.


    Zhao Han was aware of her family¡¯s circumstances and thought a bit before replying, ¡°I¡¯ve been to town many times and I¡¯m pretty familiar with how to get there. How about I take the two of you there together?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao became pleased beyond expectation when she heard his suggestion. Although she could convince her father to leave behind one or two pieces of game to feed her and her siblings, it was unlikely he¡¯d ever be okay with having a separate, hidden purse from the rest of the family.


    From his perspective, he was helping the Yu Family produce a future county schr-official or possibly even a provincial official. Having an official in the family would also benefit his children¡¯s futures greatly. This was the reason why he was happy to work so hard to earn money for them.


    If he knew his own daughter had her own supply of cash, he wouldn¡¯t sell her out. However, should Madam Zhang everin about not having enough money, he¡¯d be hard-pressed not to let the secret out! With that thought, Yu Xiaocao became more resolute in her decision to hide her own money from her mother and father.


    She looked up at the sky and figured that it was still pretty early. She told Zhao Han to bring the hazelnuts and game back to the Zhao residence while she ran with Little Shitou back to their own home. They needed to retrieve that old ceramic pot.


    ¡°Oh ho!¡± The two of them almost collided with their grandmother as soon as they crossed into the courtyard.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes squinted in dislike and deep furrows appeared between her eyebrows. ¡°You little brat! You disappeared at the crack of dawn! Do you not know how to help the rest of the household do some chores?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes deliberately and looked at the elderly woman innocently. ¡°Grandmother, I also want to help gather fishwort, chop firewood, and other chores. But you know I have a weak body. What if I got sick from exhaustion and needed to spend money to see the doctor? For someone like me, it¡¯s probably better that I don¡¯t cause any trouble. Don¡¯t you think that makes the most sense?¡±


    Madam Zhang didn¡¯t know what to say since everything Xiaocao said was true. Seeing that the little girl was carrying therge ceramic pot out, the area between her eyebrows smoothed out slightly. The old woman nodded in approval.


    ¡°Are you going out to catch some fish with that? Although the fish you caughtst time were on the smaller side, they still had a good vor. Your younger uncle¡¯s son, Little Douzi, really enjoyed eating them. Catch some extra and I¡¯ll send some over tomorrow to your uncle.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao frowned for a split second before she adjusted her expression into a congenial smile. ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait until tomorrow. Uncle Zhao¡¯s son, Brother Han, had caught some wild hares today and wanted to go into town to sell them. How about I go with him after I catch some fish? That way Younger Uncle will be able to eat some fresh and vorful fish stew tonight.¡±


    Madam Zhang didn¡¯t even hesitate before she agreed. ¡°This urn of yours is too small, how much fish can it carry? How about you bring a jug that we use to pickle vegetables instead? That should be able to carry enough fish tost your uncle a couple of meals.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao recalled the size of the earthenware crocks, which were about a foot and a half in height, and stared at her grandmother in mute silence before replying, ¡°Grandmother, do you really think my tiny body has the strength to carry something thatrge? Then again, those fish aren¡¯t exactly easy to catch. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be able to catch enough to fill even this pot! Grandmother, I¡¯m going to leave now. Brother Han might leave without me if I¡¯m toote.¡±


    Before Madam Zhang could reply, she pushed the ceramic pot into Little Shitou¡¯s arms and scuttled into the kitchen. On the stove were three piping hot steamed rolls that had just been cooked. She grabbed two of the three buns from the basket, used some oiled paper to wrap them up, and ced them into her small carry-basket that was on her shoulders.


    ¡°Hey! You little minx, those rolls were for your grandfather and the other men...¡± Madam Zhang, who had followed closely behind, cried out in distress.


    Yu Xiaocao had already sped hands with her little brother and ran out the gate. Her voice floated back, ¡°It¡¯ll take us a couple hours to walk to the town, if we don¡¯t eat, how will we be able to get there? Don¡¯t worry, grandmother! I promise that your precious grandson will be able to drink some fresh fish stew tonight...¡±


    Although Madam Zhang wanted to chase after them, it was toote. The infuriated old woman stomped loudly around the courtyard and her curses filled the air.


    By the time the two siblings finished catching the fish in the valley and came back, it was almost nine in the morning. When they arrived at the bottom of the hill that housed the Zhao residence, they saw Zhao Han at the top of the hill, carrying arge basket on his back. They could see the youth waving at them in the distance, hinting at them to not climb the hill.


    The thirteen year old was already over 1.7 meters 1 in height. In addition, he practiced martial arts all year long, so carrying a load of more than ten pieces of game was a piece of cake for him. Zhao Han strode over with his long and powerful legs and quickly reunited with the two siblings.


    The youth snatched the ceramic pot out from Xiaocao¡¯s hands in a natural movement and grinned, ¡°I noticed that you two really seemed to like that dumb roe deer, so I made the decision to leave it back home. Do you guys want to bring it back to your family or have it live at my ce? It¡¯s your choice.¡±


    Little Shitou¡¯s eyes were bright with happiness and he had a small smile on his face. ¡°Second Sister, let¡¯s bring it back home to raise? The little roe deer doesn¡¯t have much meat on it, so grandmother won¡¯t want to eat it right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Yu Xiaocao agreed without thinking too much about it. The little roe deer was quite adorable, and with the celestial stone water, it would probably stay docile.


    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid your family members will harm it, just tell them that I caught it and wanted you guys to raise it for a bit.¡± Zhao Han twisted his head around to talk to them as he continued to walk forward.

 Chapter 30 – Specialty

    <h4>Chapter 30 ¨C Specialty</h4>


    As the three chatted, they had started walking on the road that lead to town. When they passed the foot of the mountain, a thin figure with a small bag could be seen walking in front of them from afar.


    With keen eyes, Little Shitou had recognized the person in the distance, ¡°Second Sister, the person in front of us looks like Brother Qian Wen. He must be returning to town because his break had ended.¡±


    ¡°Brother Qian Wen¡ª¡ªBrother Qian Wen¡ª¡ª¡± Without waiting for his sister¡¯s response, the little fellow had already cupped his mouth with his little hands and shouted.


    That figure stopped in his tracks and turned around to look towards them.


    As they gradually walked closer, Yu Xiaocao could see the young boy¡¯s face more clearly. He had fair skin and delicate facial features. With gentle and refined manners, he was handsome young boy with a fair and cleanplexion.


    ¡°Older Brother Zhao, Little Shitou... Is this your second sister?¡± Qian Wen¡¯s lips curled up slightly as he curiously looked at young girl with pale skin and big eyes in front of him. Little Shitou was a good friend of his younger brother, Qian Wu. In thest two months, the kid had frequently mentioned his second sister.


    Little Shitou grinned, ¡°That¡¯s right, Brother Xiaowen. Doesn¡¯t my second sister really look like my eldest sister? People usually mix them up. How did you recognize her immediately?¡±


    Qian Wen took the little fellow¡¯s hand and continued walking to town, ¡°Although I haven¡¯t seen your eldest sister many times, the children of a fishing vige usually have darker skin because they frequent the beach. Your second sister seldom goes out, so she has a lighterplexion.¡±


    Little Shitou carefully examined his second sister¡¯splexion and firmly nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right! Second Sister definitely hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet since her face looks so pale.¡±


    The little fellow had heard that sick people generally had a more pallidplexion. He didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of ¡®pallid¡¯ and just thought that it was unhealthy to be pale.


    Yu Xiaocao had a big ¡®awkward 1¡¯ character within her heart! ¡®Qian Wen, as a schr, was it really alright to be openly discussing a youngdy¡¯s skin color?¡¯ As for her foolish younger brother, ¡®Your sister has a fairplexion because she used mystic-stone water to wash her face every day, alright? When did you see me being ill? This was called being pale with a rosy glow, which was very healthy!¡¯


    On the other side, her ignorant younger brother had already started chatting with someone else, ¡°Brother Xiaowen, are you going back to town for your studies? We¡¯re going with Brother Han to sell game. Let¡¯s travel together!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to walk quite a distance to reach town. Can you keep up, little guy?¡±


    ¡°I can! I¡¯m really amazing. Even Second Sister isn¡¯t as good as me!¡± Uh, she just suffered another blow.


    ¡°Shitou, if you¡¯re tired, let me know. Brother Xiaowen will carry you.¡±


    ......


    Yu Xiaocao never thought that the first person to be exhausted wasn¡¯t the five year old Little Shitou, but herself. Her physical body had never travelled a long distance by foot. She had be much healthier after being nourished by the mystic-stone water. However, after only walking such a short distance, her legs were already sore, and her entire body felt weak.


    They had only walked less than a quarter of the way, but Yu Xiaocao¡¯s little face was already turning wan. She wiped the sweat on her forehead, gritted her teeth, and kept on staggering forward.


    The tall and burly Zhao Han was naturally fine, and even the seemingly weak Qian Wen didn¡¯t seem tired. He wasn¡¯t breathless and his face wasn¡¯t flushing, while he strode ahead vigorously. Little Shitou had been running around the mountains and seashore ever since he learned to walk, so walking on this road was rather easy for him. He was hopping and chirping throughout the trip, as if he was a cheerful little sparrow.


    Qian Wen heard a wheezing sound, which was simr to the sound of a bellows. He turned around and looked at Xiaocao with concern, ¡°Xiaocao, give me your bamboo basket. I¡¯ll help you carry it.¡±


    There were only two steamed buns within her basket, but it felt like someone was deliberately pulling down on her basket. Moreover, her legs were so sore that she could barely lift them. Qian Wen¡¯s bag didn¡¯t look very big, but was filled with heavy contents such as books and an inkstone. Besides, she wasn¡¯t very close with him, so wouldn¡¯t it be rude for her to let him carry it for her?


    ¡°No need. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a bit!¡± Xiaocao shook her head and wiped the sweat on her forehead. She sat on the side of the road, gasping for air.


    Little Shitou bit his thumb and said, ¡°Second Sister, with your speed, we might not be able to get back before it gets dark!¡±


    Xiaocao gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand up. She nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up then! We don¡¯t want to dy Brother Xiaowen¡¯s studies...¡±


    At this time, an ox cart came from afar, while squeaking the entire way. After taking a closer look, they realized that the driver was Old Zhang from Xishan Vige. When Old Zhang saw them, he smiled good-naturedly and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the kid from Dongshan Vige¡¯s Qian Family? Are you guys going to town?¡±


    Every two days, Old Zhang would transport a cart of firewood to town, which seemed to be a reservation made by a cksmith in town. A load of firewood would cost over fifty copper coins. As long as the family helped out, this was a rather good deal for the Zhang Family, who owned an ox cart.


    ¡°Grandpa Zhang, Xiaocao has a weak constitution and had never walked so far before. Can you please let her sit on your cart¡¯s shaft?¡± Qian Wen saw that there was no room for people to sit on the ox cart, since it was stacked with firewood. Thus, he asked about the cart¡¯s shaft instead.


    ¡°So this is the Yu Family¡¯s Xiaocao! I¡¯ve heard from your maternal grandfather that you¡¯ve injured your head. Are you fully recovered now? How can your parents be so at ease with letting you kids go to town by yourselves?¡± Old Zhang lived close to Madam Liu¡¯s maiden family, so he swiftly agreed. He lifted Xiaocao onto the cart with his big hands.


    Even though she would asionally feel the pain of being jabbed by the firewood behind her, but it was still much easier than walking on foot. Xiaocao watched as her younger brother excitedly guide the ox after being ced on its back by Old Zhang.


    ¡°Brother Han, your basket is pretty heavy. Let me hold it.¡± After all, Zhao Han was only thirteen, so it was quite tiring to travel while carrying so many game. There were over ten game in his basket, which probably weighed over a dozen catties all together. His forehead was already covered with sweat.


    He looked at Yu Xiaocao who was wobbling as she sat in the cart. His lips twitched and he shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not heavy. I can carry it myself.¡±


    Riding on the ox cart, the group finally arrived in town at around half past ten in the morning. Tanggu Town was still bustling with excitement likest time.


    After Xiaocao and her younger brother thanked Old Zhang, he warmly arranged a meeting time with them for the trip back to the vige. If the siblings wanted to ride on his ox cart on the way back, they could meet him outside the town gate at dusk.


    After parting with Qian Wen, Zhao Han handed the ceramic pot back to Xiaocao, and then held each of the siblings¡¯ hands as they walked on the busy street. The street was wide enough for two horse carriages to run side by side and they could see horse wagons filled with cargo from the wharf rushing through the streets from time to time. In Xiaocao¡¯s opinion, as an essential route for transporting ocean freight to the capital, this was a small town with great potential for future developments.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many people at the market in the afternoon. Should we go ask Fulin Restaurant first?¡± Zhao Han had followed his father to sell game several times in the past. He knew that his father had business with the two biggest restaurants in town, so he asked for the siblings¡¯ opinion first.


    Yu Xiaocao recalled how she parted on bad terms with Fulin Restaurant when she was selling abalonesst time, so she suggested, ¡°I reckon we should go to Zhenxiu Restaurant first!¡±


    Zhenxiu Restaurant was slightly farther away than Fulin Restaurant, which was one of the reasons that Zhao Han wanted to visit Fulin Restaurant first. However, Zhao Han was quite surprised to hear Xiaocao¡¯s remark.


    ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯ve also heard of Zhenxiu Restaurant? In recent months, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s business has indeed exceeded Fulin Restaurant. Thus, they must need a lot of game. I heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant seems to have learned a method to make a special sauce with oyster from someone. Vegetables saut¨¦ed with that whatchamacallit sauce are even tastier than meat dishes!¡±


    ¡°Oyster sauce! Hailizi is also called shenghao in the south!¡± Hearing that Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s business was prospering due to oyster sauce, Yu Xiaocao was extremely proud inwardly and could hardly resist from beaming with joy.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s called oyster sauce!¡± Zhao Han bowed his head, looked at her, and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, how did you know? Did Uncle Yu tell you?¡±


    Of course, Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t exin to him that the recipe for the oyster sauce came from her. Thus, she just nodded evasively.


    After walking for about fifteen minutes, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s magnificent sign appeared before their eyes.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s such a tall building!¡± Little Shitou gaped in amazement. It was his first time seeing a three-story building after walking so far. Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s magnificent charisma and luxurious d¨¦cor left asting impression on the little fellow.


    Noon was the busiest time for a restaurant. In front of Zhenxiu Restaurant, there was an endless stream of customers dressed invish silk brocades. There were also many posh horse carriages parked nearby. The tall horses were unsaddled and leisurely eating forage.


    ¡°Second Sister, we... we shoulde back when there¡¯s less people.¡± Little Shitou noticed that all the people entering and exiting the restaurant were affluent people dressed in fancy attire. Looking at his own patched-up clothing, he felt somewhat inferior and was unable to move forward.


    Zhao Han grabbed his little hand and calmly said, ¡°Little Shitou, we didn¡¯t steal anything or rob anyone, so there¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of! You guys wait here and don¡¯t wander off. I¡¯ll go over to ask.¡±


    Looking at the young man¡¯s tall and handsome back, Yu Xiaocao felt as if she was looking at a young general who was preparing for his first battle...


    The entire Zhao Family, from Grandpa Zhao to the thirteen year old Zhao Han, gave her the impression that they weren¡¯t a simple hunter¡¯s family. They would unconsciously radiate an imposing aura and a soldier¡¯s demeanor that a mere hunter¡¯s family wouldn¡¯t possess.


    The tall and handsome youth took up a conversation with the server who was greeting the customers. He put down the carrying basket, took out a wild hare that was still twitching, and said something to the server. At first, the waiter shook his head incessantly, as if they weren¡¯t going to take their game.


    In fact, big restaurants usually had their own means to obtain supplies, which were all imported goods. So, they naturally wouldn¡¯t ept goods from any random person.


    ¡°Young brother, we just caught these game this morning, so they¡¯re all fresh. Look at this hare, it¡¯s still so lively!¡± Zhao Han tried his best to sell his game. They can¡¯te all the way in vain.


    The young waiter shook his head and said, ¡°Sorry, but our restaurant doesn¡¯t need anymore game. It¡¯s still really hot right now, so if we have too much, it will be hard to preserve them.¡±


    ¡°Most of the game we brought over are still alive. Even if you keep them overnight and sell them tomorrow, they will still be very fresh. It was difficult for me toe here with my younger brother and sister, so please make an exception.¡± Zhao Han gestured towards the direction that Xiaocao and Shitou were standing.


    ¡°We¡¯re really not taking them...¡± The server abruptly stopped in the middle of his rejection when looked towards the direction Zhao Han indicated.


    His eyes beamed when he saw the appearance of the little girl in the distance. He walked around Zhao Han and swiftly walked over with a smile,


    ¡°Miss Yu, I¡¯m so happy to see you again! Ever since you leftst time, our young boss had asked about you several times. He was afraid that some idiots wouldn¡¯t recognize you the next time you sent game over, so he specially transferred me over to greet the guests...¡±

 Chapter 31 – Another Pretty Boy

    <h4>Chapter 31 ¨C Another Pretty Boy</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao finally recognized the waiter in front of her. He was originally a staff in the kitchen. When she made the oyster saucest time, he was the one who assisted her.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Young Brother Li! You actually still remember me!¡± With the ceramic pot in her hands, Yu Xiaocao smiled, revealing her shallow dimple.


    The waiter tactfully took the earthenware jar from her hands and smiled until his eyes appeared like a line, ¡°Of course I recognize you. How can I not?! Our young boss and Head Chef Wang mentions you multiple times every day, so there¡¯s no way I could forget about you. Are you... sending abalones over again?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s that easy to obtain abalones? This is a type of wild fish caught in the mountain. Whether it is boiled in soup or fried, it will still be very delicious. It¡¯s rare that I have the chance toe to town, so I brought some over for Third Young Master to try.¡± Since he had missed her so much, she should return his concern with a gift. Yu Xiaocao turned the wild fish she was going to sell into a gift for Third Young Master Zhou.


    The server grinned happily, ¡°Well, this is such a coincidence. Today, our young boss is hosting a banquet for several of his friends at noon. We were just troubled that there wasn¡¯t a new dish to present. Miss Yu is really sending coal in the snow¡ªa timely assistance.¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯ve been here before?¡± Zhao Han was quite surprised inwardly when he saw the waiter¡¯s change in attitude.


    The server interjected, ¡°Yes, of course! Our restaurant¡¯s signature dishes, ¡®stir-fried choy sum 1¡¯, ¡®fresh mushrooms in oyster sauce 2¡¯, and ¡®oyster sauce braised eggs 3¡¯ were all created by Miss Yu! Oh, so this little brother came with Miss Yu. Pleasee in! Pleasee in quickly!¡±


    The server guided the sister and brother pair to the side entrance to enter Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s rear court. Zhao Han hastily carried his basket filled with game and followed them.


    ¡°Teacher¡ª¡ªTeacher, quicklye see who came!¡± The waiter had already started shouting before he even entered the rear court.


    Head Chef Wang¡¯s loud voice was apanied by the nking of a spat, ¡°Stinky brat, why are you being so noisy? Can¡¯t you see that your teacher is busy? Hurry up ande over to help!¡±


    The waiter¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t inferior to that of Head Chef Wang¡¯s, ¡°Teacher, Miss Yu came! She also brought over a lot of game and a jar of small fish!¡±


    As soon as he said that, Head Chef Wang¡¯s plump figure rushed over like a cannonball, and then abruptly stopped in front of Yu Xiaocao. He patted the little girl¡¯s shoulder with his chubby hand and spoke in a booming voice, ¡°I have been hoping to see you again and you finally came! Did you know that our Zhenxiu Restaurant haspletely defeated Fulin Restaurant with the help of your oyster sauce? Little girl, let Old Wang know if you have any more new recipes.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grimaced in pain after being smacked by his big palm, which was like a bear¡¯s paw. She stepped back to maintain a safe distance and said, ¡°I taught you how to make oyster saucest time as aplimentary gift for the sess of my first business deal. I¡¯m not going to give out my secret recipes!¡±


    The meaning within her words were very clear, ¡®Of course I have new recipes, but don¡¯t even think about getting them for free!¡¯


    ¡°Hey! Miss Yu, we meet again! I forgot to ask where you are from when we metst time. It was very rude of me!¡± Today, the handsome young boy of the Zhou Family wore a moon-white colored brocade robe, a white jade crown, and a pair of patterned soft-soled boots. He looked like such an elegant and beautiful young man!


    Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly and said, ¡°Third Young Master, how have you been? We caught some game while hunting in the morning. Would your restaurant be interested in taking them?¡±


    Her skin was as delicate as the snow, while she had big eyes that were dark and clear. Her eyshes were thick and curly... Although her clothes were old and shabby, it was unable to conceal the confidence and glow that she radiated. Within his heart, Zhou Zixu faintly felt that even the nobledies in the town might not beparable to the graceful demeanor of this fisherman¡¯s daughter in front of him.


    ¡°We¡¯re taking them! Of course, we¡¯re taking them! Our restaurant is pretty busy today, so we are worried that there might not have enough game! Li Qiang, aren¡¯t you going to hurry up and settle the payment?¡± Zhou Zixu hinted at the waiter, who was just foolishly standing on the side.


    Zhao Han put down the carrying basket and took out the game inside. There were nine plump wild hare and six pheasants, with eight of the game still alive and kicking.


    Third Young Master Zhou instructed the waiter, Li Qiang, ¡°The market price for wild hare is twenty copper coins per catty, while pheasants are fifty copper coins each. However, the price for live game is even higher. Let¡¯s just calcte it based on the weight, so twenty-five copper coins per catty.¡±


    Fifteen game weighed a total of seventy-eight catties, but the young server tactfully rounded it up to eighty catties. Thus, the fifteen game were sold for a total of 2,000 copper coins.


    The server gave Zhao Han two ingots, which were worth one tael each. After receiving the money, Zhao Han turned toward Yu Xiaocao, who was still speaking with Third Young Master Zhou, and stuffed the ingots into her hands.


    ¡°Brother Han, the game were all caught in the traps that you set. Why are you giving all the money to me?¡± If he just gave her one or two hundred copper coins, then Yu Xiaocao would had epted it with no qualms. After all, didn¡¯t she also contribute? However, he was giving all the money to her. Although she loved money, she would never take the fruits of another person¡¯sbor.


    Zhao Han saw that Xiaocao had hid her hands behind herself, refusing to ept the money. He couldn¡¯t just force it into her hands, so he tried to exin, ¡°If I wasn¡¯t teaching you guys how to set traps today, I would not had nned on entering the mountains. I have a good idea of how much game I usually catch with my traps. I probably got lucky today because of you siblings, so the game should belong to you guys... Quickly take the money!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking it! Today, most of the traps were set by Brother Han. I¡¯m already very grateful that you¡¯re willing to teach us how to catch rabbits. Furthermore, we¡¯re always eating the game you caught, so how can we take the money that you earn from selling game?¡± Yu Xiaocao shook her head like a rattle-drum and refused to ept the two ingots.


    [You¡¯re such an idiot! Without this Divine Stone¡¯s bathing water, he should be content with just two or three game, let alone fifteen! This is all due to my contribution, so the money should have originally belonged to us!]


    Its master was short on money right now, so if it helped its master earn more money, this deed should be able to elerate its power intake, right? Taking advantage of the fact that no one else could see it, the little divine stone impatiently flew back and forth in front of Yu Xiaocao. However, Yu Xiaocaopletely ignored it.


    Zhao Han couldn¡¯t win over this stubborn little girl, so he pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Today, you ended up setting up most of the traps. After making a rough estimation, you should take half the credit for these game. You don¡¯t want to take advantage of me, but as your older brother, how can I shamelessly take advantage of you?¡±


    [Who said we only made half of the contribution? It was all the work of this Divine Stone! This brazen mortal actually dared to steal my credit. Look at how this celestial stone is going to punish you¡ª¡ª] The tiny golden kitten looked extremely adorable as it bared its teeth and swung its ws angrily.


    While Yu Xiaocao quietly shouted at it to stop in her mind, she also had to resist the urge of squeezing it in her hands. Moreover, she had to control her facial expression from exposing her thoughts. Thus, in other people¡¯s eyes, she had a ratherplicated expression on her face.


    Zhou Zixu didn¡¯t want to see them arguing over a mere two ingots, so he interjected, ¡°I don¡¯t think either of you should decline. Since both sides have made contribution, you guys should just split it evenly!¡±


    Although one tael wasn¡¯t a lot, it had far exceeded Yu Xiaocao¡¯s expectation. Her biggest achievement for today was learning how to set traps. With this new skill, would she stillck the opportunity to earn money?


    Seeing that they had no objection to his suggestion, Zhou Zixu wanted to speak up again, but he was interrupted by a clear and gentle voice behind him, ¡°Zixu, Brother Wu and Brother Yang arrived already. Do you want to go over to greet them?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked towards the sound and couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. Such a delicate beautiful young man. With aplexion that was purer than snow and a picturesque face, he was dressed in a sky-blue schr robe that made him looked even more refined. It seemed that even the most meticulously drawn borate-style painting wouldn¡¯t be able to urately depict this young man¡¯s features.


    Wow! The water in ancient times really fostered beauties. When justparing their appearances, the three young boys in front of her each had their own advantages. They were truly beautiful young men!


    The gorgeous young man might had felt her intent gaze. With a slight frown, he faintly swept a gaze over her, which gave off a different type of feeling.


    Yuan Yunxi¡¯s upbringing made it difficult for him to make crude remarks. However, it was definitely impolite for a young girl to stare at him so openly. When he saw her tattered clothing and young age, he felt slightly more relieved. It was considered excusable that a little girl from a poor family didn¡¯t understand proper etiquette.


    ¡°Little Brother Xi, this is the Miss Yu, who I have mentioned to you before. She was the one who gave us the recipe for the oyster sauce for free. Your favorite stir-fried choy sum was made with her recipe.¡± Zhou Zixu enthusiastically introduced Yu Xiaocao to his close friend.


    Yu Xiaocao also recovered from her daze and subtly nodded at the little pretty boy.


    Yuan Yunxi was an innate foodie, so when he heard Zhou Zixu¡¯s words, the displeasure within his heart had partially dissipated. He lightly nodded and said, ¡°No wonder my grandfather always often said ¡®true masters were among the people¡¯. It seems like he was right. A six or seven year old little girl with such skills and breadth of mind is really admirable!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Stop being so pedantic! Don¡¯t you see the earthenware jar in Miss Yu¡¯s hands? There must be something good inside. Go help me greet the guests first and wait for the delicious meal that¡¯singter!¡± Zhou Zixu had a close friendship with him, so he didn¡¯t treat Yuan Yunxi as an outsider and sent him back to the restaurant¡¯s private room to attend to the guests.


    Yu Xiaocao lowered her head to look at the little white fish in the jar. She helplessly looked at Third Young Master Zhou and said, ¡°These wild fish from the mountain were definitely tasty, but when did I ever say I was selling them?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not selling them aftering all the way here. Are you nning to eat them yourself?¡± Zhou Zixu nearly reach out to snatch the ceramic pot when he heard the fish inside were delicious.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m not the one eating it! It¡¯s my little cousin who likes to eat this! My grandmother told me to bring them over today. If I don¡¯tplete my mission, then I¡¯ll definitely be scolded when I get home!¡±


    With a disappointed expression, Zhou Zixu looked at the fish in front of him and spoke with a pleading tone, ¡°Aren¡¯t there plenty of fish in there? You can just give me half of them! It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve already made a promise, so if I can¡¯t fulfill my promise, I¡¯ll lose credit in front of my friends. Wouldn¡¯t that be really shameful? I¡¯ll buy them for a high price, wouldn¡¯t that be fine? Your grandmother wouldn¡¯t scold you anymore when she sees all the money.¡±


    As he spoke, he took out an ingot with the value of five taels and stuffed it into Little Shitou¡¯s hands. A basket of game was sold for only two taels, so five taels for several fish should be enough, right?


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up, but she pretended to be in a difficult position and lowered her head to ponder before reluctantly agreeing to him.


    Zhou Zixu instructed the waiter to bring a basin over, poured out half of the fish within the jar, and told the kitchen staff to clean them. After that, he made another request shamelessly,


    ¡°Look, Head Chef Wang and the others have never cooked this type of fish before. Why don¡¯t you just be a good person until the end and help us make the dish? It won¡¯t take up too much time. In a moment, I¡¯ll have the kitchen prepare a feast for you guys. It¡¯s alreadyte noon, so you guys must be hungry!¡±

 Chapter 32 – Foodie

    <h4>Chapter 32 ¨C Foodie</h4>


    Wow! There was a free meal to eat! Yu Xiaocao lowered her head to look at her younger brother, asked for Brother Han¡¯s opinion, and then readily agreed. However, she didn¡¯t openly disy the method of how to cook the small fish and requested for everyone to leave the kitchen.


    Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t n on taking advantage of Xiaocao, so he led her to an independent little kitchen. After that, he personally guarded the entrance to prevent others from peeping. He didn¡¯t know about others, but Head Chef Wang had been eagerly trying to see if he could learn something with the excuse of helping Xiaocao.


    In fact, the small white fish itself had a savory vor, so even if she didn¡¯t use a lot of seasonings to enhance the taste, it would still be delicious. There wasn¡¯t any difficulty or secrets with preparing the fish. She just wanted to create a sense of mystery as an ¡®expert¡¯, since there might be opportunities for cooperation in the future.


    Yu Xiaocao made the dish with the simplest vors, which were salt, scallions, and ginger. In order to make the soup taste more delicious and refreshing, she speciallydled some water and told Little Glutinous Dumpling to soak in it, and then she poured the little divine stone¡¯s ¡®bathing water¡¯ into the soup.


    The thick broth was a milky-white color and the fish instantly melted within the mouth. It tasted delicious and refreshingly smooth... The youths at the table nearly got into a fight for the sake of getting another mouthful of the fish stew.


    Even the gentle and elegant Yuan Yunxi became a ferocious little beast when he fought for the fish stew and fish meat. It was inevitable since he was influenced by his grandfather, who was an old foodie, and became a little foodie.


    The culprit, Yu Xiaocao, was currently inside Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s ¡®VIP¡¯ room. She was leading her younger brother to enjoy the most sumptuous lunch she had eaten since she transmigrated here. The three of them were served with six dishes and a soup, which included four meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. Head Chef Wang had cooked all the dishes himself and they were all his most skilled dishes, so they naturally tasted very good.


    Even Zhao Han, who had seen more in life, ate until he was stuffed. Xiaocao and her younger brother were even more bloated. Xiaocao was frightened when she saw Little Shitou moaning as he touched his round tummy, so she quickly helped him rub his belly. It would be bad if he became sick from overeating.


    [He¡¯s fine! Just drink some of my bathing water. It can help digestion and prevent sickness...] When they were eating, the little divine stone had been hovering around the appetizing dishes with a glowing gaze. It almost dived right into the food, but it was a pity that the little divine stone was unable to touch them.


    ¡®Humph! Once I, this Divine Stone, recover some more of my powers, I¡¯ll be able to take a physical form. At that time, I¡¯ll definitely eat to my heart¡¯s content!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao wanted to ignore it, but it was very difficult to do so. So, she quietly flicked its body and caused it to roll over. After being flicked, the little fellow bared it teeth and ws at Xiaocao.


    Xiaocao reced the cold tea within the pot with mystic-stone water. After she poured Zhao Han a cup, she fed some to Little Shitou and drank a few mouthfuls herself.


    Yu Xiaocao certainly wouldn¡¯t waste the remaining half of the ginseng chicken soup on the table, so she asked the waiter for a basin and packed the chicken soup. She smiled at her younger brother and said, ¡°I was just worried that we didn¡¯t bring anything good for our oldest brother to eat!¡±


    After lunch, Yu Xiaocao exchanged a few words with the manager, asked for the direction to the carpentry shop named ¡®Zhang Ji¡¯, and then left with Zhao Han and her younger brother


    On the street, there were the sounds of hawkers advertising their goods, customers bargaining, and greetings between acquaintances. When all the sounds were intertwined together, it became a song that depicted a lively town market.


    ¡°Selling sweets! Candies for sale! Sweet maltose candy 1!¡± A candy vendor, who was carrying his goods with a pole, loudly shouted as he walked past the siblings. Little Shitou turned around to look at the maltose candy covered in white powder that the vendor was carrying. It was as if his eyes were stuck on the maltose candy and unable to move away.


    Children of poor families rarely had the chance to eat sweets. Last year, during the New Years, their father had caught a deer that was sold for a good price, so he bought one catty of maltose candy for the children. However, their grandmother, Madam Zhang, had cursed at their father for exactly two hours, saying that he was spoiling his children and wasting money. Moreover, she took away and hid the sweets, while iming that they needed to save it for the guests.


    In the end, the siblings finally got a few pieces of candies after their grandfather spoke up. Since their grandmother was unwilling to give any more no matter what anyone said, each person only received a piece of maltose candy that was about the size of a fingernail. Furthermore, no one knew what happened to the rest of the candies. However, Little Shitou could never forget that sweet taste and slightly sticky texture. It was chewy without being greasy.


    Seeing the look on her younger brother¡¯s face, Xiaocao felt somewhat sad inwardly. She stopped the candy peddler and took out some copper coins, ¡°Please give us ten copper coins worth of maltose candy.¡±


    Although the siblings¡¯ clothes were worn-old, but they looked very clean. Thus, the hawker didn¡¯t look down on the siblings and replied with a smile, ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°No need, no need!¡± Little Shitou gulped his saliva as he shook his hands sensibly, ¡°Second Sister, don¡¯t waste money. I don¡¯t like to eat sweets.¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s heart ached as she caressed his head. She smiled and said, ¡°I want to eat it, alright? Didn¡¯t we earn some money today? It¡¯s fine to use ten copper coins! Little shopkeeper, weigh it for us!¡±


    The candy vendor was delighted when he heard her calling him ¡®little shopkeeper¡¯. He carried his goods on a pole and walked through the streets every day, but his greatest wish was to open a candy store and be a boss. As he cut the maltose, he slightly tilted his knife and cut off a little more of the sweets for them.


    Xiaocao asked the hawker to cut the maltose candy into the size of a thumb. She took a piece of candy in her hand, and then carefully wrapped the rest with an oiled paper. She deliberately shook the sweets in front of Little Shitou, sniffed it with her nose, and loudly eximed, ¡°So sweet. It must be very tasty. It¡¯s a pity that my younger brother doesn¡¯t like to eat these sweets. I guess I have to eat them all myself!¡±


    Little Shitou licked his lips as he watched his sister shaking the maltose candy. He had a pitiful expression on his face, as if he was a little puppy who wanted a bone. However, he resisted his desire and didn¡¯t ask his sister for the candies.


    Xiaocao stopped teasing him and stuffed a maltose candy into his mouth. After that, she took her cute and obedient younger brother into her arms and said, ¡°Little Shitou, in the future, I¡¯ll buy candies for you every day. I¡¯ll also get delicious snacks...¡±


    ¡°No! When we have money, we need to buy a cotton-madeforter first. The cottons within our parents¡¯forter are already bursting out. Also, we need to buy clothes for you and eldest sister. Your clothes have be too small, so they¡¯re no longer wearable. I¡¯m fine with not eating candies!¡±


    The little guy kept the maltose candy within his mouth and refused to chew on it. Thus, he only licked it with his tongue. The sweet taste slowly melted within his mouth and he blissfully narrowed his eyes like a satisfied little kitten.


    ¡°Alright, alright! After we divide from the family, I¡¯ll buy a new set of clothing for everyone in the family and some more beddings. I¡¯ll make white rice and wheat flour steamed buns for Little Shitou every day...¡± Xiaocao held her younger brother¡¯s hand as they walked to the carpentry shop.


    Little Shitou grinned even more happily, ¡°Isn¡¯t eating white rice and wheat flour every day too wasteful? It¡¯s probably better to save them up and use them when we need them in the future...¡±


    Zhao Han walked behind the siblings and quietly listened to their conversation. Was this the affection between siblings? He was an only child and rarely interacted with his peers in the vige. As he observed the friendly rtionship between the siblings, an unexinable feeling surged into his heart.


    This small town had three vertical and horizontal streets. The carpentry shop that Xiaocao¡¯s eldest brother, Yu Hang, ¡®worked¡¯ at and Zhenxiu Restaurant were both located on the busiest street. As they spoke, the sister and brother pair could already see the sign for Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop.


    In her previous, Xiaocao had dropped out of middle school before she graduated. After transmigrating here and faced with theplicated traditional Chinese characters, she was practically illiterate. She would only recognize some words by guessing.


    The craftsmen at the carpentry shop were pretty skilled and the manager would often go to the capital for ¡®training¡¯. People from town and surrounding areas, who were slightly more well-off, liked to customize furniture and utensils at Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop. Thus, it was natural that their business was doing very well.


    When the siblings entered the shop hand in hand, a worker had heard the movement and stood up with a smile. However, his expression instantly turned grim when he saw their clothes. With a long face, he hollered, ¡°Leave, leave, leave! This isn¡¯t a ce for you paupers toe and y. Hurry up and scram!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao furrowed her brows. Although she was very angry at this snob, she held back and asked, ¡°Young brother, my eldest brother is an apprentice in this carpentry shop. His name is Yu Hang. May I trouble this young brother to pass on a message that his younger siblings havee to see him?¡±


    ¡°Yu Hang? Someone already came to visit himst month, why is his familying to visit again? If your family doesn¡¯t want him to work here, then he should just scram. To be freelying in and out, where do you think this is?¡± The worker had an impatient expression and spoke with a voice full of disdain.


    Xiaocao suppressed her anger and spoke with a gentle voice, ¡°Young brother, it¡¯s not easy for us toe all the way here, so please help us out.¡±


    The worker threw the rag in his hand onto the table heavily, went to the backdoor of the shop, and shouted towards the yard, ¡°Yu Hang! Yu Hang! Someone¡¯s looking for you!¡±


    The worker returned to the front of the shop without waiting for a response. He picked up the rag and shooed them away like flies, ¡°Go outside to wait! Don¡¯t hinder our business... Sir Fang, pleasee in! Your customized folding screen is ready. Pleasee in and take a look!¡±


    With a manservant beside him, a graceful young man in fine clothes came out of a horse carriage in front of the carpentry shop. When the worker saw him, he hastily pasted on a ttering smile and politely guided him into the shop.


    Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders and smiled, ¡®People are so realistic.¡¯


    That young man slightly nced at the sister and brother pair. His gaze stopped briefly on her self-mocking smile. Fang Xun had seen the worker¡¯s earlier behavior, so he thought that these siblings, who were obviously from a poor family, would feel wronged, sad, and avoidant...


    He didn¡¯t expect the older sister to just smile indifferently with a calm expression on her face. This type of attitude, which was neither haughty nor humble, seemed like an indication of her extraordinary future. However, Fang Xun¡¯s footsteps didn¡¯t stop for this matter. He had thought that they were just a passing guest in each other¡¯s lives and never expected that he would meet her again in the near future...


    ¡°Second Sister, Shitou, why are you guys here?¡± Yu Hang limped out of the shop with a face filled with heartfelt joy.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, what happened to your leg? Also, your face...¡± Little Shitou widened his doubtful eyes and asked with concern.


    Yu Xiaocao looked closely and saw two clearly visible red and swollen marks on Yu Hang¡¯s delicate face. Moreover, he looked like he was in pain as he walked out earlier.


    Yu Hang touched the bruises on his face and pretended to be fine, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. While I was working, I identally tripped over some wood and strained my foot. My face was scraped by the branches on the timber. Don¡¯t make a fuss over such a minor injury. Second Sister, is your health better recently? Is everything alright at home? Do you guys have enough to eat?¡±

 Chapter 33 – Beaten

    <h4>Chapter 33 ¨C Beaten</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao noticed his eyes darting around as he spoke and understood that his injury was not that simple. She recalled the short story that she read in elementary school called ¡°Vanka 1¡±. In the story, apprentices were free sources ofbor who were often cruelly beaten for the smallest reasons.


    Looking at her eleven year old older brother¡¯s thin figure and emaciated face, Yu Xiaocao knew that his life at the carpentry shop wasn¡¯t very good. As she answered Yu Hang¡¯s series of questions, she took out the cloth bag that she used to wrap the shepherd¡¯s purse stuffed buns,


    ¡°Everything is fine at home. Brother Han taught me how to set traps to catch wild hares. I earned one tael from selling the game today. Eldest Brother, you don¡¯t have to worry. If you¡¯re unhappy staying at the carpentry shop, thene home. Our family has enough food for everyone, including you...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing great here! The head craftsman often praises me for being a good worker and that I work hard to learn the skills. He also said that he will teach me how to ne wood in a few days! In two years, when I graduate from apprenticeship, I¡¯ll be able to get a sry and support our family. By the way, why did you guyse here?¡± Yu Hang swiftly changed the topic as he secretly rubbed his injured leg, which ached from being hit.


    Little Shitou took a piece of candy out of the oiled paper bag, stuffed it into his older brother¡¯s mouth, and grinned, ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s young boss also treated us to a meal! A table full of food for just the three of us. Eldest Brother, I saved half a chicken for you. It was made with ginseng. You should quickly have a taste!¡±


    ¡°Brother Han, thank you for bringing my younger brother and sister to visit me. However, it¡¯s too far from the vige. Xiaocao¡¯s health isn¡¯t very good, so she can¡¯t walk such a long distance. You guys don¡¯t need toe again.¡± Yu Hang didn¡¯t take the chicken soup Xiaocao handed over and thanked Zhao Han. After that, he turned to warn his younger siblings.


    Xiaocao shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. On the way, we encountered Grandpa Zhang, who delivered firewood to town. We borrowed this basin from Zhenxiu Restaurant, so you should hurry up and drink the chicken soup. If you can¡¯t finish the chicken, then wrap it in the oiled paper. It won¡¯t spoil even if you leave it until the evening. I also brought steamed buns for you. They were just freshly cooked before I left, so I got two of them for you...¡±


    Xiaocao could tell that her older brother wasn¡¯t being treated very well at the carpentry shop, so she decided to frequently send food over to him in the future.


    ¡°I have a lot to eat and drink here, so I¡¯m already tired of eating steamed buns. You guys should just take the steamed buns back to eat yourselves. Don¡¯t send me any more food in the future. The meals provided by the carpentry shop are pretty good!¡±


    Yu Hang hid the fact that he ate hard bean pancake with cold water every day because he didn¡¯t want his family to worry about him.


    If Yu Xiaocao was really an eight year old child, she would have definitely been fooled. She deeply sighed within her heart and pretended to be angry,


    ¡°What? Are you already used to eating good food and are now looking down on our family¡¯s coarse grain buns? Even if they provide good food here, it can¡¯t bepared to the good intentions of our family. Take it quickly! Otherwise, I¡¯ll be angry!¡±


    Yu Hang had wanted to say something, but choked up. His heart was filled with familial warmth as he quietly held the cloth bag that his younger sister had forced into his hands. It had been nearly three months since he came to be an apprentice. He was often scolded and beaten by the shop¡¯s worker and craftsmen. Even though he was often dizzy and weak due to hunger, he still had to perform hard and heavybor every day. Thus, his entire body would be sore and painful every night. There were also times when he almost couldn¡¯t endure any longer... However, he would always think of his family during those difficult times. He would remember his mother¡¯s gentle smile, his father¡¯s encouraging gaze, and his younger siblings¡¯ cute smiling faces...


    The only reason he had sustained for so long was because of his family!


    ¡°Yu Hang! Where the hell did you go? Until when are you going to ck off? The shop¡¯s order of timber arrived. Aren¡¯t you going to get back in here to work? It¡¯s such a waste to feed youzy bums...¡±


    The owner of the carpentry shop, Shopkeeper Zhang, looked out and examined Xiaocao and Shitou¡¯s attire. He twitched his lips in disdain, and then yelled fiercely at Yu Hang.


    Yu Hang held the cloth bag tightly in his arms and forced a smile, ¡°Our Manager Zhang appears like a mean person, but he¡¯s actually very nice. He usually treats us very well... I need to go in to work. Be careful on your way back. You don¡¯t need to send food over in the future. I¡¯m fine...¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in here yet?! If you don¡¯t want to work anymore, then scram! A piece of junk that just wastes food!¡± Manager Zhang impatiently berated, as if he was ordering a submissive animal.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her older brother¡¯s back as he hastily ran inside. She decided in her heart that she will take Yu Hang home as soon as possible. Apprentices had no freedom and human rights. Furthermore, even their self-esteems were trampled on by others. Thus, she would be the one to protect her own family!


    Little Shitou held the bag of sweets within his hand, but it was as if the candies had lost all its sweetness. The little fellow seemed to be holding back his emotions as he raised his head to look at his second sister and said,


    ¡°Second Sister, if only there was a way to make people grow up more quickly. If I¡¯m a grown up, I can be like our father. I can catch a lot of game and earn money to support our family. That way, other people will not look down on us and Eldest Brother will not be bullied by other people...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao caressed his little head and wanted to give him an approving smile, but she sighed deeply instead.


    ¡°Older Sister, Brother Han, where are we going now?¡± Little Shitou had already lost his initial excitement as he walked with his head bowed.


    Zhao Han noticed that the siblings weren¡¯t in a very good mood. He pondered briefly and said, ¡°It¡¯s still pretty early right now. After we deliver the fish to your younger uncle, we can just casually roam the street.¡±


    The three quickly found Yu Bo¡¯s rented residence. He had gone to the academy and wasn¡¯t at home. Xiaocao politely declined her younger aunt¡¯s, Madam Zhao, warm offer to stay. After she left with Zhao Han and her younger brother, they began strolling on the street.


    The main road of Tanggu Town¡¯s three streets was lined up with restaurants and inns. Right now, all the biggest restaurants and inns were owned by the wealthy Zhou Family.


    Some of the wealthy noblemen, who had been traveling by sea, would stay and rest in Tanggu Town after they arrived ashore. The streets were full of noblemen dressed in fine clothes and mounted on groomed horses. It was also quitemon to see exquisite horse carriages apanied by maidservants and senior servants.


    With enjoyment and satisfaction, the siblings observed their surroundings as they walked.


    Little Shitou held the pastries that his sister second brought with one hand, while he messily ate the candied hawthorn stick in his other hand. His big eyes seemed insufficient to take in everything, as there were so many new and interesting things to see in town.


    ¡°Huh? Second Sister, isn¡¯t that Uncle Zhao and Father?¡± With the hand that held the candied hawthorn stick, Little Shitou pointed at the bustling crowd ahead. He looked more carefully and confirmed, ¡°It really is our father! Second Sister, let¡¯s quickly go over...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao swiftly stopped her younger brother and shook her head in disapproval, ¡°Why are you going over? If Father finds out that we sold game, can we still keep a secret purse? If all the money goes into our grandmother¡¯s purse, then we¡¯ll have to starve and freeze in the winter!¡±


    Little Shitou looked at the pastries and candied hawthorn stick in his hands. If his grandmother took all the money, would he still be able to eat the sweetly-sour candied hawthorn and the sugary maltose candy?


    ¡°Second Sister, what should we do?¡± Little Shitou worshipped his second sister, who seemed like apletely different person ever since she injured her head.


    When he followed her, not only could he eat meat, but he could also earn and save money. Even their grandmother didn¡¯t dare to discipline her. Second Sister was also a very generous person. She was willing to buy expensive pastries for him to eat. Thus, he decided that he would firmly support all decisions made by his second sister in the future. It was an unshakeable promise that he would keep for thirty years!


    Yu Xiaocao had unexpectedly gained her younger brother¡¯s loyalty with just some crude pastries and candies hawthorn that cost around a dozen copper coins. No wonder he was a little foodie!


    Holding onto her younger brother, she pulled on Zhao Han¡¯s sleeve and swiftly dodged into an alley. If she hadn¡¯t moved quickly, she would have been caught by her father.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhao Bufan, who was carrying a male deer, couldn¡¯t help but ask when he noticed his close friend, Yu Hai, looking back from time to time.


    There were several small game hanging on Yu Hai¡¯s tall body. With slightly creased brows and pursed lips, he muttered hesitantly, ¡°Just now... I think I saw Xiaocao and Shitou...¡±


    ¡°Your second daughter and youngest son? Are you sure? How could they possibly walk so far to town when one of them has a weak constitution and the other is only five? You probably saw someone who looked simr to them and made a mistake.¡± Zhao Bufan would have never thought that his own son would bring two young children to town to sell game.


    The supposedly weak Xiaocao was extremely bold and leisurely shopping after she sessfully avoided her father.


    [Master, Master! I can sense spiritual energy nearby. It¡¯s on your right side. Quick, take me over to check it out!] The little divine stone was so anxious that it forgot its pledge of ¡®not acknowledging Xiaocao as its master¡¯. The energy nearby was quite strong, so if it could absorb the energy, then it would be even better than bathing for ten days.


    Yu Xiaocao hastily looked towards her right. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a pharmacy? Could it be that this pharmacy also sells elixirs that helps with cultivation?¡¯


    ¡°Tong¡ªRen¡ªTang... Second Sister, I can recognize these characters!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s face was a sticky mess after he finished the candied hawthorn. He looked up with a smiling face, as if he wanted to beplimented and loved.


    Her younger brother can read? Of course, he should be praised. Yu Xiaocao generouslyplimented, ¡°You¡¯re worthy of being my younger brother. You were actually able to read! Tell me, where did you learn it from?¡±


    Little Shitou grinned happily and proudly said, ¡°Second Sister, Eldest Brother learned a lot of words from our younger uncle. After that, he taught the three of us. I can recognize over two hundred characters... You injured your head, so you probably don¡¯t remember anymore!¡±


    ¡°Although I can¡¯t remember some things clearly, I can still recognize these characters.¡± It was a lot more convenient since the original host also recognized a few words.


    Little Shitou nodded and said, ¡°Second Sister, when learning to read, you were the fastest learner among the three of us! Younger Uncle said you probably have excellent retentive memory. If you were a boy, our family would definitely send you to study at the academy.¡±


    Xiaocao noticed his envious tone, so she caressed his little head and said, ¡°Our Little Shitou is also very smart. You¡¯re only five, but you can already recognize so many words. Don¡¯t worry, your older sister has money. I¡¯ll send you to study at the academy next year. It will be the same if youe back to teach me after you learn how to read.¡±


    Little Shitou recalled that the rich young master gave his second sister an ingot, which should be enough for a year¡¯s tuition. The little fellow smiled even more brightly since there was hope that he could go study.


    Zhao Han, who was silently walking behind the siblings and protecting them, was surprised to see Yu Xiaocao entering the pharmacy, ¡°Xiaocao, are you not feeling well? If you¡¯re sick, you must go treat it. You mustn¡¯t dy it and don¡¯t be afraid of spending money...¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re the one who¡¯s sick!¡¯ However, Yu Xiaocao was somewhat doubtful of the medical skills of the vige¡¯s barefoot doctor, Doctor You. When she transmigrated into this body, it was already in such a dire state. Hopefully, there wouldn¡¯t be any lingering effects from her past illnesses. She should let the doctor in town take her pulse, so she could either treat her illness or be at ease.

 Chapter 34 – Study Medicine

    <h4>Chapter 34 ¨C Study Medicine</h4>


    Tongren Medicine Hall was thergest and most popr pharmacy in town. Allegedly, the pharmacy¡¯s Doctor Sun was born in a family of imperial physicians from the previous dynasty and had high medical skills. Even noblemen from the capital came to see him for medical examination.


    As soon as Yu Xiaocao went in, she saw a sage-like old doctor with white hair and beard. At this time, he was carefully taking a patient¡¯s pulse.


    [Spiritual energy! There¡¯s so much spiritual energy!] Little Divine Stone hurriedly rushed towards the rows of medicine cabs and clung onto the cab with the strongest energy.


    ¡°Little girl, where are you feeling unwell?¡± After the old physician prescribed a prescription for the patient and instructed his young student to gather the medication, he finally had time to greet Yu Xiaocao.


    Little Shitou was somewhat nervous as he replied, ¡°Old grandpa, my second sister injured her head three months ago and nearly died. When she woke up, she couldn¡¯t remember a lot of things. Old grandpa, can you please take a look at my second sister?¡±


    Seeing that the young boy was good-looking and polite, Old Doctor Sun replied with a pleasant smile, ¡°Sit down and let me, this old man, check your pulse.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s previous health condition was indeed worrying. She had gotten seriously ill shortly after her birth. At that time, her young life was saved with the help of Doctor Sun, but he had also asserted that Xiaocao might not be able to live past the age of ten without careful nursing.


    However, with the daily nourishment of the mystic-stone water, the lingering illnesses within Xiaocao¡¯s body had already been cleared. Thus, apart from ack of exercise, there was nothing wrong with her body and she was a lot healthier than before.


    Old Doctor Sun was a former imperial physician after all, so after he took her pulse and examined the wound on her head, he said, ¡°You were born with a weak constitution, but an expert had nurtured your health with effective medicine. Your body is very healthy, but you need to be more physically active. Don¡¯t stay indoors all day.¡±


    ¡°As for your memory loss, this old man had seen a simr case in the past. You probably have a blood clot in your brain due to the fall and the blood clot might be pressing down on a nerve. However, based on your pulse, it doesn¡¯t seem like you have any major problems. The blood clot should disperse over time and you will gradually recover your memories.¡±


    Zhao Han became nervous when he heard that there was a blood clot, ¡°Old doctor, is there any medicine to elerate the dispersion of the blood clot?¡±


    Old Doctor Sun looked at the siblings¡¯ shabby clothes and shook his head with a smile, ¡°All medicines are partially poisonous. It better not to take medication when you don¡¯t need it!¡±


    Moreover, that medicine was quite expensive. If it was only taken for a short period of time, then it wouldn¡¯t be effective. However, it wasn¡¯t affordable for people like this little girl¡¯s family when taken for an extended period of time. Anyways, there wasn¡¯t any major problems. This little girl was still so young, so what¡¯s wrong with not remembering the past?


    Yu Xiaocao could also somewhat guess the old physician¡¯s thoughts, so she gratefully said, ¡°Old grandpa, thank you so much! With your words, my family and I can be at ease now. How much should we pay for the check-up?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t prescribe any medication, so you don¡¯t need to pay for the medical fee. Little girl, can you tell me who¡¯s the expert who nurtured your health?¡± Old Doctor Sun had an inevitable sense of appreciation for such a highly skilled medical expert.


    Hearing that his second sister was fine, Little Shitou¡¯s heart finally rxed and he became lively again, ¡°Old grandpa, my second sister¡¯s health have always been looked after by Doctor You of Dongshan Vige. He has excellent medical skills. My second sister had such a big and bloody wound on her head, but it was cured in a few days after using Grandpa You¡¯s medicine!¡±


    ¡°Dongshan Vige? You Yong?¡± Doctor Sun couldn¡¯t help shaking his head andughing. You Yong was a folk practitioner who had studied medicine under him for a while. Thus, he knew better than anyone else about the level of You Yong¡¯s medical skills. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t believe that You Yong could cure fetal diseases with his feeble medical skills.


    However, he knew propriety. If they didn¡¯t want to tell him, what¡¯s the point in forcing them?


    Little Divine Stone finished absorbing the strongest source of energy and burped in satisfaction. Yet, it was insatiable and wanted to absorb more energy. No matter how tiny a mosquito was, it still had meat. At least, energy absorption was a much easier method to improve its powers than bathing.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched as she watched it going from the ¡®ginseng¡¯ cab to the ¡®lingzhi¡¯ cab. Oh my god! The old physician was such a benevolent and skillful doctor. If he lost some precious medicinal herbs because of her, then she would seriously be a vicious and ungrateful person.


    Yu Xiaocao sternly stopped the little divine stone¡¯s action, thanked the old doctor several times, and then she hurried out of the pharmacy with her younger brother.


    [Is your butt on fire? Can¡¯t you wait until I¡¯m done absorbing the spiritual energy before leaving?] The little divine stone was annoyed right now. If it could take a physical form, it would definitely scratch her with its ws. Its precious spiritual energy. The restoration of its powers...


    Yu Xiaocao had a calm appearance as shemunicated with the unreasonable little fellow in her mind, [How are you still in the right when you¡¯re destroying other people¡¯s medicinal herbs?]


    [How am I tarnishing other people¡¯s medicinal herbs? Ignorant and stupid human! Did you think the herbs will be useless after I absorb its energy? Absurd! The spiritual energy that I, this Divine Stone, consume can¡¯t be used by weak human beings like you. It¡¯s a waste to keep it anyways!] The little celestial stone shifted into its poisonous tongue mode.


    [If you don¡¯t shut up, I¡¯m not going to bring you to the pharmacy again!] As its master, she definitely had her own ways to control it. So easy!


    The little celestial stone was briefly stunned, but it was able to adapt to different circumstances and began acting cute, [Master, you¡¯re such a great master! An almighty master! You¡¯re even more remarkable than the Goddess of Spirits and more powerful than the Jade Emperor...]


    [Stop, stop! Stop with your nonsense! Can¡¯t you speak like a normal person? How can you be someone¡¯s pet when you don¡¯t even know how to tter people?] Yu Xiaocao acted in an extremely arrogant manner.


    ¡®Pet? You¡¯re a pet, your whole family are pets!¡¯ Little Divine Stone pouted and muttered, [Pat a horse¡¯s butt 1? The horse¡¯s butt is so dirty and smelly. Why would I pat it...]


    Yu Xiaocao quietly bickered with the little divine stone along the way and quickly arrived at the ce where they agreed to meet Old Zhang.


    Old Zhang had already delivered the firewood that was on his ox cart and was waiting for them there. Yu Xiaocao greeted him sweetly and handed him a bag of pastries, ¡°Grandpa Zhang, we were lucky to have encountered you. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know if I can make it to town with these legs of mine. This is a little present from us. Please ept it.¡±


    Although the small bag of snacks wasn¡¯t very expensive, Old Zhang knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it even after selling a cart of firewood. It wasn¡¯t easy for the child to make some money, so he firmly refused her offer,


    ¡°Why would an old man like me eat pastries? You siblings should enjoy it yourselves. Cao¡¯er, do you still need to take medication now? After drinking the bitter medicine, you can eat a piece and change the taste in your mouth!¡±


    The ox cart rocked as it started to move. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t take the pastries that Old Zhang handed back and pointed at the other bag within her younger brother¡¯s hand, ¡°Grandpa Zhang, I have stopped taking medication a long time ago. Look, we have some more! You can take it back for your grandson to eat!¡±


    After declining for a while, Old Zhang helplessly epted the bag of pastries. ¡®Old Liu had a great granddaughter! She was clever and generous. May the heavens be fair and let this child live a long life.¡¯


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, Grandpa Zhang delivers firewood to town every two days. If you want to go to town, then wait at the intersection. I usually set off after eating breakfast.¡±


    She got a free ride in exchange for a bag of crude pastries. What a great bargain!


    After bidding farewell to Old Zhang, they continued to walk for quite a distance. The sky was already dark when the three of them arrived at the entrance of the vige.


    There wasn¡¯t much entertainment for people during ancient times. They usually began work at sunrise and rested at sunset. Thus, there weren¡¯t many vigers in sight at this time.


    ¡°The person in front looks like Doctor You.¡± Zhao Han had a keen eyesight and recognized the dark figure in the distance.


    They quickly walked forward and Yu Xiaocao warmly greeted her savior, ¡°Grandpa You, where are youing from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Xiaocao! Did you guys just return from the town?¡± Doctor You looked kindly at the sister and brother pair, and then happily replied, ¡°I just came down from the mountain.¡±


    Zhao Han replied, ¡°Doctor You, why are you sote today? Didn¡¯t I warn you already? There¡¯s a lot of wild beasts in the mountain, so it¡¯s dangerous at night.¡±


    ¡°Today, I was dyed while trying to find an herb. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Doctor You was rather polite when he spoke to Zhao Han.


    ¡°Grandpa You, you can just tell us what kind of herbs you need! We often go set traps in the mountain with Brother Han. We can pick them up for you if we see them!¡± Little Shitou cleverly suggested.


    Doctor You stroked his beard andughed, ¡°Can you recognize the herbs, little man? Don¡¯te back with weeds.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognize them, but Grandpa You can teach us! Second Sister says that I¡¯m very smart. I can already recognize over two hundred words!¡± Little Shitou lifted his chest in a confident manner.


    Yu Xiaocao thought of the mystic-stone water when she heard Shitou¡¯s suggestion. She might be able to openly help the people she cared about through this method. After a moment of deliberation, she said, ¡°Grandpa You, can I study medicine with you?¡±


    Doctor You had watched as Xiaocao grew up and was even more attentive to this little girl than his own grandchildren. Within his heart, Yu Xiaocao was just like his own granddaughter, so he swiftly agreed without any hesitation, ¡°Alright! As long as you don¡¯t think it¡¯s boring, you can start by learning to identify the herbs!¡±


    Although he boasted about being a disciple of Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s Doctor Sun, he had only learned the basic skills. Medical knowledge that was passed down from the ancestors would only be taught to sons and not daughters, let alone an outsider.


    Thus, Doctor You had only learned the most basic andmon medical knowledge. There wasn¡¯t anything worth hiding from others. If someone wanted to learn from him, he wouldn¡¯t be stingy with his teachings.


    Yu Xiaocao and her younger brother were concerned about the foolish roe deer. After they bid farewell to Doctor You, they went to Zhao Han¡¯s house first. Auntie Zhao, who was elegant and graceful, had already stir-fried the hazelnuts. She filled the front cloth of siblings¡¯ jacket with hazelnuts and said, ¡°Eat some first. If you bring too much back, who knows who it will actually benefit! Auntie has a lot more, soe back tomorrow if you want to eat more!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao loudly agreed. In her heart, Auntie Zhao¡¯s family was a lot more important than some so-called rtives. It naturally wasn¡¯t necessary to be overly courteous to her own people.


    Yu Xiaocao held the hazelnuts with one hand, while she ced a hazelnut in her mouth. She cracked open the shell and happily ate the delicious hazelnut. From time to time, she would stuff the hazelnut into her younger brother¡¯s mouth after she cracked open the shell.


    As for that foolish little roe deer, they didn¡¯t need to be concerned about it at all. They just needed to sprinkle a little mystic-stone water on their pants and the little guy would follow them closely. It was even more obedient than Little Shitou.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er! Shitou! Why were you guys out ying until thiste and justing back? You kids haven¡¯t eaten dinner yet, right?¡± In a distance, a tall figure appeared on the path leading to their home. Their father had actually arrived home earlier than them. He was quite a fast walker!

 Chapter 35 – Adorable Pet

    <h4>Chapter 35 ¨C Adorable Pet</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao gleefully rushed forward. Her father stooped over and lifted her up in his arms. She sheepishly pushed a hazelnut into his mouth and grinned, ¡°Father, I learned how to set traps! I even caught a giant wild hare in one of my traps! And it was still alive!¡±


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t stint on his praise. ¡°Our Cao¡¯er is really capable. In the future, Father will just wait to eat the hares that you catch.¡±


    ¡°Father, Father! We also caught a small roe deer! Look, it even follows us around without being lead. It¡¯s really obedient!¡± Shitou said sweetly. The little boy pulled on his father¡¯s trousers with one hand as he pointed at the dumb little roe deer that was running around him.


    Yu Hai dropped his head to take a closer look at the small animal on the ground. Earlier, it was too dark for him to see clearly, so he had thought the creature was some other family¡¯s dog that came along. He had never thought that this was actually a baby roe deer.


    Yu Hai set his daughter down and bent down to look at the roe deer. The little fellow¡¯srge dark eyes were wide open and confused. It nced at his daughter and even started to rub its head on his daughter¡¯s legs...hey!


    He had never seen a roe deer that wasn¡¯t afraid of humans before. Was it really because it had lost its mother and thought that his children were the same species as it? Dumb roe deer, dumb roe deer. Since it had ¡®dumb¡¯ in its name, it really couldn¡¯t be very smart.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, did you catch it or did Zhao Han catch it? We should never try to take advantage of others!¡± Yu Hai was very grateful to Zhao Bufan, who was also known as Older Brother Zhao, for taking him under his wing. Most of his hunting skills were learned from his good friend, so he was apprehensive that his youngest daughter was being unreasonable and was just asking other people for things.


    Yu Xiaocaoughed as she shook her head. ¡°I had just learned how to set traps today, so it was only beginner¡¯s luck that I managed to catch a wild hare today. This little roe deer is actually Brother Han¡¯s. We¡¯re helping him raise it for a couple of days! After a while, we¡¯ll send it back to him.¡±


    Yu Hai nodded his head in approval. ¡°That¡¯s right, after ying with it for a few days, you should send it back. I¡¯m not sure if this creature is easy to take care of or not, but you guys need to be careful. Don¡¯t let it die on your watch! If you two siblings really end up liking it, Father will trade some game tomorrow with the Zhao family to get it for you. You should never ask for someone else¡¯s stuff without offering something in return. Do you two get that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father!¡± Yu Xiaocao took a couple of hazelnuts from her bag and handed it to her father. ¡°Try some! We found some earlier in the forest and Auntie Zhao sauteed them for us. They¡¯re really tasty!¡±


    Seeing that his youngest son had a couple of hazelnuts falling out of his pockets, Yu Hai hastily bent down to pick them up and asked, ¡°Did you two spend the entire day at Uncle Zhao¡¯s house? You didn¡¯t make any trouble for them, did you?¡±


    ¡°We went into town. Look! Second Sister bought me some pastries!!¡± Little Shitou had long forgotten his promise to his second sister and sold her out to their father.


    Yu Hai¡¯s slowly frowned as he first looked at the pastries wrapped in oil paper and then his daughter. Where did they get the money to buy these pastries? Was it really the money left over from selling the abalone?


    ¡°Father, Brother Han trapped a lot of game today so he went into town to sell them. Since we had nothing better to do, we followed him. I also caught a hare today so I sold it. I got about a hundred copper coins for it, so I also bought some candy and snacks. This is what¡¯s leftover!¡± Yu Xiaocao naturally didn¡¯t reveal herrger stash of coins. Instead, she fished a small string of copper coins, about fifty to sixty coins worth, to show her father.


    As Yu Hai lead his two children back towards the family residence, he continued to lecture, ¡°You three kids are all daredevils! The oldest one among you is only twelve to thirteen years old and you all dared to go into town. What if some kidnapper got to you guys? In the future, if you want to go into town, wait until Father goes to sell game too. If either of you get tired, I can carry you for a bit.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t tired! Grandpa Zhang from Xishan Vige came by with an ox cart and we sat on it. Second Sister even gifted him a bag of snacks!¡± Little Shitou couldn¡¯t help but be a little obsessed over that bag of pastries.


    ¡°Your second sister did the right thing. When someone else helps us, we need to give something in return. If we only want to take advantage of others, who will help us in the future when we¡¯re really in a bind?¡± Yu Hai began to instruct his children.


    Before long, the three of them entered their family courtyard. At this point, the sky had turnedpletely dark. Autumn nights in the north tended to be on the chillier side. The rest of the Yu Family, other than the second branch, had long retired to their own rooms to rest. The east-sided room was the only one that had a faint glimmer of light still shining.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er and Shitou, you two must be hungry. Your father kept a steamed roll behind. Mother can heat it up for you on the small mud stove and then the two of you can share it!¡± The advantages of having a mild-mannered mother in this life were suddenly apparent. Her previous mother, in her old life, would also heat up leftover food for her if she got homete from ying outside. However, the food also came with a serving of scoldings as well.


    Little Shitou carefully peeked his head out of the room before quickly closing the door. He opened up the bag of pastries and started to divide the snacks out to everyone. Although the little boy loved eating sweet and soft pastries, he didn¡¯t have the habit of enjoying them alone.


    The packet made of oiled paper had six pieces, so he gave everyone at home a piece each. He stared at the remaining piece for some time, hesitating, before he finally said, ¡°This piece will be saved for Older Brother.¡±


    Yu Hai and his wife¡¯s expressions noticeably dimmed after hearing Shitou. The room sank into an awkward silence. After quite a while, Yu Hai finally sighed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t save it. We don¡¯t know when your older brother will be able toe back, and these snacks can¡¯t sit out for too long. The three of you should split the piece and eat it instead. Next time when Father goes into town, I¡¯ll buy some more for your brother to eat.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought of how exhausted and weak her older brother looked when she saw him earlier. Her heart ached and she quietly said, ¡°Father, let¡¯s bring Older Brother back, okay? He¡¯s not asfortable there as he is at home, right?¡±


    ¡°I also want to bring your older brother home, but...¡± After they brought him home, what then? There would be fight waiting for them if they did that.


    Yu Xiaolian snarled furiously, ¡°Our grandmother and Eldest Aunt always think we¡¯re a bunch of parasites! But we¡¯re not eating from their bowls! Every piece of game that Father sells is enough to feed us for several months!¡±


    Xiaocao sat heavily on the kang bed and mumbled, ¡°If we could split off from our family, that would solve the problem!¡±


    Xiaolian¡¯s eyes lit up before they quickly dimmed again. She shook her head and said, ¡°Our grandmother would never agree! She¡¯s counting on our father¡¯s money making abilities to pay for Younger Uncle¡¯s schooling fees...¡±


    ¡°What are you two saying? The family does not split as long the parents are alive! Your grandfather and grandmother are both still here! Talking about dividing from the family is asking for others to gossip behind our backs. Never talk about stuff like this outside!¡± After baking the steamed roll until it was crisp on the edges, Madam Liu split open the bun and added some salted vegetables to it. She then handed the food to Xiaocao and her brother.


    Madam Liu put her piece of the pastry back into the oiled paper bag as she wanted to leave it for her children to eat tomorrow. However, when her attention was caught elsewhere, Xiaocao popped the piece into her mouth.


    Creeeeeek¡ª¡ª


    The sound of the wooden door opening abruptly stalled the festive atmosphere in the room. Madam Liu hastily swallowed the pastry in her mouth and her hands flew to her face in a fruitless effort to wipe off any crumbs without being conspicuous.


    All five pairs of eyes immediately looked over towards the door. Although there was a crack, they couldn¡¯t see anyone there. When they gazed down, they found a pair ofrge ears poking up from a small head that inquisitively stretched in to inspect the room.


    When the limpid and dark eyes found Yu Xiaocao, the slender and delicate animalpletely stepped into the room. It shimmied towards Xiaocao and used its head to nudge at her ankle, as if it was a puppy asking for a bone to eat.


    ¡°Wow! So cute!!¡± Yu Xiaolian thought her heart was about the burst as she bent down to pick up the little creature in her arms. One hand caressed the animal¡¯s head as she snuggled her face into its soft fur coat.


    ¡°That young fe, Zhao Han, caught it! Little Shitou really liked it, so he let him bring it back to let him y and raise it for a couple of days. The little critter must be hungry, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have stepped into the room.¡± Yu Hai exined on behalf of his youngest daughter and son.


    Yu Xiaolian hugged the roe deer tightly, which was norger than a month old puppy, and seemed reluctant to let it go. ¡°The courtyard still has some fishwort I gathered today. Let me get some to feed it! This little creature is so obedient and doesn¡¯t seem to be afraid of humans at all!¡± Unfortunately, she misjudged. When Xiaolian got back after picking out the freshest and most tender fishwort from the bunch, the little roe deer only sniffed it for a bit before it turned its head away arrogantly. Its eyes looked pitifully at Xiaocao and it started to struggle to get back on the ground.


    Xiaolian was afraid of dropping the animal, so she ced it back down. She waved the wild grasses in front of it but the roe deer ignored herpletely. It was only focused on achieving its goal, which was to get closer to Xiaocao.


    Xiaolian sighed in disappointment, ¡°It only likes younger sister! It must be because younger sister was the one who brought it back!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took the handful of grass from her hands and teased, ¡°The little roe deer probably likes cleanliness and rejected Xiaolian because it thinks this fishwort is too dirty to eat right now!¡±


    She took out the jar that held the mystic-stone water and washed the grass in it. She then offered the fishwort to the roe deer again and the little creature actedpletely different. This time, it rushed over and ate the grass inrge mouthfuls.


    ¡°It really is a roe deer that likes to be clean!¡± Little Shitou giggled until he started to hup. He also grabbed a bunch of fishwort and rinsed it in the water. After it finished eating the food in Xiaocao¡¯s hands, the roe deer smelled more of that delicious stuff that was more tantalizing than a mother¡¯s milk and skipped over to Shitou. It also started eating the fishwort in Shitou¡¯s hands.


    Xiaolian learned from her siblings¡¯ examples and used the rest of the mystic-stone water to wash the remaining fishwort. Yu Xiaocao felt a bit forlorn as she watched: ¡®This spendthrift girl used two full bowls of mystic-stone water. That was seriously something very valuable!¡¯


    Ever since she had ess to mystic-stone water, Xiaocao would always give everyone in her family a bowl to drink. The effects were naturally astounding. First, let¡¯s not discuss the effects on her own body. Her mother, Madam Liu, also had a weak constitution. After drinking mystic-stone water for a full two months, her body had improved immensely even though it still looked very thin. Madam Liu recently got soaked with some fall rain. Had this had happened before the mystic-stone water, she would have had a great illness. This time, however, she only needed a bowl of ginger soup to strengthen her body and didn¡¯t even get a sniffle.


    Yu Hai also mentioned that he had recently be more strong. In the past, when he used to bring game that weighed about a hundred catties down from the mountain to the town, he would be so exhausted from the effort he needed to rest on the kang bed for hours. Now? It was as if he did nothing strenuous. In fact, he could add a thirty to fifty catties more to his load without any problem.


    Thinking of all the benefits, Yu Xiaocao silently held the empty jar and went to the kitchen to fill itpletely with water that had been previously boiled. She carefully took the five colored stone from her wrist and let the rock sink into the jar. The spirit of the divine stone came out of the multi-colored stone and swam leisurely in the water.


    If the rest of the upants of the room could see this now, they would all be stunned speechless. Why would there be a golden colored kitten in their water pitcher? Moreover, it was constantly iling in the water, as if it was almost drowning.


    The little divine stone muttered resentfully. [Protest, protest! There¡¯s not enough spiritual energy here! Not having ginseng is one thing, but who wants crappy well water? This spirit wants spring water from the bamboo forest in the mountains!] ¡°Can you just be content with your situation? Mystic-stone water is really useful for us, and ultimately, won¡¯t you also benefit? If you continue to make a racket, I¡¯ll just throw you into that little creek and never pick you up again!¡± As Yu Xiaocao fed the little roe deer, she also mentally threatened the arrogant divine stone.

 Chapter 36 – Natural Gift

    <h4>Chapter 36 ¨C Natural Gift</h4>


    Although the mountain creek also contained spiritual energy, using it didn¡¯t have the added benefit of aiding its master. To put it into perspective, absorbing ten days worth of energy from the creek did not give itself as much benefit as it received from creating one pitcher of mystic-stone water for its master.


    A weak, little human had actually had its fate in her hands! ¡®Just you wait, once this divine stone breaks free of its restrictions, don¡¯t even think about trying to threaten me again! That¡¯s when you will beg me for help!¡¯ The little divine stone¡¯s spiritual form thrashed harder in the water out of rage.


    Yu Xiaocao ignored its antics. Other than her, no one else could see the divine stone¡¯s spiritual form, so it didn¡¯t matter. Instead, she and her siblings fed their family¡¯s new favorite, the little roe deer, until it was full.


    ¡°Second Sister, it¡¯s cold at night now. Tiny is really too small, what if it froze to death?¡± Little Shitou squatted down with his arms around the newly named roe deer and was clearly reluctant to let go of the animal. Both of them had clear, dark eyes that looked adorably at Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Hai pinched the fattier part of his son¡¯s face and grinned, ¡°If it¡¯s not sleeping outside, do you n on giving your nket to it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hug Tiny to sleep. It¡¯s not as if it takes up a lot of space.¡± Little Shitou pouted as he tried his best to think of something to convince everyone else in the room.


    Although Xiaolian also really liked the cute and clever roe deer, she did not think having the animal indoors was a good idea. ¡°I don¡¯t want it to sleep on our kang bed. What if it pooped in the middle of the night? Then mother would have to wash the sheets tomorrow.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also didn¡¯t want to raise the roe deer indoors. The animal would start leaving its distinctive odor in the room if it spent a long time inside. However, she was more concerned about leaving it in the courtyard overnight. It was possible that other members of the family might decide to kill it to make some meat stew. Even though the animal didn¡¯t have much meat on it, the soup would still taste very good.


    She went outside, gathered some soft straw, and made a small nest next to the corner near the door for the little animal. She tapped the roe deer¡¯s wet little nose and said solemnly, ¡°Tiny, if you need to go potty, go outside. If you make a mess in the room, I¡¯ll roast you over a fire to eat!¡±


    Tiny gazed trustingly at her and even licked the finger she was using to point at it. It acted as if it truly understood what she was saying.


    Little Shitou was at a loss for words and let out an adult-sounding sigh, ¡°Tiny was caught by Second Sister, so it¡¯s closest to her.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pinched his nose and smiled, ¡°The next time something good like this happens, I¡¯ll make sure you go first.¡±


    Hearing that, Little Shitou became happy and jumped up in glee, ¡°Okay, okay! We should bring back another roe deer to give Tiny somepany!¡±


    Whether the creature understood Yu Xiaocao¡¯s threats or whether it was because it gained some brains from the mystic-stone water, it was hard to say. However, the little roe deer, who wasn¡¯t more than a month old, had never had an ident in the west room since it started living there. Even if someone identally shut the door, it held its waste until someone came to let it out. Only then would it scramble outside quickly to relieve itself.


    In addition, the animal never acquired the wild and gamey smell of a wild roe deer. Even in the height of summer it still smelled fresh and sweet. Yu Xiaocao and her siblings all loved and cherished Tiny. Even Madam Liu said that this was a special roe deer that could understand what humans said to it.


    Ever since Yu Xiaocao became interested in learning medicine from Doctor You, she relentlessly pursued that goal. In the following days, she became quite busy.


    Every morning, she got up early from bed and went to join Zhao Han. The two of them would divide up the areas for trapping and then head their separate ways to set their traps. With the help of the mystic-stone water as bait, she never left the forest empty-handed after walking around the forest once.


    In fact, she usually ended up with twice the haul as a regr person got from traps. Sometimes, she would take the two hour walk with Zhao Han to go into town to sell her game. Other times she would ask Uncle Zhao to help her sell her game when he went into town.


    Luckily, Zhenxiu Restaurant was bing more and more popr with every passing day. They had hired a new chef in charge of preparing wild game, and his specialty was roasting and cooking meat. Their need for fresh, wild game slowly increased, so Yu Xiaocao and Zhao Han never had to worry about where to sell their live game.


    Sometimes, they would catch too much game by ident. However, even without Yu Xiaocao there herself, Zhenxiu Restaurant still preferred their game over game caught by other hunters. After all, newly ughtered meat had a better vor and texturepared to meat that was not freshly harvested.


    In the afternoons, Yu Xiaocao often would go to Doctor You¡¯s home to learn how to identify herbal medications. She wasn¡¯t sure whether it was because she had the mystic-stone water helping her or whether she had a good memory, but, to her, learning these medications was as easy as pie for her. Everything she learned was retained perfectly.


    Originally, Doctor You did not have any expectations for her but after seeing her talent in this area, he began to cherish her abilities. In fact, she had basically be his disciple in all but name, and he instructed her personally. Whenever he needed to go up into the mountains to gather medicinal nts, he never forgot to bring her along. From time to time, he would test her while in the forest to see her abilities in identifying nts.


    Gradually, Doctor You realized that all the herbs he recognized, Yu Xiaocao had also memorizedpletely. He started to teach her on how to utilize these nts as medications.


    Hence, Yu Xiaocao distinctly started to feel that she didn¡¯t have enough time anymore. Oftentimes, she went with Doctor You at the crack of dawn to gather medicinal nts in the mountain, so she naturally didn¡¯t have enough time to set traps to catch wild hares anymore.


    From her standpoint, money could be earned at anytime. However, the earlier she gained a practical knowledge of herbal medicines and treating illnesses, the better it would be for her. She thought that she had talent in this area. Maybe in the future she could even be a female doctor!


    Thus, Yu Xiaocao began to spend more time with Grandpa You than she did with her own family. Doctor You had lived alone for thirty years after settling in Dongshan Vige. He had been so obsessed with learning and practicing medicine that he never ended up marrying a wife and been a solitary bachelor for all his life.


    Although Yu Xiaocao was still a little girl physically, mentally she had the thought processes of an adult. With someone like her by his side, You Yong discovered that his days had be more interestingtely. In the past, whenever he started to research a new medicinal, he often lost track of time. Skipping meals was amon pastime for him.


    Now, he had a helper at his side. Even if he didn¡¯t remember to eat, she still needed to eat! When he was lost in his thoughts, she would sensibly start cooking some food and ce it in front of him. The smell of delicious food would entice him to snap out of his thoughts.


    He had never thought he had a dormant foodie within him. However, the little girl¡¯s culinary skills were surprisingly good. Even simple ingredients like leafy green vegetables and daikon could be transformed by her into several different types of delicious dishes.


    The little girl was seriously too clever. She not only learned the medical knowledge he taught with ease but also could make connections and point out something that would lead him into a breakthrough. After studying for just a month, the little girl could independently prescribe some simple prescriptions without any problems.


    At this point, Doctor You had already regarded Xiaocao as his official disciple and taught her ordingly. When he went out to practice medicine, he always brought his little apprentice along. As time passed, most of the nearby viges all knew that Doctor You had epted a little girl as his disciple. And she was treasured beyond expectations.


    By the time Yu Xiaocao felt that she could urately diagnose and treat themon illnesses on her own, her teacher, Doctor You, had left behind a letter for her and hastily left Dongshan Vige on a short notice.


    In the letter, he exined that he had heard that there was information about his long lost rtives who had been separated from him during the chaotic warring times. He needed to travel afar. However, he repeatedly warned Yu Xiaocao that she should not let her natural talent for medicine to go to waste. She needed to continue to review the material on a daily basis. If there was anyone near her who had gotten mildly sick, she could extend a helping hand towards them. Of course, if they refused her help, there was no need to force them.


    Yu Xiaocao had finally been released from her busy duties. However, she continued to go to Grandpa You¡¯s house every couple of days to help him tidy up his rooms and to nurture his herbs. She even attempted topound some medicines used to treat external wounds, such as the ones used to slow and stop bleeding. Medications that had been sprinkled with mystic-stone water were much more potent than the ones that even Doctor You made! However, not many people were brave enough to use the medications that she had prescribed.


    It wasn¡¯t surprising as outwardly she was still a small kid who hadn¡¯t even reached the age of nine. The truly odd scenario would have been if the vigers actually believed that she could treat illnesses. Thus, she only switched out the wound balm that her father normally carried when he went hunting with a wound balm she made on her own. Little did she know that her swap wouldter end up saving her father¡¯s life...


    That day, the always busy Yu Xiaocao who now had free time, turned to speak to Little Shitou who was in the courtyard feeding Tiny. ¡°Little brother, isn¡¯t this about the time our father got back from fishing today?¡±


    Little Shitou didn¡¯t even raise his head as he replied, ¡°Still too early! Second Sister, you¡¯ve been so busy outside of hometely that you don¡¯t even remember what time our father normally gets back. After he catches fish, he still needs to first go to the docks onnd, then unload the fish from the boat and give them to someone. Sometimes, if he has a lot leftover, he even needs to go to the fish market on the wharf and sell the extra off.¡±


    The docks? Her eyes lit up and her mouth curved up into a toothy grin, as if she was the wolf trying to lure a little bunny rabbit into a trap. ¡°Shitou, do you want to go to look at the docks? I heard there are a lot of shops there that sell almost everything! Good food, fun things...¡±


    ¡°Second Sister, you want to go? If you go, I¡¯ll go. However, should we also bring Tiny with us?¡± Little Shitou was very protective of the little pet. The roe deer went wherever he went.


    However, there was a reason for his paranoia. The pitiful little roe deer, who didn¡¯t have much meat on its bones, had almost been killed by Madam Li and Yu Heizi. The two of them had anchored the animal down to the ground with a butcher¡¯s knife in their hands. Had Little Shitou and Xiaolian not arrived in time, Tiny would have been fated to be the main dish to the meal.


    Afterwards, Zhao Han took Yu Heizi aside and taught him a small lesson that ¡®Tiny¡¯ was a pet that he had lent to Shitou to y with. If he ever found out that Heizi still wanted to eat the little roe deer, he would knock out all of his teeth!


    Hunter Zhao¡¯s family was rtively well-known in Dongshan Vige. It was said that some years ago, during a particrly harsh winter, a starving wolf pack had entered the vige. The wolves not only stole many chickens, but also hurt some people. Just as the crisis seemed to escte, the entire Zhao Family went into battle with the creatures. Even the outwardly gentle and elegant Auntie Zhao bent a bow and shot some arrows. The more than dozen wolves were not a match for them.


    Although the four members of the Zhao Family had be heroes to most of the vigers, there were some who felt alienated by their actions. After all, no one liked having their deficiencies being pointed out by the deeds of others!


    After Yu Heizi¡¯s ¡®small lesson¡¯, he came back home with a bloody nose and ck eyes. Even Madam Li, who often liked to make mountains out of molehills, could only throw a tantrum within the courtyard walls as she was too scared of the Zhao Family to cause anyrge waves. With Heizi as an ¡®example¡¯, the rest of the Yu Family who were not from the second branch no longer dared to steal the little roe deer anymore.


    Despite that, Little Shitou still didn¡¯t feel safe leaving the roe deer alone. The sight of Yu Heizi holding a cleaver over a helpless Tiny had engraved itself into his mind. Wherever he went, Shitou would always bring the little roe deer along with him.


    Dongshan Vige now had an oddity to see: a little boy walking in the front and a tiny roe deer blindly following him from behind. Anyone who saw the unlikely pair couldn¡¯t help but let out a knowing smile...

 Chapter 37 – The Docks

    <h4>Chapter 37 ¨C The Docks</h4>


    They were going just as she nned! Yu Xiaocao fished some money from her hidden stash of cash. After thinking for a bit, she also took out a string of copper coins and put it into her chest pocket. Winter came early to the north, so there was already a chilly nip in the air. Many people had already put on their thick winter coats. Therefore, no one could tell that Yu Xiaocao had about a hundred copper coins hidden on her.


    Yu Xiaocao gleefully skipped down the road as she carried arge basket. The equally excited Little Shitou followed her as they went in the direction towards the docks. Although the docks were closer to Dongshan Vigepared to the town, it was still about an hour¡¯s walk away. Since Yu Xiaocao was in a good mood, she didn¡¯t feel too tired by the time she got there. They had arrived at the busiest time at the pier. The fisherman who went out to sea had juste back with their loads. The southwest corner of the wharf had naturally be a fish market.


    The stewards in charge of purchasing fromrge manors were all there early so that they could pick out their master¡¯s favorite fish and seafood. In addition, the buyers from the restaurants, taverns, and small eating houses were also waiting there for the fresh catch of the day.


    On the docks were a couple of cargo ships that had just gotten to shore. The dock workers under the direction of a foreman were steadily loading cargo from the ships onto some carts. The sounds of hawkers, shouts, and work chants filled the air...altogether, the various noises wove together into the distinctive noise of a busy wharf.


    Under the rich and dense atmosphere of the pier, Xiaocao could feel herself immersing into these new surroundings.


    ¡°Second Sister, over there is where they sell snacks. I came once with father before and he bought me a giant steamed bun made with white flour. Buns made with white flour are seriously too tasty!¡±


    The little foodie, Little Shitou, pointed at a road on the outskirts of the docks. A couple of crude shacks were built alongside the street and puffs of warm air came with the morning wind that blew from there.


    The fishermen and dock workers probably brought along some dried goods with them to eat. However, in the chill of the early morning, it was still necessary to drink a bowl of hot soup to warm the body up.


    Where there¡¯s demand, there¡¯s a market. Under the low ceiling of the shacks were people selling porridge and hot noodle soup. Others had stoves with steaming baskets full of steamed rolls and stuffed buns to sell. There were even some farmers, who didn¡¯t have work to do on the fields in the ck season, with baskets full of the dishes or pickled vegetables from the farms to sell.


    Schemes began to form in Xiaocao¡¯s mind. With her culinary talent in braised dishes from her past life, it would be easier for her to obtain a good living here. Unfortunately, the people here all gossiped and talked. Once her grandmother found out, even the capital money used here would be taken from herpletely...


    ¡°Is that Xiaolian...or is it Xiaocao?¡± Xiaocao didn¡¯t think she would meet someone she knew here at the docks. She twisted her head around and saw an unfamiliar face.


    The swarthy youth in front of her looked to be about fifteen to sixteen years of age and had a tall and broad figure. Hisrge eyes were set under a pair of thick eyebrows, and his face looked oddly familiar...who...who was this? Little Shitou, who was standing next to her, answered her unspoken question. ¡°Eldest Cousin, why are you here? Did youe with Eldest Aunt 1?¡±


    Ah, so it was Second Uncle¡¯s son, the fourteen year old Liu Zhiwei. Although this fellow was only fourteen years old, he looked very strong and sturdy. In terms of looks, he didn¡¯t resemble either of his parents. Instead, he looked the most like Eldest Uncle.


    Liu Zhiwei chuckled, ¡°Yes, I came along with Eldest Aunt and also Eldest Uncle. I¡¯m looking to see if I can find any work here at the docks... Eldest Uncle oftenes here and is familiar with the foreman. He¡¯s already unloading the cargo from the ships. They thought I was too young and didn¡¯t want to hire me!¡±


    The youth stated all of this with a face full of resentment. Although he was young in age, he still had plenty of strength. Usually he spent time with his father working the fields and had done a lot of work requiring brute strength. How dare they look down on him!


    ¡°Xiaocao, Shitou! Why are you two at the docks?¡± Eldest Aunt, Madam Han, gently asked as she came by with a basket on her arm.


    The two siblings politely returned her greeting and called her ¡®Eldest Aunt¡¯. When Xiaocao had had her head ident and was in aa for three days, her maternal grandmother, grandfather, uncles, and aunts all came over to visit her. They even brought over a hen and half a basket of eggs. Unfortunately, these goods had all been confiscated by Madam Zhang.


    In Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes, since Madam Liu had a sickly body and Yu Xiaocao was medicine guzzling fiend, the gifts brought by the Liu Family were not enough to make up for these two spendthrifts!


    Xiaocao¡¯s impression of her maternal family was quite good. She had learned from Xiaolian that Eldest Aunt was an honest and genuine person. From personal experience, this was true.


    Right at this moment, the dock workers were about to go on break to rest and eat breakfast. After the foreman rang a bell, about a hundred or so workers, some with food in their hands, others without, starteding over to this area.


    The hawkers selling breakfast foods immediately started advertising their wares enthusiastically, ¡°Hot soup, hot soup for sale, steaming hot cabbage soup, radish soup...¡±


    ¡°Hot porridge, hot porridge! Warm and cheap, only 1 copper coin per bowl...¡±


    ¡°Noodle soup for sale! You there, youngd,e eat a bowl of noodle soup! I guarantee one bowl will fill you uppletely...¡±


    ¡°Pickled and salted vegetables, very delicious! With one copper coin you can get enough for a few people to split! Good sir, buy some pickled vegetables to eat! In a moment, you¡¯ll have enough strength to work again...¡±


    Seeing the situation, Eldest Aunt hurriedly said, ¡°Right now is the time to sell food. I need to start advertising now. You two probably haven¡¯t eaten breakfast yet. Zhiwei, here¡¯s five copper coins, go buy some steamed rolls and split them with your younger brother and younger sister.¡±


    As she was speaking, a dockworker who smelled heavily of sweat came by. His head was beaded with perspiration. He turned towards Eldest Aunt and said, ¡°Madam, can I have one copper coin¡¯s worth of soybean paste with some salted vegetables on cooked dough?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Eldest Aunt swiftly gave him a few pancakes and spread some soybean paste on them. The pickled vegetables had been finely cut and saut¨¦ed withrd. In exchange for the copper coin, the food wrapped in a piece of oiled paper and given to the man.


    After receiving the wraps, the man started eating one in huge bites and said, ¡°Madam, I gotta say, your soybean paste has the best vor and the pickled vegetables are perfect, not too salty. After getting used to eating your food, other people¡¯s food just doesn¡¯t taste right!¡±


    ¡°Of course! Don¡¯t you know who¡¯s wife is this?¡± A tall, broad shouldered, middle-aged man came from behind and patted the other man¡¯s shoulder. His handsome face was bright and his skin had a healthy bronzed tan. He shed a grin that showed a mouth full of sparkling white teeth.


    Little Shitou gleefully threw himself at the neer and hugged the man¡¯s shins as he called out, ¡°Eldest Uncle, it¡¯s been such a long time since youst visited us. I missed you a lot!¡±


    Liu Pei bent down to pull the little kid into his arms. He bounced Shitou in his arms for a bit to check his weight and looked with pleasant surprise at the boy¡¯s now fleshed out face. ¡°Did your family start giving you more food? Looks like you¡¯ve grown quite a bit, little fe!¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh! Second Sister knows how to catch fish and trap rabbits. They taste so good when roasted! Next time I¡¯ll give Eldest Uncle some too...¡± Had it been earlier, Shitou would have never exchanged meat to get closer to someone. Now that he could eat barbecued meat or stewed meat every couple of days (after bringing game to Auntie Zhao¡¯s house and using her stove to cook the meat), he no longer felt that meat was a rare, precious thing to be hoarded.


    Liu Pei examined Yu Xiaocao¡¯splexion and his smile deepened. ¡°Xiaocao is really capable to be able to catch fish and rabbits! It ddens my heart knowing you guys are doing better. That grandmother of yours doesn¡¯t mind you using game for your own purposes?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying to the children?¡± Eldest Aunt red at her husband. Xiaocao could tell that her business wasn¡¯t going well. It wasn¡¯t surprising as salted vegetables, cooked dough, and soybean paste were food that every family had. Those who brought food from home would bring the exact same fare, why would anyone spend money to buy more of the same thing?


    Little Shitou giggled and said, ¡°We cook the meat in the mountains and then give portions to the people in our immediate family. Grandmother has no clue.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to sneak some to your mother. Your mother has had a hard lifetely!¡± Liu Pei felt bad regarding his only sister¡¯s hardships as he was unable to help her as much as he would have liked.


    At that time, his father should not have married his sister into a family with a stepmother. Where there was a stepmother, there would soon be a stepfather. At first it was still tolerable, but once the Yu Family¡¯s third son left to go to school, even Old Yu¡¯s feelings became biased.


    ¡°Yes! I have left chicken and rabbit legs for Mother. The legs have the most meat!¡± The little boy knew how to ingratiate himself with his elders.


    After greeting her eldest uncle with her brother, Yu Xiaocao had stood at the side smiling silently. Only now did she chirp, ¡°Shitou, quicklye down! You should let Eldest Uncle rest a bit and eat something.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem! How much can a five year old weigh anyway?¡± Despite his words, Liu Pei still let the little boy down. The foreman had told him earlier that in a moment they needed to load a high ranking official¡¯s boat. They could not afford to be sloppy at this task.


    The dock workers in the surrounding area ate as they discussed the official¡¯s vessel. Yu Xiaocao had eavesdropped on their conversations and found out it was a seafaring ship that was owned by a royal prince from the capital. It had apparently travelled to far-flung ces and found some new creatures. From the idle gossip of the people around her, Yu Xiaocao found out that the current emperor had also like traveling by ship when he was still an imperial prince. All of the currentrge, ocean-faring ships were all purchased by the emperor as an imperial prince in his teens.


    Prior to his ascension, Jianwen Emperor had travelled several times out to sea. He went to the Southern Seas, Western Seas, and to even further ces. On one of his trips, he brought back the high-yielding crop, sweet potatoes, and some strange spices. Some other examples of new goods he brought back included: hot peppers so spicy that they caused a man¡¯s mouth to swell, the fresh and crispy cucumber, and the refreshing and thirst-quenching watermelon.


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly remembered that, in her previous life, the Ming Dynasty had also conducted several maritime voyages. However, the person who sailed on the West Seas was the Sanbao Eunuch, Zhang He, and not an imperial prince. Admiral Zhang He in her previous life had no connection whatsoever with Jianwen Emperor. Was it possible that the founding emperor and Jianwen Emperor had transmigrated into this life?


    Ah! Transmigrating doesn¡¯te without risks and one must be cautious! In fact, many novels about political fighting and scheming often harped on this point. When there was more than one person who transmigrated over, they rarely worked together. Instead, they were often locked in a fight to the death! Since I¡¯m ultimately a small fish in the sea, there¡¯s no point in trying to fight with the emperor! It¡¯s better to keep my head low and live a subdued life!


    In the end, the two siblings didn¡¯t allow their Eldest Aunt to buy them steamed buns. They both imed that they had already eaten breakfast. They stayed on the docks, and, before long, an official came over to ask them to move. The royal prince had set out, so the idle and unnecessary personnel should give away. The two siblings weren¡¯t the onlymoners who were shooed away. In fact, even the people peddling wares from baskets had been driven away from the docks. Only the merchants in the shacks were lucky enough to not have to leave.


    Little Shitou whined that he wanted to see the royal prince. Against her sensibilities, Yu Xiaocao could only tightly hold onto his head and squirm through a spot between the people pushed away by the bailiff to find a ce for them to see.


    Within about fifteen minutes, the once raucous and noisy wharf had be quiet. A long line of horse carts, all piled with goods, appeared. There were so many wagons that they couldn¡¯t see the end of the line. In front of the carts were a few haughty people dressed simply. All of them were riding horses, and they surrounded a young man clothed in expensive robes.


    ¡°Second Sister, is that older brother the royal prince?¡± Little Shitou¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t very loud. However, in the stark silence where even the sound of horse hooves was apparent, his voice sounded exceptionally clear.

 Chapter 38 – The Royal Prince

    <h4>Chapter 38 ¨C The Royal Prince</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that a couple of people in the nobly dressed group turned their heads to look in their direction and hastily covered her little brother¡¯s mouth with her hand. Who knew what kind of tempers these old officials had? If they ended up shing, they were the ones who would suffer.


    Next to the robed youth was an extremely pale old man. The elderly man¡¯s eyes shed and he lowered his head to speak something to the young man. The youth pulled on the reins and turned to look in the distance towards where the two siblings were.


    Now Yu Xiaocao could clearly make out the young man¡¯s appearance. He had a pair of eyes as dark as obsidian and they emitted a heroic aura. At first nce, his expression seemed tranquil but, on closer inspection, one could see that he was hiding a decisive and shrewd mind. When paired with a handsome face that seemed to have been carefully sculpted, his entire demeanor became even more imposing. For a split second, Yu Xiaocao felt as if the person in front of her was fierce tiger on hunt and not a fifteen to sixteen year old youth.


    However...after a closer look at his face, why did it seem like she had seen him somewhere before? Maybe...she had seen too many celebrities in her previous life, so now every handsome man looked simr to someone she had seen before...


    ¡°Second Sister, I remember him!¡± Little Shitou said quietly after he broke free from her restraining hand. The people around them all looked at them with expressions of disbelief.


    Yu Xiaocao let out a hollowugh and discretely shook her head at her brother. A bailiff had turned his head to look at them, and Xiaocao bowed towards him, ¡°He¡¯s just spewing nonsense. Don¡¯t mind the ignorant words of a little child, hee hee, don¡¯t mind the ignorant words of a little child...¡±


    However, the imposing youth already directed his horse to walk to this area. At his side, the people continued to crowd around them, or was it that they were protecting him?


    We¡¯re screwed! If we fled now, would it be toote? Yu Xiaocao scanned the surroundings in an attempt to find an escape route. Unfortunately, her earlier attempt at finding her younger brother a better location to watch the proceedings had trapped them to an area where they were surrounded on all sides by people. Slowly squeezing through the crowd was out of the question, let alone trying to escape quickly.


    The emperor had selected Left Commander of the Imperial Guards, Fang Xun, to be in charge of keeping Royal Prince Yang safe. He blindly followed the prince who had been selected by the emperor himself for the Royal Prince title and found himself incredibly surprised when he saw the figures of the two siblings in the crowd.


    The older sister had bright and livelyrge eyes that were oddly familiar to him. Ah, that¡¯s right, about a month ago he had seen this pair of siblings in front of a woodworker shop in Tanggu Town. She had a demeanor that was neither arrogant nor servile, and seemed to be calmer than her age. It had left an impression on him.


    Royal Prince Yang reined his horse into a stop right in front of the two siblings. Zhu Junyang stared at the little girl¡¯s pale, delicate face and the somewhat familiarrge eyes and seemed to be lost in his memories.


    He continued to sit, silently, on his horse as he regarded the two siblings without a change in expression. His lips were pressed into a single line. Yu Xiaocao felt flustered under his unrelenting stare. Is that killing intent I sense? Please stop staring at us, neither of us are beauties beyondpare.


    ¡°Head Steward Fu, are you certain that they are my saviors?¡± Zhu Junyang finally said after a long period of silence.


    Ever since his ident a few months ago, his mother had kept him home to recuperate. Although he had originally nned on sailing in September, it had been pushed back for almost a month longer.


    He had also thought of finding his savior but there were a lot of fishing viges in the area he had almost drowned in. He didn¡¯t want to conduct the search with great fanfare. After all, almost drowning after being capsized from a ship he was testing out wasn¡¯t something that was glorious.


    However, Zhu Junyang also didn¡¯t feelfortable not rewarding someone who had saved his life. Had the head steward not seen the people involved and reminded him, he would have just missed out on the opportunity to meet his saviors again.


    ¡°Second Sister, that¡¯s the guy we fished up on the day we went out to gather seafood. Look at his ears, there¡¯s a red birthmark on one. I couldn¡¯t forget something like that.¡± Innocent to the possible implications, Little Shitou eagerly told Yu Xiaocao all of his findings.


    An awkward expression shed through Zhu Junyang¡¯s normally stern face. He had been the butt of many jokes when he was younger due to the red birthmark on his ear. Other people often teased him that it was a rouge mark and that it was a sign that he was a woman in his past life. Those seeing it at a nce would often think he was wearing an earring. For his entire life, his birthmark had been a source of shame for him. After being titled a Royal Prince, there were very few people who would dare to mention it in front of his face.


    Yu Xiaocao could sense that this noble in front of them was displeased and wished she could just glue her brother¡¯s mouth shut. That little imp! How canmoners like us discuss the appearances of the nobility?


    The awkward memories of his youth had stymied Royal Prince Yang¡¯s desire to pay his debt of gratitude to his saviors. In a fit of arrogance, he turned his horse around to go back. From the back, his spine was ramrod straight and his entire body held tension.


    ¡°Give them some money!¡± The haughty royal prince suddenly halted. After thinking about the shabby conditions of the two siblings clothes, he had a feeling that these two were about as well off as a streetside beggar. Thus, he drylymanded the steward to give them some money.


    Head Steward Fu bowed his head slightly after receiving his master¡¯s orders. He looked around him and thenmanded the bailiffs to bring the two siblings to him. Before the steward could say anything, a tall man broke through theyers of guards, pushed the two children behind his body, and kneeled down in front of him.


    ¡°These two children are ignorant and offended noble sir. It¡¯s all this worthless father¡¯s fault for not teaching them better. Please, great lord, let these two children go. I, Yu Hai, am willing to take their punishment instead.¡±


    Apparently, after Yu Hai sold his fish, he had also heard of the nobles passing by to go out to sea, and came by to join in on the fun. He had seen everything that had happened earlier. A father¡¯s protective instinct for his children could not be underestimated. Seeing his beloved children get into trouble, he recklessly rushed up to shield them.


    ¡°Father!¡± The rims of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes turned red with emotion. Previously, she had some pent up frustrations regarding this ordinary and easy-going father. He wasn¡¯t incapable at earning a living but he still let his wife and children live in such poor conditions. A man who couldn¡¯t protect his wife and family wasn¡¯t considered a truly good man.


    However, his actions today obliterated her initially poor impression of him. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save his children. That wasn¡¯t something that every father would do. In Xiaocao¡¯s heart, her father¡¯s ranking had increased perceptibly.


    Seeing that Yu Hai was a loving father, Head Steward Fu also increased his respect for the man. He personally supported this tall and robust man up with a smile on his face. His usually sharp voice had tempered down into a gentler tone and he said, ¡°Benefactor, I¡¯m not sure if you still remember sajia.¡±


    Sajia? Isn¡¯t that how court eunuchs usually referred to themselves? So the white-haired, beardless old man in front of them was a court eunuch? After hearing the word ¡®benefactor¡¯, Yu Xiaocao felt relieved and regarded the slender court eunuch with a stealthy, curious gaze.


    Would this head steward be like the head steward court eunuch in [Dragon Gate Inn 1] who was also really good at martial arts? ssmate Xiaocao, you have hit the bullseye! Just think, would a Royal Prince who was given the heavy responsibility of making an ocean voyage by his imperial majesty not have any experts at his side?


    Yu Hai took advantage of the situation to get up. When standing, his body seemed even more tall and sturdy. He inspected Head Steward Fu carefully and then looked down to think carefully before he finally nodded and said, ¡°Any fisherman, not just me, would have done the same thing had they encountered someone drowning. I¡¯m really not worthy of being called a ¡®benefactor¡¯.¡±


    Eh! My old father is quite good! He seems calm and cultured in front of this court eunuch who¡¯s a head steward and a whole slew of nobility. In fact, the words he just said sound very educated and literate. Yu Xiaocao gazed at her father with an additional hint of worship in her eyes.


    Head Steward Fu nodded his head and smiled, ¡°Perhaps to you, benefactor, it was as simple as threading a needle. However, you did save the life of our Royal Prince. This is the same as saving this one¡¯s life and the entire Royal Prince¡¯s Household. Please receive my respects!¡±


    Enough of the pretty words. No one really wants your respects, okay. Can you give us some tangible benefits, eh? Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes shed as she watched the head steward. Her impatience was wing at her¡ªlike there was twenty-five mice scratching at her at the same time.


    How could Yu Hai receive the respects from a royal household¡¯s head steward? This eunuch was someone who spent time everyday with the emperor¡¯s rtives and served them. How could he receive anything from this high personage? He hastily supported Head Steward Fu up and repeatedly said, ¡°I can¡¯t receive this, by the heavens, I absolutely can¡¯t receive this!¡±


    Head Steward Fu gently shook off his restraining hand and bowed solemnly. After he finished expressing his gratitude, he turned to give a hint to the eunuch behind him and said, ¡°Our meeting today was not nned, so I didn¡¯t have the time to prepare a suitable thank you gift. For now, all we have is a small token that is not worthy enough to convey our respect. Please take it as a substitute for now, benefactor, and ept it. Once our Royal Prince has journeyed back from the West Seas, I will definitelye to your home to pay you a visit and bring more gifts to thank you.¡±


    They could only see that he took a heavy object wrapped in a cloth from the court eunuch¡¯s hands. The head steward held the mysterious object with two hands, presented it to Yu Hai, not giving him any avenue to refuse, and said, ¡°The ship is about to sail, I shall take my leave now!¡±


    When Yu Hai was about to chase after them to return the gift, a couple of bailiffs politely blocked his way. They could care less about whether there was a benefactor or not. Their duty was to protect the nobility from any sign of danger or hostilities.


    ¡°Father, can I see what the head steward gave us as a gift?¡± Yu Xiaocao impatiently grabbed at the item in her father¡¯s hands as he led her back into the crowd. Wow! The object was heavier than she thought as it had almost slipped out of her hands.


    Yu Hai had just enough time to say ¡®Don¡¯t expose the gift in front others!¡¯ when he saw Old Yu and Yu Dashan heading towards them with grim faces.


    Yu Dashan¡¯s honest face looked anxious and his eyes were full of rm and rage, ¡°Dahai, your two children really can cause too much trouble. Those were all officials and nobility from the capital, and princes too. How can people like us cause trouble? And you! How could you just recklessly rush up? If you had offended these people, our whole family would have gotten involved!¡±


    Hearing this, Xiaocao felt unhappy, ¡°Eldest Uncle, how did we cause trouble? Did we kill someone or set something on fire? The people from the capital are fair and reasonable, okay? They just called us up to ask us a couple of things. How can we bring you trouble?¡±


    Yu Dashan red at them with eyes that resembled Madam Zhang¡¯s and huffed, ¡°Dahai, look at these children you have spoiled! How are they acting like this? How can they speak to their elders like this? The nobles are generous in their conduct and don¡¯t deign to step down to our level. However, if we offend them, you¡¯ll be subject to nine familial extermination 2! Won¡¯t the whole Yu Family be destroyed by you?¡±


    ¡°Nine familial extermination? That¡¯s only reserved for the worst of crimes: treason! If you imed that us two kids were conducting treasonous activities, who¡¯d believe you? Eldest Uncle, you¡¯ve heard too many stories from the storytellers!¡± Yu Xiaocao found herself tickled by her uncle¡¯s patent ignorance. The scene that happened earlier was at most a crime of disrespect. The punishment for that was not even close to nine familial extermination. Ah, Eldest Uncle, you¡¯re such a worrywart.


    Yu Hai looked at his father and eldest brother. He was at a loss as to how to feel about them. Earlier the two of them mped onto him and refused to let him go in and save his two children. His kids were his closest blood and bone. Sacrificing his life to save theirs was normal and just.


    He stared at his eldest brother, turned to his father, who had been silent the entire time, and said, ¡°Father, Cao¡¯er and Shitou didn¡¯t offend any nobles. They had actually recognized the two of them and called them over to ask them something.¡±

 Chapter 39 – Token of Gratitude

    <h4>Chapter 39 ¨C Token of Gratitude</h4>


    Following that, Yu Hai exined what had happened thest time they went to gather seafood. From beginning to end, he described how he resuscitated the royal prince and transported him over the treacherous reefs. After hearing this, Old Yu¡¯s eyes had finally lifted from the ground and he slowly nodded his head. ¡°Good, everything you said is correct. Saving a drowning person is the duty of us fishermen. It is fortunate that the nobles remembered this event. We certainly aren¡¯t the type of people to demand a reward for doing something good. In the future, we shouldn¡¯t bring this up again.¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect her grandfather to have this type of wisdom. Yu Xiaocao felt she had a whole new understanding of the normally silent and taciturn old man, who had the voice of highest authority in their household.


    Yu Dashan¡¯s expression finally turned clear and his face perceptibly rxed, ¡°Second Younger Brother, I never would have thought you would have the kind of good luck to save a prince while gathering seafood from the beach. Although we¡¯re not the type of people to demand a reward from nobles, we also shouldn¡¯t reject their good intentions, right? Quickly open it and see what good thing the prince gave you!¡±


    Old Yu also nced over at the cloth-wrapped object in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands.


    This was the token of gratitude that the royal prince¡¯s Head Steward gave to father, what does it have to do with you guys? Yu Xiaocao felt incredibly resentful but was helpless in this situation. Anything good that was seen by people outside their branch would never be left for them alone.


    She inwardly sighed as she opened the wrappings on the small, yet heavy object. Inside were ten ingots of shiny silver neatly stacked together and a single jade pendant. Judging from the appearance, this token of gratitude had been hastily put together. Although the texture of the jade pendant wasn¡¯t bad, it clearly wasn¡¯t a top-notch piece of jade. It was likely something that was usually used to reward servants and the like.


    ¡°The aristocrats are truly generous nobles, look, they easily give out a couple hundred taels of silver. And this jade pendant must be worth at least around a hundred and eighty taels!¡± Yu Dashan clicked his tongue in wonder. ¡°Looks like we have enough money to pay Third Brother¡¯s studies for ten years!¡±


    Yu Dashan felt faint looking at the glittering silver and the quality jade pendant. None of these were things that people in their household would normally ever see.


    Yu Xiaocao sneered slightly. This money was given in exchange for her father risking life and limb to save someone from the hostile seas, okay? How is it that in the eyes of these people that the money had suddenly be Younger Uncle¡¯s schooling fees for the next ten years?


    Old Yu reached out arge, calloused hand and gently caressed the translucent and white jade pendant. He nced at his second son and then made a decision, ¡°This jade pendant is not something one can merely be bought with money. In the future, no matter how poor we are, we cannot sell this. It shall be a family heirloom, passed down the oldest legitimate descendants of the Yu family, and serve as a memento for future generations toe.¡±


    Yu Dashan¡¯s face froze. The Yu Family¡¯s oldest legitimate descendants? That didn¡¯t include him! Everyone in the family knew that even though he, Yu Dashan, had changed his surname, wasn¡¯t a blood and flesh rtion to the Yu Family.


    Madam Zhang was Old Yu¡¯s second wife and was the maternal cousin of Yu Hai¡¯s deceased mother. Back when Madam Zhang was newly widowed, she had been driven away from her husband¡¯s family. Out of kindness, Yu Hai¡¯s mother took her in. Later on, Yu Hai¡¯s mother passed away from an illness and thus, Old Yu took Madam Zhang as his second wife.


    The eldest son, Yu Dashan, was the son from Madam Zhang¡¯s first marriage and was only two months older than Yu Hai.


    Oldest legitimate descendants? To put it another way, didn¡¯t it mean that Yu Hai was the oldest in the Yu family? In the end, wouldn¡¯t this mean that the beautiful jade pendant would end up in his second brother¡¯s hands?


    Yu Dashan wholeheartedly didn¡¯t want that to happen but he wasn¡¯t in a position to object. Anything was better than the jade pendant being owned by Yu Hai, who he didn¡¯t have any blood rtions to. However, he knew the circumstances were not in his favor. Even his tiger of a mother, Madam Zhang, couldn¡¯t change the old man¡¯s mind when he made a decision. Yu Xiaocao felt her heart settle down after hearing this. The Yu Family¡¯s oldest legitimate descendants¡ªthat would be her eldest brother! Luckily, this good deed wasn¡¯t done in vain! At least her branch would have a jade pendant in the end.


    However, the hundred taels of silver had slipped out of her grasp. If she had only been faster, she could have purloined a couple ingots. Yu Xiaocao cried inwardly: a hundred taels of silver is a lot of money!


    Once they all arrived home, Yu Xiaocao saw that all of the shiny silver had disappeared into her cheap grandmother¡¯s purse and felt forlorn again. Madam Liu noticed her daughter¡¯s listlessness and couldn¡¯t help but feel Xiaocao¡¯s forehead out of worry that she was getting sick again.


    The past three months were the mostfortable stretch of time that Madam Liu had experienced in the previous seven to eight years. Even though her workload had not decreased and she still got yelled at every day, her normally sickly daughter wasn¡¯t ill even once in the past couple of months. In fact, she was able to run and y like the other vige children and even learned medicine from Doctor You.


    In fact, they were always able to eat enough to fill their stomachs even though it wasn¡¯t always the type of food they craved. Furthermore, the children had also learned how to set traps and asionally caught a couple of animals. They would cook the game outside and have a great feast, but they were filial and never forgot to surreptitiously give some roasted meat to her and their father.


    Seeing that her children¡¯s cheeks were rosy and that their once skinny bodies filling during bathtime, Madam Liu felt like their lives had finally turned around for the better.


    ¡°Dashan¡¯s wife and Dahai¡¯s wife, there was frost on the ground this morning. We should harvest the sweet potatoes tomorrow to store in the cer.¡± After receiving the hundred taels of silver, Madam Zhang finally had a smile on her face.


    Yu Hai doted on his wife, so he put down his bowl full of rice and interjected, ¡°How about us men don¡¯t go out to sea and instead harvest the sweet potatoes instead?¡±


    After hearing his suggestion, Madam Zhang¡¯s expression immediately darkened, ¡°We only have three plots of poor and rockynd. I could harvest them all myself in my younger days. What¡¯s the point in postponing the true business of fishing out in sea? You need to take advantage of the days you can go out before it gets too cold.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at her miserly grandmother and thought ¡®This olddy really does love money! A hundred taels of silver wouldst us for an entire year even if we didn¡¯t continue to go out to the sea to catch fish! She¡¯s pretty much the female version of Ebenezer Scrooge 1!¡¯


    The next day at the crack of dawn, Yu Xiaocao groggily put on her thick cotton coat after being woken up by Madam Zhang¡¯s shrill voice. It was only the 10th month of the lunar calendar but there was already a thickyer of frost on the ground. If she didn¡¯t wear her winter coat during the day, she didn¡¯t think she could stand the cold air.


    ¡°Littler sister, you should go back to sleep. I¡¯ll help mother dig up the sweet potatoes.¡± Yu Xiaolian swiftly got up but when she saw her sleepy sister, she quickly went back to push her back into the bed.


    The warmth of the bed and covers made it hard for people to leave it in the morning. However, the family¡¯s real eight year old daughter had already gotten up to go to the fields, how could she, an inwardly thirty-something woman, stay in bed shamelessly?


    After washing her face and rinsing her mouth, Yu Xiaocao yawned as she followed her mother listlessly from behind. She turned her head slightly to see her fat aunt, Madam Li, also yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Seeing that made Yu Xiaocao immediately feel better about herself. Look, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m the only one who wants to stay on the kang bed and not get up.


    All of them walked on a narrow and curvy trail towards the fields. After walking for about half an hour, Yu Xiaocao could finally see their plots ofnd filled with lush green sweet potato vines. The verdant nts, the azure skin, and the smell of rich earth that came in with every chilly breath she took all helped to wake her up.


    ¡°Dashan¡¯s wife and Dahai¡¯s wife, you guys are here to harvest the sweet potatoes!¡± An average looking man with a warm smile on his face greeted the group of women eagerly.


    ¡°Good morning, Third Uncle! Are you also here to dig up some sweet potatoes?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a good impression of her father¡¯s cousin. Shortly after she first transmigrated over, she had even been carried home by this man.


    Yu Jiang grinned as he ruffled her hair. He noticed that she had a small hoe in her hands and teased, ¡°Oh! Looks like our Xiaocao is a little adult now. Third Uncle¡¯s family has already finished digging up our sweet potatoes. After we make onest sweep over the grounds, how about wee over and help you guys?¡±


    ¡°No need, we only have three plots ofnd to go over. We¡¯ll be done after a day¡¯s work. Please carry on with everything else you have to do.¡± Madam Liu gracefully declined his offer in the presence of Li Guihua. Xiaocao¡¯s extended family also had a lot of people in the household and all were busy in this season. How could they possibly dy their chores? Madam Li red at her sister-inw. Declining another person¡¯s offer of help only meant that you would be tired at the end of the day. If it was only you getting fatigued, it would be one thing. But why do you have to drag me into this too?


    Yu Xiaocao noticed therge pile of sweet potatoes that other people had dug up lying on the side of the road and was reminded of all of the sweet potato food she had in her past life. Images of baked sweet potatoes, soft and sticky glutinous balls made with yams, and the crispy and sweet potato pancakes floated through her mind. Excited at the prospect of food, she eagerly picked up her hoe and stepped into the field. It was time to harvest!


    As her mother and her third uncle continued to talk, she pushed aside the vines and aimed her hoe at the thickest portion to start. After she heaved the hoe up, she was duly rewarded with the sight of a half-buried sweet potato. Yu Xiaocao trembled with excitement. Although her family had somend in her previous life, they only grew wheat and soybeans and had never nted any yams. They would only asionallye across some that were on the border where other people had nted some and reap the benefits.


    Yu Xiaocao carefully used the hoe to push away the surrounding soil and continued to dig a deeper andrger hole. To avoid damaging any of the sweet potatoes, she abandoned the hoe and dug the rest of the dirt with her bare hands. Atst, she could feel the yam loosening from the ground. From her perspective, it looked asrge as volleyball. She gripped onto it and pulled with all her might as if she was pulling daikon from the ground. Finally, the sweet potato popped out of the ground.


    The effort caused her to fall unceremoniously on her butt as she lost her bnce. Luckily, all of the vines and dirt she had cleared earlier cushioned her fall, so she didn¡¯t feel much pain. She casually patted off the dirt from her bottom, picked up the sweet potato she had harvested on her own, and announced, ¡°Mother! Look, look! I dug up a really big sweet potato!!¡±


    Third Uncle also came over and a surprised expression crossed his face, ¡°Oh! Xiaocao really has talent to be able to dig up such a big yam on her first try! I gotta say, this one could probably take the crown for size.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was overjoyed as she held her ¡°spoils of war¡±, but the voice of the little divine stone suddenly sounded in her mind,


    [Why are you so excited? Did you forget? About two months ago, it was getting dry, so you took some of my special water and mixed it with some other water and used that to water the fields. Without my help, how could such barren, sandynd raise sweet potatoes this size?]


    ¡°So mystic-stone water can also promote the growth of crops, eh!¡± The farmer¡¯s child, Yu Xiaocao, felt her heart skip a beat at this thought. In the future, if she could grow some out-of-season crops, wouldn¡¯t she be able to make a lot of money?


    [Out-of-season crops? What¡¯s that?] The little divine stone was bbergasted at the odd term it took from her mind.


    Yu Xiaocao continued to dig up the yams as she replied, ¡°That is...growing spring vegetables in the winter.¡±


    [Oh that¡¯s not hard! As long as it doesn¡¯t blizzard, I, this divine stone, can naturally hasten the growth of vegetables.] If the little divine stone had a tail, it would have long been cocked up to the sky proudly. Although only a fraction of the stone¡¯s innate powers had been restored, it had more than enough to elerate the growth of nts.


    Yu Xiaocao excavated the nearby smaller sweet potatoes from her initial find and tampered down her joy and said, ¡°If what you¡¯re telling me is true, I¡¯ll make sure to let you absorb some energy from Grandpa You¡¯s herbs.¡±


    [1] The author was originallyparing Madam Zhang to Felix Grandet, a character in the French novel Eug¨¦nie Grandet who was known for being very miserly to himself and his whole family. I used Ebenezer Scrooge since he seems to be a bit more well known in the English speakingmunity.

 Chapter 40 – High Yield

    <h4>Chapter 40 ¨C High Yield</h4>


    [How many times have I told you? What I¡¯m absorbing is what you humans can¡¯t absorb, spiritual energy. It didn¡¯t affect the effects of the medicinal herbs at all! Yet, you still refuse to believe me. The spiritual energy of the medicinal herbs from Old You¡¯s house was pitifully little!] The little divine stone began to bargain.


    [Alright! The next time I go to town, I will take a detour to Tongren Medicine Hall and let you absorb as much spiritual energy as you want!] Finding another sweet potato, Xiaocao focused all her energy to deal with the big sweet potato and casually responded to the Divine Stone. Afterall, who knew when she would visit town again.


    Madam Liu, who had never tried to shirk from work or responsibility, bent down and ceaselessly dug for sweet potatoes. She secretly thought: ¡®In the previous years, the biggest sweet potato that came from this piece of sandy soil was no bigger than the size of a palm. Yet this year, it seemed as if the sweet potatoes are filled with gas, each bigger than the next.¡¯


    She originally thought that the sweet potato that her youngest daughter had just dug up was already considered the best. But she hadn¡¯t expected that the sweet potatoes that she dug up afterwards were also not any less inferior to the sweet potato that her youngest daughter had dug up. Some had even surpassed the size of the ¡®potato king¡¯.


    ¡°Mother, the size of this year¡¯s sweet potatoes is much bigger thanst year¡¯s. It seems like we¡¯ll be able to harvest a lot more sweet potatoes this year, too!¡± Yu Xiaolian felt that this was unbelievable. It was the same plot ofnd asst year and the seeds came from the sweet potatoes from the previous year. However, why did it seem as if this year¡¯s harvest of sweet potatoes were in apetition? They were each bigger than the next!


    Madam Li had only just begun digging when she sat down and began wiping her sweat. She lowered her head and looked at the size of her family¡¯s field of sweet potatoes. All the meat on Madam Li¡¯s face squished together as she smiled and said, ¡°Younger Sister-inw, this year, the sweet potatoes will definitely be high-yielding. Do you think Mother will give us some to roast and eat?¡±


    In the past, when the harvest wasn¡¯t abundant, the sweet potatoes would be beaten into thin slices and put out to be dried in the sun. After that, it would be grinded into powder and served together with the other coarse grains throughout the entire winter. Pancakes made from sweet potato powder were sweet and chewy. It tasted much better than the pancakes made from the crude millet flour and weird-smelling bean flour.


    Every year, the few remaining small sweet potatoes would asionally be boiled in a basin. The boiled sweet potatoes tasted very soft and sweet. It was a pity that they couldn¡¯t eat much because it easily caused acid reflux. The sweet potatoes tasted even better when roasted. However, Madam Zhang thought that it was too wasteful since a portion of the scorched skin of the sweet potato must be thrown away.


    ¡°Eldest Aunt, you have already rested for a long time. Quickly get up and dig for sweet potatoes. There are so many sweet potatoes. If we don¡¯t finish digging today, my grandmother would be angry. When that happens, we won¡¯t even be able to eat sweet potato skin, let alone roasted sweet potatoes!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao held contempt for thiszy and greedy Eldest Aunt. Both she and Xiaolian had already dug a pile of sweet potatoes, yet her eldest aunt had barely dug up two before she sat down and stopped working. It was impossible for people to refrain themselves from mocking her!


    Madam Li picked up a small sweet potato and wiped off the dirt on the sweet potato with her sleeve, which was of an indescribable color. With her big mouth, she loudy gnawed at the outer skin of the sweet potato. While she gnawed off the skin with big mouthfuls, she also didn¡¯t forget to excuse herself and she said,


    ¡°It¡¯s only five plots ofnd! We will definitely be able to finish digging today. If I rest for a bit, it wouldn¡¯t dy anything. This year¡¯s sweet potatoes are not only big, but it¡¯s also sweet. It tastes better than the sweet potatoes from the previous years.¡±


    Yu Xiaolian red at her. She knew that they can never rely on Madam Li when they harvest sweet potatoes every year. Yu Xiaolian raised her head to look at her younger twin sister. She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Xiaocao, rest for a little bit before you start digging again. Don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±


    Madam Liu straightened her waist and lightly wiped away the droplets of sweat on her forehead. In a caring voice, she said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you have never done farm work before. Why don¡¯t you go sit at the edge of the field and y? Your sister and I can finish the work.¡±


    In her past life, Yu Xiaocao was also ustomed to doing farm work. Although her family had never nted any sweet potatoes, there was no technique or skill needed to dig sweet potatoes. In just a few moments, she had started to dig for sweet potatoes. After nursing her body for four to five months, and with the exercises she got by climbing the mountain and going out to sea, she was no longer the same Yu Xiaocao whose legs would go soft after walking two steps. She smiled at her mother and continued the work at hand without dy.


    ¡°Hey, Second Sister-inw, what type of fertilizer did your family use this year? All your sweet potatoes are so big. Look at that! This sweet potato should at least weigh seven to eight catties!¡± After Yu Jiang finished digging the sweet potatoes in his family¡¯s field, he came over to help Madam Liu. However, when he saw the football-sized sweet potatoes on the ground, he couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.


    Madam Liu shook her head and replied with a smile, ¡°The fertilizer we used this year was the same as the previous years. It¡¯s made from the same manure from our family. Perhaps, we have such a good harvest this year because the weather is really good for the crops.¡±


    Yu Jiang picked up the hoe that Madam Li had thrown on the ground. He skillfully began to dig up the potato, said, ¡°If the reason is because of the weather, then why is my family¡¯s harvest the same asst year¡¯s? So, good weather can¡¯t be the reason. Second Sister-inw, if there is a secret recipe to produce a bountiful harvest, please don¡¯t conceal it from me!¡±


    Yu Xiaolian knew that Third Uncle liked to joke around so she said, ¡°Third Uncle, if we have a secret recipe, would we hide it from our own family? The fertilizer that we used this year was made by my mother and I. It¡¯s certainly the same fertilizer asst year. As for why there is such arge harvest this year, we also don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t know, but I know!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao thought inwardly. With her head lowered, she continued to work and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t Mother say that when we farm, we depend on Heaven to eat a meal. Perhaps, Heaven sees that my family is pleasing to the eye, so the Heaven gave us a high yield this year.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t expect that our family¡¯s Xiaocao takes after your Third Uncle, we both like to tell jokes. Will the Heaven also be bias towards certain people? However, the Gods probably saw that your mother and siblings never had enough food to eat. Thus, it¡¯s justifiable if the Heaven gives you some more food.¡±


    Yu Jiang had long been displeased with his second uncle¡¯s second wife. He was part of the younger generation and wasn¡¯t part of the second household, so he couldn¡¯t say anything. He could only help the pitiful Second Sister-inw and her children do some heavy work as much as he can. He tried to help out as much as possible.


    ¡°Your family will probably harvest at least around 2,000 catties from your family¡¯s field, which is much more than the harvest of other families! If our field is able to produce half of the amount your field produced, then I will beughing!¡± Although his speech showed that he was envious, his hand never stopped working. He was certainly a real professional when it came to manualbor. His working speed was faster than three peoplebined.


    Yu Dashan and Yu Hai came to help in the afternoon after they returned from fishing. So, with the extra helpers, and Third Uncle, who was a free and efficientborer, they were able to finish before the sky turned dark. All the sweet potatoes in the five fields had been dug up and ced in the wheelbarrows to be transported home.


    When Madam Zhang, who always put on a long face, saw the mountains of sweet potatoes piled up in the courtyard, she beamed like a flower. It was estimated that this year¡¯s sweet potato harvest had unexpectedly reached 3,000 catties. This was more than twice the amount harvestedst year.


    Facing such a big harvest, Madam Zhang finally relented and left a portion of the smaller sweet potatoes in the cer to be steamed or boiled to eat for the winter. Taking advantage of the early winter sun, the remaining sweet potatoes were cut into pieces and dried in the sun. When needed, they could grind it into potato powder.


    ¡°This is all thanks to the good fortune of the current emperor.¡± Old Yu looked at the mountain of sweet potatoes with a sense of satisfaction, as if he would never need to panic as long as he had food on his hands. ¡°When I was young, during a famine, I had to eat tree barks and grassroots. When I¡¯m extremely hungry, I would even eat dirt to fill my stomach. At that time, many people had died of hunger!¡±


    Old Yu stopped for a moment and appeared to be caught up in the memories of his past as he continued, ¡°After sweet potato was imported from abroad, we had also experienced another famine. The sweet potatoes produced high yields and could be stored for a long time. Hence, the sweet potatoes and the sweet potato flour, as well as sweet potato vines, had helped us survive the dreadful three-year famine. It saved us from being starved to death.¡±


    Madam Zhang also nodded her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Sweet potato is indeed a good crop. However, eating sweet potatoes and sweet potato flour twice a day will make the stomach bloated. Eating too much sweet potato will cause acid regurgitation. The sweet potato will also make you fart and give you heartburn. It¡¯s really difficult to bear. It would be really nice if there¡¯s a crop that¡¯s high yielding and doesn¡¯t give you heartburn!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be unsatisfied with what you have! You already have something to eat and yet you¡¯re thinking about this and that!¡± Old Yu red at the woman, and then continued to watch them slice the potatoes into thin slices.


    There weren¡¯t many kitchen knives at home, so even the sickle and the iron pieces from the hoe were used. However, there still wasn¡¯t enough tools for everyone to use. Moreover, their cutting speed was also slow. When would they ever be able to finish cutting 10,000 catties of sweet potatoes?


    Yu Xiaocao remembered that in her previous life when her neighbor cut sweet potatoes, the tool she had used was a razor de with a single side that has open des on the edge of the de. The de would be fixed in the middle of the wooden board. When a big sweet potato was pushed down on the des, the sweet potatoes would be cut into slices. Moreover, it was also very safe to use since it wouldn¡¯t easily injury your hands.


    Yu Xiaocao discussed it with her father for a while. The next day, when her father returned from the town, he had bought a few des that she had requested. After working on it for the entire afternoon, her skillful father finally finished making a few sweet potato slicers.


    Yu Xiaocao used the damaged clothes that they could no longer wear and made a few pairs of thick gloves. With the thick gloves, they don¡¯t have to worry about getting their hands cut with the tool.


    Madam Liu put on the tattered gloves and lifted the wooden board of the tool. Then, she picked up a big sweet potato and ced it on top of the des. With a hard push, a moderately sized sweet potato pieces fell down from the des.


    Madam Zhang also tried out the tool and gave them a rarepliment, ¡°This tool is really convenient to use. Not only does it quickly cuts the sweet potatoes, but it also doesn¡¯t require a lot of effort. It¡¯s pretty good!¡±


    Madam Li, who was interested in the new tool, had also became diligent for a couple days and cut a few hundred catties of sweet potatoes.


    Thanks to the sweet potato cutting tool, they were able to cut the 10,000 catties of sweet potatoes in less than ten days. Originally, it would be hard to even finish cutting 10,000 catties of sweet potatoes in a month. But with thebined efforts of the women and men at home, as well as the cutting tool, they were able to quickly finish the task.


    While they were cutting the sweet potatoes, a few vigers dropped by their house and saw their sweet potato cutter. After they inquired Yu Hai about the sweet potato cutter, they went to the cksmith in town and got a few pieces of razor des. Then, they asked Yu Hai to help them make the sweet potato slicers when he was free. Which family didn¡¯t have some rtives in other viges? Soon, the usage of the sweet potato cutter spread from Dongshan Vige outward to the other viges.


    In the future, every time it was sweet potato harvest season, people would often talk about the Yu Family from Dongshan Vige. Yu Xiaocao would had never imagined that the small invention that she had pirated from someone else would make the Yu Family¡¯s reputation soar around the nearby viges. She had only made the sweet potato cutter for the convenience of her family. Yu Xiaocao was currently pondering about what tasty food she should make with the sweet potato flour.


    With thebination of the meager experiences she had in her previous life and her own improvisation, she was able toe up with many recipes that used the coarse grain as the base ingredient.


    For example, there were already several ways to make sweet potato noodles 1.


    The simplest way to make the noodles was to use a big grater (Author¡¯s note: Yu Xiaocao had asked her father to get this grater from the cksmith when he went there to get the razor des.) to shred a freshly kneaded sweet potato dough above a pot of boiling water. The noodles made like this would be thick. The thickness would be the same as a child¡¯s finger.


    But in all honesty, without any condiments and oil, a big bowl of such noodles wouldn¡¯t be filling at all. Shortly after eating it, the stomach will soon rumble in hunger.


    The most delicious type of noodle dish was noodles served with thick gravy. The first step would be to use a flour sifter to filter out fine sweet potato flour. Next, warm boiled water should be mixed into the flour while kneading the dough into a ball. Above a pot of boiling water, shred the dough with a file and let the sweet potato noodles fall into the boiling water. As the firewood underneath the stove continues to burn, the person shredding the dough must finish swiftly, or else the noodles inside the pot would dissolve inside the water.


    However, making noodles required a lot of strength. She was only able to make the noodles when her father was home. Even though Yu Hai had great strength, every time he made the noodles, droplets of sweat would cover his entire body. There were around a dozen people in the Yu Family. To ensure that everyone would get to eat, Yu Xiaocao had to cook a big pot of noodles every time she made the noodles. Thus, even as winter approached, Yu Hai¡¯s clothes would still be drenched with sweat.


    However, the cooked noodles woulde out sparkly and translucent. When eaten, the noodles had a smooth and chewy texture. When the noodles werebined with m soup, minced chives, and a bit of spice, the dish was extremely satisfying to eat. This was the ssic example of a sweet potato noodle dish.


    Another way to make it was to cut the freshly kneaded dough into strands of noodles on the chopping board. After making the noodles, just put them in a pot of boiling water. Once the noodles were cooked, it could be directly eaten. The noodles that were made this way would still be tasty and sweet. Soup stock could also be added to the noodles to make it into noodles with gravy. However, the texture for noodles made with this method weren¡¯t as smooth and good as the ones cooked directly in boiling water.


    There was also another way to eat it, which was abination of both thin and thick noodles. First, the sweet potato dough would be wrapped with the wheat dough to make handmade noodles. After cutting the dough in half, the ck and white dough would be very apparent. When eaten, the noodles would have the tenacity of the wheat flour, and the smoothness and exquisiteness of the sweet potato flour. The noodles could also be eaten along with a broth of the eater¡¯s preference. This type of dish was also a delicacy. But there was a stingy olddy watching her at home. Unless her younger uncle returns home with his family, she wouldn¡¯t let her touch the wheat flour.


    In addition to this, the sweet potato flour could be used to make tbread, pancakes, or steamed cornbread. It could also make into steamed vegetables buns, dumplings, and more. With Xiaocao¡¯s ability to make various dishes from the sweet potato flour, the Yu Family rarely went out to buy food in the winter.

 Chapter 41 – Acute Illness

    <h4>Chapter 41 ¨C Acute Illness</h4>


    Doctor You had been gone for two months. The vigers in and around Dongshan Vige didn¡¯t feel anything was different in the short term. But after a while, they all felt the inconvenience of his absence. In the past, when they had a minor illness or a small disaster, they were able to pay Doctor You ten to twenty copper coins to be seen. Afterward, they just needed to take some medicine and their illness would be gone.


    After Doctor You had left, the majority of the vigers who fell sick were able to ovee their illness by bearing with it. But if their condition didn¡¯t get better with time, they would have to go to town to see a doctor. However, they had to pay at least several hundred of copper coins to visit even the smallest medical hall.


    Everyone knew that the granddaughter from Old Yu¡¯s family had studied medicine under Doctor You for a month. But, she was merely a silly eight year old girl and also didn¡¯t study under Doctor You for long. They rather endure the illness themselves than to put their own lives in the hands of a little girl. She might even turn their small illness into a serious illness!


    Xiaocao was quite talented in studying medicine, and Doctor You felt that there wasn¡¯t much that he could teach her anymore. However, three months passed, and Xiaocao didn¡¯t receive even one patient. But she didn¡¯t take that to heart. Xiaocao¡¯s original purpose in studying medicine was to conceal the effects of the mystic-stone water when she used it. Hence, it didn¡¯t matter to her whether she had any patients seeking her help or not.


    Doctor You often liked to concoct pills formon conditions like themon cold, small fevers, and other minor illnesses. The majority of the vigers from Dong Shan vige knew this.


    Every once in a while, Yu Xiaocao would be visited by the vigers. She would get the pills or medicine packs prepared by Grandfather You and give it to the sick viger. This was the only role left for her as Doctor You¡¯s direct disciple while he was gone.


    Taking advantage of the fact that the early winter snow didn¡¯t seal the mountain, Yu Xiaocao would leisurely put out some traps every few days when she went up the mountain. With the mystic-stone water as an all-purpose bait, her harvest every time would be quite bountiful. Her private little purse was bulging more and more.


    With more money came more worries. In the past, with only one or two silver ingots, she would be able to find a random corner and hide it. But now she had silver ingots and silver pieces inside her bulging purse, it was more difficult to find a safe hiding spot.. After all, the family had Yu Heizi, who liked to go through other people¡¯s things.


    Xiaocao wasn¡¯t treating him unjustly: Heizi had a criminal record. Everyday, Yu Hai and Madam Liu both had more work than they could finish in a day, and Yu Xiaolian was also not allowed to idle around. When Xiaocao set out the traps, she would bring Little Shitou along. Basically, other than when they were eating or sleeping, there was no one in the West Room to witness anything.


    One time, Yu Xiaocao had just returned from selling the animals she had caught using her traps in the mountain. When she returned, she saw the West Room¡¯s door wide open so she quickly hurried over to take a look. The whole room was a mess after being rummaged through by someone. The tattered clothes inside the trunk were thrown everywhere. Even the nket on the kang bed was tangled into a lump.


    She quickly went to check the ce where she hid the money¡ª¡ªin the small crack between the kang bed and the mud wall. Fortunately, after she had hid the money in the small crack, she had used some loose dirt to seal it. Otherwise, the money would be hard pressed to escape from Brother Heizi¡¯s sinister hand.


    Xiaocao was angered by this so she told the head of the household¡ª¡ªMadam Zhang. The biased elderlydy only asked a few questions. Due to theck of evidence, they were forced to leave the matter unsettled. After that, when Xiaocao hid her secret money, she was much more careful.


    In the end, she came up with a foolproof way of hiding her money. She dug a small square hole in one of the mud bricks of the wall. She also got a small piece of mud brick that can be easily ced into the hole. After she put the silver inside the small hole, she would put the small mud brick in. Then, she would take some mud and fill the small cracks, making everything look wless.


    As the days passed, the winter in the north finally showed its might. On that day, the weather was gloomy. The entire sky was covered in thick, low, and grayish-yellow turbid clouds.


    The northeast wind howled as it wreaked havoc in the wilderness. It seemed as if the wind was holding a sharp sword that could easily pierce through a tight leather coat. So when Xiaocao left to go outside, her exposed cheek was stricken again and again by the wind. Her cheeks ached and it was difficult for her to bear the pain.


    The umber-ck sky was sprinkled with little pieces of pure white petals. It seemed as if the white petals also had a touch of fragrance on them. Snow as big as a goose feather flew down in great numbers, instantly dyeing the world in white.


    In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had lived in Central China. So even if there was snow, it would only be on a small scale. This was her first time seeing a snow so heavy that it looked like torn puffs of cotton were falling down.


    The old and shabby cotton-padded jacket she was wearing wasn¡¯t sufficient enough to resist the severe cold of the north. Ever since winter had approached, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t willing to go out. She would nestle on the kang bed everyday.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first snow of the year and yet it¡¯s already snowed this much! It seems like it would be hard to pass through this winter! Did we store enough food in the house?¡± At dinner, Old Yu sat on the kang bed. He looked out to see the snow that had been falling for a day and sighed. From his years of experience, it wasn¡¯t umon to see the big snow be a disaster.


    Madam Zhang thought about the mountains of sliced sweet potatoes in the storage room. Once again, with food in her hand, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t panic. She nodded her head and replied, ¡°There is definitely enough food. It¡¯s just hasn¡¯t been grinded into powder yet. When the snow stops, eldest son and second son will go grind thousands of catties of sweet potato powder and store it.


    Old Yu wrinkled his brows and said, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t get tired of just eating sweet potato flour for the entire winter, your stomach may not be able to handle it. We still need to buy some coarse and fine grains to store for the winter. If we wait till New Years when the snow has piled almost up to the sky, the prices of the grains would definitely be higher.¡±


    Just as they were discussing, the Yu Family¡¯s front door was pped with a heaven-shattering sound. Within the sound of the wind and snow, they could also hear someone crying at the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out!¡± Yu Hai put down his rice bowl and put on his tattered cotton-padded jacket. He pulled the door open and lurched into the raging storm. The moment the door opened and closed, a few snowkes entered the house. The snowkes fell onto the floor and melted into tiny specks of muddy water.


    Madam Li continued to eatrge mouthfuls of food, yet she didn¡¯t forget toin, ¡°Who is it? Why would theye when it¡¯s snowing so much? They also came at this hour. Are they trying to prevent us from eating?¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er! Do you have any fever pills made by Grandpa You left? Your Uncle Shuanzhu has a high fever and needs it immediately!¡± A burst of bone-chilling wind sted through the door. Yu Hai hurriedly pushed the door open and entered the house. Behind him was Shuanzhu¡¯s wife whose eyes were rimmed with red.


    Yu Xiaocao swallowed the croquette in her mouth and quickly replied, ¡°All of the medicine that Grandpa You had made is already used up. Is Uncle Shuanzhu burning up really badly? Does he need me to go look at him?¡±


    ¡°You are only a child, what good would there be for you to go? Don¡¯t dy a patient¡¯s illness. It¡¯s better if you send him to town to see a doctor. Don¡¯t worry about the money.¡± Madam Zhang was worried that Yu Xiaocao would bring trouble to her family so she quickly interrupted her.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was so anxious to the point where tears almost fell from her eyes. ¡°Yesterday, my husband caught a little cold. When he woke up today, he felt ufortable but didn¡¯t think it was serious. In the past he would just bear with the illness until he gets better by himself. But who would¡¯ve thought that his fever would begin to burn hotter. Earlier, his hands and feet were thrashing about. We are also out of fever reducing medicine. What should I do?¡±


    Madam Li began to make cynical remarks on the side, ¡°Oh my! His fever has burned to the point where he has cramps? That can¡¯t be! My maternal family¡¯s neighbor also had a fever. His fever was burning fiercely to the point it burned his brain and he became a fool. He¡¯s almost forty now and he still can¡¯t find a wife! Your family¡¯s Shuanzhu¡¯s fever has already burned for a day now. I don¡¯t even know how he is right now!¡±


    After being told that, Shuanzhu¡¯s wife could no longer hold back her tears. She was anxious without any solutions, ¡°Then what can be done? It¡¯s snowing badly so we can¡¯t even send him to the town to see a doctor. Xiaocao, is there really no medicine left?¡±


    ¡°Human life is worth beyond any value. If I had medicine, I wouldn¡¯t hide or conceal it! Auntie Shuanzhu, if you trust me then I will go with you to check on him. You can¡¯t just stand there and watch his fever get worse right?¡± Yu Xiaocao decided to receive her first patient.


    Madam Zhang angrily said, ¡°What can an eight year old girl like you do? Is seeing a patient some easy thing? There is a human life involved! How many days did you study under Doctor You? Aren¡¯t you afraid of wasting your Uncle Shuanzu¡¯s¡ª¡ªand his wife¡¯s time? Why don¡¯t you go to town and invite a doctor?¡±


    If she left for town right now through the snow, it would still take three to four hours to go and return. By the time she arrived at town, it would be nighttime. What¡¯s more, it would be hard to say if the doctor would even agree to travel overnight to see a patient in this bad weather.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was turning to any doctor she could find out of desperation. She put herst hope on Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Xiaocao, your Uncle Shuanzhu and your father are friends who¡¯ve been through life and death together. They had even fought a shark together at sea. Don¡¯t conceal it from me and tell me the extent of your medical skills.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were steady as she looked at Shuanzhu¡¯s wife. She honestly said, ¡°Auntie Shuanzhu, Grandpa You said that I learned about seven to eight points of his skills. The remaining two to three points is because Ick experience. When ites to amon cold or fever, as long as Grandpa You can cure it, I can do it too!¡±


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife¡¯s fric and anxious heart gradually rxed after seeing Xiaocao¡¯s calm gaze. She bit her teeth and made a hard but correct decision, ¡°Good! Auntie believe in you. I will put your Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s life in your hands!¡±


    ¡°Aiya! Shuanzhu¡¯s wife, how can you believe in a child¡¯s boastful words? Our family¡¯s Xiaocao is only eight years old. We can¡¯t afford it if she treats Shuanzhu incorrectly!¡± Madam Li had finished eating and drinking. She was watching the show but now she was worried about the consequences if something bad happened.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife once again clenched her teeth. She stamped her foot and said, ¡°Whether she cures him or not, we won¡¯t make you take any responsibilities. Xiaocao, let¡¯s go quickly. Your Uncle Shuanzhu is still burning with a fever!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t care about her half eaten meal. She quickly went to the West Room to get the medicine box Grandpa You had left behind. She looked at the medicinal ingredients inside the medicine box and saw that it wasplete. Thinking about it more, she looked for the Divine Stone¡¯s bath water with high concentration of mystic stone water. She poured the mystic-stone water in an empty medicine bottle. Only after she had put on all the clothes she had that could help her resist the cold did she leave the house with Shuanzhu¡¯s wife.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t feel reassured and couldn¡¯t continue eating his dinner. He followed behind his own daughter, helping her carry the heavy medicine box. From time to time, he would support his daughter, making sure that she didn¡¯t slip in this snowy weather.


    Originally, the walk would take just five minutes. However, with the wind and snow obstructing their path, it took the three of them a quarter of an hour to arrive at their destination. Just as they opened the door, they were able to hear the sharp yet sad cry from the two children of the Liu Family, ¡°Father! Father, please wake up! Father, you can¡¯t die yet!¡±


    When Shuanzhu¡¯s wife heard their cries, her legs suddenly became soft. She sat on the floor and started crying.


    Yu Xiaocao half walked and half ran as she rushed towards the kang bed. She pulled Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s eyelid up and looked at his pupil. She calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. Uncle Shuanzhu didn¡¯t die! But the fever has made him go into shock. Auntie, quickly prepare some prepare some warm water to lower the temperature of his body.¡±


    ¡°What? You want to lower the temperature of the room 1? It¡¯s such a cold day and he¡¯s still sick. If you lower the temperature of his body, won¡¯t his illness get worse?¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife swayed lightly as she got up. Her heart began to waver at her decision to allow Yu Xiaocao to treat her husband¡¯s illness.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry as she said, ¡°Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s fever is burning too much. He needs to lower his body temperature. If he only relies on medication, he would recover much slower. Hence, I need Auntie to use warm water to wipe Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s body. This way, his body temperature will lower faster.

 Chapter 42 – Winter Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 42 ¨C Winter Disaster</h4>


    ¡°Yes! Alright! There¡¯s hot water in the pot. I¡¯ll go get some!¡± Seeing that Xiaocao seemed to know what she was doing, a sense of hope reemerged within Shuanzhu¡¯s wife¡¯s heart. She hastily went to the kitchen to get the hot water. She was so anxious that she almost tripped in the yard.


    After Yu Xiaocao carefully examined Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s pulse, she took out some fever-reducing cold medicine from her medicine box and swiftly began decocting the medicine inside the room.


    ¡°Little Sister Xiaocao, will my father really be alright?¡± Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s ten year old daughter, Liu Huifang, whimpered as she squatted down to help Xiaocao brew the medicine and asked for reassurance.


    Yu Xiaocao put the herbs into a ceramic pot, which was used to brew herbal medicine, and added a few drops of mystic-stone water into the pot. After that, she replied in a confident and firm manner, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! He will be fine after drinking two doses of the medication!¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the hot water. Xiaocao, is this temperature suitable?¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife came in with a basin of hot water and a washcloth.


    After Yu Xiaocao checked the temperature, she added half a bottle of mystic-stone water into the hot water and nodded, ¡°It¡¯s fine! Quickly wipe down Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s body with the cloth, especially the neck and armpit areas. The excessive body heat will dissipate faster!¡±


    ¡°Sister Xiaocao, what did you put in the water? It doesn¡¯t look like medicinal herbs? The second child of the Liu Family was the same age as Xiaocao, but he was a few months younger than Xiaocao.


    While Yu Xiaocao instructed Liu Huifang on how to brew the medicine, she exined to the Liu Family¡¯s second child, whose nickname was Tiedan¡¯er, ¡°This is Grandpa You¡¯s secret remedy. It can speed up the recovery of any diseases. This is extracted from forty-nine different kinds of medicinal herbs. Grandpa You only made two bottles in fifty years. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s precious? Don¡¯t go out and tell other people about this. If Uncle Shuanzi wasn¡¯t a close friend of my father, I would had been reluctant to use it!¡±


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife believed her and shed tears of gratitude, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you used up half a bottle for my husband. Wouldn¡¯t Doctor You be mad at you when he returns?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t! Grandpa You said that medicine was made to save people. Uncle Shuanzhu needed urgent treatment for his illness. If we dyed it any longer, then a big hole might be burned into his lungs. His life might be in danger if we don¡¯t use this medicine!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew that it would be difficult to treat Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s illness with just her own abilities, but it was much easier to cure him with the help of the mystic-stone water.


    She also had concerns before she made the decision toe treat Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s illness. After all, he was her first patient after she began studying medicine. If anything went wrong, it would be impossible for her to treat other patients in the future. Furthermore, she might get the reputation as ¡®a quack doctor who had harmed her patients¡¯ and wouldn¡¯t be able to lift her head in the vige anymore.


    While she was hesitating, the little divine stone suddenly appeared and sneered, [It¡¯s just a mere cold! Even though my powers are sealed, I can still cure such a minor disease. Take this! My, this Divine Stone¡¯s, bathing water will surely work without fail! Here, let me add a little more saliva for you¡ª¡ªspit. It will definitely not fail.]


    The little divine stone¡¯s bathing water and saliva had remarkable results. Shuanzhu¡¯s wife wiped her husband¡¯s body several times and noticed that his body temperature had dropped a lot. Shuanzhu, who had been unconscious due to his high fever, also gradually regained consciousness.


    At this time, the medicine was ready. Shuanzhu¡¯s wife fed the medication to her husband. His terribly high fever was reduced within two hours after taking one dose of medicine.


    ¡°Ay! Brother Dahai, your daughter¡¯s medical skills is almost as good as Doctor You¡¯s. No wonder Doctor You praised her as a medical genius!¡± Liu Shuanzhu, who was still somewhat weak after his fever went down, leaned against the bed as he expressed his gratitude and praise for Xiaocao.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife pulled out a cloth bag from the cab and took out several strings of copper coins, which had around one hundred copper coins on each string. She gratefully eximed, ¡°Older Brother Yu Hai, we¡¯re so grateful to your daughter, Xiaocao. Doctor You¡¯s medicine must be very expensive, so I¡¯m not sure if eight hundred copper coins is enough. If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll go borrow some from my maiden family when the snow stops.¡±


    If the bottle of elixir and medicinal herbs belonged to his daughter, Yu Hai would never ept the money because of his close rtionship with Shuanzhu. However, his daughter said that medicine belonged to Doctor You. Moreover, it seemed to be rather valuable. It was difficult for him to make a decision, so he looked at his daughter.


    Since Yu Xiaocao had already spoken, it would be suspicious if she didn¡¯t ept the money. After a moment of hesitation, she said, ¡°Auntie Shuanzhu, you¡¯re also familiar with Grandpa You¡¯s personality. If his patients¡¯ family had difficulties, he would waive their medical fee.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! All the vigers in the surrounding vigespliments our Dongshan Vige¡¯s Doctor You as a benevolent person. A lot of people regard him as a living Bodhisattva!¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife eximed.


    Yu Xiaocao continued, ¡°If Grandpa You was here, he wouldn¡¯t want to see you guys borrowing money to pay the medical fee. I¡¯ll make the decision today and just ept two hundred copper coins from Auntie. Uncle Shuanzhu still needs to recuperate for some time and the New Year ising soon...¡±


    ¡°Two hundred copper coins? Isn¡¯t that too little? Doctor You will scold you when hees back in the spring! Cao¡¯er, just take the money. We¡¯re a little short of money because we also bought a new boat this year. Don¡¯t worry. Although your Uncle Shuanzhu isn¡¯t as good of a fisher as your father, he is also one of the best fishermen within the vige. With a new fishing boat, would we still be afraid of a little debt?¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife forced the cloth bag into Xiaocao¡¯s arms.


    The cost for the medicine Xiaocao used for Shuanzhu didn¡¯t even add up to a dozen copper coins. The crucialponent was the mystic-stone water, which didn¡¯t cost a single penny. Thus, she basically didn¡¯t spend any money at all. If she epted the eight hundred copper coins, she would feel guilty. Hence, Yu Xiaocao refused and insisted on only taking two hundred copper coins.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was also a stubborn person. The more Xiaocao refused to ept the money, the more she wanted to give it to her. After seeing them pushing back and forth for a long time, Uncle Shuanzhu finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and coughed a few times,


    ¡°Don¡¯t push and shove anymore. Xiaocao, just take it as your uncle taking advantage of you and ept five hundred copper coins. We¡¯re spending the New Year at Tiedan¡¯s grandfather¡¯s house, so we have enough for the winter with the remaining three hundred copper coins.¡±


    Xiaocao knew she couldn¡¯t decline anymore, so she epted the five strings of coins with shame. She left behind several packs of herbs and reminded Auntie Shuanzhu to decoct a dose of thebined herbs for Uncle Shuanzhu to take daily.


    The mystic-stone water was too effective. In the future, she needed to adjust the dosage to prevent arousing other people¡¯s suspicion and greed.


    It snowed even more heavily on their way back. The snowkes were almost like small snowballs since they were drifting so profusely and disorderly. The snow on the ground had already umted up to Xiaocao¡¯s knees, so she walked unstably in the snow. Her feet were sometimes stuck in the snow, which made it difficult to pull out.


    Yu Hai, who held his daughter¡¯s small hand, noticed her situation and picked her up with a chuckle. He carried her on his back and strode home.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at the sky¡ª¡ªit¡¯s unfair that she had short legs!


    The heavy snowsted throughout the entire night. When they woke up on the next day, the door was blocked by all the snow in the courtyard. When Yu Hai got up in the morning, the first thing he did was to sweep the knee-deep snow out of the yard.


    ¡°Brother Dahai, have you heard? Wang Erlian¡¯zi¡¯s three-room house was crushed by the snow. Two and a half of the rooms were destroyed. Last night, in the middle of the night, his family of five crammed together in the crumbling half-room that survived. They were lucky that they didn¡¯t freeze to death!¡± Their neighbor, Zhao Da, had already finished sweeping the snow and went around the vige to share the news.


    With his hands sped behind his back, Old Yu frowned as he came back from outside. He stamped the snow off his shoes in front of entrance and deeply sighed as he said, ¡°This was just the first snow of this winter, but it was already so big. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s going to be a tough winter.¡±


    ¡°The heavy snow has be a disaster. Many houses within the vige was more or less damaged by the snow. There were also several elders who didn¡¯t make it throughst night. I heard that they were already frozen by the time they were discovered in the morning!¡± Zhao Da shook his head and went into his father¡¯s room. He stuffed more firewood into the duct of the kang to keep the kang bed warm.


    Nearly every year, during the winter in the north, there would be sick elders and young children freezing to death and dying of illness. However, it was rare to see houses copsing and people freezing to death so early in the winter like this year.


    There were more and more people sweeping snow in front of their door. As they worked, they were also gossiping about the unfilial children, who left their elderly parents to live alone. The snow had crushed the houses of these elders and buried them inside. No one even knew how long they hadin dead...


    Yu Xiaocao felt increasingly sad as she listened. She thought of Grandpa You, who was an elder in his sixties and lived alone in this remote fishing vige. She was worried about his well-being. Was there was anyone to take care of him as he traveled alone? Would he be lonely and helpless?


    ¡°Father, I¡¯m concerned about Grandpa You¡¯s house. Let¡¯s go take a look!¡± Seeing all the snow umted outside, Yu Xiaocao knew it would be hard for her to walk with her short legs, so she asked for her father¡¯s help.


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll take you over to have a look!¡± Yu Hai held the snow-cleaning tools in one hand, while he picked up his daughter and ced her on his back with the other. After that, he arduously walked towards the west side of the vige.


    Madam Zhang briefly chased after them before she gave up and shouted, ¡°The snow on our own roof hasn¡¯t been swept, yet you have time to meddle in other people¡¯s business! Do you guys have too much free time on their hands?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who was hugging her father¡¯s neck, turned around and shouted back at her grandmother, ¡°Grandmother! My father isn¡¯t the only man in the family! Aren¡¯t Eldest Uncle and Younger Uncle both at home? Grandpa You is the only doctor in the vicinity. If his house is ruined, can he still live in our vige when he returns in the spring?¡±


    The neighboring viges were all envious of the fact the Doctor You stayed in Dongshan Vige. It was also very convenient for the vigers of Dongshan Vige to have a doctor in the vige. There wasn¡¯t anything that Doctor You would be worried about except for his two-room house. Thus, it was considered Dongshan Vige¡¯s responsibility to take care of his house when he was away.


    When Yu Hai and Xiaocao arrived, the vige head had already gathered several strong men to help clear out Doctor You¡¯s courtyard.


    Doctor You had a two-room house. The roof for one of the rooms had already copsed due to the snow. Fortunately, it was a storage room, so there wasn¡¯t much loss.


    Yu Xiaocao hurriedly entered the room that was still intact, which only had arge kang bed and boxes of medicinal herbs. She carefully examined all the boxes that stored medicinal herbs. She finally breathed a sigh of relief after she made sure that all the herbs were still intact.


    The vige head was an old man in his fifties with gray hair and beard. He had a tall figure and a somewhat stern appearance. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, he quipped, ¡°Oh, did our vige¡¯s little doctore to check on the herbs? Don¡¯t worry. Vige Head Grandpa promises to repair this two-room house to make it nice and sturdy. No matter how heavy it snows, the herbs will not be crushed.¡±

 Chapter 43 – Cold-hearted

    <h4>Chapter 43 ¨C Cold-hearted</h4>


    Dongshan Vige wasn¡¯t very big, so news spread really quickly from the east side of the vige to the west. Last night, Shuanzhu¡¯s wife had traveled through the snow in order to ask the youngest daughter of the Yu Family to see a patient. The news had already circted around the entire vige, so early this morning, someone had gone to Shuanzhu¡¯s house to inquire about this incident.


    After that, Yu Xiaocao would be invited to treat patients from time to time. She had also learned from her experience and didn¡¯t rely on the mystic-stone water for minor illnesses. She would just prescribe medication for minor illnesses and only sprinkled several drops of mystic-stone water into the herbs if it was moreplex illness. All the patients she had treated were fully cured. Thus, her reputation as ¡®the little doctor of Dongshan Vige¡¯ gradually spread to the nearby viges.


    It snowed heavily for seven days before gradually stopping. The entire Dongshan Vige was shrouded in a vast amount of white snow. It seemed as if there were only the colors of ck and white left in the world.


    Twenty households in Dongshan Vige had suffered as a result of this blizzard. While all of their residences were more or less damaged, the houses of three families werepletely crushed by the heavy snow. Fortunately, there were no casualties.


    However, there were many elderly and children who didn¡¯t survive the sudden arrival of the severe cold and silently passed away during the winter weather.


    The bitter cold and heavy snow also brought hunger and illness to the weakmoners. The heavy snowfall, whichsted for days, caused a price intion for grains in town.


    The price for coarse grain rose from two copper coins per catty to the same price as fine grains before the snow. Fine grain originally cost five copper coins per catty, but the price had risen to ten copper coins now. Furthermore, the price for the white rice, which weren¡¯t grown around Tanggu Town, had increased to twenty copper coins! The value for all types of meat had also doubled because a lot of poultry and livestock had either died from illness or froze to death during the snowstorm.


    As the days drifted by, the New Year was also approaching. However, the price for food and goods still remained high. This was a heavy blow for themon people, who had worked hard in the past year and had wanted to change up their lifestyles during the New Year.


    For several days, the atmosphere was strangely gloomy at the Yu Family¡¯s dining table. Madam Zhang¡¯s discontent grumbles andints made it difficult for people to eat.


    ¡°Eat! Eat! Eat! You only know how to eat! The Yu Family¡¯s resources are going to be demolished by you people! Why did our Yu Family let such an unhealthy person like you marry into our family? You¡¯re seriously a woman who brings bad luck to your husband¡¯s family!¡± Madam Zhang saw Yu Xiaocao getting another piece of potato pancake for her mother and began to harshly reproach them.


    The heavy snowfall also caused Madam Liu, who had always been weak and in poor health, to fall ill. Madam Liu was often breathless due to her severe cough. Xiaocao didn¡¯t even need to check her mother¡¯s pulse to know that she had bronchitis. She prescribed several doses of medicine and added some mystic-stone water in her mother¡¯s drinking water. Thus, the cough, which usually lingered for months in the past, had been cured with her treatment.


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t suffer from the cold when she was already sick. Thus, Madam Li and the rest of the family had to share a portion of her chores. Madam Li was never a serious worker, so most of the household work fell on the shoulders of Yu Caidie and Madam Zhao¡¯s servant.


    Madam Zhang was reluctant to let her youngest daughter do chores, but she also didn¡¯t dare to push all the work onto her youngest daughter-inw¡¯s maidservant. Hence, she had to do the work herself. When she became irritated from all the work, she would start swearing incessantly.


    ¡°Grandmother, my mother didn¡¯t spend a single penny when she got sick this time. Didn¡¯t she just rest for a few days? With over a dozen people in the family, we can finish all the chores if everyone just helps out a little. My mother¡¯s body is still rather weak, so she can¡¯t be hungry. If she doesn¡¯t properly recuperate, then a minor illness will be something serious. If it bes a serious illness, do you think I will be able to treat her with my medical skills? Wouldn¡¯t we have to call for a doctor from town?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao continued to eat and ignored Madam Zhang¡¯sints. She would be just torturing herself if she quarreled with this biased olddy who had reached menopause!


    Madam Zhang didn¡¯t know how to refute to her words, so she just set her chopsticks aside and wailed as she pped her legs, ¡°What sins have Imitted?! Why did I have to encounter such a useless and worrisome bunch? I¡¯m a weak, olddy who works hard to supply food for the entire family, yet I still have to be scolded by a little girl. Oh, heavens! Why can¡¯t you open your eyes and take away that unfilial thing¡ª¡ª¡±


    After Madam Li devoured her food, she wiped her mouth with her dirty sleeves and happily ridiculed, ¡°Hey, Xiaocao, how can you talk to your grandmother like that? You¡¯ve made your grandmother so angry. Aren¡¯t you going to quickly kowtow and apologize to her?¡±


    Yu Hai hastily interjected and appeased Madam Zhang, ¡°Mother, Cao¡¯er is still an ignorant child, so please don¡¯t take her words to your heart. We all know that you¡¯re anxious for the family because of the price intion this winter. But don¡¯t worry. When the snow melts, I¡¯ll go hunt for some game in the mountain. We can keep half for the New Year, while the other half can be taken to town to be exchanged for some fine white and wheat flour.¡±


    As soon as Madam Zhang heard that the problem of the New Year meal had been solved, she stopped crying and looked at Xiaocao, who had repeatedly challenged her authority, with a fierce expression. She turned to Yu Hai and said,


    ¡°Second Son, you have spoiled your daughter so much that she doesn¡¯t even respect her ancestors anymore. How can she talk to the elders in her family in that manner? You should quickly give that brat a couple of ps on the face to teach her how to respect her elders!¡±


    Yu Hai, who wouldn¡¯t even bear to hurt his precious daughter¡¯s fingertip, didn¡¯t actually think there was anything wrong with what his daughter said. However, he knew that the olddy couldn¡¯t ept being shamed. If he didn¡¯t give her a way out of this situation, she would definitely continue to make a ruckus for the entire day.


    During Yu Hai¡¯s hesitation, he saw the chopsticks in his daughter¡¯s hand suddenly dropped to the ground. Her brows were tightly creased as she grasped her chest with a painful expression, ¡°Father... I, I can¡¯t breathe...¡± Before she could finish her words, she had already lost consciousness and directly fell backwards.


    Yu Xiaolian had already set down her chopsticks in preparation when she saw Xiaocao frowning. When Xiaocao fell backwards, Xiaolian quickly caught her right before shended on the ground and prevented her from hitting her head. Xiaocao stealthily opened her eyes and made a gesture of praise to Xiaolian.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er! What¡¯s wrong, Cao¡¯er?¡± With a pale face, Madam Liu hugged her daughter¡¯s thin body and cried.


    Yu Hai swiftly picked up his daughter and strode out, ¡°Father! Mother! Cao¡¯er is sick again! Doctor You said this child has an extremely weak constitution, so her life might be in danger if she falls ill again. I¡¯ll go to Eldest Uncle¡¯s house to borrow a sleigh, and then take Xiaocao to town...¡±


    Old Yu immediately stopped eating and quickly covered his granddaughter with his fur jacket, ¡°Dress more warmly and don¡¯t let the child catch a cold. Old Lady quickly take out the money. The doctors in town don¡¯t ept deferred payments!¡±


    Trembling with anger, Madam Zhang stood up and shouted at the old man, ¡°Why should I take out money? That damn wretch is obviously pretending to be sick! She was fine earlier, so why did she suddenly fall ill when I¡¯m asking her to apologize to me? She¡¯s trying to threaten me be pretending to be sick! No one is allowed to move! If any of you dares to leave this room, then don¡¯t ever step into the Yu Family¡¯s house again!¡±


    Old Yu was also infuriated, ¡°You¡¯re such an imperious woman! How can you be so cruel to such a young child? Didn¡¯t you hear what Doctor You said? The child can¡¯t be overly provoked. You tried to hit and punish her earlier, so she got scared and fell sick again. How can you still act this way when you¡¯re her elder? Hurry up and go get the money. Don¡¯t dy the child from receiving treatment!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in seeing a doctor when she¡¯s just a waste of money! I don¡¯t have any money. Just chop up this old body of mine to pay off the debt!¡± Madam Zhang appeared as if she would rather die than give them the money. Thus, the family didn¡¯t know what to do with her.


    Madam Li smirked and sneered, ¡°Isn¡¯t your family¡¯s Xiaocao very capable? She had earned money by treating patients! She never turned in any of the money that she had earned!¡±


    ¡°The money was for Doctor You¡¯s medicine! Youngest Sister only charged them for the medication!¡± Yu Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but exin when she saw the scorn on her grandmother and eldest aunt¡¯s faces.


    Madam Zhang hollered as if she found a mistake they hadmitted, ¡°You guys only charged them for the medicine? Who would believe that? Everything you eat and drink belongs to me, yet you¡¯re still selfishly keeping a secret purse! We can¡¯t let the others follow suit, so quickly give me the money!¡± As she spoke, she was about to personally rummage in the west room.


    Yu Hai carried his daughter¡¯s small body and gritted his teeth as he watched Madam Zhang¡¯s action. His daughter was sick and unconscious, yet her grandmother hindered them from seeking treatment. Furthermore, she also wanted to seize the medicine fees that his daughter kept for Doctor You.


    ¡°Father! All the money that Xiaocao kept were fees for Doctor You¡¯s medicinal herbs, which he worked hard to dig up! If Doctor You finds out that we took all his hard-earned money, will our family still have the face to ask him to treat our illnesses in the future? If people in the vige finds out, will our family still have any dignity?¡±


    Seeing that his father had no intentions to stop Madam Zhang, Yu Hai felt a deep sense of pain and indignation. People often said, ¡®If you have a stepmother, you¡¯ll have a stepfather¡¯. It seemed like that saying was true. Madam Zhang would often bully and suppress the second branch, but his father only spoke up for them when he felt that she went overboard. Today, he actually tacitly consented to her actions when the problem involved their family¡¯s finances.


    Old Yu also had his own considerations. Since the family had to provide for a schr, there were a lot of things that they needed to spend money on in the future. If everyone had selfish motives, then with his aging body, how would this family be able to survive? The matter of keeping a secret purse mustn¡¯t be tolerated.


    However, their Yu Family really couldn¡¯t touch the medicine fees in his granddaughter¡¯s hands. These days, every household had some minor illnesses and problems that requires the help of a doctor. So, they couldn¡¯t offend the only doctor in the vicinity. It would be terrible if he secretly messed with their medicines.


    ¡°No one is allowed to touch Doctor You¡¯s money! My children¡¯s mother, don¡¯t you still need Doctor You to treat your rheumatoid arthritis? Also, Dashan¡¯s cough...¡± Old Yu finally spoke up.


    Madam Zhang held the box of money that she found, which was mostly filled with copper coins. There were probably at least a few thousand copper coins inside. If all the money were taken into the family ount, even if prices remained high during the New Year, the Yu Family would still be able to spend a prosperous New Year.


    Old Yu¡¯s words had caused her hands, which were reaching for the money, to stop. Madam Zhang inwardly thought that she had a very clear idea about how skilled Yu Xiaocao really was. She believed that the only reason those people asked Xiaocao to treat on their illnesses was because of Doctor You¡¯s medicines.


    Madam Zhang had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for over ten years. During the snowstorm several days ago, her disorder had acted up again. At that time, Yu Xiaocao had used the medicinal herbs prepared by Doctor You to reduce her pain (Author¡¯s Note: It was actually prepared by Xiaocao.). If they offended Doctor You, wouldn¡¯t she need to go to town in order to treat her leg? That would waste so much money!


    After a long deliberation, she finally put down the box of money reluctantly. She angrily returned to her room without eating her meal. She ignored everyone as sheid on her bed.


    Yu Hai looked down at his wan-looking daughter, who was in his embrace, and said to Old Yu, ¡°Father, even if I need to borrow money, I¡¯ll still take Xiaocao to see a doctor.¡±

 Chapter 44 – Bitter Disappointment

    <h4>Chapter 44 ¨C Bitter Disappointment</h4>


    ¡°Borrow money? Who¡¯s going to pay the debt?¡± Madam Li interjected.


    Yu Hai red at her and replied with a slightly angry tone, ¡°It¡¯s natural that I will repay the money since I was the one who borrow it! Eldest Sister-inw doesn¡¯t need to worry about it!¡±


    ¡°Second Brother-inw, don¡¯t forget that all the money that you earn has to be handed in!¡± Madam Li reminded him with a smirk.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m the one who earns the money, but I can¡¯t even use my hard-earned money to get medical treatment for my daughter. As a father, should I just watch my daughter die of illness without doing anything? If I did that, am I still worthy to be a father? What¡¯s the point of me earning all this money? Why should I continue to fish and hunt? I might as well just stay at home, and then die of illness or starvation with my wife and daughter!¡± The honest man finally erupted in rage and vented his anger at Madam Li, who kept provoking him.


    Madam Li shouted back, ¡°I didn¡¯t even get a single penny from the money that you earned! Why are you screaming at me?¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop talking. Even if you don¡¯t talk, no one will think you¡¯re a mute!¡± Yu Dashan noticed that his second brother was really angry right now, so he hastily dragged his wife back to their east room.


    With a sorrow filled gaze, Yu Hai looked at his father and spoke with a hoarse voice, ¡°Father, Cao¡¯er is your granddaughter and a descendant of the Yu Family. Are you really going to be so cruel and just watch her...¡±


    Old Yu sighed deeply and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to your eldest uncle¡¯s house to borrow some money. You can repay them with the game that you catch in the future...¡±


    The inner room¡¯s door mmed open before he could finish speaking. With a grim expression, Madam Zhang fiercely red at the old man and yelled,


    ¡°A certain someone can fish and hunt, so he has a better reputation than you. Why would he need you to help borrow money? There¡¯s a price intion this winter and we¡¯re not making any ie right now. If we continue to eat like this, wouldn¡¯t our family eventually go bankrupt? In the future, we will have a light breakfast, and the pancakes served for dinner will be limited.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she mmed the door shut again. She shut the door so hard that all the dust on the house beam drifted down to the ground.


    His daughter¡¯s life was still in danger, but her grandmother was still only concerned with saving money. Yu Hai despondently looked around the house, and then rushed towards his eldest uncle¡¯s house with Xiaocao in his arms.


    Yu Hai¡¯s eldest uncle, Yu Lichun, raised two big dogs at home. They were useful for pulling the sleigh when it snows. It had snowed heavily a couple days ago, so it would take him at least half a day to reach town by foot. Thus, when he visited his eldest uncle this time, not only would he need to get a loan, but he also needed to borrow the sledge.


    With a dazed expression, Yu Hai knocked on his eldest uncle¡¯s front door. The person who opened the door was Xiaocao¡¯s third uncle.


    Yu Jiang looked at his older cousin in surprise. When his gaze shifted to the small figure within Yu Hai¡¯s arms, his voice instantly changed, ¡°What happened? Did Xiaocao get sick again? Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother... quickly bring the sledge over! Second Brother needs to use it!¡±


    Yu Lichun had two sons and three daughters. His eldest son was five years older than Yu Hai, while his second son was younger than Yu Hai. Yu Hai was the second oldest, so they called him ¡®Second Brother¡¯.


    Yu Lichun¡¯s whole family was home, hiding from the winter weather. When they heard the youngest son¡¯s shout, they all immediately rushed out of the house. Yu Lichun didn¡¯t even put on his cotton-padded jacket when he hurried over to check on Xiaocao¡¯s situation.


    Yu Hai went straight to the point and directly stated the purpose of this visit. Yu Lichun immediately turned towards his wife, Madam Sun, and said with a firm tone, ¡°How much money does our family still have? Give them all to Dahai.¡±


    Without any hesitation, the olddy went into the room and came back with a gray bag. She didn¡¯t even open the bag before directly handing it to Yu Hai, and told him, ¡°Take the whole thing. It¡¯s more important for the child to get treatment first.¡±


    The eldest son¡¯s, Yu Xi, wife¡¯s mouth twitched and muttered in a low voice, ¡°If we give all our money to Dahai, what are we going to eat over the New Year? The children are all anticipating the chance to eat some wheat flour during the holiday!¡±


    Elder Yu, who had just set up the sleigh, heard his daughter-inw¡¯s remark and red at her, ¡°Is eating more important than a person¡¯s life?¡±


    The eldest son¡¯s wife didn¡¯t utter another word, but she criticized inwardly: His parents have so much more money than our family. Why does our family have to pay for the little girl¡¯s medical fees? That aunt of hers is seriously a miser who won¡¯t even give away a single penny!


    Yu Hai had always felt grateful to his eldest uncle. When his birth mother passed away, his eldest uncle and aunt took great care of him and his older sister. If it weren¡¯t for his eldest uncle¡¯s support, he didn¡¯t even know when he would be able to get a wife.


    Yu Hai bowed deeply towards his eldest uncle¡¯s family. He didn¡¯t say anything else and took the bag of money. After that, he got onto the sleigh and sped all the way to the vige entrance.


    Shortly after they left the vige entrance, Xiaocao, who had been attentively listening to her surroundings, pretended as if she had just woken up and called out to Yu Hai, who held her tightly in his embrace.


    A trace of expression finally appeared on Yu Hai¡¯s face. He smiled at his precious daughter, who was wrapped up like a ball, and softly asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you awake? Can you tell Father where you¡¯re feeling unwell?¡±


    As Yu Xiaocao struggled to sit up, she shook her head firmly and said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel ufortable anywhere. Father, don¡¯t worry. Earlier, I was just scared by Grandmother and fainted. I¡¯m fine now, so let¡¯s go back!¡±


    ¡°We should still go to town and get a doctor to check on you. We need to make sure that your illness ispletely cured.¡± Yu Hai touched his daughter face and insisted on taking her to see a doctor.


    When faced with Yu Hai¡¯s stubbornness, Yu Xiaocao felt moved and helpless. She continued to persuade her father, ¡°Father! I¡¯m really fine! No matter what I can still be considered half a doctor. Wouldn¡¯t I know about the condition of my own body?¡±


    Yu Hai gave her a perfunctory reply as he controlled the sleigh, ¡°Father knows that our Xiaocao is very capable. However, the ancients often say: ¡®Doctors don¡¯t treat their own illnesses.¡¯ Father will only be at ease after a doctor from Tongren Medicine Hall checks on you.¡±


    Without any other choice, Yu Xiaocao came up with apromise, ¡°Father, let¡¯s do this! Let¡¯s go to the mountain first and set some traps. We might be able to catch some game. In that case, we will have money for the medical fee. It¡¯s inauspicious to owe money during the New Year.¡±


    Yu Hai looked at his daughter¡¯s rosy cheeks and her liveliness when she spoke. Seeing her persistence, he decided topromise. So, he ordered the two dogs to turn towards the direction of the mountain forest.


    The snow umted on the main road had been trampled on by pedestrians and carriages, so it was hard and firm. However, it was different in the mountain because the snow was soft and knee-deep high. When the two dogs travelled in the deep snow, only their heads were visible, which made it extremely difficult for them to walk.


    Yu Hai decided to simply unload the sleigh from the dogs and pull his daughter into the mountain himself. He would be too worried to leave his daughter alone on the mountain road when it was so freezing cold.


    The snow was beginning to clear, so many hungry little creatures came out to seek food in the mountain forest. After walking briefly, they saw a pheasant pping its wings and flying pass them.


    Yu Hai felt somewhat regretful and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I didn¡¯t bring my hunting tools with me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Father! Let¡¯s go over to the left side. Brother Han and I hid some ropes for the traps there.¡± Sitting on the sleigh, Yu Xiaocao enjoyed this new experience and curiously touched everything around her. From time to time, she made a snowball and threw it at the branches. She giggled ceaselessly as she watched the snow on the branches falling down.


    Yu Hai finally felt relieved when he saw his daughter looking so energetic. A momentter, the two of them found the ropes. Yu Hai broke off some dead branches and set up around twenty traps of varying sizes.


    Yu Xiaocao was also working busily behind him. She was either sprinkling some mystic-stone water on the snows around the noose or putting a batch of dry grass, which were soaked with mystic-stone water, around the traps. Ever since Yu Xiaocao freed up two bottles and filled them up with mystic-stone water, she had always carried a bottle with her for emergencies. In order to prevent the animals in the mountain from causing an uproar, Xiaocao urgently diluted the mystic-stone water with snow water before she sprinkled it.


    It took them over two hours to finish setting all the snares. Yu Hai was an experienced hunter, so it was inevitable that he was better at setting the traps than she was. He specifically chose to set the traps on the routes that the animals frequented. After they set thest snare and returned on the same route, they noticed that there was already quite a lot of harvest.


    ¡°Wow! Cabot¡¯s tragopan! Partridge! There¡¯s also blue-rumped pitta!¡± Yu Xiaocao screamed excitedly. After such a big snowstorm, these live mountain birds should be worth quite a lot of money.


    Yu Hai tied up those small game with a rope and put them on the sleigh. After that, they also caught several wild hares.


    ¡°Father! Look, what¡¯s that? Is it a roe deer?¡± Yu Xiaocao saw from a distance that there was also some harvest under the few bigger snares that they hady out. The creature looked simr to their family¡¯s Tiny.


    Yu Hai swiftly rushed towards the struggling game, pushed it down onto the ground, and tied its limbs with a rope.


    ¡°Ha-ha! We got quite a harvest today. We actually caught a deer at the edge of the forest! My daughter, this isn¡¯t a roe deer. It¡¯s an adult male deer! The deer¡¯s blood and meat are all very good things. The wealthy people in town really like this!¡± A smile finally emerged within Yu Hai¡¯s eyes. The deer probably weighed over a hundred catties. If he sold it, then he wouldn¡¯t need to borrow money to pay for his daughter¡¯s medical fees.


    By the time Yu Hai and his daughter came out of the forest, the sleigh was already filled with game. After he reassembled the sleigh, they travelled all the way to Tanggu Town on the dog-pulled sleigh.


    When they reached the gate of Tanggu Town, it was already noon. They left the sleigh with a family who lived near the city gate and gave them a pheasant as a payment for their help.


    After the blizzard, the prices for goods steadily soared, so such a fat pheasant would cost at least one or two hundred copper coins. That family was extremely happy and promised to take good care of the two dogs.


    ¡°Hey? Isn¡¯t this Brother Dahai? Did youe deliver game to our Fulin Restaurant? Quick, quick! Pleasee in!¡± Fulin Restaurant¡¯s manager was sharp-eyed and quickly recognized Yu Hai and his daughter. When he saw the game that Yu Hai carried on his back, he, who was usually arrogant, couldn¡¯t help but greet them warmly.


    Yu Hai was very ufortable with his hospitality. As someone who frequently delivered game to town, Yu Hai naturally knew about Fulin Restaurant¡¯s Manager Liu¡¯s usual attitude and behavior. He was a powerful man who despised the poor. Manager Liu had also incessantly forced him to lower the price for his game.


    With the booming business of Zhenxiu Restaurant and their increased demand for game, Yu Hai rarely did business with Fulin Restaurant. Had Manager Liu gone mad today? He actually acted so friendly with him and he even called him ¡®brother¡¯.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was holding several small game, had a terrible impression of this Manager Liu. Moreover, she had previously made a verbal agreement Third Young Master Zhou. If she caught game, she would prioritize Zhenxiu Restaurant. Thus, she naturally didn¡¯t want to do business with Fulin Restaurant, since they had hical business conducts.

 Chapter 45 – Getting Rich

    <h4>Chapter 45 ¨C Getting Rich</h4>


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Xiaocao! Did you go to the mountain to set traps on such a cold day?¡± In the midst of her hesitation, the familiar voice of Third Young Master Zhou sounded from nearby.


    Yu Xiaocao turned around and saw a handsome young man, who was dressed in a royal blue colored robe, stepping down from a luxurious horse carriage. Wasn¡¯t this Third Young Master Zhou?


    ¡°Third Young Master, what a coincidence? I was just about to send over the game that you ordered! Since we caught a lot of game today, I couldn¡¯t carry all of them by myself. So, I asked for my father¡¯s help!¡± Yu Xiaocao slightly pushed her father and moved closer to Zhou Zixu.


    Yu Hai smiled apologetically, ¡°Manager Liu, I¡¯m really sorry! Zhenxiu Restaurant made a reservation for these game with my daughter. Next time, when I get the chance, I¡¯ll work with Manager Liu.¡±


    Manager Liu¡¯s face violently twitched and his expression instantly darkened. He spat at Yu Hai¡¯s back figure, ¡°Just a filthy poor hunter. Does he even deserve to talk ¡®business¡¯ with me? All staff listen up! In the future, we¡¯re not taking any of the game that the Yu Family sends over! Just let them cling onto Zhenxiu Restaurant! Humph!¡±


    Although Manager Liu spoke proudly, he felt extremely distressed inwardly. It snowed really heavily this year. During the blizzard, not many hunters would brave the snow and enter the mountain to hunt. Thus, there was a shortage of game for all the restaurants in town. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have lowered himself and acted friendly with a mere hunter.


    Manager Liu could only enviously look at the game, while Third Young Master Zhou was pleasantly surprised. Zhou Zixu smiled happily as he looked at the buck on Yu Hai¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Uncle Yu, you¡¯re seriously such a life savior! At the end of the year, the county magistrate and the aristocrats in town have all reserved a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant. We were just worried about not having any presentable dishes! With this buck, our Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s reputation will surely go up another level!¡±


    ¡°Xu¡¯er, is this our Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s great savior who you have mentioned?¡± A gentle and graceful voice emerged from within the horse carriage.


    Third Young Master Zhou smiled at Xiaocao, and then replied to the person within the carriage, ¡°Mother, this little girl is one who gave us the recipe for the oyster sauce. Her name is Yu Xiaocao. We are able to defeat the older and more famous restaurants in town because of the oyster sauce. Thus, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that she¡¯s the savior of Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡±


    It was inconvenient for Madam Zhou fore out of the carriage since there was an unfamiliar man present. Thus, she stayed within the carriage as she expressed her gratitude, ¡°Thank you so much, Miss Yu, for being so generous and teaching us your secret recipe. Xu¡¯er, remember to invite the young miss to our estate some other day. Mother should thank her in person.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao quickly said, ¡°Madam is being too courteous. If I keep the form for the oyster sauce for myself, then only my family can taste it. However, if I give it to Zhenxiu Restaurant, more people can try the delicious taste. All recipes and forms can only reflect its worth in the hands of people who know how to truly appreciate and use it. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    When Madam Zhou heard her reply, she couldn¡¯t help but look differently at the little peasant girl from the mountains. Her manner of speech and thinking were even better than some of the nobledies in town.


    ¡°Mother, you should go back first! I¡¯ll need to go to the restaurant and make the arrangements.¡± Zhou Zixu waspletely focused on the game right now. He wasn¡¯t just concerned about the money. This matter could also affect the restaurant¡¯s reputation.


    When the other restaurants couldn¡¯t provide decent game to the public, Zhenxiu Restaurant would surely reach new heights by presenting a full deer banquet.


    ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re seriously my little lucky star! The game that we stocked up before the snow has long been sold out. Recently, a few distinguished, regr customers have been moring for fresh meat dishes. My hair is about to turn white due to the stress. At the end of the year, if the dishes on the menu are too simple, then it¡¯s seriously not presentable!¡± Zhou Zixu took the game from Xiaocao¡¯s hands and walked beside her.


    Yu Hai, who walked behind them, was stunned inwardly, ¡®When did my daughter be so familiar with the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant?¡¯


    When they arrived at Zhenxiu Restaurant, Third Young Master Zhou instructed the server to take the game into the kitchen. After that, he invited the father and daughter pair into his own private room and heated up the brazier. Looking at Xiaocao¡¯s reddened face, he couldn¡¯t help but ask with concern,


    ¡°You must be freezing, right? Quicklye warm yourself up beside the brazier. There¡¯s so much snow in the mountain, so it must be very difficult to catch prey! Uncle Yu, your hunting skills are truly excellent!¡±


    Yu Hai held a cup of hot tea in his hands to keep warm, while he observed the gorgeous and elegant decors in the private room. He inwardly sighed: ¡®I have been to Zhenxiu Restaurant numerous times to sell game, but I have never enjoyed such treatment before. This was all thanks to my daughter!¡¯


    ording to Madam Zhou, they had learned to make the oyster sauce, which was one of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s specialties, from his daughter. He never knew that his little girl had such skills, and a spontaneous sense of pride and honor surged within his heart.


    When he heard the courteous remark made by the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant, he quickly straightened his posture and appeared slightly stiff as he replied, ¡°Third Young Master Zhou has overpraised me. I was just lucky today. I also hadn¡¯t expected that we get such results by just setting traps.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yu, you can just call me Zixu. I knew Xiaocao was skillful in setting traps. However, I didn¡¯t know that the skill runs in Uncle Yu¡¯s family!¡± The ginger soup that Zhou Zixu instructed to be brewed had arrived, so he personally handed them to Yu Hai and Xiao¡¯s hands.


    Seeing that his daughter had received the ginger soup in a rxed manner, Yu Hai also dropped the formalities and drank the soup while it was still warm. When his frozen body finally warmed up, he smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯re not really a family devoted to hunting. I had learned my hunting skills from Older Brother Zhao, who was also a hunter. In terms of hunting, Older Brother Zhao Bufan is the one who¡¯s truly an expert!


    ¡°Our Zhenxiu Restaurant needs to thank Uncle Yu and Uncle Zhao for always helping us out. As an expression of our gratitude, I¡¯ll treat you guys to a meal this afternoon. I hope Uncle Yu will ept my sincerity...¡± Disregarding their business rtionship, Zhou Zixu felt that the generosity and help that Yu Hai¡¯s daughter had provided him was enough for him to treat the father and daughter warmly.


    Yu Hai hastily declined, ¡°Third Young Master Zhou doesn¡¯t have to waste the money. We are still in a hurry to go to Tongren Medicine Hall and ask Doctor Sun to check on Cao¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, are you feeling unwell? Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s Doctor Sun¡¯s medical skills is very good. Should I get someone to call Doctor Sun over?¡± Zhou Zixu carefully examined Yu Xiaocao and felt relieved to see that she didn¡¯t seem sick.


    Yu Xiaocao drank the bitter ginger soup with a troubled face, and then waved her hand at him, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I suffered a little fright in the morning, but I¡¯m alright now. My father is just overly anxious!¡±


    Yu Hai inwardly thought, ¡®You even fainted this morning, so how am I being overly anxious?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao continued, ¡°However, it has gotten colder recently. I wonder if my older brother has any warm clothes. Third Young Master Zhou, are there any shops to buy ready-made garments nearby? I want to buy a cotton-padded clothing for my older brother.¡±


    With a slightly discontented expression on his face, Zhou Zixu eximed, ¡°How many times have I told you already? Don¡¯t call me ¡®Third Young Master Zhou¡¯. It makes us sound like strangers. No matter what I¡¯m still five years older than you, so it wouldn¡¯t be too much for you to call me ¡®Older Brother Zhou¡¯, right? You don¡¯t need to go buy the cotton-padded clothes. I have many quilted garments at home that have be too small for me even before I got to wear them. If you don¡¯t mind, you can give them to your older brother to wear.¡±


    ¡°No, please don¡¯t! My older brother is an apprentice at a shop, so it¡¯s improper for him to wear your fancy clothing! It¡¯s better to buy those cotton-padded attires made with rough fabric because it¡¯s not as eye-catching!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at the royal blue brocade robe on his body. It definitely wasn¡¯t suitable for poor folks like them.


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s servant, who was like a shadow without any sense of existence, finally spoke up at this time, ¡°Young Master, this servant¡¯s mother had made a cotton attire for me at the beginning of the year. When I tried it on several days ago, I noticed that it had gotten shorter. The clothing was made from a fabric gifted by Madam and I have never worn it before. If Miss Yu doesn¡¯t mind...¡±


    ¡°Bring it over for me to see! Also, go fetch two quilts from home on your way. The weather has gotten so cold, so we don¡¯t want our Brother Yu Hang to freeze!¡± After Zhou Zixu finished giving out his orders, knowing that Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t stay for the meal, he instructed the server to go weigh the game on the scale.


    The waiter came back from the kitchen a momentter and reported, ¡°The male deer is two hundred sixty catties, while the various small game weighed a total of thirty-five catties.¡±


    Zhou Zixu naturally wouldn¡¯t treat them badly. After a moment of deliberation, he said, ¡°In the past, a buck was worth sixty copper coins per catty. However, ording to this winter¡¯s market value, it will cost about a hundred copper coins per catty. The deer you caught is still alive. The deer blood and penis are both very valuable things... Let¡¯s do this. I¡¯ll pay you one hundred twenty copper coins per catty for this deer. The price for the other small game will also be double. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°The venison can be sold for a hundred copper coins, but our deer is only heavy due to its fur. So, how can we ask for a hundred twenty copper coins for each catty! We¡¯re already taking advantage of you by taking a hundred copper coins per catty.¡± Yu Hai wasn¡¯t someone who would take advantage of others.


    Zhou Zixu guffawed, ¡°If you¡¯re talking about taking advantage, we¡¯re the ones who have benefited the most. I can sell this deer for at least ten times the price that I brought it with. If Uncle hadn¡¯t delivered this deer to Zhenxiu Restaurant in consideration of our old friendship, how would we be able to use it to earn money? Uncle Yu, no offense, but you¡¯re not as straightforward as your daughter.¡±


    Yu Hai was even more astonished inwardly when he saw his daughter¡¯s rxed and satisfied attitude, ¡®Based on their attitude, this clearly wasn¡¯t their first business deal. When did his daughter start doing business with Zhenxiu Restaurant?¡¯


    The deer, which was over two hundred catties, was sold for thirty-one taels and two hundred copper coins. The various small game were sold for 1,750 copper coins. In the end, Third Young Master Zhou rounded the total up and gave them thirty-three taels.


    ¡°The deerskin is very valuable. Do you guys want it?¡± The price for the deerskin is calcted separately. Aplete deerskin would be worth at least ten taels.


    Yu Hai pondered for a moment and said to his daughter, ¡°Let¡¯s just keep the deerskin. After we tan the skin, it will be very soft and strong. It¡¯s also water-resistant. I can make two pairs of deerskin boots for you siblings. In the future, your feet won¡¯t get wet when you go gather seafood at the beach.¡±


    If he wasn¡¯t her own father, Yu Xiaocao would have replied to him by saying, ¡®Are you an idiot?!¡¯ We could buy so many pairs of shoes with ten taels. Moreover, he wanted us to wear the deerskin boots to gather seafood at the sea. How much seafood would we need to gather in order to make up for the price of a pair of deerskin boots?


    ¡°We don¡¯t want the deerskin. You can just give us the money for it!¡± Yu Xiaocao directly made the decision. It was undeniable that her father really loved his children, but he was too indecisive sometimes.


    Zhou Zixu didn¡¯t say anything and took out a banknote, which was worth fifty taels, from his purse. Without giving Yu Hai a chance to refuse, Yu Xiaocao had reached out her hand to take the banknote, ¡°Wow! So this is the banknote that people talk about! Are there any restrictions? It won¡¯t expire, right?¡±


    Zhou Zixu rolled his eyes in an unrefined manner. He smiled as he pinched her cheek and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! This note is from the old and famous bank operated by the Sang Family. They¡¯re the wealthiest family in all of the Great Ming Dynasty. The bank won¡¯t go bankrupt! Moreover, with our rtionship, even if the bank is gone, you can stille find me to exchange it for cash.¡±

 Chapter 46 – Making Up an Excuse

    <h4>Chapter 46 ¨C Making Up an Excuse</h4>


    ¡°Thank you then!¡± Yu Xiaocao flipped the banknote back and forth and examined it for a long time. After her curiosity had been fulfilled, she carefully folded the banknote and put it into the pocket of her jacket. After that, she patted her pocket contentedly.


    A fifty taels banknote! In addition to her earnings from selling gamest time, she had at least seventy or eighty taels now. It seemed like she had umted some savings now!


    Third Young Master Zhou looked at Xiaocao, who appeared like a money-grubber. Her big eyes were like a pair of crescent moons and her rosy lips were curled up slightly. Even her shabby and worn-out attire couldn¡¯t conceal her cuteness.


    Yu Hai was quite surprised to see his daughter unreservedly putting the banknote into her pocket. When did his daughter be so assertive? She had calmly stuffed a fifty taels banknote into her own pocket. She didn¡¯t know how many things fifty taels could buy, does she? Even a five-room house in Dongshan Vige wouldn¡¯t need so much money to be built.


    Third Young Master Zhou had noticed Yu Hai looking at Xiaocao with a hesitant expression when she directly took the money without prior discussion with him. However, Yu Hai didn¡¯t say anything in the end. He also didn¡¯t confiscate the banknote, which was enough money for an ordinary family to live off for several years.


    Zhou Zixu smiled faintly and said to Yu Hai, ¡°Uncle Yu is really a good father, who dotes on your daughter.¡±


    Yu Hai looked affectionately at his youngest daughter, who was currently eating snacks. He thought of his poverty-stricken situation of not having any money when his daughter fainted, as well as his other thin and weak children at home. He shook his head gently and replied with a voice full of solemnity and self-remorse, ¡°No, I¡¯m not a good father...¡±


    ¡°Father, if you stop listening to my grandmother all the time and think of our immediate family more, then you will definitely be a good father!¡± Yu Xiaocao lectured her father as she drank the steaming hot brown sugar ginger soup.


    ¡°My mother... who is also your real grandmother had passed away when your father, I, was still very young. Thus, I¡¯m grateful to your grandmother for raising me up. After your youngest aunt gets married and your younger uncle passes the county level examination, there will be fewer burdens at home, so our immediate family can break off from the family and live separately from them. At that time, I¡¯ll earn more money by hunting and fishing more frequently. I¡¯ll buy more new clothes and hair essories for our Xiaocao...¡± Yu Hai felt slightly distressed in his heart as he touched his daughter¡¯s somewhat withered and yellow hair.


    Yu Xiaocao inwardly pouted her lips. Her father was the breadwinner of the family. If her younger uncle passed the county level examination, then he would want to take provincial level examination and the imperial examination... Her grandmother was a leech, so she was never going to let them go until she had sucked all their blood. Their hope of breaking off from the family was very slim!


    Another manservant of Third Young Master Zhou knocked on the door and came in with a bulky bundle. With an embarrassed expression on his face, Zhou Zixu¡¯s personal manservant, Simo, took the bundle from him and said, ¡°This servant really hasn¡¯t worn this cotton-padded clothes before. If Miss Yu doesn¡¯t mind, then...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind! I don¡¯t mind!¡± He was the personal manservant of the young master of the Zhou Family, which was the wealthiest family in Tanggu Town. Thus, he dressed more decently than most of the ordinary people in town. The quilted attire he wore was made of fine cotton cloth, which cost thirty-four copper coins for one-third of a meter!


    She took the bundle and saw that it was indeed a brand-new set of dark blue quilted jacket and trousers. They were made with fine cotton fabric and filled with thick cotton, so the set of clothing felt extremely soft. Even if she didn¡¯t touch the garment, it was easy to tell that they were made with fresh cotton. This set of cotton-padded clothes would cost at least a few hundred copper coins.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to work as a servant, so Yu Xiaocao naturally didn¡¯t want to take advantage of him. She stretched her hand out towards her father and said, ¡°We¡¯ll buy this set of clothing from this young brother. Father, give me money to pay him!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou was quite amused when he saw the young girl, who had a fifty taels banknote in her pocket, outright asked her father to pay. Moreover, the obedient father swiftlyplied to his daughter¡¯s orders and paid with his money...


    Simo hastily declined the string of copper coins that Yu Hai handed to him and said, ¡°This cotton-padded attire is too small for me to wear, so it¡¯s useless for me to keep it. It¡¯s also a pity to just throw it away. It¡¯s fortunate that Miss Yu wants to take it, so how can I ept money for it?¡±


    In fact, the madam had rewarded the fabric for the quilted garments to him because she saw that he had served the young master wholeheartedly. Simo¡¯s mother felt that her son had gained honor for her, so she dly stayed up for two nights to make the clothes for him. However, he didn¡¯t get the chance to wear it since the weather had gotten warmer. He took it out to wear as soon as winter came around, but it had already be too small for him.


    His young master¡¯s status in the Zhou Family had risen due to Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s sess. Eldest Master had praised his young master more than once in front of the other young masters. Even a personal manservant like him had also received more respect.


    Simo, who had be conscious of his position, prevented his mother from altering the clothes. It would be so embarrassing if the personal manservant of the only heir of the second branch came out dressed in a mended attire. Wouldn¡¯t he turn into aughingstock? Thus, a good and brand new set of quilted clothes became useless.


    Who was Miss Yu? In merely half a year, Zhenxiu Restaurant had be the best restaurant in Tanggu Town. Miss Yu could probably take at least half of the credit for the sess of Zhenxiu Restaurant. Thus, even his own young master treated her with respect and gratitude. She readily epted the cotton-padded clothes, so how would he dare to take her money?


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that the young brother was about to be upset if she continued to give him the money. Hence, she stopped insisting and expressed her gratitude to the manservant again. After that, she stuffed the quilted clothing into her father¡¯s hands and bid farewell to Third Young Master Zhou.


    Zhou Zixumented, ¡°Head Chef Wang came up with a new dish. I wanted to ask you to taste the dish and give us some advice. But it seems like we have to do it on another day. By the way, where do you live, Xiaocao? Leave me your address, so I can find you more easily in the future.¡±


    ¡°I live in Dongshan Vige, which is southeast of town. It¡¯s a small fishing vige a little over twenty-five kilometers 1 away.¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s n to quietly make a fortune was inseparable from her ¡®God of Fortune 2¡¯, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t reject his request.


    When they came out of the private room, they ran into Head Chef Wang, who had hurriedly rushed over. He had a slightly disappointed expression on his face when he saw Yu Xiaocao leaving. He found out that Xiaocao was going to visit her older brother, who worked as an apprentice. Head Chef Wang, who had also begun as an apprentice, naturally knew that pain of being an apprentice. Thus, he ordered the server to wrap a bag of freshly-made steamed buns from the kitchen and told Xiaocao bring it to her older brother.


    Yu Xiaocao was so grateful that she repeatedly thanked him. Head Chef Wang chuckled merrily, ¡°No need to thank me! I¡¯m just borrowing my boss¡¯s flower and offering it to you, this little Bodhisattva 3! Miss Yu, if there¡¯s a chance in the future, let¡¯s exchange our knowledge regarding cooking.¡±


    ¡°My meager culinary skills are iparable to Head Chef Wang¡¯s skills. However, if I have any new ideas in cooking, I¡¯ll definitely ask for Uncle Wang¡¯s advice.


    Yu Xiaocao finally got away from Head Chef Wang¡¯s enthusiasm, but before she had the time to breathe a sigh of relief, she was stumped by her father¡¯s question.


    ¡°The oyster sauce is Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s specialty. Cao¡¯er, were you the one who taught them? How did you know how to make oyster sauce? Why did the arrogant Head Chef Wang of Zhenxiu Restaurant act so respectful and friendly to you?¡± Yu Hai voiced the questions he had in his heart.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t immediately answer his questions. She couldn¡¯t just tell him: ¡®Father, your daughter is already dead. I¡¯m a soul from another world, who has maintained my knowledge from my previous life.¡¯ If she really told him that, then she would definitely be viewed as a demon and burned to death.


    After a brief deliberation, she gathered her courage and replied, ¡°Father, do you believe in the resurrection of the dead?¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s expression immediately changed. His eyebrows were so tightly creased that he could probably catch mosquitoes. He replied, ¡°How can a dead person be revived? Unless the King of Hell didn¡¯t ept him because he hasn¡¯tpleted his predestined lifespan!¡±


    ¡°If I told you that I had been to the Pce of Hell and met the King of Hell, would you believe me?¡± Yu Xiaocao carefully observed every one of Yu Hai¡¯s expressions. If he showed great resistance and aversion, she would use the excuse that it was a joke and stop trying to continue with this lie.


    Her only constion foring to this world was that she was able to enjoy parental love and care once again. She didn¡¯t want to lose her father¡¯s doting love and her mother¡¯s tender care again...


    Yu Hai halted in his steps and bent down to look at her. With eyes filled of agony and guilt, he asked in a warm tone,


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, was it that time you injured your head? Your eldest granduncle said that you had already stopped breathing at that time. It was fortunate that Doctor You arrived in time and saved you... Father is really useless. I can¡¯t even protect my own children. I don¡¯t deserve to be your father...¡±


    ¡°Father! Although you¡¯re a little blindly devoted to your parents and have a slightly soft personality, you¡¯re still the best father to Cao¡¯er. Father, you don¡¯t need to me yourself. Though I had wandered at the gates of hell, it was actually a blessing in disguise because I had obtained some methods to earn money!¡±


    Since her new father didn¡¯t reject the idea of demons and gods, Yu Xiaocao spoke even more recklessly as she continued with her story. After all, she was nearly thirty years old in her past life. Although she tried her best to act like a child, she would inadvertently reveal something suspicious. Furthermore, she definitely couldn¡¯t hide her big money-making n from her close rtives. Didn¡¯t people of ancient times regard supernatural beings with respect and fear? Hopefully, she could fool them with her made-up story.


    At the thought that his daughter, who he had carefully protected for eight years, almost dying in vain, Yu Hai felt a moment of fear within his heart. He hugged his daughter¡¯s thin body tightly and choked up with sobs, ¡°No amount of money is as important as my daughter being alive and healthy. Don¡¯t be afraid, Cao¡¯er. Can you tell me what exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not really sure either. After I injured my head and fell into aa, I dazedly saw two men, who were dressed in white and ck respectively. They took me to a ce to meet a very dignified official. Later, it seemed like they mentioned something about an unfinished lifespan and that they had taken the wrong person. They even said they wouldpensate me. When I woke up, I felt like certain things would suddenly emerge within my mind. My knowledge of the oyster sauce also appeared after I woke up. However, I had never tried it because our family doesn¡¯t have the means to do so.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao tried to speak vaguely since the original host was still only nine years old after the new year. When taken to an unfamiliar environment, she would definitely be scared and wouldn¡¯t remember certain things very clearly.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid! Allegedly, Hundred Year Old Zhang of Shangtun Vige had also loitered around in the underworld. When the King of Hell noticed that he misjudged, hepensated him with a long life. Thus, Hundred Year Old Zhang lived until he was 108 years old before he died of old age. Our Cao¡¯er will certainly live a long life in the future!¡±


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t dare imagine his delicate and frail daughter wandering around in the underworld, which was such an eerie and frightening ce. His daughter was originally timid, so how scared would she had been at that time?


    Yu Xiaocao was extremely surprised that there was actually a simr real-life case for the story that she randomly fabricated. This was even better since it increased the credibility of her story.


    The father and daughter pair walked side by side on the empty street. Yu Hai tightly sped onto his daughter¡¯s small hand with his big hand for fear that his daughter would be taken away if he loosened his hold.

 Chapter 47 – Punishment

    <h4>Chapter 47 ¨C Punishment</h4>


    Xiaocao felt her heart warm with gratitude. Even though she had told such a ridiculous story, her father, who clearly loved her, decided to believe herpletely and continued to show concern for her. It was something that made her feel happy and grateful.


    In the eyes of Yu Hai, his precious daughter was as pure as water from a hidden spring deep in the mountains. Prior to her head injury, she had never stepped out of the house and spent most of her days recuperating on the bed. How would she learn how to deceive people?


    Furthermore, how would an eight year old child know about the ck and White Impermanence deities who escorted the dead, the judge of the dead, King Yama, and what the Pce of Hell looked like? Would she be able to describe these things so clearly had she not experienced them herself? He couldn¡¯t help but tighten his grip on his little girl¡¯s hand. His daughter hadn¡¯t had an easy life and almost had a brush with death. He silently made a decision in order to not waste her second chance at life...


    ¡°Father, we¡¯ve reached the carpentry shop!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that her father was so lost in his thoughts that he almost passed the woodworking store, so she couldn¡¯t help but pull on his hand to remind him.


    Yu Hai pulled his mind away from his train of thoughts, saw a man with his hands in his sleeves standing next to entrance, and went up to him and said, ¡°Sir, would you mind bringing Yu Hang out? I¡¯m one of his family members and I¡¯m here to give him a padded cotton coat.¡±


    This man was clearly more polite than the one fromst time. He looked at the father-daughter pair and only replied with a hint of impatience, ¡°Wait here, a couple of the apprentices are currently being punished, the shopkeeper may not necessarily let anyone out!¡±


    As the man walked towards the back hall, he mumbled quietly to himself, ¡°They don¡¯t look like people who can¡¯t afford to raise their children, so why did they harden their hearts and send their kid to this tiger¡¯s den?¡±


    After her body was rejuvenated by the mystic-stone water, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s natural senses were sharperpared to the average person¡¯s. She could faintly hear the fellow¡¯s grumblings and it reminded her of the bruises she saw on her older brother¡¯s face thest time she visited him. Uneasy, she said, ¡°Father, can we bring older brother back? I feel like learning carpentry from here is not as good as him going off with you to learn how to hunt and fish!¡±


    Yu Hai often came into town and had also heard rumors of the carpentry shopkeeper¡¯s poor temper. Apparently, whenever the man got drunk, he would use his fists on his associates and apprentices. Yu Hai frowned and then sighed softly, ¡°Let¡¯s decide after we finish celebrating the New Year. Because we had to borrow money to let you see the doctor today, your grandmother will definitely take advantage of this and throw a few temper tantrums. If we brought your brother back without asking for her opinion, no one in the family would be able to enjoy the festivities this year!¡±


    The father and daughter pair stood out in the cold for quite a while before they saw Yu Hang running out of the side door. It had been almost two months since Yu Xiaocaost saw her brother. She gazed at him from head to toe sorrowfully. Although she couldn¡¯t detect any new wounds on him, the color of his face was poor and his whole body had be painfully thin.


    She asked with a voice full of worry, ¡°Older brother, you¡¯ve be so thin. Does your master not give you any food to eat?¡± Yu Hang ced his hands in his sleeves and did his best to keep a smile on his face. He shook his head gently and replied, ¡°I just grew a bit. Nothing I eat seems to stick on me. Don¡¯t worry, little sister! The amount of food I get here is about the same as what I get at home!¡±


    It was the same amount as home, when they were still being rationed and couldn¡¯t eat their fill, but now he also had more work to do. However, Yu Hang had a sensible personality and wouldn¡¯t voice these inner thoughts in front of his family in order to keep them from worrying.


    Yu Hai gently smoothed his son¡¯s brittle and yellowing hair. The child had indeed be thinner. In fact, his son¡¯s appearance was not much differentpared to the time when his grandmother was restricting their rations as his two cheeks were still sunken. His daughter wasn¡¯t wrong, he really needed to bring his son back home as soon as possible.


    Yu Xiaocao used a lot of effort to blink back the tears in her eyes and fished out a few meat buns from her pocket. She stuffed them into her older brother¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Older brother, these meat bums had juste out of the steamer, you should eat them now while they¡¯re still hot!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you don¡¯t need to buy me food to eat? If Grandmother found out you were buying random things, she would definitely be angry at our branch!¡± Yu Hang stared at the white and puffy meat bun that gave off a delicious aroma. He couldn¡¯t help but swallow back the saliva that pooled in his mouth. How long had it been since hest ate something made of white flour?


    The rolls in the carpentry shop were all made of the lowest quality, roughest type of grain there was. The bread stuck to one¡¯s throat and they were only given a piece the size of a child¡¯s fist to eat. As for the soup, other than a few pieces of broken cabbage, it was mostly water. Not even a single drop of oil could be found in the broth. And they never had any vegetables to eat!


    The shop originally epted around a total of seven to eight apprentices, but about half of them left due to hunger. The rest would have quit long ago had their birth families not been too poor to raise them. Just a moment ago, he had been cruelly punished along with two other apprentices who were slightly older than him. The three of them had been sentenced to kneel on the snow covered ground and had to hold a basin full of ice cold water in their arms. Yu Hang¡¯s eyes dimmed at that recent memory.


    ¡°These steamed rolls were gifted to us by Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Head Chef Wang, so we didn¡¯t spend any money. Hurry up and eat them, they won¡¯t taste good when they¡¯re cold.¡± Yu Xiaocao exined persuasively. She suddenly noticed that the hand that her older brother used to hold the bun was trembling incessantly. She couldn¡¯t help but ask impatiently, ¡°Older brother, what¡¯s wrong with your hand?¡±


    Yu Hang evasively replied, ¡°We didn¡¯t finish all of our tasks so the shop manager punished us. It¡¯s not a big deal, I¡¯ll be fine after I rest a bit. Father, little sister, did you eat already?¡±


    ¡°We already ate. Xiaosha, is the work in the store exhausting? Just endure for a few more days. When I get back I¡¯ll negotiate with your grandmother and after we finish celebrating the new year, we¡¯ll bring you back home.¡± Hearing that his obedient and hardworking son had been punished solidified Yu Hai¡¯s desire to bring him back home.


    Yu Hang could no longer hold back. He took out a steaming hot meat bun and bit off arge mouthful. The boy almost burst into tears after tasting thebination of the soft and tender bread with the rich and fragrant ground meat.


    After hearing what his father said, he hesitated for a moment before he shook his head, ¡°Father, Grandmother will not agree. It doesn¡¯t matter how much work any of us children do, it doesn¡¯t mean anything in her eyes. She will not allow me to go home to ¡®live an easy life¡¯! Furthermore, if we want to break the apprenticeship contract, we need to pay the shop manager money. Father, do you really think Grandmother will take out money for anyone other than our Younger Uncle?¡±


    This past half year of being a carpentry apprentice had been nothing but a nightmare for Yu Hang. Not only could he not eat his fill and get enough sleep, but he was also punished for every little thing, and the penalties changed on a whim. It exhausted him physically and mentally. In fact, had his father and little sister note to visit him, it was likely he would not have been able to endure holding that water basin for much longer.


    If he couldn¡¯t hold out, then he could only end up bing soaked by the icy, cold water. As an apprentice who came from a poor family, he was considered fortunate to even have one piece of warm clothing. Had it be wet, he didn¡¯t have any other clothing to swap. Without something to keep him warm in this type of freezing weather, wasn¡¯t that asking for his life?


    That was why he didn¡¯t reject the offer to bring him back home. Even though he was normally very sensible, he only voiced his worries regarding the n.


    Yu Hai¡¯s resolve solidified and he patted his son¡¯s bony and sharp shoulder. The rims of his eyes were reddened as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! Father can resolve the money issue. Hang in there for a little longer... take this string of cash and keep it safe. Whenever you¡¯re hungry, you can buy some steamed buns and meat buns to fill your stomach. After the New Years celebrations, Father wille and visit you again.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the string of copper coins and her attitude towards her father changed for the better. It appeared that her father¡¯s filial piety wasn¡¯t to the point where he was without reason now.


    ¡°Older brother, this coat was sent by Third Young Master Zhou and it¡¯s quite thick. Remember to wear it when you go back.¡± Yu Xiaocao had noticed that her brother¡¯s hands were covered with pus-filled lesions from frostbite and also had cracks in the skin filled with blood. A ten year old child had hands that looked like someone much older. The sight made her feel bad. Next time she definitely needed to make some frostbite ointment for her older brother with some extra mystic-stone water. Thatbination should fix his hands up!


    After seeing Yu Hang eat three meat stuffed buns in a row, Yu Hai warned him to stop, ¡°Don¡¯t eat anymore, you can end up bloated. Drink some hot water when you get back and leave the rest of the food for tomorrow. It¡¯s gettingte, your little sister and I need to head back. Take care of yourself.¡±


    Yu Hang carefully wrapped up the remaining steamed meat buns and inserted the packet of food into the package containing his coat. He was reluctant to say farewell to his father and little sister. If only Father could convince his grandmother to bring him back earlier. Otherwise, he would likely end up like Little Mu and be on the verge of death before his family would get notified to bring him back.


    Silence reigned as the father and daughter pair traveled on. When they passed by the Tongren Medicine Hall, Yu Hai insisted on having his daughter being checked by Doctor Sun.


    [Haha! Spiritual energy is everywhere, I can absorb more spiritual energy now!] The little divine stone ¡®whooshed¡¯ towards the cab full of precious medicinal herbs and sat on top like a gecko who had found a resting ce and refused to let go. In any case, no one else could see it other than its master, so it didn¡¯t really matter what its appearance was.


    Doctor Sun still had an impression of the father daughter pair. He stroked his long beard while asking the little girl, ¡°Where are you feeling unwell?¡±


    ¡°I feel fine..¡± Before Xiaocao could finish replying, her father interrupted her.


    ¡°Doctor Sun, my daughter fainted this morning. Please take a look at her and check to see if this is a recurrence of her old illness.¡± In the past, Xiaocao often became sick at the slightest touch, and those experiences had left a deep impression in Yu Hai¡¯s heart. There were a few times when Doctor You couldn¡¯t do anything for her and only Doctor Sun was able to save his daughter¡¯s life.


    Yu Xiaocao knew she couldn¡¯t fool the highly skilled Doctor Sun and hurriedly said, ¡°Father, earlier I was only scared a bit by Grandmother. I already said that I¡¯ve long recovered from my old illness, why do you still not believe me?¡±


    Doctor Sun carefully took her pulse and inspected Xiaocao¡¯splexion. He smiled slightly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be concerned, this little girl¡¯s chronic condition has definitely been healed. A little extra care should be given in the future. The child shouldn¡¯t be frightened as sometimes being overly scared can cause another big problem to ur.¡±


    ¡°Thank you doctor. Please prescribe some medication to stabilize her condition...¡±


    ¡°Doctor Sun already said that I¡¯m fine. What¡¯s the point of prescribing medication?¡± Yu Xiaocao really did not want to drink bitter medication.


    ¡°Every medication has a side effect. This little girl has a good head on her shoulders and does not need to take any more medication.¡± Doctor Sun¡¯s words were like a beam of light in darkness and he was able to cut off Yu Hai¡¯s stubborn persistence. The old man then smiled profoundly at Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled in embarrassment. This Doctor Sun was quite an interesting old fellow. Suddenly, she remembered her own mother¡¯s grave condition. She described her mother¡¯s symptoms and pulse condition at the onset of the recent attack with great detail to Doctor Sun.


    ¡°Little girl, you have some medical knowledge?¡± Doctor Sun revealed a bbergasted expression.


    Yu Xiaocao chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s really not much. I only spend some time with Doctor You, our vige doctor, for a few days and picked a couple things up. It¡¯s not true medicinal skills, and I don¡¯t dare to show my poor skills in front of you.¡±


    Doctor Sun smiled and didn¡¯t respond further. He pondered for a short period of time and then exined, ¡°From what you described to me about her pulse condition, I can tell that this is an old illness. If it continues to go on without getting treated, she¡¯ll end up having chronic lung disease. First, have her drink the medications I¡¯ll prescribe her. After a few days of that, it¡¯s best that shees in person to be evaluated.¡±

 Chapter 48 – A Change

    <h4>Chapter 48 ¨C A Change</h4>


    After receiving the medication, the father and daughter pair thanked Doctor Sun profusely over and over. The two of them then went to the outskirts of town to pick up their sledge. On the way there, Xiaocao bought a few meat stuffed buns from a roadside stall and used the buns to feed the two energetic dogs until they were stuffed full. In addition, she added a couple drops of the mystic-stone water to the dog¡¯s drinking water.


    The two dogs instantly became lively and full of energy. On the road back home, the two animals pulled the sled at lightning speed. They even caught up and passed a fellow who was driving a horse-pulled sleigh. The driver eximed in admiration at the speed and strength of the two dogs and even said that his own horse would not be able to catch up with them.


    The two sturdy and brave dogs finished a distance of around twenty-five kilometers in less than an hour. Before they arrived at the entrance of the vige, the father and daughter pair took a detour to check on the traps they had set earlier. It was not a surprise to Xiaocao that more than half of their traps had some sort of game to be harvested.


    Out of the tworge snares, one of them had been damaged while the other one had caught a fat and fleshy roe deer. However, it appeared that too much time had passed since the roe deer had been trapped. The animal had already died a while ago and had been frozen stiff. The other smaller traps had mostly caught wild hares and pheasants but one of them had even snapped a badger!


    Xiaocao was not familiar with badgers, so she curiously poked the animal a couple of times. A slight smile had finally appeared on Yu Hai¡¯s face as he said, ¡°A badger¡¯s fur is very warm. After Father finishes tanning its pelt, I¡¯ll have your mother make a badger fur vest for you. The meat from the badger is also very tasty and has the ability to nourish the body. We should keep for ourselves to eat. You should take the badger fat so that when Doctor You returns you can use it to brew some burn ointment.¡±


    ¡°This badger probably weighs at least twenty or so catties, even if we¡¯re estimating on the low end. It could be sold for a couple hundred copper coins. Do you think grandmother will really allow us to eat it?¡± Yu Xiaocao casually replied without much expectation.


    ¡°This badger was caught by us, if I say we eat it, then we shall eat it!¡± Yu Hai had a much more resolute and determined air around himpared to before.


    They had quite arge haul from their traps, and altogether it came out to be around two to three hundred catties worth of game. Yu Hai stacked the prey on top of the sleigh and walked alongside the vehicle. From time to time, he would ask his daughter if she was either hungry or cold.


    Yu Xiaocao had been wrapped up until she resembled arge cotton ball. Other than her eyes and nose, everything else was underyers of cloth. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly: ¡®The way Father treats me, his daughter, is beyond words!¡¯


    The father and daughter pair first went to Yu Hai¡¯s uncle¡¯s home to return the sledge. On the way there, Xiaocao had already convinced her father that he should temporarily not repay the money he had borrowed. With a debt to pay off, he will have an excuse to not give up the money he obtained from selling game. At this time, it was necessary for their own branch to have their own purse!


    After the past few events, Yu Hai was very clear on the importance of having some cash on hand. His wife had a poor constitution ever since she gave birth to Shitou and even coughed up blood several times. Although his youngest daughter had said she was feeling fine, but he still wasn¡¯tpletely convinced by her. If he didn¡¯t have a single copper coin in his hands, what could he do in the future? Would he be destined to watch the two of them suffer the next time they got ill or encountered a disaster?¡±


    Thus, he didn¡¯t say a word when his daughter received the fifty taels note earlier. Furthermore, when his daughter suggested to dy settling the debt, he also agreed to the idea without a single hesitation. In the future he will continue to work hard and expand great effort for the family as a whole but he would never disregard his own branch and be foolishly filial again!


    ¡°Dahai, quickly bring the child into the room so she can sit on the kang to get warmed up. It¡¯s a cold day, you must be frozen right? How are you Xiaocao? You look pretty wan and listless!¡± Yu Lichun stooped down to pick Xiaocao and the nketsbined and quickly entered the house.


    The warm air from the room hit her immediately and before she could take a good look at her surroundings, Xiaocao had been inserted directly into the nkets covering the kang. The toasty warmth of the covers was incrediblyfortable, and it made her feel drowsy.


    ¡°What did the doctor say?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s third uncle, Yu Jiang, asked as he held two bowls of piping hot ginger soup. After giving one bowl to Yu Hai, he carefully cajoled his niece to drink the ginger soup.


    The Yu Family¡¯s ginger soup was only made with fresh ginger that had been simmered for a long time. It tasted primarily of ginger and its distinctive spiciness lingered in the throat. Yu Xiaocao grimaced and wanted to avoid the torture of consuming the soup but her third uncle pried her mouth open and poured it down into her. Although her body had warmed perceptibly, the ufortable sensation endlessly tormented her throat and mouth.


    Yu Hai had gulped down his bowl of ginger soup in one go. After seeing his daughter¡¯s ufortable expression, he chuckled wickedly and said, ¡°Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s Doctor Sun looked her over and prescribed a few medications. There¡¯s nothing seriously wrong with her!¡±


    He definitely would not say that his child didn¡¯t have any health problems. Yu Hai was very familiar with Madam Zhang¡¯s character¡ªmoney was her life! If she never had to bleed a little bit, then she would never know what true pain was. In the future if she wanted to treat his daughter poorly, she would need to think about the consequences first!


    Madam Sun took out a few delicious baked sweet potatoes 1, peeled off their skins, and put them into Xiaocao¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Eat these, it¡¯ll help change the taste in your mouth. As long as your fine, that¡¯s what matters. This child has endured a lot over the past few years!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Eldest Grandaunt!¡± Xiaocao had a fondness for baked sweet potatoes, but it was a pity that she had a witch of a grandmother with Madam Zhang at home. She rarely had the opportunity to eat any. The sweet and fragrant taste of the roasted sweet potato momentarily eradicated the wound on her heart which had been caused by the ginger soup.


    Yu Hai chatted casually with his eldest uncle and cousins. When he saw that his daughter, who had finished her sweet potato, rubbing her eyes in drowsiness, he stood up and said, ¡°Eldest Uncle, I will definitely return the money I borrowed from you before the end of the year. I will always remember your kindness to me.¡±


    Yu Lichun hastily replied: ¡°We¡¯re family, no need to say anything about remembering kindness! Don¡¯t me your father, he¡¯s always been that type of weak-willed person. Your stepmother... aish, just don¡¯t mention it! Don¡¯t make the borrowed money a burden on yourself, my family doesn¡¯t need it urgently!¡±


    Yu Hai helped his daughter put on a thick leather coat. The coat was sorge that it almost touched the ground. As if she was in a daze, Xiaocao stumbled blindly behind her father on the bumpy road. After making sure things were okay, Yu Jiang lifted the little kid up in preparation to send the father daughter pair on their way.


    Yu Hai picked out a plump hare and pheasant out of the pile of game and spoke to his eldest uncle: ¡°Before we went to town, I made a detour to the mountains to set a few traps. Perhaps it was because the snow made it difficult for the animals to find food, but I unexpectedly caught a lot of game. This hare and pheasant should be given to Eldest Aunt so she can let them freeze properly. Then, there will be some extra dishes for the New Year celebration feast.¡±


    Yu Lichun could not ept such a gift and said: ¡°Dahai, it¡¯s not easy for you to go hunting in such freezing weather. When Xiaocao finishes her medication, she might need to get more. You should take the game for yourself and go back to town tomorrow to sell them for money...¡±


    ¡°Eldest Uncle, if you don¡¯t ept them, then it means you¡¯re looking down on me, your nephew! Had it not been for you giving me money today, I really don¡¯t know what I would have done instead... This is me showing my filial respect for you, please, you really need to ept this!¡± Yu Hai was very resolute in his request. Yu Lichun had long known that this nephew of his had a stubborn personality. If he really continued to refuse the game, the man in front of him might be even more determined out of anxiety.


    By the time they left Eldest Uncle¡¯s dwelling, it was already dusk. Yu Hai tread on the snow that was frozen solid and went towards the direction of his home. As he walked, his heart gradually became cold and froze over.


    The doors of the room were all tightly shut, the kitchen stove was ice-cold... hearing the sounds of people, only the door in the west room opened eagerly. His wife and children hurriedly came out. He had truly been stupid in the past in letting his wife endure slights repeatedly. In the end, his wife¡¯s health had deteriorated and his daughter almost lost her life.


    The door to the main room remained as tightly closed as before. The faint sounds of scolding and fighting could be heard from the outside. In the east room, the window was secretly opened up a tiny crack. Inside, a pair of eyes met his line of sight and then abruptly disappeared. The sound of the window closing seemed all the more obvious in the otherwise silent evening.


    Yu Jiang frowned, ced the drowsily sleeping Xiaocao on the kang bed in the room, and then left to go outside. Her grandmother wasn¡¯t rted to her by blood, but did that mean her grandfather wasn¡¯t as well? Second Uncle¡¯s decisions in the past couple of years have be more and more muddled!


    However, this time Yu Jiang had wrongly med Old Yu. After he finished the evening meal, Old Yu got dressed and went outside after seeing that his son and granddaughter hadn¡¯te home yet. He wanted to wee them back and so wandered around outside. However, the father and daughter pair were in the mountains harvesting the traps, so they missed each other.


    As Yu Hai was preparing the medication under the eaves, Old Yu came in from the outside. As soon as he arrived home, he hurried towards the west room. He went inside and saw the sleeping Xiaocao. After asking about her out of concern, he also said: ¡°Did you two eat yet? Go tell your wife to make a bowl of noodles and also cook Xiaocao a poached egg.¡±


    Yu Hai nced at the main room and shook his head: ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of white flour left in the household, so we should set it aside for the New Year¡¯s dumplings. Today I caught a badger. After I finish preparing it, it¡¯ll be used to make a bowl of meat stew to drink.¡±


    Seeing that his son had a n for the game, Old Yu was about to say something without considering the mood. He caught his words before they came out and then instead said: ¡°That¡¯s also good! A badger¡¯s meat can nourish the body, you should give more to the child to eat.¡±


    After he finished, he sped his hands behind his back and slowly walked back to the main room. Old Yu had sensed the slight difference in his son and he sighed inwardly¡ªseems like my son¡¯s feelings had really been hurt this time!


    Yu Xiaocao had been woken up by the tantalizing smell of meat. A badger¡¯s meat was naturally very delicious. When that was added with Madam Liu¡¯s culinary skills, the simmered meat stew could bring out anyone¡¯s inner foodie.


    The whole family sat in a circle on the kang bed and enjoyed the savory and tasty meat stew. Yu Hai looked at the meat in the bowl and was silent for a bit before he said: ¡°I¡¯ll go send two bowls to the main room!¡±


    Madam Liu paused in her motion in eating for a short bit before she lowered her head to continue to eat, but didn¡¯t say anything. Little Shitou, on the other hand, sneered andined: ¡°Grandmother didn¡¯t want to give any money to treat Second Sister when she fell ill. Why are you sending her meat stew?¡±


    Xiaocao chewed on her mouthful of meat before she swallowed it down. She pinched the little fellow¡¯s cheek and said: ¡°She¡¯s one of the elders at home. She can treat us poorly but we cannot be disrespectful to her.¡±


    Yu Hai nced at his daughter and inwardly nodded his head. It was true, ¡®being filial¡¯ was aw greater than heaven. If word came out that the younger generation of their branch ate meat without sending some to their elders, then their reputations would be ruined. Furthermore, the family had a notorious gossip-monger, Madam Li. Once she knew something, the whole world would know!


    Yu Hai came out of the kitchen with the bowls of meat stew in his hand. As he walked, he saw Madam Li at the doorway of the east room, craning her neck towards the kitchen, looking around. Her gluttonous son was behind herining: ¡°Meat stew! I want to drink meat stew! Why can the people in the west room secretly eat it and not give us any?¡± Yu Dashan forcefully pulled the mother and son pair back into the room. Just as he was about to close the door, he looked at Yu Hai and said with a foolish smile on his face: ¡°Dahai, your nephew has been spoiled by his mother. Please don¡¯t mind him...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more meat stew in the kitchen, if you want some, you can go get some yourself.¡± Yu Hai walked into the main room with bowls in hand.


    Madam Zhang narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. Her voice was sharp and shrill as shemented: ¡°Oh! This old woman doesn¡¯t have the good fortune this year to drink soup and eat meat! If I do, I might shorten my life!¡±


    Old Yu red at her and rebutted: ¡°Stop saying so much! I agreed to let them ughter the badger. Second Daughter-in-Law and Xiaocao both have weak constitutions and should eat something to strengthen their bodies. How can we shorten our lives by eating meat that we have hunted ourselves? If you don¡¯t want to eat it, then I¡¯ll eat both of our shares!¡±

 Chapter 49 – Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 49 ¨C Thoughts</h4>


    ¡°Eat! Eat! Eat! They take medicine and also eat meat! How are we supposed to support all of this? I am so old yet I ration my food and clothing. Who do you think I¡¯m scrimping and saving for? It¡¯s one thing to not receive any benefits, but I also get med for everything! I... the heavens..., you should just take away this olddy ah! I¡¯ll stop being an eyesore for some people then...¡± Madam Zhang sat on the kang bed while she pped her leg and pulled at the fleshy parts of her legs. She howled incessantly yet a single tear drop could not be seen.


    In the Yu Family, this type of act could be seen every few days. Yu Hai was mentally and physically exhausted and did not have the energy to match with her ¡®acting¡¯ anymore. He silently ced the stew bowls down, turned, and left the room. The view of his back seemed especially deste and down.


    As soon as he left, Madam Zhang acted as if a switch to her megaphone had been turned off and instantly became silent. She furrowed her brows furiously and her triangr shaped eyes beadily stared at the door. Her mouth curved down into a frown.


    She noticed that Old Yu had finished one of the bowls of meat stew and was about to grab the other one. The old woman hastily snatched the bowl away and started to eat it inrge, heaping gulps while she spoke to Old Yu: ¡°Dahai¡¯s father, why do I have a feeling that Second Son is a bit off today? Does he want to rebel?¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking about rebellion? If your daughter had fainted from illness and your parents refused to give you money and instead caused trouble, wouldn¡¯t you cause the sky to fall with your fiery temper? Other people have tempers too. When Second Son bes stubborn, even threerge oxen can¡¯t pull him away from his views!¡±


    Old Yu wished to continue to wipe his mouth and to savor the taste of the badger¡¯s meat. There was clearly someone at home who was a good hunter, yet they hadn¡¯t been able to even get the tiniest taste of meat in the past few months due to inner turmoil. How was this still living?!


    ¡°How can say that? Whose daughter had fainted from illness? Are you saying my daughter isn¡¯t your daughter?! How can your curse your own daughter? You need to kneel on the ground and beg for forgiveness! Don¡¯t me us Buddha, it was just a slip of the tongue, don¡¯t me us, don¡¯t me us...¡± Madam Zhang piously sped her hands and started bowing left and right.


    That night, Madam Zhang tossed and turned on the kang bed incessantly as if she was a pancake being flipped on the stove. No matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep for some reason. She punched the loudly snoring Old Yu and worriedly chattered: ¡°Old man, do you think Second Son¡¯s brat had to spend a lot of money this time? They saw a doctor from the Tongren Medicine Hall and came back with a lot of medication.¡±


    Old Yu impatiently turned over, his voice muffled as he replied: ¡°I¡¯m not a doctor of Tongren Medicine Hall, how am I supposed to know whether the medications are expensive? Stop chatting endlessly, if you don¡¯t want to sleep, that doesn¡¯t mean other people don¡¯t want to sleep! No matter how much money they spent, you don¡¯t need to worry as not even a single copper coin will need toe from you!¡±


    Madam Zhang pushed him once more with all her strength and said: ¡°What do you mean that the money isn¡¯ting from my hands? I just went outside to check and Second Son caught a lot of animals today. Even when estimating on the low end, the game could be sold for a couple hundred copper coins. If he didn¡¯t owe any money, wouldn¡¯t all of the proceeds from his sale go to me?¡±


    As soon as she saw the pile of game, they had been transformed into a pile of money in her eyes! Madam Zhang¡¯s heart was full of ufortable feelings, as if she had a tiny kitten running around and scratching things.


    The frustration within Old Yu¡¯s heart bubbled over as he sat up on the bed suddenly. A padded coat was draped over his body as he red at her: ¡°Who was the one making the fuss today? If it wasn¡¯t for your horrible temper, the child wouldn¡¯t have been frightened, and then Second Son wouldn¡¯t need to borrow money from Eldest Brother. Even though we as grandparents clearly have money in our hands, yet you refused to take any out for an ill child. What kind of face do I have left now? How am I supposed to go out in the future?¡±


    ¡°So what? Whoever tries to talk behind our back, I¡¯ll make sure to confront them in person. How much money is that old face of yours worth anyway? Is it as valuable as Third Son¡¯s future prospects?¡± Madam Zhang pulled a facious argument out to counteract him.


    ¡°Third Son¡¯s future prospects?! From my perspective, Third Son¡¯s future prospects will someday be ruined by his mother who¡¯s basically a bull in a china shop!!¡± Old Yu furiouslyid back down on the bed.


    Madam Zhang acted as if she was a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. She leapt up quickly and forcefully pulled on the quilt that was on Old Yu. She pped and hit the old man as she screamed: ¡°You stupid old fool! After you cursed our daughter, you go on to curse our son! How could Third Son¡¯s future prospects be ruined by me? If you don¡¯t give me a reasonable exnation, don¡¯t even think about sleeping tonight!!¡±


    ¡°Why are you acting so crazy in the middle of the night?¡± Old Yu didn¡¯t quite know what to do with his lunatic wife. He tried to block her blows somewhat fearfully.


    ¡°Stupid old fool! I¡¯ve already seen through your true thoughts. You only treasure the son and daughter who were given to you by Zhu Xiuyun. Our Xiaobo and Caidie are not considered Yu Family descendants in your eyes, right? For the sake of a half dead chit, you not only cursed our daughter to be ill but also cursed our son¡¯s future prospects. In the future, will there be a living road for the three of us in this family?¡± Madam Zhang had reached the end of her rope this time. She howled and screamed as she continued to beat the old man thoroughly.


    The usually taciturn Old Yu was nowhere close to being her opponent. The old man could only wrap the nket tightly around him and shield his head as he endured her blows.


    In the room west of the main room, the third daughter-inw, Madam Zhao, heard the ruckus and frowned sternly. She gently patted her son who was sleeping fitfully and spoke to Yu Bo who was reading under the light of amp: ¡°Look, they¡¯re arguing again! What¡¯s wrong with your mother that she has to throw a fit two to three times in one day? With them screaming like this, will you really be able to study? In my opinion, I think we should pack our bags and go back home to town tomorrow. We¡¯lle back on the 27th to 28th day of the new year.¡±


    ¡°Aish, just forget about it. The weather is so cold now, and our son is still young. There¡¯s no point in making another round trip. Tomorrow I¡¯ll tell my mother that she needs to calm down during the New Year festivities!¡± Yu Bo abandoned his books with frustration and sat next to Madam Zhao. He pulled at her toasty warm and tender white hands in an attempt to pull her into his embrace.


    Madam Zhao made a token protest and gave him a sidelong nce. She gently pushed him away and said: ¡°Be careful to not let the people next to us hear. They¡¯ll scold me again for not being a good example and dying your studies.¡±


    Under themplight, Madam Zhao was as beautiful as a blooming flower. Her sparkling eyes carried hints of wee, and Yu Bo could feel his heart tremble as he lowered his head to meet her luscious, pink lips. His hand went up to grip that soft and plump... just as they were about to be more passionate, their little fellow next to them ¡®coughed¡¯ and whispered a couple of sentences. The couple instantly separated.


    Madam Zhao¡¯s cheeks were flushed as she red at her husband. She pulled her son into her arms to help him go to the bathroom when she suddenly remember the scene from the morning. She lightly sighed and said: ¡°Husband Yu, I¡¯m not trying to criticize your parents¡¯ decisions. However, your mother was definitely in the wrong in the situation that happened today. A human¡¯s life is beyond value. As a grandmother, how could she be so callous to watch her granddaughter fall ill and refuse to give money to have her get medical treatment? That¡¯s a child¡¯s life at stake!¡±


    ¡°Ah...you can¡¯t me my mother. When Xiaocao was born, the doctor said that her lifespan would not be too long. A lot of money has been spent on her health expenses over the past few years. My mother is doing this for my sake, for my future!¡± Due to his mother, Yu Bo did not have a lot of sentiment regarding his young niece.


    Madam Zhao¡¯s eyes flickered as she replied, ¡°Husband Yu, you definitely cannot say this where it can be heard by outsiders in the future. Just think, if word came out that for the sake of your future we neglected the life of your niece, what do you think will happen? Even if you pass the county level examinations, you won¡¯t have anywhere to go. The reputation of a schr-official is the most important thing and you should be afraid of any stains.¡±


    ¡°This... What should we do then? There¡¯s a proverb that says: ¡®good news never goes far, but bad news travels a thousand miles¡¯. I¡¯m afraid that the news about Second Brother going to Eldest Uncle to borrow money has already spread throughout the whole vige...¡±


    Yu Bo trusted his wife a lot, as she was the daughter of a schr who had passed the county examinations. After hearing her warning, his body immediately became covered in cold sweat from head to toe. He couldn¡¯t help but rub his hands incessantly as he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let me think...¡± Madam Zhao lowered her head to ponder the situation for a bit. She looked at her husband and then said, ¡°Tomorrow, you should give some money to Second Brother and have him use it to pay back his debt to Eldest Uncle... never mind, I should go instead! Go sleep, tomorrow your wife will definitely smooth everything over for you.¡±


    Yu Bo nced at his beloved son and, seeing that he was sleeping peacefully, quickly hugged his wife¡¯s delicate body and kissed her fiercely on the neck and said: ¡°My good wife, you are truly a virtuous wife. Being able to marry you is the culmination of the blessings from three lifetimes...¡±


    The next day, it was a rare nice day in the middle of winter. The winter sun shined brightly, its rays giving off as much warmth as it was possible. When Yu Hai left to check over the traps they set yesterday and to bring the game they caught to town, Yu Xiaocao could onlyy on the bed, pretending to be an invalid.


    Acting as a sick person took effort, so she kind of regretted her decision to do so. She repeatedly reminded Xiaolian to keep the money from selling game in her hands and to make sure to not let the main house¡¯s and the east room¡¯s inhabitants find out how much money they had, etc..


    Madam Liu was decocting the medication in front of the door and when she was done, she transferred the medication to let it cool before she drank it. Yesterday, her husband and daughter took the initiative to also buy about two taels worth of medication for her. It really made her heart ache. However, the medication had already been bought. Even if she didn¡¯t take it, the money wouldn¡¯te back. She had to use her daughter as an excuse to prepare the medication but she needed to drink it herself on the sly. Ah, this type of life, how much longer did they have to endure?


    After Madam Liu finished drinking the medication, she took the pile of dirty clothing to the pond at the foot of the mountain where she had to break the ice in order to wash theundry. Little Shitou hugged the little roe deer as he sat on the kang and chatted with his second sister.


    At this time, Youngest Aunt Yu Caidie looked around for a bit before she quietly slipped into the west room. In her hands was a bowl of piping hot sugar water with a poached egg floating in it.


    Seeing that her young niece was listlessly sitting on the kang (Author¡¯s note: She was actually bored to death.), she softly said: ¡°Xiaocao, your aunt has made some sugar syrup with egg. Quickly eat it while it¡¯s still hot.¡±


    Xiaocao nced at the contents of the bowl. She knew that whenever her youngest aunt was about to have her period, grandmother would have her drink some sugar water with egg 1 starting three days prior. It was said to enrich the blood and nourish the body, and was supposed to be very good for a woman¡¯s health. To her biological children, Madam Zhang was considered a pretty good mother.


    ¡°Youngest Aunt, if Grandmother found out that Second Sister ate your nourishing egg in syrup, she¡¯ll hit Second Sister.¡± Little Shitou grimaced and spoke like a young adult.


    Yu Caidie pinched his plump cheeks and stuffed the bowl with the sugar water and egg into Xiaocao¡¯s hands and said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My mother went to town to help me buy some needles and thread. Quickly eat it, once its cold it won¡¯t taste good anymore.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hesitated for a moment and then slowly drank the sugar water under her Youngest Aunt¡¯s earnest gaze.


    A slight smile had finally appeared on Yu Caidie¡¯s face. She lightly sighed and said: ¡°Xiaocao, yesterday your grandmother was in the midst of a temper tantrum. You know your grandmother¡¯s personality. The more other people urge, the angrier she gets. Do you me me for not speaking up for you?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, Youngest Aunt. Thank you for the sweet soup, it¡¯s really sweet!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t really say whether she liked or disliked her youngest aunt, who had a weak and pliable personality and was almost invisible in this family. Regardless, she didn¡¯t n on having too much involvement with her. At any rate, she only nned on repaying the people who treated her well in the future.

 Chapter 50 – Gifting Money

    <h4>Chapter 50 ¨C Gifting Money</h4>


    Yu Caidie ruffled Xiaocao¡¯s hair and her smile deepened a bit: ¡°As long as you don¡¯t me me, it¡¯s fine. Rest now, tomorrow I will send you more of the sugar water with egg again.¡±


    Youngest Aunt had a soft personality like flour. In a nce one could tell that it would be easy to grasp her in the palm of one¡¯s hand. It was hard to say whether she would be bullied in the future by her inws. Madam Zhang had such shrewish and fiery personality; how did she end up raising a daughter as weak and sweet as her?


    Yu Xiaocao thought: Did they take home the wrong infant? Ehhh...in this time period, all births were delivered at home with the help of a midwife. There was no way for someone to take home the wrong child, okay!


    Out of boredom, Yu Xiaocao teased the little roe deer, Tiny. This little roe deer was quite odd. They had already raised it for a few months and fed it consistently. In fact, from time to time, it was even given some mystic-stone water to nourish it. But howe it hadn¡¯t grown in height at all? It was still small and seemed very adorable. Its continued diminutive size made certain people, who wanted to ¡®kill it once it got big to eat meat¡¯, feel quite disappointed.


    However, as a pet, this miniature sized roe deer was truly so cute that one could burst. In addition, the little creature loved cleanliness and was full of intelligence. It never relieved itself inside the room and didn¡¯t have the characteristic gamey smell of a roe deer. In fact, it smelled faintly of grass.


    Little Shitou loved to hug the animal and would take it everywhere he went. The vige children were green with envy. Wuzi, who was on the best terms with Little Shitou, did his very best to convince Shitou to lend him the little roe deer to y with for a couple of days. However, Tiny absolutely refused to follow. Even when the animal was forcibly carried back to Wuzi¡¯s home, the creature always managed to ¡®break out of prison¡¯ and run back home.


    One time, when the door at home was shut tightly, the little creature stood in the snow foolishly and froze for an entire night. The next morning, it had almost be an ice sculpture from the cold, and Little Shitou felt very bad. From then on, Tiny was never lent out to other people again.


    At this moment, the little roe deer was tractably lying next to Xiaocao and didn¡¯t have any ill will towards the hand that was messing its hair up. On the contrary, from time to time it would extend its warm and moist tongue and lick Xiaocao¡¯s hand.


    In her previous life, she had raised a small dog who liked to lick people more than this creature, so Xiaocao didn¡¯t feel much about it. However, the little divine stone on her wrist had other thoughts: [Hey, can you push away that fellow? The rock is my body, so how can I suffer having such a lowly beast sullying it?]


    Yu Xiaocao ignored the stone and deliberately ced the wrist that had the multicolored on it closer to the little roe deer¡¯s mouth. The multicolored stone inadvertently emitted a small bit of spiritual energy, which made the sensitive and clever roe deer beyond pleased. Its licks increased perceptibly.


    [Go away, go away now!] The little divine stone erupted in fury and its golden kitten spiritual form flew out towards the little roe deer¡¯s head. It scratched incessantly at the deer but it didn¡¯t have enough energy to materialize into a physical form. With its revenge thwarted, the kitten hissed and expanded until it looked like a hedgehog.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, ah, Little Glutinous Dumpling! Howe you haven¡¯t learned how to be obedient yet? Your fate is grasped in my hands as I¡¯m your master. Therefore, you need to be more respectful to me and more polite! Do you understand?¡± Yu Xiaocao was bored silly so she deliberately teased the arrogant little divine stone.


    [You¡¯re not allowed to call me by ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯! This name is not impressive at all! Please call me ¡®Lord Divine Stone¡¯...yeouch! Make it quickly leave! I¡¯m all covered in saliva and it¡¯s disgusting!]


    The little divine stone was like a tiger out of its native territory. There was nothing it could do against the nasty human and the weak creature in front of it. In the past, it could have settled the two of them without even moving a single finger.


    [Okay! Master, my dear master! I concede, please push it away and help me take a bath!] As the Goddess Nuwa¡¯s divine stone that loved cleanliness the most, the Little Glutinous Dumpling finally admitted defeat to its vile master.


    The little divine stone bit on a small handkerchief: ¡®Goddess Nuwa, did you know that your most favorite stone is being tormented in some nameless corner of the world? Please save me quickly!¡¯


    Although the little divine stone didn¡¯t want to admit it, but Goddess Nuwa had also given it a name that was very simr to the one that its current master¡¯s little brother had given it! This is also why when Xiaocao previously asked its name it refused to tell her. As a grand and magnificent heavenly divine stone, having a name that was given by weak human with mucus dripping out of his nose made the stone feel very ashamed. (Author¡¯s note: Little Shitou¡¯s protest: When I was very young, I didn¡¯t have a runny nose, ok!)


    By the time Yu Xiaocao had almost fallen asleep from boredom, the door to the west room was pushed open again. A chubby and pudgy figure, who looked almost exactly like ball, snuck through the crack in the door. Behind him was a little servant girl who was repeatedly saying: ¡°Little master, be careful of the doorsill. Don¡¯t fall down!¡±


    ¡°Tiny! Tiny, Doudou wants to y with Tiny!¡± The little child Doudou saw the little roe deer on the kang bed and rushed over to climb onto it. However, his little legs were too weak. His hands pushed on the bed as he tried to climb up, but still failed after a good amount of time.


    Xiaocao chuckled wickedly at the scene and had no intention to help the little boy. Little Doudou¡¯s eyes held back tears as he looked at her usedly.


    At the corner of her eye, Yu Xiaocao could see a graceful figure walking into the room. She hurriedly coughed a couple of times and pretended to be weak and powerless. She quietly said: ¡°Doudou, your older sister is sick right now. You shouldn¡¯t climb up here and inhale the air from my illness. If you like, you can bring Tiny back to your room to y...¡±


    Before Little Doudou could agree, he was interrupted by his mother¡¯s cough: ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Let Doudou sit with Shitou at the head of the kang bed and y. I, your aunt, would like to have a talk with you.¡±


    The servant girl bent down to lift the little master onto the kang bed. Under Madam Zhao¡¯s hint, she left the west room and even closed the door in passing.


    ¡°Xiaocao, your grandmother was in the midst of a temper tantrum yesterday. As her daughter-inw, I can¡¯t willfully disobey her wishes, right?¡± Madam Zhao sat on the side of the kang bed and pulled at Xiaocao¡¯s hand. She seemed to be full of sincerity.


    Xiaocao sneered on the inside: ¡®Who doesn¡¯t know that the person the old hag fears the most is you, Madam Zhao. The olddy would think even your farts smelled good. Yesterday, had there been the slightest movement in the east room, Madam Zhang would have dialed back a ton. Younger Aunt, ah, Younger Aunt, you¡¯re trying to trick a little child!¡¯ (Author¡¯s note: You¡¯re a little kid right now!)


    The nk expression on Xiaocao¡¯s eyes (Author¡¯s note: Actually, it was just her being lost in her thoughts while roasting her aunt.) made Madam Zhao feel a bit powerless. She didn¡¯t try to skirt around the issue anymore and directly said: ¡°Xiaocao, your younger uncle and I are in town, so we need to rent a house, pay for his tutor, and buy your uncle brushes and ink. We also need to spend money on food and drink. After trying to scrimp and save, your younger uncle and I were only able to save just one to two taels. How much money did your father borrow from Eldest Uncle? Take this first and repay some now!¡±


    Xiaocao quietly coughed a few times in order to show that she ¡®was very weak¡¯. She looked down at the silver bits in Madam Zhao¡¯s hand and couldn¡¯t help but sneer on the inside: ¡®She really thinks other people are fools, eh! Every month, Madam Zhang would send more than enough money to cover her son and daughter-inw¡¯s living expenses. From Madam Li¡¯s sourments, I know that the amount of money she¡¯s given her youngest son in a month is more than equal to the amount of money our whole family spends in half a year.¡¯


    In a short three years, the couple not only didn¡¯t have to worry about their food and living expenses, but also bought a little servant girl to help them. With the rest of the money, they also bought a little stall in a somewhat deste street in town to conduct a small grocery business.


    On the outside they imed that the shop stall was the dowry from the Zhao Family. However, as a dowry, howe it wasn¡¯t given to them when they got engaged and was only sent three yearster? Such a story could only fool a simpleton ah!


    However, in front of Younger Aunt¡¯s ¡®goodwill¡¯, Xiaocao would not expose her lies and instead tactfully refused the offer: ¡°Younger Aunt, Doudou is still little and Younger Uncle needs to continue his schooling. You guys have a lot of expenses ahead. Xiaocao thanks Younger Aunt for your good intentions; however, you should keep these silver bits and bring them back home!¡±


    ¡°Older sister, older sister! The money is for you to visit a doctor!¡± Little Doudou crawled over from the head of the kang bed and attempted to grab the silver bits from his mother and put them in Xiaocao¡¯s hand. With great effort, he managed to stand up and press his forehead against hers. Whenever the little fellow became sick, his mother would also treat him the same way.


    The concern of a child was never cheap or discounted. Xiaocao felt her heart soften and she pinched the little guy¡¯s chubby cheeks and said gently: ¡°Our Doudou is really sweet. Older sister will get better soon. When the snows melt from the mountain, I¡¯ll go there to catch some small fish and simmer Doudou¡¯s favorite fish stew!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Little Doudou pped his hands and jumped while squealing in delight on the kang bed. On ident, he tripped on the quilt and fell head first into the soft nkets. He puffed and struggled for a long time but wasn¡¯t able to pull himself up. It was only with Little Shitou¡¯s help that the little fellow finally got rescued.


    ¡°Older Sister, get better soon! You need to catch fishies and simmer stew for Doudou to eat!¡± Little Doudou didn¡¯t care that his butt was still tender from falling and instead sweetly came over andid on Xiaocao¡¯s quilt. He fixed his damp and shiny dark eyes on Xiaocao. The expression on his face looked exactly like the little roe deer¡¯s hungry expression whenever it wanted to drink more mystic-stone water.


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay! I¡¯ll simmer fish stew for Doudou to eat!¡±


    After getting Xiaocao¡¯s promise, Little Doudou grinned happily and his attention was once again taken away by the lively roe deer that was running around on the kang bed. The fat little boy went on all fours and chased after the little roe deer in a rollicking chase.


    Yu Xiaocao handed back the silver bits that were stuffed in her hand by the little fellow and said: ¡°Younger Aunt, although we did borrow a lot of money this time, I overheard father saying that because of the snowstorm, the town is reallycking game, so we can sell them for a good price. On the flip side, if there wasn¡¯t a lot of snow, then father could just go up to the mountains more times and would still be able to almost return the money before the end of the year. If this one tael was given to Eldest Granduncle, it wouldn¡¯t be close to enough to return the money we owe. It¡¯s probably better to sell some game and save it until we can return all of the money at once.¡±


    ¡°What kind of medication was prescribed that cost more than a couple taels?¡± When Madam Zhao found out that a couple taels of money would not be able to pay back the debt, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit suspicious.


    Yu Xiaocao lightly sighed and said: ¡°Doctor Sun said that my innate constitution was really too weak. It should have been carefully nourished but the food I got wasn¡¯t enough to keep up. So he needed to add some strengthening tonics and so forth to the medication, which is why it¡¯s more expensive. He also said that after I finish the medication, my father needs to bring me back to town for another visit. If my body is still weak and not properly nourished, then I might need to continue to take medication.¡±


    As she spoke, she furrowed her brows and scowled, as if she hated to take medication but was stuck without a choice.


    After finishing this medication, she might need to take more? No wonder her mother-inw said that this girl was a medicine guzzling fiend! Madam Zhao took back the money in her hand without hesitation and said: ¡°Xiaocao, don¡¯t worry about the money. It¡¯s most important to take care of your body. When I get back, I¡¯ll negotiate with your younger uncle and see if we can raise some money, ok? Doudou, let¡¯s go back now, don¡¯t disturb your older sister¡¯s rest.¡±


    ¡°No! Doudou wants to y with Tiny!¡± Because of the snow storm, Doudou had been stuck inside and seldom went out, so naturally he didn¡¯t want to go back to their room again.


    Madam Zhao tried to convince the little fellow to leave but saw that he was almost in tears. Against her will, she could only agree to let Doudou stay in the west room and she left to go back to her room by herself.

 Chapter 51 – Business Venture

    <h4>Chapter 51 ¨C Business Venture</h4>


    It was a beautiful day today. The skies were clear and there wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit of wind. Yu Xiaocao pretended to be weak and had Little Shitou support her to the middle of the courtyard to get some sun. When one was acting in a y, one needed to go on for the entire set, ah!


    The rays of the winter sun on her body felt as warm andforting as a mother¡¯s loving hand gently stroking her face. Yu Xiaocao was sofortable that she almost fell asleep. Even the sight of Madam Li peeking through the window didn¡¯t annoy her much.


    As the sun started to set in the west, Yu Hai and Xiaolian came back. Judging from the incandescent smile on Xiaolian¡¯s face, the spoils of the day were good.


    Yu Hai picked up his youngest daughter and transferred her from the somewhat chilly courtyard back to the room. After checking the temperature on the kang bed, he went to add some more firewood to the fire pit beneath the bed. He smiled as he watched his two daughters, who resembled each other more and more with each passing day, as they whispered in each other¡¯s ears. He said, ¡°You two sisters can continue to talk, Father is going to go up the mountain to chop some more firewood ande back. The older and experienced vigers have all said that this year will be a harsh winter. Being prepared with extra firewood will surely pay off.¡±


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Little Shitou had been feeling stuffy after being stuck at home for most of the day. He brought along his little attendant¡ªthe little roe deer named Tiny¡ªand eagerly scampered behind his father.


    Xiaolian waited until her father had left the home before she looked all around the courtyard and carefully closed the door. Only then did she take off her shoes and went up on the kang bed right next to Xiaocao. She fished out a five tael ingot from her chest pocket and quickly shoved it into her younger sister¡¯s hands and quietly said, ¡°Quickly hide the money and don¡¯t let Grandmother and Eldest Aunt see! We really caught a lot of game today. In addition to the game from yesterday, we sold them all for five taels! However, when Zhenxiu Restaurant was paying the bill, they didn¡¯t give the money to Father and instead gave it to me. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s odd?¡±


    What was weird about that? In the past, Xiaocao always took the money when she was doing business with Zhenxiu Restaurant. Last time she even handled the prize of fifty taels. So why would it be any different with the smaller sum of five taels?


    Xiaocao put away the money in a very natural manner and replied casually, ¡°Xiaolian, is it worth it to be so happy over these couple taels?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by a ¡®couple taels¡¯? Before today, the most money that had ever crossed my hands was about ten copper coins. These are the silvery taels, ah! A whole silver ingot worth five taels!!¡± Xiaolian realized that the volume of her voice had been on the louder side and hurriedly sped her hands over her mouth as she looked through the window.


    ¡°Eldest Aunt is so annoying. She¡¯s trying to eavesdrop on us again! I don¡¯t know if she overheard what I said earlier. If Grandmother found out, her top would definitely blow!¡± Xiaolian had seen Madam Li with a brooming closer and closer to the west room as she swept the floor. Seeing that the window was open, Madam Li tried to backtrack and went towards the direction of the chicken coop.


    Yu Xiaocao spoke as if she didn¡¯t care, ¡°If she heard, then she heard. What can she do? We owe Eldest Granduncle at least a few taels of money! I¡¯m also sick right now and will probably need to buy more medicer. I need to carefully take care of my body so I won¡¯t end up with a chronic illness! How much can this little bit of money do?¡±


    She deliberately raised her voice for thest few sentences she spoke, as if she was talking to Madam Li who was in the middle of the courtyard.


    Madam Li waited until the window to the west room closed and only then did she get up and spit towards the west room and said. ¡°Bah! She¡¯s a bad investment that thinks of herself as a treasure. A few taels is more than enough to marry a wife. But now, all of it is going to feed that medicine guzzling pot in the second branch. She¡¯s seriously a bottomless pit. When she was born she should have been thrown to the south slope since raising her is just a cmity!¡±


    The south slopes were at the south side of the West Mountains and were a mound full of random trash and rubble. Whenever a child in the nearby viges died prematurely or had a violent death and couldn¡¯t be interred in the family¡¯s ancestral tombs, he or she would always be buried there.


    Madam Li naturally didn¡¯t dare to loudly voice herints behind another person¡¯s back. Thus, the two sisters in the west room didn¡¯t hear her. Xiaolian was currently in the midst of excitedly telling her story of what happened when she met the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    ¡°Younger sister, you wouldn¡¯t believe just how funny that scene was. That young master from the Zhou Family grabbed me as soon as he met me and called me ¡®Xiaocao¡¯. He even said that he had a business venture that he wanted to find out if I was interested in. At that time, I was so shocked that I couldn¡¯t react. I was just thinking of pretending to be you when our father just sincerely told him the truth and sold me out! When the Third Young Master found out I was your twin, his whole face exuded shock and amazement and he could only say ¡®alike, too alike!¡¯. You wouldn¡¯t believe just how hrious his expression looked at the time!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao waited until her sister chattered to her fill and then said, ¡°Xiaolian, Third Young Master Zhou said he had some business venture that he wanted to talk to me about? Did he say what type of business?¡±


    ¡°Nope, he didn¡¯t say! I reckon that when he found out I wasn¡¯t you that he thought it would be a waste of time to tell me. Oh right, younger sister! Did they really learn how to make Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s special oyster sauce themed dishes from you? Father told me that the King of Hell identally took you there on ident and gave it to you aspensation. What did he mean by that? Tell me everything!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had long known that her made up story would someday be transmitted to her close family members. Therefore, she made sure to polish her fabrication about meeting the King of Hell. She told Xiaolian what happened as if she was recalling an old story. In addition, she repeatedly cautioned Xiaolian to not let anyone outside of their family know to avoid having her be a freak in other people¡¯s eyes.


    Xiaolian pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, ¡°Do you remember when you first got injured and just woke up and couldn¡¯t remember much? Our good Eldest Aunt had told everyone in the vige that part of your soul had been captured by a demon. Since part of your soul was gone, you couldn¡¯t remember the past. She even said that people with partial souls attracted demons the most. Most of the vige girls got scared by her so they all stay far away from me...¡±


    Outside the door, Madam Liu trembled incessantly from rage: ¡®What a good Madam Li! She always spread malicious rumors about the second branch but this time she spread such a horrible story. If this was truly transmitted to every household, how could my second daughter get married in the future? My poor daughter had even been dragged to the underworld! How scared and helpless she must have felt!¡¯


    Then she heard Yu Xiaocao in the room scornfully reply, ¡°Eldest Aunt¡¯s wagging tongue must have been previously pped by the bottoms of an old pair of shoes! Is she not afraid of having it pulled out in hell? Xiaolian, don¡¯t listen to her! The reason why I can¡¯t remember anything from the past is because I tried a sip of Granny Meng¡¯s soup [1] out of curiosity!¡±


    ¡°Younger sister, is the King of Hell scary? Doesn¡¯t he have four eyes and two mouths?¡± Since Xiaolian was only an eight year old child, it was natural she would curious about new and novel things.


    Xiaocao pinched her cheek as Xiain scooted closer andughed, ¡°The King of Hell is just the god in charge of theher world. He looks pretty much like us humans but is just a little more imposing. The Pce of Hell is a grand and magnificent building. However, it is dim inside and has a gloomy and frightening atmosphere. The truly scary thing is the 18 levels of hell [2]. I only saw up to the third level and didn¡¯t dare to look further down...however, there is no need to be afraid, those areas are only for punishing evil people.¡±


    ¡°Mm, mm!¡± Xiaolian nodded furiously but muttered silently in her heart, ¡®Eldest Aunt and Brother Heizai are always bullying mother and us. In the future, they are definitely getting punished in hell.¡¯


    Seeing that Xiaolian believed her without a doubt, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes shifted and she continued, ¡°In the Pce of Hell, I also saw the God of Fortune [3] too! He was wearing a bright scarlet red robe and there was a lucky red hat on his head. His face always had a cheerful smile on it, and he was always ying go with the King of Hell. When he heard I had been taken by mistake, he smiled, rubbed my head and said he was going topensate me...suddenly there were some weird thoughts that appeared in my head. Those ideas were probably stuffed into me by the God of Fortune?¡±


    Xiaolian suddenly squeaked ¡®ah¡¯ and then quietly said, ¡°Younger sister, you had never been inside the kitchen before, and you had very seldom seen an oyster. Since you unexpectedly were able to make oyster sauce, don¡¯t you think that was something the God of Fortune taught you? Then...aren¡¯t you the God of Fortune¡¯s disciple now?¡±


    Xiaocao merely smiled but didn¡¯t bother to reply. From Xiaolian¡¯s perspective, it meant that her younger sister tacitly agreed with her conjecture.


    ¡°Then...wouldn¡¯t the God of Fortune give us some wealth? Little Sister, when we¡¯re rich in the future, we can eat steamed white flour rolls and buy meat buns and dumplings everyday!¡± Xiaolian somewhat exaggeratedly swallowed some saliva and revealed a cute expression on her face.


    Madam Liu pushed the door open sadly and hugged the two sisters in her arms. She sighed and said, ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t want to get rich. My only wish is Cao¡¯er stays healthy and the rest of you are able to grow up peacefully. That would make me the most happy!¡±


    ¡°Mother, did you hear everything?¡± Yu Xiaocao felt somewhat dispirited. She didn¡¯t intend to have her kind hearted and loving mother to be worried.


    ¡°Silly child. In the future, don¡¯t hide everything within your heart and let Mother know instead. Although your mother doesn¡¯t have many abilities, I will sacrifice my life in order to protect you and your siblings!¡±


    Madam Liu could clearly sense that her youngest daughter was afraid that she would worry, so she didn¡¯t tell her the things that happened in the past. Her eyes couldn¡¯t help but brim with tears. Her most delicate little daughter would always think of her even when she had fallen sick. As her mother, didn¡¯t that mean she wasn¡¯t qualified enough? That wouldn¡¯t do, she needed to be more strong and be a mother that her children could depend on!


    Alright! The three main members of her family had all epted her somewhat absurd, made-up story. The most important aspect was that she was still young in age, and her descriptions of the underworld and scenes were extremely detailed and precise. The picture she painted was such that it¡¯d be impossible for others not to believe her.


    Naturally, Madam Liu also warned her children repeatedly out of fear that the two of them wouldn¡¯t know the severity of the consequences should the story leak. If it did, it would cause a whole lot of trouble for her two daughters.


    Time passed and before they knew it, another two days had passed. In those two days, Yu Xiaocao, who had been restricted from going outside, worried endlessly about the business venture that Third Young Master Zhou mentioned. If she was able to do business with the Zhou Family, who were imperial merchants, then her money woes would be mostly settled. Even though she couldn¡¯t guarantee one hundred percent that she wouldn¡¯t lose money, she at least had about eighty percent confidence that she¡¯d earn and not lose.


    The ufortable feeling within her heart persisted, as if she had a tiny kitten inside her, scratching incessantly. Luckily, Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t let her wait for too long. On the third day, he arrived at her home.


    The splendidly dressed young master cut a stylish figure as he rode a tall horse. Behind him was a dignified attendant who had a noble air about him. Despite that, the around fifty year old man obviously followed and deferred to the young masterpletely. The delegation entered the vige swiftly and caused the frozen vige of Dongshan to explode in curiosity.


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? They¡¯re not looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Looking for you? From the way you appear, you wouldn¡¯t even be fit to take the night soil out for these people!¡±


    ¡°The young master looks quite handsome, ah! It¡¯s definitely good to be a rich person. Just look at the material of his clothes, the amount he spent on the cloth alone would be enough to feed us for an entire year!¡±


    ¡°He definitely is from a high ranking family in town! Look at what his attendant is wearing, it¡¯s even more dignified and elegant than what Moneybags Wang wears. I just don¡¯t know whether these peopleing to Dongshan Vige is a good or bad thing.¡±


    ¡°Which family was he looking for? Yu Hai¡¯s family? For the past few days, Yu Hai has been going to town every day to sell game. Did he offend some noble lord?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make false conjectures, you should know how easygoing Dahai is. How could he possibly cause trouble willy-nilly? Judging from the expression on the young master¡¯s face, it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s here to settle scores. Stop letting your imagination run wild. Once they leave, just go ask around to find out, right?¡±


    ......


    [1] Granny Meng¡¯s soup (ÃÏÆÅÌÀ) ¨C It is believed that before one reincarnates, they would have to drink a bowl of soup to permanently erase all their previous memories; Grandma Meng is an immortal in the underworld who is responsible for serving the soup to the souls who are ready to reincarnate to ensure that they don¡¯t remember any of their previous lives and their time in hell; also known as the Water of Oblivion or Five vored Tea of Forgetfulness


    [2] 18 levels of hell (Ê®°Ë²ãµØÓü) ¨C It is believed that sinners will be sentenced to receive punishment in the 18 levels of hell but the punishment received may be different depending on the crimemitted; there¡¯s a different type torture in each level

 Chapter 52 – Home Visit

    <h4>Chapter 52 ¨C Home Visit</h4>


    Little Shitou was crouching in front of the entrance andbing Tiny¡¯s fur with his little hands. When he heard the trotting sounds of horses, he lifted his head and looked towards the direction of the sound. He noticed that the youth leading the group looked somewhat familiar, so he couldn¡¯t help but squint his eyes to check more carefully.


    ¡°Young Master, that five-room house with a courtyard in front is Uncle Yu¡¯s residence. From this servant¡¯s inquiry, there were only a few households within the entire vige with such a big house, but...¡± Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s personal manservant, Simo, paused hesitantly for a moment.


    ¡°What?¡± Third Young Master Zhou had already recognized the little kid in front of the door from afar. It was Xiaocao¡¯s foolishly cute younger brother. This should be the ce!


    Simo also saw the little boy dressed in a patched-up green quilted clothing and sighed, ¡°With Uncle Yu¡¯s abilities and the size of this house, the Yu Family should have decent living conditions. However, the clothes on his children were even more shabby than the other children in the vige.¡±


    ¡°Look, isn¡¯t that Miss Xiaocao¡¯s younger brother? His worn-out clothes should have been thrown out long ago. Recently, they should have earned at least sixty to seventy taels from selling game to Zhenxiu Restaurant. It¡¯s almost the New Year, but they¡¯re still unwilling to buy a new set of cotton-padded clothing for the children...¡±


    Zhou Zixu frowned slightly and said, ¡°Uncle Yu doesn¡¯t look like someone who would mistreat his children. Could it be that they have some undisclosed difficulties?¡±


    Having personally experienced the struggle for power and constant scheming within his family, Zhou Zixu would think deeply about every situation he encountered. Wasn¡¯t his own family like this? Had his grandparents not been around to control the family, with the disy of his talent in business over the past two years, the second branch would had been devoured by his greedy rtives long ago. Uncle Yu probably also had his own difficulties that he couldn¡¯t express.


    ¡°I remember you! You¡¯re the third young master of the Zhou Family, right?¡± Little Shitou stood up and raised his head with a beaming smile.


    Zhou Zixu dismounted from his horse, ruffled the little guy¡¯s messy hair, and said with a warm face, ¡°Little Shitou, who are you calling ¡®Third Young Master Zhou¡¯? Call me ¡®Third Brother Zhou¡¯! If you make a mistake again next time, then I¡¯ll punish you!¡±


    ¡°What kind of punishment?¡± Little Shitou blinked and asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll punish you...¡± Zhou Zixu took a box of pastries from Simo¡¯s hands and smiled, ¡°You will be forbidden to eat the pastries that Third Brother Zhou brings over!¡±


    Little Shitou eagerly stared at the exquisite food box within Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s hands and slowly read the name on the box, ¡°Lian... ji... Pastry Shop! Is it the ¡®Lianji¡¯ with the biggest storefront and the most expensive pastries in town? Doesn¡¯t this box of pastries cost a lot of money?¡±


    Zhou Zixu was somewhat amazed and said, ¡°Oh, Little Shitou is so young, but you can already read?¡±


    Little Shitou shyly scratched his head and said, ¡°When ying at Wuzi¡¯s house, I learned a few words from Brother Wen...¡±


    ¡°Little Shitou is so smart! I heard that your second sister is sick?¡± Zhou Zixu asked.


    ¡°Yes! She¡¯s very sick. If Eldest Granduncle hadn¡¯t lent us money, my second sister might have...¡± The little fellow lowered his head and appeared to be in low spirits. He and his older sister were both very obedient, but why does their grandmother dislike them?


    ¡°Shitou, who are you talking to? Aren¡¯t you going to hurry up and gather some firewood while the weather is good? All you know is how to y! Everyday, you¡¯re only concerned about eating and not doing any work! Moreover, we have to provide for a chronic invalid! I must owe you people something!¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s jarring shrieks traveled over.


    Zhou Zixu couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows, ¡®He¡¯s such a young child, yet he¡¯s already being ordered to work?¡¯


    Just as he was deep in his thoughts, a mean looking olddy with a fierce gaze came out of the door. With her hands on her waist, she made a stance of a shrew who loudly cursed in public.


    Seeing three imposing people in front of her, Madam Zhang forced down the curses that was about thee out of her mouth. In front of the courtyard was Zhou Zixu who was obviously born of noble status, Madam Zhang¡¯s originally threatening manner immediately withered down. With her shoulder drooped and head shrunken, she asked in a timid voice, ¡°You... Who are you looking for?¡±


    Simo had disdain for the wicked old woman¡¯s double standards and differential treatment, so he had a face of contempt as he asked, ¡°Is this Yu Hai¡¯s residence?¡±


    ¡°Yu Hai? Had Yu Hai offended great lords? That damn bastard is always causing trouble for our family! This young master, Yu Hai hasn¡¯t returned from hunting in the mountains. Whatever he did has nothing to do with us!¡± Seeing the grim expression on Simo¡¯s face, Madam Zhang was so scared that she spoke incoherently, scolding and breaking off rtionships.


    Simo was even more displeased and impatiently interrupted her, ¡°Yu Hai isn¡¯t home, but Yu Xiaocao should be home, right?¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao? Is she also involved? I knew that wretch was sharp-tongued and would eventually stir up some trouble. Isn¡¯t this... That troublemaker is causing trouble for our family...¡± Madam Zhang waspletely bewildered as she murmured.


    ¡°Is she here or not?!¡± Simo¡¯s expression was even more ugly when he noticed that his young master had narrowed his eyes, which was a sign of his anger.


    ¡°Yes... In the west room!¡± Madam Zhang trembled in fright when he suddenly raised his voice. They wouldn¡¯t be implicated by the noblemen¡¯s anger, will they?


    Zhou Zixu threw the reins to Simo and walked into the courtyard with his steward. He looked around briefly before he turned to enter the small and cramped west room.


    ¡°Third Young Master Zhou, you¡¯re finally here!¡± It was rather dim inside the room and Zhou Zixu¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t adapted to the light inside, so he was surprised by Xiaocao¡¯s voice.


    Zhou Zixu nced around and saw the simple furnishings in the room. There was arge kang bed, on which the quilts were old and shabby, but tidied up. An old rattan trunk was ced at the head of the bed. Beside the kang bed, there was a wooden table that was about to fall apart. There wasn¡¯t anything else in the room besides these simple and old furniture. Even the lowest ranked servants of the Zhou Family had better living conditions than them.


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s brows were tightly creased and said unhappily, ¡°What happened to the money that you earned? Where did all the money go? The quilt is already so stiff, so how are you still able to use it? Your family had earned quite a lot of money from selling game, so don¡¯t hesitate to spend it...¡±


    ¡°Shh... shh...¡± Xiaocao swiftly pulled on Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s arm. If she wasn¡¯t so short, she would had already covered his mouth with her hand!


    ¡°Third Young Master, I have bad health and easily fall ill, so my family has borrowed a lot of money for my medical treatment. These days, the money that my father earned from hunting wasn¡¯t even enough to repay the loan! How can we afford to buy new bedding?¡± Yu Xiaocao amplified her voice and spoke towards the direction of the door.


    Zhou Zixu followed her gaze and saw the harsh-looking olddy and a fat woman in the yard looking into the room from time to time.


    He signaled Simo with his eyes. Simo went out of the west room and stood imposingly in front of the door. With a grim expression on his face, he appeared like he was a door god [1] as he stared at the two sneaky women, who were greedily watching them.


    The two women were both only fierce at home, so they recoiled in fear and went back to the main room when they saw Simo¡¯s stern gaze.


    Madam Li looked into the courtyard warily and whispered, ¡°Mother! Who are these people? They look like they came to demand a payment for a debt! Did Second Brother-inw borrow money from a loan shark? They charge really high interest rates, so lending one tael means that we have to pay back ten taels!¡±


    Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t help but panic, and scolded, ¡°Yu Hai refused to tell us how much that wicked girl, Xiaocao¡¯s, medical fees cost. Third Daughter-inw said that there¡¯s ginseng in the prescription, so it must be expensive! She¡¯s such a waste of money. Even if we sold her, she wouldn¡¯t be worth the money of the ginseng! That scourge, if I knew earlier, I would had strangled her and thrown her down the mountain!¡±


    ¡°Mother, what should we do now? They sent three people over, so Second Brother-inw must had borrowed a lot of money. If Second Brother-inw can¡¯t repay the debt, they wouldn¡¯t take the things in our house to pay of the debt, will they? No way! I have to securely hide all my valuables...¡± Madam Li was somewhat unsettled and wanted to go back to her east room.


    Madam Zhang also felt extremely anxious, so she swiftly pulled Madam Li back and rebuked, ¡°What valuable things do you have in your room? Eldest Son wouldn¡¯t be keeping a secret stash of money behind my back, right?¡±


    Madam Li¡¯s face stiffened and hastily said, ¡°Mother, we wouldn¡¯t do that! Dashan is the most devoted and dutiful son, so he wouldn¡¯t have such thoughts. Didn¡¯t I return to my maiden home recently? My mother gave me a piece of cloth and secretly hid some money in there for me. Mother, you¡¯re the most understanding and reasonable. You won¡¯t confiscate the money that my maiden family gave me, right?¡±


    In fact, this wasn¡¯t something that Madam Zhang hadn¡¯t done before. Every time her second daughter-inw¡¯s maiden family came to visit, they would always leave goods or money for her. However, everything eventually ended up in Madam Zhang¡¯s pockets. Moreover, she didn¡¯t even forget to leave them a warning. If they didn¡¯t turn everything in, then she wouldn¡¯t pay the medical fees for the two chronic patients of the second branch.


    However, Madam Li¡¯s maiden family had a stronger background, so Madam Zhang didn¡¯t dare to give her the same treatment. Madam Zhang would pretend that she didn¡¯t see Madam Li constantly bringing things back from her maiden home since half of the things she brought back would be used by her grandson.


    ¡°Alright, alright! Would they care about the few copper coins that you have? If you¡¯re so worried, then go. But be careful and don¡¯t offend the nobles!¡± Madam Zhang was also waiting for Madam Li to leave so that she could move the money in the cab to a hidden ce. She didn¡¯t want to send money down to the bottomless pit made by her second son.


    Seeing that it had finally quieted down in the courtyard, Zhou Zixu nced at Yu Xiaocao and sat on the kang bed, ¡°Alright, they¡¯re gone now, so stop pretending to be poor!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice either! You don¡¯t know about our family¡¯s situation! The olddy forbids the children from keeping a secret purse, especially our second branch! She¡¯s always monitoring us as if we¡¯re thieves! If she found out that I have money, wouldn¡¯t she turn the second branch upside down!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t shy away from talking about the situation in her family.


    Every family had their own difficulties. Zhou Zixu shook his head and whispered, ¡°Well, if the money continues to stay in your hand, then it will eventually be exposed. You should just take it out and invest in a business with me!¡±


    He had just made a casual remark, so he hadn¡¯t expected that Yu Xiaocao had been waiting for him to make this suggestion, ¡°I had heard from Xiaolian. What kind of business is so difficult for Third Young Master Zhou that you have to pull me into it?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Something that¡¯s too difficult for me to handle? Is there anything that I, Third Young Master Zhou, can¡¯t do?¡± Zhou Zixu red at her and said, ¡°In gratitude for your help, I had wanted to take you along to make a fortune! However, let¡¯s just forget it since you said that...¡±


    ¡°No!¡± When Yu Xiaocao saw that he was going to leave, she hastily pulled him back. She was also joking earlier. If it was something that even the Zhou Family, who were imperial merchants, couldn¡¯t handle, then what would a fisherman¡¯s daughter like her be able to do?


    ¡°Alright! You, Third Young Master Zhou, has a magnanimous heart, so don¡¯t be bothered by a little girl like me! So, what kind of business is it? Tell me the details!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled and repeatedly bowed with her hands sped.


    Of course, Zhou Zixu wasn¡¯t really angry at her, so he smiled and tapped her forehead, ¡°You! Stop putting up this weird act! I want to open an oyster sauce production factory and sell the products to the big restaurants in the neighboring cities. But, as you said, the oyster sauce doesn¡¯t have a long shelf life. Thus, I wanted to ask to see if you have any solutions to this problem.¡±

 Chapter 53 – Become a Shareholder

    <h4>Chapter 53 ¨C Be a Shareholder</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°If you want to open an oyster sauce factory, then the shelf life of the oyster sauce will indeed be a problem! It¡¯s alright during the winter since the temperature is low in the north. Thus, there¡¯s no problem with keeping it for several months. However, it will be rather troublesome for the summer!¡±


    In her previous life, what methods were used to extend the shelf life of food? Yu Xiaocao wrinkled her brows and was lost in her thoughts. Although Zhou Zixu was anxious, he refrained himself from disturbing her.


    Yu Xiaocao muttered to herself, ¡°The usual method used to extend the shelf life of foods was to store them in low temperature. However, there¡¯s no refrigerator here...¡±


    ¡°Icebox? Is it a box to store ice?¡± Steward Zhou, who was brought over by Zhou Zixu, couldn¡¯t help asking a question.


    ¡°Uh... Yes, a box to store ice.¡± Yu Xiaocao just realized that she had verbally expressed her inner thoughts, but it was difficult to exin what a ¡®refrigerator¡¯ was. Thus, she just agreed with Steward Zhou¡¯s words.


    Steward Zhou pondered for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine to transport goods in the iceboxes during winter. However, the expense will probably be very high in the summer. Besides, how big would the icehouse have to be in order to store a year¡¯s worth of ice?


    ¡°There¡¯s also another way to extend the shelf life, which is to add a lot of sugar and salt. However, with this method, the taste of the oyster sauce will definitely be affected!¡± Yu Xiaocao shook her head and denied her own suggestion.


    Zhou Zixu, who hade from a family of imperial merchants, naturally knew the importance of a product¡¯s quality. He couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Are there any other ways?¡±


    ¡°There is also the method of preservation with propolis! However, honey is already so expensive, let alone propolis! It wouldn¡¯t cost any less than using ice for the transportation and preservation!¡±


    Propolis? Zhou Zixu had heard of honey. His mother had heard from an unknown source that she could enhance her beauty and maintain her figure by drinking honey water. Thus, she had been drinking a cup of honey water daily sincest year. But what was propolis?


    ¡°It... It would be great if we can also make ice in the summer.¡± Yu Xiaocao had had the habit of talking to herself since her previous life.


    Wasn¡¯t ice formed naturally at low temperature? Was it something that could be made? This little girl¡¯s imagination was seriously too fanciful. In his heart, Steward Zhou disagreed with the idea of his young master cooperating with a poor little girl to open a factory.


    ¡°Third Young Master, have you heard of saltpeter?¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly recalled an article called ¡°Ingenious Ice-making Methods in Ancient Times¡± that she had read in her previous life. It seemed that since thete Tang Dynasty, when gunpowder was produced, people often mined arge amount of saltpeter.


    Since then, there was a precedent of ice-making in the summer. After that, traders, who added sugar to the ice to attract customers, began to emerge. In the Song Dynasty, merchants added fruits or juices in it. The businessmen of the Yuan Dynasty had even added fruit jam and milk into the ice, which was very simr to the modern ice cream. She was curious about whether there were any examples of using saltpeter to make ice in this revised time period.


    ¡°Saltpeter? Yes, I know. It¡¯s sold in the pharmacy. Can... saltpeter make ice?¡± Zhou Zixu had also heard her mumbles, so he automatically made the connection when she mentioned saltpeter.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with approval and nodded, ¡°When saltpeter dissolves in water, it absorbs a lot of heat and lowers the temperature of the water. It can even freeze the water.¡±


    ¡°Really? How did you know?¡± Zhou Zixu was still somewhat skeptical.


    Yu Xiaocao was stunned for a moment, and then spoke with a stern expression, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can just go buy some saltpeter and try it!¡±


    Steward Zhou stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°I think I might have seen a documentation that recorded the usage of saltpeter to make ice when I was organizing the ancient books that Second Master had collected before his death.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So, it¡¯s true that saltpeter can make ice? Steward Zhou, go on!¡± Zhou Zixu inquired with great interest.


    With a bitter smile, Steward Zhou shook his head and said, ¡°Second Master had arge collection of books, so I don¡¯t really remember which book I had seen this from. We should listen to Miss Yu regarding the specific details of how to make the ice.¡±


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at Yu Xiaocao, as if he was a child begging for candy, ¡°Xiaocao, don¡¯t keep us guessing. Quickly say it, say it!¡±


    ¡°You need to dig a big pond inside the factory, and then put arge vat that is half-filled with water in the center of the pond. After that, put the saltpeter into the pond and fill the pond with water. I¡¯ve never done this before, so I¡¯m also uncertain about the ratio for the water and saltpeter. You will know after experimenting a few more times.¡± Yu Xiaocao provided them with general guidance, but Zhou Zixu was responsible for carrying out the actual procedures.


    Zhou Zixu nodded and thought about how he would do the experiment when he goes back. Steward Zhou spoke up again, ¡°Based on what you said, it seems like we need arge amount of saltpeter. However, the cost of saltpeter isn¡¯t low either!¡±


    They had originallye up with the idea of using saltpeter to produce ice in order to reduce the production cost. However, the prime cost didn¡¯t seem much less than storing ice in an icehouse.


    As expected, the steward in charge of the Zhou Family¡¯s external affairs was sensible and had foresight. Yu Xiaocao nodded with a smile, ¡°Steward Zhou is correct! However, saltpeter can be reused. The method of evaporative crystallization can be used to recast the saltpeter that was dissolved in water.¡±


    Steward Zhou nodded his head slightly and was inwardly surprised: ¡®She¡¯s such a young little girl. How can she have such vast knowledge and good memory? She¡¯s even more knowledgeable than a head steward like him, who boosts about reading a wide range of books. Does the Yu Family have a secret that I doesn¡¯t know?¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t weird for him to be skeptical. At the end of the former dynasty, there was a lot of chaos caused by the war and many aristocratic families had fallen into oblivion during the long process. Could it be that a fallen aristocrat family had settled within this small fishing vige?


    ¡°Steward Zhou, stop overthinking this matter! I have an agreement with Xiaocao to not make a detailed inquiry about anything except for business-rted matters. What does it have to do with us how she knew that saltpeter can make ice? Don¡¯t make thingsplicated. I don¡¯t want to lose a good business partner!¡± Zhou Zixu withdrew the smile on his face and faintly said. He naturally revealed the dignified and imposing manner of a noble family¡¯s young master.


    As if arge bell rang loudly within heart, Steward Zhou was inwardly stunned as he came to a realization. He put aside his sidetracked thoughts and bowed with great respect and solemnity, ¡°Young Master, thank you for your reminder! This old servant is deeply ashamed!¡±


    When Zhou Zixu turned to face Yu Xiaocao, he reverted to a gentle and friendly attitude again, ¡°Now that the problem of the oyster sauce¡¯s preservation and transportation have been resolved, we can begin the construction of the oyster sauce factory in early spring. Where do you think we should open the oyster sauce factory?¡±


    ¡°In terms of business, Third Young Master Zhou definitely has more foresight than an eight year old girl like me. So just make the decision yourself!¡± Yu Xiaocao had also sensed Steward Zhou¡¯s examining gaze earlier. Fortunately, the great lord, Third Young Master Zhou, was here to control the situation and prevented her from making a slip. She inwardly alerted herself to keep a low profile in the future and stop standing out so much.


    It was impossible for Zhou Zixu to not notice her faint vignce. However, he instinctively felt that this little girl in front of him was like an undiscovered mine, in which the hidden treasures could only be recovered by digging slowly and deeply. As for how this ¡®treasure¡¯ was formed, there was no need to get to the bottom of this. He didn¡¯t want to be regretfulter due to a moment of curiosity.


    ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s a good idea to build the oyster sauce factory near the harbor. The traffic is very convenient whether it¡¯s bynd or water. Furthermore, it¡¯s near the sea, so it will be more convenient to purchase raw materials!¡± Zhou Zixu expressed his thoughts and asked for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s advice.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had learned her lesson, just smiled and nodded silently.


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s eyes darted around and knew how to make this little girl speak up. With a faint smile on his face, he looked at Xiaocao and asked, ¡°Do you want to invest in the oyster sauce factory?¡±


    Be a shareholder? Wasn¡¯t this a modern term? Why would this terme out of Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s mouth? Could it be that... this Third Young Master Zhou was also a transmigrator? Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes and looked at him in disbelief.


    Zhou Zixu misunderstood her meaning and smiled, ¡°What? You don¡¯t know what ¡®be a shareholder¡¯ means? When Jianwen Emperor was still the imperial crown prince, he had established an ocean shipping corporation and pulled many high-ranking officials and noblemen to make an investment. Thus, the term ¡®be a shareholder¡¯ began to spread within the business industry. It just means to make an investment and join in the business.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Yu Xiaocao was frightened by the false rm and almost broke out in a cold sweat. However, she immediately became interested when she heard that she could invest in the oyster sauce factory.


    ¡°But... I don¡¯t have a lot of money on hand. I only have less than one hundred taels...¡± Yu Xiaocao took out her secret stash of money from the corner and scratched her head in embarrassment.


    Zhou Zixu looked at the money that was scattered on the kang bed. She had earned all this money from him, so of course, he knew how much money she had. He had originally intended to gift the young girl with a share of the factory, but an urge to tease her had emerged within him at this time,


    He coughed and said, ¡°We got the recipe for the oyster sauce from you, so I had nned to give you a share after building the factory. But, since you feel sorry about taking it for free, this money... I¡¯ll just ept it!¡±


    The expression on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face immediately stiffened. She helplessly watched as her money was plundered by that evil, ¡®ck-hearted¡¯ businessman. Her heart was bleeding!


    No way! She, Yu Xiaocao, could ept anything but being forced to suffer a loss in silence!


    ¡°Third Young Master Zhou!¡± She gnashed her teeth and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too dull for such arge factory to only produce oyster sauce?¡±


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡®My little ancestor! I was just waiting for you to say that!¡¯


    ¡°What? Does Xiaocao have other suggestions?¡± Zhou Zixu looked at her with great interest.


    ¡°I have secret recipes for two more sauces! I wonder if Third Young Master Zhou will be interested in them?¡± Anyone who was sensible could had felt Yu Xiaocao emphasizing her tone when she said ¡®Third Young Master Zhou¡¯. Ah, it seemed like the little kitten was bearing its ws!


    Zhou Zixu happily moved closer and said, ¡°I¡¯m interested. Of course I¡¯m interested! Quickly tell me about it!¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡± Yu Xiaocao proudly turned her head away and said, ¡°If you want my two secret recipes, then exchange them with shares!¡±


    In fact, for the establishment of the factory, the recipe for oyster sauce and the two sauces that the little girl had mentioned were all obtained from Yu Xiaocao. The Zhou Family had only provided money andbor.


    Zhou Zixu naturally wouldn¡¯t give up on an endless flow of treasures for the sake of a small profit. He gantly eximed, ¡°If the two recipes are of the same value as the oyster sauce, then I¡¯ll give up half of the shares for the factory!¡±


    Half? Yu Xiaocao had originally nned to only take 20% of the dividend, so this had far exceeded her expectations.

 Chapter 54 – Advertise

    <h4>Chapter 54 ¨C Advertise</h4>


    However, she had received half of the shares when she had only invested a little over ny taels. Wasn¡¯t this a little... like she was demanding an excessive price? She didn¡¯t demand the price herself, but there would be more opportunities for cooperation between them in the future, so she should adopt a long-term n for major returns.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need half of the shares. I¡¯ll just take 40% of the shares! First of all, let¡¯s make an agreement that I only need to provide the recipes and won¡¯t be responsible for anything else!¡± With 40% of the oyster sauce factory¡¯s shares, she could earn money at home without having to do anything in the future. Was there anything better than this?


    Steward Zhou inwardly nodded and approved of his young master¡¯s good judgment. The little girl of the Yu Family wasn¡¯t greedy despiteing from a poor background.


    ¡°Okay! Deal!¡± Zhou Zixu was extremely pleased, ¡°I¡¯ll draw up the contract when I get back. Do you know how to write your own name? For this business deal, will it be a cooperation with you only or with the Yu Family?¡±


    ¡°You have also seen our family¡¯s situation! If the entire Yu Family gets involved, then our second branch won¡¯t be able to even receive a single penny! So, I hope that nobody knows about this coboration except you and me!¡± Yu Xiaocao had nned to depend on this cooperation to earn some private savings! She had to grasp the money within her own hands in order to prevent it from being taken away by the wicked olddy of the main branch!


    ¡°Alright! The factory will be a coboration between you and me!¡± Zhou Zixu concluded.


    The ¡®Fresh and Delicious¡¯ condiment series became famous throughout the Great Ming Dynasty several yearster. However, no one would have expected that the brand was created after a brief discussion between a thirteen year old youth and a young eight year old girl...


    ¡°But... what are the other sauces? Can you tell me?¡± It was human nature for everyone to possess curiosity, let alone a thirteen year old youth.


    ¡°The first one is ¡®ck bean paste¡¯, while the other is called ¡®broad bean paste¡¯. The ck bean paste can be used to make delicious dishes like spareribs with ck bean sauce, fried mud carp with salted ck beans, braised chicken, duck, pork, and more. The broad bean paste is good for stir-frying eggnts, Chinese long beans, mushrooms, etc....¡±


    As Zhou Zixu continued to listen to Yu Xiaocao¡¯s description, he felt that he made the right choice bying over. This trip not only resolved his problems, but he also received an extra surprise. At this moment, Zhou Zixu, Steward Zhou, and Yu Xiaocao were having a detailed discussion regarding the name and business operation of the condiments production factory.


    Unbeknownst to them, time had quietly slipped away.


    ¡°Rumble, rumble...¡±


    A strange sound rang out. Little Shitou, who had be drowsy as he listened to their discussion, suddenly sat up and eximed, ¡°Ah! My second sister hasn¡¯t eaten breakfast yet! She¡¯s so hungry that even her stomach is growling!¡±


    Zhou Zixu looked at Yu Xiaocao, who was covering her tummy with an embarrassed expression. He tried to refrain himself fromughing as he said, ¡°I brought some pastries over, so fill your stomach first! I¡¯ll visit again to discuss the details of the arrangements after I draw up the contract.¡±


    ¡°No need. A few dayster, I¡¯ll ask my father to take me to town to buy some things before the New Year. We can talk about the details at that time. Third Young Master, you can also see my family¡¯s situation, so I¡¯m not going to ask you to stay for a meal!¡± Yu Xiaocao was afraid that her grandmother would be suspicious if Zhou Zixu came to visit again.


    ¡°Okay! Then I shall take my leave now!¡± Third Young Master Zhou smiled from ear to ear as he came out of the west room. Yu Xiaocao wanted to personally lead him out of the courtyard.


    However, right at this moment, Yu Hai returned from outside and saw thevishly dressed Third Young Master Zhou. He was momentarily stunned at first, and then he smiled warmly and asked, ¡°Third Young Master Zhou, why are you here?¡±


    Seeing the people from the main room and east room popping their heads out to probe, Zhou Zixu made up a lie, ¡°Did Uncle Yu just came back from town? The weather¡¯s really good today, so I¡¯m taking my attendants to the West Mountains to hunt. I came for a visit since I was passing by Dongshan Vige.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good day for hunting! If Third Young Master is interested, you cane back in the fall. There will be a lot of game at that time. Moreover, they¡¯re fat!¡± Yu Hai wasn¡¯t a dull person either. He had noticed that the three people didn¡¯t bring any hunting tools. Thus, he knew that Zhou Zixu had made up an excuse because it was inconvenient for him to speak.


    Zhou Zixu spoke up again, ¡°Uncle Yu haven¡¯t been sending a lot of game to us recently. The manager of our Zhenxiu Restaurant hasined to me several times already!¡±


    Yu Hai apologetically said, ¡°It¡¯s difficult to hunt since the snow hasn¡¯tpletely melted in the mountains. So I can only set traps outside the forest. It was still alright a few days ago and I was able to catch quite a lot of game every day. However, I¡¯m not sure what happened in these two days. The quantity of game caught in the traps has been greatly reduced. I¡¯m really sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Uncle Yu¡¯s fault. Zhenxiu Restaurant is the only restaurant in town with wild game now. This is all thanks to Uncle Yu for taking care of us!¡± Since Yu Hai was Yu Xiaocao¡¯s father, Zhou Zixu¡¯s attitude was quite amiable. If it was another hunter, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to meet Third Young Master Zhou.


    Yu Xiaocao also felt anxious as she listened. Other people didn¡¯t know what was wrong, but she did! Without her mystic-stone water, it would be weird if the animals came out during such freezing weather! If they couldn¡¯t catch any game, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to earn any money. Third Young Master Zhou had already taken all the money she had! Would her few dozens of taels really make a difference for such a big factory? That guy must have done it intentionally. Absolutely!


    It seemed like she really had to find a chance to sneak out and sprinkle some mystic-stone water around the traps!


    ¡°Oh? This little roe deer is quite fat! Its meat must be very tender. The rich people in town really likes eating youngmbs and suckling pigs. Why don¡¯t you sell it to me!¡± Zhou Zixu¡¯s attention was drawn by the little roe deer frolicking in the yard.


    As if it understood Zhou Zixu¡¯s words, the little roe deer, who had been running around the courtyard, suddenly stopped in its tracks and anxiously hid behind Yu Xiaocao for protection. From time to time, it stretched out its head and peeked at Third Young Master Zhou with its big, dark eyes. When it saw Third Young Master Zhou looking at it, it would tremble and hastily retract its head.


    ¡°Interesting! This little roe deer seems very intelligent, so it¡¯s also pretty good as a pet! If I take it to the capital, those nobledies will definitely like it. I can sell it for a good price!¡± Zhou Zixu was quite surprised by the little roe deer¡¯s closeness and dependence on Xiaocao.


    Her younger brother treasured the little roe deer from the bottom of his heart. Furthermore, they had already be emotionally attached. Thus, Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t sell it for a few pieces of silver. She bent down and caressed the little roe deer¡¯s head, and then smiled, ¡°Its name is ¡®Tiny¡¯. Someone has entrusted our family to take care of it, so our family can¡¯t make the decision about selling it.¡±


    Zhou Zixu didn¡¯t take it seriously either and casually said, ¡°If you guys want to sell it for a good price, I can help you contact a buyer when I go to the capitalter. Alright! You haven¡¯tpletely recovered yet, so hurry back into the room.¡±


    Zhou Zixu was going to the capital to attend a business meeting with his nominally eldest uncle, who was actually his biological father. The current head of the Zhou Family had two legitimate sons. In terms of talent in business, his second son was somewhat better. Even before he hade-of-age, the second son was already quite sessful in the business industry. In a way, without the second son, the Zhou Family wouldn¡¯t have gotten the position of an imperial merchant.


    Unfortunately, his second son was killed by bandits during a business trip at a young age. Otherwise, it would be hard to say who would be the next head of the household.


    His second son had died early, so he didn¡¯t even get the chance to get married, let alone leave a descendant! People of ancient times ced great importance on the afterlife. The patriarch of the Zhou Family was afraid that, after he passed away, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone to pay respects to his second son. So he decided to let his eldest son shoulder the responsibility of two branches and had him marry a declining businessman¡¯s daughter to carry on the family line of the second branch.


    In other words, although Third Young Master Zhou was the biological child of the eldest son, he was considered a child of the second branch. Thus, Zhou Zixu could only call him ¡®eldest uncle¡¯. Every time the eldest son of the Zhou Family saw Third Young Master Zhou, his mood would be veryplicated. One of his sons wasn¡¯t interested in doing business, while the other one was ambitious butcked talent.


    On the other hand, Zhou Zixu, who inherited the second branch, already had such talent for business at such a young age. The restaurant that he managed was flourishing with business. Moreover, he was also nning to establish a condiment production factory. It seemed like the position of the next head of the household would end up with the second branch. He seriously resented this situation!


    Zhou Zixu didn¡¯t know that his eldest uncle had such mixed feelings regarding his own talent in business. He followed the first branch to attend the business meeting in the capital and received an unexpected result.


    The owners of the restaurants in the capital had long coveted the oyster sauce recipe in Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s hands. However, since the Zhou Family were imperial merchants, no one dared to forcibly seize the recipe. During this gathering, there were many people who were nning to stealthily inquire about the recipe. Within the Zhou Family, Third Young Master Zhou was the only one who knew the recipe for the oyster sauce. As a result, Third Young Master Zhou ended up being the main focus of this meeting.


    The eldest master of the Zhou Family felt anxious inwardly. His ¡®nephew¡¯ was still so young, would he be able to manage these crafty old foxes?


    However, no one would have expected that Zhou Zixu was just waiting for this group of old foxes to bring up the topic!


    When another uncle [1], intentionally or unintentionally, mentioned the ¡®oyster sauce¡¯, Zhou Zixu used this opportunity to raise his voice,


    ¡°Uncle Fang, the recipe for the oyster sauce belongs to my friend and this nephew has promised that I won¡¯t disclose the recipe. But, after the New Year, I¡¯m nning on establishing a condiments factory with the oyster sauce as the main product. Other than oyster sauce, there¡¯s also two new condiments. If uncles are interested, please give a lot of support to my condiments factory!¡±


    When the group of business tycoons heard the news, they were stunned at first. However, someone immediately asked, ¡°Nephew, do you mean that you¡¯re going to produce oyster sauce and sell them?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhou Zixu disregarded his eldest uncle, who was anxiously trying to stop him, and nodded his head in affirmation.


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s eldest uncle felt extremely angry within his heart! He had prepared to open a big restaurant in the capital with oyster sauce as the main theme. He believed that with the oyster sauce, which was their exclusive recipe, his restaurant would surely upy a stable ce in the capital.


    He had only learned of his nephew¡¯s ns for an oyster sauce factory today. If he had found out earlier, he would definitely do everything possible to stop him. But the news had already been spread out, so there was nothing he could do now!


    ¡°That¡¯s great! You definitely take after your father! In those days, the second son of the Zhou Family was daring and insightful. I didn¡¯t expect for his son to also have such courage at a young age! My dear nephew, when your factory opens, this uncle will definitely support you!¡± Boss Fang of Juxian Restaurant patted Zhou Zixu¡¯s shoulder and smiled until his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°I heard that there are two more condiment recipes. Is it also from the same person?¡± After receiving a confirmation, Boss Fang proudly said, ¡°There absolutely will not be any problems then! As for our cooperation for these three condiments, let¡¯s talk in detailter!¡±


    The other merchants who owned restaurants naturally wouldn¡¯t let Boss Fang dominate in this business. Hence, they all swiftly expressed their desire to cooperate with Zhou Zixu. Even before it was out in the market, the ¡®Fresh and Delicious¡¯ brand of condiments had already be a hot trend within the capital.


    The eldest master of the Zhou Family watched as the second branch¡¯s Zhou Zixu be the center of attention for this gathering. He was both proud and vexed. His heart was filled withplicated and mixed emotions.

 Chapter 55 – The New Year

    <h4>Chapter 55 ¨C The New Year</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao, who had be one of the shareholders of the leading condiment production factory in the future, spent the following days pondering about how to get to her parents to let her out of the house to get some fresh air. That was the only way she could get the chance to add some mystic-stone water around the traps that her father had set. Ay! At times, it was quite troublesome to have overly anxious parents!


    However, she failed to achieve her goal in the end. It wasn¡¯t due to her parent¡¯s opposition, but the arrival of another snowstorm. This snowfall wasn¡¯t inferior to that of the first snow. The entire mountain vige was covered in a thickyer of whiteness.


    At the Yu Family¡¯s old residence, half of the roof had been crushed by the snow. Under Old Yu¡¯s insistence and supervision, the three brothers of the Yu Family worked hard against the snowstorm for three to five days and finally repaired the old house.


    Old Yu had fled to Dongshan Vige as a refugee with his father when he was still a young child. The Yu Family¡¯s old residence was a two-room cottage made of mud and straw that was built with the enthusiastic help of the vigers of Dongshan Vige. It was full of Old Yu¡¯s yearning for his deceased father, as well as his childhood memories. The four siblings of the Yu Family were all born and raised in this old house.


    Therefore, even though the Yu Family had moved into the newly built new five-room house, they hadn¡¯t abandoned their old residence. Old Yu would frequently visit the old house. They also made repairs once or twice every year. Otherwise, it would have already be a wastnd.


    It had snowed too much, so it was impossible to go hunt in the mountains. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s n to earn some money before the New Year by catching some game was dyed. Furthermore, the price for goods had also reached a new height before the New Year. Every day, Madam Zhang would sigh deeply while she calcted the family¡¯s food rations.


    Fortunately, the whole family was just staying at home during the winter, so they didn¡¯t need to do any physically demanding work. The Yu Family had two meals per day, which were reduced to only eating dry pancakes in the morning and a bowl of disgusting bean paste soup in the evening. Moreover, the coarse grain pancakes eaten for breakfast wasn¡¯t an all-you-can-eat meal.


    The men each had two palm-sized pancakes, while the women were only given one piece each. But the children were given even less. Madam Zhang had even stopped giving Yu Caidie a secret portion of eggs. They were a family of over ten people, who couldn¡¯t make any ie for the entire winter. During the cold winter, even the family¡¯s chickens didn¡¯ty much eggs. They were just idly sitting and eating at home, while slowly using up their money. How much money would they have to waste to fill in this bottomless pit?


    Madam Zhang red furiously at Yu Hai and his daughter. If they hadn¡¯t gotten into a debt for that wicked girl¡¯s medical fees, with the money that Yu Hai had earned from selling game, their family would had had enough money for avish New Year! Their situation wouldn¡¯t be like right now, in which they had to count their food rations before preparing each meal!


    ¡°Second Son! It¡¯s going to be the New Year is a couple days. It just stopped snowing today, so take advantage of this time and go to town to buy some things we¡¯ll need for the New Year! First of all, we don¡¯t have much millet flour. Buy more millet flour back, so we can stock them up at home. Also, no matter what we¡¯ll need to make some dumplings for the New Year. So buy some wheat flour and two catties of meat...¡±


    Madam Zhang made a bunch of requests but didn¡¯t take out any money.


    Yu Hai was about to agree when his youngest daughter pulled on his sleeve. He looked over and noticed that his daughter was signaling at him with her eyes. Yu Hai immediately understood his daughter¡¯s meaning. After all, he was already ustomed to being obedient to Madam Zhang for over twenty years. Thus, he fell into a state of hesitation.


    However, when he saw his daughter¡¯s pitiful gaze and thought about the resolution he had made to himself recently, he finally said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll go to Eldest Uncle¡¯s house to borrow the sleigh¡ªbut the money for the New Year goods...¡±


    As soon as money was mentioned, Madam Zhang immediately pulled a face that was even longer than a donkey¡¯s face, ¡°A few days ago, didn¡¯t you go to town to sell game every day? You must have earned a lot of money. Why are you still asking me for money when you have money yourself?! Second Son, there¡¯s no precedent of anyone having private savings within our family! This is a rule that no one is allowed to break!¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, the snow that had umted in the mountain forest hadn¡¯t even melted yet, so there wasn¡¯t a lot of game to be caught. We caught very little game during those couple of days! So, aren¡¯t you very clear about how much money we can earn? It¡¯s almost the New Year, so of course we have to pay off our debt first. After repaying the money that Eldest Granduncle lent us for my medical treatment, we didn¡¯t even have enough money for the medication! Fortunately, Doctor Sun took pity on us and allowed my father to buy the medicine on credit! Father! After the New Year, you have to go up the mountain more frequently in order to pay back the dozen or more taels that we owe Tongren Medicine Hall! Our family still needs Doctor Sun to help treat our illnesses in the future!¡±


    Xiaocao knew very well that her father had already made great improvement since he was able to openly ask Madam Zhang for money. So, she interjected and stated everything that needed to be said.


    A dozen or more taels? Madam Zhang gasped in astonishment and looked at Xiaocao with a piercing gaze, as if her eyes were daggers. If she could, she seriously wanted to cut that jinx into pieces!


    ¡°Tsk! To use a dozen or more taels for a minor illness, it seems like our family really do have someone born with a noble youngdy¡¯s life. It¡¯s a pity that she has reincarnated into the wrong family. She has the body of a nobledy without the fate to enjoy it! Oh my, those twenty-something taels is nearly enough for a whole family to use for an entire year while living frugally! Tsk-tsk...¡± Madam Li clicked her tongue in disapproval as she ceaselessly fanned the fire.


    Yu Hai recalled his family¡¯s indifference when his daughter was on the verge of death. They didn¡¯t spend any of the family¡¯s money for his daughter¡¯s illness, yet they still had to endure mocking remarks from them. His expression immediately turned grim and he muttered in a muffled voice, ¡°Eldest Sister-inw don¡¯t need to worry about what kind of life my daughter has! We didn¡¯t use a single penny of yours for my daughter¡¯s illness!¡±


    ¡°Oh! He¡¯s getting angry at me now! You didn¡¯t spend any of my money for your daughter¡¯s illness, but I, Li Guihua, also didn¡¯t use any of your money for food or drinks! What rights do you have to yell at me?! Do you think that I¡¯ll be easy to bully?¡± Madam Li wasn¡¯t someone who would suffer any losses, so she sped her waist and hollered back.


    Yu Hai was originally bad at arguing with people, so he didn¡¯t know what to do when he saw her acting like a shrew.


    But Yu Xiaolian couldn¡¯t tolerate her, ¡°Eldest Aunt, you¡¯re allowed to criticize others with a mocking tone, but other people can¡¯t even say a word about you! What kind of logic is this? Is there anything wrong with what my father said? A lot of money was spent for my sister¡¯s medical treatment. So, what¡¯s wrong with a father earning money for his daughter¡¯s medical fees? Even two hundred taels isn¡¯t as important as my younger sister¡¯s life, let alone twenty taels!¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s red at Xiaolian with her beady eyes. She threw the broom in her hands at Xiaolian¡¯s direction and shouted, ¡°Why is a child butting in when the adults are talking? Second Son, is that how you teach your children?¡±


    Yu Xiacoao cried out in shock and eximed, ¡°Grandmother, what are you doing? It¡¯s not enough that you¡¯ve caused me to be seriously ill, but you¡¯re also going to hit my sister! Grandmother, you should think more carefully about your actions. If anything happens to my older sister, you won¡¯t even get the chance to grieve over the money!¡±


    When money was mentioned, even though Madam Zhang had a belly full of anger, she didn¡¯t dare direct her rage towards the children again. If something happened to the children during the New Year Festival, based on how much Yu Hai doted on his children, he would definitely take his children to see a doctor. Even if they had to owe more debts, he would still get medical treatment for his children. As a result of that, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get any money out of Yu Hai for the next spring and summer seasons.


    Old Yu, who was silently standing on the side, finally spoke up! ¡°Everyone, stop! Aren¡¯t you guys afraid of bing aughingstock for others during the New Year?! Wife, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have any money, so stop thinking about taking the little money that Second Son has! Hurry up and take out the money. It¡¯s more important to buy the New Year goods!¡±


    ¡°Would the meager amount of money in my hands even be enough for them to use?¡± It was more painful for Madam Zhang to have money taken out of her hands than it would be to cut off her flesh.


    Old Yu impatiently said, ¡°You¡¯re always talking about money, money, money! To you, even a single copper coin is bigger than a millstone! Can¡¯t we just earn all the money back when the coastal waters thaws in the spring? After the New Year, Eldest Son and I will go out to the sea, while Second Son goes into the mountains. Won¡¯t we be able to make up for our winter expenses?¡±


    Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t escape this situation, so she reluctantly opened the cab¡¯s lock while grumbling. She took out a string of copper coins and several silver bits, which were about the size of a fingernail. She reminded Yu Hai, as if she was afraid that he would spend the money recklessly, ¡°Everything is really expensive nowadays, so don¡¯t buy too much food. We have sweet potato flour at home. Although eating too much of it may cause heartburn, it¡¯s still very filling! As for wheat flour and meat, just buy enough for one meal of dumplings...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the money in her hands. Her mouth twitched as she inwardly thought: Even if they wanted to, this wouldn¡¯t be enough money to buy a lot of things! Did she really need to repeatedly warn them?


    Yu Hai took the money and left the house silently. It was a rare sunny day. Although the snow on the ground went up to the calves, there were still many people going to town to buy New Year goods. After days of heavy snow, most people hadn¡¯t had the chance to purchase the goods needed for the New Year. Thus, they wanted to take advantage of this good day to buy the things that they need.


    Yu Hai¡¯s eldest uncle had originally nned to go to town today. However, seeing that his eldest nephew wanted to borrow the sleigh and that the good weather would probablyst for more than a day, he decided to go to town on the next day.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t dare to buy too many unnecessary things and directly went to the grains shop to purchase fifty catties of millet flour and five catties of wheat flour. After that, he went to the butchers and got two catties of meat. The money that Madam Zhang gave him wasn¡¯t enough, so he used some of his own money to cover the cost.


    While walking on the street, he encountered the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant. The manager knew that the little girl of the Yu Family was someone who his young master highly valued, so he naturally acted very warmly towards Yu Hai. Seeing that simple New Year goods that Yu Hai had purchased, he bought some snacks and candies from the pastry shop. He insisted that Yu Hai ept them, saying that Third Young Master Zhou had ordered him to buy them for Miss Yu and her younger brother.


    Yu Hai bought some meat buns and went to the carpentry shop to visit his son. He also left some copper coins for his son. However, Yu Hai wouldn¡¯t have expected that his son would be reluctant to use the money that he had received from the family and saved them up instead, which led to a disaster that almost cost Yu Hang¡¯s life.


    The New Year was slowly approaching. On the morning of New Year¡¯s Eve, Madam Liu was busily working in the kitchen with her two daughters. The two catties of meat that Yu Hai bought were mostly fat. Madam Liu cut out some of the fat to makerd, and then left the dregs of fat for the evening when they needed to mix it with cabbage to make stuffing for the dumplings.


    Winter vegetables were usually either radishes or cabbages. Yu Xiaocao had already predicted that there wouldn¡¯t be enough food at home for the New Year, so she grew some bean sprouts at the edge of the kang bed. She had also made some handmade vermicelli with the sweet potato flour.


    With the sweet potato vermicelli, their dishes for the New Year didn¡¯t seem as dull. Stewed cabbage and radish with vermicelli [1], stir-fried sour cabbage [2], braised radish [3], stir-fried ck fungus and cabbage [4], crispy radish sd [5], and dry-fried bean sprouts [6]... They also cut a few slices of pork to cook with the bean sprouts and vermicelli [7], making another home-cooked dish. For the soup, they made cabbage and bean sprout soup [8].


    When the dishes were served, even the picky Madam Zhang was visibly surprised. She never knew that so many dishes could be made with radish, cabbage, and a few bean sprouts.


    As for the taste, it was pretty obvious based on everyone¡¯s reactions. No one had time to talk as they were all just diligently eating, which was the biggest affirmation for the dishes.


    Old Yu seldom had the chance to drink alcohol, so he poured a cup for his three sons and said with satisfaction, ¡°Second Daughter-inw¡¯s culinary skills have improved again!¡±

 Chapter 56 – A Disastrous Year

    <h4>Chapter 56 ¨C A Disastrous Year</h4>


    ¡°Daughter-inw can¡¯t take credit for the dishes. Xiaocao was the one who came up with these dishes.¡± Madam Liu looked at her daughter proudly and gave her some vermicelli. Her daughter was so clever to be able make such delicious vermicelli with the sweet potato flour. Her daughter should eat more as a reward!


    They had made a decent amount of each dish. Madam Zhang was enjoying the delicious dishes, so she didn¡¯t make any jarring remarks regarding Madam Liu giving her children more food. She had originally thought that they would spend the New Year frugally, but she hadn¡¯t expected that such simple ingredients could also make avish New Year meal.


    Madam Li stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth as she said, ¡°Xiaocao came up with them? She¡¯s the one only in the family with the leisure to think of these things.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao red at Madam Li: ¡®This fat woman never has anything good to say. She¡¯s making it seem like she¡¯s a gluttonous person who only thinks about eating!¡¯


    ¡°Stop talking so much if you don¡¯t have anything good to say. You won¡¯t shut up even when you¡¯re eating!¡± Yu Dashan had noticed his second brother¡¯s displeasure and hastily reprimanded his wife.


    Madam Zhao, who seldom ate together with the Yu Family, had several small tes ced in front of her. The food inside were exactly the same as everyone else. Madam Zhang knew that her youngest daughter-inw was very particr about eating and didn¡¯t like eating from the same tes as everyone. Thus, a separate set of the dishes was specially prepared for Madam Zhao and her son.


    Little Doudou sucked a strand of vermicelli into his mouth with much effort, and then chewed it with a smile on his face. He beamed a smile at Xiaocao and said, ¡°Second Sister¡¯s cooking is the best! Doudou likes this really long thing. It¡¯s very tasty!¡±


    ¡°This is vermicelli! Since our Doudou likes it, Second Sister will make some more for you to take back to town!¡± Yu Xiaocao never had any resistance towards cute children. Although it was quiteborious to make vermicelli, it was also good to have an improvement to their meals with a new type of dish.


    ¡°Yes, yes! This year¡¯s yield of sweet potato is very high. We have enough sweet potato flour until the harvest in the fall. If we make some more vermicelli, we¡¯ll have another type of dish to eat during the winter! The stewed bean sprouts and vermicelli tastes very good!¡± Madam Li sucked on the grease on her chopsticks, and then she used her chopsticks to rummage through the dishes. When she found a piece of fatty meat, she immediately stuffed it into her mouth.


    Heizi, who sat beside her, had even stood up. He wiped his snot on his ckened sleeve, and then poked around in the dishes with his chopsticks. It seemed like he would never stop until he found a piece of meat.


    Seeing the dirty appearance of the mother and son pair, no matter how delicious that homemade dish was, Yu Xiaocao still didn¡¯t want to eat it anymore. With her head lowered, she concentrated on eating the dry-fried bean sprouts in front of her. She was seriously about to vomit if she looked at them any longer.


    Dry-fried bean sprouts was made with bean sprouts that had just grown about one or two centimeters. After heating therd in a hot pot, dried chili pepper was put into the pot and stir-fried. After that, bean sprouts, seasonings, and garlic sprouts were added into the pot and stir-fried. With the refreshing taste of the bean sprouts and the addition ofrd as a base ingredient, it was natural that the taste wouldn¡¯t be bad.


    Unexpectedly, Madam Zhang was the first one toment on Madam Li and her son¡¯s unsightly eating manner, ¡°How are other people supposed to eat when you guys keep picking and choosing in the dishes? If you¡¯re going to keep doing this, then go back to your room to eat! Stop being so loathsome here!¡±


    As she spoke, she also nced at her youngest daughter-inw¡¯s direction. It turned out that Madam Zhang, who had been paying attention to her youngest daughter-inw and grandson, noticed that from time to time Madam Zhao would look at her eldest daughter-inw in disgust. Madam Zhao, who was originally enjoying the meal, had suddenly set down her chopsticks. Thus, she finally spoke up to stop Madam Li and her son¡¯s unsightly behavior.


    Seeing that the meat in the dishes were mostly gone, Madam Li finally stopped searching with her chopsticks. However, she still wolfed down the rest of the dishes, as if there was someone fighting over them with her.


    The New Year Eve lunch ended shortly after this small episode. For this meal, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t limit how much everyone could eat. Thus, even if the staple food was still coarse grain pancakes, the entire family still ate with a rare sense of satisfaction. The main reason was that it was a more sumptuous meal than in the previous years.


    After the meal, Madam Zhang¡¯s heart ached at the sight of the swiftly depleted food and muttered endlessly. With a grim expression, she finally stopped herints when Old Yu scolded her for ¡®being so fussy even during the New Year¡¯.


    Dumplings were usually eaten in the evening during the New Year celebration. The Yu Family didn¡¯t buy a lot of meat in the first ce, so even when the stuffing was mixed with a lot of cabbage, it still wasn¡¯t enough to fill everyone¡¯s stomach.


    There were only two types of fillings in the Yu Family¡¯s dumplings, which were pork with cabbage andrd mixed with cabbage. On the evening of New Year¡¯s Eve, the men were given twenty dumplings each, while the womenfolk got ten each. The children received half of what the women got.


    With only five small dumplings, even the three year old Little Doudou wasn¡¯t full, let alone Yu Xiaocao and the others. Yu Heizi wasn¡¯t satisfied after he finished his portion, so he swiftly stole one of Little Shitou¡¯s dumplings when he wasn¡¯t paying attention and stuffed it into his own mouth. He disregarded Little Shitou¡¯s angry cries and approached Yu Xiaocao and Yu Xiaolian.


    Yu Xiaocao swiftly pulled her siblings to their father¡¯s table and stayed beside him. In the presence of Old Yu and their father, Yu Heizi naturally didn¡¯t dare to act rashly. He could only brazenly go ask his own mother for more dumplings.


    Madam Li was a greedy woman, who wasn¡¯t even willing to share her dumplings with her own child. Thus, she begged her mother-inw shamelessly, ¡°Mother, Heizi is a growing youth, who can eat as much as an adult. So five dumplings isn¡¯t even enough as an appetizer. Mother, this daughter-inw doesn¡¯t dare request that he gets the same amount as the men. Just give him five more so that he¡¯ll have the same amount as us!¡±


    Madam Zhang looked up toward Madam Liu and nonchntly said, ¡°If you can guarantee that no one willin that I¡¯m being biased, then I don¡¯t mind giving him five extra dumplings since it¡¯s the New Year.¡±


    Madam Liu had never liked arguing with others, so she said in a quiet voice, ¡°Heizi is a growing youth, so who dares to say anything about him getting five more dumplings? However, he shouldn¡¯t steal his younger siblings¡¯ dumplings.¡±


    ¡°What does a child know? Younger Sister-inw shouldn¡¯t argue with a child. Mother, I¡¯ll go give Heizi the dumplings.¡± Madam Li not only didn¡¯t discipline her child, but she was also annoyed at Madam Liu for being difficult. Ay, it was true that the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree!


    Madam Liu quietly entered the kitchen and divided her ten dumplings among her children. She put four dumplings into her youngest son¡¯s bowl, and then split the remaining six dumplings between her two daughters.


    Yu Xiaocao held her own bowl tightly and said, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m a light eater. Five dumplings are enough for me! If you give us all your dumplings, you¡¯ll starve tonight. Even if you give me the dumplings, I won¡¯t be able to finish them.¡±


    Xiaolian chimed in, ¡°Mother, you seldom eat dumplings throughout the year. Moreover, you¡¯ve been busy the entire afternoon. If you can¡¯t even eat a bite of the dumplings you made yourself, do you think that we, your children, will be able to eat?¡±


    ¡°Mother, take the dumpling back. I don¡¯t want it!¡± Little Shitou quickly returned the dumplings that were in his bowl.


    ¡°You guys eat! Mother ate too much for lunch, so I¡¯m not hungry right now!¡± Madam Liu picked up the dumplings and put them in her children¡¯s bowls.


    While the four of them were pushing back and forth, Yu Hai hade out with his bowl of dumplings. When he saw this scene, he felt both sad and touched. In the end, he made the decision to fairly distribute all the dumplings that the second branch had received. The children received eight dumplings each, while he and his wife each got ten.


    ¡°Ten dumplings aren¡¯t enough for such a grown man like you? I¡¯m used to eating light meals in the evening, so I¡¯ll feel ufortable if I eat too much dumplings. Here, I¡¯ll give you a few more. I¡¯ll just drink more of the dumpling soupter...¡± Madam Liu¡¯s heart ached for her husband and was reluctant to eat the dumplings that she had received.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you will be full with just ten dumplings. Quickly eat, or else it¡¯s going to be cold!¡± Yu Hai went into the kitchen with a bowl and asked Madam Zhang todle a bowl full of dumpling soup for him. He swiftly drank the bowl of soup and filled his stomach first before he ate the dumplings. In this way, after eating the dumplings, he would be considered somewhat full.


    On the first day of the New Year, since all the vigers knew about Madam Zhang¡¯s stingy disposition, not many children came over for New Year greetings. Apart from Eldest Granduncle, Hunter Zhao, and several close family friends, the second branch of the Yu Family also felt too ashamed to bring their children to give New Year greetings to others.


    Yu Xiaocao and her siblings didn¡¯t receive any red envelopes 1 from their own grandparents, but her eldest granduncle gave them two copper coins as lucky money. When they arrived at the Zhao Family¡¯s residence, Madam Zheng specially filled the embroidered pouches that she made with around one mace 2 worth of silver bits and gave a pouch to each child.


    Yu Xiaolian looked at the embroidery on the pouch and loved it very much. Seeing the admiration on her face, Madam Zheng agreed to teach her how to do embroidery.


    On the way home, Madam Liu whispered to her husband, ¡°Based on the aura that Madam Zheng emits, she obviously didn¡¯te from an ordinary family. Just look at the embroidered pouches. Even the ordinary families in town won¡¯t be so particr as to give the children lucky money in embroidered pouches, let alone people in the vige.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only Madam Zheng, but also Uncle Zhao and Older Brother Bufan. Their martial arts skills don¡¯t seem like skills of an ordinary hunter¡¯s family. There must be some hidden reason as to why Uncle Zhao¡¯s whole family is living in seclusion within the mountains. But this isn¡¯t something that we should inquire about. We should just interact as usual. There¡¯s no need to act in a deliberate manner.¡±


    Yu Hai had long been aware that the Zhao Family, whether it was their eating habits, living conditions or behaviors, would unconsciously reveal the manners of a noble family. The men of the Zhao Family all exuded the orderly and dignified aura of a soldier. During theter period of the former dynasty, the imperial court was prodigal and immoral, and thus many righteous officials decided to live in seclusion. The Zhao Family might had been one of those families.


    As the days passed by, the winter made it apparent that this year was doomed to be disastrous. In January, the snow almost never stopped. Many families had insufficient food reserves and were only able to eat one meal a day. So they were already quite lucky if they were able to survive starvation.


    However, there were quite a few people who had died of starvation and froze to death because of the sessive heavy snow. Moreover, there were even incidents in which none of the family had survived. Even in the city, there were incidents of people dying of starvation...


    Fortunately, in Dongshan Vige, except for several weak and elderly people who had failed to survive the cold winter, there wasn¡¯t a phenomenon in which arge number of people died of starvation or froze to death. However, the situation in the vige wasn¡¯t optimistic either.


    At this time, Madam Zhang deeply regretted being so stingy before the New Year and didn¡¯t allow her second son to buy more foods to stock up. They had already used up all the millet flour at home. The only thing that they had at home that could satisfy their hunger was the sweet potatoes in the cer and the sweet potato slices, which could only be grinded into sweet potato flour.


    Every day, they either ate sweet potato gruel or sweet potato cornbread. Even if they asionally tried something different, it was just directly using the dried sweet potato to make porridge. The digestive system of the elderly wasn¡¯t very good, so they would get heartburn after eating sweet potato on a daily basis. However, if they didn¡¯t eat it, they would be facing the danger of starvation. Thus, Yu Xiaocao had no choice but to mix the mystic-stone water into herbal medicine and fed it to her family in order to nourish their intestines and stomach.


    The continuous snowstorm had caused the roads to be blocked. The town¡¯s food reserves were also facing a crisis due to a problem with the dispatch. Furthermore, the price for grains remained high without any signs of decline. White rice and wheat flour had be as expensive as meat!

 Chapter 57 – Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 57 ¨C Disaster</h4>


    With great difficulty, they managed to ¡®endure¡¯ it until the beginning of spring. Once spring began, it finally stopped snowing. The sun that had been gone for around two months had finally showed itself. The snow covering the mountains melted slowly. However, the asional short burst of wind from the sea was still piercing cold. On top of the mudt and the reef surrounding the shore, a fisherman appeared in the middle of the cold wind, shivering in the cold but he persisted on gathering seafood at the sea.


    ¡®Summer night, winter white¡¯ is an authentic line of verse from what people who gather seafood say. Due to the influence of the receding tide and the change in temperature, the best time to gather seafood was during the summer nights and winter mornings. During the winter, the temperature was the most suitable for gathering oysters. The oysters were very fat in this season, and they would be able to harvest a lot. They just needed to gather oysters once, and they would be able to eat oysters for many days.


    To the vigers of Dongshan Vige, who had just experienced a food shortage because of winter, this was a favor from the sea. The abundance of oysters from the sea was no different than sending charcoal in snowy weather. People who came to gather seafood at the sea each brought their own wicker basket or a small bamboo basket. The basket would either be hung over the neck or straddled over the arm. They held a small shovel in their hand as they searched for their ¡®prey¡¯ on the reef. There were even vigers who, despite the frigid cold seawater, would enter the shallow water with their fishing and try to catch fish. It was a bustling sight to behold.


    ¡°Xiaocao, your boots look very warm. Are they waterproof?¡± Zhou Shanhu, who had invited the Yu sisters to gather seafood at the mudt, enviously looked at Xiaocao¡¯s deerskin boots. Although she didn¡¯t recognize what material the boots were made of, she knew that it wasn¡¯t something a regr family would be able to afford.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that everyone was wearing tattered and old cotton shoes. Some people were even afraid that their only pair of shoes would be wet from the sea, so they wore only straw sandals with their bare feet. The chilly air from the cold spring seasonbined with the ice-cold seawater froze their little feet. Their feet would be red and some would even have frostbite.


    She was a little embarrassed by this as she shrank her feet back. In a small voice, she said, ¡°Years ago, my father killed a deer and sold it to a restaurant in town. My body wasn¡¯t good at that time. My father took less money for the deerskin and asked the restaurant owner to use some of the deerskin to make boots. So, when I came out to gather seafood today, my father insisted that I wear them...¡±


    Zhou Linglong secretly tugged at her little sister¡¯s clothes. She smiled at Xiaocao and said, ¡°Years ago, your serious illness almost frightened Auntie Liu to death. You should wear warmer clothing otherwise your family members would worry. Shanhu, don¡¯t stare at other people¡¯s feet. Once fatheres home, we can ask him to buy you a pair of boots too.¡±


    Zhou Linglong and her little sister were the daughters of Madam Liu¡¯s best friend, Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang¡¯s husband, Zhou Danian, started off as a peddler and their family raised dozens of chickens. So, their family¡¯s financial situation was considered to be quite outstanding within Dongshan Vige.


    Zhou Shanhu was only one year older than Xiaocao, but she was a very sensible child, ¡°Older sister, I was only looking at her shoes. Boots are very expensive. Moreover, the cotton shoes at home are already quite warm and a pair of boots can buy so much food!¡±


    ¡°They are catching fish over there, let¡¯s go and have a look!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to talk anymore regarding the boots, so she changed the topic of their conversation.


    When she walked closer, she realized it was actually her Third Uncle, Yu Jiang, and the expert fisherman of Dongshan Vige, Uncle Shuanzhu, who were catching fish. They were enduring the bone-chilling cold water as they pulled the fishing to catch fish. Someone else was responsible for pulling a part of the fishing on the shore while Yu Jiang and Shuanzhu took turns holding the other end of the fishing as they slowly walked into the water. After the water line reached their chest, they would walk in a semi-circr arc as they went back to shore. The rest of the people would take over the as they worked together to pull it to the shore.


    There wasn¡¯t much harvest to be had in this one fishing. Besides a few fish that were worth approximately a tael each, there were only a few palm-sized fish that were stuck on the lines of the. Once the two men got to shore, their wives gave them boiling hot ginger soup. They also wrapped themselves in thickyers of cotton-padded clothing and drank a few mouthfuls of ginger soup before they entered the sea to pull the again.


    ¡°I know a ce where the reef is hidden. Let¡¯s go there and look. But when we go there, we have to be careful.¡± This was the first spring tide since the beginning of spring. There were too many people who came to gather seafood today. Some people came all the way from town with their tools to try their luck. There were more people on the reef gathering seafood than avable seafood. The children had searched for seafood for half a day, but they didn¡¯t harvest much.


    Yu Xiaolian knew the ce that her sister was talking about. Last year, when they were gathering seafood there, they had even saved a person. The children chatted andughed as they walked towards the steep cliffs. Sure enough, there was a lot of seafood.


    ¡°An oyster¡¯s shell is very sharp. Sometimes, with just slight contact with the skin, the skin would be scratched by it. You must be careful when you gather oysters. Xiaocao, you and Shitou don¡¯t have much strength so why don¡¯t you two gather other seafood products?¡± Zhou Linglong was a youngdy now; she knew how to take care of the younger children.


    They lowered their heads and pried open oyster shells. In a short while, their baskets and tiny buckets were all full. Zhou Shanhu happily said, ¡°We harvested a lot today. If we can harvest this much every day, then we won¡¯t have to worry about making ends meet or starving during springtime!¡±


    ¡°My father said that the reef would only be revealed when the tide recedes a lot. Every month, there will only be low tides twice. So how can wee every day? Besides, aren¡¯t you afraid of vomiting after eating seafood every day?¡± Yu Xiaolian was also very happy. She pondered what kind of delicious dishes her little sister would make with these oysters.


    After experiencing a shortage of food and vegetables in the winter, Yu Xiaocao used different ways to prepare meals, saving food yet still making it delicious. Everyone in the family praised her cooking. She can turn ordinary radishes and white cabbage into different dishes. So, she definitely would be able to make something delicious using the oysters. Xiaolian was full of expectations towards Xiaocao¡¯s cooking.


    Yu Xiaocao thought of how her business with Third Young Master Zhou would improve after the beginning of spring, so she turned to Sister Linglong and said, ¡°I heard that the Zhou Family from the town intends to build a workshop on the dock. They would be eptingrge amounts of oysters. In the future, when you are free, you can go gather and pry open oysters and sell it to them. You will be able to earn some money to buy needles and thread.¡±


    When Zhou Linglong heard that, her eyes immediately brightened. She asked, ¡°Is this news reliable? Usually, people who ept seafood aren¡¯t very willing to ept oysters. They would continuously lower the price of the oysters. Due to this, the vigers don¡¯t really like to gather oysters. I hope that the price that the Zhou Family¡¯s workshop will not set a very low price for the oysters.¡±


    Xiaocao and Shitou¡¯s basket was also full from gathering other kinds of seafood. Xiaocao was very satisfied with today¡¯s harvest. Besides small seafood like goose barnacles, mussels, and water-snails, she has also gathered a dozen sea urchins. She was ready to make a stew from the sea urchin. It would be delicious and nourishing. To her surprise, she actually managed to gather a sea cucumber today. ¡®Four Seafood Treasures¡¯ was a type of exotic delicacy that required abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw. Sea cucumbers were definitely a good find.


    The three siblings walked with the Zhou sisters on the soft sandy shore. Theyughed and chatted as they went in the direction of Dongshan Vige.


    They hadn¡¯t even entered the vige when they saw Auntie Shuanzhu hurriedly rushing toward the seashore. When she saw Xiaocao and her siblings, she elerated her speed more, rushing towards them. She said, ¡°Xiaolian, Xiaocao, something happened to your father. You have to quickly return home!¡±


    ¡°My father? What happened to him?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s grip on her basket tightened. Her heart was thrown in chaos.


    The family was struggling through winter. In the past few days, the snow in the forest mountain had finally began to melt. Madam Zhang urged Yu Hai to hunt in the mountains. Early this morning, Yu Hai invited Hunter Zhao to hunt. Everyone said that the beginning of spring wasn¡¯t a good time to hunt. This is because when wild animals enter the breeding season, they were especially violent. Could it be...


    ¡°Your father was bitten by a bear. His entire body is covered in blood. One of his legs was almost bitten till it was gone... You should quickly go home and have a look!¡± Thinking of the condition Yu Hai was in, Shuanzhu¡¯s wife couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    As soon as Shitou heard that, he immediately cried out and burst into tears. He threw his basket down and ran back home. Yu Xiaocao and her sister tried to suppress their panic-stricken hearts as they left their basket full of seafood and rushed back home side-by-side.


    The Zhou sisters picked up the Yu sibling¡¯s baskets with their free hand. They carried the baskets as they hurriedly walked in the direction of the Yu Family¡¯s house.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife followed along with the Yu siblings. She couldn¡¯t help butfort the children, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your third uncle and Uncle Shuanzhu already borrowed the donkey cart from the neighboring vige. They went to the town to get a doctor. Maybe your father¡¯s injury isn¡¯t as serious as it looks!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suppressed the fear and sorrow in her heart. Her steps were getting bigger and bigger as she ran. In the past six months, Yu Hai¡¯s doting and tolerance were still vivid in her mind. Although their days were bitter, her parent¡¯s love and affection gave her the courage to continue to live in this strange world.


    Although Yu Hai had a lot of filial piety and wasn¡¯t very good with conversations, he unconsciously became Xiaocao¡¯s backbone. He was also the pir of the second branch. She really couldn¡¯t imagine how the second branch would fare in the Yu Family once her father was gone.


    Father, you mustn¡¯t let anything happen to you! Wait for me to save you! Yu Xiaocao was firmly holding her only life-saving straw in her hand¡ª¡ªthe multicolored stone. Since it was capable of using its remaining magical power to bring her soul from a different world to this world and allowing her to reincarnate, then it must have a method to save her father.


    [Master don¡¯t worry! If your father still has one breath left, this Divine Stone can pull him back from the gates of hell!] The little divine stone appears to detect her indecisive state of mind, so it put away its usual air of arrogance and haughtiness. It was full of self-confidence as it promised her that it¡¯ll save her father.


    Due to the great snow, the mountain was sealed. During the entire winter, the little divine stone didn¡¯t get a chance to soak in the spring water from the mountains. However, it sensed that the snow also contained spiritual energy. The spiritual energy within the snow was not any less than the energy in the spring water. Every day, the divine stone would make Xiaocao collect the snow from the bamboo leaves and melt it for it to bathe. After nurturing its spirit for half a year, it stored enough spiritual energy to save a dying person.


    With the little divine stone¡¯s promise, Xiaocao¡¯s restless heart finally calmed down. Xiaocao prayed to the deities for a blessing. She prayed that her father would hang on until she returned home!


    The road home seemed very slow and long. As a result from fiercely running, Xiaocao¡¯s chest felt as if it¡¯s about to burst. She opened her mouth and tried to take in big breaths of air. However, in other people¡¯s eyes, it seemed as if she was unable to breathe.


    Yu Xiaolian sobbed, ¡°Little sister, go slower. Something already happened to father. I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you. I will go home first to take a look; you can slowly walk......¡±


    ¡°No...hu hu...no need! I...It¡¯s because I usually don¡¯t exercise...hu hu hu...so I¡¯m like this! Don¡¯t worry...I know my body best...hu hu...¡± Yu Xiaocao gasped for breath. Her two legs felt like they weighed as much as lead. Yet she didn¡¯t have any intention of stopping to rest.


    With great difficulty, she finally arrived in front of her own family¡¯s door. She used up the remainder of her strength to push open the heavy door. Their courtyard was crowded with vigers who came over to help. When they saw Yu Xiaocao and her siblings, they acted on their own initiative and made room for them to enter.


    ¡°Father!¡± Yu Xiaocao rushed through the door of the west room. She pushed aside Eldest Aunt¡¯s plump body and threw herself at the side of the kang bed.


    There wasn¡¯t a trace of blood on Yu Hai¡¯s pale face. His tattered cotton jacket was stained with blood that had hardened into small patches. Only a few strips of bandages remained on his right trouser leg which exposed his badly mangled right leg.

 Chapter 58 – Amputation

    <h4>Chapter 58 ¨C Amputation</h4>


    No! That can hardly be called a leg anymore! The skin on his right leg was nearly all peeled off, revealing the bloody muscle tissues and thick, white bone inside. The most severely injured part of his leg was the thigh; a piece of flesh had been torn off. Blood was ceaselessly pouring out of the artery on his thigh. If Zhao Bufan hadn¡¯t tore off a piece of cloth and tied it around his thigh, it was likely that Yu Hai would have lost his life due to excessive blood loss before he reached home.


    ¡°Xiao... Xiaocao.¡± Madam Liu was crying so hard that she was barely able to breathe. If she hadn¡¯t eaten an entire winter¡¯s worth if medicine, Madam Liu would have already fainted. She grabbed her younger daughter tightly as if she was grabbing onto herst life-saving straw. ¡°Right! Xiaocao, didn¡¯t you study medicine under Doctor You? Quickly save your father!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had never seen such a tragic and bloody scene in neither of her lifetimes. Thus, she was stunned for a moment and didn¡¯t know where to start.


    [Master, you must stop the bleeding first! If all his blood flowed out, even an immortal wouldn¡¯t be able to save him!] When the little divine stone saw the frightened expression on its master¡¯s face, it quickly reminded her to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°I, what should I do?¡± Yu Xiaocao remembered from the surgeries in her previous life thatrge wounds were usually sutured to stop the bleeding. However, her father¡¯s leg was riddled with injuries. What should she do?


    [Put my body near the wound on his thigh to make it easier for me to use my spiritual powers!] The little divine stone could only guide its owner through the process step-by-step.


    Yu Xiaocao took out all the medicine for external injuries from the medicine box. She used a high concentration of the mystic-stone water and mixed it together with the medicine. When the mixture turned into a paste, she carefully applied it on her father¡¯s wounds. As she applied the medicine, she tried to get the multicolored stone on her wrist as close to the wounds as possible.


    A faint golden light emerged from the multicolored stone and slowly enveloped Yu Hai¡¯s entire leg. Although the naked eye couldn¡¯t see any change, the ruptured veins and torn flesh were unwittingly nourished by the Divine Stone¡¯s spiritual power. In other words, even though his leg looked as appalling as before, his leg would heal twice as fast in the future.


    Yu Hai¡¯s legs were shrouded in the golden light for half an hour, exhausting thest of the little divine stone¡¯s spiritual power. Yet it didn¡¯t forget to haggle with Yu Xiaocao, [The next time you go to town, remember to bring me to Tongren Medicine Hall. All the spiritual power I had umted is gone again! I¡¯m very tired, I need to sleep.]


    Before it even finished talking, thest rays of golden light returned to the multicolored stone. There were no more movements from the little divine stone. Although Yu Xiaocao was also worried about the little divine stone, she was even more worried about her father¡¯s injury.


    On the kang bed, Yu Hai¡¯s face was still pale. His breathing was faint, and his legs were covered in wound paste. But, it didn¡¯t look as frightening as before.


    ¡°Oh my! He has such a serious injury. Even if you manage to save his life, his right leg will probably still be crippled! Tsk tsk...¡± Madam Li, who came to enjoy the bustling scene, fanned the mes as she shook her head and clicked her tongue.


    Old Yu, who had a bellyful of anger, finally found someone to vent on, ¡°He already became like this, yet you still making sarcastic remarks! Get lost!¡±


    No matter how thick-skinned Madam Li was, she couldn¡¯t stand being berated by her father-inw in public. She couldn¡¯t help but mutter in a low voice, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who told him to go up the mountain, so why are you yelling at me? If you want someone to me, me him for not being careful... ouch!¡±


    Madam Li didn¡¯t even finish speaking yet when Little Shitou knocked against her. Little Shitou¡¯s eyes were brimming with sadness and hatred as he firmly stared at Madam Li. His father was injured for this family. Yet Eldest Aunt still said those words! Father¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t worth it at all!


    Little Shitou looked like a young wounded beast. Met with Little Shitou¡¯s eyes, Madam Li who was usually crafty and bossy, felt somewhat guilty as she retreated. Under the vigers¡¯ dissatisfied gaze, she left the west room with her tail between her legs.


    It seemed as if the things happening around Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t concern her at all. Her entire focus was on her father¡¯s well-being. She took out a bottle of high-concentration mystic-stone water from the medicine box. With Madam Liu¡¯s help, they slowly opened Yu Hai¡¯s mouth ad carefully fed it to him.


    Fortunately, not a drop of the mystic-stone water was wasted. Yu Hai had unconsciously swallowed the water. If he was unable to even swallow water, Xiaocao would¡¯ve felt that everything was hopeless. With her understanding of the mystic-stone water¡¯s properties, she had faith that her father would survive the injury.


    Auntie Shuanzhu looked at the medicine bottle in Xiaocao¡¯s hand and said nothing. Her husband had a serious illness during the winter. If Xiaocao didn¡¯t take out that life-saving medicine, he would¡¯ve probably died. This medicine was the fruit of Doctor You¡¯s painstaking effort of his lifetime. It should be able to protect Dahai¡¯s life, right?


    Yu Xiaocao also gave her mother, who was refusing to leave even when she was staggering, a few mouthfuls of mystic-stone water. Her mother¡¯s old illness had just gotten a little better, she couldn¡¯t allow her to fall ill again at this critical juncture.


    ¡°Second Sister, will father die? I¡¯m so scared!¡± Little Shitou, who wasn¡¯t even six years old yet, had already became aware of how fearful death was. Tears were filling up his eyes as he snuggled against the only calm member of the family¡ª¡ªYu Xiaocao.


    At this moment, Madam Zhang was hiding inside her room, not interacting with anyone. Old Yu walked back and forth in front of the west room. He could only sigh as he didn¡¯t have any idea as to what to do. Yu Dashan stayed in the west room, but he wasn¡¯t any help at all. Yu Caidie¡¯s crying was like raindrops on a pear blossom, she didn¡¯t look dependable at all. Younger Uncle and his family had left at the beginning of spring. They borrowed a donkey cart and returned to town already. In thisrge family, besides Yu Xiaocao who was calmly applying medicine to her father¡¯s wounds, no one else had any idea what they should do.


    Time seemed to pass by particrly slowly in anxious times. Whether it was the Yu Family or their fellow vigers, they were all awaiting the arrival of the town doctor.


    Atst, a donkey cart dashed through the vige entrance. When the driver of the donkey cart heard that the injury of the patient was very urgent, he didn¡¯t bother about his donkey¡¯s well-being and rushed his donkey all the way here like it was a horse. After rushing for an hour, he was finally able to bring the town doctor here.


    The doctor who came was the divine physician from Tongren Medicine Hall, Doctor Sun. The moment he stepped off the donkey cart, he immediately took his medicine box and hurriedly walked through the courtyard door, asking, ¡°Where is the wounded person? Quickly bring me to him!¡±


    The fellow vigers led Doctor Sun to the west room. Originally, the lighting in the west room wasn¡¯t very bright. Now, with so many people crowding at the entrance, the room looked even darker than usual.


    ¡°Everyone besides the next of kin will have to leave the room to avoid disturbing the patient!¡± Doctor Sun was very dissatisfied with how noisy it was inside the room. He was frowning as he drove the people out.


    When Doctor You saw Yu Hai¡¯s injury, he inhaled a cold breath of air. After practicing medicine for many years, it was rare to see such a serious injury. He hurriedly sat next to the kang bed and put his right hand on Yu Hai¡¯s pulse.


    After taking his pulse for a while, Doctor You let out a deep sigh. He turned to face Madam Liu and her daughters who had their eyes fixed on him. Doctor You said with a serious expression, ¡°His pulse is very weak. His arteries are hollow like onion-shoots and the main cause of his condition is the loss of blood and the injury to his yin...¡±


    ¡°Doctor, can the children¡¯s father be saved?¡± Madam Liu¡¯s current state of mind was in a mess as she anxiously inquired about her husband¡¯s condition.


    Doctor Sun carefully reexamined Yu Hai¡¯s injury. He wrinkled his eyebrows even more after the examination and replied, ¡°The external medicine applied on his wounds to stop his bleeding is quite effective. If the medicine wasn¡¯t applied on time, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to wait till I arrive. However...¡±


    When Madam Liu saw the heavy expression on Doctor You¡¯s face, she felt her heart sink and nearly fell into the abyss, ¡°Doctor Sun, you are a famous doctor from town. Please, you must save my children¡¯s father! I beg you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to save him. The problem is whether I can save him or not. The wound on his leg is too big. In addition, all the flesh and tendons are torn apart and are peeling off. Even if I want to save him, I don¡¯t know even know where to start with all the wounds he has!¡± Many years ago, Doctor Sun had seen a patient with simr injuries. He did his best to save the patient. But in the end, the patient couldn¡¯t survive the high fever he got after his wounds got infected, and died.


    When Madam Liu heard what Doctor Sun had said, she couldn¡¯t breathe and fainted next to the kang bed. The three children were crying as they helped their mother lie down on the kang bed.


    Yu Xiaocao tried her best to suppress the sadness and anxiety rising inside her heart. She asked in a calm yet stubborn voice, ¡°Doctor Sun, is there no hope in treating him?¡±


    Doctor Sun looked at Yu Hai¡¯s bloody, mangled right leg and sighed, ¡°Right now, we have to amputate his injured leg for him to have the opportunity to even live. However, even when coupled with my medicine, he only has a 30% chance of surviving.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible for him to survive without amputating his injured leg?¡± To Yu Hai, who was omnipotent when going up the mountain and down the sea, losing one of his legs was no different than a bird with broken wings. He would suffer his entire life if he lost one of his legs.


    Doctor Sun shook his head and said, ¡°The surface of the wound is too big. With long term exposure to the air, the chance of the wound getting infected will significantly increase. If he gets a high fever because of the infection, even the Daluo Immortals [1] might not be able to save him. These are the only two options you have, you¡¯ll have to choose one for him!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have a lot of mystic-stone liquid remaining in the bottle in her hands, but she still had a full jar of mystic-stone water. She was confident that she could keep the wound clean and uninfected. However, she still didn¡¯t feel reassured, so she asked, ¡°If his wounds don¡¯t get infected, does that mean he won¡¯t have to amputate his injured leg?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But if he amputates his injured leg, he still has a 30% of survival. However, if he doesn¡¯t, then we can only wait for a miracle... I will prescribe him some medicine first. It¡¯s better to take a little medicine than do nothing at all!¡±


    For over twenty years, Doctor Sun had never felt as powerless as he did today. If Hua Tuo [2] was alive today, he might be able to save Yu Hai¡¯s injured leg. But he was also hoping for a miracle as the one Yu Xiaocao experienced; Xiaocao hadpletely recovered from the illness she carried since she was a fetus.


    Doctor Sun gave Old Yu the prescription. He reminded them once again, ¡°Whether he is keeping this leg or not, you have to make a decision early!¡±


    When Doctor Sun had just finished speaking, Madam Zhang immediately rushed into the main house. She pulled on Old Yu¡¯s arm and shouted, ¡°Old Man, you can¡¯t amputate Dahai¡¯s injured leg! Let¡¯s first not talk about how low the 30% chance of survival is, even if he is lucky enough to survive, what¡¯s the point of living if he doesn¡¯t have one of his legs?¡±


    Old Yu immediately became unhappy after hearing that. He yelled at his wife, ¡°What do you mean there is no point in living? As the ancient saying goes: ¡®It¡¯s better to have a bad life than a good death!¡¯ It¡¯s obviously more important to save his life! You only care about your money!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean I only care about my money... I was just thinking about letting Yu Hai make the decision himself once he wakes up! I¡¯m just worried that our kind intention will lead to hatred!¡± Madam Zhang was so frightened that she quickly exined. This was the first time in decades that Madam Zhang had seen Old Yu this angry.


    However, Madam Zhang was the only one who knew her real thoughts. In the past, arge part of the family ie came from selling the game that Yu Hai hunted. Now that he was seriously injured and couldn¡¯t keep one of his legs, how would he go up the mountain or to the sea? He could only lie in bed like a useless person and live as a parasite. Moreover, there was a lot of children in his family. His wife was also weak. If his injured leg really got amputated, didn¡¯t that mean that Yu Hai¡¯s family would be depending on her to feed and raise them? Where would she get that much spare money to raise those good-for-nothings?


    [1] Daluo immortals (´óÂÞÉñÏÉ) ¨C refers to the Taoist immortals who lives in the Daluo Heavens, which is a realm where immortals with high cultivation dwells in


    [2] Hua Tuo (»ªÙ¢) ¨C a famous doctor who lived during the end of the Han Dynasty

 Chapter 59 – The Past

    <h4>Chapter 59 ¨C The Past</h4>


    The vigers in the yard were all either friends with Yu Hai and his wife, or neighbors who lived close by. When the second son of the Yu Family was carried home due to a serious injury, Madam Zhang hid and imed to be poor at the mention of paying for the medical treatment. However, no one was surprised by her actions since it was already amon urrence for the vigers.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat sad within her heart. She had heard the elders at home talking about Madam Zhang. Madam Zhang was Old Yu¡¯s second wife after his wife¡¯s death, and she was also the cousin of Yu Hai¡¯s deceased mother. At that time, when the newly widowed Madam Zhang was driven out by her cruel inws, it was Yu Hai¡¯s bedridden mother who had graciously taken her in. Later, when Yu Hai¡¯s mother died of illness, Old Yu saw that Madam Zhang was rather sincere as she took care of Yu Hai and his older sister, so he married her as his second wife.


    The eldest son, Yu Dashan, was Madam Zhang¡¯s son from her previous marriage and only two months older than Yu Hai. The third son, Yu Bo, and the youngest daughter, Yu Caidie, were Madam Zhang and Old Yu¡¯s biological children.


    When Yu Hai¡¯s mother was still alive, Madam Zhang had acted hypocritically and treated Yu Hai and his older sister even better than her own son. Thus, when Yu Hai¡¯s mother was lying on her deathbed, she had entrusted her children to Madam Zhang. However, shortly after Yu Hai¡¯s mother passed away, Madam Zhang exposed her true colors.


    Under the pretext that the family was in bad circumstances, Yu Hai and his older sister were only given porridge, which was so diluted that a person¡¯s image could be reflected in it, and a small piece of bean paste pancake every day. In front of Old Yu, she would pretend that everyone was eating the same food. However, she had actually kept the good things for her own children to secretly eat at night.


    When Yu Hai was young, he had climbed trees to get eggs, gathered wild fruits, and searched for seafood in the sea because of hunger. When he got older, he learned how to catch pheasants, wild hare, and small game in the mountains by himself.


    Being pure and filial, he had never selfishly enjoyed the pheasant and wild hare that he caught by himself. He always took them home and had his father prepare it for the entire family to eat. However, Madam Zhang would pick out the drumsticks and hare legs for her own children to eat. Thus, Yu Hai and his older sister could only eat the parts without much meat. When Old Yu chided her, she would respond usibly by saying: ¡®Our third son and youngest daughter are still young, so Second Son should yield to his younger siblings...¡¯


    When Yu Hai was in his teens, he began to go fishing in the sea with Old Yu. Within two years, he had be one of the best fishermen in the vige. Every time he went to the sea, he caught much more fish than the other people. Moreover, he often caught rare and precious fish species. Hence, the wealthy families and famous restaurants in town all liked to buy the fish that he had caught.


    Yu Hai also frequently hunted in the mountain with Hunter Zhao. They would bring back some game every time, but most of the time, Madam Zhang was unwilling to let the family eat them. So, most of them were sold in town in exchange for money, which was securely kept in her own purse.


    Gradually, the Yu Family moved out of their shabby ancestral home and built a five-room tiled residence at the east side of the vige, near the sea. In the past two years, they had also reced their broken fishing boat with a new boat. With Yu Hai¡¯s abilities, the Yu Family had leaped from a well-known poor family to a rtively well-off family in the vige.


    Madam Zhang hadplete control over the family¡¯s finances. It was impossible to even get a single penny out of her hands. Even the money used to purchase groceries for the family was meticulously calcted over and over again. Every day, they ate coarse grain pancakes, bean porridge, and pickled vegetables. At times, they would just cook the vegetables from their garden in boiled water, without even adding any oil. Except during the New Year, there wouldn¡¯t be any trace of meat at home.


    Even the people that rarely worked and the poorest families in the vige ate better food and wore warmer clothes than their family. There wasn¡¯t anyone in the vige who didn¡¯t know that the olddy of the Yu Family was like a mouse entering an oilcan¡ª¡ªan entrance without an exit.


    The eldest daughter-inw¡¯s, Madam Li, maiden family lived close by and had decent family circumstances. Furthermore, Madam Zhang had taken almost all of the family¡¯s resources to prepare the betrothal gifts in order to get this marriage for her eldest son. From time to time, Madam Li would take her son back to her maiden home to eat a sumptuous meal. She always returned with various bags, which were all snuck into her room. However, Madam Zhang would just turn a blind eye to her behavior. As a result, both mother and son ate so much that their body turned into the shape of a ball. They werepletely different from Yu Hai¡¯s wife and children, who all looked emaciated and haggard.


    Yu Hai had chosen Madam Liu as his wife by himself and asked his father to hire a matchmaker to arrange the marriage. At that time, the fat and ugly daughter of a general store owner had taken a fancy to Yu Hai, who was tall, handsome, and capable. They had already invited someone to tell Madam Zhang that they didn¡¯t need betrothal gifts. Moreover, they had also prepared a dowry of thirty taels.


    For ordinary families in the fishing vige like the Yu Family, their annual expense would only be about three to five taels. Although they got a decent ie from fishing every day, they had to pay for the third son¡¯s, Yu Bo, schooling fees. Moreover, they had to prepare the money needed for his future examinations. They also had to prepare for their youngest daughter dowry. At that time, thirty taels was quite arge sum of money to the Yu Family, so of course Madam Zhang was interested.


    Just when she made up her mind to agree with this marriage proposal, Yu Hai and Madam Liu¡¯s marriage had been settled. Madam Liu came from an average family and her older brothers had just recently gotten married, so they only gathered several taels as her dowry after making much effort. It was naturally far worse than the thirty taels that the general store owner had suggested. The thirty taels that she was about to receive had suddenly disappeared, so of course Madam Zhang would view Madam Liu as an eyesore.


    After Madam Liu married into the family, she became responsible with nearly all the chores at home. She had to cook, do theundry, and gather fishwort and firewood. She also had to feed the chickens and pigs. Moreover, she was also responsible for taking care of the family¡¯s two plot ofnd. Even when she was pregnant, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t allow her to rest. She scolded her throughout the day, while nitpicking at everything she did.


    Before Madam Liu hadpleted her confinement period [1] after the birth of her youngest son, Little Shitou, she had already been ordered to wash clothes in the ice-covered river. As a result, she had fallen ill and suffered the lingering effects of the chronic disease. During the winter and rainy days, she would cough incessantly. Sometimes, she coughed so much that she would have trouble breathing and her face would turn blue due to the suffocation. Furthermore, she had nearly died on several asions.


    Every year, Madam Liu had to see a doctor and take medication for her illness, which was a major expense. Moreover, Yu Xiaocao was born with a weak constitution and would constantly fall ill. Each time Madam Zhang had to pay for their medical fees, it was as if someone dug up her ancestral grave. The olddy would scold them every day while saying that she was raising two medicine guzzling fiends who were bottomless pits...


    In the past, seeing Yu Hai¡¯s ability to earn money, Madam Zhang would makeints, but she still took out money to pay for the medical fees.


    Due to Madam Zhang¡¯s persistent urging today, Yu Hai had followed his close friend, Zhao Bufan, to hunt in the West Mountains. However, they had inadvertently disturbed a bear that was hibernating within a cave. In order to save Hunter Zhao, Yu Hai¡¯s leg was bitten severely by the bear, and his back was also scratched into a bloody mess. He seemed as if he was barely breathing now.


    However, he was considered rather lucky. Even though his blood vessels had nearly ruptured, he was able to endure until the doctor arrived from town. They had originally thought that the best physician in town would provide them with some good news. However, after examining Yu Hai¡¯s injuries, Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall only shook his head and said, ¡°Do what can be done and leave all else to fate.¡± After that, he reluctantly wrote a prescription for them, while saying that the medication probably won¡¯t be effective and that they were only seeking peace of mind.


    A dosage of medicine cost approximately one tael and it might not be able to save the life of the Yu Family¡¯s second son. There was no way that Madam Zhang would let the money that she painstakingly saved up be wasted. With a family filled with sick and weak people, if Yu Hai couldn¡¯t wake up, they would all be burdens for the Yu Family in the future. If Yu Hai survived with an amputated leg, he would also just be a burden to the family since he had lost a leg.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife had already seen through the current situation. If Madam Zhang could make the decisions, then she would definitely kick Yu Hai¡¯s entire family out of the house without hesitation. However, Old Yu was still had the final say within the family. Furthermore, Madam Zhang was afraid that the other vigers would gossip, so she didn¡¯t dare to brazenly mention this suggestion.


    Ay! How would Yu Hai¡¯s family survive under Madam Zhang¡¯s control in the future? Shuanzhu¡¯s wife couldn¡¯t help but worry for them!


    There was a heavy scent of blood drifting in the air. Yu Hai, who was lying on the bed, looked deathly pale and was barely breathing. Every time he went hunting in the mountains, he would be able to earn at least four or five hundred copper coins. But now he was only covered with a worn-out cotton quilt that was faded and patched-up.


    It was dark and cramped inside the west room, which was mostly upied by a kang bed. At the head of the bed, there was an old rattan case, while a table held up by numerous nks was ced on the side of the bed. And that was all. Yu Hai and his wife, who were the mainborers in the family, had to live in this crowded room with several children.


    Yu Hai was still alive, yet the second branch was already being treated in such a way. If...


    ¡°Hurry up and pay Doctor Sun for the medicine!¡± Old Yu, who was dragged into the main room by Madam Zhang, suddenly shouted. The vigers in the courtyard looked at each other speechlessly. Had Madam Zhang seriously shed all pretense of cordiality and refused to pay for Yu Hai¡¯s medications?


    ¡°It¡¯s five taels! Even the doctor had said that it was probably useless to eat the medicine! Doesn¡¯t Xiaocao have Doctor You¡¯s medicine box? We can just use some of the medicine inside to have peace of mind. Five taels is enough for a month¡¯s supply of brush and ink for our third son!¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s growl sounded like a female beast guarding her child.


    Old Yu¡¯s voice sounded once again, ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know how much money you have saved up? If there is even a glimmer of hope, we should do our best to make ourst efforts. Otherwise, will your conscience be at ease? Aren¡¯t you afraid that Xiaocao and her siblings will resent you?¡±


    Madam Zhang was unwilling toply, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to save him, but the doctor already said that taking the medicine won¡¯t help. So, why are we still wasting our money? It¡¯s better to just save the money and help Second Son raise his children...¡±


    As the old couple argued in the main room, the neighbors in the yard looked sympathetically at the west room and shook their heads incessantly.


    ¡°Uncle Yu¡ª¡ª¡± A man with a strong-built, who emitted a strong sense of vigor and appeared valiant, entered the gate of the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard. He was the person that Yu Hai had saved today, Zhao Bufan.


    When Madam Zhang heard his voice, she immediately rushed out of her room. Although she appeared thin and petite, she was actually quite strong. She grabbed the front of Zhao Bufan¡¯s clothes and hollered at the top of her voice, ¡°You damned Hunter Zhao! If it weren¡¯t for you today, would our family¡¯s Yu Hai be lying on the bed and on the verge of death? I don¡¯t care! Our second son got injured because of you, so your Zhao Family should be responsible for the medical fees! Also, if anything happens to Yu Hai, then your Zhao Family will also be responsible for taking care of the widow and orphans of the second branch!¡±


    At the end of the day, Madam Zhang had never cared about Yu Hai¡¯s life and death. The only thing that she was ever concerned about was money, money, and money!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Auntie! Brother Yu Hai have saved me from this misfortune. If it hadn¡¯t been for him, I would have died long ago! I, Zhao Bufan, am an honest and dauntless man, who will never act ungrateful and treacherous! I have already killed the bear that injured Brother Yu Hai and sold it in town...¡±


    With a greedy expression on her face, Madam Zhang interrupted Zhao Bufan before he had finished speaking, ¡°Hunter Zhao, pleasee into the room to talk!¡±


    Disregarding the bear¡¯s fur and galldder, the bear¡¯s paws and meat alone could be sold for quite arge sum in town.

 Chapter 60 – Coma

    <h4>Chapter 60 ¨C Coma</h4>


    In a way, her family¡¯s second son had exchanged his life to get this bear, so no matter what, she wasn¡¯t going to let the Zhao Family reap all the benefits! As Madam Zhang urgently hurriedly Zhao Bufan into the room, she was also inwardly calcting how much money she could get.


    Zhao Bufan gently shook her hands off, strode towards Old Yu, and then unfolded the heavy bag within his hands in front of him.


    Madam Zhang was immediately dazzled by the shiny silver. She was so stunned that her droopy triangr eyes were about to pop out. A bag full of silver ingots, which were worth ten taels each, would add up to at least two or three hundred taels!


    Madam Zhang was an extremely stingy person, who was unwilling to spend too much money on clothes and food. There was a freeborer like Yu Hai to earn money throughout the day and Madam Zhang had been meticulously saving money for over a decade. However, after deducting the daily expenses and Yu Bo¡¯s schooling fees, she had only saved up a little more than one hundred taels over all those years. Yet, a single bear was sold for two or three hundred taels!


    ¡°Is this the share that our second son deserved? Oh my, I didn¡¯t expect a bear to be so valuable...¡± Madam Zhang grinned so widely that her old face had turned into a chrysanthemum. Her eyes had narrowed into a slit, while she exposed a mouth full of crooked, yellow teeth.


    Zhao Bufan dodged Madam Zhang¡¯s hands that were reaching for the bag of money. He handed the bag of money to Old Yu and solemnly said, ¡°Uncle Yu, this two or three hundred taels is all the money that I got from selling the bear, which is also the money that Brother Yu Hai deserves! If it weren¡¯t for him, the person lying on the kang bed would be me!¡±


    Old Yu didn¡¯t take the money, sighed deeply, and said, ¡°You two are as close as real brothers. I believe that if Dahai was the one in danger today, you would also do the same and rescue him! You guys have always split the earnings from hunting equally, so it shall be the same today!¡±


    ¡°Old man! Our Dahai is still lying on the bed and waiting for the money to save his life! Our second son has risked his life to get this money. Moreover, if Hunter Zhao takes the money, then all the vigers will gossip so much about him!¡± Seeing that her husband had gave out half of the money with a few words, Madam Zhang got worked up immediately! ¡®Fifty-fifty? That would be one hundred fifty taels! Most people probably wouldn¡¯t have that much money even if they saved up money for over a decade!¡¯


    Zhao Bufan, as if he didn¡¯t see that Madam Zhang was hopping mad beside him, shoved the bag into Old Yu¡¯s arms and said, ¡°Uncle Yu, I only have one request! Brother Dahai had risked his life in exchange for this money, which was something that Auntie had also mentioned earlier. Thus, I hope that at least half of the money will be used for Brother Dahai and his family. This shouldn¡¯t be a difficult request!¡±


    ¡°Yes... Of course! The money will be used to treat my second son¡¯s injuries. If anything happens to him... then the money will be saved for his children¡¯s marriages!¡± Old Yu was Yu Hai¡¯s biological father, so there was still familial affection between them!


    Madam Zhang grabbed the money from her husband¡¯s hands and held it in her arms happily. She replied in agreement, ¡°Hunter Zhao, you don¡¯t have to worry! Yu Hai is our Old Yu¡¯s biological son, so how can we treat him badly? See, we have already invited the best doctor in town. A single dose of medication prescribed by him costs more than one tael! I¡¯ll go pay for the medicine first. You guys continue talking!¡±


    With three hundred taels in hand, Madam Zhang no longer hesitated to pay five taels for the medical examination and medication. She swiftly settled the bill, and then asked Yu Jiang to send the doctor back to town on his donkey cart.


    ¡°Everyone should go home! Dahai needs to rest quietly to recuperate. When he wakes up, I¡¯ll let everyone know!¡± It was inconvenient with so many people in the yard. She must prevent the three hundred taels from falling into the eyes of the greedy! Once money reached Madam Zhang¡¯s hands, it was like throwing a meat bun at a dog¡ª¡ªit would never return!


    In the west room, Madam Liu had already woken up and silently weeping as she stood beside her husband. Xiaolian and Little Shitou, who were apanying their mother, had also cried until their eyes were red and swollen. Thus, Xiaocao would check on Yu Hai¡¯s condition from time to time, while she decocted the medicine on a small mud furnace outside the room.


    The sun had set in the west. The Yu Family had missed both the morning and evening meals. Except for the second branch, who had no appetite, everyone else was already starving. With Yu Hai¡¯s three hundred taels, Madam Zhang naturally didn¡¯t have the face to order the second branch around for the time being. So, she shouted at the east room, ¡°Li Guihua, youzy woman! Do you know what time it is right now? Quickly go cook dinner! Do you want to starve us to death?¡±


    Madam Li and her son had secretly eaten some snacks inside their room. When she heard the noise, she reluctantly came out of the room and slowly lit the fire to cook. Yu Caidie nced at the west room with her reddened eyes, and then quietly entered the kitchen to help cook dinner.


    This was a sleepless night for the entire second branch in the west room. They all stayed beside Yu Hai for fear that the pir of their family would suddenly copse.


    At the break of dawn, Yu Hai, whose breathing had originally stabilized, suddenly had a high fever. His pale and bloodlessplexion had turned as red as a soldering iron, while his breathing became short and rapid.


    Madam Liu¡¯s, who hadn¡¯t slept the entire night, face was without a trace of blood. There were also dark, heavy bags under her eyes. Her originally thin and weak body appeared even more fragile.


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t stop her tears from falling down as she looked at her husband¡¯s flushed face. The words that Doctor Sun had said yesterday still lingered beside her ears: ¡®If he gets an infection or fever, then it will be difficult to save his life!¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot! Father has a fever! I¡¯ll go ask Grandfather to call for a doctor!¡± Xiaolian wiped the tears on her cheeks and knocked on the door of the main room. Shortly afterwards, Yu Dashan was woken up and told to go fetch the doctor from town.


    Yu Xiaocao, who didn¡¯t dare to close her eyes throughout the night, felt lightheaded as she brew the second dose of medication for her father. She added two more drops of the mystic-stone water inside, while she anxiously called for the little divine stone within her heart, [Glutinous Dumpling, Glutinous Dumpling, are you here?]


    [How many times have I told you? Stop calling me, this divine stone, ¡®Glutinous Dumpling¡¯! It¡¯s such an insult to my status as a celestial stone!] Little Divine Stone respondedzily.


    [Didn¡¯t you say that my father will be fine after your being treated by you? Why did he suddenly have a fever again?] Yu Xiaocao asked uneasily.


    [It¡¯s normal to have a fever! He consumed too much of the mystic-stone water! I have already told you that if a healthy person takes in a high concentration of the mystic-stone water, then they will at most be more energetic and vigorous. But for someone like your father, who have suffered a serious injury, it will be difficult to endure the high concentration of energy within the mystic-stone water at the moment. Hence, he has a fever now!]


    The little divine stone answered nonchntly, but it was inwardly thinking about whether it would get any benefits from it saved its master¡¯s father this time. If the shackles locking its powers could loosen up a little, then it might be able to...


    ¡°Then will anything happen to my father now?!¡± With Yu Xiaocao¡¯s knowledge, she still understood the meaning of ¡®too much is as bad as too little¡¯. There would be side effects from taking too much medication, so would there also be negative consequences from consuming too much mystic-stone water?


    Little Divine Stone¡¯s train of thoughts were interrupted, so it impatiently replied, [What can happen? At most, he will just sleep for a few more days! I, this divine stone, can guarantee with my character that he will be fine, so what are you still worried about? Stop being so anxious about groundless matters! I need to rest for a certain period of time, so don¡¯t bother me!]


    With the little divine stone¡¯s guarantee, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s unsettled heart had finally calmed down. She stared at the medicine that was decocting, at a loss: ¡®There¡¯s also mystic-stone water within this pot of medicine. Should I still feed this medicine to Father?¡¯


    Since the little celestial stone had already promised that there was no side effects and he would just sleep for several more days, then... there wasn¡¯t any harm in sleeping for a few more days, right? Don¡¯t people say that sleeping more would help the recovery of wounds?


    By the time Doctor Sun arrived again, Yu Hai¡¯s fever was already gone. However, there were still no signs of him waking up.


    Doctor Sun carefully examined his condition and checked his wound again, but he was still not optimistic, ¡°If the patient doesn¡¯t wake up within two days, I¡¯m afraid that the chances of him waking up in the future will be very slim! Even if he wakes up, I don¡¯t think we can keep his leg... However, it¡¯s a good sign that his fever has gone down! He will still need to continue to take the medicine. If anythinges up, you can find me in town!¡±


    Several days has already passed after that, but there still wasn¡¯t any signs of Yu Hai waking up. Most of the family no longer held any hopes, except for Yu Xiaocao. She was the only one who knew that the condition of her injured father, who had been dered dead by the doctor, wouldn¡¯t worsen anymore. Furthermore, he had also been fed mystic-stone water every day, so he could still survive even if he didn¡¯t eat or drink anything. Yu Xiaocao firmly believed that as long as he drank a few more bowls of mystic-stone water, her father¡¯s injury would gradually be healed sooner orter.


    It had been three days since the little celestial stone used up all its powers to treat her father¡¯s injury, but it had only recovered its spiritual form.


    Look, that little golden ball of light was happily frolicking in the spring water and patted its chest in assurance, [Don¡¯t worry. If you hadn¡¯t fed him so much of the mystic-stone water, he would had woken up long ago.]


    When the little divine stone heard from Xiaocao that the doctor told them that her father¡¯s leg needed to be severed, it replied in disdain, [Don¡¯t listen to that quack. This divine stone will be merciful and use a little more of my spiritual power. In a month, your father will definitely be able to walk with that leg of his. But... he did hurt the tendons and bones in his legs, so he might walk with a limp in the future.]


    Even if he walked with a limp, it was fine as long as he was alright! Over the past few days, Yu Xiaocao hade to a clear understanding that her father was the main pir of their second branch. If he copsed, then the entire second branch would also fall apart.


    Madam Zhang, who had been silent for a couple days, also didn¡¯t have any hopes for Yu Hai¡¯s recovery. She began to shout again, ¡°What time is it? No one is feeding the pigs, nor is there anyone gathering firewood. Are we still going to get on with life? If you¡¯re not going to work, then get the hell out! Our family doesn¡¯t ept any ckers!¡±


    Madam Liu, who always remained in a state of anxiety these days, would hastily get up from the kang bed whenever she heard Madam Zhang¡¯s screams. The continuous days of worry and hard work had caused Madam Liu¡¯splexion to be even more pallid than Yu Hai, who was lying on the bed.


    Seeing this, Yu Xiaocao hastily said, ¡°Xiaolian and I can take care of the household chores. Mother, you should lie down and rest some more! Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s already the best news that Father¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t worsened. Father wouldn¡¯t bear to part with such a virtuous wife and such intelligent children like us. My father is an upright and fearless man, so he will definitely be able to get through this obstacle! Mother, you should have confidence in Father!¡±


    ¡°Little girl! Who praise themselves like you?¡± Madam Liu¡¯s anxious heart had somewhat settled as she pretended to re at the littless. Although there were endless work and scolding in this family, her husband was genuinely good to her. As long as her husband could safely survive this misfortune, she wouldn¡¯tin even if she encountered any hardships.


    Madam Liu bowed her head and silently looked at Yu Hai. After so many years, it was her first time looking at him so carefully. For the five days that he had been unconscious, he looked really serene, as if he had fallen asleep. It was as if he would suddenly open his eyes at the next moment, smile at her foolishly, and then call out her maiden name¡ª¡ªMuyun.


    Hopefully, as Xiaocao had said, he could survive this hurdle...

 Chapter 61 – Awake

    <h4>Chapter 61 ¨C Awake</h4>


    In the eyes of outsiders, ever since Yu Hai got injured, there seemed to be a lot of ups and downs with his situation. Over the past few days, he had been suffering from a low fever. At times, his fever would be so high that the heat would scald the hand. Except for the people of the second branch, the rest of the Yu Family all felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive this hurdle! However, on the sixth day, Yu Hai finally woke up from hisa.


    Within the Yu Family, Old Yu and the second branch were probably the only ones who were genuinely happy for him. Yu Caidie, who had a soft temperament and never interfered with other people¡¯s affairs, might had also been sincerely happy for him.


    ¡°Grandfather, my father hasn¡¯t eaten anything in five days. I¡¯ll go make a bowl of noodles for him!¡± Although her father had survived on the mystic-stone water these past few days, eating food was naturally more beneficial for the recovery of his wound.


    Old Yu nodded and said, ¡°Alright, cook two fried eggs for your father, too. It¡¯s good that he¡¯s awake. Our ancestors have blessed and protected him... I¡¯ll have Dashan to go to town tomorrow morning and ask Doctor Sun toe check if Dahai is out of danger now!¡±


    Madam Zhang red at him and wanted to say something, but she held back her words with the thought, ¡®For the sake of the three hundred taels, I¡¯ll tolerate it!¡¯


    ¡°Okay! Thank you, Grandfather!¡± Yu Xiaocao loudly replied with a smile on her face. The crude grain pancake and bean paste soup that they ate for breakfast seriously wasn¡¯t something that humans should eat! Since her grandfather had agreed, she mixed the wheat flour with two handfuls of bean flour and made a little more noodles so that her family could also eat something special.


    ¡°Mother, I want to eat a fried egg too...¡± The fat son of the first branch, who was so obese that his eyes were nearly squished together, shouted as he threw the pancake in hands.


    Madam Li was so angry that she pped him, ¡°Eat, eat, eat! Aren¡¯t you afraid of dying from overeating!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao held the pancake that she received in her arms and swiftly finished the disgusting bean paste soup with her nose pinched. After that, she pulled Xiaolian into the kitchen.


    Little Shitou copied her and quickly finished his bowl of bean paste soup, which had a burnt taste, and then eximed, ¡°I¡¯ll go help heat the pot!¡±


    After Yu Xiaocao looked through the kitchen, she realized that there was hardly any food except for a few dried up radishes, half a bag of bean flour, and arge bag of sweet potato flour. She briefly thought about it, and then asked Xiaolian, ¡°Do we still have any dried vegetables at home?¡±


    Xiaolian pondered briefly and asked, ¡°We have some sun-dried sweet potato leaves and radish leaves, will they do?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s use the sweet potato leaves then!¡± Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders, as if she didn¡¯t expect much from the ingredients, ¡°Xiaolian, let¡¯s make the noodles with a mixture of wheat flour and bean flour!¡±


    ¡°Second Sister makes the tastiest foods! But, our family is usually reluctant about using wheat flour. If we use too much, Grandmother will scold us again!¡±


    Little Shitou was extremely confident in his second sister¡¯s culinary skills. He had also epted Xiaocao¡¯s story about ¡®taking a tour in hell¡¯ and promised to keep it a secret for her. While his second sister was loitering in the underworld, she had unexpectedly won the favor of the God of Fortune and was taught the skills of cooking and money-making. Was this considered a blessing in disguise?


    Yu Xiaocao was very skilled in making bean noodles 1. In her previous life, she and her siblings had experienced a long period of hardship after her parents passed away in a car ident. Thus, she had already developed the ability to make delicious meals with simple ingredients.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled as she pinched Little Shitou¡¯s nose and said, ¡°Rest assured! It doesn¡¯t need a lot of wheat flour. Moreover, we¡¯ll be able to get a little benefit from this!¡±


    As she spoke, she soaked the dried sweet potato leaves in the water in order to soften them before putting them in the pot of noodles. Afterwards, she skillfully took out less than half adle of bean flour, and then she took out arge bowl of wheat flour from the basket hanging on the beam. There wasn¡¯t much wheat flour within the basket, so nearly half of it was gone after she took out this bowl of flour.


    Xiaolian¡¯s eyes widened and eximed in rm, ¡°How can we use so much flour for a bowl of noodles? If Grandmother sees this, she¡¯ll start scolding us again...¡±


    ¡°Just let her! No matter how well we do, she will always find ways to pick on us. If she wants to scold us, then just let her. We can just pretend to not hear her!¡± Xiaocao poured some mystic-stone water into the basin and mixed it with the bean flour and wheat flour.


    Yu Xiaolian looked at her younger sister skillfully kneading and rolling the dough. Her culinary skills were even better that their mother. After a while, Xiaocao had already rolled the dough into arge ttened circle, sprinkled some bean flour on it to prevent it from sticking together, and said without even lifting her head, ¡°The noodles can¡¯t be too thin. If the noodles are too thin, then they will easily jumble together and turn into paste!¡±


    She cut the dough into even strands of noodles. The bean noodles shouldn¡¯t be cut into strands that were too wide, but it should be a thickness that was suitable for eating. It would be better to cook the noodles until they had a soft and chewy texture. The only thing that didn¡¯t really matter was the length of the noodles.


    ¡°Second Sister, it looks really delicious!¡± Little Shitou excitedly looked at the noodles, which were all nearly the same thickness and had a pale-yellow color. He couldn¡¯t help but swallow his saliva as he looked at each strand of bean noodles.


    Yu Xiaocao pinched the little fellow¡¯s cheeks, leaving white wheat flour stains on his face. She smiled lightly and bowed her head to cut the scallion and dried vegetables that had been soaked.


    She nced at the basket, which held the wheat flour, and found a fat piece of bacon inside. Thus, she took it down on her own initiative and rubbed it on the hot iron pan. Ayer of oil immediately formed in the pan.


    Xiaocao put the cured meat, which appeared unchanged, back in the basket and asked Xiaolian to hang it back on the beam. After that, she quickly stir-fried the chopped scallions and dried vegetables, and then added some salt in it.


    When the chopped scallions were cooked inrd, it exuded an alluring fragrance. Little Shitou inhaled a deep breath of the aroma and smacked his lips, ¡°It smells so good that I¡¯m about to drool!¡±


    Since the dumplings that they had eaten during the New Year, the Yu Family¡¯s meals had only consisted of coarse grain. Not only were the meals unfulfilling, but there also wasn¡¯t even a trace of oil in them. For Little Shitou who had secretly improved his meals from time to time before the New Year, he was already very happy to be able to eat some noodles made from a mixture of bean flour and wheat flour.


    Madam Zhang, who was basking in the sun in the yard after breakfast, smelled the scent ofrd and rushed into the kitchen. She swiftly took down the basket, carefully inspected the palm-sized bacon, and nced in the pot. When she didn¡¯t find anything wrong, she purposely shouted, ¡°Do you need to make so much noodles for a bowl of noodles? You bunch of spendthrifts are going to deplete all our family¡¯s resources!¡±


    Xiaocao pointed at the bean noodles on the chopping board and said, ¡°It¡¯s my first time making noodles, so I didn¡¯t get a good grasp of the quantity. But I made the noodles with half bean flour and half wheat flour. So, I didn¡¯t use a lot of the wheat flour!¡±


    Madam Zhang picked up the small bag of flour and saw that there was still some wheat flour inside. Moreover, the noodles were yellow and smelled like beans, so she grumbled as she put the basket back and left.


    When the water in the pot boiled, Yu Xiaocao scattered the noodles into the pot and cracked two eggs inside. She covered the pot with the lid and simmered it on low heat for a while. It was ready to be served when the noodles became soft and sticky.


    Yu Xiaolian and Little Shitou looked at each other. Little Shitou couldn¡¯t bear to look at the soggy noodles and asked in a low voice, ¡°Is it slightly overcooked?¡±


    Xiaocao filled a bowl for the little guy, and then suggested with a smile, ¡°Try it. How¡¯s your sister¡¯s cooking?¡±


    Little Shitou blew on the noodles and took in a mouthful. He dark eyes instantly lit up as he chewed it in his mouth. In spite of the heat, he swiftly ate another mouthful. While he ate, he also mumbled words of praise, ¡°Delicious! It¡¯s really delicious! It¡¯s even tastier than the in wheat noodles that I have eaten in the past!¡±


    Xiaocao picked up another radish with good moisture level and cut it into thin strips to make a cold dish. Bean noodles didn¡¯t need to be served with rich side dishes. Cold shredded radish 2 or spicy cold cabbage 3 were the bestplements.


    Xiaocao added another spoonful of bean noodles to Little Shitou¡¯s bowl, and then filled a bowl for herself and Xiaolian. They swiftly began devouring the noodles in the kitchen. The bean noodles and side dish were made with simple and iplete ingredients. However, with Xiaocao¡¯s cooking skills and the enhancement of the mystic-stone water, the three kids ate until they nearly swallowed their own tongues.


    When Madam Li smelled the aroma and came over with her son, the siblings had already eaten most of the bean noodles, leaving only arge bowl for their father. They had even finished washing the bowls already.


    ¡°You two damned brats, you must be secretly eating in the kitchen. Is there anymore? Take it out and give your Brother Heizi a bowl!¡± Madam Li opened the pot and stared at the bowl of bean noodles with a covetous gaze.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s a limited amount of flour at home. Grandfather told us to make a bowl for our father, so we won¡¯t dare to make more. Won¡¯t Grandmother skin us, if we did? Look, there¡¯s only one bowl. Shitou was already salivating, but he still didn¡¯t dare to take a bite!¡± Yu Xiaocao had an expression that said ¡®if you don¡¯t believe me, then see for yourself¡¯.


    Madam Li didn¡¯t believe her and looked everywhere in the kitchen. When she didn¡¯t find anything, she stared at the only bowl of bean noodles, ¡°Your father just woke up after a serious injury. He won¡¯t have any appetite to eat so much. Divide it in half and give it to her Brother Heizi...¡± As she spoke, she was about to pick up the bowl to divide the noodles.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly picked up the noodles and ran towards the entrance of the kitchen, while shouting, ¡°My father hasn¡¯t eaten anything for five days. Eating more can help him recover faster... Grandfather, Grandfather! Brother Heizi wants to steal the noodles that we made for our father¡ª¡±


    Seeing that Heizi wanted to grab the bowl in her hands, Yu Xiaocao ran and screamed towards the yard. Heizi wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone, but he feared Grandfather¡¯s re the most. He was so afraid that he hastily withdrew his hands and allowed Xiaocao to slip away under his nose.


    Old Yu usually mended the fishings in the courtyard at this time. Yu Xiaocao, who ran out of the kitchen, knew that Madam Li and son didn¡¯t dare to brazenly take the noodles from her in the yard. She nced back at him proudly, and then went back to her room with the bowl of noodles.


    Inside the room, Madam Liu was feeding Xiaocao¡¯s father water with a spoon. Yu Hai¡¯s face was flushed, and he clearly still had a high fever. He moved closer to Madam Liu¡¯s hand and slowly drank the mystic-stone water. Madam Liu carefully wiped off the water that had seeped from the corner of his mouth. Her thin and pale face was full of tenderness. The two of them sat face to face silently and nced at one another from time to time, as if they were the only ones left in the world...


    For a moment, Xiaocao felt that interrupting them was an unforgivable sin. Madam Liu was the first one to notice her arrival. Her eyes were filled with shock when she saw the bowl of noodles in Xiaocao¡¯s hands. In the past, if anyone in their second branch missed a meal, they would had had to starve until the next meal. There had never been a time in which they were allowed to cook again. This big bowl of oily and savory noodles obviously wasn¡¯t something they ate for breakfast...


    Xiaolian saw the doubt within her mother¡¯s eyes andughed, ¡°Grandfather heard that Father was awake, so he allowed us to make this. Xiaocao had deliberately made more. Mother can also eat some!¡±


    Although some bean flour was added into the bean noodles, it was still mostly made of wheat flour. Moreover, it also had a rare trace of oil in it. So, of course, Madam Liu was reluctant to eat it and wanted to give some to her children to eat.

 Chapter 62 – Being Sold

    <h4>Chapter 62 ¨C Being Sold</h4>


    Xiaocao and her siblings dodged her happily, ¡°We already ate in the kitchen. You can touch Younger Brother¡¯s tummy. It¡¯s as round as a bloated frog. Mother, you eat it!¡±


    Madam Liu clearly didn¡¯t believe them. She was very familiar with her mother-inw¡¯s stingy character. Her mother-inw knew exactly how much of each ingredient was in the kitchen. It was alright for the coarse grain, but without her permission, they were strictly forbidden to use things such as wheat flour, rice, and eggs.


    Xiaolian and Little Shitou also patted their bellies to ensure her that they had really eaten. So Madam Liu slowly fed the noodles to her husband. Yu Hai¡¯s heart ached for his wife and refused to eat alone. He insisted that he would only eat after Madam Liu took a bite. In this way, the couple shared the bowl of noodles, taking a bite one after another.


    Under Yu Hai¡¯s insistence, the family of five enjoyed the two fried eggs that were found at the bottom of the bowl together. The small fried eggs were iparably precious within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart because they contained strong familial affection and love.


    ¡°Father, Mother! I think that we should take this opportunity to leave this family and live by ourselves!¡± Yu Xiaocao had already reached the breaking point of her endurance for Madam Zhang¡¯s stingy and harsh character. In the past, when her father was still able to hunt and fish, Madam Zhang definitely wouldn¡¯t allow them to leave. But it might not be the same now!


    ¡°Splitting from the family? Your grandparents are still alive, so they won¡¯t agree to dividing the family!¡± Madam Liu felt somewhat sad within her heart. They were still uncertain about whether her husband could keep his leg. Moreover, the condition of her health made it impossible for her to do heavybor and their children were still too young. What would they rely on to feed the family if they separated from this family?


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t agree with her! With the little divine stone as her special weapon, the injury on her father¡¯s leg would eventually recover. Although there was the possibility of him being crippled, he would still be able to do ordinary handcrafts. After being nourished for months with the mystic-stone water and herbal medicine, her mother¡¯s health had almostpletely recuperated. As long as they could separate from this family, with her expert skills in braised foods, they would definitely live in better conditions than right now!


    ¡°Grandmother and Eldest Aunt must be eagerly looking forward to us leaving this family! In their eyes, our second branch is just a major burden. As for Grandfather, we will definitely have a chance to way to convince him!¡± That¡¯s right! She had been waiting for an opportunity, a perfect opportunity to suggest splitting up the family!


    While Yu Xiaocao and her family were discussing the matter of dividing from the family, Madam Li was also speaking ill of the second branch in the main room, ¡°Mother, since Second Brother-inw got injured, there isn¡¯t a single able-bodied worker in the second branch. Furthermore, Second Sister-inw and Xiaocao are both medicine guzzling fiends. Think about it. We have already spent dozens of taels in the past several days. Although Second Brother-inw has woken up, Doctor Sun have also said that one of his legs was going to be useless even if he woke up! Second Brother-inw¡¯s family is filled with sick and weak people who are all relying on us to support them. Mother, our family¡¯s situation just got a little better off. We can¡¯t let them drag us down.¡±


    Madam Zhang received an extra three hundred taels as ie, but when she saw the money in her hands gradually decreasing every day, it was as if someone was cutting her heart over and over again. When she heard her eldest daughter-inw¡¯s words, she angrily pounded on the kang bed several times and said,


    ¡°What are we supposed to do then? Do you think we can just kick them out? Even if we disregard the fact that your father would definitely disagree, the vigers¡¯ gossip and criticism alone would be enough to drown us!¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t just waste all our money on them without anything in return!¡± Madam Li viciously wrung the rough-cloth handkerchief within her chubby hands, feeling frustrated.


    Madam Zhang nced at her and said, ¡°What ideas do you have? Let me hear it...¡±


    All the meat on Madam Li¡¯s face squished together as she smiled and said, ¡°My maiden family knows a trafficking matron 1, who does business with the wealthy families in town. She even has business with some of the rich people in the prefectural city. I heard that a wealthy merchant in town, the Zhou Family, wants to buy a batch of young girls... That trafficking matron has offered the high price of eight taels for the trade.¡±


    Madam Zhang lifted her brows, ¡°You mean... we should sell their eldest daughter?¡± She pointed towards the direction of the second branch¡¯s room.


    ¡°Who would want that unhealthy wretch, Xiaocao? Xiaolian ispetent and well-groomed, so we can definitely sell her for a good price!¡± Madam Li replied with a crafty smile and narrowed her beady eyes, which had nearly disappeared into the wrinkles of fat in her face.


    If they sold one of the useless brats, not only would they earn a few extra taels, but there would also be one less person to feed. Moreover, Xiaolian had a stubborn personality and was also the most disobedient. Without her, it would be even easier to control the second branch! Madam Zhang became interested in the idea...


    In the early morning of the next day, Yu Xiaocao carried a bundle of firewood and followed behind Xiaolian. Her heart ached for the weak and small figure in front of her, who was nearly covered up by the mountain of firewood on her back. Thus, she would reach out her hand to help support the firewood on Xiaolian¡¯s back from time to time. Little Shitou, who was also carrying a bundle of firewood, followed behind them.


    Originally, Xiaolian had nned to gather firewood by herself, but Xiaocao and Little Shitou both expressed that they wanted to ¡®share bliss and misfortune together¡¯. Thus, they went out to collect firewood together. It was currently the end of winter and the beginning of spring, so dried firewood could be readily found on the West Mountains at this time. Hence, the siblings had obtained a fruitful result this morning.


    Yu Xiaolian, who had known how to take care of her younger siblings from an early age, took on the task of carrying most of the firewood. She only allowed her frail younger sister and younger brother to carry some firewood as a token of helping out. In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had always taken care of her younger siblings, so she felt somewhat weird being taken care of now. She had repeatedly expressed that her health was fine and that she could carry more, but Xiaolian rejected her every time she made the suggestion.


    ¡°Eldest Sister, Second Sister, there¡¯s a guest at home!¡± As soon as Little Shitou looked up, he saw Madam Li eagerly invite a colorfully dressed middle-aged woman into the courtyard. Thus, he curiously ran over.


    Yu Xiaocao and Xiaolian looked at one another and saw the doubt within each other¡¯s eyes. The woman was dressed in a satin jacket and had a golden hairpin on her head. However, normal vigers wouldn¡¯t be able to afford these items. The Yu Family also didn¡¯t have any rtives like this. So, who exactly was this person?


    ¡°Based on how Eldest Aunt fawns on her, could it be that she¡¯s here for Brother Heizi?¡± Heizi, whose real name was Yu Ge, was already thirteen years old. In ancient times, he should be approaching a marriageable age. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t think of any other reasons for the snobby Madam Li to treat that woman as if she were her own mother.


    ¡°Xiaolian, I¡¯ll go take a look!¡± After Father got injured, Yu Xiaocao had been worried and took care of him for five days straight without going out. It was seldom that they would have a guest, so this incident sparked her inner curiosity.


    She jogged into the yard with the firewood on her back while Madam Zhang and Madam Li were happily weing the woman into the main house.


    Hearing the movement, the woman stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her from head to toe. Her critical gaze, as if she was examining a piece of good that she had just received, made Yu Xiaocao feel extremely ufortable.


    ¡°Is she the one? She has a decent appearance, fair and clean. Just a little too thin!¡± Trafficker Zhuang twitched her mouth in a picky manner.


    The Zhou Family in town had just released a batch of maidservants, who had reached marriageable age. Thus, they needed to buy twenty to thirty young girls. For the past several days, Trafficker Zhuang had been extremely busy due to this matter. The Zhou Family was a major client of hers, so she couldn¡¯t mess up this deal.


    Yesterday evening, someone came to inform her that there was apetent and honest young girl for sale at Dongshan Vige. So, she hired a carriage early in the morning and rushed over. She hadn¡¯t expected that the little girl would be so thin and small that she didn¡¯t even look the age of eight or nine.


    Madam Li evasively moved away after she made contact with Yu Xiaocao¡¯s cautious gaze. She vaguely replied, ¡°It¡¯s not her, but her older sister. She¡¯s verypetent and can do most of the work at home! Her father suffered a serious injury and her mother is weak and sickly, so the family is in need of money. If not, we wouldn¡¯t have been willing to do this!¡±


    Trafficker Zhuang looked around the five-room residence, which was bright and spacious, and the fence in the yard, which was made of sun-dried mud bricks. She smirked inwardly as she thought: ¡®Looking at this house, this family doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re so short of money for them to sell their children!¡¯ But, she¡¯s only here to do business, so it was none of her concern. She never interfered with the dirty matters in other people¡¯s homes.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t an ignorant child. She could feel that something was wrong based on Trafficker Zhuang¡¯s examining gaze and Madam Li¡¯s guilty expression. Thus, she asked with alert, ¡°What are you going to do with Xiaolian?¡±


    ¡°Go, go, go! What is a child doing here when the adults are talking?! Go somewhere else to y!¡± Madam Zhang impatiently waved her hand, as if she were shooing away a little chick. After that, she turned to smile at Trafficker Zhuang and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside, in the room...¡±


    ¡°How is it none of our business? If you guys are trying to scheme against our second branch, then of course it has something to do with me!¡± Yu Xiaocao shouted as her suspicions increased.


    ¡°Who talks to their elders like you? Is this how your mother teaches you? For the past eight or nine years, we¡¯ve been raising you, feeding you, and even providing medication for you. Yet you grew up to be an unfilial child who dares to rudely contradict your own grandmother. We should have just let you die from your illness at that time!¡± Seeing the impatient expression on Trafficker Zhuang¡¯s face, Madam Zhang grinded her teeth and screamed loudly.


    Madam Liu heard the screaming from the kitchen and swiftly walked out. She pulled Yu Xiaocao behind herself and apologized repeatedly, ¡°Mother, she¡¯s still a young child who doesn¡¯t know anything. Please don¡¯t take a child¡¯s actions to heart...¡±


    Madam Zhang continued to shout arrogantly, ¡°You¡¯re the only one who thinks that this useless wretch is a treasure! You damned brat, go kneel in your room and reflect on yourself! You¡¯re not allowed to eat breakfast today!!¡±


    Yu Xiaolian came in with the heavy firewood on her back. When she heard Madam Zhang¡¯s words, she quickly threw the firewood down and rushed to her younger sister. She stood in front of Xiaocao and said, ¡°My younger sister was seriously ill right before the New Year. If she falls sick again, won¡¯t you have to spend money for the medicine? Grandmother, I¡¯m willing to receive the punishment in ce of my sister!¡±


    Trafficker Zhuang had experienced and encountered numerous situations before, so she immediately knew that the child¡¯s grandmother and eldest aunt were nning on secretly selling the child without the parents¡¯ knowledge. Trafficker Zhuang had always had a good reputation in Tanggu Town. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have so many customers of high social status. Thus, she naturally wouldn¡¯t ruin her own reputation just for a young girl.


    Trafficker Zhuang smiled at Xiaolian and praised her, ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite faithful and righteous. Although you¡¯re somewhat tanned and thin, you will look decent in two years after growing up a little. When noble families buy maidservants, a good character is the one important quality that they look for. These two girls, one is clever and sensible, while the other is honest and trustworthy. Moreover, they look exactly the same. Old Lady of the Yu Family, if you sell both your granddaughters to me, I¡¯ll give you double the price!¡±


    Earlier, Madam Zhang had already heard Trafficker Zhuang say that an eight or nine year old girl would be worth five taels at most. If the price was doubled for two girls, then it would be twenty taels. Not only would she earn back the money that was spent for the second branch¡¯s medical fees recently, but there was also some surplus. If she added that to the money Hunter Zhao got from selling the bear... Madam Zhang suddenly got so happy that she smiled until her eyes disappeared.

 Chapter 63 – Dividing the Family (1)

    <h4>Chapter 63 ¨C Dividing the Family (1)</h4>


    Madam Liu almost fainted when she heard that her mother-inw and eldest sister-inw wanted to sell her daughters. Were their family so poor that they needed to sell their own children?


    ¡°Mother, Cao¡¯er¡¯s heath is already good enough to help out in the family. Lian¡¯er feeds the pigs, raises the chickens, and takes care of the garden. So, she¡¯s already one of the mainborers in the family. Please don¡¯t sell our children. Please, I¡¯m begging...¡± Madam Liu had a weak temperament, so despite being harshly bullied, she had never dared to rebut her mother-inw in the past. However, since this concerned the future of her two daughters, she couldn¡¯t help but cry while begging piteously.


    Madam Zhang frowned and had an impatient expression on her face, ¡°Think about it yourself. For Second Son¡¯s injury, we have already spent dozens of taels over the past few days. The weather isn¡¯t very good at the beginning of spring, so your father and eldest brother can¡¯t catch any fish. Thus, the family doesn¡¯t have any ie right now. If we don¡¯t sell your daughters, did you want us to sell your eldest sister-inw¡¯s son? Do you still want to treat your husband¡¯s injury?¡±


    Madam Li also insidiously agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Doctor Sun said that even if your husband woke up, his leg will still be crippled. Don¡¯t we need money in order to support that good-for-nothing? There¡¯s also you, who falls sick every now and then. Don¡¯t we need money for your medical fees? Third Brother-inw needs to take the district examination next year and Youngest Sister-inw needs to get married... Which of these matters doesn¡¯t need money?! If you people use up all our family¡¯s money, how are the rest of us supposed to live? Can we still survive?¡±


    ¡°Besides...¡± Madam Li cleared her throat and continued, ¡°The Zhou Family is one of the wealthiest families in town. Zhenxiu Restaurant had even opened another store in the capital. The handmaids in their household eats and dresses even more elegantly than the young misses of most families. They not only receive a monthly wage of one tael, but the masters of the family will also give them rewards. If Xiaolian and Xiaocao went, then they will be living a life of ease andfort!¡±


    Xiaolian nervously supported her mother and furiously said, ¡°If it¡¯s so good, why don¡¯t you go? Hey Auntie, doesn¡¯t the Zhou Family also need to buy senior servants? Eldest Aunt, you can also enjoy an easy andfortable life...¡±


    Madam Li¡¯s expression instantly changed and scolded, ¡°Damned brat, what are you saying?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao coldly snorted and said, ¡°Eldest Aunt, Xiaolian is right. Since you think that being a servant in the Zhou Household is a blessing, why don¡¯t you go? After being sold into a noble household, you¡¯ll no longer be a free person. Whether you get beaten, killed, or sold again, it all depends on your masters¡¯ moods. Eldest Aunt only sees the bright side of being a handmaid, but within the redcquered doors of wealthy households, are there any without a few dead maidservants? Eldest Aunt is just trying to kill us!¡±


    It was unknown whether she was angered or frightened, but Madam Liu trembled slightly when she heard this. However, her tone was usually firm when she spoke, ¡°Even if I¡¯m living in poor and harsh conditions, I still wouldn¡¯t sell my own daughters! Mother, this matter is not negotiable!¡±


    Madam Zhang was immediately enraged when she heard this. Furthermore, it was about time when the old man came back from fishing. So, she had to send the girls away before he came back. Thus, she didn¡¯t allow any disagreements and said, ¡°It¡¯s not up to you whether they get sold or not! I¡¯m not dead yet, so I still have the final say in this family! Trafficker Zhuang, you can take these two girls for twenty taels!¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s daughter, Yu Caidie, was already sixteen. She couldn¡¯t bear to see her two cute nieces being sold off, so she couldn¡¯t help but speak for your them, ¡°Mother, our family hasn¡¯t reached the point of selling children. If the vigers find out, how are we supposed to raise our heads in the future?¡±


    Madam Zhang pushed her gently and sullenly said, ¡°Go back and sew your dowry. This has nothing to do with you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw her younger uncle, who seldom came home, holding a book and standing at the entrance with a frown, so she hastily said, ¡°Grandmother, you need to think about Younger Uncle¡¯s future. He needs to take the county examination next year. If his ssmates find out that he sold his two nieces in order to obtain this chance, how is he supposed to continue attending the academy?¡±


    Originally, her younger uncle, Yu Bo, had disapproved of Madam Zhang¡¯s decision because, no matter what, his two nieces were also descendants of the Yu Family. If this got spread out, there was no way he could continue living with such shame. Thus, he decided to speak up to persuade Madam Zhang to give up on his idea.


    Madam Zhang had ced all her hopes on her youngest son. Her greatest wish was for him to pass the imperial examinations to be a government official, earning a noble title for her. However, when she heard that this could potentially affect her son¡¯s future, she couldn¡¯t help but hesitate.


    Yu Xiaocao continued, ¡°Grandmother, aren¡¯t you just afraid that our family will be a burden for you guys in the future? Let¡¯s just divide the family then! No matter what happens to our family in the future, even if our whole family starves to death, we won¡¯t take a single penny from any of you!¡±


    Madam Zhang and Madam Li looked at each other with eyes that were twinkling with delight. Madam Zhang put on a stern expression and asked, ¡°Splitting the family? You¡¯re just a little girl making empty promises. Can you even make the decision?¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t make the decision, but I can!¡± The door of the west room mmed open. With an ashenplexion and bloodshot eyes, Yu Hai stood at the entrance. However, he couldn¡¯t support himself with just one leg and fell heavily by the doorsill.


    ¡°Father!¡± Yu Xiaolian and Little Shitou shouted in unison. They hurriedly rushed towards Yu Hai and tried to help him up, with a person on each side.


    ¡°Husband, be careful! Nothing is as important as your body!¡± Madam Liu¡¯s lips trembled as tears filled up her eyes. During the time when Yu Hai was unconscious, her heart always felt anxious, as if the sky might copse at any time. As long as her husband was alive, even if he was disabled and they lived in harsher conditions, she would still willingly endure it.


    With Xiaolian¡¯s help, Yu Hai stood up after such difficulty and sat on the tall wooden stool that Little Shitou brought over. His gaze turned gentle as he looked at Madam Liu. After they got married, his wife had never had a peaceful day. Not only did she worked hard every day, but she also suffered mental torture. Her originally fit figure be so thin that she was left with nothing but bones.


    He had always felt deeply apologetic towards Madam Liu. In the past, for the sake of peace at home, he had always believed that it was also a blessing to be taken advantage of and that everything would be fine if he just took a step back. However, his stepmother, Madam Zhang, and eldest sister-inw, Madam Li, became increasingly abusive because of his tolerance.


    Every year, he had earned over ten taels from hunting alone. Moreover, without him, it was impossible for their fishing boat to catch so many fish every day. He painstakingly worked for this family, yet his wife and children never had enough to eat nor warm clothes to wear. Furthermore, they also had to suffer from verbal and physical abuse...


    While he was in aa these past few days, he wasn¡¯tpletely unconscious. He had heard clearly and remembered everything that happened at home. Before he was injured, Madam Zhang had sent his ten year old son to work as an apprentice at a carpentry shop under the pretext that they couldn¡¯t support so many people in the family.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that his stepmother and the first branch would scheme against his two cute and sensible daughters when he was still alive! Even if he had to risk his life, he would never allow his own children to be sold!


    Xiaocao was correct! There was no ce for them in this family. If they continued to stay here, his family would be broken apart sooner orter. Split from the family! No matter how harsh their living conditions were, their whole family still had to stay together!


    ¡°Second Son! You¡¯re the one who mentioned splitting from the family. We never forced you!¡± Madam Zhang suppressed the tion within her heart and immediately eximed, afraid that Yu Hai would go back on his words.


    Yu Caidie looked at her second brother¡¯s injured leg, pulled on Madam Zhang¡¯s sleeve, and whispered, ¡°Second Brother hasn¡¯t recovered from his injury yet. Isn¡¯t it inappropriate to divide the family right now? Father won¡¯t agree either!¡±


    Madam Li interjected, ¡°What¡¯s inappropriate about it?! Second Brother-inw was the one who mentioned the separation. As long as he insists, Father can¡¯t do anything about it either! Youngest Sister-inw, stop being so muddle-headed. With such a family dragging us down, you will also have less dowry in the future!¡±


    Yu Hai looked at this stepmother and eldest sister-inw disappointedly. They had long been eager to kick them out of the family... This was also good. In the future, his wife wouldn¡¯t be mistreated at home anymore. His children also didn¡¯t need to be worried all day long that they would be scolded or beaten. With his ability, even if one of his legs was crippled, he still wouldn¡¯t let his family suffer from hunger and coldness.


    Madam Zhang red at her daughter and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s decided then! When your father and eldest brother returns, we¡¯ll get the vige head and the elders of the Yu Family as witnesses, and then divide the family!¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys quarreling in the morning? What do you mean dividing the family? Who wants to leave? Eldest Son¡¯s family?¡± Old Yu came in from outside, holding the fish that hadn¡¯t been sold. The eldest son, Yu Dashan, followed him inside with a fishing in his hands.


    Madam Li hastily exined, ¡°It¡¯s not me, Father! Second Brother-inw was the one who mentioned it!¡±


    ¡°Second Son? It¡¯s impossible for Second Son to make this suggestion when he¡¯s injured. He still hasn¡¯t passed the critical period, so why would he suggest splitting from the family on his own initiative?¡± Although Old Yu wasn¡¯t good at expressing his emotions, he wasn¡¯t foolish. He looked at all the strangers in the yard and furrowed his sparse brows.


    Madam Zhang quietly approached Trafficker Zhuang, stuffed a handful of copper coins into her hands, and quietly asked her to leave. Trafficker Zhuang held contempt for her behavior, so she pushed the money back and left in the ox cart that she came in.


    Old Yu usually kept silent and didn¡¯t interfere with the matters at home. But he had the final say in all the important matters in the family. Madam Zhang was still somewhat afraid of him, so she awkwardly exined, ¡°Second Son volunteered to leave the family in fear that he will be a burden to the family. Look, our third son needs to take an important exam next year. I heard that the third part of the county examination will take ce in the prefectural city. We need to prepare more money... Also, Heizi is approaching marriage age... there isn¡¯t enough space at home...¡±


    Old Yu frowned and red at her, while saying, ¡°What do you mean there isn¡¯t enough space at home?! Caidie will get married in a couple years, so won¡¯t we have a vacant room at that time? Second Son¡¯s leg hasn¡¯t recovered yet, but you¡¯re already so anxious to force him out of the house. Aren¡¯t you afraid that people will curse at you behind your back?!¡±


    ¡°How did it be me forcing him out? Second Son was the one who mentioned the separation. Even if they curse, it has nothing to do with me!¡± Madam Zhang screeched, ¡°Alright! So it turns out that this is how you, Old Yu, really thinks of me in your heart! I worked so hard for this family, but in the end, I¡¯m used of forcing my stepson out of the family. My God! How am I supposed to live now! It¡¯s better for me to just die than be an eyesore!¡±


    Madam Zhang sat on the ground, while smacking her thighs andmenting to the heavens. However, she didn¡¯t even manage to squeeze a teardrop out of her eyes for half a day. Yu Xiaocao inwardly rolled her eyes. What a scumbag! Of course, she would go for the clich¨¦d routine of crying, screaming, and killing herself.


    Yu Hai shook his drowsy head and looked towards his wife and children. Their faces were wan and thin because of long-term malnutrition. They had been wearing tattered clothes that were covered in patches for who knew how long. After that, he turned to look at the new attires that his stepmother and eldest sister-inw wore, which were made just before the New Year. He became even more determined on leaving this family. Anyway, they would definitely have a better and morefortable life than they did right now!

 Chapter 64 – Dividing the Family (2)

    <h4>Chapter 64 ¨C Dividing the Family (2)</h4>


    ¡°Father, separating from the main family and living apart was my idea! It has nothing to do with the situation involving Mother and Eldest Sister-inw!¡± Yu Hai spoke again as he looked at Old Yu.


    Old Yu¡¯s frown deepened as he scolded, ¡°What do you mean by separating from the family? Stop making a fuss! When your leg gets better, we can revisit this again!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly interjected, ¡°If we don¡¯t split from the main family, then the whole second branch will be sold out! Grandfather, if Father didn¡¯te out to save us, Xiaolian and I wouldn¡¯t be here anymore. We should separate from the family now so no one else gets any ideas to sell us again!¡±


    ¡°Selling people off? Old Yu¡¯s normally murky eyes suddenly revealed a coldness that sent shivers down people. He remembered that his wife had gone out earlier and then connected the dots. He red furiously at Madam Zhang and Madam Li and snarled, ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet. Let¡¯s see who has the guts to sell you!! The Yu Family will not do something as disgraceful as selling our sons and daughters!!¡±


    Old Yu seldom had his temper roused, so Madam Li lowered her head in shock and hid behind her mother-inw¡¯s back. Madam Zhang cowered down but still rebutted fiercely, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a servant girl at the Zhou Family? They won¡¯t have to worry about food or clothing and can even get paid one to two taels a month. Where else can you find such a good deal? We spent more than half of our money on treating Second Son¡¯s injuries. At that time, we didn¡¯t even know when he would wake up from hisa. His medication costs a few silver bits a day. Lately the family¡¯s ie has also decreased...I was just trying to think of the future of our whole family, ah!¡±


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t Second Son awake now? Don¡¯t ever bring up splitting the family up again!¡± Old Yu was well aware of Madam Zhang¡¯s true personality. When his first wife passed away, how did he make such an error of judgement and decide to marry such a troublesome wretch?


    In the past, he had also fought with Madam Zhang when she treated Second Son poorly. However, she always threw a colossal temper tantrum and would bewail about the family¡¯s troubles and her own difficulties. Sometimes, she would agree to change at the time, but in a blink of an eye would always revert back to her old ways.


    Back when Yu Hai was eight years old, he had almost drowned trying to catch fish in the river because he was so hungry. At that time, Old Yu had made a firm resolution to divorce her. However, he didn¡¯t expect for Madam Zhang to find out that she was pregnant with his unborn child. After fighting with her, he decided to keep her as his wife. Unexpectedly, after she gave birth to Third Son, Madam Zhang became even more harsh and severe. She was solely preupied with her own biological children and no longer took care of the son and daughter from Old Yu¡¯s first marriage.


    As the years passed by, everytime he rebuked her, she always made a scene and threw a temper tantrum. Gradually, the children grew up. For the sake of keeping the peace in the family, he could only turn a blind eye to her doings...only, it had made things difficult for Second Son¡¯s family.


    Old Yu always felt somewhat guilty inside regarding his kind hearted and capable second son. Doctor Sun had said that his right leg would likely be unfit for use in the future and if it was serious enough, he might even have to amputate it. Second Son¡¯s family had both sick and weak members. If they didn¡¯t split the family, as long as he was there, there would always be some food for them to eat...however if he passed away, and Second Son¡¯s children were older and could be of use...


    Contrary to his expectations, Yu Hai had made up his mind and he sincerely said, ¡°Father! If you truly love me as your son, then you would split my branch from the family! Your son is begging you!!¡±


    Seeing the earnest look in his son¡¯s eyes, Old Yu felt a sharp pang to his heart. When his first wife was dying, she repeatedly requested that he take good care of their son and daughter. However, he wasn¡¯t able to fulfill his promise. His oldest daughter had married someone who lived far away. The journey back to visit took around four to five days of travel. Ever since his daughter birthed children of her own, she rarely came back to visit her parental home. As for his first wife¡¯s most beloved son? He was now a cripple¡ªwhen he died, how would he could he face his first wife?


    Lost in his thoughts, Old Yu thought he could once again see that beautiful young girl in the field of green vegetables smiling sweetly at him again...


    With Madam Zhang¡¯s poor personality and the fact that his Second Son would be staying at home like a parasite in the future, Old Yu couldn¡¯t even imagine how cruel and harsh she would be. Forget it, if Second Son wanted to split from the main family then he should leave. In the future, he would just privately help them a little and they should still be able to live out their days...


    Following that, Old Yu told Dashan to invite his older brother and the vige chief toe over to discuss the details of separating their families.


    Old Yu¡¯s eldest brother, Yu Lichun, was outraged on his nephew¡¯s behalf, ¡°I say, Third Brother! Dahai is the most hardworking person in your family! Try to find your conscience and think a little! Isn¡¯t Dahai¡¯s hard work the reason why your whole family can live this way? He only just came out of hisa, and you want to push him out already. Can you face his dead mother now?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother-inw, Second Son is the one who wants to split. What does that have to do with us?¡± Madam Zhang was unhappy. All of these irrelevant people were here criticizing and being opinionated when it was just their own family affair to split off a branch. ¡®It¡¯s all well to talk but getting things done is another matter. If we don¡¯t separate, will one of you take care of Second Son¡¯s family?¡¯


    Yu Hai¡¯s second uncle, Yu Lixia, who lived outside the vige and rarely visited had a rather fiery personality. He red at her and growled, ¡°Men are talking here, how can a woman like you interject into official business?


    Madam Zhang grumbled resentfully under her breath, ¡°Our family is the one that¡¯s splitting off, how could it not be rted to me?


    Although on paper Dongshan Vige was a small fishing vige, the vige chief, Liu Jiashun, still had a lot of prestige. He nced at Madam Zhang, and she became quiet immediately. Only then did he open his mouth for the first time to speak to Old Yu, ¡°Brother Liqiu, what are your ns on splitting the family?¡±


    Old Yu puffed on his tobo pipe, thought a bit, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already have a n. We¡¯ll split the family assets equally into four. Dashan and his other brothers will all get a piece each, and then I and my wife will get a piece...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not okay! Caidie hasn¡¯t married yet and should also get a share! Otherwise, who will give her a dowry? The Zhan Family offered eight taels as a betrothal gift for her! Also, Third Son will be participating in the preliminary round of imperial examinations in the future. His expenses will be quite a lot. Are you saying that his brother who has left the family will be raising some money for him?¡± As soon as she heard the proposal, Madam Zhang instantly became unhappy and blurted out herints to show her objections.


    Old Yu tapped his pipe under the table and said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll split it into five equal parts and Caidie will have a portion! After we split the family, your mother and I will live with one of you and in the future our portion will go to that person¡¯s branch when we die. After wee to an agreement, it doesn¡¯t mean that splitting the family will lead to leaving the family. Second Son¡¯s family can still live in the main residence with us, that way we can live in harmony and not drift apart. Dahai earned most of the money for the family¡¯s new boat, and his legs aren¡¯t good anymore, so the boat will go to him. In the future, renting it out could be a form of ie...¡±


    Before he could finish what he was saying, Madam Li forcefully pulled on her husband¡¯s arm. Seeing that he didn¡¯t say anything, she promptly spoke, ¡°Father, Dashan and Heizi are the first son and first grandson of the family, so it is their duty to look after their parents and grandparents. Naturally, you two should live with us. However, my husband only knows how to go fishing to make an ie. If the boat is given to Second Brother-inw, are we supposed to eat and drink solely from the wind itself ah?¡±


    Madam Zhang had long been holding back herints and this time they finally all came out, ¡°Eldest Son¡¯s family is correct! As the head of the household, you are clearly being too biased! Without a fishing boat, how are we supposed to make a living? Do you still want Third Son to take his examinations? Do you still want Caidie to get married in the future? What about Heizi¡¯s future marriage? You really want all of our lives ah! I don¡¯t agree, I absolutely don¡¯t agree!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we also have three plots ofnd? Eldest Son and I can go into town and work some temporary jobs again...didn¡¯t we also live life like that before?¡± Old Yu stayed silent for a bit before he finally replied as he was thinking about his studious and talented Third Son.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s loud, shrill voice pierced the ears of everyone in the room as she hollered, ¡°The amount of crops produced by those three plots of sandynd in one year is only enough to feed our household for six months. In the past we had fewer children, I didn¡¯t dare to eat too much or get new clothing in an effort to save. We were only able to amass this much property with great difficulty. But you, you¡¯re giving it all to Second Son! Yes, Eldest Son was from my first marriage, if you don¡¯t care about him, then whatever! But aren¡¯t Third Son and Caidie both your flesh and blood? You old man, you¡¯re not giving us a living road! This is not okay! The fishing boat absolutely cannot be given to Second Son unless you want to strangle the rest of us to death!¡±


    The slow of speech and honest Eldest Son, Yu Dashan, also timidly interjected after being pinched by his wife several times, ¡°Father, other than fishing, I don¡¯t know how to do anything else. If I go into town, I won¡¯t be able to find any work...I also don¡¯t agree in giving the boat to Second Brother...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Mother and Father are living with us, while Youngest Sister-inw hasn¡¯t gotten married yet. Third Brother-inw is still in school and still needs to be with the family. Thus, the fishing boat absolutely cannot be given away!¡± Madam Li hastily agreed and stared at Old Yu pathetically.


    Both Yu Bo and Yu Caidie stayed silent with their heads lowered. No one could tell what their thoughts were on any of this.


    Yu Hai calmly listened to everyone and only now did he speak, ¡°Father, the doctor told me that my leg will never get better. It¡¯s still up in the air whether I can stand on them in the future. Even if I had the fishing boat, I wouldn¡¯t be able to go out to sea and catch fish. I don¡¯t want the fishing boat. As for the three plots ofnd, there¡¯s a decent amount of harvest to be had from them in a year. So just give thend to us and we¡¯ll have my wife and children farm them.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know how to catch fish so she really didn¡¯t care much about that fishing boat. She was currently thinking about the future. If they were still living together, it still wouldn¡¯t be a clean break. If their branch suddenly started living well, with Madam Zhang¡¯s and Madam Li¡¯s temperaments, wouldn¡¯t they still cause trouble for them every couple of days? What did they have to do to live farther from this pack of wolves?


    Just as she was thinking, her father spoke again, ¡°Eldest Brother¡¯s child is about to grow up and Third Brother can only squeeze into the tiny west room when he visits. If our whole family still lived together, it would definitely be crowded. How about you give the Yu Family¡¯s old residence to us? After cleaning it up a bit, it should be livable...¡±


    The Yu Family¡¯s old residence was at the foot of the West Mountains and it was a three-room house made of mud bricks. It also had a decently sized courtyard and behind the rooms was arge pond. Back when Yu Hai¡¯s mother was still alive, the whole family had lived there. Later, as their circumstances got better, the whole family moved into the vige, where it was closer to the sea.


    No one had lived in the old residence for the past ten years. Although every year they would go back and do some small fixes, no one knew how much damage there was on the house. Madam Zhang thought for a bit, decided not to make a fuss, but wished she could still keep those three plots of sandynd. Even though thend didn¡¯t produce a lot, not having it meant that in the future they would need to spend money to eat grains and starches. It was not surprising Madam Zhang wanted to keep it. However,pared to the fishing boat, the three plots ofnd were really not as important.


    In the end, other than the shabby, old residence and those three plots ofnd, Xiaocao¡¯s family also got a cooking pot, a few bowls and tes, and some farming tools. When Old Yu raised the issue of splitting the money into five parts, Madam Zhang¡¯s face turned so dark that someone might have thought her mother had died.


    However, with the vige chief and the rest of the Yu Family elders present, no one would believe her if she said that there wasn¡¯t any money. She reluctantly fished out a few strings of copper and a few silver bits from a jar and threw them onto the kang bed. She huffily said, ¡°When Second Son got injured, we spent almost all of our money. Look, this is what¡¯s left!¡±


    Xiaocao eyeballed the money and estimated that the coins and bits together at most came out to be about ten taels, and they needed to split them five ways. Her family could only get two taels at most. It wasn¡¯t even enough to fix their new home!

 Chapter 65 – Old Residence

    <h4>Chapter 65 ¨C Old Residence</h4>


    Madam Zhang felt Old Yu¡¯splicated gazeing over and felt her heart freeze. She was afraid that he might say something that shouldn¡¯t be said, so she took a deep breath and screamed at him, ¡°There¡¯s no more! It¡¯s just this much! We don¡¯t have a mountain of money at home! After spending more than ten taels on medication, how much money can be left over?¡±


    Xiaocao could tell that the old woman was using her loud voice to cover up her inner turmoil. She knew there had to be more money at home; however, as long as they could smoothly split their families apart, they didn¡¯t need to squabble too much over other things. But, she didn¡¯t want Madam Zhang to pull the wool over everyone else¡¯s eyes, so she said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing more, then there¡¯s nothing more! Why are you yelling? If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think you¡¯re trying to hide something!¡±


    ¡°Hide something? What do I need to hide? You little brat, all you know how to do is talk back to your elders. This past morning I really should have sold you off...¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s face twisted into a grim expression. If the vige chief and the rest of the family elders weren¡¯t here, she would have long ran over and pped the chit on the face.


    ¡°Who are you to be able to say whether you can sell my Yu Family¡¯s grandsons and granddaughters?¡± That morning an unfamiliar woman had stopped by Old Yu house, and the rumors had said that she was a trafficker matron in town. There were no walls that didn¡¯t have cracks in the world. The whole vige already knew that Madam Zhang and Madam Li had tried to sell the twins.


    As the eldest, Yu Lichun red fiercely at her and looked dignified and imposing. However, everyone had underestimated Madam Zhang¡¯s shrewish fury.


    In the end, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family had only received two taels, as Madam Zhang¡¯s temper tantrum ability and spoiled whining had been turned on to her highest capacity. That night, Old Yu sat at the head of the kang bed and smoked his tobo pipe, turning an indifferent eye towards Madam Zhang¡¯s small acts at currying favor with him.


    Madam Zhang let out a sigh and said, ¡°I know you me me for not taking out the three hundred taels that Hunter Zhao sent to us to split between the branches. But I was doing it for the good of our family! In the past, you had always thought that Second Son was hard working and capable, so the family revolved around him. But he¡¯s gotten injured, so now our entire family¡¯s hopes are all on Third Son¡¯s shoulders now. Didn¡¯t the teacher always praise Third Son¡¯s efforts? Next year, after the examination is over, if he passes it, then the teacher will rmend him to the academy of the famous schr, Teacher Yuan. I had asked around and Schr Yuan is a rare talent who had ced first in the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and the imperial pce examination in the past dynasty. His academy has turned out schrs who¡¯ve ced second and third in the imperial pce examination, not to mention how many other schrs who have passed it too. Didn¡¯t they say that our third son has a glorious fate and has the possibility of passing the imperial examinations? We definitely can¡¯t let this opportunity go by!¡±


    Seeing that Old Yu¡¯s expression had improved perceptibly, Madam Zhang continued cajoling, ¡°I know that these three hundred taels were in exchange for Second Son¡¯s leg, but just think, if Third Son makes it, in the future when he has a schr-official¡¯s ie, we¡¯ll just give Second Branch some more. Then it¡¯s fine!¡±


    Old Yu held the tobo pipe in his mouth but didn¡¯t inhale from it for a long time. In the end, he let out a deep sigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ve failed Dahai¡¯s mother, I didn¡¯t take care of those two kids...I even stole the money that Dahai¡¯s risked his life to get, ah...¡±


    Madam Zhang felt a burst of jealousy rise in her heart when she saw that Old Yu was still thinking of that dead ghost. However, for the sake of those three hundred taels, she restrained herself and didn¡¯t start an argument with the old man. With the three hundred taels firmly in her hands and the money spending Second Son¡¯s entire family expelled, the taste of sweetness in her mouth was even more delicious than honey.


    With their long-standing wish to have the family separate finally fulfilled and their father also looking more energetic, the three siblings were happier than they had been during the New Year celebrations. They surrounded their parents and chattered andughed endlessly.


    Madam Liu¡¯s heart was full of uncertainties towards their future. However, the obvious happiness of her children and the thought of no longer being under Madam Zhang¡¯s abuse and being in charge of her own household made her gently smile.


    It was this exact same, sweet smile that had captured Yu Hai¡¯s heart so many years ago. However, ever since she married into the Yu family, the smile that made his heart skip a beat was seen less and less often as the years went by.


    Despite the children being nearby, Yu Hai furtively linked his hand with his wife¡¯s and smiled at her winsomely. Madam Liu¡¯s face flushed a bright red and she made a token resistance before she stopped, leaving their hands together.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help butugh, her eyes curving up in joy, when she saw the two of them being lovey-dovey. Yu Hai sensed that she was looking at them and spoke to his most beloved daughter, ¡°Cao¡¯er, were you terribly frightened these past few days?¡±


    ¡°No, I always knew that father would wake up. Father could never bear to leave us all alone!¡± Yu Xiaocao cleverly sat next to her father and lifted her head to look at him.


    ¡°Of course! One is bound for good fortune after surviving a great disaster! In the future, our family will continue to do better and better!¡± Yu Hai couldn¡¯t help but hug his daughter close to him when he thought about how he had almost died and would never see his beloved family and clever daughter again. Although he was her father, Yu Xiaocao was not used to being hugged by an adult man, so she slipped out of his hold and smiled, ¡°Father, the poultice on your leg needs to changed. I¡¯ll do it for you!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s leg injury was extremely severe as almost all of the flesh on it had been torn into pieces by the ck bear. If Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t been treating him every day with the little divine stone and washing the wound with mystic-stone water, his leg likely would have rotted from the inside out.


    Xiaocao carefully removed the bandages and used the mystic-stone water to wash off the old dressings. The scary-looking wound had already started growing new skin and flesh. Yesterday, Doctor Sun hade over to check up on him. The doctor was amazed at Yu Hai¡¯s healing abilities. Anyone else with such a wound would have had their leg amputated by this time.


    Yu Xiaocao refused her mother¡¯s offer of help and pounded the fever reducing medication that Doctor You had left behind into a fine powder. She then mixed the powder with the mystic-stone water to create a thick paste before she carefully applied the mixture to her father¡¯s wounds.


    Yu Hai sighed in relief as the cool and refreshing poultice covered and soothed the itchy wound. He looked at his second daughter with gratitude and said, ¡°After Xiaocao hit her head, not only did her body get healthy, but she¡¯s also be a lot more deft and clever. She easily learned all of the dense and hard-to-learn medical knowledge. Is this another transformation that the God of Fortune did?¡±


    Yu Xiaocau carefully bandaged the dressing on the wound and raised her head to smile at him when she heard his words. She didn¡¯t agree or refute what her father had said.


    That night, when the whole family was asleep, Yu Xiaocao once again pushed the little divine stone to release its hard earned spiritual energy to heal Yu Hai¡¯s ravaged and torn tendons.


    The water in this world was clear and pure. In addition, the little divine stone had also helped its master to save her father. All of these factorsbined loosened its shackles, and its speed at absorbing spiritual energy had increased immensely. It was convinced that it would soon be able to materialize its physical form and openly appear in front of everyone. However, the energy that it painstakingly gathered every day was always used to treat Yu Hai¡¯s leg injury. This made the little stone feel gloomy and depressed.


    Luckily, it discovered that every time it used up all its spiritual energy, the shackles confining it would loosen a little more. It was especially prominent whenever it was healing people¡¯s injuries, like its master¡¯s head wound or its master¡¯s father¡¯s leg.


    The clever little divine stone couldn¡¯t help but grumble inwardly: ¡®Don¡¯t tell me that every time I help my master is when the Goddess of Spirit¡¯s shackles will loosen on me?¡¯ This was theint it had lodged within its heart but this was also the reason why it continued to help Xiaocao heal her father¡¯s injury.


    The next day, Xiaocao¡¯s whole family was finally able to sleep until they woke up naturally. When Madam Zhang got up and saw that there was no one feeding the pigs, the chickens were clucking in hunger, there was no firewood gathered, no one was sweeping, and no one was washing the clothes, she couldn¡¯t help but rush towards the west room and holler, ¡°How long are you all going to sleep like the dead? Do you know what time it is?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao opened the door and looked at Madam Zhang with a faint smile on her face, ¡®Grandmother, it must have slipped your mind. We already split our family, so each branch is living independently. If you want us to feed the pigs and chickens, does that mean you want to give us a fifth of those animals?¡±


    Madam Zhang choked down the abuse she had wanted to hurl and nced at the east room¡¯s messily attired Madam Li, who was leaning against the doorframe watching the show. Her fury had found a new target, and she screamed, ¡°Lazy woman, why don¡¯t you quickly start getting to work? If you can¡¯t finish, don¡¯t bother eating breakfast!¡±


    The expression on Madam Li¡¯s face changed instantly. She realized that she would have to be like Madam Liu in the future: working endlessly from dawn to dusk. She silently grumbled inside.


    After more than ten years of marriage, she had only been ordered around by Madam Zhang during the first year. Ever since Madam Liu married into the family, she had taken it easy and lived a leisurely life. Now that she suddenly had to do housework again, she really didn¡¯t know where she should start. For the whole morning, she muddled through the multitude of tasks while being criticized by her mother-inw the whole time.


    Her youngest sister-inw, Yu Caidie, couldn¡¯t stand by idly and watch, so she helped to sweep the floor and feed the chickens. Like this, by the time it was time to make breakfast, they hadn¡¯t even gathered the necessary firewood. When Old Yu came back home, the kitchen was still cold and silent. Up until noon, he had to endure his hunger pains, and only then did he get to eat a breakfast that was poorly made.


    Old Yu had an ugly expression on his face as he sighed. In the future, without Madam Liu and the others, it would be impossible to have the residence all tidied up and orderly like it was before. He put down his bowl and chopsticks to go to the old residence to see if there was anything he could help with.


    As for Xiaocao andpany, after enjoying the melodramatic y in the courtyard, they had eaten their breakfast at the crack of dawn and left to go to the old residence at the foot of the West Mountains. Yu Hai was left at the main residence to recuperate.


    The old residence and the current Yu Family residence was about a half an hour walk from each other. Although it was said to be at the foot of the mountains, it was really about one to two kilometers away. With the glorious scenery of mountains and water, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s good mood could not be ruined even if the old residence was about to fall apart. She had no doubt that they would be able to do well and even thrive in their new environment. Adapting to their new home was not a question.


    The shabby old residence was in such bad condition that it made people gasp. Even though every year they would go back and fix things, that was only enough to guarantee that the whole house wouldn¡¯t fall down. This year¡¯s snows were heavy, so one of the rooms had also been crushed by the weight of the snow. Although in the spring they had hastily fixed it a bit, that room was currently not fit for living inhabitants.


    The broken down house had a courtyard with weeds growing everywhere. On the side was a bamboo fence that had mostly fallen over. Wild hares had nested in the courtyard and, when they heard there were people, they zipped out with a ¡®whoosh¡¯ and scared them. Little Shitou cheerfully chased after the wild hares. Madam Liu quietly let out a breath in relief and started to pull up the weeds from the courtyard with her two daughters.


    The old residence was located in a more remote area. In the vicinity, there were only a few neighbors. On the left, about two hundred meters away was the Zhou Family who raised chickens to make a living. Madam Fang had married into the Zhou Family and had a good rtionship with Madam Liu. When she saw them all stooped over fighting with the weeds, she also brought over her two daughters to help. The Zhou Family had one son and two daughters. The oldest daughter, Zhou Linglong, was fourteen years old and was already on the marriage market. The younger daughter, Zhou Shanhu, was only nine and had an innocent and open personality. Her favorite thing to do was to y with the Xiaocao and Xiaolian together.


    Uncle Zhou, Zhou Danian, started out as a street peddler. His son, Zhou Wenhua, had gone to school for two years and then followed his father in buying and selling goods. When it wasn¡¯t busy at home, he would go to the vige and walk up and down the streets selling household goods, such as needles and thread. They also had about a hundred chickens at home. Due to that, they were among the small number of families in the vige who could afford to eat wheat flour and white rice on the regr.


    ¡°Brother Han!¡± Little Shitou, who was holding a small sickle and was using it to cut the weeds, raised his head and saw a familiar figure. He greeted the person cheerfully.


    Zhao Han rolled up his sleeves and also grabbed a sickle. He stooped over and started to work as he said, ¡°I heard you all are about to move here, so I came over. Is there anything I can help with?¡±

 Chapter 66 – Maternal Family

    <h4>Chapter 66 ¨C Maternal Family</h4>


    Madam Liu replied with embarrassment, ¡°Little Han, there¡¯s not much to do here. With your Auntie Zhou here to help, you really don¡¯t need to help us...¡±


    ¡°Auntie, your words wrongfully make me an outsider. I consider Xiaocao and Shitou to be as close to me as true siblings are. We¡¯re all one family, so don¡¯t make it into separate ones. In the future if anythinges up, please speak up!¡±


    Little Shitou was gleefully happy and arge smile bloomed on his face, ¡°Brother Han, in the future our two families will live closer, soing and going will be much more easy! I used to eat your family¡¯s food all the time, but from now on you shoulde over and taste my second sister¡¯s skills! My second sister is a really good cook; she even made bean flour noodles taste better than wheat flour noodles!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Then in the future my stomach will be very fortunate!¡± Zhao Han raised his head to look at Xiaocao¡¯s back for a second and then bent over again to cut the weeds.


    Perhaps it was because the family branch had split off, but Little Shitou finally revealed his lively side as a small boy. He chattered non-stop but it didn¡¯t dy his work. The small sickle in his hand shed constantly in being swung around.


    The little roe deer next to him had seemingly also been infected by his excited mood. It leapt through the underbrush and would asionally lower its head to snip a nt off and present it like a treasure to Xiaocao, as if it was trying to ask forpliments and rewards.


    On the other side, Madam Liu and Madam Fang also kept busy. The two of them worked as they talked.


    After looking at the shabby old house, Madam Fang couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°The Yu Family¡¯s matriarch really is something! Brother Dahai earned so much money for the family but they only gave two taels to you. What can you do with two taels, it¡¯s not even enough to fix the house! Younger Sister Muyun, if you don¡¯t have enough money, feel free to tell me. We don¡¯t have a lot at home but we definitely can take out several taels worth. The weather is still cold now, so no matter what you guys should get that house fixed up.¡±


    Liu Muyun was so moved by her words that tears came to her eyes. She threw herself into pulling up more weeds to hide her emotions and replied quietly, ¡°Thank you in advance, Danian¡¯s wife...¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for? In the future, we¡¯ll be neighbors. A rtive afar is less use than a close neighbor. If there¡¯s anything I can do to help, please tell me!¡± Madam Fang swiftly swung the sickle across the ground to cut the weeds. At a nce, one could tell she was a hardworking woman.


    The family on the west side opened the gate in their rear courtyard and let a flock of ducks into the pond behind the residence. When the person saw that there was activity here, she came over to look things over and said, ¡°Hey! Dahai¡¯s wife! You guys are really moving over? Oh my oh my, Uncle Yu and Auntie Yu are really heartless. How can anyone live in this shabby old house...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised her head and saw a woman with high cheekbones and thin lips. Howe the more she thought about it the more she felt that the woman¡¯s words seemed to be implying that she was taking delight in their poor circumstances?


    ¡°Don¡¯t give her any attention! If you take Madam Mao¡¯s words to heart, then you will really die of anger. Just pretend it¡¯s a sparrow chirping and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± The Zhou Family and Qian Family were the only two neighbors within a one kilometer vicinity of the old residence. The Zhou Family raised chickens, and the Qian Family raised ducks. The market for chicken eggs and live chickens were obviously better than the demand for ducks. The Qian Family¡¯s daughter-inw, Madam Mao, also had a sharp tongue and a big mouth, and whenever she saw Madam Fang she only had prickly words to say.


    In the beginning, Madam Fang would also bicker a bit with her. Later on, after the two families hade to an understanding, she knew that Madam Mao didn¡¯t truly have any personality problems besides her ability to make someone hate her as soon as she opened her mouth. Most of the women and girls in the vige had all shied away from her as a result of that. It was only Madam Fang who didn¡¯t let it bother her too much in an effort to keep the peace between neighbors.


    Madam Mao apparently also realized that what she said earlier didn¡¯t sound too good, so she hastily interjected, ¡°If you need someone to help you fix up the house,e to my house and ask. My husband may not have any other skills but he sure is strong. In the future we¡¯ll be neighbors, so it¡¯s right and proper that we help each other. Don¡¯t stop your work on ount of me, I need to go to the docks to see if there are any fish for sale. I need to buy one for my son, Wen¡¯er, to nourish his body...¡±


    Madam Fang quietlymented, ¡°Madam Mao¡¯s eldest son goes to school in town and it¡¯s said that he¡¯s doing quite well. She¡¯ll brag about him at any opportunity she can get. Like today, Qian Wen ising home today to take a break and she has to bring it up.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know! Brother Qian Wen is really awesome, and he even ced first on thest exam!¡± Little Shitou interjected as he followed Zhao Han like a little tail, roving around happily.


    Madam Liu watched her noticeably more lively son and smiled gently, ¡°All parents treasure their children. In a mother¡¯s eyes, their own children are always the best.¡±


    Madam Fang thought a bit then smiled, ¡°That¡¯s true, that¡¯s true! Even though my son, Hua¡¯er, doesn¡¯t have schrly talents, but since he was young he has helped his father peddle goods on the streets. He doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s hard work and instead takes great pleasure in it. We have about a hundred or so chickens at home, but with my two daughters at home, I hardly have to ask and they¡¯ll take care of them...¡±


    Madam Liu nced at her two daughters who were both steadily clearing out the weeds. Her eyes revealed a faint glow of happiness and she said, ¡°Our children are all sensible and hardworking...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao turned her head around and grinned, ¡°Mother, Auntie Zhou, you should speak softer! If people overheard this conversation, they¡¯ll all think the two of you like to give false praise!¡±


    Madam Liu and Madam Fang bothughed and looked at her. Madam Fang replied, ¡°Splitting the family was a good thing. Xiaocao¡¯s personality has be more lively; she¡¯s even making fun of us.¡±


    Madam Liu nodded her head and said, ¡°Cao¡¯er¡¯s body has also gotten better, and she¡¯s be much more lively. As her mother, I now feel a lot more relieved. If only her father¡¯s leg would get better...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll get better, it¡¯ll get better! Good things will happen to good people, Brother Dahai¡¯s leg will definitely be cured!¡± Madam Fang had also heard of Yu Hai¡¯s wounded leg and hastilyforted Madam Liu.


    ¡°Second Sister, Second Sister! Look! Brother Xiaowu and I found some wild pheasant eggs in the grove, there are three total!¡± Later on, Eldest Sister can boil them, then Father, Mother, and Second Sister can each have one to eat!¡±


    Just as everyone had almost finished clearing the weeds from the front and back courtyards, Little Shitou, who had gone out with the next door neighbor, Qian Wu, came back. No one knew where they had gone, but Little Shitou still had leaves and grass in his hair as he held the pheasant eggs in his hands with arge grin on his face.


    The second daughter from the Zhou Family, Shanhu, deliberately teased him, ¡°You want your eldest sister to help cook the eggs, but you¡¯re not giving her a share. Little Shitou, are you not afraid of Xiaolian using you of being biased?¡±


    Little Shitou nced at Xiaolian, and then gleefully replied, ¡°Older Sister wouldn¡¯t do that! Father is injured while Mother and Second Sister¡¯s bodies are weak. If Eldest Sister had good food to eat, she would also give it to them first.¡±


    Madam Fang rubbed the little guy¡¯s head and smiled, ¡°Younger Sister Muyun, your son is so sensible. People like us, ah, we don¡¯t need to envy other people, we just need to live our own lives to the fullest.¡±


    No one wanted to monopolize the three pheasant eggs. Thus, Xiaocao proposed to use them to make egg drop soup. Every single member of the five person family happily drank a bowl of the soup.


    At around lunch, Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother, three uncles, and aunts all came over with a borrowed ox cart. The cart was stuffed full with household goods meant to be used in this new home. Thergest items were tables and stools, the smaller items were pots, bowls,dles and basins. Some were new and some were items that were pre-owned.


    When Yu Hai first got injured, Grandmother Liu hade over the see them and even left behind two taels for her daughter to give to her grandson and granddaughters to buy food to eat. As soon as the Liu Family left, the two taels were confiscated by Madam Zhang who said that she needed to take them to pay for Yu Hai¡¯s medical fees.


    Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother, Madam Yao, could tell that her daughter and grandchildren¡¯splexion had all improved a lot, and felt the worries ease in her heart. She hugged Shitou closely and spoke to Madam Liu with a slightly choked up voice, ¡°It¡¯s good to split, it¡¯s good to split! At least in the future you won¡¯t have to be your mother-inw¡¯s punching bag anymore.¡±


    Madam Liu wiped the corners of her eyes and smiled, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Although our future may be a little harder, it¡¯s good to be the one in charge of the household. I don¡¯t have to think about other people¡¯s moods or worry about my children being beaten and scolded. Living in hardship will still taste sweet.¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s maternal family lived on the other side of the mountain, and they only had four plots of drynd to farm. Thus, they also didn¡¯t have a veryfortable life. Madam Liu had two older brothers and one younger brother. The eldest one, Liu Pei, had a strong and muscr body. During the off season, he often went out to take temporary jobs. His wife, Madam Han, usually went to the docks to sell things and could often earn a couple bits to subsidize the ie at home.


    Eldest Uncle¡¯s family only had two girls. The oldest one was named Liu Feiying and was fourteen years old. She was already betrothed and was just waiting until she reached marriageable age, fifteen, before she married. Their second daughter, Liu Feiyan, was around the age of Xiaocao¡¯s eldest brother, Yu Hang. The two families had even joked about having them marry each other in the future.


    Second Uncle, Liu Han, was an honest and hardworking man. He was the expert in nting, and the few fields they had were managed by him and Cao¡¯er¡¯s maternal grandfather. The output from these fields were somewhat better than other people¡¯s. Although Second Aunt, Madam Hu, was a little bit selfish, she didn¡¯t have any other ring problems. She had birthed two sons and a daughter, so she felt that she was superior to Eldest Aunt, who didn¡¯t have a son.


    Third Uncle, Liu Hao, was the youngest in the family and it could be said that Madam Liu had done half of his upbringing. Therefore, he was the one closest to his older sister. The year beforest, he had married Madam Bian, and they had a son who had not yet turned one. Liu Hao had been apprenticed to a vige carpenter and had learned woodworking. Thus, he often went out to find carpentry work to make money. Third Aunt, Madam Bian, was skilled at embroidery and could often sell her work every month.


    The Liu Family had not split its branches off, and the three sons were all filial and respectful. All the money they made was given to their mother, Madam Yao, to keep. However, Madam Yao was not like the stingy and parsimonious Madam Zhang. Other than spending the money on the family¡¯s food and clothing, from time to time, she would also give her daughters-inw some spending money. The Liu Family had few providers but a lot of mouths to feed, so they didn¡¯t have a lot of ie. Thus, they weren¡¯t able to save a lot of money from year to year.


    The previous evening, Madam Yao had heard that her daughter and son-inw had split off from the family. Madam Liu had a lot of young children and an injured husband. In addition, their branch was only given three plots of sandynd and an old, broken-down, three-room house. With her daughter having such poor resources, Madam Yao couldn¡¯t idly sit by. This morning, at dawn, she had packed up household goods, such as bedding and utensils, and borrowed an ox cart to rush over there.


    The Liu Family lived in Xishan Vige and the West Mountain was in-between Xishan Vige and Dongshan vige. Traversing by foot through the forests of the mountain usually only took one hour. However, bringing an ox cart over required skirting around that area on a different road, which took twice as long as the mountainous trail.


    Before the sun rose, Madam Yao and her sons and daughters-inw left home to go to her daughter¡¯s new home. They had only arrived at noon and even had to eat their breakfast of dried rations on the road.


    When she saw that the old house¡¯s roof had almost fallen off, Madam Yao felt angry and distressed. Their inws were really too excessive! They almost let her daughter and her son-inw leave with barely any clothes on their backs. Having a stepmother really meant that one had a stepfather! Madam Yao was also very familiar with Madam Zhang¡¯s shrewish and crafty personality. Even if she confronted the old woman, it would be of no use.


    She fished out a bulging embroidered pouch from her pocket and stuffed it into Madam Liu¡¯s hands and said in a voice choked with emotion, ¡°Yunzi, the pouch has ten taels in it. Take it and use it to fix the house. The earlier you move out, the better it is, so you can avoid the enmity of others. As for those three plots ofnd, don¡¯t worry about them. This past year, we have more sweet potato seedlings than before, so during spring I can have your brotherse over and help you nt some...¡±

 Chapter 67 – Building a House

    <h4>Chapter 67 ¨C Building a House</h4>


    Madam Liu also knew that her maternal family¡¯s circumstances were not great. Saving a couple taels a year was considered good for them. Because she had a weak constitution, her mother would subsidize her from time to time. When her children¡¯s father had an ident, the family had already taken over two taels to help...to be able to give her ten taels now, she didn¡¯t know where her mother had gone to borrow the money.


    She pushed the pouch back and said, ¡°The mud bricks on the house are still usable. As long as we chop some trees down to fix the beams of the roof and then rethatch it with straw, it will be livable. Mother, you and the family also don¡¯t have an easy time at home. My older brothers and their wives all live frugally and it¡¯s only with great difficulty does the family get to save some money. How could you continue to subsidize, me, a daughter who has already gotten married?¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s eldest sister-inw, Madam Han, took the embroidered pouch from Madam Yao and stuffed it into her younger sister-inw¡¯s hands and said, ¡°You and your family will be living in this house, so it¡¯s important that it getspletely fixed. I already looked it over, the kang beds in all of the rooms are unusable. Also this bamboo fence...Younger Sister¡¯s family lives far away from the vige and next to arge mountain, this fence is not safe enough. With all these expenses, ten taels may not even be enough! Quickly take it, don¡¯t be polite to your own family members!¡±


    The expression on her second sister-inw¡¯s, Madam Hu, face continued to darken. The family had so little resources but her mother-inw had taken all of it and given it to her younger sister-inw. A married daughter is like spilt water. How could the maternal family continue to subsidize her? She didn¡¯t have the guts to rebel against her mother-inw¡¯s wishes but when she heard her elder sister-inw¡¯s words, a tiny sneer slowly grew on her face. She twisted her head around and lightly ¡°tsked...¡±a breath.


    Second Son Liu Han heard her, and he frowned and gave her a re in warning. The expression on his face seemed to say, ¡®if you decide to be a shrewish woman and say something unpleasant, then you¡¯re in for it when we get home¡¯. Madam Hu had a cold-hearted, selfish personality but Xiaocao¡¯s second uncle could keep her in check. She knew that her husband was very filial, and she usually only dared to bicker with her fellow sisters-inw. However, in front of her mother-inw, she never had the guts to say a word.


    After receiving a re from her husband, Madam Hu immediately settled down and lowered her head. Not a peep could be heard from her.


    The third son, Liu Hao, unloaded a sack of sweet potatoes for the cer and grinned, ¡°Older Sister! Just take the money. If you don¡¯t, mother will be angry ah!¡±


    Madam Liu wanted to persist in refusing but Yu Xiaocao came up and took the pouch for her and said, ¡°Mother, this money is the sum of Grandmother¡¯s, Uncles¡¯, and Aunts¡¯ good heart and intentions for you. You should take it. That being said, we really do need this money. If you feel guilty about taking it, then think of it as a loan. Later on we¡¯ll return it after we earn some money.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Yunzi, you¡¯re not even as clever as your child! You must be Xiaolian, right? After not seeing you for a few days, it looks like you¡¯ve be a lot more pale.¡± Madam Yao linked her hand with Xiaocao¡¯s and repeatedlyplimented her.


    Yu Xiaocao gently giggled, ¡°Grandmother, I¡¯m Xiaocao. Xiaolian took Little Shitou with her to pick up firewood.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao and Xiaolian were twins, so naturally, they looked very simr to each other. However, when Xiaocao was first born, she had a very weak body and was the thinner and paler of the two. On the flip side, Xiaolian had grown up doing household chores with Madam Liu, so her skin was on the tanner side. When the two girls stood next to each other, it was very easy to tell them apart. However, after consistently drinking mystic-stone water for half a year, Xiaocao¡¯s body had recovered immensely and Xiaolian¡¯s skin had be more white. It was bing more and more difficult for people to distinguish between the two.


    Madam Yao watched the energetic Xiaocao contently and spoke to Madam Liu, ¡°With Xiaocao¡¯s health better, it must be arge weight off of your shoulders. From my point of view, it looks like yourplexion has be more rosy too. Did your mother-inw have a sliver of conscience and decide to invite the doctor overtely for you?¡±


    ¡°How could she ever bear to spend money on me? Whenever I got ill in the past, she always used me of faking it and refused to let Xiaocao¡¯s father to get the doctor, let alone now. I feel like my body has gotten healthier over the past half year. Also, Dahai had surreptitiously made me take medicine the whole winter without the rest of the family¡¯s knowledge. Although I felt more tiredtely taking care of the children¡¯s father, I still think my body feels more limber and dexterous than before. The other day I had fallen asleep on the side of the bed inadvertently but the next day I didn¡¯t get sick. I think my illness has finally healed. Mother, please don¡¯t worry about me anymore.¡±


    Madam Liu felt baffled and joyful at the same time. If even she fell ill in the household, then their family really had nowhere to go.


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed the five-colored stone on her wrist and sniggered inside. The Liu brothers first cleaned and organized the wooden rooms. After fixing them more or less, they started to move the items they brought inside. Madam Liu took her two daughters-inw (Author¡¯s note: Third daughter-inw¡¯s child was still young, so she couldn¡¯t pull herself away toe) and cleaned up the courtyard in another round. Before any of them could stop and take a break, they rushed home with the ox cart.


    Although Madam Yao wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied with leaving things as they were, but she knew that with her daughter¡¯s family of five all squeezed into one room, even if they stayed overnight there would be no ce for them to sleep. They needed to get back to Xishan Vige before the sun set. Thus, they only said, ¡°We¡¯ll see you again in two days¡±, and left in a hurry. In contrast, the three Liu brothers stayed behind to help their younger sister and her husband to fix their house before nting season started.


    Yu Hai was an honest and kind hearted man. If another family needed help, as long as they asked him, he would always help them enthusiastically. He had a good reputation in Dongshan Vige. When the vigers heard that he needed to fix up the old residence, many of them came one after another to help.


    The oldest son of Dahai¡¯s Eldest Uncle, Yu Lichun, knew how toy bricks. Under the urging of his father, he stopped taking outside jobs and came over to help. For the next several days, Yu Lichun brought over his three sons and two grandsons, and they were always the first to arrive andst to leave. Although Dahai¡¯s Second Uncle, Yu Lixia, lived far away, he only sent over one son over as he himself wasn¡¯t feeling well.


    A bunch of Dahai¡¯s old friends who had yed with him since they were tots had alsoe over to form dirt bricks, build a wall with the bricks, and cut down lumber...and they all did so enthusiastically. Hunter Zhao, who was good friends with him, also punctually came over every day with his son, Zhao Han, to deliver game and help them after they finished hunting. In addition, their new neighbors on their left and right alsoe over every day without anyone to ask.


    Generally speaking, when you had people over to help you with your house, you needed to be responsible for two meals. All of these people knew that Yu Hai had just split from the family and didn¡¯t have much food in storage, so all of them brought their own food over every day and refused to eat even a mouthful of theirs. The whole family felt incredibly grateful and Xiaocao had finally experienced the simple and good-natured kindness of those who lived in the ancient times.


    Many hands make light work. The work on the three-roomed house, courtyard, and wall had been finished in ten days. Madam Liu shed tears of joy when she saw the brand new house with itsrge and spacious courtyard. The three siblings chattered in the courtyard with bright smiles on their faces. They were incredibly happy¡ªall of them finally had a home of their own...


    The Liu brothers had chopped enough firewood to fill the whole storage area in the kitchen and also cleaned up the well before they left. After letting the house air out for two days, Yu Hai, whose leg has healed enough for him to walk on crutches, brought his family to move in.


    During the past ten or so days, other than Old Yu and Dashaning over every afternoon to help, not even the shadow of the other family members were seen. With the house finished, Yu Hai invited the vigers and neighbors over to celebrate. Only then did Madam Li bring her son over to visit.


    Whenever anyone in the vige constructed a new house or moved into one, it was necessary for them to celebrate with a party. The construction of this house was done entirely by the help of others. In addition, most of the materials used was from the local area. The muddy y used for the bricks were dug from the side of the vige levee. The beams and rafters came from lumber from felled trees in the mountains. Even the rice straw thatching came from the vigers gathering it up from all over the ce.


    Originally, Xiaocao wanted to buy some ceramic tiles for the roof to create a house that was simr to the current Yu Residence. However, when she remembered she only had ten taels on hand, she discarded that idea. Once again, she regretted investing all of her money in Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s business venture. She looked on the bright side and consoled herself by thinking, ¡®A sod house is also good, warm in the winter and cool in the summer...¡¯


    Argh! This Third Young Master Zhou was so busy. At the start of spring, he was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground. Not only was he establishing the workshops but he was also nning on opening a Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital. He travelled constantly between the capital and Tanggu Town, and no one ever knew exactly where he was. Xiaocao had actually wanted to ask him for help but she could never find him!


    Luckily, the house had been restored and it didn¡¯t take more than a few taels to do it. Yu Hai felt deep gratitude in his heart for the vigers who had helped them. Thus, when they were preparing for the party, he made sure to get some good food to thank them.


    When Hunter Zhao heard that Yu Hai only received two taels after splitting from the family, he felt both angry and guilty at the same time. In order to save him, Yu Hai had almost died to the bear¡¯s fangs. After killing the bear and selling it, he gave the Yu Family three hundred taels and said it was for Brother Yu Hai¡¯s medical fees. However, he had never thought that Yu Hai¡¯s callous father and ruthless stepmother would funnel the money Yu Hai had sacrificed life and limb for into their own pockets.


    In a rage, Hunter Zhao wanted to find Old Yu and giving him a talking to, but Yu Hai stopped him. Yu Hai said the three hundred taels were considered repayment for all of the years Madam Zhang spent raising and nurturing him. Zhao Bufan felt deeply guilty towards his Brother Yu Hai and often gave them some game to strengthen Yu Hai¡¯s body. In addition, he and his son enthusiastically worked on their new house. For the uing banquet, he also especially entered the mountain and caught more than ten pheasants and hares for them.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t decline his gift and also bought fifty chicken eggs from their close neighbor, the Zhou Family. At the town market, he bought about ten catties of meat. At the end of winter and beginning of spring, there were not any green vegetables for sale. However, each and every family stored plenty of white radishes and cabbages in their cers. Furthermore, most also had the dried vegetables from autumn. Families with a good rtionship with them had also sent some, and Madam Liu also went to the market and bought some.


    Madam Yao had heard that her daughter was giving a party for the viges and was afraid she had more work than she could deal with alone. Thus, on that day, she brought over her eldest daughter-inw to help. Her daughter¡¯s courtyard wasrge and spacious with tall, lofty walls surrounding it. The three-room residence spanned from north to south, and the inside of the rooms were sparsely decorated and seemed empty and deste. However, for a family of six, the house did not seem overly crowded.


    Little Shitou pulled on his grandmother¡¯s hand and enthusiastically toured the house for her, such as: which room was his parents¡¯ room, which room were for his sisters, and which room was for him and his oldest brother...He even brought her to the shed for firewood and kitchen. One by one, he dutifully showed them all for Madam Yao to see.


    ¡°Tonight Grandmother and Eldest Aunt will be living in this room, which is usually for older brother and me. I¡¯ll be sleeping with mother and father!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s eldest brother, Yu Hang, was still an apprentice at the carpentry shop and seldom came home. The owner of the carpentry shop was not a reasonable man. He had only let Yu Hang off for half a day when their father got injured, and he was only given a day to help with constructing their new house. At that time, it was obvious he had gotten much thinner.


    His older brother wasn¡¯t at home, so in order to save on firewood, Little Shitou slept on the same kang bed as Yu Hai and Madam Liu. However, to show off that he also had his own room, he deliberately said it like this.


    On this day at dawn, Yu Xiaocao had followed Madam Liu in starting the work early. The previous two days, she had written the menu. The non-vegetarian dishes were: braised rabbit meat [1], sauteed spicy chicken pieces [2], Chinese cabbage stir-fried with meat [3], stewed white radish with pork [4], and scrambled eggs.


    The vegetarian dishes were: pan-fried turnip cake [5], stir-fried daikon [6], deep fried radish balls [7], lightly pickled sweet and sour radish [8], spicy stir-fried Chinese cabbage [9], stewed tofu and cabbage [10], dry stir-fried Chinese cabbage [11], and sauteed assorted pickled vegetables [12].

 Chapter 68 – A Better Move

    <h4>Chapter 68 ¨C A Better Move</h4>


    A dense and vorful pork bone soup was made by gently simmering pork bones an entire night. The staple food for the banquet was steamed rolls made from a mix of wheat and millet flour.


    Every table had eight vegetarian dishes, four meat dishes, and a tureen of the rich soup. Out of all the banquets that had urred in the vige, this feast was considered one of the best. In addition, some of the dishes had never been tasted by any of the vigers before. Although the raw ingredients were simple, they were prepared in a way that was exceptionally refreshing and delicious. Everyone who ate at the banquet praised the food endlessly.


    Some of the married women who had a good rtionship with Madam Liu surreptitiously asked her how she managed to make so many different and delicious types of dishes using just radishes and cabbages. Madam Liu gazed fondly at her daughter and replied with pride, ¡°Most of these dishes were thought up by Cao¡¯er. She told me and Eldest Sister-inw what to do.¡±


    All of the vigers were familiar with the story of Madam Liu¡¯s second daughter, Yu Xiaocao. After getting knocked unconscious the past summer, she had forgotten a lot of things. However, none of them would have expected that she would be more clever and lively despite losing most of her memories. In addition, she had a natural gift and talent at cooking. They couldn¡¯t help but praise her over and over.


    Madam Li had appeared right when the food was ready to be set out. Jealousy surged into her as she inspected thepletely new old residence and she remarked in a sour tone, ¡°We¡¯re not as fortunate as second sister-inw. Your whole family upies an entire courtyard and gets to live in a giant house.¡±¡¯


    The kitchen bustled with activity. Several of Madam Liu¡¯s friends from the vige hade over earlier to help. Despite Madam Zhang¡¯s disapproval, Yu Caidie had alsoe over to help wash the vegetables and set the tables, and was cheerfully busy.


    Madam Li, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even help them to bring out the food. Instead, she pulled her son to a table and sat heavily down. When they were eating, they gobbled down the food as if they had been starving for a long time. Madam Li¡¯s chopsticks flew at light speed and quickly snatched away prime mouthfuls of meat and vegetables into her and her son¡¯s bowls. Their tablemates could only watch her with disapproval and shake their heads.


    A total of ten tables were at the banquet. Madam Liu had prepared more than enough food for it and there were plenty of leftovers for each dish. After Madam Li ate and drank to her fill, she didn¡¯t leave immediately andzed in the courtyard under the sun. Generally speaking, the leftovers were given to the people who had helped prepare the food and everyone would get a share to go home.


    Madam Li balked the tradition and didn¡¯t help to either prepare or clean up the food. Instead, when it was time to dole out the leftovers, she brazenly squeezed in and said, ¡°Ah, Second Sister-inw, you guys can¡¯t possibly finish all of this leftover food. Give me some to bring home so Mother and Third Brother-inw can try your culinary talent...¡±


    ¡°Dashan¡¯s wife, it¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t tried her food before you guys split off. Did you miss her cooking so much after just a few days?¡±


    The next door neighbor to the Yu Family, the wife of Hai Xing, was a quick-witted woman and had a rtively good rtionship with Madam Liu. The two of them often gathered firewood and cut fishwort together. From time to time, she would also ask Madam Liu¡¯s advice on embroidery. At this time, she was obviously satirizing Madam Li.


    Madam Li pretended not to hear her and grabbed an already cleaned basin and started to fill it with food. She specifically chose the dishes that had meat, such as the rabbit meat and chicken pieces. In the end, almost half of the meat-containing dishes had gone to her. The amount of food in the basin was piled into a small mountain. She avariciously looked at the soup pot and reluctantly left, her fleshy waist swaying as she walked.


    When Heizi heard his mother calling for him, he scuttled out from the rear courtyard. In his hands was a small pheasant whose wings were bound together. He shamelessly said, ¡°Second Aunt, your rear court still has two hares and a pheasant, give one to me to bring home, ok. I haven¡¯t tasted meat for more than a month!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao almost wanted tough out of fury, ¡®Who was the person who took almost half of the chicken dish? Also, did the hare and chicken meat disappear down some other person¡¯s stomach?¡¯


    Madam Liu was well familiar with this mother-son pair¡¯s temperaments and didn¡¯t want to bother with those two. She only wanted these two demons to leave faster. All of the other women who helped could only shake their heads in disbelief. Yu Hai had an injured leg, Madam Liu couldn¡¯t do heavy work, and their children were still small. As the eldest sister-inw, Madam Li didn¡¯t even help them and only came to take things from them. Madam Liu was quite unlucky to have rtives like her.


    After sending off a couple people who had helped, Madam Yao could tell it was gettingte by the color of the sky. She also left with her eldest daughter-inw. That night, Yu Xiaocao and her two other siblings squeezed onto their parents¡¯ kang bed. The five of them were counting their expenses together.


    ¡°Although the construction of the house didn¡¯t require us to spend much money for thebor, but when you add on the materials and furniture we bought, we spent around five taels. Building a house is tiring. Even though everyone brought their own food, Xiaocao had proposed we give each of them a steamed roll and a bowl of porridge at lunch. The steamed rolls were made with abination of wheat flour and millet flour or sweet potato powder. Buying all of those grains cost another tael.¡± When the house was getting built, Yu Hai¡¯s leg was still injured, so he spent his days recuperating at the main residence. Madam Liu was telling him their expenses right now.


    Yu Hai ruffled Xiaocao¡¯s hair and smiled, ¡°Cao¡¯er did the right thing. Although we don¡¯t have a lot of money, we can¡¯t let other people starve when they¡¯re helping us out. Most vigers don¡¯t get to eat much. In the morning they¡¯ll probably have some mixed grain tbread which is not enough tost until noon, so it is necessary we add a meal for them. I heard Older Brother Liplimenting our family for being sincere and honest as our rolls all contained half wheat flour. He said he always brought an extra t cake made from bean flour as he couldn¡¯t bear to eat our steamed roll. Instead, he would bring the roll back for his children to eat to their heart¡¯s content!¡±


    Dongshan Vige was a small fishing vige next to the sea. Most of the viges relied on fishing to make a living. The surroundingnd was mostly sandy and only a limited variety of crops could be grown there. The majority of families only ate bean flour, sweet potato starch, and millet flour as their source of carbohydrates. It was only during the New Year celebrations that they would be willing to buy some wheat flour to eat. Thus, even a steamed roll that wasposed of half wheat flour was considered something delicious to eat in the vigers¡¯ eyes.


    Madam Liu looked at her second daughter who was bing more and more clever and witty with every passing day. She smiled and continued, ¡°Most of the ingredients for today¡¯s banquet was given to us by Older Brother Zhao. As for the pork, we spent about three hundred copper coins, if we add the amount we spent on grain and vegetables, about one tael was spent in total. Originally we had twelve taels on hand and now we have around five taels left.¡±


    Yu Hai thought for a bit and then said, ¡°Your mother¡¯s family doesn¡¯t have an easy life and still gave us ten taels after borrowing from others left and right. We definitely cannot let your parents carry debt for us. We should find someone tomorrow to bring the remaining five taels back to your mother. It¡¯s okay if we our lives are a little harder, but we cannot be a dead weight on your whole maternal family.¡±


    This was what being a family meant. When someone was in need, the others would spare no effort to help. Everyone worked together and was concerned about each other...


    Xiaocao could feel the warmth of having a family. Although she lived in poverty, she wasn¡¯t alone in the struggle. She still had her father, mother, and all her other siblings. She smiled brilliantly and shifted to her father¡¯s side to lift up the quilt covering his leg and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to massage your leg. Father, please receive your daughter¡¯s loving, filial care!¡±


    The wound on his leg was healing very quickly, and the vast majority of the scabs that had formed had already fallen off. A few days ago, Yu Xiaocao went with him to town to the Tongren Medicine Hall for a checkup to see Doctor Sun who had previously told them there was nothing he could do. An expression of awe was on the doctor¡¯s rosy face, and the old man was excited and eximed continuously over this phenomenon.


    Even if they were in the modern times, this would also be considered a medical miracle. His calf had been shattered, and there wasn¡¯t a single piece of flesh on his leg that wasn¡¯t torn into pieces. A huge hole had been wed into his back such that one could almost see his internal organs peeking out. Yu Hai had fallen unconscious due to such a serious wound on his leg. The fact that he was still standing and alive without the help of modern medical equipment and medications was incredible. If this wasn¡¯t a miracle, then what was?


    At this time, Doctor Sun was amazed and could only say that his innate constitution was very good and that he must have had a very strong desire to live. He must have also had a god taking care of him.


    After inspecting his leg and back wound, he palpated Yu Hai¡¯s pulse again. After confirming he had no issues, Doctor Sun said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to take medication anymore. The injuries to your tendons and veins on your leg are very serious. The leg should be massaged frequently. I can¡¯t say for sure but he might be able to walk without crutches in the future.¡±


    At that time, Yu Xiaocao had asked Doctor Sun for guidance on massage techniques and made sure to note them down carefully. Since then, she used the massage times as an opportunity to use the little divine stone to rub her father¡¯s leg injury. She made the stone use its spiritual energy to slowly heal the fractured, injured tendons and vessels.


    The multi-colored stone on her wrist seemed to inadvertently slide on the dense scars that criss-crossed over the leg as she massaged the limb. Only Xiaocao could see the faint golden streams of light slowly flowing into the leg¡¯s arteries and veins.


    All Yu Hai could sense was that wherever his daughter¡¯s little hands massaged his leg, a feeling offorting warmth would follow. The aches and pains on his leg slowly disappeared and he drowsily closed his eyes. Under his daughter¡¯s massage, hefortably fell asleep...


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, you must be tired. Teach mother how to massage and in the future I¡¯ll do it.¡± Madam Liu saw her daughter shaking out her sore hands afterwards and felt bad.


    Xiaocao shook her head and said, ¡°Mother, this is my chance to show my respect and filial piety to Father. Don¡¯t stop me. Xiaolian had also asked me many times to teach her, but I refused! Father and Mother treat me so well and took on a lot of burdens for me. It¡¯s right and proper that I help Father massage his leg.¡±


    After working hard for a whole day, the entire family fell asleep at an early time. Yu Xiaocaoy quietly on the toasty kang bed. Under her was ayer of rice straw and the nket covering her had hard cotton lumps with patches all interconnected to each other. Despite that, it was still more warm andfortable than the shabby old kang bed that the entire family had to squeeze onto in their old home.


    After she was sure Xiaolian, who was next to her, had fallen into a deep sleep, Xiaocao raised her left wrist and quietly spoke to the little divine stone, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, Little Glutinous Dumpling...


    [If you keep calling me by that name, I will stop responding to you!] A faint golden light came up and slowly formed into a small golden kitten with arge head and pointy ears. The little fellow stared indignantly at Xiaocao with itsrge and round eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao used a fingertip to poke at the little fellow¡¯s smooth and slippery head and grinned, ¡°Okay, okay! I won¡¯t call you Little Glutinous Dumpling then, but what should I call you by? How about I give you a new name then, hmmm... like Little Baldy, how¡¯s that?¡±


    The golden little ball beat its wings to doge Xiaocao¡¯s finger and raged, [In the future when I materialize myself, I will be female. ¡®Little Baldy¡¯ is seriously such a bad name. This divine stone already has a name that was given to me by the Goddess Nuwa. It¡¯s called ¡®Circle¡¯, now doesn¡¯t that sound nice?]


    ¡°Pffft¡ª¡ªcircle? Then I¡¯m a square! I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s as good as Little Glutinous Dumpling. That name describes your round figure very well and sounds cute to boot! So we¡¯ve decided on it, in the future, I¡¯ll call you Little Glutinous Dumpling. Comining about it will have no effect!¡± Yu Xiaocao forcefully gave the little divine stone a name.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, in your opinion, how much longer until my father¡¯s leg gets better? Do you think he can walk like normal then?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked with a little bit of worry in her tone. For the past few days, although her father had always pasted a smile on his face when he was in front of them, but she could tell that there was a faint outline of loneliness in that smile.


    Her father had previously been a high-spirited and optimistic man. He was good at fishing, hunting, and could even make some simple bamboo tools. If he was doomed to using crutches for the rest of his life, she would bet that would make him extremely depressed...

 Chapter 69 – Expansion of Resources

    <h4>Chapter 69 ¨C Expansion of Resources</h4>


    Little Divine Stone hadn¡¯t nned on paying attention to her, but when it felt her faint feelings of sadness, it proudly opened its mouth, [You actually don¡¯t trust me, this divine stone! Let me tell you, my powers have improved a lot recently. I can already turn into a physical form. As long as I, this celestial stone, help him clear his meridians 1 and circte his vital energy every day, he will definitely be able to walk within half a month. But, he did suffer a serious injury after all, so he might walk with a limp.]


    Yu Xiaocao waspletely relieved now. She excitedly hugged the little golden kitten and kissed it a few times, and then said, [You can turn into a physical form? Doesn¡¯t that mean that your powers have improved quite a lot? That¡¯s great, Little Glutinous Dumpling. You¡¯re seriously my lucky star! Thank you so much!]


    The little divine stone felt slightly shy and awkwardly eximed, [Go away, go away! I want to transform into a girl in the future. You lesbian...]


    ¡°Ha-ha...¡± Seeing the little kitten being shy, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud.


    ¡°Youngest Sister, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Xiaolian, who was beside her, was startled awake. She rubbed her eyes and asked with sleepy eyes.


    ¡°No... Nothing!¡± Xiaocao quickly put away the multicolored stone and stuffed the little golden kitten into her nket. She pretended as if she had just woken up and said, ¡°I had a dream and woke upughing...¡±


    ¡°What kind of good dream did you have to be so happy?¡± Xiaolian flipped over andy on the bed facing her.


    Yu Xiaocao hastily closed her eyes as if she was very sleepy and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t remember...¡±


    She was afraid that Xiaolian would continue asking, so she deliberately slowed down her breathing and pretended to sleep. She didn¡¯t know when, but she really ended up falling asleep as she pretended...


    After they sent the five taels over, they didn¡¯t have much money left at home. They couldn¡¯t nt the three acres of sweet potatoes until May and it would take over half a year until they could harvest them. How was their family going to survive during the half a year?


    Xiaocao carefully calcted their family¡¯s resources. In the kitchen, besides the two wild hares that were left over from the banquet, there were still five cabbages and a few radishes. They had about two catties of wheat flour and four or five catties of millet flour. Sweet potato flour was the thing that they had the most of, but there were only less than ten catties left. In the backyard cer, they had a little over a hundred catties of sweet potatoes that her maternal grandmother gave them. If they lived frugally, they couldst for a little over a month.


    They only had forty-something copper coins left at home. They were reluctant to eat the two hares, so they took them to the town market and sold them for more than two hundred copper coins.


    The winter blizzard had be a disaster. Even though the government had stabilized prices, themon folks still lived a tight and frugal life.


    Yu Xiaocao had learned that the prices in early spring were much higher than when she first transmigrated here. The prices in the grain shop was a good example. Coarse grains, such as millet flour and sweet potato flour, used to be two copper coins a catty, but it cost three or four copper coins now. Refined flour, which cost five copper coins per cattyst year, cost at least eight copper coins now. Of course, the price for white rice was even higher. It had risen to fifteen copper coins per catty at its peak. It cost thirty copper coins a catty for pork right now, while the price for eggs had also risen quite a lot.


    They only had two hundred sixty copper coins left. Their family would probably consume at least one hundred catties of grain per month, so after making a rough calction, they didn¡¯t even have enough money to buy coarse grain. Ay... No wonder most of the vigers couldn¡¯t eat wheat flour throughout the year!


    In her opinion, being frugal wasn¡¯t enough. They needed to expand their sources of ie!


    Madam Liu also understood the fact that they couldn¡¯t just sit idly while eating away all their resources, so she found a job in town to help people wash their clothes. She had to go once every three days. She went out early in the morning and returned at around three to five in the afternoon. She earned fifteen copper coins each time she worked. In the early spring, the weather was still rtively cold in the northern regions. Madam Liu¡¯s hands were red and swollen due to prolonged exposure to the cold water. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart ached when she saw the bloody cuts on her mother¡¯s fingers.


    Every day when Madam Liu came back, Yu Xiaocao would help her mother warm her hands and feet with boiled water that the divine stone had soaked in. With the mystic-stone water¡¯s nourishment, the frostbitten areas on Madam Liu¡¯s hands were healed in a few days. The calluses on her hands had also disappeared. Her hands had be so fair and delicate that she didn¡¯t need to worry about identally scraping the threads when she did embroidery anymore.


    When their mother went to work, Yu Xiaolian took on all housework at home. As if she was a little housekeeper, she gathered firewood, cooked, washed clothes, and also cleaned the yard. When she was free, she would sit under the warm sun and embroider purses and handkerchiefs to help support the family.


    Yu Xiaolian¡¯s embroidery skills were nearly on par with Madam Liu¡¯s. However, before they had split from the Yu Family, she was too busy and didn¡¯t have any time to sew.


    Yu Xiaocao seriously admired this young eight year old girl. In her previous life, Xiaolian would have just been a second grader in elementary school. However, she had shouldered most of her family¡¯s burdens on her weak shoulders.


    In fact, Xiaocao should call her ¡®older sister¡¯. But even when the original host was still alive, she had never called her in that way. The reason was that, when Madam Liu gave birth, they hadn¡¯t expected that she would give birth to twins. During the confusion, the midwife had mixed them up and didn¡¯t know who the older and younger sister was.


    Later, due to Xiaocao¡¯s weak constitution, Xiaolian, who was more sensible, always took care of her and protected her. Thus, the family began calling Xiaolian ¡®the eldest daughter¡¯ and Xiaocao naturally became the younger one.


    However, Xiaocao had always felt that she was the older one and was unwilling to call Xiaolian ¡®older sister. Their family decided to just let her be and didn¡¯t correct her...


    The renovated old residence had arge courtyard with at least half an acre ofnd. There was a small entrance in the backyard that led to the pond behind the house. During thete winter and early spring, there was little rain and the water level of the pond was low. There were also plenty of fertile, emptynd beside the pond. So, Xiaocao made ns to use the vacant space in front and behind their house.


    In modern times, there was greenhouse farming, so most vegetables weren¡¯t limited to certain seasons. People could buy whatever vegetables they wanted to eat in the supermarkets throughout the year. However, in ancient times,te winter and early spring was the time when the new crop of vegetables wasn¡¯t ripe yet. Even if people wanted to eat greens and had the money to buy them, it probably wasn¡¯t even avable anywhere. If someone could grow fresh greens at this time, they could definitely sell them for a good price.


    Due to the restrictions of her living conditions, Xiaocao definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to make a big greenhouse and brooder, but she also didn¡¯t n on doing so. She was almost certain that the emperor had also transmigrated here, just like her. So, she didn¡¯t want to do anything out of the ordinary. She had made up her mind to ¡®silently make a fortune¡¯!


    However, she could first use the indoor temperature to grow the vegetable seedlings, and then transfer them to the yard when the weather became warmer. In this way, they would certainly be able to sell the vegetables in the market earlier then if they nted them during early spring.


    Just as Xiaocao was enthusiastically considering the type of soil she should use to fertilize the seeds with, the Little Divine Stone muttered beside her ears, [Why go through so much trouble? You can just soak the seeds in this divine stone¡¯s bathing water. Not only will they be resistant to the cold and pests, but it can also reduce the ripening time of vegetables...]


    Yu Xiaocao felt ted inwardly when she heard its words. She held Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯s tiny body and kissed it fervently, which provoked the little divine stone to repeatedly protest against her action.


    Right now, the little divine stone had already transformed into the form of a little kitten and became a part of the family. As for the origin of the little fellow, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s exnation was that she had found it at the foot of the mountain when she went to gather firewood. Seeing that the little kitten was about to freeze to death, she kindheartedly brought it back.


    The whole family readily epted the proud golden kitten, and thus Little Divine Stone became the second popr pet of the family after the little roe deer.


    But, the little divine stone didn¡¯t care about anyone else except for its master, Yu Xiaocao. Its favorite thing to do every day was to lie down on its master¡¯s fluffy head and sleep. From afar, it looked as if Xiaocao was wearing a golden headdress.


    Yu Xiaocao was overjoyed when she found out that Little Divine Stone could enhance the quality of the seeds, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, you¡¯re seriously my big lucky star! I¡¯ll go plow the field immediately...¡±


    Under her father and Xiaolian¡¯s questioning gaze, Yu Xiaocao took a hoe and went to plow thend.


    Little Glutinous Dumpling paced leisurely around her feet and spoke in a voice that only Xiaocao could hear, [If it wasn¡¯t because of the fact that helping you can help me lift the shackles ced by the Goddess of Spirits, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to help you! Not only do I have to help treat your father¡¯s leg at night, but also soak the seeds. I need to replenish my spiritual energy, so I strongly demand that you throw me into the water vat...]


    Frequent contact with water would be helpful for the restoration of its powers. Xiaocao would usually just let it bathe inside a pot, but it had long been interested in the water vat in the yard.


    Yu Xiaocao eventually surrendered to its Monk Xuanzang-like 2 naggings. She took off the multicolored stone bracelet from her wrist and threw it into the water vat. The little golden kitten gracefully jumped onto the water vat and sat on the edge of the vat, wagging its tail. Little Shitou couldn¡¯t help but worry that the little fellow would identally fall into the tank. Since then, all the water, even for washing vegetables and clothes, used by Xiaocao¡¯s family were mystic-stone water.


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Madam Liu, who had returned from work with hands reddened from the cold, curiously asked when she saw Yu Hai and the three siblings kneeling in the yard and excitedly turning over the soil.


    Yu Hai could walk a few steps without his crutches now. He was in a good mood, so when his second daughter suggested that they plow the field and grow vegetables, he went to help without any hesitation. He pulled out the grass root from the plowednd and threw them aside. Then he lifted his head and said, ¡°Cao¡¯er is nning on nting various vegetables in the front and back yard. In the future, our family won¡¯t have to worry about not having anything to eat. Our daughter is sopetent!¡±


    Madam Liu was annoyed and amused at the same time, so she replied, ¡°Of course we need to grow vegetables, but it¡¯s only February. The water in the tank still freezes up in the evening. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a hurry sow the seeds, so why are you guys rushing to plow thend?¡±


    ¡°We have nothing to do anyways so we might as well work on the field first!¡± In terms of pampering children, no one would dare to take first ce even if Yu Hai identified himself as second. He had always done his best to fulfill all the requests made by his children, let alone a proper matter like plowing the field and growing vegetables.


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t win over them, so she also rolled up her sleeves and joined in. By evening, the front yard¡¯s half an acre ofnd had all been turned over, leaving only a small path to walk in the center.


    In the evening, Xiaocao asked Madam Liu for the seeds that her maternal grandmother had sent over. Madam Liu looked at her and asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, are you nning to grow the vegetables right now? It¡¯s not time yet. If you sow the seeds now, it won¡¯t sprout at all and the seeds will be wasted in vain.¡±


    ¡°Mother, the God of Fortune came to enlighten me against night. He taught me a method to keep the vegetable field warm. Think about it. When other people¡¯s vegetables have just sprouted, we can already sell ours. The town folks have already eaten radishes and cabbages for the entire winter, so they will definitely buy them despite the high price!¡± Xiaocao, who was mentally a modern person, knew better than anyone else about the principle of ¡®hoarding a raremodity and selling it at a high price¡¯.


    [1] Meridian (¾­Âç) ¨C (in acupuncture and Chinese medicine) each of a set of pathways in the body along which vital energy is said to flow. There are twelve such pathways associated with specific organs.


    [2] Monk Xuanzang aka Tang Seng (ÌÆÉ®) ¨C the monk from Journey to the West, who is the master of the Monkey King and co.; known to be strict and persistent in his beliefs and morals; often used to describe people who nags a lot

 Chapter 70 – Growing Vegetables

    <h4>Chapter 70 ¨C Growing Vegetables</h4>


    Yu Hai¡¯s eyes lit up and was the first to understand, ¡°Do you really know a way to grow vegetables at this time?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao patted her chest and vouched for herself, ¡°I can guarantee that there¡¯s absolutely no problem! Father, Mother, you can rest assured!¡±


    On the next day, Xiaocao spent twenty copper coins to buy two ox carts of straw from a viger who came from a vige with more farnds. She personally taught Yu Hai and Madam Liu how to weave a straw thatch. Although Little Divine Stone had promised that the vegetable seeds that were soaked in the mystic-stone water would definitely be able to ovee the severe cold of early spring, Yu Xiaocao was still worried. Straw thatches were widely used in greenhouse farming in her previous life to keep the vegetables warm. It was better to be prepared than to feel sorryter!


    With the help of the skeptical Madam Liu, Xiaocao scattered the seeds that she had soakedst night in the plowed field. In the half an acre ofnd in the front yard, they nted vegetables with rtively shorter growth periods, such as bok choy, spinach, and mustard greens. They strived to earn their first bucket of gold by taking advantage of the fact that other people hadn¡¯t nted their vegetables yet.


    After sowing the seeds, Madam Liu took Xiaolian to loosen thend in the backyard. Madam Mao, who was tending the ducks by the pond, saw them and reminded them, ¡°You¡¯re turning up the soil so early? It¡¯s not suitable to grow crops beside the pond. The water level will rise during the rainy season ofte spring, so they will drown in the flood.¡±


    Madam Mao had a sharp tongue, but she didn¡¯t have bad intentions. Madam Liu smiled at her and said, ¡°We¡¯re preparing to grow some bok choy and mustard greens, and then harvest them before the water level rises.¡±


    Madam Mao nodded and said, ¡°Then you should enclose the field with a fence. We usually breed our ducks in the pond, so if they ate your vegetables, I¡¯m not going topensate you!¡±


    As expected, Madam Mao spoke in an unlikeable manner. She was obviously reminding them out of kindness, but why did she have to say it in such an annoying manner?


    Madam Liu smiled good-naturedly and said, ¡°Thank you for reminding us, Madam Mao. I¡¯ll set up the fence tomorrow.¡±


    By evening, Xiaocao and her father hadplied more than ten straw thatches after working for the entire afternoon. Yu Hai had woven mats before. A straw thatch was easier to weave than a summer sleeping mat since he didn¡¯t need to be too meticulous. He learned very quickly and had even woven two more thatches than Xiaocao.


    Xiaocao and Madam Liu spread the straw thatches over the vegetable fields, as if they were covering the field with a nket. Little Shitou, who had also helped a lot, asked with slight concern, ¡°Second Sister, can we keep the vegetables warm like this?¡±


    Xiaocao caressed his little head andughed, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel warmer when you cover yourself with a nket in the winter? It¡¯s the same logic. The ground absorbs the heat from the sun at noon, so when we cover it with the thatches, the heat won¡¯t dissipate during the evening. Thus, the vegetables won¡¯t be afraid of the cold now.¡±


    The little fellow nodded in realization and eximed, ¡°So we¡¯re covering the vegetable fields with nkets! But, won¡¯t the areas without the straw thatches be freezing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. The seeds were just scattered and haven¡¯t sprouted yet, so it won¡¯t be cold. We¡¯ll make more straw thatches tomorrow, and then cover all the fields with nkets so that the veggie will swiftly sprout and grow up!¡±


    Xiaocao vaguely remembered her younger brother of her previous life when she looked at the six year old Little Shitou. When her younger brother was the same age as Little Shitou, he wasn¡¯t as obedient and clever. Her parents were still alive at that time, so as the only son in the family, he would act like a spoiled child in their mother¡¯s arms...


    It took them three days to cultivate all thends in the front and back yards. When the water level increased, a lot of ck mud would umte on thend beside the pond. After cultivating the soil, it would be a good fertile field. Unfortunately, there was a lot of rainfall every year at the end of June. The water in the pond would also rise, so they couldn¡¯t grow crops that had a long growth period.


    With four months to go before the rise of the water level, Xiaocao nted crops with around two or three months of growth period on thend beside the pond, which had about one acre ofnd. So, winter melon, string beans, eggnt, and kidney beans were nted beside the pond. In the backyard, she nted chives, cucumbers, garlic, and chili pepper. There were also sponge gourds and pumpkins on the edge of the fence.


    The whole family worked overtime for exactly three days before they finished making all the straw thatches that they needed for the vegetable garden. Little Shitou had also woven several smaller thatches. Although the density and thickness weren¡¯t as good, they were still useable.


    During these past few days, the meals at home were just coarse grain pancakes and bean paste soup. For vegetable, they only had cabbage, radishes, and pickled vegetables. They had to carefully chew the coarse grain pancakes because the pancakes might scrape their throats when swallowing. The bean paste soup also had a strong bean smell. If they weren¡¯t hungry, they seriously wouldn¡¯t be able to eat them at all. Boiled vegetables thatcked oil and seasonings really gave Xiaocao a headache during mealtime.


    With the current living conditions of Xiaocao¡¯s family, even with such meals, they still needed to carefully ration their meals for fear of using too much food. If their current food supply wasn¡¯t enough to support them until they could harvest the vegetables, their whole family might have to starve.


    Apart from washing clothes every three days, Madam Liu also got sewing jobs from an embroidery shop. So, she burned the midnight oil every day to work on her needlework. Yu Hai asked Hunter Zhao, who lived at the foot of the West Mountains, to help him cut down some bamboo and bring them back for him. He made bamboo baskets and hampers, and then put them up for sale in the general store in town.


    Xiaocao be idle after she finished nting the vegetables in early spring. Xiaolian had took on all the housework at home and didn¡¯t let her interfere. Little Shitou followed the youngest son of the Qian Family from next door, going up mountains and exploring the river. However, he wasn¡¯t just purely ying and would bring back some eggs at times. He would also tactfully bring back two bundles of firewood every day.


    Qian Wu, who was the youngest son of the Qian Family¡¯s Madam Mao, was eight years old. His personality was very different from his older brother, Qian Wen, who was interested in studying. He was very active and usually wouldn¡¯t go home until mealtime every day. The shouts of his mother, Madam Mao, calling him toe home to eat could be frequently heard, ¡°Little Wuzi, where are you horsing around again? Come home to eat...¡±


    Madam Mao¡¯s two sons were quite different in character. One was quiet, while the other was active. The older son, Qian Wen, was a bookworm who carried a book wherever he went. Sometimes he would be so focused on reading that he would walk into a tree without even knowing. Xiaocao had once seen him reading while walking, and then identally falling into a ditch. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t any water in the ditch at that time. Otherwise, that idiot would have been freezing.


    On this day, Xiaocao carried a basket and took a shovel to see if there were any wild herbs to dig up nearby. Based on her knowledge, wild shepherd¡¯s purse should be out during this time of the year. In her previous life, she really liked to dig shepherd¡¯s purse and make soup or steamed stuffed buns, which tasted very delicious.


    Along the path in front of the door and all the way to the West Mountains, Little Shitou cheerfully skipped behind her. He was very delighted inwardly: ¡®Second Sister said she was going to make shepherd¡¯s purse stuffed buns for me. Everything Second Sister made was of high quality and bound to be delicious. Although it wasn¡¯t the season for digging wild herbs, it was good for Second Sister¡¯s health toe out for a walk.¡¯


    Little Shitou had refused Qian Wu¡¯s tempting invitation to go dig out bird¡¯s eggs in the mountains and volunteered to serve as his second sister¡¯s bodyguard. As long as they didn¡¯t go deep into the West Mountains, it wouldn¡¯t be dangerous. He was just afraid that his second sister, who rarely left home, wouldn¡¯t be able to find the way home.


    Qian Wen, who was staying at home during his break from school, leisurely walked out of his house with a book in hand. Little Shitou warmly greeted him, ¡°Brother Xiaowen, are you going to read in the mountains again?¡±


    The Qian Family raised over a hundred ducks and they were very noisy all the time. Whenever Qian Wen came back during a break, he liked to go up in the mountains with a book and pick a quiet ce to read. They hadn¡¯t expected to meet him when going out today.


    The eleven year old Qian Wen had a fairplexion and elegant features. He had refined manner and was a clean, handsome youth. Even though it was her second time seeing him, Xiaocao still felt that he was pleasing to the eyes.


    Hearing his voice, Qian Wen raised his head and looked at Xiaocao and her younger brother. He greeted them with a smile, ¡°Yes, I want to find a quiet ce to read. What are you siblings doing?¡±


    Little Shitou said, ¡°Second Sister wanted to see if there¡¯s any wild herbs. She wants to dig some up and make soup.¡±


    Qian Wen nced at Xiaocao, who he initially thought was Xiaolian. He had long heard that Uncle Dahai¡¯s second daughter had a weak constitution and often ill. The doctor had said she wouldn¡¯t live a long life ever since she was born. He had originally thought that she was a sick and listless little girl who wouldn¡¯t even be able to get up from bed. However, seeing her today, she didn¡¯t appear like a sick person at all. Although she was a little thin, she had rosy cheeks and walked energetically.


    ¡°You probably have to wait until March in order to gather wild herbs. At this time, the ice in the river hasn¡¯t melted yet, so it¡¯s not the time to pick wild herbs.¡± Qian Wen kindly reminded them.


    Yu Xiaocao had a faint smile as she said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just looking for a chance to go out for a walk. You should get back to what you were doing. We don¡¯t want to dy your reading.¡±


    Qian Wen had heard from his gossipy mother about Uncle Dahai¡¯s family splitting from the main family. If it hadn¡¯t been for the help from his inws and the vigers, their house would probably still be rundown and filled with cracks! For them toe out to find wild vegetables at this time, there must be ack of food at home.


    Qian Wen touched the dry food that his mother gave him in case he got hungry while reading. It was a steamed bun that was made of wheat flour mixed with some millet flour. He began to speak, but ended up not saying anything.


    After all, it was only his second time meeting the young girl. If he suddenly gave her a steamed bun for no reason, she would probably feel that he ¡®gave her the food out of pity and contempt¡¯. Forget it, he should just find opportunities to help her out in the future when they became more acquainted.


    The weather was still quite cold during February. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but shiver when a gust of northeast wind blew. Her jacket was already old and worn-out. The old cotton inside were taken from her older brother¡¯s old clothing, and then stuffed into his younger siblings¡¯ jackets. Hence, the cotton was so stiff that they were almost packed together. It not only felt stiff and ufortable when worn, but it wasn¡¯t very warm either. Why didn¡¯t she think of buying some new cotton to stuff into their jackets when she had money?


    Xiaocao blew on her hands, which felt painful due to the cold, with her warm breath. She carefully searched for the familiar nt along the edge of the roadside ditch. Little Shitou was full of energy as he skipped and ran the whole way. He saw his older sister shrink her neck as if she was very cold, so he held her hand with his warm little hand and said with a grin, ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯m filled with heat, so let me warm your hands!¡±


    Xiaocao was so moved that she took him into her embrace and kissed him on his tender face. The little fellow¡¯s face immediately turned red. Ancient people usually expressed their love in a more subtle way, so even his own parents hadn¡¯t kissed him before.


    Little Shitou shyly shook off his second sister¡¯s hand and ran away quickly. Xiaocao ran behind him, but still couldn¡¯t catch up to him even when she was panting for breath. However, her body had finally warmed up now.


    ¡°Wait a moment! Youngest Brother, I found the shepherd¡¯s purse!¡± On the dry riverbank, there were small grayish-brown nts growing on the ground. The jagged leaves were exactly the wild shepherd¡¯s purse that she knew of.


    Little Shitou turned around, went to take a look, and said, ¡°Second Sister, shepherd¡¯s purse doesn¡¯t look like that. Its leaf is green and long. It also has a white flower in the center.¡±

 Chapter 71 – Cute Youngster

    <h4>Chapter 71 ¨C Cute Youngster</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about another kind of shepherd¡¯s purse, which grows in the grass and has pinnate leaves. This is the one that I¡¯m looking for, which is a type of wild shepherd¡¯s purse that grows in early spring. Though it doesn¡¯t look very good, it¡¯s actually very tasty. If you don¡¯t believe, smell it.¡±


    Xiaocao dug up a shepherd¡¯s purse, which had leaves that were only two centimeters long, and delivered it to his nose for him to smell it. Sure enough, there was a refreshing scent of wild herbs.


    ¡°But this kind of shepherd¡¯s purse is so small...¡± With his butt sticking out and humming, Little Shitou also squatted down and dug for wild herbs.


    There were a lot of shepherd¡¯s purse in this area. It seemed like in a few months there would be a bed of white flowers. Yu Xiaocao picked the bigger ones and dug without stopping as sheughed, ¡°We came a little early. They will be bigger in a few more days. The biggest ones have leaves that are three to six centimeters long! Don¡¯t dig out the smaller ones. Let¡¯s wait until they grow bigger.¡±


    Along the edge of the ditch, the siblings kept searching as they dug. The shepherd¡¯s purse on the bank facing the sun had sprouted earlier, so their leaves were evidentlyrger.


    The warm spring sun gradually rose. Xiaocao and her younger brother basked in the warm sunshine while harvesting the first batch of wild herbs of the early spring.


    At the foot of the mountains, Qian Wen, who had decided to sit on a rock, seemed to have lost interest in his book. Hearing the joyful cries of Little Shitou from afar, he raised his head from time to time and looked towards the two thin figures who were dozens of meters away. His heart could no longer remain calm.


    He simply rolled up his book, stuffed it into his arms, and then walked towards the direction of the siblings. The sister-brother pair were so absorbed in their task that they didn¡¯t even notice him approaching.


    Yu Xiaocao squatted and moved forward step by step, while she was busily working with a shovel in her hands. Qian Wen moved closer and wondered: ¡®Are there really wild herbs during this time of year?¡¯


    Suddenly, Xiaocao saw arge region of big shepherd¡¯s purse in front, so she screamed with delight and jumped up happily. However, she didn¡¯t notice Qian Wen, who was approaching from behind, and bumped right into his chin with the back of her head.


    Holding her own head, Xiaocao turned around to see Qian Wen also clutching his chin with a painful expression on his face. She felt somewhat embarrassed and apologized, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t notice that you were behind me. Does it hurt a lot?¡±


    When Qian Wen was hit, he had identally bitten the tip of his tongue, which caused tears to pool up in his eyes. So, he hastily opened his eyes wide and looked towards the sky. He was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to control his tears and let the young girl see him crying.


    It originally wasn¡¯t Xiaocao¡¯s fault, so he gracefully replied, ¡°It was my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have got so close.¡± He kept sucking in the cool air because of the injury on his tongue. As a result, his voice sounded muffled and he had a slightly distorted expression on his face.


    Yu Xiaocao chuckled and said, ¡°Neither of us did it intentionally, so no one has to apologize for it. Did we bother your reading? After we finish digging around this area, I¡¯ll take Little Shitou somewhere a little farther...¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! I mainly came out to rx. My teacher said that there should be a proper bnce between work and leisure when studying. I¡¯ll help you dig for wild herbs.¡± Qian Wen lifted up his cotton-padded robe and squatted down, but then realized that he didn¡¯t have a shovel.


    Xiaocao shook her head at him, lowered her head to dig up the shepherd¡¯s purse that she found earlier, and said, ¡°No need. You should go back and continue reading. I will be at fault if you dy your studies.¡±


    Qian Wen smiled and said, ¡°My teacher said that one can¡¯t just solely focus on reading when studying. The Analects of Confucius says: ¡®For someone who can neither do physical work nor distinguish rice from wheat, how art thou considered a schr¡¯?¡± As he spoke, he took the shovel from Xiaocao¡¯s hands and began digging the shepherd¡¯s purse on the ground.


    ¡°Hey, hey! Be careful! You have to stick to the surface of the ground when shoveling. Otherwise, the leaves will break apart!¡± Seeing him clumsily digging the shepherd¡¯s purse and destroying a few in the process, Yu Xiaocao felt distressed inwardly and reminded him.


    Little Shitou ran over from a distance with arge batch of shepherd¡¯s purse in the pocket of his jacket. Seeing that Qian Wen was using his sister¡¯s shovel, he put the shepherd¡¯s purse in the basket and handed his shovel to his older sister, and said, ¡°Second Sister, you can use mine. I¡¯m a fast runner, so I¡¯ll go home to get another one.¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, he had already sprinted away.


    Yu Xiaocao crouched down and patiently demonstrated to Qian Wen several times. Qian Wen swiftly learned how to properly dig the wild herbs. The two of them squatted side by side on the edge of the ditch and silently dug the wild herbs. From time to time, they would quietly converse when one of them had dug a big one. There was a light sense of peace and harmony between them...


    A momentter, Little Shitou returned with a shovel and was followed by a chirping Qian Wu. Qian Wu saw his older brother helping Xiaocao dig for shepherd¡¯s purse instead of reading, so he curiously asked, ¡°Older Brother, why are you here? Didn¡¯t you go out to read?¡±


    Qian Wen nced at him and replied solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ve already finished reading. While working, I can recall the contents of the book, which is conducive to understanding and integration of the subject. Xiaowu, didn¡¯t Mother ask you to tend the ducks? Did you sneak out again? You better watch out because Mother is going to beat you with a broomstick!¡±


    Qian Wu was somewhat scared of his older brother, who was three years older than him and often acted like an elder. He shrunk his neck and said, ¡°I already guided the ducks to the pond. They will look for food themselves. There¡¯s nothing for me to do... Oh, right! Little Shitou, what¡¯s with all the turfs behind your house?¡± Ah, he needed to quickly change the subject!


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a smile and noticed that the little guy waspletely different from his older brother. The older brother had a fair and clearplexion and a gentle and refined disposition. He also had delicate and fine features. The younger brother had darker skin with thick brows and big eyes. When he smiled, two small canine teeth could be seen. With a dignified and strong appearance, he looked very cute.


    Little Shitou proudly straightened his back and said, ¡°What turfs? They¡¯re called straw thatches, which are made of wheat straw and rice straw. They¡¯re used to keep the vegetable fields warm!¡±


    ¡°To keep the vegetable fields warm? Your family already nted the vegetables?¡± Qian Wen looked at Yu Xiaocao in surprise. He instinctively felt that she was the mastermind behind this idea.


    Sure enough, Little Shitou answered proudly, ¡°That¡¯s right! The crops in the front yard had already been nted for three or four days. This morning, when I lifted the thatches to check, I noticed that the seeds have already sprouted tender buds! Isn¡¯t my second sister amazing? She cane up with ideas that no one else knows!¡±


    ¡°Oh! They really sprouted? Even the water in the vat still freezes at night. Aren¡¯t you afraid that they will freeze?¡± Qian Wu opened his eyes wide in amazement. In previous years, his family had always nted their seeds at the end of March. They had to wait until at least April or May in order to eat fresh vegetables.


    After eating radish, cabbage, pickled vegetables, and soybean paste for the entire winter, Qian Wu felt that saliva swiftly flowed within his mouth when he thought of fresh and green vegetables.


    ¡°Does that mean that your family will be able to fresh vegetables soon?¡± Qian Wu felt extremely envious as he looked at Little Shitou.


    However, Little Shitou shook his head and said, ¡°We can¡¯t eat it ourselves! We need to sell the vegetables in town for money. Second Sister said she¡¯ll send me to the academy to study when we have enough money. Brother Xiaowen, if there¡¯s anything that I don¡¯t understand in the future, I¡¯ll go ask you for help!¡±


    Qian Wen couldn¡¯t help but look at Xiaocao again when he thought about their current living conditions. Shitou¡¯s family didn¡¯t even have enough to eat at the moment, yet his older sister still made ns for her younger brother¡¯s academic future.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t have outstanding facial features. She had phoenix eyes, which were narrow and nted slightly upwards. She had faint eyebrows and her nose wasn¡¯t very tall. Her lips were fleshy, which didn¡¯t meet the current aesthetic of having a small cherry-like mouth. However, thebination of these features on her palm-sized face made her appear very vivid and natural.


    Sensing his gaze, Xiaocao replied with a faint smile. After that, with the addition of the Qian brothers, their speed when digging wild herbs increased tremendously.


    Although Xiaocao had already transmigrated here for over half a year, she still hadn¡¯t be ustomed to eating two meals a day. Noon had just passed, but her tummy had already begun rumbling in hunger. Xiaocao sped her stomach, which was cramping slightly due to hunger, and her digging speed had also slowed down.


    Qian Wen, who was closer to her, had inadvertently heard the sound. He touched the steamed bun within his embrace. After a short deliberation, he quietly moved closer to her as he continued to dig for the wild herbs. When he was about half a step away from her, he took out the steamed bun and swiftly stuffed it into her hands. After that, he stood up and quickly walked away.


    Xiaocao looked at the cloth bag in her hands, and then looked at the young man¡¯s slender back. She opened the bag and saw a steamed bun that was made of wheat flour. At present, few families in the vige could afford eating this kind of steamed bun. Auntie Qian had probably specially prepared it for her son.


    She wanted to give it back to him, but he had already walked far away. If she caught up to him, it would be unsightly to push back and forth over a steamed bun. Xiaocao briefly thought about it, and then rewrapped the steamed bun and put it under the shepherd¡¯s purse in the basket. She decided to find a chance to give it back to him on the way back.


    It wasn¡¯t the season to dig for wild herbs and the shepherd¡¯s purse seedlings hadn¡¯tpletely sprouted yet, so they had the advantage of not needing to share with others. After digging for more than half a day, the four of them had filled up two baskets. Both baskets were full and heavy.


    Little Shitou and Qian Wu used a branch to lift it up and walked in front. Xiaocao bent down to pick up the other basket, but another hand grabbed it before her.


    Qian Wen picked up the basket and smiled at Xiaocao. The shallow dimples on the side of his face were slightly visible as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go...¡±


    On the way back, they encountered Hunter Zhao¡¯s son, Zhao Han. He was walking towards Xiaocao¡¯s house with a pheasant in his hands.


    Hunter Zhao¡¯s family had moved to Dongshan Vige thirty years ago. At that time, with the two year old Hunter Zhao, Hunter Zhao¡¯s father had built a straw shed at the foot of the West Mountains and settled down. Their household registration wasn¡¯t in Dongshan Vige, so they naturally didn¡¯t have anynd. Fortunately, Grandpa Zhao was a skilled martial artist, so they were able to rely on hunting to make a living.


    Fifteen years ago, Grandpa Zhao suddenly left for a period of time. When he returned, he told Zhao Bufan that he had selected a wife for him, who was Zhao Han¡¯s mother. Madam Zheng had a gentle and graceful disposition. Moreover, her demeanor always revealed the upbringing of a youngdy of a noble family. So everyone spected that she might be the daughter of a fallen noble family. However, in Xiaocao¡¯s opinion, Auntie Zhao had the agile andpetence of a general¡¯s daughter.


    The young Zhao Han had also learned the skills that his family had passed down. Xiaocao had heard from her father that Grandpa Zhao would personally teach his son martial arts. Her father also mentioned that his skills had be more nimble after Hunter Zhao taught him a couple moves.


    ¡°Brother Han, did you juste back from hunting? How¡¯s your harvest today?¡± Little Shitou dropped the basket in his hands and trotted towards him.


    As a result of practicing martial arts for years, the thirteen year old Zhao Han was a lot taller than his peers. Based on a rough estimate, he looked to be over 1.7 meters tall. There was a healthy glow to his tan skin. He had a pair of long, straight eyebrows that were nted upwards. His tiger-like eyes shone brightly from time to time. Whenpared to the fair and refined Qian Wen, who stood next to him, they each had their own merits. One was a schr, while the other was a martial artist.

 Chapter 72 – Steamed Stuffed Buns

    <h4>Chapter 72 ¨C Steamed Stuffed Buns</h4>


    Qian Wu also went up and poked the pheasant in his hands, and then said, ¡°Older Brother Zhao Han, can you give me a few of this pheasant¡¯s feathers? My younger sister is always pestering me to make a feathered shuttlecock for her...¡±


    Little Shitou didn¡¯t give him any face andughed, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who boasted that you could catch pheasants? You have exaggerated so much that you don¡¯t know how to fix it, right? So you¡¯re asking for Brother Zhao Han¡¯s help now...¡±


    ¡°You stinky rock 1! Can¡¯t you give your older brother some face? I¡¯m two years older than you after all. Don¡¯t you know that you need to respect the old and the wise!¡± Qian Wu cried angrily. The two little kids began to fight in jest again and appeared very lively.


    ¡°Father, we¡¯re back!¡± Before Little Shitou entered the door, he had shouted excitedly as if he was afraid that others wouldn¡¯t know about his ¡®triumphant¡¯ return.


    Yu Hai, who was immersed in weaving bamboo baskets in the courtyard, heard the noise in front of the door and looked up in surprise, ¡°Xiaowen, Xiaowu, Hanzi, why are you guys here? Xiaolian, quickly get seats for the guests...¡±


    Qian Wen gently prevented Yu Hai from standing up and smiled, ¡°Uncle Dahai, there¡¯s no need. Xiaowu and I are going back now. Xiaocao, where should I put this basket of wild herbs?¡±


    Xiaolian put down her embroidery and looked at the basket full of wild herbs in surprise. She eximed softly, ¡°You guys dug out so many wild herbs? I never knew that we could gather so many wild herbs during this season!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao directly instructed, ¡°Just put it in the kitchen... By the way, Brother Xiaowen, you should take some back to make soup. It tastes delicious!¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! There are still a lot of vegetables in our family¡¯s cer, so we have enough vegetables to eat at home...¡± Qian Wen politely declined.


    Qian Wu covetly stared at the basket of shepherd¡¯s purse and honestly said, ¡°I¡¯m tired of eating vegetables in the cer, which are nothing but radishes and cabbage. Older Brother, today we also helped to dig up a lot of the wild herbs, so it¡¯s alright to take some back.¡±


    Qian Wen red at him helplessly and continued to refuse. But Xiaocao had already packed the vegetables for him. She divided one basket of shepherd¡¯s purse into two small baskets. She gave one basket to Qian Wu and had prepared to give the other basket to Zhao Han so that he could take it back to try it.


    ¡°Uncle Hai, I caught two wild hares and three pheasants today. My father told me to bring you one.¡± Zhao Han put the tied up pheasant in front of the kitchen door and was about to leave right away.


    Yu Hai limped over with a crutch and said, ¡°Why are you bringing game over again? These days, your family have sent a lot of things over already. For the bearst time, your family didn¡¯t keep any money for yourselves and gave it all to us. Go back and tell your father that you guys don¡¯t owe me anything!¡±


    Zhao Han¡¯s mouth twitched and slightly furrowed his dashing brows, and then said, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t receive any of the money for the bear, right? If we knew that it would turn out like this, my father would have secretly given the money to Uncle Hai and Auntie...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smirked and said, ¡°Everyone in the vige knows that your family sold the bear for three hundred taels. If Grandmother hadn¡¯t received the money from you guys, she would had already gone to your house for trouble. Even if the money was given to my father, it would had been snatched away by my grandmother anyways. Well, she¡¯s not our real grandmother, so there¡¯s nothing I can say. However, my father is Grandfather¡¯s biological son. I can¡¯t believe he actually helped Grandmother hide it from us...¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er! How can you criticize your elders? Is that what Father usually teaches you?¡± Yu Hai raised his voice and interrupted his daughter¡¯s words.


    Xiaocao bit her lips and refused toply, ¡°Why would they be afraid of other¡¯s criticism when they¡¯re capable of acting in such ways? Grandfather and Grandmother are originally at fault for this matter! If they even gave us one-tenth of the three hundred taels, we wouldn¡¯t have to meticulously calcte our rations when cooking every day!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s gaze dimmed. He sighed deeply and said, ¡°Father is useless. I¡¯ve made you guys suffer with me...¡± As he spoke, he limped back to the main room.


    Xiaolian looked at her stubborn younger sister, and then looked at her father deste back. She wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she finally said, ¡°Little Sister, I buried a sweet potato for you under the ashes below the stove. Later, you can take it out to eat...¡± After she finished speaking, she immediately chased after her father and entered the house.


    Everyone in the family knew that Xiaocao easily got hungry at noon, so they would bury a sweet potato in the ashes under the stove after cooking every morning. Xiaocao preferred the sweet-tasting roasted sweet potatopared to the coarse grain pancakes and bean paste soup. They saved all the sweet potatoes that their maternal grandmother sent overst time for her. Even Little Shitou didn¡¯t bear to eat one.


    Qian Wen felt somewhat awkward as he stood there, so he coughed twice and said, ¡°Xiaocao, we¡¯ve been out for quite a while, so we should go back now.¡± After that, he pulled the slow-witted Qian Wu and left Xiaocao¡¯s house.


    Zhao Han also nned to take this opportunity to leave, but Xiaocao stopped him and said, ¡°Thank you for sending the pheasant. Like my father said, you don¡¯t have to bring us game anymore. We¡¯ll ept it this time, but if you continue, we¡¯ll just send them back to your house. This is the wild herbs that we dug out today. Bring them back for Uncle Zhao to taste.¡±


    Zhao Han didn¡¯t refuse and took the basket, ¡°I¡¯ll bring the basket back to you tomorrow.¡±


    Xiaocao and Little Shitou were the only ones left in the courtyard speechlessly looking at one another. Little Shitou stealthily looked his second sister and whispered, ¡°It seems like Father is really angry. You should go in and apologize to him. Father dotes on you the most, so he won¡¯t spank you!¡±


    Whenever Little Shitou misbehaved, his father would always hold him down on his knees and spanked him severely on his bottoms. Yu Hai was used to working and had great strength, so he often beat Little Shitou so hard that he ended up crying while holding his butt. Thus, Little Shitou feared his father¡¯s hands the most!


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry, and just sighed deeply. She went into the room and apologized to her father. Seeing that she was sincere, Yu Hai also didn¡¯t scold her anymore. Hence, this matter had passed over in this way.


    Yu Xiaocao personally prepared dinner, while Xiaolian helped on the side. She asked Little Shitou to buy one copper coin worth of tofu in the vige and made shepherd¡¯s purse tofu soup 2. She also made shepherd¡¯s purse pancake 3 and several shepherd¡¯s purse steamed buns 4, which was made with a small mixture of wheat flour.


    Xiaocao recalled the steamed bun that Qian Wen gave her at noon, so she used the cloth bag and packed three shepherd¡¯s purse steamed buns inside. After that, she told Little Shitou to bring it over to the Qian Family.


    It was Qian Wen¡¯s mother, Madam Mao, who opened the door. When she saw the cloth bag in Little Shitou¡¯s hands, she couldn¡¯t help but mutter inwardly: ¡®Isn¡¯t this the cloth bag that I used to wrap the steamed bun for my son? Why is it in this kid¡¯s hand? My son went out for so long today. Could it be that he didn¡¯t eat the steamed bun and gave it to someone else instead?¡¯


    She was very clear about the situation of Yu Hai¡¯s family. After separating from the main family for so many days, the ration of food that they received was probably already running out. Could it be that her kind-hearted son decided to give his steamed bun to the hungry Little Shitou because their family skipped out on breakfast?


    With that in mind, Madam Mao forced a smile and asked, ¡°Oh! Isn¡¯t this the cloth bag that I gave Wen¡¯er to carry the dry food? Why is it in your hands?¡±


    No, she should keep her two sons stays away from the Yu siblings. Her family didn¡¯t have a lot of resources, so they couldn¡¯t afford helping them out so much!


    Little Shitou didn¡¯t understand the undertones of her words, so he replied with a grin, ¡°When we were digging for wild herbs, Brother Xiaowen gave his steamed bun to my second sister because she was hungry. My second sister felt sorry for eating your family¡¯s steamed bun, so she told me to bring several shepherd¡¯s purse steamed buns for Brother Xiaowen and Brother Xiaowu to try.¡±


    As he spoke, he opened the cloth bag and revealed the soft, fluffy steamed buns inside.


    Madam Mao saw that there were three steamed buns made of wheat flour inside and knew that there was one for each of her three children. She felt a sense of shame for her narrow-mindedness earlier. She hastily pushed the cloth bag back and said, ¡°It¡¯s tough for your family too. You should keep these steamed buns for you and your siblings to eat! Didn¡¯t you guys give us some shepherd¡¯s purse this afternoon? Tomorrow, we can make the buns ourselves...¡±


    Little Shitou shook his head and said, ¡°Auntie Qian, my second sister has excellent cooking skills. You guys won¡¯t be able to make the same taste!¡±


    He held the steamed buns, walked past Madam Mao, and went inside the house while shouting, ¡°Brother Xiaowen,e eat steamed buns. It¡¯s fragrant and delicious shepherd¡¯s purse steamed buns!¡±


    When Qian Wu, who was eating millet pancake in the room, heard him, he immediately ran out and grabbed the cloth bag within Little Shitou¡¯s hands. He directly took one and bit down on it.


    Xiaocao had added fried tofu inside the shepherd¡¯s purse stuffing. She also minced the dried fish that her youngest aunt sent over and mixed it in the stuffing to enhance the taste. Due to theck of seasonings at home, she stir-fried the dried chili pepper, and then grounded it into powder. The stir-fried chili pepper was fragrant and appetizing, adding an extra tang to the steamed buns.


    Generally, people were reluctant to use oil when making steamed buns with vegetable stuffing. They would only use salt and scallion as seasonings. Qian Wu had never eaten such a tasty steamed bun before. He disregarded the fact that he couldn¡¯t eat spicy food and continued eating the bun. Half of the steamed bun in his hand was already gone after a few bites. Little Shitou, who was beside him, anxiously reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t eat it all by yourself! Share it with Brother Xiaowen and Yafang!¡±


    It was so spicy that Qian Wu was tearing up and had a runny nose. He kept sucking for cold air and repeatedly praised, ¡°It¡¯s delicious! So addicting! Little Shitou, your mother¡¯s cooking is really good. Let my mother learn from her tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°Stinky brat! Since you¡¯reining about my cooking, don¡¯t eat the food I make in the future!¡± Madam Mao smacked the back of her younger son¡¯s head and jokingly scolded. She took the cloth bag in his hands and said, ¡°Have you thanked Little Shitou yet? You only think about eating and didn¡¯t even think about letting your older brother have a taste!¡±


    When Madam Mao got closer, she smelled an alluring shepherd¡¯s purse scent mixed with the burnt fragrance of stir-fried chili pepper. She couldn¡¯t help but swallow her saliva secretly.


    As soon as the steamed buns were ready, Little Shitou was immediately sent out to deliver the steamed buns. When he saw Qian Wu eating the steamed buns earlier, his stomach couldn¡¯t help but growling in protest. Seeing that he hadpleted his mission, Little Shitou said his farewells and immediately turned to leave.


    Qian Wen ran after him and stopped him, and said, ¡°Go back and tell your older sister that I said ¡®thank you for your steamed stuffed buns¡¯. Also, the basket has been vacated, so you can take it back. If you guys go dig for shepherd¡¯s purse tomorrow, remember to let me know.¡±


    Little Shitou took the basket from him, agreed, and swiftly dashed home. There was delicious food waiting for him at home. Behind him, the little roe deer was also running gleefully at full speed.


    Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills had won the praise of the entire family. In the shepherd¡¯s purse tofu soup, the verdant shepherd¡¯s purse and the snow-white, soft tofu was a perfect contrast for each other. When looking at the green and white colors, people¡¯s appetite would increase. Xiaocao had also used the dried fish to enhance the vor of this soup. It was a substitute for dried sea shrimp, but the taste wasn¡¯t bad at all.

 Chapter 73 – Silently Enduring

    <h4>Chapter 73 ¨C Silently Enduring</h4>


    Although wheat flour was reced by coarse grain flour, the shepherd¡¯s purse pancake was baked until it was a golden-brown color in the cauldron. The charred aroma was apanied by the delicate fragrance of the shepherd¡¯s purse, and tasted extremely delicious. The family had never eaten such food before and was immediately conquered by the tempting taste.


    Madam Liu silently remembered it within her heart and said with a smile, ¡°I never thought that bean flour and millet flour could make something so delicious even without adding wheat flour. Cao¡¯er, is this method also something that the deity taught you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who was eating the pancake with relish, was stunned when she heard her mother¡¯s question. She immediately answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know either, maybe? Anyways, I just knew how to do it when I woke up. It seems like someone in my dream told me that we can dig for this kind of shepherd¡¯s purse right now and the cooking methods for them. Father, Mother, try the shepherd¡¯s purse steamed buns. It should taste better than the tbreads.¡±


    When she was making the shepherd¡¯s purse steamed buns, Xiaocao also made pan-fried tofu 1 and stir-fried chili pepper 2. She had used one teaspoon of the less than one catty of vegetable oil that her maternal grandmother sent over, which made Madam Liu¡¯s heart ache. Moreover, she also used two handfuls of wheat flour to make the outer skin of the steamed buns, which seemed a bit too wasteful in Madam Liu¡¯s opinion.


    She nced at buns in the steamer basket and hesitated. Then, she took one and gave it to Yu Hai and said, ¡°I ate two pancakes and drank a big bowl of the shepherd¡¯s purse soup, so I¡¯m already full. Husband, you should try one and leave the rest for the children. By the way, Xiaolian, go to town tomorrow and bring some steamed buns for your older brother. While you¡¯re at it, take the baskets that your father made to the general store in town.¡±


    Last time, Yu Xiaocao had gone to town in a rush with her father when she pretended to be sick before the New Year. So, when she heard that there was a chance to visit town, she immediately volunteered, ¡°Why don¡¯t I go to town tomorrow with Little Shitou? Xiaolian can stay at home to work on her embroidery...¡±


    Seeing her eager expression, Yu Hai couldn¡¯t bear to reject her and repeated advised her, ¡°You can go, but your have to be careful and don¡¯t talk to strangers... Little Shitou, you have to take care of your older sister and make sure she doesn¡¯t get lost!¡±


    As he spoke, he ripped the steamed bun in half and gave the bigger portion to his wife and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a taste of our daughter¡¯s cooking. If it tastes good, we can dig more shepherd¡¯s purse and make buns to sell at the wharf in the future.¡±


    Xiaocao nodded in approval when she heard his words. Her father was quite business savvy!


    It took about three hours to get to town from Dongshan Vige. So, Xiaolian, who lived in the same room as Xiaocao, had woken Xiaocao up at the break of dawn.


    Since the siblings were going to town, Xiaolian had woken up early to prepare breakfast so that their stomachs would be filled before leaving. For breakfast, they had sweet potato porridge 3, which was cooked until it was soft and mushy. The tbreads from yesterday were also re-baked in the pot.


    Xiaocao drank a full bowl of porridge and ate a piece of pancake, and then wiped her mouth and said, ¡°I¡¯m full! Little Shitou, hurry up. I¡¯m not going to wait for you if we¡¯rete!¡±


    Madam Liu wrapped the three remaining pancakes in a cloth bag so that they could eat it when they get hungryter. After thinking about it, she took out a purse from the bottom of the rattan box. She took out twenty copper coins from it and gave it to Xiaocao, while saying, ¡°Here, take this. It¡¯s your first time going to the town market. If there¡¯s anything you want to buy, then buy some...¡±


    Although the twenty copper coins wasn¡¯t a lot, they were extremely precious to the Yu Family, who only had two hundred copper coins left. Twenty copper coins was enough to buy more than two catties of wheat flour, or more than four catties of coarse grain flour. Xiaocao didn¡¯t want it, but Madam Liu forced it into her hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, take it! Just bring it back if you don¡¯t spend it.


    After that, she turned around and got five shepherd¡¯s purse steamed buns for eldest son, Yu Hang. She wrapped them all in the same cloth bag. Xiaolian got five embroidered pouches from her own room and instructed, ¡°Go to Zhenlong Embroidery Workshop and give these to the bossdy. After that, go buy me some silk threads, which cost ten copper coins. You can buy candies with the remaining money...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. She had the mentality of a woman who was nearly thirty years old, so can she not be treated like a kid?


    After being repeatedly cautioned by their family, the siblings finally embarked on their journey to town. Shortly after going, they saw Madam Mao sending Qian Wen, who was carrying a small bag, out the door.


    ¡°Where are you siblings going?¡± Yesterday, Madam Mao had used the shepherd¡¯s purse to make soup. It tasted really good, so she nned to take her children to dig some more back to make steamed buns for her children.


    Little Shitou beamed excitedly, showing his pearly whites. As if he was afraid that others wouldn¡¯t know where he was going, he loudly replied, ¡°My second sister and I are going to town to bring some steamed stuffed buns for my older brother!¡±


    Qian Wu, who was standing behind Madam Mao and rubbing his sleepy eyes, instantly became energetic when he heard him, ¡°Mother, I want to go y in town with Little Shitou!¡±


    ¡°What is there to y?! If you¡¯re not careful, you might be kidnapped by an abductor! Today, you¡¯reing with Mother to dig for shepherd¡¯s purse, or I won¡¯t give you dinner tonight!¡± Madam Mao pushed Qian Wu, who was throwing a tantrum, into the yard and turned to talk to her eldest son, ¡°Be careful on your way. When youe back next time, Mother will make delicious food for you!¡±


    Little Shitou looked at Qian Wen¡¯s attire and said, ¡°Brother Xiaowen, are you going back to town to study? My second sister and I are going too. Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    Qian Wen saw that Yu Xiaocao was not only carrying a bulky baggage, but also holding three small baskets on one hand and a bigger basket on the other. Thus, he went forward and took the heavy basket in her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s a long way to town. If you carry so many things, you¡¯ll probably get tired soon. I¡¯ll help you hold the basket.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! When I¡¯m tired, I can exchange with Little Shitou!¡± Yu Xiaocao sped tightly on the basket and didn¡¯t let go, but she wasn¡¯t as strong as Qian Wen. So, he eventually snatched the basket from her hands. Xiacoao couldn¡¯t do anything about it, so she just thanked him.


    Speaking of Yu Xiaocao, she really wasn¡¯t suited to travel long distances. She had originally thought that her body had gotten much better after being nourished by the mystic-stone water. She thought that she would be able to walk dozens of kilometers, but she had overestimated herself. The more she walked, the heavier the things in her hands became. It was getting more and more difficult for her to take the next step.


    Fortunately, Uncle Ma from the neighboring vige had a donkey cart and was taking several people to town. Seeing the three children, Uncle Ma warmly greeted them, ¡°Do you guys want a ride? I¡¯ll take the three of you for the price of two.¡±¡¯


    The group of three rode on the donkey cart and quickly arrived in town. Qian Wen was worried about the siblings¡¯ safety and suggested in a gentle voice, ¡°Xiaocao, there are all sorts of people in town. How about you guys follow me to the academy first? I¡¯ll put down my belongings, and then take guys to find your older brother...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao politely declined, ¡°No, thanks. My younger brother and I have been to town before, so we¡¯re familiar with the road. We shouldn¡¯t dy Brother Xiaowen¡¯s studies any longer.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye Brother Xiaowen!¡± Little Shitou waved at him and looked around with his big, round eyes.


    After Xiaocao and her younger brother bid farewell to Qian Wen, she inquired about the direction to the general store and prepared to send the bamboo baskets over. The general store was located in a somewhat deste area. When the shopkeeper saw the siblings bringing newly woven baskets over, he had a troubled expression on his face and said, ¡°Xiaolian, you¡¯re sending baskets over again! It¡¯s not a busy season for agriculture right now, so bamboo wares aren¡¯t in demand. I still haven¡¯t sold off the ones that you bought overst time. I won¡¯t make it difficult for you this time and ept the products. But... you don¡¯t have to send any more over next time.¡±


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t correct the shopkeeper¡¯s mistake. She thanked the shopkeeper, and then quietly held her younger brother¡¯s hand as they walked on the street. She felt somewhat downcast. Although her father had hoped to earn some money by selling bamboo crafts, money wasn¡¯t the most important reason for him to weave bamboo wares. By weaving bamboo crafts, it seemed like her father wanted to prove something to himself¡ª¡ªto prove that he wasn¡¯t a worthless person.


    Ay! It would be great if Father¡¯s leg could recover soon...


    When they arrived at Zhenlong Embroidery Workshop, the bossdy warmly weed them, ¡°Oh! Xiaolian, I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days, but your skin has gotten much whiter. You also seem to have gotten prettier. Girls really do change as they grow older!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had learned that after the previous emperor ascended the throne, he had once vigorously promoted the ¡®equality between men and women¡¯. Later, the policy was left unsettled due to various reasons. Nheless, the status of women had indeed improved. Women walking and shopping on the streets could be been everywhere. It wasn¡¯t umon for a woman to be a boss, like the bossdy of Zhenlong Embroidery Workshop.


    Xiaocao felt somewhat d to have transmigrated to this era. In the future, it wouldn¡¯t seem strange for her to do some small business and earn money to support her family.


    She needed to thank her fellow transmigrators for creating a rtively rxed environment for her. Through the rumors she had heard about the retired emperor and the current emperor, Xiaocao had confirmed that they were definitely transmigrators, just like herself. Since there were these two, there might also be others.


    She didn¡¯t have any major ambitions. She only wanted to quietly protect her own family and live happily as a little farmer girl. At times, she coulde up with new ideas and earn some money. The saying of ¡®when people from the same hometown meets each other, their eyes will brim with tears of happiness¡¯ wouldn¡¯t apply to all fellow transmigrators. She didn¡¯t want to be someone else¡¯s cannon-fodder. It seemed like she had to keep a low-profile in the future...


    ¡°Xiaolian¡¯s skills are getting better and better. You can probably surpass your mother soon. Oh? This time, the patterns are quite unique, and the color assortments are rather novel. For these five embroidered pouches, I¡¯ll raise the price and give you the same amount as your mother, twenty copper coins per pouch. If you make more of such purses in the future, I¡¯ll raise the price for you again!¡±


    In the past, Xiaolian¡¯s purse cost fifteen copper coins each. Thus, she had earned twenty-five copper coins more than before. As a matter of fact, Xiaocao should also take some credit for this because she was one who designed the patterns.


    In her previous life, she was interested in art. If it hadn¡¯t been for her parent¡¯s ident, she might have entered the specialty sses in high school. After she took over the braised food store, she liked to draw flowers and nts in her spare time as a hobby. She hadn¡¯t expected that she would be able to use this skill to make money after transmigrating.


    After securely putting away the money, Xiaocao took her younger brother to the woodworking shop. In the carpentry shop, that snobby worker fromst time was manning the store. He was currently sitting in a chair with his legs crossed and dozing off. When he heard that the siblings were looking for Yu Hang, he stood up reluctantly and grumbled, ¡°Looking for Yu Hang? Didn¡¯t that kid just go home around a dozen days ago? What a hassle!¡±


    When Yu Hang came out, he was wearing the cotton jacket that Xiaocao gave him before the New Year. It had only been a little over two months, but there were already several holes in the jacket, revealing the white cotton inside. Xiaocao was aware of the fact that her older brother was someone who cherished his own clothing and belongings, and thus his new clothes usually wouldn¡¯t turn out like this.

 Chapter 74 – Collaboration

    <h4>Chapter 74 ¨C Coboration</h4>


    When Yu Hang noticed that his little sister continued to nce at his clothing, his eyes flickered evasively, and he squeezed out a smile, ¡°That uh...when I was moving timber around, I identally caught my coat on a branch...¡±


    ¡°If a branch poked a hole into your coat, it should leave a triangle sized hole, right? How did it be little strips?¡± Little Shitou asked doubtfully. He liked to climb trees and asionally his clothing would also get caught on the branches.


    Yu Hang coughed fakely and said, ¡°If I said a branch grazed my clothing, then it was a branch! Little children shouldn¡¯t have too much to say! ...Younger Sister, how¡¯s Father¡¯s leg injury right now?¡±


    ¡°Father¡¯s injury is mostly healed, and he can even walk with crutches right now. Older Brother, our family has already split and we also revamped the old residence. If you don¡¯t feel happy staying here, thene home with us! Now we don¡¯t have to deal with Grandmother constantly scolding us or Eldest Aunt¡¯s sourments!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao could tell that the marks left on his clothing seemed to have been caused by a whip. In addition, every time she came over to see him, her older brother always seemed to have new injuries on him. Thus, she wanted to bring Yu Hang home.


    When Yu Hang found out that their branch had finally separated from the others, a true smile finally appeared on his face. However, when he remembered Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s ruthless personality, he knew that the man wouldn¡¯t let him leave easily. He recalled that thest time one of the apprentices¡¯ family members came to take him home, they were told they had to give up twenty taels to take him out. He couldn¡¯t help but frown at that memory.


    When they separated from the family, his stingy grandmother would definitely not give their branch a lot of money. In addition, they had to rebuild the house, buy furniture and purchase household wares. He was sure that his family had to take on some debt. As the oldest son of the family, he wasn¡¯t in a position to help them with their issues, thus, he definitely couldn¡¯t add to their troubles!


    With great difficulty, Yu Hang tampered down his desire to leave and slowly shook his head, ¡°The master at the shop treats me pretty well, and he already taught me a lot of carpentry skills. I want to stay here a little longer and it won¡¯t be toote to go home after I master this trade.


    Yu Xiaocao tried again to convince him but Yu Hang stubbornly insisted on staying, so there was nothing more she could do. She stuffed a meat bun that she brought over into his hands and gave him fifty copper coins. Only after she did that did she silently leave.


    As he watched the slowly disappearing figures of his younger brother and sister, Yu Hang did his best to hold back his tears. He hoped that he could endure long enough to see his siblings again in the future...


    ¡°Older Sister, where should we go now?¡± Little Shitou felt somewhat down as even he could sense something was off.


    Xiaocao pondered the question and then said, ¡°It¡¯s still early right now, we should go to Zhenxiu Restaurant and see if Third Young Master Zhou is there.¡±


    When they got to Zhenxiu Restaurant, the manager told them that the Young Master had gone to the capital to oversee the details surrounding the opening of a branch restaurant. He was so busy that he couldn¡¯t even spare time for the condiment factory and could only have Steward Zhou watch it.


    After leaving Zhenxiu Restaurant, Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then took her little brother to look at the food market.


    Since they were growing vegetables at home, it was necessary to explore the food market. The market at Tanggu was on the most remote road in the town and was named ¡®North Market¡¯. At noon, the market didn¡¯t have much going on. Only a couple of stalls were open, and they were selling radishes and Chinese cabbages that didn¡¯t look very fresh. It was obvious that they had been stored in the cer for a whole winter.


    Yu Xiaocao pulled her younger brother into a pickled vegetable stand and found that there wasn¡¯t much variety. There was a ck colored thick paste that faintly smelled of mold, a form of dried radish that had been salted, and a watery-looking salted Chinese pared to her previous life¡¯s supermarkets, which had more than twenty varieties of pickled and salted vegetables, this was quite a let down.


    Xiaocao rubbed her nose and started to n. Should she pickle some salted vegetables and leave them here to sell? However, even if she wanted to make some, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do so this year. The family stores of radish and Chinese cabbage were low. She wasn¡¯t even sure if there was enough left to pickle for her own family to eat.


    ¡°Little girl, do you want to buy some salted vegetables?¡± The stall¡¯s shopkeeper was a sixteen to seventeen year old young man. He greeted them with a friendly demeanor despite their shabby looking clothes.


    Yu Xiaocao sheepishly replied, ¡°I was just looking if you had any pickled cucumbers...¡±


    ¡°Pickled cucumbers? Is that also a type of pickled vegetable? You can pickle cucumbers?¡± The young man asked humbly as his voice carried an undercurrent of excitement.


    This pickled vegetable stand was opened by his mother when she was still alive. At that time, his mother was very skilled in pickling and salting vegetables. People from far-flung viges woulde and buy a jar from her. His motherter fell ill and passed away, and he had only learned a few pickling methods. In addition, the taste of his pickles could not evene close to how tasty his mother¡¯s were. Gradually, the business in his stall declined. Jiang Yu felt anxious and angry as he watched his mother¡¯s life¡¯s work slowly declining in his own hands.


    ¡°Ah...when cucumbers are in season, I¡¯ll make some pickled cucumbers and bring them over for you to taste. If you think they taste good, I was nning on cing them in your stall to sell...¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled winsomely.


    Jiang Yu sighed heavily and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that my stall won¡¯t be able tost until then...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then said, ¡°Ah, older brother...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m called Jiang Yu, just call me by my name!¡± Jiang Yu smiled somewhat bashfully.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and continued, ¡°Jiang Yu, I have a few pickled vegetable recipes and they should taste pretty good...do you know how to write? I can tell you them while you write them down. You can follow my recipe and see how they turn out.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re neither rtives nor friends, how could I possibly take your pickled vegetable recipes? ...how about this, if the pickled vegetables turn out good and sell well, I¡¯ll give you a portion of the profits. I need to pay rent and taxes, so I¡¯ll take seventy percent and give thirty. What do you think?¡± Jiang Yu was quite young but had a good head for business.


    Yu Xiaocao slowly shook her head and smiled to cate Jiang Yu who had opened his mouth to speak, ¡°You need to ount for the manufacturing and material costs, while I¡¯m only giving you a recipe. I don¡¯t need thirty percent of the profits. How about we split it twenty-eighty, you¡¯ll take eighty percent and only need to give me twenty percent.¡±


    Jiang Yu couldn¡¯t tell what her recipes would taste like but inwardly promised that if the sales went well, he would give her arger cut of the profits. He replied, ¡°When my mother was still alive, she had sent me to a private school for a few years,ter on...anyway, I can handle writing down a few recipes.¡±


    In her previous life, she had gone into the workforce early as her two younger siblings needed to pay for both schooling and boarding costs. There was a time when they had a very difficult time making ends meet. In an effort to save money, she had learned how to marinate several different types of pickled vegetables. Her younger brother and sister both said that pickled vegetables sold at stores couldn¡¯t evene ten percent close to how good hers tasted. Even after they graduated college and had gone to different cities to work and settle down, they still asked her to make some pickled vegetables and mail them over.


    She recited the recipes that she was the best at and let Jiang Yu carefully write down the details. The types of recipes she gave were: spicy and numbing dried radish strips, spicy young radish, Korean kimchi, spicy kelp strips, soybeans in wine, and pickled beans.


    Originally she had felt bad that the teenager¡¯s business was not going well and didn¡¯t want his stall to go bankrupt so she was only nning on teaching him two types of pickled vegetables for the sake of it. But now since she was getting her own share, then it was fine to tell him more recipes. The good thing was that all of the condiments and seasonings, other than MSG which the youth had never heard of, used in pickling vegetables could all be found at a general store or pharmacy.


    For example: star anise, fennel, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns were all used byter generations as seasonings and spices. In ancient times, however, these were all medicinal herbs. It was only after the Emperor Emeritus and current emperor ascended the throne that these spices started being used as seasonings in food. These herbs were not very expensive. However, Xiaocao¡¯s family could barely feed everyone. In fact, using oil to cook their food was considered a luxury for them. Thus, it was natural that they would be reluctant to shell out money for these spices.


    Under Jiang Yu¡¯s rmendations, Xiaocao went to a rtively remote section of the food market and found a general goods stall where she could buy cheap condiments and spices. At noon, other than the shopkeeper with a beard like a mountain goat who was dozing off in a chair, not a soul could be found in the stall.


    This particr goods stall had very few articles for daily use. Inside the stall were tworge vats and they distributed a smell of soy sauce and vinegar. When the two scentsbined, it didn¡¯t smell very good. Next to the wall was a long table with many wooden boxes. These boxes contained the condiments that Xiaocao wanted to buy.


    ¡°Shopkeeper, how are these spices sold?¡± Xiaocao asked worriedly as she rubbed at chest pocket which held an old embroidered pouch with about a hundred or so copper coins in it.


    When the old shopkeeper heard her voice, he suddenly raised his head and sleepily blinked a couple of times. His mountain goat beard moved up and down as he said, ¡°Do you want to weigh the spices separately or all together?¡±


    ¡°How much would it cost to weigh the spices separately versus together?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked after thinking a bit.


    ¡°If you¡¯re weighing them separately, Chinese cinnamon is eighteen copper coins per ounce, bay leaves are fifteen coppers, star anise twenty-six coppers, Sichuan peppercorn twenty coppers and fennel is twenty coppers.¡± The old shopkeeper nced at the two siblings and proposed, ¡°If you¡¯re buyingrger quantities, it¡¯s generally more worth it to buy them separately.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gnawed on her lip and sheepishly smiled, ¡°Then...I should probably weigh them altogether, right? I just want one ounce worth of spices to use for a bit...¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The shopkeeper took out a square shaped piece of rough straw paper and folded it into a tube-shape and started to grab some spices.


    Xiaocao hesitated but then spoke up, ¡°Shopkeeper Grandfather, can I add the spices myself?¡± After running a braised foods shop in her past life, she already knew the ratios of spices needed for her food by heart. Now that she was pressed for money, she didn¡¯t want to waste even the tiniest speck of spice.


    The old shopkeeper hesitated for a moment and his eyes scanned over the two siblings and their old and patched up attire. In the end, he nodded his head in agreement.


    Xiaocao followed the proportions she had memorized and carefully scooped out the spices from the wooden boxes. When the old shopkeeper noticed that she didn¡¯t try to y a small trick and take only the expensive spices, he smoothed his beard with a hand and inwardly nodded his head in approval.


    When she thought the weight was about right, Xiaocao folded the tube closed and handed it to the old shopkeeper to let him weigh it. The shopkeeper¡¯s scale was simr to the ones used in a pharmacy. It was very small and could weigh things very precisely. The weight came out to be one ounce and three maces 1, which came out to be twenty-five copper coins total.


    Xiaocao looked at the tworge vats again and hesitated before she said, ¡°Shopkeeper Grandfather, I also want to buy some soy sauce and vinegar, but I didn¡¯t bring any containers with me...¡±


    The old man grabbed two small bamboo tubes and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Since you called me ¡®shopkeeper grandfather¡¯ then I¡¯ll let you borrow these two containers. The next time youe to buy spices, you can just return them to me. Now tell me, how much soy sauce and vinegar do you want?¡±


    She could tell that these two containers were goods that the shop was selling. Once soy sauce and vinegar went into them, it would definitely dye the containers a different color and also leave a smell behind. After being used, these containers likely couldn¡¯t be sold again. Xiaocao¡¯s heart warmed up.

 Chapter 75 – Helping Out

    <h4>Chapter 75 ¨C Helping Out</h4>


    She thought for a bit and almost blurted out ¡®half a catty¡¯ but then she remembered that in ancient times half a catty was equal to around eight ounces. After all, wasn¡¯t there a saying that said ¡®a half a catty is eight ounces¡¯, which meant ¡®there¡¯s not much to choose between the two¡¯? Thus, she hastily corrected herself, ¡°Please give me four ounces of each.¡±


    The price for the vinegar and soy sauce came out to be five copper coins total. She then calcted all of the transactions she had conducted today. Her mother had given her twenty copper coins for pocket money, and she had sold Xiaolian¡¯s embroidery for one hundred copper coins. The embroidery silks cost ten coins, and the spices and condiments were thirty coins. She had also stuffed ten coins into her older brother¡¯s hands. After that, she still had eighty coins on hand. So it wasn¡¯t like she was a spendthrift right?


    Growl....


    They had eaten breakfast early today. Even Little Shitou, who was used to having only two meals a day, hugged his belly, which was rumbling in protest, with a distressed look on his small face. However, he didn¡¯t even suggest the possibility of buying something to eat.


    The food market had some booths selling breakfast that hadn¡¯t closed yet. Xiaocao carefully held her condiments and walked over to the stalls with her younger brother. She bought a bowl of hot soup, took out her shepherd¡¯s purse pancake, and soaked a piece of the pancake in the soup for her brother.


    The soup they bought was just a in Chinese cabbage soup and only had some salt in it as voring. On the surface, only a few drops of oil could be seen. In actuality, the taste of the soup was quite mediocre. However, it had been simmering on a small stove for a long time and mouthfuls of it easily warmed up the belly. The pancakes they had brought with them from home this morning had long be stone cold. By letting the pancakes soak in the soup, it was warmed up and became easy andforting to eat.


    There was a little child, about four to five years in age, who was at the breakfast booth. He eyed the two siblings¡¯ delicious pancake with pure envy. He iled an arm andined at his father, ¡°Father, I also want to eat that kind of savory, delicious pancake. Go buy one for me!¡±


    The stall owner had noticed that the pancake contained verdant green vegetables. Perplexed, he asked, ¡°Little girl, where did you buy that tbread? How could there be green vegetables in this season?¡±


    Little Shitou ate the pancake inrge bites and joyfully replied, ¡°My second sister made this pancake, but it doesn¡¯t have green vegetables inside. We dug up some wild herbs in the mountains for the pancakes. My second sister is a very good cook, so no one else can make something as delicious as this.¡±


    ¡°I want to eat the pancake, Father, Father, I want to eat wild herb pancakes, wahhhhhh...¡± After he saw the satisfied expression on Little Shitou¡¯s face, the little fellow started to cry and sob pitifully that he wanted to eat it.


    Earlier that morning, Madam Liu had packed the remaining three pancakes for the two siblings to bring into town. The two of them had ripped off pieces of one of them to put in the soup, so there was still another whole pancake on the table. When Xiaocao saw this, she hastily said, ¡°We still have one more left. Older uncle, if you¡¯re okay with it, then take it to give to the little brother to eat.¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly do that? You two siblings won¡¯t have enough to eat then!¡± The breakfast seller smiled awkwardly at the sister-brother pair as he quietly coaxed the little boy.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. We had already eaten breakfast before we came here and just wanted to drink some hot soup to warm up our bodies.¡± Xiaocao had seen that the little boy couldn¡¯t be calmed down. He had cried until a trail of mucus flowed down his nose, and his continued sobs produced tiny bubbles in it. She and her younger brother had eaten one pancake and drank a bowl of soup. That was enough to quiet their stomachs, and when they got home in the evening there would be supper to eat. Thus, she offered her remaining pancake to them.


    The food stall owner thought for a bit and then said, ¡°Then I thank you. The soup that you two drank is free. Take it as a sign of my gratitude.¡±


    A bowl of soup cost one copper coin. Every penny saved was a penny earned. After Yu Xiaocao thanked the stall owner, she left the food market with her brother. They went to a spot outside the town gates where Uncle Ma was waiting for them. His donkey cart was already full of people, and they were just waiting for the two of them.


    If Madam Liu found out that they had spent thirty copper coins on seasonings and condiments, she would definitely start lecturing them. They almost didn¡¯t have anything to eat at home, why would they buy seasonings?


    When they got home, Xiaocao pushed the gate open and carefully poked her head in to look. Xiaolian was in the middle of the courtyard doing embroidery. When she saw Xiaocao¡¯s sneaky movements, she burst out in giggles and said, ¡°Xiaocao, what shameful thing did you do? Rx, Mother isn¡¯t at home right now!¡±


    After hearing that, Xiaocao entered the courtyard with relief. She smirked, ¡°Who did something shameful? I just bought some condiments in town and was afraid that Mother would lecture me for spending money recklessly... Here, this is the money that was leftover after selling your embroidery.¡±


    ¡°I told you earlier that you could spend the remaining money on whatever you wanted. How could buying seasonings be considered reckless spending?¡± Xiaolian casually took the money pouch and felt its weight. Surprised, she said, ¡°How much seasoning did you buy? It doesn¡¯t feel like you used too much money.¡±


    Her five embroidered pouches had previously been sold for a total of seventy-five copper coins. However, the leftover money in the pouch that Xiaocao given her had five coins more than the usual seventy-five, and she could feel the difference.


    Xiaocao exined to her sister that the owner of the embroidery shop had given her a better price for the pouches, and then said, ¡°Xiaolian, please don¡¯t tell Mother that I bought these condiments. I have something I need them for!¡±


    ¡°What can¡¯t you tell your mother?¡± Yu Hai limped out of the room and grinned at his two adorable daughters. His leg had healed to the point where he didn¡¯t need to use crutches to walk anymore.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing! Father, do you know how to make this type of bamboo tube? When you have time, can you help me make two? I still need to return what I borrowed to someone!¡± Xiaocao deliberately changed the subject and handed over the bamboo tube that held the soy sauce to her father.


    ¡°This type of tube is one of the easiest bamboo utensils to make, it won¡¯t be hard for me.¡± Yu Hai sniffed at the bamboo container andughed, ¡°Soy sauce? If we had a catty of fatty, streaky pork right now, we could make a bowl of red braised pork...then we really could eat to our heart¡¯s content!¡±


    Ever since his biological mother had passed away, Yu Hai had never been able to taste red braised pork again. He cherished the memory of the taste of that dish.


    Xiaocao quickly snatched back the tube of soy sauce from him and emphasized, ¡°I need to use these condiments, so you can¡¯t touch them! Oh right, where did Mother go?¡±


    ¡°Next door to Auntie Zhou¡¯s ce. They had gotten arge order and need to get it done by tomorrow, so they asked our mother for help in killing the chickens.¡± Xiaolian took the proffered condiments from her sister and put them in a hidden nook in the kitchen.


    Yu Hai called out towards Little Shitou, ¡°Son,e with Father to help cover the vegetable fields with their nkets...our seedlings are growing quite well. After only five days, they¡¯ve already sprouted to a height of a couple of centimeters. I have never seen vegetables grow this fast, even in previous years when the spring was warmer than this...¡±


    Of course they grew quickly. She had watered them every day with the mystic-stone water. Xiaocao rubbed her nose somewhat uneasily and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to visit Auntie Zhou¡¯s house and see if they need any help.¡± With that said, she escaped as quickly as a wisp of smoke.


    Madam Fang had gone into town earlier today to sell her chickens and eggs. In town, she found out that Lord Huang¡¯s father was going to have his sixtieth birthday celebration and needed around thirty chickens for the banquet. The steward in charge of buying food had made an order of forty chickens and had asked her to get them all prepared today so they could be sent to the residence the next day.


    She had rushed back home after receiving the order. There were not enough people at home to help kill, pluck, and clean all of the forty chickens in one afternoon. Additionally, her husband wasn¡¯t home. Madam Fang was afraid that her three children and herself would end up ruining thisrge order, so she asked Madam Liu to help.


    When Xiaocao got there, Zhou Linglong and her sister were in the kitchen boiling water. Madam Fang was holding a cleaver and about to kill a chicken. There were five or six roosters lying on the ground with their legs bound up. Her mother, Madam Liu, was next to arge wooden basin and was pouring hot water from a pail into it. Inside the basin were three ughtered chickens that still had their feathers on.


    ¡°Mother, Auntie Zhou, I came over to help!¡± Xiaocao casually greeted them and frowned when she saw there was a bunch of chicken blood on the ground.


    Madam Fang picked up a chicken whose legs were bound and plucked off some feathers from its neck. Just as the knife was about to sh down, she heard a voice and looked over with a smile, ¡°You got back, Xiaocao? If I had known earlier you were also going into town, we could have gone together. Did you have a good time shopping in town?¡±


    ¡°Auntie Zhou, do you not want any of the chicken blood leftover from killing chickens?¡± Xiaocao irrelevantly answered and regarded the dirt soaked with chicken blood with slight regret.


    Madam Fang hesitated in confusion and said, ¡±Why would anyone want chicken blood? It¡¯s not even tasty!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked and replied, ¡°You can eat chicken blood! If it¡¯s made well, there¡¯s not an odd smell or taste either. You need to eat blood to enrich blood, so chicken blood is very good at this. It can also relieve rheumatic pains, improve blood cirction, and open things up!¡±


    ¡°Uh....I have never heard of chicken blood having all of those properties. Who did you learn this from, Xiaocao?¡± The knife in Madam Fang¡¯s hand wavered as she didn¡¯t know whether she should cut off the chicken¡¯s head at the moment or not.


    Yu Xiaocao rushed into the kitchen and asked Zhou Shanhu to grab her a basin. She ced it in front of Madam Fang and said, ¡°Auntie Zhou, listen to me! If chicken blood is cooked correctly, it¡¯ll have a tender texture and be very delicious. You can use it together with tofu to make a soup, and it could also be stewed with cabbage. If it¡¯s stewed in a sauce, it¡¯ll be soft and smooth, and be extremely delicious!¡± ¡°This child, you describe it so well that the saliva has almoste dripping out of my mouth. Okay, all of the chicken blood will be yours. When you finish cooking it, don¡¯t forget to bring your Auntie Zhou a bowl...¡± Madam Fang nimbly wielded the knife to cut the chicken¡¯s neck open. The scarlet blood gurgled down into the basin.


    Xiaocao felt as if she could see a host of culinary delights floating in front of her. She gluttonously wished that she could grab the chicken blood and start cooking now. Two months had passed since the New Year celebrations. They couldn¡¯t even eat their fill of coarse grains, let alone get a taste of meat or fish. Living life like this had caused her cravings to go out of control!


    ¡°What are you just standing there for? Didn¡¯t youe over to help? Go back home and grab the basin we used to wash vegetables in. We can pluck the feathers off faster this way!¡± Madam Liu said in an indulgent yet slightly scolding tone of voice as she smiled at her daughter ¡°Okay!¡± Yu Xiaocao assented and bolted out.


    Madam Fang looked at her cheerful steps as her figure got smaller in the distance and smiled, ¡°Younger Sister Muyun, your family¡¯s luck must have changed. Just look, ever since you guys moved out, your husband¡¯s leg has healed, Xiaocao¡¯s body is healthy, and you haven¡¯t gotten sick again. You should rx a bit. In the future, your family will definitely do better and better. When some chicks hatch in spring, go grab a few and bring them home to raise. They cany some eggs and nourish your children¡¯s bodies. You and your children have such thin bodies, ah...¡±


    Madam Liu raised her head to gently smile at the other woman. After moving out, her smile appeared more frequently. She held in herugh as her hands continued to pluck the chicken with practiced ease. Steam rose from the wooden basin and there was a slightly fishy smell in the air...


    When Xiaocao had gotten back, she saw Madam Liu opening up the chicken¡¯s belly, pulling out the internal organs, and throwing them aside on the ground. She tentatively asked, ¡°Are these all going to be thrown away?¡± Madam Liu shot her a nce and teased, ¡°Do you really want to eat something so dirty and smelly? There¡¯s chicken poop in them. If you make it, you¡¯ll be the only one eating them. Okay, stop goofing off and go help me get the chickens that your Auntie Zhou ughtered. I need to scald them, and you can be in charge of plucking the feathers!¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, work carefully! If you do well, Auntie will give you ten copper coins as payment...¡± Madam Fang could tell that Xiaocao was a practiced hand at this work and made her a promise.


    Madam Liu interjected heavily, ¡°We¡¯re all fellow vigers and neighbors. There¡¯s no need to give us money for helping you! Also, she¡¯s a little child, how much help can she be...¡±

 Chapter 76 – What a Surprise!

    <h4>Chapter 76 ¨C What a Surprise!</h4>


    Madam Liu looked over and discovered that her daughter¡¯s speed in plucking the chickens was not any slower than hers. In fact, to her surprise, the chickens her daughter plucked were even cleaner than hers.


    What a joke, of course Xiaocao was good at this, just look at what she did in her previous life. Her braised foods shop had a chicken dish, braised roast chicken. Every day she needed to ughter and prepare around thirty to forty chickens. If she wasn¡¯t good at this, that would truly be an oddity!


    Xiaocao looked around the room and smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t need wages. Auntie Zhou, just give me the internal organs from these forty chickens instead!¡±


    ¡°What do you want the internal organs for? You¡¯re not going to really take them back home to eat them, are you?! ...Cao¡¯er, mother knows our circumstances at home are not very good and that we usually can¡¯t taste any meat during most of the year. However, we still can¡¯t eat something as dirty as this! How about this, next time I go sell my embroidery, I¡¯ll buy a catty of meat and give you a great feast...¡± The smile on Madam Liu¡¯s face gradually dimmed and a look of guilt and shame rose in her eyes.


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry about it, I really do have a use for these internal organs!¡± Xiaocao was inwardly surprised and bbergasted. Didn¡¯t they all say that people in ancient times ate internal organs? Was it just a false rumor?


    Madam Fang smiled and tried to resolve the dispute, ¡°When children get older, they start having their own ideas. Younger Sister Muyun, just let her try! Xiaocao, the chicken blood and internal organs are all yours! I¡¯ll also give you money for your help!¡±


    Xiaocao shook her head and replied, ¡°Auntie Zhou, I really can¡¯t take your money for the work. Last time when we had moved in and had a banquet, you and Older Sister Linglong were busy for the whole day helping us. You guys didn¡¯t even get to eat lunch. I¡¯m only helping out a little. If I wanted money for it, isn¡¯t that too much of me? A rtive afar is less use than a close neighbor. Neighbors helping each other out is the right thing to do!¡±


    Madam Liu agreed, ¡°Cao¡¯er is right! Missus, if you keep bringing up giving us money, I will go back home right now...¡±


    Seeing that both the mother and daughter persisted in refusing her offer, Madam Fang no longer brought up the subject of paying them. It took the two adults and three children a whole hour to finish ughtering and cleaning up the chickens. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s speed and abilities were even better than her mother¡¯s and was neck to neck to the old hand, Madam Fang. Madam Fang repeatedly praised her skills...


    Afterwards, Madam Fang went into the room to take out the cakes and pastries she had bought in town earlier that morning. She shoved them into Xiaocao¡¯s hands and insisted that she bring them back home. The Zhou Family sold chickens and eggs, and when it was the off-season for farming, her husband would peddle goods. They were the only family in the vige who could afford to buy some sweets for their children to eat from time to time.


    Madam Liu held the wooden basin filled to the brim with chicken offal as she watched her daughter who held the pail with chicken blood in one hand and pastries in the other. She frowned and said, ¡°Do you really know how to prepare chicken blood? Don¡¯t talk a big game and not be able to follow up, otherwise Auntie Zhou and her daughters willugh at you.¡±


    ¡°Mother, stop worrying, when did I ever promise more than I can deliver?¡± Xiaocao struggled with holding the chicken blood in one hand so she ced the string that tied the pastries together in her mouth. Her freed hand joined the other one in lifting the basin as she stepped forward quickly.


    When they got home, Xiaolian had already finished making the meal and was waiting for them before she started serving. Xiaocao proudly shook the pail in her hand and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t start serving yet, I¡¯m going to make something delicious to add to the meal.¡±


    ¡°What sort of good thing?¡± Little Shitou stood up from his seated position and dashed toward her. After he saw the contents of the basin, he frowned in disappointment and said, ¡°This is chicken blood! Second Sister, you can¡¯t possibly be saying that this will be the tasty dish, right?¡±


    ¡°What sort of expression is that? You don¡¯t believe your older sister? Once I finish making it, you don¡¯t get to have any!¡± Xiaocao red at him, feigning displeasure.


    Little Shitou remembered his older sister¡¯s out of the ordinary culinary skills and backtracked immediately to apologize, ¡°Second Sister, I was wrong. Everything you make is top-notch. I¡¯m just a wimpy little kid, don¡¯t lower yourself to my level, Second Sister...¡±


    ¡°Go, go! Buy a copper coin¡¯s worth of tofu from Er Gouzi¡¯s ce!¡± Xiaocao cheerfully dispatched him out and entered the kitchen with the basin of chicken blood.


    Xiaolian followed her inside and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help! What do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°Boil some water in the pot, I need to nch the chicken blood in that!¡±


    The blood in the basin had already started congealing into blood clots. Xiaocao used a knife to cut a few lines to divide them into a few ¡®tofu pieces¡¯. She took out a block of blood and carefully cut it up into smaller pieces. She ced it into the boiling water to nch and waited until it changed color before shedled it back up.


    She was making ¡®spicy and sour chicken blood 1¡¯. The family didn¡¯t have any pickled chili peppers, so she used the pickled vegetables her maternal grandmother had sent over as a substitute for the sour. After cutting the vegetables into tiny cubes, she started chopping up the dried chili peppers. She also sliced the ginger into thin strips and smashed some garlic heads to be used as well.


    Xiaocaodled a small spoonful of oil from the oil pitcher and put it into the pan. The cubed pickled vegetables, dried chili peppers, the julienned ginger, and smashed garlic were lightly fried in the oil to bring out the vors. Afterwards, the chicken blood was lightly stir-fried in the aromatics. It was important not to overcook the chicken blood to not ruin the final texture. It had the tender mouthfeel of tofu but had a much better vor than tofu.


    After thinking a bit, she made the decisive decision to add some vinegar to remove the fishy smell and also added some salt and soy sauce. After sauteing everything until it was mixed well, it was ready to te.


    ¡°Smells so good!¡± Little Shitou ran all the way home after buying the tofu. He panted heavily but continued to inhale the smell and had a gluttonous expression on his face.


    Xiaocao also made a ¡®tofu and chicken blood soup¡¯. The snow white tofu floated at the top of the broth and the dark red color of the chicken blood was faintly visible. With the addition of chopped scallions, the green color of the herb contrasted beautifully with the other colors. It was a fragrant and visually attractive soup.


    ¡°Time to eat! Time to eat!!¡± Little Shitou impatiently rushed towards the dining table but was pulled back by Xiaocao.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush! Come with me to bring some food over to Auntie Zhou!¡± She had deliberately made an extra portion of each dish so there was enough for the Zhou Family too.


    Little Shitou pouted and held the ¡®spicy and sour chicken blood 2¡¯ in his hands as he walked and inhaled the smell of the food. Xiaoaoughed and said, ¡°You greedy cat. Be careful, other people might see you like this. How shameful!¡±


    Little Shitou closed his mouth, smiled, and with great difficulty managed to hold back his desire and said, ¡°Second Sister, who would have thought that chicken blood could be used to make something that smells so good. When our family used to ughter chickens to eat, we would always throw away the blood, what a waste! Oh right, you had mother bring back the inner organs of a chicken, can¡¯t they be used to make food too?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Are you brave enough to try?¡± Xiaocao nted her eyes at him as she faintly smiled.


    Little Shitou emphatically nodded his head and said, ¡°Of course! Of course I¡¯m brave enough! As long as Second Sister makes it as tasty as the chicken blood, I¡¯ll eat it! What¡¯s there to be scared of?¡±


    ¡°In your dreams! That will all be used to sell for money, how can I bear to let you eat it?¡± Yu Xiaocao wrinkled her nose at him and made a funny face at him. She then knocked on the front door of the Zhou Residence. ¡°Coming,ing! Oh! Xiaocao, have you eaten yet?¡± Madam Fang hade to the door to see who was there. When she saw Xiaocao and her younger brother, both with delicious smelling tes of food in their hands, a look of surprise crossed her face.


    ¡°Auntie Zhou, I finished cooking the chicken blood. Little Shitou¡¯s holding spicy and sour chicken blood and I have the tofu and chicken blood soup. Have you and your family eaten yet? If not, then you don¡¯t need to make anything.¡± Xiaocao gleefully walked into the courtyard and gave the food to Zhou Linglong who had just walked out of the kitchen.


    The Zhou Family had been busy earlier ughtering chickens, so they hadn¡¯t had the time to make food. She hade at the right time.


    ¡°Smells good! Did you really use chicken blood to make this food?¡± Zhou Shanhu was about the same age as Xiaocao and slipped over to smell the food in awe as she showed an infatuated expression.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and nodded her head, ¡°Yes! Auntie, in the future when your family ughters chickens, make sure to keep the blood and offal. I will teach you how to make them into delicious dishes. We have to go now, you can give the tes back to us tomorrow, Auntie.¡±


    The Yu Family ate a sumptuous meal that satisfied everyone¡¯s taste buds. The spicy and sour chicken blood not only had a rich and dense vor of chicken meat, but also had the tender texture of tofu. Each bite was addicting and made them want to eat more. Even Little Shitou, who usually couldn¡¯t eat spicy foods, couldn¡¯t stop eating it as his tears and mucus traveled down his face.


    The tofu and chicken blood soup had a vibrant color and savory taste. It tasted exquisite and fresh, and the broth was full of rich vor. The whole family praised it continuously. Even Madam Liu, who usually tried to leave good food for her children, couldn¡¯t help but drink an extra bowl.


    Therge cauldron full of tofu and chicken blood soup, other than therge bowl that had been given to Madam Fang, had almost been nearly wiped out by Xiaocao and her family.


    Little Shitou had eaten so much that his stomach had bloated into the size of a small watermelon. Hey on the bed, contently groaning. Madam Liu was afraid that the little fellow had almost eaten until he was sick, so she sat on the beside and helped him massage his tummy. At the side, Yu Hai burped and smiled somewhat ufortably, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been so full. Second daughter¡¯s culinary skills are truly remarkable. She can use something that other people throw away and make it into a delicacy.¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s face gentled significantly at the thought of her younger daughter. She said, ¡°Ever since Cao¡¯er hit her head and lost her memories, it feels like she¡¯spletely changed personalities. Not only has her body be healthy, but she¡¯s also no longer as cowardly and timid as before. In addition, she has a lot of new ideas and recipes. For example, yesterday we had advised her that there weren¡¯t any wild herbs to be found in this season but she stubbornly disagreed. It turns out she was right and she was able to dig up a lot of shepherd¡¯s purse.¡±


    ¡°Changing is good. In the past, you and the children have suffered greatly at home. Xiaocao¡¯s previous timid personality probably had an outside cause. It was I who was useless as I couldn¡¯t protect you or the kids...¡± Yu Hai¡¯s eyes dimmed at the thought of his stepmother¡¯s callous, biased heart and his older sister-inw¡¯s greedy andzy personality.


    Madam Liu interjected hastily, ¡°Don¡¯t say stuff like that. I and the children are still waiting to have a good life with you in the future. Oh right, Xiaocao also brought back that chicken offal. Do you really think she¡¯ll use them to make food? They¡¯re so dirty and stinky. I definitely am too afraid to try them!¡±


    Little Shitou flipped his body around, sat up, and giggled, ¡°Second Sister had said earlier that she was nning on using that stuff to make food to be sold for money.¡±


    ¡°Sell that for money? Has Cao¡¯er gone crazy at the thought of making money? If other people eat it and end up having problems, then we would get in trouble with thew. As her father, you need to guide and watch over her. She absolutely cannot be someone who makes money off of the misfortune of others.¡± Madam Liu frowned as she lectured worriedly.


    Yu Hai, on the other hand, was not in the least bit worried. He had been observing his second daughter these past few days and he knew in his heart that she didn¡¯t have any malicious intentions. He replied in a calm and unhurried voice, ¡°The type of person that Cao¡¯er is, shouldn¡¯t you as her mother know as well? You definitely cannot let her overhear such talk, it¡¯ll hurt her feelings! Don¡¯t worry, I believe that child¡¯s heart is in a good ce, so don¡¯t worry over nothing.¡±


    Little Shitou nodded his head furiously and supported his second sister, ¡°Mother, chicken offal may not necessarily be inedible. Just think, didn¡¯t we also throw away chicken blood in the past? But didn¡¯t Second Sister also use that to make something so delicious? I¡¯m on Father¡¯s side. I believe in Second Sister¡¯s abilities.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! You¡¯re both the good guys, and I¡¯m the bad guy!¡± Madam Liu¡¯s lips twitched slightly and she red at the father and son pair before she left the room.


    In the rear courtyard, the twin sisters were currently next to the well cleaning up the chicken offal! Xiaolian lifted a bucket of water out of the well and pursed her lips when she saw her younger sister separating the chicken liver, gizzard, and intestines from each other. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you sure that these can be used to make something to eat? Were the condiments and seasonings you bought earlier supposed to be used this stuff?¡±


    Xiaocao rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Rx, have some faith in me! I am absolutely not wrong!¡±

 Chapter 77 – Braised Food

    <h4>Chapter 77 ¨C Braised Food</h4>


    She used a pair of scissors to cut open the chicken intestines and then used cold water to wash out all of the feces. When they were fixing up the rear courtyard, she had deliberately directed people to create a channel next to the well that connected to the outhouse¡¯strine pit. By having this, they could washundry and vegetables and the dirty water would just flow away.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, what can I do to help?¡± Madam Liu couldn¡¯t bear to just watch the two sisters being busy and walked over.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at her and said, ¡°Mother, you came at the right time. Do we still have any coarse salt left at home? You can grab it and use it to forcefully scrub the inside of the chicken intestines. This will remove any weird odors from it.¡±


    ¡°Use coarse salt to scrub? Are you sure you can sell this for money? When the timees, I hope you can sell out because otherwise we won¡¯t be able to eat it and would have wasted all of these materials!¡± Although coarse salt was cheap to buy in areas by the sea, about one copper coin could buy half a jar of it, Madam Liu was used to being frugal and couldn¡¯t help from warning her daughter.


    Xiaocao pouted her lips and said, ¡°Mother! Rx! My methods are given to me by the God of Fortune and they definitely won¡¯t fail!¡±


    After the little girl used the god¡¯s name as a rebuttal, Madam Liu didn¡¯t say anything more and squatted down to scrub the chicken intestines clean with salt. She was very thorough in her work as she was afraid that if they weren¡¯t clean, she¡¯d end up causing more problems for her daughter.


    Xiaocao started to fully concentrate on preparing the chicken liver and gizzards. The most important part when cleaning the liver was to cut off the galldder on top. This was delicate work because if you weren¡¯t careful, it was very easy to cut into the galldder and leak out its contents. With the spige, the liver would have a bitter taste that would influence the taste of the final dish in a bad way. Luckily, she had more than ten years of experience from her past life in preparing this and could even do it in her sleep.


    The gizzards, on the other hand, were slightly more troublesome as she needed to cut them open, wash out the feces, and then cut off the inneryer of yellow colored film. However, this yellow chicken gizzard lining was an important medicinal ingredient and was also called ¡®fowl¡¯s inner gold¡¯. If a child had indigestion from eating too much, the sun-dried fowl¡¯s inner gold could be ground into a powder and taken. After taking it, the digestive problems would go away.


    Xiaocao was an expert in peeling off this membrane. Out of the forty-so chicken gizzard linings she had to take out, every single one was intact and not a single rip could be seen.


    After the chicken intestines, liver, and gizzards were all cleaned, Xiaocao told her mother to go rest. She then pulled Xiaolian into the kitchen with her. The n was to finish braising all of these meats tonight and then go into town the next day to see if she could sell them.


    ¡°You want to sell this in town? The townspeople are snobbish and picky. If they found out that you had made these dishes out of the innards of a chicken, they would probably beat you to death. In my opinion, you should try your luck at the docks instead. First of all, we live closer to the docks as it takes less than two hours to walk there. Second, the people who work there, such as the fishmongers and dock porters, all wake up early. Most of them either bring their own breakfast from home or buy something. These people don¡¯t have high expectations for their food. As long as it tastes good and the price is reasonable, they won¡¯t think anything of spending a couple copper coins for food.¡± Xiaolian had overheard her eldest maternal aunt describing her small business on the docks and proposed this idea to Xiaocao.


    Xiaocao thought for a bit and then nodded her head, ¡°Ok! You are right. It¡¯s very lively and bustling at Tanggu Docks. There¡¯s a decent market for food even if we only count those dockworkers. We¡¯ll go there tomorrow to try our luck!¡±


    The two sisters went into the kitchen and lit the fire to boil water. After the water reached a boil, they first nched the chicken to remove any odd odors. Next, they needed to make the seasoning sauce. Whether or not a braised dish tasted good depended heavily on its sauce. There were three general types of seasoning sauces for braised food: red sauce, white sauce, and yellow sauce.


    In her past life, Xiaocao had received the authentic recipes for the sauces from her shop¡¯s boss. All of the sauces were her proprietary specialties. She thought for a bit and then asked Xiaolian, ¡°Xiaolian, give me a couple more coins, I need to go to Doctor You to buy some herbs and then I¡¯lle back...¡±


    At the beginning of spring, Doctor You had returned to the vige with a young boy around the age of ten. It was said that this boy was his grandnephew or some sort of rtive. Xiaocao had already returned the medicine trunk with all of the money she had earned during the fall and winter back to him. The vigers were also relieved. Although most people had recognized her medical skills, fellow vigers still preferred to have an older doctor to take care of them.


    ¡°Medicinal herbs?¡± Can you really cook with those?¡± Xiaolian asked, perplexed.


    Xiaocao grinned, ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t the more wealthy families often eat ginseng chicken and angelica sinensis stewed with chicken? Don¡¯t those dishes contain medicinal ingredients?¡±


    Xiaolian muttered under her breath, ¡°How can wepare to those rich people?¡± However, she still went back to the room and took out the embroidered pouch Xiaocao had returned to her that afternoon and ced it back into her younger sister¡¯s hands.


    The medicinal herbs that Xiaocao needed were all verymon ones and, thus, were cheap. She only spent ten copper coins on a bunch of different types. After she got home, she started to make the sauce. Since the weather was cold now, she made sure to blend arge portion of the seasoning sauce.


    The seasoning sauce of a braised dish could be used multiple times as long as it was stored properly. In fact, the more times the sauce was used and the longer it fermented, the better the taste and quality. This was because the percentage of soluble proteins in the sauce increased as time went by. This was also the reason why the braised dishes made with older sauces had a more mellow and rich tastepared to the newer sauces.


    Xiaocao started measuring the ingredients. Her recipe required: 20 grams of star anise, 20 grams of chinese cinnamon, 50 grams of dried orange peel, 20 grams of Sichuan peppercorn, 15 grams of fennel, 20 grams of bay leaves, 15 grams of licorice root, 100 grams of dried hot chili pepper, 150 grams of scallions, 150 grams of fresh ginger, one catty of yellow wine, 400 grams of soy sauce, 200 grams of salt...(Author¡¯s note: Please don¡¯t try to make this at home, this is a simplified recipe.)


    When Xiaolian saw forty copper coins worth of materials being wrapped into a cheesecloth and being thrown into the basin, she hastily said, ¡°Is it okay to make so much on the first try? What if it turns out bad...¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be a problem with it!¡± Xiaocao interrupted her firmly. Perhaps her confidence made Xiaolian feel more confident since she didn¡¯t make any morements and only followed Xiaocao¡¯s instructions in increasing or decreasing the heat on the stove.


    ¡°Smells so good! Mother, do you smell it yet? This must be the smell of Second Sister¡¯s finished offal dish. I¡¯m going to go look!¡± Little Shitou, who had beenying on the bed digesting his food, was like a police dog who had smelled something interesting. He scrambled off the kang bed, hastily slipped on his old and worn cotton shoes, and bolted out the room. He ran so fast that he almost tripped on the threshold of the door.


    Madam Liu could onlyugh and shake her head, ¡°This child...Shitou¡¯s father, let¡¯s go look too?¡±


    Yu Hai was also bursting with curiosity so he nodded his head and put on his shoes quickly to go to the kitchen.


    The forty portions of chicken offal had been stewed together in one big pot and was simmering merrily at low heat on the stove. Little Shitou waited impatiently at the side of the stove, his eyes flickering with a feverish, excited light. He resembled a little puppy who had spotted a juicy, meaty bone. All hecked was a wagging tail and a lolling tongue.


    Xiaocao felt that the time was about right and opened the lid. Shedled up some chicken intestines and blew on them a couple of times before offering them to the little fellow¡¯s mouth.


    Little Shitou shook his head in refusal, ¡°This will be sold for money, I shouldn¡¯t eat it...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small bite, we don¡¯t need to save it¡± Xiaocao forcefully pushed the food into the little boy¡¯s mouth. The braised intestines had a delicious vor and the texture was very crispy which gave it a very good mouthfeel. The little fellow closed his eyes in bliss and carefully chewed on the food as he wanted to savor the vor as long as possible.


    Xiaocao also gave everyone else a share to let them all have a taste. Yu Hai and Xiaolian very willingly opened their mouths to eat it. Madam Liu, on the other hand, was much more hesitant. She asked her husband doubtfully, ¡°How¡¯s the taste? Does it smell or taste bad?¡±


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry and said, ¡°Mother, do you really think my cooking is that bad?¡±


    Yu Hai soothed her ego by nodding his head profusely, ¡°Delicious, very delicious! You really can¡¯t tell these are chicken intestines. They have the vor of chicken¡ªno, they¡¯re even better than your red-braised chicken pieces! Yes, if you¡¯re going to sell these, there will definitely be people who¡¯ll want to eat it!¡±


    Xiaolian also vigorously nodded her head to express her agreement. Xiaocao also took a taste herself and slightly frowned and said, ¡°Too bad we don¡¯t have any MSG or bone broth. The taste is not as good as it could be. However, it¡¯s still quite good!¡± Once Madam Liu saw that everyone was praising the food ceaselessly, she got the courage to try a mouthful. As soon as she put it in her mouth, the fragrant and dense vor stunned her, ¡°This...is this really the vor of those dirty chicken intestines? This is truly, truly too inconceivable!!¡±


    Xiaocao also put the leftover chicken blood from the previous night into the stew. After braising it together, she was nning on selling it together with the chicken offal.


    ¡°How much should I sell one catty for?¡± Xiaocao somewhat worriedly talked to herself.


    Yu Hai gave her a very good idea: The dockworkers could usually earn around thirty to forty copper coins a day. When business wasn¡¯t as good, they could still get more than twenty coins. The braised food that Xiaocao made still had the taste of meat even if it was made with chicken offal. If she sold it by the catty and the price was low, then she wouldn¡¯t make much money. On the other hand, if the price was high, then no one would buy it.


    However, if she split into small packets of food and sold it for one copper coin a packet, then the workers definitely wouldn¡¯t care about spending one to two copper coins. After all, it was food that had meat in it and was tasty and cheap. How could it not sell?


    Xiaocao felt like she had reached the light at the end of the tunnel and regarded her father with gleaming and admiring eyes. She had to admit, her father really had a head for business!


    Yu Hai felt his pride swell when he saw his daughter¡¯s worshipful gaze. He chuckled as he went to find some oiled paper. The whole family worked together to make sixty little portioned packets of the braised chicken offal. Each packet had some intestines, liver, and gizzards. The chicken blood was not easy to pack into the oiled paper so instead they put it all into a jar. When they were selling the food, they could add a little chicken blood to each portion. This way, the portion size of each one copper coin packet wouldn¡¯t be small!


    That night, Xiaocao was so excited that she tossed and turned on the kang bed for a long time but still couldn¡¯t fall asleep. It was only after about 3 in the morning did she finally doze a little before she woke up at dawn. When Yu Hai saw the dark circles underneath his younger daughter¡¯s eyes, heughed and teased her, ¡°Still inexperienced, huh! Aren¡¯t you super confident in your own skills, eh? What are you worrying for?¡±


    ¡®Hey, do I look worried, eh? I was excited, ok?¡¯


    After finishing breakfast at the crack of dawn, Xiaocao refused her father¡¯s offer toe with her. Instead, she brought along the equally excited Little Shitou and started walking in the direction of the docks, with arge basket holding their goods.


    As the rays of the early morning sun shone upon the docks, the area was as bustling and lively as before. The sounds of hawkers advertising their wares, shouts, and work chants...wove together again. A cargo ship from far away had just reached the shore and the dock workers were in full swing unloading the goods.


    This was her second timeing to the docks. As before, Xiaocao took in the sights and sounds of the scene with an interested curiosity.


    ¡°Second Sister, where should we go to sell our braised food?¡± Little Shitou had a lot of confidence in his sister and was eager to get started.


    Xiaocao thought a bit. The dock workers and fishermen most likely had brought food from home with them. However, in the chilly air of dawn, most of them still needed to drink a hot bowl of soup to warm themselves up. Therefore, she walked towards a row of low straw sheds with her basket in hand.


    The stalls here sold porridge, hot noodle soup, or steamed buns fresh from the stove. There were also people like her with baskets on their arms, selling some small appetizers from home or some pickled vegetables. For example, Xiaocao¡¯s eldest maternal aunt was one of these people.

 Chapter 78 – Opening Day

    <h4>Chapter 78 ¨C Opening Day</h4>


    ¡°Is that Xiaocao ah? I didn¡¯t get the wrong person, right?¡± Eldest Aunt greeted the two siblings warmly when she saw them with a loving smile on her face.


    ¡°Eldest Aunt,¡± Little Shitou impatiently shouted, ¡°Eldest Aunt, my second sister made some delicious meat and vegetable dishes and we¡¯re going to sell them at the docks. Second Sister¡¯s food is really good. Eldest Aunt, Eldest Cousin, do you want to try some?¡±


    Eldest Aunt shook her head, ¡°You¡¯re going to sell your food, so we won¡¯t try any. However, a dish that contains meat can¡¯t possibly be cheap, right? It might be hard to sell here...¡±


    ¡°If you guys want to talk, go to the side and talk! All of you standing here will ruin my business!!¡± Behind them was a ce that sold hot noodle soup under a makeshift shelter. Under the awning was a couple of shabby looking tables and chairs. The single woman manning the area, who had crankily interjected, had high cheekbones, thin and sparse eyebrows, and a pair of narrow eyes.


    ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m only selling a couple of side dishes and won¡¯t bepeting with your business, could I possibly...¡± Xiaocao knew that the workers who had the money to buy noodles would definitely not be so stingy that they couldn¡¯t afford a copper coin to try a braised dish.


    ¡°No, no! Leave, you¡¯re hindering my sales right now! Can you afford to pay me back?¡± The woman with the high cheekbones red at them in disdain from the corner of her eyes. The expression in them showed that she regarded them as beggars.


    Eldest Aunt pulled Xiaocao, who had wanted to say something, away and softly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. This woman is infamous for being difficult. You can go to Grandpa Liu¡¯s booth and try there. His family also sells noodles.¡±


    Just as they were talking, the dockworkers had been let out for a break. A sea of dark-colored heads started rushing this way.


    When Eldest Aunt saw the group of mening over, she hastily said to the two siblings, ¡°Right now is the time to sell food and snacks. You two need to quickly start advertising. Do you guys know how? Do you need me to help you?¡±


    Xiaocao shook her head in refusal and said, ¡°Eldest Aunt, you should go back to your own work. Before we came here, our father already told us on how to advertise to customers.¡±


    After Eldest Aunt left, the two siblings went over to the front of a stall with an old man who had kind looking eyes. They politely asked, ¡°Grandfather, can we sell our appetizers next to your booth?¡±


    This old man was the same Grandpa Liu that their Eldest Aunt had spoken about earlier. He was someone who was very easy to talk to. He felt sympathy for the two siblings, who had to sell things at such a young age, and easily agreed to their request.


    The two siblings found a spot next to the stall and smiled at each other. Little Shitou immediately started to shout, ¡°One copper coin for a meat dish, only one copper coin for a meat dish! Excuse me, older uncle who has some food from home, buy a packet of this meat dish and try some. If it¡¯s not tasty, we¡¯ll give your money back!¡±


    ¡°Oh what? There¡¯s someone selling a dish with meat in it? For only one copper coin a portion?¡±


    ¡°Are they stupid? Meat is so expensive right now. If they¡¯re selling it for one copper coin, won¡¯t they be losing instead of making money?¡±


    ¡°A copper coin¡¯s worth of food with meat would probably not be enough to even get stuck in my teeth...forget it, us brothers should go buy some salted, pickled vegetables to eat instead.¡±


    ......


    Although Little Shitou¡¯s advertising had stirred the interests of many of the dockworkers, of the people who came over to look, none of them actually bought any.


    Little Shitou started to feel anxious and looked at his sister and said, ¡°Older sister, what should we do? This food is so delicious, why won¡¯t they buy any?¡±


    Xiaocao had long predicted that this type of situation might happen. Most people needed some time to pass in order to get used to something new. She thought and then opened the basket and unwrapped one of the oil paper packets containing food. She borrowed Grandpa Liu¡¯s knife that was used to cut noodles and sliced the chicken offal into small bites. She walked up to a man who was eating noodle soup and smiled, ¡°Older uncle, try my meat dish. It¡¯spletely free. If it doesn¡¯t taste good, then you won¡¯t be losing anything right?


    The man hesitated for a second and was about to take the proffered bite of chicken gizzard when he was stopped by one of hispanions next to him who said, ¡°Don¡¯t! Old Hao, who knows whether or not she¡¯s a swindler. If you eat it, she might insinuate that you owe her money and then what will you do?¡±


    When the man heard that, he withdrew his hand. Little Shitou¡¯s eyes opened wide in worry and anxiety.


    However, Xiaocao was as cool as a cucumber. A bright smile graced her face as she said, ¡°Older uncle, just look at me and my little brother. We¡¯re tiny and there¡¯s no way we can fight against even your finger. How could we possibly swindle you?¡±


    Old Hao stroked his chin and decided that the little girl was right. If he said that the food didn¡¯t taste good and refused to give them money, then they¡¯d be out of luck. The money was in his own pouch, and there was no way the two children could steal it from him, right?


    He took a bamboo skewer from Xiaocao, speared a piece of chicken liver, and carefully chewed it after he popped it in his mouth. The mellow and savory vor of the chicken liver slowly spread across his mouth, and his eyes started shining in delight at the taste. ¡°Good, so good! It really is incredibly delicious!! Is it just one copper coin? Give me a portion!¡± Old Hao fished a copper coin from his pouch without any hesitation.


    Hispanion shook his head and said, ¡°Is it really that delicious? One copper coin¡¯s worth is not going to get you much. Old Hao, you¡¯ve been had!¡±


    Little Shitou red fiercely at the other man and said, ¡°My father had told us that it is important to be honest when we¡¯re doing business. This our first time selling something, so we wouldn¡¯t do something as stupid as to ruin the trust of others.¡°


    Xiaocao took out a packet of pre-wrapped food from her basket and said cheerfully, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! In the future, we¡¯ll continue selling one copper coin¡¯s worth of meat dishes, and the types of food we bring will rotate constantly. We definitely want to keep our good reputations. Older Uncle Hao, here¡¯s your braised appetizer dish...¡±


    With the alluring taste of the food still lingering in his mouth. Old Hao ripped into the packet of oiled paper impatiently. He found that inside the packet was not only the dish that he had tried, but that there were also other varieties avable. All of the foodbined together was enough to fill about half of a small bowl. He took a little taste of everything and discovered that even though the textures were all different, every single bite was tasty and delicious.


    ¡°Is this called braised food? I have never heard of it! Quite good, it¡¯s delicious and a good deal!! Give me another portion, I need to bring some back to give my wife and children a taste!¡± Old Hao mixed the rest of the braised chicken offal into his bowl of noodle soup. The addition of the meat had made the noodles that had tasted heavily of beans immediately taste better.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Xiaocao took the copper coin and then took out another pouch of braised chicken offal. She evendled up a spoonful of braised chicken blood from her jar and ced it into Old Hao¡¯s bowl and said, ¡°This blood tofu is too soft and tender. If I put it in the oiled paper packets, it would have gotten smushed into smithereens. It¡¯s better for me to add some on top of your noodles!¡±


    ¡°Wow! This is such a great portion size for one copper coin!¡± Old Hao felt like he was the one taking advantage of them.


    The people around them all saw Old Hao praising the food endlessly as he scarfed it down bite by bite. One copper wasn¡¯t a lot of money to them, so they all lined up, one after another, to buy a portion to taste. A couple of them put the food into the t cakes they had brought from home, while others put it directly into the vegetable soup they bought. A few other people bought some warm steamed rolls and ate it with the braised food...


    Many people discovered that the food was tasty and came back for a second helping. Even the cheapest meat sold at the markets was priced at more than ten copper coins a catty. One copper coin could, at most, get you two small slices of meat. The food that the little girl was selling not only tasted better than the food they had at home but also had a decent portion size. It was a good deal! Without much effort, Xiaocao had sold off forty portions of braised food. The money she had spent on seasonings had been earned back, so Xiaocao was as happy as a m. Next to her were a few people who hade byte and were afraid that they had missed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s so loud over there, what¡¯s going on? If someone¡¯s causing trouble, don¡¯t me me if I have to expel them from here!¡± The foreman was at the only shack in the area that sold stir-fried dishes. He had ordered a few of their house specialties and politely poured the steward a cup of wine.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll go over there and look!¡± The foreman always had a few errand runners next to him. The man ran towards the area that was wreathed by people.


    ¡°Steward Liu, the conditions here are too simple and crude. A little further from here is a small market and there are a couple of restaurants there that have decent food, how about...¡± The foreman looked at the few dishes in front of him and felt they looked quite pitiful. He was afraid that the manager would not be satisfied with the area¡¯s offerings and would not do business with him in the future.


    Steward Liu shook his head and said, ¡°The cargo I have right now is urgently needed in the capital. I can eat any time, so it¡¯s more important to get the cargo loaded before we discuss other things.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Don¡¯t worry, Steward Liu, I promise that I can get all of the cargo loaded before one in the afternoon!¡± The foreman raised his wine cup and toasted Steward Liu. Steward Liu was a steward for a well-known, wealthy merchant in the capital. If he took good care of him, then in the future, the Liu Family¡¯s monthly business would all go to him and not get taken away from his arch-business rival.


    ¡°Sir, there¡¯s no one causing trouble. There¡¯s a little girl selling a copper coin¡¯s worth of braised meat dishes. All of the others said it¡¯s very good, so I also bought a portion back. You and Steward Liu can try some.¡± The errand runner was perceptive and had dipped into his own pockets to show respect to his boss. If he took good care of his boss, then wouldn¡¯t he get more benefits in the future?


    ¡°What kind of food can one copper coin buy? What kind of meat? Is it edible?¡± The foreman grumbled as he took a bite. Eh? The taste was really not bad. ¡°Steward Liu, this braised meat dish is quite delicious. It actually tastes better than the food at the restaurants in the markets. Do you want to try some?¡±


    As the chief steward of arge merchant household, Steward Liu had tasted all kinds of dishes. However, when he picked up a piece of chicken gizzard and put it into his mouth to eat, the expression on his face softened immediately. He had travelled extensively as a part of his duties, but he had never eaten something as delicious as this before.


    Steward Liu casually asked, ¡°From what I can tell, this is neither pork nor beef normb. It seems to have the vor of chicken but I have never encountered food made this way before. Not bad, not bad! The taste is also very ptable!¡±


    When the foreman noticed that Steward Liu ate several bites of the food in a row and seemed to want to continue, he hurriedly directed the errand runner, ¡°Erzi, it¡¯s hard to find something that Steward Liu likes. Go buy two more portions now!¡±


    Steward Liu didn¡¯t stop them and a satisfied look crossed his face. The foreman smirked inside¡ªIt looks like this big customer is finally mine!


    ¡°Sir! The one copper coin¡¯s worth of braised meat dish has all been sold out...however, I brought over the little girl who was selling it. Her basket still has some blood tofu left. She wants to know if you want any?¡± Erzi was unable to buy the braised chicken offal and huffily came back.


    ¡°Blood tofu? Is that the dusty brown lumps that¡¯s in here? Didn¡¯t know it was called ¡®blood tofu¡¯. It¡¯s more tender than tofu and the taste is much better too!¡± Steward Liu lightly picked a piece of the braised chicken blood in his chopsticks and ced it in his mouth with avid pleasure.


    Since he could tell Steward Liu liked it, the foreman turned and spoke to Xiaocao, ¡°I want the rest of the blood tofu in your jar. If I give you ten copper coins, is that enough?¡±


    Xiaocao grinned winsomely and shook her head, ¡°Foreman Uncle, it¡¯s not worth that much! I at most have about a bowl¡¯s worth of blood tofu left. Just give me two copper coins and it¡¯s a done deal!¡±


    Steward Liu nced over and said, ¡°I would have never expected that something so inexpensive could taste so exquisite and delicious. What is this blood tofu actually made of?


    Xiaocao thought a bit and then replied, ¡°Steward Uncle, are you able to ept foods that are notmonly eaten?¡±


    Steward Liu guffawed and said, ¡°I¡¯m in charge of a lot of business and travel all the time. What haven¡¯t I eaten before? In southern Guangdong, I¡¯ve even eaten mice and vipers! Oftentimes what sounds scary to eat actually tastes just fine. Tell me, little girl, you can¡¯t scare this old man!¡±

 Chapter 79 – Pig Head

    <h4>Chapter 79 ¨C Pig Head</h4>


    Xiaocao was now relieved. She nodded and smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Steward Uncle is also a big eater! To be honest, my blood tofu is created using a secret method to braise the chicken blood. Although it doesn¡¯t look elegant, the taste is still pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Chicken blood? I didn¡¯t even smell a trace of blood when I ate it. Yet the tofu is still so smooth and tender. Wonderful! Wonderful!¡± Steward Liu didn¡¯t slow down his eating speed as he talked. He had heard that the people of Jinling used duck blood to make soup but didn¡¯t expect that chicken blood could also be consumed!


    When the foreman saw that Steward Liu was happily eating the blood tofu, his heart settled back down with relief. He took out five copper coins and gave it to Xiaocao, ¡°Here, the remaining money is to reward you. In the future, will you still be selling blood tofu at the dock?¡±


    Xiaocao also didn¡¯t act too formally. She smiled as she took the copper coins and said, ¡°In the future, I will still be selling meat dishes for one copper coin with my little brother. However, I might not be selling blood tofu. But foreman, don¡¯t worry. The taste of my meat dishes won¡¯t be worse than my blood tofu!¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, your Eldest Aunt had told me that you were selling things here, so I came to find you.¡± Xiaocao¡¯s Eldest Uncle, Liu Pei, walked towards her inrge strides. He asked with concern, ¡°Did you eat breakfast yet? Eldest Uncle found work today, so I came to invite you and Shitou to eat white steamed buns.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Uncle, we already had breakfast before we came here. You didn¡¯t eat yet, right? Oh right, I still have half a portion of some braised food. Why don¡¯t you eat that with a tbread?¡± Xiaocao knew that whenever Eldest Aunt came here to sell things, she would always bring food for Eldest Uncle. Therefore, she stuffed the remaining free samples of braised chicken into Liu Pei¡¯s hands.


    ¡°This is what you¡¯re selling? It smells very fragrant! I can just eat tbread with pickles. Why don¡¯t you sell the rest of this?¡± When Liu Pei smelled the fragrant dish, he secretly swallowed his saliva. But he wasn¡¯t willing to take advantage of his niece.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t take back the paper pouch that the braised food was in. She blinked her eyes at her Eldest Uncle, ¡°My business went pretty well today. The braised food that I had brought here has all been sold out. How can I sell half a portion of a dish? It¡¯s not like I can split a copper coin in half. Eldest Uncle go do what you need to do. I will go to the market and have a look......¡±


    After she finished speaking, she pulled her little brother¡¯s hand and ran away.


    When the foreman saw the scene, heughed, ¡°Brother Liu, she is your niece! The meat dishes she sells for one copper coin taste good. Even Steward Liu from the capital felt that it tasted good. If you don¡¯t want it, then you can just sell it to me.¡±


    All the braised food that he had bought earlier had entered Steward Liu¡¯s stomach. He only had two bites of blood tofu. Now, he craved it.


    ¡°Ah! Foreman Sun, what are you saying? If you like it, you can just take it. Why are you talking about buying or selling?¡± In order to work at the docks, they must first be inspected by Foreman Sun. If they had a good rtionship with Foreman Sun, then it would be easier to find a job in the future.


    Foreman Sun was very pleased with Liu Pei taking the high road. He ate the rich and delicious braised food when he suddenly said, ¡°Didn¡¯t your nephewe with you a few days ago? Did hee with you today? The young man looks tall and strong. He seems like he has a lot of strength. Once he has eaten, let him help with unloading too......¡±


    The person that foreman is talking about was the son of the second branch of the Liu Family, Liu Zhiwei. Because of his young age, the foreman usually didn¡¯t like to hire him.


    It wasmon knowledge that a worker could earn twenty to thirty copper coins in a day from loading and unloading goods at the dock. When Liu Pei heard what Foreman Sun had said, he was overjoyed. He repeatedly said, ¡°Thank you Foreman Sun! My nephew has alsoe today! Don¡¯t worry, that kid is used to doing manualbor! He is very honest, and he definitely won¡¯t disappoint you!¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for? In the future, make sure your niece leaves a meat dish behind every day. Just eating a little isn¡¯t really satisfying. But don¡¯t worry, I will pay for what it¡¯s worth!¡± Steward Liu had left after eating and drinking his fill. Foreman Sun was now happily eating and drinking and felt very satisfied with the food.


    The Tanggu Docks had a moderately sized market. On every 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 15th of a month, as well as New Years, the people from the nearby viges woulde and sell their own products or buy goods that they needed.


    Although it was called a market, it felt more like a street than a market. On both sides of the market, there were short houses made of grass. asionally there would be an eye-catching brick house. But whether it was a house made of grass or brick, it was only open when the market was open. Usually, their doors would be tightly closed.


    Today was February 16th, and it was a market day today. Even though the market was small, there were still quite a bit of people here. On both sides of the street, the houses towards the front had be a simple vegetable market.


    Some people carried their frozen radishes and cabbages for sale on their shoulders, while others carried varieties of chicken, duck, and eggs they had raised to sell. There were also street vendors who sold daily necessities. All of these vendors tried their best to attract customers. The sounds of people selling their products, bargaining, and even the sound of gossipers talking all wove together and made it a lively scene. Xiaocao held her little brother¡¯s hand and walked through the crowd. But, from time to time, they would sway unsteadily from being squeezed by the crowd.


    ¡°Xiaocao? Shitou? Did youe here by yourself? Is it because there¡¯s nothing to eat at home?¡± What a coincidence, before they walked very far, they met another acquaintance again. The person who had just spoken was Xiaocao¡¯s grandfather. Following behind him was her uncle, Yu Dashan, who was carrying a fishing basket.


    Although Xiaocao was dissatisfied with her grandfather and her inarticte uncle, she didn¡¯t harbor any malice towards them. She gave them a faint smile and replied, ¡°No, Shitou and I just came here to take a look.¡±


    Old Yu looked at his grandson and granddaughter who had be somewhat alienated from him. He thought about how his second son had left the house with practically nothing. If it wasn¡¯t for the rtives who had sent money to his son and the vigers who had aided him, they probably wouldn¡¯t have a house to live in such a cold day. Thinking back to that, he couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty.


    After thinking about it, he turned around and took the fish basket from Dashan. He poured the remaining ten small yellow croakers that they couldn¡¯t sell into Xiaocao¡¯s basket. Old Yu stroked Little Shitou¡¯s head using his fishy hands and said, ¡°Take these fish home to eat...do you have any money on you? If you don¡¯t, Grandpa can buy you what you want.¡± Yu Dashan¡¯s mouth moved as he nced at his father. But in the end, he didn¡¯t say anything. These days, without the fishing expert, Yu Hai, they had caught fewer and fewer fish. In addition, the varieties of fish they caught had also dwindled. They had lost quite a few regr customers in town. Now, their business was getting worse and worse.


    Every time they brought home money, Madam Zhang wouldin that it was too little and that it was not enough for the family¡¯s expenses. The money they had earned by selling fish this time, was the lowest amount they had earned. If they also bought things for the children, he was afraid that they¡¯ll never hear the end of it when they returned home.


    When he saw Xiaocao sensibly shaking her head and heard her say, ¡°Grandfather, there¡¯s no need. We brought money with us,¡± he felt relieved. At home, his mother kept harping on about money, and his wife talked too much. All of this made him feel very annoyed.


    After saying goodbye to their grandfather, Xiaocao continued walking forward. Suddenly, she was attracted to a pork stall in the distance. She pulled Little Shitou and walked over. The swarthy and plump butcher had a tangled and coarse beard. His eyes were especially big, which made it seem like he was ring at people whenever he looked at them. He appeared to be quite fierce looking.


    However, the people who knew him all knew that Butcher Wang was famous for being a good person. Whenever he sold meat, he never gave the customers less meat or change. He even gave his regr customers some things that are of little value. His reputation was quite good in the nearby viges.


    ¡°Little girl, are you buying meat?¡± Butcher Wang knew that his appearance often scared children and made them cry. So, when he saw the sister and brother pair, he hurriedly showed them what he believed to be a kind smile. He also softened his voice as he called out to them. But he didn¡¯t know that this kind of expression made him look even more fierce.


    Little Shitou was scared by the butcher and hid behind his second sister. But after thinking about it, he stepped forward and walked in front of his sister. At home, he had boasted that he would protect his sister well. However from his clenched fist, trembling body, and reddening face, it was obvious that he was about to cry. Everyone could sense his fear and nervousness.


    When Butcher Wang saw that his smile produced the opposite of his desired result, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. But he didn¡¯t forget to praise Little Shitou, ¡°Little guy, you are very brave. You know how to protect your sister. You really are a young man!¡±


    From his manner and tone, Xiaocao determined that this man was a blockhead who had a mean-looking face but a heart of gold. She held her brother¡¯s shoulders and ruffled his head, smiling as she said, ¡°Uncle is praising you, aren¡¯t you going to quickly thank him?¡±


    Little Shitou bashfully lowered his head. In a small voice, he replied, ¡°Thank you for your praise...¡±


    ¡°Good child, what a good child...what do you want to buy? Uncle will give you a discount!¡± Butcher Wangughed out loud, his voice was loud and clear like the rumbling of thunder.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the meat in the stall. She saw that what was remaining was less than two catties of a moderately sized, not too fat and not too thin leg meat. There was also some fatty oil, a few pig bones, and arge pig head.


    Her line of sight was instantly attracted by the pig head. She proceeded to ask, ¡°Uncle, how is this pig head sold? Do you also sell pig liver, pig heart, pig stomach, and therge intestines of pigs?¡±


    During this time period, almost all the pig heads were used as a sacrifice to the gods. Very few families in the viges would eat them. The main reason that people didn¡¯t eat pig heads was that they disliked the distinct vor of the pig heads. If the vor isn¡¯t properly taken care of, then the oil, salt, firewood, and the grains they used would be wasted on the pig¡¯s head.


    But since both the twelfth lunar month and the first month of the lunar year had passed, no one had been interested in the pig head. After hearing her questions, Butcher Wang asked her with good intentions, ¡°Little girl, why does your family want a pig head? What are they nning to do with it? Pig heads don¡¯t taste good. Why don¡¯t you buy some pig bones and make a stew with it? I can sell you the pig bones for a cheaper price. As for the pig liver and pig hearts, it has been all sold out. The filthy and smelly pig stomach and pig intestines have either been thrown out or fed to the dogs. Is your family raising a dog?¡±


    Just as she had expected...the people from this time period didn¡¯t have a method to cleanse the dirty and smelly internal organs of animals. Because they didn¡¯t have a method to cleanse it, they didn¡¯t dare to eat them. However, the pig stomach and pig intestines tasted delicious after being braised. In addition, the braised pig head dish was one of the most popr braised foods her shop had sold in her previous life!


    ¡°Uncle, I also don¡¯t know what they¡¯re going to do with those items. It was my father who had told me to buy those items. How much does the pig head cost per catty? Also, please give me all of the pig stomach and pig intestines......¡± Xiaocao pointed at the pig head with a smile, confidently asking him to sell her those items.


    Butcher Wang nodded his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to weigh the pig head. Pig heads are usually sold after the buyer and selleres to an agreement. A pig head usually costs eight copper coins. But since it¡¯s off-season right now, I¡¯ll sell it to you for six copper coins. The pork stomach and intestines haven¡¯t been thrown away today. I¡¯ll give them to you for free if you want it.¡±


    Wow! A pig head usually weighed around seven to eight catties, but it was only sold for six copper coins! It was so cheap that it was almost ridiculous. What¡¯s more, the pig stomach and intestines were offered to her for free! Yu Xiaocao felt that she had gotten a huge deal for this trip!


    Thinking about her long-term business, she suddenly asked, ¡°Uncle, seeing that there aren¡¯t many things left in your stall, your business must be doing good. How frequently does your family to kill a pig?¡±


    Butcher Wangughed out loud and proudly replied, ¡°Thanks to the blessings from the vigers, my meat stall business has been doing well. Almost every time the market opens, we kill one pig. At other times, we are busy catching pigs in the vige!¡±

 Chapter 80 – Causing Trouble

    <h4>Chapter 80 ¨C Causing Trouble</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao earnestly asked, ¡°The next time you kill a pig, can you leave me the pig blood, pork tripe, and pig intestine? I can give you the money for it......¡±


    Butcher Wang was very curious and puzzledly asked, ¡°What do you want these things for? Little girl, these things are both smelly and dirty. They really don¡¯t taste good!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao mysteriously smiled and said, ¡°I know, but I have a use for them. How about this? I will ce an order on those items for two copper coins. You usually throw those things out, but if you sell it to me, you will earn an extra two copper coins!¡±


    Butcher Wang¡¯s business was pretty good, so he didn¡¯t care for an extra two copper coins. He smiled and said, ¡°Okay, okay! I will keep those items for you. But you don¡¯t need to pay for it. Consider it as a gift from this uncle. If your family needs to buy meat in the future, just remember to take care of my business. That will be enough.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to use straw ropes to tie up the pig head for you? I will also go to the house to get some pork tripe and pig intestines for you!¡± Butcher Wang didn¡¯t forget to get some rice straws to carefully make a cushion inside Xiaocao¡¯s basket. He feared that the pork tripe and intestines will dirty the fish on the bottom of the basket.


    Xiaocao allowed him to also put the pig head inside the basket. She considered this to be a rewarding journey because she had profited a lot. After that, she spent another ten copper coins to buy a jar of soybean oil. The basket was stuffed to the brim with items, so it was quite heavy. Little Shitou picked up a wooden stick from the roadside. Utilizing the stick, both the older sister and younger brother carried the basket together. On their way home, they walked and took asional breaks from carrying the basket. Because of this, they didn¡¯t get home until it was afternoon.


    They had just walked to the entrance of the vige when they saw a familiar figure pacing back and forth. The small shadow underneath its foot followed the figure as it wandered back and forth. When the little roe deer saw the sister and brother, it took the initiative to run over to them. First, it ran over to Xiaocao¡¯s feet and acted like a spoiled child, rubbing its head against her leg a few times. After that, it ran over to Little Shitou to y with him.


    ¡°Haha! Tiny, we haven¡¯t seen each other for half a day, did you miss me? Our Tiny is the most sensible foring over and greeting us. Second Sister, I¡¯m afraid that we don¡¯t even know where your Little Glutinous Dumpling has run off to. Father is right! It¡¯s hard to get a stray kitten to be close to you!¡± Little Shitou held the little roe deer as it licked his face. His face was covered in saliva, but he was still taking pleasure in it.


    The mini golden kitten that the little divine stone had taken the form of was very proud and haughty. It didn¡¯t pay heed to anyone from the family besides Xiaocao. Little Shitou wanted to get closer to it but he was scratched by its ws, leaving behind a few red marks. Little Shitou loved the kitten but he also feared it. Thus, he would always make sour remarks about it.


    Xiaocao found the situation to be rather funny. She pinched Little Shitou¡¯s face and said, ¡°What? Has Little Glutinous Dumpling offended you again? You really are too much for holding a grudge against a kitten!¡±


    Ever since the little divine stone had a physical form, it would bring its real body, the multicolored stone, out to look for the spring water with the most amount of spiritual energy in the forest. Every day, it would leave early ande homete. It would soak in the spring water for the entire day and obediently return home at nighttime.


    Xiaolian, who had been pacing around the entrance of the vige for a long time, gasped for breath as she ran over. She took over the basket from her siblings and was astonished when she felt the weight of the basket.


    When they went out, the basket wasn¡¯t this heavy. So, when Xiaolian felt the weight of the basket, she thought that they didn¡¯t sell any of the braised chicken giblets. Sheforted her younger siblings, ¡°Tonight, there will be a lot of fine food! The small piece of chicken gizzard that we tasted yesterday was tasteless. But tonight, you¡¯ll be able to eat your fill. Little sister, thanks to your blessing, our dinner will be more sumptuous than the New Year¡¯s!¡±


    Xiaocao was just about toment about her appetite when Little Shitou was unable to wait any longer. He noisily shouted, ¡°Eldest Sister, all the braised food dishes we have brought there today were sold. We didn¡¯t even have enough to sell! Guess how much money we have earned? Quickly guess!¡±


    ¡°You sold everything?¡± Xiaolian opened her mouth in surprise, ¡°Do I really need to guess? I was the one who had divided the servings of braised food. When I was dividing them up, I counted a total of sixty servings. So, it would be sixty copper coins at most, since it only cost one copper coin each. But, did you guys really sell everything?¡±


    When Xiaocao saw the uncertain expression on her sister¡¯s face, she giggled. She replied, ¡°We sold everything in less than half an hour! We didn¡¯t even have enough to sell! Many people, who either bought or didn¡¯t manage to buy our food, asked me if I would still be selling tomorrow! Even a steward, who hade from the capital, praised the taste of our braised food!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! But unfortunately, Auntie Zhou¡¯s family doesn¡¯t often have the chance to kill that many chickens...¡± On one hand, Xiaolian was very happy with the results from today. But on the other hand, she felt regretful because it was just a one-time business opportunity.


    However, she quickly pulled herself together. She weighed the heavy basket in her hand and asked, ¡°Little sister, what did you buy? You didn¡¯t spend all of the sixty copper coins that you earned, did you? No wonder Mother always says that you can never save any money......¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I only spent sixteen copper coins! This time, we have earned back the money that we spent. In the future, we will only be gaining profits when we sell. When we have enough moneyter, we should also make a hut at the docks, selling all kinds of braised food!¡± Xiaocao patted the ce where her purse was ced. She was confident in her braised food business.


    ¡°Xiaolian, Xiaocao, and Little Shitou, where did the three of youe from?¡± The vige idiot¡¯s wife had her eyes fixed at the heavy basket in Xiaolian¡¯s hands. She was full ofughter when she asked.


    The vige idiot¡¯s wife was a famous gossiper in the vige. She and Madam Li were quite a pair since their ability to gossip were on par with each other.


    Xiaolian didn¡¯t want to pay her any attention. In a perfunctory manner, she replied, ¡°Little sister had said that she wants to take a look at the dock. So, I made Little Shitou take her there. Auntie, my little sister, and brother haven¡¯t even eaten breakfast yet. We will be going first......¡±


    The vige idiot¡¯s wife looked at the three siblings¡¯ backs as they hurriedly left. Her mouth twitched and scoffed, ¡°You brought a basket to y at the dock? I don¡¯t know what kind of good things are in that basket! By the way, didn¡¯t Li Guihuain that the money her father-inw and husband brought home was less than before? Could it be that Old Yu secretly gave his fish to the siblings? No! I have to go and tell her!


    The vige idiot¡¯s wife went to find Madam Li, adding oil and vinegar as she told her the story. When Madam Li heard the story, she became extremely angry. Good! No wonder they were earning less and less money from selling fish recently. It turned out that they have been supplementing the second son; that group of rubbish and invalids.


    Xiaocao and her siblings had just reached home and hadn¡¯t even put the content of the basket in their kitchen, when Madam Li arrived right behind them.


    She boldly and confidently kicked open Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s front door. If their front door wasn¡¯t newly built, it would have probably been broken by Madam Li¡¯s kick. She hadn¡¯t even entered the door when her pheasant-like voice loudly shouted, ¡°Second Brother inw,e out! We have already separated our households yet you¡¯re still clinging onto the old man, trying to suck his blood dry! Do you still have a conscience? Quickly bring out what you have taken from him!¡±


    Yu Hai, who was making bamboo utensils in the courtyard, was stunned and at aplete loss about what she was yelling about. He replied, ¡°Eldest Sister-inw, you can¡¯t make irresponsible remarks. After separating our branch, I haven¡¯t taken anything from your family. When you use other people, you need evidence!¡±


    ¡°Humph! You didn¡¯t take money or things from the family? Then how did you build this house? How did you build those pieces of furniture? Don¡¯t tell me that all of that was supplemented from Second Sister-inw¡¯s family? We all know the situation with the Liu Family. How are they able to give you a dozen or more taels of silver? Do you want evidence? Good! The items in that basket are evidence!¡±


    Madam Li looked around the courtyard with her triangr eyes. Then, as if she had gotten evidence that she could use against them, she pointed at the basket that Xiaolian had just put down while coldly sneering.


    Fortunately, Xiaocao¡¯s family lived some distance from the fishing vige. There were only two to three families living nearby. Otherwise, with Madam Li¡¯s loud voice, it would¡¯ve attracted a crowd of people toe here and watch the show. Even so, their neighbor from the west side, Madam Mao leaned in front of her front door, trying to eavesdrop on what was going on. Madam Fang also came over and tried to convince Madam Li in a low voice.


    Fortunately, today was the day that Madam Liu went to town to help people wash their clothes. Otherwise, she would have been angered by Madam Li¡¯s words.


    Xiaocao, who had been drinking a bowl of warm boiled water, poured the water on the ground when she heard Madam Li¡¯s usations. The warm water had almostnded on Madam Li¡¯s foot. Xiaocao bluntly said: ¡°Do you want to calcte? Okay! Then let¡¯s carefully calcte! Disregarding everything else, just the money earned from the game that my father hunted in the mountains and sold were worth more than ten taels a year, right? I won¡¯t mention anything too long ago, so let¡¯s calcte it from when Little Shitou was born. In the six years since Shitou was born, my father has given grandmother at least sixty taels of silver. After subtracting two taels each year for expenses, there should be at least fifty taels remaining. Furthermore, there was still the money earned from selling fishing. Even after using them for daily expenses, there should still be some money leftover.


    ¡°Yes, we have spent over a dozen taels for my father¡¯s injury. Let¡¯s just round it up to twenty taels! Then there should still be around thirty taels remaining at home. When we were separating from the family, how much did we get? When we separated our branches, it was as if you were trying to get rid of beggars, giving us only two taels of silver.


    ¡°The house we lived in was broken and water easily leaked in. The food that we got from splitting the household wasn¡¯t even enough to eat for half a month. What is two taels of silver enough to do? If it¡¯s not for my maternal grandmother borrowing some money for us and all the uncles from the vige helping us rebuild the house, we would still be living in that run-down house that has cracks and leaks rain!


    ¡°Are you saying that Grandfather is giving us money? Even if other people don¡¯t know how much they earned from selling fish every day, but wouldn¡¯t Eldest Uncle know? If Grandfather takes his hard-earned money to supplement us, would Eldest Uncle notin? Wouldn¡¯t he tell you?¡±


    After being rebuked by a little girl, Madam Li¡¯s face turned from red to pale. However, she couldn¡¯t defend herself and refute her ims. She was right. Her father-inw might feel sorry for his second son, but her husband was always there when he went fishing and selling fish. If the old man had subsidized them, her husband might help him hide it once or twice. However, if it continued for a long time, he would definitely have someints.


    Then... what about the basket that was full of things that the vige idiot¡¯s wife was talking about? With her brother-inw¡¯s current situation, it was impossible for him to buy so many things. When Madam Li thought up to this point, she was immediately full of life again like she was cockfighting:


    ¡°Are you saying that Father-inw didn¡¯t supplement you with anything? Then what is in that basket? Weren¡¯t you just crying about how you didn¡¯t even have enough to eat? Then where did you get the money to buy so many things? If you have the guts, open the basket and let this olddy have a look. Just what is inside?¡±


    Xiaocao sneered and asked wickedly, ¡°Eldest Aunt, are you sure you want to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I want to take a look! That is the evidence that Father-inw is being partial to your family!¡± Madam Li jumped as she hooted and the fats on her face trembled along with her movements. Her face right now looked really simr to the pig head that Xiaocao bought today.


    ¡°Okay! If that¡¯s the case, I will fulfill your wish!¡± Xiaocao bent over and opened the basket. She took out the pig head from inside the basket and using some force, she threw it at Madam Li.


    Madam Li only saw a ck shadow flying at her, so she subconsciously reached out her hands and caught it. She lowered her head and looked at the thing she was holding. Oh my mother! An ugly pig with its eyes rolled to the back of his head so only the whites of his eyes were showing. It was staring straight at her...


    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Madam Li screamed as she quickly threw the pig head away.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see it? I¡¯ll let you look! I¡¯ll let take a look!¡± Xiaocao was thinking, if it weren¡¯t for Madam Li who had pushed the original host of the body to death, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have transmigrated. Maybe, the Lin Xiaowan from the modern world wouldn¡¯t have died. As she thought about it, the resentment in her heart increased greatly. She grabbed the stinky pork tripe and pig intestines and threw them directly at Madam Li¡¯s face.

 Chapter 81 – Secret Recipe

    <h4>Chapter 81 ¨C Secret Recipe</h4>


    Right after Madam Li threw the pig head away in a panic, she suddenly felt a long thing fall on her shoulders. Her head and chest had also been hit by something soft. Immediately a horrendous stench arose, like the smell of a pig sty that hadn¡¯t been cleaned up, and the scent assaulted her nostrils.


    When she could finally clearly see what was on her, she acted as if she had stepped on a bunch of hot coals. She jumped in fright and screamed as if she was a pig at ughter. Words just bbered out of her mouth in an unending stream, and she felt like something had exploded near her ears as she continuously retreated.


    ¡°You need to die, need to die! I am your eldest paternal aunt, yet you dare to pelt me with such disgusting things! Do you no longer believe in the young respecting the old? If you can treat me this way, then the next time you will treat your grandmother this way!! I want the entire vige to know how Madam Liu has taught her kids!!¡±


    Madam Li lowered her head to look at her clothes that were made dirty. The acrid smell of pig feces on her body repeatedly assaulted her nose and made her stomach roll in nausea. She almost fainted at this moment.


    Xiaocao smiled sweetly at her, ¡°Eldest Aunt, how did I not show you proper respect? You said you wanted to see what was in our basket, and I was afraid that your eyes weren¡¯t so good due to your age, so I especially ¡®delivered¡¯ the things in front of you to let you see them more clearly. Now that you see what they are, are you still going to say that Grandfather is secretly giving us money on the sly?¡±


    Without waiting for Madam Li to reply, Xiaocao continued after increasing the volume of her voice, ¡°Eldest Aunt! There was one thing you said correctly, our family really doesn¡¯t have much at home! Today I brought my younger brother to the docks because I wanted to see the markets over there. I wanted to find out if I could pick up any vegetables on the ground that other people didn¡¯t want or other food like that. Uncle Wang, who¡¯s the butcher in town, saw that we were pitiful and gave a pig head to us. As for the pig tripe and pig intestines, Little Shitou and I picked them up from the ground to see if we can eat them after washing them clean. As long as we don¡¯t die from eating them, does it matter if it smells a little? It¡¯s still better than starving to death. Our family is already at this point in our lives, so why would Eldest Aunt im that our grandfather is subsidizing us? Do you really want our whole family to die? If my whole family dies of starvation or from freezing to death, will that make you happy?¡±


    After tasting the steamed stuffed buns that Xiaocao had sent her family earlier, Madam Mao¡¯s opinion of Xiaocao and her whole family was quite good. At the side, she idlymented, ¡°This is the first time that I¡¯ve heard of an older sister-inw forcing her younger brother-inw¡¯s entire family to die in the entire Dongshan Vige! Madam Li, if you really want to do this, you¡¯ll be famous all around the area! Tsk, tsk, tsk...just look, the children are so hungry that they¡¯re willing to scavenge something so disgusting and smelly to try to eat!¡± The expression on Madam Li¡¯s face changed instantly. Her son was only two years away from talking about marriage and finding a wife. If word came out that she had forced her younger brother-inw¡¯s family to death, who would let their daughter marry her son?


    Madam Li¡¯s mouth opened and closed a few times as if she wanted to say something. The usually gentle and easily persuadable Madam Fang red at her as if she was her worst enemy. Madam Fang tenderly drew Little Shitou into her arms and wiped the tears in her eyes, and said, ¡°Poor children, you guys can¡¯t eat those things. Quickly throw them away. If there¡¯s really nothing at home to eat, then I¡¯ll lend you guys a few catties of grain to eat.¡±


    Yu Hai felt a pang in his heart and aplicated look crossed his face. He lifted up his head and let the tears in his eyes slowly disappear. He nced at Madam Li and said, ¡°Eldest Sister-inw, I can make an oath to the heavens that I have never asked my parents to give me money. Father also has never subsidized us on the sly! When we split our families, I had made it clear, no matter how poor we became or how difficult our lives were, even if we had to beg for food, we would never ask a single thing from the rest of the family! You have seen what is in the basket, if there¡¯s nothing else, please go back home!!¡±


    Madam Li had made a fuss for nothing, so she flung her handkerchief down on the ground and left the ce covered from head to toe in grime. She needed to find the vige idiot¡¯s wife to settle the score for giving her bad information.


    There was no such thing as a secret in a small fishing vige. Before long, word that Yu Hai and his family were desperate enough to gather food that was as smelly as pig poop travelled throughout Dongshan Vige.


    Yu Hai¡¯s eldest uncle, Yu Lichun, went over to the Yu Family¡¯s main residence in a towering rage. He screamed and shouted at Old Yu in fury, ¡°This wife is a stepmother, so does that mean you¡¯ve also be a fake father too? Dahai is your own blood and flesh. Do you guys want Dahai¡¯s whole family to forfeit their lives? If that¡¯s so, then you are no longer my younger brother!!¡±


    With a dark expression on his face, Old Yu called Madam Li over to scold her profusely. He then told his youngest daughter to bring around ten catties of millet and ten catties of sweet potato starch to his second son¡¯s family.


    Naturally, Yu Hai didn¡¯t take any of it. He had already said that he was not going to take even one iota from the Yu Family, and they weren¡¯t desperate without anywhere to go. Thus, in order to avoid anyone calling them hypocrites, even when Old Yu personally came over to discuss the matter, he maintained his current stance on the matter.


    After Yu Xiaocao used the pig head and extremely smelly offal to frighten Madam Li into leaving, she immediately started to work on cleaning and preparing the ingredients. It was time to make more braised food.


    ¡°Uh...Xiaocao, are you sure that you can use this stuff to make food? Don¡¯t waste your time and seasonings if it¡¯s not going to work!¡± Madam Fang reminded her warmly. The rest of the members of the Yu family had long gotten used to her ability to turn trash into treasure, so they didn¡¯t say anything.


    Madam Mao had actually brought over a small portion of sweet potato starch and some wild herbs that she had dug up today and said, ¡°Quickly stop trying to prepare those things. Listen to your auntie and throw them away, ok? In the future, if there¡¯s nothing to eat at home, just go to my ce and borrow some. Once the sweet potatoes are harvested, you can return what you ate! Who doesn¡¯t have a difficult time now and then? Throw it away, throw it away!¡± As she talked, Madam Mao enthusiastically pulled the tripe from Xiaocao¡¯s hands and turned to head out of the room to throw it away.


    Xiaocao started sweating in anxiety! This was the money-making method that she had wracked her brains for. If they threw away her ingredients, then how could she sell more of her braised foods for a copper coin a portion tomorrow? She had promised people at the docks!


    Seeing that his second daughter was almost bouncing in anxiety, Yu Hai hastily limped forward and took the pig offal from Madam Mao and smiled, ¡°Neighbor, our family hasn¡¯t gotten to the point where we will starve to death. Thank you for your good intentions. Xiaocao has use for this pig tripe as she heard from someone that there¡¯s a remedy that can be used on my leg with these...¡±


    Madam Mao nced at his leg, suddenly realized something, and said, ¡°Ah! So it was supposed to be used for the leg eh...no wonder! If it really could fix your leg, then it doesn¡¯t matter how stinky it is, you just have to endure it! Okay, I¡¯ll bring the sweet potato starch back home, but you guys can keep the wild herbs so you can make a soup tonight. Xiaocao, if you want to gather more wild herbs tomorrow, find me, I know a spot where there¡¯s a lot of shepherd¡¯s purse around!¡±


    Xiaocao promised the outwardly cold, inwardly warmhearted Madam Mao as she sent her off. Madam Fang still stayed behind to say, ¡°Xiaocao, your mother¡¯s not home right now. Let me help you prepare these things!¡±


    When Xiaocao saw that there was no way she could persuade the older woman otherwise, she washed out the contents of the offal and cut them into sections. She instructed Madam Fang to turn them inside out and use coarse salt to scrub thoroughly. This helped to remove any lingering odors and excess fat. Madam Fang didn¡¯t act as if she thought it was disgusting and rolled up her sleeves and got busy.


    Yu Xiaocao then taught Xiaolian how to prepare and clean the pig tripe. She herself prepped the pig¡¯s head. The first step was to let the pig head steep in clean water for some time, scrub off any dirt on the outside, and remove hairs until it waspletely clean. Next, it had to be boiled in a pot for about fifteen minutes and inspected to see if there was any hair left on the head. At this point, a rough brush was used to energetically scrub the whole surface until it was absolutely clean.


    Yu Hai had actually volunteered to take on the task of scrubbing the pig¡¯s head. Before he had injured his leg, all of the vigers would ask him to help whenever they were ughtering a pig. The reason was two-fold. On one hand, he was strong and had a lot of strength. On the other hand, he had learned how to ughter pigs on his own and really knew how to deal with the hair on the animal. When Yu Xiaocao saw that he was as good as she was, she was able to give him the task with relief.


    After making sure the pig head was clean, it was time to cleave it open and take out the innards. This work was naturally also given to Yu Hai. On the side, Xiaocao pointed out where he needed to cut and clean out any junk, such as the ears, the corners of the eyes, the lymph nodes, and nasal polyps. Then, the brain was taken out and ced carefully in a bowl to be usedter that night. It could be used to make a stew for the whole family to eat!


    Yu Hai removed the bones from the pig head in a practiced motion and split them into five to six pieces. The bone pieces were then put into cold water and washed carefully to remove any debris and bloodstains. This would prevent any odd tastes from seeping into the braised pig head dish, which could ruin an entire pot.


    After that, Yu Xiaocao took over. She took the cleaned pig head and put it into boiling water. After nching it for about twenty minutes, she took it out again and washed it clean. Then she took the nched pig meat and ced it into a new pot with clean water along with the bones from the head. Thebination was boiled, and she skimmed off any foam that appeared until it was about half cooked. Then, she put the meat in the braising sauce she had simmered yesterday and let it slowly stew until the meat was tender and soft. In addition, the meat was also put into the master sauce to allow it to incorporate some more vors.


    As the pig head meat slowly stewed, a rich smell of meat gradually spread from the courtyard out into the open. Even the Qian Family home, which was about two hundred meters away, had been enveloped in the savory scent of braised pig heat. Qian Wu was in the courtyard cleaning rods when he deeply inhaled the smell. He managed to swallow down his saliva with difficulty and said, ¡°Smells so good! Mother, did you smell it too? It¡¯s not the New Years, nor is it a holiday, which family is cooking meat right now?¡±


    Madam Mao had also smelled it and thought about the neighbors in the area. Other than Hunter Zhao¡¯s family at the foot of the mountain, who often ate meat because he was skilled at hunting, there was only Madam Fang¡¯s family, who she didn¡¯t get along with, that could possibly be the source of the smell. Could it be that Madam Fang had a gueste over and they ughtered a chicken for them? But that seemed wrong. It didn¡¯t smell like the aroma of chicken meat. As for Xiaocao¡¯s family, Madam Maopletely skipped over them. They were so poor that they usually couldn¡¯t eat enough, how could they possibly have any extra money to buy meat?


    ¡°You glutton! The next time your older brotheres back for his break, I¡¯ll buy some meat and stew some for you two to eat! Where are you going? Be more obedient and don¡¯t make your mother lose face by going to the Zhou Family!¡± Hunter Zhao lived a bit farther from them, so it was quite unlikely that the scent of their cooking would waft to here. Thus, there was only one family where the smells coulde from.


    Actually, there wasn¡¯t any trulyrge conflicts between Madam Mao and the Zhou Family. It was simply that one family raised ducks while the other raised chickens, and the Qian Family¡¯s ducks and duck eggs were not as popr as the Zhou Family¡¯s chickens. In addition, the head of the Zhou Family liked to peddle goods during the farming off-season and made a lot of money from that. Madam Mao felt it was a bit unfair, and she never learned how to mince her words. After a few encounters, the rtionship between the two families slowly cooled and drifted apart.


    Qian Wu threw down the stick that was in his hand, dashed out of the gate, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to Older Brother Wenhua¡¯s home, I want to find Little Shitou to y!¡±


    When Qian Wu arrived at the gates of the Yu Family¡¯s residence, he discovered that the smell of meat was stronger here. Even the red braised pork that his mother made during the New Years didn¡¯t smell as mouth-watering and tantalizing as this. He deeply breathed in the air through his nose and set foot into the courtyard.


    ¡°Little Shitou, can you smell this? It smells so good!!¡± Qian Wu shouted as soon as he entered the residence.


    Little Shitou bolted out of the kitchen and grinned, ¡°Older brother Xiaowu, you have a good nose! The pig head meat has just finished braising and you ran over. Come here,e here,e here! My second sister will cut a piece of piping hot braised pig head meat and let you satisfy your craving!¡±


    ¡°Wow! So the smell of meat was actuallying from your family ah!! What¡¯s going on today for your family to make meat to eat?¡± Qian Wu almost let some drool slip out of his mouth and onto his jacket. He used the back of his hand to wipe his mouth but his feet didn¡¯t move at all.

 Chapter 82 – New Taste

    <h4>Chapter 82 ¨C New Taste</h4>


    Although he was gluttonous, he also knew that Shitou¡¯s family didn¡¯t have an easy life. Meat was expensive and if they felt it was too precious to eat, what would it mean if he butted into this?


    However, Little Shitou grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen enthusiastically. The little boy pointed a finger at the piping hot braised pig head meat that had just gotten out of the pot and smiled, ¡°Arriving early can¡¯t beating at the right time! Come, try a little of my second sister¡¯s talents...¡±


    In actuality, Little Shitou was being devious. He wanted Qian Wu to be the first guinea pig. After all, whenever he thought about the way the pig head looked before it was braised, he felt a little scared to try.


    The braised pig head meat was rosy red and had an enchanting smell. The meat looked tender and tasty, fatty without being greasy, and had all the qualities needed to evoke a sense of hunger and yearning from any customer.


    Xiaocao seemed to have seen through Little Shitou¡¯s n and smiled knowingly at him. She cut off a small piece of pig head meat from the corner and stuffed it into Qian Wu¡¯s mouth before he could say anything.


    As soon as it hit his mouth, an explosion of savory vor and richness urred. It was so delicious that Qian Wu almost cried tears of joy. It was too delicious!! He had never, in his entire life, eaten meat that was as delicious as this!! Xiaocao¡¯s cooking talent had to be better than his mother¡¯s abilities by at least a hundred times. It would have been perfect if she was his younger sister. Then he could frequently taste the fruits of her talent.


    Little Shitou stared intently at the multitude of expressions that crossed Qian Wu¡¯s face and eagerly asked, ¡°How is it? Does it taste good? Does it have any odd vors?¡±


    Qian Wu forcefully grabbed onto Little Shitou¡¯s hand, holding back tears of happiness in his eyes, and replied withplete earnesty, ¡°Shitou, the two of us should switch lives! You can be my mother¡¯s son. Didn¡¯t you always want to have a little sister, right? I have a little sister just waiting for you at home! I, on the other hand, will go to your family and be Xiaocao¡¯s younger brother...¡±


    A couple of imaginary ck lines appeared above Xiaocao¡¯s head. ¡®Hey, hey! First of all, Qian Yafang is older than Little Shitou, and thus, she couldn¡¯t be his ¡®younger sister¡¯. Furthermore, Xiaowu, you brat, you¡¯re also older than me, the honorable Xiaocao, by a year, ok? How is it possible that you have the nerve to say such shameless things?¡¯


    Madam Fang had been helping them prepare the pig intestines and as she was bringing the basin into the kitchen, she heard Qian Wu¡¯s childish suggestion and couldn¡¯t help but ¡®pfffft¡¯ andugh, ¡°Wuzi, if your mother heard that you wanted to sell your younger sister and leave home for the sake of eating food, she¡¯d probably beat you until your leg broke!!¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao¡¯s cooking is seriously too good. In this lifetime...no, in my previous lifetime and the lifetime before that, I swear I have never eaten meat that has tasted as good as it did today. Shitou, what did you say it was? Is it called braised pig head meat? Does it use the meat from a pig¡¯s head? That can¡¯t be right, right?? A pig¡¯s head is such a disgusting looking thing, how could it possibly be made into something so tasty?¡± Qian Wu shook his head until it resembled a rattle. He clearly didn¡¯t want to believe that the meat he ate came from a pig¡¯s head.


    When Little Shitou saw Qian Wu¡¯s reaction to the meat, he hastily cut off a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. He had believed that the braised blood tofu and braised chicken offal he had eaten yesterday were the tastiest dishes on earth. Who would have thought that the pig head, which everyone avoided like the gue, could be braised into a dish that was even more delicious than braised chicken offal?


    After being braised, the meat from a pig¡¯s head had the perfect ratio between fatty meat and lean meat. When eaten, the taste of pig¡¯s fat and seasonings melded together into an explosion of vor. The savory taste seemed to permeate into all corners of the mouth and made people feel so happy that they could have almost died.


    Seeing their expressions, Xiaocao picked a piece that didn¡¯t look very pretty and cut it into enough pieces to fill a te. She let everyone taste a small bit and also used a pair of chopsticks to try her own handiwork. She ced a small piece into her mouth and carefully chewed it. Mhm, the taste was good and seemed to be authentic. In her previous life, she had almost gotten sick of eating braised food since that was all she made in her store, but she had never gotten tired of eating braised pig head meat. Because of that, she had gained a decent amount of weight from it.


    In the beginning, Madam Fang was too scared to give it a try. However, after seeing how everyone was enjoying the food with immense pleasure, she picked up the smallest piece of meat with a pair of chopsticks and ced it in her mouth. Immediately, her eyes begin to shine with amazement. The taste of this meat, ah, was more vorful and delicious than her best dish, stewed pork shoulder. Wherever Xiaocao learned this dish from, it was truly awesome!


    ¡°Xiaocao, Xiaocao! How did you make this braised pig head meat? I want my mother to learn from you, is that ok?¡± Qian Wu ate the meat deliciously as the vor and oils from the meat filled his mouth. He ate the pig head meat inrge bites and didn¡¯t forget to sing his praises and talk.


    Little Shitou¡¯s eyes immediately became wide, and he said, ¡°Second Sister¡¯s culinary skills have alle from the gods in her dreams. She can¡¯t tell other people! If the god mes her for spreading his secrets and decides to take her abilities away, then you will never be able to eat something as delicious as this again, even if you wanted to!¡±


    Madam Fang thought that was just something that the children made up. She reckoned that Xiaocao had learned a secret recipe from someone and was told not to make it public. Thus, she decided not to ask to be taught as well.


    However, Qian Wu hadpletely believed what Little Shitou told him. Just think about it, in the past, Xiaocao had a very weak body and it was considered a good day when she could get out of bed. How was it possible that she could be able to learn cooking from someone? Also, no outsiders had gone through the vige recently. If a god hadn¡¯t taught her, then where would she get these skills? After thinking about it, Qian Wu nodded his head furiously and said, ¡°I won¡¯t let my mothere here to learn then...Xiaocao, in the future, whenever you make some new type of food, please don¡¯t forget to save a portion for me ah...I won¡¯t be a freeloader either, I can help you gather wild nts, steal eggs from wild birds, and when it gets warm again, I can also dig up some ms...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal! When there¡¯s something good to eat, I¡¯ll have Little Shitou grab you then!¡± Xiaocao didn¡¯t add any more pieces of the pig head meat to the depleted te. After all, the braised meat was supposed to be sold tomorrow at the docks.


    After making sure that the braised pig head meat had been done correctly, Xiaocao started to braise the intestines and tripe. Braised intestines had a delicious taste, tender and soft texture, savory and rich vor, and had a really good mouthfeel. Braised pig tripe had a sweeter taste, a silky texture without being mushy, and was chewy. Both of these were very delicious and tasty types of braised dishes.


    After all of the braised dishes were finished, the whole family all thought that each type had its own characteristics but they were all considered to be very delicious. When Madam Fang was about to leave, Xiaocao made sure to put some braised pig head, intestines, and tripe all together on one te to let her bring some back home.


    Madam Fang knew that the purpose of making all of this food was to sell it at the docks, so she stubbornly refused. However, Xiaocao told her that the ingredients were all bought by the money she had made from selling the chicken offal. If Madam Fang didn¡¯t want the meat, Xiaocao said that she would give her money instead. It was only after hearing that did Madam Fang take the te of food back home.


    That night, after Zhou Dacang and his son came back from peddling goods all day, the two of them almost ate the entire te of braised foods. They praised it endlessly and even wished that there was more for them to eat. They repeatedly told Madam Fang, ¡®such a delicious set of meat dishes, in the future, you should buy more to eat at home.¡¯


    Madam Fangughed but didn¡¯t let out Xiaocao¡¯s secret. The vige wasn¡¯t very big. If Madam Li and Madam Zhang found out Xiaocao¡¯s culinary talents, the two of them would definitelye over to make trouble. Neither of them would ever tolerate the second branch of the family doing well!


    The next day, Xiaocao and her brother brought the extremely heavy basket to the docks. When they got there, Foreman Sun, who was directing the flow of workers transporting cargo and goods, spotted them immediately with his eagle eyes. He shouted in a loud voice at the dock workers, ¡°Brothers, work hard! After you guys are done transporting the goods on this boat, you all can rest and eat breakfast!! The brother and sister pair who were selling a portion of a meat dish for one copper coin yesterday are here again!!¡±


    The workers who had tried the braised chicken offal yesterday all felt their spirits rise and their enthusiasm for work increased significantly. In addition, the men who were unable to get a taste of the braised foods yesterday also became more energetic. They wanted to finish transporting the cargo before the other men in order to queue for the food and try the meat that their fellow workers had been praising without end.


    The owner of the cargo ship had been shipping goods for decades but he had never seen dock workers work so quickly before. He felt puzzled inside and curiously asked what this ¡®one copper coin for a portion of meat¡¯ was.


    Foreman Sun was an old acquaintance of this cargo ship master. He knew that if this cargo ship owner put in a good word for him for the merchant who sold the goods, it would help his business a ton.


    He quickly invited the owner of the ship to eat at the only shack in the area that sold stir-fried dishes and had Erzi call the two siblings over and said, ¡°Little girl, can you give me ten portions of the braised meat from yesterday, and also give me two copper coins worth of blood tofu...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Foreman Sun! I brought over a different type of braised food, and I don¡¯t have any blood tofu today.¡± Foreman Sun felt very disappointed when he heard Xiaocao¡¯s reply. He had been counting on this delicious yet cheap braised food to give him some face and reputation!


    The owner of the cargo ship was a bit unsatisfied that Foreman Sun had invited him to eat at such a crude and lowly ce. He thought a bit and decided that next time he should rmend Old Six to take the job of unloading the goods...


    However, at this point, he heard a young child cheerfully reply, ¡°Foreman Uncle, today¡¯s braised foods are even better than yesterday¡¯s! I have some crispy slices of pig ear, tender and fatty pig lips, delicious and savory pig offal, and the chewy and fragrant pig tripe...I guarantee you won¡¯t regret trying these after one bite!¡±


    When the master of the cargo ship saw Little Shitou, who seemed to be almost the same age as his youngest grandson, he naturally started to miss his youngest and most beloved grandson. Although Little Shitou was dressed entirely in patched and ragged looking clothes, his face was washedpletely clean and he had an incandescent and sweet smile on his face. The shipowner, who spent most of his time on the sea shipping cargo, looked at Little Shitou and smiled, ¡°Little fellow, you have quite a nimble mouth! After hearing you advertise your wares, the gluttonous monster in me is suddenly quite interested!¡±


    Foreman Sun felt vindicated and interjected strategically, ¡°Little girl, give us two portions of everything your younger brother rmended! If we like what we eat, we will also give you an additional reward.¡± The braised foods that Xiaocao brought over this time had been packed together in small portion sizes again. Other than that, she had also packed a few individual packets in anticipation of any special requests from those who ate the food and only liked one of the types.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Xiaocao agreed in a ringing voice.


    One by one, the braised dishes were set out. First was the pig ear ribbons that were tossed in a mix of scallions, garlic, and chili oil. The dish had a beautiful scarlet color that raised the appetite. In addition, the pig ear meat glistened under the light and was delicious looking. Then there was the pig offal that had a rich, fatty taste without being greasy. Last, there was the pig tripe that had been sliced into thin sheets and seemed savory and delicious. Xiaocao had especially borrowed a couple of tes from the stall¡¯s owner and carefully arranged the food. Although there wasn¡¯t arge portion of food, the smell and appearance of the dishes immediately gave people an appetite.


    The owner of the ship had grown up in a rural area by the water, and was the type of man who loved to drink alcohol and eat meat. After traveling extensively all these years, this was the first time he had eaten something that was as delicious and as inexpensive as these meat dishes. As he ate from the food, he felt as if he had entered heaven. Before long, over half of the food had been polished off by the old man.


    On the side, Foreman Sun continued to toast with wine but he only ate from the stir-fried vegetable dishes. He didn¡¯t forget to look at Xiaocao in the eye meaningfully to hint¡ª¡ªdon¡¯t forget to leave me a portion, ok....


    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s another boat that¡¯s about to reach the shore. We should head over quickly and not let Old Six take away the business from us...¡± Erzi shouted loudly as he ran over, panting heavily.


    The master of the cargo ship also knew that the goods on his ship would bepletely unloaded very soon. He looked at Foreman Sun and said, ¡°Go and do your work, ok? No need to attend to me anymore! Don¡¯t worry, in the future when I have business, I¡¯ll make sure to take care of you...¡±


    After receiving his desired result, Foreman Sun contently jogged towards the docks by the sea. Wherever there were people, there would be vagrants. Simrly, wherever there was business, there would bepetition. Since Tanggu¡¯s docks were flourishing and busy, it was natural that there wasn¡¯t only one team of dock workers that worked to unload cargo.

 Chapter 83 – Famous Scholar

    <h4>Chapter 83 ¨C Famous Schr</h4>


    On the docks, there were at least ten teams who worked on loading or unloading cargo from the ships. Thergest groups were run by Foreman Sun and Old Six. At theirrgest, there were at least a hundred or so dock workers working under these two foremen, and they could load or unload five to six ships at the same time. Thus, the biggest customers were monopolized by these two men.


    Naturally, these two men regarded each other as theirpetitor. Their struggle wasn¡¯t out in the open, but behind the scenes, the two of them fought over business. Foreman Sun had consecutively acquired the business of two big clients over the past two days with the help of a little girl¡¯s food. He was as happy as a m and started to ponder whether he should carefully bring this little girl onto his side.


    The dock workers worked like mad men. Originally it would have taken them around an hour and a half to finish unloading the ship they were working on. However, today they had managed to finish it in less than an hour. The owner of the cargo was amazed and thought that this team of workers were more efficient than the others. Due to that, the man decided to ask for this team the next time he needed his goods to be loaded or unloaded. Inadvertently, Xiaocao had helped Foreman Sun retain another customer.


    ¡°Xiaocao, give me two portions of your meat dish today. Yesterday evening, I had brought some of your braised food home to the family, and my two children really loved eating it. My wife evenined, asking me why I didn¡¯t buy more of this inexpensive braised food and bring it home!¡± Her first customer from yesterday, Old Hao, had rushed over to greet her today. His whole body was dripping with sweat but he couldn¡¯t be bothered to wipe it off.


    ¡°Okay! Two portions of braised food, Shitou, take his money!¡± Xiaocao had noticed that there was a sea of people running towards her behind Old Hao and quickly gave her little brother some work to do.


    ¡°Okay! Uncle Old Hao, two portions will be two copper coins!¡± Little Shitou stretched out his hand and grinned until hisrge eyes formed into crescent shapes. He looked like the prime example of an auspicious little boy who brings good fortune.


    Old Hao happily paid the money and took the two oil paper packets from them. He then went to buy two steamed rolls and put the braised food between the rolls, eating them inrge bites. When he opened the packets, he found out that the braised food today was different from yesterday¡¯s packets. In fact, the food from today tasted even better and more delicious than yesterday¡¯s. A hint of regret ran through him, he should have bought an additional portion earlier...


    He looked back to see where the two siblings were selling their braised food. At this point, the small statures of the two children had long been dwarfed by the sea of people around them. If he tried to squeeze in right now, it was unlikely that he¡¯d be able to buy more. Old Hao sighed and started to slowly take small amounts of the braised food to eat, as if he was afraid that he would miss out on savoring the vor if he ate too quickly...


    ¡°Xiaocao, I want a portion...¡±


    ¡°Shitou, Shitou! Take my money first, haha...make sure you hold onto those two copper coins!¡±


    ¡°I want three portions, make sure to leave me three! You guys are all animals, don¡¯t take it all away, I didn¡¯t get to try any yesterday...¡±


    ¡°I just paid, give me a portion...hey!! Huzi, why are you pushing so hard? You almost pushed the little girl onto the ground!¡± ......


    Little Shitou¡¯s hand started to ache from all of the money he had to take. He felt like there were countless hands just pushing copper coins to him. Afterwards, he couldn¡¯t even tell exactly who gave him money. He frowned and puffed up his face due to his inward distress.


    Luckily, the vast majority of the dock workers knew the ways of the world, and none of them cared too much about one or two copper coins. Thus, no one made any trouble for the two of them.


    Fortunately, they had prepared more braised food today than yesterday. After the workers all finished their rush to buy, they still had around ten portions of braised food left in the basket. Because they had some manufacturing problems, the portion size of one packet was slightly smaller than yesterday¡¯s. However, it was still enough to fill about half the volume of a small bowl and was definitely enough for one person to eat with their steamed buns.


    The passenger ship had already reached the store. After all, this area was close to the town and markets. The passengers who disembarked from the ship looked around with curiosity at the bustling scene around them.


    ¡°Eh? There¡¯s a lot of people surrounding that area, what¡¯s going on over there? Ah, Yunxi, go over and check out the situation...¡±


    The person who spoke was an old man with a head full of white hair and a hale, ruddyplexion. He had a full mustache and beard, and his eyes seemed to shine with wisdom. Every move he made was imbued with an elegance that seemed to attest to his schrly position. However, at this moment, the old man seemed to have a hankering for gossip, which was a bit at odds with his outward appearance.


    The person whom he called by the name ¡®Yunxi¡¯ was a young boy around ten years old. He wore a long, white colored robe with a light blue lined jacket over it. His small face was delicately pretty and at first nce could be taken as male or female. His good-looking lips were pursed into a straight line, as if he felt helpless regarding his grandfather¡¯s penchant for gossip.


    Although he personally had no desire to squeeze into a bunch of rough workers to find out what was going on, he understood his grandfather¡¯s personality quite well. If he didn¡¯t find out, his grandfather would not give up until he got all of the details. The ten year old youth strolled steadily at a speed that was neither fast nor slow towards the crowd of people.


    ¡°Teacher Yuan! You must be tired after travelling so far. There¡¯s a horse-drawn carriage over there, pleasee this way...¡± A man came over who was dressed from head to toe in ornate and expensive clothing, as if he wanted to make sure everyone around him knew he had money.


    Yuan Sinian was a famous schr from the previous dynasty. In fact, thest emperor of the Yuan Dynasty esteemed him for his schrly achievements and had invited him several times toe to the imperial pce to teach the imperial princes. However, these offers had all been politely declined with the excuse of poor health. Later on, when the country fell into turmoil and the future was uncertain, he had brought his family to live in seclusion deep in the mountains and had lived in hiding for a few years.


    After the Great Ming Dynasty was established, the current emperor emeritus had admired his capabilities and had asked him time and time again to leave his mountain and be an official. However, the old man had refused and could not be easily found. Afterwards, he was moved by the emperor emeritus¡¯s persistence and sincerity, and so, he rmended his knowledgeable and experienced son, who was in no way inferior to him, Yuan Guoan. He wouldter be the person who would always clean up the emperor emeritus¡¯s messes from behind, the man who was only under one but above ten thousand, the upright and meritorious prime minister.


    When the Great Ming Dynasty was first established, the emperor emeritus, who was still emperor at that time, was obsessed with making war on all borders. If he didn¡¯t have the illustrious prime minister as his left hand and the unshakeable imperial tutor as his right hand, it was likely that the Great Ming Dynasty would have fallen apart!


    After the current emperor ascended to the throne, Prime Minister Yuan was given the title of a duke with unlimited session rights. In an instant, he had be the most favored official in the court and had no opposition.


    On the other hand, the famous schr, Yuan Sinian, had just reached the age of seventy, but had long gotten used to his current leisurely life. In the small town of Tanggu, he had established the Rongxuan Academy. At first, he would teach sses every day, take care of his garden, and had afortable and leisurely life.


    Later on, as word got around about the quality of his teachings, more and more students enrolled. Many high ranking officials from the capital did every possible method they could to use their connections to let their children enter the school. As the academy¡¯s student poption grewrger andrger, the operations becamerger andrger. Furthermore, a lot of famous schrs rmended themselves to the academy to be teachers, among them included his former disciples...


    When Great Schr Yuan noticed that Rongxuan Academy had almost veered from his original vision, he set down a series of stringent requirements for admission. If you wanted to enter the academy, it was possible! However, you either had to pass a series of difficult admission exams or catch his eyes with your talents and potential. Otherwise, it didn¡¯t matter what position you had, or how much money you had, this old fellow would still not allow admission...


    Although Yuan Sinian was outwardly in appearance the perfect example of a famous schr, in his bones he was actually a mischievous old urchin. He had an insatiable curiosity and loved to keep up with gossip. In addition, he loved to eat good food¡ªfew people knew about this aspect of him. Otherwise, the parents who wanted their kids to enter the academy would search high and low for delicacies to tempt him. It would truly be chaotic!


    Parents who would think of any possible method to fawn on Great Schr Yuan for the sake of their children¡¯s futures could be found everywhere. For example, the fat man dressed in glittering gold at the docks was one of them.


    Great Schr Yuan frowned and secretly rolled his eyes. He coldly snorted and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I didn¡¯t need anyone to meet me at docks, eh? Shopkeeper Jin, you are publicly going against my wishes right now!¡±


    Inside he was roasting the man, ¡®You dummy, how about you use gold to build a suit of armor for yourself? This old man¡¯s eyes aren¡¯t very good, do you want to blind me with all of the gold on your body?¡¯


    The round and plump Shopkeeper Jin¡¯s attempt at ttery had gone awry. Immediately, sweat started to roll down his fat and pudgy cheeks. For the past six generations, the Jin Family had all been merchants. Although they had a lot of wealth and material goods, they were still considered within the lowest sses of citizens in the four sses¡ªschrs, farmers, artisans, and merchants.


    After the current emperor ascended to the throne, he had issued an ordinance that improved the status of merchants in society. The children of merchants could also participate in the imperial examinations. Shopkeeper Jin was overjoyed at the unexpected good news and wanted to hire the best tutor for his son, who had been clever and intelligent since childhood, so he could break away from a merchant¡¯s fate.


    He had heard that Tanggu Town had Rongxuan Academy, which had been established by a Great Schr from the previous dynasty who was wise and knowledgeable and conversant in things of the past and present. In addition, the current dynasty¡¯s prime minister had been raised and educated entirely by the founder. Shopkeeper Jin had brought his son on a long journey to get to Tanggu Town. To his delight, his son had passed the academy¡¯s entrance examination in one try and had formally be a student at the academy.


    However, something bad quickly happened. Shopkeeper Jin felt his son had it difficult having to live so far away from home to go to school. In addition, he was afraid his son would feel wronged since this was the first time his son had ever left home. So, he had redone his son¡¯s dormitory room at school to be full of luxurious materials and furniture. Everything had been switched to the best that money could possibly buy, even the ink stones and pens were expensive antiques. In the academy, there were very few who had seen such items.


    When Teacher Yuan, who had a moody personality, found out about all of this, he sent Shopkeeper Jin¡¯s son out with a remark, ¡°The academy is a ce for learning and studying, not a ce to take a vacation at. If you¡¯re afraid your son can¡¯t bear any hardships, then bring him back home to livefortably instead!¡±


    Shopkeeper Jin was stunned silly. He was counting on his son to bring honor and glory to the family, but who knew after entering the academy for a few days, his prospects had been ruined by his own mistake! His son had been so angry that he didn¡¯t eat and drink for a few days in a row and onlyid in his bed. Shopkeeper Jin was so remorseful over his mistake that half of his head had turned white overnight. In order to not be the cause of his son¡¯s ruin, Shopkeeper Jin every day without fail would go and see what he could do to remedy his mistake.


    However, there were very few opportunities to see Teacher Yuan. Before a few days had passed, the academy had closed for the yearly holiday. Teacher Yuan had brought his grandson back home to visit family. However, Shopkeeper Jin was unwilling to give up, and didn¡¯t even go home to celebrate the New Years with his family. He stayed at Tanggu Town in hope that he could find an opportunity to redeem himself.


    For the whole first month, he stayed at the docks of Tanggu Town, waiting and hoping that Teacher Yuan would be able to see his sincerity and give his son another chance. Finally, he had an opportunity. However, he never would have thought...he apparently had made the schr unhappy again.


    Shopkeeper Jin was so anxious that he wanted to hop around in frustration, but he didn¡¯t know what he could do to remedy the situation. As he was worrying himself sick at the side, Teacher Yuan¡¯s grandson, Yuan Yunxi, slowly came back and spoke to his gossipy grandfather, ¡°It¡¯s nothing really, just someone selling something called ¡®braised food¡¯...¡±


    ¡°Braised food? It¡¯s a type of dish? I¡¯ve never heard of it, does it taste good? There are so many people waiting to buy some, the vor must be good!¡± Yuan Sinian¡¯s eyes suddenly glowed in excitement when he heard there was a new type of food to be tried. It instantly destroyed his elegant and schrly temperament and showed him as a crazy and fanatical glutton.


    Shopkeeper Jin, who was in the midst of worrying about how to get Great Schr Yuan to like him, hastily interjected, ¡°Teacher Yuan, please find a ce to sit and rest for a bit, I¡¯ll go see what¡¯s going on...¡±


    His exceedingly fat body, which looked like a gold colored ball, bolted quickly towards Xiaocao¡¯s side. He said, ¡°Little girl, the braised food that you¡¯re selling right now, I¡¯ll take all that¡¯s left...¡±

 Chapter 84 – Glutton

    <h4>Chapter 84 ¨C Glutton</h4>


    At this moment, Xiaocao only had a few individual packets of braised dishes left in her basket, and she had previously promised Foreman Sun that she was going to leave one pack for him. Thus, she only had a portion of pig ear ribbons, a portion of pig lips, and two portions of pig intestines.


    ¡°Okay! That will be four copper coins!¡± Xiaocao swiftly used a piece of oiled paper and packaged all of the braised foods together. Little Shitou stretched out his hand to receive the money.


    Shopkeeper Jin was stunned for a moment. Four copper coins? He had invited Great Schr Yuan to eat food that cost four copper coins? Wasn¡¯t that a little too shameful? This was not showing the proper respect to Great Schr Yuan! What should he do? Teacher Yuan was still waiting for him over there. Ah, why did he take this upon himself and volunteer to run an errand like this?


    ¡°Excuse me, do you still want these braised dishes?¡± Xiaocao had noticed that when the man was reaching for the money from his purse, he had acted as if someone had paralyzed him and froze. She had inquired quietly as she was a bit confused and perplexed by this change in demeanor.


    Little Shitou made an ¡®I understand everything¡¯ expression, and he stated sympathetically, ¡°Older sister, do you think this fat older uncle had gotten his money stolen? I heard that the docks have pickpockets around...Second Sister, he¡¯s quite pitiful, how about we give him a portion of braised food free of charge for him to try...¡±


    A few dock workers in their surroundings who had arrivedte and hadn¡¯t bought any braised food repeatedly asked the man, ¡°Sir, do you still want it? Xiaocao, if he doesn¡¯t want any, then sell me a portion¡ª¡ªhere¡¯s the money.¡±


    Shopkeeper Jin clenched his jaw and stamped his foot, ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t want it? Don¡¯t you still have some left in the basket? Give me all that¡¯s left!¡±


    Xiaocao hastily replied, ¡°Please don¡¯t take offense, these couple of portions have already been reserved by other people. I really only do have four portions left, so I¡¯m really sorry about this. I¡¯ll being over every day to sell my braised food. The price of one copper coin per portion is my family¡¯s specialty. If you enjoy eating it, sir, then pleasee back again.¡±


    Shopkeeper Jin was afraid that Teacher Yuan would lose his patience from waiting too long, so he took the packet of braised food and threw a silver piece that was worth about a hundred copper coins to them. He turned and bolted away, as if something had scorched his butt. Xiaocao held the silver piece and pondered what to do since they likely didn¡¯t have enough money from selling food today to give the man his change. When she saw that the fat, glittering man had left, she swiftly called out, ¡°Hey, hey! I haven¡¯t given you your change yet!


    ¡°No need to give me change, take the rest as a reward for you!¡± This type of silver piece was usually used by Shopkeeper Jin to reward lower ranked servants in his residence. In his eyes, this piece was of no more value than a copper coin was in ordinary people¡¯s eyes.


    Yuan Sinian and his young grandson had already sat down at a nearby noodle stand that was run by the Wang Family. They had ordered two bowls of in noodles and were slouching as they waited for Shopkeeper Jin toe over.


    ¡°What¡¯s taking him so long? What if it got sold out? You brat, you know how much I, your grandfather, love to eat, yet you didn¡¯t even bother to buy a portion to let me have a taste, hmph! If I¡¯m unable to try this ¡®braised food¡¯, then just you wait!¡±


    At this point, Yuan Sinian hadpletely shed his schrly persona and was starting to resemble a stubborn old urchin more and more. Yuan Yunxi managed to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his grandfather and silently sighed inwardly...however, he felt like the little girl who was selling braised food sounded somewhat familiar...


    ¡°It¡¯s here! It¡¯s here!!¡± Yuan Sinian immediately sat up straight and changed his posture. Once again, he resumed the outward demeanor of an elegant and mysterious schr. The corners of Yuan Yunxi¡¯s mouth twitched as he looked down.


    Shopkeeper Jin had a bright smile on his face as he borrowed a bowl from the noodle stall and politely ced the braised food one by one into it. He then asked, ¡°Sir, would you happen to have any sesame oil? Adding a little bit of sesame oil should help make the vor even better...¡±


    Xiaocao, who had chased after the man to give him the change, overheard their conversation and smiled, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, if you add a little bit of sesame oil and then put a couple pieces of garlic on top, it will definitely be more delicious! Sir, I have your ny-six copper coins as change right here...¡±


    Teacher Yuan lightly nced at the copper coins in her hand and said, ¡°He already said that you can keep the change, so just keep it for yourselves. In any case, this man is so wealthy that even arger bit of money wouldn¡¯t be of a concern to him.¡±


    Shopkeeper Jin inwardly quivered in fear! How did he manage to offend this imposing old man again? Was there something wrong with having a lot of money? If Teacher Yuan was willing to ept his son again into the academy, he would dly disperse his family¡¯s wealth and live a poor and impoverished life...


    ¡°Ah...Teacher Yuan, they don¡¯t have any sesame oil here, let me go somewhere else to find some...¡± Shopkeeper Jin took ahold of this opportunity to escape from this awkward situation. He managed to find a stall that sold stir-fries and threw them another silver piece to take the rest of the sesame oil that the stall had left, which was about half a small bottle¡¯s worth.


    When Xiaocao noticed that both the brightly clothed fatty and the elegant old schr were people who lived lives where they didn¡¯t have to do much on their own, she naturally started to crush the garlic heads with a practiced air and seasoned the braised foods with sesame oil. Then she said, ¡°Please eat!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Yuan Sinian used his entire willpower to restrain his hungry desire and unhurriedly stretched out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of sliced pig ear. He then slowly ced the piece of food into his mouth.


    Yuan Yunxi, who was next to the old man, once again stopped himself from rolling his eyes. No one understood his grandfather as well as he did. Had there not been other people present, which made the old man aware of his status, he would have long started wolfing down the food in front of him...however, for some reason, this little girl seemed a bit familiar to him!


    Before Yuan Yunxi had finished his silent sarcastic soliloquy, he saw that his disappointing grandfather had already thrown away his dignified, reserved air. There were tears in the old man¡¯s eyes, and his mouth never stopped moving. The chopsticks in his grandfather¡¯s hands picked up food as if it was a machine driven by an electric motor, and it delivered the braised food into his mouth at lightning speed, as if he was afraid someone would start fighting him for it.


    ¡°Old grandpa, you should slow down a little! You need to carefully chew the slices of pig ear in order to really taste the food!¡± The kindhearted and adorable Little Shitou felt sympathy rise in his heart when he saw the Great Schr stuffing his mouth full with the braised food. ¡®This old grandpa must not have had the taste of meat in a long time, right? He looks so hungry and gluttonous.¡¯ Great Schr Yuan, with the help of Little Shitou¡¯s kind reminder, realized that there were people around him! However, in his eyes, his outward appearance and reputation were not nearly as important as fully enjoying delicious food. But, he was also aware that throwing away appearances altogether may not be a very wise decision in the end.


    Gradually, he slowed down his eating speed, and he began to chew each bite thoroughly before he swallowed. As he continued to eat, he pped the table in praise and said, ¡°Little girl, is this called ¡®pig ear ribbons seasoned in chili oil¡¯? So fantastic! Bright red color, soft and bouncy texture, savory spiciness, dense vor...hm, what about this one, what is it called?¡±


    ¡°That is called braised pig intestines!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s voice sounded exceptionally clear and bright as she replied.


    Yuan Sinian picked up a piece of the pig intestines and delivered it into his mouth. He slowly tasted the food and continuously nodded his head, ¡°Rich and vorful taste, chewy and soft texture, fatty without being greasy, this is something a person can eat every day without getting sick of it...very good, very good! Braised pig intestines, eh? So you used animal offal to make it then?¡±


    ¡°Esteemed gentleman is wise, I used the intestines from a pig and many different types of seasoning to braise it into this. It has a savory taste and luxurious vor, and it¡¯s a type of dish that goes very well with alcohol. Braised pig intestines are very versatile, you can eat it cold with seasonings, you can also stir-fry it at high heat, and it can even be used to simmer soup. Every single way has its own unique taste and vor!¡± When Xiaocao noticed that the man didn¡¯t seem to reject the concept of eating offal, she excitedly introduced the ingredient with its myriad cooking methods.


    Shopkeeper Jin was originally going along with the gentleman¡¯s judgement and continuously moved his head. However, when he heard what it was, he suddenly froze and his chin almost fell to the floor. Pig intestines? He had actually invited Great Schr Yuan to eat the intestines of a pig, he was finished, he was finished! His son¡¯s chance at regaining admission to the academy was definitely lost now.


    ¡ªArgh! How could his son have such a fool of a father? Shopkeeper Jin wished he could just m his head on the table and die at this very moment!


    ¡°Good! Good! This old man had previously heard the emperor emeritus reminiscing about the food from his hometown. His favorite dish was ¡®spicy pig intestines¡¯. When I heard how he deliciously described the food, how soft and delicate, how much the mouth filled with its incredible vor...listening to it made me want to drool, oh¡ªit almost just dripped straight out...¡±


    ¡°Ahem, ahem!¡± When the young and aplished Yuan Yunxi saw how his grandfather forgot his decorum when he waxed continuously about food, he coughed a few times in an effort to remind the old man of his status.


    Yuan Sinian eyes widened into round circles, and he resentfullyined, ¡°Why are you coughing right now? Food is the God of the people. In fact, the emperor emeritus himself had once said, ¡®one cannot function on an empty stomach, missing a meal will make one anxious¡¯. What¡¯s wrong with talking about food? Is it shameful to like eating good food? You brat, get away from me, so I don¡¯t have to see your face¡ªhmph, what a spoil sport!¡±


    ¡°Eh? You wouldn¡¯t be that person...that person...¡± When Yu Xiaocao got a better look at the pretty young man¡¯s face, she instantly recognized who he was. However, she couldn¡¯t quite remember his name. ¡°You must be the friend of Third Young Master Zhou, right? Did you just disembark from the ship?¡±


    Yuan Yunxi could finally recall where he had seen that little girl. He smiled faintly and said, ¡°Miss Yu...¡±


    ¡°Good grandson, you know this youngdy? Howe I¡¯ve never heard you talk about having a friend who can cook so well?¡± Yuan Sinian gave his grandson a pointed look and then turned to face Yu Xiaocao with an unexpectedly friendly smile, ¡°Youngdy, your braised pig intestines are quite good, where¡¯s your ancestral hometown? Are you also from the same hometown as the emperor emeritus? Do you know how to make the delicious and vorful pig head meat too?¡±


    Yuan Yunxi¡¯s delicate eyebrows came together in a frown and his whole face had a helpless expression on it.


    Yu Xiaocao had been greatly amused at the interaction between this old rascal of a grandfather and his elementary school aged grandson. She had been watching the two squabble with delight when this unexpected question sent a chill down her spine. Her smile froze for a split second, and she immediately shook her head, ¡°My ancestors for generations and generations have all lived in a nearby small fishing vige. They all relied on fishing to make a living. My family is a bit poor, so I had to figure out how to make food from things that other people won¡¯t eat. This is how I came up with the pig ear ribbons and pig intestine dishes. I¡¯m a nobody really, so how could I be from the same hometown as the honorable emperor emeritus...¡±


    She was already certain that the emperor emeritus was a transmigrator like her. Only a transmigrator would change history and establish a Great Ming Dynasty that waspletely different from the one she remembered in her past life. Ah what a joke, she had long nned on making a fortune quietly and had no desire to make herself a target. She did not want to get entangled with that well-known transmigrator from her own world.


    On the other hand, Little Shitou, who was next to her, replied proudly, ¡°My second sister¡¯s braised food is the best. Old gentleman, we had already sold out of the braised pig head meat you were talking about. However, these pig lips are also pretty good. They¡¯re fatty without being greasy and are full of savory vor. If you don¡¯t believe me, please try some!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Good, good! Little fellow, you have quite the silver tongue. How old are you? Have you started to learn how to read?¡± Yuan Sinian lifted some of the vegetables and noodles out of the bowl and pushed some of the pig lips into the bowl. He mixed them together and started to eat the noodles and braised food inrge bites.


    Little Shitou grinned, ¡°I¡¯m six years old, and my second sister told me that after she makes some money from selling her braised food, she¡¯ll send me to school in town to study. Our vige is too poor and there isn¡¯t a school there to attend. However, our next door neighbor, Brother Xiaowen, oftenes back for vacation and teaches me and Brother Xiaowu how to recognize words. I already know how to write my own name and I can read about a hundred and fifty-six characters!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Sounds like you know quite a few characters and can write your own name, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good! Can you write your name and let this old man take a look at it?¡± Great Schr Yuan apparently was interested in this young child. It had been almost two years since his academy had started having beginner sses for the purpose of instructing clever and bright children in the area.

 Chapter 85 – Accepting a Disciple

    <h4>Chapter 85 ¨C epting a Disciple</h4>


    Little Shitou confidently dipped a fingertip into some water and wrote his name inrge, broad strokes on the wooden table¡ªYu Fan.


    Yuan Sinian ate his braised food with obvious pleasure as he intently watched the little fellow write. When he saw that the boy¡¯s handwriting had character and style, he smiled, ¡°Not bad, that child did a good job in teaching! Yu Fan, do you want toe with me to Rongxuan Academy to study?¡±


    Shopkeeper Jin was listening to their conversation at the side and his heart filled with envy and jealousy. This little fellow was quite fortunate. He had an older sister who was talented at cooking. Despite the fact that the boy only knew how to write his own name, Great Schr Yuan had personally recruited him into the academy. His son, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t the most talented person but he had relied on his own abilities to test into the school. It was only because of him...So many regrets, ah, he regretted his previous actions so much!


    Little Shitou blinked a couple of times and then beamed a smile, ¡°Old mister, thank you for your good intentions. However, we don¡¯t have enough money saved up to pay for my tuition. After we have enough money, then I¡¯ll go into town to find you...¡±


    Shopkeeper Jin hurriedly reminded them, ¡°Teacher Yuan is a famous schr in our times. The Rongxuan Academy that he established is one of the best schools in our whole Great Ming Dynasty. There are many people who want to enroll but have not been epted! Little fellow, don¡¯t miss this opportunity!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Sir, you are truly too incredible!! In the future, I want to be like you and be someone that other people respect!¡± Little Shitou eximed in admiration as he looked at Yuan Sinian. For the first time in his life, the clever and bright little boy had found someone who he admired greatly.


    ¡°Haha! Little fellow, what¡¯s the point of being like me? Don¡¯t you want to be a high-ranking official so that your parents and siblings will never be looked down upon or bullied again?¡± Yuan Sinian guffawed as he was in a good mood. Speaking childishly was the best way to manifest the inner child in one¡¯s heart.


    Little Shitou¡¯s round face creased in worry from the inner turmoil in his heart and said, ¡°Then...from what you¡¯re saying, bing an official is also not bad. I want to be someone like you, where everyone respects me, but I also want to be a high-ranking official and make sure my parents and siblings livefortably. Would that be too greedy of me?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought his words were too funny, knocked on his head, and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t even entered the academy yet and you¡¯re starting to think this far in the future? The reason I wanted to send you to school was to let you be a cultured and educated individual. Do you think bing a government official is that easy? You need to pass many rounds of imperial examinations. Just look at Younger Uncle, he¡¯s already studied for more than ten years and he hasn¡¯t even passed the county level exams! If you have arger head, then you¡¯ll have to wear arger hat. Don¡¯t be too arrogant, otherwise when you fall it will hurt more!¡±


    Yuan Sinian ced down his chopsticks. After eating all of that meat, he was pleasantly stuffed, and he stroked his beard in contentedness. He smiled and said, ¡°Little fellow, what your older sister says has some truth in it. However, as people, we should always have a goal and dream to shoot for! Naturally, it needs to be a realistic goal. Idle daydreams and overambitious targets are not a good idea! Alright, it¡¯s gettingte, we should set out again. Little girl, I always keep my promises. You can send your younger brother to the academy earlier as the school can waive some of the fees and expenditures for the students who receive excellent grades. In addition, we often reward books, writing brushes, and inkstones too. I¡¯d like to say again that the taste of your braised food is really quite good. I¡¯d like to eat it again in the future.¡±


    When Shopkeeper Jin saw Great Schr Yuan getting up to leave, he hurriedly came forward and politely helped him carry the luggage. He thought that Teacher Yuan¡¯s mood seemed to be pretty good, so he worriedly opened his mouth and said, ¡°Teacher, everything was my fault. My family has been merchants for six generations, and I only had a son in my middle age. Thus, I dote upon Zhuo¡¯er too much. I will change, in the future I will definitely change! Ever since Zhuo¡¯er has been expelled from the academy, he doesn¡¯t eat or drink anymore and almost died this past winter. Can you...possibly give him another chance?¡±


    Yuan Sinian silently looked at the gilded and magnificent carriage in front of him and faintly nced at him from head to toe. He then said, ¡°One cannot achieve glory and triumph without having been through trials and tribtions. Being a schr has always been a hard and unprofitable job. It¡¯s easy to be extravagant after being frugal, but it¡¯s hard to be frugal after bing ustomed to luxury. I can give you another opportunity, but if Jin Wenzhuo is unable to be ustomed to hardships, then it¡¯s better to leave now thanter!¡±


    ¡°He can! He can!! My Zhuo¡¯er can definitely bear hardships!! Thank you, Teacher Yuan, thank you...¡± When Shopkeeper Jin saw that his efforts had finally produced the result he desired, tears immediately streamed down his face. He was so happy that he couldn¡¯t contain his glee as he repeatedly thanked the schr.


    The happy and content Shopkeeper Jin took the stuffed Great Schr and left the noisy and bustling docks. Neither of them could forget that little girl who sold braised food at the docks. She was the one who had given them their heart¡¯s desire and allowed them to obtain happiness...


    Thus, Great Schr Yuan Sinian became a frequent visitor at the Tanggu Docks. He would often take a two hour cart ride from the town to the docks to ¡®fight over food¡¯ with the rough dock workers. Heh heh, naturally, Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t let him really squeeze and elbow the workers to buy braised food. After all, he was also her younger brother¡¯s teacher!


    ¡°Father, Mother! We met Brother Xiaowen¡¯s respected teacher from the academy today. He agreed to let me enter the school to study!¡± Little Shitou was excited the entire way home and incessantly asked Xiaocao if he could really go to town and study at the school. Was this real? He asked so many times that Xiaocao thought it was simultaneously hrious yet sad at the same time.


    Yu Hai was in the middle of chopping firewood and stopped at this moment. He came up, took the heavy basket from his daughter¡¯s hand, and then ruffled his son¡¯s hair. The smile on his face was full of helplessness and guilt, ¡°Shitou, Father knows you really want to study, but our family¡¯s current circumstances are not good enough to allow you to...you¡¯re still young right now, let¡¯s wait until next year to go to the academy, is that ok?¡±


    Their next door neighbor¡¯s, Old Qian, oldest son had gone to the town¡¯s most famous academy and passed the entrance exam. This was no longer considered news in Dongshan Vige. It was said that Rongxuan Academy had already taught two students who had received the top score, one second ce candidate, and one third ce schr in the imperial pce examinations within its first ten years of operating. All of the vigers said that the Qian Family had gotten their chance to produce a high-ranking official!


    Luckily, the Qian Family also raised about two hundred ducks at the time of his admission. By selling duck eggs and duck meat to the restaurants in town, they were able to make some money. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to afford the tuition, which was almost one tael a month. The vast majority of families in the vige made nowhere near that much.


    Having an extra tael for the family to spend was one thing, but their current circumstances were so dire that, had it not been for Xiaocao selling braised food for the past two days, they would be scrambling to find three hundred copper coins. Ah! He was such a useless father as he couldn¡¯t satisfy his child¡¯s desire to go to school...


    Xiaocao noticed that her father was ming himself, and so, she stepped forward to pull gently on his arm. She smiled, ¡°The headmaster of Rongxuan Academy liked the taste of this daughter¡¯s braised food today. He had promised us that we can hold off on paying the fees for now and then give them what we owe once we earn the money. The headmaster also said that the academy tests its outstanding students from time to time and can even waive the tuition fees for those who do well. The tests ur every three months. As long as Little Shitou studies hard, all we need to save is about three months worth of tuition for him...Don¡¯t be worried, Father, once your leg ispletely better and we¡¯re past the season when the animals are giving birth, you can go hunting to subsidize the family again. In about a month, our vegetables will also be ready to go to market. Won¡¯t we soon make enough to get three months worth of tuition?¡±


    Yu Hai rubbed at his leg that still couldn¡¯t take too much weight and lightly sighed. After getting it massaged every day by Xiaocao, his leg had already recovered immensely. Now he didn¡¯t need to use crutches to walk anymore, and he could also do some regr work around the residence.


    Previously the town doctor had told him that ¡®the leg cannot be saved¡¯, which made him almost want to die. To be able to have his leg recover up to this much, even the doctor from Tongren Medicine Hall felt that it was a miracle. He should really be content with his situation. But, to have his leg fully recovered, to be able to hunt in the mountains, that was his true heart¡¯s desire that he couldn¡¯t help but wish for.


    When Xiaocao saw that her father had lowered his head and was thinking deeply about something, she turned her attention to Little Shitou. She rubbed at his little face that was gradually gaining some flesh and grinned, ¡°Our Little Shitou just needs to wait a few more days. After I make more money, I¡¯ll make you two new pieces of clothing and then you can attend school with a spanking new wardrobe! When our next door neighbor Brother Xiaowen gets back, we can ask him what we need to prepare for the academy. We definitely can¡¯t let Little Schr Yu Fan get bullied there!¡±


    Little Shitou was apparently very pleased with the nickname ¡°Little Schr Yu Fan¡± andughed happily, ¡°Second Sister, you don¡¯t need to prepare anything! I heard Brother Xiaowen talking about it. The academy has a ce for its students to live and a ce for them to eat. You also don¡¯t need to make new clothes for me. The people at the academy only despise those who are inelegant not those who are poor! As long as I do well there, no one there would dare to slight me!¡±


    ¡°Hm, theyugh at those who are inelegant but not the poor, is that a phrase you had learned from Brother Xiaowen? Little brother, you¡¯ve also seen how good our business is. Don¡¯t you think making you a couple of new clothes is a drop in the bucket now? No need to talk more, just bring out our purse and count how many coins we got today.¡± While they were walking back home, the little fellow had felt the heavy purse the whole way back. The jaw-splitting grin on his face seemed to be permanently there, and he looked like a little money grubber.


    Madam Liu and Xiaolian put down their embroidery and took the basket that held the pig head meat and intestines. They smiled at Xiaocao, ¡°Go rest a bit! Let us do the cleaning, okay! Rx, although we may not be able to help you with creating the seasoning but we can definitely be your assistants in everything else!¡±


    Xiaocao was also happy to let them do the hard work and gleefully counted the money with Little Shitou. Their haul from today was clearly much better than yesterday¡¯s. They managed to sell all of the braised food for a total of a hundred and thirty copper coins. If they added the mace of silver that Shopkeeper Jin had given them, then they had earned more than two hundred copper coins today!


    At the docks today, she had asked about the prices of items in town. A bolt of homespun cloth at the market sold for around two hundred and thirty-four copper coins. If they got Little Shitou a few feet of cloth and then about half a catty of cotton to make two pairs of cotton-padded clothes, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem financially anymore. However, they currently didn¡¯t have enough money to buy the four schrly essentials of ink, brushes, paper and ink stone. She had heard that those things were quite expensive!


    Apparently, they needed to work hard for a few more days to make it! Xiaocao stared nkly at the pile of copper coins and was racking her brain for other ideas to make more money.


    ¡°Second Sister, can the small yellow croakers we caught yesterday be braised into something that we can sell? The older uncles at the docks had all asked me whether we would be selling braised food in the afternoon!¡± Little Shitou was also trying to think of solutions for the same problem that bothered Xiaocao.


    Having a daily ie of two hundred copper coins had given him a taste of sweet sess. If they continued on their trajectory, after five or six days, they would have enough to pay for his tuition fees! With a stable ie at home, he could also study at the academy with ease. It was a pity that they could only buy one pig¡¯s head and one pig¡¯s worth of offal from the market a day. Those ingredients didn¡¯t make enough braised food tost for the whole morning!¡±


    Small yellow croakers? She actually knew quite a few methods to prepare this fish, such as: ¡®dry fried small yellow croaker¡¯, ¡®salty and crunchy small yellow croaker¡¯, sweet and sour small yellow croaker¡¯...these types of dishes were all very delicious but they took a lot of time and effort to make. In addition, they needed to spend money to not only buy the small yellow croakers but also the seasonings and oil used in the recipes. If they were sold for a copper coin per two pieces and they subtracted the manufacturing costs, she¡¯d bet that they wouldn¡¯t make much profit...

 Chapter 86 – Luring Fish

    <h4>Chapter 86 ¨C Luring Fish</h4>


    Oh right! She knew another method of making pickled fish, which only needed ordinary small fish. There was a pond behind their house, which had an abundance of resources that she could take advantage of!


    She remembered that Qian Wu and Little Shitou had caught many palm-sized crucian carps and sharpbellyst time and brought them back to make soup. The little crucian carps and sharpbelly had a lot of small bones, but the bones would be soft when made into pickled fish. So the bones could be chewed and eaten together with the meat. Yes! That was it!


    ¡°But... is there any way to catch arge number of small fish?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but worry again.


    Suddenly, Little Shitou¡¯s joyful screams sounded beside her ears, ¡°Quickly look! There¡¯s a wild bird drinking water from our water tank!¡±


    Xiaocao looked up and saw a snow-white bird with slender, long legs. It stood on the edge of the water vat and leaned forward to drink water in the vat. In early spring, the weather was gradually bing warmer. These past few days, there had been unknown birds visiting their home to borrow water from the vat to drink.


    The little divine stone had once proudly told her that the wild birds were attracted to the spiritual energy in the bathing water inside the water tank. Regardless of whether it was an animal or nt, spiritual energy was a good nourishment for them. However, if the concentration of energy was too high and the organism was too young, it would be overpowered by the energy and explode...


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up at that thought¡ª¡ªDidn¡¯t that mean that if she used the little divine stone as bait, she would be able to lure a school of little fish?


    [Stinky Master, bad Master! You¡¯re going to use me as a bait again. I won¡¯t let you off!] Out of nowhere, a little golden kitten suddenly jumped onto her shoulder and fiercely snarled at her.


    After it acknowledged its master, Xiaocao and the little divine stone¡¯s minds had be interlinked. So, the little fellow could immediately sense all her thoughts.


    [Alright, alright! I won¡¯t use you as bait anymore!] Xiaocao hastily pacified the angry kitten, [But, Little Glutinous Dumpling, you¡¯ll have to help me think of a way to lure the small fish into the trap.]


    The little divine stone snorted proudly and said, [There¡¯s no need for me, this celestial stone, to personally do anything. Isn¡¯t my bathing water the best bait? As for how to use it, do you really need me to answer such a stupid question?]


    After hearing its words, Yu Xiaocao immediately stuffed the two hundred copper coins into her purse and told Madam Liu to put it away safely. The remaining money was left as pocket money for family expenses. After that, she pulled Little Shitou into the kitchen and filled a jar with mystic-stone water. She went to Yu Hai and asked, ¡°Father, do we have a fishing at home?¡±


    ¡°Fishing? No! What do you need it for?¡± Yu Hai soaked the pig head in the water from the vat. The water from the vat had the spiritual energy from the little divine stone, which enhanced the taste of the braised pig¡¯s head.


    Xiaocao smiled mysteriously and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯ll have a use for it! I just thought of another way to make money again. Just wait and see!¡±


    Yu Hai stretched out his hand, which he had touched the pig¡¯s head with, and wanted to pinch her nose, but Xiaocao nimbly dodged him. He smiled and said, ¡°What kind of do you want? I can just make it for you right now!¡±


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t have much to do, so he would often help the vigers weave some fishings at home. Thus, their family naturally didn¡¯tcks. Xiaocao instructed him heat a bamboo strip until it turned into a circr shape and fasten it onto a bamboo pole. After that, attach a fishing onto the round bamboo strip to form a pocket¡ªa simple was formed.


    ¡°Are you two goingting? It¡¯s quite hard to catch the big fish in the pond behind the house, so be careful and don¡¯t fall in... Do you want Father toe with you guys?¡± Yu Hai saw the kids going out of the backyard and worriedly cautioned.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re just experimenting first. If we seed, then we¡¯ll ask for Father¡¯s help...¡± Xiaocao¡¯s voice sounded from behind the house, while Little Shitou also made an ted cry.


    When the sister-brother pair arrived at the pond, Qian Wu, who was tending the ducks by the river, saw them and swiftly rushed over. He asked, ¡°Xiaocao, Xiaocao! Howe you have time to y by the river today?¡±


    Little Shitou acted like a little adult and said, ¡°Go, go, go! Do you think we¡¯re like you, who only cares about ying! We¡¯re here for serious business. Go away! Don¡¯t dy us from catching fish!¡±


    ¡°Catching fish? I¡¯m really good at that! Let me help you!¡± Qian Wu immediately forgot about his task of tending the ducks and shamelessly insisted on helping.


    Xiaocao was worried about other people discovering the secret in her jar, so she smiled and refused, ¡°Xiaowu, if Auntie Qian sees you leaving the ducks aside and ying by yourself, your ears will definitely suffer some pain. You should just go back to tend the ducks!¡±


    Qian Wu touched his ears, pouted, and sat on the shore, feeling aggrieved. He smacked the water with the bamboo pole in his hands to vent his anger, which scared the ducks to flee in all directions. Madam Mao saw this scene and shrieked, ¡°Stinky brat, I told you to tend the ducks, not to send the ducks away! If the ducks are too scared toy eggs, you can anticipate being spanked!¡±


    Qian Wu touched his butt, and then reluctantly looked at the siblings who had walked far away. He sighed heavily and resigned to his fate of tending the ducks.


    Xiaocao chose a hidden area, put the crock into the water, and anxiously looked at the surface of the water. This jar was the ce where Little Divine Stone often ¡®bathed¡¯. Thus, it had umted arge amount of spiritual energy over time.


    After the jar was ced in the water, the energy inside gradually overflowed. In a short time, ripples began to appear on the surface of the water...


    ¡°Second Sister, quickly look! A lot of small fish are swimming over! That¡¯s so amazing. What kind of bait do you have in the jar? It works so well!¡± Little Shitou tried to suppress the joy in his voice and whispered.


    His voice didn¡¯t frighten the school of fish that were gathering over. On the contrary, more and more little fish were gathering due to the overflow of spiritual power. They all swam towards the mouth of the jar in session.


    When Xiaocao ced the jar in the water, she had only submerged a small portion of the opening in the water. Although the fish had followed the spiritual energy over, they were unable to enter the crock. Thus, they were eagerly pping their tails and swimming around the crock.


    As more the fish gathered, the more densely they surrounded the jar. Xiaocao lifted the in her hand and gently scooped towards the ce with the most fish. If it was like before, the fish would had already scattered in different directions. However, they were attracted by the spiritual energy and ignored the looming danger. They opened their mouth as if they wanted to absorb more of the pure energy.


    Xiaocao slowly raised the in her hand from the bottom of the water. In the that had a diameter of thirty centimeter, there were dozens of small fishes, including grass carp, crucian carp, and sharpbelly... But, most of them were still grass carp and crucian carp. The bigger ones were around half a catty, while the smaller ones were only about the size of Little Shitou¡¯s small palm.


    ¡°Wow! So many fish were caught in such a short time! Wasn¡¯t that too easy! Second Sister, Second Sister! Let me try!¡± Little Shitou took the bucket over and received the fish that Xiaocao had caught, and was very eager to try.


    Xiaocao put the into the little guy¡¯s hand andughed, ¡°Move slowly when you¡¯reting the fish. I¡¯ll go bring another bucket over. If we catch more fish, we¡¯ll have something to sell tomorrow afternoon!¡±


    Little Shitou lifted the enthusiastically and carefully extended it towards the school of fish. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Older Sister, these fish have a lot of bones, so I¡¯m afraid that people might find it too troublesome to eat. It might not sell well!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a n!¡± Xiaocao looked at him with a gaze that read ¡®believe me¡¯, and then left with a smile.


    When she came back again, more than half of the bucket was already filled with fish. The water in the bucket also came from the water vat, so there was also spiritual energy in it. So, the fish were still very lively even when they were squeezed together in such a narrow space.


    The siblings had caught two full buckets of fish in less than two hours. During that time, a fish that was half a meter long had also appeared. Unfortunately, their was too small. They had caught the fish¡¯s tail, but the big fish had escaped with a swing of its tail. The siblings felt that it was rather regretful, since they would have been able to eat an extra dish for dinner if they had caught the fish.


    When they returned home, the Yu Hai couple and Xiaolian had already finished cleaning the pig¡¯s head and intestines. Madam Liu pointed at the remaining pot of pig blood and asked, ¡°We didn¡¯t know what to do with this, so we didn¡¯t dare to touch it...¡±


    Yu Hai, on the other hand, looked at the siblings with amusement and eximed, ¡°Oh! There¡¯s quite a lot in the buckets! How many fish did you guys catch? Let me see. Are we eating it for dinner?¡±


    However, Little Shitou excitedly said, ¡°We¡¯re not going to eat these fish ourselves. We¡¯re selling them! Second Sister said that she could solve the problem of the fish having too many bones! Father, look, we caught a lot of fish!¡±


    Yu Hai went over to take a look and saw that it was really true. He had originally thought that the kids were just going to y when they asked him to make a for them to catch fish. He hadn¡¯t expected that they would bring back two buckets of fish two hourster. Looking at the densely packed fish heads in the bucket, there must be a lot of them inside.


    ¡°Oh! There¡¯s really quite a lot! How did you guys catch them?¡± Yu Hai was stunned. Even if he was the one who had cast the, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to catch so many fish in such a short period of time. How did the kids do it?


    Little Shitou swiftly answered, ¡°It¡¯s Second Sister! Second Sister made a new type of bait that attracted all the fish. All we have to do was to catch the fish with the on the shore!¡±


    Yu Hai looked at his younger daughter with aplicated gaze. His daughter was bing more and more capable. As her father, he felt both proud and ashamed.


    Xiaocao looked at the sky and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we clean the fish first? We might be able to rush to the docks and sell them before dinner! We can work on the pig¡¯s head and intestinester in the evening!¡±


    The family worked together to scrape the gills, take out the intestines, and clean the fish. Little Shitou couldn¡¯t do this work, so he continuously fetched water with a small basin and helped them clean the small fish with the water.


    Ha! They had really caught a lot of fish this time. There was a full tub! However, Xiaocao didn¡¯t have time to be happy about this. She pickled the cleaned fish with salt.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Xiaolian finally had time to catch her breath and asked with a happy expression on her face.


    ¡°It needs to be cured for about thirty minutes, and then we need to prepare it to be fried!¡± Xiaocao smelled the fishy smell on the hands and rushed to clean it with water. After being busy for the entire day, she felt somewhat hungry. She dug out a hot baked sweet potato from under the stove, which was specially prepared for her every day.

 Chapter 87 – Pickled Fish

    <h4>Chapter 87 ¨C Pickled Fish</h4>


    Madam Liu felt slightly worried, ¡°We need to fry it with oil? Do we have enough oil at home? Should I... go borrow some from your Auntie Zhou¡¯s house?¡±


    Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°Yesterday, we didn¡¯t use much of the one catty of soybean oil, so it should be enough! But, we need white sugar to make pickled fish. It might be toote to buy it now... I wonder if Auntie Zhou has some...¡±


    The Zhou Family was known as one of the more well-off families in the vige. The husband was a capable earner outside, while the wife had also earned a decent amount of money by raising chickens. Madam Fang was never harsh and strict towards her children. If they wanted to borrow sugar from someone in the vige, her family was probably the most likely to have it.


    Madam Liu took off her apron and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask. About how much do you need?¡±


    Xiaocao replied, ¡°It¡¯s just seasoning, so a small handful it enough...¡±


    ¡°A small handful? Cao¡¯er, you don¡¯t know about the price of white sugar, do you? One catty cost two hundred sixty copper coins! The small handful that you want is probably dozens of copper coin! Although your Auntie Zhou indulges her children, she won¡¯t buy so much of it.¡± Yu Hai couldn¡¯t help but remind her.


    Xiaocao stared at him in shock, ¡°What? Sugar is that expensive! Oh my, an ordinary household seriously wouldn¡¯t be able to afford that...¡±


    Madam Liu rolled her eyes andughed, ¡°White sugar isn¡¯t something thatmoners eat. What kind of fish dish are you making? It needs such an expensive condiment. Will you even be able to get a profit?¡±


    Xiaocao looked at the hundred or so fish pickled in the pot and made the calction in her mind. If she sold each fish for one copper coin, she would be able to earn sixty or seventy copper coins without a problem. However, without seasoning the pickled fish with sugar, it wouldn¡¯t taste as good. If she put a little less... it should be okay?


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll go to Auntie Zhou¡¯s house with you.¡± Xiaocao took a few bites of the sweet potato in her hands, and then stuffed it into Little Shitou¡¯s hand. She stood up and followed Madam Liu out the front door.


    After walking around three hundred meters from their house, they knocked on the Zhou Family¡¯s front door. A handsome youth, who was twelve or thirteen years old, opened the door. He had a healthy tan and a pair of crescent-like eyes. The corners of his lips were curled up slightly, which gave off the impression that he was smiling even when he wasn¡¯t. He appeared very likeable and eye-catching at first nce.


    ¡°Wenhua! Why didn¡¯t you follow your father to sell goods today?¡± Madam Liu was slightly surprised to see the teen and couldn¡¯t help asking.


    Zhou Wenhua coughed a couple times and a heavy breathing sound came from his chest. He suppressed the itchy sensation in his throat, swallowed his saliva, and said, ¡°When I came back yesterday, I took off my clothes because I felt hot. As a result, I caught a cold and didn¡¯t feel very well. So, my father told me to rest at home for a few days. Cough, cough... Auntie Yu, Little Sister Xiaolian, are you guys looking for my mother?¡±


    Madam Liu asked with concern, ¡°Have you seen a doctor yet? Don¡¯t drag a minor illness into a major illness just because you have a good constitution.¡±


    ¡°Doctor You had already checked on my condition and opened a prescription. I¡¯ve taken two doses of medication and feel a lot better now. Cough, cough... Mother! Auntie Yu and Little Sister Xiaolian is looking for you...¡± It seemed like Zhou Wenhua firmly believed that she was Yu Xiaolian, so Xiaocao just smiled and didn¡¯t correct him.


    Madam Fang came out of the house and saw the mother-daughter pair. She smiled and said, ¡°Xiaocao, you came back from the docks! How was business today? Your braised food tastes so good, so there must be a lot of customers. Wenhua, this is Little Sister Xiaocao, not Xiaolian. Xiaocao has a slightly paler and smootherplexion than Xiaolian. She¡¯s also a little shorter. If you don¡¯t look closely, it might be hard to distinguish them. It¡¯s also reasonable for you to make a mistake.¡±


    Zhou Wenhua touched the back of his head in embarrassment for recognizing the wrong person. His mouth that smiled frequently curled up and he said, ¡°So it¡¯s Little Sister Xiaocao ah! In the past, Little Sister Xiaolian was always the one who came with Auntie Yu, so I thought it was her. I heard from Shanhu that your health has gotten better now. Congrattions!¡±


    The twelve or thirteen year old youth was already such a good speaker. As expected, he had the quality of a good salesman. Xiaocao smiled at him and said, ¡°Thest few times I came, Brother Wenhua wasn¡¯t at home. It¡¯s inevitable for you to have mistaken since it¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve met. Sometimes, my mother also mixes us up when she isn¡¯t paying attention! Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do since we have the same face.¡±


    Zhou Wenhua was amused by her seemingly helpless expression. His chest had felt stuffy due to his illness, but he felt a lot morefortable now.


    ¡°Auntie Zhou, do you have any sugar at home? I want to make a new dish, but I¡¯mcking a few condiments...¡± Xiaocao looked at Madam Fang expectantly, fearing that she would say no. If they really didn¡¯t have it, then she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to make the pickled fish today...


    Madam Fang smiled and said, ¡°What a coincidence! If you came a day earlier, then we really wouldn¡¯t have any. Yesterday, when your Uncle Zhou came back from selling goods, he got forty or fifty copper coins worth of sweets for the children. Since he had the money, he might as well buy more meat, or white rice and wheat flour. But, he bought that expensive stuff instead... Linglong, bring the remaining sweets from yesterday for Little Sister Xiaocao to try!¡±


    Though Madam Fang wasining, there was a hint of smile in her eyes. To Madam Fang and her husband, it didn¡¯t matter if they had to suffer a little, but they couldn¡¯t let their children be like their younger selves, inexperienced and ignorant. They didn¡¯t want them to be treated like country bumpkins when they go to town.


    Xiaocao took a look at Zhou Linglong¡¯s hands and realized the so-called white sugar were chucks of sugar simr to that of rock sugar. No wonder it cost one copper coin per piece.


    She chose an egg-sized piece of sugar from the pack. It was about an ounce of sugar, which would cost around fifteen or sixteen copper coins. She smiled and said, ¡°Auntie Zhou, I want to use the sugar to make food, and then sell it at the docks. How much was this chunk of sugar? I can¡¯t let you guys suffer losses when I¡¯m making money...¡±


    Madam Fang looked at her and smiled, ¡°With our family¡¯s rtionship, why are we talking about money? Your Brother Wenhua isn¡¯t feeling well and doesn¡¯t have any appetite. Yesterday, he ate the braised food that I brought back and had endless praises for it. He even ate another bowl of rice. When youplete your new dish, just make sure to send Auntie some!¡±


    Xiaocao thought about it and nodded, ¡°Alright! Even if you don¡¯t say it, I won¡¯t forget to let you guys have a taste. Thank you very much then. It¡¯s gettingte, so I need to go back to fry the fish...¡±


    On the way back, Madam Liu didn¡¯t say anything, but inwardly muttered: ¡®Although the fish didn¡¯t cost any money, the seasonings and oil cost at least thirty or forty copper coins... Would we really be able to make a profit?¡¯


    Upon returning home, Xiaocao first prepared all the necessary seasonings and ingredients. When the fish was almost done being salted, she poured in half a catty of soybean oil in the cauldron on the stove and heated it up. She sprinkled some water into the pot when smoke began emerging from the pot. This would remove the fishy smell in the soybean oil.


    Then, put out the fire under the stove and wait until the heat of the oil was reduced to seventy percent hot. At that time, put in the salted fish and fry them one by one.


    The stoves in the countryside usually had two cauldrons, one on each side. Normally, one was used to cook dishes, while the other was for steaming rice. Xiaocao put the chopped scallion, ginger, and garlic into the other pot and spread it out evenly into ayer. The fried fish was ced orderly on the bottom of the pot, with the bigger ones on the bottom and the smaller ones on top.


    After taking out half of the oil that was used to fry the fish, put the remaining oil into the fried chili shreds and stir-fry to get an aromatic scent. Then, add in vinegar, sugar, yellow wine, scallion, ginger, garlic, pepper, fennel, Chinese cinnamon, and other spices. After that, she sprinkled some soy sauce in it. Seeing that there wasn¡¯t enough water in the soup, she added an appropriate amount of mystic-stone water inside and cooked it on high heat.


    When the soup was ready, she poured it onto the fish in the other pot and covered it tightly with the wooden lid. She had even specially instructed Little Shitou to pick up several rocks to put on top of the lid. After it was simmered over low heat for about thirty minutes, she extinguished the fire under the cauldron and opened the lid to let it cool down.


    The pickled fish tasted the best when it was cooled. Xiaocao picked out several smaller ones and let her parents, Xiaolian, and Little Shitou taste them. The pickled fish had a savory and sweet taste that also had a hint of spiciness. It brimmed with the fragrance of the oil. After being fried and stewed, the bones in the fish had already be so soft that they just melted in the mouth. Even the fish¡¯s head could be chewed and swallowed without any problem. No parts of the fish would be wasted.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good! Delicious!! Go and give some to your Auntie Zhou...¡± Madam Liu couldn¡¯t bear eating another fish after she tried one. All these fish needed to be sold for money!


    Xiaocao filled a te with over twenty pieces of fish and told Little Shitou to send it over. She got a ceramic jar and put all the remaining fish inside. She had to rush to the wharf and sell all the fish before the dockworkers went home for dinner.


    Xiaolian saw that she had been busy selling and cooking food all day long and didn¡¯t even have time to rest. Thus, she said, ¡°Little Sister, why don¡¯t I go to the docks with Little Shitou?¡±


    Xiaocao had gotten up early in the morning and rushed to the docks. When she finished selling the braised food, she went to the market to buy pig¡¯s head and other ingredients and seasonings. She didn¡¯t even have time to catch her breath when she got home and went to catch fish. After that, she cured the fish to make pickled fish. Thus, she must have been really tired today.


    Considering the fact that she would have to walk for nearly two hours, she seriously didn¡¯t know if she could make it. These past couple days, Little Shitou was already familiar with the selling process, so there probably wouldn¡¯t be any problems. However, she was still worried and reminded them,


    ¡°For the bigger fish, sell them two for one copper coin. Try to sell the bigger ones first. Later, if the smaller ones don¡¯t sell very well, then sell three for one copper coin. Anyways... just try to sell as much as possible.¡±


    Little Shitou confidently said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I will definitely aplish my mission!¡±


    After watching Xiaolian and Little Shitou leave, Xiaocao didn¡¯t rest either. She had to braise all of the cleaned pig¡¯s head, pork tripe, and pig intestines in order to sell them tomorrow morning.


    Seeing that the pig¡¯s head and marinade were already in the pot and just needed to be simmered over low heat, Madam Liu urged her daughter to quickly go rest,


    ¡°I can take care of the rest... In the future, you just need to be responsible for the preparation of the marinade. We can take care of the rest. You don¡¯t have to do everything yourself! Your health just got better, so don¡¯t tire yourself out!¡±


    Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°Okay, okay! I know Mother is better at controlling the fire than me! I¡¯ll just be a supervisor then!¡±


    When she went out of the kitchen, she saw her father making a new pocket. So, she went closer and said, ¡°Father, it¡¯s still early, so why don¡¯t we go catch some more fish in the pond?¡±


    Yu Hai was slightly interested, but he looked at her with concern and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired? You should go back to your room and rest for a while! As for fishing, I¡¯ll go try it out tomorrow morning...¡±


    Based on her observation these past few days, Xiaocao had noticed that her family had the typical ¡®strict mother and loving father¡¯bination. Generally, Madam Liu took on the ¡®bad cop¡¯ role and was responsible for disciplining and rebuking the children. On the other hand, Yu Hai was the one who pampered and spoiled the children, especially Xiaocao. He rarely refused her requests.

 Chapter 88 – Father and Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 88 ¨C Father and Daughter</h4>


    Xiaocao hastily acted like a child shamelessly. She went up to him and shook his arm, while saying, ¡°Father, I¡¯m not tired! Moreover, I just need to prepare the bait and put it into the pond. You can do the rest. You¡¯re one of the best fishermen in the vige, so you¡¯re definitely better at catching a few fish than me! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! We can catch some more fish and raise them in the empty water vat in the backyard. Tomorrow afternoon, we can make more pickled fish and sell them!¡±


    Yu Hai couldn¡¯t reject her pleading. Without Madam Liu¡¯s knowledge, he stealthily took Xiaocao to the pond via a shortcut in the backyard. Their backyard wasn¡¯t as good as their foreyard. It was surrounded by a fence that was made with bamboo and branches. On the fence, a back door was specially opened for easy ess.


    Xiaocao specially got some bean flour and mixed it with vegetable oil. Then, she cut it into small dices to serve as bait. Little Shitou was still young and na?ve, but her father was an experienced fisherman. She couldn¡¯t let him know that she was luring fish with the mystic-stone water.


    From her room, she got the earthenware jar, which the small multi-colored stoneid in. The little golden kitten was lying beside the jar and stretching its back. When the little divine stone saw her, it grumpily said, [What are you doing now? I can¡¯t believe you using such good mystic-stone water to catch fish. You¡¯re just recklessly wasting such a heavenly gift! You¡¯re going to be struck by thunder!]


    Xiaocao made sure no one was around and said, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, what¡¯s there to be afraid of? Don¡¯t I still have you? Aren¡¯t you the celestial stone that Goddess Nuwa meticulously smelted? Doesn¡¯t the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lighting have to give you some face? Let¡¯s go, don¡¯t you like to swim? I¡¯ll let you swim to your heart¡¯s desire when we get to the pond!¡±


    [No, don¡¯t! Don¡¯t directly put me into the water! That might attract unknown species! Don¡¯t you just need some small fish? It¡¯s enough to just use the water in the jar!] These past few days, Little Divine Stone had gone to the depths of the mountains and chosen a deep pond with pure spiritual energy to cultivate. However, it hadn¡¯t expected that it would attract wild animals in the mountains. A python had dived into the deep pond and almost swallowed its body.


    Little Divine Stone was afraid that Xiaocao would directly throw it into the pond. If it got swallowed by a duck or fish, wouldn¡¯t it have to take a one-day tour in the animal¡¯s intestines? That¡¯s so dirty and stinky! No way, it doesn¡¯t want to!


    Xiaocao fastened it onto her wrist again and asked softly, ¡°Is this how my father¡¯s leg will be like from now on?¡±


    The little golden kitten flew to the top of her head andid on top like it was a hen resting in its nest, and then proudly replied, [You¡¯re looking down on this divine stone¡¯s abilities. Your father¡¯s leg will get even better. However, the damage to the veins and bones were too severe. So, a full recovery is impossible. In the future, he might walk with a limp, but it won¡¯t be too obvious!]


    When Xiaocao arrived at the backyard with the ¡®fish bait¡¯ in the mystic-stone water jar, Yu Hai was already waiting there. Considering the inconvenience of his legs, the father-daughter pair chose a rtively lower slope and went down to the pond.


    While Xiaocao ced the ¡®bait¡¯ into the pond, Yu Hai was slightly concerned and asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what if the jar floats away like this? Let¡¯s tie a rope on the mouth of the jar!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get a rope!¡± Xiaocao thought that he had a point, so she stood up and wanted to run back to the house.


    However, her father stopped her by saying, ¡°You don¡¯t need to go back... Wait a moment!¡±


    Yu Hai pulled several withered and yellow weeds from the pond and rubbed them together with his dexterous hands. A long grass rope was swiftly formed within his hands. Xiaocao inwardly marveled, ¡®Don¡¯t underestimate the wisdom and ability of ancient people.¡¯


    With the rope and her father¡¯s help, Xiaocao ced the jar farther away. She held the in her hand, ready to catch fish.


    In the afternoon, Xiaocao and younger brother had caught hundreds of fish in less than two hours. Yu Hai had initially thought that she had a new and good method of fishing. But, when he was a child, he had also ced bait in a jar for fishing. Even after fishing for the whole morning, it wasn¡¯t always possible to catch more than a dozen fish. Was this how his daughter caught fish at noon?


    In the midst of his doubts, the fish nearby sensed the spiritual energy and swam towards the ceramic jar one after another, as if they were on a pilgrimage. It was impossible to drive them away. Seeing that there were more and more fish gathering, Yu Hai was stunned inwardly, ¡®This was too incredible!¡¯


    While he was hesitating, Xiaocao had already picked up the and carefully scooped up the fish. Oddly enough, when the usually nimble fish actually didn¡¯t escape when the approached them. Each time his daughter lowered her, she was able to scoop up several fish.


    Yu Hai stared absentmindedly at his daughter¡¯s pretty little face. He recalled how she seemed like apletely different person ever since she hit her headst summer. There were always endless ways to make money in her mind.


    After they split from the main family, she first nted vegetables in their yard. Originally, he pitied his daughter and couldn¡¯t bear to reject her. Thus, with the mindset that they would only waste a few bags of seeds and not wanting to disappoint her, he did his best to support her. As a result, the vegetable gardens in front of the house were covered in green in just a few days. The greens with a short-term growing period such as spinach were almost as long as his finger. Tender green buds had also already sprouted for vegetables with a long-term growing period, which was extremely gratifying.


    After that, she made braised food, specializing in braising things that others didn¡¯t eat or didn¡¯t want: chicken innards, pig intestines, pig head meat... Today, she had even brought back pig blood to make something called ¡®blood sausage¡¯. He thought of the braised pig brain from the other day, which was something really disgusting to look at, but she had actually turned it into a supreme delicacy.


    Now, she used small fish with a lot of tiny bones that nobody else ate to make the incredibly crispy and tender pickled fish. Her method of fishing was the most astonishing part. What was in the jar to make all the fish do the opposite of their usual habits and actively gather over? Even a novice fisherman would know that this kind of phenomenon shouldn¡¯t exist.


    What had his daughter encountered when she was injured and unconscious? Could it be that what she said about meeting the God of Fortune at the Pce of Hell was true? Did she really get ¡®golden hands¡¯ after receiving luck from the God of Fortune?


    However, Yu Hai didn¡¯t suspect that his daughter¡¯s soul had changed. Wasn¡¯t it even more unbelievable to reincarnate in another person¡¯s body than to visit the Pce of Hell and drink Granny Meng¡¯s soup by mistake?


    No! He couldn¡¯t let anyone else know about his daughter¡¯s abilities. If someone with devious intentions found out, they would definitely catch her and burn her alive, as if she was a monster! His precious daughter, who had been gued by misfortunes since birth, had been on the verge of death numerous times. As her father, he hadn¡¯t fulfilled his duty and failed to protect his family in the past. Hence, from now on, he had to serve as his daughter¡¯s protective umbre and get rid of all possible dangers for her.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, in the future, just let Father do the fishing after you prepare the bait! When you go sell braised food in the morning, I will go catch the fish and your mother can clean them. So, you can make the pickled fish when you get home in the afternoon. Doesn¡¯t that save a lot of time?¡± Yu Hai suddenly said.


    Xiaocao briefly stopped the actions of her hands, which were scooping fish. She could feel Yu Hai¡¯s gaze lingering on herself for a long time. Hence, it was inevitable that she felt somewhat nervous at that time. She knew it would be hard to fool her father, so she had already thought of an exnation within her mind. But, she was worried about whether he would believe her. She hadn¡¯t expected that even after Yu Hai witnessed this strange scene, he didn¡¯t ask any questions and took up the task of fishing in the future.


    He had such an unimaginable trust and love for his daughter!


    Xiaocao felt so moved that she almost wanted to cry. She smiled slightly, nodded her head heavily, and said, ¡°Okay! Everyone says that Father is an excellent fisherman, so you¡¯re definitely better at fishing than me! Well, I¡¯ll leave the hard work to Father then!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a family so there¡¯s no need to mention that. In terms of hard work, you¡¯re the one who have been working the hardest these past few days! I don¡¯t even know what this family would be like without you...¡± Yu Hai ruefully sighed.


    Indeed, Xiaocao¡¯s major change was what kept the family intact. He had a young son and a sickly daughter. His wife was capable, but disease-ridden. Furthermore, he was considered a half-cripple. If it hadn¡¯t been for the great change in Xiaocao, Xiaolian wouldn¡¯t be able to carry such a mountainous burden alone.


    Fortunately, the heavens didn¡¯t abandon them. They gave his wife and daughter a healthy body, while also letting his leg gradually recover. They also bestowed his daughter with the ability to survive...


    A joyful smile appeared on the corner of Yu Hai¡¯s mouth. He waved the in his hands and scooped up the fish in a swift, urate, and steady manner. His speed was a lot faster than the inexperienced Xiaocao. The in his hands was rtively sturdier, so they were able to catch a big fish that weighed five catties.


    By sunset, the father-daughter pair had returned with fruitful results. Xiaocao tottered with a bucket full of small fish as she walked under the golden sunset. The reflection of the sunset caused her little face to appear flushed, while her eyes were tinted with a gold color.


    Yu Hai carried two buckets full of fish and limped behind her. From time to time, he would ask, ¡°Are you tired? If you can¡¯t carry it, give it to Father. My left hand is still empty!¡±


    ¡°I can carry it!¡± Xiaocao carried the bucket with a broad smile. Although her shoes got wet due to the swaying of the bucket and the heavy bucket in her hands hurt her arms, she was still very happy. Today, the distance between her and her father seemed to have drawn closer. Their originally weak affection seemed to have gradually gotten stronger because of her father¡¯s safeguard.


    Madam Liu, who had already finished braising the pig head andrge intestines, finally noticed that the room was empty when she went to call Xiaocao for dinner. The kang bed was cold and the quilt was neatly folded. Just as she was wondering where her daughter went, she heard theughter of her husband and daughter from the backyard.


    Madam Liu went around the house and saw the father-daughter pairing in with buckets in their hands and a broad smile on their faces. She couldn¡¯t contain the hint of smile in her eyes, yet she said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, didn¡¯t I tell you to rest? Why did you go fishing again? Husband, you too! Don¡¯t you know how to care for the child? Don¡¯t tire out our daughter!¡±


    ¡°Mother! I¡¯m not tired! Besides, I didn¡¯t do much and just sat on shore and yed. Father was the one who caught all these fish! Look! We also caught a big fish. We have an extra dish for dinner!¡± Xiaocao grinned proudly.


    Madam Liu smiled helplessly and walked over to her. She took the bucket in Xiaocao¡¯s hands and poured the contents into the cracked vat in the backyard. After that, she lighted tapped her forehead and said, ¡°You! You¡¯re risking your life for money! Are you hungry? Let¡¯s not wait for Xiaolian and Shitou and eat first...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until theye back and eat together! They will be back soon. It¡¯s more lively when the whole family eats together! I¡¯ll go make a fish head stew and braised fish fillet. Let¡¯s eat a good meal tonight!¡± Within her heart, Xiaocao had gradually regarded this ce as her home. She believed that with her own efforts, this family would surely get better and better.

 Chapter 89 – Tuition

    <h4>Chapter 89 ¨C Tuition</h4>


    In the evening, the whole family sat around a round table. They were drinking delicious fish head stew and eating fragrant braised fish, while happily talking about their results for today.


    ¡°Second Sister! At the beginning, when we were selling the pickled fish, everyone just looked at the fish and was unwilling to buy them because the fish were too small. So, I took a small one and ate it in front of them. I told them that the fish bones had be very crispy and tender, so it was alright to eat them. After that, they were finally willing to take out money and buy them.¡± Little Shitou drank a big mouthful of the fish stew and felt extremely pleased in his heart. A month ago, the crude grain pancakes had never been able to satisfy his hunger. When had he ever lived such a good life, to be able to eat fish every day?


    ¡°At the beginning, I was really worried because they didn¡¯t buy much. Fortunately, those who bought the pickled fish all said it was very tasty. Many of them also bought another one to take home for their children to eat! Uncle Hao bought five servings at once. He ate one himself and took the rest back home. He said that there was a lot of work at the docks recently, so he wanted to spend the money that he had earned on his family. With such cheap and delicious food, if he didn¡¯t buy some back, he will be scolded by Auntie Hao!¡±


    Little Shitou¡¯s crisp voice filled the entire room, while everyone looked at him with a smile. Happiness was really just that simple...


    ¡°More than a hundred fish werepletely sold out in less than thirty minutes. The leader of another group of dockers, Brother Six, also bought five servings. Foreman Sun almost fought with him in order to get thest portion of pickled fish!¡± Little Shitou proudly said, ¡°So, I divided thest serving of fish and gave a free fish to each of them to put an end to the fight. Second Sister, I¡¯m really clever, right?!¡±


    Xiaocao tapped the tip of his nose and praised him, ¡°Yes! Our family¡¯s Shitou is the best. You¡¯re only six, but you¡¯re already so smart. It¡¯s no wonder that Teacher Yuan, who has such discerning eyes, likes you!¡±


    Little Shitou felt even more proud of himself and kept chattering endlessly. In the end, he squinted his smiling eyes and said, ¡°Second Sister, guess how much money we earned at the docks today? Guess...¡±


    Xiaocao was very clear about the quantity of fish they had. But, she deliberately frowned, pretended as if she was thinking very hard, and intentionally guessed the wrong amount, ¡°Fifty copper coins? At most sixty copper coins...¡±


    Little Shitou couldn¡¯t restrain his excitement and immediately reported today¡¯s earnings, ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong! It¡¯s one tael and seventy-eight copper coins!! Look, this is one tael! It¡¯s my first time seeing so much money. The shiny silver is so beautiful!¡±


    The little fellow impatiently took out the purse that he had been holding in front of his chest. He took out the piece of silver and put it on the table. The family gathered around and looked at the money with a surprised expression.


    Xiaocao wondered, ¡°Xiaolian, Shitou, did you guys meet a tycoon this time? To pay you one tael, he¡¯s even more generous than Fatty Jin from this morning.¡±


    Little Shitou was very pleased with himself as he touched the silver bits. His eyes were narrowed as he smiled, ¡°Second Sister, what¡¯s a tycoon? Is it edible?¡±


    Xiaolian nced at him and said, ¡°Let me exin instead. As soon as we reached the docks, we encountered the son of the county magistrate. He had even mistaken me for you. Young Master Wu had gone to the docks to pick someone up. He tasted our pickled fish and thought that it tasted very good, so he packed some to go. However, he hade out in haste and didn¡¯t bring any loose change. He also didn¡¯t bring a manservant with him, so he just gave us a piece of silver. I told him that I didn¡¯t have enough change for him, but the ship he was waiting for had arrived. Thus, he told us to just keep the change.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, we sold five servings of pickled fish for one tael. It would be great if we can encounter such a foolishly-generous spender every day!¡± It was unknown where Little Shitou had learned the term ¡®foolishly-generous spender¡¯, but he had used it in quite a fitting situation.


    Madam Liu scolded him jokingly, ¡°You little money-grubber! You were lucky to have met two generous, wealthy people today. But, this lucky encounter was like a pie-in-the-sky. Do you really think it will happen every day? I¡¯ll keep this piece of silver for you. In a few days, when you go study in town, you can also go pay the tuition!¡±


    Since the first month¡¯s schooling fees had been taken care of, Little Shitou felt even more ted. He was so lively for the entire night that he couldn¡¯t even fall asleep.


    After dinner, Xiaocao took Madam Liu and Xiaolian and taught them how to make blood sausage. She had already sliced up the clotted pig blood and boiled arge bowl of in pork broth with various seasonings. After it cooled down, she added it into the pig blood. After that, she put in chives and stirred it evenly. Afterwards, she stuffed it into the cleaned small intestine and tied it securely with a string. Xiaocao had purposely saved the pig¡¯s small intestine by instructing her mother not to put it in with the rest of the braised food.


    After stuffing the blood sausages, cook it in in water and then stew it on low heat for fifteen minutes. When it was ready, soak it in cold water until it cooled down. When cooled, remove the string before eating. The method of making blood sausage was rtively easy, and the taste depended on thebination of seasonings used for the in pork broth. However, Madam Liu and Xiaolian were both people who constantly worked in the kitchen. Thus, they had swiftly mastered the ratio needed for the seasonings.


    She drank a cup of highly concentrated mystic-stone water before bed and had a great sleep. On the next morning, Xiaocao felt energized and refreshed. The fatigue on her body had been swept away. Today, she needed to bring a lot more food to sell at the docks. In addition to the braised pig head,rge intestine, stomach, and blood sausage, there was also over a hundred small fish.


    In the past two days, ording to Xiaocao¡¯s observation, there would be at least two to three hundred dockers transporting goods on the docks. Grandpa Liu, who sold noodles, said that February and March were the busiest months at the docks. Most businesses didn¡¯t transport goods in December and January. The New Year celebrations was one of the reasons. The other reason was because the coastal waters of the northern regions were frozen, making it difficult for ships to sail. So, in February and March, when the weather was warming up again, the merchants began transporting goods that they had umted over the winter from the south to the north.


    Her one copper coin braised food was delicious and cheap, so she wasn¡¯t worried about not being able to sell them whatsoever!


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, Father will go borrow a handcart from your Uncle Qian. Today, let¡¯s go to the docks together!¡± Yu Hai saw that the braised food and pickled fish had filled two baskets and looked quite heavy. He was afraid that the two kids would be tired, so he suggested.


    Xiaocao called for the little divine in her mind, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, can you hear me?]


    [What do you want? I¡¯m sleeping, so stop bothering me!] The little divine stone grumpily said.


    [I¡¯ll just bother you for a moment with a question. With the current condition of my father¡¯s leg, can he walk for a long time?] Xiaocao felt somewhat worried and asked.


    Little Divine Stone hmphed and said, [His leg, veins, and bones have all grown well. More exercise is beneficial to his recovery process. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine for him to go to the docks.]


    Madam Liu, who was beside him, asked with concern, ¡°Is your leg okay? Don¡¯t people say that it takes a hundred days to recover after injuring the veins and bones. It hasn¡¯t even been a month yet, will you really be alright?¡±


    Yu Hai kicked his left leg and said, ¡°It¡¯s my own leg, so I¡¯m very clear about its condition. As long as I don¡¯t do any heavybor, it should be fine. I¡¯m just pushing two baskets while walking, so it¡¯s alright...¡±


    Under his insistence, Madam Liu had no choice but to let him go. When they were leaving, she reminded Xiaocao to help her father push the cart and don¡¯t let him do too much work.


    The handcart was a wooden wheelbarrow. Yu Hai hung the cart¡¯s rope on his shoulder and firmly held onto the handles with his strong hands. He strode forward as he steadily pushed the handcart. Despite his limp, his legs were longer than Xiaocao¡¯s, so his one step was two or three steps for her! Xiaocao could barely catch up to her father, let alone help him push the handcart.


    Yu Hai, who was used to doing hardbor, had been idling at home for nearly a month and felt that his bones were rusting. He finally had the chance to help out, so his whole body was naturally full of energy. He turned around and saw his daughter panting for breath, so he stopped and said with a smile, ¡°Come up, Father will push you!¡±


    Xiaocao hastily shook her head and said, ¡°Father, I can walk myself! Your leg hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet and you¡¯re also pushing a cart full of braised food...¡±


    Before she had even finished speaking, her father had already lifted her up with one arm and ced her on the wheelbarrow. Although she had been carried several times in the past half of a year since she had transmigrated, it was the first time that he had slipped her under his armpit and lifted her up. Xiaocao felt slightly embarrassed and looked around to make sure no one saw it.


    ¡°Ha, do you really think that you can tire me out with that weight of yours? Cao¡¯er, you need to eat more. You only have bones on your body and there¡¯s barely any meat!¡± Yu Hai¡¯s heart ached and felt remorseful as he nagged. In his mind, he nned to buy some white rice and wheat flour back for the children after they finished selling today¡¯s braised food. It was the children¡¯s growth period, so they shouldn¡¯t eat coarse grain tbread all the time like them...


    Being escorted by her father, Xiaocao walked for a while, and also sat on the cart that her father pushed for a while. When they were resting on the road, she eagerly helped massage her father¡¯s left leg and asked Little Divine Stone to quickly help relieve his fatigue. It was still early when they arrived at the docks.


    ¡°Good morning, Grandpa Liu!¡± Xiaocao cheerfully greeted the kind and gentle old grandfather. These past few days, her business had been booming, so it was inevitable that some people were green with envy, especially those who sold pickled vegetables and stir-fried dishes. From time to time, they would make jealous remarks, but Xiaocao was toozy to argue with them and just ignored them. Grandpa Liu was the only one who was kind to her from the beginning to the end. He would always warmly bring a stool over and let the siblings rest on it.


    Grandpa Liu, who was working hard on kneading the dough, heard the sound and looked up. He smiled and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Xiaocao. You came pretty early today. Are you tired? Come sit down and rest for a while. Oh? Little Shitou didn¡¯te with you today?¡±


    ¡°No! My father came with me today!¡± Xiaocao smiled as she pointed to Yu Hai, who was parking the handcart by the roadside.


    Old Liu looked at Yu Hai, who had limped over. A sense of realization shed in his mind: ¡®It¡¯s no wonder that they would allow two young children toe and sell things. It turns out that their father¡¯s leg...¡¯


    ¡°Xiaocao¡¯s father, quicklye and rest. You must be tired after walking such a long way.¡± Grandma Liu came out of the shack and greeted him warmly.


    Yu Hai was stunned for a moment, but he immediately smiled and thanked them, ¡°Thank you! You must be the Grandpa Liu and Grandma Liu that Xiaocao often mentions? I must thank you two elders for taking care of them these past two days. Many thanks, many thanks!¡±


    ¡°No need to thank us! Xiaocao and her younger brother are both very capable. Ever since she came here, my noodle business has been doing much better!¡± Old Liu wiped his hands and eximed.


    He was right. In the past, there wasn¡¯t anything good to eat at the docks. Thus, most of the workers on the docks usually brought food from home. At most, a few people would pool in some money and buy some pickled vegetables to eat together. However, most people wouldn¡¯t evene to this side at all.


    Ever since Xiaocao¡¯s one copper coin meat dish became popr among the dockers, many people who had bought the meat dish would also buy a bowl of hot noodles from the nearby noodle stall. It was much better to eat a warm bowl of noodles with meat dish than to eat the hard to swallow dried rations. Other than the noodle stalls, the business of the steamed buns stalls nearby had also gotten a lot better. However, those who sold pickled vegetables were full of resentment.

 Chapter 90 – Brother Six

    <h4>Chapter 90 ¨C Brother Six</h4>


    With Foreman Sun¡¯s help, Xiaocao¡¯s eldest uncle and eldest cousin from the Liu Family were able to find work every day. At times, they would also bring her second uncle with them. They earned over a hundred copper coins per person every day. Eldest Aunt also stopped selling pickled vegetables since she wasn¡¯t able to make much money from selling them anyways...


    Seeing that her father was chatting fervently with Grandpa Liu, Xiaocao stood up and strolled around. During these past couple of days, she had been focused on earning money and hadn¡¯t had the time to tour the docks.


    Tanggu Docks had only begun to develop in the past few years after the current emperor ascended the throne. When the current emperor was still a teenager, he had liked venturing in the seas. He had also personally supervised the making of ocean-going vessels. After he ascended the throne, he vigorously developed ocean shipping and formed a strong navy tobat pirates and protect the shipping vessels. As a result, the shipping industry had flourished in the past five or six years.


    As the closest docks to the capital, the development of Tanggu Docks was naturally a matter of course. But, it was still a rather new wharf. Although it was big, it looked very simple and many of the constructions hadn¡¯t beenpleted. However, merchants with foresight seemed to have set their eyes on the docks. Allegedly, the Zhou Family had already selected a location near the docks to build a branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    As Xiaocao wandered around, she had walked far from Grandpa Liu¡¯s noodle stall and arrived at the ce where the dockers were hired. It was the most lively here every day before dawn. Over a hundred short-termborers would gather here, waiting to be selected by the foreman. However, at this time, people were already busily working on the docks, so there was barely anyone here now.


    ¡°Hey! Your name¡¯s Xiaocao... right?¡± Several guys, who appeared like good-for-nothing rogues, blocked her path.


    Yu Xiaocao looked around and frowned inwardly. She warily looked at the guy with a face that says ¡®I¡¯m a bad guy¡¯, and asked, ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    The leader, who wore a cotton-padded jacket that was seventy percent new, had his hands tucked in his sleeves and coldly stared at Xiaocao with his rat-like eyes. With a crafty smile on his face, he said, ¡°I heard that your one copper coin meat dish is selling pretty well at the docks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. It might seem like I¡¯m selling a lot, but we sell it for a cheap price and don¡¯t get much profit. So, we don¡¯t earn much!¡± Xiaocao didn¡¯t believe he was here to congratte her on her prospering business, so she secretly stayed alert.


    Behind the rat¡¯s eye, a skinny guy with a protruding mouth and ape-like chin jumped out and shouted, ¡°Who cares if you earn any profit! You¡¯re selling things on our Brother Shark¡¯s turf! Did you pay respect to the boss? Did you pay the protection fee yet?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao understood very clearly now. Her business had been doing too well these past two days and caused others to be envious. Thus, people hade to extort money! She looked around and moaned in her heart. She couldn¡¯t find a single person nearby at this time. What should she do?


    ¡°Protection fee? I¡¯m new here and haven¡¯t heard anything about needing to pay a protection fee in order to do business on the docks.¡± Yu Xiaocao stalled for time as she tried to think of ways to get away from this group of scoundrels.


    The man who was known as Brother Shark showed a thug-like smile and said, ¡°Just because you didn¡¯t hear about it, doesn¡¯t mean that it doesn¡¯t exist! Stop with the bullshit and give me the money!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! I¡¯ll pay... How much do I need to pay?¡± Xiaocao showed weakness in order lower her opponent¡¯s guard.


    Brother Shark and Skinny Monkey looked at each other triumphantly, and then demanded an exorbitant price, ¡°Ten copper coins for a day. If you¡¯re paying monthly, we¡¯ll just take two hundred copper coins per month!¡±


    Shit! Two hundred copper coins? Even the best business on the docks wouldn¡¯t be able to pay two hundred copper coins a month for a protection fee! It seemed like these local bullies only aimed at her.


    Yu Xiaocao pretended to be terrified, nced at the location of the pier and her father, and inwardly measured the shortest distance to get there. With a sobbing tone, she said, ¡°Big brothers! This little sister has just arrived today. I haven¡¯t even opened my business yet, so where would I get ten copper coins to give you? How about... after I finish selling the meat dishes today, I¡¯ll pay the monthly fee all at once. What do you guys think?¡±


    Skinny Monkey moved closer to Brother Shark and whispered into his ear, ¡°This brat came with a tall and strong-looking man today. If we let her go back, it will be over then!¡±


    These guys werezy good-for-nothing punks around the docks. They usually bullied the weak and feared the strong. They also asionally engaged in petty theft. They had extorted money from nearly all the old, weak, women, and children who sold goods on the docks. Most of the peddlers hade from nearby viges, so they didn¡¯t dare to speak out against these local hoodlums.


    There were some bailiffs who maintained order at the docks. However, these local rogues always acted very good when the bailiffs patrolled the area. They would hide in some unknown corner and onlye out when the bailiffs were gone. Thus, most of the people who were ckmailed would just spend some money as a way to buy peace.


    This group of hoodlums had heard from an unknown source about the Yu Siblings¡¯s recently booming business. They had nned to wait until the siblings finished selling their food, and then rob all their money by coaxing and threatening them. But, they hadn¡¯t expected that an adult woulde along today. Moreover, he was tall and strong and didn¡¯t seem like someone they could bully. Hence, they changed their ns, stopped the little girl, and tried to extort as much money as possible.


    ¡°How much money do you have on you? Give them all to me!¡± Brother Shark fiercely demanded.


    Xiaocao shook her head timidly and quietly moved to the side. As if she was about to cry, she said, ¡°My father has the money. I don¡¯t have a single penny on me. Big brothers, please let me go. I really don¡¯t have any money...¡±


    As she spoke, she suddenly squatted on the ground and grabbed some sand. She threw it at the hoodlums¡¯ faces, and then hastily ran towards the docks with all her might.


    She used all the strength in her body, while only thinking about one thing¡ª¡ªrun, run! As long as she ran to a crowded ce, these rascals wouldn¡¯t dare to be so reckless.


    However, reality was cruel. With Xiaocao¡¯s short legs, how would she be able to outrun several adult men? It only took a few steps for them to catch up with her.


    Being surrounded once again, Xiaocao felt vexed and cursed in her heart: Damn it! It seems like she couldn¡¯t avoid getting a beating.


    Brother Shark, who was supported by Skinny Monkey, rubbed his eyes with one hand and started swearing. Earlier, Xiaocao had thrown all the sand at his face, so he couldn¡¯t see clearly now.


    ¡°Damned brat! You¡¯re refusing a toast and asking to be forced to drink a forfeit! Go and teach her a lesson!!¡± Brother Shark¡¯s eyes were in pain, so he kept tearing up and couldn¡¯t see anything. Thus, he angrily shouted.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Ai-yo!!¡±


    ¡°Mother, save me!¡±


    At the beginning, Brother Shark was very proud and confident. ¡®That damned brat actually dared to throw sand at me! She needs to be taught a lesson!¡¯


    Uh? Something wasn¡¯t right! Why do the screams sound so familiar, as if they wereing from his group of buddies? What was going on?


    ¡°Six... Brother Six...¡± Beside him, Monkey¡¯s stuttering voice could be heard and his hand that was supporting him was also shaking incessantly...


    After Shark issued the order, Xiaocao immediately held her head and squatted down. She was waiting to feel the pain on her body, but the punch and kicks that she had anticipated didn¡¯t happen. She curiously looked up upon hearing a series of screams and noticed that the hooligans were all lying on the ground, wailing in pain.


    She blinked a few times and looked at the tall figure in front of her¡ª¡ªbroad shoulders, slender figure, half-old clothes that couldn¡¯t hide his charisma. Wow! Was this the legendary scenario of ¡®a hero rescuing a beauty¡¯? Cough, cough... Okay, it was more of ¡®a hero rescuing a little girl¡¯ right now...


    ¡°Six... Brother Six...¡± She saw Skinny Monkey shaking like a quail, and he was so scared that he just hadn¡¯t pee his pants yet. She was even more curious about the identity of the hero who saved her.


    Xiaocao stood up and watched as the hero kicked them one by one and sent Skinny Monkey and Shark flying. She worshiped him even more within her heart.


    The pain in his stomach caused Shark¡¯s tears and snot to all flow out. His tears finally washed out the sand in his eyes. He blinked his red and swollen eyes vigorously and finally saw the person who hade to fight for justice. Enduring the pain, he hastily got up and weakly called out, ¡°Brother Six...¡±


    The man who was called ¡®Brother Six¡¯ didn¡¯t have any expression on his cold face. He stared at him with an icy gaze that could almost freeze a person¡¯s blood. Brother Shark felt a chill run down his spine and copsed on the ground like a dead dog.


    Who didn¡¯t know Brother Six on the docks? He used to be a beggar who had taken food from vicious dogs when he was a child. At the age of ten, with a fierce force, he killed a wolf with his bare hands.


    At sixteen, the youth called Liuzi 1, with several brothers of beggar origin, had defeated the tyrant on the docks and opened up the path to his own career. With his ability, he was able to monopolize the docks. But he wasn¡¯t greedy and only held onto several important customers. He left the rest to be divided by the other foremen. Later, Foreman Sun gradually umted his ownwork and got rid of a lot of the smaller forces. Over time, the current situation was formed...


    Nevertheless, on the docks, the words of the man, who was respectfully known as ¡®Brother Six¡¯, was even more powerful than the bailiffs. Even the bailiffs had to give him some face. The hoodlums on the docks had been beaten up by him in the past, so they were so scared of him that they would run away whenever they saw him.


    Shark and Skinny Monkey were one of them. They were merely insignificant people who weren¡¯t even qualified topete with Brother Six, but they had heard of his prestige. They hadn¡¯t expected to bump into him today. Skinny Monkey trembled as he thought of Brother Six¡¯s cruelty and suddenly felt a warm sensation on the area around his crotch...


    ¡°Scram! Don¡¯t let me see you guys at the docks anymore, or else...¡± Brother Six narrowed his eyes, which were fierce like wolves. His voice was light, but the effect was very strong!


    Shark promptly got up from the ground and replied, ¡°Yes, yes! We¡¯ll scram immediately, scram immediately! We promise to never step onto the docks again...¡±


    He was so scared that his legs became limp. He rolled several times on the ground, and then crawled away on both hands and feet. The others also resented their parents for not giving them two more legs and desperately ran away, as if they were being chased by a hungry wolf that wanted to bite their butts.


    ¡°Uh... Thank you!¡± Yu Xiaocao had heard the name ¡®Liuzi¡¯ from Foreman Sun. She only knew that he was apetitor of Foreman Sun and didn¡¯t know anything else. Based on those rascals¡¯ attitude, this Liuzi definitely wasn¡¯t someone easy to deal with.


    Brother Six turned around slowly and lightly nodded at her. Xiaocao finally had a clear look at his face. He had profound facial features. His eyes and eyebrows made him look a little mixed. He had a tall nose and slightly thin lips. He had uniformly tanned skin due to long-term exposure to the sea breeze and sun. If it weren¡¯t for the scar stretching from his left eyebrow to the corner of his lips on the right side of his face, he would definitely be a super icy, handsome man.

 Chapter 91 – Advanced Payment

    <h4>Chapter 91 ¨C Advanced Payment</h4>


    Brother Six keenly caught the brief expression that flickered through Xiaocao¡¯s eyes. It looked like she was surprised? He barely restrained his desire to rub at the scars on his face and a feeling of confused doubt settled into his heart. Didn¡¯t they already meet each other yesterday afternoon? At that time, the little girl had been so frightened by his facial scars that her face had turned ghost white. Howe her reaction today to his face, which was scary enough to make any little kid weep, was simply surprise? He must have misinterpreted her expression!


    He briefly nced at Xiaocao and thought about saying something. In the end, he decided to stay silent and turned around to slowly walk towards the area where people were selling breakfast. Xiaocao looked around her and noticed that not a soul was in sight and quickly followed behind him. She definitely didn¡¯t want to stay in that area by herself. If that group of scoundrels suddenly came back looking for blood, then she was dead meat in their hands.


    Since Xiaocao was gone for a long time, Yu Hai was starting to get antsy waiting for her by the noodle stand. When he saw his daughtering back with her tail between her legs next to a stern and ferocious looking man with facial scars, his first thought was that his beloved daughter was being bullied. He quickly limped forward and pushed his daughter behind him. He looked at Old Six warily and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, daughter. Father is here and I definitely won¡¯t let anyone bully you!¡±


    Xiaocao simultaneously felt touched and tickled by his protectiveness. She smiled apologetically at Brother Six, pulled her father back to the stool to sit down, and exined, ¡°Father, Brother Six wasn¡¯t giving me problems. On the contrary, he had just saved me from bullies!¡±


    After that, she broadly sketched out what had happened during that heart-pounding scenario to her father. Yu Hai pulled on her hand and inspected her from head to toe. Only after he didn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary did he slightly rx a bit and say, ¡°The docks are very chaotic, so in the future you¡¯re not allowed to wander around randomly! Brother, I was rude to you earlier, but thank you very much for saving my daughter!¡±


    Brother Six¡¯s face was as expressionless as before, and he only lightly nodded his head in reply. He opened his mouth for the first time to speak to Old Liu, ¡°I¡¯d like a bowl of noodles in soup without any bean flour noodles...¡±


    Old Liu quickly ripped a piece of dough from a small bowl and skillfully rolled and cut the dough into sections. Within a short period of time, a bowl of delicious noodles was done.


    At this moment, Yu Hai hastily took out a portion of braised pig head meat and a portion of pickled fish from the basket. He then ced them both in front of Brother Six¡¯s bowl and said, ¡°Brother, eat these two dishes with your noodles. Take them as a token of my gratitude for saving my daughter¡¯s life earlier.¡±


    Brother Six slightly raised his eyebrows but didn¡¯t refuse the offer. However, when he finished eating and left, he had ced two copper coins on the table. When Yu Hai noticed the coins, he wanted to chase after the man to return the money but was stopped by Xiaocao who said, ¡°Father, let it be. He doesn¡¯tck these two copper coins. Get ready, it¡¯s almost time for the dockworkers¡¯ break to eat their meals!¡±


    Sure enough, when they looked towards the direction of the wharf, they saw a group of rough, old men chattering andughing as they walked over. A few people who were more impatient walked briskly the whole way and started calling out to Xiaocao from far away, ¡°Xiaocao, give me two portions of braised pig head meat, I want the fatty portions!¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, Xiaocao! I want a portion of the pig intestines and one of the tripe...¡±


    ¡°Do you have any of the fish from yesterday? I want two of those!¡±


    ...


    Despite having heard his son describe the situation over and over to him, Yu Hai was shocked when he saw it in person.


    However, Xiaocao had be ustomed to this and calmly dealt with the crowd while also advertising her new product, ¡°Old Uncle Hao, today I also made a new type of food. This is called blood sausage, do you want to buy a portion to try?¡±


    ¡°You have another new type of braised food? Give me a portion of blood sausage!¡± hollered a young fellow. He was behind the crowd of people surrounding her, and, despite his attempts at jumping around to get to the front, he was unable to squeeze through.


    ¡°Give me a portion to try, too!¡±


    ¡°Those of you in the front, don¡¯t buy too many at once and leave me a portion of the blood sausages, ah! I absolutely believe in Xiaocao¡¯s cooking skills!¡±¡¯


    ...


    The father and daughter pair worked together to receive the money until their hands started cramping from the effort. They were busy for over an hour without any chance to take a quick breather or break. The crowd gradually dispersed when the basket had about a tenth of the original amount of braised food left.


    At this point, Old Liu¡¯s noodle stall was also full of people at the tables eating noodles. The father and daughter pair could only find a rock at the side of the road to sit on to rest their feet. Grandma Liu was busy but sent the two of them each a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup. She smiled and said, ¡°Yu Hai, Xiaocao, you two must be thirsty, right? Drink a mouthful of noodle soup and let it wet your throats.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grandma Liu. There¡¯s no need to wait on us, I¡¯m sure you have other things to do right?¡± Xiaocao took the two bowls from the old woman and gave one of them to her father. The other one she held in her hands as she drank in small sips from the bowl.


    At this time, Xiaocao noticed that her Eldest Uncle, Liu Pei, Second Uncle, Liu Han, and her oldest male cousin, Liu Zhiwei, were at a nearby congee stall eating food. She put down her bowl of soup and took out a portion of pickled fish, blood sausage, and braised pig head meat to take over there.


    ¡°Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Oldest Cousin, you are all eating breakfast right now...Second Uncle, did youe to the docks to find work today too?¡± Xiaocao greeted the men warmly. In the previous two days, she had only seen Eldest Uncle with Oldest Cousin in the area. This was the first time she had seen Second Uncle at the docks.


    Liu Pei and Liu Han raised their heads and grinned at her, ¡°Hey, Xiaocao. How¡¯s the business going today? Look, your head is full of sweat, you must be exhausted right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine! Today my father came with me as well. Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle, here¡¯s some of the braised food and pickled fish I made. You should all try some and see how it tastes. I didn¡¯t make enough the past two days so I couldn¡¯t leave you guys any...¡± Xiaocao replied somewhat bashfully.


    The honest and timid Liu Han shook his hand hastily and said, ¡°Your eldest aunt had packed us some salted vegetables. Earlier I noticed that your braised food sells really well here, so you should keep the food to make money. Your family has a great need for money at the moment...¡±


    Xiaocao smiled, ¡°I made a bit too much food today, so there¡¯s still some left in my basket! When we were remodeling the house, Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle were both a great help to us. It¡¯s right and necessary that I repay your kindness with my feelings of respect. Please take the food. Oldest Cousin, you should try this pickled fish, I bet you¡¯ll really like the taste.¡±


    The three men from the Liu Family only brought a few pancakes made from coarse grain and three salted radishes from home for breakfast. At the congee stall, they also bought three bowls of bean soup for one copper coin apiece. Although Liu Zhiwei had a tall and imposing figure, he was only around fourteen to fifteen years of age. This was the time when boys like him constantly hungered for food to eat.


    Had the person selling the braised food for one copper coin a portion not been Xiaocao, he would have gone over earlier to queue for the food. Sometimes, he would see his fellow dock workers eating the braised food with gusto, and he could catch a whiff of its tantalizing and appetizing smell. Those were the times when he almost couldn¡¯t keep the drool in his mouth.


    When he noticed that Xiaocao had already opened the oiled paper packets and the tempting, savory smell of the braised food hit his nose, Liu Zhiwei had to swallow down the saliva that flooded his mouth. He nced at his father and older uncle. His eyes glinted with a look of pure envy that was the exact same look Little Shitou had whenever he wanted to eat something.


    Xiaocao stifled her desire to burst outughing and snatched the pancake from his hand. She unfolded it t and put a piece of stir-fried fish and a couple pieces of fatty pig head meat in the middle. She then gently ced the food back in his hands and said, ¡°Oldest Cousin, try it! This was all made by me...¡±


    Back by the noodle stall, Yu Hai had a few more customerse up to him to buy food. After that, other than the portion of braised food reserved for Foreman Sun, the rest of the food had pretty much been sold out. He ced the basket back on the wheelbarrow and walked over to where Xiaocao and the others were. He also urged the men when he got there, ¡°Eldest Brother-inw, Second Older Brother-inw, it¡¯s only three copper coins worth of food. Xiaocao is showing her filial respect to you, so just eat some!¡±


    Seeing that they couldn¡¯t refuse the offer, Liu Pei and Liu Han each used a pair of chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised pig head meat and ced it into their mouths to slowly savor. A burst of delicious vor hit their tongues. They had never eaten anything so delicious, so it prompted them both to praise the food endlessly. The two brothers then tried only a bite or two of the other two dishes. They left the rest of the food for Liu Zhiwei to eat, as he was still a growing adolescent.


    After Liu Pei finished eating breakfast, he took a look at his younger brother-inw¡¯s leg. With sincere concern, he asked, ¡°I¡¯ve been a bit busytely, so I haven¡¯t had the time to visit you. Does your leg give you any problems after walking so far a distance?¡±


    Yu Hai pped his left leg a couple of times and grinned, ¡°Not a problem at all! The doctor in town even told me to walk a bit more on it when I have the time! It¡¯s all thanks to Xiaocao for massaging my leg every night. Otherwise, I don¡¯t think my leg would get better so quickly! Who knows, maybe after more time passes, I can also go to the docks to find some work.¡±


    The two brothers from the Liu Familyplimented their younger sister and brother-inw for raising such an obedient and sweet daughter. Yu Hai felt more happy from hearing the praises than he did about his own leg getting better.


    The small group of people chatted for a little bit more until it was time to start working again. Yu Hai and his daughter had also gotten enough rest during this interlude. They left the saved portion of braised food for Foreman Sun at Old Liu¡¯s noodle stand and prepared to go into town with their wheelbarrow to buy some stuff at the town¡¯s markets.


    At this point, the solemn looking Brother Six came over. He threw some silver bits at Xiaocao and said, ¡°Tomorrow I have an important clienting over. Are you able to help me prepare some food for them?¡±


    Xiaocao looked at the money in her hands and estimated that it must be around two taels worth of money. She proceeded to ask him more details about his clients. How many people did he n on entertaining? Were they southerners or northerners? Did they have any specific tastes or requests regarding their food? Brother Six answered her questions one by one. After that, Xiaocao had a good idea on what she needed to prepare.


    At this time, Foreman Sun hurriedly rushed over from the docks to here and clearly didn¡¯t take any time to catch his breath. He looked at the silver bits in Xiaocao¡¯s hands and frowned, ¡°What¡¯s going on, Xiaocao? Is there someone trying to cause trouble for you here? If so, don¡¯t feel shy to tell me. You have me behind you!¡±


    Brother Six stared at him with an imperceptible smile on his face until Foreman Sun started to feel ufortable. Only then did Brother Six speak, ¡°Foreman Sun, I know what you¡¯re thinking about! Therger one¡¯s head is, therger the hat you¡¯ll have to wear! Beware of biting off more than you can chew! Xiaocao is someone who does business with everyone and is not just an instrument for you to use to bring in clients! Old Sun, tomorrow¡¯s customer isn¡¯t someone you can steal just because you want to!¡±


    Foreman Sun rubbed his nose out of embarrassment and said, ¡°Ah Liuzi, don¡¯t be so petty! Xiaocao has helped me a bit, so I was afraid that she was being bullied by others...¡±


    Brother Six nced at him with disinterest and then returned his gaze back on Xiaocao. He said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be counting on you tomorrow...¡± After that, he turned and left the area.


    Foreman Sun took offense to his attitude and sneered while quietly grumbling, ¡°What¡¯s he¡¯s so proud about? If I hade to the docks to work two years earlier, then I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with your blustering¡ªXiaocao, what did that stupid Liuzi want you to do for him? He gave you so much money, he¡¯s not asking you to do something illegal, right?¡±


    Xiaocao looked at him with a faint smile on her face and said, ¡°Older Uncle Sun, he was merely admiring my culinary talent and wanted me to make some delicious food for him tomorrow. He gave me this money to buy ingredients...Older Uncle, the braised food you reserved is back at Grandpa Liu¡¯s ce. It¡¯s gettingte, I need to go into town and restock my seasoning and condiment supplies.¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s clear and bright eyes seemed to pierce through Foreman Sun¡¯s small schemes, and he replied with slight embarrassment, ¡°Then go! Here¡¯s the money I owe you for the food...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a special market day at the markets at the docks today, so there weren¡¯t a lot of people browsing. Most of the shops were open at the market, and Butcher Wang¡¯s meat shop was one of those open stalls.


    ¡°Xiaocao, are you here to buy some another pig head and pig offal? How was business today? This uncle has heard that your one copper coin per meat dish is very popr at the docks¡± Butcher Wang smiled genially as he greeted her.

 Chapter 92 – Wet Rice

    <h4>Chapter 92 ¨C Wet Rice</h4>


    Every day Butcher Wang ughtered a pig. Half of the pig meat went to the restaurants in the area, and the other half was sold at his store. By the time the day ended, most of the other half of meat had been bought out.


    As usual, Xiaocao spent six copper coins to buy a pig head. For the tripe and intestines, she persisted on giving him four copper coins for them. As for the pig¡¯s blood, Butcher Wang insisted on giving it to her for free.


    After lightly rubbing at the silver pieces in the purse that Brother Six had given her, she also bought two catties of pork belly and arge pork bone. Butcher Wang looked at her in surprise and said, ¡°You¡¯re buying a lot of meat today. Are you guys having guests over?¡±


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t bother exining and only smiled, ¡°Mhm, I need to take care of a visitor who has some status, so I need to get some stuff to make the table more presentable!¡±


    The bought ingredients were ced in the wheelbarrow that Yu Hai was pushing. She then led them into a shop in town that sold rice and other grains. As they entered the store, they could hear people making a racket. The sounds of the scolding voice of an adult and the wailing of child blended together into a cacophony.


    Xiaocao stood at the entrance, listening for a bit. Apparently, the child of the family that ran the store was naughty and identally spilled water on a bag of glutinous rice. Although the store¡¯s manager did his best to save the rice, over ten catties of rice had been soaked by the water. Everyone knew that rice that had been soaked in water was no good. Even after letting it dry, the rice would still crumble into pieces and powder. Thus, over seventeen to eighteen catties of glutinous rice were no longer seble!


    The shopkeeper¡¯s entire family relied on the ie from this tiny rice and grain store, and were only barely able to make it from month to month. Suddenly losing seventeen to eighteen catties of glutinous rice meant that they were losing over a hundred copper coins of sales. How could the manager not feel his heart bleed a little? However, on the other hand, he couldn¡¯t bear to hit his child, so he could only give the boy a rough scolding.


    ¡°Uncle Shopkeeper, I offer you three copper coins per catty for all of this wet glutinous rice. Are you willing to sell it to me?¡± Xiaocao suddenly interjected after assessing the situation.


    Although the sound of her voice wasn¡¯t very loud, the noise in the store abruptly cut off and it became silent. The shopkeeper looked at her and then nced at the adult behind her and softly replied, ¡°Little girl, once the rice gets soaked with water, it won¡¯t taste good anymore...¡±


    ¡°Just because it doesn¡¯t taste good doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t edible, right? Shopkeeper Uncle, you can¡¯t sell this rice anymore, how about you just give to me at a cheap price? Xiaocao smiled sweetly.


    Just as the owner of the rice shop wanted to say something, his wife pulled on his sleeve and spoke instead, ¡°Little girl, this glutinous rice is usually eight to nine copper coins a catty. If you want all of it, the lowest we can go is five copper coins a catty. Otherwise, we¡¯d be better off leaving it for ourselves to eat!¡±


    The owner of the stall was angry and anxious at the same time. He stared at his wife helplessly in worry. However, his wife red at him fiercely, and the look in her eyes seemed to say, ¡®if you dare to say anything, then I¡¯ll definitely have something to say to you¡¯.


    Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders and replied, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then please keep the rice for yourselves to eat! Father, let¡¯s go to that other rice stall to take a look...¡±


    The shopkeeper hastily threw off his wife¡¯s hand. He rushed forward to block their way and said, ¡°Don¡¯t leave! Three copper coins a catty it is, three copper coins a catty it is! There¡¯s neen catties of wet glutinous rice altogether, and I¡¯ll even throw in one catty for free...¡±


    Seeing that the shopkeeper was at least honest and sincere, she gave him fifty-four copper coins and had her father load all of the glutinous rice onto their wheelbarrow. She also asked them how much the wheat flour and regr rice cost, and thought the prices were quite reasonable. So she also bought ten catties of wheat flour and five catties of rice. Thus, she had suddenly spent a hundred and thirty copper coins at the grain store alone.


    Luckily, their business had gone pretty well today, and they had earned over two hundred copper coins alone from selling the braised food. If she added the two taels of silver bits that Brother Six gave her, Xiaocao didn¡¯t feel bad about spending so much money.


    After they stepped out of the rice and grain store, Xiaocao also went to a general goods shop to replenish a small number of seasonings and condiments for the family. She even reluctantly fished out some money to buy half a catty of white sugar. Now, she had pretty much spent all of the money she had earned from selling braised food. However, when she thought about how all of these seasonings wouldst her for at least half a month, she immediately felt happier at the thought of all the taels she could earn from them.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t say a single word as he watched his daughter spend money as if it was water. In fact, the money they had earned that morning hadn¡¯t even had a chance to get warmed up in their hands before it all went out. Despite that, not a peep came out of his mouth even when she was buying glutinous rice that had been soaked with water.


    On their way, it was Xiaocao who finally asked him why cheerfully, ¡°Father, howe you didn¡¯t stop me when I was buying glutinous rice that had been soaked?¡±


    Yu Hai pushed the wheelbarrow with his daughter in it with a satisfied expression and smiled, ¡°Whatever my Xiaocao buys definitely has its uses. Father knows you¡¯re not a child who spends money recklessly. Then again, even if you couldn¡¯t do anything with the glutinous rice, it still wouldn¡¯t go to waste. Even bits and powdery pieces of glutinous rice can be used to make a congee that is more tasty than pancakes made from bean flour!¡±


    Xiaocao grinned, ¡°Thank you Father for trusting me. I really do have a good idea for this rice! Brother Six asked me to help him create a table of dishes for his guest. I want to make something special and unique. I need to help him look good, especially since he saved me from those hooligans. My n is to make pearl meatballs with them. They¡¯ll be fragrant and tasty, shiny and pure, and will be considered a top notch dish whether you¡¯re judging it for looks or taste. His clients will definitely like them. If you grind the glutinous rice into glutinous rice flour, it can be used to make desserts...also, also, making some pig¡¯s blood glutinous rice cake will also be quite good!¡±


    Seeing his daughter¡¯s extremely thin face lit up with happiness as she talked made Yu Hai feel both happy and proud of his daughter¡ª¡ªthe daughter they had once thought wouldn¡¯t reach adulthood has actually stepped it up and shouldered a lot of responsibilities for the family!


    When they got home, Xiaocao began to draw up the menu and prepare the ingredients for the food. The pearl meatballs needed small steamer baskets. Something as simple as this type of bamboo tool was not hard for Yu Hai to make. He took a drink of water and started to chop some bamboo, following the directions his daughter gave him to make the baskets.


    Salted egg yolks were needed to make the pearl meatballs so Xiaocao went to the Qian Family and knocked on their door. Madam Mao came out and when she saw Xiaocao, she asked with surprise, ¡°Xiaocao? Why are you at our ce at this time?¡±


    Xiaocao straightforwardly replied, ¡°Auntie Qian, do you have any salted duck eggs? If so, can you sell me a few?¡±


    Ducks generallyy fewer eggs in the winter but they were still hard to sell. The problem was that most people didn¡¯t like to eat duck eggs because they had an odd smell. In order to keep them from going bad, Madam Mao used coarse sea salt to pickle the duck eggs. She likely still had some left after eating and selling some of her stock.


    ¡°I have some! Xiaocao, how many do you want? However, salted duck eggs are one copper coin each, ok!¡± Madam Mao¡¯s personality was just this way. She never tempered her words and always said things in a straightforward way. Xiaocao nodded her head. She actually liked this type of personality. If the duck eggs were offered to her for free, she would feel too ufortable to take them. She fished out ten copper coins from her embroidered purse and said, ¡°Auntie Qian, please give me ten for now. In the future if I need more, I¡¯ll be sure toe to Auntie¡¯s to buy more.¡±


    Madam Mao took out eleven duck eggs from the jar and ced them in her basket. She smiled and said, ¡°My son, Qian Wu, went to your house again this morning to beg for food. I don¡¯t have anything good in this house, so I¡¯ll just give you an extra duck egg!¡±


    Although Madam Mao didn¡¯t know how to mince her words, she also wasn¡¯t the type of person to take advantage of other people. Qian Wen had eaten two pickled fish earlier that morning which came out to exactly one copper coin. Hence, she gave Xiaocao an extra duck egg.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t refuse the offer and thanked Madam Mao instead. When she got home, she went over the menu in her head again. Brother Six¡¯s client was a northerner who needed to eat meat with every meal and loved to eat spicy foods...Ah, I got it! Earlier that afternoon, she had caught arge fish at the pond, so she could make that into ¡®poached sliced fish in hot chili oil¡¯ and the fish head could be used to make ¡®fish head with chopped peppers¡¯!


    With the pearl meatballs as one of them, right now Xiaocao had three types of good dishes to serve. Were there any other unique foods she could make? Xiaocao racked her mind for ideas...that¡¯s right! Didn¡¯t she buy some pork belly earlier? She remembered that Auntie Zhou had made some sun-dried salted vegetables. If she could borrow some, she could make ¡®steamed pork with salted vegetables¡¯!


    These four dishes were all non-vegetarian dishes that contained meat, so she needed toe up with a vegetable based dish to pair with them all! But in this season, where would she get some fresh produce? Xiaocao went into the courtyard to look at the green vegetable shoots that had just opened up under the noon sun. Her heart ached at the thought of harming them so early in their cycle. If she really had no other choice, then she would just pick a few of therger leaves and make a bowl of ¡®green vegetables and egg drop soup¡¯.


    In a moment she needed to go to the tofu sellers and buy some dried tofu. The n was to fry it and then marinate it slightly with some of the braising seasoning to sessfully make a te of ¡®braised dried tofu¡¯. How about...she should also make a te of spicy and sour cabbage¡¯ as well. After all, they were limited by what was in season at this time of year.


    Suddenly, a different idea shed into her head. She could make ¡®sauteed shredded pork in sweet bean sauce¡¯. This was a dish that she herself had really liked, so it probably meant that they didn¡¯t have it in this era, right? It would definitely taste novel and delicious to the people here. Thus, she decided to eliminate ¡®fish head with chopped peppers¡¯¡¯ from the menu.


    Four meat dishes, two vegetarian dishes, and one soup should be more than enough for two people if she also added a main starch dish¡ªsweet potato with sweet rice flour cakes!


    That afternoon, it was still Xiaolian who went with Shitou to the docks to sell the pickled fish. After Yu Hai finished crafting the bamboo steamer baskets, he took the ¡®fish bait¡¯ that Xiaocao had prepared to catch some fish. He had a very important assignment: he needed to catch a fish that weighed at least five catties. The best scenario would be if he could fish up a ck carp.


    Madam Liu found herself busy with preparing the pig head and intestines that afternoon. They were nning on using those ingredients to make more braised food. When Madam Fang came over to call on them and saw that she had more work than one person could handle, she also rolled up her sleeves to help. They were so busy that the whole household wished they could each grow another pair of arms to finish all that needed to be done.


    As for Xiaocao¡¯s mission? That was to nap that afternoon as she needed to wake up very early tomorrow to prepare the food for her client.


    Surely enough, before the sun came out the next morning, Xiaocao automatically woke up. When she got up from bed, she noticed Madam Liu was extremely busy in the kitchen making breakfast. Madam Liu had wanted to make sure that both her husband and daughter got to eat their fill before they left for the day.


    The filling of the pearl meatballs was made of ground meat. Luckily, they didn¡¯t need a lot of ground meat, so Madam Liu was able to ¡®chop chop chop¡¯ a few times with a cleaver and the amount they needed was done. Xiaocao seasoned the finely chopped meat and then formed each meatball using some ground meat and half a duck egg¡¯s yolk. After forming them, she then rolled each meatball into the glutinous rice and then steamed all of them for about half an hour.


    The poached sliced fish in hot chili oil was slightly moreplicated to make, and it was also best eaten while hot and steaming. Xiaocao decided to bring the small y stoves that they had used to concoct her father¡¯s medications with them to town. When the moment came, they could use a couple pieces of charcoal and have the dish sit on top of the stove. Being able to eat hot and spicy poached fish with the slightly cold sea-breeze around them would definitely add to the atmosphere!


    With six dishes, one soup, and a staple food to make, Xiaocao and her mother spent almost two hours getting everything ready. Simr to yesterday, Yu Hai pushed the wheelbarrow to town today. The cart held both the braised food they nned to sell today as well as the table of food that Brother Six had reserved.


    On the way there, Xiaocao also sat in the wheelbarrow, holding two baskets that held the soup. This was to prevent the soup from spilling out along the way and ruining all of her morning¡¯s work!


    When they got to the wharf, Brother Six was already there waiting for them. The ce he had reserved for entertaining his guest was the area¡¯s best building¡ªThe Lin Family¡¯s Restaurant. Although it was considered the best, in reality it was only three-room building constructed of mud bricks with a tiled roof. Brother Six had reserved the only private room in the restaurant and especially hired Xiaocao bring in the table of food. From this, one could tell that he really regarded this person as an important client.


    The customer that Brother Six was inviting over was a steward from Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Imperial Prince Jing was in charge of the vast majority of the country¡¯s sea trade. This time, he was managing the transport grain from the south to the north.

 Chapter 93 – Esteemed Guest

    <h4>Chapter 93 ¨C Esteemed Guest</h4>


    The southern part of the country was and of fish and rice. For the past two years, the area had favorable weather and since the taxes were rxed, they even had an abundance of crops leftover. On the other hand, the north had suffered from sessive years of drought. Tanggu Town was near the sea, but the farmers in that area had suffered from decreased output from their fields. As for the northwest part of the country, the drought was in full force and nothing could be grown at this point.


    Transferring grain from the southern provinces to the north was the brilliant strategic idea of their current emperor. By opening up the imperial treasury, the government was able to buyrge amounts of rice and ship it via the sea and river transport to the north. This helped to stabilize grain prices in the drought-stricken areas and lessened the disaster by a good amount. This was also the main reason why there weren¡¯t a lot of refugees from the north travelling despite the sessive years of drought.


    Imperial Prince Jing was the paternal uncle of the current emperor. Although he had mediocre abilities, his heart was in a good ce and he was honest. As the person in charge of trade by sea, he often went himself to oversee the operations. In fact, he personally went many times to the south to escort the ships to bring the rice and grain to the north.


    The guest that Brother Six was receiving today was a capable person under Imperial Prince Jing. If one wanted to continue to be a part of this shipping business, it was necessary to have a good rtionship with this man.


    For the sake of keeping the food warm and fresh, Brother Six requested that Xiaocao stay in the building and use the restaurant¡¯s facilities on an as needed basis. Xiaocao agreed easily to this request. Her father could more than handle the braised food sales on his own.


    By the time the cargo ships had gotten the shore, it was already past breakfast time. Steward Wu from Prince Jing¡¯s estate had long gotten tired of spending time on the boat. However, he had previously visited the docks at Tanggu Town many times before, so he was quite familiar with the conditions of that area. The only thing Steward Wu hoped for was to have something warm to eat for breakfast as he stepped onto drynd. Under Brother Six¡¯s lead, he arrived at a simple and crude looking restaurant.


    ¡°Tell the kitchen to bring out the food!¡± Although Brother Six¡¯s attitude was warm, he didn¡¯te off as being too eager for something. Instead he acted very naturally, which allowed Steward Wu to feel free and unrestrained.


    ¡°Okay!¡± The waiter didn¡¯t disappear for long before he appeared with a bowl of lush green and bright yellow leafy vegetables and egg drop soup. He reported the name of the dish, ¡°This is an ¡®appetizer soup¡¯. These two guests, please take a bowl each and start!¡±


    The private room had one particr guest who seemed to have an imposing manner and clearly had a status that was beyond the ordinary. Although the person didn¡¯t order any food from this restaurant, he had given them a decent amount of money. Thus, the manager of the restaurant had instructed the employees of the ce to take good care of these guests.


    ¡°Eh? Are these green vegetables? Is it the season for green vegetables to appear on the market here?¡± Steward Wu had juste off the ship, so he felt like the ground beneath his feet was still rocking. When he saw the verdant green of the vegetables in the bowl, he immediately felt better inside and started to have an appetite.


    Brother Six was inwardly bbergasted too. At this time of the year, most farmers hadn¡¯t even nted the seeds of green vegetables yet. This Xiaocao, where did she manage to get ahold of these vegetables to make the soup? Despite his inner surprise, he calmly helped Steward Wu todle up a bowl of green vegetable soup and smiled, ¡°Steward Wu, have a taste of this soup...¡±


    The ¡®appetizer soup¡¯ had a light and fresh taste. The leaves of the vegetables were tender and soft, and the bright yellow eggs went easily down the throat. Such a fresh and vorful profile matched entirely with Steward Wu¡¯s food preferences. He drank tworge bowls of soup without a break and only then did he stroke his beard and smile with admiration, ¡°Good! Good!! This is extremely delicious!¡±


    The second dish was the braised dried tofu. The strong vors of the braising marinade had sunk into each piece of tofu. Even though this dish didn¡¯t have any meat, Steward Wu, who only liked to eat meat, still ate several mouthfuls before he stopped.


    The third dish, ¡®pearl meatballs¡¯, was covered on the outside with glutinous rice. Each translucent grain seemed to sparkle and glow the way a true pearl would. When bitten into, the perfectly round meatballs had the savory vor of pork and the distinct, unique taste of duck egg¡¯s yolk that blended together harmoniously. With the additional fragrant taste of the glutinous rice added in, Steward Wu, who had travelled extensively around the country, couldn¡¯t help but praise this food incessantly, ¡°Ah Liuzi, this ¡®pearl meatball¡¯ is quite tasty and the name is also quite elegant. Did this restaurant switch chefs recently? Where did they get the new chef? He¡¯s not any worse than the best chef in the capital! For example, this simple dish of dried tofu, ah, he can even make that taste so good...tell me, if I manage to make him leave with me, do you think the owner here will make a fuss?¡±


    Brother Sixughed, ¡°Steward Wu is being too kind. You¡¯ve followed his highness, Imperial Prince Jing, all over the country. What kind of culinary delicacies haven¡¯t you tried yet? You¡¯ve been cooped up in that ship for too long, so it made you extremely happy to get ashore. So it¡¯s not surprising that you feel like everything you eat tastes good¡ª¡ªtry some of this salted vegetables with steamed pork, what do you think?¡±


    When Xiaocao was making salted vegetables with steamed pork, she had carefully selected slices of pork belly that had an even ratio of fat to lean meat. She also made sure to render some of the fat off the meat, such that the meat would still be tasty without being greasy. Steward Wu had also had a difficult childhood. After eating one piece, he couldn¡¯t help but continuously eat several more pieces before he reluctantly set down his chopsticks¡ª¡ªwho would have thought that even pork could be prepared in such an elegant and delicious way, ah....


    After the meat dishes, Xiaocao had them serve up a vegetable dish¡ª¡ª¡¯spicy and sour cabbage¡¯. Steward Wu had eaten too many radishes and cabbages in his youth, so he now hated them with a passion. Thus, he didn¡¯t seem very interested in eating this dish and managed to try one mouthful with much difficulty. After he tasted it, he discovered that spiciness came with the sour, and hidden in the midst was something savory. The dish was really quite delicious. He thought silently, ¡®Who has the ability to make even cabbage taste good? This must be a true culinary genius, right?¡¯


    Following that came the sauteed shredded pork in sweet bean sauce. What really surprised him was that it came with very small and thin wheat wraps. By wrapping the meat with some scallion strips, it provided a very unique texture and vorbination. It was inconceivable! Steward Wu couldn¡¯t stop himself from eating more.


    Don¡¯t underestimate this sauteed shredded pork in sweet bean sauce! Just making the meat alone took over seven to eight steps, and it drove Xiaocao crazy while she was fine-tuning the procedure. After experimenting countless times, she was finally able to create a dish that satisfies her desires. However, her efforts were not in vain. Had it not been for his status, Steward Wu would have gone himself to ask the chef what the recipe was!


    The final dish on the menu, ¡®poached sliced fish in hot chili oil¡¯, hadpletely conquered Steward Wu¡¯s taste buds. The dish seemed to be filled with the bright red of chili peppers. However, when he was eating it, it was spicy without being too pungent, numbing but not bitter. The fish had been cooked in a way that made in slippery and tender, fatty without being greasy. All of the fishy smell had been taken away but it still had that unique soft and delicate taste that fish meat had. As soon as one ate a bite, it made the person want to continue eating without stopping.


    After finishing the entire meal, Steward Wu rubbed at his bulging stomach that almost couldn¡¯t bend anymore as he felt extremely conflicted in his heart. Ever since he had been promoted to a steward at Prince Jing¡¯s estate, he had pretty much eaten every delicacy and special cuisine that was avable. He had never forgotten his manners, even when he had eaten at the restaurants reckoned to be the first or second best in the capital. However, this simple and crude restaurant was unexpectedly a jewel in the rough and had such a fresh and fantastic way of cooking. The next time his master came over, he definitely needed to bring him over to try the food.


    ¡°The chef here is quite talented. Let hime over and get rewarded!¡± Steward Wu leaned back in his chair as he slowly sipped on the fragrant tea that he had brought himself to this restaurant. He suddenly wanted to see this divine chef who could make food that he had never tasted before in his life.


    Brother Six poured him another cup of tea and smiled, ¡°The person who made the food really isn¡¯t this restaurant¡¯s chef. It was someone I found and brought over especially for you!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Liuzi, you really are quite detailed and considerate! Good, good! I¡¯ll remember this...I¡¯m extremely curious, where did you find someone who¡¯s so talented at cooking?¡± Steward Wu looked deeply at Brother Six as he asked.


    Brother Six didn¡¯t attempt to conceal it and replied, ¡°A little girl had appeared on the docks these past few days selling ¡®a portion of meat for one copper coin¡¯. She has the ability to take ingredients that other people would throw away, for example a pig¡¯s head, intestines, and tiny fish, and make them into delicacies that people fight over. This lowly one believed that she was definitely talented at cooking, so I had here over to help me create a table for you today.¡±


    ¡°A little girl? You¡¯re telling me that this table of food was all made by a little girl? Then I really need to reward her!¡± Steward Wu became even more interested in this little girl after hearing Brother Six¡¯s story.


    In the kitchen, Xiaocao had sincerely started to clean up the area after thest dish had gone out to the guests. When one was borrowing another person¡¯s kitchen, it was only right and proper to return it to the original condition...


    Just as she finished tidying up the kitchen and was about to leave, the waiter suddenly chased after her and yelled, ¡°Little girl, the esteemed guest inside wants to meet you! He said he really likes the food you made and wants to reward you!¡±


    A reward? Never say no to free money! She had spent time racking her brains toe up with these dishes, and it wasn¡¯t easy to make them either. If the noble guest who ate the food thought it was good and wanted to give her some money, it would definitely be more money than she could earn from selling one day¡¯s worth of braised food.


    Xiaocao scampered after the waiter into the only private room in the building. She gave him an out of ce bow and lowered her head as she stood there waiting for her reward.


    ¡°Liuzi...are you telling me that the little girl who can make simple ingredients into delicacies is her?¡± Steward Wu stared at the little girl who was around seven to eight years old that was standing in front of him. She was dressed entirely in shabby yet clean clothes, and her hair had beenbed into two braids. Her face was thin but she had fair and clear skin. It was obvious that he couldn¡¯t quite believe that a child this young was the creator of such delicious food.


    Liuzi, however, very solemnly nodded his head and said, ¡°That is her...¡±


    Steward Wu clearly was someone who had seen a wide aspect of life, so he quickly got over his surprise at the matter. He smiled at Xiaocao and asked, ¡°Little girl, where did you learn how to make this food?¡±


    Xiaocao very slightly raised her head and looked him in the eye for a nce. She replied in a tone that was neither servile nor overbearing, ¡°These dishes were all recipes that I figured out myself. Brother Six had saved my life, so since he needed to receive a noble guest, I naturally used all of my ability to help him.¡±


    Steward Wu eximed in surprise, ¡°These were all thought up and created by you? It¡¯s not a good habit to start trying to trick people at such a young age!¡±


    Despite the obvious censure and displeasure in the man¡¯s tone, Xiaocao calmly replied, ¡°My family is poor, and we pretty much can never get a taste of meat or fish throughout the year. This is why when I saw that the butcher was throwing away the pig offal I thought, ¡®pig offal is still a part of a pig, so it still should be edible!¡¯. When I got back home and pondered about it for a couple of days, I made braised pig head and intestines after adding a lot of spices and condiments to the meat. It not only doesn¡¯t have any weird smells but also tastes supremely delicious! From then on, I became interested in cooking and creating new dishes. A set of weird and interesting thoughts started to pop up in my mind. Because my family¡¯s ability to buy things are limited, I never had the chance to experiment. Yesterday, Brother Six gave me money to create an entire table¡¯s worth of food. I went back and experimented for an entire afternoon and finally managed to create this table. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can bring my father over and ask him. In the past my family almost had nothing to eat, how could we possibly have the money to hire a teacher to teach me how to cook?¡±


    Steward Wu nced again at the cotton padded clothes and coat on her body that were only cleaner than a set that a beggar would wear. Although he felt the situation was somewhat inconceivable, he didn¡¯t continue to pursue this line of questioning and simplybeled her in his mind as someone who was naturally gifted and talented at cooking.


    Originally his intentions for meeting the chef was to see whether or not he could tempt the person to work for the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate instead. Recently the matriarch didn¡¯t have a good appetite and only wanted to eat foods that were novel and refreshing. However, when he saw this skinny and tiny little girl in front of him, he let go of that idea. A child that was only seven to eight years old still needed an adult to take care of them, so how could she leave the ce where she grew up to go to the far away capital? If she missed her home and started crying, who wouldfort her?


    After rewarding Xiaocao with five taels, Steward Wu followed Brother Six, who led him to a nearby guest house for him to get some rest.

 Chapter 94 – Donkey Cart

    <h4>Chapter 94 ¨C Donkey Cart</h4>


    When Brother Six came out of the guest house, he noticed that Xiaocao was still standing there. He raised his eyebrows and asked, ¡°Thank you very much for your help today¡ªis there anything else you need?


    Xiaocao took out a string of copper coins from her embroidered pouch and lifted it towards him, ¡°Brother Six, this is the money leftover from buying all of the ingredients, here take it....¡±


    The table of food only required half a catty of pork belly, a catty of pork leg meat, five duck egg yolks, fish that they had caught on their own, and dried tofu and cabbage that were of little mary value. Altogether, it only cost about one tael and three hundred copper coins to prepare the whole meal.


    However, Brother Six didn¡¯t extend his hand to receive the money. He nced at her hand indifferently and said, ¡°No need! A table of food at Zhenxiu Restaurant would cost at least thirty to fifty taels. When you calcte it, it¡¯s I who gained the advantage! Thank you for helping me keep a very big client of mine!¡±


    Xiaocao gleefully put the money back in her purse and patted the bulging pouch. She grinned, ¡°What are you thanking me for? I¡¯m very happy I could help you! It¡¯s not early anymore, Brother Six, you should head out and do what you need to do.¡±


    By making a few dishes, she was able to earn at least a tael in ie. She wished that this type of business could happen several times a month! When she thought of Brother Six¡¯s important client rewarding her with five taels, Xiaocao felt even more giddy and ecstatic. She had not only made enough money to pay for her younger brother¡¯s school fees but also had some leftover to buy at least two sets of clothes for everyone in her family and the materials to make a couple of warm nkets!


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, what happened that made you so happy?¡± As Yu Hai pushed the wheelbarrow, he noticed that his daughter who was sitting on top would asionally snigger from time to time, which perplexed him. For the past half year or so, his younger daughter had seemed excessively sensible and mature. Sometimes he felt like there was a soul of an adult living in that thin and slightly built body of hers.


    XIaocao looked around them before she fished out arge piece of silver from her chest pocket. She waved the money in front of her father and said, ¡°Look! What do think this is...¡±


    ¡°Is that silver? What arge piece, it must be worth around five taels right?¡± A look of surprise appeared on Yu Hai¡¯s face as he questioned her, ¡°Cao¡¯er, where did thate from?¡±


    ¡°Brother Six¡¯s important client gave it as a reward to me. He said that the food I made was even more delicious than the best restaurants in the capital!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s face glowed with pride, and if she was a little puppy, her tail would have been pointing straight up.


    His younger daughter rarely showed her childish side, so Yu Hai chuckled, ¡°Of course, my Cao¡¯er is the best! If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d believe that the God of Food had entered your body!¡±


    ¡°Hee hee! It doesn¡¯t matter whether the God of Food is with me or if it¡¯s the blessings from the God of Fortune, as long as I can make money then it¡¯s fine! In about two days, do you think Brother Qian Wen will being home for a break? Tomorrow is market day at the docks. We should buy some cloth and cotton and make Little Shitou two sets of new clothing...¡± Xiaocao chattered happily and words flowed out of her mouth in an unending stream. Seeing that she was happy and excited, Yu Hai simply nodded and agreed with everything she said.


    With Yu Hai pushing, the over twenty kilometer road home didn¡¯t seem as long as before. They both rested at the midpoint, and Xiaocao rolled up the leg of her father¡¯s trouser and started to massage his injured leg with practiced movements. She felt as if her dad had worked too hard walking and said, ¡°Father, we have around seven to eight taels right now. How about instead of getting new clothes and nkets we get an ox cart instead?¡±


    Yu Hai wiped the sweat off his face and drank a mouthful of sweet and delicious water that had previously been boiled. He felt as if all of the fatigue on his body had been quickly washed away. Xiaocao had especially prepared some mystic-stone water for her father to bring along, so it was natural that it had that effect.


    When he heard her suggestion, heughed, ¡°Seven to eight taels is only about enough to buy an ox alone. If we wanted a cart to go with it, even if we provided the wood, it would still require an additional couple hundred copper coins. The money our family has right now is just about enough to buy a donkey cart instead...¡±


    ¡°A donkey is faster than an ox, so it¡¯s probably better to have a donkey pull a cart then! Father, how much would a donkey cost? How about we buy a donkey and then have Third Maternal Uncle help us make a donkey cart. In a few days, the vegetables at home should be ready to be sold. If we had a donkey cart, wouldn¡¯t it be easier to bring them to market?¡±


    In her previous life, it was rare to see a donkey around, even in the rural areas. She could faintly remember that her family had raised a donkey when she was young. She had even been carried by her father as he drove the donkey cart to go to the town market!


    Yu Hai felt his heart skip a beat at the idea. The plots ofnd in the front and back courtyards were already lush and verdant with growing green vegetables. After growing for over twenty days, the produce should soon be ready to be picked and sold at market. If they didn¡¯t have a cart, they would need to rely on someone hauling the vegetables by foot to get them into town. It would be quite an effort!


    ¡°One male donkey should be around four to five taels. If we add on the cart, I¡¯d reckon that Cao¡¯er wouldn¡¯t be able to wear new clothing then...¡± Yu Hai looked briefly at his daughter¡¯s worn and patched clothing with a pang of guilt. The weather was getting warmer but none of his children had any presentable clothing to wear. As a father, he had really let his children down.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. If we spend all the money, we can earn moreter! We should still buy a donkey first, so that in the future, whether we¡¯re going to the docks to sell braised food or going into town, it¡¯ll be a lot easier for us to travel!¡± The corners of Xiaocao¡¯s mouth curved up into a grin and a feeling of excitement rushed into her heart¡ªvery soon her family would be the owners¡¯ of a cart!


    ¡°Alright! When we send Shitou to the academy in town, we can conveniently stop by the ox and horse market to look. If there¡¯s a suitable animal there, then we can buy one then! In the future, when Little Shitou goes into town, we can drop him off and pick him up easily with the donkey cart. Your mother will also feel relieved too!¡± Yu Hai made the final decision and could not be swayed from the idea of getting a donkey cart!


    For the next couple of days, the entire Yu Family bustled around, busy with their tasks. Xiaocao and Yu Hai went to the docks in the morning to sell their braised food. During that time, Little Shitou would bring his older sister, Xiaolian, to the pond behind their house to catch fish. Madam Liu spent her time in the house working on sewing a couple pieces of clothing for her youngest son. She had seen that the neighbor¡¯s boy, Qian Wen, was now wearing a long robe. Thus she copied the style and crafted an indigo-blue colored long robe for her son.


    At noon, Xiaocao came back to the house to take an hour nap. When she got up, she helped her mother and Xiaolian to prepare the fish to make pickled fish. In the afternoon, Xiaolian and Little Shitou would go to the docks to sell more braised food.


    It was actually quite funny. Xiaolian had been going to the docks for about four to five days now, but none of the customers at the docks had realized the two girls were different people, except for Brother Six. Little Shitou said that Brother Six seemed to be very surprised when he came over once to buy pickled fish, but the man didn¡¯t say a word.


    Xiaocao and Xiaolian were a set of identical twins. In the past, Xiaocao had a sickly constitution and had stunted growth since birth. Her body was thin and weak, and she had a deathly pale pallor. On the other hand, Xiaolian had followed her mother around doing household chores for years. Although her body was also thin, it had a strong foundation and her skin was tanner. It was still easy to tell the two girls apart, even if they weren¡¯t standing right next to each other.


    At the present, things had changed. With the little divine stone by her side every day, Xiaocao had been slowly nourished by its power until her body was strong and healthy. She even grew a decent amount of height in the past half year and had almost caught up to Xiaolian, who had previously been half a head taller than her. As for Xiaolian, she had been washing her face every day with the mystic-stone water. In addition, everything she ate and drank had been touched by the stone¡¯s water. Thus, her previously somewhat coarse and tanned skin had been transformed into soft and bright skin.


    Now if someone nced at the two of them, there was hardly a difference between the two. However, those who were familiar with the two girls could still in a glimpse catch the differences. Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were always bright and Xiaolian, from time to time, would reveal a cute and silly expression...


    From what Shitou was saying, it seemed like Brother Six, who she had only seen a few times, was able to tell the difference between her and Xiaolian with one look? Xiaocao was a bit puzzled by this scenario.


    However, she quickly put that thought to the back of her mind as other ideas came to the forefront. Because they could earn almost three hundred copper coins a day, the whole familybored busily with an optimistic outlook towards the future.


    Time passed quickly until it was the day that Qian Wen wasing back for his break. In this time period, possibly due to the influence of the transmigrator who established the current dynasty, all of the schools in the country were using the modern day schedule: five days of study with two days of break. Other than the people who rented apartments in town to live in, most of the other students boarded at the dormitories. On the first day of the week, sses started at 7 am in the morning, and on the fifth day, sses ended at 5 pm. This meant that those who lived close to home could spend three nights and two days there!


    Yu Hai intentionally brought some braised food over to the Qian Family when he called on them. He wanted to ask them for guidance and get help in determining what Shitou need to bring to school and other such details.


    When Qian Wen found out that Little Shitou had been epted into the academy by the rmendation of the headmaster, he felt simultaneously happy for the little boy and a tiny bit of envy grew in his heart. The headmaster of Rongxuan Academy was the most famous schr of his generation. All of the students in the academy had wanted to enter the school based off of his reputation.


    However, the headmaster rarely taught the beginner sses. In fact, even the intermediate and higher level sses were infrequently graced by his presence. Great Schr Yuan only gave out pointers and coached the students who were close to participating in the metropolitan civil exams.


    If one could catch Great Schr Yuan¡¯s attention, then obtaining first ce at the examinations would not be difficult at all. The graduates from the academy who had achieved first to third ce in the imperial examinations had all been personally guided by the headmaster himself.


    Little Shitou had just turned six but was bright and eager to learn. He frequently came over to Qian Wen¡¯s residence to learn how to read and write characters. The little fellow learned quickly and only required one to two repetitions before he could remember it. Qian Wen would have never expected that the boy would be so lucky that the headmaster would recognize his talent while selling food at the docks...


    The early morning of spring had a chilly nip in the air. The branches of willow trees by the road had already started to be tender and flexible. One could asionally see a few strands of green within the patches of withered grass. All of thisbined started to make people feel like spring had finally arrived.


    On the days when Old Zhang wasn¡¯t delivering firewood to town, he could always be found at the crack of dawn at the crossroads with his ox cart. Rides were offered to a few vigers who needed to go to town and the cost for the ride was one copper coin a person. Old Zhang could make some spending money from this.


    Usually, it was considered a good day if he could earn around ten to eighteen coppers from his ride services. The vast majority of vigers were frugal and didn¡¯t want to spend that one coin, so they mostly used their own legs to get to town.


    Today was the end of the two day break for students. There were a few children in the nearby viges who all studied at the schools in town. Although most of them weren¡¯t at Rongxuan Academy, having schrly talents alone was enough to make their parents proud. Those families who were able to pay the schooling fees naturally didn¡¯tck that one copper coin for the ox cart ride. Thus, all of those parents who dearly loved their children would always spend a copper coin to let them hitch a ride to town whenever Old Zhang wasn¡¯t hauling firewood.


    Old Zhang was bbergasted when he saw Yu Hai and his two kids next to Qian Wen. He asked curiously, ¡°Dahai, are you going into town to get your leg checked out?¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s entire face was wreathed in happiness as he shook his head, ¡°No, Older Uncle Zhang. My leg has already healed. Cao¡¯er and I are bringing Shitou to town to go to school!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to town to study? The yearly tuition is quite a lot, isn¡¯t your family...¡± Old Zhang didn¡¯t continue his train of thought and merely looked sympathetically at Yu Hai.


    Yu Hai¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change and continued to smile brightly, ¡°The academy told us that we can dy paying the first two months of tuition. After a few days, when my leg ispletely better, I¡¯ll go hunting in the mountains. Won¡¯t I have the schooling fees then? No matter how hard or rough it gets, I can¡¯t hold my children back!¡±


    ¡°You still dare to go up the mountain?! Thest time you came back you were all bloody! It truly scared the heck out of all the vigers! Just be a little bit more poor, ah, who knows what¡¯s in those mountains? The less you go the better!¡± Old Zhang begged Yu Hai to reconsider out of concern.

 Chapter 95 – Entering School

    <h4>Chapter 95 ¨C Entering School</h4>


    In the past, the young men of the vige often went into the mountains to trap some hares and kill some pheasants because they had seen Hunter Zhao and Yu Hai make money from hunting. However, ever since Yu Hai had his ident, other than the highly skilled Hunter Zhao, most of the other vigers didn¡¯t dare to go into the mountains anymore.


    Old Zhang had lived in Xishan Vige for many decades and this was the first time he had heard that a vicious animal like a wild bear was in the mountains! Even though the wild bear had been killed, who knew what other ferocious animals and creatures lived in the mountain?


    Yu Hai grinned, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. As long as you don¡¯t go deep into the mountains, you won¡¯t have any issues. People in nearby viges go through the forests by the mountains every day. After all these years, have you heard of an ident urring? At that time, it was because we had not been careful and rmed a bear who had just woken up from his winter nap. Without precautions...in the future, as long as we¡¯re more careful we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Old Zhang simply sighed and shook his head. He took out two of the three copper coins given to him and said, ¡°Your children don¡¯t take up much space, so you only need to pay for one person. Your family doesn¡¯t have an easy life...¡±


    Xiaocao thanked Grandpa Zhang. Although her family currently didn¡¯tck the one or two copper coins, all of them still felt grateful for Old Zhang¡¯s kindness and good intentions. The two siblings chose a middle spot on the ox cart and leaned their backs against Little Shitou¡¯s bag as they squatted down. Yu Hai sat next to Old Zhang in the front and spent the time chatting with him about nonessential things. Qian Wen sat next to the two siblings as he quietly read aloud from a book. His head bobbed gently with the cart¡¯s movements.


    The ox cart started and stopped several times. When it passed by the third vige, the cart was finally full of people going into town. Xiaocao and her younger brother had been squeezed solidly into the middle of the vehicle and couldn¡¯t even extend their legs out. Although it was ufortable, Xiaocao felt that it wasn¡¯t the right time toin. Qian Wen apparently seemed to sense her difort and decided to switch ces with her. This allowed her to sit at the side of the cart and dangle her legs down. It was certainly morefortable than curling up her legs.


    Xiaocao smiled gratefully at Qian Wen. Meanwhile, Little Shitou had managed to squeeze himself in between his father and Grandpa Zhang. He had taken Old Zhang¡¯s bullwhip and was using it to draw pictures in the air...


    It hadn¡¯t reached breakfast time when the cart arrived in Tanggu Town. Xiaocao had carefully cradled a delicate woven basket the entire road there. Inside the basket were some gifts that she nned on giving to the academy¡¯s headmaster. With Qian Wen to guide them, the three of them managed to go straight to Rongxuan Academy.


    The main gate to the school wasrge and spectacr, and on the top of the gate was an inscription board with ¡®Rongxuan Academy¡¯ written on it. In fact, those words had been personally written by the emperor emeritus himself. The schoolyard had been designed along symmetrical lines and had a deep courtyard. The main building was built on the central axis, and the ssroom that the headmaster personally taught in was located at the exact middle of theplex. The other lecture halls were divided into two rows at the sides. The dining hall, worship hall, and ancestral hall were ordered around the left and right of the main wing.


    Theyers of sights within the courtyard gave off a wondrous and marvelous atmosphere. There was a pond with a stream, a stone bridge, and pavilions...a person walking around could hear the faint cadence of students repeating the words they read in their books. This was a ce that dripped of culture and learning, and people visiting couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of deep reverence and fascination...


    With Qian Wen¡¯s guidance, the three of them managed to smoothly enter through the academy¡¯s main gate. As they walked through the secluded and quiet avenue, they couldn¡¯t help but walk more lightly than they usually would.


    It was currently the meal time at the academy, so Qian Wen directly brought them into the ¡®canteen courtyard¡¯. The area was split into two courtyards. One of them was naturally the ce where the students were able to eat food. The other smaller area was a bit more elegant and it was for the teachers.


    Xiaocao tightly squeezed on the handle of her basket and joyfully followed Qian Wen from behind. When they arrived at a round gate shaped like the moon, they were stopped by a student who was dressed in a ck robe, ¡°Student, this is the courtyard where the teachers eat. If you want to partake in a meal, please go over there.¡±


    Qian Wen respectfully gave a greeting and quietly replied, ¡°Brother, if you don¡¯t mind, could you report to the headmaster and tell him that the little boy from the docks that he had epted into the school is here to report for duty...¡±


    The headmaster had personally epted a new student? The youth wearing the ck robe peeped inquisitively at the little boy who was wearing an entire set of brand-new cotton padded clothes and the man and little girl who were clothed shabbily. He paused for a second and then nodded, ¡°Please wait a moment here...¡±


    Inside the canteen, Headmaster Yuan was having a snack with the academy supervisor and the official of rites and history. When he heard what the student prefect reported, his eyes immediately lit up and sillily asked, ¡°Is the girl that¡¯s with him about seven to eight years of age? Did shee empty-handed? Did she really not bring anything?¡±


    The academy supervisor was considered an old friend of his and knew that he never received other people¡¯s gifts. bbergasted, he silently asked himself why his old friend would ask something like that. Isn¡¯t this...isn¡¯t this making it obvious that you want something from her? What sort of person could make his old friend do something so out of character? The official of rites and history also gave the headmaster a bewildered nce.


    The student prefect secretly peeked at the headmaster and quietly replied, ¡°The little girl had a basket in her hands. There was a piece of rough cloth covering the top, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the basket.¡±


    Inside his heart he felt that this was not right and proper. The three of them looked like they came from an impoverished family, what kind of poor gift could they give? Could be a few chicken eggs, or a bunch of dried vegetables, at most it¡¯d be an old hen. What was there to look forward to?


    Yet, when the headmaster heard his reply, his expression became even more excited. The old man stood up abruptly with a ¡®whoosh¡¯ and paced around a few steps as he guffawed, ¡°Looks like this little girl has some sense in her head! Quickly, quickly, let those peoplee in!¡±


    Qian Wen felt even more surprised when he found out that the headmaster would personally receive the Yu Family. Just what kind of talent did Little Shitou have that made the esteemed headmaster favor him so much?


    However, when the three esteemed schrs of the academy came out to personally receive them, Qian Wen felt extremely privileged to be able to bask in the glory of others. He bowed deeply to the headmaster, academy supervisor, and the official.


    Headmaster Yuan noticed that he was wearing the uniform of a student: a long gown. He smiled at him and nodded his head, ¡°Are you a student in the junior ss? What¡¯s your name? Are you from the same hometown as Yu Fan and his sister?¡±


    They had to admit, Headmaster Yuan had a formidable memory. After all these days had passed, he could still clearly remember Little Shitou¡¯s full name. As for being able to recognize Qian Wen as a student in the junior ss, that wasn¡¯t because he had an impression of Qian Wen. Instead, the sses at the academy: primary, junior, middle, and advanced, all had different uniform colors.


    The children in the primary ss wore long robes that were an ink-blue color. The junior ss had sea-blue, the middle ss was azure blue, and the advanced ss wore a pale moon-blue. By looking at the sea-blue uniform Qian Wen was wearing, Headmaster Yuan could tell in a nce what ss he was in.


    Qian Wen respectfully bowed to Great Schr Yuan in a reply to his question. Headmaster Yuan stared obviously at the basket in Xiaocao¡¯s hands and carelessly encouraged Qian Wen with a couple of sentences. The boy felt overwhelmed with favor by his attention. The old man waved his hand in dismissal to let Qian Wen go eat a meal and then he smiled toothily at Xiaocao. He rubbed his hands in anticipation, ¡°Little girl, what¡¯s in your basket? The greedy monster inside my stomach is already rumbling, quickly take it out...¡±


    The academy supervisor and official of rites looked at each other and then simultaneously turned their heads away¡ª¡ªwe don¡¯t know this shameful man, we don¡¯t know him...


    ¡°Esteemed headmaster, you really have a good nose! I brought over some braised pig head meat and pickled fish. Do you want to try them?¡± Xiaocao took out two tes of tantalizing braised food from the basket and ced them on the table in front of the three important figures of the academy.


    ¡°Braised pig head meat? Is that the dish that the emperor emeritus loves the most? That¡¯s fantastic...ah! You two, didn¡¯t you both say that you were full? If you¡¯re full, then leave, quickly leave now...¡± Headmaster Yuan protected the two tes of food like it was his beloved treasure. He wanted to keep his beloved food away from the two hungry wolves that were his old friends.


    The academy supervisor and official of rites had been friends for him for a long time, so they naturally knew what type of personality he had. They looked at the table full of food that had been barely touched and the wine cups that had only a sip taken out. The two of them looked at each other bitterly and silently got up to leave¡ª¡ªit looked like they needed to have the kitchen make another table of food.


    The two men nced at the raggedly clothed Xiaocao and thought, ¡®This little girl looks like shees from a very poor family, yet she can bring out something that our old friend, who disdains the food from the imperial kitchen, likes so much? Isn¡¯t it just a te of pale red meat and a few messy looking strips of fish? Does he really need to protect them?¡¯


    The supervisor and official both sat down at a nearby table and sat face to face drinking wine as they watched Headmaster Yuan¡¯s movements and expressions. They first saw him pick up a piece of pork with the skin on it and carefully chew the bite to taste. His eyes closed in pleasure, and his bodynguage showed that he was very satisfied with the taste of this dish.


    It was just a piece of pork, how delicious could it be? Could it possibly be that their old friend¡¯s taste buds had degenerated and he was no longer that picky? The two men then saw the headmaster pick up a fish about the size of a young child¡¯s palm. A fish that size had a lot of thin bones, right? Eating it had to take a lot of effort, they needed to see how their old friend would eat this.


    Headmaster Yuan evidently also had some doubts, and he asked the little girl a couple of questions. After hesitating for a short period of time, he then popped the fish into his mouth. Supervisor Meng and Official Yao felt like they could feel the multitudes of small fish bones piercing their mouth and both of them coughed to clear their throats.


    As for their old friend, Headmaster Yuan, his eyes, which had originally been opened wide, and slowly closed into a line with his chewing movements. This type of expression clearly showed that he was enjoying the taste of a culinary delicacy.


    Ehhhh? Howe when their old friend was eating the fish he didn¡¯t spit out a single fish bone? And he also didn¡¯t seem to get poked by any bones? Is the fish the type that didn¡¯t have any bones? That couldn¡¯t be right. Official Yao, who had grown up in the rural country, had recognized early on what type of fish that was used. It was a crucian carp and it definitely had a lot of tiny bones!


    This little girl, what kind of spell did she cast on the headmaster that he could eat fish with tiny bones in it without any sign of pain or suffering...


    Official Yao couldn¡¯t sit there anymore! That can¡¯t do, he needed to figure out what was going on. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to eat and sleep for the next few days!


    Official Yao quickly stepped over to Headmaster Yuan¡¯s table and snatched a little fish when the old man was in the midst of speaking warmly to Xiaocao. Before the other man could object, he quickly stuffed the fish into his mouth.


    Headmaster Yuan was immediately stunned. He had known Official Yao for almost fifty years, and he knew that his old friend hade from a poor family. Thus, Old Yao didn¡¯t have any expectations for food, as long as he could eat his fill, then he was content.


    Today Old Yao knew that there was something special to be had. He knew that the little girl¡¯s fish had to be a dish of unique taste and splendor. Thus, he didn¡¯t care about his reputation and had snatched food from his te. After being stunned for a second, Headmaster Yuan snarled, ¡°Old Yao! You¡¯re really too much! How could you steal the pickled fish that the little girl made especially for me as a sign of her filial respect? I...I...I¡¯m super angry at you!!¡±


    At this moment, Headmaster Yuan put down his chopsticks and threw himself at his old friend who was still chewing on the fish that he loved. Official Yao continued to eat the fish that had meltedpletely in his mouth, yet his hands were not idle. He continuously managed to dodge and repel his old friend¡¯s ¡®offense¡¯.

 Chapter 96 – Haggard

    <h4>Chapter 96 ¨C Haggard</h4>


    Two elderly men, who were around seventy years old, were unexpectedly fighting over a fish in public like they are a child. When the teachers in the canteen saw this side of the famous schr, his grand and dignified image within their hearts instantly toppled down. Good gracious! Was that really the aloof and mysterious Headmaster Yuan? He was obviously an old urchin!


    Taking advantage of the time when his old friends were pushing and blocking each other, Supervisor Meng also came over. He had just tasted a piece of braised pig head meat when he was pushed away by his friend who was trying to protect his food. Great Schr Yuan was so angry that his face had turned red. He loudly shouted, ¡°Good! You are all stealing my culinary delicacy! This old man! This old man will break off rtions with you both!¡±


    Xiaocao and her father were both stunned by the scene. If they weren¡¯t in Rongxuan Academy, she would¡¯ve thought that Great Schr Yuan was an impostor. This... they were the three most important people of Rongxuan Academy. If they be hostile towards each other because of the braised food she had brought, then she would have sinned greatly.


    She hurriedly walked forward and persuaded, ¡°Headmaster Yuan, please quell your anger. If you don¡¯t mind, every time Little Shitou returns after break, I will bring some small side dishes for you......¡±


    Headmaster Yuan had been waiting for her to say this, so when he heard her words, his anger turned into happiness. He said, ¡°Good girl, this old man didn¡¯t misjudged you. You really have a good heart! Shishu, have you finished eating? If you¡¯re done, then bring Yu Fan to the primary ss¡¯s dormitory and help him settle down.¡±


    Shishu was slightly astounded within his heart. He was just a small new student from the primary ss, yet the headmaster had asked him, his personal assistant to personally find a ce for him to settle down. It was apparent how much the headmaster valued this small child!


    Although Shishu was surprised, he didn¡¯t reveal any of his feelings on his face. He replied with a ¡®yes¡¯, and said to Yu Hai and his children, ¡°Pleasee with me!¡±


    The headmaster¡¯s personal assistant, Teacher Shishu, actually came to the primary ss to help a new student named ¡°Yu Fan¡± toplete the enrollment procedure. He had also personally arranged a room for the new student in the dormitory. This news quickly spread throughout Rongxuan Academy. Everyone was very curious as to who the new student was, to be able to make Teacher Shishu do all of that for him.


    Little Shitou didn¡¯t know that he had already be well-known on his first day at the academy. At this time, he had just happily set his little bag down on his bed in the dormitory. He reached out his hands and touched the loose and soft new bedding. Seeing that the dormitory wasplete with a desk and stool, he immediately felt that he was very privileged to be able to live and study in such afortable environment. He secretly made a firm resolution to study hard and not disappoint his parents and older sisters!


    Xiaocao looked at her little brother¡¯s roommates. One of his roommates was about ten years old, while the other one was slightly younger and looked around seven or eight years old. There was no contempt reflected in their eyes upon seeing the ragged clothes that she and her father were wearing. At such a young age, they already had a sense of propriety, and were neither arrogant nor rash. Thus, Xiaocao¡¯s tensed heart finally rxed.


    Little Shitou had just settled down when Qian Wen came inside the room with a porcin bowl in his hand. The two students from the primary ss hurriedly got up to greet their senior.


    Qian Wen slightly nodded his head towards the two younger students, and then said to Little Shitou, ¡°I got some food for you. Eat it quickly because there¡¯s a morning reading sster. The primary ss had already started school about a month ago. So, if you have anything you don¡¯t understand, you cane and find me. I live in the third room from the left over there.¡±


    Little Shitou was very worried when he heard that he had missed out on nearly a month of ss. So, when he heard Qian Wen offering to help him, he replied, ¡°Thank you Brother Xiaowen. I will frequently ask you for guidance if you don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m a bother. I have already eaten breakfast, so you should bring the food back to eat yourself!¡±


    ¡°The evening meal starts around three in the afternoon. Since you ate breakfast so early in the morning, if you don¡¯t eat something now, how will you be able to endure until the afternoon? You won¡¯t be able to learn anything with an empty stomach!¡± Qian Wen pushed the porcin bowl towards Shitou, urging him, ¡°Quickly eat!¡±


    Xiaocao saw that the rice inside the bowl was made with a mixture of white rice and millet. Although there were only radishes and white cabbage topping it, they had used a decent amount of oil to stir-fry the vegetables, which was about the same as the living standards of ordinary families. She suddenly asked, ¡°Brother Xiaowen, how much does one serving of this meal cost?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only one copper coin for a bowl of white rice mixed with millet and vegetables. If you want white rice only with the same vegetables, then it will cost two copper coins. It will be five copper coins for white rice with meat... If you don¡¯t want rice, it can be exchanged for steamed buns. There are buns made with wheat flour, as well as mixed grains...¡± Qian Wen understood her meaning so he reported all the prices of the food from the canteen to her.


    As the saying goes, ¡®be thrifty at home and spend liberally while traveling¡¯. So of course Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t mistreat her younger brother, who was studying away from home. He had a two-day break after every five days of studies. She set aside eight copper coins daily for his meals and counted an additional ten copper coins as allowance, and thus gave Little Shitou fifty copper coins in total.


    Qian Wen was somewhat surprised to see Xiaocao giving Little Shitou fifty copper coins. His living expenses for five days was merely thirty to forty copper coins. His family¡¯s living conditions were much better than Xiaocao¡¯s, but she was still willing to give her brother that much money.


    Little Shitou looked at the string of coins her older sister handed to him and refused to take it all no matter what. He said, ¡°Second Sister, just two copper coins is enough for me to eat for a day. Why are you giving me so much money? Our family isn¡¯t rich. In order to earn enough money to pay for my school fees, everyone in the family has been busy without rest. You can just give me ten copper coins for five days!¡±


    Xiaocao pulled him aside and resolutely gave the string of coins to him. She said, ¡°Just take the money first. If you can¡¯t use it all up, then use the rest to buy paper and brushes. Shitou, you are at an age when your body is growing. Don¡¯t always think about saving money and eat something good from time to time! You should know about your second sister¡¯s ability. The money I earn from selling braised food is enough for our family¡¯s living expenses. Quickly take the money, or else I¡¯m going to be angry...¡±


    Little Shitou¡¯s eyes reddened as he epted the money. Sniffling his nose, he said, ¡°Father, Second Sister, rest assured because I will definitely study hard...¡±


    ¡°Studying is important, but your health is even more important! You¡¯re still young and you have never left home before, so you must learn to take care of yourself. Remember to dress ording to the weather...¡± Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were tearing up. It was as if she had returned to her previous life when her younger brother had left home to study in another part of the country. However, she was unable to send him off at that time because she had to take care of her braised food shop. Thus, all her worries and concerns were turned into sessive words of caution.


    Little Shitou wiped away his tears and tried to dispel their reluctance to part withughter, ¡°Second Sister, you really are Mother¡¯s daughter. Even the words you say are the same as hers!¡±


    Yu Hai forced himself to smile and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because both your mother and older sister care about you? They¡¯re worried about you... Alright, quickly eat. Don¡¯t bete for your first ss.¡± He turned towards Qian Wen, solemnly cupped his fist together, and said, ¡°Xiaowen ah, Shitou is still young and he is also new to the academy. Please help me look after him.¡±


    Qian Wen hastily bowed in return andughed, ¡°Uncle Dahai, I would¡¯ve looked after him even if you didn¡¯t ask me to! Don¡¯t worry! Besides the teachers in the academy, there are also staff who oversee student life for each row of houses. There¡¯s also a doctor dedicated exclusively to the academy. If any of the students have a headache or fever, he can receive free treatments from the doctor. Uncle Dahai, Shitou is very hardworking, so he won¡¯t have any problems!¡±


    Xiaocao came out of Rongxuan Academy with reddened eyes. Ever since she transmigrated into this unfamiliar world, she had always been apanied by this sensible and clever little boy.


    When she was bedridden, he had gotten bird eggs for her, chatted with her andughed with her. When they dug for wild herbs, he held a little basket and worked even harder than her. He had always stayed by her side when they went to the docks to sell braised food...


    In her heart, she had already regarded Little Shitou as her real younger brother. He only six years old, yet he had to stay in town to study at the academy all by himself. She was extremely reluctant to part with him and didn¡¯t feel reassured at all.


    Yu Hai felt very happy about the deep bond between the sister and brother. Heforted her, saying, ¡°Cao¡¯er, don¡¯t be sad anymore. You will be able to see him after five days. At that time, let¡¯se early to pick him up! Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to go to the ox and horse market? Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Xiaocao rubbed away the tears in her eyes, sniffed her nose, and cheered up, ¡°Let¡¯s go visit Eldest Brother at the woodworking shop first... Mother made a new pair of shoes for him. Let¡¯s give him the shoes.¡±


    The father and daughter pair went to the main street and arrived at Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop. Perhaps it was because Yu Hai was present, the shop assistant had an ugly expression on his face but he didn¡¯t deliberately make things difficult for them. He immediately called Yu Hang out.


    After not seeing her older brother for a few days, Xiaocao felt that her brother had gotten even thinner. There was a sense of weariness within his withered and yellowplexion. Although he forced himself to appear energetic in front of them, they could still see how exhausted he was.


    ¡°Older Brother, is it tiring to be an apprentice here? Or is it because you aren¡¯t feeling well? Yourplexion doesn¡¯t look good...¡± Xiaocao asked with concern. After all, Yu Hang was only eleven to twelve years old. Most of the work in woodworking shop required physical strength, so it was considered strenuous work for a young boy like Yu Hang.


    The sensible Yu Hang was afraid that he would make his family worry, so heughed heedlessly and said, ¡°Business has been doing well these past few days. Even the head craftsmen had to work overtime. I¡¯m merely an assistant who stayed up a littleter. After the busy period passes, I will be fine!¡±


    Yu Hai sighed deeply as he looked at his son who was acting like an adult. He wanted to say something but after hesitating for a while, he swallowed back his words. Xiaocao looked at her father and said, ¡°Father, our family¡¯s daily ie is very good now. We alsock people helping at home. Why don¡¯t we bring Eldest Brother back home?¡±


    Yu Hang didn¡¯t wait for his father¡¯s response and interjected, ¡°Second Sister, I am really fine! Which head craftsmen didn¡¯t start as an apprentice? After enduring for two years as a neer, I will be able to start learning woodwork. Don¡¯t worry, your older brother¡¯s health is great!¡±


    Xiaocao stuffed the bundle she was holding into her older brother¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Older Brother, this is a pair of shoes that mother made for you. There¡¯s also a hundred copper coins inside. Take it......¡±


    Yu Hang lowered his head and looked at his shoes which had his toes exposed. He quickly replied, ¡°I will take the shoes, but take the money back! Our family isn¡¯t well-off. I have enough to eat and drink here, so I don¡¯t have any need for money.¡±


    Xiaocao stubbornly stuffed the string of coins into her brother¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Xiaolian and I take turns to sell food at the docks. Our business is doing very well, so our family¡¯s circumstances aren¡¯t as difficult as you think. In just a few days, we were able to scrape together enough money for a month¡¯s worth of tuition for Little Shitou. So, a hundred copper coins isn¡¯t much. When you¡¯re away from home, it¡¯s best to have some money on you for emergencies.¡±


    Yu Hai also urged, ¡°Your younger sister is right. Just take it! You are growing right now, so buy some food and eat it when you¡¯re hungry at night... We won¡¯t dy you any longer. Quickly go in.¡±


    After leaving the woodworking shop, the father and daughter didn¡¯t speak for a long time. When they were almost at the ox and horse market, Xiaocao finally said, ¡°Father, after a few days, let¡¯s bring Eldest Brother back. It¡¯s hard to live as an apprentice......¡±


    Yu Hai nodded his head and replied, ¡°En.¡± After that, he didn¡¯t say anything else and just sighed.

 Chapter 97 – The Sick Donkey

    <h4>Chapter 97 ¨C The Sick Donkey</h4>


    The ox and horse market was located in the northmost part of the town. It was an open area that was surrounded by wooden fences. At this time, ox and horse market bustled with activity. People who sold oxen, horses, and mules had all gathered here. The air gave off the smell of animal feces, making it smell very unpleasant.


    ¡°I¡¯m selling a calf! This calf is just two months old. It¡¯s very sturdy! Brother, I can sell the calf to you at a cheaper price if you want it.¡±


    ¡°Brother look at my mule. It¡¯s only two years old and so it¡¯s the perfect time for it to start working...¡±


    ¡°There seems to be a problem with your mule¡¯s legs. It can¡¯t walk so what do I need it for?¡±


    ¡°The calf is too small. I want a calf that will be able to work at the beginning of spring...¡±


    ¡°Uncle, look at my...¡±


    ...


    Her ears were full of various kinds of sounds. However, Xiaocao felt that the noises felt very familiar. On her way, she had asked a few people regarding the price of their oxen and mules. But all their prices were on the high side. It was just like her father had said, if they hadn¡¯t paid for Little Shitou¡¯s school fees, then they might have been able to buy one. But even then, they still won¡¯t have enough money leftover to equip it with a cart.


    It was not known if the Heavens was deliberately setting itself against Xiaocao, but she didn¡¯t see many people selling donkeys after circling around the market once. asionally there would be a family that was selling a donkey; however, their asking price was beyond reasonable limits. Their asking price was even higher than the price of an ox.


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s bustling with noise and excitement over there. Let¡¯s go and look...¡± Yu Hai also knew that it was not easy to reach a deal when buying an animal. So unlike Xiaocao who had a glum look on her face, when he saw that there was a crowd of people in front of them, he immediately pulled his daughter¡¯s hand and squeezed into the crowd.


    Like he was conferring a favor, a man said, ¡°Pedantic schr, your donkey is sick to the point that it¡¯s about to stop breathing. Yet you¡¯re still asking for such a high price. Who will buy it? Let it be. Forget about it. I¡¯m a kindhearted person. I will take pity on you and pay eight hundred copper coins to buy your donkey cart!¡± The middle-aged man with a shrewd-looking face looked at the donkey which was as skinny as firewood.


    Xiaocao, who had squeezed through the crowd, saw a youngster crouched down in front of a donkey. The youngster was around sixteen to seventeen years old, and he wore the uniformed long gown from Rongxuan Academy. The donkey was so thin that there were only bones left. It was weakly lying on the ground because it didn¡¯t even have the energy to stand up. If its abdomen wasn¡¯t still moving up and down, she would¡¯ve thought the donkey was dead. The youngster¡¯s face was full of mncholy as he shook his head. He quietly said, ¡°No, no! It already takes one tael of silver to make a donkey cart. My father is waiting for the money I earn from the donkey cart to save his life! Eight hundred copper coins aren¡¯t even enough for two packets of medicine...¡±


    The middle-aged man impatiently asked, ¡°Pedantic schr, how much money do you want to sell this half-dead donkey for?¡±


    ¡°Three...three taels of silver! My father is very sick. He needs this money to see a doctor...¡± The young schr appeared to understand that his asking price was somewhat excessive, so his voice was almost inaudible.


    But he also had no choice. All the valuables in the family had already been sold off to pay for his school fees. They had relied on this donkey cart to help people carry their goods or transport people around to town to earn money to survive. However, he had never expected that five days ago, the donkey had started vomiting and had diarrhea. It was very sick, so they found a few veterinarians. But none of the veterinarians were able to help. His father was anxious and suffered from excessive internal heat and ended up catching a cold. Now, his dad couldn¡¯t get out of his bed.


    There was no money at home to invite a doctor, so he brought the sick donkey to the market to try his luck...


    The middle-aged man sneered at him and rudely said, ¡°You want me to pay three taels of silver for that sick donkey? Little schr, you must know that a big healthy male donkey costs only five taels of silver. And your donkey...tsk, tsk! I¡¯m afraid that even if you kill it and sell its meat, you wouldn¡¯t be able to even get a few taels of silver. I am already showing consideration towards you by paying eight hundred copper coins for that sick donkey!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah! Who would pay three taels of silver for a donkey that¡¯s about to die?¡±


    ¡°Eight hundred copper coins is too little. That amount isn¡¯t even enough to buy a donkey cart. If it¡¯s me, I wouldn¡¯t be willing to sell it either......¡±


    ¡°This child is too pitiful. Looking at the attire the young boy is wearing, he must be a student from Rongxuan Academy. If he didn¡¯t urgently need money, he probably wouldn¡¯t be here and letting people point and gossip about him......¡±


    The onlookers that were surrounding him were divided into two parties. One party said that the youngster had be insane thinking about money, while the other party sympathized and felt pity for the youngster.


    The young schr¡¯s face was pale. His gaze looked crazed as he stared at the donkey which was struggling at death¡¯s door. He continuously said, ¡°No, no...my father is waiting for the money I earn from selling the donkey to save his life. He is waiting for me to save his life......¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was somewhat touched by the young schr¡¯s filial piety as she looked at him. She thought back to the time when her father was between life and death. She recalled how grief-stricken they were and how helpless the entire family felt. Xiaocao shouted for the little divine stone in her mind, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, will you be able to save this donkey?]


    A mini golden kitten squeezed itself out from Xiaocao¡¯s chest region of her tattered cotton-padded jacket. It stretched its little head andzily nced at the donkey and in a tender but an unhappy voice, it said, [Smelly master, what do you take me for? You used me as fish bait and to save people. Now, you want me to rescue a domestic animal. I¡¯m unwilling! I, your father, will go on strike!]


    Imagine a very small kitten with one of its legs crossed over its other, holding its two front legs, with its head tilted to the side, and calling itself ¡®daddy¡¯. The scene was quite cute but also a bit weird.


    Xiaocao patiently worked on it, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, the Goddess of Spirits had thrown you into the mortal world because she wants you to learn and gain experience in the mortal world. The so-called saying, ¡®saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda¡¯. If you do good and kind deeds, your achievements will allow you to return to the Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side!¡±


    The little divine stone recalled how every time it had helped Xiaocao do something, its power would restore itself in different degrees of magnitude, especially the time when it had saved Yu Hai. After saving Yu Hai, the little divine stone was able to materialize a physical body. It felt that what Xiaocao had said was very reasonable. So, it unwillingly said, [As long as the donkey hasn¡¯t stopped breathing, then I can save it...]


    With the Divine Stone¡¯s guarantee, Xiaocao stepped forward and said to the young schr, ¡°Can you let me take a look at the donkey?¡±


    The young schr¡¯s lifeless expression suddenly became full of expectation when he heard Xiaocao¡¯s words. As if he was looking at his savior, he said, ¡°Little girl, you...do you want to buy my donkey?¡±


    But when he saw the cotton-padded jacket that was full of patches that Xiaocao was wearing, his expression dimmed again. He forced his greed away and said, ¡°Little girl, my donkey is sick. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t buy it...¡±


    Xiaocao saw that even though he had fallen in such a dire situation, he still had a kind and honest heart. She smiled, ¡°My father and I had learned some medical treatments for domestic animals. If the donkey can be saved, then I will buy it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, good! Look at the donkey. My donkey is very capable, it¡¯s not even three years old yet. Before it was sick, everyone had said that my donkey was a good one.¡± A fire of hope once again ignited in the young schr¡¯s eyes as he stared at Xiaocao¡¯s every movement.


    Xiaocao squatted in front of the donkey. She extended her hand to ce between the donkey¡¯s nose and mouth. Hot streams of air sprayed at the palm of her hand as the donkey breathed. Although its breathing was weak, it was clear.


    It¡¯s good if it¡¯s still breathing! She borrowed a broken bowl that domestic animals used to drink water. She allowed Yu Hai to take off the water bag that was tied to the side of her waist and poured the mystic-stone water from the water bag into the bowl.


    The donkey seemed to be able to feel the spiritual energy from the water as it raised its head with difficulty. One mouthful after another, it slowly drank the mystic-stone water from the bowl in Xiaocao¡¯s hand. After it finished the bowl of mystic-stone water, it powerlesslyy on the ground. Although the donkey didn¡¯t have any more strength to stand up, its eyes were clearer and livelier than before.


    ¡°How is my donkey? Little girl, can my donkey be saved?¡± When the young schr saw the donkey, that hadn¡¯t drank water or eaten grass for a long time, drinking the bowl of water, the fire of hope in his heart burned even stronger.


    The middle-aged man with a shrewd-looking face made cynical remarks at the side, ¡°The veterinarians from the ox and horse market all said that the donkey is incurable. What can a silly little girl be capable of? I advise you to quickly sell the donkey before it takes itsst breath. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be bad luck for you when it diester. When it dies, I won¡¯t spend eight hundred copper coins to buy it.¡±


    The young schr acted as if he didn¡¯t hear the middle-aged man ridiculing him. He looked at Xiaocao as if she was hisst chance at life. He wasn¡¯t even aware that his fingernails had pierced through the skin at the palm of his hand as he tightly clenched it into a fist.


    The outsiders thought that Xiaocao was taking pity on the donkey as she stroked the donkey¡¯s boney ribs. But, in fact, she was using the multicolored stone on her wrist to help the donkey sort out the illness inside its body. In a space where other people couldn¡¯t see, soft rays of golden light entered the donkey from the multicolored stone. In less than a moment, the donkey was able to lift its head and its eyes were full of spirit again.


    Xiaocao smiled and nodded at the schr, ¡°The donkey isn¡¯t very ill. I will buy it! It¡¯s three taels of silver, right?


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± The young schr was in a daze as he stared at the silver that Xiaocao had handed to him. He seemed to be in disbelief that his sick donkey that was about to go to heaven would actually fetch him three taels of silver. For a moment, he foolishly stood there because he wasn¡¯t sure what to do.


    Xiaocao saw that he didn¡¯t move for a while, so she thought that he wanted to go back on his words. She whispered to him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Didn¡¯t you say that your father is waiting for this money to save his life? Why aren¡¯t you hurrying to him?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yeah...thank you, little girl. Benefactors, please leave your names behind. In the future, I would like to repay your kindness!¡± The young schr made a big bow towards Xiaocao and her father.


    Xiaocao replied, ¡°What kindness are you talking about? You are selling something, and I am merely buying it. This is a fair trade. There is no need to repay anything. Go quickly, your father¡¯s illness can¡¯t be dyed!¡± Fang Zimo missed his sick father. Seeing that the two didn¡¯t want to leave behind their names, he bowed towards them again and left the market while tightly holding onto the silver.


    The middle-aged man, who couldn¡¯t take advantage of the schr, sourly said, ¡°Little girl, you are still young. There are all kinds of people in this world. There are many who pretend to be sick in order to gain people¡¯s sympathy. You were tricked by others and yet you still haven¡¯t realized it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, uncle, for the reminder! However, the schr is wearing a long gown from Rongxuan Academy. Rongxuan Academy epts students based on their moral character. I believe that he is not a swindler.¡± Xiaocao wasn¡¯t an eight-year-old child who could easily be tricked. She had spent three taels of silver to buy both the donkey and the donkey cart. This was much cheaper than buying a donkey and then asking someone to build a donkey cart for her.


    The middle-aged man gave a final nce at the rtively new donkey cart. He coldly snorted, ¡°You will suffer losses if you turn a deaf ear to your elders. I only reminded you because I believe that you probably saved up money for a long time to be able to save up three taels of silver. I didn¡¯t want you to have a dead loss in the end!¡± After he finished speaking, he swung his sleeve and left.


    Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and disdainfully curled her lip. He couldn¡¯t take advantage of the schr so he could only say a few hateful words. His moral character is really...


    However, Yu Hai was a little worried as he asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, the donkey is very weak. It can¡¯t even stand up so how can we bring it back home? Your Grandpa Zhang¡¯s ox cart can¡¯t fit the donkey...¡±


    Xiaocao confidently said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a feeling that when we go back in the afternoon, the donkey will be able to walk on its own! Father, there isn¡¯t much seasoning left at home. There is a shop in the food market that sells cheap seasonings. Let¡¯s go look.¡±

 Chapter 98 – Dividends

    <h4>Chapter 98 ¨C Dividends</h4>


    After paying for a month¡¯s worth of tuition for Little Shitou and an additional three taels to buy the donkey cart, Xiaocao had about four taels left in her purse. She decided to take advantage of being in town to buy whatever else her family needed.


    The father and daughter pair deposited the donkey cart at the entrance of the ox and horse market and paid the attendant five copper coins. Xiaocao had especially given the old man her water pouch and repeatedly instructed him to give the donkey a bowl of the special water every hour.


    The two of them then went to the town¡¯srgest food market. At the market, the selection of vegetables and produce was as pathetic as before. The vast majority of vegetables on sale were cabbages, radishes, and sweet potatoes. It was obvious that all of them had clearly been stored in people¡¯s cers for a long time. There also weren¡¯t a lot of people selling meat or chickens.


    Xiaocao first went to the general store to buy some spices, soy sauce, and vinegar. This time, she had a decent amount of money on hand, so she could weigh each seasoning separately. She bought two ounces of each spice she needed, which wouldst her for about ten days.


    In addition, she also brought along seven to eight bamboo tubes of differing sizes which had all been made by her father. As soon as she entered the stall, she gave the shopkeeper the new containers to rece the ones she had borrowed from himst time. She then asked the shopkeeper to put a catty of soy sauce into each of the remainingrge tubes


    The shopkeeper had only remembered that she was the little girl who had bought seasonings previously when she returned the bamboo tubes to him. He smiled, ¡°Little girl, did you finish using the spices so quickly? Your family must sell food to other people, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! How did you know?¡± Xiaocao gave him the weights of the condiments that she wanted and smiled sweetly at this honest and kind shopkeeper.


    The shopkeeper grinned, ¡°Other than selling food, what normal, average family would be willing to spend so much money to season their food? Oh ho! You¡¯re buying more spices thanst time, looks like you made some money! Congrattions ah!¡±


    Xiaocao shed a grin at him and said, ¡°I sold some appetizers at the docks and managed to make a little money. I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll have enough money to be like you, Uncle Shopkeeper, and open up a store in town.¡±


    The shopkeeper guffawed and said, ¡°This older uncle is also only making a little money, just enough to survive that is. Don¡¯t think that it¡¯s all sunshine and rainbows opening up a ce. When you add up the rent and money spent on goods and other things, there¡¯s really not much leftover, right? Don¡¯t look down at selling food. In fact, as long as you make good salted and pickled vegetables, you can still make a good amount of money. Do you see that pickled vegetable store over there? They¡¯ve been ming popr these past two days. In fact, my wife really loves that stall¡¯s sweet and crispy dried radishes and spicy pickled cabbage. If she doesn¡¯t have any with every meal, she won¡¯t be able to finish her food...¡±


    ¡°The town is truly a good ce to earn money, even salted and pickled vegetables can sell out so quickly!¡± Yu Hai eximed in wonder as he left the general store.


    Xiaocao smiled knowingly and said, ¡°Father, when we make enough money one day, we can also rent a stall here in town. The store would only sell different types of braised dishes. As the only stall in town to sell braised food, we can definitely make money that way...¡±


    Yu Hai happily replied, ¡°When our family has more money, we should buy some more farnd. We only have three plots of dry, sandynd. The yield from thend is not enough to feed our whole family.¡±


    ¡°Once we open up a stall in town and make some money, we can buy more farnd then! Father, most of thend in our vige is dry and sandy. If we want to buynd, we should buy plots that are closer to town. At that time, we can even move our entire family to town. That way we can avoid Eldest Aunting over to bother us all the time...¡± Xiaocao really despised Madam Li¡¯s bad habits and small tricks. The woman also had a gossipy tongue that never stopped, and she never had anything good to say of others.


    Yu Hai frowned and quietly reprimanded her, ¡°How could say something like that about your eldest aunt. Be careful to not let anyone else hear you, they¡¯ll start saying that you¡¯re a bad child.¡±


    Xiaocao sneered slightly and grumbled inwardly, ¡®Isn¡¯t Eldest Aunt the most shameless one around here? She¡¯spletely a troublemaker!¡¯


    Suddenly, they heard a familiar sounding voice calling out to them, ¡°Brother Dahai, Xiaocao! You guys are also in town now? Looks like you¡¯ve bought a lot of things ah!¡±


    Xiaocao twisted her head around to look and saw that their neighbor, Madam Fang, was waving her hand at them. The basket in front of her had a couple plump and fat hens in it, and the basket next to it was empty.


    ¡°Auntie Zhou, did youe to the market again to sell chicken eggs? Business is doing okay?¡¯ Xiaocao scampered a couple steps forward and stopped by Madam Fang¡¯s side. She smiled sweetly at the woman as she asked.


    Madam Fang helped her brush away a few stray hairs from her cheek and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not bad! The chicken eggs all sold out and there are only a few chickens left. Did you guys hitch a ride on Old Zhang¡¯s ox cart to get here? How was the academy? Was Little Shitou able to enter without any problems?¡±


    ¡°With Brother Qian Wen guiding us, it went pretty smoothly. We don¡¯t have enough seasonings at home, so we went to the food market to look around. Auntie Zhou, please continue with what you need to do, but will you be going back to the vige on the cart too? We bought a donkey cart today!¡± Xiaocao was very happy and excited that they were able to buy a cheap donkey cart. She couldn¡¯t help but tell Madam Fang the good news as soon as she could.


    Madam Fang replied with an astonished look at her face, ¡°Wow, Xiaocao! You only worked for a few days and you managed to buy a cart? Then when we go back, Auntie Zhou will have to take advantage of you...¡±


    Yu Hai, who was standing at the side, hastily interjected, ¡°Madam Fang, don¡¯t listen to her! When we were at the ox and horse market, we saw a ssmate of Shitou¡¯s who desperately needed money and was selling a sick donkey. Xiaocao thought the animal looked pitiful, so she spent three taels to buy the animal and the cart. That donkey looks pretty ill in my opinion. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s savable or not!¡±


    After finding out they had spent three taels to buy a half-dead donkey, Madam Fang wasn¡¯t sure what she should say. Instead, she smiled andmented, ¡°Our Xiaocao has an especially kind heart! Good thingse to good people. That donkey definitely will get better...¡±


    Right at this time, a person came up to ask Madam Fang how much she was selling her hens for. Xiaocao hurriedly said, ¡°Auntie Zhou, do what you need to do! In the afternoon, we¡¯ll go back home together, ok!¡±


    After saying their goodbyes to Madam Fang, the father and daughter pair walked off. Before they had gone a few steps, they were stopped by someone. Jiang Yu, the youngd who ran the pickled vegetable store, came out of his stall with arge smile on his face and greeted them, ¡°Benefactor, benefactor, please wait for a second!¡±


    Yu Hai felt perplexed inside. This young fellow didn¡¯t look familiar at all to him. When did he help this guy? Who would have thought, Yu Hai had assumed wrongly. The person that the young man was thanking wasn¡¯t him.


    ¡°Ah...you are the fellow that runs that pickled and salted vegetable store, right?¡± Xiaocao pointed her finger at the pickled vegetable shop that was in the vicinity. Inside, there were several people buying pickled vegetables. A middle-aged man, who looked very simr to Jiang Yu, was currently bustling around helping out the customers inside.


    Xiaocao grinned at the young man, ¡°Looks like business is going well right now!¡±


    Jiang Yu happily replied, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, benefactor. The recipes for pickled and salted vegetables that you gave me have all been made and are on the market. Everyone likes the taste, and the new products attracted a lot of new and old customers. My father has been talking constantly about you these past few days and keeps telling me that we need to personally express our gratitude to you. Earlier when you were talking to the other person over there, I thought you looked familiar. When I got closer, I discovered that it was you. Benefactor, pleasee to our store to sit and chat a little...¡±


    Yu Hai looked at his daughter, bbergasted. When did his little girl be this family¡¯s ¡®benefactor¡¯?


    Jiang Yu was too enthusiastic and warm, so Xiaocao was unable to decline his invitation. Thus, she followed him into the pickled and salted vegetable store. Inside the shop, the unique smell of pickled and salted vegetables surrounded her. Compared to the previous time, it smelled a lot more appetizing.


    ¡°Old Jiang, can you give me half a catty of the savory and spicy dried radish and half a catty of the sweet and spicy...what? The savory and spicy one is all sold out? When will it be back in stock? In about two days?! Then just give me half a catty of the sweet and spicy then...and then add half a catty of the spicy cabbage!¡± A stout-looking woman who looked about forty revealed a disappointed expression when she heard the savory and spicy dried radishes had been sold out.


    Another old man who was in his fifties shook his head and smiled, ¡°Shopkeeper Jiang, your family¡¯s salted and pickled vegetables now taste better and have a better vor than when your wife was alive. Did you get the advice of someone talented?¡±


    Shopkeeper Jiang was weighing the requested pickled vegetables as he smiled and replied, ¡°Of course, that¡¯s what happened! We actually did have a really great person give us some tips. Elder Uncle Lu, you know that my wife had died suddenly and unexpectedly. So all of her recipes went with her to the grave. My son and daughter had only learned some basic and simple pickling methods from her. You, of all people, should know that my store, had it not been for you old clients still helping us out, would have long gone out of business by now.¡±


    At this point, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head due to his heavy emotions. The other old man sighed for a bit and then Shopkeeper Jiang continued, ¡°A few days ago, my son had gotten the help of a talented individual. That person gave him a few pickling recipes and when we made them we found out that the vegetables were even more delicious than the ones my deceased wife had made...make sure to hold on tight to these pickled beans and spicy cabbage! If you think they taste good, pleasee back again!¡±


    The old man chuckled gently, ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t say anything I would stille back! My old wife, after eating a whole winter¡¯s worth of cabbage and radish, doesn¡¯t have a good appetite right now. When she ate the spicy cabbage I bought two days ago, she even ate an extra two bowls of food. Now, she can¡¯t even eat a meal without having some of your spicy cabbage on the table!¡±


    A young matron at the side interjected in agreement, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so! My youngest at home has almost turned your sweet and crispy dried radish into a snack. If I don¡¯t give it, he throws a tantrum! Luckily, your family¡¯s pickled vegetables are cheap and are of good quality, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be able to afford his habit!¡± She then urged the shopkeeper to weigh out a catty of the sweet and crispy radish for her.


    Shopkeeper Jiang humbly smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s not good to eat too much pickled vegetables. It¡¯s better that he eats more of his regr meals. After a couple of months, the newly grown vegetables will hit the market. Make sure your child eats more green vegetables...¡±


    ¡°Father! It really was our benefactor! I invited her back!¡± Jiang Yu walked in joyfully with arge grin on his face.


    Shopkeeper Jiang saw Yu Hai behind his son and rushed out, forgetting that his hands were still sticky from vegetable pickling juice. He grabbed Yu Hai¡¯s hand and repeatedly said, ¡°Benefactor! I finally had the chance to meet you! You are truly the savior of our little store!¡±


    An awkward expression crossed Yu Hai¡¯s face as he stared nkly at his hand that was now covered in pickling juice. Jiang Yu promptly pulled his father away and bashfully smiled in embarrassment, ¡°Father, you¡¯re thanking the wrong person. The person who taught me the recipes is the little girl behind him. You¡¯re thanking our benefactor¡¯s father.¡±


    Shopkeeper Jiangughed hollowly as he said, ¡°It¡¯s all the same, all the same! Ah...good brother, you have a daughter who has the heart and kindness of a Bodhisattva!¡±


    Yu Hai modestly replied, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, too kind! She¡¯s always liked experimenting with cooking since she was young, so she has a bit of talent in this area.¡±


    Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her heart and silently said, ¡®Father, are you trying to be modest here? Why does it seem like you¡¯re actually boasting right now?¡¯


    Jiang Yu took out the most recent ount books and spread them open for Xiaocao to look at. He enthusiastically said, ¡°Benefactor, although the recipes you taught me use more spices and condiments than other recipes, but the vor of the products are very good. Even though we spend a little more to make them, we can still set a slightly higher price and customers will still buy them. Over the past few days, the best sellers were the savory and spicy dried radish and spicy cabbage. A lot of people also really like the pickled beans...¡±


    The youth was afraid that Xiaocao couldn¡¯t read, so he chattered constantly to describe the sales. Xiaocao nced at the books. Although it was written in the traditional style, she could recognize the vast majority of the characters. It was obvious at a nce how many catties of pickled and salted vegetables they sold as well as the profit they made.


    In just a few days, a tiny pickled and salted vegetable store actually had an ie of forty-five taels and a profit of twenty taels. It made her want to sigh in sorrow¡ª¡ªit was much easier to make money in town!


    Right now there weren¡¯t any other people in the store, so Shopkeeper Jiang took out five taels and said, ¡°Benefactor! At that time we hade to an agreement that we would split our profits 20-80. These are your dividends from the past few days, please kindly ept them, benefactor.¡±

 Chapter 99 – A Chance Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 99 ¨C A Chance Encounter</h4>


    Originally the n was to give out dividends once a month. However, Shopkeeper Jiang had noticed that the father and daughter in front of him were wearing shabby clothes and thought that they were embarrassingly short of money, so he decided to give out the money early.


    Yu Hai refused to take it and shook his hand, ¡°We can¡¯t take this, we absolutely can¡¯t take this! It¡¯s only a few recipes for pickled and salted vegetables, so how can we take your money?! You guys had to do all of thebor and buy the ingredients. We haven¡¯t done anything to earn the money. If this came out, wouldn¡¯t people criticize us behind our back?¡±


    Shopkeeper Jiang hastily replied, ¡°Brother, you are wrong! Why do you think the new Zhenxiu Restaurant in town canpete against the established Fulin Restaurant? Isn¡¯t it because they have a few unique and special dishes that other ces don¡¯t have? That¡¯s how they attracted a lot of customers over. If Zhenxiu Restaurant had wanted to sell the recipes of their new dishes, I believe that even if they set the price to over a thousand taels per recipe, there would still be people willing to buy them! I have never seen anything like the recipes that your precious daughter gave us, so they are absolutely worth it! If you wanted to make these pickled vegetables and sell them in town yourself, you would have made much more money than what I¡¯m giving you. However, your daughter has a kind heart and only wanted twenty percent of the earnings. If you calcte it out, we are the ones taking advantage of you! Brother, quickly take the money, you guys deserve it...what¡¯s wrong? Do you think it¡¯s too little?¡±


    Overwhelmed with the situation, Yu Hai couldn¡¯t help but back away from the enthusiastic man. He nced at his daughter out of embarrassment, silently asking her to help. Xiaocao quickly interjected, ¡°Uncle Jiang, at the time, I had alreadye to an agreement with Brother Jiang Yu. We were supposed to receive dividends once a month, but it hasn¡¯t been a month yet, right?¡±


    Shopkeeper Jiang obviously had done a lot of business so he suavely replied, ¡°I just felt really happy after making some money! Just take these five taels as start of a great beginning, it¡¯ll bring good fortune to us! In the future, we¡¯ll divvy out the money once a month as agreed upon!¡±


    There were people in the store who wanted to buy some pickled vegetables, so Shopkeeper Jiang stuffed the five taels into Yu Hai¡¯s hand without saying anything, and lifted up the cloth curtain to help them. Yu Hai hesitated as he wasn¡¯t sure what to do with the money. Xiaocao merely smiled, ¡°Since Uncle Jiang said it this way, then let¡¯s just take the money!¡±


    When Jiang Yu saw the father giving the money to the seven to eight year old girl, he thought it was odd, ¡®Is he not afraid that the little girl might lose the money...¡¯


    Right after that interlude, Xiaocao dictated a few more recipes for pickled and salted vegetables to Jiang Yu and had him write them down. This time, the recipes were of a different variety than the previous ones she gave him. The recipes were for: red pepper paste, sweet bean paste, and, the moreplex, shitake mushroom sauce, and peanut and sesame seed sauce.


    Jiang Yu acted as if he had just received the most precious treasure in the world. He carefully ced the handwritten recipes into his pocket. Once he and his father learned how to make them, he would destroy his written copies. This way, these unique and vorful products could only be made and sold at their store and would be their trade secret...


    Xiaocao bid her farewells to Jiang Yu and walked out of the inner room. When she came out to the main room, she saw a handsome young man dressed in brocade who was looking at the vats of fermented vegetables in the store with a frown on his face. Shopkeeper Jiang was at his side, patiently exining the different types of products that were avable.


    The attendant next to the youth quietly said, ¡°Third Young Master, if you wanted to eat salted and pickled vegetables, you could have just ordered me toe here. There¡¯s no need for you to personally be here, right? ...be careful, don¡¯t get your clothing dirty!¡±


    The youth raised his head to look over at Xiaocao when he heard some noise. A look of surprise crossed his face, as if he was astonished that he would meet her here.


    Xiaocao grinned widely when she saw that his eyes were opened wide with surprise, ¡°Third Young Master Zhou, you¡¯re finally back from the capital, eh? When did youe back?¡±


    Apparently, this finely dressed young man was the youth she hadn¡¯t seen for almost a month, the third young master of the Zhou family¡ª¡ªZhou Zixu. As she approached, Zhou Zixu abruptly said, ¡°What the heck, Yu Xiaocao. You clearly have some good recipes for sauces in that head of yours, but you don¡¯t even invest in your own production. Instead, you privately started cooperating with someone else!¡±


    On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao recalled that all of the money she had painstakingly saved up had been lured away by this bugger at the end ofst year. Had she had some cash on hand when their branch split from the family, then their circumstances wouldn¡¯t have been so bad! The Zhou Family was the richest family in Tanggu Town. Did they really need her tiny stash of cash to start up a condiment factory? This bugger must have deliberately wanted to cause her trouble!!


    ¡°As soon as I entered the restaurant today, I overheard the people in the kitchen making a racket. Can you guess what it was about? Apparently, they were arguing with each other on how to make a small te of food! Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s purchasing staff had bought a te of small fish at the docks!!¡± Third Young Master Zhou gritted his teeth as he frowned at Yu Xiaocao. A bitter and worried expression surfaced onto his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? How does me selling some snacks at the dock in any way affect what you¡¯re doing?¡± Xiaocao couldn¡¯t understand why he was looking at her with such an aggrieved expression in his eyes. She was the person who should have been annoyed, right?


    ¡°I heard this dish was called ¡®pickled fish¡¯, right? How did you make this? The small bones in the fish are so soft that it¡¯s indescribable, and the taste is iparable! This truly is a magnificent dish that is full of vor!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou had also tasted one piece that day and thought that the vor profile was very good. When the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant tried it, he could tell that it had been first been fried and then steamed. However, no matter how much he tried, he was unable to make a result that tasted as authentic and good as the original. In fact, he even pondered inwardly. ¡®I never would have thought that such a simple looking pickled fish would require such a tricky technique to make perfectly.¡¯


    As soon as the words came out of his mouth, the youth seemed to realize it didn¡¯t sound right and abruptly corrected himself, ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to make you tell me your secret method. I was mostly wanted to show my surprise, that¡¯s all. How do you have the time to stroll the market today, Xiaocao? Why didn¡¯t you go to the docks to sell braised food instead?¡±


    Xiaocao smiled, not all offended, and said, ¡°Third Young Master is tooplimentary. My crude method is nothing special, it definitely won¡¯t be able to be taken out in more formal situations. Today my mother and Xiaolian went to the docks while my father and I ran some errands in town¡ª¡ªThird Young Master Zhou is buying some pickled vegetables today?¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou nodded his head and replied, ¡°Recently, our family¡¯s matriarch hasn¡¯t had a good appetite and has no interest in eating. Earlier on the streets I overheard that this store¡¯s pickled and salted vegetable products have a good vor, so I wanted to buy some and show some respect to her...¡±


    After she had a good understanding of the elderlydy¡¯s preferences, Xiaocao rmended that Third Young Master Zhou buy some sweet and crispy radishes. They were crunchy and had a fresh taste; thus, they were the best for increasing a person¡¯s appetite.


    Third Young Master Zhou nodded his head and then had the store weigh out some radishes for him. He also asked the manager what the other products in the store tasted like. With the help of Shopkeeper Jiang, he got to taste a few different types of pickled vegetables. Afterwards, he selected the ones he liked: wine-marinated beans and spicy cabbage. When he settled the bill, he also took out a piece of silver that was worth around two taels.


    Oh alright! If you wanted to find someone who was rich and had money to spare, that¡¯s your guy right there!


    ¡°I heard that your branch of the family had split off from the rest? Separating is good. We don¡¯t have to surreptitiously give you the dividends after the factory is up! If you have any other difficult situations, don¡¯t worry ande to me for help!!¡± Zhou Zixu said with a face full of sincerity.


    ¡®Is it a little toote to be saying these words? When we had just separated families, I would have shamelessly asked you for some help, pride be damned. But now...we¡¯ve already survived the most difficult situation, what¡¯s the point in making these promises now?¡¯


    With just these few thoughts, Yu Xiaocao quickly dismissed Third Young Master Zhou! Before Zhou Zixu left, he didn¡¯t forget to remind her that she had some stock in their condiment factory. She needed to think up more condiment and seasoning recipes up! She shouldn¡¯t just ce all of her efforts on a small pickled and salted vegetable shop!


    After waving goodbye to Third Young Master Zhou, Xiaocao went to a cloth shop that Jiang Yu and his father had rmended and bought a few bolts of cotton cloth that differed in color. She also got four nkets worth of quilted fabric and spent almost a tael on ten catties worth of cotton filling.


    Cotton had be amonly grown crop during the previous Yuan Dynasty. At the initial start of the Great Ming Dynasty, the country was still settling down from the chaos of war, and vast acres ofnd had been left fallow. Thus, the output of cotton had decreased dramatically, and prices had risen without falling. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he energetically encouraged the people to open upnd and start farming. He implemented a series of policies that lowered taxes and reduced the forcedbor requirements. The prices of grain and cash crops slowly decreased and stabilized a bit. However, for the vast majority of the poverty strickenmoners, the price of cotton, which was seventy copper coins a catty, was still considered a somewhat luxurious purchase.


    After the father and daughter pair finished buying cloth and cotton, it was already ten minutes to 3 pm. With a giant bag of cotton to haul around, it would be hard to shop around even if they wanted to. Thus, the two of them headed in the direction of the ox and horse market to retrieve their donkey cart with theirrge and small bags of goods in tow.


    The old man who was helping them keep an eye on the donkey took their five copper coins and looked at the skinny, sick donkey that was lying on the ground. He silently prayed that the animal wouldn¡¯t fall over dead right this minute.


    In his younger days, the old man was a good hand at raising animals. Now that he was older, he no longer could keep up, so he set up an area for people to leave their animals and carts. Every day he could earn a decent amount of money. If his business hadn¡¯t been slow today, he would not have epted this arduous and thankless task to watch over a sick donkey.


    In ordance with Xiaocao¡¯s instructions, he made sure to give the donkey a bowl of water to drink every hour. He thought it was a little bit odd that the donkey wouldn¡¯t even sniff at other types of water and instead only happily drank the water that was in the little girl¡¯s pouch.


    After drinking two bowls of water, the donkey, who had been close to death¡¯s door, seemed to be more and more energetic with every passing minute. By the time it had its third bowl of water, it could actually stand up and even whinnied a couple times, asking him for some food to eat.


    Was it possible that there was some medicine that was put in the water pouch? In a moment he needed to ask them who had made it, it was actually quite efficacious.


    The five copper coins paid for not only the board of the donkey but also its feed and water. Although they had given him their own water, he still needed to give the donkey fodder from his own stores. After eating its fill, the little gray colored donkey knelt back down to take a nap. Despite its obvious thinness, the animal still looked rather lively.


    When it was almost three in the afternoon, Yu Hai¡¯s silhouette with the slight limp appeared in front of the old man¡¯s sight. The father and daughter pair both were loaded down withrge and small bags; they had clearly bought a lot of things.


    The little donkey seemed to have a connection with them, and, as soon as it saw its little master, it immediately stood and opened up itsrge, limpid eyes. It cheerfully whinnied at the two people in front of it. ¡°Little Gray, are you okay?¡± Xiaocao ran swiftly to the little donkey¡¯s side. She used her right hand, which had the multi-colored stone on her wrist, to gently pet its back, and have the little divine store to heal it from head to toe again.


    The little donkeyfortably closed its eyes and rubbed its head continuously on Xiaocao¡¯s arm. The expression on its face was obvious¡ª¡ªsofortable ah!


    Yu Hai eximed in surprise, ¡°It really got better! Looks quite energetic too! I¡¯m not sure if its able to walk all the way home though...Cao¡¯er, we should have Old Zhang help us bring our goods back today.¡±


    The little donkey whinnied spiritedly a couple of times as if it was trying to say that it was okay. Xiaocao smiled and patted its head, ¡°Father, by this time, Grandpa Zhang¡¯s cart is probably all full with people now. Where would he have room to put our stuff? In any case, cloth and cotton isn¡¯t very heavy, so let¡¯s try to have Little Gray pull it home.¡±


    Yu Hai skillfully put the cart harness onto the donkey and then ced all of their goods onto the cart. After thinking a bit, he helped his daughter onto the vehicle. If the donkey couldn¡¯t pull the cart, he could help it by pushing the vehicle on the side. After all, his daughter was only eight years old and had been running around all day. He didn¡¯t want her to get more tired by walking all the way home. This was the first time Yu Hai had led a donkey cart. However, as they left the ox and horse market, the little donkey seemed to really understand what he wanted and closely followed behind him and didn¡¯t need any direction from him at all.

 Chapter 100 – To Drop In

    <h4>Chapter 100 ¨C To Drop In</h4>


    When they exited the city, Yu Hai saw someone selling hot cakes and so he bought some. Everyone in the family had already gotten used to Xiaocao needing a meal at this time. By the time they got home, they would have likely missed the meal time. His daughter was probably dying of hunger now.


    Xiaocao sat on the donkey cart with her back against the bag full of cotton. Her legs dangled down the sides of the cart as she nibbled on the delicious hot cake. She looked leisurely and content.


    ¡°Brother Dahai, Xiaocao!! I saved you two a spot,e quickly!¡± Outside the town gates, Madam Fang had been waiting on Old Zhang¡¯s ox cart for a while. It looked like business had gone well today for her as the baskets in her hands werepletely empty. Both the eggs and live chickens had been sold out.


    Old Zhang gaped in astonishment when he saw Yu Hai leading the donkey cart. He tapped his tobo pipe on the side of his cart shaft and sad, ¡°Ah, Dahai! Where did this donkey carte from? Did you guys actually buy it?? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m trying to criticize you but when you¡¯re buying a donkey, you should choose one that is plump and healthy...this donkey, are you sure you can keep it alive?¡±


    Yu Hai smiled, ¡°Uncle Zhang, although this donkey is on the thin side, it is quite lively. I previously was able to spend several days with a person versed in veterinary medicine, and when I saw that this donkey didn¡¯t have any critical defects, I knew that it will be fine after nursing it for a few days. If the donkey wasn¡¯t skinny, how could I get it for a good, cheap price?¡±


    Old Zhang then asked how much they had spent on the donkey and cart, and Xiaocao told him they had only spent three taels. The old man nodded his head, ¡°Three taels for all of this is not considered expensive. It would probably cost the same amount of money tomission a donkey cart. Even if the donkey is unable to survive, you guys wouldn¡¯t be losing out too much anyway...Brother Dahai, did you buy this donkey cart for...¡±


    Whenever Old Zhang was not hauling firewood to town, he would bring people from the viges to town for a fee. On a good day, he could even make twenty to thirty copper coins. When he saw Yu Hai¡¯s donkey cart, the first thought that came to his mind was, ¡®Is Yu Hai trying to cut into my business bringing people to town? After all, a donkey cart is definitely faster than an ox cart.¡¯


    Xiaocao smiled and hurriedly dispelled his fears, ¡°Grandpa Zhang, isn¡¯t Shitou studying at school in town now? With a donkey cart, it will be a lot easier to visit him. We have also grown some vegetables in our front and back courtyards. In the future, it¡¯ll be easier to sell those vegetables in town with a cart.¡±


    When Old Zhang heard the little girl chattering about this and that but not mentioning anything about using the donkey cart to carry people into town, he was able to dispel his worries.


    On the road home, Yu Hai was afraid that making the thin donkey work too hard would cause it to be exhausted, so he adamantly refused to sit on the cart. Despite all her efforts, Xiaocao was unable to convince him. She only managed to make himpromise and had him sit on Old Zhang¡¯s ox cart. The donkey was very perceptive and blindly followed the ox cart from behind. Other than a slight break in the middle to give the animal another drink of the mystic-stone water, contrary to Yu Hai¡¯s fears, the donkey didn¡¯t copse from exhaustion.


    Xiaocao¡¯s family lived at the foot of the West Mountains, so they had to traverse through more than half of the vige whening back from town. The news that Yu Hai¡¯s family had bought a donkey cart had traveled throughout the vige before the two of them had even got home.


    Madam Li teetered on her bound feet as she trotted back home. When she told her mother-inw what she found out, she also added her own embellishments. After her failure thest time she tried to scheme against the second branch, she had learned her lesson. This time, she decided to make her mother-inw attack the second branch by stating that her father-inw was subsidizing them. They had only split off from the main family for a short period of time, so how could they possibly buy a donkey cart?!


    When Madam Zhang heard Madam Li¡¯s usations, her sparse eyebrows immediately snapped together in a frown, ¡°They bought a donkey cart? You¡¯re certain?¡±


    Madam Li nodded her head furiously and replied, ¡°I am absolutely sure. The whole vige knows already so they¡¯re only hiding it from us! Mother, just think about it, one donkey costs around five to six taels. When Second Brother-inw split from the family, his leg was also injured, so how would he be able to earn the money to buy a donkey and cart? Perhaps Father is privately...¡±


    Madam Li didn¡¯t borate further beyond that point but Madam Zhang clearly understood what she was implying. The old woman stated hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯m in charge of all of the money at home! If you said that the old man had around a dozen copper coins in his hand, that would be believable. However, if you¡¯re saying that he has a few taels to subsidize Second Son, then I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible!¡±


    When Madam Li saw that her mother-inw hadn¡¯t flown into a rage as she would like, she started to be anxious, ¡°Mother, if it were not for Father privately subsidizing them, Second Brother-inw¡¯s family wouldn¡¯t even have enough food to eat. How could they possibly have the money to buy a donkey cart? We¡¯ve been catching fewer fish these days, but what about before? When Second Brother-inw¡¯s leg was still good, he always gave the money he earned from selling game to Father. If he didn¡¯t give all of it to you and had about eight to ten taels on hand, maybe...¡±


    ¡°Ah, what!!¡± When Madam Zhang thought that the old man was sneakily giving money to Second Son¡¯s family behind her back, anger bubbled within her until it exploded. She violently threw her sewing from her hands into the basket and screamed, ¡°I thought it was fishy that Second Son didn¡¯t make a fuss when we were splitting the family! Apparently he had been greasing up that stupid old man on the down low! That¡¯s not okay, they need to spit out whatever they had swallowed earlier!!¡±


    Madam Zhang stomped furiously towards the road leading to Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s home. Madam Li smirked proudly as she wiggled her fat waist from behind. When Old Yu¡¯s eldest brother¡¯s, Yu Lichun, eldest daughter-inw, Madam Liu [1], saw the expression on the two women¡¯s faces as well as the direction they were headed, she knew they were going to cause trouble for Yu Hai. As she silently cursed in her heart, she hurried back to the vige to find Old Yu, who was ying go.


    When Madam Zhang and Madam Li arrived at the residence, Xiaocao¡¯s whole family was busily preparing the pig head and pig offal. Madam Liu raised her head and saw Madam Zhang furiously charging in. Her heart squeezed painfully and she hastily got up and timidly said, ¡°Mother, when did youe over?¡±


    Madam Li stared at the wooden basin that was full of the smelly pig intestines and could only remember thest time she had disastrously tried to cause trouble for them, only to have herself fall into trouble instead. When she had gotten home that time, she had washed her feces stained clothes several times. However, no matter how often she washed it, she always felt there was a disgusting stench stuck on the clothing. Madam Li suddenly noticed that a pig intestine was in Xiaocao¡¯s hand, who was facing her with a faint smile on her face. The woman hastily retreated until she was behind Madam Zhang, covered her nose, and said, ¡°When can¡¯t mothere over to visit? Are you telling me that we have to make an appointment just toe over to Second Brother-inw¡¯s house?¡±


    Madam Zhang huffily snorted, ¡°I heard that Second Son¡¯s family has hit the jackpot and had recently bought a donkey cart. As his mother, shouldn¡¯t Ie over to congratte you guys?¡±


    Suddenly the expression on her face twisted, ¡°Second Son¡¯s wife, tell me the truth! How did you guys manage to weasel out so much money from that old man? I was wondering why your branch agreed so easily to splitting the family! Apparently you guys had another trick up your sleeves, eh!!! I¡¯m telling you all, if you guys don¡¯t tell me where that old geezer is hiding money, I swear I¡¯ll make your lives hell!!¡±


    Madam Liu was shocked by the usation and hastily replied, ¡°Mother, what do you mean? Where would we get money from him? When we split from the family, we only got two taels and we also borrowed some money from my maternal family. All of it was spent on fixing up the house. Father doesn¡¯t have any money in his hands. Other people likely don¡¯t know how much money there is at home, but how could you not know?¡±


    ¡°Well apparently I don¡¯t know where the money is!! If it were not for that old geezer giving money to you guys on the sly, how could all of you earn enough money in such a short amount of time to buy a donkey cart? Look at you, one¡¯sme, the other¡¯s sickly, and the rest are tiny children!¡±


    When Madam Zhang found out that a donkey cart cost around five to six taels, she felt like her heart had been scooped out, dripping blood. Every day the old man and her eldest son went out to catch fish, but the amount they caught was less than before. The amount of money they made was barely enough to cover the family¡¯s expenditures. How long ago had the old man secretly been saving those five to six taels?!


    Madam Liu had a gentle personality, so she obviously couldn¡¯t argue against Madam Zhang. She was so emotional that tears almost came pouring down her face. She quietly tried to exin, ¡°Mother, the money that we used to buy the donkey was all earned from Xiaocao selling braised pig head meat and pig intestines at the docks. If you don¡¯t believe me, go to the docks and ask around. Everyone knows about our braised meat, which is sold for one copper coin a portion.¡±


    Xiaocao pped her forehead andmented silently, ¡®Oh my gosh, Mother! You are seriously too honest, aren¡¯t you? In just a few sentences, you basically sold out our entire family, ah...¡¯


    ¡°One copper coin for a portion of meat? Second Sister-inw, who are you trying to pull the wool over, ah? A catty of pork is around twenty copper coins. At that price, how many pieces of meat can you get for one copper coin? Not enough to even get a taste! On the outside you look so honest and sincere, but who would have thought you¡¯d even try to trick Mother!¡± Madam Li had a self-satisfied expression on her face as she sarcastically remarked on the side.


    ¡°Eldest Sister-inw, I¡¯m not trying to trick Mother! If you use seasonings to braise pig intestines and the meat from the pig¡¯s head, it actually tastes pretty good. We can earn around twenty to thirty copper coins a day...if it wasn¡¯t for this, our whole family would have starved to death by now...¡± Madam Liu wasn¡¯tpletely naive and didn¡¯t tell them the whole truth: that they actually were earning around two hundred to three hundred copper coins a day.


    However, getting twenty to thirty copper coins per day was enough to make Madam Zhang and Madam Li salivate with envy! Madam Zhang inched a bit closer to the wooden basin full of dirty, disgusting, only fit to feed dogs, pig intestines but was pushed back by their stench. She sneered and said, ¡°What people would buy something so disgusting and smelly? Do you really think this old woman is stupid and easy to cheat? Even if you guys earn around twenty to thirty coins a day and not spend any on food or drink, it¡¯s still not enough to buy a donkey cart after only saving for ten days!¡±


    Yu Hai had been in the rear courtyard settling the donkey down under the shed. When he heard themotion, he quickly walked over and quietly said to Madam Zhang, ¡°Mother, we bought a donkey that was so sick that it almost died. The previous owner didn¡¯t want the animal anymore, and we only had to pay enough money to cover the cart. We only spent around three taels total. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go to the rear courtyard and take a look...¡±


    At the back of the house, Little Gray wasfortably lying on the ground under the sun after drinking some more mystic-stone water. From Madam Zhang¡¯s angle, she could only see an extremely emaciated donkey that had barely any meat on it listlessly lying down on the ground. She thought it clearly didn¡¯t have any energy to even stand up and, thus, she started to somewhat believe Yu Hai¡¯s words.


    However, she couldn¡¯t juste here without grasping any advantage she could get. Her eyes whirled around as she said, ¡°Second Son, ah. Your family is capable and hardworking to be able to earn twenty to thirty copper coins a day. But you guys don¡¯t even know how to help the rest of the family out. Your mother and father almost don¡¯t have enough food to eat yet you¡¯re throwing money away buying a sick donkey that¡¯s about to die. Are you not afraid of other people using you of being unfilial?!¡±


    Xiaocao wanted tough out of rage and was unable to keep her mouth shut as she retorted, ¡°Grandmother, don¡¯t forget that we had already separated families! When we split, we only got three plots of sandynd, two taels, and an old, run-down house that wasn¡¯t even livable. In addition, when we split, we had a contract written out that spells it out very clearly. Each year, we only need to give you five hundred catties of grain or one tael and five hundred coins. Grandmother, we haven¡¯t even nted sweet potatoes yet, how are we supposed to help you?¡±


    Madam Zhang had greedily kept the three hundred taels Yu Hai had risked his life for but wasn¡¯t a little bit ashamed as she confidently asserted, ¡°Can¡¯t you guys sell pig offal to earn money? Then just give the recipes for the braised pig head meat and pig offal to us. Don¡¯t hide it from us. Even though we already split, we are still one family. It¡¯s better to give us the advantage than to let outsiders find out instead...¡±


    Xiaocao felt a bit helpless. They were trying to sever their only chance of survival! She was inwardly ecstatic that the weather was on the colder side today as all of the vegetables in the back garden had been covered up with the straw mats. Otherwise, if Madam Zhang and Madam Li had seen them growing, they probably would have wanted to put their grubby hands on them. It was obvious, there was nothing these two women wouldn¡¯t be ashamed to do.

 Chapter 101 – The Zhou Family

    <h4>Chapter 101 ¨C The Zhou Family</h4>


    Yu Hai and Madam Liu looked at each other, and both of them could see helplessness in the other¡¯s eyes. They were both the younger generation, so there was little they could do against the overbearing and shameless Madam Zhang. If they were too resolute and stuck to their guns, the two women in front of them would nder them in the vige for being unfilial. On the other hand, if they yielded too much, this pair of locusts would gobble them up and devour everything they could get their hands on.


    ¡°Madam Li, why are you here again causing trouble?¡± Just as the married couple were trying to find a solution, the sound of Old Yu¡¯s voice resonated in and provided them with a glimpse of hope.


    Madam Li was still a bit timid in front of her father-inw, so she weakly said, ¡°Father, I was keeping Motherpany...¡±


    Madam Zhang abruptly interrupted her and pasted a smile on her face as she spoke to Old Yu, ¡°Old man, Second Son still has a filial heart. Their family hade up with a new method of making money, so they were going to help us too!¡±


    When Old Yu heard what she said, he looked towards Yu Hai with a remorseful expression and a tinge of gratitude. This son of his had always been filial since childhood. Even if he had caught a tiny tit, he would always bring it back home to let everyone eat some. In fact, after he settled down and got married, he still always gave the money he earned to the general purse and didn¡¯t keep a private purse.


    Ah, he was not worthy of his son. He even pushed his son out of the family during his most difficult time. Fortunately, his son was able to survive and even his leg was preserved...


    Old Yu switched his gaze to Madam Zhang and red at her, ¡°I already know about the method for making money! Aren¡¯t they just selling some appetizers to make a small sum of money every day? Stop trying to covet it, Second Son¡¯s family is relying on this little bit of money to make it through!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s not a little bit of money, they make around twenty to thirty copper coins a day, ah! That¡¯s more than what you and Eldest Son brings home every day! This is Second Son¡¯s good intentions, so he should spread the wealth to the whole family. Husband, Third Son will be able to participate in the entrance examination for Rongxuan Academy soon. If he passes and then bes a schr who had passed the county level examinations, he can get a lot of benefits...his whole family is living in town right now and doesn¡¯t he need money for living expenses?¡± Madam Zhang, once again, brought the topic of the conversation back to her younger son in an attempt to voice herints.


    As Madam Zhang rambled on and on, Xiaocao and her family stayed mutely silent. It was obvious that she was forcing them to teach her how to make braised food. How did she manage to twist it around such that they were the ones volunteering for this?


    Although Xiaocao had no qualms, her father was a different story. He had always been filial and was softhearted. In front of his father, Yu Hai wasn¡¯t able to refuse any request. In the end, Xiaocao was forced to fork out a portion of the spices she had used yesterday and give instructions on how to use them to Madam Zhang. In a pique of fury, she pretended to forget to give the pair of women theplete details on how to prepare and clean the pig head and intestines properly.


    She had already reserved the pig head and offal in advance from Butcher Wang¡¯s stall at the dock¡¯s marketce. Furthermore, the butcher was a kind and honest man. To him, it didn¡¯t matter who he made money from, but it was more important to preserve his rtionships with and not have a reputation of breaking his promises. Thus, their ingredient supplies would not be endangered in the future. She nned on doing business as usual. As for who could make more money...that would depend on their own abilities!


    Meanwhile, Third Young Master Zhou Zixu had gone straight home after buying the pickled vegetables from the market and was able to be at the table in time for the meal.


    The three branches of the Zhou Family had not separated, so they were all present in the parlor for the meal. In the main hall, the ground was paved with glossy marble tiles that had been polished as bright as a mirror. The beams of the roof were painted in bright colors, and gorgeous ssnterns dangled from the ceiling.


    On the right side of the parlor was a disy case made of red mahogany. On top of the case were a bunch of carefully arranged priceless objects: a blue and white porcin vase made in the previous dynasty that was decorated with an image depicting ¡®Gui Guziing down the mountain [1]¡¯, a cloisonne enamel plum blossom vase, a long-necked vase made entirely of white jade with two round handles, and a variety of other delicate and well-preserved antique items.


    A decorative screen made of red sandalwood was on the left side. The screen was iid with white jade that was carved into a picture depicting Five Hundred Luohan [2]. It was bright and beautiful and so luxurious that it was hard for a person to take their eyes away from it.


    The patriarch and matriarch of the Zhou Family were sitting in the middle and seated on their right was the Zhou Family¡¯s eldest son. The head of the Zhou Family had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son and second son were birthed by his wife. The eldest son was conservative in his business dealings and was only able to preserve their current family wealth. He was in charge of a portion of the family¡¯s businesses and while he didn¡¯t make any big contributions, he also didn¡¯t make anyrge blunders.


    The eldest son of the Zhou Family had two sons and a daughter. His oldest son was birthed by a concubine. Although his younger son was born by his wife, he had very little interest in doing business and had set his heart on his studies. He was truly a bookworm and pedant. His eldest son, on the other hand, had ambitions and grabbed every opportunity that came in order to show his abilities in front of the head of the family. Before he became an adult, he had helped his father supervise their store and had made sure everything was clear and orderly. He had carefully managed two stores, and they had increased their revenue by a third.


    Furthermore, hepleted the few tasks that the head of the family had given him perfectly, so the old man was quite pleased with this grandson.


    The second son of the head of the family had died at a young age, so the patriarch had his married eldest son take a young girl from a declining family as a secondary wife in order to keep his second son¡¯s lineage alive. Thus, Third Young Master Zhou was considered a part of the second branch¡¯s family. Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s mother had a strong personality, so after she gave birth to him, she established herself as the widow of the second branch and severed all her ties with the eldest son. From then on, she lived alone in a small courtyard on the west side of the residence. Other than stepping out on the first and fifteenth days of each month to burn incense for the second son of the Zhou Family, she spent the rest of the time in her residence. This was the reason why the head of the Zhou Family regarded the mother and son pair with importance despite their awkward status within the family.


    The third son of the Zhou Family was a person who only knew how to enjoy life but couldn¡¯t endure any hardships. The eldest son was always afraid of taking the slightest risk and had no courage. Thus, Patriarch Zhou had to take the reins back into his hands in his old age and be the primary driver of the Zhou Family again. He had no hope left for his sons, so he silently observed his grandsons out of hope that he could pick a sessor out of them who would bring more glory and honor to the Zhou Family.


    Although Zhou Zifang, who was the son of the eldest son, had decent abilities, he was still born from a concubine. Since ancient times it was known that there was a difference between children born from the main wife versus a concubine. In addition, he had a somewhat irritable temper and was quick to take offense. Acting hastily out of greed could lead to the ruin of an entire family¡¯s fortune. Thus, as the patriarch observed from the side, he had to take a few points off of Zhou Zifang.


    As for the second branch¡¯s Zhou Zixu, he had disyed astonishing talents since he was small. However, despite his recent beautiful business victories, the boy was still too young. This really caused the patriarch to worry incessantly, causing his hair to turn white faster...


    ¡°Haha! I¡¯m really quite lucky when ites to food. Just got home in time to make mealtime!¡± Third Young Master Zhou, Zhou Zixu, held two jars of salted vegetables as he came in. When he saw everyone¡¯s attention on him, he smiled a self-deprecating smile as he paid his respects to his grandfather and grandmother.


    The head of the Zhou Family coldly snorted and said, ¡°Looks like you still know how toe home! Every day you¡¯re running off to who knows where. Ah, other than Zhenxiu Restaurant, you have never even touched the other businesses of the family! Oh right, you had talked about having a condiment factory before the end ofst year. How is it going so far? At your age, your father had already made waves in the southern province¡¯s market!¡±


    Because he had an awkward status in the family, Zhou Zixu¡¯s grandmother had raised him at her side since childhood to avoid having other people treat him badly. Thus, his rtionship with his grandparents had always been good. This caused the other grandsons in the family to envy him. In fact, whenever the patriarch seemed displeased, the other grandsons kept quiet out of fear. Even Eldest Young Master Zhou had to consider his words for a bit before he would say anything. However, Zhou Zixu was all smiles as he replied, ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t we still have you managing the rest of the family¡¯s businesses? You¡¯re old but vigorous. Staying at home doing nothing is really quite dull. As for my factory, didn¡¯t you previously say that this is for me to practice? I¡¯m still young, so it¡¯s important to take it a little at a time, especially for business!¡±


    ¡°Is thirteen still considered young? It¡¯s the right age for settling a marriage and getting engaged, ah! Second Son¡¯s wife, you need to start considering his marriage prospects now. After he gets engaged, he¡¯s considered an adult and should start doing some proper business and stop running around outside, avoiding home!¡± The Zhou Family patriarch was very unsatisfied with him and wished he could just press on that youngster¡¯s head to transfer all of his knowledge of business matters to him.


    Madam Jiang, who was Zhou Zixu¡¯s mother, agreed sweet-temperedly. Zhou Zixu let out a smile that was half a grimace at his mother and said, ¡°Grandfather, how do you know I¡¯m not concerned about the family¡¯s businesses? I¡¯m not running around without a purpose. After all, thest time I was at the docks, didn¡¯t I find a dish of pickled fish that tasted quite good, eh?¡±


    If he hadn¡¯t brought up this topic it would have been better as the Zhou Family patriarch frowned after hearing this and said, ¡°Has the chef from Zhenxiu Restaurant figured out how to make this pickled fish yet? He even boasted that he¡¯s a famous chef but he¡¯s no better than a little girl from the countryside!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather, please calm down. It¡¯s not that the chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant was boosting his own reputation, but in terms of cooking, one false step makes a great difference. That pickled fish recipe was probably a secret recipe that was passed down from her ancestors, so it¡¯s unlikely it¡¯d be easy to just figure it out.¡± The eldest grandson, Zhou Zifang, cleverly interjected and exined.


    Zhou Zixu also agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Let¡¯s wait a little longer, if he really can¡¯t figure it out then, I¡¯ll just go to that little girl and buy the recipe from her.¡±


    The Zhou Family¡¯s matriarch loved her grandson dearly. She nodded her head in agreement and said, ¡°Xu¡¯er is right! Also, let¡¯s not talk about business during the family meal. Start the meal ah...¡±


    Zhou Zixu hurriedly patted the jugs of pickled vegetables in his hands as if they were some priceless treasure. He sidled over to his grandmother, made eye contact with her, and said, ¡°Grandmother loves grandson the most! Grandson also loves you very much. I know your appetite hasn¡¯t been very goodtely, so I especially went to a pickled vegetable store and bought some appetizers in hope that they¡¯ll increase your appetite. Please try some! I personally carried them the entire way back home!¡±


    When Matriarch Zhou saw her grandson¡¯s smiling face, she immediately felt better. As if he was still a child, she gently caressed his head, and said, ¡°My Xu¡¯er is still so filial. Qinglian, go to the kitchen and take a portion of these pickled vegetables out. Let¡¯s have everyone here try some.¡±


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s mother, Madam Jiang, red lovingly at her son and said, ¡°Be careful of boasting too much in front of grandmother. In a moment if it doesn¡¯t fit her tastes, what kind of situation do you think you¡¯ll be in?¡±


    Zhou Zixu sat next to his mother and pulled on her arm like a spoiled child. He pouted and said, ¡°Mother, it doesn¡¯t matter if other people give me face or not, but you need to help your son. If it¡¯s not tasty, please still eat a little more!¡±


    His grandmother pointed a finger at him and gentlyughed, ¡°You little monkey...with such a filial heart, I will also give you some face and eat a couple more bites...¡±


    A te of sweet and crispy radishes and a te of fragrant and spicy wine marinated tofu came out. They were artfully arranged on a crystal te with a light dressing of sesame oil on top. The tantalizing smell of sweetness and sour hit everyone, which increased all their appetites greatly.


    Matriarch Zhou¡¯s personal maidservant, Zitang, served her mistress a portion of the radishes and ced them into her congee bowl using ivory chopsticks. Thebination of the sweet and crispy radishes with a hint of spiciness paired perfectly with the congee that had been slowly simmered with the best rice money could buy. The olddy¡¯s eyes lit up in pleasure as she enjoyed her food.


    ¡°How is it? Grandma, does it meet your tastes?¡± Out of all of the grandsons, only Zhou Zixu would ever intimately call the matriarch ¡®grandma¡¯. The rest of them all respectfully referred to her as ¡®grandmother¡¯.


    The Zhou Family¡¯s matriarch carefully chewed and tasted the different vors that came from the congee and pickled radishes. A bit of time passed before she finally met her grandson¡¯s eager eyes and slowly nodded her head, ¡°Not bad, not bad! How could I not believe in my grandson¡¯s tastes?¡±


    [1] Gui Guzi (¹í¹È×Ó) was Sun Bin¡¯s (famous general) master and had agreed toe down the mountain to save him after the Qi Country¡¯s envoy, Su Dai, asked him three times.


    [2] Arhat or Luohan (ÂÞºº) ¨C a term originating from Buddhism. In Chinese Buddhism, it is used to describe a practitioner who had a higher level of attainment or pre-enlightenment but has not be a Boddhisattva, or a Buddha.

 Chapter 102 – Skimping on Work

    <h4>Chapter 102 ¨C Skimping on Work</h4>


    As she talked, she dispensed with having her maidservant serve her. The olddy picked up her chopsticks to grab more crispy pickled radish and ced it in her bowl...unconsciously, after consuming a whole bowl of nourishing and dense congee, she still wanted to eat more. She had her maidservant serve her up another bowl. She had a taste of all of the other dishes on the table. However, the one she ate the most of was still the sweet, crispy and tasty radishes.


    On the other hand, the patriarch of the family loved the wine-marinated beans the most. The old man liked to have a few drinks of alcohol every day. Since the wine-marinated beans had the slight fragrance of wine and a hint of spiciness, they provoked his taste buds and made him want to eat them continuously without stopping.


    As for the other members of the family, they all praised these two appetizers continuously. A satisfied expression crossed Zhou Zixu¡¯s face. Suddenly he remembered the words that the shabbily dressed little girl, who had more dazzling talents than any of those noble youngdies, had said. He spoke to his grandfather, ¡°Grandfather, do you think these pickled vegetables are delicious?¡±


    Patriarch Zhou picked up a small steamed roll and used his chopsticks to ce some wine-marinated beans on top. He opened his mouth wide to take a bite and closed his eyes, ¡°Not bad...¡±


    ¡°Grandfather, do you think the customers would like it if Zhenxiu Restaurant added a couple small tes of these pickled vegetables to the cold appetizer tters?¡± At the pickled vegetable stall, the little girl had off-handedly mentioned this idea, and it lit up a lightbulb in his business minded self.


    The patriarch¡¯s eyes, which had beenfortably closed, abruptly opened wide. He ced down the chopsticks in his hands and stroked his beard. He nodded and remarked in a gratified tone, ¡°Xu¡¯er, Grandfather has not missed the mark with you. You really are like Second Son ah...this idea is quite feasible, so I¡¯ll give it to you to handle!¡±


    Zhou Zifang clenched his hand that was underneath the table into a tight fist. Despite his fingernails digging into his flesh, he felt no pain as he did his best to keep a faint smile on his face, ¡°Grandfather, Younger Brother Xu is truly a dark horse whose ideas amaze the world! Fortunately, all of the Zhou family members have the same blood in our veins.¡±


    Within his heart, he secretly hated his younger brother. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how well he did business-wise, in his grandfather¡¯s heart, it wasn¡¯t enough for him to ovee his brothers who were born from the wives of the family.


    Although his grandfather hadplimented him for his business acumen and talents, he was only ever given a few small-scale business ventures. Zhou Zixu was just a little brat who didn¡¯t know anything. However, with just a simple idea that anyone could havee up with, his grandfather had decided to give him arger share of the business in disguise, setting him up to be the sessor. How could he ept this?


    Within the Zhou Family, the wealthiest family in Tanggu Town, there were some people who were rejoicing and some people who worried. On the other hand, Xiaocao continued on with her usual tasks: making braised food and selling braised food. The whole household bustled around busily working to fulfill their aspirations.


    After Madam Zhang made a fuss and came away with the recipe for the braised food, the next day she went to the market and bought arge pig head. She also made the butcher give her some pig intestines and tripe before she went home to prepare the food.


    Pig intestines and tripe were not only dirty but also smelly. Naturally Madam Zhang didn¡¯t want to work with these ingredients herself. However, her daughter was also at home sewing her dowry and couldn¡¯t rough up her hands. Thus, the task naturally fell to Madam Li.


    Madam Li was azy person who only liked to eat and gossip, so how could she possibly be someone who could do the hard work? If her efforts would result in money going into her own pocket, that would be a different story. However, all of the family¡¯s ie went straight into her mother-inw¡¯s control. Thus, she really had no incentive to work hard.


    With one hand pinching her nose closed, Madam Li used water to wash out the nasty gunk that was inside the pig intestines. She then let the intestines soak a couple of times in clean water without scrubbing them. As for the pig head, she didn¡¯t even bother to remove all of the hair and fur or clean out the junk in the ears before she immediately ced it in a pot to boil.


    During the braising process, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t want to waste money by using too many spices, so she cut down the amount needed for each spice by half. As for the expensive seasonings, she directly left them out. With this, the taste of the product had also been diluted.


    The finished braised pig head meat and offal had a sickening stench of feces that could make anyone want to vomit. Who would want to eat something that smelled that bad? At the table, Old Yu didn¡¯t even bother trying the te of braised pig meat. Instead, he pped the table and howled, ¡°Is this food fit for humans to eat? Quickly take this off the table and throw it far away! How can anyone have the appetite to eat with a smell this disgusting around?¡±


    Third Son Yu Bo was at home for one of his rare visits. However, the stench of the braised food made him dry heave a couple of times. He didn¡¯t even finish the egg that was added to each of his meals before he threw down his chopsticks and went back to his room. The door to his room was mmed forcefully shut. As for Yu Caidie, she grabbed a pancake and some dried radish strips and went to the courtyard to eat her meal.


    Heizi was the only person not affected by the horrible stench. Instead, he picked up a plump piece of pig head meat and ate it inrge bites. Had Xiaocao been there, she would have silentlyughed, ¡®This stupid boy. As long as it¡¯s meat, even if it smells worse than human excrement, he¡¯ll still eat it!¡¯


    However, they had spent around ten copper coins to buy the pig head. In addition, the spices also cost money. All in all, they spent around twenty to thirty copper coins. If they threw this food away, wouldn¡¯t that be the same as throwing money away?


    Madam Zhang didn¡¯t care about any of this. That afternoon, she ced the braised pig head meat and intestines into a basket and dragged Madam Li with her to the docks.


    ¡°One copper coin for a portion of meat! This is the authentic Yu Family¡¯s braised food! Tasty and cheap...Big Brother, buy a portion and try some!¡± Under Madam Zhang¡¯s prodding, Madam Li managed to squeeze out a smile on her face as she advertised their wears. However, she was quite unwilling on the inside.


    It was quite an opportune time for them. There wasn¡¯t a lot of work under Foreman Sun, so the dockworkers had alle early to wait for Xiaocao¡¯s braised food for one copper coin a portion. When they heard Madam Li yelling, all of them came over.


    As usual, Old Hao fished out two copper coins and casually asked, ¡°Give me two portions of pickled fish...where¡¯s Xiaocao today? Howe she¡¯s not here?¡±


    Pickled fish? The smile on Madam Li¡¯s face froze for a second. Madam Zhang, on the other hand, quickly took the money and said, ¡°You¡¯re talking about my granddaughter, ah! She¡¯s busy today...Big Brother, we don¡¯t have any pickled fish today. We have pig head meat and intestines, do you want some?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Give me two portions of pig head meat,rger portions please.¡± Pig head meat was Old Hao¡¯s favorite dish. He had gotten used to buying pickled fish in the afternoons, so it was a nice surprise for him that he could get some pig head meat today.


    After taking over the oiled paper packet that Madam Zhang gave him, Old Hao weighed the contents in his hand a bit. He grumbled inside, ¡®Why does it seem like they gave me a smaller portion of braised food today?¡¯ However, after thinking a bit, he thought, ¡®This meat is so delicious and it¡¯s only one copper coin. A smaller portion is just a smaller portion...¡¯


    Old Hao impatiently ripped open his oiled paper packet but the smell that came out wasn¡¯t the usual dense and appetizing smell. It was hard to describe but it assaulted his nose, causing him to scowl. He used one hand to pick up a piece and discovered that the piece still had obvious bits of pig fur, standing up tall and proud.


    The braised food that Xiaocao sold for one copper coin a portion always smelled appetizing, had incredible vor, but most importantly, she always cleaned the raw ingredients thoroughly. With this, even a fool could tell that there was something wrong with this braised food.


    Old Hao held his portion of pig head meat as he squeezed through the crowd. He waved the piece with fur on it in front of Madam Zhang¡¯s face and said, ¡°Yo Auntie, are you absolutely sure that Xiaocao herself had braised this pig head meat?¡±


    ¡°Of...of course! That bit of fur must have escaped our notice when we were preparing the food. Didn¡¯t see it then...Big Brother, I¡¯ll swap out a new portion for you...¡± Madam Zhang stammered awkwardly with a stiff smile on her face.


    Seeing that the old woman was hemming and hawing, Old Hao knew something fishy was going on here. He ced that piece of meat back into the paper packet and shoved the whole thing into Madam Zhang¡¯s hand, ¡°Go smell it yourself! Whenever you open a packet of Xiaocao¡¯s one copper coin a portion of braised food, the smell thates out is so good. As for yours, I almost wanted to vomit from the stench. This absolutely is not something Xiaocao made! ...I don¡¯t want this anymore, refund me, refund me!¡±


    Madam Zhang was like a Pixiu [1], gold and silver only went in and never came out. If you wanted her to refund you, tough luck! The expression on her face turned frosty, and she yelled shrilly, ¡°You already ate it and you want your money to be refunded! Do you think bullying an old woman is easy?!¡±


    At this time, she had already sold more than ten portions out. When the people surrounding her realized that something wasn¡¯t right, they put their coins back into their purses and stood at the side to watch and see.


    A few of the dockworkers who had just bought the food hadn¡¯t opened up the paper pouches yet, and they hurriedly asked, ¡°Auntie, I just got this and I haven¡¯t even opened the pouch yet. Can I return it now?¡±


    When Madam Zhang saw that their roaring business had slid to a halt by theints, she obviously had no desire to return any of the money in her hands. She pinched herself on her thigh and started screaming towards the sky, ¡°Okay, I see how it is! You¡¯re all trying to bully a pair of old weak women! You don¡¯t want to pay money for your goods! The heavens witness all, are you guys not afraid of receiving retribution?¡±


    Madam Li joined in and hollered, ¡°We are selling food. If you already got it in hand, who knows what you¡¯ve done to it? If you return it, how are we supposed to sell it to other people? If the goods have already been transferred, we cannot refund the purchase!!¡±


    Old Hao pointed at the pig head meat in his hand in frustration, ¡°The food you sell is inedible! Refunding the money is heaven¡¯sw and earth¡¯s principle!¡±


    ¡°What ¡®heaven¡¯sw and earth¡¯s principle¡¯? How is it not edible? If you eat it, will you die? Just eat some and see. If it really kills you, then we¡¯ll pay your funeral fees!!¡± Madam Zhang shrewish side was out in full force. At any rate, she was an old woman, the workers here on the dock wouldn¡¯t dare to touch her. If they did, then they really would be in for it!


    Old Hao¡¯s eyes widened in fury. He clenched his fist into a death grip and advanced a step, ¡°Old woman, how can you be so unreasonable? Not only that, you¡¯re even cursing other people to die!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh! He wants to kill me!! Everyonee see, a whole group of men are trying to bully us two weak women! Is there no one here who cares...¡± Madam Zhang was frightened by the look of pure fury in his eyes, and she retreated two steps before she fell on the ground. She pped her thighs as she cried and screamed.


    Old Hao and the other dockworkers didn¡¯t know whether they shouldugh or cry at this situation¡ª¡ªdid she have any leg to stand on after selling counterfeit goods?!


    ¡°Grandmother, what¡¯s wrong? Who¡¯s trying to bully you?¡± The sound of Xiaocao¡¯s voice could be heard from behind the crowd of people. The dock workers opened a small crack and let her in. With a basket slung over her arm, Xiaocao carefully walked towards where Madam Zhang was sitting.


    Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t thickfaced enough to allow the younger generation to see her in such a dismal state. She hastily got up, patted off the dirt from her body, and then righteously shouted, ¡°Xiaocao, you came at the right time!! Did you give us the wrong recipe on purpose because you didn¡¯t want us to steal your business? They¡¯re all saying that there¡¯s something wrong with the braised food and want to return it!¡±


    Xiaocao nced briefly at the faces behind Madam Zhang and had a basic understanding of what might have happened. She walked towards Old Hao. looked at the oiled paper pouch in his hand ,and said, ¡°Uncle Old Hao, can I take a look at the braised food in your hand?¡±


    Old Hao handed over the pouch that he had previously owned andined, ¡°Xiaocao, smell this. Is this something that humans are supposed to eat?¡±


    The smell that came out of the pouch assaulted Xiaocao¡¯s nose, and she couldn¡¯t help but frown. She inspected the pig head meat carefully and then turned to speak to Madam Zhang, ¡°Grandmother, before you braise the pig head meat, you need to make sure you remove all of the fur and hair from the pig head. You also need to scrape and clean out all of the junk in its ears, and it¡¯s important to use a lot of force when scrubbing. Afterwards, you need to split the head open and take out its brains, then let it soak in some clean water and let the blood alle out. Then you need to let it soak in hot water for about half an hour. This is the only way to remove any odd odors from the pig head. Look at this pig head meat, there¡¯s still hair and fur on it. It¡¯s obvious that whoever was washing the pig head was skimping on the work.¡±


    [1] Pixiu (õùõ÷) ¨C a mythical creature, which is depicted as a winged animal with the head of a dragon and body of a lion, that brings luck (usually wealth) and wards off evil; it is believed that the pixiu doesn¡¯t have an anus which signifies that wealth/luck will flow in and not leave

 Chapter 103 – Loss of Integrity

    <h4>Chapter 103 ¨C Loss of Integrity</h4>


    Madam Zhang stared fiercely at Madam Li, who looked down to avoid her eyes, and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you speak more clearly at the beginning? Did you do it on purpose?¡±


    Xiaocao was so angry that she became amused by them and said, ¡°Grandmother, when you¡¯re in the food industry, you have to see things through other people¡¯s eyes! When you cook for yourself, don¡¯t you wash the ingredients first? It¡¯s especially important to do so when braising pig head. Do you really still need other people to tell you? Look at thisrge intestine. The feces inside haven¡¯t even been thoroughly cleaned yet. How are people supposed to eat this?!¡±


    The docker, who had bought the braisedrge intestine, saw Xiaocao taking out a lump of ck substance from a section of therge intestine. He instantly felt his stomach lurch and was d that he hadn¡¯t started eating yet.


    Xiaocao continued, ¡°Grandmother, based on the color of the braised food, there isn¡¯t enough vorings in it. So, both therge intestine and pig head look deathly pale. Also, when braising food, you need to first boil in high heat, and then in low heat after half an hour. Each time, it needs to be cooked for a total of one and a half hours, so that the meat and bone can be easily separated by hand. It¡¯s important to have a good grasp of the fire. If the fire is too big and it¡¯s cooked too long, the pig head will be overcooked, and the output will be reduced. If the fire is too small and the cooking time is too short, then the color, aroma, and taste of the product will be poor. It¡¯s evident that you didn¡¯t get a good grasp of the fire for your braised food...¡±


    These were all things that Xiaocao had told them before. However, thatzy woman, Madam Li, didn¡¯t have the patience to wait beside the stove. She had put out the fire and went out to gossip before the braised food was ready. As for the seasonings, Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes darted around and appeared somewhat guilty. In order to save some money, she had reduced the required seasonings by half.


    ¡°Oh... so this isn¡¯t the braised food made by Xiaocao. You deceived us by saying that it¡¯s the authentic one copper coin meat dish!¡± He snorted and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll take it as throwing two copper coins in the sea, but don¡¯t expect us to buy any of your one copper coin food again!¡± Old Hao angrily threw the other packet of braised food from his hands next to Madam Zhang¡¯s feet, and then walked away furiously.


    Xiaocao hastily stopped him and said, ¡°Uncle Hao, I¡¯ll apologize for my grandmother. Please take two servings of pickled fish aspensation! Xiaolian, give Uncle Hao two portions of pickled fish.¡±


    Old Hao rubbed his hands together in embarrassment. He took two copper coins out from his pocket and said, ¡°She is she and you are you! Take it as me buying these two pickled fish...¡±


    Xiaocao pushed back his hand that held the money and said, ¡°When the elders do something wrong, the younger generation should also bear some responsibilities. Although we have already split from the main family, there¡¯s nothing wrong with using a few copper coins to show filial piety to our elders. Those who had bought braised food from my grandmother cane over to get the corresponding amount of pickled fish from me. The money that you gave my grandmother will be our way of showing filial respects to her.¡±


    As soon as Madam Zhang heard that she didn¡¯t need to refund the money that she received, her anxious heart finally rxed. Seeing that everyone was praising Xiaocao for being filial and doing honest business, she sneered in disdain. As she counted the ten or so coins in her hand, she inwardly resented that Old Hao for notingter. If it hadn¡¯t been for him, she could have earned a profit. When she thought about how she hadn¡¯t earned back half of the money that was used to buy the seasonings, she felt a piercing pain as if a part of her heart had been dug out by someone.


    When Xiaolian came over with the basket to give everyone the pickled fish, the crowd were surprised to find out that the two little girls looked exactly the same. Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Everyone, this is my twin sister Xiaolian. Yesterday, as well as every afternoon before, she was the one who came to sell the braised food.¡±


    Old Hao was briefly stunned, and then heughed, ¡°I knew something was off! I had wondered why Xiaocao isn¡¯t as talkative in the afternoon. So it turned out to be another person! It¡¯s ridiculous that we didn¡¯t notice it was a different person in the morning and afternoon for so many days. It¡¯s so interesting and funny!¡±


    The pair of sisters who looked identical attracted the attention of even more people, and thus, Xiaocao¡¯s business became more popr than ever. Brother Six, who had alsoe to buy two portions of pickled fish, nced at the two sisters with his cold gaze. When he left, he had a rare smile on his face¡ª¡ªHe had guessed correctly...


    Madam Zhang and her daughter inw¡¯s gaze were filled with envy as they looked at the endless crowd around Xiaocao. But, no matter how much they advertised, the news of their crude and inferior braised food had already spread among the dock workers. Their voices were already hoarse from all the shouting, but they still didn¡¯t sell another serving of food. Hence, they could only leave in disgrace.


    Later, when their braised food was finally edible, there still wasn¡¯t anyone willing to support their business. This was how business worked. Once a business lost its integrity, then it would be difficult to redeem themselves.


    After several times, the mother inw and daughter inw not only didn¡¯t earn any money, but they also lost their capital. The process of braising pig head and pig offal was veryborious. Neither of the inws were hard working people, so they gradually lost their interest in making money from selling braised food.


    March should had been a good season for the weather to warm up and flowers to blossom. However, at the beginning of March this year, there was a cold current, which perfectly matched the saying: ¡®There is a chill in the early spring air.¡¯


    Fortunately, Madam Liu and Xiaolian had already taken time to make new bedding for the whole family. They had opened up the old quilts, took out the cotton, and fluffed up the cotton. After that, they stuffed the old cotton into the new covers and used them as a cotton-padded mattress in ce of the rice straw on top of the kang bed. As for the new bedding, they had sewn four sets of new soft and fluffy cotton quilts.


    When Xiaocao was covered with the warm and soft quilts, she sighed happily and rolled around on the bed, reluctant to get up. Madam Liu and Xiaolian were amused by her actions.


    When the cold wave came, Yu Hai immediately drove his donkey cart to town to give both his sons a new set of cotton-padded clothes. Although the clothes were made of cheap coarse cloth, the cotton inside was new and it had better heat retention than their old jackets.


    Xiaocao and Xiaolian had also put on new jackets, which were blue with red flower patterns. They were snuggling with their parents on the kang bed after dinner. The whole family looked out of the window with concern. Yu Hai sighed and said, ¡°It seems like there¡¯s going to be ¡®peach blossom snow¡¯ tonight...¡±


    Xiaolian asked, ¡°Father, what¡¯s a ¡®peach blossom snow¡¯?¡±


    Madam Liu patiently exined the changes in the sr terms to her, and then recited a farmer¡¯s proverb: In March, on the third day of March, apricot flowers and peach blossoms will bloom all over the mountains. When the peach blossom blooms and the apricot flower withers, plums and prunes will grow up. As the peach blossom blooms and the apricot flower withers, persimmons will grow and the apricots will drop. If there¡¯s a spring snow in March, there won¡¯t be a high yield of fruits.


    In the end, she concluded, ¡°If it snows tonight, I¡¯m afraid that the vigers who nted fruits this year will have a headache...¡±


    Xiaolian looked out the window at the vegetable garden and said worriedly, ¡°Then... will our family¡¯s vegetables be affected? I think we can harvest them in a few days. If it freezes, all our previous efforts would be wasted...¡±


    Yu Hai looked at Xiaocao and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Cao¡¯er, can those straw thatches withstand this snowstorm?¡±


    Xiaocao looked at the little golden kitten napping on the bed and asked in her mind, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, will the vegetables that we nted be alright? Didn¡¯t you say that if we watered them with your bathing water, they can resist drought, cold, and pests?]


    Every night, it would absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and recover its powers. Yes, in addition to soaking in water, it could also absorb the essence of the sun and the moon and turn it into its own spiritual power. The little golden kitten stretched, yawned, rubbed its little eyes with its paws, and then said, [Don¡¯t worry! As long as it doesn¡¯tst more than three days, it will be fine... I¡¯m tired, so quickly help this divine stone get to bed.]


    Go to bed? My butt! Wasn¡¯t it just taking off the multicolored stone and putting it in a jar of water? Xiaocao reluctantly brought over the jar that the little divine stone usually rest in and ced the multicolored stone inside. After that, she repeated what Little Divine Stone said to her family. Xiaolian asked curiously, ¡°Little Sister, where did you find that useless stone? You¡¯re always soaking it in water like it¡¯s some kind of treasure. What¡¯s the use of this stone?¡±


    [Who¡¯s a useless stone? You¡¯re a useless stone! Your whole family are useless stones!] Little Divine Stone angrily bared its fangs at Xiaolian as it mimicked the Goddess of Spirit¡¯s favorite pet phrase, saying it in exactly the same manner. After scolding her, it was so pleased with itself that it even showed acent expression.


    ¡°Xiaocao, what¡¯s wrong with your Little Glutinous Dumpling? Hurry and take it away!¡± Xiaolian watched as thezily sleeping kitten abruptly jumped on her head and scratched her hair with its tiny ws. It didn¡¯t really hurt, but it looked rather silly.


    The Yu Family was still rather fond of the beautiful little golden kitten that suddenly appeared at their home. But, this little kitten was very proud and aloof. It usually ignored everyone except for Xiaocao.


    Xiaocao grabbed the grumpy little kitten and pacified it by caressing it on her palm. She smiled and said, ¡°I found it by chance in the stream. Xiaolian, don¡¯t you think the rainbow color looks very pretty? I found that the color bes even more vibrant if it¡¯s nourished in the spring water every day. Moreover, I noticed that our family¡¯s life has been getting better and better after I picked up this little rock. Perhaps, it¡¯s a lucky stone!¡±


    Seeing her daughter treat a rock as if it were a precious treasure, Madam Liu felt slightly saddened within her heart. She secretly made up her mind to buy some essories for her daughters after they earned money from selling the vegetables. Her daughters were already at the age when they liked to be well-groomed. Time sure passed by quickly...


    That evening, smoke reemerged from the kang flues in Dongshan Vige, which had already been stopped for a period of time. Xiaocao¡¯s family had new mattresses and quilts, so they didn¡¯t really need to heat the kang bed.


    The next day, the vige was shrouded in a silvery-white attire, as if everything was dressed in silver. Even the mountains were covered in snow and looked as if they were back in the ice and snow-covered winter. The pond behind the house was like a green jadeite iid within white marble, brilliant and clear.


    On top of the rows of old pine trees were snowballs of various sizes. In the bamboo forest, tall bamboo trees were bent by the heavy snow. Rows and rows of bamboo trees were covered byyers uponyers of silver cloaks.


    The sun rose from the east side of the mountains and shone brightly in all directions. The mountain vige became particrly enchanting. The snow umted on the distant mountain peaks was like rosy clouds in the sky. Under the sunshine, a faint golden glow appeared on the treetops. The sparrows in the woods hopped around and shook the branches. The snow umted on the branches fluttered to the ground like powder. When reflected by the sunlight, it looked like ayer of silver fog.


    Xiaocao would always get seriously ill whenever it snowed in the past. She had also fallen seriously sick before the New Year (Author¡¯s note: It was fake.). Thus, her family was worried about her health. They requested her to stay at home and had Yu Hai drive the donkey cart and take Xiaolian to the docks to sell braised food.


    After all, it was the spring season of March. After the warm sun rose, the snow began to melt under the sunlight. The sound of the snow crashing down could be heard andrge clusters of umted snow fell from the bamboo trees. The bamboo tree straightened up its waist and shook its head as if it was saying: ¡®You want to crush me? Don¡¯t even think about it!¡¯ In the distance came the loud mooing of an old cattle, the quacking of ducks, and theughter of people...

 Chapter 104 – Robbery

    <h4>Chapter 104 ¨C Robbery</h4>


    Xiaocao and Madam Liu, who stayed at home, weren¡¯t idling around either. Taking advantage of the warm sunshine after the snow, they lifted up the straw thatches and shook off the snow on top. The smiles on mother-daughter¡¯s faces were even brighter than the sun as they looked at the green vegetables, which were bathing in the sunshine and unaffected by the spring snow.


    Madam Fang, who hade to visit with her daughter, was shocked by the greenery in front of her when she entered the courtyard. She felt as if she had entered spring ahead of time. Madam Fang chattered endlessly, ¡°Your vegetables are growing so well! Younger Sister Muyun, we also made straw thatches and tried to grow a vegetable garden ording to the way you taught me. A few, sparse seedlings just sprouted, but they had wilted due to the heavy snow yesterday. I don¡¯t even know if they can survive...¡±


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t contain the joy on her face and said with a smile, ¡°Xiaocao¡¯s father just lets her do whatever she wants. I couldn¡¯t stop them, so I just let them nt the vegetables with the thought that we¡¯re just wasting several bags of seeds. Unexpectedly, the vegetables that littless nted actually sprouted. Your garden isn¡¯t growing very well, could it be that the soil isn¡¯t fertile enough? As you know, our yard has been deserted for many years and has umted a thickyer of foliar fertilizer.¡±


    Xiaocao quickly said, ¡°The seeds for greens and mustard greens were scattered more densely in our backyard. When it gets warmer in a couple days, Auntie Zhou can take some back to grow in your garden.¡±


    Madam Fang¡¯s younger daughter, Zhou Shanhu, wasn¡¯t much older than her and had a lively personality. Every time she came, she would be envious of Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s greeneries. When she returned to her own home, she would water and fertilize her family¡¯s vegetable garden. She wanted the vegetables in her yard to grow faster so that she could eat them as soon as possible. When she woke up this morning, she had cried bitterly at the sight of pitiful state of the vegetables, which were all frozen.


    When Zhou Shanhu heard what Xiaocao said, she immediately grabbed Xiaocao¡¯s hand with a grin and asked, ¡°Really? Are you really giving some to us? But... aren¡¯t you guys going to sell the vegetables in town?¡±


    Xiaocao held her hand and walked towards the rear courtyard. As they walked, she said, ¡°Shanhu, you should also know that if the crops are nted too densely, their growth will also be affected. If you and Older Sister Linglonge take some away tomorrow, it will benefit our family too. We got twoborers for free!¡±


    ¡°Hey! So that¡¯s what you were nning!¡± Zhou Shanhuughed and tried to pinch her tender cheeks, while Xiaocao smiled and dodged her. The two young girls were chasing and frolicking beside the vegetable garden, while Zhou Linglong followed behind them, smiling quietly.


    In the Yu Family¡¯s main house, Madam Li wasining to her mother inw.


    ¡°Mother, I think that Second Brother inw¡¯s family earns more than ten copper coins daily from selling braised food! No matter what they probably earn more than a hundred copper coins. So that means they get three taels in a month, which is more than the ie we get from our fishing boat!¡± As Madam Li thought of the shiny silvers, she felt as if there were twenty-five kittens hiding in her heart¡ªthere were a hundred ws scratching her heart!


    Of course, Madam Zhang was also envious of the second branch¡¯s ie, but she couldn¡¯t just go take it from them. The old man wouldn¡¯t agree. Last time, when she got the braised food recipe from the second branch, that damned old man was angry at her for several days!


    When Madam Zhang thought of how the old man was being ¡®partial¡¯, she mmed the rough ceramic cup in her hand heavily on table and vented her anger at Madam Li, ¡°What¡¯s the point in talking about this? Can you get the money? It¡¯s all your fault! You can¡¯t even properly clean the pig offal and offended all the customers. Now, even if we stole the braised food that Xiaocao made and sold them, no one would be willing to buy them!!¡±


    Madam Li¡¯s face went from blue to white after being scolded. She thought inwardly: ¡®How am I the one who offended the customers? Weren¡¯t you the one who was so greedy that you refused to give them refunds? You even shamelessly threw a tantrum! Even those rough men on the docks avoid you whenever they see you...¡¯


    Her eyes darted around for a moment, and then she stealthily changed the topic in order to redirect her mother inw¡¯s anger, ¡°Mother, I can¡¯t believe Second Brother inw would act like this! He earns so much money every day, but he didn¡¯t even think of his parents. He appeared like such a good son in the past, but who knew... Tsk tsk, he was never sincere and was just pretending all along!¡±


    Madam Li was seriously stirring up problems for no reason. Before Yu Hai¡¯s family had split from the household, they had to hand in all their ie. If they also handed in all their money now that they were living separately, what would their family eat and drink with?


    Madam Zhang snorted and angrily replied, ¡°He¡¯s a good son? He¡¯spletely disregarding his parents¡¯ life or death, while his own family is eating and living well! How is he good? He deserves to be crippled! It¡¯s karma!¡±


    In the room, the mother inw and daughter inw were venting and making Yu Hai out to be a worthless person. However, they hadn¡¯t expected that an evil idea would emerge within the heart of a dark figure under the window, who had overheard them.


    The sky was clear and boundless the next day. The snow from a couple days ago had already melted and seeped into the soil. Xiaocao and her sister were walking home with a basket in their hands.


    Their baskets werepletely empty. Xiaocao happily hummed as she touched her bloated purse. Xiaolian also had a delighted expression on her face and said to Xiaocao, ¡°Little Sister, the manager of the restaurant at the docks asked you to help make a meal for a table in the morning. Are you going to prepare the same dishes as before?¡±


    Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°This time, the guests are from the south, so they don¡¯t like spicy food and prefer sweeter vors and vegetable dishes. I¡¯m going to make new dishes on the basis of ¡®pearl balls¡¯ and ¡®shredded pork with bean sauce¡¯. For the fish, I¡¯m nning on making ¡®sweet and sour fish¡¯. Since it has a sweet and sour taste, the southerners will definitely like it. Our family¡¯s bok choy and mustard greens should be ready to eat. The vegetable dishes will be ¡®saut¨¦ed mushroom and bok choy¡¯ and ¡®minced garlic with mustard greens¡¯. For the staple food... ¡®three delicacies vegetarian crystal steamed buns¡¯ would be a good choice. It¡¯s exquisite and delicious! To be able to eat bok choy and mustard greens during this season, the guests will surely enjoy the meal!¡±


    While the sisters were happily discussing the dishes for the meal and how much they had earned with the two taels that they were given, a dark shadow suddenly flew out from the withered bush on wayside and blocked the sisters¡¯ path.


    Xiaocao was rmed in her heart. She looked around and noticed that there wasn¡¯t anyone else on the road. Although they had two people, they were only children who weren¡¯t even nine yet. The other person had covered his face with a mask. Though he wasn¡¯t very tall, he looked very sturdy. Thus, he was more than capable of dealing with two thin and small girls.


    ¡°Take out your money! Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The masked man tried to make his voice sound deeper and pretended to sound vicious. But there was still a faint sense of immaturity within his voice.


    Upon hearing him, Xiaocao had determined that he wasn¡¯t very old and should be at the age when his voice was changing. They had earned more than two hundred copper coins from peddling this morning. In the purse, she not only had the money they earned this morning, but also a deposit of two taels from the restaurant¡¯s boss. She was really reluctant to hand it over obediently.


    She stalled for time as she tried to think of a way to get away, ¡°Don¡¯t act recklessly! There¡¯s a lot of pedestrians on this road at this time. Roadway robbery is a felony. If you get caught and sent to the yamen [1], you will first be punished with fifty strikes. Even if you don¡¯t die, your skin will tear off!¡±


    When the masked man heard her, all the flesh on his body trembled. He tightened his grip on the stick in his hand, pointed at the sisters, and angrily said, ¡°Cut the crap and quickly hand over the money!!¡±


    Xiaocao looked around and quietly squeezed Xiaolian¡¯s palm. She suddenly had a look of surprise and loudly shouted behind him, ¡°Uncle Zhao! Did youe to sell game?¡±


    As soon as he heard that it was the skilled fighter Hunter Zhao, the masked man was so scared that the stick in his hand fell to the ground. He turned around and looked behind himself, while he got ready to escape.


    The moment he turned his head, Xiaocao pulled Xiaolian and ran in the opposite direction with all her might.


    When the masked man saw the empty path behind him, he finally realized that he had been fooled. He scolded at them, ¡°Stinky brats, I definitely skin you alive when I catch you!¡± After that, he swiftly ran after the sisters.


    Although the sisters took the lead, their legs were short and weak, and was soon caught up by the robber. He furiously reached out his hands and pushed Xiaocao very far away. He said fiercely, ¡°You dared to trick me! If I don¡¯t beat you up until you¡¯re crying for your parents, then I won¡¯t go by the surname of...¡±


    He wasn¡¯t so foolish as to tell them his family name, and swiftly stopped himself before he exposed his own surname. He angrily sent a hard p towards Xiaocao¡¯s direction.


    However, at this time, Xiaolian suddenly strode forward and blocked her younger sister. With a sharp sound of the p, Xiaolian staggered several steps backwards and fell to the ground after being hit. Her fair and tender face instantly became swollen.


    Xiaocao rushed towards her to help her up. Her heart ached as she blew on her red and swollen face. She had always protected people who were close to her. For her younger siblings in her previous life, she had been in countless fights with people who had bullied them. She had ¡®gloriously¡¯ won the title of a tigress!


    She tightened her fist and clenched her teeth. Directly fighting with the opponent would be herst resort. Based on his reaction when she tricked him earlier, he should know Hunter Zhao, Uncle Zhao. In addition, she had this lingering feeling that there was a sense of familiarity from the robber. She suspected that he was someone she knew and could possibly be someone from Dongshan Vige...


    [Yaaawn... Stop guessing. There¡¯s no one else other than your eldest paternal cousin, who¡¯szy, gluttonous, and a good-for-nothing!] Thezy voice of the little divine stone sounded in her ear as the little golden kitten on her shoulder stretched its back.


    Yu Ge, Yu Heizi? Xiaocao looked at the other person¡¯s plump figure, who had a sharp rooster-like voice. He appeared to be tough on the outside, but was timid inwardly... It really was him!


    Little Divine Stone nonchntly said, [Little girl, do you want me, this Divine Stone, to use my power and teach that fellow a lesson?] Although the little celestial stone had recognized Xiaocao as its master, it usually didn¡¯t treat her with high esteem.


    Xiaocao knew that Yu Ge, appeared fierce and malicious, but he was actually cowardly inside. She recalled how, on the day she woke up, he got so scared that he nearly wet his pants because of a few words. A n was forming within her mind...


    Yu Heizi had secretly eavesdropped on his mother and grandmother¡¯s conversation. He found out that Xiaocao went to the docks every day and earned over a hundred copper coins. Since he was young, his stingy grandmother had always stealthily fed him delicious food behind younger siblings of the second branch¡¯s back, but she had never given him more than two copper coins for allowance. It wasn¡¯t even enough to buy a piece of candy from a peddler.


    One hundred copper coins was like a fortune to him. He thought about all the things he could do if he had a hundred copper coins. He would be able to buy two fragrant sesame pancakes stuffed with several pieces of beef and have a good meal in town. He could also buy a pearl hairpin for Xiaoxiang, who liked to dress up, to make her happy.


    The next morning, he had heard that the two little girls, Xiaocao and Xiaolian, were the ones going to the docks today, and thus an idea formed in his mind.


    [1] Yamen (ÑÃÃÅ) ¨C government office in ancient China, which works as a courthouse, police station, etc.

 Chapter 105 – Seeing a Ghost

    <h4>Chapter 105 ¨C Seeing a Ghost</h4>


    He had originally thought that they were only two seven to eight year old girls, so he could get the money easily by just scaring them a little. But he hadn¡¯t expected that Xiaocao would threaten him with the yamen and the punishment of being flogged. She also tried to run away after deceiving him. He couldn¡¯t help but feel infuriated. He picked up the wooden stick that was as thick as a person¡¯s wrist and prepared swiftly knock them out and run away after grabbing the money. He needed to act quickly lest someone really passed by at this time and wasted all his efforts.


    In the vige, taking other children¡¯s things and bullying people were things that he had done ever since he was a young child. However, it was his first timemitting a felony and robbing people on the road. With a twisted expression, he hardened his heart, lifted the wooden stick in his hand, and was about to ruthlessly strike Xiaocao¡¯s head.


    Xiaolian screamed and disregarded the pain on her face as she rushed over to block the blow for her younger sister. Her younger sister had nearly diedst summer after being pushed by their eldest aunt. She could never forget the scene of her sister¡¯s pale face being covered by the dark red blood. There was only one thought within her mind at the moment¡ªshe must never let her get hurt again!


    When Xiaolian hugged Xiaocao with her own frail body to prevent her from being assaulted by the robber, Xiaocao¡¯s heart was filled with a burst of emotion. In her previous life, no matter how much she suffered, she had to stand up straight and face it bravely. She must never fall down because she knew that she was the main pir of her family and the one person that her younger siblings could depend on. After being resurrected, she had be the one who was being protected, which let her feel the warmth of a family again...


    Xiaocao supported Xiaolian¡¯s shoulders and pointed at the robber, who had the stick raised up high but seemed as if he had been paralyzed by a spell. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! He can¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°Uh? Why isn¡¯t he moving? Could it be that there¡¯s some deity helping us?¡± Xiaolian still had a lingering fear as she pulled her sister back a few steps and asked curiously.


    At this time, Yu Ge was suffering from unprecedented fear and torment. As soon as he lifted the wooden stick, the sky suddenly darkened and fierce voice shouted, ¡°How dare you, Yu Ge! To rob others of their wealth in broad daylight! To bully the good and the weak! The King of Hell had sent this immortal to detain your soul and take you to the Pce of Hell for trial!¡±


    Heizi was so frightened that he immediately lost all his senses the moment he looked up. In the dark sky, there was a tall, bulky figure with the head of an ox and the body of a human holding a steel fork. Wasn¡¯t he the soul messenger in the legends? His legs went limp from the shock. He felt a warm sensation around his crotch and a stinky odor could be smelled. He was so scared that he had peed in his pants.


    When a dark and shiny iron chain wrapped around his neck, he immediately threw away the stick in his hand, knelt on his knees, and desperately kowtowed at Ox-Head [1]. He kept begging for mercy, ¡°Please spare me, please have mercy on me! Since this was my first timemitting such a crime, can you please spare me this one time?¡±


    Ox-Head spoke again, ¡°You are a thiefmitting a robbery. You have also bullied the good and the weak and took possession of other people¡¯s properties. You shall be taken to the Cauldron of Boiling Oil [2]. You will be stripped of your clothing and thrown into the hot oil pan to be fried. Just like a fish, the human skin will gradually be fried into a golden crisp as the hot oil in the pan crackles... ording to the seriousness of the case, the severity of the punishment will be altered. You¡¯re a first-time offender, so being fried two or three times should be enough! Alright, stop your nonsense ande with me!!¡±


    Heizi would shudder every time Ox-Head said something. When Ox-Head finished speaking, Heizi had also copsed on the ground and was unable to get up. If Heizi had a choice, he would rather pass out immediately. But he was extremely clear headed right now. At the same time, he was also afraid of fainting, and then be taken to the Pce of Hell in an unconscious state. He feared that he would be sentenced to the eighteen levels of hell and suffer the torments of being fried and frozen!


    He was so frightened that he couldn¡¯t even speak. He just kept kowtowing and admitting his wrongdoings, while seeking a chance to mend his ways and start anew.


    A faint smile slowly appeared on the corner of Xiaocao¡¯s mouth, while Xiaolian, who was beside her, eximed in astonishment, ¡°Little Sister, is he possessed? What did he suddenly change his attitude and kowtow to us while begging for mercy?¡±


    Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Maybe... he was suddenly enlightened by Buddha to reform as an evildoer and be a good person! Isn¡¯t there a saying: ¡®there¡¯s a thin line between good and evil¡¯? Let¡¯s go and let him be!¡±


    Xiaolian picked up the basket that had fallen on the ground and asked in a slightly uncertain tone, ¡°Little Sister, why do I have this feeling that his voice sounds slightly familiar? He should be someone we know, right?¡±


    ¡°Who cares if we know him or not? Let¡¯s quickly leave! If he suddenly changes his mind again, then we¡¯re done for!¡± Xiaocao was afraid of arousing Xiaolian¡¯s suspicion, so she couldn¡¯t stay to appreciate Heizi¡¯s humiliation and urgently pulled her away.


    Heizi was still ceaselessly kowtowing to the air. His forehead was already bleeding, but he didn¡¯t dare to stop. Little Divine Stone saw that the sisters had gone far away, so it feigned a merciful appearance and said, [Alright! A fault confessed is half redressed. For the sake of your good attitude, I¡¯ll give you another chance! Remember to do good deeds and don¡¯tmit sinful acts!]


    Heizi kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude, ¡°Yes, yes! This little one won¡¯t dare to have malicious intentions again. I will definitely do more good deeds! Definitely!¡±


    Seeing that he had learned his lesson, Little Divine Stone dissolved its power and chased after its master with its short legs at lightning speed.


    Heizi only felt that the boundless darkness in front of him had dispersed and the soul messenger had already disappeared. After experiencing the ¡®cmity¡¯ earlier, he had finally realized the importance of light. Lying on the ground, it took him half a day to recover the strength in his upper body. His cotton-padded clothing was already soaked in cold sweat, especially his trousers. It was filled with his urine. He couldn¡¯t help shivering a few times when a cold breeze blew.


    Heizi¡¯s head was wounded and bleeding, and he seemed as if he had been rolling around in the mud. So, when Madam Li saw his battered appearance after he returned home, her heart ached as she questioned repeatedly, ¡°What happened? Heizi, who bullied you? Tell Mother, I¡¯ll go settle the scores with them!¡±


    Heizi was afraid that he would leak ¡®celestial secrets¡¯ and anger Ox-Head and Horse-Face, so he hastily came up with an excuse, ¡°Mother, no one was bullying me. I identally fell down when I climbed up a tree to catch birds. Mother, you should also be more amicable in the future, lest you get sentenced to the eighteen levels of hell!¡±


    ¡°Damned brat! You dared to curse your mother. Are you looking for a beating?¡± Madam Li raised her hand, but when she saw the wound on her son¡¯s head, she put her hand down in distress.


    After suffering a scare and catching a cold, Heizi had a high fever throughout the entire night. The whole family scrambled to call for a doctor and get the medication. It took more than ten days for him topletely recover from the illness. After he recovered, all the vigers of Dongshan Vige clearly noticed the changes in Heizi.


    The little bully who used to go around ying tricks and picking on people had disappeared. He had be polite and woulde forward to help others when they needed help. Heizi had never helped out at home in the past, but now, he would chop the firewood for his mother and help his grandmother feed the pigs. He had also followed his grandfather out to the sea several times. Everyone in the family agreed that he had grown up and became serious and hardworking.


    For the next few days, life was simple yet warm.


    In the morning, at dawn, the little donkey called ¡®Little Gray¡¯ took the sisters to the docks to sell the braised food that they made the previous night.


    The little gray donkey, who had been on the verge of death, was fed mystic-stone water and bean fodder every day. Little Divine Stone had also graciously treated its illness. After a few days, it not only recovered from its illness, but it had also fattened up. Its originally dull and bleak fur had be glossy. As if it knew that Xiaocao was its savior, it was especially close to her and obeyed all her orders.


    Therefore, Yu Hai wasn¡¯t worried about his two eight year old daughters driving the cart by themselves at all. This was because they didn¡¯t even need to steer the cart when Xiaocao was around. As if it could understand the humannguage, the little donkey would run wherever it was being pointed to go.


    Yu Hai and Madam Liu were also busy yet full of life. Every day, Madam Liu would wake up early and prepare breakfast for her daughters. Now that the family had better living conditions, she would always make different kinds of food with refined rice and wheat flour for her children to eat. But she continued to eat coarse grain flour herself...


    When Xiaocao found out, she had talked to her mother several times about the matter. However, Madam Liu would just reply with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m already used to eating coarse grain flour, so if I suddenly eat wheat flour, my stomach wouldn¡¯t be used to it.¡± After that, she would hide from Xiaocao whenever she ate, fearing that her daughter would feel bad for her.


    After their daughters left, she and her husband would prop up the straw thatches in the front and rear courtyards, so that the vibrant vegetables could bask in the warm spring sunshine.


    Next, the idle Madam Liu would sit down and sew clothes and shoes for her husband and children. The morning passed by swiftly just like this.


    Yu Hai, on the other hand, went fishing in the middle of the pond behind the house on the bamboo raft that he had made himself. Actually, he was only pretending to fish with a for others to see. In fact, he was actually catching fish with the ¡®fish bait¡¯ that his daughter had prepared. He caught a lot of fish every day, which made his neighbors envious.


    After he came back from fishing, Madam Mao had once asked him to let her husband borrow the bamboo raft and fishing so that he could try to fish like him. However, after wasting an entire afternoon, her husband had only caught two or three catties of small catfish. She was so angry that she scolded her husband for not living up to expectations and that he didn¡¯t even know how to catch fish.


    Her husband, Qian Fugui, justughed and said, ¡°Brother Yu Hai is a first-ss fisherman in the vige. He had even caught arge shark in the sea before, let alone some small fish in the pond. How can wepare with him? We should just focus on raising our ducks...¡±


    With the little donkey, they saved a lot of traveling time and Xiaocao had a lot more time on her hands. When they returned home at noon, she took a nice nap after eating a proper lunch. When she woke up, she fried the small fish and pickled fish with Madam Liu¡¯s help.


    In the afternoon, Yu Hai drove the donkey cart and took his eldest daughter, Xiaolian, to sell the pickled fish. In this way, Xiaocao could rest for the entire afternoon.


    When braising the pig head andrge intestines in the evening, Xiaocao just needed to prepare the braising sauce and Madam Liu would be able to finish the rest of the process alone. Since the whole family worked together and divided the work, they weren¡¯t as busy and rushed.


    Today, the entire family had gathered around a table to eat lunch. They were probably the only family in the vige with the luxury of eating three meals a day, which was, of course, suggested by Xiaocao. With the reason that breakfast was eaten too early and she couldn¡¯t sustain her hunger until dinner, she simplified breakfast, made lunch the priority, and pushed dinner back for two hours. The new schedule was basically the same as the three meals in modern time. Thus, Xiaocao was very satisfied with the results.


    For lunch, they had a te of saut¨¦ed chives with dried bean curd and a bowl of thick fresh fish soup. The staple food was steamed buns made of wheat flour and sorghum flour. Originally, Xiaocao had suggested that they only eat wheat flour in the future, but Madam Liu, who was used to being frugal, wouldn¡¯t agree with her suggestion. She also said that Xiaocao was a spendthrift, who not only knew how to earn money but also spend money. So she was worried about how Xiaocao would manage a household in the future with her spending habits.


    [1] Ox-Head and Horse-Face (ţͷÂíÃ棩- guardians of the underworld in Chinese mythology, who are usually responsible for delivering the souls of the newly dead to hell


    [2] Cauldron of Boiling Oil (Ó͹øµØÓü) ¨C one of the punishments in the 18 levels of hell

 Chapter 106 – Dying

    <h4>Chapter 106 ¨C Dying</h4>


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t agree with her views. Didn¡¯t people earn money just to spend them? If people weren¡¯t willing to spend money, then there was no point in earning money. But she didn¡¯t argue with her mother. She intended to proceed step-by-step to slowly and subtly influence her mother.


    At this moment, they suddenly heard a series of rowdy noiseing from afar outside the door, and then a rushed knocking sound came from the door. The family, who were currently eating lunch, nced at each other and wondered who knocked on the door so urgently.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go open the door!¡± Xiaocao said as she put down her chopsticks. She ran to the door and saw an anxious Qian Wen who was about to knock on the door again. With red and swollen eyes, Little Shitou was still wiping his tears ceaselessly as he stood behind him.


    Xiaocao was rmed inwardly and hastily asked, ¡°Brother Xiaowen, Shitou, what happened? It isn¡¯t a break today.¡±


    Seeing his older sister, Little Shitou, who had endured his feelings of fear and panic during this whole time, finally burst into tears. He choked with sobs and said, ¡°Second... Second Sister, Eldest Brother... Eldest Brother, he¡¯s... he¡¯s dying!¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong with Eldest Brother? Don¡¯t cry and speak slowly!¡± When Xiaocao heard his words, she anxiously grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously.


    Seeing that Little Shitou was crying so hard that he could barely speak, Qian Wen helped him exin, ¡°We didn¡¯t have any sses in the morning, so Little Shitou wanted to go visit his older brother at the carpentry shop. Since I was free, I also wanted to go stroll on the streets and buy a new brush. Thus, we went out together. When we reached the woodworking shop, we found your eldest brother beaten and covered with wounds. He was unconscious and spitting out blood as hey on the ground. The shop worker said that he was beaten up like this because he had stolen money from the shop. I and several ssmates carried your older brother to Tongren Medicine Hall. After the doctor¡¯s examination, he said that your older brother had hurt his internal organs, and there was no cure! If Doctor Sun hadn¡¯t recognized Little Shitou, they might not have even treated him and directly carried him out. Doctor Sun told us to be mentally prepared. If the internal bleeding continues, he¡¯s afraid that even if Hua Tuo [1] was alive, he wouldn¡¯t be able to save him!¡±


    ¡°Hang¡¯er, my son ah¡ª¡ª¡± Madam Liu, who had followed Xiaocao over, turned ghastly pale when she overheard the bad news. She cried out, and then fainted.


    Yu Hai, who was beside her, promptly supported her and lightly pinched her philtrum. Despite the extreme grief within his heart, he was still the head of the family. If he also panicked, then this family would be in chaos.


    Xiaocao tightly bit on her own lips, swiftly ran back into the house, and picked up the jar that the multicolored stone usually bathed in. The water inside was a high concentration of mystic-stone water, which was enough to save someone¡¯s life!


    ¡°Xiaolian, go to our parents¡¯ room and get the jar with the money inside. Little Shitou, you stay at home with Mother. I¡¯ll go to town with Father!¡± At this time, Xiaocao was the only clear-headed person here, other than Yu Hai. They shouldn¡¯t dy the matter any longer. They needed to quickly get to town and see if they could save her oldest brother.


    Madam Liu had slowly woken up. When she heard Xiaocao¡¯s arrangement, she suppressed the sorrow with her heart and shouted, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to stay here! I want to go see my Hang¡¯er. I know my son the best. He would never steal other people¡¯s things. My son is innocent!¡±


    Xiaocao knew that her mother would never feel at ease if they didn¡¯t let her go. She thought about it and said, ¡°Father, go and harness Little Gray to the cart. I¡¯ll take the horse carriage with Qian Wen and send the money to the medical hall first so that they can give Eldest Brother medicine. You take Mother and Xiaolian and follow after us...¡±


    Qian Wen had rented this horse carriage in town. The horse wasn¡¯t really good, but it was young. As it galloped, the carriage jolted up and down, which made people feel as if their hearts were about to jump out.


    Xiaocao sat in the dashing carriage with a nk expression. She tightly clutched the carriage with one hand to stabilize herself, while she tightly held the jar of mystic-stone water with her other hand. The little golden kitten sat solemnly beside her as it tapped its slender tail with a steady beat.


    Qian Wen, who sat next to her, was curious about why she was still holding a jar at this time. But he didn¡¯t ask and just gently consoled her,


    ¡°Xiaocao, don¡¯t worry! Doctor Sun is a skilled doctor. When your father was injured, he also said that your father couldn¡¯t be cured at the beginning. Isn¡¯t he fine now? Your eldest brother will surely make it too!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s mind was filled with words that Little Divine Stone had once said: ¡®As long as he¡¯s still breathing, he can still be saved!¡¯ At this time, she inwardly called out to all the gods and deities, and prayed piously that her eldest brother could hold out until she reached the medical hall.


    After being repeatedly urged by Xiaocao, the coachman pushed the carriage to its full speed and arrived at town gates in less than an hour. However, this one hour was no different than an endless torment to Xiaocao¡¯s family.


    Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many people on the streets at this time. The carriage directly took her to the entrance of Tongren Medicine Hall. After riding on the bumpy carriage for an hour, Xiaocao¡¯s legs had gone weak and she nearly fell to the ground when she got off the carriage. Luckily, Qian Wen, who was getting off the carriage after her, pulled her up from behind.


    She tightened her hold on the jar and swiftly rushed into Tongren Medicine Hall. Just as the staff inside the medical hall wanted to stop her, he saw Qian Wen, who was dressed in the uniform of Rongxuan Academy. So he immediately changed his words and said, ¡°The patient is in the rear hall. Doctor Sun and Doctor Zhang are currently in consultation.¡±


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t halt her steps at all and quickly entered the rear hall. She saw her eldest brother lying in the bed with a deathly pale face. His clothes were stained with blood, while his face and body were covered in bruises and wounds. She immediately choked up and burst into tears.


    She knew that it wasn¡¯t the time to feel sad, so she wiped her tears with her sleeve and asked to Doctor Sun, who was doing acupuncture on her older brother, ¡°Doctor Sun, my eldest brother... how is he?¡±


    Doctor Sun remembered this strong and sensible little girl. He looked at her with pity and replied, ¡°His fractured ribs had punctured the spleen and caused internal bleeding. I can only temporarily reduce the speed of his bleeding with this silver needle, but it will just treat the symptoms and not cure the root cause. If it continues like this, I¡¯m afraid...¡±


    Xiaocao hastily interjected, ¡°That... if we can cease the bleeding, does that mean that my older brother¡¯s life will be out of danger?¡±


    Doctor Sun stroked his beard, and then nodded slowly, ¡°If we can effectively stop the bleeding right now and he could survive while I connect his ribs and then nourish him with medicinal soups that promotes blood cirction and dissipate blood stasis, I am ny percent confident that he will wake up. But...¡±


    He shook his head with a sigh because he knew that if he pulled out the silver needle, this young, vivid life would swiftly die in less than fifteen minutes.


    Xiaocao hastily pretended to be sad and threw herself next to the bed. She used her body to block the line of sight of the two doctors andid her small hand¡ªor more precisely, the multicolored stone on her wrist¡ªon her oldest brother¡¯s chest. She earnestly pleaded in her heart, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, please take care of my eldest brother¡¯s injury. I¡¯m begging you. Please save him!]


    The little golden kitten jumped on Yu Hang¡¯s bed and emitted a dazzling, golden light that others couldn¡¯t see. As if there was someone guiding it, the light slowly prated into Yu Hang¡¯s body. However, he feigned dissatisfaction andined, [It¡¯s just my luck to have a master like you. My power, which I worked so hard to recover, is going to be depleted again! If I can¡¯t turn into my spiritual form this time, you must bring me fresh spring water every day as a reward...]


    In less than half a quarter of an hour, the gold light that Little Divine Stone emitted gradually dimmed... until itpletely disappeared. On the other hand, Yu Hang¡¯s, who was breathing feebly and hanging on hisst breath, breathing gradually improved and stabilized.


    [You must remember! You have to soak me in spring water. Spring water...] Little Divine Stone¡¯s voice became weaker and weaker, but it didn¡¯t forget to remind Xiaocao of its own welfare before disappearing.


    Seeing Xiaocao lying on the edge of the bed with her shoulders trembling, Qian Wen thought that she was suppressing her inner grief and crying silently. So, he squatted down next to her andforted her with a soft voice, ¡°Xiaocao, heaven will protect and reward the good, so your older brother will definitely survive this! Don¡¯t cry anymore. Quickly go gather medicinal herbs and decoct the medicine!¡±


    Xiaocao knew that Yu Hang¡¯s life was out of danger for now, so she rubbed her red eyes hard, sniffed, and went to the front hall with her head lowered. When decocting the medicine, she specially used the mystic-stone water and carefully boiled the medicine ording to the doctor¡¯s instructions.


    Yu Hai and Madam Liu came in and saw the lonely and sad back of Xiaocao, who had reddened eyes and her head hung low as she brewed the medication. Seeing this scene, their worries and fears surged in their hearts again. With a low cry, Madam Liu broke away from Yu Hai¡¯s support and rushed towards her son, who was covered in wounds and so thin that he only had bones on his body. She cried softly,


    ¡°Hang¡¯er, my Hang¡¯er! That goddamn bastard, how can he be so cruel and beat you into this state? It¡¯s all Mother¡¯s fault. I shouldn¡¯t have agreed to send you to be an apprentice in town. Mother regrets not listening to your younger sister. We should have taken you back earlier... It¡¯s all Mother¡¯s fault! Hang¡¯er, wake up! Don¡¯t leave your mother!¡±


    Yu Hai looked at the countless new and old wounds on his son¡¯s bony body. He had heard from the doctor that his ribs were broken, and his life was in danger due to internal injuries. The tall and mighty man clenched his fist and brutally pounded on his own chest¡ªwhat kind of man was he? He had sent his son into the tiger¡¯s den with his own hands and helplessly watched as he was beaten and tortured.


    Xiaolian and Little Shitou cried so hard that they were gasping for breath. For a moment, there was a tragic scene inside the inner room. Qian Wen cried with them quietly and from time to time, he would nce at the only calm person in the room, Xiaocao. It was often said that ¡®people would act very abnormally when they were in extreme grief¡¯. So, he was afraid that Xiaocao would do something unusual.


    At this moment, Xiaocao looked up with cold and clear eyes. It was just a short moment of eye contact, but Qian Wen felt as if a basin of cold water in the depths of the cold winter had just been poured on him. He felt a chill piercing through his bones.


    While he was briefly stunned, Xiaocao¡¯s calm yet slight cruel voice slowly spread in the room, ¡°Father, Mother, stop being sad! I will definitely make that Shopkeeper Zhang be disgraced and lose all his reputation! I¡¯ll make pay with his blood!¡±


    People couldn¡¯t help but be convinced by this small and determined figure. No one took her vows as words of nonsense. Qian Wen only felt as if that thin and small figure had some kind of power that radiated a dazzling glow that people couldn¡¯t take their eyes off of. A young man¡¯s heart could help but throb for her...


    When the medicine was ready, Doctor Sun came in again to examine on Yu Hang¡¯s pulse and brought them a surprising news, ¡°The patient¡¯s internal bleeding has stopped and his pulse is also stable. His life is no longer in danger.¡±


    The mncholic feelings that filled the room earlier had been instantly swept away. Everyone¡¯s nervous hearts finally felt relieved. Madam Liu shed tears again, but it was tears of happiness this time. She personally fed her son the medicine, and despite the family¡¯s opposition, she insisted on staying by his side.


    [1] Hua Tuo (»ªÙ¢) ¨C a famous doctor who lived during the end of the Han Dynasty

 Chapter 107 – Interrogate

    <h4>Chapter 107 ¨C Interrogate</h4>


    Xiaocao took Xiaolian and drove the donkey cart to the West Mountains. At the foot of the mountains, she fetched a good deal of spring water with a bamboo tube. On the way back, she soaked the multicolored stone in the spring water. A faint but cheerful voice sounded in her mind, [It¡¯s sofortable... The spring water in the mountains are definitely more pure, so it can help this Divine Stone restore my power faster...]


    Xiaocao was pleasantly surprised. She had originally thought that the little divine stone had used up all its power and would fall into a slumber for three to five days likest time when it treated her father¡¯s leg.


    The little divine stone seemed to have read her thoughts and triumphantly said, [Little girl, aren¡¯t you underestimating this Divine Stone? Previously, I had just epted a master and my power had just began to awaken. Thus, I exhausted all my power in order to save someone. But it¡¯s different now. This Divine Stone¡¯s power has been gradually improving. Earlier, my power was only temporarily depleted. If I soak in the spring water, I will be able to replenish the energy that was consumed in four to six hours.]


    Little Divine Stone wasn¡¯t going to tell Xiaocao that every time it exhausted its power to help her or the people around her, its energy and power would be enhanced. This was the reason it was willing to help those weak humans again and again. If it continued like this, one day it would be able to recover all its power, break through the confinements of this realm, and return to Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side!


    Xiaocao looked up and saw dark cloudsing from the west. With concealed aggression and fury in her gaze, she sneered and whispered, ¡°So four to six hours! Little Glutinous Dumpling, are you willing to help me out again? Let the rage of vengeance ignite!¡±


    At dusk, thick, dark clouds weighed down on the sky, hiding the vast scarlet sky of the west. The sky appeared very heavy, as if it was going to fall down. The repressed heavens seemed like it was carrying a heavy baggage, while the indifferent wind rushed through the streets and lifted up patches of the withered leaves.


    The workers of the shops on both sides of the streets prepared to close up. On the street, the pedestrians walked against the cold wind and rushed to get home before the storm.


    The entrance of Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop was surrounded by curious onlookers. In the middle of the crowd, on a donkey cart,y a lifeless young man who had no trace of blood on his face. Next to the cart, the young man¡¯s family, with grief and indignation, stared fiercely at the shopkeeper, who stood in front of the woodworking shop.


    The ugly and ferocious-looking Shopkeeper Zhang stood at the entrance with a worker who wielded a club in his hand. He grimly shouted, ¡°Where did this group of country bumpkinse from? They actually dared to ckmail me, Old Zhang. Don¡¯t you know who I am! Hurry up and leave. If you want to do make trouble, then I¡¯ll send you to the yamen after a beating!¡±


    A thin and pretty young girl confronted the sinister shopkeeper without fear. Her hair was tousled by the wind, causing it to stick to her small, pale face. Whether it was during ancient times or modern times, never underestimate people¡¯s curiosity for gossip. More and more people were gathering over. The whole family and Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop werepletely surrounded by the massive crowd of people.


    Xiaocao, who eyes were like bottomless pits, swept her gaze around the crowd and cried sorrowfully, ¡°Fellow countrymen, this severely injured youth lying on the donkey cart is my eldest brother, who¡¯s an apprentice of Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop!


    ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang is mean and cruel. He often beats, scolds, and abuses his apprentices. He doesn¡¯t even treat them like humans. It hasn¡¯t even been half a year since my pitiful older brother worked here, but there isn¡¯t any part of him that isn¡¯t wounded! Today, he had even been beaten until they broke his ribs and injured internal organs. Even Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall said that it¡¯s difficult to cure these serious injuries!


    ¡°My pitiful older brother is only ten years old, yet his life is already hanging on a thread! Shopkeeper Zhang, shouldn¡¯t you give us an exnation?¡±


    Although Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop was very famous in Tanggu Town, Shopkeeper Zhang was also infamous for being greedy, cruel, and immoral.


    Among the onlookers, a gray-haired old man sighed and shook his head, ¡°What a sin! How can he be so ruthless to such a young child?¡±


    The worker of the store next to Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop wasn¡¯t surprised and calmly said, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang of Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop is violent and frequently gets angry at the staff in his shop. It¡¯s even worse for the shop¡¯s apprentices. They¡¯re provided with the worst meals, while they also have to do the hardest jobs. Moreover, they often get beaten for no reason whatsoever. As a result, very few of the people whoe to the woodworking shop to be an apprentice have stayed a full month.¡±


    ¡°I know that kid Yu Hang. He¡¯s very diligent and honest. Although he seems thin, he does nearly all the heavy and tiring transportation of timber without anyint. Unexpectedly, he also couldn¡¯t escape the fate of being cruelly beaten. Ay... You guys should have known better. Why didn¡¯t you inquire about the ce before sending your child there? Isn¡¯t that the same as sending your child into the pit of hell?¡± Another store¡¯s shopkeeper added with a voice filled with pity and regret.


    ¡°What are you people talking about! Be careful with your words! To maliciously nder and defame me right in front of my face, do you think that I, Zhang Dongming, can be easily bullied?¡± When Shopkeeper Zhang was young, he was a well-known ruffian in town. There were more than one murders associated with him, but he was the younger brother inw of the official registrar, who the county magistrate ced great importance on. Every time he caused trouble, the problem could be smoothly settled, and thus he became more and more fearless.


    After being threatened by his fierce gaze, the people who whispered in the crowd immediately shut their mouths. Some of the more timid had even quietly withdrew from the circle for fear of being recognized by Shopkeeper Zhang and that he would take revenge on them in the future.


    Madam Liu, who had gradually stopped crying, instantly burst into tears again when she heard his words. Standing next to the donkey cart, she gently touched her son¡¯s pallid face and cried, ¡°My dear son! It¡¯s all Mother¡¯s fault! At that time, I should have done my best to stop you from being sent here even if I ended up with the reputation of being unfilial. Every time I saw you, you would tell us that everything was fine. You told us that you were eating and sleeping well and that we didn¡¯t have to worry about you... Why are you so foolish? If you had told Mother about your situation, I would have brought you home no matter what!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s veins were popping out as he clenched his fists. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, I sent my son, who was alive and well, to your shop, but he ended up being on the verge of death. I want to know, what is the reason you would be so cruel to a ten year old child?¡±


    Zhang Dongming was a little afraid of Yu Hai¡¯s tall and strong physique. However, when he saw the weak woman and young children around him, and that there were many people with weapons beside him, his confidence immediately boosted up again, ¡°That¡¯s right. I was the one who hit him, so what are you going to do about it? Not only did he steal the head craftsmen¡¯s food, but he also stole money from the shop! I¡¯m already considered soft-hearted for not beating that thief to death!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! My eldest brother won¡¯t steal from others! You¡¯re wrongly using him!¡± Little Shitou clenched his small fist and swung it at Shopkeeper Zhang with resentment.


    With his hands behind his back and a confident expression, Zhang Dongming ordered one of the workers behind him, ¡°Go! Bring out the things that we found in Yu Hang¡¯s room!¡±


    A momentter, the worker brought out a washed-out handkerchief, which contained several strings of copper coins. Each string had about fifty copper coins. Shopkeeper Zhang took the money and showed it to the crowd and sneered, ¡°Have you looked clearly yet? There are a hundred and fifty copper coins here. Everyone should know that apprentices don¡¯t receive a wage. But we have found so much money at the head of Yu Hang¡¯s bed. If he didn¡¯t steal it, then where did ite from? Also, the fellow who lived with him said that he often smelled food in the middle of the night... The head craftsmen¡¯s meals had always been served by Yu Hang. So where did the food that he secretly ate at nighte from? Well isn¡¯t it very obvious now!¡±


    Seeing the ¡®evidence¡¯ that Shopkeeper Zhang presented, the onlookers immediately changed their stance and said, ¡°That¡¯s unexpected. Yu Hang seems like such an honest child. I wouldn¡¯t have expected him to do such a thing!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover! I can understand stealing the head craftsmen¡¯s food since he¡¯s still a growing child and probably couldn¡¯t stand the hunger. But, to be so greedy as to steal the boss¡¯s money, that¡¯s unforgivable!


    ¡°If he got caught stealing, then there¡¯s nothing to say even if he was beaten to death...¡±


    ......


    When Xiaocao saw the people who had just cried injustice for them, turn against the ¡®thieves¡¯ one after another, she couldn¡¯t help but straightened her back and shouted, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, you¡¯re using my eldest brother of being a thief, but did you personally see it? Or did you personally catch him stealing money? Isn¡¯t it too arbitrary to judge my older brother as a thief just because you found a few copper coins in his room? Dear folks, can we also randomly use you of being thieves if we find some money in your pockets?¡±


    ¡°No way! The money in my pocket is mine, which I worked hard to earn. How can it be stolen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! It¡¯s also a crime to make false usations!¡±


    ......


    Xiaocao¡¯s clear eyes swept across everyone¡¯s face and she spoke in a strong and imposing voice, ¡°That¡¯s right! In the same way, my father and I were the ones who gave my eldest brother the money when we came to send or pick up my younger brother from town! I never expected that my older brother was reluctant to use even a single coin and saved up the money, and thus led to such a disaster!¡±


    Zhang Dongming nced at her disdainfully with his murky triangr eyes and said, ¡°Little girl, you should also use your brain when lying! If you family has money, they wouldn¡¯t have sent their child over to be an apprentice! To say that you had provided him with dozens of copper coins each time, do you think that everyone is stupid?¡±


    When faced with everyone¡¯s doubtful eyes, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t flustered and calmly said, ¡°My family probably didn¡¯t have the ability to do so half a year ago! But now! Although we¡¯re not operating a big business like Shopkeeper Zhang, we do have a small business at the docks and are capable of earning two or three hundred copper coins a day! Let me ask you. I feel sad to see my eldest brother not being able to eat well and wear warm clothes, so I sent him some food and money. Is anything wrong with that?¡±


    Suddenly, a voice came out of the crowd and shouted, ¡°I recognize this little girl. She sells one copper coin meat dishes at the docks. When I was a porter at the docks, I had bought her family¡¯s braised food before. The braised food that Miss Xiaocao makes is delicious and they have excellent business. If you¡¯re too slow, they would be all sold out already!¡±


    This voice had confirmed the authenticity of Xiaocao¡¯s words, so she continued, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, the string of money in your hands were all personally strung together by me. I made the string with the different colored threads that my mother¡¯s leftover embroidery threads. I have sent money twice and given him food once, which is something that the workers in your shop should know about...¡±


    ¡°Last time, when I came out to shop with my ssmate and passed by Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop, I left twenty copper coins for my eldest brother...¡± Little Shitou spoke up once again.

 Chapter 108 – Thunder

    <h4>Chapter 108 ¨C Thunder</h4>


    ¡°My little brother and I brought a total of one hundred and seventy copper coins to our older brother. If there is an extra copper coin, then it¡¯ll be yours!¡± Xiaocao was confident about the number of coins on the string. Her older brother was very frugal. If there wasn¡¯t anything important, then he wouldn¡¯t touch his money.


    Shopkeeper Zhang spread the string of coins on the palm of his hand. He silently counted the number of coins in his mind. Sure enough, there were one hundred and seventy copper coins in total, not one coin more or less. Originally, he got drunk and didn¡¯t hold back his strength when beating Yu Hang. Yu Hang had fallen unconscious after spitting out blood from the beating. After Yu Hang had fallen unconscious, he had found this money after searching through Yu Hang¡¯s room. Today, Yu Hang¡¯s family came here to get an exnation from him, so he hurriedly took out the money as an excuse.


    The crowd surrounding them saw that Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s expression had slightly changed. The people who were closer to him could clearly see the thread that was used to keep the copper coins together were just as Xiaocao had said, a multicolored embroidery thread. The crowd¡¯s heart once again tilted towards Xiaocao¡¯s favor.


    But Shopkeeper Zhang rudely and unreasonably replied, ¡°Humph! You are just a group of poor country bumpkins. If you could, you would¡¯ve split a copper coin in two. How would you be willing to give Yu Hang over a hundred copper coins as an allowance? Little girl, your tongue will be pulled out in hell for lying!¡±


    ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, if you falsely use other people, you will be tortured after you die!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s jet-ck eyes looked just like night sky as a cold ray of light shed by her eyes, making people can¡¯t help but shudder, ¡°Moreover, we pay one tael of silver each month for Rongxuan Academy¡¯s tuition for my younger brother. Since we¡¯re able to afford that, why wouldn¡¯t we be willing to give Yu Hang a trifling one hundred copper coins?¡±


    The crowd had just noticed the short little boy who was wearing Rongxuan Academy¡¯s primary ss uniform. They couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration and respect towards the little boy. After all, Rongxuan Academy wasn¡¯t just open to anyone. They had all heard that inside Rongxuan Academy¡¯s doors, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers [1]. It was said that people from the big government officials¡¯, dukes¡¯, and marquises¡¯ residences were all trying to get into the school!


    When the grandson of the prefectural magistrate of the Jinwei Prefecture passed the exam and entered the primary ss, the prefectural magistrate had invited many people to dinner! Then wasn¡¯t this little boy a ssmate of the magistrate¡¯s grandson? If he reported this to the prefectural magistrate, then it wouldn¡¯t be good for Shopkeeper Zhang!


    Is Rong...Rongxuan Academy that great? Even if...the crown prince breaks thew, he will bear the same crime and punishment asmoners. Does it mean that just because you¡¯re the family of a student from Rongxuan Academy, you can steal things?¡± The shopkeeper tried to appear fierce ashe was a coward at heart. He was trying to bluff his way out by making unreasonable excuses.


    ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, how can you prove that it was this little brother who had stolen the copper coins?¡± Within the crowd, a handsome young man wearing a white schrly robe, couldn¡¯t bear the injustice any longer so he spoke out for them. If Xiaocao was in the mood to check the young man out, she would¡¯ve recognized him as the grandson of the foodie headmaster, Yuan Yunxi.


    Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s rat-like eyes looked around for a few moments before he looked at them and said, ¡°But there is no one who can prove that it wasn¡¯t Yu Hang who had stolen these copper coins!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow and sneered at him, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang if I can prove that he didn¡¯t steal these copper coins, what would you do?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Shopkeeper Zhang frowned and hesitated.


    ¡°I have earned these copper coins by selling braised food, so there should be a small amount of oil on each of the copper coins. Can anyone bring me a basin of warm water?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t look at Shopkeeper Zhang; her gaze was directed at the crowd.


    The crowd around them suddenly became silent. They all had some misgivings regarding Shopkeeper Zhang, so they all avoided Xiaocao¡¯s gaze.


    Xiaocao felt an ice-cold burst of wind attack her heart. No matter what time period it was, there were always not enough people who had the courage to stand up and confront evil forces!


    Yuan Yunxi squeezed his way out of the crowd to a literary store not far from here. He pushed up his sleeves and filled arge basin with hot water. Yuan Yunxi squeezed through the crowd again with the basin of hot water and said, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, the hot water is here!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gratefully looked at the handsome young man who had a warm heart. She sincerely thanked the young man and grabbed the string of copper coins from Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s hand, ¡°I will throw these copper coins into the water. If grease appears, then it¡¯ll prove that I wasn¡¯t lying. It¡¯ll also prove that I have indeed, given these copper coins to my brother.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she broke the string that was holding the coins together and threw all the copper coins into the basin of warm water. Sure enough, rainbow-like grease appeared in the warm water. The crowd looked at Shopkeeper Zhang with condemnation and disgust.


    Shopkeeper Zhang continued to retort, ¡°Just because there¡¯s grease on the coins, it doesn¡¯t prove that those coins belong to you. Maybe these copper coins were given to me by a butcher! Every day, I would go buy meat and oil, so it¡¯s natural for those copper coins to be stained with grease. My assistant had seen Yu Hang wandering around the ount room before. Am I right, Xiaoxing?¡±


    The person that Shopkeeper Zhang addressed as ¡®Xiaoxing¡¯ was the shop assistant that would help Xiaocao call Yu Hang out every time she visited. Originally, he was standing on the side, watching the scene. But when he was suddenly called out by the shopkeeper, he began to panic. After a burst of panic, under the shopkeeper¡¯s warning gaze, he said, ¡°Yes, yes...in the past, I¡¯ve seen Yu Hang sneaking and wandering around the ount room...he must be harboring some evil intentions!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s gaze was as sharp as a knife, her voice was brimming with fierceness when she interrogated the shop assistant, ¡°This big brother, you will have to take responsibility for what you say! Have you seen my brother enter the ount room with your own eyes? Have you seen my brother steal money from the ount room with your own eyes? Since you haven¡¯t, why are you so sure that my brother harbors evil intentions?¡±


    The shop assistant was young, he had only said those groundless usations under Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s pressure. But he began to stutter and insist that he was right after Xiaocao¡¯s questioning.


    Shopkeeper Zhang red at his assistant while secretly scolding his assistant for being useless. He countered, ¡°If he didn¡¯t have any evil intentions, why would he be secretly wandering around the ount room? It¡¯s clear that he¡¯s doing that because he wants to steal money!¡±


    ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, I¡¯ve heard that your business has been doing well. Recently, I heard that you¡¯ve received a job from an influential official from the capital, is that true?¡± Yu Xiaocao abruptly changed the topic of conversation.


    Zhang Dongming stroked the goatee on his chin and proudly said, ¡°That¡¯s right! The woodwares from our Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop is famous throughout the capital! The man who works for Royal Prince Yang, Sir Fang, has ordered a screen and a bed from our carpentry shop. Humph! It was already nice of me not to report this Yu boy to the officials for stealing things, so what does a beating count for?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao indifferently looked at how Shopkeeper Zhang was intoxicated by his sess and said, ¡°Since the business in Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop is doing so well, the amount of money going in and out of the ount room should be around a few hundred to a thousand copper coins, right? You said that my brother has been stealing for a long time, but instead of stealing more money from the mountain of money inside the ount room, he only stole a hundred copper coins. Is my brother stupid or what?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Shopkeeper Zhang choked on her words. He looked around before he replied, ¡°Your older brother is timid, so he¡¯s afraid that he¡¯ll be discovered if he steals too much. Little girl, stop making excuses and quickly take your brother away. I will be merciful and no longer look into the matter anymore.¡±


    ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, the gods can see everything. My older brother isn¡¯t a thief, the gods know this and will do something about it! I, Yu Xiaocao swear to the gods that everything I said is true! I dare to use my life as a guarantee that my older brother would¡¯ve never stolen anything!¡± Yu Xiaocao simply exchanged a few words with the little divine stone in her heart before she vowed, ¡°If these copper coins are stolen, my whole family is willing to be struck by lightning. I don¡¯t know if Shopkeeper Zhang is willing to make a serious vow like me?¡±


    Although Shopkeeper Zhang had a guilty conscious, he pretended like he was unperturbed. He sneered and said, ¡°Vow? It¡¯s only considered glib talk, who doesn¡¯t know how to do that?¡±


    He looked up and pointed at the sky, which was swimming with thick, dark clouds. He said with a strange voice, ¡°Gods, I, Zhang Dongming vow...¡±


    Rumble, rumble...


    Zhang Dongming hadn¡¯t even finished speaking yet when thunder began rolling in the dark clouds. Bright rays of lightning were faintly discernible in the clouds. Shopkeeper Zhang was frightened by this and retreated a few steps. In the beginning, his eyes were full of contempt but now they were full of fear.


    It couldn¡¯te true, could it? He had lived for over 50 years, and if he hadn¡¯t made thousands of oaths, then it should¡¯ve at least been around hundreds, wasn¡¯t he still living well? Humph! It was only a little girl who put a lot of importance on making an oath. What could a verbal oath do? What had happened before must¡¯ve been a coincidence. Today was a cloudy day so it¡¯s natural to see some thunder!


    While Zhang Dongming¡¯s heart was rolling over and over, the other people didn¡¯t notice the ray of light that shot forth from Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wrist and directly into the dense and dark clouds in the sky.


    Above the clouds, the God of Thunderzily fiddled with the thunder hammer in his hand. The God of Thunder had blue skin and a pointed mouth. After he yawned, he finally absent-mindedly hit the hammer in his hand. After he hit the hammer, thunder immediately began to roll in the sky, enveloping the earth its muffled sound.


    The Goddess of Lightning had silver hair reached the ground and an enchanting figure as if she had just walked out of a painting. She was directly facing the mirror in her hand, trying to pop the pimple that had mysteriously appeared on her face.


    ¡°Old wife, stop shamelessly showing off your beauty! We must make more lightning! The God of Thunder couldn¡¯t help but remind her of their job. However, the Goddess of Lightning had actually exploded in fury after hearing his words.


    ¡°Who are you calling ¡®old wife¡¯? I¡¯m charming and as beautiful as a flower; beautiful to the point that even birds and beasts are attracted by my looks... (Author¡¯s note: after a thousand wordster) yet you¡¯ve called me ¡®old¡¯ right in front of me! I think that you¡¯re tired of living!¡± The Goddess of Lightning raised the hand that was holding the mirror and a ray of lightning shot from her hand, heading straight towards the God of Thunder.


    The God of Thunder easily dodged the lightning as he half-heartedly apologized, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m the one to me. It¡¯s my fault for calling you an ¡®old wife¡¯, you are ¡®beautiful wife¡¯, is that okay? We were demoted to this tiny space where there is barely any spiritual energy. Every day, we hit the hammer, beat a drum, and look at a mirror. There are no prospects here. When will we be able to return to the ninth gate, where we can serve the Goddess of Spirits? I¡¯m willing to give up being the God of Thunder to serve as a doorman just to return!¡±


    When the Goddess of Lightning heard what the God of Thunder had said, she became extremely angry. She ruthlessly pinched him and hatefully said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this all because of you? You offended the silver wolf that the Goddess of Spirits doted the most on! Otherwise, why would we be exiled to this damned ce?¡±


    ¡°How would I know that the beautiful silver wolf is the Goddess of Spirits¡¯ beloved pet? The silver wolf is too narrow-minded. I merely burned a few strands of his hair, but he went as far as toin to the Goddess of Spirits.¡± The God of Thunder felt very regretful such that his intestines had turned green.


    At this time, a sh of golden light passed by, and a small golden cat which was the size of a child¡¯s fist, appeared in front of the God and Goddess of Thunder and Lightning.


    ¡°Which evildoer are you? Quickly reveal yourself!¡± The God of Thunder stood in front of the Goddess of Lightning and pointed the thunder hammer at the small golden cat in rm.


    ¡°Humph! Little Thunder, you have a lot of courage! You dared to address this Divine Stone as ¡®evildoer!¡¯ Do you not want to return to Spiritual Space?¡± The small golden cat looked at him with disdain as it spoke.

 Chapter 109 – Struck By Lightning

    <h4>Chapter 109 ¨C Struck By Lightning</h4>


    Spiritual Space? The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning looked at each other and saw a shocked expression on each other¡¯s faces. There was actually someone who knew of the Spiritual Space in this broken space? Could it be... a patrolling envoy sent by the Goddess of Spirits?¡±


    ¡°You...may I ask who you...¡± The Goddess of Lightning pushed aside the God of Thunder and tried to squeeze out a smile on her face. She was afraid that her hope might be nothing.


    [Humph! As deities of the Spiritual Space, you actually don¡¯t know this Lord Divine Stone. To be so ignorant, it¡¯s no wonder you were punished and exiled to this shabby, little space! How sad! What a pity!] The small golden cat shook its head softly and sighed.


    With the God of Thunder¡¯s fiery temper, how could he endure this mini cat¡¯s mocking? He was about to re up when the Goddess of Thunder quickly stopped her husband and gave him a look. She smiled, ¡°It was us who were ignorant and didn¡¯t recognize you. Were you sent by the Goddess of Spirits to check on us?¡±


    [Goddess of Spirits? Humph! Humph! She doesn¡¯t have the power to order this Divine Stone around!] The little golden kitten lifted its head and snorted, [This Divine Stone serves under Goddess Nuwa and is the only one to be favored by her. Even the Goddess of Spirits have to give me some faces.]


    The Great Pangu [1] split heaven and earth and created the world, Goddess Nuwa made humans with mud, and the Goddess of Spirits was leader of all spirits¡ªthese three gods of creation were known by all within the Primeval Realm. The Goddess of Spirits was the most famous one among the three gods of creation because not only did she create all spirits and living things besides humans, she also had an amazing ability¡ªshe was able to open up new spaces.


    When the spiritual energy within the Primeval Realm was bing sparse and the cultivation world became increasingly silent day by day, the Goddess of Spirits created the ¡®Spiritual Space¡¯ and set up new order for the cultivation world and the immortal world.


    The Goddess of Spirit was generous, but she tended to shield those who were close to her. Had the fiery-tempered God of Thunder not offended the Goddess of Spirits, the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning would still be living leisurely within the Spiritual Space, like a fish in water.


    This worn-down space was created by the Goddess of Spirits when she was still young and learning, so it wasn¡¯t very well made. As a result, the spiritual energy here was only one percent of the what the Spiritual Space held, which wasn¡¯t conducive for cultivators to cultivate in. Most of the deities here were immortals from other spaces, who were sent here to cultivate and gain experience. Of course, there were also a few like the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning, who had been sent down from the higher realms to reflect on their mistakes.


    The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning had stayed here for about seven or eight hundred years. It had been so long that they thought they had been abandoned forever. They thought that they would have to just continue living aimlessly while hitting the thunder hammer daily as the God of Thunder. However, they had finally discovered new hope today.


    The God of Thunder¡¯s eyes lit up after hearing the little divine stone¡¯s words. He moved closer with his pointed face and he spoke tteringly, ¡°May I ask what the Lord Divine Stone is here for?¡±


    [As you know, as a mystic stone, it takes much longer and is more difficult to cultivatepared to humans and spiritual beings. It has been hundreds of millions of years since this Divine Stone had been obtained enlightenment under the refinement of Goddess Nuwa. For a long time, this Divine Stone had been cultivating smoothly and without obstacles. But I encountered an obstacle when I was close to making a transformation!] As the little divine stone recalled its days around Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side, a trace of nostalgia emerged within its golden eyes.


    It was precisely because it had been irritated that it was stuck at the transforming stage that it went to provoke Goddess of Spirits¡¯ authority. As a result, it was banished to the mortal realm by the grudge-bearing Ling¡¯er! The little divine stone was in an even worse situation than the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning. It was sent to even more barren and shabby space, where there was barely any spiritual energy to speak of.


    After much difficulty, it finally found a ce with a tint of spiritual energy¡ªit recuperated in the creek in front of the Pot Pce in Tibet for several hundred years before being picked up by Lin Xiaowan, who went there on vacation. It used all its spiritual power to transport Lin Xiaowan¡¯s soul, who had died after falling down the stairs, to this realm and found a suitable body for her. However, it had identally acknowledged her as its master, forcing it to board the pirate ship.


    Since the situation had already turned out like this, it decided to go with the flow and take things as theye. Although Yu Xiaocao was weak, she was kind in nature. Helping her was the same as helping itself. In order to sessfully return to the higher realm as soon as possible, the little divine stone dropped its pride and dignity, and helped its weak master grow.


    With its head lowered, the small golden kitten sighed and continued, [In order to ovee the obstacle, Goddess Nuwa let her sister¡ªthe Goddess of Spirits¡ªsend me to this space to cultivate experience. I inadvertently made a blood pact with a human and now I need to help her for a century. Once she dies, this Divine Stone can return.]


    It turned out that it hade down from the Spiritual Space to gain experience! The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning looked at each other. When they were in the Spiritual Space, they had heard that the celestial stone, which was leftover after Goddess Nuwa patched the heavens, beside Goddess Nuwa had gained wisdom. However, they never expected that a rock could also cultivate into an immortal!


    Since the divine stone could return to the Spiritual Space after a century, they needed to be on good terms with this Lord Divine Stone. Hopefully, when it returns, it could put in a good word for them in front of the Goddess of Spirits, even if it was just one or two sentences. Based on the Goddess of Spirits¡¯ benevolent and generous personality, she would definitely remember them and forgive their crimes.


    ¡°May I ask why Lord Divine Stone is looking for us, these little deities?¡± The Goddess of Lightning asked cautiously with a smile.


    Seeing that the two were quite obedient, the little divine stone swayed its slender tail and ¡®meowed,¡¯ [This Divine Stone¡¯s master is in a difficult situation with a malicious businessman. I hope the two of you can act ording to my orderster.]


    ¡°But... if he wasn¡¯t an extremely evil person and this little god punished him with the thunder penalty without permission, it would be hard to justify this to the Jade Emperor of this realm.¡± Although the God of Thunder had a terrible temper, he was considered a good god who had principles.


    The small golden kitten gave him a contemptuous look, [Are you an idiot?! Who told you to kill him? You just need to create a little thunder and lightning to scare that wicked man. Can you do it?]


    [Understood! This little god knows what to do!] The Goddess of Lightning pulled on the God of Thunder, who was about to say something, and secretly red at him, fearing that he would offend the divine stone. If that happened, they might have to stay here forever and never be able to get out of this situation.


    The little divine stone was very satisfied with how tactful the Goddess of Lightning was. It held its head high and chest out as it paced on the clouds and nodded, [Very good! After you guys aplish this task, consider it as this Divine Stone owing you a favor. When this Divine Stone returns to to the Spiritual Space, I will definitely plea for the two of you in front of the Goddess of Spirits. You will just have to wait for the decree to be pardoned.]


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Divine Stone! Thank you, Lord Divine Stone.¡± The God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning thanked the little divine stone profusely after they heard its words. Right now, if someone else saw this scene, they would surely split their sidesughing. It was quite weird to see two dignified immortals bowing to a small golden kitten who was only the size of a child¡¯s fist.


    Under the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning¡¯s escort, the mini golden cat transformed into a golden light and returned to the multicolored stone on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wrist. Had it not been afraid that it would attract too much attention, it would have chosen to appear on Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder in its cat form.


    At this time, Shopkeeper Zhang Dongming, who didn¡¯t believe in heresy, pointed at the sky and vowed in a peculiar tone, ¡°I, Zhang Dongming, swears to the heavens that if I wrongly used the youngd whose surname is Yu, then let the Heavens strike me...¡±


    Before he had finished speaking, the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning had received the little divine stone¡¯s order, and a loud sound of thunder rang out. The sound of thunder sounded as if there was andslide and the ground splitting open. It felt as if the ground vibrating. Shopkeeper Zhang was so scared that his legs went limp and he fell onto the ground.


    However, the Goddess of Lightning wasn¡¯t finished. She aimed the mirror in her hands at the signboard with the name ¡®Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop¡¯. A ring beam of light shed by and a bolt of lightning struck the signboard, turning it into a pile of ashes that happened to fall on Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s head.


    Shopkeeper Zhang recalled of the oath he just made and thought that he couldn¡¯t escape this cmity. He eyes went still with fear, and a feeling of wetness spread down his thighs.


    After a few seconds of silence, the surrounding people began to talk amongst themselves.


    ¡°Heavens! Shopkeeper Zhang got struck by lightning! His oath has been fulfilled!¡±


    ¡°The Heavens has opened its eyes! It should just kill this ck-hearted man! The grandson of Old Liu¡¯s family from the neighboring vige, who was sent over to be an apprentice, was beaten until his legs were broken. Now, the boy can never use his legs anymore.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s crippled but at least he¡¯s still alive. Over the past decade or so, there had been two apprentices who disappeared from this woodworking shop. Shopkeeper Zhang told others that they stole some items and ran off. But I reckon that these two children had most likely met with a disaster.¡±


    ¡°What a sin! The Heavens should¡¯ve taken him away already!¡±


    ¡°What a great strike! It would be even better if it hit more urately and strike this vile and rotten man to death!¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness, I borrowed twenty taels from here and there, and got my Si¡¯er back. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve ended up like the child from the Yu Family.¡±


    ¡°Ay! I don¡¯t know if the child from the Yu Family can be saved.¡±


    ...


    Yu Xiaocao looked coldly at Shopkeeper Zhang, whoy paralyzed on the ground and had wet himself in fright. She said with hatred, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, I already told you that ¡®the gods will always be looking over our actions¡¯. It¡¯s not that you¡¯re not going to be punished but rather it wasn¡¯t time yet! Now, do you still insist that my brother stole money from your store?¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang had already woken up after fainting briefly. However, he didn¡¯t have any face to confront the wetness between his legs and the criticism of his neighbors. After hearing Xiaocao¡¯s words, his heart was filled with respect and fear towards the gods, so he decided to fake death until the end.


    Yu Xiaocao saw the slight movement of Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s eyelids, and knew that he was pretending to be unconscious. He had beaten the sensible and clever Yu Hang until his bones were fractured and left with internal injuries, so she obviously couldn¡¯t just let him go like that. She needed to give him a deep and unforgettable lesson!


    Yu Xiaocaomunicated with the divine stone in her mind, and then the little divine stone sent out its secondmand. Above the clouds, the God of Thunder picked up his thunder hammer once again, while the mirror within the Goddess of Lightning¡¯s hands flickered repeatedly.


    In front of Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop, the limestone bs near where Shopkeeper Zhangy prone on the ground were consecutively struck by thunderbolts. The broken pieces of limestones flew onto Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s face and body.


    Zhang Dongming¡¯s ears were about to be deafened by the sound of thunder. He felt as if the snow-white thunderbolt was almost about tond on him. How would he dare to continue toy on the ground and pretend to be dead?


    Disregarding how others would view him, he got up nimbly and tried to jump into the store to hide. But, as if they had eyes, the thunderbolts chased him the whole way and repeatedly struck at locations within one meter of him, cutting off the path into his store.


    The onlookers were afraid of being implicated by the thunderbolts, and all backed away. Only the members of the Yu Family stood firmly in the midst of the lightning shes and roaring thunder. With the fierce winds blowing behind them, they appeared somewhat solemn and tragic.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a stern gaze, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, aren¡¯t you going to plead guilty? Or, are you only willing to repent sincerely after the Heavenly Thunder strikes you on the head and turn you into a pile of dispersing ashes?¡±

 Chapter 110 – An Apology

    <h4>Chapter 110 ¨C An Apology</h4>


    ¡°I plead guilty, I plead guilty! It¡¯s all my fault, I should die! I hit Yu Hang when I was drunk and I was afraid of the consequences, so I made it sound like he had stolen money from me instead! Heavens, please forgive me, ah, please forgive me!¡± Zhang Dongming had been scared out of his wits. He held his head in his hands as he knelt on the ground crying for forgiveness like a broken record.


    Zhang Dongming actually had a good business acumen. Otherwise, the rich and noble people from the capital wouldn¡¯t bothering to a backwards ce like Tanggu Town tomission furniture. However, this man was not only miserly but he also had a fatal character w: he loved alcohol. In addition, his ability to handle alcohol was very poor. Every time he came across wine he had to drink it until he was drunk, and when he was drunk, he was given to violent tendencies.


    Towards the people around him, especially the apprentices who came from poor and impoverished families, he would either beat them up with his fists or find some other way to torment them to satisfy his violent cravings. Thus, most of the apprentices at his store didn¡¯t end up staying long as they all tried to find any method they could to leave. As for those who had no options, they could only be like Yu Hang, silently enduring until they lost their lives to him.


    Out of all of the apprentices, Yu Hang was considered to be one of the people who hadsted the longest time. He was naturally diligent and cautious when he worked, so the main teacher of the shop took better care of him. Thus, Shopkeeper Zhang had fewer opportunities to make him his punching bag.


    Unfortunately, Shopkeeper Zhang was like a rabid dog when he was drunk and didn¡¯t differentiate between innocent and guilty people before he bit them. In fact, in his drunken stupor, he didn¡¯t have any qualms causing the head craftsman trouble. Every time he was drunk, the apprentices in the store were out of luck, and Yu Hang often couldn¡¯t escape the fate of being hit by Shopkeeper Zhang.


    This time, the head craftsman had left to purchase some lumber and took one of the tall and strong apprentices to help. He left Yu Hang in the back courtyard to practice carving and shaving wood¡ª¡ªthe head craftsman had noticed that Yu Hang was hardworking and clever, so out of the kindness of his heart towards this apprentice, he wanted to transfer some woodworking techniques to him.


    Yu Hang had been practicing his skills diligently and didn¡¯t expect cmity to suddenly fall upon him. Shopkeeper Zhang had been invited to drink alcohol with some people, and, when he staggered back to the shop, he headed straight towards the back court to satisfy his drunken urge to beat someone. Yu Hang had turned into his victim. Not only did he beat the child with his fists from head to toe, but the drunken man also picked up every piece of spare lumber there was around and hurled them at Yu Hang¡¯s tiny and weak little body. The boy tried to shield himself but in the end he spat up blood and stopped moving...


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he had identally killed an apprentice. In fact, Shopkeeper Zhang never cared about the lives of his students who hade from powerless, destitute families. After killing them, he¡¯d carelessly throw their corpses into amon grave and let the feral dogs drag their bodies away. Once he got rid of any clues or evidence pointing towards him, he would then make a false countercharge. Shopkeeper Zhang would bring his partner along to visit the dead apprentice¡¯s family and then use the apprentice of stealing something from the store and running off. Then, the timid family members would even have to kowtow to him and ask for forgiveness.


    Shopkeeper Zhang had a vague idea what Yu Hang¡¯s family situation was like. He was the son of an ordinary, poor fishing family that had relied on fishing for generations. Yu Hang had no background and no status, so even if he identally killed the boy, what was the worst that could happen? However, who would have thought that the Yu youngster had a little brother who was studying at Rongxuan Academy and that he would be on break and want to visit his brother today? Thus, his crime had been exposed prematurely.


    In actuality, being exposed wasn¡¯t really a big deal either. All he needed to do was make up something that made it Yu Hang¡¯s fault and send his poor, trash family away. After all, weren¡¯t impoverished fishermen, who were on the bottom of the socialdder, all cowardly and timid? Why was there a silly girl who managed to lead him by the nose and make him make a vow to the heavens? Usually making a heavenly oath meant nothing, but why did the heavens act today and send lightning to punish him...


    In order to fix the problem now, his only choice was to kneel on the ground and ask the heavens for mercy and forgiveness! Zhang Dongming repeatedly knocked his forehead on the ground and the sound of his head tapping on the ground echoed. When he lifted his head, people could see a purple mark forming on his face, ¡°I was wrong, I admit my guilt! I am willing to pay for all of Yu Hang¡¯s medical fees! If, on the off hand, things get worse, then I will take charge of all of his funeral expenses!¡±


    ¡°Pah! Surnamed Zhang, stop cursing my older brother!! Is being well off really that great? You should know, everything that people do here on earth is seen by the Heavens!! If you sin too much, don¡¯t be surprised when the Heavens decide to punish you!!¡± When the lightning had struck, Yu Xiaocao had been shielded behind her father. Now, without the slightest bit of fear on her face, she walked forward a step with the sh of lightning behind her. It made her seem as if she was a child sent by the Heavens.


    Yu Yunxi had been standing for a long time in the midst of the crowd. He serenely watched the slightly-built, fearless girl in the middle who had a cold expression on her face. A faint sense of respect for her rose in his heart along with another indescribable feeling.


    Although Shopkeeper Zhang wanted to refute the little girl in front of him in his heart, he continued to kowtow to the heavens and admit his wrongs. As he apologized and repented, the dense lightning in the skies slowly dissipated and the thick, dark clouds in the sky gradually disappeared.


    After witnessing this phenomenon, the townspeople of Tanggu Town soon had a saying based on this event, ¡®If you do bad things you¡¯ll get punished by lightning¡¯.


    Yu Hang, who had been diagnosed as a hopeless case by the doctor from Tongren Medicine Hall, slowly opened his eyes after the ck clouds scattered. With a very weak voice, he called out at Liu Muyun, who had been sobbing endlessly, ¡°Mother...¡±


    The people surrounding them allmented one after another, ¡°The Heavens have eyes! The gods have not only punished the evil person but also saved Yu Hang¡¯s life...¡±


    ¡°Are you awake, Xiaosha? What part of you feels ufortable?¡± Yu Hai softly asked his weak son as he supported his wife who was crying tears of joy.


    Yu Hang barely managed to squeeze out a cating smile on his supernaturally thin face and replied with great difficulty, ¡°Father, Mother! I¡¯m okay, I¡¯m sorry for making you two worry...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault, it¡¯s all my fault! If I had made youe back earlier, then you wouldn¡¯t have encountered such a bad fate...¡± Madam Liu had cried so hard that her eyes had swollen up until she almost couldn¡¯t open them. After the crazy rollercoaster events of the day, she felt physically and emotionally exhausted.


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that her older brother was struggling in an effort to sit up and hastily stopped him, ¡°Older Brother, you broke three of your ribs! Doctor Sun had just done his best to bandage you up, but you¡¯re absolutely not allowed to il around!¡± Mother, it¡¯s a good thing that Older Brother has woken up, so stop crying. Your body is not very healthy, so if you keep crying, it¡¯ll make Older Brother very worried for you.¡±


    ¡°Older Brother, let¡¯s go home! Father and Shitou will protect you, so there will be no other bad people who can bully you!!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s eyes had turned as red as a rabbit¡¯s eyes. He slightly sobbed as he tried tofort Yu Hang. Yu Hang did his best to smile back at him.


    However, Yu Xiaocao had turned around to face Shopkeeper Zhang, who was picking himself up from the ground, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, we¡¯re going to take my older brother back home. Do you have any problems with that?¡±


    ¡°Ah...usually, if the apprentice leaves the store before finishing their training, a penalty fee needs to be paid...¡± Shopkeeper Zhang secretly shot a nce at the dark clouds near the horizon as he stood up with great effort. He barely managed to steady his weak legs as he patted himself on the chest.


    When Third Young Master Zhou heard the news, he had hurriedly rushed over from the docks. He dismounted from his horse when he got there and broke through the crowd. He came just in time to hear Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s shamelessment, so he coldly snorted and said, ¡°Surnamed Zhang! We haven¡¯t even settled your debt from injuring someone, so how do you have the face to ask for a penalty fee?! How about this, let¡¯s go to the county magistrate¡¯s office and settle things there?¡±


    Everyone in town knew that Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s business had been roaring hot. After all, there was a three month wait to reserve a private room there. In addition, with the imperial merchant Zhou Family behind the young master, how could Shopkeeper Zhang not know the status of this youth in front of him?


    ¡°Third Young Master Zhou, what sort of rtionship do you have with Yu Hang?¡± From Zhang Dongming¡¯s perspective, one was the son of a prosperous, rich family, and the other was the son of a poor fisherman. There was not much inmon between the two. However, judging from the tone of Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s voice, why did it sound like he was on the side of the Yu Family?


    Zhou Zixu casually brushed off some dust from his clothes as he inquired about Yu Hang¡¯s current condition. In addition, he learned the whole story of what had happened, including all of the details. Only then did he nt a sidelong nce at Shopkeeper Zhang, who he had coldly ignored the whole time. He stated solemnly, ¡°This young girl, Miss Yu, is someone I consider to be my younger sister! Whoever wants to bully my younger sister is telling me that they don¡¯t want to have a good rtionship with me, Third Young Master Zhou!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes inwardly, ¡®Surnamed Zhou ah, when did this girl be your younger sister? At most, we are only a couple of business associates, okay?¡¯


    Zhou Zixu seemed to be able to sense her inner thoughts and turned around to look at her reassuringly before he turned back to faintly smile at Shopkeeper Zhang. For a split second, it seemed like the small and frail looking figure of a young man had suddenly be tall and lofty.


    In order for Shopkeeper Zhang to be able to conduct business as easily as a fish swimming in water, he naturally had a good sense of who he could offend and who he had treat carefully. Although Third Young Master Zhou was young in age, the patriarch of the Zhou Family regarded him highly. It was obvious that this young man¡¯s future would be bright in the future.


    Furthermore, Third Young Master Zhou had a close rtionship with the son of County Magistrate Wu, and he was in the wrong in this situation. If they really did bring this to the county magistrate¡¯s office, Shopkeeper Zhang was afraid that the one who would lose would still be him...


    Zhang Dongming immediately showed off his acting skills by ¡®changing expressions to fit the situation¡¯. Arge smile crossed his face as he said cloyingly, ¡°I really didn¡¯t have the eyes to tell the difference between trash and treasure. Since Third Young Master Zhou is helping us settle our differences, this dumb one will return the apprenticeship contract back to the Yu Family in consideration for Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s reputation...¡±


    After seeing the extent of Yu Hang¡¯s injuries, Third Young Master Zhou was angered and aggrieved at how vicious Shopkeeper Zhang was to the young boy. He cut off Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s ttery short and frostily replied, ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang, there is no need to do this out of concern for my reputation. We can find out who is truly at fault at the magistrate¡¯s office! Simo, please go to the county magistrate¡¯s office to report a case, tell them that the Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop¡¯s shopkeeper had seriously hurt someone while drunk...¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, wait a moment!¡± Although it was a chilly spring day, Shopkeeper Zhang suddenly felt cold sweat dripping down his bruised forehead. He immediately bowed deeply and repeatedly pleaded, ¡°Young Master Zhou, tell me what needs to be done and this lowly one will immediately obey!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou nced back at the silent and taciturn Xiaocao and quietly asked, ¡°Xiaocao, how do you want to handle this Shopkeeper Zhang...¡±


    ¡°Shopkeeper Zhang violently beat up my older brother and caused injuries serious enough that he almost died. In addition, he also caused severe psychological damage to him. We¡¯ll waive the psychological fees. As for the fees for medications, nursing, disability, and nutrition...he needs to pay for all of these to repent for his mistake. Furthermore, Shopkeeper Zhang falsely used my older brother of stealing from him and damaged his reputation. He must sincerely apologize to my brother in front of everyone here!¡±


    Zhou Zixu watched as the tiny figure in front of him, with her hands sped behind her back, pretended to have the demeanor of an adult. Everything she said had made sense, and it only made him feel that she was an adorable little girl. He couldn¡¯t help but soften his gaze towards her and reveal a warm and gentle smile on his face.


    ¡°Did you hear all of that? Medication fees, nursing costs...all of it. Given our status as fellow townspeople, I¡¯ll cut a deal with you. Pay out a hundred taels as a courtesy okay? That won¡¯t be considered too expensive, right?¡± Third Young Master Zhou was as gentle as a spring day towards his friends, but towards his enemies, he was as severe and ruthless as the cold winter day.


    Originally he had wanted to extort the man for around three hundred to five hundred taels, but he was afraid that Xiaocao and her family would then be ndered as ckmailers. So he modified his request to a more reasonable one hundred taels aspensation for Yu Hang¡¯s injuries.


    Shopkeeper Zhang obviously couldn¡¯t say anything at this point. His heart dripped blood at the thought of the terms but he still kept a smile on his face as he nodded furiously, ¡°Not too much, not too much! Young Master Zhou¡¯s terms are very fair, very very fair!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou took the banknote worth a hundred taels from Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s hands and then turned to face Yu Hang, who was lying in the donkey cart. He hinted, ¡°Thepensation has been paid in full, so quickly apologize now! We still need to go back to the medicine hall to check on his condition again!¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang really didn¡¯t want to apologize to his poor and humble apprentice. However, if he didn¡¯t do it, it was likely that he¡¯d be brought to the county magistrate¡¯s office¡ª¡ªin that case, then he¡¯d really lose his face and reputation. After considering the facts, he decided to assume an air of sincerity and figuratively pinched his nose as he apologized to Yu Hang.

 Chapter 111 – Going Home

    <h4>Chapter 111 ¨C Going Home</h4>


    The family went to the carpentry shop to retrieve all of Yu Hang¡¯s clothing and other items, especially the one hundred and seventy copper coins¡ª¡ªthe money was all a symbol of the family¡¯s love and concern for Yu Hang, so they absolutely couldn¡¯t let Shopkeeper Zhang get his paws on it!


    Although the now awake Yu Hang resolutely refused to go, the family still dragged him to Tongren Medicine Hall to have Doctor Sun check his condition. On the way to the doctor¡¯s, Yu Xiaocao also made the little divine stone use its spiritual power to heal her older brother, who was lying down on the donkey cart.


    When Doctor Sun palpated Yu Hang¡¯s pulse again, he was astonished at the boy¡¯s recovery ability. Did everyone from the Yu Family have bodies that were different from the rest of humanity? He had diagnosed three of the members, and all of them had originally had death sentences. However, all three managed to survive beyond the odds. For example, Yu Xiaocao had been diagnosed with a weak constitution since birth and had been bedridden but was now skipping and running around like apletely different person. Yu Hai, on the other hand, had his legpletely savaged by a vicious bear, but he had managed to recoverpletely, except for a little limp. Then there was Yu Hang, who had gotten his internal organs damaged. If it was another person, he or she would have spat up blood and died within hours. However, he only took half a day toe out of hisa and could even talk normally!


    All of these miraculous situations were only seen in the Yu Family. Was this a coincidence or did Yu Family have a secret, holy method to heal their bodies?


    Luckily, Doctor Sun was an ethical man and squelched down his hesitation and curiosity. He didn¡¯t try to investigate further into the Yu Family and instead buried these thoughts deep inside his heart. The Yu Family had already experienced too much suffering so they really didn¡¯t need another problem to arise.


    With Doctor Sun¡¯s permission and Yu Hang¡¯s persistence, the family rejected Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s well-intentioned offer to have Yu Hang recuperate in one of his other residences and instead brought him home in the donkey cart.


    They cushioned the donkey cart with a thickyer of bedding, and Yu Hai, who was driving the cart, tried to have the cart move slower and more smoothly. However, the mountainous roads here were still a bit bumpy, so Yu Hang had to suffer a bit while traveling. Luckily, Xiaocao was there to feed Yu Hang with some highly concentrated mystic-stone water the whole way back and also had the little divine stone protecting his injuries. Thus, Yu Hang managed to survive the journey home.


    Little Shitou had asked for a day off because he was still worried about his older brother. He grumbled when he saw his brother suffering, ¡°The only thing not good about our donkey cart is that the wheels are made out of wood and have no shock absorption. If we could get a set of rubber wheels that would be much better.¡±


    ¡°Rubber wheels? Are you talking about the wheels with the ck rubber on the outside and you can blow air into them?¡± Yu Xiaocao would have never thought that this world would already have rubber tires avable for carts.


    Little Shitou nodded furiously and continued, ¡°In town, the horse carriage that the Zhou Family¡¯s patriarch and matriarch use has rubber wheels. When it¡¯s pulled, the carriage doesn¡¯t bump or jump at all. I heard that rubber wheels were something that our current emperor, Jianwen Emperor, had discovered when he was young.


    When Jianwen Emperor was still the imperial grandson, he had built a shipyard, organized a fleet of ships, and sailed the distant seas to the southern regions. He had discovered rubber trees there and used them to manufacture rubber wheels. After experimenting for more than half a year, he was finally able to make a rubber wheel that had the right amount of flexibility to be shock absorbent. It was said that he created these rubber wheels to make it easier for him to go out and travel. Rubber possibly had other uses but no one was currently using it for anything else of importance.


    Yu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow at this information. This fellow transmigrator was probably an engineer in his past life as he had not only built ships but also invented rubber wheels. If Jianwen Emperor hadn¡¯t transmigrated into the imperial family, then he likely would have be a person primed to be the Chancellor of the Ministry of Works.


    The sky had turnedpletely dark by the time they got back to Dongshan Vige as they had to take multiple breaks on the road. In the distance, they could see a slim and stooped over figure at the vige entrance pacing anxiously to and fro. Only when they got closer were they finally able to recognize the person as Xiaocao¡¯s grandfather, Old Yu.


    ¡°How¡¯s Xiaosha¡¯s condition and injuries? Why didn¡¯t you guys get back until now?¡± Old Yu wasn¡¯t faking his concern over his grandson. When he heard the news, his first reaction was to ask for some money from his wife. As Yu Hai¡¯s father, he knew what kind of circumstances his son¡¯s family was under. His grandson¡¯s injuries were not light, so they likely needed a lot of money to heal him.


    But Madam Zhang was a pixiu [1]. Any money that came into her purse was hers alone. Even if the Heavenly Emperor himself came over, he wouldn¡¯t be able to pry even half a copper coin from her paws. Old Yu naturally was unable to get any money, so he stayed at home, too ashamed to go into town, and waited in agony.


    When he saw Yu Hang¡¯s extreme pallor and closed eyes, Old Yu staggered a bit as he thought his eldest grandson had encountered a disaster.


    Although Dashan had changed his surname to Yu after Madam Zhang had married again, Heizi still didn¡¯t have the Yu Family¡¯s blood flowing through him. In actuality, Yu Hang was the true eldest grandson of the Yu Family. After Yu Hang was born, despite Madam Zhang watching them like a hawk, Old Yu was always able toe up with a method to add some extra food for his eldest grandson.


    Other than going out to sea or mending fishings, Old Yu mostly yed with his eldest grandson. As for the rest of his grandchildren, he didn¡¯t ce as much importance on them as he did on Yu Hang. When he saw his grandson with tightly closed eyes and no movement, tears immediately came to Old Yu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Father, Xiaosha¡¯s okay now. Don¡¯t feel sad, okay!¡± Yu Hai gently tucked the nkets around his son as heforted his father.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have a lot of ill will towards this grandfather of hers, so she supported his arm and quietly said, ¡°Grandfather, my older brother has truly encountered a cmitous event this time. There¡¯s not a single part of his body that¡¯s not injured. Three of his ribs were broken and his internal organs were severely damaged. Even Doctor Sun at Tongren Medicine Hall couldn¡¯t do much for him. Fortunately, my older brother was lucky and was able to keep his life with great difficulty. Grandfather, at that time we weren¡¯t in horrible circumstances, so how could we send my brother to that carpentry shop to be an apprentice without even asking about the situation there?¡±


    When Old Yu heard that, he med himself continuously, ¡°I¡¯m such a useless grandfather. At that time, I thought that having Xiaosha learn a trade wasn¡¯t a bad thing and was convinced by Madam Zhang and Madam Li¡¯s persuasions, so I agreed. Who knew that the Zhang Ji Carpentry Shop was a den full of tigers and wolves, ah! My poor eldest grandson almost...¡±


    Yu Hai knew that his daughter was deliberately ckening the reputation of the old hag, Madam Zhang. However, when he saw how repentant and guilty his father looked, his heart immediately softened, ¡°Gossip travels quickly in the vige, let¡¯s go home and then talk!¡±


    Old Yu¡¯s hand trembled as he fished out a string of copper coins and shoved them into his son¡¯s hands. His voice was choked with emotion as he said, ¡°I won¡¯t go with you guys back to the old residence to avoid that old woman froming over and making a disturbance again. Father is useless and doesn¡¯t have much. Take this money and use it to buy some chicken eggs to nourish Xiaosha¡¯s body.¡±


    Yu Hai was astonished when he found out his father had also saved up a secret purse. However, he knew that his father¡¯s money didn¡¯te to him easily, so how could he take it? The father and son pushed the money back and forth for a bit, but, in the end, Yu Hai was no match for the old man¡¯s persistence and finally took the money that was a symbol of a grandfather¡¯s good intentions.


    A burst of sorrow bloomed within Yu Hai¡¯s heart as he watched his father, who had be older with every passing day, walk away. Yu Xiaocao was afraid that her father would be softhearted again and hurriedly pulled on his hand and said, ¡°Father, when our situation at home is better, we should bring Grandfather over and treat him well to show our filial piety! Let¡¯s remember Grandfather¡¯s good intentions from today! Let¡¯s go home now, Older Brother¡¯s body is weak and shouldn¡¯t be subject to the chilly air.¡±


    When the old residence got fixed, they only fixed the major parts of the central building and the two side rooms next to it. Ordinarily, Yu Hai and his wife lived in the central building and the children lived in the rooms on the side. In order to make it easier to take care of their seriously injured son, Yu Hai lifted his son onto their own kang bed to sleep on.


    When Yu Hang was ced on the kang bed, he opened up his faintly bruised eyes and, in the weak light, could see that he was in a room that was much more spacious and bright than their old West room at the new residence. He revealed a smile that came from his heart and it brightened up his wasted and pallid face¡ª¡ªhe was finally home! In the future, he would never have to live feeling scared and on the edge again, afraid that at any time someone would hit him. He looked at the concerned expressions on his parents¡¯ and siblings¡¯ faces and slipped quickly into sleep again. In the midst of his heart, four words appeared before him¡ª¡ªreturning home feels good!


    ¡°Let¡¯s allow Older Brother to sleep for a bit. I¡¯m going to simmer some congee. Older Brother has be so thin that he doesn¡¯t even look human anymore, we need to let him carefully nourish his body for a bit!¡± Yu Xiain wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Her heart was filled with worry, and she wholeheartedly wished she could magically restore her brother¡¯s body back to a healthy weight.


    Yu Xiaocao urged her mother, whose face was even more pale than her older brother¡¯s face, toy down and rest a bit. She went out of the room with Xiaolian to make dinner together. Yu Hai was in the courtyard cleaning and preparing the pig head and offal they had bought earlier. Tonight, they still had to braise these cuts of meat for the next day.


    At the evening meal, the pig head and intestines were already stewing on the stove as the whole family surrounded the kang bed. Madam Liu carefully and gently fed her eldest son some congee. When she saw her son eating the food eagerly, tears began to brim again in her eyes.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m okay now. Please don¡¯t worry anymore!¡± Yu Hang sensibly lifted up his weak arms and helped Madam Liu to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao alsoforted their mother, ¡°Mother, they always say that ¡®after escaping a cmity, fortune will abound¡¯. Older Brother will definitely have a bright and good future now! Stop crying. If you continue to cry, then our whole kang bed will soon be underwater!¡±


    Madam Liu didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry as she gently pped her daughter¡¯s arm and said, ¡°You always say the darndest things! Cao¡¯er is right though. Good days are just ahead of us! In the future, we should never divide our family apart again!¡±


    ¡°Mother! Judging from what you just said, in the future, Xiaolian and I will have to find husbands who will live us, ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao wanted to lighten up the atmosphere for her family, so she tried hard to amuse everyone.


    Xiaolian, who had already turned nine, blushed fiercely after hearing her sister¡¯s words. She spat at her and then quickly cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and fled into the kitchen to hide.


    Madam Liu pinched her daughter, who had slowly been filling out, on the cheek and rebuked her, ¡°You¡¯re a girl, so you should be more gentle and refined. Why are you saying things like having a husband live with us? If word of this came out, then will you two have any reputations left here? In the future, will there be a mother-inw who would want you two?¡±


    No matter what the time period, everyone discriminated against the men who lived with their wives¡¯ families. Who would be happy to have a perfectly good son marry a woman and live with her family as if he was ayabout?


    Xiaocao finally remembered that she was living in a time period where girls couldn¡¯t just say whatever they wanted, especially when it came in regards to marriage. The people here were much more conservative than those living in modern times.


    Yu Hai helped his son wipe his face and wash his hands and feet. He gently smiled and cated Madam Liu, ¡°Cao¡¯er is still young and spent seven to eight years of her life lying on the bed indoors. What does she know right now? In the future, you just need to teach her a little more. Don¡¯t yell at the child anymore!¡±


    Xiaocao quickly ced an innocent look at her face, as if she didn¡¯t know what she had said wrong. She also pouted slightly as if she was feeling wronged.


    The rest of the night passed quickly. The next morning, Xiaolian brought Little Shitou along on the donkey cart to sell braised food at the docks. After eating breakfast and chatting a bit with her older brother, she spoke to her parents, ¡°I heard Doctor Sun say that eating snakehead fish can nourish the body, enrich the blood, dispel blood stasis, and improve the healing of the body. I also heard Brother Han say that there is apparently some snakehead fish living in the river just south of the mountain. I want to go over there and see if it¡¯s true!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± To get to the southern part of the mountain required traversing through some mountain thickets and climbing a mountain. In the middle, there was even a mass grave to go around. Yu Hai naturally didn¡¯t feel that it was safe for his beloved young daughter to go by herself. He put down the fish bait and from his hands and decided not to catch fish in the pond behind their house anymore.


    [1] Pixiu (õùõ÷) ¨C a mythical creature, which is depicted as a winged animal with the head of a dragon and body of a lion, that brings luck (usually wealth) and wards off evil; it is believed that the pixiu doesn¡¯t have an anus which signifies that wealth/luck will flow in and not leave

 Chapter 112 – Headed Out

    <h4>Chapter 112 ¨C Headed Out</h4>


    When Madam Liu heard they were going to the south side of the mountain, she immediately became worried, ¡°Stop right there! In the future, none of you are allowed to go into the mountains!¡±


    Ever since Yu Hai had his ident, Madam Liu had no longer regarded the mountain as an area people should go to! In the past, she had also heard the stories about vicious and ferocious creatures living deep in the mountains. However, after living with the Yu Family for more than ten years, Yu Hai had never encountered any of the vicious beasts when he was in the mountain. In fact, he rarely even saw a wild boar, let alone tigers, wolves or other dangerous animals.


    But after Yu Hai was ravaged by the bear, Madam Liu felt that the mountain and its thickets were truly a dangerous area. She had almost lost her husband once, so it was natural that she had lingering fears, right? Thus, whenever someone said they wanted to go in the mountain, she had to voice her fear and disapproval!


    When Xiaocao saw that her mother¡¯s expression had changed significantly, she quickly tried to cate her, ¡°Mother! I¡¯m not going into the mountain!! I¡¯m just going on the trail at the foot of the mountain to get to the south side. Although it¡¯s a longer detour, it¡¯s not going to be dangerous!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really not going into the mountain?¡± After seeing Xiaocao nod her head furiously, Madam Liu finally let out a sigh and said, ¡°As long as you¡¯re not going into the mountain, it¡¯s fine. Yesterday we caught a lot of fish in the, so we have more than enough to make pickled fish this afternoon. Just let your father apany you and make sure to bring more dry rations along. If you¡¯re going around the foot of the mountains, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t get back before it¡¯s dark!¡±


    Yu Hang, who was lying on the bed recuperating, overheard their conversation. He struggled to sit up, but a sharp twinge shot through his chest and he grimaced in pain. When Xiaocao saw this, she hastily ran over to support him up. After propping him up using bedding behind his back to allow him to recline slightly, she said, ¡°Older Brother, stop moving around. If there¡¯s anything you need, call Mother and she can help you! The most important thing for you to do right now is to let your body heal. Stop thinking about random stuff!¡±


    ¡°Younger Sister, Doctor Sun told me that I¡¯m recovering quickly. There¡¯s really no difference if I get to eat snakehead fish or not! We¡¯re too far from the southern part of the mountain, so don¡¯t bother going there! Don¡¯t we already have fish at home? Just use what we have to make a stew and it¡¯ll still be very good!¡± Yu Hang didn¡¯t want his family members to run ragged for his sake, so he did his best to persuade them from going.


    ¡°Older Brother, stop being such a worrywart! Here, drink some water and take a nap. Sleeping helps the body rest and recover a lot!¡± Whenever Yu Xiaocao made up her mind to do anything, she could not be persuaded otherwise. There was no way that Yu Hang¡¯s attempt would sway her mind at all. She poured him arge cup of highly concentrated mystic-stone essence infused water and fed it to him.


    The little divine stone had told her that a person wouldn¡¯t get into trouble if they drank too much mystic-stone water. The only side effect was that it would make them sleep for a bit. See here, she even used its side effects as a make-shift sleeping pill!


    When the little divine stone found out they were going to the southern side of the mountain, it immediately became excited. It had already finished exploring the West Mountain and it hadn¡¯t had a chance to explore any farther areas.


    With a ¡®whoosh¡¯, it leapt onto Xiaocao¡¯s shoulders and enthusiastically rubbed its golden head against Xiaocao¡¯s cheek, [Bring me along, I want to go there and y too!]


    Yu Hang was perplexed at the sight of the tiny, golden kitten. Although its size made it seem like it had just recently been born, it¡¯s agile and strong movements implied otherwise. ¡°Ehhh? It¡¯s quite rare to see a kitten that¡¯s so pretty, where did you get it from?¡±


    ¡°Your younger sister found it in the thickets behind us. It¡¯s quite clever, so we decided to raise and have it keep Tinypany!¡± Madam Liu was cleaning up the room as she watched Xiaocao and her husband¡¯s antics with amusement.


    Yu Xiaocao was in the middle of trying to convince her father to let her go to the southern side of the mountain on her own. There was amon saying, ¡®full recovery from a serious injury takes a hundred days¡¯. Even though the little divine stone strengthened and healed her father¡¯s leg every day, he had still suffered from a violent injury. To get to the south side of the mountain, they needed to walk a very long distance. She really wasn¡¯t sure if her father could do it right now!


    But how could Yu Hai, who loved his daughter to death, feel okay in letting his daughter, who was only eight to nine years old, go by herself?


    Just as the two of them were mutually stuck in a deadlock, someone knocked on their main gate. Zhao Han stepped in with a hunting knife in one hand and his hunting bow and arrows slung over his back. ¡°Good morning, Uncle Yu! Xiaocao, you didn¡¯t go to the docks today to sell braised food, eh!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw the impressive-looking and decked out Zhao Han, her eyes lit up. She ran over to pull at his hand and spoke to her father, ¡°Father, didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t feelfortable letting me go by myself? Then let Brother Han go with me then! Doctor Sun had said that you need to let your leg heal for a little longer, ah!¡±


    Zhao Han grinned when he heard Xiaocao exin what was going on, ¡°What a coincidence! The prefectural magistrate¡¯s son is getting married, and he wanted to reserve a pair of wild geese. At the southern side of the mountain is a pond filled with reeds. There should be some wild geese migrating from the north resting there. Since Xiaocao also needs to go to the southern side of the mountain, it works perfectly since it¡¯s on the way. Uncle Yu, I¡¯ll apany Xiaocao, so don¡¯t worry!¡±


    With the Zhao Han¡¯s help, Xiaocao was finally able to convince her father to stay at home after another bout of wheedling. Before they left, Yu Hai warned them continuously to be cautious. In the end, Madam Liu had to intervene, ¡°Husband, if Xiaocao doesn¡¯t leave now because of you, she won¡¯t be able toe home today!¡± Only then did Yu Hai reluctantly let his daughter leave.


    After she had traveled out of sight from her father, Xiaocao let out a long sigh. When she saw the amusement glimmering in Zhao Han¡¯s eyes, she said with a bit of embarrassment, ¡°Having an overprotective father is sometimes quite inconvenient!¡±


    Zhao Han chuckled, ¡°Uncle Yu is just concerned about you. I never would have expected that a big, hulking man like Uncle Yu would be so attentive and worried about his children!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao merely shrugged and didn¡¯t say anything more. She followed Zhao Han from behind as they traveled. They arrived at the foot of the West Mountain and there were a bunch of burial mounds messily interspersed in the area. Weeds grew in abundance and grave markers dotted the entirendscape. From time to time, the sounds of feral dogs yelping and crying could be heard.


    Yu Xiaocao shortened her stride and didn¡¯t dare to nce sideways. She was afraid she might see something inauspicious. Zhao Han had looked back at her without paying much attention to his surroundings and noticed the tight expression on her face. He frowned, thinking that there might be something incredibly dangerous around them, and then realized that Xiaocao was only an eight to nine year old little girl. Normally, her actions and words were too simr to an adult¡¯s, so it was very easy for other people to forget her actual age.


    Zhao Han slowed down a few steps to allow Xiaocao to catch up until they were walking side-by-side. The top of Xiaocao¡¯s head didn¡¯t even reach his armpits, which once again served as a reminder to him that the little girl next to him was young and inexperienced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Although the area we¡¯re walking through is somewhat isted and deste, there won¡¯t be anything like an undead monster appearing in the wilderness, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. If you¡¯re scared, you can hold onto the corner of my jacket!¡± Zhao Han had been taught from childhood that a distance between sexes should be kept at age seven and older, so he didn¡¯t feelfortable holding Xiaocao¡¯s hand. Thus, he could only suggest this solution.


    Xiaocao inwardly rolled her eyes, ¡®Hold onto the corner of your jacket? Do you think I¡¯m a three year old child, ah?! Let me set things straight, inside, I¡¯m almost thirty years old, an adult. Do you really think I¡¯m worse than you, a twelve to thirteen year old preteen?¡¯ In order to prove that she wasn¡¯t afraid, she deliberately lengthened her strides and tookrge steps.


    Zhao Han absentmindedly kept up with her and stayed alert to their surroundings in order to keep the tiny girl next to him shielded underneath his wings.


    Luckily, the messy graveyard didn¡¯t take up arge area, so the two of them managed to quickly go past it and get to the foot of the mountains.


    ¡°How about we walk on therge road at the foot of the mountains?¡± If they traversed across this mountain range, which wasn¡¯t considered very tall, they would be able to get to their destination very quickly. On the other hand, if they traveled on the road winding around the foot of the mountain ranges, it would take them at least twice as long. Had Zhao Han been traveling on his own, he definitely would have picked going over the mountain range. However, when he thought about Xiaocao¡¯s age and body constitution, he hesitated.


    Yu Xiaocao had long thrown her mother¡¯s warnings out of her head. She raised her head to look at the mountain range in front of her and thought it wasn¡¯t very high. In addition, she could clearly see the mountain trail squiggling through the peaks, which showed that this road was often used by people. She raised her voice and announced grandly, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Up the mountains!!¡±


    After she said that, she took the lead and dived into the forest thicket. Zhao Han helplessly followed behind her as he tightly held onto the hunting knife in his hand.


    Yu Xiaocao walked as she carefully observed the environment on both sides of the trail. From time to time, she would scuttle into the underbrush and use the rope she brought to set some traps in areas where small animals liked to run. Zhao suddenly interjected after seeing the rope traps in Xiaocao¡¯s hands, ¡°Every time I set traps with you, the odds of sess increase by a lot, why is this so?¡±


    In the past, when he set traps on his own, he would consider it to be a good day when three out of the ten traps caught prey. However, whenever he set traps with Xiaocao, the odds would increase to around five to six sesses per trap. Sometimes, it was even higher! It really made him feel puzzled!


    Xiaocao¡¯s hands paused for a brief moment before she regained herposure. After all, she had lived for almost thirty years in her past life and knew how to bluff convincingly. She nced at Zhao Han as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and cheerfully said, ¡°Well that¡¯s obvious, it¡¯s because my moral character is good, ah!!¡±


    Did having a good moral character....really have anything to do with setting traps? Zhao Han started to think that the question he asked was a bit childish. Maybe it was really all just a coincidence!


    After she used up all of the rope traps she brought from home, the road they walked on gradually became more precipitous. In some areas, she even had to use both her hands and feet to climb over. Zhao Han was in the front opening the way. From time to time, he would hold his scabbard and let Xiaocao drag on it as she climbed. This way she could save some energy.


    The little divine stone had transformed into its golden kitten from and took the lead, running ahead. asionally, it would dart into some dense undergrowth or climb onto some branches to swing on or even leap over a boulder...suddenly, it acted as if someone had pressed down on it to keep it still. Its bright eyes stared at a nearby cliff and its nose lightly twitched. Unaware, its tail started to swish back and forth.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Little Glutinous Dumpling? Did you find something?¡± Xiaocao had spent more than a half year in constant contact with the little divine stone, and, while she didn¡¯t know its every movement like the back of her own hand, she at least had an inkling on how to interpret its bodynguage. After noticing the look of concentration on its face, she knew that there was something to be found.


    [Spiritual energy, really dense spiritual energy! Something is giving off a stronger spiritual energy than the lingzhi mushroom or ginseng at Tongren Medicine Hall!! There must be a true treasure in front of us!!] The golden kitten¡¯s ears quivered, and it scrambled toward the area with the cliff.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, wait for me!!¡± Xiaocao had a decent amount of confidence in the little divine stone¡¯s sensing abilities. Something that could make it this excited and run so quickly was definitely out of the ordinary. Yu Xiaocao pushed aside the weeds that had reached half a person¡¯s height and struggled to follow from behind.


    ¡°Be careful!!¡± Zhao Han swiftly threw out his hand and grabbed Xiaocao¡¯s arm just in time to save her from falling into a deep ditch that was hidden in the underbrush. He dragged her back up and said, ¡°Make sure to look where you¡¯re going! Be careful not to fall down!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Han! Little Glutinous Dumpling ran over there and I need to find it and bring it back!!¡± After receiving a fright, she took Zhao Han¡¯s help to surmount that deep ditch and cautiously traversed through the thick weeds.


    Zhao Han was in the front, opening up a path. He kept finding ditches left and right, and made sure to warn her. Atst, he finally said out of worry, ¡°How about you wait here and I go catch the cat for you? Is that okay?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao slightly frowned and inwardly thought, ¡®Do you think the little divine stone is a real cat that you can catch just because you want to, ah?¡¯


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling is afraid of strangers, so I¡¯m afraid if it sees you, it¡¯ll run away even farther! I can see up ahead that Little Glutinous Dumpling has stopped, so let me look instead!¡± In front of the cliff, she could see the golden kitten glittering in the sunlight under a bit of lush green undergrowth. From afar, the scene resembled a golden diamond surrounded by precious jade.


    It took a bit of time for the two people to pass through the thick weeds. When they got to the side of the cliff, they noticed that the little kitten was using its ws to dig at some type of vegetation buried in the ground. It kind of looked like a bustling little groundhog.

 Chapter 113 – King of Ginseng

    <h4>Chapter 113 ¨C King of Ginseng</h4>


    Zhao Han watched as the little golden kitten dug at the nt furiously. The top of nt grew arge set ofpound leaves and around it were smaller leaves that were all oval shaped. He thought it seemed somewhat familiar and hesitated before he said, ¡°Xiaocao, is your cat a spiritual creature? Looks like it somehow recognizes ginseng?¡±


    ¡°Ginseng? Are you saying that Little Glutinous Dumpling is digging up ginseng?¡± Judging from the little divine stone¡¯s obvious excitement, Xiaocao had a premonition that this stalk of ginseng was definitely out of the ordinary. It was probably older than a hundred years! Hundred year old ginseng...they hit the jackpot!!


    Xiaocao scuttled a few steps closer and took out a small trowel from the basket on her back. She carefully helped the little golden kitten to excavate the ginseng. Before long, a stalk of ginseng that was shaped like a human and was about thirty to forty centimeters long came out of the ground.


    Zhao Han¡¯s voice wavered in emotion, ¡°This ginseng must be at least a hundred years old! Legend says that after cultivating for a hundred years, a ginseng starts to have a human shape. Five hundred years, it¡¯ll have a face, and if it goes past a thousand years, it¡¯ll be sentient! This ginseng is already human shaped and we can faintly see that it has a face¡ª¡ªXiaocao, this ginseng you dug up can be rated as the king of ginseng!¡±


    The little golden kitten flung the dirt off its ws and then hopped into Xiaocao¡¯s hands. It wrapped its paws around the ginseng and had a look of infatuation on its face, [Such a dense concentration of spiritual energy, ah! Let me absorb as much as I can!]


    ¡°Be careful¡± Zhao Han quickly plucked the kitten out and into his own hands. He didn¡¯t let the cat go no matter how hard it struggled, ¡°This is a priceless treasure, don¡¯t let your cat damage it!¡±


    Xiaocao grinned in amusement when she saw the little divine stone, who had been caught by Zhao Han, baring its fangs at the youth in an attempt to threaten him. She gave it a cating look and spoke to it through her mind, [Don¡¯t be impatient, ah, the ginseng won¡¯t run away. When we get home we¡¯ll discuss it!]


    [This stinky human. If I didn¡¯t take into ount that he has helped you before, I would have torn him to pieces by now!] The little divine stone bared its fangs and ws, but in the eyes of outside observers, it just looked like false front.


    Zhao Han felt that the little animal was quite adorable and used his hand to rub its furry head. Due to a moment of carelessness, the little kitten, whose fur was being messed up, scratched him and left two lines of red on his hand.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, you¡¯re not allowed to scratch people!¡± Xiaocao rushed over and rescued the little golden cat from Zhao Han¡¯s hands.


    After getting its independence back, the little divine stone agilely flipped over and jumped onto Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder. All of its fur was raised up as it angrily howled a couple of times at Zhao Han. To Zhao Han¡¯s ears, its snarls sounded only like a tiny kitten, barely weaned from its mother¡¯s milk, throwing a spoiled temper tantrum.


    Yu Xiaocao used some long grass to wrap the ginseng and secretly added a few drops of mystic-stone water to help it stay fresh. This was a treasure and was worth a lot of money! She needed to keep it carefully preserved!


    Distances could be hard to judge. When she was looking at the mountain from afar, it didn¡¯t seem very tall. However, as she was climbing it, it was a different story. Luckily, Yu Xiaocao had over half a year¡¯s worth of nourishment with the mystic-stone water, so her body was much stronger than before. In addition, she also had Zhao Han helping her from time to time, so the two of them were able to easily cross through the mountain in a short amount of time.


    ¡°Wow! Is this the pond full of reeds that you were talking about?¡± Yu Xiaocao was mesmerized by the beautiful scene in front of her.


    The tall and lofty mountain had hid a tranquil, dark greenke that delighted the eye. Reeds grew on the shoreline and surrounded thekepletely. Sunlight scattered through the reeds and reflected off the water that was so still that the reflection of the nts seemed to be a perfect inverted image.


    Clouds of water vapor rose from the surface of theke and embraced the whole area in a misty wonder. Not far from the water was a tree that she couldn¡¯t identify. The branches of tree stretched out widely, and its trunk was tall and straight. The thick, misty fog that enveloped the area created a feeling that they were in a heavenly paradise.


    In winter, the reedsy dormant. The feathery tips of the nts gently swayed in the wind, which looked like the plumage of a red-crowned crane dancing in midair. Towards the bottom of the reeds, a few tender, verdant shoots peaked out of the earth and vigorously reached up towards the sky. Multitudes of unnamed birds were in the surrounding area. They sang, jumped around on branches, yed, and asionally tilted their heads to size up these two unexpected guests...


    Zhao Han advanced a step and stayed alongside Xiaocao. He gazed into the distance, taking in the tranquil serenity of this utopiannd, and said, ¡°Indeed! This field of reeds is bracketed by mountains on three sides, and they shield this area from the biting cold northern winds. Even in the wintry and freezing twelfth month, this area is still as warm as spring. Many of the migratory birds who return earlier will spend some time in this ce in early spring to rest.


    ¡°Look! There¡¯s some wild ducks!! We should search this area and see if we can find any wild duck eggs!¡± Yu Xiaocao became instantly excited and dove into the reeds.


    Zhao Han looked in the direction that Xiaocao was pointing and frowned deeply. He quickly caught up to Xiaocao in about three steps and looked left and right to protect her. He stifled augh and said, ¡°Xiaocao, do you know what wild geese look like?¡±


    ¡°Wild geese? Of course I¡¯ve seen them, but I¡¯ve only see them when they¡¯re flying in the sky. They¡¯re up so high, so I can¡¯t really tell what exactly they look like! Brother Han, do you know how to identify wild geese? If you don¡¯t, how are we supposed to catch some, ah!!¡± Yu Xiaocao chattered on as she swept her gaze through the underbrush.


    Giggles escaped from Zhao Han as Xiaocao looked at him oddly. He pointed towards the ¡®wild ducks¡¯ that she had identified earlier and grinned widely, ¡°Those are wild geese! Wild ducks look very simr to domestic ducks. Male ducks have green plumage on their heads, which is why they¡¯re called mard ducks. Wild geese, on the other hand, have brown outer feathers, white bellies, t mouths, short legs, and webbed feet. Usually a flock will live near the water. When they fly, they like to arrange themselves into...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao peeked in-between the reeds and carefully observed the wild geese. She pouted, ¡°Ah what! I think they look quite like ducks, ah!! Alright, since you say they¡¯re wild geese, then they¡¯re wild geese! If we catch the wrong animal, and the prefectural magistrate¡¯s son beats you out of fury, then don¡¯t me me...¡±


    When Zhao Han heard her prattling on and on, heughed and shook his head. He retrieved his unique long bow from his back and ced an arrow on the string. He then took aim at the closest wild goose...


    ¡°Wait just a moment, wait!¡± Yu Xiaocao hurriedly used her hand to push down his bow and frowned, ¡°For his wedding feast, didn¡¯t the prefectural magistrate¡¯s son want the wild goose to be alive? What if you¡¯re not careful and kill it with your arrow? Wouldn¡¯t that ruin all of your hard work?¡±


    ¡°Wild geese are very cautious, and most people are unable to approach them closely. They also spend a lot of time on the water, so if I don¡¯t use a bow and arrow, how else am I supposed to catch them? I¡¯m a good archer, so as long as I hit the goose¡¯s wings, it won¡¯t be able to fly off!¡± Zhao Han confidently raised his bow and arrow again.


    Yu Xiaocao still disagreed with his idea, ¡°An injured wild goose won¡¯t look good either at the banquet! Give me a second to think of an idea!¡±


    Wild geese lived together in arge flock and were very wary, so they were quite hard to catch. Thus, most people used a swan to substitute for the goose during their wedding rites.


    The prefectural magistrate son¡¯s fiancee was the youngest daughter of the mayor of the capital. Because her father had an important and high position in the capital, the prefectural magistrate naturally wanted to make sure the wedding rites went off perfectly in order to prevent the inws from looking down on them. Thus, even though the date of the wedding was more than half a year away, they had started looking all over the ce for some live geese.


    However, it was the beginning of spring right now, and most of the migrating geese flocks hadn¡¯t flown back north yet. If this bed of reeds didn¡¯t have a heavenly terrain, it¡¯d be hard to find some geese feathers, let alone some live geese!


    Yu Xiaocao thought deeply for a short period of time and then suddenly pped her hands together, ¡°I have an idea, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work or not!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your idea? Let me hear about it.¡± Zhao Han was in the middle of pondering whether he could go into the water and get close to the flock of geese when he absentmindedly replied.


    Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°We can bend my sewing needle into arge fish hook and then ce some food that the wild geese like to eat on it. When the goose eats the bait, then we can pull the string and reel the goose on. As long as the fish hook is able to grab onto the goose¡¯s neck, it won¡¯t be able to run away!¡±


    Zhao Han thought for a bit and then decided there weren¡¯t any other options for them, so he might as well give it a try!


    Xiaocao heated up her sewing needle until it turned red and used an iron tool to strike it until it formed a hook shape. While she was doing that, Zhao Han was busy catching some fish and shrimp that the geese liked to eat. When he was done, he gave the bait to Xiaocao.


    After finishing her simple fish hook, Yu Xiaocao secretly sprinkled some mystic-stone water onto the bait and then had Zhao Han fling the hook with bait towards the flock of wild geese.


    The baitnded about three to four meters from the edge of the group of geese. The wild goose in charge of keeping watch squawked a few times. The flock immediately scattered in all directions and some of them even flew into the sky.


    Zhao Han beat his hand out of a bit of annoyance as he thought they had failed on the first try. Just as he was about to pull the hook in, Xiaocao stopped him, ¡°Wait a little bit! Catching wild geese is the same as catching fish. There¡¯s only one true method, and that¡¯s you need to ¡®wait¡¯! Let¡¯s wait and see!!¡±


    When he saw how confident Xiaocao was, Zhao Han tampered down his temper and crouched down into the reed bed. He attentively observed the movements of the geese flock.


    When the group of geese that scattered realized that there wasn¡¯t any danger, they quickly returned. The bait had arge concentration of spiritual energy, and it quickly attracted the attention of a few of the animals that were closer. Arge and powerful male goose fanned its wings as it swiftly came towards the bait. It swooped down its neck and snatched the hook in its beak as it proudly looked back at the rest of itspetitors.


    When some of the wild geese saw that the food had already been taken, they decided not to fight for it. Others, on the other hand, were not to be outdone and flung themselves at the winner, stretching out their necks in an attempt to steal the food from the winner¡¯s mouth.


    The victor nimbly dodged the losers¡¯ attacks and swiftly swam away. It gently dropped the hook with the food on it next to its femalepanion and used its neck to gently rub the female¡¯s body. The male goose also didn¡¯t forget to look back warningly at the other geese that wereing over.


    The female goose showed her gratitude to her mate before she gracefully dipped her head and swallowed the hook that smelled so tantalizing...


    ¡°I almost can¡¯t bear to catch them!¡± She had heard that wild geese lived together only in pairs, which was why flocks only had even numbers of geese, and that when one of the partners died, itspanion would have a great desire tomit suicide. Seeing the scene in front of her,passion rose inside Xiaocao¡¯s heart.


    Zhao Han also felt touched at the scene and softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after the banquet, these geese will be let go alive.¡±


    After he finished talking, he silently reeled in the fishing line. The female goose, who had swallowed the bait, was gradually being pulled over. Herpanion also followed behind her and acted like a faithful knight to his princess.


    ¡°Let me pull the fishing line, and you can hold onto the fishing I brought along. When the male goose gets closer, use the to catch him.¡± Yu Xiaocao exined as she secretly ced another bit of bait that had been doctored with the mystic-stone water in the nearby water around them.


    The male goose apparently could sense the spiritual energy that the bait was emitting and swiftly swam closer to them. In a sh, it had entered Zhao Han¡¯s hunting radius. With Zhao Han¡¯s excellent hunting skills, the male goose naturally would have a hard time escaping. Furthermore, with the female goose also struggling, the two of them were caught like turtles in a jar.


    Yu Xiaocao braved the risk of being pecked by the goose and carefully retrieved the fish hook from the female goose¡¯s mouth. She was afraid the goose had injured its throat so she stealthily fed it a few mouthfuls of mystic-stone water.


    Zhao Han thought the whole situation was very weird. Originally, the female goose had been struggling mightily but when it came into Xiaocao¡¯s hands it was more docile than a domesticated duck. Ity motionless in the little girl¡¯s hands. As for the male goose in his hands, it was still fighting violently, and his hands had already been pecked furiously by the animal several times. It hurt quite a lot!

 Chapter 114 – A Profitable Trip

    <h4>Chapter 114 ¨C A Profitable Trip</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t just stand by idly and watch the youth suffer. She lifted the female goose in her hands and walked over. When the male goose saw that the female goose had been caught, it struggled even more mightily. With Zhao Han¡¯s bright eyes watching her, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t easily use her cheat item, mystic-stone water, to fix the situation, so she had to use the bait that was previously soaked in the water instead. She fed the male goose with it and only then did both geese settle down.


    They tied up the geese¡¯s feet and then ced the two animals into a basket that Zhao Han had carried over. After covering the basket with a lid, they hadpleted their mission of the day.


    As for catching a snakehead fish, it also took a bit of time even though she had her special fish bait. There was no way around it. Xiaocao¡¯s unique fish bait was too popr with everyone. All of the fish fought to eat the bait, and they ended up catching five to six catties worth of carp. The smallest fish was about the size of the palm of one¡¯s hand, while thergest was around the size of a grass carp. Without much effort, Xiaocao¡¯s fish basket soon filled up very quickly.


    Luckily, by the time they almost ran out of bait, they managed to catch a big snakehead fish that weighed around two to three catties. As for the remaining fish bait, Xiaocao didn¡¯t n on bringing it home and used the rest to catch more fish. In the end, she had caught too many fish and needed to have Zhao Han string them up on a rope and help her bring them home.


    This time, they not only caught three snakehead fish but they also caught a lot of other fish that made the trip worth it. Xiaocao released the smaller fish back into theke, but she naturally took therger ones back home as her ¡®spoils from war¡¯!


    On the way home, Zhao Han carried the majority of their gains, and Yu Xiaocao only had to carry the couple of snakehead fish and the ginseng. Despite having a lighter load, Xiaocao ended up expending a lot of energy to just barely cross that mountain range that looked deceivingly easy. By the time they got to the area where they had set their traps, the cotton lining of Xiaocao¡¯s jacket was already soaked with her sweat.


    ¡°Oh my gosh, I am exhausted!¡± Xiaocao plopped heavily down on a rock at the side of the road and used the back of her hand to wipe the beads of sweat off her forehead. A trail of gray dirt was left on her face afterwards.


    Zhao Han looked at Yu Xiaocao, who looked like a cute, dirty little kitten, and grinned, ¡°Sit down and rest here, I¡¯m going to go to the traps and take a look.¡±


    Despite carrying two fat andrge geese in his bamboo basket and having both of his hands holding strings of fish, Zhao Han wasn¡¯t even winded after crossing over the mountain range. Xiaocao watched him walk with pure envy, ¡®Ah, he¡¯s definitely someone who practices martial arts. The difference between us is just too big!¡¯


    Zhao Han ced the bamboo basket and the strings of fish on the ground next to Xiaocao and warned her repeatedly, ¡°Be careful. Even though there shouldn¡¯t be any ferocious animals in this area, sometimes wild boars or dogs can appear. If anything happens, scream loudly for me!¡±


    ¡°I have a very good moral character, so my luck shouldn¡¯t be that bad, right?¡± Xiaocao carelessly replied as she stroked the male goose¡¯s sleek feathers on his back.


    Zhao Han was a little bit confused when he heard Xiaocao¡¯s reply. What did a person¡¯s moral character have anything to do withing across a wild boar or another animal? And what was this ¡®pointy [1]¡¯ thing that she mentioned? However, he didn¡¯t try to rify. He was already used to Xiaocao saying random things from time to time that didn¡¯t quite make sense.


    After making sure their surroundings were safe again, Zhao Han went into the shrubbery that was about half a man¡¯s height. He only came back, fully loaded with game, after all of the sweat on Xiaocao had dried up.


    She had set a total of ten traps earlier, and, to avoid rousing Zhao Han¡¯s suspicions, she only sprinkled mystic-stone water around five to six of them. Naturally, all of the traps she used mystic-stone water on had game. Because she only used smaller traps this time around, the animals she caught were all on the smaller side, like hares, pheasants, and badgers. One of the hares she caught was actually pregnant too!


    Springtime was the season for animals to mate and reproduce. Thus, experienced hunters usually didn¡¯t choose to hunt in this season. One of the reasons was that the animals raising their children were much more fierce and violent. The more important reason was that there was no reason to kill the goose thatid the golden eggs; that is, they needed to give the animals on the mountain time to multiply and thrive.


    ¡°What should we do with this wild hare? Let it go?¡± Hunters who went out into the woods during the springtime usually would let the pregnant creatures go. Thus, when Zhao Han saw the pregnant female hare hopping and skipping around, he couldn¡¯t help but ask what Xiaocao¡¯s n was.


    Yu Xiaocao carefully picked up the obviously pregnant hare and used her right hand, which had the multi-colored stone on it, to gently stroke the hare¡¯s soft and silky fur.


    ¡°Be careful! Wild hares can also bite people when they get scared!¡± Zhao Han couldn¡¯t help but remind her. One time when he was picking up a pregnant hare, the creature fought him vigorously and bit him hard. The resulting wound wasn¡¯t serious but it bled for a bit and hurt!


    Contrary to his expectations, the hare, which had been struggling frantically, calmed down and stayed in Xiaocao¡¯s hands as if it was a kitten that had just eaten its fill. It stopped moving and even closed its eyes, as if it really enjoyed Xiaocao¡¯s pets.


    ¡°Xiaocao, are you sure you¡¯re not the legendary forest spirit or something like that? Howe all of the wild animals in these mountains seem to especially like you?!¡± Zhao Han was astounded at the change in the hare and couldn¡¯t help but make a little joke.


    There was a reason why he mentioned this. Last year, she had caught a small roe deer in her trap. When the creature saw her, it treated her as if she was its mother, and followed her blindly home. Inside the secret valley, there were a bunch of tiny white fish that were very hard to catch, but Xiaocao was able to catch a whole jar full of them without much effort. And then there was what happened today at theke. When they were catching the geese, there were a lot of shrimp and tiny fish in the water but the two birds seemed to have a special affinity for her bait.


    Yu Xiaocao definitely had a secret! However, Zhao Han didn¡¯t n on asking her about it. Everyone more or less had their own little secrets. After all, wasn¡¯t his own family an example of that? He had already thought of Xiaocao as a friend, as a younger sister no less, so he decided to honor her privacy.


    When Xiaocao heard his joke, she deliberately opened her mouth wide and pretended to look scary, she sinisterly said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve seen through my disguise, youngster! Guess that means I can¡¯t leave you here in this world anymore! Zhao Han, you need to die...¡±


    [Idiot, stop being so boring!] The little divine stone had beenying in the basket, and absorbing the spiritual energy from the mountain ginseng. It rolled its eyes at Xiaocao¡¯s antics and changed its position. Then, it continued to hug the ginseng and cultivate.


    Zhao Hanughed in delight at Xiaocao¡¯s joke but then saw the little golden kitten moving around in the basket. He reminded Xiaocao out of worry, ¡°Xiaocao! That mountain ginseng is quite valuable! Be careful to not have your cat ruin it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Little Glutinous Dumpling won¡¯t ruin it. That being said, without Little Glutinous Dumpling, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find this wild mountain ginseng. Since it likes the ginseng so much, then we should just let it hug it!¡± Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t a bit concerned at all.


    Zhao Han took out the tworge geese from the basket on his back and ced the game they just caught and the fish into the basket. Luckily, he had brought arge enough basket for this trip!


    He held a wild goose in each hand and then nced at the golden kitten that was dozing with its eyes closed. He smiled, ¡°Your kitten is truly a treasure. It could actually find a ginseng in all of those weeds. I¡¯ve heard of hunters training dogs to catch prey but I¡¯ve never heard of training a kitten to find medicinal herbs!¡±


    ¡°I only recently picked up this little kitten, and it usually gets to freely range at home. So I¡¯m actually not very familiar with this cat. Perhaps this is just a coincidence? Have you ever heard of animals that can specifically find medicinal ingredients?¡± Yu Xiaocao also ced her bamboo basket on her back. One of her hands still held the pregnant wild hare.


    She had already made a decision that she was going to bring this hare back home to be raised. It was said that hares and rabbits multiplied very quickly. In the future, even if she didn¡¯t go into the mountains, she could still have rabbit meat at home to eat!


    Zhao Han looked at her for a long moment and then faintly smiled, ¡°Howe I have a feeling that every time I¡¯m with you, coincidences seem to happen more often?¡±


    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s because I have a good moral character, ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao acted as if she had identally avoided his gaze and pretended to be extremely happy as she skipped down the road back home.


    At home, they found out that Little Shitou had only went back to the town to return to school after confirming that his older brother was okay. Yu Hai had gone with his older daughter on the donkey cart to sell pickled fish at the docks. The only person in the courtyard was Madam Liu, who was darning clothes.


    When she saw her younger daughter push the gate open, Madam Liu looked up at the sky and the expression on her face immediately changed, ¡°This child, ah, is really disobedient! Didn¡¯t you promise me before you left that you would go on the road that winds at the foot of the mountain, right? How could you be so reckless? What if something happened to you, do you want your mother to live anymore?¡±


    ¡°Auntie, please stop scolding Xiaocao! It was my idea to go into the mountains. I¡¯ve walked on that trail for multiple times and I know there¡¯s nothing dangerous on there. Auntie, if you want to scold someone, scold me instead!¡± Zhan Han had followed Xiaocao into the courtyard and had heard Madam Liu rebuking her, so he quickly pulled the responsibility onto himself.


    The tight expression on Madam Liu¡¯s face rxed slightly but she was still a bit discontented, ¡°Xiaohan, don¡¯t me auntie for making a big fuss about nothing. After what happened with your Uncle Yust time...Auntie is truly afraid now!¡±


    Zhao Han took the basket on his back that was filled with game, ced it on the ground, and replied in an understanding tone, ¡°Auntie, I know you¡¯re trying to do the best for Xiaocao! Don¡¯t worry! In the future, I won¡¯t bring Xiaocao into the mountains without your permission first. This is the game and fish that Xiaocao caught, please quickly put them away!¡±


    ¡°Oh you silly child, why do you always treat yourself like an outsider? In the past, when your Uncle Yu and your father went into the mountains, they always split the game fifty-fifty! We don¡¯t need to get bogged down with who owns what between our two families, okay?¡±


    After receiving Zhao Han¡¯s promise that he wouldn¡¯t secretly bring Xiaocao into the mountains, a smile finally appeared on Madam Liu¡¯s face. She picked up threerge fish, two pheasants, and a hare, and stuffed them into Zhao Han¡¯s basket, ignoring his protests.


    ¡°Mother, leave the wild hare for me! I want father to weave a basket cage and house this pregnant hare with that male hare together. Hares can give birth to a litter after about a month. In the future, we will always have rabbit meat to eat!¡± Yu Xiaocao hastily took the male hare out of the basket and swapped it for the badger.


    After seeing the mother and daughter pair acting like this, Zhao Han knew that if he continued to refuse it would only make things more awkward. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll just politely ept these. Xiaocao has a good hand at raising animals, so I¡¯m going to leave these two geese at auntie¡¯s house. The next time I go into the prefectural city, I will stop buy and pick up the geese to bring to the prefectural magistrate¡¯s residence!¡±


    ¡°Oh right, Xiaocao!¡± Before Zhao Han exited through the gate, he suddenly asked, ¡°Do you n on keeping that ginseng for now or do you want to sell it? If you want to sell it now, you may not be able to get a good price in town. You should wait until I go into the prefectural city and I can help you inquire a bit!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought that with the mystic-stone water, she probably wouldn¡¯t need to use this old ginseng and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to humbly ask Brother Han to ask around then! You also know our family¡¯s current circumstances. If we sell off the ginseng, I think we shouldpletely redo our house and then buy a few more plots ofnd. With my mother here, we probably can¡¯t go into the mountains to hunt anymore. We should just settle down and nt fields!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you make good money from selling your food? If you don¡¯t farm, do you really think you guys will starve?¡± Zhao Han lightly joked.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s true!¡± Yu Xiaocao lifted her head proudly, ¡°However, as a family of peasants, it¡¯s still better to have more plots ofnd at hand!¡±


    [1] Xiaocao was using ng when she talked about her ¡®luck¡¯. In literal terms, it means a ¡®point¡¯. I couldn¡¯t think of a good English equivalent.

 Chapter 115 – Selling Vegetables

    <h4>Chapter 115 ¨C Selling Vegetables</h4>


    The beautiful spring sun had already leaped out of the horizon at which the sky and the water was merged. Thousands of red clouds overflowed and blended with the morning mist rising slowly from the top of the mountains and turned into a multicolored halo.


    Today was a rare sunny day. The sun was warm and cozy, so it feltfortable to be caressed by its big, warm hands. It had only been five days, but Yu Hang already felt that he was close to recovering from his injury. He only asionally felt a sore pain around the chest area, where his ribs were broken.


    From the window, he saw his youngest sister¡¯s busy figure in the courtyard. He slowly sat up from the kang bed and carefully supported himself against the wall. He put on his shoes and slowly walked out the door.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was in the vegetable garden in the yard, lifted the straw thatches that were used to keep the vegetables warm, and revealed the green, tender seedlings. About seventy or eighty percent of thend in the courtyard was used as a vegetable garden. Leafy greens with short growth periods were nted in the garden in the yard. In addition, the mystic-stone water definitely had a role in elerating the growth of the crops. Thus, in less than half a month, the greens, spinach, and leaf lettuce were all ready to be harvested. They appeared verdant and lush under the morning spring sun.


    ¡°Older Brother, you haven¡¯t recovered from your injuries yet. Why did youe out?¡± Yu Xiaocao was the first to notice the movement at the door of the main room. She hastily wiped her hands and ran over to help her older brother walk over the threshold.


    She found a ce in the courtyard where the sun would shine on and brought over a recliner that her father had made in his spare time. After that, sheid a thick mattress on top before she allowed her older brother to lie down.


    Yu Hang watched as his youngest sister moved the chair and went into the room to find the mattress. She was bustling about like a happy little bee. He had an apologetic smile on his face as he said, ¡°Little Sister, you should go back to what you were doing! As your older brother, even though I can¡¯t help much, but I don¡¯t want to give you more trouble...¡±


    ¡°Older Brother! The most important thing for you to do right now is to recover from your injuries. Wouldn¡¯t you be able to help out when you¡¯re healed? Look, the vegetables in our garden are already ready to be sold. We also can¡¯t disregard our business at the docks! You must cooperate well with the recuperation process, so that you don¡¯t end up with a lingering illness!¡±


    Yu Hang looked at the vibrant vegetables in the garden, and the distress in his heart seemed to be dispelled by the greenery. He sighed with a smile, ¡°Youngest Sister, this method is really good! At this time, other people have just nted their seeds, but we can already start selling our vegetables! If we take them to town, those noble masters and madams will love them so much!¡±


    In this era, there wasn¡¯t any advanced techniques like greenhouse farming. The high officials and noble lords in the capital, who had some hot spring resorts, were able to eat some fresh vegetables in the winter. However, there weren¡¯t any geothermal resources around areas like Tanggu Town. Thus, it was very difficult for them to eat fresh vegetables during winter and early spring!


    Yu Xiaocao covered his leg with a quilt, and then began to harvest the vegetables. She carefully dug out the greens one by one. After that, she asked Madam Liu, who had just finished tidying the kitchen, to help wash them with clean water, shake them dry, and neatly stack them inside the bamboo basket. The droplets of water on the bok choy made it look so fresh and juicy that she couldn¡¯t help but swallow her saliva after gnawing on radishes and cabbages for the entire winter.


    ¡°Mother, should we eat hotpot this evening?¡± She could buy a chunk of pork bone to make a thick soup, and also a few pieces of soft tofu. There were homegrown bean sprouts in the pot and several big fish in the water vat. They also had fresh and tender greens... Ai-ya, she couldn¡¯t think about it anymore, or she would start drooling!


    ¡°Hotpot?¡± Madam Liu and her eldest son looked at each other and knew that the littless hade up with a new dish. However, Madam Liu felt somewhat reluctant since their one-of-a-kind vegetables would certainly sell for a good price.


    Xiaocao was aware of her mother¡¯s thoughts and exined, ¡°Mother, why do we work from dusk to dawn to make braised food and earn money? Aren¡¯t we doing this so that we can live a good life? If we make money but are unwilling to spend it on our own family, then isn¡¯t that the same as being a money-grubber?¡±


    ¡°This child, who are you calling a money-grubber?¡± Madam Liu rebuked Xiaocao with a re. But Madam Liu had a sudden realization after hearing her daughter¡¯s words. Her daughter was right. Weren¡¯t they earning money to ensure that their family could eat well and wear warm clothes and get out of the hard times? If they weren¡¯t even willing to let their own children eat their own homegrown vegetables, then what was the point of them working so hard to earn money?


    While the mother-daughter pair engaged in small talk, they were also busily working with their hands. After a while, they had filled several bamboo baskets with vegetables.


    At this time, Yu Hai came from the backyard with a basket full of fish. Heughed, ¡°Though the pond behind our house isn¡¯t very big, there¡¯s quite a lot of fish in there! I¡¯ve been fishing there for over half a month, but there¡¯s still a lot of fish. Cao¡¯er, what did you put in the baits? All the big and small fish were crazily fighting for them. It was so gratifying to watch!¡±


    ¡°Quickly put the fish down! You go to town with Cao¡¯er. How can she handle so much vegetables by herself? Fortunately, Xiaolian took the ox cart from the neighboring vige to the docks this morning, otherwise it would be inconvenient for you two to go to town!¡± Madam Liu said as she helped load a basket of vegetables onto the donkey cart.


    The donkey named ¡®Little Gray¡¯ had recovered from its illness already. After being nourished by the mystic-stone water, it looked sleek and lively. It was nearly impossible to tell that it was as thin as sticks and barely breathing just half a month ago.


    Everyone who had seen the Yu Family¡¯s donkey all praised it for being very clever. It didn¡¯t need anyone to guide it and would obediently walk along the road by itself. When it encountered pits and holes, it even knew to avoid them. It seriously saved people so much energy and effort!


    People who were close to Yu Hai all knew that the donkey was half-dead when they first bought it. They all praised Yu Hai for being an excellent animal breeder. To be able to raise a dying animal until it was plump and strong, wasn¡¯t that already the best proof?


    Later, because of this, there were people who would persistently request Yu Hai to treat their sick livestock. Fortunately, he had Yu Xiaocao as a secret weapon, so they were able to cure all of the sick animals.


    Such sorrow! Ever since Doctor You came back, there wasn¡¯t a single person who came to seek Xiaocao for medical treatment! Although Doctor You repeatedly imed that his little disciple, Yu Xiaocao, had already surpassed her teacher, she was still too young after all. There was a saying: ¡®Young people can¡¯t be trusted with important tasks.¡¯ Thus, most people still believed that the white-bearded Doctor You seemed more reliable.


    After saving a few animals, Yu Xiaocao suddenly ended up bing a vet. Moreover, her fame spread far and wide. Even her maternal grandmother on the other side of the mountains had heard about her reputation. Xiaocao seriously felt speechless at how things turned out! However, the reason she studied medicine was merely to hide her secret weapon, the mystic-stone water. She didn¡¯t care whether other people believed her, as long as it could benefit her family!


    ¡°The sun is winking at me,


    The birds are singing for me.


    I¡¯m a hardworking and non-clingy little demon.


    Don¡¯t ask where I came from,


    And don¡¯t ask where I¡¯m going.


    I just want to pick the most beautiful flower,


    And give it to my little princess.


    The king told me to patrol the mountains,


    So I wandered around in the mortal realm...¡± [1]


    Yu Hai enjoyed the first couple lines: ¡®My daughter¡¯s singing is pretty good. She must have gotten it from me!¡¯ However, Yu Hai felt that something was off the more he listened to it. Why did his good daughter be a little demon? This child had be so daring that she wasn¡¯t even afraid of being taken away by a Taoist master!


    ¡°My daughter! What demon? Have you heard too many supernatural stories?¡± Yu Hai couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Xiaocao when he heard her singing the line ¡®catch a monk for dinner¡¯. The donkey cart had already reached the main road, and there were more and more people on the road.


    When facing the curious gaze beside her, Yu Xiaocao giggled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, Father! Grandpa You knows a lot of supernatural stories!¡±


    A white-bearded grandfather, who was riding backwards on a donkey, chuckled and said, ¡°The little girl has a crisp voice, which was very pleasant to hear! The content of the song is also very interesting. I didn¡¯t know little goblins can also be so cute!¡±


    This white-bearded old man was white and plump. He had a healthy and hearty appearance. Even though he was dressed in coarse cloth, he was obviously someone who lived a respected and privileged life. There were also the ¡®filial sons and grandsons¡¯ who were guiding the donkey for him and carried the bags. Their clothes couldn¡¯t even conceal the bulging muscles on their bodies. When coupled with their alert gazes, they were definitely some sort of guards.


    However, Yu Xiaocao pretended to be pure and innocent, and said with a smile, ¡°Old grandpa, are you riding a donkey backwards to imitate Zhang Guoluo [2]?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Little girl, you have also heard the story The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea [3]!¡± The white-bearded grandfather was obviously in a good mood. Heughed merrily and said, ¡°Come and tell Grandpa, who else do you know other than Zhang Guoluo?¡±


    ¡°I know a lot!¡± Yu Xiaocao swung the willow twig, which already had some green buds on it, in her hand. She raised her little head up high in a proud manner and replied, ¡°The stories of Lu Dongbin, Li Tieguai, He Xiangu [4]... I know all their stories!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao remembered that the story of the Eight Immortals originated from the Yuan Dynasty¡¯s zaju [5] called ¡°The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea¡±. Thus, she wasn¡¯t afraid that this knowledge would expose her identity as a transmigrator.


    She continued to talk with the old man with a white beard. The old and young pair happily chatted the whole way to town, so they didn¡¯t feel that the trip to town was very far. When they arrived at the town gate, the childlike grandfather with a white beard bit on his little handkerchief and reluctantly said goodbye to Xiaocao, who he had be friends with despite their huge age gap.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t say much throughout the journey. After they parted with the group of people who were disguised as fathers and sons, he finally said, ¡°Daughter, that old man with a white beard probably has an extraordinary background! If you encounter him again in the future, remember to pay attention to your words and be careful to not get into trouble.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao obedientlyplied, ¡°Father! You can rest assured. I have a sense of propriety!¡±


    Yu Hai recalled that throughout the journey, his daughter was indeed much more attentive of her speech. He also thought about how his youngest daughter was especially sensible and clever, so he finally rxed his anxious heart.


    As they were speaking, they had reached the biggest and busiest food market in town. The father-daughter pair chose a vacant space with a good flow of people and unloaded the donkey cart. The donkey cart was led to a specific resting area for livestock. There were also people there to specially take care of the animals. If they brought their own fodder, then they only needed to pay one copper coin for the service fee.


    Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s donkey had already be picky eater after being fed by Xiaocao for so long. No matter how good the fodder was, it wouldn¡¯t even nce at it if it didn¡¯t have any mystic-stone water in it. Xiaocao took the fodder she had prepared, which was definitely mixed with the important mystic-stone water, from the cart.


    Little Gray¡¯s eyes lit up with a fervent glow. Instead of rushing to eat the fodder, it first rubbed its big head against Xiaocao¡¯s hand. It looked at her with a gentle and reliant gaze, and then ate with relish after hearing her order.


    [1] The King Asked Me to Patrol the Mountains (´óÍõ½ÐÎÒÀ´Ñ²É½) ¨C song written/sung by Chinese singer Zhao Yingjun (ÕÔÓ¢¿¡)


    [2] Zhang Guoluo (ÕŹûÀÏ) ¨C one of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology, he is often depicted as an old man riding backwards on a donkey and carrying a fish drum


    [3] The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea (°ËÏɹýº£) ¨C a story written during the Ming Dynasty by an anonymous writer


    [4] Lu Dongbin (ÂÀ¶´±ö), Li Tieguai (Ìú¹ÕÀî), He Xiangu (ºÎÏɹÃ) ¨C names of three of the Eight Immortals


    [5] Zaju (ÔÓ¾ç) ¨C poetic drama set to music that flourished in the Yuan Dynasty, usually consisted of four acts

 Chapter 116 – The Prince

    <h4>Chapter 116 ¨C The Prince</h4>


    There was a burgundy colored horse tied not too far from Little Gray. At this time, it was no longer interested in the fine fodder beans within its own trough. It craned its neck and tried to eat the coarse hay in front of the little donkey. But its range of activity was restricted by the reins. The feelings of not being able to eat something that it wanted to eat made it feel very grumpy. It could help but kick backwards as it raised its head and neighed ceaselessly.


    As soon as its owner came out of pickled vegetables shop, he swiftly strode forward upon hearing the furious cry of his beloved horse. Seeing the scene, the handsome youthughed and scolded, ¡°Red Cloud, you¡¯re seriously acting so shamelessly! Why aren¡¯t you eating the fine fodder beans but coveting others hay instead? You¡¯re really such a disgrace to be fighting for food with a little donkey!!¡±


    The burgundy horse seemed to have understood its owner¡¯s words and made several long augmentative sounds as it struggled hard to break free from its reins. The youth loosened the reins, and the little red horse immediately rushed towards the little donkey. It strongly pushed Little Gray aside and devoured the remaining fodder. It even neighed fiercely at Little Gray with dissatisfaction, as if it was ming Little Gray for not leaving more hay for him!


    Little Gray had a mild temperament and didn¡¯t make a scene despite being robbed of its food. It only stared at the burgundy horse with its big, gentle eyes. The burgundy horse seemed somewhat embarrassed and stopped making a fuss. It turned around, with its butt facing Little Gray, and chewed the hay in its mouth several times as if it was savoring the delicious taste of the fodder.


    ¡°This beast, you¡¯re seriously shameless! If you like hay, then I¡¯ll tell the horsekeeper to prepare some for you when we get home!¡± The youth gently touched Little Gray¡¯s polished and smooth hair. He patted it and said, ¡°Sorry about that, buddy! Old man, give my bag of fodder beans to the donkey¡¯s owner aspensationter!¡±


    The old man, who was in charge of taking care of the horses and livestock, also smiled merrily and promised.


    The youth led his beloved horse, who was still reluctant to leave, out of the food market, and rushed all the way to the capital.


    His mother was worried about his younger brother, who had gone on an oceangoing voyage recently. So, her appetite hadn¡¯t been very good. They had changed several cooks, but there still wasn¡¯t any improvement to her appetite. Madam Wu, whose husband served in Tanggu Town, told them that there were several types of tasty and refreshing pickled vegetables in Tanggu Town¡¯s food market. After his mother tried the tasty crispy pickled radish that Madam Wu sent over, she ate one more bowl of congee than before.


    After all, Madam Wu didn¡¯t bring a lot of pickled vegetables back to the capital. It was only enough for his mother to eat for two days. After finishing the pickled vegetables, his mother returned to the state of not having any appetite. As a dutiful son, he couldn¡¯t bear to see his mother get any thinner, so he took advantage of his break and rushed to Tanggu Town. After asking around, he finally found his mother¡¯s favorite crispy pickled radish!


    In order to ensure that this trip was not in vain, he even packed all the different kinds of pickled vegetables avable in the shop! If his close friends found out that he, the dignified son of Prince Jing, had traveled busily between the capital and the small town of Tanggu within a day for the sake of a few crude pickled vegetables, they would definitelyugh their heads off. However, for the sake of his mother, he didn¡¯t mind letting themugh a bit!


    Today, they had arrived just in time for the five major markets. Small businesses, vegetable vendors, peddlers... They were all gathered in this food market. As soon as Yu Xiaocao took out the fresh, green vegetables, they were surrounded by a group of people.


    ¡°Hey! There are actually fresh greens for sale during this time of the year! Look at this bok choy, it¡¯s so tender that water coulde out of it! It looks so appetizing!! This big brother, how much is this bok choy?¡± The person who asked was a well-off matron, who wore a fine cotton jacket and silver hairpin in her hair. She looked as if she came from a family with good living conditions.


    On the way to town, the father-daughter pair had already decided on the price for the vegetables. Yu Hai chuckled and said, ¡°The bok choy is twenty copper coins per catty and the spinach cost fifteen coins a catty. It¡¯s eighteen copper coins for the leaf lettuce, while the romaine lettuce cost twenty-five coins. Older sister, take a look. Which one do you want?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Your vegetables aren¡¯t cheap. It¡¯s almost as expensive as pork! Themon folks won¡¯t be able to afford it!!¡± The matron¡¯s chubby face was crumpled up and she seemed very dissatisfied with the price.


    With a smile on her face, Yu Xiaocao sweetly replied, ¡°Auntie, as the saying goes, the rarer something is, the greater its value! As you know, the heavy snowstorms this winter had been disastrous. There were also two more snowfalls in spring! What vegetables wouldn¡¯t freeze to death in that situation? So it¡¯s quite difficult for us to grow these vegetables!¡±


    Although the onlookers were curious about how these fresh and juicy vegetables survived the early spring snowstorm, no one asked because they knew that only a fool would reveal their own secret money-making method. However, most of the people who came to the market were vigers from the surrounding viges. There were very few people who could afford vegetables that were about the same price as meat.


    The fat woman genuinely felt that the vegetables were expensive, but she still had the money to eat them once or twice. Moreover, her pregnant daughter inw would vomit whenever she ate and craved for some green vegetables. She also knew that none of the vegetable seeds had been nted yet at this time of the season, so there was no way she could find leafy greens.


    She hade out with the intention of trying out her luck to see if she might find them. If she couldn¡¯t find any, she was going to buy some garlic and grow garlic sprouts, which could also be considered a greenery. But she hadn¡¯t expected to be so lucky and find vegetables. Moreover, it seemed like they had all the different types of spring vegetables.


    Although it was expensive, for the sake of her unborn eldest grandson, she gritted her teeth¡ªbuy!


    Under the envious gazes of the crowd, the fat matron put on a proud smile and pointed at the bok choy, spinach, and romaine lettuce with her chubby finger. As if she was afraid that others couldn¡¯t hear her, she raised her voice and said, ¡°Little girl, this, this, and this. Give me half a catty of each! If it¡¯s good, Auntie wille back to buy some more tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Yu Xiaocao swiftly weighed the vegetables that the woman wanted. She lifted them up high as she handed them to her and said, ¡°Auntie, it¡¯s a total of exactly thirty copper coins!¡±


    ¡°Thirty copper coins ah! That¡¯s enough to buy a catty of pork! In the previous years, that small portion of greens would be the same price as one and a half catties of pork. Who would be willing to eat that!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I originally wanted to buy some for my family to taste, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be that expensive! Forget it, I¡¯ll just bear with it! We just need to wait one or two more months and there should be vegetables for sale at that time!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re selling them to the rich people! Thirty copper coins is enough to buy around ten catties of coarse grain! It was really cold this winter, so the price for grain has skyrocketed. It was already very fortunate that we didn¡¯t die of starvation. We don¡¯t have the spare money to eat such expensive food.¡±


    ......


    There were a lot of onlookers, but very few bought anything. An hour had already passed, but Yu Hai and his daughter didn¡¯t get another customer besides the fat matron.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, did we set the price a little too high? It¡¯s also noon. If we can¡¯t sell them, the vegetables are about to wilt. At that time, it would be difficult to sell them for a good price!¡± Yu Hai felt slightly worried as he looked at the vegetables in the basket.


    His youngest daughter had put in a lot of painstaking effort to grow these vegetables. She watered and weeded it every day by herself without needing other people¡¯s help. The temperature was low in early spring, so she covered the vegetable gardens with straw thatches in order to prevent them from dying from the cold. In the morning at dawn, she would lift the thatches up again. Every day, she wouldn¡¯t miss either of these two steps.


    In front of and behind the house, there would be vegetables nted in all the open spaces, which added up to about four or five mu 1. Cao¡¯er and the other children never said they were tired. They were so sensible that his heart ached for them.


    His youngest daughter, in particr, personally took care of making braised food and nting crops. This little girl, whose height only reached up to his waist, had even more things to worry about than him, her father. Ay! If he had worked harder as the head of the family, they wouldn¡¯t have to let a nine year old girl shoulder the burdens of the family at such a young age.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know that her father had thought about so much within his heart in such a short time, but she still confidently said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father! There¡¯s a lot of rich people in Tanggu Town!! At this time, people might not even be able to buy our vegetables even if they have money!¡±


    Her eyes swept across the crowd and saw a middle-aged man, who looked like a steward. She shouted loudly, ¡°Hey, Uncle, do you want to buy some fresh vegetables? We¡¯re the only one who sells them in the whole market!¡±


    This man with a goatee was the steward for the second richest household in town after the Zhou Family¡ªthe Yao Household. Old Master Yao¡¯s sixtieth birthday banquet was in two days, which happened to be at the time when the new crops weren¡¯t ripe yet. It was easy to prepare the meat dishes, but the vegetable dishes were a more tricky matter to handle.


    As a result of the blizzard this winter, Old Master Yao didn¡¯t n a big banquet and only invited a few close friends and family, who were all wealthy and respectable people. Thus, they could just serve radishes and cabbages, which were simple and humble, to these honorable guests.


    The steward was so stressed out by the nning of the banquet dishes that several strands of his hair had turned white. When faced with the approaching date of the birthday banquet, he not only mobilized the servants under him, but he also personally went out to find a solution. He had browsed through most of the food market, but he still couldn¡¯t find a solution to the problem. The steward scratched his head in distress!


    As the saying goes: ¡®Heaven never seals off all the exits.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t expected that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel, and a heavenly voice sounded in his ears.


    The steward followed the voice and looked over to see baskets of verdant vegetables. They looked so fresh that he couldn¡¯t even take his eyes off of them. The steward¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears of joy¡ªhe was saved!


    He immediately rushed towards Yu Hai and his daughter¡¯s stall. Without asking for the price, he pointed at the bamboo basket and said eagerly, ¡°I want all of these...¡±


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t this Miss Yu!¡± A familiar voice interrupted Steward Yao¡¯s words.


    Yu Xiaocao looked over and saw that it was the apprentice of Head Chef Wang of Zhenxiu Restaurant. He was the worker in charge of collecting and purchasing ingredients, Qian Xiaoduo!


    ¡°Miss Yu, it¡¯s been a long time since I have seen you deliver game to our restaurant. My teacher has been talking about you for days!¡± Qian Xiaoduo was surprised to see the baskets of green vegetables.


    Even for a wealthy family like their boss¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t easy to be able to have several different vegetable dishes on the table during this season. They had to spend arge sum of money to build a greenhouse in order to grow the vegetables. How did the Yu Family grow fresh vegetables at this time?


    ¡°There were some things going on at home... We might not be able to send game to your restaurant anymore in the future. But Uncle Zhao and Brother Han are both skilled hunters. They will surely send enough game to your restaurant.¡±


    In the past month or so, numerous things had been happening one after another in their family. First her father had gotten injured. Then, they separated from the main family and had to repair their new residence. After that, they worked on selling braised food at the docks. In addition, her older brother met with a mishap... After thinking about this, she realized that it really had been a long time since she visited Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    ¡°Miss Yu, you¡¯re selling vegetables?!¡± Every family had their own problems, so Qian Xiaoduo didn¡¯t ask about it anymore. He looked at the baskets of greens and said, ¡°Seriously, what should I say about you! If you have such rare green vegetables, why didn¡¯t you send them to Zhenxiu Restaurant? Our restaurant will take all the vegetables you have. There¡¯s no need to set up a stall! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! Take them all to our restaurant...¡±

 Chapter 117 – Fight Over Vegetables

    <h4>Chapter 117 ¨C Fight Over Vegetables</h4>


    ¡°Wait!¡± Seeing that Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s staff wanted to take the basket, Steward Yao panicked and loudly shouted, ¡°You should follow the rule of firste, first served! I have already ced my order on these vegetables! Little girl, take this money. If it not enough,e find me!¡±


    Steward Yao shoved a purse into Xiaocao¡¯s hands for fear that she wouldn¡¯t ept it. Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry as she weighed the pouch with her hands. There were at least twenty or thirty taels inside. For example, the romaine lettuce, which was the most expensive, cost twenty-five copper coins per catty. With twenty or thirty taels, he could buy over a thousand catties of lettuce. There were at most four to five hundred catties of vegetables within their baskets. So how would it cost that much money?


    For the sake of their restaurant, Qian Xiaoduo definitely couldn¡¯t give up on this opportunity. He didn¡¯t back down and said, ¡°Steward Yao, our Tanggu Town has clearw and order and prohibits buying and selling by force! Miss Yu didn¡¯t say that she wanted to sell them to you, so it¡¯s useless even if you give her the money!¡±


    Steward Yao was so angry that his beard was about to curl up. He pointed at Qian Xiaoduo and shouted, ¡°Who¡¯s forcibly buying and selling things? The little girl is selling vegetables, while I want to buy vegetables. This is a fair deal! Even if we take it to the county magistrate, I will still be in the right!! Don¡¯t think that just because you have the backing of Zhenxiu Restaurant and the Zhou Family that you can turn white into ck with a few words!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to buy, but are they willing to sell? You¡¯re stuffing the money into their hands, if that¡¯s not buying by force then what is it...¡±


    The two of them continued to quarrel, and they each had their own reasons. From ancient times to present, there was never ack of curious onlooker wherever there was a dispute. In a short moment, the four of them were surrounded by a tightly packed crowd of people.


    Yu Xiaocao and her father looked at each other helplessly They couldn¡¯t let the two of them continue arguing as if they were in a cockfight.


    Xiaocao quickly went forward and pulled Qian Xiaoduo back a couple steps, and then said to Steward Yao, ¡°Steward Yao, right? Can your master finish all these vegetables in a day? If they can¡¯t finish it, then it won¡¯t be fresh anymore!¡±


    Steward Yao was so anxious that his forehead was sweating, ¡°Little girl, I¡¯ll tell you honestly! Our old master¡¯s birthday banquet is tomorrow. Everything else is already prepared, but we just urgently need these greens for the banquet!¡±


    How respectable would it be if they were able to bring out fresh vegetables for the banquet during this season? Steward Yao thought that if he could aplish this task, his master certainly wouldn¡¯t treat him too badly. The head steward was already getting old and it was about time for him to retire. Maybe he could take this opportunity to make further progress towards a promotion!


    With that thought, Steward Yao¡¯s tone became even more urgent, ¡°Little girl, being sincere and honest is very important in business. Let¡¯s be honest, didn¡¯t Ie first and said that I wanted to buy these vegetables?¡±


    Qian Xiaoduo was also anxious. County Magistrate Wu¡¯s son personally reserved a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant and said that they were entertaining a distinguished guest from the capital. He asked the kitchen to be extremely alert and be sure to prepare an impressive meal for the guest.


    The manager said that, with County Magistrate Wu¡¯s background, the identity of the guest must be incredible to be addressed as a ¡®distinguished guest¡¯. Zhenxiu Restaurant was famous for its oyster sauce dishes. But oyster sauce was usually used for vegetable dishes. Where would they find leafy greens at this time? He also came with the mentality of trying, but he didn¡¯t expect that he would actually find them.


    However, someone else already imed the vegetables that he had been worried about before him! Fortunately, the vegetable vendor was an old acquaintance of Zhenxiu Restaurant and had a good rtionship with their young boss. Thus, he summoned his courage and brazenly fought over the greens with the other person.


    Seeing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s gaze, he could only tell her the truth, ¡°My littledy ah! We also have an urgent need for them!! The honored guest of County Magistrate Wu will be at the restaurant soon!!¡±


    As soon as Steward Yao heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant was buying the vegetables to serve the honored guest of County Magistrate Wu, he was also at a loss of what to do. He could only look at Yu Xiaocao and her father in hope that they would make a fair judgment.


    Yu Xiaocao bit her lower lip and thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°Steward Yao, your old master¡¯s birthday banquet is tomorrow, so let¡¯s do this! Let¡¯s give these vegetables to Zhenxiu Restaurant first since they need them for the feast at noon. Steward Yao leave us your address. We¡¯ll go back and pick up a batch of vegetables, and then send them to you. Is this alright?¡±


    Steward Yao understood the principle of ¡®amoner shouldn¡¯t fight with an official¡¯. He had already lost all hope when the staff of Zhenxiu Restaurant revealed their use for the vegetables. However, when Yu Xiaocao said that her family still had vegetables at home, the spark of hope rekindled again.


    He thought about it and said, ¡°Miss Yu, I won¡¯t bother you to deliver them to us. Why don¡¯t you just wait a moment and let me go get a horse carriage? I¡¯ll go back with you.¡±


    ¡®Leave an address? If you don¡¯t deliver them to us, where would we go to find you guys?¡¯ Since there were still more of the vegetables, they could do a favor for Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    ¡°Alright! Steward Yao, we¡¯ll wait for you at the back entrance of Zhenxiu Restaurant!¡± It was quite a far distance from Dongshan Vige to town, so of course Yu Xiaocao was happy that she didn¡¯t need to make an extra trip.


    Steward Yao nodded and quickly left. He had to act swiftly in case they got annoyed from waiting and leave first. If that happened, he wouldn¡¯t even have any more tears to cry!


    Seeing that he had gotten the greens, Qian Xiaoduo was in a very happy mood. At this time, someone asked about the price of the vegetables, so he waved his hand and shouted, ¡°Sorry, our Zhenxiu Restaurant has already bought all the vegetables. Pleasee earlier tomorrow!¡±


    He didn¡¯t need Xiaocao to say anything and tactfully moved the baskets onto the donkey cart. By the time Yu Xiaocao came back with the little donkey in her left hand and a bag of fodder beans, which came from an unidentified person, in her right hand, the four or five hundred catties of vegetables had been neatly stacked on the donkey cart.


    Qian Xiaoduoughed tteringly and said, ¡°Miss Yu, you¡¯ve got a good donkey. It probably cost a few taels, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pulled the donkey cart and walked to Zhenxiu Restaurant. From time to time, she would chat with the enthusiastic Qian Xiaoduo. This fellow usually seemed like a quiet person, but as if a switch was turned on today, he had turned into a chatterbox!


    Fortunately, Zhenxiu Restaurant wasn¡¯t too far away. It only took a few minutes to get there. When the donkey cart entered the backdoor, the manager, who had heard the news, rushed over with surprise.


    ¡°Aiya! Big brother, Miss Yu! You guys are seriously our Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s big lucky stars! These vegetables came at just the right timing!! You guys quickly unload the vegetables!¡± The manager¡¯s overly enthusiastic attitude felt too overwhelming.


    The manager smiled like a chrysanthemum flower as he watched the baskets and baskets of vegetables being moved into the kitchen, ¡°Quicklye rest in Third Young Master¡¯s private room! Xiaoduo, make a pot of our restaurant¡¯s best tea to let Brother Yu and Miss Yu quench their thirst.¡±


    Yu Hai felt very ufortable with the manager¡¯s keen attitude. He waved his hand and said, ¡°No need, we still have to rush back...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost noon. You can¡¯t go back on an empty stomach! Our third young master went to the dock early in the morning and should being back soon. If he found out that I let you and your daughter go home hungry, he will definitely me me! Go, go! Have a taste of Head Chef Wang¡¯s new dish!¡± Without letting them refuse, the manager pulled on Yu Hai¡¯s arm and led the father-daughter pair to Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s private room.


    They hade out early in the morning and stayed at the food market for half of the day, so Yu Xiaocao was really somewhat thirsty. She blew on the tea, drank it in one gulp, and smacked her lips¡ªthe tea¡¯s pretty good and very fragrant!


    The manager watched as Yu Hai and his daughter, who were oblivious to the worth of the tea, drank the excellent tea that cost a dozen taels per ounce without any thoughts. However, he didn¡¯t dare show contempt and hastily refilled their cups. When the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant served the high officials and noble lords, he usually acted neither humble nor arrogant. But at this time, he engaged in small talk with Yu Hai and his daughter in a very approachable manner.


    In the middle of their conversation, the door of the private room was pushed open and Third Young Master Zhou came in with an oiled paper bag.


    ¡°Fortunately, I came back just in time, or else I would have missed you guys again!¡± Zhou Zixu handed the oiled paper bag to the manager and continued, ¡°I have been busy with the factory after the new year. I thought that I could meet you at the docks, but it was always your twin sister selling the braised food. Oh right, how¡¯s your older brother¡¯s injuries? It¡¯s a crucial time for the factory right now, so I haven¡¯t had time to visit.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao put down the cup in her hand and looked at the familiar oiled bag in the manager¡¯s hands. She replied, ¡°My older brother can get out of the bed already. Thank you for your concern, Third Young Master!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re acting as if we¡¯re strangers!¡± Zhou Zixu noticed that Yu Xiaocao was looking at the oiled paper bag that he brought back, so he smiled and said, ¡°Your family¡¯s braised food is absolutely amazing! I¡¯ve be addicted to it after trying a couple times! My favorites are the pig snout and pig ears. If you don¡¯t tell them, who would have thought that such delicious delicacies are made from ingredients that other people usually don¡¯t want?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao said with a smile, ¡°If Third Young Master likes to eat it, I can bring some for you the next time Ie over!¡±


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s great! You don¡¯t know how hard it was for me to buy the braised food. It took so much effort for me to squeeze in there and grab a few portions. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s really not easy!¡± Zhou Zixu made a perturbed expression and sessfully amused Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocaoughed and said, ¡°In order to appease your wounded heart, I will be merciful and personally make ¡®spicy sliced pork ear¡¯ and ¡®pig head meat with mashed garlic¡¯ for you. I guarantee that you will want to eat more after trying them!¡±


    ¡°Sure, I couldn¡¯t ask for more!!¡± Zhou Zixu followed Yu Xiaocao to the kitchen.


    In order to entertain the esteemed guest from the capital, County Magistrate Wu had reserved the entire Zhenxiu Restaurant. Thus, the whole kitchen was busy prepping for the mysterious guest in the most luxurious private room.


    When Head Chef Wang, who had been promoted to executive chef, saw Yu Xiaocaoing in, he greeted her with a smile, ¡°Miss Yu, long time no see! I developed a new dish again. Taste it and give me some advice when you¡¯re free!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Wang, you¡¯re a famous chef in Tanggu Town. I don¡¯t dare to show my slight skill in front of an expert!¡± Yu Xiaocao washed her hands and busied herself in the kitchen unreservedly.


    For the two dishes, besides taking a little more time to mix the chili oil, everything else were ready-made. Moreover, she had the help of the kitchen¡¯s staff who allpeted to be her assistant. Thus, in a short time, the mouthwatering ¡®spicy sliced pork ear¡¯ and ¡®pig head meat with mashed garlic¡¯ werepleted!


    Head Chef Wang, of course, didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to learn. He stopped the work in his hands and inwardly memorized all of Xiaocao¡¯s steps for mixing the chili oil. Not only did he tantly learn the secret methods, but he also asked questions from time to time, ¡°Can the chili oil used for the pig ears also be used for other cold dishes?¡±


    ¡°Of course! With Head Chef Wang¡¯s intelligence and wisdom, you can definitely make more and more delicious dishes!¡± After Yu Xiaocao finished making the two cold dishes, she left the kitchen to avoid dying the kitchen from doing their work.

 Chapter 118 – Distinguished Guest

    <h4>Chapter 118 ¨C Distinguished Guest</h4>


    After leaving the back kitchen, they were just about to go up to the second floor when they encountered a group of well-dressed people. They were all clustered around an old man, who had a healthy glow and wore a bright yellow belt around his waist, and they were also about to go up the stairs.


    ¡°Ah-Xu! You¡¯re back?¡± County Magistrate Wu¡¯s son greeted him and looked towards Yu Xiaocao who was behind him. He frowned slightly and whispered, ¡°Ah-Xu, didn¡¯t I ask you in advance to clear out the restaurant? Why are there other people here?¡±


    Before Zhou Zixu could answer, he heard a resonant voice saying, ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t this the little demon who patrols the mountains? What? Did you alsoe to eat?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt as if she had heard this voice somewhere before, so she looked over. The fat old man wore an ivory headdress, a dark brown brocade gown, and had a bright yellow belt with jade iys fastened on his waist. Wasn¡¯t he the white-bearded grandfather who had talked with her about the Eight Immortals Cross the Sea all the way to town this morning?


    So, he was the honored guest of the county magistrate! She had guessed that he had an extraordinary background, but she hadn¡¯t expected that he was a member of the imperial family from the capital! It would be a foolish question to ask how she knew that he was part of the imperial family. Other than members of the imperial family, who would dare to wear a bright yellow belt on his waist? Wouldn¡¯t that be like starting a rebellion?


    County Magistrate Wu was a middle-aged man with elegant features and refined manners. He was slightly stunned as he looked at the little girl who was dressed in coarse cloth. She had a young appearance and was short in stature. It was inevitable that he had some doubt within his heart: ¡®How did the emperor emeritus know someone from the countryside?¡¯


    However, his confusion was resolved when he recalled how the emperor emeritus and his entourage were dressed this morning. The emperor emeritus was born and raised in poverty, so he had always been friendly to themoners from the same poverty-stricken backgrounds. Thus, it wasn¡¯t surprising for him to be acquainted with a fewmoners when he travelled incognito.


    ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you the old grandfather who rode the donkey backwards this morning?¡± Yu Xiaocao feigned surprise and asked.


    The retired emperor walked forward with augh and stopped two steps away from her. He nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! We just parted this morning and met here again; we really have a predestined rtionship!¡±


    He looked around with his big, bell-like eyes and clicked his tongue, ¡°County Magistrate Wu, this restaurant that you rmended doesn¡¯t seem that great ah! It¡¯s already lunch time, but there¡¯s no other customers beside us and this little girl. It seems that their food doesn¡¯t taste very good! Should we go to another restaurant?¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou and Yu Xiaocao exchanged eye contact and had imaginary ck lines on their heads: County Magistrate Wu had already reserved the entire restaurant, so how would there be other customers?


    County Magistrate Wu couldn¡¯t just say that he had reserved the entire restaurant in order to entertain him, the emperor emeritus. The retired emperor hated being treated with the extravagant bureaucratic style the most when he travelled incognito. Thus, Magistrate Wu didn¡¯t know how to respond for a moment.


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao spoke up to defend Zhenxiu Restaurant, ¡°Old grandpa, the food here tastes delicious. You will know after trying it!¡±


    The imperial guards and servants of the emperor emeritus inwardly sneered and thought: ¡®You¡¯re just an ignorant and inexperienced little girl. Do you really think that your words will sound convincing? It¡¯s better to not say anything at all.¡¯


    The emperor emeritus was in a good mood and wanted to tease the little girl, ¡°Oh? Then tell me, what delicious food do they have here?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t think and immediately listed, ¡°There¡¯s a lot! Listen to me... steamedmb, steamed bear¡¯s paw, steamed deer¡¯s tail, roasted duck, roasted, chicken, roasted goose, braised salted duck, marinated chicken, cured pork, preserved eggs, smoked pork belly, deep-fried dried pork, sausage, assorted meat, smoked chicken, boiled pig tripe, steamed eight treasure pig, glutinous rice stuffed duck, pheasant in y pot, pot cooked quail, assorted braised food, braised duck, stewed shrimp, braised prawn, fried shrimp...¡±


    She counted her fingers and recited the tongue-twister that she used to enjoy all in one breath. She listed them one by one without taking a breath. Third Young Master Zhou widened his eyes and wondered if there were that many dishes in his restaurant. Howe he didn¡¯t know?


    ¡°Oh my! You¡¯re quite an articte speaker! You have practiced the ¡°Announcing the Names of Dishes [1]¡± very well. Little girl, are you a staff of the restaurant?¡± When the emperor emeritus heard the familiar tongue-twister, he had to conceal the tion within his heart. He had never thought that there would be another transmigrator in this world besides him and the little brat in his family!


    ¡®Calm down. I have to calm down. I can¡¯t slip up and reveal myself, lest this clever little bunny gets startled and runs away!¡¯


    But Yu Xiaocao was already shocked by what he said: ¡®How did he know that I was reciting the tongue-twister, ¡°Announcing the Names of Dishes¡±? Could it be that the old grandfather in front of me is also a transmigrator? Shit, what¡¯s wrong with this world? This world is being prated so much that it¡¯s going to turn into a sieve!! Calm down, I must be calm! Whether the other party is a transmigrator or not, I still can¡¯t let him notice anything!!¡¯


    She showed an innocent and pure expression and replied with a smile, ¡°Old grandpa, didn¡¯t you ask me what tasty dishes they have? I just listed the names of the dishes for you! Well, is there any that you like?¡±


    ¡®This kid! Pretend, just keep pretending!!¡¯ The emperor emeritus scolded her as a ¡®little fox¡¯ in his heart but didn¡¯t expose her. He continued to cooperate with her and said, ¡°Well... you listed too many dishes earlier. This old man doesn¡¯t have a good memory, so I couldn¡¯t remember most of them! How about this? Just pick several of the best dishes in the restaurant and serve them!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou instructed the manager, ¡°Go, serve all the specialty dishes of the restaurant! I hope you, our honored guest, will give us more valuable advice!¡±


    ¡°Little girl, you should stay and introduce the dishes to us!¡± The retired emperor smiled like a big gray wolf who was luring a little white bunny.


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose and apologized, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not a server in this restaurant, so...¡±


    ¡°This girl! You just recited so many alluring dishes and aroused this old man¡¯s appetite, yet you¡¯re suddenly taking back your words... Are you making fun of me, Fifth Lord?¡± The emperor emeritus performed his special face-changing skill. In an instant, the originally friendly and childish old man had turned into a powerful and domineering superior. Hispanions couldn¡¯t help but be covered in cold sweat due to his formidable aura.


    Yu Xiaocao was rmed in her heart and suddenly realized that the dignity of the imperial family was invible. She recalled that the mood of the royals and high officials in the novels were always uncertain. They could beughing happily a second ago but take someone¡¯s life in the next. In an instant, her little face turned ghastly pale with fear and her eyes reddened.


    Zhou Zixu, in the face of the esteemed guest¡¯s force, opened his mouth to plead for her, ¡°Fifth Lord, please take into consideration that Xiaocao is still a child and spare her! I¡¯m willing to guarantee with my honor that Xiaocao has no intention of making fun of or being disrespectful to you...¡±


    ¡°Haha... You¡¯re the third son of the Zhou Family, right? You¡¯re quite a sentimental one and much better than that eldest uncle of yours!¡± The emperor emeritus couldn¡¯t maintain his grim expression for more than three minutes and smiled broadly again. He softly said to Xiaocao, ¡°Little fellow, you must have been terribly frightened, right? You must remember this lesson in the future. There are some people that you can¡¯t offend!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s anxious feelings suddenly rxed and she couldn¡¯t help but feel sad: No matter if it was in ancient or modern times, a littlemoner like her could never live free and happy life. There would be privileged sses everywhere.


    Seeing that the littless had tears in her eyes, the emperor emeritus couldn¡¯t help but touch her head. His voice became even more gentle, ¡°Ay! You¡¯re crying. It seems like you¡¯re really still a child who gets easily frightened. Zhou Xiaosan [2], serve the little girl a few good dishes and remember to put them on my bill!! Stroking your hair, so don¡¯t be afraid anymore...¡±


    County Magistrate Wu and his son were stunned by the emperor emeritus¡¯s ever-changing attitude. The emperor emeritus was usually smiling and very approachable, but once he showed his authority, even he, a county magistrate, nearly wet his pants, let alone a little girl. The little girl was already very brave for not crying on the spot from the fright.


    In the next moment, he saw the emperor emeritus turn back into a kind old man. He was caressing the little country girl¡¯s head andforting her. If it weren¡¯t for the great disparity of their attire, they could almost be considered grandfather and granddaughter!


    Yu Xiaocao tried to force back her tears and forced a smile, ¡°Old grandpa, you were really scary just now. It¡¯s even worse than when my grandfather gets angry... I won¡¯t dy your meal anymore. Xiaocao shall leave now...¡±


    As she spoke, she bent her knees slightly and took a few steps backwards. After that, she swiftly returned to the back courtyard as if she was being chased by a wolf. She finally breathed a sigh of relief¡ªoh my god, that was so scary! In the future, she should obediently stay at home and try her best to avoid interacting with influential officials!


    Zhou Zixu stayed to personally entertain the esteemed guest. After the manager arranged for the distinguished guest to sit in the private room, he instructed the kitchen to serve the food. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, who still had a lingering fear, in the middle of the yard, he lightly tapped her head a few times and said, ¡°You, you! In the future, be careful with what you say. If you offend someone that you shouldn¡¯t offend, nobody can save you!!¡±


    The manager was several years older than Yu Hai. He really liked this clever little girl and treated her like a junior in his family. As for what happened earlier, he also broke out in cold sweat for her. It was fortunate that the noble lord wasn¡¯t someone who was picky and vengeful. Otherwise, even this little girl¡¯s family would have to suffer with her.


    Yu Xiaocao obediently nodded her head and asked in a low voice, ¡°If I go up now, would I run into them?¡±


    ¡°No, the honored guests are already seated. Quickly go back upstairs. Brother Yu is probably anxious from the wait!¡± After the manager replied, he entered the kitchen.


    Yu Xiaocao, like a little mouse avoiding a cat, crept up to the second floor. But she ended up being shocked by the county magistrate¡¯s son, who pushed open the door and came out.


    ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re acting like a thief.¡± Young Master Wu was quite impressed by this little girl who had good cooking skills. Last time, even that picky fellow, Yuan Yunxi, drank two big bowls of the fish stew that this little girl made. Earlier, if Third Young Master Zhou hadn¡¯t plead for her, he almost couldn¡¯t resist speaking up for her.


    Yu Xiaocao was somewhat embarrassed as she awkwardly touched the back of her head. She cautiously looked at the closed door behind Young Master Wu. She ced her index finger in front of her mouth and made a silent gesture, and then she pointed at the private room that she was going to. After that, she waved at Young Master Wu and continued to creep towards her destination. When she arrived at the door, she rapidly opened the door and went in, as if she was driven out by a burr.


    Young Master Wu, who watched her series of movements, felt that the little girl was very interesting. She was a lot more interesting than those pretentious nobledies! He shook his head with a smile on his face.


    [1] Announcing the Names of Dishes (±¨²ËÃû) ¨C a basic skill in Chinese crosstalk, a long tongue-twister in which a long list of dish are listed


    [2] Zhou Xiaosan (ÖÜСÈý¶ù) ¨C xiaosan = little three, so he¡¯s calling him the third son of the Zhou Family

 Chapter 119 – Satisfied

    <h4>Chapter 119 ¨C Satisfied</h4>


    All the staff of Zhenxiu Restaurant ced great importance to this banquet. Since they had made adequate preparations, the dishes were served very quickly.


    First came eight appetizers: steamed chicken with chili sauce, cold boiled pork with garlic puree, soy braised duck tongue, pickled goose feet, spinach sd, sour and spicy ck fungus, cold jellyfish, and shredded kelp in chili oil...


    As he listened to Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s introduction, the emperor emeritus, who was the guest of honor, tasted each dish one by one, and nodded frequently to express his satisfaction. Suddenly, his eyes focused on two dishes that should have not appeared on the table. They were so familiar and nostalgic.


    County Magistrate Wu followed his gaze and frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it was eight kinds of cold dish? Why are there two more?¡±


    Zhou Zixu also saw the two dishes and felt rmed in his heart¡ªWeren¡¯t these the Yu Family¡¯s braised food that he brought back from the docks? Didn¡¯t he tell the servers to bring them to his own room? Why did they bring them here?


    He recalled the main ingredients of these two dishes¡ªpig head and pig ear. Disregarding the people of rich, noble families, even ordinary folks didn¡¯t like to eat these stinky things. Yet they had served it to an esteemed guest from the capital. This was considered a great disrespect to their guest. If they weren¡¯t careful, they might lose their heads! At that thought, Zhou Zixu¡¯s back was immediately covered in cold sweat.


    He smiled tteringly and said, ¡°The waiter must have made a mistake. I¡¯ll take it away...¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± The emperor emeritus immediately stopped him. Pig head meat with wine was his favorite when he was still a general in his previous life. It had been decades since he had eaten it. He missed it so much that he had even dreamt of himself gnawing on pig head meat!


    When he was still the emperor, he had also ordered the imperial chef to make braised pig head. But none of them tasted the same as the one in his memories. The more he couldn¡¯t eat it, the more he wanted to eat it. He was already approaching seventy years old, so he really wanted to eat an authentic braised pig head before dying!


    The emperor emeritus¡¯s eyes were about to be glued to the pig head meat with mashed garlic. He decided to think of a high-sounding reason to keep the dish, ¡°Since they¡¯re already here, just leave them! Tell me, what are these two dishes called?¡±


    Cold sweat seeped out of Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s forehead as he slightly stuttered and said, ¡°Fifth... Fifth Lord, these two dishes... aren¡¯t very suitable for this asion. Why don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°Why is this considered unsuitable! It looks pretty good! Let me try the taste...¡± The emperor emeritus had long been eager to move his chopsticks. Thus, he used this perfect chance to reach towards his favorite food¡ªpig head meat!


    However, County Magistrate Wu didn¡¯t dare to let ¡®this great Buddha¡¯, the emperor emeritus, try the dish. He hastily moved the te of pig head meat with mashed garlic in front of himself and said with a smile, ¡°Fifth Lord, why don¡¯t I try it first? If it tastes good, let¡¯s keep it!¡±


    The emperor emeritus watched as the fatty meat that was about to enter his mouth moving away from him again. He furrowed his thick brows and scolded, ¡°Why are you being such a busybody? Are you going to let me eat or not? This isn¡¯t the imperial pce! There¡¯s no need to be so troublesome over trifling matters!!¡±


    ¡®My lord ah, it¡¯s precisely because this isn¡¯t the imperial pce that we have to be extra careful! With your status, if something happens in Tanggu Town, I, the county magistrate of Tanggu Town, won¡¯t be able topensate even if my entire family is beheaded ah!¡¯ County Magistrate Wu cried incessantly within his heart!


    ¡°My lord! Why don¡¯t this old servant test the dish for you?¡± The fat old man behind the emperor emeritus, who had a pale and beardless face, asked humbly in a slightly feminine voice.


    He was the head steward court eunuch of pce affairs that had served the emperor emeritus for decades. When the retired emperor had just ascended the throne, there were a lot of people who wanted his life. Hence, the food-testers had been frequently changed one group after another. In the end, Head Steward Liu Fusheng, who waster promoted to the head steward of pce affairs, was the only one who remained by his side. He ended up apanying the emperor emeritus for over thirty years!


    Head Steward Liu still had a lot of face in front of the emperor emeritus. Although the emperor emeritus¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look very good, he had acquiesced in his request.


    Head Steward Liu picked up his chopsticks and swiftly got a piece of pig head meat and pig ear from each te. He put them into his mouth one after another and chewed them carefully for a moment. The unique taste almost made him want a second bite. This was something that he had never tasted before in the thirty or so years that he had served the emperor emeritus.


    A momentter, the emperor emeritus impatiently picked up his chopsticks and said with slight anger, ¡°See, didn¡¯t I say it was okay? You people are just being overly cautious!¡±


    As he spoke, he had already grabbed a thick slice of pig head meat with his chopsticks. When he was about to put it into his mouth, he was interrupted again by Third Young Master Zhou.


    ¡°I say Zhou Xiaosan ah, Zhou Xiaosan! Are you going to let me, Fifth Lord, eat or not? If you don¡¯t give me a valid reason, see if I don¡¯t punish you!¡± The emperor emeritus had almost flipped the table, but he took into ount that his favorite pig head meat was on the table and suppressed his rage.


    Zhou Zixu was on the verge of tears, but he summoned up his courage and said, ¡°Fifth Lord, these two dishes are pig head meat and pig ears... They¡¯re not suitable to be eaten by someone of your status!¡±


    ¡®Of course this old man knows that they¡¯re pig head meat and pig ears! They were this old man¡¯s favorite food in the past!¡¯ The emperor emeritus suppressed his anger and did his best to convince him, ¡°Xiaosan ah, there¡¯s no distinction between high and low status for food. The only thing that matters is whether it suits one¡¯s taste! Back in the days, when this old man was fighting for power... cough cough, when this lord fought alongside the emperor emeritus, I had even eaten grass and tree bark. Even a mouse tasted delicious to me at that time!! So, what¡¯s wrong with pig head meat? Pig head meat is also meat! When natural disasters ur, you wouldn¡¯t be able to find meat to eat even if you want to...¡±


    After a moment of reminiscing his bittersweet memories, the voice that kept interrupting him finally stopped. The emperor emeritus was finally able to taste his favorite pig head meat¡ªplease don¡¯t let him down.


    With this bite, it was so delicious that he almost cried. It was the taste that lingered in his mind and he had always dreamt of: The rich and fragrant glutinous taste just melted in his mouth. The oil and marinade exploded within his mouth at the same time filled his mouth with a fragrant taste and made it impossible for him to stop eating.


    ¡°Good, good, good!!¡± The retired emperor praised that it was ¡®good¡¯ three times, and then stuffed a piece of pig head meat that had a good ratio of fatty and lean meat into his mouth and carefully chewed it. He savored the taste for a long time, unwilling to swallow it, ¡°The meat is delicious and has a rich and aromatic vor! It¡¯s fatty but not greasy! The person who made this is definitely an expert in braising food!!¡±


    The emperor emeritus ate half a te in one breath, and then gradually slowed down to carefully savor the fragrance and crispiness of the shredded pig ears in chili oil. During this meal, he had one more bowl of rice than usual. The two dishes were mostly eaten by him. He barely ate any of the hot dishes that came afterwards, except for a few tasty and refreshing vegetable dishes.


    After the meal, the emperor emeritus rubbed his bloated tummy and still wanted more as he recalled the authentic taste of the braised pig head meat: ¡®I finally got to eat pig head meat that actually tasted authentic!¡¯ Those imperial chefs all enjoyed an undeserved reputation. They only knew how to make fancy things, but for decades they still couldn¡¯t get the vor that he wanted. Today, he had finally gotten his wish. What an unprecedented satisfaction! It was even better than when he conquered the country and ascended to the most supreme position!


    ¡°The pig head meat and cold shredded pig ear are both very good and suits my taste! Call out the chef who made these two dishes. I, Fifth Lord, want to reward him!¡±


    The retired emperor was pondering about how to take the chef away. If necessary, he would show his identity. Even if he had to oppress others with his power, he still needed to get the chef!!


    However, Zhou Zixu just stood there with an awkward expression on his face. County Magistrate Wu slightly wrinkled his brows and asked, ¡°Nephew, didn¡¯t you hear what Fifth Lord said? Hurry up and call the chef over for a reward!¡±


    ¡°Fifth Lord, to tell you honestly, these two dishes weren¡¯t made by the chefs of Zhenxiu Restaurant!¡± Zhou Zixu finally answered after careful consideration.


    ¡°How dare you! You actually dared to give Fifth Lord food from an unknown origin to eat!! Do you know your crime!!¡± The leader of the imperial guards was astounded, and then he went forward angrily and shouted.


    The emperor emeritus, whose heart was filled with thoughts about how to take the chef away, was extremely disappointed by the news. He stopped the leader of the imperial guards from flying into a rage and solemnly asked, ¡°Xiaosan ah! Do you know who made these two dishes?¡±


    ¡°Yes... Fifth Lord has also seen the person who made these dishes.¡± Seeing that Fifth Lord was already showing an impatient expression, Zhou Zixu had no other choice but to reveal the truth.


    ¡°This lord has also seen before?¡± The emperor emeritus creased his brows and then suddenly rxed them again, ¡°It¡¯s the little girl just now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡®Ha, littless, seem like I just caught hold of your little secret. Yet you¡¯re still pretending! I knew it. Only our fellow folks from several hundred yearster can make the most authentic taste of our hometown! However, since you don¡¯t want others to know your identity, this lord will be merciful and not expose you. But, I need to get some benefits!¡¯


    ¡°Fifth Lord is wise!¡± Zhou Zixu felt slightly worried. He didn¡¯t know whether this was a blessing or disaster for Xiaocao. He decided that if the lord ced me on her, he would do his best to protect her to the end!


    ¡°Reward! This lord ate very happily today! There will be many rewards!!¡± The emperor emeritus couldn¡¯t wait to see that little girl. Should he confer to her the position of imperial chef and take her back to the capital?


    However, an eight or nine year old little girl as an imperial chef might not be very convincing to the public. Or maybe... he could let his third son ept her as his god-daughter and bestow her the title of royal princess. Then he could request for her to apany him, her god-grandfather, in the temporary imperial residence. That wouldn¡¯t be too unreasonable, right?


    While the emperor emeritus contemted how to abduct the little girl, Yu Xiaocao had knocked on the door and came in. She was followed by the restless Yu Hai.


    ¡°Thismoner, Yu Hai, greets the lords!¡± Yu Hai respectfully saluted County Magistrate Wu.


    Only then did Yu Xiaocao follow her father and kneeled down behind him: ¡®In the vicious old society, civilian at the bottom of the society had to kneel when they saw influential figures. I seriously can¡¯t get used to this! Well, I¡¯ll just take it as going into temples and worshipping Buddha!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was in the middle of making endless unspoken criticism when the emperor emeritus waved his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t stand on ceremony! Give them seats!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare, I don¡¯t dare!¡± He was someone that even the county magistrate didn¡¯t dare to speak in front, so how would Yu Hai dare to casually sit down? It was probably better to answer him while standing!


    When the emperor emeritus noticed that his easygoing attitude didn¡¯t dispel the anxiety of the father and daughter pair, he didn¡¯t continue to insist. Instead, he used a homely tone to ask the slightly more cautious Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Little girl, were you the one who made the braised pig heat meat and pig ears?¡±


    Pig head and pig ear? Didn¡¯t Third Young Master Zhou buy them for himself to eat? He wouldn¡¯t have served them to the important guest, right? She couldn¡¯t afford to take responsibility if something bad happened after he ate her food!


    Yu Xiaocao red fiercely at Third Young Master Zhou, and then meekly replied, ¡°Yes... it was made by thismoner!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous! The braised pig heat meat is very good. It really suits this lord¡¯s appetite, so I wanted to reward you! Tell me, what kind of reward do you want?¡± The retired emperor pondered inwardly whether it was somewhat inhumane to make such a young child leave her hometown and her parents.

 Chapter 120 – Reward

    <h4>Chapter 120 ¨C Reward</h4>


    Yu Hai was afraid that his daughter, who wasn¡¯t afraid of speaking her mind, would make an outrageous request, so he hastily interjected, ¡°My daughter¡¯s skills are unremarkable, so she is fortunate to have pleased your gracious self. We cannot ept your reward!¡±


    The emperor emeritus was in an extremely good mood as he stroked his long white beard. The expression in his eyes as he looked at Yu Xiaocao seemed akin to the one that an old fox who had spotted its prey would sport. He said, ¡°This old man¡¯s words are always worth nine sacred tripods, if I say I want to reward you, then I have to reward you! Little girl, tell me whatever you want. There¡¯s nothing that this old man can¡¯t do!!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw the old man acting like a rascal again, she immediately forgot her previous interaction with him and became brave again. She pouted slightly and said, ¡°Fifth Lord, you¡¯re boasting a little too much!


    With one nce the emperor emeritus stopped the lead imperial bodyguard from flipping out. The genial smile remained on the old man¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Girl, tell me exactly how I¡¯m boasting, okay?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw that Fifth Lord didn¡¯t have any signs of being angry, so she gave her father a reassuring look before she smiled innocently, ¡°Fifth Lord, earlier you said that you would give me whatever I wanted. If I wanted the imperial sword that would give me the power to bring down an incapable ruler or nobles and that would let me kill without question, would you have that? What about the golden medal that would allow me to avoid the death penalty three times, would you have that? What about a jade pendant that would represent the emperor himself in person, would you have that?¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao!! Stop joking around!!¡± Yu Hai almost fainted on the spot after he heard his daughter¡¯s daring words.


    The emperor emeritus, however, didn¡¯t seem to mind at all and casually flipped his hand, ¡°The words of children carry no harm! Little girl, did you read too many novels? Do we have an imperial sword that lets you kill without license or a gold medal that allows you to avoid the death penalty in the Great Ming Dynasty? If we did, I would definitely give it to you!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that her father¡¯s lower lip had turned white out of fright, so she stopped challenging his heart¡¯s ability to keep up with her antics. She revealed a bashful smile, ¡°That¡¯s right! All of the protagonists from the novels say the same thing, right? I guess all of the books are full of lies!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not necessarily trying to trick people. In the unofficial histories, it is written that Old Matriarch She [1] had a dragon staff that had the power to bring down an incapable ruler or corrupt officials! Mhm, mhm! It really could switch the ruler hm...¡± The emperor emeritus sank into his thoughts and contemted, ¡®Should I create a controlling device for that stinky brat at home, hm?¡¯


    County Magistrate Wu apparently noticed something and cautiously said, ¡°Fifth Lord! The unofficial histories are only unofficial, so there might not be actual truth to the stories. Then again, wasn¡¯t the reason why an official had the power to ¡®bring down an incapable ruler or corrupt officials¡¯ because the emperor at the time of the Song Dynasty knew his offsprings¡¯ personalities too well? So he needed some officials to supervise and spur them on? The current emperor is wise, brilliant, and well versed in all the arts. Is there a need to do more than is required?¡±


    The magistrate¡¯s ttery hit the spot! The emperor emeritus was quite pleased by his words. Although the stinky brat was a bit unwilling to take the throne at the time, as a ruler, he was much better than he ever was. All of the people said that he was the horseback emperor and was only fit for conquering the country. Although that stinky brat at home had his own mountain of problems, he was much better at keeping the country within his grasp than he was!


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no point in talking about these trivial matters! Little girl, do you actually want this reward or not?¡± The emperor emeritus¡¯s eyes shifted as he reflected on that vor and taste of the braised pig head meat again.


    Under the pointed stares of County Magistrate Wu and the lead imperial bodyguard, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t dare to be flippant and obediently said, ¡°Fifth Lord, whatever you want to reward me with is fine! I¡¯m not picky!!¡±


    ¡°Haha! d to hear you¡¯re not picky!!¡± The emperor emeritus guffawed heartily and said, ¡°Your personality suits this old man, how about...I take you as my adopted granddaughter...¡±


    ¡°Absolutely cannot be done!¡±


    ¡°Fifth Lord, think it over a bit first...¡±


    County Magistrate Wu, the head steward, and lead imperial bodyguard all spoke out to stop him at the same time.


    What a farce! If the emperor emeritus adopted a granddaughter, then the lowest rank she would receive would be a royal princess. It was unfathomable that a little girl who was born in the rural countryside could go across the wide social gulf in one step to be a royal princess just by cooking two dishes that the emperor emeritus liked to eat. If this story came out, wouldn¡¯t the people denounce the imperial family?


    Yu Xiaocao had already pretty much guessed Fifth Lord¡¯s true identity, so how could she have the courage to be his adopted granddaughter? She hastily replied, ¡°Fifth Lord, thismoner does not dare to climb thedder! How about you reward me with some money instead, a tangible benefit. Heh heh!¡±


    At this moment, Third Young Master Zhou hade in from the outside just in time to see Yu Xiaocao¡¯s shameless expression as she asked for a reward. It was quite funny but he also thought she was quite cute like this.


    The emperor emeritus didn¡¯t know why everyone made such a big fuss about him adopting a granddaughter. Why did they all think it was a bad idea? Argh! The same problem! When he was the emperor, he could no longere and go as he pleased, or live a leisurely life. Now that he wasn¡¯t the emperor, why didn¡¯t he have freedom either?!


    He held onto his temper and looked at his attire. He casually took off a mutton-fat jade pendant from his waistband and held it in front of Yu Xiaocao. He made a face and said, ¡°This is for you, take it and amuse yourself with it!¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Fifth Lord! Thismoner will definitely treat this jade pendant as a family heirloom. It will only be passed through the male descendants of my family who will remember your grace for all eternity!!¡± Wow! Wow! She hit the jackpot! It was an authentic mutton-fat jade pendant, ah! In modern times, such a piece of jade would be invaluable!!


    The emperor emeritus was tickled by her reaction, and the dark expression on his face brightened as he grinned, ¡°Little girl, you know what¡¯s good! This is a genuine mutton-fat jade piece, so it is definitely worth bing a family heirloom!! Okay, little girl! So this recipe of yours for the braised pig head meat, is it a secret recipe that can¡¯t be given to outsiders?¡±


    ¡°Fifth Lord, if you don¡¯t think thismoner girl¡¯s braised food is too crude, then I will dly offer the recipe to you!¡± There was not a recipe out there in the world that was more valuable than this type of mutton-fat jade pendant! That being said, if a high ranking official took a liking to your recipe, one had to weigh the consequences if one wanted to conceal it.


    ¡°However...in the future, can thismoner girl still sell braised food?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to renounce her business at the docks. Although they didn¡¯t make a lot of money from selling braised food, the business had still helped her family past their most difficult time.


    The emperor emeritus smiled, ¡°Keep selling your braised food! This old man won¡¯t be using your recipe to make money in the future!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao picked up a brush and then remembered she didn¡¯t know how to write traditional characters. Luckily, the previous owner of this body was originally illiterate. She awkwardly held the writing brush and looked imploringly at Third Young Master Zhou as sheughed dryly.


    Zhou Zixu understood without needing to hear anything and took the brush from her. He dipped the brush into ink and nced at Xiaocao. At once, Xiaocao told him the ingredients needed for braised pig head meat as well as the instructions. She made sure to dictate all of the details for him. Although Zhou Zixu¡¯s handwriting was a bit youthful, his writing still had a strength of character, so it was obvious that he had spent some time practicing his writing.


    All of the young masters of the Zhou Family started sses at three and learned how to write at age five. Although Third Young Master Zhou was still quite young, he had already spent eight to nine years practicing his calligraphy! It was clear that his efforts were not in vain!


    When the emperor emeritus received the braised meat recipe, he was so happy that he grinned until his eyes disappeared into his face. Hemanded the head steward to carefully store it and then looked him in the eye, ¡°I won¡¯t be taking this recipe for free! Steward Liu, take out three hundred taels, we will be buying this recipe with that money!¡±


    Yu Hai felt like his heart had gone for a ride on a tiny boat in the rough seas today. It had been going up and down his throat the whole day. At any time, he felt like they could be condemned to eternal damnation. The final oue, however, had truly stunned him silly.


    His reckless, younger daughter must have had a god protecting and blessing her. Her earlier brazen and audacious requests didn¡¯t offend these nobles but instead she received expensive rewards beyond his imagination. In addition, they also made a lot of money from selling their braised food recipe. Could it be possible that his daughter had really been transformed by the God of Fortune¡¯s magic?


    After they sent off the noble guests, Zhou Zixu pointedly stared at Yu Xiaocao with an inscrutable expression on his face. He looked at her for so long that she thought that she might have something weird on her face, so she even used her sleeve to roughly wipe it. When she saw nothing came off, she asked him in puzzlement, ¡°Third Young Master, what are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°It feels like the longer I know you, the less I can understand your thoughts! Sometimes, you give off a feeling that you¡¯re just a little sister next door who¡¯s good at cooking. Other times, in situations where other people wouldn¡¯t know what to do, you seem to have no trouble! Tell me the truth, did your family pick you up from the side of the road? Are you actually a maiden from a noble family who had gotten lost among the people?¡± Zhou Zixu felt like his head was going to explode, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask her.


    Yu Xiaocao opened her clear and limpid eyes widely and red at him for a second. She replied somewhat unhappily, ¡°You¡¯re the one who was picked up from the side of the road! I¡¯m a true blooded maiden from the Yu Family. If you don¡¯t believe me, my father is right there, you can ask him!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s eyes, which were very simr to his daughter¡¯s, were also opened wide as he spoke in a low and muffled voice, ¡°My Cao¡¯er is rted to me and her mother by blood and bone!! How could she possibly be a child we picked up from the side of the street? Young Master Zhou really likes to make jokes!!¡±


    Zhou Zixu also realized that he was being a bit rude and smiled, ¡°Apologies, I didn¡¯t think before I spoke! However, Uncle Yu, do you think your Yu Family is the descendant of some previous noble family that had lost its luck? Or possibly descendants of an imperial cook?¡±


    Yu Hai shook his head and stated with certainty, ¡°All eight generations of our Yu Family were poor peasants, and we have all relied on fishing to make a living. There is no way we could have any rtion to a noble family! As for my Cao¡¯er¡¯s culinary talents, I can only say that she has a natural gift for it. She came up with most of the recipes by herself!!¡±


    Zhou Zixu thought that this was inconceivable. For a little fisherman¡¯s girl, who wasn¡¯t even nine years old, being able to eat her fill would already be considered quite good. How could she possiblye up with a braised food recipe that required such aplicated ratio of spices? Yu Xiaocao saw Third Young Master Zhou looking over at her again with an assessing gaze that seemed to be full of disbelief. She shrugged casually and said, ¡°If I said that all of these recipes came to me in a dream, would you believe me?¡±


    Zhou Zixu unexpectedly nodded his head and firmly asserted, ¡°Of course I¡¯d believe you. Why wouldn¡¯t I believe you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was stunned for a moment before a bright smile bloomed on her face, ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that answer your question? Perhaps the God of Food or the God of Cooking in heaven saw that I, Yu Xiaocao, had an astounding culinary talent. Thus they were intrigued and liked it, and decided to give me some pointers in my dreams!¡±


    Zhou Zixu raised an eyebrow. In his heart, Yu Xiaocao had just be even more mysterious.


    Alright, might as well get back to business, ¡°Xiaocao, Zhenxiu Restaurant would also like to buy your braised pig head recipe from you! In the future, other than your family, don¡¯t tell anyone else! Here, I¡¯m giving you a banknote worth three hundred taels, so make sure you take care of it!¡±


    ¡°I already sold the recipe once, so how could I sell the recipe to another? Luckily, that noble person only bought the recipe for his own use and didn¡¯t restrict me from selling it to other people! If you think it¡¯s useful, then just take it!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was not necessarily a person who was overly greedy for money. From her perspective, it didn¡¯t matter how much money she had, none of it was equal to having a close friend stepping forward bravely in a moment of crisis. As for Third Young Master Zhou, at the present time, he was worth being friends with!


    The admiration Third Young Master Zhou had for Yu Xiaocao increased significantly. From his standpoint, the thing the Yu Familycked the most was money. Their business at the docks was good but it was still a small scale business. In one day, they only made around a hundred or so copper coins.


    In order to earn three hundred taels, they would need to sell braised food at the docks for a few years, and even then they might not make that much. However, Yu Xiaocao had refused his offer like it was not a big deal, almost as if he was offering her three copper coins instead. Where else would he find a friend who was as generous and shrewd as her?


    [1] Old Matriarch She (ÙÜÀÏÌ«¾ý) ¨C matriarch of the Yang n, a loyal and courageous family during the Song Dynasty who risked everything to protect their country; when most of the men in the family ended up getting killed, she led the women of the Yang Family into battle to defend their country

 Chapter 121 – Investment

    <h4>Chapter 121 ¨C Investment</h4>


    However, how could he, Zhou Zixu, take advantage of his friend¡¯s good will? He persevered, ¡°That¡¯s not okay! My Zhenxiu Restaurant has already profited a lot from you, Xiaocao! How could I possibly take your recipe for free? If you refuse to take the money, then Zhenxiu Restaurant will never sell the braised pig head meat or the pig ears!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was in a very good mood after earning three hundred taels and an extremely valuable jade pendant! She had barely managed to be generous this one time, but the person in question was not grateful at all!! After trying to persuade him, Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s bullheadedness came out in full force, and he adamantly disagreed with her.


    The head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant saw that the two people were stuck in a deadlock. He knew his boss¡¯s personality very well, so he started to persuade Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Miss Yu, don¡¯t feel embarrassed for taking three hundred taels from us. After all, we are businessmen. Using your recipe, Zhenxiu Restaurant can make that money back very soon, and in fact, make even more than three hundred taels in profit. If you don¡¯t take this money, it will actually be our loss...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw that Third Young Master Zhou was resolute and had made up his mind. She thought for a bit and then said, ¡°Since you say it like that, then I will give you another recipe! For these two recipes, give me five hundred taels! In the future, I might be able toe up with more recipes that are new. If Zhenxiu Restaurant needs them...¡±


    ¡°We need them, we need them, we absolutely need them!¡± Third Young Master Zhou impatiently blurted out his thoughts before the head manager could reply.


    Third Young Master Zhou trusted Yu Xiaocao¡¯s cooking talents beyond a doubt. Since she could transform ingredients that other people didn¡¯t touch, such as pig head and offal, into food that people mored for, it was obvious that she could do the same with other ingredients. If pig head and offal could be transformed into delicious braised food, what could she do with ordinary or even ingredients of the highest quality?


    When Zhenxiu Restaurant had just been established, the owners of Fulin Restaurant had colluded with a few smaller restaurants to squeeze them out of business. At the time, all of the established restaurants in Tanggu Town already had their regr customers. As for Zhenxiu Restaurant, it could be said that they were just trying to survive on the edges of the restaurant world.


    Also, the Zhou Family had also made this restaurant¡¯s sess into a trial for Third Young Master Zhou. When Zhenxiu Restaurant was being suppressed by theirpetitors, the family didn¡¯t get involved at all. This made the owners of Fulin Restaurant even more rampant and brazen! It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine the difficulties that they had encountered.


    Things turned around when Yu Xiaocao appeared. That was when they were able to push out a new dish: oyster sauce vegetables. That alone was enough for Zhenxiu Restaurant to reveal its talents among all of the other, older restaurants. In addition, it helped them to attract some of the other restaurant¡¯s regr customers¡ª¡ªand now they were the regrs of Zhenxiu Restaurant. With that, Zhenxiu Restaurant was able to set down its roots in Tanggu Town and was now striving to be one of the best restaurants.


    Third Young Master Zhou firmly believed that with Yu Xiaocao¡¯s braised food recipe and her other, unknown recipe, Zhenxiu Restaurant would be able to be the best restaurant in all of Tanggu Town. The one that no other restaurant could surpass. In the future, who needed to care about Fulin Restaurant or the others. None of them would be able topete with Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    In addition, Zhou Zixu¡¯s ambitions went far beyond than the three plots ofnd that Tanggu Town stood in. In his heart, there were a lot more ces he needed to conquer. They had already started building a Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital. If they wanted to be an established, famous restaurant in the capital, then it wasn¡¯t enough to rely on the oyster sauce vegetables alone. However, now that they had the two new recipes from Yu Xiaocao, he figured that they may have a better chance now. Therefore, he had to have a good rtionship with this gifted chef, Yu Xiaocao, who had the talents that he could only seek but never get.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited!! Calm down, calm down!!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a bright smile on her face, which made Zhou Zixu feel like he was acting like a silly little boy. Furthermore, it gave him the feeling that the person in front of him wasn¡¯t merely a nine year old little girl!


    Yu Xiaocao stood on her tiptoes and patted his shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! With such a good rtionship between the two of us, how could I not think of you when Ie up with new recipes in the future? Quickly get some paper and a brush. After you finish writing down the recipe, I still have other things to do!¡±


    After Third Young Master Zhou finished preparing his brush and paper, Yu Xiaocao dictated out the ingredients and methods to make ¡®Fuliji Roast Chicken¡¯. Zhou Zixu made sure to write every detail down and was concentrated at his task at hand.


    Afterwards, Yu Xiaocao grinned, ¡°This chicken will have a shiny outer skin, tender white meat, exquisite vor, rich aroma, meat falling off the bones, and will taste rich without being greasy. If one chews on the bone, it¡¯ll have a delectable vor. In addition, if you try to lift a leg off the cooked chicken when hot, all of the meat will fall off. In terms of pairing it with other food, both cold or hot dishes willplement it well.¡±


    ¡°After hearing you introduce this dish, I can feel saliva pooling in my mouth!¡± Zhou Zixu smacked his lips and then a bbergasted expression surfaced on his face. ¡°Xiaocao, I didn¡¯t expect that you would be able to speak so eloquently about food!¡±


    ¡°Hee hee!¡± Yu Xiaocao drylyughed and then said, ¡°I¡¯m just spitting out what I¡¯ve memorized before, that¡¯s all! I won¡¯t hide it from you anymore. I identally came across a fragment of a cookbook, and I learned a couple of recipes from it!¡±


    ¡°Ah you! You talk a lot, but it¡¯s hard to tell what¡¯s true and what¡¯s false! It doesn¡¯t matter where you learned these recipes from, I only hope that Zhenxiu Restaurant will be your only business partner from now and in the future!¡± Zhou Zixu had a winsome smile on his face, and it was obvious this thirteen to fourteen year old youth had the potential to grow into a devastatingly handsome fellow in the future.


    ¡°Wrong!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled craftily, ¡°What you should say is that you, Third Young Master Zhou, will only be my business partner, and no one else!!¡±


    ¡°Okay!! I, Zhou Zixu, promise you that!!¡± Zhou Zixu solemnly vowed.


    Yu Xiaocao burst outughing, ¡°The way you¡¯re talking makes it sound like you¡¯re trying to elope with someone...¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er!!¡± Yu Hai felt helpless in front of his youngest daughter. Was this something a little girl should be saying? When they got home, he really needed to have her mother teach her some manners!!


    ¡°Alright, we can end our talk now! There¡¯s still someone outside waiting for us!¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that she had inadvertently said something inappropriate, so she stuck out her tongue, ¡°If you have any troubles trying to make the braised food or roast chicken, feel free to find me! I guarantee that whoever I teach will be able to make it!!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Zhou Zixu nodded his head furiously.


    ¡°Oh right, Third Young Master Zhou! You have a wide of connections, can you keep in mind that I¡¯m looking for some nice, fertilend around Tanggu Town? If there¡¯s anyone who¡¯s selling any, let me know? Right now we don¡¯tck money, so as long as the price is fair, and the total cost is less than eight hundred taels, we can definitely consider it!¡±


    Since her father couldn¡¯t go into the mountains and also didn¡¯t have a boat to go out to sea, then they needed to buy a little more farnd. Even if her own family didn¡¯t use it for nting, they could still rent it to other people and get a decent ie.


    Zhou Zixu muttered to himself for a bit and then said, ¡°Do you think your family can handle having that muchnd after you buy it?¡±


    Thend around Tanggu Town was of high quality with fertile soil. Usually a plot ofnd in this area would sell for eight to nine taels apiece. Winter was especially harsh this year and right now spring was still far away. Thus, it wasn¡¯t surprising that there were a lot of people willing to sell somend at prices below the usual. With eight hundred taels, they could likely buy more than a hundred plots of the bestnd avable. From his understanding, out of all the people in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family, the only adult male in his prime was Yu Hai, but even he had an injury to his leg. Why did she think her family would be able to use all of thisnd?


    ¡°If my family can¡¯t handle it, then we¡¯ll just rent it out! We can hire some tenant farmers to till thend, it should work, ah!!¡± When she thought that her family would soon bendowners, Xiaocao felt ecstatic inside.


    However, Zhou Zixu lightly shook his head and replied in disapproval, ¡°Buyingnd to rent it out, how long would it take for you to make back your capital?! Take my advice, it¡¯s not as good as buying a shop stall. Whether you decide to use it for your own business or to rent it out to someone else, it will give you a better return on your investment than buying farnd!¡±


    ¡°Buy a store? But who in Tanggu Town would sell the stalls that are in a good location? If the location isn¡¯t good, then we can¡¯t charge a good rent...¡± Yu Xiaocao had also thought of buying a shop stall but all of the good locations couldn¡¯t just be bought with money alone.


    Zhou Zixu drawled, ¡°Who told you to buy a shop stall in Tanggu Town? I have some definite information that the government ns on doing a big construction project at the docks to make them into thergest harbor in the north. Rumors say that because they¡¯re having trouble gathering enough funds that they will be selling some shop stalls in advance. Thus, it is likely that those empty stores will rise in value over time. You don¡¯t need me to say any more for you to understand...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes immediately lit up when she heard what Zhou Zixu said. The government wanted to develop the docks? This was a once in a lifetime chance bestowed by the heavens! The shop stalls sold in advance would definitely not be too expensive.


    After the harbor construction was finished, then those empty shop stalls would definitely skyrocket in value. What was the best way to make money in the 20th century? Specting in real estate, ah!! If she could grab onto this chance, then one shop stall could definitely be resold for more than twice the buying price!!


    ¡°Okay! Then we¡¯ll buy store stalls...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was just about to close the deal when she was interrupted by her father, ¡°Cao¡¯er! How about we go home and discuss this with your mother first?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was my fault, I got too excited and forgot to ask for your opinion, Father! Father, do you prefer to buy farnd or the stalls?¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly realized that the true head of her family was right next to her. She had truly gotten too carried away to even neglect her own father¡¯s opinion.


    Yu Hai stayed silent for a moment before he replied, ¡°Cao¡¯er, technically since you were the one who earned these eight hundred taels you should be the one making all of the decisions. However, you¡¯re still quite young, so as your father I just want to remind you a bit¡ª¡ªthis thing with the docks, do you think it¡¯s reliable? After all, this isn¡¯t a small sum of money, what if...¡±


    ¡°It makes sense that you have a few misgivings, Uncle Yu! However, I¡¯m best friends with County Magistrate Wu¡¯s son. County Magistrate Wu naturally has to help the imperial envoy from the capital to handle the construction of the harbor. The official documents have already gone to the magistrate¡¯s office. Thus, you should rx. I absolutely wouldn¡¯t let you guys invest your money into something that would fail!¡± Zhou Zixu clearly had a lot of confidence in this idea and had thought things out thoroughly.


    Yu Xiaocao tried to persuade her father, ¡°Father, I think buying stalls at the docks is a good idea! With thergest harbor in the north here, in the future there will definitely be way more people around than Tanggu Town has now. We absolutely will not lose money buying these stores! Right now, we¡¯re at the mercy of the weather when selling braised food, so it¡¯s quite tiring. If we had a store, then we could make our braised food business evenrger. Who knows, maybe in a few years our braised food store could even be more famous than Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant!!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yu, Xiaocao is right! Even if you don¡¯t use them to create a braised food store, with howrge the new harbor will be, you can definitely earn at least three to five hundred taels profit from flipping the store. With that money, you can definitely buy as much farnd as you want. Do you think that¡¯s worth it?¡± In terms of grasping business opportunities, Zhou Zixu was definitely one of the best around


    When he heard the opinions of the two, Yu Hai also felt his heart skip a beat. He squeezed his hand into a fist and clenched his teeth before he made a decision, ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s use all of the eight hundred taels to buy shop stalls!! Cao¡¯er, you need to prepare yourself mentally just in case all of this goes south. If it does, you¡¯re not allowed to cry!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and remarked, ¡°If it goes south, then it goes south! When you do business, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose! This is nothing new! Then again, even if our luck is that bad, it¡¯ll just be as if we didn¡¯t make any money today, nothing else is lost!¡±


    Zhou Zixu didn¡¯t expect the father and daughter pair to be so adaptable with money, especially since they had both grown up in impoverished conditions. His impression of the Yu Family improved another notch, and he gently chuckled, ¡°I definitely dare to vouch for this business venture! You absolutely will not lose! If you actually do lose out on this, then it¡¯s all on me, okay!¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t take you up on that offer!¡± Yu Hai waved his hand repeatedly in refusal.


    ¡°Ahhh, Father! It¡¯s gettingte now, let¡¯s go back and pick some vegetables for the steward of the Yao Family. Let¡¯s hurry, we don¡¯t want him to think that we are going back on our promise!¡± Yu Xiaocao finally recalled that the Yao Family¡¯s steward was likely waiting at the backdoor of the restaurant. Almost four hours had passed for this little detour of theirs. If they didn¡¯t leave now, they would be losing this opportunity!

 Chapter 122 – Retribution

    <h4>Chapter 122 ¨C Retribution</h4>


    By the time the group of people had arrived at the back door of Zhenxiu Restaurant, the steward from the Yao Family had already been waiting for a long time. If the guard at the back of the door wasn¡¯t strict, he would have long barged in to find the person he needed.


    ¡°My littledy ah! You¡¯ve finallye out!!¡± The steward from the Yao Family had already promised his master that he would definitely make sure to seed in his mission to buy vegetables. If something went wrong at this point, then he wouldn¡¯t know what he could do!


    Yu Xiaocao replied somewhat apologetically, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Steward Yao! I was dyed by something that happened in Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Steward Yao, we had a situatione up at Zhenxiu Restaurant that required this girl¡¯s help, so we went over our time.¡± Zhou Zixu had the most perfect smile on his face. ¡°Hopefully I didn¡¯t dy your issue for too long?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, of course not!¡± Steward Yao repeatedly affirmed. What a joke! Just what were the backgrounds of this father and daughter pair that made Third Young Master Zhou, the most capable son of the Zhou Family, personally escort them to the door? And also have him treat them so courteously?


    Yu Xiaocao casually waved her hand at Third Young Master and said, ¡°We¡¯re leaving!! If you have any other issues, juste to Dongshan Vige to find me! Oh right, my family moved back to our old residence. It¡¯s at the foot of the West Mountain, so don¡¯t go to the wrong ce ah!¡±


    ¡°Alright, safe travels!¡± The smile on Zhou Zixu¡¯s face became more sincere when he was interacting with Xiaocao.


    Suddenly, Yu Xiaocao remembered how much her family¡¯s donkey cart jostled on the road and couldn¡¯t help but ask one additional thing, ¡°Third Young Master, would you happen to be able to get ahold of some rubber cart wheels?¡± Zhou Zixu nced at her simple and crude looking donkey cart, slightly smiled, and promised, ¡°I got it! I guarantee that I will get you a donkey cart with intable rubber cart wheels!!¡±


    ¡°The cart can be more simple, but the shock absorption qualities of the wheels must be very good. You also know that we have to travel through a stretch of mountainous roads. Sitting on our current cart right now is simply just torture!¡± Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue and smartly replied.


    ¡°I promise I¡¯llplete the mission!¡± Zhou Zixu asserted confidently.


    After they left Zhenxiu Restaurant, Steward Yao sat in the Yu Family¡¯s in donkey cart. As for the Yao Family¡¯s horse cart, there was a small servant driving it, following the donkey cart from behind.


    Steward Yao wanted to say something a few times, but instead looked at the father and daughter pair with aplicated look in his eyes.


    ¡°Steward Yao, if you have anything to say, just say it! Looking at you right now makes me feel ufortable!!¡± Yu Xiaocao said in an outspoken manner.


    Only then did Steward Yao open his mouth, ¡°Miss Yu, does your family have a special connection with the Zhou Family? Why does Third Young Master Zhou treat you guys so intimately?¡±


    Although the Yao Family was also considered to be one of the rich families in Tanggu Town, butpared to the Zhou Family, their information sources were much morecking. One was a nouveau riche, while the other was a newly promoted imperial merchant. One hadn¡¯t held wealth for more than three generations, while the other was a famous tycoon in the previous dynasty. They were not at the same level!


    Even the eldest son of the Yao Family couldn¡¯t say much in front of Third Young Master Zhou. However, this Yu Family father and daughter pair, who were both inly dressed, were capable enough to have Third Young Master Zhou treat them well. Steward Yao was also someone who was smart, so he naturally restrained his usual arrogant and high-handed manner.


    ¡°Nothing really, just helped Third Young Master Zhou with some small matters before!¡± Yu Xiaocao mildly replied and had no intention of rifying the situation for him.


    But Steward Yao didn¡¯t believe her! Third Young Master Zhou was a business genius that was rarely seen. It was rumored that he had even more potential than his nominal father¡ª¡ªthe business genius blessed by the Heavens, Second Master Zhou. Whoever could help him, and even have him treat them with respect, was obviously someone who had immense talents.


    Just as he was about to say something additional, the donkey cart was blocked by a group of people on the road. Steward Yao felt his anxiety skyrocket. If dys continued to happen, then he would not be able to get back to the residence before it got dark.


    Steward Yao jumped off the donkey cart and pulled aside one of the people watching the bustling scene in front of them. He inquired, ¡°What¡¯s going up in front?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why, the bureau is handling a criminal case right now!¡± The person who was pulled aside replied exhratingly.


    Yu Xiaocao stood on top of the donkey cart out of curiosity and stretched her neck towards the crowd to catch a peek. From her height looking down, she could see a few bailiffs using chains to shackle a middle-aged man. They then pushed and jostled him in the direction they wanted him to go. The surrounding crowd also followed them along.


    Yu Xiaocao asked inquisitively, ¡°Uncle, who did they catch? What sort of crime did hemit?¡±


    The person standing next to them described the situation in excitement, his face full of astonishment, ¡°You guys haven¡¯t heard of it? The person who got caught is Shopkeeper Zhang from Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop! Hasn¡¯t he always bragged about having the nobility from the capital admiring his craftsmanship and buying his wares? Wasn¡¯t he so arrogant? Who would have thought that this time he got stuck in a situation that didn¡¯t give him glory and instead smacked into awsuit?!¡±


    When she heard that Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop fell into trouble, Yu Xiaocao immediately felt her spirits rise, ¡°Uncle, stop holding back on us. Quickly tell us what¡¯s going on, okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush ah! Let me recap the story slowly!¡± A brilliant smile crossed the man¡¯s face. It was obvious he knew that he hade across a piece of juicy and exciting gossip. ¡°The yamen said that Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop used shoddy wood in their furniture. Apparently, the materials they used had been partially eaten by ants or termites. The noble from the capital didn¡¯t use the furniture they made for more than a few days before an ident urred! I heard, ah, that when the red sandalwood screen fell to the ground it almost injured the princess consort of Prince Jing!!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right!¡± An old man next to them, who also wanted to gossip, interjected, ¡°I heard that the princess consort has a weak constitution since she is always worrying about her son who is out at sea! After being scared by this event, her health has even gotten worse. Her condition only stabilized after the emperor sent several imperial doctors over to see her!¡±


    ¡°Out of all of the imperial uncles, Prince Jing is the one closest to the emperor. Although he recently withdrew from court due to illness, he still has an intimate rtionship with the emperor. Furthermore, his youngest son, Royal Prince Yang, is even more highly regarded by the emperor. You all know that, when the emperor was young, he liked to sail overseas. Thus, he constructed a shipyard to build ships that could travel far. Now that he¡¯s the emperor, he no longer can travel as much as he desires, so he must feel a bit dejected. However, Prince Yang is like the emperor and likes to sail overseas too. Now ah, one could say that Prince Yang has inherited the emperor¡¯s ambitions and often travels in his stead to explore the world. The emperor also said that it is intolerable to close the country from the outside world, and it is best to remove the restriction against foreign, overseas trade. We need to use these new goods to strengthen our Great Ming Dynasty...¡±


    The original topic of the criminal case of Zhang Ji¡¯s Carpentry Shop had already been lost by these two people. Now they had somehow gotten onto the topic of strengthening the country to be prosperous and mighty.


    After hearing about this, Yu Xiaocao waspletely satisfied with the oue! That cruel and ruthless Shopkeeper Zhang had gotten his just desserts. Retribution hade¡ª¡ªtruly, karma always happens for both good and evil deeds. If the consequences hadn¡¯t happened yet, then it woulde in the future!


    Xiaocao yed with the multicolored stone on her wrist and silently asked, ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling, were you involved in this case?¡¯


    Her intuition told her that this event could not be separated from the little divine stone.


    Out of nowhere, a mini golden kitten jumped onto her shoulders. The little cat licked its ws and cleaned its ears. It asserted arrogantly, [This divine stone only used its ws a little to create this event! Are you grateful ah?]


    In actuality, it was finding it difficult to calm down. After helping its master again, it could truly feel the good effects of its actions. It was convinced that, in the near future, it would be able to restore all of its spiritual power and be released from its shackles, and then return back home next to the Goddess Nuwa. It was so looking forward to that day!!


    [Tell me quickly, how did you arrange this to happen?] Xiaocao took the little golden kitten off of her shoulder and ced in the palm of one of her hands. She lightly pinched at its soft and fluffy paws, but the kitten quickly pped away her hand out of dislike. It wasn¡¯t enough force to hurt or tickle. In fact, in other people¡¯s eyes, they would have thought that the ¡®cat¡¯ was ying around with its master.


    Yu Hai suddenly noticed the little kitten in his daughter¡¯s hands and inquired, ¡°Eh? When did Little Glutinous Dumpling get here? Howe I didn¡¯t see it until now?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao paused for a second before she came up with a usible excuse, ¡°I¡¯m also not sure how it followed us. Little Glutinous Dumpling often appears and leaves like the wind. Maybe it was hiding in one of the vegetable baskets, taking a nap, and we identally brought it into town? Is that the truth, Little Glutinous Dumpling?¡±


    She grabbed onto the little fellow¡¯s paw and lightly waved it around. The arrogant little divine stone forcefully pulled its paw back and red at her fiercely, [Do you think this is a usible excuse? Sounds stupid to me!]


    The two people next to them wound down their conversation and noticed the kitten in Xiaocao¡¯s hands. The old man stroked his shaggy beard and smiled, ¡°This little kitten has a bright coat color. It¡¯s so rare to see a cat that¡¯s so beautiful! It¡¯s just too small, must be only a month old right? It¡¯s not easy to take care of a kitten that left its mother too early!¡±


    [You¡¯re the one that¡¯s hard to raise, your whole family is hard to raise! Hmph!!] The little divine stone erupted in anger again and whipped its paws at the old man, revealing its sharp little nails.


    Yu Xiaocao gently stroked the little fellow¡¯s back and managed to cate it with great difficulty. She was really afraid that the little divine stone would leap up and start wing the old man¡¯s face.


    [Alright! There¡¯s no use staying angry at a person who does not know he is wrong, so don¡¯t lower yourself to his level. Quickly tell me, how did you create this situation?] Yu Xiaocao deliberately changed the topic to catch the little divine stone¡¯s attention.


    The little kitten arrogantly lifted its head up and snorted coldly, [Hmph! Stupid humans, if this divine stone decided to go to his level, wouldn¡¯t that be lowering my status, eh?]


    [Quickly tell me! Stop dawdling ah!] Yu Xiaocao kneaded its head.


    [Stinky master, you¡¯re messing my beautiful fur up!] The little cat used its paws to scratch an ear and forcefully shook its head.


    In order to avoid having its master get another chance at rubbing its head, it continued, [In actuality, it was quite simple. That day, when we were confronting him, this divine stone smeared some mystic-stone water on the furniture in his warehouse. After a period of time, it will naturally attract insects! That wooden screen for Prince Jing¡¯s estate had been inhabited by termites. Termites are astonishingly destructive, so it¡¯s obvious that a wooden screen with termites in it wouldn¡¯t stand up for long. That princess consort is quite unlucky, the screen only broke and fell when she was passing by...]


    ¡°This Shopkeeper Zhang won¡¯t ever be able to dig himself out of this hole after startling Prince Jing¡¯s wife! Retribution really came quickly!!¡± Yu Xiaocao curved her lips up into a smile, which revealed the depths of her happiness.


    ¡®You¡¯re too cool, Little Glutinous Dumpling! That princess consort is really too unlucky to be an idental victim in this case! I sincerely hope she recovers soon! After all, I do have some sort of connection with Royal Prince Yang.¡¯


    Judgement came down quickly. All of the evil things Shopkeeper Zhang had done in the past had also been revealed. It was said that officials had dug up the old skeletons of some adolescents in the back courtyard of the carpentry shop. All of the families of the apprentices who had been used of stealing by Shopkeeper Zhang had suddenly be the families of victims. They all wailed and howled for Shopkeeper Zhang to pay in blood.


    Yu Hang had also been summoned by the officials and was apanied by his family when he acted as a witness in court. All of the scars on his body as well as the testimony from Tongren Medical Hall¡¯s Doctor Sun became the irond evidence proving that Shopkeeper Zhang cruelly mistreated his apprentices.

 Chapter 123 – Busy

    <h4>Chapter 123 ¨C Busy</h4>


    After they returned back home from the yamen, the whole Yu Family felt as if they had narrowly escaped death¡ª¡ªIf Yu Hang was more unlucky, then wouldn¡¯t he also had be one of the skeletons buried in the back courtyard of the carpentry shop?


    Finally, the notorious Shopkeeper Zhang had been sentenced to a beheading at the end of autumn. In addition, all of his property was confiscated. After all of the carpenters and apprentices at this shop were investigated and found to be innocent, they were all let go...


    Traveling from the town back to their home took over two hours of time. Although Steward Yao was burning with impatience, there was nothing he could do. Luckily, the Yu Family¡¯s donkey, which looked very ordinary, had a decent speed and wasn¡¯t any slower than the Yao Family¡¯s horse cart.


    However, after seeing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s ghostly white face and an expression that seemed to be a sliver away from vomiting from being jostled in the cart, Steward Yao had no choice but to ask a couple of times whether they should slow down.


    ¡°No need!¡± Yu Xiaocao took out the pouch of water she took everywhere with her and drank a mouthful of mystic-stone water. Her stomach immediately calmed down. She continued softly, ¡°If we hadn¡¯t been dyed for so long at Zhenxiu Restaurant, then we would have reached home already. In fact, we might have loaded almost half of the cart by this point! If we¡¯re not any faster, then you will have to go back home in the dark.¡±


    Seeing her ufortable expression, Steward Yao felt both touched and worried, ¡°Miss Yu, if your family frequently goes in and out of town, then you guys really need to get some better cart wheels. However, rubber cart wheels are not only quite expensive but also iparably rare. It¡¯s not possible to get a set with only money!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really that hard to get a set of rubber cart wheels?¡± Yu Xiaocao had thought it was like her previous life, something that she could just buy some with money. That being said, rubber trees only thrive in the tropics. Tanggu Town was in the northern part of the Great Ming Dynasty. In ancient times, traveling and shipping goods was not that easy.


    Steward Yao nodded his head when she asked the question, ¡°It¡¯s said that it is hard to manufacture rubber wheels, and the output is extremely low. All of the high ranking officials and noble people in the capital get first dibs, then the officials in the rest of the country. As for people like my master¡¯s family, those with money but no power, they had to run around pulling strings to just buy one set. However, you shouldn¡¯t worry too much, Miss Yu. The Zhou Family are imperial merchants, and they have a lot of connections with the nobility in the capital. Since Third Young Master Zhou promised you, he absolutely will be able to get you a set.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t doubting Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s reliability. However, in her heart, she did feel like she owed Third Young Master a big favor.


    As they were talking, the donkey cart had just rolled into Dongshan Vige. Under the old elm tree at the entrance of the vige, there were several old vigers chatting. When they heard the sounds of hooves, all of them looked over.


    ¡°Old Yu, it¡¯s your second son¡¯s donkey cart that¡¯se back.¡± An old man swayed as he stood up. He ced a hand at his eyebrows to look in the distance and only then did he squat back down. With a voice that had a hint of envy in it, he said, ¡°Your family¡¯s second son is quite capable, ah! After separating from the family for not too long, he bought a donkey cart and started a business selling things!¡±


    Old Yu¡¯s eldest brother, Yu Lichun, unhurriedly stood up and slowly replied, ¡°You guys can only see the good side of things, but can you remember their difficulties? When Dahai split from the family, he had been seriously injured and no one knew whether he would be able to keep his leg! Dahai¡¯s wife also has a weak body and their Xiaocao has had a bad constitution since birth. A few days ago, Xiaosha had been pummeled until he was at death¡¯s door! Luckily both Dahai and Xiaosha were fortunate and weren¡¯t fated to die yet...¡±


    Old Yu¡¯s face flushed red in embarrassment under the knowing gaze of his older brother and the implication in his words. He looked at the horse cart that was right behind the donkey cart and quickly changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the horse cart that is behind Dahai. I¡¯m not sure if Dahai and his family need help right now. I need to go over and see!¡±


    ¡°Father! Eldest Uncle...¡± Yu Hai had also seen them and pulled on the little donkey¡¯s reins to slowly cut down the speed until they stopped at the vige entrance.


    Yu Xiaocao also sweetly greeted them, ¡°Eldest Granduncle, Grandpa! Are you guys chatting here?¡±


    Yu Lichun¡¯s face lit up with a kind smile, ¡°Xiaocao, did you into town with your father? Did you go to Tongren Medicine Hall and have Doctor Sun check you guys out? Yourplexion doesn¡¯t look too good...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed at her bright and radiant little face and grinned, ¡°Eldest Granduncle, the donkey cart was going too fast earlier, so I feel a little dizzy from being bumped up and down. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m perfectly fine!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel well, you need to tell your father. Don¡¯t endure a minor sickness until it bes a serious illness! If you don¡¯t have enough money, Eldest Granduncle still has some!¡± Yu Lichun couldn¡¯t forget what had happened that past winter. The vision of a motionless Xiaocao in her father¡¯s arms was engraved into his memory.


    Yu Xiaocao felt a burst of gratitude arise in her heart, ¡°Thank you Eldest Granduncle! Xiaocao will remember your words!¡±


    Old Yu took a nce at the properly dressed Steward Yao and pulled Yu Hai aside. He quietly asked, ¡°Who is that person? What is he here for? Did you get into trouble in town?¡±


    Although Steward Yao was only a servant in the Yao Family, his attire was about the same as other prosperous families in town. In Old Yu¡¯s eyes, he was not someone that they could afford to offend.


    ¡°Father!¡± Yu Hai helplessly replied, ¡°He¡¯s a steward at the Yao Family. Tomorrow is Patriarch Yao¡¯s birthday celebration, and they need to pick some vegetables from my house. I¡¯m no longer a strapping youngd, how could I possibly just randomly cause trouble?¡±


    ¡°Picking vegetables? How are there any vegetables to be had in this season? No one has even nted any vegetable seeds!! You¡¯re not trying to trick your father, right?¡± Old Yu still didn¡¯t feel relieved. It¡¯s necessary to forgive his terrified attitude, after all, it¡¯s better to be careful than to make arge blunder.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t know what else to say and continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, thene with me to the old residence and check it out yourself, okay?¡±


    ¡°Vige elders, we are against the clock right now. Would it be possible to make a long story short and try to finish up?¡± Steward Yao nced at the color of the sky and a worried expression appeared on his face.


    Old Yu swallowed down the words he was about to say when he heard the steward¡¯s remark and repeatedly nodded his head with a smile, ¡°Of course, of course! Then we won¡¯t dy you folks anymore!¡±


    Under Steward Yao¡¯s eager gaze, Yu Xiaocao waved farewell to her Eldest Granduncle and hopped into the donkey cart again. This time, the horse cart was in front to open the path, so no one else dared to stop them again. However, word quickly went through the whole vige. People all said that Yu Hai was seriously too capable to be able to forge a connection with a rich family in town...


    The horse cart stopped in front of the gate at the old residence. Yu Hai opened the gate, lifted up the doorsill, and brought the donkey cart into the courtyard. He didn¡¯t bother unharnessing the donkey before he asked Yu Hang, who was lying on a long chair getting sun, in a loud voice, ¡°Xiaosha, where¡¯s your mother?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in the backyard doingundry! Father, what¡¯s going on?¡± At this point, Yu Hang noticed Steward Yao, who hade in behind his father. Out of caution, he somewhat wanted to stand up.


    When Yu Xiaocao saw this, she hurriedly said, ¡°Older Brother! Your bones are still too weak, don¡¯t move around recklessly!! I¡¯ll go into the back courtyard and get Mother to help us harvest vegetables!¡±


    Madam Liu had already heard the sounds of her husband¡¯s voice. She shook her dripping hands, walked in from the rear court, and asked, ¡°You¡¯re back? How did selling the vegetables go?¡±


    ¡°We sold out! Keep theundry there for now and help us pick some vegetables first. Steward Yao still needs to hurry back!¡± A hint of excitement was threaded in Yu Hai¡¯s voice. A whole cart of vegetables was sold for twenty taels. If he told this story to other people, who would believe him? His daughter was really too amazing. Selling vegetables at the price of meat, but there truly were people who would buy them!


    As soon as Steward Yao stepped into the courtyard, he was stunned by the sight of the lush, green vegetables surrounding him. It was a veryrge space and had to be at least seven to eight plots ofnd. All of it was used to grow all different types of vegetables and there was only a small strip ofnd left as a walkway for people.


    All of the vegetables were at their peak, and they revealed their lush vitality. Under the bright sun, the dark green leaves glistened and flickered. Every single leaf seemed to have a tiny life there budding and throbbing. This Yu Family was really a good hand at growing vegetables. Even if you didn¡¯t consider the current season, their output was absolutely the top of the top.


    Madam Liu noticed the stranger in their yard and politely greeted, ¡°You must be tired, guest. Please sit down inside and drink some water to quench your thirst!¡±


    When Steward Yao had gotten back from the food market, he had directly reported to his master and then immediately went to the stables to get the horse cart. He also had to anxiously wait at Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s back door for a long time and then rush over with the father and daughter pair from the Yu Family to Dongshan Vige. Only now could he catch his breath. After he heard her suggestion, he immediately felt how dry and scratchy his throat was.


    However, he didn¡¯t enter the building and instead sat down on arge stone in front of the rooms. He smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t need to enter your house, sitting here, where I can get some sun, is also quitefortable.¡±


    Madam Liu poured him a bowl of water that had been boiled. Steward Yao stood up to take it and politely thanked her. He didn¡¯t even notice how crude and simple the ceramic bowl was as he finished the water in the bowl in one big gulp. Perhaps he was too thirsty, but Steward Yao thought this bowl of in water was even more refreshing than any tea he had before. He couldn¡¯t help butpliment it a bit.


    A golden kitten jumped off of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s shoulders and rolled its eyes at him¡ª¡ª¡¯What a naive fellow! This divine stone¡¯s bathing water is full of spiritual energy. Even if it¡¯s diluted a bit, it still can¡¯t bepared to ordinary water, so of course it tastes good!¡¯


    Yu Hang watched as his parents and youngest sister rolled up their sleeves and busied themselves in the vegetable field. Ever since he hade home, he had to watch the rest of his family run around the house day in day out. However, he couldn¡¯t help them at all. However, in his heart, he was clear about one thing: the most important thing he could do right now was to let his body recover fully. Afterwards, he would definitely help his family with their tasks! Regardless, he still felt impatient! Especially in times like now, he wished with all his heart that he could stand up and help them harvest the vegetables.


    As the little divine stone stepped by gracefully, it passed by Yu Hang. It seemed to sense Yu Hang¡¯s inner turmoil and stopped for a short period of time. It lightly leapt onto his knee and had an expression on its face as if it was conferring the boy a great favor. It let Yu Hang scratch it. The little divine stone inwardly thought: ¡®Weak and puny human ah, this divine stone is letting you scratch an itch, but this is your good fortune. Appreciate it!!¡¯


    Yu Hai, his wife, and daughter Xiaocao were all bustling busily in the vegetable field. The little assistant that came along had also been ordered by Steward Yao to help. Although he didn¡¯t know how to harvest vegetables, he was able to help them put the food into baskets or other activities that didn¡¯t require much skill.


    Old Yu slowly walked into the old residence and was stunned at the sight of the courtyard full of green vegetables. Thest time he came over, the whole courtyard was coveredpletely with mats made of rice straw and wheat stalks. At that time he didn¡¯t know what they were for and asked a few times but never got an answer. He never thought that under the grass mats were vegetable sprouts that were nted! It only took around ten days of effort, yet the vegetables were already ready to be harvested?


    Old Yu first went to his eldest grandson and carefully asked him about his injuries and condition. After seeing his second son¡¯s family bustling without a break, he also rolled up his sleeves and entered the fields to help them!


    A bit of time passed and Xiaolian also came back from the docks. The Yu Family¡¯s one copper coin per portion of braised food was famous at the docks! As soon as one of them got there, almost all of the food they brought would be sold out after half an hour! Their family¡¯s braised food was not only priced well but also delicious beyond imagination.


    Now, not only did all of the dockworkers know about them but also the people living in the nearby viges. If one of them had a gueste over, they would especially go over to buy a couple portions. Using the Yu Family¡¯s braised food to serve guests was a very weing thing to do!

 Chapter 124 – Once Again!

    <h4>Chapter 124 ¨C Once Again!</h4>


    Had Xiaolian not waited to the ox cart from the neighbouring vige, then she would have long gotten back after all of the braised food sold out!


    With the addition of Xiaolian, their harvesting speed increased perceptibly. Before long, all of the baskets that Steward Yao brought with him had been stacked full with lush green vegetables that looked incredibly appetizing.


    While the family was harvesting vegetables, Steward Yao had gone to Yu Residence¡¯s back courtyard as well as the nearby pond. He saw that there were also vegetable fields in the back that spanned around three to four mu [1]. There were cucumber and string bean vines climbing on vegetable frames. Eggnts and hot chili peppers were all growing vigorously in neatlyid out rows. There were also lettuce and carrots. However, he couldn¡¯t see howrge the carrots were as they were underground, but the carrot leaves were lush and vibrant green. On the fence surrounding the four sides of the garden, there were hyacinth bean vines and mbar spinach twisted around the wooden poles, which added a bluish-green color to the perimeter. Furthermore, there were still some other vegetables that he could not identify, but everywhere he looked was full of vegetables...


    He was convinced that before long all of these vegetables would be ready to harvest. At that time, other people¡¯s vegetables would only be tiny sprouts. Steward Yao was very well aware what it meant for Yu Family since they were able to sell vegetables more than a month out of the regr season!


    He looked at their simple and crude looking residence as well as the unadorned rooms. As of now, the Yu Family looked destitute and poor. However, with their ability to grow vegetables, they were absolutely about to be rich very soon, right? Steward Yao now really didn¡¯t have the guts to scorn the Yu Family.


    Atst, all of the baskets of vegetables were weighed and moved onto the Yao Family¡¯s horse cart. In total, they had bought six hundred and eighty catties of vegetables. Steward Yao knew that Old Master Yao was very picky. If he found out about the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables, then in the future they would definitely have many more dealings toe! Thus, he generously agreed to pay for all of the vegetables using the price for romaine lettuce¡ª¡ªtwenty-five copper coins per catty.


    When Old Yu saw that the vegetables, which usually sold for around three to five copper coins a catty, being sold for five to eight times the normal price, his eyes opened wide in shock. He almost couldn¡¯t believe his ears, ¡°Dahai, are you not afraid that the rich folk will me you guys for setting the price of vegetables at the price of pork?¡±


    ¡°Grandfather! We¡¯re doing business fair and square. One is willing to buy and the other is willing to sell, why would anyone me the other?¡± Yu Xiaocao held up a basin of water to let her grandfather wash his hands and then continued, ¡°The Yao Family is a well-known rich family in town. They¡¯ve eaten meat all winter and have long been tired of it! If you don¡¯t believe me, go ask Steward Yao whether the patriarch of the Yao Family wants to eat meat or does he want to eat our family¡¯s vegetables, okay?¡±


    ¡°But...these are merely green vegetables ah! If we¡¯re selling it at such an expensive price, isn¡¯t that overcharging other people?¡± Old Yu felt a bit uneasy about all of this.


    Steward Yao counted the money as he interjected, ¡°Old sir, this is obviously an example of: ¡®the rarer a thing is, the greater its value¡¯! Right now, at this season, if you want to eat green vegetables, even if you have money you might not be able to get any! Your family¡¯s vegetables are the only ones on the market in town right now. Even at a more expensive price you guys wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it not selling!¡±


    As they talked, he took out tworge ingots of shiny silver and ced them into Yu Hai¡¯s hands. He then said, ¡°Big Brother, this is twenty taels, make sure you keep them safe!¡±


    Yu Hai waved his hand, ¡°There¡¯s no need to give us this much. Six hundred and eighty catties of vegetables onlyes out to seventeen taels total. You¡¯re taking such good care of us, how could we possibly take more of your money...¡±


    ¡°Just keep the extra money for now. Think of the additional three taels as a security deposit. Make sure you leave some of the vegetables in the back courtyard for me, your brother. Don¡¯t sell it all to Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡± Steward Yao also knew the value of nning ahead for greater rewards. ¡®If you guys take my security deposit, in the future it will obviously be very easy to buy vegetables from you!¡¯


    Yu Hai still hesitated a bit but Yu Xiaoao had already taken the money away. She grinned, ¡°Since Steward Yao said so, in the future, if you need any vegetables, just give us a holler and we¡¯ll deliver them to the Yao Residence!¡±


    Steward Yao nodded his head repeatedly, ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear! I know you guys are short staffed, so in the future I will have people bring a cart over to your ce to buy vegetables! Xiaosi, remember the route. In the future, you will be in charge of buying vegetables. Make sure you do well and not let me, your adoptive father, lose any face!¡±


    Steward Yao had directed thest part to the little assistant who was driving the cart. That little assistant was also a clever and nimble fellow, so he nodded his head as if he was pounding garlic paste with it. A joyful smile tinged with admiration crossed his face. Going from an assistant who took care of the horses to a person in charge of purchasing was a big change. It not only was arge promotion but also his future treatment and pay would be vastly different.


    That was because the purchasing position was one that had a lot of profit involved in it. In the future, he really needed to show his filial respect to his adoptive father. Without his adoptive father promoting him, how else could he, Xiaosi, possibly get such a position with the multitudes of other servants at the residence?


    ¡°Thank you, Godfather! Thank you, Godfather!¡± Xiaosi continuously thanked Steward Yao as if this was the only way he could truly express the depths of his gratitude.


    ¡°Do your job well! In the future, when you have more contact with the Yu Family, make sure to treat them with more courtesy. Especially that little girl. She has a lot of ideas and you absolutely cannot slight her!¡± On the way back home, Steward Yao gave him some words of advice to help Xiaosi develop properly.


    Later on, Xiaosi repeatedly went back and forth between Dongshan Vige and Tanggu Town. He always kept his adoptive father¡¯s advice close to heart and warmly called Yu Hai and his wife ¡®uncle and auntie¡¯. In addition, he also helped them to do some work around the house. He had an almost brotherly rtionship with Yu Hang, who was about the same age as him. Furthermore, he took care of Xiaolian and Little Shitou as if they were his own younger siblings. Every time he came to buy vegetables and produce, he would always bring some pastries and cakes for them. As for Xiaocao, who looked almost exactly the same as Xiaolian, he had unconsciously developed deep feelings of respect for her.


    By nurturing these rtionships, Xiaosi never came back to the Yao residence empty-handed, even in rougher times when the harvest was not as good. By sessfully managing his tasks, he naturally received more promotions. He rose from a purchasing assistant to an assistant steward in the purchasing department, and then to the head steward in charge of the purchasing department. By the time his adoptive father became the chief steward, he, at the age of twenty, had be the residence¡¯s youngest head steward.


    At that time, he was still unmarried, and so, the maidservants in the residence all saw him as an ideal marriage prospect. The first ranked maidservants, who had previously disdained him, now all looked at him with a different expression in their eyes. As for himself, he finally had enough courage to request to marry the maidservant he had secretly admired for a long time, Luxiu. She was the personal maidservant of the matriarch. As a favor, the matriarch betrothed Luxiu, who had already reached a marriageable age, to him. After his adoptive father retired, Xiaosi reced his father to be the chief steward of the Yao residence...


    All of these changes started during that fateful bright and brilliant afternoon, when he had gone with his adoptive father to go to Dongshan Vige and met the noble person who would transform his destiny for a lifetime...


    Of course, these are all future events. Right now Xiaocao was sitting on a small stool and staring at her family¡¯s courtyard vegetable fields as if she was caught in a spell. Yu Hang looked at his little sister staring nkly and quietly asked, ¡°Little Sister, what are you thinking about? Why are you so focused right now?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao twisted her head around and looked at him. She arranged the nket to cover his legs more securely and then turned around to look at the fields again. She eximed somewhat excitedly, ¡°Older Brother, have you noticed it too? We¡¯ve gotten a decent harvest from our fields!¡±


    ¡°Eh? What do you mean by ¡®decent¡¯?¡± Previously their family had also nted some vegetables in the front and back of their rooms. The soil there was poor, and they had only nted the mostmon types of vegetables for their own use. Had they ever bothered to calcte the output from those small stretches ofnd?


    However, in Xiaocao¡¯s previous life, her parents had been vegetable farmers before they passed away. At that time, she was already in middle school and often helped them calcte the output of their fields and the amount of profits they made.


    There was chemical fertilizer in her past life, so one mu ofnd nted with vegetables could produce around 2500 catties of harvest. In their courtyard, they had around seventy to eighty percent of a mu ofnd, and they had already sold around a thousand catties worth of vegetables. From her rough estimate, they had only picked less than half of what was avable. In other words, they could probably get at least 3000 catties of vegetables for each mu nted. Perhaps they could even get four thousand catties!! This truly was considered a very high yield!!


    After calcting up to this much, she figured that they could get around seventy to eighty taels total for the vegetables grown in the front courtyard alone. The back courtyard was growing vegetables that had a longer life cycle, so they could likely be sold for a higher price. They could easily get around a hundred taels for each mu of vegetables. Thus, this meant that they could get around five hundred taels alone from this early spring harvest!


    The more Yu Xiaocao calcted, the more excited she felt. Her eyes seemed to glitter with an internal light and she wished she could kiss the little divine stone a few times in happiness.


    The little golden kitten was lying on Yu Hang¡¯s knee, enjoying the pleasure of getting pets when it suddenly felt chills run through its body. The fur on its back immediately stood up¡ª¡ªsomething¡¯s not right, there¡¯s danger approaching!


    Just as Yu Xiaocao was staring at their vegetable fields fixedly, as if she had just seen a giant lump of gold, suddenly the sound of a voice no one wanted to hear came through the gate, ¡°Where is everyone? Did you all disappear into thin air? Why is the gate closed in the middle of the day ah? Is it because you guys did something that set off your guilty consciences and are afraid people wille find you?¡±


    Xiaocao quivered and then leapt off of her stool. She rushed towards the gate, pulled open the heavy door, and saw Madam Zhang standing oddly there. The old woman¡¯s face was as unpleasant as before.


    ¡°Grandmother, why did youe over?¡± Yu Xiaocao barely restrained the feeling of disgust in her heart and managed to squeeze out a smile.


    ¡°What? Did you guys make your door too high that your own grandmother can¡¯te over anymore?¡± Li Guihua had a self-satisfied look on her face. The copious amount of fat on her face squeezed her eyes until they were a thin line, very simr to a rat¡¯s eyes. Her eyes flickered around as if she was a thief.


    Madam Zhang pushed Xiaocao aside with an arm and marched into the courtyard. She gloomily looked all around at the stone walls around the courtyard and sinisterly remarked, ¡°You guys don¡¯t have money yet you built your walls so high. Are you trying to discourage thieves or are you trying to keep me out?¡±


    ¡®Is there a difference? You¡¯re the biggest thieving threat around! Other people are cultivating fortune, meanwhile, you¡¯re such a miserly old hag that you would even scrape off whatever profit you could get from the ground full of dirt!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao silently roasted the old woman in her heart as she replied, ¡°Our old residence is a bit too close to the West Mountain. In the winter, we¡¯re afraid of wild animals searching for food. Won¡¯t theye down from the mountain and harm people? Grandmother, don¡¯t be so sensitive, these walls are to protect us from wolves! Just look, when we first moved out, we weren¡¯t sure if we could save my father¡¯s leg. My older brother had been sold off to be an apprentice, so it was only Mother and us weak little girls around. If there really were some vicious wolves around, what were we supposed to do?! So we didn¡¯t bother trying to fix the house much and instead used the money my maternal grandmother sent us toy a taller wall!¡±


    This seemingly simple exnation actually held a lot of hidden nuggets: first of all, you made us split off from the main family with pretty much nothing when my father was seriously injured. In addition, you almost pushed my older brother to a situation where he would lose his life. If this was someone with thinner skin, she wouldn¡¯t even have the face toe to their gate. Next, not a single copper coin out of the money used to build these walls came from you. Thus, do you have any qualifications to voice your unnecessary opinions?


    However, was there anyone else in the world who could evenpete with Madam Zhang¡¯s shamelessness? It was hard to tell whether the old woman really didn¡¯t catch on to Xiaocao¡¯s silent implications or whether she was pretending, but she only nced briefly at Yu Hang, who was lying helplessly on the deck chair in the courtyard. She then turned her attention to the wide expanse of vegetables growing in the courtyard.


    Madam Li immediately understood her role in this y and stated, ¡°Second Brother-inw truly has a filial heart ah! He nted so many vegetables but he doesn¡¯t know how to properly show his respect to his elders. He¡¯s only preupied with earning money!¡±

 Chapter 125 – Scratch

    <h4>Chapter 125 ¨C Scratch</h4>


    ¡°Of course we have to think of all possible ways to earn money! We need money to build a fence and repair the house. Moreover, we also have a lot of debt! It might seem like my father¡¯s leg has recovered, but he¡¯ll feel unbearable when he uses too much strength. It¡¯s alright during the day, but it would be so painful at night that he can¡¯t even sleep. He has been able to endure thanks to the painkillers that Doctor Sun prescribed. He can¡¯t be the mainbor force in our family, and my older brother still owes dozens of taels of medical fees... If we don¡¯t think of more ways to earn money to repay the debt, will Grandmother and Eldest Aunt help us pay off our debts?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had long seen through their intentions, so she persistentlyined about her family¡¯s suffering. In the backyard, Xiaolian blocked her parents and refused to let the two kind and uncontentious people go out to be bullied. She also asked Qian Wu, who was tending the ducks by the pond, to go find her grandfather that the vige entrance. Old Yu was the only one who could somewhat keep Madam Zhang in check.


    ¡°Alright, alright! What¡¯s the point in saying all this rubbish? Hurry up and gather the vegetables for your grandmother. Did you want the olddy to personally get them herself? You tactless person!¡± Madam Li noticed that her mother inw¡¯s face was bing more and more unsightly, so she hastily interjected.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t change her expression and kept a fake smile on her face, ¡°Eldest Aunt is right! Grandmother, what vegetables do you want to eat? I¡¯ll go gather them for you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this. Give me a basket of each kind!¡± Madam Zhang was also a good money-maker. She could make out the values of the lush green vegetables just by looking at them. There were four or five different kinds of greens here. If she got a basket of each, it would be at least four or five catties, which should cost several taels.


    In the past, when Yu Hai was around and the family hadn¡¯t split, she hadn¡¯t noticed his importance. Without the skilled fisherman Yu Hai, not only did they catch less than half the amount of fishpared tost year, but there also wasn¡¯t much variety. Several regr customers gradually stopped ordering from the Yu Family because they couldn¡¯t meet their needs.


    Now, Yu Dashan not only goes fishing in the sea with Old Yu, but he also sells fish at the fish market with other fishermen. When business was bad, half of the fish would be leftover. Their family had been eating fish for more than a week already. They used to be reluctant to eat it, but now they were sick of eating it. The weather was gradually warming up, so if they didn¡¯t eat the fish, it would go bad very quickly.


    Old Yu and his son were bringing back less and less money, so Madam Zhang¡¯s heart was bing more and more anxious. Her youngest son had sent a letter saying that he wanted to study at Rongxuan Academy and needed money for brushes, ink, and books. Also, the rent for the residence they rented in town had expired and her youngest grandson, Little Doudou, had gotten sick at the beginning of spring... All these matters that required money had piled one on top of another, one after another.


    Seeing that there was less and less money in her hands, Madam Zhang felt as if a fire was burning her heart. She couldn¡¯t eat nor sleep well, and had a few mouth ulcers. When she heard from Madam Li that the second branch was beginning to sell their vegetables, she briefly pondered and thought of an idea.


    However, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t like her parents, who were easily bullied by Madam Zhang. She sneered and said, ¡°Grandmother! Aren¡¯t you going to eat the vegetables to prevent hunger? With four or five baskets of vegetables, even if you guys eat a lot, wouldn¡¯t it take at least twenty days to finish everything? Aren¡¯t you afraid that the greens will rot in the baskets and be wasted?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business! You grandmother told you to pick the vegetables, so just do as you¡¯re told! What¡¯s with all your nonsense!!¡± Madam Li had already impatiently started gathering the vegetables herself. After eating boiled cabbage and radish and mixed grain tbread for the entire winter, her eyes were already green with greed when she saw all the green vegetables. She had never been so eager to eat stir-fried vegetables!!


    ¡°Eldest Aunt!! Be careful not to trample on the vegetables...¡± Before Yu Xiaocao even finished speaking, Li Guihua had already stepped on the lettuce under her feet. ¡®Every green vegetable was a shiny piece of silver ah.¡¯ Xiaocao¡¯s heart ached incessantly.


    Right at this moment, a golden light, like lightning,unched towards Li Guihua. With a loud scream, Li Guihua covered her face and sat down in the vegetable field. Her huge butt had mmed into the vegetable garden. If the vegetables were alive, they would surely scream before dying.


    ¡°Who... whose cat is this? How can you let it out to scratch people?¡± Madam Li looked and saw a tiny kitten that wasn¡¯t even the size of a fist. It was covered in golden fur and was staring fiercely at Li Guihua with its golden eyes. It showed a fierceness that was disproportionate with its size.


    ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling, good job!!¡¯ Yu Xiacao praised the little divine ceaselessly within her heart.


    [She just keeps bbering and her voice sounds as bad as a pig being ughtered. She¡¯s so freaking noisy!!] The little divine stone licked its w with dissatisfaction. It red at Madam Li with hostility as if was about to jump up the next second and rush towards its ¡®prey¡¯.


    ¡°My face!!¡± Li Guihua took off the hand she used to cover her face, but was startled by the blood on her hand. That damned cat actually dared to scratch her face. What should she do if it scarred?


    If Xiaocao could read her mind, she would definitely roast her relentlessly: ¡®Eldest Aunt, even if your face isn¡¯t disfigured, you don¡¯t look that good either. You have a face that affects the appearance of the city!¡¯


    Madam Zhang bent down to pick up a lump of dirt and was about to throw it at the little golden kitten, but noticed that the kitten had already turned its attention towards her. The little one exuded a terrifying force that made her feel as if she wasn¡¯t facing a little kitten but a majestic-looking giant tiger.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s legs began to tremble. She dropped the chuck of soil in her hand and stammered, ¡°Wicked girl, is this your cat? Quickly take it away!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had helpless expression on her face and said, ¡°Grandmother, I picked up this kitten from the mountain forest. It hasn¡¯t been long since I brought it home, so it hasn¡¯t been domesticated yet and is still very wild! It doesn¡¯t listen to anybody. Xiaolian and I have both been scratched by it. So I don¡¯t dare to provoke it.¡±


    Madam Li, who was triggered by the blood on her hand, suddenly lunged at the little golden kitten like a crazy woman. As a result, all the vegetables around her suffered a tragic death.


    ¡°My vegetables!!¡± Yu Xiaocao cried pitifully.


    The little golden kitten seemed to have sense its master¡¯s mood and hastily rushed to the part of the garden that had already been harvested. Its movement was light and nimble. Madam Li¡¯s fat figure suddenly plunged into the vegetable garden. Her big facended first, and she was unable to immediately get up. After struggling for a long time, she finally sat up and noticed that her mouth was full of mud. She spat for a long time in order to get the mud out of her mouth.


    [Useless thing! Trying topete with me, this Divine Stone!! Humph! Humph! Anticipate having a nightmare tonight!!] Yu Xiaocao was the only one who could hear the little divine stone¡¯s grim voice. From a ce that no one could see, a wisp of smoke-like spiritual power entered Madam Li¡¯s nostrils. But she waspletely unaware of it!


    ¡°Mother, quickly help me catch that damned cat. I¡¯m going to throw it into the firepit and eat it after its cooked!!¡± Madam Li refused to give up and was hell-bent on catching the kitten.


    Thus, Madam Li¡¯s plump, ball-like body could be seen jumping, fumbling, rolling, and crawling around the yard. It was a veryedic scene. By the time she was tired and gasping for her breath, she still didn¡¯t touch a single hair on the cat.


    During a rather chilly evening in early spring, Madam Li¡¯s entire body was covered in sweat. With the mix of sweat and mud on her face, she didn¡¯t even need to wear makeup to perform in a Chinese opera. She couldn¡¯t get up from sitting on the ground, so she smacked her leg and wailed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you bullying me right now? I don¡¯t care. Your family¡¯s cat scratched and scarred my face, so your family mustpensate me! Just... pay me five taels...¡±


    ¡°Who wouldpensate five taels to you? Your face isn¡¯t even worth five copper coins, yet you want five taels. Why don¡¯t you go rob someone?!¡± This awesome response came from Old Yu, who had quickly rushed over. He must be infuriated, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have made such a harsh remark to his daughter-inw.


    Madam Li wasn¡¯t afraid of anything, except when her father-inw pulled a long face. When she saw Old Yuing in, she immediately jumped up from the ground. Her agile movement didn¡¯t seem like something that a fatty like her could do.


    ¡°It was the cat that scratched you, so go get the money from the cat! You can¡¯t even handle a kitten that hasn¡¯t been weaned, yet you still have the face to ask others for money? Our Old Yu¡¯s family doesn¡¯t extort money from others. If you want to cause trouble for Second Son¡¯s family, I¡¯ll go talk with Li Laoshuan about it!¡± Madam Li¡¯s father, Li Laoshuan, was also a very capable man when he was younger. He had earned some properties, so the living conditions of the Li Family was a lot better than the Yu Family.


    Madam Li didn¡¯t dare to say another word. Although her father doted on her, he was also an old-fashioned and traditional man, who considered a married daughter to be the same as spilled water. He believed that she should listen to everything her inws say. If her father found out that she was extorting money from her younger brother-inw¡¯s family, he would definitely disown her. She still needed to rely on her maternal family to support her, so she absolutely couldn¡¯t let her father know about this!


    Madam Zhang spoke up in her defense, ¡°What¡¯s there to talk about? Guihua just said that out of anger. Do you really think that she would take the second branch¡¯s money?! Second Son¡¯s family¡¯s cat scratched someone, but you won¡¯t even allow her to say something about it?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even said anything about you yet! What are you doing here? Did youe to ask Second Son for vegetables? Are you really that shameless to ask?¡± Old Yu looked at Madam Zhang with eyes that were full of disappointment, anger and sadness!


    When the second branch were in their most difficult times, she had forced them out of their home. His second son had risked half his life in exchange for the money they got from selling a bear. After they hid the three hundred taels that his second son had risked his life for, he could hardly sleep at night and was full of torment in his heart. On the other hand, as if she had thrown away a huge stone that was on her body, Madam Zhang talked and acted in a much more rxed manner!


    Why didn¡¯t she ever think about how Second Son was his flesh and blood! He believed that he had never been biased toward Dashan and always treated him like his own son. When they divided the family, they had even given the new ship that Second Son bought to their eldest son. Why couldn¡¯t she feel for others and treat his children as her own?


    Look at what happened! Look at what Madam Zhang did!! She married his eldest daughter hundreds of kilometers away and sold her to a widower as his second wife. His eldest daughter must bepletely disappointed in him. After being married for so many years, other than visiting Second Son several times, she was almost unwilling to see him, her father.


    His second son was a capable man, so he had thought that Madam Zhang would treat the second branch better for the sake of money. But what happened? When his second son was seriously injured and on the verge of death, Madam Zhang had forced him to propose to separate from the family. She only gave them the rundown old residence and a measly two taels...


    Old Yu felt that his tolerance was reaching the limit. He couldn¡¯t let Madam Zhang continue to do whatever she wanted. He had to show his authority as the head of the household!!


    When faced with her husband¡¯s furious gaze, Madam Zhang felt somewhat afraid in her heart. However, she still insisted, ¡°Isn¡¯t Caidie¡¯s fianc¨¦¡¯s family going to send the betrothal gifts over soon? I was thinking about how we don¡¯t have anything to serve them at home, and then I heard that Second Son¡¯s family has nted vegetables... As a son, what¡¯s wrong with paying filial respects to his parents by giving them some vegetables?¡±

 Chapter 126 – Untitled

    <h4>Chapter 126 ¨C Untitled</h4>


    ¡°Sending the betrothal gifts? Isn¡¯t that next month? Didn¡¯t we already plow the vegetable fields and nt the seeds? The crops should be ready by next month, so why do we need to ask Second Son for vegetables? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know about the living conditions of Second Son¡¯s family. As his parents, even if we can¡¯t help him, we shouldn¡¯t add to their misfortunes and cause more trouble for our children. What would others say about us?¡± Of course, Old Yu didn¡¯t believe her nonsense and immediately exposed her.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a son be filial to his parents? What would others say! Do you think that others won¡¯t gossip about a son who eats and lives well while his parents barely have enough to eat?¡± Madam Zhang was an expert at pestering others endlessly.


    Old Yu frowned and became even more displeased, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®we barely have enough to eat¡¯? Although we¡¯re not making as much money from selling fish as before, it¡¯s certainly enough to feed our entire family. Moreover, you still have a lot of...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for our third son¡¯s studies, so no one is allowed to touch it!¡± Madam Zhang valued her youngest son the most and no one was allowed to touch him. When she heard Old Yu mention her savings, she instantly startled and nced at Xiaocao with a guilty conscience.


    Old Yu felt even more furious within his heart, ¡°Whenever money is mentioned, you always say that it¡¯s for Third Son¡¯s studies! Yet you run over to cause trouble for Second Son¡¯s family when they have already split from the family! Your heart is seriously too biased!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m biased? You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m being partial?! After I married you, I gave birth to and raised your children. I don¡¯t waste money on food or clothes. Who am I doing all this for? Was it for myself? I just want to foster a schr from our family so that our whole family can live a better life. Who am I being biased to? Eldest Son is my biological son, have I ever been partial to him? Second Son is more capable than Eldest Son. I also remember all his contributions to the family!! In the future, when Third Son passes the examination to be an official, wouldn¡¯t he, as his older brother, also be benefited?¡± Madam Zhang wiped her tears as she spoke, as if she was the one who had been wronged and taken advantage of.


    Old Yu¡¯s heart softened when he saw Madam Zhang¡¯s tears, but he still persisted, ¡°That still isn¡¯t a valid reason to ask an older brother, who had separated from the family, to financially support his younger brother¡¯s studies! Stop crying here, or else you¡¯ll be aughingstock. Quicklye home with me!!¡±


    Seeing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to take advantage of them today, Madam Zhang dawdled over to the entrance. Madam Li didn¡¯t even dare to lift up her head as she dejectedly followed behind her mother-inw. Her father-inw was really angry today. He didn¡¯t even give face to her mother-inw, let alone her.


    ¡°Ay!¡± Old Yu touched the head of Xiaocao, who was standing beside him and staring at him with wide eyes. After that, he looked at his son and daughter-inw, who had onlye out from the rear courtyard at this time. With a tired voice, he sighed, ¡°The husband will have less trouble if his wife is virtuous! It was fortunate that I didn¡¯t listen to Madam Zhang¡¯s decision to have you marry her niece. I have a good daughter-inw. You guys need to live a good life!¡±


    After that, with his hands sped behind his back and his body stooped down, he left with heavy footsteps.


    ¡°Grandfather! I¡¯ll gather some vegetables for you to take back!!¡± Yu Xiaocao was more or less satisfied with her grandfather¡¯s performance today. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t aplete fool yet.


    Old Yu stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at her. He slowly shook his head and said, ¡°No need. Keep them to sell for money! This old residence needs to be renovated thoroughly so that it won¡¯t be crushed by the snow during winter!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao signaled her father with her eyes. Yu Hai understood her meaning and quickly said, ¡°Father, it¡¯s nothing much. This son of yours can still provide you with some vegetables to eat! Cao¡¯er¡¯s mother, you go and help Cao¡¯er gather a portion of each vegetables.¡±


    He personally went forward to pull Old Yu back to sit on the stone chair in the courtyard, and then poured a cup of water for his father to drink. After drinking the water brought by his son, Old Yu felt much better both physically and mentally. His son still had him, his father, within his heart.


    Before he had finished a cup of water, Xiaocao and her mother had already swiftly gathered the vegetables and packed them in a basket. It appeared to be around ten catties of vegetables in the basket. Right now, in the Yu Family, there were only the Old Yu couple, the eldest son¡¯s family, and the unmarried youngest sister. Thus, it was enough for them to eat for several days.


    However, Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t satisfied and felt that Yu Hai¡¯s family had given them too little. While she scolded Dahai¡¯s entire family within her heart, she took out most of the greens from the basket that Old Yu brought back, and then sent them to her youngest son early in the morning on the next day.


    Madam Li, who had a terribleplexion after a night of nightmares, inwardly criticized Madam Zhang for her biasness. She grumbled herint to Yu Dashan for several days.


    As for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family, who had earned over eight hundred sixty taels today, they were currently discussing what to do with sixty-something taels in front of them.


    The head of the family, Yu Hai, was the first to speak. He cleared his throat and solemnly said, ¡°As I have just said, our Cao¡¯er¡¯s recipe was sold for eight hundred taels. We have already asked Third Young Master Zhou to help us buy a storefront with the money. I reckon that the shops at the newly constructed port wouldn¡¯t be too expensive! We should be able to buy four spaces! At that time, you siblings will each have a shop, fair to all!¡±


    Yu Hang, who was half lying on the kang bed, hastily said, ¡°Youngest Sister was the one who earned the money to purchase the store. As her older brother, how can I take advantage of her? I¡¯ll leave my space to Youngest Sister!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao red at him with widened eyes and said unhappily, ¡°Older Brother, what you¡¯re saying isn¡¯t right! We¡¯re blood-rted siblings, so why do we need to be so clear-cut about everything?¡±


    ¡°People say that even real siblings should settle ounts without ambiguity! For example, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for Father to buynd and a store for Eldest Uncle.¡± Yu Hang insisted.


    Yu Xiaocao snorted and said, ¡°We have already separated from the family now. We won¡¯t give them any less of the filial respect that we are obliged to, but we aren¡¯t paying for a single penny more than necessary! Older Brother, when you get better, the business at the docks will be handed to you. In the future, when the new port is built, you would be able to expand the business at the docks and earn a lot of money. Would you disregard your younger siblings at that time?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s our family¡¯s business, so of course the profits should be handed into the family ount!¡± Yu Hang immediately retorted.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same logic? The money that I¡¯m earning right now is also handed into the family ount to be managed. Even if it¡¯s not given to you guys now, when we grow up and split from the family in the future, we still need to divide it evenly!¡± Yu Hang had never won when debating with Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Hang frowned and wanted to decline again, ¡°But... Youngest Sister, you were the one who earned all the money ah...¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop talking about this! It¡¯s decided!!¡± Seeing that the siblings were each holding their own ground, Yu Hai spoke up to make the final decision, ¡°Xiaosha, you don¡¯t have to feel like you¡¯re taking advantage of your younger sister. In the future, your younger sisters will also need their brothers¡¯ support!¡±


    Little Shitou, who had returned at duskst night for his break, put down the book in his hands andughed, ¡°Father, even if we don¡¯t have a store, Older Brother and I will still support our sisters! In the future, if that person mistreats Second Sister, I¡¯ll bring her home and take care of her for a lifetime!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only going to take care of your second sister? Do you not care about your eldest sister at all?¡± Xiaolian teased her younger brother with a smile.


    Little Shitou hadn¡¯t had a chance to correct himself before Xiaocao pinched both his cheeks, ¡°You heartless little fellow. There¡¯s so many good things you can say, but instead you¡¯re cursing your second sister to be bullied in the future?¡±


    Little Shitou¡¯s little face, which had just be more fleshy, was pulled out to two sides by his second sister, and then squashed together again in the middle. His small mouth was squeezed together until it looked like a pig¡¯s snout as he struggled to exin himself. He, who would be a high-scoring top schr in the imperial examination in his teens, was currently being bullied by his second sister.


    After Yu Xiaocao yed enough with his face, she finally let him go mercifully. Little Shitou covered his face, which had turned red from being pinched, and muttered with a pout, ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯m wrong! Who dares to bully you? You¡¯re the one who is going to bully others!¡±


    ¡°Of course!!¡± Yu Xiaocao had acent expression, and then said, ¡°It¡¯s decided then, everyone gets a store! It would be better if the shops are cheap and we can buy more. If we have more younger siblings in the future, we can also prepare some for them too!¡±


    Liu Muyun, who was sitting on the edge of the kang bed with a slight smile, heard her words and looked up. When she saw her youngest daughter¡¯s teasing gaze, her pale face immediately flushed. She chided, ¡°This child. How mischievous! You even dare to tease your own parents!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grinned and replied, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m not joking! Last time when Doctor Sun checked on Eldest Brother, didn¡¯t he also take your pulse? He said that your health is much better now. I heard that lingering illness from the postnatal confinement period needs to be healed during the confinement period. If you want to restore your body, you should give birth to a younger brother or sister as soon as possible! You don¡¯t need to do anything. Xiaolian and I will be responsible for taking care of the little baby!¡±


    Yu Hai was eager to try when he heard that having another child could help his wife heal her body. He had never been someone who was good at hiding his emotions, so when Madam Liu saw his expression, her face became even more red. She quietly pinched Yu Hai¡¯s waist, but her husband caught her hand and held it firmly within his own hand.


    Little Shitou looked at the sixty-something shiny taels on the table. There was a genuine look of joy on his face as he said, ¡°Second Sister, you¡¯re truly capable!! Sure enough, you¡¯re someone who have been enlightened by the deities...¡±


    Yu Hai hastily interjected and reprimanded him, ¡°Don¡¯t go out and talk nonsense!! Your second sister was able toe up with so many recipes because she picked up a remnant of a recipe book and has some talent for cooking! If someone asks you in the future, just tell them that! Do you guys understand?¡±


    Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian nodded solemnly. Little Shitou mischievously replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not stupid! I won¡¯t sell out my older sister!! I heard from my ssmate that his hometown was rather ignorant and conservative. They had burned to death an older sister from the same n because she could see strange things. They said that she was a monster and an ominous person, who would bring disaster to the vige...¡±


    Madam Liu was so frightened that she immediately threw down the clothing that she was making. She held Xiaocao tightly within her embrace and nervously said, ¡°My daughter isn¡¯t a monster. Our Cao¡¯er will only bring good luck to others! Isn¡¯t Cao¡¯er the reason our family¡¯s living conditions improved? Little Shitou, you can¡¯t speak carelessly in the future! Understand?!¡±


    ¡°I know, I understand!¡± Little Shitou also realized that the severity of the situation and was so scared that he didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Xiaocao was reluctant to leave her mother¡¯s gentle and warm embrace. With a happy smile on her face, she changed the topic, ¡°What do you guys want to do with this sixty-something taels? Should we save it up, or spend it?¡±

 Chapter 127 – Discussion

    <h4>Chapter 127 ¨C Discussion</h4>


    The head of the household, Yu Hai, looked down and thought for a moment before saying, ¡°How about this? After spring plowing, let¡¯s knock down the old residence and build a new five-room house. We can also widen the yard a little bit... No, it¡¯s a newly built fence, so that would waste too much time and energy. It¡¯s better to renovate the old residence and build a three-room house next to it, and then enclose it with stones. This way, Xiaosha wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the house when he gets married in the future. We can make a door in the middle so that it¡¯s more convenient for us toe and go between the two buildings!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao really didn¡¯t want to be too close to the two outrageously annoying people, Madam Zhang and Madam Li. She made a different suggestion, ¡°Father, I think we might as well save more money and ask Third Young Master to help us find a residence in town, and then buy some fields around town. Let¡¯s just settle down in town! In the future, Little Shitou will be studying for a long time in town, so it would also be more convenient for him toe home!¡±


    Madam Liu was somewhat interested upon hearing her words. Little Shitou had only turned six after the New Year, yet he already had to stay in town to study by himself. As his mother, it was inevitable that she would miss and be concerned about her son at all times.


    Yu Hai lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and then slowly shook his head, ¡°Our roots are in Dongshan Vige after all. You guys are still young, so you don¡¯t quite understand the principle of ¡®being sentimentally attached to your homnd¡¯. Besides, your grandfather is still living here. No son would enjoy a happy life in town, while leaving his elders to suffer in the countryside.¡±


    Little Shitou frowned and muttered, ¡°But Younger Uncle lives in town. He eats good rice and flour every day, and he also often eats meat! Little Doudou¡¯s attires are no different than the noble young masters in town. They even have a maidservant attending to him. He can live in town, so why can¡¯t we?¡±


    Little Shitou had been studying at Rongxuan Academy for less than a month, but his younger uncle, Yu Bo, had already went to the academy to visit him three times. Although Rongxuan Academy didn¡¯t prohibit visits by rtives and friends, if it happened too frequently, it may leave a bad impression on the teachers. Little Shitou has also tried to obscurely remind his younger uncle, but his younger uncle didn¡¯t seem to have heard it at all andpletely disregarded his feelings.


    On one asion, he happened to meet the headmaster at the entrance of the academy. The headmaster stopped to talk to him cordially and was praising his second sister¡¯s culinary skills when his younger uncle came over. After he introduced him to the headmaster, as if he was ¡®burning the bridge after crossing it¡¯, his younger uncle didn¡¯t even look at him again and only cared about talking to the headmaster. The headmaster obviously didn¡¯t want to talk to Younger Uncle, but he just tactlessly continued to tter him. It was so freaking embarrassing!


    After the headmaster left, Younger Uncle invited him to his house for a meal that day for the first time. There wasn¡¯t any coarse grain in their kitchen at all, and was full of polished rice and wheat flour instead. There was arge piece of meat being cured inside a jar and chicken soup cooked in the pot. They were eating better food than the rich families in the neighboring viges!


    Before they had split from the main family, their family didn¡¯t have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, yet they still had to save up money to support Younger Uncle¡¯s noblemen-like lifestyle in town. Little Shitou felt very sad when he thought about that. Even the chicken soup and stir-fried meat that he ate at noon seemed tasteless!


    ¡°Our family put all hopes on your younger uncle. Your grandmother is anticipating your younger uncle to pass the examination to be an official, and then get her a title of a ranked noble madam. Thus, she naturally wouldn¡¯t treat your younger uncle too badly!¡± Yu Hai gave a somewhat weak exnation.


    Xiaolian pursed her lips and muttered in a low voice, ¡°Younger Uncle reliespletely on the family¡¯s support, yet he can still live in town. So why can¡¯t we buy a house in town when we make our own money?¡±


    ¡°...Actually, our Dongshan Vige is close to the mountains and sea, and the vigers are simple and warmhearted. Everyone will help each other out when needed. Isn¡¯t that better than living in town and being unfamiliar with the people and surroundings?¡± Yu Hai was still a little reluctant to leave the vige that he was born and raised in.


    Yu Xiaocao had already arrived in this world for over half a year. She knew that people in ancient times had an extraordinary attachment to their homnd, so she didn¡¯t continue to insist. She thought about it and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s built the house first. After we sell the vegetables in the backyard, let¡¯s buy a house and farnd in town!¡±


    ¡°Almighty Second Sister! Second Sister is like a nouveau riche!¡± Being influenced by Yu Xiaocao, Little Shitou would throw out a couple of strange terms from time to time. This was something that everyone was already used to.


    As usual, all the money was kept and managed by Xiaocao. Yu Hai pretended to be dispirited and heavily sighed, ¡°Ay... It seems like I might lose my position as the head of the household very soon. Someone is trying to seize power!¡±


    Xiaolian giggled and said, ¡°We can all rest assured since the money is being kept by Younger Sister! She is just an ountant at most. Father and Mother still makes the decisions in our family!¡±


    ¡°Really? Why do I feel like Cao¡¯er makes the final decision more often?¡± Yu Hai feigned an aggrieved expression, making the entire familyugh. Yu Haiughed so much that his ribs started to hurt, but he still couldn¡¯t stop.


    Little Shitou joined in the fun and eximed, ¡°We¡¯ll listen to whoever is right! Second Sister is our family¡¯s cash cow right now, so in terms of making money, we can¡¯t go wrong as long as we listen to Second Sister!!¡±


    Everyone burst out inughter again and teased Little Shitou for being a little money-grubber...


    Yu Xiaocao really liked the atmosphere at home. Her father didn¡¯t have the autocratic and dictatorial characteristics of a feudal parent at all. He would just be somewhat pedantic asionally. Her mother waspletely devoted to her children. Her gentle motherly love and tolerant feelings provided the children with enough freedom to mature. The genuine concern and friendly affections among the siblings let her gradually forget her previous life, and truly regard herself as a member of the family.


    The following days were busy and fulfilling. Every night, they had to work overtime to make braised food and pickled fish to be sold the next day, which Xiaolian and Xiaocao took turns to sell at the docks. On the days that she didn¡¯t need to go to the docks, Xiaocao would plow the fields that had been harvested and nt new vegetables seeds.


    The current temperature was more suitable for growing vegetables. With the addition of the little divine stone¡¯s strengthened powers, the mystic-stone water¡¯s ability to elerate growth had enhanced. Hence, they could almost harvest a batch of vegetables every ten days. In other words, when other people¡¯s vegetables were still small seedlings, the Yu Family was already selling their second crop of vegetables.


    Along with the new batch of crops, the vegetables with slightly longer growth periods, which were nted in the four mu ofnd in the backyard, were also ready to be sold at the market. String beans, cucumbers, eggnts, and hyacinth beans... The Yao Residence would almoste over daily to buy vegetables. Sure enough, the person responsible for purchasing the vegetables was Xiaosi, who was familiar with the Yu Family!


    Last time, the Yao Family had gotten the limelight during Old Master Yao¡¯s birthday banquet. Most of the guests were richndlords in and around town. Which household had the financial resources to grow vegetables in a greenhouse? In Tanggu Town, those who could eat green leafy vegetables could be counted with one hand.


    At the Yao Family¡¯s birthday banquet, not only did they have a variety of vegetables, they also provided a sufficient quantity of the greens to ensure that the guest ate to their heart¡¯s content. Furthermore, the vegetables that had been watered by the mystic-stone water not only tasted better but also contained a light amount of spiritual energy, which made people want to eat more and more. After that, the Yao Family never stopped purchasing vegetables from them. Although there was spiritual energy in the vegetables, it might be apparent when eaten only once or twice. However, if people continued to eat them for a long period of time, they would gradually realize the benefits of eating these vegetables.


    Old Master Yao was getting old now. He also went through a lot of hard work when he was young, and thus ended up with a lot of pain and illnesses. Ever since he began eating the vegetables bought from the Yu Family, not only did he be more energetic, his health was also getting better and better. In the past, there was a chilly sensation in his bones and joints during rainy and cloudy days. It had been raining continuously this spring, but his rheumatic pains didn¡¯t act up. Recently, many of his old pals said that he appeared much younger after seeing him!


    As the temperature got warmer, there was an increase in vegetables being sold in the food market. The steward who was currently in charge of purchasing goods and necessities felt that it was unnecessary to travel so far to buy vegetables every day, so he instructed his subordinates to go buy the vegetables at the food market. But the members of Yao Family immediately noticed the difference of the vegetables after their first bite. They summoned the servant responsible for buying the vegetables and found out that it wasn¡¯t vegetables from the Yu Family.


    The old master flew into a furious rage. Even though he didn¡¯t fire the purchasing steward for this incident, he assigned an assistant for him. The assistant turned out to be Xiaosi, who often traveled between Dongshan Vige and town. The head of the Yao Family immediately ordered, ¡°In the future, only buy vegetables from the Yu Family! It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s more expensive because the Yao Family doesn¡¯tck that kind of money. It¡¯s fine as long as the old master is happy!¡±


    As a result, the Yao Family became Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s first regr client!


    Their second regr client was none other than Zhenxiu Restaurant. In the absence of new crops, Zhenxiu Restaurant was still able to provide fresh greens. As a result, they had another increase in patrons. Right now, Zhenxiu Restaurant could be described as ¡®filled with guests every day, full house every day¡¯! A lot of times, when people wanted to go eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant, they still needed to make an appointment or wait in line!


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t all due to the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables, but also partly because Zhenxiu Restaurant introduced a new dish¡ªroasted chicken!


    Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken was absolutely delicious! Rongxuan Academy¡¯s Headmaster Yuan was a renowned gourmet. After tasting it, hemented, ¡°The meat is tender and chewy, andes right off the bone. With a brilliant color, the whole chicken is round and full. It has a perfectly savory and delicious taste. A unique taste with a lingering fragrance!¡± Not only did he finish an entire roasted chicken alone, he also packaged several back! His action caused his grandson, Yuan Yunxi, to feel extremely speechless.


    Speaking of this roasted chicken, Head Chef Wang had wasted around twenty chickens as he tried to perfect the recipe. However, he was still unsessful after many attempts. With no other choice, Third Young Master Zhou personally took him to Dongshan Vige to ¡®learn from the teacher¡¯.


    There were more than ten procedures when preparing a small roasted chicken. It needed to be ughtered, scalded, massaged, washed, plucked, simmered, nched, dried, fried, braised, and more. Each step needed to be carried out in strict ordance with the cooking instructions. The ingredients for the roasted chicken also needed to be meticulously prepared. In addition, it was also very important to have an urate grasp of the duration and degree of heat when cooking the roasted chicken. Therefore, Yu Xiaocao had to personally demonstrate three times before Head Chef Wang finally mastered the skill.


    As soon as the roasted chicken was introduced, it quickly created a new trend. ¡®If you haven¡¯t eaten Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken, then you¡¯re too behind on the trend!¡¯ Anyone, who had a bit of money and status, would be too embarrassed to go outside if they hadn¡¯t tried this delicacy from Zhenxiu Restaurant because they were afraid of being asked! The greetings from friends and neighbors be, ¡°Have you tried Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken? It tasted...¡±


    Oftentimes, except for the ones reserved for the private rooms, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chickens would be immediately sold out right after they were taken out of the pot. It had actually reached the point when the demand exceeded the supply. The reservations for the roasted chickens had already reached next month! For a period of time, it created a situation in which it was difficult to even get a chicken!


    As a result, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s private room had also be very popr. This was because only the customers dining in the private rooms wouldn¡¯t have to line up to eat the authentic roasted chicken. With that said, was it even possible for Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s business not to be flourishing?

 Chapter 128 – The Reason for Her Visit

    <h4>Chapter 128 ¨C The Reason for Her Visit</h4>


    The poprity of the roasted chicken also led to the increase of people raising chickens in the viges around Tanggu Town. An example would be Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s neighbor, the Zhou Family, who had raised one to two hundred chickens in their home. They didn¡¯t sell very well during the New Year, and thus caused Madam Fang to be so worried that she didn¡¯t even eat or sleep well.


    No one would have expected that after Zhenxiu Restaurant came out with the hot-selling dish, roasted chicken, it would also cause the demand for chickens to increase day by day. The price of chickens was also nearly 1/3 higher than usual. As a result, Madam Fang didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to sell her family¡¯s chickens at all. They had over a hundred chicks hatched at the beginning of spring, and they were still going around to buy more chicks. She had heard from Shanhu that their family was nning on raising four to five hundred chickens this year, which would all be supplied to Zhenxiu Restaurant!


    As for the connection between the Zhou Family and Zhenxiu Restaurant, it was all thanks to the Yu Family! Like the Yao Family, Zhenxiu Restaurant also sent a carriage to transport the vegetables that they bought from the Yu Family every day. Zhenxiu Restaurant would purchase arge quantity of vegetables and the Yu Family was too busy, so Madam Fang would bring her two daughters over to help out.


    Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s purchasing staff, Qian Xiaoduo, mentioned that the restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken was selling very well. The other staff, who was responsible for buying the chickens, had been running around all the surrounding viges so much that his legs had slimmed down.


    Yu Xiaocao took this opportunity and mentioned the Zhou Family, ¡°Auntie Zhou¡¯s family raises hundreds of chickens! Older Brother Xiaoduo, when youe to buy vegetables in the future, you can also get the chickens and bring them back with you!¡±


    Did it really matter where they bought the chickens from? With the current hot demand for Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken, one or two hundreds of chickens could be sold in just a few days! Qian Xiaoduo was certainly willing to do this favor for Xiaocao and immediately agreed. The next day, he brought some people over to bring back most of the Zhou Family¡¯s chickens!


    The Yu Family¡¯s other neighbor, Madam Mao, was green with envy. It was unknown how she found out that Xiaocao was the one who came up with the recipe for Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken, but one evening, she came to their house with two plump ducks and a basket of duck eggs.


    ¡°Oh! Brother Dahai, you know how to make this too?!¡± As soon as Madam Mao entered the courtyard, she saw Yu Hai weaving a bamboo basket under the faint light of antern.


    Yu Hai skillfully braided the bamboo strips together in a crisscross pattern. He looked up upon hearing the sound and saw Madam Mao. He stopped what he was doing and greeted her with a smile, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Older Sister-inw Qian. Quicklye inside and sit down. Muyun, Older Sister-inw Qian is here...¡±


    ¡°Brother Dahai, is Xiaocao home?¡± Madam Mao looked into the main room and only saw Madam Liu, who came out after putting down the clothes she was sewing, and thus she asked.


    Yu Hai nodded and said, ¡°Yes! She¡¯s in the east room. Older Sister-inw Qian, do you need Xiaocao for something? I¡¯ll go get her for you.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! I¡¯ll go find her in the east room... Our family raised these two ducks ourselves. Here, take them to eat.¡± Madam Mao looked around, and then simply took the ducks and duck eggs into the Yu Family¡¯s kitchen.


    Yu Hai raised his eyebrows in surprise, ¡®This Madam Mao has always been someone who would haggle over every penny, and no one should even think about getting a single penny out of her hands. But of course, she also rarely took advantage of others. Although she spoke rudely at times, she wasn¡¯t someone difficult to get along with. Why was she suddenly so generous today, to send gifts to my family?¡¯


    Madam Liu quickly went forward and declined, ¡°Older Sister-inw Qian, it¡¯s not easy for you to raise these ducks at home. We can¡¯t ept them!¡±


    ¡°Our family¡¯s ducks don¡¯t cost much money. You see, when your family moved in, our family was busy and didn¡¯te over for the housewarming. We live close by and close neighbors are better than distant rtives. So, we¡¯ll be interacting and helping each other more in the future. Moreover, your family¡¯s Shitou and our family¡¯s Qian Wen goes to the same school. They¡¯re as close as brothers. So, what¡¯s wrong with giving a few ducks to the children to eat?¡± Sure enough, Madam Mao was an excellent speaker, who spoke without even pausing as if she was pouring beans.


    Madam Liu picked up the ducks that Madam Mao put down, and then stuffed it back into her hands as she said, ¡°Older Sister-inw! Your family isn¡¯t well-off either. You should keep these ducks and duck eggs to sell!¡±


    With the mention of selling ducks, Madam Mao¡¯s face was covered with a cloud of sorrows. She sighed heavily and said, ¡°I¡¯ll speak honestly with Younger Sister-inw. The heavy snowstorm at the beginning of winter has also negatively affected the sales of our ducks. Raising ducks for nearly a year, not only cost efforts, but it also requires a lot of food. If we can¡¯t sell them, we will be losing a lot of money and time. We still owe half a year of Wen¡¯er¡¯s tuition... Also, these duck eggs, the townsfolk think that the eggs taste fishy and don¡¯t like to eat them. So I can only helplessly watch as they go bad.¡±


    Every family had their own problems. Madam Liu listened with deep sympathy, but she could only console Madam Mao with feeble words.


    ¡°Younger Sister-inw, I heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant got the recipe for the roasted chicken from your family. The head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant had personallye to your house to learn it. Furthermore, you guys were the ones who rmended Zhou Family¡¯s chickens to Zhenxiu Restaurant. Is that true?¡± Madam Mao stared fixedly at Madam Liu, full of anticipation.


    Madam Liu nced hesitantly at her husband. She didn¡¯t know what Madam Mao, who wouldn¡¯t do anything without benefits, meant by asking this question.


    Yu Hai walked over slowly and lowered his voice to say, ¡°I won¡¯t hide it from Older Sister-inw! The recipe for the roasted chicken really dide from our family¡¯s Cao¡¯er. But no matter how you found out this news, please don¡¯t spread it out to others.¡±


    With an expression that showed she understood, Madam Mao also spoke with a lowered voice, ¡°Brother Dahai, rest assured. I, this Older Sister-inw, isn¡¯t a bbermouth! But there¡¯s something I don¡¯t quite understand. With such a good recipe, why didn¡¯t you guys set up your own roasted chicken business, but instead benefitted Zhenxiu Restaurant?¡±


    Yu Hai thought about it and said, ¡°We have been doing business with Zhenxiu Restaurant for some time now. Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Third Young Master Zhou usually takes good of us. As for the roasted chicken business, we are short on manpower and also afraid of bringing trouble to our family. Thus, it¡¯s better to sell the recipe!¡±


    The Yu Family were only ordinary people, who had no power or status. Based on the current poprity and excessive demand for the roasted chicken, had it been the Yu Family selling the dish, it would had definitely attracted devious people who would want to obtain their recipe. At that time, not only would they not be able to keep the recipe, their entire family might be ruined if they encountered someone ruthless.


    Madam Mao had also straightened out her thoughts. She nodded thoughtfully, but a momentter, she couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Did you guys sell the recipe to Zhenxiu Restaurant for a good price? Don¡¯t be deceived by others!¡±


    Of course, Yu Hai wouldn¡¯t be so foolish as to reveal his family¡¯s financial situation to others. He answered vaguely, ¡°The young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant is an honest person, so he offered us a reasonable price...¡±


    Madam Mao also realized that it was inappropriate to ask him this question, so she hastily apologized, ¡°Just look at this mouth of mine. Why am I being so nosy? Oh right, Xiaocao isn¡¯t asleep yet, is she? I need her help with something.¡±


    ¡°Nope! Shitou came home for break, so the siblings are learning how to read from him!¡± His youngest daughter said that if their business got bigger in the future, they would need to replenish their stocks, do bookkeeping, and sign contracts. So, it was absolutely out of the question for them to not be able to read and write. Everyone in the family, including him and his wife, had to learn how to read and write.


    As Madam Mao followed Yu Hai and his wife and headed to the east room, she said, ¡°Your children really love learning. Our family¡¯s Qian Wu would throw a tantrum whenever we tell him to study. I understand now that he¡¯s not suitable for studying. In the future, he won¡¯t even be able to enter an ordinary school in town, let alone Rongxuan Academy!¡±


    ¡°Wuzi is still young, so he hasn¡¯t matured yet! It will be betterter!!¡± Madam Liu pushed open the door of the east room as sheforted her. The children were currently using water to write on the table with their hands under the light of the oilmp.


    Madam Liu chided them upon seeing this, ¡°Didn¡¯t we buy paper and brushes for you guys to practice writing with? Why aren¡¯t you using them?¡±


    Xiaolian lifted her head and smiled at her, ¡°Don¡¯t we have to use money to buy the paper and brushes? We want to wait until we¡¯re better at writing before practicing on paper! Mother, when you gave birth to Xiaocao, were you biased and gave all the good qualities to her? She was born to hurt our ego!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Cao¡¯er, did you bully your older sister?¡± With a bright smile on her face, Madam Liu red at Xiaocao and asked.


    Yu Xiaocao pouted and had an aggrieved expression on her face, ¡°I didn¡¯t! Mother, you¡¯re falsely using me!¡±


    Yu Hang was able to sit up now. He was holding a book and working hard to read the characters on it. Seeing this scene, he smiled and said, ¡°Mother, Xiaolian is ming you for giving birth to such a smart younger sister, who simply remembers everything with one look. It makes us seem really stupid inparison.¡±


    ¡°Is it my fault that I¡¯m smart?¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that she was being excluded. She blinked her big eyes and stared at her mother pitifully, requesting forfort.


    ¡°Younger Sister-inw, your children have such a good rtionship! Unlike my three children. The eldest is slightly better since he has matured after going to school. But Wuzi and his younger sister fight every day. It seriously gives me a headache!¡± Madam Mao wanted to ask them for a favor, so she was very generous with herpliments. She was desperately giving out praises as if they were freebies.


    ¡°Hello, Auntie!¡±


    ¡°Why did Auntiee over?¡±


    ¡°Auntie, quicklye sit on the kang bed.¡±


    The kids all greeted her at the same time.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get up. Xiaosha, it seems like your injury has gotten a lot better. Auntie brought over two ducks and a basket of duck eggs. They¡¯re good for nourishing your body.¡± Madam Mao was quite skilled in conducting herself.


    With a warm smile on his face, Yu Hang replied in a well-behaved manner, ¡°Thank you Auntie! I have troubled you.¡±


    Yu Hai turned to tell Xiaocao, ¡°Cao¡¯er, your Auntie Qian is looking for you...¡±


    ¡°Auntie, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Yu Xiaocao was somewhat puzzled. Did the sun rise from the west today? Madam Mao had actually sent their family a present. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just some small gift. It was two ducks and a basket of duck eggs. She had really gone all out. So it turned out that ¡®no one ever visits a temple without a reason¡¯ ah!


    Madam Mao looked at the other people in the room and seemed a little embarrassed to speak. Xiaocao considerately got off the kang bed and took her to the courtyard. She whispered, ¡°Auntie, if there¡¯s something I can help you, you can tell me directly!¡±


    Madam Mao told her about the poor sales of her ducks and how they didn¡¯t have enough money to pay for her eldest son¡¯s tuition after the New Year. After that, she stammered, ¡°Look, can youe up with a good dish that uses duck as the main ingredient?! If not... using duck eggs would be fine too! It¡¯s best... it¡¯s best if it¡¯s a dish that Zhenxiu Restaurant will be interested in...¡±


    In the darkness, Madam Mao¡¯s face was burning hot. She really didn¡¯t ask for favors very often, especially when the other party was a child who hadn¡¯t even reached the age of ten.


    Immediately, a series of dishes, such as salted duck, osmanthus duck, pipa duck, duck seasoned with soy sauce, and roasted duck, emerged with Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mind. It was easy to handle duck eggs too. They could be used to make delicacies like century eggs, tofu with century eggs, and congee with lean pork and century eggs.


    But she didn¡¯t immediately agree to her request. She only promised to try it out and made it clear that it may not necessarily seed.

 Chapter 129 – Not Poisonous

    <h4>Chapter 129 ¨C Not Poisonous</h4>


    Madam Mao breathed a sigh of relief and said, ¡°Thank you very much! Even the famous chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant praised you for your great talent in cooking. So you will definitely be able to make a delicious duck dish. You can experiment with these two ducks first. If it¡¯s not enough, Auntie can bring more over. Xiaocao, I¡¯ll leave this matter in your hands then!¡±


    ¡°Auntie, with our families¡¯ rtionship, there¡¯s no need to be so courteous. But, let¡¯s make things clear first. If it¡¯s sessful, the recipe belongs to me. As for the sales of your family¡¯s ducks, I can help rmend them to Qian Xiaoduo.¡± Yu Xiaocao made things clear beforehand.


    Madam Mao wasn¡¯t someone unreasonable, so she repeatedly nodded her head, ¡°Yes, of course! It should be so! Auntie is already very grateful that you¡¯re willing to help me sell my family¡¯s ducks. Would I still be considered a human, if I were to covet the recipe that you came up with?¡±


    After sending away Madam Mao, who was expressing her gratitude over and over again, Yu Xiaocao entered the house. When faced with a room full of ¡®interrogating¡¯ eyes, she honestly gave a brief exnation of the purpose of Madam Mao¡¯s visit.


    After hearing that, Madam Liu sighed and said, ¡°As fellow vigers, even if they didn¡¯t bring gifts over, we would also help them out if they had encountered difficulties. But, Cao¡¯er, can you reallye up with a dish that uses duck as the main ingredient?¡±


    Yu Hai stopped her and said, ¡°Muyun, don¡¯t give the child pressure! Our Cao¡¯er isn¡¯t a short-sighted person. If she didn¡¯t have any ideas at all, she wouldn¡¯t have easily epted those ducks and duck eggs!¡±


    Xiaolianughed and said, ¡°Youngest Sister, have a good sleep tonight. Perhaps someone will teach you how to prepare the ducks and duck eggs in your dreams!¡±


    The whole familyughed and chatted together, and from time to time, a burst of cheerful and sweetughter could be heard.


    In the end, the head of the family, Yu Hai, ordered, ¡°Everyone, quickly go to bed! Spring plowing will begin tomorrow. Xiaocao, take Little Gray when you go to the wharf tomorrow morning. Your mother, Xiaolian, and I will go plow the three plots of sandynd!


    ¡°Father, are we still nting sweet potatoes in the fields?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked casually.


    Yu Hai stroked her soft hair and replied in a gentle voice, ¡°What else would we nt other than sweet potatoes? Other crops can¡¯t produce much on sandy soil!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao abruptly asked, ¡°Sandy soil is the best ce to grow watermelons. Father, can we somehow get some watermelon seeds?¡±


    ¡°Watermelon? Never heard of it. How about... tomorrow I¡¯ll go to the grain store in town and ask?¡± Yu Hai trusted his daughter unconditionally. Even if it was something he had never heard of before, he would still do his best to help his daughter achieve what she wanted.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t hold much hope. Watermelon wasn¡¯t a grain, so why would the grain store have the seeds?


    The rest of the night quietly passed by. The next day, when the first light of the day shone on the seedlings in the garden, all the members of the Yu Family had already gotten up. Yu Xiaocao wanted to wait for Qian Xiaoduo, and then ask him to send a message to Third Young Master Zhou. So, it was still Xiaolian who went to the docks. Third Young Master Zhou was someone who had even been to the capital so he must be experienced and knowledgeable, and thus he should know what a watermelon was. It would be even better if he could help her buy some watermelon seeds.


    Yu Hai thought that it wasn¡¯t a good idea for no one to be home since there would be peopleing to buy vegetablester, so he left his youngest daughter at home. (Yu Hang: Am I not a person?)


    Shortly afterwards, Madam Fang came over with her two daughters. She entered the gates and asked, ¡°Are you guys still harvesting the crops in the backyard today?¡±


    ¡°Auntie Zhou, I feel so apologetic to see youing over to help every day!¡± Yu Xiaocao expressed her gratitude in a very polite manner.


    ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re being too courteous! It¡¯s only right for neighbors to help each other out. If it hadn¡¯t been for you, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to sell our family¡¯s chickens. There are only a few hens and chicks at home now, so we don¡¯t have much work to do. Since we¡¯re so free, we might as welle over to see if there¡¯s anything we can help out with!¡± Madam Fang was a very close friend of Madam Liu. So Xiaocao didn¡¯t know what to say anymore when she spoke in the manner of ¡®no need to treat one family as two¡¯.


    Zhou Linglong smiled quietly, picked up the bamboo basket in the yard, and went to the rear courtyard. The younger sister, Zhou Shanhu, joked, ¡°Xiaocao, if you feel bad about it, you just need to send us a bowl whenever you make delicious food in the future!¡±


    The littless still remembered the delicious taste of the ¡®tofu and chicken blood soup¡¯ that she atest time. She felt that even her mother¡¯s best dish, stewed meat, wasn¡¯t as good as that dish, which was made of simple and crude ingredients. She was also a lurking little glutton.


    Just as they were speaking, Madam Mao also came. Her bright and clear voice could be heard even before she had entered the courtyard, ¡°I¡¯m notte, am I? Are you guys about to begin gathering the vegetables?¡±


    ¡°Madam Mao? Why are you here?¡± Madam Fang asked curiously. Madam Mao had never taken the initiative to help others. Was the sun rising from the west?


    Madam Mao rolled her eyes at her and said, ¡°What? You¡¯re allowed toe help, but I¡¯m not? We¡¯re all neighbors, so why can¡¯t Ie over to help?¡±


    Madam Fang knew her speaking style, so she continued to speak in a gentle manner, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way. You have a lot of things to take care of at home, so Muyun wouldn¡¯t mind even if you don¡¯te over.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Hurry up and work!¡± Madam Mao readily picked up a bamboo basket and followed the Zhou sisters to the backyard.


    Seeing the satisfying-looking vegetables, Madam Mao couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Xiaocao, your family really knows how to grow vegetables. Just look at those greens, how gratifying! Our family nted our fields around the same time as yours, and also used straw thatches to keep the crops warm, but it still doesn¡¯t look as good as your family¡¯s! Last time it was cold duringte spring, we didn¡¯t manage to cover the fields with straw thatches, so a lot of the crops quickly froze to death. Many of the vegetables still haven¡¯t gotten better yet.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?! Our family¡¯s vegetables also don¡¯t look as good as Muyun¡¯s family¡¯s! Muyun has always been good at tending the fields even before she got married!¡± Madam Fang agreed with her as she continued to pluck cucumbers from their vines. The fresh and juicy cucumbers exuded an attractive scent that made them seem refreshing with just a look.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly, squatted down, and then ced the eggnts she plucked into the basket. The air was good at the foot of the mountain, and the eggnts were clean and fresh. There was no need to wash them with water at all.


    Zhou Shanhu picked a tomato that had ripened early, and wondered, ¡°What is this? A persimmon? But don¡¯t persimmons grow on trees?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao exined to her in a soft voice, ¡°It looks like a persimmon, but it¡¯s not. It¡¯s called ¡®tomato¡¯ and was exported here from a foreignnd. It¡¯s also called wolf peach. Try it. It¡¯s sweet and sour, and rather tasty!¡±


    She originally thought that tomatoes had not been introduced into China at this time, and had just nonchntly mentioned it to Third Young Master Zhou. But she hadn¡¯t expected that Third Young Master would actually get the seeds for her. As a result of nting them a little toote, only a few ripe tomatoes could be found from time to time.


    ¡°Wolf peach? So this is what a wolf peach looks like!¡± Zhou Shanhu¡¯s father and older brother were street vendors, so they were naturally more knowledgeable than the ordinary folks.


    Upon hearing this, Zhou Linglong snatched the tomato from her younger sister¡¯s hands and said to Xiaocao, ¡°My father said that wolf peach is poisonous, and rich families only admire it as an ornament. Why is your family growing this?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao found another ripe tomato, wiped it with her sleeves, and then disregarded the Zhou¡¯s sisters¡¯ hindrance and took a big bite. The sweet juice immediately filled her mouth. Tomatoes watered by the mystic-stone water tasted even better than the ones she ate in her past life. They could be just be eaten as fruits.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± When faced with the Zhou sisters¡¯ terrified gazes, Xiaocao smiled and revealed her spotlessly white and neat teeth. She said, ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Third Young Master Zhou said that ripe tomatoes aren¡¯t poisonous. Moreover, Zhenxiu Restaurant also uses tomatoes in their dishes!¡±


    She used Third Young Master Zhou to increase the credibility of her words. She didn¡¯t know whether the people of this time period had discovered the edibility of tomatoes or not. However, it would definitely be confirmed in the future.


    ¡°Is it really edible?¡± After hearing Xiaocao¡¯s words, Zhou Shanhu had already believed her for the most part. Seeing that Xiaocao was still fine after eating an entire wolf peach, the Zhou sisters finally believed that wolf peaches were edible.


    After eating the sweet tomato, Yu Xiaocao was full of strength and continued to bend down to pick eggnts. When she lifted her head, she saw that the Zhou sisters¡¯ were still studying the tomato. So she said, ¡°Tomatoes are really delicious. You guys will know after tasting it.¡±


    ¡°No need. We¡¯re just wondering why there would be a rumor that such a beautiful tomato is poisonous. It¡¯s really strange! You guys still need to sell these tomatoes!¡± Zhou Shanhu had a slightly more lively personality, but she wasn¡¯t a greedy person.


    Yu Xiaocao straightened her waist and walked around the tomato field. She found several tomatoes that had ripened early and stuffed one into each of their hands, and then gave one to Madam Fang and Madam Mao respectively. She said, ¡°There¡¯s only a few, so we can¡¯t really sell them anyways! Come on, try it! Let me know what price we should sell them for.¡±


    After declining several times, they decided not to be so courteous anymore when they heard what she said. Zhou Shanhu eagerly stuffed the tomato into her mouth and took a big bite. The red juice flowed down the corner of her mouth, so she hastily licked it back and said, ¡°So sweet! It¡¯s really tasty!! It¡¯s even better than a lot of the fruits that I have eaten! Xiaocao, I think you can just sell these tomatoes as fruits!¡±


    Zhou Linglong acted in much more reserved manner. She copied how Xiaocao ate it earlier by taking a small bite first, and then she softly sucked it. The tomato juice inside was sweet and sour, and it tasted very good. She nodded her head in agreement with her younger sister¡¯s words. Madam Mao and Madam Fang were also full of praises.


    ¡°Xiaocao, it seems like someone is knocking on your family¡¯s gates!¡± Zhou Shanhu had finished eating her tomato and was now enviously staring at her older sister, as if she was ¡®Zhu Bajie [1] eating a ginseng fruit¡¯. She had good ears, and heard a knocking sounding from the front gates.


    After experiencing Madam Zhang and her daughter-inw¡¯s disturbancest time, the Yu Family would lock all the doors when there was no one in the front yard.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly ran to the front yard, while still holding onto two tomatoes. As soon as she got out of the backyard, she saw her older brother holding onto the door and walking out carefully. He was obviously trying to walk outside.


    ¡°Older Brother! Stop causing trouble!! It takes a hundred days to fully recover from serious injuries. The doctor said you will need to rest for at least three months before you can get out of bed. Quickly lie down on the recliner. I¡¯ll open the door!!¡± Yu Xiaocao stuffed the tomatoes into her older brother¡¯s hands and helped him lie down on the recliner.


    Yu Hang sighed helplessly, ¡°I feel that my ribs are almost healed. I don¡¯t feel much pain as long as I don¡¯t make vigorous movements... ow!¡±


    ¡°It hurts, right? Pain means that the bones haven¡¯t recovered yet! Be obedient and rest!!¡± Yu Xiaocao lightly pushed his chest. She red at him when she saw him reveal a painful expression.


    Yu Hang looked at the back view of Xiaocao, who went to open the door, and muttered, ¡°Little steward! Can¡¯t believe you would actually do that...¡±


    [1] Zhu Bajie (Öí°Ë½ä) ¨C one of the main characters in Journey to the West, who has pig-like characteristics

 Chapter 130 – Visitors

    <h4>Chapter 130 ¨C Visitors</h4>


    ¡°Eldest Maternal Uncle, Second Maternal Uncle, Eldest Maternal Aunt! Third Uncle? Why are you guys here?¡± Yu Xiaocao unlocked thetch, opened the door, and saw several people standing in front of the door. She couldn¡¯t help but cry out in surprise.


    Xiaocao¡¯s third uncle, Yu Jiang, looked inside the courtyard and smiled, ¡°I heard from Second Brother that you¡¯re alone at home picking vegetables today. There must be a lot of work, right? Your eldest granduncle told me toe over to help you.¡±


    ¡°I can manage. Auntie Zhou and two older sisters came over to help. There¡¯s also Auntie Qian!¡± Xiaocao quickly guided them into the yard.


    Eldest Maternal Uncle Liu Pei¡¯s hair was dripping wet from either the morning dew, or the sweat from hastily running over. With a smile on his simple and honest face, he loudly asked, ¡°Xiaocao, did your father go to the fields? Let¡¯s quickly go over to help them then!¡±


    Seeing that they didn¡¯t need his help at home, Yu Jiang turned to Xiaocao¡¯s two maternal uncles and said, ¡°Do the two older brothers know the way to the fields? I came over to help too. Since there¡¯s not much to help out with at home, I¡¯ll go help turn up the soil! Come, I¡¯ll take you guys over!¡±


    Xiaocao finally understood the reason for her uncles¡¯ visit. She was moved by their intention and said, ¡°Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, you guys have much morend to work on at home. Everyone is busy with spring plowing right now. If you guys came over here, would Grandfather and the rest of the family be able to handle all the work?¡±


    Eldest Maternal Aunt caressed Xiaocao¡¯s fair, delicate face and wiped off the dirt on her chin. She smiled and said, ¡°Your maternal grandfather is worried about your family¡¯s spring plowing work. He said that your father¡¯s leg isn¡¯t very nimble and Xiaosha is injured. So, since your family has lessnd, we should help plow and sow your family¡¯s fields first!¡±


    Yu Jiang also smiled and said, ¡°Our family also thought that way. Many hands make light work! With us here to help, it would take less than half a day to plow your family¡¯s three plots ofnd.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Why is it so lively today?¡± Qian Xiaoduo drove the carriage and trotted over. From afar, he had seen a number of people standing in front of the Yu Family¡¯s old residence. He was afraid that something had happened, so he elerated the speed of the horse carriage and rushed over quickly.


    ¡°Older Brother Xiaoduo, you came pretty early today. We haven¡¯t even finished gathering the vegetables. You can sit in the yard, take a sip of water, and rest for a bit.¡± Yu Xiaocao had noticed that he usually came with the Yao Family¡¯s Xiaosi, so she looked behind him. Sure enough, the Yao Family¡¯s horse carriage wasing over.¡±


    Qian Xiaoduoughed bitterly and said, ¡°Miss Yu, our young boss treats you as his younger sister. So how can this lowly one let you call me ¡®older brother¡¯? Please just call me Xiaoduo!¡±


    ¡°You are you and he is he! Our rtionships don¡¯t interfere with one another!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled sincerely.


    Liu Pei looked at the sky, and then told his wife, ¡°You don¡¯t have to go to the fields. Stay here to help gather the vegetables and with the cooking. Xiaocao, we¡¯ll go to the fields first.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, you guys have rushed over from so far away. Have a drink of water and rest for a bit!¡± Her maternal grandmother¡¯s family lived in Xishan Vige. Whening over, they needed to travel across a big mountain. Seeing that her uncles¡¯ trouser legs were wet from the morning dew, she knew that they had set out before dawn.


    ¡°No need! We¡¯ll go plow the fields first!¡± Second Maternal Uncle Liu Han had a more quiet temperament and didn¡¯t talk much.


    Seeing that she couldn¡¯t get them to stay, Xiaocao got water bags from the kitchen and filled them with diluted mystic-stone water. Then, she had her uncles take the water bags with them. Not only would drinking the mystic-stone water quench their thirst, but it could also eliminate fatigue.


    Under Yu Jiang¡¯s lead, her maternal uncles set out to the fields. Xiaosi¡¯s carriage has also arrived at the entrance and began unloading the bamboo baskets. The bamboo baskets used to pack the vegetables were all made by Yu Hai. They needed arge quantity of baskets every day, so when he was free at night, he would chop some bamboo and weave baskets.


    ¡°Miss Xiaocao! Starting today, we need double the amount of vegetables. Our old master¡¯s friend had a meal at our estate and said that our vegetables tasted better than the ones that they bought! The two families live close by, so they wanted me to help them buy some vegetables.¡±


    The vegetables that the Yao Estate bought were mostly for the master and stewards to eat. They didn¡¯t need a lot every day, so half a carriage was enough. Thus, he was still able to transport the vegetables even after doubling the amount needed.


    Qian Xiaoduo drank all the water that Xiaocao gave him in one breath. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and smiled, ¡°Mountain spring water is surely different. There a sweet taste to it. My whole body is full of strength after drinking it. Xiaosi, drink quickly and start working!¡±


    Every time Qian Xiaoduo came, he would drink a bowl of the Yu Family¡¯s water. Although it was just in water, it was more refreshing than the best tea.


    Xiaosi also swiftly finished drinking his bowl of water. He waved his arm andughed, ¡°Go! Let¡¯s go gather vegetables!¡± These two would help with some work every time they came, as if it was their own home.


    With the addition of threebor forces, the vegetable picking speed was naturally much faster. A few momentster, the empty baskets were filled with fresh and juicy greens.


    Xiaocao washed a few cucumbers and gave one to each person, ¡°They¡¯re homegrown, so don¡¯t act so courteous. Try and see how it tastes!¡±


    Madam Fang refused and shook her head repeatedly, ¡°Your family¡¯s vegetables aren¡¯t sold at a cheap price. These cucumbers probably weigh a few catties, which can be sold for several hundred copper coins. Don¡¯t waste them. Quickly put them in the basket!¡±


    The little glutton Zhou Shanhu had already opened her mouth wide, and just hadn¡¯t put the cucumber into her own mouth yet. She pouted her lips when she heard her mother¡¯s words, but she conscientiously put the cucumber into the bamboo basket.


    Xiaocao quickly stuffed the cucumber back into her hands and said, ¡°You guys have been helping for nearly two hours. What¡¯s the big deal with eating a cucumber? Do you think that our family are misers?¡±


    ¡°This child!¡± Eldest Aunt Madam Han red at her, and then smiled at the people who had helped out, ¡°Although the child¡¯s words sound rude, she is honest and sincere. So just eat! Just eat!¡±


    Seeing that they were still hesitating to eat, Yu Xiaocao broke the cucumbers one by one and showed it to them. She smiled and said, ¡°They¡¯re broken, so they can¡¯t be sold!¡±


    ¡°This kid!¡± Madam Fang didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry. She picked up the broken cucumber and took a bite. The crisp and juicy mouthfeel, and the light and sweet taste, immediately conquered her taste buds.


    ¡°Wow! Xiaocao, even your family¡¯s cucumbers taste better than others!¡± Zhou Shanhu eximed as she ate.


    Of course! Cucumbers watered with the mystic-stone water were not only big but also delicious. Xiaocao naturally couldn¡¯t directly tell them these things, so she just smiled and said, ¡°You just think it¡¯s delicious because it¡¯s the first time you¡¯re eating cucumbers in half a year. Later, when your family¡¯s cucumbers are ripened and you eat too much of them, you won¡¯t think it¡¯s tasty anymore.¡±


    Qian Xiaoduo gnawed on the cucumber in big mouthfuls and grinned, ¡°This cucumber is really good! Miss Xiaocao, what kind of fertilizers do your family use on the fields? The crops grow so well and fast. Yesterday, the cucumbers weren¡¯t even ready to be harvested, but we gathered two baskets today!¡±


    ¡°Eh... the weather has warmed up now, so it¡¯s natural that the vegetables grew slightly faster.¡± Xiaocao made a random excuse. Fortunately, Qian Xiaoduo¡¯s family weren¡¯t farmers and he had just casually asked without the intention to dig deeper into the topic.


    After the vegetables were weighed and the money was paid, Qian Xiaoduo and Xiaosi hurried back. Zhenxiu Restaurant was still waiting for the vegetables since they needed to use them to serve customers.


    Madam Mao and Madam Fang had already left while they were weighing the vegetables. Her eldest maternal aunt, Madam Han, was stunned as she looked at the fifty taels in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands and spoke incessantly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect vegetables in this season to be so expensive! A catty of cucumbers cost thirty copper coins? Isn¡¯t that almost the same price as pork?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at her, gave her a red tomato, and said, ¡°At this time, crops like cucumbers and string beans haven¡¯t ripened yet! The rich people in town want to eat fresh greens and they don¡¯tck the money to buy them! A te of smashed cucumber sd at Zhenxiu Restaurant costs one tael! This price is considered rather trivial for them!¡±


    A te of smashed cucumber sd could be made with just one of Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s cucumbers, so Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s expense was no more than a few dozen copper coins. A te of cucumber could earn them hundredfold in return. Tsk tsk, who else would be able to do this!


    Madam Han noticed that it was still quite early and wanted to go help out in the fields. Xiaocao hastily stopped her and said, ¡°Our family doesn¡¯t have muchnd, so my parents and uncles are enough for the job. Eldest Aunt should sit down for a rest and eat a tomato. Help me clean the duckster.¡±


    ¡°Tomato? I thought it was a persimmon! I was just wondering where you got this persimmon from during this time of the year.¡± Madam Han curiously examined the red tomato in her hands.


    ¡°This is a tomato. We eat it less at this little ce of ours. It is said that people in the capital and some of the bigger cities in the south eat it more often. Tomatoes can be prepared as a cold dish with just some sugar. It can also be stir-fried with eggs, stew soup...¡± Yu Xiaocao motioned her eldest maternal aunt to try it.


    Madam Han noticed that not many tomatoes were harvested, only four or five. So she smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not eating it. Let¡¯s cook itter so everyone can eat it together!¡±


    Xiaocao wanted to say something else, but Madam Han had already stood up and walked to the entrance of the kitchen. She picked up the ducks, which had their legs tied up, and was about to walk to the well.


    ¡°Wait a moment, Eldest Maternal Aunt! I¡¯ll go get arge basin to hold the duck blood!¡± Speaking of duck blood, Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but think of delicious food such as ¡®duck blood stewed with tofu¡¯ and ¡®duck blood soup with vermicelli¡¯.


    Madam Han thought about it and smiled, ¡°It turns out that not only chicken blood, but you can also make delicious food with duck blood ah! So duck giblets can also be eaten then!¡±


    Xiaocao nodded her head and said, ¡°Later, I¡¯ll braise the duck gizzard, duck liver, and duck intestines. We will have another dish for lunch! It¡¯s too bad we don¡¯t have vermicelli for the duck blood. Let¡¯s just make duck blood stewed with tofu then!¡±


    Madam Han skillfully slit the duck¡¯s neck and dripped the blood into the basin. She asked, ¡°Vermicelli? What¡¯s that? Is it tasty?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Aunt hasn¡¯t heard of vermicelli before?¡± Could it be that vermicelli didn¡¯t exist during this era? When did vermicelli appear in history? Xiaocao, who hadn¡¯t graduated from middle school, couldn¡¯t help but be somewhat confused.


    Madam Han shook her head, threw the dead duck on the ground, and picked up the other duck. She asked, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of vermicelli. Is it delicious when stewed with duck blood?¡±


    ¡°Vermicelli can be made with sweet potato flour or mung bean flour. It has a smooth, slippery texture and is very chewy!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up as a new money-making method brewed within her mind.


    After boiling the water and scalding the ducks, there was also the great task of plucking the duck feathers. Xiaocao was responsible for cleaning the duck giblets, as well as braising the offals.


    She prepared to make salted ducks with the two ducks. But, due to time constraints, the curing period for one of the ducks had to be slightly shortened. With her culinary skills, it shouldn¡¯t affect the taste too much.

 Chapter 131 – Breakfast

    <h4>Chapter 131 ¨C Breakfast</h4>


    First, Xiaocao stir-fried salt, pepper, and anise star. Next, she drained the water and cured the ducks with the stir-fried salt for two hours. During this time, she also heated up the braising sauce, and then marinated the ducks with the old braising sauce for another two hours. Thest steps were to cook them and wait for them to cool down. If there was enough time, the time for curing and marinating in old braising sauce should be doubled!


    Just as Yu Xiaocao, with the help of her eldest maternal aunt, was busily making the preparations, her eldest granduncle¡¯s little eight year old grandson ran through the door panting and shouted, ¡°Xiaocao! Second Uncle said your maternal uncles didn¡¯t eat breakfast yet, so just make something simple to fill their stomachs first. They can have a more sumptuous meal in the evening!¡±


    ¡°Yu Zhou, how dare you call me ¡®Xiaocao¡¯? You should call me ¡®older sister¡¯, understand?¡± Xiaocao knocked on the kid¡¯s forehead. Yu Zhou was the son of her oldest uncle from her eldest granduncle¡¯s family. He had a strong and honest appearance, and looked rather cute.


    Yu Zhou made a silly face at her and said reluctantly, ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a little over two months older than me? Look, you¡¯re not even as tall as me. It¡¯s so humiliating to call you ¡®older sister¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m older than you by a day, you will still have to call me ¡®older sister¡¯! Are you going to say it or not? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll go tell Eldest Granduncle!¡± Yu Xiaocao teased him on purpose.


    With a bitter expression on his little face, the little fellow red at Xiaocao and shouted, ¡°Tattletale!¡±


    Xiaocao estimated that the duck liver and intestine being braised in the pot should be about ready, so she went into the kitchen and cut out a piece. As if she was teasing a little puppy, she grinned and said, ¡°Come on, call ¡®older sister¡¯. If you call me ¡®older sister¡¯, you can eat this piece of duck liver ah!¡±


    As soon as Yu Zhou entered the door, he had smelled the scent of braised meat. He inhaled deeply and couldn¡¯t shift his eyes away from the piece of duck liver. He was about to drool as he asked, ¡°Really? If I call you ¡®older sister¡¯, this piece of braised meat will be mine?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was inwardlyughing her head off. She had thought that this kid would have a strong backbone, but it seemed like he was also a little glutton. But, she couldn¡¯t really me him. It was already very fortunate that the vigers usually had enough to eat. There really weren¡¯t many people who could eat meat dishes when it wasn¡¯t some special holiday. It was no wonder that Yu Zhou longed for meat!


    ¡°Of course! When did this Older Sister ever go back on my words?¡± Yu Xiaocao stopped teasing him and looked at him sincerely.


    Yu Zhou had long heard of his second uncle¡¯s family¡¯s braised food. He also often followed his father to the docks, so he had firsthand experience of the poprity of the one copper coin braised dish. In fact, one copper coin wasn¡¯t very expensive, but his father was afraid that Xiaocao and her sister would refuse to ept their money. Thus, they had never bought it before.


    He had pestered his father many times, but he had never seeded. Usually, his father would strictly restrict him and his older brother from visiting Second Uncle¡¯s house because he was afraid that they would arrive while his second uncle¡¯s family was braising food. As a result, he wanted to have a taste of the braised food even in his dreams!


    The little fellow was usually a child with a strong backbone, but his heart was slightly wavering in front of delicious food: ¡®Wasn¡¯t it just calling her older sister? Xiaocao is originally older than me, so there¡¯s nothing shameful about that.¡¯


    With that thought in mind, he blurted out, ¡°Older Sister, Older Sister Xiaocao! This... Is this your family¡¯s one copper coin braised food? My father said your family doesn¡¯t have it easy, so it¡¯s best to save this to sell at the docks!¡±


    Xiaocao saw that he kept swallowing his saliva and his eyes were reluctant to leave the duck liver in her hands, yet he still tried to resist his desire for tasty food. She sighed with emotion inwardly: ¡®The kids in Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family are quite sensible ah!¡¯


    ¡°This duck liver was made for us to eat ourselves. Here, taste it for me! How is it?¡± Yu Xiaocao took a step forward and wanted to stuff the small piece of duck liver into his mouth.


    The little fellow covered his mouth, retreated, and shook his head, ¡°Older Sister Xiaocao, your family has guests today. It¡¯s better to leave them for the guests to eat...¡±


    ¡°What a benevolent child!¡± Eldest Maternal Auntughed and praised as she kneaded the dough to make tbread.


    Yu Xiaocao said with a broad smile, ¡°Alright! Don¡¯t retreat anymore, or else you will step on our family¡¯s vegetables! There¡¯s still a lot of duck liver and duck gizzard in the pot, so it¡¯s fine if you eat one!!¡±


    As she spoke, she grabbed Yu Zhou¡¯s arm and shoved the duck liver into his mouth.


    Yu Zhou had no choice but to eat the piece of duck liver. The duck liver, which was braised with a special braising sauce, was soft and fragrant. That mellow fragrance lingered on the tip of his tongue for a long time. It was so delicious that he could not help but tremble.


    ¡°Older Sister Xiaocao, I heard that you were the one who came up with the idea of braised food! Your culinary skills are amazing!! I have never eaten something so delicious before.¡± Yu Zhou immediately became a loyal fan of Xiaocao¡¯s cooking.


    Xiaocao smiled. To be subdued with just a small piece of duck liver, he was indeed a little glutton, ¡°Yu Zhou, help older sister with something. Go to the neighboring vige¡¯s Old Luo¡¯s family and buy some tofu for me! I¡¯ll treat you to something goodter!¡±


    ¡°I can help you go buy the tofu, but you don¡¯t have to treat me to a meal! Our family has already eaten breakfast!¡± The little foodie Yu Zhou took the two copper coins Xiaocao handed to him and skipped out of the front door.


    Due to Xiaocao¡¯s insistence, the Yu Family had changed their eating habits of eating two meals a day to eating three meals a day. She had already eaten breakfast, but she forgot that her maternal uncles still had the habit of eating two meals a day. It was almost nine in the morning now, so it was time to eat their morning meal!


    It seemed like they had to save the salted duck for tonight. As a result, there would be more than enough time to salt the ducks, and it would also be more vorful by then.


    For the morning meal, Yu Xiaocao prepared to make ¡®duck blood stewed with tofu¡¯, ¡®stir-fried mushrooms with greens¡¯, ¡®braised eggnt¡¯, and ¡®smashed cucumber sd¡¯. The staple food was tbread made with half coarse grain and half wheat flour. There was also a pot of tomato and egg soup.


    After leaving behind a small te of each dish, she and her eldest maternal aunt carried the food basket and pot, and walked valiantly to her family¡¯s field.


    Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family¡¯s farnd was closer to the vige, so she had seen her eldest granduncle¡¯s hale and hearty figure from afar. The old man was working hard in the fields with his eldest son, eldest grandson, and two daughters-inw.


    ¡°Eldest Granduncle, have you eaten yet? Let¡¯s eat together!¡± Yu Xiaocao was quite close to her eldest granduncle. She felt that her eldest granduncle¡¯s family was very kind andpassionate.


    Yu Lichun straightened his waist, stuck the hoe in the ground, and looked over cheerfully. He said, ¡°We have eaten already! Xiaocao, are you bringing food over to your father and uncles?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Eldest Granduncle, Oldest Uncle, eat some more with us!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled sincerely.


    Oldest Paternal Uncle Yu Xi waved his hands at her and said with a smile, ¡°No need! Quickly deliver the food to your father. Don¡¯t starve the guests!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao chatted briefly with her eldest granduncle before she picked up the basket again and walked towards her family¡¯s farnd. It was true that ¡®many hands made light work¡¯! The four men and Madam Liu had already turned up more than half of their three plots ofnd. It looked like they would be able to finish in the afternoon.


    ¡°Father¡ªMother¡ªEldest Maternal Uncle, Second Maternal Uncle, Third Uncle, it¡¯s time to eat!¡± Yu Xiaocao put the basket on the edge of the field and shouted with her hands around her mouth.


    Wang Ergou and his wife was currently eating their meal beside the edge of the field. Wang Ergou sniffed and then looked at Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s food basket with a grin. He moved closer and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, what tasty food did you make? It smells really good!¡±


    Without waiting for Xiaocao to respond, his wife had twisted his ear and pulled him back. She yelled at him, ¡°Are you a child? You actually have the shame to go ask for food? Even if you¡¯re not ashamed, I am!¡±


    When Wang Ergou was young, he was also azy, good-for-nothing loafer, who engaged in misdemeanors. Fortunately, he married a powerful wife. His wife was born in poverty and had strong self-esteem. She had gotten rid of most of Wang Ergou¡¯s bad habits.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Auntie Wang. I cooked a lot of food. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± Yu Xiaocao offered.


    Wang Ergou was overjoyed and was about to agree but his wife pinched him on his waist. Wang Ergou¡¯s wife smiled at Xiaocao and said, ¡°Xiaocao, we¡¯re full already. Auntie is very grateful for your offer¡ªGo, go down to the field! We need to finish plowing these two plots ofnd today...¡±


    Yu Hai, who had arrived at the edge of the field, watched the pitiful-looking Wang Ergou being taken down to the fields to work by his wife. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Erguo¡¯zi is blessed to have such a good wife...¡±


    ¡°Father, you¡¯re also quite lucky ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao winked at Madam Liu¡¯s direction.


    Liu Pei chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Isn¡¯t it your good fortune to be able to marry my younger sister?¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s face turned bright red from her older brother and her daughter¡¯s teasing. She red at them, and then quickly lowered her head todle the soup. Yu Hai, on the other hand, smiled and nodded incessantly, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I have umted three lifetimes of good fortune to be able to marry Muyun!¡±


    ¡°Why are you acting like them?!!¡± Madam Liu¡¯s face was brimming with love as she gave him a chiding gaze. After that, she looked towards the bowl of tomato and egg soup, which looked very appetizing with its red and white colors, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this red thing? It¡¯s not chili pepper, is it?¡±


    ¡°There were a few ripe tomatoes in our backyard, so I made a soup with them. It¡¯s very refreshing. Everyone should try it!¡± The soup should be served before the meal. Yu Xiaocao helped distribute the bowls and chopsticks to everyone¡¯s hand.


    Yu Jiang moved closer and looked at the food basket. He was stunned, ¡°What a sumptuous breakfast ah...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao handed him a bowl of tomato and egg soup and gave him a pair of chopsticks. Yu Jiang didn¡¯t know whether he should ept them or not, ¡°I... I have already eaten...¡±


    ¡°Then eat a little more with us! It¡¯s unreasonable to not provide a meal for you when you helped out with the work.¡± Eldest Aunt helped urge him. Yu Xiaocao also continued to persuade him.


    The duck blood stewed with tofu had conquered everyone¡¯s taste buds. The tofu was smooth and tender, while the duck blood was fresh and tasty. As for the braised duck giblets, the duck gizzard was very chewy, and the duck intestines were very delicious. The stir-fried mushrooms with greens had the perfectbination of colors, fragrance, and taste. It was very refreshing and had the perfect mouthfeel. With a thick sauce, the braised eggnt was glossy and vorful... With the addition of the tomato and egg soup, which they had never eaten before, it was much morevish than the meals that ordinary people served to their rtives.


    ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t we tell you guys to just make something simple? Why did you make so much food?¡± Liu Pei looked at his wife with slight anger, as if he was ming her for not stopping Xiaocao. His younger sister¡¯s family¡¯s living conditions wasn¡¯t very good.


    Yu Xiaocao hastily said, ¡°Eldest Uncle, all the ingredients were homegrown and gathered on the spot, except for the tofu, which cost two copper coins. You guys have worked hard in the fields, so, of course, you have to eat a good meal. Otherwise, how would you have enough strength to work?¡±


    Yu Hai gave his two elder brothers-inw a pancake each, and told his own younger cousin, ¡°This duck blood stewed with tofu should be eaten while it¡¯s still hot. Our Cao¡¯er¡¯s cooking is pretty good. I guarantee that you will want to eat another meal after eating this. Quickly eat! Everyone, quickly eat!¡±


    The men cast away their inhibitions and began eating. They shouted fervent praises as they ate. Yu Hai also chimed in with thepliments, like he was Old Wang selling melons¡ªpraising his own products. Yu Xiaocao was embarrassed by their praises. She smiled and said, ¡°Father, I¡¯m worried about Older Brother being home alone, so I¡¯ll go back first. Just leave the bowls and chopsticks here. I¡¯lle get themter.¡±

 Chapter 132 – Salted Duck

    <h4>Chapter 132 ¨C Salted Duck</h4>


    ¡°Go, go! You don¡¯t need toe backter. It¡¯s fine to let your mother take back the tablewareter. We, as fully-grown men, can finish it soon,¡± Liu Pei said. He poured half a bowl of duck blood stewed with tofu and soaked the tbread in the stew. Then, he proceeded to gulp down the soup with relish.


    Yu Hai also agreed with his eldest brother-inw¡¯s words. He said to Xiaocao, ¡°Hurry and take your eldest maternal aunt back home to eat, or else the food is going to get cold.¡±


    After she finished eating, Xiaocao put all her energy into making salted duck. The salted duck that she made was an improved version of the Nanjing salted duck¡¯s recipe. After all, she didn¡¯t have all the seasoning and spices she needed for the original recipe. However, she realized that she can improve the braised food¡¯s taste by using the mystic-stone water to braise the food, making it much tastier than before.


    Looking at the time, the marinating and braising process should bepleted. Xiaocao looked outside like a thief and she saw her eldest maternal aunt and Xiaolian, who had returned home from selling braised food. They were busy tending the vegetable field, so Xiaocao was at ease as she summoned the little divine stone.


    [Why did you call this Divine Stone toe out?] A ray of golden lightning rapidly entered the kitchen, and then a haughty voice emerged within Xiaocao¡¯s mind.


    Xiaocao bent over and carried the little fellow on the palm of her hand. She gently stroke its fur as she smiled tteringly at it. The little divine stone felt veryfortable as it squinted its eyes and purred, [Tell me, what do you need this lord to help you with?]


    Ever since the little divine stone heard the emperor emeritus, whose alias was Fifth Lord, call himself ¡®this lord¡¯, it had also started to call itself that from time to time, feeling that it seemed rather chic.


    ¡°One of the two ducks need to be slightly air-dried. My omnipotent Lord Glutinous Dumpling, can you help me?¡± Yu Xiaocao used her fingers to scratch the little kitten¡¯s chin as she fawned over him.


    [Humph! You¡¯re bothering this Divine Stone over such a trifle matter?] Although the little divine stone felt veryfortable as Xiaocao scratched him, there was a sense of impatience within its tone.


    [Seeing that you have served this lord very well, I¡¯ll reluctantly help you again just this once!] The little golden kitten waved one of its paws, and one of the pickled ducks quickly shriveled and dried at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.


    When Xiaocao saw that it looked about ready, she quickly told the little divine stone to stop. If the duck was dried out too much, it would also impact the salted duck¡¯s taste.


    At this time, the men had returned from the fields. She could hear Liu Pei blustering loudly, ¡°Younger Sister, your family¡¯s sweet potatoes haven¡¯t sprouted yet, right? That¡¯s okay since your family doesn¡¯t have a lot ofnd. We can just bring some over from our fields. It won¡¯t interfere with the sweet potatoes¡¯ growth.¡±


    Yu Hai gulped down a few mouthfuls of cooled boiled water. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°We¡¯re not going to nt sweet potatoes this year. Xiaocao said she wants to try and nt some watermelons. She just asked the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant help her find some seeds.¡±


    ¡°Watermelon? Will that thing be filling enough?¡± The two brothers, Liu Pei and Liu Han, had never heard of watermelons before, so they couldn¡¯t help but ask in unison. It was inevitable that farming families would be most concerned about filling their stomachs.


    However, Yu Jiang often traveled outside of the vige and was more well-informed. So, he had heard of watermelons before, but still asked with slight concern, ¡°I know that watermelon is a kind of fruit. But Second Brother, none of us had ever nted any watermelons before. What if the climate here isn¡¯t suitable for nting it? If you have no harvest, what will you do?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen! I have confidence in my family¡¯s Cao¡¯er!¡± This was mainly because the Yu Family had earned some money from their business recently, so they didn¡¯t need to rely on that three plots of farnd to make a living. Thus, Yu Hai had unconsciously gained confidence.


    Yu Jiang also felt that his little niece seemed very capable, so he didn¡¯t persuade him anymore. He smiled and said, ¡°Then that¡¯s good! I can¡¯t wait to taste it!¡±


    ¡°Third Uncle, there¡¯s a lot of new things for you to try in the future! Have you heard of salted ducks? You can try a few piecester!¡± With the little golden kitten in her embrace, Xiaocao poked her head out of the kitchen, made a funny face at him, and eximed cheerfully.


    ¡°Salted duck? I¡¯ve never tasted it before, is it tasty?¡± Saliva began to flood in Yu Jiang¡¯s mouth when he remembered the duck blood stewed with tofu and tomato egg soup he ate at noon.


    Yu Xiaocao raised her imaginary tail in a rather arrogant manner and said, ¡°The products made by Xiaocao are certainly always premium products. I¡¯m developing this dish for Zhenxiu Restaurant. How can it becking?¡±


    ¡°What? Did Zhenxiu Restaurante to ask you for more recipes again? They earned a lot of money from selling the roasted chicken, yet your family didn¡¯t even receive anything. This time, you can¡¯t let them take advantage of you again. When you sell them the salted duck recipe, ask them to give you a portion of the sales!¡± Yu Jiang was quite business-minded!


    Yu Xiaocao also felt that earning royalties was much more profitable than making them pay a buyout price. She lowered her head and ponder over the feasibility of this matter. However, Yu Hai didn¡¯t think that it was a good idea. After all, Third Young Master Zhou had taken good care of them, so how could they raise the price?


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao slowly nodded her head. ¡°Third Uncle is right! In one day, Zhenxiu Restaurant can sell at least 30 to 50 salted ducks without a problem. If we earn a mace for each salted duck, then we can earn three to five taels in a day. We will be able to earn over 100 taels in a month and in a year... Wow! I feel like we¡¯ve been selling my recipes for too cheap!¡±


    Yu Hai hesitated for a moment before he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t a mace too much?¡±


    However, Yu Jiang didn¡¯t think so. He widened his eyes and said, ¡°Second Brother, do you know how much a roasted chicken costs in Zhenxiu Restaurant? Even the smallest chicken there cost five taels of silver! Five taels of silver!! At most, a chicken would cost them a few dozens of copper coins. This means that they earn a hundred folds of profits! I think that even a mace is still too little!!¡±


    As Yu Jiang thought about the sales and profits that Zhenxiu Restaurant earned each day, he felt injustice for his second brother. If he had been earning royalties from the sales, then his second brother would¡¯ve be the richest man in Dongshan Vige!! It was such a big loss!!!


    ¡°Okay, go wash your hands. After finishing the evening meal, we still need to return home!¡± The evening meal in this era was usually eaten around 4 pm. Madam Han calcted that they would be able to return to the vige by the time it got dark. Tomorrow, they still needed to cultivate their ownnd!


    For dinner, in addition to therge te of salted duck, there was ¡®stir-fried green tomatoes¡¯, ¡®stir-fried chili pepper with duck eggs¡¯, ¡®string beans sd¡¯, and ¡®saut¨¦ed lettuce with oyster sauce¡¯. For soup, she made the light-vored, light ¡®egg drop soup with mbar spinach¡¯. The staple food was dried brown rice with sorghum. There was arge quantity of each dish. After all, the appetite of several adult men wouldn¡¯t be small!


    ¡°Younger Sister, your family¡¯s Xiaocao is very capable. Even a skilled person who has been working in the kitchen for over twenty years can¡¯t bepared to her! People would drool just by smelling these dishes!¡± Madam Han sighed as she looked at Xiaocao. If she had a daughter like Xiaocao, even if she didn¡¯t have a son, she would still be very happy.


    After Madam Han entered the Liu Family, she had given birth to three daughters. Although her father-inw and mother-inw didn¡¯t say anything, it was Madam Han¡¯s sore spot. As she grew older, she gave up the hope of giving birth to a son. But when she saw other people with both a daughter and a son, her heart would feel like it had been stabbed by a needle, feeling a bone-piercing pain.


    Liu Pei understood his wife the most. When he saw her lonely eyes, he knew what she was thinking. He immediately changed the subject and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat! Even if you¡¯re not hungry, just looking at Xiaocao¡¯s cooking will make you want to eat at least two bowls of it!¡±


    Liu Han, who was honest and dull, opened his mouth and said, ¡°Younger Sister, your family doesn¡¯t have very good living conditions either. We are all one family, there¡¯s no need to make so many dishes. A few pieces of coarse tbread and a te of salted vegetables is enough for us. Don¡¯t make your life more difficult just to make a meal for us...¡±


    Madam Liu felt touched as she looked at her older brothers with a gentle smile and softly said, ¡°Older Brother, you can rest assured! We won¡¯t be in a difficult position just by feeding you guys one or two times. The duck and the duck eggs were given to us by someone else. The green vegetables and whatnot are all harvested from the fields, so it doesn¡¯t cost much money. You can eat the meal with ease and confidence!¡±


    After they heard what she said, the menfolk no longer held back. Each person held arge and thick porcin bowl that was filled to the brim with two types of grain and began to gobble the food down without any restraint.


    The salted duck¡¯s white skin was both tender and plump, but not greasy at all. It was fragrant and tasted delicious. Everyone seated on the table praised Xiaocao¡¯s salted duck for being ¡®fragrant¡¯, ¡®very tender¡¯, and ¡®extremely delicious¡¯. Once again, Yu Jiang seriously reminded Xiaocao that this duck will definitely garnerrge sales, so she must ask Zhenxiu Restaurant to give her a portion of the sales.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head repeatedly as she promised him. She was pondering over whether she should personally go to town tomorrow to let Third Young Master Zhou have a taste of the salted duck and ask him about the watermelon seeds.


    The whole family was perfectly satisfied with the food. Not long after they finished eating, their maternal rtives said their goodbyes and returned home. They needed to climb over a few mountains to return home. Even those who were ustomed to walking the mountain road needed two and a half hours to return home. By the time they got home, the sky would¡¯ve been very dark already.


    Xiaocao cut the remaining dried salted duck in half, and asked Xiaolian give one of the halves to Madam Mao. She also instructed Xiaolian to tell Madam Mao that the dried salted duck would taste very good if she sliced it into thin pieces and then steamed it. The dried salted duck and the salted duck that they had just eaten tasted the same, but the process to make it was different.


    Xiaocao hung the leftover dried salted duck under the eaves. The temperature at night was still very cool right now, so the dried salted duck¡¯s vor won¡¯t change even if she left it there for a night.


    Early the next morning, Yu Xiaocao woke up and told her parents that she was going to town. In the passing, she would also pick up Little Shitou, who should be having another break from school again.


    Due to Xiaocao¡¯s apparent capability and maturity, Yu Hai and his wife had gradually stopped treating her as a child. If any matter arose in the family, they would always discuss it with their younger daughter. If they had differing opinions on a matter, they would also subconsciously ponder over their younger daughter¡¯s suggestion.


    Today, Yu Hai decided that he would go sell braised food at the docks alone and let Xiaolian apany Xiaocao to town. Since the two sisters had each other as apanion, they weren¡¯t lonely on the road to town.


    Yu Xiaocao returned to her room and retrieved some money. After that, she took the remaining half of the dried salted duck and led the donkey cart out of the house with Xiaolian. Just as they left their house, they saw Madam Mao hurriedly rushing over. When she saw the two sisters and the donkey cart behind them, as well as the half of a portion of dried salted duck in Xiaocao¡¯s hand, Madam Mao immediately smiled from ear to ear. Even though she already knew the answer to the question, she still deliberately asked, ¡°Xiaocao, Xiaolian, where are you sisters going?¡±


    ¡°Auntie Qian, we have some matters to attend to in town,¡± Xiaolian politely replied.


    Madam Mao tried to restrain herself, but she still couldn¡¯t refrain herself from asking, ¡°Xiaocao, regarding the matter that Auntie asked you about...¡±


    ¡°Auntie, how did the duck that I sent you yesterday taste?¡± Xiaocao didn¡¯t answer her, instead, she asked her a question in response.


    Madam Mao smiled embarrassingly and said, ¡°It¡¯s neither the New Year nor a holiday, so who would be willing to eat such a good thing? I¡¯m going to take it out to eat when there¡¯s a guest at home. Didn¡¯t Xiaolian say that it can be kept for a while?¡±

 Chapter 133 – A Fated Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 133 ¨C A Fated Encounter</h4>


    ¡°The weather¡¯s getting warmer day by day, so it¡¯s better not to put it out for too long. Today I¡¯m giving this duck to Third Young Master Zhou to taste. If he thinks it¡¯s good, we will then talk about cooperating!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good! Auntie¡¯s not going to dy you anymore. Go early ande back early, I¡¯ll wait for the good news!¡± Madam Mao was surprised that Xiaocao was able toe up with a new recipe this quickly. She hoped that the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant would be attracted to the recipe in Xiaocao¡¯s hands so that her family¡¯s slow-selling ducks could be sold at a good price.


    The sisters waved farewell to the Madam Mao. They hurried the little donkey towards the entrance of the vige.


    ¡°Oh my! Aren¡¯t you the twin sisters from Dahai¡¯s family? Where are you guys going? If you guys are going to town, can you take me along?¡± A fake sounding voice made the two sisters feel ufortable just by hearing it.


    Xiaocao looked closely at the person. It turned out to be Madam Xiong, who was usually very close to Madam Li. She was worthy of her surname [1]. Madam Xiong looked tough and she had a stocky build; she had a swarthyplexion and was very rude. She looked even worse than a blind bear!


    As the proverb goes, ¡®birds of a feather flock together¡¯. Madam Xiong was the same as Madam Li. She waszy, greedy, and was a notorious gossip who talked behind other people¡¯s backs. For this reason, almost all the married women in the vige have had conflicts with her before. Out of the whole Dongshan Vige, it was hard to find a second person who was willing to talk to her besides Madam Li.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to bring her along. It wasn¡¯t only because of her character, but more importantly, because of her weight. She weighed over 200 pounds, and Xiaocao was afraid that she would tire out her Little Gray.


    However, they were from the same vige. If she didn¡¯t bring her along, Xiaocao was afraid that this woman would badmouth her family around the whole vige. Xiaocao forced herself to smile and said, ¡°Uncle Liu¡¯s wife,e on up!¡±


    Madam Xiong agreed and climbed up from the back of the handcart; her movement almost made Little Gray snap. Little Gray turned around like a human and nced behind it. It let out a few whinnies. It sounded like it was protesting.


    ¡°Is this the dying donkey that your family boughtst time? Its fate is pretty good; it didn¡¯t die! However, it¡¯s still kind of skinny, so it can¡¯t do much work!¡± She didn¡¯t think about the effect of her weight on the donkey. Instead, she med it on Xiaocao¡¯s donkey. She was an annoying woman. Xiaolian was always blunt with her words. ¡°How much money would it cost to buy a strong donkey? Auntie, if you lend us money, then our family will buy a new donkey...¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Madam Xiong choked on Xiaolian¡¯s words. After a while, she replied, ¡°If I had extra money, I would¡¯ve bought one a long time ago. Even if I don¡¯t have the cart, I can ride it when I go back to my parental home!¡±


    Xiaocao thought, ¡®With your size, don¡¯t even talk about a donkey, even if it was the strongest horse, it still wouldn¡¯t be able to carry your weight.¡¯


    Madam Xiong continued, ¡°Besides, your family sells braised food and vegetables. You guys probably earned a decent amount of money! Everyone in this vige knows that the Yu Family¡¯s second son has connections with the rich families in town. Even if they just gave you a little money, it would be enough for you to eat and spend. Do you still need to ask my family for money to buy a donkey?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was toozy to even bother with her. She pulled on Xiaolian clothes quietly, hinting at her to stop the conversation. However, Madam Xiong had no awareness at all, as she continued to talk. She said, ¡°Xiaolian, what are guys doing in town?¡±


    Xiaocao replied faintly, ¡°Nothing much! We¡¯re just buying the ingredients for the braised food.¡±


    Madam Xiong continued, ¡°You guys must earn a lot from selling braised food, right? I heard from your older uncle¡¯s wife that you earn at least a hundred copper coins in a day. Then don¡¯t you guys earn at least three to four taels of silver in a month? Oh my! Even the head of the vige may not be as wealthy as your family.¡±


    The vige head¡¯s oldest son followed people everywhere to do business and earned some money. The younger son was a schr who had passed the county examinations and was highly valued by the previous county magistrate. He became the magistrate¡¯s secretary. The vige head¡¯s family had about 100 mu of good farnd. They were considered a first-ss family in the vige. Byparing the Yu Family with the vige head¡¯s, Madam Xiong was roasting Xiaocao¡¯s family on fire!


    Yu Xiaocao frowned and said in an unhappy tone, ¡°After subtracting the original cost it took for me to make the one copper coin per portion of braised food, how much money would be left over? It¡¯s not even enough for the household expenses. Right now, we¡¯re going to town to buy some seasoning and spices. The amount of money we need to buy these items is at least one to two taels of silver. One to two taels of seasoning would onlyst about a month before it¡¯s gone! Uncle Liu¡¯s wife, how much profit would we actually earn?¡±


    Madam Xiong eyes whirled as she said, ¡°You also need spices? Which spices do you need? Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao tilted her head and looked at her. She said directly, ¡°It¡¯s an exclusive recipe. I apologize, but I can¡¯t tell you!¡±


    Madam Xiong grumbled a few times and curled her mouth unhappily. She had longed for the Yu Family¡¯s braised food recipe for a long time. Ever since she found out that Madam Zhang and her daughter-inw got the recipe from Xiaocao, Madam Li had been tricked by Madam Xiong¡¯s words multiple times. Madam Li had always talked without thinking.


    Unfortunately, the recipe had been monopolized by Madam Zhang. Even if she couldn¡¯t have a business, she also wouldn¡¯t let other people take advantage of it. Also, Madam Zhang heard that the special recipe was already bought by Zhenxiu Restaurant. Although Madam Zhang appeared to be a tyrant at home, in actuality, she was timid and a coward. She was afraid that if she disclosed the recipe, the powerful Zhou Family in Tanggu Town will punish her. So, Madam Zhang burnt the recipe secretly, and therefore, Madam Xiong couldn¡¯t get anything out of her.


    Madam Xiong looked like she was the close rtive of a bear, but she wasn¡¯t stupid at all. Instead, she was very shrewd. She knew that she couldn¡¯t get anything from Madam Li, so she wanted to get the information from the sisters by tricking them, thinking that it was easy to trick the kids. The result was that she got rejected by Xiaocao. Madam Xiong silently cursed the Yu Family¡¯s eight generations of ancestors.


    After that, the sisters ignored whatever Madam Xiong said, so she stopped looking for trouble herself. The more you paid attention to Madam Xiong, the more she would climb all over you. It was best to give her the cold shoulder.


    When they arrived at the entrance of the Tanggu Town, the sisters abandoned Madam Xiong using the excuse that they were going to different ces. Madam Xiong even shamelessly asked the sisters when they were going back to the vige so that she could have a free ride home.


    Xiaocao said, ¡°We need to stay in town for a day. We need to pick up my younger brother in the evening, then we can go back. If Uncle Liu¡¯s wife is busy doing something, you can ride the cart from our neighboring vige before noon to get back...¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to do! What would I have to do? So, it¡¯s a deal! I will wait at the town entrance in the evening and ride your cart home!¡± What a joke. It cost one copper coin to ride the cart from the neighboring vige. With one copper coin, she could buy a big steam bun with it. Madam Xiong wasn¡¯t willing to spend it on riding a cart!


    The sisters first went to the food market and bought the ingredients for the braised food. Xiaocao went to many shops before she was able to gather all the spices she needed for the salted duck. Then, she bought two fat ducks from the food market. She carried the ducks in her hands as she quickly ran towards Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    ¡°Miss Yu, how do you have time toe to the town today?¡± Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s manager¡¯s whole face was wreathed with happiness when he saw Yu Xiaocao. It seemed as if he saw the God of Wealth. When he saw the ducks that Xiaocao was holding, a sh of golden light shed in his eyes. He quickly rushed up to her to help her carry them.


    Yu Xiaocao was just about to say something when she was cut off by a familiar voice behind her, ¡°Manager Zhou, are there any private rooms left?¡±


    The manager apologized hastily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Headmaster Yuan! All the private rooms were already reserved two days ago. Do you want me to...help you make a reservation as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°No private rooms...it would be fine if I can buy a roasted chicken! It should be no problem for you to give me a roasted chicken, right?¡± This guest was a real foodie¡ª¡ªGreat Schr Yuan Sinian. The one next to him was a potential foodie, Yuan Yunxi.


    The manager appeared to be a little embarrassed. Only Head Chief Wang could make the roasted chicken authentically. However, he was busy from morning until night. Head Chief Wang could only make fifty to sixty chickens in a day. Besides the chickens reserved for the private rooms, the other thirty chickens had already been reserved by other customers.


    But, as Rongxuan Academy¡¯s headmaster and a schr in this era, he needed to give him some face. The manager hesitated and said, ¡°How about...you wait until the evening and I¡¯ll let Old Wang work overtime to make you one?¡±


    Although Yuan Sinian was a veteran foodie, he wasn¡¯t unreasonable. He replied regretfully, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Old Wang is busy every day, I will not add on to his burden! You help us reserve a roasted chicken as soon as possible. Also, reserve it with a private room, so I can have two roasted chickens! When will Old Wang¡¯s apprentices finish their apprenticeship?¡±


    Yuan Yunxi was disappointed but was already mentally prepared. ¡°Grandfather, I told you earlier! Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s private rooms needed to be reserved in advance. It¡¯s no use even if youe early the day of to make a reservation!¡±


    Yuan Sinian raged, ¡°We have nothing to do today, so I just wanted to see if a blind cat can find a dead mouse. But it seems like it¡¯s hard to find a dead mouse. Hehe!¡±


    The headmaster turned around and he immediately caught sight of the two identical-looking girls. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this...isn¡¯t this Yu Fan¡¯s older sister? Aren¡¯t you the little girl who cooks delicious food? Did my vision blur because I¡¯m too hungry? Why are there two of Yu Fan¡¯s sister?¡±


    Yuan Yunxi¡¯s steady face twitched. He reminded him, ¡°Grandfather, they are twin sisters. They just look alike!¡±


    ¡°Oh! No wonder! The two of you are twins. I thought I got dizzy from starving myself!¡± Yuan Sinianughed as he stroked his mustache. ¡°Which one of you is the better cook? The stir-fried pork intestines fromst time made me crave for more. Even Old Wang doesn¡¯t hold a candle against the Yu girl...¡±


    ¡°Headmaster Yuan, you overestimating me! I only specialize in making braised food. How can Ipare with Head Chef Wang, who has been cooking for over a decade?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a favorable impression of this foodie who was willing to fight for food, so when she talked to him, she couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    Yuan Sinian nodded with a smile on his face and said, ¡°You¡¯re neither impatient nor arrogant. You have the potential to be a skilled chef! If you be a chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant, I woulde every day for every meal...¡±


    ¡°Grandfather, is your sry enough for you to dine out every meal?¡± Yuan Yunxi ridiculed from the side.


    ¡°If my sry isn¡¯t enough, don¡¯t we still have your father? Isn¡¯t it natural for a son to be filial to his father? He is the current prime minister. I don¡¯t believe that he can¡¯t support my living expenses!¡± Yuan Sinian red at him and snorted.


    Turning around, he saw the dried salted duck in Xiaocao¡¯s hand as she giggled. His eyes suddenly brightened as he asked, ¡°Little girl, what are you holding in your hand? Is it an air-dried duck?¡±


    The leftover meat in this era, such as chicken, duck, and fish meat, were all air-dried. The air-drying process was somewhat simr to the method used to dry the salted duck.


    [1] Madam Xiong¡¯s surname, Xiong (ÐÜ), means bear.

 Chapter 134 – A Senior Foodie

    <h4>Chapter 134 ¨C A Senior Foodie</h4>


    ¡°This is salted duck, a new dish that I came up with. You can eat it after steaming it in the cauldron and pouring some of the braising sauce on top.¡± The main purpose of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s visit was to promote salted duck, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t let go of this good chance.


    ¡°Salted duck? Xiaocao, you came up with a new recipe?¡± Zhou Zixu, who looked weary, came in from outside with the county magistrate¡¯s son following behind him.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and greeted him, ¡°Third Young Master, where did you go so early in the morning?¡±


    Zhou Zixu replied, ¡°Where else? Of course, I just came back from the construction site at the wharf. It¡¯s a critical point for the construction for our factory right now. I have been personally supervising the site these past few days!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your hard work!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a certain sense of respect for his young man, who would have been a middle school student in her previous life. Dragons gave birth to dragons, while phoenix gave birth to phoenixes [1]. The son of a mouse was capable of digging holes, while the son of an imperial merchant would be a workaholic when doing business!


    Zhou Zixu grinned from ear to ear on his slightly childish face, ¡°If our factory can bepleted earlier, all the hard work would be worth it! Do you know, Xiaocao? For just the oyster sauce alone we received over two hundred orders! The production for the oyster sauce hasn¡¯t even started yet, but we already got orders for five thousand jars. Many of the orders came from famous restaurants in the south!¡±


    ¡°Young Boss Zhou, your business is really thriving ah! Wonder if this old man has the luck to help Zhenxiu Restaurant taste the ¡®salted duck¡¯ that Little Lass Yu brought over?¡± Yuan Sinian, who had been staring at the half a portion of salted duck, saw that the two were chatting about business and asked somewhat impatiently.


    Yuan Yunxi covered his face¡ªthere was no one but his grandfather who would beg for food so righteously! At this moment, he desperately wished that he didn¡¯t know this old man who had no shame in front of food.


    Zhou Zixu was considered best friends with Yuan Yunxi, so he also had a pretty clear understanding of Grandpa Yuan¡¯s temperament. With a sincere expression on his face, he said, ¡°Grandpa Yuan, even if you¡¯re not here, this boy will invite you, an influential leader of the gourmet world, toe give us some pointers. In the future, we will definitely need to pass your test before Zhenxiu Restaurant introduces a new dish.¡±


    Yuan Sinian was satisfied with Third Young Master¡¯s words. He uninhibitedly sat down at a table in the main dining hall. He stroked his beard, squinted his eyes, and said, ¡°Little girl, aren¡¯t you going to hurry up and serve the salted duck?¡±


    Zhou Zixu looked at the sky and noticed that it wasn¡¯t quite noon yet. They had just eaten breakfast not too long ago, so were they really going to eat lunch now? He could understand Grandpa Yuan¡¯s eagerness since he was also looking forward to tasting the salted duck. But, they still needed to let the host make some preparations, right?


    ¡°Grandpa Yuan, how can I let you sit in the main hall? I have a private room kept in reserve. Pleasee with me...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the private rooms needed to be booked in advance? What¡¯s this? Manager Zhou, are you looking down on this old man?¡± Without his persona as a famous schr, Yuan Sinian was just a gluttonous, stubborn old man.


    The head manager smiled tteringly and said, ¡°Headmaster Yuan, that private room is a ce reserved for our boss to rest in. It¡¯s not used for guest reservations...¡±


    ¡°Guest reservations? Can those outsiderspare with this old man? Our Yunxi grew up wearing the same trousers as your young master! I¡¯m Yunxi¡¯s grandfather so I¡¯m naturally also your boss¡¯s grandfather! How can I be considered an outsider?¡± Yuan Sinian fumed and red with rage.


    Third Young Master Zhou quickly pretended to scold, ¡°That¡¯s right! Be more careful in the future. Grandpa Yuan isn¡¯t an outsider!! Don¡¯t let this happen again!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± Yuan Yunxi saw that his grandfather wanted to say something, so he hastily signaled him with a frown.


    Yuan Sinian angrily red at his grandson, and then headed for the second floor.


    ¡°This old man is bing more and more childish as he gets older!¡± Seeing the old man walking away quickly and vigorously, Young Master Wu smiled and eximed in a somewhat rueful manner.


    Yuan Yunxi, on the other hand, apologized to Third Young Master Zhou, ¡°Zixu, I...¡±


    ¡°The old man is right. What¡¯s our rtionship with each other? There¡¯s no need to be polite like strangers. Let¡¯s all go try Xiaocao¡¯s new dish! I¡¯ll take Xiaocao to the back kitchen first and then have a couple of drinks with you guyster!¡± Third Young Master Zhou patted his shoulder and said nonchntly.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡®Why is a group of little brats drinking wine? Does he really think that he¡¯s a big boss?¡¯ Nevertheless, she just criticized them within her heart and wasn¡¯t so foolish as to say it aloud.


    ¡°Third Young Master, you should go entertain your guests. I can go to the kitchen myself!¡± The kitchen was the ce that Xiaocao had been to the most in Zhenxiu Restaurant. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that she could find her way over even with her eyes closed.


    However, Third Young Master Zhou smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re all close brothers! Manager, serve them some good tea!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou brought Yu Xiaocao to a secret kitchen in the rear courtyard. Other than Head Chef Wang and his trusted disciples, no one else was allowed to enter this kitchen. In other words, this was the most secret location within Zhenxiu Restaurant!


    Seeing that Xiaocao was still holding two ducks in her hands, Zhou Zixu knew that she intended to teach the method of making salted duck, so he led her here.


    When Head Chef Wang saw Xiaocaoing in, he acted in an intimate yet respectful manner as if he had seen his teacher. His direct disciple also looked at Xiaocao with bright eyes. He sighed with emotion within his heart, ¡®It¡¯s true that one shouldn¡¯t judge a person by their looks. A little girl from a fisherman¡¯s family, who was less than ten, was the creator of the famous dishes that supported half of Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡¯ If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, he seriously wouldn¡¯t have believed it.


    ¡°Aiyo! Just look at you. It¡¯s fine if you juste, why bring gifts?¡± Head Chef Wang took the ducks from Xiaocao¡¯s hands and joked.


    ¡°Hey! An additional dish for your boss¡¯s lunch! If he likes it, then we can talk about the restter!¡± Yu Xiaocao shoved the half a portion of salted duck into Head Chef Wang¡¯s hands.


    Head Chef Wang wrinkled his brows as he looked at the salted duck in his hands and thought, ¡®This isn¡¯t just an ordinary ¡®air-dried marinated duck¡¯, is it? How can Miss Yu¡¯s products not be an exquisite dish? There must be something special about this!¡¯


    ¡°Why wait until noon? This fatty can¡¯t wait any longer! Feng¡¯er, go steam it... Miss Yu, is there anything else we need to do?¡± Head Chef Wang consulted modestly.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t pour out the broth produced when steaming the duck. It tastes better together! Oh, by the way, there¡¯s only half a duck! Headmaster Yuan of Rongxuan Academy is still waiting to try the dish!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had to remind Head Chef Wang so that he wouldn¡¯t keep all the salted duck. If that happened, wouldn¡¯t that old man, Headmaster Yuan, hold a grudge against her? Old urchin, old urchin! When people got old, they needed to be coaxed!


    The duck had already been cooked in brine, so it was ready after being steamed for thirty minutes. If someone identally entered the private room at this moment, they would definitely see a strange scene: It wasn¡¯t meal time, but a group of people were sitting around a table and staring covetously at the only dish on the table¡ªsalted duck. They looked like a pack of wolves surrounding a poor little bunny.


    ¡°This old man is going to dive in!¡± Older people had thicker skin after all. Yuan Sinian was the first to pick up his chopsticks, grab a piece of the snow-white duck meat, and chewed it slowly in his mouth. With his eyes slightly narrowed, he chewed very slowly, and even his beard appeared to be tilted upwards.


    ¡°It has a full shape with a plump body and white skin. The meat is tender andpact. The crisp and fragrance of the dish leads to an endless aftertaste.¡± A long timeter, under everyone¡¯s expectant gazes, Yuan Sinian gradually opened his eyes and moved his lips slightly, as if he was relishing the delicious taste of the salted duck.


    While Yuan Sinian was evaluating the dish, Head Chef Wang had already stuffed a piece of duck meat into his mouth. After trying it, he also gave a high appraisal of: ¡°It has crispy skin, crunchy bones, and tender meat. With the perfect amount of saltiness, it¡¯s fatty but not greasy and lean but not dry.¡±


    Although the three younger ones, including Yuan Yunxi, didn¡¯t make exquisitements, they expressed their appreciation for the ¡®salted duck¡¯ with practical actions.


    Seeing that the young fellows were about to devour the duck meat, Yuan Sinian didn¡¯t have time to savor the taste anymore and swiftly grabbed thest two pieces of duck meat at once. Under everyone¡¯s envious gazes, he leisurely savored thest pieces of the delicacy.


    Yu Xiaolian imagination of what nobles would be like waspletely shattered as watched these so-called nobles nearly fighting for just a piece of duck meat. She inwardly thought, ¡®He¡¯s already so old, but he¡¯s not even as reserved and well-mannered as my younger brother!¡¯


    ¡°Miss Yu, are you selling this salted duck¡¯s recipe to us with the usual conditions?¡± The head manager had only tried one piece of duck meat, but he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it within his heart. Later, when ¡®salted duck¡¯ is added to Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s menu, he, the manager, definitely wouldn¡¯t miss out on it!


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Third Young Master Zhou with a slight smile and didn¡¯t say anything.


    After experiencing the poprity of the roasted chicken, Zhou Zixu naturally knew the value of this dish. He understood very clearly that with the roasted chicken and salted duck, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s ¡®business would be flourishing every day¡¯. The recipes for these two dishes were created by this indifferent and quick-witted young girl. In the future, she might have even more novel and delicious recipes. If he wanted to cooperate with her for a long time, he naturally had to adopt a long-term n to secure bigger returns. Thus, it wasn¡¯t suitable to buy a recipe with merely three hundred taels.


    ¡°I have a proposal. Xiaocao, let me know what you think about it!¡± Zhou Zixu was someone who worked on important matters, so he swiftly thought of an idea for discussion.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him and still had an indifferent smile on her face as she said, ¡°Third Young Master, please speak!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take it as you, Xiaocao, making an investment with the salted duck and roasted chicken recipes. In the future, you will receive 10% of the profits for each roasted chicken or salted duck sold. You can either be paid monthly or annually. What do you think?¡± A 10% profit of a roasted chicken would be five mace, which was four times more than the dividend that Yu Xiaocao had expected. Hence one could clearly see Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s sincerity.


    Everyone at the table knew about the hot sale of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken. She would receive five mace per roasted chicken sold. Based on the calction of a minimum of fifty chicken sold daily, she would receive over seven hundred taels in a month. In a year... Even Yuan Sinian, a great schr who regarded money as dirt, couldn¡¯t help but silently gasp.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t an insatiably greedy person, so she shook her head with a smile, ¡°Third Young Master, you¡¯re being too courteous!! I have already sold the recipe for the roasted chicken to you. It has nothing to do with me how much you earn. Though I am a daughter of a peasant family, I can still adhere to the two words: ¡®sincerity and honesty¡¯!¡±


    Yuan Sinian stroked his beautiful beard and gently nodded. Not many people would be able to reject a yearly ie of around a thousand taels. As expected, the upbringing of this Yu Family was very special. With an older sister like this, Yu Fan¡¯s character wouldn¡¯t be too bad either. Yuan Sinian couldn¡¯t help but think about epting this student, as hisst disciple.


    [1] A child with clever and intelligent parents will do better than a child with dull and stupid ones.

 Chapter 135 – Tactful

    <h4>Chapter 135 ¨C Tactful</h4>


    Although numerous students had attended Yuan Sinian¡¯s lectures since he established Rongxuan Academy, strictly speaking, he only had three formal disciples. Now, one was an elder official in court, and another was the chancellor of the Imperial Academy. One of them wasn¡¯t interested in politics but he had be a great schr who wasn¡¯t inferior to him. Those who were epted by him to be his formal disciples would surely achieve a sessful future!


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know that she had inadvertently paved the direct road to sess for her younger brother. She just treated everyone around her, who she thought was worthwhile, with her most sincere attitude.


    ¡°As for the recipe of the salted duck... let¡¯s just do what Third Young Master suggested. I¡¯ll ept dividends for a period of ten years. After that, no matter how much Zhenxiu Restaurant earns, it will all belong to you guys!¡± Yu Xiaocao concluded.


    The head manager, who originally thought that the young boss had suggested a deal that put Zhenxiu Restaurant at a disadvantage, felt that the proposal was eptable after he heard Xiaocao¡¯s words. In the future, Zhenxiu Restaurant would have more and more branch restaurants, and thus the sales of the roasted chicken and salted duck would be arge and unpredictable number. If they gave the Yu Family 10% dividends from each branch, wouldn¡¯t the Yu Family be leeches stuck on Zhenxiu Restaurant? Moreover, ones that they couldn¡¯t get rid of? At this time, the head manager admired his young boss¡¯s keen perception of people more and more now. Miss Yu really was Third Young Master¡¯s noble benefactor!


    Yuan Sinian coughed and reminded, ¡°Little Lass Yu, didn¡¯t you bring two ducks here just now? Will it be ready by noon? With so many people sharing the few pieces of duck earlier, it wasn¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!¡±


    The others all looked at him with contempt: ¡®You ate more than half of the te of duck, yet it still wasn¡¯t enough to fill the gaps between your teeth? How big are the gaps between your teeth?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°The process of making salted duck is veryplicated and time-consuming. It takes six to eight hours just to cure and braise the duck. If we start making it now, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to wait until the evening to eat it!¡±


    ¡°Slow work yields fine products. Uh-huh, this old man can understand! Then... let¡¯s just have a simple lunch, and wait until the evening to have a feast! Little Lass Yu, I wonder if this old man has the luck to try the roasted chicken personally made by you?¡±


    Everyone covered their faces in shame: ¡®Headmaster Yuan! Great Schr Yuan! Prime Minister Yuan¡¯s father!! Does your son know that you¡¯re so shameless?¡¯ Yuan Yunxi¡¯s pale face was burning hot as he looked at Yu Xiaocao with an apologetic gaze.


    Yu Xiaocao felt that this side of Headmaster Yuan was quite cordial. She nodded with a smile, ¡°Okay! I don¡¯t have anything to do today, so I¡¯ll help Head Chef Wang do some work in the kitchen while the salted duck is being cured! Third Young Master Zhou remember to give me a sry ah! My hourly wage is very high!!¡±


    Seeing her mischievous smile, Zhou Zixu went along with her and said, ¡°No problem! With Great Master Yu¡¯s culinary skills, no matter how high your hourly wage is, it will be worth it!¡±


    The process of making the salted duck naturally didn¡¯t need to be exined in detail. Head Chef Wang and his two most proud disciples, Yang Feng and Liu Bi, turned into the best students. With their eyes wide open and ears pricked up, they desperately wished that they could memorize every little detail of Xiaocao¡¯s actions and everything she said. Head Chef Wang was afraid that he couldn¡¯t remember everything, so he got a charcoal pen and paper, and carefully recorded each step.


    During the salting and braising process, Yu Xiaocao helped make the roasted chicken while also not forgetting to give pointers to Yang Feng and Liu Bi, who were still apprentices. Her exnation was concise and vivid, which made it much easier to understand. At this time, many of the confusion that the two men had were quickly cleared up.


    Yang Feng and Liu Bi originally had a very hard time understanding how a little girl under ten years old was able to make their teacher regard her with such high esteem. But, at this time, they were already admiring her from the bottom of their hearts. In terms of their actions and attitude, they were already treating her like she was their teacher.


    Under the guidance of Yu Xiaocao, the roasted chicken made by Yang Feng and Liu Bi, both in appearance and taste, had reached the standard of masters. In the future, they could make savory and delicious roasted chicken without anyone¡¯s guidance, which was one of the things that they had gained today.


    The process of making the salted duck was the best way to reflect the original vor of the duck. The cooking method was simple and natural. They just needed to drain the grease and get rid of the fishy smell, while keeping the delicious meaty taste and tender texture. To put it bluntly, only the process of stir-frying salt and preparing the braising sauce was slightly more difficult. The most valuable thing was still the secret recipe for stir-fried salt and the braising sauce. As long as one could master them, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to make the salted duck.


    At dusk, after the repeated braising process waspleted, Yu Xiaocao boiled the water in the pot, and put ginger, scallion, star anise, pepper, cardamom, and duck into the pot at the same time. When the water came to a boil, one needed to quickly control the heat and stir the pot. Despite her small stature, her little hands were like Thousand Hands Guanyin [1]. She still seemed rxed andfortable as she flipped seven or eight ducks at the same time.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t really a big deal for Xiaocao. In her past life, she had prepared over twenty ducks at the same time by herself without any problems, let alone a mere seven or eight ducks.


    After the seven or eight salted ducks that Yu Xiaocao was working on was ready and were in the natural cooling process, she examined the results of Head Chef Wang and his students¡¯ cooking. She noticed that the most talented was Liu Bi. It was his first time making salted duck, but he was skilled and at ease when preparing two ducks at the same time.


    In terms of appearance and taste, the salted ducks that he made didn¡¯t seem like they were made by a novice, who was making it for the first time. She reckoned that after practicing a few more times and bing more familiar with the process, he could graduate from apprenticeship!


    Second was Head Chef Wang, who had been a veteran cook for decades after all. He still had some advantages during the process of making the salted duck.


    As for Yang Feng, he was rtively weaker inparison. But, he was more talented than Liu Bi in the preparation of roasted chicken. They could each be responsible for one dish andplement each other. She had to admit that Head Chef Wang was quite sharp-eyed when epting students.


    ¡°How is it? Is the salted duck ready yet?¡± Yuan Sinian and his grandson, who had followed the scent over, and Young Master Wu, who also stayed at Zhenxiu Restaurant, looked covetously at the dozens of salted ducks lined up in a row. They couldn¡¯t help but secretly swallow their saliva.


    Yuan Sinian looked over all of the ducks and smiled while stroking his beard, ¡°Let this old man guess which ones were made by Little Lass Yu¡ªthis one, this one, and... these. Did this old man guess correctly?¡±


    Head Chef Wang sped his hands in admiration and said, ¡°You have sharp eyes! Please tell us, how did you know?¡±


    ¡°The ones that Little Lass Yu made has whiter skin, red meat, and looks more glossy. These two looked the closest to the ones the Little Lass Yu made but they¡¯re not as glossy. The color isn¡¯t as uniform on these two, which should be the result of not moving in a coordinated manner when stirring. As for the remaining two, heh! This old man will notment on them!¡± He was definitely worthy of being a well-known gourmet. He hadn¡¯t even tasted them yet, but he was already able to point out everyone¡¯s strengths and weaknesses based on the appearance on the ducks.


    Head Chef Wang and his students felt a sense of enlightenment and sudden realization dawned upon them. They immediately memorized their own shorings and did their best to correct them in private. As for Yang Feng, he felt somewhat dejected and despondent.


    One shouldn¡¯t lose confidence in the things they do, or else they wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve anything. Yu Xiaocao hastily took out the roasted chicken that Yang Feng made and asked Yuan Sinian to critique it.


    After tasting it, Yuan Sinian spoke highly of it and praised, ¡°As expected of the creator of the roasted chicken. Your skills are excellent.¡±


    It turned out that he thought it was made by Yu Xiaocao! This was enough to show that Yang Feng¡¯s skill in making roasted chicken had far surpassed his teacher¡¯s.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Yang Feng, who had regained his confidence, and giggled, ¡°Headmaster, Yuan, you¡¯re wrong this time! I wasn¡¯t the one who made this roasted chicken. It was made by Older Brother Yang Feng! It seems like Older Brother Yang Feng has already excelled his own master! Head Chef Wang, you will have an excellent assistant in the future!¡±


    Yuan Sinian nodded incessantly, ¡°Each one has something that he excels in. Head Chef Wang, you have great disciples ah¡ªcan we eat now? We ate a simple lunch at noon, so this old man has long been hungry!¡±


    He was indeed a glutton, who had to mention the word ¡®eat¡¯ in every three sentences!


    Third Young Master Zhou ordered the kitchen to use all their best skills and prepare a table of good food. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t leave out the roasted chicken and salted duck that Yu Xiaocao personally made.


    At this time, Yu Xiaolian also came back after picking her younger brother up at the academy. Little Shitou, who had grown taller during this time, was wearing the sea-blue colored uniform of the academy¡¯s primary ss. When he greeted Headmaster Yuan and his senior brother, he really looked like a handsome little schr. Yu Xiaocao looked at the adorable Little Shitou and couldn¡¯t help but ruffle his hair with her evil ws.


    Little Shitou dodged whileining that his second sister had messed up his hair!


    ¡°Young Master Wu, County Magistrate Wu is calling for you to go home!¡± A waiter of Zhenxiu Restaurant, who was so busy that his forehead was full of sweat, came up to report.


    Young Master Wu, Wu Zifan, covered his face. Didn¡¯t he sent someone to report to his father already? He already told him that he was staying at Zhenxiu Restaurant to try their new dish, so why did hee look for him? Wait! Could it be that his father heard about Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s new dish so... He never expected that his normally strict father was also a glutton.


    But, when he looked at how Headmaster Yuan was staring covetously at the salted duck, he came to a realization¡ªeveryone who posed as a dignified gentleman on the outside were all actually gluttons inside!


    When County Magistrate Wu came in, he still assumed the manner of a stern father. After staring fiercely at his son, his eyes were attracted by the fragrant roasted chicken and alluring salted duck on the table. He, who usually acted in a rigorous manner, actually didn¡¯t greet Headmaster Yuan first this time. However, Headmaster Yuan waspletely focused on the delicacies on the table, so he didn¡¯t even notice that there was an extra person in the private room. Ay! Seriously!


    Needless to say, the sumptuous meal on the table, especially the novel and delicious salted duck, received unanimous apuse. The two foodies, County Magistrate Wu and Headmaster Yuan, shared the same interest in food and vied to increase interest for their favorite dishes byposing a poem for the dish.


    After dinner, Headmaster Yuan set his mind on the remaining salted ducks. He didn¡¯t know how to write the word ¡®courtesy¡¯ at all and bluntly said, ¡°Little Lass Yu, I¡¯m taking two of the salted ducks that you madeter. Youngd of the Zhou Family, get someone to pack them for me!¡±


    When County Magistrate Wu heard this, he offhandedly asked about how many ducks Little Miss Yu made. After he got his answer, he looked at Third Young Master Zhou with a meaningful gaze, ¡®Xiaoxu ah! You are close friends with my son, so isn¡¯t there something you should do?¡¯


    With no other choice, Third Young Master Zhou could only let his heart bleed and give four of the remaining seven ducks to the two of them.


    Yu Xiaocao looked all this with amusement and said nonchntly, ¡°Salted duck tastes the best around the Mid-Autumn Festival every year because the ducks were made during the season when osmanthus flowers were blooming. Thus, it is also called: osmanthus duck.¡±


    [1] Thousand Hands Guanyin (ǧÊÖ¹ÛÒô) ¨C Guanyin is the bodhisattva ofpassion, who is also known as the Goddess of Mercy; the thousand hands represent Guanyin¡¯s many abilities to help people

 Chapter 136 – Returning Late at Night

    <h4>Chapter 136 ¨C Returning Late at Night</h4>


    Yuan Sinian¡¯s eyes lit up and he said, ¡°This name is good. It¡¯s much more elegant than salted duck! Let¡¯s just call it osmanthus duck! Around the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, this old man wille try Little Lass Yu¡¯s cooking again. It¡¯s settled then!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡®Headmaster Yuan, who promised you?¡¯ Ay, she could only me herself for being so talkative and ended up incurring a ¡®debt¡¯!


    When the three siblings came out of Zhenxiu Restaurant, the sun was already setting in the west. Third Young Master Zhou was somewhat worried and said, ¡°It¡¯s prettyte already. You guys still need to go through a mountain road on your way back to Dongshan Vige. It¡¯s better to stay a night in town and go back tomorrow!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao tly refused him. If her doting old father didn¡¯t see his childrening home tonight, he would be terribly worried. Ay! One of the bad things in ancient times was thatmunication was inconvenient. If there was a phone, they could just make a call, and everything would be settled.


    Seeing that she had already decided to leave, Zhou Zixu quickly fetched his beloved horse from the stables and insisted on sending them home. In his eyes, the eldest of the three siblings wasn¡¯t even ten yet. If they encountered any mishaps on the way, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone to help the three children. He was worried!


    However, he also didn¡¯t consider the fact that he was only thirteen or fourteen years old as well. What would he be able to help them with? But his concern was quite heartwarming.


    Yu Xiaocao declined several times, but she couldn¡¯t defeat Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s determination. Thus, a donkey cart apanied by a little red horse rushed into the distance under the boundless red sky. The silhouette looked very harmonious, as if it was a freehandndscape painting...


    Little Gray¡¯s constitution had been transformed by the mystic-stone water. It was very healthy now and its speed wasn¡¯t inferior to the little red horse that Third Young Master was mounted on. If Xiaocao wasn¡¯t about to vomit due to the jolting of the cart, Little Gray would have gone even faster.


    Seeing that Xiaocao seemed to feel unwell, Third Young Master Zhou said with a slight sense of concern, ¡°I already reserved the rubber wheels for you, and it is estimated to be done by next month. At that time, you won¡¯t feel as ufortable when traveling long distances anymore.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Third Young Master!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s small face was ghastly pale and her lips seemed to have lost all the colors it originally had. Despite feeling so ufortable, she was concerned about the watermelon seeds, ¡°Third Young Master,st time I asked Brother Xiaoduo to send you a message about helping me get some watermelon seeds. Are there any updates?¡±


    Zhou Zixu nodded slowly and said, ¡°I saw it in a gardening store in the prefectural cityst time, so I have already sent someone to go buy some. So don¡¯t worry! When have I ever procrastinated on your matters? When the seeds arrive, I¡¯ll have Xiaoduo bring them to you!¡±


    At this time, the sky had already darkened, and the cart had also entered rugged mountain road. On both sides of the curved road were tall trees and shrubs that were as tall as a person, from which came faint crowing of night birds. In the quiet and dark mountain forest, it sounded especially forlorn and bitter, and made one¡¯s hair stand up on end.


    The Yu Family¡¯s old residence was at the foot of the West Mountains, so they had heard the crying of all kinds of birds. Thus, they weren¡¯t really scared. However, it was different for Third Young Master Zhou. When had he ever gone to the mountain forest at night? He was obviously nervous about the crowing and cooing of the night birds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It¡¯s just the cry of an owl! Owls are useful birds that can catch field mice!¡± Yu Xiaolian suppressed herughter andforted Third Young Master Zhou, while secretlyughing at him for being so timid in her heart.


    Zhou Zixu somewhat regretted not bringing a handy weapon with him. Had he brought along his bow and arrows, which he practiced with every day, he wouldn¡¯t be afraid. He looked at the dark shadows of trees surrounding him and felt somewhat scared as he asked, ¡°In this mountain... will there be wolves?¡±


    ¡°Wolves? Probably?? But, ferocious animals usually hide deep within the mountains, unless it¡¯s a year of disaster and they can¡¯t find food. They onlye down to harm the vigers when they can¡¯t find food in the mountains. There¡¯s a lot of pedestrians on this road every day, so there probably wouldn¡¯t be a pack of wolves or anything appearing randomly.¡± Yu Xiaocaoforted him. After all, he was just a thirteen or fourteen year old child. Moreover, he was a young master who was used to being pampered and living a leisurely life. Hence, it wasn¡¯t disgraceful to be scared.


    ¡°In front... what¡¯s that bright glow? I heard that wolves¡¯ eyes glow at night. Could it be...¡± Zhou Zixu secretly swallowed his saliva and his hands, which were holding the reins, was sweating slightly. He looked around to see if he could find a club or something that could be used to protect the three siblings with.


    Little Shitou giggled and said, ¡°Older Brother Zhou, have you ever seen a wolf with one eye glowing? Wouldn¡¯t that be a one-eyed wolf then? Moreover, wolves¡¯ eyes are bluish green at night. The light in front is a pale-yellow color, so it¡¯s obviously someone walking at night with antern.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Who would walk on the road with antern thiste at night?¡± Yu Xiaocao muttered to herself.


    As the donkey cart steadily progressed, the pale-yellow light got closer and closer. The person carrying thentern seemed to have heard the ttering of the horse¡¯s hooves and the rumbling of the cart, and called out with slight hesitation, ¡°Is it Xiaocao?¡±


    ¡°Father? Second Sister, it¡¯s Father¡¯s voice!!¡± Little Shitou paused for a moment, and then cried out cheerfully.


    ¡°Father! It¡¯s us!!¡± As if she had found a pir of support, Xiaolian shouted loudly towards the light.


    The donkey cart swiftly arrived at the location of the light and they saw Yu Hai holding a white paperntern. He stood at the side of the road and breathed a long sigh of relief, as if he got rid of something that was weighing on his mind.


    ¡°Father, why did youe?¡± Yu Xiaocao moved over and waited for Yu Hai to get on the cart before asking.


    Yu Hai red at the three siblings and scolded, ¡°Why did Ie?! Look at what time it is. The moon is already hanging up high on the treetops, yet you guys still aren¡¯t home. Can your mother and I not be anxious? I reckon you guys were having too much fun in town and forgot toe home!¡±


    Zhou Zixu hastily exined for the siblings, ¡°Uncle Yu, it was my fault! Xiacoao was teaching Head Chef Wang and his students how to make osmanthus duck. It took quite a lot of time, so they ended uping backte. If you need someone to take responsibility, then I should be the one to me!¡±


    Yu Hai waspletely focused on the three siblings since he was afraid that something had happened to them, and thus he had just noticed that Third Young Master Zhou was escorting the siblings back. He quickly expressed his gratitude, ¡°We have troubled Third Young Master. It¡¯s already quitete, so you should go back quickly!¡±


    Zhou Zixu looked at the pitch-dark road and agreed, but for a long time, he was reluctant to turn around. Seeing this, Xiaocao turned to her father and said, ¡°Father, it will take Third Young Master over two hours to get back. It¡¯s dark and windy at night, so it really quite worrying. Aren¡¯t we almost home? Why don¡¯t we let him stay for a night? It will also be closer if he goes directly to the docks from our house tomorrow morning!¡±


    Seeing that Third Young Master Zhou wasn¡¯t much older than his eldest son, Yu Hai really did feel somewhat worried to see a half-grown child going back by himself. Thus, he said to Third Young Master, ¡°Third Young Master, if you don¡¯t mind, you can stay over at our house for a night. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Many thanks to Uncle Yu! I¡¯ll be troubling you guys then!¡± Zhou Zixu smiled gratefully at Xiaocao. Little Sister Xiaocao was indeed a very considerate person. Her suggestion was exactly what he had hoped for.


    After passing this section of the mountain road, therge tree at the entrance of Dongshan Vige could be seen. A dark figure could faintly be seen pacing under the tree. Needless to say, that familiar figure was Madam Liu, who was worried about her children.


    Madam Liu saw that Third Young Master was here, so she didn¡¯t say anything and only said with concern, ¡±You guys muste back earlier in the future. Your father and I felt so anxious while waiting for you guys ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao jumped off the cart, pulled on Madam Liu¡¯s hand, and acted like a spoiled child, ¡°Mother, you can rest assured that this won¡¯t happen again!¡±


    When they arrived home, the hot water was already ready on top of the stove. After Third Young Master Zhou and the Yu siblings finished bathing, they soaked their feet in hot water and warmed up their bodies.


    That night, Third Young Master Zhou, Yu Hai, and Yu Hang slept on the kang bed in the main room, while Madam Liu, Xiaolian, Xiaocao, and Little Shitou stayed in the east room. Little Shitou protested, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m also a boy. I want to sleep on the same kang bed as Father and Older Brother!¡±


    ¡°Men and women don¡¯t sit at the same table after the age of seven. You¡¯re only six years old, so there¡¯s no need to be so particr about that. Hurry up and sleep!!¡± Yu Xiaocao disregarded Little Shitou¡¯s protest, took off his outer garment, and shoved him into the nkets. Little Shitou wailed and resisted but was suppressed by the women in the family.


    Next door, Third Young Master Zhou was lying on the warm kang bed as he looked at everything in the room through the dim oilmp. Although the house had been renovated, it still looked old and worn-out. However, the room was furnished in a simple and neat manner.


    Ayer of wallpaper was pasted on the cob wall, which looked like it was about to peel off, beside the kang bed. The cotton inside the mattress under him had already hardened, but it had been washed until it was clean and fresh. The quilt, which he was using, should be newly made. It was fluffy and soft and had the delicate scent of Chinese honey locust...


    Zhou Zixu thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep in a different environment, but he hadn¡¯t expected that he would start to feel sleepy within fifteen minutes. While he was half-asleep, he could faintly hear the sound of unconstrained snoring beside him. He didn¡¯t feel that it was noisy, and he slept even morefortably instead.


    Since his birth, he had alwayscked a father figure in his life. If he had a father in his life, would he also be like Xiaocao¡¯s father and love him from the bottom of his heart? Would he also be apanied by the sound of snoring as he slept?


    Zhou Zixu woke up to the merry singing of the birds. When he first opened his eyes, he seemed to have forgotten where he was, and appeared somewhat confused.


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡ª¡± He was suddenly startled awake by a girl¡¯s burst ofughter.


    When he looked up and saw Xiaocao standing by the door and smiling, he panicked slightly and hastily shrunk into the quilt.


    ¡°Why are you hiding? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re naked... Ai-yo! Mother, why did you hit me?¡± Yu Xiaocao experienced sorrow after joy. She clutched her head and pouted with a wronged expression.


    Madam Liu tapped her head as if she regretted that her children didn¡¯t live up to her expectations. She chided, ¡°Just look at you! Is that something a girl should say? Aren¡¯t you afraid that Third Young Master willugh at you?! I reckon you should stop running around so much and learn some proper manners.¡±


    ¡°Mother, Third Young Master isn¡¯t a stranger. Aren¡¯t I just making a small joke with him?¡± Why make such a fuss? Yu Xiaocao blinked her innocent eyes and did her best to act cute.


    Zhou Zixu interceded for her, ¡°Auntie, Little Sister Xiaocao is still young. Besides, the current emperor had proposed to improve the status of women. So there¡¯s even a women¡¯s academy in the capital. Nowadays, women aren¡¯t encouraged to never leave the house and stay inside all day anymore.¡±


    ¡°Girls can also go to school? Later, let¡¯s send Xiaocao and Xiaolian to study in school. Our Xiaocao is very smart, so maybe she can pass the examination and be a female county official!¡± Yu Hai guffawed with a proud expression on his face.


    Madam Liu red at him, ¡°You, why are you also making trouble? Third Young Master is talking about the capital. Where is there a women¡¯s academy in our little Tanggu Town? It¡¯s enough for a girl to recognize a few words. What¡¯s the point of them studying in school?¡±

 Chapter 137 – To Convince

    <h4>Chapter 137 ¨C To Convince</h4>


    ¡°Mother! You really have the feudal way of thinking, such an old fogie!¡± Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue at her mother.


    Madam Liu continued to re at her, ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t eat the breakfast that this old fogie made, just go and stay hungry!¡±


    ¡°Mother, I was wrong! Mother is the kindest, most beautiful, and most open-minded mother in the world...¡± Yu Xiaocao mournfully cried as she circled around Madam Liu as if she was a lively little rabbit. On the side, Yu Hai watched her antics with amusement.


    Zhou Zixu gazed at the whole scene with a bit of envy. If he had also been born in such a loving household, even if the family was more impoverished, he would still be incredibly happy...


    ¡°Is Xiaocao home?¡± The sound of a slightly raspy, youthful voice came from over the walls. Immediately, a tall figure that was dressed in a set of simple ck clothing appeared at the gate opening.


    Yu Hai saw the fellow first and greeted him happily, ¡°Oh it¡¯s Xiaohan ah! Quicklye in! Cao¡¯er, stop teasing your mother ande over. Xiaohan is looking for you!¡±


    ¡°Brother Han? Do you need to go to the prefectural city to deliver the wild geese? I¡¯ll go to the back courtyard and grab them for you.¡± There was still some time before the deadline for the prefectural magistrate¡¯s request for his son. Both of the wild geese were living at Xiaocao¡¯s home, and she fed them small fish, shrimp, and mystic-stone water every day. Now, they were even plumper than they were when they were first caught. In addition, their feathers were sleek and glowing with health, so they seemed much more lively and energetic.


    Zhao Han greeted Yu Hai and his wife and then smiled at Xiaocao, ¡°Don¡¯t rush about right now. Tomorrow we¡¯ll start preparing for our trip to the prefectural city. My family isn¡¯t good at raising animals, so let¡¯s not mess around with those two wild geese. It¡¯s better for them to spend an extra day at your ce!¡±


    Yu Hai watched as his daughter chatted with Zhao Han and quietly spoke to Madam Liu, ¡°Xiaohan, that child, has always treated people courteously. It¡¯s obvious that Sister-inw Zhao knows how to raise children. Muyun, do you think that Xiaohan treats our youngest daughter a little differently...our family and Older Brother Zhao¡¯s family, perhaps we could strengthen our ties with a marriage...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t specte idly! Cao¡¯er is still young and who knows what the future will be like? It¡¯s fine that you can talk about this in front of me, but you absolutely cannot let anyone else hear you talk. It¡¯ll ruin our daughter¡¯s reputation!¡±


    Madam Liu also liked Zhao Han. However, per her intuition, she had a feeling that the Zhao Family wasn¡¯t from a humble background, especially the madam of the family. Her every movement indirectly revealed that she had a noble background, so it was obvious to Madam Liu that things were not simple. If her hunch was correct, then the Zhao Family had an extraordinary background and were not one that their Yu Family could marry into.


    Zhou Zixu, who had just walked out of the room, managed to overhear Yu Hai¡¯s words, and he felt a bit ufortable in his heart. The look in his eyes as he inspected Zhao Han turned a bit resentful. ¡®He¡¯s only from a hunter¡¯s family. No matter how much education or manners he has, he¡¯s still a crude person. How could he possibly be a good match for his younger sister Xiaocao?¡¯


    The still immature youth interpreted the difort in his heart as a desire to protect his younger sister. In Zhou Zixu¡¯s eyes, his younger sister Xiaocao was even more precious than those so-called youngdies from the wealthy families in town!


    Zhao Han saw Zhou Zixu out of the corner of his eye, and he wasn¡¯t quite sure what to think of this young master from the Zhou Family. Why did he stay over as a guest at the Yu Family¡¯s? However, he restrained the questions within his heart. Instead, he nodded and smiled politely at Third Young Master Zhou. Unexpectedly, he received a look full of dislike from the other youth. Zhao Han felt even more perplexed inside, ¡®When did I ever offend Third Young Master Zhou? Ah, the thoughts of a young master from a rich family are hard to understand!¡¯


    Zhao Han offered the little roe deer that was in his arms and sighed, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that my family is not suited to raise animals? Tiny was only at my family¡¯s ce for a little bit and has be so listless. We made sure to offer it the best fodder avable, but it doesn¡¯t seem to want to eat any! Just look, it¡¯s gotten so skinny that you can see its rib bones.¡±


    ¡°Tiny? Did Tiny get sick?¡± Little Shitou came out from the back courtyard and felt his heart ache at the sight of the listless little roe deer.


    When it saw its ymate, Tiny seemed to be more energetic and used its head to rub Little Shitou¡¯s arm. A pair ofrge and limpid eyes looked piteously at Yu Xiaocao as if it was trying to say, ¡°I won¡¯t eat the green vegetables anymore, please let mee back...¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s right! This little roe deer couldn¡¯t restrain itself from eating the alluring green vegetables that had been watered with mystic-stone water. When the family wasn¡¯t careful, it ate a whole patch of green vegetables and had been banished away by Yu Xiaocao to Zhao Han¡¯s family. Because Xiaocao had solemnly entrusted to task to him, Zhao Han did his best to take good care of the little roe deer and even bought some of the highest quality feed for it.


    However, the little roe deer thinned down with each passing day. If another seven to eight days passed, then it would no longer be able to walk without stumbling. If it still didn¡¯t go back home, then he was afraid that the next time Yu Xiaocao saw the deer she would only see a tiny little corpse...


    After she saw the little animal¡¯s current state, Yu Xiaocao felt her heart soften as she rubbed the little creature¡¯s head. She quietly said, ¡°Are you going to eat the vegetables in the future then? Make sure to remember, you absolutely cannot touch anything that is growing in the fields. You got that?¡±


    The little roe deer acted as though it could understand everything she was saying and cheerfully nodded its head. It quickly became much more energetic. Yu Xiaocaoughed and scolded, ¡°You crafty little thing! You know how to injure yourself to gain people¡¯s sympathy eh! You¡¯ve truly be more sentient.¡±


    When Zhou Zixu saw Xiaocao smile brightly with her dimples showing when she talked to Zhao Han, the ufortable feeling in his heart increased. He scampered over and interjected, ¡°This little roe deer looks pretty clever!¡±


    Hearing the little roe deer gettingplimented made Little Shitou feel like he was gettingplimented instead. He lifted his chest proudly and said, ¡°Tiny is very well-behaved and never poops around. It can even understand what we say!¡±


    Zhou Zixu continued to praise the little roe deer. As the other people were talking, Yu Xiaocao washed a few vegetables and took off a few leaves before sprinkling some mystic-stone water on top. The little roe deer stared at the leaves unwaveringly and had apletely gluttonous look on its face.


    Yu Xiaocao had Little Shitou put the little animal down. The little roe deer first looked at her and only after it got her approval did it rush towards the vegetables leaves and gobble it down happily. As it ate, its shaggy little tail waved happily and both of its ears twitched. It looked incredibly adorable!


    ¡°Brother Han, when we go to the prefectural city tomorrow, will Uncle Zhao be going too?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked quietly as she stood next to Zhao Han, watching the roe deer eat.


    Zhao Han smiled and nodded his head, ¡°Yup! The prefectural city is too far from here, so my father doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s safe for me to go alone!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips and replied somewhat enviously, ¡°The furthest I¡¯ve been to is the town, I¡¯ve never been to the prefectural city...¡±


    Zhao Han apparently had heard her hint within her words and looked at her gently, ¡°How about...I could talk to Uncle Yu and see if you could also go with us to the prefectural city?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up and she secretly nced at Yu Hai, who was picking vegetables from the fields. She quietly replied, ¡°Do you think that it¡¯ll work? The prefectural city is so far from here that we can¡¯t get back in the same day. My father will definitely not agree to this.¡±


    Zhou Zixu felt rather resentful about Zhao Han ¡®abducting¡¯ Yu Xiaocao. He frowned and earnestly interjected, ¡°Brother Zhao, Younger Sister Xiaocao is not rted to you by blood. Although she¡¯s young, she¡¯s still a girl and is not suited to spend the night away from home.¡±


    When she heard Zhou Zixu say that, Xiaocao immediately felt that her hopes were even more uncertain. She pouted her lips in unhappiness.


    Zhou Zixu tried to console her, ¡°My family has a small residence in the prefectural city and the renovations are almost finished there. I can bring you to the prefectural city to y and conveniently find a good location to establish a branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡±


    A smile stayed on Zhao Han¡¯s face but the expression in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Zixu had cooled down perceptibly, ¡°Please excuse my question, but if Xiaocao isn¡¯t suited to go to the prefectural city with us, then why is it okay to go there with you? You may have a residence in the city but it¡¯s not Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s home. If she stayed there, wouldn¡¯t that be the same thing as spending a night away from home?¡±


    ¡°You! Xiaocao is like my younger sister; she¡¯s not an outsider!¡± Zhou Zixu refused to be cowed.


    ¡°Pffft¡ª¡ªHowe I have never heard of Uncle Yu having an additional son?¡± Zhao Han rebutted fiercely.


    ¡°You...how absurd!¡± Zhou Zixu angrily replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s¡ª¡ªbeingpletely unreasonable!¡± Zhao Han¡¯s words held a lot of anger.


    Yu Xiaocao watched as the two boys continued to fight and felt that it was quite amusing. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a peal ofughter. The two youths each looked at her. She waved a hand and managed to stifle her giggles, ¡°You guys continue, just ignore me over here!¡±


    Zhou Zixu and Zhao Han silently looked each other in the eye. For whose benefit were they arguing for?


    When Yu Xiaocao noticed that the two youths were finally able to calm down, she made her final plea, ¡°Father, I want to go to the prefectural city tomorrow with Uncle Zhao and Brother Han. Maybe I¡¯ll think of a new way to make money along the way?¡±


    Yu Hai heard her plea but before he could answer, Madam Liu butted in to express her thoughts, ¡°Is the town not enough for you that you have to go to the prefectural city? It takes several days by foot to get there. It¡¯s already quite tiring for your Uncle Zhao and you want him to help take care of you, a little girl? I absolutely refuse to give you permission!¡±


    Yu Hai had a look of ¡®there¡¯s nothing I can do¡¯ on his face. He said, ¡°Your mother is right! Our family is not so poor that we have no options. We don¡¯t need to send you, a small girl, to the prefectural city to find work. Rx a bit, you still have your father here!¡±


    In an effort to pull them out of poverty, a little girl who hadn¡¯t reached the age of ten had to make braised food, sell her recipes, and even figure out a method to cause vegetables to grow faster. She was so busy that she was getting stretched out like a rubber band. He was really afraid that she might snap under all of the pressure.


    Now, their family could sell braised food and vegetables to have a stable ie and some savings. They were even on the verge of buying a few shops, so they were no longer considered poor. Thus, they really needed to let his daughter rest a bit.


    ¡°But Father...I really want to go to the prefectural city to be more experienced and knowledgeable!¡± Yu Xiaocao did her best to use every trick in her book to act like a spoiled child. She knew her father was particrly vulnerable to these methods.


    Sure enough, Yu Hai¡¯s heart softened. He secretly approached his wife and quietly said, ¡°Muyun, Doctor Sun himself had said that our Xiaocao is not a person with an ordinary destiny. She¡¯s only nine years old yet she has earned almost two thousand taels. In the future, she will definitely be even more prosperous. As her parents, even though we may not be able to help much, we absolutely cannot pull her down!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by she won¡¯t have an ordinary destiny? Don¡¯t forget that Xiaocao is a girl and will need to marry someone in the future! If she was a boy, then I, as her mother, would absolutely support her!¡± Madam Liu still believed in the old traditional values such as, ¡®a woman¡¯s virtue is to have no talent¡¯. She felt that girls should spend more time at home doing needlework, managing the house and such, but there was no point in spending too much time out in the public.


    When Zhou Zixu saw that Xiaocao was about to cry, he immediately forgot his previous position and hurriedly interceded, ¡°Auntie, your beliefs are a little too outdated! It¡¯s no longer considered shameful for women to go out of the house and do business. For example, Jiang Siniang herself established the store, ¡®Exquisite Garments¡¯, that is famous and known to everyone in the capital. Even the noblewomen in the capital have a difficult time getting her to make them a piece of clothing that was personally designed and sewn by her. In fact, all of the emperor¡¯s imperial consorts want her to enter the pce to create clothing for them! I believe that Xiaocao¡¯s future aplishments,will absolutely not be inferior to Jiang Siniang¡¯s! She can only be better!¡±

 Chapter 138 – Plans Settled

    <h4>Chapter 138 ¨C ns Settled</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao stealthily gave Zhou Zixu a look that said, ¡®you¡¯re doing it right!¡¯, and continued to plead her case. Herrge eyes seemed more innocent and pitiful than a little deer¡¯s, so anyone looking at her would feel his or her heart soften.


    ¡°Third Young Master, are you saying the truth? Then, does Jiang Siniang¡¯s parents really allow her to go out and show her face in public?¡± Madam Liu had been somewhat persuaded by his words.


    Zhou Zixu raised an eyebrow at Zhao Han and then continued, ¡°Our current emperor is in favor of raising women¡¯s status in society ah! I heard that after Jiang Siniang became well known for her deeds, the emperor himself had even praised her with this line: ¡®women are just as capable as men in all they do¡¯. Jiang Siniang¡¯s parents were also like Auntie in the beginning and didn¡¯t support her. However, after she received the emperor¡¯s approval, they slowly began to change and no longer tried to stop her. Now, Jiang Siniang¡¯s mother will even help manage some tasks at her store when she has more work than she can get done!¡±


    ¡°But...if a young girl spends all her time out in the public, how could she possibly have any marriage prospects in the future ah!¡± This was the thing that Madam Liu worried about the most.


    Zhou Zixu chuckled, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this. With Jiang Siniang¡¯s current reputation, there are people lining out the door asking to marry her. I even heard that the current prime minister¡¯s eldest son, who is also the eldest grandson of the town¡¯s Rongxuan Academy¡¯s founder, adores Jiang Siniang for her talents and abilities. He even found someone to act as a matchmaker and it¡¯s rumored that they¡¯re pretty close to announcing an engagement!¡±


    ¡°Someone who sells her work for a living is in talks about getting married to the prime minister¡¯s son? Are you trying to deceive Auntie here?¡± Madam Liu felt as if she was listening to some mythical story and found it incredibly hard to believe.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then go around and ask other people! Now all of the nobles in the capital no longer want to find a daughter-inw who is from a wealthy family and follows the three morals and four virtues. Instead, they want to find a woman who is talented, confident, and strives for constant self-improvement. The emperor himself had said: ¡®a truly beautiful woman is one who is confident and independent¡¯!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao heard Zhou Zixu describe the current emperor¡¯s mentality, she admired and felt extremely curious about this fellow transmigrator who was sitting at the top. In a country that had already experienced the Tang Dynasty¡¯s Wu Zetian seizing the throne, the fact that he was willing to raise women¡¯s status in society and advocate for women¡¯s rights truly meant that he might encounter harsh opposition!


    Zhou Zixu continued to persuade her, ¡°Auntie, with Xiaocao¡¯s abilities and a few more years, she absolutely can be one of the best culinary talents in the country! Jiang Siniang managed to conquer the country with her embroidery and designing abilities, but Xiaocao has enough talents to also be famous. Auntie, you absolutely cannot restrict Younger Sister Xiaocao in a little town like Tanggu. Wouldn¡¯t that be ruining her potential to be a famous chef?¡±


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t tell the north from the south after hearing Zhou Zixu¡¯s convincing arguments. She hesitantly looked at her husband and then softly said, ¡°Husband...how about you apany Cao¡¯er to go to the prefectural city tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mother! Mother, you¡¯re the best!! I love you the most!!!¡± Xiaocao became wild with joy. She threw herself at Madam Liu and kissed her mother¡¯s face several times.


    Madam Liu was caught off guard and fell onto ground into the vegetable field, crushing a few heads of leaf lettuce! She halfughed and half-rebuked her daughter, ¡°Child, what made so crazy? Quickly get up!!¡±


    On the side, Yu Hai felt a burst of jealousy, ¡°Only your mother is good? Then what about me, your father, am I no longer good? Don¡¯t forget, your old man will be the one painstakingly apanying you to the prefectural city tomorrow!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao immediately changed her target and cated her jealous father, ¡°Father is also the best! Xiaocao is really too fortunate to have the world¡¯s best father and mother!¡±


    ¡°Such a toady!¡± Little Shitou sourly remarked. He only had two days of break, so he had lost his chance to go to the prefectural city.


    Yu Hang leisurely walked up to his little brother and rubbed his small head, ¡°In the future when you have passed the county level exams and need to take the provincial level exams, then you¡¯ll have your opportunity to go to the prefectural city. If you feel envious right now, then use your own efforts to achieve your goals!¡±


    Little Shitou wrapped his hands into tight fists and firmly asserted, ¡°Older Brother! The prefectural exam is not my ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is¡ª¡ªto reach the imperial court examinations! I will certainly make my parents and second sister proud of me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Older Brother believes in you! Don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure, as long as you do your best, then you won¡¯t have any regrets!¡± Yu Hang didn¡¯t want his little brother to lose his innocent heart due to throwing himself into his schoolwork. In addition to raising his confidence, Yu Hang also wanted to give the little fellow some warmth.


    This was the first time that Zhou Zixu and Zhao Han saw Yu Xiaocao reveal her childish side. They both thought that it was cute and refreshing and couldn¡¯t help but simultaneously reveal gentle smiles.


    Zhou Zixu took the lead, ¡°Xiaocao, Uncle Yu, are you guys really going into the prefectural city on foot tomorrow? Even if you walk for the whole day without rest, you may not be able to get there by dark. Can Younger Sister Xiaocao endure a journey like that?¡±


    Xiaocao was afraid that her father would get the idea, again, that she shouldn¡¯t go, and hastily replied, ¡°We have Little Gray ah! It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for it to pull the four of us in the cart!¡±


    Zhao Han couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the eager expression Xiaocao had on her face, ¡°My family has two horses at home. If Uncle Yu knows how to ride a horse, then my father and I can take one while Uncle Yu and Xiaocao ride the other.¡± ¡°Wow! Brother Han has horses at home? And two of them? Brother Han¡¯s family is really rich ah!¡± Because the start of dynasty urred after a long and lengthy battle, the price for a horse had risen without stopping. This meant that, for an average family, buying a horse was simr to buying a new car in the modern times. The cheapest and most ordinary horse on the market would cost at least a hundred or so taels to purchase.


    Yu Hang gently knocked on his little brother¡¯s head and smiled, ¡°Why are you feeling envious? It¡¯s not like our family can¡¯t afford to buy a horse now, but it¡¯s more like we don¡¯t need one! After you pass the county level exams, we¡¯ll buy you one!¡±


    Perhaps it was due to a boy¡¯s temperament, but Little Shitou had always liked horses, even when he was very young. After he heard his brother¡¯s suggestion, his eyes lit up, ¡°Older Brother, is that a promise? But isn¡¯t our family¡¯s money all in Second Sister¡¯s hands right now?¡±


    Yu Hang pinched the little boy¡¯s face and discovered that it felt quite nice. No wonder his little sister liked abusing this little fellow¡¯s face so much! He stopped pinching after the Little Shitou protested and confidently replied, ¡°After Ipletely recover, I will also help the family earn money. Do you really think that your eldest brother won¡¯t be able to save enough money to buy you a horse by the time you pass the county examinations?¡±


    Little Shitou remembered that his oldest brother was always reliable and never promised more than he could provide. He nodded his head eagerly, ¡°Eldest Brother, I believe in you! I will just wait until you buy me a horse then!!¡±


    On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao was still negotiating the way they should travel to the prefectural city. Zhou Zixu looked somewhat worriedly at Yu Hai and said, ¡°Uncle Yu says he knows how to ride a horse, but because he doesn¡¯t do it often, he¡¯s out of practice. If Xiaocao is also riding pillion with him, it won¡¯t be very safe, especially for such a long journey, right?¡±


    Zhao Han apparently also had some misgivings. He thought for a bit before he suggested, ¡°How about we get up earlier and ride the horses to town. Aren¡¯t there always horse carts in town in the morning that are going to the prefectural city? The carts all have rubber wheels, so Xiaocao would also be morefortable sitting on one.¡±


    ¡°I could also ride Little Gray too! Little Gray is very well-behaved and is also fast on his feet!¡± Usually when there wasn¡¯t anything important going on, Xiaocao and Little Shitou would climb onto Little Gray¡¯s back and let the donkey run around the mountain roads a couple of times.


    Although Zhou Zixu wasn¡¯t entirely happy with the idea, he still honored Xiaocao¡¯s choice. He spoke to Yu Hai, ¡°Uncle Yu, you should ride my horse there! My mother had especially chosen a more docile horse for me to ride. Thus, you can all have one person per animal, and it¡¯ll be easier that way.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s just do it that way!¡± Yu Xiaocao cheerfully decided on the arrangements. Then she immediately started to n what she needed to bring on the trip. ¡®We need to take some water ah, dried rations and other stuff like it. We absolutely need to bring some money for traveling expenses, and it cannot be too little...¡¯


    ¡°Xiaocao, do you n on bringing that ginseng to sell?¡± The ginseng that Little Glutinous Dumpling found had to be at least five hundred years old and was worth quite a lot.


    There were a lot of wealthy people in the prefectural city, so it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to find a buyer. However, it was possible to be a target for some of the more unscrupulous people. Although Zhao Han had confidence in his and his father¡¯s abilities to fight off some small thieves, he was afraid that Xiaocao might be scared from such a situation. Her body had always been weak. Receiving a fright would only cause problems for her.


    ¡°Ginseng? What sort of ginseng?¡± Zhou Zixu couldn¡¯t help but ask after seeing the solemn expression on Zhao Han¡¯s face.


    Xiaocao carelessly replied, ¡°Thest time I was in the mountains, I managed to dig up a ginseng that is on the older side. I¡¯m nning on selling it for money.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a very old ginseng and you¡¯re not hurting for money, I advise you to keep ahold of it. In the future, it¡¯ll act as a guarantee against a bad situation. After all, old ginseng are objects that can only be discovered but cannot be bought in a ce like Tanggu Town.¡± Zhou Zixu liked to prepare for the far-off future. Xiaocao and her mother had weak constitutions. With an old ginseng at home, if anything bad happened, it could be the difference between life and death.


    Zhao Han nodded his head in approval, ¡°I also believe that¡¯s the best way! After all, it¡¯s a ginseng that¡¯s over five hundred years old...¡±


    ¡°A ginseng that¡¯s at least five hundred years old? You want to sell it? Are you stupid or crazy?? Keep it, you have to keep it!! Did you know that Tongren Medicine Hall in town, which is a veryrge pharmacy, rarely sees a hundred year old ginseng, let alone ginseng that¡¯s at least five hundred years? If you need money, thene to me first! You absolutely cannot sell that ginseng!!¡±


    When Zhou Zixu heard how old the ginseng was, he almost exploded in astonishment. For a family like his, which had been umting treasures for several hundred years, their storeroom only had one ginseng that was over five hundred years old. If they didn¡¯t cut a few pieces off of the ginseng to simmer into medication for the most recent illness that his grandfather had, then the elderly man might not have survived! Ginseng that was at least five hundred years old...those who had money couldn¡¯t find any on the market, and they wanted to sell it? That would truly be an astronomical waste!


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to sell it, okay! Why are being all agitated now?¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes inwardly. However, it was better to keep it! Although she currently had the little divine stone as her ace in the hole, it would likely restore all of its spiritual energy one day and leave. Without her godly cheat item, that old ginseng may be the item that could save her entire family.


    After confirming the departure time for tomorrow with Xiaocao and her father, Zhao Han said his farewells and left. He also needed to go home to prepare for the journey to the prefectural city.


    As for Third Young Master Zhou, after eating a simple yet delicious breakfast at the Yu Residence, he sat on the donkey cart with Yu Hai, who was on his way to the docks to sell braised food. When they got to the docks, he went directly to the oyster sauce factory construction site at the docks. At the most crucial moment, he absolutely would not feel relieved if he wasn¡¯t there to supervise everything himself!


    At this time, the Yao Family¡¯s and Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s horse carts had arrived at the Yu Family Residence. The tomatoes that everyone had once rejected were now their most popr produce.


    Tomatoes that had been watered with mystic-stone water were incredible. No matter if they were eaten raw, stir-fried, stewed in soups, they all tasted amazing. When eaten raw, they were refreshingly sweet and sour, with lots of juice. They not only quenched the thirst but also had a delicious texture. When cooked, they were very versatile and could be used in a multitude of dishes. Some examples included: stir-fried tomatoes with scrambled eggs, tomatoes stir-fried with tofu, tomatoes stir-fried with rice cakes, tomatoes stewed with brisket...Yu Xiaocao could make over ten dishes with tomatoes that all had different vors.

 Chapter 139 – Prefectural City

    <h4>Chapter 139 ¨C Prefectural City</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao taught Zhenxiu Restaurant how to cook tomatoes in a few ways. By doing so, she had managed to attract many unexpected customers to the restaurant. The rarer something is, the greater its value. Naturally, the Yu Family¡¯s tomatoes were sold at a very expensive price, almost at the level of some extremely rare fruits. The Yu Family¡¯s small patch of tomatoes helped them earn quite a bit of wealth.


    Although it was now the regr season for produce to hit the market, the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables excelled not only in taste but also in freshnesspared to the other offerings. Consequently, even though the Yu Family¡¯s produce was slightly more expensive than other people¡¯s, the Yao Family and Zhenxiu Restaurant still solely bought from them.


    Of course, now that it was in season, the vegetables were much cheaper than they were at the start of spring. The days of selling vegetables at a price higher than pork were gone for now!


    As the first rays of the morning sun illuminated the top of the West Mountain, the birds still in their nests started to chirp and sing. Yu Xiaocao crawled consciously out of bed to wash her face. Little Shitou huddled within the nkets and watched her enviously.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you want, Older Sister will buy it for you in the prefectural city!¡± Yu Xiaocao told Little Shitou in a sisterly tone.


    Little Shitou thought for a bit and then shook his head, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I want, no need to spend money on snacks or toys. If there are any cheap stationery items, like brushes and paper, buy some of those for me. I feel like my calligraphy,pared to the other students in my dorm, is less elegant.¡±


    ¡°The students who share a room with you are either from schrly or wealthy families. For the most part, they likely started learning and practicing at the age of three. How old were you when you got to hold a brush? It¡¯s not shameful for you to be a little behind them!¡± Yu Xiaocao believed that having apetitive spirit wasn¡¯t a bad thing but having an obsession with getting first ce wasn¡¯t good either.


    Little Shitou flipped over in the bed and remarked cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯m notparing myself to other people. The teacher also said that having elegant handwriting will be very helpful for me when I take the exams in the future. I already startedter than other people, so I really need to work hard to catch up vigorously. If stationary items are cheaper in the prefectural citypared to town, then please take this opportunity to get more so I have some spares in case! You don¡¯t need to spend the family¡¯s fund, I have more than enough pocket money to cover the cost!¡±


    Ever since Little Shitou had gone into town to study, Xiaocao had never stopped giving him pocket money. Every week he received at least thirty to fifty copper coins as pocket money. However, the little fellow was thrifty and hated to spend it. Instead, he saved it up to buy brushes, ink, and paper. However, his second sister was too thoughtful and he was never short of those items. Thus, his little purse had over several hundred copper coins in it now.


    Yu Xiaocao walked over, pinched his small face, and grinned, ¡°Keep the few coins you have in your purse and use it to buy some snacks! You don¡¯t need to worry about getting stationary. After all, you have Second Sister ah! Your second sister has money now and, in the future, will have even more! Just focus on studying and you don¡¯t need to think about the rest!¡±


    After the osmanthus duck at Zhenxiu Restaurant became famous, the Yu Family had at least a thousand taels of ie every year. Not only could they afford to send one child to school, but if they also wanted to send every child at home to school, it wouldn¡¯t be too expensive for them. Being wealthy and prosperous was truly the way to live!


    ¡°Uncle Yu, where¡¯s Xiaocao? Can we set out now?¡± The sound of Zhao Han¡¯s voice reached both siblings¡¯ ears.


    Little Shitou gentlyughed, ¡°Second Sister, stop touching my face! Don¡¯t make Brother Han get anxious from waiting too long!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming, I¡¯ming!¡± Xiaocao hurriedly grabbed her small cloth bundle that she had packed the day before and rushed quickly out of the room.


    Madam Liu was in the middle of giving the dried rations to her husband when she saw Xiaocao still wearing the clothes she had on yesterday. She frowned, ¡°Didn¡¯t I make you a new set of clothing? Quickly change into it!¡±


    ¡°This set is pretty good ah! Don¡¯t need to change...¡± Xiaocao looked at the clothing on her body. Although it was crafted from rough homespun, it didn¡¯t have any dirt or patches on it. What¡¯s the point in changing?


    Yu Hai chuckled, ¡°Your mother told you to change clothing, so you should go change! Wearing new clothing when you head out on a trip will give you good luck.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wanted to argue more but she was pushed by her mother back into the room. Madam Liu took out a brand new, embroidered, cotton-lined coat and bottom from a chest made of rattan. The short jacket was pale blue in color with flowers embroidered at the cor and waist. It was paired with a deep blue pair of culottes that reached the ankles. Although it was technically a pair of culottes, it didn¡¯t look any different from a regr skirt. However, it really did have pant legs, and this type of clothing would make it easier for a person to ride a horse or walk long distances.


    Although the clothes were made out of cotton cloth, the cloth was of better quality and weave. After washing and starching, it held its shape very well and made the wearer look quite stylish. This was the first time since she had transmigrated over that Yu Xiaocao was able to wear a set that was so formal. She turned a few times in front of Madam Liu, admiring herself. Her two hands went to frame her face as she beamed a smile, ¡°Mother, am I pretty?¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop showing off your looks! Sit down, Mother will help you style your hair into two buns.¡± Madam Liu had deft and nimble hands. Before long, she finished styling Xiaocao¡¯s hair and used a long band of ribbon to decorate, tying it into arge bow.


    With the waist of her short jacket emphasizing her slender and delicate waist, two hair buns, a tender and pale snow-white face, and a pair ofrge, limpid dark eyes, Xiaocao looked incredibly adorable.


    When Zhao Han, who was in the midst of harnessing up the little donkey with a horse saddle, saw the dressed up Yu Xiaocao, he almost didn¡¯t recognize her. He looked closely at her for a bit before he joked, ¡°Oh! Where did this beautiful girl from a humble familye from? Looks so cute and adorable!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes wide and put both hands on her hips. She lightly said, ¡°Brother Han, are you trying to flirt with me?¡±


    Zhao Han¡¯s face immediately turned bright red, and he couldn¡¯t meet her gaze, ¡°I...I was sincerely trying topliment you!¡±


    Madam Liu hit Xiaocao on the back and soothed Zhao Han, ¡°Don¡¯t pay any attention to this little girl. She likes to say weird things from time to time. I really don¡¯t know what to do with her! Everyone should quickly head out now, otherwise you might not make it to the prefectural city before it gets dark!!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s back hurt quite a bit from the hit, so she pouted and muttered under her breath, ¡°If you hadn¡¯t told me to change clothes, then we would almost be at the town right now. I was only teasing Brother Han a little, but you hit me so hard. Am I really your biological daughter?¡±


    ¡°We picked you up from a sweet potato patch!¡± Madam Liu scolded huffily. After escorting her daughter and husband to the gate and helping her husband support Xiaocao onto Little Gray¡¯s back, she repeatedly reminded them, ¡°You two don¡¯t have great equestrian skills. Ride a bit slower and be careful on the road!¡±


    The saddle on Little Gray¡¯s back was the one that Zhao Han used when he was a kid, so it fit perfectly on the little donkey¡¯s back. Fortunately, when Madam Liu was sewing the new clothes, Xiaocao had her change the skirt into culottes. This made it easy for her to sit astride on the saddle. The legs of the culottes were wide and spacious, so it looked like two sides of a skirt arranged around the saddle. The fabric swayed along with the donkey¡¯s steps.


    At the beginning, Xiaocao felt a bit nervous riding on the donkey¡¯s back. The father and son from the Zhao Family deliberately went at a slower pace to match the Yu Family¡¯sfort level.


    Gradually, Xiaocao got the hang of it and no longer sat stiffly in the saddle. The little donkey felt its master rx, and its steps became much more cheerful and at ease.


    After consuming lots of mystic-stone water, Little Gray¡¯s intelligence was not any less than the two fine steeds from the Zhao Family. It didn¡¯t need Xiaocao¡¯smands at all and had a fast and steady gait. It was even faster than Yu Hai¡¯s steed, and ended up at the front of the group.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t feel like she was being jolted on this ride, even though they were still on the same rugged and craggy mountain roads. It was much morefortable than sitting on the donkey cart. It sparked a thought for Xiaocao: ¡®Next time I go into town, maybe I should just ride on the donkey?¡¯


    Before long, Yu Hai¡¯s equestrian skills also improved, and the speed of the group gradually increased. The Zhao father and son pair were amazed that the Yu Family¡¯s donkey, no matter what the speed or distance, was able to keep up with the three horses.


    Because the little donkey was more capable than they expected, the four of them arrived at the prefectural city two hours earlier than they had predicted.


    The prefectural city was a city and thus was livelier andrgerpared to Tanggu Town. Its streets were wide and smooth, with shops boarding both sides. The sun was slowly setting towards the horizon, and its lingering glow illuminated green tiled roofs, red colored walls, and the spaces between buildings. There was a three-story building crafted from red bricks with a green-tiled roof, a shop sign fluttering high in the wind, and the sounds of horse carriages surrounded them...all of this showed that the prefectural city was prosperous and flourishing.


    Yu Xiaocao held the reins of the little donkey as stood on the road, watching the stream of people around her bustling busily. There were some who were elegant, some who were fresh, some who were sincere, and some who were experienced. Her ears were filled with the sounds of peddlers bawling their wares punctuated by the asional high-pitched neigh of a horse. It was the scene of a golden age, flourishing beyond her dreams...


    Zhao Bufan had previously visited the prefectural city, so he was already used to the sight of all of the people. He softly consulted the Yu father and daughter pair for their opinions, ¡°Brother Dahai, should we find a ce to lodge first, or should we walk around first?¡±


    Yu Hai looked at his daughter and asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°How about we first find a ce to stay first. We should feed Little Gray and the horses, and also freshen ourselves up. It won¡¯t be toote to look around after doing that!¡± In any case, they were going to stay at the prefectural city for two nights, so they had all of tomorrow to walk around. They didn¡¯t need to try to fit everything in tonight.


    Zhao Han immediately expressed his approval, ¡°Xiaocao, I know a night market in the area. It¡¯s pretty exciting at night with a lot of snacks from different provinces and you can even find some good deals too. You will probably like it!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! We¡¯ll go stroll around the night market tonight and eat some snacks!¡± In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had started working to support her family when she was fifteen to sixteen years of age. She was always busy and had very little time to do things like walk around a night market and taste snacks. In this life, she still needed to make money; however, she could also take the time to have some fun and enjoy the scenes of life.


    The group of four found a clean inn to live in that was near the night market that Zhao Han had mentioned. The prefectural city was considered arge city, so the expenses there were naturally higher. Although this small inn was located at a rtively remote area, it cost a hundred and fifty copper coins a night. In total, for four people, it came out to six hundred copper coins a night, which didn¡¯t include food and drink expenses. For two nights, more than a tael would be spent!


    Yu Xiaocao first went to the back courtyard and made sure to take good care of Little Gray and the three horses. On the way to the city, in order to conserve the animals¡¯ strength, Xiaocao had fed them almost all of the mystic-stone water that was kept in her personal water pouch.


    The inn provided fodder for the animals. The three horses had a decent appetite. They had only had some water during the whole journey, so they had long been hungry. When the fodder came out, all of them ate it with delight. However, the little donkey had been raised by Xiaocao, so it was much pickier. It impatiently stomped its hooves and disdained the provided fodder as below its status.


    This little inn was run by a family. The person in charge of feeding the animals was a young girl about the same age as Xiaocao. When she noticed that the gray donkey didn¡¯t want to eat, she asked Xiaocao, ¡°Is this donkey not feeling well? Howe it doesn¡¯t want to eat food ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°My family¡¯s Little Gray has been spoiled rotten by me. It doesn¡¯t like eating food that¡¯s given to it by outsiders. Little sister, give the fodder to me, I¡¯ll feed my donkey.¡±


    The little girl also had to go into the kitchen to light the fire. When she heard what Xiaocao said, she ced the fodder from her basket into Xiaocao¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to inconvenience you, guest!¡±

 Chapter 140 – Shopping Around

    <h4>Chapter 140 ¨C Shopping Around</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao waited until the young girl walked far away. Only then did she sprinkle the remaining water from her water pouch onto the fodder. She ced the improved fodder into the feed trough in front of Little Gray. The little donkey licked her hand and then cheerfully started eating. The other three horses apparently could tell that the fodder in front of Little Gray was different and stretched out their necks. If they didn¡¯t have their lead ropes pulling them back, they would have long started fighting over the food with Little Gray.


    Xiaocao shook her water pouch, showing that it waspletely empty. She stroked Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s little red horse and softly said, ¡°Just ept these less than ideal circumstances for tonight, I¡¯ll make sure to give you guys something good to eat tomorrow!¡±


    Little Gray somehow knew that its own food was being eyed with jealousy by the other three horses, so it rapidly inhaled all of the fodder until the trough was swept clean. Satisfied, it opened its mouth and nickered a few times. The other three horses had nothing to fight for so they had no choice but to eat what was left in their own food bins.


    Zhao Han had finished moving their items into the room and came over. He noticed Xiaocao in the back courtyard and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, do you want to rest a bit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired, let¡¯s stroll around the vicinity!¡± Although riding a donkey for a long distance was hard and tiring, Xiaocao had her cheat item: mystic-stone water. Just drinking a mouthful was enough to energize her and eliminate fatigue.


    The small inn was in a location where themoners of the prefectural city lived. Nearby, there were shops that sold small goods that were almost the same price as the same goods in Tanggu Town. However, they had varieties of cloth material and designs of jewelry that could not be found in the smaller town.


    At one of the shops in the vicinity, Xiaocao immediately noticed a thin cotton cloth that caught her eye. It was dyed with an elegant pattern that reminded one of tree branches. If Madam Liu had a piece of clothing made from this cloth, she would definitely look very stylish. The cloth sold in Tanggu Town were either dyed a simple color or over-the-top with bright colors and patterns that could seem garish on some people. She needed to buy more of this type of simple yet elegant material to bring back home.


    Xiaocao was never extremely frugal with her own spending. In addition, the price for the cloth was not expensive, as it was about the same as those found in Tanggu Town. But, there was more variety. She asked the shopkeeper to cut her ten feet of each cloth that she liked. Behind her, Zhao Han soon found his hands full of cloth bundles.


    Not far from them, there was a small silverware store. Xiaocao remembered that when her mother was doing her hair she hadmented that they didn¡¯t have any hair ornaments. They could only use leftover scraps from sewing clothes to tie a bow onto her hair.


    All girls loved to dress up, so Xiaocao stepped into the silverware store without any hesitation. Inside the store, there was a twelve to thirteen year old girl at the counter. Although she was average looking, she had a business-like demeanor.


    When she saw a customer step in, the girl didn¡¯t judge the person by the way she looked and still warmly greeted her, ¡°Little sister, do you want some jewelry? Where are your parents?¡±


    This was the first time that Yu Xiaocao had entered into a silverware store. Her eyes looked avidly around and were caught by the glittering and shining pieces of jewelry in the store. With her family¡¯s current financial situation, buying gold ornaments would be a bit too ostentatious and inconsistent with Xiaocao¡¯s desire to stay under the radar. She still needed time to implement more money-making schemes.


    She smiled at the shopkeeper girl and went to the disy counter that had silver ornaments. The disy had ayer of dark colored cloth at the bottom, which made the silver jewelry inside seem more bright and shiny.


    At this point, the shopkeeper girl saw Zhao Han, who had just entered the store. Although Zhao Han was only around twelve to thirteen years of age, he had a sturdy and tall body from practicing martial arts all year round. In the young girl¡¯s eyes, Zhao Han had be Xiaocao¡¯s older brother who was taking his younger sister around shopping.


    The two of them were only wearing clothes made of the most ordinary type of cotton cloth, but the workmanship was very fine, especially the set on Xiaocao. It emphasized Xiaocao¡¯s fine and slim figure, making her look like a slender and elegant flower. She really had the air of a beautiful girl born from a humble family.


    The girl attentively rmended Xiaocao some pieces of jewelry in the case, ¡°Little sister, this is a pair of earrings shaped like lcs. The design is quite lively and really suits girls around your age. Do you want to try...¡±


    She picked up the pair of silver lc earrings and gestured towards Xiaocao¡¯s ears. Only then did she notice that the little girl¡¯s ears had not been pierced yet, so she smiled apologetically at Xiaocao. She ced the silver earrings down and picked up a set of jewelry decorated with pearls.


    Xiaocao noticed that the pair of lc earrings had fine workmanship. The tiny lc flowers seemed vivid and lifelike and glimmered gently in thest rays of the setting sun. Because she had a weak constitution since she was young, Madam Liu wasn¡¯t willing to pierce her ears. However, Xiaolian had pierced ears. This pair of lc earrings really fit Xiaocao¡¯s tastes, and she asked the girl about the price. They were only twenty copper coins, so she immediately bought them.


    Following that, she picked out a pair of twining silver bracelets for Madam Liu as well as a Yn magnolia [1] hairpin made of silver. She had heard Xiaolian mention that their mother had originally had a Yn magnolia hairpin just like this one that was brought over as her dowry. However, when Xiaocao had fallen ill as a child, they had sold it to get the money to pay for her medicine. This silver hairpin should help soothe Madam Liu¡¯s previous regrets!


    Naturally, Xiaocao didn¡¯t forget to buy things for herself and picked up a pair of pearl and coral bracelets. She also chose a simr style for Xiaolian, just with different colored pearls. Finally, she also bought a few headbands that were embroidered with gold thread. She wanted to gift these to the sisters of the Zhou Family as well as Qian Wu¡¯s younger sister.


    Picking out items here and there had unexpectedly racked up a bill of six taels. The young shopkeeper girl was a bit worried that this pair of ¡®siblings¡¯ didn¡¯t bring enough money with them. After all, the clothes they were wearing were not the type that the children from rich families would wear. What sort of ordinary family would give their children five to six taels of money for buying jewelry? Even in the prefectural city, an ordinary family¡¯s dowry for their daughter would not exceed ten taels worth of jewelry.


    The young girl felt somewhat anxious but kept a smile on her face, ¡°Altogether, ites out to six taels and two hundred copper coins. My shop¡¯s jewelry is all self-made, so I¡¯ll just waive the small change. Just give me six taels in total!¡±


    Six taels total? This is absolutely not expensive! The pair of bracelets and silver hairpin had to weigh almost two ounces total. If the shop also had to pay for a silversmith to shape these items, then the shop really wouldn¡¯t have much profit. Fortunately, this shop made all of its own items, so it saved a bit on the wages for the smith.


    Xiaocao took out her embroidered money pouch and fished out an ingot of silver worth around ten taels. She then took the smaller pieces of change and stuffed them into the pouch. Xiaolian had actually embroidered this pouch, so it had a unique sunflower design on the outside.


    The shopkeeper girl was interested in the design on the pouch. After getting Xiaocao¡¯s permission, she sketched the pattern out. The girl was the daughter of an old silversmith and had a lot of talent in creating and making silver jewelry. The jewelry she made were not only delicately pretty but also had a lot of liveliness.


    The sunflower embroidered on this tiny pouch inspired her limitlessly. Not long in the future, sunflower inspired jewelry would be very popr for a period of time in the prefectural city. This tiny silver crafts shop also gradually became more famous. Thus, the jewelry that this little girl made would also be more liked by masses...


    The sky had already be dark. After they left the jewelry store, Xiaocao felt bad having Zhao Han carrying all of these packages around while apanying her to the night market. So, they went back to the inn and put the newly bought items away. Yu Hai was afraid that it wasn¡¯t safe for the two children to wander around at night, so he also came out with them.


    The night market that Zhao Han rmended was really quite lively. It was brightly lit and multitudes of people swarmed around. Shops and stalls lined both sides of the street and each booth had twonterns hanging on the awning. asionally, the me within thenterns would flicker a bit and made the lighting in the area take on a dream-like splendor.


    The night market not only had people selling all sorts of trinkets and gadgets, but also many stalls of snacks that ranged from the northern to southern provinces. There were sticky rice cakes, wontons, stuffed glutinous rice balls, ky pastries, rice noodles...the three of them ate snacks down the whole street until all of their bellies were about to burst. All three of them eximed and rubbed their tummies in difort.


    Only when the night market was about to close did Xiaocao reluctantly leave. Shemented wistfully, ¡°Although the food here has an authentic vor, I believe I could make food that is a hundred times tastier if I lived nearby.¡±


    ¡°Eh? What sort of ideas do you have? Tell us. If it¡¯s feasible, we can also sell them at the docks!¡± Zhao Han had also tried Xiaocao¡¯s food and believed in her culinary talentspletely.


    Xiaocao smiled somewhat reminiscently, ¡°I want to create skewer hotpot. Anything can be put on bamboo skewers, such as meat, vegetables, eggs, seafood...I also want to simmer a pot of spicy and savory soup to go with it...that being said, I¡¯m starting to feel hungry again!¡± Yu Hai looked at his daughter, who seemed to have stars whirling around in her eyes, gently patted her head, and chuckled, ¡°There are already people at the docks measuring up the area. Before long, they will start doing construction. Third Young Master had said that in the future the docks will be thergest port in the north. There will absolutely be much more people there than before. In the future, we can have a shop there selling braised food as well as the skewers in soup that you were talking about!¡±


    ¡°How about...you first make some, and I can help you try them. If they are truly as delicious as you say, you absolutely can make money off of them!¡± Zhao Han felt the gluttonous monster inside him rear its head when he heard Xiaocao¡¯s descriptions. Who knew how long it would take for the port to finish construction, so didn¡¯t that mean he had to wait an unknown period of time to satisfy his cravings for skewer hotpot? The best scenario would be for Xiaocao to first make some, so he could eat to his heart¡¯s content.


    ¡°Not a problem! Tomorrow, let¡¯s buy some spices and seasonings in the city. When we get back home, I¡¯ll make some for you to try!¡± The materials to make food skewers could be found anywhere. For example: Chinese cabbage, green vegetables, romaine lettuce, tofu, mushrooms and other such vegetables were quite cheap. As long as one simmered a tasty soup, you could boil whatever you wanted in it. What a treat!


    The three people started to walk back towards the inn as they continued to discuss skewers simmered in soup. Suddenly, someone blocked their way. This person had a tall and imposing figure, which showed that he had done martial arts since he was young. He stared at Zhao Han for a good while before he asked somewhat emotionally, ¡°Excuse me, younger brother, are you surnamed Zhao?¡±


    Zhao Han stopped smiling and pursed his brows. He replied cautiously, ¡°You, do you recognize me?¡±


    ¡°No, no! Little brother, you look very simr to my teacher, and my respected teacher¡¯s surname was Zhao...¡± When therge man didn¡¯t hear him refute, he became even more excited. His fierce looking eyes started to hold back tears.


    Zhao Han actually didn¡¯t look much like his father and took after his grandfather instead. The Zhao Family all seemed to have a natural talent for martial arts. Even though Zhao Han was only a preteen, a group of five to six ordinary men wouldn¡¯t be his opponent.


    Zhao Han carefully sized up therge man in front of him and apparently made a decision. He stowed away his suspicious nature and asked in a low voice, ¡°Excuse me, but are you surnamed ¡®Fang¡¯? The ¡®Fang¡¯ from the word for house?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! I am your martial uncle, Fang Zizhen ah! Ah, esteemed teacher...is your grandfather¡¯s health still okay? Where have you all been living in hiding, I¡¯ve been looking for you all for over twenty years...¡± Therge man couldn¡¯t restrain himself and sped Zhao Han¡¯s shoulder. A smile that almost split his face open blossomed wide. Zhao Han naturally knew of Fang Zizhen. His grandfather had adopted an orphan and treated him like a son, teaching him everything he knew. He was taught the Zhao Family¡¯s familial martial arts. It was said that before Fang Zizhen went missing, his martial arts abilities were on par with his grandfather¡¯s. If there wasn¡¯t that bitter and desperate battle, it was likely that Martial Uncle Fang would even exceed his grandfather¡¯s abilities.


    [1] Yn magnolia ¨C flowering tree that was regarded as a symbol of purity in the Tang Dynasty. Currently the official city flower of Shanghai.

 Chapter 141 – The General

    <h4>Chapter 141 ¨C The General</h4>


    Who would have thought that Old Zhao, who had moved to Dongshan Vige over thirty years ago, was actually a brilliant and famous general from the previous dynasty, Zhao Zimo [1]. General Zhao was a brave and outstanding strategist and even defeated 80,000 troops from the emperor emeritus¡¯s army at Dingbanpo. The emperor emeritus even sorrowfully sighed, ¡®If Zhou Yu were to be born, why must Zhuge Liang exist as well?¡¯ [2]; he simultaneously admired and despised General Zhao. Admired him for his martial talents, yet hated him for his loyalty to the previous dynasty. Unfortunately, the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor didn¡¯t cherish him and believed the nder of jealous people. He ced General Zhao Zimo and his arch-enemy, Liu Ming, together inmand. During the next fight, in order to eliminate Zhao Zimo, Liu Ming deliberately procrastinated and dyed by preventing reinforcements from arriving on time.


    General Zhao had taken his barely thirteen year old son to that blood-soaked battlefield, and they had repeatedly repelled the volunteer army¡¯s attacks. Without reinforcements, the battle that day was a fight to the death. The emperor emeritus, who at that time was only the head of the volunteer army, had a heart who liked talented people, so he sent people over and over again to persuade General Zhao to defect. However, all of his attempts had been rebuffed.


    General Zhao struggled bitterly for a whole eight days, but the enemy¡¯s strength was on an entirely different level. In the end, General Zhao was not a match for them. On that fight, almost all of General Zhao¡¯s army had beenpletely defeated. Fang Zizhen had be seriously injured while trying to cover for his teacher¡¯s and younger martial brother¡¯s retreat, and they didn¡¯t know if he had survived. In addition, almost all of Zhao Zimo¡¯s loyal assistants had be casualties, and he himself had sustained serious injuries that left him unconscious. One of his remaining loyal servants had managed to drag him out of a pile of deceased soldiers and carry him to safety. General Zhao had just narrowly escaped death from that fateful battle.


    As for Liu Ming, he actually framed General Zhao for treason and used him of betraying the country. The previous dynasty¡¯s emperor was muddle headed and sent down a death sentence decree. Zhao Zimo, who had just managed to stabilize his own injuries, was helpless against this usation. All he could do was take his only son with him on an arduous journey, evading the forces of the dynasty he had wholeheartedly tried to protect. Luckily, before long, the previous dynasty had been overthrown by the volunteer army. Only then was Zhao Zimo able to take his remaining loyal servants and his son to live in seclusion next to the West Mountains. That was where he and his family had stayed up until now.


    For several generations, the Zhao Family only had a single heir for the next generation. General Zhao Zimo had been married for several years without any children, so he had raised Fang Zizhen like his own son. Although on paper the two were master and disciple, in private they were truly like father and son. After the dust settled, General Zhao returned many times to that battlefield to find his disciple¡¯s whereabouts, but had no news for a long period of time. When Fang Zichen covered the Zhaos¡¯ retreat, he had been heavily injured and there were a lot of soldiers after them. Thus, it was likely that he had met his end.


    At the end of every autumn, the vigers from Dongshan Vige, if they had a mind to, could find Old Zhao at the foot of the West Mountain using a candle to burn some rough straw paper [3]. No one knew who he was paying respects to... At first, when Zhao Han heard that thisrge man with a giant beard covering his face was the disciple that his grandfather always remembered, he felt extremely happy and excited in his heart. However, he recalled that his family was in an awkward situation. Even though he was young, his grandfather had never concealed anything from him.


    To be perfectly clear, the Zhao Family was technically considered surviving supporters of the previous dynasty. Zhao Han¡¯s grandfather had actually injured the current emperor emeritus in battle before. If their identities became exposed, then it was possible that they would all be destroyed. Consequently, Zhao Han did his best to hide his inner turmoil as he prepared to continue to sound out this man who called himself his martial uncle.


    ¡°General! The prefectural magistrate is about to start opening the wine and begin the wee dinner for you!¡± An energetic and experienced young man saluted to Fang Zizhen with his hands cupped into a fist.


    General? Zhao Han frowned and somewhat retreated a step. The only people who could be called a general in these days were all officials of the Great Ming Dynasty. If the man in front of him was his martial uncle, how could he possibly be a general for the Great Ming Dynasty? At that time, Martial Uncle Fang had ughtered many in the volunteer army!


    Although the brawny man in front of him looked rough, he had a sensitive animal instinct. He could somehow tell that Zhao Han was hesitating and waved his hand at the other youth, ¡°I just found a former acquaintance, so I will be unable to attend the reception. Please tell the prefectural magistrate that I will prepare a banquet for him some other day as an apology!¡±


    After he dispatched the youth, Fang Zizhen spoke to Zhao Han, ¡°Talking in this area is inconvenient. Where are you staying? I¡¯ll apany you there!¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Zhao Han looked at the man cautiously and continued, ¡°Sir, you have recognized the wrong person! I really don¡¯t know a person named Fang Zizhen...¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly recognize the wrong person? Your face is about eighty percent simr to my master¡¯s when he was young!! That being said, you also admitted that your surname is Zhao. I absolutely can¡¯t be wrong!!¡± Fang Zizhen eagerly rebuffed.


    Zhao Han replied guardedly, ¡°Some things look the same, some people resemble others! This doesn¡¯t really mean anything, right? ¡®Zhao¡¯ is a verymon surname, so there are many people with this name. We are only some ordinary hunters, so how could you, esteemed sir, recognize us?¡±


    Fang Zizhen noticed that ever since his subordinate came over, the youth in front of him, who had previously seemed emotional, had started to plead that he didn¡¯t know him. He said, somewhat downcast, ¡°Dearest Nephew, do you me me for taking an official position in the Great Ming Dynasty? It¡¯s a long story, let¡¯s go find a ce to slowly discuss what happened.¡±


    ¡°Thismoner has nothing to discuss with you, sir! It¡¯s gettingte, thismoner will leave!¡± Zhao Han respectfully bowed and then called out to Xiaocao and her father to tell them to leave the night market.


    Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t attempt to stop him. Instead, he sadly followed from behind like a golden retriever who had been reprimanded by its master. It wasn¡¯t easy to find news about his respected teacher, so he absolutely couldn¡¯t let this go! He had already decided that when he found his esteemed master, if his master med him and even refused to recognize him, he would retire from his position and wait upon his master for the rest of his life.


    Zhao Han had noticed therge man following them shamelessly. However, no matter what he said, the older guy wouldn¡¯t listen and persisted on tailing them. He felt quite helpless inside but he didn¡¯t want the man to know where they were dwelling. So he walked around the city in circles.


    After Zhao Bufan finished his own errands, he waited at the inn for a long time. When he didn¡¯t see his son and Yu Family¡¯s father and daughtere back, he went out to look for them out of worry. Coincidentally, he bumped into Zhao Han and the others walking around in circles.


    ¡°It¡¯s sote right now and the shops have already closed. Why are you bringing Brother Yu and Xiaocao around right now? If you want to walk around a bit, don¡¯t you still have all of tomorrow to do so?¡± Zhao Bufan discovered that his son wasn¡¯t going in the direction of the inn, which was why he was asking his son with some reproach.


    ¡°Xiao...Xiaofan?¡± He heard a voice that quavered from behind Zhao Han.


    Zhao Han only felt a gust of wind go by him. Therge and burly man bolted toward his father at an astonishing speed and gave his father a giant bear hug!


    Zhao Bufan cautiously stood still when the figure that resembled arge ck bear dashed over. However, when heard the voice that seemed both familiar yet strange, he set down his fists and endured that incredibly tight hug from the giant.


    ¡°Martial Brother Zizhen? You really are Martial Brother Zizhen!!¡± Zhao Bufan couldn¡¯t help but cry out in joyful astonishment.


    When Fang Zizhen had sacrificed himself during that battle, the fourteen year old Zhao Bufan, who already had gained experienced on the battlefield, was right next to him. He saw firsthand how his martial brother, who was covered entirely in blood from head to toe, shielded his father and him from a group of almost twenty soldiers from the volunteer army. The sound of his martial brother¡¯s hoarse voice shouting, ¡°Run away¡ª¡ª¡± had been deeply embedded in his heart. Even now, he could remember it as clear as day. If it wasn¡¯t for his martial brother and their loyal servant Uncle Huang, he and his father would have long be two bodies in a grave!


    Zhao Bufan¡¯s fierce eyes held back tears as he tried his hardest to suppress his spiraling emotions. He slowly said, ¡°Older Martial Brother, you¡¯re still alive¡ª¡ªthat¡¯s really too good!!¡±


    ¡°Xiaofan! Martial brother has finally found you!! Is Master still doing well? How have you and your family been living these years? I¡¯ve looked for you all for over thirty years and never gave up! Fortunately, fortunately, you are all okay!!¡± Fang Zizhen hastily wiped tears of joy from his face. His mouth was spread open in arge grin, showing a set of spotlessly white teeth.


    Zhao Bufanughed, ¡°Martial Brother Zizhen, if Father could see you now, he would already be scolding you for not concealing your emotions. Everything is showing right on your face.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh! I haven¡¯t heard Master yell at me for over thirty years and I quite miss it! I only forgot my manners in front of you, that¡¯s all. At court, everyone knows that I, Fang Zizhen, is a ¡®stone-faced general¡¯. In front of others, I never expose my feelings!¡±


    Fang Zizhen had a simple and honestugh that didn¡¯t have even a hint of the ¡®stone-faced general¡¯ persona. His subordinates behind him gaped at the sight. Is this still their general ah? It wouldn¡¯t be an imposter, right?


    ¡°General? Martial Brother has a position at court?¡± Zhao Bufan, unlike his son, was not full of suspicion. He had a good understanding of his martial brother¡¯s personality. His martial brother absolutely would not allow them to receive any harm. Even if it had been thirty years since theyst met, he was still confident in his assessment¡ª¡ªhis martial brother would not have changed!


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s expression looked somewhat unnatural, ¡°That day, after Master and you left, I was taken prisoner shortly thereafter. At the time, the head of the volunteer army was the current emperor emeritus. Once he found out I was Master¡¯s disciple, he didn¡¯t punish me heavily as a prisoner and even treated my injuries. Not long after, the previous dynasty had been overthrown, and the emperor emeritus took the supreme throne.¡±


    Fang Zizhen then paused for a second before he continued, ¡°At first, I wasn¡¯t nning on taking a position. However, the emperor emeritus said that only with a high position could I possibly have enough manpower to find the person I wanted to find. At the start of the new dynasty, I followed the emperor emeritus everywhere to suppress the rebellions and battle the enemies surrounding us. During those times, I looked for Master and you everywhere I went. Unfortunately, by the time the country was at peace, there was still no news about you guys. I resigned from all of my positions except the general position in order to have more time to find you guys all these years! The heavens do not let down those who persevere, I¡¯ve finally found you at Jinwei Prefectural City!!¡±


    As they talked, the whole group arrived at the inn they were staying at. Fang Zizhen saw that the ce was simple and crude. He frowned slightly, ¡°Younger Martial Brother, I have a small residence at the prefectural city, you should spend the night at my ce. I have a lot of things that I need to talk to you about!¡±


    Zhao Bufan knew that he felt that the conditions at the inn weren¡¯t good and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s not bother you, we need to leave early in the morning the day after tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°Xiaofan, we haven¡¯t seen each other for thirty years, so it¡¯s not surprising you feel a little weird with me! However, at the time, Master was always campaigning all the time, so I basically raised you! How can you treat your martial brother like an outsider now?¡± Who would have thought that such a big, hulking man with a burly beard and sideburns could have such a sensitive heart.


    Zhao Bufan didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry at this point, ¡°Older Martial Brother, I¡¯m not treating you like an outsider. I just feel like moving all of our stuff around in the middle of the night is quite a chore! After we finish our errands tomorrow, you cane with us and then leave with us the following day at the break of dawn. Come to Dongshan Vige!¡±


    ¡°Dongshan Vige? Master and you were at Dongshan Vige for all of these years?¡± Fang Zizhen was very interested in how his master and martial brother had lived for all of those years.


    Zhao Bufan nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right! We live on the west side of Dongshan Vige at the foot of the mountain. The vigers are simple and honest. They live off the fruits of the sea and mountainous forests. With our skills, even in years of disaster, we won¡¯t ever go hungry...that being said, at the time, the previous dynasty had a death sentence on us. If we were ever found, the West Mountain is also a very good hiding ce!¡±


    [1] His name was Zhao Zixiong in ch28, but the author changed it to Zhao Zimo.


    [2] ¡®If Zhou Yu were to be born, why must Zhuge Liang exist as well?¡¯ ¨C This quote is from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, said by Zhou Yu, one of talented generals in the story. The author of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms made Zhou Yu extremely jealous of his rival, Zhuge Liang, and had him say this on his deathbed,mented that the other man was more talented than him. The true historical Zhou Yu likely didn¡¯t have such a rivalry with Zhuge Liang.


    [3] Burning paper is a traditional Chinese-Taoist practice that sends money and materials goods to deceased rtives in the afterlife

 Chapter 142 – Heading Back

    <h4>Chapter 142 ¨C Heading Back</h4>


    ¡°The previous dynasty¡¯s emperor was a stupid dog! Master was loyal and devoted to him yet he ended up getting chased by that man¡¯s soldiers! Serves him right for getting killed by his trusted aides, that is true karmic retribution within one¡¯s lifetime!!¡± Fang Zizhen seethed angrily. If the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor hadn¡¯t believed the nder, then his master would not have had to endure so much hardship, and he wouldn¡¯t have been out of contact with him for so long.


    Zhao Bufan smiled, ¡°These are all old events, it¡¯s best not to mention it! Older Martial Brother, it¡¯s gettingte. You should go and rest first, we can meet up again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve talked to you and I have so many things to discuss! I won¡¯t leave tonight. Li Li, go check if there are any rooms open and reserve one for me. Tonight I want to talk to my younger martial brother by the candlelight!¡± Fang Zizhen felt as if he was in a dream and was afraid that if he left, he would wake up.


    At this moment, Yu Xiaocao and her father had already returned to their own room and were talking quietly.


    ¡°Father, I never would have thought that Brother Han was the descendant of a general!¡± Yu Xiaocao had extracted the most important piece from Fang Zizhen¡¯s words: Grandpa Zhao was a high-ranking general and was given a death sentence by the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor after getting ndered.


    Yu Hai slowly nodded his head, ¡°I had found out a while ago that Older Brother Zhao¡¯s family¡¯s marital skills were exceptional. Now that I know he¡¯s from a general¡¯s family, it all makes sense now!¡±


    ¡°Father, Grandpa Zhao¡¯s adopted son is a general of the current dynasty. Do you think Grandpa Zhao and Uncle Zhao will be generals now?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up. Brother Han was about to be a son of a general, so cool! Yu Hai, on the other hand, was not so optimistic, ¡°However, Uncle Zhao was a general of the previous dynasty, and he even faced off against the emperor emeritus before. No matter how magnanimous the emperor emeritus is, it¡¯s impossible that he would give him a position. That being said, our current emperor is not like the emperor emeritus, who rewarded those with military talents only.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also thought that her conjecture was little past the realms of possibility andughed, ¡°That¡¯s true! Earlier I was thinking that if Brother Han and his family were awarded a position at court, then they would definitely have to leave Dongshan Vige. In the future, I wouldn¡¯t have the chance to go hunting with him in the mountains. I even felt a little sad. But now it¡¯s okay, I don¡¯t have to worry anymore!¡±


    Yu Hai suddenly thought of something and guffawed, ¡°You want to go up into the mountains to go hunting! I¡¯ve been told it¡¯s forbidden for me, let alone you, right? With your mother watching us, the two of us shouldn¡¯t even think about running into the mountains!¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoined half jokingly and half seriously, ¡°Ah, why is Mother so afraid? It¡¯s like being afraid of a rope for ten years after being bitten by a snake! The areas around the West Mountains don¡¯t have any vicious creatures, why is she being so strict with you and me?¡±


    Yu Hai sighed heavily, ¡°Your mother was truly frightened to death after my ident! In any case, we don¡¯t rely on hunting anymore to make money! Cao¡¯er, fortunately we have you. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know how our family would have survived until spring without all of us dying of hunger!¡±


    Xiaocaoid down and snuggled into the nkets. She rubbed her tired eyes and mumbled, ¡°Father, we¡¯re all one family, why are you saying such polite words? In the future, our family will continue to get better and better...¡±


    The silvery moonlight shone through the windows and illuminated Xiaocao¡¯s fair and peaceful face. Her long eyshes left a shadow on her cheeks. Yu Hai quietly looked at his daughter¡¯s face, which seemed to be more delicate with each passing day. He could still remember when she was first born; she was as skinny as a monkey then and cried pitifully without a lot of energy. His heart simultaneously felt sorrowful yet joyful that his youngest daughter had ovee the bitter part of life to enjoy the sweet part... The two of them slept until Zhao Han¡¯s knock on the door woke them up. Yu Xiaocao rubbed her eyes and managed to dress herself while still half-asleep. Zhao Han said with a bit of embarrassment, ¡°Did I startle you two awake? I¡¯m really sorry about that!¡±


    ¡°Brother Han, why are we waking up so early?¡± Yu Xiaocao used a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned greatly.


    Zhao Han twitched his lips and replied, ¡°It¡¯s my martial uncle¡¯s fault! Last night he talked with my father until the middle of the night. This morning, he knocked on the door toe in before the sun got up. If I had known earlier, I would have had my martial uncle and my father sleep in one room, then I could have slept in my martial uncle¡¯s room!¡±


    ¡°Your martial uncle and your father haven¡¯t seen each other for more than thirty years, so it¡¯s natural that they have a lot of things to say to each other! How about we deliver the geese today, so we don¡¯t disturb Uncle Zhao and your martial uncle while they¡¯re reminiscing?¡± Yu Xiaocao carefully dipped the toothbrush she had bought yesterday into some salt and attentively brushed her teeth.


    After she transmigrated over, she found out that her family used willow twigs to brush their teeth. She had believed that toothbrushes hadn¡¯t been invented in this time period. If you weren¡¯t careful when you used a willow twig while brushing your teeth, you could end up jabbing yourself in the gums, causing bleeding. She was very unused to this techniquel.


    Yesterday night, when they were strolling around the night market, she found a ce selling toothbrushes made with the bristles from a pig. After scalding the bristles with some hot water, it was actually pretty easy to use as a toothbrush. She also bought some teeth cleaning salt from the same booth, and she was told that the people living the prefectural city all used this type of salt to brush their teeth.


    Yu Hai had also been browbeaten by his daughter to brush his teeth. He rinsed his mouth as he said, ¡°Older Brother Zhao doesn¡¯t have the time today. However, I don¡¯t have much to do. The nobility in the prefectural city have a lot of customs. You both are also half-grown children, so be careful not to cause any trouble.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao giggled, ¡°Father, you¡¯re really underestimating us! We¡¯re just delivering a pair of wild geese, what kind of trouble can we get into? That being said, right now we have a powerful supporter behind us! Brother Han¡¯s martial uncle is titled as the Zhaoyong General [1] and is a third-rank official at court! For the sake of his face, the prefectural magistrate won¡¯t try to make things difficult for us!¡±


    ¡°Stop taking advantage of other people¡¯s power! You, ah, your courage has always beenrger than the sky. The prefectural city has deeper waters than you can swim, so don¡¯t cause any trouble!¡± Yu Hai pulled on his daughter¡¯s pigtails and seriously warned her.


    Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue at her father and wrinkled her nose, ¡°I know, your daughter knows the severity of the issue! Stop pulling on my pigtails, it took me a while to braid them up!¡±


    Normally at home, Yu Xiaocao would only braid her hair into simple pigtails and leave it that way. She never tried to wind it into moreplicated styles. Earlier, she only managed to add some hair ornaments at the top of her braided pigtails after spending more than half the morning staring into her reflection in the washing water.


    Yu Hai teased, ¡°You don¡¯t even know how to style hair, are you still considered a girl? Are you sure that your soul didn¡¯t go into the wrong body and that our family was supposed to have another silly boy instead?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him. ¡®Am I really your biological daughter, you silly man?¡¯


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s assistant went to the prefectural city¡¯s most famous breakfast stand in the morning and took back some takeout for them. Xiaocao and her father also benefited from this. They both got to eat Jinwei Prefectural City¡¯s most famous soup dumplings and Erduoyan fried rice cakes. Xiaocao felt extremely satisfied afterwards. This trip was worth it in her mind as she had gotten try a lot of snacks that were hard to find in Tanggu Town!


    When he found out that Zhao Han needed to go to the prefectural magistrate¡¯s residence to deliver the wild geese, Fang Zizhen instructed his subordinate, Li Li, to go with them.


    With someone with them, it was easier to finish the errand. The prefectural magistrate had recognized Li Li as an attendant of the Zhaoyong General, so he personally received them. When he saw the two sleek and plump,rge geese, he was extremely pleased. In addition, the two people in front of him were rmended by the Zhaoyong General himself, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t treat them unfairly. He ended up buying the two geese for around a hundred taels total!


    Zhao Han went ording to the deal he had struck at the time with Xiaocao and gave her half of the money he received. Xiaocao didn¡¯t need these fifty taels at this time and graciously said, ¡°Brother Han, you were the one who contacted the buyer and found the geese. I only helped you with some minor tasks, so how could I possibly take your money?¡±


    Zhao Han adamantly refused to take back the money and added, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your secret bait, I would not have been able to trap these two geese so easily. Let me tell you, capturing a live goose is many times more difficult than killing one. Although my archery skills are quite good, I can¡¯t guarantee that I would be able to take down a goosepletely intact! That being said, you were the one who helped raise the geese at home. After being there for so many days, I doubt anyone besides you could take such good care of these geese. You deserve this money! If you don¡¯t take it, then I¡¯ll take it as you looking down on your Brother Han!¡±


    After he said that, Yu Xiaocao really couldn¡¯t refuse anymore. She had no choice but to take the money and said, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll take the money!¡±


    A simple stroll to the prefectural magistrate¡¯s home meant that she made all the money she needed to go shopping in the city! Yu Xiaocao shopped around like a fiend for the rest of the day. At noon, she ate at a pretty good tavern for lunch and tried several dishes that were specialties of Jinwei City. After one day in the city, she managed to buy a lot of things. If she wasn¡¯t afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to haul more stuff home, Xiaocao likely would have spent all fifty taels in one day!


    The next day, early in the morning, the group of people proceeded to go back home. They had arrived in the city with four but they were going home with three additional people¡ª¡ªFang Zizhen and his two subordinates.


    On the whole way there, Fang Zizhen was antsy, wishing that they could immediately appear in Dongshan Vige. His equestrian skills were quite good, and he was riding a horse that was one of the finest steeds avable. When he saw Xiaocao and the others not in a hurry, he couldn¡¯t help but propose, ¡°Xiaofan! How about...the two of us head off first. With Li Li and the other assistant staying with them, we don¡¯t need to worry about Xiaohan¡¯s and the others¡¯ safety.¡±


    Zhao Bufanughed brightly, ¡°Okay! Older Martial Brother Zizhen, let¡¯s see who¡¯s better at riding! On behalf of my father, I¡¯ll check to see if you¡¯ve been cking on your horsemanship all these years, alright?¡±


    Fang Zizhen felt like he was back in the past, with a ten year old Little Bufan. The youth loved topete horsemanship skills with him and would even snivel when he lost!


    ¡°Haha...okay! Xiaofan, your martial brother is not going to go easy on you ah! If you lose, you¡¯re not allowed to cry!!¡± Fang Zizhenughed in a teasing manner.


    Zhao Bufan felt his old face flush red and caught sight of his son sniggering at him. He spoke to his martial brother, ¡°No need to bring back old events of the past! People often say: a soldier can change a lot in three days, enough to change your perspective! Almost thirty years have passed and your younger martial brother has never cked on his archery and horsemanship skills!¡±


    ¡°With Master around, even if you wanted to ck you wouldn¡¯t be able to!! A strict teacher will have brilliant students, I firmly believe, Xiaofan, that you will be able to astonish me with your skills. Let¡¯s go!¡± Fang Zizhen made sure to leave him some face and didn¡¯t bring up all of his awkward childhood incidents of the past.


    The two of them bolted off, leaving dust in their trail. Yu Xiaocao watched their strong and healthy figures rapidly disappearing in the distance and felt extremely envious. Galloping swiftly on horseback looked extremely carefree, and she also wanted to experience it for herself. However, with her tiny body and poor riding skills, it was likely that she would never be able to try.


    Zhao Han had a gentle smile on his face as he looked at her, as if he could tell what she was harboring in her heart. He proposed, ¡°How about this, I could bring you along on a gallop?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was just about to ept the offer when her father pitilessly stopped her, ¡°Not okay! Men and women should not have physical contact! Cao¡¯er, if you want to ride a horse, Father can take you along!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pouted and shook her head sulkily. Her father¡¯s equestrianism was not much better than her own. He couldn¡¯t go faster than Little Gray!


    ¡°Little Gray, go faster! Father, if you can keep up with me, then you can bring up riding with you again!¡± Xiaocao gently squeezed the little donkey¡¯s abdomen with her legs, and Little Gray immediately stretched out its legs and started to run.


    Xiaocao could hear the wind rushing by her ears as the trees on the sides of the road whipped by. Her clothing, with its wide sleeves and fluttering pant legs, fluttered in the wind...a peel of silveryughter came out of her and colored the surroundings.


    ¡°Eh? This little donkey¡¯s speed is actually not bad.¡± Li Li eximed in admiration as his eyes opened wide in astonishment. An ordinary donkey would not be able to run so fast. But no matter how hard he looked, this drably gray donkey didn¡¯t have any distinguishing features ah!


    [1] Zhaoyong General (ÕÑÓ½«¾ü) ¨C Zhaoyong means bright and courageous.

 Chapter 143 – Visiting

    <h4>Chapter 143 ¨C Visiting</h4>


    When the group of people arrived at Dongshan Vige, the fiery sun was gradually approaching the West Mountain, which wreathed the top of the mountain in a glittering, golden halo. The vast majority of vigers had just finished eating dinner, and many elderly men and women were congregated under the old elm tree at the mouth of the vige. Some were ying chess while others were chatting genially.


    Among them was a fat and plump woman, who was garrulously talking to other people while drops of spittle emitted from her mouth. This person was Xiaocao¡¯s eldest paternal aunt, Li Guihua. She had a bunch of roasted melon seeds in her pocket, and her lips pped swiftly as the husks from the melon seeds flew away. Her beady eyes, which resembled a thief¡¯s, furiously roved around. No one knew who she was nning to nder next.


    Next to her was Madam Xiong, who used an elbow to poke at her. She pouted towards the entrance of the vige and said, ¡°Guihua, look over there! Isn¡¯t that your younger brother-inw and his precious little daughter? I heard that the day before yesterday they went with Hunter Zhao and his son to the prefectural city! Tsk tsk, I¡¯ve been living for a long time and I¡¯ve never been to the prefectural city. Your younger brother-inw takes that silly girl Xiaocao as a treasure, ah, and takes her around everywhere!¡±


    ¡°Psh, what kind of treasure are you talking about?! In the end, isn¡¯t she just something you¡¯ll lose money on?¡± Ever since Li Guihua went on hertest, fruitless trip to the old Yu residence and was rewarded with nightmares for several nights, she never had the guts to go there again to cause trouble. She even spread rumors that the old residence had demons haunting it and that Yu Hai¡¯s family was so and so...however, most of the vigers knew her personality, and very few of them took her bberings seriously.


    Madam Xiong¡¯s eyes flickered, and sheughed until the fleshy parts of her body trembled. She then said, ¡°Do you think your younger brother-inw is trying to marry one of his children to the Zhao Family because he thinks their circumstances are good? Tsk tsk, even if he wants to, he shouldn¡¯t pick that chit Xiaocao ah. She¡¯s a sickly one and no one knows when she¡¯ll have her next spell!¡±


    ¡°Who knows! Second Brother-inw is a sworn brother with Hunter Zhao. Maybe they had something to do in the prefectural city and Xiaocao begged them to go along. Second Brother-inw definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse her, especially since he loves to spoil her! As for thinking about marriage, whether or not they could get an agreement is not certain!¡± Madam Li continued to crack the melon seeds in her mouth noisily and was oblivious to the fact that there were many elders around her. She didn¡¯t have any manners and was preupied with eating her snacks selfishly.


    Madam Xiong curled her lip and sniggered nastily, ¡°Your younger brother-inw is ying a good game. That Zhao Family has to be one of the richest families in our vige. Last time your younger brother-inw managed to kill a bear in the mountains. I heard, ah, that they sold it for three hundred taels. Your younger brother-inw had such a serious injury, and he has a very good rtionship with Hunter Zhao. He must have gotten a big portion of the money!¡±


    When Madam Li heard that the bear was sold for that much money and that her second brother-inw probably got a slice of that pie, her expression immediately changed. She repeatedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll say ah! Second Brother-inw split from the family with ameg and there¡¯s no one in his family who can do proper work. Yet they¡¯re bing more and more prosperous with every passing day! Now I know that he collected quite a lot of money behind Mother and Father¡¯s back! No wonder he could fix the house, re-fence the courtyards, and even buy so much cloth to make new clothes...That¡¯s not okay, I need to tell Mother! When Hunter Zhao sold the bear, we hadn¡¯t split the family then! They need topensate a bit ah!¡±


    Madam Li stuffed all of the melon seeds that she had into Madam Xiong¡¯s hands and impatiently headed home. However, she had just mentioned the money from the bear when Madam Zhang¡¯s face twisted and the older woman started hollering at her. In addition, she even got a lot of work assigned to her. There was absolutely no way she could find the time to sneak out toze about for the next several days!


    At this moment, at the entrance of the vige, the vigers all saw Hunter Zhao and Yu Hai with a fewrge men wearing silks and satins that had a soldierly air about them. The vigers whispered quietly among themselves. All of the items that Yu Xiaocao bought were hanging on Zhao Han¡¯s and Fang Zizhen¡¯s assistant¡¯s horses. On one hand, it was because the donkey was too small and couldn¡¯t carry all of it. On the other hand, she was afraid that people would be envious of her due to all of the stuff she bought.


    Fang Zizhen was in a rush to see his respected teacher, who he hadn¡¯t seen for over thirty years. He directly followed behind Zhao Bufan to go to the Zhao Residence. Zhao Han was behind, bringing along Li Li and the other subordinate, and went to Xiaocao¡¯s home to deliver her things.


    When Madam Liu found out that the Zhao Family was weing guests, she warmly picked a little bit of each type of vegetable growing in the fields and gave them to Zhao Han to bring back home. Although Zhao Han¡¯s family also had some areas to nt vegetables in, no one in his family knew how to farm, so they never had a great yield from their garden. Furthermore, none of their vegetables were as vivid and lush as the Yu Family¡¯s produce.


    Ever since Yu Hai¡¯s branch split from the main family, they became even closer to the Zhao Family. Every few days or so, Zhao Han would deliver some game to them and even help them harvest vegetables. He also never cked off when he helped them. Thus, from time to time, the Yu Family would also send some of their vegetables over.


    After the members of the Zhao Family ate the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables, they disliked their own green vegetables even more. Even the old man, Zhao Zimo,plimented the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables many times. The vegetables they grew were lush and extremely tasty. It was easy to eat a couple extra bowls of rice when you had their vegetables to eat! He felt like his own body was getting stronger and stronger with every passing day. Even his old internal injuries, left by his previous military campaigns, seemed to have gotten better by a lot!


    Zhao Han took the vegetables without any quibbles and even gave the bright red tomatoes to Li Li and the other guy. Li Li had gone with the general to visit other residences in the capital and had seen tomatoes before. However, all of those people kept the tomatoes in pots and used them as decorative nts only.


    Li Li only found out that tomatoes could be eaten like a fruit after he had a taste of the sweet and sour tomato! That night, he also got to eat tomatoes used like a vegetable in cooked dishes. He suddenly realized then¡ª¡ªtomatoes actually weren¡¯t considered a fruit but a vegetable! [1]


    After they saw Zhao Han and the other two people off, Madam Liu started to put away the things Xiaocao bought while inquiring Yu Hai and her daughter about what they ate in the prefectural city, their living conditions, etc. As for Xiaocao¡¯s extravagant spending, Madam Liu had already gotten used to it. Luckily, Xiaocao was also very good at making money, so Madam Liu didn¡¯t bother saying anything anymore.


    Xiaocao had bought Madam Liu a bolt of simple yet elegant cotton cloth. Madam Liu liked it so much that she almost couldn¡¯t bear to use it. However, Xiaolian and Xiaocao pestered her to try it, so she wrapped it around her body to take a look. Surely enough, the cloth suited herpletely as it really showed off her gentle and sweet-tempered nature. Even Yu Hai repeatedly praised Xiaocao for having a good eye!


    Xiaocao then took out the jewelry she had carried under her clothes. She first took out the pair of lc earrings for Xiaolian and helped her put them on. The delicately fine earrings made Xiaolian¡¯s glowing and rosy cheeks seem even more pretty.


    Madam Liu smiled on the side, ¡°Xiaocao, this set of earrings you chose are not bad. All girls should have a few things of jewelry. In the past, our family had difficulties, but in the future, we should prepare a few more sets for you two sisters!¡±


    Which young maiden didn¡¯t like shiny and glittery jewelry? Xiaolian absolutely loved that pair of earrings and hairpin studded with pearls. She wore the hairpin in her hair and couldn¡¯t bear to take it off. Yu Hai and his wife gentlyughed as they watched their daughter admire herself. They thought it was simultaneously a bit funny as well as a bit heart wrenching.


    ¡°Mother, I bought this for you. Quickly try it on and see if it suits you!¡± Xiaocao took out the silver bracelet and hairpin out. She presented them as if they were the finest treasures in the world.


    Madam Liu let her daughter ce the bracelet over her hands as shemented, ¡°What¡¯s the point in spending this money? Mother usually has a lot of work to do, so wearing a bracelet would only get in the way, right?¡± Although she said those words, she still felt warm inside her heart. Daughters were truly intimate with their mothers.


    When she saw the silver hairpin shaped like a magnolia, her eyes suddenly became wet and hot, and her mouth trembled. When she got married, her two older brothers had also recently married too, so the family was not well off then. The magnolia silver hairpin in her dowry was also her mother¡¯s dowry. Usually, her mother couldn¡¯t bear to wear it. Although her mother had it for more than a couple of decades, it still looked new.


    However, when Xiaocao was five, she had been very ill. Madam Zhang used the excuse that the family didn¡¯t have much money at home after paying for her third son¡¯s schooling fees and refused to give them money to have Xiaocao see the doctor. Helpless, she could only use that silver hairpin from her dowry to pay for her daughter¡¯s doctor visit and medicine. Every time she thought of that silver hairpin, she felt a bit wistful but never regretful. A silver hairpin was only an object, no matter how expensive it was, it could never be as precious as her daughter¡¯s life!


    Now a new magnolia silver hairpin had appeared in front of her. In fact, it was her sensible daughter who bought it for her. The hole in her heart had apparently been crammed full. With a daughter like this, what more could she ask for? She once again rejoiced that she had used her hairpin to save her daughter¡¯s life!


    Xiaocao saw her mother hold back tears in her eyes as she looked at the hairpin in her hands. Her mother was lost in her thoughts, so she quietly interrupted her, ¡°Mother! I missed you these past few days while I was in the prefectural city! Was everything okay at home? Did anyone from over theree over and make things difficult for you?¡±


    Madam Liu carefully stored the silver hairpin and lightly blinked away the tears in her eyes. She smiled sweetly and said, ¡°You have such a sweet little mouth, as if you have honey smeared all over it! Everything at home was fine...that¡¯s right, Third Young Master Zhou sent Xiaoduo over today with the watermelon seeds. How should we nt them? We can¡¯t dy farming season!!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t! Watermelons like warm weather, so if we wait a few days it won¡¯t cause any trouble! We should start up the kang bed in the west room. Watermelon seeds need to be soaked to promote germination. It¡¯s still a bit cold in the mornings and evenings here, so we need the kang to be going to keep the temperature warm.¡± Yu Xiaocao had a good idea on how to grow watermelon. In her previous life, before her parents passed away, they had also grown two mu full of watermelon. At the time, she was in middle school, so she was already doing a lot of work around the family farm.


    The whole family sat on the kang bed and was putting all of the things they bought away. Madam Liu came off the bed to make dinner. The Yu Family had already gotten used to eating three meals a day, so theirst meal of the day was usually a bitter than the other vigers¡¯. Yu Hai and his daughter had gnawed on some dried rations during noon. Madam Liu felt bad for them, so she especially made a couple more dishes for dinner.


    Right after they finished their meal, they heard someone knocking on their gate. Xiaolian bolted out to open the door and weed in Madam Mao, who was holding a basket full of duck eggs.


    Madam Mao entered the main room with her face wreathed with smiles. She sat cross-legged on the kang bed and pushed the basket full of duck eggs towards Madam Liu and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to thank your daughter Xiaocao! Today, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Little Brother Qian came by and reserved fifty ducks from us for tomorrow. If it wasn¡¯t for their rtionship with your family, then they would not have bought so many ducks from us and also not need us to ughter and clean them. You guys wouldn¡¯t know this, but before, whenever someone ordered a duck from us, we always needed to ughter and clean them. Duck feathers are very hard to pluck, so how long would it take us to pluck fifty ducks?¡±


    Madam Liu was an honest person, so she spoke truthfully, ¡°We cannot im credit for this! Today Xiaoduo was helping us in the back courtyard and saw your son, Wuzi, herding the ducks through our bamboo fence. He said that your family did a good job raising the ducks and wanted to know who you were. I merely said a few words about your family, that¡¯s all. I absolutely can¡¯t take this gift from you.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your daughter Xiaocao¡¯s talents, how could Zhenxiu Restaurant need so many ducks? If it wasn¡¯t for Little Brother Qianing by to buy produce from you, how could they find out that my family raised ducks? In the end, we are the ones taking advantage of you! It¡¯s only a few duck eggs, that¡¯s all. No need to be so courteous!¡± Madam Mao pulled on Madam Liu¡¯s hand a couple of times and was extremely warm to her.


    [1] Tomato ¨C technically, in botanical terms, tomatoes are fruits...but we use them more in vegetable like applications.

 Chapter 144 – Giving Advice

    <h4>Chapter 144 ¨C Giving Advice</h4>


    Originally, Madam Mao had heard from a rtive, who worked at Zhenxiu Restaurant, that the recipe for the zingly popr roasted chicken in town was created by a little girl from Dongshan Vige, whose surname was Yu. She didn¡¯t quite believe the story at the time. How could an eight to nine year old girl, who had been sick and weak for many years, know how to cook food?


    However, when the Yu Family rmended the Zhou Family¡¯s chickens to Zhenxiu Restaurant, their chickens, which had previously sold poorly, not onlypletely sold out but they also caught a bunch of chicks in the spring. They said that they wanted to expand their chicken raising activities!


    If her family¡¯s ducks still couldn¡¯t be sold, due to the poor circumstances of the year, they would likely be a deficit for her family. Madam Mao decided to take her chances, despite only half-believing the stories, ande over to ask for help. She didn¡¯t expect that the Yu Family¡¯s youngest daughter truly had a gift for cooking. Within a few days, the little girl created ¡®osmanthus duck¡¯, which was a novel dish that sold very well.


    It was said that this osmanthus duck not only had a tantalizing vor but it could also nourish the body in many ways. It was rumored that if you ate it consistently it could alleviate fevers, expel toxins, nourish Yin, repair the lungs, moisturize dry areas, and beautify the skin!


    Madam Mao knew that her husband didn¡¯t have a natural gift at doing business like the Zhou Family¡¯s brothers. Other than raising ducks, he wasn¡¯t good at much else. Her eldest son had tuition fees and all of the other expenditures at home depended on them selling ducks to pay for them. In the past, she could only sell one duck for every two chickens in town. With that, they could barely make ends meet. This was also the reason why she had to haggle over every ounce or copper.


    Now it was different. With this new dish and her rtionship with the Yu Family, even if her family raised even more ducks, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about selling them! Madam Mao felt immensely grateful within her heart towards the Yu Family for their benevolence and care. This basket of duck eggs was her way of sincerely thanking them.


    After she saw off Madam Mao, Madam Liu fretted about the basket of duck eggs. Duck eggs did not taste as good as chicken eggs. No matter how you prepared them, they would always have a slight fishy taste. Apparently, they could only just use some coarse salt to preserve them. When the peak farming season came along, they could add another dish to their table then!


    ¡°Mother, give these duck eggs to me, and I¡¯ll prepare them!¡± On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t the tiniest bit worried over the eggs. In her past life, century eggs and lean meat congee and century eggs stir fried tofu were both her favorite foods to eat. The best salted and preserved duck eggs also had rosy red yolks, delectable golden yolk oil, and a delicate vor...¡¯ah, can¡¯t think about it anymore, going to start drooling soon.¡¯


    Xiaocao always did what she promised! The next day, she took some Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese cinnamon, fennel, fresh ginger, fine salt and added it to some cold water and let it all boil for around twenty minutes. Afterwards, she poured the mixture into an earthenware jar and ced the duck eggs, which were washed clean, into the mixture and sealed the jar shut.


    When Madam Liu saw her doing this, she said that she was only making regr salted duck eggs. Using spices like this would be a waste, so she shouldn¡¯t do it. Traditionally, when preserving duck eggs, people usually used some red soil and mixed it with water until it became viscous and gooey. Some coarse salt was then added and the whole mixture was used to coat the eggs and marinate them.


    Xiaocaoughed, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m making five spice seasoned salted duck eggs. This type of duck egg has a rich fragrance and a savory vor. I guarantee it will be better than all of the other salted duck eggs you¡¯ve tried, just wait and see!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have a whole basket of duck eggs? Why did you only marinate half of the basket?¡± Madam Liu asked as she helped her daughter.


    Xiaocao thought for a bit and replied with a different question, ¡°Mother, are we able to get some quicklime around here? And huangdan powder...¡±


    ¡°Huangdan powder? Isn¡¯t that used by Taoist priests to concoct pills for immortality? Don¡¯t tell me that you n on using the rest of the duck eggs to make immortality pills? That doesn¡¯t seem right, I¡¯ve never heard of immortality pills needing duck eggs...¡± Madam Liu was quite puzzled by her question.


    When she heard Madam Liu¡¯s words, Xiaocao felt relieved. It looked like quicklime and huangdan powder were all obtainable.


    Surely enough, Madam Liu continued, ¡°Quicklime is not hard to get ahold of! A lot of townspeople in town use lime to paint their walls when they build a new house. Your youngest maternal uncle knows how toy bricks, so we can send a letter to him to get you some. As for huangdan powder, you should probably be able to buy some at a pharmacy.¡±


    Quicklime was used to build houses ah! Wasn¡¯t Third Young Master Zhou at the docks overseeing the factory construction? Finding him would be perfect! The docks also seemed to have a small pharmacy too, but she wasn¡¯t sure if they had any huangdan powder for sale. Yu Xiaocao was burning with anxiety and started to prepare to go to the docks.


    After she finished breakfast, Xiaocao drove the donkey cart along with Xiaolian onto the road to the docks. Just as they left the vige entrance, they saw the fat figure of Yu Heizi appear.


    Previously, Yu Heizi was considered a hooligan in Dongshan Vige who caused trouble all day long. Using hisrge and fat figure to his advantage, he bullied all of the other children in the vige. After being scared witless by the little divine stone, he unexpectedly did a 180 and dropped all of his bad habits.


    ¡°Brother Heizi, are you going to the docks? Come up, we have room for you!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any ill will towards the reformed Yu Heizi. After all, they were family. She couldn¡¯t pretend not to see him just because she disliked his mother!


    Yu Heizi avoided Xiaocao¡¯s eyes and chuckled sheepishly, ¡°Ahhhh, I¡¯m going to the docks to see if there¡¯s any work for me to do...it¡¯s okay, I should lose some of this fat on my body, so walking there is better!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao giggled, ¡°Losing weight doesn¡¯t happen all at once. Our donkey cart moves fast, and the earlier you get there, the more opportunities you¡¯ll have! Stop dawdling, quicklye up ah!¡±


    Yu Heizi didn¡¯t try to decline her offer again and clumsily climbed onto the donkey cart. Little Gray was still quite calm and didn¡¯t decrease its speed despite having a fat Heizi added to its load. Heizi praised the donkey sincerely, ¡°Xiaocao, your donkey was raised very well! When you first bought it, it was so skinny that it looked like a bag of bones. It was also so sick that it was at death¡¯s door. Everyone said that you guys were wasting money. I didn¡¯t expect this donkey to be so sturdy and healthy after being raised by you.¡±


    ¡°Little Gray actually wasn¡¯t that sick, it¡¯s just that there isn¡¯t a good vet in town. You also know that I learned some medicine from Doctor You for a few days. I can definitely treat animals without a problem!¡± Xiaocao replied mildly.


    Xiaolian nced at Heizi¡¯s figure briefly and asked curiously, ¡°Brother Heizi, what made you want to go to the docks to find work? Did Grandmother tell you to go?¡±


    Heizi scratched his face out of embarrassment and said, ¡°No! I¡¯m already fourteen years old this spring. My mother said...in two more years I could probably talk about marriage. Heh heh...we¡¯re not able to make much at home from fishing and my mother said that all of the money at home is for Younger Uncle¡¯s studies. In the future, Grandmother likely won¡¯t give me much for a betrothal gift. So, I thought about it for a bit, and decided that since I¡¯m perfectly healthy, I can go out and earn my own money!¡±


    ¡°You have spirit! Brother Heizi, I believe in you!¡± Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in admiration. In this time period, it was verymon for people to find matches for fifteen to sixteen year olds. To Madam Zhang, other than her youngest son, who she treasured, everyone else was as important as grass. She really could see that old woman not giving any money for Heizi¡¯s betrothal gift!


    Heizi smiled foolishly at her, ¡°Actually, it was you, Xiaocao, who encouraged me! You¡¯re younger than me by five to six years but you know how to sell braised food at the docks to earn money. I¡¯m almost at the age where I can marry a wife, so it¡¯s not good if I only stay at home waiting for other people to get food and drink for me! If I continued to idle about at home, then I might have trouble marrying a wife in the future...¡±


    Xiaolian gently made fun of him, ¡°Hee hee hee... Brother Heizi, I didn¡¯t know you wanted to marry a wife! Do you have anyone in mind?¡± Her teasingugh sounded like little silver bells chiming in the air.


    A bright red flush appeared on Heizi¡¯s swarthy face, and he stammered, ¡°That is...I heard the elders at the vige entrance mention that the bum in the neighboring vige does nothing all day and is unable to marry a wife even at the age of forty, so that¡¯s why...why...don¡¯t spread rumors about me!¡±


    Xiaocao helped him out of this awkward hole, ¡°Brother Heizi is right! As long as you are hardworking, do you have to worry about marrying a wife? Older Brother Heizi, what are you ns?¡±


    ¡°No...nothing in particr! Just want to go to the docks and see if they need any dock workers. I heard, during busy times, a dock worker can earn around fifty to sixty copper coins a day!¡± A yearning expression flickered across Heizi¡¯s face.


    Yu Xiaocao looked over the rolls of fat on his body with a bit of concern, ¡°Working as a docker requires a lot of strength and endurance! Do you think you can move something that weighs around fifty kilograms?¡±


    Heizi fell silent for a bit before he replied, ¡°Even if I can¡¯t at first, I still have to try. I can tell them to pay me a bit less...once I toughen up, then it¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    The three of them chattered during the whole journey, and, before long, they reached the docks. At this moment, there weren¡¯t a lot of ships in the area, so Foreman Sun and his workers were all idling about.


    When he saw the pair of pretty sisters, Foreman Sun walked over and greeted them, ¡°Xiaocao, it¡¯s been a while since Ist saw you at the docks, howe you have time today?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Sun, I was at the docks yesterday! You¡¯re mistaking me for someone else, I¡¯m Xiaolian. Xiaocao is next to me!¡± Xiaolian grinned happily as she walked over to Grandpa Liu¡¯s noodle stall and set up next to it. She ignited a small y stove and put the braised food on top to heat it up.


    Foreman Sun looked at Xiaolian and then looked at Xiaocao. Heughed somewhat awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head, ¡°You two sisters really look too alike. It¡¯s not easy to distinguish between you two quickly. Old Liu, give me a bowl of mixed grain noodles. Xiaolian, give me a portion of pig head meat, I want the more fatty bits!¡±


    Xiaocao was perplexed by his order and asked, ¡°Uncle Sun, howe you¡¯re eating mixed grain noodles? Are you tired of eating wheat noodles?¡±


    Foreman Sun grimaced bitterly and shook his head, ¡°Xiaocao ah, don¡¯t make fun of your Uncle Sun. I almost can¡¯t afford to eat this bowl of mixed grain noodles, let alone wheat flour noodles!¡±


    ¡°What happened? Business is not going well?¡± Xiaocao asked somewhat pensively as she nced at arge ship that was docked. There was a whole group of dock workers energetically working in full swing on the boat.


    Foreman Sun pped the table fiercely and loudly eximed, ¡°That bastard Liuzi is really not someone who¡¯s easy to deal with! He pretty much monopolized all of the work on the docks! All of the strong and vigorous men also went to him. He¡¯s not leaving me any way to make a living anymore ah!¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true, right? Brother Liuzi doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would monopolize everything, right?¡± Xiaocao frowned and looked at the tall and brawny figure near the shore.


    Foreman Sunughed bitterly for a moment and then said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault too! In the past, I threw my weight around and made things difficult for Liuzi. There was a time, when business was good, that I becamecent from my sess. I promoted someone to an assistant and didn¡¯t bother managing things much myself. Who knew that I was blind and that assistant changed everyone¡¯s daily pay to monthly pay. After a month passed, he embezzled everyone¡¯s sry and fled! Liuzi seized the opportunity then to entice everyone over to him. In addition, he also has someone helping from above, so it¡¯ll be very difficult for me to make aeback. Ay...now, being able to eat my fill is considered quite good for me ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao noticed someone in the distance, not too far from the docks, measuring something on thend. She soothed him, ¡°Uncle Sun, it¡¯ll only be hard for a short period of time. Once the docks finish construction and we have arge harbor, there will naturally be a need for a lot more workers. When that timees, you¡¯ll have another opportunity! However, I feel likepeting bitterly with someone is not as profitable as working together...¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Why is it more profitable to work together? Let me hear your thoughts, ok?¡± From behind her, a loud and clear voice suddenly interjected.


    Yu Xiaocao swiveled her head around and looked. She didn¡¯t know when Brother Six had arrived behind her. He had a tall and heavily muscled body with skin that was colored a healthy bronze. The scar on his face didn¡¯t diminish his manly looks one bit. He truly was the epitome of a manly man bursting with hormones!

 Chapter 145 – Put Forward

    <h4>Chapter 145 ¨C Put Forward</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao grinned at him, ¡°I think that you two can establish a port management office and rent one of the shops as your office front. You guys can engage in cargo transport, freight storage, assisted purchasing services, and coordinating transportation for people. Once construction on the harbor is finished, Brother Six will have more and more people working under him and will have a lot more projects. He¡¯ll naturally need to delegate some issues to a manager. Uncle Sun is already very familiar with the docks and freight transport. It¡¯s better to use someone who knows the work than someone who is brand new. Thus, Brother Six can give Uncle Sun some matters to manage...this way, isn¡¯t it better thanpeting against each other bitterly?¡±


    Brother Six rubbed his chin as his eyes started to shine. It was apparent that he had been deeply moved by her description of a possible, grand future. Although her ideas were not fully fleshed out, it gave him a good direction to go to and opened up his heart to therge amount of opportunities avable. Brother Six wasn¡¯t someone who didn¡¯t have talents. As long as you gave him a chance, he would definitely be able to soar high!


    Many yearster, everyone who had some sense in the heads knew of the harbor¡¯s mogul, Brother Six. Even some officials and nobles had no choice but to treat him courteously. This was because if you offended Brother Six there were consequences. A light offence would cause your cargo to be dyed from loading or unloading. A heavy offense, on the other hand, could lead to your whole stash of goods stuck in one spot. At the port, Brother Six became a legend among all of the workers there¡ª¡ªand all of this was started from the casual remarks of a little girl!


    At this moment, however, Brother Six was simply a small foreman. He lightly patted Foreman Sun¡¯s shoulder and sincerely said, ¡°Brother Sun, I respect you as a man. Do you want to work with me? With the two of us united, we absolutely can do great things together!!¡±


    Foreman Sun replied emotionally, ¡°Liuzi! Your Brother Sun is not as daring nor does he have as much vision as you. But I do know the loading and unloading business on the docks like the back of my own hand. If you¡¯re willing to trust me, I absolutely won¡¯t let you down!!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that the two men had dissolved their misunderstandings, she immediately let out a sigh in relief. When she first started selling her braised food, Foreman Sun helped a lot by bringing her business, and he also gave her maternal uncle and cousin steady work at the docks. As for Brother Six, he once protected her from a bunch of viins and could be considered half of a benefactor who saved her life. To be honest, she felt grateful to both of them, so she didn¡¯t want to see them quarrel anymore.


    ¡°Xiaocao...¡± Yu Heizi noticed that Brother Six, therge man at the docks, had treated his little sister favorably. If she spoke up for him, would it still be difficult to find work at the docks? He stealthily pulled on the corner of her jacket and quietly called out her name.


    Only then did Xiaocao remember Yu Heizi¡¯s situation. She sheepishly spoke to Brother Six, ¡°Brother Six, this is my older paternal cousin, Yu Ge, he wants to find some work at the docks and doesn¡¯t mind being paid a little less. Do you...have any work that¡¯s suitable for him to do?¡±


    Brother Six looked at Heizi, who had body full of fat and a concerningck of muscle. He slightly frowned and the look in his severe eyes could make less courageous people tremble in fright. He said, ¡°You are...Yu Ge, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Brother Six, you can just call me Heizi...¡± Yu Heizi felt his heart race after being stared down by therger man but he still kept a smile on his face.


    Brother Six nodded his head and bluntly said, ¡°Heizi, to be honest, I don¡¯t have a good feeling about you! However, since Little Sister Xiaocao asked, I will give you a chance! Do you see that ship over there? There are some luggage for the women of that family that need to be moved onto a cart. Go work with the boy from the Liu Family. If you work hard, thene again tomorrow. If you can¡¯t do it...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! It¡¯s absolutely okay!¡± Women¡¯s luggage couldn¡¯t weigh that much. Compared to cargo that weighed at least fifty kilograms, this was considered rtively easy work. Yu Heizi knew that Brother Six was treating him well as a favor for Younger Sister Xiaocao, so he firmly nodded his head and agreed. If he wasn¡¯t able to do this kind of work, would he still be considered a man?


    Brother Six beckoned at a tall, somewhat frail looking figure not far from them, and the youth quickly trotted over. Yu Xiaocao stared for a bit. Wasn¡¯t this Second Maternal Uncle¡¯s son, Older Brother Zhiwei?


    ¡°Older Brother, are you guys not busy with farmwork now? My father said that he wanted to go over in the next couple of days to help!¡± Yu Xiaocao softly remarked as she raised her head and smiled brilliantly at him.


    Liu Zhiwei wiped the sweat off his forehead and giggled, ¡°My eldest uncle and father are still at home! With my sisters also helping, they don¡¯t need me to work there. Third Uncle heard that the docks are getting constructed into a harbor and needed bricyers, so he came by to find more information. I came along to see if I could get a temporary job. Brother Six takes really good care of me and always gives me the easiest job. Even though I¡¯m quite young, I have plenty of strength in this body!¡±


    The top of Xiaocao¡¯s head only came up to Liu Zhiwei¡¯s armpits but the wordsing out of her mouth sounded like she was his older sister, ¡°Older Brother, you¡¯re still growing right now. Take it easy and don¡¯t harm your body.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t get hurt!¡± Liu Zhiwei chuckled for a bit before he directed his attention to Brother Six, ¡°Brother Six, did you call me for something?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in charge of the unloading for the passenger ship docked on the second wharf. Show this new guy the ropes too. Any questions?¡± Brother Six swiftly and decisively assigned him the task.


    ¡°Not a problem, I promise I¡¯llplete this assignment!!¡± When Liu Zhiwei found out that he was in charge of the whole ship, he immediately knew that he had been entrusted with more responsibility and felt his heart swell with a desire to do well. It was only a passenger ship, how much luggage could be on it? Even if he didn¡¯t have someone helping him, he could finish this jobpletely by himself!


    Brother Six stately solemnly, ¡°Zhiwei, this is Heizi¡¯s first day, so he doesn¡¯t know much. You need to patiently teach him. We absolutely cannot tolerate people who like to fish in troubled waters...¡±


    Heizi? Liu Zhiwei turned to face the swarthy and plump figure and looked at him. ¡®This is the fat blockhead who always bullied his younger cousins in the Yu Family! Here to find work? How could his mother and grandmother be willing to let him to do hard work? Is he trying to use his connection with his younger cousin to goof off and ck around? Not okay! I, Liu Zhiwei, will absolutely not allow him to do that!¡¯


    ¡°Heizi, let¡¯s go! The earlier we start, the earlier we finish! Unloading a passenger ship is not only easy but also very profitable. If it weren¡¯t for Younger Cousin over there, how could us two brothers get such work? We need to work smartly and energetically! If we do well, the masters might even give us tips!¡± Liu Zhiwei heavily thumped on Yu Heizi¡¯s shoulders.


    Under Liu Zhiwei¡¯s meticulous orders and slight desire to be hard on him, Yu Heizi worked without stopping. Heizi, who had never done hard physicalbor before, started out full of energy and enthusiasm, but after moving a few pieces of luggage, he felt like there was a five hundred kilogram weight on his shoulders. Countless drops of sweat scattered onto the ground with every step he took. However, Yu Heizi didn¡¯t give up and stubbornly carried on with one thought¡ª¡ªI need to endure through this, make a lot of money to marry a wife...


    After they finished unloading all of the luggage on the passenger ship, Liu Zhiwei only had a few trickles of sweat flowing down his body. On the other hand, Yu Heizi was gasping for air like an old ox who was seriously ill. Sweat poured down his body like torrential rain, and his two legs trembled viciously. Despite all that, he didn¡¯t voice a single word ofint.


    Brother Six came over and patted his shoulder, ¡°Good work there! The first time is always like this, once you get used to it, you¡¯ll be fine!! Rest a bit and eat something to save some energy. There will be moreing this afternoon! Did you bring any money? If you didn¡¯t, you can go to the payroll and get some money paid in advance...¡±


    ¡°No need, Brother Six! I already ate this morning before I came over, so...not hungry yet!¡± Yu Heizi wiped the sweat off his face with a hand and left behind a few obvious lines of dirt.


    Brother Six nodded his head, ¡°Then go find a ce and make sure you get some good rest!¡±


    When he was working, Yu Heizi had taken off his jacket and only wore a single unlined shirt. He lightly lifted the cloth from his shoulders and saw that the skin in the area had already been rubbed a bright red. He grimaced as he gently kneaded the area.


    Liu Zhiwei had a whole new level of respect for him after this morning and came over. Hemented, ¡°Your wounds here are considered quite light! When I first started working here, I didn¡¯t know Brother Six yet, so I did the same type of work that the adult men do. I also got half as much as they did for pay. After working for a day, the topyer of skin on my shoulders had been rubbed off. It hurt like hell at night and I couldn¡¯t fall asleep then.¡±


    Yu Heizi rubbed his shoulders as he grinned, ¡°Thank you very much for taking care of me, Brother Zhiwei. I¡¯m not as strong as you, so all of therger pieces of luggage were all carried off by you. In a moment, when we get our wages, you should get arger portion!¡±


    ¡°You also worked very hard too!¡± Liu Zhiwei looked at Heizi, bbergasted. Previously, Heizi had always been someone who would ck off and bully others, why did it feel like he¡¯d suddenly be a whole new person?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go see our little sisters over there. Right now there¡¯s a lot of people eating, so they are probably very busy right now!¡± When Xiaolian used toe over by herself, Liu Zhiwei would help her during the meal break. Today was also not an exception.


    The braised food for one copper coin a portion was bing more and more popr at the docks. The amount of food made from one pig head and the ten or so portions of pickled fish was unable to satisfy the fiery demand. Now, their customers not only were the dock workers but also the people living nearby in the area. There were even people who traveled from far away to buy a few portions of the braised food to take home for entertaining guests.


    Thus, every time the dock workers had a break, the braised food pretty much sold out within minutes. A lot of the workers, who were looking forward to eating a portion, had to leave empty-handed. In order to meet the people¡¯s demand, Yu Xiaocao had no choice but to increase the amount they made. She first asked the dock workers for help. If their vige had anyone ughtering a pig, she asked them to help her buy the pig head and offal. In return, she would give them two portions of braised food for free. Very quickly, she had a few more fixed suppliers for her raw ingredients.


    They also sold more varieties of food than before. Other than the braised meat dishes, they also had braised kelp, braised dried tofu and other vegetarian dishes. Although it was said to be vegetarian, the vegetables and tofu were all braised using the sauce that was stewed with pig head meat. Thus, the vegetable based dishes had absorbed a lot of animal fat and vor, so anyone eating them could taste the vor of braised pig meat. The portion of the vegetarian dishes were alsorger than the meat dishes. Thus, these dishes were quite popr too.


    With more variety of braised food to sell, they could no longer rely on portioning out food in advance at home. Consequently, Yu Xiaocao bought a copper pot and small y stove to heat the braised food at the docks while selling it. Braised food that had been heated up had an even more dense vor, and the smell traveled into every nook and cranny of the docks with the sea breeze. Even the womening off of the passenger ships couldn¡¯t help but ask about it.


    Having to portion out the food while selling, along with therger customer base, made it difficult for only one person to handle all of the work alone. Luckily, the vast majority of customers were dock workers and were all well acquainted with the two sisters. All of them would conscientiously line up to buy braised food.


    At this point, there was a very long queue in front of Yu Family¡¯s y brazier. Most of the people in line knew each other, so they waited as they conversed genially. None of them seemed to be in a rush.


    ¡°Ehh? What are those people all standing in line for? Are they looking for work?¡± A loud and clear voice suddenly asked, clearly bbergasted at the sight.


    ¡°My Lord! That is the dock¡¯s most famous ¡®one copper coin per portion of braised food¡¯. Although it¡¯s food that¡¯s a bit crude, the vor is quite good!¡± The overseer at the docks nced at the crowd that wasn¡¯t too far from them and humbly replied with a smile on his face.


    The person next to him was someone who was personally appointed by the emperor himself to oversee the construction of the harbor. Even the prefectural magistrate had to treat him politely, let alone himself, who was just a small supervisor. If he wanted to continue this line of work in the future, he absolutely needed to serve this lord very well ah!

 Chapter 146 – Imperial Envoy

    <h4>Chapter 146 ¨C Imperial Envoy</h4>


    The imperial envoy wasn¡¯t very interested in this and replied faintly, ¡°What kind of delicious food can one buy for one copper coin? This rumor sounds a bit exaggerated.¡±


    The overseer had eaten the Yu Family¡¯s braised food before. Although he thought it was quite delicious, he didn¡¯t have the guts to foolishly rebuke the imperial envoy. He smiled tteringly, ¡°The lord is right! In addition, that food is made of pig head meat, pig offal, pig blood and other ingredients that other people wouldn¡¯t touch. With your lordly status, you absolutely would disdain eating this!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say something like that!¡± The imperial envoy rubbed at the short beard under his chin, and his eyes became misty. He apparently was reminiscing about his past.


    Silence prevailed for a long time before he finally continued, ¡°In those days, I was with my master defending the borders from our enemies. We had been besieged by them for more than ten days. We not only ate tree bark and grass but also dirt! I remember once, when the situation got really bad and people were at their limits, I infiltrated the enemy¡¯s camp with my younger martial brother and stole the pig head that they had used as a sacrifice to the gods. We roasted it at campfire on the mountains. For the soldiers who hadn¡¯t eaten anything good for the past several days, eating a small piece of pig head meat was even more delicious than eating any exotic delicacy nowadays...¡±


    The supervisor hurriedly interjected, ¡°General, you are wise and brilliant. Since you were able to survive such a terrible time, you absolutely will have a lot of fortune and blessingsing your way now!¡±


    The imperial envoy burst out into straightforwardughter, ¡°Whether or not I have future blessingsing my way, I don¡¯t really care! I¡¯m extremely happy today, do you know why? I finally found my master and younger martial brother, who I had lost touch with for over thirty years!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions, my lord, congrattions, my lord! This is absolutely a fortunate event!!¡± The overseer seized the opportunity to tter the man.


    The lord imperial envoy faced the docks that was nked on each side with simple and crude looking buildings. Hemented, ¡°Did you already finish discussing thepensation that will be given to those whose shacks will be demolished? The emperor himself has said that the construction of the port is an important matter that will benefit both the country and his people. We absolutely cannot do anything that will make themonersin and resent this!¡±


    ¡°The emperor is a wise ruler who loves themoners as his own children. This lowly one admires him adoringly...¡± The supervisor hastily expressed his feelings of loyalty.


    The imperial envoy ignored his attempts at ttery and continued, ¡°Save your breath on these empty phrases! Less talk and more action! The harbor pathway needs to be widened by at least double its current width and the shacks on both sides need to be torn down! I already have the money forpensating the people with me, so you need to discuss this carefully with themoners...¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! This lowly one will absolutely do this in such a way that you will be satisfied!¡± The supervisor nodded his head furiously, as if he was trying to pound garlic paste with his chin.


    The imperial envoy waved his hand and strolled forward as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not enough to make me satisfied, you need to make sure themoners are pleased too! Naturally, those who wish to gouge us should not be given full rein! Li Li, you should provide your assistance to...¡±


    ¡°This lowly one¡¯s surname is Liang!¡± The overseer bowed and nodded his head with a bright smile on his face.


    ¡°Okay! You should assist Supervisor Liang with this matter!¡± The lord imperial envoy inspected the situation around the docks as he slowly walked towards the coast.


    The number of people queuing up at the braised food sellers slowly decreased. Seemingly unawaringly, the imperial envoy and his subordinate arrived at Old Liu¡¯s noodle stand.


    Old Liu and his wife trembled in fear when they saw the man wearing an official¡¯s robe. They were so frightened that they couldn¡¯t talk.


    ¡°Old couple, don¡¯t be scared! I noticed that your business is quite good so I wanted to buy a bowl of noodles to try...¡± In front of the obviously scared old couple, the lord imperial envoy did his best to rx his rough and frightening looking face into a genial smile. Unfortunately, the opposite effect urred. His attempt at squeezing out a smile made him look even more fierce and threatening.


    ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you...aren¡¯t you Brother Han¡¯s martial uncle?!¡± When Xiaocao saw that there were only four to five people left in line, she felt like she could finally take a breather. A familiar voice had hit her ears, so she twisted around to look. Ah! Thisrge and brawny man who was wearing an official¡¯s robes with a qilin embroidered on it was Fang Zizhen, who they had met by chance at the prefectural city. Why was he at the docks? And also wearing an official¡¯s robes at that?


    The lord imperial envoy, Fang Zizhen, looked calmly over. Eh? Wasn¡¯t this the younger daughter of the sworn brother of his martial brother? The little girl who was named Xiaocao? He looked a bit closer at her, aiyo! Maybe his eyes were blurry, but there were surprisingly two Yu Xiaocao¡¯s in front of him...


    ¡°My lord, you¡¯re not seeing things! They are actually twins!¡± Unbeknownst to him, Fang Zizhen had actually said his thoughts out loud.


    Fang Zizhen looked at the copper pot in front of the two sisters. The contents of the pot bubbled furiously and a strong, fragrant smell continuously flowed into the air. He chuckled, ¡°Ah Xiaocao! Apparently the famous one copper coin per portion of braised food at the docks is the product of your family¡¯s skills ah!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a lot of braised food left in the pot. Xiaocao smiled sincerely at him, ¡°Yup! General Fang, do you want to try some?¡±


    Originally, Fang Zizhen was not hungry, but after smelling the tantalizing aroma of the food, he couldn¡¯t help but smack his lips a bit, ¡°Okay ah! Then I¡¯ll try some...¡±


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s other subordinate, Wu Yun, quietly reminded him, ¡°Lord, this food is made of pig intestines and offal. We don¡¯t know if they¡¯ve been cleaned properly, so you can¡¯t possibly eat this!¡±


    Before Wu Yun could finish his thought, his lord red at him. Fang Zizhen coldly snorted and said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been living the easy life for too long and forgot what it¡¯s like to be poor! I heard that the north-west border is quite lively, how about this general rmend you go there to toughen up a bit?¡±


    Wu Yun had been promoted by Fang Zizhen from the ranks and had experienced only a few battles before the country had be peaceful. Thus, he was not as familiar with the hardships and sacrifices of war as his lord. When he saw that his master¡¯s expression had turned cold, he didn¡¯t have the guts to continue. He was afraid that if he said any more, he would be fated to go to the border the next day!


    ¡°Old man! Give me a bowl of braised noodle soup! Xiaocao, please cut Uncle Fang a te of pig head meat!¡± Fang Zizhen lifted his official¡¯s robes up and sat on a stool that was missing a leg.


    Old Liu¡¯s mouth trembled. He wanted to say something but was too afraid to do so. He looked at Yu Xiaocao as a plea for help.


    Xiaocao happily replied, ¡°General Fang! The conditions at the docks are a bit crude, so Grandpa Liu doesn¡¯t prepare braised noodle soup here. How about you have him roll out some noodles for green vegetables and egg noodle soup?¡±


    ¡°Green vegetables and egg noodle soup? No good, no good! Yesterday I ate some tomato and egg noodle soup at my master¡¯s house, and it was quite delicious!¡± Fang Zizhen smacked his lips as he reminisced. He had lived for more than forty years and this was the first time he had heard of using ¡®wolf peaches¡¯ as a dish. It was really quite delicious!


    He was mostly just mentioning it and didn¡¯t have much hope. Fortunately, Yu Xiaocao, whose family grew tomatoes, had conveniently picked a few ripe tomatoes as she was leaving to sell the food. She was originally nning on eating them when she felt thirsty. With tomatoes and eggs on hand, there was no need to worry whether they could make tomato and egg noodle soup, right?


    Old Yu had finally managed to squeeze out a ¡°sorry¡± when Yu Xiaocao caught his eye with a bright smile on her face. She spoke to Fang Zizhen, ¡°General Fang, if you feel it¡¯s okay, I can help you make this tomato and egg noodle soup for you! I¡¯ll first piece together a te of braised food for you to eat. Within fifteen minutes, the noodles should also be ready.¡±


    A look of surprise appeared on Fang Zizhen¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Are there really tomatoes around? Ah! I remember, the tomatoes we had yesterday at my master¡¯s house were sent from your family! Haha, then I really got lucky with food today! I heard that, when eaten raw, tomatoes have a sweet and sour taste that¡¯s quite good. Give me one so I can try right now!¡±


    Xiaocao looked at the already washed tomatoes in her basket and chose thergest and reddest looking one. She ced into General Fang¡¯s hands and used the other two to chop into small cubes.


    Old Liu finally realized that the high-ranking official in front of him wasn¡¯t that intimidating. Under Xiaocao¡¯s directions, he quickly rolled out a bunch of noodles.


    Xiaocao first put somerd into the pot with some chopped onions to let the vors blossom. After that, she ced the chopped tomatoes into the hot oil and quickly stir fried them until a thick soup appeared. Then, she poured the chicken eggs that she had already beaten into the pot. Once the eggs started to solidify, she lightly mixed the contents. Next, she added an appropriate amount of water and let ite to a boil before she ced the noodles inside. Once it boiled again, she added some salt and green vegetables, mixed it all up, and it was ready to be served!


    The tomato and egg noodle soup was brightly colored and had a rich scent. It attracted the looks of many people around them. Which worker on the docks had ever seen a tomato before? One after another, they all asked Old Yu the name of the dish as well as the price.


    Old Yu looked at Yu Xiaocao and hesitated before he replied, ¡°The tomatoes came from Xiaocao. I¡¯ve lived for a long time but I¡¯ve never seen this type of food before. It¡¯s probably...not cheap, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and agreed, ¡°Tomatoes are indeed not cheap. For good ones, they¡¯re around dozens of copper coins for a catty! This bowl of tomato and egg noodle soup probably cost around thirty to forty copper coins for the ingredients and work alone. If any uncles around here want to try, you can reserve some in advance with Grandpa Liu.¡±


    Over there, Fang Zizhen had already impatiently started to eat. The scorching hot temperature caused him to sharply breathe in cold air but he still couldn¡¯t bear to split out the boiling hot noodles from his mouth.


    After a mouthful of noodles went down, he closed his eyes contently and repeatedlyplimented her, ¡°Xiaocao ah, you really are talented! This bowl of tomato and egg noodle soup is even more delicious than the one I had yesterday at my master¡¯s house! Your Uncle Fang is a rough person, so I don¡¯t know how to use pretty words to describe this¡ª¡ªhowever, it really is very delicious.¡±


    As he talked, he used his chopsticks to pick up another portion of noodles and carefully blew air on them before he ate them inrge mouthfuls. Other people around them couldn¡¯t help but swallow some saliva down as the way he ate demonstrated just how delicious these noodles were.


    Wu Yun took the opportunity to take the remaining few strands of noodles in the pot and ce it in a bowl with half of the soup broth in it. He drank the contents inrge gulps. The lord got to eat the noodles but at least he was able to drink some soup. Once the noodle soup hit his tongue, the slightly sour and savory vor of broth spread throughout his mouth. It tasted so good that he almost wanted to cry.


    After he ate more than half of the bowl of noodles, Fang Zizhen finally had a desire to try the braised food tter that Xiaocao had sliced for him. Whether it was the soft and full of vor pig head meat, or crispy pig ears, or the intestines that made people¡¯s mouths fill with delectable oil, they were all considered to be top-notch delicacies. Even the kelp and dried tofu had their own distinctive and delicious vor.


    Fang Zizhen had been an official for many years and had traveled extensively. Thus, he had tried many so-called delicacies before. However, none of those delicacies apparently had the vor of these deceptively simple braised ingredients that suited him more.


    Although he previously wasn¡¯t very hungry, Fang Zizhen managed to polish off a huge bowl of noodle soup along with the entire tter of braised food. He rubbed at his stuffed belly and didn¡¯t stint on his praise, ¡°Ah! Your skills are quite good!! I would have never expected that you, Xiaocao, at such a young age, would be able to cook so well. This braised food is even more delicious than the ones served at Zhenxiu Restaurant in town. The vor canpete with their roasted chicken and salted duck!¡±


    Xiaolian giggled, ¡°Lord, you must not know that the braised food at Zhenxiu Restaurant...was made from a recipe that our family sold to them!¡±


    She also wanted to mention that the roasted chicken and osmanthus duck were also recipes that Xiaocao developed but she had been stopped by her younger sister yanking on the hem of her jacket. After she got the hint, she only mentioned the braised food.


    ¡°No wonder! Apparently your family¡¯s braised food is the most authentic one ah!¡± Fang Zizhen was in an extremely good mood!

 Chapter 147 – Goddaughter?

    <h4>Chapter 147 ¨C Goddaughter?</h4>


    At this time, the supervisor jogged over, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and smiled tteringly, ¡°Lord Imperial Envoy, ording to the scale of the expansion of the harbor and the estimated construction period, we will need arge number of masons and construction workers. What do...¡±


    ¡°You have to ask me about such a trifling matter? Then what do I need you supervisors for?¡± Fang Zizhen had a straightforward temperament, and always spoke bluntly to vile people who only knew how to curry favors and don¡¯t do any practical work.


    But the supervisor wasn¡¯t someonepletely without merit either. He was just uncertain about the temperament of the imperial envoy who was sent over, so he didn¡¯t dare act recklessly! Since he was willing to delegate power to him, what worries would he still have?


    When Yu Xiaocao heard that they needed masons for the harbor construction, she immediately thought of her youngest maternal uncle. Her youngest maternal uncle didn¡¯t have any other abilities, but he was even more skilled as a mason than a carpenter. Since Brother Han¡¯s martial uncle was in charge of this matter, it would be a waste to not use this connection!


    ¡°General Fang...¡±


    ¡°What General Fang! You make it seem like we¡¯re strangers!! With your family¡¯s rtionship with my martial younger brother, you can just call me Uncle Fang!¡± Fang Zizhen was quite cordial towards this bright and clever young girl.


    Yu Xiaocao also didn¡¯t act courteous with him anymore and smiled even sweeter, ¡°Uncle Fang! Xiaocao has a small matter, which I would like to ask you for a little help with...¡±


    ¡°How small is this small matter?¡± Fang Zizhen teased her.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the supervisor and deliberately whispered into his ears. In fact, she spoke in a voice that could be heard by the people around them, ¡°Uncle Fang, the construction of the new harbor must require a lot of workers, right? Are these people sent from above, or are they recruited onsite?¡±


    Fang Zizhen also deliberately lowered his voice and spoke in a secretive manner, ¡°The Ministry of Works sent several people over, but except for this, everyone else will be recruited onsite. Why? You have family who wants to work at the docks?¡±


    The supervisor had a lot of doubts within his heart regarding the rtionship between the imperial envoy and the fisherman¡¯s daughter who sold braised food at the docks. But he could tell that the imperial envoy treated the little girl like she was a child of his family. The smooth and slick supervisor naturally knew what to do.


    He listened attentively and heard Xiaocao say with slight embarrassment, ¡°Uncle Fang, my youngest maternal uncle is very good with masonry work! There aren¡¯t any vigers in the surrounding viges who don¡¯t know this! I heard that he had also came to look for work at the docks... Perhaps you can test him?¡±


    Fang Zizhen raised his eyebrow and gave the supervisor a look. Then the supervisor tactfully said, ¡°What¡¯s there to test? Would there even be anything wrong with someone that Miss Xiaocao rmended? Do you see that new hut over there? Later, just tell your youngest uncle to go there directly. I will be there registering the new recruits!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao waved at Liu Zhiwei and told him, who had jogged over, ¡°Oldest Cousin, do you know where Youngest Uncle is? Tell him toe over quickly and go register with this sir.¡±


    ¡°Registration? For what?¡± Liu Zhiwei couldn¡¯t think straight for a moment as he looked cautiously at the official¡¯s robe that General Fang and his subordinates were wearing.


    Yu Xiaocao red at him and said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s the registration for the recruitment of masons... Just go, why are you asking so many questions? If you mess up this matter, just see if Youngest Uncle will spare you!¡±


    Liu Zhiwei took another look at the officials present and widened his eyes: ¡®Oh my god! Little Sister Xiaocao actually has connections with the officials in charge of the construction of the harbor. Tsk-tsk, Little Sister Xiaocao is seriously too bold, to be able to keep a straight face in front of all these officials. If I were in her ce, I probably wouldn¡¯t even dare to say a word! But, the most surprising thing was the fact that Little Sister Xiaocao actually had some face in front of the officials. What exactly is going on?¡¯


    Although Liu Zhiwei had thousands of questions in his heart, he still managed to hold back perplexed feelings and swiftly ran off to find his youngest paternal uncle. He knew very clearly what this job meant to his youngest uncle and his family.


    It would definitely take at least three to five years toplete the harbor construction, which meant that his youngest uncle would have a stable ie for the next three to five years. He would have a stable job! He had heard that the emperor attached great importance on the construction of the harbor and sent an imperial envoy to supervise the progress of the construction.


    There had been a rumor at the docks that workers who participated in the construction of the harbor could have a sry that was no less than the porters on the docks! Many of the dockworkers were interested in job and were preparing to try out at the recruitment site.


    Liu Zhiwei pulled out his youngest paternal uncle from the crowd in front of the recruitment hut. Liu Hao was working hard to squeeze his way to the front because the chance of being recruited would increase if he was closer to the front. However, the people enlisting were all burly men who were used to heavy manualbor. He didn¡¯t have a strong-built figure, so how would he be able to squeeze through the crowd?


    Liu Hao, who was abruptly pulled out by his nephew, said with a displeased face, ¡°Zhiwei, what are you doing? I finally managed to squeeze into the middle but ended up being dragged out by you. All my efforts have been wasted! What exactly is the matter?! Quickly say it!¡±


    ¡°Youngest Uncle stop trying to squeeze into the crowd! Little Sister Xiaocao used her connections for you, so you can just directly go meet the person in charge of recruiting workers!¡± Liu Zhiwei pulled his youngest uncle further away from the crowd and whispered with excitement.


    After being delighted for a moment, Liu Hao pulled a long face again and said, ¡°Don¡¯t joke with Youngest Uncle! How would Xiaocao know Supervisor Zhang? Even if she knows him, why would Supervisor Zhang give face to a little girl like her?¡±


    Seeing that he didn¡¯t believe him, Liu Zhiwei slightly anxiously said, ¡°Youngest Uncle! How could I possibly joke around with this matter? Either it¡¯s real or not, wouldn¡¯t you know when you go over? Hurry up, or else the lords might get impatient from waiting and leave!¡±


    Liu Hao was still skeptical as he followed his nephew to Old Liu¡¯s noodle stall. When he arrived, he saw a high-ranking official, who was dressed in an official¡¯s robe and sitting uninhibitedly on a stool, happily chatting with his niece. Supervisor Zhang, whom he recognized, was apanying them with a smile.


    When had he ever seen Supervisor Zhang being so fawning? Supervisor Zhang was in charge of recruiting workers, so he had always acted arrogantly towards the people who came to apply for work and never had serious regard for them. At this time, that usually snobby and arrogant person was actually listening to his niece with a broad smile. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he seriously wouldn¡¯t have believed it!


    ¡°Greetings, my lords! I shall pay my respects to Your Excellencies!¡± Liu Hao had worked in town before, so he was more knowledgeable than the farmers who only worked hard in the fields. He disregarded the doubts in his heart and bobbed a greeting to the lords first!


    Fang Zizhen carefully examined him, and then nodded, ¡°Mhm! Not bad! He¡¯s a fine-looking man. I heard that you¡¯re skilled in masonry?¡±


    ¡°Thismoner doesn¡¯t dare ept Your Excellency¡¯s praise! Thismoner began learning under a mason in town at the age of fourteen, and it has been fifteen years now!¡± Liu Hao could tell that he was the highest ranking official among the three people and answered respectfully.


    Fang Zizhenmended, ¡°Not arrogant nor rash, and answers in an appropriate manner! He is obviously someone who can do practical work! Little Zhang, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Your Excellency has foresight! This lowly one is full of respect ah!¡± Supervisor Zhang didn¡¯t forget to fawn over him again before he asked a few more questions regarding construction. Liu Hao carefully answered them one by one.


    Supervisor Zhang was also quite satisfied and said, ¡°Sure enough, the person rmended by Miss Xiaocao is very good! Alright, you can work under me in the future! Do you know how to write?¡±


    ¡°When this lowly one was young, I was able to attend an academy for several years. Although I hadn¡¯t studied a lot, I¡¯m able to recognize some words. As for my writing, it might not look very good!¡± Liu humbly replied.


    Supervisor Zhang seemed rather satisfied with his sense of propriety. He said with a beaming face, ¡°We¡¯re not taking the imperial examination, so why would we need to have beautiful handwriting? Come, go to the register at the recruitment hut... Little Liu ah, do you know any masons? You can also introduce them to this job! After all, it¡¯s better to use people who are familiar with the work than people who have never done it before...¡±


    Youngest Maternal Uncle¡¯s matter was easily settled just like that! Taking General Fang into ount, the supervisor probably wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for her youngest maternal uncle, right? Yu Xiaocao looked at Liu Hao and Supervisor Zhang¡¯s back view and revealed a contented smile.


    Fang Zizhen had a smile on his face from the beginning to the end. He really liked this little girl with excellent cooking skills! Fang Zizhen was already almost fifty years old and had gotten married after he settled down. However, he might have ended up with an internal injury after years of war expeditions because he was still childless when he was nearly fifty. His wife had urged him many times to take in several concubines, but he refused.


    The emperor had sent imperial physicians to examine his and his wife¡¯s pulse on many asions, but they always made the same conclusion. The problem wasn¡¯t with his wife, but him! Although the imperial physician had advised that he should be able to improve with attentive treatment. However, he gradually lost hope after so many years...


    Fortunately, his younger martial brother had gotten married early and had a son at a young age. In the future, his little martial nephew would be the same as his own son. He would definitely use all his connections and do his best to foster him! With his martial nephew¡¯s talents, his future achievements definitely wouldn¡¯t be below his!


    He was childless, so it was inevitable that he would pay more attention to children who were more sensible and interesting. For example, his martial nephew and also... this adult-like little girl in front of him!


    ¡°Xiaocao ah! Would you like to be Uncle Fang¡¯s daughter?¡± Fang Zizhen had an urge in his heart, and then made a decision.


    Wu Yun widened his eyes and felt extremely anxious within his heart. The general was a third-rank official and someone that the emperor trusted and relied on. As long as he opened his mouth to say that he wanted to take in a godson or goddaughter, numerous officials in the capital would line up and send their children over. How could he... How could he just ept a little farmer girl as his goddaughter because of a bowl of noodles and a te of braised food?


    He blinked his eyes and twitched his mouth in an attempt to hint his disagreement. Seeing that it didn¡¯t work, he openly expressed, ¡°My Lord! This matter... perhaps it would be better to wait until you return to the capital and discuss this matter with your wife before making a decision?¡±


    Fang Zizhen appeared gant and imposing, and he made enemies tremble in fear in the battlefield just by hearing his name. But he was somewhat henpecked at home. Though it may seem like he was henpecked, it wasn¡¯t necessarily true. He was merely more considerate to his wife and respected his wife a little more than others.


    Fang Zizhen nted his eyes to look at his trusted subordinate and said, ¡°My wife wants a goddaughter even more than me! Xiaocao is smart and clever, and also sensible and obedient. My wife will definitely like her when she sees her!¡±


    If another person had heard that a third-ranked official wanted to take her in as his goddaughter, she would have been ted and agreed a long time ago. But Xiaocao wasn¡¯t an ordinary person! She was someone who was able to calmly refuse the emperor emeritus¡¯s suggestion to take her as his granddaughter, let alone a mere third-ranked official.

 Chapter 148 – Godfather

    <h4>Chapter 148 ¨C Godfather</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s smile became a little more sincere. Although she had a decent impression of Brother Han¡¯s martial uncle, she still firmly declined, ¡°Uncle Fang, thank you for your affections. However, I still can¡¯t ept your kindness...¡±


    ¡®What? It¡¯s the blessing of several generations for the general to think highly of a little peasant girl like you! Yet you actually dared to reject him?!¡¯ Wu Yun instantly felt indignant for his lord, ¡°Little girl, if you agreed, you will be the young miss of a third-ranked general¡¯s family. You won¡¯t have to sell braised food and farm anymore ah! You can just live afortable and leisurely life! In the future, you can also marry the son of an official... Not just anyone can get this lifestyle. You have to think carefully!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry as she looked at him and said, ¡°This uncle, weren¡¯t you just obscurely opposing this idea? Why are you suddenly trying to persuade me? You¡¯re seriously so fickle!¡±


    With a displeased expression, Wu Yun said, ¡°It¡¯s one thing whether my lord epts you, but it¡¯s another thing for you to decline... For what reason are you refusing? My lord is a brilliant master of martial arts, and has great merits in war. The madam is affable and kind, as well as gentle and refined. This is a good opportunity that only urs once in a lifetime!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a smile and said firmly, ¡°My father is honest and kind. He loves and cherishes me and my siblings. Furthermore, he listens to me and does everything that I want. My mother is gentle and considerate, and she loves me to her bones. I am very d to be born into this kind of a family, and I also feel very fortunate to have parents and siblings like them.¡±


    Though Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears, she still had a smile on her little face, which appeared bright and graceful under the sunlight, ¡°When I was young, I often fell ill. My parents were the ones who disregarded themselves and did their best to take care of me in every possible way. They devoted all their energy to me. If I abandoned my parents who loved and pampered me because I wanted to be rich, then am I still someone worthy of your attention, Uncle Fang?¡±


    When Xiaolian heard Fang Zizhen say that he wanted Xiaocao to be his adopted daughter, she held her younger sister¡¯s hand tightly, afraid that her younger sister would be snatched away if she loosened her grip. When she heard Wu Yun state the benefits of being the general¡¯s goddaughter, she felt hesitant within her heart: She wanted her younger sister to have a good future, but she was also reluctant to part with her younger sister, whom she was ustomed to taking care of and protecting. Hot tears welled up in her eyes when she heard Xiaocao¡¯s words of refusal and reason for declining. She felt proud to have such a younger sister! She didn¡¯t pamper her in vain!


    When Fang Zizhen heard Xiaocao¡¯s words, heughed even more heartily, ¡°What a good child! I wasn¡¯t wrong about you!! I just want to take you as my goddaughter, not snatch you away from your family! You can continue living with your family and your parents are still your parents. You will just have some adoptive rtives! Don¡¯t overthink it!! Tonight, I will go to your house and talk to your parents about it, so prepare a good meal. I¡¯ll bring the good wine that was awarded to me by the Emperor and have a good drink with your father.¡±


    Xiaolian still had doubts, so she summoned her courage and asked, ¡°Are you telling the truth? You won¡¯t take away my parents¡¯ daughter?¡±


    ¡°Of course! What kind of person do you guys take me as? I may look like a bandit, but I have never robbed or plundered anyone! Rest assured! Your younger sister will just have a new set of godparents!¡± Fang Zizhen was very touched by the affections between the sisters and felt even more impressed by how Yu Hai and his wife taught their children.


    As long as she didn¡¯t have to leave her parents and her whole family could live together happily, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t oppose the idea of having a godfather. In the future, her family certainly wouldn¡¯t be confined to this small vige. Thus, it would probably somehow benefit them in the future if she had a powerful and influential godfather, right?


    Yu Xiaocao put thest bit of braised food on a te and gave it to Wu Yun, who had been staring at Uncle Fang¡¯s braised food for a long time.


    Wu Yun looked at her, swallowed his saliva as he looked at the dish of braised food, and then proudly said, ¡°I won¡¯t be bribed just because of a te of braised food!¡±


    ¡°Who would want to bribe you? What are the benefits of bribing you? I¡¯m just giving Uncle Fang face and expressing my concern and sympathy to his subordinates! It¡¯s already noon. Aren¡¯t you tired from running around? Uncle Li, quickly eat some food to fill your stomach!¡± Yu Xiaocao inwardlyughed at his difficult temperament, and waved her hand at Li Li, who was walking over from a distance.


    Li Li helped maintain order at the recruitment site. He was so busy that his face was covered in sweat and his stomach was rumbling from hunger. At this time, Old Liu brought over a full bowl of green vegetables noodles. He took it conveniently and poured a small portion of the braised food into his bowl. He didn¡¯t care that it was scalding and started slurping up the food.


    Wu Yun frowned and yelled in exasperation, ¡°That¡¯s my noodles¡ªAlright, Little Chestnut [1], you actually dared to steal your Older Brother Wu¡¯s noodles and braised food. How irritating!!¡±


    ¡°Wuda [2], you¡¯re too petty! I¡¯ve been working for half of the day and was extremely busy! You¡¯re just sitting here and chatting with the lord, so can¡¯t you just let me eat first! Mhm, Mhm! This braised food tastes really good. Is this pork tripe? I like it!¡± Li Li put some more of the braised food into his bowl and ate with relish.


    Wu Yun got irritated, and swiftly grabbed the te that only had half a te of braised food remaining. He angrily said, ¡°How many times have I told you?! Stop calling me ¡®Wuda¡¯!! The little girl gave the braised food to me. Are you a bandit?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you call me Little Chestnut? Why can¡¯t I call you Wuda? Hey, Wuda, you¡¯re getting more and more stingy. I just ate a few pieces of your braised food, so why are you acting like I¡¯m cutting your flesh?!¡± There wasn¡¯t much noodles left in Li Li¡¯s bowl. He gulped down everything, including the soup, in a few mouthfuls and burped in satisfaction.


    Wu Yun¡¯s noodles was just served at this time. He slowly picked up a few strands of noodles and carefully blew on them before he stuffed them into his mouth. He bit off the longer noodle strands and then carefully chewed. After that, he picked up a piece of pig head meat and hesitated for a moment before he ced it into his mouth. When the pig head meat entered his mouth, he paused for a second, and then he chewed a little faster.


    Beside him, Li Li¡¯s mouth twitched and said, ¡°Watching you eat seriously makes me anxious. You¡¯re eating like a littledy!¡±


    ¡°Then should I eat like you, who acts like you¡¯re the reincarnation of a hungry ghost, in order to be considered a man? That¡¯s called being boorish, okay? This little lord is a cultivated general, so I won¡¯t lower myself to be the same level as a rude person like you!¡± Wu Yun red at him, and then continued to eat the delicious braised food. Although he didn¡¯t say anything, it was obvious that he was very satisfied with the braised food.


    Fang Zizhenughed merrily as he watched his two subordinates bickering. These two fellows had liked to quarrel with each other since they were young soldiers. It had been nearly two decades, but they still liked to argue whenever they got the chance. But he was also aware that if one of them was bullied, then the other would risk his life to help him. It seemed that bickering was just a way for them to improve their friendship.


    With a hint of a smile in his gaze, he looked towards Xiaocao and her sister, who were currently packing up their pots and dishes, and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, are you getting ready to go back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the small market on that side of the docks to see if there¡¯s any huangdan powder. I also need to go to the construction site over there to see if I can find some quicklime!¡± Yu Xiaocao packed up the small mud stove, and then put all the dishes and whatnot into Old Liu¡¯s noodles stall. In this way, they wouldn¡¯t have to bring them back and forth, and thus saved them a lot of trouble.


    Old Liu and his wife were good-natured people. They had gotten a lot more business since Xiaocao¡¯s family started selling braised food beside them. Right now, dockworkers earned a decent daily sry. On a good day, they could earn over a hundred copper coins. On the docks, they could eat until their bellies were round with just a few copper coins. Most of the dockworkers didn¡¯t mind spending a couple of coins, and there were fewer and fewer people bringing dried rations to the docks.


    The taste of Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s braised food was universally acknowledged to be good. After buying the braised food, they would also conveniently order a bowl of noodles and enjoy their meal while sitting. As a result, it also boosted the business of Old Liu¡¯s noodles stall, and Old Liu became one of the most popr food vendors at the docks.


    Thedy boss of another noodles stall on the docks was full of regret. Had she not driven Xiaocao away from her stall at that time, she would have been the one who sold dozens of bowls of noodles every day! She had also quietly gone to find Xiaolian and asked her to sell braised food next to her stall. However, she had been rejected by Xiaolian with the excuse that she was afraid the dockworkers wouldn¡¯t be able to find them and that they would lose their customers! Thedy boss¡¯s husband had also quarreled with her a few times for this reason!


    When Fang Zizhen heard that Xiaocao wanted to buy huangdan powder, he curiously asked, ¡°Why are you buying huangdan powder? Do you need to use huangdan powder as a seasoning when making braised food?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and said, ¡°Although huangdan powder can be used to reduce phlegm, relieve convulsion, and treat mouth ulcer, dysentery, and other illnesses, but it can¡¯t be used as a seasoning. It¡¯s easy to get lead poisoning if one consumes too much huangdan powder!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, Uh-huh! Those Taoist priests also use huangdan powder to make pills. The emperor once said that the pills made by Taoist priests are inedible because there¡¯s lead in it! Xiaocao¡¯s viewpoint coincides perfectly with the emperor¡¯s ah!¡± Fang Zizhen immediately felt that Xiaocao was very smart, to know the same things as the emperor.


    The corner of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. It was seriously very stressful to have such a powerful and high-ranking fellow transmigrator ah!


    ¡°If it¡¯s not a seasoning, then what do you need huangdan powder for? To treat an illness?¡± Fang Zizhen seemed very rxed as he chatted leisurely with the little girl.


    ¡°To make century eggs.¡± Yu Xiaocao answered nonchntly.


    Fang Zifeng sat up with great interest and asked, ¡°Songhua eggs [3]? I have heard of chicken eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs... what kind of egg is a songhua egg? Eggsid by a songhua? Is there a bird called songhua?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Fang, you have such a wild imagination ah! Century eggs are duck eggs made with a special process. There are pine-like patterns on it, so it was named ¡®songhua eggs¡¯.¡± Yu Xiaocao finished packing up and patted the dust on her body. She picked up the basket and prepared to try her luck at the small market.


    Fang Zizhen also stood up and said to Wu Yun, ¡°Go help Miss Yu find the quicklime. I¡¯ll go inspect the small market.¡±


    Wu Yun grumbled in his heart, ¡®Inspect? What high-sounding words. You just want to follow the little girl and find out what kind of a delicacy century eggs are.¡¯


    Wu Yun followed his order and went to look for quicklime. Xiaocao, Xiaolian, and a huge tagalong¡ªGeneral Fang Zizhen¡ªslowly headed towards the small market.


    The small market on the wharf was a little market formed spontaneously in an open space. There were low shacks on both sides, which were shops at the market. There were also many stalls selling small goods. Due to ack of management, the whole market looked dirty and chaotic, and had piles of debris and rubbish on the ground.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head inwardly. There really needed to be some regtions. After the construction of the harbor waspleted, there would definitely be proper roads, stores, and a marketce. There would be people specially assigned to manage this ce. It seemed like the construction of the port was indeed a matter that benefited the country and the people!


    [1] Little Chestnut (СÀõ×Ó) ¨C pun on Li Li¡¯s (ÀîÁ¦) name since Àõ = li


    [2] Wuda (Îä´ó) ¨C da (´ó) = big


    [3] Songhua (ËÉ»¨) = pine flower

 Chapter 149 – Becoming Family

    <h4>Chapter 149 ¨C Bing Family</h4>


    At the small market at the docks, there was only one simple shop selling medicinal herbs. There were very few kinds of herbs in the shop, and the quality of the herbs were not very good. Of course, the price was also quite cheap. Fortunately, huangdan powder wasn¡¯t a rare medicinal herb. Yu Xiaocao bought twenty copper coins worth of huangdan powder at the pharmacy that seemed like it would be blown down by a gust of wind. After that, she also bought some soda ash at a nearby general store.


    After thinking about it, Yu Xiaocao asked Fang Zizhen, who had been following her and asking all sorts of questions, ¡°Uncle Fang, do you have any ck tea? It doesn¡¯t have to be really good quality; average quality will do!¡±


    Fang Zizhen creased his brows and thought about it. Then he shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m a rough man, so I don¡¯t know anything about tea. Isn¡¯t drinking wine more pleasurable than drinking tea?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hung her head in slight disappointment. She had thought that she could save some money since the price of tea wasn¡¯t low after all!


    Seeing her look like a frozen eggnt that had withered, Fang Zizhen felt slightly bad and said, ¡°I¡¯ll help ask Little Zhang for youter. That fellow seems like someone who likes to pose as a culture lover. If he doesn¡¯t have it, he will still be able to find it for you. Xiaocao, do you like to drink ck tea? Next time, if the emperor rewards me with tea, I definitely won¡¯t reject it!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was amused by him. She chuckled and said, ¡°The ck tea isn¡¯t for me to drink. I need to use it to make century eggs. With ck tea, the century eggs will taste even better!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s used to make century eggs? Okay, okay! Uncle will definitely get it for you!! Ah-li, go ask Little Zhang if he can get some ck tea? The sooner, the better!!¡± Fang Zizhen seemed even more anxious than Xiaocao. After giving his order, he asked Xiaocao, ¡°How long does it take to make century eggs? Will I be able to eat it tonight?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a radiant smile, slowly shook her head, and said, ¡°Uncle Fang, you should forget about eating century eggs tonight. It takes at least twenty days or so toplete the entire process of making century eggs. If the weather is cold, I¡¯m afraid that it might take even longer!¡±


    Fang Zizhen looked disappointed and sighed softly, ¡°It takes more than twenty days ah! It¡¯s alright. I, your uncle, am in charge of supervising the progress of the harbor construction, so I probably won¡¯t leave within the next two or three years! There are plenty of opportunities in the future! Did you get all the ingredients? Go, let¡¯s go back to Dongshan Vige!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Fang, aren¡¯t you here to supervise the progress of the construction? What time is it right now? Aren¡¯t you leaving too early?¡± Yu Xiaocao was in a good mood after buying all the ingredients, and joked with Fang Zizhen.


    Fang Zizhen chortled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not the supervisor, who needs to sit at the docks every day. Moreover, isn¡¯t there Li Li and Wu Yun? The disciples will handle all the work! Those two brats aren¡¯t my disciples, but I watched them grow up. They should be able to handle doing some trivial matters for me!¡±


    With Fang Zizhen riding on a tall and big horse and Yu Xiaocao driving the little donkey cart, they traveled slowly and leisurely on the road back to the vige. Fang Zizhen was aplete chatterbox, who had one question after another, and thus they weren¡¯t lonely on the way back.


    When they returned to Dongshan Vige, Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t rush back to his master¡¯s house, but instead, followed Xiaocao and her sister back to the Yu Family¡¯s old residence first.


    Under the old elm tree, as if she was afraid that others would hear her, Madam Xiong moved closer and whispered into Madam Li¡¯s ears, ¡°Guihua, your second brother-inw is seriously amazing! First, he fawned over the third young master of the Zhou Family and became the sole vegetables supplier for Zhenxiu Restaurant. This time he¡¯s currying favor with some government official! Based on the color and pattern of his official¡¯s gown, he¡¯s probably not some low-ranking official. I wonder who has the higher rank between him and the county magistrate?!¡±


    The county magistrate was the highest-ranking official that Madam Xiong had seen! If the short-sighted her found out that Fang Zizhen¡¯s title of Zhaoyong General was several levels higher than the county magistrate¡¯s rank, then she probably wouldn¡¯t even dare to speak!


    Li Guihua smirked and spat a thick phlegm on the ground and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice in the past, but this second brother-inw is really a money-grubber. What¡¯s that saying again? Separate... separate...something...pay...something...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it ¡®curry favor with those in power¡¯?¡± Madam Xiong inwardly ridiculed Li Guihua for being uncultured.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the phrase!! What abilities does that second brother-inw of mine have? He¡¯s not even worthy of holding other people¡¯s shoes! How did he even manage to get in their favor?! Just watch! Do you think that it¡¯s really that easy cling onto an official? He will probably get annoyed one day and chop all their heads off!¡± Madam Li said sourly.


    Madam Xiong suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°Guihua, didn¡¯t you say that your family¡¯s Heizi is filial and wanted to go to the docks to earn some money for you to spend. Didn¡¯t Xiaocao just return from the docks. Why don¡¯t you go ask about it?¡±


    ¡°Ask them? What will they know?? Have you not seen my son¡¯s figure before? He¡¯s full of strength, so there¡¯s no way he can¡¯t find a job. I heard that the dockworkers earn quite a lot now. They can earn dozens of copper coins every day with a problem!¡± Madam Li beamed with joy and had a smug expression on her face.


    Madam Xiong¡¯s mouth twitched and thought, ¡®Your son¡¯s figure? With a body of fat, he pants like a cow after walking a few steps. What would he be able to do?¡¯


    While the two spoke ill of others in a seeminglypatible manner, Xiaocao and the others had already arrived home. Yu Hai was stunned by the official¡¯s robe on Fang Zizhen and didn¡¯t recognize him for a moment. He murmured in his heart, ¡®Why did they bring an official here?¡¯


    Fang Zizhen greeted him first, ¡°Younger Brother Yu, what¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t recognize this older brother just after a night? It¡¯s me, Bufan¡¯s older martial brother!¡±


    Yu Hai looked like he had a sudden realization, ¡°So it¡¯s General Fang! Quick,e inside the house to sit!!¡±


    ¡°No need, I want to see how century eggs are made!¡± Fang Zizhen stood in the courtyard and saw all kinds of vegetables growing vigorously in the yard. The yard was clean and tidy, and all the items were arranged in an orderly way. He inwardly nodded his head.


    ¡°Century eggs? Oh, that¡¯s a novel food our family¡¯s Xiaocao is preparing to make. I wonder what the finished product will be like!¡± Yu Hai looked at his younger daughter with a hint of a smile in his eyes, and his heart was full of pride.


    Yu Hang brought out a stool from inside the house and ced it beside General Fang. He said softly and politely, ¡°General Fang, please sit!¡±


    ¡°Is this your eldest son? Sure enough, he¡¯s a fine-looking boy! Younger Brother Yu, I really envy you for having these wonderful children!¡± Fang Zizhen patted Yu Hang¡¯s shoulder, and then lifted his official¡¯s robe and sat down. His tone was filled with sorrow.


    Yu Haiughed and said, ¡°General Fang, you¡¯re ttering me! With a father like you, the general, your children will surely have good prospects...¡±


    ¡°Father...¡± Yu Xiaocao blinked at her father. Based on what she heard from Wu Yun and General Fang¡¯s conversations, she had learned that General Fang didn¡¯t have any children. So she was afraid that her father would poke at his sore spot.


    Fang Zizhen was even more satisfied with this clever little girl. He waved his hand and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be said. I fought in wars when I was young and ended up with an unmentionable disease. I¡¯m afraid that it will be very difficult for me to have any children in this lifetime. Brother Yu, to tell you the truth, I really like your younger daughter. I want to be nominal rtives with you and adopt Xiaocao as my daughter. Would Brother Yu be willing to agree?¡±


    Although the kind Yu Hai didn¡¯t really want to share his daughter with someone else, he pitied Fang Zizhen for being childless. Moreover, the other party solemnly dered that he wasn¡¯t trying to take his daughter away from him. He hesitated for a long time, but still ended up agreeing. Hence, Yu Xiaocao now had a third-ranked general as her godfather.


    After Yu Xiaocao solemnly served him tea and acknowledged him as her godfather, she began her attempt to make century eggs. Fang Zizhen watched with interest beside her.


    Yu Xiaocao first mixed salt, white lime, loess, and nt ash into a mud-like matter. Then, she added an appropriate amount of ck tea and huangdan powder into the mud-like matter. After that, she wrapped the fresh duck eggs with the mud-like matter and covered each of them evenly in battered straw and rice husk. After she wrapped each of them securely with an oiled paper, she ced all of them on top of the warm kang bed. As it turned out, for the watermelon breeding, they had also heated up the kang bed in the west room, which was unupied. In the warm environment, the production time of the century eggs would be shortened.


    There was extra of the mud-like matter leftover, so Xiaocao got several chicken eggs from the kitchen. Century eggs made with chicken eggs were bright and transparent, like a fine yellow jade. It tasted cool and refreshing, and it was fragrant but not greasy. In her past life, Xiaocao really liked eating the ones with a sweet filling, which had an even softer and smoother mouthfeel.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Fang Zizhen, who had also followed Xiaocao and personally made several century eggs, didn¡¯t think that it was very difficult.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s just that easy. It should be ready to eat in twenty or so days!¡± Xiaocao nodded. After she said that, she stood up and went to help prepare lunch in the kitchen. With this great lord here, they definitely couldn¡¯t just casually make two dishes.


    Fang Zizhen also realized that his visit was too abrupt and felt rather embarrassed. So he stood up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t prepare my meal. This morning, I told my master that I will return for lunch! Brother Yu, I wille have a good drink with you in the evening!¡±


    Yu Hai graciously urged him to stay, ¡°General Fang, it¡¯s already noon. How can we just let you leave without eating? Everything at home is ready-made, so it all very easy to make...¡±


    Fang Zizhen interjected, ¡°Brother Yu, why are you still calling me ¡®General Fang¡¯? You¡¯re treating me like an outsider. I¡¯m several years older than you, so you can just call me ¡®Older Brother Fang¡¯!¡±


    Yu Hai rubbed his hands and chuckled, ¡°Fang... Older Brother Fang...¡±


    ¡°Alright! I can¡¯t let my master wait, or else I will be punished to stand on a stake! Tonight, I¡¯lle over with Xiaofan. The three of us needs to have a good drink! Daughter, when the construction at the docks arepleted, Godfather will take you to visit our residence in the capital. Your godmother will definitely be happy to have a goddaughter like you!¡±


    The capital? If she had a chance, Xiaocao long wanted to visit the capital! In her previous life, she had stayed in a small county town and devoted herself to raising her younger siblings. Had she not visited her younger siblings, who had worked and settled in a big city, it would probably be very difficult for her to walk out of the small county town during that lifetime. Thus, it was even more unlikely for her to have a chance to visit the capital.


    In this lifetime, she hoped she would be able to make up for the regrets she had in her previous life. She wanted to visit the capital and have the opportunity to look at the elegant demeanor of the imperial city. Of course, if that fellow transmigrator wasn¡¯t in the capital, she would anticipate it even more.


    In the evening, Yu Xiaocao took her new godfather¡¯s likings into consideration and made ¡®soy-braised pork¡¯ with the perfect ratio of fatty and lean meat. It was fragrant and soft, and just melted within one¡¯s mouth. She also used the bighead carp within the vat to make the colorful and pungent ¡®steamed fish head with chili pepper¡¯, which had a tender texture. After picking out the bones, the rest of the fish was battered into paste and used to make ¡®fish balls soup¡¯. There was also stir-fried lettuce with oyster sauce, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, eggnt with minced garlic...¡±


    Fang Zizhen felt that he had never been so happy before as he ate the food personally cooked by his goddaughter, drank the wine that the emperor awarded to him, and chatted with two like-minded brothers. He looked at his dear daughter who was busy like a bee and felt a sense of satisfaction of ¡®everything was well with a daughter¡¯.

 Chapter 150 – Weirdo

    <h4>Chapter 150 ¨C Weirdo</h4>


    Xiaocao had a general and imperial envoy as her a new godfather, but there wasn¡¯t much change to her current lifestyle. She had always kept a low profile when doing doings, so no one in Dongshan Vige knew that Yu Xiaocao had such a powerful godfather, except for the Yu Family at the old residence and the Zhao Family.


    At the beginning, Yu Hai and Madam Liu still acted very cautiously in front of General Fang. Later, under their daughter¡¯s influence, they were also able to face him in a calm manner. Now, everyone had already treated the bold and unrestrained General Fang, who often came to eat at their house, as a rtive.


    In a blink of an eye, a month had already gone by. Under the warming weather and lovely spring days, the vegetation on the West Mountains radiated with vitality. In Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s three plots of farnd, the watermelon vines had extended, and the green leaves appeared as if they had been dyed. There were small, light yellow watermelon flowers on the melon vines. Some of the female flowers already bore tiny, green watermelons.


    Yu Xiaocao carried a small wooden bucket and held adle in another hand. Yu Hang, who had already recovered, carried a load of water on his not-so-broad shoulders and followed behind his younger sister.


    Xiaocao looked back and saw the dense beads of sweat on her older brother¡¯s forehead. Her heart somewhat ached for him, ¡°Older Brother, if you¡¯re tired, take a break. I reckon we should just borrow Uncle Zhou¡¯s wheelbarrow. We just need to make four or five trips and we will have enough to water the watermelon fields. Had Father not driven the donkey cart to the docks, we wouldn¡¯t have to go through this trouble!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not troublesome. Isn¡¯t it just carrying a few loads of water? Our buckets are all a small size that was specially made by Father, so how heavy can they be? It¡¯s so much easier than when I had to move timber!¡± Yu Hang smiled at his younger sister, and his handsome face showed a healthy glow because he was carrying water. What a handsome young man!


    ¡°Aiyo! Isn¡¯t this Xiaosha and Xiaocao?! Are you guys going to water the fields again? Tell Uncle Wang, what exactly are you guys nting in your fields? The flowers look quite beautiful!¡± Wang Ergou, who had been forced by his wife toe water the fields, asked with a grin.


    There was little rain this spring. Fortunately, there was a stream flowing through Dongshan Vige, which flowed down from the West Mountains. Even in the dry season, the stream rarely stopped flowing. Thus, it was more convenient for the vigers of Dongshan Vige to get water and irrigate their farnd than vigers of other viges.


    The siblings were familiar with his personality. If they didn¡¯t tell him, he mighte back to visit their melon field tonight. Although there wasn¡¯t anything to steal right now, she would be distressed if he trampled on the melon seedlings.


    With a sweet smile on her face, Xiaocao said, ¡°Uncle Wang, our family is growing watermelons, which is a kind of fruit. It¡¯s very valuable! The flowers just started blooming now. Uncle Wang, your family lives closer, so please us keep an eye on them. Don¡¯t let those naughty children harm them!¡±


    Wang Ergou¡¯s eyes darted around, and then he nodded solemnly, ¡°As fellow vigers, even if you didn¡¯t ask me, I would still help you guys look after them. Xiaocao, what does this watermelon thing look like? Is it tasty? Uncle Wang has never heard of it... Aiyo, who¡¯s twisting my ear?¡±


    He turned around and saw his family¡¯s tigress ring at him with her hands on her waist. The anger on his face disappeared in a sh and he smiled tteringly at her, ¡°Wife, why did you pull on my ear? Am I not working right now? I didn¡¯t loaf on the job!¡±


    Ergou¡¯s wife looked at him from head to toe, and caused him to feel scared inwardly, before she said, ¡°I know what you just pooped as soon as you stick up your butt! Tell me, why are you asking about their watermelons? What¡¯s your intention? Wang Ergou, I¡¯m warning you! No matter how good other people¡¯s things are, we¡¯re not allowed to keep thinking about them! If you repeat your old habits, I¡¯ll bring our baby back to my parent¡¯s house! I can¡¯t let you teach bad things to our baby!!¡±


    Wang Ergou immediately became well-behaved. He nodded his head very obediently and promised, ¡°Wife, look at you! I¡¯m just curious about what a watermelon looks like. What other thoughts would I have? Rest assured! I have changed! I have really changed!!¡±


    Wang Ergou was nearly thirty when he finally got married. They had been married for almost five years, but there still wasn¡¯t any good news. Recently, his wife had been vomiting everything she ate and gave him a terrible fright. Doctor You was away with his grandnephew and he didn¡¯t trust Xiaocao¡¯s medical skills, so he borrowed a cart and took his wife to see a doctor in town.


    The old doctor took her pulse and immediately told him that he was going to be a father. He was so happy that heughed like a fool and showed off whenever he saw someone, ¡°My wife is pregnant! I¡¯m going to be a father!¡± Ergou¡¯s wife was so embarrassed that she pinched the flesh on his waist until it was bruised.


    When they returned, Wang Ergou treated his wife like she was a Bodhisattva, and would do his best to get whatever his wife wanted to eat. During the time when Ergou¡¯s wife had morning sickness, she almost threw up everything that she eats. She vomited so much that she was about to spit out her guts.


    Fortunately, when Yu Xiaocao found out, she sent them a few batches of greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes. At that time, Wang Ergou had even muttered in his heart that the Yu Family was stingy, to gift others with vegetables that every family had. Unexpectedly, after his wife ate a tomato, her morning sickness seemed to have suddenly disappeared and she ate everything with relish.


    But, after Ergou¡¯s wife finished the vegetables that the Yu Family sent over, shenguished again. Ergou¡¯s wife was also a diligent person. They also grew cucumbers in their vegetable fields, let alone green leafy vegetables. However, none of them suited her appetite and her morning sickness started again!


    Wang Ergou hastily went to the Yu Residence and bought tomatoes, cucumbers, and some greens. The Yu Family¡¯s produce had always been two or three times more expensive than other sellers. But, since they were neighbors, the Yu Family not only didn¡¯t request him to pay the higher price, but they also sold the vegetables at a cheaper price than normal vendors. So Wang Ergou and his wife were very grateful.


    Ergou¡¯s wife¡¯s pregnancy was bing more apparent now. After her morning sicknesspletely stopped, she gained back the weight that she had lost earlier. Thepetent Ergou¡¯s wife could usually handle watering all their family¡¯s farnd by herself. However, it was a crucial period for her right now. So how could Wang Ergou be willing to let his wife do heavybor? Thus, he gritted his teeth and took over the task while patting his chest.


    Ergou¡¯s wife knew about her husband¡¯s usual conduct, so she was worried about him watering the fields. She quietly followed and monitored him, and thus came across him inquiring the Yu siblings! Seeing his eyes darting around ceaselessly, Ergou¡¯s wife knew that her husband was getting ideas about those watermelons.


    The Yu Family¡¯s friendly sentiments of gifting and selling them vegetables was something that Ergou¡¯s wife remembered deeply within her heart. How could she permit her husband to have any malicious intent? Recently, the best threat was to say that she would return to her parent¡¯s house with their baby. It worked every single time! Sure enough, her husband was vowing and making guarantees to her, and acting very obedient.


    Yu Xiaocao watched the interaction between the peculiar couple. It seemed like the two were constantly bickering, but their feelings for each other were deep and strong. Rather than saying that Wang Ergou was afraid of his wife, it was better to say that he cherished her deeply. He liked to quarrel with her at times, but he still acted ording to his wife¡¯s wishes.


    Xiaocao and her older brother waved goodbye to the couple and arrived at their family¡¯s melon fields. Looking at the green vines and tiny spots of yellow flowers in the fields, she felt as if she could see a big and round watermelon waving its hands at her.


    Yu Hang bent his knees to steadily put the buckets on the ground. Then he put down the carrying pole in his hands and took thedle in Xiaocao¡¯s hands. He was about to go water the fields, but he was stopped by his youngest sister.


    Under her older brother¡¯s questioning gaze, Yu Xiaocao scooped some water from her own bucket and poured it into the buckets that Yu Hai was carrying. After she poured adle of water into both buckets, she told Yu Hang, ¡°Alright, you can go water the fields now!¡±


    Yu Hang felt puzzled as he looked at Xiaocao¡¯s bucket and softly asked, ¡°Youngest Sister, is there something special with your bucket of water? Why do you always pour adle of it in when we¡¯re watering the fields?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked around and then she deluded, ¡°Shhh! Don¡¯t be so loud!! This is a fertilizer that I specially made that can fertilize the soil! It was also thanks to this fertilizer that our family had such a high yield of sweet potatoesst year!¡±


    ¡°Oh... I see! Youngest Sister, you know so much. You even know how to make fertilizers. If this form can be made public, then it will definitely benefit a lot of people!¡± She hadn¡¯t expected that Yu Hang had the potential to be a saint. No way! She must destroy this quality immediately!


    Xiaocao appeared even more mysterious as she moved closer to him and whispered, ¡°This kind of fertilizer was made with a celestial item that the God of Fortune gave me. When the God of Fortune gave it to me, he specially warned that, as a mere mortal, using the celestial item would definitely consume a certain amount of my vital energy. Thus, it shouldn¡¯t be frequently used. Otherwise, it will cause damage to the body!¡±


    As soon as Xiaocao¡¯s health was implicated, Yu Hang instantly changed his mind, ¡°Since the use of the celestial item could harm your body, then don¡¯t use it anymore! Increasing the yield isn¡¯t important! Your health, which had gotten better after much difficulty, is the most important.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I tried it out already! As long as I don¡¯t overuse it, it won¡¯t do much harm to my body. I will just feel slightly tired!¡± Yu Xiaocao continued to fabricate her white lies.


    After hearing that, Yu Hang finally felt relieved and bent down to water the melon fields. But he continued to say, ¡°In the future, try to use it as little as possible¡ªby the way, what exactly does the celestial item you mentioned look like?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao panicked for a moment and then saw the increasingly dazzling multicolored stone on her wrist. She calmed down and said, ¡°Here! This is a celestial stone!¡±


    Yu Hang looked at it and vaguely remembered that this little multicolored stone seemed to have appeared after his youngest sister got injured and went into aa. He became slightly more convinced andughed, ¡°I thought this was a pretty stone that you picked up in the mountains, so it turned out that it was a divine treasure. You must store it properly and don¡¯t let a wicked person steal it away!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use even it someone steals it! Celestial items will recognize its owner, so it wille back itself even if it got stolen!¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and hadposed smile on her face.


    After hearing her words, Yu Hang was finally relieved and sincerelyplimented, ¡°What a treasure!¡±


    [Of course! This Divine Stone is an enlightened celestial stone smelted by Goddess Nuwa for a total of forty-nine days, who she had kept by her side for a long period of time. The world¡¯s one of a kind treasure!!] The little divine stone transformed into a little golden kitten and appeared on Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder out of thin air, with a proud expression.


    Suddenly, it seemed to have thought of something, and drooped its head and said, [Ay, I wonder if Goddess Nuwa would be lonely without me by her side. Without me, Goddess Nuwa¡¯s monotonous period of seclusion would be so dull...]


    Yu Xiaocao caressed its little head and whispered, ¡°Then you need to help me out more. You should strive to recover your spiritual power earlier, break out of the void, and return to Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side.¡±


    [I want to, too! But your life is so peaceful that there¡¯s not much that I need to help you with! How much improvement can I make when I only need to produce some mystic-stone water every day?] There was a slight sense of dissatisfaction within little divine stone¡¯s tone. It jumped off of Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder and ran around in the watermelon fields.

 Chapter 151 – Imperial Decree

    <h4>Chapter 151 ¨C Imperial Decree</h4>


    Yu Hang saw a golden sh out of the corner of his eyes. He looked closely and realized that it was the little yellow kitten that his youngest sister raised. When did this fellowe along? Would it trample on the melon seedlings while running around so recklessly? But, after a careful look, he saw that the little kitten very cleverly chose to run on the ridges on the fields and didn¡¯t touch any of the vines and seedlings at all.


    Ladle afterdle of water with a faint hint mystic-stone water was watered into the melon fields. The watermelon seedlings stretched it leaves in the breeze, as if it was trying its best to grow. The tiny melons seemed to have quietly grew a little when no one was looking...


    They finished watering the three plots of melons fields when it was almost noon. The siblings carried the empty buckets and walked back to their house.


    When they reached the foot of the West Mountains, they noticed that the normally deserted Zhao Residence was surrounded by many vigers. Uncle Zhao¡¯s family lived far away from the vige, so they rarely interacted with the vigers. His house had always been very peaceful and quiet, but today...


    Did something happen? Xiaocao and her older brother looked at each other and quickly ran to the Zhao Residence. When they arrived at the stone wall of the Zhao Residence, they could hear the surrounding vigers discussing excitedly:


    ¡°Wow! Did you see? That¡¯s an imperial decree!! It¡¯s the imperial decree mentioned in the opera!! Unfortunately, it¡¯s too far away to see what the imperial decree really looks like!!¡±


    ¡°I never expected that Old Zhao was a great general of the former dynasty! Do you know about the official who oftenes to his house these days? That¡¯s his disciple! He¡¯s a high-ranking official of the imperial court!!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what the imperial decree said? The emperor cherishes and values talent, so he wants Old Zhao to go back to be an official. What was the title conferred on him again? I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Zhenguo General [1]!! He¡¯s bestowed the title of a great general!! Tsk tsk, Hunter Zhao¡¯s family is going to be amazing in the future!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right! The Zhao Family is going to enjoy a happy life in the capital now!!¡±


    ¡°The person who announced the imperial decree doesn¡¯t have a beard. Is he the taijian mentioned in the opera?¡±


    ¡°Shhh... Are you looking for death?! Those eunuchs hate being called ¡®taijian [2]¡¯ the most. If he heard you, you¡¯re will be beheaded!¡±


    ...


    Yu Xiaocao feltpletely relieved after she heard that. Things were finally working out for Grandpa Zhao! Before, when she visited the Zhao Family, she often inadvertently saw Grandpa Zhao staring into the distance with a lost expression.


    One with civil and military talents shall serve the imperial family. It seemed like Grandpa Zhao was unwilling to live such a dull life despite living in seclusion for thirty years! Fortunately, the current emperor was wise sovereign who appointed people based on their merits. In the future, Grandpa Zhao and his family should be able to shine and thrive in their own positions...


    ¡°Hey! That little girl? Stand right there!!¡± Just as Yu Xiaocao wanted to turn around and leave, a loud voice stopped her from behind.


    Yu Xiaocao looked around and realized that she was the only little girl around. ¡®Are they calling me? Who is it?¡¯


    ¡°Yes! You!!¡± The sound of footsteps came from behind and quickly arrived in front of her. A healthy and hearty looking old man, who had a white beard and a fair and chubby face, looked at her warmly with a smile.


    ¡°Fifth... Fifth Lord?¡± Yu Xiaocao recognized him. He was dressed in clothing made of coarse cloth. Seeing his simple attire, she asked curiously, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to!¡± With his hands sped behind his back, the emperor emeritus looked around and saw verdant greenery everywhere. Even the air seemed fresher. He smiled and said, ¡°This is a good ce to live out one¡¯s life in retirement!¡±


    With imaginary ck lines on her head, Yu Xiaocao thought, ¡®You must be too idle. You¡¯re choosing to wear patched clothing made of coarse cloth instead of silks and brocades. You¡¯re not living like a member of the imperial family, but instead you¡¯re wandering around in a barren and poor area. How in the world did you determine that this remote vige was a good ce to enjoy one¡¯s life in retirement?¡¯


    ¡°You... didn¡¯te with the imperial envoy who came to announce the imperial decree, right?¡± Seeing that he came over from the Zhao Residence, Yu Xiaocao suddenly had this thought and asked.


    The emperor emeritusughed and seemed to be in a good mood, ¡°I heard... I heard that Head Steward Zhang needs to go to Dongshan Vige to announce the imperial decree. Considering that we were going the same way and it was a good idea to look after one another on the way, we just came together!¡±


    ¡°Going the same way? What did youe to Dongshan Vige for?¡± Yu Xiaocao was holding the little golden kitten and gently stroking its fur.


    With an even bigger smile on his face, the emperor emeritus narrowed his eyes and looked at her, making her feel ufortable. Then he said, ¡°Of course, I came to find you ah!¡±


    ¡°Find me?¡± Why was he looking for her? Was it because he thought that it was a waste of money to spend three hundred taels to buy her braised food recipe and wanted to get a refund? But then again, this Fifth Lord wasn¡¯t a businessman, nor did he n on selling anything. So, spending three hundred taels to satisfy his cravings was indeed somewhat wasteful!


    The emperor emeritus pretended to be mysterious as he smiled at her. He waved his hands at her and said, ¡°Come, let¡¯s talk as we go!¡± After saying that, he walked towards the direction of Xiaocao¡¯s house.


    Well! It seemed like he really made preparations beforeing. He even knew her address! However, she didn¡¯t have that much cash at home. She had asked Third Young Master Zhou to help her invest all the money that she earned from selling the recipe, as well as subsequent earnings, into the stores at the harbor.


    The emperor emeritus walked slowly in the front, while Xiaocao followed him step by step, like a little minion. Yu Hang and the emperor emeritus¡¯s attendants were behind them.


    As soon as Yu Hai went out, he saw a group of people headed this way. He looked carefully and realized that his younger daughter was amongst the crowd.


    ¡°Xiaocao... what is this? Oh! Isn¡¯t this Fifth Lord? Why has the eldere to visit?¡± Yu Hai had also recognized the old man who walked in front and hastily went forward to greet him.


    The emperor emeritus pulled a long face and said with an irritated tone, ¡°Is this lord that old? Little Yu ah, if an honest person doesn¡¯t know how to speak, he will offend a lot of people! This lord is very angry!! What do you think you should do!!¡±


    Yu Hai knew that the person in front of him had an extraordinary background. If he identally offended him, who knew what he would do to powerlessmoners like them! Even if that person just wriggled his pinky, the results probably wasn¡¯t something that he could withstand! Thus, for a moment, Yu Hai just stood there helplessly and didn¡¯t know what he should say!


    ¡°Fifth Lord don¡¯t bully my father, who¡¯s an honest man!! Tell me, what do you want to eat? As long as we can afford the ingredients, I¡¯ll definitely make it for you. But, first of all, I only know how to cook homemade dishes so don¡¯t ask me to make stuff like ¡®Fo Tiao Qiang [3]¡¯ and ¡®Bao Shen Chi Du [4]¡¯. I¡¯m just an ignorant little peasant girl, so I don¡¯t know how to make them!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that she still had some ability to handle a glutton.


    Sure enough, her rude words didn¡¯t provoke the distinguished guest from the capital, Fifth Lord. Instead, he guffawed and said, ¡°I really like this little girl, Xiaocao!! Then I, Fifth Lord, won¡¯t be courteous anymore¡ªI want to eat pig head meat! I also want ¡®spicy pig intestines¡¯, ¡®shredded pig tripe in chili oil¡¯, ¡®duck blood soup with vermicelli¡¯...¡±


    The emperor emeritus didn¡¯t have any reservations and ordered many dishes, which all fitted into the homemade food category that Xiaocao mentioned. But thest dish, duck blood soup with vermicelli, was somewhat difficult for Xiaocao to make...


    ¡°Fifth Lord, it¡¯s easy to get duck blood, but where am I going to get vermicelli? Is it alright to change it to ¡®duck blood and tofu stew¡¯?¡± At this time, Yu Xiaocao had already confirmed Fifth Lord¡¯s identity.


    He was in his fifties and had a lofty and hale figure. At first nce, it was obvious that he had served in the military before. Moreover, he could wear bright yellow, which symbolized the imperial family. Most importantly, he knew the dish, duck blood soup with vermicelli! Fifth Lord was the founding emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty and the current Emperor Emeritus! Ay! The Great Ming Dynasty was seriously too small; two transmigrators had actually met just like this.


    But, she wasn¡¯t sure whether the emperor emeritus knew about her origin. Would she be able to fool him? Yu Xiaocao feigned a distressed expression and muttered, ¡°Fifth Lord, all the other dishes are easy to make. But this ¡®duck blood soup with vermicelli¡¯... what is a vermicelli? Where can I buy it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act dumb and try to gloss over it! You, this littless, are still too young to scheme against me! Even if others don¡¯t know what a vermicelli is, can you not know? I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m definitely going to eat the ¡®duck blood soup with vermicelli¡¯!!¡± The emperor emeritus strode into the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard in an imposing manner, and then sat candidly on the recliner in front of the house


    It seemed like she couldn¡¯t avoid it. Seeing that the emperor emeritus didn¡¯t intend to perform the scene of ¡®fellows from the same hometown meeting each other¡¯, Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t mention it either. She furrowed her little face and said, ¡°Fifth Lord! I only know that vermicelli is made with sweet potato flour, but I have never made it before. I don¡¯t know how to make it ah...¡±


    The emperor emeritus swayed leisurely in the recliner with his eyes narrowed, yet he didn¡¯t overlook nor spare her as he said, ¡°Stop pretending! You know how to make roasted chicken and osmanthus duck, but you don¡¯t know how to make vermicelli? Who are you kidding? If you keep wasting time, I¡¯m going to punish your father with the crime of disrespect and send him to prison. Humph!¡±


    Xiaocao felt really helpless when facing the emperor emeritus, who was like an unreasonable old urchin. After looking at her startled father and confused mother, she summoned her courage and said, ¡°Fifth Lord! Please don¡¯t frighten honest people like us. My parents are timid and get easily scared!¡±


    After a pause, she said, ¡°I reckon you won¡¯t be able to eat the vermicelli today! The process of making vermicelli is tooplicated, so it¡¯s impossible to make right now. Also, pig head meat, intestines, and tripe were all taken to the docks to be sold. If you want to eat them, you¡¯ll have to wait until the evening!¡±


    ¡°Alright! I, Fifth Lord, am not an unreasonable person either. Let¡¯s just have a casual lunch, and I will wait to eat the big feast in the evening!¡± The emperor emeritus crossed his legsfortably on the recliner, and then suddenly said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make a rocking chair? It¡¯s sofortable to rock in a rocking chair while basking in the warm sun.¡±


    A big feast tonight? The emperor emeritus wasn¡¯t going back to town tonight? How could Dongshan Vige possibly amodate ¡®this great Buddha¡¯? Yu Xiaocao looked towards the lead imperial guard, who was beside the emperor emeritus, ¡®Shouldn¡¯t you guys dissuade him?¡¯


    The lead imperial guard pretended not to see Xiaocao¡¯s gaze and stood close behind the emperor emeritus with an icy expression on his face. In fact, he was actually having a mental breakdown inside: If he could choose, he would rather have his master obediently stay in the capital. That was the safest ce within the entire Great Ming Dynasty.


    But his master liked to run around. There were still supporters of the former dynasty remaining, so it was really dangerous outside ah! Yet he wanted to spend a night at this little mountain vige? His master must think that he was still idle and wanted to give him some problems to solve! Unfortunately, Head Steward Liu had stayed in the capital. If he was here, he might be able to persuade him. As for them, the imperial guards, they could only stand to the side!


    Yu Xiaocao hid in the kitchen with a miserable expression. Madam Liu pulled on her hand and asked about the identities of the people in the yard in a low voice. Xiaocao was afraid of scaring her parents and didn¡¯t dare to reveal Fifth Lord¡¯s true identity. She just said that he was an esteemed guest from the capital, who even the county magistrate had to be polite to.


    [1] Zhenguo General (Õò¹ú½«¾ü) ¨C Zhengguo = Defender of the Nation


    [2] Taijian (Ì«¼à) also means eunuch, but it has a negative connotation, so people usually refer to them as gonggong (¹«¹«), which sounds more polite


    [3] Fo Tiao Qiang (·ðÌøǽ) ¨C literally ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯; a stew that consists of numerous ingredients like chicken, duck, abalones, scallops and more prepared in a huge jar and usually requires 1-2 days to prepare


    [4] Bao Shen Chi Du (±«²Î³á¶Ç) ¨C a thick soup of abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw (which is also literally what it¡¯s called)

 Chapter 152 – Old Memories

    <h4>Chapter 152 ¨C Old Memories</h4>


    From Madam Liu¡¯s perspective, the county magistrate was the highest-ranked official in Tanggu Town. If the magistrate had to treat this man so politely, then he was definitely very high up thedder. She needed to be more careful around him.


    There was a finite amount of resources at home. For the most part, they only had vegetables that were growing in the field. They only had one type of meat at home and that was the portion of streaky pork that they had bought yesterday.


    Yu Xiaocao sliced off a portion of the streaky pork and chopped it up finely until it was finely minced. She then sliced some eggnts into discs and dipped them in egg and flour before she fried them into eggnt fritters. She had a hunch that the emperor emeritus liked strongly vored food, so he would likely enjoy these fragrant and ky eggnt fritters.


    As for the leftover pork, she used it to make the fatty but not greasy, full of delectable vor, twice-cooked pork. She took string beans that had just been picked from the garden and dry-fried them with a bit ofrd to make delicious ¡®dry-fried string beans¡¯. To the tomatoes, she added several chicken eggs to make a te of ¡®stir-fried tomatoes and eggs¡¯. Thus, she managed to put together four hot dishes for the meal.


    For the two cold appetizers, she used cucumbers and peanuts that had been cooked in boiling water. However, with only two cold tes on the table, she thought that it wasn¡¯t very presentable.


    After thinking a bit, Xiaocao took out five of the five spice duck eggs from the marinating jar and boiled them until they were cooked. Then, she sliced them and ced them onto a te. The marinated duck eggs were full vor and quite tasty. The egg yolks were bright yellow in color and small drops of glistening yolk oil oozed out. When eaten, they had a mildly salty taste that was very fragrant.


    Xiaocao calcted the time quickly and decided that the century eggs should be about done by now. She picked out one of the eggs that had been coated in the mud mixture and lightly pinched off the top of its mud shell. The eggshell, which had been gently cracked open, peeled off, revealing a glossy dark exterior. On the surface, there were white colored, delicate designs, which showed the egg¡¯s signature ¡®pine flower¡¯ appearance. She lightly sniffed the egg and a special and exotic smell hit her nose.


    Xiaocao asked Xiaolian, who had just returned home, to ride their donkey to the neighboring vige and buy some soft tofu. Century eggs with tofu was a simple dish that tasted delicious. This dish had a soft texture, delicate vor, and melted in the mouth. Because they were entertaining high-ranked guests, she especially prepared a more high-brow dish.


    She first cut the soft tofu into small rectangr blocks and had Madam Liu to hollow out the blocks. Then, she finely minced the century eggs and mixed in aromatic vinegar, sesame oil, and other seasonings. Next, she stuffed the century egg mixture into the hollowed-out tofu pieces and sprinkled some finely chopped green and red chili pepper on top. The finished dish not only looked appetizing but also had a savory taste and smell!


    ¡°Daughter! Your godfather is home!! What did you make that smells so delicious, I can smell it from far away...¡± Needless to say, in the past month, General Fang Zizhen often returned from the docks to bum a meal off of the Yu Family. His loud and clear voice could frequently be heard well before he stepped into the family¡¯s courtyard.


    This time, the resonant sound of his voice sounded like it had suddenly been cut off and screeched to a stop. At this moment, Fang Zizhen¡¯s eyes were opened wider than a bronze gong and were full of disbelief. He forcefully rubbed at his eyes but the great and honorable person in front of him was still in the courtyard!


    ¡°This lowly official kowtows in greeting...¡± Fang Zizhen went three steps forward and knelt in front of the emperor emeritus. It was as if a gold mountain had met a jade pir. Just as he was about toplete his greeting to the emperor emeritus, he was interrupted!


    The emperor emeritus used a hand to wave at him in dismissal, ¡°Mingzhe ah! We¡¯re not at the capital, so no need to be so serious. Come! Sit here and spend some time with Fifth Lord!!¡± Mingzhe was Fang Zizhen¡¯s courtesy name.


    ¡°Emp...Fifth Lord, why are you at Dongshan Vige? Did you hear that my master lives here? That can¡¯t be right ah! If that was true, then you should be at my master¡¯s home, so why are you at Brother Yu¡¯s residence?¡± Fang Zizhen cautiously sat down on the small wooden stool next to the emperor emeritus and ced his hands on his knees. He resembled an elementary school student who was receiving lessons from his teacher.


    Yu Hai was in the middle of the vegetable field in the courtyard, turning over the soil. When he saw a lofty third-rank official kowtowing to Fifth Lord, he knew that this Fifth Lord had an uncanny background. He was trying to guess just how exalted Fifth Lord was as he worked.


    However, since Fifth Lord apparently didn¡¯t have any ill will towards the Yu Family at the moment, that was considered a huge blessing!


    ¡°Eh? Godfather? Weren¡¯t you at Grandpa Zhao¡¯s ce helping them take care of the matters rting to the imperial edict? How do you have time toe over here?¡± Yu Xiaocao came out of the kitchen to take a peek outside and smiled brightly at the men in the courtyard.


    Her luminous and pale little face had somehow gotten coated with some flour unbeknownst to her. Instead of looking sloppy, it actually made her look even more adorable and charming. In front of his sweet and cute adopted daughter, the expression on Fang Zizhen¡¯s face became so soft that it looked like one could squeeze some water out of him.


    His smile became gentle and his voice also softened, ¡°Good girl! The eunuch who bequeathed the imperial decree is going to eat a meal over there, so I came over to pick some fresh vegetables for them.¡±


    ¡°What? The eunuch issuing the imperial decree is staying with the Zhao Family to have a meal? Who gave him the right?¡± The emperor emeritus erased the amiable smile on his face and the sound of his voice seemed a bit more dignified and imposing.


    Fang Zizhen smiled carefully and said, ¡°Fifth...Fifth Lord, it¡¯s noon and there¡¯s not any ce to eat in the vicinity of Dongshan Vige. Should the eunuch return back on an empty stomach? Don¡¯t me Eunuch Zhang...¡±


    The emperor emeritus frowned fiercely and replied, ¡°Dongshan Vige is only about a two hours horse ride from town. It¡¯s not like Zhang Quan doesn¡¯t know the customs and rules. Is he not afraid of being used of the crime of trying to get too close to officials?¡±


    ¡°Uh...Fifth Lord, it shouldn¡¯t be this serious right? There¡¯s no one else in Dongshan Vige, so there likely wouldn¡¯t be anyone gossiping about this!¡± Fang Zizhen felt beads of sweat form on his forehead.


    ¡°Are you me that as long as other people don¡¯t see it¡¯s okay for him to privately be friends with court officials?¡± The emperor emeritus scowled deeply andmanded the imperial guard next to him, ¡°Little Zhuang, go get Zhang Quan for me. Tell him that I¡¯m having a meal here and I need someone to serve me!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The imperial bodyguard, Zhuang Mo, received themand and swiftly left. The courtyard quickly became tranquil again, but the atmosphere was somewhat awkward now. Yu Hai had long gone out of the courtyard and started working on the ground in front of the gate. He was afraid that he might hear something that he shouldn¡¯t!


    ¡°Time to eat!!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s bright and clear voice shattered the dead silence in the courtyard. Fang Zizhen suddenly felt that there was nothing more pleasing to his ears than his adopted daughter shouting ¡®time to eat!¡¯ at the top of her lungs.


    The frown on the emperor emeritus¡¯s face momentarily disappeared, and he sniffed, ¡°Chicken stewed with mushrooms! This dish is quite good, I like it!¡±


    ¡°Fifth Lord, do you want to eat in the room or in the courtyard?¡± Yu Xiaocao inquired.


    The emperor emeritus nced at the Yu Family¡¯s tottering, mudbrick house and curled his lip, ¡°The rooms are a bit stuffy and the courtyard is so bright and spacious. Let¡¯s eat in the courtyard then!¡±


    When Yu Hang heard the old man voice his opinion, he quickly moved the family¡¯s new dining table out into the courtyard and took out all of the stools in the house. He looked at therge men next to Fifth Lord, hesitated for a moment, and then asked Xiaocao quietly, ¡°It looks like we don¡¯t have enough wooden stools for everyone. Should I go to Auntie Zhou¡¯s and borrow some from her?¡±


    Although the emperor emeritus was no longer young, his hearing was still as keen as before. Heughed, ¡°You don¡¯t need to go through that much trouble! These men won¡¯t be eating with us at the same table. Mingzhe, earlier the little girl called you her godfather. You¡¯re quite fortunate. Previously I had wanted to adopt thisss as an honorary granddaughter but I had been summarily rejected by her!¡±


    Fang Zizhen grinned widely andughed a couple of times before he suddenly recalled something. The smile vanished on his face as he said, ¡°Fifth Lord, don¡¯t me her! Xiaocao is still young and is sometimes childish. Please excuse her ignorance!¡±


    ¡°This servant, Zhang Quan, greets...¡± A shrill and resounding voice echoed in the air. As a eunuch who was ranked highly enough to issue an imperial decree, Zhang Quan still knelt obediently on the ground as his body lightly trembled.


    ¡°Alright!!¡± The emperor emeritus shouted violently and stopped the eunuch from finishing his sentence. ¡°Why do you look so confused? Why aren¡¯t youing over now to serve? Are you blind and losing energy?! Liu Fusheng must have been blind to take such an idiot like you as his adopted son!¡±


    Zhang Quan had already discreetly asked the imperial bodyguard, who had given him the message, about the emperor emeritus¡¯s mood. At the time, his whole body had suddenly been drenched in cold sweat. A court eunuch bing friends with a court official was a serious crime that could lead to beheading! He could only me himself. Previously, the emperor had repeatedly warned him to treat General Zhao with respect. He had gotten too proud and almost unexpectedlymitted an overwhelming offense ah! Fortunately, the emperor emeritus had called him over. The emperor emeritus was truly like his second father and benefactor who had saved his life!


    ¡°Come,e! Don¡¯t all just stand there ah!! Mingzhe, Little Yu, and you, little girl,e over and eat with Fifth Lord!!¡± The emperor emeritus red at Zhang Quan and then ignored his presence. His eyes had been attracted to the table full of delicious smelling food that was all familiar to him.


    In his previous life, Zhu Huaiyong had also been a brilliant and outstanding military official of his country. He didn¡¯t have any other interests, other than eating good food. After he transmigrated over to this world, he had been on the battleground for several years in a row. Being able to eat enough to fill his belly was already considered quite good, so how could he be picky about the food?


    After he ascended the throne, he found that the imperial pce¡¯s chefs were all decent. Perhaps he still missed his previous life but he always felt like the food here didn¡¯t taste quite right. However, he and the current emperor were both men who didn¡¯t know how to cook. Thus, he was even more attached to finding the taste of his previous life in this world.


    Decades passed and the memory of those familiar foods of his previous life had slowly faded. He had originally believed that he would never be able to have a taste of his homnd again in this lifetime. However, he didn¡¯t expect that in this impoverished, tiny courtyard, he would finally be able to satisfy his long-standing desire.


    ¡°These are all just some home cooked dishes, so please don¡¯t dislike them because of that, Fifth Lord. Please eat your fill!¡± Yu Xiaocao took ahold of a te of century eggs with tofu and lightly ced the dish in front of the emperor emeritus.


    Zhu Huaiyong¡¯s eyes lit up even more brightly and he smiled slyly like an old fox, ¡°Little girl, you even know how to make century eggs and you im that you can¡¯t make bean vermicelli? Don¡¯t try to trick me, Fifth Lord¡¯s eyes are still sharp!¡±


    ¡°Centuryeggs? Daughter, our family¡¯s century eggs are ready to eat?¡± Fang Zizhen had been quite busy on the docks and had almost forgotten about these eggs. He stared at the te of delicate and delicious century eggs with tofu that was in front of the emperor emeritus. He almost couldn¡¯t control his desire to try some now.


    Xiaocao had finished serving all of the food to the table and was about to go to the kitchen to serve food to the imperial bodyguards when the emperor emeritus stopped her, ¡°Little girl, you¡¯ve been busy for a while. Come, sit next to Fifth Lord and eat some. They all have working limbs, if they¡¯re hungry, they¡¯ll be able to find food to eat!¡±


    The emperor emeritus had already ordered that only Fang Zizhen, Yu Hai, and Yu Xiaocao had the honor of apanying him for the meal. Zhang Quan stood on the side and held a new pair of chopsticks. He picked up an eggnt fritter and was about to taste it.


    ¡°Stop! You don¡¯t need to test the food for poison here, go into the kitchen where Commander Zhuang and the others are and eat the meal there!¡± The emperor emeritus trusted the Yu Family and having someone taste the food before he tried was not essential. He refused to permit another person at the table to eat his precious food!


    Zhang Quan perceptibly made a noise in assent. In his heart, the Yu Family had risen ranks. There probably weren¡¯t many people who could make the emperor emeritus trust them so much, right?


    ¡°Century eggs with tofu! It¡¯s been decades since I¡¯vest had these! I¡¯ve almost forgotten what they taste like ah!¡± The emperor emeritus carefully picked a piece of tofu stuffed with century eggs and opened his mouth wide. He shoved the whole piece into his mouth. The tender tofu with the savory vor of the century egg spread through his mouth. Being able to taste food that he hadn¡¯t had for years almost made Zhu Huaiyong let out a couple tears in joy.


    Fang Zizhen watched the emperor emeritus earnestly. When he saw the obvious pleasure on the older man¡¯s face and some faint signs of moisture in his eyes, anxiety rose in his heart¡ª¡ªwas there really something so delicious that would make the emperor emeritus cry?

 Chapter 153 – Old Urchin

    <h4>Chapter 153 ¨C Old Urchin</h4>


    ¡°Eh? Howe all of you are just watching me eat? If you all don¡¯t start eating, I¡¯m going to finish off this table ah!¡± The emperor emeritus took another piece of century egg with tofu and stuffed it into his mouth as he delicately enjoyed it.


    This was the first time in his life that Fang Zizhen was sitting at the same table for a meal with the emperor emeritus. Sure enough, the emperor emeritus was an amiable and approachable person. In history, how many emperors had sat at the same table as their officials? Although he was a bit nervous, he couldn¡¯t resist the tempting lure of the delicacies and carefully picked up a cube of century egg in tofu to eat.


    A special vorbined with the exquisite light taste of the tofu slowly bloomed inside his mouth. It provoked his taste buds. He had eaten the food that Xiaocao made for over a month now but she surprised him with something new every time. Even if it was the exact same ingredient, she had the ability to make it into somethingpletely different. He suspected that even the famous chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant would not be able to recreate the same vors that she cooked. (Xiaocao sniggered: thanks to the mystic-stone water!)


    Fang Zizhen immediately fell in love with the slippery texture and fresh, savory taste of the century eggs. Once he had finished reflecting on the taste in his mouth, he wanted to grab a second bite and discovered that the te waspletely empty. The emperor emeritus, on the other hand, had a longing expression on his face, as if he wished he could eat more.


    ¡°Daughter, the portion size of this century egg with tofu is really too small right? I only ate one piece and the te is empty. This doesn¡¯t satisfy my craving. Didn¡¯t you make twenty to thirty century eggs? Slice a few more for us! Today Fifth Lord is here, so don¡¯t be petty!¡± The expression on his face and wordsing out of his mouth made it seem like Fang Zizhen was advocating for the emperor emeritus, but, in actuality, he just wanted to eat more himself.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the emperor emeritus and secretly sneered within her heart, ¡®I¡¯ve never seen someone at your age eating this much alone. A whole te of century eggs with tofu had been gobbled up by you, old man. As for godfather, you¡¯re lucky that you got to try a piece ah. My biological father hasn¡¯t even picked up his chopsticks!!¡¯


    Despite her less than ttering thoughts, she still had a sweet smile on her face, ¡°Fifth Lord, there should be tomatoes in the capital, right? Try some of the stir-fried tomatoes with eggs that I made. How does it taste?¡±


    The emperor emeritus obligingly went with her request and picked up a portion of eggs as he said, ¡°Tomato seeds were only rmended for growingst year. Not a lot of people are growing them in the capital, but you have already done so? You have a pretty good way of doing things ah! Good, Fifth Lord will taste how it is!¡±


    Just as he finished talking, he ced the eggs into his mouth and chewed. His long beard moved up and down with his mouth movements. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but face him and stare at the long whiskers for a bit.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad! The colors are bright and appetizing, the taste is fresh and sweet, it¡¯s better than the food made by pce¡¯s imperial chefs! Little girl, are you sure you weren¡¯t a chef in your previous life?¡±


    This seemingly simple statement made by the emperor emeritus made Xiaocao extremely nervous. She nced over at her somewhat reserved father andughed hollowly, ¡°Perhaps ah! Who can remember their previous life after drinking Granny Meng¡¯s soup? However, everyone tells me that I have a talent for cooking. Maybe I was truly a famous chef in my past life! Probably also one who specialized in the dishes thatmoners eat!¡±


    ¡°This child doesn¡¯t know how to be humble! Are there any famous chefs who are female?¡± Yu Hai red at her in warning. Someone who was able to eat the food the imperial chefs made was absolutely not low in rank. His little daughter frequently liked to bber thoughtlessly, but she absolutely should not offend Fifth Lord.


    The emperor emeritus was in an exceedingly good mood and grabbed a chopstick full of chicken stewed with mushrooms. He ate it heartily and smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t know if there were any famous female chefs in history but I believe that our Great Ming Dynasty can have a famous female chef show up!¡± As he talked, he even looked at Xiaocao for a bit.


    Yu Xiaocao calmly ate the rice in her bowl. Since she transmigrated over here, she hadn¡¯t been able to eat in white rice. When she heard what he said, she finally became more modest, ¡°Fifth Lord, you¡¯re overestimating my abilities. I only know how to make a few homestyle dishes. You¡¯ve probably gotten tired of eating fancy dishes with lots of meat and seafood. Now that you get to taste some homestyle cooking, you think it¡¯s fresh and unique, that¡¯s all. If you had to eat this style of food every day, then you wouldn¡¯t think it¡¯s tasty anymore!¡±


    Fang Zizhen was gobbling up his food with head stered to his bowl when he coolly interjected, ¡°I think my daughter¡¯s skills are just in good. I¡¯ve eaten the food you made for over a month and haven¡¯t gotten tired of it! My family¡¯s daughter could make even vegetables boiled in in water taste good! Daughter, go slice up a few more century eggs ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her godfather, who had fattened up a few inches around his waistline, somewhat helplessly. Luckily, Grandpa Zhao would force him to practice martial arts every day. Otherwise, she was afraid that he would have be a rotund fatty at this point! At the rate that he was gaining weight, she wasn¡¯t sure whether her godmother would still recognize him the next time he went back to the capital!


    She grinned as she looked at Fang Zizhen and then spoke to the emperor emeritus, ¡°I also made some century eggs out of chicken eggs and they should be ready to eat. I¡¯ll slice up a few to let everyone try some. The uncle bodyguards over there...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with them, they¡¯re fine eating anything. As long as they can eat until they¡¯re full!¡± The emperor emeritus knew that Xiaocao didn¡¯t make a lot of century eggs in her first batch, so he obviously couldn¡¯t bear to let that bunch of brats eat his food, right? He was still nning on bringing some back to the capital with him!


    The imperial bodyguards were sitting at the table in the kitchen. On the table, other than the century eggs and tofu which had been switched for tofu mixed with shallots, the rest of the dishes were the same as the ones for the table outside. The imperial bodyguards had been on the road for the whole morning and had long felt their stomachs sticking to their backbones out of hunger. In front of a table full of tasty dishes, they gorged themselves without any inhibition. They usually had a good rtionship with one another but, today, for the sake of a piece of twice-cooked pork, they almost started fighting.


    When Xiaocao entered the kitchen, the imperial bodyguards had alreadypletely finished the table full of food in record time. Every te on the table waspletely empty, even the sauce from the vegetables had been poured onto their rice and eaten. Themander of the guards felt his face flush with embarrassment when he saw Xiaocao enter the kitchen. He silently cursed the soldiers underneath hismand for acting like a bunch of starving refugees. Weren¡¯t they going to beughed at by this little girl?


    ¡°Uncle bodyguards, did you guys eat to your fill? If that wasn¡¯t enough, I can cook a few small dishes for you all?¡± Xiaocao eximed in astonishment when she saw how much food the four men ate. They had unexpectedly eaten enough for eight people and cleared all of the tes. Perhaps those who practiced martial arts used more energy, so their capacity for food wasrger?


    The four imperial bodyguards along with a court eunuch all became excited at the thought of eating more food. However, after rubbing their rotund, stuffed stomachs, they could only shake their heads in regret and tell her that they were full. Themander of the group couldn¡¯t look Xiaocao in the eye when he saw how shameless his soldiers were!


    Xiaocao retrieved a few mud-coated eggs from the corner, tapped off the mud shells, and peeled the century eggs. In her previous lifetime, at her hometown, century eggs made out of chicken eggs were also called ¡®biandan¡¯. These few biandan were all ready to be eaten. The egg white part of the eggs looked like jelly and were sparkling and translucent. The yolk part of the eggs resembled a ball of sugar. When cut open, liquid drops of oil flowed out and made the eggs look extremely appetizing.


    The courtyard wasn¡¯t veryrge, so the imperial bodyguards had naturally heard what the emperor emeritus had said previously. Were these the century eggs that the emperor emeritus had mentioned? What did they taste like? Everyone could tell that these were extremely delicious. Otherwise, why else would the emperor emeritus, who had tried every delicacy under the heavens, protect these eggs from them? The more restricted something was, the more the heart thirsted for it. Unfortunately, this was not a desire they could satisfy right now.


    The imperial bodyguards stared at Xiaocao intently as she peeled and sliced the eggs. Their gaze made her feel a lot of pressure and she felt like her back was burning under their relentless stares. She elerated her movements and also chopped up some garlic cloves and green peppers. Vinegar and sesame oil were added to season the dish and then everything was sprinkled on top of the century eggs. She quickly carried the dish out. If she didn¡¯t leave soon, then she absolutely would have copsed from being stared at by this pack of ¡®hungry wolves¡¯!


    This cold te of seasoned biandan naturally received unanimous, generous praise from everyone who tried it. Fortunately, the emperor emeritus had pretty much eaten his fill, so this allowed Fang Zizhen and Yu Hai the opportunity to try some. After Yu Hai tasted a slice, he lightly nodded his head, ¡°This is a dish that probably goes well with alcohol...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Such a delicious dish, howe we don¡¯t have any alcohol with it? Commander Zhuang, where did I hide that bottle of Zhenniang when I left? Quickly take it out!¡± The emperor emeritus yelled at themander in exhration.


    The stony cold expression on themander¡¯s face didn¡¯t change a whit as he calmly replied in an even tone of voice, ¡°Before we left, the emperor had inspected our luggage while you were unaware. That bottle of imperial Zhenniang had been confiscated by him!¡±


    When the emperor emeritus was young, he loved to drink alcohol. After ascending the throne, he felt that he had a lot of responsibility, so he very rarely drank until he was dead drunk. Once he abdicated, he immediately invited a bunch of old officials over and drank alcohol with them every day. The old internal injuries left behind from the war as well as his advancing age caused his stomach to bleed after drinking too much. He vomited blood everywhere and scared the group of old officials until they were pale from fright. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t his time to go and after being treated by all of the imperial doctors in the pce, he was able to keep his life.


    Since then, the emperor strictly prohibited him from drinking alcohol. He not only sent people over to watch over him but also set down rules for ¡®guilt by association¡¯. Whoever apanied the emperor emeritus in drinking alcohol or witnessed him drinking without reporting would also be sentenced to go down a rank. If they weren¡¯t an official, then they would have to be imprisoned for three months. The pitiful emperor emeritus with his alcohol-loving heart was no longer able to find any alcohol to drink. When he did get his hands on some, he couldn¡¯t find anyone to apany him. It was truly a cmitous situation for him!


    The smile on the old man¡¯s face disappeared, and he snorted furiously a couple of times, ¡°Don¡¯t drink then I won¡¯t drink! Without alcohol to apany the meal, it doesn¡¯t feel right. Oh right, little girl! Have you any fermented grape wine or fruit wine of any sort?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao could sense themander¡¯s anxiety and looked at him reassuringly to cate the man. She smiled, ¡°You also know that we had separated from the main family at the end ofst year. Other than receiving this run-down old house, we didn¡¯t even get any furniture to go with it. How would we have any tools to ferment wine? That being said, even if I had the tools, how could I have made any without any of the ingredients? In the dead of winter, where would I find any grapes and fruit then to ferment wine for you?¡±


    The emperor emeritus pursed his lips and replied irritably, ¡°Little Yu ah! I really don¡¯t like that stepmother of yours!! The rest I won¡¯t mention, but she had taken Zhao Bufan¡¯s three hundred taels from selling that bear yet she didn¡¯t even give one tael to your family. Also, that younger brother of yours. From my standpoint, he¡¯s not suited to be a schr! And he¡¯s living in town like a young lord, eating good food. All of it is funded by her. She¡¯s so biased that she doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s right and proper anymore!! I really feel annoyed about this, very annoyed!! How about I call her over and scare her a bit?¡±


    A waterfall of cold sweat poured down Yu Hai¡¯s body. Why was this Fifth Lord meddling with his family¡¯s matters? In regards to Madam Zhang, he didn¡¯t feel any hate or rancor towards her, only a bit of resentment. After all, Madam Zhang had raised him and his older sister after his mother had passed away. He already understood Madam Zhang¡¯s personality; she was the perfect example of a tyrant at home but a coward outside. She was only a little brazen, that¡¯s all. Now that she was older, he was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to tolerate being frightened.


    Yu Hai hurriedly stood up and bowed, ¡°Thank you Fifth Lord for your benevolence towards us! As the proverb says, ¡®the son cannot criticize his parents¡¯ actions¡¯. After all, she¡¯s the wife that my father had legally married, and she also raised me and my older sister. Thus...¡±

 Chapter 154 – Vermicelli

    <h4>Chapter 154 ¨C Vermicelli</h4>


    ¡°You, as a person...all other qualities are good, but you are foolishly filial! If you never set your boundaries, then be prepared to be taken advantage of!! Should you continue to go down this path, then I¡¯m afraid that your wife and children will need to suffer more ah!¡± The emperor emeritus shook his head out of disappointment. To him, Yu Hai was like a piece of iron that refused to strengthen into steel.


    Fang Zizhen had long understood theplex rtionships within the Yu Family and looked at Yu Hai. He slightly frowned, ¡°If my goddaughter gets mistreated, don¡¯t me me for not warning you! When that momentes, I will take my daughter to the capital to livefortably and make sure that you will never be able to see her again!!¡±


    When Yu Hai heard this, the look on his face immediately changed. In regards to this fellow, who was constantly trying to steal his daughter, he already felt unhappy. For the past month or so, he felt like he was the stepfather in this rtionship and Fang Zizhen was the true father. Whenever Fang Zizhen was around, he felt like he had to take a step back.


    However, General Fang truly treated his daughter well. Clothes, jewelry, and other expensive articles for daily use were all moved into his daughter¡¯s room as if they didn¡¯t cost any money. His daughter¡¯s east room had almost been stuffed to the brim. If it were not for Xiaocao making a fuss, Fang Zizhen would have given her even more.


    Without someone topare to, then there would be nothing showing his deficiencies. Now that there was aparison, he, as the biological father, not only couldn¡¯t give his daughter everything she needed but she also had to constantly deal with the avaricious and greedy Madam Li and Madam Zhang too!


    Argh, as a father, he truly wasn¡¯t a qualified and good one ah! However, with the pressure of filial piety above him, he didn¡¯t want to cause any trouble for his children. If he had a bad reputation for being disobedient to his parents, that would mean his children would be subject to the gossip of others as well as create a bad reputation for his youngest son, who was studying in town...this was truly like being between a rock and a hard ce!


    Xiaocao stepped next to her worried father¡¯s side and secretly pulled at his callused andrge hand. Sheforted him, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t abandon our family and live in luxury by myself in the capital. If I want to go, then our whole family needs to go together! Father, trust me, I will definitely lead our family to live happy and prosperous lives together! We¡¯ll make those other people be envious!¡±


    The rims of Yu Hai¡¯s eyes suddenly became red. Ah! He was so useless that he needed his barely nine year old daughter tofort him. He lightly grasped his daughter¡¯s small and chubby hand. Ever since they separated from the main family, not only did his youngest daughter gain some weight but also the rest of the family members. Compared to their original stick skinny figures, they looked a lot healthier now!


    ¡°Ah! Such a good daughter ah!! Daughters are still more considerate and loving, no wonder everyone says that daughters are their parents¡¯ warm, little winter jackets!¡± Fang Zizhen¡¯s heart felt sour as he watched the father and daughter pair interact with each other. Why did the heavens not have eyes? Such a good daughter should have been born in his family. If he had such a sweet daughter, he would absolutely pamper her, give her the very best, and absolutely not allow anyone to bully her!


    After they finished eating lunch, the emperor emeritus left with his group of guards and the court eunuch to visit the Zhao Family. Before he left, he said, ¡°Tonight, I¡¯ming over to eat braised pig head meat and duck blood vermicelli soup!¡± That old fellow, Zhao Zimo, had fought with him several years in the past. Had the previous dynasty not had that imbecile on the throne, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy for him to seize the throne! Zhao Zimo¡¯s strategies and tactics were godly and he had long itched to exchange ideas with him!


    Yu Xiaocao felt very helpless! Making bean vermicelli by hand was veryplicated and difficult!! This emperor emeritus was seriously too much; he never let a person rx for even a second!


    Because there had been outside visitors earlier, Madam Liu had stayed inside. She had just finished her meal when she came out and noticed the worried expression on her daughter¡¯s face. She asked out of worry, ¡°The vermicelli that Fifth Lord kept mentioning, is it difficult to get the ingredients for it?¡±


    ¡°We already have all of the ingredients at home, but the process to make it is quiteplicated!¡± Yu Xiaocao acted spoiled and held onto Madam Liu¡¯s arm as she softly inhaled her mother¡¯s warm smell.


    Madam Liu stroked her daughter¡¯s lustrous and ck hair. Her younger daughter¡¯s body was bing healthier every day, and she hadn¡¯t even gotten a cold since they split from the family. Her previously dry, messy, and yellowing hair had also be glossy and dark after receiving more nutrition. As for her face, it used to be wan and sallow but now there was plump flesh to be pinched. Madam Liu felt deep satisfaction within her heart! If she had known earlier that her children would all be like this, she would have fought harder for them despite the risk of beingbeled ¡®unfilial¡¯.


    She rubbed at her younger daughter¡¯s rosy and tender face and softly said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Mother will help you!¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s also us!¡± Yu Hang and Xiaolian, who had just finished cleaning and putting away the tes and chopsticks, came in and grinned at the rare sight of their younger sister acting spoiled. It was only in times like this that their younger sister actually seemed like a nine year old child.


    Many hands make light work! With her whole family there, Yu Xiaocao felt energy surge her body. She waved a fist in the air in excitement and loudly eximed, ¡°Okay!! Let¡¯s work together then!!¡±


    ¡°Xiaolian, scrub therge pot on the stove until it¡¯spletely clean, then boil a whole potful of water in it!¡±


    ¡°Older Brother, go to the cer and bring up a bag of sweet potato powder!¡±


    ¡°Mother, help me wash therge basin clean...then prepare a bolt of gauze for me!¡±


    ¡°Father, can you drill some evenly-spaced holes in the bottom of this wooden basin?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao ordered everyone around in session. Although they were all busy, everyone felt happiness bloom within their hearts. Having the whole family work together towards one goal, it really felt amazing!


    Xiaocao instructed her brother to pour the sweet potato powder into therge basin and added water until it became viscous and sticky. After that, she used the gauze cloth to filter out any impurities. By the time she finished with that, the water on the stove had started boiling.


    They poured the hot water into another pot and dumped the filtered sweet potato powder into it. A rolling pin that was as thick as a person¡¯s wrist was used to agitate the contents. Naturally, this job fell to Yu Hai, who had already finished drilling holes into the small wooden basin. As he stirred, more filtered sweet potato powder was added.


    The pot was then put on the stove at a low heat, and they had to use a lot of force to knead the sweet potato mixture. Kneading was exhausting work and required a lot of strength and endurance. Yu Hai naturally wouldn¡¯t let his wife and children do this type of work, so he followed his younger daughter¡¯s instructions and kneaded with a lot of effort.


    After the kneading was done, Xiaocao had her mother stand next to the stove. Then, she grabbed the wooden basin with its newly drilled holes and poured the kneaded sweet potato powder into it. Madam Liu stood on a stool and pounded the wooden basin with a lot of force. The sweet potato mixture slowly went through the holes. Due to gravity, the strands of sweet potato dough became long and slender. When they fell into the boiling water, they immediately became cooked.


    Xiaolian then took a long wooden dowel and stirred the pot full of vermicelli incessantly. At exactly the right time, Xiaocao used a sieve in her hand to fish out the cooked vermicelli. The scalding hot vermicelli was then put into arge vat full of cold water. The quality of the cold water directly influenced the taste of the vermicelli. Thus, the vat was not only filled with spring water from the mountains but also had a few drops of mystic-stone water mixed in.


    Once the vermicelli cooled down, Yu Hang carefully fished it all up. At this time, the vermicelli was still a bit sticky and required Yu Hang to separate each strand by hand. This work was quiteborious and tiring.


    Because pounding the sweet potato dough through the holes also required a lot of endurance, before long, Madam Liu¡¯s arms became very sore and she couldn¡¯t bring them up again. Yu Hai felt bad for his wife and hastily took over the task for her.


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t stay idle, so she went to take the cooled vermicelli and hang them from bamboo poles andy them t on wooden nks to dry. They couldn¡¯t let the vermicelli dry in the sun as that would ruin the final product. In addition, while they were drying in the air, they also needed to sprinkle water on top to prevent them from sticking to each other. Thus, not only did they have to sprinkle water on top but also continuously separate the strands by hand.


    After repeating this process over several times, they could finally take the wooden nks away and set up the bamboo poles. The vermicelli could then hang from the poles and air dry. During the drying process, it required someone to flip the vermicelli over until they werepletely dry.


    With the whole family working on this, they were busy for a whole afternoon to make twenty or so catties of sweet potato vermicelli.


    The reason why Xiaocao knew how to vermicelli was because in her previous life, there was a woman who married into her vige who was from a family that knew how to make sweet potato vermicelli. For a time, the woman had made handmade vermicelli to sell in town. Xiaocao, as Lin Xiaowan in her previous life, had helped that woman make them, and thus that was how she became so familiar with the whole process.


    Although this was the first time she had independentlypleted the process, the vermicelli all turned out okay. However, the finished product wasn¡¯t uniform in thickness. Making vermicelli was a process that required skill and practice. The more she made them, the better they would turn out!


    Nevertheless, the work required to make vermicelli was quite tiring and exhausting. Especially Yu Hai¡¯s task¡ªhe had to hold up a rather heavy wooden basin and constantly pound it to let the sweet potato mixturee out. After all that work, his arms didn¡¯t feel like his own anymore. They were so sore that he couldn¡¯t raise them up again. Xiaocao used the multi-colored stone to massage his arms for a long time, and only then did they recover a bit.


    As the night slowly crept over the sky, the emperor emeritus finally came back with Zhao Zimo¡¯s entire family. He walked in, immensely pleased. From the look of the expression on his face, it was obvious that his discussion that afternoon had been very fruitful. Many strategies and tactics of war had been lost throughout the years as they were transferred through generations. With the Zhao Family¡¯s arts exined to him, a lot of things he used to have trouble understanding suddenly became clear to him.


    Although it had been a long time since they hadst been on the battlefield, the emperor emeritus and Zhao Zimo were soldiers to their bones. While the two were discussing strategies with each other, they had some people retrieve some sand from the beaches to make a sandbox. Using the sandbox, the two dueled each other for an entire afternoon and didn¡¯t permit others to bother them. Both won and lost, and both gained a new understanding and enlightenment of the art of war. The two old men enjoyed themselves immensely.


    Once they finished, the emperor emeritus especially invited Zhao Zimo and his family to Yu Xiaocao¡¯s home to try some delicacies. He even mysteriously hinted to Zhao Zimo, ¡°Today, that little girl Xiaocao has created a whole new dish. I guarantee that you¡¯ve never eaten it before. If you don¡¯t go, you¡¯ll never be able to eat it again when you return to the capital!¡±


    It was easy for him to p his lips and say that, as just a single sentence of his had caused the whole Yu Family to be busy for an entire afternoon. He had already started boasting, but wasn¡¯t even a bit afraid that Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t be able to figure it out!


    Zhao Han sneered on the side and inwardly thought, ¡®With my family¡¯s good rtionship with Xiaocao¡¯s family, how could I possibly not be able to eat it? Every time she makes something delicious, she always sends some to us.¡¯


    However, then he thought, ¡®Today, Grandfather received a position from court. Within a few days, he¡¯ll need to go to the capital and im his post. Father has also been given a general of the fourth rank position, and it¡¯s rumored that the tribes in the northwest have not been very peacefultely. Grandfather is getting old, so if Father wants to continue the Zhao¡¯s family traditions, then he absolutely cannot avoid going to the battlefield!¡¯


    At his age, his father had already fought on the battlefield with his grandfather. Zhao Han was certain that he would also be going to the border to gain experience. Every man had a dream that he wanted to pursue in his heart. As someone who had learned martial arts at a young age, he was no exception. One of his longtime dreams was to go on the battlefield to kill the enemies of his country, so he should be happy right now.


    However, when the thought of not being able to try Xiaocao¡¯s foods for a long time in the future, as well as not being able to see her hit him...Zhao Han immediately became gloomy.


    ¡°Haha! Zhao Family youngster, howe you suddenly look so sad? Don¡¯t worry! Today, you¡¯ll all enjoy the reflected glory from me, Fifth Lord. All of us can be the first ones to try a new delicacy. Come,e! I can¡¯t wait anymore!!¡± The emperor emeritus took the lead and swiftly walked down the mountain road. He wasn¡¯t even afraid that he might twist his ankle!

 Chapter 155 – Leaving Reluctantly

    <h4>Chapter 155 ¨C Leaving Reluctantly</h4>


    In the afternoon, Xiaocao had gone over to Madam Mao¡¯s to buy two ducks. She let the duck blood flow into a small basin and used the duck offal to braise along with the pig intestines.


    At this moment, the braised food had just finished cooking and the whole courtyard was enveloped in its tantalizing smell. As the emperor emeritus entered the residence, he forcefully breathed in the air and an intoxicated expression appeared on his face. He muttered to himself, ¡°This is the exact smell! The only braised pig head meat that tastes authentic is the one that this little girl makes!¡±


    When he saw the vermicelli drying in the courtyard, he guffawed heartily, ¡°I knew that the littless would be able to make it happen! Isn¡¯t that right?! Girl, little girl! Add a ¡®pork stewed with vermicelli¡¯ to the table!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao came out of the kitchen to see the fuss and greeted both the Zhao Family members and the emperor emeritus. She then rolled her eyes at the person who had added another request, ¡°Fifth Lord, if you can conjure up some pork right now, then I will make you some pork stewed with vermicelli!¡±


    ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re iming you¡¯re poor in front of this lord!! Last time I gave you quite a bit of money for that recipe, don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t afford to eat pork then? Hey! You¡¯re bing more and more gutsy nowadays, little girl, ah. You even dare to roll your eyes at this lord, eh?¡± Although the emperor emeritus wasn¡¯t young anymore, his eyes and ears were still quite sharp. He naturally didn¡¯t miss Xiaocao rolling her eyes at him.


    By now, Yu Xiaocao already had a good idea of what the emperor emeritus¡¯s personality was like. If he truly wanted to punish her for her transgressions, then she already would have been punished a billion times by now. She daringly made a funny face at the emperor emeritus and grinned provokingly, ¡°How so? You¡¯re old, so you must have been seeing things¡ª¡ªthe duck blood and vermicelli soup will soon be done. Fifth Lord, please sit down for now.¡±


    Fang Zizhen was stunned silly by his adopted daughter¡¯s reckless conduct. She was being impudent to the highest authority in thend, the emperor emeritus, who was known for being brutal and callous when needed. In order to preserve his adopted daughter¡¯s life, he hurriedly pleaded for leniency, ¡°Fifth Lord, this little girl doesn¡¯t know the consequences of her actions. She¡¯s still a child, please don¡¯t lower yourself to her level.¡±


    The emperor emeritus imitated Xiaocao¡¯s conduct and rolled his eyes at Fang Zizhen, ¡°Do you really need to butt in? For the sake of the duck blood and vermicelli soup, I¡¯ll forgive you this time¡ª¡ªcut a portion of the braised pig head meat and pig ears for now, and mix in some garlic paste too!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was so busy in the kitchen that she couldn¡¯t do much else, so Xiaolian took out the braised pig head, pig ear strips with chili oil, pig intestines with scallions, spicy and numbing pig tripe, stir-fried pig liver, and five-spiced spicy duck to the guests. Every dish was piled high and there was even enough for the imperial guards to eat too. As for the court eunuch who brought the imperial decree, Zhang Quan, he had been ordered back to the capital by the emperor emeritus after lunch.


    Originally, the amount of food that was prepared was quite abundant. However, both the emperor emeritus and Fang Zizhen had ultra-sized stomachs. In addition, there were four people from the Zhao Family there too, so it was a bitcking. The two burners on the kitchen stove were both on high heat. One of them was stewing some duck soup and the other one was being used by Yu Xiaocao, who was brandishing a spat, to saute a few vegetable dishes.


    ¡°Come in,e in,e in! Don¡¯t be polite! Try some of the fruits of the littless Xiaocao¡¯sbor!!¡± The emperor emeritus had taken charge of this meal as he sat on a simple and crude wooden stool. His eyes stared at the table full of food. and he started wielding his chopsticks without regard for the others.


    The Yu Family¡¯s new dining table wasn¡¯t very big, so it was a bit crowded from seating sixrge, brawny men. With the imposing emperor emeritus at the table, the rest of the people couldn¡¯t fully express themselves. Luckily, the emperor emeritus didn¡¯t have many airs and the way he ate increased other people¡¯s appetites. When he was pleased from eating the food, he would even grab a chopstick bite of the dish for General Zhao Zimo to share. General Zhao felt quite overwhelmed by his favor.


    With his mouth full of delectable pig head meat, crispy pig ears, and fatty intestines, the emperor emeritus felt like he had finally tasted the vor he had been craving for. He really wanted to settle down at Dongshan Vige as a longtime resident!


    When he had eaten almost to his fill, the emperor emeritus looked at the vermicelli drying in the courtyard. He remarked with emotion in his voice, ¡°I really miss the taste of pork stewed with vermicelli ah! It¡¯s been on my mind for decades, and I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll ever be able to taste it again in this lifetime...¡±


    General Zhao Zimo looked at the former chief of the volunteer army, who had once been vigorous and full of energy. Now, the man¡¯s hair had turnedpletely white and there were a lot of wrinkles on his face. His back also wasn¡¯t as straight and brawny as before. A sorrowful feeling settled in his heart and the thought of a ¡®hero who is past his prime¡¯ flickered through his mind. He quietly asked, ¡°Is it difficult to make pork stewed with vermicelli? I know what pork is, but I¡¯ve never heard of vermicelli. This official is ignorant and inexperienced, so this is the first time I¡¯ve heard of that.¡±


    ¡°Look!¡± The emperor emeritus faced the bamboo poles that held the drying strips and pouted, ¡°That is vermicelli. I didn¡¯t expect that by just mentioning it, the little girl really figured out how to make them. Although I can tell that the thickness of the noodles are not very even, the taste should still be the same! Now that everything else is prepared, we onlyck the pork ah! If we had some fatty streaky pork, that would be even better! Ah! Dongshan Vige is still a bit too deste, it doesn¡¯t even have a ce to buy meat from!¡±


    Fang Zizhen was also quite interested in the ¡®pork stewed with vermicelli¡¯ that the emperor emeritus kept mentioning. He suddenly had an idea and smiled, ¡°Fifth Lord, although there isn¡¯t a ce to buy meat from in Dongshan Vige, there are still people who raise pigs here ah! If you really want to eat some, we could buy a big, fat pig and then ughter it...¡±


    ¡°Mingzhe!!¡± Zhao Zimo wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do with his asionally unreliable apprentice. He really didn¡¯t know how this confused man managed to survive decades during the chaos of the start of the dynasty. The man didn¡¯t know how to keep his mouth shut and use his brain.


    Fang Zizhen lowered his head sadly like a child who had said something wrong. He stealthily nced at his master and then quickly looked down again.


    Zhao Zimo red at him fiercely. What kind of rotten idea did this dumb schmucke up with? The current emperor promoted being frugal and economical and had a great reputation among themoners. If they especially ughtered a pig right now and the word came out, that would damage the imperial family¡¯s reputation! This stupid rascal, did he want to be a conniving favored official ah?


    ¡°Grandfather, we have a piece of pork cooling in the well in our back courtyard! However, it¡¯s not fatty, streaky pork and is a more bnced piece of leg meat!¡± Zhao Han¡¯s mother usually didn¡¯t leave the house often, so most of the family¡¯s goods were purchased by Zhao Han or his father. Thus, Zhao Han usually had a good idea of what ingredients they had at home.


    The emperor emeritus pped his hand down andughed heartily, ¡°Leg meat is also okay!! As long as it¡¯s pork, it¡¯s fine. Youngster Han, go get the pork now! Today, I¡¯ll finally be able to eat some pork stewed with vermicelli ah! Originally I was nning on staying an extra half day tomorrow in order to not leave with regrets!¡±


    In the other room, the leader of the imperial guards heard the emperor emeritus¡¯s remark as he ate his meal. He felt his heart tremble. Before they left, the emperor had given an order he could not disobey on the pain of death. They had to bring the emperor emeritus safely back to the imperial pce within five days. A one-way trip to Dongshan Vige already took two days, and they had already spent an entire day in the vige today. Originally, the n was to go back to the prefectural city tomorrow, rest half a day, and then go to the capital the day after.


    If they dyed an additional day, then who knew if the emperor emeritus would have another brilliant idea on the way home and dy them further. Should the emperor emeritus be prompted by a sudden impulse to do something else¡ª¡ªthen his mission to bring him back within five days would be impossible toplete! Hearing what the emperor emeritus just said made him want to cry tears of despair! Fortunately, the Zhao Family had some pork. He had never been so ecstatic and happy over a piece of pork!


    That evening, the emperor emeritus had finally satisfied his long-standing craving for good food. Not only did he get to taste duck blood and vermicelli soup, but he also got to eat some authentic pork stewed with vermicelli. Although he wished he had some wine to apany him, he was still extremely content.


    At night, the emperor emeritus stayed over at the Zhao Family¡¯s residence. The Zhao Family trembled with fear as they cautiously made preparations for the night. They were afraid that even the wind blowing over the grass might rm the emperor emeritus. The imperial bodyguards were even more miserable. Because there weren¡¯t enough rooms avable, they had to spend the night in the middle of the cold courtyard with nkets wrapped around their bodies to keep warm in the chilly spring night. Luckily, the night passed without any problems, and the Zhao Family and bodyguards were able to sigh in relief the next day.


    The next day, before he left, the emperor emeritus especially went to the Yu Family, and bought all of the remaining vermicelli and the braised food they were nning to sell at the docks that morning! Once he got back to the capital, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have another chance to eat such authentic tasting braised food!


    Aish, should he build a mansion residence on the West Mountain? When he returned, he nned on asking Chief Steward Liu if his budget had enough money for this. If not, maybe he should borrow some money from his numerous sons and grandsons to get this done?


    Right at this moment, within the capital, the imperial and royal princes all sneezed a few times by chance! A cold chill ran through their bodies, ¡®This is a sign of bad lucking their way ah!!¡¯


    The little royal prince, Zhu Junyang, who was far away drifting somewhere on the ocean, also let out arge sneeze. He rubbed his nose a couple of times and looked back towards the mothend. He thought, ¡®It must be Mother who¡¯s thinking of me. I¡¯ve already been out at sea for almost half a year. It¡¯s quite boring and dull being out here in the distant seas. Luckily, this group of ships has already been improved. Not only are they much more sturdy, but they are also a lot faster than before!¡¯


    He was convinced, that before long, he would be able to smoothly head back home. If he was lucky, he could even apany his father and mother to the Dragon Boat Festival! When he was by their side he never thought of it, but when he left, he really couldn¡¯t help but worry about them. Zhu Junyang was looking forward to the day he would get back!


    After they saw off the esteemed honorable guest, the emperor emeritus, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t get to rest for a few days before it was time to say farewell to the Zhao Family.


    In order to send them off properly, Yu Xiaocao prepared a grand table full of delectable delicacies. She even ordered some roasted chicken and osmanthus duck from Zhenxiu Restaurant and also got a jar of good wine from them.


    That day was coincidentally the day that Little Shitou had his day off. The little boy sat at the table and looked at Zhao Han pitifully. He didn¡¯t want the older youth to leave, so he spoke with a voice choked with emotion, ¡°Brother Han, can you not leave? I will miss you a lot!¡±


    Before they had split from the main branch, he had lived a life where he starved day in and out. Zhao Han, who knew how to hunt, had be a ray of sunlight for him during those dark times. Brother Han had taken him and Second Sister deep into the forest to set traps, roast game in the valley, and catch fish in the creek to stew into soup...although his life now was much more pleasant andfortablepared to before, those memories had be some of the best ones he could remember.


    When they split from the family, Brother Han had also delivered some game to them from time to time in the beginning. It was his help that enabled them to survive that dangerous period of time. Later on, Second Sister used her talents and skills to send their family into prosperous times. However, within his heart, Brother Han was still a tall and lofty figure. For him, the ensemble of Brother Han and Second Sister had be a heavenly, perfect match.


    If only...Brother Han didn¡¯t have to leave, wouldn¡¯t that be great?!


    Zhao Han rubbed the little fellow¡¯s head. After studying in town for a few months, the little guy not only fleshed out but also grew quite a bit in height. In addition, he was also dressed in the robes of schr, so it really made him seem like a promising young youth.


    At this moment, Zhao Han¡¯s heart was also filled with regrets. Dongshan Vige was the ce where he was born and grew up in. Although life here was poor and honest, it was a peaceful life. This ce held all of the sweet memories of his youth, and this ce also held the people who he cared and worried about.

 Chapter 156 – Sending Them Off

    <h4>Chapter 156 ¨C Sending Them Off</h4>


    Zhao Han looked towards the direction of Yu Xiaocao for a second. Once he went to the capital, he wasn¡¯t sure when he would see her again. He believed he would always remember that thin and weak, yet simultaneously strong figure. Even in the pits of suffering, that little girl always had a sweet smile on her face, and she always managed to bring people hope as well as create many surprises...he didn¡¯t know whether he would be able to see her again in the future!


    After they finished their meal, the old general, Zhao Zimo, left early to go back. Zhao Bufan and Yu Hai gazed at the moon together as they drank small sips of alcohol. Their eyes were hazy with drunkenness and they chatted incoherently amongst themselves. Auntie Zhao pulled Madam Liu into one of the rooms to discuss some private womanhood matters.


    After Zhao Han and Yu Hang finished their conversation, he noticed Xiaocao busily putting away the bowls and chopsticks. Atst, he couldn¡¯t help himself and advanced a step to say, ¡°Xiaocao, do you have time to talk for a bit?¡±


    Xiaolian noticed theplicated look in Zhao Han¡¯s eyes and grinned, ¡°Little sister, go ahead! I¡¯ll finish up here myself!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao washed her hands clean, used a cotton towel to wipe them dry, and then headed towards Zhao Han.


    ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be leaving here. Can you go on a walk with me?¡± Zhao Han lowered his head and looked at the delicate little girl in front of him who only reached the height of his chest. His voice was soft and gentle, as if he was afraid he might startle her.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and took the lead, walking towards the gate.


    The cool and refreshing evening breeze blew merrily through the trees. The newly grown foliage rustled gently in the wind. At night, the West Mountain seemed to be a giant, ck monster, and it towered over the edge of Dongshan Vige. At times, it also seemed like the vige¡¯s protector, with its head lowered watching a small child...


    Two figures could be seen in the gloomy light of the stars, one tall and one short, one sturdy and one weak. They slowly strolled along the rugged dirt road. Zhao Han lowered his head to look silently at the quiet Xiaocao. He ended up being the first to break the silence, ¡°I¡¯m about to go, do you have anything you want to say to me?¡±


    At this moment, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart was full of sorrow and reluctance. It could be said that Zhao Han was one of the first friends she had since she transmigrated over to this world. It was he who taught her how to set traps and helped her acquire her first bit of wealth. It was he who protected her and her younger brother from the strong bully, Heizi, and became their patron saint. It was he who trusted and pardoned her despite her many odd actions and idiosyncrasies, and who never doubted or questioned her!


    Having a friend who supported her unconditionally, it was unlikely she would find another one in the future, right? All sorts of feelings welled up in her heart and out of all of the thousands of words in the world, only one came to mind at this moment, and that was ¡®precious¡¯.


    As Zhao Han gazed at that tiny, pale, little, smiling face, that was raised up towards him and had two bright,rge eyes full of regret, he had a sudden, reckless impulse to hug Xiaocao and carry her away.


    However, reason prevailed in the end and prevented him from taking that crazy action. Zhao Han said with a bit of hope in his voice, ¡°Xiaocao,e with us to the capital! Over there, you can fully use your talents and start a new career. Haven¡¯t you always held Jiang Siniang¡¯s Exquisite Garments as an example of women showing their talents?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯srge, limpid eyes seemed to speak stories to him as they looked at him. In them, he could see his eager and earnest reflection within her pupils. However, in the end, Xiaocao slowly shook her head. Then again, what sort of qualifications did he have to ask her to go with him?


    Yu Xiaocao had managed to sense Zhao Han¡¯s feelings of loss of disappointment. She softly pulled on his sleeve and said, ¡°Brother Han, I know you don¡¯t want to be apart from me, Shitou, and the rest of us. We also don¡¯t want to see you go. However, in the capital, you and Uncle Zhao, and the rest of your family can be who you are all truly meant to be and achieve your dreams and aspirations. We can only silently support and bless you here.¡±


    She paused for a second as she turned her head around to look at the dark shadows of Dongshan Vige. A light sigh came out of her before she continued, ¡°I am not the same as you! My godfather had previously tried to persuade me to go to the capital and apany my godmother. He said he wanted to give me a good life there. However, Dongshan Vige is my home, my parents, brothers and sister are all here. I can¡¯t give them up and live a luxurious life on my own. If there¡¯s a day that I leave Dongshan Vige, it will have to be by my own skills and achievements, so I can bring the entire family over. That way, we can all enjoy afortable life together. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±


    Zhao Han¡¯s mother was a nobly born miss from a wealthy family in the previous dynasty. From childhood, she had been instructed in the three injunctions and four virtues. Thus, Zhao Han had always seen women as weak, delicate, sweet-tempered people who relied on their husbandspletely. In front of Xiaocao, who constantly strove for improvement, he suddenly realized that women, too, could be independent and strong. They could also, for the sake of their families, work to support the sky as well...


    Under the dim starlight, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s confident little face seemed to emit a slight fluorescence. It illuminated the dark mountain forests and also lit a light that couldn¡¯t be extinguished within Zhao Han¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Okay! I respect your decision! Then I hope, in the not-so-far future, that we will meet again in the capital. I still believe, that in the capital, you will be able to develop much more rapidly!¡± Zhao Han drew back his gaze and buried the disappointment he felt deep within his heart. He didn¡¯t know when they would be able to meet again.


    Yu Xiaocao revealed a brilliant smile that seemed to be brighter than the full moon. The sound of her voice seemed to echo endlessly within the forest thickets, ¡°We absolutely will! Let¡¯s p our hands together and make an oath: meet again at the capital!¡±


    A sturdy and stiff palm crisply hit against a fair and soft palm, causing a sharp and clear sound to appear. That noise seemed extremely loud within the night and startled a bunch of birds that were resting in nearby shrubbery.


    The news that the Zhao Family had be an important general¡¯s family and was going to the capital to take post had long traveled throughout Dongshan Vige. When they left, Fang Zizhen summoned a squadron of men and horses to take them. There were even six horse carts that came over. In order to show how much he esteemed the Zhao Family, the emperor had granted them a mansion withnds. Other than some precious and personal items, they didn¡¯t need to bring much with them. However, this ostentatious disy was the subject of many conversations for the Dongshan Vigers for a long time.


    On the day the Zhao Family left, the whole vige came out to see them off. The vige chief, who represented Dongshan Vige, stammered as he expressed his thoughts and sincerity. Those who had dealings with the Zhao Family also came up to say a few words and give them a few local specialties in hope that they wouldn¡¯t disdain these gifts.


    What a joke! The Zhao Family was now a hotmodity in the emperor¡¯s eyes and highly ranked to boot. If they could have some rtion with a high-ranking official, even if it was merely saying a few words, then in the future they could still brag for a long time. Those who didn¡¯t have much contact with the Zhao Family or perhaps had a few problems, could only timidly stand at the side, watching the rest enviously.


    As for the Yu Family, who were the ones closest to the Zhao¡¯s, they were merely helping them put away their luggage on the carts. The thoughts they wanted to say were already said the previous night.


    Madam Li watched with envy as Madam Liu helped the Zhao Family¡¯s daughter-inw to carry a suitcase. She slowly came up to try to exploit an opportunity, ¡°Second Sister-inw, the suitcase is probably very heavy. Let me help you...¡±


    ¡°No need, there¡¯s not much in the suitcase. I¡¯ll carry it myself!¡± Zhao Bufan¡¯s wife didn¡¯t have a good impression of Madam Li. However, for the sake of Madam Liu¡¯s face, she didn¡¯t treat the other woman rudely and only politely refused her helping hand.


    Madam Li pulled back her hands in embarrassment and continued to try to worm her way into the Zhao Family¡¯s good graces, ¡°Zhao Family¡¯s daughter-inw, in the future you can livefortably in arge house in the capital. You¡¯ll probably even have servant girls and senior servants to help around. Tsk tsk, feels like you¡¯ve fallen into a honey pot. I¡¯ve long said that you had a face full of good fortune!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words.¡± The other woman replied neutrally. She then turned and pulled on Madam Liu¡¯s hand and repeatedly reminded her that, if she had the opportunity to go to the capital, she needed to remember to visit them too.


    Madam Liu held back her tears as she nodded. Although she didn¡¯t believe that she would ever have the chance to go to the capital in this lifetime, she still gently promised the other woman. Madam Li watched the two women, who seemed as close as two sisters, with pure envy and jealousy. Her eyes flickered around, as if she was suddenly plotting something.


    Under the earnest stares of their fellow vigers, the Zhao Family finally set out on their journey. Their house by the mountains was sturdily built and, before they left, they gave it to Yu Hai and his family, which made many vigers feel envious and jealous.


    Fang Zizhen took a squadron of men and horses with him to personally escort the Zhao¡¯s. He sat steadily on a high horse and looked into the crowd for that familiar little girl. He suddenly hollered out in a loud voice, ¡°Daughter! How about you take this opportunity toe with godfather to the capital and see your godmother? Your godmother has long wished to meet you in person...¡±


    This one shout made Yu Xiaocao and the rest of the Yu Family immediately be subject to the stares of everyone else around them.


    The fact that General Fang Zizhen was here as an imperial envoy and was in charge of supervising the construction of the port was news that had long spread throughout Dongshan Vige. For the past month or so, this lord imperial envoy frequently appeared at Dongshan Vige. General Fang was General Zhao¡¯s disciple, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that he came over frequently. However, this high-ranking imperial envoy seemed to go to the Yu Family¡¯s Residence even more often, and it caused many in the vige to not understand the situation. In fact, he had even tactfully declined several invitations from the vige chief to visit his home! So just what did this Yu Family have that made Official Fang treat them with such importance?


    Other than the Zhao Family and the few who had a good rtionship with the Yu Family, no one else knew that Fang Zizhen had taken Xiaocao as his adopted daughter. In addition, the few outsiders who were aware also weren¡¯t chatterboxes and knew how to hold their tongues. Without the Yu Family¡¯s permission, they absolutely would not broadcast this information. Thus, the true rtionship between Fang Zizhen and the Yu Family was not known at Dongshan Vige for a whole month.


    The fact that he shouted wasn¡¯t important, but it caused all of the vigers to look at the Yu Family withplicated feelings within their hearts. Ever since Yu Hai split from the main family, it seemed like everything was going his way. Not only did his leg, which the doctor had previously rmended amputation for, recover fully, but his life seemed to get better and better with each passing day.


    First, they came out with the one copper coin per portion of braised food that was extremely popr at the docks. It was rumored that now their ie from selling food was around one hundred copper coins a day. Furthermore, they could now produce vegetables a whole month earlier than other people as well as be the sole provider of Zhenxiu Restaurant. Yet, previously, no one knew that Yu Hai was an expert in farming and nting. The ie just from selling vegetables was also not a small sum. They also heard that the master of Zhenxiu Restaurant also had a good rtionship with the Yu Family!


    Now, it seemed as if Yu Hai had obtained eight generations worth of fortune from his previous life as his youngest daughter had somehow caught the lord imperial envoy¡¯s eyes and was now his adopted daughter. This was such arge fortune ah!


    The youngest daughter of the Yu Family had almost lost her life several times in her childhood due to illness, but no one expected that after cmity woulde good fortune. Now, her body was healthy, she also had the talent with cooking braised food, and she had been taken as an adopted daughter by an official...the vigers all looked at her with fiery excitement in their eyes. Those who had male descendants around Xiaocao¡¯s age all started to make ns in their mind.


    Yu Xiaocao endured the pressure of everyone¡¯s stares and pouted at her godfather, ¡°Godfather, I won¡¯t go with you this time. Please help take good care of godmother in my stead!¡±


    Fang Zizhen had long predicted she would reply this way and grinned craftily at her. He was afraid that, when he left, his goddaughter might get bullied by others, so he did this to give her some support.

 Chapter 157 – Sandworm

    <h4>Chapter 157 ¨C Sandworm</h4>


    Early in the morning, arge red sun rose from the sea to the sky. The sea breeze gently blew on the waves, which softly beat against the golden beach. At this time, the tide had receded, so the hard-working vigers of the fishing vige had brought along their tools to search for seafood by the sea with their friends and family.


    In the spring, the sea water felt cool and refreshing as it brushed against the fishermen¡¯s bare feet. The selfless sea had nurtured generations after generations of fishermen. At this time, there were countless gifts from the sea on the shore, waiting to be excavated by the fishermen like treasures.


    ¡°Xiaocao¡ªXiaocao¡ª¡± Zhou Shanhu¡¯s clear voice had crossed over the high wall and traveled into the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard. The little girl¡¯s slender figure quickly appeared at the entrance of the yard. Xiaocao and Xiaolian, who were busily working in the vegetable garden, looked at her at the same time.


    Zhou Shanhu was slightly stunned as she looked at the two identical faces. She blinked her big eyes andughed awkwardly and said, ¡°Xiaolian is also at home ah! That¡¯s even better!! I have good news for you guys!¡±


    Xiaolian pursed her lips and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the good news that made you so happy? Did your mother also arrange a good marriage for you?¡±


    Zhou Shanhu¡¯s older sister Zhou Linglong had just gotten engagedst month. Her fianc¨¦ was the son of a general store owner. This general store owner also started out as a street peddler like Linglong¡¯s father. He was a clever man, so he had quickly saved up a fortune and rented a shop in town to sell general goods.


    The general store owner had a good rtionship with Zhou Linglong¡¯s father, so the two families had a close rtionship. Right now, most of the goods sold by the Zhou Family were supplied by the general store. There was a son in that family who was around the same age as Zhou Linglong, and they had also met before when they were younger. He was a good-looking young man. It was almost a matter of course for the two families to be inws. Zhou Linglong was now embroidering her dowry at home and waiting to get married. Zhou Shanhu wasn¡¯t someone who could stay idle, so she often came over to the Yu Residence to bother Xiaocao. Well, who knew what trifling matter she was going to exaggerate about now.


    Zhou Shanhu was a year older than Xiaocao and her sister. The ten year old girl already knew when to feel embarrassed. She red at Xiaolian with a flushed face and said, ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re always bullying me! I¡¯m going to tell Auntie Yu!¡±


    Xiaocao, who was bending over to gather vegetables, felt like she had been shot while lying down. She pursed her lips and said, ¡°I say, Shanhu ah, before you goin, shouldn¡¯t you make sure who the other party is? I haven¡¯t said a single word since you came in. How did I bully you?¡±


    Madam Liu, who had put the vegetables into the basket, smiled warmly as she looked at the three flower-like young girls. She felt that, no matter how much she looked at them, they were pleasing to the eyes.


    When Zhou Shanhu heard that, she realized that she had mixed up the two sisters again. She smiled embarrassingly and said, ¡°Aiya! You guys look too simr, so I made a mistake again! Xiaolian, when did you learn to speak so recklessly?¡±


    ¡®Okay! So what she means is that I usually speak with a filter ah!¡¯ Xiaocao immediately retaliated, ¡°Xiaolian and I are twins, but we¡¯re not exactly the same. Your older sister has never mistaken us before! It seems like you have a worrisome IQ ah!¡±


    ¡°IQ? What is an IQ?¡± Zhou Shanhu widened her eyes and asked with a foolish expression.


    Xiaocao picked off a lettuce, gently shook off the soil, and said with peeved expression, ¡°You won¡¯t understand even if I told you! Anyways, you don¡¯t have that thing, so what¡¯s the point in asking about it?¡±


    Xiaolian wasughing her head off beside them. Zhou Shanhu finally realized that Xiaocao must had said something bad about her. She puffed up her cheeks and said, ¡°Xiaocao is always bullying people. Xiaolian, tell me, what exactly is an IQ ah?¡±


    Xiaolian pointed at her own head andughed, ¡°Think about it yourself!¡±


    Zhou Shanhu wrinkled her brows and thought hard about it. Then she suddenly revealed an angry and embarrassed expression and shouted, ¡°Ok, Yu Xiaocao, you actually said that I¡¯m brainless! I¡¯m not stupid! I¡¯m really smart!!¡±


    Madam Liu watched as the girls made a racket. Though it was very lively, she was afraid that her daughter would actually anger Shanhu. So, she hastily said, ¡°Xiaocao! You¡¯re not allowed to bully Shanhu anymore, do you hear me? Shanhu ah, didn¡¯t you say that you have some good news to tell us?¡±


    Zhou Shanhu smacked her own forehead and shouted, ¡°Aiya! I almost forgot about proper business! Xiaocao, Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall came to our vige in person and said that he wanted to collect spoon worms for a high price!¡±


    With a face full of doubts, Xiaolian asked, ¡°Collect spoon worms? What does he need that for? Is spoon worm also a type of medicinal herb?¡±


    Xiaocao had studied many books on medicine with Doctor You, so she immediately said, ¡°Spoon worm is also known as sandworm. It is cold in nature, and has a sweet and salty taste. It has the effect of nourishing the yin, decreasing internal heat, and clearing the lungs and restoring deficiency. ording to the medical books, sandworms are the most suitable food for symptoms such as hectic fever, night sweat due to yin deficiency, asthmatic cough, tightness in chest, phlegm, postpartumctation insufficiency for women, and so on. For symptoms such as tuberculosis cough, neurasthenia, spleen deficiency or dryness in children, it is an effective treatment to drink soup brewed with sandworm, ginger slices, and lean meat. Sandworm can nourish the yin and kidney, so the consumption of sandworm congee will have good therapeutic effect for children with kidney deficiency and people who suffer from frequent nocturnal urination...¡±


    ¡°Aiya! So spoon worms are actually so useful. It¡¯s no wonder Tongren Medicine Hall offered to buy them for one hundred copper coins per catty! Xiaocao, Xiaolian, let¡¯s quickly go! Otherwise, all the good spots on the beach will be taken!¡± Before Zhou Shanhu had even finished speaking, she already ran home to get her tools like a gust of wind.


    Xiaolian pouted and didn¡¯t seem very optimistic, ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to find spoon worms. They¡¯re all hiding in the sand, and as soon as there¡¯s any movement, they would swiftly hide in an even deeper ce. Even after digging for a long time, we still might not necessarily be able to find even one of them!¡±


    Madam Liu looked at her pair of daughters with a smile and said, ¡°Go and take a look with Shanhu! Just think of it as getting some fresh air.¡±


    Her two daughters, one usually stayed at home to tend the vegetable gardens and watermelon fields, while the other one was always selling braised food at the docks. They seldom had the chance to interact and y with their peers. Madam Liu felt pleased, yet her heart also ached, to have two sensible daughters. Fortunately, her husband¡¯s leg had recovered now, and her eldest son had also recuperated from his injuries. Their family wasn¡¯t like before when they wished that each person could split in half and work like two people. It was time for her daughters to rx and make some friends.


    Yu Xiaocao was quite interested in the sandworms. She knew that, in addition to its medicinal value, sandworm also had high nutritional value. If they were cooked well, they would definitely taste very good. Although sandworms weren¡¯t as valuable as sea cucumbers, shark fins, and abalones, they tasted delicious and tender. They weren¡¯t inferior to sea cucumbers and shark fins.


    She enthusiastically took the little spade from her father, picked up a little bucket, and called Xiaolian to go to the seaside with her. Xiaolian decided to apany her upon seeing her younger sister¡¯s rare sense of excitement.


    Zhou Shanhu had been waiting with a basket near her house. Her older brother, Zhou Shaohua [1] who was usually out selling goods and rarely home, was standing beside her. Zhou Shaohua was around the same age as Qian Wen and Third Young Master Zhou. It might be due to him following his father around throughout the year, but his skin was slightly tanner than the other two. Also, with the Zhou Family¡¯s more prominent facial features, he looked a little older than his actual age and had a slight feeling of a young man. But of course, he was still slightlycking whenpared to Zhao Han!


    Ay! It had been over ten days since Brother Han returned to the capital. She really did somewhat miss the days when he was around!


    ¡°Quickly, quickly! If Tongren Medicine Hall collected enough, then all our efforts will be in vain!¡± Zhou Shanhu had a slightly entric personality. She talked in a noisy and bustling manner, like a little sparrow.


    Under the little girl Shanhu¡¯s urging, the four people quickly reached the seaside. There were many busy figures on the beach along the coast.


    ¡°Aiya! It¡¯s so cold!!¡± Zhou Shanhu frowned andined. She was wearing straw sandals, so her feet quickly got wet from the seawater.


    Xiaocao was wearing the deerskin boots that she asked Third Young Master Zhou to get for her. The boots were well-made andpletely waterproof. However, the deerskin boots being soaked in the seawater was seriously a little distressing. Xiaolian wore boots made of shark skin, which were also quite water resistant.


    Zhou Shanhu looked at the sisters enviously and whispered to her older brother, ¡°It would be great if our father can also catch a shark and make a pair of boots for me!¡±


    Zhou Shaohua chuckled and said, ¡°Stop dreaming! There are less people over there. Let¡¯s go there!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had never dug for sandworms before, so she took a shovel and randomly dug in the sand. Xiaolian didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry as she stopped her, ¡°There¡¯s a trick in digging for spoon worms. You can¡¯t dig so recklessly. When looking for spoon worm, you need to find the small holes caused by the worms first. Look, those tufts on the beach are the holes made by the spoon worms. When digging, walk lightly and dig fast. Otherwise, the spoon worms will swiftly hide even deeper at the slightest movement. Also, don¡¯t dig straight down. You should dig at arge angle from the surface of the beach.¡±


    Xiaocao picked up the shovel and worked hard to dig into the worm hole. She had to dig very deep before she managed to dig out a plump sandworm. The sandworm had a slippery body, like a fatter version of an earthworm, and looked quite creepy.


    ¡°We were too loud earlier, so this spoon worm hid very deeply. Let¡¯s spread out. Be careful when digging!¡± Xiaolian put the sandworm into Xiaocao¡¯s little bucket, picked up another basket, and walked towards another direction.


    Xiaocao continued to walk along the seaside, and soon found another hole in the sand. She put down her bucket and dug hard. After dug a very deep hole, she prone on the beach with her face against the sand and stretched her hand to search inside the deep hole. Her body and face were covered in sand when she finally caught the sandworm that was trying to slip deeper into the sand.


    ¡®So hungry! If only the sandworms coulde out by themselves... Wait! Don¡¯t I have a cheat¡ªthe little divine stone¡ªin my hands?¡¯


    [Humph! You¡¯re giving me such a low-level task again! It¡¯s such an insult to my dignity as a god!!] A golden light shone from the multicolored stone on Xiaocao¡¯s wrist, and it slowly transformed into a cute miniature kitten. It held its head high as it paced on the beach in a haughty manner.


    Xiaocao touched its head with her sand-covered hands, but her hand was pped away in disgust. Its golden pupils were widened as it screamed, [So dirty! You actually touched my holy and pure fur with such dirty hands. You¡¯re seriously looking down on this Divine Stone!!]


    ¡°Dirty? Mhm, it is a little dirty. Wouldn¡¯t it be clean after taking a bath?¡± Yu Xiaocao grinned mischievously. While the little golden cat wasn¡¯t paying attention, she picked it up by the back of its neck and threw it into the sea.


    [Yu! Xiao! Cao!! This Divine Stone will make you regret what you did to me today!!] The little golden kitten couldn¡¯t use its power in front of so many people, so it flew in a parab and fell into the sea.

 Chapter 158 – Cheat

    <h4>Chapter 158 ¨C Cheat</h4>


    Zhou Shanhu, who was nearby, was slightly worried as she watched the little fellow fall into the water. She asked in a low voice, ¡°Xiaocao, can your kitten swim? It won¡¯t drown, right?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t, it won¡¯t! Little Glutinous Dumpling loves to swim! Don¡¯t worry!!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw the little golden kitten paddling with its little paws and had almost reached the shore, so she went to look for sandworms without worry.


    The little golden kitten¡¯s entire body was wet when it got ashore, and appeared to be in a very embarrassing state. The little divine stone snorted as it approached Yu Xiaocao, who was currently lying on the beach and digging for sandworms in the sand. It shook its body vigorously and shook the seawater onto Xiaocao¡¯s face. Then, it raised its head and walked away briskly. While no one was paying attention to it, it secretly used its power to dry its hair.


    Xiaocao deliberately moved farther away from the crowd. She found an area with more wormholes, and then used the spade to dig a square pit that was half a meter big. After that, she submerged the multicolored stone on her wrist into the seawater inside the sandpit.


    The little golden kitten, who ran out of nowhere, saw its true form being soaked in the muddy seawater. It walked around her anxiously and said, [This seawater is too dirty! This Divine Stone likes to bathe, but you can¡¯t use fishy and dirty seawater ah!]


    Yu Xiaocao squatted beside the sandpit and watched a sandworme out of the sand on its own initiative and slowly approached the multicolored stone. She replied nonchntly, ¡°What else could I do? I want to use your spiritual energy to attract the sandworms. If you don¡¯t want to soak in it, then give me a better method?¡±


    The little divine stone angrily threw a tantrum at her, and then helplessly said, [Take my body out. I can release my spiritual energy at will now!]


    ¡°Oh! Your power advanced again? Congrattions!!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao sincerely congratted it because she knew that she would be the one who benefitted the most from the improvement of the little divine stone¡¯s power.


    The little divine stone watched her take its body out of the sandpit, and then it supervised her to wipe clean the multicolored stone. After she put it back on her wrist, itzily stretched out its little paw and emitted a little bit of golden light into the sandpit.


    ¡°So little? Will it work?¡± Beside it, Xiaocao expressed her doubts.


    The little divine stone rolled its eyes at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s enough! If I released anymore, these ugly bugs will explode from the overconsumption of spiritual energy!¡±


    As they spoke, all the sandworms in the sandpit rushed out one after another. Xiaocao happily picked them up one by one and put them in the bucket. After she picked up all the sandworms, the little divine stone waved its paw again and retrieved the remaining energy, lest it attracted other marine creatures.


    The little divine stone could now control and freely retrieve the spiritual energy it produced. For example, it had filtered and screened the mystic-stone water used to water the Yu Family¡¯s watermelon fields so that it would only be useful for nts. If they used the mystic-stone water that could attract game like before, the watermelon fields would definitely bepletely devoured!


    Yu Xiaocao chose another ce and dug an even bigger sandpit. Although it was bigger, it wasn¡¯t very deep. She was able to dig the sandpit with ease even with her small body. During this time, Xiaolian had came over to take a look. She thought that her younger sister had given up digging for sandworms and was digging the sand for fun. But Xiaolian didn¡¯t force her younger sister to keep working. Tongren Medicine Hall offered a high price, but with the Yu Family¡¯s current ie, it wasn¡¯t really that attractive to her.


    When Xiaocao finished digging, the little golden kitten came to the pit and waved its paw while alsoining, [That damned seawater made my paws wet. It feels so ufortable. How can you be a master like this? Can¡¯t you just put me in your pocket?]


    Yu Xiaocao sewed a pocket inside her jacket, which was originally made for her to put her valuables when going out. Thus, it was more than enough to carry a miniature cat.


    The tide had just receded at the beach, so it was still wet. There were also small puddles at some low-lying areas. The little golden kitten was super miniature in size and wasn¡¯t even as big as her palm. It was really quite hard for it to walk on such a wet beach with its short legs.


    Yu Xiaocao picked up the kitten mercifully, let it dry its wet paws, and then stuffed its tiny body into her jacket. The little golden kitten held onto her cor with its ws, revealing a glittering little head.


    Sandworms crawled out one by one and wiggled their fat bodies into the sandpit. Xiaocao counted the sandworms. There were over ten plump sandworms in this sandpit. After washing the sand off the sandworms with seawater, it still looked rather disgusting to see all the fleshy worms gathered together. But when she thought of their value, she could endure it.


    Two hours swiftly passed just like this. Zhou Shanhu waved her hands at her and shouted in the distance, ¡°Xiaocao, Doctor Sun has started to purchase the spoon worms. Come here quickly!¡± As she shouted, she ran towards a direction along the shore. She needed to upy a good position, lest Tongren Medicine Hall collected enough and they ended up working in vain.


    Xiaocao carried her heavy bucket, so she definitely couldn¡¯t walk very fast. Xiaolian had already quickly arrived at that ce, but when she saw her younger sister¡¯s slow and struggling appearance, she ran back to help her.


    She had originally thought that with Xiaocao¡¯s speed of ying while working, she surely wouldn¡¯t get much harvest. But she hadn¡¯t expected that when she took Xiaocao¡¯s bucket, she almost couldn¡¯t carry it due to its weight. There was a lid on Xiaocao¡¯s wooden bucket. She couldn¡¯t see the contents inside, so she assumed, ¡°Younger Sister, sandworms aren¡¯t fish. They won¡¯t die quickly after leaving the sea. Putting so much water in the bucket makes it really heavy ah! Let me help you pour some out.¡±


    As she spoke, she leaned the wooden bucket to one side and took the lid off with her other hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t expect her to move so quickly. When she tried to stop her, some of the sandworms in the bucket had already slid out of the bucket andnded on the beach. She quickly squatted down and picked up the sandworms that had fallen on the sand and put them back into the bucket.


    Xiaolian was obviously stunned. She looked at the sandworms crowding in the bucket. There was actually more than half a bucket! She roughly weighed it with her hands and realized that there were at least twenty or thirty catties. No wonder her younger sister was struggling with the bucket.


    Earlier, she had been paying attention to her little sister, but she didn¡¯t see her digging seriously. How did she dig out so many spoon worms in such a short period of time? It was obviously her younger sister¡¯s first time digging for spoon worms when she first started! Was this the so-called ¡®just like being helped by the gods¡¯?


    Xiaolian remembered that her younger sister¡¯s abilities had always exceeded all expectations after they separated from the main family, so she stopped thinking about how she was able to catch so many sandworms. She didn¡¯t want to let her younger sister hold something so heavy, so she said, ¡°Younger Sister, you run faster and wait in line. I¡¯ll carry these sandworms!¡±


    Since someone was willing to help her carry it, Xiaocao was naturally very happy toply. With her thin arms and legs, she had never really done any heavybor since she was reborn. Xiaocao swiftly ran at full speed towards the long queue.


    Zhou Shanhu, who stood closer to the front of the line, saw Xiaocao running over while panting, so she waved her hands and said, ¡°Xiaocao,e quickly! I told my older brother to save a spot for you!! Why are you and Xiaolian so slow ah?!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Zhou Shaohua, who gave up his position, and then looked at the long line behind him. She felt that it seemed somewhat hical to cut in line. In the midst of her hesitation, Zhou Shaohua pulled her arm and led her into the line. He whispered, ¡°I gave this spot to you, so it doesn¡¯t count as cutting in line.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gave the person behind her a slightly apologetic smile and noticed that it was an acquaintance¡ªAuntie Shuanzhu. In fact, most of the people lining up to sell sandworms were the fishermen of Dongshan Vige. As fellow vigers, even if Zhou Shaohua didn¡¯t give her his spot, they could still forgive a little girl for cutting in line.


    There were around ten catties of sandworms, which were cleaned very well, in the basket that Shuanzhu¡¯s wife carried. She looked at the kitten¡¯s little head in front of Xiaocao¡¯s chest andughed, ¡°Oh! Xiaocao, this little kitten that you¡¯re raising looks very spirited and has a very bright color. Xiaocao, you¡¯re standing in line, but where are the sandworms that you dug out?¡±


    Xiaocao smiled bashfully and said, ¡°Xiaolian is carrying it! She¡¯s over there and wille over soon! Auntie, you got a good harvest today. You can probably sell them for one or two taels!¡±


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife beamed with delight and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Your Uncle Shuanzhu went out to the sea, so I was idle at home. I heard that someone was buying sandworms, so I came out to earn some money. I didn¡¯t expect myself to be so lucky!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Tongren Medicine Hall collected sandworms. Doctor Sun came with quite a few workers and had even brought three or four scales over. Each person¡¯s harvest was weighed one by one and there was a person responsible for bookkeeping and paying, so their working speed was quite fast. By the time Xiaolian arrived, there weren¡¯t that many people in front of her.


    When it was Zhou Shanhu¡¯s turn, the little girl and her older brother dug out a total of twelve catties of sandworms and earned one tael and two mace. Zhou Shanhu held the silver bits happily and smiled like a blossomed flower.


    When it was Xiaocao and her sister¡¯s turn, the smile in Doctor Sun¡¯s eyes deepened. He had a very deep impression of the Yu Family. He had been a doctor for decades and there were very few instances in which he had misdiagnosed and made the wrong judgement. But it was different for the Yu Family.


    Yu Xiaocao was born with a weak constitution. Even if she was nourished with medication, it would still be difficult for her to live beyond the age of ten. However, this little girl, who was already nine, was not only alive and kicking, but after diagnosis, all her previous symptoms had disappeared.


    Half of Yu Hai¡¯s body had been severely bitten by a bear. Other people would have died a long time ago, let alone keep that fleshless leg. Yet, he not only recovered well, but he could also walk with ease now.


    Yu Hang, who worked as an apprentice, was beaten until he had internal bleeding, and even several of his sternal ribs were broken. For cases of internal bleeding like this, ny percent of them ended up being hard to save. However, with Yu Hang¡¯s body constitution, his bleeding was quickly stopped, and his bones also recovered very quickly. It usually took a hundred days to recover from serious injuries. But Yu Hang was able to follow his father to the town market in less than two months. After taking his pulse, he noticed that not only had his bones recovered, but Yu Hang¡¯s body had also gotten stronger.


    He was seriously perplexed by all these cases! Could it be that the Yu Family¡¯s physique was different from that of ordinary people? But there didn¡¯t seem to be anything different from their pulse ah!


    With this thought, Doctor Sun took the initiative to greet her, ¡°Little girl, how¡¯s your harvest today?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Doctor Sun!¡± Whether it was in her past life or this life, it was necessary to have a good rtionship with doctors. Yu Xiaocao greeted him politely and said, ¡°Should be pretty good! Will your pharmacy be able to use so many sandworms?¡±


    Sandworms? Worms in the sand! This littless was really out of the ordinary. Actually, this name was quite vivid.

 Chapter 159 – Intimidated

    <h4>Chapter 159 ¨C Intimidated</h4>


    Doctor Sun smiled and said, ¡°After the spoon worms are cleaned and dried, it won¡¯t be very heavy. Tongren Medicine Hall has branches in the capital, prefectural city, and several cities in the south, so there¡¯s a high demand for them.¡±


    Xiaolian gave the five to six catties of sandworms that she dug out to the staff in charge of weighing, and then carried Xiaocao¡¯s bucket to the front. Xiaocao was afraid that she would sell everything, so she hastily stopped her, ¡°Xiaolian, save some for me. I¡¯ll make a sandworm feast for lunch!¡±


    ¡°What? Sandworms can also be made into food? It looks so disgusting. Who would dare to eat it ah?!¡± Zhou Shanhu, who had already received her payment, came over and wrinkled her nose as she looked at the soft, fleshy sandworms with disgust. She pursed her lips and said.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at her mysteriously and whispered, ¡°If you haven¡¯t tried it, you won¡¯t know. But once you eat it, you won¡¯t be able to forget it. Let me tell you, sandworms are not only delicious, but they are also nutritious. They aren¡¯t inferior to sea cucumbers and abalones.¡±


    Doctor Sun asked with interest, ¡°Oh? Do you know how to prepare these sandworms?¡±


    ¡°You can make soup with it. It can also be steamed, stewed, and stir-fried. Of course, it can also be eaten raw with a sauce!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a confident smile on her face as she talked about it.


    Zhou Shanhu had an even more disgusted expression on her face, ¡°How can it be eaten raw?! Who can even eat that?¡±


    ¡°Like eating raw fish fillet, you just need to dip it in sauce. Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if you don¡¯t think about what it looks like when you¡¯re eating?¡± Yu Xiaocao pinched her wrinkled up face andughed.


    Doctor Sun stroked his beard and smiled faintly, ¡°Although raw fish fillet is a dish hand-picked by the current emperor, it¡¯s not a dish that most people can get used to. We¡¯re still used to cooked food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Raw fish fillet doesn¡¯t taste good!¡± Zhou Shanhu nodded in agreement.


    Xiaolian had also heard that vigers used to eat spoon worms to fill their hunger during the years of famine. When there was food to eat, no one would actually eat it. However, Xiaolian was still rather confident in her younger sister¡¯s culinary skills. She turned her head and asked, ¡°Younger Sister, how much do you want to keep for cooking?¡±


    ¡°Keep half of it!¡± Ten catties only cost one tael, which wasn¡¯t much to the current Yu Family.


    But Zhou Shanhu got anxious. She stomped her feet and said, ¡°Why are you keeping so much? You can¡¯t keep sandworms for a long time. If you don¡¯t finish them and it goes bad, wouldn¡¯t that be too wasteful? I think you should just keep two to three catties. That¡¯s enough for a meal at noon. If you want to eat more tomorrow, I will apany you to dig some more when the tide ebbs!¡±


    For most families in Dongshan Vige, one tael of silver was considered a lot of wealth. It was enough for the entire family to eat for several months. To keep the sandworms that were worth one tael as a cooking ingredient, that person was either a fool or a spendthrift.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had always kept a low profile, noticed the probing eyes around her and hastily said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to Shanhu and just keep two to three catties. It¡¯s my first time using sandworms as ingredients to cook, so I wanted to keep more for training!¡±


    In the meantime, the worker of Tongren Medicine Hall had already finished weighing their harvest. The sisters dug out a total of twenty-eight catties of sandworms, which was much more than many of the adult workers. Shuanzhu¡¯s wife repeatedly praised the sisters for being so capable.


    After removing the three catties of sandworms that Xiaocao wanted to keep, Tongren Medicine Hall gave the sisters a total of two taels and five mace. Under everyone¡¯s envious gazes, Xiaocao and Xiaolian carried their tools and went home.


    As luck would have it, they encountered Madam Zhang on their way back. It had been a while since they had seen Madam Zhang. The olddy¡¯s hair had gotten a lot whiter and she seemed to have gotten thinner. Her cheekbones became more prominent, and there was a gloomy look in her saggy eyes.


    She had naturally heard the news about Tongren Medicine Hall purchasing sandworms. But, Old Yu and Yu Dashan had gone out to fish in the sea, and Yu Heizi had left for the docks before the sky had even lit up. That brat was bing more and more slick. After Madam Zhang seized more than half of his first ie, he didn¡¯t bring money home anymore. Instead, he just put it on ount and waited until it reached a certain amount before withdrawing them all at once.


    The only ones left at home were Madam Zhang and her daughter, and thezy and gluttonous Madam Li. Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t originally from the fishing vige, so she didn¡¯t know how to dig for sandworms. Yu Caidie was someone who rarely left the house and stayed at home the whole day, and Madam Li was someone who was even less reliable.


    Seeing others bringing home hundreds and even thousands of copper coins home, Madam Zhang felt as if there were twenty-five mice on her heart¡ªa hundred ws were scratching her heart. She heard that Xiaolian and her sister had also gone to the beach, so she deliberately waited on the path that they would definitely walk by on their way home.


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± Madam Zhang asked insidiously, ¡°Did you get a good harvest today? How many taels did you get?¡±


    ¡°A few taels? Grandmother, do you think that spoon worms are just blown over by the wind? Did you go look at the beach? It takes a long time to dig up one sandworm! Xiaolian and I have slender arms and legs, so it¡¯s already pretty good that we can dig out a few of them!¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that nothing good woulde out of seeing Madam Zhang, so she used the ¡®tactic of mourning soldiers 1¡¯ first.


    Madam Zhang got choked off by her. After a while, she red fiercely at her and said, ¡°You little wretch, you have be bolder after separating from the family! You actually dare to talk back to me, your grandmother! Is that what your parents teach you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao feigned a smile and said, ¡°Grandmother, I¡¯m just telling you the truth. How did it be me talking back to you? Or is it in your eyes, as long as I don¡¯t go along with you, it is considered rebutting and disobedience? As the ancients says: ¡®An unkind mother should not me her child for being unfilial...¡¯ What are your thoughts after hearing that?¡±


    ¡°You damned brat, useless wretch! Aren¡¯t you just indirectly saying that I¡¯m unkind? Who talks to their elders like you? You think that you¡¯re so great now just because I haven¡¯t been disciplining you!¡± Madam Zhang took off her shoe and prepared to beat her up.


    Xiaolian swiftly went forward and blocked her younger sister. Yu Xiaocao pulled her back a few steps. Suddenly, she covered her chest, breathed heavily, and weakly said, ¡°Grandmother! My health isn¡¯t very good, so I can¡¯t be frightened! If I get ill from you scaring me, I¡¯m going to have to rely on you. I¡¯m going to eat and live with you, and you will have to take care of my medical fees...¡±


    Madam Zhang was stunned by the speed at which she changed her face. She was actually timid inwardly, but she put up a fierce front and said, ¡°Stop pretending! Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know the trick you¡¯re ying. You¡¯re deceiving others by pretending to be sick! Who would believe you ah! Unless you die in front of me, or else...¡±


    ¡°Who dares to curse my daughter! Do you want to die?¡± Madam Zhang was scared by a rough, thunderous voice and she almost sat on the ground.


    Yu Xiaocao turned around and saw her godfather, Fang Zizhen, and Yu Hai, who jumped off the donkey cart behind him. Fang Zizhen¡¯s face was full of anger, and even his beard had curled up. He used every ounce of his energy to control the horsewhip in his hands in order not tosh it at Madam Zhang.


    Yu Hai¡¯s eyes were red as he stared at Madam Zhang with a gaze filled with grief, indignation, disappointment, and unfamiliarity. His stepmother hated him so much that even his children had been implicated. His daughter, who he loved so dearly, was cursed viciously by her grandmother to die in front of her. Such hatred, such resentment!


    He believed that he had a clear conscience towards the Yu Family and Madam Zhang. It turned out that his tolerance and sacrifice before they had separated from the main family were done in vain. He could never warm up Madam Zhang¡¯s ice-cold heart. Yu Hai¡¯s heart was like dead ash in an instant, ¡®So be it. In the future, I will give them everything that I¡¯m supposed to give them, not one penny less. But for things that I don¡¯t need to give them, I won¡¯t even take out a single coin.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t be concerned about that side of the family anymore just because his family was eating and living better. Because¡ªit wasn¡¯t worth it.


    Madam Zhang was someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong. When facing the furious General Fang, she immediately became listless. She stammered, ¡°My... My Lord! I... I¡¯m not cursing her. I just said it carelessly...¡±


    Fang Zizhen whipped the horsewhip that he was holding in the air several times, and a clear and crisp sound could be heard. Madam Zhang trembled in fright and nearly wet her pants.


    ¡°Careless remark? Then why don¡¯t you also tell yourself to die? Why don¡¯t you tell your own son to die? Our Xiaocao used to be in poor health. It must be because you cursed her! If I hear you cursing my daughter again, be prepared to go to jail!¡±


    Fang Zizhen felt that there was a need to frighten this stupid woman. Even with his support, she still dared to fearlessly bully his family¡¯s Xiaocao. If he wasn¡¯t around, then his dear daughter would be bullied to death... Pah, pah! Why was this word mentioned again? How inauspicious!


    Madam Zhang shivered and muttered, ¡°I... I¡¯m her elder, so it¡¯s not considered a crime to scold her...¡±


    ¡°What kind of elder are you? Which family¡¯s elders would refuse to pay for their sick granddaughter¡¯s medical fees and force them to borrow money in order to treat her illness? What kind of parents would take the three hundred taels that their son exchanged his life to get, and then force them out of their home with barely anything? Whose elders would hate seeing their son¡¯s family living well ande cause trouble for them from time to time? Madam Zhang, you¡¯re only a stepmother, and you¡¯re a vicious and biased stepmother. Thew will never tolerate people like you!¡± Fang Zizhen red at her fiercely. His dignified aura caused Madam Zhang¡¯s legs to go soft and she kneeled down.


    Yu Hai turned his face to one side and solemnly said, ¡°Brother Fang, please spare her this time! Madam Zhang, when we divided the family, it was clearly written on the contract that I just need to give you guys two hundred catties of grain every year or convert it into money. In the future, I won¡¯t pay even a single coin more! Please don¡¯te and bring disgrace upon yourself again!¡±


    When facing Yu Hai, Madam Zhang¡¯s imperious temper red up again. She sat her butt on the ground, smacked her legs, and cried, ¡°The heavens don¡¯t have eyes¡ªgiving me such a unfilial descendant ah!! How shall I live in the future¡ª¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, her voice stopped abruptly as if someone had strangled her neck. It turned out that she had been frightened by Fang Zizhen¡¯s furious expression.


    Fang Zizhen said impatiently, ¡°Brother Yu had given you the food ording to the agreement without missing anything. So how is he being unfilial? In my opinion, he¡¯s much more filial than your good-for-nothing son who only knows how to stretch out his hands and ask for money at home! Daughter, if this wicked olddy bullies you again, tell me! Godfather will avenge you!¡±


    After he said that, he bent down to hold Xiaocao under his arm. Then he lifted her onto his own tall steed. He, on the other hand, acted like an extremely caring father and guided the horse in front.


    When Madam Zhang saw Xiaocao being doted on by the official, her heart beat like drums, for fear that the official would remember all her past mistreatments towards the littless ande get even with herter. In the following days, she became much more quiet and well-behaved.


    Under the envious eyes of the vigers, Yu Xiaocao sat on the back of the tall horse. Her godfather was so cool today. There was finally someone who could stop that wicked olddy. It should be a lot more peaceful for her family in the future.


    ¡°Godfather, when did you return from the capital? Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance? I could have prepared a feast for your return ah!¡± Yu Xiaocaoughed happily. She must treat ¡®this great god¡¯, who could subdue Madam Zhang, with great care.

 Chapter 160 – Deliberately Making Things Difficult

    <h4>Chapter 160 ¨C Deliberately Making Things Difficult</h4>


    Under his adoptive daughter¡¯s admiring gaze, Fang Zizhen said in a somewhat smug manner, ¡°I got backst night. It was toote, so I rested in town. I went to the docks this morning and got hungry from smelling your family¡¯s braised food. After I hastily listened to the reports, I hurriedly rushed over. During the past few days when I was at the capital, I really missed my daughter¡¯s cooking!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao feigned a troubled expression and sighed, ¡°Godfather, I didn¡¯t know that you were going toe back early, so I didn¡¯t prepare enough ingredients. What should I do?¡±


    Fang Zizhen couldn¡¯t stand seeing his goddaughter being unhappy, so he quickly said, ¡°Good daughter, Godfather loves to eat anything that you make! Like lettuce with oyster sauce ah, braised eggnts ah, stir-fried eggs and tomatoes ah... Just casually pick some vegetables from the fields, and my daughter can make the most delicious dishes.¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s heart felt slightly sour as he looked at their benevolent father and filial daughter appearance, as if his most beloved treasure had been robbed from him. Actually, it was also pretty good that Brother Fang became his daughter¡¯s godfather. There would be another person to dote on her and protect her. Ay... It seemed like his daughter had rarely enjoyed a day of happiness with him. He was really useless; he couldn¡¯t even protect his own daughter!


    Xiaocao seemed to have sensed her father¡¯s depressed mood. She turned around, smiled brightly at him, and said, ¡°Father, why did youe back sote today? Did the braised food not sell well today?¡±


    Yu Hai hastily sorted out his emotions and smiled at his daughter, ¡°The braised food sold out very quickly. Didn¡¯t I just happened to meet Brother Fang at the docks? Considering that there was nothing good to eat at home, I went to the market to buy a few catties of pork belly, as well as your favorite spare ribs.¡±


    During this era, people usually chose the area with more fat when buying pork. Spare ribs were mostly bone and didn¡¯t have much meat. If it weren¡¯t for Yu Xiaocao, who liked spare ribs, Yu Hai wouldn¡¯t have bought them. Fortunately, spare ribs weren¡¯t expensive. With the money for one catty of meat, he could get more than two catties of spare ribs!


    ¡°There¡¯s spare ribs ah! That¡¯s great, we can have spoon worms and spare ribs soup for lunch! The delicious soup will definitely make you guys want second servings!¡± Yu Xiaocao pretended to be very happy in order to lift her father¡¯s dejected mood.


    Yu Hai¡¯s expression slightly rxed and he asked in a soft voice, ¡°Spoon worms? Oh right, you guys went to dig spoon worms today. How was it? Xiaocao has never dug for spoon worms before. It wasn¡¯t easy, right?¡±


    Xiaolian, who was next to him,ughed, ¡°Father, you¡¯re looking down on Younger Sister. She dug out more than me. We dug out the most in the entire vige and got over two taels from selling them! We earned more than you, who had been working all morning at the docks!¡±


    Yu Hai looked at his pair of daughters approvingly and said with a smile, ¡°My daughters are really capable!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Just look at whose daughter I am!!¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her head with her nose pointed towards that sky as if unbeatable.


    Fang Zizhen guffawed and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! You¡¯re definitely worthy of being Fang Zizhen¡¯s daughter! You take after me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao deliberately feigned a look of disdain. She looked at his beard filled face and said with a scrunched-up face, ¡°Godfather, why do I have this feeling that you¡¯re not praising me? If I take after you, will I still be presentable?¡± As she spoke, she touched her own face with a worried expression.


    Her funny expression and humorous words amused everyone. Fang Zizhenughed the loudest and refused to concede, ¡°Daughter! Do you know why your godfather, I, grew out a beard? When I was young, I was also a very handsome and good-looking man, and had the nickname ¡®Jade Face Young General¡¯ on the battlefield. I felt that it was too feminine, and my face didn¡¯t look intimidating enough, so I grew out a beard. Once your godfather, I, shave my beard, I definitely won¡¯t look inferior to that of your Uncle Zhao!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you! You¡¯re just saying it and there¡¯s no proof. You can only prove it by shaving off your beard!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s disbelieving expression of ¡®you¡¯re bluffing¡¯ caused Fang Zizhen to nearly have the urge to shave his beard on the spot!


    Theyughed and chatted all the way back to the Yu Residence. Yu Hang, who had just finished watering the melon fields, put down the carrying pole in his hands and heard the sound ofughtering from behind him. He said with a gentle smile, ¡°Uncle Fang is back ah! Quicklye sit and have a drink.¡±


    Xiaocao carried the basket of sandworms to the well in the backyard and prepared to make lunch after cleaning them. Madam Liu, who was washing clothes beside the well, saw the fat and fleshy worms inside the basket, and the fine hair on her body nearly stood up. She chided in a low voice, ¡°What did you dig these worms for? It looks so creepy!¡±


    Xiaocao stirred the basket of squirming sandworms, like it was a treasure, and excitedly said, ¡°Mother, these sandworms might look disgusting, but they¡¯re very tasty. In addition to cooking, it can also be dried and grinded into powder, which can enhance the taste of food! I¡¯ll go find some bamboo sticks and teach you how to clean the sandworms!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao ran back into the front yard and asked her father to cut a few bamboo sticks that were half the thickness of chopsticks. Then she pulled Xiaolian and ran back to the rear yard. Yu Hai cried behind her, ¡°Do you want me to help?¡±


    ¡°No need! You should go and drink tea with Godfather!¡± Yu Xiaoao¡¯s crisp voice could be heard from the backyard.


    Madam Liu looked at the sandworms, resisted the difort in her heart, picked one up and asked, ¡°What do I do with this thing? Just wash it in the water?¡±


    ¡°No! Sandworms have sand sacs and sand in their stomach. If they¡¯re not cleaned properly, then you can¡¯t eat them. I know one of the most convenient ways to clean sandworms. Look, first put the sandworm inside the water, insert the bamboo stick from one end, and poke it out from the middle. Then, slowly invert half of the sandworm. After that, insert another stick inside the other end and poke the stick out from the same ce, and then flip the other half inside out. See, this is the guts and sand in the sandworm. You just need to wash them in water!¡± Yu Xiaocao demonstrated while exining. She worked skillfully with her little hands, and swiftly cleaned a sandworm.


    Xiaolian had already picked up one in her hands and followed Xiaocao as she demonstrated. Although her movements were a little clumsy, she stillpleted the task of turning out the internal organs of the sandworm and washing it carefully in water.


    Madam Liu wasn¡¯t an unreasonable person either, so she swiftly overcame the obstacles in her heart and skillfully flipped the sandworms inside out. The three of them were all swift workers, so they quickly finished cleaning the three catties of sandworms. Yu Xiaocao was afraid that the sand inside had not beenpletely cleaned, and rinsed it several times with clean water.


    When she appeared in the front yard again, she noticed that there was an extra person in the courtyard. After looking closely, she realized that it was Zhou Zixu, Third Young Master Zhou, who she hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. During the past month or so, he had been staying at the site of the harbor construction, and had even gotten a shade tanner. However, his hard work and efforts weren¡¯t in vain because the construction of the oyster sauce factory had finally beenpleted. After being simply furnished, it should be ready for use next month.


    ¡°Third Young Master, such a rare guest! What sort of wind blew you over today?¡± Yu Xiaocao joked with him.


    As if he was guarding as a thief, Fang Zizhen examined Third Young Master Zhou from head to toe. What kind of rtionship did this youngster have with his goddaughter? Why did his daughter sound so familiar with him?


    Third Young Master Zhou chuckled and said with a smile, ¡°The authentic northwest wind! I just came back from the docks. Our factory should be able to start operating soon. I must share this good news with you as soon as possible. What delicious food did you make today? I specially came at this time ah!¡±


    ¡®Stinky brat! Talking so familiarly with my daughter, he wouldn¡¯t have some improper intentions, right? No! Such a good daughter, I must keep an eye on her!¡¯


    General Fang, you think too much. Xiaocao was only ten years old. What kind of inappropriate thoughts would a little kid like her arouse? He wasn¡¯t a pedophile!


    Fang Zizhen raised hisposure as a government official, coughed twice, and said, ¡°You are the third young master of the Zhou Family, who built a factory at the docks? Have you been approved to build a factory at the docks? The harbor is being reconstructed right now, so everything must be properly arranged...¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou was able to obtain his present achievements in the business industry at such a young age, so he naturally had his own connections. Knowing that the person in front of him was in charge of the harbor constructions, he hastily bowed and greeted him, ¡°The location of this youngster¡¯s factory is still a certain distance away from the harbor, so it won¡¯t interfere with the construction of the port.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How do you know that your factory won¡¯t interfere with the nning of the new harbor?¡± Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t like this weak-looking youth and decided to make things difficult for him.


    Third Young Master Zhou was puzzled about when he had offended this lord, the imperial envoy. He seemed to be picking on him on purpose. He continued to speak in a humble and respectful manner, ¡°Before this youngster prepared to build the factory, I have made several confirmations with the county magistrate, so...¡±


    Fang Zizhen frowned and said, ¡°You started to prepare for the construction of your factory several months again, right? At that time, the detailed regtions for the harbor construction hadn¡¯te out yet. So, who gave you the confidence that your factory won¡¯t affect the construction of the harbor?¡±


    Just as Third Young Master Zhou was drenched in sweat from being interrogated by the imperial envoy, Yu Xiaocao, who had heard a few words in the kitchen, poked her head out and asked, ¡°Godfather, our factory affects the nning of the port construction? What should we do? It wasn¡¯t easy to build it. Do we have to wait a few months and rebuild the factory again?¡±


    ¡®Our factory? What does that mean?¡¯ This was a sign that his daughter was helping the outsider ah! No, he had to nip that thought in the bud!


    Fang Zizhen moved closer and whispered to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Daughter, what do other people building a factory have to do with us? You don¡¯t have to worry about this matter!¡±


    ¡°How can it be none of my business? I have twenty percent of the shares in the oyster sauce factory! Dying the operation by a day means that I will get my dividends a dayter! Godfather, quickly think of a solution!¡± Yu Xiaocao actually wasn¡¯t short on money these days. Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s osmanthus duck was selling very well, so she received at least a thousand taels every month. But who would dislike earning more money? Of course, it would be better to get more of the shiny, white silver ah!


    Fang Zizhen widened his eyes in anger, ¡®This good brat is giving my daughter twenty percent dividends for no reason at all. Who the heck would believe that he doesn¡¯t have any malicious intentions?! He wants to deceive my precious daughter with a mere twenty percent bonus! Don¡¯t even think about it 1! Not only is there no door, there won¡¯t even be a window!!¡¯


    Fang Zizhen red fiercely at Third Young Master Zhou, and then bent down and did his best to advise, ¡°Daughter, we shouldn¡¯t take shares that some weird people randomly give you for free! If you need money, Godfather has it ah! When the harbor construction ispleted, Godfather will buy several stores for you in the best locations. It¡¯s up to you if you want to open a shop yourself or rent it out. Let¡¯s not take those shares, okay?¡±


    [1] He literally said that there won¡¯t be a door, which means that he won¡¯t have any chance to do whatever he¡¯s nning on doing. Hence the next line about no door and window.

 Chapter 161 – Getting Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 161 ¨C Getting Jealous</h4>


    With her eyes widened, Yu Xiaocao looked at him strangely and said, ¡°Godfather, the shares weren¡¯t given away for free! I invested a hundred taels and the recipe for the oyster sauce, so I kind of feel that getting twenty percent dividends is still too little ah! This is something that we deserve. If I don¡¯t take it, wouldn¡¯t that just benefit that fellow, Third Young Master Zhou?¡±


    Fang Zizhen finally realized that he had misunderstood the situation. Heughed to conceal his mistake and said, ¡°So it turns out that the shares are something that we deserved to receive ah! My daughter is so capable. You¡¯re already investing in a business at such a young age. Very good, very good! You¡¯re definitely worthy of being my, Fang Zizhen¡¯s, daughter!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was still concerned about the matter regarding the location of the oyster sauce factory, so she worriedly asked, ¡°Godfather, is there really nothing we can do for our oyster sauce factory?¡±


    Since it was his daughter¡¯s business, Fang Zizhen naturally wouldn¡¯t continue to deliberately cause trouble. He pretended to think for a while, and then said, ¡°I just recalled the blueprint I have seen. When I go back, I will discuss it with the people at the Ministry of Works and do my best to keep your factory. Don¡¯t worry, Godfather will help you!¡±


    Only then did Yu Xiaocao smile and said, ¡°Thank you, Godfather! If it¡¯s too difficult to handle, then forget it! We can¡¯t dy the progress of the harbor construction just because of our factory.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult, not difficult! Your godfather is still capable of putting a word in!! Daughter, what are we eating for lunch? Don¡¯t we have pork belly? Let¡¯s eat red braised pork. The red braised pork you make is fragrant and soft, and fatty but not greasy. It really suits Godfather¡¯s taste!¡± Fang Zizhen deliberately shifted the topic to the dishes for fear that his clever daughter would notice something.


    Third Young Master Zhou, who was beside them, seemed to have noticed something. But, this young boy also didn¡¯t understand why the imperial envoy seemed to be quite unsatisfied with him. Today, if it weren¡¯t for Xiaocao, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the factory that he worked so hard for during these past few months. Although the Zhou Family were imperial merchants, they could only concede to government officials who had real power and authority!


    The problem was solved, so Yu Xiaocao returned to the kitchen. First, she baked a small portion of the sandworms over a small fire to make dried sandworms. Then she assigned a task to Yu Hang. She asked him to take the dried sandworms to Madam Mao¡¯s house and borrow the small stone mill, and then grind the dried sandworms into powder. Sandworm powder can enhance the taste of food. It was much safer and more environmentally friendly than the MSG in her previous life!


    With the remaining sandworms, she made a te of garlic steamed sandworms, a bowl of sandworms and spare ribs soup, and also stir-fried some with chives as a side dish. In addition, there was also the oil-dripping braised pork and several tes of stir-fried vegetables seasoned with sandworm powder. Although they didn¡¯t make preparations in advance, it was still a sumptuous feast.


    The dishes made with sandworms received unanimous praise from everyone. Fang Zizhen especially favored the ¡®garlic steamed sandworms¡¯, which was mostly eaten by him. The tasty and crisp sandworms,plemented by the unique taste of garlic, was simply too delicious!


    The sandworms that Yu Xiaocao keep were big, meaty, and of high quality. The sandworms and spare ribs soup was as white as milk. It tasted very delicious, refreshingly sweet and nourishing. Even Madam Liu, who was afraid of the worms, drank a full bowl.


    The saut¨¦ed vegetables seasoned with sandworm powder was also much more delicious than usual. Even Third Young Master Zhou was very surprised and thought that Xiaocao¡¯s cooking skills had improved again, exceeding that of Head Chef Wang, who had decades of experience.


    Before he could speak, Yu Xiaocao said mysteriously, ¡°I just came up with another seasoning recipe. You just tried it, so give me some feedback ah! If you think it¡¯s good, we can mass produce it in our oyster sauce factory and sell it throughout the country...¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s eyes lit up and said in surprise, ¡°You mean, the unique taste of these vegetable dishes was due to the usage of your newly developed condiment? Xiaocao, you¡¯re a genius among geniuses! I was just about to ask you why the greens taste even more delicious today! Quickly write down the recipe, and I¡¯ll give you another ten percent of the shares!¡±


    In this way, she would possess thirty percent of the shares for the factory. Yu Xiaocao felt as if she could see little silver ingots continuously flying towards her. She was so happy that her eyes narrowed into a seam. She immediately nodded without any hesitation, ¡°But I want to ponder over the recipe again and try to make it even more perfect!¡±


    With just sandworm powder alone, others would quickly see through the recipe and imitate it. She prepared to add in kelp powder and a small amount of spice. In fact, she really did have some talent for cooking. She was able to find the best ratio in a few days, and it was far more delicious that the simple sandworm powder. While she was experimenting, she also churned out the recipe for five-spice powder, which she also handed to Third Young Master Zhou.


    As a result, their factory wouldn¡¯t just be an oyster sauce factory. All the condiments produced by them would be called ¡®Haitian¡¯, which included ¡®Haitian Oyster Sauce¡¯, ¡®Haitian MSG¡¯, ¡®Haitian Five-spice Powder¡¯, and ¡®Haitian Fermented Bean Curd¡¯... Later, under Yu Xiaocao¡¯s suggestion, they added two more condiments, ¡®Haitian Soy Sauce¡¯ and ¡®Haitian Vinegar¡¯, which made Haitian¡¯s production of condiments even moreplete. This would be recountedter.


    At this time, Fang Zizhen was somewhat dissatisfied with the brat from the Zhou Family talking cheerfully and humorously with his daughter, causing her tough merrily again and again. From time to time, he would shoot daggers at Third Young Master Zhou, which made Third Young Master Zhou slightly restless. He wondered if he should ask Xiaocao what he did to offend the imperial envoy so he could have the chance to make up for his mistakes. In the future, when his business grew bigger, there would be a lot of times when he had to deal with government officials. If he didn¡¯t find out the reason, he was afraid that there would be future troubles.


    Fang Zizhen listened to Xiaocao enthusiastically talk about the prospects of the factory. He found the perfect opportunity and interjected with a smile, ¡°Daughter, the sandworms taste really good! It must have been hard for you toe up with these dishes.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at him and said, ¡°Godfather, if it¡¯s delicious, then you should eat more! The sandworms not only taste good, but their nutritional value isn¡¯t any less than shark fin and abalones! On another day, I¡¯ll make some more sandworm powder for you to bring back for Godmother when you return to the capital. I¡¯ll write down the cooking methods so Godmother can also try the delicacies of the seaside!¡±


    Fang Zizhen drank a big mouthful of the sandworms and spare ribs soup and nodded, ¡°Your godmother really liked the tomatoes that you told me to bring backst time. She especially likes the method of eating it with sugar after heating it slightly... By the way, your godmother made several sets of clothing for you, and she also told me to bring over some snacks from the capital. They¡¯re all in my luggage. I¡¯ll go get them for you.¡±


    Xiaoocao quickly stopped her godfather, who was about to stand up, and smiled, ¡°Godfather, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s urgent. You should eat first! This is your favorite red-braised pork. Here, this piece has the perfect ratio of fat and lean meat!¡±


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s face was full of happiness as he ate the piece of braised pork that his goddaughter personally gave him. He said, ¡°My daughter is so considerate! Father didn¡¯t dote on you in vain!¡±


    Yu Hai looked jealously at the piece of braised pork in Fang Zizhen¡¯s bowl. He coughed twice and looked at his younger daughter. After Yu Xiacoao also gave him a piece of meat, he finally showed a slight smile on his face.


    Madam Liu, who was beside him, watched her husband¡¯s immature behavior and couldn¡¯t help but smile with her head lowered. He was already such a grown man, yet he was stillpeting with others for favor. Moreover, it was for their younger daughter¡¯s attention. Why didn¡¯t she know that her husband had such a cute side?


    With her chopsticks, Madam Liu picked up some stir-fried sandworms with chives and put it in Yu Hai¡¯s rice bowl. Yu Hai looked up at her. Usually, his wife seldom got food for him in the presence of outsiders. What was going on today? When he looked up and saw his wife¡¯s gentle and understanding gaze, Yu Hai¡¯s face instantly flushed. What was wrong with him? Xiaocao was his own flesh and blood. Even though she had a godfather now, it still wouldn¡¯t change the fact that they were blood-rted family. How could he feel ufortable just because of a piece of braised pork? He was seriously bing more and more childish as he got older!


    In the days that followed, the Yu Family became busy again. Except for those who went to sell braised food at the docks, everyone else was mobilized by Xiaocao to go dig sandworms at the beach. At times, when Fang Zizhen wasn¡¯t working or Little Shitou came back during break, they would also be ordered to work at the beach.


    With the little divine stone as her secret weapon, Yu Xiaocao was the person who caught the most every day. Sometimes, even if all the sandworms that the entire family caught were together, it still wasn¡¯t as much as Yu Xiaocao alone. In order to not catch all the sandworms on the beach, Xiaocao constantly changed the area where she catches the worms.


    The other vigers were perplexed by the family frequently digging spoon worms. Tongren Medicine Hall wasn¡¯t epting spoon worms anymore, so why were they still digging them? Several families, who were more acquainted with them, came to inquire one after another. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t hide it from them and taught them several simple methods of eating sandworms. When they saw the dried sandworms in the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard, they had already gotten the urge to hoard some dried sandworms.


    After all, the fishermen of Dongshan Vige depended on the sky to make a living. If the weather at sea was terrible for a period of time, most of the vigers of Dongshan Vige, who relied on the sea to make a living, may lose their source of ie. Most of the vigers were poor. The impact of them not going out to the sea for several days might not be very apparent, but if they didn¡¯t go out to the sea for half a month, or for the entire month, many families would go hungry. Being able to dress warmly and eat one¡¯s fill had always been the pursuit of the vigers of Dongshan Vige.


    Disregarding the taste of the sandworms, they had learned from the Yu Family that the sandworms were definitely edible. It wasn¡¯t easy to store sandworms, but dried sandworms would be fine. If they ran out of food one day, they could resolve this urgent matter by using dried sandworms to stew soup.


    For a while, a unique scenery appeared along the coast of Dongshan Vige: Vigers of Dongshan Vige with various tools were either bending down, sticking their butts out, orying on the sand, and looking for the traces of spoon worms.


    Zhenxiu Restaurant also immediately introduced several dishes with spoon worms or dried spoon worms as their ingredient. Their unique taste won the praise of many customers.


    As soon as the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital opened, it received unanimous praise from customers for their five specialties: roasted chicken, osmanthus duck, braised food, spoon worm dishes, and oyster sauce dishes. It even attracted many of the customers of several long-established restaurants in the capital! Zhenxiu Restaurant became an instant sess and swiftly gained a firm foothold in the capital with its endless specialty dishes.


    At this time, Haitian Condiment Factory had also began operating. Marine products like oysters and sandworms were needed for oyster sauce and sandworm powder MSG. Zhenxiu Restaurant using sandworms as a cooking ingredient also increased the demand for sandworms. As a result, Third Young Master Zhou sent people to various fishing viges to purchase and collect these marine goods.

 Chapter 162 – Jealousy

    <h4>Chapter 162 ¨C Jealousy</h4>


    In Dongshan Vige, Third Young Master Zhou had solemnly entrusted Yu Hai to help him purchase those items. Of course, he would not let Yu Hai work for nothing. Zhenxiu Restaurant would give him ten percent of the profit as remuneration. Dongshan Vige wasn¡¯t the only fishing vige around the area, so Zhenxiu Restaurants had also selected a staff member to be responsible for that task in the other fishing viges.


    Seafood like oysters and penis fish were toomon in the coastal region, and there weren¡¯t many people who eat it, so very few people would buy them. Even with asional acquisition, it was hard to sell them for a high price. However, Zhenxiu Restaurant the price that Zhenxiu Restaurant offered for these goods was higher than the market price: ten copper coins for a catty of oysters and twenty copper coins for a catty of spoon worms.


    Although offered a much higher price for spoon worms, it was only a temporary acquisition for the medicine hall. Zhenxiu Restaurant, on the other hand, were purchasing spoon worms all year round.


    After the news came out, there was an endless stream of people who came to visit the Yu Family¡¯s residence. They were all inquiring about the purchase and the prices of the oysters and spoon worms. After they received reliable information from Yu Hai, both the old and young vigers of Dongshan Vige all began to dig for spoon worms and gather oysters.


    The sea¡¯s gift to the people was selfless. Every time the tide went out, people would flock to the beach and leave when the tide rises. Even if the was low tide at night, people would still carry antern and work hard throughout the night.


    As long as one was willing to work, there would definitely be a harvest. An average adult could dig at least ten catties of spoon worms in a day. The old, weak, women, and children could also harvest a few catties of oysters. In this way, as long as someone someone from each household in Dongshan Vige was willing to contribute, they could earn a few hundred copper coins in a day without any problem.


    There was a steady flow of oysters and spoon worms being purchased. Yu Hai had already taken in over a thousand catties of seafood. These seafood products were all transported to the workshops at the dock. The employees of the condiment factory were all servants who had signed a death contract with the Zhou Family. Whether it was the oyster sauce or MSG, the forms must be kept a secret. So, the core employees must¡¯ve served the Zhou Family for many generations. Fifty people were carefully selected from the servants to work in the workshop, but when faced with the endless orders, they stillcked manpower.


    Cleaning the sandworms was abor-intensive job. Thus, Third Young Master Zhou set down a new purchasing rule: the prices for cleaned oysters and spoon worms would be twice as high as those that hadn¡¯t been cleaned. Of course, the seafood must still be fresh.


    What did the vigers notck the most? It wasbor and time. Although the oysters wasn¡¯t bad, there wasn¡¯t much profit to be earned after the shell was removed. In contrast, the spoon worms wouldn¡¯t lose much weight even after the sand was removed from it. The price of the spoon worm was more expensive than pork, so even if it took more time, the vigers were willing.


    For a while, Yu Hai had more work than he could handle. All the cleaned seafood and the uncleaned seafood had to be separately weighed and paid for, and they must also be stored separately. The Yu Family had nted their entire courtyard with vegetables. In order to prevent the people who came to their house to sell seafood from damaging their garden, Yu Hai specially set up a wooden shed at the west side of the fence to be used for the purchase of seafood. It was too much work for just one person, so he asked Yu Hang to help out. The father and son were frantically busy and barely managed to handle everything.


    Yu Hai had be stricter with the purchase of seafood ever since he found out that his daughter owned a part of the shares of the condiment factory. He didn¡¯t ept spoon worms that weren¡¯t cleaned properly, seafood that weren¡¯t fresh, and also if they practice fraud by putting water inside the spoon worms to increase its weight... Although he offended some people who wanted to take advantage of him, Yu Hai¡¯s reputation in the vige was still pretty good.


    No matter where Madam Zhang went these days, she would always hear: XX family earned XX amount of money from selling seafood; XX family was able to pay back their debt owed for several years from famine in just ten days; XX family didn¡¯t have anything to eat or wear in the past, but now they can afford meat... Thus, the olddy¡¯s heart began to waver.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t go cause trouble at the old residence. The imperial envoy was now living in Old Zhao¡¯s old house and would eat all of his three meals at the Yu Family¡¯s house. With such a big Buddha there, even if Madam Zhang was given three times more courage, she still wouldn¡¯t dare to look for trouble.


    But at her house, Old Yu and his son had to go out to the sea every day. So, she put her mind on Madam Li and Yu Heizi. Yu Heizi would diligently run to the dock every day, but he wouldn¡¯t even bring back one copper coin. If they are all as greedy as this grandson of hers, where would she get the money for her daughter¡¯s dowry? Where would she get the money to pay for her younger son¡¯s education?


    She couldn¡¯t bear to let her daughter, who was going to marry in the autumn, to go to the seaside under the sun and wind. So, she forced Madam Li and Yu Heizi to go to the seaside to dig for spoon worms. One catty of cleaned spoon worms was worth fifty copper coins. With both Madam Li and her son working, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for them to earn two or three hundred copper coins in a day!


    Yu Heizi wasn¡¯t someone who was obedient. Although he could earn money by digging spoon worms, he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to receive any of the money he earned. So why did he have to waste so much effort to get them? After a month of physical exercise, Yu Heizi didn¡¯t look like the short and fat Yu Heizi from the past. Although his skin was still dark, he was a lot stronger, and he didn¡¯t have much body fat on him. He had also grown taller, so now he looked like he was full of vigor.


    In order to hide from his grandmother, he would run away every day before the sky turned bright. Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t catch Heizi who was as slippery as a mudfish, so she had strictly watched over Madam Li, forcing her to go to the beach every day. But with Madam Li¡¯s gluttonous andzy character, how could she be the type of person to work? After digging only a few times, she would startmenting to the heavens while bawling with tears in her eyes and snot dripping from her nose.


    However, Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t a soft-hearted person. What¡¯s more, she had also taken tools and gone to dig for spoon worms at the beach with her head lowered. How could she allow Madam Li to ck off? Seeing that her mother-inw was also working, she couldn¡¯t find any reason to ck off, so she could only ept her misfortune and dig a little here and there. Both the mother-inw and the daughter-inw had no experience in digging for sandworms. Furthermore, Madam Li wasn¡¯t very reliable since she would take every chance she could to ck off. In a day, other people were able to dig about ten catties of spoon worms, but it would already be considered pretty good if the mother-inw and daughter-inw pair could dig up two to three catties of spoon worms.


    When Madam Zhang saw that other people had harvested a lotpared to them, she felt extremely unhappy in her heart. When she got home, she scolded Madam Li for being worthless, Old Yu for having no abilities, and Yu Dashan for being a good-for-nothing who couldn¡¯t even control his wife... The entire Yu Family was shrouded in her shadow of rage.


    Yu Dashan was wedged between his mother and wife, and he was also bad at conveying his feelings. To return peace to the family, he would take the initiative to dig sandworms with Madam Zhang when the tide recedes after he returned from the sea.


    There was a strange phenomenon in the Yu Family. The more they worked, the less they got in return. In Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes, this was all right and proper. Yu Hai was like this in the past, and now Yu Dashan was also experiencing the same thing. They worked more, but they also received moreints!


    Madam Li wasn¡¯t like Madam Liu, who was willing to bear hardships without anyints and watch as all the hard-earned money that she and her husband earned went into her mother-inw¡¯s pocket. It would¡¯ve been fine if the money was used for them ah! They now earned at least a few hundred copper coins from fishing and gathering seafood at the sea, which should be about three to five taels of silver a month. Yet, they were still eating dark and coarse tbread and boiled vegetables without oil.


    Madam Li soon became discontented with this situation. She looked at her suffering husband and touched her big tanned face. Sheined to Yu Dashan who was behind her, ¡°Heizi¡¯s father, we worked ourselves to death, but none of the money we earned is spent on us! It¡¯s all spent on Caidie and Xiaobo! What is the point of us doing all this hard work?¡±


    Yu Dashan didn¡¯t have any strength remaining in his body as hey on the kang bed. His eyes were half-closed, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep. He was an honest man, so in a low muffled voice, he responded, ¡°You can¡¯t talk like that! Isn¡¯t my younger sister about to get married? The condition of my future brother-inw¡¯s family is not bad, so if the dowry is too unsightly, she would be mistreated after she gets married. My third brother needs to take the exams during these two years, so he can¡¯t be dyed in his studies...¡±


    Madam Li was so angry that she pinched his arm and said, ¡°Well, good for you, only thinking about your younger siblings. But have you thought about our child? Heizi is fourteen this year, it¡¯s about time for him to start looking around for a suitable wife. However, your mother hasn¡¯t mention this at all! She even wants Heizi to hand over the money he earned! As their older brother, you¡¯re earning money to raise your younger siblings, but it makes no sense for the nephew to earn money to support them!¡±


    Yu Dashan rubbed the arm that got pinched and turned around, ¡°Heizi is still young! It¡¯s not toote for him to start looking for a wife next year. Besides, when Heizi marries, the betrothal gifts will be taken out from the public ount. Don¡¯t worry about it! Go to sleep, I still have to go to the sea early tomorrow morning!¡±


    Madam Li had numerous thoughts on her mind, so how could she fall asleep? She said resentfully, ¡°I won¡¯t say anything about your brother since he has to study every day. But your younger sister has arms and legs, so why can¡¯t she work? Your mother treats her like a noble youngdy! When she enters her husband¡¯s household, she won¡¯t know how to do anything. It would be a wonder if she doesn¡¯t get beaten!¡±


    Yu Dashan couldn¡¯t fall asleep from the noisiness, so his tone wasn¡¯t good as he said, ¡°You don¡¯t know how to do anything, but did anyone beat you?¡±


    ¡°You dare?! I have a few brothers at home who will support me. Over the years, my maternal family has subsidized our family a lot. With just the food we eat at home, it would¡¯ve been a miracle that we didn¡¯t starve to death. How did you think we were able to stay so plump and healthy?¡± When Madam Li talked about her maternal family, her waist and back would straighten.


    Yu Dashan looked at the fat that had umted on her body and snorted, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad for you if you lose some weight! Look at our son, Heizi. After he slimmed down, he looked more and more like me, like a real man!¡±


    Madam Li touched the fat on her waist (Author¡¯s note: Where¡¯s the waist? Do you have a waist?) and sighed. She said, ¡°Looking at it now, it seems like it wasn¡¯t a bad idea for the second branch to move out. Look at how they¡¯re living! I heard that he earns at least a few hundred copper coins in a day just by helping Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s owner purchase seafood! If our branch had also moves out at that time...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it! Mother won¡¯t allow us to move out!! It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know about the situation when Second Brother moved out; they were driven out and abandoned. Second Brother was able to endure it because of his fate... He is also someone with a good fortunate ah!¡±


    Yu Dashan¡¯s mood was veryplicated when he thought of his younger stepbrother, who was only a few months younger than him. Yu Hai¡¯s capabilities made him look mediocre. He had also worked very hard, but he could never catch up to Yu Hai¡¯s footsteps.


    At one point, when Yu Hai was injured and the doctor said that Yu Hai wasn¡¯t going to survive the injury, he had felt relieved for a long time. He thought that therge mountain that was pressed against his head would finally fall down.

 Chapter 163 – Helper

    <h4>Chapter 163 ¨C Helper</h4>


    However, the second son still withstood that hard-pressed situation. The second son¡¯s family now lived morefortably than they had before they separated from the main branch. This made his mood unbnced again.


    Especially at the beginning of the spring when they went out to the sea, the amount of fish he caught was less than that of Yu Hai. The amount of money he earned was much less, at least half of what Yu Hai earned before. His mother alwaysined that he had no ability and that he couldn¡¯t evenpare with half of Yu Hai. These iron-like facts made him recognize the gap between himself and Yu Hai. The boulder that he had put down for a while once again pressed against his heart.


    He went out fishing early in the morning, and he gathered seafood at the sea in the afternoon. Sometimes, he would go out in the middle of the night to dig for sandworms. He worked himself tirelessly to prove to his family that he wasn¡¯t worse than Yu Hai.


    However, reality still made him feel dejected. He had worked tirelessly without a moment of rest, yet he was only able to earn two to three hundred copper coins a day. Yu Hai didn¡¯t have to go out to the sea or dig in the sand, but he was able to earn two to three times the amount he earned... If Yu Dashan could read, he would surely have the feeling, ¡®there¡¯s always someone better than you.¡¯


    Yu Hai, who didn¡¯t know that he was envied and hated by his older brother, was currently anxiously discussing some matters with his family. They were discussing whether or not he should give the job of purchasing seafood to someone else.


    Fang Zizhen patted Yu Hai¡¯s shoulder. Using a loud and clear voice, he said, ¡°Why are you hesitating? If you want to do it, then do it. If you don¡¯t want to do it, then throw it at someone else. What¡¯s soplicated about that?¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s mood was currently veryplicated. The family only had a lot of the businesses due to his youngest daughter¡¯s effort. He was only a supporting role in all her efforts. He had allowed a child younger than ten to work busily every day for the family¡¯s livelihood. As a father, he felt guilty and distressed.


    Through a stroke of luck, Zhenxiu Restaurant gave him an opportunity to increase the ie for the family. Even if he was busy, bitter, and tired, he was happy in his heart. However, the three mu of watermelon in the fields were about to ripen. In order to look after the melons, harvest the melons, or sell the melons, he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the fields. Therefore, he was struggling to decide whether he should continue the job of purchasing seafood or manage all the matters regarding the melon fields.


    When Yu Hai heard that, he bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Brother Mingzhe, it¡¯s easy for you to say that, but I earn three taels of silver from that in just a day. In one month, I can earn 100 taels of silver, so how I can just toss it away? However, we need people to tend to the melon fields at home right now...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao finally understood why her father had a worried frown on his face these past few days. She softlyughed and said, ¡°Father, the melon fields and the purchase of seafood won¡¯t sh with each other. I know that you must feel that we need more people to work at home, yet you can¡¯t bnce both jobs simultaneously. I have an idea; I don¡¯t know if you will think it¡¯s feasible or not!¡±


    Yu Hai had a whole new level of respect for his youngest daughter after the first half of the year. He never dared to treat her as a child. Yu Hai was full of hope as he said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, tell me what good idea you have.¡±


    Xiaocao organized her speaking points, and, after thinking about it, she said, ¡°Our family¡¯s watermelons are about to ripen, so we really need someone to look after them. Although it¡¯s fine in the morning, the watermelon fields definitely need someone to tend to during the night. I don¡¯t think anyone else is as qualified as you to look after the melons!¡±


    Fang Zizhen smacked his lips, making his existence known, and said, ¡°It¡¯s just looking after melons! I can call Li Li or Wu Yun back to look after the melons, won¡¯t that solve everything?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly at her godfather and said, ¡°Godfather, both big brothers are already very busy on the dock. How can I trouble them with my family¡¯s personal matters? Besides, it takes more than one or two days to watch after the melons and sell them. Your idea is not going to work!¡±


    Fang Zizhen red at her and said, ¡°They should be honored to manage personal matters for this old man. In the past, these two new and young recruits were rescued by me from a mass of dead people.¡±


    ¡°Godfather, I know you¡¯re amazing. However, we shouldn¡¯t coerce them to do things in return for your kindness. Even if Brother Li and Brother Wu take the initiative toe here and help me, I still wouldn¡¯t agree!¡± Yu Xiaocao definitely didn¡¯t want her godfather suffer from other people¡¯s criticism.


    Fang Zizhen was also aware of this point, and he felt very touched by her thoughtfulness. It was a blessing to have a daughter like her.


    Yu Hai wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Yu Xiaocao said to her biological father, ¡°I know that my big brother won¡¯t be able to handle the purchasing of seafood by himself.¡±


    Yu Hang opened his mouth, but he unwillingly closed it. What his younger sister said was the truth. He was only eleven to twelve years old. Besides, the problem was that people in the vige might not trust him as he also needed to weigh the goods and collect money when it came to purchasing seafood. He would also need to put the collected goods in the correct ces. It was definitely not a one-man job.


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a soothing nce and continued, ¡°There¡¯s more work than we can deal with, but we can hire someone to help us! It¡¯s not the harvesting season right now, so the vigers have plenty of free time! We can find someone trustworthy to help father do his job. We won¡¯t make him work for free either. If he works for a day, then we¡¯ll pay him a day¡¯s pay.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean you want to hire someone to work for us? However, we¡¯re all vigers, so it might not be appropriate...¡± Yu Hai felt like hiring someone to help him do his job would make him the same as those wealthy oldndlords exploiting poor farmers. It didn¡¯t feel good at all!


    ¡°Father, why would it be inappropriate? It¡¯s the same as when we hire people to build our house. Feeding someone for helping you is the same as giving someone wages! Plus, we aren¡¯t making him work for free.¡± Yu Xiaocao was very puzzled by her father¡¯s reaction.


    Yu Hai thought about it and her reasoning seemed to make sense. He replied hesitantly, ¡°Then...who do you think we should hire? How much should we pay him in a day?¡±


    ¡°This person must have a good and honest character as well as be steady and capable!¡± Yu Xiaocao said with a smile. She already had a candidate in her mind.


    Yu Hang pursed his lips. He hadn¡¯t said anything throughout the exchange but now he finally spoke up, ¡°I think Third Uncle is a suitable candidate for this job. Whenever our family is busy, he would alwayse over to help. We all know about his honesty and good character! Father, if you still feel guilty about it, you can just pay Third Uncle a little more money!¡±


    Yu Hai thought about it. His younger cousin, Yu Jiang, had a flexible mind and he was a great friend to the family. He was indeed a good candidate for the job, so he nodded his head in agreement.


    It was a sunny day the next day. The sun shone warmly on their bodies. Yu Hai went to his uncle¡¯s house early in the morning and told his uncle¡¯s family that he hoped that Yu Jiang could help him out. He was a little embarrassed when he briefly mentioned that he was nning on paying him.


    Yu Hai¡¯s eldest uncle, Yu Lichun, was very angry in the beginning. He felt that since they were rtives, it would hurt their rtionship if one party paid the other party for just helping out. Yu Jiang also repeatedly stressed that he would go help them, but he won¡¯t ept any money for the work.


    Yu Hai¡¯s heart was very touched by them. He received the family love that was missing back home from his eldest uncle¡¯s family. He stood up to his uncle¡¯s preaching and exined everything patiently.


    ¡°Eldest Uncle, I¡¯m not inviting Little Jiang over to help out for a day or two. Instead, I¡¯m nning on working with him for a long time. Let me tell you the truth, I receive a 10% profit by helping Zhenxiu Restaurant purchase seafood. How can I make my little brother work for free while I take the money all for myself? Don¡¯t get angry yet, let me finish exining first! Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s condiment factory requires a long-term supply of seafood. Having one person from each family working on it can be considered as two families cooperating together to do business. I¡¯m also taking advantage of your family because our Xiaosha is still half a child...¡±


    Yu Jiang thought that it was a feasible idea for the two families to cooperate together to do business because his cousin¡¯s family couldn¡¯t deal with all the work they had. When he heard this, he quickly helped Yu Hang get some justice and said, ¡°Older Cousin, although Yu Hang is young, he can do an adult¡¯s work. Even if Yu Hang didn¡¯t use an abacus, none of the ountants in town can beat Yu Hang when ites to calcting ounts!¡±


    Of course, Xiaocao already taught the multiplication tables to her brothers and sisters, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for them to calcte using their heads.


    Yu Lichun finally agreed after Yu Hai¡¯s repeated his request sincerely. However, no matter what, he didn¡¯t agree with Yu Hai about splitting the earnings equally between the two families. Yu Lichun understood in his heart that Yu Hai was able to get a profitable job because of his friendship with Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    In the end, they agreed on a forty-sixty percent split. Yu Jiang was going to receive forty percent of the earnings and Yu Hai was going to receive sixty percent of the earnings. Yu Hai felt very embarrassed by this as he felt like he took advantage of his uncle¡¯s family.


    Yu Jiang showed up early in the morning. It coincided with the time the tide receded today, which was early this morning. There were already vigersing to sell their oysters and non-processed sandworms. Yu Jiang had helped out a few times before, so he was able to deal with them very quickly.


    He was in charge of weighing and cing the seafood they purchase, while Yu Hang was responsible for bookkeeping and settling the bill. Yu Hang had followed his younger brother for several months, learning how to read and write characters. Now, he could read and write most of themonly used words. The two people worked together very well.


    Yu Hai family¡¯s purchase of seafood had always been honest; they never gave people less for what their seafood was worth. They also weren¡¯t like the people in charge in the other viges where they would lower the purchasing price of the seafood. Therefore, not only did the vigers in Dongshan Vige sell to them but also some of the fishermen in several nearby viges would walk a little more to sell their seafood.


    As a result, the amount of seafood the Yu Family purchased steadily increased each day. Although it was hard work, their ie had increased a lot. At night, when they calcted their earnings, Yu Jiang was surprised when he found that he had earned one to two taels of silver. An able-bodied man¡¯sbor in town was only worth ten or so copper coins.


    He didn¡¯t have to do any heavybor, and, when there were fewer people, he was able to rest for a while. However, in one day, he was able to earn more than one tael of silver... Yu Jiang wasn¡¯t convinced and even suspected that his cousin had given him more money.


    Yu Hang exined the ounts to him, and Yu Jiang couldn¡¯t help but be speechless. He thought that he was only going to earn a little money by helping out his cousin with his business. But who would¡¯ve thought that he would be able to earn forty to fifty taels of silver in a month? This was something he never dared to think about before!


    He didn¡¯t have a skilled trade, so if he worked all year round by doing unskilledbor, he would be able to earn five to six taels of silver in a year if he worked tirelessly. That was already considered to be quite a sum of money. Now, he didn¡¯t need to do any heavybor and was able to earn forty to fifty taels of silver in a month doing lightbor. He would be able to earn five hundred to six hundred taels of silver in a year... Yu Jiang suddenly felt dizzy as if he was in a dream.


    On his way home, Yu Jiang held the broken silver bits that added up to one tael and three hundred copper coins in his hand tightly. The skin on the palm of his hand had red marks from gripping the money too hard. Yu Lichun was tending the vegetable garden, and, his older brother, Yu Xi, who was chopping firewood, noticed his restless appearance. They stopped what they were doing and looked at him with concern.


    ¡°What happened? Didn¡¯t you go help your second brother out? Why did youe back so early? Is your body feeling ufortable?¡± Yu Lichun wanted to touch his palm, but he realized that Yu Jiang had his hand in a tight fist.


    Yu Jiang finally recovered his wits and spread his fist out in excitement, revealing the pieces of silver inside.

 Chapter 164 – Surrender

    <h4>Chapter 164 ¨C Surrender</h4>


    Yu Hai¡¯s eldest uncle¡¯s family didn¡¯t have anyone who could fish, so they relied on about five mu¡¯s worth of sandynd to make a living. Yu Xi and Yu Jiang also asionally went into town to find work or to the docks to move cargo. Their family¡¯s circumstances were not veryfortable. Earlier that morning, Yu Jiang had left home empty-handed, yet came back with more than a tael in his hands...


    Yu Lichun and Yu Xi looked at him, bbergasted. Apparently, they were waiting for him to exin.


    Yu Jiang stammered somewhat emotionally, ¡°This is from the seafood purchasing business today...¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Yu Lichun was stunned for a bit before he burst out into rage. His beard stuck up in the air as he snarled, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree that we will only take forty percent of the ie ah? You...you took all of the money your elder brother earned? Quickly send it back!!¡±


    Yu Xi also regarded his younger brother with disapproval, ¡°Younger Brother, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m scolding you! But, when Dahai gave you money, you just took it? Did you not calcte it out yourself?¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± In front of his father and older brother, Yu Jiang didn¡¯t quite know what to say and felt a bit depressed. He did his best to exin what happened, ¡°This money is forty percent of what was earned today, I even looked at the ount book!¡± However, he left out that he didn¡¯t quite understand what was written in the book, argh!


    Yu Lichu and Yu Xi still didn¡¯t quite believe him and asked, ¡°So you¡¯re telling us that today, in one day, they earned almost four taels? That¡¯s not possible, right? How could buying gathered seafood be that profitable?¡±


    Yu Jiang analyzed the situation for them, ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant set a price for Second Brother and his family¡¯sbor. Do you know how much seafood they took in today? Over a thousand catties ah! On average, one catty is about thirty copper coins, so isn¡¯t one thousand catties around thirty to forty taels? For the work of our two families, we got around three to four taels as our fee, so me taking at least one tael home isn¡¯t a problem!¡±


    After he heard his son calcte out everything, Yu Lichun finally was convinced. The money that his son had earned today equaled the amount that the whole family used to make in a month doing temporary work ah! When he started to think about the total ie his son could make in one month and then in one year, he immediately became light-headed. If they continued with this and earned a whole year¡¯s worth of money, they could buy more than ten mu of goodnd, or even buy a pretty good house in town. With a few more years of work, wouldn¡¯t his family be one of the wealthiest families in Dongshan Vige then?


    Yu Lichun forcefully swallowed down his saliva and spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°Jiang¡¯er, in the future, you absolutely must remember your Brother Dahai¡¯s benevolence. If we didn¡¯t have him, then our family couldn¡¯t even dream of making so much money in one day ah! You must work hard for him!¡±


    ¡°Father! Believe in me!! My older cousin is basically my biological second brother. Xiaocao and the kids are now my full-blooded nieces and nephews!!¡± In the past, when there wasn¡¯t anything to be given in return, Yu Jiang was able to help Yu Hai¡¯s family whenever they had difficulties. Now, it was a given since they were coborating together in business!


    Yu Lichun suddenly frowned and remarked, ¡°Remember, you absolutely cannot broadcast this news outside! This will prevent your third uncle¡¯s family from finding out and causing problems for Dahai¡¯s family!¡±


    Yu Jiang also realized that Second Brother asked him to help with that eye popping business and not Dashan and the others. This meant that Dahai trusted him explicitly. He absolutely could not cause trouble for Second Brother¡¯s family!


    Xiaocao had no idea what had just urred at Eldest Granduncle¡¯s house. She lifted her small bucket, which had her exclusive ¡®fertilizer¡¯ in it. Yu Hai was behind her with two buckets of water on a shoulder pole. From time to time, he would remind her to be careful where she was walking.


    After they finished watering the fields, Yu Xiaocao walked around the watermelon fields. Under the prompting of the little divine stone, she discovered there were two watermelons that were already ripe. These two melons wererge and round, and both of them weighed around twenty catties each. Their outer skins were a vivid green-blue and looked so fresh that one could pinch water out of them.


    ¡°Father! These two watermelons are ripe already. Let¡¯s pick them and bring them back home to taste!¡± Yu Xiaocao took one off the vine and held it in her arms. She toddled over on the ground. When Yu Hai saw his daughter struggling, he hurriedly strode over inrge strides and took the watermelon from his daughter¡¯s hands.


    The two watermelons, which didn¡¯t weigh over forty catties altogether, were considered small weights to Yu Hai. He held one under each arm and took them to the edge of the field. He then softly spoke to Xiaocao, ¡°I¡¯ll send you home first and thene back to build the melon shed.¡±


    Watermelons, to the vigers of Dongshan Vige and other neighboring viges, were considered to be very rare and strange objects. When they first nted them, they attracted a bunch of curious people who came over to look. Now that the melons in the field were on the eve of ripening, there needed to be someone in the fields watching over them. Yu Hai had already chopped some bamboo in preparation for building a melon shed.


    ¡°Father, do what you need to do now! In a moment, Godfather will return and I can have him help us bring them back!¡± Yu Xiaocao watched from the side as her father swiftly built the shed. She would asionally help with some smaller tasks and propose a few suggestions. Before noon, the outlines of the shed could already be seen.


    Surely enough, Xiaocao¡¯s prediction came true. After finishing up some tasks at the docks, Fang Zizhen rushed back home on horseback. When he found out that his adopted daughter was helping build a wooden shack in the melon fields, he felt bad, ¡®A little girl should be pampered in life, how could she possibly be doing such hardbor? That¡¯s not okay, I need to go over there now to help!¡¯


    With the addition of another strong man, the melon shack, which would have taken two days toplete, was finished in less than a day. Yu Xiaocao also had her two fathers construct a bamboo bed in the shed as she was afraid that her father might be chilled while watching the melon fields.


    That evening, Little Shitou came back on his rest day and the whole family sat together in a circle to eat dinner. They prepared to share the first ripe watermelons amongst each other.


    At this period, watermelons were not amon crop. The fruit was not only rare for the Yu Family, but even in the capital Fang Zizhen had also rarely eaten watermelon.


    ¡°Xiaosha, send the other watermelon to your grandfather. Let your grandfather taste some too!¡± Yu Hai saw that the watermelon, when cut open, had brilliant red flesh. The bright red juice flowed along the knife and the smell of sweetness hit his nose. When he was happy, he also thought of his aged father and hoped that he could also try some of this.


    Yu Hang scowled slightly and softly replied, ¡°If my grandmother thinks it tastes good and wants us to send some over every day, should we give in to her or not?¡±


    Technically, Yu Hai could send them a watermelon every day. However, he had previously heard Fang Zizhen mention the prices of watermelons in the capital. They were even more expensive than meat! On the cheaper side, one watermelon could go for a couple hundred coppers. If they sent over one every day, what was the point of their family growing watermelon then? Were they still nning on earning money?


    The excitement in Yu Hai¡¯s eyes immediately dimmed, and he slowly sat down on a stool. He let out a deep sigh. The originally happy atmosphere had also fizzled out at the mention of the main branch.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want her father to look so confused and stood up. Her clear voice broke the silence, ¡°Why don¡¯t...I go deliver the watermelon to Grandfather?¡±


    ¡°No! What if your grandmother makes things difficult for you? Actually, even if we don¡¯t send any, it¡¯s okay. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll invite your grandfather over to have a piece, that also works!¡± Yu Hai was afraid that his daughter might be injured so he immediately changed his ns.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! With Grandfather around, my grandmother wouldn¡¯t have the guts to do much! That being said, she should be as happy as a m when she sees me sending her some watermelon. How could she possibly try to make things difficult for me?¡± When Yu Xiaocao got an idea in her head, it was very difficult to convince her to do something else.


    Fang Zizhen promptly stood up and stooped over to grab the otherrge watermelon, ¡°Daughter, the watermelon is heavy. I¡¯ll help you carry it. Let¡¯s go, the faster we get there, the faster we¡¯ll get back. You can all wait for us to get back and then eat!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew that her godfather was afraid that she might get bullied by the main branch, so he wasing with her as support! She was touched by his kindness and naturally allowed him to go with her.


    As expected, when they got there, Madam Zhang found out that watermelon was a very expensive fruit. She not only wasn¡¯t grateful but she also insinuated that they brought over too little. Old Yu red at her for a long time and only then did she quiet down. In addition, Fang Zizhen was also there, so Madam Zhang didn¡¯t dare to throw a tantrum.


    As they were leaving, Yu Caidie escorted them to the gate. She stated somewhat shamefully, ¡°Xiaocao, my mother is just that type of personality, so don¡¯t take it personally. Please thank my second brother and second sister-inw for me. Thank you for thinking of us whenever you guys get something good.¡±


    Before they split from the family, this youngest aunt of hers was probably the only one in the family besides Old Yu who had good intentions towards them. Although her youngest aunt had a weak personality and was somewhat squeamish, Yu Xiaocao still had somewhat of a good impression of her.


    She pulled on Yu Caidie¡¯s hand and softly said, ¡°Youngest Aunt, I heard that your wedding date is already set. Congrattions. When the momentes, my mother and I wille over and add to your dowry.¡±


    Yu Caidie flushed red as she lightly patted Xiaocao¡¯s hand before she quietly replied, ¡°Please thank my second brother and second sister-inw for me...¡± When she finished, she turned around in embarrassment and fled back inside.


    On the side, Fang Zizhen remarked, ¡°Your youngest aunt is very simr to a lot of the noble young maidens in the capital. She gets shy and embarrassed too easily. Her personality isn¡¯t as good as my daughter¡¯s, confident and calm. That really goes well with my personality!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pulled at the sleeve of his official¡¯s uniform and grinned until her eyes turned into small crescents, ¡°Godfather, you think everything your daughter does is good! Perhaps in other people¡¯s eyes, they think I don¡¯t resemble a little girl at all!¡±


    ¡°Who said that my daughter isn¡¯t good? Just watch me beat them up until all their teeth fall out!¡± Fang Zizhen made a giant fist with his hand and waved it around fiercely.


    The two of them chattered happily as they walked into the old residence when they suddenly saw that there were two additional people in the courtyard. With a closer look, they realized it was the Wang Ergou couple.


    Ergou¡¯s wife was currently pulling on her husband¡¯s ear and had an apologetic expression on her face. She said, ¡°Second Brother Yu, I am truly sorry! Ergou¡¯zi picked a watermelon from your field without asking for permission...tell me how much it is, we¡¯ll take it as if our family bought it from you.¡±


    Because their fields were close together, Madam Liu had some interactions with Ergou¡¯s wife in the past and had a good impression of her. She replied, ¡°We¡¯re fellow vigers and neighbors. If you want to eat some watermelon, just tell us, no need to mention money!¡±


    Ergou¡¯s wife resolutely shook her head, ¡°Yu Hai¡¯s wife, even if you didn¡¯t tell me I would know that this watermelon is a rare fruit. It¡¯s absolutely very expensive! Ergou¡¯zi, how could you? I¡¯ve warned you so many times! If our family is poor, then we have to be honest and poor! Didn¡¯t you promise me that you were going to be an honest man now? How could you go back to your old, rotten ways? You...you truly disappoint me too much!¡±


    When Wang Ergou saw that his wife was so mad that tears were pouring down, he immediately panicked. He repeatedly apologized, ¡°Wife, I know I was wrong!! This is thest time, I absolutely won¡¯t do this again!!¡±


    ¡°How many times have you told me, ¡®this is thest time¡¯, ah? I was stupid to believe that you might change your ways! Now, I see clearly, a dog can never change its desire to eat poop! Tomorrow, I¡¯m going back to my parents¡¯ house. I¡¯d rather my child not have a father than have a father who idled around and steals other people¡¯s things. A father that would make my child ashamed to raise his head in this world!!¡± Ergou¡¯s wife had an expression full of despair on her face as she pushed aside his hand.

 Chapter 165 – To Change

    <h4>Chapter 165 ¨C To Change</h4>


    ¡°Wife, wife! I will truly change this time!!¡± When Wang Ergou saw that his wife had made up her mind, he almost fell to his knees. He sullenly continued in a soft voice, ¡°I only did this because I noticed that you looked tired due to pregnancy and didn¡¯t have an appetite, right? So...I wanted to pick this watermelon and have you try some...¡±


    A faint spark appeared within Ergou¡¯s wife¡¯s dead-looking eyes, and she snarled angrily, ¡°You stupid wretch! Do you think I could possibly eat the watermelon that you stole?!¡±


    ¡°I was wrong, I truly did the wrong thing this time. Wife, please forgive me this onest time!!¡± Ergou¡¯zi saw that his wife was still willing to leave him so he apologized profusely in hope that she might understand his reasons. He truly regretted his actions now!


    Ergou¡¯s wife sniffed her nose a couple of times and said, ¡°What are you apologizing to me for? It¡¯s not like I lost anything. You should actually be apologizing to Second Brother Yu! There hasn¡¯t been much rain this year, so these two siblings, Xiaosha and Xiaocao, have been hauling water into the fields to water them. You should know how hard it is; you¡¯ve seen it with your own two eyes. You should actually be apologizing to these two siblings! Why do you think Second Brother Yu¡¯s family decided to nt watermelons? The people you should be apologizing to is them, not me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! Don¡¯t be angry, wife. I¡¯ll apologize, I¡¯ll apologize right now!¡± Wang Ergou immediately turned into his wife¡¯s ve. If his wife said to go east, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t go west.


    Wang Ergou hung his head as he guiltily faced the Yu Family. He softly yet honestly said, ¡°Second Brother Yu, I¡¯m so sorry! Brother, I was confused and stole your family¡¯s watermelon...I¡¯m willing topensate you guys for this watermelon. Please forgive me...¡±


    Yu Hai walked over and pped him on the shoulder, ¡°I understand your feelings! When your second sister-inw was pregnant with Xiaosha, she also didn¡¯t have a good appetite. At that time, I snuck out of the housete at night to go hunt in the hills in order to make your second sister-inw some chicken broth to drink. A man who knows how to treat his wife well is a true man!! However, in the future, if your wife wants to eat watermelon, give us a holler and don¡¯t hurt your wife¡¯s feelings anymore. Go andfort your wife. It¡¯s not embarrassing to bow in front of your wife!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but let a peal ofughtere out. Her father¡¯s love towards his wife could clearly be seen by his words. Apparently, ah, he was destined to be a henpecked man.


    ¡°You¡¯re back, Cao¡¯er? Did your grandmother make things awkward for you?¡± When Yu Hai heard his daughter¡¯s snicker, his entire face felt hot, yet he still solicitously asked her about her trip.


    Fang Zizhen¡¯sughter was even more prominent as he replied, ¡°With me there, who would dare to have to guts to bully our daughter? However, brother, I never would have thought that you were someone who treated your wife so well ah! What you said was right! Treating your wife well isn¡¯t embarrassing at all!!¡± Wah! Here was another guy who pampered his wife!


    Xiaocao sniggered endlessly. Fang Zizhen felt embarrassed by herughter and gently knocked on her head with a fist but then tenderly rubbed the part he hit with a hand.


    Xiaocao spoke to the Wang Ergou couple, ¡°In the future, if you want to eat watermelon,e and find me! This watermelon isn¡¯t ripe yet, so it won¡¯t taste good! Come, try some our ripe watermelon here!¡±


    Wang Ergou had been able to smell the melon¡¯s sweet scent from where he was standing and stealthily swallowed down the pooled saliva in his mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t need to eat any! Give my wife two pieces to try...yeouch!¡± The pitiful Wang Ergou had just been pinched by his wife again.


    Yu Xiaocao took two pieces of the already sliced melon and gave it to him. She grinned, ¡°Uncle Ergou, this watermelon has a cold nature, so pregnant women can¡¯t eat too much. If they do, they might have a miscarriage!¡±


    When Wang Ergou heard her warning, his face immediately paled. He almost harmed his own wife; he was truly too stupid! He solemnly apologized again to everyone in the Yu Family and promised that he would never touch their watermelon fields again!


    ¡°Uncle Ergou! Our family¡¯s watermelons will soon be ripe. Do you have any interest in taking some to sell at town or the docks ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao considered for a bit and realized her family was short on working hands. With her cheat, the mystic-stone water, their melon fields would absolutely have arge output. Even a good wine was afraid if there was no market. This was their first year in attempting to sell watermelon, so she wasn¡¯t sure how it would go. They couldn¡¯t let the ripe watermelons just rot in the fields, right?


    ¡°Eh? Sweet niece, what do you mean by this?¡± Wang Ergou felt faintly excited inside. His eyes brightened as he looked at Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly at him, ¡°We will sell these watermelons to you below the market price, so you can sell them at market price in town. That way, you can keep the difference.¡±


    Wang Ergou¡¯s eyes revealed an excited yet emotional look. He hesitated for a bit before he admitted, ¡°Niece ah, you also know what my family¡¯s circumstances are like, I¡¯m afraid that we don¡¯t have enough money right now to buy them...¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, the first time you can just take the melons from my family and then pay the bill after you sell the melons.¡± Wang Ergou definitely wouldn¡¯t have enough money to pay for one whole cart¡¯s worth of watermelons. Yu Xiaocao had also thought of this problem.


    Wang Ergou¡¯s lips trembled as he softly replied, ¡°You...you trust me?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I trust you? My father said earlier, any man who treats his wife well can¡¯t be a bad person!¡± Yu Xiaocao winked at him teasingly, ¡°That being said, whether or not I trust you isn¡¯t the point, but how could I possibly not trust Auntie Wang eh?¡±


    Ergou¡¯s wife¡¯s eyes became wet with tears as she repeatedly expressed her gratitude. No one knew how hard it was for her after she married over. She had used a lot of energy ordering her idle husband around, but the rest of the household also required her to be present. Everyone said that she waspetent and capable. However, if she had a husband that she could lean on, did she have to work so hard day in and day out?


    ¡°Ergou! This time you have to do the job well! Second Brother Yu¡¯s family trusts us and is taking care of us, so you absolutely cannot let them down! If, if you ck of this time too, then I will definitely...¡±


    Wang Ergou hurriedly grabbed his wife¡¯s hand and promised, ¡°Wife, believe in me!! I, Wang Ergou, will absolutely do my best and not let you down, otherwise I will no longer be surnamed Wang!! And the child can also have your surname instead!!¡±


    Wang Ergou had lost both of his parents and he was their only child. When his father was on his deathbed he had held his hand but didn¡¯t close his eyes. Only after he vowed to take a wife and have kids did his father finally peacefully close his eyes. Thus, he was very attached to carrying on the family name. Therefore, when he said that his child could take his wife¡¯s surname, that meant that he was making a serious vow.


    After they escorted the extremely grateful Wang Ergou couple out, Yu Xiaocao and her family, along with Fang Zizhen, sat down to enjoy the sweetness of the watermelon.


    Because they had used the mystic-stone water to irrigate their nts towards the end of spring, the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons had all be ripe before the regr season. In other words, the watermelon nts in the capital had only just flowered on the vine while the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons could all be brought to market. A summer fruit bing ripe at the end of spring, that was absolutely out of season ah!


    In her previous life, watermelons easily weighed more than twenty catties, and that size wasn¡¯t considered rare either. However, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know that, in this era, thergest watermelon that could be seen was usually around ten catties. In addition, watermelon grown in ancient times had flesh that alternated between red and white, and the white parts couldn¡¯t be eaten. More than half of the watermelon had to be thrown out when being consumed, what a waste!


    As for the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons, after being improved by the mystic-stone water, they were pretty much the same as the ones found in modern times. The white parts of the melon flesh, that couldn¡¯t be eaten, hadpletely receded and only the red parts were avable.


    Out of all of the people here, only Fang Zizhen had eaten a watermelon before. He was a crude person, so how could he possibly care about what a watermelon looked like? In the past, the watermelon he ate had all been carefully prepared by his servants, who only gave him the edible parts. This was also the first time that Fang Zizhen was able to eat watermelon that had been cut into slices.


    He picked up a very thick slice and opened his mouth very wide to take a bite. The sweet and fresh juice flowed into his mouth. To someone that was thirsty, the refreshing cold and sweet juice was absolutely something that could quench thirst.


    ¡°Sweet! So sweet!! This tastes a hundred times better than the watermelons I¡¯ve eaten before!!¡± Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t stint on his praise. The biggest reason was this: his daughter was the one who had proposed nting watermelons and the watermelons were also personally taken care of by his daughter. However, this watermelon was truly extremely delicious!


    Yu Xiaocao gave Yu Hai and Madam Liu each a piece. At this moment, Little Shitou could no longer wait and impatiently grabbed a slice. He licked his lips. The expression on his face showed that he desperately wanted to eat a bite but couldn¡¯t bear to; it was quite adorable.


    Xiaocao rubbed his head and also picked a piece. She lightly bit off a small mouthful and slowly chewed it. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a satisfied sigh, ¡°So sweet...¡±


    Little Shitou copied his sister¡¯s method and also bit a tiny crescent from the watermelon. Hisrge, cute eyes immediately crinkled into a smile. The juice from the watermelon dripped down along his mouth, and he used his pink little tongue to lick it up.


    The Yu Family normally couldn¡¯t even bear to buy sugar, so how could they possibly eat something that was as sweet as this juice. They simultaneously ate as they eximedpliments.


    Fang Zizhen polished off a slice quickly and put the remaining rind with skin in front of the little roe deer, who was pitifully staring at them. He then started on his second piece. The little roe deer hastily lowered its head and gnawed at the light rind on the skin. It ate with extreme pleasure.


    After being raised at home for over half a year, the little roe deer, for whatever reason, still didn¡¯t get anyrger. The Yu Family members were all busy, so the little roe deer had been given free-range. When it was hungry, it would eat the fallen leaves from the vegetables. When it was thirsty, it would drink its water from its special bowl. The water had been specially prepared by Xiaocao and had a few drops of mystic-stone water in it, which frequently attracted birds who wanted to steal it from the deer.


    Whenever the little roe deer got bored, it would run out of the courtyard and stroll in the area around the old residence. The Qian Family¡¯s and Zhou Family¡¯s children all liked the creature very much and yed with it. Sometimes, they would even carry the animal in their arms. The little creature was quite clever and could tell whether someone had good or bad intentions towards it. When it met Qian Wu or some other kid who frequently yed with it, it would obediently let that person carry it and would asionally lick that person¡¯s palms. However, if it met someone who had ill intentions and wanted to steal it, it would run like the wind. Even an adult man who sprinted swiftly wouldn¡¯t be able to catch it.


    The little roe deer loved to y the most with its master¡¯s other pet¡ª¡ªthe little golden kitten. The tiny kitten had a smell that was irresistible on its small body. Usually, the little kitten would climb on its head and take a nap, while it obediently kept its neck steady and slowly walked around with the kitten on its head. If someone wasn¡¯t careful, he or she might even believe that the little roe deer had a golden hat on its head, it was quite a sight to behold!


    At this moment, the little roe deer was energetically gnawing on the melon rind. When Little Shitou noticed that his beloved pet also liked to eat watermelon, he left a thickyer of red flesh on the skin of his slice and even used a small knife to peel the skin and chop the flesh into small pieces to put into Tiny¡¯s bowl.


    Had it been before, someone at home would have definitely scolded him for wasting food. When they first split from the main family, the whole family didn¡¯t have enough food to fill their stomachs, let alone leave any to feed the little roe deer. At that time, the little roe deer was also not picky and would eat withered grass and leaves as long as there was mystic-stone water on them. Now, the family¡¯s circumstances were a lot better, so no one would reproach a child for feeding his beloved pet some bits of melon flesh.

 Chapter 166 – Blazingly Popular

    <h4>Chapter 166 ¨C zingly Popr</h4>


    Anyone who had a pet would treat them well. Yu Xiaolian collected all of the melon peels and copied her little brother¡¯s actions. She also used a knife to peel away the skin and used the remaining melon rind to feed Little Gray. Ever since the donkey arrived at their home, it had worked hard every day. Whenever they went to the docks to sell braised food or the town to buy things at the market, they no longer had to tire their own feet with the donkey around. As a result, Xiaolian took very good care of Little Gray.


    The current little donkey was like apletely different animalpared to its previous self. Who would have thought that the donkey, that had been so sick that it couldn¡¯t stand up and had its ribs showing, would be able to grow into its current plump and strong self? Its fur was now very sleek and soft. Not only did the little donkey look very good but it also was full of energy.


    Thest time they went into town, they came home along with Uncle Ma, who was from a neighboring vige, and his donkey cart. Uncle Ma¡¯s cart didn¡¯t have anything on it while the Yu Family¡¯s donkey cart was filled with food and household supplies. Despite the obvious difference in loads, Little Gray managed to be faster than Uncle Ma¡¯s donkey and left them behind in the dust.


    That was also before they had switched cart wheels! Nowadays, all of the vigers who were going into town liked to sit on the Yu Family¡¯s donkey cart. Why¡¯s that? Well, the Yu Family¡¯s donkey cart had rubber wheels. Not only did it travel quickly on the windy mountain roads but the cart also didn¡¯t jostle a lot. Had the Yu Family decided to pull people into town for a living, then the Ma Family¡¯s carting business would have long gone down!


    It was said that, in town, only the Zhou Family and the county magistrate¡¯s family, basically those who had connections, were able to buy rubber wheels. The Yu Family¡¯s new donkey cart had been gifted to them by the Zhou Family¡¯s third young master. Now, all of the vigers in Dongshan Vige envied the Yu Family for being able to have a connection with the boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant. They clearly enjoyed his influence in their lives!


    When Yu Xiaocao heard snippets of this gossip, she felt extremely indignant inside, ¡®Who said that we were the ones benefiting from this rtionship with Third Young Master Zhou? Without me, did they think that Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s business would be so zingly popr? Without me, could Zhenxiu Restaurant, the new restaurant on the block, be able to surpass Fulin Restaurant and some other older restaurant¡¯s tricks? Without me, could Third Young Master Zhou enter his grandfather¡¯s eye and be groomed as the family¡¯s next head ah?¡¯


    Just who was benefiting from this rtionship? Roasted chicken, osmanthus duck, oyster sauce vegetables, these three important dishes all allowed Zhenxiu Restaurant to make bank. Oyster sauce, MSG, and fermented bean curd were all the center products of the condiment factory that had many advance orders from various customers. Who gave him all of these recipes? Third Young Master Zhou was just expressing his gratitude by helping her buy a custom-made donkey cart, that was all, but, in the eyes of other people, it became them taking advantage of him! The next day, when Zhou Zixu rushed over hastily to their home, he unexpectedly received several res and eye rolls from Yu Xiaocao.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? When did I offend you?¡± Zhou Zixu asked in a puzzled tone as scratched his chin cluelessly.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him again and replied, ¡°Nothing, ok? I guess my eyes have a cramp alright? What kind of wind blew Third Young Master in today? It can¡¯t be that you miss my family¡¯s cooking, right?¡±


    After encountering her odd demeanor, Zhou Zixu carefully said, ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been busy because of the factory so it¡¯s been awhile since Ist saw you. Could that possibly be the reason why you¡¯re angry at me?¡±


    Xiaocao almost rolled her eyes up into her skull¡ª¡ª¡¯Just who do you think you are? Do you really think you¡¯re the main dish here, ah? I, this young girl, have been so busy that my feet have almost hit the back of my head, so why would I care how many times youe over? Be angry at you? Is that even worth it?¡¯


    After not seeing him for more than half a month, it seemed like Zhou Zixu had grown taller again and also got tanner. His previously bright and handsome face had almost be a healthy bronze color. ¡®Tsk tsk, who said that pale skin could make up for ugly figures? This guy has a good foundation, so even when he got tanner, he didn¡¯t get one iota uglier. Instead, he became even more manly! However, it does look like he¡¯s also be a lot thinner too...¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯ve been very busytely?¡± Yu Xiaocao decided to be merciful and inquired after him solicitously.


    Zhou Zixu had tears of gratitude in his eyes¡ª¡ªwell, actually, to be exact, it was that his eyes were brimming with tears of excitement, ¡°Xiaocao, you probably don¡¯t know just how popr our condiment factory has be! When we first started selling our products, I was afraid that the MSG and fermented bean curd wouldn¡¯t sell, so I invited a few owners of somerge restaurants from the capital and prefectural city over to Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital. My motive was to have them try dishes that had been seasoned with MSG. Although they were all quitemon dishes, their taste was much more tasty and savory than before. I also had some dishes with fermented bean curd in it...as expected, those restaurant owners all asked me what the secret was. I seized the opportunity to promote our ¡®Haitian¡¯ brand of condiments. At the end of the event, I even gave them each a small pouch of MSG and bottle of fermented bean curd. What do you think happened next?¡±


    ¡°What could happen? Obviously, they all sent in orders like it cost nothing...¡± Yu Xiaocao calmly recited the oue.


    Compared to her calm and collected expression, Third Young Master Zhou seemed even more excited as he eximed, ¡°Xiaocao, you truly have a mind that jumps to the right conclusion, your guess is too correct!¡±


    ¡°Psh! Everything went as expected, what are you all excited for?¡± Yu Xiaocao loftily replied, ¡°The goods that I produce are all quality goods! If you follow this big sister, you¡¯ll definitely have plenty of meat to eat!¡±


    Pffftt¡ª¡ªThird Young Master Zhou thought her arrogant expression was too funny. He rubbed her head, which didn¡¯t even reach the height of his shoulder, and sighed in admiration, ¡°Just what kind of brain do you have in your head? How could it possibly have such crazy and bizarre ideas in there? Tsk tsk, everyone always says that people who think too much are unable to grow due to the pressure, surely enough that¡¯s right...¡±


    ¡°Zhou! Zi! Xu!¡± Yu Xiaocao exploded in anger, ¡°Are you blind? Who said that I haven¡¯t grown in height? In the past, I was shorter than Xiaolian by half a head and now I¡¯ve already caught up to her!! Do you think everyone is like you, only grow in height but nothing develops in your brain? To grow a handspan (Author¡¯s note: the distance between the thumb and middle finger when the fingers are spread wide open in a hand) in a month, are you being fertilized by a bunch of manure ah?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Okay! It was me that said it wrong, okay?¡± Zhou Zixu gently rubbed her hair and chuckled loudly before he continued to share his joy, ¡°Since our condiment factory has opened and started selling to the market, we not only cleared out our stock, which was over a thousand catties worth of condiments, but we also owe a bunch of other orders now. I also transferred a bunch of servants from my family¡¯s residence over to the factory, so we now have enough workers to work both night and day shifts. Even with that, we still can¡¯t keep up with the orders. From the orders we¡¯ve received in this month, there are some who have to wait until half a yearter to be fulfilled! Just from counting money alone, my hands have be cramped.¡±


    ¡°After getting the riches, you still act like you¡¯re losing!¡± When she thought of all of that shiny silver from the factory and that she had thirty-percent of the profits, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but have her mouth slightly curl up in a smile.


    Zhou Zixu sullenly grumbled at her, ¡°This is our factory, but you, as the second owner, only earn the money without doing anything. Ever since our factory has started producing, you haven¡¯t even gone over once to look it over. You have such great trust in me!¡±


    ¡°Third Young Master, let me tell you thismon saying, it goes: ¡®the capable people are the ones who do the most work¡¯! Didn¡¯t we alreadye to an agreement in the beginning? I was only responsible for the recipes and you, Third Young Master Zhou, were in charge of everything else. You¡¯re so capable, and you¡¯re one of the rare talented people in the Zhou Family, so how could I not trust you?¡± Yu Xiaocao gave him a high evaluation.


    Zhou Zixu deliberately acted as he heavily sighed, ¡°Ay! You have it good, all you have to do is to wait to get your money, but it¡¯s so hard for me! I¡¯ve spent so much time at the factory. In fact, once I spent over ten days there. My mother thought that I was missing and even ran over to the docks to find me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t believe his act and retorted, ¡°Are all of the subordinates under you ipetent? What about Steward Zhou and that little assistant, Simo ah? Having assistants but not using them, are you stupid?¡±


    Zhou Zixu red at her for a second and said, ¡°Those two are even more busy than me. For the sake of the factory, Steward Zhou hasn¡¯t even gone back to the residence ever since it started producing. His wife even packed up all of their things and took the children with her to live in the staff housing! Simo is in charge of the transport of the products, especially the oyster sauce. It¡¯s not easy to store the sauce so he needs to produce ice when he transports it to a long distance! He¡¯s the same as the steward and has been on the road for more than a month. In fact, we had just loaded a ship full of goods for Jiangnan and Simo also went along!¡±


    ¡°In the future, our business will absolutely getrger andrger, so you need to take the opportunity to train more trusted subordinates. If you only rely on Steward Zhou and Simo, the two of them might die from exhaustion!¡± Yu Xiaocao sank into contemtion.


    Third Young Master Zhou sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to find trusted servants ah! The most important thing of our factory is our recipes. It¡¯s hard to find loyal servants and also prevent the first branch from...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly interrupted, ¡°You can give a share of the profits as a year-end bonus to the workers. You can give more to the supervisors and less to the regr workers. This way, the sess of the factory is tightly bound to the workers¡¯ integrity and ethics. I am sure that no one would try to damage their own ie...¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou felt as if he could suddenly see the light at the end of the tunnel. He pped his thigh and eximed, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! I need to go back and discuss with Steward Zhou to figure out the best way to implement this¡ª¡ªXiaocao, you are truly my lucky mascot. That brain of yours, just how did it develop in you?¡±


    ¡°How did your brain develop this way? Without aparison, there wouldn¡¯t be faults. With you around, it makes me seem a lot smarter than I actually am!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s method of interacting with Third Young Master Zhou sometimes made her seem like a bad friend. Before he could feel unhappy, she continued, ¡°Sit down quickly and rest a bit. I will make you something good to eat for lunch!¡±


    ¡°Heh heh!¡± Zhou Zixu, who had just been insulted, wasn¡¯t angry and was in fact giggling foolishly. ¡°Even if I¡¯m conservative in my estimate, it¡¯s probably still been half a month since I¡¯ve eaten the food that Xiaocao made. Makes me feel a bit at a loss...¡±


    ¡°Psht! Graceful words and a flowery speech often hide bad intentions!!¡± As soon as Fang Zizhen stepped into the courtyard, he overheard that stinky brat from the Zhou Family ttering his daughter. He rushed over furiously.


    Zhou Zixu grimaced as he quietly said, ¡°Lord Fang, when did I ever offend you? You¡¯re a high-ranking official, please don¡¯t bring yourself down to my level!¡±


    Fang Zizhen red fiercely at him, ¡°In the future, stay farther from my daughter! My daughter is still young, so she¡¯s not someone that you can dally with!¡±


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s face immediately turned a dark liver color as he stammered, ¡°Lord...Lord Fang, you...you misunderstand me! I regard Xiaocao like she¡¯s my biological younger sister. I don¡¯t...don¡¯t have any other intentions!¡± Eh, why did it sound like he wasn¡¯t very confident when he said this?


    ¡°Having no other intentions is good!¡± Only now did Fang Zizhen regard Third Young Master Zhou with a more favorable look in his eye, ¡°If I, this old man, find out you have some kind of cunning plot going around, I swear I¡¯ll beat you up until you¡¯re bruised from head to toe, otherwise I¡¯ll no longer be surnamed Fang!¡±


    ¡°Godfather!¡± Yu Xiaocao had been in the kitchen during this entire time and hadn¡¯t heard their conversation. She stuck out her head with a sweet smile on her face and said, ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch today?¡±


    ¡°Pork stewed with vermicelli! Is the new batch of century eggs ready to eat? Then also make some century egg and lean meat congee and slice a te of century eggs...it¡¯s pretty hot today at noon, not sure if there¡¯s any watermelons avable. I¡¯ll go ask Brother Yu to help me choose some to quench our thirstter!¡±


    Fang Zizhen wasn¡¯t a freeloader. Ever since he starteding to the Yu Family to bum meals to eat, the Yu Family hadn¡¯t needed to buy any meat, vegetables, or grain anymore. All of these were paid for by Fang Zizhen!


    Originally, he wanted to give half of his sry to Xiaocao. Xiaocao not only didn¡¯t take the money but she also threw a temper tantrum and didn¡¯t talk to him for a few days. It frightened Fang Zizhen so much that he never mentioned money again to her. Thus, he only bought more things for the family instead.

 Chapter 167 – Protecting His Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 167 ¨C Protecting His Daughter</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s clothing chest had so much clothing in it that she could wear new pieces every day until the next year and still have more to use. As for her small jewelry box that was used to hold beautiful pieces that weren¡¯t very expensive, it was also almost filled to the brim. Once, Zhou Shanhu came over to y and saw her box, which Xiaocao had forgotten to tidy up. The other little girl was so envious that drool almost came out of her mouth.


    Since all of these were given to her by her godfather, she couldn¡¯t just give them away. In addition, she wasn¡¯t a true little girl, she didn¡¯t really like to wear them. The box full of hair pins, bracelets, earrings, and other jewelry could only sit there and gather dust.


    When Third Young Master Zhou saw Fang Zizhen leave the courtyard, he let out a deep sigh of relief. He scuttled over to the kitchen door and was about to say something when Yu Xiaocao ordered him to do work, ¡°Go! Go to the west room and take a few mud-covered eggs from the kang bed and bring them over...¡±


    Zhou Zixu obediently followed her orders and came back with six to seven century eggs in his arms. From the size of the eggs, one could tell that some were made from chicken eggs and others from duck eggs. Yu Xiaocao red at him and then scolded, ¡°You¡¯re stupid! These are obviously two different types of century eggs. Go back and grab six of each!¡±


    ¡°You said to bring some mud-covered eggs over but didn¡¯t tell me what type of eggs you wanted...¡± Zhou Zixuined as he felt wronged. However, he didn¡¯t dare to resist and returned to grab the rest of the eggs.


    ¡°Gently strike these eggs on the ground and peel off the mud shells. Be careful not to dirty the insides of the century eggs!¡± Yu Xiaocao thought that he didn¡¯t look reliable and couldn¡¯t help but warn him repeatedly.


    Zhou Zixu¡¯s eyes lit up and he looked at the mud-covered eggs in his hands with interest. He carefully pinched off a bit of mud, revealing the inner shell. He picked one up, carefully looked at it and asked Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Is this ingredient needed for the ¡®century eggs and lean meat congee¡¯ that Lord Fang was talking about? Why does it need to be coated in mud? Why don¡¯t century eggs need to be cooked before eating? Why...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was being driven crazy by his questions and gave him a fierce look, ¡°Why do you have all of these questions? Are you Ten Thousand Questions [1] ah?¡±


    Zhou Zixu didn¡¯t understand her reference and hollowly chuckled a bit, ¡°I don¡¯t have that many, just a few questions, that¡¯s all! Xiaocao, what is the vermicelli in ¡®pork stewed with vermicelli¡¯? Is it like century eggs, a new food ingredient that you¡¯vee up with?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took out a bunch of vermicelli that wasn¡¯t homogenous in thickness from a kitchen cupboard and soaked it in some warm water. Zhou Zixu rushed over and squatted down to pick up one strand to investigate. When Xiaocao turned around, she didn¡¯t notice him there and almost tripped right over him. If Zhou Zixu wasn¡¯t there as a sacrificial cushion, then she likely would have fallen straight into the water basin.


    ¡°You little good-for-nothing, get out of here! If you continue to hinder me making food, then you can go to the docks and eat instead!!¡± Yu Xiaocao exploded as she put one hand on her hip while she held arge cleaver in the other. Thebination made a ferocious sight that made Third Young Master Zhou tremble in fear.


    Zhou Zixu hastily shrunk next to the corner of the stove and pitifully hugged his knees as he squatted down. He ced a piece of firewood into the y stove and carefully said, ¡°I...I can help you watch the fire, isn¡¯t that okay?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao cut pieces of streaky pork as she nced at him out of the corner of her eyes. She stated somewhat in disbelief, ¡°Eldest Young Master Zhou [2], do you know how to control the me in the kitchen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Eldest Young Master Zhou, I¡¯m Third...¡± Zhou Zixu seemed like an abused young married woman. He raised his head to look at her expression and then hurriedly ced a whole bunch of firewood into the stove, ¡°How could burning firewood be hard? Don¡¯t you just add wood to it?¡±


    By adding several sticks of firewood in at once, he almost smothered the me that was burning. The kitchen immediately seemed as if it had caught on fire as thick smoke billowed out of the room. The smoke choked the two people in the kitchen as they coughed endlessly.


    Xiaolian, who had just gotten back from the docks, immediately saw the thick smoke when she entered into the courtyard and thought that the kitchen had caught on fire. She ran toward the room inrge strides and discovered the disaster that Third Young Master Zhou had caused.


    She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as she took out half of the firewood from the stove and blew air into the fire. The fire slowly grew and heated up again. However, the thick smoke in the kitchen lingered and it would be a while before the air cleared.


    Yu Xiaocao felt tears and mucus streaming down her face from the smoke. She kicked at the main offender and scowled, ¡°This is your doing!! You wanted to choke me to death with smoke!¡±


    Xiaolian hurriedly pulled her furious younger sister back andughed as she reprimanded her sister, ¡°Younger Sister, you¡¯re too much! Third Young Master Zhou is our guest, how can you order him to mind the fire? He¡¯s used to a life of servants giving him food and picking out clothing, so how could he possibly know how to do this?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao used the back of her hand to rub her eyes. Both of her eyes were as red as a rabbit¡¯s as she red fiercely at Third Young Master Zhou, who was still coughing endlessly, ¡°Who told him to add wood to the fire? He was the one who had nothing better to do so he had to cause trouble!¡±


    Zhou Zixu had a wronged expression on his face as hemented, ¡°Wasn¡¯t I just trying to help you?¡± ¡°Help me? I think the more you tried to help, the more trouble you caused! Psh, go rest somewhere out of the way ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao nced at him with eyes filled with disdain.


    After a decent amount of time passed, the smoke finally dissipated from the kitchen. Yu Xiaocao swiftly finished four dishes and one soup. All of them had generous portions. Among them included Fang Zizhen¡¯s requested ¡®pork stewed with vermicelli¡¯ and ¡®century eggs and lean meat congee¡¯. She also made stir-fried pork liver, ¡®three earthy treasures¡¯, and sliced up century eggs seasoned with garlic paste and aromatic vinegar.


    Zhou Zixu rapidly inhaledrge gulps of the century egg and lean meat congee. He couldn¡¯t stop eating. The unique taste of the century eggs with the savory vor of the meat brought out the best in both ingredients. The congee was thick and viscous, and it wet the throat easily. It was simply so delicious that anyone would want some!


    Fang Zizhen regarded his table manners with obvious disdain. He was a young master of a rich family but acted as if he was a refugee who hadn¡¯t eaten a meal in eight hundred years. ¡®Stinky boy! The century egg and lean meat congee was something I ordered, so if he wants to fight with me, he can¡¯t win!¡¯


    Fang Zizhen devoured bowl after bowl of congee, as if he was trying to win apetition. A whole basin of century egg and lean meat congee, other than a few small bowls for the other people at the table, had pretty much been finished by Fang Zizhen and Zhou Zixu.


    After drinking three bowls of congee, Zhou Zixu rubbed at his bulging belly and then extended his evil w of a hand towards the pork stewed with vermicelli. He picked up a strand of vermicelli and lifted his chopsticks high. To his chagrin, he discovered that the other end of the vermicelli was still in the serving dish. He looked around him out of embarrassment and then stood up to raise his chopsticks even higher before he was able to ce the vermicelli in his bowl.


    After that, Zhou Zixu noticed that everyone at the table was staring at him. He sheepishly scratched at his head and exined, ¡°The vermicelli was too long so I couldn¡¯t put it into my bowl easily...¡±


    Since he had eaten vermicelli before, Fang Zizhen believed he had experience with this. He picked up two strands of vermicelli and twirled them around his chopsticks. Thus, he was easily able to transfer the long vermicelli into his bowl. The older man even momentarily nced at Zhou Zixu with eyes full of satisfaction.


    Pork stewed with vermicelli was a very typical northern cuisine dish. There was even a popr saying about it: ¡®Pork stewed with vermicelli, even gluttonous wild wolves will howl for it!¡¯ From that, it could be seen that this dish was very tasty!! The translucent yet snappy vermicelli had been imbued with the savory vor of meat. No one could possibly resist such a delicious dish. Even Third Young Master Zhou couldn¡¯t stop from eating more!


    Everyone ate the meal joyfully. Although a lot of food had been prepared, almost all of it had been devoured. Fang Zizhen and Third Young Master Zhou acted as if they werepeting against each other. They both ate so much that their stomachs were distended. Yu Xiaocao boiled some wild hawthorn berries in mystic-stone water and had them drink it to aid with digestion to avoid getting sick.


    Fang Zizhen rubbed at his somewhat protruding belly and contently said, ¡°My daughter¡¯s food is seriously too delicious. I can¡¯t stop eating. Last time, when I returned to the capital, your godmother told me I had gotten fatter.¡±


    However, Third Young Master Zhou saw a business opportunity within the century eggs and vermicelli. His bright eyes stared at Yu Xiaocao as he opined, ¡°Xiaocao, I think we can open another factory together to produce vermicelli and century eggs...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao calmly nodded her head, ¡°I was just about to ask you about this idea! Since you got to it before me, then let¡¯s discuss the details of our cooperation then!¡± Third Young Master was never a stingy person, so he pped the table and proposed, ¡°Let¡¯s go with what we¡¯ve done before, you supply the recipe and I¡¯ll handle everything else! We¡¯ll split the ie 30-70!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a thumbs up and agreed, ¡°That¡¯s the Third Young Master I know, so heroic! Such daring!! I will also include a few more recipes for you...¡±


    When Fang Zizhen heard that Third Young Master Zhou was only given Xiaocao thirty percent of the profits, he immediately became resentful. He wanted to reject the offer yet his daughter had acted faster than he did and sealed the deal. From his perspective, without Xiaocao¡¯s recipe, Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s factory couldn¡¯t even open. Why should he get the lion¡¯s share of money and only give his daughter thirty percent instead?


    Fang Zizhen wasn¡¯t thinking of all of the costs associated with building the factory, recruiting workers, buying raw ingredients, shipping products...which step didn¡¯t require capital? After subtracting all of manufacturing costs, Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s share of the ie wasn¡¯t any more or less than Xiaocao¡¯s. Compared to the hard work that Third Young Master Zhou had to do, Yu Xiaocao only had to shake her bum around at home and earn money. Getting a smaller share was only natural.


    However, Fang Zizhen wasn¡¯t thinking of this. He personally believed that his daughter was getting the short end of the stick. When he heard that Xiaocao was going to add some recipes for free, he couldn¡¯t restrain himself anymore, ¡°You¡¯re giving more recipes for free? The Zhou Family doesn¡¯t care about that piddling bit of money! Daughter, have you truly thought of it? Just how much money can the Zhou Family make from your recipes? He¡¯s not going to be too stingy to give you a bit more money?¡±


    ¡°Godfather...¡± Yu Xiaocao was just about to talk when Third Young Master Zhou interrupted her. He nodded his head with a serious expression on his face, ¡°Lord Fang is right! Xiaocao, you can¡¯t always let me have my way just because we have a good rtionship! Your recipes, I¡¯ll buy them at three hundred taels each. Lord Fang, how¡¯s that...¡±


    Fang Zizhen stroked his beard and managed to say with difficulty, ¡°Although it¡¯s on the lower side, we can still ept it right now! Daughter, don¡¯t recklessly spend the money from these recipes. There are two stores in town that caught your godfather¡¯s eyes. They¡¯re on the same street as Zhenxiu Restaurant. I originally wanted to buy them for you but I was afraid you¡¯d get mad at me and not take them! If we use your own money to buy them, would you agree now?¡±


    They were on the same street as Zhenxiu Restaurant? That was a busy and flourishing section of town ah! It was said that the stores on that street couldn¡¯t be bought with money alone. In addition, one store could easily be sold for thousands of taels. How many recipes did she have to sell before she could buy the two that her godfather mentioned?!


    Third Young Master Zhou noticed Xiaocao¡¯s hesitation and also started persuading her, ¡°I know you think the stores are expensive, but they are expensive for a reason! Do you know how much they charge for rent for the store next to us? On the lower end, one year¡¯s rent is around three hundred taels. After two to three years, you¡¯ll be able to make back your money! My eldest brother once tried to find the store¡¯s owner and, despite offering a huge sum, he ended uping back empty-handed. I believe only Lord Fang could convince the owner to sell, anyone else would also fail.¡±


    In fact, those two stores were bought by Lord Wu under his wife¡¯s name when he took his position as the magistrate. He was going to leave his position soon. With his family¡¯s background, after leaving office, he would definitely have to go back to the capital to climb thedder. In the end, Tanggu Town was just too far from the capital and it wasn¡¯t easy to supervise properties from a long distance. He had originally nned on emptying the stores and renting them out. The magistrate didn¡¯t expect to have his subordinatee back to inform him that the lord imperial envoy apparently wanted to buy them.

 Chapter 168 – Wealth and Riches

    <h4>Chapter 168 ¨C Wealth and Riches</h4>


    Although Fang Zizhen was only a third-rank military official without much power, Lord Wu had heard that the emperor had favored him. In addition, Lord Fang¡¯s master and younger martial brother had recently received the imperial decree and gone back to the capital after being sealed the second-rank Zhenguo General. Arge part of the army was put under Zhenguo General¡¯smand and before long he was going to the northwest to guard the borders.


    Because military families often had both the father and son going into battle, if hostilities arose in the northwest, Fang Zizhen would definitely also be ordered there. When the military leadership was in the hands of Zhao Family¡¯s father, son, and disciple, then they would definitely have a ce at court in the future...


    After considering all of the possibilities, County Magistrate Wu decided to give Fang Zizhen a favor and let his subordinate leak out the news that the shops were owned by his family in order to let the imperial envoy ask for them. However, he had never expected that the imperial envoy actually wanted to buy them for his goddaughter. It had been a busy few days at the docks so Fang Zizhen had forgotten to ask about them. Today, he finally found a chance to talk about them. County Magistrate Wu had been nervously waiting at home. Just what was the imperial envoy trying to do? Did he want to buy them or not?


    Yu Xiaocao thought that this was a good idea. In her previous life, many people had earned money by specting in real estate. Shops and stalls were a decent investment. The shops that were located in the bustling downtown area were even better and often could be sold for a sky-high price. Inparison, the shops in Tanggu Town were already considered not that expensive.


    ¡°Godfather, how much would it cost to buy those two shops?¡± Yu Xiaocao was afraid that she couldn¡¯t raise that much money in a short period of time.


    When Fang Zizhen saw his goddaughter agree with his idea, he became even more happy than if he was the one buying the stores. He grinned widely, ¡°Daughter, don¡¯t worry about the price! If you don¡¯t have enough money, Godfather will pay it off for you. Once you have enough money, you can return it back to me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him. She was well aware that if she took him up on this offer, in the future, when she wanted to pay him back, he would find all sorts of excuses to avoid it. Her godfather already treated her quite well, so she didn¡¯t want other people to use her of taking advantage of his money and power! That being said, her godfather also had her godmother at home. If she ended up leaving an impression that she was an avaricious and insatiable greedy person, then she didn¡¯t know what she could do to fix it!


    The smile on Zhou Zixu¡¯s face became even more brilliant. He spoke somewhat cautiously to Fang Zizhen, ¡°Lord Fang, you don¡¯t need to worry that Xiaocao doesn¡¯t have enough money to buy the stores. She¡¯s absolutely a wealthy littledy right now! Let¡¯s not even talk about the dividends from the factory, just her dividends from the osmanthus duck alone would be more than enough to buy those two stores!¡±


    The osmanthus duck had been on the market for almost two months now. For every one duck that was sold, Xiaocao got half a tael in return. Between the Zhenxiu Restaurant in Tanggu Town and the one in the capital, those two restaurants probably sold at least two hundred ducks every day. In other words, Xiaocao earned at least a hundred taels every day from this arrangement. In a month, she had an ie of more than three thousand taels! To call her a wealthy woman wasn¡¯t an exaggeration in the least!


    Originally, the contract dictated that the Yu Family could get the dividends every month or every six months. Yu Xiaocao though it was too inconvenient to get it every month so she chose to get it every six months instead. Since then, she hadn¡¯t gone into town so she didn¡¯t even know how much money had built up by now.


    Zhou Zixu gave everyone a rough outline just how many osmathus ducks his two restaurants had been selling on a daily basis. When the Yu Family found out that, from the sales of the osmanthus duck alone, they had earned five thousand taels, they couldn¡¯t help but be stunned by this number. When had they ever seen so much money before? They had previously believed that the eight hundred taels Xiaocao had sold her recipe for was an astronomical sum. They would have never thought, or even dreamed, that they might, one day, have over a thousand taels on hand.


    Little Shitou¡¯s hand loosened its grip on his chopsticks and they pattered down onto the table. He stammered, ¡°Second...Second Sister! Not even two months had passed and our family has earned over five thousand taels, then...then in one year, wouldn¡¯t we get over thirty thousand taels? Someone, someone quickly pinch me right now...yeouch! Second Sister, you pinch too hard¡ª¡ªhaha! I¡¯m not dreaming! Won¡¯t our family soon be one of the richest families in Dongshan Vige?¡±


    When Zhou Zixu saw Little Shitou, who was dressed in schrly attire, look so shocked, he couldn¡¯t help butugh at the little boy¡¯sck of sophistication, ¡°Earning around thirty thousand taels in one year makes you so happy that you can¡¯t find north anymore? That¡¯s only the money from the osmanthus duck. If we add on the money you¡¯re earning from the condiment factory and the future century egg and vermicelli, in a few years, let¡¯s not even talk about being the richest family in Dongshan Vige, even in town your family would be considered extremely wealthy!¡±


    Little Shitou¡¯s eyes glittered as if he had stars in them and his face filled with emotion, ¡°That¡¯s too good! In the future, I won¡¯t have to worry about not being able to afford my school tuition! Older Brother won¡¯t have to be sent out from home to be an apprentice! Older Sister and Second Sister won¡¯t be sold into the Zhou Family to be maidservants...sniffle, sniffle! I¡¯m so happy right now!¡±


    Although he imed he was happy, the little fellow covered his face with his hands and started bawling! You couldn¡¯t underestimate Little Shitou for being too young. All of his family¡¯s sufferings and difficulties had all been heavily engraved within his heart. Before they separated from the main family, his whole family had to endure his grandmother¡¯s tyranny. They never had enough to eat, never had decent clothes to wear, and never could finish the work assigned to them. When they split from the family, the house was so run-down that it wasn¡¯t livable and it was possible that, at any time, they might run out of food to eat. His father had been bedridden from his leg injury and his mother had washed other people¡¯sundry until the skin on her hands split from the cold and bled. His older brother had been beaten until he had almost died...


    To him, those terrible days were still right before his eyes sometimes! At that time, he wouldn¡¯t have ever dreamed that there would one day be a day like today. Now, he could eat white rice whenever he wanted and eatrge wheat buns whenever he felt like it. From time to time, he could even eat a meal with meat in it. He never would have believed that he might one day enter the town¡¯s most famous academy and be able to study and read books for a whole day without any worries. In addition, he never would have expected that this family might have an ie of over ten thousand taels as well...


    Yu Xiaocao stopped smiling and pulled the little fellow into her arms. Little Shitou threw himself into his second sister¡¯s arms and burst into loud tears. Second Sister was like a little immortal fairy from storybooks. There was nothing that she couldn¡¯t do or aplish! He now had an even deeper conviction that his second sister had been blessed by the heavens and taken care of by the gods themselves. As for them, they had merely enjoyed the afterglow of her fortune!


    Everyone in the Yu Family felt their hearts squeeze in pain from the sounds of his heartbroken sobs. One after another they all recalled their circumstances a few months ago. It was like the difference between heaven and hell! The old memories in the air all dampened the environment for a bit.


    Fang Zizhen felt extremely ufortable within his heart when he saw the tell-tale red rims around his adopted daughter¡¯s eyes. He hurriedly interrupted the Yu Family¡¯s thoughts and cheerfully admonished, ¡°Okay ah! Earning money is something to be happy about, why are you all crying? My daughter is so capable that she makes more money in a month than me, her godfather!! In the future, Godfather will have the shamefully ask my daughter to buy things for me ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sniffed her nose a couple of times and a sweet smile appeared on her ruddy lips, ¡°Godfather! In the future, Xiaocao will show her filial respect to you and will buy you many things that you like!¡±


    ¡°My daughter is a filial one! Godfather doesn¡¯t really care about anything else except eating good food! In the future, just make me more creative and fresh dishes, that¡¯s better than buying anything else!¡± Fang Zizhen couldn¡¯t change that he was a foodie to the bones and, instead, used that as an excuse to request more food.


    On the side, Yu Hai pretended to be pitiful and sad as he resentfullyined, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you only know how to show your filial respect to your godfather, but what about me, your biological father?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll also show my filial respects to you!¡± Her father, who was striving for favor, was like a kitten begging for pets. It was necessary to smooth his fur over too. ¡°I also have to show my filial respects to Mother and Godmother too! In the future, we also need to help Eldest Brother choose a gentle and virtuous wife and prepare a lot of dowry for Xiaolian. We also have Little Shitou to think about. Second Sister is just waiting for you to be the top scorer in the imperial court examinations and be a high-ranking official, so you can support me!¡±


    Little Shitou nodded his head furiously and confidently asserted, ¡°Okay! Second Sister! I will study very hard! Although I entered the school about half a year behind the other students, but I am already the top of my ss! The teacher told me I have a natural talent and in the future I¡¯ll definitely be a capable schr! Once I be the top scorer of the imperial examinations, I will definitely get a noble title for Second Sister...¡±


    ¡°So boastful! You¡¯re not even the tiniest bit modest, eh?!¡± Yu Xiaocao grinned toothily and pinched his face full of baby fat, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of people asking for titles for their mother and wife before, who has ever asked for a title for their older sister?¡± Little Shitou waspletely serious as he solemnly stated, ¡°Second Sister, in my heart, you¡¯re as important as our mother!!¡±


    Xiaocao felt very touched inside and pulled the little boy into her arms to rub and hug. The schrly cap on Little Shitou¡¯s head had been bumped off, and his hair, which had originally been neatlybed, was now a giant mess of weeds. Little Shitou didn¡¯t try to pretend to be an adult anymore and repeatedly begged for mercy.


    Following that, Zhou Zixu tasted the watermelon as he came to an agreement with Yu Xiaocao about more goods. Every summer, the Zhou Family always had plenty of watermelons gifted to them. However, he had never tasted watermelon that was this sweet and sulent. Also, if his memory was correct, watermelon usually needed another two months before they¡¯d appear on the market. The Yu Family had, once again, beaten everyone else.


    Zhou Zixu epted Yu Xiaocao¡¯s proposal to send a te of watermelon and fruits to every table whose bill surpassed a hundred taels. In addition, it was also possible to buy a te of watermelon too! If the gifted fruit and melon te didn¡¯t whet the appetite, then someone could order more. However, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be cheap!


    ¡°Xiaocao, you should quickly buy those two stores soon so you can open a fruit store. Although Tanggu Town is a small ce, there are plenty of rich people around! Furthermore, there are visitors from the south who are touring the north, and they usually have a lot of cash on hand!¡± Zhou Zixu also gave her a proposal.


    ¡°A fruit store? But watermelon is the only fruit that my family has ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao remembered the fruit markets in her past life were all filled with fruits from the north to south. Byparison, this fruit store of hers sounded a bit too pathetic right?


    Third Young Master Zhou thought for a bit and then said, ¡°I know a fruit wholesale business, if you need it...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it! I suspect that my family¡¯s three mu of watermelon fields can only produce enough to sell for two to three months! We¡¯ll first open a watermelon store! Once the watermelons are all sold out, then we can rent the store out! We don¡¯t have enough people at home, so we all have more work than we can finish!¡±


    The family¡¯s vegetable fields all required someone to take care of them. The long rows of vegetables fields could produce enough to be sold until the end of autumn and the start of winter. Now, the Yu Family could earn over two hundred taels per month from vegetable sales alone! Many vegetables, when it was past their season, would get too old and have an odd coating on them, which impacted their taste. However, the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables never had this problem.


    Now, other than the Yao Family, a lot of other wealthy families in town also bought their produce from the Yu Family. Also, they all came over to receive the produce. As for restaurants, the Yu Family only supplied Zhenxiu Restaurant alone. With the mystic-stone water as her cheat item that could shorten the vegetable growth cycle, the Yu Family¡¯s four mu of vegetable fields produced enough to supply them all!


    Other than the vegetable fields, they also had their braised food business at the docks. The weather was gradually getting warmer, so they were afraid that the food might go bad overnight. Thus, Madam Liu always woke up very early in the morning to braise the food now and had Xiaolian quickly drive the donkey cart to the docks to sell. Every day, they could also earn two to three hundred copper coins from that, which came out to ten taels per month. Don¡¯t look down on these ten taels though, most ordinary people only made that much in a year!


    In addition, they also had their wholesale seafood business. Every day, the Yu Family would continuously buy marine goods from the nearby fishermen. Even with Yu Jiang¡¯s cooperation, they were so busy that they couldn¡¯t tell their head from their feet. Sometimes, Yu Lichun would stroll by, see how busy they were, and would also help them.


    The three mu watermelon fields would soon be ready to go to market, and she wasn¡¯t sure who could be avable to help sell them. This was truly a big problem! However, Xiaocao had already an inkling of an idea of who could help. She decided on doing a wholesale business and was nning to give someone they were acquainted with the opportunity to make some money...

 Chapter 169 – Recruitment

    <h4>Chapter 169 ¨C Recruitment</h4>


    The singing of birds awakened the new day. A gentle breeze blew the fresh and delicate smell of the earth upon one¡¯s face. Today, the entire Dongshan Vige, contrary to the usual peaceful and quiet mornings, was bustling with noise and excitement due to certain news.


    ¡°Did you guys hear about it? The Zhou Family¡¯s factory wants to buy arge quantity of sweet potato flour!¡± The vigers chatted as they waited in line at the entrance of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s house, where the Yu Family was collecting oysters and spoon worms.


    Another viger was surprised and said, ¡°Really? Last fall, my family harvested a lot of sweet potatoes. We were afraid that they couldn¡¯t be kept for too long, so we dried them and stored them in the cer! After I sell these oysters, I¡¯ll go home and tell my husband to grind them all into flour¡ªbut, I wonder what the price would be?¡±


    ¡°The Zhou Family does honest business, unlike those ck-hearted merchants who deliberately lower the price. I heard that it will be a little higher than the market price!¡± The person who spoke was a capable-looking man.


    Another simple and honest-looking man with a strong-build looked at the cleaned spoon worms in his own basket and chuckled, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Ever since the Zhou Family started buying oysters and spoon worms at our vige, my family¡¯s living conditions have improved a lot. Now, I don¡¯t have to constantly ponder and calcte when my children want to get some fine grain! Yesterday, I bought a catty of meat to satisfy my children¡¯s cravings!¡±


    ¡°Older Brother Dadong, you and your eldest son are experts at digging for spoon worms. You guys can earn a few hundred copper coins every day. Even if you eat meat for every meal, you still won¡¯t spend all the money!¡± The capable-looking man said with a slightly sour tone.


    The honest-looking man, who was called Older Brother Dadong, smiled with embarrassment, ¡°No, that¡¯s not true! My eldest son needs to look for a wife soon, so we have to save some money for his betrothal gifts ah!¡±


    ¡°Older Brother Dadong, our Dongshan Vige isn¡¯t the same as before! In the past, our vige was poor so the girls from other viges were unwilling to marry over. Now, as long as you have strength, wouldn¡¯t you be able to earn over a hundred copper coins every day? Several of my maternal rtives, who have daughters, have inquired about whether there were anypetent young men in our vige!¡± The person who spoke was a matron, who appeared somewhat well-off.


    Brother Dadong hastily said, ¡°This auntie, can you help keep an eye out for my eldest son? The girl doesn¡¯t have to be very pretty. It¡¯s fine as long as she has a good personality and is a diligent worker!¡±


    The matron smiled like a flower and said, ¡°Brother Dadong, if you believe me, then just leave it up to me. My maternal niece has a decent appearance and is a diligent worker. She¡¯s definitely capable of managing a household. Go back and discuss with your wife. If she doesn¡¯t object, then I¡¯ll help you talk to them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll have to trouble this auntie!!¡± Brother Dadong smiled so broadly that even the wrinkles on the corner of his eyes had deepened. In the past, he had gotten married at an older age because his family was poor. It seemed like his son wouldn¡¯t share the same fate as him.


    As they chatted, Yu Xiaocao came to the front of the line and stood on a tall rock with a paper that was rolled into a paper cone. With the paper cone in front of her mouth, she shouted in her loudest voice, ¡°Everybody, all uncles and aunties! Good morning!!¡±


    ¡°Good! Good! This is Brother Dahai¡¯s daughter. She looks very energetic!¡±


    ¡°Aiyo, Xiaocao, don¡¯t stand so high. Be careful of falling...¡±


    ¡°Brother Dahai¡¯s younger daughter is very clever. Selling braised food and nting watermelons were all her ideas! Look at her. Why don¡¯t my family have a daughter like her?¡±


    ¡°This little girl, I wonder what new ideas she came up with...¡±


    Seeing that she had sessfully attracted everyone¡¯s attention, Yu Xiaocao smiled even more sweetly, ¡°Please be quiet everyone!! I have good news that I want to share with my fellow vigers!!¡±


    When the vigers heard that there was good news, they immediately stopped whispering and pricked up their ears to listen to the good news.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded with satisfaction and shouted, ¡°The Zhou Family is nning on opening two new factories! They need to recruit a group of workers, both men and women can sign up. After being selected and signing the contract, you will receive a monthly wage that is no less than one tael of silver!¡±


    As soon as Xiaocao finished speaking, the crowd instantly erupted.


    ¡°The Zhou Family is opening another new factory? Moreover, they¡¯re recruiting workers from outside? That¡¯s great!! I heard that the Zhou Family¡¯s condiment factory provides excellent treatment for its workers. They get four days off every month, and in addition to their monthly wage, there¡¯s also a bonus at the end of the year! I was just thinking that it was a pity that the Zhou Family only used their own servants in their condiment factory... I wouldn¡¯t have expected that they would recruit outside workers for their new factory! I¡¯ll definitely go try out no matter what!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go too!! Who knows maybe I will get hired! A monthly wage of one tael means that I will be able to bring in a stable ie! I will be a fool not to go!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Xiaocao said? Both men and women can apply. I have nothing to do at home and I¡¯m not good at digging for spoon worms. Perhaps I should go home and discuss with my husband, and also go apply for the job?¡±


    ......


    Seeing that her words had attracted the attention of the vigers, Yu Xiaocao cleared her throat and continued, ¡°Third Young Master Zhou said they will recruit workers from Dongshan Vige first! Any families who have extraborers can all go try! Also, the Zhou Family will have a long-term demand for sweet potato flour, chicken eggs, and duck eggs. So, if your family has extras at home, you can exchange them for money! The registration time is only three days, so please spread the news and don¡¯t dy on applying!¡±


    This news swiftly spread throughout the entire Dongshan Vige. Immediately, several families went to the docks together, registered at the Zhou Family¡¯s factory, and waited for their assessment.


    Third Young Master Zhou had foresight and specially built several more factory buildings when constructing the condiment factory. When condiment factory first started production, it only upied fewer than half of the buildings. The rest were separated and used as factories for century eggs and vermicelli respectively.


    Three dayster, the Zhou Family¡¯s century eggs factory and vermicelli factory were already all set to go. Except for the ¡®mud¡¯ wrapped on the outside, there was hardly any technical skills needed when making century eggs. Xiaocao taught Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s trusted subordinate the form for making the ¡®mud¡¯. The workers would make century eggs with the mud that he prepared every day. Thus, the staff of the century eggs factory could began working after a simple training!


    The century eggs factory didn¡¯t need a lot of people. After the interviews and examination, they only epted several matrons who were quick and diligent workers. However, it was more difficult to enter the vermicelli factory. No matter if it was kneading the sweet potato flour, tapping the straining basin, scooping out the vermicelli, or drying the vermicelli, they all required a lot of technical skills and rigorous training.


    Moreover, workers admitted into the vermicelli factory all had to sign a confidentiality contract. Anyone who leaked the form would have topensate the factory one thousand taels for their loss, and they would also be arrested and sent to jail.


    Many people wanted to back out after hearing the first use. However, when they heard that the factory provided a high wage, excellent treatment, and an annual bonus, most people were still willing to sign the contract after careful deliberation. As long as they didn¡¯t have any malicious intents and didn¡¯t leak the form, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems at all!


    The task of kneading the sweet potato flour was mostly assigned to neat and agile young maidens and young wives. The times had changed, and the perspective of the vigers of Dongshan Vige were also changing. It was no longer considered shameful for young maidens and married women to make money to support their families!


    Young and strong men were responsible for tapping the straining basin and extruding the vermicelli. They would change shift and take a break every hour because this was a job that depended entirely on strength. If they worked from morning till night, it would be a wonder if their arms weren¡¯t crippled.


    As for the task of scooping up vermicelli and drying them, they chose matrons who worked meticulously and patiently. As a result, more than half of the employees in these two factories owned by Zhou Family were women.


    For example, in the past, when the young women and matrons of Dongshan Vige were free and idle, they would just gather in groups to chat and gossip. Since the Zhou Family¡¯s factories began operating, the vige had be a lot more quiet. Except for the elderly, women would be rarely seen under the old elm tree at the mouth of the vige.


    Of course, except for Madam Xiong and Madam Li! These two were the typical case ofzy and gluttonous people, who couldn¡¯t do anything. Thus, the factory definitely wouldn¡¯t ept them. The two of them had also went to apply for a job, but when they saw Madam Li¡¯s sloppy appearance, she was eliminated in the first round. The reason was that the Zhou Family¡¯s factories were producing food. If the worker¡¯s personal hygiene was bad, how could they ensure the hygiene of the food?


    Madam Xiong was also eliminated in the second round because of her clumsiness. Madam Xiong was extremely bitter to see that several of the women, who she didn¡¯t get along with, had passed the examination. So she incited Madam Li to get Yu Hai¡¯s family to pull strings for them.


    Madam Li was the same as her mother-inw, who bullied the weak and feared the strong. She didn¡¯t dare to look for Yu Xiaocao, who had a backing, and talked to Madam Liu in private, forcing her to help put in a good word for her in front of Third Young Master Zhou. However, Yu Xiaocao, who had kept an eye on her as soon as she entered the gates, overheard her words.


    ¡°Eldest Aunt! The century eggs factory and vermicelli factory don¡¯t belong to my mother, so what¡¯s the use of looking for my mother? My mother seldom speaks to Third Young Master Zhou, yet you¡¯re asking her to ask him for a favor. Are you sure you¡¯re not looking for the wrong person?! Let me be frank with you! Third Young Master Zhou won¡¯t listen to anyone in my family except for me! It¡¯s useless for you to look for someone else!!¡±


    With her arms crossed in front of her chest, Yu Xiaocao inwardly scorned Madam Li¡¯s bullying the weak and fearing the strong behavior. Did she really think that her mother was still so easily bullied? Dream on!


    Madam Li looked around and noticed that Xiaocao¡¯s godfather, who was a high-ranking official, wasn¡¯t around, so she hastily bent down and smiled tteringly, ¡°Xiaocao! You see, no matter what we¡¯re still rtives. What are rtives? Aren¡¯t rtives supposed to take care of each other? Eldest Aunt has never asked you for anything, so please just help Eldest Aunt once!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes shifted as she pondered and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t help you put in a few good words! But all the work at the vermicelli factory are heavy and tiring, so with Eldest Aunt¡¯s ¡®pampered lifestyle¡¯, you definitely can¡¯t do it. Then... go to the century eggs factory! However, they go by a piece-rate-pay system there! Those who work faster will be paid more and receives a higher monthly wage, while people who work slower will certainly get less money. Eldest Aunt, what do you think?¡±


    Madam Li still knew herself very well. Whether it was before she got married or after she married into the Yu Family, she had hardly done any work. If she received a monthly wage based on piecework pay, then...¡±


    Madam Li smiled tteringly and said, ¡°Xiaocao, can you see if there¡¯s any other job...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on you, Eldest Aunt, but you won¡¯t be able to do any of the other work! If you don¡¯t think that you¡¯re suitable for the job, then just keep digging for spoon worms. As long as you¡¯re willing to work hard, you will definitely be able to get a lot of money every month!¡± Yu Xiaocao waved her hands and spoke in a somewhat impatient tone.


    Madam Li knew that Xiaoaco wasn¡¯t someone who was easy to deal with. She had the support of her high-ranking official godfather, so she couldn¡¯t beat or scold her. Although she had a tummy full of dissatisfaction, she still epted the job. Well, so be it! Even if she worked slow, she would still get money for each one she made.


    She was the most satisfied with the fact that Madam Zhang wouldn¡¯t be around when she worked. Her mother-inw wouldn¡¯t know how much her sry was, which made it more convenient for her to deduct some money from it and keep it as private savings...

 Chapter 170 – Selling Watermelons

    <h4>Chapter 170 ¨C Selling Watermelons</h4>


    However, Madam Li wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to get in through the back door! Xiaocao¡¯s second maternal aunt was a shrewish woman, who fussed over everything. But she wasn¡¯t someone who would pick the easy jobs and shirk on hard work. She had heard from her elder female cousin, who had married over to Dongshan Vige, that the Zhou Family was recruiting workers in Dongshan Vige first. She immediately felt alert within her heart¡ªIf all the positions at the Zhou Family¡¯s factories were filled up by the vigers of Dongshan Vige, wouldn¡¯t that mean that she would have no chance at all?


    Madam Hu forced Xiaocao¡¯s honest second maternal uncle to apany her to Dongshan Vige behind her inws¡¯ back. Why didn¡¯t she go alone? Because she felt ashamed!


    Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother had given Xiaocao¡¯s family several taels when they first separated from the main family. This was something that she had grumbled about for a long while. Every time she saw Madam Liu and the Yu Family, she would mention this matter in a sarcastic manner.


    As the saying goes: ¡®Don¡¯t go overboard to ensure pleasant meetings in the future¡¯. This was seriously such a wise phrase. She hadn¡¯t expected that the Yu Family¡¯s living conditions would bepletely different within a few months. Not only did they repay all the money, but they also became acquainted with a rich businessman in town. She wasn¡¯t as thick-faced as Madam Li. With how she treated them in the past, how could she not be ashamed toe ask them for a favor now?


    Madam Hu and her husband got up early in the morning, and it was alreadyte in the morning by the time they reached Dongshan Vige. However, when the two arrived at the Yu Family¡¯s old residence, the person they were looking for wasn¡¯t home! They asked Yu Hai, who was collecting marine goods on the side, and found out that the whole family had gone to work on the fields because the watermelons had ripened!


    ¡°Second Maternal Uncle, Second Maternal Aunt, go sit down and rest in the yard first. It¡¯s almost noon, so my mother wille back to make lunch soon...¡± Yu Hang greeted them politely with a smile.


    Madam Hu impatiently waved her hands and said, ¡°No need, no need! We will just go help out in the fields. Xiaosha, you should continue with your work!¡±


    Liu Han hade to help plow the fields before, so he knew where the Yu Family¡¯s three mu of sandynd was. Without the need to be guided there, he brought his wife over to the watermelon fields.


    Madam Hu whispered, ¡°Husband, did you see the long line for selling seafood? I reckon that your younger sister probably earned quite a lot of money from doing this, right?¡±


    ¡°How much they earn is their own business! Our vige isn¡¯t near the sea, so we don¡¯t have the luck to earn this kind of money even if we want to!¡± Liu Han was an honest man who spoke bluntly, so his words sometimes made people feel ufortable.


    Madam Hu red at him and said, ¡°We can¡¯t collect seafood, but we cane help them when they¡¯re busy ah! Just look at your younger brother-inw¡¯s younger male cousin. I don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s helping for free. He probably gets some sort of benefit?¡±


    ¡°Since he lives close by, it¡¯s convenient for him toe over to help!! Yu Jiang is a good and honest man. Younger Brother-inw didn¡¯t choose the wrong person!¡± Liu Han still didn¡¯t understand his wife¡¯s intention, causing Madam Hu to be extremely angry.


    ¡°Humph! That younger sister of yours can¡¯t even manage her own household! She doesn¡¯t even think about her maternal family when there¡¯s good opportunities...¡± Madam Hu finally expressed her inner thoughts.


    Liu Han red at her and said, ¡°My family isn¡¯t like your maternal family. Brothers not doing any proper work and always wanting to take advantage of their married sisters and daughters! Just look at your sisters. Your brothers have been causing so much trouble for them that they¡¯re barely able to continue living! If it weren¡¯t for my parents¡¯ generosity, do you think that you would be able to have such a good life at home?¡±


    Madam Hu¡¯s voice immediately softened, ¡°Weren¡¯t we talking about your younger sister? Why did you mention my family? It¡¯s not like I want those kinds of brothers either ah...¡±


    Liu Han looked at her and said, ¡°We all know what it was like when my younger sister¡¯s family split from the main family. Her family¡¯s living conditions had just improved a bit, so as her older brother and older sister-inw, we shouldn¡¯t cause more trouble for her! Just directly tell Muyun about the matter when we see her. She will help if she can. But if she really can¡¯t help, remember not to say anything unpleasant, okay?¡±


    Madam Hu was sharp-tongued and somewhat selfish, but she still listened to her husband¡¯s words, ¡°I will remember, after all, we dide to ask for their help! I will definitely control my own mouth!¡±


    As they spoke, they had arrived at the watermelon fields. On the green vines wererge watermelons with their bellies swelled up as they basked in the sun. The Yu Family, who were in the melon fields, were bending down and gently tapping on the watermelons to find the ripe watermelons. After picking out the ripe watermelons, they plucked them from their vines. In fact, the harvested watermelons had already been piled high on the ground.


    ¡°Oh my! So these are watermelons. They¡¯re really big. Each one probably weighs at least ten to twenty catties, right? It¡¯s seldom seen in town, let alone our small vige, isn¡¯t it? Husband, how much do you think cost for one catty?¡± Madam Hu curiously walked around the pile of watermelons, while clicking her tongue.


    Yu Xiaocao struggled slightly to hold a big, ripe watermelon as she wobbled over. Seeing this, Liu Han quickly went forward to take the watermelon from her hands.


    ¡°Second Uncle, why did youe? This morning, my mother and I were just talking about you and Eldest Maternal Uncle!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t really like Madam Hu, but she didn¡¯t have any bad feelings towards her slightly dull second maternal uncle.


    Liu Han put the watermelon in his hands with the pile of watermelons. He rubbed his hands and smiled shyly, ¡°Your second maternal aunt wants to work at the Zhou Family¡¯s factory, but we¡¯re not sure if they¡¯re still recruiting people. So I came with her to ask about it.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Madam Hu, who was staring at the watermelon, and said, ¡°There are still a few vacant spots for drying vermicelli. It requires people who are meticulous and patient. Both men and women are allowed to apply...¡±


    Liu Hanughed and said, ¡°Although your second maternal aunt has a sharp tongue, she¡¯s a very good worker!¡±


    Besides them, Madam Hu picked up her ears and listened attentively, for fear that she would miss something. She nodded vigorously upon hearing his words.


    Yu Xiaocao looked down and thought about it, and then said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go with Second Maternal Aunt in the afternoon. However, to work at the vermicelli factory, you¡¯ll need to sign a confidentiality agreement. If you leak the vermicelli form, you will have to pay apensation and also be sent to jail!¡±


    Madam Hu quickly vowed, ¡°Xiaocao, you can rest assured! I will never say a word about the factory to outsiders! ...Earlier, you said that you were looking for your maternal uncles. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Madam Hu turned her gaze towards the pile of watermelons. At that side, Madam Liu was busy weighing watermelons for Wang Ergou.


    Speaking of Wang Ergou, since Xiaocao agreed to let him sell watermelons on credit, he was especially concerned about the Yu Family¡¯s watermelon fields. When he encountered Xiaocao and Yu Hai watering the fields, he would rush over to help carry a few loads of water. In the evening, he would also take the initiative to help watch the watermelons, substituting for Yu Hai so that he could go home and rest for a few days.


    These days, he had been visiting the melon fields nearly every day. Knowing that the Yu Family were harvesting watermelons today, he woke up before dawn toe help them. Although he didn¡¯t know how to tell if the watermelons had ripened yet, he helped transport them to the edge of the field. Early in the morning, he was drenched in sweat and working even harder than when he worked on his own household chores!


    He had already repaired his family¡¯s handcart and prepared to push a cart of watermelons to the docks today to test the waters. He had nned to sell the melons in town, but when he found out that the Yu Family was going to open a watermelon store in town, he gave up on that idea. When it came to selling things, eight of him would still be iparable to one Yu Xiaocao. There was a good flow of merchants and passenger ships at the wharf every day, so there should be quite a lot of wealthy people. Thus, he followed Xiaocao¡¯s advice to open up a market at the docks.


    ¡°Xiaocao, I don¡¯t really know how to read a scale. What if I lose money?¡± Wang Ergou used to be an ignorant and ipetent man, and had only gotten slightly better after he got married. His wife, on the other hand, was very capable and there was hardly anything that she couldn¡¯t do. But his wife was pregnant right now. So how could he let her rush back and forth to the docks?


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at him and said, ¡°That¡¯s easy! The bigger watermelons should be around twenty catties. Since you¡¯re getting your melons from us, I¡¯ll give you the wholesale price of a hundred fifty copper coins per catty, so it cost three taels. Sell them for five taels in town! Sell the smaller ones for four taels, and the even smaller ones that looks around ten catties for three taels! That should do it!¡±


    Wang Ergou hadn¡¯t even reacted when Madam Hu shouted in surprise, ¡°What? A watermelon cost five taels? Five taels is enough for a whole family to eat for half a year. Can you really sell them?¡±


    Liu Han quickly pulled on his wife and red at her, ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything good to say, then don¡¯t speak! No one will think that you¡¯re a mute!!¡±


    Wang Ergou smiled unconcernedly and said, ¡°Liu Family¡¯s daughter-inw, people like us will definitely be unwilling to spend several taels to buy a watermelon. However, there are many rich noblemen at the docks. Our watermelons are juicy and sweet. Moreover, we¡¯re the only ones selling them. They won¡¯t be able to find them anywhere else! Even if it¡¯s more expensive, I still wouldn¡¯t be worried that it won¡¯t sell, let alone five taels!! Xiaocao, your idea is really good. I¡¯ll just do that!¡±


    Madam Liu was almost done weighing the watermelons. Wang Ergou¡¯s handcart wasn¡¯t very big, and could hold twenty watermelons at most.


    ¡°A total of three hundred sixty-eight catties. We¡¯ll round it for you and make it three hundred sixty catties. Xiaocao, calcte the price for your Uncle Ergou!¡± Madam Liu¡¯s math skills was a lot worse than her children¡¯s. She didn¡¯t have the confidence to figure out such a big number.


    Yu Xiaocao silently calcted in her heart and quickly answered, ¡°Uncle Ergou, it¡¯s a total of fifty-four taels! I¡¯ll write a you a promissory note. You can take the watermelons after you leave your fingerprint!¡±


    The provisionary note had already been written and she just needed to fill in the total weight and money owed for the watermelons. Yu Xiaocao filled in the numbers with a quill pen, and then she carefully read it to the illiterate Wang Ergou.


    Wang Ergou didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly dipped his index finger into the ink, and then printed his fingerprint onto the note. He said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to read it. Even if I don¡¯t trust others, how can I not trust you? Later, if my wifees over, just tell her that I went to the docks.¡±


    ording to the size of the watermelons, Wang Ergou loaded the watermelons onto his handcart and pushed it away enthusiastically.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s shop in town would open for business tomorrow, so they needed to transport the watermelons to the shop for storage today. She pulled up her sleeves,boriously picked up a watermelon, and struggled to put it onto the donkey cart. When Liu Han saw her, he quickly said, ¡°Just leave it. I¡¯ll load them onto the cart!¡±


    Madam Hu also tactfully picked up a watermelon and said, ¡°Xiaocao, can you carry them with your slender arms and legs? Don¡¯t you just need to load them onto the cart? Just leave it to your uncle and aunt!¡±


    Xiaocao also didn¡¯t continue to be courteous with them. As she helped, she said to Liu Han, ¡°Second Maternal Uncle, there¡¯s not much in the fields right now, so why don¡¯t you also take a cart of watermelons to sell in town?! As long as the watermelons don¡¯t fall or get smashed, you can keep them for five to six days. If you can¡¯t sell them all in a day, you can continue to sell them the next day...¡±


    Liu Han quietly moved several watermelons, and then bluntly replied, ¡°The prime cost for a watermelon is two to three taels. I¡¯m afraid of messing it up... Moreover, we don¡¯t have a cart to transport them.¡±

 Chapter 171 – Watermelon Shop

    <h4>Chapter 171 ¨C Watermelon Shop</h4>


    Madam Hu didn¡¯t say anything at this time. She was somewhat interested in the idea until she heard that a cart of watermelons cost over fifty taels. If they couldn¡¯t sell them, how many years would it take for them to repay the debt?


    ¡°Second Maternal Uncle, don¡¯t worry about the cart! We¡¯re going to buy a horse carriage, so you can borrow our donkey cart! It just depends on whether you guys have the courage to do this!¡± Yu Xiaocao also wanted to help her maternal grandmother¡¯s family. She had already made herself very clear. If her maternal uncles couldn¡¯t make up their minds, then there¡¯s nothing that she could do.


    While Liu Han was still hesitating, Madam Hu¡¯s eyes shifted around and she whispered, ¡°Husband, should we... work together with Eldest Brother-inw?¡± In this way, they could share the risk with someone. If they needed to repay the money, there would be less pressure with two branches of the family.


    Liu Han, who couldn¡¯t make a decision, also felt that he should ask for his eldest brother¡¯s opinion. ¡®It just so happens that Eldest Brother took Zhiwei to work at the docks today. I can discuss this matter with him when I see himter!¡¯


    ¡°Miss Yu, I brought you the horse carriage!!¡± Qian Xiaoduo drove a horse carriage over with an unfamiliar worker. Seeing that everyone was busy in the watermelon fields, he didn¡¯t treat himself as an outsider and helped them load the watermelons onto the carriage.


    They had already signed a supply contract with Zhenxiu Restaurant. Madam Liu saw that Qian Xiaoduo and other staff hade over on two carriages. The brand-new one was for their family, while the other one was for buying watermelons!


    ¡°Little brother Qian, how many watermelons do you guys want?¡± Madam Liu took the scale and asked Qian Xiaoduo with a kind smile.


    Qian Xiaoduo said sweetly, ¡°Auntie, just leave it! How can I bother you to weigh such heavy watermelons ah?! Little Haozi, you go help Auntie carry the scale!¡±


    Little Haozi? Yu Xiaocao looked at the thin and small teenager and had a hard time suppressing herughter. Little Haozi¡¯s face flushed and muttered, ¡°My name is Niu Hao. It¡¯s the hao from the word vast, not the hao from the word mouse!¡±


    Qian Xiaoduo snickered and said, ¡°Haha! Stop exining and get to work. After weighing the watermelons, we still need to gather the vegetables!¡±


    It was the first day of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s free fruit tray event. They weren¡¯t sure if the reactions would be good, so they only bought two hundred catties of watermelons. They still purchased the usual amount of vegetables, filling the carriage to the brim.


    Yu Hai picked out all the ripe watermelons in the fields and filled a horse carriage and donkey cart with them. Xiaocao drove the donkey cart, while he steered the horse carriage. The father-daughter pair followed Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s carriage and headed to town unhurriedly.


    Fang Zizhen was currently in the store in town and preparing for the grand opening tomorrow. In fact, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t n to operate this store for a long time. Thus, it was furnished very simply. The signboard of ¡®Tanggu Watermelon Shop¡¯ had already been hung above the entrance of the store, but it was covered by a red cloth at this time. Inside the shop, there were custom-made wooden shelves with wooden nks nailed all around the racks to ensure that the watermelons wouldn¡¯t fall off the shelves.


    The storefront next door had already been rented out. ¡®Splendid Brocades Manor¡¯ was a store that sold high quality fabrics such as silks and satins. At this time, the owner of Splendid Brocades Manor and several noble customers looked at the shop next door from time to time.


    ¡°Shopkeeper Feng, do you know who rented the shop next door? What kind of business are they doing? The interior looks so shabby. It won¡¯t be a general store, right? If they put a bunch of sundries at the entrance, it will affect your business!¡± The eldest young miss of the town¡¯s Zhuang Family pursed her lips in disdain and shook her handkerchief as she spoke.


    Shopkeeper Feng was a woman under the age of thirty, with a fairplexion and a slightly plump figure. She beamed with joy and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so! How much money can a general store make? The rent here isn¡¯t cheap. Do you guys see? That man, who is busily working, is a government official! He was dressed in an official¡¯s robest time he came here!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang¡¯s bosom friend, Miss Wang, revealed a curious expression and looked at theyers of shelves next door again. She asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t they going to start business tomorrow? Why isn¡¯t there any goods in the store today? How weird!¡±


    Shopkeeper Feng was about to say something when she saw a carriage packed with watermelons in front of her store. She was stunned for a moment. Watermelons weren¡¯t poprized at this time. She was born and raised in the little town of Tanggu, so she had never seen a watermelon before.


    ¡°Aiya! It¡¯s here, it¡¯s here!!¡± Miss Wang put down the cloth in her hands and took two steps towards the door. Sure enough, the carriage stopped in front of the shop next door.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang was holding a brocade embroidered with lotus flowers against her body and examining it. When she heard her words, she said, ¡°What¡¯sing? Can you stop making a fuss! So embarrassing!¡±


    Regardless of their foundations in Tanggu Town or family background, the Zhuang Family was stronger than the Wang Family. As a result, Eldest Young Miss Zhuang would always unconsciously disy a sense of superiority.


    Miss Wang didn¡¯t take it to heart and said, ¡°The goods for next door has arrived! Hey, it looks like the watermelon that I ate at your house!¡±


    ¡°Watermelon? How can there be people selling watermelons in our Tanggu Town? The watermelon fromst time was brought back by my older brother, who went on a study trip to the capital!¡± With a face of disbelief, Eldest Young Miss Zhuang continued to look at the fabrics.


    Miss Wang looked at the big and round watermelons being moved into the store next door and said with slight uncertainty, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not? The watermelon that I atest time at your house wasn¡¯t as big and fresh!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang threw the cloth in her hands, red at her, and said, ¡°You¡¯reining that the watermelon at my house is small and not fresh? Then why don¡¯t your family take out a bigger and fresher one ah! I didn¡¯t hear youin that it¡¯s not fresh when you were eating it! I didn¡¯t even eat as much as you!!¡±


    Miss Wang¡¯s face flushed bright red upon hearing her words, and she murmured, ¡°Ah-mei, don¡¯t be angry. That wasn¡¯t what I meant...¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang wasn¡¯t in the mood to shop for fabric anymore. She went out the door of Splendid Brocades Manor with heavy footsteps and was about to enter the shop next door.


    ¡°This young miss, please stop! Our shop hasn¡¯t opened yet, so it¡¯s really messy right now. It¡¯s better not to dirty your embroidered shoes!¡± Yu Xiaocao was ordered by her godfather to stand on the sidelines and watch them move the watermelons. She, who was bored stiff, said to Eldest Young Miss Zhuang, who was about to enter the door.


    When Eldest Young Miss Zhuang heard her words, she really stopped in her tracks. She looked at Xiaocao¡¯s clothes with a scrutinizing gaze, and then revealed a look of contempt. She asked in a haughty manner, ¡°Little girl, what exactly are you guys selling in this shop?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was someone with a keen sight. Eldest Young Miss Zhuang was dressed in exquisite clothing and fine jewelry. It was obvious that she was a young miss from a noble family, who could be one of her potential customers ah! Customers were top priority, customers were supreme.


    Xiaocao politely said, ¡°We are a watermelon shop! Not to boast, but our watermelons are sweet and juicy. Absolutely high quality and inexpensive!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang watched as Wu Yun passed by with arge watermelon in his hands, enter the shop and put it on the shelf. She asked in disbelief, ¡°What? You¡¯re really selling watermelons? Where did you guys get these watermelons? It looks really fresh!¡±


    With a slightly proud tone, Yu Xiaocao replied, ¡°We nted them ourselves. We just picked them from our fields this morning, so of course, they¡¯re fresh!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang eximed unbelievably, ¡°Someone in Tanggu Town is growing watermelons? Why didn¡¯t I hear about this before? Little girl, you aren¡¯t lying, are you?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in lying to you? It¡¯s also my family¡¯s first time growing watermelons. We asked the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant to help us find the seeds, but we didn¡¯t expect that it would really grow¡ªGodfather, Uncle Li, Uncle Wu, thanks for the hard work! Come sit down, wash your hands, and rest for a while! I¡¯ll go cut a watermelon for you guys to quench your thirst!¡± Seeing that her godfather and his two subordinates were almost done unloading the watermelons, Yu Xiaocao hastily called out to them.


    Her godfather and his two subordinates were such good workers. A portion of the unloaded watermelons were organized on the shelves ording to their size, while the rest were stacked inside a room in the rear courtyard.


    Fang Zizhen chortled as he looked at his goddaughter busily looking for a knife and washing the watermelon, like she was a little squirrel storing autumn food. He felt a sense of ¡®everything was well with a daughter¡¯ within his heart.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang should have left, but her eyes were glued to the shelves after shelves of watermelons. Just like what Miss Wang said, the watermelons were big and round. But... was it possible to grow watermelons in Tanggu Town? Were these watermelons edible? She couldn¡¯t move her feet at all.


    She quietly stared at the little girl, who was dressed in ordinary clothing, pick out a big watermelon, wash the skin, and cut it on top of a table in the shop. With a cutting tool that looked like a long knife, she neatly cut the watermelon in half. The red pulp and ck seeds appeared before her eyes, and she could smell a refreshingly sweet fragrance from afar.


    The watermelon was cut up into small pieces. Fang Zizhen had already picked up a piece in haste and ate it with big mouthfuls. The red juice had dripped down his beard, but he didn¡¯t bother to wipe it.


    For the sake of his daughter¡¯s store, Fang Zizhen had made an all-out effort and he had been busy from morning till now. He didn¡¯t even have time to rest and drink a sip of water. The sweet and juicy watermelon moisturized his dry and thirsty throat. The cool feeling prated into the bottom of his heart.


    Seeing their master eating with relish, Li Li and Wu Yun couldn¡¯t help but pick up a piece each and lightly take a small bite. Their eyes suddenly lit up, and before they had even swallowed their first bite, they already took another bite impatiently. They didn¡¯t even want to spit the seeds out.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang used her handkerchief to cover her mouth in disgust when she saw the three men eating in a boorish manner. But she couldn¡¯t help swallowing the excessive saliva within her mouth.


    ¡°Gulp...¡±


    Miss Zhuang was shocked and thought that she was the one who made a loud swallowing sound. How could she allow herself to make a fool out of herself? She was about to turn around and leave, but she noticed Miss Wang was swallowing her saliva incessantly beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. ¡®I knew it! That embarrassing sound just now, how could it have possiblye from me?¡¯


    ¡°Stop embarrassing yourself here! If you want to eat it, just wait until they open for business tomorrow and buy it!¡± Eldest Young Miss Zhuang covered her face with her handkerchief and returned next door to Splendid Brocades Manor. Miss Wang walked away unwillingly and looked back repeatedly at every step.


    ¡°Three older sisters! This is the watermelon that we¡¯re selling in our shop. Please try it! If you like the taste, you are wee to visit us tomorrow!¡± Yu Xiaocao ced the small pieces of watermelon neatly on a te. She carried the te on a tray and walked into the fabric shop with a smile.


    Miss Wang widened her eyes in surprise and eximed, ¡°You¡¯re letting us eat it? For free?¡±

 Chapter 172 – Grand Opening

    <h4>Chapter 172 ¨C Grand Opening</h4>


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang scornfully rolled her eyes at her close friend. If she could choose again, she would rather not know this person. She was seriously too disgraceful! Even her own ss had been dragged down by her!! However¡ªshe really didn¡¯t want to admit it, but she also slightly coveted the watermelon in her heart.


    Shopkeeper Feng had been doing business for many years, so she could more or less guess what her customers were thinking. Based on her observation, Miss Zhuang was slightly reserved but she couldn¡¯t help peeping at the te of fruit. Miss Wang, on the other hand, didn¡¯t hide her interest in the watermelon. She looked like she wanted to eat it but was too embarrassed to ept it.


    She took the tray very understandingly, smiled at the delicate and smart little girl in front of her, and said, ¡°Thank you very much! May I ask for your surname?¡±


    ¡°My surname is Yu. Older sisters, if you guys like the taste, remember toe support us tomorrow ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly at the bossdy, waved her hands, and returned to tidy up her shop.


    They were going to open early in the morning tomorrow, so today, she had asked for her father¡¯s permission to stay overnight in the store. Most of the stores on this street of Tanggu Town had a two-entrance courtyard with wing rooms behind the shop.


    Shopkeeper Feng watched as the little girl went back next door, touched her own face, and said with a smile, ¡°This little fellow, I¡¯m almost old enough to be her mother, yet she called me ¡®older sister¡¯? Do I really look that young?¡±


    Miss Wang asked eagerly, ¡°Shopkeeper Feng, she¡¯s letting us try this watermelon, right? What a generous little girl ah!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something homegrown and won¡¯t cost much money for her, so what¡¯s so generous about that? But, how can a peasant family afford to rent such an expensive shop? When did farmers be so rich?¡± Eldest Young Miss Zhuang looked at the watermelon, which was cut into small pieces and had a toothpick stuck into them, and spoke in a slightly mean manner.


    Miss Wang knew her temperament, so she automatically filtered the unpleasant parts of her words and said with a smile, ¡°Maybe the watermelons were grown on their own ntation? But, I have never heard of a family surnamed Yu among the wealthy households in Tanggu Town!¡±


    Shopkeeper Feng furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°Surnamed Yu? I think thendlord of this shop that I rented is surnamed Yu. But, the person who signed the contract with me was the official that I mentioned earlier.¡±


    ¡°This might be her family¡¯s store ah! Just now, I heard the little girl call that bearded man ¡®godfather¡¯! Let me try the taste of the watermelon produced in our Tanggu Town!¡±


    Miss Wang picked up a toothpick impatiently and stuffed the red melon pulp into her mouth. The expression on her face immediately rxed. She choked on the sweet juice and wanted to cough but was unwilling to spit out the juice in the mouth. Thus, her face turned bright red from suppressing her cough.


    ¡°Just look at you! Don¡¯t tell others that you know me when you go out!¡± Eldest Young Miss Zhuang moved to the side for fear that the girl would spray her saliva on herself.


    Miss Wang finally swallowed the watermelon in her mouth and coughed a few times. She couldn¡¯t hold herself back and picked up another piece. She stuffed it into her mouth and mumbled, ¡°So sweet! It¡¯s really sweet!! It¡¯s even sweeter than the watermelon that I ate at your house. If you don¡¯t believe, then try it!!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang finally stopped putting up a front and picked up a toothpick delicately with her fingers arranged in the shape of an orchid [1]. She used the handkerchief in her other hand to cover the side of her mouth, and then gently delivered the piece of watermelon into her mouth. A sweet and cool taste instantly burst inside her mouth and the watermelon juice almost flowed out along the side of her mouth. As she wiped the corner of her mouth with her handkerchief, she savored the taste of the watermelon in her mouth.


    It was a kind of sweetness that was different from all other types of sweetness. Generally, something this sweet had a cloying taste. However, there was a refreshing feeling in the sweetness of this watermelon. No matter how much she ate, she wouldn¡¯t feel sick of it. This type of sweetness was exactly what Eldest Young Miss Zhuang liked!!


    After savoring the sweetness in her mouth, she looked up and saw Miss Wang eating without stopping, nearly finishing the whole te of watermelon. Eldest Young Miss Zhuang¡¯s heart exploded with anger, but she suppressed herself.


    She took the fruit tray away from Miss Wang somewhat unyieldingly, red at her fiercely, and said, ¡°Like a cow chewing on peony! You¡¯re just wasting this te of watermelon!!¡±


    Seeing the fruit tray gradually move away from her, Miss Wang stretched out her hands and pitifully said, ¡°Don¡¯t! I haven¡¯t had enough yet!¡±


    ¡°How much would you have to eat until it¡¯s enough for you? Can you even taste anything when you¡¯re eating so fast?¡± Eldest Young Miss Zhuang slowly picked up a piece of watermelon from the te and savored it carefully. Beside her, Miss Wang was drooling as she looked on with eager eyes.


    There originally wasn¡¯t many pieces of watermelon on the te and Miss Wang had just eaten more than half of the te, so the rest was quickly eaten by Miss Zhuang. She wiped her mouth with her handkerchief and still wanted more. She lifted her feet and walked next door unhurriedly.


    ¡°Older Sister Ah-mei, where are you going?¡± The tagalong, Miss Wang, followed closely behind her.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang ignored her and arrived at the shop next door. She saw the little girl, who sent the fruit tray over earlier, directing three grown men to organize the shelves. She cleared her throat and when saw the little girl look over, she said, ¡°Thank you for the watermelon. It tastes really good! I came to return the tray!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister is being too courteous! You could have just left it next door and I would have retrieved itter!!¡± Seeing that her eyes seemed stuck on the watermelons on the shelves, Xiaocao knew that she was very satisfied with her family¡¯s watermelons.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang walked into the shop like a willow tree blown by a light breeze and looked at the price on the shelves. What are ¡®five taels, ¡®four taels¡¯, and ¡®three taels¡¯? Five taels per catty? Even the watermelons in the capital weren¡¯t so expensive!! But, her watermelon did seem much better than the watermelon from the capital.


    ¡°Help me weigh several of the biggest watermelons. I¡¯ll send someone to retrieve them tomorrow when you guys open for business! This is the deposit!!¡± Eldest Young Miss Zhuang took out a golden ingot that was worth five taels of gold [2] and handed it to Yu Xiaocao.


    Gold ingot? Yu Xiaocao had dealt with silver and bank notes, but she had never seen this golden thing! Based on the size, it should be at least five taels, which meant that it was fifty taels of silver! To be so generous, she was definitely the young miss of a noble family!!


    ¡°This older sister, the watermelons in our shop are sold on a per unit basis. All the watermelons on this shelf are around twenty catties, and they cost five taels of silver each. With the amount of your deposit, you can buy ten watermelons of this size!! If there aren¡¯t that many people in your family, you can just buy two of them back to eat. In the future, we will transport fresh watermelons here every day. It¡¯s better to buy fresh ones to eat each day, and the taste will also be better!¡± Yu Xiaocao adhered to the true meaning of ¡®customers first¡¯ and sincerely advised Eldest Young Miss Zhuang.


    Although Eldest Young Miss Zhuang had a proud temperament, she wasn¡¯t someone who couldn¡¯t tell good from bad. She felt slightly better about the little girl after she heard her words. She smiled faintly and said, ¡°So it¡¯s five taels for one ah! The price is much cheaper than the ones in the capital! It really is tasty and inexpensive!! Then I¡¯ll order ten first. They¡¯re not only for my family to eat. Since it won¡¯t be considered unsightly to send them as gifts, I can also send them to friends and rtives!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± She was rich and imposing, and Yu Xiaocao naturally didn¡¯t mind earning more money. So, she took the little golden ingot with a radiant smile on her face and said, ¡°This older sister, I¡¯ll give you a receipt for you...¡±


    ¡°No need, it¡¯s not that much money! Tomorrow, you can just give the watermelons to the servant sent from the Zhuang Family!¡± Eldest Young Miss Zhuang didn¡¯t really care about a mere fifty taels of silver, so it didn¡¯t matter whether there was a receipt or not.


    Miss Wang wandered around the shop a few times and was overjoyed after she heard the price. She originally thought that such a delicious watermelon would surely be expensive. She had heard from Eldest Young Miss Zhuang that the watermelon that her older brother bought from the capital cost two taels per catty! A small watermelon cost several dozens taels. She was the daughter of a merchant, but even with her entire year of allowance, she still wouldn¡¯t be able to buy a watermelon.


    She hadn¡¯t expected that she could buy a watermelon for five taels of silver at this watermelon shop. In this way, she could buy a watermelon every month with her monthly allowance!


    ¡°I want to order one too. I¡¯lle to get it tomorrow myself!!¡± Miss Wang took out a five tael silver ingot from her embroidered purse and smiled like a little hamster who received peanuts.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly wrote two receipts and handed them to the two flower-like girls. She smiled and exined to Miss Zhuang, ¡°When we open for business tomorrow, there will be a lot of people and we¡¯ll be very busy. I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll make a mistake at that time, so it¡¯s better to retrieve the watermelons with a receipt!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang hesitated for a moment before she took the receipt with ugly handwriting, and then looked at Xiaocao with dismay. But, when she considered her age and attire, she felt that she was being too demanding. Most of girls from ordinary families in town didn¡¯t know how to read and write. It was already pretty good that this little girl could write a few words!


    Miss Wang had already picked out the biggest watermelon in the shop and giggled, ¡°Little girl, I want this one. Help me put it away first. I¡¯lle get it tomorrow!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang was displeased with Miss Wang¡¯s haggling again, but Yu Xiaocao continued to smile and said, ¡°No problem! Uncle Li, remove the watermelon that this youngdy selected from the shelf and put it in the corner of the shop alone. This older sister, look carefully. I¡¯ll mark it for you, so remember to check tomorrow.¡±


    Miss Wang looked at her watermelon with satisfaction. Seeing Yu Xiaocao tie it with a straw rope and stuff a sheet of paper with a strange symbol (Author¡¯s note: Arabic numerals) between the rope, she nodded unceasingly.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang was already rendered speechless by Miss Wang. Disregarding her, she walked out of the shop first and headed to her own carriage.


    The next day, with the crackling of firecrackers, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s watermelon shop had finally opened! Originally, she had wanted to set off a string of firecrackers in a low-key manner, unveil the que, and officially start business! But she hadn¡¯t expected to see so many familiar faces despite not notifying anybody.


    County Magistrate Wu, who was dressed in regr clothes, came with his precious son and servants carrying gifts behind them. With his hands sped together, he bobbed a greeting towards Yu Xiaocao¡¯s godfather and said, ¡°Congrattions, congrattions! Official Fang, why didn¡¯t you notify this subordinate official of your shop¡¯s grand opening?¡±


    Fang Zizhen guffawed, ¡°It¡¯s my daughter¡¯s shop. She wanted to keep a low profile, so we didn¡¯t notify anyone!¡±


    Zhou Zixu had alsoe with gifts. He snorted in dissatisfaction, ¡°It¡¯s fine for others! But Xiaocao, how can you treat me like this! What¡¯s our rtionship? Even if you don¡¯t invite others, can you not invite me toe celebrate the opening of your shop?¡±


    The patriarch of the Yao Family had also personallye with a present, and behind him was the newly promoted head steward¡ªan old acquaintance of Xiaocao. Had he not gained merit by purchasing vegetables from the Yu Family and gotten into his master¡¯s good graces, there was no way he would have gotten the position of the head steward.

 Chapter 173 – Sold Out

    <h4>Chapter 173 ¨C Sold Out</h4>


    ¡°Miss Yu, if it weren¡¯t for Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Little Brother Qian, we wouldn¡¯t have known about the opening of your store! When our old master heard about it, he insisted oning to congratte you in person! Official Fang, Miss Yu, congrattions ah!¡± Steward Yao cupped his hands together and grinned from ear to ear. People who didn¡¯t know might think that he was the one who was opening a store!


    ¡°Second Sister, Second Sister!!¡± A crisp and familiar voice passed through the crowd and entered Xiaocao¡¯s ears. A momentter, a small figure, who was dressed in a sea-blue colored student¡¯s robe and had a schr ribbon tied in his hair, pushed through the crowd and plunged into Yu Xiaocao¡¯s embrace like a cannonball.


    ¡°Shitou? I thought it wasn¡¯t a break today. What are you doing here? Did you skip ss?¡± Yu Xiaocao hugged the little guy¡¯s shoulders and asked in surprise.


    Little Shitou pouted his mouth and got out of her embrace. With a wronged expression, he said, ¡°Second Sister is falsely using me! Our headmaster heard about the opening of our shop, so he brought me and Senior Brother Yunxi over to congratte the happy asion. Then again, I¡¯m also considered a partial owner of the shop, so why can¡¯t Ie?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked in the direction that her younger brother came from. Sure enough, she saw Headmaster Yuan¡¯s dashing and schrly figure. Behind him was Yuan Yunxi, an elegant and handsome young man. The corner of Xiaocao¡¯s eyes twitched¡ªThis old man was a ssic example of two-faced person. He looked normal in front of people, but he was actually aplete foodie.


    ¡°Teacher Yuan, you¡¯re here? Pleasee in!¡± Although Yu Xiaocao grumbled in her heart, she still warmly weed Headmaster Yuan.


    Yuan Sinian stroked his beautiful beard and leisurely strolled inside. He said with a slight smile, ¡°Xiaocao, I heard that the free fruit trays given out at Zhenxiu Restaurant uses your family¡¯s watermelons? It¡¯s sweet and juicy, and tastes very good. It¡¯s a pity that Little Brat Zhou is too stingy. Each table only gets one te...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao almost couldn¡¯t suppress the smile on her face. There was free watermelon to eat, but he was still dissatisfied that there wasn¡¯t enough to eat! Surely, this was something that only Headmaster Yuan would do!


    ¡°Teacher Yuan, I guarantee that there will be more than enough watermelons for you to eat today!¡± Yu Xiaocao told her godfather to apany Headmaster Yuan to the inner courtyard for a little rest. She was unprepared for the arrival of these important guests. Fortunately, she had bought some good tea for her godfather yesterday. Otherwise, it would be so embarrassing if she couldn¡¯t even provide some drinks for the guests!


    ¡®Oh right! When peoplee to congratte the start of a business, it¡¯s necessary to treat them to a meal!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao greeted the guests with a smile as she moved closer to Zhou Zixu, who was helping to entertain the guests, and whispered, ¡°Are there any private rooms avable at your restaurant? I didn¡¯t know that there would be so many guests today, so I didn¡¯t prepare anything...¡±


    Zhou Zixu also moved closer to her ear and whispered, ¡°Rest assured! What¡¯s our rtionship? Your business is my business! I have already reserved it for you, and there would be enough room no matter how many guestse!¡±


    Fortunately, the Yu Family didn¡¯t know many people in the town. Apart from a table for the people from the yamen, who came to give Official Fang face, there was only Headmaster Yuan and several households who bought vegetables from their family. Most of those households just sent a steward over, and Patriarch Yao was the only one who personally came. Two private rooms were enough!


    Headmaster Yuan and Patriarch Yao were arranged to sit at the same table as County Magistrate Wu, and Fang Zizhen would be responsible for entertaining them. As for those stewards, Li Li and Wu Yun personally entertained them.


    For the opening of a small watermelon shop, they actually invited the parental official, Country Magistrate Wu, Headmaster Yuan of the renowned Rongxuan Academy, and several well-known figures in Tanggu Town. It instantly attracted a lot of people¡¯s attention.


    When the noble and prestigious Headmaster Yuan personally uncovered the red silk on the que, the gilded lettering on top¡ªTanggu Watermelon Shop¡ªcaused the corner of his lips to twitch. It was such a straightforward and easy to understand name.


    There were a lot of people in the shop, and the rear courtyard was rtively simple. So Fang Zizhen took the guests, who came to congratte them, to Zhenxiu Restaurant, which was located diagonally across from the store. The crowd of onlookers entered the shop out of curiosity. Yu Xiaocao, Li Li, and Wu Yun were so busy in the shop that they wished that they had three heads, six arms, and ten mouths!


    Not many of the townspeople of the little town of Tanggu had seen watermelon before. At this time, there were a lot of people looking and asking questions, but there weren¡¯t many people actually buying the watermelons!


    Yu Xiaocao had already foreseen this situation. She took out several trays full of small pieces of watermelon and put them at the entrance of the shop. She shouted loudly, ¡°Special event for the opening of Tanggu Watermelon Shop. All the customers who enter the shop can try a piece of watermelon free of charge! Everyone, please stand in line to avoid crowding. If you think it tastes good, you¡¯re wee to make a purchase. The bigger ones cost five taels, while the smaller ones are only three taels!¡±


    Such a good thing like free food tasting had never happened in Tanggu Town before. Everyone in the shop just looked at one another and no one dared to be the first person to try.


    ¡°Wow! There¡¯s such a good thing like free tasting? Me, I¡¯ll do it!¡± Miss Wang¡¯s voice was still so energetic. Disregarding the hindrance of the embarrassed young man behind her, she took the lead and arrived in front of the free watermelon samples. She carefully picked up a piece and savored it in small mouthfuls with her eyes closed.


    Wang Chenyang seriously wished that there was a crack in the ground that he could hide in. He shouldn¡¯t have listened to his mother and apanied his quirky younger sister here. He had never imagined that his younger sister would take advantage of a free tasting opportunity in the eyes of the public.


    What made him unable to lift his head was that the little girl, Wang Yanran, was still unsatisfied after finishing the piece of watermelon and asked, ¡°Can each person only taste one piece?¡±


    ¡®How many pieces do you want to try? Is the whole tray enough for you?¡¯ Wang Chenyang seriously wanted to immediately block his younger sister¡¯s mouth and take the disgraceful fellow out of the watermelon shop.


    After Xiaocao told her that each person could only try a piece, Little Miss Wang Yanran pouted with a disappointed expression. Suddenly, she turned to look at her older brother, who was covering his face. Her eyes lit up and she eximed, ¡°Can my older brother also try one? Eldest Brother, if you¡¯re too embarrassed, then I can try it for you!¡± With that, she picked up the second piece with a smile.


    Wang Chenyang endured all the probing gazes around him pulled his younger sister, and almost gnashed his teeth as he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t youe to pick up the watermelon that you ordered yesterday? I still have something else to do, so let¡¯s hurry back after retrieving it!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took the watermelon that she tied up yesterday and carried it over with difficulty. She handed it to Young Master Wang and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Wang, this is the watermelon that you ordered yesterday. Please take out the receipt that I gave you yesterday. Give me the receipt in exchange for the watermelon.¡±


    Wang Yanran looked at the paper on the watermelon and saw the marking that she secretly made with her nails yesterday. With a smile, she took the receipt out of her embroidered purse and loudly said, ¡°Miss Yu, your shop¡¯s watermelons are the best watermelons that I have ever eaten. Even the watermelons from the capital aren¡¯t as good as yours! When I get my monthly allowance in a few days, I wille back to buy another one!¡±


    Wang Chenyang came out of the watermelon shop with a heavy watermelon in one hand and his younger sister in his other hand. After getting on the horse carriage, he harshly scolded the young girl Wang Yanran. However, when the little girl thought about being able to eat the sweet watermelon at home, she wasn¡¯t annoyed even after getting scolded. Wang Chenyang felt really helpless upon seeing the happy smile on her face.


    But, when he had his first bite of the watermelon, he could understand why his gluttonous younger sister was so fond of the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons. He had followed his father to do business all over the country since he was a young child. He had also eaten watermelons before, but this was the first time he had eaten such a fresh, sweet, and juicy watermelon! Moreover, it was very cheap. In the capital, even twenty taels might not be enough to buy such arge watermelon, let alone five taels.


    The Wang Family consisted of a dozen or so people, which included the head of the household, his wife and concubines, and his children. The children of the legitimate wife received two slices each, while the concubines and their children only got to try one slice. No one would dislike the sweet and juicy watermelon, so everyone still wanted more after eating.


    The littledy Wang Yanran, in particr, was pouting so much that she could almost hang an oil bottle on her lips. If she had known that her mother would use the watermelon that she bought to please her father, then she wouldn¡¯t have told her mother about it. She would have secretly picked it up and ate it alone, which would have definitely satisfied her cravings. Two slices of watermelons weren¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between her teeth! Luckily, her father reimbursed her for the cost of the watermelon. ¡®Humph! I¡¯m going to secretly buy one tomorrow and eat it alone!¡¯


    As for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s watermelon shop, after Wang Yanran took the lead and tried the free sample, other people began to taste it one after another. The enjoyment on their faces and their endless praises led even more people to join in on the free tasting.


    The first group of people who came in were mostly shopkeepers and owners of neighboring businesses. The people who could afford to rent a shop on the street naturally had some money. After tasting the watermelon, most of these people were satisfied and willing to buy some for their families to try.


    The second group were people shopping nearby. Thismercial street in Tanggu Town was equivalent to the streets that sold luxury goods in the future, which was seldom visited by ordinary people. Even if they went, they wouldn¡¯t be able to afford the products. Furthermore, they also had to endure the contemptuous look of certain merchants. Who would be so thick faced to go back again?


    It should also be mentioned that Yu Xiaocao had certainly selected a good location. There were very few people who left the shop empty-handed. However, there weren¡¯t many who would buy ten watermelons at once like Eldest Young Miss Zhuang. Thus, when the steward of the Zhuang Family, with several servants, handed in the receipt and moved a bunch of watermelons out of the store one by one, they helped attract more consumers for Xiaocao¡¯s watermelon shop.


    Yu Xiaocao had finally experienced the painful and happy feelings of ¡®counting money until your hands cramp up¡¯. Her watermelon shop was simr to the modern-day supermarkets; the consumers would personally select the goods and pay at the door. Yu Xiaocao, who sat on the tall chair at the entrance, kept receiving money and giving out change. She also had to maintain a smile on her face while sweetly saying, ¡°Looking forward to your next visit!¡±


    The patrons felt that the little girl, who collected the money, had a sweet smile, crisp voice, and good arithmetic skills. No matter how many watermelons they bought and the different prices of the watermelons, she could quickly calcte the total with one look, and she was never wrong.


    In fact, this kind of first or second grade level math skills might be slightly difficult for the people in ancient times. However, it was absolutely a piece of cake for Xiaocao, who had learned the multiplication table.


    The two carts of watermelons that they hauled to the store yesterday werepletely sold out before noon. Later, people who came to the store, after hearing about the delicious and cheap watermelons at ¡®Tanggu Watermelon Shop¡¯, only ended up seeing empty shelves.

 Chapter 174 – Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 174 ¨C Banquet</h4>


    The busy Xiaocao could finally sit down and drink some water to soothe her throat. When she encountered disappointed customers, who didn¡¯t manage to buy a watermelon, she would persuade them to make an order in advance and leave a deposit. By leaving a deposit, the patrons would have their watermelons reserved for them. In this way, they wouldn¡¯t encounter the situation of not being able to purchase a watermelon due to arrivingte.


    Many customers left a deposit for their advanced orders, so she wrote receipts for them with her slightly immature-looking Simplified Chinese characters and Arabic numbers. Her handwriting and writing style could also be used to fend off counterfeits. This was because, on the next day, a loafer in town came with a receipt to retrieve the reserved watermelons, but Yu Xiaocao was able to identify it as a fake with one nce. That guy had wanted to argue with her, but he was left speechless in front of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s receipts, which were written in a handwriting that was cking arms and legs¡¯. He was taken to the yamen by Li Li, who was helping out at the shop.


    In fact, after word of mouth, the entire Tanggu Town knew that Tanggu Watermelon Shop had rtions with the yamen. This loafer had ended up being a cannon fodder, who helped the melon shop prove its prestige. After this incident, no one dared to cause trouble for the Yu Family¡¯s watermelon store.


    After she hung up a wooden sign that said, ¡®Watermelons have been sold out. Pleasee earlier tomorrow¡¯, on the shop¡¯s door, Yu Xiaocao bent down to pick up the money chest. She used so much strength that even her face had turned red, but the money chest still sat firmly on the table. Li Li, who was beside her, saw this and couldn¡¯t help but burst out inughter!


    ¡°Do you know how many watermelons were sold today? There were at least a hundred or so watermelons on the two carts. Let¡¯s just say that we sold each for three taels, then it would be over three hundred taels! Yet, you want to pick up this money box with your tiny limbs?¡± Li Li rolled up his sleeves to reveal his strong arms and easily lifted the box. He carried it under his arms and asked, ¡°Tell, where are you going? I will take it over for you!¡±


    ¡°To the Zhenxiu Restaurant across the street. Uncle Li, after being busy for the entire afternoon, aren¡¯t you hungry? Let¡¯s go eat!¡± Yu Xiaocao reckoned that the feast should¡¯ve started, if they went over now, then they would be just in time.


    With the money chest under his arms, Li Li strode towards Zhenxiu Restaurant. Not everyone could afford to eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant whenever they wanted. Even if he didn¡¯t eat and drink for one month, his sry still might not be enough for him to eat one decent meal at the restaurant! To have such a rare chance today, he must go all out and eat his fill.


    Yu Xiaocao, together with the money chest, were taken to the room where Fang Zizhen was entertaining the wealthy and noble guests. As soon as she entered, Headmaster Yuan teased, ¡°Oh! Our little shopkeeper has finallye! Business must be pretty good today. You definitely earned enough money for two tables of food!¡±


    The expression of Xiaocao, who was originally immersed in the happiness of making money, suddenly changed when she heard what he said. ¡®That¡¯s right! It will cost at least one hundred taels to eat in Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s private room. If they ordered all the best dishes, then even two hundred taels won¡¯t be enough. My gosh! Then was all my hard work for today done for nothing?¡¯


    Seeing his goddaughter drooping her head and appearing pitiful, Fang Zizhen¡¯s heart ached for her as he hurriedly said, ¡°Today, my daughter¡¯s shop has opened for business, so as her godfather, it¡¯s my rightful duty to help her receive the guests! Youngster Zhou, today¡¯s banquet is on me!¡±


    Zhou Zixu had already seen Xiaocao¡¯s moneygrubber appearance before, so he knew that she was really distressed about losing the money that she had just gotten. He hastily said with a smile, ¡°Lord Fang, how can I let you pay? To tell everyone the truth, Xiaocao was the one who came up with the recipes for our restaurant¡¯s most popr dishes like oyster sauce dishes, roasted chicken, and osmanthus duck. It can be said that without Xiaocao, the present Zhenxiu Restaurant wouldn¡¯t exist. Just take these two tables of food as my token of gratitude to Xiaocao. Don¡¯t mention anything about paying!¡±


    Upon hearing that she didn¡¯t need to spend her money, the little moneygrubber Xiaocao immediately beamed with joy. Looking at the table full of delicious food, she stood up with her cup raised in her hands, and with tea in ce of wine, she toasted all the honored guest who were present, ¡°Today is the opening of my small business. I didn¡¯t expect so many distinguished guests toe congratte me, so please forgive me for any oversight. Xiaocao will use tea in ce of wine to toast everyone here today. Please¡ª¡ª¡±


    Among the people sitting in this room, even the youngest was older than Xiaocao¡¯s father. Seeing a pure and fair little girl holding a cup with an earnest expression and talking like an adult, they all felt that it was quite interesting. With a knowing smile, they picked up their wine cups and took a sip.


    Little Shitou attentively poured wine for the guests, while Xiaocao courteously urged everyone to eat. Seeing that the two kids were able to adequately handle this situation, Old Master Yao couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°The Yu Family is really good at teaching their children. When my grandchildren were at their age, they were still acting spoiled and crying for attention ah!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an old saying: ¡®children of poor families have to take care of their families earlier!¡¯ Your grandchildren all grew up in a privileged and sheltered environment, so they naturally won¡¯t have to be like us. Grandpa Yao, let me pour a cup of wine for you to thank you for the support that you have always shown us!¡± In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had also engaged in some social activities, so she was able to handle this situation with ease.


    Old Master Yao happily drank the wine Xiaocao poured for him and chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s the vegetables from your family that is good! Since eating the vegetables your family grew, the vegetables from other families can¡¯t even match the taste. In the past, I loved to eat meat and almost never touched the vegetables. Now, I can¡¯t even eat a meal without vegetables from your family ah! Look at me right now. I¡¯m bing more vigorous with age. Look, it seems like all my lingering health issues from before are all gone! Haha! All better! I believe the biggest reason is the vegetables from your family...¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? It¡¯s not like our vegetables are magical pills, so how can they be as miraculous as you say they are? I have learned some medical knowledge from the vige doctor, and thus know that eating more vegetables is beneficial for people¡¯s health! Your health wasn¡¯t good in the past because you didn¡¯t eat vegetables. Since you like to eat vegetables now, it¡¯s natural that your health has gotten better! It doesn¡¯t really have much to do with our family¡¯s vegetables!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to let others know about the secret of their vegetables, so she hurriedly exined.


    Old Master Yao still thought it was the contribution of the Yu family¡¯s vegetables and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m willing to eat vegetables because the greens that your family grows are fresh and juicy, and also tastes great! In the end, it¡¯s still the credit of your family¡¯s vegetables!¡±


    At this time, Zhou Zixuughed and said, ¡°Old Master Yao, Xiaocao, you two should stop already. One is giving endless praises, while the other is desperately trying to be modest. Old Master, all of the vegetables used at Zhenxiu Restaurant are supplied by Xiaocao¡¯s family. If you like them, please eat more!¡±


    County Magistrate Wu tried the ¡®stir-fried lettuce with oyster sauce¡¯, while nodding his head and saying, ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s oyster sauce dishes tastes absolutely amazing! I may not have the chance to eat it again in the future...¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou hurriedly replied, ¡°Uncle Wu, our Zhenxu Restaurant¡¯s branch restaurant in the capital has been opened for several months already. So, you don¡¯t have to worry about not being able to eat our oyster sauce dishes. What¡¯s more, our condiments store in the capital also sells oyster sauce. Now, many officials and noble lords have this condiment in their kitchens.¡±


    Old Master Yao really loved the taste of green vegetables cooked with oyster sauce, so when he heard this, he immediately responded, ¡°Are you also selling oyster sauce in Tanggu Town? Our household¡¯s purchasing servants are too ipetent. They actually missed out on such an important item.¡±


    ¡°Patriarch Yao, the store next to Zhenxiu Restaurant sells condiments produced by our ¡®Haitian¡¯. Other than oyster sauce, we also have MSG and fermented bean curd. In the future, there will be more and more condiments avable for purchase. If you need it, just send someone over to buy it. I will give you a twenty percent discount...¡± Zhou Zixu was really talented in doing business.


    County Magistrate Wuughed as he pointed at him and said, ¡°You ah! You won¡¯t forget to advertise your products even when we are eating!¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxu, does your products even need advertising? I¡¯ve heard that people line up and still can¡¯t get it!¡± Young Master Wumented while gnawing on a roasted chicken wing.


    Zhou Zixu modestly said, ¡°I have to thank everyone¡¯s support and continual patronage for that.¡±


    Everyone at the table happily chatted as they ate to their hearts¡¯ content. They especially enjoyed the te of watermelon that was served after the meal. Under the skillful hands of the chef, the watermelons had turned into an exquisite piece of art, which made people reluctant to eat them. The fresh sweetness of the watermelons received unanimous praise from everyone.


    After the banquet, Xiaocao fetched the watermelons that she had saved for the honored guest and gave them two each to take home. Although Xiaocao was unprepared for today¡¯s banquet, both the host and guests had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.


    Xiaocao had to return to Dongshan Vige in the afternoon, so Fang Zizhen stayed behind to take care of the melon shop. Fang Zizhen and his two subordinates hadn¡¯t gone to the docks for many days due to the matters of the watermelon shop. Knowing that this wouldn¡¯t work out in the long run, Xiaocao reckoned that she should hire someone to watch the watermelon shop.


    Who should they hire? First of all, this person had to have a good character, quick wits, and be able to manage a store. When Xiaocao got home, she discussed this with her parents and felt that her eldest maternal aunt was the most suitable for this job.


    Eldest Maternal Aunt was honest and kind. When the Yu Family was going through their hardest times, she had privately taken out her hard-earned money to support them. Madam Han also had experience with doing business at the docks. The watermelon shop couldn¡¯t always be as busy as today¡¯s grand opening day, so once business had stabilized, she should be able to manage the store alone.


    After entrusting someone to send a letter over, Madam Han came over that afternoon with Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother and two maternal uncles.


    ¡°This child, you should have told us earlier if you needed help! You ah, what should Mother say to you? You¡¯re always doing everything on your own.¡± Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother lovingly scolded Madam Liu as she lightly poked her forehead.


    With her head bowed, Madam Liu said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯re just a little more busy these past two days because the watermelons has ripened. As a married daughter, how can I keep inconveniencing my maiden family?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all one family, so how is it considered troubling one another?¡± Madam Han nimbly helped load the cart, and nned on going to town with the cart that was transporting the watermelons. She had even brought extra clothing in preparation for a long-term stay in the shop!


    Xiaocao¡¯s eldest maternal uncle was discussing the matter of selling watermelons with Yu Hai and Xiaocao, ¡°I don¡¯t think you guys can manage with just these two carts, so let¡¯s just forget about the matter of lending us the donkey cart. I don¡¯t want to hold up your business!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao interjected, ¡°Eldest Maternal Uncle, you don¡¯t have to worry about this! Third Young Master Zhou said that his family has an extra horse carriage that they don¡¯t normally use. So, I borrowed it from him.¡±


    ¡°This child, you¡¯re troubling Young Master Zhou again!¡± Yu Hai eximed as he shook his head helplessly.


    Yu Xiaocao made a funny face at him and said, ¡°He willingly lent it to me! Besides, his carriage was just idling at home, so lending it to me is considered putting it to good use! Eldest Maternal Uncle, you can use the Zhou Family¡¯s carriage since it can carry more goods!¡±


    ¡°If there is a carriage, then things will be a lot easier! I have talked it over with your second maternal uncle. Watermelons are very valuable, so it¡¯s enough that only your shop sells them in town. We are preparing to go to the prefectural city, which has even more noble and wealthy families. So, we should be able to sell them!¡± Liu Pei was more daring than his second brother.


    Yu Xiaocao expressed her support, ¡°Eldest Uncle, when are you guys nning on going? My godfather will go to the prefectural city tomorrow to take care of some matters. If possible, you guys can join him on the journey tomorrow. With my godfather¡¯s support, you guys can avoid meeting hooligans, local tyrants, and so on...¡±


    The prefectural city was different from the small town of Tanggu, which had more simple and honest people and customs. It was indeed rare to see watermelons during this time of the year, so it would inevitably attract envious eyes. However, with the support of this great lord, Fang Zizhen, the Liu brothers definitely wouldn¡¯t suffer any difficulties!

 Chapter 175 – A Taste of Sweetness

    <h4>Chapter 175 ¨C A Taste of Sweetness</h4>


    With this, Wang Ergou, humming off tune, happily pushed his family¡¯s wheelbarrow and soon arrived at the Yu Family¡¯s melon field.


    Looking at the pile of watermelons on the ground, Wang Ergou smiled so brightly that he showed his uneven teeth and happily said, ¡°Oh my! I thought I came early, but it seems you guys came even earlier than me! If there is anything I can help with, just tell me...By the way, this is the money I made from selling the watermelons yesterday. The total is fifty-four taels, shouldn¡¯t be wrong!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took the money from his hands and gave him his IOU back. Seeing that he was so happy that it looked like he couldn¡¯t find his direction, she smiled and said, ¡°Was yesterday¡¯s business good? You look quite happy!¡±


    Wang Ergou smiled and nodded his head, ¡°Yesterday, I was pretty lucky. A boat that belonged to an officialnded. The steward who came to pick them up basically bought twenty-some watermelons. Hehe! Just from them, I made more than thirty taels! The rest were sold out before the afternoon!¡±


    After living for over thirty years, Wang Ergou did business for the first time in his life. His wife was anxious about it that she followed him to the pier with a slightly pregnant belly.


    At first, the pier was mostly docked with cargo ships. Other than a couple of stewards who were more experienced and had seen watermelons before, the rest mostly circled around looking curiously. Upon hearing that the watermelons cost a few taels each, they dispelled their notion of buying any.


    After a while, there was still no buyers. Wang Ergou was a bit worried and was about to go into town to sell the watermelons. His wife stopped him and said, ¡°How can you do business without the determination? Take a look at Xiaolian, isn¡¯t it until noon that she gets busy? Wait a little longer. Xiaocao said, as long as you capture the opportunity there won¡¯t be any worries in the future. What you arecking in is precisely the patience!¡±


    Wang Ergou didn¡¯t want his wife to run around with him, so he forced himself to hold back his anxiety and shouted out to the passing travelers who were always moving, ¡°Watermelon, big and sweet watermelons! If it¡¯s not sweet, then it¡¯s free!!¡±


    Good thingse to those who wait. Not long afterward, they began doing business! The buyer was one of the head stewards of Qingyao Trading Company, one of the four major tradingpanies. This head steward had traveled all over the ce and had more experience. Upon seeing watermelons being sold in this season, he was surprised and immediately bought one. He opened it on the spot to try it, and the sweetness of the watermelon stunned him.


    Originally, he had decided to buy all the watermelons at a lowered price, but Wang Ergou was reluctant to give up profit. The steward had also brought back a lot of goods, so he couldn¡¯t clear any space for the watermelons. He could only give up, but nevertheless, he still bought two more watermelons to take back for his master to try.


    The first step was the hardest. After making his first watermelon sale, Wang Ergou held the fifteen taels in his hand and was very pleased with himself. He calcted, and, if they continued like this, then by selling ten or so watermelons, they could break even. The remaining watermelon sales would be pure profit....


    Right at that moment, the ship of an official pulled onto shore. Allegedly, it was a high-ranking official returning to the capital with his family to report on his work. The Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s attitudes towards women were less harsh. Thus, the women and children, who had been on the ship for a month, got off the boat as soon as it was ashore to walk around and breathe some fresh air.


    The six-year-old daughter of the official heard Wang Ergou¡¯s shouts and went to him apanied by her maidservant. Curiously, she examined the big round watermelons on the wheelbarrow. She pouted and said, ¡°You¡¯re lying. Watermelons aren¡¯t that big! The watermelons I¡¯ve eaten watermelons are only this big!¡±


    The adorable little girl used her hands to show the size. She stared at him with a pair of big round eyes, looking cute and innocent. Wang Ergou couldn¡¯t help but think of the child in his wife¡¯s belly. If it was a girl, would it be as beautiful as the child in front of him? (Author¡¯s note: You¡¯re overthinking it. With your looks, if your daughter looked like you, it would be the scene of a crime!)


    Wang Ergou patiently bent down, squeezed out a kind and gentle smile, and softly said, ¡°Young Lady, the watermelons I¡¯m selling are big watermelons! They are big and sweet,I¡¯m definitely not lying!¡±


    The little girl carefully thought about it and said in a clear voice, ¡°Then I have to try it first before paying. You said it earlier If it¡¯s not sweet then. It¡¯s at no cost¡±


    Wang Ergou scratched his head and unwillingly chose one of the smallest watermelons in the wheelbarrow. He used a clean cloth to wipe the knife he brought over before chopping the watermelon. The maidservant, upon seeing the knife was clean, didn¡¯t say anything.


    The little girl took a bite of the watermelon gracefully and immediately eximed, ¡°Wow! It really is really sweet! Xiaomei, pay him! You¡ª¡ªcan you help me take the watermelon over there? I want to let my mother and older brothers try too!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Wang Ergou took the three taels, picked up the remaining watermelon and the leftover pieces that the little girl didn¡¯t finish, and followed behind her towards the pier.


    The little girl¡¯s brothers were surprised and curious upon seeing the red pulp fruit. They all couldn¡¯t help but grab a piece to try. The watermelons, which had been irrigated by the mystic stone water, had a delicious vor that was indescribably good. Even the members of this official¡¯s family, who had all eaten watermelons countless times, never had watermelon this good before.


    The little girl¡¯s father, upon seeing his wife and children eating so delightfully, waved his hands and bought fifteen watermelons from Wang Ergou. In this season, if he were to give them as a gift, then his reputation would increase greatly.


    It was in this way that half the watermelons that Wang Ergou brought were sold. Afterward, several more ships came ashore and the remaining watermelons were sold. After careful calction, he found out that over twenty watermelons had been sold for a total of one hundred and two taels, and his profit was more than forty-two taels.


    Wang Ergou has never seen so much money in his life! In the past, his wife had always pushed him to do odd jobs. After a hard and tiring day working, he would only get ten copper coins. After a month, the most he could save was one or two taels. Today, however, he just shouted a few words and it was enough to earn forty-two taels, which was previously worth several years of savings!


    ¡°Wife, wife! Quick, pinch me, am I dreaming?¡± Wang Ergou was so excited that tears had welled up in his eyes. With shaking hands he carefully took the money and put it away in his chest pocket. He then pulled on his wife¡¯s hand and ced it on his arm.


    Ergou¡¯s wife¡¯s heart was also pounding. With tears in her eyes, she gently patted the man next to her and caressed her inconspicuous pregnant belly. With this source of ie, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to raise their children in the future.


    Ergou¡¯s wife was from a poor family. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have married a man like Ergou. Being hungry was a shadow from her childhood. She had eight siblings, but only she and her two older brothers survived.


    After her marriage, although her husband wasn¡¯t outstanding, he dearly loved his wife. Although their days were a bit rough, it was much better than her maiden home. Originally she thought that such bitter and rough days would never end, but unexpectedly they met Yu Hai¡¯s family, who helped them out many times and even gave them a chance to earn money.


    Her child wouldn¡¯t have to be like her when she was young. When she was hungry, she used to drink water and hope it would pass, and when she was sick she could only suffer through it.


    ¡°Wife! I¡¯m going to go buy half a catty of meat to supplement your body!¡± With money in his hands, Wang Ergou¡¯s back was straighter than before.


    Wang Ergou¡¯s wife red at him, confiscated all the money, and softly rebuked, ¡°We still owe Brother Hai money for his melons! The rest isn¡¯t enough for tomorrow¡¯s batch of melons! Could it be that you have the conscience to put it on credit again tomorrow?¡±


    Wang Ergouughed and said, ¡°I nned to push over more watermelons tomorrow. I¡¯m afraid that the rest of the money isn¡¯t enough to pay for the melons...how about we put it on credit once more?¡±


    Ergou¡¯s wife shook her head and said, ¡°Today, we met a customer that bought a lot. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know how long it would¡¯ve taken us to sell all of these watermelons. In my opinion, how about you buy the number of watermelons you can afford with the money earned today? Earning less is ok!¡±


    Wang Ergou knew the ¡®you eat rice bite by bite, and make money little by little¡¯ philosophy. Listening to his wife, he said, ¡°Brother Dahai, I will take forty taels worth of watermelons today. I want to spend twenty taels on the big ones, ten taels on the medium and small ones...¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Yu Hai helped by handing him the already weighed watermelons. When he saw Ergou handing over the money, he smiled and whispered, ¡°Hey! Yesterday¡¯s business must¡¯ve been pretty good, you earned quite a bit!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! It¡¯s only forty-some taels. It¡¯s nothingpared to Brother Hai! You pulled two carts full of watermelon over yesterday!¡± Wang Ergou hid his pride but he couldn¡¯t stop his smile from appearing.


    Liu Pei, who was helping load the wheelbarrow, upon seeing that a wheelbarrow full of watermelon could earn a profit forty-two taels, realized that if they took one cart full to the prefectural city, then wouldn¡¯t they earn more than 100 taels? His heart raced at such a figure.


    At that moment, the carriage that Xiaocao borrowed from the Zhou¡¯s was brought over. After talking it over, Liu Pei and Liu Han decided to immediately depart and transport the watermelon to the prefectural city overnight.


    Xiaocao also felt that a cart transporting watermelons wouldn¡¯t be faster than her godfather galloping quickly down the road. So, she let her two uncles depart first after setting a meeting point with her godfather tomorrow.


    With multiple people helping, the watermelon cart was quickly filled up. They first had to take the cart to Tanggu Town, and then take the imperial highway before they could get to the prefectural city. If they set off now, then it would still be hard for them to arrive at the prefectural city before they closed the city gates.


    Xiaocao prepared rations, water and warm clothing for her two uncles. Even though it was near the end of spring, the nights were still chilly in the north. Her uncles might be sleeping out in the open, how could they stand the cold?


    Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s two carts set off with the Liu Pei brothers. Xiaocao took the donkey cart and Yu Hai took the cart that they had bought a few days ago. Thankfully, the horse chosen by Third Young Master Zhou had a good temperament, so even a stranger could control him.


    Yu Hai had stayed back in the fields yesterday, so he missed the melon store¡¯s first raucous open day of business. When Xiaocao told them what had happened, he wanted to see the scene. He regretted not being able to see it with his own eyes. Today, no matter what, he had to go to town with her.


    No matter what, he was still the father of the store owner, so didn¡¯t that make him at least half an owner? Besides, if he didn¡¯t help his daughter, he would feel bad. As such, Madam Liu stayed behind to watch the field in the morning and he was going to take over in the evening.


    There were two other people who came along with them. One of them was Eldest Aunt, Madam Han, who came along to help. The other was Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother, Madam Yao, who was fooled by Xiaocao intoing to widen her knowledge.


    When they arrived in town, they found that the melon shop was surrounded by people and thought something had happened! After the store closed yesterday, Li Li was left alone to keep an eye on it. Fang Zizhen and Wu Yun had gone to the pier and Xiaocao have gone back to Dongshan Vige. Was yesterday¡¯s business so good that it caught the attention of some people so they came today to look for trouble?

 Chapter 176 – The Princess Consort

    <h4>Chapter 176 ¨C The Princess Consort</h4>


    ¡°They¡¯re here, they¡¯re here!¡± When the crowd saw the horse cart and donkey cart piled high with watermelons, they immediately became excited and automatically backed away to allow a space for the carts to move.


    Li Li, whose head was dripping with sweat, finally managed to push through the people. He squeezed himself in front of the donkey cart and wiped off the perspiration that was pooled on his forehead. He eximed in a somewhat exaggerated manner, ¡°My littledy ah, you¡¯re finally here! If the watermelons didn¡¯t get here soon, then all of the people here would rip me apart!¡±


    Another familiar figure also managed to push his way to the front. It was the Yao Family¡¯s steward. Yesterday, he had eaten a meal with Li Li andmented in a familiar tone, ¡°Who would dare to cause difficulties for Lord Li?! Everyone knows that the imperial envoy highly values Lord Li!¡±


    ¡°Highly valued? I¡¯ve been delegated here to sell watermelons. I¡¯m definitely not someone highly valued ah!¡± Li Li made fun of himself in a way that he thought was humorous.


    However, Yu Xiaocao merely raised an eyebrow in response, ¡°Oh? I only had you help us for two days and you¡¯re alreadyining and whining? I see, I see ah! In the future, I¡¯ll just prepare a smaller portion of food for godfather to bring the docks...¡±


    ¡°No! Please don¡¯t! Other than your family¡¯s braised food, the rest of the food avable at the docks is not worth it. However, I can¡¯t guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to buy a portion when I line up. Without the food you send, how will I be able to eat in the future ah?! Xiaocao, my littledy, just pretend that I didn¡¯t say anything earlier, okay? Being able to help my littledy, it is truly the blessing of three lifetimes...¡± Compared to Wu Yun, Li Li¡¯s personality was a bit more lively. Thus, he was able to say some moreical things and perform more hrious expressions without seeming out of ce.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there and chat ah! Hurry up, we¡¯re all waiting to buy watermelons!¡± They weren¡¯t sure who wasining loudly but it was obvious that the person didn¡¯t know the power behind the melon stand. A customer next to the guy kindly whispered into his ears and exined. Immediately, the man deted and hunkered down to avoid being spotted by Li Li¡¯s sharp eyes.


    There were a decent number of people who came with the carts and Li Li was also there to help. Thus, the two carts full of watermelon were quickly unloaded into the store. The previously empty and bare shelves were now full of round and plump watermelons.


    The people, who had been waiting for a very long time in front of the store, could now finally buy some watermelon. The store, which wasn¡¯trge in the first ce, was soon squeezed full of customers.


    After Steward Yao finished helping them unload the watermelons, he smiled at Xiaocao, ¡°Do you remember the two watermelons that you gifted to us yesterday? That afternoon, two of our old master¡¯s friends came over to visit, so he couldn¡¯t help but show off a bit and took them out. Unexpectedly, his two friends pestered him into giving the watermelons away! In a fit of pique, our old master ordered me to line up at dawn today and told me to buy a lot. He¡¯s nning on hosting a ¡®watermelon tasting event¡¯ at noon...¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this, she couldn¡¯t help butugh a bit. There was amon saying among the people: An old child, an old child!! Sure enough, when people got older, they tended to act more like children. Old Yao¡¯s two old friends could even forcefully take their host¡¯s watermelons. On the other hand, Old Yao, in order to show off, had to host a ¡®watermelon tasting event¡¯. This was truly too funny!


    Xiaocao personally picked out over a dozen first-rate watermelons for Steward Yao. Perhaps it was because she spent every day in close proximity with the little divine stone, but she was starting to be able to sense spiritual energy. For example, she could faintly feel the spiritual energy that was found in the little divine stone¡¯s ¡®bathing water¡¯. As for these watermelons, their ripeness and sweetness was dependent on the amount of spiritual energy they had absorbed from the mystic-stone water. Therefore, she could faintly tell which ones had a higher concentration of energy and would likely taste better.


    After Steward Yao paid for his goods, it was as if the floodgates had opened. Following that, Yu Xiaocao could only sit next to the cash box and had no opportunities to leave. This was truly an experience of receiving so much money that her hands hurt ah!


    The watermelons disyed on the shelves quickly sold out. Eldest Maternal Aunt, Madam Han, continuously moved watermelons from the rear courtyard onto the shelves. After one shelf became empty, she would swiftly replenish it with more watermelons. There was more work than she could handle by herself, so Grandmother Yao also helped out.


    The two men, Yu Hai and Li Li, quickly drove the two carts back to Dongshan Vige. They nned on hauling another two carts full of watermelon to the store that afternoon so they would have more to sell the next day.


    The wealthy and rich people in town usually interacted closely with each other. Many families that bought watermelons yesterday had also invited friends and family over to taste them. Every single person who tasted the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons immediately became fans of the fruit. Because they weren¡¯t able to eat enough at their rtives¡¯ or friends¡¯ homes to satisfy their cravings, they all either sent servants over or came themselves to stand in line. Thus, the fric scene of people scrambling to buy watermelon once again urred at the Yu Family¡¯s watermelon stand.


    ¡°Eh? What sort of store is over there; it¡¯s so lively!¡± A subdued yet luxurious horse carriage stopped not far from ¡®Tanggu¡¯s Watermelon Shop¡¯. A pair of pale, delicate hands lightly opened the carriage¡¯s window curtains and the person peered over.


    Next to the horse cart was a handsome young man riding arge horse. He nced at the melon store and bent over to softly speak to the person in the carriage, ¡°Mother, that should be a watermelon stand...¡±


    The person who the handsome youth called ¡®mother¡¯ was a matron who had once been beautiful. Her face was full of pallor and seemed quite thin. Every movement she made seemed to be weak andcking but she still had a hint of innate grace. The matron lightly coughed twice and took the proffered cup from a maid. She moistened her throat and replied in a gentle and delicate voice, ¡°Watermelon stand? Aren¡¯t watermelons only avable in the summer? Are you telling me that the watermelons in Tanggu Town ripen earlier than the ones in the capital?¡±


    The good-looking young man also seemed a bit perplexed, ¡°I¡¯m not sure! We¡¯ve just reached the end of spring, so how can there be watermelons for sale? Little Zhuozi, our farm also nted watermelons, right?¡±


    The person called ¡®Little Zhuozi¡¯ was a youth who looked somewhat gentle and reserved. When he heard his master asking him a question, he bowed while on horseback, ¡°This servant went to the farm a few days ago. The watermelons on the farm aren¡¯t bigger than the size of a fist and are probably around a month away from bing ripe!¡±


    The matron became interested in the watermelon stand and gently yet firmly dered, ¡°Xiaoer 1, go buy a watermelon and bring it over. Let¡¯s try it and see how it tastes.¡±


    ¡°Mother, watermelon is a cold type of food. Recently you haven¡¯t been feeling well, so let¡¯s not buy any watermelons now, okay?¡± The handsome youth frowned deeply and replied in a worried tone.


    The beautifuldy¡¯s long andrge eyes faintly nced at him. Her willow-shaped eyebrows knitted briefly as she worriedly said, ¡°Ah...most of my body¡¯s issues stem from too much stress and worry. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know this! You even said that you¡¯re apanying me out here to help me rx. It¡¯s with great difficulty that I even have an appetite to eat some fruit, yet you have all kinds of excuses to not buy any...aiyo, my chest hurts...¡±


    Here we go again! A helpless expression appeared on the handsome youth¡¯s face. Although his mother was almost forty, she still had the personality and temper of a young maiden. She always needed to have someonepliment and protect her. However, she wasn¡¯t grateful at all and alwaysined that this or that hurt all the time...Ah! This was all caused by his father spoiling her!! Who in the capital didn¡¯t know that his imperial highness, Prince Jing, was one hundred percent a wife-pampering maniac?


    ¡°Mother! Before you left, what did you promise Father? You had personally promised that you would always listen to my ideas regarding food and lodgings! We¡¯ve only traveled out of the capital for a couple of days, so how could you forget about this?¡± The handsome youth, Zhu Junxi, was the second son of Prince Jing, and was currently unhappily trying to persuade his mother.


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯srge eyes flickered. She decided to continue her shameless behavior and covered her chest with her hands. Cries of pain and annoyance poured out of her as she continued toin, ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise your father that you would go with what I said when it was right and reasonable to avoid making me angry ah? I currently don¡¯t have much of an appetite and want to eat some fruit. That¡¯s not unreasonable!¡±


    In front of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s shameless acts, her two personal maidservants, Meixiang and Lanxiang, both lowered their heads and continued to do their regr tasks. They had seen this kind of scene ur many times before. The princess consort was constantly pampered by the prince and also had three sons to protect her. Every time she wanted her way, she would always shamelessly act sick. Both the old and young masters loved her dearly, so she always won in the end.


    Zhu Junxi silently sighed and attempted to struggle onest time. He softly tried to persuade her, ¡°Mother, do you still remember why you¡¯ve traveled to Tanggu? If you eat watermelon, which is a cold food, and end up bing sicker, then when Third Younger Brotheres home, he¡¯ll me himself!¡±


    Why did Princess Consort Jing appear in a small town like Tanggu? She had ample reasons¡ª¡ªher third son, Zhu Junyang, had already been out at sea for more than half a year. Since he left, there hadn¡¯t been a message sent home. She constantly thought and worried about him until she became ill. Thus, she absolutely had toe over here to inquire about any news.


    The seas were full of danger. Rough winds and water would often appear at a moment¡¯s notice. In fact, had her third son¡¯s luck not been good enough, then he might have drowned in the ocean during the previous test voyage. How could she not be worried after he had been gone for over half a year? Tanggu was the town that had the closest harbor to the open ocean. Coming here was like bing slightly closer to her youngest son. By doing that, her fretful heart could finally calm down a bit.


    Prince Jing had also seen his beloved wife slowly wasting away day by day due to missing her son. That was the reason why he allowed his second son to bring her out and relieve her worries. Had he not been busy recently, he would have personally apanied her too.


    When the topic of her youngest son came out, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s eyes immediately dimmed. Earlier, she had been mostly faking her distress, but now she was truly upset. All of her worry and anxiety over her youngest son poured into her heart and almost made it hard for her to breathe.


    Her youngest son had long been interested in traveling by ship. Since he was young, he had always stuck around his older cousin¡ª¡ªthe current emperor¡ª¡ªand looked avidly at the models of ships slowly being created by his cousin¡¯s hands. The little guy, who was only around three to four years of age at the time, had set down an ambitious goal that day¡ª¡ªthat when he became older, he would be an adventurer of the distant seas and bring back rare and strange objects from far awaynds back home to relieve his mother¡¯s boredom!


    She had previously dismissed it as a child¡¯s dreams and never expected that, ten yearster, that her youngest son truly went on a long journey in the seas to find distant, unknownnds. However, he had been gone for more than half a year. How could she, as his mother, not be constantly worried about him?


    ¡°Princess Consort, are you feeling ill again? Lanxiang, where are Her Highness¡¯s pills? Quickly take out one and help Her Highness take it!¡± Meixiang could sense that her mistress wasn¡¯t feeling well and hurriedly poured a ss of lukewarm water. She then took out a lengxiang pill and helped her mistress take it.


    Zhu Junxi could tell that he had said the wrong thing and caused his mother to be anxious again. He quickly dismounted, lifted the carriage¡¯s curtain, and asked with concern, ¡°Mother, please don¡¯t worry. The crew on the ship are all experienced sailors who have previously sailed with the emperor. I believe Third Younger Brother will soone home safe and sound.¡±


    After she took her medicine, Princess Consort Jing felt a little better. She smiled weakly at her son, ¡°It¡¯s the old illness again. I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    When Zhu Junxi saw that his mother¡¯splexion had improved a little, he rxed slightly. Hemented with a bit of me in his voice, ¡°With the parents here, one shouldn¡¯t travel far away! Third Younger Brother is truly too impudent. He knew Mother has problems with her heart yet he still persisted on leaving...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk anymore!¡± Not a hint of a smile could be seen on Princess Consort Jing¡¯s beautiful face. Her weak and delicate eyes immediately became more spirited, ¡°Xiaoer, stop thinking those thoughts! Prince Jing¡¯s family absolutely cannot have the tragedy of brothers fighting and scheming in the dark!¡±


    [1] Xiaoer (С¶þ) ¨C She¡¯s literally calling him ¡®little two¡¯ since he is her second child.

 Chapter 177 – Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 177 ¨C Scheme</h4>


    Princess Consort Jing seemed to realize that she was being a bit too severe and lightly sighed, ¡°I know that you haven¡¯t had it easy. Your eldest brother is the heir of Prince Jing¡¯s household and he had been personally taught by your father. Third son is the youngest at home and had a weak body after being born, so he received a bit more care from me and your father. You are the second son sandwiched between an older and younger brother, so it would be hard for Mother and Father to avoid somewhat neglecting you. However, Second Son, you must remember that you, Li¡¯er, and Yang¡¯er are all my flesh and blood. You are all are incredibly important to me!¡±


    Everyone in the capital knew that Prince Jing and his wife were a couple that loved each other very much and that Prince Jing pampered his wife beyond expectation! The prince¡¯s residence not only didn¡¯t have any concubines living in it but he also got rid of any maidservants who had other ideas.


    That¡¯s right, you¡¯re not crazy, it was Prince Jing himself! He managed to resist the alluring temptations and only loved his wife. It had been like this for the past ten years. There wasn¡¯t a single married woman or noble maiden in the capital who didn¡¯t envy Princess Consort Jing for having a good life.


    The princess consort had been married for twenty-five years and had given birth to three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Zhu Junli, had been designated the heir since he was born. Prince Jing thought it would be too tiring for his wife to undertake his education, so once his eldest son just started to learn how to talk, he personally educated him himself. In addition, he imbued his son with the necessity of protecting and respecting his mother.


    Second Son Zhu Junxi had a difficult birth and the princess consort had a lot of postpartum bleeding. She was nursed for a long time before she was out of danger. At that time, Prince Jing didn¡¯t even go to court anymore. He personally served his wife at her bedside and refused to let other people take over. Although the princess consort was ultimately able to retain her life, her body was no longer the same as before. Whenever the wind blew on her, she would get a headache and pain in her heart. This made Prince Jing very worried. Naturally, he was not very happy with his second son for causing his wife¡¯s problems and didn¡¯t like him very much.


    Their third child, Zhu Miaoke, was a daughter. She had two older brothers and was very adorable. It wasn¡¯t surprising that both her mother and father doted upon her, especially Prince Jing. He pampered the little girl who resembled his wife to the skies.


    When the princess consort was pregnant with her third son, Zhu Junyang, they had to use medications to hasten his birth prematurely due to her body¡¯s condition. After he was born, the imperial physician said that this son might be too premature and may not survive to adulthood. Princess Consort Jing felt very remorseful and focused all of her energy towards raising her youngest son. In order to not let his wife fret too much, Prince Jing brought over all of the famous doctors to treat his son and was finally able to preserve his life. By the time their third son was around three to four years of age, he was no different than any other child in his age group.


    Thus, Second Son Zhu Junxi was the one who got the short end of the stick. His father snubbed him while his mother was too busy to take care of him. When he was young, Zhu Junxi was clever and sensible, and he even knew how to help his mother take care of his brother, who was younger than him by five years.


    However, as he slowly got older, a seed of jealousy started to grow within his heart. In addition, some unscrupulous people also deliberately tried to incite disharmony. Slowly, resentment umted inside him. The year when his younger brother, who was only fifteen years old, was personally give the title of royal prince by the emperor after he finished a seafaring trip, Zhu Junxi felt even more resentful. Why was eldest brother titled the heir as soon as he was born? Why did his youngest brother, who didn¡¯t do much, get to be entitled? Why was he, who was also a legitimate son of Prince Jing, always neglected by everyone...


    However, he naturally had a kind heart and couldn¡¯t cruelly murder his own kin and blood. The most he could do was to asionally try to say bad things about his brothers in front of their parents.


    Although Princess Consort Jing had been pampered and protected for most of her life, she was clever and had a good understanding of people¡¯s hearts. She was well aware of the inner struggle that often urred both overtly and covertly within wealthy and prestigious families. She had previously believed that her household was simple. There weren¡¯t any concubines vying for favor, and no concubine-born children around to cause trouble. Thus, her family shouldn¡¯t have any shameful secrets or fighting. However, she never expected that her usually sensible and respectful second son, the one she never had to worry about, had an unsatisfied heart.


    Zhu Junxi, who had just received a scolding, had a stubborn expression his face. Seeing that, Princess Consort Jing stopped trying to feign an illness and sat up straight in her seat. She lovingly caressed her son¡¯s handsome face and gently said, ¡°Second Son, I and your father have neglected you all these years. I deeply apologize for hurting you. However, this cannot be the reason why you hate your brothers. If you want to hate, hate me, your mother, instead! If it weren¡¯t for my body disappointing me at the time, how could I neglect you...¡±


    Zhu Junxi¡¯s eyes dimmed as he quietly replied, ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t hate anyone. I just feel that it¡¯s somewhat unfair. Eldest Brother and Younger Brother can all make you proud, only I...Mother, I want to enlist in the army!¡±


    ¡°Enlist?¡± Princess Consort Jing stared at her second son with an obvious look of surprise on her face. She quietlymented, ¡°Although our current emperor is a wise ruler, your father has a high rank with many responsibilities. If you enlist and gain military power, I¡¯m afraid the imperial family might be afraid...¡±


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ve already thought of everything you just mentioned! I want to conceal my identity and start from the lowest ranks to see how far I can climb using my own abilities. Mother, I want to prove to myself that I¡¯m not mediocre. That way, I can also be like Eldest and Youngest Brother and make you proud...¡± Zhu Junxi also knew that his current attitude wasn¡¯t good. If he continued to stay at home, he was afraid that the feeling of injustice in his heart would evolve into true hate and cause a conflict at home.


    Princess Consort Jing tightly held onto her second son¡¯s hand and remarked reluctantly, ¡°You want to start from the lowest ranks? Swords have no eyes and the battlefield is cruel and merciless. If you end up in an ident, how could I, your mother, live anymore?¡±


    Zhu Junxi squeezed his mother¡¯s hand andforted her, ¡°Mother, father has hired a famous master since we were young. The master taught us both literary arts and martial arts. Although I am not as good at literary arts as eldest and youngest brother, my martial arts are no joke. I¡¯m not boasting, but neither of my brothers would be able to win against me, even if they worked together. Don¡¯t worry about me, Mother!¡±


    When the princess consort saw her second son¡¯s steady gaze and decisive expression, she knew that he spent a lot of time thinking about this. If she tried to force him to stay at home, then her son would truly be worthless in the future! She weakly leaned back on the cushions in the carriage and somewhat resentfullyined, ¡°All of you have ideas and ns! One has to go out to sea despite all our attempts to stop him, while another wants to rush into the battlefield to prove himself. Have any of thought about my feelings about this?¡±


    ¡±Mother, please forgive your son for being unfilial! If I had to stay at home any longer, I...I don¡¯t know what I might turn into! I don¡¯t want to do something that hurts you, so please allow me to be selfish for once!¡± Zhu Junxi fell to his knees and forcefully kowtowed to his mother three times.


    Princess Consort Jing hurriedly raised her second son back up. Her eyes filled with tears as she slowly nodded her suddenly heavy head. She gently replied, ¡°Second Son! You must achieve your goals and prove to yourself. Mother will not block you. However, you must remember that every strand of hair and piece of flesh on your body came from your parents, so you must take very good care of yourself...¡±


    ¡°Mother...¡± Zhu Junxi noticed that his mother¡¯s eyes were full of tears, so he could only choke out one word before his emotions overwhelmed him. He solemnly nodded his head, ¡°I...I¡¯m going to buy some watermelon...¡±


    If he didn¡¯t step off the carriage now, he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back his own tears. He didn¡¯t want his mother to see such a weak side of him.


    ¡°Young Master Zhu, my aunt wants to ask, does the princess consort know where she wants to lodge tonight?¡± Right after Zhu Junxi came down from the carriage, he saw a pretty young maiden dressed in pink clothes who was looking at him bashfully.


    Prince Jing had a noble rank and was trusted by the emperor. Many of the high-ranking officials at court wanted to use marriage with his family as a way to consolidate their own positions at court. In addition, Prince Jing¡¯s three legitimate sons all had good reputations and handsome looks. Thus, many youngdies in the capital silently admired them. A marriage with one of Prince Jing¡¯s sons was their secret desire...


    A simr shy and retiring expression of the young girl in front of him had been seen by Zhu Junxi too many times in the past. The amiable and kind manner he had in front of the princess consort disappeared when he confronted outside people. He frowned and a hint of impatience entered his eyes, ¡°Such a question could have easily been asked by a maidservant. Is there a point in having you, Miss Xia, personallying over?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Xia Furong opened her eyes widely, and her lip slightly trembled as she slightly sobbed. She looked pitifully at Zhu Junxi.


    Zhu Junxi became even more impatient and lightly waved his arm. He decidedly said, ¡°If you have any other questions, then just ask my mother! I have other things to do!¡±


    Xia Furong watched as Zhu Junxi ruthlessly left and then wiped the pitiful expression from her face. Her eyes glinted with shrewdness. Her father was only a fifth-ranked minor official at court. In the capital, one could hit dozens of fifth-ranked officials just by randomly throwing a stick.


    She had many sisters at home and also had a stepmother suppressing her. She had no option but to try to scheme on her own. Her paternal aunt was childless and was also a third-ranked noblewoman. Although her uncle was a bit uncouth, he was still a third-ranked official who was regarded highly by the emperor. She had also asked about her aunt¡¯s personality and deliberately changed her own behavior to fit the woman¡¯s tastes. In front of her, she pretended to be innocent and sweet as well a bit silly and delicate. Thus, she was able to win her paternal aunt¡¯s affections.


    After inquiring around, she discovered that her uncle had an old injury and would have difficulty fathering a child in the future. Thus, an idea sprouted. She needed to curry their favor by being obedient and see if they might adopt her as her paternal aunt¡¯s daughter. In the future, that would mean she had be a major third-ranked official¡¯s legitimate daughter. With her uncle¡¯swork, how could she not find an ideal husband in the future?


    However, she never would have expected, never would have thought, that her uncle would adopt a little farmgirl when he was sent as an imperial envoy to the insignificant town of Tanggu. Every time he talked about that lowly farmgirl, he praised her to the skies. A lowly peasant girl, who knew how to cook a few dishes, had been raised so high in a second. In addition, that little brat even took away what should have been hers? Dream on!!


    Therefore, when her paternal aunt packed her luggage a few days ago in preparation for travelling to Tanggu Town to give her uncle a nice surprise, Xia Furong managed to persuade her aunt with great difficulty to let here too. She wanted to see just what sort of base person wanted to seize what was hers!


    However, she never would have expected that, on the way there, they would encounter the prestigious Princess Consort Jing and the lofty and handsome second son of Prince Jing. Although it was rumored that the second son wasn¡¯t very favored at home, he was still a son of an imperial prince. Today, she could tell from a nce that the rumors were true: he had an attractive appearance and elegant bearing. Every movement he made spoke of his noble birth. He was absolutely someone who was hard to find, a man who would be an ideal husband!


    Once the two families figured out the identities of the people within the carriages, they decided to travel as a group. For the rest of the journey, Xia Furong would always inadvertently appear in front of Zhu Junxi and try to be closer to him. She always used what she considered to be her best angle, act shy and timid, and sweetly gaze at Prince Jing¡¯s second son.


    Xia Furong believed that, among her numerous sisters, she had the best appearance. She was convinced that, with her good looks and clever ns, she would be able to make Prince Jing¡¯s second son look favorably upon her.


    Unfortunately, the situation was the opposite to what she had wanted. Zhu Junxi always turned a blind eye to her coquettish actions. Because of society¡¯s expectations of what men and women should do, she couldn¡¯t be too forward in fear that she might make the second young master and the princess consort disgusted with her. Thus, despite trying for three days straight, she could never find the chance to privately speak with him.


    Xia Furong wasn¡¯t discouraged and always silently observed Zhu Junxi¡¯s every movement. Atst, just earlier, she found her opportunity to talk to Second Young Master Zhu. However, he didn¡¯t even treat her politely. Was it because her charm wasn¡¯t strong enough? Or was it because he wasn¡¯t in a good mood today?


    Xia Furong twisted her handkerchief into knots as she bit her lip in frustration. She watched silently as his imposing figure disappeared into the watermelon store. Her eyes became dark and it was obvious that she was still scheming inside...

 Chapter 178 – Godmother

    <h4>Chapter 178 ¨C Godmother</h4>


    ¡°Miss Xia, do you need something?¡± Princess Consort Jing observed the bevy of expressions that crossed Xia Furong¡¯s face. She had been aware of the young maiden¡¯s schemes throughout the whole journey. Luckily, her second sonpletely disdained her, which made her rx quite a bit.


    A preteen girl who was only interested in seducing men was definitely someone who would cause troubleter on. How could she let such a person be someone who was linked to her son for a lifetime?


    Xia Furong quickly fixed her expression and pasted on an innocent smile. She replied sweetly, ¡°Princess Consort, Aunt wanted me to ask you if you already have a ce to stay tonight. If not, Aunt says that she has a small residence here in Tanggu Town. Although it¡¯s a bit crude, it should still suffice as a resting ce...¡±


    ¡°No need, County Magistrate Wu¡¯s wife is a close childhood friend of mine. Before I left, I had written a letter to her to let her know that I was going to bother her for two days!¡± Although Princess Consort Jing had a good impression of Zhaoyong General Fang Zizhen¡¯s wife, she didn¡¯t want her son to have any more exposure to this young girl who had such obvious ulterior motives. Thus, she resolutely refused the offer.


    Xia Furong¡¯s pair of dark, lively eyes instantly became dim from disappointment. She turned around and stared at that tall and manly figure in the melon stand. Not resigned in the least, her eyes flickered a bit and the corners of her mouth slightly curved up. However, she still politely said her farewells to the princess consort.


    When Xia Furong returned back to the Fang Family¡¯s horse carriage that was behind Prince Jing¡¯s carriage, she smiled sweetly at her aunt. She cheerfully reported, ¡°Aunt, the princess consort said that she had already made ns with the county magistrate¡¯s wife and will be staying over there...oh right, there¡¯s a family selling watermelons over there. They say that the melons are tasty and the price is reasonable. Niece will go right now to buy one to let aunt try some!¡±


    Her expression and tone didn¡¯t betray the fact that she had just been soundly rejected by Zhu Junxi. It was as if she was just another young maiden without a care in the world.


    Lady Fang lovingly smiled at her niece and waved a hand, ¡°Let a maidservant go over. After traveling for so many days, you must also feel tired.¡±


    ¡°Aunt, Niece isn¡¯t tired! After sitting in the carriage for a few days, walking around is also good!¡± Xia Furong¡¯s eyes, which resembled Lady Fang¡¯s, gleamed with a dazzling light.


    Among her numerous nieces, Lady Fang had chosen Xia Furong not only because of her temperament but also because she thought this niece resembled herself the most. She patted Xia Furong¡¯s hand and nodded, ¡°You are right. It¡¯s good to step down and walk around for a bit. Aunt will also apany you to go there to look!¡±


    Lady Fang looked through the window and saw a young cute girl with a glittering smile in front of the watermelon store that wasn¡¯t far from them. She looked to be around eight to nine years of age and had gleaming, pale skin. Although she couldn¡¯t be considered to be astoundingly beautiful, she was still quite adorable. Herrge and dark eyes were especially charming and seemed to be full of liveliness.


    Although Lady Fang had never seen the adopted daughter that her husband had taken in, she had pieced together an image of an odd little girl who was amazingly talented at cooking from his stories and letters about her. His most recent letter said that his adopted daughter had nted watermelons that had ripened astoundingly early. In addition, these watermelons were tastier and sweeter than the ones he had before. He even had someone bring two of them over to the capital so she could try them. She had never tried watermelon that was so big and so sweet before!


    Within Tanggu Town, only the Yu Family had enough courage to try nting watermelon. Then, did that mean that this watermelon store was linked in countless ways with her husband¡¯s adopted daughter? Was that lively little girl in the watermelon stand the adopted daughter that her husband praised constantly?


    At this moment, her niece wanted to go look at the watermelon stand which met her interest too. With the help of her personal maidservants, Linglong and Zhenzhu, Lady Fang stepped off the carriage. She gently stretched out her legs and idly strolled towards the melon stand.


    Although Lady Fang was content, Xia Furong wasn¡¯t actually happy about her decision. The young maiden was originally nning on finding an opportunity in the watermelon store to talk to Prince Jing¡¯s second son again. Now, her perfect n had been ruined. She stared at her aunt¡¯s back and resentment filled her heart.


    By this time, the craze for buying watermelons had mostly died down. Within the store, there were only two to three matrons who were dressed in dignified attire. They were carefully selecting some watermelons from the remaining stock on the shelves. Yu Xiaocao, who could finally take a breather, sat on the tall stool and kicked her feet yfully underneath her skirts. Her heart felt cheerful as she rocked the cash box full of ingots on the counter.


    At this moment, she saw a figuree in from the corner of her eyes. She promptly smiled sweetly at the new customer and trumpeted out a greeting, ¡°Wee, feel free to choose what you would like!¡±


    As she raised her head, she saw a handsome face that seemed to have been finely carved with a knife. The young man was wearing a blue robe that was embroidered with ck bamboo. There was a white belt cinched around his waist and his feet were shod with a pair of white deerskin boots¡ª¡ªhe was a perfect example of an alluringly attractive man from ancient times! Yu Xiaocao gazed at the handsome guy¡¯s nice figure with obvious interest.


    Zhu Junxi seemed to sense Xiaocao¡¯s eyes on him and faintly nced at her. He suddenly discovered that the little girl had a pair of eyes that glittered brightly that stared at him appreciatively. Although her eyes stopped for a long time on his handsome face, her gaze seemed pure and didn¡¯t make him feel disgusted.


    After he looked at her for a bit longer, he discovered that the owner of the eyes was actually a lively little girl who hadn¡¯t reached the age of ten. Zhu Junxi couldn¡¯t help but let out an amusedugh. How would such a little girl know of the propriety between men and women? No wonder she didn¡¯t try to hide her obvious stares!


    Zhu Junxi smiled at the little girl and unexpectedly found that little girl seemed to be a bit stunned by his grin. This young girl was quite interesting. Was it really okay for her to reveal such an obvious appreciative nce at a man?


    Zhu Junxi couldn¡¯t help but want to tease this little girl, so he walked up to her and deliberately frowned, ¡°What are you looking at me for?¡±


    Zhu Junxi had a tall figure and practiced martial arts all year round. Thus, it was natural that he would have an intimidating aura. Whenever he frowned, he actually frightened the people around him. Yu Xiaocao blinked a couple of times. She could tell from the expression in his eyes that he wasn¡¯t actually angry, so she revealed a charming smile, ¡°Ah? If you weren¡¯t looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you? I¡¯m staring at you, you¡¯re staring at me, I think we can consider ourselves even right now!¡±


    ¡°I definitely wasn¡¯t looking at you the same way you were staring at me! Doesn¡¯t that mean that I¡¯m the one at a disadvantage here?¡± Zhu Junxi furrowed his brows and had a somewhat fierce expression on his face.


    Yu Xiaocao suppressed a grin, ¡°Having someone look at you doesn¡¯t cause you to be injured, so how could it be considered you¡¯re at a disadvantage? Young master looks like a handsome gentlemen who wouldn¡¯t be someone so petty to haggle over every ounce.¡±


    ¡°And what if I was?¡± The mirth in his eyes became much more apparent yet his face seemed even more fierce.


    Yu Xiaocao merely shrugged and fanned out her arms, ¡°Then I made an error of judgement ah! If you feel like you¡¯re at a disadvantage here, then I still can¡¯t give you a melon for free topensate you. If you want to make a fuss, just go ahead!¡±


    Seeing that the little girl was being a little rascal, Zhu Junxi didn¡¯t feel disgusted and instead thought she was quite cute. His younger sister, when she was around eight to nine years of age, would also act shamelessly in front of him. Once she got older, she became gentle and refined and was no longer as adorable as she was when she was young.


    ¡°Second Young Master, have you picked out a watermelon already? Do you need someone to help you?¡± Xia Furong, who had followed her aunt, had noticed that Zhu Junxi had been in the store for a while yet his hands were still empty. She couldn¡¯t just stay next to her aunt anymore and instead used herrge and watery eyes to look at him shyly while she took the initiative to talk to him.


    Uh oh! Handsome and refined guys would always have many people admiring them. Was it possible that women in ancient times also sometimes took the initiative too? This young girl¡¯s eyes seemed as if they were stuck on this good-looking guy¡¯s body. Was this truly okay? Yu Xiaocao propped her cheek on a hand as she avidly watched the handsome guy and pretty girl¡¯s interactions.


    The mirth within Zhu Junxi¡¯s eyes slowly dimmed away and he directly ignored Xia Furong¡¯s earnest gaze. Instead, he greeted Lady Fang, ¡°Lady Fang, if you want to eat some watermelon, just tell someone. There¡¯s no need for you to personallye here.¡±


    Lady Fang had also noticed that her niece had been staring conspicuously at Zhu Junxi and felt a bit displeased. She frowned a bit but she couldn¡¯t say anything right now while Prince Jing¡¯s second son was in front of her. Once she heard his greeting, she slightly smiled, ¡°After sitting in the carriage for a few days, I wanted to immediately get off and exercise my legs and feet!¡±


    ¡°Lady Fang, please continue with what you were doing then. I¡¯m going to select watermelons now to avoid...avoid having my mother wait for too long!¡± Zhu Junxi didn¡¯t look at Xia Furong even once while he was talking. After he finished, he entered the store to look at the shelves.


    Falling flowers had ns yet flowing water was ruthless ah! Yu Xiaocao could tell exactly what had happened from start to finish. However, it seemed like even after the little flower fell, it didn¡¯t be discouraged!


    ¡°Aunt, let¡¯s also go pick a watermelon too!¡± Xia Furong¡¯s voice became a bit more eager and polite. However, she continued to stare at that figure clothed in blue that was in the store.


    The smile on Lady Fang¡¯s face disappeared and she mildly said, ¡°Us two women only know how to eat watermelon, so how would we know how to select the right one? Little girl, please help us choose two melons!¡±


    ¡®Oh, oh, oh! This little flower absolutely has no more luck as her parent doesn¡¯t agree with this! Tsk tsk, this little flower is quite courageous to even make sheep eyes at this man in front of her parent. What a pity that this man is just ignoring her.¡¯


    She had been watching the scene unfold in front of her quite avidly, so when Lady Fang suddenly called on her, she paused for a couple of seconds before she immediately revealed a warm smile, ¡°Madam, please don¡¯t worry. I promise that I¡¯ll pick watermelons that are sweet and juicy to satisfy you!¡±


    The sight of such a bright and dazzling smile dispersed some of the gloom within Lady Fang¡¯s heart. She sized up the clever little girl in front of her: she was dressed in a lotus-cyan colored attire. The edges of her skirt and sleeves were embroidered with small purple cape jasmine flowers. Her hair was swept up into adorable twin buns with a hairpin with purple flowers made of pearls inserted in. She had a small face, not much bigger than the size of someone¡¯s palm, that was clear and clean, and a pair of lively eyes that seemed to speak volumes. Her rosy red lips seemed to be faintly curved up permanently making her seem very cute. Sure enough, this was a likeable and adorable child!


    Originally, Lady Fang had been worried that her husband, who she understood like the back of her hand, had been fooled by a sinister person. Now, she could finally rx. A little girl who had eyes as clear and pure as spring water could not be someone who had a malicious heart.


    Under Lady Fang¡¯s bright gaze, Yu Xiaocao chose a couple of watermelons cheerfully despite the amount of pressure she was under. This graceful and resolutedy had been staring at her continuously ever since she had entered the store. Why was that? Was it because she was too cute and made it hard for other people to move their gaze? Xiaocao suddenly became a little narcissistic...


    Oh wait, what did that handsome guy in the blue robe call thisdy? Lady Fang? Oh my god, could she possibly the godmother she had never met who had decided toe over today to inspect her? Godfather really was something to not give her a hint prior¡ª¡ªFang Zizhen protested his innocence: He also didn¡¯t know that his wife would also surprisingly appear, okay ah?


    Yu Xiaocao pretended to select watermelons as she tried very hard to remember her conduct from earlier. Was there anything shameful that urred? A feeling of nervousness settled within her heart: would Godmother be hard to get along with? Would her godmother be unhappy with her?


    Lady Fang watched as the little girl pretended to be busy. She had also noticed that, from time to time, this little girl would nce at her and knew that the little girl had guessed her identity¡ª¡ªthis was truly a clever and bright little girl! Within her heart, she added a few more points for Xiaocao.

 Chapter 179 – Enmity

    <h4>Chapter 179 ¨C Enmity</h4>


    Out of the remaining watermelons in the store, Xiaocao chose the two that had the highest concentration of spiritual energy within them. She carefully took them off of the shelf and personally brought them over to the counter. She needed to make a good impression on her godmother. Lady Fang, on the other hand, felt bad having such a small and fragile little girl moving the watermelon andmanded her maidservants, ¡°Linglong, Zhenzhu, why aren¡¯t you two going over to help?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was a bit embarrassed in front of Lady Fang and had a bashful smile on her face when she raised it up to look at the woman. She was usually chirpy and talkative but she didn¡¯t quite know what to say to the woman in front of her.


    Lady Fang lowered her head and gently looked at the shyly smiling little girl. She used the handkerchief in her hand to lightly clean a bit of dust that had inadvertently been smudged onto that cute little face. She then stroked the little girl¡¯s glossy and dark hair. The little girl¡¯s eyes, which had previously been a bit anxious, immediately brightened and looked as dazzling as a bunch of stars. It made her somewhatmon looking face be lively and energetic.


    ¡°Little girl, how much would it be for these two watermelons?¡± After seeing the young girl¡¯s sincerely smiling face, Lady Fang surreptitiously nced at her niece¡¯s gloomy expression and became much more cheerful. The older woman¡¯s expression and mood clearly showed that she was trying to tease Xiaocao!


    Yu Xiaocao came closer to the woman again as she kneaded at the corner of her clothes with a blush on her face. She quietly said, ¡°We¡¯re all family, there¡¯s no need to talk about payment for the watermelons, right? I¡¯m giving these two watermelons to you, Godmother, to show my filial respect to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You can¡¯t just make an assumption that anyone is your godmother. Aren¡¯t you afraid that you might have mistaken her identity?¡± Lady Fang teased the little girl as if she was the Perisan cat at home. Her expression and tone all held a hint ofughter.


    Yu Xiaocao deliberately used an uncertain tone and hesitated before she asked, ¡°May I ask...are you a part of the Fang Family?¡±


    Lady Fang seemed to be smiling as she slowly replied, ¡°There are many people surnamed Fang in this world, are you telling me that every Lady Fang is your godmother?¡±


    ¡°My godfather told me that my godmother is beautiful, magnanimous and has a sweet-tempered personality while being resolute. She¡¯s kind but also courageous. Godfather also said that we are like two kindred spirits and would get along splendidly. At first nce I could tell that you are an amiabledy and my intuition told me that you are my godmother!¡± Yu Xiaocao cleverly ttered the older woman as she tried to please her.


    Xia Furong, whose attention was still on Prince Jing¡¯s second son, suddenly became alert after hearing Xiaocao say, ¡°You are my godmother¡±. Her almond shaped eyes opened wide and she red fiercely at Xiaocao. She instantly noticed that the little girl was dressed inly, had an average looking appearance, and a shy manner that bespoke of her lowly birth.


    She sneered and remarked drily, ¡°Can you call anyone your godmother? Little girl, you already know how to try to climb thedder at such a young age. You are truly too unscrupulous ah!¡±


    Her aunt disliked people who schemed the most. If she could lead her aunt down the wrong line of thinking with her words, then it didn¡¯t matter if her uncle recognized the little girl as his adopted daughter. The mistress of the General¡¯s Estate was still her own blood aunt!


    Yu Xiaocao could sense the pretty young maiden¡¯s hostility towards her. She felt a bit puzzled inside, ¡®We¡¯re total strangers to each other, so why is she deliberately trying to discredit me?¡¯


    Lady Fang had never seen the harsh side of her niece before. Usually, her niece always seemed innocent, cheerful, and had a good understanding of others. The words she said today, why did they seem so mean? She started to recall that her niece often tried to please her and that the young girl also insinuated that she saw the general¡¯s residence as her second home...


    Lady Fang was familiar with inner yard politics and had also personally experienced the infighting and scheming of the Xia Family¡¯s wife and concubines. Within a wink, she grasped what her niece was trying to do and immediately became unhappy. Apparently the simple and innocent appearance of her niece was a special act especially crafted for her ah!


    Lady Fang¡¯s gaze at Xia Furong became stricter and she mildly said, ¡°Furong, this is the adopted daughter that your uncle personally recognized himself. Her name is Yu Xiaocao and she¡¯s not quite ten this year. Yet, she can already support her family all on her own. Hasn¡¯t our current emperor extolled that women should strive for self-improvement and independence? I believe Xiaocao is a shining example of that!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao heard her godmother supporting her and evenplimenting her at such a high degree, she hurriedly interjected humbly, ¡°Godmother, you praise me too much! Without the help of my parents and siblings, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything! Godfather also helps me very much. For example, this store has such a good location. If it wasn¡¯t for the previous owner regarding godfather so highly, we absolutely wouldn¡¯t have been able to buy it...¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Xia Furong raised her voice and a jealous expression twisted her face, ¡°Uncle bought this store for you? Aunt, a store in such a good location must be at least a thousand taels! How could a country bumpkin like her possibly have enough money to buy something so expensive? When Uncle took up the imperial envoy post, he only took a couple thousand taels along with him. Is it possible that she took bribes from other people to pay for this?¡±


    Xia Furong had apanied her aunt for a full two years and naturally knew that her aunt hated officials who took bribes. She even constantly warned her uncle that he shouldn¡¯t take small benefits and end up losing the emperor¡¯s trust. If something like that truly urred, this little panting dog would never be able to be liked by her aunt. Thus, wouldn¡¯t she be one step closer to her dream of bing a youngdy of a general¡¯s household?


    However, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t actually a true nine year old little girl. She could clearly tell that the delicate young maiden had a boatload of schemes swimming behind her eyes. She couldn¡¯t help but frown a bit, ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t offend her ah, so why is she trying to trip me up? What is she up to?¡¯


    She eximed, ¡°Older sister! What you said is incorrect! What do you mean I¡¯m just a country bumpkin? You clearly are discriminating against farmers! Out of the four sses of people, farmers are only second to schrs. Without farmers working hard day in and day out, older sister can be an immortal instead¡ª¡ª¡±


    Yu Xiaocao absolutely couldn¡¯t allow this girl to discredit her, right? If her godmother believed this girl¡¯s lies, what was she to do? She didn¡¯t rely on the Fang Family for sustenance or shelter, so why did she have to take this beating lying down? In any case, this godfather of hers just showed up. If he wanted to treat her well, that was definitely good but she never had to force him to do any of this. Thus, she could easily and confidently defend herself without any qualms.


    When Lady Fang saw the little child in front of her defend herself, with a straight back andrge eyes, she thought the girl resembled a proud and spirited little rooster. It was quite a rare sight!


    ¡°What did you mean by what you just said?¡± Lady Fang thought that the term ¡®immortal¡¯ wasn¡¯t necessarily apliment in this case.


    ¡°In legends, immortals only need to sup from the wind and drink dew, so they have no need for the mundane food of mortals! Without farmers who till thend, we wouldn¡¯t have any crops. Without crops, what would people eat then? Drink the northwest wind?¡± Yu Xiaocao nted her eyes at Xia Furong and looked incredibly adorable.


    However, Xia Furong didn¡¯t think she was cute at all because this lowly farmer¡¯s daughter made her lose face in front of her aunt. She immediately flew into a rage and shrieked, ¡°Do you dare to say that this store wasn¡¯t bought from you by Uncle? A few thousand taels isn¡¯t a small number. You¡¯re so young, yet you have such a scheming mind, what will happen when you get older?¡±


    Zhu Junxi had just finished picking out his watermelon and was suddenly shocked by Xia Furong¡¯s shrill voice and malevolent expression. He never would have thought that a young maiden from a noble family could also have such a shrewish side too. The vast majority of gently-raised maidens would protest injustice at his assumption...


    ¡°Enough!!¡± Lady Fang had naturally noticed the surprised expression that flickered on Prince Jing¡¯s second son¡¯s face. She had even less patience towards her niece now, ¡°Furong, your uncle had already exined the matter with the store to me in his letter! The money to buy the store came from Xiaocao, who earned it all herself. The store was originally owned by County Magistrate Wu. Your uncle would never take a bribe, and he only helped with contacting the seller...¡±


    ¡°Aunt!¡± Xia Furong had also seen Zhu Junxi¡¯s expression and quickly controlled herself. She somewhat impatiently tried to exin, ¡°Don¡¯t be deceived by this crafty peasant! An ordinary farmer¡¯s daughter, even if she had a lot ability, still wouldn¡¯t have enough skill to make enough money to buy this store. That¡¯s not a small number ah, a thousand or so taels! From my perspective, let¡¯s not even talk about earning, I bet she would have a hard time even seeing that much money!¡±


    All she could think about was what her life would be like if she was adopted into her aunt¡¯s family. All of the glory, splendor and wealth associated with the general¡¯s residence would be considered hers alone, including the thousand or so taels used to buy the store...In the Xia Family, she was only a daughter who wasn¡¯t favored. Her monthly pocket money wasn¡¯t much more than what a head maidservant could earn. How many clothes and jewelry could she buy with a thousand taels? The more she thought about it, the more bitter she became.


    When Lady Fang saw that her niece was going to continue to harp about this topic, her face darkened and she remarked, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t she earn it herself? Xiaocao is very talented at cooking. Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken, osmanthus duck, braised food, and oyster sauce vegetables were all recipes created by her. She earned several thousand taels in the past two months from her share of the profits from the osmanthus duck alone! In addition, Xiaocao also has shares in the capital¡¯s newest ¡®Haitian¡¯ brand of seasonings too! Having enough money to buy this store isn¡¯t something difficult for her.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Osmanthus duck was created by this little girl? My roy...mother really likes it. However, every time we buy it we need to stand in line and we still may not be able to get any!¡± Zhu Junxi inspected the skinny and tiny little girl in front of him with great interest. He had never thought that the capital¡¯s most popr dishes were all created by her ah! It was truly an example of not judging a book by its cover!


    When Xia Furong saw Prince Jing¡¯s second son, who had never given her a second nce, smiling at that lowly girl, herst hold on logic and reasoning snapped, ¡°Nonsense!! Aunt, you can¡¯t believe everything she says! She¡¯s a poor and petty little farmer¡¯s girl. How often can she eat chicken in a year? Can she afford to buy duck? Are menus and recipes that easy toe up with and are famous chefs crowding the streets?¡±


    ¡°Older sister, we are total strangers to each other, so why are you always targeting me? You im that I didn¡¯te up with roasted chicken, osmanthus duck or any of the other recipes. So who do you think came up with them? If you haven¡¯t investigated properly, then you don¡¯t have the right to make ims. Do you really think it¡¯s okay for you to smear my reputation so easily?¡± Since this girl was her godmother¡¯s niece, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t say things more bluntly. However, she still had to defend herself. Did that girl think she was easy to push around and bully?


    She didn¡¯t wait for Xia Furong to retort and turned over toward that handsome youth and reminded him, ¡°Although osmanthus duck is delicious, able to reduce swelling and aging and strengthen the blood vessels, it¡¯s still a food with cold properties. Women shouldn¡¯t eat it too frequently. Instead, they should only have some every few days or so.¡±


    Zhu Junxi didn¡¯t expect that a little girl who didn¡¯t even reach his chest would be able to describe osmanthus duck¡¯s properties so well. Thus, he somewhat believed Lady Fang¡¯s ims. He smiled, ¡°Thank you for your kind reminder. I will make sure to tell my mother about this. Let me pay for the watermelon now, to avoid having my mother wait for too long!¡±


    ¡°Altogether, ites out to ten taels.¡± Yu Xiaocao swiftly took the money and warmly said, ¡°Thank you for your business, hope youe back again next time¡ª¡ª¡±


    Xia Furong felt incensed and resentful that the youth she likedpletely ignored her. She blurted out, ¡°It¡¯s obvious you¡¯re a farmer¡¯s brat, so petty! Second Young Master is also like aunt¡¯s nephew, so how can you take his money so easily?¡±

 Chapter 180 – Destiny

    <h4>Chapter 180 ¨C Destiny</h4>


    Zhu Junxi¡¯s cold gaze swept over the surroundings. The impatience simmering inside him transformed into anger. He didn¡¯t really care what Xia Furong was trying to do but when she involved him, he couldn¡¯t let her continue, ¡°Miss Xia¡¯s words are incorrect! This little girl is running a business and I¡¯m buying what she¡¯s selling. That¡¯s a fair deal, so why shouldn¡¯t she take my money? Or does Miss Xia believe that my Zhu Family can¡¯t afford to spend ten taels on watermelon?¡±


    ¡°No! That wasn¡¯t what I was implying...¡± Second Young Master Zhu had finally paid attention to her, but the look in his eyes was filled with loathing. Xia Furong freaked out. In front of Young Master Zhu, she needed to be more patient. She immediately regretted getting angered by that lowly peasant girl and letting Second Young Master Zhu see her bad side¡ª¡ªit was all that lowly peasant girl¡¯s fault!


    Xia Furong was the one originally at fault yet she still pushed all the me on her victim. This type of person was truly tooughable!


    Zhu Junxi carried the watermelon in his arms as he walked out. Xia Furong stared at him as if there was a ma attracting her eyes to him. She nced longingly at that imposing figure for a long time before she reluctantly looked away.


    Yu Xiaocao felt embarrassed for this girl. Was it really okay for her to be that obviously lovesick in front of her elders?


    ¡°Furong! Don¡¯t let me regret bringing you along!¡± Lady Fang didn¡¯t disguise her disappointment towards Xia Furong and her tone of voice became much more serious.


    Xia Furong reluctantly brought her attention back and angrily red at Xiaocao, who was delightfully watching the show. Anger bubbled within her heart, ¡®It¡¯s all the fault of this devious brat! She stole all of my aunt¡¯s love and favor. In the past, Aunt never could bear to scold me!¡¯Once again, Yu Xiaocao became her scapegoat.


    ¡°Come here, Furong! Let me introduce you. This is the adopted daughter that your uncle recognized, so she is also your younger cousin. You¡¯re a little bit older than her, so you must treat your younger sister well.¡± Lady Fang could tell that her niece had a bit of hostility towards Xiaocao, so she deliberately warned Xia Furong.


    ¡°Godmother, your niece is naturally my older sister, so don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll definitely get along well.¡± Yu Xiaocao pulled at Xia Furong¡¯s hand in an intimate manner and lightly swayed. ¡°Older sister, there¡¯s a lot to do here! We can climb up hills to dig up wild vegetables, catch pheasants, and also go down to the beach to gather shellfish and seafood...that¡¯s right! Tomorrow I¡¯ll bring you along to dig up some sandworms ah! The sandworms here are long and plump. They¡¯re thicker than my fingers, very long, and soft. When you touch them, they feel squishy, kind of like arge earthworm...¡±


    This little brat knew that Xia Furong was pampered maiden from a wealthy family, so she wouldn¡¯t like insects. Xiaocao deliberately described the appearance of the sandworm very vividly. As expected, Xia Furong turned pale after hearing her description and forcefully shook off Xiaocao¡¯s hand. She even pushed Xiaocao a little and screeched, ¡°Go away! You¡¯re such a dirty peasant!!¡±


    Xiaocao reeled from her push and her back crashed into the doorframe, making a very loud sound. Tears came to the corners of her eyes (Author¡¯s note: She¡¯s not faking it, it really hurt.) and she raised her little face. She cried pitifully and innocently, ¡°Godmother, I feel like Older Cousin doesn¡¯t like me...even so, she can¡¯t just swear at me! We are all human and have parents. I am also my parents¡¯ treasure, so how can I be dirty and lowly?¡±


    Lady Fang¡¯s patience had almost been worn away by her niece¡¯s behavior today. She looked at Xia Furong, who had an expression of disgust on her face that she didn¡¯t bother to disguise. The older woman thought of her niece¡¯s previous sensible and sincere personality...haha, apparently that was all an act to worm into her good graces ah! Now that her niece knew that the Fang Family had adopted a daughter, her previous hopes had been dashed. Did she think it was no longer necessary to hide her true nature now?


    ¡°Xiaocao,e here, let Godmother see if you got injured or not?¡± Lady Fang pulled on Xiaocao¡¯s hand and lightly touched her back, which had been hurt.


    ¡°Godmother, it hurts...¡± Xiaocao had a feeling that there was a bruise on her back now. She didn¡¯t expect that a young maiden, who looked delicate and weak, could have so much strength. Did she provoke the other girl too much?


    Lady Fang recalled the noise that sounded when her adopted daughter collided with the doorframe. She knew that Xiaocao wasn¡¯t faking it andforted the young girl, ¡°Xiaocao, let¡¯s go to the inner courtyard. Godmother will help you rub some medicinal oil on your injury and it will stop hurting very soon.¡±


    As she talked, she took ahold of Xiaocao¡¯s small hand and walked along with her two maidservants through the store in the direction of the inner courtyard. When she passed by Xia Furong, she didn¡¯t even bother giving the other girl a nce.


    When Lady Fang was a young maiden, she was the legitimate daughter of the main branch, so she had grown up by the matriarch¡¯s side. Although the Xia Family¡¯s rtionships were quiteplicated, the matriarch¡¯spound was as peaceful as a heavenly garden. Thus, Lady Fang grew up to be an open-minded and candid youngdy who firmly knew what she liked and disliked. If she liked you, she would make sure to give her best to you. However, if she didn¡¯t like you, she would immediately ignore you as if you weren¡¯t there.


    The Xia Family¡¯s inner courtyard rtionships were not peaceful and there was a lot of scheming and infighting. Naturally, Lady Fang was aware of this. She had originally believed that her niece, Xia Furong, was like her¡ªthe only pure lotus flower to grow out of a dirty and muddy Xia Family. However, she didn¡¯t expect that her niece had been pretending in order to fool her. To people who tried to pull the wool over her eyes, Lady Fang would dislike them as much as she had originally liked them.


    Xia Furong had apanied her aunt for almost two years at the Fang Family and naturally understood her aunt¡¯s personality. When she saw Lady Fang walk by and ignore her, she immediately panicked. She promptly tried to exin, ¡°Aunt, earlier I was...scared by Younger Cousin. You also know that niece is afraid of bugs. At that moment, I wasn¡¯t thinking straight and I idently hurt Younger Cousin. I want to apologize to her now...¡±


    Even until now, she didn¡¯t know what her biggest mistake was, eh? Argh, she truly didn¡¯t judge correctly this time...Lady Fang paused for a second but didn¡¯t even turn her head around before she continued forward.


    Yu Xiaocao gently took her hand out of the older woman¡¯s hand and turned around, ¡°Older Cousin, I often run around in the mountains, so it¡¯s hard to avoid getting hurt. Therefore, I¡¯m not angry because you identally injured me. I¡¯m angry because you used such hurtful words to insult me! You not only hurt my feelings but you also had such a scary expression on your face! Although I was born in a farmer¡¯s family, I also know what the phrase, ¡®to insult someone is to invite six months of cold¡¯, means¡ª¡ªin my vige, only shrewish women would insult people in public!¡±


    When Xia Furong heard what Xiaocao said, her face twisted into another ugly expression, ¡®This stupid brat must be destined to not see eye to eye with me! Not only did she steal aunt¡¯s love away from me but she also always found a way to sneakily nder me in front of Aunt! That won¡¯t do, I need to let Aunt see Yu Xiaocao¡¯s true colors!¡¯


    ¡°Aunt, I said the wrong thing when I wasn¡¯t in the right mindset. However, Younger Cousin justpared me to her vige¡¯s shrewish women, Aunt...¡± Xia Furong took out her handkerchief and wiped the corner of her eyes. She lowered her head, as if she was the one being bullied.


    Lady Fang lightly sighed, ¡°In a couple of days, I¡¯ll have someone send you back to the capital. Tanggu Town is too small, so you won¡¯t be ustomed to living in this ce.¡±


    ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t drive me away! I¡¯ll get used to living here, I swear!¡± Xia Furong started to panic. Go back to the capital? There wasn¡¯t anyone home at the General¡¯s Estate, so she knew she wouldn¡¯t be going back there. Instead, she would be sent back to the Xia Family¡¯s residence. She was already thirteen years old. If she was sent back to the Xia Family, then she would likely be sent to a high-ranking official¡¯s residence to be a concubine to give the Xia Family some benefits. After the matriarch passed away, the Xia Family had be even more chaotic and muddy...


    When Lady Fang saw that her niece had been taken down a peg, she hoped that she might change for the better. She mildly replied, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to leave, then prepare yourself for difficulties in the future. You need to remember that I¡¯m not here to livefortably. Instead, I¡¯m here to help your uncle so he can work without any worries!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember, aunt!¡± Xia Furong seemed quite emotional and that wasn¡¯t feigned. She was truly afraid now.


    ¡°Godmother, you didn¡¯t let Godfather know ahead of time that you wereing over right?¡± When Yu Xiaocao saw Xia Furong getting lectured, she hurriedly pulled on Lady Fang¡¯s hand, lightly swayed a bit, and interjected.


    Lady Fang gently caressed her head and led her into the inner courtyard. She talked as they walked, ¡°That¡¯s right! Originally, I wanted to give you and your godfather a nice surprise. How did you know that I didn¡¯t tell him in advance?¡±


    ¡°Godfather went into the prefectural city today! If he had known you wereing today, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t be able to abandon you here...¡± Yu Xiaocao cheerfully raised her head and looked up. Her gaze was open and magnanimous, and there wasn¡¯t a hint that she wanted to curry favor or test the waters.


    She acted as if she regarded Lady Fang as her closest rtive. No matter what she said or did, she knew that her closest kin wouldn¡¯t truly get angry at her. Atst, Lady Fang truly understood why she always felt a slight separation between her and Xia Furong, there was a reason...


    Lady Fang lightly tapped Xiaocao¡¯s head and pretended to get angry, ¡°You¡¯re such a gutsy little girl! You even dare to tease your godmother!! When your godfather gets back, I will tell on you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao exposed a slightly scared expression on her face, as if she was a frightened little girl and deliberately used a voice that trembled to reply, ¡°Don¡¯t do that ah! If Godfather found out that I offended you, Godmother, then he¡¯ll definitely break my leg in two...Godmother, please spare me ah~~~~¡±


    Lady Fang felt that her little act was quite hrious and couldn¡¯t keep a straight face anymore. She finally burst out intoughter. The older woman bent down and pulled Xiaocao¡¯s thin and soft body into her arms. She remarked in a voice full of mirth, ¡°You¡¯re such a bizarre little girl, how can you be so interesting? No wonder your godfather praises you without end!¡±


    Xia Furong, who was following from behind, almost tore up the handkerchief in her hands. Aunt had never treated her so intimately before. No matter how hard she tried to mold herself into her aunt¡¯s liking, her aunt always had a bit of separation from her. Why?! Why did this lowly brat get to obtain her aunt¡¯s unconditional love at first sight?


    Unfortunately, Yu Xiaocao was unable to enjoy her godmother¡¯s hug. She yelped a few times, ¡°Hurts, hurts! Godmother, my back hurts!¡±


    Lady Fang remembered that the little girl had injured her back. She quickly picked her up like a little child and stepped swiftly into the room.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s butt was in the crook of her godmother¡¯s arm, and she looped her arms around the woman¡¯s neck. She felt a bit awkward inside, ¡®I¡¯m almost ten years old, but she treats me as if I was a three year old instead. If other people see this, that would be so embarrassing! But, I never would have expected Godmother, who looks so weak and delicate, to actually be quite strong. Is it because Godfather knows martial arts so Godmother became strong too?¡¯


    ¡°Madam, let me hold her instead!¡± Lady Fang¡¯spetent maidservant, Linglong, hurriedly came over to take Yu Xiaocao off her mistress¡¯s hands.


    ¡°No need, it¡¯s not a far distance, I can hold her!¡± Lady Fang didn¡¯t want to let go of the soft and sweet little girl in her arms. If she had birthed a daughter, would she also be this cute and sweet?

 Chapter 181 – Treating a Meal

    <h4>Chapter 181 ¨C Treating a Meal</h4>


    Linglong and Zhenzhu looked at each other. It seemed like Miss Yu was highly regarded within the madam¡¯s heart ah! At least, she had surpassed the madam¡¯s niece, the young miss who had lived with the Fang Family for several years. They reminded each other with their eyes: In the future, they absolutely could not neglect or have any contempt for the adopted young miss!


    However, Yu Xiaocao said embarrassingly, ¡°Godmother, I¡¯m not a child anymore. I should walk myself and not tire you out.¡±


    ¡°How much do you weigh? I can even carry a hundred catty sandbag with ease at home. Even carrying something that weighs three times as much as you do won¡¯t wear me out!¡± Lady Fang put Xiaocao on the bed and helped her take off her jacket like she was taking care of an infant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself...¡± Yu Xiaocao blushed with shame and took off her outer garment. But her movements were too big, and she identally pulled at the wounds on her back, causing her to grit her teeth in pain.


    ¡°You ah, stop trying to be brave!¡± Lady Fang pressed her down onto the bed and lifted up her snow-white inner garment. She saw an obvious and hideous dark purple bruise on her nearly transparent, fair back.


    Not only was Lady Fang extremely heartbroken, but Linglong and Zhenzhu also gasped in shock. It must be so painful ah! Had it been another little girl, she would have definitely cried out loudly in pain a long time ago. Yet the young miss had been holding back the pain and amusing the madam so that she wouldn¡¯t be angry...


    Lady Fang had brought along a small medicine box. She took out a delicate porcin bottle from her small medicine box, which was a bottle of ¡®bruise soothing powder¡¯ bestowed by the emperor. She carefully poured some of the powder onto her palm and gently covered the bruise on the slender back with her hand. For the bruise soothing powder to be effective, it was necessary to use some strength to relieve the acupuncture points and dissolve the bruise. Lady Fang was afraid that the little girl couldn¡¯t endure the pain, so she first gently massaged before gradually increasing her strength.


    At first, Yu Xiaocao hissed as she sucked in a breath of cold air. Then she wailed sorrowfully, ¡°It hurts, hurts, hurts... be more gentle. Godmother, please be more gentle!¡±


    ¡°Endure it for a bit. If I don¡¯t use some strength, it won¡¯t be effective...¡± Lady Fang tenderlyforted her, but she didn¡¯t reduce the strength in her hands. Yu Xiaocao continued to scream and il her limbs vigorously, hitting the bed loudly.


    Linglong and Zhenzhu lowered their heads and tried to hold back theirughter. At this time, the young miss looked like a fish out of water. Her unpretentious appearance looked really cute.


    Xia Furong gnashed her teeth and stared enviously at the whining brat. Her paternal aunt was so biased. When she first came to the General Estate, she was only seven to eight years old and her aunt¡¯s most intimate action was to hold her hands and touch her head. But how can this dirty rural girl let her aunt hold her in her arms and personally apply medication for her?! The bruise soothing powder was awarded by the emperor, and it would be difficult to obtain on the market even with a thousand pieces of gold. How was that wretch worthy of such a precious thing?


    However, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want this honor at all. She was only a little bruised. When she got home, she could just let the little divine stone blow a breath of celestial air on her back and everything would be fine. Why did she have to suffer like this for no reason ah!


    Lady Fang giggled, patted the little girl¡¯s restless butt, and daunted, ¡°Behave! Be careful not to hurt your arms and legs. If they get bruised, you¡¯ll have to suffer again.¡±


    After hearing that, Yu Xiaocao immediately stopped, as if she was a robotic doll that was out of power. But her cry of pain became louder and louder. A crying child would get milk, so she wasn¡¯t going to go for that act of ¡®gritting her teeth and enduring in silence¡¯!


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Eldest Maternal Aunt, Madam Han, and Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother, Madam Yao, hade to deliver the goods. As soon as they entered the shop, they had heard Xiaocao¡¯s loud shrieking, so they hastily came in to inquire. Seeing the bruise on the little girl¡¯s back, the two couldn¡¯t help but feel heartache.


    Yu Xiaocao immediately stopped screaming. She turned her head to see her maternal grandmother and eldest maternal aunt¡¯s wan smile, and softly said, ¡°Grandmother, Eldest Maternal Aunt, it¡¯s alright! I just identally bumped into the door. I¡¯ll be fine after applying some medication¡ªBy the way, this is my godmother, who came from the capital!¡±


    Madam Yao and her daughter-inw knew that Xiacocao had gotten an official as her godfather. Hearing that she was Xiaocao¡¯s godmother, didn¡¯t that mean that the wife of an official hade? The two honest matrons were bewildered as they just stood there and smiled awkwardly.


    Lady Fang smiled affably at them and said gently, ¡°We are rtives now, so you guys don¡¯t have to be so restrained.¡±


    Seeing her maternal grandmother and aunt¡¯s perplexed expression, Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Grandmother, Eldest Aunt, I don¡¯t know if Uncle Li can handle all the work in front, so can you guys go help out first? I¡¯lle help after applying the medication.¡±


    Madam Han nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that busy, so it will be fine with just your grandmother and me. You¡¯re injured, so you should just stay and chat with your godmother!¡±


    Xia Furong¡¯s heart was full of contempt for the typical speech and behavior of the two rural women¡ªAs expected, that damned wretch¡¯s rtives were unpresentable.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s ¡®torture¡¯ finally ended. She spread out her arms and legs on the bed and pretended to be dead. Lady Fang was so amused by her that she couldn¡¯t stopughing. She patted her fleshy little butt and said, ¡°Stop ying around. Quickly get up and put on your clothes so that you won¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sat up and moved her arms. It seemed like her back really didn¡¯t hurt as much as before. She slowly put on her clothes and said, ¡°Godmother, are you going to go rest at the residence in town ore back to Dongshan Vige with us?¡±


    Her godfather¡¯s job was basically the same as a project supervisor. It would take at least three to five years toplete the construction of the port, so he bought a residence in town. But her godfather rarely lived in the residence in town. He usually stayed in the Zhao Family¡¯s old residence at the foot of the West Mountains. This was because it was located close to Xiaocao¡¯s house, which made it more convenient for him to freeload meals from the Yu Family.


    Fang Zizhen had already exined this matter to his wife in his letters. Lady Fang pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°With my understanding of your godfather, he will go straight to Dongshan Vige when he returns from the prefectural city. So I will wait for him at Dongshan Vige!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head obediently and said, ¡°Mhm! Godfather set off to the prefectural city early this morning so he should almost be there by now. I reckon he will have to stay a night at the prefectural city ande back tomorrow! The conditions of the residence in town is better, but no one has been living there for a long time after all. So it will be very troublesome to clean. Although the house in Dongshan Vige is simple and crude, it¡¯s closer to my house and we can take care of each other. Godmother, you¡¯ve been traveling for such a long time, so you should be hungry, right? I¡¯ll treat you to a feast at Zhenxiu Restaurant...¡±


    It would cost at least a hundred taels for a meal at the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital, and it wasmon to pay three to five hundred taels for a meal. Lady Fang knew that her adoptive daughter had average living conditions. Although the watermelon shop was doing very well, it was still better to help her daughter save some money.


    ¡°I heard from your godfather that you have excellent cooking skills. Godmother wants to try your cooking.¡± Lady Fang caressed the young girl¡¯s smooth, ck hair, and inwardly praised the little girl¡¯s hair for growing so well. Unbeknownst to her, this head of ck hair was still as dry as a stick of firewood half a year ago!


    Yu Xiaocao thought of the empty kitchen in the courtyard. She had been so busy with the opening of her shop that she didn¡¯t have time to prepare the kitchen utensils, let alone the seasonings. She bit her lip and murmured, ¡°Godmother, there¡¯s nothing prepared in the small kitchen in the shop. A skillful woman can hardly cook without rice. It¡¯s almost noon already, so how am I supposed to make food for you now? If you want to try my cooking, I can show you my skills tonight! Let¡¯s just make do with a meal at Zhenxiu Restaurant first...¡±


    Going to eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant, yet she described it as putting up with a meal? If others heard this, she would definitely get beat up! Due to Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s endless stream of new dishes, even the tables in the main dining hall had been fully booked for several days. Without making a reservation in advance, don¡¯t even think about eating the delicacies at Zhenxiu Restaurant!


    Xia Furong narrowed her eyes and sneered with a smirk, ¡®A poor vige girl wants to pretend to be capable and impress my aunt by treating her to a meal at Zhenxiu Restaurant? Even a table of the most simple dishes at Zhenxiu Restaurant will cost several dozen taels. Even if she sells watermelons for an entire day, she still might not earn enough money for a meal at the restaurant.¡¯ Later, she must take advantage of this opportunity to order more of their signature dishes so that the damned brat would have a heartache! Even the snobby and arrogant nobledies in the capital seldom had the chance to eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant, let alone her!


    It was almost noon. Xiaocao, who had been busily working since dawn, was so hungry that her chest was sticking to her back. After having a small talk with her godmother, she apanied her godmother to the nearby Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    When she passed by the shop, she smiled at her maternal grandmother and eldest maternal aunt, who were in the store, ¡°Grandmother, Eldest Maternal Aunt, since there isn¡¯t a lot customers right now, let¡¯s go eat something across the street first!¡±


    Madam Yao looked at thevish silk brocade that Lady Fang wore, as well as the impressive aura she gave off. Even the two maidservants behind her were dressed better than them. She felt slightly ashamed of her inferiority, so she shook her hands repeatedly and said, ¡°You go apany your godmother! There needs to be people in the shop. We can just buy two steamed tbreads to eatter!¡±


    Xiaocao also knew that, even if her maternal grandmother and eldest maternal aunt went, they still wouldn¡¯t be able to eat with ease. Thus, she didn¡¯t force them and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask the server to deliver some food over. Grandmother, Eldest Maternal Aunt, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken and osmanthus duck are pretty good. Later, have a taste and see if they suit your appetites!¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! How much money would you have to spend to get chickens and ducks?! Even if you have money, you still can¡¯t spend them like this. I think eating steamed tbread is fine!¡± Eldest Maternal Aunt disagreed with Xiaocao spending money recklessly.


    None of them knew that Yu Xiaocao had never needed to spend any money when eating at Zhenxiu Restaurant. No matter what, she could be considered as business partners with the boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant. The money that she helped them earn was enough for her to eat several lifetimes of sumptuous meals!


    It was currently mealtime, so Zhenxiu Restaurant waspletely packed with customers. Several people from out of town, who hade to visit after hearing about the famous restaurant, walked out of the restaurant with disappointment upon hearing that the tables had been reserved for the next three days.


    ¡°Seems like there isn¡¯t any tables left.¡± Lady Fang, who was holding her goddaughter¡¯s hand and unwilling to let go, heard the disappointment of the visitor who passed by. She lowered her head to look at Xiaocao and softly said.


    Xia Furong also had a face full of disappointment. She couldn¡¯t control herself and blurted out, ¡°Younger Cousin, did you pretend to be generous and treat us to a meal because you knew that we wouldn¡¯t be able to get a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant at this time?!¡±


    ¡°Furong!¡± Lady Fang could understand a young girl having slight vanity, so she wasn¡¯t mad about this matter. She was afraid that her daughter would be angry from embarrassment, so she hastily chided her niece.


    Xia Furong felt even more angry. She snorted unhappily and said, ¡°Aunt, you¡¯re siding with her! Look, even someone like Second Young Master Zhu couldn¡¯t get a table, let alone an ordinary peasant girl like her?¡±

 Chapter 182 – Hospitality

    <h4>Chapter 182 ¨C Hospitality</h4>


    Lady Fang looked in the direction of her niece¡¯s line of sight. Sure enough, Prince Jing¡¯s second son, Zhu Junxi, was talking to someone who appeared to be a manager. At this time, there were several people, who looked like merchants,ing out of the restaurant with a disappointed expression.


    ¡°Forget it, Godmother will treat you to a meal at Fulin Restaurant to try their specialty dishes! In your godfather¡¯s letters, he mentioned that there are a few long-established restaurants in Tanggu Town and they each have their own specialty dishes. You can just invite us to eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant on another day.¡± They had only just met, but Lady Fang felt that she was kindred spirits with this little girl. Thus, she provided a way for her to get out of this awkward situation.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled genuinely at her godmother, held her hand, and stepped into the main entrance of Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    ¡°This guest, I¡¯m really sorry! All our tables for today has been reserved three days ago. We really can¡¯t get an empty table for you, let alone a private room...¡± The head manager had a keen eye for people. He was absolutely certain that the dignified and noble young man in front of him had an extraordinary family background. However, integrity was very important in business. He couldn¡¯t cancel other people¡¯s reservations, which they got with much difficulty, for him just because he was someone of high status. Wouldn¡¯t that be ruining their own reputation? Hence, he could only sincerely apologize.


    Zhu Junxi had a slightly unpleasant expression on his face. Generally, big restaurants would have a couple private rooms reserved for the owner¡¯s friends. Although he didn¡¯t know the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant, there could be an exception for everything. He was willing to pay double the price to borrow the reserved private room for a one time use, but this manager wouldn¡¯t agree no matter what...


    He took in a deep breath and was about to say something when he was interrupted by a clear voice behind him, ¡°Uncle Manager, is Third Young Master here today?¡±


    The head manager smiled apologetically at Zhu Junxi and then looked at Xiaocao, who was behind him. He smiled until his eyes had narrowed into a line, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, our boss went to send a batch of vermicelli and century eggs to the capital. He just left this morning! Are you looking for our boss?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing! My godmother came from afar, so I wanted to borrow Third Young Master¡¯s reserved private room to entertain her.¡± Yu Xiaocao bluntly stated her intention.


    The head manager quickly said, ¡°What do you mean by borrow? Our boss has already said that Miss Xiaocao can use his private room whenever you like!¡±


    ¡°Then thanks a lot Uncle Manager!¡± Yu Xiaocao showed a sweet smile, and then walked up the stairs beside the main hall to the second floor with familiarity!


    Zhu Junxi finally couldn¡¯t help but pull a long face and angrily said, ¡°Manager, everything should be done on a ¡®firste, first served¡¯ basis! I just talked to you in a good-natured way for a long time and was also willing to pay double the price to use the private room, but you wouldn¡¯t agree no matter what. Yet, you readily agree to let someone use it now?¡±


    After all, he was the second son of Imperial Prince Jing. The dignified and imposing manner within his anger caused the head manager¡¯s heart to be stagnant for a moment. In spite of the patron¡¯s rage, the head manager exined, ¡°That private room is our boss¡¯s exclusive room, so except for entertaining friends and rtives, it won¡¯t be lent to outsiders. Miss Xiaocao has a very special rtionship with our boss. She can be considered a partial owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant, so...¡±


    ¡°Second Young Master, we don¡¯t have a lot of people. If you don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s dine together!¡± Xia Furong didn¡¯t expect that the wretch could really get a table, moreover, it was a private room. Seeing that Second Young Master Zhu had encountered an obstacle with the head manager, she felt that this was a rare chance, and thus she made an invitation.


    Zhu Junxi had just noticed that Lady Fang was not far behind him. He faintly nced at Xia Furong, and his impression of her became even worse. Disregarding the custom that men and women should dine at different table after the age of seven, Xia Furong wasn¡¯t the one who got the private room and she also wasn¡¯t the one paying for the meal. To make the invitation without asking the host first, she was seriously too rude!


    He ignored Xia Furong; instead, he bobbed a greeting towards Lady Fang and said in a graceful manner, ¡°Lady Fang, good to see you again!¡±


    Lady Fang was quite displeased with her niece¡¯s nearly fawning words. She suppressed the rage within her heart and said to Second Young Master Zhu, ¡°Your mother isn¡¯t in good health. After sitting in a carriage for such a long time, it¡¯s a good idea to find a ce to rest! What¡¯s wrong? Was there some change in ns with the county magistrate¡¯s wife?¡±


    ¡°No, my mother said that it¡¯s almost noon, so we shouldn¡¯t disturb the county magistrate¡¯s family. We decided to eat lunch here before visiting the county yamen. But...¡± An unpleasant expression appeared on Zhu Junxi¡¯s face again when he thought of the fatigue on his mother¡¯s face.


    Lady Fang looked at her goddaughter and asked for her opinion, ¡°Xiaocao, Lady Zhu and Young Master Zhu took good care of me on the way here. She wants to take a short break here, so what do you...¡±


    Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t reject her godmother¡¯s request. With a bright smile, she said cheerfully, ¡°Since she is Godmother¡¯s friend, it is only proper that I shall treat her with the utmost hospitality. I¡¯ll go with you to invite Lady Zhu to have a meal together.¡±


    Zhu Junxi didn¡¯t look down on Xiaocao because of her ordinary clothes. Instead, he gave her a solemn bow and said, ¡°Thank you very much, miss!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing had long been bored sitting inside the carriage. From time to time, she would raise the curtain of the carriage and look in the direction of Zhenxiu Restaurant. When she saw her soning back, she asked in a soft voice, ¡°How is it? Still can¡¯t book a private room?¡±


    They were traveling incognito this time, so Second Young Master Zhu just called his royal mother ¡®Mother¡¯ in front of outsiders. He exined softly, ¡°Mother, the Zhenxiu Restaurant in Tanggu Town, like the one in the capital, must be booked seven to eight days in advance. Fortunately, Lady Fang¡¯s goddaughter has some face at Zhenxiu Restaurant and was able to get a private room. Lady Fang wants to invite you to dine together!¡±


    ¡°Lady Fang¡¯s goddaughter? When did she get a goddaughter? Why wasn¡¯t there any news about it? A lot of people thought that she would adopt her maternal niece as her daughter! It seems like someone¡¯s ns are going to fall through!¡± Don¡¯t underestimate a woman¡¯s heart for gossip. Although Princess Consort Jing seldom went out, she had still heard a little about it.


    With the help of Meixiang and Lanxiang, Princess Consort Jing got off the carriage and smiled gracefully at Lady Fang. She saw the thin little girl beside Lady Fang and said softly, ¡°Lady Fang, is this your goddaughter? She is a bright and decent-looking young girl!¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, Madam, for your praise! It¡¯s inconvenient to talk here. Let¡¯s continue talking in the private room on the second floor!¡± There was a trace of revere in Lady Fang¡¯s attitude.


    Xiaocao had sensitively perceived it. Her godmother, who was the wife of a third-ranked general, also had to act courteous towards her. It seemed like the status of this noble madam was certainly impressive. She showed a natural sense of nobility and grace. Could she be rted to the imperial family? What was the matter with all these nobilities? Why were they alling to a poor, remote ce like Tanggu Town?


    Since they were all women, Zhu Junxi knew the etiquette and didn¡¯t follow them to the private room. Instead, he took the imperial bodyguards, who were disguised as servants, to dine at a famous, old restaurant nearby. Xia Furong had wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Second Young Master Zhu, but her ns had failed again.


    With an extra honored guest, Xiaocao certainly wouldn¡¯t let her godmother lose face in front of the honored guest. When ordering, she almost ordered all the most famous dishes in Zhenxiu Restaurant! There were several dishes that even someone of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s status hadn¡¯t heard of.


    Princess Consort Jing smiled at Lady Fang and said, ¡°This child of yours is really too sincere! She ordered so much food, but we won¡¯t be able to finish all of them ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stood up and personally poured a cup of herbal tea for the princess consort and her godmother. She had added a few drops of mystic-stone water inside the tea, which would help eliminate fatigue. Hearing her words, she smiled and said, ¡°You and my godmother havee from afar, so of course, I shall treat you guys to a meal to wee your arrival!¡±


    The little girl didn¡¯t have a tall stature and was very young, but her cleverness was apparent in all aspects, which was a quality that the princess consort admired. She said with a smile, ¡°Is this considered me being benefited from my association with your godmother?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! My godmother said that you have taken good care of her all the way from the capital! I want to express my gratitude to you with this table of food and drinks!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and her speech was courteous and thoughtful. This caused Lady Fang and Princess Consort Jing to have an even better impression of her.


    Princess Consort Jing had even started to joke with her, ¡°Oh! So it¡¯s a meal to wee and thank me at the same time. You want to get rid of me with just one meal? No, that won¡¯t do. There should be at least two meals!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention two meals, as long as you¡¯re willing toe, Zhenxiu Restaurant will wee your arrival at any time! Here, try this ¡®century eggs with tofu¡¯. It¡¯s a new dish at Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡± Yu Xiaocao used amunal spoon todle a spoonful of the dish into Princess Consort Jing and Lady Fang¡¯s respective bowls.


    Princess Jing smiled and said, ¡°Alright, you sit down and eat! Just let the maidservants serve us¡ªMhm! This tofu has a fine and smooth mouthfeel... What is this? Century eggs? Thisbination has a rather unique taste. Sure enough, this is Zhenxiu Restaurant. They can make such an interesting and novel dish with a simple ingredient like tofu!¡±


    After eating two bites of the century eggs with tofu, Princess Consort Jing took another look at her favorite osmanthus duck. Meixiang, who was behind her, immediately picked up a piece of duck meat and put it into her bowl.


    ¡°I have a weak spleen and stomach. For a slightly greasy dish like roasted duck, I can only eat one piece. But this osmanthus duck is fatty but not greasy, and it¡¯s also fragrant and delicious. So I can eat a few pieces.¡± Princess Consort Jing had refined table manners, but she ate with gusto.


    Yu Xiaocao introduced ¡®duck blood soup with vermicelli¡¯ to the two of them. They were very interested in the vermicelli inside and unknowingly finished a bowl full of the dish.


    Vermicelli produced at the Zhou Family¡¯s factory didn¡¯t have varying thickness like the ones made by Yu Xiaocao, a non-professional. After rigorous training, the workers had be professional at making vermicelli. The vermicelli were uniform in thickness, and were bright and translucent. When eaten, they were soft, smooth, refreshing, and very chewy.


    The vermicelli and century eggs had just been put into production. It couldn¡¯t be seen in any other ces except for Zhenxiu Restaurant, let alone eating it. One of the most important reasons that Princess Consort Jing had eaten with great relish was that she was able to eat something novel!


    Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves during this meal. After the county magistrate¡¯s wife received the message, she personally came to pick Princess Consort Jing up with her entourage.


    At this time, the watermelons in the watermelon shop had already been sold out. Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother and eldest maternal aunt, who had also eaten the ¡®take-out¡¯ that Xiaocao ordered from Zhenxiu Restaurant, were wiping the shelves in the store!


    Since Lady Fang was unwilling to stay in the town, Yu Xiaocao sat in her godmother¡¯s carriage and introduced the scenery along the way while giving directions to the coachman.


    Eldest Maternal Aunt hade to help in the shop, so she would stay in the store from now on. Seeing that her help wasn¡¯t needed and because she worried about her husband and the chickens and ducks at home, Xiaocao¡¯s grandmother had directly returned to her vige from the town.

 Chapter 183 – Competing for Favor

    <h4>Chapter 183 ¨C Competing for Favor</h4>


    The road to Dongshan Vige wasn¡¯t very smooth, especially that section of the mountain road, which was very bumpy. Xia Furong felt as if she was about to puke out her guts due to the jolting. She had a grim expression and a lot of resentment within her heart, ¡®Seriously, what is wrong with my aunt? She doesn¡¯t want to live in a perfectly good house in town, but instead she decides toe to this poor, remote countryside. It¡¯s all because of that damned wretch. If she hadn¡¯t said that my uncle had been staying in Dongshan Vige this whole time, my aunt might have settled in town already!¡¯


    Aiyo! Xia Furong didn¡¯t pay attention for a moment and bumped her head on the window of the carriage, making a loud noise. The little girl covered her sore head and looked at her aunt, Lady Fang, with tears in her eyes.


    After all, Lady Fang had practiced with her husband before. No matter how bumpy the carriage was, she still sat upright and was as motionless as a statue.


    Yu Xiaocao swayed her body in the direction that the carriage jolted in, but she maintained a crossed-legs sitting position. The twisting and swaying of her waist made it look as if she was dancing.


    Hearing the sound of Xia Furong hitting the window, Yu Xiaocao turned her head and looked at her with a slight smile. She said, ¡°Older Cousin, we will arrive at Dongshan Vige after crossing this mountain road. Be attentive and you won¡¯t get hurt!¡±


    In Xia Furong¡¯s eyes, Xiaocao was mocking her with the faint smile on her face. She covered the bump on her head and angrilyined to Lady Fang, ¡°Aunt, look at her! I already got hurt, yet she¡¯s still making sarcastic remarks.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao widened her big, ck eyes and looked at her innocently, ¡®This person really doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate other people¡¯s good intentions. I wasforting her, okay!¡¯


    Lady Fang patted her goddaughter¡¯s thin shoulder and softly said to her niece, ¡°Furong, your younger cousin is just concerned about you and reminding you to be more careful so that you don¡¯t hurt yourself again.¡±


    ¡°Aunt! You¡¯re too biased!! She obviously didn¡¯t mean well, yet you¡¯re still speaking up for her!! Aunt, now that you have a goddaughter, you don¡¯t care about your niece anymore. Waahhh...¡± The little girl began to cry bitterly.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡®She¡¯s already so old, yet she¡¯s still crying andpeting for favor? What¡¯s the point in doing that? I have my parents to spoil me at home, so I don¡¯tck love. I¡¯m not going to be on the same level as that littless!¡¯


    Lady Fang saw Xiaocao¡¯s small movement, and felt that she seemed even more lovely the more she looked at her. Then she looked at her niece, who was crying with a runny nose. She was already thirteen or fourteen years old, which was a marriageable age. Yet, she was stillpeting for favor with a young girl who was under the age of ten. She was also at fault for pampering her niece, and thus raising her expectations. After having her wish destroyed, it was inevitable that there would be some disparity in her mentality.


    ¡°Stop crying. You¡¯re already at an age when you can look for a husband, but you¡¯re still fighting for favor with a little girl. Aren¡¯t you afraid of beingughed at?¡± Lady Fang handed over her own handkerchief and consoled in a soft voice.


    After all, Xia Furong was a young maiden. After hearing this, she blushed and bowed her head. But she also didn¡¯t forget to take this chance to give Xiaocao an angry re. Then she said in a low voice, ¡°Aunt, who wouldugh at me here but her?¡±


    Lady Fang helplessly said, ¡°Xiaocao is my goddaughter, so you two are sisters now. You guys should get along well with each other. Don¡¯t always fight and argue upon seeing each other...¡±


    Xiaocao had an even more innocent expression on her face as she pouted and said, ¡°Godmother, I didn¡¯t ah!¡±


    Lady Fang cated her with a smile, ¡°Our Xiaocao is a good child... Your older cousin just arrived at an unfamiliar ce, so she¡¯s not used to it. You must do your best to help her as a host.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at Xia Furong with a mischievous smile, while wondering whether she should take her to catch caterpirs in the mountains or dig for spoonworms and sea cucumbers by the sea.


    Xia Furong red at her fiercely, and then agreed aggrievedly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt. I will yield to younger cousin!¡±


    Just now, her aunt had personally mentioned her marriage. As long as she was obedient and didn¡¯t make her angry, her aunt would naturally arrange a good marriage for her. First, she had to put up with this damned girl. It was best that they meet less in the future so that she could get some peace of mind!


    While the two were deep in their own thoughts, the carriage had passed the most difficult mountain road and the outline of Dongshan Vige could be seen from afar.


    Xiaocao pointed to an area not too far away and grinned, ¡°Godmother, that¡¯s our watermelon field over there. It¡¯s not very big and just a little more than three mu. But the watermelons have grown very well. We can harvest over a thousand catties in one mu ofnd!¡±


    Lady Fang looked at the small fishing vige, which seemed as if it was embraced by luxuriant mountains. It was surrounded by green trees, singing birds and fragrant flowers. The ce that Xiaocao pointed at was an area of verdant green, which felt veryfortable to look at.


    ¡°The crop that is nted on both sides of the road is...¡± Lady Fang had never seen this crop being nted in the rural estate from her dowry, so she asked with slight uncertainty.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the sweet potato sprouts on the roadside and said with a smile, ¡°Dongshan Vige is close to the sea, so most of thend here is sandy. There won¡¯t be much yield if we nt crops like wheat and soybeans. Thus, most people nt crops like sweet potatoes, which can be grown in various environments.¡±


    ¡°Sweet potatoes? Is it the new crop that can produce thousands of catties in one mu ofnd?¡± When the emperor made his first voyage, he had brought back the high yielding crop, sweet potato, which was quickly poprized. With this high-yield crop, the early Great Ming Dynasty, which was stirred up by war and in a disastrous state, finally wouldn¡¯t have even more people dying of hunger...


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and said, ¡°The yield of sweet potatoes is really good. If they are nted well, it¡¯s possible to get a harvest of two to three thousand catties in one mu ofnd.¡±


    ¡°Stop bragging! At this time, the heads of wheat at the farmstead are already sprouting. Yet these sweet potatoes still only have leaves and nothing else. With just one to two months remaining, they can produce over two thousand catties? Who are you kidding!¡± Xia Furong smirked, and her tone was filled with the intention of finding fault.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her as if she had seen a weirdo. She asked in surprise, ¡°Older Cousin, you don¡¯t think that sweet potatoes are grown on vines, do you? Pffft... Don¡¯t misunderstand, I¡¯m notughing at you... But, it¡¯s really funny... The fruit of sweet potatoes are grown underground. Uncle coachman, please stop in front...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao jumped off the carriage and picked up a dried branch from the roadside. She dug downwards along the vine of the sweet potato in the field beside them.


    ¡°Hey! How can you randomly dig other people¡¯s sweet potatoes? Isn¡¯t that the act of a thief? Quicklye up. It will be so shameful to be caught ah!¡± Xia Furong screamed as if she was afraid others wouldn¡¯t hear her.


    Yu Xiaocao ignored her and dug out a sweet potato that weighed over one catty from the sweet potato vine, as well as a few small sweet potatoes that were less than one catty. She removed the mud on top with her hand, took the sweet potatoes to the carriage, and unted to Lady Fang, ¡°Godmother, look, these are sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes can be cooked, steamed, and roasted! It tastes delicious and sweet. If you eat it once in a while, it¡¯s pretty good!¡±


    Xia Furong looked at her with disdain and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be a such a person! Didn¡¯t your mother ever tell you that taking something without asking is the act of thieves?¡±


    The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face gradually faded. Her big eyes stared at Xia Furong with dissatisfaction and she uttered one word at a time, ¡°You can say anything about me! But please don¡¯t drag in my parents!! What do you know? Thisnd belongs to my eldest granduncle¡¯s family!!¡±


    Her staring caused Xia Furong to feel restless. She muttered in a low voice, ¡°Even if it¡¯s your eldest granduncle¡¯s fields, you can¡¯t just dig in it...¡±


    ¡°Eldest Granduncle, you¡¯re taking a walk?¡± Before Xia Furong could finish speaking, her words were interrupted by Xiaocao. Xiaocao, who was sitting on the shaft of the carriage, greeted the figure in the distance with a smile.


    Yu Lichun looked up and saw Xiaocao sitting on an unfamiliar horse carriage. He nodded at her first, and then said, ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t have anything to do, so I came to check out the fields! Whose carriage did youe back in?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my godmother¡¯s, who came from the capital. I¡¯ll take her home to rest first¡ªEldest Granduncle, I was craving roasted sweet potatoes, so I dug up several sweet potatoes from your fields just now...¡± Yu Xiaocao giggled without a trace of embarrassment.


    Yu Lichun knew that before they had divided from the main family, the Yu Family ate two meals a day. But Xiaocao had a weak stomach and needed to eat an extra meal of sweet potatoes in between the two mealtimes every day. The littless had eaten sweet potatoes for such a long time, and now that she was living a better life, she still couldn¡¯t forget that taste ah!


    He chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s something grown by your own family. If you want to eat it, then just dig for it yourself! Your family didn¡¯t nt any sweet potatoes this spring, so when it¡¯s time to harvest the crops, I¡¯ll tell your third uncle to send a few sacks over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Eldest Granduncle! Later, I¡¯ll get a watermelon from our field and send it to your house!¡± Yu Xiaocao understood the principle of ¡®courtesy requires reciprocity¡¯.


    Yu Lichun hastily waved his hands and said repeatedly, ¡°No, no need! A watermelon costs several taels. Eldest Granduncle can¡¯t afford to ept it! You should keep it to sell for money...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled like a blossomed flower and said, ¡°Eldest Granduncle, why can¡¯t you ept it? It¡¯s grown by family, so why can¡¯t you eat it? Last winter, if you hadn¡¯t lent me money to see a doctor, I might have... You have saved my life, so what¡¯s wrong with eating a watermelon? Okay, it¡¯s settled then. You haven¡¯t tasted our watermelons yet!¡±


    Yu Lichun wanted to say something, but Xiacoao waved her hands at him, jumped onto the carriage, and drove past him. Yu Lichun shook his head with a smile. To know how to be grateful, that littless, Xiaocao, was really someone who deserved to be loved.


    ¡°That was your eldest granduncle? Your families seem pretty close ah! Why did your godfather write in his letter that your family doesn¡¯t seem to have a good rtionship with your grandparents¡¯ family...¡± Lady Fang didn¡¯t treat Xiaocao like an outsider and asked with slight concern, upon recalling the contents of the letter.


    Yu Xiaocao also didn¡¯t hide anything from her godmother. She avoided the serious matters and briefly exined, ¡°We don¡¯t have a good rtionship with my grandmother. My grandmother is... As a younger member of the family, it¡¯s not proper for me toment on that. You will know in a few days. My eldest granduncle¡¯s family are pretty good people. It was so difficultst winter, but they still gave us all their money in order for me to see a doctor!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your health isn¡¯t good? Your godfather didn¡¯t tell me that ah!¡± Lady Fang looked at the slightly thin, but rather spirited, girl in front of her and asked with concern.


    Yu Xiaocao hugged Lady Fang¡¯s arms and rubbed her face against her like a spoiled cat. She whispered, ¡°My health wasn¡¯t very good in the past. Last winter, I was seriously ill and almost died! But, I¡¯m alright now! Don¡¯t people always say: ¡®If you survive a disaster, you will be blessed¡¯. Sure enough, I need to thank the heavens for letting me meet Godfather and Godmother!¡±


    Lady Fang pulled the little girl into her arms and said with a smile, ¡°You ah, your little mouth is as sweet as honey. Godmother has a hundred-year-old ginseng. Just take it as a meeting gift. Tell your mother to make ginseng stewed chicken to nourish your body. You¡¯re too thin!¡±

 Chapter 184 – Helping Her Settle Down

    <h4>Chapter 184 ¨C Helping Her Settle Down</h4>


    ¡°Thank you, Godmother!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t act courteous. A hundred-year-old ginseng wasn¡¯t considered rare to her since she already had a five-hundred-old ginseng at home. But she would remember her godmother¡¯s kindness within her heart. If she had anything good in the future, she would definitely share it with her godmother!


    Xia Furong felt even more displeased within her heart. It wasn¡¯t that easy to obtain a hundred-year-old ginseng. They had just met this wretch from a rural vige, but she had actually cajoled her aunt!


    As they spoke, they had already arrived at Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s watermelon fields. Yu Hai was currently loading two carts with watermelons. He had to take these two carts of watermelons to townter. There wasn¡¯t anyone else in the Yu Family who was avable to drive the cart, so he had to ask his older male cousin, Yu Xi, toe help out.


    ¡°Father, Oldest Paternal Uncle!¡± Xiaocao had jumped off the carriage as it came to aplete stop. Seeing this, Lady Fang repeatedly urged her to slow down.


    Yu Hai saw his daughter getting off of an unfamiliar horse carriage. Behind her was a woman in her thirties, who was dressed in rich silk brocades. He had some doubts in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t stare at her for a closer look. So he just asked his daughter, ¡°Cao¡¯er, didn¡¯t we agree that I will take you back when I deliver the watermelons? Why did youe back by yourself?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hastily introduced the identity of her godmother, and the two politely exchanged a few words. Yu Hai noticed that Lady Fang¡¯s love for his daughter could be heard in her words, so he felt slightly reassured.


    Yu Xiaocao picked a big watermelon and asked Linglong to help take it onto the carriage. The two watermelons that they picked out at the shop were unwittingly sold by Eldest Maternal Aunt when they went to eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant. Her godmother really liked the te of watermelon gifted by Zhenxiu Restaurant. She couldn¡¯t promise anything else, but she could guarantee that they would have more than enough watermelons to eat!


    Lady Fang, who had seen the sales of the Yu Family¡¯s watermelon shop, also didn¡¯t act courteous with her goddaughter. Of course, she should kindly ept her daughter¡¯s show of filial respect. Moreover, this watermelon tasted much more tasty and refreshing than the watermelons that she had eaten before. She didn¡¯t know whether it was her own illusion, but she felt as if all her fatigue from her long journey for these past few days had all gone away after eating the watermelon!


    This low-key yet slightly luxurious horse carriage attracted many of the vigers¡¯ curious looks as it traveled through Dongshan Vige.


    The Zhao Family lived close to halfway up the mountain, so the horse carriage couldn¡¯t continue going up. Xiaocao told the coachman to stop the carriage in front of her house, and then she helped her godmother down the carriage.


    ¡°Oh! Xiaocao, you¡¯re back from town? Who¡¯s this noble madam?¡± Next to the seafood collection stall, there were several women, who had just sold their collection of cleaned sandworms. They greeted Xiaocao warmly. The littless Xiaocao was doing extremely well now. To have an official as her godfather, she must have umted a lot of good fortune in her previous life!


    ¡°Hello, Aunties! Your spoonworms are really clean ah!¡± Xiaocao knew that the matrons were just curious, so she greeted them with a smile.


    One of the matrons, who was very thin, grinned and said, ¡°Of course! If they¡¯re not cleaned thoroughly, who would have the nerve toe sell them? Your family gives a fair price, unlike Wang Dazhi of Dawang Vige, who¡¯s very ck-hearted. His price is five copper coins lower per cattypared to your family¡¯s!¡±


    Xia Furong covered her nose with her handkerchief and curiously got closer to see what they were selling. However, her face turned ghastly pale from the fright of seeing the soft spoonworms lying inside the basket. She screamed and hastily retreated, nearly tripping over a stone on the ground.


    Another chubby woman looked at her attire andughed, ¡°She is a young miss from town after all. It¡¯s inevitable that she would be scared when seeing spoonworms for the first time.¡±


    Seeing Xia Furong¡¯s change of expression, Yu Xiaocao was afraid that she would get angry and throw a tantrum. So she hastily said, ¡°Aunties, you guys continue with your work. My godmother and older cousin are tired from traveling such a long distance. I¡¯ll take them inside to rest first.¡±


    The women all watched as Lady Fang entered the Yu Family¡¯s gates while being supported by her two personal maidservants. They expressed their envy in session:


    ¡°So it¡¯s Xiaocao¡¯s godmother ah! The wife of an official! Look at that aura she gave off... tsk tsk!¡±


    ¡°Look at her maidservants. They¡¯re dressed like youngdies from noble families. The silver hairpins on their heads probably cost at least several taels!¡±


    ¡°I heard that Xiaocao¡¯s godmother came from the capital. Do you think that thess Xiaocao will benefit by her godparents and be a noble young miss in the capital?¡±


    ¡°Of course ah! I heard that Xiaocao¡¯s godfather didn¡¯t have any children and he pampers her like his real daughter. When her godfatherpletes his assignment and returns to the capital, he will probably take Xiaocao back with him! Xiaocao will be the daughter of an official in the future!¡±


    ¡°This child is really blessed...¡±


    Yu Hang quietly listened to the aunties¡¯ discussion, while he helped the coachman unload the carriage. He took the horse to the newly built stable and fed it with fodder. Xiaocao had rinsed all the fodder that the Yu Family fed to their livestock with mystic-stone water, so the Fang Family¡¯s horse enjoyed it even more.


    The coachman was very surprised. The Fang Family¡¯s horses were meticulously fed and raised by him, and they had always scorned crude fodder. The Yu Family¡¯s fodder was only the cheapest and most crude type of forage, but the horse actually didn¡¯t mind and ate it with relish. Could it be that it was hungry after traveling through a mountain road for such a long time?


    At this time, Lady Fang had already sat down on the recliner in the courtyard, basking in the warm sun, and looking at the green vegetables in the garden. Though the house beside her was simple, it gave off a warm and simple feeling. Was this the pleasure of living in the countryside?


    The only decent lounge chair in the yard was already upied by her aunt, so Xia Furongid her handkerchief on a stone chair and sat down aggrievedly. When she lowered her head and saw that her embroidered shoes were stained with mud, her heart felt even more upset. She didn¡¯t know how much longer she had to live in this remote and barren ce in the future. Dirt roads, low-ceiling thatched cottage, boorish women... How was she supposed to live like this ah!


    ¡°Godmother, my mother went to wash clothes by the stream at the foot of the mountain. It¡¯s very hot today and we just traveled for nearly two hours, so you must be thirsty! Here, eat a few pieces of watermelons to quench your thirst!¡± Yu Xiaocao got a knife from the kitchen, sliced the watermelon on the stone table, and then handed a piece to Lady Fang.


    With the corner of her eyes, she looked at Xia Furong, who was pouting so much that she could almost hang an oil bottle on her lips. She handed her a piece of watermelon and said with a smile, ¡°Older cousin, eat a watermelon! The fruit tray at noon was too small, so you probably haven¡¯t eaten enough, right? You can eat more now!¡±


    Xia Furong frowned and didn¡¯t take the watermelon that she handed over. She angrily eximed, ¡°Why does it seem like there¡¯s some hidden meanings in your words? Do you think that I haven¡¯t eaten watermelons before?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her in surprise and said, ¡°Older Cousin, don¡¯t overthink it. I didn¡¯t mean anything else. If you think that there was something wrong with what I said, then I will apologize to you!¡±


    Lady Fang was about to put the watermelon into her mouth, but she stopped. She had a grim expression and her voice was full of displeasure, ¡°Furong, if you feel wronged abouting to Dongshan Vige, I can let Zhenzhu stay with you in town! Don¡¯t vent your anger on innocent people. Your younger cousin is young, so she speaks bluntly. But she didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Don¡¯t always pick on her!¡±


    Xia Furong knew from her aunt¡¯s expression and speech that she was really angry. She hastily lowered her head and admitted her mistake, ¡°Aunt, I know you¡¯re angry and that I was wrong! Niece came with you in order to serve you. I¡¯ll stay whenever you stay. Niece doesn¡¯t feel wronged...¡±


    Although she said that she didn¡¯t feel wronged, her heart was filled with resentment. Thinking about the simple and crude living environment in the future and that she had to share her aunt¡¯s love with another person, the rims of Xia Furong¡¯s eyes reddened and she almost cried.


    After eating a few pieces of watermelon, Lady Fang leanedfortably on the recliner and looked up at the blue sky and white clouds. asionally, a bird flew across the sky. She couldn¡¯t help but close her eyes as she gradually rxed.


    Yu Xiaocao covered her godmother¡¯s legs with a lined nket. Seeing that there were a lot of watermelons leftover, she whispered to the two handmaids, Zhenzhu and Linglong, ¡°Two older sisters, have a taste of our family¡¯s watermelon. It tastes quite good!¡±


    When Zhenzhu and Linglong were serving their masters the watermelons, the strong, sweet fragrance had caused them to secretly swallow their saliva. In the capital, the masters¡¯ leftovers were also awarded to thepetent maidservants. Thus, Zhenzhu and Linglong didn¡¯t refuse and started eating the watermelons. The sweet and juicy watermelon immediately conquered their hearts. It was tasty and could quench their thirst. They didn¡¯t stop until their bellies were too full to continue eating.


    While her godmother was taking an afternoon nap, Xiaocao took the two handmaids to the Zhao Family¡¯s house to air the quilts that they brought over and clean up the main room. General Fang had lived there alone without anyone to serve him, so there wasn¡¯t much in the room except a few clothes.


    Zhenzhu and Linglong used the things that were on hand and decorated the room based on their master¡¯s preference. Xiaocao watched in admiration as they quickly arranged the room to look neat and warm.


    When Lady Fang woke up from her nap and came over with Xia Furong, the three of them had already tidied the room and cleaned the kitchen.


    Dinner was made with Xiaocao as the chef and the help of Zhenzhu and Linglong. The ingredients were fresh homegrown vegetables gathered at home, fish caught in the pond behind the house, chicken bought from the Zhou Family, and the seafood they had at home¡ªoysters and sandworms.


    Zhenzhu and Linglong took out the dishes and put them on the table in the main hall. Lady Fang nodded contentedly as she looked at the delicious and fragrant dishes. Linglong jested, ¡°As expected, Miss Cao¡¯er deserved her reputation of an excellent chef. This sweet and sour fish had a vibrant color, a beautiful shape, and alluring fragrance. It arouses one¡¯s appetite just by smelling it!¡±


    ¡°Miss Cao¡¯er put in a lot of effort to make this roasted oyster with garlic! Madam, you seldom get the chance to eat such fresh seafood in the capital. Enjoy the young miss¡¯s cooking today!¡± Zhenzhu was also full of praises for Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills.


    ¡°What is this?!!¡± Xia Furong saw a te of pink and plump food and thought of the nauseating creatures that she had seen earlier. Her face immediately turned pale and she started screaming.


    Yu Xiaocao, who hade over with a te of steamed ms with eggs, turned towards the sound and faintly nced at her, as if she was ming her for making a fuss. She indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s stir-fried spoonworms with scallions ah! Spoonworm is a natural condiment. This dish needs to be cooked in a natural way in order to keep the original taste of the ingredients and highlight the fresh, crisp, and tender mouthfeel of seafood. It has a mild taste and is very healthy and nourishing...¡±


    Before she finished speaking, Xia Furong¡¯s piercing scream rang out again, ¡°Who asked you to cook with spoonworms? The intestines of the sea...¡± She retched. ¡°It¡¯s disgusting to even think about it!! You actually dared to let Aunt eat this...¡±

 Chapter 185 – Thief

    <h4>Chapter 185 ¨C Thief</h4>


    Her voice abruptly came to a stop because she hopelessly watched as her aunt picked up a spoonworm with her chopsticks, put it into her mouth, and slowly chewed it. Why? This bug-like thing looked so disgusting. Shouldn¡¯t her aunt think it was disgusting, just like her? How could her aunt, who was of noble status, be able to stomach that?


    ¡°Mhm! It¡¯s really fresh and tender. Your godfather praised the spoonworms endlessly in his letters. I have long been eager to taste it. Xiaocao¡¯s cooking is very good. I really like this dish.¡± Lady Fang tried two more mouthfuls before she could spare some time to praise her.


    Xia Furong was having a mental breakdown inside, ¡®How can a noble and elegant person like my aunt like to eat bugs?¡¯


    As a matter of fact, this Lady Fang was rather courageous. Upon seeing soft and plump appearance of sandworms, most people would politely decline eating it. Yu Xiaocao, who was originally worried about not being able to get along with a noblewoman from the capital, finally feltpletely at ease now. This godmother of hers was quite approachable ah!


    She naturally had to support and praise the meal cooked by her daughter. Moreover, Xiaocao had excellent cooking skills. She could make many different delicacies with very simple ingredients, and thus caused Lady Fang, who was usually someone with a lot of self-restraint, to unexpectedly overeat by ident.


    Night had fallen. The shadows of the trees nearby gracefully swayed under the moonlight, while the bright moon hung above the treetops. asionally, ate-returning wild bird passed by and cast a beautiful shadow on the silver moon...


    It was Lady Fang¡¯s first time experiencing such a beautiful night sky. Simple stone walls, rough brick house, and a spacious courtyard... They were all so primitive. This simple and natural environment cleansed one¡¯s heart and mind. It made Lady Fang, who had lived inrge estates for a long time, feel rxed physically and mentally.


    Xiaocao, whose task of washing the dishes had been taken away by Zhenzhu and Linglong, looked at the sky and said goodbye to her godmother, ¡°Godmother, I¡¯m going back now. You should rest earlier. I¡¯ll see you again tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already so dark. How can I be at ease letting a little girl walk on a mountain road alone? I¡¯ll send you back!¡± Lady Fang grabbed antern, which had a fine brush painting of flowers and birds drawn on it, and followed Xiaocao out the door.


    Xiaocao quickly said, ¡°Godmother, I used to frequently go catch wild hares and pheasants in the mountains with Brother Han. So I¡¯m very familiar with this mountain road. You don¡¯t have to send...¡±


    ¡°Why be so courteous with me, your godmother? Godmother has eaten too much this evening, so I¡¯ll walk with you and digest the food.¡± Lady Fang lit thentern, held Xiaocao¡¯s hand, and slowly walked towards the main gates. Zhenzhu saw this and hastily handed the work in the kitchen to Linglong. She swiftly caught up to her master and took thentern in her hands.


    The Zhao Family¡¯s house was quite big and the courtyard was spacious. When Xia Furong, who had just arrived at an unfamiliar ce, saw everyone getting ready to go out, she also followed them with slight hesitation.


    The mountain road was quiet, and the mottled shadows of the bushes on both sides of the road appeared on the road. Xia Furong looked at the pitch-dark mountain and heard the crowing of night birds. Feeling scared, she quickly moved closer to her aunt. A gust of wind blew and the shadows of the trees on the ground suddenly shook. The anxious Xia Furong cried out in surprise and startled everyone.


    ¡°Older Cousin, people can die from being scared by another person. Can you stop making the atmosphere so tense?!¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in the darkness.


    Xia Furong hugged Lady Fang¡¯s other arm tightly and looked suspiciously at the dark thicket beside the road for fear that some unknown creature would suddenly jump out.


    One¡¯s worst fears would always happen. Suddenly, a dark figure swiftly flew past her feet and she even felt it step on her toes. Xia Furong screamed even more tragically and hugged Lady Fang. She hid her head within her aunt¡¯s embrace and didn¡¯t dare toe out.


    Yu Xiaocao was renderedpletely speechless. Looking at the physical shape and gait of the dark shadow, it was merely a young hare. Did she really need to scream like a pig being ughtered?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Older Cousin. It¡¯s just a wild hare. The ferocious animals of the West Mountains will only appear deep in the mountains. The animals that appear around here are mostly small animals like wild hares, pheasants, badgers, and so on. They¡¯re not aggressive.¡± Yu Xiaocao informed Noble Young Miss Xia.


    Xia Furong ignored her and cried in a trembling voice, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s too scary here. Let¡¯s go back!¡±


    Lady Fang patted her niece on her shoulder to cate her and then said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid! We have a lot of people, as well as a light. Even if there are wild beasts, they won¡¯t dare toe over. You just arrived at a new environment and haven¡¯t adapted yet. In a few days, you will be able to experience of pleasure of living in the countryside. When your uncle has a break, I¡¯ll tell him to take us hunting. The game that we caught ourselves would definitely be more delicious.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! It would be even better if we can catch a wild deer! I don¡¯t even need to mention the taste of roasted venison! There¡¯s also badger meat, which is tender and delicious... I¡¯m about to drool!¡±


    Lady Fang chuckled and touched Xiaocao¡¯s head. With a doting voice, she said, ¡°You ah! An outright little foodie!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao recalled the hard and bitter yet happy days. She said with a grin, ¡°Godmother, my father used to be an expert hunter in the vige! He often went up the mountains with Uncle Zhao, who is Godfather¡¯s younger martial brother. He would be able to catch a lot of game every time! My father had also killed arge wild boar by himself. It weighed two to three hundred catties!¡±


    The night was quiet, and the whole mountain resounded with the sound of Xiaocao¡¯s chattering. Lady Fang listened with interest and asionally interrupted her to ask a question, which made Xiaocao speak even more enthusiastically.


    Xia Furong curled up her lips in disbelief. If hunting was so easy, then why were they farming ah! She couldn¡¯t help but want to expose Xiaocao¡¯s lies, ¡°Since your father is so good at hunting, why are your family growing vegetables and watermelons? Isn¡¯t it tiring for your family to do so much work?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao replied without hesitation, ¡°Hunting can also be risky. How can it be as safe and steady as farming? Ever since my father was injured by a bear, my mother has forbidden us from going up the mountains. But don¡¯t underestimate our family¡¯s ie from growing vegetables and watermelons. It¡¯s even more profitable than a nobleman¡¯s ntation!¡±


    Lady Fang thought of the ie from the watermelon shop today and nodded in approval. The annual ie of thergest ntation from her dowry was only around a thousand taels of silver. It really wasn¡¯t as good as the ie that Xiaocao¡¯s family got from selling watermelons for a few days.


    Xia Furong, who knew nothing about farming, didn¡¯t believe Xiaocao¡¯s words at all. If people could make so much money by farming, then why would those farmers be dressed in rags and have little food to eat? That damned wretch must be boasting...


    But, what did that brat just say? There were bears in the mountains? She and her aunt, as well as the two maidservants, were all women and they lived halfway up the mountains. If a ferocious beast came down the mountains, then there would be unthinkable consequences¡ªXia Furong kept thinking about it and became even more frightened as her face turned pale and her legs trembled.


    As they happily chatted, they had unknowingly arrived at the entrance of the Yu Family¡¯s residence. The Yu Family, which should have been very quiet at this time, was bustling with noise.


    Yu Xiaocao and her godmother looked at each other, and then hastened their pace. When they hurried into the yard, they heard Wang Ergou¡¯s distinctive rogue-like voice. He shouted angrily, ¡°...You¡¯re not sleeping thiste at night, and instead hiding in the watermelon fields. If you¡¯re not a thief, then what are you? Could it be that you¡¯re going to meet your lover in the melon field??¡±


    Then there was the shrill screaming of her eldest paternal aunt, ¡°Wang Ergou, you bastard! You¡¯re trying to ruin my innocence. I¡¯ll risk my life to fight with you...¡±


    There was a sense of reproach within Ergou¡¯s wife¡¯s calm voice, ¡°Dashan¡¯s wife, Ergou has never been a good speaker. I¡¯ll apologize for his offensive remarks, so don¡¯t be angry. But what were you doing hiding in the watermelon fields in the middle of the night?¡±


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao had already arrived next to the crowd. Under the light cast by thenterns in the yard, she could see that the entire Yu Family were present, except for Little Shitou, who was studying in town. There were also Wang Ergou and his wife, as well as her eldest paternal aunt Madam Li, who was in a mess.


    After being questioned by Ergou¡¯s wife, Li Guihua¡¯s eyes flickered and she hesitated to answer the question. Today, she went to deliver food to her son, who was working at the docks, and saw Wang Ergou selling watermelons on his cart. The news had already been spread throughout the whole vige that Yu Hai¡¯s family didn¡¯t nt sweet potatoes this spring and worked on growing something called watermelon. nting watermelons wasn¡¯t very popr yet. Madam Li held the mentality of watching the second branch be aughingstock, and waited to see the watermelons not being able to sell and rot in the fields.


    Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the docks, she several well-dressed merchants gathering around Wang Ergou¡¯s handcart and paying for watermelons. Moreover, some of the customers almost ended up fighting for thest two watermelons.


    She quietly got closer for a better look and saw that a watermelon actually cost five taels! Five taels was enough for an ordinary family to spend frugally for an entire year, yet there were actually so many fools scrambling to buy it. Thinking of Yu Hai¡¯s fields full of round watermelons, Madam Li felt as if there was a cat scratching her heart¡ªSo much money ah! This was a sign that Second Brother-inw was going to get rich ah!


    After returning from the docks, Madam Li hid in her own room and made ns: At night, she would go to Second Brother-inw¡¯s fields in the dark and take two watermelons. Then she could sell them at the dock¡¯s tomorrow. With that, wouldn¡¯t she be able to get ten taels in her hands? There was no need for her to be afraid even if she encountered Second Brother-inw in the evening. She could just say that Father and Mother wanted to eat watermelons and told her to pluck two back for them. Could he not give the watermelons to her?


    However, Madam Li had never expected that the person watching the watermelons tonight was the most difficult person in the entire vige, Wang Ergou! Seriously, what was wrong with Yu Hai? He actually allowed an unreliable outsider to help guard such a valuable thing. Wasn¡¯t he afraid that Wang Ergou, who liked to engage in petty crimes, would steal the watermelons from the fields?


    Madam Li hemmed and hawed, and didn¡¯t know how to exin herself. Wang Ergou didn¡¯t let her off easily and said, ¡°What else? Of course she was trying to steal something! This Madam Li got envious after seeing me sell watermelons at the docks this morning, and thus wanted to steal some watermelons at night to sell herself! Brother Dahai, you even said that as fellow vigers, no one woulde steal the watermelons. Unexpectedly, you have guarded against outsiders, but not family. This situation really fits that saying: No matter how much preventive measures you take, it¡¯s still hard to detect a thief in the family!¡±


    Madam Li put on a tough appearance and shouted, ¡°Ergou¡¯zi, don¡¯t talking nonsense! Who stole watermelons? Where¡¯s the watermelons? You must find the stolen goods to catch a thief. Where¡¯s the evidence?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I came just in time and you didn¡¯t have the chance to make your move! If you¡¯re not stealing watermelons, then what are you doing in the watermelon fields in the dark?¡± Wang Ergou raised his voice without any signs of backing down.


    ¡°I... I was just passing by, alright?¡± Madam Li continued to argue.

 Chapter 186 – Refusing to Give Up Her Malicious Intents

    <h4>Chapter 186 ¨C Refusing to Give Up Her Malicious Intents</h4>


    Wang Ergou didn¡¯t believe her at all, ¡°Passing by? All of our vige¡¯s farnd are outside the vige. What were you doing outside the vige in the middle of the night? Moreover, pass by Brother Dahai¡¯s watermelon fields?¡±


    This Wang Ergou was quite good! During these past two days, he had experienced the benefit of selling watermelons. His ie for two days was a total of one hundred taels, which was something that he would have never expected in the past! Looking at his wife¡¯s slightly protruding tummy, Wang Ergou¡¯s eyes became gentle, and he was filled with the radiance of a loving father.


    This was the money that he had earned through honestbor, and the family property that he had umted for his unborn son. In the future, his son wouldn¡¯t be the same as he was as a child. In his youth, he was dressed in rags, didn¡¯t have enough food to eat, and always thought about stealing something...


    After doing a few more days of honestbor, he would be able to hire someone to build a five-room brick house and buy some more farnd. If his family couldn¡¯t manage all the fields, he could rent them out to others! In this way, he could leave some family properties for his son. If his son was willing, he would also send his son to study at an academy so that he could take the government examinations. If his son was unwilling, then he could live off of collecting farnd rents. In the future, he, Wang Ergou, would no longer be a loafer that even the dogs and cats of the vige despised. He could stick out his chest and be a dignified and upright man!!


    In Wang Ergou¡¯s opinion, the Yu Family¡¯s watermelon fields were the key to building up his family¡¯s fortunes. He must take good care of them. Hence, when he returned from selling watermelons and saw that Brother Hai still had to watch over the melons after working the whole day, he volunteered to take over the task of guarding the melon fields. Unexpectedly, as soon as it got dark, he had caught someone with malicious intents. Ha! Moreover, it was Brother Hai¡¯s troublesome rtive!


    But Wang Ergou didn¡¯t care whether they were rtives or not. He regarded the person stealing watermelons as someone who was blocking his road to earning money. Brother Hai only nted three mu of watermelons, so the number of watermelons would decrease as they got pluck one by one. If one got stolen, then that meant he would earn less money. How could he let that happen!!


    Madam Li, who had been caught, cursed repeated within her heart. Had Yu Hai been the one guarding the melon fields, she could just apologize, and this matter wouldn¡¯t be spread out. After all, in the simple Dongshan Vige, the vigers would spurn and iste sticky-fingered people. However, the person guarding the watermelons today just happened to be the ignorant Wang Ergou, who was a total bbermouth. If he spread this out, would she still have face to stay in Dongshan Vige?


    ¡°Brother Ergou, the watermelons belong to my second brother-inw¡¯s family. There¡¯s nothing wrong with eating one of my younger brother-inw¡¯s watermelons, right?¡± Madam Li knew that she couldn¡¯t argue with a fearless person like Wang Ergou, so she softened her tone.


    Wang Ergou knitted his brows. It wasmon for the vigers to pick a handful of spring beans and take a few eggnts from their rtives¡¯ fields. So her words seemed quite reasonable, but...


    Yu Xiaocao let go of her godmother¡¯s hand, walked two steps forward, and said with a faint smile on her face, ¡°Eldest Aunt, if you want to eat a watermelon, you can just tell Brother Heizi toe tell us! Why do you have toe pluck it in the middle of the night without telling us? Fortunately, our family didn¡¯t raise a dog to guard the watermelons. What should we do if it took you as a thief and bit you ah?! You see, Uncle Ergou isn¡¯t a violent person. Had it been someone else, they would have beaten you up without giving you a chance to exin yourself. Wouldn¡¯t you have to suffer then?¡±


    Since the imposing General Fang had warned her with a grim face, Madam Li had be somewhat scared of Xiaocao. When facing Xiaocao¡¯s gaze, which seemed to be able to see through everything, she couldn¡¯t help shifting her eyes away. She stammered, ¡°That... I...¡±


    ¡°Eldest Aunt, you have always had a lot of ideas, but other people aren¡¯t stupid! In the future, it¡¯s better to do less of these things¡ªGodmother, I have shown you something embarrassing...¡± Yu Xiaocao had a short stature and a young face, but her words were forceful and carried a lot of weight. Thus, Madam Li was not only unable to defend herself, but she also didn¡¯t dare to refute her.


    Another reason why she was so obedient was that she had heard Xiaocao call the noble madam beside her ¡®Godmother¡¯. Didn¡¯t that mean that she was Lord Fang¡¯s wife? Commoners were most afraid of dealing with officials. Madam Li naturally acted much more honestly in front of Lady Fang. She didn¡¯t dare to have those little ideas anymore.


    Seeing that she was acknowledging her mistakes with a good attitude, Yu Xiaocao decided to save some trouble and just sent Madam Li home.


    Madam Li left the old residence dejectedly. She didn¡¯t get anything from them but made a fool out of herself instead. She went home feeling extremely aggrieved. Seeing that the lights in the main room was still lit, she shifted her rat-like eyes and knocked on the door of the main room. At this time, Madam Zhang was worrying about matters rted to her younger son! The inws whispered privately for a long time. When Madam Li left, the worried expression on Madam Zhang¡¯s face had suddenly disappeared and she had a calcting look on her face...


    The next day, Lady Fang woke up to the merry singing of birds. Outside the window, the breeze made a light rustling sound as if it was gently brushing against leaves. A bird with bright feathers in front of window looked inside curiously as it chirped melodious tunes from time to time.


    Linglong helped her madam put on her clothes and wash up. She looked at the beautiful bird outside the window and said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that someone would install ss windows in this remote vige.¡±


    Lady Fang took the handkerchief in her hands, wiped the water on her face, and said in a soft voice, ¡°Patriarch Zhao was a general of the previous dynasty and he was born in a famous noble family. Although he has been a refugee for many years, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Thus, he still has some resources. If it weren¡¯t for fear of attracting too much attention in this small vige, he was certainly capable of building an exquisite rural estate in the mountains. Did you not notice? The furniture might look simple, but they are made of red mahogany and red sandalwood, which is worth a lot of money!¡±


    Zhenzhu, who was a good cook, brought over the breakfast and smiled when she heard her words, ¡°General Fang¡¯s family is very generous. They left all of this to the Yu Family.¡±


    Lady Fang sat at the red mahogany round table, rinsed her mouth with warm water, and then said, ¡°Young General Zhao is close friends with Xiaocao¡¯s father, and Xiaocao¡¯s father has also saved Young General Zhao¡¯s life before. There¡¯s nothing wrong even if they gave them more things, let alone this house. Where¡¯s Furong? Not up yet?¡±


    ¡°She might have been too tired yesterday. Miss Furong was raised in a pampered lifestyle, so how can she withstand all of yesterday¡¯s happenings?¡± Linglong said with a smile, ¡°Should I go wake her...¡±


    ¡°No need. Let her sleep some more!¡± Lady Fang wasn¡¯t someone who liked to make things difficult for others. She picked up her chopsticks and prepared to eat breakfast.


    Fang Zizhen had never cooked here, so there wasn¡¯t anything in the kitchen, except for the several catties of white rice, wheat flour, and vegetables that Xiaocao brought over yesterday. Therefore,pared to the breakfast eaten at the General Estate, this breakfast was rather crude. There was a pot of in congee, several deep-fried dough cakes, and stir-fried greens. Even the second-ranked maidservants in the General Estate ate a more sumptuous meal! Zhenzhu was worried that her master would dislike this breakfast, so she lowered her head perturbed.


    Lady Fang grabbed some greens with her chopsticks and chewed it in her mouth. She slightly creased her brows as she swallowed it. Then she lowered her and drank a mouthful of in congee, which was so in that it couldn¡¯t arouse her appetite. She lightly sighed and put down her chopsticks¡ªIndeed, it was difficult to live a frugal life after one got ustomed to luxury ah!


    ¡°Godmother¡ªare you awake?¡± The sound of Xiaocao¡¯s crisp voice, which was like the singing ofrks, came from outside the door, and then the gates were pushed open. With her hair styled into a yful double bun hairstyle, a figure dressed in an emerald green cross-necked dress hopped inside the door, carrying arge food basket that looked somewhat uncoordinated with her height.


    Linglong hastily went forward and took the food basket from Xiaocao¡¯s hands. She smiled and said, ¡°Miss Cao¡¯er is really early ah. Madam has just gotten up and is eating breakfast right now!¡±


    With crescent-like eyes, Xiaocao said with a face full of smiles, ¡°I came at just the right time then!¡±


    When she entered the main room, she nced at the nearly untouched breakfast on the table. Looking at the in congee and greens, even she didn¡¯t have an appetite, let alone her godmother who was used to living in a pampered andfortable lifestyle.


    ¡°Godmother, I made lean pork and century eggs congee, crispy egg pancake, chives stuffed potstickers, steamed eggs with shrimps, as well as sweet potato pancake made with the sweet potatoes that I dug out yesterday! Try it while it¡¯s still hot!¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed aside the in congee in front of her godmother and reced it with the hot and fragrant lean pork and century eggs congee that she made. After that, she took out all the food inside the food basket and put them all on the table.


    Looking at the table full of fragrant and delicious breakfast, Lady Fang was very moved. Her daughter must had woken up very early to make such a sumptuous meal for breakfast ah! She didn¡¯t know much about an ordinary family¡¯s breakfast, but she guessed that it must be extremely simple. Her daughter must have specially prepared these seven to eight mouthwatering dishes for her. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she felt very happy with the feeling of having a daughter being filial to her!


    ¡°Godmother, quickly eat! It won¡¯t taste as good when it gets cold!¡± Yu Xiaocaodled a small bowl of congee and grabbed a piece of luscious sweet potato pancake, which was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, for her godmother. She watched her eat it with a face filled with anticipation for praises.


    Lady Fang was amused by her expression. Unlike the sweetness of other sweet snacks, the rich taste of sweet potato melted in her mouth and stimted her taste buds. ¡®Mhm, this sweet potato pancake tastes great. I wonder why this tasty sweet potato is considered a food eaten by low statusmoners?¡¯


    After eating a piece of luscious sweet potato pancake, she drank a mouthful of the fragrant century eggs congee. She immediately fell in love with the unique and novel taste. There were also the crispy egg pancakes, soft and refreshing steamed eggs with shrimp, and the delicious pan-fried dumplings... Lady Fang felt that this meal was even better than all the breakfasts that she had eaten in the past. In particr, the look of her daughter, Xiaocao, eating with relish could really stimte the appetite of the person watching her.


    Xiaocao brought over a lot of breakfast, so even after the mother-daughter pair filled their stomachs, there were still a lot leftover. All the food that was leftover was awarded to the two handmaids. When Zhenzhu and Linglong were serving their master to eat, they had already been tempted by the rich breakfast. They had been well-trained, so it was hard to tell on the surface. But, in actuality, they had been drooling over the food for a long time already.


    By the time Xia Furong woke up, there was only the in congee, pancake, and stir-fried greens made by Zhenzhu. This noble young miss had never eaten this kind of food, so she threw a tantrum. However, she didn¡¯t eat muchst night because she was fighting with Xiaocao, so her stomach had long been growling in hunger. If she didn¡¯t eat, then she would have to starve! With the thought that her aunt has eaten the same food, Xia Furong ate until she was sixty or seventy percent full while feeling aggrieved.


    As soon as Lady Fang arrived here, she had noticed that there were many things that she needed to buy. Knowing that Xiaocao needed to visit her watermelon shop in town after eating breakfast, she decided to go together with her. Xia Furong still had lingering fears about the rough and bumpy mountain roads yesterday, so she volunteered to stay at home. She only had a little maidservant with her, so Zhenzhu, who was a good cook, stayed at home with her.


    They went to town on the Fang Family¡¯s horse carriage. It had been specially improved, so it was naturally veryfortable. After passing the mountain road, Xiaocao restedfortably in her godmother¡¯s arms, taking a nap with her eyes closed.

 Chapter 187 – To Pester Endlessly

    <h4>Chapter 187 ¨C To Pester Endlessly</h4>


    Lady Fang hugged her goddaughter¡¯s delicate little body and felt her maternal instincts rising up from deep within her heart. As if she was coaxing an infant, she gently patted Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder. Xiaocao, who had originally nned on resting for a bit, had actually fell into a deep slumber under her godmother¡¯s gently patting.


    When they arrived in the town, Xiaocao was still asleep, but Lady Fang couldn¡¯t bear to wake her up. In the end, it was the hawking outside the carriage that woke the sleeping Xiaocao up. She sat up and used her small hands to rub her eyes. She blinked sleepily and had a dazed expression on her face, as if she didn¡¯t know where she was. Looking at the dazed Xiaocao, Lady Fang¡¯s heart melted into a pool of water.


    ¡°Ah! We¡¯re already in town?¡± Xiaocao¡¯s pair of abnormally big eyes brightened up again. As soon as she turned her head, she saw an unidentified water stain on the front of her godmother¡¯s clothes. She blinked her eyes twice in confusion. When she finally realized what the water stain was, her face instantly flushed.


    Lady Fang lowered her head to look at the trace of saliva that her goddaughter left on her clothes, and then she calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I brought spare clothes, so I can just change in inner room of the watermelon shop.¡±


    Linglong showed the small bag in her arms to the young miss. When the noble madams anddies went out, they would always bring a change of clothes as to avoid being discourteous when encountering an ident at someone else¡¯s house.


    In the watermelon shop, Xiaocao¡¯s eldest maternal aunt Madam Han had been busily working since early in the morning. The watermelons were transported over yesterday afternoon, so there was no queue outside the store this morning. However, even after the craze of the opening of the new store, there was still an endless stream of customers in the melon shop.


    After Lady Fang changed her clothes, she went to buy necessities with Linglong. Xiaocao stayed in the shop to help her eldest maternal aunt. After all, Li Li was the assistant of the imperial envoy. He couldn¡¯t leave his post and stay to help them for a long period of time. Seeing that there was someone helping at the shop, he returned to the docks. These past two days, Wu Yun had been extremely busy at the docks because the imperial envoy went to the prefectural city for work and Li Li was helping out in town!


    Unlike the first two days, today¡¯s watermelons weren¡¯t sold out before noon. By the time it was three to four in the afternoon, there were still five or six smaller watermelons left. At this time, Yu Hai and Yu Xi delivered two carts of watermelon over.


    Xiaocao moved the remaining small watermelons to the table at the entrance. She took a small wooden nk and wrote: ¡®Special Sale For Watermelons! One Tael Each!¡¯ Although these watermelons were smaller in size, they were still very sweet and fresh. They would usually cost two taels each.


    There weren¡¯t any customers in the fabric shop next door, so the boss Shopkeeper Feng walked over while swaying her hips. Seeing the notice on the nk, she looked around and said with a smile, ¡°Why are you doing a special sale on these watermelons? Are they leftovers from the past two days?¡±


    The people in the shops nearby peeped out curiously when they saw Xiaocao taking the watermelons out. They had also seen the words on the wooden nk, and several of them were eager to make a move. But, when they heard Madam Feng¡¯s question, they stopped themselves.


    Yu Xiaocao picked up a fresh melon seedling and showed her. The smile on her face remained unchanged as she exined, ¡°Older Sister Feng, look at this watermelon seedling, it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s not fresh, right? As you have seen, the watermelons in our shop were all delivered here on the day of or in the afternoon of the day before. They definitely won¡¯t be ced in our store for more than a day. These watermelons are smaller in size, but they will certainly taste the same when eaten. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can cut it open for everyone to see!¡±


    Xiaocao swiftly cut open the smallest watermelon with a knife. The red melon meat and the ck seeds appeared in front of everybody. A strong sweetness subsequently drifted into everyone¡¯s noses. Xiacoao handed a slice to Madam Feng, and then she invited several of the shopkeepers of the nearby stores to have a taste.


    The shopkeeper of the store two shops down from the watermelon shop was pale and chubby, and he had a bright smile on his face like a Buddha. He slowly walked over, unreservedly grabbed a slice of watermelon, and said with a grin, ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re actually willing to do this. This cost a tael ah!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m willing! One must give up on some things in order to gain more!! Wasn¡¯t everyone feeling skeptical about purchasing the special bargain at our shop? After tasting it, you guys can rest assured!¡± Seeing that everyone wasing over to taste the watermelon, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart feltpletely at ease now. She was full of confidence in the taste of her watermelons.


    Sure enough, after tasting it, Madam Feng immediately picked the biggest one of the remaining watermelons and gave a tael of silver to Xiaocao. Of course, the taste of the watermelons sold at the Yu Family¡¯s watermelon shop was amazing, but it wasn¡¯t sold at a price that just anybody could afford.


    Most of the shopkeepers of the stores on this street were wage earners. It was fine to buy one asionally, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to afford eating it on a regr basis. Right now, there was a special sale on watermelons. Moreover, the price was reduced by half. Only a fool wouldn¡¯t take advantage of this discount ah!


    All of the remaining watermelons, no matter big or small, were swiftly snatched up by several of the shopkeepers of the neighboring stores. Those who didn¡¯t manage to buy the discounted watermelons asked frustratedly, ¡°Little girl, when will you have another special sale for watermelons?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°In the future, our shop willunch a special watermelon sale at random times every day. Please pay close attention to our watermelon shop!¡±


    The fair and chubby shopkeeper of the silverware store looked at Xiaocao with squinted eyes and chuckled, ¡°Little girl, you¡¯re quite good at doing business! Not bad, not bad. A young person¡¯s abilities should be respected ah!¡± In his mind, he pondered whether he should also do a special sale for the unsble jewelry in his shop. This way, they could quickly earn back their capital¡ªYes, he should go back and discuss this matter with his boss!


    Yu Hai, who was unloading watermelons next to the store, saw that his daughter had swiftly taken care of the remaining watermelons. He couldn¡¯t help but proudly praise her within his heart, ¡®She is definitely my daughter. She is born with the innate talent to do business!¡¯


    Ever since the watermelons had ripened, the whole family had been busy without time for rest. His daughter¡¯s godmother had alsoe, so after working for the whole day, she still had to take care of her godmother when they got back in the vige. The father-daughter pair could only interact at night. However, everyone had been exhausted the whole day, so they fell asleep without saying much to each other. It had been several days since Yu Hai got to bond with his daughter. After unloading the watermelons, he stayed in the shop to chat with his daughter. In the evening, he woulde pick her up and go home together.


    The spouts of the freshly picked watermelons were so fresh that one could pinch water out of them. Earlier, when the watermelons were being unloaded, it had attracted many customers to shop in their store. At this time, there were two to three patrons picking watermelons at different shelves in the store.


    Yu Xiaocao sat at the entrance of the shop and counted the money, while Yu Hai stood beside her, looking at her with a grin. Just as a patron handed Xiaocao a small five tael ingot, a figure suddenly rushed towards her.


    Yu Hai thought that someone wanted to rob them, so he strode forward and blocked his daughter from the other person.


    ¡°What are you doing! You, this unfilial son, even wants to hit me!!¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s mean-looking face appeared in front of Yu Hai like a nightmare. She had rushed over too quickly, so she almost couldn¡¯t stop herself and plunged right into Yu Hai¡¯s arms.


    With one look at her grandmother¡¯s expression, Yu Xiaocao knew that she came with malicious intentions. Her father was the too foolishly soft-hearted, so he definitely wasn¡¯t Madam Zhang¡¯s opponent. After she securely locked the money box, she walked out from before her father and said, ¡°Grandmother, who is being unfilial ah? Didn¡¯t we already send you guys the grain that we have to give you every month, as a form of our filial respects?¡±


    With her arched eyebrows nted, Madam Zhang red at them with her triangr eyes and stiffly replied, ¡°As a son, you¡¯re eating and living well every day, yet your elderly parents can only gnaw on bean cakes. Aren¡¯t you afraid of being struck by lightning!¡±


    The watermelon shop had been too busy these past two days, so she didn¡¯t have time to cook. Thus, they had been eating the food delivered from Zhenxiu Restaurant. Although there weren¡¯t any expensive dishes, it wasn¡¯t something that ordinary people could afford! All the workers in the shop ate the meals sent by Zhenxiu Restaurant, while his own parents could only eat bean cakes... Everyone around them all looked at Yu Hai and his daughter with a contemptuous gaze.


    Without a change of expression, Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°Grandmother, when you forced my family out of the house with nothing, it was written down in ck and white: ¡®As filial respect, the second son must send over fifty catties of coarse grain every month.¡¯ Even when we lived in a rundown house that could barely withstand the wind and snow, and didn¡¯t have enough to eat, we still gave you everything as promised. After we started selling vegetables and nting watermelons, we have changed the fifty catties of coarse grain to fifty catties of white rice and wheat flour, with an additional five catties of pork. We delivered them to you every month without fail. Why are you still giving my grandfather bean cakes to eat?¡±


    Without waiting for Madam Zhang to speak, she continued, ¡°Oh! I remember now!! I heard from Brother Heizi that you sold all the white rice, wheat flour, and pork that we gave you for money, which you used to buy paper and brushes for Younger Uncle!! The family isn¡¯t that poor that you need to sell your food rations in order to buy paper and brushes ah! Before we split from the main family, my father had gotten severely wounded from hunting a bear. Didn¡¯t you take all of the three hundred taels? It hasn¡¯t even been half a year, where did all the money go?¡±


    More and more people gathered around. From this little girl¡¯s words, they had gotten a lot of explosive contents: The second son of this family had gotten injured while hunting for a bear, but the money for selling the bear had been confiscated by the mother. The injured son was forced to split from the main family, moreover, he had to leave with nothing. After splitting from the family, his family could only live in a rundown house and not have enough to eat. However, they still needed to save food while starving in order to send them to their elders as filial respect... She couldn¡¯t possibly be his real mother. What mother wouldn¡¯t be concerned about her children and grandchildren? Moreover, she was making things worse for them and adding to their burdens?


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about!! What three hundred taels are you talking about? This damned wretch! You waste of money! Stop speaking nonsense here!!¡± Seeing the onlookers pointing and gossiping about her, Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes darted around and shouted at Xiaocao with a fierce appearance.


    Outside of the crowd, Lady Fang, who hade back from shopping, quietly looked at the scene in front of her. Linglong said with slight concern, ¡°This woman is too fierce and unreasonable. I¡¯m afraid Miss Cao¡¯er will be at a disadvantage!¡±


    Lady Fang, on the other hand, felt that her goddaughter could handle this situation with ease based on her calm appearance. She smiled and said, ¡°This must be Xiaocao¡¯s ¡®exceptional¡¯ grandmother! Seeing that the son who had split from the family was living well, she came to harass them with unreasonable demands. She is truly ¡®amazing¡¯ ah!! But my goddaughter isn¡¯t a pushover either. Let¡¯s just quietly wait and see how it turns out!¡±


    Xiaocao almost got sprayed by her saliva. She took two steps back, rubbed her ears, and said, ¡°Grandmother, being loud doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re in the right. Why are you screaming so loudly? Are you saying that you didn¡¯t receive the three hundred taels that Uncle Zhao sent over? Are you sure? That¡¯s not what Uncle Zhao said ah!! He¡¯s a fourth-ranked military official, which was a title that the emperor personally conferred. So he wouldn¡¯t lie to us, right? If you insist, then I¡¯ll write a letter to the capital to ask. I reckon that Uncle Zhao hasn¡¯t set out to the border yet, so he should be able to receive my letter...¡±

 Chapter 188 – Being Shameless

    <h4>Chapter 188 ¨C Being Shameless</h4>


    Madam Zhang¡¯s expression changed. Old Zhao was bestowed the title of a second-ranked general and his son Hunter Zhao also got the position of a fourth-ranked military official. Thus, their whole family were high-ranking officials now. If she continued to fabricate lies and ended up angering the Zhao Family, they might convict her for framing an official appointed by the imperial court, which meant that she would have to go to jail.


    After all, Madam Zhang had achieved her thick skin from practice and experience. Even after her lies had been exposed, she still remained calm. She even rolled her eyes as she said, ¡°All the money at home was given to your younger uncle as expense for the county examination!! Your grandfather and eldest uncle haven¡¯t been able to catch any fish recently, so there¡¯s hardly anything to eat at home now!! There¡¯s so much shining white silver in your money box. Give me one to two hundred taels to use ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was so angry at her robber-like behavior that she ended up feeling amused, ¡°Grandmother, you¡¯re making such an excessive demand ah! One to two hundred taels! Are you preparing to drink bird nest and eat shark fins? We won¡¯t even give you ten to twenty taels, let alone one to two hundred taels!!¡±


    Madam Zhang was afraid of Xiaocao¡¯s godfather, who was an official, so she didn¡¯t dare to do anything to her. But, after so many years, she already had a thorough understanding of Yu Hai¡¯s character. Thus, controlling him shouldn¡¯t be a problem for her. She pushed Yu Xiaocao aside and rushed towards Yu Hai.


    Seeing her fierce expression, Yu Hai subconsciously tilted sideways. It was unknown where she got her strength, but Madam Zhang took a few steps and rushed towards Yu Hai. She tightly sped onto Yu Hai¡¯s arm and forcibly shook it a few times. With the strength that she used to grab onto his arm, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Yu Hai had thick and rough skin, there would definitely be a bruise mark!


    ¡°Second Son, I have raised you into adulthood since you were eight or nine, and I also got a virtuous wife for you. After all these years, even if I have no merit, I should still get credit for my hard work! Yes, you have already separated from the family, but you¡¯re still your father¡¯s son and your younger siblings¡¯ older brother ah! Our family is going through a difficult time right now, so you can¡¯t just watch on the side cold-bloodedly ah!¡± As if she had thought of something, Madam Zhang was overwhelmed by sorrow and tears flowed down from her old face. Her face was covered with snot and tears.


    All these years, Madam Zhang had ced all her hopes on her younger son. Every single coin that she had saved at home were used on her younger son. In order to ensure that he could study more conveniently, she had rented a house in town for him. Her younger son was able to eat fine grain, which the family were reluctant to eat, for nearly all his meals. No matter how stingy and frugal she was at home, she still couldn¡¯t bear to let her younger son suffer even a little. She just hoped that he would bring honor to her and be an official.


    This spring, her youngest son, Yu Bo, took part in the district examination in February and sessfully passed the exam. Madam Zhang was extremely ted by this and became full of hope that her younger son would pass the examination for a county official. She, who was usually very stingy, held an all-day banquet in the vige to celebrate her son passing the district examination.


    However, she had gotten happy too early ah! There were three parts in the county-level examination: district examination, prefectural examination, and county examination. The district examination was just the beginning. In April, Madam Zhang personally escorted her son to the prefectural city with great hope. She encouraged him to pass all three exams in one go and return as a county official.


    But the higher one¡¯s expectation was, the greater their disappointment would be. Yu Bo failed the prefectural examination, and the entire household was filled with a tense and depressed atmosphere. Madam Zhang had even cried bitterly by herself in secret.


    However, Yu Bo med his failure on the academy that he studied at, saying that it wasn¡¯t good enough. For the town¡¯s Rongxuan Academy, eighteen students participated in the county-level examination and they all passed the prefectural examination as expected. Moreover, they all ced high on the ranking. Now, they were all just waiting for the county examination! It wouldn¡¯t be surprising even if they achieved the official rank of a county official!!


    Shortly after the prefectural examination, Yu Bo came to the vige to tell his mother that, if he could enter Rongxuan Academy, he would definitely obtain the official rank of a county official for his mother within two years. He didn¡¯t have a chance in the past, but he got an amazing friend who could help him get into Rongxuan Academy. However, a small fee was required.


    Madam Zhang was immediately interested in the idea! Even an illiterate fisherwoman like her had heard of the great reputation of Rongxuan Academy. Rongxuan Academy had produced quite a few first and second ce schrs of the imperial examination!! If her son could enter Rongxuan Academy and be taught by a famous teacher, the day that he passed the examination would just be around the corner! Haha, she was going to be the mother of an official soon!!


    However, she hesitated upon hearing the small fee that her son mentioned. For an ordinary fishing family, five hundred taels was seriously an astronomical figure. Even with Madam Zhang¡¯s thrifty and stingy behavior and Hunter Zhao¡¯spensation of three hundred taels, the family¡¯s savings was still only around four hundred taels! Even if they gave up everything they had, they still wouldn¡¯t be able to get five hundred taels!!


    Just when she was at a loss, Madam Li sneaked into her roomst night and told her about the news that the watermelons grown by Yu Hai¡¯s family could be sold for five taels each. Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang, who was driven into a corner due to money, found a new source of light¡ªFor the sake of her younger son, she must get the money for him even if she had to lose her face!!


    She came to town early this morning and hid in the corner to secretly observe Yu Hai¡¯s watermelon shop. The business of the watermelon shop was very good. There seemed to be an endless stream of customers from the morning to the afternoon. Every customer who entered the store woulde out with one or two watermelons. She calcted it in her mind that, if the watermelons cost five taels each, this small melon shop could actually earn several hundreds of taels a day. With this discovery, Madam Zhang became even more confident that she could get the money from Yu Hai.


    Why did she only show up at this time? Of course, there was a reason. After their previous interactions, Madam Zhang had experienced the power of Yu Xiaocao. That brat also had a powerful and influential godfather, so she couldn¡¯t be scolded nor beaten. Yu Hai, on the other hand, was a lot easier to handle. As long as she emphasized filial piety, there was no way that Yu Hai would refuse her request!


    ¡°Second Son ah! Xiaobo is your biological younger brother ah!! He¡¯s waiting for this money to save his life right now, so you can¡¯t just stand aside and do nothing ah!!¡± An old woman with white hair and a wrinkled face was crying sadly as she held onto the arm of the man she wasining to. People who didn¡¯t know the truth all looked at Yu Hai with a condemning gaze.


    Unable to get away from her tight grasp, Yu Hai was so anxious that he was sweating all over his head. He stammered, ¡°You... What are you doing? If you want to talk, then just talk! You can rest assured that I won¡¯t refuse to help if it¡¯s something I can do!!¡±


    Yu Hai was no longer the person who Madam Zhang could bully and control as she pleased. In face of Madam Zhang¡¯s bitter plea, he had left some leeway in his words.


    Madam Zhang wiped her tears with her sleeve, snuffled her nose hard, and spoke in a tone as if someone owed her something, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that your family¡¯s watermelon is selling very well in town and you earn several hundred taels in a day? Isn¡¯t five hundred taels just a trivial matter to you?¡±


    After hearing that, the onlookers were stunned in their hearts! All the merchants and patrons on this street were people with some money in their family. When this olddy begged the owner of the melon shop for help, they didn¡¯t think that this peasant woman, who was dressed in worn-out clothes and appeared to have an arduous life, would request for anything extravagant.


    No one had expected that she would directly demand five hundred taels. Five hundred taels wasn¡¯t a small amount of money ah! There weren¡¯t many stores within the vicinity that could earn more than five hundred taels monthly. For what reason would a poverty-stricken old woman directly demand for five hundred taels?


    Yu Hai had also furrowed his brows, feeling troubled. The first thing he thought about was what trouble had his younger brother caused that they would need five hundred taels to settle.


    ¡°Grandmother, the first thing that you ask for when you open your mouth is five hundred taels! Don¡¯t you know that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to earn so much money even after working hard for all their lives? I really want to know, what exactly do you need this five hundred taels for?!!¡± Yu Xiaocao, who was unprepared earlier, got pushed by Madam Zhang and almost fell down. Fortunately, the agile Linglong swiftly supported her, otherwise, her skin and flesh would have to suffer!


    Madam Zhang red fiercely at the Yu Xiaocao with her ferocious wolf-like eyes, but her pupils abruptly contracted when she saw the beautiful woman behind Xiaocao. She had heard from Madam Li that Xiaocao¡¯s godmother hade from the capital. Disregarding Xiaocao¡¯s godmother¡¯s attitude towards Xiaocao, in front of her godmother, she stiffly swallowed back the wicked remarks that was about toe out of her mouth.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know what I need it for. Second Son, just tell me if you¡¯re going to give me the money or not!¡± Madam Zhang continued to pick on the easier victim and asked him in a threatening manner.


    However, Yu Hai didn¡¯t obediently agree to her like she thought that he would have. Instead, he asked the same question, ¡°Cao¡¯er is right. Five hundred taels isn¡¯t a small number. What kind ofwsuit did Xiaobo get involved in that you guys need such arge sum of money? He didn¡¯t fall into some malicious person¡¯s trap, did he?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s getting sued!! My Xiaobo¡¯s life has been blessed by the deities, so he will be a high-ranking official in the future!! This reason he didn¡¯t perform well this time was because the teachers at his academy weren¡¯t good enough!! After he enters Rongxuan Academy, he will surely pass the examination to be a county official in the uing year!! At that time, as his older brother, won¡¯t you also benefit?¡± When she spoke of her younger son, Madam Zhang had a face full of pride, as if he would definitely be a county official.


    Xiaocao caught the crucial details in her words and asked doubtfully, ¡°Wait! Did you just say that Younger Uncle is going to enter Rongxuan Academy? Isn¡¯t the entrance exam for Rongxuan Academy on the first month of every year? Hasn¡¯t the time for the test already passed? Shitou never mentioned that there would be additional test times this year ah?¡±


    Madam Zhang revealed a proud expression and wanted to tell them the truth, but she remembered that her son had warned her not to casually talk about this matter so as to not create unnecessary problems. She swallowed back the words that were about toe out of her mouth and vaguely said, ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to worry about it. As long as you take out five hundred taels, entering Rongxuan Academy won¡¯t be a problem!¡±


    It seemed like someone had taken advantage of the students¡¯, who had failed the exam, desire to achieve merit and fame. But, to directly demand five hundred taels was seriously too excessive ah! Yu Xiaocao, who had already more or less guessed the truth, kindly reminded her,


    ¡°Grandmother, did someone tell you that they would let Younger Uncle study in Rongxuan Academy if you give them five hundred taels? If people can enter Rongxuan Academy just by spending money, would we even get a chance? Numerous wealthy businessmen had wanted to use their wealth to get a spot in Rongxuan Academy for their son, but none of them had seeded. Yet you think that a mere five hundred taels would work?? Grandmother, you and Younger Uncle probably encountered a swindler, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Despite Madam Zhang¡¯s aged body, she could actually jump three feet high. With one hand on her waist and another pointing at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s nose, she shouted while spitting, as if she was a shrew cursing on the streets, ¡°Are there any nieces like you? It was hard for your younger uncle to get this chance to enter Rongxuan Academy, which isn¡¯t something that just anyone can get. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to help, but you still have to curse him to get deceived!! Your younger uncle had treated you so well in vain. Did your conscience get eaten by a dog? I have never seen such a wicked little girl. Let¡¯s see who will be willing to marry you, this jinx and ck-hearted thing, in the future...¡±

 Chapter 189 – Stalling for Time

    <h4>Chapter 189 ¨C Stalling for Time</h4>


    Lady Fang became more and more displeased as she listened. She stepped forward and took Xiaocao, who has been sprayed by Madam Zhang¡¯s saliva, into her arms. She frowned, red at the old woman who was making a scene in front of her, and sneered, ¡°I have never seen a grandmother like you, who would insult her young granddaughter with such vicious words. It¡¯s really so sad for our Xiaocao to have such a vulgar and unreasonable grandmother!!¡±


    Madam Zhang, who had gotten an adrenaline rush from scolding people, felt fury rush to the top of her head and she couldn¡¯t care less about whether the other party was an official¡¯s wife or not. She jumped three feet high, pointed at Lady Fang¡¯s nose, and screamed, ¡°Who do you think you are ah! I¡¯m disciplining my ignorant and cocky granddaughter, so what does it have to do with you? Don¡¯t think that just because your husband is an official that you can interfere in our family¡¯s business!!¡±


    Linglong¡¯s face turned pale from anger. She rushed in front of her madam and shouted angrily as she faithfully protected her master, ¡°Shut up!! Our madam is a third-rank noble madam, who even the imperial concubines in the pce had to be respectful to. You ignorant fool, who gave you the courage to point your finger at my madam¡¯s nose and insult her!! Madam, this servant will take your message to the county yamen. This servant doesn¡¯t believe that we can¡¯t subdue this foolish woman!!¡±


    When Madam Zhang heard that two words ¡®county yamen¡¯, she instantly panicked. The flesh on her face trembled, and she, who was like a balloon filled with air earlier, had immediately deted now. Although she was panicking, her mind was swiftly turning. In the end, she couldn¡¯t do anything, so she just sat on the ground and wailed while pping her own thigh,


    ¡°Dear heavens ah! How am I supposed to live like this ah¡ª¡ªThis old woman is just disciplining my own son and granddaughter, yet I still have to dragged away to be flogged ah!! Officials can¡¯t just look upon human lives as if they were grass ah... Dear gods ah, please open your eyes!! Give me, this old woman, a way to live¡ª¡ª¡±


    Not to mention Lady Fang, but even Linglong, who was a child of servants from the dowry that the Xia Family provided, had never seen such a scene. She was stunned by the sight of the vulgar old woman screaming while she rolled on the ground. To encounter such an unreasonable rural old woman, Lady Fang was like a schr meeting a soldier¡ªunable to reason with each other!


    Yu Xiaocao saw that there were more and more people gathering over, and many of the people, who didn¡¯t know the truth, were pointing their fingers at them. From deep within her heart, she felt extremely disgusted by Madam Zhang, who was clinging onto her family like a blood-sucking leech. If they didn¡¯t properly deal with her, she would be the biggest obstacle to their family¡¯s road to making a fortune. However, Madam Zhang kept using the words ¡®filial piety¡¯ to bully and control her father!


    [What¡¯s there to be troubled about? Just leave it up to this Divine Stone! I guarantee that I can help you get rid of that old witch without anyone knowing!] The little divine stone said such cold-blooded and gruesome words in a voice that was as tender as a child¡¯s, yet it didn¡¯t seem even a bit weird whatsoever.


    Yu Xiaocao knew that the little divine stone was currently resting on top of the multi-colored stone on her wrist in its spiritual form, and thus it knew everything that was happening in front of her and all her feelings. She also knew that the little divine stone was thinking on her behalf and wanted to help her get rid of this trouble once and for all. But, after all, she had grown up in a peaceful era, so the concept of ¡®a human life is bigger than the sky¡¯ was deeply rooted within her. If someone lost their life because of her, she could never feel peaceful within her heart again.


    [Psht¡ªphoney benevolence! When handling a wicked old witch like her, we must use extreme means!! Since you¡¯re unwilling to get involved in a case of murder, this Divine Stone can naturally use other methods to teach her a lesson. Don¡¯t worry, just leave it up to me!!]


    Recently, as a master, Xiaocao didn¡¯t really need the little divine stone¡¯s help that much. As a result, the progress of its cultivation had been very slow. If it continued to go on like this, then when could it recover its heydays, break through the void and return to Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side ah?! Thus, when it noticed that Xiaocao was troubled, it immediately jumped out and eagerly requested to help out. Helping its master was the only way for its spiritual power to recover several times faster than usual!


    Xiaocao warned it, feeling slightly worried, [Then be careful and don¡¯t get caught. Also, don¡¯t kill anyone. Madam Zhang is abhorrent, but she doesn¡¯t deserve to die!]


    [Alright, stop nagging so much! With me handling this, you can rest assured. Don¡¯t underestimate this Divine Stone¡¯s abilities!!] The little divine stone guaranteed and patted its chest with confidence.


    However, the most important thing right now was to send Madam Zhang away. But it seemed like there was no way that she would leave without getting the money!!


    Xiaocao remembered that she was the most concerned about her younger son¡¯s future, so she said in a calm and unhurried manner, ¡°Grandmother, this is the town! Younger Uncle is a schr after all, so his reputation is very important to him. If his ssmates found out that he has a mother who rolls all over the floor being a disgrace to the educated ss, I wonder how much he will be ridiculed! Even if he enters Rongxuan Academy in the future, Younger Uncle¡¯s teachers will have a bad impression of him due to this matter. After all, the reason you¡¯re doing such a dishonorable thing was because of him!!¡±


    Lady Fang had a whole new level of respect for her goddaughter again. She didn¡¯t expect that her daughter, who was young and lived in a rural vige, would actually use ¡®the tactic of psychological warfare¡¯! It was excellent indeed!! This little girl was really to her liking!! Her husband was absolutely right in adopting this little girl as their daughter!!


    Madam Zhang was currently rocking back and forth, and smacking her thigh whilementing in a tone like she was acting in an opera. But, when she heard Xiaocao¡¯s words, her crying suddenly stopped and there wasn¡¯t even a trace of water on her face. The mouths of the onlookers, who had originally somewhat sympathized with her, all started twitching incessantly.


    Madam Zhang stealthily looked around the crowd with her triangr eyes and noticed that there were indeed several youths, who were dressed like schrs. With their lips pursed, they shook their heads with a contemptuous expression on their faces. She was rmed within her heart! The town was only this big, so gossip and rumors traveled really fast. If her younger son¡¯s ssmates, or teachers of Rongxuan Academy, were really within the crowd like what that wretch said, then wouldn¡¯t her son¡¯s reputation be ruined in her hands? But, if she couldn¡¯t get the money today, her younger son¡¯s future would be affected... For a moment, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t know whether she should continue to make trouble, or stop and leave while covering her face.


    In the midst of her hesitation, Xiaocao came to her side, bent down to support her arm, and then pulled up Madam Zhang, who was sitting on the ground. Xiaocao didn¡¯t lower her voice as she said, ¡°Grandmother, about the money, since you have asked, how can we, as junior members of the family, refuse to give you face? It¡¯s just that five hundred taels isn¡¯t a small number, after all. Moreover, it rted to Younger Uncle¡¯s future. So, we can¡¯t be careless ah!! I think that you should go back first today and let us ask Rongxuan Academy about this matter. If it¡¯s true, then we can have a more thorough discussion about this matterter. If there¡¯s no such thing, then we definitely can¡¯t let that swindler get away with it. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Xiaocao provide her with a way out of this situation, and Madam Zhang smoothly took up this offer. She stared at Xiaocao with her slightly fierce-looking triangr eyes and asked with uncertainty, ¡°Are you saying that you guys will provide the five hundred taels? You¡¯re just a little girl, can you even make the decisions? Let your father say something and give me a confirmation!!¡±


    ¡°Grandmother! You¡¯re directly demanding five hundred taels, but it¡¯s not like we can make money fall from the sky ah! You need to let us prepare the money!! Besides, my father isn¡¯t the only older brother that my younger uncle has. Since the family has already split up, shouldn¡¯t the two older brothers and parents all share the burden for the money?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words were reasonable, so even if Madam Zhang wanted to refute her, she couldn¡¯t find any fault in her words.


    Madam Zhang lowered her head and thought about it. With their family¡¯s savings, they only needed around a hundred taels more. Based on what Xiaocao said, Second Son would at least provide two hundred taels, which would be enough at that time. But, she was still unsatisfied and said, ¡°Other than fishing, your eldest uncle doesn¡¯t have any other methods of making money, so where is he supposed to get the money? The money that your family makes from selling watermelons for a day is something that he wouldn¡¯t be able to earn even if he fishes for his entire life. They¡¯re all brothers, so why do you have to haggle over every ounce?¡±


    She was demanding an older brother, who had separated from the family, to financially support his younger brother¡¯s studies, yet she stillined that they were haggling over every ounce. Madam Zhang was seriously full of nonsense!! However, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t going to a fool and be deceived by her. Who didn¡¯t know toin about being poor?


    ¡°Grandmother, you just see that our business is doing well. But there¡¯s also our business expenses!! Not to mention how hard it was to find a fine breed of watermelons, but Third Young Master Zhou had worked hard to help us get the watermelon seeds. We still owe him money for the watermelon seeds ah! Now let¡¯s talk about the rent for this shop! You can ask the merchants around here, how much is the monthly rent of the stores in this location? Their stores are rented on an annual basis, so it costs over a thousand taels of silver for a year! Moreover, our shop was leased on a short-term rent, which is even more expensive!! If we earn less than two hundred taels a month, then we will be losing money!! Coupled with the monthly tax, we¡¯re really not earning that much money!!¡± Yu Xiaocao immediately said, without even needing to prepare a draft.


    Madam Zhang didn¡¯t know anything about business. When she heard that the monthly rent was two hundred taels, she harshly scolded them as ¡®spendthrifts¡¯ within her heart. If they had set up a stall at the market, it would only cost a few copper coins a day. Even if they sold the watermelons for a cheaper price, it would still be better than earning money for others.


    It seemed like it was impossible to get Second Son to take full responsibility of the money today! Thus, she could only settle for the next best thing and said to Yu Hai, ¡°Then... for the five hundred taels, you and Eldest Son will each be responsible for two hundred taels, and your father and I will provide a hundred taels! Your eldest brother hasn¡¯t separated from the family yet, so his share will be provided together with mine. Let me know when you¡¯re going to give me the money!!¡±


    When Madam Zhang thought about three hundred taels flying out of her hands, she could feel blood dripping from her heart, which was throbbing with pain!


    Yu Hai was about to agree, but his younger daughter interjected, ¡°Grandmother, do you really have to talk about this here? Is it really alright to let everyone know that you¡¯re demanding such arge sum of money from your son, who has separated from the family, in order to let Younger Uncle get in from the back door? As the saying goes: ¡®don¡¯t air your dirtyundry in public¡¯. Let¡¯s talk about it in detail when we get home!! Grandmother, you go rest in the inner courtyard and eat some watermelon to quench your thirst. In the evening, take our cart back. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t run away!!¡±


    Madam Zhang thought about it and agree with what she said! With her watching them, they wouldn¡¯t be able to run away. She knew that this little brat Xiaocao could make half the decisions in the family. Since Second Son didn¡¯t object to what she said, this matter was about to seed!


    She had been stirring up trouble for a while now, crying and screaming. So, her throat had long been dry, thirsty, and ufortable. Thinking of the sweet watermelons, she couldn¡¯t help but swallow her saliva hard, and then she slowly walked towards the inner courtyard.


    Lady Fang and Linglong breathed a sigh of relief: They really didn¡¯t know how to handle such an unreasonable and boorish old woman, so they would only end up losing against her! Nevertheless, her daughter (Miss Cao¡¯er) knew how to resolve the problem and was able to appease that old woman.


    But were they really going to give her two hundred taels? Lady Fang wasn¡¯t distressed about the money but felt that it wasn¡¯t worth it!! In her husband¡¯s letter, he mentioned a lot about how this old woman bullied Xiaocao¡¯s family. She had felt very angry about it when she was still in the capital. Her heart wouldn¡¯t ache even if this two hundred taels were given to beggars, but that Madam Zhang was the only person that she was not willing to give it to at all!!

 Chapter 190 – Inquire

    <h4>Chapter 190 ¨C Inquire</h4>


    For the time being, her atrocious grandmother, Madam Zhang, had been pacified. Xiaocao felt that there was something weird about this matter, so she decided to go to Rongxuan Academy to ask about whether they had this additional enrollment quota for their school. If she could encounter the headmaster, then that would be even better.


    Lady Fang had originally wanted to apany her goddaughter for this trip, for fear that the people at the academy would slight a young girl who was under ten years old. However, unbeknownst to her, Headmaster Yuan, who was usually had a stern and schrly demeanor, was aplete glutton.


    Yu Xiaocao would visit her younger brother at the academy several times every month, and she would bring some food that she made every time she went. A portion was left for her younger brother¡¯s roommates to eat, while the other was specially prepared for the old foodie, Yuan Sinian.


    Thus, Headmaster Yuan had specially instructed the academy¡¯s gatekeeper to immediately notify him when Yu Fan¡¯s older sister came to visit him. If he wasn¡¯t at the school, then he must remember to inform his manservant, Shishu. For the headmaster to regard her with such high esteem, the gatekeeper was extremely enthusiastic every time he saw Xiaocao and didn¡¯t dare to slight her at all.


    Xiaocao politely declined her godmother¡¯s kindness. After that, she went across the street to the back kitchen of Zhenxiu Restaurant and packed two roasted chickens and two osmanthus ducks. At Zhenxiu Restaurant, these two kinds of braised food and the oyster sauce dishes could almost be considered the treasures of the restaurant. Even though they hadunched dishes with vermicelli and century eggs, they still couldn¡¯tpete with those dishes.


    Even though these two dishes were sold in limited quantities every day, the queue for reservations were already full for the next three days. However, they would make a few extras every day in preparation for the unexpected needs of their boss and his friends and rtives. Yu Xiaocao was naturally ssified as a close friend of their boss. No matter if she came to eat or get take-out, it would all be put on Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s credit.


    If her bill was directly waived, then Xiaocao would really be embarrassed to take advantage of the restaurant. However, since Third Young Master Zhou had instructed to put the bill on his ount, she was able to ept it with ease. She had helped Third Young Master Zhou earn so much money, so it was natural that he should treat her to meals.


    Themercial street where the watermelon shop was located was in the east market of Tanggu Town, while Rongxuan Academy was in the south side of the town. Fortunately, Tanggu Town wasn¡¯t very big. With arge bag of chickens and ducks in her hands, Xiaocao quickly reached the entrance of Rongxuan Academy.


    When the gatekeeper, who was leaning against the door andzily basking in the sun, looked up and saw a slender and short figure, he suddenly stood up in excitement. Seeing the basket in Xiaocao¡¯s hands, the gatekeeper immediately smiled like a blossoming flower, ¡°Aiyo! Miss Xiaocao, it has been a while since you have visited!! Our headmaster has often mentioned you!!¡±


    The gatekeeper could tell that the headmaster really had high regards for this little farmer girl with a pair of big eyes. Even for his precious grandson, he had never been this concerned.


    The Yu Family was preparing for the opening of their watermelon shop, so they had been busy for several days. Yu Xiaocao really dide by less often, but the gatekeeper had exaggerated. Moreover, didn¡¯t Headmaster Yuan just eat a feast with them when the shop opened several days ago? It had only been three days, yet he was already craving for food? Had she nurtured that glutton to have a picky appetite?


    However, she knew that Headmaster Yuan often gave her younger brother extra lessons on the sly. At present, Yuan Sinian¡¯s position as the headmaster was only a nominal title. He seldom managed the school affairs. Apart from asionally giving a lecture to the ss that was preparing for the examination when he was in a good mood, he was usually traveling, visiting friends, ying go, and drinking tea. He was enjoying a free and leisurely lifestyle.


    As a famous schr of his generation, to be able to listen to one of his lectures was even better than studying for ten years ah! If he had open lectures, one might not be able to get a seat even after fighting with the crowd. Such a great schr was actually giving extra lessons to a young child who had just begun studying not too long ago. If this news got spread out, it would definitely make people green with envy ah! Even Headmaster Yuan¡¯s grandson didn¡¯t receive such treatment! For the sake of her younger brother¡¯s future, Xiaocao was very willing to send these ¡®gifts¡¯!


    In fact, the reason that Headmaster Yuan was willing to teach Little Shitou wasn¡¯t only due to Xiaocao¡¯s delicious food, but also because of his love for talent. During the past year, Xiaocao had added mystic-stone water in everything that the Yu Family ate and drank. Not only could the mystic-stone water improve their health, but it could also unwittingly improve their intelligence.


    Little Shitou was originally a smart child, but after being nurtured by the mystic-stone water, his intelligence had gone up another level, almost to the point of remembering everything with one look. With someone who had so much potential in front of him, could Headmaster Yuan not be burning with eagerness to teach? Had he not been afraid of messing up the generation hierarchy, he would have taken Yu Fan in as hisst discipline.


    However, he took his disciplines into consideration. The youngest was even older than Little Shitou¡¯s father, while the oldest could be Little Shitou¡¯s grandfather. If they found out that their respected teacher took in a student who was even younger than their own children and grandchildren, it would be hard to say what expressions they would have on their faces.


    Although he didn¡¯t formally take him in as his discipline, Yuan Sinian still made an exception and taught him personally. The little fellow had only been studying for half a year, but he could already keep up with the level of the intermediate ss. If he hadn¡¯t been afraid of spoiling things with his excessive enthusiasm, he was about to help him apply to skip a grade!


    He also knew that there were already certain people who were extremely envious of his special treatment towards Little Shitou. If he made another exception and let him skip a grade, it wouldn¡¯t be a good thing for Little Shitou. Thus, he told Little Shitou to study with the primary ss in the morning ande to his study in the afternoon so that he could exin deeper knowledge to him. Now they were just had to wait for the cement test after summer vacation. He trusted his own judgement and believed that this little fellow could definitely pass the exam to enter the intermediate ss!


    Rongxuan Academy had two advancement exams every year. One was after the winter vacation, while the other was after summer break. The students of the primary ss and intermediate ss could advance to the next level ss as long as they could pass the examination of the higher ss. If they couldn¡¯t advance to the next ss two years in a row, then they would have to leave Rongxuan Academy. To be able to pass the examination to enter the academy, they definitely didn¡¯tck intelligence and wisdom. Thus, one could only say that those who couldn¡¯t advance to the next ss just hadn¡¯t made enough effort.


    However, the students considered it an honor to be able to enter Rongxuan Academy and especially cherished the chance to continue studying in the academy. Since the establishment of the school, very few had been asked to withdraw from the academy.


    Back to the present. The news of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s arrival at Rongxuan Academy had swiftly entered Yuan Sinian¡¯s ears. He knew that the little girl would go to the primary ss to look for her younger brother first. He was impatient and couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so he pretended to patrol the academy without even bringing his manservant and went to the primary ss¡¯s courtyard by himself.


    The primary ss was currently taking a break. When Little Shitou¡¯s roommates saw Xiaocao, they were even more excited than her younger brother, Little Shitou. With the speed of a 100-meter sprint, they rushed towards Xiaocao and surrounded her, chattering incessantly.


    ¡°Older Sister! What tasty food did you bring for Shitou today?¡± There were four people in Little Shitou¡¯s dorm. The person who spoke was a dumpy child around the age of eight or nine, whose real name was Sun Runze. He was from the prefectural city and was the youngest son of the prefectural magistrate¡¯s secretary.


    Little Shitou tried his best to push him aside, rolled his eyes at him, and said, ¡°Little Fatty Sun, you¡¯re two months older than my second sister ah! Aren¡¯t you ashamed to call her ¡®older sister¡¯?¡±


    Sun Runze was obviously a good-tempered person; he didn¡¯t get angry even after being called little fatty. He wrapped his strong arm around Little Shitou¡¯s neck, as if they were very close brothers, and grinned, ¡°We¡¯re as close as real brothers, so your second sister is naturally also my second sister! Second Sister, what delicious food did you make this time? I¡¯m about to drool just from smelling it!¡±


    Liu Jinye, who was the oldest in the dorm, was the only son of the boss of thergest silk and satin store in the prefectural city. He had a rather gentle personality, and just stood on the side with a gentle smile. Situ Qing, who was not that much older than Little Shitou, jumped over like a monkey, blinked his eyes, and stared at the food box in Xiaocao¡¯s hands with a salivating expression on his face. The little fellow¡¯s grandfather was a third-rank official in court ah!


    Thanks to Xiaocao¡¯s delicacy attack, her younger brother, who was born from a poor fishing family, never experienced the agony of being discriminated. Though Rongxuan Academy didn¡¯t care about one¡¯s identity and just cared about talent, there was still a darker side in private.


    It was said that a student of poor origin had left the academy regrettably because of being ostracized by his roommates, which caused his grades to plummet sharply. Fortunately, Little Shitou¡¯s roommates were mostly simple and kind children. Even their slight arrogance had been thrown beyond the clouds by the delicacies that Xiaocao brought over from time to time.


    Xiaocao touched Situ Qing¡¯s hair, which was very neatlybed, and said with a gentle smile, ¡°The shop is busy today, so I didn¡¯t have time to personally cook...¡±


    When the three of them heard that it wasn¡¯t food personally made by Xiaocao, their instantly dimmed. However, their eyes swiftly brightened up again¡ª¡ª


    ¡°...So I packed roasted chicken and osmanthus duck from Zhenxiu Restaurant. I don¡¯t know if you guys will like them.¡± Seeing the constant change in their expressions, Yu Xiaocao snickered incessantly within her heart.


    Situ Qing instantly jumped up, turned around excitedly, and shouted, ¡°Like! Of course, we like them!! Last time, when my mother and older brother came to visit me, they took me to Zhenxiu Restaurant for a meal. Roasted chicken was among the dishes, and it was very, very, very delicious!! But I didn¡¯t get to eat osmanthus duck!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Second Sister is so amazing!! You¡¯ll have to make a reservation three days in advance in order to eat the roasted chicken and osmanthus duck of Zhenxiu Restaurant!! You actually got both of them at the same time! I have so much admiration for you ah!!¡± The little fatty¡¯s eyes were glowing, and there was an unknown liquid on the corner of his mouth.


    Even the oldest Liu Jinye couldn¡¯t stay calm and had an even wider smile on his face as he said, ¡°Today, thanks to Little Shitou, we can taste the two most famous dishes of Zhenxiu Restaurant! Thank you very much, Miss Yu.¡±


    ¡°You guys¡ªwhy are you huddling around here?¡± Headmaster Yuan¡¯s voice sounded from outside the door of the courtyard. The kids, like a mouse seeing a cat, had to disregard the delicacy in front of them and dejectedly ran back to the ssroom.


    As he ran, Little Fatty Sun turned his head and said, ¡°Second Sister, remember to bring the food back to our dorm ah! We¡¯ll get some rice and go back after ss...¡±


    With a smile on his face, Yuan Sinian looked at the energetic appearance of the children of the primary ss and said with a chuckle, ¡°These boys, they may look like a group of monkeys right not, but in a decade or soter, they might be one of the three most important officials in court! In his childhood, my son, who is the current prime minister, did a lot of those things like climbing trees to get eggs and catching fish and shrimp in the river.¡±


    Lord Headmaster, was it really alright for you to expose the prime minister like this?


    Yu Xiaocao took out two oil-paper bags from inside the basket. Headmaster Yuan gently sniffled andughed, ¡°Only you, this littless, can get Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken and osmanthus duck whenever you want. That little brat of the Zhou Family is seriously too stingy. I have talked to him several times already, but he still didn¡¯t give me this privilege!¡±

 Chapter 191 – Reporting a Crime

    <h4>Chapter 191 ¨C Reporting a Crime</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao took out the piping hot roasted chicken and the osmanthus duck, wafting out a tantalizing aroma, and ced them in front of Headmaster Yuan. Yuan Sinian was about to abandon his elegant and schrly pretense in order to take the food into his hands when he suddenly noticed a few teachers in the vicinity out of the corner of his eye. He hurriedly reinstated his ssy mask and said, ¡°Ahem ahem, I, the headmaster, am an honest person who doesn¡¯t take presents!¡±


    Xiaocao roasted him endlessly in her mind, ¡®I wonder where all of that food I brought over previously went, hm? Now he says he doesn¡¯t take gifts, he¡¯s truly a sly old man!¡¯


    Argh! Her younger brother needed to rely on this old man for his future, right? She had no choice but to continue this y, ¡°Headmaster, I must tell the truth. I came over today because I had something to ask. Do you have time to talk with me?¡±


    Headmaster Yuan raised his head even higher as he stroked his beard, ¡°You¡¯re only just asking me about something, no need to bring gifts over right? What¡¯s going on? Just tell me directly! A gentleman must be magnanimous and understanding, there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t discuss with me!!¡±


    Psh! Still pretending, does he like to act that much? Xiaocao deliberately ced the two packets of oiled paper filled with food back into her basket as she smiled, ¡°Headmaster Yuan is truly honest and magnanimous. So admirable!¡±


    Although Yuan Sinian¡¯s head was angled forty-five degrees up, his eyes were still tantly fixed at the food. When he saw that Xiaocao putting the food she was going to send him away, he immediately became anxious. However, he couldn¡¯t reveal his inner turmoil and could only use his eyes subtly to hint at her.


    Yu Xiaocao deliberately pretended to not understand his unspoken plea and continued to speak in a louder voice, ¡°Headmaster, I overheard people saying that someone could pay five hundred taels to get on the admission list for Rongxuan Academy. If that¡¯s true, you need to leave me a spot. My younger uncle is also a schr. Although his talents are average, he tries very hard...¡±


    The expression on Headmaster Yuan¡¯s face immediately changed. He didn¡¯t care about food anymore and looked sternly at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Where did you get that news from? Since the start, my Rongxuan Academy has always only cared about the aptitude of potential students and not the depth of their pockets. I, Yuan Sinian, founded this school for the sake of finding worthy talents for the imperial court and not for getting rich! Let¡¯s not talk about just paying a paltry five hundred taels, even if someone who couldn¡¯t pass the admission examination came over with a mountain full of gold and silver, I still wouldn¡¯t let him into the school!¡±


    Once there was a young son of a wealthy family from Jiangnan who had just missed passing the entrance exam by just a smidge. The father was willing to give the school half of his assets for the sake of his son¡¯s admission. However, they refused it. Luckily the man¡¯s son was hardworking and studied very hard for another year before he managed to pass the entrance exam.


    ¡°Headmaster Yuan, don¡¯t be angry! This is what happened. My grandmother went to the melon store and told us she wanted five hundred taels from us. From what I can tell, she wanted to use the five hundred taels to have my younger uncle enter Rongxuan Academy. So I did my best to cate her and told her that I woulde to the academy to ask you if that was true!¡± Yu Xiaocao briefly described the situation to the older man.


    Headmaster Yuan very quickly calmed down and frowned, ¡°Let me think about this for a bit. I think there are two situations. The first is that Rongxuan Academy may have a spy who¡¯s using the admission quota for his private gain.The second is that your family encountered a swindler who is using your younger uncle¡¯s desire to enter the academy to cheat him of his money. Come with me to rest in my office for a bit, I need to talk to the head lecturer and school administrator about this...¡±


    Xiaocao agreed with him and followed Yuan Sinian¡¯s personal assistant into the headmaster¡¯s office. This wasn¡¯t the first time she had entered this room, which was steeped in a schrly atmosphere and was full of interesting antiques. She ced the oiled paper bag full of food onto the table and then took a book from one of the shelves to browse through.


    The servant brought in a cup of fragrant tea and saw the oiled paper bag oozing oil onto the piece of paper that the headmaster had just written on. He felt his heart ache at the sight: the characters that his headmaster wrote were more valuable than gold! He then noticed Xiaocao casually flipping through the only book that was said to be written by Wang Youcheng and a feeling of nervousness bubbled up in his heart. He was afraid that the little girl wouldn¡¯t be careful and damage the book.


    Yu Xiaocao, who hadn¡¯t finished middle school before she dropped out in her previous life, felt like her head was going to explode as she looked at the traditional characters in the book. Although she had spent a little time studying along with Little Shitou, so she could recognize some moremonly seen characters, most poetic verses had more obscure characters that were impossible to guess. She managed to find a few verses she had seen previously in school and did her best to appreciate it while scratching her head.


    Yuan Sinian, along with the head lecturer and administrator, entered his office and saw this exact scene in front of him. A young girl, inly dressed, with an old book in her hands. Herrge and lively eyes seemed to take in everything.


    ¡°Little girl, looks like you have read books before too!¡± Yuan Sinian revealed a gentle smile on his face.


    Xiaocao hurriedly ced the book back in its original ce on the shelf and grinned, ¡°I only learned a few words with my younger brother. I took a book off of your shelf without asking your permission first, please ept my apologies.¡±


    Yuan Sinianughed, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with liking to look at books? However, let¡¯s first talk about what you told me earlier!¡± Head Lecturer Liang¡¯s face was solemn and serious as he said, ¡°Our academy doesn¡¯t have anyone here who is selling admission spots for money! Miss Yu, I¡¯m afraid you must have encountered a swindler, right?¡±


    The administrator had seen Xiaocao a few times before and had a good impression of her. He proposed, ¡°I think that you should probably report this to the authorities, ok?¡±


    Headmaster Yuan sonorously proimed, ¡°We absolutely cannot tolerate a criminal who is using the school¡¯s name to defraud people!! Shishu, take my message to the county yamen. This concerns our school¡¯s reputation, we absolutely need to get to the bottom of this!!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that what she had wanted had urred, she said her farewells. She looked at the time and noticed that it was about time for sses to get out. That group of little fellows, who constantly cried piteously for food, must have been waiting for so long!


    Naturally, Xiaocao didn¡¯t know that as soon as she left the office, the three men left in there, whosebined age was over two hundred years old, almost started fighting over the contents of the oiled paper bag. In the end, Headmaster Yuan acted as if he conveying arge favor and decided to give the other two men half of the chicken and duck.


    When Yu Xiaocao arrived at Little Shitou¡¯s dormitory, four pairs of dark eyes stared piteously at the door. The table in front of the little fellows, other than the portion of green vegetables that Little Shitou took out, only had bowls of white rice on it. Okay, looks like they were all waiting for her chicken and duck toplete the meal!


    When they saw Xiaocao appear, the little fellows all immediately looked towards the basket in her hand expressionlessly. Once they saw the basket had two full oiled paper bags, they cheered and ran towards Xiaocao. Such a group of practical boys!


    ¡°Second Sister, when they heard that you were called over by the headmaster, they all became gloomy and couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they weren¡¯t going to be able to eat delicious food today!¡± Little Shitou stifled his giggles and watched as the other boys fought over the chicken legs. At least they had a conscience and knew to leave him some too!


    Previously, the food that Xiaocao had brought over had been taken by the headmaster several times. Later, she learned to bring two portions of food along. Obviously, this time wasn¡¯t an exception either!


    Xiaocao smiled as she watched the little boys eat her food with endless praises, ¡°There¡¯s enough portions of the roasted chicken and osmanthus duck to fill everyone¡¯s bellies. Slow down and don¡¯t choke!¡± Little Fatty Sun gnawed on a duck leg as he opened his greasy little mouth to say, ¡°Second Sister! I¡¯m super happy that I got to dorm with Little Shitou. Last time when we had a break and I went home, my mother even said I got fatter! There¡¯s nothing to be done though, Second Sister¡¯s cooking is just too delicious! Second Sister, bring some oyster sauce vegetables next time. It¡¯s less greasy and I need to lose weight.¡±


    Liu Jinye calmly split the roasted chicken and duck into four portions and ced his portion inside hisrge bowl. He ate slowly, so if he had to fight for his share against Fatty Sun and Monkey Situ, he would end up losing every time. Thus, he made his bowl his own territory. He always grabbed his portion early to avoid Fatty Sun taking all of the food away.


    When he heard that, Liu Jinye slowly swallowed the chicken meat in his mouth and smiled, ¡°Isn¡¯t it easy to get some green vegetables to eat? The dining hall has a lot. If you want to lose weight, it¡¯s even easier. Just eat the food from the dining hall for a whole month and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll lose ten catties!¡±


    Fatty Sun frowned and a long-suffering expression appeared on his face, ¡°Forget it! Can the boiled vegetables in the dining hall evenpare with our Second Sister¡¯s skills? The food is only fit for pigs to eat, how can I possibly stomach it? If you want me to spend a whole month of eating the food in the dining hall¡ª¡ªlet me just die fat instead!¡±


    Everyone burst into some good-naturedughter.


    ¡°Xiaocao? It¡¯s really you ah! I thought I had mistaken you for someone else!!¡± A familiar voice suddenly sounded from the doorway.


    Everyone turned their heads around to take a look. Little Shitou immediately greeted the person, ¡°Brother Xiaowen! Have you eaten yet? My second sister just brought some roasted chicken and duck from Zhenxiu Restaurant over,e eat some!¡±


    Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken and osmanthus duck? Rumors said that it cost five taels each and had now increased to ten taels apiece. Despite the increase, the supply still wasn¡¯t enough to meet the demand. The Yu Family had progressed as his mother had said¡ª¡ªtheir life had gotten much better!


    However, now the Qian Family had better days too. His family no longer had to worry about selling their ducks and even their duck eggs sold well now. They now made dozens of taels from selling their ducks to Zhenxiu Restaurant. In addition, his mother had recently hatched a flock of small ducklings and even caught a bunch of ducks in the wild to raise. Now, they had around four to five hundred ducks at home! After getting the sweet taste of profit, the Qian Family was now preparing to expand their duck business by a lot!


    Qian Wen looked at Xiaocao. It had been a long time since theyst saw each other, and the little girl had grown in height a bit. Her fair and clear skin looked so tender that one could almost pinch water from it, and her pair ofrge eyes seemed to be able to look into the depths of a person¡¯s soul...


    His mother had told him that the roasted chicken and osmanthus duck at Zhenxiu Restaurant had a lot to do with this little girl. In addition, in the spring, the watermelons that the other vigers didn¡¯t see much use for had even been sold for over five hundred taels. Furthermore, that wasn¡¯t even including the Yu Family¡¯s braised food business at the docks and their seafood product wholesale business...he felt like the distance between his and her family seemed to be growingrger andrger...


    However, he didn¡¯t think that was a problem! The teacher said that with his current level of schooling, he could participate in the children¡¯s examinations next year. If he could easily pass the entry level exams, then he would be the first person from Dongshan Vige to pass the prefectural exams. In addition, at that time, he would only be fifteen years old. Now that his family¡¯s circumstances had improved, he nned on taking the next set of exams to be a graduate and then be someone who had passed the imperial exams! By that time...


    ¡°Brother Xiaowen, this chicken leg is for you!¡± A fragrant aromaing from Little Shitou¡¯s hands suddenly interrupted his thoughts.


    Qian Wen smiled at the little fellow and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten! You should eat the chicken leg instead!¡±


    Usually Qian Wen made sure to look out for Little Shitou. The older boy studied very hard and, with his own efforts, was in the top third of the intermediate ss. Little Shitou not only liked this older brother from his own vige but also respected him quite a bit. The little boy persevered in trying to give some of the delicious food to Brother Xiaowen, ¡°Even if you¡¯ve already eaten, you can still have a taste of the chicken leg! It¡¯s really very good!!¡±

 Chapter 192 – Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 192 ¨C Nightmare</h4>


    Qian Wen could no longer refuse the little fellow¡¯s kindness and took a piece of chicken about the size of his thumb. He ced the meat into his mouth and carefully tasted it. The meat melted into his mouth and revealed a vor that he would never be able to forget in his lifetime. Even when he passed the imperial court examinations in the future and was able to eat roasted chicken frequently as well as other delicacies, he could still never taste the vor he once had...


    Yu Xiaocao watched the little boys contently and felt immense satisfaction when she saw how happily her younger brother was eating. She couldn¡¯t resist temptation and pinched his plump face. Little Shitou puffed up his cheeks and perfunctorily resisted, ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯m not three anymore. I¡¯m now a student of Rongxuan Academy, so stop pinching my face. If other people see, I¡¯ll lose face in front of them!¡±


    ¡°I pinch your face because I love you. It¡¯s not like I want to pinch any strange person¡¯s face ah! I now understand why there¡¯s this saying: ¡®when a son grows up he doesn¡¯t want his mother anymore¡¯. You haven¡¯t even be an adult and have only gone to school, yet you don¡¯t want me, your second sister, anymore, eh? How disappointing!¡± Yu Xiaocao twisted her head to the side and forcefully opened her eyes wide. She let the feeling of disappointment rise in her and managed to blink out a few tears as she looked usingly at her younger brother.


    Little Shitou immediately panicked and quickly put down his rice bowl. He rushed over to his second sister and hugged her arm, lightly swinging as he said, ¡°Second Sister, you¡¯re still my Second Sister! You will always be my good Second Sister. Don¡¯t feel sad, I was the one who was wrong. Pinch me, pinch me however much you like...¡±


    Qian Wen had noticed Xiaocao¡¯s crafty actions and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head inwardly. Although Yu Fan was clever and quick-witted, he was truly no match for his second sister¡¯s little tricks and antics.


    Xiaocao blinked her eyes, and the tears in her eyes flowed down her eyshes onto her cheeks. A sad expression surfaced onto her face, which, when paired with the tears, made her look extremely deste. Little Shitou almost burst into tears, and he continued with a sob in his voice, ¡°Second Sister, don¡¯t cry. In the future, I won¡¯t do this again. Don¡¯t be upset over me...¡±


    Little Fatty Sun butted in and shoved his round, plump little face in front of Xiaocao. He loudly proimed, ¡°Second Sister, don¡¯t be sad. If Little Shitou doesn¡¯t recognize you as his sister anymore, I¡¯ll take his ce! Look, you can pinch me all you want. I bet my face feels a lot better than Little Shitou¡¯s!¡±


    Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but let out a peal ofughter. She rubbed Little Shitou¡¯s face and ruffled Little Fatty Sun¡¯s hair as she said, ¡°I was only scaring you guys, don¡¯t take it seriously! Quickly eat more...it¡¯s not early anymore, I still need to go back to Dongshan Vige. Shitou, study well and I¡¯lle by tomorrow to take you home.¡± Tomorrow was when Shitou¡¯s weekly break started.


    Little Shitou now knew he had been tricked again by his second sister. He sniffled a couple of time and met Xiaocao¡¯s eyes with a solemn look. He vowed, ¡°Second Sister! Don¡¯t worry, I will always be your Little Shitou!!¡±


    This promise of his had been engraved deeply in his heart. Even after he became the youthful top scorer in the imperial examinations and famous throughout thend, whenever he saw his second sister shamelessly acting up, he always reverted back to his usual reaction...


    Before Xiaocao could feel touched, Little Fatty Sun butted in again, ¡°Second Sister, I will always be your Little Fatty Sun too! In the future, when you make delicious food, don¡¯t forget to bring a portion for me ah!!¡±


    Xiaocao pinched Little Fatty¡¯s face, who was slightly taller than her. She didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry as she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Even if you don¡¯t call me ¡®Second Sister¡¯, I¡¯ll still bring your portion along!! Alright, I¡¯m heading out. If I leave anyter, I won¡¯t be able to get home before it gets dark!!¡±


    After waving goodbye to Little Shitou and his friends, Xiaocao went back to the melon stand. Lady Fang¡¯s carriage was already ready to go. Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s two carts had just enough room to hold all of the necessities of daily living that she had bought earlier.


    When Madam Zhang saw the two carts full of goods, she turned green with envy. There was arge sack of white rice, arge sack of wheat flour, and also a piece of fatty pork that weighed at least five catties. In addition, there were some fine articles of daily living that she had never even seen. She suspected that the contents of these two carts had to be worth at least ten taels. Sure enough, the family members of officials were never stingy with their spending habits.


    However, the fortune teller did say that her family was going to produce an official. Once her son passed the examinations, she would also be considered the mother of an official. When that happened, she could easily walk around with her pockets full of money...


    Since the carts were stuffed full of goods, their speed naturally became slower. By the time they got to Dongshan Vige, the moon had just peeked through the tree line. When they passed by where Madam Zhang lived, she refused to get off the cart because she still hadn¡¯t got ahold of the money she wanted.


    ¡°Grandmother, two hundred taels is a lot of money, so you must give us some time to get it all together!! It¡¯s alreadyte tonight, if there¡¯s anything else you need to say, can¡¯t it wait until tomorrow? We can get it done then!¡±


    Madam Zhang had been out and about since dawn and it had taken her several hours to walk into town. She also spent a lot of time waiting outside the melon stand and couldn¡¯t bear to spend a little money to eat lunch. After throwing a giant tantrum, she didn¡¯t have much energy left in her body. She thought for a bit and decided that if Yu Hai wanted to renege on his promise, she would make him pay! Realizing she wouldn¡¯t get anything today, Madam Zhang finally got off the cart and went back home.


    Lady Fang watched the olddy as a feeling of resentment slowly rose within her. She sighed lightly, ¡°Xiaocao, there¡¯s nothing wrong with spending some money to fix a problem. However, doing this will only encourage certain people to be even more shameless. In the future, they¡¯ll continue to do the same thing to get money out of you, and that will not be good!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had seen a golden light burst out of the multicolored stone on her wrist when Madam Zhang finally came off the cart. It had shot towards Madam Zhang¡¯s head. When she heard her godmother¡¯s worriedments, she grinned craftily and replied, ¡°Godmother, don¡¯t worry! The money that she wants...she won¡¯t be able to get a single copper! Just wait and see what unfolds next ah!¡±


    That night, a sneaky figure surreptitiously crept out of the east room of the old residence. A small golden colored kitten looked at the person contemptuously and proudly raised its head as it followed from behind.


    [We¡¯re going out to see a nice y, not to pretend to be thieves, okay? Is it necessary to act this mysterious?] The little divine stone sniffed with disdain.


    ¡°Shhhhh¡ª¡ª¡± In order to leave the east room, it was necessary to go past the main room. Yu Xiaocao had been frightened by the little divine stone¡¯s voice and subconsciously nced towards the kang bed. Luckily, her parents¡¯ breathing pattern remained steady and stable, showing that they were still deep asleep. If she roused her parents, then that would scratch her ns for the rest of the night.


    Xiaocao carefully opened up the door. The old wooden door made a ¡®creeeeeeeek¡ª¡ª¡¯ noise and Xiaocao was startled like a rabbit just waiting to bounce away. She sped her hands onto her mouth and stared at the kang bed, waiting for any reaction. Her father flipped over and continued to snore heavily.


    After that false rm was over, she quietly snuck out of the door and quickly scuttled through the courtyard. She ran towards the main gate. Yu Hang, who had woken up to go to the restroom, could see a shadowy figure that resembled one of his younger sisters. A feeling of puzzlement settled into his heart. Why would his younger sister not be sleeping in the middle of the night and instead be running around outside?


    Yu Hang quickly caught up with Xiaocao and lightly tapped her shoulder. Xiaocao let out a low shriek and covered her mouth. When she saw her older brother behind her, she red at him in annoyance¡ª¡ªscaring someone too badly could cause them to die, okay?


    Yu Hang instantly recognized his youngest sister by the look in her eyes. He questioned her somewhat suspiciously, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you sleeping? Where are you nning on going?¡±


    Xiaocao ced a finger to her lips to remind him to lower his voice. She then faced the main room of the house again and watched for a second before she quietly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me here,e with me instead!¡±


    The two of them scuttled under the moonlight and arrived at the main branch¡¯s outer wall. Luckily, with her older brother along, Xiaocao was able to step on Yu Hang¡¯s shoulders and climb onto the wall. When she jumped down, the little divine stone used its spiritual power to steady her a bit and she managed to avoid face nting into the ground.


    Ever since he had recovered from his injuries, Yu Hang felt like his hands had be more nimble and there was more strength in his body¡ª¡ªthe little divine stone rolled its eyes, ¡®This divine stone¡¯s bathing water naturally strengthens and heals the body!¡¯


    He flipped over the wall easily. Following his younger sister¡¯s lead, he crawled until he arrived under window of the main room. The weather was slowly warming up and the window to the main room hadn¡¯t been closed. With the moon providing some hazy light, he was able to see the two people in the room lying on the kang bed and hear his grandfather¡¯s thundering snoring.


    Yu Xiaocao was also there, pricking up her ears to listen to the soundsing from the main room. Yu Hang found his little sister¡¯s antics quite amusing and lowered his voice, ¡°Little Sister, did you especiallye here to listen to grandfather snore?¡±


    ¡°Shhh, don¡¯t say anything...¡± Xiaocao just finished her sentence whenmotion arose within the inner room.


    ¡°Stay! Stay away from me!¡± A mournful screech echoed out of the room. Old Yu¡¯s noisy snores suddenly stopped and, following that, the sounds of him slipping on clothing could be heard.


    ¡°Wife, wife?¡± Old Yu patted his wife¡¯s arm but didn¡¯t expect her to violently shake his hand off! Madam Zhang originally had her eyes closed but now they were opened wide, filled with shock. The expression on her face made it seem like she had just seen a ghost. She rigidly stared at the roof beams in horror, as if she had seen something up there. She screamed, ¡°Don¡¯te over!! Stay away from me!!¡±


    Old Yu followed his wife¡¯s line of sight and looked at the beams. He discovered there was nothing there and thought that his wife was frightened by a nightmare. Because he was afraid of startling her further, he could only quietly say, ¡°Wife, wife...¡±


    Madam Zhang acted as if she was stuck in her own dimension. She not only woke up but also became even more agitated and started swatting the air in front of her, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you!! You¡¯ve been dead for over a decade!! Come here, I¡¯m not afraid of you!!¡±


    Old Yu looked again at the roof beams and the hairs on his body all raised up. It seemed like his old wife had encountered something that wasn¡¯t clean.


    ¡°Wife, who do you see right now?¡± Shivers ran down Old Yu¡¯s spine as he quietly inquired.


    ¡°Older cousin!! You had an illness that couldn¡¯t be cured, so living any longer wouldn¡¯t have changed anything. Your husband was so poor from trying to treat your illness that your home didn¡¯t even have an extra grain of rice. If you didn¡¯t die, your husband, who¡¯s such a good man, would have died of starvation along with you!!¡± The frightened expression on Madam Zhang¡¯s face had suddenly been reced by a cruel one. She snarled as she stared at the beams on the room as if she had just seen her archenemy.


    Within Madam Zhang¡¯s consciousness, a ghastly pale woman, who had blooding out of all of her apertures, was staring at her with a gaze full of hate. The ghostly apparition continuouslymented, ¡°I sheltered you out of the kindness of my own heart, why did you harm me? Why did you have to hurt me?¡±


    ¡°You had to die!! If you didn¡¯t die, your husband would have never looked twice at me!! If you died, then everything you had would be mine!!¡± Madam Zhang seemed to have lost her marbles under the ghost¡¯s constant questioning and suddenly screamed out the secret she had hidden inside for decades.


    Old Yu was stunned by the malevolent look on Madam Zhang¡¯s face and stared at her as if he didn¡¯t know who she was. At that time, Madam Zhang, who had been married off to a vige far west of them, had been abused by her husband¡¯s family. After she finally had enough, she stole a dozen copper coins from the family and left with her son, begging for food, to get to Dongshan Vige. She sought shelter with his first wife¡ª¡ªMadam Zhang¡¯s older cousin.

 Chapter 193 – Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 193 ¨C Exposed</h4>


    He remembered very clearly that, at the time, his kind first wife, Madam Liu, had a weak body and they were very poor. Despite that, she still happily received her younger cousin and her cousin¡¯s son. In the beginning, Madam Zhang rushed to do all of the work around the house and treated his son and daughter better than she treated her own son. In addition, she also did her best to take care of her older cousin, who was bedridden. He didn¡¯t say anything in regards to this and only spent long days out of the house fishing and gathering seafood to subsidize their ie.


    Under Madam Zhang¡¯s tender care, Madam Liu¡¯s condition started to improve and even the doctor said that after she finished thest two prescriptions she would be almost fully recovered. However, no one expected that, after she finished the two medications, Madam Liu¡¯s illness would recur.


    Everything that was of value at home had been sold off, and they had already borrowed money from those who could afford it. Madam Liu continued to take medication but she never recovered again. Her body, which had originally been weak, only managed to hang on for another month or so before death came to get her.


    Not long after Madam Liu passed away, he felt like that having his homeck a female figure wasn¡¯t good. During that time, Madam Zhang had been extremely hardworking and also treated his two children well. Thus, he took her as his second wife. In the beginning, she managed to be fair to everyone in the family. However, after his third son was born, Madam Zhang¡¯s heart began to change. The change was most marked when their third son left to go to school. Madam Zhang became extremely stingy and would save every copper coin in order to pay for their third son¡¯s schooling fees.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right!¡± Madam Zhang cackled crazily as she stared fixedly at the roof beam. She acted as if she was talking to someone, ¡°My dear sweet older cousin! I was the one who swapped out your medication and let you, who was about to recover, die in the end!! I was doing this for the good of your two children!! If you didn¡¯t die, then you guys would have had to sell them to get the money for your medication!!¡±


    Old Yu looked at Madam Zhang, who had a malevolent expression on her face, with shock. Apparently Madam Liu¡¯s illness didn¡¯te back, and she was actually killed by Madam Zhang...He would have never expected that the woman who he had slept in the same bed for over twenty years was actually a venomous viper.


    Outside, Yu Hang and Xiaocao exchanged stupefied looks. Xiaocao sped her hands over her mouth and remarked in disbelief, ¡°Our biological grandmother was murdered by that old shrew!! She murdered our true grandmother and even treats our branch so cruelly. Is she not afraid our biological grandmother woulde back and find her?¡±


    Yu Hang gritted his teeth as he quietly replied, ¡°That old shrew has done too many bad things, so the heavens will punish her! Tonight she¡¯s acting so weird. Do you think our true grandmother came back to settle the bill with her?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ªdon¡¯t kill me! I know I was wrong!! I shouldn¡¯t have switched out your medication and shouldn¡¯t have married off your daughter to a widower who lived far away. I shouldn¡¯t have restricted your son¡¯s and grandchildren¡¯s food and expelled them out of the family during their toughest time!! I confess to everything, don¡¯t take my soul away, don¡¯t take me away¡ª¡ªmy son will pass the imperial examinations in the future and be a high-ranking official. I need to be an official¡¯s mother!! Spare me!!¡± The fears within Madam Zhang¡¯s heart finally bubbled up, and she didn¡¯t try to act nonchnt anymore. She sobbed bitterly as she knelt on the kang bed and kowtowed furiously towards the direction of the roof beams. A rhythmic knocking sound could be heard.


    Madam Zhang saw the ghostly Madam Liu in front of her eyes. The other woman had long, messy hair that cascaded down, and she was dressed entirely in white. The apparition¡¯s eyes dripped with blood as they fixedly stared at her. Madam Zhang saw the ghost stretch out a hand with long fingernails towards her neck. She immediately felt her breath hitch in her throat and fainted back with her eyes rolling up into her head.


    The old woman had her own hands around her neck, tightly squeezing. Her face had turned blue fromck of air and her tongue lolled out of her mouth. Although Old Yu was incredibly shocked inside, he couldn¡¯t watch Madam Zhang suffocate to death. He hurriedly went over and forcefully pried her hands off her neck.


    Madam Zhang felt as if she was a fish who had been thrown out of the water. She truly thought she was about to die. Regrets swirled within her. At the time she had fled her previous husband¡¯s home with her son, even her own parents and older brother refused to shelter her. Only her distantly rted older cousin was willing to take her in during her time of greatest need, saving her from the slow death of starvation and sickness. However, she bit the hand that fed her and switched her older cousin¡¯s medicine, causing the other woman to pass away. However, this was destiny. Why else did she fall in love with her cousin¡¯s husband? If her cousin didn¡¯t die, how could she possibly marry a man as kind as her cousin¡¯s husband and be the de facto head of the family? Thus, Madam Zhang previously only had guilt within her heart but no regrets.


    When she was strangling herself, Madam Zhang put all of her strength into it. Old Yu had to use all of the strength in his body to slowly pry her hands from her neck with great difficulty.


    The old woman gasped heavily for air and turned her head to faintly see Old Yu. It was as if she was trying to grasp herst lifesaver. She clutched onto his arm and whined hysterically, ¡°Cousin, you can¡¯t me me!! Just me your husband for being such a good man, he¡¯s the model of a good man in my heart¡ª¡ªgood tempered, loves his family, and works hard...that¡¯s right! I me your husband for being too good, tempting me to have bad thoughts. He¡¯s the troublemaker. You need to find him, don¡¯t go for me, stay away from me!!¡±


    As she ranted, her eyes roved around crazily. When she saw the nket on the kang bed she catapulted herself towards it and pulled it over her body. She hid herself underneath as she trembled from fright.


    Old Yu looked at Madam Zhang with disbelief. It was said that a married couple was just a pair of separate birds, once catastrophe arrived, they would fly their separate ways. Sure enough, Madam Zhang finally revealed her true selfish side. When it came to saving her own skin or her husband¡¯s, she quickly chose her own and easily shoved her partner, who had been with her for over twenty years, to take the me.


    Outside the room, the two siblings, who were eavesdropping, suddenly sensed someone heavily breathing behind them. They stered themselves against the wall and looked behind them in rm. To their surprise, they saw their father, who was doing his best to restrain his sorrow as he gripped his hand tightly into a fist. When did their fathere over? Did he also hear the old shrew¡¯s confession?


    Tonight, Yu Hai had found out the truth behind his mother¡¯s death. In fact, he had called his mother¡¯s murderer ¡®mother¡¯ for over twenty years. That fact caused his heart to squeeze in pain, and it wasn¡¯t a type of pain that any person would be able to endure!


    The tiny golden kitten, which had followed the two siblings over, had its fur standing straight up in indignant anger. It waved its ws and a tiny glittery golden light pierced through the wall and went into Madam Zhang¡¯s head.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Madam Zhang flipped out of the nkets and a more horrified expression appeared on her face. She clutched her clothes and screeched, ¡°Don¡¯t take me away! I admit my guilt, I confess to all of it!! Just give me one more chance, okay? My youngest son hasn¡¯t passed the prefectural exams yet and my daughter is about to get married, they can¡¯t go without a mother ah!!¡±


    ¡°You say your son and daughter cannot go without a mother, but what about my daughter and son who were only seven to eight years of age ah? They could go without a mother then? If I died and you took good care of my children, that¡¯d be one thing. Wasn¡¯t it enough that you had to make my children¡¯s lives difficult? You¡¯re such a cruel woman, you even forced my son to split from the family with nothing but the clothes on his back. Now, you have the nerve to demand money from him, and you even ask for two hundred taels!¡± Within Madam Zhang¡¯s consciousness, her long-dead cousin was using her and criticizing her with every word.


    ¡°My son¡¯s entire family did their best for you, but that still wasn¡¯t enough? Why do you still have to be so stingy and greedy, do you really need to suck everyst bit of blood from him ah?? Your children are children, but does that mean my son and daughter aren¡¯t children? That¡¯s not okay, I demand that youe with me to hell tonight! Someone as evil as you, murdering people and abusing their children, deserves to go to the eighteenth level of hell!!¡±


    When Madam Zhang saw the two deities of hell next to Madam Liu stringing the chains around her neck, she frantically struggled again, ¡°Older Cousin, I was wrong! I was truly wrong!! I shouldn¡¯t have been so selfish and killed you!! I shouldn¡¯t have abused Dahai¡¯s entire family! I¡¯ll change, I swear I¡¯ll change in the future¡ª¡ªgive me onest chance to change. I¡¯ll never dare to be like this again...don¡¯t take me away! I don¡¯t want to go to hell!¡±


    Rivers of sweat dripped down Madam Zhang¡¯s entire body and her white hair stuck up crazily on her head like a bunch of straw. She resembled a mria patient who was in the throes of sweats and chills and looked like a fish that was about to die. Although Old Yu felt deep anger at the knowledge that she was the one who murdered his first wife and abused his first wife¡¯s children, she was still the wife he had lived with for over twenty years.


    His youngest daughter had already dyed her marriage by three years waiting for her fiance¡¯s mourning period to be over. If Madam Zhang had something happen to her now, he wasn¡¯t sure that Yu Caidie would be able to preserve her engagement. When another three years passed and her fiance¡¯s family cancelled their agreement, then his daughter¡¯s future would be entirely ruined.


    Old Yu let out a deep sigh. More than twenty years had passed, and he could no longer really remember what Madam Liu looked like anymore. Those who were living still needed to move on!


    ¡°Cuiyun ah! I know you died full of resentment, but if revenge breeds revenge, will there ever be an end to it all? I know you¡¯re a kind hearted person. You even had to help a stray injured puppy that managed to encounter you. This family temporarily can¡¯t be without Madam Zhang, please be merciful and let her off this one time!! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep an eye over her and I will not let her harm Dahai¡¯s family ever again!! Please do this for the sake of our previous rtionship, let her go!¡± Old Yu seemed to have aged in this short time period. His voice seemed powerless and tinged with deep emotion.


    Madam Zhang also loudly promised nervously, ¡°Older Cousin, let me go this one time. In the future, I¡¯ll live out the rest of my days atoning for my crimes¡ª¡ªI make a vow to the heavens, I will never cause Dahai trouble again. I will treat Dahai and his family well...¡±


    ¡°Enough!!!¡± Yu Hai couldn¡¯t handle it anymore and kicked open the door. He rushed in and sneered at Madam Zhang, who was on the kang bed, kowtowing endlessly, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can bear taking your good will! I am not like my mother, who nurtured an ungrateful tiger in her midst and then was murdered by that thankless wretch!!¡±


    Madam Zhang was disheveled from head to toe and was hunkering down on the corner of the kang bed. When she saw Yu Haie in, the pupils in her eyes shrunk, ¡®Howe Yu Hai is here? Just how much did he overhear?¡¯


    Old Yu coughed and weakly said, ¡°Dahai, she¡¯s your elder...¡±


    ¡°How is she considered my elder? I don¡¯t have any elders who murdered my mother!! I truly hate, hate myself for recognizing my mother¡¯s murderess as my mother for over twenty years; hate myself for letting my wife and kids be abused without doing anything, hate myself for ignorantly giving up all of the money I earned to my mother¡¯s murderess to provide for her children~~¡± Yu Hai trembled as he howled out his grief!


    Madam Zhang felt frightened, disappointed and distressed by the look of pure hate that was within Yu Hai¡¯s eyes. In the future, she could never use her identity as his stepmother to threaten Yu Hai to do anything for her. She had be his enemy who had in his mother. The fact that Yu Hai didn¡¯t want to take revenge on her for killing his mother was already considered a miracle.

 Chapter 194 – Contract

    <h4>Chapter 194 ¨C Contract</h4>


    ¡°Dahai, I raised you and your older sister up into adults. That took hard work. Please remember our old affections and help me plead for leniency to your mother. Don¡¯t let her take away my soul...¡± Madam Zhang saw Yu Hai as herst chance for survival and entreated him piteously.


    Old affections? Perhaps it was guilt or something else. Before Yu Bo was born, Madam Zhang treated him and his older sister pretty well. Everything they ate and wore was about the same as Yu Dashan¡¯s. However, once Yu Bo started going to school, Madam Zhang forced Yu Hai, who was only thirteen at the time, to brave the dangers of hunting in the mountains. Not only did he have to give her all of the money, but he also had to do all of this on a half-empty stomach.


    At the time, Yu Hai believed that the family was in poor financial shape, so every day he went into the mountains to catch hares and pheasants while hungry. Despite that, he couldn¡¯t bear to eat a single morsel of meat that he caught and sold them all to subsidize the family¡¯s ie. Later on, he found out that the reason his whole family lived frugally was to save money for Xiaobo¡¯s school tuition. Since he was purehearted and cared about his siblings, he worked even harder to learn hunting techniques from Older Brother Zhao. Thus, he managed to catch more game and the variety also increased.


    After he married, his wife and kids didn¡¯t receive preferential treatment at home despite him making the most ie. Instead, the family used his unquestioning filial piety and his wife¡¯s kindheartedness to make them the overworked servants at home. They did the most work at home but ate the worst food. As the days went on, his wife¡¯s body became worse and worse and his children all became emaciated. The whole family was sickly and weak. However, Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t even willing to pay for their doctor and medicine fees and his youngest daughter almost died...


    ¡°Old affections? You¡¯re talking about familial affections with me? Wasn¡¯t I the one who earned almost all of the money that covered youngest brother¡¯s school tuition as well as his living expenses in town? Wasn¡¯t that a sign of my familial affection? Before we split from the family, my wife worked like a dog despite being sickly. Wasn¡¯t that also a sign of our familial affection? When I was seriously injured and near death, Older Brother Zhao came by with three hundred taels that were all taken by you. My whole family didn¡¯t say a single word. Wasn¡¯t that also a sign of our familial affection? Yes, you raised my older sister and me for a period of five to six years. However, I used fifteen years of hardbor and returned it all to this family. If that wasn¡¯t enough, then the three hundred taels, which should have been used to save my life, should be more than enough to return your so-called ¡®old affections¡¯ right?¡±


    Every single word that came out of Yu Hai¡¯s mouth seemed to drip with blood, ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t owe you anything! On the contrary, you¡¯re the one who owes me! You owe me my mother¡¯s life!! When will you be able to repay me for that?¡±


    Madam Zhang had gotten used to getting her way at home and didn¡¯t expect Yu Hai, who was always the most obedient, to suddenly retort her so intensely. The fears within her suddenly evaporated and she red fiercely at Yu Hai and shrilly shrieked, ¡°All of the money you made wasn¡¯t spent on me! I spent all these years scraping together money and being frugal. Wasn¡¯t it all for the sake of the Yu Family? Xiaobo is your blood brother and has your Yu Family¡¯s blood. The oldest brother is like a second father, isn¡¯t it right and just that you pay for his school fees?¡±


    When he saw that Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t a bit repentant about her actions and was trying to twist the logic around, Yu Hai remarked in a voice filled with disappointment, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m not the oldest brother of the family. The oldest brother of the family is Chen Dashan who has already changed his surname to Yu. He also crawled out of the same belly as Yu Bo. That being said, you, as their mother, are still alive and well! After doing all of these calctions, I don¡¯t think that I, as the second brother, should be the one raising them!!¡±


    Madam Zhang continued to persist on her stance and pestered him, ¡°I was able to provide for your older sister and you, so why can¡¯t you provide for your younger brother!! You have money now yet you¡¯re so reluctant to take out five hundred taels for your younger brother. I was truly blind for raising a person worse than a pig into an adult. I should have just sent you and your stupid mother down to hell back then...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!!¡± Old Yu pped Madam Zhang forcefully on her face and furiously hollered, ¡°Why do you keep saying that you¡¯re the one who raised Dahai and older sister up? Do you know how to fish or farm? Wasn¡¯t I the one who earned the money to feed and clothe Dahai and his older sister? Did I ever say a word in regards to you and that good for nothing son of yours for eating my food? Ever since our youngest son was born, how have you treated Dahai and his sister? Do you think I¡¯m blind? How do you have the face to boast about what you did?¡±


    Madam Zhang held her face that had just been hit and dazedly looked at Old Yu. She would have never expected that her husband, who never had a temper, would one day raise his hand towards her. In addition, he would even do it for the sake of that b*tch¡¯s children!


    Madam Zhang exploded and screeched, ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¡±. She flung herself at Old Yu and used her long nails to scratch at the old man¡¯s face as she screamed, ¡°You hit me? I did all of this for you ah? It was all for the sake of your Yu Family¡¯s future!! Yu Hai is your son, but that doesn¡¯t that mean that Xiaobo isn¡¯t your son, ah? You old bastard, if you actually had the ability, do you think I would have needed to scrimp and save so much ah?¡±


    Under her explosive temper, Madam Zhang showed her true potential. She unexpectedly managed to push Old Yu, who had done hardbor all his life, underneath her body and wed at him furiously. Although Old Yu protected his face, a few long scratches that dripped with blood managed tond on him.


    ¡°Enough!!¡± Yu Hai caught Madam Zhang¡¯s arm and pulled her off of Old Yu.


    That was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Madam Zhang rolled around on the kang bed and wailed, ¡°Someonee quickly! Old Yu¡¯s family wants to kill me!! You two are ganging up on me, an old woman. You guys want my life!! You want me to die!! They¡¯re killing me!!¡±


    Yu Dashan, who had long heard the ruckus inside, rushed into the room despite Madam Li¡¯s attempts to stop him. He forcefully pushed Yu Hai aside and ced himself in front of Madam Zhang protectively. He snarled, ¡°Dahai! My mother is your elder, how could you treat her like this?¡±


    Yu Caidie was standing outside the room with tears streaming down her face. She cried so hard that her body trembled. She looked at her own mother with eyes that seemed to regard a stranger. Her mother, who had always tenderly loved and taken care of her, had actually murdered her second older brother¡¯s biological mother. If Second Brother reported this to the authorities, then her mother would pay with her life!! This kind and weak girl couldn¡¯t stand this revtion. Her legs gave out under her as she fainted onto the ground.


    However, the situation inside was chaotic, so no one noticed her. Yu Hai regarded Madam Zhang, who was still trying to shamelessly wriggle her way out of this situation, with a dead look in his eyes. He calmly stated, ¡°Who¡¯s right, who¡¯s wrong, we can find out when the authorities make their decision! The price for killing someone is your own life, debts must be repaid, that is thew of the heavens!!¡±


    Madam Zhang abruptly stopped her wails as she looked at Yu Hai in rm. His one sentence made her feel more afraid than seeing her cousin¡¯s, Madam Liu, ghost. This case couldn¡¯t be reported. She couldn¡¯t allow her youngest son, who had a bright future ahead of him, to be stuck with a ¡®murderess mother¡¯. Her youngest son was going to pass the examinations and be a high-ranking official!


    ¡°No!! Dahai, you can¡¯t do this!! You will ruin your younger brother. Xiaobo is your blood-rted younger brother ah. Do you think you can watch with open eyes as you ruin his reputation by reporting this case ah?¡± Tears dripped down Madam Zhang¡¯s face as she rushed over to hold onto the corner of Yu Hai¡¯s jacket. She desperately hoped that Yu Hai would let go of his desire to report this case.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. She stepped out and loudly proimed, ¡°You¡¯re wrong! Younger Uncle wouldn¡¯t have his reputation ruined by my father. The one ruining his reputation is you, his malicious and evil mother!! Since you dared to kill someone, then you must be willing to take on the consequences. Don¡¯t try to use morality to restrain my father! My father is taking revenge for my biological grandmother. This is the responsibility of every son, so he has no wrong in this!!¡±


    Madam Zhang could only think about her youngest son¡¯s future prospects. She sobbed piteously, ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s all my fault!! However, my Xiaobo didn¡¯t do anything wrong and my Caidie also didn¡¯t do anything wrong!! My poor daughter, if she had the reputation of having a mother who killed someone, then the Mu Family will definitely break their engagement. Her future will be ruined. Xiaobo and Caidie are both your blood-rted siblings ah!! Feel something for them and let me go this one time¡ª¡ªtomorrow I¡¯ll have someonee over to fix your mother¡¯s grave and a monk to say thest rites for her. I¡¯ll ce your mother¡¯s card in the house and burn incense for her and I¡¯ll also visit her grave on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Just spare me this one time!¡±


    When he saw Madam Zhang¡¯s expressions and thought of his younger brother and sister, Yu Hai felt his resolve waver. At this time, Old Yu came over with a hand over the cuts on his face and said, ¡°Dahai, Madam Zhang is truly guilty of a terrible crime. However, even if we sent her to the guillotine, we still wouldn¡¯t be able to bring your mother back to life! We need to focus on those living instead. For your pitiful younger brother and sister, please don¡¯t bring this case to the authorities, okay?¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw her father wavering, she decided she needed to step in as she didn¡¯t want Madam Zhang to get off that easily. That old hag was truly someone who forgot the pain once the wound healed. If they let her off now, then, in the future, she would likely continue doing shameless things, which was just aggravating to think about!


    She thought for a bit and then said, ¡°If you want my father to give up on reporting this case to the authorities, that could be done. However, we need to make sure that she truly regrets her actions! Since my biological grandmother came over to find her, it must be because she didn¡¯t repent and continued to bully our family. Because she couldn¡¯t stand seeing this happen, she came over to aid us, the victims.¡±


    Xiaocao paused for a second before she continued, ¡°Grandfather, do you know what she did in town today? She threatened my father in order to have him give her five hundred taels. She wanted to use that money as a bribe to allow my younger uncle a backdoor way to enter Rongxuan Academy. If it truly could happen, that would be one thing as we could take it for younger uncle¡¯s future prospects. We would even borrow money to make that happen. However, I asked the headmaster of the academy and he told me that there was no such thing. The academy has already reported this matter to the authorities and I am confident that we will find out the ending very soon!! Grandfather, younger uncle is your son, but my father is your son too ah! Both the palm and the back of the hand are made of flesh, you can¡¯t kill one son to pave the future for another ah!! Grandfather, my father already doesn¡¯t have a mother anymore, are you trying to make it such that he doesn¡¯t even have a father who loves him anymore too?¡± Xiaocao looked at her grandfather with tears shining in her eyes. She was doing this for the sake of her father and her family, who had all suffered through a lot in the past.


    Old Yu looked at his son, who was much taller than him. In the facial features of his second son, he could see the shadow of his first wife. This son of his had always been sensible since childhood and was the most obedient of all his children. Xiaocao was right. He couldn¡¯t continue to neglect this son just because he was sensible and obedient. That would hurt his son¡¯s feelings!


    ¡°Dahai, don¡¯t worry! In the future, Madam Zhang won¡¯t dare to cause more trouble for you guys. She doesn¡¯t have the face to find you all anymore. I¡¯ll make sure to keep an eye on her!!¡± Old Yu seemed as if he had suddenly aged many years at once, and he couldn¡¯t seem to straighten his back anymore.

 Chapter 195 – Spirit

    <h4>Chapter 195 ¨C Spirit</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao walked over and pulled on her grandfather¡¯s hand. She firmly said, ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t believe you! We don¡¯t believe her! Empty promises mean nothing, so let¡¯s have her draw up a written pledge!!¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes widened and was about to say something when Yu Hai stopped her and interjected, ¡°How about...I still think reporting this to the authorities is better, right?¡±


    The old woman immediately deted like a balloon¡ª¡ªdefeated!


    Yu Hang ran back home to fetch the paper and brush he usually used to practice writing. With Yu Xiaocao dictating, Yu Hang wrote down all of the wicked things Madam Zhang had done very clearly. In addition, at the end, he added Madam Zhang¡¯s promise¡ª¡ªin the future, she would sincerely repent, fix her ways, and no longer cause trouble for Yu Hai and his family. Finally, they had Madam Zhang stamp her handprint on the paper.


    Why was Yu Hang the one writing? The reason was simple. Although Xiaocao learned how to read and write the fastest out of all of them given that she had finished middle school in her previous life, she was usually too busy to practice writing. Thus, her handwriting was quite terrible and looked shoddy. Her characters also had a tendency to be missing certain strokes (that¡¯s because she was writing simplified characters, okay?). On the other hand, Yu Hang always wrote two whole pages of characters every night, no matter how tired he was or howte it was. He had some talent, and, whenbined with his tireless efforts, his handwritten words already looked quite presentable.


    After Yu Xiaocao solemnly put the written pledge of guilt away, she spoke indifferently to Madam Zhang, ¡°In the future, my whole family and you should just act as if we don¡¯t know each other! We won¡¯t bother you, so we ask that you don¡¯te over to disturb our peaceful life. This is the most that my father can endure. If you want to continue to cause trouble like in the past, then we can go see the authorities together ah!¡±


    Yu Caidie, who had previously fainted at the door, had already woken up. When she heard her mother¡¯s crime again, she sobbed inside Madam Zhang¡¯s arms. Madam Zhang hugged her daughter tightly towards her and nced briefly at the ¡®ghostly¡¯ humanoid figure floating near the roof beams. She shuddered and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already signed my admission of guilt. Dahai, shouldn¡¯t you tell your mother to go back now?¡±


    Yu Hai mournfully looked in the direction that Madam Zhang was facing, yet he wasn¡¯t able to see anything. When his mother died, he was only about the age that Little Shitou was now. More than twenty years had passed since then, so his memory of his mother¡¯s loving face had already started to fade away, as if her face had been covered by a thick veil. Now he hoped he could be like Madam Zhang and be able to see his mother again. If he could, he would make sure to carve that image of her deeply within his head. However, why didn¡¯t his mother show herself to him? Did she me him for recognizing her murderer as his mother for over twenty years? Tears of anguish slowly slid down...


    Yu Xiaocao firmly held onto her father¡¯srge, rough hand with her warm little one, as if she was trying tofort him. When she saw her father silently stare at the roof beam, shedding tears, Xiaocao silently sighed and then spoke to Madam Zhang, ¡°As the proverb says, ¡®Those who don¡¯t do shameful things won¡¯t have to fear spirits knocking at night. Having a suspicious heart will cause inner demons to appear.¡¯ All of this was personally done by you. Because youmitted crimes against my father and my biological grandmother, your heart was filled with darkness and you suspected everyone. As long as you abide by your promise in the future and no longer continue to harm us, I¡¯m confident that my true grandmother will magnanimously let you go this onest time. May I give you some advice? The gods see everything you do, thus, it¡¯s better to avoid doing shameful things! Father, let¡¯s go home!¡±


    After she finished speaking, the three of them left the courtyard with the sound of Madam Zhang¡¯s mournful cries behind them. Yu Hang and Xiaocao each walked next to Yu Hai, who was in the middle. Xiaocao¡¯s hand remained snuggly within thatrge palm the whole time, showing her care for him. It was just like that time she faked her illness. Her father had never thought about giving up on her.


    Xiaocao could tell that her father¡¯s spirits were low and felt more hate for Madam Zhang. She deliberately transmitted to the little divine stone, ¡®We can¡¯t let that old witch off so easily. If we don¡¯t torment her for a few more days, I won¡¯t feel right in my heart!¡¯


    [Alrighty, leave it to me!] The little divine stone cackled in anticipation as it rubbed its two paws together evilly.


    Consequently, Madam Zhang had a rough time. For the next few days, she was even afraid to go to bed because every time she closed her eyes she could see her older cousin¡¯s eyes that dripped with blood ring at her sinisterly. The ghost never moved or spoke but it continued to stare at her constantly. Under such a frightening gaze, she really couldn¡¯t fall asleep. After suffering from insomnia for a few days in a row, the usually healthy Madam Zhang quickly became wan and sallow. Within a few days, her entire head of hair had turned white and there were more wrinkles on her face. Her eye bags almost came all the way down to the corners of her mouth. It looked like she had aged more than a decade in a short period of time and it was obvious that she wasn¡¯t mentally well¡ª¡ªbut that¡¯s all forter.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, do you...do you think that your grandmother mes me? Otherwise, why else wouldn¡¯t she also show herself to me, ah?¡± Yu Hai abruptly stopped and looked towards the shadowy mountains underneath the moonlight. The sound of his voice finally broke the dead silence between the three of them.


    Xiaocao hurriedly replied, ¡°How could that be true? I think it¡¯s more possible that grandmother mes herself. At that time, she had been tricked by that old hag, Madam Zhang, and trusted herpletely. On her deathbed, she even asked Madam Zhang to take care of Eldest Aunt and you. That old witch, Madam Zhang, didn¡¯t fulfill her promise to grandmother. Madam Zhang is the one at fault here, don¡¯t me yourself.¡±


    Yu Hai shook his head heavily and slowly remarked, ¡°As her son, I am truly unfilial and such a disappointment. I¡¯ve almost forgotten what my biological mother looks like...¡±


    Just as he finishedmenting, a white-colored figure on the little road in front of him slowly materialized. It was a woman with a gentle smile on her face who looked as if she was just shy of thirty. Her jet ck hair was bound up under a blue and white decorative head covering. She looked at Yu Hai with eyes that were filled with love and gratitude. A faint sigh reached their ears, ¡°My dear Hai¡¯er, it hasn¡¯t been easy for you...¡±


    ¡°Mother¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Hai managed to choke out a reply. The faint memory of his mother in his mind slowly became more clear. This was the way his mother had looked before she fell ill. Inside his heart, his mother had always been the most beautiful, gentle, and loving woman in the world...


    Yu Hai wasn¡¯t the only one who saw her; Yu Hang and Yu Xiaocao could also see her. Xiaocao¡¯s eyes opened wide as she silently praised the little divine stone in her mind, ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling, you¡¯re too awesome!¡¯


    [But...I wasn¡¯t the one who did something. What other spirit is ying around here, I, this Divine Stone, will find out soon...] The little golden kitten that was next to her feet raised all of its fur on its back and its tail also went up. It looked as if it was getting ready for a battle at any time.


    Yu Xiaocao hastily bent down to hold onto its tail and then held the little fellow in her arms. It didn¡¯t matter if the faint spirit in front of them was actually conjured by the little divine stone or not. It was no longer important as she could tell that the apparition had no ill will towards them. In fact, judging by her father¡¯s expression, she knew what was going on...


    ¡°Mother, Mother¡ª¡ªyour son can¡¯t make it up to you. Wahhhhh...¡± Yu Hai, who was almost thirty, knelt down on the small mountain road and started to weep like a child who was lost. The ghostly figure lovingly gazed at Yu Hai and the wind seemed to transmit the echoes of her voice, ¡°No, it was Mother who didn¡¯t see clearly and made things difficult for you two siblings...¡±


    ¡°Mother...I¡¯m useless. I couldn¡¯t prevent my sister from getting married off to a far away vige...¡± Whenever he thought of his older sister, who had been married off to a widower who lived hundreds of miles away at the tender age of fourteen, Yu Hai always remembered his feelings of grief and helplessness. Tears once again crowded his eyes.


    The woman seemed to be unable to contain her feelings, faced Yu Hai...and floated over. She lightly ced her transparent hand on top of his head and gently soothed, ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself. Although it¡¯s colder over there, your brother-inw treats your older sister very well. Right now your older sister has a decent life...Mother only has you and your older sister left, you two need to live well!¡±


    Yu Hai lovingly looked into his mother¡¯s gentle eyes and softly promised, ¡°Mother, I will! Right now, my life is very good. In a few days, I n on bringing Older Sister and her whole family over. With her closer, it¡¯ll be easier to help each other in times of need.¡±


    The woman seemed to pause for a moment with her head lowered to think a bit before she finally nodded in agreement, ¡°Your brother-inw doesn¡¯t have anyone left from his side of the family there anymore, so having theme over is good. However, you still need to make sure that both your sister and brother-inw agree to this first...Hai¡¯er, do as what you see fit. You¡¯ve always been dependable, so Mother is relieved.¡±


    [Master, let me go! This ghost died tragically, so it wasn¡¯t able to reincarnate and has been left here on earth as a lost soul. As more time passes, it¡¯s possible that grievances may pile up and lead it to transform into a malicious spirit that harms people. I will bring her back into the cycle and let her reincarnate again. That is the right path.] When the golden kitten saw that the ghost wasn¡¯t a spirit that harmed living humans, it was no longer as against the ghost as when it first saw it. However, the stone still wanted to banish the spirit out of the living world once and for all to secure the future.


    The woman seemed to be able to hear the conversation the little divine stone had with Xiaocao and looked over towards Xiaocao. Although it was the first time Xiaocao had ever encountered a ghost, the woman¡¯s gentle eyes and demeanor made it easy for her to forget that she was a spirit.


    The woman lightly floated over to Xiaocao. She noticed that the little girl didn¡¯t seem the slightest bit afraid and her pure and clean eyes gazed at her calmly. The spirit smiled gently. Following that, a voice appeared within Xiaocao¡¯s mind, ¡®Child, I don¡¯t care who you are or where you came from. I hope you continue to have a kind heart and good intentions and live in ce of my poor departed granddaughter!¡¯


    Xiaocao was suddenly startled and stared bbergastedly at the ghostly woman with some rm¡ª¡ªshe, she somehow knew that she wasn¡¯t the true Xiaocao?!


    The woman lightly sighed, ¡®Don¡¯t worry child! I haven¡¯t strayed far from here all these years and I know everything that has happened in this family. When my poor granddaughter bashed her forehead on the ground, I personally observed her soul being guided to the underworld by the spiritual guides. I also clearly saw you, a soul from a different world, being reborn in my granddaughter¡¯s body. Your soul was a pure white color and didn¡¯t have any malice emanating from it, so that was the reason why I didn¡¯t try to stop you. I¡¯m d that I didn¡¯t try to interfere at the time. Thank you for everything you have done for this family...¡¯


    [That¡¯s right, we¡¯re lucky that she didn¡¯t try to interfere. Otherwise, Master, your soul would have been scattered away. At that time, I wasn¡¯t powerful at all and only had enough spiritual energy to bring you into this world. If she tried to stop us, I don¡¯t know if I could have won!] The little divine stone suddenly felt a shiver run through its body.


    When Yu Hai saw his mother¡¯s ghost stop in front of his daughter, he noticed that his daughter had a somewhat frightened look in her eyes. He, as the epitome of the perfect father, hurriedly came over and hugged his daughter¡¯s small and weak-looking shoulders in an attempt tofort her. He reassured her, ¡°Cao¡¯er, don¡¯t be scared. She¡¯s your grandmother, your true grandmother! She won¡¯t hurt you!¡±


    That woman¡¯s voice continued to sound within her mind, ¡®Your father is right. Since fate has brought you here and you were reborn in my granddaughter¡¯s body, then I am considered your grandmother. At that time, I didn¡¯t try to stop you, so now I naturally won¡¯t try to do anything to you.¡¯


    The woman then used a voice that all three of them could hear to say, ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re a good child. Grandmother wants to thank you...¡±


    Yu Hai hastily interjected, ¡°Mother, that¡¯s right! If it wasn¡¯t for Xiaocao, our family would still be in a lot of trouble ah! Xiaocao is a child who has personally been instructed by the God of Wealth ah!¡±


    The woman smiled and nodded her head. The sound of her voice once again surfaced within Xiaocao¡¯s mind, ¡®That godly item you have has the ability to let me reincarnate. I¡¯ve already fulfilled my desires in this earthly realm, so it¡¯s about time that I leave...¡¯

 Chapter 196 – Bailiffs

    <h4>Chapter 196 ¨C Bailiffs</h4>


    In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s consciousness, the little divine stone couldmunicate with the woman, [Saving a person¡¯s life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda. Don¡¯t worry, I will help you. Do you want to leave tonight, or...]


    ¡°Cui... Cuiyun!¡± The little divine stone¡¯s words were interrupted by an aged and trembling voice. The three people and one ghost all looked towards the sound of the voice and saw the figure of Old Yu appear under the moonlight. After tonight, Old Yu seemed to have suddenly gotten a lot older.


    The woman in white looked at Old Yu with a gaze that no longer had any warmth inside. With a faint gaze, she said, ¡°Yu Liqiu, our marital affection had already beenpletely wiped out when you remained silent about Madam Zhang¡¯s actions. To tell you the truth, I¡¯m really disappointed in you! People often say: ¡®With a stepmother, one will also have a stepfather.¡¯ It turned out to be true ah!¡±


    It was uncertain whether it was due to nostalgia or guilt, but Old Yu¡¯s face was covered with tears. He said in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn¡¯t take good care of our children. I have let you down ah!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t any emotion within the woman¡¯s voice as she said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to say these unnecessary words. I don¡¯t feel like listening to them anymore. I don¡¯t need your repentance and atonement. The best way to atone for your wrongdoings is to stop causing so much trouble for Hai¡¯er¡¯s family in the future.¡±


    After that, she looked at Yu Hai with reluctance and said in a soft voice, ¡°Hai¡¯er, I need to go! Reincarnation is the best ending for me. Don¡¯t be sad. You have to stay well...¡±


    She looked at the kitten in Xiaocao¡¯s arms. The little divine stone understood her meaning. A golden light burst out of the woman¡¯s body, and her figure gradually faded away...


    ¡°Mother¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Hai cried out, which sounded even more tragic and mournful in the quiet mountain forest. However, he also knew that reincarnation was the best option for his mother. Although he was reluctant to let her go, it was impossible to let her stay.


    Old Yu burst into tears, crying bitterly as he muttered, ¡°She still mes me ah, still mes me... She¡¯s unwilling to forgive me! Cuiyun, Cuiyun...I have let you down ah!!¡±


    One knelt on the mountain road, while the other stood with his back bent. Yu Hai and Old Yu both looked in the direction of the scattered figure for a long time. A cool mountain breeze blew, and Yu Xiaocao sneezed loudly.


    This sneeze released Yu Hai from his feelings of sorrow. Yu Hai rubbed the corner of his eyes and stood up. He took off his outer jacket and wrapped it around his daughter¡¯s body, and then said with a slightly hoarse voice, ¡°Cao¡¯er, quickly wear this. Don¡¯t catch a cold¡ªFather, you should also go back.¡±


    ¡°She still mes me. She still mes me ah...¡± As if he had gotten possessed, Old Yu kept repeating this sentence.


    Yu Hai sighed and gently said, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t me you, and Mother wouldn¡¯t either!! Madam Zhang is right about something: Younger Brother and Youngest Sister are also descendants of the Yu Family. There is flesh on both the palm of one¡¯s hand and the back of one¡¯s hand. They¡¯re young, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with you being partial towards them. Don¡¯t think too much and quickly go back!¡±


    Old Yu raised his head and looked at his son, who was the one that he was the least worried about since childhood, with eyes blurred by tears. If he had paid more attention to his son, would Madam Zhang have second thoughts about her actions? Would his son have suffered less? Would Cuiyun not me him? There weren¡¯t so many ¡®what-ifs¡¯ in life. People must take responsibility for their own actions!


    ¡°Dahai! You have already separated from family, so you don¡¯t have to worry about the matters in the family. In the future... just live a good life!!¡± Old Yu turned around and walked back along the rugged mountain road. His footsteps appeared very heavy!


    Yu Hai looked at his father¡¯s back, which was no longer tall and straight. He opened his mouth and finally shouted, ¡°Even if I left the family, you¡¯re still my father! I will not give you any less of the filial respect that I shall provide you...¡± But, for the things that he didn¡¯t need to give, he wouldn¡¯t even take out a single copper coin!


    The father and daughter returned to the old residence while supporting each other. Looking at the three tottering mudbrick buildings, Yu Hai suddenly said, ¡°After the autumn harvest, let¡¯s rebuild our house! Let¡¯s knock down the old building and buy thend next to us, so we can build a spacious five-room, tile-roofed house. We can expand both the front and rear yards! We have to live a prosperous life so that your grandmother can reincarnate without any concern...¡±


    Although Yu Xiaocao preferred to buy a house andnd in town, she had to nod her head in support of him after hearing his words, ¡°Mhm! If we¡¯re going to build a house, then we¡¯ll have to build the best house in the vige. We should also get ss windows like the ones in Brother Han¡¯s house. This can brighten up the house as well as keep warm.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s get ss windows!¡± Yu Hai deeply exhaled, releasing the stuffiness in his chest. Anyone who found out that their mother was murdered by someone would feel ufortable within their hearts. Fortunately, his mother had appeared today and told him that she didn¡¯t me him. She also told him to live a good life... ¡®Mother, you can rest assured. I will definitely live a prosperous life!¡¯


    The next day, Yu Xiaocao stayed at home and had some rare leisure time. The watermelon shop¡¯s business was already on track, so Eldest Maternal Aunt could handle the store by herself. Thus, she didn¡¯t need to help out and could have a good rest.


    Around noon, Xiaocao¡¯s younger uncle, Yu Bo, returned in a dazed state with several bailiffs behind him.


    As soon as the bailiffs entered the Yu Family¡¯s main gates, Madam Zhang, who hadn¡¯t slept all night, acted like a mouse that saw a cat and immediately hid on her kang bed, afraid to go out. Madam Li had also timidly shrunk into a ball and said in a low voice, ¡°Dahai is seriously being too unreasonable. Didn¡¯t he say that he wasn¡¯t going to report it? Mother, you should quickly hide. A life for a life. If you get caught, you will get beheaded!¡±


    After what happenedst night, there wasn¡¯t anyone in the Yu Family who didn¡¯t know what Madam Zhang had done. Madam Li felt ashamed of her mother-inw within her heart, but she didn¡¯t have even the slightest impression of her father-inw¡¯s first wife and Madam Zhang was her husband¡¯s birth mother, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t do anything out of the line.


    Madam Zhang had been harassed by the ¡®ghost¡¯ for an entire night, so she was on the verge of having a mental breakdown. When she heard Madam Li¡¯s words, she walked around in the room and didn¡¯t know where to hide...


    ¡°Mother! We have been deceived! We were deceived ah!!¡± As soon as Yu Bo entered the door, he saw Madam Zhang with disheveled hair and a paleplexion. He was stunned at first, and then he continued to cry.


    Hearing her younger son¡¯s crying voice, Madam Zhang was stunned for a moment and then she stood up with a loud cry, ¡°Xiaobo, what did you say? That person who said that he would help you enter Rongxuan Academy is a swindler? Then... the three hundred taels that I gave you? Did you give them to him?¡±


    Without even a shred of schrly aura, Yu Bo had a sullen face as he crouched on the ground and held his head, ¡°That person came to me the day before yesterday and asked me for some money to pull some social connection, so I gave him all of the three hundred taels. This morning, the bailiffs came over and said that he was a swindler, and that they had already caught him. Tomorrow, we will need to confront him in court.¡±


    ¡°Then... the bailiffs didn¡¯te to arrest me?¡± Madam Zhang looked out into the courtyard and asked in a low voice.


    Yu Bo looked at her strangely and asked, ¡°Arrest you? For what? They¡¯re just going through the regr procedure anding to summon you to be questioned in court tomorrow. We just got scammed. It¡¯s not like we did anything illegal.¡±


    ¡®You didn¡¯t, but I did ah!!¡¯ Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t express her distressed feelings. Last night, after Yu Hai left, the family had a family meeting and decided to take her disgraceful past to their graves. In particr, they couldn¡¯t let Yu Bo know so as to not affect his mood for studying.


    Seeing that his mother was still dazed, Yu Bo hastily reminded her, ¡°Mother, the bailiffs have traveled so far, so we should give them something to drink first. We can¡¯t let them work on an empty stomach, so we must take care of their lunch! Second Sister-inw and Xiaocao are good cooks, should we ask them toe help us prepare a table of dishes?¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s heart was even more bitter than a Chinese goldthread ah! Last night, she had just signed a contract and promised that she would never disturb the second branch again. If she went to ask them to help cook today, wouldn¡¯t she be pping herself in the face? Yu Hai had evidence of her crime in his hands. With how much that fellow loved his wife, if he found out that she went to order his wife to work right after vowing to leave them alone, he would definitely report her crime to the county magistrate.


    Madam Zhang hesitated for a moment, and then said, ¡°Your second brother¡¯s family is so busy that they wish that each person can work like two people. So, how can we bother them right now? Zhang Quan¡¯s wife is also a good cook, so let¡¯s just ask for her help!¡±


    Yu Bo felt even more surprised in his heart, ¡®When did Mother learn to be so considerate of Second Brother¡¯s family? Did the sun rise from the west today?¡¯ But, he had also heard in town that Second Brother¡¯s watermelon shop was really busy. His mother was right, did it really matter who they asked to help cook?


    Madam Zhang sent Madam Li to invite Zhang Quan¡¯s wife over, and then she went to the courtyard and politely greeted the bailiffs. After that, she went to the chicken pen, caught a big chicken, and killed it. She really treasured the few chickens that they raised at home. She wasn¡¯t even willing to kill one for the New Year, so she had really gone all out today!


    She took out several eggs, but put them back after thinking about it. She waved her hands to call over her younger son, ¡°Xiaobo, do you think that we can get the money that was scammed back?¡±


    Yu Bo had a troubled expression as he said, ¡°Logically speaking, I just give him the money the day before yesterday, so it has only been a day. Thus, that guy surely wouldn¡¯t have enough time to spend them all. But...¡±


    He looked outside and whispered, ¡°People often say: ¡®The entrance of the yamen is shaped like the character eight. Even if one has reason, they should not go inside without money.¡¯ I reckon that even if the three hundred taels are found, they will most likely be confiscated...¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s heart was dripping with blood ah! Three hundred taels wasn¡¯t a small sum of money ah! It was more than half of the family savings. Without the money that Yu Hai got from catching the bear, there was no way that their family would be able to get three hundred taels in this lifetime. She covered her heart as her legs turned limp and she sat down on the ground.


    ¡°Mother! Mother, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t scare me ah!!¡± Yu Bo watched as Madam Zhang clutched her chest and looked as if she had trouble breathing, and he was immediately at a loss.


    Madam Zhang deeply inhaled several times, and then sat on the ground, crying silently. She recalled the words that Xiaocao said that day. What kind of ce was Rongxuan Academy? It was a ce that all those high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen fought to send their sons into!! Not to mention five hundred taels, even if five thousand taels or fifty thousand taels was what they needed to get into the school, there would still be people vying for that chance. Such a good thing, how couldmoner like them be able to get this chance? Why was she foolish and actually believed that fraudster¡¯s wheedling words?


    ¡°Mother, do you feel a little better now? It¡¯s all my fault! If it wasn¡¯t for me, our family wouldn¡¯t have lost such arge sum of money. You also wouldn¡¯t have to be so worried!¡± Yu Bo also deeply regretted it at this time. Had it not been for the fact that he was so eager to attend the school, how could he be targeted and scammed?

 Chapter 197 – A Slap in the Face

    <h4>Chapter 197 ¨C A p in the Face</h4>


    In fact, Yu Bo only gave the swindler two hundred taels. He nned on waiting until his mother had collected enough money so that he could give that person the remaining one hundred along with the rest of the money all at once. Unexpectedly, that swindler was arrested in just a day.


    He reckoned that they wouldn¡¯t be able to retrieve the money that he gave out, so he didn¡¯t give the one hundred taels back to his mother and kept it as his own private savings. In terms of money, his mother had always been very generous towards him, but it was more convenient to have some money in his own hands.


    Madam Zhang fixed the disheveled hair around her temples. Her troubled expression made her look somewhat ferocious. After thinking about it, she still couldn¡¯t ept the fact that they had lost the three hundred taels just like that. She told Madam Li to help Zhang Quan¡¯s wife, and then she went out and walked towards the direction of the old elm tree at the entrance of the vige.


    At that side, Old Yu was crouching under the elm tree and quietly listening to the vige head and his eldest brother¡¯s conversation. Yu Lichun noticed that his third brother¡¯s face didn¡¯t look very good, so he asked after him in concern. However, he didn¡¯t get a reply, which made him feel even more perplexed.


    The vige head and Yu Lichun turned the topic of this year¡¯s harvest over to his youngest son, Yu Jiang, ¡°I heard that Dajiang is helping with the seafood acquisition and the business is doing very well ah! Is he really simply helping, or does he get paid?¡±


    Thinking of the bonus that his youngest son brought home every day, Yu Lichun smiled like a blossomed chrysanthemum flower, ¡°Dahai is a kind and upright child. He isn¡¯t stingy about sharing his profits and also thinks of his brothers when he has money-making opportunities. This seafood acquisition business with the Zhou Family is an opportunity that Dahai gave us, so it¡¯s considered a coboration between our families. As for the ie, it¡¯s alright...¡±


    Yu Lichun understood the principle of ¡®one shall refrain from exposing their own wealth in public¡¯. If he foolishly told others about the ie that Yu Jiang received these past few days, it might lead to envious people causing trouble for them. It was still better to keep a low profile. However, he couldn¡¯t control the expression on his face, which didn¡¯t look like the face of someone who wasn¡¯t making money.


    The vige head stroked his beard and jokingly scolded, ¡°This guy, you won¡¯t even tell me the truth ah! Would I steal your business opportunities?¡±


    Yu Lichun chuckled and said, ¡°It really isn¡¯t much. It¡¯s just a little more than the wage one gets from working at the docks for a day. It can¡¯t bepared to your youngest son, who works with officials!¡±


    The vige head¡¯s youngest son was the secretary of the neighboring county¡¯s county magistrate. He didn¡¯t get a high sry, but he considered to be a ¡®civil servant¡¯. The vige chief had always been proud of his youngest son!


    The two were chatting ardently when Madam Zhang came out of the vige. She politely greeted the vige chief and her eldest brother-inw with a nod, and then she said to Old Yu, who deliberately ignored her, ¡°Xiaobo¡¯s father, bailiffs from the yamen came to our house and said that they¡¯re investigating the case of Xiaobo being scammed. No matter what you¡¯re still the head of the household, soe home to help entertain the guests!¡±


    Old Yu hummed and hawed, and didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. In the end, he sighed heavily, slowly got up with his hands sped behind his back, and walked towards his home.


    Madam Zhang quickly followed behind him on her bound feet and the two remained silent the whole way. When they were about to reach home, Madam Zhang finally broke the silence, ¡°Husband, I know that you¡¯re ming me! But it¡¯s something that has already happened, and we can¡¯t go back to redo it. We still need to continue living our lives. Xiaobo is someone with a promising future. It¡¯s just that he has bad luck this year. Didn¡¯t the fortune teller say that there will be a high-ranking official in our family in the future? Xiaobo is your son, so you can¡¯t disregard his affairs ah!¡±


    ¡°Help? How am I supposed to help? When you two, this pair of mother and son, discussed behind my back about buying your way into the academy, why didn¡¯t you think about discussing it with me, the father? Now that you guys have encountered a problem, you suddenly remember that Xiaobo has a father?¡± Old Yu spoke in a muffled voice. Had it been in the past, Madam Zhang would have already started arguing with him.


    But, after what happenedst night, she no longer had the right to be so bold and confident. Madam Zhang thought about it and said, ¡°Let¡¯s put everything aside for now. Xiaobo said that the swindler has been caught already and they just need us, the victims, to be questioned in court before they can convict him. But, the three hundred taels... we might not be able to get back. That¡¯s Xiaobo¡¯s travel expense for when he goes to take the imperial examination in the capital in the future ah!!¡±


    ¡°Things that don¡¯t belong to you, even if you get it, you still won¡¯t be able to keep it! The three hundred taels was supposed to be used to save Dahai¡¯s life, don¡¯t you feel guilty for taking the money at all? Ay¡ª¡ªIt serves you right that you can¡¯t get it back!¡± Old Yu remembered the time when his second son was lying in bed and on the verge of death, and how they urgently needed this money after separating from the family. However, they had confiscated the money... He felt a mixed sense of shame and remorse within his heart.


    Madam Zhang had to suppress her emotions in order to not argue with Old Yu. She continued to patiently say, ¡°Husband! If there really isn¡¯t any way to get the money back, then I will give up on this idea. However, we have a chance to get some of the money back. If we don¡¯t make some efforts, Xiaobo wouldn¡¯t have any traveling expenses when he goes to take the imperial examination in the future. As his parents, wouldn¡¯t we regret for a lifetime?¡±


    Old Yu frowned and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t the money get swindled away by the fraudster? We can still get it back?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the swindler get caught? The local authorities can definitely get the money back, or at least get a portion of the money back. But, I don¡¯t know if they will give the money back to us...¡± Madam Zhang was thinking about how to get Old Yu to go to the old residence and ask for their help.


    With furrowed brows, Old Yu brows puzzledly asked, ¡°If the local authorities don¡¯t want to give it to us, what can we,mon folks, do?¡±


    Madam Zhang took this opportunity and said, ¡°We can¡¯t do anything, but isn¡¯t Xiaocao¡¯s godfather...¡±


    Old Yu red angrily at Madam Zhang and snorted, ¡°You just made a promisest night. You wouldn¡¯t have forgotten about it already, right?!! At that time, we all agreed to go our separate ways and not disturb one another. It hasn¡¯t even been a day, yet you have already forgotten the pain after your scars have healed?¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes darted around, and then she squeezed out a few tears and started sobbing, ¡°Old Man, I know that I have gone overboard in the past. I have harmed Older Cousin and I have also wronged Dahai¡¯s family. But, no matter what, Dahai is your biological son and blood brothers with Xiaobo ah. Can they really not be in contact with each other for the rest of their lives? If he helps us with this now, wouldn¡¯t Xiaobo also take care of his second brother in the future, when he makes a name for himself?¡±


    By this time, they had already arrived in front of their own house. Yu Bo, who had walked out of the courtyard listlessly, looked as if he had found his pir of support when he saw Old Yu. He choked up as he said, ¡°Father... Son is unfilial. I have made the two of you worry about me!¡±


    Looking at his youngest son, who appeared to have gotten a size thinner and looked haggard, Old Yu thought of Madam Zhang¡¯s words and his heart had somewhat softened. He sighed heavily and said, ¡°You have to remember this lesson ah! People shouldn¡¯t think of doing dishonest practices. You should focus on studying these days, and then try again during Rongxuan Academy¡¯s fall enrollment examination. If you don¡¯t pass the first time, then try a second time, a third time... You will eventually get in.¡±


    Yu Bo listened to his father¡¯s teachings dejectedly and nodded repeatedly. However, he didn¡¯t have any hope in his heart. After this incident, Rongxuan Academy had probably ced him on the cklist, so he would never have a chance to enter Rongxuan Academy again in his life. After all, other than talent, Rongxuan Academy attached great importance on one¡¯s moral character as their standard for epting students.


    When Old Yu saw his youngest son looking downcast, he patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s already a thing of the past, so stop thinking about it. I... I¡¯ll go to your second brother¡¯s house and ask if we can get the money back?¡±


    Yu Bo¡¯s eyes flickered, and he suddenly remembered that his niece¡¯s godfather was an imperial envoy sent from the capital, which was a position that was even higher than the county magistrate. If he put in a word, the people of the yamen certainly wouldn¡¯t dare to take his family¡¯s money for themselves. But, wouldn¡¯t that expose the fact that he kept a private saving?


    ¡°Father, this has to do with my reputation, so it¡¯s better if less people know about it...¡± Yu Bo muttered.


    With shifty eyes, Madam Zhang said, ¡°Son, your second brother isn¡¯t an outsider. Moreover, when I went to town to borrow money from him, that girl Xiaocao had already guessed that this was a scam. If she hadn¡¯t gone to Rongxuan Academy to make a confirmation, we may get deceived even more. Xiaocao¡¯s godfather has a close rtion with the county magistrate, so we should be able to get the money back.¡±


    Yu Bo wrung his hands in indignation and said, ¡°So, it was Xiaocao who reported it to Rongxuan Academy ah! I was wondering why the academy would report the case¡ªMother, you¡¯re destroying your son¡¯s future ah!!¡±


    Madam Zhang looked at him, confused, ¡°I did it for your good ah. How did I ruin your future?¡±


    ¡°Just think about it. To let the administrators of Rongxuan Academy know about this matter, which originally wasn¡¯t some honorable thing, would I, your son, still have face to study in Rongxuan Academy in the future?¡± Yu Bo sighed and groaned.


    Madam Zhang stomped her feet angrily and said, ¡°It¡¯s all that damned brat Xiaocao¡¯s fault! I was wondering why she was being so kind, so it turned out that she was trying to spoil my son¡¯s good opportunity ah! That wicked girl has such a malicious heart. Why didn¡¯t the heavens take her away at that time...¡±


    ¡°Enough! You¡¯re still ming others for your own mistakes! I reckon that all the books that you have read over the years have rotted in a dog¡¯s stomach!! If you¡¯re going to continue to be like this, then I think you should stop studying and juste back to learn how to fish!¡± Old Yu tossed his sleeves and stormed towards the direction of the old residence.


    Yu Bo looked at his father¡¯s departing figure and felt wronged in his heart, ¡®I didn¡¯t say anything ah! In the end, it was Mother who couldn¡¯t aplish anything and caused trouble instead. It¡¯s fine to go borrow money, but why did she have to talk about my matters?¡¯


    Madam Zhang¡¯s whole body was trembling in anger. She pointed at Old Yu¡¯s gradually fading figure and shouted, ¡°Look, just look at him! Does he even think of you as his son?!! In his heart, he only cares about the two children that his dead wife left behind!! Second Son¡¯s family are just farming and doing a little business, what good future would they have? Won¡¯t they still have to rely on you in order to live a leisurely life in the future?¡±


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry! I, your son, will definitely study hard so that, in the future, those people will regret that they looked down on us!¡± Yu Bo was very confident in himself. He was just unlucky this year. Next year, he would pass the examination to be a county official and let his father see him in a new light!


    Old Yu paced back and forth in front of the old residence for a while before Yu Hang saw him. After being invited into the yard, he saw Xiaocao working in the garden. He slightly hesitated, and then went up to help her.


    ¡°Xiaocao, your vegetables have grown really well. Other families¡¯ bok choy and spinach have already gone bad and are inedible, but your family¡¯s greens are still so fresh and tender.¡± Old Yu was slightly surprised by the vegetables in the courtyard, which were obviously out of season.


    Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°It might be because there¡¯s not much wind in the yard, so they¡¯re able tost longer. Grandfathere by the old residence more often when you¡¯re free. Little Shitou misses you a lot!¡±


    Old Yu wanted to force out a slight trace of a smile, but he didn¡¯t seed. He didn¡¯t know how to ask for her help. They had just agreed to live separate livesst night, yet he hade to trouble them today. Wasn¡¯t he just pping himself in the face?


    Seeing that he seemed to have a lot on his mind and was hesitating to speak, Xiaocao asked, ¡°Grandfather, you...do you need something?¡±

 Chapter 198 – Going to Court

    <h4>Chapter 198 ¨C Going to Court</h4>


    Old Yu gritted his teeth and quickly stated the intention of his visit. As he spoke, he didn¡¯t dare to look at Xiaocao¡¯s big eyes, which were so clear that it seemed they could see through one¡¯s heart.


    Since the two families were rted by blood, it was impossible for them topletely break ties. Xiaocao was very clear about this point. Looking at Old Yu, who hade here for help for the first time, Xiaocao sighed heavily in her heart. Just like the old saying: ¡®Both sides of the hand were made of flesh¡¯. For the sake of his younger son, her grandfather was prepared to disregard his own face.


    Xiaocao looked at her grandfather, who immersed himself in the field work and didn¡¯t dare to have eye contact with her. She deliberately said in a rxed tone, ¡°Earlier, an uncle from the yamen came over and told me that I need to testify in court this afternoon. I¡¯m really nervous since it¡¯s my first time going to court. I¡¯ll ask my godfather or godmother to apany me at that time.¡±


    Today, her godfather should return from the prefectural city. Her godmother took Xia Furong, who had gotten sick, to the medicine hall in town early this morning. She heard that the littless had eaten too much red-braised porkst night and had a stomachache for the entire night. Ay! She was a girl from the capital, yet she had be so gluttonous after just eating several meals of vegetarian dishes!


    After Old Yu heard Xiaocao¡¯s reply, his tense heart felt much more relieved and he also weeded in a more rxed manner. The vegetable garden in Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s courtyard wasn¡¯t very big, so they finished weeding very quickly. After asking, Old Yu learned that there wasn¡¯t any more work to do, so he got up and said goodbye.


    ¡°Grandfather, our Dongshan Vige is located in a remote area. It isn¡¯t easy for uncles from the yamen toe here, so you must serve them well. Our family has nted a vast variety of produce. I¡¯ll go gather some for you to take back.¡± Despite Old Yu¡¯s objections, Xiaocao went to the rear courtyard and picked out some cucumbers, tomatoes, string beans, eggnts, and so on. She thought about it, and then got some five-spice duck eggs and century eggs from the west room. She put them all in a basket and told Old Yu to take them back.


    Old Yu looked at the muddy eggs in the basket and asked hesitantly, ¡°How do you eat this thing?¡±


    With a smile, Xiaocao took one of the century eggs and broke the outer mud shell. She said with a smile, ¡°Like this, first peel the outer shell and take the century egg out. After that, cut it into pieces and mix it with minced garlic... Forget it, I¡¯ll just go with you. Grandfather, wait for a moment. I¡¯ll go get some vermicelli.¡±


    With Madam Zhang¡¯s stingy nature, they probably seldom got the chance to eat vegetables cooked with oil, let alone meat. Since she was already helping them, Yu Xiaocao decided that she might as well be a good person until the end! After all, that Yu Bo was her father¡¯s biological younger brother ah! Not only did she get vermicelli, but she also cut off a portion of the pork belly that was hanging in the well in the backyard. She also took some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar from the kitchen.


    Old Yu looked at the bundles of ingredients and condiments in his granddaughter¡¯s hands and felt too ashamed to lift up his head. Looking at the streaky pork, which weighed more than a catty, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to bring the meat. Your grandmother... Ahem! Madam Zhang has already ughtered a chicken...¡±


    Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°I heard that there were several uncle bailiffs here, so it¡¯s always good to prepare more meat dishes! Let¡¯s go, we still need to go to town after eating lunch!¡±


    When they reached the Yu Family¡¯s house, Xiaocao greeted the bailiffs with a cheery smile. The young girl originally had a very joyous face and sweet smile, so coupled with her sweetly calling them ¡®uncles¡¯, she quickly left a favorable impression on the bailiffs.


    In the kitchen, Madam Zhang, Madam Li, and Zhang Quan¡¯s wife were very busy. When Xiaocao entered the kitchen with the basket of ingredients, she ignored Madam Zhang and Madam Li and greeted Zhang Quan¡¯s wife with a smile, ¡°Auntie, I have long heard of your good cooking skills. I must take this chance to learn from you today ah!¡±


    Zhang Quan¡¯s wife was an observant person. When she saw the weird expression on Madam Zhang¡¯s face and Xiaocao ignoring them, she knew that there was definitely something going on. However, she wasn¡¯t someone who liked to dig into other people¡¯s private matters. With a smile on her pale and chubby face, she said, ¡°Just listen to what you¡¯re saying. Why would you need to learn cooking from this Auntie? Your mother has much better cooking skills than me... Oh, what¡¯s this? It looks very novel!¡±


    Xiaocao peeled the century eggs and cut all of them into four pieces. Then, she poured a sauce, which consisted of minced garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce, on top of them. She had brought over around ten century eggs, so it was enough to fill up an entire te. She took a piece and held it in front of Zhang Quan¡¯s wife¡¯s mouth. With an expression that looked as if she wanted to be praised, she said, ¡°Taste this century eggs sd that I made and let me know what you think.¡±


    Zhang Quan¡¯s wife was too embarrassed to open her mouth, so she gently shook her head and said, ¡°I came to help, so I can¡¯t steal food right in front of the host...¡±


    ¡°How is this considered stealing food? Even the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant needs someone to taste his food! Auntie, quickly try it and give me some feedback.¡±


    After hearing her words, Zhang Quan¡¯s wife finally opened her mouth and ate the piece of century egg. The soft century egg had a chewy mouthfeel when eaten. The yolk inside wasn¡¯tpletely solidified and emitted a faint fragrance. With the rich vor of the seasoning, it tasted really delicious. Zhang Quan¡¯s wife praised it repeatedly after tasting it.


    Xiaocao deliberately showed a proud expression. If it hadn¡¯t been for the oil in her hands, Zhang Quan¡¯s wife would have hugged her fondly. Seeing the soft tofu on the kitchen table, Yu Xiaocao rinse the tofu under water, cut up the remaining two century eggs, and put them on top of the tofu. After that, she poured a sauce on top andpleted the dish ¡®century eggs and tofu¡¯.


    Zhang Quan¡¯s wife made the dish ¡®chicken stewed with mushroom¡¯ and some wheat tbread. It was thest stock of wheat flour that the Yu Family had, so it caused Madam Zhang to have a burst of heartache.


    On the other stove, Xiaocao made ¡®pork stewed with vermicelli¡¯, which was a dish the northerners liked to eat. She also cooked several vegetable dishes with oyster sauce. Since the Zhou Family¡¯s factories started production, Xiaocao, as a shareholder, had nevercked condiments such as oyster sauce and MSG. She could also get an unlimited amount of vermicelli and century eggs whenever she wanted. It was said that the money would be deducted from the dividend, but Third Young Master Zhou had always been generous towards her, so he wouldn¡¯t really care about such a trivial matter.


    The bailiffs were very satisfied with this meal and repeated praised that the food was delicious. In particr, Head Bailiff Yue, who had eaten at Zhenxiu Restaurant before, had even said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that there would be such an excellent chef in this remote vige! This culinary skill is almost as good as the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant! It¡¯s nearly impossible to eat the dishes ¡®century eggs and tofu¡¯ and ¡®pork stewed with vermicelli¡¯ outside of Zhenxiu Restaurant. I never expected that your Yu Family has such connections and are able to buy vermicelli and century eggs, which aren¡¯t avable on the market...¡±


    Yu Bo, who was beside them, hastily said, ¡°What connections would my family have? It¡¯s just that my second brother has a good rtionship with the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant, so he¡¯s able to get these vermicelli and century eggs. In order to entertain our honored guest, we have cooked all of them.¡±


    ¡°Your second brother indeed has some connections. Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s oyster sauce dishes is a secret recipe, yet he also got to learn it? Your second brother¡¯s rtionship with the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant must be really close ah!¡± Head Bailiff Yue put aside his contempt in his heart and revealed a trace of smile on his face.


    Seeing that the bailiffs were eating happily, Yu Bo be even more enthusiastic. People often said: ¡®It¡¯s easy to see the King of Hell, but it¡¯s difficult to please the little goblins.¡¯ These bailiffs often used their status to act like a tyrant. Today, it was thanks to his younger niece that they were able to please these fellows. In the afternoon, they wouldn¡¯t cause too much trouble for them at court.


    After eating lunch, Yu Hai, who found out that this daughter was summoned to court this afternoon, quickly loaded the two carts of watermelons and followed his daughter and the bailiffs to town. On the road to town, there were also Madam Zhang and her son, as well as Old Yu, who followed them because he was worried.


    They had specially loaded fewer watermelon on the Yu Family¡¯s horse carriage so that the bailiffs could sit on it. Xiaocao skillfully sat on the shaft of the donkey cart. When the bailiffs came, they had walked until their feet hurt. Since they were able to get a free ride on a horse carriage on their way back, their originally frustrated feelings had gotten slightly better. So, they didn¡¯t make things difficult for them.


    When they arrived in town, Xiaocao, Madam Zhang, and Yu Bo were taken directly to the yamen. Yu Hai, who was worried about his daughter, didn¡¯t have time to care about his carts of watermelon and rushed to Fang Zizhen¡¯s residence in town.


    It just so happened that he ran into Fang Zizhen, who had just returned from the prefectural city and hadn¡¯t even had time to dismount from his horse, in front of the entrance of the Fang Estate. This guy was even more of a fool for his daughter than Yu Hai. As soon as he heard that his precious daughter was summoned to court, he promptly turned his horse around and dashed towards the yamen. He was afraid that his daughter would be frightened by the guys in the yamen if he got there toote.


    The gatekeeper of Fang Estate saw that his master had directly rushed to the yamen without even getting off his horse, so he hastily reported it to the head steward. The head steward naturally knew how important Miss Yu was in his master¡¯s heart, but he still needed to inform the madam of the master¡¯s return.


    At this time, Lady Fang was in her sick niece¡¯s room. When she heard that her daughter was taken to the yamen by bailiffs, she immediately left behind her niece, who had just taken her medication, changed into the attire of a third-rank noble madam, and went to the yamen in a carriage. When she thought about how scared the delicate and weak Xiaocao might be in front of the cruel and harsh bailiffs of the yamen, Lady Fang repeated urged the coachman to drive faster.


    On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao, the object of her parents¡¯ worries, was currently curiously looking around the county yamen like it was some tourist attraction. There was a row of bailiffs standing on each side of the court hall with a wooden rod in their hands, while a wooden desk was ced right across from the entrance. On top of the wooden desk, there was a judge¡¯s gavel and a bamboo tube with several wooden sticks inside. Behind the wooden desk, the four grand and imposing characters of ¡®be honest and upright¡¯ were written and hung on top.


    Head Bailiff Yue saw that the little girl had no fear in her big, round eyes, but she had an obvious look of curiosity instead. He couldn¡¯t help but cough and remind her to kneel down in a low voice. Xiaocao finally noticed that Madam Zhang and her son had already kneeled down in front of the court hall and were trembling in fear.


    She scratched her nose, knelt down reluctantly, and muttered, ¡°Wicked ways of the old society...¡±


    Before transmigrating, except for being punished to kneel by her mom for misbehaving when she was a child, Xiaocao had never really kneel in front of anyone before. Ever since she had transmigrated, her poor, little knees had to suffer. During the New Year, she had to kneel in front of her elders for New Year greetings. When acknowledging her godparents, she had to kneel down and kowtow. When she identally offended the young royal prince, she had to kneel and apologize. She also had to kneel down when she carelessly said the wrong thing in front of Fifth Lord... Ay! She touched her own poor, little knees. Would this cause calluses?


    Just as she wasining, she got startled by the shouting of ¡®the court trial shall begin¡ª¡®. When County Magistrate Wu came out from the rear hall, he saw a small, thin figure widening her eyes in shock and sitting on her own legs. She looked just like a frightened little squirrel. He almost didn¡¯t maintain his dignified appearance andughed out loud, but he looked at Xiaocao with a gaze that was filled with smiles.


    With her big, round eyes, Yu Xiaocao stared at County Magistrate Wu, who was dressed in an official¡¯s robe, as he walked out of the rear hall in big strides. His appearance really gave off the feeling of someone who sang Chinese opera. She blinked her eyes, shifted into a morefortable sitting position, and waited for the show to begin... uh, no, for the trial to begin.

 Chapter 199 – Strong Affection

    <h4>Chapter 199 ¨C Strong Affection</h4>


    ¡°Bring out the intiff and the defendant!¡± A refined-looking old man, who looked like the magistrate¡¯s secretary, shouted.


    intiff? Defendant? Did she really not go to the wrong ce, and went to the courtroom instead? It must have been the work of her senior transmigrator. Yu Xiaocao stared at the goatee under the magistrate¡¯s secretary¡¯s jaw and started spacing out. The old man nced at the little girl, who was dazedly sat in front of the court hall, and thought that she had been frightened.


    Shortly afterwards, Rongxuan Academy¡¯s Headmaster Yuan and Head Lecturer Liang strolled in leisurely. Seeing the two people, County Magistrate Wu stood up before the desk and politely greeted them with his hands sped together. Headmaster Yuan and Head Lecturer Liang also politely exchanged greetings with him.


    Upon hearing the familiar voice, Yu Xiaocao turned her head to look at Headmaster Yuan and winked at him. Headmaster Yuan was stunned at first, and then he slightly nodded at her with a smile. His cating gaze seemed to say, ¡®It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t be afraid!¡¯ But, when he looked at thatss Xiaocao again, she was curiously looking around and didn¡¯t seem to be scared.


    After that, a pretentious-looking young man, who was dressed in a schr¡¯s robe and had a schrly cap on his head, was dragged in by two bailiffs.


    ¡°Might¡ª¡ª¡± The bailiffs on both sides hit the wooden rods in their hands on the ground and said at the same time in a resonant voice. Madam Zhang and Yu Bo, who had never seen such a scene before, were so scared that their faces had turned pale and they shuddered as they crouched on the ground.


    ¡°Daughter, don¡¯t be scared! Godfather is here!¡± A loud holler, like that of arge bell, sounded from the crowd outside of the county yamen. Shifting her gaze from the bailiffs to the direction of the voice, Yu Xiaocao saw her godfather pushing through the crowd anding over in a gant and spirited manner.


    County Magistrate Wu was dumbfounded as he watched the imperial envoy walk in imposingly and picked up the witness (Yu Xiaocao), as if he was holding a little chick. After that, he took the secretary¡¯s seat and sat down uninhibitedly.


    ¡°Cough, cough! Lord Imperial Envoy, this subordinate official is in the middle of a court trial right now. Can you please...¡± County Magistrate Wu implicitly reminded him: ¡®Lord Imperial Envoy, I¡¯m handling a case right now. Can you please not cause trouble for me!¡¯


    Fang Zizhen touched the side of his cheeks, which had grown some stubble since he hadn¡¯t shaved for three days. He said in a justified and confident manner, ¡°You can continue with your trial. This official won¡¯t interfere and will only listen on the side!¡±


    The fifty-something secretary of the magistrate, who was beside him, had a distressed face and grumbled in his heart, ¡®My dear Lord Imperial Envoy, you stole my seat, so how am I supposed to take notes on the trial?¡¯


    County Magistrate Wu looked at Xiaocao, whose hand was being held by Fang Zizhen and standing beside him, and thought in his heart, ¡®You have already taken the witness, yet you¡¯re still saying that you won¡¯t interfere?¡¯ Everyone said that the imperial envoy pampered his new goddaughter to the bones. Sure enough, the rumors were right ah!


    When faced with Fang Zizhen¡¯s nearly shameless behavior, County Magistrate Wu couldn¡¯t really criticize and reason with him. In front of the imperial envoy, who was originally a military general, he was a schr who had encountered a soldier¡ªhe was unable to reason with him ah! With no other choice, County Magistrate Wu ordered a bailiff to bring a wooden armchair for the imperial envoy and put it close to his desk. As for Yu Xiaocao, she was just a witness, so he decided that it was fine for her to stand instead of kneeling.


    As a result, in addition to Headmaster Yuan and Head Lecturer Liang, who both had schrly honors, Yu Xiaocao was also permitted to stand in court.


    During the course of the trial, there wasn¡¯t any exciting and interesting battle of wits like Xiaocao had imagined. The swindler only had a little bit of guts, and at the beginning, he had wanted to argue against the usations. However, after the bailiffs red at him and knocked the wooden rod on the ground, he honestly stated the truth.


    It wasn¡¯t the swindler¡¯s first timemitting fraud. He took advantage of the ¡®eager for sess¡¯ mindset of the people who had failed the examination. He vaguely revealed to the students, whose families had decent financial situations and wasn¡¯t of any special social status, that he had a method to enter Rongxuan Academy and that there was only one vacancy. However, they had to pay a little fee.


    Yu Bo was one of the people he had targeted. Why would Yu Bo, who hade from a fishing vige, be one of his targets? The answer was very simple. Before the examination, Madam Zhang had transformed her son¡¯s entire appearance from head to toe, for fear that he would be looked down upon by others. She had also given him two hundred taels as travel expenses. In order to appear well-off in front of his ssmates, Yu Bo had treated them to several meals at famous restaurants and lived in a good inn... The swindler naturally viewed him, who acted like a nouveau riche, as a foolish spendthrift. It would be weird if he didn¡¯t scam him!


    After hearing the swindler¡¯s ¡®exnation¡¯, Madam Zhang and Yu Bo lowered their heads in regret. One felt that she loved her son so much that she had brought disaster to him, while the other one felt that he had acted overly pretentious and caused unnecessary trouble. The two most important people in Rongxuan Academy shook their heads incessantly as they looked at the pair of stupid mother and son: With this kind of moral character, he still wanted to enter Rongxuan Academy? Dream on!


    Xiaocao was practically unneeded during the whole process of the trial. She only had to answer a few simple questions, and then just stand there to watch the show. The performance of the ¡®legend of ancient court trial¡¯ was over in less than two hours. The bad guy was beaten with a wooden nk and charged for his crime, while Madam Zhang and her son had both learned a lesson.


    However, they encountered a small problem when trying to get their money back. Madam Zhang insisted that he scammed three hundred taels from them, but the swindler swore to the heavens that he only received two hundred taels. So, the two argued ceaselessly in court. With his keen eyes, County Magistrate Wu noticed that there was something wrong with Yu Bo¡¯s expression. After a brief interrogation, Yu Bo obediently admitted that he had secretly kept the one hundred taels for himself.


    Headmaster Yuan looked at the ashamed student in front of him with an indifferent gaze. He had seen this student with Yu Fan several times before, but he had only thought that he was overly ambitious at that time. He didn¡¯t expect that this person would be so hical. Not only did he want to enter Rongxuan Academy through a crooked method, but he also didn¡¯t cherish the money that his mother worked hard to save up and secretly kept it without his mother¡¯s knowledge. Such a unfilial and dishonest man, even if he achieved a schrly honor in the future, he would just be a horse that brings trouble to its herd! With a toss of his sleeves, Headmaster Yuan went out of the yamen.


    Fang Zizhen exchanged a few words with the county magistrate, and then left the yamen with his daughter. Yu Hai, who was waiting outside the yamen, pulled on his younger daughter¡¯s hands and asked about her well-being. He also stroked his daughter¡¯s hair and told her not to be afraid... Lady Fang, who was waiting in the horse carriage, instructed Linglong to go call them over. Upon seeing his wife¡¯s handmaid, Fang Zizhen finally realized that his wife hade. He couldn¡¯t help but show a slightly silly smile on his face.


    Yu Xiaocao rode her godmother¡¯s horse carriage and arrived at the Fang Estate. She walked over a fire brazier and took a bath with Chinese mugwort to wash away the bad luck. In her heart, Xiaocao felt that these were unnecessary since she wasn¡¯t the one who caused awsuit. She was merely a little witness who was dispensable. But she understood and was very touched by Lady Fang¡¯s love for her daughter. So she cooperated and did everything that her godmother instructed.


    When Xia Furong, who had been left in the guest room, heard the report from her little maidservant, she almost tore up the handkerchief in her hands. ¡®It¡¯s that wretch again! For the sake of that damned girl, my aunt has left me, who is sick, all alone! She is only a vulgar peasant girl, yet she has stolen all of my aunt¡¯s love and attention. I won¡¯t ept this!¡¯


    But, what could she do even if she didn¡¯t like this situation? She was also only a pitiful girl who was living under someone else¡¯s roof. When she thought of her own circumstances, Xia Furong couldn¡¯t help but cry. She thought bitterly, ¡®If something happened to that damned wretch, then there won¡¯t be anyone to steal my aunt away from me, right?¡¯ A sinister glint shed over Xia Furong¡¯s eyes and she bit hard on her lower lip!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s godparents firmly believed that she had been ¡®frightened¡¯, so they called for a doctor, who took her pulse and prescribed a calming medication for her. After being forced to drink the bitter medicine, she was told to stay at the Fang Estate in town for a day in order to ¡®observe her condition¡¯.


    The Fang Family¡¯s residence in town was arge estate with three entrances and exits. Allegedly, it used to be the residence of a waning imperial merchant of the former dynasty. It just so happened that it got bought by Fang Zizhen and he directly moved in after hanging the inscription board with ¡®Fang Estate¡¯ written on it at the main entrance. However, he usually stayed at the simple and crude house in Dongshan Vige. After all, it was the ce that his master had once lived in and it was also closer to his daughter...


    There was a beautiful, big garden in the inner courtyard of the Fang Estate. With a winding corridor running through it, there was a pavilion beside the pond and a small bridge above the flowing water. There was a sense of elegance within its extravagance. There were five exquisitepounds in the inner courtyard. The biggest one was the mainpound, which was where Fang Zizhen and his wife currently live in. Next to the mainpound was a small and uniquepound that had wisteria flowers blooming beautifully on the walls of thepound. There was only a moon-shaped door separating it from the mainpound, so it was very convenient to go back and forth.


    Xia Furong had taken a liking to thepound once she saw it, but Lady Fang rejected her with the reason that she had already made arrangements for thepound. When she found out that her aunt had given thepound to Yu Xiaocao, her jealousy and hatred for Xiaocao deepened even more.


    Thisss Xia Furong still hadn¡¯t gotten a clear understanding of her own identity ah! She had been arranged to stay in the guestpound, which clearly showed that, in Lady Fang¡¯s heart, she was just a guest from her maiden family and Xiaocao was the actual young miss of the Fang Family!


    Such a gorgeous andplex courtyard, Xiaocao had only seen it on television in her past life. Now that she was seeing it in real life, she really had the feeling that she had arrived at a garden of ancient times. Seeing that she was lingering in the garden and busily looking around with interest, Lady Fang thought of her daughter¡¯s family background and a sense of tender affection emerged in her eyes. She saw that Xiaocao seemed to be quite spirited, so she told Linglong to take Xiaocao to tour around all thepounds.


    ¡°Wife, when did youe over? Why didn¡¯t you let me know beforehand?¡± Seeing that his daughter and the maidservants had all left, Fang Zizhen immediately hugged his wife and gave her a big kiss on her cheeks.


    Lady Fang red at him coquettishly. She made a token resistance, and then chided him, ¡°To act so recklessly in the daytime, be careful that our daughter will see it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Even if our daughter saw it, she would just pretend that she didn¡¯t see anything! My good wife, why did youe?¡± Fang Zizhen kissed his wife a few more times. His stubble pricked Madam Xia¡¯s delicate face and caused it to turn red.


    Lady Fang pushed his face away and red at him again. She said in a soft voice, ¡°Wasn¡¯t I just trying to give you a surprise? But, who would have known that you had gone to the prefectural city and I ended up not seeing you! If I hadn¡¯t encountered our daughter at the melon shop, I wouldn¡¯t even know where our residence was and I would have no choice but to stay at an inn.¡±


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s heart ached for her and said, ¡°My good wife, it must have been hard for you! Come, let me massage your shoulders!¡± As he spoke, he skillfully kneaded Madam Xia¡¯s shoulders. With one look, it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t his first time doing this.


    Lady Fang narrowed her eyes infort. Before she married Fang Zizhen, the sisters and female cousins of the Xia Family all spoke ill of him to her. They said that he was an uncouth fellow who looked like Zhang Fei [1]. He had killed countless people in the battlefield and definitely had a fiery temper. They also said that he might hit people when his temper red up. With his physique and martial art skills, he could probably knock someone half dead with one punch, and so on!


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t get frightened by her so-called sisters at that time. After she got married, Fang Zizhen appeared scary but he was very considerate. Moreover, he really pampered and loved his wife. Some of her sisters in her family seemed to have married well, but they had to serve their inws and get distressed by their husband¡¯s concubines. They had to fight andpete with different people every day. She felt tired from just looking at them!


    Inparison, she was so much happier ah! Her man didn¡¯t have any parents and siblings, let alone troublesome rtives. He was also someone with self-control and integrity. He had never epted any of the beautiful young woman and concubines that his colleagues sent over. For the past twenty years, he only had her. Although they didn¡¯t have any children and there would be times when she felt lonely, her husband continued to love and dote on her as he always had. To have such a husband, there was nothing else that she would ask for...


    [1] Zhang Fei (ÕÅ·É) ¨C general of the Kingdom of Shu (Êñ¹ú) and blood-brother of Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, known for his rash bravery

 Chapter 200 – Letter

    <h4>Chapter 200 ¨C Letter</h4>


    After a moment of affection, Fang Zizhen and his wife started talking about their goddaughter, Yu Xiaocao.


    ¡°Chuxue, what do you think about our daughter?¡± Fang Zizhen intimately called his wife¡¯s name and asked with slight unease.


    Lady Fang, who was resting on her husband¡¯s sturdy arm, smiled and said, ¡°You have good eyes. She¡¯s a lovely and interesting girl.¡±


    Fang Zizhen finally felt relieved in his heart. He had a silly smile on his face as he proudly said, ¡°Of course, how can there be anything wrong with our daughter? I was thinking, after Iplete my assignment here, we should take our daughter back to the capital and raise her to be a noble youngdy. Then, we can find a son-inw to marry into our family and they can give birth to a cute and clever grandson. I have alreadye up with a name, which is Fang Wulue [1]¡ªto possess both civil and military skills. My, Fang Zizhen¡¯s, grandson will definitely be a general in the future...¡±


    Lady Fang tried her best to notugh out loud. She rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Well, it seems like you have it all nned out already. You have even thought of our grandson¡¯s name ah! But, have you considered the fact that our daughter, Cao¡¯er, isn¡¯t someone who would allow others to control her? The littless is a very independent person who makes her own decisions! Based on what I have seen during these past two days, Xiaocao makes most of the decisions in the Yu Family! I¡¯m afraid that she won¡¯t ept the path that you arranged for her!¡±


    Fang Zizhen suddenly looked like a deted balloon as he sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯re right! When I first took her in as our daughter, I have already thought about taking her back to the capital to apany you, but I was firmly rejected by her. No matter how good Dongshan Vige is, there¡¯s no way that it can be better than the capital, right? She doesn¡¯t want to be a noble youngdy in the capital, but instead prefers to stay in this remote and barren ce to be an ordinary, little peasant girl!¡±


    Lady Fangughed and said, ¡°This is exactly what¡¯s so special about our daughter. She is not shaken by poverty, nor is she corrupted by wealth and honors. With her own intelligence and hands, she has made a life for herself. Even I, her godmother, really admire her. Who knows, maybe our daughter will be the second sessful career woman of our Great Ming Dynasty ah!¡±


    Listening to his wife¡¯s high praise for Xiaocao, Fang Zizhen felt even happier than when he had won in a battle. He began endlessly praising his daughter again.


    Lady Fang quietly listened to her husband talk like he was Old Wang selling melons¡ªpraising his own products. Hearing him praise their daughter to the skies, a gentle smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. She suddenly remembered the invitation on the table and whispered, ¡°Mingzhe, Princess Consort Jing invited me to go over for a chat. Do you think it¡¯s alright for me to bring Xiaocao along?¡±


    ¡°Princess Consort Jing? Isn¡¯t she in the capital?¡± Fang Zizhen sat up with slight surprise as he looked at his wife¡¯s beautiful face and asked.


    Lady Fang summarized to her husband about meeting Princess Consort Jing¡¯s entourage, who were traveling incognito, on the road, and thus they decided to travel to Tanggu Town together. Fang Zizhen nodded slightly and said, ¡°I reckon Prince Jing was afraid that Princess Jing would be ill from staying at home all day, so he told his second son to take her out to rx! After all, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s most beloved youngest son had set out on a voyage. So, she must be very worried about him!¡±


    Lady Fang pulled on the nket and watched as her husbandy down again, and then said, ¡°That¡¯s right! The young royal prince has been gone for half a year. If it was me, I would also be too worried to eat and sleep properly...¡±


    Seeing his wife¡¯s downcast gaze, Fang Zizhen knew that she had thought about her own situation of being childless again. He patted her shoulder gently, took her into his embrace, and said in a gentle voice, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Let¡¯s sleep...¡±


    The night passed by quietly. Xiaocao¡¯s biological clock prompted her to wake up early.


    ¡°Young Miss, this servant will help you put on your clothes.¡± Seeing the movement on the bed in the inner room, Zhenzhu hastily came over to pull open the bed curtains and smiled happily at Miss Xiaocao, who was dazedly sitting on the bed with the quilt in her arms. Lady Fang was afraid that her daughter wouldn¡¯t be used to staying at an unfamiliar ce, so she sent her handmaid over to wait upon her. It was apparent that her madam attached great importance to Miss Xiaocao!


    Xiaocao was about to politely decline her, but when she saw Zhenzhu holding a set of clothing withplicated patterns that was made of a gorgeous fabric, she couldn¡¯t help but frown, ¡°I need to go to the watermelon shopter, so won¡¯t it be inconvenient for me to wear this?¡±


    Zhenzhu quickly exined with a smile, ¡°Madam said that she will take you to visit a distinguished guestter, so you will need to dress more formally. These are all clothes personally made by our madam. If you continue to refuse, our madam will be very sad.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t say anything else. With the help of Zhenzhu, she put on the dress that represented the feelings of a loving mother. Hanfu [2] seemed to be the most popr attire in the Great Ming Dynasty. The dress that Xiaocao wore was avender chest-strapped dress with cloud and butterfly patterns. It was paired with a light-yellow shawl jacket on the outside and tied with a band on the chest. The soft colors and fine gauze texture, paired with Xiaocao¡¯s fair and delicate face, did somewhat give off the feeling of a noble youngdy. With her skillful hands, Zhenzhu styled Xiaocao¡¯s hair into lovely twin buns and adorned it with a plum blossom golden-wired hairpin with pearl iys, which showed a sense of nobility within its simplicity.


    A hint of happiness shed over Xiaocao¡¯s heart as she stared at the adorable and slightly yful-looking noble young miss through the hazy bronze mirror. Everyone had a love for beauty, and Xiaocao was no exception.


    When the well-dressed Xiaocao appeared in front of Fang Zizhen and his wife, there was a trace of surprise within their eyes. This was exactly how they imagined their daughter would look like ah! Lady Fang held Xiaocao in her arms and couldn¡¯t stop looking at her. They were staring so much that Xiaocao started feeling embarrassed.


    After eating breakfast, Lady Fang took her daughter to the county magistrate¡¯s wife¡¯s seaside residence, where Princess Consort Jing currently stayed. Xia Furong didn¡¯t want to miss any of the chances to meet Second Young Master Zhu, so she also wanted to go with them. However, she was rejected by Lady Fang with the reason that she was still sick.


    Xia Furong felt even more wronged in her heart: In the past, her aunt would take her along whenever she was visiting someone. Now, she had been robbed of this opportunity by a wretch of a peasant family. How could she not feel hatred?


    The county magistrate¡¯s wife¡¯s seaside residence was located between Tanggu Town and the docks. Fang Zizhen rode on his horse and escorted his wife and daughter. He felt iparably contented in his heart and the smile on his face never faded. It wasn¡¯t until Lady Fang and Xiaocao was invited inside the estate by the servants that he reluctantly left for the harbor.


    Right now, with freshly prepared tea and snacks, Princess Consort Jing was enjoying the scenery in the garden. At this time, Meixiang had an excited expression on her face as she hurriedly sprinted over while holding her muslin dress.


    ¡°Acting so flustered. Where are your manners?¡± Lanxiang, who was slightly older than her, quickly chided her in a soft voice.


    Meixiang grinned at her, and then said to the princess consort with a slightly trembling voice, ¡°Your Highness, the young royal prince... the young prince... he...¡± She ran over so fast that she was gasping for her breath as she spoke.


    As soon as she heard news about her youngest son, Princess Consort Jing, who was originally half-reclining on the chaise lounge, immediately sat up and asked with a nervous expression, ¡°Yang¡¯er... What happened to Yang¡¯er?¡±


    Meixiang took in a deep breath and finally managed to catch her breath. The big smile on her face eased Princess Consort Jing¡¯s anxious and tense feelings.


    ¡°Princess Consort, the young royal prince has sent a letter!¡± Meixiang¡¯s voice was full of joy.


    ¡°Yang¡¯er sent a letter? Quick, quick! Bring it over!!¡± Princess Consort Jing impatiently urged. Meixiang hastily walked over and nearly tripped on her skirt. Before she had even stopped, Princess Consort Jing had already grabbed the letter in her hands.


    The letter was sent from Quan Prefecture to the capital, and then delivered here at top speed. Seeing the familiar handwriting, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. She blinked away the tears in her eyes and read the contents of the letter avidly.


    In Zhu Junyang¡¯s letter, he wrote about his life on the ship and some interesting happenings at the sea. He emphasized that he had hunted a shark by himself and made the fins into dried shark fins, which he had sent back to his mother along with the letter.


    After reading up to here, Meixiang and Lanxiang both jested the young royal prince was so filial that he didn¡¯t even forget to bring some good things back for the princess consort. Feeling very happy, Princess Consort Jing ordered, ¡°At noon, make a soup with the shark fin that my son personally caught. It will definitely be thousands of times better than the ones on the market.¡± The two handmaids agreed one after another.


    Zhu Junyang also said, ¡°By the time Mother receives this letter, this child should have almost arrived at the southern seas [3]. I heard that the local customs and practices are quite different from the Central ins. There¡¯s no winter there, so one wouldn¡¯t be able to see snow. The people there have dark skin, high foreheads and broad noses. So, they look slightly different than the people of the Central ins [4]. ***Some people may be ufortable with the next sentence, so please skip to the next paragraph if it might offend you.*** I heard that, on the other side of the boundless sea, there is a race of people who have glistening ck skin and looks like a chimpanzee. If there¡¯s a chance, this child really wants to go take a look and personally draw some portraits for Mother to see.¡±


    Andstly, he said, ¡°With parents around, one shouldn¡¯t travel faraway. Please forgive this child for being unfilial and unable to stay with you and Father. Mother, in the Great Ming Dynasty, there are still many people who are dressed in rags and have little food to eat. The emperor said that there is an easily grown and high-yielding crop in the West¡ªcorn¡ªthat can be eaten as a staple food. This time, my task is to bring back the corn seeds and try to nt them. I believe that the introduction and cultivation of corn will certainly benefit themon folks. At that time, there won¡¯t be famine in the Great Ming Dynasty anymore, and everyone will be able to live a prosperous and contented life...¡±


    Princess Consort Jing started weeping as she read the letter, ¡°It has been nearly half a year, yet he had just reached the southern seas. Moreover, he also wants to go to the West... When will my Yang¡¯ere back ah?!¡±


    Lanxiang quicklyforted her, ¡°Princess Consort, don¡¯t be like this. Young Royal Prince wrote this letter back because he wants you to rest assured. If he knew that his letter has caused you to be sad, with how filial the young prince is, he will surely me himself. Think about it, the young prince has already reached the southern seas, so it definitely won¡¯t be long before he reaches the West. Perhaps, within a few months, the young royal prince will appear in front of you and give you a surprise!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with her handkerchief, nodded, and said, ¡°Yes, my son will definitelye back as soon as possible. After finding corn, no matter what, I won¡¯t let him travel so far anymore. I miss him so much!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, the wife of Zhaoyong General has arrived with her daughter.¡± The senior servant, who was in charge of the outer courtyard, hurriedly came over to report.


    Princess Consort Jing finally remembered that she had invited Lady Fang over, so she hastily said, ¡°Quickly bring her in.¡±


    The gifts that Lady Fang and Xiaocao brought over weren¡¯t rare and precious goods, but instead, they had brought over a gift box set of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s limited roasted chicken and osmanthus duck. This was Yu Xiaocao¡¯s idea.


    In Xiaocao¡¯s opinion, what valuable goods had the princess consort not seen before? When sending a gift, it was better to choose the right one rather than the expensive one. Last time, when they ate together, the princess consort seemed to have a special liking for the osmanthus duck. So there definitely wouldn¡¯t be anything wrong with gifting this! Besides, not everyone could purchase Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s gift box set. The gift box was beautifully designed, so it was quite presentable as a gift.


    Sure enough, when Princess Consort Jing received the gift, she was extremely pleased and said that she was very lucky to be able to eat good food today. Upon knowing that it was chosen by Xiaocao, Princess Consort Jing highlymended the little girl.


    [1] Wulue from the name Fang Wulue (·¿ÎäÂÔ) is taken from the phrase wen tao wu lue (ÎÄèºÎäÂÔ), which describes people who have both civil and military skills


    [2] Hanfu (ºº·þ) ¨C traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, which is the predominant ethnic group of China


    [3] southern seas ¨C refers to Southeast Asia


    [4] Central ins (ÖÐÔ­) ¨C middle and lower regions of the Yellow River

 Chapter 201 – Mountain Manor

    <h4>Chapter 201 ¨C Mountain Manor</h4>


    After that, Princess Consort Jing and Lady Fang began to engage in small talk. Since settling at the seaside residence, she almost never left the house because of her health. She listened as Lady Fang talked about Dongshan Vige, which was surrounded by the mountains and the sea. It had an amazing scenery, and from time to time, one could also encounter cute little animals. After hearing her description, she really yearned to see it within her heart.


    After sending off Lady Fang and her daughter, Princess Consort Jing pondered about how this wouldn¡¯t be her youngest son¡¯sst ocean-going voyage. She knew her youngest son¡¯s character very well. Even if she tried to stop him from going, he still wouldn¡¯t change a decision that he had already made.


    ¡®Ay, I wonder who Yang¡¯er resembles ah!¡¯ His father was courtly and refined, while she was gentle and demure. Her eldest and second son also had a rtively gentle temper. Only this youngest son of hers was different. He was still fine before the age of five, soft and adorable. But, after the age of seven or eight, he seemed to have gotten facial paralysis. He had a cold expression throughout the day, and the gaze in his eyes was getting more and more fierce.


    ¡®It¡¯s all his father¡¯s fault. Why did he get a martial arts teacher for the kids? Look at how they all turned out. One gave up being a schr and wants to go to the borders to join the army, while the other one goes out on a voyage without any fears whatsoever...¡¯


    When going on a voyage, it wasn¡¯t like he could return in three to five months. So, how could she not worry about him? Dongshan Vige was close to the sea, so she could look far into the distance of the sea when standing on the top of the mountain slope. She should be able to immediately see when Yang¡¯er returns, right?


    Thus, Princess Consort Jing made a decision to build a mountain manor on the West Mountains. Although there weren¡¯t any hot springs, good farnd, or beautiful environment at the West Mountains, it was a ce that made her feel as if she was closer to her youngest son, which was all she needed! (Author¡¯s note: It¡¯s no wonder that the second son felt discontented. As a mother, she¡¯s really more biased towards her youngest son. Moreover, she¡¯s being extremely biased ah!)


    Once Princess Consort Jing made a decision, it was nearly impossible to change her mind. As long as it was reasonable, most people were also unwilling to let her down. When the news reached the capital, Prince Jing readily agreed. Not to mention a small manor, even if she wanted to build three or five mountain vis, as long as the princess consort was happy, would he, the dignified Imperial Prince Jing, be unwilling to spend the money to build them?


    As a result, Prince Jing mobilized a number ofndscape architects from the Ministry of Works, hired several famous residential architects in the capital, and sent them all to the small town of Tanggu along with the craftsmen. Taking advantage of his resting days, he took another ten days off and went to Tanggu Town to personally make arrangements for the initial stages of the project.


    Princess Consort Jing had already decided to build the mountain manor on the hillside near Dongshan Vige, which wasn¡¯t very far from Lady Fang¡¯s residence. The doctor who was apanying Princess Consort Jing also said that it was good for the princess consort¡¯s health to climb mountains and exercise regrly.


    Imperial Prince Jing naturally wouldn¡¯t disagree. He personally took thendscape architects and craftsmen, and chose a ce on the West Mountains with excellent fengshui [1]. It faced the south with its back towards the north. After that, he recruited more workers from nearby viges. Within a few days, construction began in full swing.


    On the way back to Tanggu Town, Prince Jing was afraid that the bumpy mountain road would make his precious princess consort ufortable, so he ordered a group of people to repair the road. Stonemasons were especially hired to fix the most rugged section of the mountain road. Even if they had to carve it out, they had to carve out a smooth and level road.


    When a generous reward was offered, brave men were bound toe forward. Prince Jing¡¯s Estate didn¡¯tck money, so they were able to offer a high sry. Although there was a limited construct period, it still attracted a group of people. The road construction progressed very quickly. By the time Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s watermelons got off the market, there was a smooth road that went directly to the town from Dongshan Vige. It used to take a horse carriage over an hour to reach town, but now it took less than forty-five minutes. All the vigers in the vicinity praised Imperial Prince Jing for doing a good deed.


    Speaking of Dongshan Vige, when they heard that a prince was going to build a manor in their vige, they felt both honored and slightly perturbed. They were afraid that the high-ranking official would take a fancy to their small plots ofnd and snatch it from them. Seeing that the nobleman had selected a ce on the West Mountains, the vigers of Dongshan Vige gradually felt relieved.


    Now, the vige head of Dongshan Vige walked everywhere with a ramrod straight back. Their Dongshan Vige must be a precious area with excellent fengshui. Otherwise, why would so many members of the imperial family like this ce so much?


    The vige head had interacted with the steward of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate several times. He felt that the servants of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate were quite reasonable and didn¡¯t have the bad habits of the servants of other noble households.


    The vige head had privately sent the steward a lot of good things and asked him to put in some good words about Dongshan Vige in front of his masters. As the saying goes: ¡®it was easier to enjoy the breeze while leaning against a big tree¡¯. In the future, if some tactless people came to cause trouble in Dongshan Vige, the people in the mountain manor wouldn¡¯t ignore it, would they?


    The mountain manor of the Prince Jing¡¯s Household was busy with construction. After over a month of bustling business, the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons had finally beenpletely sold out. That night, when Yu Xiaocao took out the ount book and added up the total, the whole family had a stunned expression on their faces.


    With the mystic-stone water as a cheat, each melon field had yielded more than ten thousand catties of watermelons. Thus, the three mu ofnd had produced more than thirty-five thousand catties of watermelons! In addition to selling them at their own melon shop, they also sold a portion to Wang Ergou and Xiaocao¡¯s maternal uncles at the wholesale price. They had sold nearly ten thousand catties of melons as wholesale. If they calcted it based on one catty cost a hundred fifty copper coins, then it would be a total of fifteen hundred taels. The remaining twenty-five thousand catties were retailed at the watermelon store for a slightly higher price. In this way, based on Xiaocao¡¯s simple calction, they had earned an ie of nearly ten thousand taels!!


    Yu Hai swallowed his saliva hard and took a deep breath. It had been very busy this past month, but he never expected that growing watermelons would be so profitable!


    Xiaocao took out a stack of banknotes. Every day, she deposited the store¡¯s daily profit into the town¡¯s bank. The smallest amount of one banknote was one hundred taels, while thergest was five hundred taels. She had taken out a very thick and heavy stack of banknotes. Seeing the banknotes, the Yu Family felt a slight sense of surreal in their hearts.


    Half a year ago, they were still living in poverty and didn¡¯t even have enough coarse grain to eat. Now, they had be rich people with ten thousand taels of silver! Even in town, ten thousand taels was also considered quite arge sum of money for a family to possess!


    Yu Xiaocao saw the stunned expressions on her family members and said with a smile, ¡°Father, Mother! What are you guys nning on doing with this money? Do you want to save it in the bank, or use it to purchase a house andnd?¡±


    Yu Hai thought about it and said, ¡°Take some out to repair the old residence. As for the rest of the money... should we buy some good farnd near the town? Our family¡¯s three mu ofnd is too little! If we buy morend, we can nt more watermelons next year...¡±


    With her lips pursed together, Madam Liu smiled and said, ¡°If there are suitable stores, we can also buy a few. Xiaocao¡¯s two stores are located in a good area! It¡¯s also easy to rent out. Our melon shop has just closed, but there are already people asking if we¡¯ll rent it out. By just collecting a year of rent, we can get an ie of around a thousand or so taels for one storefront. If the children have two stores each, they won¡¯t have to worry about their livelihood in the future!¡±


    Yu Hai slowly nodded his head in agreement, ¡°Mhm! Then let¡¯s purchase a few more stores... I think we can also buy a house in town. In the future, we will probably spend more time in town, so at that time, we will also have a ce to stay. However, this is our ancestral home. Even if Little Shitou makes a name for himself through his studies, he still needs toe back to his hometown to pay homage to his ancestors!¡± Yu Hai was still somewhat strong attached to the ce where he was born and raised.


    Yu Xiaocao said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s expand the old residence in fall. However, the most important thing right now is to plow thend and grow some sweet potatoes!¡±


    Yu Hai nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! I was so happy that I almost forgot about it! It¡¯s early summer now, so if we nt sweet potatoes, we can harvest them before it starts to snow! In fact, it was a really good idea to nt watermelons. It doesn¡¯t affect the farming season at all!


    The next day, Yu Hang asked Xiaocao to help collect marine goods at home while he went to work on the fields with their parents. After they dug out the melon seedlings, they used a whole two days to plow their three mu ofnd. Xiaocao had also taken up the task of breeding the sweet potato seedlings. This was mainly because she wanted to use mystic-stone water to breed the seedlings. Thus, being responsible for this task would make it more convenient for her to use her cheat. After all, it was a littlete to grow the seedlings now.


    Xiaocao cultivated a piece ofnd near her house to grow the seedlings and asked Yu Hai to enclose the area with a bamboo fence to prevent small animals from the mountain from destroying the crops at night. She took out the carefully selected sweet potato seeds and neatly arranged them on the plowednd, and then covered them with an evenyer of soil. After nting the seeds, Xiaocao immediately watered the field with water that was mixed with an appropriate amount of mystic-stone water. Fortunately, it was early summer now and the temperature was rather suitable for the germination of sweet potato seeds, so she didn¡¯t need to do anything to keep them warm.


    When helping his daughter breed the seeds, Yu Hai keep nagging about how they should have thought about growing the sweet potato sprouts first, wondering whether this would dy the farming period, and so on.


    Fortunately, Xiaocao had the little divine stone as her secret weapon. While it normally took people over a month to breed the seedlings, it only took a dozen or so days for her to aplish the task. In addition to the contribution of mystic-stone water, the little divine stone had also helped out a lot. Under Xiaocao¡¯s order, it ¡®used its powers¡¯ on the growing sprouts every day. The strong energy elerated the growth of the sweet potatoes.


    Half a monthter, when Yu Hai was urged by his daughter to gather the sweet potato sprouts and nt them in the fields, he asked in surprise, ¡°How did the sweet potato seedlings grow so fast? Has it even been twenty days? Cao¡¯er, your breeding method is pretty good. It saved a lot of time!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao answered vaguely, ¡°It¡¯s probably because we got rtively suitable temperature and rainfall recently. There¡¯s good weather for the crops, so the seedlings grew rtively faster. It looks like it¡¯s about to rain. Let¡¯s work faster and try to nt all the sweet potatoes before it starts raining!¡±


    Yu Hai stopped thinking about the matter regarding the growth period of the sweet potato seedlings. He swiftly gathered the first batch of sweet potato seedlings, transported them to the plowed fields, and nted them. With the whole family working, they finished sowing the sweet potato seedlings in less than a day. It rained that night, so they didn¡¯t even need to water the fields.


    After being nourished by the mystic-stone water, the sweet potato seedlings were not only resistant to drought and high temperature, but they were also resistant to diseases and insects. The sweet potatoes in the Yu Family¡¯s fields looked different every day and grew very well. The vigers all praised Yu Hai for being an excellent farmer.


    In the following days, Xiaocao¡¯s family lived very happily. Madam Zhang still had some lingering fear, so she didn¡¯t dare toe cause trouble. Although Madam Li asionally came over to shamelessly cotton up with Madam Liu, she was afraid to act maliciously due to the pretense of Xiaocao¡¯s godparents.


    Lady Fang had basically settled down in Dongshan Vige and rarely returned to the estate in town. The two families lived close by, so they were having more and more interactions with one another. When the Yu Family was busy, Lady Fang would also change out of hervish clothing to help collect vegetables, tend the vegetable gardens, and whatnot.


    After more than a month of quiet life, Lady Fang fell in love with this rxing andfortable lifestyle. Every day, she would climb the mountains, stroll on the beach, apany the children to collect seafood by the sea, and then turn the seafood that she personally collected into a sumptuous meal... Lady Fang felt extremely rxed, both physically and mentally. She was much happier than when she had to put on airs to entertain all kinds of people in the capital every day, whether she liked them or not.

 Chapter 202 – Unmentionable Illness

    <h4>Chapter 202 ¨C Unmentionable Illness</h4>


    It might be due to the environment or her mood, but with the addition of the nourishing soups that her goddaughter prepared for her every day, Lady Fang, who had unwittingly stayed at Dongshan Vige for three months, felt that her health had gotten a lot better. Many of the minor female health illnesses that she had in the past seemed to have disappeared since she started living in Dongshan Vige.


    Her skin had gotten more fair and smooth, and she appeared several years younger. Last time, the county magistrate¡¯s wife said that she didn¡¯t look like someone who was thirty-four or thirty-five but instead appeared to be under the age of thirty! Dongshan Vige was seriously good ce to nourish oneself ah!


    Fang Zizhen firmly believed that Xiaocao was their lucky star. Ever since he ate the food cooked by Xiaocao, he felt that even the best chef in the world couldn¡¯tpare with his daughter¡¯s cooking skills. Furthermore, after his wife came, his filial daughter had begun to prepare medicinal meals for them. His daughter¡¯s medicinal meals were much more effective than the prescriptions given by those imperial physicians and famous doctors!


    After being on the battlefield for many years, he had gotten many internal injuries. In the past, he would experience bone-piercing pain during cloudy days, when he caught a cold, or when he was too tired. After being nurtured by his daughter, even when he took a cold bath in the cool pond, he would only feel refreshed and didn¡¯t feel anything else at all. His daughter said if he nursed his health for a period of time, his old wounds and illnesses could be cured and perhaps... hehe, he could give her a younger brother.


    Ahem! The matter of giving birth to a child depended on the heavens. Though he said that everything depended on fate, he always felt that life wasn¡¯t perfect without a child of his own. He was especially mindful of this matter because he was the reason that his wife wouldn¡¯t have any children to bury her when she died in the future, which also made it hard for him to lift his head in front of many of his colleagues.


    A fortune teller had once said that he had a lot of setbacks in his life, but there was always someone to help him turn the cmities into blessings. If... his daughter could cure his unmentionable illness, she was truly his noble benefactor ah!


    However, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t believe in his daughter. She had studied medicine with the vige doctor for a period of time, so she should be capable of preparing medicinal meals to nourish one¡¯s health. Even the imperial physicians were unable to cure his infertility, which he had gotten after years on the battlefield. His daughter was only ten, so could she be better than those old imperial physicians whose hair and beards had gone white?


    But, his daughter wanting to help him nurse his health was a disy of her filial piety. He must support and cooperate unconditionally, and never show a look of doubt, so as to avoid making his daughter sad.


    Therefore, Fang Zizhen and Lady Fang happily enjoyed the medicinal meals personally cooked by Xiaocao every day. The medicinal meals prepared by Xiaocao didn¡¯t taste like herbal medicine at all and actually tasted very good. So, they ate it very readily.


    After nting the sweet potatoes in their family¡¯s fields, Xiaocao was very idle with nothing to do. The work at home had been divided among the family. Yu Hang was still responsible for collecting the marine goods for the Zhou Family¡¯s condiment factories with Third Uncle. Xiaolian went to the docks every day to sell braised food, while Madam Liu was in charge of the vegetable garden and housework. Her father, Yu Hai, either helped his wife tend the vegetable garden, or at the invitation of his close friend, Liu Shuanzhu, went out to the sea to catch some valuable fish to improve their meals and subsidize the family. Although the family no longercked the money that he earned from selling fish, he still really enjoyed his original profession.


    In this way, Yu Xiaocao was the only one in the family with nothing to do. Therefore, when she found out that her godfather was unable to father children because of his old wounds, she focused all her attention on her godparents¡¯ health. She strived to get a younger sibling by next year.


    Mhm... Little Shitou was already six years old. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to have another soft, little bun in her family. Alright! Due to this single thought by their daughter, Yu Hai and Madam Liu were also forced to join in on drinking herbal soups every day.


    Although Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very confident in her own medical skills, she was full of confidence in the little divine stone. Back then, without the little divine stone, it would have been very difficult to save his life, let alone his leg. Her godfather¡¯s infertility wasn¡¯t innate, but instead it was an injury left from the battlefields. Compared to when her father got bitten by a bear, this matter was simply a piece of cake.


    As a result, she eagerly devoted herself to cooking medicinal meals every day. Although she had the little divine stone as her cheat, in order to make it more effective and to pull the wool over other people¡¯s eyes, she specially went to town to discuss her godfather¡¯s pulse with the famous physician, Doctor Sun. They worked together toe up with the most helpful prescription for his body.


    Doctor Sun had an extremely deep impression of the Yu Family, especially the little girl in front of him. She had been ill since she was in the womb, which was the most difficult to treat. She should have been bedridden and relying on medication for survival. Moreover, even with the best medicine, she wouldn¡¯t be able to live past the age of ten. However, look at her now. Not only did she have a healthy glow on her face and was alive and kicking, but she had also seriously studied medicine.


    Next, he had to mention the little girl¡¯s father. At that time, half of his body had nearly been destroyed by the bear. Even if he severed the leg at that time, it would still be very hard to save his life. But now? Not only did he keep his life, but his leg was also fine. He traveled between Dongshan Vige and the town every day in a swift and vigorous manner, looking very spirited!


    There was also this little girl¡¯s mother, who had been left with a chronic illness because she didn¡¯t get to properly recuperate during her postnatal confinement period. In addition, she had suffered years of exhaustion and malnourishment, so she had been left with many health problems. The most crucial thing was that, ording to his diagnosis, the wife of the Yu Family already had initial symptoms of tuberculosis. During this era, it wasn¡¯t very easy to treat tuberculosis. Moreover, it was not only contagious, but people could also die from it! But, look at her now. After recuperating for a period of time with his prescription, all her health issues were gone, and even her tuberculosis was cured! He almost thought that his medical skills weren¡¯t very good and misdiagnosed her!


    Not to boast, but his, Sun Zhongqiu¡¯s, medical skills would be considered top-notch even if he entered the Imperial Hospital. Perhaps not up to ten thousand of patients, but he had definitely examined thousands of patients and had never been wrong. However, it was only for the three members of the Yu Family that all his diagnosis turned out to be wrong.


    Could it be... that the Yu Family were blessed by the gods? Or was there a way to bring the dead back to life? Then again, the Yu Family were just ordinary fishermen. If they really knew some method of resuscitation, how could there be no news over the years? In this case, it could only be said that the Yu Family was probably blessed by the deity of luck, and thus they were not fated to die ah!


    The ancients held more awe and revere towards demons and gods. Although Doctor Sun was a physician, he was still unable to break away from these conventional beliefs. As a result, regarding Yu Xiaocao¡¯s consultation, he did his best to help her. During their discussion, Doctor Sun couldn¡¯t help but be astonished by Yu Xiaocao¡¯s unique views on some medical practices.


    Xiaocao only had some superficial knowledge on medicine in her previous life, but there were endless methods to stay healthy online, which was something that she had also studied for a period of time. Many health care techniques ofter generations were the results of thousands of years of studies. It was no wonder that even Doctor Sun, who was a famous doctor, had great admiration for her!


    After a period of discussion, Doctor Sun¡¯s attitude towards Xiaocao had also changed unconsciously. Sometimes the treatment ns that Xiaocao suggested weren¡¯t quite mature enough, but it gave him a lot of inspiration. Thus, every time Xiaocao came over, Doctor Sun would personally receive her even if he was busy.


    This made his disciples and their students very puzzled, ¡®With Teacher¡¯s (Teacher¡¯s teacher) medical skills and fame, even when noble lords and officials from the capital came, he still looked cold and indifferent. What is so special about this little girl to make Teacher (Teacher¡¯s teacher) treat her differently?¡¯


    In order to treat her godfather¡¯s old illness, Yu Xiaocao often traveled back and forth between Dongshan Vige and the Tongren Medicine Hall in town. On this day, Xiaocao drove her donkey cart and galloped on the t and broad official road. There were actually some benefits with Imperial Prince Jing constructing a mountain manor on the West Mountains because they at least made the road from Dongshan Vige to town much better than before. Especially the section of mountain road that passed through the West Mountains, she no longer felt like she would puke out her guts from the bumpiness of the road.


    Xiaocao had to make at least seven or eight round trips a month on this mountain road, so she had long been familiar with this road. After being raised by her, this donkey, named Little Gray, had be full of intelligence. It didn¡¯t need anyone to guide it and could reach home from town by itself.


    Sitting cross-legged on the donkey cart with her head bowed, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud when she thought about what Doctor Sun said about her godfather¡¯s medical case. After three months of her hard work, her godfather¡¯s body had finally been regted to be vigorous and fierce... cough cough... Forgive her for using the wrong words! However, it was true. Doctor Sun said that her godfather¡¯s old disorder had been cured and he would have children sooner orter!


    During these past three months, her godparents had treated her even better than they would treat their own biological children. Her father often grumbled sourly, ¡°Old Fang has done everything that a father can do, and thus I, the real father, have be a mere ornament.¡±


    Her godmother took care of her in every way possible, from her clothes to her shoes and socks. She sewed them herself and never asked other people to help her. Not only was her godmother keen on dressing her up, but she would also teach her some rules and etiquettes of noble youngdies... This couple wished that they could just dig out their hearts and give them to her. The only thing that she could do for her godparents was to help them recuperate their health so that they could give birth to a blood-rted child to make up for the regrets in their hearts.


    Her godparents may say that they didn¡¯t have much hope, but she could clearly feel their desire and anticipation for a child. Since she said that she could cure Godfather¡¯s unmentionable illness, her godparents didn¡¯t distrust her because she was a child, but actively cooperated with her instead. They also had more vitality and liveliness in their speech and behavior than before.


    Yu Xiaocao was thinking about the silly smile on her godfather¡¯s face when he heard that he could have his own children... Suddenly, Little Gray gave out a warning-like neighing. The donkey cart shook violently and Xiaocao almost rolled off of the cart.


    Little Gray usually pulled the cart in a very smooth and stable manner. This had never happened before, so what was wrong today? Xiaocao raised her head and prepared to check out the situation, but a sense of danger emerged in her heart.


    Two dark shadows darted out of the nearby mountain forest with gleaming long swords in their hands and rushed straight towards her. Yu Xiaocao was rather agile and quickly rolled off of the cart. The long swords shed on the cart, leaving a two deep marks. A drop of cold sweat dripped from the corner of Xiaocao¡¯s forehead. If she had moved slightly slower, then the long swords would havended on her small body instead of the cart. They were seriously trying to kill her ah!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart beat violently and even the color on her face had changed. She looked at the clothes on her body. It was rather in and simple ah! She had never exposed her wealth in town, so it was unlikely that they were killing her for her money!

 Chapter 203 – Murder Plot

    <h4>Chapter 203 ¨C Murder Plot</h4>


    She forced herself to calm down, looked at the two masked men in ck in front of her, and asked loudly, ¡°Who are you people? I¡¯m just a child of a fishing family, and I don¡¯t have any grudges with you guys. Could it be that you have mistaken me for someone else?¡±


    The masked men looked at one another. The shorter oneughed grimly and asked, ¡°Are you Yu Xiaocao of Dongshan Vige?¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s heart sank. Since they were able to say her name, it was impossible that they had gotten the wrong person. After she looked around, her heart turnedpletely cold. This was the most remote section of the mountain road. On one side was a steep cliff, while a dense forest was on the other side. It was the best ce to murder someone and then destroy the corpse!


    The two masked men blocked all her routes of escape in front and behind her. The thickets of the forest next to her was even taller than her, so it was nearly impossible to quickly jump in there and hide. The cliff on the other side was even worse. If she jumped, she would definitely die without a corpse. What should she do? Was she going to die today?


    Yu Xiaocao secretly took a deep breath and said it a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s right, I am indeed Yu Xiaocao! However, I don¡¯t think that I have ever done anything ruthless and uwful. I also don¡¯t recall having any enemies. Why are these two strong warriors attacking me with weapons without any reason?¡±


    The taller man had a slightly sharper voice, which sounded grating on the ears, ¡°Heh heh... Someone spent two hundred taels for your life. As for who it is¡ªgo and ask in the underworld!¡±


    [Little Glutinous Dumpling, are you there? If you don¡¯te out now, then your master is going to die!] Yu Xiaocao desperately called for the little divine stone within her heart. This little fellow usually jumped out when it wasn¡¯t needed, so please don¡¯t let her down at such a critical moment ah!


    The little divine stone¡¯s voice slowly emerged within her mind, [Humph! Don¡¯t call me Little Glutinous Dumpling! What kind of stupid name is that? It¡¯s not impressive at all. Change it!]


    [Is this the time to be worried about your name? Do you want me to die so that you can change your master ah?] Yu Xiaocao was so angry that she forgot about being scared. Her fierce expression made the two bandits looked at each other again. They were very baffled in their hearts¡ªwas this littless so scared that she had turned into a fool?


    The little divine stone slowly said, [Of course I would like to change to a more powerful master, but... Ay! It¡¯s hard to bind with people who aren¡¯t in the same maic field ah! This Divine Stone has no other choice but to ept you as my master. There¡¯s nothing I can do ah!]


    [Since you can¡¯t change your master, shouldn¡¯t you hurry up and help me?] Yu Xiaocao was about to die from anger because of it. This tactless thing, it was such a critical moment right now, yet it was still dawdling!


    The little divine stone replied in a leisurely and unhurried manner, [Don¡¯t worry. My help won¡¯t be needed! You ah, you¡¯re really lucky, so there¡¯s no way you will die!]


    At this moment, the bandits had already lost their patience. They raised their swords and rushed towards Yu Xiaocao. Yu Xiaocao was so scared that she immediately got under the donkey cart. The bandits missed their target and were about to bend down to stab her under the cart when the sound of horse hooves came. A clear voice shouted, ¡°To rob and assault people in broad daylight, do you really think that there¡¯s now in the Great Ming Dynasty?¡±


    Her savior had finally appeared! Yu Xiaocao was so excited that she burst into tears (Author¡¯s note: Are you sure it wasn¡¯t because you were scared?). She breathed a long sigh of relief and rxed her stiff body under the donkey cart.


    The bandits looked towards the direction of the sound and saw a white horse galloping over at full speed. With the neighing of the horse, an agile figure jumped off the back of the horse andnded near the cart. The bandits were only ordinary hooligans in town. When that person approached them, they were swayed tomit a crime at the sight of money. Moreover, they had heard that the target was just a weak little girl, so they agreed to take up this job.


    Although they looked savage and cruel, they were actually very nervous. They usually just engaged in some small-scale bullying of the weak, gang fights, and so on. It was actually their first time being hired as hitmen. At this time, seeing that this deed had been exposed and that the person who came seemed to know martial arts, they naturally didn¡¯t dare to fight him. Thus, they immediately picked up their swords and ran at a speed that was even faster than a rabbit.


    From afar, Zhu Junxi had seen the two masked bandits in ck aiming their broadswords at the little girl. Thinking that the bandits had blocked the road in order to rob her, he hastened his beloved steed and rushed over. He had prepared to fight for justice, but unexpectedly, the two cowards had run away in fear before he had even stood still.


    But, since he had encountered this situation, how could he allow the bandits to get away? With a few strides, he had caught up with the bandits. He had expected a fierce battle, but who knew that they were like a pewter spearhead that shone like silver¡ªimpressive-looking but useless. They were defeated and captured in a few moves. Zhu Junxi felt unsatisfied¡ªweren¡¯t they too easy to defeat?


    Two streams of tears flowed down the bandits¡¯ faces, ¡®Big brother, can you not hit so hard?¡¯


    When Yu Xiaocao came out from the bottom of the cart, she saw this scene: a bandit was kicked away by a handsome guy in white, hit a big tree and bounced back. He was spitting blood while lying on the ground and unable to stand up for a long time. With his arm twisted, the other bandit was being pressed facedown on the ground. Hearing a clear ¡®cracking¡¯ sound, she reckoned that his arm was probably useless now!


    After taking a closer look, she felt that this handsome guy in white looked rather familiar. Wasn¡¯t he one of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s sons? Anyways, he was definitely the princess consort¡¯s son! She hadn¡¯t expected that a young master of the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate would actually be skilled in martial arts.


    ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you General Fang¡¯s goddaughter? Who did you offend? You have actually attracted such a fatal disaster?¡± After getting a good look of the dirty face of the little girl who crawled out from under the cart, Zhu Junxi was surprised to realize that she was an acquaintance, so he asked.


    Yu Xiaocao dusted off her body and mumbled, ¡°I want to know, too. Who exactly wants this little life of mine?¡±


    Zhu Junxi frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, ¡°Youe from an ordinary family, so if it was for money, they wouldn¡¯t have chosen you. Little girl, think carefully, who have you offended recently? Or who has a grudge against your family?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao scratched her own face with her index finger, leaving several gray marks on it. She furrowed her brows and wondered, ¡®If it¡¯s someone who hates them, then Madam Zhang can be considered one. However, Madam Zhang is only a vige woman, so she isn¡¯t bold enough to hire a hitman. Moreover, with Madam Zhang¡¯s stingy character, there¡¯s no way that she would be willing to spend money to hire a hitman. As for other people who has a grudge against us... I really can¡¯t think of anyone.¡¯


    Seeing that the little girl had turned her own face into a dirty little kitten, and with a troubled expression, she still couldn¡¯t think of anything for a long time, Zhu Junxi decided to give up and said, ¡°Forget it. I reckon we should just take these two to the yamen. After getting flogged, I¡¯m sure they will honestly tell the truth!¡±


    ¡°This hero, please spare our lives ah! Please have mercy on us!¡± Upon hearing that they would be sent to the yamen, the bandits panicked. They would get beheaded for the crime of murdering someone for money!


    The taller bandit sobbed loudly, ¡°This lowly one deserves to die. I have been momentary led astray by the money and epted this job. This lowly one swears that this was my first time doing this. This lowly one doesn¡¯t dare to do this again. This hero, please show mercy and let this lowly one go!¡±


    The shorter bandit quickly kowtowed and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! This lowly one will definitely turn over a new leaf. Please be merciful and forgive this lowly one this time!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao snorted and kicked the bandits, who were tied together like a sticky rice dumpling, fiercely. Then she shouted angrily, ¡°Let you guys go? If it wasn¡¯t for Young Master Zhu¡¯s timely arrival, would you have spared me? Speak, who ordered you toe?¡±


    Zhu Junxi looked at the little girl in front of him with slight admiration. Had it been another young girl who experienced the dangerous situation earlier, she would have already burst into tears due to fright. There was no way that she would be able to face the bandits directly and interrogate them calmly.


    The taller bandit quickly cried, ¡°The person who approached us was a young girl who appeared like a maidservant. She offered us two hundred taels and told us to ambush you here. If we can throw you and the cart off the cliff and make it seem like an ident, then the two hundred taels will be ours! Littledy, please show mercy and don¡¯t send us to the yamen! This lowly one doesn¡¯t dare to do this again!¡±


    ¡°Make it seem like I identally fell off the cliff? You guys were holding broadswords and flinging them at me as if you wished you can cut me into pieces. That doesn¡¯t seem to match with what you¡¯re saying ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao calmly looked at the bandits, who had ugly and cunning appearances without their masks, and asked.


    The taller bandit hastily shook his head and said, ¡°The broadsword is just used to frighten people. The edge of the de isn¡¯t sharpened! After thinking about it, we thought that, littledy, you¡¯re just an inexperienced little girl, so it would be easier to act after you faint from being scared. Thus...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao picked up the broadsword and looked at it. It really hadn¡¯t been sharpened. The bandits wanted tomit murder on the road with unsharpened swords. How ridiculous! It was no wonder that they immediately ran away when Young Master Zhu appeared!


    ¡°Speak up! Who sent you guys? Leniency towards those who confess their crimes and severe punishment to those who refuse to do so. If youe clean, perhaps thisdy¡¯s heart will soften and let you guys go?¡± Yu Xiaocao just wanted to know who would be so cruel and want her life.


    With a panic-stricken expression, the taller bandit repeated, ¡°It was really a maidservant who came to look for us. This lowly one also doesn¡¯t know who she is ah! But, based on her attire, she should be the servant of a rich family.¡±


    Maidservant of a wealthy family? She only knew a few wealthy households in town. However, she seldom came in contact with them, let alone have any grudges against each other. So, who would hire someone to kill her?


    The shorter bandit was obviously a cunning man. His eyes darted around, and then he asked, ¡°Are you really going to let us go if we tell you who hired us?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up and asked, ¡°You know?¡±


    The shorter bandit nodded and said, ¡°At that time, that maidservant only gave us half of the money and said that she will give us the rest after the deed. This lowly one was more cautious and afraid that she would stand us up after wepleted the job, so I secretly tailed the maidservant. She walked around town several times, and then entered an estate...¡±


    ¡°Entered an estate? Whose estate?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart tightened and asked.


    A trace of slyness appeared in the shorter bandit¡¯s eyes and he bargained, ¡°It¡¯s natural that I will tell you if you let us go!¡±


    ¡°Let you guys go? If you¡¯re lying and don¡¯t actually know who hired you guys, then who should I look for after releasing you two?¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t stupid, so of course, she wouldn¡¯t be deceived by him. However, she promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as I can find the mastermind, I promise that I won¡¯t send you guys to the yamen, nor will I kill you!¡±


    The shorter bandit was also just taking a gamble. He looked at Young Master Zhu, and after he received his guarantee, he said, ¡°That maidservant went inside through a side door and it seemed like there was someone helping her. There was no sign on the small door, so this lowly one went around to the front entrance and saw the two big characters written on top...¡±

 Chapter 204 – Pursuing the Criminal

    <h4>Chapter 204 ¨C Pursuing the Criminal</h4>


    ¡°Stop trying to create suspense and just say it! Whose residence did she enter?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice was fierce, but she had a petite figure and was staring at them with her adorably big eyes, so it didn¡¯t seem intimidating at all.


    The shorter bandit continued to haggle, ¡°You have to promise to let me go after I say it! Otherwise, I won¡¯t tell you even if you beat me to death...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was so angry that she started to smile. She sneered, ¡°Still refuse to say? Alright! Young Master Zhu, please apany me to the county yamen. This kind of ferocious bandit needs to be sent to the yamen! With the methods used by the people of the yamen, I¡¯m sure that they will be able to make you talk!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Please don¡¯t!!¡± The shorter bandit saw that the little girl¡¯s face had turned red from anger. If she really sent him to the yamen, then he would definitely be killed! He might still have a chance to stay alive in this young girl and her family¡¯s hands, so he hastily said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you!¡±


    Under Yu Xiaocao¡¯s watchful eyes, the shorter bandit obediently exined, ¡°The maidservant entered a residence called ¡®Fang Estate¡¯. It looked quite impressive, so it should be a very wealthy household. At that time, I regretted that I didn¡¯t ask for more money!¡±


    Fang Estate? In town, besides her godfather¡¯s residence, there probably wasn¡¯t another family called ¡®Fang Estate¡¯, right? A maidservant from her godfather¡¯s household wanted to kill her? Other than that girl Xia Furong, there probably wasn¡¯t anyone else, right?


    With her brows wrinkled tightly together, Yu Xiaocao had to reevaluate that girl Xia Furong in her heart. She knew that Xia Furong had always disliked her. However, she had never taken her godmother¡¯s niece too seriously. She felt that it was just the jealousy of a young girl who couldn¡¯t obtain the favor of her elders. She hadn¡¯t expected a little girl under the age of ten to be so cruel and want her life!


    Zhu Junxi asked in surprise, ¡°Fang Estate? Isn¡¯t that General Fang¡¯s residence in town? Isn¡¯t General Fang your godfather? I heard from my mother that your godparents dote on you down to their bones. How can they allow a maidservant of their own household to harm you? This guy is definitely lying!¡±


    ¡°Young Master, please spare our lives ah! This lowly one swears to the heavens that the maidservant really did enter a house called ¡®Fang Estate¡¯ ah!¡± The shorter bandit hastily defended himself.


    After Yu Xiaocao carefully inquired about the figure and appearance of the maidservant, she felt even more certain within her heart. For this trip, Xia Furong had only brought along one second-rank maidservant from the capital, whose name was Zixiang. She had been serving Xia Furong since she was still living with the Xia Family, so she could be considered one of her most trusted servants. Most of the servants in the residence in Tanggu Town were older servant who had transferred over from the General¡¯s Estate in the capital. Thus, Zixiang was the only one she could use.


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the truth or not, we¡¯ll know after my godfather finds that person and ask. Young Master Zhu, please help me put them on my donkey. By this time, my godfather should have returned to Dongshan Vige already.¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that it was necessary to teach Xia Furong a lesson.


    This Xia Furong was so insidious at such a young age. She paid someone to murder her just because her godparents treated her slightly better. In the future, if her godmother got pregnant and this vicious girl did something to harm her godmother, then even crying would be useless at that time!


    Young Master Zhu was worried about leaving an eight or nine year old girl alone with two vicious bandits. Thus, he decided to be a good person to the end by escorting the little girl back to Dongshan Vige and handing her over to General Fang before returning to town.


    After this hold up, the sky had already darkened. Fortunately, it was a smooth official road all the way, which she was familiar with, and the speed of the little donkey didn¡¯t decrease at all. When they were close to arriving at the entrance of the vige, they heard the sound of horse¡¯s hooves rushing over. The tall figure on the horse shouted, ¡°Is it Xiaocao?¡±


    Xiaocao quickly replied, ¡°Godfather, it¡¯s me!!¡±


    A momentter, the figure of Fang Zizhen riding on a tall steed appeared clearly in the dimming night. He came to Xiaocao¡¯s side and looked her up and down for a long time before he finally rxed and chided her, ¡°Why did youe back sote? Don¡¯t you know that your family will worry?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt wronged inwardly, but before she got to speak, Zhu Junxi had quickly cupped his hands in a greeting and said, ¡°General Fang, your daughter encountered bandits on her way back and suffered a fright, so you should stop scolding her!¡±


    ¡°What? What kind of bandits would be so bold as to rob my, Fang Zizhen¡¯s, daughter in broad daylight? I reckon that they want to die earlier!!¡± Upon hearing his words, Fang Zizhen instantly erupted in fury. His voice, which sounded like arge bell, vibrated throughout the mountain forest and caused all the night birds to fly away in panic.


    ¡°Godfather...¡± Yu Xiaocao had never experienced such a dangerous situation before. Seeing her godfather being genuinely worried about her, her eyes were sour, and her voice trembled as if she was crying.


    Fang Zizhen hastily got down from his horse and hugged his daughter in his arms, feeling heartbroken. He said, ¡°Daughter, don¡¯t be scared. Godfather is here! Godfather will skin that damned bandit and avenge you!¡±


    The corner of Zhu Junxi¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡®Was it really alright to say such a gruesome thing in front of an eight or nine year old little girl?¡¯


    He looked at the originally strong girl crying in General Fang¡¯s embrace, and sighed in his heart, ¡®She is a young girl after all. No matter how calm and strong she appeared, she would also show her weak side in front of her family ah!¡¯


    Seeing the little girl was crying so much that she started hupping, he told General Fang about how the bandits had said, and then said, ¡°If the bandit isn¡¯t lying, then there¡¯s a rat in your household. General Fang should make a thorough investigation to prevent these incidents from urring again in the future.¡±


    When Fang Zizhen, who was busy wiping his daughter¡¯s tears, heard this, he stopped the movement of his hands, stood up straight to look directly at Zhu Junxi, and solemnly said, ¡°Thank you very much for you help today, Second Young Master Zhu. Mingzhe will personally visit you on another day to express my gratitude. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly, and I will never allow the pest who wants to harm my daughter get away with it!¡±


    Zhu Junxi politely exchanged a few words with him, and then quickly bid his farewells to return to town.


    When they got back to Dongshan Vige, Fang Zizhen was full of murderous intent as he picked up a bandit in each hand and threw them on the ground harshly. He stepped on one of the bandit¡¯s legs, making the sound of bones cracking. The taller bandit, whose bone had been fractured after being trampled on, screeched as if he was a pig being ughtered.


    Seeing Fang Zizhen¡¯s face, which looked ferocious and was full of stubbles, the shorter bandit¡¯s face turned ghastly pale due to fright. He kowtowed repeatedly until his head started bleeding. He repeatedly begged for mercy, ¡°My Lord, please spare my life! My Lord, please spare my life ah!¡±


    With hisrge pair of bell-like eyes, Fang Zizhen suddenly red at him and shouted, ¡°Speak! Who ordered you guys? If you want to harm my, Fang Zizhen¡¯s, daughter, then you¡¯ll have to consider whether your life can bear it!!¡±


    The shorter bandit quickly said, ¡°It was a young girl from the Fang Estate. She gave us money and asked us to throw this littledy off the cliff and make it seem like an ident. She said that she will give us the other half of the money after we finish the deed...¡± After saying that, he honestly and thoroughly described the young girl¡¯s appearance again.


    Lady Fang, who hade out after hearing the movements, still had lingering fears as she held Xiaocao in her arms and gently cated her. There was a burst of fear within her heart: Such a clever and sensible daughter, she almost couldn¡¯t see her anymore... Lady Fang hugged Xiaocao even tighter.


    Linglong, who was beside Lady Fang, heard the bandit¡¯s description of the maidservant and eximed in surprise, ¡°There¡¯s a red mole, about the size of a grain of rice, on the corner of the mouth? Isn¡¯t that Zixiang who serves Miss Xia...¡±


    Beside her, Zhenzhu gently pulled on her sleeve. Seeing the expression on her madam¡¯s face, Linglong quickly stopped talking! Miss Xia usually didn¡¯t get along with Miss Cao¡¯er, but she wouldn¡¯t go as far as to want her life, would she?


    Lady Fang had a grim expression, and a violent storm was raging within her heart. ¡®I never expected this ah! I have raised a cruel and savage wolf beside me ah!¡¯ In the past, when she was childless, she wanted to a niece from her maiden family aspany. At that time, the seven or eight year old Xia Furong appeared sensible and lovely, so she was chosen. She knew that the little girl usually had some little ideas in her mind. In an environment like the Xia Family¡¯s, those without even a little bit of a scheming heart wouldn¡¯t even know how they ended up dead.


    She also knew thatss didn¡¯t like her goddaughter. She had originally thought that it was just the jealousy among young girls and that it wouldn¡¯t be anything serious. However, she never expected that the little girl had such a sinister heart and actually wanted to take her daughter¡¯s life...


    ¡°Older Cousin¡¯s maidservant? I have no enmity with her. Why would a little maidservant want to kill me? Where did she get so much money to hire a hitman?¡± Yu Xiaocao feigned a confused expression and weakly asked.


    Fang Zizhen clutched his hands so tightly that there was a cracking sound. He picked up the front cor of the shorter bandit¡¯s clothes, as if he was holding a dead dog in his hands, and shouted, ¡°When did the maidservant go look for you guys? What time did you guys agree on to get the rest of the money?¡±


    Being held by the cor, the shorter bandit¡¯s eyes had directly rolled to the back of his head as he stammered, ¡°It was... it was yesterday afternoon! She said that this littledy would go to town alone today and return in the evening, which would be a good time to act. We agreed to collect the money on the day after tomorrow. She said that she needed to confirm that we have aplished the task before giving us the money... cough cough!!¡±


    The bandit was about to be strangled to death when Fang Zizhen finally loosened his hands. He fell heavily on the ground and coughed violently.


    Fang Zizhen looked at Lady Fang, and after a brief deliberation, he asked, ¡°When did your niece go to town?¡±


    Lady Fang looked at him gloomily and replied with an expressionless face, ¡°Yesterday morning, she said that she wasn¡¯t feeling well and wanted to see a doctor in town, and then she went to town with that maidservant Zixiang. I offered to go with her, but she declined...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew that her godmother must feel extremely bad in her heart, so she quickly grabbed her hand and looked at her with concern. Lady Fang looked down at her daughter¡¯s eyes, which were as pure as the clear night sky, and forced out a faint smile to show that she was fine.


    Yes, to be born from such a family, although she was protected by the matriarch, it wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t know anything about these dirty matters. Lady Fang was ustomed to seeing people of the inner courtyards killing others by underhanded means, so she swiftly adjusted her state of mind. Her goddaughter had just suffered a fright, yet she still wanted tofort her and was worried about her mood¡ªshe didn¡¯t adopt her in vain ah!


    ¡°It won¡¯t be Older Cousin, right? Older Cousin is still so young, so how can she do such a sinister thing? Godfather, Godmother, perhaps we have wrongly used her?¡± Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes and feigned a doubtful expression.


    Fang Zizhen furrowed his brows and sneered, ¡°Whether it¡¯s her or not, we¡¯ll know with a test. Cao¡¯er, don¡¯t go back tonight. I¡¯ll act out a scene with your father...¡±


    That night, the entire Dongshan Vige had been alerted! Why? Yu Hai¡¯s daughter went to town, but still hadn¡¯t return when the sky hadpletely darkened.

 Chapter 205 – To Flush Out the Culprit

    <h4>Chapter 205 ¨C To Flush Out the Culprit</h4>


    All the men of the vige held torches and searched along the official road that led to town. Halfway on the road, they discovered the remains of the donkey cart hanging on the cliff and the shoe of a young girl... Ay! What a pity! She was such a lively and cute little girl ah! She had lost her life at such a young age...


    Many of the vigers silently educated their children in private: In the future, when traveling on that section of the mountain road, one had to be extra careful so as to not fall all the way down the cliff like the daughter of the Yu Family.


    On the second day, a tiny ¡®corpse¡¯ covered by a white cloth was ced in the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard. The entire Yu Family was shrouded in a ¡®grieving¡¯ atmosphere. When the news traveled to the Yu Residence, Madam Zhang lifted her brow and nearlyughed out loud, ¡®She deserved it! That unfilial wretch always went against me! It seems like even the heavens finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, right?¡¯


    Old Yu, on the other hand, hastily walked towards the old residence with unsteady steps. When he entered the yard and saw the figure covered by a white cloth on a wooden bed, he muttered, ¡°What happened? The road has already been fixed, so why did she still fall off the cliff? My granddaughter ah, why do you have such a pitiful life ah?¡±


    With his head lowered, Yu Hai squatted beside the wooden bed motionlessly, as if he was a sculpture. He didn¡¯t dare look up for fear that others could see through him. Under the white cloth was the haystack that he made with grassst night. Old Fang said that he had to feign a sorrowful expression, but how was he supposed to pretend ah...


    Yu Hang, who stood on the side, rubbed his eyes hard until they turned red before he lifted his head and called Old Yu, ¡°Grandfather...¡±


    Xiaolian was really crying. She thought of how she had this lingering sense of fear yesterday that something was going to happen. Sure enough, Xiaocao had encountered bandits and nearly lost her life. Her younger sister was so clever, lovely, and capable ah! Yet that vile person actually wanted to harm her younger sister. When they found the real culprit, they should also let her get a taste of being thrown off a cliff!!


    Little Shitou sobbed loudly, ¡°Second Sister ah, Second Sister... Little Shitou won¡¯t let you go. Second Sister, please open your eyes and look at Little Shitou again...¡± Uh, he was howling without tears!


    As for Madam Liu, since she didn¡¯t know how to act, the family was afraid that she would slip up and they wouldn¡¯t be able to find the real culprit. Thus, they told her to hide in the room, and to the public, they said that she was so sad that she had fainted from crying!


    Fang Zizhen and Lady Fang also stayed beside the tiny body. One was filled with righteous indignation and vowed to avenge his daughter, while the other silently wept and fell beside the bed several times. As someone from a big, noble family, who wouldn¡¯t have a little bit of acting skills? Lady Fang¡¯s crying was so genuine that several women in the vige also wept unceasingly and repeatedlyforted her.


    Seeing this mournful scene in front of him, Old Yu deeply sighed and squatted on the ground holding his head silently. Although he usually didn¡¯t take much notice of this younger granddaughter of his, if she really died, he still felt very sad in his heart.


    At noon, the people who came to help had mostly left. A familiar horse carriage stopped in front of the Yu Family¡¯s house, and a slender and delicate figure came down from the carriage. She stumbled into the house and cried sadly, ¡°Younger Cousin! Why did you suddenly leave like this?¡±


    Lady Fang raised her head and looked at her niece with her reddened eyes. Her gaze was deep and calm, ¡°Furong, you came back? Are you feeling better now? Also, how did you know about your younger cousin¡¯s ident?¡±


    Xia Furong¡¯s whimper paused briefly before she swiftly recovered and sadly said, ¡°Aunt, don¡¯t be too mournful ah! As soon as I entered the vige, I heard someone talking about Younger Cousin¡¯s matter... It¡¯s such a pity for Younger Cousin to encounter such a disaster at a young age... Younger Cousin, how can you bear to let Aunt see her child die before herself ah!¡±


    She was truly a great actress; tears kept seeping out of her eyes as if they were free. Xiaocao, who was hiding in the storage room, watched Xia Furong¡¯s series of performances with great admiration. Sure enough, none of the people who had experienced the infighting of the inner courts of ancient times were easy to deal with!


    Since ¡®the deceased¡¯ was underage and a girl, she couldn¡¯t be buried in the vige¡¯s ancestral grave, nor could they make any grand arrangements for her funeral. They could only select an area in themon grave at the south side of the mountain, roll her body up in a straw mat, and bury her in a pit. Xia Furong took part in the whole process. After she personally saw the ¡®corpse¡¯ being buried, she made an excuse early in the morning the next day and quickly rushed to town.


    Fang Zizhen and the Yu Family took the two bandits and followed Xia Furong to town. The two bandits, who had been arranged to hide in the dark at the Yu Residence by Fang Zizhen, had confirmed that Zixiang, who was beside Xia Furong, was the person who made the deal with them.


    To catch a thief, one must find the evidence first. In order to prevent Xia Furong from quibbling, Fang Zizhen and the Yu Family caught them red-handed as Zixiang gave the rest of the money to the bandits.


    When the Fang Zizhen couple, Yu Xiaocao, and the rest of the Yu Family brought the two bandits and Zixiang in front of Xia Furong, this young girl, who was only thirteen, had actually wanted to continue making excuses.


    She looked at Zixiang with deep pain and scolded in a tone as if she hated the iron from not bing steel, ¡°Zixiang, you have done wrong ah! Although we¡¯re as close as sisters, I never expected you to avenge me in this way! Younger Cousin didn¡¯t get along with me and stole a lot of things that originally belonged to me, but... I really never thought about taking her life ah!!¡±


    Lady Fang looked at her silently, sneered, and said, ¡°Furong, you said Xiaocao stole the things that originally belonged to you? I want to ask you what exactly did she take from you? When did our Fang Family¡¯s properties be the Xia¡¯s?¡±


    Xia Furong could still calmly change her words at this time, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s Niece¡¯s mistake! This happened because Zixiang saw that Younger Cousin has taken all of Aunt¡¯s doting love and felt angry for me, so she ended up doing something wrong. Please Aunt, for the sake of Niece, let her die painlessly!¡±


    Zixiang opened her eyes wide and had an astonished expression on her face as she looked at her selfish young miss speaking. The young miss was nning on putting all the me on her ah. She was being wronged!! When Young Miss ordered her to do it, she had tried to persuade her against it. But at that time, Young Miss¡¯s heart had already been blinded by hatred and jealousy, so she wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone. She didn¡¯t know how the young miss found the two ruffians in town. She took out her savings and instructed her to hire the two ruffians as hitmen. How did she ended up being the mastermind now, while the young miss turned into an innocent person?


    She had wanted to defend herself, but she noticed the young miss¡¯s warning gaze. Zixiang felt a burst of coldness in her heart. She was the child of servants of the Xia Household. Her parents and younger brothers were all in the hands of the Xia Family. If she told the truth, not to mention whether she could avoid being punished for her crime, but it would also implicate her family...


    Zixiang¡¯s heart was like dead ashes¡ªutterly dissipated. Her legs went limp and she fell to the ground. She trembled and said, ¡°This lowly... this lowly servant deserves to die. This lowly servant couldn¡¯t bear to see the young miss being wronged, and thismitted this hideous crime. This lowly servant deserves to die...¡±


    ¡°Wronged? My Fang Family provides you with good food and drinks. Every season, you received the same amount of clothes and jewelry as the family of officials. When did I, your aunt, ever treat you unfairly?¡±


    As if she didn¡¯t hear Zixiang ¡®pleading guilty¡¯, Lady Fang stared fixedly at Xia Furong and felt a sense of coldness in her heart. After being exposed for doing something wrong, she could still calmly push it off to others and let a maidservant, who was as close as sisters with her, be her scapegoat, yet she didn¡¯t even feel a sense of guilt and shame at all. She had raised an ungrateful and vicious person ah! These years, she had treated this niece of hers too well and raised this thirteen year old girl to be too ambitious and greedy!


    Xia Furong hastily said, ¡°Although Aunt and I don¡¯t have a mother and daughter rtionship, we have feelings that are akin to a pair of mother and daughter. Niece has always been grateful within my heart...¡±


    With a voice that was like heavy water, Lady Fang interjected, ¡°You¡¯re right about that. After all, we¡¯re not mother and daughter. Your surname is Xia, not Fang! Everything that belongs to the Fang Family has nothing to do with you in the future! You have to be clear about this!¡±


    The was finally a change in Xia Furong¡¯splexion. With a pale face, she stammered, ¡°Why did Aunt say that? Niece has never dared to have such wishful thinking...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you know it¡¯s wishful thinking!! Xiaocao is the goddaughter that I recognized. If the Fang Family doesn¡¯t have any descendants in the future, all of the Fang Family¡¯s properties will belong to her! As for you, you¡¯re merely a rtive from the Xia Family who¡¯s temporarily staying at the Fang Family¡¯s house, and that¡¯s all! What rights do you have topare with Xiaocao?¡± Lady Fang was obviously very familiar with the infighting of the inner courts; she directly attacked the vulnerability of the opponent.


    After all, Xia Furong was just a teenage girl. She couldn¡¯t control the anger in her heart anymore. The expression on her face became ferocious, ¡°Why! Aunt, I have apanied you for so many years. Am I not better than a peasant girl who you have only known for less than half a year? Aunt, think about it. Who was the one beside you when you were lonely during these past few years? Who was the one by your side when you were sick? Who was the one who acted silly to cheer you up when you were sad? What¡¯s so good about this stupid girl of humble origin? Why are all of you treating her so well and doing so much for her? I can¡¯t ept this!! How is she better than me??¡±


    After her niece revealed her true colors, Lady Fang still looked calm and indifferent. The indifference in her eyes gradually stopped Xia Furong¡¯s mor.


    Lady Fang sighed and said, ¡°Furong, you seem to have forgotten what your parents said when I brought you over. You are only a ¡®pastime¡¯ they gave me. If you didn¡¯t do the things you just mentioned, do you think that there¡¯s still any value in you staying in the Fang Household?¡±


    ¡°Older... Older Aunt!¡± Xia Furong¡¯s face was full of disbelief. She never thought that her aunt, who had loved and doted on her, would say such hurtful words.


    With a face of remorse, Lady Fang continued, ¡°Perhaps, over the years, I have been so kind to you that you have forgotten your duty and identity. Did you always wanted to be the young miss of the Fang Family? Think about it. If I wanted to ept you as my daughter, I would have fulfilled your wish many years ago! Why would I wait until now?¡±


    The bubble of hope within Xia Furong¡¯s heart had been burst, and her heart was filled with despair. She rushed towards Xiaocao like a crazy woman, but got pushed away by Fang Zizhen and fell heavily on the ground. She cried in despair, ¡°Why? Why!! How am I inferior to her? What exactly is so good about her...¡±


    Lady Fang looked at her with pity and slowly said, ¡°She may not be as beautiful as you, nor does she have your elegance and poise... but there¡¯s one thing that you can neverpare with her. Because she is purer and more genuine than you! Her heart is cleaner than yours!!¡±


    Xia Furong crawled over, clung onto Lady Fang¡¯s leg, and shouted, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s all Zixiang¡¯s idea. It has nothing to do with me ah, Aunt!!¡±

 Chapter 206 – Diving

    <h4>Chapter 206 ¨C Diving</h4>


    Lady Fang looked down at her and slowly shook her head, ¡°Furong, you really disappoint me! It seems like, after bringing you up for all these years, I still wasn¡¯t able to get rid of the things that you have learned from the Xia Family... I shouldn¡¯t have let you go back to the Xia Family so often. At the Xia Residence, your parents frequently inculcated the idea that ¡®everything in the Fang Family will be yours in the future¡¯, right? As a result, you want to remove all the obstacles that is obstructing your path to achieve your goal, right?¡±


    ¡°Auntie...¡± Xia Furong was still trying to put up ast-ditch fight.


    Lady Fang blocked her with one sentence, ¡°Furong, do you think Aunt is stupid? The maidservant merely receives a few hundred copper coins in a month, how would she be able to take out two hundred taels of silver to help her master vent her anger?¡±


    Xia Furong¡¯s voice stopped abruptly and herplexion was gray with defeat. Xia Furong naturally ended up being sent back to the oppressive Xia Family. Since she was abandoned, she naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to live well. After she reached adulthood, she was married off to a high-ranking official¡¯s stupid son. She was unhappy in that marriage and died before she reached the age of thirty.


    When she was in despair, she would often recall back to the mistake she had made that night, and her heart would always be full of deep remorse. If she wasn¡¯t muddle-headed by jealousy, then she would¡¯ve still been the niece that her aunt doted on. As long as she was well-behaved, her aunt would¡¯ve arranged a good marriage for her and prepared a considerable amount of dowry. She would¡¯ve a husband who loved her and respected her. She would give birth to a group of cute babies... At the time of her death, Xia Furong seemed to have seen a different life...


    When Yu Xiaocao reappeared in front of the vigers of Dongshan Vige after the case was over, the vigers looked as if they had seen a ghost. Wasn¡¯t the Yu Family¡¯s second daughter buried in a mass grave? How could she still be alive? Could it be that she still has a grudge, so that her deceased soul has not yet dispersed?


    After she scared another group of little girls in the vige to tears, Yu Hai and Fang Zizhen had no choice but to go to each and every family to exin the situation to them. They exined that Xiaocao had encountered bandits and was rescued by the second son of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. In order to draw out the people from behind the scene, she had feigned death...


    After the vigers understood the matter, they all sighed and were very happy that Xiaocao was alright. Only Madam Zhang secretly cursed in her heart, saying that Xiaocao was a scourge who wouldn¡¯t die in a thousands of years...


    The days passed by one by one, and it was already midsummer. There weren¡¯t many children in the fishing vige who didn¡¯t know how to swim. When the tide was low, one could always see a few heads bobbing up and down in the water, just like a nimble little dolphin.


    Yu Xiaocao learned to swim in her previous life. There was arge pond in the vige, and in the summer, children liked to jump into the pond and y while the adults watched over them. After a while, everyone liked to dog paddle a few times in the pond. Sometimes, the adults also liked to swim back and forth inside the pond, or they would give their children some pointers in regards to swimming. In her previous life, Xiaocao¡¯s father was one of the best swimmers when he was young. Xiaocao and her younger siblings had learned their swimming skills from him.


    Unconsciously, it had already been a year since she transmigrated. Everything in her past life was gradually fading from Xiaocao¡¯s heart, only an evesting imprint was left behind deep within her heart. The most important thing was to cherish her current life. She should live in the moment and cherish the things in front of her.


    ¡°Xiaolian, Xiaocao! Let¡¯s go diving in the sea to catch abalone. We would be able to receive a few taels of silver if we catch a high-quality abalone!¡± Zhou Shanhu bounced in from outside and opened her outer garment mysteriously, showing Xiaocao and her sister the diving suit she was wearing.


    The Great Ming Dynasty had greatly improved the status of women which had also impacted the small fishing vige of Dongshan Vige. No one would say anything if a young girl went to the sea wearing a tight diving suit before she reached adulthood. Thus, it wasmon for a little girl like Zhou Shanhu to have her own diving suit.


    The diving suit was simr to the one-piece wetsuit in her previous life. It was usually made of sea fish skin, jellyfish skin, or shark skin. It was waterproof and warm in the sea. However, the method to making them had been lost inter generations. Xiaocao was very interested in the diving suit, so she touched it again and again.


    Zhou Shanhu proudly said, ¡°My father just bought me this diving suit this year. The diving suits made from sea fish skin is only worth barely a few taels of silver. I wonder how many taels of silver would be needed to make one from jellyfish or shark skin? Xiaocao, your father is the best at hunting sharks, why don¡¯t you ask him to make you one?¡±


    Xiaolian smiled and said, ¡°Younger Sister, Father secretly made me a sharkskin diving suit for mest year. If you like, you can try it on.¡±


    As the weather got warmer, it was harder to preserve meat dishes, so they stopped selling braised food. As a result, Xiaolian had been home doing nothing for the past two days, which was something that she wasn¡¯t used it. She had been thinking about asking Xiaocao to help here up with another business, so that she would be able to earn some money to spend.


    In order to cultivate his children¡¯s independence, Yu Hai decided to allow his children to run their own business. All the money they earn would belong to themselves. For example, all the money Yu Hang earned from collecting seafood and Xiaolian earned from selling braised dishes all belong to them. Although they may still be young, they both have a considerable amount of money saved up!


    However, the two of them were used to giving their younger sister the money they earned. So Xiaocao helped them opened a bank ount. When she received a hundred taels from them, she would deposit it into their bank ount. Whenever the siblings got together to talk about their savings, Little Shitou would noisilyin that everyone was earning money, and that only he had money going out but not in. He was very frustrated and believed that he was the most useless one of his siblings!


    Yu Xiaocaoforted him, ¡°Shitou, you are the one with the most prospect in our family. In the future, the one earning the most will be you! Think about it, no matter how much money we make, we¡¯re still little ants that can be easily crushed in the eyes of those influential officials. If you study hard and be a big official in the future, wouldn¡¯t you be able to shelter your older brother and sisters? You are now at the investment stage, so you will receive the returns in the future!¡±


    Her reasoning allowed Little Shitou to stop thinking about running a small business after school. In order to not make Little Shitou feel left out, Xiaocao also helped him open a bank ount and would deposit ten taels of silver into his bank ount each month. Little Shitou knew that his second sister was the richest person in the family. She received dividends from Zhenxiu Restaurant and Zhou Family¡¯s factories, and she also received rent from two of the shops in town. She was a wealthy littledy, so he didn¡¯t refuse it.


    After Xiaocao heard that there was a sharkskin diving suit at home, her heart felt itchy and she urged Xiaolian to take it out for her to try. Although Xiaocao had grown in the past year, her current height wasn¡¯t much different from Xiaolian¡¯s heightst year. Xiaolian¡¯s diving suit fromst year was a perfect fit for her.


    Xiaolian watched as her younger sister put the diving suit over her undergarments and then put her outer garment over it. Seeing how eager she was, she quickly tugged her and said, ¡°Younger Sister, you haven¡¯t learned to swim yet. Just stand by the edge of the water, don¡¯t enter the water!¡±


    Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about swimming? I¡¯m so smart, so how can such a trifling matter stop me? You¡¯ll see.¡±


    Xiaolian didn¡¯t feel relieved at all. After she bid her mother goodbye, she followed behind Xiaocao and Shanhu as the two of them chattered. The three of them arrived at a secluded ce by the sea.


    Zhou Shanhu looked around and saw that there was no one else around, so she took off her outer garment, plunged into the sea, and swam far away. Her swimming skills was not bad. After she wiped away the water on her face she waved her hand towards Xiaocao and shouted, ¡°Xiaocao, don¡¯t be afraid! The water isn¡¯t deep here, you can descend into the water bit by bit!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took off her outer garment and stuffed it in Xiaolian¡¯s hands. She smiled and said, ¡°There won¡¯t be any problems. You can watch over me by the shore. If something goes wrong, you cane in and fish me up!¡±


    Xiaolian reluctantly sat by the reef on the shore as she watched her younger sister slowly descend into the sea. The sea right now was very gentle, and there were clear ripples on the surface of the blue sea. Although it was morning, the two girls didn¡¯t feel cold at all while wearing their diving suits.


    ¡°Younger Sister, don¡¯t go further in, you don¡¯t know how to swim...¡± When Xiaolian saw that only Xiaocao¡¯s head appeared on the surface of the water, she quickly stood up and shouted loudly towards Xiaocao. However, her voice came to an abrupt stop and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Xiaocao¡¯s adept swimming style. Was her younger sister a genius? How was she able to learn without a teacher?


    After having already swam a circle, Zhou Shanhu swan closer Xiaocao¡¯s side for fear that an ident might ur since this was her first time in the water. But after she saw Xiaocao¡¯s skilled dog-paddle, she smiled and said, ¡°Xiaolian said that you don¡¯t know how to swim. She¡¯s worrying over nothing! Aren¡¯t you pretty good at swimming? There aren¡¯t many people here, so I think we should be able to find some abalone at the bottom of the sea. Let¡¯s swim a little further before diving!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao followed Zhou Shanhu as they swam further into the sea. Suddenly, Zhou Shanhu plunged into the sea and there wasn¡¯t any movement from her after a long time. Xiaocao panicked and busily buried her head into the sea to figure out where Zhou Shanhu was. Although she could swim, she didn¡¯t know how to dive. After fluttering about for a while, she still couldn¡¯t dive in.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± A burst ofughter could be heard, Xiaocao quickly lifted her head up. Zhou Shanhu had appeared not far from where she was. One of her hand was holding a dark sea cucumber, while she used her other hand to point her finger at her,ughing until tears was about toe out.


    Yu Xiaocao swam to her side and sshed some seawater at her face. She angrily said, ¡°What¡¯s so funny? I just don¡¯t know how to dive, teach me quickly!¡±


    ¡°Your appearance from before looked exactly like a drowning duck as you fluttered about. It was so funny! Haha...¡± Zhou Shanhu let out another burst ofughter.


    Yu Xiaocao waited for her to finishedughing before she modestly asked her to teach her how to dive. Zhou Shanhu had good diving skills, and she was also apetent little teacher. Yu Xiaocao was also a fast learner, and soon mastered the trick to diving. With one plunge, she was able to reach all the way to the bottom of the sea.


    Zhou Shanhu looked as if she had suffered a blow, ¡°It¡¯s true that ¡®once a disciple has learned, the master will starve¡¯! If you pick a high-quality abaler, don¡¯t forget to give me a bonus!¡± After she finished speaking, she held her breath and plunged into the water. The little girl¡¯s diving skill was pretty good. This time, she went down for two to three minutes before she resurfaced again.


    Yu Xiaocao waved her hand at Xiaolian, who was on the shore, and then she took a deep breath and dived down. The sea was clear and transparent and the reefs at the bottom of the sea was clearly visible. asionally, a multicolored fish would swim pass the reef, and a small sea crab was startled by her that it drilled itself into the sand. Xiaocao was amazed by this interesting scene. She lingered at the bottom of the water until she couldn¡¯t hold her breath anymore. Then, she would push herself up and rush to the surface of the sea.

 Chapter 207 – Collapse

    <h4>Chapter 207 ¨C Copse</h4>


    Zhou Shanhu¡¯s small head appeared after it copsed for a while. She shouted towards Xiaocao, ¡°How is it? Did you harvest anything?¡±


    Xiaocao shook her head and disappointingly said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing!¡±


    Zhou Shanhu smiled andforted her, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯re too close to the sea, so there¡¯s nothing good around here. Other people are professional divers, so they can submerge underwater for several minutes. Do you want to look further in?


    Xiaolian continued to gather goose barnacles by the shore when she saw that her younger sister¡¯s swimming skills were very good, and that Zhou Shanhu was looking after her too. Younger Sister seemed to like to eat goose barnacles with soup. After their family separated from the main branch, she didn¡¯t have any time to gather seafood, so she rarely had the chance to eat the seafood soup made by her younger sister! Xiaolian put her younger sister¡¯s outer garment on the dry reef to dry, then she stooped over and busied herself.


    Xiaocao had gradually swam into the depths of the sea, but her ability to hold her breath wasn¡¯t that great. She often had toe up to take a breath when she had just reached the seafloor. She felt very discouraged because she had busied herself for a long time, yet she still didn¡¯t get any harvest.


    The little divine stone¡¯s mocking voice suddenly appeared in her mind, [I reckon that even if you dawdled until dusk like this, you probably still won¡¯t get any harvest. Do you want this Divine Stone to help you out?]


    Xiaocao was somewhat exhausted as she treaded water and asked impatiently, ¡°No kidding! If you were able to help, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier rather than watching me from the sidelines?¡±


    [What¡¯s with your attitude? This Divine Stone is unhappy, I¡¯m not helping anymore!] The little divine stone proudly and lovably snorted, giving off an unhappy appearance.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to help me, then don¡¯t! I don¡¯t care!¡± Xiaocao didn¡¯t try to please its temper! Who was the master in this rtionship? She took a deep breath in and dove underwater again.


    The little divine stone was speechless for a long time by her words, it really wanted to just wash its hands of her and ignore her. However, it had reached a bottleneck at a critical point right now. If the little divine stone helped its master, then it could absorb the spiritual powers from heaven and earth, recovering its full power!


    Although the little divine stone was still angry, it still helped Xiaocao. The little divine stone condensed a protective screen of spiritual power around Xiaocao¡¯s body. It seemed as if she was wrapped in a transparent bubble, the seawater couldn¡¯t get close to her and the pressure from the surrounding water disappeared instantly.


    Xiaocao held her breath and looked at the magical scene happening in front of her, it seemed as if she had entered a fantasy world. The transparent bubble slowly sank down, the cute little fish in the surrounding curiously swam toward her. They gently touched the spiritual barrier with their mouth, but it seemed as if they had touched a transparent film, they could see it but could not enter it.


    Xiaocao was so entranced at that moment that she forgot to breathe, and her face turned red. She thought that she should hurriedly go up and to take a breath when the little divine stone¡¯s annoying voice appeared again, [You¡¯re so stupid! You can breathe freely in my spiritual barrier. s... why do I have such a stupid master? Forget it, go and suffocate to death!]


    Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her mind and tentatively breathed in. Sure enough, fresh air filled her lungs and her stuffy chest. She extended her hand out of the bubble-shaped spiritual barrier and discovered that she wasn¡¯t obstructed by the barrier. She looked around and tried using her mind to control the bubble to float toward where a fat sea cucumber was. Just as she thought, she had quickly arrived next to the sea cucumber. As soon as she reached out, she caught the squirming sea cucumber.


    ¡°The size of this sea cucumber is pretty big, so the grade of this product should be good. We finally got some harvest.¡± Xiaocao put the sea cucumber into the bamboo basket tied around her waist and advanced further into the depth of the ocean.


    However, in order not to worry Xiaolian who was at the shore, she would asionally emerge from the sea to breathe and then descend into the sea again. Thanks to the little divine stone¡¯s spiritual barrier, her speed was no longer hindered by the sea, so she was much more agile now.


    The little divine stone had nothing to do, so it guided Xiaocao to capture the more valuable seafood like sea cucumbers, abalone, and armored lobsters...these all became goods in Xiaocao¡¯s basket.


    The seafloor was like a big treasure field that had yet to be exploited by humans as itpletely presented itself in front of Yu Xiaocao. The bamboo basket on Xiaocao¡¯s waist was rtively small, so it couldn¡¯t hold much. She began picking and choosing on the ocean floor. One moment she disliked this sea cucumber for being too small and another moment she disliked this lobster for not being fat enough. She specially picked only the best quality seafood. If other people knew that the things they¡¯ve wished for but couldn¡¯t get was being discarded like trash, Xiaocao likely would have received a multitude of res!


    Just as the bamboo basket she brought could no longer hold anymore, a distant group of huge, dark shadows swam towards her. Xiaocao was shocked and thought that she had encountered a group of sharks. She was about to run away when she was teased by the little divine stone: [Why are you running? You really are a coward! It¡¯s a pod of dolphins, they are very docile, and they won¡¯t hurt people!]


    Dolphins? She had only watched dolphin performances on television before and knew that they were adorable sea creatures. She floated quietly at the bottom of the sea as she looked at the shadows in the distance. Sure enough, when the group of ck shadows approached, she finally saw their appearance: their bodies were glossy and bright with a graceful physique, their movements were light and quick, and their snouts were bent into a curve like they were smiling.


    The dolphins seemed to be very interested in her, and they swam around her. There was a cute little blue dolphin that lightly bumped its head against her just like a child asking for a caress.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled lightly and reached out to touch the little dolphin who wasn¡¯t afraid of people. The little creature didn¡¯t dodge away from her touch, and it gently pecked her palm with its mouth. The ticklish feeling made Xiaocao smile.


    Xiaocao changed the shape of the spiritual barrier so that it clung onto her body like a second skin, while allowing it to supply her with oxygen. She wrapped her arm around the little dolphin¡¯s body, and the little dolphin brought her along to travel freely around the seafloor. The scenery at the bottom of the sea was unobstructed through the transparent barrier.


    There were various kinds of corals on the seabed reef. Some of them looked like red antlers, some looked like pink flowers, and others looked like purple cactuses... there were all kinds of colors and shapes that one would¡¯ve never imagined. The sight of the coral dazzled Xiaocao¡¯s eyes.


    All kinds of small fishes shuttled around Xiaocao. Some of the fishes were covered in multicolored stripes, some were wearing a red hat, some looked like military gs in Beijing operas, and some looked like a round hedgehog... they all surrounded her, refusing to leave.


    With the help of the little dolphin, she became a guest of the sea. As she enjoyed the scenery around the seafloor, she had picked up many high-quality abalones and now had arge harvest.


    Xiaocao was ying happily with the dolphin and she forgot the time. After Xiaolian dug a lot of goose barnacles and was prepared to head home for lunch, she looked at the sea. Besides Zhou Shanhu asionally floating to the surface of the sea, there was no movement from her younger sister for a long time.


    The wicker basket in Xiaolian¡¯s hand fell onto the ground and she threw herself into the sea without wearing a diving suit; she crazily swam in the sea. Xiaolian¡¯s swimming skills were pretty good, so in a short time, she reached Zhou Shanhu. When Zhou Shanhu revealed herself from the water, she was caught by Xiaolian.


    ¡°Did you see my younger sister? When was thest time you saw her?¡± Xiaolian¡¯s voice was trembling as she urgently asked.


    Zhou Shanhu was rmed; she looked around and saw that the sea was calm. She thought about it and said, ¡°I think thest time I saw her was about half an hour ago. When I surfaced from the water, I thought that we had just missed each other, so I didn¡¯t pay much attention...¡±


    Xiaolian¡¯splexion was deathly white and said in a sobbing tone, ¡°I looked around for a quarter of an hour and I didn¡¯t see my younger sister surface from the water. She... something must¡¯ve happened to her! I deserve to die; I shouldn¡¯t have been digging for goose barnacles. This is the first time that my younger sister went into the sea, I should¡¯ve been watching attentively over her the entire time so that if anything went wrong, I could immediately search for her in the sea. What should I do now? I don¡¯t even know when the ident happened... no, I have to look for her...¡±


    Zhou Shanhu also lost her head. The sea was so big, and they didn¡¯t know where and when the ident happened, how could they find her? Each year, it was not known how many people had been swallowed up by the sea.


    ¡°Xiaolian, don¡¯t be too anxious. Maybe Xiaocao had just swum to somece further... look! There is a shadow that looks like a person, let¡¯s go see if it¡¯s Xiaocao!¡± Zhou Shanhu was pleasantly surprised when she found a small head popping up from the water in the distance. After a moment, it dived into the water again.


    A spark of hope was ignited in Xiaolian¡¯s heart. She tried to calm herself down; she couldn¡¯t panic because her younger sister was still waiting for her to find her!


    The two worked hard and swam in the direction of the ce where the shadow had surfaced.


    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you the little girl from Dongshan Vige that sells braised food? Why didn¡¯t you wear a diving suit before you entered the sea?¡± Xiaolian was disappointed to find that it was a teenager with dark skin and a handsome appearance.


    Xiaolian burst into tears, ¡°Younger Sister! Something must¡¯ve happened to my younger sister. If something happened to her, then I don¡¯t want to live either! Wah...¡±


    The youth looked at Xiaolian as he was at a loss as to what to do. Could it be that he said something wrong and made this little girl cry?


    ¡°You... don¡¯t cry! Do you need me to help with anything?¡± The young man asked with concern while frowning.


    Zhou Shanhu was sobbing beside her, ¡°Her younger sister had been diving with me, but she has yet to surface from the water for a long time. Have you seen a little girl that looks a lot like her?¡±


    The suntanned youth¡¯s expression became solemn. He slowly shook his head and said, ¡°This ce is rtively remote, so there are only a few people whoe here. I didn¡¯t see anyone else besides the two of you. But... don¡¯t cry, I¡¯ll help you look for her. Maybe she had swam to somece further away!¡±


    ¡°My younger sister... this is her first time diving. She had never learned how to swim before... I deserve to die. Why didn¡¯t I stay beside her and watch over her? Wu wu...¡± Xiaolian gasped for breath as she cried.


    The suntanned youth¡¯s heart sank even further. If it was her first time diving, then she definitely wouldn¡¯t have swum too far. It wasn¡¯t a good sign if she hadn¡¯t surfaced from the water for a while. But seeing the two crying little girls in front of him, the young man stillforted them, ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore. I¡¯ll look around nearby, maybe I¡¯ll find something. You... can just wait here...¡±


    The little girl had cried until her eyes were swollen. If she dove into the water like this, it was hard to guarantee that an ident wouldn¡¯t happen. Only after he let the other little girl watch over her did he begin swimming into the distance. He dove again and again into the water, looking for the little girl.


    It was already half an hourter when Yu Xiaocao realized that she had stayed underwater for too long. The little dolphin seemed to have perceived her intentions, using its back to help her float to the surface. It let out an ¡°ahh¡ª¡ª¡± sound, it seemed as if it was urging her to stay.

 Chapter 208 – The Glitter of Energy

    <h4>Chapter 208 ¨C The Glitter of Energy</h4>


    Xiaocao discovered that she had already drifted far away from her original position. She grinned at her new friend and said, ¡°Xiaobu, can you carry me along?¡± ¡®Xiaobu¡¯ was the name that she had given to the little dolphin.


    With the little divine stone providing the directions and the little dolphin speeding her along, Xiaocao appeared in the line of Xiaolian¡¯s sight just as the other girl was going to copse from shock.


    ¡°Look! What¡¯s that? It¡¯s not a shark, right?¡± Zhou Shanhu shouted with surprise. She was the first to spot a dark shadow cruising along in the distance.


    The extremely tan youth, Zhuang Xiaomo, gazed in that direction as he squinted his eyes to carefully look. He shook his head and replied, ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like a shark. In the water, sharks have a triangr shaped fin that pops out. That shadow...it looks like a person to me, however...the speed and the positioning of that shadow doesn¡¯t resemble a person swimming. It¡¯s quite strange!!¡±


    Zhou Shanhu felt as if her mind was exploding as she eximed, ¡°Then what you¡¯re saying...could it be a mermaid? Don¡¯t the legends all say that mermaids swim very fast in the ocean?¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo looked at her as if she was a crazy person and scoffed, ¡°The legends also say that mermaids only appear in the moonlight, sing tantalizing songs to tempt people, and fog their minds...¡±


    ¡°Little...Little Sister!!¡± The sound of Yu Xiaolian¡¯s gleeful shout suddenly interrupted the dispute between the two. They both looked over with astonishment at the figure that was speeding over. Sure enough, it was Yu Xiaocao, who had been missing for the past hour. She was still quite a distance away, so they couldn¡¯t tell just what exactly she was lying on. However, the object was swimming quite quickly.


    ¡°Xiaolian! Shanhu¡ª¡ª¡± The sound of her voice echoed from the distance. Yu Xiaocao had one arm around the little dolphin¡¯s dorsal fin while the other arm was forcefully waving in the air.


    Zhou Shanhu swam forward a few strokes and screamed in excitement, ¡°Ah! Xiaocao is riding a fish!! Xiaolian, are you sure that your younger sister isn¡¯t the daughter of the Dragon King of the ocean? Otherwise, how could a fish listen to hermands?¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo looked at the little girl, who was riding a dolphin through the choppy waves in the distance. He couldn¡¯t help but be a bit stunned by the sight. Goodness gracious! This little girl absolutely wasn¡¯t an ordinary little girl. Otherwise, how could she manage to tame a free and unconstrained dolphin?


    Tears of gratitude pooled within Yu Xiaolian¡¯s eyes. She swam forward towards her younger sister¡¯s direction with great effort. The little dolphin¡¯s speed was quite astonishing and, within moments, it arrived in front of the other three children. The creature was a bit timid and stopped outside touching distance of them as it opened its mouth to make a few whistling noises.


    Yu Xiaocao softly stroked its slippery head and soothed, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, they won¡¯t hurt you. Thank you, Xiaobu!¡±


    She slid off the dolphin¡¯s back and swam over to Xiaolian. Her sister firmly knocked a fist on her head. The other girl reprimanded her, ¡°Who told you to swim so far? If something happened to you, how was I supposed to inform our parents and your godparents ah? In my opinion, bringing you along to swim in the ocean was the worst idea I¡¯ve ever had!!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao noticed Xiaolian¡¯s eyes were red with emotion and seemed quite angry, she hurriedly cated her sister, ¡°Xiaolian, don¡¯t be angry. In the future, I won¡¯t dare to do this again. I was so busy having fun with Xiaobu that I lost track of time. I promise I won¡¯t do this again. Just forgive me this one time ah!¡±


    Zhou Shanhu nced at the little dolphin again, who was gleefully swimming back and forth nearby. Her eyes glistened with excitement as she remarked somewhat enviously, ¡°Xiaocao, is Xiaobu the name of that little dolphin? It¡¯s so cute ah! You¡¯re too amazing, you even know how to tame a small dolphin! Quickly teach me, just how did you manage to do it?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao ignored her as she continued to soothe Xiaolian¡¯s ruffled feathers. Finally, she managed to tease her sister intoughing. Xiaocao secretly wiped the invisible sweat that was on her forehead. Normally, Xiaolian also had a temper, but she usually never revealed it around her.


    Zhou Shanhu continued to pester her in an attempt to get the secrets to taming a little dolphin. Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes wide and looked at the other girl innocently. She vaguely replied, ¡°What? We have to tame them? Ah, but Xiaobu came over itself to y with me. Xiaobu is a dolphin that likes humans, it¡¯s very obedient and sweet!¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo and Zhou Shanhu both had a ¡®you¡¯re trying to trick us¡¯ expression on their faces. Although dolphins had mild personalities, they were quite cautious and only watched ships in the sea from far away. Naturally, the older generation had once told stories of dolphins saving drowning people but they hadn¡¯t heard of anyone actually having an encounter with them.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, that¡¯s okay! Xiaobue over and greet everyone.¡± Yu Xiaocao waved her hand and the little dolphin, who was drifting about on the side, cheerfully swam over towards her. It used its snout to gently touch her wrist. As if it could understand what she was saying, it straightened up in the water and waved one flipper towards Zhou Shanhu and the others.


    ¡°Wow! Xiaobu is too cute!! I almost want to raise one for a pet!!¡± Zhou Shanhu carefully came closer to the dolphin and, when she saw that the creature didn¡¯t reject her presence, she tried to gently use her hand to pet its back. The little dolphin cleverly stayed next to Xiaocao and allowed the other kids to touch it.


    Yu Xiaocao gently rubbed the little fellow¡¯s head with the hand that had the mystic stone and a bit of spiritual power slowly poured into the animal¡¯s body. The little dolphin¡¯s eyes lit up and became even more close with Xiaocao.


    Xiaolian watched the interactions between her younger sister and the dolphin and felt even more certain that her younger sister wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. Could it be...possible that she was the reincarnation of a little immortal girl?


    Zhuang Xiaomo also came up to touch the dolphin. As he felt the animal¡¯s glossy skin, he spoke to Zhou Shanhu, ¡°Dolphins are considered creatures of the ocean, so they can only live freely in the deep waters. Keeping a dolphin as a pet isn¡¯t necessarily a good thing for the animal...¡±


    Xiaocao gave the tanned youngster a look of approval as she asked hesitantly, ¡°Xiaolian, he is...¡±


    Zhou Shanhu interjected talkatively, ¡°He ah! His name is Zhuang Xiaomo and he lives in Wuliu Vige. He¡¯s one of the diving experts I was talking about earlier. He can hold his breath underwater for around seven to eight minutes and is quite famous in the nearby viges.¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo grinned at her honestly and replied, ¡°I know of you two sisters. At the docks, your braised food is very famous. I haven¡¯t seen you at the docks these past couple of days, are you not doing the business anymore?¡±


    Whenever she spoke about her own business, Xiaolian couldn¡¯t help but reveal a proud smile, ¡°The weather¡¯s gotten hot, so it¡¯s hard to keep meat from spoiling. After the hottest day of the year passes, then we¡¯ll decide! My little sister and I are both discussing whether there are any other opportunities we can take in the summer. Ideally we¡¯d sell something that fills the stomach while cooling a person off...¡±


    When Xiaocao noticed that there was a bit of exhaustion on Xiaolian¡¯s face, she hurriedly smiled and said, ¡°If there¡¯s anything we need to talk about, we can do it on shore. What¡¯s the point in bringing ourselves any longer in the water?¡±


    The little dolphin lingered behind her reluctantly. Xiaocao turned her head around and waved a hand at it, ¡°Xiaobu, go back home! In the future, I¡¯ll frequently go into the water to find you!!¡±


    The little dolphin rubbed its head on her a few times, flicked its tail, and swiftly swam back toward deeper waters. That little human girl had a smell on her that was just too irresistible. It really wanted to stay next to her forever. It was a pity that humans had to live onnd and it couldn¡¯t leave the water, so sad...


    When they arrived on the nearby reef, Xiaolian¡¯s clothes werepletely wet and clung to her body. Zhuang Xiaomo turned around with a red face. Xiaocao pulled Xiaolian into a nearby area that was a bit more hidden and had her sister change into her clothes. She then wrung Xiaolian¡¯s clothes dry and draped them over her swimsuit.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this?¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that there was a lot of red-purple vegetation floating in the nearby water by the reefs. To her, it somewhat resembled a type of seaweed she had eaten in her previous life at a restaurant. But that couldn¡¯t be right, wasn¡¯t this type of seaweed only found growing on rocks deep in the ocean? How did it end up floating all the way up to the surface?


    Xiaolian bent over to scoop some up and looked at it herself. She shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s some type of sea vegetation. Not sure if it¡¯s edible or not...¡±


    They didn¡¯t know when Zhuang Xiaomo came over to look but he also looked at the vegetation and said, ¡°That should be red marine algae. It¡¯s edible! You can season it with some salt and vinegar, and it tastes pretty good that way! However, you rarely see it in shallow waters. Having so much here is a bit weird!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was already definitively sure that this dark purple seaweed was Gelidium amansii, also known as red marine algae. Her eyes lit up and an idea immediately popped into her head. In her previous life, she had sold starch jelly in her shop and had especially looked for recipes online to make it from scratch.


    Among all of the recipes she found, there was one type that used red marine algae as its raw ingredient. The process was quite simple. The algae had to be simmered over low heat for a few hours until all of the seaweed melted into a liquid. After it cooled, the mixture would solidify into a semi-transparent jelly consistency. However, red marine algae only grew in the deep sea, and it was quite troublesome to harvest. Thus, itmanded a high price at the markets, so she ended up renouncing her idea to make marine starch jelly and decided to use sweet potato starch and mung bean starch as the raw ingredients instead.


    She also felt that it was somewhat strange to see so much red marine algae out on the open water. It grew in deep waters, so how could so much appear near the shoreline? In the past, she had also never seen such a phenomenon either. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. All of this was the raw ingredients for her to make a lot of money, and it was all free. If she didn¡¯t take advantage of it, she¡¯d be silly!


    ¡°Xiaolian, I have a use for this red marine algae. Let¡¯s gather as much as we can before we go home ah! Shanhu, could you help us get a few baskets?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes sparkled as she stared at the red marine algae.


    Zhou Shanhu readily agreed and bolted off quickly. Since Xiaocao said that there was a use for the red marine algae, then she absolutely had thought of another method to create something new to eat. If she helped Xiaocao to harvest more, then Xiaocao would definitely treat her fairly as she had a generous personality. Once the thought of eating a new delicacy surfaced in her mind, Zhou Shanhu ran even faster.


    Harvesting red marine algae wasn¡¯t difficult at all. That was because in the shallow waters, it was quite easy to recognize and all they needed to do was to bend down and pick it up. The red marine algae had a deep purple color and glistened gently in the light. Although it was a ¡®vegetable¡¯, it looked more like a shiny, beautiful coral specimen instead. It also resembled a shrunken version of tree canopies as the tiny branches intertwined with each other. The resulting pattern didn¡¯t look at all messy and instead resembled a mane of beautiful hair.


    Once someone grabbed a handful, it seemed to shimmer gently in the air. The algae was flexible yet strong. If you cut off a ¡®branch¡¯ it felt very tender and soft, as if you could probably hear it ¡®tinkle¡¯ as it fractured. A careful look at the cut part would reveal that the inside was a milky white color. The nutritious colloids of red marine algae were all hidden within the pure milky centers.


    When Zhou Shanhu came back with a few baskets, Fang Zizhen and Yu Hang had also followed her from behind. Fang Zizhen hade back from the docks earlier and noticed that his goddaughter wasn¡¯t at home at noon. He was just about to go out and find her when he ran into Shanhu, who was carrying a few baskets from home. For Yu Hang, noon was also the most leisurely time of the seafood wholesale business, so he also came over to bring the baskets to his sister.

 Chapter 209 – Starch Jelly

    <h4>Chapter 209 ¨C Starch Jelly</h4>


    By the time the rest of them arrived, the twin sisters and Zhuang Xiaomo, who was freebor, had already picked up arge pile of red marine algae.


    Fang Zizhen and Yu Hang always followed Xiaocao¡¯smands without any hesitation. The two of them ced the gathered seaweed into their baskets and hauled it back home. They then ran back to help the children gather more algae. Yu Xiaocao was so excited from picking up seaweed that she had even forgotten to eat lunch.


    Today¡¯s harvest was quite good! Satisfaction bloomed within Xiaocao¡¯s heart as she looked at the bamboo baskets bursting full of seaweed that were neatly lined up in the courtyard. If only red marine algae could be harvested on a regr basis, then she would really make bank!


    Fang Zizhen was busy shoving the delicious and satisfying red marine algae sd into his mouth. He looked at the baskets full of seaweed and asked, ¡°Daughter, this red marine algae tastes quite good but I don¡¯t think we can use all that¡¯s been gathered ah! Even if we ate it every day for every meal for the next couple of months, we still wouldn¡¯t be able to finish all that is here!¡±


    Xiaocao had already entered the kitchen to stoke the fire. She peeked her tiny head out of the room and smiled mysteriously at Fang Zizhen, ¡°Godfather, save some room in your tummy. In a bit, there will be something deliciousing out!¡±


    Fang Zizhen rubbed at his belly and grinned, ¡°Godfather¡¯s stomach can stretch and shrink as needed. Even when it¡¯s full, I can still eat a couple more bowls. Don¡¯t worry, I will be able to taste your new food.¡±


    In fact, the process for making starch jelly was quite simple. The important part was to have a good control of the stove¡¯s heat to allow the ingredients to simmer slowly for at least four hours. Following that, once the red marine algaepletely melted into a liquid, all you needed to do was to filter any residue out and let it solidify into translucent starch jelly. Starch jelly made from algae was more clear and felt more cool than jelly made from sweet potato starch or mung bean starch. It was very simr to agar jelly. After the marine starch jelly was made, Xiaocao was nning on dressing it with garlic paste, hot chili oil, minced pickled mustard, sesame oil and some other spices. The resultingbination would definitely stoke a person¡¯s appetite.


    Yu Xiaocao was not only going to try to make marine starch jelly, but she was also going to try to make a batch of sweet potato starch jelly and mung bean starch jelly while the seaweed was simmering on the stove.


    Using mung bean starch was a bit inconvenient. First of all, the mung beans had to be soaked in water until they swelled. After soaking, they needed to be ground into a thick mung bean slurry and filtered to allow the starch to settle out. Although these steps seem easy, putting them into practice was another matter. Filtering the slurry had to be done a dozen times before you could let the starch settle. Afterwards, you also had to carefully pour out as much liquid as possible before you dried the mung bean starch under the sun. Only when the starch waspletely dry could it be used.


    Making mung bean starch jelly required using the correct proportion of starch to water. The water needed to be warmed up until it was tepid and then the starch could be added in until it was thick and viscous. A pot of clean water had to be boiled and then the sticky starch mixture had to be dropped in before agitating vigorously to prevent it from sticking to the pot and burning. Once the starch became cooked, the thick mixture had to be poured into molds simr to those used in tofu making. Then it had to cool undisturbed until solidified into its final shape.


    Most of the work involved in making mung bean starch jelly was from the consecutive filtering steps required to produce the mung bean starch. Thus, sweet potato starch jelly was much easier to make. After all, they already had a supply of ready-made sweet potato starch, whether it was in Xiaocao¡¯s home or the Zhou Family¡¯s vermicelli factory. With sweet potato starch on hand, the rest of steps to make starch jelly was pretty much the same as the ones used to make mung bean starch jelly.


    Sweet potato starch jelly had a slight red color while being translucent, resembling sparkling and icy red jadeite. Mung bean starch jelly, on the other hand, had a bright white color and was as soft as gtin. No matter what type of starch jelly it was, they were all tender and tasty and were very effective in cooling down someone and quenching thirst.


    With Xiaocao¡¯s secret dressing on top of the sparkling and translucent starch jelly, someone eating a bowl of it in the heat of summer would feel incredibly refreshed. The taste was so addictive that people wanted to eat some continuously. That evening, everyone in the Yu Family ate a bowl of the tender starch jelly. With the slightly moist sea breeze billowing around them, they felt quite satisfied and pleased.


    Xiaolian refilled her bowl again and poured the seasoning on top while smiling, ¡°Little Sister, this starch jelly is really very suitable to eat during summer! Tomorrow, let¡¯s bring some to the docks to sell. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be very popr!¡±


    Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t end up eating dinner as his belly was so stuffed that it bulged. Hemented, ¡°Daughter, what¡¯s in that little head of yours ah? Just where do all of these odd ideas of yourse from? I never would have expected that sweet potato starch and seaweed picked up from the beach could be used to make something so delicious! Haha, I must have done many good deeds in my past life in order to have such a good goddaughter like you! You really make me proud...Wife, tomorrow, when you go into town, bring some over to Princess Consort Jing and her second son. They should also get to try our daughter¡¯s food!¡±


    Fang Zizhen had always been a rough person. Under the influence of the atmosphere in Dongshan Vige, he no longer used genteel forms of address to speak to Lady Fang. Instead, he used the exact same terms that Yu Hai and the other vigers used, such as ¡®wife¡¯! However, after getting used to it, it sounded quite amiable and intimate.


    Starch jelly was quite delicious, so Lady Fang ended up eating tworge bowls despite her attempts to restrain herself. She reluctantly set down thedle and lightlyughed, ¡°You ah! Aren¡¯t you just trying to show off that you have a good daughter in front of Princess Consort Jing? I know your ways.¡±


    Fang Zizhen chuckled and didn¡¯t even bother to hide his true goal. What was the point in trying to hide the fact that he had a talented and capable daughter? He wanted everyone to know that he, Fang Zizhen, had a clever daughter who was godly at cooking!


    Xiaocao smiled brilliantly at her godfather and then continued to discuss the business of selling starch jelly with Xiaolian.


    Since they were nning on selling starch jelly, they also needed to prepare bowls and spoons for the customers. Naturally, they also needed to get a couple tables and stools as they couldn¡¯t let their customers squat on the ground to eat the food! Thus, they also needed to get a tent. It was the height of summer now and there wasn¡¯t any shade at the docks. Who would ever want to eat food under the zing sun?!


    Yu Hai, who was quietly listening to his daughters¡¯ discussion, decided to interject at this time, ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll bring the materials over and I¡¯ll craft a grass shack. As for the chopsticks, bowls, and spoons, there are shops at the docks that sell those. It¡¯s only the tables and stools that might be difficult to get on short notice!¡±


    Xiaolian suddenly thought of something and pped her hands, ¡°That¡¯s right! Grandpa Liu mentioned that his son had made a bunch of money from doing business and was nning on having him move in so he could provide for his old father! They need to sell their noodles stand to someone. If we take it over, wouldn¡¯t that solve our tables and stools problem?¡±


    Xiaocao thought for a bit and then nodded, ¡°Okay! Other than starch jelly, we can also sell cold noodles. I know a couple methods to make cold noodles, and they should taste pretty good. Tomorrow, Father can first build the awning. Grandpa Liu¡¯s grass shack doesn¡¯t let in the wind, which is fine in the winter, but in the summer, it gets a bit stuffy.¡±


    ¡°Okay! The sun is still up right now so I¡¯ll go chop down some bamboo.¡± Yu Hai was the type of person to do what he said, so he promptly stood up.


    Yu Hang followed him from behind and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go cut some long grass!¡±


    With another way to make money, Yu Xiaolian became much more exhrated and eximed in excitement, ¡°Tomorrow, let¡¯s take everything we need to the docks and shoot for an opening before noon!! That¡¯s right! Tomorrow, we should go to the docks earlier. I need to buy bowls, chopsticks, and spoons from a store and you can start making the starch jelly! Since this business is a coboration between us two, let¡¯s split the money fifty-fifty. Is that okay?¡±


    Naturally, Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t refuse the proposition. However, it was likely that she and Xiaolian wouldn¡¯t be able to handle making both the starch jelly and cold noodles. It might not be a bad idea to bring in their Eldest Maternal Aunt into the mix. Ever since the melon store closed, their eldest maternal aunt wasn¡¯t able to find a suitable job, so she would only asionally go to the docks and sell some food.


    However, now her family had a bit more breathing room. When she was helping with the melon store for over a month, she found out she had more work than she could handle, so she also brought her oldest daughter over. Once it ended, Xiaocao simply stuffed fifty taels into her hand to show her gratitude in helping with such a tough job.


    A healthy man in his prime doing hardbor in town wouldn¡¯t be able to earn one tael for a month¡¯s work. Madam Han felt that she didn¡¯t have a difficult job working in the melon shop. All she had to do was move the melons to the shelves and man the cash box. When Xiaocao gave her fifty taels for her work, she was scared and astonished. How could she possibly take that much money?


    That being said, Xiaocao¡¯s Eldest Maternal Uncle also made a lot of money from selling watermelons in the prefectural city. All of this was a result of Xiaocao¡¯s kindness and benevolence. As her family¡¯s circumstances became better, she never forgot to help them either. Liu Pei and his brother had gone back and forth to the prefectural city at least ten times in the past month.


    The first time they went to the prefectural city, they almost had an evil tyrant bully them out of their goods. Luckily, Fang Zizhen had quickly arrived to save them and caught the bully and his minions. The criminals were given to the authorities and Fang Zizhen also brought the two brothers to meet the prefectural magistrate. News traveled quickly, whether intentionally or not, among the wealthy and powerful families of the prefectural city. All of them soon knew that the Liu Brothers, who sold watermelons, were under the protection of the imperial envoy, General Fang. Naturally, from then on, no one tried to bully the two brothers with their wealth or status.


    There were a lot more people with money in the prefectural city! As soon as a wagon full of watermelons arrived at the gates of the prefectural city, all of the melons were quickly sold out to the servants of these wealthy families. Even though the watermelons cost two times more than the ones sold in Tanggu Town, their sales never slowed down.


    Within a month, the two brothers earned seven to eight hundred taels each. Prior to this, the Liu Family often didn¡¯t even have seven to eight taels to take out, let alone seven to eight hundred taels. Now that they had a ¡®monstrous sum¡¯ of money on their hands, neither of them really knew what to do with it.


    Later on, Xiaocao gave them some financial advice. The two brothers then decided to use their money to invest in the shops that were going to be built at the new harbor. Currently, more and more people were traveling through the presently crude docks. Once construction was finished on the new harbor, then real estate prices would definitely skyrocket!


    With Xiaocao¡¯s godfather around, they also didn¡¯t need to fret about whether they¡¯d be able to buy the shops in good locations. Originally, Xiaocao wanted to ask Third Young Master Zhou for help in buying the stores but she suddenly remembered she could give this task to her godfather. Her thought process was simple, ¡®With my current ie, buying ten shops wouldn¡¯t be a problem now!¡¯


    Anyway, back to the topic! Thus, Xiaocaobined her money with the rest of her family¡¯s and the next day Yu Hai took his two daughters along with two carts to the docks! Fang Zizhen rode his horse leisurely behind them. Yu Hai sat on the cart¡¯s handle as he drove the horse cart that was piled high with the construction materials needed to build a shack. Xiaocao and her sister were on the donkey cart, which was piled up with pots, bowls,dles, and basins. Baskets full of seaweed were also bnced on the cart.


    That¡¯s right, they were nning on making marine starch jelly first. After all, they didn¡¯t have to spend any money on the raw ingredients. When they finished their supply of seaweed, they could consider making sweet potato starch jelly then. Mung bean starch jelly was deemed too difficult to produce on a mass scale and it was also the most expensive method too. Thus, the two sisters decided not to use mung beans!


    Before they headed out this morning, Xiaocao especially visited the Zhou Family to have Zhou Shanhu help them pass the word along to the vige children that the Yu Family was buying red marine algae in bulk for the long term. They set the price of one copper coin per catty of seaweed and there was no limit on how much you could sell to them. Yesterday they were able to gather a dozen or so baskets full of seaweed from that one ce, so it was likely other stretches of beach also had more.


    In this season, the vige children usually had nothing to do. If they worked hard at gathering seaweed, even a half-grown child could gather more than a dozen catties of seaweed in a day. Nowadays, the people in Dongshan Vige were no longer as poor as church mice, needing to scrimp and save every copper. Thus, the adults were now able to allow their kids to have a stash of a dozen or so copper coins for pocket money. Naturally, the vige children were even more enthused at the prospect of gathering seaweed for more personal money!

 Chapter 210 – Best Seller

    <h4>Chapter 210 ¨C Best Seller</h4>


    ¡°Eh? Xiaocao, Xiaolian, you guys brought so much random stuff over, what are you trying to do?¡± Brother Six leisurely strolled over when he saw the two sisters bustling around. He was dressed in light summer robes and continuously fanned himself with his sleeve.


    After getting some pointers from Xiaocao, his business office at the docks was already in its beginning stages. He had almost a hundred dockworkers under his supervision and nearly all of the business on the docks had been dominated by him. Foreman Sun was his right-hand man. A few other friends of his, who had been with him in the past, had also been promoted to management positions. Now, the only thing Brother Six needed to do was oversee the overall situation. There was no need for him to be involved in every little thing. Thus, the person who had the most free time on the docks had to be him!


    Xiaocao had already made a batch of starch jelly at home and had also prepared all of the condiments. When she saw Brother Sixe over, she decided to make him her first guinea pig. She filled one of her numerous crude-looking porcin bowls with the hot and sour starch jelly and handed it over to him with a smile.


    Brother Six naturally took it over and looked down at the bowl filled with translucent starch jelly. The clear white jelly contrasted quite nicely with green slivers of cucumber and bright red chili oil. It was a scene that roused a person¡¯s appetites.


    After silently swallowing down a mouthful of saliva, Brother Six scooped up a bit of starch jelly with a spoon and impatiently delivered it into his mouth. The spicy and sour tastebined with the tender and fresh texture provoked his taste buds. He had been feeling a bit listless and out of sorts from the scorching hot weather. Unexpectedly, this one spoonful of starch jelly revived his appetite.


    After gobbling down arge bowl of starch jelly, Brother Six still desired to eat more. He let out a long sigh and grinned, ¡°Xiaocao, are you nning on selling this at the docks? Pretty good. It whets the appetite and is a perfect food for the summer! In fact, if you were able to use some fresh cold well water with it, it would taste even more refreshing!¡±


    This year, the summer heat had been particrly fierce and hot. They had just passed early summer, yet the temperature was as hot as if they were by an active volcano. The cruel rays of the sun made the sand on the beaches ufortably warm. Even the sea breeze that blew over was also tepid and sticky.


    These circumstances made life difficult for the dockworkers. Under the burning sun, the workersbored tiredly with sweat dripping down their bodies like rain. Those who had slightly weaker bodies couldn¡¯t persist and often fainted from the heat. Naturally, everyone¡¯s appetites were affected by the heat. Very few people lined up to buy some piping hot noodle soup at noon, and the peddlers of steamed rolls and appetizers didn¡¯t have many customers either. None of the food at the docks could rouse a worker¡¯s appetites.


    Every day there were some people asking for a day off out of the men working under Brother Six. Naturally, this affected their office¡¯s work. Now, with something here to raise people¡¯s appetites and also cool them down, it was absolutely a good thing for them!


    Cool water from a well? The docks were onnd not suitable for digging a well. Anyone who needed fresh water needed to haul it over from afar, so where could she get an easy supply of well water? However, this difficulty wasn¡¯t going to stump Yu Xiaocao. Her eyes flickered as she calcted¡ª¡ªshe decided to go the oyster sauce factory, which was right next to the docks, to visit. She needed to borrow some saltpeter. Although there wasn¡¯t a supply of well water at the docks, she did have the method to make ice cubes! Starch jelly mixed with ice cubes would be even more cooling and refreshing than well water!


    In actuality, Brother Six was well aware of the circumstances at the docks. He was only mentioning the idea without much thought. However, he wouldn¡¯t have expected that his one sentence would enlighten Xiaocao and allow all of the dock workers the opportunity to eat iced starch jelly.


    At the docks, the workers nearby were all dripping with sweat as they transported cargo from the ships. In order to finish the preparations in time for lunchtime, Xiaocao¡¯s family bustled around.


    Xiaolian drove the donkey cart to the market at the docks to buy bowls, spoons, chopsticks and other necessities using the money from her private purse. Meanwhile, Yu Hai was nervously building the straw shack. Currently, all they needed was an awning that could provide some shade, so it was quite simple to construct. He just needed to anchor the bamboo poles in the corners, craft the canopy, and the structure would be ready to use. After Fang Zizhen finished his patrol at the docks, he came over to help Yu Hai build the shack.


    Yu Xiaocao exploited her godfather¡¯s beloved steed and rode it into the direction of the condiment factory. Third Young Master Zhou had recently went to the capital and was busy organizing the opening of the second branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant as well as the condiment shop. Currently, the person in charge of the factory was Head Steward Zhou.


    Steward Zhou was well aware of Xiaocao¡¯s rtionship with his master, so when he found out she needed some saltpeter, he naturally didn¡¯t say another word and gave her enough tost more than a month. Xiaocao politely thanked him with a couple of sentences to express her gratitude and then swiftly rode the horse back to the docks.


    With Fang Zizhen and his two subordinates helping, the awning was almostpletely finished. The awning was constructed right next to Old Liu¡¯s noodle shack. Today was Old Liu¡¯sst day at the docks. He was nning on terminating his business at the docks, whether or not he was able to transfer his noodle stand.


    In the summer, it was the off season for the noodle stand¡¯s business. Furthermore, his son was urging him to leave and live together. Thus, when Yu Hai proposed buying the store from him, Old Liu easily sold it at a low price and only asked for enough money to cover the remaining ingredients and silverware.


    By the time Xiaocao got back to the docks, she saw that the ownership of their neighboring noodle stand had already been transferred over. Thus, she set up all of the tables and stools and moved the starch noodles and condiments over to a suitable ce. Next to the noodle stand, Old Liu had a giant jar that held the water he used to make his pasta. The jar was still partly filled whatever water was leftover from the past two days.


    Xiaocao added the correct proportion of saltpeter to the jar of water. Before long, ayer of thin ice gradually started to form. Xiaocao hurriedly ced a steel bucket she brought from home, which held starch jelly, into the vat. Steel conducted the chill quickly, so the starch jelly became iced rapidly.


    The two men, Fang Zizhen and Yu Hai, had just finished building the shack, and they wiped the sweat off their faces before they took the proffered iced jelly from their daughter¡¯s hands. Eating something so cold really cooled them down from head to toe! It was very refreshing on such a day!!


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that the supply starch jelly she brought was dwindling, she had Yu Hai light the fire at the noodle stand¡¯s stove and simmered another pot of seaweed. The dockworkers had to do hardbor under the zing sun and she thought that they didn¡¯t have it easy. Thus, she added a couple drops of mystic-stone water into the water. Don¡¯t look down on those couple drops, it was enough to hydrate a hard workingborer and strengthen his body. In addition, the mystic-stone water had an unexpected effect on the simmering seaweed. Originally, making starch jelly with the algae took around four hours. However, after adding the mystic-stone water, the seaweed seemed to melt more easily and dissolved before two hours were up. Starch jelly could be made much faster.


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that it was still early, she had her godfather take the rest of the flour from the noodle stand and mix it into arge batch of dough. Yu Hai was very good at rolling out noodles as he was a man who was used to doing hardbor. He had a lot of strength in his hands, so the noodles he made were even more springy than usual. Xiaocao¡¯s two fathers were revolving around her orders in delight. Even the sweat rolling down their bodies didn¡¯t dampen their happiness a bit.


    Before long, a pot full of noodles were done cooking! Xiaocao took out a basin of ice water from the water jar and plunged the finished noodles into the icy water.


    At this time, Xiaolian had rushed back with the donkey cart full of utensils that she bought at the markets. Everyone from the Yu Family busily started washing all of the bowls and other utensils. This attracted a bunch of visitors over.


    The first to arrive was Old Hao, who had already been promoted into a foreman. He found a spot to rest under the awning and used thepel of his inner clothing to wipe his sweat. He smiled at Xiaocao, ¡°Xiaolian, what delicious food did you bring over today? Let¡¯s forget about the braised pig head meat. It¡¯s a bit too greasy for this type of weather and I have no appetite!¡±


    Xiaocao smiled sweetly at him and replied, ¡°Uncle Hao, you recognized the wrong person! I¡¯m not Xiaolian...Uncle Hao, today we didn¡¯t bring braised food as it¡¯s too hot right now to safely let dishes with meat sit out for too long. However, today we made starch jelly and cold noodles. Both are perfect foods for whetting the appetite in the summer. Do you want to try a bowl?¡±


    Old Hao was Xiaocao¡¯s very first customer from the start, so he had a firm belief in Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills. He nodded and grinned, ¡°Oh it¡¯s Xiaocao ah! Look at me, I can never tell apart you two sisters apart! What did you say? You have food that¡¯ll stir the appetite? Give Uncle Hao a bowl then...these past few days have been so damn hot a person could roast to death ah!¡±


    Xiaolian, who had just finished scrubbing the bowls and utensils clean, hurriedly went to therge vat. She stepped on a stool and retrieved a block of starch jelly. With quick movements, she sliced the jelly into small rectangles and ced the pieces into a bowl. Xiaolian then sprinkled some cucumber slivers on top and seasoned the bowl with Xiaocao¡¯s pre-made sauces. After that, she personally ced the bowl of starch jelly in front of Old Hao and smiled, ¡°Uncle Hao, take a bite and see how it is. If you prefer a stronger taste, there¡¯s some more vinegar and chili oil on the table and you can add them yourself.¡±


    Old Hao was astounded to find that the starch jelly in front of him seemed to faintly give off cool air. Unexpectedly, his previous listlessness and dizziness suddenly disappeared. He couldn¡¯t bother to use the spoon and instead slurped arge gulp from the side of the bowl. Afortable chill slowly spread down his throat and into his body.


    The older man acted as if he was Zhu Bajie [1] eating a ginseng fruit. Within a fewrge mouthfuls, he was able to clean out the entire bowl of starch jelly. Following that, he slowly let out a long breath. It felt as if all of his pores had opened again and a cooling feeling settled into his body. That taste was seriously too refreshing!!


    ¡°Xiaolian, give your Uncle Hao another bowl!¡± When the other people under the awning saw Old Hao eating with delight, they all asked for the price. One after another ordered a bowl for themselves. Old Hao hurriedly gged down the suddenly busy Xiaolian to order another one.


    Xiaolian acknowledged his request and swiftly prepared several bowls of starch jelly with seasoning. She passed the finished bowls over to her father. Yu Hai and Fang Zizhen had suddenly been demoted into waiters. However, there was nothing to be done. Their business was just doing better and better every day! The two fathers bustled around busily as they both happily thought, ¡®My daughter is truly too awesome. No matter what she does, she always manages to make a hit!¡¯


    Xiaocao¡¯s cold noodles had also started making rounds. Compared to the fresh and tasty starch jelly, cold noodles were superior in one way: they quelled hunger better. As for the taste, with Xiaocao making it, of course it would be good! She mixed the noodles cooled with ice with some crispy cucumber slivers, thin slices of scallions, minced garlic, aromatic vinegar, and chili oil. Thebination truly stirred the appetite! However,pared to starch jelly, which was new and novel, the cold noodles had much fewer customers.


    However, the first batch of starch jelly quickly sold out before second pot of simmering starch jelly was finished. Thus, the cold noodles became the dockworkers¡¯ new favorite, even in the scalding hot weather. Despite theck of appetite around, after eating a bowl of refreshing cold noodles, everyone felt much more energized and lively.


    The zingly popr business made the Yu Family run around without stopping. Yu Hai continuously kneaded noodle dough while Xiaocao stood next to the stove. Sweat dripped off her body as she cooked the noodles,dled them up and iced them. Xiaolian serviced customer after customer that lined up.


    Luckily, the dockworkers had staggered the times of their lunch breaks. Otherwise, the few of them wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up even if all of them grew two extra heads and four extra arms. The workers all rushed in-between shiploads to snatch some time to eat a meal. Through the grapevine, the whole docks soon knew that the Yu Family¡¯s two sisters hade out with a new novel dish. This food not only tasted delicious but also relieved the heat!

 Chapter 211 – A Transformation

    <h4>Chapter 211 ¨C A Transformation</h4>


    The raging demand for the Yu Family¡¯s starch jelly was more than they could supply. Even the passengers on the ships would alsoe over to join in on the fun and buy a bowl of takeout to taste. Naturally, one bowl was not enough to satisfy the desires of a whole family. Thus, they would send their servants to buy some more. However, the Yu Family¡¯s starch jelly was too popr. Oftentimes, by the time the servants arrived for the second portion, they had to go back empty handed. There were even some people who waited in line for a long time in order to just have a taste of the starch jelly!


    The few baskets of red algae that Yu Xiaocao had brought over had very quickly been simmered away into starch jelly, and there were still people moring for more. Furthermore, starch jelly was not the type of food that filled people up, so after eating one bowl the person would soon get hungry again. Thus, the dockworkers all came back during their next break to consume another bowl to satisfy their desires and cool themselves down.


    Xiaocao¡¯s cold noodles were also quite popr, especially during the time when one pot of starch jelly was sold out and the other was still simmering on the stove. The workers who couldn¡¯t wait could only settle for the other option and order a bowl of cold noodles to eat. However, they didn¡¯t expect the cold noodles to also be incredibly delicious, so they were all pleasantly surprised. All of the remaining flour in the noodle stand, whether it was made of coarse grains or wheat, had all been used up by the time evening arrived.


    By the time it was suppertime, the Yu Family¡¯s stand had nothing left to sell to the workers who came by. After sending off the groups of disappointment workers, Xiaocao and her family cleaned up the stand in preparation to go home.


    At this time, a tanned youth who wasn¡¯t very tall but was very muscr stopped by quickly. He shed a smile that revealed a row of white teeth, ¡°Second Uncle, Xiaocao, are you guys cleaning up already? Do you need my help with anything?¡±


    It took Xiaocao a moment before she recognized the brawny and tan young man in front of her. Apparently it was her paternal cousin, who she technically didn¡¯t have blood rtions with, Heizi. Although Yu Hai had pretty much stopped having any encounter with the main branch, he was still quite friendly to Heizi, who had little to do with theirplicated rtionship, ¡°Heizi ah! You must be hungry right? There¡¯s still some starch jelly in the bucket that your younger sister, Xiaocao, left for me. Take some to eat!¡±


    It could be said that Yu Heizi had undergone an astounding transformation in these past few months. Not only did he manage to endure through backbreaking hardbor, but he also officially became a regr worker under Brother Six. Regr workers received a monthly sry. In addition, they also got two days of paid leave every month and bonuses when they did well. Bing part of the regr staff meant that one no longer had to fear not having a job to feed oneself.


    Heizi, who had worked hard the past few months, had long transformed his body full of fat into a ball of muscle. Although he was on the shorter side, he now looked a lot more brawny and strong. In fact, within his group of coworkers, there were a few who had inquired whether he had already married or had a fianc¨¦e yet. If not, they wanted to introduce their own daughters to see if they could be matched with thispetent and slick young fellow. Heizi carefully inspected a few families and ended up choosing a girl who had average looks but was kind and hardworking. Then, he had his parents propose the marriage to the girl¡¯s family.


    Originally, Madam Li had wanted to match her son with a girl whose family had decent circumstances in town. The first person that came to mind was her maternal niece. Her second older brother had a general goods store in town. Right after her niece was born, her second brother had an unexpected ident and harmed his core, so he was unable to father any more children. Although he technically adopted a son from his elder brother¡¯s family to carry on the line, at least half of her second brother¡¯s fat inheritance had to be given to her niece. Madam Li was nning on using marriage ties to get wealth!


    However, Heizi knew what his older female cousin, who was older than him by a year, was truly like. Everyone said that nieces resembled their maternal aunts, and it was true for his cousin. She was just like his mother: happy to partake but not prepared to do any work. In addition, she was as fat as a plump pig. Her face was so fat that it resembled a corpse¡¯s face that had been swollen from sitting out for several days. Furthermore, his older cousin had been spoiled by his second uncle to the skies. She had an arrogant and willful temper beyond imagination. In fact, she even dared to shout at and order her own father around.


    If Heizi had not changed, then it was likely that he would have listened to his mother¡¯s ns and obediently agreed to this marriage for the sake of getting his hands on his second uncle¡¯s assets. However, the few months he spent at the docks not only toughened his body but also changed his values. The kind and honest dock workers had morphed Heizi¡¯s way of thinking.


    Now, he had the ability to make a living. Although he was currently a lowly regr worker, his monthly sry was decent, a tael. One tael was more than enough to sustain a family of four without any issues. In the future, if he continued to work hard and do well, he might be promoted and earn two taels a month. If Brother Six appreciated his work even more, he could then be promoted to a foreman. The monthly sry for a foreman was five taels. Currently, he had already saved up five to six taels in his private purse after working for a few months. What was the point in sacrificing his future happiness for the sake of money now?


    Heizi had revamped his thinking in these past few months. He needed to marry a wife who was like his second paternal aunt, a woman who was kind and capable. She needed to be able to manage both the inner courtyard and outside matters. In fact, he had looked closely at his second paternal uncle¡¯s family. They had all be rich through their own efforts and were doing better every day. As for his own family, his father wasn¡¯t verypetent and his mother was azy bum who was of no use. Furthermore, his grandmother held all of the money tightly within her own hands. Thus, the whole family was unable to eat their fill on even coarse grain.


    Therefore, when he was considering his colleague¡¯s daughters, he chose a maiden whose family was the poorest out of all of them. This young woman¡¯s mother had died from an illness two years ago, and the family had sold their few plots ofnd in an effort to raise money to treat her before she passed. Now, the entire household was reliant on Heizi¡¯s colleague¡¯s sry to survive.


    This girl was the oldest in the family. After her mother passed away, she became the person in charge of farming and taking care of her four younger siblings. It was obvious that this girl was very hard working as she was able to manage the household very well even as a young preteen. Her younger siblings always wore clean clothing that were patched perfectly. At a nce, he could tell that this girl knew how to live her life well! He naturally had to choose a wife like her!


    In the beginning, Madam Li didn¡¯t want to go along with his choice. However, Heizi said something that made her change her mind: ¡°Mother, I¡¯m marrying a wife, not an uppitydy! You know Older Cousin too. Do you think you can order her around to do work? Do you think she¡¯ll take care of you when you get old? She even dares to verbally abuse Second Maternal Uncle and Second Maternal Aunt, do you think you¡¯ll be able to endure her bad temper?¡±


    Madam Li thought for a bit and decided that he was right! Her niece just had that type of rotten personality. In the future, if they lived together, who would be the person serving who? Her son truly had a filial heart and knew how to find a wife to take care of her!


    Madam Li, you¡¯re truly thinking too much. Your son is not like his second paternal uncle, a man who has unquestioning filial piety. Don¡¯t take his past behavior to heart, he knows how to take care of his wife. Furthermore, the woman who he wants to marry isn¡¯t someone as easy to bully as weak Madam Liu. She knows what work needs to be properly done, but she¡¯ll also say what needs to be said. Your son will mostly stand on his wife¡¯s side, so don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to take advantage of this mother-inw daughter-inw rtionship!


    But this is all stuff reserved for the future. Currently, the docks had two shifts, day and night shift. Yu Heizi was currently on the day shift, and he was about to leave work at this time when he saw his second uncle and his cousins cleaning up the food stand. Thus, he came over to see if there was any work he could help with.


    After helping Xiaocao carry the basket full of utensils onto the donkey cart, Heizi couldn¡¯t resist his second uncle¡¯s kindness and gobbled down the bowl of refreshing and cooling starch jelly. He had heard of his second uncle selling starch jelly earlier from one of his coworkers. However, he was afraid that other people might use him of cadging a meal from them due to their familial rtionship, so he normally asked someone to buy him a portion of braised food whenever Xiaolian was selling some. Otherwise, he chose to resist the temptation of the braised food and never came up personally to buy some.


    Today was the same. Although his coworkers all praised the starch jelly to high heaven, he resisted the temptation toe over. Only when he saw that his second uncle¡¯s family was cleaning up did he finallye by. However, he didn¡¯t expect his second uncle to especially save a portion and so he managed to score a taste.


    After he finished the starch jelly, Heizi was about to take out some money when he was stopped by Yu Hai, who told him that there was no point in being so petty between family members. It was only a bowl of starch jelly, if he continued to insist, then his second uncle would be angry...His uncle even said that in the future, if he was hungry, he shoulde over to the stand to have a bowl of starch jelly or cold noodles to cool down. There was no point in treating his family members like strangers. In the future, his two younger cousins needed him to support them!


    This whole conversation made it awkward for Heizi to bring up the subject of money again. Thus,ter on, Heizi always came by when he had the time to help wait tables or scrub bowls. Furthermore, whenever Xiaocao gave him a bowl of starch jelly or noodles, he also never brought up the subject of paying again. All he could do was to help them out whenever he was able to!


    After he finished loading Second Uncle¡¯s donkey cart, Heizi went back to the vige with his second uncle¡¯s family. At the mouth of the vige were a bunch of children, who had finished eating dinner, ying. When they saw the Yu sisterse back, they all formed a circle around them and started spewing questions, ¡°Xiaocao, Shanhu told us that you¡¯re looking to harvest some seaweed, is that true?¡±


    ¡°Xiaolian, seaweed looks a lot like grass, can we really sell it to you guys for money? Shanhu¡¯s not tricking us, right?¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, I picked up a full basket of seaweed today. Don¡¯t tell us that you¡¯re not taking it ah!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! In order to gather seaweed, I even forgot to cut some ragweed and was scolded by my mother! Don¡¯t let mebor in vain...¡±


    Xiaocao felt like her head was about to explode from the noise. She was finally able to find a gap in the chatter, and she promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was the one who had Shanhu tell all of you. You absolutely won¡¯t be working in vain! All of you should bring the seaweed over to where my family buys seafood. Let me go home and rest for a moment. After that, I¡¯ll weigh the seaweed and pay you guys!¡±


    The group of kids, who had all been waiting for the two sisters at the entrance of the vige, scattered back home after hearing Xiaocao¡¯s words. They ran as if they were afraid that the Yu Family might stop buying seaweed if they came back toote.


    Yu Hai doted on his daughter, so he had her sit on the side as he himself went up to receive all of the seaweed. No wonder there was a saying: ¡®Many hands make light work.¡¯ Although each child only had a dozen or so catties worth of red algae in his or her basket, there were a lot of children! After tallying all of the seaweed, they ended up with three to four hundred catties of algae in the end. They almost didn¡¯t have enough baskets at home to carry all of this seaweed.


    Zhou Shanhu swung the string of copper coins in her hand contently. Today, even her older sister, who was sewing her dowry, hade out to gather red algae! Their haul was quiterge. They managed to earn forty-some copper coins! Her family was doing better due to their prosperous chicken sales, so forty copper coins wasn¡¯t worth too much. However, this was the money that she earned herself. Furthermore, her mother had told her that this money was for her alone to keep. Now, she had her own private purse! In the future, she needed to gather more seaweed so she could save some more money!


    Madam Liu stood in the center of the courtyard and looked worriedly at the baskets full of seaweed. From her experience, she knew that whenever her daughter came up with a new idea, the first three days they would be swamped before the craze slowly died down. Their business today had gone quite well, but they only managed to use twenty to thirty catties worth of seaweed. Now, they had a few hundred catties of seaweed sitting in their yard. The weather had been very hottely, so if this bunch of seaweed went bad, what were they supposed to do?!

 Chapter 212 – Pregnant

    <h4>Chapter 212 ¨C Pregnant</h4>


    Xiaocao could tell that Madam Liu was worried, so she smiled and said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. The seaweed here can be dried and stored for about a year afterwards. We don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll have fresh red algae around, so storing extra isn¡¯t a bad idea.¡±


    When Madam Liu heard this, she immediately rxed. She worked along with her two daughters, carefully washing the seaweed before it was ced on some grass mats to dry in the sun. It would take quite a long time to process a few hundred catties of seaweed. Fortunately, before long, Lady Fang came by with her two handmaidens. When she saw her daughter dripping sweat from work, she couldn¡¯t stay seated and also began to help them.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Lady Fang had helped out. She couldn¡¯t watch her daughter work hard on her own, and Xiaocao wasn¡¯t the type of person to sit around twiddling her thumbs. Thus, Lady Fang also bustled around every time her daughter was doing something. As for her two handmaidens, they couldn¡¯t just stand on the side while their mistress worked, right? So, the Yu Family had an additional three working hands for free.


    Freshly washed seaweed had a slightly fishy odor. Lady Fang was bent over, taking the just washed seaweed and cing them on grass mats. Suddenly, a puff of fishy odor wafted over and she couldn¡¯t help but retch.


    ¡°Madam, is something wrong?¡± Linglong, who was right next to her, hurriedly supported her mistress to sit down when she saw her heaving. She thendled up a ss of warm water from the ceramic jar and helped her mistress drink it down.


    Lady Fang felt her stomach settle down after the slightly sweet taste of the warm water hit her mouth. She smiled reassuringly at Xiaocao, who hade over out of concern, and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t get worried like Linglong. It might be that I¡¯m not used to the smell of seaweed yet! Cao¡¯er, Godmother will be fine after resting a bit!¡±


    Madam Liu smiled, ¡°When I first married and came to Dongshan Vige, I was also not used to the smell of seafood. Every time I had a whiff of fishy odor I wanted to vomit. Her father even thought I was pregnant!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sniffed lightly at the red algae. The fishy odor was quite faint and was simr to the smell of the seafood porridge that she normally made for her godmother. In these past few months, her godmother had tried every type of seafood avable without a problem. Furthermore, she had even been able to help with processing caught fish without vomiting. Why did she have a problem now?


    Suddenly, she heard her mother say the word ¡®pregnant¡¯. Her eyes immediately lit up. Her godmother and godfather had been eating her medicinal cuisine with added mystic-stone water Both of their bodies werepletely healthy now. Her godmother was in her early thirties while her godfather was around forty. They had a good rtionship, so her godmother bing pregnant wasn¡¯t something out of the ordinary.


    Xiaocao ced the seaweed in her hands down and carefully washed all traces of fishy odor from them. She then arrived next to Lady Fang and pulled at the woman¡¯s hand to take her pulse.


    Lady Fang watched as her adopted daughter solemnly took her pulse. The tiny and delicate little face had such a serious look that she couldn¡¯t help but tease, ¡°Oh! Our family¡¯s little miracle doctor is showing off her skills now. What did you diagnose? Tell Godmother quickly!¡±


    At this time, Fang Zizhen had juste in from the rear courtyard with a basket of freshly washed seaweed in his hands. When he saw his adopted daughter feeling his wife¡¯s pulse, he grinned, ¡°Wife, believe in her! Our daughter has quite the medical talent. Thest time I saw Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s Doctor Sun, he evenplimented our daughter for being quick at learning. If she truly wanted to learn medicine, I suspect that she would even have no problems entering the pce to be an imperial female doctor!¡±


    Female doctors belonged to the Imperial Hospital, and they were in charge of treating the pce¡¯s empress and consorts. They mostly handled the diagnosis and treatment of some more private ailments.


    ¡°Okay, then what does our little ¡®female doctor¡¯ think Godmother has right now?¡± Lady Fang felt like she had be healthier and healthier ever since she started living in Dongshan Vige. The change was especially obvious after she started eating her daughter¡¯s specially prepared medicinal cuisine. Now, she had so much energy that she was sure she could kill an ox by herself. However, she could tell that her daughter felt worried about her after she vomited a couple of times.


    Feelings between people were mutual. Xiaocao clearly cared about her, so Lady Fang treated her as if she was her own biological daughter. Anything that was good had to go to her daughter.


    Although Yu Xiaocao only had a dabbling of medical knowledge, she was quite talented at diagnosing through feeling a person¡¯s pulse. The worried look on her face quickly cleared. It was still a bit early but she was certain that she felt a slippery pulse. Furthermore, she could tell that her godmother¡¯s health was quite good. However, a pregnant woman should always take more care and needed to do less hardbor.


    Fang Zizhen rxed when he saw his daughter¡¯s expression. However, he still had to ask, ¡°Daughter, is your godmother okay?¡±


    ¡°No problems, she¡¯s doing quite well! If I¡¯m not wrong, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ll have a little brother or sister eight months from now!¡± Yu Xiaocao was quite confident in her diagnosing ability, so she shed a mischievous grin at her godfather.


    Fang Zizhen smiled gently as he nodded, ¡°As long as she¡¯s okay¡ª¡ªwhat did you say? What do you mean a little brother or sister? Am I thinking in the right direction...¡±


    It took a moment for the information to sink in. Suddenly, Fang Zizhen¡¯s eyes opened wide as he desperately tried to restrain his reaction. He strode forward and grabbed his goddaughter¡¯s arm as he repeatedly babbled.


    Lady Fang, who was still sitting, was so stunned that she resembled a statue. She stared at her daughter as if she was trying to figure out whether the little girl was teasing her or not.


    Yu Xiaocao had never seen her godfather in such a state before. Although he was clearly quite agitated, the hand that he used to grip her hand had modted its force. It didn¡¯t feel ufortable at all. Xiaocao felt very grateful within her heart. She originally wanted to tease her godfather a little more but those thoughtspletely vanished. She solemnly nodded her head, ¡°Godfather, you didn¡¯t hear wrong! I just felt a slippery pulse, so I¡¯m pretty sure Godmother is with child!¡±


    ¡°With child? Hahaha! I¡¯m going to be a father?! Cuiyun, we¡¯re going to have our own child!!¡± Fang Zizhen gleefully danced around as if he was a joyful kid again. Despite the members of the Yu Family around them, he gently drew his wife into his arms.


    Lady Fang had never been hugged by her husband in front of so many people before. She flushed and lightly pushed at him while scolding, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true! Are you crazy? We¡¯ll talk about this again after I find Doctor Sun in town tomorrow to confirm.¡±


    Lady Fang was also feeling very emotional right now. She was married at the age of fourteen to General Fang, who was more than a decade older than her. For twenty years, there was no stirring in her belly. Although the imperial physician had found out that it wasn¡¯t her fault that they were childless, she still had a bit of regret within her heart. Despite her husband finding a satisfactory goddaughter for them, that hole in her heart was still not filled.


    Her husband knew that she had felt somewhat lost, so he, disregarding a man¡¯s dignity, searched for doctors and medications diligently. As soon as he heard of a talented doctor somewhere who was good at treating infertility, he would devoutly ask that doctor to treat him. However, despite all their efforts, the heavens had never taken pity on them. Twenty years had passed without any sign of pregnancy. Time flowed by, and she no longer had any hope anymore. Now, suddenly, her adopted daughter had told her that she might be with child! Lady Fang thought back to her recent retching and a tiny beacon of hope lit up in her heart.


    The Yu Family had previously joked that Xiaocao had been given pointers by a god. Now, she truly wished that that joke was true. Perhaps Xiaocao was truly her lucky star and could give her a different future...


    Fang Zizhen acted as if he was handling a piece of delicate porcin and was iparably careful when he hugged his wife. The smile on his face almost split his face in two as he chuckled, ¡°Wife, even without confirmation I have a feeling that you¡¯re pregnant. I noticed that your tastes have changed this past month. In the past, you didn¡¯t like to eat sour foods, so all of the dishes at home had less vinegar added to them. Recently, you¡¯ve been wanting to eat sour foods as if they were the only thing good on earth. In fact, you even have to add a couple drops of vinegar to seafood soup. As for our daughter¡¯s sweet and sour fish, sweet and sour pork chops, you could probably down at least half of arge tter on your own. Also, you¡¯ve been sleeping in a lot while in the past you¡¯ve always woken up early...you must be pregnant. Our baby must be azy bum who loves to eat sour foods!¡±


    When Madam Liu heard this, she hurriedly congratted them, ¡°From what General Fang is saying, it¡¯s probably eighty to ny percent certain that you¡¯re pregnant! When I was pregnant with Little Shitou, I also loved to eat sour foods. In fact, I loved to eat unripe apricots straight off the tree, which are usually so sour that most people can¡¯t take a single bite. Sour foods for boys, spicy foods for girls, you must have a fat little fellow in you!¡±


    Madam Liu had been pregnant three times and given birth to four children, so she was considered experienced. When Lady Fang heard her words, her somewhat nervous heart settled down. She gently used a hand to rub at her belly and a loving smile appeared on her face, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether this child is a boy or girl, he or she is still the best present that the heavens have given me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nestled next to her godmother and let out a silveryugh, ¡°Godmother, tomorrow I¡¯ll have Godfather bring you into town. We can have Doctor Sun tell us if there¡¯s anything pregnant women need to avoid and also buy some tonics as well. We absolutely cannot neglect my little brother!¡±


    Fang Zizhen grinned foolishly and repeatedly agreed, ¡°Yes, yes! We should buy a lot of tonics! It¡¯s hard for you to be pregnant so we must take good care of you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s whole family was sincerely happy for Fang Zizhen and his wife. The two had been married for twenty-some years and Fang Zizhen was already in his forties. Now that he could finally have a descendant of his own blood, was there anything else that could make him even more happy?


    With the good news revealed, everyone worked lightly and quickly. Before long, the few hundred catties worth of seaweed had all beenpletely washed and set out to dry by the group. Lady Fang, who also wanted to help, had been ordered to sit on the side by them. After drinking some water that was enhanced with mystic-stone water, she didn¡¯t feel unwell again. In fact, that evening, she managed to eat an extra half bowl of food!


    The next morning, Fang Zizhen carefully brought his wife into town. As usual, Yu Hai and his daughters took the donkey cart to the docks.


    The previous night, Xiaolian had proudly showed the rest of the family the amount of money they earned that day. Since the docks were doing well, the prices had also gradually gone up. An ordinary bowl of coarse grain noodles used to be one copper coin a bowl, but was now two copper coins a bowl. Wheat flour noodles had gone up to three copper coins a bowl, and they had set the price for cold noodles at four copper coins a bowl. Starch jelly was set at five copper coins a bowl. Thus, in one day, they made around two taels, which was two thousand copper coins! From that, one could see just how many bowls of starch jelly and cold noodles they sold in a day!


    For the Yu Family, two taels really wasn¡¯t a lot of money anymore. However, for Xiaolian, it was still considered quite a lot. In the past, when she sold braised food, even though the price had gone up to two copper coins a portion, she could only make a couple hundred copper coins in a day. After splitting a tael with her younger sister, she still had more money in her hands than before.


    The most important part was that all of this money was considered to be hers and hers alone! In the past, before they split from the main branch, she thought having a couple copper coins on hand was a grand sum. Now, she had over a hundred taels worth of private savings, but she was still considered the poorest of her family. Little Shitou, who was studying in town, had multiple people giving him some pocket money here and there. Thus, even his private savings was more than her own! However, judging by the speed they earned money the previous day, her private savings were soon about to double! Yu Xiaolian immediately felt enthusiastic and optimistic about the future!

 Chapter 213 – Iced Water

    <h4>Chapter 213 ¨C Iced Water</h4>


    The starch jelly business at the pier kept Xiaocao busy for a bit. For the past few days, she got up at the crack of dawn, staggered out the door with the pot of starch jelly Madam Liu had made, and drove the donkey cart with Xiaolian. On the way over, she took a nap on the donkey cart. Once they got to the pier, they simmered chili oil, prepared the condiments, kneaded the dough, rolled the dough, cooked noodles, and then greeted their first group of customers for the day.


    For the other food vendors at the docks, the summer was their off-season. However, the business at the Yu Family¡¯s sisters starch jelly stall grew with the summer heat. Other people did try to find out how to make starch jelly. Although starch jelly was easy to make. the ingredients were hard toe by.


    As a result, Xiaocao and her sister made sure to tightly cover the baskets that held seaweed. They also separated part of the noodles stall into a storage space. People coulde to the stall to eat starch jelly, but they couldn¡¯t go to someone¡¯s storage space! Furthermore, the pot that cooked the seaweed was covered with a thick covering, which not only prevented someone from secretly opening it but also sped up the boiling process.


    This summer, for some reason, seaweed poured onto the shore after the tide went out. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but think that an earthquake had urred at the bottom of the ocean causing the seaweed that grew at the bottom of the ocean to break off and float to shore with the changing tides. Those who wanted to find out the recipe of the starch jelly would have never thought that the seaweed floating all over the sea was the key ingredient.


    After a few days, business finally settled down. However, this business required cooking, prepping ingredients, and taking care of the customers. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t do this alone, and Xiaocao¡¯s godfather had asked her more than once in private to find spare time to take care of her godmother.


    The doctor confirmed that Lady Fang was pregnant thest time they went into town. Fang Zizhen treated her as if she was a phoenix egg, catering to her every whim. He wished that he could be beside her the entire day in order to protect her from any falls or stumbles. Recently, some important people were going toe for an inspection. He couldn¡¯t avoid it, so he asked his goddaughter for help. His goddaughter¡¯s good medical skills were good and she was skilled in recognizing beneficial medicines for a healthy diet. He would only feel relieved if his goddaughter was watching over his wife.


    Thus, Xiaocao entrusted her Eldest Maternal Uncle, who was working at the docks, to send a message to her Eldest Maternal Aunt. Her aunt was currently idle at home and Xiaocao wanted to have her and Xiaolian work together to run this business. Although the starch jelly and cold noodles stall was a small business, after subtracting the costs of ingredients, the profits were decent. The two families could split the earnings and get one tael each, which added up to thirty taels a month. There were very few people at the pier who could surpass their business.


    Eldest Maternal Aunt came with her younger daughter the next day. Her eldest daughter, Liu Feifeng, was almost seventeen years old and had been engaged for two years. She was going to get married at the end of the year, so she had to stay at home preparing for her wedding! Madam Han was nning on using the fifty taels she would earn from helping Xiaocao manage the stall on her eldest daughter¡¯s dowry. After all, her eldest daughter had worked hard.


    Liu Feiying, the second daughter, was fourteen years old and recently just got engaged. Madam Han, upon hearing from Xiaocao that marrying early may not necessarily be a good thing, told her future inw¡¯s to wait until their daughter was sixteen or seventeen years old to marry over.


    The-inws agreed; they couldn¡¯t disagree. The Liu brothers had made a lot of money with their brother inw selling watermelons. Everyone in Xishan Vige knew about this. The oldest son of the Liu Family didn¡¯t have a son. so he took the money he earned and bought a shop for each of his daughters in the newly built harbor as their dowry. His eldest daughter also had an additional fifty taels of silver for her dowry. This was a generous sum of money. Let alone people in Xishan Vige, no one else within the dozen or so other nearby viges was willing to give such arge dowry to their daughters. Therefore, the Liu Family¡¯s door sills had almost been ttened by the number the matchmakersing to their door.


    After picking and choosing, Madam Han chose a family living in the suburb of the town for her second daughter. If this family was in Xishan Vige, they would also be considered an umonly rich family. This family had thirty-some mu of fertilend, and they had rtively simple rtions. The older couple was known for their good tempers. The elder brother was already married and had children. When the younger brother married, the older couple nned on separating the family and living with the elder brother. Thend and family property will be split equally between the brothers, and the younger brother will only have to give rice to the old couple to support them every month. This was why Madam Han chose this family for her second daughter, even though the family wasn¡¯t the richest out of the people who came to propose marriage.


    The Liu Family¡¯s worth kept rising. Madam Han¡¯s second daughter wasn¡¯t the only one who got many marriage proposals, even her youngest twelve year old daughter also had peopleing over to inquire. However, Madam Han felt that her younger daughter was too young and wanted her to live joyfully for an additional two years. Furthermore, she believed that as long as her family continued to work with her younger sister inw for the next couple of years, they would continue to prosper. By the time she needed to find a husband for her youngest daughter, there would likely be more choices.


    The Liu Family¡¯s eldest son and his wife, Madam Han, were people who didn¡¯t like to stay idle. Right after the watermelon season was over, Liu Pei went to the docks to do manualbor. Brother Six had found him and asked if he wanted to be an official employee. Liu Pei, who was nning to sell watermelons at the end of spring every year, tactfully declined this offer. Temporary workers on the pier weren¡¯t always able to get some work every day. However, due to Brother Six¡¯s rtionship with Xiaocao, he assigned Liu Pei work every day and even paid him the sry that regr workers received.


    Madam Han stayed at home for a few days, thinking about what business to do on the side to make some money. Before she could make a decision, her husband came home with good news.


    ¡°Xiaocao, your Eldest Uncle said you came out with a new food? He said you two sisters are too busy and can¡¯t manage the business on your own. Let mee help you guys. If there is anything you need me to do, just tell me!¡± Madam Han never doubted her little niece¡¯s cooking skills.


    Madam Han was used to cooking at home, so it wasn¡¯t hard for her to knead the dough and make noodles. Thus, Xiaocao gave her the recipe to make cold noodles. As for her cousin, Liu Feiyan, she was nimble and quick like her mother. As such, Xiaocao had her bring the cold noodles and starch jelly to the guests. This way, Xiaolian only needed to take care of making starch jelly and seasoning the cold noodles and starch jelly!


    Madam Han and Liu Feiyan were both good workers. After the initial rush, they soon got a handle of their tasks.


    ¡°Heh! How is it? Did the two of you manage to help out?¡± Liu Pei and his eldest nephew, Liu Zhiwei, wiped the sweat off of themselves as they came over with great strides after loading the cargo. Liu Zhiwei was also an official employee of Brother Six now.


    Madam Han took the noodles that were ready and ced them in ice water, not forgetting to roll her eyes at him. She smiled, ¡°Did you think that the two of us eat for free? Making noodles is nothing to us.¡±


    Liu Feiyan poured two bowls of iced water for her dad and cousin, smiled mysteriously at them and said, ¡°Dad, drink some water to quench your thirst!¡±


    Liu Pei had been thirsty for a long time, so he drank the water with a big gulp. A wave of coolness went through his body, which was more enjoyable than drinking cold water from the well on a summer day.


    After finishing the iced water in one breath, Liu Pei let out a long sigh and eximed brightly, ¡°Yan¡¯er, bring dad another bowl! Xiaocao, where did get such cool well water?¡±


    Liu Feiyan brought over another bowl of water and said, ¡°Dad, younger cousin is really impressive. On such a hot summer day, she can make ice cubes. This iced water is cooled by those ice cubes!¡±


    ¡°Such a hot day, where would you get ice? Are you saying that our Xiaocao is an immortal in disguise, with the ability to change water into ice?¡± Old Hao sat down under the awning, with the summer heat hanging onto him. Grabbing a fan in the shop, he vigorously fanned himself with it. Upon hearing their conversation, he jokingly inserted a sentence.


    Xiaocao also poured him a bowl of ice water. There were even two ice cubes floating on the top. The big y jar in the noodles stall had be her ice manufacturing tool. The starch jelly and cold noodles were all chilled with ice water that was cooled with ice cubes, making them more refreshing.


    Old Hao opened his eyes wide and stared at the ice cube that was the size of a pigeon egg. He picked it up with his hands and clicked his tongue as he looked at it a while longer before putting it in his mouth. He chewed it and it made a satisfying crunching nose!


    The other peopleing in to eat lunch also wanted a bowl of ice water after seeing this. Xiaolian said with a smile while seasoning the cold noodles, ¡°We only have this one jar of ice, if we give it to you guys then we won¡¯t be able to chill the cold noodles and starch jelly. Do you guys want to eat warm starch jelly and noodles?¡±


    Upon hearing this, the honest dock workers allughed and gave up on this idea. One of the men, who was more witty, loudly said, ¡°Xiaolian, we know that this iced water isn¡¯t easy toe by and we wouldn¡¯t be drinking it for nothing. One bowl of ice water for one copper coin, what do you think?¡±


    Since someone was bringing money directly to their doorstep, they naturally couldn¡¯t leave them hanging. Xiaocao, who was making ice inside, came out upon hearing this and hurriedly said, ¡°Since uncles have brought it to this point, if we continue declining then it will be unpleasant! Alright, in the future, we will add one more thing to the menu¡ª¡ªiced water!¡±


    Xiaolian worriedly asked, ¡°Little sister, making ice isn¡¯t easy. We don¡¯t have that many people, will we be able to handle the work?¡± What Xiaolian was trying to hint at was that they only had one jar of ice. Was that enough ice to sell?


    Xiaocao smiled and loudly said, ¡°If we can make it convenient for people, then it¡¯s fine if we are a bit busier! Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just making more ice every day!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s meaning was to let her father expand the stall and build a formal storage room and put tworge tanks inside. As long as the saltpeter and water were well proportioned and the water ced in an iron bucket, then there wouldn¡¯t be any inconvenience.


    However, in the future, their consumption of water will dramatically increase, and the water would have to be brought from the nearby viges, making it inconvenient. Nevertheless, if you had money, then you can even make ghosts do work for you. They could hire people to help them transport the water! A few copper coins for a cart full of water, there were still people willing to do this type of work!


    After adding the service of selling iced water, the Yu sisters¡¯ business became even more prosperous. Everyone was sweaty all over on such a hot day. Upon drinking a bowl of cooled iced water, it quenched their thirst and relieved them of the summer heat. With the relief from the summer heat, their appetite naturally grew. With a bowl of cold noodles and starch jelly to eat, a person felt veryfortable!


    With Eldest Maternal Aunt and her older cousin helping, Xiaocao could finally find some time to take care of her pregnant godmother. There were many trees on the mountains and the environment around the residence was cooler. Lady Fang didn¡¯t have the diforts of a pregnant woman either. Every day, once in the morning and once in the evening, she would stroll around, like usual, enjoying the beautiful scenery.


    Lady Fang¡¯s pregnancy was stable. Every day, Xiaocao took her pulse. In addition, Xiaocao believed that Lady Fang shouldn¡¯t do any hardbor in the first three months of pregnancy, yet proper exercise is still necessary. In terms of nutrition, Xiaocao made different tasty dishes for her godmother every day. Faced with the beautiful environment of the West Mountains and her filial goddaughter¡¯spany, there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with thedy¡¯s appetite apart from not being able to stand the smell of seafood.


    Xiaocao mischievously said, ¡°Little brother must be clever and filial. He knows that being pregnant is hard on godmother, so he doesn¡¯t want to cause you suffering.¡±


    Lady Fang used her index finger to poke at Xiaocao¡¯s forehead. She cradled her growing pregnant belly and revealed the brilliance of a mother¡¯s love.

 Chapter 214 – Shark Hunting

    <h4>Chapter 214 ¨C Shark Hunting</h4>


    The morning light cuts through the dark blue sky and the ocean breeze bringing along a slight cool breeze. Yu Hai¡¯s family started their busy day.


    ¡°Brother Dahai, are you ready to go?¡± Uncle Shuanzhu, who was of the same vige, was carrying sharpened iron pitchforks. He excitedly pushed open the Yu Family¡¯s door and urged.


    Xiaocao, who was washing up, looked at the ¡®weapon¡¯ in Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s hand and asked astonishingly, ¡°Uncle Shuanzhu, are you going to the mountains to hunt? Then you will be disappointed, my mother won¡¯t let my father go hunt in the mountains.¡±


    Madam Liu was afraid of a rope after being bitten by a snake. After Yu Hai was bitten by a bearst time, she had been badly frightened. No matter what, she wouldn¡¯t let Yu Hai go hunt in the mountains again. Yu Hai was someone who dearly loved his wife, so in order to reassure her, he never went up the mountain again after that incident.


    With the pitchforks in his hands, Liu Shuanzhu happily waved and said, ¡°These aren¡¯t for hunting! These are for shark hunting! The dried goods store in the prefectural city is buying shark fins at a high price. Your father is the most famous shark catcher in the nearby viges. In the past, before your grandfather bought the new boat, your father and I were the best shark hunting duo.¡±


    ¡°Capturing sharks? It seems pretty dangerous; can my father handle it?¡± Yu Xiaocao rinsed out the rest of theke salt in her mouth and asked anxiously with wide eyes.


    Yu Hai got a specially made from the backyard and said to his younger daughter, ¡°I made ns to go out to sea today with your Uncle Shuanzhu a couple of days ago. You stay at home and don¡¯t run around! After I catch the shark, I will make a new diving suit for you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked and cutely said: ¡°Father, Xiaolian is busy right now. She doesn¡¯t have time to go to the sea, so I can just use her diving suit. Father, I¡¯ve never seen shark hunting before. Take me with you. I¡¯ll stay on the boat and I won¡¯t cause any trouble for you! ¡±


    The sea was different fromnd; there could be danger at any moment. Moreover, Sharks were fierce marine animals. They weren¡¯t herbivores. If something happened to his younger daughter, wouldn¡¯t her mother and godparents tear him apart?


    Yu Hai firmly rejected Xiaocao, ¡°No! if you want to go to the sea, then I will take you on another day. Shark hunting isn¡¯t for ying around, so it¡¯s better for you to stay at home!¡±


    Upon realizing that acting cute wasn¡¯t working, Yu Xiaocao went to the kitchen and ate her breakfast. All of a sudden, her eyes shifted, and she bit her lip, thinking, ¡®Even if you don¡¯t take me, it doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t go. I still have the little divine stone. Don¡¯t I just have to dive into the water and follow from there?¡¯


    With that idea in mind, the previously listless Xiaocao quickly finished the meal and sent her father and Uncle Shuanzhu to the Liu Family¡¯s new fishing boat.


    Yu Hai looked at his youngest daughter, who was waving happily at them, and felt uneasy. He reminded her again, ¡°Cao¡¯er, if you want to swim, you can swim a couple ofps in the shallow waters nearby. Don¡¯t swim out too far. Your body isn¡¯t strong to begin with, so make sure you can swim back!¡±


    ¡°I know, Father! Quit being so long-winded, even Uncle Shuanzhu is bing impatient from waiting!¡± Yu Xiaocao promised. Once Yu Hai and Liu Shuanzhu left, she ran back home and changed into a diving suit. Choosing a ce where no one was, she jumped into the sea with a ssh.


    Today, the sky was clear. The strong sun shined on the yellow sand, and there wasn¡¯t a cloud to be seen or a breeze to be felt. In the distance, the sea and the sky merged into one. On the horizon, the color of blue slowly spread to the beach. The seawater was clear and azure like the sky, and shined beautifully like a bolt of brocade.


    Yu Xiaocao swam in the sea for a bit, and with the help of the Divine Stone¡¯s spiritual power, she floated in the ocean. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted toward the deeper parts of the sea, ¡°Xiaobu¡ªXiaobu¡ª¡ª¡±


    The little divine stonezily reminded her, [Save some energy! This Divine Stone has already given the baby dolphin amand, as soon as you appear in the ocean, he wille to find you!]


    As if answering the Divine Stone¡¯s words, the cute and clever dolphin appeared in front of Xiaocao. These days, Xiaocao had been busy with the business at the pier. When she got home, it was already dark outside, so how could she have time to y with the little dolphin in the sea?


    The little dolphin happily swam around Xiaocao and asionally rubbed its smooth head on her arm. As if it was ming her for neglecting it, it cried, ¡°Ah... Ah¡ª¡ª¡±


    Xiaocao gently rubbed the little dolphin¡¯s head and said, ¡°I know! Aren¡¯t I here now? In the summer, I wille to y with you more often! Right now, I will give you a mission, take me to find a fishing boat. Can you do that?¡±


    The little dolphin seemed to understand her words and nodded its head. Then it ced Xiaocao on its back and swiftly swam toward a direction.


    Xiaocao, who was on the back of the dolphin, felt as if she was on a jet ski, breaking through the waves and the wind. Thankfully, there weren¡¯t any fishing boats nearby, or they would have thought she was a sea monster!


    During this era, most fishing boats were driven by manpower or wind. Although it was difficult to find a fishing boat in the vast sea, it was fun to swim along with the wind. Fortunately, the little divine stone asionally gave her directions, and Xiaocao soon caught up to her father¡¯s boat.


    Xiaocao was afraid her father would see her, so she urged the little dolphin to dive into the sea and slowly approach the boat. Sailing with the wind, the fishing boat advanced further into the sea. With the boundary that the little divine stone created with its power, Xiaocao swam under the boat, and she would asionally dive deeper into the sea to tease the curious fish that gathered.


    About two hourster, when Xiaocao felt like she was bing a marine creature, the fishing finally stopped.


    At this time, the tools used for catching sharks were very simple. All one needed were a fishing and a steel pitchfork. Yu Hai first took the bait he had brought¡ªa piece of fish meat covered in chicken blood¡ªand ced it around the boat. Then he used a piece of wood to gently knock on the deck of the boat, using the sound to attract the sharks.


    Yu Xiaocao got off the back of the dolphin and quietly swam over to the piece of fish. She even used her hands and gently poked it. The little dolphin beside her curiously looked at the delicious piece of meat, opened his mouth, and prepared to swallow it.


    Xiaocao hurriedly stopped him. That was a bait for sharks, so there were hooks in it. If the little dolphin ate it, it would most definitely lose its life!


    Not being able to eat the delicious food in front of it made the little dolphin upset. The little dolphin swam out to a spot not far away and shouted at the boat a few times before jumping out of the water to vent its dissatisfaction.


    Liu Shuanzhu looked at the dolphin not far away andughed, ¡°Ha! Instead of attracting sharks over, we attracted a dolphin. Brother Dahai, if we aren¡¯t lucky today and don¡¯t attract any sharks, catching that little dolphin wouldn¡¯t be bad either!¡±


    Yu Hai looked strangely at the dolphin that was swimming around them. This dolphin looked like it was still a baby, yet it seemed to have gotten separated from its school. It also didn¡¯t seem to fear humans.


    It took patience to wait for sharks to take the bait. The two people on the boat took out their breakfast and leisurely chatted while they ate. However, it was hard for Xiaocao who was in the water. She was like a fish, swimming to the bottom of the sea looking for treasures. Sadly, she didn¡¯t bring any tools, or she would¡¯ve gained a lot of profit. It looked like there were a lot of resources deep in the sea.


    ¡°When will the sharkse ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt like she was going to fall asleep. She had asked the little divine stone to make a bubble with its spiritual power and was currentlyfortably lying in it.


    [Do you need me to give a helping hand and attract the sharks here for your father?] The little divine stone asked arrogantly.


    ¡°Yeah, Yeah! Hurry, if my father catches a shark earlier, then he might be able to get home in time for lunch!¡± Yu Xiaocao was in a better mood as soon as she heard that the Divine Stone could attract sharks over.


    The little divine stone quietly released its spiritual power. The smell it gave off imitated the taste of the sharks¡¯ favorite food and it could be sent out very far...


    Not longter, Xiaocao saw that sharks were swimming over in the distance. She hurriedly called out to the little dolphin to evacuate the area. If they didn¡¯t move now, then they would be waiting to be shark food.


    ¡®Wait! What¡¯s going on? Why am I surrounded by sharks?¡¯ This unreliable little divine stone, it had actually attracted a school of sharks here? Was she going to be shark food?


    [What are you worrying about? With me, this Divine Stone here, why would you be afraid of bing shark food? Coward!] The bubble that the little Divine Stone created could iste smells, so the sharks didn¡¯t even know Xiaocao was there! The little divine stone also did an act of kindness and made a bubble for the little dolphin. The little dolphin was Xiaocao¡¯s ymate andpanion, so it was automatically included in the protective scope.


    Just as Xiaocao was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Uncle Shuanzhu shouting on the fishing boat, ¡°Brother Dahai, what should we do? We are surrounded by sharks!¡±


    Experienced shark hunters all knew that they didn¡¯t have to be afraid of a single shark, but an entire school of them would be very scary! If sharks got angry, they could easily flip an entire fishing boat.


    Xiaocao frowned as she watched the sharks slowly moving closer to the fishing boat. The first shark that appeared had arrived beside the bait and was opening its mouth to bite the bait...


    ¡®No, Father is in danger! I have to find a way to lure the other sharks away!¡¯


    She climbed onto the back of the little dolphin and gently pacify the frightened dolphin. The little dolphin, whom Xiaocao had named Xiaobu, only had one thing in it mind upon seeing so many sharks, ¡®Escape!!¡¯


    At this time, Xiaocao pointed it in a direction and the little dolphin rushed off in that direction without thinking. Gradually, the little dolphin realized that the sharks didn¡¯t notice them despite being so close. The little dolphin seemed to have calmed down and slowed down its speed.


    At this moment, the sharks had surrounded Yu Hai¡¯s fishing boat, and the shark that had bit the bait was struggling desperately. Yu Hai, who was holding the fishing rod with the bait on it, almost got dragged into the sea several times.


    Liu Shuanzhu was holding the steel pitchfork and was aiming it at the shark, but he hesitated to throw it. He knew that if he managed to injure the shark, the scent of blood would cause the other sharks to attack. He was uncertain whether the boat would be able to remain floating at that time. If the two of them fell into the waters, would the fierce sharks be willing to let them go?


    From afar, Yu Xiaocao turned her head and saw that the fishing boat was in a crisis. She hurriedly asked the little divine stone to release the spiritual power that attracted the sharks earlier, while she rode on the little dolphin at the quickest speed to further the distance.


    The fishing boat was shaken violently by the shark that was desperately trying to get off the hook. If the two weren¡¯t expert sailors, then the boat would have already been flipped. What were they going to do? Were they going to be finished here today? Yu Hai and Liu Shuanzhu were falling into despair...

 Chapter 215 – Good Luck

    <h4>Chapter 215 ¨C Good Luck</h4>


    ¡°Brother Dahai, the shoal of sharks has scattered! Come on, quickly reel the rod!¡± Liu Shuanzhu was the first to notice that the sharks had left. Although he was inwardly perplexed about why the shoal of sharks suddenly all went in one direction, he didn¡¯t think too deeply about it.


    At this time, the shark, whose mouth was caught by the hook, was struggling desperately. Its 1.5 meter long body was wriggling vigorously in the water. Fortunately, Yu Hai was strong enough to tightly sp the iron fishing rod in his hands and prevent the shark from breaking free.


    While Yu Hai was reeling the rod, Liu Shuanzhu used the steel fork in his hands to pierce the shark. Perhaps he was still stunned or slightly nervous, but he was still unable to subdue the shark after piercing it several times.


    Seeing that blood of the injured shark was slowly dispersing in the seawater, Yu Hai was afraid that it would attract the shoal of sharks from earlier, so he said, ¡°Shuanzhu,e hold the rod and let me try.¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu knew that Yu Hai, who was skilled in hunting, was more urate than him, so he took the fishing rod in Yu Hai¡¯s hands. At this time, the wounded shark seemed to have sensed its impending death, so it flopped with all its might, nearly pulling Liu Shuanzhu into the sea.


    Yu Hai quickly picked up the steel fork and stabbed into the head of the shark that was desperately trying to escape in the sea. He didn¡¯t understand the refraction of seawater, but he knew from his long-term fishing experience that he couldn¡¯t just aim straight at the target. Instead, there needed to be a small deviation. Sure enough, the harpoon had hit the target! The poor shark flopped a few times before it stopped moving.


    The two worked together to pull the shark into the boat, and then skillfully cut the fins. The shark meat had a pungent smell, so most people didn¡¯t eat it. However, Yu Hai promised to make a diving suit with the shark skin for his younger daughter. Thus, he prepared to peel off the skin after taking the shark back.


    Xiaocao, who had swum far away, told the little divine stone to stop emitting its spiritual power. After the shoal of sharks chasing lost their target, they gradually dispersed. The little dolphin, who quickly fled with Xiaocao on its back, had just swam away desperately with its little life ah. It had actually performed exceedingly well, leaving the sharks far behind them. Of course, there was also the contribution of the little divine stone using its powers to replenish the little dolphin¡¯s energy and elerating its speed.


    ¡°Xiaobu, let¡¯s go back to that ce and take a look!¡± Xiaocao was still slightly worried and decided to go back for a look to confirm her father¡¯s and Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s safety.


    The little dolphin shook its head desperately, ¡®It¡¯s too scary. There¡¯s a lot of sharks ah! My mommy said I have to stay away from dangerous animals. Xiaobu don¡¯t want to go!¡¯


    The little dolphin reluctantly agreed after Xiaocao persuaded it for a long time and promised to bring it delicious meat (meat soaked in mystic-stone water)ter.


    On the way back, they encountered several scattered sharks. However, the little divine stone had sensed it in advance and they were able to avoid them. When Xiaocao saw the Liu Family¡¯s boat again, they had already begun setting the second bait down.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, can you lure one shark at a time? Do you know that my father almost died because of you just now?¡± There was a trace of reproach in Xiaocao¡¯s tone. The scene earlier was so rmingly dangerous that her soul nearly flew away from the fright.


    The little divine stone decided to redeem itself with merit, [No problem! But, I need you to get close to the shark. Can you do it?]


    ¡°Can you guarantee the safety of me and Xiaobu?¡± Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to sacrifice her own life for shark fins.


    The little divine stone patted its chest and vowed, [Rest assured, this Divine Stone is here ah! How can ordinary sharks break through this Divine Stone¡¯s spiritual barrier? You¡¯re looking down on me ah!]


    In light of the fact that the little divine stone was usually pretty reliable and had never messed up at the critical time, Xiaoaco chose to believe it.


    Xiaocao urged the little dolphin to swim toward the direction where they had found the sharks just now. Soon, an unknown species of shark, about two meters long, swam in their direction. It seemed to be mealtime for this shark. Seeing a delicious little dolphin and an unknown creature, it rushed over madly.


    The little dolphin was stunned by the ferocity of the shark. No matter how Xiaocao urged it, it only stayed in the same ce and forgot to run away. The big shark swiftly arrived beside them and opened itsrge, fierce-looking mouth. Revealing two rows of sharp teeth, it chomped in the direction of Xiaocao and the little dolphin.


    The little divine stone broadened its spiritual barrier and firmly wrapped Xiaocao and the little dolphin within it. The big shark bit on the spiritual barrier, but the barrier remained intact. The shark¡¯s mouth was propped open by the barrier. It could neither spit it out, nor could it swallow it. Aiyo, how embarrassing!


    The little divine stone suddenly shrunk the barrier and used its spiritual power to help Xiaocao and the little dolphin escape from the shark¡¯s mouth. The little dolphin finally reacted and fled in panic. Although it was carrying Xiaocao on its back, the little dolphin moved in an agile manner. The shark behind them obviously didn¡¯t want to let its prey escape, so it hastily chased after them. With one chasing and the other escaping, the little dolphin and the shark quickly reached Yu Hai¡¯s boat.


    At this time, the little divine stone suddenly helped them speed up. The big shark quickly lost the target in front of its eyes. It didn¡¯t give up and kept searching nearby. Suddenly, it noticed the bait set by Yu Hai and Liu Shuanzhu. It was a small piece of meat, but no matter how small a mosquito was, it was still meat. Hence, it decided to just eat it first!


    As proven by facts, greed came at a price. This shark ended up dying due to food!


    ¡°Brother Dahai, we¡¯re pretty lucky today. It has only been two hours, but we have already caught two sharks! If it continues like this, we might get four or five sharks before nightfall!¡± Liu Shuanzhu burst with joy as he looked at the tworge sharks on the boat! As the saying goes: ¡®an ounce of shark fin is a tael of gold¡¯. The weight of these two shark¡¯s fins must be at least two or three catties. He was going to be rich!!


    Yu Hai wiped the sweat on his face and was in a good mood. In the past, when he came out to hunt sharks, he was already considered rather lucky if he could catch one shark in a day! Most of the time, he would return empty-handed when hunting for sharks. He also didn¡¯t expect that they were able to catch two sharks so easily. However, he didn¡¯t greedily think that they would continue to be so lucky, ¡°Who knows! But, this is more than enough for today, even if we can¡¯t catch anything else in the afternoon!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right... oh, oh! Herees another one. Quickly look! It¡¯sing straight at us. Is this considered ¡®delivering itself to us on its own ord¡¯?¡± Liu Shuanzhu couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes. Today, thanks to the heavens, they were getting a big harvest ah!


    Yu Hai had already gotten ready. After drinking mystic-stone water for a long period of time, his vision had gotten much better than most people. Seeing that there seemed to be something luring the shark over, he asked in surprise, ¡°Shuanzhu, do you see that? It looks like the shark is chasing something. Let me take a closer look... it seems like a human... no, it kind of looks like a fish...¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu concentrated on staring at the fishing rod in his hands and said, ¡°Brother Dahai, are you sure you didn¡¯t see wrong? How can it be a human? Haha... Brother Dahai, you must have heard too many legends... It¡¯s on the hook. It got hooked!! It¡¯s a big one!! Brother Dahai quicklye help!!¡±


    Yu Hai stopped thinking about what was in the sea and focused on dealing with the big shark. It was really a big one. The two sharks just now didn¡¯t seem any more than two to three hundred catties. This one was huge and was at least four meters long. It definitely weighed over a thousand catties!


    He threw the harpoon hard, but it didn¡¯t kill the shark. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine how strongly the injured shark would struggle. It nearly flipped their fishing boat. Yu Hai quickly picked up the harpoon and used all his strength to throw the harpoon at the vital part of the shark. Fortunately, the life of therge shark was brought to an end during the third jab. Had it taken more time, the two might have been dragged into the sea!


    It was such arge shark, nearly bigger than their boat. It was impossible to transport it back. Yu Hai took off his outer garment, jumped into the sea, and swam towards the shark¡¯s corpse. He cut off the shark¡¯s fins with a sharp knife and threw them onto the ship.


    When he climbed back onto the fishing boat, he said to Liu Shuanzhu, ¡°Let¡¯s quickly go somewhere else! Sharks have a keen sense of smell. I¡¯m afraid that the blood around here will attract a shoal of sharks toe over!¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu hastily turned the sail and steered towards another direction. At the time, Xiaocao swam over and grabbed the rope at the stern of the boat, letting the fishing boat take her forward. The little dolphin, who was a little tired, followed behind them weakly.


    ¡°Oh? Brother Dahai, quickly look! There¡¯s a little dolphin following our boat! The little fellow doesn¡¯t seem very happy. Perhaps it¡¯s hungry!¡± Liu Shuanzhu saw Xiaobu and teased it with the harpoon.


    It might be due to Xiaocao, but the little dolphin wasn¡¯t afraid of him. Instead, it poked its head out of the water and stared at Liu Shuanzhu with its big, limpid eyes. Liu Shuanzhu sliced a piece of meat from the shark on the boat and threw it at the little dolphin. The little dolphin was slightly hungry, so it swallowed the meat and stretched out its head to ask for more.


    Liu Shuanzhu was in a good mood because of the good harvest today. He started talking with the little dolphin, ¡°Little fellow, did you get separated from your group? So pitiful! Here, eat another piece of shark meat! You¡¯re really lucky today. You haven¡¯t tried shark meat before, right?¡± As he spoke, he tossed another small piece of meat over.


    After it ate a few pieces of meat, the little dolphin¡¯s strength had also recovered. At this time, Yu Hai and Liu Shuanzhu settled on another area andid the fish bait.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to work, Xiaobu!! It¡¯s hard toin about someone who has fed you. Quickly lure a few more sharks over!¡± Yu Xiaocao reckoned that they should hurry up. After catching three to five more sharks, her father would probably set sail to return home!


    In this way, with Xiaocao¡¯s help, Yu Hai felt as if everything was going his way. The sharks were constantly taking their bait. Moreover, on several asions, he has seen something in the water luring the sharks over. When he told Liu Shuanzhu about it, he got teased by him, ¡°Brother Dahai, have you ever saved the daughter of the Dragon King of the Sea? Maybe she lured all these sharks over to pay the debt of gratitude? Hahahaha!¡± After saying that, he burst out inughter as if he had told a very funny joke.


    When the sun started setting, they had already caught eight sharks. They had left most of the shark bodies in the sea and only brought back two of them. One shouldn¡¯t be too greedy, so Yu Hai decided to set sail to return home.


    Seeing that the boat was preparing to go back, Xiaocao swam back first and waited for them on a reef by the sea. Fortunately, the return trip went very smoothly, and she soon saw the outline of the fishing boat on the shore. Xiaocao jumped back into the sea and swam towards the boat.


    ¡°Oh! Isn¡¯t that Xiaocao?! Sure enough, she is Brother Dahai¡¯s daughter. She¡¯s a pretty good swimmer! Xiaocao is such a kind and upright person. She was probably worried about you, and thus waiting for you by the sea!¡± Liu Shuanzhu saw the agile figure in the sea and couldn¡¯t help but praise.


    Yu Hai revealed a proud smile on his face. His daughter was really the best. She had onlye to the seaside with Shanhu and the others several times, and she had already learned how to swim. Moreover, she could swim so well. ¡®Mhm! She must have inherited it from me!¡¯


    He lifted Xiaocao, who had gotten closer to the boat, onto the fishing boat and proudly showed off today¡¯s harvest. Xiaocao pretended to be surprised and voiced a series of praise for her father, which caused Yu Hai tough continuously...

 Chapter 216 – Building a House

    <h4>Chapter 216 ¨C Building a House</h4>


    The shark¡¯s dorsal fin, pectoral fins, and caudal fin could all be made into dried shark fin, so at least twenty to thirty catties of fins could be cut off from each shark. Of course, in order to turn them into dried shark fin, they need to be dried and dehydrated. Thus, only around ten catties of shark fin could be produced from each shark.


    Yu Hai and Liu Shuanzhu felt that their moral character must be extremely good today; they had actually caught eight sharks in a day. In this way, the fins alone weighed over two hundred catties. The shark fins were equally divided between the two families. After they were made into dried shark fins, they would take them to the prefectural city to sell. They could definitely sell them for a good price. Yu Hai was very good at preparing shark fins, so Liu Shuanzhu left his portion of shark fins with Yu Hai and asked him to help make them into dried shark fins. As a result, Yu Hai was very busy for the next two days.


    Yu Xiaocao had fallen in love with the feeling of underwater exploration, especially in the deep sea, which was definitely a mysterious area. There was a rich variety of marine creatures at the bottom of the sea. Her harvest from diving once was much higher than gathering seafood by the sea! Recently, she didn¡¯t have any good ideas to make money, so she was thinking about doing something with the high-quality seafood like sea cucumber, abalone, and lobster. Weren¡¯t abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw the favorite of the rich?


    She had the support of Zhenxiu Restaurant, so she wasn¡¯t worried about not being able to sell the marine goods she found from her underwater exploration. On the contrary, when Xiaocao first took out the sea cucumbers, abalones, and a fresh lobster that was half a meter long, the head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant waspletely stunned. After that, he was extremely ted!


    It had been a long time since Zhenxiu Restaurantunched a new dish. In summer, greasy food like roasted chicken and braised meat weren¡¯t as popr as they used to be. The chefs in the back kitchen were all scratching their heads trying to think of a new and refreshing dish.


    With these high-quality seafood, did they still have to worry about not being able to retain their customers? After the head manager expressed his gratitude again, they agreed that if Yu Hai caught more of these high-quality seafood, he had to sell them to Zhenxiu Restaurant. The price was negotiable!


    Xiaocao naturally couldn¡¯t tell him that she got these high-quality seafood from diving, so she gave her father all the credit. Fortunately, the head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant, also knew that Yu Hai wasn¡¯t only a good hunter but also an excellent fisherman. Thus, he didn¡¯t suspect anything at all! A few abalones, several sea cucumbers, and arge lobster was sold for two hundred taels. Xiaocao thought that this business was quite profitable and doable!


    Every day, other than taking care of her pregnant godmother, Xiaocao spent at least half a day under the sea. The Yu Family had also noticed that Xiaocao seemed to be going to the sea quite frequently. With the thought that ¡®his younger daughter had just learned how to swim, so she was still very interested in it¡¯, Yu Hai didn¡¯t hinder her from ying at the seaside. However, the family would always remind her not to swim too far away, to be careful, and so on.


    As midsummer approached, a new batch of sweet potatoes had been nted. It was currently the most idle time for farmers. After experiencing several rainstorms, the Yu Family felt that building their house should be their top priority at the moment. The old residence was too old. Every time it rained, there would be heavy rain outside and light rain in the house. Almost all the household utensils had to be used to catch the rain. In particr, the Yu Family was really worried that the west room of the old house would copse if there was another rainstorm.


    After selling the shark fins, Yu Hai decided to build three tiled-roofed rooms beside the old residence. After moving into those rooms, they could tear down the old residence and rebuild it. In total, they would have five ck brick, tiled-roofed rooms. In addition, there were also the east and west wing-rooms. It was enough space for the entire family to live in!


    No sooner said than done! Yu Hai went to the prefectural city several times to contact a brick kiln and ordered 150,000 ck bricks and 30,000 tiles. These bricks and tiles, including the delivery fee, cost nearly two hundred taels. As for the stones used toy the foundation, Dongshan Vige was close to the mountains, so they just needed to find several strong workers from the vige, and they would be able to get enough stones within two to three days.


    Since Yu Hai had a good rtionship with Zhenxiu Restaurant, the Zhou Family¡¯s two factories prioritized recruiting workers from Dongshan Vige and provided them with good benefits. Moreover, Yu Hai was usually a warm-hearted person. If other families needed help, he had never refused them as long as he was capable of helping out. As a result, Yu Hai became the most respected person, who also had the best interpersonal rtionships, in Dongshan Vige besides the vige chief.


    Originally, Yu Hai had nned to hire around a dozen people from town to help build the house. The daily wage would be fifty copper coins and two meals. Unexpectedly, when several families, who had good rtions with Yu Hai¡¯s family heard that they were going to build a new house, they pushed off their work and all rushed over to help.


    The first one toe over was Liu Shuanzhu, who had a very close rtionship with Yu Hai. As soon as he entered the gates, he shouted, ¡°Brother Dahai, are you looking down on us, your brothers? Or are you afraid that we¡¯re not skilled enough to build a house, and thus waste the bricks and tiles that you bought?¡±


    Yu Hai punched his shoulder lightly and said, ¡°Look at you. What are you saying? I¡¯m just afraid that I will dy your work!¡±


    The present Dongshan Vige wasn¡¯t the same as it was in the past. Except for the old, weak, women and children, there were very few people who were idle. Not to mention those who worked in the Zhou Family¡¯s factories, but they could earn a few hundred copper coins a day by gathering sandworms and oysters during low tide! If that wasn¡¯t enough, they could also go work at the docks and earn several dozen copper coins in a day.


    ording to the usual practice of Dongshan Vige, if someone wanted to build a house, the young and strongborers of the vige woulde to help, and the host just needed to provide two meals for them! Yu Hai was afraid of hindering the vigers from making money ah!


    Liu Shuanzhu red at him and angrily said, ¡°My brother is building a house, even if I can earn a mountain of gold in a day, I still need to help my brother first!¡±


    ¡°Brother Shuanzhu is right! Brother Dahai, you¡¯re speaking like we¡¯re strangers! As the saying goes: ¡®a close neighbor is better than a distant rtive¡¯! When are youying the foundation? I¡¯ll tell your Older Brother Zhou and oldest nephew toe help!¡± Madam Fang, who was carrying a basket of eggs, came in the gates and said.


    Seeing Madam Fang enter the Yu Family¡¯s main entrance, Madam Mao thought about it and also came over. In recent days, the bricks and tiles that Yu Hai ordered had been delivered one after another. The Qian Family lived very close, so it was impossible for them to not know that the Yu Family was building a house. Since the beginning of spring, there had been an excessive demand for the Qian Family¡¯s ducks and duck eggs, and thus they had earned a small fortunate. Madam Mao had deep gratitude for the Yu Family¡¯s friendly sentiments, so she naturally couldn¡¯t just sit by idly and act indifferent.


    ¡°The wife of the Zhou Family is right! Had it not been for your family¡¯s Xiaocao, my family¡¯s ducks and Madam Fang¡¯s chickens, we might not have been able to sell them! My family¡¯s Old Qian can¡¯t earn much money at the docks, moreover, he¡¯s working himself to death. I have long wanted him to quit! This is perfect. I can take this opportunity to get him to rest for a few days ande help you guys out!¡± Madam Mao was quite an articte speaker.


    Yu Hai, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t a very good speaker. He muttered, ¡°That won¡¯t do...¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s loud voice sounded again, ¡°Why not! In these past few years, the children have grown up and they will probably start looking for a wife in two years. I¡¯m thinking about building a new three-room house next year to make it easier for my son to get married in the future! As you know, I¡¯m not very knowledgeable and don¡¯t understand a lot of things, so I¡¯m counting on Brother Dahai to give me some pointers at that time! Brother Dahai, you won¡¯t refuse to help, right?!¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t! Nothing is as important as brothers!!¡± Yu Hai ced great importance in friendship, so he had several good friends in the vige!


    Liu Shuanzhu pped and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! What are brothers? If a friend needs help, they will stab two ribs into a knife...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who had returned from outside, chuckled, ¡°Uncle Shuanzhu, it¡¯s ¡®when a friend is in need, one will be willing to be stabbed on both sides for him¡¯! It means that one would be willing to sacrifice anything for a friend, including his life!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, my dear niece is quite knowledgeable. That¡¯s exactly what I meant! I can even give my life to you, let alone a few stinky coins? It¡¯s decided then! I have heard that my niece is an excellent cook. I will be able to eat a delicious meal at that time ah!¡± As Liu Shuanzhu spoke, he went out the door and prepared to go find their other close friends to discuss about the matter of working together to help Brother Dahai build his house.


    Yu Jiang, who was collecting marine good nearby, heard Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s shouting, so he poked his head inside door and shouted, ¡°Second Brother! Count me and my eldest brother in on helping with the house construction!¡±


    Before Yu Hai could reply, his head had already retracted. There were still several people waiting to sell their marine goods ah! It was hot in the summer, so it was easy for seafood to go bad. He must check them carefully. If the color wasn¡¯t right or it smelled weird, then he absolutely couldn¡¯t ept them! The Zhou Family¡¯s factories trusted his second brother and handed this business to him, so he couldn¡¯t ruin his second brother¡¯s reputation!!


    Around twenty people came on the day they wereying the foundation. Most of them were vigers who had a good rtionship with the Yu Family. There were also people who wanted to improve their rtionship with the Yu Family with the thought that if there was something good in the future, Yu Hai would take care of them. Four members of the Liu Family came over, which were Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandparents, eldest uncle, and second uncle.


    Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandfather, Liu Cunjin, was over fifty years old, but since he worked throughout the year, he was very strong and healthy. Ordinary youngsters might not necessarily be able to surpass him when doing physicalbor. His only daughter¡¯s family was building a house, so no matter what, he had toe and make sure everything was going smoothly.


    Xiaocao¡¯s second maternal uncle, Liu Han, didn¡¯t go out to work and stayed at home to take care of the fields. There was nothing to do in the fields at this time, so of course, he had toe help out. Even her eldest maternal uncle had taken a few days off at the docks toe help his younger sister and younger brother-inw.


    During the construction of the house, it was necessary to provide meals for the workers. Her maternal grandmother was worried about her own daughter, so she packed her bags and prepared to stay at her daughter¡¯s house for the time being in order to help her daughter with the cooking.


    Looking at these friends and rtives and seeing the sincere smiles on their faces, Xiaocao¡¯s heart warmed up. The simplicity, kindness, and enthusiasm of the ancient people enhanced the sense of belonging within her heart. Perhaps, she was more suited for this type of lifestyle!


    Many hands made light work. With over a dozen young and strong workers, the foundation of the Yu Family¡¯s three principal rooms and two side rooms were almostpleted in a day!


    It was zing hot in the middle of the summer. Although these people were ustomed to working under the hot sun, Xiaocao was still afraid that they would get heat stroke. So she took out the mung beans that they keep at home to reduce heat and made a pot of sweet mung bean soup. She put it in the cold water of the well, and then added some rock sugar inside. It was especially refreshing to drink it when one was very tired and hot!


    It was a spectacr sight to see seventeen or eighteen young and strong men eating. For just rice alone, they had to cook tworge pots. Fearing that it wasn¡¯t enough to eat, the Yu Family especially steamed several pans of white and plump in steamed buns. The rice was white rice, while the steamed buns were made of wheat flour. Even though the current living conditions of Dongshan Vige was much better than before, there were still families who ate coarse grains for every meal.


    Not to mention the food that the Yu Family ate, which were all high-quality dishes ah! Stewed chicken with mushroom, salted duck, braised pork with vermicelli, and braised pig head meat were all served in pots! The vegetables were also stir-fried with oyster sauce and MSG, which was allegedly only avable in the famous restaurants in town! Between the two meals, Xiaocao had also prepared the heat reducing and tasty starch jelly!


    Disregarding everything else, they had to work hard in order to eat these dishes which were even better than the food they had during the New Year ah! Otherwise, would they be worthy of all the delicious food on the table?


    Originally, Yu Xiaocao and her parents had wanted to pay them every day. However, as soon as they mentioned it, they were scolded by her father¡¯s friends. They questioned if they were looking down on old friends after bing rich. To mention money between friends would hurt the rtionship!


    They gave up on this thought after hearing Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandfather¡¯s words, ¡°We know that you guys have good intentions, but once you start doing this, how can the vigers ask for help when building houses in the future? Rtives and neighbors get along with each other due to mutual affection!¡± The wise words of the elder had enlightened them. After that, the Yu Family never mentioned money again!

 Chapter 217 – A Fright in the Valley

    <h4>Chapter 217 ¨C A Fright in the Valley</h4>


    Recently, Lady Fang didn¡¯t have a very good appetite. Besides the vegetables that Xiaocao had watered with mystic-stone water, she vomited everything else that she ate as soon as she consumed them. Meat and seafood, in particr, were food that she couldn¡¯t touch at all. Xiaocao understood the importance of a well-bnced diet for the fetus. It definitely wasn¡¯t enough to just eat vegetables, so Xiaocao racked her brain in order to make her godmother eat some meat dishes.


    Little Shitou was at home because it was summer break for Rongxuan Academy. Last week, he received a letter sent to the academy from Brother Han in the capital. In the letter, Zhao Han briefly wrote about his life in the capital. His grandfather had already left for the borders to serve as themanding general of the army. For the time being, he and his father were staying in the capital on standby. The contents of the letter mostly consisted of his memories of his life in Dongshan Vige, as well as the scenes of him hunting, roasting meat, and cooking fish soup with the siblings...


    When Little Shitou heard his second sister saying that her godmother couldn¡¯t eat any meat or fish, a lightbulb suddenly lit up in his head and he said, ¡°Second Sister, do you remember the secret base that Brother Han took us to?¡± Secret base was the name that his second sister gave to the valley. Little Shitou thought that it was quite vivid, so he always referred to the valley in that way.


    Xiaocao was pondering whether she should try making some sour and spicy food, which stimted the appetite. The dish ¡®boiled fish with pickled cabbage and chili¡¯ should be quite good. Her family didn¡¯t make any pickled cabbage, but her maternal grandmother should have them. Godmother liked to eat sour food, so ¡®boiled fish with pickled cabbage and chili¡¯ should suit her taste. At that time, if she sliced the fish into very thin slices and soaked it in water for a while, there probably wouldn¡¯t be a fishy smell anymore...


    Hearing Little Shitou¡¯s words, she nonchntly replied, ¡°What? You want to go y in the valley? When Second Sister is free, I will definitely take you there... You should go study!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go y! Do you still remember the little white fish in the valley creek? The meat was so tender that it melted in one¡¯s mouth. Perhaps Auntie Fang can eat it!¡± Little Shitou felt that he had been looked down upon.


    He wasn¡¯t the Little Shitou of the past anymore, ok? He was now a student in the primary ss of the Rongxuan Academy. How could he only think about ying? However, he seriously didn¡¯t want to admit that he really missed the valley, the taste of the barbeque at that time, and the delicious little white fish...


    When Yu Xiaocao heard that, she immediately looked at Little Shitou and gave him a thumbs up, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! You have indeed been studying for half a year; you¡¯reing up with ideas faster than me! Come, let¡¯s go to the secret base and catch a lot of little fish back. It¡¯s too hot recently, and our parents have been focused on the construction of the house. They have apparently slimmed down quite a lot. The small white fish are delicious and nutritious, so let¡¯s catch more to stew soup!¡±


    This matter should not be dyed. If they left now, they could return in time to make lunch for her godmother! Xiaocao carried a ceramic jar and headed to the mountain forest with an excited Little Shitou.


    The cool breeze was blowing in the early morning. In summer, the West Mountains was filled with verdant and luxuriant foliage. When walking in the dense forest, one couldn¡¯t feel the scorching summer heat at all. Walking through the forest, the siblings arrived at a mountain wall covered with green vines. Yes, the secret base that the siblings mentioned was right behind the green vines.


    Pushing aside the thick green vines, a cave that was about a half person tall appeared in front of the siblings. The deeper one walked inside the cave, the more spacious it became. Even if an adult stood up, their head wouldn¡¯t be able to touch the stone wall on the top of the cave. After walking for about fifteen minutes, three paths appeared in the cave. They chose the path on the far right. After walking for a while, a brightness suddenly appeared in front of their eyes, which gave people the feeling of seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.


    This was the valley that Zhao Han had once taken Xiaocao and her younger brother to in the past. There was flowing water and flowers blossoming like a piece of brocade. Also, due to its strange topography, it was surrounded by mountains, and thus the temperature inside the cave was slightly lower than outside. This was a good ce to avoid the summer heat.


    ¡°If the opening of the cave wasn¡¯t so narrow and hard to pass through, I really want to bring my godmother here to avoid the heat! Godmother will definitely like the scenery here!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mood had also be more happy and carefree because of the beautiful flowers in front of her.


    As they spoke, a snow-white hare stopped not too far away from the siblings. With its pair of ruby-like eyes, it stared curiously at the two strange intruders. Little Shitou cast aside all the constraints of the academy and returned to his true nature. He cheered and ran after the hare, and hisughter echoed throughout the valley.


    Yu Xiaocao asked the little divine stone to check around the vicinity. It didn¡¯t find any ferocious beast that could hurt people, so she allowed her younger brother to frolic in the valley. She went to the clear stream and bowed her head to search for the fish in the gaps between the stones.


    This small white fish seemed to be a specialty of this valley. Xiaocao had never seen it anywhere else. The small white fish was about 6.6 to 9.9 centimeters long. It was very thin and had a snow-white body. It swam in a very nimble and quick manner, so most people wouldn¡¯t be able to catch them.


    Xiaocao ced the jar, which was filled with mystic-stone water, into the stream and waited for the white fish to enter the jar. Soon, the white fish nearby sensed the spiritual energy within the jar and slowly gathered over. Xiaocao noticed that the valley was bustling with all kinds of exotic flowers. Her godmother, who hade from a noble family, would certainly like them. Thus, she decided to pick some back, put them in a vase, and put it in her godmother¡¯s room. She also nned on digging out the roots of the ones that she liked and try nting them at home!


    Although Xiaocao didn¡¯t know much about flowers, she still had basic ability to admire them. She dug out a nt that should be camellia, and two nts that looked like orchids. She sprinkled some mystic-stone water on the roots to increase their survival rates.


    When she returned to the creek, the jar was already filled with many little white fish. After pouring out the water, there should be at least two to three catties! She didn¡¯t know whether her godmother could eat them, so these should be enough for now! Looking at the sky, they had been out for about two hours. When taking their return trip into consideration, they should arrive home just in time to make lunch.


    Just when Xiaocao was about to call back her frolicking younger brother, as if they had telepathy, Little Shitou ran out of the tall grasses with the dazed white rabbit, who didn¡¯t seem afraid of humans, in his hands. He grinned, ¡°Second Sister, look! I caught the rabbit! Let¡¯s raise it with the rabbits at home. Look at this rabbit¡¯s snowy white fur. It must be very warm and beautiful when woven into a vest.¡±


    The little fellow still remembered what Xiaocao saidst winter! At that time, they hadn¡¯t split from the main family yet and the siblings were still dressed in ragged clothing, which couldn¡¯t withstand the cold in the north at all. Little Shitou had gotten frostbite on his hands and feet, so Xiaocao had to use hot water to warm his feet over and over again. She also said that they should raise some rabbits next year and weave some gloves, socks, and vests with the rabbit wool. She hadn¡¯t expected that the little guy still remembered that when it had already been over half a year!


    ¡°Alright! This rabbit¡¯s fur is quite thick. Let¡¯s raise it well, so when winteres, we should be able to collect enough rabbit fur to weave vests and socks.¡± Holding the earthen jar, Xiaocao took the lead to walk out of the valley.


    Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the grass nearby. Little Shitou happily eximed, ¡°Could it be another rabbit? Let me go see...¡±


    ¡°Come back!!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s voice had turned stern. This was because the little divine stone had warned her that it could feel a gray wolf nearby. She hadn¡¯t expected that there really were fierce animals in this mountain valley. They were quite lucky that they didn¡¯t encounter them in the past.


    Little Shitou had never heard his second sister speak with such a strict voice. He stopped in his tracks and turned his body to look his second sister with confusion. Behind him, the movement within the grass got closer. Xiaocao darted forward, grabbed her brother¡¯s hand, and sprinted towards the exit of the valley.


    The gray wolf had already noticed the siblings, and quickly ran after them. The valley was overgrown with weeds, and the areas that didn¡¯t have grass were covered with rocks. There wasn¡¯t any road at all. How could the siblings be faster than the four-legged wolf? The gray wolf caught up to them very quickly.


    The gray wolf suddenly sprang over the siblings¡¯ head andnded in front of them. With a drooping tail, it observed the siblings with its pair of glittering eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao guarded her younger brother behind her back and watched the big gray wolf nervously. The wolf didn¡¯t appear very fierce and looked simr to a Siberian husky with gray fur and white face. There wasn¡¯t any malevolence within its gaze. It just stood in front of them and looked at them quietly.


    [Don¡¯t be scared! You guys have my spiritual energy on your bodies. Animals have more keen senses, so it probably followed the energy over. Perhaps you have already noticed that my spiritual energy can make animals have good feelings and be dependent on you. The best evidence is the dumb roe deer and Little Gray at your house! The gray wolf won¡¯t attack you, but it¡¯s hard to say whether it will let you go!] There was a sense of delight in their misfortune within the little divine stone¡¯s voice.


    The wolf quietly looked at Xiaocao, as if it was confirming that the friendly feelings that attracted it was emitted from her. It walked a few steps forward and was less than two meters away from Xiaocao.


    Little Shitou hugged in the rabbit in his hands in fear, yet he still remembered that he was a brave boy who should protect his older sister. He took a step forward and wanted to protect Xiaocao behind him, but it was a pity that he wasn¡¯t tall enough. ¡®What should I do? I should just let the wolf eat me and give Second Sister a chance to run away.¡¯


    Little Shitou whispered in a trembling voice, ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯ll block it. You... you quickly leave...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt moved in her heart. Little Shitou was only six, yet he had such courage. He was indeed worthy of being her younger brother. Xiaocao carefully observed the gray wolf. It really didn¡¯t seem to have the intention of attacking them, but it blocked their only path home and just stared at them without moving.


    ¡°Uh... Mr. Wolf, if you can understand what I¡¯m saying, can you move a little? We need to go home...¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that, ording to her past experiences, this wolf should be able to understand her words.


    ¡°Second Sister, it doesn¡¯t understand your words! I¡¯ll block it. You leave... We can¡¯t both die here...¡± Little Shitou summoned all his courage as a brave, young boy and sacrificed himself in order to protect his older sister again.


    [If you give a few drops of my bathing water to it, it will be like the dumb roe deer and like you even more. Even if you leave, it won¡¯t attack you!] The little divine stone couldn¡¯t help but remind her. How could it have such a foolish master ah? She was as foolish as that dumb roe deer!


    Xiaocao thought about it and took out the bottle of mystic-stone water from her chest pocket. She dripped a few drops onto her palm, and then slowly walked towards the gray wolf.


    [Tsk tsk... You actually dared to use your hand to feed the mystic-stone water to it. Aren¡¯t you afraid that the wolf will bite off your hand?] The little divine stone eximed in a teasing tone.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you around? Would you just sit back and watch if your master got in danger?¡± Although Xiaocao said that, she was actually quite anxious inwardly.


    The little divine stone rolled its eyes, ¡®Master is finally smart for once!¡¯ Indeed, before it had returned to its heyday, it was one with her. So, of course, it wouldn¡¯t let its master be harmed.


    Little Shitou had just wanted to stretch out his hand to pull his sister back, but he was surprised to see that the gray wolf gently licking his second sister¡¯s palm like the dogs that his eldest granduncle raised. Its eyes had narrowed as if it was enjoying it very much.

 Chapter 218 – Precious

    <h4>Chapter 218 ¨C Precious</h4>


    The flowers were bright and colorful, while the grass looked like a green carpet. There were a pair of siblings and a wolf within the myriad of colors, yet the atmosphere was harmonious and at ease.


    After the wolf licked all the mystic-stone water on Xiaocao hand, it was still unsatisfied and continued to lick Xiaocao¡¯s fair and soft palm with its coarse tongue. However, it seemed to know that the person in front of it only had those few drops of mystic-stone water at the moment, so it didn¡¯t demand for more.


    The fear in Little Shitou¡¯s heart gradually faded. He looked curiously at the gray wolf, who had clean, thick fur and gentle eyes. He whispered to Xiaocao, ¡°Second Sister, is this a dog? If it¡¯s a wolf, it would have eaten us already!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s heart had alsopletely rxed and she was in the mood to tease Little Shitou, ¡°Have you seen such a tall and mighty dog? Isn¡¯t it obviously a wolf? As for why it didn¡¯t eat us, maybe it just finished eating and isn¡¯t hungry!¡±


    With a mournful expression, Little Shitou looked pitifully at the gray wolf and continued to speak in a low voice, ¡°Then... will it keep us as reserved food supply?¡±


    Xiaocao knocked on his head andughed, ¡°This valley is rich with water and grass, so would there be ack of prey? Do you think that your meat is really tasty? Human flesh is sour, so it doesn¡¯t want to eat it ah!¡±


    Little Shitou immediately went off the topic, ¡°Second Sister, how do you know that human flesh is sour? You¡¯ve never even eaten it before!¡±


    ¡°Who said I have never eaten it before? I¡¯m an old goblin from the mountains. Your second sister has already been eaten by me...¡± With a grim voice, the corners of her mouth were arched into a strange smile and her face was filled with a sinister expression... Had it been nighttime, people would be terribly frightened by Xiaocao¡¯s current appearance.


    Little Shitou looked at her nkly, as if he had been frightened. Xiaocao realized that the little fellow was only six years old after all, so he must have been scared silly.


    Just when she wanted to pacify the little guy, the corners of Little Shitou¡¯s mouth slowly raised and his voice was filled with confidence as he said, ¡°Second Sister! Although your character and temperament arepletely different from before, I am certain that you definitely won¡¯t harm any of us. You are my second sister, my kind and capable Second Sister!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao tenderly ruffled the little fellow¡¯s hair and chuckled, ¡°I thought you really believed it! How can there be so many demons and ghosts in the world? As long as one doesn¡¯tmit a sin, one doesn¡¯t have to be afraid of ghosts knocking on the door in the middle of the night. Most of the time, people who harbor malicious intentions are the ones who are filled with suspicion! Our Shitou must be an honest and upright person ah!¡±


    Little Shitou sternly nodded and said, ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯ll remember!! ...But, shouldn¡¯t we return now? With this wolf here, how are we supposed to go back?¡±


    ¡°How are we going back? Just go back ah! Do you think that this wolf will carry us back?¡± Yu Xiaocao could feel the goodwill of the wolf, and she also had the little divine stone¡¯s assurance, so there was naturally nothing to be afraid of.


    She picked up the flowers that she had thrown away earlier when they were trying to escape. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t throw the jar in her hand, otherwise, they would havee in vain! Xiaocao asked Little Shitou to hold the flowers, while she carried the ceramic jar. With her free hand, she patted the wolf¡¯s head, ¡°We¡¯re leaving now. We¡¯lle back to visit you in the future!¡±


    The gray wolf wagged its tail, which was dangling behind it. Little Shitouughed and said, ¡°Could it be the offspring of a dog and a wolf? It¡¯s really simr to Eldest Granduncle¡¯s Dahuang ah!¡±


    The siblings walked around the wolf and headed towards the cave. The gray wolf followed behind them for a while and watched them enter the cave before reluctantly leaving.


    By the time they got home, it was almost noon. Lady Fang knew that the siblings had gone to the forest. Seeing that they hadn¡¯te back for so long, she was very worried and asked Zhenzhu to go to the forest several times.


    ¡°Aiyo! My dear Young Miss, you guys finally came back! If youe back anyter, Madam is about to send people into the forest to look for you guys!¡± Zhenzhu finally saw Xiaocao after waiting for so long. She quickly went forward and took the jar in Xiaocao¡¯s hands. She looked at it curiously and asked, ¡°What kind of fish is this? I¡¯ve never seen it before!¡±


    Xiaocao giggled and said, ¡°We call it little white fish. It has a tender flesh and doesn¡¯t have any strange smell at all. Godmother should be able to eat some!¡±


    Zhenzhu was so moved that her eyes teared up. The madam had a poor appetite recently and slimmed down quite a lot. As her maidservant, of course, she was worried about her master. Xiaocao had been trying different methods to cook for her madam just so she could eat a little more. This was something that Zhenzhu had seen clearly. She said sincerely, ¡°Young Miss, this servant thanks you in ce of Madam!¡±


    ¡°Why do I need you to thank me? Your madam is my godmother. It¡¯s only right that I treat her well!¡± Yu Xiaocao red at her with a smile.


    Zhenzhu quickly said with a smile, ¡°Yes, yes! This servant is wrong!¡±


    The group of threeughed and chatted, and soon reached the Zhao Family¡¯s residence at the mountainside. From afar, they saw Lady Fang being supported by Linglong as she stood at the entrance and looked over in their direction.


    Xiaocao¡¯s heart warmed up. She carried the flowers that she dug up and quickly ran towards Lady Fang. Lady Fang finally revealed a relieved smile and said, ¡°Slow down. Watch your step and be careful of the small stones!¡±


    The flushed little face in front of her was covered with a thinyer of glistening sweat like a rose covered with dew. Lady Fang pulled out her handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat for her, and then she softly said, ¡°Why did you go for so long? In the future, if you want to y in the forest, get your godfather to apany you. With you godfather¡¯s abilities, you don¡¯t have to be afraid even if you encounter a tiger!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded incessantly yet she thought inwardly, ¡®We didn¡¯t meet a big tiger this time, but we encountered a big gray wolf! But, with the little divine stone present, there won¡¯t be any problem even if we encountered a big tiger!¡¯ However, she was afraid that her godmother would be frightened and startle her little brother in her godmother¡¯s belly. So, she didn¡¯t mention anything about the gray wolf.


    When Lady Fang¡¯s gaze turned towards Xiaocao¡¯s hands, a sudden sense of surprise emerged within her eyes. She grabbed Xiaocao¡¯s arm, and gently took the flowers from her hands. With a slight trace of pain in her eyes, she asked, ¡°Aiya! This... is this the famous species of orchid¡ªFairy Flying in the Snow Field? I have only seen it once in the empress¡¯s bedroom. I heard that it was a tribute from Tufan [1]. Aiyo, the roots have been cut. I wonder if it can survive!¡±


    Lady Fang was a famed lover of orchids. After Fang Zizhen found out about this, he never forgot to find many different types of orchids for her wherever he went. He had specially hired a horticulturist, who was an expert at raising orchids, to tend the dozens of species of orchid at home for a high wage.


    Ever since she saw the ¡®Fairy Flying in the Snow Field¡¯ in the imperial pce, Lady Fang had always been thinking about it. After many unsessful searches, Fang Zizhen had thick-facedly gone to the pce to ask the emperor for the orchid. However, he was kicked out by Jianwen Emperor. ¡®As if you¡¯re the only one who loves your wife, you actually dared to want something that belongs to my wife!¡¯ Seeing the roots that Xiaocao had cut because she was anxious, Lady Fang felt as if a part of her heart had been dug out. It hurt so much ah!


    ¡°Uh... Godmother, let¡¯s nt these flowers first. If we dy any longer, it might wilt!¡± Seeing her godmother¡¯s agitated look, it seemed like she had inadvertently dug out a rare type of orchid! Fairy Flying in the Snow Field was quite a beautiful name!! So Godmother liked orchids ah. Next time, she should dig out more varieties. Perhaps her godmother would have a better appetite when she was in a good mood.


    As if she was holding a rare treasure, Lady Fang carefully held the orchid in her hands. She asked Linglong to fetch a flowerpot, and then she personally nted the orchid inside. Due to her love of orchids, she was quite experienced in nting orchids. After nting the flowers, it needed to be watered. Xiaocao, who was helping out besides her, changed the water to the diluted mystic-stone water.


    The other two nts were camellias that already had small flower buds on them. Lady Fang didn¡¯t like camellias as much as orchids, but with her keen sight, she could tell that these two camellias were quite extraordinary.


    ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯ll put these flowers into a vase...¡± Little Shitou wasn¡¯t interested in nting flowers. He was nning on helping his older brother collect seafood after putting the flowers in a vase.


    When Lady Fang turned her head and saw the gorgeous camellias in Little Shitou¡¯s arms, she nearly fainted from the pain in her heart, ¡°Oh heavens! Eighteen Schrs!! How can you guys pluck Eighteen Schrs and put them in a vase? I... I really don¡¯t know what I should say...¡±


    Seeing the pained expression on her godmother¡¯s face, Xiaocao quickly said, ¡°Godmother, that must be one of these two nts. If you like it, I can dig out some more for you tomorrow... Godmother, why is it called Eighteen Schrs ah?¡±


    When Lady Fang heard that there seemed to be more of this type of camellia on the mountains, the pain in her heart felt slightly better. With her goddaughter¡¯s support, she slowly entered the house. Upon seeing the gorgeous and charming Eighteen Schrs camellia in the flower vase, she thought, ¡®Princess Consort Jing loves camellias the most. If she knew that I have ¡®Eighteen Schrs¡¯ in a vase, I wonder if she will be envious or will she scold me for recklessly wasting god¡¯s gift?¡¯


    ¡°A lot of people think that Eighteen Schrs is breed from eighteen flowers of different colors, but that isn¡¯t the case. Eighteen refers to the eighteen rows of petals, not the colors. Most Eighteen Schrs has eighteenyers of petals and its tree also has graceful shape, so it¡¯s highly sought after by themon people. There are three types of Eighteen Schrs: Pink Eighteen Schrs, Red Eighteen Schrs, and White Eighteen Schrs. The flowers that you picked seems to include all the varieties. I don¡¯t know which type you¡¯re transnting?¡± Lady Fang touched one of the buds and tenderly exined to Xiaocao.


    Xiaocao nodded and then shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Daughter doesn¡¯t know anything about flowers. We¡¯ll have to wait for it to blossom in order to know which type it is! But it¡¯s okay. I can go back a few more times, and we will eventually move all three colors of camellias over here. Next time, I¡¯ll take a shovel with me. It was inconvenient to use a wooden stick, so a lot of the roots were broken!¡±


    Lady Fang lighted patted her shoulder, sighed, and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the West Mountains has such rare species of flowers. Do you know? Just this camellia alone is hard to find even with thousands of gold. Yet it¡¯s just like radish and cabbage to you. Are you trying to enrage all those flower lovers?¡±


    Xiaocao touched the back of her head and said with a silly smile, ¡°Godmother, is there anyone who is knowledgeable about flowers around you? That person cane with me tomorrow to see if there¡¯s any other rare species of flowers. We can dig more back so Godmother can gift them to your bosom friends when you return to the capital. You won¡¯t have to spend money to buy them!¡±


    ¡°This little money-grubber! Those precious flowers can only be discovered and not sought. It¡¯s not something that can be bought with money! I thought you would say to dig more back to sell for money! Godmother didn¡¯t dote on you in vain!¡± Lady Fang gently pinched her fair and soft cheeks, and her smile was full of emotions.

 Chapter 219 – Owing Them

    <h4>Chapter 219 ¨C Owing Them</h4>


    The thick soup stewed with small white fish, which appeared like snow-white milk, boiled in the pot and emitted a strong, refreshing scent. A couple drops of mystic-stone water was added into the thick soup and the only condiment used was salt. The fish soup was originally very fresh, so it was unnecessary to add other condiments. Before serving it, one should sprinkle some mashed coriander and two drops of sesame oil on top because the aroma could enhance one¡¯s appetite.


    Under Xiaocao and the two maidservants¡¯ expectant gazes, Lady Fang tried a small sip of the soup. The strong aroma seemed to have aroused the ¡®gluttonous bug¡¯ in her stomach. The soup was refreshingly delicious, and the fish meat was smooth and tender. Unbeknownst to her, Lady Fang hadpletely finished a bowl of fish soup and half a bowl of fish meat.


    Zhenzhu and Linglong held each other¡¯s hands and had tears of excitement in their eyes. Their madam¡¯s poor appetite recently had been quite worrisome. For each meal, she ate even less than a cat. If she forced herself to eat, it would bring about the opposite effect¡ªshe would vomit all the food that she used so much effort to eat. It had been a long time since their madam had finished an entire bowl of soup, especially one that contained meat or fish. The two loyal maidservants felt even more happy than if they had eaten the food themselves.


    Lady Fang gently wiped the corners of her mouth with her handkerchief as she savored the delicacy in her mouth. Although she wanted to drink a few more mouthfuls, she restrained herself. She knew that no matter how delicious the food was, she still needed to control herself, so as to not spoil her appetite again.


    Seeing Xiaocao reveal a sincere smile, Lady Fang lightly stroked her smooth and glossy hair and said in a gentle voice, ¡°It must have been hard for you! These days, in order to let me eat some more, you have gotten thinner from the exhaustion! Moreover, your family have been busy with the construction of the house recently, so you have to go back to help your mother after cooking for me. I really don¡¯t know how I should thank you...¡±


    ¡°Godmother! There¡¯s no need to treat one family as two. You¡¯re my godmother, who is just like my birth mother. It¡¯s a special time right now, so who else would I take care of first? My mother has Auntie Zhou, Eldest Grandaunt, and my maternal grandmother helping her out. There¡¯s nothing for me to do even if I went! Godmother, I¡¯ll be mad if you continue treating me like a stranger!¡± Xiaoocao pretended to be angry and puffed up her cheeks like a toad!


    Lady Fang smiled and said, ¡°Alright, alright, alright! Godmother is wrong and you¡¯re right. There¡¯s no need to be courteous with family! You have been busy for the whole morning. Go back home to rest. I¡¯m also tired, so I¡¯ll take a nap in the room...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao helped her godmother to lie on the bed, and then covered her with a thin nket. After she saw her close her eyes, she quietly left the inner room. She said to Linglong in a low voice, ¡°Remember to check the time. Don¡¯t let Godmother sleep for too long, otherwise, she won¡¯t be able to sleep at night!¡±


    Linglong agreed and escorted her out of the room. When she returned, she saw that her madam had opened her eyes again, so she said with a smile, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re really someone who is blessed. Young Miss is so filial!¡±


    With a smile on her face, Lady Fang lightly nodded and said, ¡°The best thing that your general has done in his life is adopting Xiaocao as his daughter! This child brings happiness. Even Doctor Sun praised that her medicinal meals were beneficial to the general¡¯s health! If it wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t mind the trouble of altering the medicinal meals daily to help nourish our health, I¡¯m afraid that it would be difficult for me to have my own child in this lifetime!¡±


    Linglong quickly said, ¡°Young Miss is such a good person, and she just happened to meet you and the general. This is also your blessing ah!¡±


    Lady Fang slowly nodded her head, put both her hands on her belly, and raised the corners of her mouth into a cordial smile, ¡®Isn¡¯t this child also blessed? He isn¡¯t even born yet, but he already has an older sister who wholehearted cares for him.¡¯ Perhaps, this child would be her only child in this lifetime. Thus, she was relieved that he would be apanied by such a kind, righteous, and capable older sister like Xiaocao!


    When Xiaocao reached home, she saw the uncles, who came to help, having lunch in full swing. After several days of hard work, the brick wall in the open space next to them was already taller than a person. It looked strong and dignified. In Dongshan Vige, besides the vige head¡¯s family, there wasn¡¯t another family who would be willing to build a house with bricks and tiles. The vigers had started talking about it since the first batch of ck bricks that Yu Hai ordered came.


    There were some people talking about how after Yu Hai separated from the main family, he started selling braised food, growing early ripening vegetables and doing business withrge watermelons. It seemed like he earned quite a lot of money. Otherwise, how could he afford to spend so much money building a brick and tile house?


    After lunch, Old Yu, who was going to help at the old residence, met an old man who he usually had a good rtionship with. When the old man saw him smiling until he had wrinkles on his face, he raised his voice and said, ¡°Old Yu ah, you¡¯re going over to help your second son again? Your second son is really capable. He can hunt in the mountains, fish in the sea, farm and do business. There¡¯s nothing that he can¡¯t do! Old Yu, you can just wait to enjoy afortable and happy life in the future!¡±


    Old Yu liked to hear these kinds of words. Second Son was building a new house, and he was also happy for his child. A ck brick, tiled-roof house with five rooms, and there were also side rooms. Although the frame wasn¡¯t set up yet, it was apparent that the house would be magnificent in the future! He didn¡¯t live in the old residence, but when mentioning his second son, was there anyone who didn¡¯t give him a big thumbs up? This was such an honorable thing for his Old Yu Family ah!


    ¡°That¡¯s right! At the time of the separation, it was clearly stated in the contact that he only needed to give us some coarse grain every month as a show of his filial piety! However, Second Son is a kind and upright person. He doesn¡¯t forget to show filial respect for his elders even when he¡¯s well off. He automatically changed the monthly coarse grain to fine grain, moreover, he also gives us five taels for groceries! Ay! Vigers of Dongshan Vige eat homegrown vegetables and catch our own fish in the sea, so why would we need so much money for groceries? I wanted to give the money back to him, but Second Son refused. He told us to save it up, so if we want to buy something in the future, we won¡¯t be short on money!¡± Old Yu was obviously showing off as he spoke.


    He had originally thought that after that incident his second son¡¯s family would be estranged with him, but he didn¡¯t expect that Second Son¡¯s family still treated him with filial respect and secretly gave him five taels every month. After he found out about Madam Zhang¡¯s true colors, he continued to live in a seemingly harmonious manner with her for the sake of his third son and youngest daughter.


    However, he couldn¡¯t let Madam Zhang be the only one in control of the family anymore. When it was time for him to make decisions, he wouldn¡¯t be indecisive again. He had secretly saved up all the money that Second Son gave him. Third Son and Youngest Daughter weren¡¯t his only children; he also had his eldest daughter, who had been married off far away!


    Ay! His eldest daughter was still mad at him!! It had been over a decade, except for returning once when Second Son got married, she had nevere back to her maiden home over all these years. At that time, she only spoke with Second Son and ignored everyone else!


    It was understandable. Eldest Daughter was such a strong person, yet Madam Zhang married her off far away to a poor, remote ce. Moreover, the person she married was a widower who was a lot older than her. At that time, he had also been foolish. Why did he listen to Madam Zhang¡¯s words and didn¡¯t inquire carefully about the person? By the time the bridal sedan arrived at the door, it was already toote... Ay! When he thought about it now, he was seriously sorry to Cuiyun and had wronged Cuiyun¡¯s two children ah...


    Speaking of the northeast, when he went to townst time, he had heard a businessman, who came from there, say that there was no rain in the northeast this spring and summer, which was an omen of severe drought ah! He didn¡¯t know how his eldest daughter was doing now... No, he had to ask someone to send a message over to ask about the situation. If there was really a drought, he would tell his daughter, ¡®Although your mother is gone, you still have your maiden family.¡¯


    As he greeted his fellow vigers along the way, Old Yu had arrived at the old residence. The first thing he saw was his nephew, Yu Jiang, and his eldest grandson busily weighing seafood. There was a very long line in front of them. Other than the vigers of Dongshan Vige, there were also some unfamiliar people from the neighboring fishing vige.


    The person in charge of collecting seafood in the neighboring fishing vige had randomly raised the price and collected seafood that wasn¡¯t up to standard. The seafood wasn¡¯t preserved properly, so it was often stinky and rotten. As a result, the purchasing staff of the Zhou Family¡¯s factories cancelled the acquisition point. Therefore, the vigers of the neighboring fishing vige had to travel over five kilometers to Dongshan Vige to sell their marine goods.


    For collecting seafood, they could only earn several dozen copper coins per catty, but they were able to collect arge amount of marine goods ah! He made a rough calction in his heart. With just the seafood acquisition alone, Second Son¡¯s family could earn several taels as ie in a day. Yu Jiang could probably get at least a little more than a tael daily, right?


    Ay! Had Madam Zhang not been pretentious and gone overbroad in her actions, Second Son would have probably taken familial affections into consideration and given Yu Jiang¡¯s task to Dashan, which was much better than fishing! Dashan had a lot of strength, but his fishing skills weren¡¯t enough as good as his. After working hard and being exhausted for the entire day, they still couldn¡¯t earn much money... But, what was the point in talking about this now? With the things that Madam Zhang had done, it was already fortunate that Second Son didn¡¯t me him, let alone help Dashan!


    Old Yu saw that people in the yard were busily eating lunch, and the strong aroma of meat drifted over with the wind. The corner of Old Yu¡¯s mouth twitched, and he thought, ¡®Second Son is building a house, but is the food being provided too good? Not only is there meat for every meal, but there was also iced sweet mung bean soup to drink. Even if he has money, he shouldn¡¯t spend it so recklessly. I have to remind him next time!¡¯ Old Yu didn¡¯t enter the courtyard. After nodding at Yu Hang, who greeted him, he picked up a shovel and started shoveling the mud!


    There was no concrete at this time. Bricks were made of yellow mud with strong adhesion, and it was mixed with cut up rice straws. Houses built with this were also quite sturdy! Old Yu felt that he somewhat owed his second son, so he hade over to help since the first day of the house construction. Furthermore, he never ate at the old residence, as if this was the only way to mitigate the guilt in his heart.


    After eating lunch, Yu Hai came out with the vigers who came to help and saw Old Yu working under the hot sun. Yu Hai hastily put his straw hat on Old Yu¡¯s head and said, ¡°Father, why did youe so early? The sun is really strong right now ah. It¡¯s fine to workter when it¡¯s not as hot ah!¡±


    ¡°In the summer, it¡¯s hard to say when it will rain! It¡¯s better to quickly build the house while it¡¯s a good day. Don¡¯t you also need to quickly finish building the two rooms beside the old residence before the autumn harvest? The heavens won¡¯t wait for anyone. We, fishermen, are used to working under the sun, so this little sun is fine.¡± Old Yu wiped off his sweat and continued to work.


    When the others saw this, they were naturally embarrassed to rest. Liu Pei climbed onto the scaffold made of bamboo poles and said as he stered mud on the bricks, ¡°Uncle Yu, you can rest assured! We¡¯ll go back a littleter today. The walls of the house are almost done! We should be able to install the beam tomorrow!¡±


    Old Yu spit into his palms, held the shovel in his hands, and kept shoveling mud into the bamboo basket. He nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! Let¡¯s aim to install the beam tomorrow! Second Son, the beam instation is an important matter. Have you prepared the firecrackers? Did you buy all the ingredients needed for the meal to entertain the guests?¡±

 Chapter 220 – Completion

    <h4>Chapter 220 ¨C Completion</h4>


    Yu Hai carried a load of mud and walked over to the brick wall. He turned his head and said with a smile, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s all ready and hanging in the well in the backyard! Xiaocao has been preparing the osmanthus duck since yesterday. It should be ready by this afternoon.¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu licked his lips and made a gluttonous look, saying, ¡°We are in luck! Osmanthus duck is a famous delicacy in Zhenxiu Restaurant. Even if you get in line to buy it, you might not even be able to get it. It¡¯s very expensive too! In our vige, how many people can afford to spend more than ten taels on a duck? With Xiaocao¡¯s blessing, we can also enjoy the treatment of the rich. Xiaocao¡¯s cooking skill is as good as the chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡±


    At this time, Xiaocao carried over a bowl of sweet mung bean soup. Upon hearing their conversation, she smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Uncle Shuanzhu, thank you for your praise. Niece is very happy to hear it! However, we have to be humble to avoid being seen as arrogant by outsiders if they heard us. For the sake of your praise, I must show off my skills tomorrow so that Uncle Shuanzhu will anticipate the next meal after finishing the first meal.¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu smiled brightly and said, ¡°No, that won¡¯t do! If you support my appetite like that, I won¡¯t have any excuse toe over to your house for dinner once your house is built. At that time, it¡¯ll be so hard to eat your auntie¡¯s pig food ah!¡±


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife, who hade over to see if she could help, heard her husband¡¯s words. She immediately put on a posture of a teapot, pointed at Liu Shuanzhu, and spluttered, ¡°Liu Shuanzhu, are you saying my cooking is like pig¡¯s food? Then don¡¯t eat it in the future!¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu shrunk his neck, approached his wife, and meekly asked in a low voice, ¡°Wife, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t Ie here? If I didn¡¯te, how would I have known you are insulting me behind my back?¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife nced sideways at her husband. Seeing that he was acting tteringly and apologizing in a decent manner, she said, ¡°Recently, our father¡¯s appetite hasn¡¯t been very good because of the summer heat, and he wants to eat century eggs. Is it true Xiaocao¡¯s family have the century eggs and biandan sent from the Zhou Family¡¯s factories? I want to buy some for our father and improve his appetite.¡±


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was talking about Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s father, who had gotten ill several days ago. He just got a bit better, but it was still hard for him to eat. It was rare for him to crave for something, and the family¡¯s living conditions were better now, so Shuanzhu¡¯s wife came with the money.


    ¡°Dear, you are so nice! It is the blessing of three lifetimes for me, Liu Shuanzhu, to be able to marry you!¡± Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was a very good person. She treated her inws as if they were her biological parents, so Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s parents praised their daughter-inw¡¯s filial piety wherever they went.


    When Shuanzhu¡¯s wife heard this, she smiled and said, ¡°My parents passed away early, so I couldn¡¯t treat them well. Father-inw and Mother-inw treat me as if I were their biological daughter, so if I didn¡¯t treat them as my parents, then am I still human?¡±


    Although the ancient people attach great importance to filial piety, there were still cases of the mistreatments of parents-inw by their daughters-inw. There weren¡¯t many daughters-inw like the Liu Family¡¯s, who got along so well with their parents-inw.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife bought ten century eggs from Xiaocao at the market price. Xiaocao didn¡¯t n on taking her money, but Shuanzhu¡¯s wife insisted, and said that if Xiaocao didn¡¯t take the money then she wouldn¡¯t take the eggs!


    Speaking of the Zhou Family¡¯s century eggs, the demand for them definitely exceeded the supply. The shop that sold the century eggs in town had a long queue every day, and they also had to limit the purchase quantity. Although century eggs factories were also opened in the prefectural city and the capital, the supply still wasn¡¯t enough for the capital and the prefectural city. In the entire Dongshan Vige, Xiaocao¡¯s family was the only ones who didn¡¯tck century eggs. Other people either didn¡¯t have the time to line up or were unwilling to buy it; after all, century eggs were much more expensive than duck or chicken eggs.


    Thanks to Yu Hai¡¯s poprity and the fact that the two meals served each day were dishes that even the rich couldn¡¯t buy at Zhenxiu Restaurant, there was an endless stream of peopleing by to help. Naturally, the progress of the house construction was much faster than expected!


    ¡°With beams on the roof, there will be food in the house. If the roof doesn¡¯t have beams, then even the domestic animals won¡¯t prosper.¡± When building a house, installing the beams was just as grand as the ceremonies for marriage. On this day, almost all of the vigers of Dongshan Vige hade to celebrate.


    Choosing the main beams for the roof was a very important matter. First, when choosing the wood, it had to be hard and durable. It was also important that the trees chosen had the same thickness from top to bottom, and that they were perfectly straight. Even if the tree was just slightly bent, it wouldn¡¯t be usable at all. Ever since Yu Hai decided to build a house, he began to walk around the dense forests of West Mountains and chose a lot of trees for making beams.


    The highly respected vige chief presided over the beam instation ceremony. First, Yu Hai and his family put up offerings, lit incense, and prayed that the beam instation would be done safely and smoothly. On the main beams, there were auspicious sayings such as ¡®May the household thrive and prosper¡¯. The Eight Diagrams was also drawn on some of the beams to pray for the family¡¯s prosperity and safety.


    Yu Jiang led a group of youngsters and lit a string of firecrackers, which crackled loudly and created a festive atmosphere. With a cry of ¡®prosperity with the beam instation¡¯, the beam was lifted up. The strong youths of the vige carried the beams for the roof and used ropes to pull them up. When pulling, they had to pull with equal strength. Otherwise, the beam would be uneven, which would be very unlucky.


    Beam instation was a very important event. The friends and rtives who came to congratte them all received gifts such as steamed buns, meat buns, and pastries. After putting up the beams, the steamed buns and meat buns would be thrown by the people standing on the roof, which was called ¡®Scattering Flowers on the Beam¡¯. The vigers present would then rush to get these buns. While grabbing the buns, someonemented, ¡°Only the Yu Family would be willing to use white flour steamed buns and meat stuffed buns for their beam instation ceremony.¡±


    Yu Hai happilyughed at the lively scene before him, because it meant the more people there were, the more money they would earn.


    The rtives of the Yu Family and Liu Family were busy greeting the guests who came to celebrate. The women went into the kitchen to help cook. The Yu Family had prepared more than a dozen tables for the all-day banquet. Everyone who came today could sit at the table, whether they were old or young, male or female, and even if they didn¡¯t bring a gift. The beam instation ceremony was originally meant to be a lively and auspiciousness event, to express a yearning for a better life.


    Many yearster, the vigers of Dongshan Vige still talked delightedly about the Yu Family¡¯s all-day banquet. Even the Yu Family hadn¡¯t expected that the main chef of the Zhenxiu Restaurant, Head Chef Wang, who was one of the best cooks in the Great Ming Dynasty, woulde by and offer to personally cook for them.


    The head of the Zhou Family¡¯s second branch, the fifteen year old Third Young Master Zhou, not only did he personallye to give his congrattions, but he also brought over two carts full of food. Among them were fifty roasted chickens, fifty osmanthus ducks, and countless century eggs.


    When the people who came to give their congrattions smelled the delicious fragrance, they couldn¡¯t help but swallow their saliva a few times. Several youngsters were so impatient that they kept scratching their ears and cheeks, and ran through the crowd like monkeys. They only quieted down when the adults in their family kicked them on their bottoms and threatened to send them home to eat leftover steamed buns if they didn¡¯t behave.


    There wasn¡¯t another all-day banquet more sumptuous and delicious in Dongshan Vige. In the decades that followed, the Yu Family¡¯s all-day banquet almost became a legend and was widely known byter generations.


    Do you know how much a table of dishes cost at Zhenxiu Restaurant? With roasted chicken and osmanthus duck, a table cost at least one hundred taels. Fifty tables at the banquet meant at least five thousand taels!! The vigers of Dongshan Vige sat on mats and looked dizzily at the delicacies. They felt as if they were in a dream and didn¡¯t move their chopsticks for a long time.


    Old Yu sat at the main table next to the vige head, who was nervous because Zhou Zixu, the future head of the Zhou Family, was also present! Also present were Yu Hai¡¯s inws¡ª¡ªXiaocao¡¯s maternal grandfather and maternal uncles. Yu Hai and Fang Zizhen also sat at the table as the hosts. From time to time, they went to the other tables to toast the guest and make sure they were eating well. Fang Zizhen provided the wine, which were all procured from the prefectural city. The vigers of Dongshan Vige would be happy to drink a sip of bad wine, so when faced with good wine worth several dozens of taels, they were drunk before even taking a sip of the wine.


    The vigers of Dongshan Vige had never eaten such a delicious meal before. How they wish they could chew all the bones of the roasted duck and swallow them. Even the stir-fried vegetables are better than meat. As expected of a famous chef! The sumptuous meals were all swept clean, and even the onions and ginger in the dishes were picked and eaten. It wasn¡¯t that not enough food was prepared, but that everyone was holding their bloated stomachs and crying. It was very difficult to eat such delicious food a second time in this lifetime. If they didn¡¯t make room in their stomach to eat, they would regret itter!!


    There were ten tables set up for the all-day banquet. A total of five rounds of meals were served, from noon to sunset.


    After installing the beams, the house would be finished soon. For the sake of the house¡¯s beauty, Xiaocao asked the craftsman specially to make upturned cornice. The craftsman was specially requested from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s mountain manor, but she didn¡¯t get them for free. Lady Fang sent Princess Consort Jing a pot of Eighteen Schr camellia.


    Lady Fang¡¯s maidservant, Linglong, has some knowledge of flowers. Xiaocao took her to their secret base and transnted many valuable flowers and nts back. With just the orchids that Lady Fang loved, there were already three or four kinds that she had only heard but not seen before. However, they were all famous species that were difficult to find!


    As soon as Lady Fang was in a good mood, her appetite got better and her portion size increased. While Xiaocao was happy for her godmother, she didn¡¯t forget to tell her to not overdo it, to avoid difficulties where the child would be too big! Lady Fang was thirty-five years old. In this era, she was an old woman with a pearl in her stomach! If the child was too big, it will be difficult to give birth. In this era, with the level of medical care and no cesarean section, encountering difficult deliveries would be a close shave with death! Fang Zizhen listened to what his goddaughter said, and became nervous. He strictly controlled his wife¡¯s portion size, and often personally paid attention to it. Ay, it was so worrying! He would be worried if his wife didn¡¯t have an appetite, but he also had to worry about her overeating!


    The days passed by quietly. With the help of the heavens, there wasn¡¯t much rain this summer. Just before the autumn harvest, the Yu Family¡¯s five-room brick and tiled-roof house was finallypleted!


    The high walls were built with stone and was absolutely solid, so there was no fear of the wild animals on the mountaining down. The Yu Family¡¯s old residence was too close to the West Mountains. Old Yu said that when he was little, wild animals often came down the mountain. A hungry wolf had jumped into their home and bit his sleeping Second Uncle to death. The entire family was awakened by pained screams. When he came out with a club, his second uncle was already bitten into an unrecognizable state and died soon after. When they first split from the main family, Yu Hai was worried about the safety of his family! Looking at the high stone walls, those wild animals wouldn¡¯t be able to jump into their house unless they had wings!

 Chapter 221 – Adding to the Dowry

    <h4>Chapter 221 ¨C Adding to the Dowry</h4>


    The courtyard was still divided into the front courtyard and back courtyard. The former front yard of the old house had almost doubled in size. Also, in front of the three new rooms was a courtyard with a total area of 3-4 mu, which was extravagant! The back courtyard was still close to theke and was no smaller the front yard. In the autumn and winter, when theke became shallower, more fertilend would appear!


    Before Yu Hai had extended the size of the courtyards, he had discussed it with the vige chief and offered to pay for the extrand. This was to prevent other people frominingter on.


    Now that Yu Hai¡¯s connections far exceeded those of his, the vige chief also had his own thoughts on the matter. Yu Hai was not only the rtive of a general, but even the future head of the Zhou family also treated him differently. Reportedly, Princess Consort Jing, who was building a residence in the West Mountains, also liked Yu Hai¡¯s little girl. Bing friends with such a person would only have benefits and no harm. Maybe one day, he could even use Yu Hai¡¯s help.


    At first, he was unwilling to ept money Yu Hai was using to buy thend. Later, after Yu Hai exined the logic to him, he took the silver as a symbolic gesture. The price ofnd for residences in the vige was low to begin with. In addition, the vige chief also deliberately lowered the price even more, so it was almost the same as giving it away for nothing. Yu Hai said that he would remember this favor.


    Time had flown by and youth is hard to keep. In an instant, the autumn harvest had gone by and winter had quietlye. Everyone in Dongshan Vige began to store food and firewood for the winter. Due to the severe drought in the northeast part of the country and their inability to harvest grain, the price of grain in the northern parts were affected. The price of refined rice and white flour had kept increasing and even the price of coarse grain has increased a littlepared to the previous year.


    The eldest son of the vige chief, who was doing business in other ces, often sent back news that the drought impacted the northeast the most. Although the emperor had allocated money for disaster relief, what themon people actually received wasn¡¯t enough to support them through the bitter winter. People in the northeast with rtives elsewhere had packed up their belongings and fled. Refugees are beginning to appear everywhere too.


    The situation in Dongshan Vige was okay. Although there was less rain in the summer, it was more uniform and had less impact on the crops.


    Unknowingly, the day for Xiaocao¡¯s youngest paternal aunt, Yu Caidie, to get married arrived. The day before the wedding, all her rtives and friends hade over to add to her dowry. Although Yu Hai hated Madam Zhang, he was still Yu Caidie¡¯s older brother after all, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t cause problems on her wedding day.


    The previous day, Yu Hai had taken his youngest daughter to town. He wanted to buy a silver bracelet for his little sister, but he didn¡¯t believe in his ability to pick a good one, so he took Xiaocao with him.


    Xiaocao had no ill feelings toward this weak, kind hearted, youngest paternal aunt of hers. It was said that the family her aunt was marrying into had a good situation, and Madam Zhang, whose heart was full of her youngest son, definitely wouldn¡¯t prepare arge dowry for her. When ancient women married, their dowry represented the degree of importance they attached to her. It also represented her standing in her husband¡¯s family.


    In addition to a pair of dragon and phoenix bracelets, Xiaocao also chose a pair of hairpins and a pair of red coral earrings. Coral ornaments were still expensive even though Tanggu Town overlooked the sea. A pair of red coral earrings were worth more than the dragon and phoenix bracelets and hairpins added together. However, spending a few dozen taels was nothing to the current Yu Family.


    After thinking about it, they also went to the shop beside the previous melon shop and chose several pieces of cloth. All of them were the kind of fine cloth that farmers would be reluctant to wear. Her godmother had said that a married girl should have several pieces of cloth to store away at the bottom of one¡¯s dowry box.


    While they were in Tanggu Town, Yu Hai and his daughter also met some unkempt refugees. The new county magistrate had installed some simple shacks outside the town for them, and they ate porridge donated byrger households. The winters were long in the north, so Xiaocao wondered if they would survive the long winter.


    Yu Hai had been standing at the refugee camp for a long time. He looked carefully at them and seem to be searching for something. Xiaocao thought her father was feeling sympathetic for the refugees, so she bought some coarse grain steamed buns and asked the steamed bun shop to deliver it over. It wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t afford to buy white flour steamed buns, but she understood that giving them food that was too fancy might cause a bacsh.


    At this time, there weren¡¯t many refugees outside of Tanggu Town. Yu Hai handed out the steamed buns one by one to everyone and received countless words of gratitude. Xiaocao noticed her father asionally asked about Liu Hu. Who was Liu Hu? Why did her father care so much about this person?


    At home, during dinner time, Yu Hai sighed and mentioned his older sister who had been married off to the northeast. ¡°My ill-fated elder sister hasn¡¯t sent a letter to me for many days already. I don¡¯t know what the situation in her vige is like, will she be like those refugees with nowhere to go......¡±


    Madam Liu softlyforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Those refugees don¡¯t have rtives to take them in. Dongshan Vige is your elder sister¡¯s maiden home and you are her younger brother. If she really can¡¯t make a living, she wille back.¡±


    Yu Hai slowly shook his head and said, ¡°You know that my elder sister hates Madam Zhang to her bones. Even if she had to beg outside, she won¡¯te home. Although I sent her a letter telling her we have separated from them, I¡¯m afraid that she will go to other ces for refuge to avoid giving me problems...¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t happen. If it was me, for my children to suffer less, I would choose to go to a ce I was familiar with. Maybe your elder sister is already on her way over!¡± Oldest Sister inw had three children, and the youngest one was only a year older than Shitou. She wouldn¡¯t ignore her children for the sake of her pride.


    Xiaocao thought about it and asked, ¡°Father, is Oldest Uncle called Liu Hu?


    Yu Hai nodded his head. She guessed right. Today in the refugee camp, her father was looking for news on her oldest paternal aunt¡¯s family.


    A night without any conversation passed. The next day was the day to add to Yu Caidie¡¯s dowry. Originally, Yu Hai nned on giving them the things and going home. However, many people were onlying over to add to the dowry because of his rtionship with Yu Caidie. When he saw one person, he¡¯d chat for a minute, and when he saw another person, he¡¯d chat a few more minutes; all of sudden he couldn¡¯t get away for a while.


    Yu Caidie¡¯s handkerchief was given to the married women of the vige who wanted to be nice. They all gathered around the room on the east side of the house and congratting her. Yu Caidie¡¯s face was red, and she bashfully bowed her head, asionally showing her shy smile.


    Her dowries were in the main room, and there was a total of six chests. For a farming vige, it was pretty good. Even though Madam Zhang loved money, this was still her daughter. As such, she wouldn¡¯t be stingy on the dowry. In addition to the betrothal gifts given by the man¡¯s family and the six chests of dowry, she added ten taels of silver and hid a six taels and six mace of auspicious money among the dowry.


    When Yu Hai came to add to the dowry, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t go out. When the man went back into the courtyard, the maidens and married women all rushed over. Li Xiaomeng, a good friend of Yu Caidie¡¯s, joked with a smile, ¡°Caidie, look at all the good things your second elder brother brought you. It¡¯s such a big bag!¡±


    Another round-faced married woman said, ¡°I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be bad. There are only two families in Dongshan Vige that live in a brick house, and Brother Dahai¡¯s family is one of them! Their house is simr to the houses of the rich in the city; it even has cornices on its four corners! How stylish!¡±


    Li Xiaomeng nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Yeah! Yeah! It¡¯s said that there are several mu ofnd just in the courtyard. Brother Dahai has made a lot of money on the early ripening vegetables he grows in his yard. Next year, he will definitely earn more than what he madest year!¡±


    A married woman, who was obviously jealous of their sess, curled up her lips and sourly said, ¡°Having money doesn¡¯t mean they are willing to give it up! Heh, look at that old cotton cloth wrapper, you don¡¯t even know how old the cloth is! They aren¡¯t even willing to spend money on a cloth wrapper, how good could the thing inside be?¡±


    Madam Zhang silently stood behind the crowd without any expression on her face. All of a sudden, her expression changed into something fierce. She took a step forward and squeezed out a smile at the maidens and wives present. She loudly said, ¡°Caidie, take a look at what good things your Second Brother brought you!!¡±


    Her voice shook the ears of the people in the room, and even the men in the courtyard clearly heard her. Madam Zhang originally thought that because of what she did when she was younger, Yu Hai still had a deep hatred for her. So he definitely wouldn¡¯t send anything good. She wanted to let the vigers know that Yu Hai got rich and looked down on his family. Let¡¯s see how he behaved in the vige after this.


    The old cloth was quickly opened by her, and the red, blue, and flowery textiles inside were exposed. There were at least five or six different ones. One of the wives eximed and picked up one of the fine cotton bolts with red flowers on a blue background and said, ¡°Wow! This is chintz!¡±


    ¡°Let me see, let me see!!¡± Li Xiaomeng squeezed over and touched it with her hand. Without any envy, she said ¡°It¡¯s real! The feel of it and this pattern... Last time, when I was in the cloth shop and saw the fine cotton cloth, the feel of it wasn¡¯t as good as this one! One foot was fifty copper coins! This piece of cloth is at least six feet long. If you are careful with it, you could make an outfit and still have a surplus.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk! Six pieces of fine cotton cloth and every one of them is six feet...it¡¯s at least four or five taels. Brother Dahai is very generous!¡± The round faced wife gently stroked a piece of cloth and was reluctant to let go.


    Yu Caidie was still looking from the side and had a smile and tears in her eyes. She turned her back to them and gently wiped the corners of her eyes with the handkerchief and thought, ¡®Second Brother is still the Second Brother who cares about me...¡¯


    Li Xiaomeng was looking through every piece of cloth, and suddenly an exquisite wooden box fell out of the innermost piece of cloth. With her sharp eyes and nimble hands, she quickly caught it. Looking at the beautifully carved box, she knows the things inside must be precious. If they broke she wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it!


    ¡°What is this?¡± The wives and maidens all gathered around, curiously looking at the box in Li Xiaomeng¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I know! Last time I went into town for the fair, I was separated from my family. Somehow, I walked to Dongcheng District, where the houses are magnificent. Among them is a jewelry shop, which was thergest and most imposing. Ady, wearing silk and satins, came out from inside and her maidservant was holding such a box. I quietly inquired about the cheapest earrings in the store and it was several taels!!¡± The one speaking was the youngest daughter of the vige chief. She was one year younger than Caidie and has already found a household she was going to marry into next month.


    Li Xiaomeng¡¯s hands holding the box trembled a bit, so close! Thankfully, it didn¡¯t fall on the ground.


    ¡°Xiaomeng, open it and take a look!¡± The youngest daughter of the vige chief excitedly urged.


    ¡°What are you looking at? It¡¯s just a pair of earrings worth a few silvers. What¡¯s worth chatting about!¡± Upon seeing that Yu Hai didn¡¯t get disgraced, Madam Zhang¡¯s old face was pulled so long that it looked like a shoehorn. She reached out to pull the box out of Li Xiaomeng¡¯s hands.

 Chapter 222 – Springtime

    <h4>Chapter 222 ¨C Springtime</h4>


    The vige chief¡¯s youngest daughter swiftly grabbed the box and opened it. She cried out, ¡°Wow! It¡¯s a pair of dragon-phoenix bracelets! Look at the details on the dragon and phoenix, they look almost real!¡±


    Madam Zhang snatched the bracelets over and weighed them in her hands. They felt solid and decently heavy. The amount of silver used to make this pair of bracelets had to be around three to four catties worth! Such an expensive gift needed to be carefully put away to avoid other people conveniently stealing them.


    Li Xiaomeng also took out a pair of silver hairpins from the jewelry box and spoke to Yu Caidie, ¡°Look at this. This hairpin has twin lotus flowers on one stalk at the top. The flowers are opened perfectly, so it must mean ¡®one¡¯s married life is crowned with happiness and satisfaction¡¯. The hairpin feels quite heavy in my hands, so it must be made of solid silver. Ai...I really envy you. I¡¯m not as lucky as you to have such a generous Second Brother.¡±


    ¡°This pair of earrings is quite festive. The fiery red color is perfect for the times. Caidie, tomorrow you should wear this pair at your wedding ah!¡± A matron with a round face ced the red coral earrings next to Yu Caidie¡¯s face to see how they looked. A new bride, dressed entirely from head to toe in red bridal clothes and veiled with the red covering, along with these red earrings, would absolutely look auspicious and lovely tomorrow!


    The vige head¡¯s youngest daughter curled her lip and remarked to show off her own experience and knowledge, ¡°Wang Family¡¯s daughter-inw, what do you know ah?! This is made from red coral. My fourth sister-inw also has a pair of stud earrings made out of red coral, but it doesn¡¯t use as much material as these and the color is not as fine. Even those cost around ten taels ah! This pair of red coral earrings must be worth at least two times more than my sister-inw¡¯s!¡±


    Who would have thought that this young girl had a good pair of eyes. However, her eldest brother was wealthy while her other older brother was the county magistrate¡¯s secretary! From their influence, it could be seen that she was a lot more worldlypared to the other vige girls! When Madam Zhang heard this, she hurriedly packed up all of the jewelry into the small box and held it against her chest as if she was afraid someone was going to take it from her. She spoke to her youngest daughter, ¡°Caidie ah, this stuff is too expensive. Mother will keep these for you. Tomorrow is the day of the ceremony and we¡¯ll use these as a part of your dowry. With this jewelry, your well-off husband will also look at you in a better light!¡±


    Although they managed to get back most of the money that was swindled from them, there were many uses for money in the future. No matter how much she loved her daughter, she couldn¡¯t give her a dozen or so taels for her dowry. The second son of the Yu Family still had a conscience and didn¡¯t forget his younger sister.


    Madam Li, who had been silent in the time, secretly left the east room and pulled Yu Dashan into a secluded area of the courtyard. She quietlyined, ¡°Why is Dahai acting like this? Is he trying to steal your thunder as the older brother? He just easily sent over gifts worth dozens of taels! To the daughter of his enemy, is he crazy or stupid?¡±


    Yu Dashan had also heard the activity within the room while he was in the courtyard, so he didn¡¯t feel very good and had a ball of anger boiling inside of him! When he heard Madam Li¡¯s words, he threw a heavy p at her face, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®the enemy¡¯s daughter¡¯? She is his biological younger sister, and also my sister! You have such a nasty tongue, if you don¡¯t have anything nice to say, then don¡¯t say anything at all and sew your mouth shut!! It¡¯s none of our business what type of gifts they send to her! We haven¡¯t split from the family, so all of the money is in Mother¡¯s hands. Therefore, no one can fault us for only gifting her a silver lc!¡±


    Madam Li wasn¡¯t one to take a beating while sitting down, so she immediately exploded after getting pped. She put both her hands on her fat waist and shrilly hollered, not caring about the noise she made, ¡°Yu Dashan, you spineless coward!! If you have that much energy, then you should vent when you go out. Hitting your wife isn¡¯t the heroic thing to do!! If you feel ashamed, then go make more money! All you know how to do is to use that run-down fishing boat, yet you don¡¯t make much money. You¡¯re not even as good as our son, who¡¯s working at the docks!¡±


    A few of the vige matrons hurried over to mediate their argument, but Madam Li wasn¡¯t one to listen to the persuasions of other people. The more she screamed, the more energetic she became. It was only after Madam Zhang came out of the room and red at her did Madam Li promptly cease. Madam Li was quite afraid of her mother-inw, a woman who even had the guts to kill someone.


    Other than that little episode, Yu Caidie¡¯s wedding the next day went quite smoothly. Her husband¡¯s family had all pretty much heard of Yu Hai¡¯s name. They all knew that he had a godparent rtionship with the lord imperial envoy and also had a working rtionship with the imperial merchant family, the Zhou¡¯s. Consequently, Yu Caidie¡¯s inw¡¯s, who had previously looked down on the Yu Family arrogantly, were now very polite to them. They were especially courteous to Yu Hai as her second brother. The groom also called him ¡°Second Brother¡± in a manner that was more respectful than when he was addressing his own older brothers.


    Not long after Yu Caidie got married, the first snow of the year unexpectedly floated down. Lady Fang¡¯s child in her belly slowly grewrger. Living in a house halfway up the mountain with the northern snows didn¡¯t make it easy for her to traverse in and out. Thus, Xiaocao negotiated with her own parents to allow her godmother to live in their home at this time.


    Presently, their family home was much more spacious. There were five rooms constructed out of bricks that were surrounded by a perimeter wall that separated the space into two courtyards: east and west. In the middle was a moon-shaped gate. The whole family lived in the east courtyard that had three rooms. The east side of that courtyard had two wings, while the west side held the kitchen and junk room. The west courtyard had two rooms that had been empty this whole time. The n was to leave those rooms for Yu Hang when he got married and had a household of his own.


    When Xiaocao proposed this idea to her parents, the two of them naturally didn¡¯t have any issues. After several months of contact, the two families were closer than most blood-rted families. Fang Zizhen and his wife truly treated their youngest daughter as if she was their own blood and bone. Even though Lady Fang was now pregnant with her own child, she didn¡¯t change her treatment of Xiaocao one bit.


    Every time Fang Zizhen returned from the capital, he always had a bunch of gifts for them. In fact, a lot of these gifts couldn¡¯t even be found in the prefectural city. Despite that, they weren¡¯t particrly valuable, just more novel. The reason was simple. Fang Zizhen knew that if he bought something expensive, the Yu Family wouldn¡¯t take it from him.


    Naturally, the more her godfather traveled to and from the capital, prefectural city, and Dongshan Vige, the more jewelry Xiaocao amassed. Her one jewelry box was now two, and, by the trend, would soon be three. There was nothing she could do though since her godfather would always think of bringing a gift back to her every time he went out. And what did little girls like? If it wasn¡¯t jewelry, then it had to be pretty material to make clothes, right?


    She was pretty sure that all of the jewelry stores in the capital and the prefectural city were familiar with General Fang Zizhen. Almost every couple of months, this giant brawny man would grace a jewelry store and scare away all of the matrons and young maidens inside. Afterwards, he would ask the shop assistants to show him the newest andtest jewelry most suitable for a young girl around ten years old. Without even asking the price, he would buy all of them to take back. His two assistants had now be servants who were only there to settle the bill...


    Yu Hai also pampered his daughters and had a simr mindset to Fang Zhizhen. Fortunately, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t a true young girl of ten. Otherwise, between her two fathers, one biological and the other adopted, she might have been spoiled until she didn¡¯t know right from wrong! When Fang Zizhen and his wife heard Xiaocao¡¯s idea of having them live in the courtyard next door, after thinking a bit, they both agreed. A house halfway up the mountain was truly not a good ce for a pregnant woman to live during the winter, especially after snow fell as the roads would be slippery. In fact, yesterday, their daughter had stumbled in the snow. Luckily, she was dressed in thickyers and didn¡¯t hurt herself. Otherwise, Lady Fang would have med herself to death.


    The couple also had a manor in town. However, if they moved into town, then they¡¯d be farther away from their daughter and it wouldn¡¯t be as convenient to see her. If a blizzard came by, then carriages wouldn¡¯t be able to drive for a few days. The two right now felt that going a single day without seeing their daughter would create a feeling of loss, let alone a few days.


    The couple weren¡¯t delicate flowers. After all, it was just lodging at the Yu Family¡¯s residence for a winter, that¡¯s all ah! If they were afraid of outsiders gossiping about them, then they could just broadcast that they were renting the rooms. As long as Fang Zizhen said that he wanted to rent a ce to live, even the vige chief would have to let him rent his own house even if he had no ce else to go.


    They acted on what they agreed on! The next day, the couple, along with their servants, moved into the west courtyard of the Yu Family¡¯s residence. The west courtyard had been designed to be an independent single family living space. It had two wings, a kitchen, and a storeroom. Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t have a lot of servants with him in Dongshan Vige, so the servants were assigned the west wing. One room from the east wing was given to his two assistants.


    Li Li and Wu Yun would asionallye by in the afternoon to report to him about the harbor¡¯s matters. Why did they pick the afternoon? Wasn¡¯t it because they wanted to bum off the evening meal and the next morning¡¯s breakfast off of them? Fang Zizhen, his wife, and the rest of their servants were all used to these two staying over, so when they moved, they didn¡¯t forget to leave them a space either.


    Wintertime was the idle season for the viges. Everyone generally stayed at home, resting during the winter. Furthermore, at this time of year, there wasn¡¯t as much business at the docks either, so all of the temporary workers left and returned home. The regr workers (the sried ones) could also take turns going back home to rest. Having about a dozen days a month to rest at home was quite nice!


    The Yu Family liked to congregate on a kang bed together during the winter. This year was also the same. They didn¡¯t do this to save on firewood, as all of the rooms had their kang bed fires going. Why did they do this in rooms that didn¡¯t have people living in them? That was because Xiaocao had her father bring more than twenty wooden chests over into the rooms and fill them all with soil. The soil filled boxes were then put on the kang beds and nted with some vegetable seeds. Some examples included: lettuce greens, Indian lettuce, romaine lettuce, garlic shoots, garlic chives and so-forth...that¡¯s right, Xiaocao was trying to grow vegetables out of season!


    The Yu Family¡¯s kang beds all faced the windows, and the windows all had ss in them. Thus, the cultivated vegetables on the kang beds had plenty of sunlight. With the right temperature, enough light and Xiaocao adding some diluted mystic-stone water, the out of season vegetable sprouts grew quite well. The Yu Family nevercked green vegetables to eat during the winter, a time when other people could only be rabbits and gnaw on cabbage and daikon.


    Lady Fang, who was being pampered and protected at every turn due to her pregnancy, also had lots of green vegetables to eat. Thus, she felt like winter, which usually felt long and arduous, had unconsciously slipped away.


    Right after they celebrated New Years, the Yu Family started to weave straw mats before the ground had thawed. Last year they were able to sell their vegetables at a good price because they were able to bring them to market a month before other people could. This year, with experience under their belts, the Yu Family had carefully prepared the front and back courtyards in advance.


    The courtyard this year was multiple timesrger thanst year¡¯s. The front courtyard¡¯s two spacesbined had to be around three to four mu. Naturally, the back courtyard wasn¡¯t much smaller.


    Before the first breath of spring came around, Xiaocao had already sprinkled various vegetable seeds onto the ground. As for tomatoes, cucumbers, and hot peppers, she had also started to incubate them on the kang bed in one of the wings.


    All of the members of the Yu Family, including Little Shitou, who was off on his winter break, had the same task every morning when there was plenty of sunlight. They had to lift up all of the straw mats and allow the new vegetable sprouts to bathe in the warmth of the morning sun. When the sun moved towards the west and the temperature started to drop, they all had to carefully cover the sprouts under the thick straw mats again. Every time she had to do this, Xiaocao sighed in regret that this time period didn¡¯t have thin stic films to use. Otherwise, she would build arge vegetable greenhouse, which was much easier to usepared to the straw mats!


    The west courtyard¡¯s fields hardly needed any members of the Yu Family to go there. Lady Fang¡¯s two capable handmaids, along with the rest of the servants, had taken over the care of the fields there. Zhenzhu and Linglong were all born in the Xia Family, so they were very good at being personal servants. However, they had never looked after fields before. Nevertheless, they both had a fine hand at lifting and covering the straw mats. When they first saw a tiny sprouting through the ground, the two maids were so happy that they chattered at their mistress for half a day. With every passing day, the sprouts grew taller andrger and the satisfaction within their hearts grew as well...

 Chapter 223 – Returning

    <h4>Chapter 223 ¨C Returning</h4>


    By the time the warmth of spring arrived, the Yu Family¡¯s green vegetables were already ready to sell. At this time, other people hadn¡¯t even scattered vegetable seeds onto the ground. The four mu ofnd in the front courtyard were all nted with green vegetables that had short growing cycles. In general, most green vegetables required twenty to forty days to finish growing. However, their family¡¯s produce still only required twenty days to be ready for harvest, and this was during a time when snow had fallen twice.


    As the rest of the world was recovering from the silence of winter, the whole courtyard was filled with lush and verdant green vegetables. It was a sight thatforted people¡¯s hearts. Lady Fang, who was now eight months pregnant and on the verge of childbirth, strolled in the vegetable fields every day with one hand supporting her back and the other cradling her belly. Not only was she able to get some exercise but she also felt her spirits rise whenever she looked at the growing nts.


    Every morning, multiple carts came to and from the Yu Family¡¯s residence, purchasing vegetables. Most of these customers were the wealthy families in town. Last winter, Zhenxiu Restaurant made a killing off of their oyster sauce green vegetables dishes, which cost five taels a te. Because the Yao Family had fresh vegetablesst year, their reputation rose within the town. This year, some people found out early where they bought their food from and had especially signed a contract with the Yu Family well in advance. They were afraid that if they didn¡¯te to an agreement early, there wouldn¡¯t be any spots left for them to be a customer.


    The Yu Family¡¯s vegetables grew very well, and each stalk was healthy and flourishing. They looked so tender that it seemed as if one pinch could draw out water. They weren¡¯t cheap though. Other than Zhenxiu Restaurant and the Yao Family, who were givenst year¡¯s prices as old customers, the rest of the new customers had to pay a third higher to obtain these vegetables.


    Although each of the Yu Family¡¯s four mu of fields was able to produce around three thousand five hundred catties of vegetables, it still wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy the town¡¯s demands for fresh produce. Following the rule of ¡®firste first serve¡¯, the Yu Family chose the first ten families that approached them as their customers of the year. Luckily, each family didn¡¯t buy too many vegetables every day, so they were able to supply them all.


    The Liu Family¡¯s eldest son, who was Xiaocao¡¯s eldest maternal uncle, had been enlightened after his business with selling watermelons, so he bought his own donkey and cart. Using his cart, he hauled a bunch of fresh vegetables every few days from his younger sister¡¯s home to the prefectural city. Because he had General Fang¡¯s help, he was able to find ready customers from the city¡¯s grocery stands. Whenever he pulled into the city with his cart full of vegetables, he no longer had to wait for customers to buy. Instead, all he had to do was arrive at a grocery store, weigh all of his vegetables, and get paid before he headed back. Although he made less profit doing this than selling at market price, it wasn¡¯t as exhausting for him.


    Liu Pei wasn¡¯t someone who would take advantage of his younger sister and brother-inw. The three of them disputed the wholesale prices for half a day and finally came to an agreed price. They would sell the vegetables to him at the same price they sold to Zhenxiu Restaurant. Originally, Liu Pei was trying to get them to sell the vegetables to him at the higher price the other eight families were paying, but Yu Hai resolutely rejected that idea. Luckily, he was the only source of such fresh vegetables in the prefectural city. Even if he sold all of it at a wholesale price to the grocery stores, the price was still much higher than what he paid for. Liu Pei was therefore able to earn dozens of taels of profit for each run he did.


    As for harvesting the vegetables, the Yu Family, once again, had more work than they could deal with. Thus, they spent some money to hire some scrupulous young girls and matrons to help. Every day, they received a sry of twenty copper coins for four hours of work. In the past, twenty copper coins could only be earned by a brawny man doing hardbor for a day.


    Ever since the construction of the harbor started, the need forbor steadily increased. Naturally, sries slowly went up. An adult man in his prime could earn around thirty to fifty copper coins a day. However, these people were all doing back-breakingbor to earn this money. How could itpare to working at the Yu Family picking vegetables for four hours?


    Anyone in the vige who could make a connection with the Yu Family did their best to cozy up. Thus, there were many people who came around. However, the Yu Family only needed around a dozen people to help out. Since all of the women who came over were known to them, it made Madam Liu very worried. She didn¡¯t know how to refuse any of them.


    Xiaoao knew her mother¡¯s personality well, so she gave her a couple of presents and had her mother go back to her maternal family for a couple of days. Ever since she married over to the Yu Family, she never went back to her maternal family as she was afraid that Madam Zhang would be unhappy. After they separated from the family, they were so busy that there was no time to even rest, so she had very few opportunities to go back. Now, using this opportunity, Xiaocao had her mother go back to her home to rest for a few days and enjoy the time with her parents.


    As for the sticky job of hiring people, that was left to her godmother¡¯s two handmaids. Those who were able to be the primary handmaids of the managingdy of the residence definitely weren¡¯t simple. These two maids knew when to be careful and when to reveal their shrewish sides for the benefit of their mistress. In addition, they also had the support of the general and his wife. Even if the women asking for a job got rejected, they couldn¡¯t do or say anything.


    The two maids were also quite clever. They wrote down the details of every person who came by asking for the position into a small book. By doing that, they were able to analyze the connections and rtionships that each prospective candidate had. Using that knowledge, they chose a dozen from the bunch. After dispatching the messages to everyone, they instructed the new workers arrive at five in the morning sharp every day. Those who werete naturally had their sry deducted. As for the other people who came by, the two handmaids looked at them with calm expressions and merely stated, ¡°In the future, when there is more work, we will first consider you¡± before sending them off.


    The workers included the following people: Shuanzhu¡¯s wife, Ergou¡¯s wife, Xiaocao¡¯s two paternal aunts (Yu Xi and Yu Jiang¡¯s wives), Xiaocao¡¯s older female cousin (Yu Xi¡¯s eldest daughter), Zhou Shanhu who was trying to earn some pocket money, and some other women who had decent rtionships with the Yu Family. All of these people knew that Zhenzhu and Linglong chose them because they were good friends with the Yu Family, so they worked especially hard.


    All of them were used doing work in the vige, so the task of picking vegetables wasn¡¯t considered hard. Every day, they were able to finish four hours of work in two. Furthermore, there wasn¡¯t even a speck of dirt on the vegetables and they were all stacked neatly. All of the servants who came over to buy vegetables praised them for being hardworking and nimble.


    There wasn¡¯t much work left to be done at home, so Xiaocao wanted to rest a bit. Before two days passed, Xiaolian called her over to the docks to help. Xiaolian¡¯s business at the docks had continued to grow. Now that it was spring, the docks, which had been more quiet over the winter, were now bing more and more busy.


    The docks had workers, which meant that there were also people selling food. The mornings and evenings were a bit chilly in the early spring, so they had stopped selling starch jellyst autumn. Xiaolian and Eldest Maternal Aunt were now busy with their noodles and braised food stand. There was so much work that they couldn¡¯t keep up.


    The noodle stand now had more variety than when Old Liu ran it. Old Liu used to sell noodles that were boiled in water. Xiaocao added zhajiang noodles, noodles mixed with scallions and oil, noodles mixed with salted vegetables and shredded meat, and braised meat noodles to the menu. All of these were taught to Xiaolian and Eldest Maternal Aunt in an effort to make the noodle stand seem fresh. In addition, she also made a batch of noodles for the purpose of making noodles stir fried with eggs and noodles stir fried with shredded meat. These two dishes were more heavily seasoned and suited the tastes of northerners. Thus, although the price of the stir-fried noodles was higher than the offerings, they were still a popr dish.


    As for the braised food, Xiaolian didn¡¯t have to do thebor-intensive work of wrapping a portion of braised meat in oiled paper bags anymore. Instead, she brought over a batch of the braising sauce from home and a bag of spices that Xiaocao had crafted with her secret recipe. At the docks, she was now able to braise food right there. The stove at the stand was at just the right height and reached Xiaolian¡¯s waist. Charcoal burned merrily inside the stove, which caused the braising marinade to bubble incessantly as the ingredients simmered in the pot. Snow white steam wafted out of the pot and a dense, fragrant smell of braised food permeated the surroundings. The smell invaded people¡¯s noses. If there was a good wind around, that strong enticing smell could almost envelop the entire docks.


    A bowl of in noodles and two copper coins¡¯ worth of braised food was enough to satisfy an adult. Every day at mealtime, the Yu Family¡¯s noodle stand was crowded with bunches of people. There weren¡¯t enough seats at the tables, so some people had to squat on the ground as they ate. Despite that, those people never went to the other areas to eat.


    All of the other food vendors at the docks could only watch helplessly as the Yu Family raked in money. Among them included thedy at a different noodle stand who had long ago shooed Xiaocao and her sister away when they wanted to first sell their braised food next to her. Her business had slowed down until it was hard to break even. That woman now deeply regretted her previous actions. If she hadn¡¯t made a bad decision in the past, it was possible that her noodle stand would be the one with people lining up without end!


    Today, Xiaocao had been dragged along by Xiaolian to be a freeborer. She didn¡¯t have to do any of the ¡®hard work¡¯, such as rolling out the dough, boiling the noodles, and slicing the braised food. Instead, she was in charge of serving the customers when the food was ready. Even with the easy job, she was so busy that she didn¡¯t have time to take a breath to rest.


    Right after the busy time of the day finished, Xiaocao was about to sit down and rest when she suddenly heard a bunch ofmotion at the docks, ¡®Eh? What¡¯s going on? Why are there so many strange people at the docks now? Is someone here to cause trouble? Don¡¯t tell me some hooligans areing to smash this ce Or is it because someone is jealous of Brother Six¡¯s achievements at the docks and wants him to stumble?¡¯


    Xiaocao squirmed her way towards the docks out of curiosity and discovered that there were arge group of people there. They didn¡¯t look like an unruly mob. On the contrary, they resembled members of a well-disciplined family. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit worried for Brother Six¡ª¡ªthese fellows didn¡¯t look easy to deal with!


    Brother Six was someone who was worldly. He had been at the docks for all these years, so what type of person hadn¡¯t he seen before? When he saw the group of people in front of him, he calmly went up to greet them. He headed towards the person who seemed to be in charge of everyone and bowed, ¡°Please excuse me, but may I ask what brings you here to the Tanggu Docks?¡±


    Although the supposed leader of the group was dressed casually, it couldn¡¯t hide his lordly bearing. He faintly nced at Brother Six and asked, ¡°Are you the one in charge of the docks here?¡±


    ¡°That I am! Lord, are you trying to load cargo or unload it? Pleasee to our business office and register. I will make sure to give you priority!¡± Brother Six didn¡¯t feel any maliceing off this stranger so he carefully sounded him out.


    The man hinted at Brother Six and brought him to a rtively secluded ce. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°I am themander of the imperial bodyguards from the capital and I carry with me a secret decree from the emperor. We are here to wee the young royal prince who ising home from his seafaring journey. Royal Prince Yang has already informed us in advance that he has almost a hundred cargo ships that need to dock. All of them carry precious goods from the southeast seas and the western hemisphere. Therefore...you need to prepare in advance!¡±


    When Royal Prince Yang left on his journeyst year, it caused a sensation. Even if Brother Six wanted to forget that event, he couldn¡¯t. A year and a half had passed and the royal prince hadn¡¯t evene home. Thus, it was necessary to make it grand and ostentatious. This so-calledmander of the imperial bodyguards had brought over at least fifty to sixty soldiers with him. From this, it looked like he nned on firmly guarding the docks.


    There was nothing wrong with that. It was said that before the current emperor ascended the throne, he also heavily rmended exploring distant seas to find novel species, especially high-yielding crops. In fact, after the sweet potato was introduced to the country, it benefited thousands among thousands of Great Mingmoners. The current emperor had even said this in his throne room, ¡°When we ascended the throne, we set our ten year goal to this: we want themon people of the Great Ming Dynasty to all have food on their te and all to be able to eat their fill!¡±


    For the sake of finding more high-yielding crops, this emperor, who loved his people, sent Royal Prince Yang, who had just reached the age of fifteen, on an important mission. He had to travel to the western hemisphere. This time, Royal Prince Yang wasing back victoriously. Naturally, the emperor regarded him with great importance.


    Brother Six knew that something as big as this required careful nning. A small misstep could cause him to lose his life. However, if he did everything well and was able to show himself in front of Royal Prince Yang, then, in the future, his footing at the docks would be stable. Should other people try to take his position, they would first have to consider his backing. The construction of the harbor would be finished within the next two years. If the whole harbor was in his hands, then he, Brother Six, would truly be a person of note in Tanggu Town!


    There was no such thing as a free meal. He had to take this particr piece of business!!

 Chapter 224 – Another Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 224 ¨C Another Encounter</h4>


    At sea, the azure sky seemed endless as clouds drifted by slowly. A few seagulls circled idly in the air at sea level. On the horizon, a grandiose fleet of ships sped forward. The ship in the lead was an enormous three floor passenger ship. Although it was simply designed, it seemed quite lofty and majestic. Immense sails billowed in the wind and pushed the ship forward. At the top was a golden colored g with a coiling dragon embroidered on it. This g was bestowed by the emperor and seeing the g was the same as seeing the emperor himself. All officials were required to kowtow when they saw it.


    At the bow of the ship was a youth with an impressive bearing. He was dressed in simple dark purple brocade robes. Cinched around his waist was a silver colored cloth that was embroidered with cinnabar and golden threads. His hair was bound up and, under the sea breezes¡¯ caress, a few strands of unruly pieces escaped from their confines and stered his cheek. He had a pair of clear and powerful eyes that seemed to emit coldness. His eyes were so fierce that other people trembled at the thought of looking at them. The youth¡¯s figure was tall and straight, as if he was a sharp sword that was about to be unsheathed.


    As he saw the distant Tanggu Docks quickly getting closer, Zhu Junyang¡¯s cold expression slightly softened. He was finally back! He had triumphantlypleted his first long seafaring journey and was about toe home. His year and a half journey out at sea had given him many experiences and things to think about.


    The journey to and back was notpletely peaceful. They had encountered pirates trying to plunder them and sneak attacks from sudden storms. However, with the thousand or so people working hard together on the ships, they were finally safely back home. He was convinced that these hard earned experiences would be his treasures in his life. They would mold him to be a better person and be his future glory!


    Although this youth was almost sixteen and had a youthful looking face, his eyes glowed with a mature and wise light. His handsome and cold face hadn¡¯t changed in the past year and a half. However, his figure had be even more imposing, as if he was cloaked with a manner that made people understand his power.


    ¡°I, Zhu Junyang...am back!¡± The youth lightly sighed these few words.


    Behind him was a white-haired man who came forward a step. He used his somewhat shrill voice to say, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, this time our journey from the west could be considered quite smooth. We¡¯ve seeded in bringing back seeds of all of the crops that the emperor mentioned. I just don¡¯t know if our Great Ming Dynasty will be able to sessfully grow these nts.¡±


    Zhu Junyang coldly surveyed the drynd that was getting closer to him. His originally eager mood slowly calmed down. He slowly replied, ¡°That is the concern of the Ministry of Revenue. What does it have to do with me?¡±


    Head Steward Liu Fusheng revealed a smile that covered his entire face as the corners of his eyes lifted up until there were wrinkles, ¡°Young Royal Prince, don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t want to personally nt the seeds that you went through so much trouble to get, see them germinate, grow leaves, blossom, and bear fruit...¡±


    The expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face darkened and became cold as he looked at Liu Fusheng, which immediately made the steward feel an immense pressure. Liu Fusheng could be considered one of the top experts within the country, yet his master¡¯s intimidatingposure caused him to drip buckets of cold sweat. He promptly kneeled on the ground and apologized, ¡°This old servant had a slip of the tongue, please punish me Royal Prince Yang!¡±


    The not yet sixteen Zhu Junyang, after experiencing this long sea voyage, felt that he was a man now, capable of supporting both the heaven and earth. Thus, he prohibited other people from addressing him with ¡®young royal prince¡¯ or other simr names. Thest time an imperial bodyguard made that mistake, the hapless soldier was thrown into the sea to feed the sharks by a furious Royal Prince Yang. After that, the thousands of people apanying him all knew that the name ¡®young royal prince¡¯ was a taboo that could not be touched.


    Liu Fusheng¡¯s heart raced as he secretly raised his eyes to peep at his master¡¯s frosty expression. From the day that Royal Prince Yang was born, Liu Fusheng had been by his side. The head steward had witnessed his adorable toddler years and also watched as the cute boy slowly grew into a handsome and lofty youth. Prince Yang had learned most of his martial arts from him. After more than a decade ofpanionship, the two of them had established a master-disciple rtionship, a true friendship, as well as a master-servant rtionship. However, masters and servants still had a gap between them. Even he had a line that he couldn¡¯t cross with the prince.


    Zhu Junyang stared expressionlessly at Steward Liu, who had his head lowered in apology. They had been with each other for over a decade. A person would have sentiments about a small creature in that time frame, let alone a person. He couldn¡¯t treat Steward Liu as a disposable creature. Doing so would only cause other people¡¯s hearts to cool. If he wanted his servants¡¯ loyalty, he needed to know when to reward and when to reprimand. This was the rule that Steward Liu had taught him himself.


    ¡°Since you know your mistake, when we get back to the capital you can punish yourself!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s previous good mood had apparently been abruptly interrupted by this little episode. Frosty coldness, once again, appeared his eyes. The imperial bodyguard behind him nced at Steward Liu, who was stealthily using his sleeve to wipe his cold sweat. In his opinion, the less spoken the less likely one would make a mistake, so he kept his mouth shut as he pretended to be one of the masts on the ship.


    ¡°They¡¯re here! They¡¯re here!¡± When the people on the docks saw the majestic fleet of over a hundred ships approaching them, they immediately bustled around. The entire area had been locked down by martialw under the orders of the imperial bodyguards, who were the personal guards of the emperor himself. Themander of the Yulin soldiers, who were in charge of protecting of Prince Yang, was around the same rank as themander of the imperial bodyguards. The emperor clearly favored this young royal prince as he had assigned a portion of his own bodyguards to wee the returning youth.


    Steward Liu looked in the distance at the docks and saw the arrangements. He remarked with gratitude, ¡°Master, the emperor sent people to wee you! Looks like...they are the personal soldiers of the emperor.¡±


    Themander of the Yulin soldiers had spotted his ¡®archenemy¡¯, Bao Qinming, in one nce. His lips twitched as he agreed, ¡°They truly are the personal soldiers of the emperor! That fellow, Bao Qinming, has alsoe along!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression remained tranquil as if the hoard of people on the shore had nothing to do with him. He stayed silent for a bit before he abruptly asked, ¡°Mydy mother...is she also in Tanggu Town right now?¡±


    Steward Liu immediately replied, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! We received a letter that said Princess Consort Jing is having a good time in Tanggu Town. At the beginning of autumn, his highness personally escorted her back to the capital. Now that it¡¯s spring and the weather is warming, her highness has graced her presence again in Tanggu Town and is currently living in the courtyard that is normally for Magistrate Wu¡¯s youngest son.¡±


    Zhu Junyang frowned, ¡°Lady mother is being stubborn again! It gets chilly in spring and Tanggu Town is next to the ocean, which also makes it humid. This is not a good climate for her body.¡±


    ¡°The letter also said that ever since she¡¯s been in Tanggu Town, her royal highness has been spending a lot of time with Lady Fang. Lady Fang¡¯s adopted daughter is very good at cooking medicinal cuisine and miraculously cured General Fang¡¯s old illness. I believe Lady Fang will be birthing her child next month. Her royal highness asionally sees that little girl and has eaten her medicinal cuisine several times. Since then, she hasn¡¯t gotten ill at all in the past three seasons.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense! The imperial physicians are taking care ofdy mother¡¯s body. How could they allow a little girl to mess around? If something happened...who¡¯s going to take responsibility? Lady mother is truly too much. How could she just blindly trust a random person?¡± Out of the three brothers, Zhu Junyang had the closest connection with their mother. He couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows when heard this news and a hint of worry shed through his cold eyes.


    Steward Liu hurriedly tried tofort him, ¡°Master isn¡¯t wrong for being worried! However, that little girl¡¯s medicinal cuisine had all been approved by the apanying imperial physician. He made sure that none of the food would cause problems for her highness¡¯s body. Furthermore, when the food was being made, every single step was strictly observed by someone. Her highness¡¯s constitution has truly improved after eating it. Please don¡¯t worry, Royal Prince!¡±


    After hearing this, Zhu Junyang¡¯s tight expression finally rxed a bit. He thought for a bit before he said, ¡°From what you¡¯re telling me, this little girl does have some skill! Why don¡¯t we bring her along when we head back to the capital? Nourishing the body is not something that can happen in a short period of time!¡±


    Steward Liu bowed and exined, ¡°That little girl lives in Dongshan Vige and her parents don¡¯t want her to leave them at such a young age. The princess consort has a benevolent heart and can¡¯t bear to separate them. That being said, the little girl is also the adopted daughter of General Fang. For the sake of the general and his wife¡¯s dignity, it¡¯s not really a good idea to force them, right?¡±


    Dongshan Vige? When he heard this name, Zhu Junyang frowned again. He didn¡¯t have any good memories of that vige. His most humiliating and difficult situation had urred at Dongshan Vige. Images of being surrounded by seawater, struggling in desperation, choking on water, and being rescued in a half-conscious state once again appeared in front of his bewitching eyes...He had previously thought that he had long forgotten those memories but they were crystal clear again.


    ¡°Oh right! Master, you¡¯ve previously met this little girl!¡± Steward Liu surreptitiously raised his eyes to nce at the young royal prince before he continued, ¡°It could be said that she¡¯s considered one of your life-saving benefactors!¡±


    ¡®A benefactor who had saved my life? It truly was her!¡¯ Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t quite sure how he felt about this. That ultra skinny and small little girl, who unexpectedly had a pair of lively eyes, not only saved his life but also helped his mother recover from her illness...He vaguely remembered that before he left on his journey, he had given that little girl a bag of silver in gratitude. Cough cough...apparently, now he was the one being rude and impetuous.


    As he was lost in his thoughts, the fleet of ships had almost reached shore. The imperial ships had precedence, so all of the other ships in the area avoided them. Consequently, other than this fleet of ships, there were no other vessels to be seen at the docks.


    After they docked the ship at the wharf, Zhu Junyang took the lead in getting off. After floating in the ocean for more than a year, he truly didn¡¯t want to spend another second on the boat. The feeling of having his feet nted firmly on the ground truly felt too good!


    Commander Bao quickly weed them as he and the hundreds of men under him bowed to Royal Prince Yang. The sight of that power was truly spectacr.


    Yu Xiaocao watched all of the proceedings from afar as she sighed in her heart, ¡®This society is rigidly bound by ss! Having power is truly a good thing! Look at this guy¡¯s battle array, everyone¡¯s eyes are on him ah!¡¯


    Although martialw was currently imposed on the docks, the soldiers hadn¡¯t driven away any of the peddlers in the area. After undergoing a strict interrogation, the Yu Family¡¯s noodles and braised food stand was allowed to continue doing business. It was obvious that such an enormous fleet of ships would take a long time to unload. If the docks didn¡¯t have anyone selling food, then those dockworkers would have to work on an empty stomach.


    During all of this, a little break urred. Commander Bao of the imperial bodyguards had been enticed by the smell of Xiaocao¡¯s braised food and ordered a bowl of zhajiang noodles and a te of braised pig head meat. He ate with great relish. Commander Bao was good friends with the emperor emeritus¡¯s personal bodyguards, so he had long heard his good friends waxing eloquently about the Yu Family¡¯s famous braised food. The emperor emeritus always had to eat their food every time he visited Tanggu Town. It was a meal that none of his friends could ever forget.


    Commander Bao was from a prominent general¡¯s family and had tried every delicacy there was to be had. How could a crude eatery, selling food for one copper coin a portion, be so amazing to catch the emperor emeritus¡¯s discerning eye as well as be engraved in his good friends¡¯ memories? Thus, when he received this mission, he decided that he needed to try the braised food from the docks while he was there. He needed to find out if his friends were just exaggerating.


    A hundred words could not describe one bite. The pig¡¯s head meat was soft and vorful, fatty without being greasy, and delicious without being overwhelming! To a manly soldier, who loved to drink lots of alcohol and eat lots of meat, this braised meat paired with a mouthful of noodles was truly to his liking! Originally, Commander Bao wasn¡¯t very hungry. However, he shoved down tworge bowls of noodles and a giant te of braised meat before he finally had to leave with a bulging stomach. He decided right then and there that before he had to leave this town, he needed to pack arge to-go bag of this braised food. His grandfather would definitely love it!

 Chapter 225 – Corn?

    <h4>Chapter 225 ¨C Corn?</h4>


    The sun set gently on the horizon, dyeing the waters a glowing red. Thend seemed to have been draped with a dark red brocade robe. Usually at this time of the day, the docks would be bing more quiet. However, at this moment, it was still bustling with activity. The dockworkers came to and fro, hauling cargo on their shoulders and backs. Carts among carts were stacked high with goods from the sea-going ships.


    A bunch of brawny men dressed entirely in ck patrolled the perimeter of the docks. All of their eyes were alert and they attentively observed the surroundings. In the cargo holds of the hundred or so ships, there were the seeds of unfamiliar crops as well as some precious goods from the western hemisphere and southern seas.


    The rarer something is, the greater its value. Silks and porcin, which weremonly seen items for the Great Ming Dynasty, could be sold for ten times, even a hundred times their value in the west. On the flip side, goods that were consideredmonce in the west were worth more their weight in gold in the Great Ming Dynasty. The emperor had previously said that all of the goods from the voyage, other than the ones he listed, were the property of Royal Prince Yang. From the spoils of this trip, Prince Yang would definitely increase his wealth by a hundredfold! There were so many valuable items, so they naturally had to prevent unscrupulous people from seeing them.


    Royal Prince Yang also regarded these goods with a lot of importance and refused Commander Bao¡¯s proposal of being escorted into town first. He sat inside the simple business office at the docks and watched as the bags of goods got loaded onto the horse carts. The expression on his face was tranquil and his mouth was pressed into its customary line. His eyes glowed with a cool light and emitted an aura that made people hesitant to approach him.


    ¡°Grumble...¡± The four people sitting in silence suddenly heard a slight noise. It sounded distinctly clear and made it hard for people to ignore it.


    Commander Bao stealthily looked out of the corner of his eye to peep at Prince Yang. The prince¡¯s expression stayed the same as if the obvious sound of his stomach growing had nothing to do with him.


    Steward Liu astutely detected Commander Bao¡¯s line of sight and lightly coughed to call the other man¡¯s attention. He then hugged his stomach and quietly confessed, ¡°Master, please forgive me. This old servant didn¡¯t have a good appetite this morning on the ship. It¡¯s not even dinner time, yet my belly isining for food.¡±


    Prince Yang naturally knew that his head steward was taking the fall for him. However, did Steward Liu really think he was still that childish? The world was vast, but eating was an important thing, what was awkward about being hungry? His bright eyes whirled a bit and he looked Steward Liu in the eye before he faintly remarked, ¡°Commander Bao, is there anywhere we can go to get some food on these docks?¡±


    This question made Commander Bao feel a bit uneasy. The Tanggu Docks were very simple, so the only people selling food were the nearby vigers, who were all peasant farmers. The food was quite crude and no one knew how hygienic it was either. It was said that Royal Prince Yang was a bit of a germaphobe, would he be able to stomach eating the food here?


    When Prince Yang noticed that Commander Bao had stayed silent a bit with an awkward expression on his face, he followed up in a slightly raspy and gloomy voice, ¡°What? Is Commander Bao in a bind right now?¡±


    Very few people knew that Zhu Junyang had a bout of illness when he was very young. In fact, due to anemia, he had fainted in the past. His body had slowly strengthened as he got older and with the treatment of the imperial physicians. After he started practicing martial arts, almost no one knew about this particr past. However, because of this previous illness, Zhu Junyang could not stand being hungry. As soon as he felt the pangs, his mood would be irritable and flustered. Consequently, the tone he used to speak to Commander Bao had also held some impatience.


    Commander Bao hurriedly got off the stool and kneeled down with his hands cupped and head lowered, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, the environment at the docks is too crude and in. I¡¯m afraid...I¡¯m afraid you might not be able to tolerate the food here!¡±


    ¡°How could I not tolerate the food here? I¡¯ve even eaten raw fish and drank rainwater on the ship. If that¡¯s not considered crude, what could be?¡± The emptiness in his stomach was making Zhu Junyang feel irritable and agitated. Hisst sentence even held a hint of rebuke within it.


    The person who understood the young royal prince the most had to be Steward Liu, who had watched him grow up. He knew that the young royal prince was ravenous. If he didn¡¯t get some food now, someone was going to have to suffer. Steward Liu hastily spoke to Commander Bao, ¡°Commander Bao, find some food that is edible at the docks and bring it back. This old servant is almost about to faint from hunger!¡±


    Commander Bao could tell that Prince Yang¡¯s eyes were flicking with a bit of impatience. He also knew that the prince, despite being young, was not someone who had a lenient and soft-hearted personality. Thus, he hurriedly got up and said, ¡°I have to say that the only food that is slightly ptable here is from the noodle stand run by the Yu Family¡¯s sisters. Royal Prince, please wait a moment!¡±


    As soon as Prince Yang impatiently waved his hand at him with a stony expression, Commander Bao scurried over to Yu Xiaocao¡¯s noodle stand. At this moment, all of the dockworkers were busy doing work, so there wasn¡¯t a single soul at the stand. Madam Han was currently simmering the delicious zhajiang paste. Other than fermented soybean paste, the sauce also had stir-fried diced meat and very firm tofu mixed in, which made the vor quite delicious.


    Usually, at this time of day, the Yu sisters would have already cleaned up the stall and gone back home. However, because there was a special circumstance today, they worked the same overtime hours as the dockworkers at the request of Brother Six. Yu Xiaocao was currently bored to death as she sat on a wooden stool. She idly yed with her hands. When she raised her eyes, she saw Commander Bao rushing over as if the hellhounds from the underworld were chasing him.


    ¡°Sir, you must be tired! Come sit down. Do you want a portion of zhajiang noodles or some scallion noodles?¡± Yu Xiaocao remembered that this gentleman really enjoyed both of these noodles. She wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to eat the same thing or try something new this time.


    Commander Bao plopped down on a nearby seat and bawled out an order before he could catch his breath, ¡°Whatever types of noodles you have, give me three bowls, it needs toe out quickly! Also give me a te of pig head meat, pig ears in chili oil, stir-fried intestines, and some seaweed with dried tofu as well! Quickly! This order needs to be rushed!!¡±


    At noon, this man had eaten until he was bloated. If he was the one eating this food, he wouldn¡¯t be in such a hurry. Judging by his obvious nervousness and anxiety, he must be ordering this food for the young royal prince, who had just finished his seafaring journey. Only someone who was born with a royal background could cause his servants to run about until their legs fell off!


    Yu Xiaocao silently cursed the arrogance of these influential people, yet kept an earnest look on her face as she replied, ¡°The quickest noodle dish has to be zhajiang noodles. The sauce was just done, so as soon as the noodles finish cooking we can just pour the sauce on top and it¡¯ll be ready to eat! Just wait a moment, everything will be ready shortly!¡±


    Xiaocao raised her voice to call her Eldest Maternal Aunt, ¡°Aunt, give me three bowls of zhajiang noodles! Make sure to sterilize the bowls and chopsticks with some boiling water first!¡±


    Commander Bao looked at the slightly built girl in front of him with admiration. She was truly a clever little kid to be able to tell from his words and demeanor that he was ordering food for a noble. She even had her aunt especially sterilize the bowls and chopsticks. She had an eye for details!


    Yu Xiaocao attentively washed her hands and then used some boiling water to wash the chopping board and knives. Only after she did that did she carefully cut some braised food to make a te. She used some chili oil to season some ribbons of pig ear and also ced some garlic paste and chopped scallions on the te. By doing this, the nobles could pick and choose if they wanted strong vors on their food. After that, she swiftly cooked the stir-fried pig intestines. Once it was all done, Madam Han had also finished cooking the zhajiang noodles.


    Madam Han had originally been a good hand at cooking. After getting some directions from Xiaocao, she knew how to make every noodle dish on the menu very well. Her best dish was zhajiang noodles. The student had truly surpassed the master; Madam Han was better at controlling the heat when cooking the sauce than Xiaocao.


    Three huge, heaping bowls full of zhajiang noodles with four tes of the Yu Family¡¯s signature braised foods was considered quite a luxurious feast at the docks. As for the taste, it was obvious that there absolutely wasn¡¯t another vendor on the docks that could surpass the Yu Family¡¯s braised food and zhajiang noodles!


    The four tes of braised food were carefully arranged into a basket. Commander Bao took the lead and snatched the basket as he urged Xiaocao and Madam Han, ¡°Quickly! Bring the noodles ande with me!!¡±


    Xiaocao grimaced a bit as sheined silently, ¡®You clearly know which job is easier. The noodles have juste out of the pot, so those bowls are hot enough to scald a person¡¯s hands. You¡¯re such a tough guy with callused hands, yet you make a woman and a kid carry over the bowls of noodles. This guy has no shame!¡¯


    Luckily, they didn¡¯t go far before Commander Bao sent a few of his subordinates to carry the bowls of noodles. He then dismissed them after throwing a piece of silver as payment.


    Those three bodyguards had been busy the entire afternoon. Their stomachs had long beenining for food. As the tantalizing aroma of the zhajiang noodles hit their nostrils, they swallowed their saliva and looked at each other before quietly speaking to Xiaocao, ¡°Keep the change as a reward from ourmander...little girl, we¡¯ll be patrolling over there. In a moment, can you send a few bowls of noodles over? You won¡¯t be disappointed!¡±


    The three soldiers were well aware of their responsibilities. As long as they didn¡¯t leave a gap in patrolling, they could eat a bowl of noodles in-between their shifts. These noodles were quite amazing to smell so delicious. Even the capital¡¯s best restaurant¡¯s dragon¡¯s beard noodles with chicken feet didn¡¯t have such a tantalizing aroma!


    The three bodyguards were assigned to guard the most raucous and bustling area of the docks. That area was close to the ocean and one could easily see the rows of imposing looking ships. The dockworkers all bustled around, trembling with fear, as the imperial bodyguards observed them.


    In order to make sure this important task went smoothly, Brother Six had pulled out all the stops. There were a lot of regr staff on his team and he even had his subordinates call over all of the day-to-day workers over to help. All in all, it came out to several hundred people working together to unload the ships at an inhuman speed. Within one afternoon, more than half of all of the cargo had been moved from the ships and stacked into horse carts to be moved into town...


    Yu Xiaocao used a wooden b as a salver and carefully delivered the three bowls of zhajiang noodles with great effort. She slowly stepped on the shifting sands of the beach and gave the three soldiers the noodles they had ordered. Each squadron had ten people and among them included a low-ranking captain.


    When the men smelled the strong scent of the noodles, they couldn¡¯t help bute over to look at the food. The three soldiers recognized Yu Xiaocao, so they notified their captain before they gleefully weed Xiaocao over. As if they were afraid someone was going to steal their food, they all grabbed a bowl, ignored the scalding heat burning their hands, and slipped away to slurp the noodles.


    After the little captain re-arranged the shifts, he came by and grinned, ¡°You guys are seriously too much! Sneaking away to eat on your own! Tell me, how should I punish you all?¡±


    One of the soldiers was a very tall and brawny fellow. He shed a smile as he spoke his thoughts in a straightforward manner, ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll ept punishment! I¡¯ll treat all of you to eat noodles! Who would have thought that these small docks could be hiding such a jewel. These noodles are better than any noodles I¡¯ve ever had in the capital. No restaurant there canpare!¡±


    The other imperial bodyguards all thought that he thought the noodles tasted very good because he was too hungry. But once they had a taste of the zhajiang noodles, they found out that it was truly delicious!


    After Yu Xiaocao delivered these men their food, she stood quietly on the side to take their empty bowls and chopsticks when they were done. Herrge, inquisitive eyes were opened wide as she observed the imposinglyrge ships. She silently mused at this fellow transmigrator¡¯s influence on this world. She was pretty sure that her fellow friend had been a shipbuilding major before he came over! He unexpectedly was able to design and build ships that had both sails and steam power so they could traverse distant seas! At this time, Xiaocao didn¡¯t realize that she had inadvertently bumped into the truth!


    Xiaocao, who was in the midst of enjoying this scenery, suddenly saw her Eldest Maternal Uncle at the docks doing work. Her uncle was truly a hard worker! He ran back and forth delivering vegetables to the prefectural city and probably made a decent amount of money already, yet he still didn¡¯t want to renounce his dock work either.


    Wait...what was that? The bag on her eldest uncle¡¯s back had somehow gotten a small hole. A golden looking seed suddenly dropped down, wasn¡¯t that...corn?

 Chapter 226 – Raise Your Precious Foot

    <h4>Chapter 226 ¨C Raise Your Precious Foot</h4>


    The few kernels of golden corn quietlyy on the sand that had been churned around from the activity. Suddenly, arge foot that was shod in straw sandals started going towards the golden colored seeds. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth opened and closed but the words to stop the person didn¡¯te out. The giant foot had already pressed the seeds into the sand.


    Yu Xiaocao no longer cared that the docks were under martialw and rushed over. She squatted down by therge footprint. Old Hao, who wasing up from behind her with a giant bag, almost couldn¡¯t change his direction in time and narrowly avoided tripping over her.


    How dangerous! If Old Hao had fallen over, a man who weighed around eighty kilograms and also had a bag that was around a hundred kilograms of weight, he might have killed her on impact or at least injured her severely. Old Hao staggered a couple of steps and then caught his footing. Just as he was about to yell at the offender, he saw who the tiny person in front of him was. He swallowed down the profanities that were about to bubble up and stated with concern, ¡°Little girl Xiaocao, this is not a safe ce for you to y around. Hurry up and leave!¡±


    The man behind Old Hao had almost crashed into him as well. The worker raised his head to look at Old Hao and then circled around the two of them to walk past. The other workers behind them also followed his footsteps, working hard to carry the cargo on their shoulders.


    Today, the boss had told them that after they finished unloading everything from the ships, they would get double the pay. Although they would be going hometer than usual, this job was worth it!


    Yu Xiaocao raised her head and smiled at Old Hao. She continued to use her small hands to push away the sand in the footprint until a few kernels of corn appeared! Xiaocao was incredibly excited, ¡®Corn is a high-yielding crop! Unlike sweet potato, which causes heartburn when a person eats too much, corn can truly be a staple food to be eaten daily!¡¯ Childhood memories of eating golden and crispy baked corn cakes and tender and delicious corn porridge passed through her thoughts...Yu Xiaocao suddenly had to swallow down her saliva.


    Despite Old Hao¡¯s warning, she followed along her eldest maternal uncle¡¯s tracks and looked for the corn. The hole in the bup bag must have been very small. She had to go several steps before she could find the other kernels of corn.


    After drinking mystic-stone water every day, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s five senses had be very keen. Even though the color of the corn kernels were pretty much the same as the grains of sand, she was still able to find most of the kernels on the ground. asionally she would bypass one, but the little divine stone would remind her.


    The little divine stone¡¯s thoughts were linked with its master¡¯s. Thus, it also knew just how important these kernels of corn were to Xiaocao.


    When the squadron of imperial bodyguards had finished eating the delectable zhajiang noodles and braised pig head meat, they wanted to return the bowls and utensils. However, the little girl had left and they didn¡¯t know where she went. The bodyguards weren¡¯t nervous about her disappearance. All of the merchants on the docks had their backgrounds examined earlier and all of them were innocent people making a living. That being said, how much trouble could a little girl, who hadn¡¯t reached the age of ten and didn¡¯t even have the strength to truss a chicken, cause?


    Yu Xiaocao continued her on her journey to find corn with her head bowed down. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. In the front, not far from her, were four to five kernels of corn! If she added those to the ones in her hand, she already had around twenty or so seeds. The weather was getting better, so she could start nting the corn in the rear courtyard to get a good supply of seeds. By next year, she would have enough to nt around two to three mu of corn fields. If another two years went by, then she would be a corn tycoon! Yup! For the sake of growing corn, she needed to buy a few more fields of fertilend!


    Her pale and delicate little hands hurriedly reached towards those few kernels of corn. Suddenly, a foot that was shod in ck boots crafted of brocade with cloud patterns stepped on the corn on the ground. Before Xiaocao could think things through, her tiny hand had already grasped that foot to lift it out of the way and left a conspicuous sandy print on those ck boots.


    Zhu Junyang grimaced as he looked at that irksome dirty print on his foot. The atmosphere immediately became awkward. Both Steward Liu and Commander Fang, who were behind the prince, felt as if there were stormy clouds rushing towards them! However, that small and slightly-built figure crouching on the ground didn¡¯t detect this change at all. She was still trying to move the young royal prince¡¯s foot with all of her might.


    ¡°You¡ª¡ªDo you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Zhu Junyang squeezed out a question. His voice held an obvious gloomy undertone as if he was grinding his teeth anger.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even raise her head as she replied, ¡°How annoying, please raise your precious foot, you¡¯re stepping on my stuff!¡±


    No matter how much force she tried to use, Zhu Junyang¡¯s foot remained firmly nted on the ground. The youth apparently was so angry that he wanted tough. His handsome face, which originally had a frosty expression on it, revealed a faint smile. Commander Fang felt the hairs on the back of his arms rise straight up when he saw the abnormal looking smile on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s face. He immediately had a desire to be far, far away from this man.


    ¡°I would like to know why these seeds, which I, this prince, had traveled the oceans for, are suddenly yours, hmm?¡± Zhu Junyang crossed his arms across his chest and tilted his head at a forty-five degree angle to look at the little kid who hadn¡¯t even turned around to interact with him. This was the first time in his life that someone had the guts to treat him so impolitely. Zhu Junyang felt a desire to y a cat chasing a mouse at this moment.


    ¡®This prince? Don¡¯t tell me that the person talking to me is the young royal prince who had just gotten home from his seafaring journey? I can¡¯t be that unlucky, right?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao¡¯s grubby little hand abruptly stopped moving on the ck boot in front of her. ¡®Ah! Judging by the material of these boots, even though I don¡¯t know much about boot materials, I can tell that it is quite expensive. What kind of ordinary person would be able to afford using something like this to make shoes with? I¡¯m screwed. I was too focused on picking up corn kernels and I didn¡¯t notice this. What am I to do? The princess consort had mentioned that her son¡¯s temper isn¡¯t very good. Am I about to be flogged with wooden nks? That won¡¯t do, my body is so weak and small, I definitely won¡¯t be able to endure that torture. I need to find a way to draw this out long enough for my godfather to find me to go home...¡¯


    She pasted on what she thought was her most innocent-looking smile and opened herrge eyes wide before she slowly raised her head up to stare at the person who was the owner of the ck boots.


    ¡®It¡¯s her?!¡¯ Zhu Junyang¡¯s ballooning impatience and anger had suddenly been popped by something. He felt his temper slowly cooling down. The pair ofrge, innocent eyes in front of him ovepped with the round eyes that haunted his dreams.


    ¡®So it was her! She¡¯s the little girl who had discovered me at my lowest point and had gotten her father to save me.¡¯ His memories of his rescue were quite vague now. The only thing he remembered with crystal rity, even after almost two years had passed, were that pair of eyes that seemed to be able to see into the depths of a person¡¯s soul.


    The smile that she had used hundreds of times to get out of trouble didn¡¯t seem to be working today! Yu Xiaocao looked at the expressionless handsome face in front of her and rubbed her nose out of embarrassment. However, right now she was only a little girl who was pretending to be innocent. Although the royal prince¡¯s temperament was cold, he didn¡¯t seem like a vicious person. He wouldn¡¯t lower himself to the level of a child...right?


    ¡°Ah...thismoner greets the young royal prince. May the young royal prince have an auspicious life!¡± Yu Xiaocao hurriedly scrambled up from the ground and haphazardly bowed.


    Steward Liu Fusheng had also recognized this little girl¡¯s identity and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a shiver run through his heart for the child. Earlier, on the ship, he had identally said ¡®young royal prince¡¯ and had been given the lightest punishment of being flogged twenty times as a ¡®reward¡¯. This little girl had not only dirtied the shoe of the royal prince, who was a germaphobe, but also called him ¡®young royal prince¡¯! If his master identally executed this little girl in a fit of pique, wouldn¡¯t the masses use him of ¡®biting the hand that fed him¡¯?


    Just as Steward Liu Fusheng was contemting whether he should plead leniency for the little girl, his master finally replied, ¡°Wipe that disgusting smile off your face! How hypocritical!! Tell me, why are the seeds that I, this prince, brought back now yours?¡±


    Although his master¡¯s voice was just as chilly as usual, Steward Liu had a feeling, ¡®It looks like my master isn¡¯t that angry! Looks like people truly can change!¡¯


    ¡°Ah...¡± Was her smile really disgusting? Didn¡¯t everyone tell her that her smiles were sweet and beautiful and were able to make a person feel happy ah? The young royal prince truly stood out from the masses as his tastes were different frommon people. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to discuss whether her smile was disgusting-looking or sweet, she needed to get out of this mess as fast as possible!


    ¡°Then...this lowlymoner didn¡¯t know that the things on the ground were yours, young royal prince. I thought that things that fell on the ground didn¡¯t have an owner. Since there¡¯s no owner, then it bes finders keepers!¡± Yu Xiaocao exined using a child¡¯s reasoning.


    ¡°Finders keepers? Hm? Who taught you this reasoning? Was it General Fang eh?¡± Zhu Junyang had received quite a bit of information during the short period of time he had been onnd. However, he himself wasn¡¯t quite sure why he remembered this particr piece of information. It must be because it was rted to General Fang, it must be!


    The size of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes whenpared to the size of her pointed face were a bitrge, especially when they were opened wide. It truly made her resemble a little flying squirrel as most of the space on her face seemed to be taken up by those two eyes. She pouted pitifully, ¡°Why do you have to me my godfather for my mistakes? I noticed that the seeds fell down on the ground. If I didn¡¯t pick them up, then they would be buried by the sand. It would be such a shame!¡±


    Zhu Junwang watched her silently. Although the expression on his face was mild, it still made her scalp feel numb. She had trouble keeping a smile on her face.


    The young royal prince seemed to have sensed her difort. He stooped over and dug up the kernels of corn from underneath his feet and mercifully broke the silence, ¡°You...if you¡¯re able to tell me the name of these seeds, then I, this prince, will pardon you from the crime of being rude.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Glee rushed through Xiaocao¡¯s heart and a brilliant smile blossomed on her face. She almost blurted out the word ¡®corn¡¯. However, at thest second, she managed to reign in herposure. This crop had just been brought back from the distant seas. If she was able to say its name, then it would truly be astonishing.


    She pretended to ponder for a bit before she cautiously replied, ¡°Young Royal Prince, these seeds resemble pebbles of jade, I think they should be called ¡®corn¡¯ [1], what do you think?¡±


    Corn? It was the same term that the emperor had used for this crop. From the little girl¡¯s earlier expression, Zhu Junyang was certain that this wasn¡¯t a name that was fabricated out of thin air. Instead...she already knew what this nt was!!


    However, how could a rural farmer¡¯s daughter recognize a nt that grew in the far-away west hemisphere? Zhu Junyang regarded this slightly-built girl in front of him with an inscrutable expression as the doubts in his heart piled up. Apparently, this little girl had a secret that no one else knew about!


    ¡°Corn?¡± Zhu Junyang roughly sounded out this word, as if he was hearing it for the first time. He slowly nodded his head and continued, ¡°This name is not bad. When I submit my report to the emperor, I will also use this name...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao panicked and hurriedly raised her voice to stop him, ¡°Don¡¯t do it!!¡±


    She was already quite certain that the current emperor was also a transmigrator like her. In her past life, she had read plenty of novels. In some of those, the people who had transmigrated into high positions would trap other transmigrators in order to not blow their own secret. It was hard to say if something like would also happen to her!

 Chapter 227 – Gift

    <h4>Chapter 227 ¨C Gift</h4>


    Her fellow transmigrator was the current emperor, so her life would be over if he just randomly charged her for any crime! That wouldn¡¯t do. If the emperor heard the name ¡®corn¡¯, her identity would be exposed! No, she definitely couldn¡¯t let that happen!


    ¡°Uh...¡± Under the young royal prince¡¯s doubtful gaze and everyone¡¯s scared expressions, Xiaocao muttered, ¡°Young Royal Prince, thismoner is just a fisherman¡¯s daughter from the mountains. How can I be qualified to name the new species of crop that you, this royal prince, has brought back? Aren¡¯t you thinking too highly of me? Young Royal Prince, thismoner reckons that such a valuable crop should be named by the emperor or you!¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw clearly the action and expression of the young girl racking her brains to think of a reason. He felt that the young girl in front of him was very simr to a small animal¡ªan alert, sensitive, and interesting little squirrel. Unbeknownst to him, the indifference in his eyes gradually faded, and an unfamiliar emotion emerged within him.


    Head Steward, Liu Fusheng, noticed the slight change in his master. While he felt surprised, he also felt that he should put in a word for his master¡¯s savior, ¡°Master, the youngdy¡¯s words are reasonable. Let¡¯s discuss the matter of naming the new crop when we get back to the capital! Master, if you leave the noodles for too long, they will muddle together!¡±


    However, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to let go of this young girl who was like a little squirrel. Based on his intuition, this young girl definitely knew how to grow corn. Before he went on the voyage, the emperor had once told him that it would be best if he could also bring back someone who knew how to grow corn. Unfortunately, those natives all felt inseparable from their homnd. As a result, he was unable to fully aplish the task that the emperor entrusted to him. But, perhaps the young girl in front of him could give him a different surprise!


    When Liu Fusheng saw that his master seemed to have taken in his words, he turned around and walked to their temporary lodging. After walking a couple steps, Zhu Junyang stopped again and turned back to look at the young girl, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was currently patting her own chest. Seeing this, he almost couldn¡¯t refrain himself fromughing. Why did this littless have so many expressions? Compared to those nobledies in the capital, who were either delicate or dull, she was simply a weirdo, a cute little weirdo.


    He took in a deep breath inwardly, kept a calm expression on his face, and then said to Xiaocao, who had instantly resumed an innocent expression, ¡°If... I give you the seeds, can you guarantee that you can grow them?¡±


    Liu Fusheng peeped at his master and felt surprised inwardly, ¡®Master has really changed today. Not only is he taking the initiative to speak with others, but they¡¯re also chatting very happily (Yu Xiaocao: With which eye do you see us chatting happily?). I wonder what expression Princess Consort Jing would have if she found out about this?¡¯


    It should be noted that it was always Princess Consort Jing pestering his master. She had even pretended to be sick to gain sympathy from him so that he would say a few more words with her. Princess Consort Jing was always worried about whether her youngest son would lose his ability to speak. It seemed like Princess Consort Jing¡¯s concern was unnecessary.


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that the crisis had been resolved, so she quickly put on a ttering smile and said, ¡°Of course! Young Royal Prince, you can go ask around. My family members are experts in farming. During this season, besides families with hot spring resorts, only my family can grow fresh vegetables! There¡¯re also watermelons, which my family has already started breeding. In a little over two months, if you cane to Tanggu Town again, you will be able to eat my family¡¯s watermelons... I can say for certain that if my family can¡¯t grow the seeds, then there isn¡¯t anyone else who can!¡±


    Zhu Junyang watched as the young girl patted her chest and vowed with confidence, yet he didn¡¯t detect any sense of boasting at all. It seemed like this young girl was really confident in her family¡¯s farming skills. Perhaps... he could believe in her this one time. If she could really grow the crop of the seed that he brought back, then that could make up for his regrets from this voyage.


    ¡°Head Steward Liu, go make the arrangements to get fifty catties of corn and fifty catties of potato seeds for the littless.¡± After thinking about it briefly, Zhu Junyang decided to give a portion of the seeds from the two crops that he brought back thergest quantity of and let the young girl try growing them. Even if she failed, it wouldn¡¯t be a big problem.


    Yu Xiaocao was extremely delighted about this. Fifty catties of corn seeds were enough for at least ten mu ofnd! But, there didn¡¯t seem to be enough potato seeds. She looked at the young prince with bright eyes and weakly asked, ¡°Young Royal Prince, can you give me a little more of the potato seeds?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at Yu Xiaocao with a ¡®so you really do know what a potato is¡¯ expression. Yu Xiaocao decided to just go-for-broke and continued to stare directly at the young prince¡¯s intimidating gaze with expectant eyes.


    ¡°How much do you want?¡± Zhu Junyang stopped trying to find out where the little girl had heard about corn and potatoes. Since she had heard about them, it meant that there was an even higher probability that she would be able to grow them.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and answered, ¡°At least a hundred catties? That¡¯s enough for half a mu ofnd...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you two hundred catties! Do you dare to make a military writ that you will definitely be able to grow the potatoes?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s intuition became even clearer¡ªthis young girl might be able to create a miracle! His intuition had never been wrong since he was a child!


    ¡°Yes!¡± Yu Xiaocao replied firmly without any hesitation.


    Head Steward Liu Fusheng coughed on the side and tried to give the little girl some room for leeway. He exined softly, ¡°Young maiden of the Yu Family, do you know that if you can¡¯t fulfill a military writ, you will be beheaded?¡±


    Zhu Junyang swept a sharp re at him, but he didn¡¯t me him for being talkative. Liu Fusheng secretly wiped the sweat on his forehead, ¡®Master, isn¡¯t this old servant just thinking about this little girl¡¯s kindness to you?¡¯ It¡¯s so hard to be someone¡¯s servant ah!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes shifted slightly, and then she continued, ¡°I will definitely be able to grow them, as long as there aren¡¯t any natural or manmade disasters!¡±


    Natural or manmade disasters? Zhu Junyang secretly praised the young girl¡¯s carefulness in his heart. He couldn¡¯t control natural disasters. As for manmade disasters, wouldn¡¯t that be taken care of with just one word from him?


    ¡°Rest assured! This prince will ask the county magistrate to tell your vige head to fully cooperate with nting. As for natural disasters, it¡¯s not someone that can be controlled by humans, so it will not be considered within the scope of the military writ!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s decisions were quite humane, so Xiaocao was very satisfied.


    Seeing that the little girl was full of confidence, Liu Fusheng stopped persuading her. He took his order and led several imperial bodyguards to retrieve the corn and potato seeds from the carriage nearby.


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, followed the young prince to his temporary lodging nearby. She saw that there was a bowl of bean sauce noodles, which had already lumped together, on the table, as well as her family¡¯s braised food. She slightly hesitated and said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, the noodles won¡¯t taste good if it¡¯s cold. Should thismoner bring you another bowl?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the noodles that he had just eaten a few bites of. It was quite tasty. As for the braised food, before he had the chance to taste it, he saw this littless walking behind the dockworkers with her waist bent and bending down from time to time to pick up something from the ground. After eating some noodles, he no longer felt so ufortable in his heart. Prompted by his curiosity, he walked over to see what she was picking up. Unexpectedly, he had found a treasure due to his curiosity!


    Zhu Junyang ordered a little eunuch to buy the noodles at the noodle stall. He instructed someone to bring the four schrly essentials, and then he wrote down the military writ with exquisite calligraphy. He was afraid that the little girl couldn¡¯t read, so he read the contents to her.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that there wasn¡¯t anything difficult to achieve within the military writ. Not to mention that she had grown corn and potatoes in her past life, but even if she had never nted them before, she still had the mystic-stone water as cheat. She could even revive a dead nt, so what would she be afraid of! Without any hesitation, she picked up the brush and signed her name. After practicing her writing with her younger brother for a period of time, she could write her own name pretty well.


    Could daughters of peasant families also read and write now? Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t show the confusion in his heart and handed the dried military writ to Head Steward Liu, who just came back with the seeds. After that, he sat down uninhibitedly, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed the bright red ¡®pig ear strips in chili oil¡¯. The pig ear strip was crispy, slightly spicy, and very appetizing.


    By the time the piping hot bean sauce noodles was brought, he had already eaten half the te of pig ear strips. Xiaocao pointed at the saut¨¦ed pig intestines and said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, this has gotten somewhat cold. You can put it in the noodles and heat it up before eating it, or you can take it back to our stall to heat it up....¡±


    When Zhu Junyang heard her addressing him as ¡®Young Royal Prince¡¯, he paused briefly. But he didn¡¯t say anything and just waved his hands at Yu Xiaocao. Head Steward Liu quickly went forward and whispered, ¡°Miss Yu, the prince asked you to leave! Come, I will send the seeds over for you!¡±


    After sending away the necessary people, Zhu Junyang looked at the te of saut¨¦ed pig intestines. He thought about it and ced two pieces into the piping hot noodles. After a while, he picked it out and ced it into his mouth. He savored the taste as he carefully chewed it. ¡®Saut¨¦ed pig intestines¡¯ was Xiaocao¡¯s best dish. When it just came out of the pot, it had a golden color, and it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. With a savory and fragrant taste, it was suitable for all ages and people would never get tired of eating it.


    Zhu Junyang, who was born in the imperial family, had never tried food like innards. If he hadn¡¯t experienced the hardships of ocean voyage, he probably wouldn¡¯t even touch the food in front of him. However, after eating a piece of intestine, Zhu Junyang thought that it tasted rather good, and put a few more pieces into the noodles.


    Commander Fang, who had been waiting on the side in silence, watched as Royal Prince Yang ate one piece after another of the saut¨¦ed intestines. He was extremely curious about this kind of food¡ªwhen it was time to change shift, he had to go buy a portion to try!


    When Xiaocao returned to her stall, she thanked Head Steward Liu and happily epted the corn and potato seeds. She nned on eating the delicious roasted corn on the cob and stir-frying a te of sour and spicy shredded potatoes, which she really missed, in autumn... That would be such a happy feeling!!


    When Imperial Envoy Fang came over, the stall was serving the small peak of dinner time. Seeing that his daughter was so busy that she didn¡¯t even have time to rest, Lord Fang couldn¡¯t just sit down anymore and took up the position of a waiter. All of the dockworkers knew who he was. The imperial envoy was straightforward and unassuming, so the dockworkers all liked him very much. So they joked, ¡°It¡¯s really the blessing of three lifetimes to be able to eat the noodles personally served by the Lord Imperial Envoy ah!¡±


    Fang Zizhen guffawed and said, ¡°Eat more! You will have more strength to work when you¡¯re full!! In the future, when the harbor construction ispleted, would you guys still have to worry about not getting any benefits?¡±


    Most of these workers were regr employees of the management office. The new port, which was not too far away from the old wharf, was starting to take shape and it was more than twice the size of the old docks. There was amercial street not too far from the harbor. Although the shops weren¡¯t built yet, theyouts of the shops could already be seen. Lord Fang was right. With such arge harbor, would they still have to worry about not being able to find work? The sry of dockers had doubledpared to the past and it would only be better in the future!

 Chapter 228 – Sowing

    <h4>Chapter 228 ¨C Sowing</h4>


    Usually, before the setting sun disappeared behind the West Mountains, the Yu sisters would have already reached home. Today, the sky was already dark, but there was still no sign of them. Yu Hai couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and led a horse out of the stable. After putting the saddle on the horse, he rode it out of the vige.


    Halfway on the road, he ran into the threeing back from the docks. Fang Zizhen, who rode on a high steed, held a torch and led the way in front, while the sisters sat on the donkey cart in the back.


    Seeing that the sisters were safe, Yu Hai was relieved and asked with concern, ¡°Why did you guyse back sote today?¡±


    Xiaolian excitedly chattered, ¡°Father! Royal Prince Yang, who sailed to the west, has returned. He brought back a lot of things that we didn¡¯t have in the Great Ming Dynasty. He also gave Younger Sister some seeds and asked Younger Sister to help him grow them!¡±


    The Yu Family and the Fang Family lived close by, so they usually ate dinner together. Lady Fang was close with Princess Consort Jing, so they naturally knew how much Princess Consort Jing hoped for her youngest son¡¯s safe return. When Yu Hai heard that, he nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that he returned safely! Princess Consort Jing don¡¯t have to worry anymore! What does the young prince returning have to do with you guysing backte? Also... the young prince gave Cao¡¯er seeds and asked her to help him nt them? What kind of seeds? Will we be able to grow them?¡±


    Xiaolian had nced at Royal Prince Yang from the distance, and she was still immersed in the excitement of being able to see royalty in person. Hearing the questions, she replied, ¡°Royal Prince Yang brought back too many goods from the west, so the dockworkers didn¡¯t finish unloading until veryte. In order to save time, they rotated to eat dinner. How would they be able to work without eating? We waited until thest batch of workers finished eating before closing our stall.¡±


    After taking a breath, Xiaolian continued, ¡°Royal Prince Yang gave Younger Sister seeds that we¡¯ve never seen in the Great Ming Dynasty before. The one that is shiny like a golden bean is called ¡®corn¡¯. The round one is called ¡®potato¡¯, which is simr to sweet potatoes! Younger Sister can grow green vegetables that were ready two months in advance, so what else can¡¯t she grow?¡±


    A new kind of crop that didn¡¯t exist in the Great Ming Dynasty was something that even the emperor attached great importance to. It wouldn¡¯t be a small matter if his daughter failed to grow them. Yu Hai was slightly worried and asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what do you think? Do you think you can grow them?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nonchntly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As soon as I saw these seeds, their nting methods appeared in my mind. It¡¯s the same as the usual methods! There definitely won¡¯t be any problem! But, Father! The young prince gave me around ten mu of seeds. Our family doesn¡¯t have that muchnd ah!¡±


    ¡°Not enoughnd? Then buy some ah! I heard that there are several families in the vige who want to sell their farnd... However, thend around our vige are sandy soil, which isn¡¯t very fertile. I don¡¯t know if they would be suitable for farming these precious seeds! If we buy them in town, then the far distance would make it inconvenient to take care of...¡± As he spoke, Yu Hai frowned, feeling somewhat troubled.


    Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°Let¡¯s first buy thend in the vige and see how it is. It¡¯s best if thend is connected, or else it would be hard to take care of them. As for buyingnd in town, let¡¯s also ask someone to keep an eye out for it. If there¡¯s a suitable ce, then let¡¯s buy it. Even if we don¡¯t farm on it ourselves, we can rent it out to others! Both of these crops are high-yielding crops, moreover, they are suitable to be grown on all sorts ofnd. After the autumn harvest, we can cultivate them in arge area next year!¡±


    Hearing his younger daughter¡¯s firm tone, Yu Hai didn¡¯t hesitate anymore. She was able to do business and farm; it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything that his younger daughter couldn¡¯t do. His family had never grown watermelons before, but didn¡¯t they turn out pretty good?


    The next day, Yu Hai went to find two of the families, who were sellingnd. He asked the vige chief to be his guarantor and spent thirty-six taels to buy the two families¡¯ twelve mu of farnd. Dongshan Vige mostly had barren, sandy soil, so except for cheap crops like sweet potato, there was a low harvest of other grain. As a result, the price fornd was very cheap. It was already very generous of Yu Hai to pay them three taels per mu!


    The two pieces ofnd was only separated by Wang Ergou¡¯s farnd. When Wang Ergou heard about Yu Hai buyingnd, he came over and grinned cheekily, ¡°Brother Dahai, are you expanding the cultivation of watermelons? Your family doesn¡¯t have enoughnd? If you need morend, my family can lend ours to you for free! But... heh heh, you have to give me priority for this year¡¯s watermelons... I need to earn more family property for my son!¡±


    Wang Ergou¡¯s wife had given birth to a chubby son in January, which he was overjoyed about. In the past, he would go drinking and waste some money with several of his bad friends in the vige. However, ever since he got a son, he had be an extremely dutiful father and stayed around his wife and child every day. He also came to the Yu Residence many times to ask for advice on how to make meals to be eaten during the postnatal confinement period. He even personally served his wife during confinement period, nurturing her to be fair and plump. Since she had plenty of breast milk, the little guy ate until his tummy was bloated every day.


    Yu Xiaocao teased him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you also sell your family¡¯s farnd to us?!¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t sell it!! I¡¯m leaving thisnd to my son!¡± Wang Ergou waved his hands and firmly refused.


    Yu Xiaocao continued, ¡°Would your son care about that mere two mu of farnd? It¡¯s better to earn more money this year, and then buy some good, fertilend for your son in the surrounding viges. If you want to farm on it yourself, then do it. If you don¡¯t want to, then rent it out and collect rent!¡±


    With an enlightened expression on his face, Wang Ergou pped his thigh and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Why didn¡¯t I think of that? My wife¡¯s vige has a lot of good farnd. I wonder if there¡¯s anyone selling them. I should ask my younger brother-inw to help me ask around...¡±


    Both of Wang Ergou¡¯s parents had died and he was the only one left in his family. His wife was the eldest child in the family and had four younger siblings, who were all brought up by her. Her younger sisters had all gotten married. One of her younger brothers worked at the docks, while the other one stayed at home to farm and take care of their elderly parents. Looking at Ergou¡¯s wife¡¯s strong character, one could tell that her family, though poor, were people with integrity. After Ergou changed for the better, his inws had changed their perspective on him and treated him like half of a son. Wang Ergou felt the warmth of family from his inws, so he would always think of his inws when there was something good.


    ¡°Brother Dahai, I¡¯ll go back and discuss it with my wife. If she agrees, then we¡¯ll sell them to you! Brother Dahai, if you need help, then just let me know. Don¡¯t be courteous with me!¡± After being taught by his wife, Wang Ergou was no longer the inconsiderate person he used to be.


    Yu Hai stopped being courteous with him and said, ¡°Alright! Thend has been thawed these past two days, so I was nning on plowing the fields! If Brother Ergou is free, thene help hold the plow!¡± There were livestock at home, so they naturally didn¡¯t have to plow by hand.


    Wang Ergou cheerfully answered, ¡°Okay! I¡¯lle over early tomorrow!¡±


    Over the next few days, Yu Hai and Wang Ergou plowed the seventeen mu ofnd, which includednd that Wang Ergou sold to them. Yu Xiaocao also stopped helping out at the docks because she needed to nt watermelon, corn, and potatoes. Even if it got too busy at the docks, Madam Han and her younger daughter would help serve the food and wash the dishes every day.


    The days passed by, and it was soon the spring season. Standing on the hillside, one could see people busily working everywhere. The vigers of Dongshan Vige mostly grew sweet potatoes. The Yu Family¡¯s over a dozen mu ofnd would attract curious gazes from time to time.


    The reason was very simple. The country magistrate personally met the vige head of Dongshan Vige and solemnly informed him that the Yu Family was helping Royal Prince Yang experiment with the cultivation of new crops. Thus, they must actively cooperate, assist them with guarding the crops, and firmly stop any hint of theft.


    When vige head returned home, he solemnly held a vige-wide meeting. He made the protection of the ¡®experimental field¡¯ as the top priority of the whole vige, which was firmly implemented. The vige head was still worried, so he also threatened, ¡°If anything goes wrong with the crops in the Yu Family¡¯s fields, and thus dyed the royal prince¡¯s affairs, then even the lives of the entire vige wouldn¡¯t be enough aspensation!¡±


    Got it! Since this was something that concerning the lives of the entire vige, it was no wonder that vigers were so concerned. However, they only looked from afar for fear of affecting the cultivation of the Yu Family¡¯s crops. In order to prevent the crops from being damaged, the vigers had formed a night patrol team. At night, they would guard the Yu Family¡¯s fields so securely that even a mosquito might not be able to fly in. In this way, it made things much easier for the Yu Family.


    This year, the Yu Family had doubled their melon field. Besides the eleven mu ofnd used as an ¡®experimental field¡¯, watermelon was nted in all the other fields. It was quite easy to grow watermelon, which only required burying the seeds into the soil. In order to improve the emergence rate, Xiaocao soaked the seeds in mystic-stone water before nting them. For six mu of watermelon, the Yu Family and a freeborer¡ªWang Ergou¡ªfinally finished sowing after working busily for two days.


    The method of presoaking the seeds was also used for the cultivation of corn. When growing corn, it was important to pay attention to the distance between the crops. If nted too densely, it would be stuffy andck sunlight, and the corn wouldn¡¯t be able to grow properly. If nted too loosely, the yield would decrease. Fortunately, Xiaocao had experience with growing corn in her previous life.


    The field had been plowed and fertilized. Xiaocao took a hoe and dug shallow pits in the soil, while Madam Liu followed behind her. She put a seed in each pit, and then used her feet to cover the pits with soil. Yu Hai carried a bucket of water and watered the pits... The three family members cooperated very well.


    Since the three family members were responsible for the ten mu ofnd, then it would take them several days to finish sowing. It was their first time trying to grow corn, so the whole family did everything themselves. The job of digging the pits looked simple, but in fact, it was actually hard work. Her waist always had to be bent, and she had to clench the hoe in her hand tightly. After a day, Xiaocao was so tired that she couldn¡¯t even stand straight. She also got some blisters on her palms. The pain of popping the blisters made her scream incessantly.


    Madam Liu used a needle, which had been sterilized with fire, and carefully popped the blisters on her younger daughter¡¯s hands. On the side, Yu Hai¡¯s heart ached so much that he gasped unceasingly. Fang Zizhen got the best wound medicine and applied a thinyer for his goddaughter. He also wrapped Xiaocao hand like a pig¡¯s hoof with gauze. When eating dinner in the evening, like a seriously injured person, she had to be fed by Zhenzhu.


    Madam Liu looked at her delicate younger daughter and could help but say, ¡°Mother remembers the distance between the pits. Cao¡¯er, you don¡¯t need to work in the fields tomorrow. Stay at home and rest!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head repeatedly and said, ¡°No! With just you and Father, when would we be able to harvest all the corn ah?! My hand is just not used to doing hardbor. It will be fine in a few days!¡±


    Fang Zizhen disagreed and said, ¡°The blisters on your hand has just been popped. If they get scraped again tomorrow, ayer of skin will surely be peeled off. I might as well just take two days off and help out in the fields!¡±

 Chapter 229 – Awaiting Labor

    <h4>Chapter 229 ¨C Awaiting Labor</h4>


    ¡°No! The port construction is at a crucial stage, so there can¡¯t be any problems. Godfather, you need to go and look over it! Moreover, you have never farmed before, so you will probably be a hindrance if you came!¡± Yu Xiaocao rejected her godfather¡¯s suggestion, and then said, ¡°Maybe... Tomorrow, Mother can dig the pits in front while I scatter the seeds. Is that okay?¡±


    Fang Zizhen continued to refuse, ¡°You hand is injured. What if it got dirty and caused an infection? At that time, you wouldn¡¯t be helping out, but causing more problems!¡±


    Xiaolian and Yu Hang rushed to say, ¡°Tomorrow, I won¡¯t go to the docks (I won¡¯t collect seafood) and will go help out in the fields instead!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Everyone stop talking!! It¡¯s merely ten or so mu ofnd, yet you¡¯re all fretting so much. In the future, if we buy a hundred or so mu of good farnd, wouldn¡¯t you guys worry so much that you can¡¯t even sleep at night? It¡¯s decided. Tomorrow, your mother and I, along with Cao¡¯er, will continue to work in the fields. Cao¡¯er will watch on the side to ensure that nothing goes wrong and won¡¯t need to do anything at all! Everyone else should do what you need to do!¡± At this time, Yu Hai brought forth his weight as the head of the household and made the final decision.


    Before sleeping, Xiaocao went to the west courtyard next door as usual, and took her godmother¡¯s pulse with her bandaged little hand. Although her godmother was pregnant, with a proper diet and the nourishment of the mystic-stone water, her health was much better than when she first came to Tanggu Town. Yu Xiaocao took off her hand, feeling relieved.


    Lady Fang gently grabbed her small hand, which was wrapped like a pig¡¯s hoof. Her heart slightly ached as she teased her, ¡°Oh! Our Eldest Young Miss has just worked for a day, yet your little hand has already turned out like this ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pouted and grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s just Godfather making a fuss over a small matter. I merely got a few blisters, but he wrapped my hand as if it was fractured.¡±


    Fang Zizhen came in and touched his wife¡¯s belly. He looked at Xiaocao¡¯s hand and said to Lady Fang, ¡°You didn¡¯t see it. On her fair and tender palm, there were several peanut sized blisters. It bled quite a lot after being popped. Ay! It¡¯s just ten or so mu ofnd. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t afford to hire people! If worstes to worst, we can pick out a few strong ones among the refugees and hire them. Why do you need to do everything yourself?¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoughed, ¡°We¡¯re already attracting too much attention in the vige. We just bought over ten mu of farnd, if we also hire people to work in the fields, wouldn¡¯t people talk about us behind our backs?¡±


    ¡°Just let them talk. If they have the ability, they can also buynd and hire workers!¡± Fang Zizhen said angrily.


    Yu Xiaocao knew that her godfather was worried about her, so she smiled and changed the topic, ¡°Godfather, Godmother will probably go intobor next month at thetest. The conditions in the countryside aren¡¯t very good and the midwives aren¡¯t very professional. I reckon that she should go back to the town tomorrow and wait for delivery?¡±


    Speaking of the unborn child, Fang Zizhen immediately revealed a silly smile and giggled, ¡°I have already discussed this matter with your godmother. We¡¯ll go back to town when your family¡¯s corn and potatoes are nted.¡±


    Fang Zizhen now firmly believed in his goddaughter¡¯s medical skills. His wife wasn¡¯t young anymore, and this was her first child, so they didn¡¯t have any experience whatsoever. Without his goddaughter around, he would feel uneasy! However, his daughter had signed a military writ with Royal Prince Yang for the cultivation of corn and potatoes. So it couldn¡¯t be dyed. Fortunately, there were still a couple of months before his wife¡¯s due date. He had learned the term ¡®due date¡¯ from Xiaocao!


    Looked at her madam¡¯s big, round tummy, Linglong though that it was more safe to return to town earlier. She said in a low voice, ¡°Madam, let Zhenzhu apany you at home tomorrow. This servant will go help out in the field. With an extra worker, things will get done faster!¡±


    Lady Fang looked up with smiling eyes and nced at her most trusted handmaid. She smiled at Fang Zizhen and said, ¡°These two maidservants, Linglong and Zhenzhu, have suffered a lot since we arrived in Tanggu Town! Usually, handmaids like them are like daughters of a humble family, who won¡¯t need to do any chores. They all have several maidservants who work under them. However, sinceing to Dongshan Vige, they have to make a fire for cooking, nt vegetables, and gather vegetables. It really has been hard on them ah!¡±


    Zhenzhu hurriedly said, ¡°Madam, you¡¯re overpraising us! Madam is tolerant, magnanimous, kind, and benevolent. When this servant went back to the Xia Household, my sisters all envied me for having such a good master!¡±


    Linglong gently massaged Lady Fang¡¯s shoulders and said with a faint smile, ¡°That¡¯s right! There are advantages to living in the capital, but there are also advantages in staying in Dongshan Vige. Our Dongshan Vige has a picturesque scenery that rxes one¡¯s mood just by looking at it. We can eat delicacies from thend and the sea every day. This servant¡¯s face has gotten rounder ah. In my opinion, although the capital is big, it¡¯s morefortable living in Dongshan Vige!¡±


    Lady Fang patted Linglong¡¯s hand and said with a smile, ¡°You two are both clever and lovely. I, your madam, knows this very clearly! Alright, tomorrow, Linglong will take Wangfu and his wife to see if there¡¯s anything you guys can help with in the fields.¡±


    Early in the morning of the next day, the three members of the Yu Family went to the fields with Linglong and two servants of the Fang Household. After working for the entire day yesterday, they had already nted nearly two mu ofnd. Madam Liu had nearly mastered the technique of digging the pits. Under Xiaocao¡¯s guidance, she swiftly got the hang of it.


    Wangfu hade over from the estate in town. Before selling himself into the Fang Estate, he was also an experienced farmer. When doing farm work, the Wangfu couple was even faster than the Yu Hai couple. As if it had a life, the hoe in his hands dug quickly and well. Wangfu¡¯s wife followed behind her husband and skillfully scattered the seeds and buried them with soil. The two worked very well together.


    As a child of servants of the Xia Family, Linglong had grown up the estate of a wealthy family, so she had never done farm work before. Fortunately, dibbling wasn¡¯t hard. At the beginning, she was still rtively unfamiliar with how to do it, but she gradually learned how to do it.


    Yu Hai carried a bucket of water and followed behind them and sprinkled some water on the buried seed. There couldn¡¯t be too much water because the seed might go bad from being soaked in too much water. But there couldn¡¯t be too little water either because that might reduce the rate of germination. However, seeds that had been washed by mystic-stone water didn¡¯t have these concerns.


    With three extra people, who were skilled workers, they worked much more efficiently today! By evening, there were only about two mu ofnd that needed to be worked on from the remaining eight mu ofnd.


    On the way back, Madam Liu said with a smile, ¡°We should be able to finish nting all the corn by tomorrow. Many thanks to Linglong, Older Brother Wangfu, and Older Brother Wangfu¡¯s wife, otherwise, we would have to work a few more days.¡±


    Wangfu smiled in a good-natured manner, while his wife said quick-wittedly, ¡°We don¡¯t deserve to be called in that way by Madam Yu. Madam Yu is a rtive of our general, so you¡¯re considered half of a master for us servants. You¡¯re already giving us servants face by directly calling our names!¡±


    Linglong saw that Madam Liu still wanted to say something, so she quickly changed the topic, ¡°Tomorrow, we will be able to finish nting the corn in the morning. When are we going to nt the remaining one mu of potatoes?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao replied, ¡°The potato seeds has already sprouted. It can be nted by the day after tomorrow. Older Sister Linglong, you must be exhausted today, right? When you get back, take a hot bath and have a good rest. My hand should be better tomorrow, so it¡¯s fine with just me and my parents!¡±


    Seeing that Linglong wanted to say something, she continued, ¡°It has been a long time since anyone has lived in the estate in town. Several servants stayed back to guard the house, but if you guys are moving back, it¡¯s better to have people properly clean the ce. Also, you guys should find a midwife in advance...Sister Linglong, you¡¯re someone who serves Godmother. Now that Godmother is pregnant, you must stay by her side ah!¡±


    In a slightly ttering manner, Wangfu¡¯s wife said, ¡°Miss Linglong don¡¯t have toe tomorrow. My husband and I wille over to help, so it should be fine!¡±


    After thinking about it, Linglong felt that Miss Cao¡¯er was right. Tomorrow, she should go to town and make sure everything was going smoothly. Madam and her unborn child were the most important!


    In this way, they worked busily for another two days and finally finished nting on the Yu Family¡¯s over ten mu ofnd. Without a chance to rest, Xiaocao was taken to town by Fang Zizhen and his wife. Linglong was also a very capable person. In two days, she had straightened out everything in the Fang Estate. She had also invited the two famous midwives in town to the estate, serving them with good food and drinks.


    These two midwives mostly helped wealthy families in town to deliver babies, so the highest ranking official they had seen were low-ranked officials like the head bailiff of the county yamen and the magistrate¡¯s secretary. Their legs had gone limp as soon as they heard about the lord imperial envoy¡¯s invitation. They didn¡¯t even dare to fart and obediently followed the servant of the Fang Estate over.


    After staying in the estate for a day, they gradually recovered their strength and a burst of joy emerged in their hearts: It was their first time delivering the child of the imperial envoy¡¯s wife ah! If everything went smoothly, not only would they be famous, but they would also get rich! They had heard that the imperial envoy had gotten a child at an old age, so he would definitely give them a lot of money at that time!


    When Xiaocao arrived in town, she didn¡¯t idle around. After some inquiry, she found a broker with a decent reputation in town, Li Da.


    Li Da felt slightly uneasy as he was taken to the Fang Estate. With his social connections, how could he not know about the residence of the imperial envoy? Why was the imperial envoy looking for him? Could it be that he wanted to buy more servants?


    It was a little girl under the age of ten who came to receive him. Although she was dressed inly, she appearedfortable and exquisite in all respects. Such a young girl probably wasn¡¯t a handmaid in the estate. Perhaps... she was the imperial envoy¡¯s goddaughter?


    Li Da didn¡¯t dare slight her and solemnly went forward to greet her. Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Broker Li doesn¡¯t need to be so courteous. Let sit down and talk!¡±


    Being influenced by Lady Fang, who hade from a noble family, Yu Xiaocao already had a somewhat imposing manner in the way she dealt with people. She waited for Li Da to sit down, and with a gentle smile, she said in a soft voice, ¡°Broker Li, I heard that you have grasped most of Tanggu Town¡¯s middleman businesses in your hands! Is there arge piece of farnd nearby for sale?¡±


    Li Da quickly straightened his body and thought for a moment before asking, ¡°In reply to Young Miss, do you want to buy a ntation or just farnd?¡±


    ¡°ntation? Are there ntations for sale?¡± Yu Xiaocao had learned that ntations were generally owned by rich people. Not only did they have arge piece of fertile farnd, but it was also sold together with the tenant farmers. If she could buy a ntation, it would save her a lot of work!


    Li Da quickly said, ¡°In town, there is a wealthy family with the surname Ma who had failed in their business and are in an urgent need for money. Thus, the Ma Family have decided to sell one of their ntations, which has sixty mu of superior farnd, thirty mu of average farnd, and eighty mu of inferior farnd. This ntation is located east of town, and it is less than ten kilometers away from town.¡±


    A total of one hundred and seventy mu, and it was located in between Tanggu Town and Dongshan Vige. This was exactly what Xiaocao wanted. If the price wasn¡¯t too outrageous, Xiaocao was prepared to buy it!


    ¡°May I ask the price...¡±

 Chapter 230 – Fleeing from Calamity

    <h4>Chapter 230 ¨C Fleeing from Cmity</h4>


    Li Da naturally didn¡¯t dare to give false number to the imperial envoy¡¯s goddaughter, ¡°That family urgently needs the money, so the price isn¡¯t very high. If you buy them separately, the superior farnd cost twelve taels per mu, the average farnd cost ten taels per mu, and the inferior farnd is seven taels per mu. If you buy them together, it cost a thousand five hundred taels.¡±


    The price was quite reasonable, so Yu Xiaocao bought it on the spot. The next day, the head steward of the Fang Estate and Broker Li went to the yamen to go through the formalities.


    At this time, it was the time of spring plowing. Since the Ma Family was in a hurry to sell the ntation, they didn¡¯t rent the fields to the tenant farmers. Thus, the tenant farmers at the ntation all felt very anxious.


    The tenant farmers generally didn¡¯t have any farnd and relied on farming on rented farnd to make a living. At the beginning of autumn, at least half of the grain produced in the fields should be handed to the master¡¯s family. If they had a harsher master, who charged them sixty percent or more for rent, and they had an average harvest, the tenant farmers might not even have enough to fill their stomachs. However, these tenant farmers, who had no other skills except farming, had no other choice but to rentnd. If they didn¡¯t farm, was the whole family just going to wait to drink the northwest wind?


    In this ntation of the Ma Family, the tenants were waiting for the arrival of the new owner with an uneasy mood. The Ma Family were considered kind masters, who only took fifty percent rent. They were worried about what kind of person the new owner was. Would the rent increase? Would they not rent thend to them? There were more than a dozen families in the ntation who relied on these fields to make a living ah!


    Yu Hai wore a dark blue muslin robe with exquisite embroidery on the waist, cor, and cuffs. He had never worn such a formal attire before, so he felt very out of ce. For the convenience of work, Yu Hai had always worn light work clothes, which was light andfortable. Being wrapped in a robe, he felt as if he couldn¡¯t even walk properly.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her father¡¯s uneasy expression and said with a smile, ¡°Father, you look very handsome dressed like this! You look more dignified than those skinny and short lords! It¡¯s our first time inspecting our ntation, so we definitely have to show the imposing manner of owners lest we get bullied by the servants!¡±


    After being praised by his daughter, Yu Hai straightened his chest. He was originally tall with good features and healthy tan skin. Thus, he really did have the charisma of a wealthy nobleman.


    The person who drove their horse carriage was the head steward of the Fang Family. Since they were going to show their force as owners, how could they not have someone running errands for them? Thus, Lady Fang sent the head steward over to help them.


    The horse carriage soon arrived at the ntation. The tenant farmers, who had long received the news, had already been waiting for them. In the past, the Ma Family usually camete in the morning. The tenant farmers weren¡¯t familiar with their new master¡¯s habits, so they wanted to leave a good impression on them bying earlier. Originally, they had thought that they would have to wait for a long time, but they hadn¡¯t expected that the horse carriage had already arrived at the ntation at seven in the morning. The tenant farmers looked at one another and were d to havee early!


    The head steward stopped the horse carriage. Yu Hai nimbly jumped down from the carriage, and then turned around to carry his younger daughter down the carriage. When Yu Xiaocao saw the farmers waiting respectfully, she felt rather satisfied in her heart.


    Could the tenant farmers not be respectful? Sincest autumn, there had been group after group of refugeesing to Tanggu Town. Although a group of refugees had settled at the docks, there were still a lot of refugees looking for jobs. There would be refugeesing to slightly bigger ntations to rmend themselves as tenant farmers. The position of the original tenant farmers at the ntation were being threatened. If they didn¡¯t work hard, wouldn¡¯t they just be waiting for their masters to rece them? This wasn¡¯t something that hadn¡¯t happened before. Didn¡¯t several tenant farmers get changed at the Zhou Family¡¯s ritual fields next door?


    Yu Hai stood in front of the tenant farmers. He had never spoken under the anticipating gazes of so many people, so his hands that were behind his back slightly trembled. Seeing this, Xiaocao quickly extended her hand and held her father¡¯s hand, giving him support.


    The future of the Yu Family would certainly be even more than this, so as the head of the household, Yu Hai must be able to support it! Yu Hai secretly took a deep breath, swept over the dozen or so tenants with a dignified gaze, and said in a loud voice, ¡°This year¡¯s spring plowing is just around the corner. In order to not dy farming, everything will stay the same! Who is the supervisor of the tenant farmers? Come and introduce the situation of the ntation!¡±


    Hearing that everything would be the same as before, the tenant farmers were apparently relieved, and there was a glow of joy within everyone¡¯s eyes. A vigorous old man in his fifties stepped forward and said, ¡°In reply to Master, this old man, Wang Maocai, is the supervisor of the ntation!¡±


    Seeing that the old man was about the same age as his father, Yu Hai¡¯s face showed some kindness. He said, ¡°What¡¯s the situation at this ntation? Tell me about it!¡±


    Wang Maocai didn¡¯t change just because the master was kind to him. He respectfully answered, ¡°In reply to Master, there are a total of sixteen families in the ntation. Among them, there are forty-three young, strong workers. In the previous years, the ntation¡¯s fields were distributed ording to the number ofborers in the family.¡±


    Divided based on number of adult workers? Yu Xiaocao thought about it and asked, ¡°This elder, does the so-calledborer refer to adult malebor force?¡±


    Wang Maocai didn¡¯t slight her due to her young age and quickly replied, ¡°In reply to Young Miss, that¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Then... what if the adult male in the family had an ident?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s worry wasn¡¯t without reason. If something happened to the man in the family, then a widowed mother and orphaned children wouldn¡¯t even be able to get a portion ofnd, so how were they supposed to live?


    Wang Maocai was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I was just about to report this to Master. Liu Dazhuang, who works at the ntation, broke his leg after falling in the mountains. He¡¯s the onlybor force in his family. Last year, four mu ofnd was distributed to him. What should we do this year?¡±


    Yu Hai ceased his brows slightly. ording to the old policy, the family should not be allocatednd if the onlybor force in the family was bedridden. However, if they lost their farnd when the pir of the family had fallen, that would be making their bad situation even worse. How would the family support themselves?


    At this time, a twelve or thirteen year old boy rushed out from the crowd. With tears in his eyes, he clenched his fist, knelt down in front of Yu Hai and said in a loud voice, ¡°I¡¯m already thirteen years old, so I can work like an adult! Master, please don¡¯t take away our farnd.¡±


    ¡°Shanzi, quicklye back!¡± A haggard-looking woman squeezed out of the crowd and shouted anxiously at the young boy kneeling on the ground for fear that her son would get punished for offending the master.


    Yu Hai lowered his head to look at the youth, who was about the same age as his eldest son, with mixed feelings in his heart. He recalled the time when he had been bitten by a bear and was lying on the bed on the verge of death. The situation at that time was very simr to the situation of the family in front of him. At that time, he really hoped that someone would help his family.


    After pondering briefly, Yu Xiaocao made a decision and said, ¡°My father has already said earlier that this year¡¯snd distribution will be the same asst year¡¯s until a new decision is made.¡±


    The young boy, who was kneeling on the ground, lifted his head with hope and asked, ¡°My family received four mu of farndst year, so do we still get four mu ofnd this year?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. You will receive the same amount ofnd asst year. In the future, not only will adultborers will receivend, but boys over the age of ten and females between the age of sixteen to forty can also get a distribution of farnd. As long as one has the ability to work, farnd will be divided to both male and female based on their circumstances.¡±


    What? Women could be allocatednd, too? A happy expression appeared on the faces of people with qualified women and many children in their families. On the other hand, there was a slight change in the expressions on the people who had more adult malebor force in the family. There were only so muchnd in the ntation, so ifnd were also divided to women and children, they would certainly receive lessnd. These people felt somewhat dissatisfied in their hearts, but they didn¡¯t dare to say anything. The new owner had new rules. If they showed their dissatisfaction and the master didn¡¯t distribute anynd to them, they could only watch on the side!


    Yu Hai said a few more formal remarks, encouraged everyone to work hard on farming, and finally said, ¡°The farming season won¡¯t wait for anyone, so everyone should take advantage of today¡¯s good weather and quickly go farming! Alright, everyone can go now!¡±


    Aftering out of the ntation, the father and daughter were going to buy some daily necessities in town. When the carriage arrived outside of the town gates, they noticed that there had been an increase in the number of refugees outside the town. It was currently the time when there was a food shortage between the two harvests. Many people in the northeast, who didn¡¯t want to leave their homnd, had ran out of food after surviving the harsh winter, so they had no choice but to flee to the south.


    Yu Hai, who was in a good mood after buying a ntation, sat outside the carriage to talk to the head steward. Suddenly, an emaciated figure among the refugees caught his attention. He stared fixedly at that person¡¯s back, clenching his hands tightly. Was it her? If it was her, why didn¡¯t shee find him at Dongshan Vige, and instead settled down in the refugee camp outside of town?


    As if she detected his gaze, that thin figure turned around and looked over. When Yu Hai saw that haggard but familiar face, he slightly choked up as he called out in a soft voice, ¡°Older Sister...¡±


    Perhaps it was too far away, but that person didn¡¯t recognize him. Instead, she continued to walk forward and slowly squatted down in a simple shed made of dead branches. In actuality, even if they met face-to-face, Yu Caifeng may not have recognized him.


    Since Yu Hai got married, his older sister had only returned once and more than a decade had passed. Although Yu Hai¡¯s face hadn¡¯t changed much, he had matured quite a lot. For more than a year, he ate well and was in a good mood. Thus, his originally thin and tall figure had be strong and powerful.


    Today, he was wearing a new set of clothing and riding on the Fang Estate¡¯s horse carriage, like a rich master in town. Even when Yu Caifeng saw him, she just felt that he seemed familiar, but didn¡¯t dare to acknowledge him!


    ¡°Stop the carriage, quickly stop the carriage!¡± Yu Hai snatched the reins from the head steward¡¯s hands and pulled hard. The horse, who was trotting forward steadily, made a long neigh, stopped, and trod uneasily on the ground. It was fortunate that the Fang Estate¡¯s horses were well-trained. Had it been another steed, it might have been startled!


    Yu Xiaocao, who was dozing off in the carriage, nearly flew out of the carriage. She poked her head out in confusion, only to see her father leaping off the moving carriage and darting toward the ce known as the refugee camp.


    ¡°Father! What are you doing? Wait for me ah!¡± With the help of the head steward, Yu Xiaocao got down from the carriage. Holding her long skirt, she chased in the direction that her father ran off to. She was only apanying her father to the ntation, but her godmother insisted on having her dress more formally. It was so inconvenient to run in. If she wasn¡¯t careful, she would identally step on the hem of the skirt.

 Chapter 231 – Oldest Paternal Aunt

    <h4>Chapter 231 ¨C Oldest Paternal Aunt</h4>


    The refugees in the ¡®refugee camp¡¯ saw a rich-looking man stride towards them in an agitated manner, while being chased by a pretty little girl. The refugees were afraid of offending the nobles, so they all moved away. After the father-daughter pair passed by, they whispered about what had happened.


    Hearing his younger daughter¡¯s voice, Yu Hai halted his steps with difficulty, turned around, and held the hand of his younger daughter, who was chasing after him. After that, he continued to walk towards that familiar figure.


    ¡°Father? Who did you see? Is it my oldest aunt?¡± Since the beginning of winter, her father had been worried about her oldest paternal aunt, who lived in the northeast disaster area. They didn¡¯t know her oldest aunt¡¯s situation. There had long been refugeesing to Tanggu Town, yet they hadn¡¯t received any news from her oldest aunt.


    Holding onto his younger daughter¡¯s small hand, Yu Hai felt very anxious, but he still slowed down to match his daughter¡¯s pace. As they got closer to that thin figure, Xiaocao felt her father¡¯s hand slightly trembling.


    ¡°Husband, drink some congee. The congee at Tanggu Town is much thicker than that of other ces. There¡¯s quite a lot of rice inside!¡± With a smile full of warmth, Yu Caifeng gently lifted the man lying on the straws, who was so thin that he barely looked like a human.


    The man coughed violently, and his haggard face waspletely flushed as if he would stop breathing at any time. The refugees around them were afraid that he was suffering from tuberculosis, so they all moved away.


    The man finally calmed down slightly. He worked hard to inhale a few times, and then weakly said, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. You and the children should drink it!¡±


    Yu Caifeng shook her head resolutely and said in a soft voice, ¡°The children are waiting in line to get congee! Since we have arrived in Tanggu Town, we are considered home already. After you drink this congee and recover some strength in your body, we will go to Dongshan Vige tomorrow.¡±


    The man moistened his dry lips, which were cracked and bleeding, with his tongue. He sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m being a burden to you and the children. If it wasn¡¯t for my treatment, you wouldn¡¯t have to suffer with me. I reckon that I won¡¯t be able to survive this illness. It would be a waste for me to eat this congee, so it is better for you to eat it! The children are still young, so you can¡¯t fall sick...¡±


    ¡°What are you saying! You just have a cold, and you haven¡¯t recovered due to the poor conditions on the road. When we get back to Dongshan Vige, I¡¯ll borrow some money from my father and get a doctor from Tongren Medicine Hall to treat your illness... Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall in town has excellent medical skills. Everyone says that if he¡¯s willing, he can certainly be an imperial physician with his skills. He will definitely be able to cure you! Hurry up and drink the congee!!¡± With tears brimming in her eyes, Yu Caifeng pretended to be fierce.


    The man was several years older than her, and he was also a widower. When she first married him, she had a strong temperament and regarded him with contempt for a long time. However, the man had a good temper. He tolerated her little temper and pampered her as a young maiden. Although she wasn¡¯t satisfied with this marriage at first, she was moved by the man¡¯s sincerity and lived with him wholeheartedly. After depending on each other for fifteen years, it had already be a habit for her to rely on him and trust in him. Now, she seriously couldn¡¯t imagine how she would continue living without him...


    Looking at his wife¡¯s helpless and indecisive eyes, the man felt a sharp pain in his heart that was even more unbearable than his illness. He forced out a smile and said, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll drink this congee! I have already persevered all the way to here, so no matter what, I must hold on! I¡¯m really still very worried about you and our three children...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak anymore. Drink the congee...¡± After wiping her eyes, Yu Caifeng scoped a spoonful of congee with a spoon, gently blew on it, and delivered it to the man¡¯s mouth. The man held the congee in his mouth and worked hard to swallow it.


    Yu Xiaocao and her father saw this scene from afar and had a mixture of feelings in their hearts. At this time, three children holding congee passed by them. The oldest boy spoke with a slightly brisk voice, ¡°Father, Mother! The people handing out the congee here are pretty nice. Even young kids like us can get a full bowl of congee! These three bowls are enough for our whole family!!¡±


    Among them was a young girl, who was about the same age as Xiaocao. She watched as the man finished half of the bowl of congee and revealed a happy smile, ¡°Father seems to be in good spirits today! Your appetite has gotten a lot better! Mother, is Father¡¯s illness going to get better soon?¡±


    Yu Caifeng fed congee to the man and said, ¡°When we see your uncle tomorrow, your father will be able to treat his illness in town. The doctors in town are very skilled, so your father¡¯s illness can definitely be cured!¡±


    The youngest of the three children asked naively, ¡°Mother, when Father gets better, we won¡¯t have to beg for food anymore, right?¡±


    Yu Caifeng¡¯s nose was sour as she nodded heavily and said, ¡°When your father¡¯s illness is cured, he can go find a job in town. Your father is very capable, so he definitely won¡¯t have a problem supporting our family of five!¡±


    ¡°Yay! Other people won¡¯t call us ¡®little beggars¡¯ anymore! Mother, Xiaoping don¡¯t want to be called a little beggar and beg for food. Eldest Brother said that we are just going through a difficult time for now, and it will get better in the future!¡± With a pair of big eyes that were simr to Yu Caifeng¡¯s, the young boy eximed in an innocent and serious manner.


    Seeing this scene, Yu Hai choked up and hastened his steps. He shouted at Yu Caifeng, ¡°Older Sister!!¡±


    The hand that Yu Caifeng held the bowl of congee with abruptly shook, as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. She turned her head slowly, and when she saw Yu Hai, her lips trembled and she couldn¡¯t utter a word.


    ¡°Older Sister!¡± Yu Hai rushed forward and hugged Yu Caifeng, who was so thin that she only had bones left. The tears that had been welled up in his eyes for a long time flowed down his face.


    ¡°Xiaohai? Is it Xiaohai?¡± Yu Caifeng still couldn¡¯t believe it, for fear that she was in a dream. Her motivation to persist on the road, other than her children, was her younger brother, whom she hadn¡¯t seen for over a decade.


    ¡°Older Sister, it¡¯s me! I¡¯m your Xiaohai!! Older Sister, you have suffered!!¡± Yu Hai hugged his older sister and cried like a child.


    His older sister was only three years older than him. When his mother passed away, his older sister held back her grief, and like how Yu Hai was embracing her now, sheforted him. When Madam Zhang skimped on the siblings¡¯ meals on the pretext of food shortage, his older sister often shared a portion of the little food that she had. In order to protect him, his older sister had often been beaten and scolded by Madam Zhang. Even though he was nearly thirty years old now, he was still ¡®Xiaohai¡¯ who relied on his older sister.


    Yu Caifeng held Yu Hai¡¯s face, carefully examined him, and smiled with relief, ¡°Xiaohai, Older Sister is relieved to see that you¡¯re living a good life.¡±


    Yu Hai saw his sister and the children were wearing rags that could barely cover their bodies. He frowned and asked, ¡°Older Sister! In autumn, I asked someone to send a message to tell you toe home. Why did you guys only arrive now? Didn¡¯t I send some traveling expenses? How did you guys turn out like this?¡±


    Yu Caifeng finally noticed the expensive, fine cotton robe on her younger brother¡¯s body. Although she was surprised that Madam Zhang was actually willing to let her younger brother wear such nice clothing, she didn¡¯t inquire about it. She just sighed and said, ¡°Ay... It¡¯s a long story!¡±


    From Yu Caifeng¡¯s words, Yu Hai had learned that due to his older sister and brother-inw¡¯s hard work and frugality, their family had some surplus grain. There was a great drought in the northeast. The couple had received Yu Hai¡¯s letter and money, but they were reluctant to let go of their hard-earned property. As a result, they took out twenty taels from the money that Yu Hai sent over and secretly hoarded some grain to see if they could survive until spring plowing.


    They hadn¡¯t expected that, after surviving the winter, those famine victims had found out from an unknown source that their family had excess grain and rushed to their house. They destroyed their belongings, stole their grain, and also injured her husband. Fortunately, Yu Caifeng had securely hidden the remaining thirty taels, so it wasn¡¯t discovered.


    Their food was robbed, and the valuable belongings at home were also taken by those famine victims. With no other choice, Yu Caifeng and her husband packed their bags, took their children, and finally joined the refugees.


    On the way, the group of refugees were suddenly attacked by the cold spring, and many of the refugees had fallen sick. Thinking that he had a strong, healthy body, Yu Hai¡¯s older brother-inw, Liu Hu, gave his clothes to his wife and children, and thus fell ill.


    At first, Liu Hu didn¡¯t take his illness to heart. Didn¡¯t he recover from his previous illnesses pretty quickly? He didn¡¯t want the trip to be dyed due to himself, so even when he had a high fever, he didn¡¯t say anything. He just endured it and continued on the journey. As a result, he had fallen ill right after they left a small town in the northeast.


    At this time, his originally small cold had turned into pneumonia. The small town had poor medical standards and only had one barefoot doctor. They spent the money and got medicine for him. However, Liu Hu illness always came back and couldn¡¯tpleted be cured.


    In this way, they need to stay at a lodging and treat his illness. More than a monthter, the money that Yu Caifeng brought along had beenpletely used up. Liu Hu felt that his illness couldn¡¯t be treated, so he refused to ept treatment and insisted on continuing on the journey. Yu Caifeng failed to talk him out of this idea, so they had to pawn off their unnecessary belongings, rent an ox cart, and continue on the road to the south.


    On the road, Liu Hu¡¯s condition fluctuated. All their traveling expenses had been spent, so they didn¡¯t even have enough to eat, let alone rent a cart. The whole family supported each other and begged for food as they continued on their journey. Had it not been for the belief in his heart, Liu Hu would have copsed a long time ago¡ªBefore he died, he must see his wife and children return to their hometown and reunite with their rtives. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to die in peace!


    Once a person was supported by faith, they often could create miracles. Dragging his sick body, Liu Hu was actually able to see the main gates of Tanggu Town. Seeing the moment that his wife and her younger brother embraced each other, a heavy sense of weariness fell upon him¡ªPerhaps, this was the moment he could leave at ease.


    ¡°Father... Father! Mother, Father fainted again!!¡± Yu Caifeng¡¯s eldest son, Liu Junping gently shook his father, but didn¡¯t receive any response. So he shouted in slight panic.


    Yu Caifeng turned around and saw her husband¡¯s ashenplexion. She felt rmed in her heart and rushed to him. With a trembling finger, she reached under her husband¡¯s nose. After testing, herplexion instantly changed and she hollered, ¡°Husband!¡± After that, she fainted in front of Yu Hai.


    Yu Hai quickly lifted his older sister¡¯s body. He looked at Liu Hu, who was lying on the straw with his eyes tightly shut, and felt a sour feeling in his heart.


    ¡°Father! Father!!¡± The three children, who seemed to have realized something, shook Liu Hu¡¯s body as they cried. Those who heard them would feel heart-broken, and those who saw them would shed tears.

 Chapter 232 – Rising From the Dead

    <h4>Chapter 232 ¨C Rising From the Dead</h4>


    [Master, that person hasn¡¯t died yet. The soul hasn¡¯t left the body, my bathwater can save that person!] The little divine stone had sensed Xiaocao¡¯s sadness, so it quickly transformed into a golden kitten, reminding her in a child-like tone.


    When Yu Xiaocao heard that, she recalled that the little divine stone had once said that when it was at the peak of its power, it was able to bring a person back from the dead. The little divine stone recently recovered a lot of its spiritual power. Since he said that he can save her uncle, then there would be no problem!


    Xiaocao wiped away the tears on her cheeks and stepped forward, pulling the three crying children aside. She said, ¡°Please move aside! I¡¯ve studied medicine before, let me take a look!¡±


    After she said that, she put her finger on Liu Hu¡¯s pulse, quietly feeling his pulse for a while. She realized that his pulse was indeed still beating weakly. Mhm! He could still be saved! Xiaocao quickly took out a small and delicate jade bottle from her embroidered pouch. She lightly pinched open Liu Hu¡¯s mouth and carefully poured the mystic-stone liquid into his mouth.


    ¡°Father! Bring the water bag!¡± Liu Hu had lost the ability to swallow, she must use water for him to wash down the mystic-stone liquid.


    At this time, Yu Caifeng slowly woke up from Yu Hai¡¯s arms. As if she suddenly remembered something, she stood straight up and was about to rush toward her man. Yu Hai hurriedly pulled her back andforted her, ¡°Older Brother-inw might still be saved. Cao¡¯er is treating him right now.¡±


    ¡°Youngdy, I beg you, you must save my husband! If he dies, I... then I won¡¯t live either! I beg you, please save him!¡± A final ray of hope shed in Yu Caifeng¡¯s eyes. Could someone who stopped breathinge back to life? She didn¡¯t dare to think about it and only hoped that God will bless them with a miracle again.


    Yu Xiaocao asked her father to open Liu Hu¡¯s mouth. Her heart finally felt relieved after feeding him two mouthfuls of water. She recalled the method to do CPR in her previous life.


    About a third of the way below his sternum, she ced her left palm on his chest. Then she ced her right palm on top of her left palm, with her arms straight, she pressed down thirty times using her upper body strength. As she did that, she said to her father, ¡°Father, follow my instructions: pinch uncle¡¯s nose and blow into his mouth¡ª¡ªblow...¡±


    ¡°Not like that! Your mouth must block uncle¡¯s mouth while you blow forcefully into his mouth!¡± Xiaocao saw that his father was far from the patient¡¯s mouth as he blew air into his mouth. Despite finding the scene to be quite funny, she quickly corrected him.


    Yu Hai awkwardly raised his head and looked at his brother-inw¡¯s lips. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Yu Caifeng had finally found a thread of hope from her desperation. She could throw away her reputation and her face as long as she could save her man¡¯s life! Under the watchful eyes of other people, she blocked the man¡¯s mouth with her mouth, giving him artificial respiration under Xiaocao¡¯s guidance.


    It wasn¡¯t known whether it was Xiaocao¡¯s CPR or the mystic-stone water that had worked, but Liu Hu was finally able to breathe on his own after two minutes. Seeing her husband¡¯s chest moving up and down weakly, Yu Caifeng covered her face and wept noiselessly¡ª¡ªthese were tears of joy of regaining something again after losing it!


    Liu Hu slowly opened his eyes and saw his tearful wife as well as his children crying in low voices. He lifted his withered hand and tightly pulled his wife¡¯s hand. He had sensed just now that he was about to approach thest moment of his life. The instant he closed his eyes, his heart was filled with reluctance and nostalgia.


    He didn¡¯t know if his wife would still be able to live so willfully like before without his care. How would his children grow up and how would the family survive in the future without him? However, he had, fortunately, ovee this hurdle again. His body was like an arrow that was reaching the end of its flight until he felt a small life force flowing in his body. Each of his exhausted organs seemed to glow with vitality.


    ¡°Oldest Aunt, give Uncle some water! Patients need to replenish themselves with water!¡± Xiaocao secretly dropped two drops of mystic-stone liquid into the water. The patient¡¯s body was still very weak, so drinking some mystic-stone water would be very helpful for future recovery.


    Yu Caifeng took the water bag; her eyes were full of gratitude. Her husband had clearly stopped breathing just now. It was thanks to her young niece, who had given him some magical elixir and taught her how to give air to her man, that her husband was able to return from the gates of hell. She couldn¡¯t imagine and didn¡¯t want to imagine what would¡¯ve happened if she didn¡¯t meet her little niece, or if her brother and little niece had arrived a step toote! She only knew that it was her brother and her little niece who had saved her man and her family!


    ¡°Good... what a good child! Aunt doesn¡¯t know how to thank you...¡± Yu Caifeng didn¡¯t know what to say. Words couldn¡¯t describe her gratitude towards her. In the future, even if she had to work like an ox or horse, she must repay her brother¡¯s family.


    Yu Hai felt very happy for his older sister, and he was extremely d that his younger daughter had studied medicine under Doctor You. He sighed heavily and said, ¡°Older Sister, we¡¯re all family. There¡¯s no need for you to express your gratitude. Give Older Brother-inw some water, then let¡¯s pack our stuff and go to town and have Doctor Sun take a look at Older Brother-inw.¡±


    ¡°Father! Do you not believe in my medical skills? Doctor Sun had praised me ceaselessly, saying I¡¯m very talented when ites to studying medicine!¡± Yu Xiaocao pouted with her small mouth and had an ¡®I¡¯m very angry¡¯ appearance on.


    Yu Hai stroked his daughter¡¯s glossy ck hair and said with a smile, ¡°I believe you; I believe you! Our family¡¯s Xiaocao is so capable, how can I not believe you? Your uncle is very sick, so we¡¯re going to go to Tongren Medicine Hall to get some medicine to nourish his health. In passing, we can also have Doctor Sun feel his pulse!¡±


    Yu Caifeng¡¯s youngest son, Liu Fangping, had just turned six this year and he said in a childish voice, ¡°Older sister, I believe you too! You cured my father; you are a godly doctor!¡±


    Liu Fangping was one year younger than Little Shitou, and one could tell that he had suffered a lot. He was very skinny, simr to how Little Shitou looked when Xiaocao had just transmigrated. Xiaocao stroked his little head gently and said with a smile, ¡°You have to call me Older Cousin, do you understand? Older Cousin isn¡¯t a godly doctor, I just know how to perform some first aid. Your father still needs the experienced Doctor Sun to prescribe him some medicine and to nurse him back to health. Don¡¯t worry, your father will be fine!¡±


    From the beginning, Liu Fangping had snuggled up against Xiaocao¡¯s side with an extremely adorable smile on his face. On the road, he had often relied on his pure and adorable smile to trigger married women and young women¡¯s maternal love for kids, making them give him food. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but pinched the little guy¡¯s face gently.


    When Liu Yaner, who was a year older than Xiaocao saw how her younger brother was selling his lovable appearance, she couldn¡¯t help but roast him. ¡°Older Brother, look at how our younger brother is pretending to be lovable again! When he¡¯s outside, he acts like an obedient little boy, but when he¡¯s at home, he¡¯s extremely naughty!¡±


    The oldest child, Liu Junping smiled maturely and brought his younger sister and brother to greet their uncle. When he was in the northeast, he had frequently heard his mother mention this capable uncle of his, who could catch fish and hunt. In their first meeting, his first impression of his uncle was that he was very tall and strong; his body was even sturdier than his father¡¯s before he fell ill.


    His mother had frequently talked about how his honest and considerate uncle would definitely be bullied relentlessly by their stepmother. However, based on the clothing his uncle and younger female cousin was dressed in, they appeared more well off than the lords in his vige who owned over a hundred mu of fields. No matter how one looked at them, they didn¡¯t appear to be treated harshly. Although Liu Junping had doubts in his heart, he never revealed his inner thoughts.


    Liu Hu drank a few more mouthfuls of water and felt some of his strength returning to him. Yu Hai patted the oldest of the siblings, Liu Junping¡¯s shoulder. He urged him to quickly pack up some necessities and move them to a nearby carriage.


    On their way here, in order to treat Liu Hu¡¯s illness, the Liu Family had pawned most of their valuable belongings, so they didn¡¯t have much to pack. Yu Hai carried Liu Hu on his back as he walked toward the carriage. Yu Caifeng brought her children along as they silently followed behind him.


    The surrounding refugees looked at the Liu Family enviously. When this family had just arrived at this camp, very few people interacted with them because they were suspected of being infected by a contagious disease. However, they were quite fortunate to have met their wealthy rtives and were able to escape from the abyss of suffering. Many people were secretly regretting that they didn¡¯t help them out in their most difficult times. Even if they want to beg them now, they had no way of doing it!


    ¡°Wow! Older Cousin, your family¡¯s horse carriage is so beautiful!¡± When Liu Fangping saw the strong, study, and beautifully decorated horse carriage, he couldn¡¯t help but exim in admiration.


    Yu Xiaocao propped the little guy up by his armpit and helped him onto the horse carriage. She smiled and exined, ¡°This carriage was lent to us by my godfather! My family¡¯s horse carriage isn¡¯t this beautiful!¡±


    In the carriage, Liu Fangping excitedly touched the items in the horse carriage, he was curious about everything. The little guy had only ever been in an ox cart since he was a child, so he never had the opportunity toe in contact with horse carriage that has a sedan chair.


    The horse carriage was very spacious. Liu Hu was half-lying inside the horse carriage while Liu Caifeng sat next to him to take care of him. The children curiously and excitedly sat in the horse carriage. When the horse carriage set off, Liu Fangping pped his hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s morefortable to sit in a horse carriage, I can¡¯t feel the jolting as the carriage is moving. Whenever I¡¯m in an ox cart, it feels like my bottom is about to turn into three segments because of the jolting of the cart!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao could deeply rte to Liu Fangping¡¯s sentiment for ox and donkey carts. In the past, when the wheels of her donkey cart had yet been changed, the jolting of the cart as it rushed towards its destination would almost make her puke up her dinner. That was such an ¡®amazing¡¯ feeling ah!


    The horse carriage was stopped at the city gates. With the increase of refugees outside of Tanggu Town, there had been more soldiers guarding the city gates. She heard that those soldiers were transferred here from Jinwei Prefectural City!


    Liu Yaner, who had been looking outside the carriage window, hurriedly pulled down the curtain of the carriage window. She looked at Xiaocao timidly and asked, ¡°Younger Cousin, will the soldiers not let us enter the city?¡±


    When they had first arrived, several refugees were arrested for trying to enter the city without a permit and having a dispute with the soldiers. However, those weren¡¯t the most serious cases. On their way here, many ces, especially big cities, had been unweing and unfriendly towards the refugees. This had created a shadow in Liu Yaner¡¯s heart.


    Yu Xiaocaoforted her, ¡°It¡¯s okay! For Tanggu Town, as long as there are rtives that are willing guarantee for you, you can freely enter and exit Tanggu Town.¡±


    Sure enough, when the steward of the Fang Estate showed the soldiers his identity medal, the soldiers allowed them into the city cordially with a smile on their face.


    As they passed through the city gates, Liu Fangping poked his little head out the window and was seen by the soldiers. However, none of them were detained like Liu Yaner had worried about.


    Liu Junping, who had been sitting quietly in the horse carriage while observing all of this, faintly thought in his heart that the status of his younger cousin¡¯s godfather must not be low. Otherwise, the soldiers with eyes growing on their forehead wouldn¡¯t have allowed them into the city that easily. Those soldiers were so cordial and enthusiastic even to someone who looked like a subordinate. Could it be that his younger cousin¡¯s godfather was an official?


    His environment had encouraged his growth. The journey had allowed Liu Junping, who didn¡¯t have a worry in the world before, to mature quickly...

 Chapter 233 – Settling Down

    <h4>Chapter 233 ¨C Settling Down</h4>


    The horse carriage passed through the bustling streets and drove towards the house that the Yu Family had bought in town. The streets of Tanggu Town was simple but prosperous. At this time, the street vendors were like clouds, and there were streams of people weaving their through the streets. There were deep fried fruits, chowder soup, steamed stuffed buns, and steamed buns, etc. The voices of vendors crying out their goods for sale could be heard by the ears from time to time.


    The majority of the people passing through the streets were ordinary people dressed in in cotton clothing and signs of the hardships they had faced could be seen on their face. There were also schrs dressed in long gowns with an aura of elegance and grace. Of course, there were also wealthy people dressed in splendid embroidered clothes. asionally, there was a youngdy wearing a veil followed by senior servants and servant girls passing by their horse carriage whileughing softly...


    It seemed as if Liu Yaner and her younger brother¡¯s face were embedded in the carriage window as they looked at the bustling and stable street. Their wandering minds from their long journey here seemed to beforted by this scene. This was the first time they were able to enjoy the exquisiteness of the streets in such a leisurely way. They didn¡¯t have to worry about being berated, driven out, or even think about how they should smile and what they should do to receive charity from others...


    The experience in the past few months could be said to be a nightmare for everyone in the Liu Family. Yu Caifeng looked down at the man who was sound asleep. As long as he was here, no matter how much hardship she had to face, she was not afraid. In the future, no matter how difficult their lives became, it wouldn¡¯t be more difficult than being a refugee and begging others for charity!


    ¡°Older Sister! We¡¯re here! Let¡¯s get off!¡± The horse carriage arrived in front of a courtyard. Yu Hai jumped out of the horse carriage, pulled the curtains to the side, and smiled brightly at the people inside.


    Liu Junping tactfully decline his uncle¡¯s goodwill to help him down. He jumped off the horse carriage by himself and stretched out his hand again to help his brother and sister down the carriage. However, he found that his uncle had already skillfully helped his siblings down the carriage. Liu Fangping was giggling andughing happily.


    Their next door neighbor had just returned from buying vegetables, and saw Yu Hai leading a group of refugees in ragged clothing emitting a strange odor. She couldn¡¯t help but frown and say, ¡°Brother Yu, there was a kind family who had taken in a family of refugees before, but their money was stolen! You have to be careful!¡±


    When Yu Hai bought this house, he had visited both his right and left neighbors. Therefore, even though he didn¡¯t oftene here, his neighbors still knew that he was the owner of this house.


    Yu Hai nodded towards her and indifferently said, ¡°Thank you for your kind reminder. This is my older sister. She was just affected by a disaster on her journey here; she¡¯s not a refugee!¡±


    The married woman looked up and down at Yu Caifeng and her family. She curled her lips and asked, ¡°Are you going to let them live here for a while? It seems like I need to change my family¡¯s door lock!¡±


    When Yu Caifeng heard those words, she stared at the woman in humiliation, and her fingernails sank deeply into the palm of her hand. Yu Xiaocao looked at the rotten vegetables in the woman¡¯s basket and snorted coldly, ¡°Just based on your house? Would there be a difference whether you lock your door or not?¡±


    The married woman¡¯splexion immediately changed and shouted, ¡°What do you mean?!¡±


    ¡°What do I mean? Do you still need me to exin it? It means that¡ª¡ªsince your family is so poor, even if you leave your door wide open, thieves wouldn¡¯t even care toe in!¡± Since the other party doesn¡¯t want to save face, then why should Yu Xiaocao give her face?


    ¡°You...¡± The married woman wanted to say something, but she was interrupted by a drunk voice from inside her house.


    ¡°Damned woman! Do you want to starve me to death by shopping for so long? Why are you still dawdling over there? Aren¡¯t you going to hurry it up and prepare a meal for me?!¡±


    All of the married woman¡¯s arrogance and rudeness disappeared in an instant. She trembled for a moment before she entered the courtyardpliantly. Soon, a painful scream could be heard followed by a man¡¯s screaming voice, ¡°Where¡¯s the wine? Where¡¯s the wine that you went to buy for me? If you can¡¯t do such a simple thing, what do I need you as a wife for?¡± Soon, the sound of disjointed punching and kicking could be heard.


    Yu Xiaocao grabbed her father who was about to go and persuade the man and whispered, ¡°Father, we¡¯re not familiar with them. It¡¯s best not to interfere with other people¡¯s business otherwise people will say we¡¯re too nosy. Father, I will take aunt and uncle into the house first. You should go buy some ready-made clothes from the clothing store!¡±


    Yu Caifeng hurriedly stopped them, ¡°No... there¡¯s no need! Our clothes can still be worn after they are washed and re-sewn. There¡¯s no need to waste money.¡±


    Yu Hai hurriedly nodded his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a waste, it¡¯s not a waste! Older Sister, you should go in and rest for a while. When I return, let¡¯s go out to eat together!¡± After he finished speaking, he hastily left, leaving no room for Yu Caifeng to say anything.


    Xiaocao knocked on the door, and the person who opened the door was a gray haired old man. The old man¡¯s surname was Tang, and his only son was swallowed up by the storm while fishing. The married couple didn¡¯t have anyone to rely on. Yu Hai found them pitiful, so he lent them the side room to reside in. The Yu Family would asionally stay in this house in town or they would use the kitchen here to make a meal and send it to Little Shitou. So it was simr to letting the couple watch over their house in exchange for free rent!


    The old man recognized Xiaocao because Xiaocao woulde here when she was free to cook for her younger brother who was studying in town. The food the little girl cooked was so fragrant that he couldn¡¯t help but drool whenever he smelled it.


    ¡°Miss Yu, these people are...¡± The old man looked at the five members of the Liu Family without any contempt in his gaze.


    ¡°This is my oldest aunt¡¯s family. They had just arrived at Tanggu Town.¡± Yu Xiaocao exined lightly. She invited Yu Caifeng and her family into the courtyard. The courtyard wasn¡¯t big and was divided into two courtyards; the front courtyard and the back courtyard. There were three main rooms, two side rooms, a kitchen, and a junk room in the back courtyard.


    For the Liu Family, who had been living in the northeast countryside, the view of the brick houses and the neat and orderly courtyard was beyond their imagination. Liu Caifeng secretly wondered, when did her brother became so rich for him to afford a house in town?


    After restraining herself, she still couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Xiaocao, does your grandmother know that you have bought this house in town?¡±


    ¡°Why would I let her know?¡± Xiaocao blinked her eyes puzzledly at first and then she asked suddenly, ¡°Oldest Aunt, you don¡¯t know yet? We have separated our households, so buying a house here was our idea!¡±


    They separated households! No wonder! She was wondering how the stingy Madam Zhang would be willing to allow her younger brother and niece to dress so nicely and even allow them to buy a house in town. It turned out that they separated their households! Thest worry Yu Caifeng had in her heart vanished like smoke in thin air.


    Originally, she was worried that she would be shut out by the cruel and ruthless Madam Zhang when she returned to her maiden home, leaving her brother in a difficult position of being stuck in the middle of them. She thought that if Madam Zhang didn¡¯t let them in, she would first live in the old Yu residence and let her man go to the mountain to learn hunting with her brother. There were a lot of edible wild vegetables in the West Mountains. As long as one was diligent, it was impossible to starve to death.


    Since her younger brother had split households, there wouldn¡¯t be so many misgivings! It seemed like her younger brother¡¯s family was doing well. Her younger brother had always been capable, without Madam Zhang, that blood sucking leech, it wouldn¡¯t take long for her brother to live a better life! ording to her younger brother¡¯s nature, he definitely won¡¯t turn a blind eye to her.


    However, as an older sister, she couldn¡¯tpletely rely on her younger brother. She believed that this difficult time was only going to be temporary. Once her husband recovered from his illness, he could work some temporary jobs in town. In the spring of next year, they could rent a few acres ofnd to farm. There weren¡¯t many people remaining in her man¡¯s family, nor was it necessary to return to the bitter cold ce in northeast countryside.


    ¡°Oldest Aunt, you should take a break. I¡¯ll go to heat up a pot of water so you will be able to wash yourselves in a short while!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s crisp and melodious voice had interrupted her thoughts.


    Yu Caifeng helped her husband to sit on a chair in the room, when she heard what Xiaocao had said, she quickly said, ¡°Let me do it!¡±


    Xiaocaoughed and said, ¡°Oldest Aunt, why are you being so modest with me? Uncle¡¯s body isn¡¯t well, and you should help him onto the kang bed to rest for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Mother, watch after Father. I¡¯ll go help Younger Cousin boil water!¡± Liu Yaner sensibly took Xiaocao¡¯s hand and headed towards the kitchen.


    When the water turned hot, Yu Hai was carrying a bundle as he entered the house. He moved to the side as he let Doctor Sun from Tongren Medicinal Hall in. Following behind them was a young apprentice who was holding a medicine box.


    When the two entered the room, they found Yu Caifeng sitting at the edge of the kang bed, and her husband was leaning against her shoulders with his eyes closed. Yu Hai said, ¡°Sister, why didn¡¯t you let Brother-inw lie down?¡±


    Yu Caifeng appeared somewhat embarrassed as she whispered, ¡°Your Brother-inw said that his body was dirty, and he was afraid that he¡¯ll dirty your bed!¡±


    Yu Hai revealed an unhappy expression as he said in displeasure, ¡°If it bes dirty, I can just wash it! Help him lie down and let Doctor Sun to look at him!¡±


    After Doctor Sun took his pulse, he pondered for a moment before he said, ¡°The patient developed a lung disease because hismon cold wasn¡¯t treated in time. However, his illness isn¡¯t serious! Since the patient¡¯s body has a good foundation, he should fully recover after taking some medicine!¡±


    What Doctor Sun had diagnosed was the patient¡¯s condition after Xiaocao had given him mystic-stone water. Had it not been for the mystic-stone water, Liu Hu would¡¯ve been seriously ill and died. It would¡¯ve been impossible for him to be able to wait for Doctor Sun to arrive.


    Doctor Sun mixed two batches from his medicine box and told them to let the patient take this medicine first before taking the prescription to the medicine hall to get more. After taking the medicine for three to five days, the patient should be able to recover without any ident.


    After Doctor Sun was sent away, with the help of his nephew Liu Junping, Yu Hai helped Liu Hu took a hot bath, changed him into clean clothes, and then let him lie on the kang bed. Yu Caifeng was brewing medicine for her husband in the courtyard. All the money Yu Hai had given her for the journey was nearly all used up for medicine. Yu Caifeng had be skilled at brewing medicine from this.


    After Liu Hu drank the medicine and fell asleep, Yu Caifeng and her children had taken a bath and changed into clean cotton clothing. The clothes were made of average material with average style and patterns because it was bought from a ready-made store, yet the three children were so delighted that it seemed like it was New Years.


    Before the disaster, Liu Hu¡¯s family rarely had any surplus food around. They weren¡¯t considered to be well-off, so they might not even get a set of new clothes a year. On their journey, their remaining clothes were used to exchange for medicine for their father. The clothes they had left would be sewn again and again with patches here and there. It was so shabby that they were unable to look at it. Now, they felt very satisfied being able to wear new clothes.


    ¡°Father! There is nothing left at home besides rice. Let¡¯s go out to eat at noon!¡± Because the house in town was rarely upied, except for some rice and noodles, there were hardly any other ingredients. Xiaocao thought of going out to eat because there was a restaurant in town where the food tasted quite good.


    Yu Caifeng hastily said, ¡°We already drank a bowl of porridge when we were outside the city gates. We can make do with whatever we have at home. We¡¯ll have to spend money if we go out to eat!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°The rice at home is only enough to make a bowl of porridge for Uncle! My father and I had left the house early this morning and by now, we¡¯re hungry. We will need to go out to buy ingredients and thene back to cook, I don¡¯t think I will be able to wait that long! Let¡¯s go out to eat, it won¡¯t cost a lot of money!¡±

 Chapter 234 – Stupefied

    <h4>Chapter 234 ¨C Stupefied</h4>


    After a great amount of effort, they were finally able to convince Yu Caifeng. Liu Junping was very sensible and stayed at home to take care of his father. Although the doctor had already reassured them that Liu Hu¡¯s illness was no longer a big deal, he still needed someone at his side. Liu Junping volunteered himself to take on that task.


    Yu Hai took his older sister¡¯s entire family to a nearby little restaurant and ordered a few dishes. Most of the dishes were vegetarian. When Yu Caifeng saw that most of the food had been cooked with a decent amount of oil, she felt bad at the thought of the amount of money that had to be spent on this meal.


    Yu Xiaocao gave both Liu Yaner and Little Fangping half a bowl of thick rice congee and grinned, ¡°Older Cousin, Xiaoping, first drink some congee to prep the stomach. When we get back to Dongshan Vige, I¡¯ll make some more delicious food for you guys.¡±


    Sips of the thick and fragrant rice congee warmed the belly. Little Fangping alternated between a mouthful of congee and a mouthful of eggs. He marveled that there couldn¡¯t be food that was more delicious than this. A content expression surfaced on his face as he said, ¡°Older Cousin, this food is already very good. Is the food you make even better than this?¡±


    Yu Hai hadn¡¯t eaten much food as he was preupied with adding food to his sister¡¯s te. When he heard the boy¡¯s question, heughed, ¡°Xiaoping, did you not know? Your Older Sister Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills are famous around here. Even the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurantplimented her before!¡±


    The woman who owned this little restaurant sneered when she heard Yu Hai¡¯s words. She silently thought, ¡®This family loves to boast. The head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant has standards. How could he possibly value this little brat¡¯s cooking abilities? If you have to brag, why don¡¯t choose something more outrageous, like iming that your family came up with Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s recipe for their roasted chicken and salt-brined duck, eh?¡¯


    Lady, you actually hit upon the truth there!


    Yu Caifeng looked at the table full of food and remarked in an embarrassed tone, ¡°Xiaohai, you really spent too much money. What¡¯s the point of ordering so much food for such a small group of people? If we can¡¯t finish it, it¡¯ll all be wasted!¡±


    Yu Hai looked at his older sister, who had be so thin that her face looked like it was about to disappear. A wave of mncholy flooded him as he gave his older sister another serving of shredded meat stir-fried with tofu, ¡°Older Sister, eat more! When we get back home, your niece will help you nourish your body.¡±


    Xiaocao grasped this opportunity to exin, ¡°Oldest Aunt, right now it¡¯s not a good idea for you and my cousins to eat anything too greasy, so we only ordered some light dishes. Just eat this food for now. Once your stomachs are more healthy, I can make anything you guys want to eat!¡±


    The owner of the restaurant sneered somewhat unhappily and muttered under her breath, ¡°This little kid really loves to boast! Her father doesn¡¯t even bother to correct her when she ims that she¡¯ll make anything they want to eat. Can she make roasted chicken? What about osmanthus duck? They can¡¯t afford to order meat dishes yet she still has to make it sound so nice.¡±


    Although the woman¡¯s voice was very quiet, Yu Xiaocao had been nourished with the mystic-stone water for over a year. Her five senses were naturally more sharp than a normal person¡¯s, so she was able to hear the manager¡¯s grumbles. Xiaocao raised an eyebrow and knowingly looked the older woman in the eye. The woman was startled by her actions and shrunk down a bit as she thought, ¡®This little girl could hear what I said even though I said it so quietly. However, does it matter that she could hear me? Everything I said was the truth!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t lower herself to argue with the woman. The whole group finished the meal and also bought some takeout wrapped in waxed paper to feed Liu Junping. In addition, they also bought some white rice, vegetables, meat, and a fat hen at the market before they finally returned back to the Yu Family¡¯s town residence.


    After taking some medication, Liu Hu had quickly fallen asleep. Yu Xiaocao gave the food to Liu Junping to eat before she went into the kitchen to cook a thick and nourishing pot of chicken congee. The tantalizing smell of chicken congee wafted through the courtyard and tempted Little Fangping, who had just eaten his fill. The little boy swallowed down the saliva pooling in his mouth as his eyes wandered back to the kitchen from time to time.


    When Liu Hu woke up from his nap, a bowl full of nourishing chicken congee was ced in front of him. The translucent grains of rice had already melted into a thick porridge. Shreds of chicken meat dotted the contents of the bowl and the whole thing was garnished with a handful of thinly chopped green onions. The whole bowl looked incredibly appetizing and, whenbined with the delicious smell, roused the appetite of someone who wasn¡¯t even hungry.


    Yu Caifeng silently swallowed down the saliva that had flooded her mouth and took the bowl of congee from her niece¡¯s hands. She scooped up a portion and carefully blew on the spoon to cool the contents down before she fed her husband. Little Fangping crawled onto the kang bed and stared piteously at the congee bowl. Liu Yaner lowered her head out of desperation as she tried to ignore her desire to eat the food. Only Liu Junping, who had just eaten, was able to calmly watch his father eat congee with a smile on his face.


    After eating a few bites of the delectable, savory chicken congee, Liu Hu looked at his youngest son, who was staring at the bowl with pitiful eyes. He raised a hand to rub the little boy¡¯s head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten enough, you guys should finish the rest...¡±


    Liu Fangping hurriedly shook his head like a rattle, ¡°Father, you should finish it so you can get better faster. I ate scrambled eggs and arge bowl of rice porridge for lunch, so I¡¯m very full! Quickly eat more!¡±


    Liu Hu had a tender heart. Ever since Yu Caifeng had married over, he always saved the best food for his wife to eat. After they had children, he always gave the best food and items to his wife and kids while he dly partook his own in meals. This was also the reason why Yu Caifengter on ended up loving him to the high heavens. Naturally, with this delectable chicken congee in front of him, no matter what anyone else said, he refused to enjoy it alone.


    Yu Xiaocao finally ended this stalemate with a word, ¡°I made a whole pot of this congee, so there¡¯s more than enough for our whole family to eat! Xiaoping, Older Sister Yaner, let¡¯s go to the kitchen and grab a portion for everyone to enjoy!¡±


    Liu Fangping cheerfully jumped off the kang bed after hearing Xiaocao¡¯s suggestion. He sloppily put on his shoes and scampered behind Xiaocao as they exited the room, as if he was her little tail blindly following along.


    Liu Hu only finished his bowl of food after six bowls of porridge appeared in front of him. Xiaocao had added a few drops of mystic-stone water to the congee, so after Liu Hu ate his bowl, his whole body feltfortably warm. All of the heaviness left him and his body became light and energetic.


    While the Yu Family was enjoying their happy family reunion together, the young royal prince, Zhu Junyang, was unable to spend time with his mother, who had been eagerly anticipating his arrival in Tanggu Town. Instead, he had just gotten to the capital with a train of a hundred-so carts all piled high with goods and was covered in dust from his travels.


    The emperor summoned him to the throne room. The seventeen year old young royal prince borated on his travels and what he had seen while he was in the throne room that was crowded with literary and military officials. The group of officials listened avidly to his stories that sounded fantastical. From time to time, some people let out a few soft cries of astonishment. When the emperor summoned the foreign artisans that the royal prince had brought back with him to the room, all of the officials stared at these people, who had blond hair and blue eyes, as if they were monsters. All of their eyes were opened wide in shock and their mouths gaped open.


    Although Jianwen Emperor had also traveled the seas and brought back sweet potato nts before he ascended the throne, he had never brought back any foreigners who had red hair and green eyes back. It was no wonder that all of these officials were shocked.


    ¡°Ah Junyang! We told you to find some novel crops. How did that go?¡± Drought had gued the north this year and there were starving migrants roaming everywhere. Jianwen Emperor had been very worried. If they were able to get their hands on corn and potatoes, two high-yielding crops, then everyone in the future would have enough staple food to eat. Future disasters would also not be as bad!


    In front of the emperor, Zhu Junyang still had his usual stony cold expression. He replied confidently, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, this official has seeded!¡±


    The emperor¡¯s eyes lit up, and he leaned slightly forward on the dragon throne. He somewhat impatiently said, ¡°Ah? Then bring it here, we need to see this!¡±


    Before long, a small bag of corn and a few potatoes had been presented to the emperor. Jianwen Emperor descended from the dragon throne and scooped up a handful of golden corn. He lightly felt the kernels and then picked up a potato to inspect. A nostalgic expression surfaced on his face. His favorite dish in college was sauteed spicy and sour shredded potatoes. He hadn¡¯t eaten any for a few decades and he really missed it! He used all of his willpower to suppress his desire to send these potatoes to the imperial kitchens. These potatoes were seeds ah. He must endure now so that in the future he would have more potatoes than he could devour!


    ¡°Very good! Very good!¡± The emperor was quite pleased as hevishedpliments, ¡°Quickly bring all of this to the Ministry of Revenue. They need to start nting corn and potatoes as soon as possible...¡±


    The Minister of Revenue, who had been called over, stared at the two foreign nts in front of him. He hesitated for a moment before he said, ¡°Your Majesty, do we have any methods on how to nt these correctly?¡±


    How should corn and potato be nted? Jianwen Emperor was an engineering student who specialized in shipbuilding in his past life. He had grown up in a city. This question truly stumped him. Zhu Junfan, the emperor, looked at the person who had brought over the two nts, Zhu Junyang. Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes twitched. The original agreement only stated that he had to find the two nts and didn¡¯t mention that he had to nt them, okay? He pasted on an inscrutable expression, which wasn¡¯t consistent with his youthful age, and replied emotionlessly, ¡°This official is also helpless!¡±


    Zhu Junfan felt deted by his younger cousin¡¯s answer. Why was this brat so self-confident? What was the point of going on this arduous journey to find the nts if you didn¡¯t find out how to cultivate them?


    Zhu Junfan red at him and then pondered for a bit. A crafty smile crept onto his face that made Zhu Junyang have a bad premonition.


    ¡°Junyang ah, since you were the one who traveled afar, you¡¯re the one who has the most experience with corn and potatoes. You probably know more than the officials in the Ministry of Revenue. We have decided that you will assist these officials in cultivating these two nts! Do you have any objections?¡±


    The emperor finally broke through Zhu Junyang¡¯s poker face. The prince faintly frowned yet his voice remained calm when he replied, ¡°Emperor, is this a decree or are you asking for my opinion?¡±


    Zhu Junfan naturally wouldn¡¯t give him any chance to evade this duty. The emperor solemnly decreed, ¡°This is our order! Naturally, we also hope that you will dly take on this burden. Just think of the day when all of the people will be able to eat to their fill. They will all be grateful for your benevolence and favor...¡±


    ¡®The people¡¯s gratitude? Whoever wants that can take it! You already told me this is a direct order, how can I possibly refuse?¡¯ Zhu Junyang looked at the emperor expressionlessly. Although he was truly unwilling in his heart, he still had to take on this duty ah!


    After he left the pce, Zhu Junyang had been invited over to the Ministry of Revenue. All of the officials stared at the youthful royal prince with anticipation in their eyes. The Minister of Revenue, whose beard and hair had long gone white, could apparently tell that the prince was displeased. He rubbed his hands together before he cautiously opened, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, it¡¯s almost the perfect season for nting now. What do you think is the best way to nt corn and potato?¡±


    ¡®You can ask me, but who can I ask? Bah!!¡¯ Zhu Junyang had no idea what he could do at this point. He raised his head to look at the group of officials and coldly replied, ¡°nting seeds should all be the same! You all...do what you see fit!¡±


    After he finished, the ruthless and handsome young royal prince turned around, under the eyes of all of the officials in the Ministry of Revenue, and left...left...he left...

 Chapter 235 – Meeting Between Mother and Son

    <h4>Chapter 235 ¨C Meeting Between Mother and Son</h4>


    All of the officials of the Ministry of Revenue looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. Royal Prince Yang, you had been given an imperial edict, you can¡¯t just stand aside and do nothing ah! If we can¡¯t cultivate corn and potatoes, then when the emperor became angry, everyone would be implicated together ah!


    The royal prince may be able to wash his hands of this affair, but they, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, couldn¡¯t! They went to find some experienced old farmers and cleared out a field at the imperial farms for experimentation. Altogether they decided on a couple methods to try out with the corn. Some of the seeds were directly nted into the ground, while others were left for breeding purposes. As for the potatoes, the old farmers thought that it somewhat resembled sweet potato and decided to use the sweet potato method to nt a block. The officials also nted another block ofnd with potatoes directly buried into the ground.


    During this process, Royal Prince Yang only came by once to inspect the process and didn¡¯te over a second time. When the Ministry of Revenue finished writing a report to the prince on the various methods they used to nt the new crops, they couldn¡¯t get in contact with him. The head steward of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had told them that the young royal prince was currently in the faraway Tanggu Town and was unable to receive the report.


    After spending half a month in the capital doing work, the emperor had mercifully given him ten days of vacation. Zhu Junyang immediately traveled to his mother¡¯s residence in Tanggu Town. Construction on Prince Jing¡¯s residence on the West Mountain hadn¡¯t finished yet, so Princess Consort Jing was still living in the previous county magistrate¡¯s wife¡¯s manor. County Magistrate Wu had gone back to the capitalst autumn after finishing his term, and the Wu Family had arranged a fifth rank official¡¯s teaching position for him. In the future, after the imperial academy offered him a retirement package, he had pretty much reached the highest rank he could go.


    In order to give his mother a nice surprise, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t send any servants over to inform her that he wasing over. He brought along his personal imperial bodyguards and galloped his horse at top speed throughout the whole journey until he reached the manor. When he arrived, he casually asked the gatekeeper, ¡°Has mydy mother left the residence in the past few days?¡±


    The gatekeeper carefully bowed and replied, ¡°Prince, the princess consort hasn¡¯t left in the past few days. However, she did invite Lady Fang and her goddaughter, Miss Yu, over for some conversation today.¡±


    ¡®Miss Yu?¡¯ A ripple of movement went through Zhu Junyang¡¯s normally chilly eyes. ¡®It¡¯s that girl who had solemnly vowed that she would be able to cultivate corn and potato ah!¡¯ At that time, the little girl was so confident that he had almost wanted to believe her. Perhaps this little girl would be able to give him a nice surprise, eh?


    Zhu Junyang actually felt a bit of anticipation when he thought of seeing that lively little girl with therge eyes. In fact, he didn¡¯t even notice that his steps into the courtyard were a bit more hurriedpared to previously.


    It was a beautiful spring day and the whole courtyard was filled with lush flowers that dotted thendscape with red and purple. Inside the garden, Princess Consort Jing leaned back on a long couch as she quietly discussed Lady Fang¡¯s situation, ¡°Are you going to give birth soon, Lady Fang?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gleefully replied, ¡°Yes! Her due date is within the next couple of days. For the sake of my little brother, Godmother always walks around the garden a few times every day even though her body is quite heavy now. Doctor Sun felt her pulse earlier today and said that her body is in good condition. However, Godmother¡¯s legs are quite swollen, so she can¡¯t wear her old shoes anymore!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing lightly sighed, ¡°Children embody the debt from our past lives ah! As parents, who wouldn¡¯t willingly be devoted and worried about their own children? Yet children never empathize with their parents¡¯ feelings. For example, my third son didn¡¯t even discuss with me and his father before he silently left to go out to sea. After waiting for months, he finally came back, right? He obviously knows that I, his mother, am waiting for him here yet he decides to emte Yu the Great [1] and not visit me. Tell me, do you think he even has me, his mother, in his heart anymore?¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who had been eavesdropping on them behind some trees, felt his mouth twitch. Now he wasn¡¯t sure whether he shoulde out and greet his mother. From his past experiences, he had a feeling his mother would only cry andin if he came out now. He didn¡¯t fear anything on the earth or the heavens, but he did fear his mother¡¯s tears.


    Just as he was hesitating, he heard Yu Xiaocao¡¯s suave and gentle voiceforting his mother, ¡°Your Highness, all men strive for self-improvement and all mothers hope that their sons will be sessful, right? However, since the past, it is hard to be both sessful and filial at the same time. If the young royal prince first came to see you, in other people¡¯s eyes, wouldn¡¯t that be something to criticize him for? Your Highness, you also don¡¯t want him to be used of being inattentive to his duties right after he got home from such a long journey, right? I believe that the young royal prince has been thinking about you this entire time! Once he organizes all of his affairs in the capital, he absolutely will rush over here to see you!¡±


    The sound of Xiaocao¡¯s voice seemed to have a soothing quality. Princess Consort Jing wasn¡¯t the only one affected by her. Even Zhu Junyang, who was standing behind a tree, was shocked by her understanding of a person¡¯s heart. He raised his icy cold eyes and looked at that smile that seemed to be as gentle as spring. The warmth melted his normally icy heart as he listened idly to her quiet chatter. It felt as if a spring wind had blown into his heart...


    He looked down again and calmed down again. Once his mood had stabilized, Zhu Junyang softly pushed aside the willow branches and quickly stepped forward as he quietly said, ¡°Lady Mother¡ª¡ª¡±


    Princess Consort Jing had been pulling on Xiaocao¡¯s tiny little hands when she jerked to a stop. A self-mocking smile appeared on her face, ¡°Ah! Look at me, I must have been thinking about my third son so much that I¡¯m having a hallucination now!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gently moved her body to the side as she looked at that handsome and straight figure in the garden. The smile on her face became even more bright, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re not crazy! The young royal prince is here to see you!¡±


    A thread of helplessness could be heard in Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice as he raised his volume, ¡°Lady Mother, I am an unfilial son. I made you worry too much!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing swiftly stood up. Because she got up too quickly, her vision suddenly darkened and her body swayed lightly. She almost fell down onto the couch. Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression rapidly changed as he strode forward to grasp his mother¡¯s hand while Xiaocao held the princess consort¡¯s other hand to keep her standing.


    ¡°Lady Mother, what part of you doesn¡¯t feel well? Someone find the doctor! Now!¡± Zhu Junyang only lost his usual calm when he was interacting with his mother. During the darkest time of his youth, his mother was the only ray of light illuminating the deepest corners of his heart, giving him warmth in an otherwise frosty environment. Although his mother liked to tease and make fun of him sometimes, she still took care of him with all her might. He felt like he could only lean on her.


    Yu Xiaocao felt Princess Consort Jing¡¯s pulse and rxed. She said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, young royal prince. Her Highness had only stood up too quickly, which caused her to not have enough blood flow to her head. This is why she got dizzy and faint. After resting a bit, she will be fine.¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s icy cold eyes sent out a sharp re at her. The look in those cold eyes made Xiaocao shiver unconsciously¡ª¡ªthis young royal prince¡¯s eyes were truly too scary!


    ¡°What are you all waiting for? Why hasn¡¯t anyone called the imperial doctor over?!¡± It was obvious that Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t have any faith in the words of a ten year old kid. He sternly scolded the princess consort¡¯s handmaiden, Meixiang, ¡°If this dy causes a problem for her health, then be prepared to lose your life!¡±


    All of the blood immediately left Meixiang¡¯s face. Under Zhu Junyang¡¯s furious re, the maid shivered and felt her legs go soft. The young royal prince¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t something to be taken lightly. When she was still an ordinary servant at the residence, she had heard that the young royal prince, at the age of nine, had chopped off the hands of Chuntao, who was Princess Consort Jing¡¯s favorite personal maidservant.


    Afterwards, an investigation discovered that Chuntao had been bribed by the prince¡¯s concubine¡¯s maiden family. She had been adding a slow-acting poison to Princess Consort Jing¡¯s pastries. However, who would have expected that the young royal prince, who was still a child at the time, would find out? Luckily, it was discovered early, so the princess consort wasn¡¯tpletely harmed. Despite that, her body was still damaged from this event...


    Princess Consort Jingforted her son by patting his hand and she smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine! Xiaocao is very good at making medicinal cuisine. After partaking of it, my body¡¯s condition has be a lot better. You¡¯ve been gone for more than a year and I haven¡¯t gotten sick this entire time. This is all thanks to Xiaocao¡¯s hard work! Since she says I¡¯m fine, then I should be okay! Don¡¯t make a big fuss about nothing! Third Son, let Mother take a closer look at you¡ª¡ªyou¡¯ve be tanner and thinner¡ª¡ªyou probably had a lot of hardships this past year, right?¡±


    As she chattered, the princess consort¡¯s eyes filled with tears at the thought of her son enduring difficulties. Zhu Junyang noticed that his mother was feeling down and felt panic bubble up. He hastily said, ¡°Lady Mother, I only got tanner because I was on the deck a lot and had the sun shining on me and the wind blowing. Tanner people look thinner. Feel my arm, I¡¯ve gained a lot of muscle! Didn¡¯t I tell you before? The ships have more than enough food to feed me and I also caught a lot of seafood delicacies to add to my meals. I also had a lot of servants helping out, so how could I possibly have had a hard time? Mother, I feel like you¡¯ve be thinner. It must be because you were so worried about me ah! I am truly unfilial...¡±


    In front of Princess Consort Jing, Zhu Junyang, who was usually as cold and taciturn as an ice sculpture, finally acted like a normal person. He readily showed his emotions and spoke to her.


    Princess Consort Jing wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her son always had an emotionless and cold expression on his face but right now he looked quite worried for her. A faint smile appeared on her lips, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten thinner you say? That can¡¯t be true. I feel like I¡¯ve gotten plumper instead! All of the clothes I brought along feel much tighter! This is all due to Cao¡¯er¡¯s help. From time to time shees to visit me and cooks me medicinal cuisine and other tasty foods. My appetite has gotten a lot better with her around!¡±


    Zhu Junyang inspected his mother¡¯s face and discovered that herplexion had improved a lot. Previously her cheeks had been somewhat sunken in, but now they were healthy and plump. Her usual sickly pallor had also disappeared and there was a hint of a rosy blush now. All of this made her look more youthful. The look in his eyes as he nced at Xiaocao had unconsciously gentled. He slightly nodded his head and said, ¡°Many thanks, Miss Yu, for taking such good care of mydy mother!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hurriedly waved her hands, ¡°You¡¯re being too polite, young royal prince! Her Highness is a good friend of my godmother and treats me like her own niece. I¡¯m more than happy to help her nourish and heal her body!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing pulled Xiaocao¡¯s pale and soft little hand into her own. Her smile was full of sincere love as she remarked, ¡°Xiaocao is truly a little girl who warms people¡¯s hearts! Everyone always says that a daughter is a mother¡¯s cotton padded jacket. I have three sons and my only little cotton padded jacket is also like a boy too. She¡¯s not sweet at all and was even stolen away by someone! Xiaocao, how about you be my daughter ah...¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes twitched as if he wanted to interject. However, he didn¡¯t quite know what was appropriate to say. For some reason, he was a bit repelled by the idea of Yu Xiaocao bing his younger sister¡ª¡ªWas it because he was afraid that the little girl would steal away his mother¡¯s affection? That couldn¡¯t be right, he was almost seventeen and was past the age when he would fight for his mother¡¯s favor.


    Yu Xiaocao revealed a somewhat helpless expression. Why did everyone want to be her godparents? Not to mention her current set of godparents, but it seemed like even the emperor emeritus also wanted to recognize her as an adopted granddaughter. Furthermore, even the headmaster of Rongxuan Academy had once hinted that she should be his granddaughter. Now Princess Consort Jing was joining in on the fun. Was it because she was too adorable and other people couldn¡¯t resist her charms?


    ¡°Your Highness, if this was heard by my godmother, then she would definitely not agree and use you of trying to steal her daughter!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s joke also hinted at her own personal thoughts on this matter.


    Princess Consort Jing was about to reply when her son butted in. Zhu Junyang deftly changed the subject to what he had seen and experienced on his journey. He babbled story after story to let his mother hear. Only after he saw that his mother didn¡¯t propose the idea of adopting a daughter again did he finally rx.

 Chapter 236 – Capability

    <h4>Chapter 236 ¨C Capability</h4>


    Zhu Junyang currently had a position at court that didn¡¯t have much required of him. Thus, on most days, when there wasn¡¯t anything special going on, he didn¡¯t have to go to court. In order topensate his mother for making her worry for more than a year, he decided to stay in Tanggu Town for now. Other than practicing his martial arts, he mostly spent his days ying chess with his mother and amusing her in the garden with flowers.


    In the garden, there were a few rare and famous camellia nts currently blooming. The brilliant red camellia had just opened a few buds, and the flowers resembled tiny little bells at court. The dark red flowers had sparkling drops of dew clinging to the edges of the petals, and, under the sun, the buds seemed much more lovely and charming. The one that amazed people the most was the scarlet red camellia that was especially bred and called ¡®auspicious crowned phoenix¡¯. Its flowers were beautiful and plump, dignified and elegant, soft and flexible, and hadyers of blush red petals surrounding the center. This flower resembled the red halo of clouds around the sun as it set in the horizon. Although it wasn¡¯t very showy, it looked very noble and gorgeous.


    When Princess Consort Jing saw that her son¡¯s attention had been taken up by her favorite camellias, she revealed a joyful expression, ¡°Aren¡¯t my camellias beautiful? Hmph! Lady Feng only recently got a brilliant red camellia recently, but she had to invite people over to a flower fair to unt it. Any one of my camellias would be able to outshow her camellias on any day!¡±


    Zhu Junyang could clearly perceive that his mother was feeling proud and arrogant. He felt a bit helpless at his mother¡¯s childish actions. Lady Feng was the wife of the current imperial tutor at court, and was also someone obsessed with flowers. Lady Feng and Princess Consort Jing both loved camellias since they were young. asionally they would even have a falling-out over a famous and valuable variety of camellia.


    When Princess Consort Jing found out that Lady Feng had incidentally obtained a brilliant red variety, she bothered the otherdy to give it to her several times. However, how could Lady Feng, a camellia addict, bear to give it to her? Thus, Princess Consort Jing could only return to the residence downcast and feeling somewhat depressed. From time to time, she would bring up this topic again toin. This time, she had recently gotten a few rare and valuable varieties into her hands. How could she not take them out and brag a bit?


    Although Princess Consort Jing would asionally squabble with Lady Feng over these flowers, they had never be true enemies. Every time one of them had a banquet or flower fair at her residence, she would never forget to send an invitation to the over. Even though they bothpared and bragged about their camellias, they never had a true falling out. Zhu Junyang could tell that his mother had a ratherplicated feeling towards Lady Feng, so he resisted the urge to give her advice. Perhaps these two noblewomen had finally found something that gave them both pleasure in their normally dull and boring lives.


    ¡°Yang¡¯er, has your ability reached a more stable state?¡± After Princess Consort Jing watered her beloved camellias, she suddenly asked her son this question.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes dimmed and he lightly shook his head, ¡°Sometimes I still get influenced by another person¡¯s emotions. However, I have gotten better at controlling my feelings to avoid being influenced too much.¡±


    The princess consort looked at her son with a gaze full of pity. When her son hadn¡¯t reached the age of five, he was so cute and adorable that people couldn¡¯t help but draw him into their arms and hug him. Ever since he fell into the water at five and was in aa for ten days, he had the ability to perceive other people¡¯s thoughts and feelings.


    At the time, Prince Jing had just been given the title of imperial prince and the emperor had given him weighty responsibilities. She, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have good health either, so she had rxed her hold on the residence a bit. Many spies had entered their residence and she suspected that her son¡¯s idental fall into the water wasn¡¯t an actual ident.


    Her five year old son felt bewildered and afraid by his new ability. Over time, he became more and more taciturn and antisocial. At the time, Prince Jing had just taken office and was busy with court issues. Sometimes, the family wasn¡¯t able to see him for many days in a row. As for herself, she was bedridden from illness and wasn¡¯t able to sense the changes in Zhu Junyang. By the time she recovered, her youngest son had thrown himself into his martial arts training and he had acquired a high-strung and temperamental personality. It was as if he was a balloon that was inted to its maximum state. At any time, he could explode.


    She had once thought that her son became warped because she had fallen ill and was unable to take care of him. After she recovered, she spent all of her time and energy on her youngest son. However, all her efforts were for naught. He didn¡¯t change much. Instead, her second son started to believe that she was impartial. Jealousy invaded his heart and he drifted away from his youngest brother. Consequently, her youngest son¡¯s temperament became even more unstable and vtile.


    On the year that her youngest son turned nine, one of the higher-ranking concubines in the residence decided to meddle with her. Princess Consort Jing¡¯s personal maidservant was bribed and started to poison her with a slow-acting substance. Her body¡¯s condition slipped with every passing day. Her youngest son, who was already living in his own courtyard, visited her when she was ill one day. As he passed her personal maidservant with a medicine bowl in her hands, he suddenly pulled out the dagger from his waist and chopped off her hands in a rage. He continuously interrogated the hapless servant, demanding to know who sent her.


    The handmaiden passed out from extreme pain yet continuously howled her innocence. All of the people around her misunderstood her youngest son. None of them sensed that something was wrong and they used him of being brutal, vicious and merciless. From then on, her Yang¡¯er transformed into his current temperament¡ª¡ªan icy-cold personality that emitted apathy at all times. It was as if he had sealed himself within a giant frozen cier.


    Finally, Prince Jing investigated this situation after he heard about what happened. Only then did they find out what ¡®good deeds¡¯ that personal maidservant had done. By following the trail of clues, they finally found and caught the viin behind the scenes. The concubine had been punished with death by poison while the rest of the world only knew that she had passed away suddenly from a fast-acting illness. At this time, Princess Consort Jing realized she had misunderstood her son this entire time. However, it was toote to try to fix her mistakes.


    She used an entire year¡¯s worth of time to carefully attend to her youngest son. Only then was she able to slowly crack open his outer shell and sneak through a tiny little hole to his inner thoughts and heart. That was when she finally had a hint of the secret that he had concealed for five years.


    She was truly quite frightened when she first found out his secret! However, when she saw the hurt and pain within her youngest son¡¯s eyes, she knew right then that if she pushed him away again, she would lose her son forever.


    Because she was afraid that people would regard him as a monster, she didn¡¯t even mention this to her husband, Prince Jing. Despite her weak and frail body, she gave all of her maternal love and selflessness to her youngest son. She did her best to convince her son that this ability of his wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, but it took years to let the idea settle into his head.


    Everyone always said that a person¡¯s heart was inscrutable. With this ability, a person¡¯s inner thoughts and feelings were on the table for Zhu Junyang. Those who treated him well, he could remember for a lifetime and allow them to be his most faithful and loyalpanions. As for those who didn¡¯t have good intentions, he would be able to understand their every movement and be able to prepare against them or strike when necessary.


    When Zhu Junyang was younger, it was easy for him to be influenced by the strong feelings of other people. As his ability got stronger, his personality became more and more odd, and he reacted by bing even colder than before...as he slowly grew up, he became more adept at handling and controlling his own feelings to weaken other people¡¯s influence on himself as much as possible. However, his frosty nature had already been ingrained in him, and this type of personality made him lose many friends. Therefore, he became even more antisocial and icy.


    Regardless, she was d that her son was well and in front of her. Even though he was less talkative, his eyes now carried a bit of warmth.


    ¡°Mother, the garden in the West Mountain residence...eh? Younger Brother, you¡¯re here.¡± Princess Consort Jing¡¯s second son, Zhu Junxi, walked through the flowering garden and billowing willows in the direction of the pavilion. When he saw the unfamiliar figure, he hesitated a moment before he called out a greeting.


    Deeply hidden within Zhu Junyang¡¯s dark eyes was a hint of loss. It seemed like his Second Older Brother would never treat him as he did when he was five years old...


    Zhu Junxi arrived at the pavilion and stayed quiet for a bit before he finally smiled, ¡°Younger Brother, when did you arrive? Howe you didn¡¯t let us know beforehand?¡±


    ¡°I got here yesterday morning. I wanted to give Mother a nice surprise...¡± Zhu Junyang had always been taciturn. The conversation between the two brothers revealed an unfamiliar feeling of awkwardness.


    Princess Consort Jing felt a bit helpless inside. She gently smiled, ¡°Yang¡¯er, your second brother has done a lot of work in making sure the West Mountain residence getspleted. He almost spends all of his time there and he¡¯s working quite hard! Xi¡¯er, your younger brother brought over some presents from you that he got from the western hemisphere. They are all things that we¡¯ve never seen before¡ª¡ªYang¡¯er, why don¡¯t you take them out now?¡±


    Zhu Junyang took out a carved pocket watch that was painted a bright copper color from his chest pocket and ced it into his older brother¡¯s hands. He dryly exined how the pocket watch worked and how it could tell the time.


    Zhu Junxi saw that the pocket watch was small and exquisite, yet had the ability to keep the time urately. He immediately liked the item. Previously, he had a heart-to-heart conversation with hisdy mother and he had decided on leaving once the construction on the new residence was finished. He was nning on enlisting in the army and using his own strength and abilities to see how far he could go. With the world in front of him, he naturally wouldn¡¯t brood on past injustices anymore. Thus, all of his jealousy and petty thoughts had evaporated into smoke.


    Zhu Junyang could distinctly tell that his second brother¡¯s mood had changed for the better. A current of warmth traveled through his ice-cold heart. He had many memories with his older brother that were tinged with many different feelings. In his youth, his father had been busy with court and his mother¡¯s body was weak. His eldest brother, as the heir, had been busy at his own lessons, so Zhu Junyang only had his second brother, who was five years older than him, to apany and love him. At that time, he had wholeheartedly relied on Second Brother...but for some reason, and, he didn¡¯t know when, his second brother changed. He drifted apart, became hostile, and avoided him...


    Later on, he gained his ability to spy on other people¡¯s thoughts and understood why his second brother had changed. However, it was something he had no control over. His mother, at that time, was his only grasp on life. Without her, he would always be stuck in a deep abyss. Thus, he selfishly plundered his mother¡¯s attention that should have been on his second brother. Although guilt gued his heart, he couldn¡¯t bear to let go.


    Although he didn¡¯t know the reason, he could tell that Second Brother had finally let things go. As for him, he was no longer that vulnerable little boy that thirsted for affection. Perhaps, and he knew it was an extravagant hope, his rtionship with his second brother could return to normal?


    Zhu Junxi revealed a smile that was as warm as the spring sun and gently patted his younger brother¡¯s shoulder. He sincerely said, ¡°Thank you for this gift, I really like it!¡±


    The corners of Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth curved up and exposed a tiny smile that could barely be seen. Princess Jing witnessed this entire scene and felt gratified as well as a bit disconste at the same time¡ª¡ªHer youngest son had smiled; after not smiling for eleven years, she could finally see Yang¡¯er¡¯s smile again!


    The three family members warmly chatted amongst themselves under the luminous and bright spring sun. Naturally, Princess Consort Jing and Zhu Junxi did most of the talking while Zhu Junyang quietly listened to them. However, the icy cold atmosphere around Zhu Junyang seemed to be slowly melting under this type of environment...


    In the Fang Estate, on the other hand, chaos was reigning.


    Lady Fang had been strolling around the garden when she suddenly felt a sharp pain throb in her belly. Her face immediately became white, and she covered her belly and let out a cry. Linglong, who was supporting her, panicked upon seeing this. She supported her mistress on one hand while she screamed, ¡°Someonee! Our mistress is about to give birth!!¡±


    Immediately, the entire courtyard full of maids bustled into fric activity. Some went to call the midwife, while others ran to find a doctor. There were even some who ran around like headless flies...The maids scrambled around in a panic and a few even crashed into each other!

 Chapter 237 – In Labor

    <h4>Chapter 237 ¨C In Labor</h4>


    ¡°What is going on?!¡± Yu Xiaocao, who was currently in the kitchen cooking up some medicinal cuisine, heard all of the ruckus and came out. She frowned fiercely and scolded all of the servants. The sound of her voice seemed to calm everyone down, and the whole courtyard quieted down almost instantaneously.


    Yu Xiaocao hade out in a hurry, so there was a still a soupdle in her hands. All of the servants silently lined up as she instructed them individually, ¡°You, go to the front courtyard and bring over some trustworthy elder servants in; you and you need to go to the kitchen and boil some water; you, go to the outer courtyard and send people bring Godfather home. Older Sister Linglong, escort my godmother to the birthing chamber...this is my godmother¡¯s first child, so it should take some time from when the pangs first started to when she¡¯s ready to push him out!¡±


    All of the maids seemed to know what they needed to do now, so they immediately went off to do their duties. Linglong gratefully smiled at Yu Xiaocao. They were fortunate that Miss Xiaocao was here today.


    ¡°Godmother, Younger Brother must be impatient to see all of us. Come here, I¡¯ll support you as you slowly walk. No need to rush!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s sweet and dulcet voice seemed to have the ability to calm a person¡¯s heart.


    Lady Fang¡¯s panicky heart slowly became calm and the sharp pangs in her belly gradually subsided. The color of herplexion became normal again, and she smiled at her maids who acted as if they were facing their worst enemy, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t feel pain right now, so don¡¯t be worried!¡±


    Xiaocao continued to support her godmother towards the already prepared birthing chamber. After helping her godmother sit down on the bed, she softly said, ¡°All women will experiencebor pain before the birth is done. Godmother, this is your first child, so thebor pains will likely be longer than usual. This is all considered normal, so there is no need to panic. I¡¯m going to the kitchen to check on something since the medicinal cuisine should be almost done. You should eat something now and save your strength forter.¡±


    Lady Fang cradled her belly and leaned on a hard pillow at the head of the bed. She smiled and nodded, ¡°Ah you! My little sweetie is such a young child, yet you exin the birthing process so well. You truly do have the air of a little doctor ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips and remarked, ¡°Godmother, I already asked around. How can I not take this matter seriously when you¡¯re going to give birth to my little brother? I¡¯m going to go grab the medicinal cuisine, you should rest first...¡±


    After ting the medicinal cuisine, Xiaocao came out of the kitchen and saw her godfather, Fang Zizhen, rushing through the gate. Sweat beaded his brow as he strode quickly towards the inner rooms.


    This child of theirs did note easy. After begging the heavens for years, they had finally obtained this blessing. Fang Zizhen had been nervous ever since he found out his wife was pregnant. Today, when he had left the house, he had felt unsettled. The uneasiness did not abate, and he had a feeling that something important was going to happen today. He had been an orphan since childhood, and his wife¡¯s wet nurse had been left in the capital to manage their residence¡¯s affairs. Without anyone experienced at home to watch over, it really made him a bit anxious! It was probably best for him to stay home for the next couple of days.


    When he got to the docks, he carelessly patrolled a round. Throughout the whole process, his eyelids twitched constantly as his heart fretted about his wife, who was on the verge of childbirth, at home. Afterwards, Fang Zizhen hurriedly spurred his horse back into town. He came across the house¡¯s steward the moment he entered through the town gates, who informed him that thedy of the house was about to give birth.


    Fang Zizhen felt his heart squeeze and whipped his horse forward into its top speed. On the whole journey there, he had almost run over several pedestrians. The steward behind him had to constantly apologize to those unfortunate people as he also headed back.


    While he was rushing back, Fang Zizhen wished he could suddenly grow a pair of wings and fly back to his wife¡¯s side. The doctor had told him that his wife was on the older side, so she would likely have an element of danger when giving birth. At this time, he wasn¡¯t by her side, so she must be scared, right? Although they had their adopted daughter, who normally acted like a small adult, she was still a kid who hadn¡¯t reached the age of ten. Who knew how panicked she would get at this time!


    As his thoughts circled around his head, his feet stamped impatiently forward and he almost started running. Because he was in such a rush, he almost bumped into Yu Xiaocao, who was currently holding a tray full of medicinal cuisine.


    ¡°Godfather,¡± Yu Xiaocao narrowly avoided therge man and managed to save the food within her hands. She rolled her eyes at her godfather andmented, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the midwives are already here! These two are well-known experts in town, and Godmother¡¯s body is quite healthy. This birth will definitely go very smoothly!¡±


    Fang Zizhen came to a stop and took the food from his adopted daughter¡¯s hands. He rubbed her head and linked hands with her as he softly said, ¡°Daughter, you¡¯re probably scared out of your wits, right? Don¡¯t be afraid, giving birth to a child is...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nted her eyes at him and made fun of him, ¡°Godfather, how many times have you seen children being birthed? How do you know what giving birth is like?¡± ¡°Uh...I was only worried that you were scared, so I was trying tofort you!¡± When Fang Zizhen noticed that she had seen through his actions, he rxed a bit and felt the panic within his heart settle down a lot.


    The two of them very soon arrived at the birthing chamber. Lady Fang was in the throes of another contraction, so she supported her belly as she let out a cry. The expression on Fang Zizhen¡¯s face immediately changed when he saw this, and he rushed into the room despite the midwives and maids trying to stop him. He held onto his wife¡¯s hand as he asked in concern, ¡°Wife, does it hurt? Let me help you rub a bit...¡±


    ¡°Lord, please don¡¯t add to the chaos!!¡± The midwife steeled herself and pushed away Fang Zizhen¡¯s hand as she continued, ¡°Thedy¡¯s child hasn¡¯t reached the birth canal yet. If you start rubbing, you might move the child into the wrong position! Men are not allowed inside the birthing room, so please leave now!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t men enter the birthing room? My wife is giving birth to our child, so what¡¯s wrong with me staying by her side?¡± Fang Zizhen softly growled as he stared fiercely at the midwife with hisrge eyes that could cause his enemies to tremble in fear.


    After hearing his rebuke, the first midwife trembled. The other woman hurriedly interjected, ¡°Lord, it is said that the scent of blood from the birthing room is ominous. You can¡¯t help with anything here and will only cause trouble for your wife. Therefore, can you please wait outside?¡±


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s innate stubbornness reared its head and he loftily lifted his head and proimed, ¡°Not okay! My wife has a cowardly nature and this is the first time she¡¯s giving birth. She must be very scared right now, so I need to stay here and give her some courage!¡±


    Fang Zizhen was a general and would likely have to go back onto the battlefield in the future. When Lady Fang heard that it was not auspicious for him to be here, she hurriedly shooed him away, ¡°What can you do here anyway? Can you carry the pain or birth the child for me? If you continue to stand here, you will only influence my mood!¡±


    ¡°Wife, don¡¯t be afraid! I¡¯m here for you!!¡± Fang Zizhen pretended that he didn¡¯t hear a word. He gripped his wife¡¯s somewhat cold hand and boasted, ¡°If I could help you birth the child instead, then I naturally wouldn¡¯t have you do this task! Wife, does it hurt? If it hurts, you can bite on my hand. My skin is thick and I have plenty of flesh, so I¡¯m not afraid of pain!¡±


    With her loving husband by her side, Lady Fangpletely calmed down at this time. She red moodily at her shameless man and said, ¡°Do you think that me biting you will get rid of my pain? You...ahhhhh...¡± Another contraction attacked her, and she gritted her teeth!


    In between the contractions, Fang Zizhen personally fed his wife a bowl of medicinal cuisine and a few eggs stewed in brown sugar. Yu Xiaocao also had her godfather support her godmother to walk a few rounds around the room. She told them that it would help the child move into the right position.


    Fang until the evening, when her water finally broke. Fang Zizhen wiped off the dense sweat that dotted his wife¡¯s forehead and tenderly remarked, ¡°Howe this stinky youngster hasn¡¯te out yet? He¡¯s causing so much trouble for my wife. In the future, just watch me p his bottoms!¡±


    Lady Fang, who was in the midst of gritting her teeth to endure the pain of another contraction, firmly red at him and snarled, ¡°If you dare to hit him, then I will hit you!!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! Quickly birth this stinky boy and then you can hit me all you want!¡± Fang Zizhen could feel his wife mping down on his hand. It was obvious that his wife was in a lot of pain to grip his hand so tightly. Thinking about this made his heart hurt.


    ¡°The cervix is opening! Lady, when I tell you to push, that¡¯s when you push ah!¡± Both of the midwives joyfully instructed her.


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that the birth was about to happen, she hastily told Fang Zizhen, ¡°Godfather, you should go out first! If you¡¯re here, Godmother will only act spoiled when it hurts and won¡¯t push as hard. It will only cause her to suffer longer!¡±


    When Lady Fang heard this, she remarked sourly, ¡°Act spoiled? Who are you talking about? Who will act spoiled towards him?? However, Daughter is right. If you continue to stay here, it¡¯ll be too annoying and affect my concentration!¡±


    Laboring was a cruel process. It was obvious that pushing a child out would only cause her to look quite fierce. She didn¡¯t want her husband to see her in such a state, so Lady Fang had long wanted to shoo him out before that happened.


    Although he felt quite reluctant to leave, when he heard that he might poorly influence his wife, Fang Zizhen slowly left the birthing chamber. In front of her master, Linglong carefully closed the doors shut.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡± As soon as Fang Zizhen left the birthing chamber, he suddenly heard a scream from inside. He almost kicked the door open and rushed back in again.


    ¡°Wife, wife, are you okay? Just tolerate it a bit more, once you finish giving birth to this child, let¡¯s not have any more children again!¡± Fang Zizhen pressed himself against the crack in the door as he yelled towards the inside. The veins on his neck bulged and the expression on his face looked even more suffering than the one on his wife¡¯s face.


    ¡°Fang Mingzhe, you shut up!!¡± Lady Fang suddenly lost her usual elegance and grace due to the pain ripping through her. She screamed out her rage, ¡°If you don¡¯t want more, thisdy insists on more! I want to give birth to a dozen more just to piss you off!¡±


    Everyone inside the room lowered their heads and muffled theirughter. This couple was truly too funny!


    However, the light atmosphere within the room was quickly reced by a more solemn one. After the cervix slowly widened, the child within the uterus still didn¡¯t drop down into the opening. Lady Fang felt like she was slowly being crushed by a horse carriage and she could only feel one thing now¡ª¡ªpain!


    Yu Xiaocao could also tell that something wasn¡¯t right and sternly asked the midwives, ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Neither of the midwives had any color in their faces. One of them replied with a voice that trembled, ¡°Thedy...thedy¡¯s child doesn¡¯t seem to be in the right position...¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem?! I don¡¯t need such a wishy-washy answer! You need to tell me exactly what is going on! If something happens because of your dy, do you think you will be able to take on the consequences?¡± Although Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have an imposing height and had a somewhat childish looking face, she truly seemed very intimidating at this moment.


    The other midwife inhaled deeply and stated, ¡°Thedy¡¯s child¡¯s foot...it¡¯s a breech birth!¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to fix this?¡± Yu Xiaocao felt panic bubble up in her heart yet managed to force herself to stay cool headed as she solemnly asked.


    That midwife thought quickly and then replied, ¡°The only thing that can be done is to push the child back into the uterus and then slowly rotate the child. However, this method might injure thedy...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the midwife¡¯s thick and crude looking hands. If that woman used her hands to turn the child, then her godmother would definitely suffer an injury. She gritted her teeth and made a split second decision, ¡°Tell me how to do it? I will go ahead!!¡±

 Chapter 238 – Washing Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 238 ¨C Washing Ceremony</h4>


    The two midwives looked at Miss Cao¡¯er¡¯s small and delicate little hands and their eyes lit up. The midwife who stated that it was a breech birth squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°Miss, if you¡¯re the one doing it, then it¡¯s likely thedy will survive! Don¡¯t be scared, just do what we say and everything will be fine!¡±


    Lady Fang had been tormented by the relentless pain and was semi-conscious at this point. Yu Xiaocao carefully fed her a few drops of the mystic-stone water and managed to squash down the nervousness in her body. She diligently washed her hands over and over and even rinsed them with some mystic-stone water as she firmly enforced the belief that her godmother would survive this with no injuries.


    The cervix had already dted to the width of seven fingers and Xiaocao¡¯s hands were small and soft. She gently inserted her hand and touched a tiny little foot not far up. The foot seemed like it could tell that something was touching it and it even pushed down a bit.


    Xiaocao grabbed onto this foot and carefully pushed at it. As she pushed, she described what was happening to the midwives. Perhaps it was because she was steady and calm, but the two midwives also managed to calm down after wiping their faces full of sweat. They slowly and surely guided Xiaocao on what to do.


    With the help of the two midwives, before long, the infant had been pushed into the right position. Xiaocao touched the little guy¡¯s shaggy head and finally felt her heart settle down again.


    The little fellow apparently was impatient to get out. Right after his position was adjusted, the little fellow¡¯s head managed to get squeezed out of the birth canal despite Lady Fang having minimal energy from exhaustion. He chirped noisily as he fell into Xiaocao¡¯s palms.


    The midwives finally rxed. The two of them helped to cut the umbilical cord and then used a soft cloth to wipe his body clean of the dirty blood. The midwives grinned in delight as they held the tiny infant up towards Xiaocao, ¡°Pat him a bit, let him cry!¡±


    Xiaocao gingerly held the little fellow in her arms. He had tiny and incredibly soft body. The infant, who was just born, had an entirely red body and his skin was so tender that it almost looked transparent. The little boy had his eyes shut and his face was wrinkled. It was hard to tell who he resembled. As hey in Xiaocao¡¯s hands, he apparently felt a bit ufortable, so scrunched up his face and kicked his tiny legs. Such a tiny adorable baby, how could Xiaocao bear to pat him hard?


    When the midwife saw this, sheughed and took the baby and flipped him over in a practiced movement. Perhaps being moved from a soft embrace to a more rough one made him feel ufortable as the little fellow started to cry raucously before the midwife could even pat his butt.


    Fang Zizhen was waiting anxiously inside the courtyard. When heard the loud and powerful cry of the baby, he finally rxed. A smile blossomed on his face as he muttered, ¡°Stinky brat, you have quite a pair of lungs to cry so loud. You must be an energetic little fellow, just like me, your father!!¡±


    With the help of one of the midwives, Xiaocao managed to put a diaper on the baby. She looked at the little fellow¡¯s tiny and delicate p**** and wickedly thought, ¡®If this little guy grows up and finds out that he was once buck naked in front of me, I don¡¯t know what kind of expression he would have on his face.¡¯


    A smile fluttered at the edges of her lips as she swaddled the little fellow up into a neat little package. She held him in front of her godmother and whispered, ¡°Godmother, this is little brother! Look at him, he¡¯s quite adorable and lively.¡±


    Lady Fang pried her exhausted eyes open and looked at the little fellow¡¯s red face as he cried. A loving smile slowly unfolded on her face¡ª¡ªthis was the little fellow who had the same blood as her. For this sake of this child, she had waited for a very, very long time. She almost gave up this dream. With him, she could finally consider herself satisfied. After being tormented by this child for an entire day, Lady Fang sweetly fell asleep after seeing her baby. As she dreamt, her loving smile still lingered on her lips.


    ¡°Wife...is my wife okay?¡± Fang Zizhen, who had finally been allowed inside the room, asked about his wife first and wasn¡¯t concerned about the baby at all. Linglong was holding a basin full of dirty water and whispered quietly towards him, ¡°Shhhh...Madam is very tired, so she just fell asleep. Be a little more quiet to avoid waking her up.¡±


    After hearing that, Fang Zizhen immediately lowered his volume. He hoarsely whispered, ¡°Is your mistress okay?¡±


    ¡°No problem, no problem! Mother and child are both doing well!¡± The two midwives¡¯ faces were wreathed with smiles, as if they could see the shiny glitter of money right in front of them.


    Fang Zizhen sat down next to the bed and didn¡¯t even nce at his son. His entire attention was on his wife¡¯s somewhat pale face. He gently used his hand to brush away a piece of unruly hair from her face. Because he was afraid of rousing her, he quietly said, ¡°Wife, you have worked hard!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were full of admiration and envy as she held the forgotten little fellow in her arms. In this society, where men were considered more important than women, and where wives coexisted with concubines, a man who wholeheartedly loved one woman was hard to find. She didn¡¯t need someone who knew how to say beautiful things or do romantic things, all she wanted was a man who would only love her and her alone.


    From her perspective, if she had the choice in her hands, she would rather be single for the rest of her life if she couldn¡¯t find that one person who wholeheartedly loved her...


    The little fellow, who had long been given the name of Fang Haolin, seemed to not get along with his father from the start. As soon as Fang Zizhen held him, he would wail inconsbly without stopping. Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t want his wife to suffer any hardships, so he regarded this little fellow, who he had waited until he was over forty to receive, with an unimpressed eye. Lady Fangughed and stated that these two must have been sworn enemies in their past lives.


    Although little baby Fang Haolin had a little temper, he was really quite sweet normally. Other than asionally crying when his diaper got soiled or when he was hungry, he spent most of his time sleeping peacefully.


    Lady Fang had heard from Xiaocao that breastfeeding was good for both mother and child. Although they had already hired a wet nurse, Lady Fang still personally breastfed Little Linlin. This made Fang Zizhen feel even more resentful of the little brat who stole his wife¡¯s attention away from him. After his son was born, his status within his wife¡¯s heart had sharply plummeted. Come on! Hmph! You little brat, just watch how I torment you in the future!! A treacherous smile hovered at the corners of Fang Zizhen¡¯s lips.


    The little fellow, who had just finished drinking his milk, was happily blowing bubbles from his mouth in the arms of his godsister when he suddenly sneezed and he frowned unhappily.


    Lady Fang somewhat nervously looked over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you think he might have gotten cold from his midday bath?¡±


    Right after the little fellow was born, Yu Xiaocao had fed him a few drops of diluted mystic-stone water, so she naturally knew that his body was stronger than a young calf. She smiled, ¡°Sneezing can be caused by a lot of things, so it¡¯s not necessarily because he¡¯s getting sick. Godmother, my younger brother¡¯s body is very healthy, don¡¯t be too worried!¡±


    Lady Fang let out a somewhat sheepishugh and replied, ¡°After hoping and praying for almost twenty years, I finally got such a tiny little thing. I¡¯m a little nervous! Cao¡¯er, in the future, you must remind me that I absolutely cannot spoil this guy until he gets rotten!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao ced Little Linlin, who was sleeping peacefully, on the bed next to her godmother and whispered, ¡°There¡¯s a well-known saying: ¡®a strict father and loving mother¡¯. Don¡¯t you still have Godfather?¡±


    Lady Fang thought for a bit and then chuckled, ¡°If you¡¯re talking about your godfather¡¯s personality, even though he looks very fierce, he¡¯s still like a kid inside. He actually wants to fight for favor with his own child; he¡¯s really too much!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao joked, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that show that Godfather loves and cares about you? You can¡¯t just pour all of your attention on little brother and end up neglecting Godfather, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Our daughter is right!!¡± Fang Zizhen pushed open the door with a face wreathed with smiles. He ruffled Xiaocao¡¯s hair andplimented her, ¡°Good daughter, looks like I didn¡¯t dote on you for nothing!¡±


    Lady Fang felt a bit bashful inside, yet she obviously rolled her eyes to cover up her inner happiness and shyness...


    After the baby was born, the most important ritual after the full moon celebration was the washing ceremony. On the third day after an infant was born, they needed to hold a washing ceremony. Friends and rtives were all invited over to participate. The purpose of this ¡®washing ceremony¡¯ was to wash away all of the bad and dirty things and also pray for fortune and good luck for the newborn.


    Because most of their friends and family were in the capital, Fang Haolin¡¯s washing ceremony was simultaneously simple and grand. It was simple because a lot of people didn¡¯te over. Although many of their friends and rtives got the notice in the capital, they weren¡¯t able to make it. As for grand, it was because her godparents and the people around them all attached great importance to this and didn¡¯t let a single detail go.


    On the third day after Fang Haolin was birthed, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s whole family came over in the early afternoon. Madam Liu and Xiaocao¡¯s oldest paternal aunt both helped with a lot of matters regarding this ritual.


    The two midwives grinned until their faces almost split open. With the help of the servants, an incense burner table was set up in the reception area outside of the birthing chamber. The table was set with the images of the Childbirth Goddess, the Sending Children Goddess, the Measles and gue Goddess, and another thirteen gods. Rice was set on the censer and held the powdered incense. Lady Fang¡¯s bedhead also had the images of the God and Goddess of kang beds, and the images had five bowls of osmanthus flower pastries in front of them as offerings.


    The maids all ced copper basins full of locust tree and mugwort juice in front and also set the table with the required articles for the ceremony. At this time, all of the officials in Tanggu Town and the docks, including Fang Zizhen¡¯s personal assistants, came in with gifts. Even Princess Consort Jing came over with her two sons to send her congrattions.


    The two midwives held Little Linlin and the washing ceremony began. Fang Zizhen had been an orphan since he was a child and his martial teacher was stationed far away at the borders. Thus, the Yu Family represented his side of the family. Yu Hai added adle of clear water to the copper basin and also put his presents in there. This represented ¡®filling the basin¡¯.


    Yu Hai and his wife had added a pair of carved ¡®auspicious fortune¡¯ and ¡®longevity¡¯ silver bracelets. Yu Hang also used his personal cash reserve to add a beautiful and exquisite silver ne for Little Linlin. Xiaolian added a pair of anklets that had tiny little bells on them. Even Little Shitou, who hadn¡¯t reached the age of seven, added a silver nine-link chain. As for Linlin¡¯s older sister, Xiaocao, she had prepared her gift a long time ago. It was a set of auspicious jewelry for children that was made with pure gold and iid with jade. The jewelry was finely made, unique, and full of auspicious meanings.


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s gift was a pair of jade scepters made of the finest mutton-fat jade. Her two sons also gave them gifts of immense value, especially Royal Prince Yang. His gift was not only expensive but also extremely rare as it was from his travels in the west hemisphere. It was a small belt essory that was carved out of ivory.


    The officials of Tanggu Town and Fang Zizhen¡¯s personal assistants also added gifts to the copper basin one after another. The maids and older servants also added some longan, jujube, chestnuts and other fruits with auspicious meanings.


    The two midwives continuously spouted out words of good fortune. For example, when a person added water, they would say: ¡®flowing water lead to a mind that is clever and quick-witted¡¯. When someone was adding jujube, chestnuts, and longan fruits, they would say: ¡®jujube seeds will lead to unending descendants; longan, longan, one shall ce first on all three examinations¡¯...


    After the ritual of adding gifts to the basin was over, the midwives picked up wooden clubs and stirred the contents as they chanted, ¡°One stir, two stirs, three stirs; an older brother will take his younger brother for a run. Seventy sons, eighty sons, silly sons, naughty sons, all of them will quicklye!¡± Xiaocao listened to the proceedings as her excitement shot through the roof. She thought all of this was very interesting!

 Chapter 239 – Returning Home

    <h4>Chapter 239 ¨C Returning Home</h4>


    After saying that, the midwife began to bathe the baby. After going through the procedures, the water in the basin had already cooled down. Poor Little Linlin was stripped naked, and then put into the water. These days, Xiaocao bathed the little fellow nearly every day. The little fellow had gotten used to bathing once a day, so when his swaddling clothes were opened up, he still remained obedient and quiet. However, when the little guy was stripped naked and ced in the slightly cold water, he was suddenly startled and began disying his amazingly loud voice, crying loudly.


    The midwife smiled and said, ¡°The young master is certainly someone who is blessed. With a ¡®ringing basin¡¯, one shall be blessed with good fortune and happiness.¡±


    Then she started bathing the little guy. As she washed him, she recited the congrattory speech, ¡°First, wash your hair first and be a nobility. Next, wash your waist and each generation will have a higher rank. Clean your lower body, and you will be a county magistrate. Clean your armpits, and you will be a senior official of a prefecture.¡±


    The other midwife ced a ball of mugwort leaves with a slice of ginger as the base on the baby¡¯s forehead and burned it in a token manner. After that, shebed the baby¡¯s hair and tidied his appearance, while saying, ¡°Comb three times with ab and two times with a fine-toothedb; you will grow up to be a high-ranking official. Draw your left eyebrow and strike your right sideburn; find a virtuous wife. Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth; you will be an eloquent speaker.¡±


    After that, she rolled an egg on the baby¡¯s face and chanted, ¡°Roll an egg on the face and your face will be like an egg¡¯s skin. With fair skin and a healthy blush, you will be a lovely person.¡± Then, she gently patted the little fellow¡¯s forehead three times with a leek and said, ¡°One strike for intelligence. Second strike for wit.¡±


    ......


    Fang Haolin wasn¡¯t someone who would let others control him, so he was extremely uncooperative during the entire process. He kept kicking the water and crying desperately with his eyes closed. Lady Fang¡¯s heart ached dearly upon hearing his cries. However, this was a tradition passed down by the older generation to pray for the child. Thus, she could only suppress herself from going up to stop it.


    When they finallypleted the three stages of ¡®washing ceremony¡¯, Yu Xiaocao quickly picked up Little Linlin and stuffed him into the embrace of Lady Fang, who was lying on the bed. The little fellow, who was terribly exhausted from being tossed about, stopped crying and fell asleep as soon as he returned to the familiar and warm embrace.


    Yu Xiaocao expressed deep disapproval for tormenting a three-day old baby like this. It was no wonder that the survival rate of babies was so low in ancient times. It wouldn¡¯t be weird for a baby with a weaker body to fall ill after being tormented in this way! Last night, Xiaocao bathed the little fellow, who had a stuffy nose, with mystic-stone water, and added a few drops of the mystic-stone water in the water he drank. Hence, Little Linlin was able to avoid the danger of bing sick.


    This spring, Yu Xiaocao lived a full and busy life. During her godmother¡¯s postnatal confinement period, she attended to her and thought of ways to make meals to nourish her body. She helped her godmother take care of the little guy, Fang Haolin. Besides his mother, Little Linlin was the closest to his godsister. She also had to go back every few days to water and fertilize the watermelon, corn, and potatoes...


    Of course, she didn¡¯t need to do the work herself. For her family¡¯s a dozen or so mu of farnd, her parents and her aunt¡¯s family, whose health had already recovered, would help take care of the fields. She just needed to be responsible for making the so-called ¡®fertilizer¡¯.


    When they grew melons and vegetablesst year, Yu Hai still didn¡¯t really believe that her so-called ¡®¡¯fertilizer¡¯ could elerate the growth of crops. Well, it didn¡¯t look any different than clear water. It was colorless and tasteless, so he thought that his younger daughter said it casually like she was ying house.


    Butter, the family¡¯s vegetable garden and melon patch grew extremely well. There was noparison for the watermelon, so it didn¡¯t need to be mentioned any further. With a rough estimate, the family¡¯s two or three plots of vegetable fields actually had a bigger harvest than other families¡¯ seven or eight mu ofnd. Not to mention, the harvest of the sweet potatoes in autumn was three times higher than Ergouzi¡¯s family¡¯s harvest. Three times higher ah!!


    Yu Hai once watched the entire process of his younger daughter preparing the ¡®fertilizer¡¯. She had only added a few drops of water from a small bottle into the bucket. He had even secretly tried it with his tongue, and it was no different from the water that they usually drank. However, it was this extremely ordinary water that disyed such a great effect. Could people not be surprised?


    He remembered that his younger daughter had once said that her soul had visited the underworld and she had encountered immortals. Could it be that she had really been enlightened by the immortals? Thus, she had the magical ability to turn normal water into a fertilizer that could elerate growth of crops. Yu Hai thought about this in his heart, but he didn¡¯t dare to say anything about it, for fear that someone with ulterior motives would hear it and treat his precious daughter like a monster!


    Since then, in order to cover for his younger daughter, he dug arge manure pit at the foot of the back mountain. The manure of livestock, human waste, and fertilizer made of dead leaves from the mountains were all collected there. When it was time to fertilize the fields, he woulde take some as a way to cover for his daughter.


    When the vigers saw the Yu Family¡¯s crops growing so well, they all praised Yu Hai for being so hardworking and capable, and that he had used the right amount of fertilizer... No one suspected Xiaocao at all.


    Xiaocao¡¯s oldest aunt¡¯s family lived in town for several days. Liu Hu¡¯s health had just gotten slightly better, and the family hurriedly packed up and went back to Dongshan Vige with Yu Hai. In their opinion, although it was convenient to live in town, they needed to spend money for everything. The wild vegetables that could be found everywhere in the countryside needed to be bought with money in town. At present, her younger brother was responsible for all their food and amodation. As his older sister, not only could she not take care of her younger brother, but she also needed to him to subsidize her. With that said, would she be able to stay in town with ease?


    Fortunately, Liu Hu¡¯s health recovered rather quickly. In addition, he was able to eat rice and wheat flour for every meal, and from time to time, there would also be chicken, fish, and meat. Every meal that the family ate was like a meal for the New Year. The three children had apparently gotten chubbier, and there was also a rosy glow on their faces. Even their personalities seemed to have became livelier. Yu Caifeng felt that her body was even healthier than before she became a refugee.


    As soon as her husband was able to walk, Yu Caifeng packed the little luggage that they had and returned to Dongshan Vige on her younger brother¡¯s carriage.


    After Yu Caifeng got married, she had only returned once. It had already been over a decade since she left Dongshan Vige. When she saw the old elm tree at the entrance of the vige again, she really did feel somewhat anxious when approaching her hometown after being away for so many years away. She smoothed out the cotton clothing that her younger brother bought for her, and then squeezed out a smile for those familiar, or unfamiliar, faces from her memory.


    ¡°Oh! Isn¡¯t this Old Yu Family¡¯s Caifeng!! I haven¡¯t seen you for over a decade. Your children are so big already?¡± Under the old elm tree, there were several old people ying chess and chatting. The vige head looked up and saw Yu Caifeng¡¯s familying down from the horse carriage. He was stunned, but he recognized her.


    Yu Hai¡¯s eldest uncle, Yu Lichun, heard this and quickly got up. He walked closer to them and looked carefully at Yu Caifeng. With slightly moist eyes, he choked up and said, ¡°It¡¯s Caifeng. It¡¯s really that child Caifeng! You have gotten a lot thinner. It must have been difficult over the years, right?¡±


    ¡°Vige Chief, Eldest Uncle...¡± Yu Caifeng¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears, but it was unknown whether she had recalled how she couldn¡¯t control her fate in the past, or if it was the joy of reunion.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back!!¡± Yu Lichun wiped the corner of his eyes and said with a big smile, ¡°Your father has been worried about you, since you lived far away in the northeast, since he heard about the drought in the northeastst year. You, this child, are so stubborn. Why didn¡¯t youe back earlier ah? You must have suffered a lot, right?¡±


    Yu Hai hastily interjected, ¡°Vige Chief, Eldest Uncle, my older sister just came back, so let¡¯s get her settled down first.¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡± The vige head waved his hands at them. Yu Lichun, on the other hand, followed them to the Yu Family¡¯s old residence.


    Following the path in her memory, they went straight to the old residence. Although she had already prepared her heart, when she saw the ck brick, tiled-roof house and a tall, imposing stone enclosed courtyard, Yu Caifeng still felt astonished inwardly¡ª¡ªYounger Brother had really made a fortune. Besides the vige head¡¯s house, it was impossible to find such a dignified house in the entire vige!


    As soon as they entered the gates, their eyes were filled with the vigorous green vegetables that were growing under the sun. Some of the matrons who helped to pick vegetables were close childhood friends of Yu Caifeng, so there was naturally another series of chatting.


    In a daze, Yu Caifeng settled in the two-roompound on the side. After a long time, she finally realized that it wasn¡¯t a dream. The three siblings of the Liu Family had originally thought that the houses in the countryside would be about the same as their house in the northeast, so they hadn¡¯t expected that it would be even more dignified than the houses in town.


    Although there were only two main rooms, there was arge courtyard and side rooms on both sides of the building. It was more than enough room for a family of five. The three siblings all got their own rooms, and they were so happy that they didn¡¯t even know what they should do!


    Before they could be happy for too long, Liu Hu called the children togetherter that evening and solemnly told them, ¡°Children, you guys must remember that we¡¯re only temporarily staying at your maternal uncle¡¯s house. When Father¡¯s health is better, I¡¯ll find the vige head to see if he can give us an approval for a piece and. We¡¯ll build a two-room straw cottage and move over! It¡¯s improper to live in your uncle¡¯s house for too long!¡±


    Liu Junping nodded his head sensibly and said, ¡°I heard that it¡¯s easier to find a job at the docks now and there¡¯s also a high wage. I¡¯ll go to the docks tomorrow to take a look.¡±


    Liu Yaner bit her lips and said in a soft voice, ¡°I can also earn money by sewing pouches...¡±


    Liu Fangping, who was only six years old, opened his mouth, but lowered his head and muttered, ¡°I... I can¡¯t make money. What should I do?¡±


    Liu Yanerforted him considerately, ¡°You can help with the chores at home, such as collecting firewood, making a fire, and so on. In the future, our family will definitely raise chickens and pigs, so you can help feed the little chicks and pigs ah!¡±


    Little Fangping immediately cheered up, nodded repeatedly, and said, ¡°Mhm! Xiaoping can help catch bugs to feed the chickens. When the chicks grow up andy eggs, I can sell them for money!¡±


    Looking at her sensible and obedient children, Yu Caifeng held them in her arms, feeling sour and proud in her heart.


    Hearing that Liu Junping wanted to work at the docks, Yu Hai looked at the little fellow¡¯s still growing body, and weak and thin arms. He thought about it and said, ¡°Our watermelons will ripen soon, so we will surely need help at that time. Why don¡¯t Junping stay and help Uncle?¡±


    Now, the five members of the Liu Family relied on the Yu Family for food and amodation, so they naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse to help. The recently recovered Liu Hu, Yu Caifeng, who couldn¡¯t stay idle, and Liu Junping, who considered himself as an adult, followed Yu Hai to work in the fields every morning. They were all capable workers, so they swiftly finished watering, fertilizing, and weeding the dozen or so mu of farnd.


    It was worth mentioning that Wang Ergou had be much more diligent since the birth of his son. He rented hisnd to Yu Hai to grow watermelon, and he was even more attentive to the melon field than when he grew sweet potatoes in the past. He had toe over and check the fields several times a day. He searched for weeds in the fields several times a day, so he had already pulled up all the weeds.


    Looking at the tiny watermelons growing bigger day by day, he seemed to be able to see silver ingots flying at him in session. It was as if he could see his own house covered with ck bricks and tiles, and his son grown up and going to school...

 Chapter 240 – Contact

    <h4>Chapter 240 ¨C Contact</h4>


    Since the seeds had been nted, nearby vigers woulde to the Yu Family¡¯s corn fields to see the rare crop. Due to being specially notified by the royal prince from the capital, the county magistrate attached great importance on this matter and sent bailiffs to patrol the fields every now and then. The vige head of Dongshan Vige took this as a great honor and established a patrol team. Every day from morning to night, there would be people guarding the fields, so it made things a lot easier for the Yu Family.


    Most of the vigers looked up to Yu Hai with great respect. The vige head also didn¡¯t dare to put on the airs of a vige head in front of him. When the vige head¡¯s sessful sons returned to the vige, they also took the initiative to be on friendly terms with Yu Hai.


    This was no joking matter because Yu Hai¡¯s family was definitely different from before! First, they became friends with the young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant and caused the future master of the Zhou Family to regard them with special respect. After that, they became adoptive rtives of a general. But that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Now, they had also became acquainted with a royal prince from the capital! He was a real member of the imperial family ah!


    To be able to work for the royal prince, it wasn¡¯t only the pride of the Yu Family, but also the entire Dongshan Vige. In the future, if someone wanted to cause trouble at Dongshan Vige, he would have to first consider whether he had the ability to do it. One had to know who the master was before striking a dog! Imperial Prince Jing had built a mountain manor in Dongshan Vige, so he would certainly provide some protection to Dongshan Vige. The vige head felt his back bing ramrod straight, and in front of other vige heads, he felt a slight sense of pride in being superior to them.


    There wasn¡¯t anyone in the surrounding viges who didn¡¯t know that Yu Hai was protected by the royal prince. Therefore, although a lot of people came to see the rare crop, none of them dared to have any malicious intentions.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, is this the corn that was brought back from the west? Why does it look like sorghum seedlings ah? They didn¡¯t nt the wrong seeds, did they?¡± Someone gloated.


    The Yu Family¡¯s corn, which had been nted for less than half of a month, had already grown upwards. With a green stalk and wide leaves, it looked like a green g fluttering in the wind. Compared with the corn in her previous life, Yu Xiaocao relied on her cheat, the mystic-stone water, and sowed ahead of time. As expected, corn watered by the mystic-stone water grew very fast. Corn usually took around a month to mature, but the growth period had actually been shortened by half. Moreover, it had grown very luxuriantly.


    As if it was in apetition, the watermelon fields next to it grew rapidly. Normally, watermelon nted in March or April would be ready for harvest in July or August. For the Yu Family, this regr pattern of growth had already been broken. At the beginning of March, when thend in the north had just thawed, the Yu Family¡¯s melon seedlings had already sprouted and were buried in the fields.


    In order to prevent freezing, straw thatches were moved to the melon fields. When the temperature was low at night, they would be used as ¡®nkets¡¯ for the seedlings. At noon, when it was warmer, the watermelon seedlings would bask in the sunlight. Even in the early spring when the temperature was low, the watermelon seedlings still grew tenaciously.


    It was currently stillte April, but the watermelons in the fields were already about the size of a rubber ball. The dark green watermelon in the green foliage resembled a mischievous child poking his head out to look about curiously. Yu Hai walked around the melon fields and picked out several watermelons that had ripened early for his daughter in town. He nned to go to town tomorrow and bring two watermelons for her to taste.


    Wang Ergou trotted over with a grin and looked at the plucked watermelons. His eyes lit up and he said with a smile, ¡°Brother Dahai, there¡¯s already ripe watermelons? That¡¯s great! It won¡¯t be long before we harvest the watermelons on arge scale, right?¡±


    Yu Hai picked up thergest watermelon, stuffed it into Ergou¡¯zi¡¯s hands, and patted him on the shoulder, saying, ¡°Brother Ergou, you have worked hard during these past two months! Take this watermelon back and taste it!! Rest assured, we will definitely give you priority for this year¡¯s watermelon!!¡±


    This year, they nted six mu of watermelon. ording tost year¡¯s output, they should probably yield about one hundred thousand catties of watermelon. Seeing that the Yu Family and Wang Ergou made a lot of money from selling watermelonsst year, ideas emerged in the minds of the vigers of Dongshan Vige. They had already quietly approached Yu Hai, hoping to get a wholesale quota.


    There was a limit to the amount of ripe watermelons produced every day, so he couldn¡¯t promise everyone. After a period of distress, Yu Hai chose to work with several families that he had a closer rtion with, and politely declined the others. Those who had been rejected would certainly feel unhappy in their hearts, but now Yu Hai was rich and had backing from influential people, so what could they do even if they felt unhappy?


    Yu Xiaocao, who was taking care of her godmother and younger brother in town, couldn¡¯t return to Dongshan Vige every day, but she was always concerned about the watermelon fields! She counted her fingers every day. Soon, the watermelons would be avable on the market. In her heart, she pondered whether she should rent a shop in town to sell the watermelons this year.


    Although the two shops near Zhenxiu Restaurant were located in a good area, they had been rented out after all, and signed a three-year lease. If they rented a shop randomly, it would probably be hard for their business to achieve the same poprity asst year. Just as she was troubled over this matter, her father, Yu Hai, hade to visit his precious daughter with several ripe watermelons.


    Fang Zizhen had gone to the harbor, so the head steward invited Yu Hai to the study in the front court and sent someone to the inner court to notify the eldest young miss. The head steward didn¡¯t dare to slight the master¡¯s adoptive rtive, who hade from peasant origins. Not to mention the master¡¯s attitude towards this adoptive rtive of his, but just based on the fact that his daughter was even more important than the master¡¯s own daughter, no one would dare to look down on him.


    The head steward had worked for Fang Zizhen since he had been conferred the title of a general. Due to his loyalty andpetence, he had been bestowed the same surname as his master. For servants, it was a great honor to be given the same surname as their master! Whether it was in the General¡¯s Estate in the capital or the residence in Tanggu Town, Head Steward Fang was second only to the masters.


    Yu Hai was honest and sincere, but he wasn¡¯t dull. He knew that, in order for his daughter to livefortably in the Fang Household, he couldn¡¯t offend Head Steward Fang. He picked one of the watermelons that he brought over and handed it to the head steward. Yu Hai said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a homegrown watermelon, which isn¡¯t worth much money. Head Steward Fang, take it and have a taste!¡±


    Were there watermelons at this time of the year? As the chief steward of the General¡¯s Estate, Head Steward Fang naturally wasn¡¯t someone whocked knowledge and experience. His master was favored and trusted by the emperor, so he would be rewarded with some of the watermelons that were given as tribute every year. His master was very generous to the servants, so he had also tried them from time to time. However, weren¡¯t watermelons used to relieve the heat in midsummer? Why were the watermelons already matured when it wasn¡¯t even summer yet?


    Although there was doubt in his heart, Head Steward Fang happily epted the present and sincerely thanked him. Seeing Eldest Young Missing from the inner court, he excused himself and left. Head Steward Fang hade to Tanggu Town with his whole family. When he brought the watermelon to his own housingpound, his two young sons weed him with a cheer, ¡°Watermelon? Father, you¡¯re actually willing to buy such an expensive thing for us to eat?¡±


    The corner of Head Steward Fang¡¯s mouth twitched. He patted his youngest son¡¯s bottom and said with a smile, ¡°When was your father ever unwilling to buy things for you guys? This watermelon was rewarded by the general¡¯s adoptive rtive. At this time of the year, it can¡¯t even be bought with money!¡±


    ¡°They probably grew it themselves, right? Last year, I heard the servants of the Zhang Estate next door say that the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons are big and sweet, moreover, the price is much cheaper than in the capital! At that time, the lord often lived in Dongshan Vige, so he must have eaten a lot of watermelons!¡± Head Steward Fang¡¯s oldest son, who was fifteen years old, took the watermelon with a smile and spoke as he eagerly went to find a knife.


    The head steward¡¯s wife, who was in charge of the inner court¡¯s kitchen, wasn¡¯t in the room at the moment. His oldest son took his two younger brothers and skillfully cut open the watermelon. The red melon meat was dripping with alluring juice as the knife sliced through it, and a sweet smell hit their noses. His youngest son, who was only six, couldn¡¯t resist swallowing his saliva, and he stared at the watermelon as if his eyes were glued on it.


    The head steward couldn¡¯t help fromughing and patting the little guy¡¯s bottom again. In his heart, he thought about his youngest son¡¯s age and the possibility of his youngest son bing the young master¡¯s personal manservant in the future. Their age gap wouldn¡¯t be considered too big, would it? Everything in the general¡¯s household would definitely belong to the young master in the future... It seemed like he needed to personally teach his youngest son!


    ¡°Steward, Head Steward...¡± A slightly flustered voice sounded in Head Steward Fang¡¯s ears. It was the gatekeeper, Old Zhou. Could it be that something happened at the entrance?


    Head Steward Fang didn¡¯t have time to enjoy the delicious watermelon with his sons and hurriedly rushed out of the room. He saw the gatekeeper, Old Zhou, trotting in, but he couldn¡¯t tell whether the expression on his face was due to excitement or panic.


    ¡°Head Steward... Yang... Royal Prince Yang... Royal Prince Yang...¡± Since he had rushed over, Old Zhou was out of breath and stuttering, which made Head Steward Fang very anxious.


    ¡°Royal Prince Yang? Royal Prince Yang came? Our madam has a good rtionship with Princess Consort Jing. Did the princess consort send Royal Prince Yang to visit our mistress?¡± His master didn¡¯t have any rtions with Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, let alone Royal Prince Yang, who was aloof and proud. Except for this reason, Head Steward Fang really couldn¡¯t think of another possibility.


    Old Zhou first nodded his head, and then shook his head incessantly. He patted his own chest several times and finally stopped gasping for breath. After that, he loudly said, ¡°Royal Prince Yang came to see our eldest young miss!!¡±


    After the birth of the young master, the Fang Zizhen couple had ordered the servants to call their goddaughter ¡®Eldest Young Miss¡¯. This was to show that Yu Xiaocao still had a very high position in the couple¡¯s hearts, and wasparable to their own child.


    Royal Prince Yang wanted to see Eldest Young Miss? When did Eldest Young Miss know this cold-faced Royal Prince? Although Head Steward Fang had doubts in his mind, he still rushed over to personally greet the royal prince, and respectfully invited him into the estate.


    ¡°Royal Prince, our eldest young miss is currently in the reception hall of the outer court. This way please...¡± Head Steward Fang was polite and respectful, but not cowardly.


    ¡®Thatss is in the reception hall? Since when was a little girl allowed to entertain the guests in the Fang Household? It seems like thess has quite a high position in the hearts of General Fang and his wife ah!¡¯ Zhu Junyang¡¯s pair of deep eyes were filled with the glow of interest.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had received the news from the reception hall, saw the youth, who appeared to be isted from all heat despite being bathed in the sunlight. Beside the tall, green bamboo, a young man who exuded a faint and indifferent aura, walked over with the light against his back. Under the warm spring sun, circles of dazzling light shone on the youth¡¯s hair, which was scattered on his shoulders...

 Chapter 241 – Warmth

    <h4>Chapter 241 ¨C Warmth</h4>


    He had a cold and haughty gaze and a pair of beautiful and slender eyes. Under his tall, sculpture-like nose, his thin lips were pursed into a line. The sharp gaze and cold expression of the youth showed an unruly incisiveness and sharpness.


    However, for some unknown reason, Yu Xiaocao could clearly feel that his coldness and aloofness was just a solid shell to protect his soft heart. To be armed with indifference at all times, he must be very tired, right? For no reason at all, she actually felt a slight sense of heartache...


    The faint fragrance of tea lingered in the air of the reception hall. Zhu Junyang sat uninhibitedly at the main guest seat, slowly picked up the cup of tea, pushed away the green buds floating on the surface of the tea with the cup lid, and took a sip with his ruby lips¡ªWest Lake Longjing Tea. It wasn¡¯t a very valuable variety of tea, but it emitted a clear fragrance and had a mellow sweet taste that he had never tried before. Zhu Junyang looked down at the tea leaves in the cup. His thick and curled eyshes were like a pair of butterfly wings, fluttering. He lowered his head and took another sip of the fragrant tea.


    Yu Hai sat in a slightly restrained manner on the seat on the right of Royal Prince Yang. He had only seen and heard of such characters like princes and princess consorts in operas and storybooks. It was really a brand new experience for him to be in the same space as a royal prince. Yu Hai nced at his younger daughter, who handled the situation with ease, and felt that, as her father, he must not disgrace her even if he couldn¡¯t help her. With this thought, he straightened his back and put on a slightly more serious expression.


    After the young royal prince came in by himself, he hadn¡¯t said a word and just drank tea. Yu Xiaocao felt that she had several imaginary ck lines on her forehead¡ªThis guy, he didn¡¯t speciallye to the Fang Estate to drink tea, did he?


    Seeing that the royal prince didn¡¯t have any intention to speak, Yu Xiaocao was getting somewhat impatient. She personally poured more tea for the young royal prince and said with a slight smile, ¡°May I ask for the reason of Young Royal Prince¡¯s visit?¡± Such an awkward-sounding dialogue nearly caused her to bite on her own tongue. Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her heart¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s so tiring to talk to these royalties!


    Zhu Junyang clearly felt Yu Hai¡¯s slightly uneasy mood. He knew that this man, who looked very simple and honest, was the littless¡¯s father. He looked at the fresh watermelon on the table in the reception hall. It seemed like there were dewdrops on the leaves, so he must have brought it over for his daughter as soon as he plucked it this morning. He was a father who dearly loved his daughter ah!


    He knew that the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons sold very wellst year. But, he didn¡¯t expect the watermelons to mature so early in the year. If he remembered correctly, even in the warm south, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for watermelons to ripen so early.


    ¡°This watermelon...¡± After pondering for a moment, the reticent Zhu Junyang said two words and then turned silent again.


    ¡®What the heck! Not only did hee to drink tea, but now he also wants to eat watermelon? I didn¡¯t encounter a fake royal prince, did I?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes.


    With the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the little girl¡¯s expression. Zhu Junyang suddenly felt that there was something wrong. Why couldn¡¯t he feel thatss¡¯s mood and thoughts?


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s ability to pry into other people¡¯s thoughts wasn¡¯t the ability to read minds. Instead, he was able to be able to clearly perceive the other person¡¯s emotions such as joy, sadness, cruelty, and dislike. For example, Yu Hai¡¯s uneasiness at the moment. The stronger the emotion, the more it affected him. At times, when all kinds of negative emotions came at him, it would be so overwhelming that he would want to find a method to vent. For a period of time, he had used violence to vent, but that only enhanced his notorious reputation.


    For more than a decade, there was barely any emotion that he couldn¡¯t sense. However, today, he actually couldn¡¯t detect the slightest mood change in the little girl in front of him. This both surprised and disturbed him.


    While he was feeling puzzled, Yu Xiaocao had already asked someone to bring a knife, quickly cut open the watermelon, put it on a tray, and carried it over to the royal prince. Her big eyes were curled into a pair of crescent moons and the dimples on the corner of her smiling lips appeared from time to time. She said with a crisp voice, ¡°Young Royal Prince, this watermelon is one of the earliest to mature in our fields. Try a slice!¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at her brightly smiling face, which was like a spring flower, and inwardly wondered the true meaning behind her smile. Was the smile genuine? Could she be plotting something that he didn¡¯t know? He suddenly realized that without the perceptive ability that he detested, there was no sense of security within his heart...


    He looked at the bright red watermelon, and then looked up and stared fixedly at the little person holding the tray, as if he wanted to look into the depth of her heart.


    ¡®Eh? Didn¡¯t the young royal prince want to eat watermelon? Why isn¡¯t he eating it after I cut it for him? Why is he looking at me? Is there something dirty on my face?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but free a hand and touched her clean, little face. The watermelon juice on her hand identally left a red mark her face.


    The big pair of bright, limpid eyes in front of him blinked. It was often said that a person¡¯s eyes were the window to their souls. This pair of eyes didn¡¯t dodge his cold gaze. Her clear, pure eyes gradually eased his guarded heart. She was only a rural girl, who wasn¡¯t even ten, so how many ulterior motives could she have? Was he being a little too nervous and treating everyone like an enemy?


    Under the gaze of those slightly doubtful eyes, he raised his hand, picked up a slice of watermelon in his hands, and slowly put it in his mouth. A slightly cool sweetness dispersed within his mouth. The taste of this watermelon... was sweeter and more delicious than all the watermelons that he had eaten before. As if all the negative emotions had been taken away by indescribable sweetness, there was only one word in his heart¡ªenjoyment!


    ¡°How¡¯s the taste?¡± The little face that was filled with anticipation for praises andpliments appeared vividly in front of him. It seemed as if he would be condemned as a sinner if he didn¡¯t say a word ofpliment.


    After finishing the slice of watermelon in his hand, Zhu Junyang took another piece and gave a rarepliment, ¡°It¡¯s pretty good!¡±


    ¡°Right! Isn¡¯t it?!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s big eyes narrowed into a line like a cat that was satisfied with its owner¡¯s caressing, ¡°I told you! Ordinary watermelons can¡¯tpare to the taste of the watermelons grown by our family. With just the size alone, it¡¯s already more superior than all the other watermelons in the Great Ming Dynasty...¡±


    Hearing this, Yu Hai knew that his daughter¡¯s little love for boasting was acting up again. However, they were in front of the royal prince, so they needed to be cautious and not offend the lord. He quickly said, ¡°Daughter, shouldn¡¯t we be a little more humble?¡±


    The strong father-daughter affection came directly at Zhu Junyang. He looked at the slightly dull rural man. His heart was obviously full of timidity, but he was willing to take the risk of offending him to help his daughter. Compared to those officials who sold their daughters to seek honor, this was such a pure fatherly love ah!


    The shackles in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart seemed to have loosened a bit. There were positive aspects of the people in the countryside. Their simplicity, pureness, and kindness were things that had long been forgotten by those so-called nobles who had experienced officialdom for a long time. Due to this, his body and mind gradually rxed at this time.


    ¡°Your daughter is right! Your family¡¯s watermelon is grown very well! I¡¯ll be returning to the capital in a few days, so load a cart for me to bring back as gifts!¡± Zhu Junyang said in a very matter-of-course manner.


    ¡®Load a cart? Is he paying?¡¯ Even without using his perceptive ability, Zhu Junyang could easily read the little girl¡¯s thoughts based on her obvious expression. ¡®Who is this prince? Would I not be able to afford a cart of watermelons? Even if I just randomly took out one of the small items brought back from the west, it will be worth more than a cart of watermelons! What does she take this prince as? Those tyrants who doesn¡¯t pay after taking something?¡¯ Zhu Junyang was so angry that he be amused!


    ¡°Royal Prince, may I dare ask, around many days will it be before you return to the capital?¡± Using their watermelons as gifts? It was such an honor to be valued by the royal prince. Yu Hai felt excited with just the thought of those nobles in the capital eating his family¡¯s watermelons and knowing that the Yu Family of Tanggu Town produced delicious watermelons. However, they wouldn¡¯t be able to harvest a lot of watermelons in the next two days. If the royal prince wanted them tomorrow, where would he find a cart of watermelon for him?


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to think too deeply about Yu Hai¡¯s contradictory moods of excitement and distress, and said, ¡°We will set out five dayster! Is there something that you¡¯re troubled about?¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t!¡± Yu Hai finally felt relieved, ¡°Five dayster, the watermelons in the fields should be mostly ripened. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem with loading a cart!¡±


    ¡®Money, what about the money? Shouldn¡¯t you leave a deposit?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao blinked her big, bright eyes and looked expectantly at the young royal prince.


    The corner of Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. Was money all this littless thought about? She just hadn¡¯t stretched out her hands and directly asked for money! He took off the embroidered pouch tied around his waist and threw it directly onto the tray in Xiaocao¡¯s hands.


    Yu Xiaocao stared at the exquisite embroidered pouch. It was shriveled up and didn¡¯t seem like there was a lot of money inside. As a royal prince, this guy shouldn¡¯t be too poor, right? Inside¡ªcould it be golden ingots? Wasn¡¯t that how it usually was in all the novels? Those high-ranking officials and noble lords all used golden ingots. A piece of gold was worth ten pieces of silver. It should be enough for the deposit, right?


    What was with this littless¡¯s gaze? Did she think that he gave too little money? How expensive would a cart of watermelons be? At most, a thousand taels of silver. Inside his embroidered pouch was a high-quality mutton fat jade pendant, which was worth at least five thousand taels of silver! Such ignorance!


    ¡®Aiya! This young prince is so poor!! But it doesn¡¯t matter. When I visit the princess consort in a few days, I can conveniently mention this matter and ask her to increase her youngest son¡¯s allowance. Aiya, I¡¯m so kind and righteous! Doing good deeds without leaving a name...¡¯


    Thinking about the young royal prince¡¯s rich mother, Yu Xiaocao stopped worrying about whether there was enough money for the deposit. Seeing that the young prince had stopped after eating a few more slices of watermelon, she instructed a maidservant, who worked in the outer courtyard, to bring the watermelons to the bodyguards, so that they could have a taste. Since the watermelon had already been cut open, it would be a waste to just let them sit on the table. The imperial guards had been working very hard too!


    The young girl was quite good at conducting herself! It should be noted that people also treated the imperial guards of the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate in a courteous manner and ttered them. Their status was even higher than those low-ranking officials in the capital!


    ¡°The corn kernels... have you nted them yet?¡± Zhu Junyang finally remembered the reason for his visit and asked.


    Corn kernels? It wouldn¡¯t be that he regretted giving her the seeds and wanted them back, right? Yu Xiaocao looked at the young royal prince with a stunned expression.


    Zhu Junyang sullenly said, ¡°What¡¯s with your expression? There¡¯s no way that I, this prince, will take back something that I have given away. The ministers of the Ministry of Revenue don¡¯t know how to grow corn. I¡¯m here to ask if you have nted them already, and the method of sowing!!¡±

 Chapter 242 – Inspection

    <h4>Chapter 242 ¨C Inspection</h4>


    ¡®Does he know how to read minds? How does he know what I was thinking when I didn¡¯t even say it yet?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao had inadvertently revealed the truth!


    Zhu Junyang, ¡®You just don¡¯t have the words written on your face, but anyone can see what you¡¯re thinking, okay?¡¯


    ¡°You have been living in town these days. If it dys the farming, you will be punished! Don¡¯t forget that you have already signed a military writ!!¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help reminding her. ¡®Eh? Why am I talking so much today? What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and said with a smile full of confidence, ¡°Rest assured! The corn has been nted for more than half a month. Isn¡¯t it almost up to the calves, Father?¡±


    Yu Hai had to walk around the fields every day, so he naturally knew the progress of the corn like the back of his hands. Hearing her question, he quickly nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! The leaves of the corns are already two fingers wide, and each stalk of corn has at least six or seven leaves. It should have already entered the jointing stage! Daughter, don¡¯t worry, with Father looking after it for you, there won¡¯t be any problems!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled brightly at her father, and then turned to Zhu Junyang and said, ¡°Did you hear? Without being modest, I¡¯ll say that there¡¯s nothing that my family can¡¯t grow!! By the way, Father! I asked you to help me transnt the apple and persimmon trees. Have you moved them yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Apples, persimmons, and grapes have all been moved! I also found a hickory nut tree in the mountains and moved it next to our yard.¡± Yu Hai had never refused his youngest daughter¡¯s requests.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! In the future, when we¡¯re staying indoors during the winter, we can sit on the kang bed and eat delicious roasted hickory nuts! Father, you¡¯re the best!!¡± Yu Xiaocao pulled on her father¡¯s hand and shook it in a spoiled manner.


    Yu Hai gently caressed his younger daughter¡¯s little head and smiled until his crow¡¯s feet appeared.


    ¡®Well, this pair of father and daughter has started chatting with each other now. It is really okay for them to leave me, this esteemed guest, hanging?¡¯ Feeling the deep affection between the father and daughter and seeing their interesting interaction, Zhu Junyang was reluctant to interrupt the warm scene.


    ¡°Miss Yu likes to eat hickory nuts? Then you must also like sunflower seeds?¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to just be a spectator and couldn¡¯t help interjecting.


    ¡®Sunflower seeds? There are already sunflower seeds in this era? That¡¯s great! Eating sunflower seeds is my favorite thing to do in my spare time!!¡¯


    ¡°Sunflower seeds? You have the seeds??¡± Yu Xiaocao eagerly asked.


    ¡®Sure enough, she knows about sunflowers! This little girl from the Yu Family must have some kind of secret, just like... the emperor also has a secret.¡¯


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice was cold but not callous. He slowly nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Among the seeds that I brought back from the west, there¡¯s sunflower seeds. I heard that cooked sunflower seeds are edible! You can try it!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Okay!! Give me the seeds and I will try nting it!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help cheering in her heart. Haha! Fortunately, she had transmigrated to the Great Ming Dynasty and had a senior transmigrator who liked to travel across the sea and look for treasures in the west. In the future, she could eat sunflower seeds. So happy!


    Looking at the young girl¡¯s expression, which resembled a kitten who secretly ate a little fish, Zhu Junyang¡¯s mood had inexplicably improved. The most genuine things were the most touching! Perhaps, in Tanggu Town, he could rx wholeheartedly without having to stay away from the crowd.


    He didn¡¯t need to be on guard at all times, and he didn¡¯t have to doubt everything. This kind of lifestyle might be more suitable for him... Unconsciously, the corners of his mouth curled up into a charming smile¡ªAfter so many years, he had finally found the expression of ¡®smile¡¯ again.


    ¡°When I go back to the capital, I¡¯ll have someone send the seeds over! It won¡¯t be toote, right?¡± If Princess Consort Jing saw him speaking so much on his own initiative, would she be happy or jealous?


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t be toote!¡± With the mystic-stone water as her cheat, she could still grow the sunflowers even if she got themter. How many seeds would the young royal prince give her? Would it be enough to eat? Holding her small face, Yu Xiaocao smiled so much that only her two rows of pearly whites could be seen, and her eyes had disappeared!


    ¡°I want to see the growth of the corn and make a simple record.¡± Zhu Junyang thought about how he left the troubled Ministry of Revenue behind in the capital and came to Tanggu Town to rx. If the emperor asked about it, he would have an excuse.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was in a good mood, nodded incessantly and said, ¡°Alright! Tomorrow I will apany Young Royal Prince to the fields. Rest assured, there definitely won¡¯t be any problems with letting us grow the corn!¡±


    After setting a time to meet and go back to Dongshan Vige tomorrow, Zhu Junyang stood up and said goodbye, ¡°If you guys can finalize a set of methods to cultivate corn and potatoes, this prince will report your meritorious deed. At that time, you will naturally be rewarded!¡±


    Although she was afraid that her identity as a transmigrator would be revealed by her fellow transmigrator, the emperor, the rewards granted by the emperor must be extraordinary. Yu Xiaocao felt distressed in her heart. Should she take credit for this contribution or not?


    The next day, the news that the royal prince would visit Dongshan Vige had already spread throughout the vige at rocket speed. After the vige chief received this news from Yu Haist night, he was so excited that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep for the entire night. With tworge dark circles under his eyes, he started making preparations. He gathered the whole vige early in the morning and held a meeting. The main point of the meeting was to remind the vigers to be more cautious and keep an eye on their own children, lest they offend the lord. Moreover, they also butchered pigs and sheep and gathered all the well-known cooks in the vige to brainstorm and prepare a meal for the noble guest...


    When Zhu Junyang arrived in Dongshan Vige with the county magistrate, he could see from afar the vigers of Dongshan Vige, who enthusiastically lined up to wee the guests.


    Yu Xiaocao rode on the little red horse that her godfather gave her and followed behind the young royal prince and the officials, looking carefree. As soon as they reached the entrance of the vige, she saw Vige Head Grandpa and the vigers kneel down immediately. She was so startled that she hastily urged the little red horse to move far away from them. Many of the vigers were her elders, so if she didn¡¯t avoid them, her life would be shortened.


    Seeing his master¡¯s gaze, Zhu Junyang¡¯s personal imperial bodyguard, Wu Deshun, hurriedly dismounted and helped the white-haired vige head up and said, ¡°The royal prince is traveling incognito, so there¡¯s no need to be so ceremonious. Vigers, please get up quickly.¡±


    The vige head, who had been helped up, was so excited that he burst into tears and said with trembling lips, ¡°Your Highness has condescended to visit, thismoner doesn¡¯t dare to slight ah. This is something we should do!¡±


    Someone who had studied for a few years was truly different. He sounded so reasonable. Yu Xiaocao got off her horse and went to find her family in the crowd. However, besides her eldest granduncle, Madam Zhang, and the Yu Dashan couple, she didn¡¯t see her own parents.


    She crept into the crowd, came to her eldest granduncle¡¯s side, and asked in a low voice, ¡°Eldest Granduncle, did you see my father?¡±


    Yu Lichun nced in the direction of Royal Prince Yang and saw that no one was paying attention, so he whispered, ¡°Your parents are waiting at home¡ªyou must be careful and don¡¯t offend the noble lord.¡±


    From the corner of his eyes, Zhu Junyang saw the littless going into the crowd like a nimble little squirrel and whispering, as if she was a kitten who was going to steal a fish. How could a person¡¯s expression be so lively and changeable? What an interesting fellow! He didn¡¯t realize that as long as Xiaocao was around, his eyes couldn¡¯t help but follow her.


    Yu Xiaocao squeezed out of the crowd and arrived next to Vige Head Grandpa, who was acting in a very respectful manner. With a grin, she looked at Zhu Junyang and said in a slightly chirpy tone, ¡°Young Royal Prince, do you want to go directly to the fields, or rest at my house first?¡±


    Wu Deshun looked at the sun. Like usual, he didn¡¯t bother the master with such trivial matter and replied on his behalf, ¡°Since the weather is pretty good right now, let¡¯s go to the fields first...¡±


    ¡°This prince is tired after riding on the horse for so long...¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly wanted to see what kind of family raised such an entric little girl.


    Wu Deshun quickly corrected himself and said, ¡°Miss Yu, please lead the way!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao obediently walked in the front, and behind her, a red filly, which hadn¡¯t fully grown yet, followed her step by step. Zhu Junyang noticed that the reins of the filly wasn¡¯t in the hands of the young girl, yet it followed her obediently. It was quite a tame and clever steed, which was perfect for a young girl like her.


    Yu Xiaocao walked in the front, while Royal Prince Yang and his entourage followed behind. Behind him was the new county magistrate of Tanggu Town and the officials of the county yamen, and finally the vige chief and several respected elders in the vige. Therge group quickly reached the old residence of the Yu Family.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the brand-new brick and tiled house, which was extremely simplepared with the tall gated estates in the capital. It was a simplepound with arge open yard. There were green vegetables on both sides of the small brick pathway in the yard...


    There weren¡¯t anyplicated constructions, cascading pavilions and terraces, and precious flowers and nts. However, there was a sense of tranquility and warmth within its simplicity, which made it easier for people to open their hearts, put down all theirplex thoughts, and return to the countryside and nature...


    In front of the main room in the courtyard, under a blossoming peach tree, there were several different shaped stone stools beside a stone table, which was carved in ordance to the shape of the stone. There were cotton cushions of various colors on the stools, which showed a sense of warmth in the cold.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at therge group of peopleing over, and moved all the chairs and stools in the house. But there still wasn¡¯t enough seats. She scratched her head and said awkwardly, ¡°Why don¡¯t... I go borrow some chairs from Auntie Zhou¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! We can just stand!¡± Zhao Zixuan, the new county magistrate of Tanggu Town, hastily said. What a joke! Was there anyone here who could sit as equals with the royal prince?


    In the end, other than Royal Prince Yang, everyone just stood around him like they were being punished. Yu Xiaocao thought it looked somewhat awkward, but the ancient concept of social ranking wasn¡¯t something that a little girl like her could change. She picked a te of ripe tomatoes and several crispy and tender cucumbers from the garden in the backyard, and then cut a big watermelon that they had at home. She ced them all on the stone table and raised her eyebrows with satisfaction¡ªthis was the right way to entertain guests!


    County Magistrate Zhao looked at the cucumbers and almost choked on his saliva¡ªShe actually served cucumbers to the royal prince. Wasn¡¯t that too weird?


    ¡°After walking so far, do you want to eat some watermelon to quench your thirst?¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up a slice of watermelon and warmly handed it to the young prince. Yesterday, at her godfather¡¯s house, this fellow ate a lot of watermelons and also ordered a cart, so he must like to eat it, right?

 Chapter 243 – In a Good Mood

    <h4>Chapter 243 ¨C In a Good Mood</h4>


    However, she had misunderstood the young royal prince yesterday. Although the jade pendant in the embroidered pouch wasn¡¯t gold or silver, even she, who didn¡¯t know much about jade, could tell that it wasn¡¯t ordinary from its texture. She quietly showed it to her godmother in the evening. It was worth at least several thousand taels of silver ah! To buy a cart of watermelons with several thousand taels, he was indeed a member of the imperial family. So rich!


    The watermelon that she cut today was rtivelyrge, a total of twenty-something catties. The young prince definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to finish it himself. Yu Xiaocao, like the Child of Wealth, picked up a piece of watermelon and started distributing it.


    Looking at the sweet-smelling watermelon in front of him, County Magistrate Zhao nced hesitantly at Royal Prince Yang, and didn¡¯t dare to pick up the watermelon until he permitted. Zhao Zixuan was born in a poor family and didn¡¯t have any one of high status supporting him, so he had only gotten the position of a county magistrate at the age of forty. He finally got this rare opportunity to interact with a noble from the capital, so he naturally didn¡¯t dare to make any mistakes.


    Seeing the county magistrate take the watermelon, the other officials of the yamen, who came to familiarize themselves with the noble guest, also took the watermelon and thanked the young girl. Not only the officials of Tanggu Town, but Royal Prince Yang¡¯s servants and imperial bodyguards also got watermelons. Of course, the elders in the vige also received a piece.


    Due to the joyous scene in the yard, Zhu Junyang felt that today¡¯s watermelon was even sweeter than yesterday¡¯s. The sweetness went all the way to his heart. In a good mood, he picked up a cucumber, looked at it curiously, and began to chew on it. ¡®Mhm, the taste is pretty good, and it¡¯s crispy and juicy. Although it isn¡¯t as sweet as a watermelon, it has a distinctive taste.¡¯


    Poor child had never seen a freshly plucked whole cucumber. When he ate it in the past, it had been carved meticulously by the chef. Thus, he didn¡¯t know that this glossy green colored and delicious-tasting thing was what a cucumber originally looked like!


    Seeing that the young royal prince was enjoying the cucumber, County Magistrate Zhao also picked up a cucumber and chewed on it like the royal prince. He couldn¡¯t help praising, ¡°The cucumbers grown by Miss Yu¡¯s family are even tastier than the ones sold in the market! They all say that your family has a secret method of cultivation. Is it true?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao got a tomato, took a small bite, and sucked the juice with relish. Hearing that, she said with a smile, ¡°What secret method can there be? We¡¯re just tending the crops more carefully! It may be that our vegetables matured earlier and everyone is tired of eating cabbages and radishes in the winter, so they think that it¡¯s a fresh experience!¡±


    After Zhu Junyang finished the cucumber, Zhu Junyang saw Xiaocao enjoying a tomato. He picked up a big red tomato and copied her by taking a small bite and gently slurping the sweet and sour juice inside.


    ¡°This... what is this?¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously.


    Yu Xiaocao excitedly introduced, ¡°This is called tomato, and is also known as wolf peach! It seems to be imported from a foreignnd, and is used as a decorative nt. In actuality, it is a kind of vegetable with high nutritional values. Unlike the rumors, it¡¯s not poisonous¡ªoh, right! The unripe green tomatoes do contain some toxins...¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s poisonous??¡± The entourage was shocked. Wu Deshun grabbed the tomato in Royal Prince Yang¡¯s hands and had a terrible expression on his face.


    County Magistrate Zhao¡¯s face turned pale, and he hollered, ¡°How dare you!! You actually dared to poison the royal prince; do you know what crime that is?! Quick, quickly arrest her!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who was nibbling on the inner flesh of the tomato, was immediately held down by Royal Prince Yang¡¯s imperial bodyguards. The tomato in her hands fell onto the ground and rolled to Zhu Junyang¡¯s feet.


    Zhu Junyang frowned slightly as he looked down at the small tooth marks on the half-eaten tomato. Seeing the apparently painful expression on Xiaocao¡¯s face, his gaze turned deep and his thin lips were pursed. Wu Deshun, who had worked under him for many years, knew that his master was really angry, so he hastily admitted his mistake, ¡°This subordinate noticed toote, please forgive me!¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys arresting me for? Let go! Let go!!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s arms were twisted behind her back, and their strength made her very ufortable. She struggled slightly and shrieked with a wrinkled face.


    Yu Lichun, who had followed over, quickly knelt down in front of the cold-faced Royal Prince Yang and pleaded in a trembling voice, ¡°Your Highness, thismoner has eaten tomatoes numerous times. It¡¯s definitely not poisonous! Royal Prince, please make a wise judgement!!¡±


    The vige head had also eaten the tomatoes grown by the Yu Family, so he also kneeled and pleaded on behalf of Yu Xiaocao, ¡°It¡¯s true that tomatoes aren¡¯t poisonous. Thismoner ate two this morning ah! There... there must be some misunderstanding!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao finally understood why she was being held down. She didn¡¯t know whether she should cry orugh as she said, ¡°If tomatoes are poisonous and I just ate it myself, wouldn¡¯t I bemitting suicide because I¡¯m tired of living? I have no enmities with the royal prince, so how would poisoning him benefit me?? I reckon you guys are too anxious. You guys don¡¯t have persecutory delusion, right?¡±


    ¡°Persecutory delusion? What¡¯s that?¡± Hearing the new term, Zhu Junyang made a gesture to tell his subordinates to let go. It seemed like he had often heard these weird and novel terms from the emperor before! This littless wouldn¡¯t be a long-lost illegitimate child of the emperor, would she? Young Royal Prince, wasn¡¯t that thought too absurd?


    Yu Xiaocao plopped down on the stone chair in front of him and angrily picked up another tomato. She waved it at the boorish guards, like she was demonstrating to them, and then fiercely took arge bite, as if the tomato was the bodyguards¡¯ flesh.


    With her mouth stuffed with the tomato, she said in a muffled voice, ¡°Poisonous? A ripe tomato is not poisonous!! How ignorant and unworldly!! Persecutory delusion is an illness here, always thinking that someone wants to harm yourself!¡±


    As she said that, she pointed at her own head with her index finger.


    Zhu Junyang also picked up a bright red tomato and ced it in his mouth, but he was stopped by his loyal guards, ¡°Royal Prince...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss! No one here will hurt this prince! Rx, otherwise, you¡¯ll really be a patient suffering from persecutory delusion!¡± With his eyebrows raised, Zhu Junyang was apparently in a good mood, and the tomato in his mouth seemed even more delicious.


    After eating a stomach full of fruits, it seemed like it was time to get up and move. Zhu Junyang stood up, grabbed a tomato in his hands, and slowly walked out the yard as he said, ¡°Come, it¡¯s time to look at the corn fields!¡±


    When the group reached the corn fields, the Yu Hai couple and Liu Hu¡¯s family had just finished watering the over ten mu ofnd. There wasn¡¯t a lot of rain this spring. Fortunately, the Yu Family¡¯s farnd was close to a mountain stream, so it was convenient water the crops.


    Waving his hands to stop Yu Hai and the others from kneeling down to greet him, Zhu Junyang personally went to the edge of the field and bent down to look at the corn seedlings, which were nearly up to his knee. It hadn¡¯t been twenty days since his return, but the corn had already grown so tall. It seemed like this crop, corn, grew pretty fast!


    He straightened his back and looked around. Ten or so mu of corn fields were stretching their leaves under the sun. Under the bright spring sun, there seemed to be a lively sprite jumping on each leaf.


    ¡°Not bad! You guys have grown the corn very well!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t stint onpliments and praised them sincerely.


    Yu Hai was about to reply humbly, but his dear daughter, who was silly and bold, proudly said, ¡°Of course! We don¡¯t fight uncertain battles. If we can¡¯t grow them well, then why would we be so bold as to sign the military writ?¡±


    Looking at the littless¡¯scent expression, Zhu Junyang felt¡ªthat today¡¯s sun was great, warm and brilliant. The scenery of the West Mountain nearby was pretty good. It was verdant and lush. Even the fields with the fragrance of soil seemed to have be more lovely...


    His good moodsted until he returned to the residence that Princess Consort Jing temporarily stayed. Princess Consort Jing looked at her son, who was walking over. Although he still maintained an expressionless face with his lips still pursed and eyes exuding coldness, she clearly felt that her son seemed to be in a good mood.


    Her little Junyang went out early in the morning and didn¡¯te back until the evening. Did something good happened that caused him to change from his state of a ¡®walking air conditioner¡¯? Uh, she identally used the emperor¡¯s evaluation of her son. But, it was quite a vivid description!


    Based on her understanding of her son, if she directly asked, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get any answers. She could only do it in a roundabout way by asking his subordinates. She nced at her son, who was currently drinking tea, and then asked Wu Deshun, who was standing ramrod straight beside her, ¡°Where did you go with the young royal prince today?¡±


    Wu Deshun looked at his master and saw that the other party didn¡¯t seem to mind him answering, so he quickly replied, ¡°In reply to Your Highness, today I went to Dongshan Vige with Master and checked the Yu Family¡¯s growth of corn and potatoes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, to Dongshan Vige ah! I heard from Lady Fang that it¡¯s a good environment, surrounded by mountains and sea. Yang¡¯er, what do you think?¡± Princess Consort Jing had heard Lady Fang praise Dongshan Vige many times, so she yearned to visit the ce. However, right now she was more curious about what good thing her son had encountered at Dongshan Vige.


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s not bad!!¡± Ay, she shouldn¡¯t have asked this son of hers, who cherished words like gold. Look, he only said four words like he was already doing a big favor to others!


    However, that didn¡¯t affect themunication between the mother and son. Princess Consort Jing had be ustomed to the conversation mode of her speaking to herself, ¡°I heard thatss Cao¡¯er say that the weather has gotten warmer now, so it¡¯s suitable to go up the mountains to dig for wild herbs, as well as set some traps to catch some pheasants and wild hares for a special meal. Also, when the tide is low, one can also gather seafood at the beach. ms, scallops, oysters... If one¡¯s lucky, one can find sea cucumbers washed up on shore! Last time, thatss brought over some marine goods and made spicy stir-fried ms, steamed scallops with garlic, grilled oysters... I¡¯m drooling just by thinking about it! You say, why didn¡¯t I meet Xiaocao first? In that case, the position of her godmother would have nothing to do with Lady Fang!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing babbled, but didn¡¯t notice that her youngest son was listening attentively.


    Zhu Junyang touched his chin. Spicy stir-fried ms? Steamed scallops with garlic? They sounded pretty appetizing! The meal he had at the Yu Family¡¯s old residence this afternoon was made by the littless, under his order. The taste was extraordinary. Although they were allmon homemade dishes, the taste was different and suited his taste even more than the dishes in the famous restaurants in the capital. He quietly pondered how to find a reason to try the seafood cooked by the little girl.


    ¡°Ah-choo!¡± Yu Xiaocao, who was lying with her limbs spread out on the kang bed after sending off the great lord, Royal Prince Yang, suddenly felt an itch on her nose and sneezed.


    ¡°Who is it? Who¡¯s scheming behind my back?¡± Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose and murmured.

 Chapter 244 – Another Catfight?

    <h4>Chapter 244 ¨C Another Catfight?</h4>


    Madam Liu set dinner on the kang table [1], poked her little head, and said with a smile, ¡°What do you have that¡¯s worth scheming for? Could it be you got a cold from the cold winds on the field? Tomorrow, when you go into town, remember to go get some medicine from Tongren Medicine Hall.¡±


    Madam Liu was always worried about her youngest daughter¡¯s health. When she was born, the doctors all said that she wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. Although there weren¡¯t any problems in the past two years, how could one urately predict an illness that was present since she was a fetus?


    Several times, when her youngest daughter was close to dying from her illness, Madam Liu would always me herself. She thought that her body was a letdown for causing Xiaocao to take medicine every day as a meal when she was young, letting her suffer for so many years. So Madam Liu preferred to indulge this daughter of hers. It turned out that their indulgence didn¡¯t make their youngest daughter spoiled but even brought more and more benefits to their family.


    Madam Liu was convinced that her youngest daughter must be a treasure bestowed onto them by the heavens!


    Yu Xiaocao turned over and sat up from the Kang table, and then she cleverly went to helped her mother set the dishes and chopsticks. Ever since her godmother moved back to town because her due date was nearing, Xiaocao had stayed by her godmother¡¯s side. Although she had gone back to Dongshan Vige from time to time over the month, the time she stayed at home was very short.


    Every time she left, she would feel bad when she saw her parent¡¯s reluctant eyes. After transmigrating into this strange world, it was her parents that gave her the most selfless love and tolerance. This moved her and gave her a sense of belonging in the family.


    Her eptance of Fang Zizhen as her godfather, on the one hand, was because Fang Zizhen treated her well, on the other hand, it wasn¡¯t without uses. After all, this world was a vicious ss society. If she wanted to openly do something and had no strong backing, she would more than likely be the target of some powerful people and eventually be their ve.


    Fang Zizhen, who was a third-ranked general, had appeared at just the right time. After recognizing him as her godfather, Fang Zizhen wanted to give her the best of the world and treated her well from the bottom of his heart. Her godmother also treated her as if she were her blood-rted daughter. Humans are emotional creatures. Yu Xiaocao naturally returned their treatment with sincerity. With the effects of the mystic-stone water, she healed her godfather¡¯s difficult problem and sessfully got herself a new little brother.


    Her godparent both said that she was a fairy bestowed by the heavens to help them, but it was more urate to say it was love traded for sincerity. She treated them sincerely because of their love for her. The couple had entered her heart and became recognized as her ¡®family¡¯.


    Now that they had their own child, maybe she could quietly retire. After Godmother finished her month of confinement after childbirth, she could go back to Dongshan Vige and apany her parents, never leaving again...


    The next day, Yu Xiaocao rode her little red pony. On both sides of the pony¡¯s back, she had tied several big watermelons with straw ropes. She was also carrying several muskmelons that had matured early in her hands. This year, Xiaocao had gotten several melon seeds and nted them in the melon field, which had gradually begun to mature.


    Upon remembering the several fruit trees in the corner of the backyard, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mood suddenly became better¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t have ack of fruit to eat in the future. There originally weren¡¯t many fruits in this era, and even fewer are suitable to nt in the north. Fruits were a luxury that only the rich could eat. Although with her family¡¯s current financial conditions, they could also afford fruit, Xiaocao felt that it was a waste of money to buy those fruits, which weren¡¯t very tasty and was extremely expensive.


    Since they had their ownnd, as long as they could find the seeds or seedlings of the fruits, and with the little divine stone present, there wasn¡¯t anything they couldn¡¯t grow. She had found that the taste of fruits and vegetables watered by the mystic-stone water had improved by more than a bit. So why not just do it?


    Dongshan Vige¡¯s vigers, who went to town in the early mornings for the early market, would see a little girl in elegant riding clothes, riding a little red pony that was trotting on the t official road. Tied onto the pony¡¯s back, there would be heavy watermelons¡ªthis was Yu Xiaocao who had decided to go to town early in the morning.


    Upon meeting the familiar vigers, Xiaocao would show a sweet smile and greet them. The vigers of Dongshan Vige, thinking about yesterday¡¯s scene of weing the royal prince and the fact that her family was acquainted with a princess consort, naturally didn¡¯t dare to slight her. So they all answered with a sincere or fawning smile.


    Madam Zhang, who was going to town to see her son, walked by. The corners of her mouth turned down as she nced at the person and the horse. She looked steadily ahead and continued walking forward.


    After thewsuit, Yu Bo¡¯s reputation in town had gone down the drain. In this lifetime, he would never be able to enter Rongxuan Academy. With his moral conduct, even his original academy kicked him out, let alone Rongxuan Academy, where people were epted based on their talent and moral integrity.


    He was instilled with the idea that in the future he would obtain fame and be a high-ranking official since childhood. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t give up the idea of studying, but in Tanggu Town, there wasn¡¯t any academy that didn¡¯t know his reputation. Who would ept him? Presently, Yu Bo could only follow his father-inw, who was a county official and review the knowledge he had learned before.


    Madam Zhang didn¡¯t learn from her previous actions. She believed that her son was dyed from his prospects by Yu Hai¡¯s family. If it wasn¡¯t for that girl, Xiaocao, then they would have just lost some money. They could earn the money back, but once a schr¡¯s reputation was destroyed, he would lose everything. No, she couldn¡¯t allow her ten years of hard work to be thrown to the winds!


    With the current reputation and status of Yu Hai¡¯s family in Dongshan Vige, they weren¡¯t people who she could bully and control anymore. Besides, they still had something on her, Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t be rash. This time, she was going into town for her son¡¯s future!


    Since the schools in town couldn¡¯t amodate her son, then they would go to the prefectural city. The prefectural city was nearly a two-days traveling distance from Tanggu Town. It was impossible for her son¡¯s reputation to have reached every academy in the prefectural city, right? For the sake of her son¡¯s education, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t care about money. As long as her son could pass the examination and be an official, even if she had to live in harsh conditions, it would still be worth it.


    Yu Xiaocao was very clear on the ancient people¡¯s respect for filial piety. Although her family and her oldest paternal aunt¡¯s family all know about Madam Zhang¡¯s vicious side, when all was said and done, the vigers of Dongshan Vige didn¡¯t know. What appearances had to be kept were still kept.


    ¡°Grandmother, are you going to town to see my younger uncle? The road is quite long, why didn¡¯t you tell us so that my father could take you there with the carriage!¡± Yu Xiaocao came down from the horse¡¯s back and appeared like a very polite girl.


    Madam Zhang was eager to tear the smile off her face and replied ambiguously, ¡°Your family has climbed up a high branch. Why would you still care about this olddy¡¯s life or death? Let you guys take me in the carriage? I don¡¯t have that good fortune.¡±


    Several vigers, who were going to town with Madam Zhang, had an expression of disapproval on their faces. In their minds, they thought, ¡®Madam Zhang really doesn¡¯t know how fortunate she is. She has such a good son, even if he¡¯s not by blood, she should still try to win him over. What is she doing?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao clearly saw the expressions on the vigers¡¯ faces out of the corner of her eye and smiled even more brightly. ¡°Grandmother, what are you saying? Those who know will say that you understand our family is busy and doesn¡¯t have any time. Those who don¡¯t know will think that you have a problem with us! How about this, you can ride my pony and I can walk over, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, you clearly know I don¡¯t know how to ride a horse but you still want me to get on the horse. Are you thinking this olddy has lived too long and want me to fall to my death?¡± Madam Zhang craftily smiled and snorted.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face fell and with a face full of grievances, she said, ¡°Grandma, how can you say that? I suggested it with good intentions...¡±


    Madam Mao, who came with Madam Zhang, couldn¡¯t bear to see the olddy using her age as an advantage anymore. She came up and shielded Xiaocao behind her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Xiaocao wasn¡¯t treated well by you when the family had yet to separate. Today, I¡¯ve finally seen it! Xiaocao is just afraid that you are tired and offered to let you ride the horse. It¡¯s enough that you don¡¯t appreciate it, yet you also distort her good intentions. How can you be a grandmother? Fortunately, Brother Yu Hai¡¯s family separated early. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t know what Xiaocao would¡¯ve be with your treatment. It¡¯s said that Xiaocao was weak and sickly since birth, could it be caused by you, this harsh grandmother?¡±


    Madam Mao¡¯s mouth was said to be invincible in the entire vige! However, Xiaocao knew that she was the model of a sharp tongue with a soft heart, so the rtionship between the two families was pretty good.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s entire face turned red with Madam Mao¡¯s words, but she couldn¡¯te up with any words to refute her ims. After all, the severe winter beforest year, Yu Xiaocao was ill and she, the grandmother, was reluctant to give money for her to go see the doctor. When Xiaocao¡¯s father went to his eldest uncle¡¯s family to borrow money, everyone in the vige knew about it. No matter how she argued, no one would believe her!


    Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t a merciful person. She pointed at Madam Mao¡¯s nose and angrily said, ¡°I¡¯m talking to my granddaughter. What does it have to do with you, Madam Mao? You really are meddlesome, sticking your nose into other people¡¯s business! Oh... I know. Your Qian Family used Dahai¡¯s glory to get the help of Zhenxiu Restuarant and gained many benefits. You¡¯ve gotten their help, so you have to speak up for them. That¡¯s why you¡¯vee up to take the scolding, right?


    In terms of quarreling, Madam Mao had never been afraid of anyone. She had been unhappy with Madam Zhang, who kept asking for trouble all the time, for a long time. So today, she definitely wouldn¡¯t spare her, ¡°Oh! Howe I can hear the jealousy in this? Brother Dahai is kind hearted so he has never refused to help anyone in the vige when they go to him. Speaking of him, how can anyone in the vige not praise him? Some people are so blessed that they don¡¯t know it. During his most difficult times, they separated from him and even hid the money that he used his life to get. Tsk~ To be brothers, yet using his older brother¡¯s money, that he used his life to get, to get rtions. He deserved to be cheated! The heavens do have eyes, they are looking at us! People can¡¯t do the wrong thing, sooner orter they will be punished!¡±


    Everyone in the vige knew that Yu Hai was bitten by a bear while saving General Zhao. General Zhao gave the money that he got for the bear to Madam Zhang and asked her to use it to treat Yu Hai¡¯s injuries. The result? If Old Yu wasn¡¯t around, Yu Hai would¡¯ve been left on the bed for the injuries to run its course.


    This Madam Zhang really is cruel. When Yu Hai¡¯s family was injured, sick, and weak, she wanted to divide the family. After receiving the three hundred taels, which should¡¯ve been used to save someone¡¯s life, she practically let them leave without anything.


    She even said Yu Hai had personally asked to separate their families. Yu Hai was just too benevolent to expose her lies. Who didn¡¯t know the truth? In that situation, even if it was for his wife and children, he wouldn¡¯t have separated their families voluntarily.

 Chapter 245 – Imperial Merchants

    <h4>Chapter 245 ¨C Imperial Merchants</h4>


    The vigers nearby automatically imagined what happened afterward. The gazes directed at Madam Zhang all regarded her as shameless.


    How could Madam Zhang listen to others talk about her youngest son? ¡°Aaoo-¡± She rushed at Madam Mao.


    Madam Mao was much younger than Madam Zhang. She was quite agile, so how could she be caught by Madam Zhang? Madam Mao flexibly dodged Madam Zhang¡¯s ws while still brutally talking, ¡°What? Did I get it right and you¡¯re angry with embarrassment? All of our deeds are seen by the Heavens! In the future, you should quit doing those despicable acts. Whoops! You¡¯re old and should take it easy. Don¡¯t strain your back and me me for pushing you! Everyone is watching, right? I didn¡¯t touch a single hair on her, if she falls or bumps into something, it has nothing to do with me! ...Since I can¡¯t afford to provoke her anymore, can¡¯t I hide? I¡¯m leaving...¡±


    Madam Mao took great strides and left like a gust of wind. After all, Madam Zhang was old. Although she had tried to scratch the other woman, she didn¡¯t even manage to touch Madam Mao¡¯s clothes and even tired herself out. How could the panting Madam Zhang catch up with the young Madam Mao? She could only stare at her departing back!


    Madam Zhang saw Yu Xiaocao, who was standing at one side, and felt that the longer she looked at her, the more Yu Xiaocao looked like an eyesore. Madam Zhang angrily said, ¡°Hurry up and go. Are you standing here to see a joke?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s goal had been achieved. ¡°Grandmother, since you don¡¯t like me, I won¡¯t stay here and obstruct your view. Uncles and Aunties, is there anything heavy that I can take with me?¡± She said with a smile.


    Upon hearing her words, they all shook their heads and said, ¡°No, there¡¯s no need! Lady Fang is waiting for you to take care of her, how about you go first!¡± The vigers all saw such an obedient and clever child, how could Madam Zhang dislike her so much?


    ¡°Yes, yes! We didn¡¯t bring much stuff with us, we can carry it!¡±


    ¡°Your pony is already carrying so many things. If it doesn¡¯t grow under the pressure, won¡¯t you feel sorry?¡± This was someone that had a closer rtionship with Xiaocao, so the person cracked a joke.


    Xiaocao bid the vigers farewell with a smile and mounted the little red pony that was standing still. The little red pony seemed to be impatient. As soon as Xiaocao sat down, the animal trotted forward without any urging. ¡®This pony is strong!¡¯ was what it seemed to be telling the vigers.


    When she caught up with Madam Mao, Xiaocao said a few words with her before heading toward the town without stopping. When she was about one kilometer from Tanggu Town, she came across Third Young Master Zhou, who was galloping at full speed.


    In the past year, Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s position in the Zhou Family had risen. The old patriarch of the Zhou Family had been training him to be the next head of the household. Third Young Master Zhou had be even busier. Not only did he have to check on the businesses of his subordinates, but he also had to learn how to manage the family¡¯s business. The Zhou Family were Imperial Merchants, who were in charge of buying materials for the Royal Court. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t be given the cold shoulder. Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t seen Third Young Master Zhou for many days already.


    ¡°Third Young Master, where are you going in such a hurry?¡± After the road from Tanggu Town to Dongshan Vige waspleted, other than the Second Young Master and the steward of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, there weren¡¯t many people who could ride a horse or carriage. Yu Xiaocao and the Third Young Master Zhou had recognized each other from a distance.


    Third Young Master Zhou fixed his hair that had been blown by the wind and sulkily replied, ¡°This road leads straight to Dongshan Vige, where else do you think I can go?¡±


    ¡°Oh! The busy Third Young Master is gracing our Dongshan Vige with his presence!¡± Yu Xiaocao continued to tease.


    Zhou Zixu rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you say something nice? I haven¡¯t seen you in so long, yet you still like to exchange barbed words with me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Ok, let¡¯s speak seriously? What do you need me for? Let¡¯s talk as we go!¡±


    Zhou Zixu looked at her with a smile and said, ¡°Why are you so confident that I¡¯m looking for you? Can¡¯t I be looking for Uncle Yu?¡±


    After saying those words, he turned his horse so he was beside Xiaocao¡¯s maroon red pony. The little red pony under Xiaocao was upset that Zhou Zixi¡¯s big ck horse was so much taller than itself. Unlike its usual temperament, it turned its head to bite the big ck horse.


    Zhou Zixu, upon seeing this, hurriedly pulled on the reins of his beloved horse to take him over a few steps, not letting the little one seed. ¡°Yo! It¡¯s true what kind of owner will raise what kind of horse. This little guy actually dared to provoke my ck Cloud. It¡¯s got some nerves!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gently stroked the little red pony¡¯s mane, pacifying the animal. ¡°Who told your ck giant to show off its big head in front of Little Red. Only a fool would not resist after being bullied!¡±


    Zhou Zixuughed and pointed at her with his index finger. ¡°You! Always with the misdirection! There¡¯s nothing wrong with ck Cloud being tall! It¡¯s Tiny that¡¯s green with envy! For being so small, it sure has a big temper! ¡ª¡ªIt must be the result of your teachings!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Tiny is at home! Last time I don¡¯t know who it was that had ideas for our little roe deer. Hmph!¡±


    After Zhou Zixu became busy, he was afraid that his mother would be lonely. Thus, he made ns for the little roe deer in Xiaocao¡¯s home. He wanted the silly interesting little fellow to apany his mother so she wouldn¡¯t be lonely.


    Who knew that before Xiaocao could even open her mouth to refuse, the little roe deer ran off into the forests of the West Mountains until Zhou Zixu left. Afterward, every time he went to the Yu Family home, the little roe deer would either pee on his feet, rub dyed grass into his new clothes or stay away so far that he couldn¡¯t even get a glimpse of him... Zhou Zixu joked that Tiny was someone that remembered grudges, he can¡¯t be provoked just like his master!


    When she mentioned the embarrassments of the past, Zhou Zixu rubbed his nose somewhat unnaturally. Remembering what he came for, he hurriedly said, ¡°A while ago, Grandfather and I were busy with the selection of the new imperial merchants. With the trust of the emperor, we managed to keep our previous timber supply business despite strongpetition. However, the emperor emeritus has ordered our Zhenxiu Restaurant to be responsible for the purchase of braised voring and dried seafood for the imperial kitchen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing! Congrattions on your sess, Third Young Master Zhou. You got the rights to purchase two materials with just one try. The Zhou Family imperial merchants¡¯ position will be very firm!¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that the profit of the imperial merchants was very sizable and thatpetition was very fierce.


    The current head of the household, which was the first branch of the Zhou Family, was the nominal uncle of Third Young Master Zhou. However, he was actually his biological father and only had average abilities in business. The Zhou Family currently had the old patriarch managing everything, so they were still able to keep their standing. But the old patriarch was getting older with every passing year, so how long could he hang on for? This was also the reason why the old patriarch was rushing to teach Third Young Master Zhou everything.


    Fortunately, Zhou Zixu showed extraordinary business abilities while he was still young. This time, he was able to get the internal supply of braised voring and dried seafood. All of this urred because Zhenxiu Restaurant had made its ce in the capital. Everyone knew about the osmanthus duck and roasted chicken from Zhenxiu Restaurant. Even the emperor emeritus often left the pce to have a meal and he would also pack some to take back. It was said that he was taking it back to give some to his precious grandson¡ª¡ªthe current emperor¡ª¡ªas a reward.


    Last summer, Yu Xiaocao also asionally went into the ocean to get some top-grade abalone, sea cucumber, etc. All of this seafood was sold to Third Young Master Zhou. Third Young Master Zhou got the best value out of the gourmet seafood by putting them on a seafood feast auction at the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital.


    Alright! Even the emperor was notified, who then privately visited Zhenxiu Restaurant. He then met the gluttonous emperor emeritus and the two of them dominated the seafood feast auction. Actually, it was the emperor emeritus who revealed his identity, and thus, thepetitors naturally gave up without taking any actions. Although the seafood feast auction didn¡¯t get to the price that Zhou Zixu wanted, the goal had been achieved.


    All the officials, rich businessmen, and the children of the aristocratic families present crowded Zhenxiu Restaurant. The emperor emeritus didn¡¯t enjoy the seafood feast alone; he invited the officials above the third rank present to share the feast. Most of the seafood in Zhenxiu Restaurant was delivered on ice. However, the best grade of seafood was freshly caught seafood that was still alive.


    Everyone knew that transporting live seafood was extremely difficult. During transportation, normally seafood will die or turn smelly. However, these abalone and sea cucumbers were given mystic-stone water and, as such, they had a strong vitality. When they arrived in the capital, they were still alive and jumping around. Naturally, their taste would also be better than those transported by ice or dried. As soon as that glutton, the emperor emeritus, ate some, he noticed the difference. Therefore, the Zhou Family easily became an imperial merchant family who were given a second good to monopolize.


    It was very simple to supply the braised voring. Head Chef Wang, who was transferred to the capital¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant, was personally able to make some and send it to the pce. However, seafood was not easy to supply. Although the emperor emeritus was gracious and only asked them to supply dried seafood, most of the high-grade abalones and sea cucumbers lived in the deep sea. Even the most experienced fisherman could only get it by chance. Would ordinary abalones and cucumbers be able to enter the eyes of the emperor emeritus? If they gave lower quality products, would the Zhou Family still have a way to live? Without any other options, Third Young Master Zhou could only go to Dongshan Vige to get reinforcements.


    After hearing Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s reason for visiting, Yu Xiaocao frowned for a moment. ¡°The high-grade abalone and sea cucumber, as you have said, can only be found by chance...Is there a fixed supply amount that the pce has requested?¡±


    ¡°The emperor emperitus also knows that high-grade seafood is hard to get and requested only half a catty a month. Ordinary seafood requires five catties...¡± Third Young Master Zhou said with a gloomy face.


    The four seafood treasures were all separate categories of seafood. Due to the difficulty in hunting them, they were all very expensive. The price given by the pce was fair. With the Zhou Family¡¯s connections, it wasn¡¯t hard to get ordinary seafood. However, obtaining high-grade seafood, especially abalone and sea cucumber, was causing the Zhou Family a bit of trouble.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly calcted in her head. It took two to three catties of fresh seafood to make one catty of dried seafood. Since the pce requested half a catty a month, then, in one year, they would need to give six catties of dried seafood. Converting it back to live abalones and sea cucumbers, that would be eighteen catties at most. Eighteen catties of high-grade abalone and sea cucumber, to other people, would be as hard to get as ascending to the heavens. For Xiaocao, on the other hand, who had a cheat, it could be easily done in a few days.


    ¡°The emperor emeritus also said that live abalones and sea cucumbers should be provided at least once a month in the summer. They have to be high-grade!¡± Third Young Master Zhou cried without tears. The emperor emeritus must wanted to force the Zhou Family to die! It was no wonder that those other imperial merchants, who used to supply seafood to the court, looked at the Zhou Family as if they were waiting to see a joke. Third Young Master Zhou only knew how hard it was to get high-grade seafood when his grandfather told him when he got back.


    In the past, the Yu Family had sent top-notch seafood to him every few days or so. He had thought abalones and sea cucumbers were easy to get. Sob sob sob, he was so wrong. What should I do? Save me, Uncle Yu, Xiaocao...

 Chapter 246 – Losing Control

    <h4>Chapter 246 ¨C Losing Control</h4>


    ¡°Alright! Stop trying to look so pitiful, you look like such a wuss!¡± Yu Xiaocao nted her eyes at Third Young Master Zhou, who was biting on his handkerchief and sobbing pitifully. She couldn¡¯t help but make fun of him again.


    Third Young Master Zhou ced his hands on his heart as tears pooled in his eyes. The expression on his face was mournful and it looked as if he was using Xiaocao of having a heart of stone!


    Yu Xiaocao swiftly calcted what was needed and then carelessly waved her hand at him, ¡°Stop pretending! Isn¡¯t it just half a catty¡¯s worth of dried seafood every month?! I¡¯ll talk to Father when I get back home. You also know that my father is a good hand at gathering and catching seafood. There¡¯s nothing too difficult for him!¡±


    The tears in Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s eyes momentarily evaporated and the wretched-looked expression on his face also disappeared. He looked at her with trust in his eyes and nodded his head, ¡°After hearing your words, my heart is at ease and I now have a n! Xiaocao, your family is truly my savior, my lucky star...¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough! I¡¯m back home, so you should go do what you need to do ah¡ª¡ªoh right, when do we need to start supplying the dried seafood?¡± Yu Xiaocao reliably asked for the crucial detail.


    Worry crawled up Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s face again as he said, ¡°It¡¯s been almost a month since the emperor has bestowed us with this position, so then the dried seafood requirements start next month...now the seawater is a bit cold and it¡¯s not a good time for people to go out to sea, what do you...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao verified with the little divine stone silently first and then waved her hand in dismissal at the youth, ¡°Alright, I know! At the beginning of next month,e to my family¡¯s residence to receive the dried seafood...¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou asked somewhat hesitantly, ¡°At this time of year, can Uncle Yu really handle it? Xiaocao, I don¡¯t want Uncle Yu and your family to have something happen because of my family¡¯s situation...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt very grateful inside yet kept a tranquil expression on her face as she mildly replied, ¡°My family still has some dried seafood at home. Originally the n was to eat that seafood ourselves but my parents thought that it would be too wasteful for us to eat something so expensive. We only ate some once during the New Year celebration but since then they couldn¡¯t bear to eat anymore. I estimate we probably still have around one catty¡¯s worth...¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, you guys are truly my saviors!!¡± If Third Young Master Zhou wasn¡¯t currently riding his horse, he likely would have ran over and held her hand out of supreme gratitude...ahem ahem, men and women should not touch when they give or receive things. Since they were both on their respective steeds, he could only use the windows to his soul¡ª¡ªhis eyes, to express his gratitude and respect.


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a look full of dislike and said, ¡°Wipe that disgusting expression off your face. Just looking at it gives me the chills!¡±


    After settling the problem of next month, Third Young Master Zhou was in an incredibly good mood. He noticed that they were both about to enter through Tanggu Town¡¯s gates, so he enthusiastically invited Xiaocao over for a meal.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes. This morning, she had left very early from Dongshan Vige. Although Little Red was a young and small animal, it had been raised on mystic-stone water, so it wasn¡¯t any slower than an adult horse. At this time, wasn¡¯t it still around eight in the morning? What kind of meal did he want to treat her to? She had already eaten breakfast and it wasn¡¯t time for lunch either. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t being sincere since he wanted to treat her to a meal now.


    ¡°I need to head back after getting my supplies so I can make some medicinal cuisine to nourish my godmother¡¯s body. I¡¯ll take a rain check on this meal! That being said, when can¡¯t I get a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant? Anyway, you¡¯ve already set aside a private table for me, so I can use it whenever I want. Therefore, you treating me to a meal doesn¡¯t have much meaning!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a slightly smug yet sweet expression on her face.


    On one of the side streets was Zhu Junyang, who had gone out early to help his mother buy some side dishes. He coincidentally came across this scene. He looked at the small, porcin-skinned face that still had traces of baby fat on it. Under the warm light of the beautiful morning that had clouds drifting by, her face looked extremely full of life, especially her pair of vivid and limpid doe-like eyes. Her eyes seemed like they could speak volumes and were full of a mystical spiritual energy. He had never seen a little girl before who was more real or adorable than her. She seemed to have some sort of maic attractioning off of her, no matter how far away she was, she could always draw his attention...


    As if she could feel his gaze on her, Yu Xiaocao moved her pair of lively eyes in his direction. The two of them made eye contact in the sea of bustling people.


    People walked to and fro on the bustling street, and there was nock of rich people dressed to the nines in fine brocade. However, Royal Prince Yang seemed to be the only one that mattered. Everyone else in the area melded into the background, while he seemed to be glowing. His mere presence attracted multiple looks from all of the young maidens and matrons in the area.


    Yu Xiaocao calmly stared at Zhu Junyang, who wasn¡¯t standing far away. In her previous life, even the most attractive and handsome teen idol celebrities couldn¡¯t hold a candle to Royal Prince Yang¡¯s looks. He had a fine nose, as if it was sculpted by the best stic surgeons, and extremely attractive, lightly-pink lips that were on the thinner side. His sword-like eyebrows were full and arched perfectly on his face. There wasn¡¯t a part of his body that wasn¡¯t perfect!


    The more attractive part of him was that air of slight apathy that came off of him. He was a solitary man in a vast world, as stately and independent as a mountain. asionally, in his cold eyes, there would be a sh of loneliness that could draw a person to drown in that pair of deep eyes.


    In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao was the epitome of a person who was drawn to looks. Her favorite celebrities were the teen idols who had beautiful and handsome faces. Consequently, she couldn¡¯t help but appreciate people who were extremely good-looking.


    Ever since Zhu Junyang had reached the age of twelve to thirteen, he always had the admiring gazes from young, well-bred maidens following him. About four to five years ago, he had found it harder and harder to endure those adoring yet calcting stares. His special ability made him be able to feel every little bit of attention that was on him.


    All of the well-off youngdies pretended to be shy and timid on the outside. However, all of them were acting. Despite their virtuous and gentle exteriors, they all hid calcting and scheming hearts. Some of them liked him because of his looks; others liked him because of his status as the Third Young Master of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. And then, there were even some who wanted to get close to him because of his lord father¡¯s power and prestige...


    He had never encountered a person like this little girl in front of him, who purely appreciated him as his own person. It made him feel like he was the most wless jade, the most movingndscape. Her appreciation didn¡¯t have a hint of an ulterior motive. Within his dark and icy heart, a ray of zing light seemed to have appeared, cutting through the dense murkiness and warming his entire body.


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that the young royal prince had a jar full of pickled vegetables. She dismounted from her horse and walked towards him with a genial smile on her face. She greeted him, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you¡¯re out so early to help the princess consort to buy side dishes ah!¡±


    The princess consort really enjoyed the appetizers from the pickled vegetable stand that Xiaocao had invested into, especially the sweet and sour crispy radishes. Every day, when she ate her congee, she needed to eat some to help her finish the meal. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat much. Xiaocao calcted the number of days that had passed since thest time she had brought some radishes, that she had personally pickled herself, over. It was around the right time to get more. She had been busy these past few days with helping her godmother and younger brother settle down, so she didn¡¯t have the time to send some more to the princess consort.


    Zhu Junyang silently looked at her without even nodding or shaking his head. It looked like he had no intention in replying to her. Yu Xiaocao knew from the princess consort¡¯s stories that her youngest son had an entric personality and didn¡¯t like to talk. So, she didn¡¯t hold the expectation that he might talk to her.


    Just as she was about to find some words to say farewell, the young royal prince unexpectedly opened his mouth, ¡°Mhm! This stand¡¯s products are even more delicious than the ones in the capital!¡±


    Well that was obvious, just look at who they got their recipes from! Xiaocao silently joked inside and a somewhat arrogant expression showed up on her face. Little Jiang¡¯s family¡¯s pickled vegetable stand was no longer located in that deste and remote food market anymore. They had not only moved into main food market but also rented arger area to sell their goods.


    A while back, Xiaocao had written a few more pickled vegetable recipes for them. Little Jiang was very talented at making pickled vegetables. The pickled vegetables he made after following her recipes were almost at her level. Thus, the Jiang Family¡¯s pickled vegetable stand¡¯s reputation had long spread throughout Tanggu town. In addition, their pickled vegetables were tasty and priced affordably. No matter how rich or how poor someone was, everyone was able to afford their products and enjoyed eating them. Every day the line of people waiting to buy pickled vegetables at the stand almost rivaled the line of people at Zhenxiu Restaurant waiting to buy osmanthus duck and roasted chicken. Xiaocao¡¯s dividends naturally increased with every passing month. The little girl¡¯s personal savings had multiplied again!


    Zhu Junyang was somewhat puzzled when he noticed the slightly proud expression on Xiaocao¡¯s face. Suddenly, he remembered that hisdy mother had told him that the pickled vegetables they had been eating for the past couple of days had been personally made by this little girl. Perhaps...


    ¡°Does your family own the Jiang Family¡¯s pickled vegetable stand?¡± That couldn¡¯t be right. If it was owned by her family, why wouldn¡¯t it be called the Yu Family¡¯s pickled vegetable stand instead? Zhu Junyang became even more confused.


    When she saw the puzzled look on the young royal prince¡¯s face, Yu Xiaocao became even more proud. The corners of her mouth lifted up and she raised her tiny nose towards the sky. She snorted and then stated, ¡°Although the pickled vegetable stand isn¡¯t owned by my family, it¡¯s still rted to me! Many of the pickled vegetables they sell were all thought up by me. The sweet and sour crispy radishes and wine-pickled soybeans in your hands are examples of my handiwork!¡±


    The wine-pickled soybeans were savory, spicy, and had an aroma of wine. Zhu Junyang immediately liked these pickled soybeans from the first time he ate some. The sweet and sour crispy radishes were tasty and crisp, so they were hisdy mother¡¯s favorites. Both of these, however, had been crafted by the little girl in front of him who hadn¡¯t even reached the age of ten. It was hard to say whether people should praise her for being talented or admonish her for being too dazzling.


    ¡°I really want to open up that little skull of yours and find out how many weird and entric ideas you have in there...¡± Young Royal Prince, was it really okay for you to say such scary things with such an admiring tone?


    Yu Xiaocao immediately covered her head with one of her hands and pretended to panic, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to open it up! If you don¡¯t open up my head, you still have the opportunity to find out what else I know. However, if you open it, then the only thing you¡¯ll see is the whitish-gray color of my brains...¡±


    Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with bloodshed. In the time period before he was able to control himself, he had an explosive temper and had ended up hurting a lot of people. However, those people all deserved the pain! Regardless, he had seen the aftermath of his violence before. Whenever he thought of that happening to this odd yet lively little girl in front of him, Zhu Junyang felt his heart ache in rejection!


    ¡°With this prince around, who would dare to harm you?!¡± A wave of brutality surfaced within Zhu Junyang¡¯s body and rushed out. His pair of icy eyes suddenly seemed to be overwhelmed by a sea of red. Next to him was his bodyguard of many years, Wu Deshun, and the other man¡¯s heart fell to the ground as he thought in despair, ¡®We¡¯re screwed! Master has lost control of his temper again! There are so many people on the street, who knows how many will be injured? Master only took me along today when he went out, but I¡¯m not able to hold him back ah!!¡¯


    ¡°Eh? Weren¡¯t you the one who said that you wanted to open up my skull ah? Howe you suddenly forgot this?¡± Xiaocao¡¯s voice was as clear as a raindrop, and it managed to pour into Zhu Junyang¡¯s consciousness. In an instant, the rage building inside of him was washed away into smoke.


    Her heavenly voice caressed him and pulled Zhu Junyang¡¯s reason back into the forefront. Reason gradually returned into his eyes and the smell of brutality emanating from his body gradually dissipated into mist. Wu Deshun was astonished and his mouth fell open until it could hold two chicken eggs, ¡®Oh my god! Master was somehow able to control himself! I have never seen something like this before, where he was able to pull himself back from the abyss! This...could this be rted to the little girl in front of me?¡¯

 Chapter 247 – Decide Behind Closed Doors

    <h4>Chapter 247 ¨C Decide Behind Closed Doors</h4>


    Wu Deshun knew who Miss Yu was. She was an ordinary little girl from a farming family and had a good hand at cooking. She was a bit more bold than other little girls and also more clever. Nothing more than that...and that was his previous impression of her. Now, he saw her in apletely different light. With one sentence, the little girl had the ability to bring his master back from the depths of brutality back into reason. This was something that only her royal highness, the princess consort, was capable of! Perhaps, that little girl had a special ce in his master¡¯s heart? A ce that almost came up to the princess consort¡¯s?


    As soon as that thought popped up, Wu Deshun felt horrified! His master had only seen this little girl a couple of times before, right? Could it be the legendary ¡®love at first sight¡¯? That couldn¡¯t be true. The little girl only looked around ten years of age. Could his master possibly have tastes that ran towards the youthful??


    As for Yu Xiaocao, she was actually not as serene and ignorant as she seemed on the outside. Her heart was thumping in her chest as if it was about to jump out. She had truly thought she was one step from losing her life in that earlier scenario. The murderous aura that came out of the young royal prince seemed like an imcable wave, one that she could instantly drown in. His bloodshot eyes didn¡¯t look like eyes that belonged to a human. They more closely resembled the eyes of a savage beast!


    Regardless, she wasn¡¯t a true ten year old girl. Her previous life had been hard and she was well versed at dealing with difficult situations. Thus, she knew that it was important to stay calm and cool. During that instant when everything was about to suffocate her, she battled fiercely to keep her voice as natural as possible. She did so because she had a hazy feeling that the sound of her voice had the ability to cate a person¡¯s heart. Luckily, she had gambled correctly and managed to save not only her own life but also all of the lives of the people around them!


    That pair of fierce eyes, which still faintly emitted a crazed aura, fixedly stared at Xiaocao¡¯s slightly wan little face. Drops of sweat bloomed onto his forehead. Had he almost lost control of himself in front of her? He truly didn¡¯t want to hurt her yet the opposite effect had urred.


    He did his best to recall what had happened in those moments when was about to lose control. He had always thought that ability of his, the one that he detested bitterly yet had no choice but to ept, shouldn¡¯t be allowed in this world. Perhaps he was wrong, perhaps the thing that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world was himself? The more he tried to be closer to a person, the easier it would be for him to hurt that person. That little girl had given him moments of light and freedom, and he didn¡¯t want to destroy her in a pique of insanity. Perhaps the right choice would be to stay far away from her!


    Zhu Junyang hadn¡¯t yet realized that he had finally found another person that he wanted to protect, other than his parents and his siblings. Perhaps his heart, which didn¡¯t know what love was, only wanted to protect that girl who was so precious and sincere...


    Wu Deshun noticed that his master wasn¡¯t speaking, so he secretly wiped his forehead that was crowded with sweat. He whispered, ¡°Miss Yu, my master was only joking with you earlier...¡±


    Eh? Such a grim and unfeeling master could actually crack a joke? That seemed...not right!


    ¡°You...should quickly leave!¡± Zhu Junyang reinstated his usual cold and apathetic demeanor. His icy eyes didn¡¯t dare to look towards that other pair of clear, limpid eyes that seemed to see right through a person¡¯s soul.


    Yu Xiaocao lightly curled her lips as she thought, ¡®Even if you didn¡¯t try to shoo me away, I would still dly leave now! With that unpredictable temper of yours, the more time I spend with you, the more likely I¡¯ll get hurt! This little baby was truly scared to death earlier!!¡¯


    ¡°Alright! I still need to cook some medicinal cuisine for my godmother, so I¡¯ll take my leave now! Feel free to shop around.¡± Yu Xiaocao did her best to keep a natural looking smile on her face as she lightly conversed with the young royal prince before she left. Although her movements looked unhurried, she was actually thinking, ¡®I need to get away from this crazy dinosaur!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang watched as that slight figure on a tiny horse slowly disappeared into the distance. His heart felt as if it had a hole in it, and he wasn¡¯t quite sure why he was feeling so irritable. Once his uneasy emotions surfaced again, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t dare to spend any more time on the streets and went directly back to the residence.


    That night, Princess Consort Jing found out what had happened from Wu Deshun. Her youngest son had almost lost control of himself on the streets. She felt both anxious and joyful at the same time. When she found out that Yu Xiaocao was able to calm her son down from the brink of snapping with a single sentence, her hands suddenly froze.


    In these past ten years, she was well aware of what her youngest son was like when he lost control of himself and fell into the influence of negative emotions. Other than herself, no one else had the ability to bring him back into reason.


    Ever since her youngest son started studying martial arts with the estate¡¯s private tutor, he progressed quickly. Zhu Junyang had a natural talent for this and also had Steward Liu privately instructing him as well. By the time he was twelve to thirteen years old, he was able to fight a match with his martial arts teacher, who was going all out, and let it go to a draw.


    Since he was such an expert, whenever he lost control, he would naturally cause rivers of blood to flow. Although all of the people Zhu Junyang harmed deserved it in his eyes as they all harbored bad intentions, no one else knew that. If it wasn¡¯t for the people in Prince Jing¡¯s Estate doing everything they could to suppress the rumors, his bad reputation for being indiscriminately violent would have long spread throughout the capital. However, there weren¡¯t any walls in this world that didn¡¯t let in wind. She really didn¡¯t know what sort of consequences her son would face once one of these situations became known to the public.


    Her youngest son was almost seventeen years old, so he was already at the age to talk about engagement and marriage. She had her eyes on a couple of well-bred maidens in the capital, but she truly didn¡¯t dare to suggest a marriage with any of their families. It was because her youngest son¡¯s temper was like a bomb that was about to explode at any time. As his mother, she also couldn¡¯t stay by his side all the time, what if...she didn¡¯t even want to contemte what might happen!


    In addition, her youngest son didn¡¯t seem to be very interested in any of the eligible young women in the capital. Some of the bolder maidens have tried to get closer to him, but he never seemed to have a stable mood at those times. If this continued, what could be done? Zhu Junyang¡¯s future marriage prospects was a problem that truly worried Princess Consort Jing a lot!


    However, today she had heard from one of her son¡¯s personal bodyguards that the Yu Family¡¯s young girl was able to bring her youngest son back to reason with one sentence. Princess Consort Jing¡¯s eyes lit up. It was as if she was someone who had previously lost her way in a maze but now knew which direction to go.


    The Yu Family¡¯s daughter eh? Uh huh! That little girl was quite likeable! Although she was born in a farmer¡¯s family, she didn¡¯t have the airs and pettiness of someone from a lowly birth. When she was interacting with her, the little girl was neither servile nor overbearing. Her manner was naturally cordial and made people feelfortable. She was also talented at cooking medicinal cuisine...the most important part was that she was able to calm her youngest son down! The more Princess Consort Jing thought the more she thought that the little girl was the perfect person to be her son¡¯s future wife.


    What about her status? That absolutely wasn¡¯t a problem!! Prince Jing¡¯s Estate wasn¡¯t a family that was mired in tradition and insisted on a bride with a high position!! That being said, wasn¡¯t the little girl the adopted daughter of General Fang? The emperor himself highly trusted and valued General Fang. Once construction on the Tanggu Harbor was finished, General Fang was naturally going to get a promotion. Then that little girl would also have her status rise. She would be the daughter of a third ranked official. In the eyes of outsiders, that was more than enough to match with her son, and it would actually be a very good match!


    What about age? A man being five to six years older than his wife wasn¡¯t considered outrageous, right? There were couples in the capital that had a twenty to thirty year gap between the man and woman! Furthermore, wasn¡¯t General Fang almost ten years older than his wife ah? The two of them had a great rtionship and were a loving couple envied by many people. That being said, having the man being older was a good thing; he would know how to take care of his wife then!


    However, the little girl was only ten years old right now. If her son wanted to bring this bride back, he would have to wait a few more years. Waiting was fine. As long as he had a goal, it was still much better than waiting around with no goal and despairing!


    Now that she had a solution to her youngest son¡¯s marriage problems, Princess Consort Jing felt as if a weight had fallen off her shoulders. She felt giddy and light inside. She didn¡¯t worry about whether these two had any feelings for each other! She knew her son¡¯s personality. If he really didn¡¯t care about that little girl, why would he snap back into reason after hearing one sentence from her?


    As for whether Yu Xiaocao wanted to marry her son, Princess Consort Jing also didn¡¯t think this was a big problem. Familiarity bred fondness. In the future, she was going to create more opportunities for them to meet more frequently. Her son¡¯s looks were simr to hers, so he was quite handsome ah! She was quite convinced that there wasn¡¯t anyone in this world who could resist such a stunningly handsome face!


    Your Highness, was this called self confidence or narcissism?


    Before Princess Consort Jing could make an opportunity for her youngest son to meet the little girl again, Zhu Junyang sped back to the capital with a few of his bodyguards. He had neglected his duties back at the capital in order to take a break to visit hisdy mother. If a resolute person wanted to take ahold of this, then he would be in a lot of trouble. Even being a rtive to the emperor might not save him from something like that.


    Luckily, his trip to Tanggu Town wasn¡¯t without any progress. The Yu Family¡¯s astonishing ability to grow the new nts was more than enough to get him out of this problem. Zhu Junyang lowered his head to look at the corn seedling that was wrapped with some cloth at the bottom of its roots. He had taken this from the Yu Family¡¯s fields. When that little girl found out that he was bringing it back to the capital, she especially gave him a bottle of water and reminded him repeatedly to water the roots with a few drops from time to time. This was to avoid the corn seedling from dying of thirst.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but smile whenever he remembered that little girl reminding him. She had such an adult expression on her tiny little face. Eh? Why was he thinking about that little girl again? Didn¡¯t he already make a decision to stay far away from her and that the best thing to do was to stop thinking about her too? Zhu Junyang frowned fiercely. What was going on with his emotions?


    Since he was afraid that the corn seedling wouldn¡¯t survive the journey, Zhu Junyang spent all of his time traveling, eating and resting on the road. The route that usually took three days toplete ended up only taking them less than two days. He had just gotten back home, washed up, and changed when the emperor summoned him to the pce.


    Inside the imperial study, Jianwen Emperor pointed at the table full of notebooks using the royal prince for misconduct. A faint smile was on the emperor¡¯s face as he remarked, ¡°Junyang ah, look at this! It hasn¡¯t been half a month and you¡¯ve already caused this much trouble for me! Some of these are using you of taking advantage of my favor while others are using you of neglecting your duty. A few even use you of not regarding me, the emperor, with respect...do you have an exnation for me?¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t feel any displeasureing off of the emperor. He calmly looked around the imperial study. Among the few trusted aids and officials was the Minister of Revenue, who looked quite worried. Zhu Junyang stayed expressionless within this atmosphere that smelled faintly of malice. He ced the flower pot within his hands lightly on the table in front of the emperor.


    The emperor looked at the vigorous nt within the pot and then cracked a joke, ¡°What is this? Are you giving me a present in front of all of these officials? And in such a grandiose and confident manner? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s another person as bold as you, Zhu Junyang. If you want to bribe us, then you need to tell us just what this precious nt is, right?¡±


    ¡°Corn!¡± Zhu Junyang cherished each word that came out of his mouth like it was worth gold. His love of silence really made the emperor want to smack him a few times. Do you dare to say this even more abruptly?


    The Minister of Revenue¡¯s eyes lit up and he scurried closer to look at the nt carefully, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, are you saying that this stalk is a corn seedling? Prince Yang, you were able to nt and grow corn?¡±


    The few plots ofnd that were set aside on the imperial farms did not have their experiments go well. In some of the plots, the corn seedlings grew sparsely and were quite fragmented. Those fields had a very low yield. The other plots ofnd produced plenty of corn seedlings, but they weren¡¯t vibrant and lively. All of them were yellowing as if they didn¡¯t get enough nutrition. Some of the more experienced farmers sighed when they saw this and then said that it looked as if they might not even produce enough corn to get the seeds they used back.

 Chapter 248 – Bad Habit

    <h4>Chapter 248 ¨C Bad Habit</h4>


    The emperor himself had said that corn was a high-yielding crop that wasn¡¯t picky about the type ofnd it was nted in. But howe when it was put into the Ministry of Revenue hands, they couldn¡¯t even grow enough to return the seeds they spent? All of the officials had fretted non-stop throughout this past half a month. The minister himself felt like more than half of his hair had gone white from worry!


    The emperor cared about the country and its people. He especially cared about the people¡¯s livelihoods. If the high-yielding crop, corn, was ruined in their hands, then they didn¡¯t know if they could still keep the officials¡¯ hats on their heads!


    Today, the Minister of Revenue had finally seen hope in the form of one stalk of corn. Although it was only a single stalk, it had a healthy vibrant green color and was growing very vigorously in the pot. Apparently it wasn¡¯t because corn couldn¡¯t be grown in their country; it was because they were using the wrong methods!


    ¡°Royal Prince Yang, may I ask you how you nted this stalk of corn?¡± All of the resentment the Minister of Revenue had towards Prince Yang momentarily disappeared into thin air.


    An old man in his fifties, who had wrinkles all over his face, was staring avidly and adoringly at Royal Prince Yang. If the youth didn¡¯t have a strong heart, then he would probably have nightmarester on that night!


    He shifted slightly to the side and nced at an official who emitted waves of malice¡ª¡ªthis was Imperial Censor Yang. Zhu Junyang wondered idly when he had offended this censor with an iron face. He didn¡¯t think he had beaten up this man¡¯s son before, right?


    ¡°Royal Prince Yang, this corn seedling looks quite healthy. Looks like a lot of effort has been put in, right?¡± The person who had just spoken was the Left Commander-in-chief Du. He had a decent rtionship with Prince Jing.


    Zhu Junyang looked at his older cousin, the emperor, who was sitting behind the notebooks criticizing him and was avidly watching this entire scene. The youth replied with an expressionless face, ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty, this stalk of corn wasn¡¯t actually nted by me. As for the methods used, this official only knows a little.¡±


    ¡°Eh? It wasn¡¯t nted by you? Then where did this stalke from? Don¡¯t tell us that this stalk came from a kernel that had inadvertently fallen to the ground, germinated, and grown ah!¡± The Jianwen Emperor, Zhu Junfan, raised an eyebrow and switched out the hand that was cradling his chin as he looked at his cousin with eyes sparkling with excitement.


    His little younger male cousin had always seemed like a tiny adult since he was a child. His face was always serious and unexpectedly always had a distant expression on it. Who knew that his youthful good looksbined with his constipated expression would give off a slightly adorable impression. Zhu Junfan was older than his cousin by almost ten years, so he had loved teasing him since he was young. Being able to see his cousin¡¯s angry and also ¡®I¡¯m not lowering myself to your level¡¯ facial expressions was truly too funny and interesting!


    Zhu Junyang had long gotten ustomed to the emperor¡¯s odd idea of fun, so he knew how to handle him. He replied in an icy tone, ¡°At the docks, I met a little girl from a farming family and gave her family some seeds to let them experiment. This corn was nted by that girl¡¯s farming family!¡±


    ¡°A girl from a farming family? How old is she? Is she beautiful?¡± Zhu Junfan¡¯s eyes abruptly lit up. His little cousin had plenty of admirers in the capital due to his remarkable looks. However, he was as slow as a block of wood and didn¡¯t understand the fairer sex. No matter who he was interacting with, he would always regard them with that cold and detached expression. Who knew how many fair maidens had gotten their hearts broken by him! This guy had unexpectedly paid attention to a girl from a farming family and even gave her a gift. Did springtime finallye for his cousin?


    ¡®Emperor, we¡¯re discussing official business right now. Why does it look like you¡¯re more interested in gossiping, just what are your intentions?¡¯ Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyebrows slowly went up his face as his stiffly said, ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty, that girl from a farming family has not yet reached the age of ten. As for whether she¡¯s beautiful or not...this official doesn¡¯t know what standards you are using to determine beauty!¡±


    ¡®She¡¯s not yet ten?? Who would have thought that his younger cousin had pedo urges ah!!¡¯ The emperor rubbed his chin somewhat wretchedly and continued, ¡°My standard of beauty? As long as you don¡¯t think she¡¯s ugly or irksome, that¡¯s considered beautiful!¡±


    The image of that tender little face, dark and lively huge eyes, a petal of a mouth that liked to smile, and her bevy expressions that drew a person¡¯s eyes suddenly came to his mind. Zhu Junyang¡¯s icy cold look became gentle as he nodded his head, ¡°Neither ugly nor irksome!¡±


    The Minister of Revenue became anxious the more the emperor went off topic! He rubbed his hands incessantly and he finally couldn¡¯t help but interrupt the conversation, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, this corn was nted by that girl¡¯s farming family?¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t have any ill will towards Minister Liu, who was only trying with all his heart toplete their task. He looked at the other man in the eye and nodded, ¡°This girl¡¯s farming family is famous in the area for being experts at growing nts. The family¡¯s vegetables are all ripe out of season, so they sell it ahead of the other farmers! At this time, their family¡¯s watermelons are also ripe and they even taste better than the ones found in the capital! This time when this official went to Tanggu Town, I also wanted to find out if this family was able to grow the corn that we¡¯ve had so much trouble with. Sure enough, they didn¡¯t disappoint this official...¡±


    ¡®Eh? There must be something...going on.¡¯ His younger cousin, who usually regarded his words as if they were gold, unexpectedly was quite talkative when he was describing the little farmer¡¯s girl! (Zhu Junyang¡¯s thoughts: Emperor, howe you only selectively hear me talking about that little girl? This official is obviously describing how her family knows how to raise crops!)


    ¡®That can¡¯t be right!¡¯ Springtime in the northern parts of the country was on the colder side. At the beginning of spring, there was still frost early in the morning andte at night, how could they possibly be able to grow green vegetables? As for watermelons, weren¡¯t they a summer crop? It was barely the middle of spring, yet their watermelons were already ripe...perhaps, the little farmer girl¡¯s family had someone who had transmigrated over and knew how to craft greenhouse-like canopies? That can¡¯t be right either! This era currently didn¡¯t have any stics technology, how could they make a canopy? Perhaps, the little farmer girl¡¯s family had someone who had a special magical space where they could nt crops? Didn¡¯t the novels frequently write that transmigrators often had these magical spaces when they crossed over ah?!


    Zhu Junfan firmly believed that there were definitely other people besides himself and his imperial grandfather who transmigrated over to this world. He had always kept an eye out and looked for other transmigrators like him. Did he finally find one?


    ¡°Junyang ah, who in that little girl¡¯s family is better at nting things? How could they possibly make nts grow and ripen out of season?¡± Zhu Junfan was in good spirits, so he asked for more details.


    Zhu Junyang thought for a bit. Yu Xiaocao was able to recognize corn in a nce and even knew the method to nt it. There were two possibilities. The first was that she had already seen corn before. The second was that she was somehow simr to his older cousin, the emperor, and knew of the existence of corn despite no one else in the country knowing about it! Xiaocao also apparently didn¡¯t want the emperor to find out that there was something different about her. Although he wasn¡¯t sure why, he also didn¡¯t want the emperor to be interested in the little girl. He shook his head, ¡°This official also doesn¡¯t know the answer. I only know that the little farming girl¡¯s family¡¯s vegetables are all taken care of by her mother, whereas she takes care of the watermelons along with her father.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Junyang, you seem to know quite an amount of details regarding her family¡¯s circumstances!¡± His younger cousin was the type of youth who turned a blind eye to the number one beauty in the capital, yet he knew so much about this little farming girl. If people imed that there wasn¡¯t more to the story, even a fool wouldn¡¯t believe that!


    Zhu Junyang nodded his head confidently, ¡°That little farming girl is also the adopted daughter of General Fang! When Lady Fang was in Tanggu Town, she often spent time chatting with mydy mother.¡±


    Although Zhu Junyang¡¯s words provided a reason as to why he knew so much about this girl¡¯s family, Zhu Junfan still felt that his younger cousin had a different type of attitude towards her. However, feelings and emotions weren¡¯t something that could be rushed. That little girl was only ten years old. Judging from his younger cousin¡¯s expression, he was pretty sure that he was still far froming to a conclusion. ¡®Take your time, everything will be clear in the future!¡¯


    ¡°Emperor, this official would like to go to Tanggu Town, I ask Your Imperial Majesty for permission!¡± Minister Liu couldn¡¯t be patient anymore and immediately kneeled down in front of the table. Someone was able to grow corn and do it extremely well. Minister Liu wished beyond reason that he could grow a pair of wings right now and fly to that person. He needed to figure out the right method to nt corn and write down all of the details!


    Everyone had to admit that Minister Liu was truly an official who cared about the country and its people. He was the type of man who would never give up toplete his goal of bettering the world.


    ¡°Minister Liu, are you trying to steal this task away from me?¡± For some reason, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want Minister Liu to go there. He wasn¡¯t sure why he felt this way, but he thought it was because if the other man went, he would be taking the task away from him. That wouldn¡¯t do! He finally had a good excuse to go to Tanggu Town to apany hisdy mother, he absolutely could not allow the other man to steal this away from him!


    There was another secret hidden within a corner of his heart; a secret that even he himself wasn¡¯t aware of just yet¡ª¡ªif he continued to have this task, then he would be able to spend more time with her under a proper excuse.


    Psh! Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to stay far away from her? The mind and the heart often had opposing desires, wasn¡¯t that right?


    Minister Liu let out a bbergasted noise for a while before he finally spoke, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, this old official isn¡¯t trying to steal your glory. I merely want to find out the proper method of nting corn as soon as possible...¡±


    ¡°Enough! You two can stop bickering!! Minister Liu, we know that you only have the people¡¯s best interest in your heart. However, this task was originally given to Royal Prince Yang to finish. The little girl and her entire family are also more familiar with him, so it¡¯s still better to leave the task to him.¡±


    Since his younger cousin was interested in the girl, Zhu Junfan naturally had to create some opportunity for him ah! There was amon saying: ¡®familiarity breeds fondness¡¯. The more time his younger cousin could spend with the girl, the more he¡¯ll understand the emotions of his heart. However, that little girl was really too young right now. His younger cousin had to wait at least five to six years before he could do anything! He had to wait! Emperor, was it really alright for you to take pleasure in your younger cousin¡¯s conundrum?


    Minister Liu felt as if there was a cat scratching at his insides. He truly wanted to see with his own eyes how corn was grown. He stubbornly continued to ask for permission, ¡°Emperor, please give permissions for this official to go along with Royal Prince Yang when he next travels to Tanggu Town!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Permission granted!!¡± Zhu Junfan had a good understanding of the Minister of Revenue¡¯s stubborn personality. If he didn¡¯t let him go, the old man might be so anxious that he became ill. The fact that Minister Liu was very meticulous in his duties wasn¡¯t a bad thing!


    The corn that Zhu Junyang brought back from Tanggu Town was a potent weapon against the officials who used him of misconduct¡ª¡ªthis prince wasn¡¯t neglecting his duty to see hisdy mother, this prince was managing official business! This prince only went to Tanggu Town to figure out the method of nting corn, being able to see mydy mother was only just a perk, that¡¯s all...


    Royal Prince Yang, don¡¯t you feel even the tiniest bit ashamed for telling such a lie?!


    Just as Zhu Junyang was about to leave the imperial study, his older cousin, the emperor, suddenly interjected, ¡°Junyang ah! Didn¡¯t you mention that the little farming girl¡¯s watermelons are ripe now? Did you bring any back?¡±


    Zhu Junyang and all of the other officials within the study felt like there were ck lines on their foreheads: Emperor, was it really alright for you to overtly demand goods from your officials?


    Zhu Junyang nced down and sternly said, ¡°This official rushed back here as fast as I could, so I naturally couldn¡¯t bring much over. The bodyguards who are still on the road will bring some watermelons over. Once the melons enter the capital, this official will personally send some over to you.¡±


    It was okay to wait a couple more days as long as he got watermelon to eat! Zhu Junfan grinned contently and then waved a hand, hinting that the prince could leave now.


    As he left the imperial pce, Zhu Junyang had a stormy expression on his face which made people want to stay away from him. Naturally, none of the other officials wanted to try their luck. However, Minister Liu could not be considered a man who went with the crowd. He scampered over and inquired, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, were you telling the truth when you said that the family grows vegetables at the start of spring and watermelons that can be eaten now?¡±


    ¡°Who would dare to lie in front of the emperor? Deceiving the monarch is a serious crime!¡± Zhu Junyang snarled back in a bad temper.

 Chapter 249 – Imperial Prince

    <h4>Chapter 249 ¨C Imperial Prince</h4>


    Minister Liu still tactlessly continued, ¡°When the watermelons get there, could you possibly give this old man one? Don¡¯t misunderstand me, this old man isn¡¯t asking for one because I want to eat it. I want to research it a bit, find out how just how exactly they¡¯re able to ripen watermelons out of season. Could it be a new breed...¡±


    Under the barrage of Minister Liu¡¯s questions, Zhu Junyang started to feel a bit impatient. He wrinkled his good looking eyebrows and red at the man before he said, ¡°Won¡¯t all of these questions of yours be answered when you arrive at Tanggu Town and meet the Yu Family?¡±


    After finishing, he turned around and only let Minister Liu see a tall straight back. If it was any other person on the receiving end of this, that person would have hated the prince. However, Minister Liu reacted differently. He patted his hat as if he suddenly realized something and muttered to himself, ¡°I was being too literal! You are right, Royal Prince Yang. Once I get to Tanggu Town, won¡¯t I know everything?¡±


    The Left Commander in Chief, Official Du, guffawed and said, ¡°Congrattions, Official Liu. You have finally solved a big problem. Let¡¯s go and drink a couple cups of wine tonight?¡±


    ¡°Another day ah, this old man needs to go back and organize some questions I have regarding nting crops. When the momentes, the Yu Family might be able to help this old man figure out some other problems ah! Sure enough, the emperor is truly right¡ª¡ªall of the experts are hidden within the people ah!¡± Minister Liu wiped away the worries from the past dozen days and grinned as he smoothed his beard. He then sped his hands behind his back and strolled towards the exit of the pce.


    Official Du looked at his slowly disappearing back and chuckled as he shook his head. Imperial Censor Yang, on the other hand, lowered his head and walked out, keeping his thoughts close to himself.


    The next day, the watermelons that Zhu Junyang had used a piece of mutton-fat jade to buy had finally arrived in the capital. He fulfilled his promise and first went into the imperial pce to present sixrge watermelons. His older cousin, who had just received a big bonus and had a shameless personality, tsked his tongue when he saw them, ¡°I¡¯ll say, Junyang ah, you transported arge cart of watermelons, but you only give us six of them. You¡¯re really too stingy, eh?¡±


    The muscles on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face twitched as heined inside, ¡®You think that¡¯s too little? Then don¡¯t ask for any ah! If you want more, then you can send people out to buy more ah! It¡¯s not like you¡¯recking for money!¡¯


    ¡°Zhu Junyang ah! Is that new store, Treasure Pavillion, opened by you? Some of the imperial censors are using you of abusing your position for personal gain. They im that when you went out to sea to help us find the new crops, you also smuggled a lot of treasures from the distantnds. What do you think about that, eh?¡± Zhu Junfan had one of his personal eunuchs cut one of the watermelons into pieces. When he saw that the watermelon looked exactly the same as the ones in his previous life, Zhu Junfan felt so moved that he almost cried crocodile tears.


    The watermelons of this world were just too crappy. Although they were sweet and their taste wasn¡¯t too inferiorpared to the ones in his previous life, they were truly too small. The amount of edible red pulp in these watermelons were quite little as the inside flesh was criss-crossed with red and white flesh. It made him, a person who was somewhat obsessivepulsive, feel ufortable whenever he looked at the insides of a watermelon. To him, a watermelon should only look like the ones in front of him: full of delicious red pulp and ck seeds ah!


    Before his cousin could reply, the emperor picked up a piece and crudely took arge bite. Immediately his mouth was filled with sweet, fresh juice that cooled his body. For a moment, it allowed him to fall into his previous life¡¯s memories and reminiscence fondly.


    In his past life, he was the epitome of a science and engineering man. His looks were nothing special and he wore a pair of sses with very thick lenses. His major was shipbuilding at the time and, after he graduated, he found a job that paid him enough that he wouldn¡¯t starve but also not enough to be rich on. By the time he was in his thirties, he still didn¡¯t have a girlfriend. Unexpectedly, an ident urred when he was testing one of the ships and he ended up transmigrating over into this world, bing the grandson of an emperor.


    Even more fantastical was that his imperial grandfather was also a transmigrator. In fact, prior toing over, his ¡®grandfather¡¯ was also a great and well-knownmanding officer of a militarymand in his country. His imperial grandfather had reced the original Zhu Yuanzhang and overthrew the previous Yuan Dynasty in this world. As a funny joke, he decided to call this dynasty the ¡®Great Ming Dynasty¡¯ and also imed that his surname was Zhu because he ¡®didn¡¯t want to change history¡¯. However, the old man didn¡¯t think about the fact that by transmigrating over he had already changed history, right?


    Huh? Somehow his thoughts had gotten quite sidetracked! This watermelon¡¯s taste was quite delicious!! The person who nted this watermelon was likely someone who had transmigrated over from his old world ah! Then how should he reward him (her)?


    ¡°Emperor, this official doesn¡¯t believe that I was taking advantage of my position for my personal gain! Did Your Imperial Majesty forget the words you told me before I went out to sea?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s intuition told him that the person who was using him of misconduct was likely Imperial Censor Yang. He frowned and didn¡¯t bother trying to exin too much.


    Prior to the start of his journey to the west, the emperor had personally promised that, other than the goods he specifically wanted, everything else would be considered his own! All of the money that was used to buy these goods from overseas had alsoe from Zhu Junyang¡¯s personal purse. He only bought the items that caught his eye. How did that be taking advantage of his position for his own personal gain?


    Zhu Junfan naturally wouldn¡¯t forget what he had previously said. However, these words were only said privately between the two of them, so no one else knew. Treasure Pavillion¡¯s goods were not only novel but also expensive. Thus, it had attracted quite a lot of business. No wonder there were some people who were jealous and coveted it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that anymore! Tell us more about that little farming girl¡¯s family¡¯s affairs. Has there been anyone in her family who has almost walked into the gates of hell, survived the catastrophe, and then ended up with a vastly different personality?¡± As long as the person didn¡¯t transmigrate into an infant, transmigration would always leave some clues. Which member of the Yu Family was his old transmigrator friend?


    Zhu Junyang thought for a bit before he stated, ¡°One could say that the Yu Family are people fated to have trouble and misfortune in their lives. Before they split from the main family, they were abused by their respective stepmother/step-grandmother. Xiaocao and her mother have always had poor constitutions. Xiaocao¡¯s father had been savaged by a bear when he was hunting in the mountains and almost died! Luckily, after they split from the family, they managed to stabilize their situation through their own hard work. If I had to guess who had a big personality change, Xiaocao¡¯s father is no longer unquestioningly filial to his stepmother. Does that count?¡±


    ¡®Could Xiaocao¡¯s father possibly be my fellow transmigrator? To be able to grow crops so well, was he possibly a farmer in his past life? Wait, my younger cousin doesn¡¯t seem like his usual taciturn self when he was talking about this little farming girl¡¯s family ah! He had only been in Tanggu Town for a few days yet he knew almost everything about this girl¡¯s family. Even if someone imed that this wasn¡¯t fishy, no one would believe that person!¡¯


    ¡°Junyang ah, you know quite a lot about this Yu Family!¡± Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t forget to make fun of his younger cousin as he continued to eat watermelon.


    Zhu Junyang was about to exin when a flutter of footsteps interrupted him. Shortly thereafter, a young and childish voice spoke, ¡°Imperial Father, Imperial Father, what are you eating?¡±


    Right after that, a tiny little figure dashed through a cluster of flowers and climbed up the tall steps with great effort, his little legs pumping. The child rushed into the octagonal shaped pavilion and hugged Zhu Junfan¡¯s leg. A closer look revealed that this was the eldest imperial prince who had just reached the age of three.


    ¡°Where are your manners? Did you greet your imperial father properly?¡± Soon after, the eldest prince¡¯s mother¡ª¡ªHer Imperial Majesty, the empress, came in. Her voice held a bit of a gentle rebuke in it.


    The eldest prince, who had already climbed up onto his imperial father¡¯s knees, was staring at the watermelon on the table withrge, blinking eyes. He softly said, ¡°Greetings Imperial Father. Imperial Father, you have worked hard¡ª¡ªImperial Father, what is this? Does it taste good?¡±


    Last summer, the little fellow was quite young. Watermelons were a type of cold food, so the empress didn¡¯t dare to give him any to eat. This was also the reason why he didn¡¯t know what watermelons were.


    ¡°This is a watermelon. Your royal uncle brought it back from Tanggu Town! Do you want to try some?¡± Zhu Junfan believed that he was apassionate father as could be seen by the fact the little boy automatically climbed up onto his knees. In his eyes, the ancient people¡¯s thinking of ¡®hugging the grandson but not hugging the son¡¯ wasplete nonsense! When he saw his son¡¯s pitiful look towards the watermelon, his heart softened unconsciously.


    Currently, it was the end of spring and it was still a bit chilly in the early morning and evening. The empress hurriedly interjected, ¡°Emperor, Wen¡¯er is still young and his digestive system is still weak. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not good for him to eat cold foods...¡±


    Zhu Hanwen was afraid that his imperial father would be persuaded by his imperial mother¡¯s words, so he hastily acted spoiled, ¡°Imperial Father, Wen¡¯er only wants to try one small bite, just one bite...Wen¡¯er is already three yet I haven¡¯t tried any watermelon before. Wen¡¯er is so pitiful...¡±


    Zhu Junfan found himself immensely entertained by his antics and pinched the little boy¡¯s face. He looked at the empress andughed, ¡°Where did this little fellow learn this from? He even knows how to act pitiful to get sympathy!¡±


    The empress replied with a helpless expression on her face, ¡°I also don¡¯t know where he learned this. In the past, I¡¯ve never seen him act like this before!¡±


    ¡°Such a clever little fellow! Takes after his imperial father, me!¡± Zhu Junfan used a small knife to take off a piece of watermelon that was the size of a person¡¯s thumb and then put it next to his son¡¯s mouth. He repeatedly warned, ¡°Let it sit in your mouth for a bit. Once it¡¯s warm, then you can swallow it. You can only have one piece. If you eat too much and end up with diarrhea, then you won¡¯t be able to eat watermelon in the future!¡±


    Zhu Hanwen cleverly nodded his head and opened his mouth wide to allow his imperial father to deliver the watermelon inside. He obediently let it sit in his mouth while the tip of his tongue came out to enjoy the sweet taste. It made him so happy that he closed his eyes in pleasure.


    The little fellow held the watermelon in his mouth for a long time before he finally slowly chewed and swallowed it. He couldn¡¯t help but praise the melon, ¡°Imperial Father, watermelon is so delicious. Wen¡¯er wants to eat more, what should I do?¡±


    Zhu Junfan was a person who stuck to his words. He shook his head and stated, ¡°Today, you can only have one bite. Didn¡¯t I just say that earlier?¡±


    Zhu Hanwen didn¡¯t make a fuss and nodded his head obediently. After all, he was still a child, so he still stared at the watermelon on the table. He carefully asked, ¡°Then...can Wen¡¯er eat another bite tomorrow?¡±


    Zhu Junfan pinched his little nose and chuckled, ¡°Wen¡¯er is such a good boy. As a reward, tomorrow you can also have another bite of watermelon!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Thank you Imperial Father, you are too good to me! Wen¡¯er loves you very much...¡± In front of his enlightened father, Zhu Hanwen became a lot more vivacious. Compared to his imperial mother, who restricted him at every turn, he liked his imperial father much more.


    Zhu Junyang watched from the side and observed the warm family reactions between the three of them. Suddenly, his thoughts wandered back to that little vige near Tanggu Town, the simple and crude looking stone table, the delicious food, and the loving and warm household...if his life could be that simple and pure, he would dly abandon everything he had now for that.


    Other than sending some watermelon to the imperial pce, Zhu Junyang gave the rest of the watermelons to his lord father. He had never been the type of person to utilize human emotions and connections to his advantage. All of the families who had good rtionships with Prince Jing¡¯s Estate were all given a present from them¡ª¡ªtworge and round watermelons. Among the people who received them was the Left Commander-in-chief, Lord Du, who had spoken up for Zhu Junyang in the imperial study.


    Minister Liu had also received the gift from Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, and these watermelons were especially picked out by Zhu Junyang himself. Minister Liu¡¯s whole family ate the stunningly sweet watermelon. All of them were bbergasted that their father (husband), who normally never tried to toady himself up, somehow had a good rtionship with Prince Jing. Did he finally see the light and understand the way the world worked after spending decades as an official?


    Zhu Junyang stayed in the capital for two more days before he finally received imperial orders to leave. Minister Liu from the Ministry of Revenue had already impatiently arranged everything and was merely waiting to leave the capital.


    Because they had a court official with them who didn¡¯t know how to ride a horse, it took the group of them three whole days to get to Tanggu Town.


    When they entered Tanggu Town, Zhu Junyang threw Minister Liu into the hands of the county magistrate of Tanggu Town to entertain. He himself returned to his mother¡¯s manor in the town.


    Princess Consort Jing, who was in the garden admiring flowers, pretended to be weak and ailing as soon as her people told her that her youngest son had arrived. She pasted on a worried expression on her face. Meixiang, who had stepped out to steep some flower-scented tea, noticed her mistress¡¯s obvious change when she came back. She was quite puzzled, ¡®She was doing fine just earlier, why did she suddenly be so different now?¡¯

 Chapter 250 – Create an Opportunity

    <h4>Chapter 250 ¨C Create an Opportunity</h4>


    She raised her head and saw the young mastering over. Realization immediately struck her¡ª¡ªthe princess consort must have another devious n, for some reason, to torment the young royal prince.


    ¡°This son greets Lady Mother! What part of Lady Mother¡¯s body is bothering you?¡± Zhu Junyang raised his eyes and immediately noticed that his mother looked ill and sickly, so he asked out of concern.


    Princess Consort Jing hugged her chest and lightly shook her head, ¡°Yang¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. Mother isn¡¯t sick. However, I¡¯m just not in a good mood!¡±


    When Zhu Junyang previously stayed a few days in Tanggu Town, he had discovered that hisdy mother¡¯s condition had really gotten better. Every day he and his second brother apanied her, so hisdy mother was very happy and full of smiles. He was only gone for a few days; why did hisdy mother look so ill and downtrodden again? Was it because she wanted to have him stay by her side and was pretending to be ill and sick again?


    ¡°Lady Mother, I¡¯m here in Tanggu Town under imperial orders, so for the next few months I can stay in town with you. If you have be bored of staying here, then I, your son, can take you to the beach to watch the sunrise, go to Dongshan Vige to look at the construction progress of our vi on the West Mountain, or, if your body is up for it, I can also take you hunting in the West Mountain to let you relieve your mood?¡± Zhu Junyang cared deeply for his mother, who had given him her entire heart and soul.


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s eyes immediately lit up and she almost forgot to continue her act of being a worried mother. She happily asked, ¡°Really? You can spend a long time in Tanggu Town now?¡±


    When Zhu Junyang nodded in assent, Princess Consort Jing suddenly remembered her mission of the day. She retracted the smile on her face and then wailed and signed over a wilting camellia by her side.


    Zhu Junyang now knew why hisdy mother was unhappy. Apparently, his mother had, once again, almost destroyed another valuable camellia. Hisdy mother didn¡¯t have any talent in raising flowers, yet she still insisted on having his lord father help her find valuable nts and flowers for her to look after. However, every single nt that she personally took care of had the exact same oue¡ª¡ªdeath. Even the most experienced gardeners couldn¡¯t bring dead flora back to life. For the sake of her treasured flowers, hisdy mother had shed many tears when they inevitably died. Apparently, hisdy mother¡¯s favorite camellias also didn¡¯t escape her curse.


    ¡°Lady Mother, don¡¯t feel sad. I will have people help you find some more valuable camellias...¡± Zhu Junyang stooped down to look at those camellia nts. One of them looked in quite bad condition as its leaves were mostly dried up and yellow. He wasn¡¯t sure whether the others were still savable.


    Princess Consort Jing let out another sigh, ¡°These camellias were all given to me from Xiaocao, who found them in some ravine or valley of the dangerous West Mountains. I am truly a murderer of nts. I even managed to harm these wild and tenacious camellias...oh right, Xiaocao had once said that if these camellias fell ill, I could find her to help. Yang¡¯er, these camellias are my treasures. Go to the Fang Estate and invite Xiaocao back to help me look at them. Perhaps they can be saved.¡±


    ¡®Camellias are your treasure, so what does that make your son ah?¡¯ The corners of Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth twitched as he recalled what his mother had said when she was trying to stop him from going out to sea. She repeatedly nagged and stated that he was her treasure, her darling baby, and he couldn¡¯t have any idents befall him. At the time, those words sounded a bit corny, but now, when did his status within his mother¡¯s heart had be lower than some camellia nts?


    The sight of his mother¡¯s lowered head with tears spilling out made Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart soften. He repeatedly reassured her, ¡°Lady Mother, don¡¯t feel sad. I will go invite Miss Xiaocao over now. Her family members are all experts are growing nts, so she might be able to save these nts. Just wait a moment, I wille back very quickly with her.¡±


    Only after Zhu Junyang left the garden did Princess Consort Jing lift her head. There wasn¡¯t a hint of worry or sadness on her face. ¡®Stupid brat, I even harmed my most cherished camellia flowers for the sake of creating a chance for you. Look at me working earnestly for your future ah! You must live up to my expectations by spending plenty of time with the little girl and gaining her good impression.¡¯


    However, she had to admit that the camellias Xiaocao gave her were truly quite tenacious. She had ignored them for several days, not giving them any water, yet they still looked lush and bloomed beautifully. It gave her no choice but to grit her teeth and pour some boiling hot tea on top of them...she wasn¡¯t sure if these valuable and lovely camellias were still able to be saved. She still wanted to arrange a flower fair when she got back to capital and show these flowers off in front of that Lady Feng!


    When Zhu Junyang arrived at the Fang Estate, Yu Xiaocao was right in the middle of ying with the newborn lying on the bed! The little fellow was only a couple weeks old yet his body was quite sturdy. When he was awake, he would always incessantly kick his legs to amuse himself. asionally, he¡¯d even let out a few cries of happiness.


    ¡°Second Sister, Little Linlin is so plump and pudgy, which makes him look super cute. He also has a good temperament, not at all like Fatty¡¯s little sister, who cries all the time. She cries in the morning and cries at night. She cries if you hold her and cries if you don¡¯t. Fatty is so annoyed he could die, so he tries to stay as far as possible from her.¡± Today was Little Shitou¡¯s regr break from school. He didn¡¯t go back to Dongshan Vige and instead went to the Fang Residence to see his second sister and take a peek at the new baby.


    The little baby¡¯s skin was very soft and his hands were tiny ah. He even had two tiny little dimples. His bright dark eyes were wide open, roaming around everywhere to look around. The baby was too adorable. Little Shitou was no longer the youngest in the family, and he felt a wave of brotherly feeling for the little fellow as he held the baby in the arms, reluctant to put him down.


    Yu Xiaocao watched as her younger brother held onto her tiny baby brother and felt that the scene was bursting with cuteness ah! If she had a camera at this moment, she truly wanted to record the scene in front of her.


    ¡°Eldest Young Miss, Prince Jing¡¯s Estate¡¯s Third Young Master hase to pay a visit and asked to see you.¡± The servant, Lingzhi, who came by to announce the visitor, was a maid that was arranged by Lady Fang to serve her adopted daughter. She was around twelve to thirteen years old in age. Although she wasn¡¯t very beautiful, she was quite clever.


    ¡®Prince Jing¡¯s Estate¡¯s Third Young Master? The young royal prince? Didn¡¯t he go back to the capital to report on his mission? When did hee back? Why did this guye to find me instead of spending more time with Her Highness, the princess consort, in town?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao ordered the wet nurse to keep a good eye on her two younger brothers and then went to her godmother¡¯s room to inform her. After passing through the alley next to the garden in full bloom, she arrived at the reception hall in the outer courtyard. When she entered, the first thing she saw was the young royal prince holding a cup of tea as he delicately sipped from it. It was as if he had a special liking for the tea at the Fang Estate. The tea prepared for the outer courtyard also used spring water that had some added mystic-stone water to it. Naturally, the vor of the tea brewed from this type of water tasted better than those brewed with in water. Could this guy be here to bum tea off of her?


    ¡°I was unaware that you wereing over, Young Royal Prince. Please excuse me for not going out to meet you, I ask for forgiveness...¡± Why did the polite words that came out of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth seemed to sound a bit off?


    Zhu Junyang felt a bit upset at hearing these words. He ced down the tea cup and took a quick look at Yu Xiaocao. He noticed that she was wearing casual clothing, as if she didn¡¯t take him to be an outsider. Immediately, his mood brightened. He faintly said, ¡°I¡¯m here for official business of the emperor. This prince will be inspecting and observing the growth of corn. In the future, we will have many opportunities to meet face-to-face, there¡¯s no need to be so polite!¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s here on imperial orders? The emperor already knows that my family knows how to grow corn? Is it possible that the emperor now suspects me of being a transmigrator after getting some information from the young royal prince? I¡¯m screwed. If I knew earlier that this would cause a problem, why would I even bother trying to grow corn or potatoes? I¡¯ve walked into this trap myself!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao cautiously asked, ¡°The emperor? What did the emperor say? You didn¡¯t just repeat all of my boasts, word for word, to him, right?¡±


    ¡°Your boasts? What boasts?¡± Zhu Junyang seemed perplexed by her questions.


    ¡°That I knew the right method to grow corn ah! Young Royal Prince, just think a bit, this corn was brought back by you from overseas. Our country has never had such a nt before. This lowlymoner only thought that my family was a good hand at farming, so I bragged a bit. If you said all of that to the emperor, wouldn¡¯t the emperor use me of the crime of deceiving him ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao was afraid that her fellow transmigrator would easily crush her like an ant for the sake of preserving his power. What should she do? What¡¯s to be done?!!


    Zhu Junyang noticed that her face had turned white from fright and that her pair of lively eyes were filled with fear and unease. He hurriedlyforted her, ¡°Did you watch too many ys? Although you bragged quite a bit, you still managed to grow the corn, and even quite well. The emperor is very pleased! Don¡¯t worry, the emperor won¡¯t use you of the crime of deceiving him for such a small matter!¡±


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, what did you tell the emperor? Can you repeat it for me to hear?¡± Yu Xiaocao sat on a chair crafted of nanmu wood [1] and inquisitively looked at Zhu Junyang¡¯s direction.


    When he saw the hope and anticipation on that little face, Zhu Junyang somehow lost all of his resistance. He repeated back everything that was said between him and emperor when he was in the imperial study. Not a word from that conversation was dropped.


    Yu Xiaocao attentively concentrated. This Young Royal Prince was quite steady and didn¡¯t push her into the spotlight. She could tell from the emperor¡¯s words that he had some suspicions but he didn¡¯t know which family member to suspect. Apparently, in the future, she needed to be more subdued in order to avoid drawing disaster to her family!


    ¡°Many thanks, Young Royal Prince. After hearing everything, thismoner feels much better! Young Royal Prince, please don¡¯t worry. The corn fields at home are being watched over by my father and my older paternal aunt¡¯s family. Nothing will go wrong with them. When you have time, you can also go over and take a look. If you don¡¯t have time, we also won¡¯t ck off!¡± Yu Xiaocao believed that the young royal prince only came over to Tanggu Town for purely official matters, so she said a few words tofort him.


    The young royal prince suddenly remembered that Minister Liu was currently staying at the county magistrate¡¯s ce and stated, ¡°The Minister of Revenue, Minister Liu, also received imperial orders toe here. He¡¯s a very easy person to deal with. As long as you give the method of growing corn to him, in great detail, he will be satisfied!¡±


    The Minister of Revenue? He personally came here to learn the method to grow corn? Apparently, the transmigrator¡¯s example of being diligent has also trickled down to his officials; they were all so hard-working. Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°Tomorrow, I will go back to Dongshan Vige and help arrange everything with my father. We¡¯ll write down the method to grow corn. That way, when we give it to Minister Liu, won¡¯t it simply matters a lot?¡±


    ¡°This is even better!¡± Zhu Junyang drank another sip of the excellent tea and then asked, ¡°This tea has the vor of biluochun [2], but it somehow seems more mellow and rich than biluochun. Just what type of tea is this?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao straightened herself in her seat and grinned, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you guessed correctly. This is biluochun. However, the water used to brew this tea was gathered from a mountain spring located deep within a bamboo forest within the West Mountain. That¡¯s the reason why you feel like it tastes different. If you like it, then you can bring a bucket of mountain spring water back...¡±


    Uhhh...he was a lofty and magnificent young royal prince from Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. If word came out that he snatched a bucket of spring water from a host¡¯s home to bring back himself, wouldn¡¯t he be theughingstock of other people? Even hisdy mother would tease him for ages about this, let alone other people. Zhu Junyang rapidly shook his head and stated that he didn¡¯t need any!


    When Yu Xiaocao noticed that he had finished his business, she thought that the young royal prince was going to leave. She sat with him for a little while longer and found out the prince didn¡¯t seem to want to go yet. She picked up her cup full of tea and asked, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you...do you still need something else?¡±

 Chapter 251 – Unique Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 251 ¨C Unique Beauty</h4>


    Zhu Junyang obviously didn¡¯t expect that the little girl would try to drive him away. Who gave her the courage to do so? However, it didn¡¯t seem necessary for him to sit here anymore. Hisdy mother was still waiting for him to invite someone back.


    Zhu Junyang put down the teacup and said, ¡°Actually, my visit this time was an order by mydy mother! There seems to be a problem with the camellia you gave her, so she wants you to go take a look!¡±


    The camellias that she gave Princess Consort Jing? They were all nourished by the mystic-stone water, so their vitality should be even stronger than weeds. Why would there be a problem?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Yu Xiaocao put the teacup on the table, stood up, and walked out.


    Zhu Junyang was slightly surprised to see her dressed so casually. He coughed a couple times and said, ¡°You... you don¡¯t need to change your clothes?¡±


    Usually, when Yu Xiaocao went to the princess consort¡¯s residence, she would either be helping to cook medicinal meals or tending the flowers and nts that were ¡®ruined¡¯ by Princess Consort Jing. Thus, she dressed very casually. Princess Consort Jing treated her like she was a junior member of her family, so she had never felt that there was anything wrong with visiting her in casual clothes.


    Hearing Zhu Junyang¡¯s words, she looked down at her clothes, which was fairly proper. She didn¡¯t think that she needed to change, so she immediately replied, ¡°Aren¡¯t I going to help with the flowers and nts? At that time, there will be mud and soil, so even if I changed clothes, they will get dirty anyways. This is fine!¡±


    Zhu Junyang took a closer look at her casual attire. She wore a pink pomegranate skirt, light yellow jacket embroidered with butterflies and flowers, and several strands of tea rose colored ribbons on her waist. Her glossy ck hair wasbed into cute twin buns and adorned with pink pearl hair ornaments. There was a faint smile on her tender face, and her eyes were as clear as a stream under ice, untainted by the worldly dust...


    Although it was a verymon casual attire, it appeared more charming worn on a young girl who hadn¡¯t grown up. The littless was born in a peasant¡¯s family, but she was more elegant and graceful than those so-called noble youngdies in the capital. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t just wearing a homely outfit, but instead she appeared calm and magnanimous as if she had carefully dressed up.


    Zhu Junyang was born in the imperial family, so how could he avoid attending banquets? Those noble youngdies in the capital viewed all of the banquets as a stage to show themselves. They wished that they could wear that most gorgeous clothes and the most expensive essories. The scent of their make-up could almost cause a person to faint. They didn¡¯t care whether it was suitable for them, and as long as it was popr, they would paint it onto their faces. Their originally delicate and pretty faces became as stunning as a ghost¡¯s. Weren¡¯t they afraid of scaring people?!


    In contrast, this young girl in front of him wore no make-up and appeared clean and refreshing. Such a real and pure appearance was morefortable to look at!


    ¡°Young Royal Prince? Are we going? I need to rush back in the evening to make postnatal meals for my godmother!¡± Seeing that Zhu Junyang was still standing there and not moving, Yu Xiaocao urged him.


    Moreover, the little girl wasn¡¯t frightened by his cold and indifferent appearance. She was quite brave. When he visited people, no one had ever dared to tell him to leave after serving him tea. There also wasn¡¯t anyone who dared to rush him with an impatient expression. Um... He was being treated like this by her, yet he didn¡¯t feel annoyed at all. Was he the ¡®masochist¡¯ that the emperor mentioned?


    Seeing Yu Xiaocao turning around and ring at him with impatience, Zhu Junyang touched his nose and obediently followed her. To pick up the guest, he hade out with the prince household¡¯s horse carriage. Hisdy mother hade out in a low-key manner this time, so their carriage was just slightly morevish than other families¡¯. But, in Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, it was quite shy!


    Stepping on the small stool ced by the servants of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, Yu Xiaocao quickly climbed on the carriage. As soon as she was seated, the carriage slowly moved forward. To move so steadily, it really was worthy of being Prince Jing Estate¡¯s horse carriage. Also, the cushioned seat inside the carriage was padded with a thick brocade quilt and soft pillows on the back. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help sighing¡ªit¡¯s better to be rich ah!


    The estate that Princess Consort Jing stayed in wasn¡¯t very far from the Fang Estate. After a while, the carriage stopped in front of the estate. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t wait for the servant to set the stool and jumped down, scaring the servants around her. Miss Yu was an esteemed guest of Princess Consort Jing, so if she got injured, they wouldn¡¯t be able to take the responsibility ah!


    Xiaocao jumped off the carriage like a nimble little monkey. Had it been one of those noble youngdies in the capital, Zhu Junyang would definitely think that she was boorish andcked discipline. However, when it was this ten year old little girl, he felt that she was quite lively and cute!


    Yu Xiaocao walked to the back garden with familiarity, and saw Princess Consort Jing squatting on the ground and poking at a camellia with a shovel, as if she was trying to loosen the soil around it. However, the shovel in her hands was too close to the camellia. It must have hurt many of its roots. Xiaocao sighed heavily in her heart. For these camellias to be able to survive until now, their vitality was really quite strong.


    Without saying anything, Yu Xiaocao walked to Princess Consort Jing and squatted next to her. She took the shovel in her hands and said as she demonstrated, ¡°Your Highness, when loosening the soil, be careful not to touch the roots of flowers and nts. In general, precious flowers and nts are more delicate. Once their roots are injured, they will likely wither and die.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing raised her worried and distressed face, frowned, and asked weakly, ¡°Xiaocao, can these camellias be saved?¡±


    While Xiaocao loosened the soil for the camellias, she saw obvious tea stains on the roots of each camellia. She gently pushed away the soil. Sure enough, she found that obvious damage to the roots of the camellias.


    When facing Princess Consort Jing, who loved flowers but didn¡¯t know how to raise them and stubbornly wanted to tend them herself, Yu Xiaocao was really reluctant to make harshments. After all, Princess Consort Jing was also a fervent lover of flowers. She sighed and politely said, ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t use tea to water the flowers in the future. Even if you really need to water the flowers with tea, please don¡¯t use hot tea, alright?¡±


    After being seen through, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s face, which looked much younger than her actual age, blushed. She looked at her youngest son, who looked at her in surprise, and mumbled an exnation, ¡°I forgot to water the flowers that day, so I took the teapot on the table and watered them with it. I... I really didn¡¯t notice that the tea was hot...¡±


    Princess Consort Jing was apparently a noblewoman, who had been spoiled rotten by her husband and three sons. She was nearly forty, yet she still appeared like a young maiden from time to time. Yu Xiaocao sighed again, ¡®Princess Consort Jing must have umted great virtue in her previous life for her to be so fortunate and happy in this life.¡¯


    Seeing hisdy mother¡¯s flushed face and helpless expression, Zhu Junyang instinctively helped her out, ¡°Lady Mother, we know that you didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Just be more careful in the future! Miss Yu, do you think that these camellias can be saved?¡±


    As he spoke, he signaled Yu Xiaocao with his eyes, telling her to lie to hisdy mother that the camellias could be saved. If they couldn¡¯t be saved, weren¡¯t the camellias found in the mountains by Xiaocao? He could find some time tomorrow and go to the mountains with her to see if he could find them. Since she could find them, there wasn¡¯t any reason that he wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    Looking at the usually expressionless royal prince lifting his eyebrows and winking at her with his devilishly gorgeous face, if she didn¡¯t know better, she would have thought that he was trying to seduce her. Ay! When a good-looking person made an ugly face, there would also be people who admired it.


    Yu Xiaocao said to Princess Consort Jing with a serious expression, ¡°Your Highness, rest assured! Fortunately, you didn¡¯t water them with hot tea. Otherwise, even the Flower Deity wouldn¡¯t be able to save them. A portion of the roots of these camellias have been damaged, but with meticulous care, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems.¡±


    When Princess Consort Jing heard this, her heart finally felt relieved. Although Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words were unpleasant to the ears, she had intentionally caused these damages, after all. She was feeling guilty, ashamed, and regretful in her heart, so she naturally didn¡¯t notice the disrespect in her words.


    Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, inwardly raised his eyebrows. It seemed like the littless was born bold ah. She even dared to secretly mock Princess Consort Jing. Was she really an ignorant peasant girl born from a poor, humble family? Who gave her the courage?


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t notice the inquisitive eyes behind her. After loosening the soil, she took the water bucket from the maidservant who was waiting beside them. While no one was looking, she dripped two drops of mystic-stone water inside. She scooped half adle of water and poured it moderately on the damaged roots of the camellias.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know whether it was his illusion, or he had seen wrongly, but he suddenly felt that the camellias had be more spirited. The curled leaves of the most seriously damaged one seemed to have stretched out a little. Zhu Junyang touched his chin with a curious expression, ¡®This isn¡¯t logical ah. Howe these flowers and nts are so obviously different as soon as Yu Xiaocao deals with them? Is this little girl the Flower Deity?¡¯


    Pffft¡ªZhu Junyang was amused by his strange idea! Shouldn¡¯t the Flower Deity be gorgeous and covered with fragrance? How could it be such a thin and short little girl?


    Yu Xiaocao also conveniently watered the flowers nearby. After that, she took the handkerchief that Meixiang handed her and gently wiped the water on her hands. She hesitated to speak as she looked at Princess Consort Jing.


    Zhu Junyang saw that hisdy mother was focused on the camellias and didn¡¯t notice Xiaocao¡¯s action and expression, so he quickly said on behalf of hisdy mother, ¡°Miss Yu, please feel free to speak.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing also looked at Yu Xiaocao and asked, ¡°For these camellias, is there anything that I need to pay attention to in the future?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, please forgive thismoner for being blunt. You should just leave the work of tending the flowers and nts to the gardeners!¡± Yu Xiaocao decided to speak honestly for those pitiful flowers. The entire Prince Jing¡¯s Estate was too lenient on the princess consort, so she would have to be the person to tell her the sincere advice that may be grating to the ear.


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s eyes, like Lin Daiyu¡¯s [1], were filled with a hazy mist, which made people feel pity upon looking at them. Yu Xiaocao was inwardly relieved that the princess consort was really a delicate person and not one of those annoying white lotus flowers [2].


    ¡°Xiaocao, you also think that I¡¯m not suitable for raising flowers?¡± Princess Consort Jing frowned slightly, and her face was shrouded by light sorrow, which made people reluctant to tell her the truth.


    Yu Xiaocao sighed heavily and said, ¡°Love isn¡¯t just giving, but to give what is most suitable. Your Highness, as long as you stand in the flower room beautifully every day and appreciate the flowers, that will be the most sincere appreciation for flowers.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing didn¡¯t expect an ordinary young girl from the countryside to be able to speak better and more sentimentally than those refined youngdies. Unconsciously, she was actually attracted to the beauty of her description.


    [1] Lin Daiyu (ÁÖ÷ìÓñ) ¨C character in Dream of the Red Chamber who is known to be weak and delicate


    [2] white lotus flower (°×Á«»¨) ¨C ng describing people (usually women) who appear kind and innocent but is really vile and scheming

 Chapter 252 – Strategy

    <h4>Chapter 252 ¨C Strategy</h4>


    Perhaps it was the beauty of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s description that moved the princess consort, or maybe the princess consort had finally given up on the idea of personally raising the flowers. The next time Imperial Prince Jing came to Tanggu Town, he was apanied by two of the best gardeners in Prince Jing¡¯s Estate.


    After being moistened by mystic-stone water, the camellias finally survived. When the two gardeners arrived, they saw that the princess consort had casually nted the rare camellias, which would stun the world, in a corner of the garden.


    To properly grow camellias, there must be suitable soil, proper temperature, proper amount of watering, adequate fertilizing, and regr pruning. But, one shall take a look at the camellias personally raised by the princess consort. There wasn¡¯t enough fertilizer in the soil. At this time, the temperature was rather chilly in the morning and at night. It was better to grow the camellias in a flower pot and move them indoors in the morning and evening. Who watered the flowers today? Did they want to soak the roots until they rot? Looking at the messy branches, it seemed like they hadn¡¯t trimmed them since transnting them...


    However, these ¡®abused¡¯ camellias bloomed in such a gorgeous and unrestrained way. There was a sense of unbridled wildness in their beauty. Although illogical, it seemed like Princess Consort Jing¡¯s nickname of ¡®flower killer¡¯ should be removed!


    After the two gardeners came, if the camellia nts had expressions, they would surely breathe a big sigh of relief¡ªthere¡¯s finally an end to the endless torture! With the careful care of the gardeners, the camellias could finally disy their beauty in their entirety to everyone. Princess Consort Jing lingered in the garden every day. She often stayed in the flower room for the entire morning, forgetting to eat and rest... This degree of obsessiveness caused Prince Jing, who finally had a break and came over, to be very jealous. He kept secretly grumbling to his two sons, ¡®Find a chance and secretly destroy those floras. They take up too much of my beloved wife¡¯s attention!¡¯


    In order to send Minister Liu, who came from the capital, back as soon as possible, the day after Xiaocao tended Princess Consort Jing¡¯s flowers, she returned to Dongshan Vige. Little Shitou also followed her back. So, with Yu Xiaocao dictating, Little Shitou writing, and Yu Hai supplementing additional information, they swiftly summed up the methods of cultivation for corn and potatoes.


    That day, Minister Liu, who couldn¡¯t wait any longer, didn¡¯t notify the young royal prince and arrived at Dongshan Vige with the county magistrate. Just after the cultivation method was bound into a thin booklet, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family had to go receive the high-ranking official from the capital¡ªsecond-ranked official, Minister Liu.


    Fortunately, Minister Liu had no official authority. He was just an ordinary old man dressed in in clothes. Led by Yu Hai¡¯s family, he inspected the growing environment of the corn. He seriously couldn¡¯t believe that the corn, which had grown so well, was actually grown in such barren sandnd. In the capital, he had used the best fertile farnd, the most adequate fertilizer, and meticulous care, yet that still wasn¡¯t as good as their piece of sandynd?


    Seeing the questions in Minister Liu¡¯s eyes, Yu Xiaocao said in a soft voice, ¡°After the trial nting, it is proven that the crop corn isn¡¯t very picky with the type ofnd it is grown on and it also doesn¡¯t need meticulous care. As long as you make sure that it¡¯s not dehydrated and do a good job with weeding and fertilizing, it should grow very well!¡±


    Minister Liu looked at the big gaps between the seedlings and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why don¡¯t you sow more densely? Wouldn¡¯t there be a higher yield that way?¡±


    He set his eyes on Yu Hai, who was the head of the household, while Yu Hai looked at his younger daughter. Minister Liu quickly shifted his gaze over. Yu Xiaocao thought about it, and then said, ¡°Lord, look at this corn nt, it¡¯s simr to the coarse grain sorghum that we eat. It should be able to grow very tall. If nted too densely, then they will affect each other. If it¡¯s not exposed to enough sunlight, then it probably won¡¯t grow very well!¡±


    Seeing that Minister was like a curious child who wanted to say something, Yu Xiaocao quickly interrupted him, ¡°Lord, it¡¯s our first time seeing and growing corn, so we¡¯re also still experimenting. It¡¯s just that we have more farming experience. We¡¯re mostly just using our previous experiences, so we can¡¯t really exin the logics. Like these potatoes, they look somewhat simr to sweet potatoes, and there¡¯s also some dirt on them. Thus, we tried to make it germinate, and then divided the sprouted potatoes into pieces and buried them in the soil. We also tried to grow them with the cultivation method of sweet potato seedlings, but we failed!¡±


    Minister Liu was interrupted by her, but he wasn¡¯t angry and nodded repeatedly after listening to her. They also used cultivation method of sweet potatoes to grow the potatoes, but the seedlings died very quickly. So it turned out that they needed to cut the potato into pieces and bury them in the soil ah!


    ¡°Youngdy, can you tell me in detail about how the corn and potatoes are grown?¡± Seeing that Yu Xiaocao had a clear train of thought, spoke artictely, and didn¡¯t show any sense of timidity in front of all these officials, Minister Liu looked at her with even more respect.


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao took out the prepared booklet, which had Strategies for Trial nting of Corn and Potatoes written on the first page. Minister Liu nced at it, immediately took the booklet in his hand, and began carefully reading it.


    In order to save trouble, Yu Xiaocao wrote out almost every detail of nting corn and potatoes. It originally wasn¡¯t hard to grow corn and potatoes, so as long as they weren¡¯t too stupid, they should be able to grow them.


    Seeing that Minister Liu focused all his attention on the booklet, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help adding, ¡°The spring crops have just been sown, so it shouldn¡¯t be toote to nt the corn and potatoes now...¡±


    Before she finished speaking, Minister Liu immediately rolled up the booklet and carefully put it away, and then said the Yu Family, ¡°This old man will return to the capital now so as not to dy the farming! If corn and potatoes can really be grown and there¡¯s a high-yield like the emperor said, your family has done a great deed for the world! Rest assured, this old man will definitely put in a good word for you in front of the emperor at that time!¡±


    After he said that, he said to County Magistrate Zhao, who came with him, ¡°County Magistrate Zhao, let me borrow your horse carriage and bailiff. This old man isn¡¯t going back to Tanggu Town! Please help me bid my farewells to Royal Prince Yang!¡±


    As he spoke, he got into the carriage that he hade in and urged the bailiff to drive directly to the capital. County Magistrate Zhao, who had been left in Dongshan Vige, waspletely dumbfounded. In order to increase his chances of interacting with the Minister of Revenue, he had only brought along one horse carriage, and now that horse carriage had been taken by Minister Liu. Dongshan Vige was over a dozen kilometers away from Tanggu Town. He... How was he supposed to return to town ah!


    ¡°Official Zhao, if you don¡¯t mind, you can ride thismoner¡¯s carriage back!¡± Seeing Official Zhao¡¯s predicament, the kind Yu Hai offered to give him a ride. Due to his tact, County Magistrate Zhao¡¯s impression of the Yu Family improved.


    He looked at Yu Xiaocao with admiration and asked, ¡°How did you guys know that Minister Liu wille over to ask about the methods of cultivation, and make the preparations for it?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao said with a smile, ¡°Yesterday, when I went to Princess Consort Jing¡¯s residence, I saw the young royal prince. He spoke briefly with thismoner and mentioned the reason of Minister Liu¡¯s visit to Tanggu Town.¡±


    County Magistrate Zhao¡¯s originally slightly rxed expression became solemn. She was able to freely go in and out of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s residence and speak with Royal Prince Yang, who cherished his words like gold and looked at people with an icy expression. It seemed like this little girl wasn¡¯t just simply Official Fang¡¯s goddaughter. It seemed like this Yu Family shouldn¡¯t be underestimated ah!


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t expect that her casualment would cause the parental official of Tanggu Town to view her family in a new light. It was considered an unexpected gain!


    While her father sent County Magistrate Zhao back, Yu Xiaocao quietly returned to her room and dug out her newly made sharkskin diving suit from the bottom of her wardrobe. After thinking about it, she wrapped it in a piece of cloth, held it in her arms and walked outside. Madam Liu, who was tending the garden in the adjacent courtyard, called her from afar, ¡°Cao¡¯er? You¡¯re not going back to town today? How many days can you stay at home?¡±


    Hearing the anticipation within Madam Liu¡¯s voice, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s nose was slightly sour. She loudly answered, ¡°Mother, I will stay at home for a few days this time! I will stay at home to spend some quality time with you and Father!¡±


    Hearing that, Madam Liu felt ted in her heart. However, she also had to think for her daughter, ¡°Cao¡¯er, we¡¯re your parents, so there¡¯s no need to especially spend time with us! There needs to be people around your godmother, so I reckon that you should go back earlier.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stood at the moon-shaped door connecting the two courtyards. Hiding the cloth bag that held the diving suit behind her back, she looked at Madam Liu, who was working hard in the vegetable field, with a grin and said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry. I have already prepped the medicinal meals. Lanxiang[1] has almost mastered how to cook the medicinal cuisine. It was Godmother who told me to stay at home for a few more days!¡±


    ¡°Alright, if it won¡¯t dy matters, then stay at home for a few more days! Shanhu asked me many times when you wille back. If you¡¯re free, go next door and y with her! That girl Linglong[2] will get married in winter. In the future, it won¡¯t be so easy to see each other!¡±


    Time had passed by very quickly. It had been a year and a half since they separated from the main family. The wedding date for Linglong, who had been engaged for a long time, was quickly approaching. These days, the wife of the Zhou Family showed a reluctant expression from time to time. A daughter who one had raised for over a decade was going to be someone else¡¯s soon, so it was evitable that the mother would feel unwilling to part.


    Fortunately, her daughters were still young. There were still several years before they had to look for a husband! But, now that she thought about it, there were only five to six years left. If her two daughters got married at the same time, that would be asking for her old life ah! How could grown daughters not get married? Wouldn¡¯t people talk behind their backs? Ay! If she could choose, she would rather only have sons and not daughters!


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t understand Madam Liu¡¯s feelings at all. She spoke briefly with Madam Liu, and then made an excuse to go out. She chose a path with few people and arrived at the area that was best for gathering seafood, which only the Yu Family knew about. It was also the reef where they saved the young royal prince.


    She found a concealed ce and changed into the sharkskin diving suit. She put all her hair inside something that was made of sharkskin and was simr to a swimming cap. The waterproofing of the diving suit made of sharkskin was quite good, and it had a certain degree of warmth retention. However, it was still April after all. The sea water was still somewhat cool even in the afternoon.


    After Yu Xiaocao changed into a diving suit on the reef, she carefully put her feet into the sea, and then took it out instantly. The sea water was really cold ah! What should she do?

 Chapter 253 – Going Out to the Sea

    <h4>Chapter 253 ¨C Going Out to the Sea</h4>


    The multicolored stone on her wrist exuded a soft, golden light, and gradually became a golden kitten with a proud appearance. It scorned, [If you¡¯re afraid of the cold, then look for the almighty Divine Stone ah! This Divine Stone can help you iste the sea water, aren¡¯t you going to hurry up and thank me?]


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this, she felt ted. She didn¡¯t need to suffer. ¡®Almighty Little Glutinous Dumpling! Long live Little Glutinous Dumpling!¡¯


    The little divine stone was connected with her heart. Hearing her heartfelt cheers, it was extremely pleased. It immediately emitted a faint golden smoke from the multicolored stone and enclosed Yu Xiaocao inside it. Fortunately, other people couldn¡¯t see this, or they would think that they saw a huge golden silkworm cocoon!


    Yu Xiaocao tried to put her feet into the water again! Oh! As expected, she couldn¡¯t feel the slightest sense of coldness. When she took her feet out, there wasn¡¯t a single drop of water on it. Feeling delighted, Yu Xiaocao praised the little divine stone endlessly in her heart. The golden kitten, which the little divine stone transformed into, had an even more haughty expression and its head was nearly lifted up to the sky!


    ¡°Xiaobu¡ª¡ªXiaobu¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao called for her marine friend. This little dolphin seemed to have recognized her as its friend. As soon as she came to the sea, the little fellow would quickly swim over from the deep sea, shake its head, and wag its tail to greet her. At times, it would even perform ¡®jumping in the water¡¯ and ¡®singing¡¯ for her.


    Sure enough, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have to wait long for the cute little fellow. She hadn¡¯t seen it for the entire winter, and the little dolphin was a lot bigger thanst year. If it was about the same size of a big dogst year, it was now about the size of a half-grown calf.


    The little dolphin seemed to be very enthusiastic to see an old friend. It swam happily to the reef and left a ¡®kiss mark¡¯ on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face with its long snout. Yu Xiaocao fed it the present that she brought for it¡ªfish and shrimp raised with mystic-stone water. The little dolphin ate it with relish, ¡®This friend is really good. She brings delicious food for me every time. The fish and shrimp she brings are more delicious than everything in the ocean!


    After eating to its heart¡¯s content, the little dolphin quickly swam to the bottom of the sea with Xiaocao, who had jumped on its back.


    ¡°Eh? There¡¯s someone diving and gathering seafood this early?¡± In the distance, Zhuang Xiaomo, who was diving in the sea, saw a figure in the sea and muttered to himself. He watched from afar and found that the person, who dived into the sea, didn¡¯te up for a long time. He couldn¡¯t help but furrow his eyebrows, ¡®Did something go wrong?¡¯


    Zhuang Xiaomo hastily dropped his harvest and agilely jumped into the cold water. In the nearby viges, there were only a few people who were better swimmers than him. But, it was somewhat hard for him to endure swimming in the cold water.


    When he reached the area where he saw the person, Zhuang Xiaomo plunged into the water and searched around. Aftering up several times to breathe, he still didn¡¯t find anyone. Did he see incorrectly? Or did that person get caught in the deep sea?


    Zhuang Xiaomo didn¡¯t give up. He searched for a long time until his body couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and had to give up. He went back to the shore, picked up his tools and harvests from the sea, and jogged home to change his clothes. On the way, he encountered his fellow vigers, and they all thought that the child had gone crazy for money. To go diving without a diving suit during this time of the year, that was almost the same as looking for death!


    Zhuang Xiaomo lived in Nanyuan Vige, and was raised by his paternal grandfather. When he was nine, his grandfather passed away and he became an orphan. Fortunately, he was a skilled swimmer, and could support himself by gathering seafood at the beach and fishing.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had dived into the deep sea with the help of the little dolphin, had no idea that someone had dived into the sea to search for her in concern. At this time, she had arrived at a cluster of coral reefs, where many abalones were perched on.


    Yu Xiaocao got off the dolphin, quietly swam closer to the coral reef, and measured them with her hands. She wasn¡¯t satisfied with the size of the abalones and shook her head in disappointment. Just when she was about to leave and look for other reefs, she suddenly saw, from the corner of her eye, an abalone about the size of her palm, which was over twenty centimeters long ah!


    Inparison, weren¡¯t those one-head abalones and two-head abalones too inferior? (Author¡¯s notes: One-headed abalones are abalones that weigh one catty and two-headed abalones refers to two abalones per catty. Both are rare, high-quality abalones.) It was the best of the best ah!


    With the tool for prying abalones (a blunt shovel), Yu Xiaocao carefully pried the abalone from the reef. She put it into the bamboo basket on her waist, and then carefully tied the mouth of the bamboo basket. After that, she searched thoroughly again and found a one-headed abalone.


    Leaving that cluster of reefs, Yu Xiaocao swam slowly at the bottom of the sea, and from time to time, she picked up a sluggishly squirming sea cucumber. It was also the bigger the better for sea cucumbers. Dried sea cucumbers within thirty heads would be rated excellent, which meant that the weight of thirty-something dried sea cucumbers was one catty.


    The ancient fishing techniques were backwards. The seabed was like an undeveloped virginnd, with abundant marine life everywhere. Yu Xiaocao felt as if she had arrived at a huge seafood market. She had a wide range of ¡®products¡¯ to choose from, and they were free!


    At the bottom of the sea, Yu Xiaocao chose the seafood that she wanted, and the bamboo basket around her waist soon became full. She somewhat regretted that she didn¡¯t bring a big sack to hold the abalones and sea cucumbers.


    Suddenly, the little dolphin swimming happily beside Xiaocao made a warning sound that as filled with unease and fear.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there danger?¡± Yu Xiaocao swam vigorously towards the little dolphin. She believed the instinct of animals.


    [Not really? It¡¯s just a big sharking over!] The little divine stone¡¯szy voice emerged in Xiaocao¡¯s mind. From the corner of her eyes, Yu Xiaocao saw a golden figure. After getting a closer look, she didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry. She had seen dogs swimming, but she had never seen a cat diving. ¡®Little Divine Stone, what are you doing?¡¯


    The great white sharks were quite fierce among the marine creatures, but since the little divine stone didn¡¯t have any sense of urgency, she didn¡¯t really need to worry about anything.


    However, that wasn¡¯t what the little dolphin thought. It quickly swam towards Xiaocao. At this time, the great white shark¡¯s huge figure has appeared, and two rows of sharp teeth were exposed in its wide opened mouth.


    The little dolphin screamed with fear and anxiety, but instead of leaving his good friend, Xiaocao, it swam even faster towards her. The shark had already noticed its ¡®prey¡¯ and swam towards them in a threatening manner, as if it was a school bully.


    The little dolphin had already arrived next to Xiaocao. With its back pushing her, it worked hard to sway its tail and desperately swam towards the distance. The great white shark swam very fast and the little dolphin had to take a person with it, so how could it out swim the shark? Seeing that the shark was going to catch up to it, the little dolphin made a desperate cry, but didn¡¯t give up on saving Xiaocao. One must admit that the loyalty of animals was sometimes much higher than that of people!


    At this critical moment, a fist sized golden kitten blocked the shark¡¯s path. With its haughty expression and gorgeous hair, it was obviously the little divine stone!


    It seemed like the great white shark had never met such a creature in the ocean. At first, it was stunned and swam around the little golden kitten for a moment. Staring at the tiny golden kitten with its fierce eyes, it seemed as if it wanted to figure out what kind of creature was in front of it and whether it was edible!


    In the end, it gave up on the inquiry, opened itrge, fierce-looking mouth, and swallowed the little golden kitten. A sh of disdain appeared within its eyes, ¡®The prey is so small that it¡¯s not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!¡¯


    Seeing the little golden kitten being swallowed by the shark, Yu Xiaocao pacified the little dolphin by patting it¡ªdon¡¯t worry, we¡¯re safe now!


    The shark was quite pitiful! After a while, a big hole was ripped in its belly and a bloody kitten strutted out of it. It walked to Yu Xiaocao on its four paws and requested her to wash the blood on its hair.


    Looking at the shark, who had flipped over and waspletely dead, Yu Xiaocao felt she couldn¡¯t just let it go to waste. So, she cut off all the fins with a knife. The shark was very big, like a submarine. If all the fins were cut off, there would be at least ten or so catties of shark fin!


    By the time Yu Xiaocao got on shore, it was already the evening. After the ebb tide period, the people who were gathering seafood beside the sea had already gone home. Therefore, no one saw Yu Xiaocao when she came on shore. She went back to the concealed area on the reef and changed her clothes.


    Today¡¯s harvest was quite good. She got at least five catties of abalones, and even more of sea cucumbers. After making them into dried seafood, that should be enough for the Zhou Family to pay tribute to the imperial court next month! Shark fin and fish maw were things that only experienced fishermen could catch, so Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t responsible for providing them.


    With one hand holding the shark fins and the basket of abalones and sea cucumbers in the other hand, Yu Xiaocao sneaked into the yard. In her heart, she thought about how she should exin to her parents...


    ¡°Cao¡¯er? Your mother said that you¡¯ve been out for the entire afternoon. What were you doing?¡± Yu Hai had already returned from the town and was helping his wife cook in the kitchen! He, who loved his wife dearly, didn¡¯t care about the facy of ¡®men should stay away from the kitchen¡¯ at all!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes darted around, and then she immediately showed Yu Hai her harvest with a smile. She had an expression that said, ¡®Guess where I got these from?¡¯


    Yu Hai helped his daughter pour the abalones and sea cucumbers in the bamboo basket into a basin. He was shocked when he saw the marine goods in the basin! Yu Hai was a famous fishing expert in the nearby viges, so he was naturally also a good diver. However, he didn¡¯t think that he would be capable of catching so many top-notch seafood at once. Where exactly did this littless get these from?


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, stop trying to create suspense. Tell me, where did thesee from?¡± Yu Hai couldn¡¯t help asking.


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes and had a smile on her face as she lied skillfully, ¡°I met Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s subordinates at the vige entrance. They told me to bring them back and ask Father to help make them into dried seafood.¡±


    The matter of the Zhou Family bing imperial merchants who supplied the imperial court with dried seafood had been widely spread throughout Tanggu Town. Yu Hai was one of the best at making dried seafood in Dongshan Vige. Thinking that the Zhou Family had collected seafood nearby and conveniently brought it over to ask for his help to make dried seafood, he didn¡¯t inquire any further.


    However, Yu Hai was very curious in his heart, ¡®Who is so capable as to catch so many premium quality sea cucumbers and abalones? Why didn¡¯t I hear anything about there being such as expert nearby?¡¯

 Chapter 254 – Dispute

    <h4>Chapter 254 ¨C Dispute</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao, who had handed the job of processing the abalones, sea cucumbers, and shark fins to her father, upied her mother with Xiaolian at night. Yu Hai could only aggrievedly sleep on the same kang bed with his eldest son, Yu Hang! When his youngest daughter wasn¡¯t at home, he missed her. But, when she was at home, she would steal his wife away from him. Yu Hai felt so conflicted ah!


    The next day, Yu Xiaocao, who finally had time to rest at home for a couple days, couldn¡¯t stay idle. She followed her father early in the morning and went to help in the melon fields.


    For the Yu Family¡¯s first batch of watermelons, there wasn¡¯t really a lot of ripe watermelons. There were about three to five thousand catties every day. Since Wang Ergou often came to help and did his best to take care of the watermelons, he and her two maternal uncles naturally got priority for the watermelons!


    Wang Ergou earned quite a lot of money from selling watermelonsst year, so he bought an ox cart this year. Why did he buy an ox cart and not a horse carriage? It was more economical ah! Think about it, he could only sell watermelons for a little over a month every year. If he bought an ox cart, he could normally pull people to town, and when he was busy with farming, he could lease the ox cart to earn money.


    Now, due to the Zhou Family¡¯s factories, the viges around Dongshan Vige had be much richer than before. The people who needed to go to the town market didn¡¯t mind spending a few copper coins for a ride! The neighboring vige¡¯s Old Ma¡¯s cart was full every day. He could earn money faster than working at the docks!


    No one in the vige had bought an ox cart except for the vige head! The vigers of Dongshan Vige, who began to open up their money pouches, all lined up to rent the vige chief¡¯s ox when it was time to plow. For ten copper coins per mu, if it kept plowing for a day, then it could plow ten or so mu ofnd. He would be able to earn more than one hundred copper coins! One must say that when Wang Ergou¡¯s mind was used in the right way, he was quite clever in trivial matters.


    When they reached the melon fields, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s oldest aunt¡¯s family had already begun working! Liu Hu and Oldest Aunt¡¯s eldest son was already very skilled with the task of picking out the mature melons. The father and son were in charge of plucking the ripe watermelons, while Xiaocao¡¯s oldest aunt and her daughter were responsible for taking the watermelons to the edge of the fields. Little Fangping obediently sat by the watermelons and looked after them.


    Wang Ergou had already brought his ox cart to the fields and started working in the fields early in the morning. Seeing Yu Hai, he greeted him with a face full of smiles, ¡°Brother Dahai, thanks to you, I¡¯m going to make a lot of money!¡±


    It might be because he had a son now, so he had a prospect in his life. Ergou¡¯zi had gotten much fatter thanst year, and his previously protruding mouth and monkey-like chin had changed. He looked much better with his round face!


    Yu Hai smiled and said, ¡°You worked hard to earn the money, so how is that thanks to me? Work hard and earn more money for your son and wife!¡±


    Wang Ergou smiled so much that his eyes had disappeared. He nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Brother Dahai is right! I n on building a house with the money I made from selling watermelons this year. Build a five-room house with arge yard!¡±


    Yu Hai patted his shoulders and said, ¡°Not bad, not bad! I have confidence in you!!¡±


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s two maternal uncles each drove a horse carriage over. They cooperated with a famous fruit store in the prefectural city. Every few days, they had to deliver two carts of watermelons over. In this way, they earned quite a lot of money from the price differences!


    Yu Hai and Xiaocao also went down the field to look for mature watermelons. Due to the tight time and heavy task, Xiaocao asked the little divine stone to transform into a kitten and help. The little divine stone could clearly perceive the internal structure of each watermelon. Its power hadn¡¯t recovered enough yet, otherwise, it could share everything it sees and hears with Xiaocao. In other words, it could see the inside of the watermelon, so if they could share perception, Xiaocao would also have the perspective ability!


    The little divine stone, who was just a step away from this state, had no choice but to move its poor little legs and shuttle through the cluster of melons, while Yu Xiaocao followed behind it. When it found a ripe watermelon, the little golden kitten would jump on top and meow. Xiaocao bent down, pretended to pat on the melon, and plucked it.


    The one-man-one-cat cooperation became more and more tacit, and soon Xiaocao left her father far behind. In order to avoid repeating the work when picking watermelon, they were each divided a piece ofnd to work on. Yu Xiaocao swiftly found all the mature watermelon in the mu ofnd that she was assigned to, and then she went to work on another piece ofnd.


    Seeing his younger daughter¡¯s fast speed, Yu Hai was afraid that she had picked the raw melons. He went over worriedly and carefully examined the watermelons that she plucked. He was surprised to find that his younger daughter was not only more efficient than him, but none of the watermelons that she plucked were unripe. Thus, he waspletely relieved now.


    With the little golden kitten as a cheat, Yu Xiaocao finished picking melons in three mu ofnd alone, and sessfullypleted the task. Liu Junping was also afraid that she would have missed something due to her fast speed, so he followed behind her and carefully examined the melons again. He realized that there wasn¡¯t a single ripe watermelon in the areas that his youngest female cousin had walked by.


    The admiration and doubts in his heart were forgotten due to the heavy work of loading the carts. After filling up Wang Ergou¡¯s and the Liu brothers¡¯ carts, there were still many watermelons left. Liu Hu suggested that he and his eldest son drive the carriage to town to sell the watermelons.


    Yu Hai wanted to sell the watermelons to him ording to the wholesale price, and let his older brother-inw keep the money that he earned. However, Liu Hu refused! In his opinion, his family was living and eating at the Yu Family¡¯s, and he also owed them a lot of money for his medical treatments. If he took advantage of the Yu Family again and earned money with the Yu Family¡¯s carriage and watermelon, he would be worse than pigs or dogs!


    Liu Hu intended to help the Yu Family sell the watermelons and give all the money that he earned to the Yu Family. Yu Hai knew that his older sister and brother-inw were going through hard times, so how could he take advantage of his older brother-inw? When neither could convince the other, Yu Xiaocao finally spoke up, ¡°Father, Oldest Uncle! If you guys continue to argue, the melons will rot in the ground!¡±


    Yu Caifeng red at Yu Hai with a long face and said angrily, ¡°Xiaohai! You¡¯re treating Older Sister like a stranger ah! Older Sister knows that you want to help me. However, as your older sister and older brother-inw, if we take advantage of you when we can¡¯t even help you, how would we still have the face to stay in Dongshan Vige in the future? If you continue to be like this, we¡¯ll move...¡±


    Seeing the unhappy expression on his sister¡¯s face, Yu Hai quickly exined, ¡°Older Sister, that¡¯s not what I meant. I...¡±


    ¡°Father, Oldest Aunt, I have a suggestion, so why don¡¯t you hear me out!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that both sides were very persistent and didn¡¯t have the intention to take a step back, so she came up with an idea.


    Yu Hai knew that his younger daughter had always been a clever child, and she must be able to think of a way to make the best of both ways. So, he nodded repeated and said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what¡¯s your suggestion? Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Father, Oldest Aunt! One thinks that Oldest Aunt¡¯s family has helped out a lot and felt sorry for letting her do freebor. The other felt that my father has helped you guys a lot, so you feel more at ease by doing some work...¡± Yu Xiaocao first analyzed the mentality of both sides.


    Upon hearing that, Yu Hai and the Yu Caifeng couple nodded in agreement!


    ¡°Oldest Aunt, Oldest Uncle, what are your ns for the future?¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly asked.


    Liu Hu seriously thought about it for a moment and said, ¡°I have discussed with your aunt. After the busy period for your family have passed, we will apply for a piece ofnd with the Vige Chief, build a shack, and move out... Dahai, listen to me! I¡¯m also an upright and dauntless man, so I won¡¯t rely on my younger brother-inw to survive! If I did, wouldn¡¯t people criticize me behind my back?¡±


    Without waiting for Yu Hai to dissuade him, he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as a man, would I not be able to support my wife and children? When I was in the northeast, I often went up the mountains to hunt for game to improve our lives. As long as I don¡¯t go too deep into the West Mountain, there are still many preys! With my body, I¡¯m not worried about not being able to find a job at the docks! Your older brother-inw isn¡¯t as capable as you, but I won¡¯t starve your older sister and the kids!¡±


    After several days of rest, Liu Hu¡¯s body had alreadypletely recovered. He was a typical man from the northeast, who had a tall and sturdy build and was very strong! Yu Hai, who was also a head of a household, put himself in his older brother-inw¡¯s shoes and thought that he was right. As a man, one couldn¡¯t rely on others all the time!


    ¡°Oldest Aunt, Oldest Uncle! I can understand that you guys don¡¯t want to burden my father, but we can¡¯t let you guys work for nothing ah! Look, the people whoe to help pick the vegetables every day can make twenty copper coins daily. You guys helped nt corn and look after the melon fields, busily working the entire day. If we don¡¯t do anything, we¡¯re afraid that the vigers will say that we¡¯re taking you guys as freeborers and working you to death!¡± Yu Xiaocao expressed her father¡¯s concerns. On the one hand, Yu Hai wanted to help his sister and her husband. On the other hand, he was afraid that people would gossip behind their backs.


    Yu Xiaocao stopped briefly, and then said, ¡°As the saying goes, ¡®even blood-brothers need to settle ounts without ambiguity¡¯. Oldest Aunt, Oldest Uncle, how about this? In the past, we sold watermelons per unit. The big ones cost five taels, while the smaller ones were four taels. At the end, we sold the remaining ones for two or three taels! You can pull the carriage to the side of Zhenxiu Restaurant and tell the manager that it belongs to our family and that you want to set up a stall there. He definitely won¡¯t stop you! Since you¡¯re helping us sell the watermelons, we can¡¯t let you do it for free. For every watermelon you sell, we¡¯ll give you amission of twenty copper coins. What do you think?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to take advantage of her rtives, but she knew that if themission was too high, her aunt and uncle wouldn¡¯t definitely disagree. A watermelon for twenty copper coins, and there would be at least thirty to forty watermelons on a cart. If they pulled two carts to town daily, her oldest aunt¡¯s family could earn an ie of at least a little more than one tael.


    With the yield of her family¡¯s watermelons, there was enough to be sold for at least a month. At that time, her oldest aunt¡¯s family could use the money earned from selling watermelons to build a decent house. Oldest Aunt had already decided to settle down in Dongshan Vige, so it necessary for her to have a house of her own! Oldest Uncle wanted to build a shack, which would be fine in the summer and fall. However, with the winter temperature in the north, they would freeze to death!


    Yu Caifeng wanted to say something else, but her eldest son stopped her by pulling on the edge of her clothes. Liu Junping whispered in his mother¡¯s ears, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s just do as Younger Cousin said! We don¡¯t have the ability right now. We will have a long time to repay their kindness in the future! Even if we continue to argue until the evening, there still won¡¯t be any results!¡±


    Yu Caifeng felt conflicted for a moment. She knew that once her younger brother made a decision, even eight horses wouldn¡¯t be able to pull him back. Xiaocao¡¯s suggestion should be her younger brother¡¯s biggestpromise. As her eldest son said, they still had a lot of time ahead of them. If her younger brother¡¯s family needs help, she could help them do more work. During the farming seasons, the whole family could go help out. They could slowly repay their kindness!

 Chapter 255 – Limited Sales

    <h4>Chapter 255 ¨C Limited Sales</h4>


    In the end, both sides took a step back and epted the n proposed by Xiaocao. It was gettingte, so Liu Hu and his son swiftly loaded a carriage and headed to Tanggu Town. The father and son initially thought that they wouldn¡¯t be able to sell many five taels watermelons. Who would have thought as soon as they entered the town with a cart full of watermelons that they would be constantly asked if the watermelons were for sale? Were the watermelons from the Dongshan Vige¡¯s Yu Family? Where were they selling them?


    The horse carriage soon arrived near Zhenxiu Restaurant. Liu Hu went in and told the head manager what Xiaocao had taught him. The head manager not only agreed, but he also sent a worker to help set up the stall. After that, he gantly ordered ten watermelons as today¡¯s free fruit trays!


    The stall wasn¡¯t even set up yet, but one third of the watermelons on the cart had been sold. Liu Hu held five ingots, which were worth ten taels each, and felt as if he was in a dream.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t even have time to stay in a daze. Whenst year¡¯s customers heard the news, they hurriedly sent their servants over to buy the watermelons, for fear that they would be toote and return empty-handed. In front of the stand that Liu Hu and his son had just set up, they were suddenly surrounded by over ten people. There was someone shouting for two, and another person who wanted to buy five. The scene was chaotic!


    Liu Hu and his son protected the watermelon on the stand, for fear that they would be smashed by someone. At the same time, they shouted at the top of their lungs, ¡°Don¡¯t push! Don¡¯t push! Everyone, stop pushing!!¡±


    The head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and quickly came to help, saying, ¡°Please line up to buy watermelons! There is enough for everyone! If this cart is sold out, you can make a reservation first. Another cart will be sent over in the afternoon!¡±


    When Liu Hu and his son heard that, they said in agreement, ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! Line up, please line up! We won¡¯t sell them to those who aren¡¯t lined up!!¡±


    Most of the people who came to buy watermelons were servants of respected people in town, and some of them knew each other. Hearing Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s head manager say that there was enough for everyone, and at thetest, they would be able to buy them in the afternoon, they stopped frantically rushing forward like earlier.


    Soon, a crooked line was formed in front of a simple stall. The street was regarded as street that sold luxury products in Tanggu Town, which was visited more often by the rich. Moreover, all the shops were furnished in a rather fancy manner. People were usually dismissive of stalls that were set up with several pieces of boards, like Liu Hu and his son¡¯s.


    Pedestrian on the street looked over with curious gazes. Suddenly, a girl¡¯s excited scream resounded through the skies, ¡°Wow! Watermelon, watermelon!! Older sister of the Zhuang Family, I told you that it¡¯s about time for the Yu Family to start selling their watermelons! Today is indeed a worthwhile trip!!¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang moved to the side with her maidservant, for fear that others would know that she was with this idiot. Wasn¡¯t it just watermelon? It wasn¡¯t like they had never eaten it before, so was it necessary for her to be so excited?


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang would never admit that the watermelons that her eldest brother brought back from the capital couldn¡¯tpare with the Yu Family¡¯s. They didn¡¯t taste good and there wasn¡¯t enough edible flesh inside. They were so small, and the price was too expensive!


    ¡°Qiu¡¯er, go ask if the watermelons are from the Yu Family. What¡¯s the price this year?¡± Although Eldest Young Miss Zhuang disliked the unpresentable watermelon stand, she missed the taste of the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons. So, of course, she was reluctant to leave.


    The maidservant in a green dress beside Eldest Young Miss Zhuang quickly agreed and ran to the stall to inquire. Next to her, it was the second steward of the Yao Estate¡¯s turn to choose watermelons. He red at her and said, ¡°If you want to buy watermelons, go line up in the back! They won¡¯t sell it to you if you¡¯re not in line!¡±


    Qiu¡¯er ignored him and asked the questions that her young miss told her to ask. She looked at the few watermelons left on the carriage and returned to her young miss with a worried face. She said, ¡°Young Miss, the watermelons sold at the stall are indeed from the Yu Family, but... we might not be able to get any today!¡±


    Miss Wang held her bulging purse and stared at the decreasing number of watermelons. In order to be able to eat to her heart¡¯s content this year, she had saved up money for more than half a year. These days, in order to check whether the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons were up on the market, she found reasons to wander on this street every day. Even the soles of her shoes were about to be worn-out.


    ¡®The Yu Family¡¯s watermelons are finally here, but I can¡¯t buy them. What a pity ah! Oh, that¡¯s right! Didn¡¯t the Yu Family ept reservations for their watermelonsst year? If I order two today, I will be able to eat the juicy and delicious watermelon by tomorrow at thetest! I need to quickly line up now!!¡¯


    Miss Wang didn¡¯t personally line up with a group of servants. She handed the money to her little maid and told her to quickly get in the queue.


    Seeing that the queue was getting longer and longer, the head manager suggested that Liu Hu and his son put forth a ¡®purchase restriction¡¯¡ªeach person could only buy two watermelons at most. Even so, the forty-some watermelons on the carriage were quickly sold out. Moreover, they didn¡¯t have time to categorize them by size. As soon as the watermelons were ced on the stand, they would immediately have a buyer. The customers acted very swiftly as if they were afraid that the watermelons would be taken by the people in the back if they moved too slowly. Liu Hu only needed to collect the money!


    Those who didn¡¯t get to make a purchase continued to wait in line to make a reservation. Liu Hu and his son didn¡¯t know how to write, so the head manager got a staff of the restaurant to help them record the orders. During the registration process, Liu Hu told his son to wait there while he hurriedly drove the horse carriage back to Dongshan Vige.


    There were still at least two carts of the watermelons picked in the morning. Yu Caifeng, who was weeding in the nearby corn field, saw that her husband had returned after only half a day and curiously asked about it. When she found out the zing poprity of the five taels watermelons in town, she couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded, ¡®The townsfolks are indeed rich. In Dongshan Vige, even if the whole family worked hard for a month, they still might not have enough money to buy a watermelon. They would be reluctant to even eat fine rice and wheat flour, let alone those expensive things!¡¯


    Under Liu Hu¡¯s urge, Yu Caifeng didn¡¯t have time to be in a daze and quickly helped load the cart. There was a total of over fifty watermelons on the cart. By the time the second cart of watermelons arrived in town, it was already afternoon. Many of the servants, who made reservations at the stall, were afraid that they wouldn¡¯t be able to get their products in the afternoon, so they just waited there without eating.


    Liu Hu¡¯s second cart of watermelons was just enough for the orders made in the morning. Those who got the newster could only make reservations for tomorrow!


    When the second cart was also sold out, the sun was high above their heads! Following Yu Xiaocao¡¯s instructions, the father and son carried the heavy silver to the Zhou Family¡¯s bank and exchanged them for banknotes. After that, they drove the carriage back home.


    The father and son were extremely thrilled! They had never seen so much shiny silver ah!! Two carts of watermelons were sold for a total of four hundred eighty-five taels! Fortunately, the bank wasn¡¯t very far away. Otherwise, they would be extremely exhausted just by carrying the money over!


    ¡°Father, we sold ny-seven watermelons today. Younger Cousin said they will give us twenty copper coins for each one. Doesn¡¯t that mean that we can get about two taels?¡± Liu Junping clenched his fist with slight excitement.


    Liu Hu was silent for a long time before he sighed and said, ¡°Junping, you must firmly remember your uncle¡¯s kindness to us! In the future, pay more attention to their family¡¯s affairs. We owe them a big favor!¡±


    In Liu Hu¡¯s opinion, an adultborer, who worked hard for an entire day, would only be able to earn thirty-five copper coins. The father-son pair had merely traveled to town twice and didn¡¯t do much heavybor, yet they were able to make nearly two taels of silver. This was his younger brother-inw¡¯s family helping them ah!!


    When they got home, Liu Hu and his son ced 4 one hundred taels banknotes, 1 fifty taels banknote, and thirty-five taels of silver in front of Yu Hai¡¯s family. When Yu Hai gave them the share that they deserved, Liu Hu didn¡¯t refuse anymore. His family engraved this kindness deeply into their hearts. Once the other party needed them, his whole family would do whatever they could to repay them.


    With the help of Oldest Aunt¡¯s family, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have to be likest year when she was so busy that her heels barely touched the floor. When the watermelons were finally up on the market, the merchants and vigers, who they previously made a deal with, all began to buy wholesale watermelons from the Yu Family.


    Prince Jing¡¯s Estate sent watermelons as gifts, and helped some people find a business opportunity. They inquired about the origin of the watermelons and traveled all the way to Dongshan Vige in search of the Yu Family. They wanted to use their status to suppress the Yu Family so that they would only supply watermelons to their own family.


    This merchant was closely connected with an idle prince of the imperial family. With the assumption that his status was far superior than them, wouldn¡¯t it be very easy to take control of a little peasant family?


    This merchant was quite unlucky. When he went to threaten the Yu Family, Royal Prince Yang had just happened toe to Dongshan Vige for an inspection and caught him in the act.


    Royal Prince Yang knew that the member of the imperial family that this merchant was close with was his imperial uncle, who didn¡¯t care about anything and was obsessed with cultivation of Taoism. He had a good rtionship with the Prince Jing Estate. This merchant was the younger brother of one of his concubines. He always used the prince¡¯s name to dominate the market, and specially picked businessmen with no special background or support to suppress. Unexpectedly, he was actually trying to bully his people today!


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t notice that he had automatically taken the Yu Family under his wings. In his opinion, the Yu Family was currently working for him and contributing to the imperial court. The merchant was merely the younger brother of a concubine. Who gave him the courage to act atrociously here?


    With Zhu Junyang¡¯s violent temper, he immediately ordered his imperial bodyguards to arrest the tactless guy, escort him to his imperial uncle, and exin the situation. Imperial Prince Cheng had long been dissatisfied with this idiot. He always used his status as his younger brother-inw to cause trouble outside, bringing dishonor to his face! He immediately ordered him to be beaten with a wooden nk, and then he kicked him and his older sister out of the estate.


    Zhu Junyang saw that the Yu Family had picked more than enough watermelons every day and heard from Xiaocao that watermelons could be kept for at least half a month, so he had his subordinates transport several carts back and sell them in a fruit store under hisdy mother¡¯s name. Not to mention that it wasn¡¯t the season for watermelons to be on the market, even if it was the time for watermelons to be sold, the price in the capital would be multiple folds higher than that of Tanggu Town.


    To hoard a raremodity and sell it at a high price! The capital didn¡¯tck wealthy royalties, high-ranking officials, and noble lords. It was often said that one might be able to randomly throw a rod and hit several fifth-rank officials on the street in the capital, let alone rich merchants. The business of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s fruits and candied fruits store suddenly boomed.


    This store¡¯s shopkeeper was also an excellent businessman. The quantity of watermelons delivered was limited. Thus, he unknowingly used the ¡®hunger marketing¡® strategy ofter generations and adopted the measure of limited sales. Only twenty watermelons were sold each day, and each person could only purchase one watermelon per day.

 Chapter 256 – A Difficult Matter

    <h4>Chapter 256 ¨C A Difficult Matter</h4>


    There were people lining up in front of the fruit shop every day. It was not my turn today, nor tomorrow, but it would be my turn the day after tomorrow, right? For a while, it was hard to get a melon in the capital.


    Those who had a good rtionship with Prince Jing¡¯s Estate tried everything possible to buy a watermelon. Fortunately, Princess Consort Jing wasn¡¯t in the capital or there would¡¯ve been more for her to be troubled by. She was hiding in Tanggu to avoid the disturbance, but it was bitter for Prince Jing. Imagine always being blocked at the entrance of the court hall after getting off court every day, even those incidental acquaintances all came up to try to exploit their connection with him by acting friendly. All so they could buy some stupid watermelon! When did so many of his colleagues turn into foodies?


    ¡°Your Highness Imperial Prince Jing, please stay...¡± Prince Jing, who was rejoicing that there was no one waiting for him in front of the court, had decided to leave before the people behind him came out. Unexpectedly, a familiar voice stopped him.


    Looking back, it turned out to be the iron-faced prime minister, Yuan Mufan [1]. The two of them had no connection in the past. Due to a radical and steady difference in their political opinions, they oftenpeted in court until their faces and ears were red. When meeting out of court, they kept up appearances of incidental acquaintances. Prime Minister Yuan wasn¡¯t usually someone who paid attention to the desires of food, so why was he stopping him?


    Yuan Mufan face was slightly red from Prince Jing¡¯s confused gaze. He coughed to cover up his embarrassment. If possible, he didn¡¯t want to ask others for help, moreover, it was for such an unspeakable reason. But, he had no other choice since filial piety was greater than the heavens. In order to get his father stay in the capital for a few more days, and let him,as a son, show filial piety, he was willing to risk being embarrassed!


    ¡°Let talk somewhere quieter!¡± Prime Minister Yuan took Imperial Prince Jing to a nearby teahouse. He asked for a private room and ordered a pot of quality tea.


    Prince Jing took a sip of tea and dismissed the server making the tea. Seeing that Prime Minister Yuan wouldn¡¯t speak, he asked directly, ¡°What is the problem, Prime Minister Yuan? If there is anything I can help you with, I definitely will!¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing inherited the retired emperor¡¯s frank personality and hated the garrulous traits of the schrs.


    Prime Minister Yuan gritted his teeth and said what he wanted in one breath. It turned out that the prime minister¡¯s father, the great schr Yuan Sinian, was finally back in the capital. After living in his son¡¯s house for a short while, he insisted on returning to Tanggu Town, upon hearing that there wasn¡¯t a ce selling watermelons in the capital. He kept saying, ¡°Thatss Xiaocao¡¯s watermelons should be ripe now. I haven¡¯t had that girl¡¯s braised pig¡¯s head meat in so long. I wonder what kind of specialty she created for her brother this week...¡± The only thing he thought about was food!


    The prime minister¡¯s youngest son, Yuan Yunxi, came back to the capital to prepare for the autumn examination. Our Headmaster Yuan originally agreed that he would wait until his grandson finished his exams before going back to Tanggu Town. Even so, he couldn¡¯t sit still as soon as he heard about watermelon. He had already sent people to Tanggu Town to buy some, but the time it took to make the trip ande back was at least five or six days. However, his father was bing more and more impatient. It was no wonder that people said one¡¯s temper would be more like a child¡¯s as one got older.


    ¡°Your Highness, can you... please give me two watermelons from your fruit shop?¡± His face was red with shame. It had never urred to Prime Minister Yuan that he would have to go ask someone for watermelons one day.


    For the sake of his beloved wife¡¯s fruit shop, Prince Jing had been utterly exhausted recently. In his opinion, if he quickly sold all those troublesome watermelons, then he wouldn¡¯t have to think about it and he wouldn¡¯t be offending anyone. Prime Minister Yuan¡¯s character had always been very upright and his filial piety for his father couldn¡¯t be moremendable. Imperial Prince Jing couldn¡¯t refuse him, so he readily agreed. With two watermelons, the iron faced prime minister would owe him a favor. It was a good deal ah!


    ¡°Go to the princess consort¡¯s fruit shop and take two watermelons to the Prime Minister¡¯s Estate. Remember, don¡¯t go in through the front and get it from the back of the store. Just say that it¡¯s this prince¡¯s order!¡± He immediately ordered his bodyguard.


    Prime Minister Yuan cupped his hands and bowed gratefully at him. Prince Jing lowered his head and took a sip of tea. Putting down his cup, he said, ¡°Brother Yuan, if there isn¡¯t anything else...¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Your Highness. I will prepare some good wine one day, pleasee then, Prince Jing.¡± Prime Minister Yuan also was in a hurry to get back to his estate to see if his father throwing a tantrum about wanting to go back to Tanggu Town again.


    After Imperial Prince Jing left, Prime Minister Yuan didn¡¯t stay for long before hurrying back to his estate. As expected, our Headmaster Yuan, who had a small baggage in his hand, was impatiently letting someone prepare a carriage to take him back to Tanggu Town, regardless of how others tried to stop him.


    Seeing that his grandfather¡¯s stubborn temper was acting up again, Yuan Yunxi didn¡¯t dare to try too hard to stop him. He just said, ¡°Grandfather, I have already sent people to line up to buy watermelons. If you leave today, you won¡¯t be able to eat the watermelons!¡±


    ¡°Once I get to Tanggu Town and tell thess Xiaocao, I can eat as much watermelons as I want. Why do I wait in line for two days for one watermelon? It¡¯s not even my turn too!¡± Yuan Sinian heard that a batch of watermelons were shipped to the capital from Tanggu Town two days ago, so he happily sent people to go buy them. In the end, since the shop was backed by Imperial Prince Jing, they didn¡¯t have to show respect to Prime Minister¡¯s Estate. After waiting for two days and not even getting a watermelon peel, Yuan Sinian was extremely angry. Once he was back in Tanggu Town, he would buy a lot of watermelons; one to eat, one to throw away, and one to use as a ball to kick!


    ¡°Grandfather, it¡¯s our turn to eat in the private room of Zhenxiu Restaurant. If you leave, you won¡¯t be able to eat the food there!¡± Yuan Yunxi, who grew up beside his grandfather, naturally understood his foodie nature. If he wanted him to stay, he had to use food as the offensive!


    Yuan Sinian became even angrier at the mention of the capital¡¯s Zhenxiu Restuarant. His beard was blowing as he said, ¡°The kid from the Zhou Family isn¡¯t very loyal! To go so far as to not leave me a personal private room, and I have to wait in line to eat in the private room!! In Tanggu Town, as long as thessie Xiaocao says something, I can go eat whenever I want, what need is there for me to line up?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s position in Tanggu¡¯s Zhenxiu Restuarant was equivalent to that of half a boss. Thus, she had her own private room. She didn¡¯t need to wait in line to eat or to entertain guests. However, there were very few opportunities for her to go eat, and she didn¡¯t have many friends who could make her treat them at Zhenxiu Restaurant, so the room was usually left unused.


    When Yu Xiaocao went to deliver food to her younger brother, she would always give his benefactor, Headmaster Yuan, a share. Once, she heard the cute old foodiein that he couldn¡¯t get a ce to eat in the Zhenxiu Restaurant, so she generously lent her private room to him.


    In other words, Headmaster Yuan could freely use Xiaocao¡¯s private room in Zhenxiu Restaurant whenever she wasn¡¯t using it, which was the same as Headmaster Yuan having an appointment-free private room in Zhenxiu Restaurant. This allowed the little old man to show off in front of his friends for a while.


    At Zhenxiu Restaurant, besides the Zhou Family, only Xiaocao had an exclusive private room. How enviable was it to be able to eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant without having to wait in line and without reservation? Headmaster Yuan felt smug for a while due to the envious gazes of his friends.


    After arriving in the capital, all the preferential treatment disappeared. Headmaster Yuan felt disappointed...


    Just when Yuan Sinian was persistent on leaving, Prime Minister Yuan arrived with the man who was delivering the watermelons.


    ¡°Father! The watermelons have been bought! I must try the watermelons that Father has been praising. How would it taste?¡± With a gentle smile on his face, Prime Minister Yuan didn¡¯t seem to see the small baggage in his father¡¯s hand and had someone carry the watermelons into the reception hall of outer courtyard.


    Yuan Sinian recognized that the watermelons in the servants¡¯ hands were nted by the Yu family with a nce. The watermelons in the capital were small and unptable. For watermelons, he still had to eat those of Tanggu¡¯s Yu Family¡¯s.


    Upon seeing the watermelons, he seemed to have forgotten he was going back to Tanggu. His feet were automatically and spontaneously attracted to the watermelons.


    When Yuan Sinian heard his son¡¯s words, he hummed and said, ¡°When you eat it, you will understand! At that time, you can¡¯t steal mine!¡±


    Prime Minister Yuan¡¯s mind was at a loss whether to cry orugh, ¡®¡¯Do you think I¡¯m the same as you!¡¯


    In the capital, watermelons were cut from the middle and eaten with a spoon. Yuan Sinian was instructing the servants in high spirits on how to cut the watermelons into triangr pieces. Unable to hold himself back, he took a piece and bit into it. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s the taste! Sweet to the heart!¡¯


    From the corner of his eye, he saw his son¡¯s surprised expression. He said nonchntly, ¡°Unfortunately, the watermelon isn¡¯t as fresh! If it was just picked from the ground, it¡¯s crisper and sweeter.¡±


    After finishing one piece, he saw that his son was taking another piece and hurriedly stopped him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t steal mine? Trying one piece is enough. How can you be addicted already?¡±


    Prime Minister Yuan looked at the watermelon that weighed at least fifteen or sixteen catties and replied in a helpless manner, ¡°Father, you can¡¯t eat such a big watermelon alone! If you eat watermelon that has been left out for a long time after being cut, you will get a stomachache!¡±


    Yuan Sinian res at him and said to Yuan Yunxi, ¡°Yunxi, send half to your mother and sisters-inw in the back courtyard and let them taste it. Watermelons are cooled in nature, so tell your sisters-inw to be careful and don¡¯t let the children eat too much.¡±


    Yuan Yunxi was the youngest son in the family. He had just turned seventeen years old this year. He had two older brothers and two older sisters. Both of his brothers were married and had children, and both sisters had also gotten married. His eldest brother¡¯s child had just turned three, and was especially cute at this time. Headmaster Yuan, being a great-grandfather, would think about the little guy whenever he had some delicious food.


    Yuan Yunxi¡¯s brothers had jokingly said that only this little guy, whose hair hadn¡¯t even grown in yet, could snatch food from the ¡®lion¡¯s mouth¡¯!


    Because of these two watermelons, the Prime Minister¡¯s Household managed to keep the old urchin, who had been crying to go back to Tanggu Town, from leaving.


    However, Royal Prince Yang, who was in Tanggu Town, didn¡¯t realize the trouble he had caused his father just because he wanted to make some convenient pocket money. Later, Prince Jing wrote a letter to Princess Consort Jing and ruthlesslyined about his youngest son.


    Royal Prince Yang, at this moment, was sitting in a garden full of vegetables, drinking tea and enjoying the sight of new greenery. In contrast to his leisure, poor Yu Xiaocao was working hard in the kitchen due to the ¡®great buddha¡¯ in the yard.


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, this prince wants to eat tomatoes!¡± At the end of spring, there weren¡¯t many fruits to eat. The Yu Family¡¯s tomatoes were sour, sweet and juicy, which tasted better than many of the fruits that Zhu Junyang had eaten.


    These days, Zhu Junyang used the excuse of official business toe to the Yu¡¯s house to eat every day. This guy¡¯s mouth was very picky, if Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t personally cook, then he would always find something wrong with the food. The vige head, who wished he could put up offerings for this guy, repeatedly asked her to treat the royal prince well.

 Chapter 257 – Great Buddha

    <h4>Chapter 257 ¨C Great Buddha</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao, who was making ¡®honey abalone¡¯ angrily shouted at him, ¡°If you want to eat it, then go and pick it yourself, alright?¡±


    Today, when Royal Prince Yang saw the abalones that were drying out in their yard, he casually ordered the dish ¡®honey abalone¡¯. Yu Xiaocao finally had a chance to go into the sea to help Third Young Master Zhou prepare the portions needed for the pce next month. All that hard work was ruined by his one word... it looked like she would have to go into the sea again these few days!


    Madam Liu, who was acting as an assistant, nced at her and whispered, ¡°The other person is a royal prince, a member of the imperial family. Just because he has a good temper, it doesn¡¯t mean you can take advantage of it. Regardless of his identity, the visitor is a guest. If the guest has any requests, the host should try to satisfy them. That is hospitality.¡±


    After scolding her daughter a few times, Madam Liu put a piece of firewood in the stove and stood up. She walked over to the kitchen door and said, ¡°Our family¡¯s Cao¡¯er has a childish temper, please don¡¯t take offense. I¡¯ll go help you pick...¡±


    Zhu Junyang was also curious about the vegetable plots in the backyard. He put down his cup, slowly stood up, and said to Madam Liu, ¡°No need. I¡¯m currently idle and have nothing to do. I¡¯ll go to the backyard and take a look. Go ahead and continue your work!¡±


    Zhu Junyang left the capital on the orders of the emperor this time. He could stay until the corn and potatoes were ripe. Therefore, Head Steward Liu, who closely served him, also came. What did it mean to closely serve? Naturally, it meant that he will be wherever the master went.


    ¡°Master, let this old servant go pick it!¡± Although the royal prince still only had one expression on his face¡ª¡ªthat is to say, there was no expression, Head Steward Liu could hear his master¡¯s politeness toward Madam Liu from his tone.


    His master never said false words to people. There were no exceptions, even for the so-called noble ranked women of the capital. Why did the prince make an exception for this Madam Liu, who was just a countrywoman? For the past few days, Head Seward Liu observed that it was not only Madam Liu that his master treated differently. What did the Yu Family have for the prince to regard them specially?


    Could it be the matter of Yu Hai saving the master¡¯s life? That didn¡¯t seem right! Before the prince went out to sea, he had already met the Yu Family at the pier. At that time, he still had a cold and cool attitude and didn¡¯t pay them any attention. Was it possibly because the Yu Family had helped the prince with his problems, and could grow corn and potatoes? The men under the master were much more capable and had made outstanding contributions, yet the master never praised them for doing a good job? Just what magic potion did the Yu Family give his master?


    Head Steward Liu was just in the middle of puzzling, and his master had already passed through the round doors into the backyard,ing to a more open vegetable field.


    Unlike the leafy green vegetables nted in the front yard, the vegetables in the backyard were more abundant. On the surrounding walls, there were many sponge gourds with yellow flowers on them. On rows of bamboo racks, there are long fresh green beans, jade green cucumbers, fresh and tender cbashes, and golden pumpkins...In the well-nned vegetable field, the purple eggnts had a mysterious luster in the sunlight, the red and green pointy peppers covered the branches, and the tomatoes were like littlenterns sticking out of the leaves. The entire backyard was filled with the joys of harvest.


    Seeing that his master¡¯s cold personality was gradually warming up, Head Steward Liu was rather relieved. It seemed that the master had an affinity for the rural scenery. Maybe after staying here for a while, the master will gradually turn back into the carefree little boy from when he was a child...


    While Head Steward Liu was moved to the point that his nose tingled, Zhu Junyang had picked a tender cucumber from the cucumber rack and chewed it up in his mouth.


    As soon as Head Steward Liu saw it, he hurried forward, ¡°Master, let this servant wash it for you before you eat it!¡±


    ¡°No need, I saw Yu Xiaocao eat it like thisst time!¡± Zhu Junyang took another bite. The crispy and tender cucumber was full of juice, refreshing and thirst-quenching.


    ¡®That little girl is used to living in the countryside. If she eats unclean food, it¡¯s alright. Master, you are delicate and pampered. If you get a stomachache, what will we do?¡¯ Head Steward Liu said in his mind.


    At this time, Zhu Junyang came to the tomato field. Searching carefully, he finally found a red and colorful tomato under a cluster of thick leaves. The Yu Family didn¡¯t have to worry about selling their vegetables. There were many carriages that came to buy them every day. Tomatoes can be eaten raw or cooked. Naturally, they were one of the more popr vegetables for the rich people in town. To be able to find one or two out of the vegetable fields that didn¡¯t get sold was considered lucky already.


    Zhu Junyang could care less about his new shoes that were dirtied by the newly watered soil. With a sense of achievement, he found five ripe tomatoes in the tomato field. He returned from the backyard content, with a tomato in his mouth and the rest in his pocket. He looked very casual and at ease.


    He stomped the dirt off his feet and stomped toward the kitchen instead of sitting at the stone table. He rushed inside and hurriedly said to the busy Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Yu Xiaocao, I want to eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who was struggling with the honey abalone, didn¡¯t seem to hear him as she was trying to mix the sauce over and over again. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know how to make everything. In her previous life, she had made a lot of homemade dishes and she had some talent at cooking, so naturally, the taste of the food was quite good. However, abalone was very precious and her home wasn¡¯t near the sea in her previous life, so she hadn¡¯t seen much abalone, let alone cooked with it.


    Thankfully, the current Head Chef of Zhenxiu Restuarant, Yang Feng, who was also the apprentice of the previous Head Chef Wang, once made honey abalone in front of her. It didn¡¯t look hard when she saw him make it, so why was it so hard now that she was making it?


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, I¡¯m talking to you. Are you deaf or mute?¡± Ever since he had further contact with the Yu Family, Zhu Junyang had also be more and more impolite with Yu Xiaocao. He used to politely call her ¡®Miss Yu¡¯. Now, he not only called her directly by her given name, but he also ordered her like she was his servant. He alwaysmanded her to do either this or that; Yu Xiaocao was almost annoyed to death by him!


    ¡°Neither deaf nor mute! The cook can¡¯t be distracted while cooking, otherwise, the food thates out won¡¯t be edible! Young Royal Prince, go stay where you are supposed to stay!¡± Yu Xiaocao had also found out the truth about the Young Royal Prince¡¯s temper. He looked ruthless, but he wasn¡¯t actually that aloof and didn¡¯t seem that bad-tempered. At least, after being in contact with him so much, she had never seen him really lose his temper. Yu Xiaocao, who didn¡¯t have the consciousness of someone from the lower ss, was speaking more impolitely to him the more tired she became.


    Madam Liu and the rest of the family broke out in cold sweat from her antics from time to time. The royal prince looked young but he wasn¡¯t easy to get along with. If she infuriated the royal prince, getting hit with wooden nks would be the lightest punishment she would receive while losing her life could be the harshest punishment. Wasn¡¯t this how the ys always turned out? Their little daughter was really brave to challenge the royal prince¡¯s bottom line over and over again.


    ¡°I think the kitchen is a pretty good ce. Staying here wouldn¡¯t be bad!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t get angry and even made a rare joke!


    Head Steward Liu was so surprised that his chin could have dropped to the ground and hit his foot. This...was this the cold faced prince who scared children into crying and the one who wouldn¡¯t allow strangers close to him? When did he change his personality ah?


    Yu Xiaocao was speechless for a moment, ¡°Alright. If you¡¯re not afraid of breathing in oily smoke, then you can stay all you like!¡±


    Zhu Junyang watched as she poured the sauce for the third time and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°There are dishes that you can¡¯t make! Actually, I¡¯m not actually that picky. When I was on the boat, I even ate raw fish. Don¡¯t be nervous, just cook it until it¡¯s not raw anymore. I won¡¯t think what you made is bad!¡±


    In truth, he only said that because he didn¡¯t want her to keep attempting only to face failure again and again. Yet, the words that came out of his mouth still made her want to beat him up!


    Yu Xiaocao ignored him and finally blended the vor that she wanted. Only then did she peel the abalones, wash, and scored them with cross-shaped lines on top. Next, she put them in a bowl and added egg whites and starch before evenly mixing it together. She then steamed the abalones for a few minutes in the pot. The abalones she caught was on therger side, so they needed to be steamed longer before they were cooked all the way through.


    She cleaned the fresh mushrooms that she found from the coral, cut them into small pieces, and quickly nched them in boiling water before taking them out. Then, she sauteed them in oil with ginger, scallion, and garlic. Afterwards, she added the seasoning she had just mixed using savory broth, salt, pepper, MSG, and sesame oil, and simmered the whole mixture into a thick sauce. After the abalone was steamed, she poured the sauce on top. The sweet-smelling honey abalone was finally done!


    ¡°It smells authentic, I wonder how it will taste?¡± Zhu Junyang gently sniffed the fragrance floating in the air and praised.


    Yu Xiaocao walked over to him and took the tomato from his hand. She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°This is my first time making it, so I can¡¯t guarantee if the taste is good or bad. Make do with it and eat it! Young Royal Prince, our family is just an ordinary family. In the future, can you please not order dishes with abalones or sea cucumbers?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Are youining to me? Your family is just ordinary farmers, yet ten carts of vegetables and seven to eight carts of watermelons are sold every day. Even if a business in town is booming, their monthly ie can¡¯t match the money your family is making in a day. I just ate some of your abalones and your heart is already hurting? Stingy!¡± In front of Yu Xiaocao, Zhu Junyang was no longer the cold-faced prince with few words, one wrong move and he could be a chatterbox! Head Steward Liu had a frightened expression¡ª¡ªhe couldn¡¯t have followed a fake prince, right?


    Yu Xiaocao had a glib tongue, so of course, she wouldn¡¯t lose to him, ¡°Young Royal Prince, we are only making money these past few days. Watermelon is only in season for at most one more month. With just vegetables, how much money can we earn? We, themon people, depend on the weather for food. When we have money, we have to think about the days when we won¡¯t have any money. Unlike you, your sry isn¡¯t going down while you are walking around and free-loading meals off of people. You have a royal upation, so how can you know the sufferings of themon people ah!¡±


    Zhu Junyang knew about the Yu Family¡¯s situation. When they hadn¡¯t separated from the main family, they didn¡¯t have enough to eat or wear and had to work and be scolded...Thinking of thisss being on the verge of dying several times due to serious illnesses, a tender and protective feeling rose from his heart.


    Zhu Junyang softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! As long as the corn and potatoes grow well, the imperial court definitely won¡¯t treat you badly! With your family¡¯s talent in farming, I can help put in some good words with the emperor. Maybe, he¡¯ll approve you to be an agricultural official. At that time, you guys can also eat public meals and receive an imperial sry!¡±


    ¡°No, please don¡¯t!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face was so frightened as if he were a monster. Stepping to the side a bit, she continued, ¡°Young Royal Prince, I know that you are trying to be kind, but us,mon people, have no roots or foundations in the imperial court. Even if we be a small official, in the ranks of the court, we are still cannon fodder. Let¡¯s not do this, alright?

 Chapter 258 – Changes

    <h4>Chapter 258 ¨C Changes</h4>


    ¡°Who said you guys had no roots? I will be your backer, who would dare to touch my people?¡± With a cold face, Zhu Junyang started emitting cold air. However, he was interested in the words ¡®cannon fodder¡¯. He wanted to ask what they meant but he was afraid the littless would say that he was ignorant, so he stayed silent.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! You are powerful! No matter how powerful you are, you still have to eat right? Here, scrambled eggs with tomatoes!¡± While talking, Yu Xiaocao had quickly cooked up thest dish. Just as she was about to bring it over to the stone table in the courtyard, Zhu Junyang, that door god, blocked the way, so she slipped the vegetables into his hands.


    Zhu Junyang looked down at the bright red and golden ¡®scrambled eggs with tomato¡¯, and then looked at Xiaocao who had turned around to scoop out the rice. ¡®What does she mean? Is she telling me to take the dishes out for her? Thisss¡¯s courage is growing bigger and bigger; she even dares to order this prince around!¡¯


    When Head Steward Liu saw this, his expression changed and he hurriedly rushed over to take the dish out of his master¡¯s hands. Head Steward Liu¡¯s heart shuddered and he thought, ¡®My little ancestor, how can you order the Royal Prince to take the dishes? Isn¡¯t this just asking a venerable old man to go hang himself¡ªto go seek death?¡¯


    Unexpectedly, his master didn¡¯t appreciate his actions and dodged his hands. He carried the te in one hand, held his other hand elegantly behind his back and walked out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Get out of the way! Herees the rice!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice rang out just as Zhu Junyang set the dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes down on the table.


    When he turned around, he saw that thess, as if she was doing acrobatics, holding a big bowl of rice in one hand and had a teetering te on top of two adjacent bowls in the other hand. Without thinking, Zhu Junyang reached out and took the te of ¡®stir-fried spoon worms with chives¡¯ on top.


    As if he had seen something extraordinary, Head Steward Liu¡¯s eyes almost fell out of his eye socket. They could say the dish just now was given by Miss Yu, so his master just brought it out. However, his master actually took the initiative to help Miss Yu with the dishes, this.. this... should they check to see if the master had been substituted by someone?


    When Yu Xiaocao passed by Head Steward Liu, he grabbed her and quietly whispered, ¡°Miss Yu, if you have any work, feel free to tell me. Don¡¯t be embarrassed about it....¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw that most of the dishes were already brought out so she waved her hand and said with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to do. You can just sit and wait to eat the meal!¡±


    How could the servant just sit and wait to eat, while the master serves the food? Did he still want to live?


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, do you want to have steamed buns or rice?¡± Head Steward Liu wanted to say something else, but he was interrupted by the clear and melodious voice of Yu Xiaocao. Seeing that his master had looked over, and even red at him, Head Steward Liu tactfully closed his mouth.


    Not only was Zhu Junyang not angry at Xiaocao for letting him bring out the dishes, but he also thought it was a new experience. . When eating at home, there were usually people serving them, so it lookedfortable and rxed. But, in fact, there was ack of ambiance. Unlike his family, even Yu Hai, who came back from the fields, helped distribute the bowls and chopsticks. The feeling of the whole family working together gave off an overflowing sense of warmth.


    After helping bring out the two dishes, Zhu Junyang suddenly felt he was no longer a high-ranking prince nor the enviable third son of Prince Jing, but instead he had integrated into the warm family and became a part of them.


    ¡°You guys, there¡¯s no need for a separate table. Just eat with this prince!¡± Zhu Junyang expressed an ¡®it¡¯s a great honor for you to eat dinner with me¡¯ attitude. In actuality, he had longed for the atmosphere of smiling and talking while eating, like the Yu Family.


    Yu Hai was going to decline, but Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t going to act courteous with him. She merged the two tables of dishes into one, and quickly set up the stools. Zhu Junyang looked Yu Hai and blocked his words of refusal with a simple, ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Head Steward Liu was numb already. Ever sinceing to Dongshan Vige, the master had be less and less like himself. Looking at the little master, whom he had watched grow up, he felt that, with the Yu Family, the master felt more and more human. This didn¡¯t seem to be a bad thing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to wait on me here, go eat!¡± Zhu Junyang saw Head Steward Liu standing behind him, holding chopsticks and ready to try the dishes for poison, so he sent him away.


    Head Steward Liu¡¯s eyes became tearful; he could finally eat a hot meal. The Yu Family¡¯s meals were all cooked in one pot, there was a portion set aside for him from every dish. Head Steward Liu usually insisted on serving the master himself, so by the time it was his turn to eat, the food had already gotten cold. Head Steward Liu was old and his stomach wasn¡¯t as good as when he was young. After a cold meal, he would always have a dull pain in his stomach.


    When he was in the estate, it wasn¡¯t as bad. As the Head Steward, his disciples and followers, who had a good eye for things, would help him heat the food. However, when he got to Dongshan Vige, the master didn¡¯t even want to bring him along, much less other people. Head Steward Liu could only bear it.


    He looked worried at the young master, who was eating and sitting among the Yu Family, and discovered that the master was able to do as they were doing, happily eating. Head Steward Liu finally felt relieved and sat down at the wooden table on the side and slowly ate.


    ¡°Father, didn¡¯t Third Young Master Zhou take over the supply of dried seafood for the imperial pce? He wants to make a contract with us. All the high-grade abalone and sea cucumber we catch in the future will be sold to the Zhou Family! They¡¯ll buy it at a high price!¡± The Yu Family didn¡¯t have rules where they couldn¡¯t talk while eating. They were usually busy with their own matters, so they could only get together when they eat. Due to this, they always talked about their matters at the dinner table.


    Yu Hai nced at the royal prince, who was seriously eating his meal, and cautiously said, ¡°Even if we don¡¯t make a contract with the Zhou Family, with their care for us, we can still sell the high-grade seafood to his family!¡±


    In Yu Hai¡¯s opinion, the Zhou Family really did treat them well. When they hadn¡¯t separated their families yet, the Zhou Family paid high prices for their quarry. When opening the factories and hiring workers, they trusted them to help. Also, the business of collecting spoon worms and oysters allowed them to earn them quite a bit of money in one year. In his honest opinion, if they took care of his family like this, then if he had something good, he naturally would think of them as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that the high-grade abalones and sea cucumbers aren¡¯t easy toe across! The Zhou Family can¡¯t just rely on our family....¡± Yu Hai thought his swimming skill was pretty good, but he still wasn¡¯t sure about being able to catch abalones and sea cucumbers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they definitely won¡¯t just rely on to us! Let¡¯s just try our best! Father, my swimming skills is pretty good now, I can go to help you!


    ¡°You? No way! How many times have you been in the sea? The deep sea has many dangers, not only do your swimming skills have to be good, but you also need to have good physical strength. If you run out of energy in the middle of a dive, no one will help you, it¡¯s too dangerous!¡± Yu Hai adamantly refused.


    Zhu Junyang nced at Yu Xiaocao and couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°The sea isn¡¯t for horsing around. In the future, don¡¯t go into the sea so often!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao red at him. With bad intentions, she gave him a chopstick full of chives. She smiled and innocently said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, try the stir-fried spoon worms with chives. It¡¯s delicious!¡±


    During these past few days, Yu Xiaocao had noticed that the cold Young Royal Prince¡¯s mouth was very picky. He didn¡¯t touch vegetables like chives, onions, and garlic that had a strong taste at all.


    Seeing that the young royal prince was gradually furrowing his brows as he looked at the chives in his bowl, Xiaocao felt very proud of herself. ¡®Humph! We are talking about family matters, what are you cutting in for? Ha, serves you right!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang stared at the chives in the bowl as if he were going to war with it. After looking for a long time, he finally moved. He stuffed all the chives into his mouth, drank a big mouthful of soup, and directly swallowed without chewing.


    ¡®Humph! Thisss must¡¯ve done it on purpose!¡¯ Zhu Junyang red at Yu Xiaocao. ¡®Returning her kindness¡¯, he picked up some shredded ginger and put them in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s bowl. Zhu Junyang had long noticed that every time thatss eats a meal, she always picked out the ginger and put them on the table.


    Seeing that the little girl was up to her old tricks of picking out the shredded ginger, Zhu Junyang said with great dignity, ¡°It¡¯s this prince¡¯s first time picking up food and giving it to another person. This is a great honor to you, so you must eat it and not throw it away! Otherwise... Humph, don¡¯t me me for punishing you!¡±


    ¡®Humph! Seeking revenge for such a small grievance!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao¡¯s thoughts were full ofints toward him. She mixed the shredded ginger with the rice and ate it with a bitter face. Zhu Junyang and Yu Xiaocao were even now!


    Yu Hang looked at his younger sister¡¯s dissatisfied expression, which looked like she wanted to continue provoking him. Thus, he hurriedly touched her with his feet under the table. His youngest sister¡¯s courage was really too big. Who was the person sitting across the table? The Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s Royal Prince Yang, a member of the royal family. We, ordinary people, couldn¡¯t wait to put up offerings for him or hide from him, yet why was she constantly looking for trouble?


    Receiving her older brother¡¯s warning, Yu Xiaocao pouted and picked at her rice. Her little mouth was like a bloated frog trying to hold itself up. Zhu Junyang gazed at the little girl with a hint of a smile.


    In this way, Royal Prince Yang came to ¡®inspect¡¯ Dongshan Vige every three or five days, saying it was to record the growth data of corn and potatoes. In reality, his ulterior motive was the food and warm atmosphere of the Yu Family.


    Princess Consort Jing was also aware of the changes in her youngest son. Her youngest son used to be indifferent to everything except her, his mother. It was like he was isting himself in a circle and choosing endless loneliness as hispany. Princess Consort Jing always felt that if it continued like this, she would eventually lose her son...


    These days, her son seemed to be busy, diligently running to Dongshan Vige. Every day, he would head out early in the morning ande back at night. Where did he eat lunch? Did she even need to ask? Her youngest son had been a picky eater since he was a child, he would never eat anything that didn¡¯t suit his taste. Besides that little girl of the Yu Family, who else would have that talent?


    After a few days, her son¡¯s thin cheeks were filling out more and more every day. Although he still seemed cold and indifferent, that ufortable deathly aura of his was slowly dissipating, making him look more ¡®human¡¯.


    She wasn¡¯t saying that her son wasn¡¯t human, but like a ten-thousand-year-old cold iron, her youngest son used to be a big block of ice, making it hard for people to get close. Now, he was bing more affectionate and talkative. He talked more and more frequently about the little girl of the Yu Family...

 Chapter 259 – Mutual Dislike

    <h4>Chapter 259 ¨C Mutual Dislike</h4>


    The days went by, one after another, and spring slowly walked to its end. The start of summer was imminent. The Yu Family¡¯s corn fields all had stalks of corn standing up straight like soldiers. Each leaf from the stalks of corn looked like a finely crafted sharp sword made from the finest green jasper; all so perfect that it looked like it was from the heavens. At the apex of the stalks, there was a tassel of male flowers, and they bunched around, looking like messy hair on the bodyguards.


    For the past month, because Royal Prince Yang was particrly diligent and came by often, Xiaocao lessened the amount of mystic-stone water she used to avoid rousing his suspicions. Corn had always been a drought-resistant crop that feared floods. Even though there was less spring rain this year, it didn¡¯t influence the growth of the corn at all.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the corn nts that were as tall as a man and had Head Steward Liu [1], who apanied him, record what the male flowers looked like and the time period that they had appeared during the growth cycle.


    The Yu Family¡¯s watermelons had been on the market for almost a month, so there wasn¡¯t a lot left in the six mu of fields. The leftover watermelons weren¡¯t veryrge, but their taste was notpromised. Zhu Junyang strolled into the watermelon fields and stooped down to pick one out of the remaining melons. He had Steward Liu hold onto it as they headed back to enjoy it.


    Behind them, Yu Xiaocao, who acted as their little assistant, curled her lips. This young royal prince truly didn¡¯t consider himself to be an outsider anymore. He picked the watermelons as if they were his own things.


    ¡°Xiaocao, can the male flowers that grow at the top of the corn nts also produce fruit?¡± Zhu Junyang remembered the news he had gotten from the capital. The Ministry of Revenue had followed the methods that the Yu Family hade up with to grow corn. It had been about a month and they were only now jointing. He had looked at the specimens sent over. Although they looked quite good, they still were quite inferior to the ones grown by the Yu Family. Could it really be true that the Yu Family had more talent at cultivating crops than other people?


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and rudely replied, ¡°Those who are ignorant are seriously too scary! People are split into men and women, flowers are the same. Since these are male flowers, how could they possibly bear fruit ah?¡±


    Thwap!


    Zhu Junyang lightly used the palm of his hand to p the back of the littless¡¯s head. The tone of his voice didn¡¯t have a hint of intimidation as he stated, ¡°You¡¯re quite a bold little thing. Who are you using of being ignorant now? Looks like this prince normally indulges you too much. You are truly too cheeky now! You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m a magnanimous person. If it was anyone else, you would have lost your little life already!¡±


    Steward Liu, who was standing at the side with a notebook in his hand and the watermelon in the other, looked at the faint smile on his young master¡¯s face. He felt immenselyforted inside, ¡®The heavens have eyes; they allowed my master to meet the only person who dares to joke with him, the harmonious and sweet Miss Yu.¡¯ Throughout this past month, he had observed the two and discovered that his master could only wholeheartedly rx when he was with Miss Yu. This was the only time that his master would asionally show the appearance and mannerisms of a seventeen year old youth.


    Yu Xiaocao held her head as she angrily stared at him. She raged, ¡°You hit my head again! If you end up causing me to be stupid and an idiot from this, I¡¯m going to make you take responsibility! You absolutely need to take care of me for the rest of my life!!¡±


    Be responsible for the rest of this littless¡¯s life? A hint ofughter appeared in the depths of Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes. He gave her an already peeled chestnut and guffawed, ¡°Stop trying to falsely use this prince! You¡¯ve always been a stupid idiot, how can you me me for this? You want to make me take responsibility? This prince is not a stingy person. With your tiny stature, someone who eats as much as a kitten, this prince can afford to raise dozens of you!¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re raising pigs ah? You even want dozens...¡± Yu Xiaocao identally insulted herself and she only realized it when the words came out of her mouth. Aiya, how did this happen? Did she really be stupid after getting hit by this guy?


    The smile on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face widened and he looked at her from top to bottom. He revealed an expression full of disdain, ¡°Pigs? Your figure is so slight and small, with no meat on it, if you were a pig, you¡¯d be a skinny piglet. I¡¯m pretty sure no one would want to take such a skinny piglet home to raise. This prince will be merciful and tackle such a difficult job of raising such a skinny piglet. Once you be more plump, I can ughter you for meat...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hopped up and down in rage as she snarled, ¡°Eat, eat, eat! You eat until you burst open!! And you still want to eat meat. Be careful that you don¡¯t eat so much that you be a big, fat pig and you can¡¯t even walk anymore!!¡±


    ¡°This prince exercises every day, so it doesn¡¯t matter how much meat I eat, I won¡¯t get fat. No need to worry!¡± The more he looked at Yu Xiaocao hopping up and down with a lively spirit, the better his mood became.


    This private argument seemed to be going nowhere. Yu Xiaocao decided that a good woman never fought with a man. She walked into the melon fields to find a ripe watermelon. Suddenly, a dark shadow scuttled by her feet. It scared her that she let out a cry in surprise and jumped a few feet to the side.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s wrong?! What happened?¡± Zhu Junyang took giant steps forward and quickly arrived by her side. Because he was in such a rush, he had identally smashed a couple small watermelons that weren¡¯t yet ripe under his feet.


    ¡°It looked like a badger!¡± The badger that Yu Xiaocao talked about was very simr to the badger-like creature that was written by Lu Xun [2]. It was good at digging and lived in a cave in the mountains and fields. It liked to eat nts and vines but also ate insects and some other small animals.


    Zhu Junyang searched through the melon field and spotted the nimble little creature not long after. His hand shed quickly and the badger that was scurrying away quickly let out a short scream before it fell onto the ground, unmoving.


    Wow! What sort of nifty concealed weapon did he have? Yu Xiaocao picked up her skirts and gracefully stepped over every melon before she arrived at the dead as doornail badger. The badger didn¡¯t have any signs of arge wound on its body. Instead, it only had a mark of being hit on its head. She carefully looked around the surrounding area and finally found the so-called concealed weapon. It was an ornamental thumb ring made of turtle shell.


    He was able to hit a badger so hard that it died from such a far distance. Furthermore, the turtle shell thumb ring didn¡¯t look damaged at all. His strength and dexterity was not something a normal person couldpare to. Yu Xiaocao held the turtle shell thumb ring in one hand while the other hand lifted up that badger, who had stepped into disaster just by walking by. She walked back to Zhu Junyang¡¯s side and regarded him with eyes that glowed with admiration, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you know martial arts? Is this the legendary inner power ah?¡±


    Under the undisguised admiration in those brilliant gem-like eyes, Zhu Junyang felt his ears grow hot. He pretended to be calm and icy as he replied, ¡°This prince has studied martial arts since I was young. What¡¯s so weird about knowing martial arts? I only killed a badger, nothing to be proud of, right?¡±


    ¡°Hee hee! Young Royal Prince, if you¡¯re ever unemployed in the future, then you can change professions and be a hunter. You absolutely won¡¯t starve to death!!¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up the fat and plump badger and waved it in front of Zhu Junyang. She revealed a row of tiny white teeth, ¡°Today, we¡¯ll eat this badger for lunch!¡± Zhu Junyang frowned as he looked at the coal ck badger with a look of dislike. He curled his lips, ¡°Such an ugly creature, and dirty to boot, is edible?¡±


    It was as if the admiration and worship in her eyes were only a misperception. Yu Xiaocao regarded him with dislike again, ¡°Inexperienced and ignorant! Let me tell you, a badger¡¯s meat is very nourishing. If you eat it frequently, you can strengthen your body!¡±


    Zhu Junyang seemed to really enjoy crossing verbal swords with Yu Xiaocao, ¡°A stinky badger can make you this happy ah! Don¡¯t you guys have a lot of game in the West Mountains ah? On another day, this prince will let you experience my astounding hunting efficiency. At that time, make sure you tell me what you want to eat, this prince will get it for you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes immediately brightened, ¡°Is that true? You¡¯re not pulling my leg, right? Whatever I want to eat, you¡¯ll get ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the devious smile at the corner of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s lips and he had a bad premonition. However, as a manly man, he couldn¡¯t go back on his words. He could only brace himself and say, ¡°As long as the West Mountains have it, this prince will definitely be able to hunt it down!¡±


    ¡°I want to eat tiger meat, the paw of the ck bear, leopard¡¯s tail, shark meat...I have never eaten any of these, so I really want to try some ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao put on a fake-innocent expression on her face. Howe it seemed like she was really asking for a spanking?


    The muscles on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face fiercely twitched as he let out a strained smile, ¡°I think you¡¯ve bitten more off than you can chew, eh? You dare to instigate me, this prince, to go hunt ferocious beasts eh? What are your intentions? Furthermore, do you guys truly have sharks that live up in the West Mountains? Let alone shark, getting you some fish up there isn¡¯t bad either!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao made a funny face at him. She was only idly saying stuff. How could she possibly make him take such a dangerous risk?


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, do the West Mountains really have tigers and leopards?¡± Men seemed to love to take risks. Zhu Junyang had missed the annual autumn imperial hunt, and he heard of one of the generals under hismand taking his thunder. He felt quite ufortable. It was said that that fellow had been quite lucky and hade across an injured tiger. A blind cat had hit a dead mouse, yet it allowed him to win! If the West Mountains had tigers, he wanted to hunt one down and let all of those generals underneath him recognize him for his prowess!


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and shook her head, ¡°I am also not sure. I heard the older generation say that they had once heard the roar of a tiger. Most of the fierce beasts live deep within the mountains and the vast majority of people don¡¯t dare to go in there, so it¡¯s natural that no one has seen any! However, I do know that bears live in there. My father had met one before...¡± He had almost lost his life from that bear!


    Yu Xiaocao gripped her fists tightly when she remembered that scene again. Her father had been lying on the bed and the doctor had given him a death sentence. Everyone around them had a look of despair on their faces. She gripped her hands so tightly that the turtle shell ornamental thumb ring cut painfully into her palm.


    Yu Xiaocao looked down at the object in her hand and said, ¡°Here¡¯s your ornamental thumb ring!¡± She disyed it in front of Zhu Junyang.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the imprint on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s palm and also recalled Yu Hai¡¯s previous misfortune. At that time, Yu Xiaocao was only eight years old and must have felt very helpless and worried. He wanted to say something tofort her yet he didn¡¯t know what was right to say. He thought for a bit and then said, ¡°The thumb ring is dirty now, so take it as a reward! Don¡¯t you want to eat bear paws ah? Another day, this prince will get some for you. Do you know how to prepare it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know how...however, the head chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant probably knows how! When the momentes, let¡¯s go eat at the restaurant and have Older Brother Yang Feng make it for us. We can also order some of their specialities and happily eat a delicious meal together!!¡± Ever since her godmother had finished her one-month confinement, Yu Xiaocao spent less time in town nowadays. Her godmother said that she was going to return back to the capital soon in order to prepare for Little Linlin¡¯s hundred day ceremony.


    His washing ceremony and full moon ceremony were all done in Tanggu Town. If she didn¡¯t do his hundred days ceremony in the capital, then her godmother¡¯s good friends, her godfather¡¯s close friends, as well as the declining Xia Family that wanted to fawn on General Fang...would have alle over to give them their congrattions already!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes smiled as they roamed around that adorable little face. She described everything happily, as if the bear paws were already within her grasp and all she needed to decide was on how to eat them! Mhm! When he had the chance, he probably could go into the mountains to take a look. Perhaps he might really get an unexpected haul there!


    Yu Xiaocao finally finished her thoughts on how to eat the bear paws. She waved the badger in her hands. The bright light from the sun made her smile seem exceptionally brilliant as she said, ¡°Without bear paws around, let¡¯s eat this guy first! Do you want to eat stewed badger meat or braised?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite way of preparing it?¡± Zhu Junyang rarely considered other people¡¯s likes and dislikes. If he was in his usual frame of mood, he would have said ¡®braised¡¯ without a thought for other people¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°Stewing is nutritious, whereas braising has a deeper vor! Both have their advantages!¡±


    ¡°This prince wants to try both!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stew half and braise the other half...¡±


    ......


    Under the sunlight, there were two figures slowly disappearing in the distance. One was tall, the other short; one was sturdy, the other delicate...


    [1] Used to be Head Steward Fu, but the author changed his surname to Liu.


    [2] Lu Xun (³Ѹ) ¨C one of the earliest and best-known modern Chinese writers.

 Chapter 260 – Intuition

    <h4>Chapter 260 ¨C Intuition</h4>


    The time, when the male flowers grew on the corn. was the most crucial part ofnd management. At this time, all of the leaves on the corn were loose andrge and the stalks were thick and sturdy. Only by having that could the kernels grow asrge as possible, leading to a good harvestter on.


    Yu Xiaocao had her cheat device, the little divine stone, so none of this was a problem for her. The Yu Family¡¯s fields were filled with healthy and mature corn stalks. Disease andck of nutrients were not issues for them. All they were waiting for now was for the female flowers to recede and the male flowers to mature and let pollen loose.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s six mu fields of watermelon were nowpletely sold out. In total, they managed to make more than fifteen thousand taels from those fields. Watermelon wholesalers were mostly the few families that had good rtionships with them. There were other wholesalers that came from other parts of the country due to the Yu Family¡¯s reputation, but because there was a limit to how many ripe watermelons there were in a day, they could only get one to two carts of watermelon.


    Royal Prince Yang would send a few carts back every ten days to pick up melons. He didn¡¯t take advantage of the Yu Family and bought the watermelons ording to their regr wholesale price:rge ones for five taels apiece and small ones for three taels a piece. He then hauled them back to the capital, where they could be sold for double their price there with plenty of people lining up to buy some. Prince Jing was being bombarded at every step by his colleagues, who were trying to enter through the back door to buy watermelons, so he took sick leave and went to Tanggu Town to ¡®recuperate¡¯.


    When the emperor heard of this, he curled his lip and silently cursed the other man, ¡®What is this being ¡®annoyed by other people¡¯ ah? More likely that he misses his wife too much, right?¡¯


    After more than a year¡¯s work on it, the vast majority of basic construction on Prince Jing¡¯s manor, which was on the West Mountain, had beenpleted. On the west side of Dongshan Vige and in the vicinity to Yu Xiaocao¡¯s home, there was a long stretch of stone steps that snaked up the West Mountain. Behind the trees in the forest, one could vaguely see the outlines of the red and green zed roof tiles that glittered under the sunshine.


    A tall and lofty figure slowly went down those steps. Gradually, the person¡¯s appearance became more clear: a face that seemed to be perfectly carved, an exceptionally handsome figure, and a pair of strong eyebrows above a pair of aloof eyes that would asionally flicker with the icy coldness from an ice age. The mountain breeze lightly lifted a few strands of his murky ck hair and made his azure blue robes flutter. It was as if the God of War himself was descending from the heavens.


    At the foot of the mountain was Xiaocao, who finally had some leisure time. Zhou Shanhu and some other vige girls around her age had sessfully pestered her into gathering wild mushrooms with them. It had rained the previous night and all of the wild mushrooms in the soil shot up through the soil. They resembled a de of tiny umbres.


    Zhou Shanhu raised her head and saw the azure figure walking down. She couldn¡¯t help but quietly exim, ¡°Oh look! His Highness the Royal Prince is descending the mountain!! He looks too handsome!!¡±


    Zheng Xiaocui, another vige girl, sped her hands over her mouth to muffle a giggle. She teased the other girl, ¡°I heard that the royal prince isn¡¯t married yet and has no concubines. If you fancy him, then have Auntie Zhou send you over to be his concubine...¡±


    ¡°You sillyss, be careful that I don¡¯t rip your mouth apart!!¡± Zhou Shanhu was older than Xiaocao by a year and was already eleven years old. After a few more years, she could get engaged. Xiaocui¡¯s words made Shanhu feel simultaneously shy and angry, so she started tickling the other girl.


    Liu Yingzi, who was the daughter of Liu Shuanzhu, a good friend of the Yu Family, quietly whispered into Xiaocao¡¯s ears, ¡°That Royal Prince looks so scary. He has a knife-like intensity in his eyes and it makes me tremble to see them! Whoever bes his wife or concubine would have to stare at that frozen face all day. If they don¡¯t get scared to death, then they¡¯ll definitely freeze to death!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one advantage to this. In the summer, he can decrease the temperature around you and cool the air down ah!¡± Qian Wen and Qian Wu¡¯s younger sister, Yafang, blinked her eyes in a silly manner as she quipped with a grin.


    Yu Xiaocao covered her mouth with her hands as a ¡°pfffttt¡± inadvertently came out. In her eyes, the young royal prince was only a paper tiger. He looked fierce but wasn¡¯t scary at all. However, it was only in her midst that Zhu Junyang was able to rx and tolerate her little antics.


    ¡°Master, looks like Miss Yu is over there...¡± Head Steward Liu had sharp eyes and was able to spot Yu Xiaocao within the group of girls around her age. He made sure to bring this up to his master.


    Ever since Zhu Junyang was given the duty of monitoring the crops in Dongshan Vige, his heartless second brother had escaped. He didn¡¯t even say a word before he ran away to enlist in Old General Zhao¡¯s army at the borders. Consequently, the responsibility of monitoring the construction of the West Mountain manor fell to Zhu Junyang.


    Furthermore, Her Highness, the princess consort, had sobbed andined to her youngest son, stating that all of them never cared about their parents¡¯ feelings and only cared about themselves. Herints covered his second older brother secretly enlisting in the army as well as him going out to sea. All of these had caused a lot of pain and suffering for her...


    Zhu Junyang, who was the unlucky recipient, felt so haggard from hisdy mother¡¯s nagging that he used the excuse ofpleting his official work and left early that morning to escape to Dongshan Vige. After riding up the West Mountain, he did a quick look around to inspect the progress of the manor¡¯s construction and then descended. As he climbed down, he was scheming, trying to figure out what difficult dishes he could order for lunch from that littless, who was always posturing in front of him.


    After hearing Steward Liu¡¯s prompt, he looked towards the sound of giggles andughter in the distance. Sure enough, that familiar skinny and weak-looking figure was currently bent over and looking for something in the grass.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± The dozen or so stone steps that were left were easily traversed by Zhu Junyang. The little girls, who were raucously talking, didn¡¯t notice that the topic of their conversation, the young royal prince, was only a few feet away from them.


    When they heard the sound of that hard, icy voice, the little girls were so scared that they all trembled. They even forgot about their own baskets as they all scampered off.


    Yu Xiaocao straightened herself and looked at the young royal prince who had somehow crept up behind her. Sheughed, ¡°I thought that there was some ferocious beasting, but apparently it was you ah! Look at you, scaring all of the other girls away.¡±


    From the corner of his eye, Zhu Junyang faintly looked at the group of little girls who were hiding. Irritation bubbled up within his heart. He addressed Yu Xiaocao, who was ignoring him while she continued to pick mushrooms, ¡°In the future, spend less time with them. All small-minded and petty, not worth the effort!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao almost pelted the mushroom in her hand at his face. She looked displeased as she replied, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you have a lofty status and position. Naturally, us wildmoners are nothing to you. Please keep your distance in order to avoid thismoner¡¯s pettiness from sticking to your body.¡±


    Even if Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t have his special ability, he would be able to tell that Yu Xiaocao was quite angry. He asked in a puzzled voice, ¡°This prince wasn¡¯t talking about you, why are you throwing a temper tantrum ah?¡±


    ¡°They are all of my friends. If you don¡¯t respect them, it¡¯s the same as not respecting me!¡± Yu Xiaocao puffed up her face and angrily red at him before she turned around and only let him look at the back of her head.


    Zhu Junyang frowned and then looked in the direction of the little girls again. His ability told him that within that group of girls, there was at least one of them that didn¡¯t have pure intentions. He was afraid that that girl would end up influencing or harming Xiaocao, so he wanted to warn her but he didn¡¯t know how to exin.


    Awkward silence prevailed for a bit and then he finally said, ¡°You must be cautious when choosing your friends! If you¡¯re not, you might end up harming yourself as well as causing problems for other people...¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao noticed that he was being quite serious, she ced the mushroom in her hands into the basket and looked him in the eye, ¡°Do you know something? Is there someone in that group who wants to hurt me?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not she¡¯ll hurt you, I can¡¯t tell at this moment. However, someone within that group of girls doesn¡¯t have pure motives. You need to be careful...¡± Zhu Junyang was afraid she would end up getting hurt in the end, so he ended up giving her a warning.


    ¡°Them? One of them doesn¡¯t have pure motives?¡± Within the group of four girls, three of them were all considered Xiaocao¡¯s close friends. Zhou Shanhu had a bright and open personality and didn¡¯t have any shrewdness. Qian Yafang was the youngest of the group, and she was sweet and adorable. Liu Yingzi had a straightforward personality and acted like their older sister. She was very good at taking care of others. The only girl she didn¡¯t know well was Zheng Xiaocui. All she knew was that she was Liu Yingzi¡¯s neighbor and that the other girl had tagged along once she found out Liu Yingzi wanted to gather wild mushrooms. All of them were young little girls around the age of ten, who among them could have ulterior motives such that word even got into the young royal prince¡¯s ears?


    Yu Xiaocao sidled along closer to Zhu Junyang and beckoned to him with her hand to have him ce his ear closer to her. She quietly whispered into Zhu Junyang¡¯s ear, ¡°Did you hear something from somewhere?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Zhu Junyang felt like his ear was itchy and hurriedly straightened up. He shifted a bit to the side and pasted an icy expression on his face. If someone looked closely at his face, he or she would notice that the tips this handsome youth¡¯s ears were slightly red now.


    Yu Xiaocao leveled a re at him and said, ¡°If no one told you anything, then how do you know that one of them doesn¡¯t have pure motives?¡±


    Zhu Junyang naturally couldn¡¯t tell her about his own strange ability as he was afraid that she would regard him as a freak in the future. He could only earnestly say, ¡°Intuition!¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao almost choked on her own saliva. Sheughed as she said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, when did your gender change?¡±


    ¡°Gender change? What do you mean?¡± Zhu Junyang had a feeling that this wasn¡¯t a good term so he looked at her alertly.


    ¡°Female intuition, female intuition. Naturally, only women will believe their own intuitions. Young Royal Prince, when did you also be so irrational?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t quite know what to say at this point.


    When Zhu Junyang saw that she didn¡¯t take this to heart, he didn¡¯t pursue this topic of womanly feelings. He cautiously warned her, ¡°If you don¡¯t take this to heart, I have to tell you that this prince¡¯s intuition has always been very good. By relying on my innate intuition, I¡¯ve been able to avoid a lot of plots against me! This prince is warning you out of the kindness of my own heart, it¡¯s up to you whether you want to believe me or not!¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the group of little girls not far from them. He didn¡¯t know what those girls were doing but he could tell that they were gesturing and talking about something! Just who was the culprit that wanted to scheme against Yu Xiaocao? He needed to keep a close eye on that unruly little brat! However, he would have never expected that the girl¡¯s target wasn¡¯t Yu Xiaocao but was him instead...


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t think she had anything that was worth someone else plotting against her. When she noticed that the young royal prince¡¯s mood seemed to be a bit down, she hurriedly interjected, ¡°In a moment, I¡¯ll go buy a rooster from Auntie Zhou¡¯s house. For lunch, I¡¯ll make you some chicken stewed with mushrooms along with some t bread. Although these dishes are examples of country cooking, they taste quite good!¡±


    ¡°Okay! I also want to eat some ¡®sour and spicy pig intestines with vermicelli¡¯!¡± Zhu Junyang liked strongly vored foods, sost time he ate a te of sour and spicy pig intestines with vermicelli. The dish had numbing, spicy, savory, aromatic, sour and a fatty without being greasy taste. It hit all of his favorite points and since then, he could never forget that dish.


    Earlier he had warned this littless out of the kindness of his own heart, yet sheughed it off. Therefore, for lunch, he needed to make things difficult for her, so he ordered a Zhenxiu Restaurant speciality dish, ¡®sour and spicy pig intestines with vermicelli¡¯. When she wasn¡¯t able to make it, then he wouldugh at her.


    However, he would have never expected that sour and spicy pig intestines with vermicelli was a dish that Zhenxiu Restaurant had spent five hundred taels to get ahold of the recipe. And it was from Yu Xiaocao herself!


    At lunch, he devoured the authentic and incredibly delicious sour and spicy pig intestines with vermicelli. Only then did a thought pop up, ¡®What sort of rtionship does thisss have with Zhenxiu Restaurant? Howe she knows how to make almost all of their special dishes, and make it even more tasty than them?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang, who had been unable to trouble Yu Xiaocao with his requests, started to be picky again, ¡°This chicken stewed with mushrooms is such amonce dish. If you could switch it for a wild pheasant instead, I¡¯m sure it will taste much better. Tomorrow, this prince will give you a hand and hunt some delicious game for you to make into food!¡±


    When Yu Hai heard this, how could he possibly let the royal prince get into a possibly dangerous situation? What if Royal Prince Yang had an ident in the vicinity of Dongshan Vige? Other than himself, even the entire Dongshan Vige would be implicated by this ah!

 Chapter 261 – Provocation

    <h4>Chapter 261 ¨C Provocation</h4>


    Yu Hai was stuck trying to figure out how to persuade Royal Prince Yang to not go when his youngest daughter interjected, ¡°There was heavy rainst night. The nts are thick up in the mountains. If you don¡¯t want to get your legs wet, then I advise you to wait several days before you go hunt.¡±


    No one knew what the weather would be like for the next several days. Summer had just started and it was slowly starting to rain more. Perhaps in the next couple of days it would rain again. Although the young royal prince looked like he was good at hunting, there were too many uncertain elements in the mountains. It was better to avoid dangerous situations!


    However, the heavens appeared to have not heard Yu Xiaocao¡¯s prayer. For the next few days, the weather was perfect. The tide had been receding in the morning recently. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s friends also knew that she had more free time, so they invited her to gather seafood together.


    Within the group of three, Zhou Shanhu, Qian Yafang and Liu Yingzi, they had somehow added a fourth person, Zheng Xiaocui. With the addition of Yu Xiaocao, they were all around the same age and all of their families had decent situations. Although none of them were able to wear new clothing frequently, none of them wore clothing full of patches like a few years back. The group of five girls were all considered rtively good-looking in the vige, so when they were together, they looked youthful and pretty as well as very pleasant.


    Whenever they came to find Yu Xiaocao, Zhou Shanhu and the three others were dressed in their ordinary working clothes. The only exception was Zheng Xiaocui. She always wore her new set of clothing, which was a set made from blue cloth embroidered with yellow flowers. At the seaside, she was afraid of getting her clothing wet and dirty, so she always had the lowest yield out of all of them.


    Zhou Shanhu had once tried to persuade her, ¡°Xiaocui, when you work it¡¯s best not to wear skirts. It¡¯s really too inconvenient!¡± Zheng Xiaocui wasn¡¯t grateful at all and held her handkerchief as she shyly replied, ¡°My father said that girls should act like girls...I can still do work while wearing a dress!¡± As she talked, her eyes wandered towards the direction of the Yu Family¡¯s residence.


    Zheng Xiaocui was a bit older than the other four girls and was already thirteen. Her body had gradually developed and her slender figure, when clothed in aqua blue, looked quite delicate and pretty. However, she was still a daughter of a fisherman. Everyday the sea breeze blew at her, so her skin looked a bit tan and rough. If she was paler, with her pretty features, she would be as pretty as those town girls who grew up in decent families!


    Yu Xiaocao hastily rushed out of the courtyard. This wasn¡¯t the first time she had sensed Zheng Xiaocui sneakily looking at her courtyard. What was she looking at? What¡¯s so good about her family¡¯s courtyard?


    When Zheng Xiaocui didn¡¯t see the figure she wanted to see, she couldn¡¯t help but reveal a disappointed expression.


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, this prince is going into the mountains to hunt today. Whatever game you want, I¡¯ll make sure to catch some!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice sounded from the west.


    Zheng Xiaocui was pleasantly surprised and craned her neck to look around. Today, Zhu Junyang was clothed entirely in ck clothing embroidered with dull patterns. His trouser legs were tucked into his tall boots made of deer hide and his hair was bound tightly at the top of his head. A few loose strands casually framed his face. He looked agile and strong.


    After seeing Zheng Xiaocui¡¯s star-struck eyes, Yu Xiaocao finally understood why this girl always came by every day to spend time with her. She nced briefly at Zhu Junyang¡¯s handsome figure and couldn¡¯t help from inwardly sighing¡ª¡ªa devilishly handsome man was a cmity ah!


    However, when she remembered what the young royal prince had told her the other day, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but admire his intuition. At that time, Zheng Xiaocui was quite a distance away from him and they didn¡¯t have any interactions together. How did he manage to detect that this little girl¡¯s motives weren¡¯t pure?


    Yu Xiaocao also carefully observed the other three girls, who were her good friends. She inwardly rejoiced that the one smitten with the prince wasn¡¯t any of them. Zheng Xiaocui was only the neighbor of Older Sister Yingzi and had showed up uninvited into their little group. She didn¡¯t have as close a rtionship with her as she did with the other girls, let alone having a good friendship. However, where did this little girl get the confidence to adore Royal Prince Yang, who was a rtive of the emperor himself?


    The nobles in the capital all cared about crafting marriages that were well-matched in terms of social status. Zheng Xiaocui was only little peasant girl from Dongshan Vige. Even if she caught the eye of Royal Prince Yang, she could only be his concubine. Did she think it would be easy to spend the rest of her life within the confines of a rich family? Perhaps her final ending would lead to a pile of dead bones that no one cared about!


    As Yu Xiaocao thought about this, she couldn¡¯t help but shudder a bit. If it were her, she would rather find a poor family where they couldn¡¯t eat their fill, then be concubine of a rich man. In the future, her husband could only have her as his sole wife. If he had other ideas, she would rather peacefully divorce then share her husband with other people. Even if he was extremely outstanding and she loved him to death, she would still stand by her principles!


    ¡°What are you thinking about? This prince is talking to you ah!¡± Zhu Junyang lightly tapped Yu Xiaocao¡¯s forehead with the bow in his hand, interrupting her train of thought.


    Yu Xiaocao covered her head with her hand and angrily retorted, ¡°If you need to talk, then just talk! Why do you need to hit me too? If you hit my head again, I won¡¯t be polite to you anymore!¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at her slightly-built body that was as t as a board. He tsked in disdain, ¡°Not be polite anymore? What can you do to this prince?¡±


    ¡°Be careful, I might add somexatives to your food! Let you stay on the toilet for three days and three nights!!¡± Yu Xiaocao revealed a slightly sinister expression on her face.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t believe that she would do such a thing, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we currently eat from the same tes. Don¡¯t tell me that you want to end up poisoning the rest of the family ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m quite proficient in medicine. I could just give my family members the antidote prior to eating the food and everything would be alright!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang inwardly thought, ¡®This prince also brings antidote pills along too. I wouldn¡¯t be afraid of a highly toxic poison, let alone something as mild as axative! The prince knows your personality, all bark and no bite. Even if someone threatened you, I don¡¯t think you would necessarily try to poison me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite a bold girl eh! You even dare to poison me so obviously, who gave you the courage? Hm?¡± Zhu Junyang lifted his eyes slightly which made his handsome face appear even more enchanting.


    ¡°Royal...Royal Prince, Xiaocao is only joking around, she doesn¡¯t have any bad intentions...¡± The two of them suddenly heard a timid voice interject from the side.


    Yu Xiaocao turned in the direction of the voice and couldn¡¯t suppress her surprise, ¡®Zheng Xiaocui, just how badly do you want to get the Royal Prince¡¯s attention ah?! Are you trying to plead for clemency for me? If you want to do it correctly, you first need to disguise that seductive expression in your eyes first and also conceal your wild ambitions, okay?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression immediately chilled as he looked out of the corner of his eye at the blue-clothed figure. Uneasiness bubbled up in his heart and he frowned unconsciously. Disgusting! Howe he had toe across another person who could influence his feelings?


    Head Steward Liu understood the hint in his master¡¯s expression and hurriedly hollered, ¡°Outrageous! How dare you interrupt when the prince is speaking? Guardse! Take her away from here!¡±


    The order was only to escort her away and they were only being so lenient for the sake of Miss Yu. If it had been another person in another situation, they would have already dragged her down and startedshing with the whip! Hmph! A vulgar girl from a fisherman¡¯s family also had the guts to cozy up to the magnificent and glorious royal prince. Who gave her the confidence?


    Zheng Xiaocui was scared witless at the sight of tworge and burly imperial guardsing towards her. Her knees weakened as they escorted her out. Zhou Shanhu and the other three girls now saw a noble¡¯s fickle temperament. Earlier, the prince seemed to be doing fine, merely having a small quarrel with Xiaocao. How did he suddenly end up bing angry?


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t attempt to intercede for Zheng Xiaocui, who had ulterior motives. A person needed to take responsibility for his or her own actions. Xiaocao merely looked at Zhu Junyang in the eye with a calm expression and said, ¡°What are you being so mean for? You¡¯ve scared the girl out of her wits!¡±


    After Zheng Xiaocui was forcefully escorted away, Zhu Junyang immediately felt like the air had be a lot more fresh. He couldn¡¯t help but warn Yu Xiaocao again, ¡°That girl¡¯s heart isn¡¯t pure. You need to stop spending time with her!!¡±


    ¡®Are you saying that someone who likes and adores you is someone who doesn¡¯t have a pure heart? You can¡¯t only me the little girl ah, you have to look at that devilishly handsome face of yours too, right?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao silently cursed the prince in her mind before she replied, ¡°How bad can a girl of twelve to thirteen be? Don¡¯t make other people moreplicated than they actually are!¡±


    ¡®How bad can a girl of twelve to thirteen be? Just wait until you see those supposed gently-raised maidens in the capital fighting and scheming against others! In order to gain a personal advantage, they are willing to plot against their own sisters, step on their supposedly good friends, yet still pretend to be gracious and loving to them while stabbing them in the back. Only after seeing that could you finally understand just how ¡®bad¡¯ twelve to thirteen year old girls could be!¡¯


    ¡°Enough, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore! This prince is going to enter the mountains...¡± Zhu Junyang waved the bow in his hands at Yu Xiaocao and turned to leave.


    Yu Xiaocao looked up at the sky to observe the time and then advised him, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you should eat lunch before you go! That way you won¡¯t miss a meal.¡±


    Zhu Junyang hesitated for a second before he nodded his head, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll go with what you say!! This prince will go to the thickets at the foot of the mountain and try my luck there. Maybe I can hunt a few pheasants or hares and add them to our lunch!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that Head Steward Liu was following along, she thought that everything should be fine now. She had already inquired earlier about Head Steward Liu. Apparently, he was very skilled at martial arts and was simr to those giant ¡®bosses¡¯ that guarded ces in the dramas of her previous life. A lot of television dramas had head eunuchs that were very good at martial arts. Perhaps they had all practiced from the Sunflower Manual [1]?


    When they saw Zhu Junyang leave, Zhou Shanhu and the three other girls, who were terrified by the previous scene, scampered over to Yu Xiaocao and eximed, ¡°That was super scary! Zheng Xiaocui didn¡¯t say much ah, how did she end up offending His Highness so much?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all nobles with high rank and power temperamental?¡± Liu Yingzi had a better understanding of how the world worked, so she seemed to have sensed something more. She was feeling a bit displeased with Zheng Xiaocui.


    No wonder Zheng Xiaocui, who usually didn¡¯t spend much time with her before, always stuck around her whenever she was visiting the Yu Family. She wanted to get closer to the royal prince ah! Liu Yingzi didn¡¯t know if Uncle Zheng knew Xiaocui¡¯s inner thoughts but she needed to tell her father when she got home and have him subtly make some inquiries.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go gather seafood now. If we get thereter, all of the good spots will get taken by other people ah!¡±


    Qian Yafang gazed at Yu Xiaocao with eyes full of admiration, ¡°Older Sister Xiaocao, you are too awesome ah. You¡¯re not even the tiniest bit afraid of that stormy royal prince and you even dare to argue with him.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pinched the other girl¡¯s chubby little face and grinned, ¡°Xiaofang, you¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m just a little peasant girl, how can I actually dare to argue with His Highness? I just have a better understanding of his personality since I¡¯ve spent a little more time with him. As long as I don¡¯t cross his bottom line, there won¡¯t be any problems!¡±


    Qian Yafang first nodded her head and then shook her head, ¡°My mother told me that I¡¯m very bad at judging other people¡¯s expressions. In the future, I¡¯ll stay farther away from the royal prince then!¡±


    Zhou Shanhu also vigorously nodded her head in agreement.


    [1] Sunflower Manual (¿û»¨±¦µä) ¨C An infamous martial arts manual written by an eunuch in Jin Yong¡¯s wuxia novel ¡°The Smiling, Proud Wanderer¡±. Any man who wishes to learn from the manual must castrate himself before he starts practicing the skills.

 Chapter 262 – Going Hunting Together

    <h4>Chapter 262 ¨C Going Hunting Together</h4>


    Around noon, Zhu Junyang came back triumphantly with two hares and a pheasant in his hands. In the nearby thickets, there were many people who went there to pick up firewood, gather wild nts, so there wasn¡¯t a lot of game around. Bying back with such a haul in such a short period of time, it showed that the young royal prince¡¯s hunting skills were quite good.


    For lunch, Yu Xiaocao made ¡®salt and pepper rabbit meat¡¯, ¡®spicy wild pheasant¡¯, ¡®steamed egg with seafood¡¯, ¡®roasted garlic scallops¡¯, ¡®savory sandworms¡¯, ¡®sauteed eggnts with minced meat¡¯, and ¡®oyster tofu soup¡¯. There were a total of six dishes and one soup, and the meal contained both seafood and wild game dishes. Everyone ate the food with great relish.


    After finishing the meal, Zhu Junyang picked up his bow and arrows in preparation to enter the mountain.


    Since the West Mountain was giant, the Yu Family was afraid that he wasn¡¯t familiar with the terrain and might get lost. Furthermore, it was possible that he might identally step into the wrong area and meet something dangerous. Thus, they had the experienced hunter, Yu Hai, act as his guide.


    Yu Xiaocao still didn¡¯t feelfortable with the arrangements, so she found an excuse to leave the house. She secretly followed them from behind as they entered the mountain.


    Today, Zhu Junyang only brought Head Steward Liu along with him. As their guide, Yu Hai decided to bring the older adult and the youth on a loop around the outskirts of the West Mountains so they could hunt some wild deer, roe deer and other animals in order to satisfy the prince¡¯s desires. However, Zhu Junyang had already guessed what the other man was thinking about. After encountering some smaller game, he didn¡¯t stay put. His purpose today was to hunt some ferocious beasts in the mountains.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was following the three of them from behind, started to find it was harder and harder for her to keep up as they went further within the mountainous trails. Right now the nts and weeds around her were waist high and she had to use a lot of energy for each step she took. As she watched the gap between them get wider and wider, fear settled into her heart that she would get lost behind.


    ¡°Father, Young Royal Prince, wait for me!!¡± Just as the three figures in front were about to disappear, Yu Xiaocao finally couldn¡¯t hold back and shouted towards them. Deep within the mountains there were trees all around, covering the sky and the ground. If she wasn¡¯t careful, she would quickly get lost in the thickets. Yu Xiaocao was still a little girl who was quite inexperienced in this setting. If she was lost by the others, it would be hard for her to find her way back on her own.


    The road in front of them was bing steeper and steeper and the forest around them was thick. Head Steward Liu stayed alert this entire time in order to observe their surroundings. He absolutely could not allow his master to encounter a mishap. Suddenly, his ears moved. He stopped moving in order to listen more closely to the sound. He quietly talked to Royal Prince Yang, who was in front of him, ¡°Master, do you hear that...¡±


    Zhu Junyang thought that Head Steward Liu had heard a wild beast and immediately stopped and held his breath to listen...


    ¡°Father¡ª¡ªFather¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Young Royal Prince¡ª¡ªWait for me¡ª¡ª¡±


    The thick forest muffled echoes in the area and the sound of the little girl¡¯s voice was only carried into the three people¡¯s ears by the wind. Yu Hai¡¯s expression immediately changed and he hurriedly rushed back as he stated, ¡°It sounds like Cao¡¯er¡¯s voice. That girl, she¡¯s always been interested in hunting since she was a wee child. She must have secretly followed us!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang also looked more solemn. He did his best to figure out the direction of where the sound wasing from and walked in the direction.


    ¡°Father...Young Royal Prince¡ª¡ªWhere did you guys go ah...¡± Yu Xiaocao was starting to get angry after shouting all this time. She didn¡¯t know whether her father or the young royal prince could hear her. She lowered her head to carefully look at the footprints the men left behind but she didn¡¯t realize yet that the more she walked, the further away she got from them.


    Yu Xiaocao found a wide open space and sat down on a rock. She retrieved a small porcin bottle from her chest pocket and dripped a drop of mystic-stone water into her mouth. Her throat immediately felt better and her exhausted body started to fill with strength again.


    ¡°Father¡ª¡ªYoung Royal Prince...where did you guys go? It¡¯s Xiaocao ah...¡± Yu Xiaocao clumsily climbed up a crooked tree and sat at the bottom of the forked branches. She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and started to shout loudly again.


    Zhu Junyang had followed the sound of her voice over and looked around. He didn¡¯t see Xiaocao anywhere. He turned around, raised his head, and was almost hit in the forehead by a pair of grubby, muddy, deer-skin boots. Luckily, his reactions were quite agile and he managed to avoid getting stamped by stepping back.


    ¡°You also know how to climb trees? Looks like you¡¯re quite skilled ah!!¡± Zhu Junyang raised his head to look at Yu Xiaocao, who was sitting astride on the tree. Her hair had been tangled with stray branches and there was even a dried leaf sticking on her temples. He didn¡¯t know whether the moisture on her face was from sweat or tears but she looked like a dirty little kitten. There were some holes in her clothing that had recently been ripped open. If he didn¡¯t look more closely, he would have thought she was a little beggar!


    ¡°Young Royal Prince!¡± Yu Xiaocao almost wanted to cry tears of joy, ¡°That¡¯s great!! I finally found all of you!¡±


    Zhu Junyang watched as the littless clumsily climbed down the tree. She slowly scampered down. Because her boots were covered with mud, she didn¡¯t have a good footing on the bark. She could only hug the tree tightly as she slowly slid down.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t stand watching her struggle anymore and sprung forward. He grasped the littless¡¯s cor and jumped back as the littless screamed to high heaven.


    The sudden weightless feeling made Yu Xiaocao think that she was about to fall down. She yelped mournfully as she gritted her teeth in preparation of the pain that was about to hit her bottom. Even when she was steady on the ground, with Royal Prince Yang supporting her up, she continued to holler shrilly with her eyes closed.


    Zhu Junyang used his other hand to pick at his ear. He felt like his ears were about to explode from the littless¡¯s screams. He lifted Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand and then lightly let go. The littless¡¯s legs wobbled and she fell bottom first into the underbrush. Only then did she stop ravaging his eardrums with her voice.


    ¡®Eh? It doesn¡¯t hurt? Howe I don¡¯t feel any pain after falling off the tree? Is it because the grass is too thick or is it because I have too much fat on my butt?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao rubbed at her butt and looked up the tree again.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er?! Why did you follow us?¡± Yu Hai had heard Xiaocao¡¯s desperate screeches earlier and thought she had encountered danger. He bolted over, panting, and carefully inspected her from head to toe. He only rxed after he discovered that she had no injuries.


    ¡°I...I was afraid you guys might get into trouble, so I followed along...¡± Yu Xiaocao could tell that her father was getting angry very quickly, so she lowered her head and pulled at the grass as she stammered out a reply.


    Zhu Junyang let out a cold sneer, ¡°You were afraid for us? So you followed along? With that tiny stature of yours, if we encounter a wild beast, can you help us beat it off? Or can you protect us with your body? Hmph! This prince knows now, you probably nned on sending yourself into the jaws of the beast and give us an opportunity to run away right? You¡¯re so tiny, you¡¯re not even enough to get stuck between the teeth of a wild beast ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t exin that she had the little divine stone, so she kept her head down as she obediently listened to him lecture.


    Yu Hai noticed that they were already in an area in the mountains where very few people tread. If he told his youngest daughter to head back on her own, she could get lost and then end up in a very bad situation. However, he couldn¡¯t, for the sake of his youngest daughter, ruin the royal prince¡¯s hunting mood. He braced himself as he said, ¡°Your Highness, my daughter isn¡¯t sensible and caused trouble for you...what do you think about letting my daughter follow along with us...¡±


    Earlier on the way here, they traversed hills and threaded through the forest. The trail was quite hard to walk on. Zhu Junyang eyed the littless who looked quite disheveled. He didn¡¯t know how thatss managed to go this far. When he thought about how the girl might end up breaking a leg or encountering some dangerous beasts on the way back, Zhu Junyang wished he could pick her up and give her a spanking.


    He looked around the area. They were surrounded by a thick forest and the mountain was loftily high. Who knew what type of ferocious beasts lurked in the area. They absolutely could not allow the littless to stay here by herself. But they had already walked all this way, so they couldn¡¯t just leave empty-handed. Apparently, they could only bring this fellow along and hope that she didn¡¯t impede their way!


    ¡°You better keep up because if you don¡¯t, this prince won¡¯t wait for you!!¡± Zhu Junyang leveled a fierce re at the little girl and then turned around to continue deeper into the mountain forest.


    At this time, Head Steward Liu discovered that his master¡¯s walking speed had decreased a lotpared to before. He looked back at Yu Xiaocao, who was doing her best to keep up with everyone. When did his master ever think of others? Was the sun about to rise from the west?!


    With a useless tail behind them. Zhu Junyang had a premonition that his chances of hunting a ferocious beast had dwindled considerably. He no longer rushed forward and instead did his best to shoot at any animals that appeared. Yu Xiaocao soon found out that the young royal prince¡¯s archery skills weren¡¯t just good; they were astoundingly good. He almost never missed what he shot at and every arrow hit a vital spot. He never needed to shoot a second arrow to fell a beast.


    Red deer, wild goats, roe deer, hazel grouse...the most impressive one was that Zhu Junyang managed to kill a giant wild boar that weighed over three hundred pounds by urately shooting it in the head. A wild animal that was usually quite vicious didn¡¯t even make much noise before it was killed instantly by Zhu Junyang.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her father, who was carrying the red deer and wild goat on his back while his waist was strung with pheasants, badgers, and other small game. Head Steward Liu had easily crafted a sledge out of branches and was pulling along the wild boar, roe deer and other game. Even she was holding two wild hares. Despite all that, the young royal prince continued deeper into the thicket enthusiastically.


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, if we continue to hunt through the afternoon, we won¡¯t be able to bring all of the game back! How about we go back home now and you cane back another day?¡± Yu Xiaocao heavily sat down on a nearby rock. She really didn¡¯t want to get back up. Although the mystic-stone water had replenished her energy, she was still very tired, okay?


    Zhu Junyang attentively observed their nearby terrain and environment and then turned back to look her in the eye, ¡°You truly came over to be a deadweight! If you¡¯re tired, then just stand here and watch over the game. This prince will head deeper in to take a look. If I¡¯m lucky, I might encounter a ck bear. Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to try the taste of bear paws eh?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the pile of game that emitted the smell of blood. She was absolutely sure that all of this was the perfect bait to attract a carnivore. If she was in charge of watching over the game, did he want her to be the snack of a wild beast? ¡®Young Royal Prince ah, just what type of enmity do you have against me?¡¯


    ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling, are you there?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao lightly called at the little divine stone in her mind. It was currently in the multi-colored stone on her wrist.


    A tiny, golden colored kitten appeared behind her and jumped onto her shoulder. It arrogantly asked, [What do you need this divine stone for ah? It wouldn¡¯t be that you want this divine stone to help you go hunting eh?]


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly thought that the little divine stone was quite simr to Zhu Junyang. Both liked to look down at everyone from their high statues, with their noses in the air. When they talked, they also made people feel like they immediately deserved a spanking. But the part that they most resembled each other was this: they were both annoying, but at the crucial point, they never disappointed her!


    ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling, help draw a ferocious beast over. The best kind would be one that¡¯s not a fully grown adult and is easy to take care of! Either a tiger or bear would work. If there aren¡¯t any, then a wolf would do too!¡¯


    [Tsk tsk! You take this divine stone to be bait for you? What advantage does this divine stone get out of this ah? If there are no advantages, this divine stone refuses to help!!] The little divine stone was feeling arrogant again. Every time she asked it to help her, it always acted as if it was very reluctant and made Yu Xiaocao quite unhappy.

 Chapter 263 – Dangerous Situation

    <h4>Chapter 263 ¨C Dangerous Situation</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao took the little golden kitten off of her shoulders and held it by the scruff of its neck. She used some force to shake it around and pretended to be very fierce. She frowned and red at it, ¡°Who¡¯s the master out of the two of us? Asking you to do something is like praying to the gods!! I¡¯ve already endured you for a long time! You¡¯re going against the wishes of your master, are you not afraid of being punished for this?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had truly guessed correctly. The Goddess of Spirits was very familiar with the little divine stone¡¯s personality, so when she created this space, she added something to prevent the little divine stone from devouring its master: If it went against the master¡¯s wishes, 1% of its spiritual energy will drain away. If it helped its master, then 0.1% of its spiritual energy will recover. It was an extremely unequal rule.


    Consequently, even though the little divine stone really disliked Yu Xiaocao as its master, it could only fulfill all of her requests unconditionally. It could only wish that it could recover its powers sooner rather thanter, break through its prison, and leave this energy-less world that was unsuitable for cultivation.


    The tiny golden kitten momentarily deted like a balloon and its ears drooped down dispiritedly. Even its two usually bright and dazzling golden eyes also didn¡¯t have as much sparkle as before. This fellow had unexpectedly learned how to pretend to be pitiful to gain sympathy.


    Yu Xiaocao lightly ran her hands through its soft and pointed little ears and sighed, ¡°Since our contract was a sess, then it means we are fated to be with one another. You shouldn¡¯t be in too much of a hurry. Heaven never bars one¡¯s way. Inevitably, there will be a method to restore yourself. When the momentes, our destiny together will be considered at its end! Perhaps it¡¯s only a short few years or decades. Why not treasure the time we have together now?¡±


    [Stop saying these intive, useless words, hmph! Isn¡¯t it just attracting a fierce beast over? For this divine stone, it¡¯s as easy as just thinking!] The little divine stone seemed to not be used to these emotional words that wereing out of her mouth, so it jumped out of her hands and shook itself all over, allowing its shiny golden fur to settle. It transformed into a golden light and shot into the forest.


    Zhu Junyang had gone deeper into the forest for a short period of time and found that there was nothing interesting. He felt a bit disappointed. Yu Hai, who was next to him, would, from time to time, look back in the direction they came from because he was worried about his daughter. Zhu Junyang felt like his mood had also been influenced by the other man¡¯s and also started to worry about that foolish littless.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go forward a bit more. If there¡¯s nothing to be found, then we¡¯ll head back home!¡± Zhu Junyang felt an unfamiliar jittery feeling rise up within him and he lost his desire to continue hunting. He aimlessly stepped forward.


    Suddenly, Head Steward Liu, who was constantly on the lookout, felt his ears twitch and he stopped moving, ¡°Master, there¡¯s something that¡¯s rushing over to us...be careful!¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw something that was moving extremely rapidly. He didn¡¯t even think when the bow in his hands moved and an arrow was shot towards that figure.


    The little divine stone barely managed to avoid that arrow that was headed its way. It used its paw to pat itself on its chest in a very human-like manner, [How dangerous, I almost got hit by the arrow! This fellow¡¯s archery skills are pretty good. He¡¯s already gotten to the point where he can shoot urately just based on his feelings!]


    Although this kitten form was only something crafted by itself using spiritual energy, getting injured would still require the little divine stone to use up some of its hard-won spiritual energy to recover! The little divine stone let out a shrill meow as it was afraid that Zhu Junyang would shoot another arrow.


    At this time, Zhu Junyang was also very surprised. He knew how fast his arrows were, yet there was an animal that was able to dodge his heavenly arrows? Just as he was about to put another arrow to the string, he heard a coy mew from the underbrush. They were deep in the mountain forests, how could there be a cat in the area?


    Yu Hai recognized that delicate and dazzling little animal in the underbrush. He hurriedly interceded, ¡°That seems to be Cao¡¯er¡¯s pet, a yellow kitten called ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯.¡±


    Yu Hai carefully pushed aside the long grass and a tiny golden kitten, barely the size of his fist, appeared in front of the three men. The golden kitten seemed to know who almost injured it earlier and let out a resentful ¡®yeowl¡¯ at Zhu Junyang¡¯s direction!


    Zhu Junyang bent over to pick up the tiny kitten by its scruff and lifted it to the height of his eye. He sized up the indignant, snarling little cat and finally chuckled, ¡°A pet takes after its master. This kitten is very simr to its owner. They both are the type who have more guts than the size of their own bodies.¡±


    As he talked, he threw the kitten over to Yu Hai. The little cat executed a difficult rolling movement in mid-air andnded urately on Yu Hai¡¯s shoulders. It resentfully raised all of the fur on its body and bared its teeth at Zhu Junyang.


    Yu Hai hurriedly caught the cat in his hands and lightly stroked it. He knew his daughter¡¯s pet was very aware and asked it, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, how did you get here? Did you follow your master here?¡±


    [This divine stone was forced by your scoundrel of a daughter toe here. In a moment, when a giant ck beares over, you better stay far away. If you get hurt, I will need to pay with my spiritual energy!] The little golden kitten mewed at its master¡¯s father and didn¡¯t care if the man couldn¡¯t understand it.


    Zhu Junyangughed, ¡°Look at this fellow, it must be tattling on me. Exactly the same as its master!!¡± Head Steward Liu lightly sniffed at the air and frowned, ¡°Master, this old servant can smell the distinct odor of an animal. A giant one must being over. Be careful!¡±


    As the sun slowly set in the west, the grove slowly darkened. Other than the sound of the wind blowing around, the rest of the de became dead silent. Something was wrong. Although the forest was quiet earlier, there were still sounds of birds chirping asionally. Now it was too quiet, so quiet that it made people feel pressured.


    After hearing the startled calls of birds nearby, Zhu Junyang ordered Yu Hai somewhat hastily, ¡°It¡¯s here! Go hide behind the tree!¡±


    Yu Hai was just about to reply when Steward Liu persuaded him, ¡°Go hide first. If we have any trouble, you can go out then.¡±


    Just as they finished talking, arge ck bear that was as tall as a grown man and had a thick coat of fur appeared in front of them. Itsrge mouth was wide open and it seemed to be full of rage. It charged towards them and used its paws to break away all of the foliage in front of it. It easily snapped a young tree, that had a trunk about the size of small bowl, in half and the bear looked incredibly ferocious.


    Zhu Junyang calmly took aim and pulled the bowstring back. The arrow flew towards the bear¡¯s head. However, that bear seemed to have supernatural reflexes and pped away the arrow urately with one of its paws. The bear continued to rush over, its speed as swift as before.


    ¡°Quickly dodge!¡± Zhu Junyang shot another arrow that didn¡¯t cause any damage and he scrambled up a nearby boulder. He took aim at the bear from the height as Head Steward Liu followed him blindly from behind.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s third arrow had left behind a wound on the bear¡¯s forelegs. The pain enraged the animal and it charged even more crazily forward.


    Oddly enough, the furious animal didn¡¯t go after the main culprit who injured it and instead charged towards Yu Hai, who was hiding behind arge tree. The expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face immediately darkened. Yu Hai¡¯s pitiful hunting abilities were nothingpared to an enraged, full-grown ck bear.


    The prince pulled back his bow again and shot the arrow towards the animal¡¯s back. The arrow punched through the ck bear¡¯s thick hide and deeply embedded itself into the animal¡¯s flesh. However, it didn¡¯t hit a vital organ.


    Yu Hai naturally wouldn¡¯t stay there like a sitting duck when he saw the bear run over. He sensibly didn¡¯t try to fight head-on with the animal and, instead, darted around some nearbyrge trees. Although the bear had arge, bulky body, it wasn¡¯t the tiniest bit clumsy. It seemed to havetched onto Yu Hai as its prey and energetically chased after the older man.


    Yu Hai cried indignantly within his heart, ¡®That wound wasn¡¯t caused by me. If you want to take revenge, then you shouldn¡¯t go after me, the easier target, right?¡¯


    ¡°Lure the bear over here, climb up that tree!!¡± Zhu Junyang pointed at a tree with a trunk the size of two men that wasn¡¯t far from him and hollered at Yu Hai.


    Yu Hai, who heard the prince¡¯s instructions, circled around a tree and started to run for his life in the direction that was pointed out. From time to time, Zhu Junyang would shoot an arrow to distract the ck bear and slow down the animal. Yu Hai stuffed the kitten in his hands into his chest pocket and stretched out his hands. He quickly scrambled up the giant tree.


    Zhu Junyang silently let out a sigh of relief. Luckily Yu Hai was stronger than his stupid little daughter. At least, his ability at tree climbing was a lot better!


    The giant bear gained a few more wounds and cuts as it chased after its prey. It only made the bear even more angry and furious. It used itsrge body and struck the tree trunk that Yu Hai had climbed onto. Its two paws scratched cruelly at the tree, leavingrge gouges in the bark.


    Yu Hai clung onto the tree trunk for dear life. He was deathly afraid that the bear¡¯s violent thumps against the tree would knock him down.


    Zhu Junyang noticed that, without much effort, the bear had already savaged a third of the tree. If this continued, Yu Hai would soon be caught and ripped apart by the animal. Zhu Junyang took a deep breath and took out a special bowstring from his knapsack. He swiftly changed the strings on his beloved bow.


    With the bow in his steady left hand, he slowly pulled open the bow with his right. The muscles on his arms were so stretched that they were at the rupture point. Blue veins popped out from Zhu Junyang¡¯s neck and a faint sprinkling of sweat shone on his forehead.


    This bow string was crafted from a special type of steel and had been made by a secretive mastersmith. Because it was crafted out of metal, it required ny pounds of force to be pulled open. Normally, during practice, Zhu Junyang was only able to pull around seventy pounds of force. Today, he needed to bet it all on this one arrow and hit his target!


    The bowstring slowly stretched as Zhu Junyang¡¯s face turned a dark purple color. He breathed in deeply and concentrated all of his strength into his arms. By the time the bear had savaged over half of the tree trunk, the prince let go of the fully stretched bowstring and shot the quivering arrow towards the berserk animal.


    The arrow gave off an ear-piercing whistle as it shot towards the ck bear. The savage animal was busy wing at the tree trunk, doing its best to get its prey. It could apparently sense that danger was approaching and wanted to dodge. However, it was toote!


    The arrow smacked through the back of its head and punched through its right eye before it deeply embedded into the tree trunk that Yu Hai was hiding on. The only thing that could be seen from behind was the feathers.


    Steward Liu had a good understanding of his master¡¯s current strength and knew that it was hard for the prince to pull open something that required ny pounds of force. The prince did it in order to save a person¡¯s life, but it was likely he had injured his tendons and muscles. He hurried over to inspect his master¡¯s arms and discovered that his master couldn¡¯t even hold onto his beloved bow anymore. Both of his arms continuously trembled at his sides.


    ¡°Master, you...why did you have to do this?¡± Steward Liu hurriedly took out some bone-healing ointment and started to ther it on.

 Chapter 264 – To Pay a Debt of Gratitude

    <h4>Chapter 264 ¨C To Pay a Debt of Gratitude</h4>


    Zhu Junyang acknowledged that he had never been a kind-hearted person, but when he saw that Yu Hai was about to get killed by a bear, there seemed to be a voice in his heart shouting, ¡®Save him. You must save him!!¡¯


    When he wanted to give up after injuring his arms when trying to pull the bowstring, the scene of Yu Xiaocao crying in sorrow suddenly appeared in his mind. He didn¡¯t want the smile that made him feel warm to disappear. He didn¡¯t want her clear, bright eyes to be covered with tears and tainted with sorrow. As he endured the pain from his arms, an inexplicable force rose and supported him to draw the bow, which he had never pulled back before.


    Seeing that the ck bear was dead, Yu Hai jumped down the tree in cold sweat. Behind him, more than half of the trunk of the tree had been gnawed, and as if it was overwhelmed, it snapped.


    Yu Hai wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with his sleeve. It was so dangerous earlier. For a moment, he almost gave up on living and waited for death. He must ill-fated with creatures like bears. Otherwise, the injured bear would have looked for the person who injured it instead of chasing after him, as if they were mortal enemies. It was the same asst time when he nearly got killed by a bear! Yu Hai reminded himself to stay far away from bears in the future. The good days had just begun, and he hadn¡¯t enjoyed it enough yet!!


    When the tree copsed, the little golden kitten jumped down andnded on the grass next to Yu Hai¡¯s feet. It licked its paws with its pink tongue. Just now, it had been on the tree branch above Yu Hai¡¯s head. On the one hand, it wanted to attract the bear¡¯s attention, and on the other hand, it wanted to stay close to protect its master¡¯s father.


    That¡¯s right. The little divine stone was the main culprit who caused the ck bear to chase after Yu Hai. Didn¡¯t Yu Xiaocao always use it as a bait? The petty Divine Stone decided to take a small revenge by letting her father get a taste of being a bait.


    The little divine stone emitted a scent that was fatally attractive to the ck bear and slowly lured it into Royal Prince Yang¡¯s hunting range. Moreover, it had been hanging on Yu Hai. In the eyes of the ck bear, Yu Hai was like a piece of delicious red braised pork. It wished it could swallow him in one bite.


    In order to ensure the safety of its master¡¯s father, the little divine stone had been paying attention to the ck bear¡¯s every move. Once the tree copsed, it would immediately rush forward without hesitation. What a joke! Getting revenge was one thing, but if its master¡¯s father really got hurt, the one fifth of its power, which it worked hard to recover, would probably return to its original state as a punishment.


    Yu Hai walked around the corpse of the bear and arrived in front of Royal Prince Yang and his servant. Seeing that Head Steward Liu was applying medication for the royal prince, he asked anxiously, ¡°Did the royal prince get injured? Is it serious?¡±


    Head Steward Liu forced out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. He used too much strength when drawing the bow. He should be fine after resting for a few days...¡±


    In actuality, he was also uncertain in his heart. The injury of one¡¯s muscles, bones, and meridians wasn¡¯t a small matter. If it was a light injury, he would recover in a few days as he said. In serious cases, it may be impossible for him to use bows and arrows for the rest of his life... He couldn¡¯t understand what the royal prince was thinking. To injure himself in order to save a low statusmoner, was it worth it?


    After all, the royal prince had gotten injured when saving him, so Yu Hai felt very guilty. He rubbed his hands and said, ¡°My family¡¯s Cao¡¯er knows a little about medicine. When we get back, I¡¯ll have her make some ointment and apply it for you. You will recover faster. My leg was bitten by a bear before. All the doctors at Tongren Medicine Hall said that my leg needed to be amputated because the muscles and veins had ruptured. Later, my family¡¯s Cao¡¯er cured my leg!¡±


    Originally, Head Steward Liu didn¡¯t take his words to heart. How good could the medical skills of a ten year old girl be? Could the herbal medicine be as good as the imperial pce¡¯s famous bone healing balm? But, when he heard Yu Hai say that his previously ruptured veins in his leg had recovered, and his walking wasn¡¯t affected whatsoever, he immediately focused all his attention on him.


    Head Steward Liu helped his master pick up his precious bow, and then he solemnly said to Yu Hai, ¡°I shall thank you first. We will have to trouble Second Miss Yu in the future!¡±


    Yu Hai knew that Head Steward Liu was someone who was favored by the royal prince and had apanied him since he was young. Seeing his solemn thanks, Yu Hai shook his hands in a slightly awkward manner and said, ¡°No trouble, no trouble! The royal prince was injured because of this lowlymoner. This is something that I should do...¡±


    Zhu Junyang kicked the prey with his feet. The ck bear was at least three to four hundred catties, so transporting it back was a big problem. Should he just chop off the paws and bring them back?


    In the end, Yu Hai cut some branches and made a simple stretcher. With Head Steward Liu, he carried the bear back to the ce where Xiaocao was guarding the game.


    The sun gradually set beyond the West Mountain, and the forest got darker. The wind blew on the bushes and made a rustling sound, and the homing birds asionally crowed. The bored Yu Xiaocao was worried about whether they could leave the forest before it got dark when the silhouette of her father dragging a bear appeared within her line of sight.


    When Yu Xiaocao saw the huge size of the ck bear, she ruthlessly scolded the little divine stone in her heart. The bear looked so fierce. If something happened to her father or the young royal prince, she would definitely throw the little divine stone into a manure pit!


    [With this Divine Stone here, who could hurt them?] The tiny kitten jumped onto her shoulder and looked as if it was ready to fight her. She actually dared to threaten this Divine Stone and wanted to throw this Divine Stone into the dirty and smelly cesspool. ¡®Just because this tiger isn¡¯t showing my power, she¡¯s treating me like a sick kitty?¡¯


    The game was tied up on two stretchers, which were pulled by Yu Hai and Head Steward Liu. Fortunately, the two of them, one was used to manualbor, while the other knew martial arts. Thus, they were able to easily handle all the game.


    When they walked out of the forest, the sky had alreadypletely darkened. Madam Liu and her two children were anxiously waiting at the foot of the West Mountain. Ever since Yu Hai got injured, Madam Liu had regarded the West Mountain as a synonym for danger. She strictly forbade her husband and the children from hunting in the mountains. She even stipted that they could only pick mushrooms and dig for wild herbs around the foot of the mountain. Her husband went out with the royal prince at noon, but they still hadn¡¯t returned yet. Thus, it was inevitable that Madam Liu would have all sorts of ideas in her mind.


    ¡°Mother, is that Father and the others?¡± Yu Hang had sharp eyes and saw a group of peopleing out of the forest.


    Madam Liu looked carefully. As she breathed a sigh of relief, she also asked in confusion, ¡°It¡¯s them! But, why is there another child?¡±


    Xiaolian eximed in surprise, ¡°Mother, I didn¡¯t see Younger Sister when I came back in the evening. It wouldn¡¯t be her, right?¡±


    Madam Liu creased her brows and thought about it, and then said with slight anger, ¡°It¡¯s definitely thatss. I haven¡¯t seen her since noon! Thatss is getting too bold. She didn¡¯t tell anyone and secretly followed them up the mountain!¡±


    With the help of the moonlight, Yu Xiaocao saw Madam Liu and the two kids. She ran over happily and said, ¡°Mother, we got a good harvest from hunting today! The young royal prince also caught a bear! It weighs more than four hundred catties!¡±


    Madam Liu gently twisted her younger daughter¡¯s ear and angrily said, ¡°Who allowed you to follow them? It¡¯s so dangerous on the mountains. If something happened to you, wouldn¡¯t that be asking for Mother¡¯s life?¡±


    Feeling slightly guilty, Yu Xiaocao covered her ear and eximed, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m wrong. In the future, I won¡¯t go up the mountain without telling you! Please don¡¯t be angry. If you fall sick because of anger, Father and I will both be heartbroken!¡±


    Zhu Junyang, whose arms were hanging on his sides, tried his best to endure the pain. When he saw thess¡¯s grinning face and ttering expression, he couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his mouth. ¡®Thisss has such rich expressions!¡¯


    After dragging the game to the Yu Residence, Head Steward Liu, who was worried about his master¡¯s injury, found an opportunity to call Yu Xiaocao and whispered, ¡°Second Miss Yu, I heard that you cured tendons and veins on your father¡¯s leg. Is it true?¡±


    When facing this loyal, ruthless, and shrewish Head Steward Liu, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but be more vignt. She shook her head decisively and said, ¡°For my father¡¯s leg, Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall had prescribed effective medication and my father originally had a rather healthy body. Finally, the herbal paste that I made also worked. All three aspects are indispensable. Why? Who got hurt?¡±


    Yu Hai just happened to walk by and heard them, so he quickly said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, the royal prince got injured because he was saving me. If your herbal paste works, you must properly treat the royal prince¡¯s injury. If it wasn¡¯t for him, your father might have died or been seriously injured!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao reproached the little divine stone in her heart again, and said, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry! My herbal paste doesn¡¯t have any side effects. It can clear the acupuncture points, improve blood cirction, and relieve pain. I¡¯ll go make some right now. But, we still need to see if the royal prince wants to use it!¡±


    He was a dignified royal prince and a rtive of the emperor. He was usually treated by the imperial physicians, so would he want to use home remedies from the countryside?


    From the small medicine box at home, Yu Xiaocao got some herbal medicine for promoting blood cirction and dissolving bruises. She crushed them into bits and boiled them into paste with highly concentrated mystic-stone water. The herbal paste had a murky ck appearance and didn¡¯t look very good, but it exuded a faint herbal fragrance that made people feel refreshed.


    When Yu Xiaocao brought the self-made herbal paste to the royal prince, she hadn¡¯t expected that he would choose to trust her without hesitation.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I would put something in this herbal paste? Or that the herbal paste was randomly made?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked as she applied the herbal paste for the young royal prince.


    Zhu Junyang said firmly, ¡°You won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so certain?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s arms were smearedpletely ck by Yu Xiaocao, like a burnt wooden stake.


    Zhu Junyang felt a cool sensation emanating from the herbal paste, and the pain in his arms was immediately relieved. He didn¡¯t know whether it was an illusion, but he seemed to be able to feel his muscles, tendons, and veins swiftly recovering.


    ¡°Intuition! This prince¡¯s intuition tells me that you won¡¯t harm me. My intuition tells me that your herbal paste will definitely be effective to my injury!¡±


    ¡®Intuition again? Could it be that the young royal prince has a very urate sixth sense? He doesn¡¯t have superpowers, does he?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao¡¯s imagination went wild.


    Both of Zhu Junyang¡¯s arms were covered with thick herbal paste. When it was time to eat, he could only wait for others to serve him. As for this important task, it somehownded on Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao felt very helpless in her heart ah! ¡®Oh, Young Royal Prince ah! Don¡¯t you have a head steward court eunuch, who serves you, with you? Why are you making things difficult for a nobody like me?¡¯


    ¡°Eggnt!¡± Zhu Junyang sat in an unrestrained manner, looked at the sauteed eggnts with minced meat and unashamedly directed Xiaocao on what he wanted to eat.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had epted her fate, picked up a piece of eggnt and stuffed it into the young royal prince¡¯s mouth, thinking, ¡®I¡¯ll just take it as helping my father pay a debt of gratitude!¡±

 Chapter 265 – Wait Upon

    <h4>Chapter 265 ¨C Wait Upon</h4>


    The next day, Yu Hai sent the injured Royal Prince Yang back to town on the horse carriage. Yu Xiaocao followed behind on the donkey cart, which was full of yesterday¡¯s game. The donkey, Little Gray, had be so fat and strong that normal horses couldn¡¯tpare to it. Once, someone offered a high price to buy Little Gray, but the offer was firmly rejected by Xiaocao.


    When they got to town, Yu Hai went to send the game to Zhenxiu Restaurant. Therge ck bear on the donkey cart attracted the attention of the people in town. Before the cart even stopped in front of Zhenxiu Restaurant, many people came to make reservations for a game banquet. In particr, there was an endless stream of people inquiring about the price of the bear paw. Although Tanggu Town wasn¡¯t big, there were quite a lot of rich people.


    When they heard that Royal Prince Yang had kept the bear paws, they had no choice but to take the next best thing, make reservations for the bear meat. Bear meat was good for supplementing deficiencies, strengthening muscles and bones, and treating disorders like rheumatism, disjointed limbs, and muscle spasms. It also tasted very good. Most importantly, bear meat wasn¡¯t something that one could eat whenever one wanted. Thest time someone caught a bear was one and a half years ago. They naturally didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to sell this kind of rare food.


    More than three hundred catties of bear meat werepletely reserved in less than two days. The rest like deer, mountain sheep, roe deer were stored in the ice house. With these game, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s sales reached a new peak, which caused the other restaurants in town to be extremely envious. The manager of the old brand Fulin Restaurant, in particr, regretted his past actions. Had he not been greedy for small advantages and forced the price down, it would have been Fulin Restaurant flourishing with business right now... There was no such thing as a medicine for regret in this world. Everyone had to be responsible for their own decisions.


    Yu Xiaocao and her father went different ways toplete their tasks. Yu Hai went to Zhenxiu Restaurant, while she drove the horse carriage to take Royal Prince Yang back to the estate that Princess Consort Jing stayed at.


    When Princess Consort Jing heard that her youngest son was hurt, she nearly fell ill from the fright. She quickly called for the imperial physician to treat Zhu Junyang, and received the conclusion that he could no longer exert force with both his arms. Her youngest son had worked hard to practice martial arts since he was a child. If he couldn¡¯t use strength in his hands, wouldn¡¯t he be considered a cripple? The disbelieving Princess Consort Jing called over Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall and received simr results. When Princess Consort Jing heard this, she immediately clenched her chest and fainted.


    Doctor Sun rushed to save Princess Consort Jing. Fortunately, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s health had been nourished very well in the past two years. She had just fainted due to excessive grief. Doctor Sun pricked a needle in her philtrum point, and Princess Consort Jing woke up.


    The thought of her youngest son being a disabled person because of hunting made Princess Consort Jing extremely sad, and she appeared very pitiful as she wept. Both of Zhu Junyang¡¯s arms were injured, but he stillforted hisdy mother, ¡°Lady Mother, I have just strained the muscles and bones in my arms. It¡¯s not as serious as they¡¯re making it. I¡¯ll be fine after resting for a while.¡±


    ¡°The imperial physician and Doctor Sun both said you can¡¯t even lift a bucket of water in the future. What are you going to do? Wahhh... Why did you suddenly go hunting? Fortunately, only your arms are hurt. If the wild beast... How is Lady Mother supposed to continue living ah!¡± Princess Consort Jing gasped for breath as she cried. In her heart, she couldn¡¯t help but me the Yu Family for taking her Yang¡¯er to such a dangerous ce.


    Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t stop her tears from flowing down her cheeks, and no one was able tofort her.


    Doctor Sun hesitated for a while and finally said, ¡°Your Highness, in fact, it¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t any cases of recovery from injuring muscles and bones...¡±


    ¡°Can my son¡¯s arms recover?¡± With tears on her face, Princess Consort Jing quickly asked. Her eyes, which were filled with tears, were full of expectation.


    ¡°There was a viger in Dongshan Vige whose leg was injured by a bear. The damage to his tendons and muscles was much more serious than that of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s arms. However, he has recovered very well now. He can walk, run, and jump just like normal people, and he can also carry heavy loads and do heavybor...¡± Each time Doctor Sun recalled Yu Hai¡¯s injury, he always thought it was a miracle.


    As if she had grasped on a life-saving straw, Princess Consort Jing repeatedly asked, ¡°Who is it? Does his family have some secret medicine? Quick, quickly find him. Let¡¯s buy his secret medicine. No matter how much it cost, we¡¯re willing to pay for it, as long as it can cure my son¡¯s arms...¡±


    Zhu Junyang could clearly feel the abundance of care and motherly love from hisdy mother. It was this great, selfless maternal love that left a sense of warmth in the corner of his cold, gloomy heart, and thus he didn¡¯t get lost in the negative emotions.


    With his injured arms, he gently took hisdy mother into his embrace. There was a lot of pain in his arms, but it couldn¡¯t cover the warmth in his heart. He softly said, ¡°I know the person who Doctor Sun mentions. Lady Mother also knows him.¡±


    ¡°Quickly let go. Be careful of your arm...¡± Princess Consort Jing, who was embraced by her son, was stiff and didn¡¯t dare to move at all, for fear that she would hurt him, ¡°You said I also know that person? Who??¡±


    Zhu Junyang retracted his arms and smiled a bit more tenderly, ¡°It¡¯s Yu Xiaocao, who Lady Mother is at angry at and being punished to stand outside. Her father¡¯s leg was once bitten by a bear. Isn¡¯t it in a perfectly fine now?¡±


    At the mention of this matter, Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t help but feel angry, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that father of Yu Xiaocao? He had been bitten by a bear before, yet he still took you hunting in the West Mountain? What are his intentions? Had it not been for the fact that he¡¯s Xiaocao¡¯s father, I would have definitely punished him!!¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, I have already said that I was the one who insisted on hunting in the mountains. He was kindhearted and afraid that your son would get lost in the mountain forest, and thus suggested to guide me! Without his rich hunting experience, perhaps your son would still be wandering in the mountains right now!¡± Zhu Junyang kindly put in a good word for Yu Hai.


    Upon hearing him mention this, Princess Consort Jing began crying again, ¡°Yang¡¯er, you¡¯re not allowed to scare Lady Mother again! If something really happened to you, Lady Mother doesn¡¯t want to continue living either...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I fine now?¡± When faced with Princess Consort Jing¡¯s tears, Zhu Junyang felt helpless.


    ¡°You call this fine? With your arms like this, you still think it¡¯s fine? Will you only consider it a problem when your whole body is covered in wounds after being bitten by a bear?¡± Princess Consort Jing really wanted to beat up her worrisome son of hers, but she was also worried about his swollen arms.


    Zhu Junyang quickly said, ¡°Lady Mother, why don¡¯t you call Yu Xiaocao in and ask how her father¡¯s leg was cured?¡±


    Hearing this, Princess Consort Jing wiped her tears and hastily nodded and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Quickly tell Xiaocao toe in. I need to ask if her family has some good medicine to cure muscle and tendon injuries.¡±


    Meixiangplied and quickly walked out the door. She said to Yu Xiaocao, who was bored to death as she stood in the corridor and kicked at the brick under her feet, ¡°Miss Yu, the princess consort asked you toe in!¡±


    Holding the herbal paste that she had just heated this morning, Xiaocao followed Meixiang through the door and bowed a greeting at Princess Consort Jing, whose eyes were red.


    Princess Consort Jing, who was still somewhat angry, expressionlessly said, ¡°Stand up!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew that Princess Consort Jing was angry with her. The young royal prince got hurt because of her father. She would even be willing to take a beating, let alone getting the cold shoulder. Seeing that the princess consort didn¡¯t intend to speak, she summoned up her courage and whispered, ¡°Your Highness, the young royal prince¡¯s arms... it¡¯s time to change the medicine...¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, Princess Consort Jing asked anxiously, ¡°You applied the medicine on Yang¡¯er¡¯s arms? Is this the medicine that healed the injury on your father¡¯s leg?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao quickly nodded and said, ¡°In reply to Your Highness, my father¡¯s leg was cured after consuming the medication prescribed by Doctor Sun and applying this herbal paste. It got better with thebination of external application and internal treatment!¡±


    Doctor Sun and the imperial physician seemed very interested in the herbal paste in jar in her hands. Doctor Sun tried to restrain himself, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Miss Yu, can you let this old man look at the herbal paste in your hands?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t afraid of being found out by him because the ointment she brewed was really made for muscle and bone injuries. But, without the most criticalponent, the mystic-stone water, it became the mostmon muscles and bones ointment on the market.


    Doctor Sun and the imperial physician took the jar of medicine and studied the properties of the herbal paste together. After a discussion, they realized that it was made of verymon ingredients.


    However, Doctor Sun noticed that there was an ingredient in it that could activate the properties of the medicine and make the medicine work to its fullest. Perhaps, it was this ingredient that caused an originallymon medicine to be effective enough to cure Yu Hai¡¯s leg.


    Doctor Sun wanted to ask what this ingredient was, but on second thought, this was their secret medicine. It was already pretty good of them to let him look at the medicine. If he asked them how the herbal paste was made, wouldn¡¯t that make things difficult for them?


    Seeing that the imperial physician and Doctor Sun had studied the medicine for a long time, Princess Consort Jing anxiously asked, ¡°How is it? Will this medicine work? Will it be able to cure Yang¡¯er¡¯s injury?¡±


    Doctor Sun gave the herbal paste back to Yu Xiaocao and nodded, ¡°This herbal paste is good for Royal Prince Yang¡¯s injury. If used together with the medication for relieving acupuncture points, there is an eighty percent chance that Royal Prince Yang¡¯s injuries will bepletely healed.¡±


    Eighty percent chance? Although Princess Consort Jing wasn¡¯tpletely satisfied, it was already considered pretty goodpared to the death sentence that the imperial physician and Doctor Sun imposed on her son¡¯s arms!


    ¡°Xiaocao, quickly apply it for Yang¡¯er!¡± Princess Consort Jing¡¯s tone had softened a lot. She wasn¡¯t an unreasonable person, but concern caused her to be in a confused state of mind. It was inevitable that she would vent her anger on others upon hearing that her youngest son¡¯s arms were going to be crippled. It was understandable since this was due to a mother¡¯s love for her son.


    Yu Xiaocao asked Meixiang to bring over a basin of warm water. With her back facing everyone, she ced the multicolored stone into the warm water. The little divine stone cooperated and emitted some spiritual power into the water, which turned the warm water into mystic-stone water.


    Yu Xiaocao carried the water to the table next to Royal Prince Yang and said in a soft voice, ¡°Take off your clothes!¡±


    When Head Steward Liu took off his outer garment, there was a casual sleeveless garment inside. The two maidservants, Meixiang and Lanxiang, blushed slightly and turned around. As a citizen of the twenty-first century, Yu Xiaocao was used to men wearing nothing but a pair of shorts in the summer, let alone he was wearing a rge tank-top¡¯!


    With a straight face, Yu Xiaocao calmly washed off the herbal paste on the young prince¡¯s arms with gauze, and then she applied a thickyer of the herbal paste on his arms.


    ¡°Does it need to be wrapped in gauze? Wouldn¡¯t the medicine lose its effect if it identally got rubbed off?¡± Princess Consort Jing asked with concern.


    ¡®Sure, it can also be wrapped up ah!¡¯ Since the patient¡¯s family requested it, Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t disagree. With the gauze, she wrapped the young royal prince¡¯s arms up like a mummy, and even his elbows couldn¡¯t be bent. Yu Xiaocao looked at Zhu Junyang, whose two arms were hanging straight to his sides, and nearly rolled on the floorughing in her heart.

 Chapter 266 – Personal Maidservant

    <h4>Chapter 266 ¨C Personal Maidservant</h4>


    Zhu Junyang looked down at his arms, which were tied too tight to bend. With the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Xiaocao secretly snickering like a little mouse. He faintly asked, ¡°How long will it take for this prince¡¯s arms to be able to move freely?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hastily suppressed herughter and said in a serious manner, ¡°It takes a hundred days to recover from serious injuries. No matter how effective my medicine is, it would still take at least one or two months for you to recover, right?¡±


    ¡°Then... I will have to trouble you for the time being!¡± Zhu Junyang had noticed something from Xiaocao¡¯s expression, but he didn¡¯t expose her and replied in a very natural manner.


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt as if she had dug a pit for herself. Like an angry kitten, she looked at Zhu Junyang defensively and asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Zhu Junyang faintly nced at her and said, ¡°The literal meaning! You¡¯re the one who made the herbal paste, and you¡¯re also the only one who knows how to make it. You must know the most about the medicine. Thus, for the sake of this prince¡¯s arms, I will have to trouble you in the future!¡±


    Thinking about how the young royal prince ordered her around like a maid at home, Yu Xiaocao immediately felt dark clouds gathering above her head. She tried herst attempt at struggling out of it, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no special technique for applying my herbal paste. It just needs to be applied evenly on the arms. I can send it over after I finish making it every day. You can just let a maidservant or manservant to apply it for you.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing understood her youngest son¡¯s meaning. The injury of one¡¯s muscles and tendons was a serious matter. If he wasn¡¯t careful, both his arms might be crippled. Thus, they naturally had to be more careful. Princess Consort Jing held Yu Xiaocao¡¯s small hand and said earnestly, ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re a good child. Please understand a mother¡¯s feelings regarding her injured son. My Yang¡¯er is only seventeen years old, which is the period of youth. He hasn¡¯t even found a wife yet, so he can¡¯t have injuries that aren¡¯t fully restored ah! This child has a hard life. When he was young...¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother!¡± Zhu Junyang quickly interrupted Princess Consort Jing¡¯s words. ¡®Why are you talking about these? Go straight to the point and keep her here ah!¡¯


    As she spoke, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s eyes, which were simr to her youngest son¡¯s, filled with tears again. She gently patted the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, looked at Xiaocao sincerely, and said, ¡°For the sake of the injuries on Yang¡¯er arms, I hope Xiaocao can stay at the residence for some time. I can only rest assured if you personally handle the herbal paste!¡±


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t in front of the lofty princess consort, but a loving mother who cared about her son. How could she refuse her? Biting her lips, Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°Thismoner will go back to inform my godparents, and I also have to send a message back to Dongshan Vige...¡±


    Princess Consort Jing apparently breathed a sigh of relief. She sent the steward of the outer court to send the message to Dongshan Vige, and then had a horse carriage send Yu Xiaocao back to the Fang Estate in town.


    When Lady Fang, who was packing up and getting ready to return to the capital, heard about her goddaughter returning in Princess Consort Jing¡¯s carriage, she inwardly wondered, ¡®I have be closer with Princess Consort Jing sinceing to Dongshan Vige and the princess consort also really likes Xiaocao, but it¡¯s very rare for someone to have the honor of being sent back in Princess Consort Jing¡¯s carriage in the capital, let alone in Tanggu Town. Did Xiaocao win Princess Consort Jing¡¯s favor by doing something ¡®extraordinary¡¯ again?¡¯


    After Yu Xiaocao came in, she recounted what had happened. Lady Fang suddenly realized, ¡®It turns out that they were actually interested in Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s secret recipe for the bone healing and acupuncture point relieving medicine ah!¡¯ Not to mention that Royal Prince Yang had gotten injured in order to save Xiaocao¡¯s father, but with Royal Prince Yang and Princess Consort Jing¡¯s identities, she wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse them.


    Hearing that it would take at least a month for Royal Prince Yang¡¯s arms to recover, Lady Fang said with slight disappointment, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you can¡¯t go back to the capital with Godfather and Godmother this time. I was going to introduce you to our rtives and friends in the capital during Lin¡¯er¡¯s hundred day ceremony. Who knew that this would have happened...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Little Linlin, who was lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed. His fair and tender face was as delicate as an egg with its shell peeled. He should be dreaming of drinking milk. His small mouth gently moved a few times and curled up into a satisfied smile.


    In regard to this younger brother, she had nearly witnessed all his growth and changes everyday, from a red, wrinkled and monkey-like little thing to a beautiful, angel-like baby. Although they weren¡¯t rted by blood, her feelings for him were no less than that of real siblings.


    ¡°The introduction isn¡¯t really important. I just feel that it¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t attend Linlin¡¯s hundred day ceremony!¡± Yu Xiaocao gently caressed the little fellow¡¯s soft, little head. As if his sleep had been disturbed, he scrunched up his face unhappily and appeared like he was saying, ¡®If you continue to disturb my sleep, I¡¯ll let you see me crying!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao took back her hand, looked at the little guy¡¯s cute appearance with a smile, and said to him, ¡°Although I can¡¯t attend Little Linlin¡¯s hundred day ceremony, Older Sister has already prepared the present!¡±


    Lady Fang knew that although the Yu Family had made some money, it was money that they worked hard from dawn to dusk to earn after all. She smiled and said, ¡°Why mention presents when we¡¯re all one family? You¡¯re still a child yourself!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took out a small wooden box with elegant and simple carvings from her chest pocket. After opening it gently, a bright and lustrous pearl that was the size of a quail egg appeared in front of Lady Fang. Even Lady Fang had seldom seen such a big and beautiful pearl. Perhaps only the east pearl on the empress¡¯s crown could rival it?


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, you... where did you get such a big pearl? It¡¯s too valuable, so quickly put it away! This pearl is definitely a rare treasure that can not be easily bought with money. Keep it yourself and save it for your dowry!¡± Lady Fang pushed back the wooden box with a firm attitude.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled nonchntly and said, ¡°I inadvertently found this pearl when I was diving. I¡¯m a very good swimmer now. If I want to get some pearls, I can easily get them whenever I want. This is for my Younger Brother Lin. When he¡¯s a little older, he can shoot it as a pellet.¡±


    ying with a valuable pearl like it¡¯s a toy? Wouldn¡¯t that be apparently unting one¡¯s wealth? Lady Fang still insisted on declining the gift, but Yu Xiaocao forced it into her hands.


    Yu Xiaocao pouted and spoke before her godmother could say anything, ¡°Godmother, if you don¡¯t ept it, then you¡¯re not treating me as part of the family!¡±


    ¡°Wife, since our daughter said that, you should just ept it! If you feel sorry about it, then you should prepare more for our daughter¡¯s dowry. At that time, prepare 5 kilometers of dowry, so that that stinky brat, whose current whereabouts are unknown, won¡¯t mistreat our daughter!¡± Fang Zizhen, who had entered the room without them noticing, had overheard the conversation between the mother and daughter.


    Seeing that Lady Fang had carefully put away the pearl, Yu Xiaocao looked at her godfather and unabashedly said, ¡°That¡¯s right! With a general as my father, I want to see who would dare mistreat me!! My godfather¡¯s fists aren¡¯t just for disy!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who had been ordered by Princess Consort Jing to stay in bed, sneezed two times in session. He wrinkled his brows and whispered, ¡°It goes without saying that it¡¯s thatss Yu Xiaocao who¡¯s talking behind my back!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing, who was next to him, worriedly had someone add another quilt for him for fear that he would get sick. Although it wasn¡¯t very hot in early summer, it was ufortable to be covered by so many quilts. Zhu Junyang quickly used the excuse of ¡®sweating would affect the healing of the wounds¡¯ to reject hisdy mother¡¯s good intentions.


    In the following days, Yu Xiaocao lived in Princess Consort Jing¡¯s temporary residence. Like she was entertaining an esteemed guest, Princess Consort Jing prepared an elegant and exquisite courtyard for her. This courtyard wasn¡¯t far from Zhu Junyang¡¯s courtyard, and was within two minutes away on foot. She also specially sent maidservants and senior servants to serve her. All of the arrangements were not even slightly inferior to that of the noble youngdies in the capital.


    However, in addition to decocting the medication and changing his medicine, she also had to serve the young royal prince three meals a day. What exactly was going on? Didn¡¯t shee to be a doctor? How did she ended up bing the young royal prince¡¯s personal maidservant?


    Standing next to the table with chopsticks in her hands, Yu Xiaocao looked at the young royal prince, who was waiting for her to feed him with his mouth wide open as if he was a hungry swallow, and had an urge to flip the table.


    ¡°Shrimp crystal steamed bun.¡± Seeing that he didn¡¯t receive the food he requested after waiting for a long time, the young prince emphasized once again. His eyes swept across the ashen-faced Yu Xiaocao, and he was in a strangely good mood.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the maidservants who usually served the young royal prince¡¯s daily life and said with displeasure, ¡°Young Royal Prince, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m one of your maidservants? It doesn¡¯t seem to be one of my responsibilities to serve you when you eat, right?¡±


    Zhu Junyang icy gaze swept over the maidservants in the room. The maidservants trembled and went out of the room one after another. He took back his gaze with satisfaction, shook his arms, which were wrapped up like a mummy, in front of Yu Xiaocao, and said, ¡°Now, this prince and you are the only ones in the room. This prince¡¯s arms got injured because I was saving your father. So, it¡¯s not too much to ask you to serve this prince while I eat, is it?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t all gentlemen show kindness without expecting repayment? Young Royal Prince, is it really alright for you to mention that you got injured in order to save my father eight times a day? This is apparently the ungrateful act of taking advantage of a good deed and seeking repayment ah!!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao angrily picked up a crystal steamed bun and tried to choke him to death by stuffing the whole thing into the young royal prince¡¯s mouth.


    Zhu Junyang worked hard to chew the food in his mouth and finally swallowed it after chewing for a long time, ¡°Are you trying to kill me! Congee! This prince nearly died from choking!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao mmed the chopsticks on the table, picked up the bowl of congee, scooped out a spoon of congee, and shoved it into the young prince¡¯s mouth. The congee on the spoon dripped onto the clothes that Zhu Junyang had just changed into in the morning.


    ¡°You¡¯re too unprofessional when serving people. You need to practice more!¡± Zhu Junyang scolded in an irritating manner.


    After she finally finished serving this great lord breakfast with much difficulty, he opened his hands and said to his trusted little maidservant, ¡°Just look at how you to fed the congee. It sprinkled everywhere. Had it been someone else, this prince would have flogged her already! Come, help this prince change my clothes!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and shouted towards the outside, ¡°Who¡¯s on duty outside? Come in and help the young royal prince change his clothes!!¡±


    When the people outside heard this, there was a series of disorderly footsteps, and then it became dead silent. Yu Xiaocao opened the door and rushed outside to take a look. Not even a trace of the people, who should be serving outside, could be seen.


    With no other choice, Yu Xiaocao took out a set of clothing that she thought was the ugliest from the wardrobe and helped the young royal prince change into it. Zhu Junyang also didn¡¯t like this attire and had never worn it. When he appeared in front of the princess consort in this dark reddish purple outfit, she couldn¡¯t help but look surprised.

 Chapter 267 – Romantic Encounter

    <h4>Chapter 267 ¨C Romantic Encounter</h4>


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, help this prince change. I need to go out!¡±


    ¡°Why do I need to help you change your clothes? Don¡¯t you have a lot of maidservants at your house?¡± Yu Xiaocao was irritated. She had to wash his face,b his hair, and feed him. Sometimes, she also had to cook the dishes that he requested in the small kitchen. Now, she also had to help him change his clothes. Was he really taking her as a maidservant?


    Zhu Junyang looked at the maidservants, who were assigned by hisdy mother, with disdain. His gaze was as cold as snow as he said, ¡°This prince hates being served by people with impure intentions. It makes me feel disgusted!¡±


    When the maidservants heard this, their faces were ghastly pale and dripping with cold sweat as they kneeled on the ground, trembling. These maidservants were all carefully selected by the princess consort. Their figures and appearance were considered more outstanding within the estate. Seeing that her youngest son was already seventeen years old, Princess Consort Jing reckoned that it was time for him to understand certain things. Thus, she picked out several bed-servants for her son. Although this matter wasn¡¯t explicitly stated, the maidservants all clearly knew within their hearts.


    The young royal prince had a cold and indifferent temper, but he was handsome, had a high status, and was trusted by the emperor. Thus, he would surely have a bright future. To be able to the young master¡¯s bed-servant, if they could give birth to one or two offsprings, the mother¡¯s position would definitely rise due to the child. There was no hope of being his ranked concubine, but bing the concubine of the royal prince would be the best oue for the maidservants.


    For this position of the bed-servant, not only did the maidservants fight openly and secretly in private, but from time to time, they also tried to get closer to Zhu Junyang. They wanted to show their faces more in order to gain a more favorable impression. Unbeknownst to them, with his special ability, Zhu Junyang could clearly detect their strong desires, which made him feel repulsed. He would rather do things himself, or have Head Steward Liu serve him, than let those maidservants with ulterior motives get close to him.


    After hurting his arms, Zhu Junyang began ordering Yu Xiaocao around in a right and self-confident manner. Although he couldn¡¯t detect Yu Xiaocao¡¯s feelings, the scent from her body could give him a sense of peace and tranquility, which made him want to get closer to her.


    Poor Yu Xiaocao was temporarily used as a worker, and was ordered until she was screaming and yelling. Her energetic appearance made small ripples in Zhu Junyang¡¯s character, which was like a pool of dead water. After meeting Yu Xiaocao, the people around Zhu Junyang, especially Princess Consort Jing, could all clearly feel the change in her son. This was something that she was very happy to see.


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao was still doing her best to get out of this situation, ¡°You don¡¯t like to be served by the maidservants, but don¡¯t you still have Head Steward Liu?¡±


    Head Steward Liu, who was standing on the side and watching the show, suddenly got dragged in. He naturally wouldn¡¯t ruin his master¡¯s ¡®happy matters¡¯, so he immediately put away the smile on his face and solemnly said, ¡°Master, this servant will go aplish the task that you assigned to me this morning!¡± After saying that, he hurriedly went out the door, as if someone behind him was trying to chase him out.


    ¡®Completing a task that was assigned in the morning now? Who is he kidding!! So, you want to y with me?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao refused to work, ¡°I was invited to help you, the young royal prince, to cure your injury, so I should be considered half a doctor, right? Is this how you guys treat doctors who help treat patients, heal wounds, and rescue those who are dying? From now on, I won¡¯t do anything other than my duties as a doctor!! Don¡¯t even think of telling me to do things like help you change your clothes. I¡¯m not your family¡¯s servant!¡±


    Seeing that the little kitten was angry, Zhu Junyang pretended to be pitiful, ¡°Alright! This prince will change myself...¡±


    As he said that, he straightened his arms, took a set of clothes from the wardrobe, and spread it out on the bed. He turned his body around and tried to poke his ramrod straight right arm into the sleeve of the garment on the bed. Once, twice... As if the clothes were deliberately against him, no matter what, his arms couldn¡¯t go in.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the young royal prince¡¯s sweaty face. Feeling somewhat softhearted, she picked up the clothes on the bed and carelessly put it on for him. Acent smile appeared within Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, ¡®Thisss is the epitome of someone who has a sharp tongue but soft heart. I knew she would be willing topromise.¡¯


    After helping the young prince put on his clothes, Yu Xiaocao pouted even more and sullenly said, ¡°It¡¯s done. Hurry up and leave!¡±


    ¡°This prince is bored from staying at home recently, so I want to walk around in Tanggu Town. However, I¡¯m not very familiar with Tanggu Town. I need a guide...¡± Zhu Junyang nced at her and slowly said.


    Yu Xiaocao had already resigned to her fate. This guy really knew how to make trouble for others. She could only anticipate that his arms would get better soon so that she could escape from this torture.


    ¡°Where do you want to go? Tell me!¡± Yu Xiaocao asked in low spirits.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t bear to see her being so lifeless, but he felt that Yu Xiaocao had been trapped in thepound for the past two days. She had never been indoors for so long like this. He was afraid that she would feel stuffy and bored, so he used different ways to give her things to do. But, it seemed like the other party didn¡¯t understand his good intentions ah!


    ¡°Let¡¯s just stroll on the street and rx!¡± Zhu Junyang turned around and headed out. Yu Xiaocao hastily followed him. When they were about to reach the main entrance, Head Steward Liu suddenly came out of nowhere and silently followed them.


    As soon as they went out of the residence, there was a bustling street that was lined with various shops. Zhu Junyang walked leisurely on the street, and both of his arms were hanging to his sides without the slightest movement. It looked somewhat funny, but it didn¡¯t affect the amount of attention he attracted at all. Who let him have such a devilishly attractive face?


    ¡°Older Sister Zhuang, look at that person! He¡¯s so good-looking!! I wonder whose son he is?¡± After Miss Wang saw Zhu Junyang, her eyes lit up and she whispered to Eldest Young Miss Zhuang.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang looked at her scornfully and thought that there was something wrong with the upbringing of the Wang Family. A young maiden actuallymented on the appearance of a man on the streets. Good-looking? How good-looking could he be? Her second older brother was universally acknowledged as the most handsome man in Tanggu Town, and her eldest brother and third brother were also very good-looking. She was already tired of looking at good-looking men, okay?


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang casually nced in the direction that Miss Wang pointed at, and as a result, she couldn¡¯t pull her eyes away as if they were stuck.


    Among all the people in the crowd, he was like a gem among the rubble. What a beautiful yet indifferent face. He had a handsome face with long eyshes that left a deep shadow on his eyelids. A pair of dark eyes that seemed to be able to clear through everything, and emitted cold air like a deep pool of water. He had a straight nose bridge, crimson lips, and a profile that was as sharp as a knife. His ck attire further enhanced his tall and upright figure. Compared with those physically weak schrs, Eldest Young Miss Zhuang preferred this type of lean and tall figure.


    Miss Wang, who was next to her, interrupted her infatuated gaze, ¡°Older Sister Zhuang, isn¡¯t that Miss Yu, who sells watermelons, behind the handsome man? Did she stop selling watermelons and became a maidservant?¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang finally turned her attention to another person. With Yu Xiaocao¡¯s inconspicuous appearance and Head Steward Liu¡¯s humble and respectful manner, she ssified them both as the dazzling man¡¯s servants.


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang boasted about having a good family background and an outstanding appearance. She was also familiar with poetry and books. Among those vulgar men in town, Third Young Master Zhou was the only one who was barely decent, but he was a little too young. With her age, it was about time she looked for a husband. Eldest Young Miss Zhuang¡¯s parents were very worried about her pickiness.


    However, Eldest Young Miss Zhuang always wanted to find someone who was on par with her. Tanggu Town was only so big, and there were only so many families of equal social ranking who were suitable for marriage. After picking and choosing, there still wasn¡¯t anyone who she was satisfied with.


    Today, Miss Wang happened toe look for Eldest Young Miss Zhuang, who had been somewhat depressed from being rushed by her family, to go shopping, so she took this opportunity toe out and rx. They didn¡¯te out in vain this time. She had finally met a man who was good enough to match her!


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang blocked half of her face with the round fan in her hands, and with her pair of pretty eyes, she carefully observed him from behind the fan. Looking at the handsome youth¡¯s low-key but luxurious clothing and the air that he exuded, he was definitely born in a wealthy and respectable family.


    An unfamiliar face in town, who had a noble status and knew the littless of the Yu Family from Dongshan Vige. He should be Royal Prince Yang, who took the emperor¡¯s order toe to Tanggu Town. Royal Prince Yang was the youngest son of Imperial Prince Jing, and thus he was a true member of the imperial family. If one could gain his interest... Eldest Young Miss Zhuang¡¯s cheeks were flushed, and there was an amorous gaze in her eyes.


    ¡°Miss Yu! I was going to visit you at the Fang Estate, but I just happened to meet you here. It¡¯s really fate ah!¡± Eldest Young Miss Zhuang stopped Yu Xiaocao, who was following behind Young Prince Yang dejectedly with her head lowered, and walked over leisurely. Her gesture was like a light wind blowing on a willow, very graceful.


    Yu Xiaocao raised her eyes and looked strangely at Eldest Young Miss Zhuang. When did she ever be friends with Eldest Young Miss Zhuang, who was like a haughty peacock?


    Seeing that her eyes kept wandering towards Royal Prince Yang, she suddenly understood in her heart. She inwardly scolded, ¡®This young royal prince, why does he have to be born so good-looking and attracting all these admirers!¡¯


    ¡°May I know why Eldest Young Miss Zhuang is looking for me?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at Eldest Young Miss Zhuang with a smile andmented in her heart, ¡®This girl looks pretty good and has a good figure. She was a like a ripe peach. It¡¯s just that she has a big temper. I don¡¯t know if the young prince can tolerate it!¡¯


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang stealthily nced at Royal Prince Yang. Seeing that he didn¡¯t even look at her as if he didn¡¯t see her at all, she felt angry inwardly but forced a smile on her face and said, ¡°Recently, there will be a distinguished guesting to my house, so I wanted to ask if your family have any more watermelons left?¡±


    Watermelons had stopped being sold in town half a month ago. If people still had watermelons at home, who would keep them instead of selling them? Wasn¡¯t that a really bad excuse? Yu Xiaocao inwardly twitched her mouth, and she said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, but our family¡¯s watermelons had long been sold out. We have even uprooted the seedlings in the fields and nted sweet potatoes. There are many unique things in our Tanggu Town. You can reserve a banquet in advance at Zhenxiu Restaurant to entertain the esteemed guest...¡±


    Eldest Young Miss Zhuang red at her and thought, ¡®Talking to you was just an excuse to get closer to Royal Prince Yang. You must really think you¡¯re so special, chattering endlessly.¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao, who got red at after reminding her out of kindness, touched her nose and thought, ¡®A good heart is struck by thunder!¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Why are you wasting time here?¡± Royal Prince Yang looked back at her with slight impatience, yet he wasn¡¯t even willing to take one look at Eldest Young Miss Zhuang before walking away.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled apologetically at Eldest Young Miss Zhuang, and then jogged after him. Zhu Junyang said to her angrily, ¡°Open your eyes. Don¡¯t be someone who helps others count the money after being sold!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao giggled and teased, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you also noticed that Eldest Young Miss Zhuang have ulterior motives ah? Tsk tsk! I didn¡¯t expect you to be popr even when you¡¯re always pulling a long face. You can have a romantic encounter just by strolling on the street!¡±

 Chapter 268 – Minion

    <h4>Chapter 268 ¨C Minion</h4>


    ¡°What are you saying!¡± If Zhu Junyang could move his arms, he would have knocked on her forehead, ¡°How can that be considered a romantic encounter? She¡¯s just a disgusting toad!¡±


    ¡°Pshhh! Well, someone is quite thick-skinned ah. Comparing himself to a white swan [1]!¡± Yu Xiaocao tutted endlessly.


    This time, Zhu Junyang really raised his arm, which couldn¡¯t bend, and lightly knocked on her head. He sullenly said, ¡°Such a young age, yet your mind is filled with all these weird thoughts. Come on, where do you want to go? This prince will apany you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao covered her head and made a funny face at him. Who was the one who needed to be apanied ah! She thought about it and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Zhenxiu Restaurant first to buy roasted chicken and osmanthus duck, and then go to Rongxuan Academy!¡±


    Since Headmaster Yuan said her family¡¯s Little Shitou could try taking the county-level examination next year, her younger brother had taken Rongxuan Academy as his home. Even when it was break time, he still seldom went home. He said he wanted to have more time to study. Although Headmaster Yuan wasn¡¯t at the academy, he had entrusted the supervisor and head teacher of the academy to look after his young disciple. He also got many of the previous exam questions for the county-level examinations and told Yu Fan to work on them during his spare time, and then he would give him some advice when he got back.


    She hadn¡¯t seen Little Shitou for a period of time, so she really did miss him. Recently, in order to not disturb her younger brother¡¯s studies, Xiaocao didn¡¯t visit him as frequently as before. ¡®Did my younger brother get thinner?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang had originallye out for a walk because he was bored at home. He didn¡¯t mind where they went, so it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to go check out the famous academy of the Great Ming Dynasty!


    Yu Xiaocao went directly to the back kitchen of Zhenxiu Restaurant, and greeted Yang Feng. After that, she took a roasted chicken and osmanthus duck, cut them up, wrapped them in oiled paper, and took them away.


    ¡°Dine and dash? You¡¯re not paying?¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know about Yu Xiaoaco¡¯s rtionship with Zhenxiu Restaurant. He silently watched everything that happened and couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°This maiden has never needed to pay when eating at Zhenxiu Restaurant! You must be surprised because of ignorance, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao waved the roasted chicken in her hands in front of him and smiled at him in a unting manner.


    Zhu Junyang knew that one had to make a reservation in advance in order to eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant, especially for private rooms. When the business was good, people still might not be able to get a seat even if they made a reservation over one month in advance. Seeing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s smug expression, he couldn¡¯t help but want to make things difficult for her, ¡°You have so much face ah? Then let¡¯s eat lunch at Zhenxiu Restaurant. You¡¯re treating!¡±


    He originally thought that he would be able to see Yu Xiaocao being embarrassed, but he hadn¡¯t expected that she would nonchntly nod, ¡°Okay! Isn¡¯t it just a meal? Easy!!¡±


    Last year, with just the year-end dividends from roasted chicken and salted ducks, Yu Xiaocao had received more than thirty thousand taels. She divided the money into five portions and deposited them into the Zhou Family¡¯s bank in town. The four siblings each got a share, while one portion was saved up as pension for Yu Hai and his wife.


    Originally, Yu Hai, Yu Hang, and the others felt that it was money earned by his daughter (younger sister), so they firmly refused to ept it. However, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s attitude was even more resolute. She said that she was a member of the family, so of course, the money that she earned was considered the family¡¯s. If they didn¡¯t ept it, then they weren¡¯t treating her as a member of the family!


    Seeing that Xiaocao was really angry, they reluctantly epted the money and decided to save it up for her dowry. Xiaolian also offered to put the money that she earned into the family ount since she was also a member of the family. However, her suggestion was rejected with one remark from Xiaocao, ¡°The little money that you make isn¡¯t even enough to fill the gaps between one¡¯s teeth. Does it really matter whether you contribute it or not?¡±


    Xiaolian didn¡¯t concede within her heart, ¡®Isn¡¯t my business doing pretty well right now? With an ie of several dozens taels a month, I can earn several hundred taels annually. Although it can¡¯tpare with the Younger Sister¡¯s abnormal speed of making money, I¡¯m still one of the few in Dongshan Vige who can earn so much!¡¯ However, within her heart, she knew that her younger sister was being partial to her and letting her save up more private savings!


    For this matter, Yu Xiaocao had gathered the entire family and held a family meeting. In the future, the money that the family earned would be divided into five portions and each person could freely decide what they wanted to do with their own portion. In the future, the siblings would be responsible for all the expenses of their own weddings. For their parents¡¯ share, they could subsidize whoever they wanted and other people weren¡¯t allowed toin!


    Since they separated from the main family, which method of making money didn¡¯te from Yu Xiaocao? The most profitable business was also contributed by Yu Xiaocao. Since she had made this decision, what could the others say? The siblings all felt that they had taken advantage of their younger sister (second older sister), and felt very embarrassed inwardly.


    Ahem, seemed to have gone off topic! Back to the present, with roasted chicken and salted duck in her hands, Yu Xiaocao bought some of the children¡¯s favorite sweets and pastries from a famous snack shop on the street. After that, she headed in the direction of Rongxuan Academy in a valiant and spirited manner.


    Zhu Junyang was quite critical of the pastries in the snack shop, ¡°Is this the most famous snack shop? Those few kinds of snacks that they have doesn¡¯t look appetizing, so they¡¯re probably not very tasty either! When this prince gets back to the capital, I will take you to eat the capital¡¯s most famous ¡®fresh Chinese wisteria cake¡¯, ¡®sponge cake¡¯, ¡®hibiscus cake¡¯, and various vors of sesame candies. I guarantee that you will want to eat more after trying them and never be tired of them!¡±


    Royal Prince Yang said these words in the snack shop. The worker in the shop heard him and kept shooting daggers at him, yet he still didn¡¯t notice and kept bbering on. After Yu Xiaocao paid, she nearly fled out of there. If she stayed any longer, she was afraid that the worker would beat them up and kick them out.


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, you¡¯re quite talkative today! Yu Xiaocao vaguely reminded him.


    Zhu Junyang thought that she was scorning him for being too talkative, so he red at her and said, ¡°You think that this prince is talking too much? Had it been someone else, this prince would have been tozy to even say anything!¡±


    Zhu Junyang also didn¡¯t know the reason, but in front of Yu Xiacoao, he no longer had to be in a state of extreme nervousness and be on guard at all times. He could finallypletely rx, and thus he naturally became more talkative!


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him, hung the pastries that she just bought on his finger, and continued to walk towards Rongxuan Academy. Zhu Junyang looked at the snacks in his hands and didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry, ¡®So who is supposed to be the minion now?¡¯


    Head Steward Liu didn¡¯t dare to let his master carry things, so he hastily took the pastries from the royal prince¡¯s hands. Heined about Yu Xiaocao in his heart, ¡®Master¡¯s arms haven¡¯t recovered, yet she made Master carry things. What are they going to do if he pulled a muscle?¡¯


    If Yu Xiaocao could read minds, she would definitely roll her eyes at him, ¡®It¡¯s only a little more than a catty of pastries. How would that tire out your master? That¡¯s too frail!¡¯


    With one in the east side of town and the other in the west, Rongxuan Academy and Princess Consort Jing¡¯s temporary residence were in opposite directions. From the residence, they had to travel across nearly the entire Tanggu Town.


    Xiaocao checked the time. It was still too early for lunch break, so they leisurely strolled towards Rongxuan Academy. They arrived at the entrance of Rongxuan Academy right at noon.


    To the academy¡¯s gatekeeper, Yu Xiaocao was already considered a familiar acquaintance. After warmly greeting the gatekeeper uncle, Yu Xiaocao went into the small door of the academy with two ¡®tails¡¯.


    Right at this time, the bell for dismissal rang and students, who were dressed in different colored clothes, came out of their ssrooms. Although their height and figure were all different, they all exuded the strong air of schrs. In groups of two or three, they discussed the teachers¡¯ lectures in low voices.


    ¡°Second Sister, Second Sister!!¡± Little Fatty¡¯s loud voice attracted the attention of the students around him. After seeing the sea blue uniform of the primary ss, they smiled and turned around. The senior students were quite tolerant of their younger schoolmates.


    ¡°This is your younger brother?¡± Zhu Junyang looked at plump Sun Runze in front of him and tried hard to find a trace of simrity with Yu Xiaocao from his face, but he failed. Could it be that he was so fat that his facial features were squeezed together by his flesh, so he couldn¡¯t see the simrity between the siblings?


    Little Shitou pushed Sun Runze¡¯s chubby body away and said with his lips pursed, ¡°How many times have I told you? She¡¯s my second sister, not your second sister!! When did you change your surname to Yu?¡±


    Sun Runze stared at the oiled paper in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands and sniffed hard with his nose. After smelling the rich scent of roasted chicken, he grinned and put his arms around Little Shitou¡¯s neck, saying, ¡°Yu Fan, what¡¯s our rtionship? Your second sister is my second sister. Why do we need to be so clear about it? Second Sister, you haven¡¯t visited in a long time. What did you bring for your younger brothers?¡±


    Little Shitou¡¯s gaze turned towards the cold-looking man behind his second sister, frowned, and said, ¡°Second Sister, who is he?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao finally remembered that there was someone else behind her. She smiled and said, ¡°Him? Royal Prince Yang ah!! Didn¡¯t you see him at the docks when the young royal prince set out on his voyage? You almost cried because you were scared by him ah!¡±


    Hearing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words, Royal Prince Yang felt that something like that did happen before. Was he really so scary in the past that he nearly made children cry?


    Little Shitou also recalled the scene at that time. He wasn¡¯t the same as before. Little Shitou bowed a greeting at Royal Prince Yang in a refined and courteous manner. His roommates also dropped their usual joking manner and greeted Royal Prince Yang.


    Seeing that the kids had be restrained in front of the young royal prince, Yu Xiaocao turned her head and said to Zhu Junyang, ¡°Young Royal Prince, didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to see what Rongxuan Academy looked like? It¡¯s lunch break right now, so you can freely walk around the academy. Don¡¯t go too far. I¡¯ll go find youter!¡±


    ¡®When did this prince said I want to walk around Rongxuan Academy? She actually sent me away in such a casual manner. I must ruthlessly ughter thisss at noon and let her release some blood!¡¯ Zhu Junyang red at Yu Xiaocao, and then slowly walked away with Head Steward Liu.


    Before Head Steward Liu left, he gave the pastries to Little Shitou, patted his shoulder, and looked at Yu Xiaocao with a faint smile on his face. Thisss was quite bold. No one had ever treated the prince like an eyesore so apparently and shooed him away!


    Once the royal prince left, the kids became lively again. Little Fatty volunteered to help Little Shitou get rice so that the siblings could have some time to talk in private.


    ¡°How are you doing recently? Is there a lot of assignments? Don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure. Next year, you will only be eight years old. Will it be too early to take the county-level exams?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want her younger brother to be a bookworm who only cared about studying. She never let her younger brother touch books during his breaks from school. Instead, she took him to the mountains and sea to y, hoping that he would have a happy and unforgettable childhood.

 Chapter 269 – Competition

    <h4>Chapter 269 ¨C Competition</h4>


    Little Shitou confidently replied, ¡°Second Sister, don¡¯t worry! The headmaster also said that I have a gift for studying. He even said that although we can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll get a cement on the entry exams next year, I¡¯ll definitely pass! Second Sister, just wait for when you¡¯ll be the older sister of a schr who has passed the county level exams ah!¡±


    Little Shitou, who was only seven years old, already had his own ns. He knew that his family had bought a decent amount of arablend in town and they were renting them to some tenant farmers. Judging from the speed of his second sister¡¯s current ability to earn money, in the future, they would definitely be buying more farnd and creating more businesses. He was currently young and was studying to be a schr, so he wasn¡¯t able to help out much. However, if he managed to pass the county level exams, then everything would be different. All of the farnd and other industries his family had wouldn¡¯t be subject to taxes anymore, so they could save a whole lot of money!


    He didn¡¯t do this to pursue fame, to be the person who ced first in the exams. He also didn¡¯t care about bing someone who had ced first in all three exams either. He only wanted to pass the county level examinations earlier, so he could help his family out. In the future, once he had his feet firmly nted on the ground, he could work harder to get a better result at the exams.


    One roasted chicken and one osmanthus duck was more than enough to feed four half-grown children. Little Shitou had also invited over a few more friends to enjoy the meal. Yu Xiaocao felt immensely gratified as she watched the little rascal, who had been just a brat running around in the mud when she first transmigrated over and had now matured into a fine little schr, interact joyfully with his group of friends.


    The children ate exuberantly and praised the food without end. One of Yu Fan¡¯s best friends, Zhao Datong, was born in a salt merchant¡¯s family, so he was very familiar with money. He asked Little Shitou in a low voice, ¡°Yu Fan, did your family reserve this roasted chicken and duck days in advance? My father thinks it¡¯s inconvenient, so he only asionally reserves one. I don¡¯t necessarily get to eat it every month!¡±


    Little Shitou thought for a bit and decided that he should be magnanimous to his friends. He exined, ¡°My family¡¯s rtionship with Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Third Young Master Zhou is decent, so we never have to make reservations to buy their roasted chicken!¡±


    Little Fatty Sun yelped in a voice full of envy and jealousy, ¡°What? You guys are that awesome?? Then in the future, if we want to eat roasted chicken, can¡¯t we just beg you or Second Sister to help buy some?¡±


    Little Shitou somewhat hesitantly replied, ¡°asionally is fine. But, after all, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken and osmanthus duck is too popr right now. They also only have a fixed number that¡¯s avable every day and all of that is reserved in advance. If we buy too many, I¡¯m afraid we would end up disturbing their sales.¡±


    Liu Jinye was older than the rest of them by two years, so he naturally was a bit more steady. When he heard that, he nodded his head, ¡°Yu Fan is right! We can only asionally take advantage of this. Otherwise, the mutual regard they have for your family will be wiped away!¡±


    ¡°Heehee! You guys don¡¯t need to say this, I know this already! As long as I can eat some every ten days to half a month, I will be perfectly content. If I eat it too often, my mother will see that I¡¯ve gained weight again when I go back for break and she¡¯ll punish me to jog outside. So tiring!!¡± Sun Runze¡¯s mother disliked the fact that he was fat and was always thinking up ways for him to lose weight. This made him feel quite helpless!


    Situ Qing was on the younger side so he didn¡¯t know how to conceal his curiosity. He gnawed on a chicken wing as he asked inquisitively, ¡°Yu Fan, aren¡¯t your family members farmers? How did they end up having a rtionship with the Zhou Family¡¯s Third Young Master?¡±


    All of the other kids were also curious. However, they were afraid that by asking they might end up upsetting Yu Fan, so they endured it and didn¡¯t ask. When they heard the question, all of them stopped eating the chicken and duck meat in their hands and the whole group of them turned their inquisitive eyes over to look at Yu Fan.


    Second Sister had often told him that one¡¯s status and position in life can be changed through one¡¯s own hard work. Although he had been born in a poor family, he absolutely couldn¡¯t look down on himself. The environment was only a ce for a person to mature and grow. Even though his family was currently farmers, he firmly believed that through his and their own hard work, they could be the envy and goals of others in the future! Historically, weren¡¯t there examples of schrs born from humble families getting first ce in the imperial examinations? And weren¡¯t there a decent amount too?


    Yu Fan calmly smiled at them, ¡°My father is good at hunting and fishing. In the past, whenever he caught some good game or high quality seafood, he would always sell it to Zhenxiu Restaurant. Gradually, they got to know each other. Afterwards, my family¡¯s out-of-season vegetables also supplied their whole restaurant. Perhaps they make an exception for my family due to these previous favors ah?¡±


    Little Shitou had long known that many of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s specialty dishes were made with the contribution of his second sister. However, the reason why Second Sister knew how to craft these dishes was too mysterious and profound. He didn¡¯t want too many people to find out and cause troubleter on.


    His exnation didn¡¯t arouse any of his friends¡¯ suspicions. After all, at the start of spring, only Zhenxiu Restaurant was able to advertise their stunningly expensive green vegetable dishes. For people living in ancient times, after eating a whole winter¡¯s worth of radishes, cabbages, and meat dishes, they all wanted something fresh. Each te of green vegetables cost at least a couple taels, yet, if you arrived therete, they would be all sold out. Perhaps it was because of their previous rtionship that the Yu Family only sold their vegetables to Zhenxiu Restaurant and no others, right?


    At this moment, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t even aware that her younger brother was thinking up ways to cover for her. She was currently sitting inside one of the private rooms at Zhenxiu Restaurant. Other than the young royal prince, there was also Third Young Master Zhou in the room, who was looking eagerly at her.


    The situation was simple. After she left Rongxuan Academy, it was already close to noon. Yu Xiaocao took the young royal prince and his servant on a stroll and ended up at Zhenxiu Restaurant. Fortunately, Third Young Master Zhou had managed to snatch a moment of leisure time today and was resting in the private room drinking tea. When he heard Yu Xiaocao hade over, he was pleased beyond expectation. He had something he wanted to discuss with Yu Xiaocao!


    After inviting Yu Xiaocao and her group into the private room, Third Young Master Zhou suddenly discovered that the capital¡¯s current hot topic, Royal Prince Yang, was there too. Why was Royal Prince Yang currently a hot topic? There were several reasons. First of all, the court gossips all said that Royal Prince Yang had lived up to expectations by bringing back the high-yielding crops that were drought resistant: corn and potatoes. The emperor himself had rewarded the youth. Secondly, he had brought back exquisite items that had never been seen before. For example, a desk clock that could urately tell the time, beautiful enamelware, delicate ivory carvings...and they were all being sold at Treasure Pavillion, which was under his name. The shop was zingly popr. Thirdly, Royal Prince Yang had managed to procure some ripe watermelons out of season from a ce no one knew. These watermelons set off a frenzy of buying at the capital. In short, everyone in the capital was talking about Royal Prince Yang, the man of the moment.


    After they greeted each other, the three people took their seats. Yu Xiaocao started off the conversation, ¡°I was still under the impression, Third Young Master Zhou, that you were currently in the capital busy beyondpare! How do you have the time toe back to Tanggu Town ah?¡±


    ¡°In thest few years, the imperial family hasn¡¯t carried out anyrge construction projects. Thus, their requirements for lumber has not been high. The Zhou Family has their own lumber operation, so there¡¯s no need to worry about it. Furthermore, our dried seafood quota has been fulfilled for the next couple of months. The second branch store of Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital has also formally opened...¡± Third Young Master Zhou had something to ask of her, so he described everything very clearly.


    Zhu Junyang felt quite surprised inside. He raised his eyes to look at the future head of the Zhou Family and thought, ¡®What is this fellow trying to do in telling all of this to Yu Xiaocao?¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t feel any malice or ill-willing off of Zhou Zixu. He lowered his eyes again and stared at the cup in front of him before he curtly ordered, ¡°Tea!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao tacitly understood his request and lifted up the tea cup and ced it near his mouth. Zhu Junyang leisurely blew on foam in the cup and then lightly drank a sip. He nodded his head as a hint to Yu Xiaocao.


    Zhou Zixu watched as Xiaocao helped Royal Prince Yang drink tea in a practiced manner. Only when she ced the cup down did he stare at her with astonishment. This littless, who was never polite when she spoke to him, had suddenly be so obedient? Was this the same Yu Xiaocao whose temper blew all the time? Perhaps...Royal Prince Yang used his power to suppress her?


    Zhu Junyang could tell that the future head of the Zhou Family had an inquisitive look in his eyes. He continued to sit silently and yed the mysterious guest.


    Yu Xiaocaoughed hollowly and pretended to not see Third Young Master¡¯s astonishment. She stated, ¡°Third Young Master, you don¡¯t need to report to me about your Zhou Family¡¯s industries. It has very little bearing to me!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou nodded, ¡°The Zhou Family¡¯s industries aren¡¯t rted to you, but you have quite a stake in Zhenxiu Restaurant. The Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital has encountered some difficulties, so I need you to help me.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was now the one who was surprised, ¡°The capital¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant? The furthest I¡¯ve been is the prefectural city. I don¡¯t know anything about how the capital works, so I can¡¯t really do much. Third Young Master, you¡¯re looking for the wrong person, okay?¡±


    Zhu Junyang raised his head again to look at Third Young Master Zhou in the eye. What was the point of finding a little rural vige girl for help when there was a problem with the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital? If he needed to find someone, then he should find someone like himself, someone with the status to act as a patron ah!


    ¡°I will just say it bluntly then!¡± Third Young Master Zhou looked at Royal Prince Yang and clenched his jaw, ¡°Our osmanthus duck has met a rival! One of the capital¡¯s long standing restaurants, ¡®Defeng¡¯, hase out with a new duck called, ¡®furnace roasted duck¡¯. It has skin that is glossy and crisp, exquisite white meat, tastes astoundingly delicious, and is vorful without being greasy. Furthermore, they have also copied our ¡®starvation marketing¡¯ strategy and limit their daily sales quota. Their price is a bit more expensive than our osmanthus duck, yet their supply does not meet the demand. They have taken away quite a few customers from Zhenxiu Restaurant and the sales volume of our osmanthus duck keeps dropping!¡±


    Apparently they had met a business rival ah! She remembered that in her previous life the people selling ¡®Peking Duck¡¯ imed that it had been around for a millennium. Was this when it first started? This ¡®furnace roasted duck¡¯ was likely the predecessor to ¡®Peking Duck¡¯.


    She was very good at making roast duck ah! In her previous life, at her braised food shop, she had also especially learned how to make ¡®fruit-scented roast duck¡¯. This wasn¡¯t hard to make. All it required was an oven, urate heat control, and a special blend of spices. Fruit-scented roast duck was considered a type of roast duck that was cooked by hanging in an oven and had its pros and cons over furnace roasted duck.


    Roasting duck by hanging in the oven created a product that had less fat under the skin, so the skin was crispy and the meat tender. Furthermore, it had a fruity smell. On the other hand, furnace roasted duck had more fat and moisture in the end product, so the meat was even more tender. The duck that came out of a furnace seemed like a steamed roll: flexible and soft. She not only knew how to make fruit-scented roasted duck but also knew how to make floral-scented ky roasted duck and vegetal crispy roasted duck. She was not convinced that the products from more than a millennium of food experimentation in her previous life couldn¡¯t beat a recently new furnace roasted duck in poprity.


    Third Young Master Zhou lowered his head and fidgeted in his chair as Yu Xiaocao pondered. He shifted forward a bit and said, ¡°Xiaocao, do you have any new recipes that couldpete with this new roast duck? We can go with what we did with the osmanthus duck recipe. I will give you dividends for the next twenty years from the sales. How¡¯s that?¡±


    Judging by the current sales volume of the osmanthus duck, she was currently earning two to three thousand taels a month. That meant in one year, she would get thirty thousand taels from the sales. If it was roasted duck, the sales wouldn¡¯t be much lower than this. Third Young Master Zhou had a lot of sincerity and had extended the terms of the contract by an additional ten years. The profits to be earned from an additional ten years weren¡¯t a small number ah!


    ¡°I know a recipe for fruit-scented roast duck. The first thing we need is to build a giant firece and the heat in that oven must be homogeneous.¡± As she talked, she drew and wrote the specifications of this firece that she needed on a piece of paper.

 Chapter 270 – Roasted Duck

    <h4>Chapter 270 ¨C Roasted Duck</h4>


    ¡°Actually, the duck needed for the fruit-scented roasted duck needs to be raised in a free-range and has to be thin. If it¡¯s too fat, then it would turn out too greasy. Also, there¡¯s a certain ratio for the wood from the jujube trees, pear trees, apple trees, and other fruit trees that are used. I will write down the proportions for youter!¡±


    ¡°For fruit-scented roasted duck, the duck must be marinated in 28 kinds of spices, not a single one can be missing. I¡¯ll send you the proportions of the type of spicester. Let Uncle Wang think it over! The difference between a hanging furnace and the braising furnace is that with the braising furnace, you can check the duck at any time while it¡¯s being roasted. After putting the duck into the furnace, the position of the duck should be changed regrly with the rod to make sure the duck is evenly cooked!¡±


    The differences in professions made one feel worlds apart. Third Young Master Zhou felt bewildered as he listened. He carefully collected the directions and precautions Yu Xiaocao wrote down. After thinking he asked, ¡°How about...I let Head Chef Wange back and consult you on this personally?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and said, ¡°The capital¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant is currently going through a turbulent period. If Uncle Wang were to be called back again, I¡¯m afraid the business will suffer a disastrous decline. Aren¡¯t Uncle Wang¡¯s two apprentices based in Tanggu Town? Currently, Tanggu Town¡¯s market has been stable. Although it may be busy for one person, he should be able to handle it if there¡¯s an additional assistant. Let either Brother Yang or Brother Liu learn the techniques of making this roasted duck!¡±


    Head Chef Wang¡¯s two apprentices, Yang Feng and Liu Bi, had already finished their apprenticeship. Their skills in making braised roasted chicken and salted ducks weren¡¯t inferior to their master¡¯s. Between the two, Yang Feng was more talented and able to ept new things quicker. As such, he was selected to learn how to make the fruit-scented roasted duck from Yu Xiaocao.


    However, the most pressing matter was building the oven. Third Young Master Zhou saw that the dishes were being served and Prince Yang had no intention of letting him stay for the meal. So he stood up to take his leave, ¡°Xiaocao, as expected you didn¡¯t let me down! I¡¯ll invite you to a meal another day to show you my thanks! I¡¯ll go ask someone to make an oven in the back kitchen first, enjoy your meal!¡±


    After Third Young Master Zhou went out, Zhu Junyang looked at Yu Xiaocao and waited for her to exin.


    Yu Xiaocao touched her face and asked him strangely, ¡°Is there something dirty on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Was the osmanthus duck recipe for the Zhenxiu Restaurant given by you?¡± Zhu Junyang lightly asked but he didn¡¯t forget to point at the delicious dishes on the table and instructed, ¡°Duck meat!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who had been waiting on this lord and walking around all morning, had been hungry for a very long time. She thought she could finally have a peaceful lunch, but ever since they entered the private room, Head Steward Liu had yed the disappearance game and she couldn¡¯t find a trace of him at all. The young prince¡¯s arm couldn¡¯t bend, so she naturally had to wait on him during the meal.


    s... she silently sighed, dragged the chair over to the young prince¡¯s side, and picked up the chopsticks in front of him. After picking up a piece of osmanthus duck, she carefully removed the bones from it and stuffed it into Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth.


    Taking advantage of the time the young prince spent chewing, she hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of vegetables looking as if she had been hungry for eight hundred years.


    ¡°This prince is asking you something!¡± Zhu Junyang slowly swallowed the delicious piece of duck meat and gently kicked Yu Xiaocao¡¯s chair, continuing their previous conversation.


    Yu Xiaocao took a big generous gulp of tea swallowing the food in her mouth and nodded, ¡°Yes! Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°No wonder you don¡¯t have to wait in line to buy osmanthus duck at Zhenxiu Restaurant! But, how did you get the recipe for the osmanthus duck?¡± Zhu Junyang asked as he pointed at the roasted chicken near his hand.


    Yu Xiaocao forgot to change her chopsticks and used her own chopsticks to pick up a piece of the chicken leg. Just as she was about to put it into the young prince¡¯s mouth, Zhu Junyang turned his head to the side and said with dislike, ¡°Change the chopsticks, who would want to eat your saliva?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao curled her lips andined in heart, ¡®Clean freak! Even if you are willing to, I¡¯m not willing to let you! Wouldn¡¯t that be considered an indirect kiss then? I am a virgin in my previous life and in this life, I still have my first kiss.¡¯ She smoothly put the piece of chicken in her bowl, changed chopsticks, and fed him another piece of chicken. After Zhu Junyang ate it, sheughed and pped her hands, ¡°Do you know what you just ate? Chicken butt¡ª¡ª¡±


    Upon receiving a sharp re from the young prince, Yu Xiaocao immediately caved, ¡°All right, I¡¯m lying to you! Don¡¯t be so serious, it¡¯s just a little joke! Do you want to eat chicken skin? The strongest vor and essence of the roast chicken is here, the chicken skin...¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t listen to her rambling. He looked at the other chicken drumstick on the te and said, ¡°Drumstick!¡±


    After sessfully eating the drumstick, he continued the conversation topic, ¡°Osmanthus duck, fruit-scented roasted duck, where did you get these recipes?


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes darted around and she answered in a seemingly serious manner, ¡°If I said that I have an extraordinary innate talent and these delicious dishes are known without any effort, would you believe me?


    ¡°Tell the truth!¡± Splitting out the chicken bone in his mouth, Zhu Junyang slightly nced at her and said with amanding tone.


    Yu Xiaocao purposely sighed deeply and shook her head. ¡°Ah... the world¡¯s moral degeneration is getting worse day by day, and human hearts are no longer what they used to be. No one believes the truth these days...¡±


    ¡°Use human speech!¡± Zhu Junyang looked at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s exaggerated performance and secretly felt that it was funny but he didn¡¯t express anything.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Who¡¯s not using human speech? How can you call me names?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll tell you!¡± Under the sharp eyes of Zhu Junyang, Yu Xiaocao surrendered once again, ¡°Two years ago, I went with Zhao Han, the grandson of General Zhao, into the mountains to catch rabbits. By ident, we became separated and I met an injured old man with white hair. Seeing that he was so pitiful, I saved him with my dabbling medical skills. The old man felt that he was unable to repay my kindness, so he gave me the fragments of a recipe book. All the dishes I knowe from that book.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she showed a ¡®this time you should believe it¡¯ expression.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s subordinates, who he sent to investigate her, didn¡¯t mention this event. He slightly frowned. Perhaps, because it happened deep in the mountains and the littless didn¡¯t tell anyone when she came back, so it was left out?


    ¡°Where are the fragments?¡± Zhu Junyang asked after instructing Yu Xiaocao to give him a bite of a dish again.


    Yu Xiaocao pointed to her head and made a triumphant expression, ¡°It¡¯s in here! It¡¯s a magic weapon for our family to make money. Of course, it¡¯s safer to keep it in my mind! Don¡¯t worry, I have a good memory. I¡¯ll never forget it!¡±


    Looking at the littless¡¯s proud expression, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t ask anymore and focused onmanding Yu Xiaocao to get food for him.


    ¡®I finally came up with a usible exnation!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao quietly sighed in her mind. This story was pretty good. In the future, if someone asked her why she knew so many dishes she could just use it as a reply. Who cares if they believed it or not, if they had the ability, then they could go investigate it!


    In order tounch the fruit-scented roasted duck as soon as possible topete with Defeng Restaurant, Third Young Master Zhou built the oven overnight ording to the requirements Xiaocao had given. He also found branches that had been cut in the spring from nearby households that nted fruit trees. Once everything was ready, he invited Yu Xiaocao over the next day!


    Royal Prince Yang said that he had nothing to do and followed along. Yu Xiaocao showed step by step how to marinate with the spice, how to turn while roasting, and how to control the fire. While showing Yang Feng how to do it, she also gave him detailed exnations.


    When the first batch of roasted duck came out, it smelled delicious. Even the customers eating in the front could smell the scent of the roasted duck. They all asked what new dish Zhenxiu Restaurant wasunching that had such a strong fragrance. The head manager took the opportunity to advertise the fruit-scented roasted duck in the restaurant. He also said that at noon, no matter if they were dining in a private room or in the dining hall, he would present a te of roasted duck for sampling.


    During lunch time, there were more than fifty tables in the dining hall and private rooms. Of course, they couldn¡¯t send a whole duck to each table. Each table would get half a duck and a total of twenty-five ducks would be roasted. Yang Feng, who was indeed very talented, quickly mastered the technique of making the roasted ducks.


    Yu Xiaocao personally roasted more than ten ducks before letting Yang Feng handle the rest while she gave directions on the side. By noon, thirty roasted ducks had been made. Yu Xiaocao also took advantage of the extra time to make a pot of sweet bean sauce.


    The roasted duck alone wouldn¡¯t be able to show the uniqueness of Zhenxiu Restaurant, so Yu Xiaocao alsounched a ¡®one duck, three meals¡¯ menu. First of all, cut and put the crispy duck skin with a thinyer of meat on a te. Serve it with cucumber strips, scallions, and other side dishes. When eating, add sweet bean sauce and wrap it in a thin pancake. For the next dish, cut thin shreds of meat off the duck and make ¡®stir-fried shredded duck¡¯. Lastly, the bones were used to make delicious duck bone soup.


    When the fruit-scented roasted duck was served to the tables, it was met with many praises. At this time, Yu Xiaocao, Royal Prince Yang, and Third Young Master Zhou sat in their exclusive private room enjoying the delicious ¡®one duck, three meals¡¯. With an ¡®outsider¡¯ in the room, Prince Yang saved Yu Xiacao¡¯s reputation and didn¡¯t let her serve him. Yu Xiaocao breathed a sigh of relief¡ªshe could finally have a peaceful meal!


    Yu Xiaocao put the duck meat and duck skin, sweet sauce, green onions, and cucumber on a thin pancake and rolled it up. She opened her mouth wide and ate it in one mouthful. She chewed it carefully with her eyes closed, and her expression looked like a cat that was eating a fish.


    The chef of the Zhenxiu Restaurant had really good skills with the knife. The slice of duck meat was thin and even, the shredded duck meat was long and thin, and the bone soup was also delicious. Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t had such delicious roasted duck in a long time; her hands kept wrapping the pancakes and she kept eating with gusto.


    Head Steward Liu got the look his master gave him and quickly learned from Miss Yu¡¯s actions, making a duck meat roll. Zhu Junyang nced at him and lightly said, ¡°I don¡¯t eat green onions!¡±


    Head Steward Liu hurriedly asked for forgiveness. Why did he make such a low-level mistake? Putting down the duck roll in his hand, he made another one without green onions and ce it by his master¡¯s mouth. Zhu Junyang took a bite in a refined manner. The skin of the duck was crispy, and the duck meat was tender with a light fruity fragrance. When paired with the unique taste of the sweet bean sauce, it made people unable to stop eating.


    ¡°The meat is tender and the vor is rich. It¡¯s not bad!¡± Zhu Junyang gave a positive opinion after eating a roll.


    Third Young Master Zhou nodded his head and said, ¡°Xiaocao¡¯s products are all top quality! I¡¯ve eaten Defeng Restaurant¡¯s furnace roasted duck. That taste is nothingpared to our fruit-scented roasted duck! The Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital is saved!¡±

 Chapter 271 – Battle of Words

    <h4>Chapter 271 ¨C Battle of Words</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate so much, ok? If Zhenxiu Restaurant copsed because of one dish, then it¡¯s better to just close it down earlier!¡± Could Yu Xiaocao still not understand him? One point was exaggerated into ten by him, wasn¡¯t it just to get recipes from her?


    Third Young Master Zhouughed and smiled, ¡°Some of the older stores in the capital have started joining hands to go against Zhenxiu Restuarant. If we don¡¯t show some creativity, we will be dragged down by those old crafty guys one day! Xiaocao, you said that you know how to make floral-scented ky roasted duck and vegetal crispy roasted duck. Teach Yang Feng how to make them!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hesitated slightly but she didn¡¯t persist. She also taught Yang Feng how to make two kinds of roasted duck, reminding Third Young Master Zhou that he couldunch themter on to keep the novel feelings and attract customers. Third Young Master Zhou had a talent in business that surpassed a lot of people. Even without the reminder from Xiaocao, he would¡¯ve done as she said.


    When they came out of the Zhenxiu Restaurant, Zhu Junyang, who had kept silent and pretended to be cool, suddenly said to Third Young Master Zhou, ¡°There are still a few roast ducks made by Yu Xiaocao in the kitchen, pack all of them and have them taken with us. Put it on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s tab!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao yelled on one side, ¡°Young Royal Prince, aren¡¯t you being unfair? Let¡¯s not talk about how these two days, you¡¯ve been freeloading off of me. Why are you packing the roast duck and letting me pay for it? How much money is the third young master of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate and the favorite of the emperor, Royal Prince Yang,cking?¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou was surprised at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s manner of speaking in front of Royal Prince Yang. The cold-faced prince was young but he had a strong atmosphere. Even he had to be careful in front of him in fear of saying the wrong word. The other party gave him a look and he immediately became as quiet as cicadas in the winter. Thisss was really brave, treating the cold faced prince like she treated him, bing angry and yelling whenever she wanted.


    What surprised him the most was that although the cold faced prince¡¯s voice was still cold, he didn¡¯t seem to be getting angry. He just nced at Yu Xiaocao, who was hopping around full of vigor and expressionlessly said, ¡°Just think of it as payment for mypany today!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao immediately rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner, ¡®Who let you follow me? Wasn¡¯t it you who was bored at home and insisted on following me? You ate quite a bit of the food at Zhenxiu Restaurant, and you even ate most of the roast duck. What do you mean you are apanying me? Young Royal Prince, can you confuse right and wrong anymore and be any more shameless?¡¯


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll pay, I¡¯ll just think of it as showing filial respect to the Princess Consort!¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that Princess Consort Jing liked osmanthus duck. The fruit-scented roasted duck was fatty but not greasy, crispy and delicious; Princess Consort Jing should like it too, right?


    After leaving Third Young Master Zhou, on the way back to thepound, Zhu Junyang, who had nothing to do, quarreled with Yu Xiaocao, ¡°The roasted duck is in your hands now. If someone¡¯s going to show filial piety then it would be me, what does it have to do with you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes again and said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t make the fruit-scented roasted duck, what would you use to show filial piety to the Princess Consort?¡±


    ¡°The fruit-scented roasted duck you made wasn¡¯t for mydy mother! Do you want my mother to ept your love? No way!¡± Where was the cold-faced prince character? If any of the rich yboys saw Zhu Junyang now, their chins would drop to the ground.


    Head Steward Liu, who was carrying the roast duck behind them, was very pleased. His master finally acted like a seventeen year old. Only when he was in front of Miss Yu did the master take off his protective shell and show his human side.


    That evening, Princess Consort Jing, who had delicious duck in three different ways, was very happy and excited when she heard Head Steward Liu¡¯s report. Her decision to let the little girl from the Yu Family stay was right. Yu Xiaocao was a girl that could give people warmth and happiness. Princess Consort Jing believed with herpany, her young son¡¯s icy appearance and heart will fadeyer byyer.


    Time passed slowly between Zhu Junyang and Yu Xiaocao¡¯s squabbles and battle of wits. In a blink of an eye, it was the middle of June and the middle of summer. The corn had been nted for three months and has entered the grouting stage. On each corn stalk, there were at least two corn cobs. Some had three but not many, and even fewer have four.


    This was very good already. On ordinary corn nts, there were only one or two corn cobs. As long as there weren¡¯t any unforeseen idents, the corn yield of the Yu Family¡¯s fields would be more than the previous yield of 1500 catties per mu. A conservative estimate would be that 2000 catties should be no problem.


    To Princess Consort Jing¡¯s relief, her little son¡¯s arms had almost recovered. It had only been a little longer than a month. After the imperial physician¡¯s diagnosis, he was full of praise for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s ointment.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s arms, apart from not being able to use martial arts, was no different from ordinary people¡¯s arms at this point in time. The ointment originally was changed three times a day and now it only needed to be changed once a day. Every day Yu Xiaocao massaged him with the ointment and used the little divine stone¡¯s power to help him heal his muscles and tendons. She believed it wouldn¡¯t be long before he recovered and be back to normal!


    Just when Zhu Junyang was enjoying his leisurely life of shopping, eating delicious food, and squabbling with Yu Xiaocao in Tanggu Town, the emperor decided to call him back to the capital. Yu Xiaocao was the happiest out of all of them. Her dark days of envement and oppression were finally over! The day after the young prince left Tanggu Town, she said farewell to the Princess Consort Jing and happily returned to Dongshan Vige.


    Their daughter, who had been staying in town for more than a month, finally came home. Madam Liu and Yu Hai were very happy, so they killed some chickens and geese to fill her up.


    ¡°My dear daughter, how could Princess Consort Jing¡¯spound be morefortable than staying at home? Look, you¡¯ve be so thin!¡± Madam Liu wiped her tears and held her little daughter in her arms. She was only ten years old and had lived alone with an unfamiliar and influential family. That royal prince didn¡¯t seem like an easy master to serve, so her daughter must¡¯ve suffered a lot.


    Yu Xiaocao wiped the tears from her mother¡¯s eyes. With a smile, she exined, ¡°Mother, I was asked by Princess Consort Jing to help with the young royal prince¡¯s arm. It¡¯s not hardbor. She provided delicious food and drinks every day. I also had servants waiting on me, and the courtyard I stayed in was bigger than our East Courtyard. I don¡¯t have to do anything except make the ointment. Touch my waist, it has gotten rounder!¡±


    Madam Liu stopped crying and smiled. She pinched her daughter and said, ¡°You¡¯re a child, how can you have a waist?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took out Lao Laizi¡¯s 1 entertainment skills and pointed to her side waist, ¡°Who said children don¡¯t have a waist? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the belly!¡± Madam Liu teased with a smile.


    Yu Xiaocao patted her back and said, ¡°What about here? Isn¡¯t this the waist?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the back!¡± Madam Liu continued.


    Yu Xiaocao pouted, ¡°Then where¡¯s my waist?¡±


    ¡°Children don¡¯t have a waist!¡± Madam Liu chuckled.


    Looking at the unhappy face of the little girl, Yu Hai said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t bully our daughter anymore. Make some more delicious food for lunch to give her a reception!¡±


    Cao¡¯er what do you want to eat? Mother will make it for you!¡± Madam Liu smiled as she looked at her daughter as if she couldn¡¯t see enough of her.


    Yu Xiaocao went to the Zhenxiu Restaurant early in the morning. She took the fruit-scented roasted duck from the first batch of the roasted ducks. With a smile, she said, ¡°For lunch, I¡¯ll make duck three ways for everyone. I saw that there were ms in the water basin, so let¡¯s add spicy stir-fried ms and two random vegetable dishes.¡±


    At this time, the sandworm and oyster collection business wasn¡¯t busy. Yu Jiang could handle the business by himself. Yu Hang hade over with a moment of leisure and looked at his little sister with a smile. He watched her take out a roasted duck from the oiled paper bag and a strong fragrance floated out.


    ¡°It smells so good! Isn¡¯t this the new fruit-scented roasted duck from Zhenxiu Restaurant? It¡¯s rumored that it¡¯s even more popr than when roasted chicken first came on the market. It¡¯s gotten to the point where it¡¯s hard to find a duck. Little Sister, was this fruit-scented roasted duck your recipe again?¡± Yu Hang sniffled and said in surprise.


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a thumbs up and, with a proud expression, she said, ¡°Big Brother, you have good eyes! Correct, I taught them how to make fruit-scented roasted duck. We can earn five taels for each duck sold! When the end of the year bonuses, just see!¡±


    Yu Hang rubbed her head and said with a smile, ¡°Little Sister, you¡¯re just like a golden eggying hen in the stories. It makes me want to open your head and see what¡¯s in it.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pushed aside her big brother¡¯s hand on her head. She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°The result is the same as the story. It¡¯s not worth the loss!! Eh? Where¡¯s Oldest Paternal Aunt and Uncle?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had been back for a while, and it was quiet next door as if no one was there. There wasn¡¯t any need to ask about the corn now. In the original watermelon field, sweet potatoes were also nted. There wasn¡¯t any work in the fields, so what was Oldest Paternal Aunt¡¯s family doing?


    Yu Hai took the roasted duck from his little daughter and took it to the kitchen. Hearing her question, he said, ¡°The vige head has allocated a homestead for your aunt. Your uncle has found some people from the vige. They are digging the foundation and making the sun-dried dirt bricks to get ready to build the house before the autumn harvest.¡±


    After selling watermelon for more than a month, Liu Hu had also earned dozens of taels of silver. As soon as he and his wife thought it over, they decided to first build a two-roomed adobe houses to live in first. The rest of the money was saved to see if they could rent a shop in the town and do some small business. Liu Hu went to do odd jobs again, so his annual ie was also enough to cover his family¡¯s food and daily expenditures.


    After living at his brother-inw¡¯s house for a few months, bad rumors were spread by someone in the vige. The rumors said that Liu Hu¡¯s family relied on his younger brother-inw to live and Yu Hai was supporting his elder sister¡¯s family, a family with a different surname. Yet, he didn¡¯t ask after the elderly in his family. It was clear who spread the rumor without any questions!


    Liu Hu didn¡¯t want to cause his younger brother-inw any trouble. As soon as he had some money, he decided to quickly build a house.


    Yu Xiaocao listened and angrily said, ¡°Those rumors must¡¯ve been spread by Madam Zhang or Li Guihua. Besides the two of them, who else has the free time to gossip about our family? They really do have a short memory. I think it¡¯s necessary to give Madam Zhang a reminder. We still have material on her on hand!¡±


    Yu Hai sighed and said, ¡°Forget it! A young couple is each other¡¯spany in old age. For your grandfather¡¯s sake, don¡¯t get on the same level as Madam Zhang... By the way, your grandfather is sick, take a roast duck over and take a look at him!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t happy. Grandfather was sick, and greasy things like a roasted duck shouldn¡¯t be eaten. If she took it over, it would just be given to Madam Zhang. She pouted and asked, ¡°What sickness does Grandfather have? Is it serious?¡±

 Chapter 272 – Waiting To Die

    <h4>Chapter 272 ¨C Waiting To Die</h4>


    ¡°Yu Dashan and your grandfather set off to the sea some time ago and they encountered a storm. Yu Dashan was swallowed up by the sea, so your grandfather choked on some water while saving him. When he returned, he started coughing, whichter on turned into a fever. It has been going for over half a month already, and he still hasn¡¯t gotten better!¡± Yu Hai said in a worried tone.


    Yu Hang snorted and said, ¡°Grandfather¡¯s sickness wasn¡¯t serious at the beginning. His illness must have gotten worse because that cheap Madam Zhang didn¡¯t want to use money to get Grandfather treated. Father shouldn¡¯t have given her the ten taels of silverst time. Instead, you should have used it to get a doctor to treat Grandfather¡¯s illness. That money is probably nevering back now!¡±


    In the recent year, Madam Zhang¡¯s cheap antics had worsened. The main dish was coarse grain tbreads without any fine grain mixed into it. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, all the vegetables came from the garden that she nted, and she wouldn¡¯t use any oil to cook it. Now that Madam Li¡¯s son had the ability to work, she hadined numerous times that she wanted to live on her own. But, as soon as she heard that she had to leave all her properties, including her house behind, she stoppedining.


    However, Madam Li, who was a big mouth, did not refrain herself from talking behind her mother-inw, Madam Zhang. She said that Madam Zhang favored her younger son more by giving him all their family¡¯s ie to support his studies in the prefectural city. Not only that, she also said that Madam Zhang treated her family badly. Her son had turned fifteen already, yet Madam Zhang still hadn¡¯t helped him with his marriage affairs. She was just draining the entire family¡¯s blood in order to feed the bottomless pit, Yu Bo.


    Upon Yu Xiaocao¡¯s return this time, she got them three roasted ducks because clearly one wasn¡¯t enough for everyone. When her third uncle went backter, she would ask him to get one more. One roasted duck cost five to six taels of silver. If she took it to visit Grandfather, they probably wouldn¡¯t get to eat it. Instead, Madam Zhang would probably sell it for money!


    Yu Xiaocao bought a fat hen and fifty eggs from her neighbor, the Zhou Family. After that, she went to visit her grandfather with her older brother, Yu Hang.


    When they pushed open the old wooden door, there was no one in the courtyard and it was very quiet. Her younger uncle was studying in town, so her aunt and Doudou went back to live in their maternal family home. After her youngest paternal aunt got married, only her grandfather, Madam Zhang, and Yu Dashan¡¯s family lived here.


    At this time, Yu Dashan should be back from the sea and selling fish in the fish market by the dock. Madam Li went somewhere to gossip in order to avoid doingbor. Madam Zhang went to the beach during the low tide to dig for spoon worms in order to earn more money to pay for her younger son¡¯s tuition. Apart from the sounds of the hungry pigs in the hogpen, there were no other sounds.


    Suddenly, the sound of severe coughing could be heard from the West Room. This was where Yu Hai and his family used to live in. The cough was followed by another cough, as if someone was about to cough his lungs out; it made everyone worried that he might faint the next second due to suffocation.


    ¡°Grandfather?¡± The siblings exchanged looks and ran towards the West Room hurriedly. It may be because no one had lived in that room for so long that it appeared even more worn down. There were only sparse hays on the roof, and it was unknown how long the room hadn¡¯t been repaired. If it rained, droplets of rain would probably leak in.


    Since Yu Hai¡¯s family moved out, this room had been used as a storage room. How did Grandfather ended up living here?


    Pushing open the nearly falling door, the darkness in the room blinded the siblings and made it hard for them to clearly see the situation in the room. After a while, they saw a scrawny figure lying on the worn-out kang bed with his body hunched over and having another coughing fit.


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± Yu Xiaocao put down the stuff in her hands and rushed into the room. She helped Old Yu sit up and patted his back to make him feel better.


    There was a disgusting odor in the room. People couldn¡¯t help but want to retch because of the strong stench that came from her haggard grandfather¡¯s body, as well as the smell from the hogpen next to him.


    When his coughing finally stopped, Old Yu quickly pushed Yu Xiaocao away and said with great effort, ¡°Xiaocao, stay away from Grandfather. They all say I have tuberculosis, which is contagious. Both of you need to get out of here quickly to avoid being infected.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw that her grandfather¡¯s clothes were full of urine and sweat stains. It was obvious that it hadn¡¯t been changed for a long period of time. Looking at her grandfather, who was helplessly lying on the bed, her nose turned sour. She tried to hold back her tears and said to Yu Hang, ¡°Eldest Brother, find a set of clean clothes for Grandfather and help him change into it. I will go boil water and help him wash.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need. You guys need to go back! There is no cure for my disease, so hurry and go. Don¡¯t let the disease get to you. There¡¯s no cure!¡± Old Yu became so anxious that he wanted to sit up straight, but his skinny arms had no strength and he panted heavily on bed.


    Yu Xiaocao checked his pulse. It wasn¡¯t tuberculosis at all, but instead it was only pneumonia caused by a severe fever. She reckoned that her grandfather didn¡¯t take his fever seriously at first, and then it slowly turned into pneumonia. Madam Zhang was too cheap to find him a doctor and just got him some herbal medicine for him to eat. Hence, the fever had now developed into such a serious condition.


    ¡°Grandfather, who told you that you got tuberculosis?¡± Yu Xiaocao saw the dry skin on her grandfather¡¯s lips and the empty cup next to the bed. No wonder it would turn into pneumonia! Grandfather had a fever, yet they didn¡¯t even give him water to drink.


    After Yu Xiaocao boiled a pot of water, she scooped out a cup for it to cool off, added a drop of mystic-stone water, and fed it to her grandfather. Old Yu hadn¡¯t drunk water for two days already, so the warm water moisturized his dried body like sweet dew.


    At the beginning, Madam Zhang would still deliver him the food and water, but after his coughing worsen, especially when he coughed out blood two days earlier, she started to get anxious. A man in her ex-husband¡¯s vige had gotten tuberculosis, and he spread it to the whole family, so his entire family died off.


    Madam Zhang was scared that Old Yu¡¯s disease would spread onto her, so she told her older son to carry him to the West Room. Every time she delivered food and water, she used a towel to cover her nose and mouth. Seeing that Old Yu had gotten so sick that he couldn¡¯t get up anymore, she thought he would die within these two days, so she stopped giving him food and water, only leaving him to die in the West Room helplessly.


    Yu Xiaocao dipped the towel in cold water and wiped her grandfather¡¯s forehead, neck, and armpits in order to help lower his body temperature. Old Yu was very worried ah! He was already so old, so he didn¡¯t mind if they had just let him die. His granddaughter was still in her best years and she had learned a great amount of skills. She couldn¡¯t die because of an almost dying person! But no matter what he said, Yu Xiaocao still wasn¡¯t moved.


    It would be fake if Old Yu said he wasn¡¯t touched. Adversities prove the sincerity of rtionships. He had seen all of Madam Zhang¡¯s coldness and Yu Dashan¡¯s cruelty these days, and it pained his heart.


    Yu Dashan was only two years older than Yu Hai. He was only seven or eight years old when he first joined their family, and Old Yu never treated him as an outsider. He never favored anyone over the other, anything Dahai and Caifeng had, Yu Dashan also had them. He fell ill because he went to save Yu Dashan. But now that he was sick, he didn¡¯t even show up. He wasn¡¯t his biological son after all. He had raised an ungrateful being all these years ah!


    As for Madam Zhang, they had been married for decades! She didn¡¯t even bother to care for him when he fell sick. She just left him in the West Room indifferently, hoping that he would die faster so that she could save more food. There was an old saying: ¡®a day together as husband and wife means endless devotion the rest of your life¡¯. How was Madam Zhang acting any different from someone who killed their husband? How disappointing! If he was lucky and ended up surviving this time, he cannot tolerate living with such a cruel and cold hearted woman. Or else he might get killed by that malicious woman when he was asleep.


    These days, Old Yu had been thinking about his first wife. It was retribution! He knew that his first wife had been murdered by Madam Zhang, but for his children and his reputation, he opened one eye and closed the other. Now, it was his turn. Well, so be it. If he could find his first wife when he arrives at theherworld, he would confess his sin to her. He didn¡¯t even take care of their two children! He deserved to die!


    ¡°Older Brother, why is it taking so long?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked in confusion as Yu Hang entered the room with a familiar set of clothing.


    Yu Hang nced at his grandfather and sighed, ¡°Grandfather¡¯s clothes were all piled up at the corner of the courtyard and no one has been washing them for him. There are no clean clothes in the box, so I ran home and brought a set of Father¡¯s clothes here.


    Old Yu sighed heavily. She just couldn¡¯t wait for him to die, could she? What was the use of washing a dead person¡¯s clothes?


    While Yu Hang helped Old Yu take a bath, Yu Xiaocao killed a hen and made it into stew. She was going to use the chicken soup to make porridge for her grandfather. Madam Zhang was really cruel. Not only did she not find a doctor to treat her sick husband, but she also didn¡¯t even give him any food or water!


    When Madam Zhang returned home, she saw the smoke rising from the kitchen. She thought that Madam Li was secretly cooking things to eat for herself. She quickly strode into the house with her bound feet. As soon as she entered through the door, she saw Yu Xiaocao carrying a bowl of chicken porridge. Xiaocao nced at her indifferently and headed towards the West Room.


    When she smelled the chicken stew in the air, Madam Zhang patted her thigh, ¡°My chicken!¡± She hurriedly walked to her chicken pen and carefully counted the number of chickens inside twice. When she found out that she wasn¡¯t missing a chicken, she let out a sigh of relief.


    After that, as if she remembered something, she ran to the kitchen and found that the basket of rice she had concealed had been touched. When she took it down to have a look, she realized that some of the white rice was missing. She was about to throw a tantrum and scold her when she realized that Yu Xiaocao had never listened to her. What¡¯s more, her weakness was in her hands!


    Madam Zhang mmed the basket of white rice down on the kitchen counter. When she saw that there was still more than half a chicken remaining in the pot, she took a y pot out and filled the remaining chicken and stew into the y pot. She decided to bring the chicken soup for Doudou to drink when she goes to visit him in town tomorrow.


    After she hid the chicken soup, Madam Zhang arrived at the door of the West Room. Old Yu had changed into a clean set of clothes and the kang bed had also been cleaned up neatly. Yu Xiaocao was currently holding a bowl and feed her grandfather food.


    She used her hand to cover her mouth and nose, and strangely said, ¡°Don¡¯t me me for not remaining you, but your grandfather has tuberculosis. There is no cure and it¡¯s contagious. It¡¯s better if you guys hurry up and go home. Don¡¯t forget to take a bath and use mugwort to air out the clothes. In addition, you should use boiled water to heat up your clothes a few times...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao handed the bowl of porridge to Yu Hang and stood up. She walked in front of Madam Zhang, coldly looked at her, and said, ¡°How do you know that my grandfather has tuberculosis? Did you invite a doctor here to treat him? You aren¡¯t a doctor, so how can you diagnose him?¡±


    Madam Zhang was frightened by her imposing manner, so she backed away two steps. She pursed her lips a few times before saying, ¡°My neighbor from my old house contacted tuberculosis and the entire family was infected and died. The symptoms are the same as your grandfather¡¯s. They started out coughing, and then they coughed out blood. After that, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to get out of bed! It¡¯s not because I don¡¯t want to spend money to treat your grandfather, but it¡¯s because tuberculosis is incurable! No matter how much money I spend on him, it would be wasted. Why not save the money and use it to provide for my youngest son¡¯s studies?!¡±

 Chapter 273 – Divorce

    <h4>Chapter 273 ¨C Divorce</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao sneered and said, ¡°Is a human life more important or is studying more important? I don¡¯t know how younger uncle¡¯s teacher and ssmates will look at you after they find out that you traded his father¡¯s life for him to be able to study.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Little girl, you¡¯re too malicious! Your younger uncle can¡¯t stay in town anymore because of you. Now, you still want to nder his reputation, but he¡¯s your uncle! Are you still a person?¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s youngest son was her weakness, so she would never hesitate to argue with someone for him.


    She recalled the scene of her grandfather as heid in a small, ck, run down room with wind leaking in, appearing as if he were waiting for death alone. Yu Xiaocao felt her anger skyrocket, ¡°The person who tarnished younger uncle¡¯s reputation is you! Grandfather has worked himself tirelessly everyday for more than twenty years for this family. Furthermore, to save your eldest son, he got ill. Yet when he got sick, you didn¡¯t even spare some money to help him get treated. His minor illness was dragged on until it became serious, and you even threw him into a rundown house. You didn¡¯t even give him any food or water, nor did you help him change his clothes as they got that filthy! My Grandfather is your husband! You just can¡¯t wait for him to die, can you? You¡¯re a ruthless and heartless mother, and younger uncle will sooner orter be dragged down by you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice was sharp and clear. The Yu Family¡¯s courtyard wasn¡¯t remote and dested like their old residence. When their neighbors heard their mor, they all stretched their necks to eavesdrop for news. When they heard Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words, they saw how Madam Zhang¡¯s gaze had changed. This old woman was quite vicious. She¡¯d rather watch her man die than to spend two taels of silver to get him treated.


    They recalled how before Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family had split from the main branch, she also became ill. At that time, Madam Zhang also refused to give Xiaocao¡¯s father any money to get her treated. Yu Hai had to borrow money from everywhere, so that his daughter could see a doctor. They originally thought that it was because she wasn¡¯t her blood rted granddaughter, so she was able to steel her heart. But now, it seemed that Madam Zhang really has a poisonous heart. It could be seen that nothing was more important than money in her heart!


    When Madam Zhang heard how her neighbors were quietly gossiping about her, she angrily said, ¡°Your grandfather has tuberculosis! There is no cure!¡±


    ¡°Who said my grandfather has tuberculosis? Which doctor gave you this diagnosis? Why don¡¯t you tell us? I¡¯ve studied medicine and from my diagnosis, Grandfather has just received a fright and caught a cold. But the cold wasn¡¯t treated and was dyed, so it became serious! You don¡¯t even want to spend money to get Grandfather¡¯s illness diagnosed. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have any money in your hands. What happened to the ten taels of silver my father gave you a few days ago? That¡¯s the money my father gave to Grandfather for him to see a doctor and get medicine. Yet, you don¡¯t even want to spend a copper coin on Grandfather! Is it because my Grandfather is old now, and can¡¯t earn money for you, so you want to just kick him away?¡± The more angry Yu Xiaocao became, the faster she spoke, giving Madam Zhang no room to refute her ims.


    ¡°I knew you were a ruthless person, but I didn¡¯t expect your heart and lungs to bepletely ck too, rotten into pus! When my father was injured, Uncle Zhao had given you three hundred taels of silver he earned from selling the bear. He gave that money to you and told you to take good care of my father¡¯s leg injury. At that time, you said that there was no hope for my father, so you concealed the three hundred taels of silver that my father had used half of his life in exchange for. When we split households, you obviously had around three hundred to four hundred taels of silver, but you made a big fuss saying that you don¡¯t have any money. In the end, you only gave us some worn-out furniture.¡±


    Xiaocao paused and then continued, ¡°When you saw that we were doing well after the split, you went to the ce where we did our business in town and caused a ruckus. You made the older brother, who had moved out and split from the household, to pay the tuition for his younger brother. That was fine. My younger uncle was cheated by a scammer and wanted to walk through the back door to get into Rongxuan Academy, so you stubbornly asked us to give you five hundred taels of silver! When we split our households, you practically made us leave with nothing! Our family was injured, sick, and young. If it wasn¡¯t for Maternal Grandfather¡¯s support, we wouldn¡¯t even have a house to live in for winter! How thick skinned are you? As soon as you reached out your hand, you asked us for five hundred taels of silver.¡±


    ¡°Okay! It¡¯s fine if you treated my father that way because he¡¯s not your blood rted son. But my grandfather is your man, he¡¯s the father of your son and the pir of this house. You don¡¯t want to part with your money, so you just left him to die in the West Room! Are you still a human? Do you have any humanity in you at all?¡±


    What Yu Xiaocao listed were actual situations that happened. Madam Zhang wanted to refute her, but she didn¡¯t know what to say. She could only sit on the ground, patting her thighs and cried without any tears, ¡°Is there any morew and order? Does it make sense that someone from the younger generation would point their fingers at an elder and scold them? God, why aren¡¯t you striking her to death¡ª¡ª¡±


    After Yu Hang finished feeding Grandfather some porridge, he stepped out of the room, and threw the broken bowl at Madam Zhang. The bowl hit Madam Zhang¡¯s head and then shattered into pieces when it hit the ground. Yu Hang pointed at Madam Zhang and angrily said, ¡°If God has eyes, then the first person he¡¯ll strike will be you! You should know all about the vicious things you did!¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s heart became fearful because they knew a lot of her weaknesses. She lowered her head and began to brawl, as if she had been greatly wronged.


    After the neighbors heard Xiaocao¡¯s usations, how could they sympathize with her? They looked at Madam Zhang with contempt and disdain.


    Yu Xiaocao said coldly, ¡°Elder? Who is my elder? I only called you grandmother because of your rtionship with my grandfather. But since you want to kill my grandfather, aren¡¯t you considered to be our enemy? Yet you still have the face to say that we should call you an elder?¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er... go invite the vige head and your eldest granduncle here... ¡° Old Yu had recovered some of his energy after eating a bowl of shredded chicken porridge, so he allowed Yu Hang to support him to walk out here.


    The neighbors couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise when they saw Old Yu¡¯s appearance. They haven¡¯t seen him for over ten days, how did the old man be like this? He appeared emaciated. His appearance was haggard, and his eyes were sunken. From time to time, he would let out a fit of coughing; it was as if he might stop breathing at any moment.


    In the past, Old Yu was capable and full of spirit! When he was young, he was able to support his entire family by himself. There were only a few people in Dongshan Vige whose fishing techniques wereparable to Old Yu¡¯s! Madam Zhang was really malicious. It hadn¡¯t even been a month, yet she had already maltreated him to this point. Wasn¡¯t she basically trying to kill off her husband?


    Yu Xiaocao moved a chair over for Old Yu to sit on. Old Yu was just about to talk, when he began to violently cough again. When he removed the hand that was covering his mouth, the ring bloodstain on his hand was seen by everyone.


    Madam Zhang refused to be defeated as she jumped up from the ground. She took a few steps to the side and cried out, ¡°Look at it! Look at it! He¡¯s coughing up blood, if it¡¯s not tuberculosis, then what is it? Everyone beware and keep your distance from him to prevent yourself from getting infected!¡±


    When the neighbors heard her words, the expressions on their faces changed as they quietly moved away from the courtyard.


    ¡°Madam Zhang, don¡¯t try to frighten everyone away! This won¡¯t help you cover up your evil deeds! Everyone, I have studied medicine under Grandpa You for a while. Doctor Sun from town would also give me some pointers. I can distinguish the difference between tuberculosis and a cold! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can invite a doctor over to diagnosis him, and see if he has tuberculosis or just a cold!¡± Yu Xiaocao fed her grandfather some warm water that was infused with mystic-stone water.


    When the neighbors saw how close Yu Xiaocao was standing to Old Yu as well as her firm expression and unhesitating tone, they believed 70% of her words. That¡¯s right, Xiaocao could be considered half a doctor. After Doctor You left, if anyone had a headache or fever, they would always go to Xiaocao to get some medicine. Her medicine was effective as soon as they took it. It was even more effective than the medicine Doctor You prescribed when he was here.


    People who studied medicine would never put themselves in a situation where they would risk being infected. Old Yu couldn¡¯t have tuberculosis! How dark was Madam Zhang¡¯s heart? She didn¡¯t allow people to get treated when they were ill. Instead, she forced them to drag their illness until they died! She even falsely used someone of having tuberculosis.


    ¡°Go! Find the vige chief for me, I want to divorce my wife!¡± Old Yu shouted loudly. He was finally able to breathe smoothly. Just that sentence from Old Yu was able to subdue both the neighbors and Madam Zhang¡¯s mor.


    Repudiating his wife? It had been several decades in Dongshan Vige since someone divorced his wife. However, Madam Zhang¡¯s actions could be considered as attempted murder on her own husband. It would¡¯ve been impossible for Old Yu to tolerate that. Which man would want the person sleeping next to him to wish for him to die?


    Old Yu was seriously ill these past few days, but he wasn¡¯t muddle headed. If he had really gotten tuberculosis, then it would¡¯ve been fine. But Madam Zhang didn¡¯t even invite a doctor over to give him a diagnosis before sentencing him to death. If he hadn¡¯t died of illness, then he would¡¯ve died from starvation and from all the coughing. With his understanding of Madam Zhang, she would even kill her female cousin to reach her goals. Since she didn¡¯t seed this time, in the future, when he couldn¡¯t work anymore and became a burden on the family, she would definitely kill him then. Why didn¡¯t he take advantage of this opportunity and break things off once and for all?


    He didn¡¯t even need to ask Xiaocao to invite them. There was a busybody among his neighbors, so he already invited the vige head and Old Yu¡¯s brother here. Old Yu¡¯s other brothers lived far away, so it would be difficult to invite them over upon such short notice. But the vige head and Yu Lichun were both persons of virtue and reputation, so it was enough to have them as witnesses!


    In one breath, Old Yu told them all about how Madam Zhang and how Yu Dashan¡¯s family had treated him. In the end, he said despondently, ¡°Madam Zhang, after what you¡¯ve done, I think that divorcing you wouldn¡¯t have been excessive. But for Yu Bo and Caidie¡¯s sake, I don¡¯t want them to have an abandoned mother. It would ruin their reputation, so let¡¯s have a peaceful separation!¡±


    Madam Zhang knew that things couldn¡¯t been undone and since Old Yu was sick to such a point, he wouldn¡¯t be able to live for many days. Even if he didn¡¯t die, his body was too weak to do any heavy jobs, and would just be a burden soon.


    Madam Zhang had her head lowered, and her entire mind was thinking about ways to fight for her own interest. There was an ominous glint in her eyes as she raised her head confidently and said, ¡°We can have a peaceful separation, but our youngest son must follow me!¡±


    She had devoted much of her life to nurture her youngest son, hoping that he will pass the imperial exam with a high ranking, giving her fame and glory. Seeing that her youngest son was almost able to reach her goal, how could she be willing to let him go?


    ¡°My youngest son needs money for his studies. I can¡¯t do any heavybor or work, so the house and the money should all go to me! Your body isn¡¯t like what it was before, so you might not be able to go out fishing at the sea again even if you recovered. Our eldest son has called you father for over decades, why don¡¯t you give the family¡¯s fishing boat to him?¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s abacus was making ck ck ck sounds as she quickly calcted everything, making sure that all the valuables in the family would rest in her hand. She was about to make Old Yu leave this marriage empty handed!


    When the vige head and the neighbors heard this, they thought that Madam Zhang¡¯s approach to this was too over the top. The Yu Family¡¯s family property had all been earned by Old Yu and Yu Hai. In the end, they would both leave their own house empty handed. The way Madam Zhang handled matters was too extreme!

 Chapter 274 – Drought

    <h4>Chapter 274 ¨C Drought</h4>


    Although Old Yu didn¡¯t want to rip apart the family, thisst event had left a deep scar within him. Today truly was thest straw. Madam Zhang was too malicious. If he continued to live with her, he was afraid that one day he would end up losing his life to one of her unknown schemes.


    However, if he steeled himself and forcefully divorced Madam Zhang, his two youngest children, Yu Bo and Yu Caidie, would also be affected. They were both of his flesh and blood. His son¡¯s schrly career would be negatively influenced and his daughter would have no status with her inws anymore.


    When the current emperor ascended the throne, he revamped thews and established peaceful separation as an option. The main idea was to protect women¡¯s rights and raise their status in society. It encouraged women, who were being abused in their husband¡¯s family, to raise the possibility of separating peacefully from the marriage. Peaceful separation was something that was protected by thew.


    For the sake of his two youngest children, Old Yu decided to choose to peacefully separate. However, he didn¡¯t expect Madam Zhang¡¯s greed to have no end. She wanted to take all of the Yu Family¡¯s assets with her. He knew what type of person the old woman was. Asking her to take out the money that had already reached her hands was something that even the gods couldn¡¯t do.


    Old Yu had lost his will to fight and didn¡¯t want to strive for anything. He weakly shook his head and said, ¡°I only have one request. All of the Yu Family¡¯s assets can only be inherited by the Yu Family¡¯s bloodline.¡±


    The reason why Madam Zhang was shamelessly demanding the assets, other than trying to guarantee her own ie in the future, was mostly for her precious youngest son. She had a cold heart. Although Yu Dashan was also blood-rted to her, he was nothingpared to Yu Bo. Her youngest son, who had been guided since childhood by her, was the most important person to her.


    The paperwork for the peaceful separation was very quickly written out. Old Yu and Madam Zhang both ced their handprints on the document to seal the deal. By the time the two siblings, Yu Hai and Yu Caifeng, heard the news, everything was already done. The two siblings took their father back to the old residence and moved him into the West Courtyard, where Yu Caifeng was currently living. They then invited Doctor Sun from town over to treat him. Sure enough, as Yu Xiaocao previously said, Old Yu had inmmation in his lungs that led to him coughing up blood.


    While Doctor Sun was treating the patient, Yu Lichun and some other vigers who had good rtionships with Yu Family were all waiting in the West Courtyard. All of them heard Doctor Sun say that Old Yu¡¯s illness wouldn¡¯t have gotten so bad if he had been treated promptly. Old Yu¡¯s body was now weak. If they waited for another two days, he likely would have lost his life and died. Lung inmmation was quite a serious condition and eating medicine alone may not be enough. He also had to lie in bed and recuperate while eating highly nutritious foods. Doctor Sun had also said that Old Yu was getting old, so he might not be able to do much physicalbor even if he became well.


    Yu Lichun and the other vigers all sighed in sorrow. Everyone cursed Madam Zhang for being ruthless and having a venomous heart. A perfectly healthy man had been turned into an invalid just from dying his care. Yu Lichun said a fewforting words to Old Yu as he wanted him to heal at ease and not have any other pressures.


    Old Yu, who was now at Yu Hai¡¯s ce to heal, was quite upset inside. Ever since his previous wife had passed away, this son of his had been neglected. Before they separated from the family, Yu Hai had always done the most work yet received the least. At that time, Old Yu thought that the most capable people were the ones who did the most work. It was right and just for someone to work so much for the sake of the whole family. After they split from the family, Old Yu believed Madam Zhang¡¯s words and focused all of his efforts on his son, who was studying, and his youngest daughter, who had not yet married. He almost didn¡¯t give any assets to Yu Hai.


    As a father, for these years, he had truly owed his son too much. However, in the end, the son he neglected the most was the son who came through for him. Old Yu had tried to excel his entire life and now he felt he had no face left.


    His mood directly influenced his recovery. Although he ate medicine and nourishing foods every day, Old Yu¡¯s illness continued to stay and he never healed.


    Yu Xiaocao would always add some mystic-stone water to her grandfather¡¯s medicine when she decocted it. She was even able to save her oldest uncle from the brink of death, so howe her grandfather never seemed to get better? Yu Xiaocao noticed that Old Yu looked depressed and dead inside. As someone who had lived two lives, she concluded that her grandfather¡¯s mood was influencing his recovery.


    She brought the problem up with her father and Oldest Paternal Aunt. The two siblings started to talk to their father. Yu Caifeng supported Old Yu to sit upright on the bed and covered him halfway with a nket. As she fed him chicken noodle soup, she softly said, ¡°Father, eat some noodles. Xiaocao made this especially for you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in eating anything for this body, leave the rest for the children.¡± Old Yu had heard Doctor Sun say that even if he got better, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do work anymore. Whenever he thought of bing a dead weight for his son and daughter, anxiety bubbled up in his heart and he couldn¡¯t keep anything down.


    Yu Hai said, ¡°Father, the children all have some. Xiaocao stewed a whole old hen and cooked enough noodles for the whole family to eat. Father, you need to recuperate at ease and don¡¯t worry about matters regarding money. Our family has nted vegetables and melons these past two years, so do you think weck the money to feed you?¡±


    Old Yu moaned, ¡°Even if I get better from this illness, I¡¯ll still be a dead weight. It¡¯s better for me to die....¡±


    ¡°Father, why are you saying this? Are you trying to cut open my and Xiaohai¡¯s heart right now?¡± Yu Caifeng felt a wave of sorrow hit her after hearing her father¡¯s words. Her eye sockets slowly turned red.


    Yu Hai hurriedly patted his older sister¡¯s shoulder and spoke to Old Yu, ¡°Father, the doctor isn¡¯t necessarilypletely right. It¡¯s just like my leg; didn¡¯t the doctor also say that it was hopeless ah? But aren¡¯t I perfectly fine now? This son remembers when you were young, you were not only an expert at fishing but you were also one of the best at farming in this vige. Cao¡¯er¡¯s corn and potatoes should be ready to harvest in about a month. When that happens, we¡¯re counting on you to help us ah! This is an assignment given to us by the imperial court and we can¡¯t have any mishaps happen.¡±


    Old Yu looked at his son¡¯s right leg, which hadpletely recovered. His grayplexion slowly brightened up with hope. That was right! At the time, the doctor had said that Dahai¡¯s leg needed to be amputated or else he would die. Now, not only was the man perfectly fine but his leg was alsopletely preserved. A doctor¡¯s diagnosis was not alwayspletely urate ah! The doctor had said that his illness wasn¡¯t anything serious at first, only that they had waited too long to treat it. If he healedpletely, perhaps he¡¯d be able to help his son for another few years then!


    ¡°What Dahai says makes sense! Feng ah, give the bowl to me, I¡¯ll eat it myself!¡± Old Yu, who had recovered his will to fight, wheezed as he devoured the bowl of noodles.


    The next few days, Old Yu energeticallyplied with his treatment and took his medicine. Yu Xiaocao also continued to provide medicinal cuisine to him as if it didn¡¯t cost any money. Old Yu ended up recovering very quickly from his illness. His body was also being slowly nourished, so it regained its strength. About half a monthter, people could see the figure of Old Yu strolling along the corn fields with his hands sped behind his back.


    ¡°Uncle Yu, you¡¯ve recovered quite quickly ah!¡± Recently, more than a month had gone by without much rain, so the soil was quite dry. Many families who had farnd all carried poles of water along their fields to water their nts. Dongshan Vige¡¯s terrain was decent, so they always had a supply of spring water from the West Mountain all year round. As long as they didn¡¯t have a drought thatsted years, they wouldn¡¯t feel the effects too much.


    Old Yu grinned until his face folded like an ordion. He nodded his head, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! My son feeds me eggs, meat, and fish every day, so how can I not recover quickly ah?¡±


    Wang Ergou had lent his fields to Yu Hai to nt watermelons in the spring. At this time, there were newly nted sweet potatoes in the fields. After he made a lot of money with Yu Hai, Wang Ergou had be more steady and no longer needed his wife to push him. He had gone out to water the sweet potato nts on his own.


    Wang Ergou smiled, ¡°Uncle Yu, in the future, you¡¯ll be with Older Brother Dahai and you¡¯ll definitely be able to livefortably!¡±


    Old Yu nodded his head in approval, ¡°Dahai and the rest of the children are all filial!¡±


    Wang Ergou stepped forward a few steps with the buckets of water on his back as he said, ¡°Uncle Yu, when I¡¯m done watering all the sweet potatoes here, I¡¯ll help Brother Dahai water the corn. Your body just got better, so don¡¯t walk for too long. If you get tired, then go sit in the melon shed over there to rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Go do what you need to do then! I¡¯m going to stroll around a bit!¡± Ever since he was able to get out of bed, Old Yu followed the doctor¡¯s directions and exercised a bit every day. At first, he only walked around the courtyard. Afterwards, once he got more strength back, he would go into the fields to stroll around. He was able to strengthen his body as well as help his son watch over the corn fields to prevent malicious people from spoiling the crops.


    Right now was the most important time for the corn growing season. The beginning of summer had been on the dryer side. In order to prevent the corn from losing output, Yu Hai, his wife, and Yu Hai¡¯s sister and brother-inw had all been watering the corn by hand for the past couple of days.


    Dongshan Vige¡¯s condition during the drought was actually considered not bad. The people who had traveled from the southern parts of the country had said that the situation there was much more serious. Many brooks and streams had stopped flowing and the level of water in thekes had gotten to an all time low. If any of the farms were able to make any harvest, it would be considered a miracle from the gods!


    Yu Caifeng and Liu Hu, who had just experienced drought conditions in the northeast, were especially energetic as they irrigated the crops. Even Liu Junping worked like an adult. All of them had personally experienced the bitter conditions of a drought, so they prayed every day to the gods to bring some rain to relieve the dryness.


    However, the gods didn¡¯t answer their prayers. Several days of scorching hot weather came next that intensely heated the environment. The Yu Family¡¯s corn and potatoes were doing fine as Yu Xiaocao had secretly used some mystic-stone water to irrigate them. Thus, they had above-average drought-resistant abilities and still grew vigorously. However, the families nearby, who had nted sweet potatoes, all saw the leaves on their nts slowly withering. Any water that was given to the nts evaporated almost instantaneously. The sweet potato nts still needed another month of growth before they could be harvested. With the drought raging on, the output would definitely be less than before.


    That evening, Yu Hai and the entire family sat around the stone table to eat dinner. Old Yu heavily sighed and said, ¡°These past two years have had constant disasters. There was that disastrous blizzard the year beforest. Last year was slightly better, so usmoners were just about to see better days but now we have the drought this year. I don¡¯t know how many people there are that won¡¯t be able to fill their stomachs...¡±


    Xiaocao served a bowl of nourishing ginseng astragalus pork bone soup to Old Yu. This medicinal cuisine required stewing together astragalus root, ginseng, and pork bones together to make a soup. Astragalus root strengthened the spleen and lung by making them stronger and more efficacious. This type of food was very nourishing to Old Yu¡¯s body.


    Old Yu ate three meals a day with this type of medicinal cuisine. Because medicinal cuisine required both food and medicinal ingredients, Old Yu¡¯s meals alone was enough to bankrupt an ordinary family. The old man noticed the ginseng within his food and said to Yu Hai, ¡°I don¡¯t know how long the drought this year willst for, but the price for food will definitely go up. My body is already much better, so I don¡¯t need to eat any more medicinal cuisine ah! Save some money and buy more grain for us to store here. Usmoners, as long as we have a good storage of grain, there¡¯s nothing to be worried about ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled as she exined on her father¡¯s behalf, ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t worry about money. The most important thing for you to do right now is to strengthen your body until it is hale and healthy. The herbs I use for the medicinal cuisine are mostly obtained from the mountains, so they¡¯re not worth much money. You, ah, should just rx and nourish your body. There¡¯s no need to worry about money. I can¡¯t say this for anything else, but I am positive that we are more than able to afford to eat meat, fish, and eggs every day!¡±

 Chapter 275 – Swarm of Locusts

    <h4>Chapter 275 ¨C Swarm of Locusts</h4>


    Old Yu drank the pork bone soup as he shook his head, ¡°Even if you have money, you shouldn¡¯t spend it like this! Save more money so you have some on hand when problems arise in the future! Oh right, Dahai, tomorrow you should go into town to buy some more grain. Judging from what I see, I don¡¯t think it is going to rain anytime soon! If the drought doesn¡¯t break, the prices of grain will definitely go up.¡±


    Yu Caifeng frowned, ¡°It¡¯s the hottest period of the year, so it¡¯s very easy for grain to draw insects over! If we buy too much and it starts raining in a few days, won¡¯t all of the grain go rotten?¡±


    Old Yu finished gnawing on thest pork bone in his bowl and looked at his children, ¡°Then buy some more sorghum, wheat, and other grains like that. We can let them dry in the sun on clear days, so we won¡¯t end up losing too many!¡±


    Yu Caifeng recalled what had happened to her family in the northeast and said in a voice full of concern, ¡°Father, we should remind the vige chief to have the vigers store more grain. Otherwise, when our family has food and they don¡¯t, all of them wille to borrow or take some and we won¡¯t be able tost a long time! If people are starving, they won¡¯t care about feelings or sensibilities!¡±


    Last year, in the northeast, the drought was ongoing. Her family had originally had enough grain tost until spring but afterwards other people around them eyed that food. This was the reason why they had to flee their old home and rely on her maternal family to help. She didn¡¯t want her younger brother¡¯s family to have to walk down the same road.


    Old Yu thought for a bit and then nodded his head, ¡°After we¡¯re done eating, I¡¯ll go to the vige chief¡¯s house and talk to him.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was currently eating delicious boiled corn. That¡¯s right, boiled corn! In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao always bought a few ears of corn right when they became ripe. She boiled them until they were soft and tender so that when she ate them the taste of fresh corn would dominate her mouth. She just loved the first bite.


    After she transmigrated over, corn hadn¡¯t reached the country yet, so she couldn¡¯t eat them even if she craved some. The young royal prince had gone to great lengths to bring corn over. After nting ten mu of corn, how could she not pick a few ears to eat to her heart¡¯s content?


    She took advantage of the fact that the overseer, the young royal prince, wasn¡¯t around these past few days. Yu Xiaocao had the little divine stone promote the ripening of a few corn stalks. Today she picked over a dozen ears of corn to boil for the whole family to try.


    Corn was, after all, a crop that the imperial court attached a lot of importance to. When Yu Xiaocao came back home with the harvested ears of corn, Madam Liu, who was in the kitchen cooking dinner, almost fainted at the sight. Eating corn on the sly while they were experimenting for the court was a crime worthy of beheading ah. Her daughter¡¯s courage was really sky high to be able to silently harvest a few ears of corn and bring it back home. It was toote to fix the problem, so it made Madam Liu so angry that she picked up a wooden dowel and tried to give Xiaocao a beating. Luckily, Xiaocao was agile and was able to quickly avoid suffering Madam Liu¡¯s ¡®evil scheme¡¯.


    When she saw Yu Xiaocao happily gnawing at the ear of corn as if she was a tiny squirrel, Madam Liu gritted her teeth and snarled, ¡°Eating! You truly dare to stick it in your mouth and eat!! If the royal prince found out, it¡¯d be surprising if he didn¡¯t beat you with a nk!! If this news became known to the imperial court, they might even chop off your head!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in exasperation, ¡°Aren¡¯t I just eating an ear of corn ah? Is this necessary? Even if the young royal prince was around, there are so many ears of corn in the fields, what does it matter if we eat a few ears? That being said, I¡¯ve already picked them and they can¡¯t grow back. If I don¡¯t eat it, it¡¯ll all go to waste. Oldest Paternal Aunt, Oldest Paternal Uncle, Junping, you all should eat ah! If you don¡¯t eat, then I¡¯ll eat for you!¡±


    When Yu Caifeng saw that Yu Xiaocao was at ease, the nervousness within her heart dissolved a bit. Her niece was right. Since the corn was already picked, then it might as well be eaten! She picked up an ear and gave it to her husband as she smiled, ¡°How big is your stomach that you think you can more than a dozen ears of corn? Not afraid of blowing up?¡±


    Liu Junping saw that both his mother and father were eating the corn, so he also picked an ear up and copied Yu Xiaocao¡¯s motions. He gnawed off arge bite. The unique delicious taste of corn slowly spread through his mouth and each soft kernel had a hint of sweetness.


    It had to be said that corn that had been watered with mystic-stone water tasted a lot better than regr starchy corn. Even Little Fangping ate with relish. Yu Xiaocao reminded the little boy, ¡°Little Pingping, you need to chew the corn carefully before you swallow ah. Otherwise, when you go to the bathroom, you¡¯ll end up pooping out the kernels you didn¡¯t chew!¡±


    Little Fangping chewed carefully and he couldn¡¯t be bothered to reply. He nodded his head furiously to signal his assent.


    Liu Yaner also loved the taste of corn. She slowly enjoyed each bite of corn in her mouth before she finally swallowed some down. She stated, ¡°This corn is truly a high-yield crop. Just three to four corn stalks yielded enough ears to fill this huge basin. I weighed it a bit and I think a bushel of corn must be at least half a catty. Uncle, how many stalks of corn do we have per mu? How many catties of corn does that yield ah?¡±


    Little Fangping swallowed down the corn in his mouth with arge gulp and grinned, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! There¡¯s so much corn that even if we ate it everyday, we wouldn¡¯t be able to finish it all!¡±


    Liu Junping gently knocked the little boy on the head and remarked, ¡°You little foodie! You only think about eating!! Uncle is helping the imperial court to grow these fields of corn. If we ate them all, when the court officialse, what will we give them? You absolutely cannot tell anyone that we have eaten corn. Otherwise, the authorities will arrest you and put you in prison!¡±


    When Little Fangping found out that eating corn could cause him to be imprisoned, he immediately stopped gnawing on his half-eaten ear of corn. He didn¡¯t know whether he should continue eating or not.


    Yu Xiaocao thought the distressed expression on his face was super adorable and pinched his cheek as she said, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t tell anyone, the authorities won¡¯t find out, so they won¡¯t imprison us! We¡¯ve nted so much corn, who would notice if one or two stalks were gone? Quickly eat up, when you¡¯re done, older cousin has something else that¡¯s delicious for you!¡±


    What Yu Xiaocao was referring to was the stalks of the corn nts. After the corn was harvested, Yu Xiaocao also had the little divine stone hasten the growth of the corn stalks. With the mystic-stone water inside the stalks, the stalks had a sweet and delicate vor. It was even more delicious than sugar cane!


    After they finished dinner, the children all held a cut off portion of corn stalk as they enjoyed the vor. Little Fangping grinned, ¡°Older Brother, the authorities won¡¯t catch me for eating corn stalks right? In the future, when they harvest the corn, we can cut off the corn stalks and eat it as a snack!¡±


    ¡°When the corn stalks are dried, they don¡¯t have any moisture anymore. If you want to eat some, you must eat it within one to two days of harvesting. Otherwise, the corn stalks are good for feeding livestock. Our family¡¯s Little Gray and horse will all have their winter rations! Corn stalks that are dried are also useful as firewood!¡± Yu Xiaocao introduced all of the applications that corn stalks could be used for.


    Little Fangping happily remarked, ¡°Every part of a corn nt is a treasure! In the future, we should nt more ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao calcted out loud, ¡°We nted ten mu, so we can at least get around twenty thousand catties of corn. Corn can be ground into cornmeal. Staple foods made out of corn taste a lot better than those made out of ground millet. Furthermore, eating a lot of corn doesn¡¯t cause stomach issues like eating a lot of sweet potatoes do.¡±


    Old Yu was stunned silent and it took him a while to digest his thoughts before he said, ¡°A mu of corn can grow up to two thousand catties? It truly is a high-yielding crop. No wonder the emperor sent the royal prince on a thousand-mile journey to the western hemisphere. If this corn can be spread throughout the country, themon people will no longer fear going hungry!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sighed, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! The emperor is truly a good ruler who cares about the people!¡± At the present time, this old transmigrator friend of hers was considered pretty okay. At least the man wasn¡¯t an incapable ruler. Perhaps when she finally got exposed and had to confront this rival, her ending might not be too bad!


    The gnawed cobs and the corn leaves were left out to dry under the sun for an entire day. After getting dried, they were used to burn in the fire. Madam Liu only felt relieved when the corn cobs and leaves were allpletely burnt away and stirred into inconspicuous ash¡ª¡ªnow no one should find out they ate some corn, right?


    The drought continued. Every day the Yu Family went to the foot of the West Mountain to carry water to bring back to irrigate the corn crops. The sweltering heat and the cruel rays of the sun seemed to bake the earth until it was cooked.


    On one particr day, Yu Xiaocao wore a straw hat as she helped irrigate the corn nts. The little golden kitten seemed to dart across the far-away ground near the thickets of the mountain like a bolt of lightning. It scampered over towards the fields of corn. The little divine stone¡¯s voice was full of worry with a hint of joy intertwined in, [Master, Master! Something bad is about to happen!!]


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t take its words to heart. Just what sort of bad event could cause it to sound so happy too?


    [Master! My spiritual energy has recovered to the point where I canmunicate with animals!] The little golden kitten jumped onto Yu Xiaocao¡¯s shoulders and triumphantly trumpeted its new skill to her.


    ¡°Congrattions, congrattions!¡± Yu Xiaocao inwardly thought, ¡®Isn¡¯t it a good thing that you can speak to animals now? What¡¯s bad about it?¡¯


    The little golden kitten seemed quite dissatisfied that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words were said in such an absentminded manner. It used its ws to scratch at her cheek as it said, [Pay attention!! It¡¯s truly a bad situation!!]


    ¡°If you have something to say, say it. If you have to fart, just fart. Don¡¯t hold it for the sake of suspense, alright? Yu Xiaocao was so busy that she couldn¡¯t straighten up her back. She didn¡¯t have the time to y word games with the stone.


    The little divine stone grunted in displeasure and stated, [All of the birds in the forest are flying towards the south, do you know why?]


    ¡°Flying south? It¡¯s not the time for the weather to get cold now ah? Is it because the drought is getting worse and the animals that can sense it are migrating early?¡± Yu Xiaocao was somewhat nervous now. After all, natural disasters were often closely followed by human disasters. Perhaps they needed to buy arger residence in town and move the whole family there. The town had authorities there, so it shouldn¡¯t get too rowdy.


    The little divine stone shook its head and replied, [No, it¡¯s worse than the drought!!]


    Yu Xiaocao was now even more nervous. She picked up the little golden kitten by the scruff of its neck and shook it as she anxiously said, ¡°Can you just spit everything out? Don¡¯t just stop halfway to get people to listen to you ah?¡±


    The little golden kitten rolled its eyes as her antics. It turned into a golden mist, drifted through her fingers and then formed itself back into a golden kitten next to her. Yu Xiaocao looked around her like a sneaky thief to see if anyone was around her. When she saw that there was no one there, she let out a long sigh of relief. She reminded the little divine stone to not morph in broad daylight in the future. Otherwise, it might be considered a monster and get burnt at a stake!


    The little divine stone rolled its eyes again at her, [Do I need you to remind me? This divine stone had long used my energy to scout the area. There are no people around us!]


    Before Xiaocao could question it further, it continued in a serious tone, [I learned from that bird that there is a swarm of innumerable locusts from the south flying towards us. All of the birds are going to the south so they can eat a giant feast!]


    Locusts? Oh right, she faintly remembered that swarms of locusts often followed drought, which was why there were the sayings: ¡®a long drought will cause a locust swarm¡¯ and ¡®locusts and droughts go hand in hand¡¯. The drought conditions in the south were quite severe, so the locust swarm arose in the south.


    Yu Xiaocao was no longer calm anymore. A locust swarm was absolutely not a joke. Once a gue of locusts arrived, millions of locusts would descend to the ground and devour the vegetations and trees around them. The farm crops and the surrounding forests in the mountain would all be eaten clean, and all of the people would suffer tremendously.


    Locusts liked areas with water and low-lying ground, so they often gathered in dry areas to swarm towards areas that had more moisture. Dongshan Vige was also an area struck by drought, so these locusts should only be passing by. However, once these locusts passed by, they would only leave the people with a devastating loss of crops.

 Chapter 276 – Lie Out of Necessity

    <h4>Chapter 276 ¨C Lie Out of Necessity</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the not yet ready corn growing in the fields. Her eyebrows came together in a deep frown. If the gue of locusts came, then everything here would be hard-pressed to escape. The corn still needed about a month¡¯s worth of growth before it was ready to harvest. If the nts were harmed by the locusts, then their losses would be inestimable.


    The family¡¯s economic damage wasn¡¯t even their first concern. The imperial courts and the young royal prince were ardently hoping for this crop of corn to go well as they only had a small subset of fields growing corn in the capital. In the future, the n was to slowly push out this crop to the whole nation, especially the northern and northwestern parts of the country. Those areas truly needed a high-yielding crop that wasn¡¯t picky about the soil.


    Now back to her family¡¯s concerns. Ten mu had all been nted with corn. If all of that was destroyed, then all the work they had done for a season would be gone! Yu Xiaocao reckoned that the emperor, whose policies had always helped themoners, would not have their family nt these crops for the court in vain. He would very likely buy this corn back from them at a high price to be used as seedster.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t able to guarantee anything else, but she was pretty sure that there was no one in this era who was better at raising crops than her. Although the officials in the capital had her growing methods, this was still the first year they were growing corn. How could theypete with her years of experience with raising corn in her past life? That being said, the mystic-stone water in her hands was more effective than any other fertilizer. Corn watered by it producedrge ears of corn that were incredibly delicious. Other people couldn¡¯t even dream of growing corn like hers!


    The young royal prince had also said that once the bumper harvest of corn was done, he wanted to help them get a reward. The things that the emperor would give them not only would have a lot of glory attached to them, but they would also be incredibly valuable.


    In short, if they encountered the locust swarm, her family¡¯s losses would be disastrous! That wouldn¡¯t work, she needed to think up an idea to contain their losses to a minimum. ¡°Little Divine Stone, do you know when the locust swarm will arrive here?¡± Yu Xiaocao inhaled a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.


    The little divine stone¡¯s consciousness was linked with hers so it could detect that she was feeling quite uneasy. It became serious to fit the mood, [From what the birds were telling me, they should be about two days away by flight.]


    That wasn¡¯t too bad. At least they had about two days of time to think of something to do against these locusts before they arrived. Didn¡¯t the little divine stone have the ability to ripen nts faster? Starting from today, they needed to harvest however much corn they could get their hands on!


    When Yu Hai came by with a bucket of water for irrigation, Yu Xiaocao quickly stepped forward to bring him over to the side. She carefully looked around and mysteriously pulled Yu Hai to a secluded area.


    Yu Hai noticed that his daughter had a very serious demeanor and there were some hints of anxiety leaking out of her. He repeatedly asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s going on??¡±


    ¡°Father, do you believe that our world has gods that warn us through our dreams?¡± Yu Xiaocao pretended to be extremely nervous as she quietly asked him.


    Yu Hai remembered that two years ago Xiaocao had hit her head open, she had said that she had toured the underworld. Furthermore, she had even talked to beings that resembled King of Hell and the God of Wealth. Perhaps, his youngest daughter had met another god?


    ¡°I believe ah! What¡¯s going on? You dreamt of the gods?¡± Yu Hai nervously stared at his youngest daughter. His youngest daughter was clever beyond her age. Some of the vige elders even said that she was the reincarnation of an immortal child from the heavens and thought that she wouldn¡¯t reach adulthood before the heavens would descend down and take her back. Perhaps...


    ¡°Father, when I was watering the nts earlier, I suddenly fainted and lost consciousness. The god who taught me how to nt crops and cook food suddenly appeared in front of me. The god told me some very important news!¡± Yu Xiaocao crafted a very believable lie. She had a sincere expression on her face that was slightly colored with some worry.


    Yu Hai became more uneasy, ¡°What news? Does the god want to take you away? Cao¡¯er, you¡¯re Father¡¯s good daughter, please don¡¯t agree with the god taking you away ah! If you ascend to the heavens, Father and Mother will never be able to see you again in this lifetime!¡±


    Drops of cold sweat fell off Yu Xiaocao¡¯s forehead. Her father¡¯s imagination was even more bizarre than hers. How could there be gods around? Why would she be brought up to the heavens?


    [Although this space is quite deficient in spiritual energy and iscking in resources needed for cultivation, there are still gods around. Do you really think it was a coincidence that lightning struck the owner of that carpentry store? This divine stone had negotiated with the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning to help us ah!] The little divine stone silently corrected her mistake within their bond.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her thoughts at it, ¡®What do the gods existing have to do with me? In any case, I haven¡¯t seen any and I don¡¯t want to!¡¯


    After she finished her statement, she continued to ignore the little divine stone, who was repeatedly saying that there were gods around. She started to cate her father, whose eyes were turning red, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t know why you think the gods are going to take me away, but the god didn¡¯t want to do that. He told me that in two days, there will be a gue of locusts that hasn¡¯t been seen in a hundred years descending on Dongshan Vige. He wanted us to get ready.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Although Yu Hai had never experienced a swarm of locusts, he had heard about the destruction the insects could cause. When he was a child, he had heard Grandpa Gao, who was ny years old at the time and an elder of the vige, talking about the horrible aftermath of a locust gue. That was truly a devastating scene to imagine as there was no food at all to be had ah!


    Simr to Yu Xiaocao, Yu Hai¡¯s first thoughts were about the test fields of corn and potatoes that his family had. Neither of these crops were ready for harvesting. If they dyed the court¡¯s missions, then his family would naturally be punished! The imperial court might forgive them in light of the natural disaster. However, the young royal prince had traveled thousands of miles across the seas to get these seeds from the western hemisphere. He had spent so much time on these crops and almost came over to Dongshan Vige every day to inspect the crops (Author¡¯s note: He actually came over to bum a meal, okay). The prince obviously cared a lot about these crops, so he would naturally be very disappointed and angry if they get spoiled What could they do? What could they do?!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered as she replied, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry! The god gave me a piece of magic that is able to ripen corn and potatoes early. However, this magic is only good for one time. Once we use it, it¡¯ll be gone!¡±


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Quickly use the magic on the crops and ripen them early. Our whole family will have to work harder these next two days and harvest all of the corn and potatoes!¡± Yu Hai lightly let out a sigh of relief when he heard his daughter¡¯s words.


    Yu Xiaocao hesitated for a second before she said, ¡°Father, do you think we should warn the other vigers about the locust gue? If they ask us where we got the news from, what should we tell them ah?¡±


    Yu Hai clenched his jaw and replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this, I¡¯ll go tell the Vige Chief!! You should go and ripen the cornfields in the middle right now. Be careful, don¡¯t let anyone see you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry! The corn stalks are so high and thick now that no one will be able to see me once I step in!¡±


    Yu Hai watched as his daughter stepped into the cornfields and then lowered his head to think a bit. He stamped his feet and then dashed towards the vige chief¡¯s residence. His youngest daughter had said that the swarm of locusts were going to arrive in about two days. Time was food, so time was the difference between living and dying ah!


    When he got to the vige chief¡¯s residence, Yu Hai was panting heavily as he pushed open the gate. The vige chief was drinking tea inside the courtyard and looked in surprise at Yu Hai, who was puffing with a worried look on his face. The man swiftly stood up and repeatedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Vige Chief, something bad is going to happen! A gue of locusts is going to descend soon!!¡± Yu Hai hollered out this sentence before he even caught his breath.


    The vige chief was startled by this and his face immediately paled, ¡°What¡¯s going on? gue of locusts? Dahai, this is not a joking matter!¡±


    Yu Hai deeply inhaled a couple of breaths and organized the story within his mind. He stammered as he continued, ¡°I was carrying water from the stream at the foot of the West Mountain and saw a snow-white elk. I wondered if I could catch it and add it to my dinner tonight. Who knew that by the time I caught up with it halfway up the mountain, I met an old man whose entire head of hair and beard had gone white. This elk was his mount. The old man told me that, in two days, there will be a disaster arriving in our Tanggu District. I inquired further and he only mysteriously said that this disaster was a gue of locusts that hadn¡¯t been seen for a hundred years. He couldn¡¯t bear to see the people suffer so he sent his elk to lure me over to tell me this news. Chief, do you think this is reliable?¡±


    Sure enough, Yu Hai was rted to Yu Xiaocao. They were both experts at crafting believable stories.


    The vige chief anxiously circled around the courtyard a few times. He knew what type of person Yu Hai was. He wasn¡¯t someone who woulde up with something like this to joke around. If what that old man said was true, then when the swarm of locusts arrived, all of their spring crops would disappear into thin air!


    Thend around Dongshan Vige was not very suitable for growing crops as it was rtively infertile sandy dirt. However, many vigers had fields they tended. For the most part, they usually grew high-yielding crops like sweet potatoes. Right now, it was about a month before the sweet potatoes would be ready for harvest. They didn¡¯t have the time to wait anymore; everyone needed to harvest what they could now!


    The vige chief sounded the rm bell and gathered the entire vige over. He repeated the ¡®meeting¡¯ that Yu Hai had to all of the vigers. Finally, he added, ¡°Given Yu Hai¡¯s personality and character, I believe that he is definitely not trying to trick the entire vige. As for what that old man passed along, I rather believe it then not! If things are truly going to happen as he warned, we need to harvest everything we can now. Although we¡¯ll lose a great amount of harvest from our sweet potatoes, it¡¯s still better than having the locusts eat it all! Right now it¡¯s up to your own decisions. If you want to believe it, then harvest early. If you don¡¯t, then do as you please! Everyone needs to consider this carefully. When a locust gue passes by, not a single grain is left behind. A whole half a year¡¯s worth of work will disappear into thin air!¡±


    Currently, Yu Hai¡¯s credibility with the other vigers was second only to the vige chief¡¯s. The vast majority of people living in Dongshan Vige voiced that they believed him and immediately went home to get their farming equipment to start harvesting their sweet potatoes. The vige chief also repeatedly reminded everyone that when harvesting the sweet potatoes they should also remember to dig up sweet potato shoots. In a pinch, the shoots could also be eaten in times of famine.


    The families that didn¡¯t have farnd all rushed around harvesting whatever other vegetables they had nted in their gardens and stored them in their cers. The people who had straw houses also hurried about gathering up more straw. Once the locusts passed over, they needed to repair their houses.


    There were also some vigers who didn¡¯t quite believe the news and wanted to wait and see. For example, Madam Zhang¡¯s vegetable garden still had many vegetables that were immature. If she harvested them now, she would lose a lot of potential food. If the old man that Yu Hai met was not reliable, then wouldn¡¯t all those vegetable shoots go to waste?


    Madam Zhang, who was banking on her luck, only harvested the vegetables that were ready. She still left half of her garden full of vegetable shoots. Yu Dashan suggested that they should go into town and buy some grain in case the locusts dide. That way, when the grain prices inevitably rose after the disaster, they would still have something.


    Madam Zhang, on the other hand, felt that the current weather was too hot and would make it easy for the grain to attract pests. Thus, she only gave Yu Dashan enough money to buy a hundred catties of coarse grains in town.


    There were a few others who were like Madam Zhang and hoped for the best. All of these people felt their hearts ache at the thought of harvesting their premature sweet potatoes and vegetables.


    Naturally, there were also people who had more malicious thoughts. They envied Yu Hai¡¯s abilities and consequently hated him. They thought he was spewing nonsense and didn¡¯t ce his warning into their hearts.

 Chapter 277 – Three Gone

    <h4>Chapter 277 ¨C Three Gone</h4>


    The Yu Family didn¡¯t have the time to consider those people¡¯s reactions. Everyone wished they had eight arms at this moment.


    Ever since Old Yu heard that a gue of locusts wasing, all he could talk about was grain, grain, and grain! Although he had notpletely recovered from his illness, he insisted on going with Yu Hai on the family¡¯s horse cart to and from town to procure grain that everyone liked to eat. All of the storage rooms and cers in the house had been crammed full with coarse and fine grain. In addition, they even secretly stored a few hundred catties of grain in their house in town.


    Under Yu Xiaocao¡¯s leadership, Liu Hu and all of the family members, began to harvest all of the corn that was already ripe. Baskets full of corn were then transported back to the house on the donkey cart.


    Yu Xiaocao carefully avoided other people and promoted the ripening of the corn using the little divine stone¡¯s power. The little divine stone¡¯s current capabilities allowed it to ripen one mu of corn every hour. She worked until night fell before all ten mu of corn waspletely ripened. Following that, the one mu of potatoes was also ripened.


    Liu Hu abandoned his half-built house and took his family of five to work crazily within the corn fields. Other than Little Fangping, who had just turned six, all of the other members were well versed with hard work. Even Liu Yaner, who wasn¡¯t much older than Xiaocao, was harvesting corn and managed to do more than half of what older people could do.


    Madam Liu sent Yu Hang to go to the docks to bring Yu Xiaolian, who was doing business there, back. While he was there, he also passed on the news that the old immortal had told Yu Hai to his two maternal aunts. Madam Han didn¡¯t even bother to help Xiaolian clean up the stall once she heard the news. She hurriedly rushed back home. The Liu Family had nted more than a dozen mu of sweet potatoes and they needed to harvest them all that night. Currently, the sweet potatoes were only the size of a person¡¯s fist but harvesting some was still better than having no harvest due to the locusts.


    Madam Liu and her two daughters rushed to harvest all of the vegetables in their courtyard. The ones they couldn¡¯t finish now could be used to make dried vegetables. Recovering after a locust swarm was a slow process. After the locusts passed, there would be a long period of time when there wouldn¡¯t be any vegetables to eat. Even if the vegetables they harvested rotted, it was still better than leaving them for the locusts to eat! That being said, with the mystic-stone water on hand, the freshness of the vegetables could be preserved for a period of time.


    The father-son pair, Old Yu and Yu Hai, worked unrelentlessly in the corn and potato fields with the rest of them after they crammed all of their storerooms full of grain. Because they were afraid that the locusts mighte early, the Yu Family didn¡¯t even rest at night and chopped corn stalks the entire time. The family had two work animals along with some rabbits and other pets. All of them required fodder. Thus, they also needed to transport all of the corn stalks back home and store them.


    Like this, everyone worked without stopping for the next two days and nights in order to store all of the crops in the fields back at home. Even the recently nted sweet potato seedlings were also pulled up. Luckily, the Yu Family¡¯s residence had been erged during thest set of renovations and they had many rooms. The two wings of the courtyard had both been used to store grain and food. All of the vegetables that were harvested from the vegetable garden at home filled up an entire room. Everyone made sure to lock all of the rooms very tightly and they even used mud to fill in any cracks in the door and window sills. Once everything was in its ce and ready, the Yu Family members, who had all worked their hearts out for the past two days, were finally able to close their eyes and go to sleep.


    There was a mor of news in the vige on the morning of the third day. Yu Xiaocao and her family all came out to see what was going on and saw a sheet of dark gray clouds from the south roiling forward as it covered the sky. The vigers often saw dark clouds. However, this was the first time they saw dark clouds such as these, which almost touched the ground.


    As the dark gray clouds got closer and closer, someone in the vige hollered, ¡°Locusts! Countless locusts! Quickly, quickly harvest any grain or vegetables that hasn¡¯t been taken already!!¡±


    For the past two days, some of the vigers, who were counting on their luck, only harvested a portion of their sweet potatoes. Furthermore, nothing had happened for the past two days so it allowed some people to rx further. There were also some vigers, who had harvested all of their crops, who started to haveints within their hearts. They grumbled that if the news about the gue of locusts were false, then it would have harmed them from harvesting more crops in the future.


    Now, when those people who had those doubts saw the panicky expressions of their other vigers, they rejoiced that they had listened to the words of the vige chief and Yu Hai and had harvested everything they could. As for the vigers who didn¡¯t listen, all of them regretted their actions deeply. Even if they wanted to harvest what they could now, how could their speedpare to the speed of the flying locusts? The insects would all be there before they could even get to the fields.


    It was truly a disaster that hadn¡¯t been seen in a hundred years. The swarm of locusts covered the entire sky and formed an imprable wall. The countless army of locusts flew as they pursued the ¡®three gone¡¯ policies¡ª¡ªeat until it¡¯s gone, gnaw until it¡¯s gone, and bite until it¡¯s gone. Every bit of vegetation that could be devoured was not spared as the insects passed. Even ayer of tree bark was gnawed off from the trees. As for the more tender saplings, they also could not escape the damage from the evil locusts. The only thing left on the samplings were pitiful little trunks that could barely support themselves.


    The main forces of the locusts very quickly arrived at Dongshan Vige. The swarm descended onto the old elm tree at the mouth of the vige and the tree was immediately engulfed by what looked like a dull brownyer. Locusts crawled all over the trunk, branches and leaves of the tree. The sound of their nibbling rustled and pricked the vigers¡¯ ears.


    The whole vige was soon engulfed by the locusts. They covered the ground, the houses, the farming tools...the whole area was carpeted with ayer of insects. Even the air above the ground was still swarming with flying locusts. If a person stepped outside at this point, just a single step could smash more than a dozen locusts underfoot. People needed to use clothing to wrap their heads when they went outside as the feeling of locusts striking their bare skin was not a pleasant sensation.


    The vigers who hadn¡¯t harvested all of their crops before all started to cry loud howls filled with remorse. In a split second, almost all of their crops had been covered by countless locusts. By the time they tried to harvest them, all that was left would be some pathetic roots in the ground.


    What was to be done? In the future, these vigers were all facing the endless suffering fromck of food and debt. Yu Xiaocao looked at their expressions full of despair and couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Locusts can also be eaten! Catch as much as you can and you can use salt to pickle them. That way you¡¯ll have something to eat!!¡±


    All of the vigers suddenly realized that everyone in their childhoods had roasted grasshoppers to eat. When they were roasted to a golden color, the grasshoppers were quite savory and delicious. Locusts were the same ah! Thus, the entire vige mobilized. Some used bamboo baskets, some used bup sacks, and some used fishings to hold all of the insects they could catch.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s courtyard still had some half-rotten vegetable leaves in the fields, so they had attracted quite a bit of locusts over. Countless locusts crawled on the ground as the vegetable leaves disappeared at an astonishing speed.


    Liu Fangping was so wrapped up under clothing that only his two eyes peeped out. He courageously stepped out and caught a locust in each hand. He stuffed them into the sack his older brother held. Everyone else in the Yu Family also started moving. They all had a sack in one hand as they swiftly caught the insects and stuffed them in.


    The ground crawled with them and the sky buzzed with activity. There were too many locusts in the area. If there was anyone who had ustrophobia, he or she would have long fainted over. Yu Xiaocao, who had more courage than the usual person, had goosebumps all over her body at the sight of the numerous locusts.


    When Madam Liu saw that her youngest daughter¡¯s hairs were all standing up straight on her arms, she thought that she was frightened and said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, if you¡¯re afraid, then stay in the room. Our family doesn¡¯t need to catch the locusts to add to our rations.¡±


    The Yu Family had stockpiled a lot of grain and food, so why were they still catching the insects? Old Yu had seen just how many insects were congregated in the area. After calcting, he had a hunch that the disaster wouldn¡¯t go by that quickly. Even if the vast majority of insects left, there would still be arge number of locusts left in the vige. It was possible that for a long period of time, no one would be able to nt any more crops. Since the locusts could be eaten, why not capture some more and relieve the burden on their stored grain!


    When the Yu Family heard Old Yu¡¯s thoughts, all of them expressed their approval and started to work hard to catch locusts. Yu Xiaocao took out a fishing and started swinging it through the areas that were concentrated with insects. In one pass, she was able to catch more than a dozen locusts in the. She shook her catch into a sack that Xiaolian was holding open and then continued to swing the. Although she didn¡¯t have to physically touch the insects, she still caught locusts at about the same speed as everyone else. With the both of them cooperating together, they quickly managed to fill a whole bag of locusts. After tying the bag closed, Xiaolian picked up another bup sack that was about as long as half an adult¡¯s height and the two of them started working together again.


    After pretty much all of the vegetation in the vicinity of Dongshan Vige was devoured clean, the vast majority of locusts flew up and towards the north. All of the vigers could finally see the sky after a day had passed. Although there were fewer locusts flying around, there were still a decent amount of them still crawling on the ground.


    The vigers came out of their homes and solemnly looked at the devastation in front of them. All greenery had been stripped throughout the vige and the West Mountain looked bald and barren now. The people who had lost all of their crops and vegetables in the swarm kneeled on the ground and wailed in sorrow. However, what was the point in crying? No one had a surplus of grain lying around. With an uncertain future in front of them, who knew how long the disaster wouldst? No one would give out food, which could be the difference between life and death for their own family, to help others now.


    At this point, the vige chief stood up and looked at the vigers who were crying bitterly. He sighed deeply and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad! Our Dongshan Vige is supported by the ocean. As long as you work hard, it¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯ll starve! You should all quickly go into town and see if you can buy any grain to bring home. I¡¯m afraid that the price of grain will only go up and not down in the future!¡±


    All of the wailing vigers immediately stopped crying and took out everyst bit of copper they had saved up at home. The Yu Family selflessly took out their donkey and horse carts to help their fellow vigers get to town.


    However, the vast majority of grain stores were closed by the time they got to town. Although the Zhou Family¡¯s two grain stores were still open, their prices were quite excessively high, about five times the price as it was a few days ago. This wasn¡¯t considered the most excessive price hike. There were some ckhearted merchants who had raised their prices to up to ten times the price of before.


    This was nothing more than hitting someone when they were already down. The vigers, who already had a shortage of grain at home, now couldn¡¯t buy as much grain because the prices had gone up a lot. Some people wanted to wait ande back in a few days to buy food. However, with the vige chief reminding them, they didn¡¯t have any choice but to grit their teeth and exchange their money for grain.


    The vige chief said, ¡°Who knows when this locust swarm will finally disappear and we can nt crops in the ground again. The grain prices will only rise in the next half year and not go down.¡±


    The vigers had a good amount of faith in the vige chief. Thus, in front of the Zhou Family¡¯s grain store, there was a long line of people waiting. The vigers from Dongshan Vige dispiritedly lined up at the end. All of the people in line had depressed expressions and it was dead silent. The atmosphere was stifling.


    By the time the Dongshan vigers got to the end of the line, a smartly-dressed servant muttered something into the store¡¯s shopkeeper¡¯s ear. The shopkeeper frowned and then hollered at the remaining line, ¡°There¡¯s no more grain left. Everyone should leave now and go somewhere else to buy, okay? We don¡¯t have any grain left!¡±

 Chapter 278 – Making Grasshopper Sauce

    <h4>Chapter 278 ¨C Making Grasshopper Sauce</h4>


    The vige head, who had already queued up till the side of the door, extended his head to peer inside the grain shop, only to see that the grains inside had been piled to the height of half a wall. How could they say there was no grain?


    At this moment, the shop assistant of the grain shop took up the door nk, ready to close up shop. The vige head panicked and was about to debate with the shopkeeper when Yu Hai walked over, lightly waving at him and whispered, ¡°Vige Head, it¡¯s no use even if you argue with the shopkeeper. You¡¯ve also seen the man who hade just now¡ªit was only because of something he said to the shopkeeper that made him announce that there was no more grain left. Even the shopkeeper cannot defy the wishes of his superiors.¡±


    The shopkeeper of the grain shop, hearing bits and pieces of their conversation, nodded his head at Yu Hai. He thought that this man looked somewhat familiar, and only realized a few momentster that this seemed to be Yu Hai of Dongshan Vige. Any servant of any importance in the employ of the Zhou Family knew, the Yu Family of Dongshan Vige was extremely trusted and respected by the future head of the Zhou Family.


    Although the shopkeeper had no idea why the future head of the family would hold a mere farmer in such high regard, but as a servant of the Zhou Family, being able to judge and act ording to the master¡¯s wishes was the way to attain the master¡¯s favor. The servant, who told him to shut their doors and raise the prices by half the next day just now, was currently the favorite of the eldest young master from the first branch. Even though Eldest Young Master was in charge of the Zhou Family¡¯s grain shops, but in the end, it was still Third Young Master from the second branch who was going to be the future head of the family. Naturally, the shopkeeper of the grain shop would have his own considerations in his heart.


    The shopkeeper of the grain shop walked over with a smile and said to Yu Hai, ¡°Is this Brother Yu Hai?¡±


    Seeing Yu Hai nod, he continued, ¡°May we speak elsewhere?¡±


    At this time, the doors of the Zhou Family¡¯s grain shop had already been closed shut. The queue in front of the door made some ruckus for a while, but they had all slowly scattered in time. The ten or so vigers from Dongshan Vige, who hade to buy grain, were the only ones left. They looked helplessly at the vige head, waiting for his word.


    The shopkeeper of the grain shop called Yu Hai to the side and asked with a smile, ¡°Brother Yu Hai came to buy grain?¡±


    What else could he havee for? Could he have been queueing in front of a grain shop to buy meat? Yu Hai nodded his head and said, ¡°Yes, the vige is suffering from a locust gue, so there is no harvest. We want to stock up on some grain and see if we canst through this famine.¡±


    The shopkeeper of the grain shop thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°Brother Yu Hai, how much grain are you nning to buy? As you can see, our eldest young master had given out orders to close the shop and raise the price. But if it¡¯s Brother Yu Hai who wants to buy, I¡¯ll sell it to you at today¡¯s price¡ªtake it as making a new friend!¡±


    Eldest Young Master didn¡¯t know how much grain the shop sold today anyways, so he could do a favor for Yu Hai today and make ns for his future. The shopkeeper of the grain shop had capabilities, but hecked opportunities. If he could get a chance to appear in front of the future head of the family due to Yu Hai, with his capabilities, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be a mere shopkeeper of a small grain shop in the future.


    Yu Hai appeared conflicted upon hearing this. He shook his head slowly and said, ¡°There are thirty or so families in my vige who are all waiting for grain to survive! As fellow vigers, I will not be selfish and care only for my own, disregarding the survival of others!¡±


    The shopkeeper of the grain shop hesitated for a while before giving Yu Hai a thumbs up, saying, ¡°Brother Yu Hai is indeed an affectionate and righteous man. How much grain does your vige need? If it is within one thousand catties, your brother, I, can still make the decision!¡±


    Yu Hai was ted, and he eagerly eximed, ¡°Really? That¡¯s excellent! I¡¯ll go and ask the vige head how much grain we need!¡±


    Yu Hai ran over and pulled the vige head to the side, quietly telling him that the shopkeeper agreed to sell Dongshan Vige one thousand catties of grain in private. The vigers who came to buy grain this time were mostly the ones who didn¡¯t have much grain in their store and also had no harvest. There was a total of thirteen families.


    Coarse grains usually cost about five copper coins per catty, but the Zhou Family grain shop was currently selling them for five times the usual price, which was twenty-five copper coins per catty. These ten or so families had all saved a small fortune from selling spoon worms and oysters, so even though they were quite distressed about spending the money, all of them were still capable of buying grain. Once they heard that the shop was raising its prices, they wanted to buy more grain back. However, the shopkeeper only supplied them a thousand catties of grain for them to distribute among themselves. What should they do?


    In the end, the vige head made the decision for everyone to distribute ording to the headcount in each family. The families with more family members would get a little bit more, while smaller households would get less grain. On average, each family would obtain at least seventy to eighty catties of grain. If they wanted to buy more at this price, it would be impossible! Tomorrow? The price of grains would increase considerably.


    A thousand catties of grain were all loaded onto the horse and donkey carts from Dongshan Vige. Yu Hai also symbolically bought about a hundred catties of fine grain, totaling up to a cost of nearly five taels. Yu Hai silently thought that the grain shops was really a profitable business. When he came to purchase two days ago, a hundred catties of fine grain only cost about one tael, and now he had gratuitously spent five times the original price!


    When he reached home, everyone in the family were busy with work. The hot weather made it unsuitable for the locusts to be left out for too long, so the adults and children worked together to preserve the locusts that they managed to catch.


    With Madam Liu and Oldest Aunt¡¯s help, Yu Xiaocao made grasshopper sauce. Locusts were moremonly known as grasshoppers and had a delectable texture¡ªdelicious like prawns. It also contained protein and all kinds of amino acids that would be beneficial towards the human body if eaten.


    In her past life, she had tried making grasshopper sauce ording to a recipe she found on the inte. It was delicious and went well with meals. She let her mother and oldest aunt put the locusts into water to drown them before cleaning. After that, they plucked off the wings because the wings could not be chopped into smaller pieces and would affect the overall texture.


    Then, using the ratio of one catty of locusts against one and a half ounce of salt, they pickled the locusts, letting them ferment naturally. In about twenty days, the sauce would be ready for consumption. Another type of sauce would be fresh fried grasshopper sauce, which was made by stir-frying crushed deep-fried grasshoppers with minced meat, spring onions and chili together. When it was ready, it would be even more fragrant than fried shrimp.


    However, anyone would be able to consume fermented grasshopper sauce, but if it was fresh fried grasshopper sauce, it was easy to get an allergic reaction to grasshoppers. So, Yu Xiaocao cleaned eight earthen jars, which could hold ten catties each, and made a lot of fermented grasshopper sauce.


    At noontime, none of them had the mood to cook anything else, so Yu Xiaocao made cold grasshopper sauce. After deep-frying the locusts until they were cooked, she diced them and added some crushed, fried peanuts and parsley. After that, she drizzled hot oil on top and mixed it well with salt, sugar and chili oil.


    She also made stir-fried grasshopper sauce. First, she cut fatty meat into small pieces and diced the cleaned and dried grasshoppers into small pieces. She continued to mince them together until the mixture had a mashed texture. She ced the wok over a big fire and heated the cooking oil. Pouring in the minced grasshopper, she stir-fried it until it was fragrant, slightly dry, and had oil seeping out of the fatty meat. Then, she mixed it thoroughly with the minced grasshopper. After throwing in some spring onions, she stir-fried until evenly mixed, and added salt and MSG, along with some chili kes. The dish was done after a few more light tosses.


    The fragrant smell of the grasshopper sauce was carried by the wind to the Zhou Family not so far away. Zhou Shanhu, who could not hold herposure, rushed towards them and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, what tasty food are you making now? It¡¯s so fragrant that I¡¯m almost drooling!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao told her the recipe for making grasshopper sauce. Once Zhou Shanhu heard that this fragrance was actually made from locusts, she immediately became excited, ¡°Wait for a moment, Xiaocao, I¡¯ll call my mother over. You have to tell her!¡±


    Zhou Shanhu was older than Yu Xiaocao by a year and didn¡¯t have much talent in cooking, and thus belonged in the ¡®able to cook edible rice¡¯ category. If she were to learn how to make grasshopper sauce, she would probably not be able to produce even one te of grasshopper sauce by the next day.


    After teaching Auntie Zhou the method of making grasshopper sauce, Yu Xiaocao carried on with making a lot of pancakes using mixed grain, so lunch was pancake wrapped grasshopper sauce.


    Fortunately, no one in the Yu Family was allergic to locusts. The fried grasshopper was extremely crispy and exceptionally delicious when eaten. Combined with the distinct fragrance of grains in the pancakes, the entire family enjoyed the meal thoroughly. Little Shitou who came back from town, ate four big pancakes in one go and still wasn¡¯t sated, ¡°Fangping, let¡¯s go to the foot of the West Mountainster and catch more locusts back. That way, we¡¯ll be able to eat grasshopper sauce all year long!¡±


    Liu Yaner nced at him and said, ¡°With such hot weather, the locusts can hardlyst for more than a few days. Even if we made all of them into grasshopper sauce, we also don¡¯t have so many earthen jars.¡±


    Little Fangping spoke childishly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. We can make grilled locusts, deep-fried locusts, stir-fried locusts, stewed locusts... We can have a locust feast every day! Older Cousin¡¯s cooking skills are so good that whatever she makes will definitely taste good!¡±


    Everyone pictured the sight of the table filled with locusts, which had turned into an insect feast, and they couldn¡¯t help but shudder. However, Little Shitou smiled mysteriously and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that we have the skills to make ice. We can make an icehouse at home to freeze the locusts. This way, even when the locust gue has passed, we can just take them out from the icehouse and make grasshopper sauce whenever we want to eat it. Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    ¡°Icehouse? That¡¯s something only a wealthy master can afford!¡± Liu Hu mumbled to himself.


    At these times, wealthy folk were mostly collected ice from the river during winter and then stored them in their cers. It was apparent how much manpower and material resources was needed for that. Nevertheless, Yu Xiaocao knew the technique to crafting ice, so even if the weather was hot, she could still produce ice.


    No sooner said than done! In the afternoon, Yu Xiaocao specially took charge of making the ice, and Yu Hai led the entire family to carve out the cer. By nighttime, the first batch of ice had already been made sessfully. Quite a lot of ice was made in this batch, and it managed to fill up one third of the cer. The people who were in charge of collecting the locusts in the afternoon also sent their first batch of locusts into the icehouse.


    Yu Caifeng worriedly looked at the ice inside the cer, ¡°The ice won¡¯t all melt in just one night, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was full of confidence as she replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Oldest Aunt! There¡¯s a lot of ice in store, so the temperature of the icehouse will be low¡ªthey won¡¯t melt too fast. Besides, our cer was dug quite deep underground, and the heat instion was done nicely; there¡¯s definitely no problem in transforming it into an icehouse! Even if a portion of it melted today, we¡¯ll just make more to replenish it tomorrow. The icehouse of wealthy masters could be used from winter till summer, so how could ours notst for even one night?¡±


    With the existence of an icehouse, they started worrying that the locusts that had been caught would rot. All throughout the night, under Yu Caifeng and Madam Liu¡¯s lead, they started tidying up the locusts that had been caught, and only after storing them into the icehouse did they feel relieved. All members of the Yu Family had gone through difficult times before, and especially as this was a year of disasters, they were extremely zealous towards food.


    After working hard for the entire night, everyone except the few children, who didn¡¯t stay up for the night shift, were tired and dazed. They returned to their own rooms to make up for some sleep after having breakfast. Little Shitou excitedly took bags and baskets and brought Liu Fangping to catch grasshoppers.

 Chapter 279 – Follow-up

    <h4>Chapter 279 ¨C Follow-up</h4>


    When the locust gue struck, he was studying in the academy in town. The swarming locusts had really scared him, and he wanted to go home to have a look, but he was stopped by the teachers of the academy. As such, he had no experience catching locusts.


    Now, therge army of locusts had already passed, but there were still a lot of locusts left that were eating any edible dried grass and roots. They would actually still be able to catch an abundance of locusts in one day if they went! Little Shitou was excited and eager to experience the joy of catching locusts.


    Seeing the two excited fellows, Yu Xiaocao also picked up a bag and followed behind them towards the forest at the foot of the West Mountain. Throughout the entire journey, the path that was supposed to be surrounded by lush greenery was now left with the bald stems and roots of nts, and the dirt-brown color of the soil. There were still green or yellowish-brown locusts enjoying the stems and roots of the nts that were left.


    The West Mountain that was so full of life before was now akin to an old man showing signs of exhaustion. All the leaves of the forest that were edible had been consumed, leaving behind only stark branches, making it feel as though it were winter solstice. Among the once dense shrubbery, locusts were overflowing, still unceasingly eating; if one were to listen carefully, one could faintly hear the rustling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s catch locusts here, there¡¯s no need to go further into the woods!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt uneasy seeing the forest like this. If all the nts had already been eaten by the locusts, then the herbivores would most probably die of starvation. If the little herbivores died, then would the savage carnivorese down from the mountains to attack the vigers? Yu Xiaocao let out a long sigh, hoping that her worries were for nothing!


    The two little fellows, Little Shitou and Liu Fangping, had already thrown themselves into the bushes, immediately pocketing any locusts that they caught. Naturally, when locusts came into contact with humans, they would hop or fly away, so catching them was a little difficult. However, the two boys had a lot of experience catching grasshoppers, so even though their speed in catching the insects wasn¡¯t as fast as when the locust gue first hit, they still managed to catch a few catties within two hours!


    ¡°Hare! Hare!!¡± After Liu Fangping rushed into a bush, a lithe, gray figure immediately leapt out and quickly escaped. The little boy chased after it but lost sight of it after a few steps, so he returned unhappily, pouting.


    Little Shitouughed heartily, ¡°Little Fangping, how could your legs outrun a rabbit? I¡¯ll tell you, my second elder sister is the master of trapping hares. If you¡¯re craving rabbit meat, you can ask her to help you trap a few to bring home.¡±


    Liu Fangping¡¯s bright eyes sparkled with joy and eagerness and he rushed towards Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Is it true, Second Older Sister? You know how to trap hares?¡±


    This past half year, Liu Fangping had been eating and sleeping well and having fun every day under his uncle¡¯s and aunt¡¯s care, so he had long since lost his original emaciation. Yu Xiaocao pinched his plump cheeks, smiling, ¡°I know, but it¡¯s not as fantastic as how your Brother Shitou had described. Don¡¯t cry if we don¡¯t catch some!¡±


    Liu Fangping wagged his ¡®tail¡¯ and ran around Yu Xiaocao in circles, saying eagerly, ¡°I won¡¯t! What do you need, Second Older Sister, I¡¯ll go back and bring it here!¡±


    Like magic, Yu Xiaocao procured a rope from her pocket and chose a dense bush to set her trap. In order to not disappoint the two children, she also dripped a few drops of mystic-stone water around the dried grass.


    ¡°Just like this, it¡¯s done?¡± Liu Fangping asked disbelievingly as he circled back and looked at the simple rope trap on the ground.


    Yu Xiaocao patted his little head and said, ¡°The rope trap is set, but it¡¯s hard to tell whether or not a hare would pass-by as it all depends on luck. Let¡¯s go and continue catching your locusts!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao set a total of five rope traps. Approaching noontime, the two children had already caught half a big bag of locusts, and impatiently ran towards their older (cousin) sister¡¯s side with the same hopeful and excited looks on their faces.


    Yu Xiaocao yfully used her hands that were stained with the juices that the locusts spat out to wipe the two brats¡¯ faces at the same time. Then, without waiting for Little Shitou toin, she waved her arm, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s collect the rope traps!¡±


    Among the five traps, three were empty, and the remaining two both caught something. One was a live hare, while the other was a wild chicken. Looking at the hare that was so thin it was only skin and bones, the sense of foreboding became even stronger in Yu Xiaocao.


    At noon, the two brats thoroughly enjoyed the little meat that was on the hare and wild pheasant even more than red braised meat because they felt like they caught them together with older sister (older cousin). Yu Xiaocao also shared her worries to the rest of the family.


    Yu Hai¡¯s thick eyebrows furrowed. The Yu Family¡¯s old home was built at the base of the mountains, and it was only a couple kilometers from the West Mountain. If there really were ravenous wild animalsing down from the mountains, the first few families that they would rush towards would be the ones that lived at the foot of the mountains.


    After lunch, Yu Hai found the Qian Family and Zhou Family who lived nearby and told them about Xiaocao¡¯s worries. The two families immediately began to panic, and Qian Fugui, Qian Wen¡¯s father, looked at Yu Hai, saying, ¡°Brother Dahai, among the three of us, only you know how to hunt, so we will follow whatever that you say!¡±


    Yu Hai expressed his opinions to the two of them, saying, ¡°I think we should take preventive measures. We should dig trapping pits near our courtyard walls and the emptynd around us, so we are prepared when the wild animalse. Fortunately, our courtyard walls are higher, so the wild animals may not be able to jump across even if they came. The only thing we need to do is to guard the main door! I¡¯m nning to visit town this afternoon to buy some hunting gear and distribute them among our three families. We¡¯ll start digging the trapping pits tonight, what do you think?¡±


    Qian Fugui and Zhou Danian had nothing to oppose, and, after a discussion, the two of them said, ¡°We will have to trouble Brother Dahai in the afternoon. As our courtyard walls aren¡¯t as sturdy as yours, we¡¯ll have to renovate it this afternoon.¡±


    While Yu Hai was busy discussing how to guard against wild animals, Yu Xiaocao was preparing to go to the secret spot to observe the conditions. Little Shitou insisted on following her once he found out about it, and Yu Xiaocao could only helplessly bring along this little tail.


    Who would expect that they would be seen by Liu Fangping when they were heading out? Once he heard that they were heading into the mountains, he jumped up and down eagerly telling them to bring him along. No matter how much Yu Xiaocao tried to exin the dangers of the forest, the little brat still did not listen. He even said, ¡°If you can go, why can¡¯t I? Older Cousin, if you don¡¯t bring me along, I¡¯ll cry!¡± Fine, he even resorted to threatening her!


    Yu Xiaocao was forced to bring along two little burdens as she traversed the familiar forest. Most of the shrubbery was already gone thanks to the locusts, leaving, at the most, pitiful stems and roots, which made walking much easier for the three children.


    Two hourster, the three of them arrived at the mouth of a pitch-ck cave. Little Fangping clutched tightly onto the corner of the shirt of his older cousin, speaking fearfully, ¡°Second Older Cousin, there wouldn¡¯t be a man-eating beast inside the cave, right?¡±


    Little Shitou wanted to frighten him, ¡°Of course! How could there not be one? Thest time I came with Second Older Sister, we even encountered a massive and imposing wolf!¡±


    Little Fangping¡¯s voice trembled as he asked, ¡°Then...how did you escape from right below the wolf¡¯s snout? Didn¡¯t you get hurt?¡±


    Little Shitou teased him as a coward, continuing, ¡°At that time, the wolf wasn¡¯t hungry. It left after my second sister fed it some water! Therefore, don¡¯t run around carelessly, or else beware that a big, gray wolf will eat you!¡±


    Liu Fangping nodded his head obediently, vowing, ¡°I¡¯ll be good and follow beside Second Older Cousin, I won¡¯t go anywhere else!¡±


    At both sides of the cave there were smaller openings. Little Shitou once explored inside them¨Csome openings could only fit one or two people, while others were really big and able to contain a couple hundred people without a problem. Little Shitou triumphantly shared his experience at exploration with his little cousin whoa was only a little more than a month younger than him, and Liu Fangping marvelled jealously once in a while.


    ¡°Second...Second Older Sister, what¡¯s that green light from over there? A will-o¡¯-the-wisp?¡± Liu Fangping looked in the direction that Little Shitou pointed in, only to see that there was a pair of green lights slowly approaching them. It frightened him so he hid behind Yu Xiaocao, only daring to peek his head out and watch the green fluorescence in fear.


    ¡°Little wolf, is that you?¡± Yu Xiaocao called out at the fluorescence anxiously. The green light paused for a moment. Then, it sped towards their direction.


    Liu Fangping let out a scream, ¡°Coming, it¡¯sing! Second Older Sister, let¡¯s run!¡±


    As the green fluorescence got closer, Little Shitou recognized the gray wolf and tossed away the rock that he had grabbed for self-defense, turning back tofort Little Fangping, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, this is the big, gray wolf I¡¯ve told you about. It won¡¯t bite!¡±


    Liu Fangping now saw clearly the gray wolf in front of him that was even taller than him, and fearfully said, ¡°You said thatst time, it didn¡¯t eat you because it wasn¡¯t hungry. Who knows if it¡¯s hungry now?¡±


    The gray wolf had already stopped two steps away from them, observing them curiously with its head tilted. It seemed to have recognized Yu Xiaocao upon seeing her, as its tail, which drooped behind him, slightly swung left and right and it took slow and graceful steps towards her. Liu Fangping got so scared he shrieked, and the gray wolf stopped in its steps, turning to observe him cautiously.


    However, Yu Xiaocao went up to it, lightly patting the gray wolf¡¯s head, smiling, ¡°Little wolf, why are you here in the cave? Is it to wee us?¡±


    The gray wolf looked at her longingly as it licked her palm. Yu Xiaocao poured two drops of mystic-stone water from a porcin bottle which the gray wolf quickly licked clean.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, this big, gray wolf really doesn¡¯t bite!¡± Just now he was so terrified, but now, he looked at the little wolf in surprise, asking Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Second Older Sister, can I pet it?¡±


    Little Shitou deliberately tried to scare him, ¡°No! Little wolf wouldn¡¯t even let me touch it, moreover you! You mustn¡¯t outstretch your hand, or beware your hand will be chomped off!¡±


    Hearing this, Liu Fangping hurriedly hid his hands behind his back, nervously watching the gray wolf.


    Sunlight shone through an opening from the top of the cave so the cave wasn¡¯t dark. Yu Xiaocao silently, smilingly watched as her little brother teased her little cousin. She patted the little wolf and was about to head towards the valley when she felt a tug at the corner of her clothes.


    Originally, Yu Xiaocao thought it was Little Fangping, but she turned her head and found that it was in fact the gray wolf who was biting the edge of her clothes. She was surprised, so she asked, ¡°What is it, little wolf? What is the matter?¡±


    The gray wolf turned and headed towards another opening. After a few steps, it whisked back and looked at Yu Xiaocao who had not moved, as though asking, ¡°Why are you not following me?¡±

 Chapter 280 – Wolf Cubs

    <h4>Chapter 280 ¨C Wolf Cubs</h4>


    Holding her younger brothers in each of her hands, Yu Xiaocao followed the gray wolf into the dark cave. Fortunately, in the past few years, her eyesight had been strengthened by the mystic-stone water that she added to their drinking, cooking, and bathing water. Although the cave was very dark, she could still vaguely see in the pitch dark.


    As she walked, she reminded her two younger brothers about any loose stones under their feet. After stumbling for about a quarter of an hour, the gray wolf that was leading the way stopped.


    Yu Xiaocao blinked and tried to look at where the gray wolf was standing. There was a smaller hole there, and it was about half of a person tall. If she and her brother ducked, they would be able to fit. There were indistinct sounds of small animalsing from it.


    The gray wolf went in and took a small ck animal out, putting it beside Xiaocao¡¯s feet. Xiaocao squatted down to see that it was a pure ck wolf cub. Xiaocao looked at the gray wolf¡¯s belly in surprise, ¡°You gave birth to a pup? It doesn¡¯t look like you!¡±


    The gray wolf¡¯s blue-green eyes shed with scorn, ¡®I¡¯m male. Male!¡¯ He then turned his back and went back over to the hole and picked up a lure white wolf cub in his mouth. With one ck and the other white, either of them looked like him!


    ¡°What do you mean by this? Are you showing off your children?¡± Yu Xiaocao guessed.


    The gray wolf looked at her with contempt and shook his head. Yu Xiaocao thought of her worries that morning. Was this a gray wolf with intelligence, foreseeing the difficulties of hunting in the future, so he wanted her to help raise the cubs?


    ¡°Little wolf... Do you want me to raise the cubs?¡± Yu Xiaocao stared at the gray wolf¡¯s eyes as she asked, cing emphasis on each word.


    The gray wolf looked lovingly at the two pups and nodded slowly. The mother of the wolf cubs went hunting a few days ago and never came back. She must¡¯ve met an unfortunate end. The wolf cubs were crying due to hunger. The little cubs were too young to eat the prey that the gray wolf brought back, and they only survived till now by licking the blood remains.


    Without their mother¡¯s milk, the blood of the prey wasn¡¯t enough to feed the two cubs. The gray wolf could only watch as his children became more and more weak, unable to do anything. He didn¡¯t expect that he would meet the human who gave him the good-tasting liquid from before. After drinking those drops of water, his physical fitness had improved drastically and his wounds healed faster. After gaining intelligence, his intuition told him that this female human would be able to help him save the life of his two cubs.


    ¡°Second Sister, if you have something to say, can we wait until we get out of here? It¡¯s too dark here, so Little Fangping is afraid!¡± Little Shitou didn¡¯t say he was afraid, pushing it on to Liu Fangping instead.


    Liu Fangping, who hadn¡¯t been able to see for a while, was also afraid and said, ¡°Yeah, yeah! It¡¯s too dark, which makes it quite terrifying!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao picked up the two weak wolf cubs and said to her two younger brothers, ¡°Grab onto my clothes and don¡¯t get lost. You too, Little Wolf, follow me!¡±


    After walking for half an hour, three humans, one wolf, and two wolf cubs walked out of the cave and arrived at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s secret base¡ªthe hidden valley. The valley wasn¡¯t spared by the locust gue. The originally brilliant flowers werepletely gone, and the scene of verdant green trees was worse than when she came in the winter. The green vegetation had been eaten up, only leaving uneven branches and roots. The hideous ground was exposed with protruding stones. Fortunately, the small stream was still running.


    The two little fellows, who were finally able to see again, saw the two puppies in their elder sister¡¯s hands and excitedly surrounded her, ¡°Second Sister, where did you get these puppies? They¡¯re so cute! Let me carry one!¡±


    Liu Fangping jumped up and reached with his small hands. He screamed, ¡°Me too! I want to, too!¡± However, he was frightened by the gray wolf protectively baring his teeth. So, he obediently stood to the side and stared at the ¡®little white dog¡¯ in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands.


    Yu Xiaocao looked down at the two cubs that probably weren¡¯t even one month old. They were so thin that she could see their ribs. The cubs¡¯ eyes were open. The ck one had pure blue eyes, like a clear and transparent sapphire. The white one¡¯s eyes were taupe like a shining opal. The two little onesy in her arms obediently and looked at her with two pairs of cute and trusting big eyes. This was because she had the same smell as their father.


    The two wolf cubs were too weak. They were motionless in her arms and didn¡¯t even have the energy to look up. Had shee by anyter, these two little guys would¡¯ve been in a perilous situation.


    Yu Xiaocao took the two pups over to the stream. She dropped a drop of mystic-stone water into the palm of her hand, diluted it with the stream water, and held it next to their mouths. Mystic-stone water was more tempting than their mother¡¯s milk. The two wolf pups, who hadn¡¯t eaten for a long time, instinctively licked the mystic-stone water. The mystic-stone water was quickly licked up. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t give them more because the wolf cubs were too small and weak to bear so much spiritual energy. If they drank too much, then it would be counterproductive!


    While she was feeding them mystic-stone water, the gray wolf sat beside Yu Xiaocao and watched the two wolf cubs drink the water with loving eyes. His throat moved, but he resisted the temptation of the mystic-stone water.


    Little Shitou and Liu Fangping sat beside Yu Xiaocao. Little Shitou looked at the thin appearance of the two wolf cubs and worried whether they could support them. Seeing the wolf cubs seemed unsatisfied as they licked their mouths after drinking the water, Little Shitou said, ¡°Second Sister, are the puppies hungry? I¡¯ll catch some fish and roast them! ¡±


    The unique little white fish in the stream were tender and delicious. No matter if it was roasted or stewed in the soup, Shitou liked them. This time, since he came with his second sister to the secret base, he had purposely brought an earthenware jar and prepared to catch some small fish.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him mischievously and said, ¡°Ok! If you can catch them!¡±


    Little Shitou was eager to try but he thought of his past embarrassment when trying to catch the little fish. He squatted down and acted like a spoiled child, ¡°I can¡¯t catch them, but don¡¯t we still have you, Second Sister? Second Sister, I¡¯ll hold the puppies for you while you go catch the fish. Make sure to catch more.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao carefully handed over the two wolf cubs to her younger brother. The gray wolf didn¡¯t make any radical responses, but he followed Little Shitou step by step, staring at his children without blinking.


    Xiaocao caught several grasshoppers from the grass and pinched them into sections. She sprinkled a few drops of mystic-stone water on them, and then she ced the sections of the grasshopper on the edge of the stream. ¡°Second Older Cousin, are you making bait? Are the little fish going to take the bait? What if they don¡¯t eat the grasshopper?¡± Liu Fangping curiously asked.


    ¡°Just wait and see if the little fish will take the bait!¡± Shortly after the grasshopper parts were put into the stream, a group of small white fish came. Each one was only the size of a palm and their bodies were long and thin, simr to the shape of a willow leaf.


    Liu Fangping excitedly reached out his hands to catch the fish and shouted, ¡°Fish! Fish! Quick, Second Older Cousin! Quickly catch the little fish!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at his effort to catch the fish and said, ¡°Slow down! Don¡¯t fall into the water. Let¡¯s wait a little longer. When more fish gathers over, we can use the to catch them.¡±


    Yes, it was not easy for them toe to the secret base, so the siblings were well prepared. More and more small white fish gathered over. They squeezed together in the stream and appeared like white flowers. Under the sunlight, they shined with pearl-like luster. Liu Fangping picked up his impatiently and reached out toward the area with the most fish. With one scoop, more than a dozen small fish were caught.


    Liu Fangping happily put the fish into the earthen pot and said, ¡°These fishes are so stupid ah. They didn¡¯t even hide when the went down! Maybe there¡¯s no natural enemy in the valley for them, and thus it¡¯s too peaceful?¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the bait made by Second elder sister, do you think the fish would hide or not? I¡¯ve tried before, it¡¯s lucky to catch one or two in an hour!¡± Little Shitou pouted and said to himself.


    ¡®Without the bait made by Second Sister, do you think the fish would hide or not? I¡¯ve tried before. It¡¯s considered lucky to be able to catch one or two in an hour!¡¯ Little Shitou pouted and thought.


    However, Little Shitou didn¡¯t say what he had in mind. He knew that there were many secrets surrounding his second sister. His intuition told him that if these secrets got out, it would be detrimental for his second sister. Therefore, at a young age, he buried the secrets in his heart to protect his favorite sister.


    Two children, one was holding the pups and watching, while the other was happily fishing for small fish. Seeing that there was no danger nearby, Yu Xiaocao took a stroll along the stream. Many of the flowers that once bloomed were now all bare poles.


    She remembered that her godmother said that many of them were precious species. What a pity! Yu Xiaocao sprinkled the diluted mystic-stone water on the roots of some of the flowers and wondered if they would grow out next year. She had nned to dig up a batch and sell them in the prefectural city, or ask her godparents to help sell them in the capital, to make a small profit!


    The valley wasn¡¯t very big, so she had returned in less than half an hour. The valley was surrounded by mountains with only one secret entrance to the outside world. It was a good ce to use as a refuge. If there ever was a war or something in the future, this ce would be a paradise!


    Yu Xiaocao was amused by her own thoughts. In this peaceful and prosperous age, people lived and worked in contentment. There was no war. Even if there was war, it would start in the borders. If it got to Dongshan Vige, then the Great Ming Dynasty could be considered doomed. The Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s army was strong, and they had many outstanding generals. Thus, there shouldn¡¯t be any wars for the next few decades.


    Yu Xiaocao would¡¯ve never thought that her random thoughts and spections would be a reality in the near future. This valley would be the greatest thing that protected the people of Dongshan Vige. This shall be recountedter.


    After Liu Fangping filled the earthen jar, which was capable of holding ten catties of wine, with small fish, the three of them bid farewell to the gray wolf. They went through the cave and crossed the forest, returning home at the foot of the West Mountain.


    On the way down the mountain, they met the craftsmen, who were building the mountain vi. More than half of Prince Jing¡¯s mountain manor had been built, but as a result of the locust gue, they were forced to stop work. The craftsmen were worried about the situation of the disasters at their homes and didn¡¯t want to stay in the West Mountain.


    A few days ago, Royal Prince Yang returned to the capital and had taken Princess Consort Jing with him. The steward, who supervised the construction of the mountain manor at the West Mountain, had to go back to the capital in person to report the halt of the construction to his master.


    Yet, the far-off capital was also gued by locusts. The surrounding farnd had been affected by the swarm of locusts. However,pared to Dongshan vige, where there wasn¡¯t a single de of grass left, it was still pretty good. At most, the crop yield would be reduced.

 Chapter 281 – Concern

    <h4>Chapter 281 ¨C Concern</h4>


    Zhu Junyang came back fatigued from the experimental plot of a field on the outskirts of the capital. He dusted off the dirt on his body and took out a moon-white daily robe from his wardrobe. Head Steward Liu requested to enter the room from outside, and, when he got permission, he hurriedly entered.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve heard that Tanggu Town is in the disaster area of the locust gue. After the locusts went through, there wasn¡¯t any grass or crops left...¡± Head Steward Liu reported while carefully watching his master¡¯s reaction.


    Zhu Junyang stopped getting dressed; his face had be serious and his forehead was wrinkled. Head Steward Liu suddenly felt that there was a pressure spreading from the top of his head, and a suffocating oppressiveness was aimed at him. He bowed lower and buried his head as deep as he could.


    ¡°In other words, Dongshan Vige¡¯s ten mu of corn that¡¯s about to be harvested is going to yield nothing?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s first thoughts were not of whether the corn seeds would be able to be recovered but whether if the girl with big eyes would cry broken heartedly in despair at this serious blow.


    When they were in Tanggu Town, Head Steward Liu and his master were busy running between Tanggu Town and Dongshan Vige. His master had great expectations and hopes for that corn, and he had watched the corn seedlings grow with his own eyes as it sprouted, grew taller, and matured...Miss Yu had said that the corn would be ready in the next few days and she would cook some for the master to try. Who would have thought that such a big disaster would happen once the master came back to the capital. It seemed like Miss Yu¡¯s promise wouldn¡¯t be fulfilled this year.


    ¡°Master, what happened to the corn is quite a pity but it¡¯s already happened. Don¡¯t be upset about it! Aren¡¯t there still some seeds in the storehouse? Just nt them again next year!¡± Head Steward Liu couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth tofort his master after he saw that the prince was silent for a long time.


    Zhu Junyang slowly put on his clothes. Head Steward hurriedly went forward to help his master fasten his belt and tidied up his clothes for him. Zhu Junyang continued to be silent for a long time before he finally said, ¡°Dongshan Vige is in the disaster zone. What¡¯s the current price of food?¡±


    Head Steward Liu was d he had asked this question when he was inquiring about the situation. He hurriedly answered, ¡°It¡¯s said that when it first started, with the exception of the Zhou Family whose grain prices increased by not even five copper coins per catty, the other prices increased by ten copper coins per catty. Currently, it has already risen by one hundred copper coins and a limit had been ced on quantity bought. The price of white rice and noodles are even more outrageous. One or two silver taels can only buy two catties... The reserves of grains in many of the grain shops aren¡¯t able to keep up. It¡¯s estimated that in the near future, the price will rise exponentially... ¡±


    ¡°In order to grow corn and watermelon in the Yu Family¡¯s fields, not one mu of grain was nted in the spring. They all depended on buying grain to eat! Thatss only cares about money, how would she be willing to spend that much money to buy grain? There are so many people in their family; have they run out of food yet?¡± Zhu Junyang said to himself in a low voice.


    Thinking of the thin figure with skinny arms and legs, Zhu Junyang¡¯s frown became more prominent. The next time he went to Dongshan Vige, would he see a famine refugee who was as thin as a stick?


    ¡°Head Steward Liu, transport two carts of grain from the estate to the Yu Family of Dongshan Vige first. Just tell them that I¡¯m going over in a few days and that they don¡¯t need to worry or feel guilty about the corn. No one can stop a disaster. Tell the county magistrate of Tanggu Town to maintain order in Tanggu Town and the surrounding viges. The imperial court will issue disaster relief as soon as possible. Speaking of the food supply, the people just need to try to hold on. The food for disaster relief will arrive soon. In addition, let Fang Xun start the fleet to go south and purchase food immediately. As for money, use my private savings first!¡± Famine was often apanied by riots, and the Yu family were considered rich by people in Dongshan Vige. If there was chaos then they would be the first ones to suffer!


    Head Steward Liu hesitantly looked at his master. The imperial court hadn¡¯t said anything, yet the master ordered the fleet to go purchase food supplies from the south. Wouldn¡¯t that arise suspicions from the top that he was trying to buy the hearts of the people?


    Zhu Junyang took one nce at Head Steward Liu and knew what he was worried about. He waved his hand at him and said, ¡°Go ahead and follow my orders. I¡¯ll go into the pce!¡±


    In the imperial study, Jianwen Emperor called all the ministers to discuss the matter of disaster relief. After several years of recuperation and development, although there were minor disasters every year, Jiangnan, as the Ming Dynasty¡¯s bread basket, had good weather and the national treasury was full. This locust disaster urred mostly in the coastal areas, with a wide area and serious repercussions. It also happened right before the spring harvest, making it impossible for people to take precautions!


    The head eunuch came quietly to Jianwen Emperor¡¯s side and whispered in his ear, ¡°Emperor, Royal Prince Yang requests for an audience!¡±


    Zhu Junfan waved his hand and said, ¡°Let him in!¡±


    ¡°This subject would like to go to Tanggu Town for disaster relief, I hope Your Imperial Majesty can approve this!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s face was cold, but his eyes, although cold, showed deep concern.


    ¡°Ah, Junyang! The corn in Dongshan Vige can be harvested in about half a month, right? It¡¯s better for you to go there and see for yourself how much corn the Yu Family have collected. Pass on my decree, just say that even if corn isn¡¯t harvested, their family still has a meritorious service.¡± Zhu Junfanmented.


    The worries in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes receded a bit and he continued on to ask, ¡°This subject also would like to ask to send the fleet to support the disaster relief!¡±


    For the sake of the citizens of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t refuse. With a stroke of his brush, he threw an imperial edict at Zhu Junyang and said, ¡°Agreed, Royal Prince Yang will be appointed as the Minister of Disaster Relief and will be responsible for the national treasury¡¯s millions of relief fund. Seeing this edict is the same as seeing us in person. No one can dy the disaster relief for any reason, otherwise, immediate decapitation!¡±


    ¡°This subject receives the decree!¡± Zhu Junyang bravely walked out of the imperial study holding the bright yellow imperial edict.


    All the ministers looked at Royal Prince Yang¡¯s quickly disappearing figure. It seemed a bit more elegant. They all inwardly sighed, ¡®The younger generation will surpass the older generation.¡¯ Those that were jealous, who really hated how much the emperor favored Royal Prince Yang, hoped that he would screw up the disaster relief.


    In the imperial court, the tides were changing and the young seventeen year old Royal Prince Yang had be the emperor¡¯s favorite. It had only been half a year since he came back from overseas, and he had already been entrusted with an important task! It seemed that they should focus on making connections him! Soon people began to earnestly pull to make a connection with Royal Prince Yang.


    Royal Prince Yang was cold and indifferent to everyone? That didn¡¯t matter, wasn¡¯t his father Imperial Prince Jing? As long as they could make friends with Prince Jing¡¯s estate, then nothing can go wrong! Royal Prince Yang was going to immediately leave the capital to deal with the disaster relief, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to find his shadow? That was a small matter, hadn¡¯t Princess Consort Jing already returned to the capital? Their wives connections were still very useful!


    At this time, the royal prince didn¡¯t know or want to know about any of these events. He transferred a batch of grain from his estate and personally led a team of imperial bodyguards to escort the food to Tanggu Town.


    After receiving the imperial edict, the fleet left for Jiangnan under themand and leadership of Fang Xun on the same day to purchase food for disaster relief. Fang Xun had followed Royal Prince Yang to the western hemisphere. This journey not only opened his eyes to the world, but it also promoted his rank. He was promoted from a strong cavalry guard of the fifth rank to amander of the fourth rank, rising two ranks at once. Although he encountered many risks at sea, Fang Xun also had a taste of receiving wealth and many by benefits by following Royal Prince Yang.


    As soon as he heard Royal Prince Yang was in charge of the disaster relief and that he was appointed to purchase the food for the disaster relief by the rmendations of the prince, he felt deeply moved and naturally gave a hundred and twenty percent of his effort to carry out his appointed mission. He was ready to live up to Royal Prince Yang¡¯s trust and rmendation by making some achievements!


    Royal Prince Yang escorted two carts of grain. On the way to Tanggu Town, he met many refugees. Fortunately, the wagons containing the grain were disguised as vehicles containing coal and were protected by strong bodyguards. Thus, they avoided unnecessaryplications.


    In order to avoid a dy, the prince ordered them to pass the prefectural city and go straight to Tanggu Town. Three dayster, the wagons transporting the grains didn¡¯t enter the town and turned onto the official road to Dongshan Vige.


    When the party arrived at Dongshan Vige, they arrived just in time for dinner. Looking from afar, he could see smoke curling up from the kitchen chimneys. Zhu Junyang saw that the situations in Dongshan Vige were better than that of the other viges they passed along the way, since they were still able to cook. Thinking that the vigers must¡¯ve saved some money from selling seafood and, along with the ocean, they should still be able to find food, his heavy heart suddenly became lighter.


    Due to the locust disaster, Rongxuan Academy had a holiday break. Little Shitou, who was bored at home, took Liu Fangping with him to go up the mountain to catch locusts or down to the sea to pick seafood. He also took the time to review the tasks assigned by the teacher, so his days were busy and full of life.


    ¡°Brother Shitou! A group of official soldiers seems to be heading toward our home! ¡± Liu Fangping shouted after seeing the party dressed as bodyguards when he was looking up from having caught a locust and put it in a cloth bag.


    Little Shitou straightened, squinted at the group, and worriedly said, ¡°It seems that the Young Royal Prince is walking at the front. I don¡¯t know if we will get punished for harvesting the corn early. ¡±


    ¡°But, if we didn¡¯t harvest them in advance then they would¡¯ve been all eaten by locusts! We hurriedly harvested so much corn, so we should be rewarded!¡± Liu Fangping hurriedly followed up, thinking of the scene of them harvesting day and night for two days. During that time, he had also done his best to do a part. Although he couldn¡¯t do anyrge tasks, he still made himself useful by doing small errands.


    Little Shitou wasn¡¯t in the mood to catch locusts anymore. ¡°Let¡¯s head home and have a look!¡± He said to Little Fangping as he took the bags.


    The official soldiers led by Zhu Junyang hade to the Yu Family¡¯s house under the curious and timid looks of the vigers. In the shack outside of the Yu Family¡¯s house gates, the purchase of marine products was still going on. There was a long line in front of the shed. Yu Hang and Yu Jiang were busy weighing and settling ounts.


    When he saw that official soldiers had stopped in front of his family¡¯s door, Yu Hang looked up and stopped working. He went up with his uncle to greet them.


    Zhu Junyang got off the horse¡¯s back and threw the reins to the manservant beside him. He nodded to them and said, ¡°No need for the ceremony.¡± He raised his feet and walked toward the inner courtyard without any wee.


    Those who were selling seafood were mostly the people of Dongshan Vige. When the locust disaster came, each family had suffered some losses. Fortunately, they only stopped work on the wharf for two days before recovering to normal. A part of the youngerbor force went to the docks to find work. More and more vigers were now leading their families to dig for sandworms and pick oysters. This meant that they at least had some ie every day. The price of grain had risen again and their savings were dwindling. Every viger had to n for the future.


    There were so many people who came from other viges to sell seafood to the Yu Family. Seeing the formation being led by Prince Yang, they all asked in a low voice, ¡°Who is this? He looks more imposing than the rich young masters in town...¡±

 Chapter 282 – Shock

    <h4>Chapter 282 ¨C Shock</h4>


    ¡°Shhh¡ªbe quiet. Don¡¯t let those imperial bodyguards hear you!¡± Most of the vigers of Dongshan Vige could recognize Royal Prince Yang. In a low voice, they proudly exined to the people around them, ¡°This noble man is His Highness the Royal Prince. He is a true member of the imperial family. If you offend him, you will be executed!¡±


    When the viger, who came from another vige, heard this, he quickly shrunk his head and hid in the crowd. He didn¡¯t dare to say another word. A viger, who had a decent rtionship with the Yu Family, asked Yu Jiang in a low voice, ¡°Jiang¡¯zi, I heard that your family harvested the corn in advance. Will it affect the yield? Will the royal prince be angry at Dahai¡¯s family because of this?¡±


    Yu Jiang looked anxiously at the guards in front of the courtyard. He shook his head and worriedly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know either! The royal prince has always thought highly of my second brother¡¯s family. The corn grew very well before the disaster, moreover, it wasn¡¯t a human error. So, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems, right?¡±


    Zhu Junyang walked into the courtyard and was shocked by the glistening yellow and dazzling corn cobs. The Yu Family¡¯s yard was originally veryrge. The ce where they used to grow vegetables had been cleared up and filled with corn cobs for drying. The corn kernels were all plump, and they were bigger and brighter than the kernels that he brought back from abroad.


    The Yu Family were currently sitting around a table with smiles on their faces as they happily chatted and rubbed off the corn kernels. Yu Xiaocao was also among them, and her smile was as dazzling as the summer sun. With her small snow-white hands, she was holding corn cob without any kernels and another corn cob. She rubbed them against each other, and the golden kernels fell into the basket in front of her.


    It seemed as if the heavy boulder that Zhu Junyang had within his heart when he came over hadpletely disappeared now. He turned his gaze from the dazzling little girl to the corn drying in the yard. He noticed several small animals frolicking around the corn, chasing locusts that asionallynded on top. There were many dead locusts in the gaps between the corn cobs. Were they all killed by these cats or dogs? Not only were the members of the Yu Family capable, but they also raised outstanding little animals. Wait, wasn¡¯t that a roe deer? Weren¡¯t roe deer herbivores? Why was it chasing after locusts like a cat or dog?


    ¡°Eh? Young Royal Prince, you returned from the capital?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked up and saw Zhu Junyang strolling in the courtyard, so she greeted him warmly. The rest of the Yu Family also quickly came forward to wee the royal prince.


    Zhu Junyang said, ¡°Don¡¯t stand on ceremony,¡± and told them to continue doing what they needed to do. He had Yu Xiaocao stay behind and casually asked, ¡°When did you start raising two more puppies? They look like a mixture of wolves and dogs...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t tell him that Little ck and Little White were purebred wolves. She shrugged her shoulders and said, ¡°I found them in the forest a few days ago. At that time, the two little fellows had just opened their eyes and looked very pitiful. They are also living beings, so I took them home to raise.¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at her and expressionlessly said, ¡°It seems like this prince¡¯s worries are unnecessary! When there¡¯s a natural disaster, other people would want to kill all their pets, for fear of wasting food. You, on the other hand, bring animals home. Are you afraid that you have too much food at home and don¡¯t have anywhere to throw them?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who had long been used to his cold face, replied with a grin, ¡°How much can two little puppies eat? The little fellows learned to catch locusts to eat by themselves. They even knew that they should pick locusts with seeds in their stomach. They¡¯re so smart! Young Royal Prince, how¡¯s the situation in the capital?¡±


    Zhu Junyang thought of the corn leaves that had been bitten and filled with holes in the experimental fields. He sighed and said, ¡°The locust gue isn¡¯t that serious in the capital, but it¡¯s still a disaster! The corn is at the important stage of grouting. The drought and locust gue will definitely reduce the yield... Your family¡¯s corn wasn¡¯t affected by the swarm of locusts?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao improved the exnation that her father gave to the vige head and told Royal Prince Yang, ¡°When my father was getting water from the mountains to water the fields, he encountered a fortune teller, who imed to be a half-immortal. He predicted that there would be a disaster in two days, but he didn¡¯t say what kind of disaster it would be. We saw that the corn was almost ready to be harvested, so if there really was a disaster, we would have all worked in vain. With the mindset that it was better to believe it was true, we worked day and night and reaped all the corn. Fortunately, we usually took good care of them. After a few days of drying, it seems that there isn¡¯t a very serious drop in the output of corn!¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t ask about the so-called half-immortal. Looking at her with approval, he slowly nodded and said, ¡°You guys did the right thing! A slight reduction in output is better than no harvest at all! What about the potatoes? Were they also quickly harvested?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are reaped! They¡¯re all in the east wing-room!¡± Yu Xiaocao led the way to the east wing-room. The windows in the Yu Residence were all made of ss. There were many windows in each room, so it wasn¡¯t dim inside after opening the door.


    Zhu Junyang saw a pile of potatoes inside, and the smallest was about the size of an adult¡¯s fist. A trace of emotion appeared on his originally expressionless face, ¡°This prince remembers that we only nted one mu of potatoes, right? There can be such a big harvest in one mu ofnd?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao snickered unceasingly in her heart and thought, ¡®Is this considered a lot? We also secretly stored a lot in the cer of the west courtyard!¡¯ However, she appeared serious as she nodded and said, ¡°Yes! Potatoes are quite productive. There were at least five to six thousand catties in one mu ofnd.¡±


    Head Steward Liu, who followed behind his master, was so stunned that he couldn¡¯t close his mouth. A harvest of over five thousand catties in one mu ofnd? It was even more high yielding than sweet potatoes? Moreover, they were nted in sandynd that wasn¡¯t very fertile. If they were nted in fertilend, wouldn¡¯t the yield be even higher? If the emperor found out, he would definitely be very pleased, right? Over the years, the emperor had always been searching for high-yielding crops so that the people could fill their stomachs and live a prosperous and contented life. With the high-yielding potatoes and corn drying in the yard, the emperor¡¯s wish should have been fulfilled.


    Zhu Junyang bent down and picked up a palm-sized potato. He carefully examined it, and then asked, ¡°Do you know the methods of eating potatoes? Do we just cook it like sweet potatoes?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and answered in a vague manner, ¡°I think so? But potatoes don¡¯t have much taste. It has a very in vor, so it¡¯s better to dip it in salt or sugar. However, during times of disasters, it¡¯s enough to satisfy our hunger. Also, unlike sweet potatoes, eating too much won¡¯t cause heartburn.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? Did you secretly taste it?¡± Zhu Junyang gently nced at her with his charming phoenix eyes, but there wasn¡¯t any sense of me at all.


    Yu Xiaocaoughed hollowly and said, ¡°While digging out the potatoes, quite a few of them were damaged. We were afraid that they would go bad, so we tried making a few dishes with the potatoes. It tasted quite good. Young Royal Prince, should I prepare a potato feast for you for lunch?¡±


    ¡°At least you still have a heart!¡± Zhu Junyang looked at the room full of potatoes with a faint trace of a smile in his eyes. He looked at Yu Xiaocao and said, ¡°This prince will make the decision and give one-tenth of the potatoes in this room to your family. It¡¯s up to you how you want to eat them! You don¡¯t need to sneak around!¡±


    ¡°May Young Royal Prince live for ten thousand years¡ª¡ª¡± As soon as Yu Xiaocao shouted, her mouth was covered by Head Steward Liu, who came out from nowhere. The expression on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s face also abruptly changed.


    In a flustered and exasperated manner, Head Steward Liu cried in a low voice, ¡°Do you want to kill our Royal Prince? How can you casually say words such as ¡®long live¡¯? If someone heard it and wants to use our master of treason, would you be able to take responsibility?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao remembered now that ¡®long live¡¯ could only be used for the emperor during ancient times. It wasn¡¯t a synonym for cheering like in her previous life. She also realized the severity of this matter. Her eyes were red, and tears welled up in her eyes, ¡°Young Royal Prince, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I was so happy that I didn¡¯t know what I was saying! What should I do? I¡¯m just an ordinarymoner, so it doesn¡¯t matter if I die. But will this cause trouble for Young Royal Prince?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked outside. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t very loud earlier. Based on the response of the members of the Yu Family, who were rubbing off corn kernels in the yard, it seemed like they didn¡¯t notice the incident here. The entrance of the courtyard was far away, and the imperial bodyguards guarding outside were all his trusted subordinates. He signaled Head Steward Liu with his eyes, telling him to check around the area to see if there was anyone else around.


    Head Steward Liu red at Yu Xiaocao like he wanted to eat her, and then he took his order and left.


    Zhu Junyang looked at Yu Xiaocao, who was so scared that all color had drained from her face. He unconsciously softened the expression on his face, and his words of reproach also turned intofort, ¡°This prince believes that it was unintentional. In the future, you must be more careful when speaking. Not everyone is as forgiving as this prince! If you said such treacherous words in the capital, all your family¡¯s properties will be confiscated, and your entire family will be beheaded!¡±


    With tears flowing down her face, Yu Xiaocao nodded, sniffled her nose, and said, ¡°I understand! In the future, I won¡¯t mention that phrase again!¡±


    Zhu Junyang seldom saw her being as obedient as a rabbit. Usually, when he said one word, she would readily refute him with several words. When faced with a pitiful and obedient Yu Xiaocao, the cold-faced Young Royal Prince was actually in the mood to joke with her, ¡°It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t mention it, but it depends on who you are addressing. If you see the emperor, you can still say that phrase.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s tears hadn¡¯t dried up, but she started arguing with him again, ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinarymoner, so how can I have the chance to see the emperor? You¡¯re the most honorable person who I have ever met... No, I think I have cooked for the emperor emeritus when he traveled incognito in the past!¡±


    Zhu Junyang remembered his imperial grandfather, who would mention delicious food in every three words, and didn¡¯t know what to say. Last time, when he returned to the capital, his imperial grandfather had specially visited him to ask for the pig head meat and pig ear ribbons made by the littless of the Yu Family. He also said that the ones made by the capital¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant wasn¡¯t authentic, and only the ones made by Yu Xiaocao suited his taste.


    When he heard that he didn¡¯t bring any back because of the hot weather, his foodie imperial grandfather mored about going to Dongshan Vige. He said that he hadn¡¯t eaten the meals of a peasant family cooked by the littless of the Yu Family in a long time and really missed it. In the end, he finally stopped after his older cousin, the emperor, tried his best to persuade him and made a promise to ¡®find an opportunity to bring the littless of the Yu Family to the capital to cook a table of delicious dishes for him¡¯.


    Imperial Grandfather was getting old, so the emperor was afraid that his body couldn¡¯t withstand him travelling all over the country. Thus, he didn¡¯t want him to get exhausted from running around and had him stay and rx in the imperial pce.


    However, his imperial grandfather insisted, ¡°Life lies in movement!¡± He could never stay still for a moment, which caused all his imperial children and grandchildren to be worried all the time. He heard that a few days ago, if the emperor hadn¡¯t noticed in time, his imperial grandfather would have ran to the borders to do some military drills with General Zhao.

 Chapter 283 – Potato Feast

    <h4>Chapter 283 ¨C Potato Feast</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao handed a peeler to him. With a potato in her left hand and a scraper in her right hand, she demonstrated to him and then said with a smile, ¡°Just scrape the potato skin like this. We¡¯re depending on you for the potato feast at noon ah!¡±


    Madam Liu, who came to see if they needed help, cried out in surprise, ¡°This child, how can you let His Highness the Royal Prince work?¡±


    What shocked Head Steward Liu the most was that his master didn¡¯t say a word and swiftly peeled a big potato with the peeler in his hands, making it clean and smooth. He even showed it to Miss Yu with a proud expression, ¡°Look! This prince scraped it faster than you! Would your clumsy little hands be capable with a knife? You¡¯re probably just good with a cookingdle!¡±


    Head Steward Liu covered his face, ¡®My dear lord ah, what is there to show off with a potato peeler?¡¯ However, he was very pleased and happy that his master was able to show his child-like side. With her innocence and sincerity, Miss Yu allowed his master to wholeheartedly rx, and even his temperament became much more easy-going.


    Imperial Prince Jing, who had also noticed this, had specially called him to his study and asked if something special happened to his master in Dongshan Vige. When Prince Jing found out that Master¡¯s change was due to a little peasant girl, who was only ten, he didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry as he shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s fate ah! Perhaps it¡¯s because Yang¡¯er is the youngest in the family and doesn¡¯t have any younger siblings, so he treated the little girl as someone who was weak and needed protection, right?¡±


    When Head Steward Liu came out of the study, he heard Imperial Prince Jing whispering to himself, ¡°Mhm... Meijuan¡¯s (Prince Jing¡¯s pet name for Princess Consort Jing) body has gotten much better. Is it time to give Yang¡¯er a younger brother or sister?¡±


    Head Steward Liu nearly tripped over his own feet. Did his master change only because Miss Yu was younger than him and needed protection? Among the young girls apanying the noble madams in the capital, there were many who were younger than his master, but why didn¡¯t he see his master even look at them? Last time, the young ten year old daughter of the senior official of the Supreme Court wanted to get closer to his master, but she ended up crying after being scared by his gaze. Howe he didn¡¯t see his master treating her more tenderly?


    Compared with the girls in the capital who boasted about being noble youngdies, always put on airs, and had fake smiles on their faces, Miss Yu possessed the innocence, naturality, sincerity, and kindness that theycked! Perhaps the thing that his master wanted to get close to were these qualities that Miss Yu had?


    Head Steward Liu put away his thoughts. He wanted to take the potato from his master¡¯s hands, but Zhu Junyang evaded him.


    Zhu Junyang had be more adept at peeling potatoes. He pointed at therge basin of potatoes that Yu Xiaocao brought over and told Head Steward Liu, ¡°Don¡¯t steal from this prince. If you want to practice, there¡¯s more than enough over there!¡±


    Two rows of tears immediately flowed down Head Steward Liu¡¯s cheeks, ¡®My dear prince ah! This old servant wants to help you get out of theborious task of peeling potatoes. I didn¡¯t expect you to be ungrateful and drag this old servant into it too!¡¯


    He epted his fate and picked up a potato. Since his master was able to do this, as a servant, what could he say? Head Steward Liu worked hard to peel the potatoes. If he peeled more, then his master would have less work to do.


    Yu Xiaocao poked her head out of the kitchen and looked at the imperial bodyguards who were standing in a row at the entrance, like pirs. She boldly hollered at the young royal prince, ¡°Young Royal Prince, your subordinates have nothing to do so they might as well sit down and help us rub the kernels off the corn cobs! Look, not only in this courtyard, but there are also corn being dried in the adjacent courtyard. Since the weather is good these days, let¡¯s rub off all the kernels and dry them thoroughly, so that we can put them into bags as soon as possible.¡±


    Zhu Junyang red at Yu Xiaocao, who was being insatiable, and then waved his hands at the guards at the entrance. The leader of the imperial bodyguards, Wu Deshun, marched over and waited for his master¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Tell your brothers toe over and learn how to rub the kernels off the cob. It was difficult to get these corn back, so don¡¯t make any mistakes. Hurry up!¡± Zhu Junyang ordered expressionlessly.


    Wu Deshun secretly nced at the potato that his master was peeling in his hands and thought, ¡®Even Master was ordered to do work, so there was no way that we, the subordinates, can stay idle. There¡¯s no need to say anything. I need to quickly rub off the kernels.¡¯


    When Yu Xiaocao poked her head out of the kitchen again, a dozen or so imperial guards were sitting in the courtyard. They had strong hands, so when they rubbed the corncobs, only the sound of kernels falling down could be heard. Yu Xiaocao smiled so much that only her teeth could be seen. She shouted out towards that yard, ¡°Imperial bodyguard older brothers, thank you for the hard work! I¡¯ll add more food for your lunch ah! Little Shitou, go buy five catties of pork belly and ten catties of spareribs from the neighboring vige¡¯s Uncle Li. Little Fangping, go to Auntie Zhou¡¯s house and buy five cockerels, and then ask your older brother to help ughter them!¡±


    After receiving their tasks, the two little fellows put down the corn in their hands. Little Shitou ran into the room to get the money, gave his younger cousin a silver bit, and then they split up to aplish their tasks.


    Among the imperial bodyguards, Wu Deshun and two other guards had been to Dongshan Vige before. They knew that the little girl from the Yu Family was an excellent cook, and her cooking was much better than many of the famous restaurants in the capital. Thus, he smiled and said to his fellow brothers, ¡°Brothers, work hard! There will be a delicious meal at noon!¡±


    The other bodyguards didn¡¯t think too much of it. Wasn¡¯t it just pork belly, spareribs, and chicken? They frequently ate these at home. Even if the meals from peasant families were tasty, how special would it be?


    When a tantalizing fragrance drifted out of the kitchen, the imperial bodyguards couldn¡¯t stay calm anymore. They kept rubbing the corn in their hands, but their heads all looked towards the direction of the kitchen. Their eyes were all fixed in that direction, and they swallowed their saliva from time to time.


    Looking at his hopeless subordinates, Wu Deshun shook his head with a smile and freed a hand to rub his own tummy. So fragrant ah! It was so appetizing that the ¡®gluttonous bug¡¯ in his stomach was rebelling!


    As if there was someone dragging its tail, time slowly passed by. After waiting and yearning, it was finally time for lunch. The Yu Family took out stools and wooden boards and set up a simple dining table under the shed built for rubbing kernels. They also borrowed some chairs and stools from their neighbors. With a dozen or so imperial bodyguards and over ten members of the Yu Family together, the scene was quite spectacr, as if they were holding an all-day banquet.


    The imperial bodyguards sat in rows, and they all looked eagerly towards the kitchen. It was time to serve the dishes!


    It was indeed a potato feast! Braised potatoes, pan-fried potato bites, cumin baked potatoes, sliced potatoes saut¨¦ed with green pepper and tomato, saut¨¦ed spareribs with potatoes, braised pork with potatoes, sliced pork stir-fried with potatoes, sour and spicy shredded potatoes, sliced potatoes pot, shredded potatoes stir-fried with eggs... There were also French fries, potato chips, and mashed potatoes, which were the children¡¯s favorites, as well as their homemade ketchup. Even the staple food were made of potatoes, such as pan-fried potato pancake, shredded potato egg pancakes, and the delicious-smelling crispy potato pancakes¡ª¡ªsuch a sumptuous potato feast ah!


    They were all homemade dishes, but after all, potato was a new type of food and it was also very tasty. The guards rxed their cheeks and ate until their mouths were covered with grease. They couldn¡¯t stop eating!


    Her grandfather and oldest aunt¡¯s family, who sat at the same table as the young royal prince, didn¡¯t even know what to do with their arms and legs, let alone eat. Thus, Yu Xiaocao considerately set up a table for them in the West Courtyard and brought the dishes over.


    The Yu Family members were already used to eating at the same table as the royal prince. Although the royal prince didn¡¯t really smile a lot, he was quite a good person. He didn¡¯t put on airs, and he also didn¡¯t require them to follow formalities.


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, you should try my second sister¡¯s French fries. Dipping them in the ketchup, there is a sweet and sour taste. It¡¯s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It¡¯s very delicious!¡± Little Shitou held the French fries that his second sister specially ced in front of him and suggested Royal Prince Yang to try it.


    Zhu Junyang readily picked one up and dripped it into the ketchup. He put it into his mouth and carefully tasted it, and then slowly nodded to Little Shitou, who was looking at him expectantly, saying, ¡°Mhm, delicious!¡±


    Suddenly, as if he had found an ally, Little Shitou beamed with delight and said, ¡°If it¡¯s tasty, then you should eat more! With my second sister¡¯s cooking skills, she can make something different out of anything!¡±


    Zhu Junyang took a bite of the ¡®pan-fried potato bites¡¯. The freshly fried potatoes were crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside, and retained the purest vors of potatoes. It had a delicious smell, and with a bite, the tangy taste melted within one¡¯s mouth. It was indeed a simple and good taste that people couldn¡¯t easily give up on.


    ¡°Little Shitou, you can¡¯t just eat French fries and potato chips. These can only be considered snacks. If you want to grow as tall as the imperial bodyguard older brothers, you need to eat more proper meals!¡± Seeing that her younger brother was eating the French fries with relish, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but remind him.


    Little Shitou obediently nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll eat one more... Second Sister, when school starts, can you fry some French fries and potato chips for me to bring back? Little Fatty, Brother Jinye, and Situ definitely haven¡¯t eaten them before. I want to let them try it!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the young royal prince and said to Little Shitou, ¡°Of course! But, you have to exin to your friends the potatoes that our family eats were the ones that got damaged when being harvested. The potatoes can¡¯t be used as seeds!¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at her and said, ¡°No need to be so careful! With around a thousand catties of potatoes, this prince can still make the decision to give you some! In principle, these potatoes and corn are grown by your family, and thus belong to your family. When I gave the seeds to you, I made it clear that the imperial court will buy them ording to the price you set after they are grown. Have you guys decided on the price?¡±


    The Yu Family were very genuine and honest people. Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t concerned that they would set a high price at all. ¡®Mhm! These potatoes taste quite good and the cooking methods are also very simple. If they are poprized, themon people can learn them too!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang kept eating, but he also didn¡¯t forget to say to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°You should organize the cooking methods for potatoes, and it will be best if you write it down in a book. This prince will take it back when I go back to the capital next time!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grumbled, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you want to take my recipes with just a few words? You¡¯re not going to give me some benefits in return? Back then, when the emperor emeritus traveled incognito, he had spent three hundred taels to buy my recipes for pig head meat and braised food! My family is also continuously receiving money for the roasted chicken and roasted duck recipes that I sold to Zhenxiu Restaurant... Aiya, Mother, why did you hit me?¡±


    Madam Liu looked at the young royal prince¡¯s expression and pretended to hit her younger daughter again as she said, ¡°This child, is money the only thing you think about? The royal prince and the emperor got these high-yielding potatoes and corn so that themon people can fill their stomachs. You, on the other hand, had only done a small favor but still wants some benefit. Aren¡¯t you ashamed!¡±

 Chapter 284 – Disaster Relief

    <h4>Chapter 284 ¨C Disaster Relief</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao replied in a justified and confident manner, ¡°The emperor is doing it for the future of his country, and the young royal prince wants to sessfullyplete his task. What do you think I¡¯m doing this for? Aren¡¯t I doing this to earn more money so that my family can eat well, wear warm clothes, and not suffer from poverty? Our family has over ten mu of farnd, but we didn¡¯t even nt one mu of grain. Grains are really expensive right now ah! The locust gue hasn¡¯t ended yet. If we want to nt grain, we have to wait until at least the beginning of spring next year and harvest them in the summer. During this period of nearly one year, we would have to constantly purchase overpriced grain. Although our family has made some money, it¡¯s still not enough for our family to use it in this way for a year!¡±


    Madam Liu thought about the price for coarse grain in town, which had risen to over one hundred copper coins. Moreover, the price was inting day by day. It was already considered good if the food they hoarded couldst them until the autumn. Although these corn and potatoes were high-yielding crops, they didn¡¯t have any control over the disposition of them at all and had to hand them all to the imperial court. After hearing her younger daughter¡¯s words, the whole family became downcast, and the originally delicious potatoes turned tasteless in their mouths.


    Taking in everyone¡¯s expressions, Zhu Junyang ate a piece of potato from the braised pork dish, slowly swallowed it, and then said, ¡°It makes sense! But you missed a point!¡±


    ¡°Missed what?¡± After shouting, Yu Xiaocao felt relieved and started eating the ¡®sour and spicy shredded potatoes¡¯ in big mouthfuls. In her previous life, this dish was her favorite, and she would never be tired of eating it.


    ¡°You forgot that this prince is here!¡± Seeing that she was eating with relish, Zhu Junyang also grabbed some with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He continued, ¡°This prince never mistreats the people who works for me! Do you see the two carts of goods in the yard? One cart of white rice and one cart of wheat flour! There are at least two thousand catties. It should be enough for you guys to eat for a while, right?¡±


    The Yu Family members were stunned when they heard this. Over two thousand catties of fine grain ah! If each person ate fifteen catties of grain per month and there were currently twelve people in the family, they would need about two hundred catties of food each month. With two thousand catties, it would be enough for them to eat for more than half a year!


    ¡°Almighty Young Royal Prince!¡± Yu Xiaocao almost jumped up with joy and kissed him a few times on his face. However, she remembered that it was ancient times now. If she did that, it would be extremely shocking. It was better to keep a low profile!


    Zhu Junyang looked at the young girl, who had a fawning expression, snorted and said, ¡°The emperor personally bestowed this prince with the position of the Minister of Disaster Relief. The imperial court has already allocated money and food, and it will soon be distributed to all the prefectures. This prince has already checked. Tanggu Town is a serious disaster area, and we will prioritize providing disaster relief to the more severely affected regions.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao worriedly asked, ¡°But, the capital was also affected. How much food can the imperial treasury provide?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t something you need to worry about!¡± Zhu Junyang took another bite of the ¡®sour and spicy shredded potatoes¡¯ and had fallen in love with the taste of the sour and spicy food. He said, ¡°The fleet has already set sail. In these past two years, the weather has been good in the south and they have an abundant amount of grain. There will be enough food for the disaster relief!¡±


    After hearing this, the Yu Family finally felt relieved. They were very grateful for and had a lot of good words to say about the emperor, who loved his country and people.


    With more than a dozen freeborers, they finished rubbing off the kernels for all the corns in the Yu Residence and packed them in uniform-sized sacks in three days. In the ten mu ofnd, they harvested a total of nearly eighteen thousand catties of crops, which also meant that the average yield per mu was one thousand eight hundred catties.


    One must know that the current grain output was very low right, so a harvest of five hundred catties of wheat per mu was considered very high. What did it mean to have a yield of one thousand eight hundred catties per mu? For example, if the ie from one mu of farnd could support a family of two, then this one mu of farnd could support six or seven people! Just think about it, with such high-yielding crops, would they still have to worry about themon people not being able to fill their stomachs?


    After a discussion, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family decided to sell the potatoes and corn at the price of improved varieties. One catty of corn cost one hundred copper coins. Out of the eighteen thousand catties, Zhu Junyang only took fifteen thousand catties and left the remaining three thousand to the Yu Family as seeds and grain ration. In this way, the Yu Family received one thousand five hundred taels as ie with just corn alone. Potatoes were sold at the price of two hundred taels per catty, so five thousand catties of potatoes cost one thousand taels.


    To the present Yu Family, two thousand five hundred taels didn¡¯t mean muchpared with the dividends that Yu Xiaocao earned from Zhenxiu Restaurant. But, on second thought, it was definitely the first time in the Great Ming Dynasty that anyone had earned more than two thousand taels in one year for their harvest in eleven mu of farnd. Ahem, of course, that was with the exception of the Yu Family¡¯s early-maturing watermelons.


    Right now, besides the two thousand catties of fine grain that the young royal prince brought over, the Yu Family also had three thousand catties of corn and six to seven hundred catties of potatoes. In addition, they also had the grain that they hoarded in the storage room. Yu Xiaocao no longer had to worry about losing the money in her hands due to buying high-priced grain.


    The Yu Family¡¯s corn and potatoes weren¡¯t affected by the disaster, and they still had a good harvest. Moreover, there was a high yield too! Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. After hastily arranging the matters of the disaster relief, he took a few carts of corn and potatoes back to the capital to receive his reward for aplishing his task!!


    The food for the disaster relief arrived in the Jinwei Prefectural City three dayster. The prefectural magistrate knew that the Minister of Disaster Relief, Royal Prince Yang, was in Tanggu Town, so he naturally sent the grain to Tanggu Town first. Five dayster, a cart of food for disaster relief arrived at the county yamen in Tanggu Town.


    County Magistrate Zhao was also born from a poor family, so he could deeply understand what natural disasters meant to themon people. He worked tirelessly with the officials sent by Royal Prince Yang to distribute the food for the disaster relief to every vige. In particr, the four viges that were more seriously affected receivedrger portions of food. Dongshan Vige was one of them.


    On this day, the bronze bell of Dongshan Vige rang again. The vigers all gathered at the open space in front of the vige head¡¯s house. Clearing away the previously dreary atmosphere, everyone was beaming with joy.


    County Magistrate Zhao personally took care of distributing grain in Dongshan Vige. Several days ago, the Minister of Disaster Relief, Royal Prince Yang, went to Dongshan Vige everyday to investigate the situation of the disaster. But, how could County Magistrate Zhao not know the importance of Dongshan Vige¡¯s Yu Family to Royal Prince Yang? If the disaster relief in Dongshan Vige was arranged properly, then he would havepleted most of his work!


    The vige head couldn¡¯t stop smiling as he shouted to the vigers, ¡°His Majesty is a brilliant ruler who cares and sympathizes for the people in the disaster-stricken areas. He sent us food and solved our urgent needs. His Majesty is indeed an excellent emperor who loves the people as his own child! Long live the Emperor!!¡±


    As he spoke, he knelt down in the direction of the capital and seriously kowtowed three times. The vigers also followed the vige head and kowtowed three times while shouting, ¡°Long live the Emperor!¡±


    The vige chief tottered as he got up. He looked at the vigers and said, ¡°The first batch of food for the disaster relief has arrived. After deliberation by the upright Magistrate Zhao and the disaster relief official from the capital, the food will be distributed based on each individual. Adults will each receive fifteen catties of grain, while children will get ten catties of grain each. A half-grown child will eat more than his parents can afford, so those over the age of thirteen are counted as adults!¡±


    The vigers instantly burst into cheers. Each person could get fifteen catties of grain. If they consumed it sparingly, then they would have enough to eat for two months! If they bought it in town right now, they wouldn¡¯t be able to buy fifteen catties of grain without spending at least two or three taels! Although the vigers of Dongshan Vige had some savings in the past two years, they still couldn¡¯t afford to squander their money on such expensive food ah!


    The vige chief asked County Magistrate Zhao, ¡°Magistrate Zhao, do you have anything else to say?¡±


    County Magistrate Zhao stood up and scanned over the vigers with his burning gaze. The originally whispering voices soon quieted down. County Magistrate Zhao nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°Vigers! The difficulty is only temporary, and the disaster will eventually pass! The imperial court attaches great importance to the disaster relief and sent Royal Prince Yang as an imperial envoy to supervise the matters regarding the disaster relief! Vigers, you don¡¯t have to worry. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s fleet, which had traveled to the western hemisphere, has already gone to the south to buy grain. Royal Prince Yang has said that the grain that they bring back will be sold to themon people at the capital cost, and they will not earn a single copper coin from it! If we persist for two more months, we will be able to put the low-priced grain on the market. Those profiteers, who privately raised the price of grain to make huge profits, won¡¯tst long!¡±


    When the vigers heard this, they gave another thunderous cheer. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s prestige reached an unprecedented height in Dongshan Vige.


    The vige head was also very excited, but he forced himself to suppress the exhration within his heart. He calmed the vigers, ¡°Fellow vigers, we are fortunate to have a good emperor and good officials ah! Now, everyone can line up to receive food! Don¡¯t fight and don¡¯t rob! There¡¯s enough for everyone! The elderly and children in one line, and adults in another! Everyone hurry home and get your utensils!¡±


    The vigers dispersed, and the Yu Family was also among them. Originally, Yu Hai didn¡¯t think that they should take the food from the disaster relief. However, they were also afraid that it would be too eye-catching if they didn¡¯t, and it would cause certain people to pay attention to them! Each adult received fifteen catties of grain, so if they persisted for two months, it could only guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t starve. It was impossible to fill up one¡¯s stomach!


    If the Yu Family didn¡¯t go get food, wouldn¡¯t that be telling the other vigers that ¡®I have food in my hands¡¯. When the time came, different families would be asking to borrow several catties of grain. As fellow vigers, would it really be possible for them to only lend grain to certain families? There were more than thirty households in Dongshan Vige, so no matter how much food they had, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough for them to lend out ah!


    After deliberation, the Yu Family decided that it was better to keep a low profile. They went home to get baskets and sacks, and then returned to the open space in front of the vige head¡¯s house. At this time, the food distribution had already started, and there were two long, crooked lines!


    The twin sisters took their younger brother, Little Shitou, and Liu Yaner led her younger brother Liu Fangping, and followed behind Old Yu to queue in the line for the elderly and children. Yu Hang hesitated on the side. His nominal age[1] was thirteen, but in actuality, his twelfth birthday hadn¡¯t passed yet. Would people say something if he stood in the adult line? After briefly thinking about it, he went to the children¡¯s line and lined up behind his younger sisters.


    Beside them, a viger couldn¡¯t help but praise, ¡°Dahai¡¯s family really knows how to teach their children. Xiaosha (Yu Hang¡¯s nickname) is really an honest and good child!¡±


    There were also people who disagreed. That person pursed his lips and said, ¡°We¡¯re about to starve to death, so who still cares about being honest? It¡¯s five catties of grain less for a person ah! Five catties of grain are enough for a family to eat for several days!¡±


    The others turned silent. In times of natural disaster, nothing was as important as survival.


    People from the yamen were responsible for distributing the food. The utensil in their hands was called a dipper. Using the dipper, when they scooped out grain from the cart and ttened it with a board, it would be fifteen catties. On the elderly and children¡¯s side, they also specially made a smaller dipper, which scooped out ten catties. In this way, the speed of food distribution greatly increased since each person received one scoop.

 Chapter 285 – Dirty Trick

    <h4>Chapter 285 ¨C Dirty Trick</h4>


    It was soon the Yu Family¡¯s turn, and Yu Hai let his older sister and brother-inw go ahead of him. When the people from the yamen was filling the grain for Yu Caifeng, a sharp voice suddenly sounded, ¡°Can a married daughter also take the food for the disaster relief?¡±


    Magistrate Zhao, who happened to walk by for inspection, heard this and said with a frown, ¡°If she married someone in this vige and their household registration belongs to Dongshan Vige, then of course, she can receive food from the disaster relief.¡±


    The Yu Family looked towards the voice and found that it was Li Guihua, who was gluttonous andzy and liked to cause trouble for others. With a hand on her waist, she pointed at Yu Caifeng, who was getting grain, and spluttered, ¡°Yu Caifeng married out of the vige, all the way to the northeast. Everyone in the vige knows about this matter. She fled to Dongshan Vige in spring. Can she be counted as a part of Dongshan Vige?¡±


    Li Guihua was harming others without benefitting herself. It wasn¡¯t like she would be able to get an extra catty of grain if Yu Caifeng couldn¡¯t get any of the food. Even if Yu Caifeng got the grain, it still wouldn¡¯t affect how much grain she would receive. What did food mean during a year of famine? They were all precious living lives ah! Li Guihua stopping others from getting food was no different from killing others for money ah! What grudge and enmity did she have with Yu Caifeng for her to be so vicious?


    The vigers of Dongshan Vige all looked at Li Guihua withplicated gazes. This woman was a poisonous snake that might suddenly jump out and bite people. When they returned home, they must tell their wives to stay far away from people like her.


    The vige head, who was busily helping to distribute the grain, pulled a long face and scolded her, ¡°Li Guihua, just go and get your food. Why are you talking so much?¡±


    Shaking the fat on her body, Madam Li smiled at the county magistrate and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t I helping my lord, the magistrate, pick out the people who are trying to take advantage of the situation? The food distributed by the imperial court can¡¯t be taken by these random people! Vige Chief, you can¡¯t shield the Yu Family just because you¡¯re close with them ah!¡±


    Madam Li¡¯s heart was full of resentment towards Yu Hai¡¯s family. Liu Hu was an outsider with a different surname, yet he took him in, supported his family with food, and let them live in a brick and tiled-roof house. He also helped them build a house, while telling others that it was built with the money that Liu Hu earned himself. In the past half a year, besides selling watermelons outside of the vige, when did Liu Hu ever go out to make money?


    Yu Hai would rather help an outsider than do small favors for Yu Dashan. Allegedly, Yu Hai¡¯s family ate meat and fine grain every day. She, on the other hand, could only eat the little coarse grain and tbread given by her mother-inw. Her maternal brothers were also bing annoyed with her going home to take things. Her older sister-inw, in particr, always made harsh remarks. She was bringing back less and less food each time, which wasn¡¯t enough for her to eat at all. The feeling of hunger was so unbearable, and she even dropped down a size!


    After Old Yu divorced Madam Zhang, Madam Li repeatedly mored about dividing the family. However, Madam Zhang threatened that they would have to leave empty-handed. With Madam Zhang, they could at least eat something every day. If they really left the house with nothing, then they would need to do everything themselves. Madam Zhang still had several hundred taels in her hands, so she couldn¡¯t just readily give it all to that good-for-nothing Yu Bo. There was also another advantage of not splitting from the family. If Yu Bo passed the examination to be an official, her family could also benefit.


    But, every time she saw Old Yu, who had a ruddy and healthyplexion from being nourished, Madam Li couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. Exactly how much money did Yu Hai¡¯s family have? They were able to restore a nearly dying person¡¯s body to be even more hearty than before he had gotten ill. She didn¡¯t get any of these benefits at all. There was no way that she would be satisfied without causing some trouble for them. With such a rare chance, Madam Li immediately jumped out.


    County Magistrate Zhao looked doubtfully at the vige head and raised his voice, asking, ¡°Vige Chief, what is going on?¡±


    The vige head was so angry that his face had turned into the color of pig liver, vividly purple. He couldn¡¯t argue with this woman, so he could only re angrily at Madam Li and exined to County Magistrate Zhao, ¡°My Lord, don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. Although Yu Caifeng¡¯s family escaped to Dongshan Vige, they have already transferred their household registration to Dongshan Vige and settled down in the vige. I personally took them to the yamen toplete the formalities. If you don¡¯t believe me, I can have Yu Caifeng bring the household registration over for you to see.¡±


    After hearing the exnation, County Magistrate Zhao¡¯s expression somewhat softened. He nodded and said, ¡°Mhm! Bring the household registration over and show it to the vigers on the spot, so that no one will talk behind their backs!¡±


    Liu Junping stepped forward and said, ¡°My Lord, Vige Chief, I¡¯m quick on my feet. I¡¯ll go get it!¡±


    Yu Caifeng gave the key to the cab in the room to her eldest son and reminded him again. Liu Junping red angrily at Madam Li with a ruthless gaze, and then ran towards the old residence with the fastest speed.


    Yu Caifeng was afraid of dying the progress of the food distribution, so she stepped aside and let the vigers behind her go first. The matron smiled at her and said, ¡°Caifeng, we¡¯re all from the same vige, so everyone knows each other very well. We all believe in you!¡±


    Someone in the line whispered, ¡°This Madam Li has such a vicious heart ah! The food belongs to the government and has nothing to do with her, but she jumped out to report her own older sister-inw! How did she offend her?¡±


    Another person smirked and said, ¡°Husband¡¯s older sister? That Yu Dashan was brought here by Madam Zhang when she got remarried. He has no blood rtionship with Caifeng. Besides, Old Yu has already gotten a peaceful separation with Madam Zhang. Yu Dashan has nothing to do with Dahai and Caifeng now!¡±


    ¡°Madam Li and Madam Zhang are truly one family; they both have such cruel hearts. Old Yu is fortunate to have a real son like Dahai, otherwise he would have been dead a long time ago!¡±


    ¡°With Madam Zhang¡¯s stingy attitude, she might not even prepare a coffin for him. She will probably just roll him up in a straw mat, dig a pit, and throw him in! Ay! This Madam Zhang isn¡¯t even afraid of getting retribution!¡±


    While the vigers discussed in low voices, Liu Junping had retrieved his family¡¯s household registration certificate. Dongshan Vige was clearly written on the neatly folded household registration. Although there were a lot of refugees in Tanggu Town at that time, the people at the yamen took into consideration that Yu Hai¡¯s family was adoptive rtives of the imperial envoy and highly valued by Royal Prince Yang, and swiftlypleted the process. They didn¡¯t even take the ¡®thank you¡¯ money that Yu Hai offered.


    Facts spoke louder than words, and thus certain people with malicious intentions finally stopped. Under scornful looks of the public, Madam Li timidly avoided everyone¡¯s gazes. After she got the food, she quickly ran away as if she was being chased by a wolf.


    Besides this small incident, the food distribution went very smoothly. With six adults and six children, the Yu Family received a total of one hundred fifty catties of grain, which would be enough for them to eat for a month. However, the food that they received was mostly coarse grain. If they added around one ounce every time Xiaocao made steamed buns or pancakes, it would take a long time for them to finish it.


    With theirrge umtion of grain at home, the Yu Family felt a sense of security in this disaster year. The vegetables harvested from the garden in the yard had all been dried. At present, the only w was that they couldn¡¯t eat fresh vegetables. Yu Xiaocao thought about it. Since mystic-stone water could kill locusts, was there anything she could do with it?


    That¡¯s right! In her past life, didn¡¯t they terminate bugs with pesticides? Could they use herbs to develop a slightly toxic and vtile solution as a cover for her mystic-stone water?


    One day, Yu Xiaocao rode her little red horse to Tongren Medicine Hall to find Doctor Sun and told him about her idea. He was very interested in it, so the two of them worked together and really developed a liquid that had the effect of insect repellent! But, without mystic-stone water, the solution was a lot less effective!


    Because the solution was made of herbal medicine, the price was rtively high and not everyone could afford it. Hence, it was unlikely for it to be poprized. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s real purpose of making this solution was for it to act as a cover for the mystic-stone water.


    After creating the pesticide, Yu Xiaocao bought a lot of medicinal herbs from Tongren Medicine Hall and started busily working when she got home. When the Yu Family heard that the pesticide was costly but effective for killing the locusts, they immediately became full of energy again.


    They had long plowed thend in the courtyard. In the front and back yards of the East Courtyard, they had sowed seeds of green vegetables with short-term growth periods. In the West Courtyard, they nted autumn vegetables like cabbage and radish.


    Yu Xiaocao went to the cksmith in town and made some watering cans. The watering cans were filled with pesticide mixed with mystic-stone water, which needed to be used to irrigate the crops every day.


    Although the little divine stone¡¯s mystic-stone water was good for animals and crops, it needed to be used with moderation. For example, the two little wolves that her family raised could bear one percent concentration of mystic-stone water. If the concentration was higher, it would be harmful to their bodies. If they consumed pure mystic-stone water, they would die due to the overload of spiritual power. The concentration that locusts could bear was even lower, which meant that they only needed to use a few drops of mystic-stone water every day to kill the locusts!


    Crops had a higher tolerance for mystic-stone water. A higher concentration of mystic-stone water could elerate the growth of crops. It also left a slight amount of spiritual power in the crops, which was beneficial to the human body. This was also one of the reasons why the Yu Family never had to worry about the sales of their vegetables despite being more expensive than others.


    The nted vegetables seeds soon sprouted tender buds, and the locusts naturally wouldn¡¯t give up on such delicious food. However, the scent that the pesticides emitted caused most of the locusts to make a detour. asionally, a few locusts would fall down and die because they couldn¡¯t bear that spiritual energy in the mystic-stone water. Every day, the children of the Yu Family could pick up many dead locusts from the ground.


    Yu Xiaocao thought that it was a pity to throw away the locusts, so she bought more than thirty recently hatched chicks from Auntie Zhou. Zhou Shanhu was very curious about it and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, people don¡¯t have enough to eat in times of famine. Where are you going to get food to eat the chicks? For my family, we can sell the grown chickens for money. As for those half-grown chicks, my parents are worried about what to do with them...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Our family has a lot of kids. Every day, we can go up the mountains to catch a lot of bugs back. In addition, we also have the corn leaves and sweet potato leaves that we collected. It should be enough to raise the chickens. If we don¡¯t have food in the winter, we can ughter them to eat.¡±


    As a result, Liu Junping led the children of the Yu Family to go around and catch locusts. After catching the locusts, they froze them in the icehouse. Every day, the Yu Family would make several barrels of ice to replenish the ice that melted in the cer. Besides ice, the fifty or sixty square meters cer was filled with baskets of locusts. They could probably raise thirty more chickens, let alone the mere thirty chickens.


    They sundried the locusts that died in the cer, ground them into powder, and mixed them in the chaffs. The chicks were very fond of eating it, and they grew even faster than when they were only fed grain.

 Chapter 286 – Delivering Grain

    <h4>Chapter 286 ¨C Delivering Grain</h4>


    The imperial court had sent the relief in a timely manner. Although the people in the disaster area had to go through some hard times, they were able to maintain their daily lifestyles. There didn¡¯t seem to be people leaving their homes to flee the cmity. Themon people were very grateful to the imperial court, and many people set up longevity ques for the emperor.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandfather¡¯s family lived on the west side of the West Mountain, which was separated from Dongshan Vige by the West Mountain. There was a rugged path in the mountain that led directly to Xishan Vige. Although the path was about half as long as the official road, it was difficult to travel on the mountain road, and asionally there would be wild animals hurting people.


    The Yu Family had enough food to eat until the beginning of spring when the crops were ready to be reaped, so they weren¡¯t worried about not having enough to eat. Madam Liu finally felt relieved, but now she was concerned about whether the fifteen members of her maternal family had enough to eat and if they would starve.


    After Madam Liu mentioned for the nth time about her concern for her maternal family, Yu Hai decided, ¡°Since you¡¯re so worried, let¡¯s send some grain over then! As children and grandchildren, it¡¯s not right for us to eatvishly while our parents and siblings starve!¡±


    They couldn¡¯t grow grain because of the locust gue. Except for Liu Hu, who went to work as a stevedore at the docks, most of the family just idled at home. Old Yu took several of the children to gather seafood at the beach and Yu Xiaolian sold starch jelly at the docks. The ingredient for making starch jelly was the dried red marine algae that they hoardedst year. Due to the high price of grain, they couldn¡¯t sell cold noodles!


    The reason was very simple. A bowl of cold noodles usually cost five copper coins, but the price of grain had soared to the sky-high price of thirty or fifty times more than usual. If they set a low price for cold noodles, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to make any profit. If they raised the price, who could afford to eat it? Fortunately, they still had a lot of the red marine algae that they collectedst year. They should have enough to sell for two to three months. However, they needed to slightly raise the price for starch jelly, which cost five copper coins a bowl now. The business at the docks wasn¡¯t as good asst year¡¯s, but there was still some profit every day. Thus, Yu Xiaolian naturally wouldn¡¯t give up on it.


    Now, the busiest members of the family were Yu Xiaolian and Yu Hang. They both had their own businesses to take care of. Everyone else was just idling at home and tending the several mu of garden in the yard.


    Madam Liu handed the task of spraying pesticide on the vegetable garden to her older sister-inw, Yu Caifeng. Yu Hai loaded ten sacks of grain onto the horse carriage, and each sack contained around fifty catties of grain. Madam Liu was very moved when she saw this. Her maternal nephews and nieces were all grown and ate the same amount as adults. With just the food from the disaster relief, it would be considered pretty good if they were half full! She didn¡¯t know when the average-priced grain that the officials mentioned would arrive, so she couldn¡¯t just watch her maternal family starve without doing anything ah!


    No matter how much food they had at home, it was food that the Yu Family earned with their own capabilities. No one would say anything even if they didn¡¯t give the Liu Family any. After all, food was the most important during famine. She had only briefly mentioned, but her husband had gotten a cart full of grain for her to take back to her maternal family. How could Madam Liu not be moved within her heart?


    ¡°Mother, I have never been to Maternal Grandfather¡¯s house ah. Can you take me along so I can see which house it is?¡± Before Yu Xiaocao transmigrated over, she was bedridden every day and couldn¡¯t go anywhere. After splitting from the main family, for one reason or another, she had never gone to Xishan Vige. She had been very bored at home these past two days. When she heard that there was a chance to go out, she quickly asked to go along.


    Little Shitou also rushed out of his room and shouted, ¡°I want to go, too! I want to go, too!¡±


    Yu Hai chuckled and said, ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s all go together!¡±


    Madam Liu rolled her eyes and said, ¡°You ah, you¡¯re always spoiling them!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took out the grasshopper sauce from the cer, and brought a bag of the biscuits that she made yesterday, as well as her homemade cured meat and dried duck. These gifts were absolutely presentable!


    The grain on the horse cart was covered by straw thatches and corn stalks. Yu Xiaocao and Little Shitou climbed to the top of the grain and sat on it. Madam Liu sat on the shaft, while Yu Hai drove the cart. The four members of the family traveled on the newly built road at the foot of the West Mountains and headed in the direction of the official road.


    Originally, from the Yu Family¡¯s old residence, they had to travel across the entire vige to go out. Later, when Imperial Prince Jing was building his mountain manor in the West Mountain, he specially opened a road, which just happened to pass by the gates of the Yu Residence. It went around the vige and led directly to the official road, saving a lot of traveling time.


    The gossiping matrons in the vige saw a horse carting out of the Yu Residence from afar, and it was full of unknown goods. Madam Xiong, who was the most garrulous one, said to Madam Li, ¡°Your brother-inw just drove a cart of goods somewhere. Madam Liu also went with him, are they delivering grain to her maternal family?¡±


    Madam Li¡¯s rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Who is my brother-inw? Yu Bo is my only brother-inw. He is currently studying in the prefectural city and waiting to take the county-level exams next year!¡±


    Another woman, who disliked her, smirked and said, That¡¯s right. You guys have already severed rtionships with Uncle Yu, so you¡¯re no longer one family. Brother Dahai would rather subsidize his inws than give you guys anything!¡±


    Madam Liu red at her, but when she saw that the person in front of her a matron who was good at fighting, she turned cowardly again, ¡°Calling him ¡®Brother Dahai¡¯, you seem quite close ah. It¡¯s a pity that no matter how much you fawn on them, they won¡¯t give you even one granule of grain.¡±


    The matron curled up her lips again and said, ¡°I¡¯m not like a certain someone, who is gluttonous andzy and also being oppressed by her mother-inw. My family collected all our sweet potatoes before the disaster, and with the food from the disaster relief, we definitely have enough to eat for three to five months. It¡¯s so sad that some people can¡¯t even eat the food that they have received ah!¡±


    Hearing this, the rage in Madam Li¡¯s heart red up, but she couldn¡¯t find a way to vent. Why was she able toe out to gossip with others today? It was because her mother-inw wasn¡¯t home. She had gone to the prefectural city to send food and money to her precious son.


    All the grain that she brought home was locked in the cab by her mother-inw. She was going to be away for three days, but only left three catties of food for them. There were two adults and one half-grown boy at home, so three catties of grain wasn¡¯t even enough to eat for a day!


    Madam Li keptining to her husband about how her mother-inw had given all the food that they received to her younger brother-inw. Madam Li had even gotten in a big fight with Madam Zhang regarding this. However, she wasn¡¯t good enough to be Madam Zhang¡¯s opponent. She became more well-behaved after being punished to go hungry for a meal.


    The matron saying this was equivalent to rubbing salt on her wound. Madam Li instantly stood up with widened eyes. She was about to let out a series of curses when she saw the matron rolling up her sleeves as if saying ¡®if you dare to scold me, then I¡¯ll p you silly¡¯. Seeing this, she immediately deted like a balloon. She red angrily at the matron. If shooting daggers from the eyes could kill people, then that matron would have already died countless times. With a humph, Madam Li patted her bottoms and went home!


    Madam Xiong sourly said, ¡°Yu Hai¡¯s family have made a lot of money in the past two years. Before the disaster, I saw them buying grain from town. There must be no shortage of food at their house! That horse cart is definitely loaded with grain and seems like they¡¯re heading in the direction of Xishan Vige. Ay! This Yu Hai is so generous to send a full cart of grain. The Liu Family of Xishan Vige is so fortunate. They are blessed with several hundred catties of grain by just sitting at home and doing nothing. Why doesn¡¯t my family have such rich rtives ah?¡±


    The matron, who was at odds with Madam Li, couldn¡¯t stand Madam Xiong¡¯s way of conduct. She stood up and prepared to leave, ¡°What¡¯s the point in saying so much? It¡¯s no one¡¯s business who they send food to. No matter how much we talk about it, it still won¡¯t have anything to do with us. I¡¯m going to help our head of the household to dig for spoon worms. In a day, we can earn enough money to buy salt! It¡¯s better than sitting here and waiting for a pie-in-the-sky!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s family didn¡¯t know that people were talking about them, and hurriedly drove the cart all the way to Xishan Vige. There were almost no pedestrians on the road. Those who could find work had already gone to work, while those who couldn¡¯t all stayed at home. By minimizing their activities, they could consume less food.


    The family set out ratherte, and the horse cart didn¡¯t move very quickly because it was pulling several hundred catties of grain. Despite only having a difference of a single character, Xishan Vige and Dongshan Vige were vastly different! First of all, there wasn¡¯t any prince building a mountain manor in Xishan Vige and repairing the road for them. Thus, after getting off the official road, there was a section of road that was full of bumps and hollows, which was very troublesome.


    In addition, Xishan Vige wasn¡¯t close to the sea. Unlike the vigers of Dongshan Vige, they couldn¡¯t gather seafood in their spare time and sell them for money. However, Xishan Vige had more good farnd. Besides growing sweet potatoes in the wastnd on the mountains, wheat was grown in all the fields.


    The locust gue had caused great losses for Xishan Vige. The wheat could have been harvested soon, but all of it had been destroyed by the locusts. The sweet potatoes were buried in the ground, so they could more or less reap some of them.


    The Liu Family had ten or so good farnd, and there was no harvest of wheat at all. They only nted five mu of sweet potatoes. Before the disaster, they had heard the news from the Yu Family. Under the lead of their father, the three brothers of the Liu Family quickly reaped all of their sweet potatoes and worked around the clock to cut their several mu of wheat fields. Although the wheat had not matured, it was in thest stage of grouting. After roasting green wheat with fire and rubbing the grain out, it could be eaten.


    The four members of Yu Hai¡¯s family arrived at the gates of the Liu Residence, the whole family were sitting in the yard and rubbing grain out of wheat!


    ¡°Father¡ª¡ª¡± Seeing that her father had more white hair on his head, Madam Liu felt tears rise and she couldn¡¯t help but call out.


    Liu Zhimin, the thirteen year old son of Xiaoaco¡¯s third maternal uncle Liu Hao, raised his head and eximed in surprise, ¡°Younger Aunt! Grandfather, Younger Aunt came!!¡±


    Liu Cuijin looked up and saw his daughter standing at the entrance with reddened eyes. He hastily stood up and greeted, ¡°Lass Yun, why did youe? Is it because you don¡¯t have enough food to eat? Our family harvested a lot of green wheat, so take some back for emergency use!¡±


    When Madam Liu heard this, she burst into tears. She was the youngest in the family [1] and the only daughter. Since childhood, she had been favored by her parents and pampered by her three older brothers. Before she got married, she had lived without any worries.


    When she got married, her family gave her a lot of dowry, which had all been confiscated by Madam Zhang with the excuse that she would keep them until they separated from the family. After that, she never saw her dowry again.


    After she got married, she lived a hard life and would asionallyin to her maternal family. With a lot of people in the family and rtively littlend, her maternal family wasn¡¯t very well-off. But, every year, they would save some money and food from the little resources that they had and send them to her. Unfortunately, she failed to put up a fight, and all the money and food were taken by Madam Zhang.


    When they separated from the main family, it was the most difficult time for her family. It was her elderly parents, brothers, and sisters-inw who helped them repair their house, sent them food, and gave her money for daily necessities. They were the ones who helped her family ovee their most difficult time.

 Chapter 287 – Maternal Relatives

    <h4>Chapter 287 ¨C Maternal Rtives</h4>


    The first thing her father thought when he saw her was whether or not shecked food to eat. He even took out arge amount of grain from his own family to give to her. How was she supposed to hold back her tears of gratitude?


    Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother, Madam Yao, immediately became anxious when she saw her daughter cry silently, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s going on? Tell us ah! No matter what it is, as long as we work together, we can all survive these hard times!¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s older sister-inw, Madam Han, also came over and looked at her with concern. Madam Liu wiped her eyes and a smile crept out as sheughed, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just missed all of you. I came over to see how you were all doing and if you needed any grain!¡±


    When Liu Cunjin heard that his daughter was doing fine, he immediately rxed a lot. He chuckled, ¡°We¡¯re fine, we¡¯re fine! We got your message and managed to hastily harvest a lot of green wheat. We got around a few dozen catties of grain from each mu. Added on to the disaster relief grain that the court sent over, we have enough tost us a few months. How¡¯s your family? Did the corn and other crops get ruined by the locusts ah?¡±


    Madam Yao gave her husband an exasperated look and said, ¡°Do the two of you just n on chatting here the entire time? Stop blocking the gate ah and let our daughtere sit inside!¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, Grandfather!¡± Little Shitou was on top of the grain sacks and was just carried down. He immediately ran through the gate and hollered his greetings to Liu Cunjin and his wife.


    Yu Xiaocao was right behind him and also greeted her two elders. Then she also faced the courtyard where Madam Han and Madam Bian were standing and greeted them, ¡°Eldest Maternal Aunt, Third Maternal Aunt...¡±


    Madam Yao happily hugged Little Shitou into her arms and then freed a hand to rub Xiaocao¡¯s head. She grinned until her eyes squinted up and said, ¡°Oh! Our Xiaocao and Shitou also came over ah? Look at your little faces, all red from being under the sun. Come, go into the house, Grandmother will give you some sugar water to drink!¡±


    Little Shitou perceptively replied, ¡°No need, Grandmother, we¡¯re not thirsty! Let me help you rub the green wheat, okay?¡± As he talked, he picked up a shaft of wheat from where Madam Yao was previously sitting and started to rub it between his hands.


    Madam Yao hurriedly restrained him, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t hurt your hand from rubbing wheat! Our Shitou¡¯s hands are used for writing and learning. If they get injured, how will you be able toplete your homework that the teacher assigns?¡±


    Yu Hai, who was outside, was currently unloading the cart. The Liu Family¡¯s neighbors heard the noise and came out to look. When they saw the cart full of grain, they were so envious that their eyes turned red.


    ¡°Everyone says that Old Liu¡¯s daughter has hit the jackpot! As expected, look, look! Grain is so expensive right now, yet they sent a whole cart¡¯s worth!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! This cart of grain must have around four to five hundred catties, right? If they eat it carefully, I¡¯m sure Old Liu¡¯s family couldst a few months!¡±


    ¡°In the past you evenughed at Old Liu because his daughter had married a poor man and had a stern mother-inw. She likely had a difficult time! Old Liu¡¯s family had spent a lot subsidizing this daughter who had married out already. Now look at them. If they had known earlier that their son-inw would gain a fortune, then they wouldn¡¯t be at a loss even if they gave more in the past ah!¡±


    ¡°Obviously! This cart of grain must be worth around dozens of taels now ah! Hasn¡¯t Uncle Liu already earned back everything he sent out before?¡±


    Under the jealous and envious gazes of the neighbors, Yu Hai hauled a sack of flour on his shoulders and went into the courtyard. Liu Cunjin had been preupied with his daughter ever since she came back and only now realized that his son-inw was outside. When he saw him bring in the grain, Liu Cunjin frowned and said, ¡°Visiting is one thing! Why do you need to bring grain over? Is my family so poor that we can¡¯t even supply a meal to my daughter and son-inw?¡±


    Madam Liu hurriedly interjected for her husband, ¡°Father, that¡¯s not what we¡¯re trying to imply at all! We had stored up a lot of grain in the past and then the royal prince also gave us two carts full of grain. Our family can¡¯t finish the food, so we brought some over for you all.¡±


    Liu Cunjin continued to look displeased as he said, ¡°We¡¯re in the midst of a disaster year so having more grain stockpiled is a good thing! The locusts will only freeze to death when it¡¯s winter, so we won¡¯t be able to nt anything in the ground until next spring. How much grain does your family have? How could you all possibly not be able to finish it all? Quickly take the grain back!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hastily stepped in, ¡°Grandfather, don¡¯t worry about us! Let me tell you a secret. The young royal prince gave us two thousand catties of grain and we also managed to harvest three thousand catties of corn. Even if we ate until we were bloated every day, we wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the grain in one year!¡±


    Little Shitou also spoke up, ¡°Second Sister also managed to create a pesticide that¡¯s able to kill and expel locusts. Our family¡¯s courtyard is now nted again with a lot of green vegetables, and they¡¯re this tall now!¡± Little Shitou used his hands to gesture.


    Madam Yao reacted in delighted surprise, ¡°A pesticide that can kill locusts? Then can¡¯t we nt some soybeans now?¡±


    Liu Cunjin thought more thoroughly than his wife and quietly asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, is it expensive to make this pesticide? How much would it cost to use enough pesticide to cover one mu?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at her maternal grandmother, who was somewhat excited, and quietly replied, ¡°There are two ingredients in this pesticide that are quite expensive. It takes at least five taels to make a catty of pesticide, which is enough to cover four to five mu!¡±


    When Xiaocao¡¯s grandmother found out that one mu required one tael¡¯s worth of pesticide, she immediately backed off and said, ¡°A mu of soybeans can only be sold for a couple hundred copper coins. No point in using this pesticide, we¡¯d end up losing more than we gained ah! This business ispletely not worth it!¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoughed, ¡°We can¡¯t afford to nt too much but we can still nt a few autumn vegetables and other crops. That way we¡¯ll at least have vegetables to eate winter. Grandmother, Grandfather, I brought over a pitcher of pesticide over for you. You can take a few drops out every day and dilute it in water and use that to water the nts. I guarantee that all of the locusts thate over will die in spades!¡±


    Madam Han¡¯s youngest daughter, Liu Feiyan, eximed in admiration as she looked at the pitcher in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands. She then quietly said, ¡°Is it that powerful? Mother, can we go prepare the vegetable gardens now? The earlier it¡¯s done, the faster we¡¯ll be able to nt vegetable seeds.¡±


    Madam Bian, who had a gentle and sweet personality, lightly shook her head, ¡°We can¡¯t nt them in our vegetable garden! Just think, no one else is able to grow food at this point. If our family is able to, we¡¯d end up attracting thieves. In my opinion, we should prepare the rear courtyard and nt some radishes and cabbage. With the addition of our dried vegetables, we should be able to get through winter!¡±


    Second Maternal Uncle¡¯s youngest daughter, Liu Feiyan, blinked herrge eyes and said, ¡°Anyway, all of our chickens were ughtered earlier, so we should tear down the chicken fence and nt some green vegetables there. That way we¡¯ll have green vegetables to eat during autumn!¡±


    Eldest Maternal Uncle, Second Maternal Aunt, Youngest Maternal Uncle and Second Maternal Uncle¡¯s eldest son, Liu Zhiwei, were all out working and not at home. Other than the people who were missing, the rest of the Liu Family surrounded Xiaocao and started a lively discussion on what vegetables they should nt.


    Madam Yao pushed aside some people and rescued Xiaocao from within. She rebuked them all with a smile, ¡°Whatever you all need to do, go do it now! We can all discuss what vegetables we need to nt in the evening! Cao¡¯er,e inside with Grandmother so you can wash your face with some nice cool water!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s two maternal aunts took their children back to where they were previously sitting and continued to rub the green wheat. Second Maternal Uncle, Liu Han, went along with Yu Hai and carried all of the grain from the cart into the family¡¯s cer. Liu Cunjin and his wife watched them as they repeatedly said, ¡°Why did you give us so much grain? You¡¯re not going to have enough at home ah! Maybe you should take half of this back home ah?¡±


    Madam Liu pulled both her parents into the room andughed, ¡°Father, Mother! We, your daughter and son-inw, are showing our filial respects to you two! Can you just take the gift as it is? If there still aren¡¯t any fairly-priced grain avable in a couple of months, I¡¯ll bring more over.¡±


    The two men in their prime only had to go back a few times to move all of the grain into the cer. Liu Han rubbed his hands and spoke to Liu Cunjin, ¡°Father, Younger Sister only gave us fine grains. There are seven bags of white flour and three bags of well-polished rice. Just look...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hurriedly interjected before her grandfather could speak, ¡°Grandfather, the young royal prince only gave us fine grains. If you want to ask if we have any coarse grains, I¡¯m afraid my family really doesn¡¯t have any ah!¡±


    When Liu Cunjin heard this, he swallowed down the words he was about to say. His entire face was wreathed in smiles as he looked at his daughter, son-inw, and grandchildren as he said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t bother saying polite gratitudes! In the future, if your family has more work than you all can handle, just remember us. Our family doesn¡¯t have much but we definitely have lots of bodies to do hard work! Even that youngster, Zhimin, is almost able to do half a grown man¡¯s work!¡±


    At this time, he suddenly recalled his son-inw¡¯s ten mu of corn that they had nted for the imperial court. He asked, ¡°Ah Dahai, how was the harvest of your corn? Did you lose any of it? Aish! Who would have thought that right before it was ready to harvest, we¡¯d encounter a gue of locusts! If it wasn¡¯t for the old immortal warning us, there absolutely wouldn¡¯t be any corn left, and then the court would me you...the heavens are looking after us! They truly left us a living road!¡±


    Yu Hai sheepishly smiled, ¡°Our corn¡¯s output was quite good and the royal prince was quite pleased. He came over earlier and took away more than a dozen carts full of corn. He even said that he would ask for a reward for us!¡±


    Liu Han was an expert at farming. He calcted silently. More than a dozen carts full of grain and each cart had to be at least five to six hundred catties. That meant that his younger sister¡¯s husband¡¯s family had to produce at least ten thousand catties of grain from their ten mu...a shocked expression spread on his face, ¡°More than a dozen carts? Then, each mu must have produced at least a thousand catties ah! Corn is such a high yielding crop? One mu of corn produces as much as six to seven mu of our regr crops!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grinned in delight, ¡°Second Maternal Uncle, if corn bes a widely nted crop, it could only be considered a coarse grain! It¡¯ll be very simr to millet and won¡¯t be very expensive!¡±


    Liu Han caught onto the main point very quickly, ¡°The price of coarse grains is usually a half or a third of the price for fine grains. Judging from that, nting corn is still quite profitable! Furthermore, wouldn¡¯t nting a high-yielding crop mean that we no longer have to worry about starving? Even if we ate our fill, we wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the entire crop!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s head bobbed up and down as if she was pounding garlic with it, ¡°Mhm, mhm! If we can¡¯t finish it, we can even use it to feed chickens and pigs. Once the animals get plump, we can ughter them for meat. In the future, we won¡¯t have to wait until the New Years to eat a meal with meat in it anymore!¡±


    Liu Zhimin¡¯s eyes glistened with light as he stared at Xiaocao, ¡°Younger Cousin, from what you¡¯re saying, our family will be able to eat meat at least a couple times every week!¡±


    Madam Bianughed as she tapped her son¡¯s head and said, ¡°You¡¯re such a gluttonous little cat that you¡¯re not afraid of your younger cousinughing at you. Haven¡¯t you eaten enough meat in the past year?¡±


    The Liu Family¡¯s circumstances were now considered one of the best in all of Xishan Vige. The two eldest brothers of the Liu Family had followed their younger brother-inw in selling watermelons and earned a whole lot of money. The third son was a skilled craftsman and had been hired by Prince Jing¡¯s estate to build their manor on the West Mountain. Every month he had a sry of twenty taels, so he had quite an ie after a year. The family¡¯s meals and conditions continued to rise. Although they couldn¡¯t eat meat every couple of days like the Yu Family, they were definitely able to eat meat a few times a month.


    At lunch, Madam Liu¡¯s two sisters-inw had used the dried duck and preserved meat that Xiaocao had brought over to make a few dishes. They also used all of the eggs that were left over in the house for a stir-fry. In the end, they crafted an entire table full of food. There were a lot of people at home, so the adults sat at one table while the children had their own. Everyone ate and chatted happily.

 Chapter 288 – Another Fortune is Made

    <h4>Chapter 288 ¨C Another Fortune is Made</h4>


    When the Yu Family of four was about to leave, Liu Cunjin, who knew his daughter liked to eat porridge made with green wheat, gave all of the thirty-so catties of green wheat that they had finished rubbing to them. Yu Hai repeatedly declined the offer and the old man became angry, ¡°Do you dislike my family¡¯s gift as not being presentable? If you don¡¯t take it, then take all of the grain back as well!¡±


    Madam Liu was very familiar with her father¡¯s crabby character. She hurriedly pulled at her husband¡¯s sleeve and smiled, ¡°This is the gift that Father is giving me. You don¡¯t have the right to refuse. Father, you still remember that I like to eat green wheat porridge ah!¡±


    ¡°Of course I remember, why wouldn¡¯t I remember?¡± Liu Cunjin¡¯s expression rxed quite a bit when he saw his daughter cing the green wheat in the horse cart.


    Madam Yao chuckled from the side, ¡°Dahai, don¡¯t lower yourself to that old man¡¯s level. He ah, loves his daughter very much. Our daughter Yun loves to eat porridge made with green wheat, so the house always has a pot going. Every time summer started, he would go pick some wheat from the fields without telling the family and secretly rub the grain out so he could make some porridge for his daughter to eat! After our daughter Yun got married, every year he would always mutter under his breath, ¡®Looks like our daughter can¡¯t eat green wheat porridge this year. How about we send a couple catties over for her?¡¯¡±


    Yu Hai also dearly loved his daughters. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have allowed Xiaocao to do all of her crazy ideas. He hollered in a voice full of emotion, ¡°Father...we¡¯ll take the green wheat. When we get back, I¡¯ll especially simmer some green wheat porridge for Muyun to eat.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao added in from the side, ¡°Father, I also like to eat porridge made of green wheat. Don¡¯t just think of Mother and forget this daughter of yours!¡±


    Yu Hai chuckled shyly, ¡°Then we¡¯ll make an extra bowl. Cao¡¯er can eat with your mother!¡±


    Little Shitou interjected somewhat unhappily, ¡°There¡¯s still me, there¡¯s still me!¡± Yu Hai lightly patted the back of his son¡¯s head, ¡°You little kid, what are you trying to do? Have we ever slighted you on food or drink? Don¡¯t we also have white rice and wheat around? Your mother and second sister just have a few likes, yet you try to insert yourself in?¡±


    Little Shitou deted and looked forfort from his grandmother, ¡°Grandmother, Father is biased! Shitou is so pitiful as I have no one who loves and cares about me. I¡¯m just like an abandoned little cabbage in the fields...¡±


    Madam Yaoughed as she hugged him closely andforted him, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Shitou, Grandmother loves you! We have a lot of green wheat at home, so you guys can¡¯t be harsh on your children. If you finish it, just ask your Second Older Brother to send some more over!¡±


    Yu Hai leveled a re at his son and then smiled, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be fooled by this little guy. Ah he, he doesn¡¯t actually love eating green wheat porridge. He¡¯s just trying to worm himself in ah!¡± The phrase ¡®worm himself in¡¯ was a term he had learned from his daughter.


    Liu Cunjin looked at the color of the sky and then spoke to Madam Liu, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte and roads here are a bit rough. Don¡¯t rush too quickly back home. If there¡¯s nothing going on the next few days, your mother and I wille over to see you. Don¡¯t unt any wealth and keep an eye on the grain at home. Don¡¯t be too generous and don¡¯t forget what your roots are!¡±


    After he finished speaking, Madam Liu nodded her head in assent. Although her father¡¯s words were a bit crude, every word he said was for her sake.


    The horse cart quickly left Xishan Vige. When she turned her head back to look, she could still see her white-haired parents waving towards her in fading light. Madam Liu felt a burst of sadness within her heart and vowed to visit her parents more often in the future so they wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much about her.


    When they got back to Dongshan Vige, the sky waspletely dark. Luckily, other than the stretch of road just outside of Xishan Vige, the rest of the roads were wide and smooth. The horse was able to pull the cart at a steady pace in the dark.


    When they got home, Old Yu told them that Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s assistant steward, Qian Xiaoduo, hade by today under the orders of Third Young Master Zhou with a cart full of grain. When he saw the courtyard full of vegetables, he was so moved that he insisted on cing an order. However, after finding out that Yu Hai and his family members had gone to Xishan Vige, he knew no one was around to make a decision so he stated he woulde by tomorrow to discuss this.


    ¡°Dahai, Zhenxiu Restaurant treats us quite well. We should just give them some of the vegetables we¡¯re nting here!¡± Old Yu thought that the Zhou Family, who were grand imperial merchants, had helped the Yu Family quite a bit. In fact, they didn¡¯t even forget to bring some grain over during this year of disaster. To return the favor, they should give them some vegetables.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t directly reply and instead looked inquiringly at his youngest daughter. Yu Xiaocao thought a bit and then said, ¡°Our vegetable garden in the courtyard has at least three to four mu, so we definitely can¡¯t finish all of the vegetables in there. However, the pesticide we use every day to drive away the locusts is quite expensive. How about...we reserve two mu of vegetable fields for Zhenxiu Restaurant and only charge them the money used to make the pesticide?¡±


    Yu Xiaolian, on the other hand, was not pleased with this idea, ¡°So are you saying that the seeds and thebor used to grow these vegetables are not worth money ah? If we do as you say, we¡¯d definitely be on the losing side! In my opinion, Zhenxiu Restaurant is arge business and they don¡¯t care one iota about a little chump change, so we need to sell our vegetables at the current market price! Our family¡¯s vegetables are the only ones avable right now in town! If Zhenxiu Restaurant is able to offer green vegetable dishes, they absolutely wouldn¡¯t sell them for cheap and it would attract a lot of customers to them. Where else would they find such a lucrative business opportunity?¡±


    Yu Xiaoao grinned at her sister and said, ¡°Xiaolian now has a head full of business. Everything you said was right! Okay! Tomorrow, you¡¯re in charge of negotiating the terms with Brother Xiaoduo!¡±


    Yu Xiaolian twisted around and grumbled, ¡°No I won¡¯t! Tomorrow morning, I need to go sell starch jelly ah, so how would I have the time to manage this? Aren¡¯t you quite familiar with Qian Xiaoduo ah? You can discuss with him what his ns were in regard to our vegetables!¡±


    The next day, Qian Xiaoduo came by in the early morning to Dongshan Vige. The head steward also came along, which showed just how much importance they regarded this particr business. With the Zhou Family¡¯s assets, it wasn¡¯t impossible for them to bring vegetables from the south here. However, the amount of money it would take to buy and transport all of the vegetables was also not a small sum. That being said, could vegetables transported from afar be as tasty and fresh as vegetables just picked from the ground? All of the rich people in town had picky tongues and they could tell with one bite if something was fresh or not.


    With Qian Xiaoduo leading, the head steward came into the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard. The expansive courtyard was ntedpletely with fresh and tender green vegetable sprouts. There were a mixed variety of nts. Some had juste out of the ground in tiny sprouts while others had already grown about an inch above the ground. The leaves on the nts were a soothing green and seemed to be full of water. There wasn¡¯t a single sign that any of these nts had been nibbled on by any insects.


    Yu Xiaocao was currently in a field spraying pesticides. She waved in wee at the head steward, ¡°Head Steward Uncle, why did you personallye over? Please go sit in a room and I¡¯ll pour some tea for you!¡±


    The head steward waved a hand and replied, ¡°No need, you can continue with what you were doing!¡± He walked down a thin walkway that was between the vegetable fields to Yu Xiaocao. He noticed the spray can full of pesticide that was a faint brown color and asked, ¡°Is this the pesticide that can destroy locusts?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°This pesticide not only can kill locusts but it can also drive them away! My family¡¯s courtyard is quite big, yet there aren¡¯t a lot of locusts flying over. The ones that do fly in don¡¯t end up going around for long before they die. They don¡¯t even have the chance to defile any of our vegetables here!¡±


    The head steward looked in the direction that Xiaocao was pointing. Sure enough, a locust had justnded on a vegetable sprout. Right after itnded, it only managed to walk a few steps before it fell down and stopped moving!


    He couldn¡¯t help but exim in surprise, ¡°Not bad! If this pesticide could be spread to everyone, wouldn¡¯t we be able to exterminate all of the locusts?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sighed, ¡°This pesticide has a few ingredients that are a bit hard to find and some of the ingredients are quite expensive. Mostmoners wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it. A normal mu could produce enough food to make a hundred copper coins. However, the cost to make the pesticide is well above that ie. Do you think anyone would do a business that would obviously lose money?¡±


    The head steward looked at her with a smile on his face and stated, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let you lose money. There¡¯s no need to hint at me about the costs of growing your vegetables!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out a couple of dryughs and then continued, ¡°Then I¡¯ll just tell the truth to you. One mu of vegetables from start to finish requires three taels worth of pesticide. For vegetables such as these, one mu can produce around three thousand catties or so. What I¡¯m trying to say is that one catty of vegetables now is going to cost around three to five copper coins more than the usual price...¡±


    The head steward waved a hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we absolutely won¡¯t have you guys lose money! I¡¯ll increase the price by an additional ten copper coins per catty, what do you think?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lifted the pot full of pesticide and a bright smile appeared on her face. She gave a thumbs up at the head steward and said, ¡°Very generous! You are truly the head steward of Zhenxiu Restaurant! However, we don¡¯t have a lot of vegetables for sale here. The most we can give you is two mu worth.¡±


    Two mu worth meant six thousand catties of green vegetables. Zhenxiu Restaurant usually used that many vegetables in a dozen to twenty days. However, this season was different. Green vegetables, especially fresh green vegetables such as these, were much more valuable now. They could naturally sell them at the restaurant for a much higher price!


    The head steward pped his hand down, ¡°Okay! I hope that after we harvest the first batch that you¡¯ll be able to nt another round very quickly and continue to grow them until autumn! Furthermore, you guys absolutely cannot sell your vegetables to a second buyer.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, that¡¯s absolutely not a problem!¡± Yu Xiaocao was able to make a decision on her own. She nodded her head, ¡°My family¡¯s courtyard is only thisrge, so even if we wanted to sell to more people, we wouldn¡¯t be able to ah! Oh right, we also nted some autumn vegetables next to this. We can also reserve some for you as well!¡±


    The head steward pointed a finger at her andughed, ¡°You ah, have a natural talent for business! Okay! Zhenxiu Restaurant will take all of the autumn vegetables that your family can¡¯t finish. The price will also be increased by ten copper coins per catty.¡±


    Before an hour had passed, their cooperative business had been set up. The price they agreed upon was the price they used for the early spring plus an additional ten copper coins per catty. This meant that lettuce was thirty copper coins a catty, romaine lettuce was thirty-five copper coins a catty, spinach was twenty-five copper coins a catty, Indian lettuce was twenty-eight copper coins a catty...Although this wasn¡¯t the season for growing spinach, Yu Xiaocao had her cheat item, so what kind of vegetables couldn¡¯t she raise?


    Although the prices for these green vegetables didn¡¯t seem very high, the price of pork was usually around thirty copper coins a catty. Selling a catty of green vegetables at the price for a catty of pork was an astoundingly expensive prospect for the averagemoner! However, currently pork wasn¡¯t hard to find yet fresh green vegetables were now very rare!


    Recently, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s business had gone down a bit. One reason was that there were too many meat dishes, while the vegetables weren¡¯t very fresh yet extremely expensive. Their taste was also average. Luckily, their signature dishes were still able to bring in customers. Otherwise, they would also have to be like the other restaurants in town and close for this season.


    After finishing the talks to seal the deal with the Yu Family, the head steward contently left Dongshan Vige with Qian Xiaoduo, who had recently risen to an assistant steward.


    When Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family heard about this business deal, they were all quite pleased! Using the lettuce as an example, one mu could produce at least three thousand catties of lettuce. If they sold each catty for thirty copper coins, then they could make around ny to a hundred taels from the field. Other than their watermelon fields, where else would they be able to make this type of profit from their farm?

 Chapter 289 – Plain-Clothes Official

    <h4>Chapter 289 ¨C in-Clothes Official</h4>


    Because they had agreed to help Third Young Master Zhou obtain the best quality abalones and seafood, Yu Hai spent his entire summer going out to sea with Liu Shuanzhu. Liu Shuanzhu caught fish while Yu Hai dove down. Yu Hai¡¯s swimming skills were quite good and with the help of an air dder made of sheepskin, he was able to dive around twenty meters down. Every time he dove down, he had quite good luck. He was able to pick up some lobsters, sea cucumbers and abalones. However, most of them were not considered of the best quality, so all of these seafood ended up being at the table for the Yu Family to eat.


    Yu Xiaocao also spent a lot of time this summer diving in the water. Every time she made sure to look presentable with her shark-skin diving suit and a sheep-skin dder full of air. Her father repeatedly warned her to be careful so she always went into the shallow parts of the water. Her little dolphin friend knew how to find her so it was always waiting for her nearby when she dove in.


    With the help of the little dolphin, she was able to swiftly swim into the deep parts of the ocean. Furthermore, with the little divine stone¡¯s magical bubble, she didn¡¯t have to worry about running out of air or getting crushed by the water pressure. Sometimes, the little divine stone was in a good mood and would lead her directly to some areas that had the best quality seafood. Thus, her little sack at her waist was always bulging with her finds.


    After diving a few times, she was able to get enough seafood to fill the Zhou Family¡¯s yearly quota. Every time she gathered seafood, Yu Xiaocao had to surreptitiously go into town and thene back home to assert that Third Young Master Zhou wanted her father to turn this seafood into dried goods. Yu Hai couldn¡¯t help butment in admiration every time he saw the seafood, ¡°In the wider world, there are always people more talented than oneself! I don¡¯t know who is so talented and fortunate to be able to gather such good quality sea cucumbers and abalone all the time.¡±


    After the highest quality seafood was turned into dried goods and sent into the capital, the patriarch of the Zhou Family couldn¡¯t help but rejoice within his heart that his grandson was able to have a good rtionship with the Yu Family. There were very few people in the world who had the swimming ability and fortune of the Yu Family! He repeatedly advised his grandson to make sure to have a good rtionship with the Yu Family. In the future, all of the seafood the Zhou Family gave to the imperial court relied on the help of this family!


    Third Young Master Zhou naturally didn¡¯t need his grandfather to remind him. The Yu Family¡¯s father and daughter pair were too astounding. If he didn¡¯t try his best to maintain a good rtionship, then he would be the one who was stupid. He especially had to maintain a good rtionship with Yu Xiaocao. She was extremely talented despite her young age. Many speciality dishes of Zhenxiu Restaurant hade out of her hands. Furthermore, from his understanding, she was the person who managed to bring out early-ripening vegetables and watermelons to the market. Recently he had heard from the head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant in Tanggu Town say that the littless hade up with a new pesticide to destroy locusts and had nted vegetables in her courtyard. When this harvest of vegetables came onto the market, who knew what kind of sensation that would cause.


    Two years ago, they had met by chance in an alleyway in Tanggu Town. Out of the kindness of his own heart, he had helped the little girl and ended up being rewarded for his good deed. With Yu Xiaocao¡¯s help, he was able to make Zhenxiu Restaurant a sensational sess. They also opened a condiment factory and started manufacturing vermicelli and century eggs together. All of this allowed him to be looked upon highly by his grandfather and be groomed as the next family sessor. His sesses had defeated his highly ambitious older brother and he was now the acknowledged heir. The saying, ¡®good deeds lead to good oues¡¯ had trulye to circle for him!


    As the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables matured until they were about ready to be harvested, Royal Prince Yang, who had been away in the capital for more than twenty days, had finally returned back to Tanggu Town covered in dust and travel-worn. He rested for merely one day at the manor in Tanggu Town and then set off the next day to Dongshan Vige.


    As soon as Zhu Junyang passed through the Yu Family¡¯s front gate, Yu Xiaocao joyfully rushed over. When she saw that there was nothing valuable in his hands, she curled her lip and turned around to leave as she muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were going to get a reward for my family ah? Where¡¯s the reward? One absolutely cannot believe a man¡¯s words!¡±


    ¡°Pfffttt¡ª¡ª¡± An unfamiliarugh caused Yu Xiaocao to turn back again. She looked curiously at the strange figure who was behind the young royal prince.


    The stranger had a tall and imposing figure, pale luminous skin, and a dazzling pair of dark eyes that seemed to be able to see into the depths of a person¡¯s soul. When heughed, he looked as bright as the moon, and when he was serious, he looked as austere as a cold star. He had a straight nose bridge and dark red lips. His face seemed gentle when he smiled and foreboding as ice when he was stern. The profile of his face seemed to be perfectly sculpted by a sharp knife and he was stunning without looking like a gentle beauty...in essence, he was a perfect example of an extremely handsome man!


    ¡°And you are¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao felt a bit embarrassed by her earlier petty actions. She gazed at that man who was more handsome than any of the actors or idols of her previous life and asked in a somewhat hesitant tone.


    Zhu Junyang naturally didn¡¯t miss the sh of astonishment that had gone through her eyes. His face became ice cold and he frowned as he turned around to look at the man behind him. He seemed not to know how to properly introduce this person. The emperor was seriously too much. He actually had so much free time that he wanted to travel incognito among his people and insisted oning with him to Dongshan Vige. He really didn¡¯t know what he was thinking.


    The man smiled slightly and calmly replied, ¡°We...ahem ahem! I am Junyang¡¯s eldest brother. You can call me Older Brother Junfan!¡±


    The young royal prince¡¯s eldest brother? Oh right, Prince Jing had three sons. She had already seen his second and third sons, so the only one she hadn¡¯t met and only heard about was his heir. Yu Xiaocao hurriedly bowed and delicately said, ¡°Greetings to the heir of Prince Jing, may you have much fortune!¡±


    ¡°Ahem ahem...¡± ¡®The heir of Prince Jing¡¯ seemed to have choked on his own saliva. After coughing a bit, he hurriedly replied, ¡°No need for such courtesy! Us brothers all tend to have easy-going temperaments. Miss Yu doesn¡¯t need to act so politely!¡±


    The person who was pretending to be Zhu Junyang¡¯s eldest brother was the current emperor. Since the two of them were cousins, he technically wasn¡¯t lying. Calling him ¡®older brother¡¯ was something that Zhu Junyang should do.


    Why did the emperor decide toe to Dongshan Vige? It was quite simple; he was very interested in the Yu Family. When he saw the corn and potatoes that Zhu Junyang sent back, as well as the booklet containing pages and pages of potato recipes, Zhu Junfan was certain that one member of the Yu Family was also a transmigrator like him.


    From what he was able to pry out of his younger cousin¡¯s mouth, he was pretty sure that his fellow transmigrator was probably the clever and interesting, talented at cooking, Yu Family¡¯s youngest daughter. In order to confirm his hunch, he traveled along with his younger cousin to Dongshan Vige while incognito.


    As soon as they met, this little girl used a phrase that was out of turn. Wasn¡¯t it one of those sappy phrases from those historical dramas in his previous life? This era didn¡¯t have anyone saying ¡®and may you have great fortune¡¯ as a greeting.


    When he saw the entire courtyard filled with verdant green vegetables without a single locust on any of them, Zhu Junfan was quite surprised. Despite his astonishment, he didn¡¯t reveal any of it on his face. He grinned slyly and pointed towards the green vegetables with the fan in his hand as he said, ¡°Did you spray pesticides on these vegetables?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head, ¡°My lord is wise. Thismoner girl followed the precepts of traditional medicine and, with the help of Doctor Sun from Tongren Medicine Hall, created a pesticide that could destroy locusts. I spray some on the nts every morning and evening, and it protects the vegetables from being eaten by the insects.¡±


    ¡°Since this pesticide can kill locusts, that means it has a bit of poison in it, right? Would there be any adverse effects to the people who end up eating the vegetables then?¡± When Zhu Junfan found out that this pesticide could kill locusts, he thought further ahead. If this could be mass-produced and disseminated, wouldn¡¯t the people be able to nt a crop before the start of autumn and harvest something? However, if this was simr to the pesticides in his previous life and had bad effects on the body, then he would forget about it!


    Yu Xiaocao proudly smiled and exined, ¡°Although my pesticide does have some poison in it, the poison is vtile andpletely dissipates within twelve hours of being sprayed. As long as I don¡¯t spray any on the vegetables about twelve hours before we harvest, there won¡¯t be any harm to a person¡¯s body. Furthermore, even if someone identally ate some vegetables with the pesticide still on it, it¡¯s not a big deal. The poison isn¡¯t very strong. Those with strong and healthy bodies won¡¯t feel any effects. As for those who are weaker, they¡¯ll just end up going to the bathroom to relieve themselves a couple of times. As long as they drink enough water, they should be fine!¡±


    ¡°Vtile?¡± Zhu Junfan repeated this term a few times as a mysterious smile flickered on his lips. Aha! I¡¯ve caught your little tail. He was willing to bet the head on his shoulders that the Yu Family¡¯s youngest daughter was a transmigrator.


    Yu Xiaocao thought he didn¡¯t understand what the term ¡®vtile¡¯ meant and hurriedly gave an exnation, ¡°Vtile means that it dissipates quickly! The pesticide¡¯s poison has a time limit for how long it is effective. When enough time passes, then the poisonous effects will disappear. It doesn¡¯t go into the air and actually truly disappears. It won¡¯t have any polluting effects on the air or soil around it!¡±


    ¡®Pollution? Heh heh! Miss Yu Xiaocao, the more you say the more mistakes you make! It is you! You are my fellow transmigrator!¡¯ Zhu Junfan was calcting the possibilities within his mind and didn¡¯t beat the grass to scare the snake. If he had to choose between Yu Hai and Yu Xiaocao being the transmigrator, he would rather Yu Xiaocao be the transmigrator.


    Why? The reason was simple. Men tended to have ambitious thoughts. After all, didn¡¯t his current grandfather, who was previously a general in his past life, snatch an opportunity during the chaos of the previous dynasty and became the emperor who established the Great Ming Dynasty? Although he wasn¡¯t very attached to being the emperor, he also didn¡¯t want the hard work that his grandfather had done in establishing this dynasty to be destroyed by someone else.


    If this little girl, Yu Xiaocao, was the transmigrator, then he didn¡¯t have to be worried. From his taciturn younger cousin, he could tell that this little girl had either been a farmer or a small restaurant owner in her past life. Otherwise, how could shee up with methods in growing vegetables and watermelons early as well as be able to cultivate potatoes and corn so well?


    If his hunch was correct, then he didn¡¯t have to worry that the little girl was someone like Wu Zetian [1]. Today he was finally able to meet this weak, delicate, and adorable little girl. He could tell in one nce that she wasn¡¯t someone who had raging ambitions. This made him rx even more.


    When Zhu Junyang noticed that all of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s attention was on the emperor, he immediately felt as if he had been coldly abandoned. He dryly coughed a couple of times and stated, ¡°Yu Xiaocao, I want to eat pork stewed with vermicelli and savory and spicy river snails...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao turned around and rolled her eyes at him, ¡°We don¡¯t have any river snails today! We only have potatoes stir fried with potatoes, green vegetables sauteed with green vegetables, and locusts fried with locusts!¡±


    ¡°Locusts? You can also eat locusts?¡± Zhu Junfan had been born and raised in a city in his previous life. Thus, he had only seen locusts as illustrations in books.


    Yu Xiaocao turned back to face the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ and immediately changed her aggressive expression into one filled with smiles, ¡°Although locusts look quite scary, they are actually very tasty. Furthermore, locusts are very nutritious, so they don¡¯t harm the body and only strengthen it! My lord, do you want to try some at noon?¡±


    Zhu Junfan was just about to agree when his younger cousin with the stiff face interjected, ¡°If you don¡¯t have any river snails, you can go gather some! There¡¯s still some time between now and noon. If you gather some now, you¡¯ll still have time to clean them of their dirt!¡±


    ¡°If you want to eat them, go gather some yourself! The back courtyard has a gate that leads to thekeside. I¡¯ll have Little Shitou show you the way!¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him again and replied in a voice full of impatience.


    ¡°Savory and spicy river snails? I¡¯ve heard that they are quite good. We...I would also like to try some!¡± Zhu Junfan started reminiscing about his college days. At that time, he had gone out with three of his buddies and they had ordered a te of river snails and a few bottles of beer. It was the summer, so they were shirtless as they sat next to the small food stall as they ate food and drank beer leisurely. Those were the times that he missed the most ah! Unfortunately, it was highly unlikely that he would ever see those buddies of his again...

 Chapter 290 – Savory and Spicy River Snails

    <h4>Chapter 290 ¨C Savory and Spicy River Snails</h4>


    ¡°Since our honored guest who has traveled from afar has a request, as the hosts we will do our best to fulfill it! Little Shitou, find Fangping and grab that bucket. We are going to gather river snails ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao naturally treated this stunning beautiful man, whose every elegant motion spoke of royalty, with great importance.


    Who knew what type of temperament the heir of Imperial Prince Jing had?! Although he always had a smile on his face, she felt deeply scared of him. There was a type of person in the world that could be called a smiling tiger. These people could cut off your head with a gentle smile on their face. Naturally, these people were much more scary than the young royal prince, who outwardly had a grouchy exterior. Although the young royal prince had a somewhat explosive temper and nasty tongue, he had never exploded at her. Even when she infuriated him to the point of him ring at her, he never used her of a crime. The young royal prince was probably someone who had a lot of bark but no bite right?


    If she had seen Royal Prince Yang in the past, when he killed people without blinking, she wouldn¡¯t be thinking this! The ¡®cold faced death god¡¯ wasn¡¯t his nickname for no reason. Zhu Junyang was only able to tolerate the tyrannical antics of Yu Xiaocao alone!


    When Zhu Junyang saw Yu Xiaocao fawning over the emperor like a vish dog, he felt his temper rise as he sourly remarked, ¡°Why is it that when he wants to eat some, you jump to make it, yet you don¡¯t take my words to heart eh?!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao righteously replied, ¡°The heir of Prince Jing is my guest, so I naturally have to cater to his requests.¡±


    ¡°Am I not a guest then ah?¡± Zhu Junyang pointed at his nose as he asked discontentedly.


    Yu Xiaocao curled her lip, ¡°Are you still considered a guest? Youe over every few days to bum food and drinks off of me. If I truly treated you as a guest, wouldn¡¯t I be exhausted to death ah?! Alright, I¡¯ll bring you along to gather river snails and allow you to experience this novelty. Do you want toe?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to!¡± Zhu Junyang arrogantly turned his head away as he lifted his head up high and snorted, ¡°You won¡¯t make the food I want to eat and even make me do work. No manners!!¡±


    Everyone in the Yu Family had long gotten used to these two bickering and picking at each other constantly. So, they all went about their business as usual. Zhu Junfan, on the other hand, regarded the two of them with growing interest. His younger cousin always had a stiff expression on his face and regarded his words like gold. In fact, he even faced him, the emperor, with that constipated look on his face. He never would have expected that the cold faced death god also had such a childish side as well. For the sake of a te of savory and spicy river snails, he was actually willing to quarrel until he was flushed with anger. Tsk tsk tsk! This was truly eye opening!!


    ¡°Second Sister, Young Royal Prince, are you guysing to gather river snails ah?!¡± Little Shitou had been watching the two of them quibble back and forth silently. He looked at the color of the sky and decided that if he didn¡¯t stop them now, they wouldn¡¯t have enough time to gather river snails for lunch.


    Yu Xiaocao answered in assent and turned around so Zhu Junyang could only see the back of her head, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to me whether youe or not! You can just stay in the courtyard ah! My lord, do you have any interest ining to gather river snails with us?¡±


    Zhu Junfan had never had the opportunity to experience farming in both of his lives. It was a rare chance for him to leave the imperial pce, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t bypass this hard to get opportunity.


    Yu Xiaocao held a bucket as she took her two younger brothers along as well as the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ to go into the back courtyard. The back courtyard was alsopletely nted with vegetables. There was a small, stone-paved pathway in the garden that brought them to the back gate. After opening the gate and walking a few steps, they were at the shore of ake.


    Thiske was quiterge. Its waters were a tranquil aqua-green color. In the distance there was a flock of ducks cheerfully swimming around in the water and their asional quacks could be heard. Qian Wu, who was at thekeside watching over the ducks, swiftly scampered over when he saw Little Shitou and Liu Fangping.


    When he saw the buckets in their hands, Qian Wu became even more happy and called out, ¡°Little Shitou, are you here to catch some fish ah? Let me help too!¡±


    Little Shitou waved the bucket in his hands andughed, ¡°Nope! Second Sister is bringing us to gather river snails. We¡¯re going to stir fry them for lunch!¡±


    Qian Wu smacked his lips in delight, ¡°Xiaocao¡¯s savory and spicy river snails are so good! I¡¯m also good at gathering river snails, let me help you ah!¡±


    The three little boys grouped up together and ran into the shallow waters of theke together to gather river snails. Perhaps it was because of the drought, but theke waters were quite low right now. The children rolled up their pant legs and stepped into the mud at the shore. They carefully put their hands in the water to find river snails.


    ¡°I found a big one!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s shout of pure glee broke the silence as he thrust his hand into the air. He had managed to find a river snail that was the size of a pigeon egg.


    ¡°I also found one!!¡± Liu Fangping refused to be outdone and took the river snail he found andpared it to the one that Little Shitou found to see which one wasrger. No matter who found a bigger one, neither would be unhappy. The sounds of their delightedughter echoed around thekeside.


    Yu Xiaocao found a rtively gently sloping area by thekeshore and spread a bunch of straw on the ground. She said to the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯, ¡°My lord, you can sit down here and rest a bit. Theke has a lot of river snails and we have a lot of people. We¡¯ll be able to gather enough for lunch in a jiffy!¡±


    She rolled up her sleeves and walked towards theke. She carefully inspected the water for any signs of river snails. After her parents passed away in her previous life, she spent a lot of time in the nearby waters looking for river snails to add to her younger brother¡¯s and sister¡¯s diets. She was quite experienced at this!


    After seeing some hazy signs in the water, she urately thrust her hands in the water and never came back empty handed. The bucket inside her hands very quickly filled up with ayer of river snails that differed in size.


    Zhu Junyang, who had stealthily followed them from behind, had also been lured over by the gleeful shouts of the children. He felt an itch inside him and copied them by taking off his shoes to also search for river snails.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but roast him a bit, ¡°Weren¡¯t you not interested in gathering river snails? Then why did you secretlye over and try?¡±


    ¡°This prince is happy and interested! Can you stop me?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s arrogant demeanor was the exact same as the little golden kitten that followed Yu Xiaocao around. Yu Xiaocao curled her lip and stealthilyughed.


    Gathering river snails wasn¡¯t a task that required skill, so Zhu Junyang quickly got the hang of it. In fact, when he found a particrlyrge one, he had to go to Yu Xiaocao and brag a bit. However, Yu Xiaocao took out an evenrger snail from her pail and proudly grinned at him.


    When he saw how joyful the children were, Zhu Junfan also felt an itch. He took off his shoes and was about to step into the water when one of his personal bodyguards stopped him, ¡°Imperial Majesty, please reconsider this!¡±


    ¡°Reconsider what! I¡¯ve already considered everything! The water is so shallow, so who can get into trouble? Whoever tries to stop us again, we will have them thrown into theke to feed the ducks!!¡± Zhu Junfan threw the fan in his hands at the bodyguard. Only after confirming that the bodyguard had caught his favorite fan did he finally step down in the water barefoot.


    In the summer, theke water had been warmed up under the sun, so his feet didn¡¯t feel bone cold in it. Zhu Junfan copied the children¡¯s actions and started to search for river snails in the water! ¡®Oh, I feel one!¡¯ Before he could be happy, he took it out of the water to look and discovered that it was a small rock. The smile congealed on his face and Zhu Junfan sulkily continued to search in the water.


    His group of personal bodyguards all trembled as they bent over next to him. They were all afraid that he might slip and fall into theke water...


    Just as they were worrying, they heard a ¡®plop¡¯ sound and then saw water sshing everywhere. All of the children burst out into giggles. Zhu Junfan raised his head to look and also couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter. His taciturn younger cousin, who was currently sitting in the water, had such a nk expression on his face. It was really too funny!


    Perhaps he wasughing too hard, but Zhu Junfan suddenly felt his body losing control. He iled his arms behind him but he couldn¡¯t keep his bnce as he watched himself heading closer towards theke. His two bodyguards next to him swiftly grabbed onto his arms and pulled him back to shore.


    After having that false rm, when Zhu Junfan went back down to the water to gather river snails, his bodyguards did their best to dissuade him. Spittle flew as they persuaded him, and they finally managed to convince the emperor to stay put. All of the bodyguards were dripping with sweat afterwards. If the emperor had fallen into the water earlier, then they would definitely be punishedter. Aish! Protecting the emperor truly wasn¡¯t a job for humans!


    Before an hour passed, Xiaocao and the two boys managed to fill up their buckets with snails. Xiaocao had also managed to catch a bunch of small fish when no one else was paying attention to her. She nned on frying them after coating them with a thin breading. The fried fish would be ky and savory and their taste would definitely be astounding ah!


    When they returned back to the residence, Yu Xiaocao poured all of the river snails into arge wooden basin and filled it with some clean water before adding some salt. She also secretly added a few drops of diluted mystic-stone water. By adding that, it would speed up the process of removing dirt from the snails.


    Yu Xiaocao then went into the few rows of vegetables that hadn¡¯t been sprayed with pesticide this morning and picked a couple from each type. After thinking a bit, she also retrieved a few locusts that had been frozen in the cer. She wanted to prepare some dishes that the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ had probably never seen let alone eaten before.


    At lunch, a giant bowl of bright red savory and spicy river snails was presented to the table. Because Qian Wu gave all of the snails he found to Little Shitou, Yu Xiaocao had her younger brother send a smaller bowl of the finished dish to the Qian Family. Since they sent some to the Qian Family, they naturally had to send a portion to Zhou Shanhu¡¯s family, who they were closer to. After sending portions here and there, they were only left with thisrge bowl.


    Zhu Junfan tasted one and immediately was transported back to his memories of eating river snails while drinking beer. The savory and spicy taste of the snails paired with a bottle of ice cold beer was truly a refreshing taste. Unfortunately, he was a shipbuilding major and didn¡¯t know how to brew beer. Even if he wanted to drink beer he could only do so inside his dreams!


    Lunch ended up being quite sumptuous. There was the dish that Zhu Junyang ordered, ¡®pork stewed with vermicelli¡¯. The pork was fatty without being greasy and the vermicelli was perfectly cooked and shimmered under the light. Just looking at it raised a person¡¯s appetite. There was also a te of fried fish. Yu Xiaocao had especially gathered fish about the size of a finger. After cleaning them, she then added seasonings and coated them in a thinyer of flour. She then ced them in a pot full of sizzling oil and fried them until they were golden. All of the bones in the fish had been cooked until they were soft. The fish was ky and crispy and incredibly tasty.


    There was also a te full of pig ears seasoned with chili oil and a te of pig head meat. This was because Madam Liu saw that there were some guests over and thought that they didn¡¯t have any good dishes to wee them. While the children were gathering river snails, she had gone down to the cold cer, retrieved a pig¡¯s head and braised it. Madam Liu¡¯s current skill at braising pig head meat was on the same level as Yu Xiaocao and the meat she braised was just as delicious.


    Furthermore, there were also tes of lettuce seasoned with oyster sauce, oyster sauce romaine lettuce, and Indian lettuce sauteed with garlic. All of it looked pleasing to the eye and smelled incredible. It was so tantalizing that the imperial bodyguards couldn¡¯t take their eyes off of them.


    The most special dish on the table was a te of golden fried locusts. Although they looked quite scary, they were even more delicious than fried little fish and had a texture very simr to fried shrimp. At first, Zhu Junfan was a bit leery of trying them. He watched as the Yu Family¡¯s children all stuffed their mouths full and chewed noisily on the crispy food. Even his younger cousin, Zhu Junyang, ate several in a row.


    When Yu Xiaocao noticed that the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ had an expression that was both curious and hesitant, she quickly selected a locust that had roe in it. She ced it into Zhu Junfan¡¯s bowl and smiled, ¡°My lord, the roe of a locust is even more tasty than the roe of a crab. Go ahead and try this one. If you don¡¯t like it, feel free to spit it out!¡±

 Chapter 291 – Allergy

    <h4>Chapter 291 ¨C Allergy</h4>


    Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t live like a prince in his previous life. He had eaten silkworm cocoons and also tried fried cicadas. Thus, unlike other officials or nobles, he didn¡¯t reveal a disgusted expression when looking at the fried locusts. He picked up a locust that had its wings cut off and stared at it intently for a short period of time before he started to deliver it towards his mouth. Before he could, a pale, beardless, and handsome youth hurriedly stopped him and said, ¡°Master, may this servant try it?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had read quite a few novels in her past life and knew that the emperor often had eunuchs test his food for poison prior to eating. Did the heir of Prince Jing also have a taste-tester eunuch as well? She regarded this young man with curiosity. He had skin that glowed with health and she couldn¡¯t even see his pores. His face was delicately pretty. Although he didn¡¯t have the masculine handsomeness of the heir of Prince Jing and the young royal prince, he was still the epitome of a delicately beautiful young man.


    He had a tall, straight figure that did not resemble someone who was used to being an eunuch. Most eunuchs were always bowing and bending to people, so when they walked they seemed to be slightly hunchbacked. This person had an air of being neither too arrogant nor too servile, and he didn¡¯t have the greasy ttering expression that most eunuchs had. The only thing that made her feel ufortable was that his voice sounded extremely gentle and mellow. However, it also didn¡¯t resemble the shrill voices of the eunuchs she had seen in dramas.


    Zhu Junyang noticed that the little girl was unabashedly studying Su Ran and he couldn¡¯t help but frown. What did Su Ran have that made him so good to look at? This prince was also quite handsome, okay?


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, just what are you looking at?!¡± Zhu Junyang felt a burst of irritation spark inside him and he couldn¡¯t help but interject to interrupt her thoughts.


    When they heard Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice, both Zhu Junfan and Su Ran turned a bit to look at Yu Xiaocao. Caught off guard, Yu Xiaocao identally made eye contact with Su Ran¡¯s clear and limpid eyes. She immediately flushed bright red and red at the young royal prince. She smiled politely at Su Ran and said, ¡°Sir, you have an aura about you that reminds me of a tall graceful de of bamboo on a deste mountain. I was entranced by it and lost my senses.¡±


    Zhu Junfan guffawed, ¡°Little girl, you have good taste. I also believe that Su Fan has an aura worthy of an elegant gentleman, so I think the metaphor of ¡®tall bamboo¡¯ is quite fitting. Su Ran, I¡¯ll give you the nickname of ¡®cultivate morality¡¯ ah!¡±


    ¡°Cultivate oneself, govern one¡¯s family, organize the country, let peace abound to all! Master, Su Ran is a crippled person, so I absolutely cannot live up to such a name.¡± Which man didn¡¯t harbor dreams of being a hero in his heart? Unfortunately, his dreams had all been shattered in his youth, when he had to sacrifice himself at the gates of the imperial pce to allow his family to survive a disastrous year.


    Luckily, he had been given to an enlightened master who took him along to learn the ssics, study martial arts, and discuss the governance of a country. His master never looked down upon him. Compared to the other eunuchs, who were firmly stepped upon by the older, more experienced eunuchs, or someone who had been used a scapegoat, he was truly quite fortunatepared to his other colleagues who had also had their dignities erased at the gates of the pce.


    Zhu Junfan¡¯s eyes opened wide and he pped the table, ¡°If this lord says you can live up to the name, then you can! Su Ran, what has this lord normally said to you? A deficiency in the body doesn¡¯t mean much. A true man has self-confidence, self-love, and self-dignity!! Su Ran, with your talents and abilities, you absolutely would be able to govern and pacify the country if you left the pce. You¡¯re not worse than other people! Whoever ims you can¡¯t live up to this name, make them find me!¡±


    Su Ran could only treat this master, who was simultaneously his teacher, friend, master, and confidant, with the utmost sincerity and return his kindness with all of his efforts. If the master required it, he would dly sacrifice himself through all tortures without a single thought!


    Yu Xiaocao felt a bit regretful inside. What a wonderful person yet he was a eunuch! Although he was quite eye catching, he couldn¡¯t be considered a real man in this era! This old society was too hateful to have such pce customs abound!


    Su Ran was just about to say something when the expression on his gentle face changed. His whole body started to itch as if he had just been bitten by multitudes of mosquitos. He tried to endure for some time but finally couldn¡¯t stop himself from using his hand to scratch his neck. His neck, right arm, and other parts of his body that were hidden by clothing all hadrge welts raised on it.


    ¡°Master, these locusts can¡¯t be eaten!¡± Su Ran stopped Zhu Junfan from cing a locust in his mouth as the itchiness caused his face to flush a bright red.


    Yu Xiaocao acutely spotted therge welts on his neck and eximed, ¡°Sir Su, you¡¯re allergic! Those who are sensitive often have allergic reactions to locusts! Let me go grab some prepared medicinal solution, just wait a moment ah!¡±


    At first, when Zhu Junfan saw Su Ran¡¯s ufortable expression, he felt quite nervous. After hearing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s exnation, he immediately grinned, ¡°So apparently Su Ran is allergic to locusts ah! I¡¯m pretty sure that you also can¡¯t eat foods like silkworm cocoons and other simr creatures! Fried cicadas are quite delicious ah! What a pity, what a pity!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao retrieved a small bottle from her room. The bottle was filled mostly with mystic-stone water and the rest of the ingredients were some herbs that stopped itching and reduced inmmation. She handed the bottle over to Su Ran, ¡°Use half of it to drink and half of it on your body. It should work very quickly. Little Shitou, bring Sir Su to your room. Help him treat the areas on his back that he can¡¯t easily reach!¡±


    After he saw Su Ran enter the west room with Little Shitou, Zhu Junyang picked up another fried locust and ate it noisily and with relish. Hemented, ¡°So delicate, he can even have problems from eating locusts! This prince has eaten so many, yet I don¡¯t have any problems at all, right?¡±


    Once Zhu Junfan found out that his eunuch wasn¡¯t allergic to a medicinal ingredient, he knew that it wasn¡¯t too serious. Furthermore, Su Ran only ate one locust too. He watched as his younger cousin eat the locusts with obvious delight and also grabbed a locust that was fat in the belly. He ced the food in his mouth and slowly tasted it. As expected, it was truly quite good. It was actually very simr to the fried butterfly shrimp from KFC and had a savory and addicting taste!


    However, the dish that he liked the most still had to be that bowl full of savory and spicy river snails. He used his hands to pick up one and then ced it by as mouth as he sucked. All of the broth and meat was delivered into his mouth. After gently chewing a couple of times, the savory and spicy taste lingered in his mouth and could not be forgotten.


    In one meal, almost half of therge basin of savory and spicy river snails had been eaten by him alone. He also ate a lot of fried locusts and pork stewed with vermicelli. Only after his stomach was so bloated that he couldn¡¯t eat another bite did Zhu Junfan finally put his chopsticks down.


    His eyes whirled around and then Zhu Junfan pointed at the te of vermicelli to ask, ¡°This vermicelli is quite delicious. Was it personally made by Xiaocao?¡±


    At first, Little Shitou was a bit reserved when he first met the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ since the man had a noble identity. After spending time with the guest and noticing that he was quite easy to get along with, even easier than the young royal prince, he rxed. He smiled in delight, ¡°My second sister¡¯s hand-made vermicelli isn¡¯t even in thickness and is a bit ugly. This vermicelli is all from Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s factory!¡±


    ¡°Eh? So what you¡¯re saying is that Xiaocao truly knows how to make vermicelli?¡± Zhu Junfan continued to ask with an ulterior motive. Little Shitou proudly replied, ¡°My second sister is too awesome!! Vermicelli is something that my second sister had taught Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s factory workers to make ah! My second sister also knows how to make roasted chicken, salted duck, roasted duck, and they¡¯re all more authentic than the ones made by Zhenxiu Restaurant! My lord, if you¡¯re not in a hurry to go back to the capital, you can spend some time trying my second sister¡¯s culinary talents. After my headmaster ate the food my second sister made, he said that he never wanted to eat the food at restaurants again. He stated all of the food was only ¡®fit for pigs to eat¡¯!¡±


    Zhu Junfan was even more sure now that Yu Xiaocao was a transmigrator. He pouted and said, ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, I¡¯ve eaten more than twenty-seven years worth of food ¡®only fit for pigs to eat¡¯ ah!¡±


    Eating food that was ¡®only fit for pigs to eat¡¯, didn¡¯t that also mean he was a pig? Little Shitou didn¡¯t dare to reply and stared imploringly at his second sister.


    Yu Xiaocao received her younger brother¡¯s gaze asking for help and red at him. ¡®Are you still proud now? The more you talk, the more likely you¡¯ll make a mistake. You can¡¯t offend someone by not talking. What was the point of studying so much?¡¯


    She smiled at the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ and said, ¡°There are many famous chefs in the world. Any one of them would be able to bypass me, amoner girl. My younger brother is only boasting because I am his family, you know, just trying to sell me up! My lord, don¡¯t take these words to heart and lower yourself to this little boy!¡±


    At this point, Su Ran had juste out of the west room. Although he still had some welts on his neck, it looked like it wasn¡¯t as itchy as before. The expression on his face had also be gentle and elegant again.


    Zhu Junfan made fun of him, ¡°Su Ran, fried locusts are quite delicious, it¡¯s such a pity that you can¡¯t have any! Luckily, I¡¯m not allergic to locusts so I can eat my fill.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not that he can¡¯t eat any! I¡¯ve made a few jars of grasshopper sauce. After fermenting, it won¡¯t cause an allergic reaction! If Sir Su is interested, I can give you a jar when you head back to the capital. When you¡¯re eating it, make sure to stir-fry it in some oil and it¡¯ll really make the food go down!¡±


    After Zhu Junyang heard this, he grumbled sourly from the side, ¡°You¡¯re so cruel! Thest time I was here, howe you didn¡¯t give me a jar to bring back to the capital? Those two carts of grain were used to feed an ungrateful dog!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao ced her hands on her hips and retorted with quite a bit of heat, ¡°What are you saying ah?! If you don¡¯t feel happy about sending us the grain, then pull them back to the capital! It¡¯s not as if we¡¯ll starve to death without your two carts of grain, right? Thest time you left, the jars of grasshopper sauce hadn¡¯t finished fermenting yet. How could I let you bring some back?¡±


    Zhu Junyang felt the knot in his heart rx when he found out that she hadn¡¯t given him any grasshopper sauce because it wasn¡¯t ready, not because she was treating him differently. He looked up at Yu Xiaocao, who still had her hands indignantly on her hips, and quietly muttered, ¡°You only show your temper around me! You¡¯re always gentle and amodating to other people, with a smile on your face. However, when ites to me, it¡¯s like you want to strangle me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out augh to relieve her temper, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I treat you like one of my own family members that I¡¯m this impolite to you? That being said, it¡¯s only because you, Young Royal Prince, have an easy-going temper that I can be this unrestrained in front of you!¡±


    Zhu Junfan watched the two of them squabble with great interest. The only thing he was missing was a te full of roasted melon seeds for him to snack on. After hearing Yu Xiaocao¡¯sst sentence, he almost choked on his own saliva.


    Royal Prince Yang had a good temper? That was the most unbelievable lie he had ever heard! Did she think his nickname of ¡®cold faced death god¡¯ was just for giggles? When this guy lost his temper, he didn¡¯t recognize any of his family members and would even beat up the Heavenly Emperor himself if he came down. All of the rich yboys who tried to mess with him had all been beaten until they cried for their parents. His younger cousin had caused a lot of trouble for him ever since his childhood. This fellow gave him such a headache, yet there was someone praising him for having a good temper? ¡®Yu Xiaocao, are you blind?¡¯


    As for Zhu Junyang, who had just been called ¡®one of my own family members¡¯ by Yu Xiaocao, he was feeling quite good now. All of the resentment he had earlier had immediately dissipated. Everything this little girl said was right. People generally treated the people closest to them with their truest natures. The little girl was as clever as a fox, so she naturally knew who truly treated her well and thus treated them back with the same sincerity!


    Zhu Junfan inspected his younger cousin with renewed interest. His cousin was smiling like a fool after being ttered by a little girl. Zhu Junfan couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and let out a sigh!

 Chapter 292 – To Curry Favor

    <h4>Chapter 292 ¨C To Curry Favor</h4>


    Jianwen Emperor, Zhu Junfan, spent five days in Tanggu Town, and he went to Dongshan Vige with his younger cousin every day. The vigers of Dongshan Vige were burning with curiosity, and they kept talking about the Yu Family being so lucky. First, they became adoptive rtives with a general. After that, they received special treatment from Royal Prince Yang. Now, they had also be acquainted with the heir of Prince Jing¡¯s Household.


    Madam Zhang curled her lips and sourly said, ¡°So what if they¡¯re acquainted with Prince Jing¡¯s heir? Can they be rewarded with a position of an official? When the lord returns to the capital, will he still remember who the heck Yu Hai is? The vigers are so snobby. Seeing that Yu Hai¡¯s family has be rich, they¡¯re all fawning over them. So shameless!¡±


    Madam Li, who she was talking to, wrinkled her big face and groaned, ¡°Mother, if we didn¡¯t divide the family, wouldn¡¯t these benefits apply to our entire Yu Family? Perhaps Younger Brother-inw can also benefit from this. As the saying goes, ¡®the gatekeeper of the Prime Minister¡¯s Estate is considered a seventh-rank official¡¯. If one can be liked by the heir of Prince Jing¡¯s Household and be the gatekeeper of the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, then that would be even more honorable than being a county magistrate.¡±


    Madam Zhang was especially concerned about everything rted to her youngest son. When she heard Madam Li¡¯s words, Madam Zhang¡¯s heart somewhat swayed. Her triangr eyes darted around as she considered the possibilities! It was impossible with Yu Hai since he had a grudge against her for the murder of his mother. That grateful Yu Hai probably wanted to devour her, let alone help her. However, she could try talking with Old Yu. Even if they were no longer a married couple, Yu Bo was still their son. If their son became well-off, wouldn¡¯t the father also benefit from it?


    As a result, one evening after dinner, Madam Zhang blocked Old Yu¡¯s path when she saw himing out for a stroll.


    Looking at Madam Zhang¡¯s wrinkled old face, Old Yu couldn¡¯t help but turn his head and say, ¡°We¡¯re already divorced, why are you looking for me? With how you treated me, I have already left you off easily by not reporting you to the yamen and suing you for attempted murder! Stay away from me so that no one will gossip about us!¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s mouth twitched, but she forced out a smile and said, ¡°Xiaobo¡¯s father, no matter what, we were once husband and wife. I used to be muddleheaded and made irreparable mistakes. For the sake of the children...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention the children! Over all these years, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know how I treated the child who you brought over from your previous marriage. But, what about you? How did you treat my children? You married Caifeng off to a remote vige far away, moreover, he was a widower. Dahai is such a capable and kind child ah, yet you treated his family so harshly for so long! Ay... I won¡¯t settle these old grudges with you. We¡¯re people who have gotten divorced, so if we meet in the future, it¡¯s better to pretend that we don¡¯t know each other!¡± With his hands sped between his back, Old Yu didn¡¯t even look at Madam Zhang.


    Since he came to Dahai¡¯s house, he had been drinking extremely expensive tonics and eatingvish meals. Moreover, they didn¡¯t let him do any work at all. Caifeng and Dahai were both very filial, and their children also lived happily together with their parents. He didn¡¯t have to listen to Madam Zhang¡¯s shrill and sourints, as well as the sound of Madam Li indirectly scolding Dashan. With the exception of being somewhat worried about his youngest son, who was studying away from home, Old Yu felt very content with his life.


    Madam Zhang must have regretted her decision, and thus stopped him in order to talk to him. She wanted to trick him to go back to doborious work for her, and then kick him to the side when he couldn¡¯t work anymore. Did she think he was stupid! Why would he go back to be tortured by her when he could enjoy a good and leisurely life?


    Madam Zhang stepped forward and blocked in front of Old Yu, saying, ¡°Child¡¯s father, I don¡¯t me you for not thinking of our past rtionship as a married couple. However, Xiaobo is a descendant of your Yu Family. You can¡¯t disregard him ah!¡±


    Old Yu stopped in his tracks. His expression changed as he said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Third Son? What happened now? Didn¡¯t I tell him to focus on studying and don¡¯t try to advance through crooked methods? If he can¡¯t continue to stay in the prefectural city, then tell him toe back to farm!¡±


    Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t bear others saying bad things about her younger son. She raised her sparse eyebrows and hollered, ¡°My Xiaobo is doing very well in the prefectural city! How can you curse your son like that? He said that he will definitely pass the county level examination next year, so you can just wait to have a county official as a son!¡±


    Old Yu finally felt relieved. He red at the old woman and said, ¡°You said he¡¯s doing fine, so what do I need to worry about? I barely know how to read, so what can I help him with? Just tell him to study steadfastly. That¡¯s better than anything!¡±


    Seeing that Old Yu still cared about their son, Madam Zhang immediately felt slightly more relieved. She looked around and said, ¡°In the ys, they say ¡®it¡¯s easier to be an official, if one knows someone in court¡¯. Our Xiaobo will certainly be an official in the future, but if he doesn¡¯t have any connections, he will definitely have to work a difficult path.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Just say it!¡± Old Yu frowned as he looked at the old face that moved closer to him.


    Madam Zhang suppressed the displeasure in her heart and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t that good son of yours be acquainted with some heir in the imperial court? The heir will inherit the prince¡¯s position in the future, so how can he not have some assistants beside him? Our Xiaobo is a capable and fine-looking man. If someone can help him out, the heir will definitely recognize his abilities. He will surely have a bright future. As his father, won¡¯t you also feel honored?¡±


    Old Yu¡¯s heart slightly swayed, but as if he thought of something, he scolded Madam Zhang, ¡°You¡¯re thinking of crooked methods again. Don¡¯t you think that you have harmed your son enough already? Did you already forget the lesson fromst time? As long as he has the capability, why would he need to worry about not having opportunities in the future? Is this your idea, or Third Son¡¯s idea?¡±


    Madam Zhang shrunk her neck and said unwillingly, ¡°It¡¯s my idea¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for that stupid girl, Yu Xiaocao, would Xiaobo¡¯s incident be so big? Xiaobo was implicated by Yu Xiaocao...¡±


    Upon hearing this, Old Yu¡¯s temper immediately red up. This stupid woman was deliberately distorting the truth. Had it not been for Dahai¡¯s family¡¯s Xiaocao, the family¡¯s money would have all been cheated by that swindler. How would they still have money to send their son to study in the prefectural city?


    ¡°Shut up! If you and Third Son weren¡¯t harboring improper intentions and trying to enter Rongxuan Academy through the backdoor, would you have been deceived? Had it not been for our Xiaocao, you two would be helping them count the money after being sold! Yet you still have the face toin about Xiaocao? At that time, we shouldn¡¯t have helped you guys. What an ungrateful and vicious person ah!¡± Old Yu was so angry that he lost his temper. He ignored Madam Zhang¡¯s shouts and left with great strides.


    Old Yu had recuperated at Yu Hai¡¯s house for over a month, so his body had be stronger than before. His waist wasn¡¯t bent, and his back wasn¡¯t hunched. There were less wrinkles on his face, and thus he looked several years younger than Madam Zhang.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s life wasn¡¯t very happy right now. Her eldest son, who was encouraged by his wife, had actually started to keep a private purse. She was receiving less and less of the money that he earned from selling fish every day. From time to time, her younger son, who was in the prefectural city, would send messages back asking for this and that. Her savings were getting smaller and smaller. Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t eat or sleep well. She was already so old, but she still had to go dig for spoon worms like those young people.


    Before Yu Hai separated from the family, she only needed to collect the money and didn¡¯t have to personally do the housework. It was such a leisurely life ah! Now, she couldn¡¯t depend on thatzy woman, Madam Li, at all. She had to worry about every aspect of their household. As a result, she had aged considerably over the past two years.


    Meanwhile, when Old Yu got home, he kept tossing and turning on the bed and couldn¡¯t fall asleep. After all, Yu Bo was also his flesh and blood, and they had spent over ten years nurturing him to be a schr. There wasn¡¯t any father who didn¡¯t want their child to be sessful. But, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth ah. Yu Hai was just helping Royal Prince Yang nt some corn because he was a good farmer. The royal prince was just giving them some face because they were helping him. Disregarding whether the royal prince would agree, if he asked Dahai to help him ask for a favor, he was afraid that the prince would me Dahai for being insatiable.


    This night, Old Yu hardly closed his eyes. When he got up the next day, the dark circles under his eyes were particrly apparent. Yu Xiaocao looked at her grandfather¡¯s depressed appearance in surprise and asked, ¡°Grandfather, are you not feeling well? Do you need to see a doctor?¡±


    Old Yu waved his hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m in good health. There¡¯s nothing wrong. It¡¯s not easy to earn money, so don¡¯t spend them so easily.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao advised, ¡°Is money more important, or people? The money spent can be earned again. If you¡¯re ill, then you must treat it quickly. If it¡¯s dyed and bes more serious, then we¡¯ll have to spend more money!¡±


    Old Yu sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m really fine. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s something bothering me, so I couldn¡¯t sleep the entire night.¡±


    ¡°If something is bothering you, just tell the family and we¡¯ll think of a solution together. No matter how difficult it is, as long as the whole family works together, it can be solved.¡± He was fine yesterday, but Grandfather suddenly had something on his mind after taking a strollst night. Could it be that Madam Zhang¡¯s side caused trouble again? Yu Xiaocao had inadvertently stumbled on the truth.


    Although this granddaughter of his was young, she had a lot of ideas. Aftering here, he had seen very clearly that even Yu Hai, the head of the household, would first ask for thess¡¯s opinion before making any decisions. Thisss was indeed very capable. With just one trip to town, she was able to create a pesticide to kill the locusts and nt vegetables. These vegetables were sold at the price of meat, and they could make several taels of ie daily. Perhaps, she coulde up with a solution?


    Old Yu briefly hesitated, and then told her what Madam Zhang said to him yesterday. He looked at Yu Xiaocao and slightly anxiously said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what do you think?¡±


    Sure enough, it was Madam Zhang again! This Madam Zhang was such a troublemaker. Everyone rted to her would be unlucky. However, seeing Old Yu¡¯s anticipating gaze, she really couldn¡¯t outright reject him. She thought about it and decided to stall for some time.


    ¡°Grandfather, I¡¯m not really sure either. Why don¡¯t I ask the young royal princeter?¡± Yu Xiaocao replied.


    Old Yu repeatedly nodded his head and seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief as he said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Ask the royal prince first. He¡¯s closer to our family. Even if we say something wrong, he won¡¯t punish us!¡±


    Not longter, ¡®the heir of Prince Jing¡¯ came with his imperial bodyguards, and Royal Prince Yang naturally also came along. Zhu Junfan was apparently in high spirits. Disying the bow and arrow in his hands, he said to Yu Hai, ¡°This prince heard that you¡¯re good at hunting. Come! Let¡¯spete to see who catches game first. We can add something for lunch!¡±


    Yu Hai was still frightened by the incident with the bearst time. These two noblemen in front of him, one was the heir of Prince Jing¡¯s Household, while the other was someone favored by the emperor. If there were any mishaps, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the responsibility ah!


    ¡°My Lord, we¡¯re in the midst of famine. The wild animals in the mountainck food, so they¡¯re very ferocious now! Even if we catch game, they are probably just skin and bones. If you want to eat pork, thismoner can go buy some in the neighboring vige...¡±

 Chapter 293 – Saving a Life

    <h4>Chapter 293 ¨C Saving a Life</h4>


    Before Yu Hai had finished speaking, Zhu Junfan interrupted, ¡°How can purchased pork be better than meat hunted by oneself? Don¡¯t worry, this prince¡¯s imperial bodyguards can all single-handedly fight with a ferocious tiger. I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t encounter them, but if we do, I¡¯m certain that they won¡¯t be able to return!¡±


    With no other choice, Yu Hai could only take the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ and his party to walk around the periphery of the West Mountain. Yu Xiaocao was also conveniently taken along by Zhu Junyang.


    The drought was still on going. The grass and trees on the mountain that had been eaten by the locusts had all withered. The entire West Mountain was like an old man with a scalp full of lumps. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s initial worries weren¡¯t superfluous. The herbivores who lost vegetations as their source of food were faced with hunger, and some had died because they couldn¡¯t find food. In a gap between stones not far from the road, Yu Xiaocao found a dead wild hare that was scrawny and had mottled fur. It looked very miserable.


    The group didn¡¯t travel for long before encountering a family of wild boars¡ªtwo adult boars came out to search for food with three young boars. Fortunately, the wild boars could use their tusks to dig out the grass roots in the soil and gnaw on the tree barks. Although they looked slightly thin, they still appeared quite spirited.


    The imperial bodyguards of the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ surrounded the boar family as their master pulled back his bow and shot his arrow at the male boar¡¯s eyes. Wild boars had thick and rough skin, so it was usually very difficult for ordinary arrows to prate their thick skin. In order to kill it in one shot, one had to aim for its weakness¡ªthe eyes.


    The male boar seemed to have noticed the uing danger, bing grumpy and restless. With the female boar and his children, he was about to leave this ce that made him uneasy. Just as he blinked his little eyes and wanted to find a way out of this dangerous situation, Zhu Junfan shot an arrow through the wild boar¡¯s eyes and prated deeply into the boar¡¯s head. The male boar instantly died before he could even make a sound. Seeing this, Yu Hai inwardlyplimented, ¡®Excellent skills!¡¯


    When the female boar realized that her husband had been killed, she became crazy and ran aimlessly through the forest. Coincidentally, she was charging directly towards Yu Xiaocao.


    Due to the little divine stone, Yu Xiaocao had an affinity with taming animals, but she had no way to deal with a crazy boar that could allegedly defeat a bear!


    As the tusk of the wild boar was about to prate her body, Yu Xiaocao felt her body bing light and found herself on top of a tree in a blink of an eye. She looked at the arm that was around her waist, and then turned to see the young royal prince¡¯s icy face. It turned out that at that critical moment, Zhu Junyang had hugged her waist and jumped up on a big, nted tree nearby.


    ¡°Qinggong, you know how to use qinggong?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s pair of big eyes twinkled with light. Her apparent admiration made Zhu Junyang very confident about himself.


    He feigned indifference and faintly said, ¡°It¡¯s a basic skill for martial artists to be able to raise their qi and lighten their bodies. It¡¯s nothing special!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao continued to look at him with admiration and asked, ¡°After practicing qinggong, can one really leap onto roofs and vault over walls? And climb cliffs and mountains as though walking on t ground?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded slightly and said, ¡°In theory, it¡¯s possible. As long as one can find the right foothold, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems with climbing a cliff.¡±


    ¡°Wow! So amazing!! Young Royal Prince, can you teach me qinggong?¡± Yu Xiaocao had long forgotten that there was arge boar attacking them under the tree, and waspletely focused on her desire to learn the qinggong.


    Zhu Junyang looked at her weak and frail body and said with lips curled up, ¡°You? Let¡¯s forget it! qinggong isn¡¯t a specific type of martial arts. It¡¯s supported by one¡¯s inner energy. If you start learning now, you will have to practice for at least ten to twenty years to achieve moderate sess. At that time, you should be able to jump up a tree this tall.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s desire to be a chivalrous heroine, who could leap on roofs and vault on walls, instantly disappeared by half when heard that she also needed to cultivate inner energy. Moreover, after practicing for ten to twenty years, she could only jump up a three to four meter tall tree. She was capable of climbing up such a tall tree without learning qinggong, okay?


    As they spoke, Zhu Junfan had already killed that wild boar that was crazily charging at the tree. The three younger boars should have been born recently, but they were very difficult to tame. However, they weren¡¯t opponents to the imperial bodyguards and were soon captured alive.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill those young boars. We can raise them at home and ughter them when they get fatter!¡± Yu Xiaocao nimbly got down from the tree and suggested as she looked at the screeching boars in the guards¡¯ hands. These young boars didn¡¯t even add up to twenty catties in total, and they were so thin that their stomachs were shriveled. There was barely any meat to eat. It was better to raise them at home, and then ughter them for meat a few yearster!


    Zhu Junfan made a ¡®listen to her¡¯ expression to the imperial bodyguards, and then teased his younger cousin, ¡°Junyang ah! Where¡¯s your bow? It¡¯s not like you to go hunting without your bow and arrows and hide on a tree when encountering danger ah!¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the emperor with his long, charming phoenix eyes and had a look of indifference to his provocation. But Yu Xiaocao jumped out and said, ¡°The young royal prince suffered an injury on his arms. He can¡¯t lift heavy things or use a bow for half a year. What kind of older brother are you? You don¡¯t know anything about your younger brother¡¯s injury, moreover, you¡¯re also teasing him?¡±


    ¡°Impudent!¡± Zhu Junfan¡¯s personal imperial bodyguard red at her withrge, copper bell-like eyes and hollered.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t afraid of him. Her godfather¡¯s eyes were much bigger than his, okay? Even if he didn¡¯t re at people, he still looked more stern than him. She raised her little nose and snorted at the imperial bodyguard, ¡°Stop pretending to intimidate people. Your master didn¡¯t even say anything yet, so how dare you speak? My lord, your subordinate doesn¡¯t know any proper manner. He needs to be properly disciplined!¡±


    Zhu Junfan still had a smile on his face as he nodded in assent, ¡°You¡¯re right! Miss Xiaocao is right. As an older brother, I¡¯m not caring enough about my younger brother! You, what are you still doing here? Aren¡¯t you going to withdraw?¡±


    Su Ran lightly nced at the imperial guard and nonchntly said, ¡°When you return, remember to receive your punishment at the punishment chamber...¡±


    The imperial bodyguard¡¯s forehead was full of cold sweat, so it was apparent that the punishment chamber that the head steward mentioned was a very terrifying ce. Yu Xiaocao felt some sympathy for him and said, ¡°Sir Su, since it was his first offence, please spare him this once. After all, he was just trying to protect his master.¡±


    The imperial bodyguards that the emperor brought along this time were all trained by Su Ran, and they were all elite bodyguards. They had already experienced Su Ran¡¯s methods of handling people and situations, so when facing this handsome young man, who appeared seemingly harmless, the imperial bodyguards were all like mice seeing a cat. They were all extremely terrified of him.


    Su Ran had a well-known characteristic, which was the fact that no one was allowed to refute his decisions. Even the emperor wouldn¡¯t be able to change his mind! As a result, those imperial guards who made a mistake could only hope for the best!


    Su Ran looked at the little girl in front of him with a smile on his face. So it turned out that she was a kind-hearted girl who didn¡¯t hold grudges. With a gentle voice, he softly said, ¡°He scolded you, and had such a bad attitude. I¡¯m helping you punish him, so shouldn¡¯t you be happy?¡±


    ¡°I was indeed being disrespectful to the heir of Prince Jing. What¡¯s wrong with the imperial bodyguard brother faithfully protecting his master?¡± Yu Xiaocao helped put in a good word for the imperial bodyguard without any ill feelings.


    ¡°You also said that he didn¡¯t have the right to speak when his master hadn¡¯t spoken?¡± Seeing that the little girl was reasoning with him in a serious manner, Su Ran began to tease her. The imperial bodyguards were all amazed. Normally, the fellow who dared to contradict the head steward would have already been smacked to death by him. There was no way that he would be so kind as to reason with the little girl in such an affable manner.


    ¡°The master¡¯s dignity was provoked, so of course, the subordinate should immediately jump out in his defense. If he only waited for his master¡¯s orders, then he would be too tactless. From my perspective, I will definitely feel unhappy after being reprimanded by him. On the other hand, from the standpoint of the imperial bodyguard brother, not only should he not be punished, but this is also something he should be praised for!¡± Yu Xiaocao wholeheartedly felt that the imperial bodyguard didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Why should he be punished?


    Su Ran had an even deeper smile on his face, ¡°Based on what you¡¯re saying, I¡¯m in the wrong for punishing him?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°If you insist on punishing him, then that¡¯s definitely not right! The heir of Prince Jing only ordered the guard to withdraw, and didn¡¯t say that he should be punished. Why are you acting on his behalf? You are both subordinates of the heir. Although your position is slightly higher than his, you shouldn¡¯t act this way because others will hold grudges against you. Sir Su, you should win people¡¯s heart with virtue!¡±


    All the bodyguards inwardly took in a breath of cold air. ¡®The head steward got disciplined by a little girl. This little girl is going to be so miserable. Those who disciplined the head steward a long time ago had long be a pile of bones.


    Zhu Junfan, on the other hand, watched the littless of the Yu Family lecture Su Ran with great interest. She had a series of logic, and even knew the principle of ¡®win people with virtue¡¯. Interesting!


    What surprised everyone the most was that Su Ran actually nodded solemnly and said, ¡°Miss Xiaocao is right. Only by convincing people with virtue can people truly be convinced. Since you don¡¯t think it¡¯s reasonable to punish him, then let¡¯s withdraw his punishment!¡±


    ¡°Sir Su is wise!¡± Yu Xiaocao slightly ttered him. When she turned her gaze to the imperial guard, she noticed that the cold sweat on his forehead still hadn¡¯t dried yet. Sir Su was such a gentle and amiable person. Why did the imperial bodyguard brother look as if he had seen a ghost? Wasn¡¯t he too cowardly!


    When Zhu Junfan saw his imperial bodyguards looking as if they had seen a ghost, he hastily suppressed hisughter and asked, ¡°Junyang, what happened to your arms? It sounds pretty serious.¡±


    With an emotionless face, Zhu Junyang simply answered, ¡°It¡¯s fine now!¡±


    Zhu Junfan looked at Yu Xiaocao with questioning eyes, and it was apparent that he wanted her to exin. Yu Xiaocao did as he expected, saying, ¡°In order to save my father, he hurt the tendons and muscles in his arm when drawing a bow that he didn¡¯t usually use. Fortunately, Doctor Sun has excellent medical skills and cured his arms. However, there¡¯s still half a year of recovery period. He can¡¯t carry heavy loads with his arms.¡±


    ¡°He just carried you up a tree earlier. Would it hurt his arms?¡± Zhu Junfan knew that the injury of muscles and tendons was very serious. This younger cousin of his was too willful and reckless. Zhu Junfan knew about that bow of his. Even two well-known strong men in the military couldn¡¯t draw back the bow together, yet he actually pulled it forcibly. Did he still want his arms? Zhu Junfan couldn¡¯t help but worry.

 Chapter 294 – Plan

    <h4>Chapter 294 ¨C n</h4>


    Zhu Junyang endured the faint pain in his arms and simply said, ¡°She barely has any meat on her body, and isn¡¯t even as heavy as a little chick. She can¡¯t be considered a heavy load!¡±


    ¡°I may look thin, but I have meat on my bones, okay?¡± Yu Xiaocao was most annoyed at people who said that she was skinny. She clearly ate a lot of food for every meal and even had a better appetite than Xiaolian, but she still couldn¡¯t gain much weight. However, she thought that she was very well-proportioned. She wasn¡¯t emaciated with just bones and skin. As long as she was healthy, wasn¡¯t it better to be thin than fat? At least she didn¡¯t have to worry about losing weight.


    Yu Xiaocao touched the young royal prince¡¯s arm, and then widened her eyes and fiercely said, ¡°No matter what, I¡¯m considered half a doctor. You must apply half a month more of medication on your arms. Don¡¯t speak! If you don¡¯t want to practice martial arts and draw a bow anymore, then you don¡¯t have to apply it.¡±


    Zhu Junyang felt that the injury on his arms were not as serious as Yu Xiaocao said, but when he heard that there was a possibility that he couldn¡¯t practice martial arts and use a bow in the future, he immediately closed his mouth in cooperation. Wasn¡¯t it just applying ointment? It wouldn¡¯t hurt or itch, but it was just somewhat troublesome.


    Zhu Junfan was also worried about his younger cousin¡¯s arms, but seeing that his beast-like younger cousin behaved like an obedient and gentle cat in front of thess, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in his heart, ¡®It¡¯s true that there is always one thing to ovee another ah!¡¯


    The purpose of this trip was to hunt for wild boars. Since they had caught the boars, they should go down the mountains now! The youngest son of the Yu Family said that this Yu Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills was even better than those at Zhenxiu Restaurant. When would he finally be able to eat the authentic roasted chicken and roasted duck?!


    Zhu Junfan and his brother walked in front, while Yu Hai held his daughter¡¯s hands and followed closely behind them. The scene of the wild boar chasing his daughter just now had scared Yu Hai. He wished that it was him instead. However, he was too far from her and he couldn¡¯t run as fast as the boar. Thus, he could only stand there without doing anything. Fortunately, the young royal prince was beside his daughter and saved her. Yu Hai secretly vowed in his heart that he would never bring his daughter hunting in the mountains again.


    The imperial bodyguards carried the wild boars and young boars back. The bodyguard, who managed to escape punishment, followed the emperor faithfully. He asionally looked at Yu Xiaocao withplex feelings of gratitude and shame.


    When the group came down the mountains, they happened to meet the Yu Family¡¯s neighbor, Madam Mao. She widened her eyes and had a stunned expression on her face, ¡°Oh my god! You guys actually managed to catch two big wild boars! Oh, oh, oh! There are also three young boars! Ah, it¡¯s true that there are no weak soldiers under strong generals ah. The subordinates of the heir of Prince Jing are really outstanding.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao warmly greeted Madam Mao, ¡°Auntie Qian, you¡¯re wrong! The heir was the one who killed the boars! The lord is amazing. He can shoot with great precision; killing one with each shot!¡±


    Madam Mao quickly smiled and fawned on him, ¡°As expected of the heir of Prince Jing. Amazing! Amazing!¡±


    Zhu Junfan smiled faintly at her, and then walked past her. Madam Mao murmured, ¡°My god, are all the noblemen from the capital so good-looking? He looked like an immortal from the heavens. My heart is thumping because of his smile.¡±


    Except for Yu Xiaocao and her father, everyone in the group practiced martial arts and had keen ears and eyes. So, although her voice was low, they all heard everything she said. Zhu Junfan¡¯s mouth twitched, and he took a few steps forwards, pretending that he didn¡¯t hear her. With a trace of smile in his eyes, Su Ran couldn¡¯t help but nce at the emperor.


    ¡°What are you looking at! You¡¯re also one of the noblemen from the capital!¡± Zhu Junfan had always liked to squabble with this childhood friend of his.


    Su Ran chuckled and said solemnly, ¡°The matron is right. Master is indeed good-looking. I¡¯m sincerely praising you ah!¡±


    Zhu Junfan was quite satisfied with his delicately beautiful man appearance in this lifetime. Had it been in his previous life, there would definitely be a lot of talent scouts chasing after him. Being an actor was much more interesting than being an emperor. Ay, he was born in the wrong time period ah!


    When they got back to the Yu Residence, it was quiteborious to tidy the two wild boars. Fortunately, Old Yu was skilled in ughtering pigs when he was younger. He borrowed a butcher knife from Li Dazhu and skillfully handled the wild boars.


    The two wild boars looked thin, but they must have added up to a total of five to six hundred catties. The weather was hot, so it wasn¡¯t easy to preserve meat. Fortunately, the Yu Family had an icehouse. The meat was divided into pieces and stored in the icehouse.


    While the Yu Family were handling the pig head and offal, Zhu Junfan went to take a look at the icehouse. Little Shitou warmly introduced the origin of their icehouse and showed him the ce where his second sister made ice.


    Zhu Junfan had heard about making ice with saltpeter in his past life, but he didn¡¯t know the specific ratio that was needed. He couldn¡¯t help but admire this fellow transmigrator of his. Zhu Junfan made a piece of ice by himself with great interest and transported it into the icehouse. He decided to ask about the method of making ice, and then teach it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If they didn¡¯t have enough ice in the future, they could make it themselves!


    At noon, they ate a pig feast. There were the fresh and tender ¡®pig blood soup¡¯, refreshing and tasty ¡®stir-fried intestines¡¯, rich and fragrant ¡®red braised intestines¡¯, exceptionally fragrant ¡®stewed pork tripe¡¯, ¡®marinated pig tongue¡¯ with a crispy mouthfeel, and the chewy ¡®braised pig trotters¡¯... They had over ten dishes that were mostly made of pig¡¯s offal and odds and ends of a pig. When eaten, the taste was even more memorable than regr pork.


    As Su Ran gnawed on a trotter, he joked, ¡°Our master brought two wild boars to your house, but Xiaocao, you¡¯re only treating our master to these unpresentable things?¡±


    ¡°No matter what the food is, only its taste matters! How are these dishes unpresentable? Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s pig head meat and pig ears are very popr! Sir Su, could you please not eat so happily when making thatment?¡± Yu Xiaocao loved gnawing on pig¡¯s tails. She stewed pig¡¯s tails with the pig snouts. It had a rich taste that didn¡¯t feel greasy. She could finish the two pig tails by herself.


    However, Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t let her do as she wished. Seeing that she was eating with relish, he picked up a piece of pig tail and started gnawing on it like her. As soon as he bit into it, his eyes lit up. It didn¡¯t matter whether or not he looked refined while eating. In front of delicious food, he needed to eat first and thinkter. He swiftly finished gnawing on a pig¡¯s tail, leaving only the bones. After that, he reached out his chopsticks towards the pig¡¯s snout...


    It seemed like Zhu Junyang liked to eat the stir-fried intestines the most. For this dish, she used the small part that connected the small intestines andrge intestines, which wasn¡¯t much in quantity. It had a crispy texture when eaten, and it also had a lot of nutrients. The te of stir-fried intestines was mostly devoured by him.


    The imperial bodyguards sat at one table, and thus ate in an unreserved manner. These men all liked to eat meat, so pig feast was just right for them. They enjoyed their food even more because of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s cooking skills. Theypletely devoured a table of nearly twenty dishes. Their stomachs were full, but they still wanted more. The imperial bodyguards really looked forward to their master staying in Dongshan Vige for a few more days. In this way, they could eat delicious food every day.


    The emperor was still the emperor after all, and thus had numerous affairs to attend to every day. It was already very good that he was able to secretlye out for a trip. During the few days that Zhu Junfan stayed in Tanggu Town, he had seen that the relief work was carried out in a timely manner and there wasn¡¯t a serious famine like he expected. Hence, he reluctantly left. Ay! The upation of an emperor wasn¡¯t something that just anyone could do. There must be arge pile of imperial memorials for him to look through when he returns!


    Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, stayed because he needed to apply medication for an extra half a month! In actuality, his arms weren¡¯t really affected by his use of strength this time. However, for sake of being cautious, Yu Xiaocao insisted that he use the ointment for a little longer.


    In order to prevent the young royal prince from traveling between town and Dongshan Vige, Yu Xiaocao had even offered them to stay at her godfather¡¯s house on the hillside. This house originally belonged to the Zhao Family. After the Zhao Family was bestowed the position of a general and returned to the capital, Fang Zizhen lived there. After Lady Fang came, she carefully cleaned up the house. The residence appeared simple and crude on the outside, but it was very warm andfortable inside.


    The young royal prince settled down in the guest room of the house. Head Steward Liu transferred some maidservants and servants from the residence in town over. Although the master didn¡¯t like being closely served by others, he still needed people to do the chores around him. He couldn¡¯t let him, a head steward, sweep the floor, boil water, and wipe the table, right?


    In a blink of an eye, the fleet transporting food had already been gone for over a month. If the people ate frugally, the food from the disaster relief could at mostst them for two months. In other words, if the average-priced grain couldn¡¯t be delivered back in two months, themon people would starve.


    Even if they received food from the relief, the vigers of Dongshan Vige still needed to n the portions of their meals. They ate two meals a day. They had to work in the morning, so they filled their stomachs with tbread made with a mixture of bran and coarse grain. At night, they just drank a bowl of porridge, and theny on the bed to endure the hunger.


    Due to the locust gue and drought, the cost of living in the prefectural city had increased by a dozen fold. The academy that Yu Bo attended had already increased its tuition. Yu Bo kept spending money during the few days that he stayed in the prefectural city, but there wasn¡¯t enough money and food to support him. He had no choice but to pack his bags and go home.


    His wife¡¯s, Madam Zhao, maternal family wasn¡¯t very well-off either. In a disaster year, they barely had enough to eat, so who would have the spare money to study? The school opened by Madam Zhao¡¯s father, Schr Zhao, had been closed for a long time. The family didn¡¯t have any farnd and food, so if they relied on buying expensive grain to live, they would quickly use up all their money and resources.


    Madam Zhao¡¯s mother suggested to her daughter, ¡°Isn¡¯t your older brother-inw very capable? They made a lot of money from nting watermelons and vegetables, so their family must have food. I reckon you should bring Doudou back to Dongshan Vige. Your mother-inw always fawns on you, so if she has something good to eat, there¡¯s no way that she would be unwilling to give them to you.¡±


    ¡°Mother, are you telling us to leave?¡± Madam Zhao was Schr Zhao¡¯s only child, so her parents had doted on her since she was a child. She had never thought that her mother would drive her back to Dongshan Vige.


    Her mother sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that Mother is being cruel and telling you to leave. As you can see, our family is short on food! The price of food is increasing day by day, and no one knows when it will stop. Mother doesn¡¯t have any other choice ah!¡±


    Madam Zhao knew that her mother was telling the truth. Her eyes gradually reddened, and she said, ¡°Mother, you¡¯re talking about Second Brother-inw, who had already separated from the family. My mother-inw is someone who never knows to leave a leeway when doing things. At their most difficult times, she made Second Brother-inw¡¯s family leave home with barely anything. Think about it, would they still care about our lives after getting rich?¡±


    ¡°But filial piety is the most important ah! Your mother-inw isn¡¯t your second brother-inw¡¯s real mother, but your father-inw is still his biological father, right? He can¡¯t eat and live well himself and not even care if his father can fill his stomach, right? You guys haven¡¯t separated from the family, so it¡¯s natural for you guys to eat together. If Old Yu has something to eat, then you guys will surely have a share, right?¡± Schr Zhao¡¯s wife was very shrewd, and also very good at making meticulous ns.

 Chapter 295 – Visiting Their House

    <h4>Chapter 295 ¨C Visiting Their House</h4>


    Madam Zhao couldn¡¯t lower herself to do this. At the beginning of the year, when everything was fine, she stayed at her maiden home and enjoyed afortable life. But to rush back to Dongshan Vige when there wasn¡¯t enough food to eat, she really couldn¡¯t do it! However, her maternal family was really running out of resources. They had been eating porridge for the past few days, and Doudou looked apparently thinner. She could eat less but she felt very distressed when she saw her clever and lovely son¡¯s thin and listless face.


    Just as she was struggling with whether she should go back to Dongshan Vige, her husband returned from the prefectural city. Seeing that his originally chubby son had be so thin that even his chin had be sharp, Yu Bo immediately brought the mother-son pair back to Dongshan Vige. The maidservant who served Doudou had long been sold by Schr Zhao¡¯s wife at the beginning of the disaster year. They could barely feed their own family, so how would they have enough food to support a stranger?


    Madam Zhao finally found out that her mother-inw and father-inw were divorced when Yu Bo¡¯s family of three got back to Dongshan Vige. She inwardly scolded her mother-inw for being stupid. If Father-inw was still with the family, Second Brother-inw would give them ten taels monthly, which would be enough for the entire family to buy food. Well, wasn¡¯t it great now? They ended up with nothing. Moreover, the two families became enemies who didn¡¯t talk with each other.


    Seeing her younger son¡¯s family returning, Madam Zhang was so happy that she ughtered the only hen in the pen. Without food, the chicken didn¡¯ty any eggs. It was better to kill it to make stew for her son and grandson rather than raising it! She also grabbed a handful of white rice, which she treasured the most, to make porridge for her precious grandson to eat.


    Yu Bo and Doudou were the only ones who had a share of the chicken soup and porridge, while everyone else could only watch them eat. Madam Li immediately felt dissatisfied and shouted, ¡°In order to support the family, my husband goes fishing in the sea every day without fail. Why aren¡¯t we allowed to eat? It¡¯s not right to be biased like this. If you only care about your younger son, then let¡¯s divide the family! Mother should just live with your younger son!¡±


    Madam Zhang was so angry that she moved the basket of coarse grain pancakes closer to herself, red fiercely at Madam Li, and said, ¡°You¡¯re an expert at stirring up the household. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know that you encourage your husband to save a private purse and keep at least half of the money he made from selling fish every day! You gluttonous andzy wretch, you sleepte in the morning and eat more than everyone else. You want to split from the family? Okay! You three, get out of here and live somewhere else!¡±


    ¡°The family should be divided fairly! When Yu Hai separated from the family, he also got a run-down house. So why aren¡¯t we given a house when splitting from the family? Mother, Dashan is also your biological son. You can¡¯t just be partial and give everything to Third Brother-inw ah!¡± Unlike Madam Liu, Madam Li wasn¡¯t someone who was easy to deal with. It was impossible to drive them out!


    Madam Zhang didn¡¯t argue with her. She stared at her eldest son and asked, ¡°Dashan, what do you think? Do you also want to separate from the family?¡±


    Yu Dashan was used to being subdued by his mother. Seeing that she was looking at him with eyes filled with rage, he slightly moved his mouth, and then lowered his head. He didn¡¯t dare to even make a sound. Madam Li was so angry that she mercilessly pinched his arm.


    Yu Dashan summoned up his courage and stammered, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s my duty, as your son, to support you. However, I don¡¯t have the ability to support Younger Brother¡¯s entire family! Moreover, you¡¯re being too biased and giving everything to Younger Brother¡¯s family. My family¡¯s Heizi is also your grandson. He doesborious work at the docks every day, but I have never seen you make delicious food for him...¡±


    When Madam Zhang heard this, she knew that her simple and honest son had also be dissatisfied with her after being egged on. If her eldest son really separated from the family and moved out, how was she, a nearly dying old woman, supposed to support her younger son¡¯s studies?


    Madam Zhangmented while crying, ¡°Dashan ah! I raised you up with so much effort. In the most difficult times, Mother had never thought about abandoning you. Now that you¡¯re all grown up, you want to be independent and not care about your mother, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Mother, I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m not going to care about you...¡± Yu Dashan, who was still a dutiful son, hastily exined.


    Madam Zhang smacked her leg, sniffled her nose, and said, ¡°Then what do you mean? Your younger brother didn¡¯t have much to eat in the prefectural city, and has be bone-thin. Also, Little Doudou, who was originally such a chubby child, is so skinny that he barely has any meat on his body. They are your biological younger brother and nephew. How can youin about them?¡±


    Yu Dashan looked at his younger brother, who had lost a lot of weight, and his nephew, who was scared and hiding in his mother¡¯s embrace. He lowered his head with shame.


    Seeing that her son was feeling somewhat remorseful, Madam Zhang struck the iron while it was hot and said, ¡°At the beginning of next spring, your younger brother will take part in the county exams. After passing the county examinations, he must immediately participate in the imperial examinations held in autumn. If he passes that, he will be considered a provincial official. Schrs who pass the provincial exams can purchase an official title...¡±


    ¡°Mother, I won¡¯t donate to the government for an official title. I will pass the metropolitan exams and pce exams with my own abilities. I can¡¯t guarantee cing first, but I will at least get into the top three. Those in the top three positions are imperial schrs who will be given an official position in the imperial court!¡± Yu Bo confidently said.


    When Madam Zhang heard her younger son¡¯s words, she immediately beamed with delight and said, ¡°Yes! My son is determined! Just focus on studying and don¡¯t be discouraged!¡±


    Yu Bo briefly hesitated, then asked, ¡°I heard... Second Brother¡¯s Little Shitou is also participating in the county-level examinations next year. Is it true?¡±


    Madam Zhang curled up her lips and said, ¡°Who knows! With how much Little Shitou ys and eats, he will be taking the exams in vain!¡±


    Yu Bo nodded in agreement and said, ¡°How many years has Little Shitou been studying? He barely knows how to read and write, yet they¡¯re already letting him take the exams. Does Second Brother take the imperial exams as a joke? Acting recklessly due to their impatience for sess will ruin Little Shitou!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about their matters! He can do whatever he wants!¡± Madam Zhang saw that the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ had already gone back, but Old Yu still hadn¡¯te to talk to her. She felt even more resentful towards Old Yu and Yu Hai within her heart. However, they had evidence of her crime. She couldn¡¯t go cause trouble, so she could only ignore the existence of the family in the old residence!


    Hearing the confident words of her younger brother-inw, Madam Li¡¯s heart started to sway again. Her husband had supported her younger brother-inw¡¯s studies for so many years, and it wasn¡¯t easy to see the light of hope. Wasn¡¯t it a loss to separate from the family now? No way! They should wait until after next spring to decide whether they would divide the family. If her younger brother-inw passed the exam, she would pretend that she had never mentioned this matter. If he didn¡¯t pass, then they shouldn¡¯t me her, Li Guihua, for being inconsiderate. Even if she had to take it up to the county yamen, she had to make sure that they get a fair split from the family!


    After dinner, Yu Bo¡¯s family of three returned to their own room. Madam Zhao fanned for her son, who was sleeping soundly holding his bloated belly. Her heart broke to see the way her son was drinking the porridge earlier. They hadn¡¯t eaten a hearty meal for a long time.


    ¡°Husband, should we visit the old residence tomorrow? Although father-inw and mother-inw are divorced, he is still your father after all. If you don¡¯t visit him this time, what would the vigers say?¡± Madam Zhao reckoned that it was better to have a good rtionship with people in the old residence. They couldn¡¯t depend on that stupid woman Madam Zhang. After all, her husband was rted to them by blood. Even if one¡¯s bones were broken, the tendons were still connected ah!


    Yu Bo didn¡¯t have any ill feelings towards his second brother. When his second brother left the family with nothing, he had felt bad for him in his heart. However, he was very clear about his mother¡¯s temper. It was useless for him to say anything. He was seriously speechless about the reason for his parents¡¯ peaceful separation. He didn¡¯t expect his mother to be so cruel that she would rather watch his father die than spend money to get him treated. If his own wife looked forward to his death so that the family could feed one less person, then he would definitely divorce her. He wouldn¡¯t let her take away a single seed, let alone leave the house and all the money to her... His father¡¯s action was considered to be extremely benevolent.


    Hearing his wife¡¯s words, Yu Bo was very d that he married such a reasonable wife. Looking at Madam Zhao with a smile, he nodded and said, ¡°Mhm, let¡¯s bring Doudou over to pay respects to Father tomorrow. Are there any presentable gifts at home? After all, I haven¡¯t been home for nearly half a year, it¡¯s inappropriate to visit Father empty-handed.¡±


    Madam Zhao took out a piece of dark-colored fabric from the bottom of the box. Originally, she had wanted to use this fabric to make clothes for her own father. In order to have a good rtionship with the old residence, she gritted her teeth and took it out, ¡°Take this piece of fabric! There¡¯s nothing good at home, since we have already pawned most of our goods!¡±


    Yu Bo knew that during this past half a year, his wife lived in her father¡¯s house without paying a single coin. It wasn¡¯t easy for his father-inw¡¯s family ah. He took out a silver bit that was worth one tael from his bag and handed it to Madam Zhao. He said, ¡°I saved this money by eating and living frugally in the prefectural city. Give it to Mother-inw. We can¡¯t let your parents starve because of you and our son.¡±


    Madam Zhao was very moved. With reddened eyes, she carefully put away the money and whispered, ¡°Originally, I nned to pawn some of my dowry to help my parents get through this difficult period. With this money, it¡¯s enough for my parents to eat frugally for half a month. Thank you, Husband!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a family, so why do you need to say thank you? Father-inw and Mother-inw has helped us a lot over the years. As a human being, one should have a conscience, right?¡± Yu Bo held his wife¡¯s slightly rough hands. After the maidservant was sold, Madam Zhao had to personally do all the work. Coupled with not being able to fill her stomach, she appeared much more haggard. However, it made her look more delicately attractive...


    On the morning of the next day, Yu Bo slowly headed toward the west side of the vige with his wife and child. His long gown stood out in the vige. The vigers, who were chatting under the tree, greeted him upon seeing him, ¡±Oh, isn¡¯t this Old Yu¡¯s youngest son? You came back from the prefectural city?¡±


    ¡°This must be Doudou. He¡¯s already so big. He has gotten taller in the past two years ah!¡±


    ¡°Are you going to see your father? Xiaobo is quite filial ah!¡±


    ......


    With a slight smile on his face, Yu Bo politely greeted the elderly men and women in the vige. Madam Zhao also told her son to greet them as ¡®Grandpa¡¯ and ¡®Grandma¡¯. The vigers all praised Yu Bo for being capable and Doudou¡¯s polite manners...


    After traveling across the entire Dongshan Vige, the family of three reached the foot of West Mountain. From afar, they could see the tall courtyard walls and the brick and tiled-roof house of the Yu Family¡¯s old residence. Madam Zhao bent down and said admiringly to her son, ¡°Doudou, look! That¡¯s Second Uncle¡¯s house!! Do you remember Older Brother Shitou and Older Sister Xiaocao? You can see them soon.¡±


    Doudou blinked his big eyes and softly said, ¡°I remember Older Sister Xiaocao. The fish stew she made was very delicious!¡± He even smacked his lips as he said that.


    With a slightly bitter smile, Madam Zhao tapped his small nose and said, ¡°You ah, you¡¯re indeed a little foodie!¡±

 Chapter 296 – Shamelessly Seeking Personal Gain

    <h4>Chapter 296 ¨C Shamelessly Seeking Personal Gain</h4>


    Yu Bo gently knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time. Madam Zhao looked at him and said, ¡°The courtyard is so big, would they be able to hear you if you knock so lightly?¡±


    Yu Boughed and shouted, ¡°Is there anyone at home?¡±


    A crisp voice sounded, ¡°Someone is knocking on the door. I¡¯ll go open it!¡±


    There was a rush of footsteps in the courtyard, and the door quickly opened with a creak. A small head peeked out from behind the door.


    Liu Fangping looked curiously at the strangers in front of him with hisrge, round eyes. He politely asked, ¡°Hello, who are you looking for?¡±


    Doudou pointed at Liu Fangping and asked his mother, ¡°Mother, Older Brother Shitou?¡±


    Madam Zhao looked at the unfamiliar little boy, shook her head, and said, ¡°Doudou, he isn¡¯t Older Brother Shitou.¡±


    ¡°Are you guys looking for Brother Shitou? Quicklye in!¡± Liu Fangping had never seen the three people in front of him, but since they knew Brother Shitou, they shouldn¡¯t be strangers.


    With a warm and gentle smile, Yu Bo asked the young boy, ¡°What¡¯s your name? How old are you? Do you live here?¡±


    ¡°My name is Liu Fangping and I¡¯m almost seven years old. I live in the house next door.¡± Sister Xiaocao said that they had to treat guests in a warm and polite manner, which was something that Liu Fangping felt that he had aplished.


    ¡®Live in the house next door, and surnamed Liu?¡¯ When his mother delivered food to him in the prefectural city, she had once mentioned that his oldest sister had fled back home and got taken in by his second brother. Second Brother treated Oldest Sister very well, and he even gave them a separate house to live in. Looking at the little guy¡¯s clothes andplexion, he should be living quite well. Seriously, what was wrong with Second Brother? He would rather help raise another family¡¯s children than help the family.


    ¡°Eldest Uncle, Sister Xiaocao, we have guests!¡± Liu Fangping skipped ahead, leading the way.


    As soon as Madam Zhao entered the door, she saw the fresh, green vegetables in the yard. There were no insects on them, and not even one locust could be found. It should be noted that viges around town had also tried nting autumn crops, but the locusts immediately devoured them as soon as tender buds sprouted. Thus, they wasted a lot of seeds in vain. How did Second Brother-inw¡¯s family prevent their crops from being eaten by locusts?


    ¡°Eh? Grandfather, Younger Uncle came to see you!!¡± Yu Xiaocao poked her head out of the kitchen and shouted towards the rear yard.


    Old Yu and Yu Hai, who were picking vegetables in the rear yard, strode out of the rear yard with hands covered in mud. When Old Yu saw his son, whom he had ced great hope in, his heart was full ofplex emotions. His mouth slightly moved, and he finally said, ¡°Xiaobo, when did youe back?¡±


    Yu Bo also silently looked at his father, whose face glowed with health and body appeared stronger than before. He inwardly sighed, ¡®I almost couldn¡¯t see Father anymore! Fortunately, there was Second Brother¡¯s family, or else... Mother has indeed crossed the line this time!¡¯


    Yu Bo went forward and knelt in front of Old Yu. He kowtowed to him two times and choked with sobs, saying, ¡°Father, this unfilial son hase to see you!¡±


    Old Yu¡¯s hands were stained with mud. He wanted to help his son up, but he was also afraid of dirtying his clothes. He quickly told Liu Fangping, who was standing on the side, ¡°Fangping, quickly help your younger uncle up. Xiaobo, quickly get up. Quickly get up!¡±


    Yu Bo slowly stood up and said to his son, who stood next to him, ¡°Doudou, quickly greet Grandfather!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather¡ª¡ª¡± Little Doudou looked at Old Yu with slight shyness, and then lowered his head to look at his feet with his lips pursed.


    Yu Xiaocao came out of the kitchen with a basket of pancake made of a mixture of corn flour and wheat flour. She smiled at Yu Bo¡¯s family and said, ¡°Younger Uncle, Younger Aunt, you guys haven¡¯t eaten breakfast yet, right? Let¡¯s eat together! Grandfather, Father, go wash your hands. The family can work together to pick vegetables after breakfast. There¡¯s still enough time!¡±


    At this time, a strong fragrance wafted out of the kitchen. Breathing in the smell, Little Doudou swallowed his saliva, pulled on the corner of his mother¡¯s clothes, and whispered, ¡°Mother, it smells so good ah!¡±


    Madam Zhao touched her son¡¯s thin face and said to Yu Xiaocao with a smile, ¡°Cao¡¯er, what delicious food are you making again? Such a mouthwatering smell!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Breakfast is rtively simple. I only cooked two tes of green vegetables... Oh, that¡¯s right. I also saut¨¦ed a pot of grasshopper sauce! It¡¯s made of the locusts that we caught. I don¡¯t know if Younger Aunt will like it.¡±


    When Madam Zhao heard that it was made of locusts, she immediately felt her stomach turning. Yu Bo saw that his wife¡¯s face was being unsightly, so he quickly said, ¡°Father, have Second Sister-inw make a set of clothes for you with this piece of fabric. Son had been away for half a year, and thus was unable to serve and apany you at home. I feel very ashamed ah! Mother is waiting for us to eat at home, so we won¡¯t stay for breakfast...¡±


    Holding the cloth, Old Yu was extremely moved in his heart. In the past, his youngest son had never bought anything for the family. He actually brought a gift when visiting him this time. His son had finally grown up!


    How could Yu Hai just let his younger brother go? All visitors were guests. How could he let them go without eating? He pulled on his younger brother¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Eat breakfast before leaving. You can rest assured that no matter how difficult this year is, your older brother can still treat you to a meal.¡±


    Yu Caifeng and her husband also came out of the backyard. Upon seeing Yu Bo¡¯s family, they were initially stunned, and then greeted them with a smile, ¡°Xiaobo, you came. Quickly sit down. It¡¯s been such a long time since we, the three siblings, have eaten at the same table!¡±


    When Yu Caifeng got married, Yu Bo was already seven years old. He remembered that when his mother arranged this marriage for his oldest sister, the whole family was opposed to it. However, his mother was greedy for the betrothal gifts and just married his oldest sister to the widower. Yu Bo looked behind his oldest sister and saw a dark-skinned man with an untrimmed beard. Standing next to his good-looking Oldest Sister, he looked apparently seven or eight years older. Ay! It was no wonder that his second brother¡¯s family was indifferent to his mother. It was understandable.


    While he was distracted by his thoughts, Yu Bo had already been pulled to sit at the table by his second brother. Little Shitou pulled Doudou¡¯s small hand, pointed at the golden corn flour pancake, and introduced, ¡°Doudou, this is made from corn that was grinded into flour. It¡¯s imported from a foreignnd! It¡¯s very tasty! Look, it¡¯s scorched until it¡¯s a golden-brown color in the back, so it¡¯s very crispy and fragrant when eaten. It¡¯s especially delicious if you have good teeth!¡±


    Doudou looked at it, showed his pearly whites, and said, ¡°Doudou¡¯s teeth are very good. There¡¯s no bugs!¡±


    Little Shitou chuckled and said, ¡°Good, you can eat moreter! This is grasshopper sauce, and it tastes better than shrimp paste!¡±


    Little Doudou obediently let Brother Shitou take him to wash his hands. After drying his hands, he sat obediently on the small bench and waited to eat. Seeing that her husband and son had sat down, Madam Zhao didn¡¯t think that it was good for her to stand there, so she also sat down beside Madam Liu.


    Yu Xiaocao brought out the mushy corn porridge, which emitted a faint fragrance. Madam Zhao looked at the big pot of golden-colored corn porridge in surprise, and was attracted by its unique smell. She helped Xiaocao divide the porridge into everyone¡¯s bowls and gave everyone a big piece of pancake.


    Madam Liu was afraid that her younger sister-inw would feel restrained, so she smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of pancakes and porridge in the cauldrons, so don¡¯t be polite and just eat to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    Madam Zhao saw that there were a couple tes of green vegetables saut¨¦ed with oyster sauce, and arge te and a small pot of sauce with alluring fragrance. There were also an unlimited quantity of pancakes and porridge. It appeared even morevish than normal, so how was this still a meal eaten during a disaster year?


    ¡°Started eating already? This prince is a littlete today! I had no choice since I encountered a big fellow on my way out. It took some effort to finally kill it!¡± Zhu Junyang strode in with Head Steward Liu, who was walking behind him with a gray animal on his back.


    When Head Steward Liu threw the game on the ground, the Yu Family finally saw that it was a wolf. Yu Hai was shocked and said, ¡°It seems like the beasts in the deep mountains have run out of food. Even a lone wolf hase down the mountains to look for food. It seems that we need to set more traps nearby to be safe.¡±


    The two wolf cubs, Little ck and Little White, curiously ran to the dead wolf and sniffed it with their noses. After that, they suddenly bared their teeth furiously at the dead wolf, making a fierce expression.


    ¡°Oh! These two little fellows are quite good! If you train them, they will definitely be excellent hunting dogs!¡± Zhu Junyang had long noticed that they were wolves, but seeing that the little guys were even more obedient than puppies in front Yu Xiaocao, he didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    Yu Hai was slightly worried as he asked, ¡°Royal Prince, are you certain that this is a lone wolf? Wolf packs are the most vengeful. If any of them escaped, I¡¯m afraid that there won¡¯t be any peace for the families that live nearby!¡±


    Zhu Junyang sat down at the table that was specially prepared for him. He looked at him reassuringly and said, ¡°What is there to be afraid of? With this prince here, even thergest wolf packs wouldn¡¯t be able to return alive!¡±


    ¡°Wait until your arms havepletely recovered and you can draw a bow before boasting!¡± Yu Xiaocao filled a bowl of corn porridge and ced it in front of him. She tore the corn pancake, dipped it into the thick grasshopper sauce, and stuffed it into the young royal prince¡¯s hands.


    Zhu Junyang took a bite of the delicious corn pancakes. After chewing and swallowing it, he said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking down on this prince? Does this prince need to use my hands to deal with the wolves nearby? I can just kick them down one by one! Do you see that tree over there? Believe it or not, this prince can break it with one kick!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the tree he pointed to. It was a tree that was even thicker than the opening of a bowl. She curled up her lips and said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, it¡¯s better that you stop? Don¡¯t break your legs before your arms have even recovered! Alright, stop talking about this and eat!¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t bother to argue with thess and ate the corn pancake with relish. At this time, Yu Bo finally found a chance to speak, ¡°This student, Yu Bo, greets Royal Prince Yang.¡±


    ¡°Yu Bo? Are you that uncle of Yu Xiaocao who wanted to use connections to go through the backdoor and serve in the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate?¡± Zhu Junyang clearly held contempt for those who were unskilled and still shamelessly try to gain favor with the rich and influential. Thus, he straightforwardly pointed it out in front of everyone.


    Yu Bo¡¯s expression changed, and he solemnly asked, ¡°This student had just returned from the prefectural city yesterday. May I ask why Your Highness said that?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked him up and down. Although he was a little far from him, he could still sense that the other party had impure intentions. With a smirk, he withdrew his gaze and replied, ¡°Why did this prince say that? Wouldn¡¯t you know if you go back and ask your mother? Let this prince tell you. Our Prince Jing¡¯s Estate will only ept those with true talent and knowledge!¡±


    For the sake of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s face, he didn¡¯t say his own subtext¡ªdon¡¯t just stuff this trash and good-for-nothing into the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate!


    The rest of the meal was tasteless for Yu Bo. There were several times that he looked at Royal Prince Yang and wanted to say something but ended up saying nothing. Royal Prince Yang, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even spare him a nce and focused all his attention on eating.

 Chapter 297 – A Glimmer of Hope

    <h4>Chapter 297 ¨C A Glimmer of Hope</h4>


    His son, Little Doudou, ate with delight. In front of him was the grasshopper sauce that Xiaocao especially made for children. It didn¡¯t have any chili peppers and there was some sugar added. The sauce tasted savory with a hint of sweetness and was a hit with children. Little Doudou ate the sauce with arge pancake. When they left, he was so stuffed that he could barely move and had to be carried back by his mother.


    When they got home, Yu Bo threw a temper tantrum at his old mother. He wailed that he had been working so hard in the prefectural city, yet she, his mother, was impeding his progress. Now the royal prince had such a bad impression of him. Even if he passed the exams in the future, it would be hard for him to be able to hook arge patron like Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. After saying all of this, he started to sob loudly like a child.


    Madam Zhang panicked. She had originally wanted to help her son, yet she had overestimated her own capabilities. She watched as her youngest son sobbed his heart out and her eyes also turned red. She stamped her feet and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go apologize to the royal prince and tell him that this was all my idea. I was the one who brought you down! I¡¯ll kneel in front of him and have the royal prince change his opinion of you!¡±


    Madam Zhao hurriedly pulled at her mother-inw as anger bubbled within her heart. She silently cursed this pig of an ally, yet she could only persuade the other woman in a virtuous and sweet manner, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t go off and do something again. Please leave my husband a road to walk on ah!¡±


    ¡°How could you say that, I¡¯m trying to help Xiaobo...¡± Madam Zhang red fiercely at Madam Zhao with her red-rimmed eyes.


    When Madam Zhao saw her country-bumpkin mother-inw¡¯s eyes crusted with gunk, she hurriedly looked away as she continued to gently persuade, ¡°Mother, that royal prince does not look like a man who changes his mind easily. If you kneel in front of him, he not only will not think you are pitiful but also think that you¡¯re trying to threaten him. I¡¯m afraid that it would only cause the opposite of your intended effect.¡±


    Madam Zhang instantly was at a loss, ¡°Then...then what can be done ah?! So he¡¯s just fated to misunderstand our Xiaobo ah!¡±


    Madam Zhao, after all, was the daughter of a man who passed the county-level exams and had grown up in a schrly family. She thought for a bit and then said, ¡°There is nothing we can do at this point! Once this issue slowly fades from his mind, my husband can then use the chance to see Father-inw in the future and show off his outstanding side. More exposure will lead to more familiarity, and, in time, the royal prince will change his mind about my husband! Husband, right now you need to spend all of your time closeted up and studying at home. If you¡¯re able to pass the exams next year and get a high-ranking, then, at that time, the royal prince will see you with a fresh pair of eyes!¡±


    Yu Bo wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and sniffled a bit before he looked gratefully at Madam Zhao, ¡°It is still my wife who is knowledgeable! That¡¯s right, the royal prince himself had said it, solid learning is the most important of all. Next spring, I will absolutely have good results on the exam to prove my true talent!¡±


    After finishing the fight, Yu Bo spent the rest of his time behind closed doors cramming. Other than eating or going to bed, he didn¡¯t leave his books even once.


    Madam Zhao had a few more tricks up her sleeve. She noticed that her second brother-inw¡¯s children all seemed to really like Doudou, so she went over every couple of days to call on them with her son.


    Little Doudou also really liked going over to his second uncle¡¯s house. Every time he went, Older Sister Xiaocao would always give him something good to eat. Sometimes it would be a te of delicious fried locusts, and sometimes it would be a perfectly roasted sweet potato.


    Other times, it would be a piece of boiled corn, and asionally it would be a batch of salt and pepper sunflower seeds.


    The sunflower seeds were also goods that Royal Prince Yang had brought over from the western hemisphere. He gave Xiaocao a few seeds and allowed her to nt some on the perimeter of the back courtyard¡¯s wall. When the locust gue was approaching, Yu Xiaocao, with the help of the little divine stone, promoted the ripening of the sunflowers and managed to get enough to make four to five catties of dried sunflower seeds. She set aside a portion to be used as seedster and the rest had been roasted to be snacks. After Madam Liu tasted the roasted seeds, she hid two catties worth of sunflower seeds and said that she was saving them for guests during the New Year celebrations.


    Madam Zhao¡¯s skill at the feminine arts were quite good, so her embroidered flowers and nts looked vivid and lifelike. She gave Xiaolian and Xiaocao each an embroidered handkerchief. After receiving it, Xiaolian wanted her younger aunt to teach her how to embroider. However, she was out early every day and only returned in the evening, so she only had time to learn in the evening. Thus, Madam Zhao came over every evening and diligently taught Xiaolian how to embroider.


    The Yu Family didn¡¯t let her teach for free. Because Xiaolian had to pack up the stallte, the Yu Family ate dinnerter than a lot of people in town. Every time Madam Zhao brought Doudou over, they arrived just in time for dinner at the Yu Family¡¯s. Thus, they allowed the two of them to eat dinner at their house.


    At first, Madam Zhao tactfully refused and stated that she had already eaten. Madam Zhang, like the vast majority of other vigers in Dongshan Vige, only had two meals a day at her house. One meal was at nine to ten in the morning and the second meal was around three to four in the afternoon. By the time the Yu Family in the old residence had dinner, it was already seven at night. So when Madam Zhao said she had already eaten, she wasn¡¯t lying.


    Yu Xiaocao had already found out through Little Doudou just exactly when the two of them ate their second meal and what they ate. Madam Zhang only gave each person a bowl of watery gruel and a small te of salted vegetables. By the time seven o¡¯clock rolled around, all of the food they had eaten at three to four in the afternoon had pretty much been digested. Thus, when Little Doudou saw the table full of tbread made with more white flour than coarse grain, and all of the tantalizing dishes, drool had long pooled in his mouth.


    Yu Xiaocao knew what type of personality Madam Zhao had. She wasn¡¯t the type of person who liked taking advantage of others like Madam Li. Thus, she didn¡¯t have any ill will towards the woman. The originally healthily plump Little Doudou had been starved into a slender sprout. This made her feel bad inside. No matter how hard it got, children shouldn¡¯t have to suffer this much, right?


    Thus, Xiaocao persuaded her aunt, ¡°Younger Aunt, you¡¯re helping to teach us the feminine arts so you¡¯re also considered half a teacher to us. It¡¯s only right and fair that the disciples provide their teacher a meal. Please don¡¯t decline the invitation anymore. If you continue to be this polite, how could Xiaolian and I have the nerve to bother you in the future?¡±


    Madam Zhao couldn¡¯t refuse at this point and brought her son to the table to eat a bit. The next day, she deliberately came over half an hourter in order toe at a time when the Yu Family had already finished eating dinner.


    However, as soon as she entered the courtyard, Yu Xiaocao rubbed her rumbling stomach and said, ¡°Younger Aunt, can youe over a bit earlier next time? We¡¯ve been waiting for you to eat and we¡¯re about to faint from hunger.¡±


    When she saw that the Yu Family was sincerely inviting her over for the evening meal, Madam Zhao finally received it gratefully. After eating a couple of meals there, Madam Zhao had a new understanding of how her second brother-inw¡¯s family was doing.


    They had just experienced the locust disaster, so most families were tightening their waistbands. Most were just eating what they could, especially the evening meal. After eating that, most vigers would soon go to bed and didn¡¯t have to do any hard work. Thus, the vast majority of families didn¡¯t eat much for their second meal.


    However, Yu Hai¡¯s family still had plenty ofrge tbreads to eat. Furthermore, every meal they had at least four dishes and a soup. The tbreads were also made with more fine grains than coarse. Sometimes, they even used white wheat flour to roll out some noodles. Every two to three days, they would also stir-fry a couple tes of meat. The meat had apparentlye from Royal Prince Yang¡¯s hunting. The meat changed from wild boar meat, wolf meat, hare meat, and wild pheasant meat.


    After half a month, her son¡¯s thin little face had regained some plumpness and he also became much more cheerful. Without her guidance, her son would run over to his second uncle¡¯s home to y. He spent his time with Older Brother Shitou and Older Brother Fangping. They fed the chickens with locusts, gathered river snails to eat, or ran around with the other vige children to the beach to gather seafood. At night, when he was dreaming, he would even yell, ¡°Older Brother Shitou, I dug up a m...¡±


    Although her son had gotten tanner, his body was getting stronger and his appetite improved. For the sake of her son, she could only brazenly bum a meal off of her second brother-inw¡¯s family. His family was honest and kind. Most of the time they would even let her bring some food back for her husband. However, they only had one request: the food could only be eaten by the three of them.


    After a month passed, all three of them had gained some much needed weight and they looked much more healthy. When Madam Li noticed this, she stood in the middle of the courtyard and hollered, ¡°There are some people, who look all noble and virtuous, but are actually sneaks who hug onto the thighs of others and lick their feet! No matter if the leftovers are delicious or trash, they¡¯ll still willingly take it back home!¡±


    Madam Zhang naturally knew that Madam Zhao often went to the old Yu Residence. However, she always brought some good food back for her son. When she saw that her son had grown fatter, Madam Zhang was able to turn a blind eye to this. If there were people willing to help her raise her son and grandson, at no cost to her, what did she have against it?


    When she heard Madam Li¡¯s harsh words, Madam Zhang screamed at her, ¡°If you have the ability, then why don¡¯t you go hug their thigh too? I bet that, from the way you look, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to cross the threshold before they shoo you away. If you don¡¯t have the ability, then don¡¯t stand here like an idiot!¡±


    Madam Li shut her mouth. Her mother-inw was right. Last year, she had been caught in the middle of Yu Hai¡¯s melon fields and even ended up crushing some immature melons and not yet grown melon nts. Ever since that happened, no one at the old Yu Residence weed her again. Sometimes she would brazenly go over to try her luck at pulling up some scallions or vegetables in the garden, but she would always be unceremoniously driven away by the fierce Yu Xiaocao. After her mother-inw peacefully separated from her father-inw, they had drawn a clear line between the two families. Thus, she had even less of an excuse to wheedle even one copper coin from them.


    Every evening, she would stealthily watch from the crack in the door as Madam Zhao brought food back home. She could barely hold back the saliva in her mouth as she silently cursed Yu Hai¡¯s whole family for their wealth and their persistence in fawning over her younger brother-inw. She was certain that they were only doing this because they could bask in the glory of her third brother-inw once he became a high-ranking official! What was the point in cursing though? Her husband, who was an unreliable and wooden man, could only watch stupidly from the side as other people ate good food and drank rich things.


    Time passed and it was at the point when the vast majority of vigers in Dongshan Vige could barely eat one meal a day. If more days passed, then the families would start going hungry. At this time, good news passed from the docks¡ª¡ªthe grain ships that had gone down to the south to bring back reasonably priced grain were now here!!


    When Royal Prince Yang heard the news, he rushed over to the docks to organize the situation. The bodyguards under hismand had already surrounded the perimeter in a tight formation to prevent the hungrymoners from causing a riot.


    Fang Zizhen also brought along some soldiers to help keep the peace. More than half of the construction on the harbor had beenpleted. The dockworkers were currently hauling all of the grain off the ships and moving them into the warehouses that had already been finished. The grain would be sold the next day.


    Another batch of grain had been sent to the yamen¡¯s storehouse under the guard of the soldiers. They were preparing to open shops in Tanggu Town and the docks at the same time. The price of grain had already been decided and it would be almost the same price as it was before the locust gue. Coarse grains would be sold for five copper coins a catty and fine grains ten copper coins a catty. Because all of the grain would be sold for the price they had bought it for, the imperial court was going to undertake the costs of transportation andbor involved.


    When the news disseminated, a lot of the vigers rushed over that night and started to line up in front of the stores. Because the Yu Family had a good rtionship with Royal Prince Yang, the people of Dongshan Vige found out first. Thus, if someone looked closely at the long, winding line, they¡¯d be able to see the vigers from Dongshan Vige in the front and middle of the line but not at the end.


    Several hundred ships had been dispatched to haul enough grain to supply the victims of the disaster area. Thus, there was no quota imposed on the grain. Some families had been scared after going hungry and nned on storing more grain at home. Thus, they took out all the money they had to buy some reasonably priced grain.

 Chapter 298 – Auction

    <h4>Chapter 298 ¨C Auction</h4>


    There were also people who noticed that there was more than enough grain to be had and remembered that Royal Prince Yang had promised there would be a second and third shipment of reasonably priced grain...thus they only bought enough grain tost their family two months.


    The Yu Family still had a lot of grain back home, so Yu Hai and Liu Hu took out the horse and donkey carts to help their fellow vigers transport grain back to Dongshan Vige.


    Because Royal Prince Yang had a connection to Tanggu Town, the first fleet of grain ships stopped at Tanggu Town first. However, there were a total of three prefectures and neen viges that were affected by the locust gue. For the past two months, themoners who lived in these prefectures and towns all had to tighten their waistbands. By now, most of their stores of grain had been almost exhausted. The vigers who lived closer to Tanggu Town all hurried over to the docks and town to line up to buy grain.


    For the next few days, the twenty or so reasonably priced grain shops in Tanggu Town and the docks had massively long lines in front of them. Even when the grain shops closed for the night, the lines waiting for grain did not disperse. The people stayed overnight to sleep as they were all afraid that they would have to line up again the next day. They were also afraid that the reasonably priced grain would be sold out.


    Every morning, County Magistrate Zhao of Tanggu Town would take his people from the yamen and punctually opened up the grain shops at six in the morning. The shops only closed their doors at around eight in the evening every night. The grain shops at the docks also had the same operating hours. The people at the shops were busy for five whole days until all of the reasonably priced grain had reached the other towns and prefectures. Only then did the pressure lighten a lot on the grain shops in Tanggu Town and the docks.


    When the first batch of grain was almost sold out, the second fleet of ships had already arrived. Furthermore, when the first fleet of ships had finished unloading their stores of grain, they had gone back to the south to pick up more. When themoners of the disaster stricken areas noticed that the supplies of grain wereing in on time, they also didn¡¯t feel the need to frantically stock up on food anymore. Thus, the days of winding long lines in front of the grain stalls became history.


    As for the other grain stores that had tried to profit from the disaster, there was only dust at their thresholds. The grain stores opened by the government all sold new grain harvested from the south, while these grain shops only had grain that was saved up fromst season. In addition, since the reasonably priced grain stores had fair prices, only idiots would go buy the overpriced grain from the other stores. These shops had already made a fortune from the locust gue, so in order to not let their grain sit for too long, these ces also cut down on their prices. Some of the shops were even selling their grain for less than what the government run shops were selling for.


    Thus, the pressure on the reasonably priced grain stores had lessened again. Before long, the twenty or so reasonably priced grain shops were cut down to two in Tanggu Town, one on the west side and one on the east side. The docks also had two shops remaining. Everything slowly came back to normal in the disaster stricken areas.


    Word finally came out among the wealthy families in Tanggu Town about the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables. All of them expressed their desire to reserve these high-priced vegetables in advance. After the locust gue and drought disasters, these so-called rich families had not been able to eat fresh vegetables for a long time.


    On this particr day, there were more than a dozen stewards who were crowded around the Yu Family¡¯s gates. They were all heatedly arguing. Steward Yao had already been promoted to the head steward of the estate. He righteously proimed, ¡°Our Yao Family was the first family from town to purchase vegetables from the Yu Family. And we had never stopped buying from them for the past two years. The patriarch had already said, no matter how expensive the vegetables, we need to get the contract to buy vegetables from them.¡±


    The assistant steward from the Zhuang Family curled his lip, ¡°Esteemed Brother Yu, please tell them that our Zhuang Family was the first to arrive here and the first to ask to buy vegetables from you, right? You absolutely cannot favor one and discriminate against the other ah!¡±


    The Wang Family¡¯s steward also aggressively interjected, ¡°You cannot forget about us. Since we have alreadye, you can¡¯t let us go home empty-handed, right?¡±


    All of the other stewards and servants started talking at once to proim that they too wanted to buy vegetables from the Yu Family. Yu Hai didn¡¯t know who to listen to anymore and felt his head hurt from all of the ruckus.


    ¡°Please calm down, everyone please calm down!¡± Yu Hai hollered at the top of his lungs for a bit until everyone stopped arguing. Only then did he continue, ¡°Everyone here knows that all of the vegetables in the courtyard have been reserved by Zhenxiu Restaurant! We only have a few vegetable fields open in the back courtyard by the pond. We can only harvest around two hundred catties of vegetables every day, so there are not enough vegetables to go around to everyone. Thus, we absolutely are unable to make everyone happy. Therefore, the most important thing right now is that everyonees to an agreement about what we are to do now!¡±


    ¡°What is there to negotiate? Let money do the talking ah!¡± The person who spoke up was the rich and imposing steward from the Zhuang Family.


    Steward Yao didn¡¯t back down one bit, ¡°Okay! Let money do then talking then! Everyone can yell out a price, whoever¡¯s price is the highest will be able to buy the vegetables! We will give fifty copper coins a catty!¡±


    The assistant steward of the Zhuang Family sneered in disdain and yelled, ¡°Eighty copper coins a catty!¡±


    Everyone in Tanggu Town knew that the Zhuang Family and Yao Family were the families other than the Zhou Family that had the deepest pockets. At first the other family¡¯s stewards also bid, but as the price climbed higher, those other stewards and servants couldn¡¯t keep up. They could only watch as the Zhuang Family and the Yao Family bid with gusto. Finally, the price of the vegetables had climbed up to one tael a catty.


    Yu Hai felt as if his head was going to explode. They had only sold their vegetables to Zhenxiu Restaurant for thirty-some copper coins a catty, yet these two families had bid up to one tael a catty. He felt very uneasy about this!


    Yu Xiaocao also felt antsy on the side as she watched the proceedings. She hurriedly spoke to the two family¡¯s stewards, ¡°You guys should stop bidding! You¡¯ve already reached a sky-high price, so when you guys return, your masters will definitely peel the skin off of you!¡±


    Steward Yao smiled, ¡°Miss Yu has a kind heart! However, our patriarch had already said that no matter how expensive I need to buy these vegetables! Money is not a problem!¡±


    The Zhuang Family had grain shops in all three prefectures, which consisted of more than a dozen viges and towns. Thus, at the start of this disaster year, they had also made a killing. Therefore, the assistant steward of the Zhuang Family proudly stood up tall and looked at Steward Yao with disdain in his eyes, ¡°In terms of money, our Zhuang Family has never feared other people either!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao forced out a smile, ¡°I know both of your families have deep pockets, but you can¡¯t just swing around our family ah! This money will burn our hands if we take it ah!¡±


    Zhu Junyang had been watching the proceedings for some time at the side. When he heard Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words, he curled his lips, ¡°These people are shoving money at you. It¡¯s not as if you¡¯re stealing it or forcing them to give it to you, yet you feel like this money will burn your hands ah! Truly too small-minded!¡±


    The two stewards both knew Royal Prince Yang¡¯s status. When they saw him talking, they immediately became quiet. However, Steward Yao still bravely gave his opinion, ¡°Miss Yu, ever since our patriarch ate the vegetables from your family, he can¡¯t stomach the taste of any other. In the past, the patriarch only liked to eat meat and very rarely touched the vegetables. He started to feel faint and dizzy, and the doctor advised him to eat more vegetables. Despite that, he refused to follow the doctor¡¯s advice. Ever since your family¡¯s vegetables came onto the marketst spring, the patriarch can¡¯t eat a meal without your vegetables, especially the tomatoes. Our patriarch eats your tomatoes like they¡¯re fruits! After the locust gue, there hasn¡¯t been any fresh vegetables in the past two months. Thus our patriarch¡¯s appetite has plummeted. Only after we bought some dried vegetables from your family did he finally have some desire to eat, otherwise...¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey! You can¡¯tpete on price, so you¡¯re trying to use the emotional card instead ah! Steward Yao, didn¡¯t you already agree to selling to the highest bidder earlier ah? Then let¡¯s continue ah!¡± The assistant steward of the Zhuang Family had also been promoted to his position recently and wanted to use this opportunity to show off his abilities in front of his master. In any case, the master had already said that it didn¡¯t matter how much the vegetables cost as long as they could get some to allow the matriarch to eat.


    The Zhuang Family¡¯s matriarch suffered from chronic constipation. Doctor Sun had told them she needed to eat more coarse grains and vegetables. Coarse grains? That was food fit for only poor peasants. If the other rich families in town found out that the Zhuang Family was giving their matriarch coarse grains to eat, wouldn¡¯t they be mocked out of house and home? However, it was a disastrous year after the locust gue had passed. Where would they be able to get fresh vegetables?


    The master had no idea what to do until the one time he attended a banquet at Zhenxiu Restaurant. There was extremely expensive lettuce seasoned with oyster sauce and vegetables sauteed with shitake mushrooms on the table. Everyone praised these two dishes without end. Furthermore, the lettuce and other green vegetables were very fresh and could not have been left over from the previous year. The master of the Zhuang Family had asked several times, but the people working at Zhenxiu Restaurant had their mouths tightly closed. Later on, he sent some people to stealthily follow the purchasing carts of Zhenxiu Restaurant and only then did he find out that the Yu Family of Dongshan Vige was able to grow vegetables. Only then did he send the assistant steward out to buy some.


    However, someone had leaked the information and almost the entire Tanggu Town knew that the Yu Family had fresh vegetables avable. After eating two months worth of dried vegetables, salted vegetables, and meat, all of the rich families in town wanted to eat some fresh green vegetables to clean the pte. Thus, the scene in front of the Yu Family urred today.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that the two people were starting to argue again and hurriedly interjected, ¡°Both of you, please calm down a bit! Look, you both know that we only have two hundred catties of vegetables avable every day. How about you guys split it fifty-fifty? This year, vegetables can only act as a side dish and can¡¯t be eaten as the main meal. Don¡¯t you think that makes sense?¡±


    The two stewards looked at each other and finally managed to reach an agreement. Every day, each family would get a hundred catties each. Miss Yu was right. Their two families probably had around a dozen family members each, so a hundred catties a day was more than enough for them. Perhaps they would even have some vegetables left over that would be rewarded to the higher-ranking servants.


    As for the price, the locusts hadn¡¯t been eradicated yet, so they stuck with the price that was hollered out earlier, one tael per catty. The young royal prince was right. This money was being shoved towards them, so refusing it would only be silly. It wasn¡¯t like they were forcing these people to give them money. Thus, the Yu Family was now going to make an additional two hundred taels a day from their vegetables sales.


    Yu Xiaocao then addressed the other disappointed stewards, ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of people here, so we¡¯re unable to take care of too many vegetable fields. However, I do have a pesticide that can drive away locusts. You guys can buy some to take back home to nt some vegetables and grains that are easy to raise. Every day you need to spray some pesticide on the fields in the morning and night. By doing that, you can avoid the locusts eating all of the vegetables!¡±


    When the rest of the people heard this proposal, they thought about the amount of time it took for green vegetables and lettuce to grow. At most it would take a month until they were ready to be eaten. If they went back and nted them now, they would be able to eat some fresh vegetables before the start of autumn. Furthermore, if they nted autumn season vegetables now, it wouldn¡¯t be toote for them to harvestter. Thus, all of the stewards asked Xiaocao about the price of this pesticide.


    The pesticide was bottled up in wine liquor bottles that came out to a catty each. The ingredients to make one catty of pesticide cost around one tael. Furthermore, this pesticide required an extremely valuable ingredient: mystic-stone water. Naturally, the price could not be too cheap. Yu Xiaocao set the price at five taels a bottle. One bottle of pesticide was enough to spray one mu for a whole month, so whenpared to reserving vegetables, it was a bit more worth it. The only difference was that they had to wait a bit to eat fresh vegetables. The other dozen or so families who weren¡¯t able topete for the vegetables mostly ended up buying some pesticide to bring back. After calcting the sales, Yu Xiaocao had earned eighty-five taels from selling the pesticide alone.


    Liu Hu privately spoke to his wife in admiration, ¡°Wife, your younger brother¡¯s ability to make money is truly very good. First it was watermelons, now it¡¯s vegetables. Money is just pouring into his pockets ah!¡±


    Yu Caifeng smiled, ¡°In actuality, it¡¯s not Yu Hai who is good at making money. Haven¡¯t you figured it out after half a year? Every method of making money has something to do with Xiaocao. Xiaohai also told me that the idea for growing watermelons came from Xiaocao. In fact, the methods used for nting and selling the melons all came from Xiaocao while he implemented them. As for these vegetables, if Xiaocao didn¡¯te up with a method to create pesticide, how could they possibly make that much money?¡±

 Chapter 299 – Wolf Pack Howling At Night

    <h4>Chapter 299 ¨C Wolf Pack Howling At Night</h4>


    Liu Hu nodded his head, ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, it is true! nting corn was something that she asked the royal prince about. She even was so daring to get seeds from him and sign a military writ. Luckily before the locust gue came, the corn was ready to be picked. Otherwise, they would really be hanging there! Your little niece is clever and has guts. If she was a boy, she would absolutely have a sparkling career in front of her!¡±


    Yu Caifeng gave him a look and replied, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her being a girl? Isn¡¯t she also quite capable ah? She helped her family build a five-room house made of tiles and bricks and also made quite a fortune for the family!¡±


    Liu Hu smiled, ¡°I¡¯m not saying girls aren¡¯t good! However, when a girl grows up, she¡¯ll end up getting married to someone! It¡¯s only your younger brother who would spoil Xiaocao like this and have her do as she pleases. If she was married into a family, do you think she would still be able to do as she pleased? Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this. Let¡¯s discuss something else. How about we also open some fields to grow some early growing vegetables next year? We can sell the vegetables to the nearby viges or the prefectural city. That way we won¡¯t bepeting with Dahai.¡±


    Yu Caifeng thought a bit and then agreed, ¡°Since everyone has nothing to do now, we should build our house quickly. We should copy the old residence here and make the courtyard a bitrger so we can nt more vegetables. If we nt our gardens outside our walls, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d have a hard time keeping an eye on them at night!¡±


    ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll build arge courtyard and make sure to have a stone fence!¡± Liu Hu made the decision right there.


    The next day, with Yu Hai¡¯s help, they were able to find a dozen or so vigers in their prime to help with building the Liu Family¡¯s new home. The Liu Family¡¯s new residence was also located at the foot of the West Mountains and was about five hundred meters away from the Yu Family. They decided to build a more subdued house, so the house was constructed out of dirt and lumber.


    Right now was just the start of autumn, which was usually a busy season for the vigers. Because the locust gue happened this year and no one was able to nt crops, most of the vigers were idle at home. Some would go down to the beach to dig up some sandworms or oysters. Others went into town or the docks to find some temporary work.


    Sandworms and oysters were now being dug up by a lot of people, so the ie a person could get from them had sharply declined. In the past, a person could make at least a hundred coppers a day. Now, those who could dig up about a catty and sell it for forty to fifty copper coins were envied by other people as experts.


    The docks and town now had too many people looking for temporary work. Someone waiting for a few days may not be able to get a job. If there wasn¡¯t reasonably priced grain to be had, there would have been many starvingmoners everywhere.


    The Liu Family gave cash to the people who helped them build their house and the wage was thirty copper coins a day. They also prepared the noon meal for the workers. Although the wage wasn¡¯t considered very high, Liu Hu was rtives with Yu Hai. Since Yu Hai had a good rtionship with his older sister, all of the young, strong workers in the vige were willing to do this as a favor to Yu Hai.


    After working there for two days, all of the young workers unceasingly praised the food at the Liu Family. They all proimed that this work was worth doing! The Liu Family provided tworge tbreads that were made with more white flour than coarse for each worker. Furthermore, the dishes that came along with the tbreads always had meat in them. On one day, it was the soft and savory braised pig meat head, while on another day it was tantalizing stir-fried pig intestines. Then, on another day, they had some fried little fish that was soft and crispy...


    The dish that made people the most happy was that, other than some dried vegetables, each meal also had a te of sauteed green vegetables. This year, a te of green vegetables was being sold for the price of roasted chicken and roasted duck at Zhenxiu Restaurant, so it was quite expensive! Furthermore, there was also Yu Xiaocao¡¯s grasshopper sauce that she personally stir-fried herself. It made everyone praise it constantly. Even if there weren¡¯t other dishes, just this savory and spicy grasshopper sauce alone was enough to make a person eat an extra two tbreads.


    With delicious food to be had, the young vigers worked with great enthusiasm. They threw mud bricks, cut lumber, andid the stone wall...everyone was willing to use all of their strength and not a single one cked off.


    Before a month had passed, the Liu Family¡¯s three-room mud-brick house had finished construction. They had also epted Yu Xiaocao¡¯s suggestion for the roof and used ceramic tiles. By using a tiled roof, they would save the time needed to thatch the roof every year. Furthermore, a roof crafted of straw leaked rain in the summer and let in the cold wind and snow in the winter. With the Liu Family¡¯s current financial circumstances, if they were careful with their money, they were able to afford a tiled roof. What was the point of trying to scrimp and save if they couldn¡¯t livefortably?


    The Liu Family lived even closer to the West Mountainspared to the Yu Family, so Yu Hai proposed that his brother-inw dig some pits around the perimeter of the wall for extra protection.


    In actuality, their worries were not in vain. Just when the Liu Family had finished plowing the vegetable garden in the courtyard and nted their seeds, a few dayster, all of the families living at the foot of the West Mountains could hear the howls of wolves at night when they were about to go to sleep.


    Yu Xiaocao was roused by the noise. She draped a quilt over herself as she climbed into her parents¡¯ kang bed and quietly asked, ¡°Father, listen! It sounds like wolves howling! Is a wolf packing down the mountain?¡±


    Right after she spoke, a sweet and puppyish howl could be heard from the courtyard. The sound had a tone of warning to it.


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry, ¡°Cao¡¯er, these two puppies you brought back home have been with us for two months yet they still don¡¯t know how to bark properly. However, they manage to imitate the sound of a wolf howl pretty good. Quickly bring those two fellows inside to avoid them attracting the wolf pack here!¡±


    At this time, the two brothers, Yu Hang and Little Shitou, pushed the door open and came in. Each of them had a little wolf in their arms. Little Shitou smiled, ¡°Little White is so brave. When he heard the wolves cry, he even dared to howl back at them! However, his howls are too youthful and don¡¯t have enough power.¡±


    Little ck and Little White were both the progeny of the gray wolf. When they first came over, they weren¡¯t even a month old. Right now they still looked as if they were only about two months old. Every day they caught locusts to eat and also had Yu Xiaocao adding some fish and shrimp to their diet, so their bodies were very strong and healthy. Perhaps it was because they had drunken mystic-stone water, but the two fellows grew on the slower side. Two months had passed but they were only about the same size as the two-month old puppy from Dahuang¡¯s family. However, they looked very dainty and small, so they were quite adorable.


    When the two wolf pups heard the unceasing howls of the wolf pack, their fur puffed up on their bodies. They twisted and turned in Yu Hang¡¯s and Little Shitou¡¯s arms, looking quite fierce. Yu Hai took Little ck over and ced him on hisp to pet. He smiled, ¡°These two dogs likely have the blood of wolves running through them. Although they are quite small, they are very brave. In the future, if we train them well, they will absolutely be very good hunting dogs!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao snickered endlessly inside. The blood of wolves? These two were wolves, okay? However, she didn¡¯t know the color of Little ck and Little White¡¯s mother. How could these two wolves bepletely different colors and not look one bit like Big Gray? ¡®Big Gray¡¯ was the name that Xiaocao had just given that gray wolf. In the past, she used to call him ¡®little wolf¡¯ but now he had already be a father, so it wasn¡¯t right to continue calling him ¡®little wolf¡¯.


    When the two wolves were ced on the kang bed, they immediately scampered over to Xiaocao and rubbed their heads intimately against her. They even rolled around her asking for pets, as if their earlier fierce appearance was just an illusion.


    The little roe deer had been a pet for over two years yet it never seemed to grow and still looked quite mini. It had followed the two Yu brothers and wormed its way into the main bedroom. When it saw the two wolves on the kang bed, it raised its forelegs onto the side of the kang bed. It enviously and pitifully stared at the other two creatures.


    The Yu Family¡¯s three little pets all took a bath every two to three days, so they were all very clean and didn¡¯t have any undue odors. Yu Xiaolian helped the little roe deer climb onto the kang bed and held it in her arms to pet. Little ck and Little White were only close to her younger sister and regarded the affections of other people with disdain. Because of this, Yu Xiaolian and Little Shitou both med Yu Xiaocao. Luckily, the little roe deer had an easy-going temper and was quite affectionate with everyone in the family. This somewhat soothed the hurt feelings of the two siblings.


    Yu Hang remarked in worry, ¡°From the sound of the howls, there are quite a lot of wolves in this pack! If they descend the mountain, the families here, including us, would bear the brunt of their attack. The royal prince lives on the mountain. Although he has bodyguards to protect him, it is not necessarily safe. How about we invite the royal prince over tomorrow to live in our west courtyard? Father, what do you think?¡±


    Yu Hai nodded his head, ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea! Xiaocao, you¡¯re the best at speaking with the royal prince. Tomorrow at breakfast, bring up this idea. The wolf pack¡¯s howls seem quite far away right now, so we probably won¡¯t have any problems tonight. After tonight, we can¡¯t guarantee it will be okay. From the sounds, I¡¯d guess that this pack has at least twenty to thirty wolves. We absolutely cannot underestimate them!¡±


    Experienced hunters could tell from the sounds of the howls just how many wolves there were in a pack. Yu Hai had spent a few years with Zhao Bufan and was unlikely to make a mistake about this.


    Madam Liu anxiously stated, ¡°How do you think older sister is doing over there? They¡¯re closer to the West Mountains. If the wolves descend the mountain, they will be first to encounter cmity. Other than Older Brother-inw, the rest of them are all women and children. They might be scared to death! I think that tomorrow we need to bring them over. Our courtyard¡¯s east wing is still empty. If we squeeze a bit, we¡¯ll all be able to fit.¡±


    Yu Hai gave his wife an approving look and nodded his head, ¡°Okay! Tomorrow we¡¯ll have Older Sister and her entire family move in with us. We¡¯ll be able toe up with something together.¡±


    After she finished worrying about Yu Caifeng¡¯s family, Madam Liu started to worry about her maternal family. ¡°Husband! Xishan Vige is quite close to the West Mountains. I don¡¯t know what the circumstances are like at my maternal family!¡±


    Yu Haiforted his wife, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xishan Vige is still around two to three kilometers away from the West Mountains! Father-inw¡¯s family also live in the interior of the vige. Unless the wolf pack is starving, they won¡¯t go to ces with a lot of people. Last time when we went to Xishan Vige, I had talked to the vige chief there and told them to set more pit traps around the vige and to organize people on night duty. When wild beastse, those on night duty will beat the drums and light fires. That will also scare the wild animals away.¡±


    After hearing her husband¡¯s exnation, Madam Liu rxed ever so slightly. That night, all of the families living at the foot of the West Mountains didn¡¯t sleep well! Everyone was like the Yu Family, all squeezed into one room with shovels and other tools in their hands at the ready for an attack.


    Just as Yu Hai predicted, the night passed without any issues. The next day, when Qian Xiaoduo came by to buy vegetables, he noticed that everyone in the Yu Family had dark circles under their eyes and they were all acting a bit strange. After asking a bit, he found out the reason. He pped his chest and promised to give the Yu Family some hunting forks, hunting bows and arrows, as well as hunting knives in the afternoon.


    At breakfast, Yu Xiaocao mentioned their idea about having the prince move in with them. Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but mock her a bit after he noticed the little girl¡¯s dark circles, ¡°It was just a few wolves howlingst night, is this necessary?! You¡¯re even more timid than a tiny sparrow! Tsk, in a moment, I will move over. With this prince around, even if all of the wild beasts descended the mountain they wouldn¡¯t be able to harm you, let alone a wolf pack!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t resist the urge to refute him, ¡°Don¡¯t be such a bringer of bad luck, okay? My father had already said that this wolf pack has at least twenty to thirty wolves in it. If they all descend from the mountains, it will be quite a disaster! And you even said you could protect me if all of the beasts from the mountain came down, do you think we¡¯re filming ¡®Beast Kingdom¡¯ [1] right now?¡±


    Although Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know what ¡®Beast Kingdom¡¯ was referring to, he could tell that Yu Xiaocao was satirizing him. He coldly huffed and said, ¡°You only show your rage at me! You¡¯re lucky that I don¡¯t lower myself to your level, otherwise, you would have died many times over!¡±

 Chapter 300 – Wolf Pack Under the Moon

    <h4>Chapter 300 ¨C Wolf Pack Under the Moon</h4>


    By the third day, the wolf pack had descended the mountain. The first to bear the brunt was the old Zhao Residence that was halfway up the mountain. However, all of the people inside had been moved to the Yu Family¡¯s residence. Without the smell of food around, the wolf pack detoured around the houses halfway up the mountain and the Liu Family¡¯s newly constructed residence and rushed straight towards the Yu Family¡¯s next door neighbor, the Qian Family.


    The Qian Family¡¯s courtyard had about a hundred or so ducks in there. Although it was a disaster year, raising ducks wasn¡¯t the same as raising chickens. Chickens required a lot of fodder whereas ducks only needed to be let out to a pond, and they could forage food for themselves. Little fish, shrimp, and snails were all a part of their regr diet. Madam Mao was nning on raising these hundred ducks until autumn and then selling them.


    It was currently the fifteenth of September and the moon was bright and radiant. Yu Hai climbed onto the top of his own wall and could clearly see the besieged Qian Family. The Qian Family had also dug some pit traps around them, which served their purpose. There were a few wolves caught in the pits. However, there were too many wolves in the pack. The ravenous starved wolves attempted one after another to scale the walls. Some even tried to use their bodies as a battering ram and mmed themselves against the Qian Family¡¯s dpidated wooden gate....


    The Qian Family¡¯s ducks in the back courtyard screamed to the high heavens. Their walls were not as high as the Yu Family¡¯s and a few strong wolves managed to twist themselves in midair and jump onto the top of the walls.


    Yu Xiaocao wasying on the roof as she anxiously watched what was happening at the Qian Family¡¯s residence. She quietly asked, ¡°Father, are you sure that Uncle Qian and his whole family aren¡¯t at home right now?¡±


    ¡°Mhm! The day before yesterday, your Uncle Qian had told me that he was nning on taking the family to his wife¡¯s maternal home in the evening. Last night I saw that all of them had left the vige.¡± Yu Hai held a bow and arrow in his hands as his eyes glittered with the shimmering light from the moon.


    Yu Xiaocao finally rxed. When she heard the ducks let out a scream, she remarked in regret, ¡°It¡¯s too bad Auntie Qian¡¯s flock of ducks will be destroyed. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re about to be the wolves¡¯ evening meal!¡±


    Although Yu Hai couldn¡¯t see the back courtyard of the Qian Residence, he guessed, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too big of a loss! When your Uncle Qian left, he had opened up the gate to the pond. When the ducks get scared, they should run towards the pond. I¡¯m sure some of the ducks will be eaten by the wolf pack but probably not all of them.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao climbed to the highest part of the roof. With the light of the moon, she could faintly see the messy ripples on theke. It was probably all caused by the ducks heading into the water. Yu Xiaocao rxed again.


    Zhu Junyang calmly sat on top of the roof and saw the worry disappearing from Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face. He teased, ¡°You¡¯re unable to defend yourself, so why are you worrying about other people?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao turned her head around and looked strangely at Zhu Junyang, who was sitting on the beam of the roof as if he was on t ground. Then she looked at her own position, awkwardly hugging onto the roof. She curled her lip and said, ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±


    ¡°If the wolf pack can¡¯t find any food at the Qian Family¡¯s ce, they will naturally change their target. The Yu Family is the closest neighbor to the Qian Family. What target do you think they¡¯ll go for next?¡± Zhu Junyang expressed his disdain towards Yu Xiaocao¡¯s intelligence. She was normally a very sharp little girl, so howe her brains seemed to have disappeared right now? Was she really scared silly by the wolf pack?


    Who was their next target? It was quite obvious! Yu Xiaocao smiled bitterly as she watched the wolf pack finish battering down the Qian Family¡¯s gate and run around in the back courtyard. A portion of them were already dashing over in the direction of the Yu Family¡¯s residence.


    ¡°Prepare! Everyone get into position!¡± Zhu Junyangmanded his dozen or so bodyguards. All of them climbed up bamboodders to get onto the wall. Each of them was energetic and healthy as they prepared and aimed their bows and arrows.


    Yu Xiaocao stayed on top of the tall roof and tied up a piece of meat on a bamboo pole. As if she was fishing, she dangled the bait outside the walls.


    The first wolf to arrive was obviously the alpha of the pack. It still remembered the pits outside of the Qian Family¡¯s residence and stopped right outside of the Yu Family¡¯s walls to observe the surroundings. It also howled a bit at the rest of the wolf pack, which was right behind it. Most of the wolves stopped right next to the head wolf, but there was no shortage of stupid wolves who had been starved silly. When they smelled the scent of meat in the air, they ignored the alpha wolf¡¯s warning and rushed over in the direction of the meat.


    Arge and muscr gray wolf leapt up very high and opened itsrge mouth wide as it soared towards the meat that Yu Xiaocao was dangling. Xiaocao deftly lifted the bamboo pole a bit and the gray wolf snapped onto nothing. It fell towards the ground. Just as its paws touched the ground, a sharp ¡®crack¡¯ resonated in the air. Its feet had stepped onto thin air and the wolf fell deep within the previously dug pit. Within the pit were sharpened bamboo stakes and they pierced the gray wolf¡¯s soft underbelly. Immediately, the scent of blood filled the air.


    There were two other starving wolves that wanted to fight over the meat. By the time the gray wolf fell down, they had already jumped up, so they weren¡¯t any more fortunate than the first wolf. Three wolves had been caught in the traps and had all been injured more or less. The pits wererge and deep, yet the mouth of the hole was small. It would be too difficult to climb out even if they wanted to!


    Yu Xiaocao shifted her position on the roof. She dangled the piece of meat above another trap. This time, she deliberately hung the meat very low and it almost touched the ground. Some of the gluttonous wolves that had retreated earlier were now bing interested again.


    Yu Xiaocao turned her head around and revealed a proud smile at the young royal prince, ¡°How about that? Looks like my ability to fish wolves is quite good, eh?¡±


    Zhu Junyang reminded her, ¡°Keep an eye on the ground. Be careful that your cleverness doesn¡¯t turn into a tragedy...¡±


    Just as the word ¡®tragedy¡¯ left his mouth, he saw the meat that was being dangled by Yu Xiaocao being bitten onto by a skinny old wolf. Although the old wolf had gotten a bite of the meat, it still couldn¡¯t avoid falling into the prepared trap. As it fell into the trap, the old wolf refused to let go of the meat in its mouth. Yu Xiaocao had been caught off guard and had been dragged by the weight of the old wolf towards the edge of the residence¡¯s wall. In a moment, almost half of her body was about to fall out.


    Yu Hai, who had been observing everything from the side, almost had his eyes pop out of his head as he hollered, ¡°Cao¡¯er, quickly let go of the bamboo pole in your hands, let it go!!¡±


    Everything was happening in the blink of an eye. Yu Xiaocao wanted to let go of the bamboo pole, but it was already toote. She could feel that the center of her gravity had already shifted away from the roof. She was facing the prospect of falling into the center of a pack of hungry wolves on the ground.


    If she fell like this, she might be like the old wolf and fall into the pit trap. Her body would end up pierced by the sharpened spears in the trap. Or she could fall into the clutches of the wolf pack, and end up torn into pieces...


    In her moment of desperation, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t forget to ask the little divine stone, [If I fell into the pit and became injured, can you guarantee that I won¡¯t be mortally injured? Or what if I fall into the wolf pack, can you make the wolf pack not rip me to pieces?]


    [To stop you from injuring your vital areas is something I can do. However, if you fall into the middle of the wolf pack, I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t have enough time to do anything before they tear you apart. These starving wolves aren¡¯t like Big Gray and easy to tame...] The little divine stone still earnestly replied to her during this crucial moment.


    [Then I¡¯m screwed! Looks like, Little Glutinous Dumpling, you¡¯re about to get a new master...] Yu Xiaocao felt very regretful about this ending. She had only transmigrated over for two years and she hadn¡¯t enjoyed enough the feeling of being loved by her parents and siblings. She still hadn¡¯t had the chance to taste the sweetness of romantic love. Was she just going to tragically die in the mouths of these wolves?


    As her body slipped towards the outside of the wall, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart was full of despair. She tightly closed her eyes and two tear drops slid down her cheeks...


    Just as her entire body was about to slip out, she suddenly felt her ankle jerk and her body swayed. For a second, she was at a ny degree angle from the outside wall and her nose became intimately close with the tiles. The tears in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes spilled out. Her nose hurt a lot ah! These tears were from being struck on her nose, okay?


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry! You little coward!! With this prince around, how could you possibly fall out?¡± The young royal prince¡¯s voice sounded from the direction of her feet.


    Yu Xiaocao turned her head around and saw that her foot was caught by the young royal prince. She could clearly see that fellow¡¯s face, which was begging to be smacked, under the clear light of the moon. When he saw Yu Xiaocao look over, Zhu Junyang deliberately wiggled the hand on her ankle. Afterwards, Yu Xiaocao was just like a dead fish as she swayed back and forth in the air.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt the hand on her ankle tighten and her body being lifted a few meters. A stinky smell wafted over and, in the corner of her eye, she saw a row of tightly packed teeth rushing by her. The teeth were about two centimeters away from her head and stopped for two seconds before it quickly disappeared and dropped. Yu Xiaocao stared at the culprit. Apparently, it was a fierce wolf that was rushing towards her and ended up falling into the pit below them.


    Yu Xiaocao blew her top out of fury. Because of all of the blood rushing to her face, her face was bright red. She screamed at the young royal prince, ¡°Are you using me as bait ah?! Don¡¯t you know I almost died because of you?! Quickly bring me back up!!¡±


    As for the ultimate fate of the previous bait, it could be seen in the pit. That old wolf was still clutching onto it even as it was pierced to death.


    Zhu Junyang also felt cold sweat dripping down his body from shock. If his reflexes weren¡¯t as fast as they were, that little girl¡¯s head would have been bitten off by that wolf. He hurriedly used all of his strength, and hauled Xiaocao back up with one hand on her ankle and the other grabbing the back of her clothes. After she was back on the roof, he gently ced her back where she used to be sitting.


    Seeing tears stream down Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face, Zhu Junyang rubbed his nose out of embarrassment when he saw the tears streaming down Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face and quietly said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t cry! It was my fault earlier...aren¡¯t you perfectly fine?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao leveled a re at him and then rubbed her own nose¡ª¡ªit hurt so much! However, she silently rejoiced that she didn¡¯t break her nose earlier. This era didn¡¯t have any methods to reshape a person¡¯s nose. If she broke her nose, she¡¯d be ugly for the rest of her life, alright?


    Zhu Junyang pinched her sharp little chin and pushed aside her hand as he attentively inspected her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your nose? Did it hit the wall and be t? Looks a little bruised but there¡¯s no blood. Should be fine!¡±


    ¡°Go away!!¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed aside the young royal prince¡¯s hand that was pinching her chin. What was he doing? This move was too much like a yboy taking liberties with a respectable young woman. Men and women should not touch hands when they give or receive things. Even though this old woman¡¯s body is only ten years old, we¡¯re already past the age of being able to share the same table, okay?


    Zhu Junyang was just about to say something when he was interrupted by Yu Xiaocao crying out in fear, ¡°Damn it! That wolf pack is ramming the gate again!! These repulsive creatures, they¡¯re definitely going to try to do the same thing and bring our gate down to rush in!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang calmly and unhurriedly rubbed her hands. The soft and smooth feeling was unfamiliar to him. He looked at his own fingers, raised his head to look at the direction of the gate and softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not a big deal! Your family¡¯s gate is very sturdy and the bar holding it closed was switched into a metal rod. The wolf pack doesn¡¯t have a chance against it!¡±


    Following that, he raises his voice, ¡°Get ready group one, we¡¯re going to shoot these wolves dead. Take aim and fire!¡±

 Chapter 301 – Saved by a Wolf

    <h4>Chapter 301 ¨C Saved by a Wolf</h4>


    After Royal Prince Yang finished hismand, all of the bodyguards on thedders pulled back the strings on their bows and shot their arrows towards the wolf pack rushing towards the gate. Immediately, howls of pain and grief filled the air.


    The alpha wolf let out a low howl and the wolves striking the gate became even more fierce. Some of the wolves had blood dripping from their heads and bodies. The bodyguards by the gate calmly ced a second arrow on their bow strings and continued to shoot at the wolf pack outside. Each wave of arrows left behind a few dead wolf corpses.


    The wolf pack retreated to a safe distance after following the alpha wolf¡¯s subsequent howl. The head wolf¡¯s eyes whirled. There were pit traps on both sides and the gate was protected by the rain of arrows. It looked like it needed to change its ns ah! The alpha wolf had no intention of retreating even though the Yu Family was a hard nut to crack. The Yu Family had plenty of ¡®food¡¯. If the wolf pack didn¡¯t take a meal now, they would all starve to death. They needed to seed or die trying!


    The head wolf took the rest of the wolf pack in a feigned retreat. It wanted to lower its enemies¡¯ guard by making them indecisive. Zhu Junyang, who was sitting on the rooftop and directing thismand, yelled at the bodyguards at the gate, ¡°Group one, leave behind two people to continue to guard the gate. The remaining two peoplee to the back courtyard to provide assistance. Head Steward Liu, a wolf pack holds grudges. Since they had a stumble here, they absolutely won¡¯t just leave the matter at that. Since the wolf pack was able to enter the Qian Family¡¯s back courtyard with ease, they will certainly try to mostly attack the back courtyard here. Bring some people to heavily guard the rear courtyards three walls!¡±


    Under the light of the moon, the two bodyguards swiftly ran from the front gate towards the back courtyard. Near their feet, there were two little shadows, one ck and one white, that were following along. The speed of these two shadows was not any slower than the bodyguards¡¯ top speed.


    Zhu Junyang had also spotted those two ¡®little puppies¡¯ that resembled balls of fur. He couldn¡¯t help but praise them, ¡°Xiaocao, they all say that dogs resemble their masters. It is truly correct. Your two little puppies at home are also stupidly brave like you! There were so many starving wolves outside earlier, yet the two little guys aren¡¯t afraid at all and even ran towards the back courtyard to guard it. Tsk tsk! Should I say that they are heroic or should I say that they¡¯re overestimating their own abilities here?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was also still on the roof. She watched as her two little wolves, one ck and one white, scampered towards the back courtyard like two little balls of fur. They stretched out their forelegs and lifted their bottoms up as they howled through the cracks in the gate.


    The back courtyard had two little wild pigs that already weighed almost fifty to sixty catties each. They seemed to have sensed the lurking danger approaching and let out indignant squeals. The hares in the cages were all crowded into one corner, shivering with fear. The little roe deer was in the courtyard, pacing back and forth in a very anxious manner. From time to time, it would raise its head and prick up its ears to listen to the sounds. Its tail was upright, revealing white fur that was arranged in the shape of a heart.


    Sure enough, as Royal Prince Yang predicted, the wolf pack had taken a long detour around and crept up alongside the pond. They started attacking the back gate. The bodyguards who were guarding the back gate didn¡¯t even need their master to order them as they swiftly shot arrows towards the wolves rushing over. Not a single arrow missed its target. Before long, around seven to eight wolvesy dead on the ground.


    The thirty odd wolves did not seem like a small number. However, four to five wolves had been caught in the pit traps outside the Qian Family¡¯s residence and another five gluttonous wolves had fallen victim to the pit traps at the Yu Family¡¯s walls. At the front gate, another five to six were in by arrows and another seven to eight had died at the entrance of the back courtyard. All in all, around twenty-three to twenty-four wolves had been killed by now.


    Zhu Junyang observed the vastly thinned out ranks of wolves, which were only around a dozen now, and then gestured a signal to the bodyguards that were in the front courtyard. The six to seven bodyguards secretly opened the gate and then began to nk the wolf pack from afar. Yu Hai also went along with them. In his hands were his bow and arrows, and he also had a hunting fork on his back. Yu Hai also knew that wolf packs held grudges. You either had to kill them all in one stroke or avoid them from afar. Now that his family had already shed with them, they needed to put an end to all of the wolves in the pack. Otherwise, he would be leaving a cmity for his family in the future.


    When the alpha wolf noticed that things were going south for them on the attack at the back courtyard, it gave an order to retreat. At this point, the wolf pack had less than ten wolves left. Before the leader of the pack turned to leave, it leveled a re full of hate at Yu Xiaocao, who was still on the roof. It seemed to be warning her, ¡®You better not leave the house in the future, otherwise...heh heh!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocaoined silently to the little divine stone when she saw a lowly beast warning her, [I know you can understand thenguage of animals, can you not show off? You¡¯re not doing anything right now, yet you¡¯re in the mood to trante what the alpha wolf is saying to me.]


    The little divine stone huffed, [Being idle is still just being idle! If only it was possible to eradicate the whole wolf pack. Otherwise, your family will not have peaceful days in the future. A thief can be around for a thousand days, but people can¡¯t defend themselves a thousand times. This saying can also be used on these wolves.]


    The bodyguards who had set an ambush at the foot of the West Mountains had already started fighting with the defeated wolves. These men were exceptionally skilled. Even if their first arrow didn¡¯t kill the wolf instantly, they would rush up with a sharp sword and fix that quickly. In the blink of an eye, this small group of wolves was ughtered.


    The alpha wolf seemed to know the concept of targeting the weakest link. It knew it couldn¡¯t escape anymore, so it ran towards Yu Hai. Yu Hai shot an arrow towards the leader wolf, but it nimbly dodged it. By the time he shot the second arrow, the distance between them was already very close. The alpha wolf rushed forward despite its wounds and didn¡¯t slow down at all. It opened its mouth wide, fangs gleaming, as it leapt toward Yu Hai. The arrow collided with its forelegs and a burst of blood flowered out.


    Yu Hai was quite agile with his hands and was able to grab the pitchfork from his back. He quickly used it to obstruct the alpha wolf¡¯s gaping jaws. However, he was unable to block the animal¡¯s raking ws. Long, deep scratches appeared on Yu Hai¡¯s body and blood started to gush out. The smell of the blood provoked the head wolf¡¯s viciousness and itpleted a difficult turn in midair and mmed its body towards Yu Hai.


    Although Yu Hai was able to block the alpha wolf¡¯s second attack, he had been knocked over by the force of the animal¡¯s impact. The wolf¡¯s ws were cruelly pressing down on Yu Hai¡¯s shoulders. Even though the wolf¡¯s fangs were being blocked by the pitchfork, it was doing its best to strain forward to break the pitchfork between its jaws. It desperately desired to kill the repulsive human that had injured it so heavily.


    Most hunting forks were made of iron at the prongs, yet the handles were made of in wood. How could a piece of wood possibly withstand the force of a ravenous wolf¡¯s jaw and teeth? Before long, a sharp cracking sound could be heard as the hunting fork was snapped in two by the wolf.


    Its dense row of gleaming white teeth that exuded a rotten smell headed in the direction of Yu Hai¡¯s neck. The bodyguards were currently in the middle of a fight with the other wolves, how could they pay attention to what was happening here? Yu Hai believed that he was screwed and risked getting his neck snapped in two as he viciously stabbed the prongs of the pitchfork towards the wolf¡¯s chest.


    The wolf¡¯s teeth got closer and closer. They were about to kiss Yu Hai¡¯s neck when, suddenly, a forceful impact from the side pushed the alpha wolf away from Yu Hai. Yu Hai was stupefied for a second and then touched his neck. He was okay? He hurriedly flipped over and looked towards the wolf that had been attacking him. There was a silvery-gray wolf, about the same size as the alpha wolf, that was currently fiercely fighting the leader wolf.


    The head wolf was truly the leader of wolves. Although it had been injured, it was still as vicious and fierce as before. However, this gray wolf was not inferior in any aspect. It was fighting the alpha wolf to a standstill.


    At this time, there were some bodyguards who had finished their fights and walked towards Yu Hai. They looked at the two wolves fighting and inquired, ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Howe these two, the same species, are fighting with each other?¡±


    Yu Hai let out an incredulousugh and mocked himself, ¡°Who knows? Perhaps they¡¯re trying to fight over me as a piece of food? Nowadays, it¡¯s not necessarily a good thing to be plump and brawny!¡±


    The bodyguardsughed, ¡°Are you okay? You should hurry back and get your wounds treated ah! Just leave these two wolves to us brothers!¡±


    As they finished talking, the alpha wolf had already been pinned down by the gray wolf and its throat had been ripped open. The leader wolfy on the ground, breathing itsst. The gray wolf nced at Yu Hai. This man had the smell of the little girl on him. Did it rescue the wrong person?


    In the blink of an eye, the gray wolf had been surrounded by the bodyguards. There were seven to eight bodyguards who were very skilled and all of them had shiny swords in their hands that were pointed at the gray wolf.


    The gray wolf cautiously observed the bodyguards as it tried to find a way to escape. Aish! Doing a good deed was for naught. In order to save a human, it had to pay with its own life.


    One of the bodyguards inspected the gray wolf and said, ¡°This wolf seems to be different from that pack. It has such beautiful fur. I¡¯d absolutely be able to pick it out again.¡± Yu Hai hesitantly said, ¡°This wolf just saved me! How about...we let it go?¡±


    The second bodyguard was on the more cautious side and shook his head, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a part of that pack or not. Wolves will always have fierce natures. If we don¡¯t kill it now, I¡¯m afraid that in the future it will pose a threat to Dongshan Vige¡¯s safety.¡±


    Yu Hai was slightly persuaded after hearing that. What type of wolf didn¡¯t eat meat? His children often went up to the West Mountains to catch locusts and set traps. If they met this wolf, what could happen to them? At the thought of endangering his children, Yu Hai¡¯s heart became hard.


    As the circle surrounding the wolf tightened, the gray wolf was on the brink of being killed...at this moment, two little figures squeezed through the legs of the first and second bodyguards. They looked down and saw the Yu Family¡¯s two little pet dogs. One was named Little ck while the other was named Little White.


    The two little puppies squeezed through the encirclement and bounded towards the gray wolf.


    Yu Hai was shocked and hurriedly yelled, ¡°Little ck, Little White! Come back...¡±


    However, when he saw the scene before him, Yu Hai abruptly fell silent. The two tiny puppies had unexpectedly ran towards the gray wolf¡¯s legs to act spoiled and cute as they rolled around in front of it. Little ck even nibbled at the fur on the gray wolf¡¯s chest and swung around like a swing.


    Love shed through the gray wolf¡¯s emerald green eyes. It lowered its head and used its tongue to gently lick Little ck and Little White. The two little puppies also intimately licked the gray wolf¡¯s wounds. They whimpered and whined as if they were trying to say, ¡®Father, does it hurt? Let us lick your wounds and they won¡¯t hurt anymore!¡¯


    The first bodyguard eximed in amazement, ¡°These two puppies actually do have the blood of wolves running through them. Could the gray wolf possibly be their father?¡±


    The second bodyguard nodded his head, ¡°No wonder the gray wolf would save Older Brother Yu! It probably could smell the scent of his sons on Yu Hai¡¯s body. I must say that this gray wolf is quite handsome. All of his fur seemed to be crafted out of silver and his eyes seemed to be as beautiful as the emeralds our master brought back from the western hemisphere. He looks quite clever and smart.¡±


    The first bodyguard exchanged looks with hisrade and said, ¡°What should we do then? Should we still kill this gray wolf?¡±


    Little ck and Little White had been fed mystic-stone water by Yu Xiaocao every day. They could already understand simple words from the humannguage. When they heard the word ¡®kill¡¯e out of the first bodyguard¡¯s mouth, they hurriedly raised their fur up until they resembled angry little hedgehogs.


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao hade over with the young royal prince. She curiously looked at the center of the bodyguard¡¯s encirclement. With the light of the moon helping her, she spotted a familiar silvery-gray figure.

 Chapter 302 – The Aftermath

    <h4>Chapter 302 ¨C The Aftermath</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao quickly pulled away the guards and rushed into the encirclement. Before Zhu Junyang could intercept, she hugged the wolf and rubbed its thick fur. ¡°Big Gray, why did youe down the mountain? Was there not enough food in the mountains? It¡¯s ok, I have a big brood of rabbits at home, I can share them with you!¡±


    Big Gray¡¯s fur was almost the same color as the moon. Yu Xiaocao gently caressed its soft fur, the protruding bones on his back was a little harsh on her hands. It seemed that the food chain at the secret base had also been destroyed. She wondered how Big Gray survived these two months.


    When Yu Hai saw his daughter run toward the wolf, his heart almost jumped out of his mouth. He hurried forward a few steps and stopped upon seeing the scene before him. Under the moonlight, a little girl was nestled beside the silver-gray wolf and stroking the back of the wolf. The wolf was as tame as a domesticated dog. At their feet, two little cubs rolled around acting cute. The scene was as beautiful as a dream.


    When Yu Xiaocao turned her head, she saw her worried father. She smiled reassuringly as him and said, ¡°Father, this wolf is very intelligent. He remembered that I helped him before and never attacked me. When I went up the mountain, he entrusted me with Little ck and Little White!¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at the gray wolf with interest and asked, ¡°Are Little ck and Little White his children? Howe they don¡¯t look like him? Could there be a mistake?¡±


    ¡°Beasts have a really good sense of smell. If it¡¯s not their children, why would they put in so much effort? Little ck and Little White¡¯s mother died shortly after giving birth to them. It was the Big Gray who fed them with the blood of his prey to keep them alive. Thest time I went up the mountain, he gave me the two little guys to bring back!¡± Yu Xiaocao said amusingly.


    Yu Hai was still worried. He had many children at home. What would he do if the wolf became berserk one day and bites his children? Thus, he was deeply opposed, in his heart, to taking the wolf home. After thinking about it, he asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, have you decided to take in this gray wolf?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gently stroked the gray wolf¡¯s fur and nodded, ¡°The wolf pack came down the mountain tonight, which means that there is less and less food avable on the mountain. Father, I want to keep Big Gray until things are better on the mountain. After that, I will let him go back up the mountain.¡±


    Feeling somewhat distressed, Yu Hai frowned slightly and said, ¡°We have so many peopleing and going at our house. If one day the gray wolf suddenly goes mad and bites people, it would be hard to exin.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen, Big Gray understands human speech and won¡¯t hurt anyone. Unless someone wants to hurt him or us. He already saved you just by depending on your scent, Father. This alone proves that Big Gray isn¡¯t amon wolf!¡± Yu Xiaocao tried to persuade her father. If she disregarded Big Gray, then he might die of starvation.


    Yu Hai still felt doubtful as he said, ¡°But...in a famine year, people can¡¯t get enough to eat yet you want to take a wolf home to raise. I¡¯m afraid the vigers will talk...¡±


    ¡°Alright! What is there to contend for? When that timees, just say that it¡¯s a pet trained by this prince and I like buying meat to raise him. Let¡¯s see who can say anything then! Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s almost dawn. Clean up the wolf corpses and be careful of attracting other predators again!¡± Seeing that the two were arguing back and forth with no end in sight, Zhu Junyang made the decision.


    With Big Gray¡¯s problem solved, Yu Xiaocao was in a good mood. When she went back home, she saw the injuries on her father¡¯s body. Her heart ached as she grumbled, ¡°Father, howe you didn¡¯t say that you were hurt? You¡¯ve bled so much. Quick, lie down. I¡¯ll sprinkle some anti-inmmatory and styptic powder on it.¡±


    At this time, Madam Liu, who stayed in the room with the children, came in and lit the oilmp. She saw the bloody scars on her husband¡¯s body caused by the wolf¡¯s ws, and said with tears, ¡°How could you be so careless? The wound is so deep, should we ask Doctor Sun from town toe and take a look?¡±


    Yu Hai was fully confident in his daughter¡¯s medical skills. He smiled andforted his wife, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s a much lighter injury than the bite from the blind bear fromst time!! Our daughter can pull me back from the gates of the underworld, what¡¯s this injury? Don¡¯t cry, if the children see you, they willugh at you.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao boiled a pot of water full of medicinal herbs. She added a lot of mystic stone water and brought it out in a basin. Seeing her mother wiping away her tears, she felt that she should find something for her to do so she wouldn¡¯t be entertaining different thoughts. ¡°Mother, dip the gauze in the medicine and help father clean his wounds. The wolves¡¯ ws are dirty. Only when you wash the wounds thoroughly will they not get infected. After the wounds are cleaned, sprinkle the powder on it. I¡¯ll go make the ointment.¡±


    Taking the basin of water, Madam Liu nodded her head and said, ¡°Mhm, hurry and go make it so you don¡¯t dy your father using it!¡±


    Madam Liu used the warm medicinal water to gently clean her husband¡¯s wounds. The children all gathered around him and asked, ¡°Father, does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you are really something, being able to go head to head with wolves!¡±


    ¡°Mother, why don¡¯t I help clean father¡¯s wounds?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, is the wolf pack wiped out?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, is wolf meat delicious?¡±


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ll go out to see if I can help with anything...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao came over with a mortar to make medicine and shouted softly at the group of chattering kids, ¡°All of you shut up! Father must feel so ufortable after losing so much blood. Just let him quietly lie down for a while.¡±


    Seeing that her mother wouldn¡¯t let her help, Yu Xiaolian said, ¡°I¡¯ll go kill a hen and make a stew for Father. Once the wound is taken care of, he can drink some chicken soup to nourish his body.¡±


    ¡°Take some Angelica Sinensis and wolfberry from my medicine box and cook them together. It¡¯s good for replenishing blood!¡± Yu Xiaocao added some mystic-stone water with the medicinal herbs and pounded hard. Hearing Xiaolian¡¯sment, she hastily reminded her.


    Yu Hang and Liu Junping were both considered halfborers in the family. They saw that the bodies of the wolves were being dealt with outside, so they rushed out to help. After the wolves were skinned, they picked out the rtivelyplete ones. When Yu Hai¡¯s wounds were healed, he could tan the skins. Then, they couldy the wolf skins on the bed in the winter, which would be so warm andfortable. Wolf meat would be stored in the icehouse and could be eaten for a long time!


    There were two imperial bodyguards outside that were identally scratched by a wolf¡¯s w. Liu Yaner brought over a pot of medicine for them to clean their wounds.


    The two seven-years-old kids, Little Shitou and Liu Fangping, couldn¡¯t help much, so they stayed in the room and quietly watched Madam Liu help Yu Hai clean his wounds. From time to time, they also asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if he was numbed by the pain or some other reason, but when the medicine touched the wound, Yu Hai didn¡¯t feel any pain at all. Instead, after a while, there was a light sense of coolness that spread from the wound. Vertigo caused by blood loss also disappeared in an instant.


    Madam Liu cleaned very meticulously, and her movements were very light, for fear of her hurting her husband. By the time the wound was cleaned, Yu Hai felt that he had almost fallen asleep. When applying the powder, there was a slight tingling sensation. However, when the ck ointment was applied, the tingling disappeared again. Instead, there was a cool andfortable feeling around the wound.


    The rest of the ointment was given to the two wounded bodyguards to be applied. The two imperial bodyguards weren¡¯t seriously injured and just had some minor external injuries.


    There were bodies of more than thirty wolves that had to be taken care of. The dozen or so imperial bodyguards worked until dawn, but still hadn¡¯t finished tidying the bodies. The Zhou Family next door carefully opened their door at daybreak. Seeing that there wasn¡¯t any danger, the Zhou Family¡¯s head of the household got his tools and went over to inquire about the situation with his son. Last night, the Zhou Family had stayed all night after hearing the movements from the nearby Yu Residence.


    As soon as they entered the gates, they saw that the yard was full of the dead bodies of wolves. Zhou Danian was stunned and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. They went into the room and asked about Yu Hai¡¯s injuries. After that, the father and son also joined in the task of cleaning up the bodies of the wolves. When Madam Fang heard that Yu Hai had gotten injured, she came over to visit him with a chicken and a basket full of eggs.


    Currently, there were still many locusts. The Zhou Family¡¯s chickens were also raised within the vicinity of their home, and they basically didn¡¯t need to buy food or anything. The Zhou Family probably wouldn¡¯t be able to raise so many chickens in the winter, and thus most of them would be killed.


    After daybreak, the news that the old Yu Residence was attacked by wolves spread all over Dongshan Vige. The vige head came to visit them with several families, who had a good rtionship with the Yu Family. When they saw the skinned wolf corpses in the courtyard, they were all stupefied.


    Wolf meat was slightly thicker than dog meat, so it tasted quite good when cooked well. When Yu Hai, who just got treated with medication and bandaged, saw the bodies of more than thirty wolves, he felt a headacheing. If they ate too much wolf meat, they would also be tired of it, okay? There were so many wolves that they wouldn¡¯t be able to finish consuming them until next spring!


    After inquiring the royal prince, he was told that the Yu Family could do whatever they wanted with the wolf corpses. Yu Hai discussed with his family and decided to donate twenty of the wolves to be distributed to each household in the vige. Although these wolves were a little thin, about thirty catties of meat could be cut off of each wolf. In this way, each family could receive nearly twenty catties of wolf meat!


    After being hit with both the locust gue and the drought, the vigers of Dongshan Vige no longer had enough money to buy food, much less meat. Therefore, when the vige chief rang the vige¡¯s bronze bell and gathered all the families on the field in front of his house, all of their eyes reddened upon seeing the skinned wolves. When they found out that the Yu Family had selflessly donated these wolf meat, the vigers¡¯ gratitude and respect for Yu Hai became even deeper.


    In the morning, the Qian Family came back from their maternal family¡¯s home and saw the damaged wooden door and the disorder in their backyard. Madam Mao felt upset over the dozen or so ducks that had been eaten and killed. Fortunately, most of the ducks escaped into the pond in the afternoon and survived. When she saw the bodies of the four wolves in the traps around her yard, the pain in her heart slightly eased. They wouldn¡¯t be able to finish all of these wolf meats, so some of it could be sold to the restaurants in town, which could also make up for some of their losses.


    Knowing that nearly thirty wolves had been wiped out by the Yu Family, Qian Fugui and Madam Mao were both d and afraid. If they hadn¡¯t made the decision to go over to Madam Mao¡¯s maternal family every night, they would¡¯ve to bear the attack of more than thirty wolves. They didn¡¯t have a dozen or so bodyguards to help them. After the wooden door was broken, the consequences could be imagined.


    After expressing concern and sympathy to the Yu Family, Qian Fugui dealt with the bodies of the four wolves. He took two rtively intact skins and the meat from two wolves back to his father-inw¡¯s house. After hearing about the incident fromst night, Madam Mao¡¯s parents and older brother insisted that they stayed for a few more nights. Madam Mao and her husband would return to tend to the ducks in the morning, and then they would rush back to her parent¡¯s house in the evening. Although it was troublesome to run back and forth, it was nothingpared to the possibility of being attacked by predators.

 Chapter 303 – Relieving the Disaster

    <h4>Chapter 303 ¨C Relieving the Disaster</h4>


    Once they entered summer, besides the asional two or three rainfalls, it didn¡¯t rain anymore. Although it was better than the drought in the Northeast, if it wasn¡¯t for the locust gue, then there was a good chance that harvest would¡¯ve just declined sharply, and there would¡¯ve been ces without the possibility of the final harvest.


    On the West Mountains, the only trees left after the locust gue were dry and looked dead. If it didn¡¯t start raining soon then it would be very likely that all the nt life would die. Even the stream that flowed yearlong from the West Mountains was also dried up. The pond behind the Yu Family¡¯s old house was also only a tenth of what it had been. Large areas of mud at the bottom of the pond hadrge gaps from being dried up by the sun. asionally, a fish died in areas without water and would give off a rotting smell.


    The water level in the well behind the old house had also dropped a lot and the ropes on the bucket had been changed again and again to be longer. The well in the Yu Family¡¯s home was considered to be in good condition, having been drilled deeper. Many of the wells in the vige had already dried up and finding water to drink was bing a problem!


    Just when everyone in the disaster zone was starting to be more and more desperate, freezing rain fell one evening near the end of autumn. It left a transparent string of ice on the roofs and branches, which melted and fell to the ground as water droplets at noon. The autumn rain continued to fall, moistening the dry ground. The annoying locusts were also frozen to death by the freezing rain. This rain came in at just the right time. Not only did it provide relief from the drought, but it also solved the locust gue problem. Spring nting shouldn¡¯t be affected next year.


    The freezing rain alleviated the effects of the drought but it also brought disaster to the vegetables the Yu Family was growing. The Chinese cabbage, radishes, and other autumn vegetables managed to survive. Green vegetables, like lettuce and other greens, were all frozen into a droopy state overnight. If Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t watered the vegetables with the mystic-stone water every so often, they would¡¯ve most likely frozen to death.


    The rain continued to fall gently without ceasing for ten days. During these ten days, the Yu Family braved the rain in order to put all the vegetables into the warehouse in order to reduce some losses. After selling these vegetables, the autumn vegetables would almost be ready for harvest.


    Cabbage, radishes, and onions... there weren¡¯t many autumn vegetables that could be nted in this era. The Yu Family¡¯s west courtyard was nted with autumn nts, which would be more than enough for their family to eat for the whole winter and some surplus to spare. Chinese cabbages were cut out from the ground one by one and were dried slightly before being put into the cer in the west courtyard. The cer in the east courtyard had already been converted into an ice cer.


    Radishes were pulled out of the ground and the more tender radish seedlings could be used for cold dishes. Pulling radishes out was a strenuous job that was given to the men in the family. The women and children worked on chopping cabbages and pulling up onions.


    After working for ten days, the autumn vegetables were all put into the cer. The surplus autumn vegetables of the Yu Family were contracted at a high price by Zhenxiu Restaurant. it wasn¡¯t that other vegetable growing families didn¡¯t grow cabbages and radishes, but they were all destroyed by the locust gue shortly after sprouting. Many of the wealthy people in town had bought the special pesticide from Yu Xiaocao, but what they grew wasn¡¯t enough for them to eat, much less sell it. Furthermore, these families didn¡¯tck the money to buy vegetables either.


    Out of all the restaurants of Tanggu Town, only fresh vegetables could be eaten in Zhenxiu Restaurant. Other well-known restaurants bought vegetables from the south, but their prices were higher and most of the vegetables weren¡¯t as fresh after such a long journey.


    The taste of the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables was recognized by all of Tanggu Town. There used to be people who investigated the cause of the difference in the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables and those of other families. In the end, it was concluded that the well water behind their house was from a top grade mountain spring, which couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else.


    Not even a month after the autumn rain had fallen, the temperature sharply dropped and snowfall quietly began. Winter came without anyone noticing. All of the residents of Dongshan Vige hid inside their houses for the winter. The winter this year wasn¡¯t any better thanst year¡¯s winter. Although reasonably-priced grain was being shipped from the south, besides some dried vegetables and dried seafood, there wasn¡¯t much food to be had.


    Last year, the vigers had more money in their pockets and were able to have a good winter. Now, many people weren¡¯t even able to keep themselves full.


    However, for the Yu Family, the impact wasn¡¯t that big.


    After winter began, Royal Prince Yang and his attendants had returned to the capital to report on their tasks. He did a good job with the disaster relief and the stipted grain prices were put in ce in a timely matter. The citizens in the disaster area were all deeply grateful to the emperor and Royal Prince Yang. The reputation of the imperial court also rose among the people.


    In this past year, Royal Prince Yang had brought in high yielding seeds from overseas and managed to cultivate one thousand catties of corn per mu and five thousand catties of potatoes per mu. He also did rtively well with the disaster relief. The emperor gave him a very generous reward. If he hadn¡¯t recently been promoted to the rank of royal prince, there would¡¯ve been a good chance that he would¡¯ve been given the rank of imperial prince, the same rank as his father!


    Fang Xun, who had gone with Royal Prince Yang to sea and was in charge of the acquisition and purchase of provisions, was also rewarded. He was not only promoted two ranks but was also awarded with the title of a defense marshal and ced in charge of the imperial guards. He was already an official of the second rank at such a young age, so how could others not be greedy and jealous? However, they could watch with envious eyes. After all, Royal Prince Yang looked highly upon Fang Xun, leading to his repeated promotions!


    Royal Prince Yang was now the emperor¡¯s favorite. There was a saying being circted privately among the official circles of the capital: ¡°If you side with Royal Prince Yang, it is guaranteed that your rank will be promoted.¡± This saying wasn¡¯t without any evidence and reason. The emperor trusted this younger cousin of his and often made him in charge of anything important going on. It was very easy to get results when working with someone like him. Furthermore, Royal Prince Yang never took credit for someone else¡¯s contribution. As a matter of fact, he was currently in court asking for the merits for the people who had helped him grow corn and potatoes!


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the Yu Family nted ten mu ofnd and ended up harvesting ten thousand catties of corn. They also nted one mu of potatoes, which produced five thousand catties. If corn and potatoes be widely nted in the north, then wouldn¡¯t the people no longer need to worry about having enough food and be able to live in peace? I believe the Yu Family has made great contributions to the country and should be rewarded!¡± Zhu Junyang presented his thoughts to the emperor.


    Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue agreed with the prince, ¡°Imperial Majesty, such talents should be recruited to the Ministry of Revenue! I calcted that, if it wasn¡¯t for the locusts gue, the yield of corn per mu in the Ministry of Revenue¡¯s experimental fields would¡¯ve been around six to seven hundred catties per mu. This subject has also seen that the corn nted by the Yu Family was full and even. The potatoes were big too! In my opinion, the Yu Family has a rare talent in farming, so it should be put to use!¡±


    The other civil and military officials listened to the words of Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue and began calcting in their hearts. The experimental fields of the Ministry of Revenue were all fertile and had specially assigned people to take care of them. One mu ofnd could produce six to seven hundred catties. However, it was said that Dongshan Vige had mostly mountainous and barren sandynd, yet the yield of one mu ofnd was more than one thousand catties.


    What was going on? Either the Yu Family didn¡¯t record all of their nting methods or the Yu Family definitely had a brilliant talent at farming. With Zhu Junyang, the cold faced prince, watching over them, the Yu Family would certainly dare not hide anything. In other words, there was a 90% chance that it was thetter.


    What was the Great Ming Dynastycking the most right now? Grain ah! Jiangnan, thend of fish and rice, was doing alright. The climate there was suitable for nting and there was an abundance of fertilend. With two harvesting seasons, the annual yields in Jiangnan was considered decent. At least themon people could fill their stomachs. However, north of Yangtze River, especially the bitter northeast and northwest, they only had one harvesting season each year due to the climate. Although the emperor has repeatedly reduced taxes on agriculture, the yield in the north was still too low. Most of themoners there were happy if they could eat until they were half full.


    It was said that corn and potatoes weren¡¯t picky with soil and climate and were easy to grow in the north. Most importantly, they have a high yield! One season was equivalent to two or three seasons of other crops. If every mu ofnd was able to reach a yield of a thousand catties per mu, what worries would the people have about hunger?


    Corn could be ground into cornmeal, which could be used to make steamed rolls and kneaded t cakes. Although staple foods made with cornmeal were not as tenderpared to white flour, it tasted betterpared to other coarse grains such as millet flour and bean flour. The methods to cook potatoes had also been circted among the officials. Some of them even borrowed a few potatoes to cook. After all, the cooking methods weren¡¯t difficult. If potatoes became popr in the future, there will be many dishes to be had in winter.


    All of the officials believed within their hearts that corn and potatoes should be nted inrger quantities. This year, they managed to harvest ten thousand catties of good seed. Therefore, next year, they could nt a few thousand mu ofnd. By the autumn of next year, they would be able to harvest several million catties of seeds...Thus, in three or five years, corn could be widely nted in the north!


    With this type of talented person, they were sure that no one would oppose his promotion!


    The Minister of Revenue had been hinting that he hoped the emperor could give the Yu Family a small seventh official rank so they could serve the Ministry of Revenue. None of the other officials raised an objection.


    The emperor, who was sitting on the high dragon throne, had a smile on his face but stayed silent. The Minister of Revenue was starting to feel a little anxious. He thought the emperor didn¡¯t agree with him. When he was about to say something, the emperor finally said, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, you¡¯ve had the most contact with the Yu Family and have the most say on the matter. Who do you think should take the credit?¡±


    The Minister of Revenue had been to Dongshan Vige in person. Besides Yu Hai, the rest of the household were all women and children. It wasn¡¯t that he looked down on women and children, but they could only do housework in the home. Wasn¡¯t farming the job of the man? So who would get the credit? Of course, it would be Yu Hai, who was the head of the household.


    Zhu Junyang took a look at his smiling cousin and honestly said, ¡°ording to the observations of this subject, the nting methods for the corn and potatoes were all invented by Yu Xiaocao, Yu Hai¡¯s daughter.¡±


    The Minister of Revenue had seen Yu Xiaocao before, but she was only a skinny little girl. He couldn¡¯t help but frown and retorted, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, that girl is only ten years old, how capable could she be? It seems to be that Yu Hai and his brother inw took care of all the corn...¡±


    Royal Prince Yang red at him coldly and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who is in charge of the field. The key is who came up with the idea and who was making sure it was carried out. Your Majesty, this subject lived in Dongshan Vige for more than three months. What this one saw was Yu Xiaocaoing up with the idea andmanding behind Yu Hai¡¯s back. Yu Hai¡¯s whole family worked together in order to have a big harvest of corn.¡±


    The Minister of Revenue saw that Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t seem to be joking. His brows wrinkled and he whispered, ¡°Is this Yu Xiaocao really so powerful?¡±


    Zhu Junyang ignored him and continued on, ¡°Imperial Majesty, you saw it in yourst private visit. During the locust gue, Yu Xiaocao used her understanding of drugs to work with Doctor Sun to create a pesticide that kills locusts. It¡¯s a pity that some of the materials needed for the medicinal liquid are rare so the cost is too high for it to be produced inrge quantities. However, the vegetables nted with the pesticide were not ruined by the locusts at all. This shows intelligence! How difficult is it for her to grow corn when she can grow vegetables during the locust gue? This subject believes that your majesty should give credit where it is deserved. That is the type of governance the Great Ming Dynasty should have!¡±

 Chapter 304 – Unresolved

    <h4>Chapter 304 ¨C Unresolved</h4>


    Zhu Junfan sat on his throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, amusedly watching his younger cousin, who was usually quiet seemingly be another person as he spoke animatedly of Yu Xiaocao. Hearing hisst sentence, he rolled his eyes at Zhu Junyang, exasperatedly saying, ¡°Do we even need you to remind us?¡±


    Then, he continued to ask, ¡°ording to you, I should actually reward the ten-year-old little girl from the Yu Family instead of Yu Hai?¡±


    However, Zhu Junyang shook his head and said, ¡°The Yu Family sessfully grew corn, that¡¯s a contribution and should also be rewarded. However, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s contribution is the greatest, so, by right, the reward should be on her name!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, this official disagrees! A woman¡¯s virtue is in having no talent; how could a little girl be an official such as us?¡± Imperial Censor Yang voiced out his opposition first.


    Official Zhang, the Minister of Transmission, had always been good at guessing the emperor¡¯s intentions. Since his ascendance to the throne, the emperor had been consistently trying to raise the ranks of women, and his determination could be seen clearly from his awarding of the master of embroidery, Jiang Siniang.


    Imperial Censor Yang was too pedantic and didn¡¯t know how to be more flexible, so even though he was more qualified than all the first-rank officials, he was still dawdling in second-rank. Zhang Zijian felt that he was younger and more capable than the old fellow, and he knew that the emperor really needed a loyal subject that could convey his intentions. Thus, he decided to test his luck!


    ¡°Official Yang! His Majesty and the emperor emeritus always value a person by their abilities. His Majesty once said, ¡®Do not restrict the talented¡¯. Now, the drought in the north is still an ongoing problem and the areas by the sea also suffered from a locust gue. Food is the basis to calm the people¡ªthe important factor for maintaining peace in the kingdom! And Yu Xiaocao so happens to have such a talent! Talented agriculturalists are hard to find, so what is wrong with making exceptions?¡± After receiving the emperor¡¯s praising gaze, Official Zhang became more and more confident in his speech.


    Imperial Censor Yang lifted his chin and said with a frown, ¡°The sess in growing corn didn¡¯t spawn from only the efforts of that little girl! If her father were to be rewarded, she will also rise in ranks from a mere farmer girl to the daughter of an official, which will also be equivalent to her being rewarded. Why must we let a girl be an official and let her unsettle the court!¡±


    ¡°These words are not right, Official Yang! ording to you, the contributions of children should be credited to the father, so doesn¡¯t that mean that in the future, if Deputy Yang made a contribution, he need not be rewarded? Instead, all the credit should go to you, so you can rise in ranks and get wealthy?¡±


    Imperial Censor Yang¡¯s son was the current Deputy Minister of the Household, a fifth-rank official. This Deputy Yang had the ability, and wasn¡¯t as stubbornly pedantic as his father, so originally, he would¡¯ve been able to reach magnificent heights in his career. However, in most dynasties, there were very few fathers and sons who were both of equal, high rank. With Imperial Censor Yang oppressing him, he had always been short of opportunities to rise through the ranks.


    Hearing Official Zhang¡¯s words, Deputy Yang looked at his father with a gaze filled with dissatisfaction. His father was old and had already reached the peak of his career in the court, so it was extremely difficult for him to progress further in his career. However, Imperial Censor Yang enjoyed his high rank and dreamed of the moment when he would be promoted to a first-rank official, whereas Deputy Yang who was already more than forty years old was still a fifth-rank official because his father was oppressing him. If his father could retire earlier, he would definitely be able to achieve his father¡¯s dream of bing a first-rank official before he, himself, retired. Such a big dream¡ªthey are indeed a father and son duo!


    It ismon in court to have both father and son as court officials. All the sons directed their discontented res towards Imperial Censor Yang.


    For a moment, Imperial Censor Yang felt like there were knives at his back. He was not so callous as he hurriedly exined, ¡°Your Majesty, this official did not mean it that way, it is Official Zhang who misinterpreted my intentions! This official simply thinks that women should not be appointed as court officials as they would unsettle the court!¡±


    Zhu Junfan was a bit annoyed at this bunch of old officials that often took advantage of their seniority, and his expression showed his displeasure as he said, ¡°Beloved Official Yang, you have crossed the line! How much trouble can a mere seventh-rank official under the Ministry of Revenue cause? Or is it that beloved Official Yang thinks that we are incapable rulers like King Zhou of Shang and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang?¡±


    ¡°This official doesn¡¯t dare!¡± rmed, Imperial Censor Yang trembled and hurriedly dropped on his knees, lowering his entire body to the ground.


    Official Zhang also kneeled, saying, ¡°Please cease your anger, Your Majesty! This official thinks that Imperial Censor Yang is old and muddleheaded. He takes advantage of his seniority and misinterprets Your Majesty¡¯s intentions. He is no longer suitable for the position of the censor, who inspects the impeachment of officials, discerns wrongdoing, monitors the various departments, and acts as the ¡®eyes and ears¡¯ of the emperor.¡±


    Hearing this, Imperial Censor Yang felt stifled and found it difficult to breathe. He outstretched his hand, shakily pointing at Official Zhang. Official Zhang gave the others a look that said, ¡®See, Imperial Censor Yang is indeed old!¡¯


    The emperor pretended to scold, ¡°Minister Zhang, your words are not right! It is all because of the contributions of the senior officials that the Great Ming Dynasty was able to stabilize after mere decades. Without the old general following the emperor emeritus to fight battles, there would not be the Great Ming Dynasty today; and without the hard work and cooperation of the civil officials, we would not have the prosperous Great Ming Dynasty today!¡±


    Official Zhang realized that he had been too eager, so he quicklyid prone on the ground and pleaded guilty, ¡°Your Majesty is wise! This official has been narrow-minded! I have only been discussing the facts, and did not mean to disrespect the senior officials. Please make a wise judgement!¡±


    The emperor sighed heavily, ¡°Beloved Official Zhang, in court, every word that you speak must be thought through thoroughly. Since this is your first offense, your punishment will be the deduction of half a year¡¯s sry!¡±


    The deduction of half a year¡¯s sry was akin to an itch to Official Zhang, so even though he was punished, he was still secretly gleeful. It seemed that his actions had pleased the emperor!


    As expected, the emperor turned his gaze to Imperial Censor Yang, who was clutching his chest and panting heavily, and asked with concern, ¡°Does the imperial physician need to be summoned, beloved Official Yang?¡±


    Imperial Censor Yang panted heavily a few more times, shaking his head, ¡°My utmost gratitude for Your Majesty¡¯s concern, but this official is fine.¡±


    The emperor continued to express his concern, ¡°Beloved Official Yang, your health should be the utmost priority. You should rest your body first in order for you to better contribute to the court! We will grant you a month¡¯s leave of convalescence from court, meanwhile the Vice Imperial Censor will take over your tasks. Are there any more issues to discuss, fellow beloved officials?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, this official...¡±


    ¡°Court is dismissed!¡± Su Ran¡¯s voice coincidentally covered over Imperial Censor Yang¡¯s words.


    All the officials sighed and shook their heads, looking pitifully at Imperial Censor Yang. Some of them dly watched the show, while others smiled gleefully at his misery.


    At the back of the formation, Deputy Yang felt his cheeks burning. Walking over with his head lowered, he helped up his father, who had gone limp, and whispered, ¡°Father, the emperor¡¯s intention to award the little girl from Yu Family is so clear, why must you displease the emperor over such a small character?¡±


    Imperial Censor Yang still could not believe that he had been suspended from his duties. He mumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve always been loyal, albeit straightforward, what did I do wrong? Why did His Majesty want me to take a sick leave? I¡¯m not sick, I need to find the emperor...¡±


    ¡°Father, stop creating trouble!! If you keep on making a ruckus, it¡¯ll be difficult to keep your futou 1 on your head!!¡± Why did he have such an unreliable father? Deputy Yang¡¯s brows furrowed deeply as he increased the strength in his grip, partly supporting and partly dragging his father out the pce doors.


    However, the dispute over awarding the Yu Family was left unsettled after having gone through thismotion caused by Imperial Censor Yang. Far away in the fishing vige, Yu Xiaocao, who spent the winter staying at home, had no idea she had even been in the center of a dispute in court.


    At this moment, she was trying to convince her father to help her make a small sled, so that the next time it snowed, she could let Big Gray pull her as she enjoyed the thrill of sledding on snow.


    Ever since Big Gray became known as Royal Prince Yang¡¯s pet and took up residence in the Yu Family¡¯s house, Yu Xiaocao had continuously used the mystic-stone water and wild boar meat stored in the cer to feed it. Big Gray looked like a ball of silvery fur from afar as it now had a thickyer of fur covering its entire body, and it rippled with energy when it ran because its whole body wasposed of well-developed muscles.


    Big Gray was more sentient than all the other animals at home, til the point that it could almost understand all of human speech. It was also more sensitive towards the good and bad intentions of other people, and the entire Yu Family were d to have it guarding them.


    ¡°Big Gray,e, try and see if it¡¯s suitable!¡± Yu Xiaocao excitedly waved to Big Gray once the sled was made. Big Gray who was lying on the snowy groundzily nced over, seemingly unwilling to bother with Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao threatened it with a stern face, ¡°Big Gray, if you don¡¯t listen to me, you won¡¯t get dinner!¡±


    Although Big Gray wasn¡¯t very interested in frozen boar meat, if it went against this little girl¡¯s wishes, it was very probable that it wouldn¡¯t get any of that delicious water to drink for the whole of tomorrow. Ay... Big Gray slowly picked itself up, shaking its fur. Only then, with graceful steps, did it move towards Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao fixed the sled on Big Gray and found it to be just perfect. Her father¡¯s skill really wasn¡¯t only for show!


    ¡°Try walking a couple steps!¡± Yu Xiaocao had always been jealous that Eldest Granduncle reared a few big dogs in his house. Back then, when there were no horse carriages or donkey carts in the vige, they always relied on those dogs to pull the sled to town on snowy days. When she got ¡®sick¡¯ that winter before they divided from the family, she was brought to town on a sled. Unfortunately, she was wrapped into a ball at the time, so she could not see the outside at all, and could not experience the joy of the dogs pulling the sled.


    Big Grayzily moved two steps forward, and the sled behind it slid forward on the ground slowly. Little ck and Little White, the two little wolf cubs thought it was some kind of fun game, so they followed behind their father in an effort to hinder it. They bit the rope of the sled, jumping forward with all the might of their four short legs. When Big Gray pulled the sled forward, they would tug it backward, but how could the strength of the two little fellows bepared to Big Gray¡¯s? Naturally, they were dragged forward.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was both annoyed and amused, picked up the two fellows and ced them on the sled. There was only a thinyer of snow in the courtyard, and Big Gray pulled the sled, slowly making its way to the door of the courtyard. The two little fellows sat on the sled, excitedly moving about. They wanted to jump down from the sled, but they were also reluctant to give up the feeling of riding on the sled.


    Little ck readied itself and jumped when the opportunity arose, but in the end, it fell haphazardly off the sled. In its unsteady state, it turned in circles twice on the spot. Then, realizing that the sled was getting further and further, it began moving its short legs to chase up to it.


    Little White, on the other hand, calmly sat on the sled and let its father pull it towards the outside of the courtyard.


    It only snowed lightly, so the temperature outside wasn¡¯t too cold. A group of children was having a snowball fight nearby and stopped immediately to stare when they noticed the gray wolf reared by the Yu Familye out.


    The entirety of Dongshan Vige knew that the Yu Family was helping the royal prince to rear a wolf, and this wolf had supposedly been tamed and wasn¡¯t aggressive at all towards the Yu Family members. Nevertheless, the vigers still warned their own children to stay away from the wolf, or else beware that they will be eaten!


    But looking at this mighty gray wolf act like a dog and pull a little sled, moreover, with a cute little white dog sitting on top of the sled, that scene was just too cute!

 Chapter 305 – Returning in the Snow

    <h4>Chapter 305 ¨C Returning in the Snow</h4>


    When Royal Prince Yang arrived at Dongshan vige after travelling from the capital in the snow, this was the sight that greeted him: a big, silvery gray wolf pulling a small sled sliding across the snowy ground, and a little figure wearing a red cloak rode on the sled; the fluffy brim of the cloak being blown back by the wind.


    Behind the sled, two little dots of ck and white chased after it with difficulty. They asionally howled once in awhile. When they met with a deeper pile of snow, the two little pups would disappear for a split second and emerge from the other side of the pile, continuing their chase of the sled.


    The cheeks of the little girl on the sled were red, and herughter was more delightful than the chime of silver bells. She looked like a fairy in the forest, so dazzling, so eye-catching...


    ¡°Second Sister, let me ride for a while, please let me ride for a while!¡± Little Shitou ran over excitedly while waving his hands as he saw the sled turn and head in his direction.


    Yu Xiaocao let Big Gray stop and jumped off of the sled so that her little brother could get on. She took off her cloak and wanted to ce it on him, but Little Shitou crinkled his nose at the red cloak and said, ¡°Older sister, I have rabbit fur hat and neck scarf, I don¡¯t need to wear a cloak!¡±


    This cloak was precious and was brought back from the capital by Xiaocao¡¯s godfather, Fang Zizhen. It was rumored to have been personally made by Jiang Siniang herself. But such a bright color was only suitable for little girls to wear, and Little Shitou thought himself a little man, so he was determined to resist all things girly.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wear it, I won¡¯t let Big Gray pull you!¡± Yu Xiaocao threatened. In the end, her threat worked, and Little Shitou reluctantly wore the cloak, pouting unhappily as he sat on the sled.


    Big Gray, seeing that the person behind it had changed, did not even bother to spend so much energy as it slowly walked on the snowy ground. Despite Little Shitou¡¯s attempts to rush it, it persisted in its unhurried steps.


    In spite of that, Liu Fangping still watched from the side in envy. He followed behind the sled for a few steps, whispering his pleas to his Brother Shitou to also let him ride on it, even if it was just a little while! Then, he would have the right to brag in front of all the other children in the vige: You¡¯ve all seen dogs and horses pulling sleds, but have you ever seen a wolf pulling a sled? He had not only seen it, he had also rode on it!


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao had already noticed the tall figure standing in the snow, holding the reins of his horse. He wore a purple robe with gold embroidery, and at his waist, an indigo cloth embroidered with animal designs was tied. His long hair, that resembled flowing water, was tied up using the same colored cloth, and his slightly raised phoenix eyes seemed stained by the snow. With the white snow as his background, the tall figure standing gracefully beside the ck stallion seemed as though he was the only focus in the world.


    In her deer skin boots, Yu Xiaocao ran two steps towards the young prince before she sank into the snow and lost her bnce, falling face-first onto the snowy ground.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s face changed. Letting go of the reins, he immediately sprinted over to the struggling Xiaocao¡¯s side and picked her up from the snow.


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡ª¡± Zhu Junyang heartlesslyughed. The little girl¡¯s entire head and face was covered in snow, making it seem as though she had grown a white beard around her lips and made her look extremely hrious.


    Yu Xiaocao struggled in his grasp until her feet touched the ground. She used her sleeve to brush off the snow on her head and rolled her eyes at the young prince, exasperatedly saying, ¡°Young royal prince, you didn¡¯t brave the snow and travel all the way from the capital over just so you can watch me embarrass myself, did you?¡±


    Zhu Junyang reached out to help her brush off some snowkes from the top of her head, smiling, ¡°Of course not! Nevertheless, I¡¯m still happy to receive such a big bow upon our first meeting.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knocked his hand away, huffing, ¡°So tell me, what matter of importance has brought your esteemed elderly [1] grand presence to Dongshan Vige?¡±


    ¡°Am I that old? I¡¯m only just 17 years old this year, still very well in my prime...¡± Zhu Junyang touched his own cheek¡ªit was still quite stic!


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him, saying, ¡°You¡¯re older than me by a whole seven years, yet you still say you¡¯re not old? When I¡¯m twenty-something years old, you would already be thirty-something years old; and when I¡¯m thirty years old and a blooming flower, you¡¯d be forty years old and the scraps of tofu. So, aren¡¯t you old?¡±


    Zhu Junyang raised his eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯ve heard the emperor say ¡®a man in his thirties is a blooming flower, a woman in her thirties is the scraps of tofu¡¯? Did you remember incorrectly?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao jumped up, saying, ¡°That¡¯s not true! If women took care of themselves, they¡¯d look 20 years old even if they were 30! On the other hand, men who put lesser importance in self-care, especially those like you who are always traveling all year round and are exposed to the sun and wind, age even more easily! If you¡¯re not the scraps of tofu, what are you?¡±


    Zhu Junyang stubbornly lifted his head and said, ¡°Tasteless girl! I¡¯m one of the most eligible bachelors in the capital; so manydies from prestigious families try to attract my attention but I ignore all of them. Even if I were 40 years old, I¡¯d still be a golden bachelor!¡±


    He also heard the phrase ¡®golden bachelor¡¯¡ªmeaning a rich, attractive and single man¡ªfrom his cousin. Zhu Junyang distastefully looked at the young girl in front of him that seemed like a mung bean sprout. When this girl turned 16 and became eligible for marriage, he would only be 23 years old and in his prime, how could he be scraps of tofu?


    Yu Xiaocao sized him up disbelievingly, frowning, ¡°Young royal prince, you wouldn¡¯t be so bored as toe all the way over to Dongshan Vige just to boast about how well you¡¯ve been living in the capital, right?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded his head, saying, ¡°I am indeed that bored! Didn¡¯t you ask when your family¡¯s reward wouldest time? I came to inform you earlier: the longer good wine is aged, the more fragrant it will be, so wait patiently because a huge surprise is awaiting you!¡±


    After dismissing court that day, the emperor specially called him into the imperial study to say that the little girl of the Yu Family was still too young. Even though there has been a case in history whereby a 9-year-old became a prime minister, her gender was still a problem among the old, stubborn officials in court. They had to take things slowly, step by step.


    What he meant was that they will let the Yu Family help the court cultivate corn in Tanggu Town next year. Morend around the capital would also be cleared for ntation, and they would invite the little girl to be the instructor and help grow corn and potatoes. If there were great harvest next year, then corn could slowly be introduced to the civilians so that they could fill their stomachs and appreciate the court¡¯s effort. Then, naturally, the award woulde.


    If the little girl really had talent in agriculture and was able to produce high-yielding wheat grains and rice, then it would be considered a great contribution! At that time, she would qualify to be an official with an even higher rank than seventh-rank!


    Hearing the young royal prince¡¯s words, Yu Xiaocao asked a little excitedly, ¡°What surprise? Is it uncountable treasures?¡±


    ¡°Uninsightful! Is that all you desire?¡± Zhu Junyang looked at her in disdain, ¡°Don¡¯t you want your family to change from their farmer status to the status of a court official¡¯s family?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao got even more excited, carefully lowering her voice as she said, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that...the emperor will award us the position of a small official?¡±


    ¡°Of course, and it will be a seventh-rank official at the very least!¡± Although Zhu Junyang did not think highly of seventh-ranked officials, a mosquito still had meat despite its tiny size. This status was more than enough for them to do whatever they wished in Dongshan Vige.


    However, Yu Xiaocao was quite satisfied with it, andughed unceasingly like a cat that stole and ate an entire fish. Seventh-rank official, wasn¡¯t that the same rank as a county magistrate? Not to mention, she had godfather and the young prince supporting her family, so in the future, even the county magistrate would have to be courteous to them!


    Again, Zhu Junyang revealed to the the little girl about the emperor¡¯s wish to cultivate more corn in the following year, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people to see if there is any fertilend near town on sale. Next year, Tanggu Town will have to produce at least 100 mu of corn.¡±


    ¡°What? 100 mu?? We only have 10 or so members in my family and most of them are children, do you wish to make us die of exhaustion?¡± Yu Xiaocao sternly opposed.


    Naturally, Zhu Junyang had already thought of this problem, so he said, ¡°What are you worried about? The start of spring is exactly the time when people willck food and require a new source of ie. You don¡¯t think so many viges around Tanggu Town are able to earn a living from digging spoon worms like Dongshan Vige, do you? There are still very few families that have excess money, so at that time, there will definitely be a bunch of people who are looking to earn money through hardbour. Then, you will just have to hire more people to work in the ntation! I give you my word that you will be reimbursed for the money you spend on hiring workers.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her big eyes, her long eyshes flickering as she smiled slyly, ¡°Then...will the court still purchase the corn at a high price?¡±


    Zhe Junyang knocked her on the head and said, ¡°You materialistic little girl! When have I ever mistreated you? Enough said, I came all the way over to bring you good news, but you¡¯re just letting me stand here in the snow, drinking the wind?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao mumbled, ¡°What good news? Such an unsure matter and he asks to be rewarded? He definitely has his sights set on my family¡¯s grasshopper sauce!¡±


    Zhu Junyang was extremely fond of Yu Family¡¯s grasshopper sauce. Regardless of whether it was fried or fermented, he loved it all! Sometimes, he didn¡¯t even eat the stir-fried vegetables¡ªhe just ate pancakes dipped in the sauce, and he finished seven or eight pancakes in one go. Yu Hai could only manage to eat three of the Yu Family¡¯s steamed pancakes before he couldn¡¯t eat anymore. The young prince¡¯s stomach didn¡¯t seem big, so where did all the pancakes go?


    Zhu Junyang knocked her head again, smiling, ¡°I not only have my sight set on the grasshopper sauce, but I also want your potato feast! The imperial cooks in the pce are all quacks, even if they followed your recipe, the taste of the potatoes that they cook are only just so-so, it¡¯s not even half as good as your dish, Xiaocao!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had an expression full of delight but still grumbled, ¡°Young Royal Prince, are you taking me as your cook? When you think of food, youe to my house to eat! In the future, bring your own ingredients, I¡¯m afraid that my entire family¡¯s food will be finished off by you, the big appetite king.¡±


    ¡°What? Is there not enough grain to eat? I¡¯ll arrange for two carts toe over from a reasonably priced grain shop tomorrow!¡± Zhu Junyang had never been miserly towards the Yu Family.


    Yu Xiacao shook her head, ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of grain! Probably enough tost us until next year¡¯s harvest in fall without any problems. Rest assured that I definitely won¡¯t be courteous with you if there isn¡¯t enough grain!¡±


    After that, she turned towards Little Shitou and Little Fangping and shouted, ¡°The weather¡¯s cold, so don¡¯t y for too long ande home earlier!¡± To which the two little fellows agreed to from afar.


    After having lunch with the Yu Family, Zhu Junyang left for home with his guards. Now that it was nearing the year end and both the Prince Jing and Princess Consort Jing were in the capital, it was a given that he would have to go home to celebrate the new year with his parents.


    [1] Xiaocao is addressing him in polite terms that one would use for one¡¯s elders. Hence Zhu Junyang joking about being old in the next sentence.

 Chapter 306 – First Visit

    <h4>Chapter 306 ¨C First Visit</h4>


    It had been snowing heavily since the beginning of winter. Dongshan Vige had entered aplete stage of hibernation. Every night, a big gray wolf patrolled and stood guard with his two silly sons. Peace had been restored at the foot of the West Mountain. The five members of the Liu Family went back to live in their new house.


    The courtyard in the west side of the Yu Residence was left unused after Royal Prince Yang returned to the capital. Old Yu had moved into the wing room of the West Courtyard and said that he would help look after this side of the house. Yu Hai and his wife tried to persuade him to move into the main room, but he stubbornly refused.


    As soon as winter came, Yu Xiaocao started having ideas again. She told her father to make a lot of shallow boxes, dug out a lot of fertile ck soil from the pond, and put them in the boxes. After that, she ced the wooden boxes on the unused kang beds and sprinkled some vegetable seeds in it. The kang bed in the room was heated every day, so it was naturally as warm as the spring. With mystic-stone water to promote the growth of the crops, the vegetable seeds soon sprouted with long leaves. A lush green color appeared in the wooden boxes.


    Old Yu was overjoyed. Whose family could grow green vegetables in the winter? His young granddaughter was indeed extraordinary! Since this old man came to the old residence, his illness and body had quickly recovered due to the filial piety of his son, daughter-inw, and grandchildren. Old Yu now felt that his body was full of vitality, and as if he be more than ten years younger, there was limitless energy in his body.


    The vegetables in the two main rooms and several wing rooms of the West Courtyard were carefully looked after by Old Yu every day. The firewood in the woodshed was piled up like a mountain. In addition to the portion of dead branches that the members of the Yu Family cut down and brought back from the mountain, some of them were bought with money. When they bought the firewood, Old Yu felt somewhat distressed. He felt that there was firewood all over the mountains, so they could just cut some back when needed. Why did they have to waste their money to buy them? Moreover, there was enough firewood at home. Would they be able to use up so much firewood? Now, it seemed like thess Xiaocao had nned to grow green vegetables on the kang bed since autumn.


    Old Yu felt that this winter had been quite fulfilling. He checked the stove at least seven to eight times a day for fear that the fire would go out and their family¡¯s vegetables would freeze. However, Xiaocao had specially instructed him to use the water in the vat within the main room when watering the crops. The vat in the main room was ced next to the stove, so it had a suitable temperature that wouldn¡¯t freeze the delicate vegetables.


    In actuality, every day after Yu Hao filled the vat with water, Yu Xiaocao would drop a few drops of mystic-stone water in it.


    The East Courtyard had three main rooms. Yu Hai and his wife upied one room. Xiaocao shared a room with Xiaolian, while Yu Hang and Little Shitou shared a room. All the other rooms with a kang bed were used to grow vegetables. The main rooms had bigger kang beds that could sleep five to six people. In order to not waste the extra space, the kang beds were divided so that people slept on one side while the wooden boxes used to grow vegetables were ced on the other side.


    After Old Yu moved back to the old residence, his oldest brother Yu Lichun often visited him. He didn¡¯t have much to do in the winter. The women and children were busy cleaning and preparing for the new year. There wasn¡¯t much that Yu Lichun could help out with, so he came out for a walk. As he walked, he arrived at the old Yu Residence.


    As soon as he entered the gates, he saw his brother carrying firewood and heating up the kang beds in all the rooms. Yu Lichun slightly furrowed his brows and shouted, ¡°Hey, Third Brother, why are you heating up all the kang beds of all the rooms in the daytime? Do you think that it¡¯s easy for the kids to get the firewood? Why are you causing trouble?¡±


    Old Yu turned around to look at his oldest brother, and then continued to add firewood into the stoves. After that, he waved mysteriously to Yu Lichun and said, ¡°Eldest Brother,e take a look inside the room and you will know why I¡¯m heating the kang beds!¡±


    Yu Lichun followed his brother into the main room. After pulling away the thick wolf skin curtain, his eyes were filled with the verdant color on the kang bed. He stood there and blinked hard, but found that he didn¡¯t see wrongly and that the green color still appeared in front of him.


    ¡°This... these are vegetables? Chives, garlic bolts, bok choy, spinach, potherb mustard... Third Brother, did you grow all these vegetables?¡± There was some uncertainty within Yu Lichun¡¯s shaking voice.


    Old Yu was amused by his oldest brother¡¯s expression. He chuckled and said, ¡°How can I have the ability? It¡¯s Xiaocao and her father. I¡¯m only helping them look after the vegetables. Eldest Brother, this box of chives can be reaped soon. I will cut a batch and send them to you on Little New Year 1. Tell Sister-inw to make chives and pork dumplings for you!¡±


    The Yu Family¡¯s two wild boars had grown to over one hundred catties after winter. Before Royal Prince Yang returned to the capital, they asked the butcher in the neighboring vige to ughter them. Old Yu¡¯s brothers¡¯ families and the Liu Family of Xishan Vige all received ten catties of pork. Each family also got a few catties of the wolf meat that was stored in the icehouse. Thus, Yu Lichun¡¯s family could eatvishly for New Year even if they didn¡¯t buy meat.


    Yu Lichun didn¡¯t act courteous with him and happily said, ¡°Great! I love eating chives and pork dumplings. Third Brother, take good care of them. I¡¯m waiting to eat the chives that you nted ah!¡±


    Old Yu proudly unted, ¡°This is nothing. In the wing rooms of the West Courtyard, there are chili peppers, tomatoes, and eggnts. Xiaocao is even more careful than I am. Those crops have already bloomed, so I reckon that we would be able to eat ¡®stir-fried eggs and tomatoes¡¯ and ¡®sauteed eggnts with pork¡¯ before the New Year! Eldest Brother, you must not tell anyone else about this ah! Our family didn¡¯t nt a lot of vegetables. If others find out and want to borrow some chives and chili peppers, we won¡¯t have enough to eat!¡±


    Yu Lichun rolled his eyes at him and said, ¡°Do you think your eldest brother is stupid? Do I need you to remind me?¡± He looked in the other rooms in the West Courtyard, and then came out with his hands sped behind his back, looking satisfied. It was going to be Little New Year soon. He seriously anticipated being able to eat dumplings with chives fillings in the winter! If they had an ample quantity of chives, he should ask his wife to make some ¡®pan-fried chives cake¡¯ and add an egg... After Yu Lichun came out of the old Yu Residence, he couldn¡¯t stop smiling. When he met the vigers, they would ask him what he was so happy about, but he just answered them vaguely. Third Brother was right. This was a matter that only their own family members should know about, and it shouldn¡¯t spread it out.


    Little New Year was quite important for the people in the north. During the past year, Third Young Master Zhou had been running all over the ce and seldom returned to Tanggu Town. When he asionally came back, he would only stay for three to five days before leaving again. In order to properly spend time with his mother during the New Year, he had returned to Tanggu Town before Little New Year and would leave after the fifteenth of the first month.


    When Yu Xiaocao heard that Third Young Master Zhou had returned, she cut a box of chives, got two catties of each vegetables that was ready to be harvested, and put them in a bamboo basket. She covered them with a quilt to prevent them from freezing. In order to show the importance of this friend and business partner, before the Little New Year, she personally drove the little donkey cart and delivered the basket of vegetables to Third Young Master Zhou.


    The Zhou Family was one of the most prestigious families in Tanggu Town. The two branches of the Zhou Family lived right next to each other, but each of theirpounds had individual entrances. Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s second branch had a rtively smallerpound, but at the moment, Third Young Master Zhou and his mother were the only members of the second branch, so the house appeared quite spacious. Speaking of Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s mother, she was also quite pitiful. While Third Young Master Zhou was away from home, she had to stay in such a big courtyard alone. So she must be very lonely. It was no wonder that Third Young Master Zhou would set his eyes on Xiaocao¡¯s family¡¯s little roe deer. Raising a pet could send away some of the loneliness, right?


    Yu Xiaocao stopped her donkey cart in front of the small entrance of the Zhou Family¡¯s Second Branch, and then knocked on the door. Yu Xiaocao had worked with Third Young Master Zhou for more than two years and they usually met at Zhenxiu Restaurant, so she had never been to the Zhou Estate. Therefore, when the doorkeeper opened the door, he looked at Xiaocao for a moment and asked, ¡°Little girl, who are you looking for?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly and softly replied, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for Zhou Zixi, Third Young Master. May I know if he is at home or at Zhenxiu Restaurant?¡±


    The doorkeeper looked at her doubtfully. Why would a young girl, who was around the age of ten, look for his young master? She was trying to cling onto his young master at such a young age? Did she not take a look at herself? With his young master¡¯s current status, would just any random cat or dog be able to match with him?


    ¡°My young master won¡¯t see you. Hurry up and go back to where you came from!¡± The doorkeeper was convinced that she was someone who wanted to climb up the socialdder, so there was a trace of disdain in his voice.


    The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face froze for two seconds, and gradually faded. She stared fixedly at the doorkeeper and said, ¡°How do you know that Third Young Master won¡¯t see me when you didn¡¯t even report it? Since when is the doorkeeper of the Zhou Family able to make decisions for the masters?¡±


    The doorkeeper was slightly flustered by her frightening gaze, but he felt that he was dutifully doing his job, ¡°Is our young master someone who would easily meet just any random person? Hurry up and leave. If you continue to cause trouble, I will have someone drive you out!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was angry that she was amused. People often said that ¡®it was easy to provoke the King of Hell, but it was harder to deal with the little goblins¡¯. The ancients were indeed speaking the truth! She was about to say something, but she heard a familiar voice behind her, ¡°Miss Yu, what are you doing here?¡±


    When she turned around, she saw the head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant looking at her with surprise. With a pout, Yu Xiaocao said with slight grievance, ¡°My family grew some green vegetables on the kang beds. Thinking that there weren¡¯t a lot of vegetables to eat in the winter, I came to deliver some to Third Young Master. I didn¡¯t expect that I couldn¡¯t even enter the door! If I had known that the Zhou Family¡¯s threshold was so high, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered toe to be snubbed!¡±


    Seeing that the head manager was very polite to the little girl, he wondered in his heart, ¡®Who exactly is this little girl? Did I offend someone that I shouldn¡¯t have?¡¯


    The head manager red at the doorkeeper and said, ¡°Who gave you the right to stop the guests on your own initiative? Miss Yu is a very important person to the young boss. If you chase her away, you won¡¯t be able to stay in the Zhou Household any longer! Are you going to quickly report this to Third Young Master?¡±


    When the doorkeeper heard this, he seriously wished that his parents could give him two more legs. He had never thought that a young girl dressed in such ordinary clothing would be an honored guest of Third Young Master. Based on the head manager¡¯s tone, the master seemed to attach great importance to the young girl! In order to make amends, he needed to run faster!


    When the doorkeeper breathlessly reported ¡®Miss Yu hase to visit¡¯, Third Young Master Zhou, who was in the middle of chatting with his mother, abruptly stood up from his chair with a slightly excited expression.


    Second Madam Zhou looked at her son, who had slightly forgotten his manners, and asked with a chuckle, ¡°Is this Miss Yu the noble benefactor that Xu¡¯er mentioned?¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou smiled slightly, and his eyes were full of nostalgia as he said, ¡°That¡¯s right! At that time, Son just couldn¡¯t stand seeing the manager of Fulin Restaurant cheat the siblings of the Yu Family, and thus spoke up to help them. Unexpectedly, I met my noble benefactor. Miss Yu has the remnants of a recipe book from the previous dynasty. Oyster sauce, roasted chicken, roasted duck... Nearly all of the money-making dishes of Zhenxiu Restaurant were created by Miss Yu ording to the remnants of the recipe book.¡±

 Chapter 307 – Stay for a Meal

    <h4>Chapter 307 ¨C Stay for a Meal</h4>


    Hearing her son¡¯s grateful words, Second Madam Zhou nodded and said, ¡°Sure enough, those with kind hearts are blessed! Based on what you¡¯re saying, Miss Yu is also a kind and righteous person. Quickly invite the guest in!¡±


    The doorkeeper stood outside the second gates and anxiously waited for the reply from inside. He desperately hoped that the senior servant of the inner gates would reply with the message, ¡®don¡¯t know her¡¯ or ¡®don¡¯t want to see her¡¯. But, instead of seeing a senior servant or maidservant of the inner gates, his master¡¯s hurried figure appeared in front of him.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Yu?¡± When Third Young Master Zhou walked by the doorkeeper, he asked in a slightly pressing tone.


    It was in the middle of winter, but the doorkeeper was drenched in cold sweat. He stammered, ¡°In reply to Master, Miss Yu is still waiting outside the main gates...¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!! Zhou Dafu, you have been working as the doorkeeper for more than twenty years, yet you still don¡¯t know our Zhou Estate¡¯s rules of hospitality?¡± Third Young Master Zhou stopped his anxious footsteps and finally took a proper look at the doorkeeper. He could see a sense of guilt and uneasiness from his expression, and he immediately guessed that this lowly servant must have acted snobbish again!


    This Zhou Dafu relied on the fact that he was the son of Second Madam Zhou¡¯s wet nurse, and often fawned on the superiors and bullied the inferiors. However, with the wet nurse controlling him, he didn¡¯t cross the line and didn¡¯t cause too much trouble. Thus, Third Young Master Zhou and his mother would turn a blind eye to his behavior. They didn¡¯t expect that this lowly servant didn¡¯t repent, and his behavior worsened in the past two years!


    ¡°Don¡¯t follow me anymore. Go receive a flogging and then tend the horses at the stable!¡± Third Young Master Zhou knew that this lowly servant had slighted Yu Xiaocao because she was a child dressed in ordinary clothing.


    Zhou Dafu knelt remorsefully in front of Third Young Master Zhou, and his head hit the ground heavily. He begged for mercy, ¡°Master, this lowly servant knows that I have done wrong! Please consider the hard work and contribution of this lowly servant¡¯s mother to the second madam and give this lowly servant another chance!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t stop and walked around him, saying, ¡°The wet nurse can¡¯t help you forever. Her merits had long been used up by you, this unworthy son!¡± After saying that, he left him with the view of his merciless back.


    Zhou Dafu deeply regretted it. From being a doorkeeper, which was a position that could reap the most profits on the side, he was suddenly demoted to be the stinky and tiring horsekeeper that was the least likely to get fringe benefits. He practically fell from the sky to the ground ah! Who would have known that such an ordinary little girl would be so important to his master ah!


    The new doorkeeper always remembered this incident as a warning to himself, and never treated anyone rudely after taking the position, especially people from the Yu Family. This had unknowingly improved the reputation of the second branch... This shall be recountedter.


    After Third Young Master Zhou dealt with the doorkeeper, he nearly trotted all the way to the main entrance. As soon as he went out the door, he saw Yu Xiaocao trembling as she talked with the head manager. Her fair and tender face had turned red from the cold.


    ¡°Xiaocao, when did youe? Quicklye into the house and warm your body!¡± Zhou Zixu felt a sense of pity in his heart. He felt slightly more irritated at the tactless doorkeeper, and regretted that he had just let him off too lightly.


    Yu Xiaocao took her hands out of her sleeves, rubbed her frozen face, and rolled her eyes at him, saying, ¡°My family grew some vegetables on top of the kang beds. My father wants to thank you for taking care of us and insisted that I bring some over for you! Who would have known that the threshold would be so high at Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s house? Ordinarymoners like us can¡¯t go in...¡±


    The head manager didn¡¯t expect that Miss Yu, who was usually smiling, turned out to be such a hot-tempered little girl. She even dared to taunt their future head of the Zhou Household! He suddenly coughed twice and helped his master exin, ¡°Miss Yu, it¡¯s that lowly servant who looked down on people. It has nothing to do with our master...¡±


    ¡°How can there be no rtion? This shows that he doesn¡¯t have keen eyes for people. He doesn¡¯t know his subordinates well enough to put them in suitable positions!¡± Yu Xiaocao pointed at the bamboo basket on the donkey cart and said to Third Young Master Zhou with a terrible expression, ¡°Take it! This is for your family, so quickly unload it. I need to hurry back!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou personally took the bamboo basket down from the donkey cart and said with a ttering smile, ¡°Alright! It¡¯s all my fault. Is it okay now? It¡¯s your first time visiting my house, so you should at leaste in for a drink. Otherwise, if other people find out, they would say that my Zhou Family doesn¡¯t know proper etiquette!¡±


    ¡°Humph! You¡¯re already driving your guest out, yet you¡¯re still afraid of other people talking about you?¡± Yu Xiaocao still didn¡¯t have a good expression on her face. She pointed at her own little donkey and said, ¡°You¡¯re just going to leave my family¡¯s Little Gray here? What are you going to do if it freezes here?¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou knew that the speed of the Yu Family¡¯s little donkey wasn¡¯t inferior to that of a horse. Moreover, it had a sense of humanity, which was extremely rare. He hurriedly ordered the servants behind him, ¡°Why are you guys still standing there? Quickly unload the donkey cart. Lead Little Gray to the stable and serve it with fine fodder.¡±


    The servants unloaded the donkey and led the donkey away. A servant, who wanted to curry favor with the master, wanted to take the bamboo basket in his master¡¯s hands, but Third Young Master Zhou evaded him and said, ¡°I can hold this basket. Just go and do what you need to!¡±


    In this way, Third Young Master Zhou carried the bamboo basket and personally invited Yu Xiaocao inside. The second branch of the Zhou Family lived in apound with four sections. Beside the main entrance was a row of back-facing rooms that the servants lived in. After walking a few steps inside the main gate, there was a big and tall screen wall. With a turn, they arrived in the outer court, which was rectangr shaped. After going through the festooned gate, it was the main court that the masters lived in. The mountain corridor connected the east and west wing rooms, which was where the male offspring resided in. The second branch of the Zhou Family didn¡¯t have many children, so Third Young Master Zhou was the only one living in the second-gate courtyard. The elders lived in the third-gate courtyard, and thus the person who lived here was the mistress of the Zhou Family¡ª¡ªSecond Madam Zhou, who was Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s mother. The backside building was located in the fourth-gate courtyard. Generally, the daughters of the family resided there, but it was also unused at the moment.


    After looking at each of the courtyards, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but think of a line from Ou-yang Xiu¡¯s poem, ¡®How deep the courtyard is...¡¯


    The courtyard that Second Madam Zhou resided in was decorated in a simple and refined manner. It could be seen that the owner was a calm and simple person. When the clever maidservant, who stood outside the main room, saw her master leading a young girl over, she quickly pulled open the curtains with a smile and said with a clear voice, ¡°Madam, Miss Yu is here!¡±


    A gentle voice sounded from inside, ¡°Quickly invite her in¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Young Master, Miss Yu, the madam asked you toe in!¡± The maidservant¡¯s smile was very sweet. She nced at Yu Xiaocao with a slightly curious gaze, and then immediately shifted her eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao, who frequently apanied Princess Consort Jing, had experienced bigger situations, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t act overcautious. With a gentle smile, she nodded at the maidservant, and then followed Third Young Master Zhou into the room.


    There was a firece burning inside the room, so there was a warm feeling when they entered. Yu Xiaocao felt that she had finallye back to life again. She really didn¡¯t want to experience the feeling of being left outside on such a cold day again.


    Second Madam Zhou didn¡¯t have a very beautiful face, but she appeared gentle and kind. Her eyes showed concern as she asked, ¡°Good child, you must be freezing, right? Quicklye warm up by the firece!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao politely bobbed a greeting at Second Madam Zhou, and then sat down beside the firece in a natural and refined manner. Second Madam Zhou felt slightly surprised. Didn¡¯t they say that this young girl with the surname Yu came from a fisherman¡¯s family? Why was her speech and behavior even more calm and polite than some of the noble youngdies in town?


    Yu Xiaocao chatted with Second Madam Zhou in apletely rxed manner, ¡°Madam, we, farmers, don¡¯t have any presentable gifts. In the winter, everyone wants to eat some fresh green vegetables. My family tried to grow leafy greens on the kang beds, and we unexpectedly seeded. My parents said that Third Young Master Zhou has treated us very well during the past few years, so we picked a few batches of green vegetables for Madam and Third Young Master to have a taste.¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou sat on the seat next to his mother. He opened the quilt that covered the basket and revealed the fresh green vegetables inside.


    Second Madam Zhou looked at it with delight and said with a smile, ¡°I dare not say that we have taken great care of you. It was actually your Yu Family that helped my Xu¡¯er. These green vegetables are well-grown and looks very appetizing.¡±


    Second Madam Zhou¡¯s personal maidservant, Qiu¡¯er, said with a smile, ¡°Miss Yu is so considerate! My madam usually prefers vegetarian dishes, and thus winter is the most difficult time of the year. In the winter, there aren¡¯t many vegetables other than radishes and cabbages. Our madam would slim down a lot every winter! With these green vegetables, our madam would be able to eat another bowl of rice for lunch!¡±


    Two lovely dimples appeared on the side of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth. Her pair of big eyes curled as she said, ¡°If Madam doesn¡¯t mind, I can send some more over when you¡¯re almost done eating.¡±


    Second Madam Zhou quickly said with a smile, ¡°Your family probably didn¡¯t nt much, so it¡¯s better that you keep the fresh vegetables to eat for the New Year?¡±


    ¡°Madam, don¡¯t be so courteous. I can¡¯t guarantee that the vegetables that my family grows would be enough for everyone in your estate to eat, but it¡¯s more than enough for you and Third Young Master!¡± Seeing that Second Madam Zhou didn¡¯t look down on her because she was a little peasant girl and spoke to her in an amiable manner, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart hadpletely rxed.


    Third Young Master Zhou helped her, ¡°Mother, Xiaocao never says things out of courtesy. Since she said she would send it to us, then she must be sincere about it. You don¡¯t need to treat her like an outsider. That¡¯s being too courteous ah!¡±


    ¡°This child, you¡¯re seriously not being polite at all!¡± Second Madam Zhou gently red at her son and revealed a helpless smile.


    Third Young Master Zhou grinned cheekily and said, ¡°Mother! If it wasn¡¯t because Xiaocao was unwilling, I would have long be sworn siblings with her. Don¡¯t Mother often sigh about not having a considerate daughter? It¡¯s a pity that Xiaocao already has a godmother...¡±


    ¡°This child, did you even ask if Miss Yu agrees to this? To have such wishful thinking!¡± Second Madam Zhou also liked this polite little girl, who was neither humble nor arrogant.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly said with a smile, ¡°Madam, you can just call me ¡®Xiaocao¡¯! Even if we don¡¯t be adoptive rtives, the rtionship between our families won¡¯t change!¡±


    The three of them joked andughed for a while, and the atmosphere was very warm. At noon, Second Madam Zhou asked Yu Xiaocao to stay for lunch. So Yu Xiaocao showed her skills and made several delicious vegetarian dishes like ¡®thousand shredded tofu¡¯, ¡®steamed choy sum with minced garlic and vermicelli¡¯, ¡®fragrant baked mushrooms¡¯, ¡®three shredded vegetables¡¯, ¡®candied sweet potatoes¡¯, and more. Second Madam Zhou was full of praises for the dishes.


    In addition to green vegetables, there were also ten or so catties of potatoes. Yu Xiaocao also taught the Zhou Family¡¯s cook several recipes for cooking potatoes so that Second Madam Zhou, who favored vegetarian dishes, had several more vegetable dishes that she could eat in the winter.


    Third Young Master Zhou saw a business opportunity from the potatoes. He heard from Xiaocao that they had nted quite a lot of potatoes for next year, so he took the advantage by striking first and ordered all of the potatoes. He also bought all of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s recipes for potatoes at a high price. He was confident that Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s turnover for next year would reach a new peak!

 Chapter 308 – Child Traffickers

    <h4>Chapter 308 ¨C Child Traffickers</h4>


    In the blink of an eye, Little New Year was about to arrive. In the north, there was a custom of eating dumplings during the Little New Year. The meaning behind this custom was to see off the Kitchen God. In ancient times, there was a saying, ¡®eat dumplings when parting, and eat noodles when meeting¡¯.


    In the early morning of Little New Year, Old Yu led everyone in the family to offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God. Madam Liu skillfully boiled stove candy, which was sweets made from malt and millet. Therge milky white lumps of candy were ced on a square te in front of the statue of the Kitchen God. Other items on the table included fresh water, beans, fodder... She still needed to put up festive couplets for the Kitchen God.


    When eaten, the freshly made stove candy was crispy and fragrant. It was the children¡¯s favorite snack. Every year, the wealthier families would make more stove candy for the children to consume.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very good at making traditional stove candy. After she boiled the white sugar into syrup, she would either add in fried sesame or peanuts to make it into sesame and peanut candy. This way, they would have some extra snacks for the New Year. When Madam Liu found out, sheughed and scolded her as a ¡®wasteful girl¡¯! In this era, it was already considered quite good if an ordinary family had enough to eat, where would they have the extra money to buy white sugar to make sesame and peanut candy?


    In the evening, the Yu Family made two types of dumplings, meat and vegetable. The meat dumplings were stuffed with wild pork and scallions. The streaky wild boar meat, which had a good ratio of fatty and lean meat, was diced up, and then mixed with chopped onion to make ground meat. There was more meat than vegetables, and it was delicious to eat.


    The vegetarian dumplings are stuffed with garlic chives, ss noodles, and eggs. The ss noodles would be soaked in hot water to be softened, then it would be chopped into fine pieces and air-dried in the sun. After that, it would be fried in oil andbined with scrambled eggs and chopped garlic chives. If she were to add the refined oil residue, the dumpling would taste even more delicious. Yu Xiaocao liked to secretly eat a few mouthfuls of stuffing while she made the dumplings. The vor was extremely tasty.


    The whole family sat in a circle around the kang table, eating their favorite meat or vegetarian dumplings happily. The cheerful atmosphere made Yu Xiaocao sigh at the beauty of a family reunion.


    In her previous life, her parents had left the world early, leaving behind three half-grown children. Their first few New Year without their parents were bleak and miserable. Fortunately, her younger siblings already had their own small families before she left, so she was a little less concerned and attached to her previous life.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s expression became a little absent-minded. It seemed like her previous life was bing more distant, as if it was nothing but a very long dream that was full of hardship...


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, what are you thinking about? The vegetarian dumpling you like to eat will be all snatched up by the little guys if you don¡¯t eat it quickly!¡± Yu Hai saw his daughter staring nkly at the corner of the kang table with a lonely expression on her face, which seemed out of ce in the lively atmosphere. So, he quickly put a few pieces of dumplings on her te, softly interrupting her train of thought.


    In the north, people usually celebrated the Little New Year with meat dumplings. However, since Xiaocao liked to eat vegetable dumplings, they also made a te of dumplings stuffed with chives and eggs. Maybe it was because this type of dumpling was new and fresh to them, but Liu Yaner, Yu Xiaolian, and Little Shitou all tried a piece of the vegetarian dumpling, and soon half the te of dumplings was gone. Little New Year was about having a lively reunion, so the two families decided to celebrate it together.


    The chives and eggs dumplings were stir-fried withrd, and there were a lot of eggs stuffed in the dumplings. Xiaocao also added the fragrant refining oil, so it was no mystery as to why the children liked it.


    When he saw his father picking up the delicious and fragrant vegetable dumplings one by one with his chopsticks and putting them into his second sister¡¯s bowl, Little Shitou protested, ¡°Father, you¡¯re being partial to Second Sister! If you give all the vegetarian dumplings to Second Sister, what should we eat?¡±


    Yu Hai red at the grinning little fellow and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you like to eat pork dumplings? Don¡¯t create a ruckus without any purpose. There are so many pork dumplings!¡±


    However, Yu Xiaocao picked up a piece of dumpling stuffed with chives from her own bowl and ced it in her younger brother¡¯s bowl and said, ¡°Father, the wild pork dumplings are delicious too. I also like to eat them! It¡¯s more lively when everyone eats dumplings together!¡±


    Little Shitou covered his small bowl and smiled mischievously, ¡°Second Sister, I was just teasing our father! How can vegetable dumplings be more delicious than pork dumplings? Only Second Sister¡¯s taste buds are different from everyone else! We¡¯re just trying out the vegetable dumplings, the rest is for you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao reached out and pinched his chubby cheeks, and said, ¡°Do you think that your second sister is a rice bucket? There are dozens of dumplings left, and if I eat them all, my stomach will explode! Hurry up and eat. Help me eat some!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao divided the vegetarian dumplings in her bowl between the two families. After she shared them, she still had around a dozen remaining, which was just enough for her to eat!


    Little Shitou was sitting on the side with his hands covering his face as he protested, ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯m no longer a child, so stop pinching my face! I will be taking the county-level exam next year!¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the county-level exam, even if you are the top scorer in the imperial exam, you¡¯re still my younger brother! I pinch you because I like you. Who told you to be the youngest one in our family?¡± Yu Xiaocao pinched his small face again.


    Little Shitou shielded his face with his hands, snuggled up beside Madam Liu, and pouted. In a loud voice, he said, ¡°Mother, you should give birth to a little brother. That way, Second Sister will only pinch our little brother, and not me!¡±


    Madam Liu flushed red in embarrassment when she heard her son¡¯s word, and gently patted him twice on his back. However, her manughed mischievously beside her, and thus received an eye roll from her.


    After Little New Year, it will soon be the New Year. The weather had been bright and sunny the past few days. The market in town was bustling with people, who dragged their children to town to buy goods for the New Year. The Yu Family¡¯s carriage was now equipped with a shed. The twin sisters, Yu Xiaocao and Yu Xiaolian, Liu Yaner, Little Shitou, and Liu Fangping were sitting inside while chattering happily.


    Yu Hang and Liu Junping considered themselves to be older, so they sat outside chatting with Yu Hai, who was driving the cart, and Liu Hu. Besides Madam Liu and Yu Caifeng, who stayed at home to clean and make preparations for the New Year, everyone else came out to buy goods.


    Yu Family¡¯s horse carriage and donkey cart were both parked outside of the town gates. For just a small fee, they could park there for the entire day and the staff would also help feed the animals. But they must bring their own fodder for their animals, otherwise they would have to pay additional money. The Yu Family¡¯s horse and donkey wouldn¡¯t eat fodders from other ces, and only ate the fodder that had mystic-stone water added to it.


    When the children jumped out of the carriage, Yu Hai and Liu Hu looked at the kids, who all had different heights, and felt a headacheing. When they entered the town gate and saw the bustling crowd, their head ached even more!


    Yu Hai turned towards his oldest son and Liu Junping, and said, ¡°Your task is to carefully watch after your younger siblings. There are a lot of people here for the New Year, so child traffickers will take advantage of the chaos to kidnap children. Never let your guard down or be careless!¡±


    Yu Hang and Liu Junping nodded their heads solemnly. Little Shitou, who was holding Little ck¡¯s leash, confidently gestured at Little ck and said, ¡°If we encounter a child trafficker, then I¡¯ll make Little ck bite his butt!¡±


    Little Fangping took over the rope tied to Little White from Xiaocao, he jumped and said, ¡°There¡¯s also Little White! Little ck will bite one butt cheek and Little White will bite the other butt cheek! They¡¯ll bite the bad guys until they cry!¡±


    Although Little ck and Little White weren¡¯t big in size, they were purebred wolves, so they had an impressive and majestic aura around them. Their appearance gave off the feeling that they shouldn¡¯t be trifled with. However, the two wolves hadpletely opposite personalities. Little ck was simple, honest, a little foolish, and cute. He had a good temper and could y with anyone. Little White had a proud and cold temper, and would look at everyone besides Xiaocao with disdain.


    At this moment, when Little White saw that its reins were now in Liu Fangping¡¯s hands, it began biting at the other end of the rope with its teeth, pulling it back with force. Taking advantage of the fact that Liu Fangping hadn¡¯t noticed, he pulled the rope over to Xiaocao¡¯s side. It used its front legs to cling onto her pants and pushed the rope into her hands. Then he red at Liu Fangping disdainfully.


    ¡°Follow me closely and don¡¯t fall behind!¡± After Yu Hai repeatedly warned the children, he then led therge group into the crowd.


    Liu Junping held his younger sister, Liu Yaner, with one hand, and with his other hand, he held his younger brother, Liu Fangping, who had his head turned as he tried to appease Little White. Yu Hang followed his example as he dragged Little Shitou with one hand and pulled Yu Xiaolian along with his other hand. He had Xiaolian pull Xiaocao along. With a majestic wolf cub escorting them on both sides, the four siblings became an eye-catching sight on the street.


    The seven siblings and cousins were dressed simply, but they were very clean and tidy. There were no patches on their clothes and their appearances were above average. The siblings from the Yu Family were better looking. Yu Hang was nearly 1.7 meters tall, with thick brows and big eyes. His skin was a healthy wheat color.


    Xiaolian and Xiaocao were twin sisters. At first nce, they appear very simr, but with a closer inspection, it was very easy to tell them apart. Xiaocao¡¯s skin was like a peeled egg; it was fair with a rosy glow and no blemishes at all. Xiaolian¡¯splexion was slightly darker because of the long-term exposure to the wind and sun on the dock. Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were big and bright, as if she was able to see through a person¡¯s inner heart. Xiaolian¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t small, but her face was slightly rounder, so her eyes weren¡¯t as prominent as Xiaocao¡¯s. In general, the two sisters¡¯ appearance were very good. They were a beautiful pair of sisters.


    Little Shitou was a young boy with a handsome and refined appearance. His eyes were always smiling, and he had a tall, straight nose. It could be said that his facial features were the best among the four siblings.


    At the beginning, the children obediently followed behind Yu Hai and Liu Hu, who were shopping for New Year goods in front of them. However, they wereter attracted by the various snacks and toys on the street and gradually spread out. Fortunately, Liu Yaner and her brother had Liu Junping looking after them, and Yu Hang followed closely behind his siblings.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, there are monkeys performing tricks in the front! Let¡¯s go check it out!¡± Before Yu Hang could respond, Little Shitou had already shook off his brother¡¯s hands and walked into the crowd with Little ck.


    Yu Xiaocao was also interested in the monkeys performing tricks, so she followed behind her older brother and squeezed into the crowd watching the performance. Inside the circle, there was a duo of monkey trainers, who appeared to be a pair of grandfather and grandchild. A young girl struck on a gong to attract people, while an old man with white hairmanded the monkey dressed in clothes to do somersaults, walk on a tightrope, climb a pole, and to open a box while wearing a mask... Every now and then, the audience would burst into apuse.


    When the performance came to an end, the young girl held the gong to collect money. Those who were unwilling to give money gradually dispersed, while those who didn¡¯t mind giving one or two copper coins, threw one or two copper coins into the gong. Yu Xiaocao looked at the young emaciated girl and thought that it wasn¡¯t easy being a performing artist, so she tossed two copper coins in.


    At this time, a cry suddenly came from the scattered crowd, ¡°Where¡¯s my child? Has anyone seen my child? Gouwa¡ª¡ªGouwa¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh dear¡ª¡ª¡± An old man beside Yu Xiaocao sighed deeply and said, ¡°Her child must¡¯ve been kidnapped by child traffickers! Every time peoplee to town to shop for the New Year, they would abduct a few children. These adults are also too much, don¡¯t they know how to look after their child when they go out...¡±

 Chapter 309 – Little Black, Good Job!

    <h4>Chapter 309 ¨C Little ck, Good Job!</h4>


    ¡°Shitou, Little Shitou¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao felt her heart thumping as she raised her head to listen to the sound. When she looked up, she saw her older brother anxiously searching and calling for her younger brother in the crowd.


    ¡°Xiaocao, Xiaolian, have you seen our younger brother? After the monkey show ended, he was lost in the crowd!¡± Seeing that his two younger sisters were still here, Yu Hang¡¯s heart was half relieved. But his younger brother was gone and he kept looking around them anxiously while he talked to his two sisters.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see him. Wasn¡¯t our younger brother with you the entire time?¡± Yu Xiaolian remembered the words the old man had just said and tears began forming at the corners of her eyes.


    Yu Hang appeared worried, remorseful, and full of self me... all kinds of emotions were intertwined together. He frowned and said impatiently, ¡°We were together before the monkey show dispersed. When the young girl was walking around to receive money, Little Shitou squeezed into the crowd and gave her two copper coins. Then, we were separated by the crowd when it began dispersing. When I searched for him after that, I couldn¡¯t find him.¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw how his brother was ming himself for his carelessness, she quicklyforted him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, maybe he was just pushed by the crowd to another ce. Let¡¯s go look for him again! Besides, he has Little ck with him, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem...¡±


    Although Xiaocao had said that, she was still quite worried about her younger brother. If Little White had been the one following him, then he would¡¯ve been of some use. Little ck was too unreliable. It was likely that while they were being kidnapped, Little ck would¡¯ve thought that the kidnappers were ying a game with him!


    Yu Hang said to his two younger sisters, ¡°Let¡¯s split up and search for him. I¡¯ll go search in this direction and the two of you will search for him in the other direction. Make sure that the two of you don¡¯t stray off from each other!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t randomly search for her younger brother like a headless fly as Yu Hang did. Instead, she crouched down and stroked Little White¡¯s soft fur. She softly said, ¡°Little White, are you able to find Little ck¡¯s scent in the crowd?¡±


    Little White and Little ck had grown up on mystic-stone water given by Xiaocao. In addition to that, wolves inherently have a stronger sense of smell. Little White raised his head, closed his eyes, and sniffed the air lightly. Within the chaotic crowd, Little White was able to catch a whiff of a familiar scent. He lifted his right front leg and pointed to a direction.


    Yu Xiaocao was overjoyed and said, ¡°Little White, quickly take us there! Xiaolian, let¡¯s follow Little White, he has found something!¡±


    As Yu Xiaocao and her sister followed behind Little White towards a certain direction, not far away from them, a group of senior servants were anxiously looking around.


    ¡°Did you find the young master yet?¡± The person who spoke was a well-dressed senior servant, and she was anxiously questioning the guards who had gathered around.


    Arge man dressed as a guard shook his head in disappointment and said, ¡°No! There were too many people watching the monkey show. When the show ended, everyone was pushing and shoving as they dispersed. It¡¯s unknown where the young master ended up...¡±


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you hurrying along looking for him? If anything happens to the young master, none of us will escape from punishment!¡± The senior servant was quite regretful that she didn¡¯t bring out more guards with them when she brought the young master out to y. If she had done that, then they wouldn¡¯t have carelessly lost the young master.


    This senior servant was the wet nurse to the Tianjin Commander¡¯s, Commander Sun, only son. It was almost the New Years, so Commander Sun¡¯s wife brought her son to Tanggu Town to apany her husband to celebrate the New Years. It was unknown which servant had bbed to the young master about Tanggu Town¡¯s lively market, but he pleaded with his mother to let him out for a walk. Themander¡¯s wife thought that her young son wouldn¡¯t face any danger since it was still bright out and the region was under her husband¡¯s jurisdiction. Thus, she asked her son¡¯s wet nurse and several guards to apany the young master to take a stroll. Who would¡¯ve known that they would be the one to lose the young master!


    Commander Sun and his wife were currently around forty years of age and they were finally blessed with a child in their thirties. They loved and pampered their son dearly. If the servants really couldn¡¯t find the young master, how will they still be allowed to live?


    In a deste and dark alley in Tanggu Town, several sneaky people met up. One of the guys had arge mole on his face, and with one nce, it was obvious that he wasn¡¯t a good person. The corners of his mouth drew back into a smile, revealing his uneven yellow teeth as he said, ¡°Our business is doing very well today. We have gathered many goods today.¡±


    He looked at the unconscious boy dressed in satin in his hands¡ª¡ªwith red lips and white teeth, a gold ne with a valuable jade pendant hung around his neck. With one nce, one could tell that this child came from either a rich or powerful family. A guy with a deer shaped head, mouse-like eyes, and dry hair that was yellowing said hesitantly, ¡°Boss Yin, is this child from a government official¡¯s family? If that¡¯s the case, we¡¯re in big trouble!


    The guy with therge mole, whom he addressed as Boss Yin looked at him in contempt and said, ¡°I have already inquired about Tanggu Town! Besides those with an official background and the county magistrate, the only other family we just can¡¯t touch is the Zhou Family! County Magistrate Zhao¡¯s children have all grown up. The main branch of the Zhou Family has two sons, and the youngest of the two is already 18 years old. The oldest grandsons of the Zhou Family are only two to three years old. The age doesn¡¯t match up! Third Young Master Zhou from the second branch hasn¡¯t even married yet, so why would there be a six to seven year old child in his home? Besides, we will be smuggling these goods out through the waterway tonight, and we¡¯ll resell them once we reach the south. Even if he¡¯s an official¡¯s son, what can he do to us after tonight? Old Fifth, you don¡¯t have any courage, that¡¯s why you can¡¯t achieve anything great!¡±


    Old Fifth rxed after hearing his exnation, and he nced at the child in Boss Yin¡¯s hand. He chuckled and said, ¡°Boss Yin, the goods are really good this time. Look at his skin, it¡¯s as tender as tofu. His appearance is even more beautiful than a girl¡¯s!¡±


    If Yu Xiaocao was here, then she would definitely recognize that the child under Boss Yin¡¯s arm was Little Shitou, whom they were all trying to find.


    These child traffickers would usually put a clothced with poor quality chloroform to cover a child¡¯s mouth, making them lose consciousness, then quickly take them away. But because Little Shitou usually consumed food or drank liquids that contained mystic-stone water, his body has developed some resistance to chloroform or other poisons.


    While Boss Yin was talking to Old Fifth, Little Shitou was already awake. However, Little Shitou was sharp, so when he sensed that something was amiss, he continued to pretend that he was unconscious. He remained motionless as he allowed Boss Yin to carry him in his arms, but his ears were on high alert as he listened in on the conversation between the two.


    From the conversation between the two, he knew that he was caught by child traffickers, and that if his family couldn¡¯t find him by tonight, he was going to be transported to the south and be sold off. Little Shitou¡¯s heart was very anxious. He thought about ways he could leave clues behind for his family without alerting the child traffickers.


    He recalled that he had put a few pieces of wolf meat jerky in his sleeve; he was going to eat them when he was hungry. Just as Boss Yin carried him deep into the alleyway, he took out a small piece of jerky and scattered it in the alleyway when he wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Soon after the group of people disappeared into the rundown house, Little ck appeared. When Little Shitou had fallen unconscious, the rope in his hand fell to the ground. At that time, Little ck had been looking at the monkey with great interest, so he wanted to move closer to have a better look. As a result, he didn¡¯t find out in time that his little master had been abducted by bad guys.


    Even though Little ck usually appeared to be dumb, he had grown up on mystic-stone water. When he realized that his little master had disappeared, he had raised his nose and began sniffing around for his little master¡¯s scent, which led him here. In the dim and narrow alleyway, he picked up the scent of dried jerky that his young master liked to eat, confirming that his young master had been here before. He followed the dried jerky¡¯s scent, leading him to the rundown house in front of him. Little ck tried to gently push open the door with his short legs, only to find that the door was locked from the inside. What should he do now?


    ¡®Humph! How can such a trifling matter pose as an obstacle to me?¡¯Little ck circled around the edge of the house and finally found a hidden dog hole. Little ck excitedly entered the hole, and quickly found the room where his little master was being held in.


    Those child traffickers had a lot of trust in their ns. They had brought back a lot of quality goods today, so they celebrated this happy asion by drinking next door. The children, who had been drugged unconscious, were all locked together and an iron chain was used to lock the door.


    The door locked by the iron chains had a narrow gap, but the children couldn¡¯t squeeze out from it. Fortunately, Little ck was not fat, he was able to squeeze through the gap and entered the room.


    At this time, Little Shitou had already opened his eyes to carefully look at his surroundings. When he heard some movement from the door, he hurriedlyy back in the position that Boss Yin had left him in.


    Little Shitou¡¯s hands, which were in his sleeves, were balled into a fist because of how nervous he was. Suddenly, he could feel a warm breath spraying onto his face, followed by a rough tongue licking his face. He slightly cracked opened his eyes and saw Little ck¡¯s bright green eyes.


    When Little ck saw that his little master had awoken, he excitedly ran in circles as his tail wagged nonstop.


    Little Shitou was very surprised to see Little ck. He stroked Little ck¡¯s head and in a low voice said, ¡°Little ck, the door is locked, and I can¡¯t get out! Hurry up and look for my second sister and let her find a way to save me!¡±


    It seemed as if Little ck understood his words as he licked his hands a few times before quickly squeezing himself out of the gap in the door. It found the hidden dog hole in the grass and quickly ran out the alleyway. However, it seemed as if God was intentionally working against him because on his way back, he actually encountered a group of brats. When the children saw a ck puppy running around without an owner, they surrounded Little ck and chased after him.


    Had it been an usual day, based on Little ck¡¯s nimble movements, how would those children be able to catch him? However, his little master was worried that Little White and him would get lost on their way around town, so he tied a rope around their necks. The rope around Little ck¡¯s neck was stepped on by one of the older children. The child bent down to pick up the rope, holding Little ck¡¯s rope in his hands.


    Little ck struggled desperately, but he was smaller than the child, so how could he escape from the child who was stronger than him? Master Xiaocao had said that if he bit someone, she would pull all his teeth out. How could he eat meat if his teeth were all pulled out? Little ck was at a loss, he couldn¡¯t escape, and he couldn¡¯t bite anyone, so how could he go find Master Xiaocao to tell her to rescue Master Shitou?


    When Little White led the two sisters onto the scene, they saw Little ck having a tug of war with a group of brats. Little ck¡¯s neck was red from the rope being pulled around, and his four small ws were bleeding from being grinded against the ground. Yet he continued to struggle without relenting.


    When Little White saw the scene, he very bravely and fiercely plunged himself forward, trying to bite the hand of the boy who was pulling the rope. The boy was only ten years old, so he was frightened when he saw a fierce little white dog running towards him, trying to bite him. He loosened his grip on the rope immediately and took two steps back.

 Chapter 310 – Attempted Escape

    <h4>Chapter 310 ¨C Attempted Escape</h4>


    When Little ck saw Yu Xiaocao, he rushed madly to her as if he had just seen his own mother. Yu Xiaocao squatted down and gently stroked his head. There was a sense of wetness on her palm when she touched his neck. With a closer look, it seemed like the little fellow had struggled too hard and gotten injured by the rope.


    Yu Xiaocao slowly stood up, and rage flickered in her eyes as she red coldly at the culprit. The young boy also felt somewhat bewildered as he scratched the back of his head and muttered, ¡°I... I thought that the puppy didn¡¯t have an owner, so... I didn¡¯t intend on hurting it. I just thought that it was cute and wanted to keep it...¡±


    When the hot-tempered Yu Xiaolian saw Little ck bleeding, she put her hands on her hip and hollered at the young boy, ¡°Are you blind! There¡¯s a rope tied around his neck, so how can it be ownerless? You didn¡¯t want to hurt it? Then where did the wound around his necke from?¡±


    The young boy¡¯s friends were unhappy and wanted to argue with Yu Xiaolian, but the young boy stopped them. Based on the way he behaved and dressed, it was apparent that the young boy was a child from a well-off family. Looking apologetic, he sincerely said, ¡°I was at fault for this matter. My house is nearby, so I¡¯ll go get some medicine for the puppy to apply on his wound...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked in the direction that the young boy pointed at and saw a familiar signboard¡ªTongren Medicine Hall. Was this young boy the child of one of the workers at the pharmacy? Seeing that Xiaolian wanted to say something, she quickly interjected, ¡°Xiaolian, saving people is more urgent!¡±


    Xiaocao untied the rope around Little ck¡¯s neck and cleansed his wound with a handkerchief soaked in mystic-stone water, and then said in a soft voice, ¡°Little ck, do you know where Little Shitou is? Quickly bring us over!¡±


    Little ck nodded, and then dashed towards that road that he came from. Yu Xiaocao and her sister quickly followed him. With a puzzled expression, the young boy wondered why the two young girls suddenly ran off. After a brief hesitation, he quietly followed behind them.


    While Little ck and his two little masters shuttled through the intersecting alleys, the children, who were locked in an abandoned house by the human traffickers, woke up one after another. Seeing that they were in an unfamiliar environment, they all started crying and screaming.


    Boss Yin, who was drinking wine and eating meat next door, heard themotion. With a chicken drumstick in one hand, he kicked the door open and scolded fiercely inside, ¡°Stop crying!! I¡¯ll break the worthless legs of those who disobey me!!¡±


    The twenty or so children in the room were so frightened by his ferocious expression that they stopped crying, and then they began to sob in low voices. Boss Yin was very satisfied with his own deterrence. He locked the door again, and went back to the room next door to drink and eat meat.


    A chubby boy, who they had just abducted today, started wailing again, ¡°Father... Mother... Quicklye save me. I¡¯m very scared...¡±


    A slightly older girl hastily covered the little fatty¡¯s mouth, looked at the door with fear, and then finally felt relieved when she noticed that there wasn¡¯t any movement. She whispered to the chubby boy, who was hupping, ¡°Don¡¯t cry! If you continue to cry, they will really beat you! Do you see that unconscious boy over there? After being kicked by them, he spitted out blood and hadn¡¯t woken up for nearly a day!¡±


    The chubby boy¡¯splexion turned pale with fright. He covered his mouth hard, and tears flowed down his face. He hupped as he cried, ¡°Hup... Father, Mother... I don¡¯t want to die... hup... Father, Mother... someonee save me. I won¡¯t only think about ying anymore...¡±


    Sun Yaoyang, who was wearing an azure brocade robe, wrinkled his small face and looked at the snot and tears on the chubby boy¡¯s face with disgust. He snapped, ¡°Stop crying! What¡¯s the use of crying? Will you be able to escape by crying?¡±


    As the chubby boy hupped, he wiped his nose with his sleeve, sniffled, and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to cry either, but I can¡¯t stop my tears! I¡¯m scared. I miss my parents... I¡¯m hungry...¡±


    It was already afternoon, and from time to time, the smell of roasted chicken and roasted duck would drift over from next door. The chubby boy sniffed hard and covered his tummy pitifully.


    Little Shitou felt speechless. They were already in this situation, yet he still had the energy to think about eating... He still had some dried meat hidden in his sleeves, but he wouldn¡¯t be so kind-hearted as to share them with others. Second Sister said that one should hold back a trick or two in critical moments!


    The chubby boy sniffled his nose and moved closer to him. He sniffed him like a dog, and pointed at him with an aggrieved expression, saying, ¡°There¡¯s the smell of food on you...¡±


    Little Shitou was seriously dumbfounded. Was he a dog? He took out his hand, waved it in front of the chubby boy, and said with a sigh, ¡°Perhaps it was because I was eating jerky when I was abducted?¡±


    The chubby boy sniffed his hand, swallowed his saliva and said, ¡°It smells so good! Do you have any more jerky?¡±


    Little Shitou shook his head and said, ¡°No, I haven¡¯t finished eating the piece of jerky. I don¡¯t know where I dropped it!¡± The chubby boy had a look of despair on his face.


    Sun Yaoyang, themander¡¯s precious son, felt very speechless. Was this the time to discuss eating? He red angrily at the two, stood up, walked to the door, and tried pulling on it. Just now he had quietly observed that all the windows had been nailed down with wood. There was a gap in the door. Was it possible to...


    The slightly older girl shook her head at him and said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s no use. Even the youngest and thinnest Hou Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t get out, so you don¡¯t even need to think about it. Be careful not to let those bad guys find out¡ª¡ªthe one over there was beaten because he wanted to escape!¡±


    Sun Yaoyang tried, and then resolutely gave up on the idea of crawling out of the crack in the door. He checked all of the windows again and noticed that they were all nailed down securely. It would be difficult to pry them open without any tools. Fortunately, he always carried a dagger that his father gave him for his birthday. Sun Yaoyang took out a small dagger from his boots, picked a window that wasn¡¯t as tightly nailed down, and carefully pried it open.


    Some of the children in the room were huddled together, trembling. Some of them looked at him with hope, while others had a nk expression...


    Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door. Sun Yaoyang alertly put away his dagger. He swiftly walked over to sit beside Little Shitou, and like everyone else, he hugged his knees with his head lowered.


    The person who opened the door hade to deliver food. This group of human traffickers were relying on this ¡®batch of goods¡¯ to make a lot of money, so they naturally wouldn¡¯t let them starve. However, it was just to ensure that they wouldn¡¯t starve to death. They definitely wouldn¡¯t serve them with good food.


    As soon as the guy who came to deliver food entered the room, he carefully looked around the room and noticed that there was something wrong with the atmosphere. With a frown, he pointed at a child with a terrified expression and shouted, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are you guys trying to escape? If you don¡¯t tell the truth, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    The child¡¯s face turned green with fright, and he shrunk himself into a smaller ball. He shivered and screamed hysterically, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me! It wasn¡¯t me!! It was him. He was the one who wanted to pry open the window and escape!!¡±


    Little Shitou was rmed in his heart and thought, ¡®This is bad! Sure enough, Second Sister was right. One shouldn¡¯t be afraid of an excellent opponent, but one should be afraid of having a pig-like teammate instead!¡¯ The child¡¯s finger was pointing at Sun Yaoyang.


    The child trafficker, who came to deliver food, keenly noticed that half of the nails on one of the windows had been pried off. He inwardly broke out in cold sweat! If the kid really broke the window, not to mention that this deal would be wrecked, but their whole business would bepletely ruined...


    ¡°Monkey, what¡¯s going on?¡± Themotion attracted the attention of the people next door. Boss Yin came over impatiently and shouted at the guy, who was responsible for delivering food.


    ¡°Boss, this kid wants to escape! Half of the window has been pried open!!¡± Monkey lifted Sun Yaoyang and threw him in front of Boss Yin.


    Boss Yin bent down and sped Sun Yaoyang¡¯s chin, forcing him to look at his eyes. With a grim voice, he said, ¡°Kid, no goods have ever escaped from the hands of me, Boss Yin! Tell me honestly, what did you use to pry open the window?¡±


    Sun Yaoyang spitted at him, and then turned his head to the side. Boss Yin tilted his head and avoided it. With hisrge, palm leaf-like hands, he brutally pped Sun Yaoyang twice. Sun Yaoyang instantly felt a moment of dizziness and his ears started buzzing. There was a burning sensation on his cheeks, and a bloody taste within his mouth.


    ¡°Are you going to say it? Where¡¯s the tool that you used to pry open the window?¡± Boss Yin pulled him forward, lifted him off the ground, and shook him hard. Sun Yaoyang gritted his teeth and continued to turn his head to the side.


    Boss Yin raised his hand and wanted to hit him again, but he was stopped by Old Fifth, ¡°Boss Yin, this is a high-quality good. If his face is injured, you won¡¯t be able to sell him for a good price!¡±


    Old Fifth turned towards the kid who betrayed Sun Yaoyang at the beginning, and hollered at him with a fierce expression, ¡°You! Yes, you! Say it, where did he hide the tool??¡±


    Without waiting for Old Fifth to walk over, the coward broke down and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me!! I¡¯ll say it. There¡¯s a dagger hidden in his boots!!¡±


    Sun Yaoyang red ferociously at the youth who sold him out. The kid cried, ¡°What are you looking at? It was you who wanted to escape, so why do we have to take the risk with you? If I don¡¯t say it, then they will beat me to death!! I don¡¯t want to die. I want to go home...¡±


    Smack!


    His cry came to an abrupt stop, and there were five clear fingerprints on his face. Old Fifth spat phlegm on him and said with disdain, ¡°What are you shouting for? Coward, if you shout again, I¡¯ll hang you up and beat you!!¡±


    The coward didn¡¯t dare to even make a squeak. He hid his head between his legs like an ostrich, and his body quivered incessantly.


    Boss Yin found the dagger from Sun Yaoyang¡¯s boots. He told Old Fifth to get a rope, tie Sun Yaoyang¡¯s hands, and hang him on the beam. After that, he threatened the other children, ¡°If anyone wants to run away again, I¡¯ll cut him alive!! Kid, aren¡¯t you really tough? I¡¯ll let you have a taste of what it¡¯s like to go against me!¡±


    The weight of his entire body was concentrated on the rope that was tied around his wrist, and the rope deeply prated into his flesh. It was quite easy to imagine the feeling of being hung on the beam.


    Boss Yin said to the twenty or so frightened children, ¡°Since you guys still have the energy to think about escaping, it seems like I, Boss Yin, have been too benevolent. Monkey, only send them one meal a day in the future. It¡¯s fine as long as they don¡¯t starve to death! We don¡¯t have to worry about them causing trouble after filling their stomachs!!¡±


    Monkey replied in assent and took away the ckened steamed bread that he brought in.

 Chapter 311 – Cooperation from Both Sides

    <h4>Chapter 311 ¨C Cooperation from Both Sides</h4>


    After the group of traffickers locked the door and left, Little Shitou, who had mixed in the crowd in a low-key manner, stood up and went to the ce that Sun Yaoyang was being hung. He lifted his arms and supported the soles of his feet. This caused the pressure on Sun Yaoyang¡¯s arms to decrease significantly.


    He lowered his head to look at the scrawny young boy under his feet. He was around six to seven years old and had a small stature, yet he worked so hard to support him that his face had turnedpletely red. Sun Yaoyang felt very moved, and said to him, ¡°Thank you. You won¡¯t be able to support me, so don¡¯t waste your energy!¡±


    ¡°If you seeded in prying open the window, it would benefit everyone. If you failed, you would be the only one who gets punished. It¡¯s too unfair! It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll do what I can. I believe that someone wille save us soon! Let¡¯s endure this together!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s body had been nourished with mystic-stone water for two years, so even though he had a short stature, he was stronger than most children.


    After wiping his mucus and tears, the chubby boy also got up and went to Little Shitou¡¯s side. He gave him a big thumb¡¯s up and said, ¡°You are both amazing, and I, Liu Xiaohu, admires righteous people the most. I¡¯ll help you, too!¡±


    He was half a head taller than Little Shitou, so he didn¡¯t need to raise his hands high to touch Sun Yaoyang¡¯s feet. He took one of Sun Yaoyang¡¯s feet from Little Shitou¡¯s hands and ced it on his own head. With one hand holding Sun Yaoyang¡¯s feet, he rubbed his grumbling stomach with his other hand, sighing, ¡°If I¡¯m full, I can support him alone. I¡¯m really hungry right now, so I feel flustered and my legs are shaky...¡±


    Seeing that there were people helping him, the coward, who betrayed Sun Yaoyang, cried in a low voice, ¡°He caused everyone to go hungry, yet you guys are still helping him? Aren¡¯t you afraid of angering those people and getting beaten up along with him?¡±


    Little Shitou saw that the others all looked at the coward with disdain, so he fanned the mes and said, ¡°Had you not acted panicky, how would the bad guys notice? If you didn¡¯t sell him out, the window would have probably been pried open by now and everyone would have escaped!! It¡¯s all your fault. You ruined it for everyone!¡±


    The slightly older girl spat at the coward and said, ¡°Wang Xiaonian, you coward who can¡¯t aplish anything yet spoils the good things. Do you know after tonight, we will be sold to some unknown ce? You ruined ourst chance to escape. Why don¡¯t you go die!!¡±


    The others all showed an angry expression upon hearing this. No one knew who initiated it, but over a dozen boys rushed forward and started beating the coward. The fellow let out an earth shattering scream in hope that someone woulde save him.


    While Wang Xiaonian shrieked endlessly, Little Shitou and the chubby boy notified Sun Yaoyang before they swiftly let go of his feet and squatted in a corner.


    Monkey, who was next door, heard themotion and went over impatiently to check on the situation. Seeing Wang Xiaonian being surrounded, he gloated and said, ¡°Pay attention when fighting and don¡¯t kill him. Otherwise, I won¡¯t spare you guys!¡± He left after saying that.


    Wang Xiaonian thought that those people would help him since he gained merit for exposing the escape n. He hadn¡¯t expected that the other party didn¡¯t even bother to look at him. He could only hold his head and howl in despair as he endured the beating of the group.


    The chubby boy and Little Shitou continued to support Sun Yaoyang¡¯s weight. Seeing that Little Shitou and the chubby boy¡¯s foreheads were covered with sweat, two taller boys quickly came to take over their ce. Children still had rtively simple and lovely hearts, so they could still maintain a kind and righteous side in difficult times.


    From time to time, Little Shitou would turn his head to listen to the movement, and constantly nced at the gap between the door. After the guys next door filled their stomachs and took a short break, most of them went out to look for prey again. Only two to three people stayed behind to guard them.


    Among the people who stayed behind was Monkey. He said to the other two people, ¡°With the door locked, the brats won¡¯t be able toe out anyways. It¡¯s so hard to stand out here on such a cold day. Why don¡¯t we, brothers, go gamble next door?¡± There was no way that the other two would disagree.


    An hourter, the three men were too busy gambling to notice that a little ck wolf-doging in from a doghole in the thicket, and it was followed by a small white puppy. The two little fellows crept to the room where the ¡®goods¡¯ were locked, and carefully squeezed through the gap between the door...


    ¡°Little ck, Little White!! You guys finally came!!¡± Seeing that Little ck had brought Little White with him, Little Shitou knew that they were going to be saved! He was very confident in his second sister. As long as his second sister knew about this, she would definitely be able to rescue them!¡±


    Sun Yaoyang, who was hung on the beam, was delighted to see the two puppies. He whispered, ¡°Yu Fan, are they your dogs? Quickly tear off a piece of cloth and write a message for your dog to send out. Based on my observation earlier, there are at least fifteen to sixteen people in this group, and they are all vicious ouws. Tell your family to report the crime to the yamen and bring more bailiffs over... No, the yamen should be on vacation now... Ask your family to go to the Tianjin Garrison and look for Commander Sun. Just tell him that his son got kidnapped and ask him to bring his soldiers to save people!!¡±


    Hearing this, Little Shitou looked at him in surprise and said, ¡°Sun Yaoyang, so you¡¯re themander¡¯s son ah! Why didn¡¯t you bring more bodyguards when going out?¡±


    Sun Yaoyang smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Who would have thought that shopping would bring such a disaster? It¡¯s hard to buy foreknowledge even if one has money ah...¡±


    Little Shitou took out a handkerchief from his chest pocket, looked at his finger, and then bit on it mercilessly. Beside him, the chubby boy reminded him, ¡°Are you dumb? You¡¯re not using other people¡¯s readily avable blood, and using your own?¡±


    Looking in the direction that his mouth gestured at, he saw that Wang Xiaonian¡¯s nose was bleeding for a long time after being beaten. When Little Shitou walked over, the coward hugged his head with fright and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me. I don¡¯t dare, I don¡¯t dare to do it again!!¡±


    Little Shitou suppressed his disgust and dipped his finger in the fellow¡¯s blood. He thought over Sun Yaoyang¡¯s words, and then wrote it down on the handkerchief. After that, he tied the handkerchief around Little White¡¯s neck. In his heart, Little White was more reliable than Little ck.


    Little White was somewhat averse to the smell of blood, but it understood the importance of the matter. It bared its teeth and endured it. Little Whitemunicated with Little ck and decided to have Little ck guard the thicket while it went back. It carried the life-saving handkerchief outside and returned to Xiaocao and Xiaolian, who were waiting close by.


    Xiaocao saw it and said to Xiaolian, ¡°Take Little White and find Eldest Brother. After that, split up to go to the yamen and the garrison. Tell them to quickly send men over to save those poor children.¡±


    Xiaolian nodded and worriedly asked, ¡°What about you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao replied, ¡°I¡¯ll guard here in case those traffickers notice and take them to another ce!¡±


    Xiaolian looked at her worriedly and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t I wait here, and you go find Eldest Brother...¡±


    ¡°Stop wasting time! Just do as I say and quickly go find help!!¡± The firmness within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes was unshakable. Yu Xiaolian knew that it was useless to say anything else, so she followed Little White to find her eldest brother.


    Under Little White¡¯s guidance, Xiaolian soon reunited with Yu Hang and exined the situation to him. Yu Hang told Xiaolian to report the case to the yamen, while he went to send the message to Commander Sun¡¯s residence in Tanggu Town. He knew that he was unfamiliar with the direction to the garrison, and he also didn¡¯t have any transportation. It was better to inform the Sun Family and let them think of a solution.


    At this time, Commander Sun¡¯s family was already in a disorder. Madam Sun nearly fainted when she found out that her only son had disappeared. However, she was indeed themander¡¯s wife. She stayed calm in this critical situation and immediately sent someone to the garrison to tell her husband about the situation.


    Tanggu Town was less than ten kilometers away from the garrison, and it would only take an hour for a fast steed to travel to and fro. By the time Yu Hang arrived at the Sun Estate, Commander Sun was getting ready to take a team of soldiers to search for his beloved son on the streets.


    Things also went rtively smoothly on Yu Xiaolian¡¯s side. Due to Royal Prince Yang, County Magistrate Zhao paid special attention to the Yu Family. As soon as he heard that someone from Dongshan Vige¡¯s Yu Family reported a case, he summoned her in without dy. After Xiaolian told him about the case, County Magistrate Zhao immediately became serious. Children had been disappearing from Tanggu Town year after year, but there were especially more cases this year! There were over twenty children, and thus, this was a very serious matter. He immediately gathered all the bailiffs in the yamen and asked Xiaolian to lead the way. He had to personally lead the bailiffs to catch those atrocious human traffickers.


    At a location some distance away from the alley, Yu Xiaocao blocked the two groups who came to save people, ¡°Magistrate Zhao, Commander Sun! In my younger brother¡¯s message, he stated that there were currently three people guarding there and the rest had gone out! With themotion that you guys made earlier, some of the criminals must have noticed. If you want to get rid of all the ouws, we must n thoroughly!¡±


    With the resourceful Commander Sun here, they quickly came up with a detailed n to arrest the criminals. First, he told County Magistrate Zhao to aimlessly patrol the streets with the bailiffs, and he would search for his missing son with his men. In this way, the traffickers would think that the authorities hadn¡¯t found their hideout. When the criminals let down their guard and all returned to the ce that the children were kept, they would catch them all at once.


    However, there was a very important role in this n. They needed a child to pretend to be abducted and secretly check whether all the traffickers had returned. While the children were being transferred, the child had to signal the officers and soldiers, who were lying in ambush outside. At that time, the criminal would be caught in the act and have no other choice but to be arrested! But, it wasn¡¯tpletely safe for the child, who acted as an undercover agent. If the ouws were driven to act in desperation, they would very likely hurt the child!


    After speaking, Commander Sun turned his gaze to Xiaocao and her sister. Yu Hang hastily stepped forward and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go! I¡¯m a boy, and I have the ability to protect myself in danger.¡±


    Commander Sun looked at him and shook his head, saying, ¡°Your age and physique will cause the criminals to be on guard. To be able toplete this task more sessfully, it must be someone who the criminals wouldn¡¯t feel threatened by.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took a deep breath and said, ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯ll go!¡±


    ¡°Younger Sister, I¡¯m a fast runner and I¡¯m also stronger than you. I¡¯ll go!!¡± Yu Xiaolian was eager to protect her younger sister and didn¡¯t care about the danger. She very actively expressed her will to be the spy.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her solemnly and said to Commander Sun, ¡°It¡¯s decided! I¡¯ll go!!¡±

 Chapter 312 – Undercover

    <h4>Chapter 312 ¨C Undercover</h4>


    Commander Sun was very satisfied with Xiaocao¡¯s weak appearance. He said, ¡°Mhm,pared with this little girl, you are less likely to arouse the suspicion of the traffickers. Rest assured, I will have the archers hide in ambush on top of the houses nearby. We will prioritize the safety of you and the children, and do our best to ensure that you won¡¯t get hurt. But, you should also know that scene would be chaotic at that time and that the swords don¡¯t have eyes... If you¡¯re afraid, you can choose not to go...¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯ll go! My younger brother is still waiting for me to save him!!¡± Yu Xiaocao recalled the blood stain on the handkerchief. If her younger brother was injured, she had mystic-stone water in her hands that could give her younger brother and the children timely treatment.


    Commander Sun revealed an admiring expression and nodded, ¡°Women are indeed not inferior to men! Such a good child!¡±


    After making all the arrangements, Commander Sun led a group of soldiers and anxiously searched around in the market. The child traffickers, who were hidden in the dark, observed their movements.


    ¡°Boss, I heard that the young master of themander¡¯s family is lost, so Commander Sun is personally searching for him with his men. As for the people from the yamen, a child was reported missing. Knowing this, the county magistrate sent the bailiffs out to patrol!¡± Old Fifth entered a dark alleyway, where Boss Yin was waiting with an unconscious child.


    Touching the big mole on his face, Boss Yin said to Old Fifth, ¡°Tell the brothers to act ording to the circumstances. If things don¡¯t work out, then return to the base camp first. There¡¯s already a lot of goods, so there¡¯s no need to take the risk.¡± Old Fifth replied in assent, probed his head out to look outside the alley, and then walked into the crowd with his hands sped together as if nothing happened.


    Commander Sun took his subordinates and shuttled through the market several times. After that, he had the soldiers split into groups and quietly hid near the rundown house that the children were locked in. They hid on the roofs and waited for his orders.


    ¡°Father, Mother...¡± Yu Xiaocao cried out as she walked slowly on a remote street, weeping. She was ying the role of a child who got separated from her parents. Today, she wore a semi-new cotton garment made of ordinary fabric. There weren¡¯t any patches on her clothes, and she appeared clean and refreshing.


    When parents took their children to the market, they usually took out their best clothes and put them on. In the eyes of the traffickers, she was a child from a family with decent living conditions in the vige. They brought their child to y in the town, but she ended up getting lost in the crowd. How could the trafficker give up on such a good opportunity? She was soon targeted by one of the traffickers.


    The trafficker had a fair and refined appearance, and he was dressed in a long robe. If he didn¡¯t have a shifty gaze and an evil glint shing through his eyes from time to time, he looked just like a student from an academy.


    He walked in front of Yu Xiaocao with a warm and gentle smile, and softly said, ¡°Little girl, did you get separated from your family?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes, which had turned red from her rubbing, and sniffed her nose. She nced at him with a slightly timid gaze, and then lowered her head again. She nodded hastily and replied in a low voice, ¡°Mhm...¡±


    The refined-looking trafficker said, ¡°Which vige is your family from? I¡¯ll see if any of my ssmates came from the same vige. Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m not a bad person. I¡¯m a student from Qingfeng Academy. The school break just started today, so I came to buy New Year goods...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao feigned a rxed expression and named a vige that was about thirty to forty kilometers away from town. She lifted her small face and said, ¡°Our vige¡¯s Older Brother Li Lei is a student of Qingfeng Academy. Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know him!¡± Seeing that his prey had been hooked, the trafficker quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s great that you know someone in our academy! Li Lei ns on going back tomorrow. Why don¡¯t youe to the academy with me, and he can take you along when he goes back tomorrow? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°But...I need to find my parents...¡± Yu Xiaocao wiped the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief that was soaked in ginger juice. With tears flowing down her face unceasingly, she cried very pitifully.


    The only doubt within the trafficker¡¯s heart was also dispelled, and he inwardly rejoiced at his luck. He feigned a concerned expression and said, ¡°There¡¯s so many people on the street. You might not be able to find your parents even if you search until nightfall. Why don¡¯t... we go get your Older Brother Li Lei and go search for your parents with you, okay?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded reluctantly. The trafficker led the way in front, and from time to time, he would turn his head to say a few words offort to her. Gradually, there were fewer and fewer people, and the streets were bing more and more remote. Yu Xiaocao pretended to notice that there was something wrong, and asked with slight panic, ¡°You... where are you taking me? This doesn¡¯t look like the way to the academy?¡±


    The trafficker forced out a slight smile and said, ¡°The academy is where students study, so it¡¯s naturally not located within the bustling market. We¡¯ll reach Qingfeng Academy soon. Do you see that alleyway? It¡¯s inside that alleyway.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and wanted to go back as she said, ¡°When we came out, my father told me that I can¡¯t follow a stranger, especially to a ce with little people. Big brother, I¡¯ll wait for you here while you go get Older Brother Li Lei...¡±


    Seeing that they weren¡¯t very far from the base camp and there wasn¡¯t anyone in sight, the trafficker revealed a ferocious expression and sneered, ¡°Now, there¡¯s nothing you can do! Come with me obediently, or else don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you!!¡±


    With eyes full of fear, Yu Xiaocao¡¯splexion was pale and she was about to run away. She was blocked by the trafficker after only running a few steps. He impatiently grabbed her arm, and then covered Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth and nose with a dirty handkerchief.


    [Be careful, there¡¯s chloroform on the handkerchief!] The little divine stone warned her in her mind. Just as the handkerchief covered her nose, Yu Xiaocao held her breath, rxed her body, and slowly fell down. Fortunately, the trafficker was holding her arm, so she didn¡¯t fall on the ground.


    ¡°To refuse a toast only to be forced to drink as a forfeit!¡± The trafficker looked around, lifted his prey onto his shoulder, and swiftly entered the nearby alley. Most of the alleyways in Tanggu Town were connected. After making seven or eight turns, he soon reached the base camp where the children were locked.


    After he carefully knocked a secret signal on the door, and the door quickly opened from within. Monkey was the one who opened the door. After letting the refined-looking trafficker in, he looked behind him again. Seeing that nothing was wrong, he carefully closed the door again.


    ¡°Schr, good going! You brought another back! You got a total of four goods today, which is the most among the brothers. When you receive the payment, remember to treat us, brothers, to a drink ah!¡± Monkeyughed as he patted the refined-looking trafficker¡¯s shoulder enviously.


    ¡®Schr¡¯ chuckled and said, ¡°Rest assured! The quality of the goods is pretty good this time, so they should be able to sell for a good price. At that time, I will treat you guys to a feast at Zhenxiu Restaurant!¡±


    ¡°Valiant! Straightforward! You¡¯re indeed a good friend!!¡± Monkey walked beside him and said, ¡°Among the goods, there¡¯s a son of an official. It¡¯s pretty risky on the streets, so many of the brothers havee back ahead of time. Only you and Boss Yin sessfully caught a prey.¡±


    ¡®Schr¡¯ also nodded and said, ¡°There¡¯s enough goods already, so it¡¯s better to be more cautious. Boss made the right decision!!¡±


    Little ck, who was hiding in the thicket, almost jumped out, ¡®What¡¯s going on? Did Master Xiaocao also get kidnapped? What should I do?¡¯


    The chain on the door made a loud noise. The child supporting Sun Yaoyang quickly let go of his feet and squatted in a corner. Monkey opened the door and looked at the huddled children with a frown. He walked in and nudged Wang Xiaonian, who had been beaten unconscious, with his feet. He angrily shouted at them, ¡°Who beat him? Come out!! You beat him until he looks like a pig¡¯s head. How am I supposed to sell him?¡±


    The children huddled together, and didn¡¯t dare to look at him. Monkey was so angry that he gnashed his teeth and pulled a child out, wanting to vent his anger by hitting him.


    ¡®Schr¡¯ put Yu Xiaocao on the ground and stopped him, ¡°We¡¯re changing locations tonight. Don¡¯t cause unnecessary trouble...¡±


    Monkey threw the child to the ground, and the child fell down. With a pout on his face, he looked very pitiful, as if he wanted to cry but didn¡¯t dare to cry. When Monkey and ¡®Schr¡¯ was about to go out, a timid voice sounded among the children, ¡°The one hanging up there is about to die...¡±


    ¡®Schr¡¯ looked up and saw Sun Yaoyang¡¯s white and bloodlessplexion. His lips were ghastly pale, and he appeared to be unconscious. Thus, he quickly said to Monkey, ¡°Take him down! He¡¯s one of the better-quality goods. If something really happens, then we¡¯re the ones at a loss!¡±


    Monkey took out a dagger, which was the one he confiscated from Sun Yaoyang. He cut the ropes around Sun Yaoyang¡¯s hands, put him down, and got a bowl of water. He said to the children who were huddled together, ¡°Give him a drink of water! If he dies, I¡¯ll make you pay with your life!!¡± After saying that, he followed ¡®Schr¡¯ and walked out of the room.


    The chubby boy lightly pushed Little Shitou with his body and whispered, ¡°Go, go take a look at Sun Yaoyang. He must feel so ufortable after hanging up there for so long... Hey, where are you going?¡±


    Little Shitou crawled on all fours to the young girl, who was quietly lying on the ground, and softly called, ¡°Sister? Second Sister?¡±


    He moved away the strands of hair on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face and saw her face clearly. He anxiously pushed her and called in a low voice, ¡°Second Sister, Second Sister, why are you also abducted here? Second Sister, quickly wake up ah!!¡±


    The chubby boy was about to feed Sun Yaoyang with some water, but when he saw this, he quickly put down the bowl of water and went over to Little Shitou. He patted Little Shitou¡¯s shoulders, and said, ¡°Hey, your family is seriously quite unlucky to lose two children at once. Didn¡¯t you just say that your second sister will definitely save you? Well, isn¡¯t this great? She couldn¡¯t save you and ended up getting caught herself. Ay... Can we still get out?¡±


    Seeing that the bad guys had left, Sun Yaoyang stopped pretending to be unconscious. Heforted Little Shitou, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your second sister is just unconscious due to the drug. She will wake up after a while.¡±


    Right after he finished talking, Yu Xiaocao stopped pretending and sat up from the ground. She calmly looked at twenty or so children of varying ages. She said to Little Shitou reassuringly, ¡°It¡¯s ok. I was afraid that you would be scared, so I purposely got kidnapped to apany you!¡±


    Little Shitou became anxious, ¡°Second Sister, if you¡¯re also here, then who will save us? Those bad guys said that they will take us away on a ship and sell us to the south!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a reassuring expression, looked at Sun Yaoyang, who was lying on the ground with a face full of cold sweat, and said, ¡°There seems to be something wrong with that child. Go feed him some water!¡±

 Chapter 313 – Follow up a Victory with Hot Pursuit

    <h4>Chapter 313 ¨C Follow up a Victory with Hot Pursuit</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao took out a little bottle and dripped a drop of mystic-stone water into a bowl of water. She said to Sun Yaoyang, ¡°I¡¯ve studied medicine before; if you trust me, you need to drink this. It will benefit your body!¡±


    Partly because he was also thirsty, Sun Yaoyang downed the water without hesitation.


    Yu Xiaocao used thest bits of water in the bowl to clean the wound on his wrist. After that, she dripped the mystic-stone water on the wound and told Little Shitou to tear two pieces of cloth from Sun Yaoyang¡¯s underclothes to bandage the wound.


    Sun Yaoyang moved his wrist and gasped in surprise, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore! You¡¯re so skillful!¡±


    Little Shitou proudly replied, ¡°Of course, do you know whose second sister she is? My second sister is so amazing she even helped treat the royal prince! She made the medicine in the bottle herself and she even knows how to craft pesticide that can kill locusts!¡±


    Sun Yaoyang looked at Yu Xiaocao in surprise, ¡°So the pesticide for locusts were made by your family! During fall, we also bought some and managed to cultivate a batch of fall vegetables. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have any vegetables to eat this winter!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao told her younger brother to support the fellow so he could sit with his back to the wall, and then whispered, ¡°Now is not the time to speak of such things. Commander Sun has alreadye up with a rescue n, so all we need to do is to wait for the bad guys toe back to strike!¡±


    Sun Yaoyang¡¯s face brightened with glee, and he murmured, ¡°I got it, you must have intentionally gotten yourself caught to be an inside agent, right? You¡¯re amazing! But aren¡¯t you afraid? I was quite afraid when I initially got here. However, my father said, the more scared I am, the more I shouldn¡¯t express it, and the more I should ovee my fears to calm down, only then will I be able to think of a countermeasure! Too bad my dagger was taken away by the bad guys, or else I would¡¯ve escaped a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Even if you pried the window open, you wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to escape either!¡± Little Shitou slowly analyzed for him, ¡°Firstly, you¡¯re unfamiliar with your surroundings. Even if you got out, you wouldn¡¯t know where to run, and it¡¯s easy to run into a dead end. Secondly, those child traffickers will definitely have their eyes and ears nearby¡ªyou might be discovered the moment you stepped out of here!¡±


    Hearing his words, Sun Yaoyang lowered his head and said, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve heard this, I suddenly feel like I¡¯m quite stupid. I¡¯ve exposed myself too early and caused my dagger to be confiscated. Ay...I¡¯ve gratuitously suffered for an entire afternoon!¡±


    The chubby boy squeezed over while they were talking andined, ¡°When are the authoritiesing to rescue us? I¡¯m about to die of hunger. Could it be that those bad people want us to faint from hunger so that they would even be able to save on chloroform?¡±


    The three of them exchanged nces, and then Yu Xiaocao sighed, ¡°The local authorities probably won¡¯te, I hadn¡¯t been able to report to them before I got caught.¡±


    With a look of despair, the chubby boy eximed, ¡°What? Doesn¡¯t this mean that no one ising to rescue us? We¡¯d be sold into prostitution to sell our butts, wahhh...I don¡¯t want to! Father, Mother¡ª¡ª¡±


    The others, who strained their ears to listen in, also anguished when they heard the chubby boy¡¯s cries. Yu Xiaocao thought: ¡®Now this is better!¡¯ Fortunately, the two people before didn¡¯t notice, or else all the children here would¡¯ve been exposed earlier. Why would a group of children, who got kidnapped, not panic or get upset, but were filled with hope instead? If she didn¡¯t lie and tell them that there was no rescue, the child traffickers would definitely be able to detect the incongruity when they returned!


    It wasn¡¯t known which child started it, but slowly, the cries merged together. The chubby boy cried for a while before turning to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Big sister, did you bring anything to eat? My father said, even in death we must be a satisfied ghost! Oh, right, I¡¯m called Li Xiaohu. My father runs an armed escort organization in the capital. Nanping Vige is our hometown¡ªwe came back to worship our ancestors.¡±


    So this little boy¡¯s father was a martial artist, no wonder he talked with the righteousness of a hero. Yu Xiaocao took out a small bag of jerky and shared among them. The situation could change at any moment¨Cshe could at least ensure that they would have the energy to react if they ate.


    One by one, the child traffickers returned as the sky turned dark. Boss Yin did a headcount and, after realizing two of his subordinates were missing, he turned his questioning gaze towards the rest of his brothers. Old Fifth¡¯s face crumpled, ¡°Wild Boar and Leopard were unlucky. They were discovered just as they took action, and the patrolling bailiff was just nearby, so they got caught red-handed!¡±


    Boss Yin paused in his movements and his face darkened, turning to address his brothers, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t stay here for long, let¡¯s relocate immediately!¡±


    Old Fifth worriedly replied, ¡°But it has only just turned dark, not to mention we¡¯re also bringing children along with us, so we¡¯re more likely to attract other people¡¯s attention with so many people! The bailiffs on the street haven¡¯t even left yet!¡±


    Boss Yin said to ¡®Schr¡¯, ¡°Go and check if the horse carriage is here. Knock the children out and ce them in chests; we¡¯ll act as bodyguards escorting cargo. We¡¯ll be safe once we¡¯re out of the town gates. There¡¯s definitely risks, but if we keep waiting, I¡¯m afraid sooner orter Wild Boar will give in to the yamen¡¯s torture and sell us out...¡±


    Since they already made the decision to relocate, Monkey brought a few of the brothers to chase the group of children out of the room. They shouted and shoved at them as though they were herding goats. There were a total of 28 children, consisting of both boys and girls.


    Seeing that they would be immediately brought away, the unpredictable future and the possibility that they would never be able to see their parents again made the children wail. Monkey was afraid that their wails would alert the neighboring residents, so he strangled one of the children who cried the loudest, menacingly frightening them, ¡°Shut up! I will strangle anyone who cries!¡±


    The child in his hands had already been strangled until his face turned blue and his eyes rolled back. The other children were so afraid that they covered their own mouths, shedding silent tears. Monkey grinned with satisfaction and dropped the child. He couldn¡¯t really strangle him to death¡ªa child could sell from ten to a few dozen taels!


    Boss Yin nced at him and said, ¡°At midnight, a buyer will be waiting nearby the port. Our mission is to bring the ¡®goods¡¯ to the port, so be on high alert. Whether we can get through this year prosperously will depend on this deal!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had already gotten a rough understanding of the number of child traffickers from the children, so she carefully hid among the children and did a headcount. Subconsciously, she furrowed her brows when she noticed that ¡®Schr¡¯, who had caught her, was missing. They had to arrest all of these child traffickers in one attempt, or else it would bring danger to her family!


    However, Boss Yin ran his gaze over his subordinates and ordered, ¡°What are you waiting for? Get to work!¡±


    Monkey and a few other child traffickers used the handkerchiefs in their hands to cover the mouths and noses of a few children nearby, causing them to fall to the ground unconscious.


    Yu Xiaocao grew increasingly distressed as the number of unconscious children continued to increase although ¡®Schr¡¯ still had yet to return. What to do? What to do?? If she were to send the signal now, she was afraid that ¡®Schr¡¯ might be able to escape from arrest. But if she didn¡¯t send the signal now, she would be knocked out very quickly!


    Fortunately, she and Little Shitou were at the far back of the group of children. The children at the front put up a struggle and disturbed Monkey in his work, which was able to buy her some time. But even then, the number of unconscious children kept increasing, and there were fewer and fewer children who were standing...


    When there were only six children left, ¡®Schr¡¯ returned from the outside and said to Boss Yin, ¡°We¡¯re set! Everything is prepared, we can start loading the ¡®cargo¡¯!¡±


    The other child traffickers bent down to pick up the unconscious children and prepared to put them into chests. At this moment, the dirty handkerchief in Monkey¡¯s hand moved towards Yu Xiaocao...


    Yu Xiaocao whispered to the children by her side, ¡°At the count of three, squat down. One...¡±


    ¡°Two...¡±


    ¡°Three!¡±


    At the instance she counted to the number ¡®three¡¯, Yu Xiaocao triggered the signal in her hands. It was like a firework that shot up into the sky, emitting a sharp whistling noise. Yu Xiaocao, along with Little Shitou, Sun Yaoyang and Little Fatty, who were by her side, immediately squatted down and hugged their heads.


    ¡°Crap!¡± Boss Yin felt that something was wrong and immediately threw aside the child in his hands. He drew out the de at his waist and blocked a flying arrow that flew in his direction.


    The others weren¡¯t as lucky as him. The first ones to go were Monkey and the four other traffickers, who were walking towards Yu Xiaocao the other children. Arrows prated their chests and warm blood sttered on Yu Xiaocao and the children¡¯s faces. They were still children, after all, so they naturally trembled in fright and their faces paled when they witnessed the death of another person first-hand, especially upon seeing Monkey¡¯s bulging eyes. The chubby boy hugged Little Shitou and hid his face in the embrace like a frightened quail.


    The arrows continued to storm, and more and more child traffickers were felled. Boss Yin pulled one of the traffickers from his side to block an arrow headed his way. The arrow shot through his chest, and even until hisst breath, he still stared disbelievingly at Boss Yin.


    The cunning and ruthless Boss Yin, along with Old Fifth and ¡®Schr¡¯, retreated into the house. Out of 18 brothers, only the three of them were left. Old Fifth ran a hand over his face, wiping his face with blood. ¡°Boss, what do we do?¡± He shouted in despair.


    ¡°Block the door! ¡®Schr¡¯, see if the alley behind the house is safe!¡± Boss Yin panted, and it was clear that he was filled with fear.


    ¡®Schr¡¯ opened the window and carefully peered outside. His face paled visibly as he said, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s an ambush at the back too! It¡¯s the people from the yamen!¡±


    Boss Yin shut his eyes, and then opened them fiercely, ¡°Luckily, I¡¯ve prepared an escape route! Follow me!¡±


    At the same time, some of the criminals in the courtyard died from the arrow storm, while the rest surrendered. Commander Sun nced at his son, thenmanded his subordinates to break open the doors to the courtyard.


    Old Fifth took out a bow from the house, held it in his hand, and said to Boss Yin with fierce determination, ¡°Boss, you go! I will hold them down! Damn it! Even if I die, I will drag some of them down with me!¡±


    Boss Yin looked at him solemnly, and then said, ¡°Old Fifth, I will avenge you!¡±


    He brought ¡®Schr¡¯ into the inner room and removed the mat on the kang bed along with ayer of wooden nks, revealing a dark tunnel underneath. Boss Yin entered the tunnel first, and ¡®Schr¡¯ followed suit.

 Chapter 314 – Capturing All in One Go

    <h4>Chapter 314 ¨C Capturing All in One Go</h4>


    Old Fifth blocked the door from behind and shot arrows outside when he got the chance. Even the soldiers outside were unable to do anything about it within a short period of time. Commander Sun instructed part of his men to attract the criminals¡¯ attention at the front while he led six of his loyal subordinates to the side and entered through a broken window. One of his subordinates fought Old Fifth while another unlocked the door, allowing the soldiers to flood into the house. The stubborn Old Fifth was killed on the spot!


    Commander Sun checked the house and realized that the other two people had gone. It wasn¡¯t known when, but Yu Xiaocao squeezed her way into the house and pointed towards the inner room, ¡°There must be an underground tunnel inside!¡± She immediately rushed in.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Commander Sun was so shocked that he was covered in cold sweat. If there was an ambush set up inside, this little girl would die! He rushed after her into the inner room, but there was no one in there, only Yu Xiaocao looking for something at a corner.


    [Idiot! The kang bed!] The little divine stone reminded. Little White also found his way inside and jumped onto the kang bed, using his little paws to w at it.


    Yu Xiaocao took the opportunity to shout, ¡°There¡¯s a problem with the kang bed!¡±


    Commander Sun immediately removed the mat and the nks on top of the kang bed to reveal a dark tunnel. Without hesitation, Little White rushed into it, and Yu Xiaocao wanted to follow, but she was held back by Commander Sun who had a firm grip on her arm.


    ¡°Little girl, where did you get your guts? What would you do if there was an ambush set up by the criminals?¡± Commander Sun red at her, then took the lead by jumping into the tunnel first. Yu Xiaocao followed closely behind him into the dark tunnel.


    A few steps in, Yu Xiaocao hit her nose on the jade belt Commander Sun wore around his waist, and the pain made her tear up. Commander Sun lit a re, then turned around to look at her, sighing, ¡°Be careful, and follow behind me closely!¡±


    The two of them moved forward deeper into the tunnel with only the dim light guiding their way. Footsteps echoed from behind them, indicating that Commander Sun¡¯s subordinates had also followed them into the tunnel.


    The end of the tunnel was in the next alley. Boss Yin and ¡°Schr¡± were in a hurry, so they didn¡¯t even fill back the bricks that were supposed to be covering the ground. The alley connected everywhere, and the two child traffickers were already long gone, so which direction should they pursue? Commander Sun felt so frustrated.


    ¡°Awoo~¡± a young howl attracted Yu Xiaocao¡¯s attention. ¡°Follow me!¡± she told Commander Sun, then ran towards the source of the howl. Resignedly, Commander Sun trailed after her.


    It wasn¡¯t long before Yu Xiaocao saw Little White¡¯s figure. He turned his head to look at his little master before turning to run in another direction. Yu Xiaocao, Commander Sun and all of his subordinates followed from behind.


    In their escape, those two child traffickers had to constantly be on alert to avoid running into the the bailiffs patrolling on the streets, while also being wary of the soldiers on their tail. They took twists and turns in the alleys, hoping to shake off their pursuers, but they could have never expected that the pursuing soldiers would have the help of a little wolf that was as good as a police dog. So, no matter how they turned, they still could not escape from the fate of being chased down.


    Night fell quietly. It was a moonless night as Tanggu Town slowly became enveloped in darkness. Two dark figures cautiously climbed out of Tanggu Town through a gap in the town wall.


    ¡®Schr¡¯ peered behind him, whispering, ¡°Big brother, we took so many turns and ran so many circles in town, so we should¡¯ve lost them, right?¡±


    Furrowing his brows, Boss Yin said, ¡°Better to be careful! Let¡¯s go to the port!¡±


    ¡®Schr¡¯ sighed, ¡°We¡¯ve already lost the ¡®goods¡¯, how are we going to exin ourselves to the buyer? Damn it! Who could¡¯ve thought that there was amander¡¯s son among them? This is just too unlucky!¡±


    Boss Yin said, ¡°There is hope as long as we¡¯re alive. We¡¯ll follow the merchant¡¯s ship to the south and seclude there for some time while we n our next course of action.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t run anymore! Surrender yourself!¡± Commander Sun and his subordinates surrounded the two people in a circle, and told his vicemander, ¡°Bring a group of soldiers with you to the docks and arrest everyone involved!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, seeing that the two child traffickers had already been tightly surrounded, moved into the side of the wall with Little White while attentively watching the scene.


    Although the two child traffickers put up a good fight, they were still no match for the soldiers, and were quickly apprehended. Just as Yu Xiaocao breathed a sigh of relief, she felt a stranger¡¯s presence behind her. Inwardly, she shouted, ¡®shoot!¡¯, but she wasn¡¯t able to dodge away before arge hand picked her up from the ground and held a cold knife at her throat.


    ¡°Stop! Let go of my boss, or else I¡¯ll have her life!¡± The croaky voice from behind Yu Xiaocao seemed to strain in the darkness.


    Damn it! How was there a person who was left out? It must be one of the people who were waiting out of town. Sigh, if she had known earlier, she would not have followed them here, now she had be a burden for them. Yu Xiaocao was filled with regret.


    Commander Sun furrowed his brows, his fierce gaze seemingly piercing in the darkness, ¡°Put the child down, and I¡¯ll let you live, or else...¡±


    ¡°Free my boss and ¡®Schr¡¯, or else I¡¯ll bring someone down with me even in death!¡± The criminal holding Yu Xiaocao decided to burn his bridges¡ªif he died, the child would die together with him!


    Yu Xiaocao really wanted to bravely say ¡®Don¡¯t worry about me!¡¯ but she wasn¡¯t filming a movie. The knife on her throat had a high probability of cutting a major artery, and with the medical level of this time, she¡¯d definitely be dead!


    Commander Sun tried to divert the criminal¡¯s attention in order to find an opportunity to rescue the hostage, ¡°You¡¯re too ambitious! What made you think one hostage could be exchanged for three lives? There is so much to lose in this deal. Tell you what, if you let the hostage go, I¡¯ll let one of you roam free!¡±


    The man behind Yu Xiaocao pondered for a few moments, then said, ¡°Boss saved my life; if there was no Boss, I would not be here today! Let my boss go!¡±


    ¡°Sanzi!¡± Touched, Boss Yin looked at the blurry figure standing in the darkness, sniffling.


    Commander Sun, however, began to negotiate, ¡°Let your Boss go? Sure! But how would I know you will keep to your word once I let him go? Let go of the little girl first, she¡¯s innocent!¡±


    The criminal holding Yu Xiaocaoughed coldly, ¡°Innocent? I doubt it. She must be your aplice¡ªwhy else would a little girl appear here in the middle of the night? Stop spouting nonsense and quickly free my boss!¡±


    Commander Sun took two steps forward and opened his mouth to say something, but the criminal turned the knife towards him and shouted, ¡°Stop! Or do you not care about her life?¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, a white figure rushed over and ruthlessly bit the wrist that was holding the knife. The criminal screamed as he let go of the knife, and Yu Xiaocao took the opportunity to elbow him in the weak spot in between his legs. The criminal let out a scream that was even more piercing than the first.


    Commander Sun sped forward and he couldn¡¯t help but shed a tear of sympathy for the criminal once he saw clearly what had ured. The little girl¡¯s small, white dog was still biting on to his wrist while his other hand covered his important part. The criminal was in so much pain he curled his body like a prawn and couldn¡¯t even stand steadily, so he was easily taken into custody by Commander Sun.


    ¡°Little White,e over here!¡± Seeing that the criminal had already been apprehended, Yu Xiaocao backed away to the side and called over Little White that was still fervently holding on to the criminal. The criminal¡¯s wrist was so badly injured his hand would definitely be incapacitated.


    ¡°Good job, Little White!¡± Yu Xiaocao took out a piece of jerky from her pouch and offered it to Little White as a reward. Little White sniffed at it with his nose, then turned his head away in disdain, as though saying, ¡°It¡¯s wolf meat¡ªso stinky! I won¡¯t eat it!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao remembered that he was very particr, just like his dad who disdained the meat of their own kind. They had never refused the wild boar and hare meat that was ughtered at home. She was rearing such a group of gluttons that the meat at home was barely enough. Fortunately Big Gray would asionally go hunting in the mountain and he definitely brought back some game every time, so the store of meat at home was still sustainable.


    Commander Sun gave Little White a thumbs up, ¡°Little miss, where did you get this small, white dog? It¡¯s quite wonderful! With a little bit of training, it could be put to great use! Offer me a price, I¡¯ll buy the dog off you!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t sell it to you no matter how much you offer!¡± Yu Xiaocao ran her hand through Little White¡¯s soft fur, trying tofort the raging pup that was growling at Commander Sun.


    Commander Sun could tell that they were close, but couldn¡¯t help himself from teasing them, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 100 taels, what about it? 100 taels is more than enough for you to buy a few dozen dogs¡ªenough for you to buy even a Pekingese thates from the West!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao and Little White headed towards the town gate, saying, ¡°You¡¯re better off keeping your money to buy a Pekingese for your precious son to y with! Our Little White and Little ck are from the bloodline of wolves¡ªI won¡¯t sell them no matter the price!¡±


    Of course, Commander Sun did not intend to own Little White by all means. He brought his subordinates to open the town gate and led the detained criminals to the county yamen. Inside, Yu Hai, Liu Hu and a few other children were anxiously awaiting their return.


    All of a sudden, Little ck ran out of the county yamen and rushed madly into the dark night. Little Shitou happily eximed, ¡°It must be Second Sistering back!¡± All the people in the county yamen were suddenly very spirited.


    County Magistrate Zhao, who had been patrolling with his bailiffs for the entire day, was worried when he had initially heard that the second miss of the Yu Family had followed the soldiers out. There was no need to even mention the fact that she caught the eye of Royal Prince Yang¡ªit was already enough on his te if she had gotten hurt simply just by the fact that she was General Zhaoyong¡¯s goddaughter.


    Sigh! Indeed it was like father, like daughter. If the little missies of other families met with this incident, they¡¯d definitely be so scared they hid away. Where would you find one that was like her¡ªsomeone who would rush to the front? Knives and swords had no eyes, if she was hurt, what would he do?


    All the people of the yamen breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the small figure trail behind Commander Sun. Yu Hai quickly walked over and hugged his daughter, examining her from head to toe, ¡°Cao¡¯er, are you hurt? Let me see...¡±


    Little Shitou sharply noticed that there were fine, red marks on Xiaocao¡¯s neck, and he screamed, ¡°Second Sister, you¡¯re hurt?¡±


    His scream made a lot of people worry. County Magistrate Zhao also came down, asking concernedly, ¡°Where were you hurt? Hurry, let Doctor Sun inspect!¡±

 Chapter 315 – Brave the Snows to Come Back

    <h4>Chapter 315 ¨C Brave the Snows to Come Back</h4>


    Because some of the children were injured and others had fallen ill from being frightened, the authorities invited Doctor Sun from Tongren Medicine Hall over. His youngest grandson also came along to help him. Yu Xiaocao already knew Doctor Sun¡¯s youngest grandson. He was the same child who had stopped LIttle ck halfway and tried to take the puppy as his own. After recognizing his wrongs, he had sincerely apologized to her.


    Doctor Sun had already diagnosed and treated the other children. The one who was most heavily injured was the child who had tried to escape and ended up getting beaten up by the vers. The child had two broken ribs but luckily none of his internal organs were harmed. Commander Sun¡¯s son, Sun Yaoyang, only had some superficial wounds. Because Little Shitou and some other loyal kids were there, his injuries were not very serious.


    When he heard that Yu Xiaocao had gotten injured, Doctor Sun hurriedly rushed over with his box full of medicines. All she had was a faint mark on her neck. Doctor Sun didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. Was this also considered a wound? It was just some minor scratches. However, he still very cautiously checked her pulse. When nothing came up, he said, ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. As long as you put some wound balm on the wound on your neck, you¡¯ll be fine! Do you still have any wound balm that you¡¯ve made left? Just use that one, it¡¯s effect is quite good!¡±


    The rest of the case progressed very smoothly. This group of evil and vicious criminals had either been killed in action or caught by the authorities. Even the ve buyer at the docks had also been caught red-handed and brought in. Before the end of the year, the shocking case of human trafficking in the Jin Prefecture quickly came to an end.


    Themon people in Tanggu Town, who were all hunkered down for the winter, quickly found out through word of mouth what had happened. Everyone, especially the families who had gotten their stolen children back, were deeply grateful to the county magistrate and the military official, so they erected long-life ques to them in their homes. None of them knew that a little girl, who had just reached the age of ten, had yed the most crucial role in all of this.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had be a ¡®female hero¡¯, refused the county magistrate¡¯s offer of a reward. In her eyes, she only worked hard in order to save her beloved little brother. The people who were truly taking risks were the soldiers under the military official who had chased after the criminals. She also didn¡¯t want to cause any future problems for her family. In her mind, she wasn¡¯t as brave and selfless as they said, so she didn¡¯t want to be famous for this. Thus, she had the county magistrate conceal her participation in all of this.


    However, Fang Zizhen, who was in the distant capital, had somehow learned about this through channels she didn¡¯t know about. He braved the winds and snow to rush over from the capital. By the time he got to the Yu Family¡¯s residence, he had almost be a snowman.


    As soon as he entered, he inspected his adopted daughter from head to toe. Only after he saw no injuries did he let out a sigh of relief. Afterwards, he harshly scolded Yu Xiaocao, but every single word he said belied how much he worried about her.


    Yu Xiaocao poured a cup of ginger-sugar water for her godfather and watched as he drank it. She only spoke after he finished, ¡°Godfather, it¡¯s almost time to celebrate the New Years. Howe you¡¯re not spending the holiday with Godmother and little brother in the capital and instead came over to Dongshan Vige? Is there something going on at the harbor?¡±


    ¡°All of the workers at the harbor are off for the New Years celebrations, so how could there be anything going on? When your godmother heard about your heroic deed, she was very worried about you. If it wasn¡¯t for me stopping her, she would havee along too! You ah, you! How should I, your godfather, scold you? When other people encounter danger, they all run away to hide, but you, on the other hand, run straight to it!! After such a big event, you also didn¡¯t send any news to the capital. If it were not for Commander Sun bringing a report to the capital that mentioned your participation, I, your godfather, would still be in the dark!¡± The more Fang Zizhen talked, the more angry he became. His eyes, which were as round as gongs, were fixed on his goddaughter with a look that was half full of frustration and half full of love. How could this child be so gutsy ah?


    Yu Xiaocao let out a couple of dryughs, ¡°Godfather, aren¡¯t I perfectly alright ah? It¡¯s time for the New Years, what¡¯s the point of mentioning this and making everyone anxious? You weren¡¯t aware of theplex situation at the time. If we let the boss of the criminals escape, I was afraid that he would take revenge on uster. Furthermore, Little White could smell where the criminals went. If I didn¡¯t follow him, how could Commander Sun catch all of these bad guys so smoothly?¡±


    Fang Zizhen was going to continue when Yu Hai interjected out of pity for his daughter, who was being scolded to the high heavens, ¡°Alright, alright, things have already passed, what¡¯s the point of talking about it now? You won¡¯t be able to make it back to the capital before the New Years, so just celebrate with us!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also took advantage of this change of subject, ¡°Godfather, I haven¡¯t seen you in such a long time, yet the first thing you do is scold me. Is it because you have Little Brother that you don¡¯t care about me, your adopted daughter, anymore?¡±


    Fang Zizhen hurriedly cated his daughter¡¯s ¡®overly sensitive heart¡¯ and softly said, ¡°Originally, your godmother and I were nning oning back after celebrating your little brother¡¯s hundred day banquet. But who would have thought that Xiaolin would get a chronic cough. All of the doctors in the capital saw him yet he still didn¡¯t get better. Even the imperial physicians couldn¡¯t do anything for him. In the end, it was the Sichuan fritiry bulb with loquat syrup that you concocted that made him better. You didn¡¯t know any of this, but prior to that syrup you made, the doctors gave him medicine that was so bitter ah. Xiaolin screamed every time he had to take medicine and your godmother wept with him. Your medicine is still the best as it¡¯s sweet so Xiaolin likes taking it...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her heart as she thought, ¡®How could it not be sweet? I added a lot of honey and brown sugar to it. I reckon that Little Linlin had gotten whooping cough. Sichuan fritiry bulb, loquat, and pears all have the ability to suppress coughing. The most important ingredient in the syrup is still the mystic-stone water. Otherwise, how could a medicine that was prescribed without looking at the patient work so well?¡¯


    Fang Zizhen continued enthusiastically, ¡°Xiaolin didn¡¯t even finish the two bottles of cough suppressant syrup before his illness got better. Afterwards, the eldest prince in the pce had gotten a cold and had a bad cough. He also refused to take medication, so the emperor took the rest of the syrup. It¡¯s said that after just a few days of using your syrup, the eldest prince stopped coughing. All of the imperial physicians analyzed your syrup and came up with a recipe. However, when they tried to reproduce it, their syrups were a lot more inferior to yours.¡±


    A wisp of anxiety rose up within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart. She really didn¡¯t want to attract the emperor¡¯s attention ah! She wasn¡¯t sure when simr cough suppressant syrups appeared in history but if the emperor really ended up pursuing this, she would just say that she came up with the recipe herself.


    Fang Zizhen proceeded with his story, ¡°After Little Linlin got better, it was already the start of winter. Your godmother was afraid that because he was so young, he might get sick again on the road, so she decided toe back to Tanggu Town in the spring. In between, your godmother wrote a letter to you to have youe over to the capital to celebrate the New Years with us but you ended up declining. Xiaocao ah, when are you going to the capital with me? Your godmother and I all want to introduce you to our close friends and family ah!¡±


    ¡°That uh...let¡¯s wait until Little Linlin celebrates his first birthday? At that time, I¡¯ll go to the capital and participate in his birthday grab [1].¡± Yu Xiaocao was still a bit wary of the rich and powerful families in the capital. Thus, she always had some hesitation in going to the capital.


    Fang Zizhen thought for a bit and calcted that was less than half a year away, so he nodded in agreement, ¡°Then we¡¯ll agree on that. Don¡¯t try to find another excuse or reason to not go then.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out a dry chuckle, ¡°How could I...Godfather, you must be hungry! Let me go into the kitchen and make some of your favorite: braised pork knuckle.¡±


    Fang Zizhen hadn¡¯t been able to eat the food made by his daughter for half a year. He smacked his lips and said, ¡°Okay. I heard that your family is raising a few wild boars. Must be hard in the middle of a disaster year.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°My family didn¡¯t really go through that much. We firmly believed in the words of that white bearded immortal, so we harvested everything in the fields well in advance. We had six mu of sweet potatoes that were half grown then and also had some sweet potato seedlings. In addition, we had corn stalks and some wheat husks and such...ah, we also had locust powder that we made from dried locusts in storage. Using that to feed hogs and chickens makes them grow quite quickly!¡±


    For the evening meal, Yu Xiaocao not only made braised pork knuckle but also stir fried some grasshopper sauce for Fang Zizhen to try. Fang Zizhen really liked the savory and spicy grasshopper sauce. In fact, he devoured five to six tbreads covered with the grasshopper sauce before he finally took a break to talk, ¡°Daughter ah! Howe you didn¡¯t send a few jars of such delicious sauce to the capital?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao replied in surprise, ¡°I asked the young royal prince to give you two jars to try. Did you not get any? I thought that you and godmother didn¡¯t like it because it was made with locusts, so I didn¡¯t bring it upter.¡±


    ¡°What? You asked Royal Prince Yang to bring grasshopper sauce to us? Howe I didn¡¯t hear your godmother mention it ah? Don¡¯t tell me your godmother didn¡¯t like it and sent it as a reward to the servants? That can¡¯t be right ah, she always tells me right away when you give stuff to us!¡± Fang Zizhen was a bit puzzled now.


    Yu Xiaocao silently cursed the young royal prince in her heart and pouted, ¡°Godfather, if you both didn¡¯t get any, then the young royal prince must have taken it for himself! That guy is really too much! I specifically told him that two jars were for you and the remaining two jars were for him!!¡±


    The culprit, who had taken the grasshopper sauce, that the two were talking about, was currently far away in the capital. Zhu Junyang was currently happily eating grasshopper sauce while hisdy mother and eldest brother watched him with rm. Suddenly, his nose itched and he let out an enormous sneeze. He inwardly thought, ¡®I¡¯m sure thatss Yu Xiaocao is talking about me. Did she find out that I took the other two jars of grasshopper sauce? Hmph, what does it matter if she knows? It¡¯s only two jars of grasshopper sauce. Thatss has so many frozen locusts in the cer, why does she care about two jars of grasshopper sauce? Such a miser!!¡¯


    Princess Consort Jing endured the feeling of her stomach roiling as she worriedly said, ¡°Yang¡¯er, is this grasshopper sauce really made with locusts? Will there be any problems with eating it?¡±


    Zhu Junyang spread a thickyer of the savory and spicy grasshopper sauce on a white and soft steamed roll. He took a giant bite and said, ¡°Lady Mother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve eaten it countless times while I was in Dongshan Vige. How could there be problems? This grasshopper sauce is very tasty. Lady Mother, Eldest Brother, are you two sure you don¡¯t want to try any?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s mind was currently filled with the images of the dreadful locusts. Insects scared her the most, so she hurriedly shook her head, ¡°How could I have the nerve to fight for it when I can see that you love it so much? You can keep eating...¡±


    Zhu Junyang hesitated for a bit before he asked Prince Jing, who had a solemn look on his face, ¡°Lord Father, do you want to try any?¡±


    Prince Jing was silently thinking, ¡®You little brat, you¡¯ve finally thought of me. I¡¯ve been sitting here all by myself and I¡¯m not tiny. Did you pretend that I wasn¡¯t here earlier?¡¯


    Prince Jing had a very serious demeanor. Even at home he continued to be dignified and imposing. Normally, all of his sons revered him but weren¡¯t very intimate with him, especially his youngest son. Ever since his youngest son turned five to six, his personality changed a lot and he became irritable and angry. His youngest son even injured people frequently. Prince Jing had a headache on his hands and punished him severely a few times. Thus, his youngest son started to hate him. Usually, his youngest son would avoid him whenever they crossed paths. If Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t avoid Prince Jing, then he would just ignore him. Thus, Zhu Junyang normally only talked to hisdy mother and eldest brother at the dining table and ignored Prince Jing¡¯s existence. The sun must have risen from the west today since Zhu Junyang voluntarily spoke to his father.


    [1] Birthday grab (×¥ÖÜ) ¨C A custom of cing a variety of articles (writing brush, abacus, etc) before an infant on his or her birthday. The first one the baby picks up supposedly reveals his future career.

 Chapter 316 – Gifts for the New Year

    <h4>Chapter 316 ¨C Gifts for the New Year</h4>


    Imperial Prince Jing felt very touched. His youngest son had finally started speaking to him!! Eating locusts was not a big deal. In fact, even if his son was feeding him poison it would taste like the sweetest candy in the world to him. After his youngest sonpleted his seafaring journey, he had improved his character a lot and was not as temperamental as before. His son hadn¡¯t caused any trouble despite being back for more than half a year and, instead, had caught the eye of the emperor. Imperial Prince Jing basked in the glory of his son every time he thought of thepliments that were traversing the capital.


    Although he was very happy inwardly, Imperial Prince Jing still had his usual solemn and serious manner. He picked up his chopsticks and scooped up a generous amount of grasshopper sauce. He copied his son¡¯s manner and spread it on top of a steamed bun. Right before he was about to take arge bite, Princess Consort Jing stopped him, ¡°Lord Husband, that...that is made from insects, are you sure you want to eat it?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem! Imperial Father once said that the people living in the mountainous southwest area of the country all use insects as food for their honored guests. In fact, some insects are quite nutritious and are high in something like...protein? Our son has eaten this with no problem, so as his father, what could happen?¡± Despite his wife trying to stop him, Imperial Prince Jing took a giant bite and then carefully chewed as he tasted it. The vor was really quite good and reminded him of the savoriness of small shrimp.


    Zhu Junyang ate as he talked, ¡°This grasshopper sauce has been fermented so most people won¡¯t be allergic to it. Last time, the Head Steward Su, who is the personal steward of the emperor, ate some grasshopper sauce that hadn¡¯t been fermented. He ended up having swelling all throughout his body and it was very itchy. Although grasshopper sauce is very delicious, not everyone is able to enjoy it.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing felt her appetitepletely disappear as she continued to think about her husband and son eating food that was made of disgusting insects. The locust gue from the coastal areas had also spread into the capital¡¯s area. All of the flowers in her garden had been eaten by the locusts. Luckily, the famous and valuable nts she had obtained from Tanggu Town had all been promptly moved into the ss greenhouse. Otherwise, they would have also been destroyed by the locusts.


    When she thought about the camellia she brought back from Tanggu Town, Princess Consort Jing immediately felt pleased and proud. There were a lot of people who loved camellias in the capital. Out of those people, Princess Consort Jing and the wife of the imperial tutor, Lady Feng, were the ones who were the most obsessed. At first, these twodies, who had the same likes, had a very close rtionship and often spent time with each other exchanging techniques about raising flowers. Furthermore, they would set up camellia appreciation parties. These parties couldn¡¯t be attended by just anybody. Only people with the appropriate rank and right reputation could be invited by Princess Consort Jing and Lady Feng.


    All of the noble youngdies and matrons in the capital mored after invitations for the camellia appreciation parties. Whoever received an invitation could not only raise their heads among the otherdies in the future, but even their ns also felt like they had gained prestige.


    Everyone with some status in the capital knew about the camellia parties. However, good things don¡¯tst forever. The two organizers of the events ended up having a falling out! Everyone in the capital knew that Imperial Prince Jing doted upon his wife, so he had people seek out famous and valuable camellias for her. This made Lady Feng happy and envious at the same time. She was happy because it meant that there were new camellias every year at the camellia appreciation party and envious because all of these camellias weren¡¯t hers to own. She could only admire them from afar.


    Lady Feng was someone who truly loved flora. She not only loved flowers but was also an expert at raising them. She even once personally cultivated a new breed of camellias. Princess Consort Jing envied her talents. Thus, Princess Consort Jing also imitated her friend and began to personally take care of her beloved camellias. However, herter nickname of the ¡®yer of flora¡¯ wasn¡¯t given to her without reason. Many of her precious camellias had been sent to their untimely deaths by her. Lady Feng tried to persuade her many times but Princess Consort Jing was now very interested in taking care of her own flowers, so she refused to listen to her friend. After Princess Consort Jing ended up killing a high quality eighteen schr camellia, Lady Feng felt so heartbroken about it that she couldn¡¯t sleep well for several days and ended up having a fight with her. The two people were no longer friends anymore and the camellia parties no longer happened...


    ¡°Lady Mother, what are you thinking about?¡± The heir of Prince Jing was currently being bullied by his father to try the grasshopper sauce. He looked towards his mother to ask for help but discovered that she was staring nkly into space.


    When Princess Consort Jing came back from her thoughts, she sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether the valuable nts and flowers in that mountain ravine that Yu Xiaocao talked about had been destroyed by the locusts. Last time, Xiaocao had brought along Lady Fang¡¯s maidservant with her and they said that they had seen many valuable nts there just a few steps in. There were even some aged herbal medications. It¡¯s truly a good ce ah! If I wasn¡¯t afraid that there would be vicious beasts in the area, I would also go there for a look!¡±


    Zhu Junyang thought of thatrge gray wolf that had been given the name of ¡®Big Gray¡¯ and nodded, ¡°I have also heard of this ce. Apparently there¡¯s a veryrge and fierce wolf that lives in the ravine. However, that wolf is quite intelligent and had once helped the Yu Family out!¡±


    When he saw that his mother was very curious about this topic, Zhu Junyang very briefly summarized what had happened when they fought against the starving wolf pack. Princess Consort Jing eximed in admiration, ¡°Xiaocao had previously helped that wolf, so the wolf ended up saving her father. I never would have expected an animal could also be affectionate and true. But, wouldn¡¯t raising a wolf at home cause problems for the Yu Family?¡±


    Zhu Junyang replied, ¡°I told all of the vigers that the wolf was a pet I had raised from its infancy to adulthood and that it was inconvenient to bring back to the capital, so the Yu Family was taking care of it for me. That wolf can understand humannguage and as long as it doesn¡¯t sense any malice, it wouldn¡¯t attack people. Oh right, are we going into the pce this year to have the New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner?¡±


    ¡°The emperor has already proimed that it is bitterly cold this year so there¡¯s no point in making people suffer. So we¡¯ll just eat the New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner at home this year.¡± Imperial Prince Jing was enjoying the taste of the grasshopper sauce. He took out another scoop and spread it on another steamed bun.


    Over half of the jar of grasshopper sauce had already been eaten, so Zhu Junyang somewhat unhappily packed it up. When Prince Jing saw his son¡¯s actions, heughingly scolded his son, ¡°Stinky brat, you¡¯re the one who roused this man¡¯s appetite, yet you¡¯re trying to hoard the rest of the grasshopper sauce for yourself? No manners! Quickly, give your father a jar to show your filial respects...¡±


    Zhu Junyang had only brought back four jars of grasshopper sauce this time and two of them were the jars he had stolen from General Fang. His royal father had a rascally expression on his face that said, ¡®If you don¡¯t give your father grasshopper sauce, then you¡¯re unfilial.¡¯ Zhu Junyang tolerated the pain within his heart and begrudgingly gave the remaining half jar of sauce to his father with a stone-faced expression on his face.


    Prince Jing let out augh in exasperation, ¡°What sort of expression is that? It¡¯s just some food yet you act like I¡¯m cutting pieces of flesh off of you! If you like it, then just buy the recipe off of the person and have our chefs here make some for you ah!¡±


    ¡°How can they make it without the ingredients?¡± Zhu Junyang remembered that the Yu Family still had a few sacks of locusts in their ice-cer and decided that when spring started, he was going back to Dongshan Vige so he could properly ¡®inspect the sowing and maintenance of the corn fields¡¯.


    Zhu Junyang had already told County Magistrate Zhao to be on the lookout for some goodnd to buy in Tanggu Town. Tanggu Town had been hard-hit by the locust gue this year and not every family was as lucky as the Yu Family to survive without any losses. Many viges around the area had fields that didn¡¯t even have a single grain left to be harvested. Thus, before the grain for the disaster relief came by, the vast majority ofmoners had to buy highly priced grain to survive. There were very few people who would be able to afford thend tax after the winter and start of spring. At that time, there would be many people selling fields,nd, and children.


    Since he wanted to use Tanggu Town as the base for cultivating improved corn, then he needed vast amounts of farnd. The Yu Family¡¯s a hundred and seventy or so mu was not even enough to start. Thus, Zhu Junyang had the County Magistrate Zhao start buying fields andnd since autumn. The best pieces ofnd were the ones that all connected in one piece. However, even plots ofnd that weren¡¯t interconnected were not a big deal. When the time came, all he needed to do was to swap with other people. Since the imperial court was using thisnd, they would alsopensate the owners with some extra money. Those who were prudent would definitely agree to the trade.


    While Zhu Junyang was silently making his ns for next year, the Yu Family was already starting to happily start the New Year¡¯s preparations.


    The final little wild boar that had been raised in the rear courtyard was just ughtered a few days ago. They were nning on sending ten catties of wild boar meat, twenty catties of wheat flour, and a few bundles of bok choy to Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandparents from Xishan Vige and Old Yu¡¯s older brothers¡¯ families.


    Most families had more difficult circumstances now. Although grain prices had stabilized and gone down, the majority of vigers had ughtered all of their animals at home because they ate precious grain during the disaster year. Furthermore, pork prices had shot up prior to the New Years and most of the pork had all been frantically bought out by those rich families in town well in advance. Thus, mostmoners couldn¡¯t buy any meat now.


    Naturally,moners were unable to afford to buy pork that was now a few hundred copper coins a catty. Thus, many families were using dried vegetables as the fillings for the dumplings needed for New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner just so they could have them. In the past, those who were unable to afford meat still had cabbages and radishes to eat. This year, being able to have dried vegetables to eat was already considered quite good!


    The gifts that the Yu Family sent out were like adding charcoal to the families in cold weather. Ironically, when they were sending them out, they managed to do it on a day after a big snowfall came. The snow came up to a person¡¯s calf, so most carts had difficulty going through it. Yu Xiaocao excitedly took up the task of sending the family¡¯s New Year¡¯s gifts. Ever since they had finished constructing the snow sled, she didn¡¯t really have a chance to use it other than running a few loops through the nearby forest. Now her sled that was pulled by a wolf could finally be put to good use.


    Ever since Big Gray came to live at the Yu Family¡¯s, he was able to drink water that had mystic-stone water added to it every day. His originally strong physique had be even morerge and mighty. When he sat on the ground, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t tall enough to reach the top of his head. Although Big Gray looked quite fierce, he was more gentle than the most docile dog in the world when he was in front of Xiaocao. As for other people, they only saw his indifferent side. If any of the other members of the Yu Family wanted tomand him, they¡¯d be out of luck! Thus, only Yu Xiaocao could go out to send the New Year¡¯s gifts. After all, no one else was able to direct the wolf pulling the sled.


    Yu Xiaocao sat at the front of the sled, which wasn¡¯t veryrge, while the back was packed with pork and wheat flour. The back of the sled had ts so she didn¡¯t have to worry about the goods sliding off halfway.


    Yu Xiaocao was bundled up in her warmest set of clothing and had a hat made of rabbit fur that could cover her ears on her head. Her neck was wrapped in a rabbit fur muffler and the inside of her boots were lined with thick and soft rabbit fur as well. Yu Hai was afraid that his daughter might freeze so he also wrapped her up in his coat made of wolf fur. Only a pair of bright eyes could be seen in the end.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yu Xiaocao waved her hand at her family and ordered Big Gray to leave. Big Gray slowly walked on the snow-covered ground. Once he exited the vige, he gradually sped up until the trees on the sides of the road were whipping by.


    At first, Little ck and Little White also wanted to follow along but their short legs were hampered by the thick snow, so they couldn¡¯t run very fast. Before they exited the vige, they had already been left behind by their father and could only resentfully turn back home.


    In the middle of winter, it was bitterly cold, so there wasn¡¯t a single soul to be seen as they traveled along the road. This meant that no one had to be frightened by the sight of Big Gray. Yu Xiaocao first went to her grandfather¡¯s second older brother¡¯s home. Yu Lixia lived in arge vige that was even more west than Xishan Vige. This vige wasn¡¯t near the mountain or the seas and had arger abundance of good agriculturalnd. Yu Lixia¡¯s family had more than a dozen mu of good farmingnd. After taxes, they only had enough grain remaining to survive the winter without starving. However, since this year was a disaster year, they still had to ration out every speck of grain carefully even though the court had waived taxes this year.


    When Yu Xiaocao entered the vige, she didn¡¯t encounter a single person because most of the people were hunkered down for the winter. She directly drove the sled to the entrance of her second granduncle¡¯s residence and knocked on the door. The person who opened the door was her second granduncle¡¯s oldest son, Yu Yang. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, who had been wrapped up until she resembled a tiny ball, he was surprised for a moment before he said, ¡°Is this...Xiaolian or Xiaocao?¡±

 Chapter 317 – Is this a Wolf or Dog?

    <h4>Chapter 317 ¨C Is this a Wolf or Dog?</h4>


    Because the two families lived far apart, they usually didn¡¯t see each other very often. Thus, Second Granduncle¡¯s sons weren¡¯t very familiar with Yu Xiaocao. She pulled down her muffler and chuckled dryly at Yu Yang.


    Luckily, Yu Lixia walked out of the inner courtyard at this time. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, he revealed a surprised expression, ¡°Xiaocao, why did youe out on such a snowy day? Is there something going on at home?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s going on! My family ughtered a pig and my father told me to give your family some meat.¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s nose had been frozen until it was a bright red and ayer of frost had frozen on her long eyshes. This contrasted with her pale white skin and made her look like a snow fairy.


    ¡°This year everyone¡¯s having a rough time and pork is so expensive. You guys could take the pork and sell it for money to buy more grain, so why are you giving us some pork? Quickly take it back...¡± In the past, Yu Lixia¡¯s family had the best circumstances out of all the three brothers. Yu Hai¡¯s family had been squeezed dry by Madam Zhang yet he, as the Second Granduncle, couldn¡¯t do much. When Yu Hai¡¯s family had split from the family, he also didn¡¯t help much. Thus, how he could have the nerve to take things from the younger generation?


    Yu Lixia¡¯s eldest daughter-inw saw therge b of meat and the sack of grain on the sled and she couldn¡¯t move her eyes away. She hurriedly interrupted her father-inw and said, ¡°Father, Niece had traveled from afar and must be freezing. Quickly let her in and warm up.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hastily shook her head, ¡°No need, I still need to go to Xishan Vige to send more New Year¡¯s gifts ah! Second Granduncle, let me wish you a Happy New Year in advance and I hope that this year is smooth and auspicious!¡±


    She unloaded the meat and grain set aside for her second granduncle¡¯s family and then climbed back on the sled before telling Big Gray to leave. Yu Lixia had wanted to have her stay to eat lunch, but she had refused with the reason that she needed to go to her maternal grandparents¡¯ home. She wasn¡¯t very familiar with her second granduncle¡¯s family and didn¡¯t want to make awkward conversation with them.


    Yu Lixia¡¯s eldest daughter-inw impatiently opened the sack. When she saw that it was full of white flour, she cried out in astonishment, ¡°Father, Dahai¡¯s family is really generous. There¡¯s so much white flour here, at least twenty or so catties. And this pork, it must be around a dozen catties too. If we took it into town, we could sell it all for a couple taels ah!¡±


    Yu Lixia leveled a re at her and said, ¡°How could it only be worth a couple taels? This is wild boar meat!! Yu Hai¡¯s family is truly benevolent and kind. My third brother is now living afortable life with them!! Eldest son¡¯s wife, this meat is the New Year¡¯s gift that Dahai gave to us. No matter how much money it¡¯s worth, we cannot sell it!¡±


    His eldest daughter-inw smiled, ¡°Then we will have to enjoy such delicious food! Tsk tsk, Dahai¡¯s family truly has skill to be able to get ahold of such fresh cabbage! We will be able to eat cabbage and pork dumplings for the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner! Our family is probably the only family in the vige who will be able to eat cabbage and pork dumplings this year ah!¡±


    Yu Lixia grinned until the wrinkles by his eyes became more pronounced, ¡°We¡¯re enjoying the fortunes of my third brother! Next year when we have a harvest of grain in spring, don¡¯t forget to send some to your third uncle. As rtives, we can only be closer to each other if we work on our rtionships.¡±


    Yu Yang was the youngest son of Yu Lixia. He stared in the direction that the snow sled disappeared and abruptly eximed in fright, ¡°Father! Did you see clearly what was pulling the sled?¡±


    Yu Lixia looked at the prints that were left in the snow and smiled, ¡°What else could it be? It must be one of the dogs that your uncle is raising at home ah! Your uncle is truly odd. During a disaster year, there¡¯s nothing for people to eat yet he still raises a few dogs that eat precious food!¡±


    Yu Yang wasn¡¯t convinced. He thought for a bit and decided it seemed a bit absurd before he softly said, ¡°Father, I don¡¯t think that animal looked like a dog, I think it looked more like a wolf...¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Have you seen wolves before? If a wolf doesn¡¯t eat a person, that¡¯s already considered a great blessing. Who would have the guts to have one pull a sled?¡± Yu Lixia roundly scolded this excitable youngest son of his. This fellow really had the craziest imagination. How could a wolf pull a sled for humans?


    Yu Yang muttered somewhat resentfully, ¡°I think it looks like a wolf. Its ears are perked up and its tail droops down. If it¡¯s not a wolf, then it must be a mix between a dog and wolf! Hm! When I have time, I should go visit Brother Dahai¡¯s family and look. If they have some puppies, I¡¯ll ask him to give me one.¡±


    Yu Lixia pped a hand on his son¡¯s head and said, ¡°Get a dog? Are you going to feed it your own rations ah? Right now no one can even fill their own stomachs, so how can we have any extra to raise a dog? Just forget this idea of yours ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao traveled swiftly down the snow covered roads and finally made it to Xishan VIge at noon. When she entered the vige, she came across a matron who was puttering around doing nothing outside. The woman was frightened at the sight of Big Gray and fell on the ground as she shouted, ¡°Oh my goodness ah! Wolf, a wolf is in the vige!!¡± Before Yu Xiaocao could say anything, she scrambled off fearfully towards her residence.


    Big Gray slowed down and turned his head around to look innocently at Yu Xiaocao. Xiaocao helplessly said to the wolf, ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly and avoid any people she may bring around. They might think you¡¯re a wild animal and try to kill you.¡±


    Big Gray showed off an arrogant expression. Humans were all so small and weak, how could they possibly harm him?


    However, in order to avoid any unnecessary ruckus, Yu Xiaocao still urged him to elerate and get to her maternal grandparents¡¯ residence. The gate to their residence was wide open. She knocked a few times and then unloaded the sled. She first unharnessed Big Gray and led him to a secluded ce to rest to avoid people from being scared by him.


    Her eldest maternal uncle heard the noise outside and came out of the house. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, who looked like a small snowman, with arge gray wolf, the sight scared him so much that he hurriedly picked up a wooden pole at the side of the wall to prepare for a fight.


    ¡°Eldest Maternal Uncle, it¡¯s me! Xiaocao.¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed his actions and knew he had been frightened by Big Gray, so she hurriedly exined.


    Liu Pei stared fixedly at the scene. The person leading the big gray wolf was unexpectedly his beloved little niece. He then looked at the small snow sled behind them and immediately felt like he had fallen into a dream. His youngest brother-inw was truly too odd to let a wolf pull a snow sled and even let his daughter Xiaocao bring stuff over by herself.


    ¡°Xiaocao, why are you here right now? Quickly go into the rooms and go on the kang bed to get warm!¡± Eldest Maternal Aunt also came out of the house and started to pull on Xiaocao¡¯s hand to bring her inside.


    When Big Gray saw that his little master was being pulled away by a stranger, he hurriedly squeezed through and attentively observed Madam Han. Eldest Maternal Aunt let out a scream and pointed at Big Gray with a hand that trembled, ¡°Xiaocao, what is this thing?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao quickly cated her aunt, ¡°Eldest Maternal Aunt, this is the pet that¡¯s being raised by the young royal prince, he¡¯s called Big Gray! Don¡¯t judge him by his fierce looks, he¡¯s actually very docile. He never bites people randomly!¡±


    The wolf didn¡¯t bite people randomly? That still meant he could bite people ah! Who knew whether the wolf would decide to not be random and still decide to bite a person?


    ¡°Wow! Is this a dog or a wolf? It looks so impressive ah!!¡± Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s youngest son, the thirteen year old Liu Zhimin, rushed out of the house. He stopped about three steps in front of Big Gray and racked his brain on how to get closer. He was a bit afraid, so his face betrayed his mixed emotions.


    Yu Xiaocao used her fingers tob the fur on Big Gray¡¯s chest and pushed all of the snow off the animal. Then she spoke to Liu Zhimin, ¡°Big Gray should be a wolf! However, he¡¯s already been tamed and is even more obedient than some dogs!¡± Big Gray gave her a sidelong nce and a flicker of arrogance shined through his eyes, ¡®Why are youparing me to those dumb dogs? Such an insult to this wolf¡¯s character, right?¡¯


    Second Maternal Uncle¡¯s youngest son, Liu Zhiqiang, cautiously got closer and closer until he was about a step away from Big Gray. When he noticed that Big Gray didn¡¯t pay him any attention, his courage rose and he reached out a hand towards Big Gray. Second Maternal Aunt, Madam Hu, screeched, ¡°Zhiqiang, you want to die ah!! Your younger cousin already said that it¡¯s a wolf, a wolf!!¡±


    Big Gray felt irritable at the sound of Madam Hu¡¯s shrill voice and impatiently stamped on the snow covered ground. Xiaocao softly petted him and managed to soothe him back down.


    ¡°Second Older Cousin, Third Older Cousin! Unload the stuff on the sled quickly, we can¡¯t let the cabbage freeze outside!¡± Yu Xiaocao hurriedly used a tactic to distract them in order to avoid those two from continuously provoking Big Gray. Big Gray¡¯s temperament wasn¡¯t that good. After spending so much time with the Yu Family, he still ignored most of them. So what would he do to these two strangers he had never seen before?


    Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandmother, Madam Yao, slowly walked out of the residence and rebuked her two daughters-inw, ¡°Xiaocao came over, so why hasn¡¯t she been led inside? The poor child will freeze! Xiaocao,e inside and go to my room.¡±


    Xiaocao brushed off all of the snow on her body and took off the wolf coat to hang in the hallway to let dry. She entered the room and finally took off her muffler and hat. Big Gray copied her and shook off all of the snow off his body before he gracefully and haughtily followed Xiaocao into the room. Madam Yao¡¯s room only had two people in there talking quietly and there weren¡¯t any other people. Most importantly, there weren¡¯t any annoying children so Big Gray was very pleased.


    ¡°Aiya! When did this guy suddenlye in? Xiaocao, tell him toy on the side somewhere so he doesn¡¯t end up scaring anyone!¡± Liu Cunjin, Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandfather, knew Big Gray was a wolf and had heard the animal had saved his son-inw¡¯s life. However, a wolf would always have a wild nature so keeping a safe distance was always better.


    Liu Zhimin had finished bringing all of the cabbage into the kitchen and now entered the room. He smiled, ¡°Grandfather, Younger Sister Xiaocao gave our family a lot of pork, wheat flour and cabbage!¡±


    Liu Cunjin said, ¡°We haven¡¯t even finished the pork you guys gave usst time, so why are you giving us more? We¡¯ll take the cabbage but you should take the wheat flour and pork back home!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pouted, ¡°I braved through the winds and snows toe and give Grandfather and Grandmother these presents, yet you want me to bring it back? If I go back, my mother will definitely scold me for not doing things well. I don¡¯t want to take them back!¡±


    Madam Yao tenderly wiped her granddaughter¡¯s face that had turned red from the cold and said, ¡°Your father and mother are truly too much. On such a cold day they made their child go do such errands, and for what? If they end up making you sick from this, just watch if I¡¯ll forgive them!¡±


    Madam Han had already stored away the wheat flour. She entered the room and asked in concern, ¡°Xiaocao, did you eat lunch yet? Let me make you some dough dumplings made with half wheat flour and half coarse grain. The soup and dumplings will whet your hunger and warm you up.¡±


    The Liu Family ate two meals a day. At this time, they had just eaten breakfast not long ago. If Xiaocao hadn¡¯te over at noon, they weren¡¯t going to cook anything. Madam Han knew the Yu Family had the habit of taking three meals a day and that Xiaocao must have left the residence very early in the morning, so she must be hungry by now.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°Eldest Maternal Aunt¡¯s dough dumplings are the best. Thank you Eldest Aunt!¡±


    At this time, her three maternal uncles and three maternal aunts and all of their children had entered the room to greet Yu Xiaocao, their young guest. Big Gray, who was originally lying down next to the kang bed, had been squeezed out of room and had nowhere to go. He ran out of the room to find a more quiet ce to lie down.


    Xiaocao¡¯s grandmother saw that the room had been filled with so many people that there wasn¡¯t any space to put a foot down, so she spoke to her sons and daughters-inw, ¡°You all should go do what you were doing earlier. No one¡¯s an outsider here. Just leave a few of the younger generation here to keep Xiaocaopany.¡±


    Out of Eldest Maternal Uncle¡¯s three daughters, his oldest, Liu Feifeng, had already been married. During her wedding, the Yu Family had given her a big present for her dowry, which caused all of the vigers in Xishan Vige to gossip enthusiastically about it for a long time after. His second daughter, Liu Feiying, was going to turn seventeen after the New Years and had already been betrothed. Her wedding was scheduled at the beginning of spring. His youngest daughter, Liu Feiyan, was almost fifteen years old. It was said that Eldest Maternal Aunt was currently looking at suitable families for her.

 Chapter 318 – Disturbance

    <h4>Chapter 318 ¨C Disturbance</h4>


    Out of everyone in Second Maternal Uncle¡¯s family, only Liu Zhiwei was somewhat familiar with Xiaocao. His other siblings included a brother and a sister. The sister was named Liu Feixu and was already fourteen years old. She had a gentle and quiet personality, and wasn¡¯t a bit like her mother, who had a more abrasive character. The youngest brother was Liu Zhiqiang and he was about the same age as Xiaocao¡¯s oldest brother. He still had a bit of a childish air, so he was currently in the outer room trying to get closer to Big Gray.


    Liu Zhimin was Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s only child. He had a temperament simr to his father¡¯s: straightforward and open-minded. He had already studied at a school in town for two years and it was said that his grades weren¡¯t bad. No one at home was hoping that he could pass the prefectural or county exams; they only wanted him to be literate enough to not be cheated. In the future, he could be an ountant in one of the stores in town, which wasn¡¯t a bad career to have.


    The female cousins were all on the kang bed chatting harmoniously with Xiaocao, while all of her male cousins were further away, surrounding Big Gray. They wanted to get closer but they were also somewhat afraid. Liu Zhiqiang was the most foolishly brazen out of all of them. Despite his older cousins trying to dissuade him, he stepped closer and closer to Big Gray. Big Gray gave him a warning look yet the boy wasn¡¯t afraid at all and extended a hand to touch Big Gray¡¯s fur.


    Big Gray had no desire to indulge him. He first exposed his long teeth in a vicious expression to scare the boy. However, Liu Zhiqiang remembered his younger cousin¡¯s words that this wolf, Big Gray, didn¡¯t bite people, so he heralded his courage again...


    The people chatting inside the room suddenly heard a loud scream and Liu Zhiqiang¡¯s subsequent intive wails. All of them rushed out to see what had happened. The sight that greeted their eyes made everyone drip cold sweat down their bodies. Liu Zhiqiang had been pressed into the ground until he couldn¡¯t move by that giant gray wolf. The gray wolf¡¯s sharp teeth were all revealed and they were only a centimeter away from Liu Zhiqiang¡¯s neck. Liu Zhiqiang had been so frightened that he had forgotten to struggle as he could only close his eyes andy there. Big Gray¡¯s emerald green eyes fixedly stared at the boy as he thought, ¡®Repulsive human, who gave you the guts to try to touch this wolf¡¯s head?¡¯


    A helpless expression showed up on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face. Big Gray only knew how to scare people. When he first arrived at the Yu Residence, he had used the exact same method to frighten Liu Fangping, who was always hanging around him. The little fellow had been so frightened that he wet his pants and had a high fever for a few days. Big Gray must have felt impatient after being chased around by her older cousins and wanted to make an example out of one of them!


    ¡°Xiaocao, quickly restrain that wolf of yours and don¡¯t let it bite your Older Brother Zhiqiang.¡± Madam Yao was about to explode from anxiety. If the wolf bit down, how could that youngster Zhiqiang still live?


    Madam Hu had been inside doing needlework. When she heard her son¡¯s sobs, she came over to look and almost fainted from the sight. Her legs faltered and she sat down on the ground as she let out an ear-piercing wail. The shrill sound made Big Gray even more irritable and his expression became more fierce.


    Yu Xiaocao knew that Big Gray¡¯s vicious nature was being goaded up and hurriedly advanced to hold onto his neck. She quietly cated him. Madam Hu¡¯s piercing screams continued, so she couldn¡¯t help but scold the older woman, ¡°Second Maternal Aunt, don¡¯t you know that wild animals hate noise the most? If you want Older Brother Zhiqiang to die faster, then continue to cry and scream ah!¡±


    Madam Hu acted as if someone had pinched her neck and immediately stopped weeping. She looked at her son, who had been squished onto the ground and had lost all of his color. She repressed her worry and fright and softly said, ¡°Quickly take away this dumb beast! If it hurts my Zhiqiang, then I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re family or not!!¡±


    Madam Yao was also worried about her grandson but when she heard her second daughter-inw¡¯s impolite words, she became a bit unhappy, ¡°As his mother, you should know what your son¡¯s personality is like ah! If you¡¯re unable to keep an eye on him, who can you me?¡±


    ¡°Mother, Zhiqiang is your full-blooded grandson ah. If he gets bit by the wolf Xiaocao brought over, as his mother, how could I not say some harsh words? Xiaocao¡¯s surname is Yu not Liu, so how could you treat an outsider better ah?¡± Madam Hu was displeased and she wasn¡¯t someone who would easily let something go.


    In the past, her inws always gave money to her younger sister-inw, who had already married out of the family. She always felt resentful about this. Although she never overtly made a big deal about this, she would always say a few words in front of her husband. Afterwards, when she was able to get a job at the Zhou Family¡¯s factory due to her rtionship with the Yu Family, she found out the job wasn¡¯t too difficult yet she made as much as the dockworkers in town. Her own husband had also joined hands with his older brother and sold watermelons from the Yu Family, which made them a small fortune. Only then did she finally be closer to her younger sister-inw¡¯s family that she used to look down on.


    However, when she saw her youngest son being pinned down by the giant wolf Yu Xiaocao brought along, she thought he had already been bitten. Thus, all of her previous grievances exploded. The fact that she didn¡¯t make Xiaocao pay more for this was already considered quite good.


    Yu Xiaocao patted Big Gray¡¯s neck a couple of times and said, ¡°Big Gray, didn¡¯t I warn you before that you¡¯re not allowed to scare people anymore? Howe you didn¡¯t remember? I¡¯ll have to punish you; you¡¯re not allowed to drink any more water for today and all of tomorrow!!¡±


    Everyone in the Liu Family didn¡¯t know whether they shouldugh or cry. There was a thickyer of snow outside. If the animal got thirsty, it could just eat some snow, so how was punishing it to not drink water considered a punishment? A true punishment would be to forbid it from eating any meat! However, how could they all know that the water Yu Xiaocao was referring to was the mystic-stone water that Big Gray loved the most? Big Gray would rather abstain from meat for three days than to forego mystic-stone water for a single day ah!


    Big Gray moved his paws and allowed Liu Zhiqiang to leave. He hung his head down in sorrow and dispiritedly circled around the corner of the wall. From the backside, he looked quite pitiful. Liu Zhiqiang crawled up from the ground and was panting heavily. He brushed the dust off himself and pointed at Big Gray, who looked very sad, and asked Xiaocao, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it? It looks a bit unhappy!¡±


    ¡°He got punished because of you! In the future, stay far away from him to avoid him from taking his revenge!¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately tried to scare him. Liu Zhiqiang was a simple-minded guy. He had just escaped the jaws of the wolf and was thinking to get closer to the wolf again.


    Madam Hu pulled her son towards herself and inspected him carefully from head to toe. He didn¡¯t have any injuries and even his clothing didn¡¯t have any rips or holes. She thought about the impolite words she said earlier and her aggressive manner. It made her want to flush. She pped the back of her youngest son¡¯s head and red at him fiercely, ¡°How could you be such a troublemaker? That¡¯s a wolf, not a dog. If it bit you, it¡¯d serve you right!¡±


    Liu Zhiqiang covered the back of his head and retreated a few steps as he argued with his mother, ¡°Younger Cousin already said that Big Gray won¡¯t bite people. It was only trying to scare me earlier...Mother, I almost peed my pants out of fright, yet you don¡¯t even try tofort me and hit me instead. Am I really your biological son?¡±


    Madam Hu hit him a couple more times and then ced her hands on her hips as she scolded, ¡°You little brat. If you weren¡¯t my biological son, I wouldn¡¯t care if you died!! You¡¯reing back with me to the room and just watch how I punish you!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go; I want to y with Big Gray ah!¡± Liu Zhiqiang was a tenacious little cockroach and had more guts than sense.


    Madam Hu went up and got a grip on his ear. She pulled him away as she scolded him non-stop. When the two of them left, the room finally became quiet again.


    Liu Zhiwei somewhat sheepishly said to Xiaocao, ¡°My mother just has this type of personality, please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and didn¡¯t say anything in return. She poured a cup of warm water from the kettle and slipped a few drops of mystic-stone water inside. She handed the cup to Liu Zhiwei and said, ¡°Eldest Cousin, earlier Older Cousin Zhiqiang was drenched in cold sweat from being frightened. If something else happens, I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll catch a cold. This is a cold prevention medication I made myself. Please give some to him.¡±


    Liu Zhiwei took the cup of water out of the room. Liu Zhimin had been watching Big Gray from afar earlier and nced at Big Gray, who was resting in the corner, with lingering fears. He said, ¡°Earlier Big Gray was quite fierce, he really scared me!¡±


    Just as the words came out of his mouth, there was the sound of knocking on the Liu Family¡¯s gate. When they went out to look, there were a lot of vigers outside all holding hoes and spades as they aggressively surrounded the residence.


    Liu Cunjing draped arge coat on his shoulders before he went out. He looked at the vige chief and other vigers with a perplexed expression and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    The vige chief replied somewhat nervously, ¡°Brother Cunjin, earlier Erdan¡¯s wife said that she saw a wolf enter the vige. We followed the footprints on the ground and discovered that the wolf entered your residence. Did you guys see anything weirdtely?¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s eldest maternal uncle, Liu Pei, hurriedly interjected, ¡°How could there be a wolf? Erdan¡¯s wife¡¯s eyes must be getting worse. Earlier it was my younger sister¡¯s Xiaocao who came over with a snow sled to bring us stuff. Could it be that Erdan¡¯s wife thought that the big gray dog pulling the sled was a wolf instead?¡±


    From behind the crowd, Erdan¡¯s wife squeezed through and asserted, ¡°How could my eyes be growing dim? I know the difference between a wolf and dog ah!! I swear that I saw a wolf and it looked quite fierce, as if it could eat a person instantly!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao heard the ruckus outside, so she tied a small rope around Big Gray¡¯s neck. She walked up with the wolf behind her, ¡°Grandfather, Eldest Maternal Uncle, what¡¯s going on? I heard that it sounds like a wolf entered here? Not a problem, my family¡¯s Big Gray is very strong and wolves aren¡¯t his opponents! This year, my family had gotten attacked by a pack of wolves and Big Gray even saved my father¡¯s life!¡±


    All of the Xishan vigers and the vige chief looked toward the sound of her voice. They saw a slightly-built, fair little girl leading along arge dog that was taller than her. The dog was covered in gray fur from head to toe and had its head down with its tail tucked between its legs. It looked as if it had just been roundly scolded earlier.


    Erdan¡¯s wife pointed at Big Gray and blurted out, ¡°That¡¯s it, that¡¯s it!!¡±


    The vigers all burst into raucousughter and they lowered the ¡®weapons¡¯ in their hands. Everyone could tell that although the big gray dog behind the Yu Family¡¯s little girl was on therger side, it looked very docile and obedient. How could it be a wolf? If it was a wolf, wouldn¡¯t it eat the Yu Family¡¯s little girl in one bite?


    The vige chief leveled a re at Erdan¡¯s wife and scolded her, ¡°And you said your eyes haven¡¯t gone dim? Are the wolves in your family this obedient too? Erdan, can¡¯t you keep a hold of your wife? She¡¯ll spread any baseless rumor! The facts are right in front of us, yet she still tries to quibble!! Sorry about that, Brother Cunjin!!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, all go back!! Only a false rm!!¡± The vige chief waved his hand at everyone and took the lead in leaving. It was such a cold day, so who wanted to spend time outside doing useless tasks? All of the vigers made Erdan and his wife the butt of their jokes as they walked back to their own residences. They even said that Erdan¡¯s wife was as timid as a mouse to be scared silly by a dog.


    When the Liu Family¡¯s gate closed, Big Gray restored his majestic demeanor. Arrogance glittered in his emerald green eyes as he looked at the Liu Family members with a disinterested eye. He snapped the rope in two and gracefully walked back into the room so he could sulk by himself about not being to drink mystic-stone water for the next two days.


    Eldest Maternal Uncle clicked his tongue in wonder, ¡°This wolf is too uncanny. It really acted like a dog earlier!¡±


    Eldest Maternal Uncle¡¯s youngest daughter, Liu Feiyan, grinned, ¡°Younger Aunt¡¯s family¡¯s animals are all a bit uncanny. Xiaolian told me that their family¡¯s little roe deer never did its business inside. In fact, in the winter, it sleeps indoors and knows how to exit to go to the bathroom!¡±


    Liu Zhiqiang squeezed out from behind his mother and remarked in envy, ¡°Mother, can we also raise a little roe deer? When it gets big, we can also ughter it for meat!!¡±


    Madam Hu rolled her eyes at him, ¡°We can¡¯t even afford to raise you, let alone a roe deer. All of the hares and roe deer in the mountains are about to die of starvation, where would we find one to take home? Stop having these daydreams!¡±

 Chapter 319 – Some Families are Happy, Some Families are Not

    <h4>Chapter 319 ¨C Some Families are Happy, Some Families are Not</h4>


    Eldest Maternal Aunt came out of the kitchen with a bowl of dough dumplings in her hands. She looked at her sisters-inw and then spoke to Liu Zhiqiang, ¡°Zhiqiang, there¡¯s still a lot of dough dumplings left in the pot. Go call your older brothers and sisters over so that everyone can have a bowl!¡±


    Madam Hu looked at the pure white dough dumplings floating in the bowl of soup held by her older sister-inw. Inside the soup were also some stir-fried onions and the food smelled delicious. She knew the wheat flour used in the dumplings had been brought over by Yu Xiaocao and stated in embarrassment, ¡°Our family just ate breakfast, just give Xiaocao a bowl. No need to waste that wheat flour!¡±


    Eldest Maternal Aunt revealed a faint smile, ¡°Mother already said that we don¡¯tck the food to give the rest of the children some! We can¡¯t just have Xiaocao eat and have her older cousins just watch her. How much food can Xiaocao eat anyway? Xiaocao, you must be hungry, let¡¯s go into the room so you can eat!¡±


    In total, there were seven other children in the house, so there was enough to give each child a bowl of dough dumpling soup. Liu Feiying and Liu Zhiwei considered themselves to be adults already, so they wanted to give their portions to their grandfather and grandmother. After bickering for half a day, the soup was about to get cold without an end to this argument. Yu Xiaocao took out another two bowls from the kitchen and split the seven bowls brimming full of dough dumplings into nine bowls that were more than half full. The Liu Family¡¯s bowls wererge and crude, so more than half a bowl¡¯s worth of soup was more than enough to stuff a little belly full.


    The two elders and the seven grandchildren all sat around the kang bed¡¯s table as they harmoniously ate the dough dumplings. Madam Han¡¯s dough dumplings didn¡¯t contain any eggs yet the dumplings were tasty and fine and the soup thick and filling. It suited Yu Xiaocao¡¯s appetite a lot. After Xiaocao finished her bowl of dough dumplings, Madam Yao wanted to give the remaining half of her bowl to her. Xiaocao was truly full at this point and she didn¡¯t have the habit of sharing half-eaten food with someone else. Thus, she resolutely declined her grandmother¡¯s offer.


    By the time she finished her simple andforting lunch, the snow had stopped falling outside. Yu Xiaocao took advantage of this break in the weather to don her snow gear to head back home. The Liu Family didn¡¯t have any good presents to send back, so Liu Cunjin took out the remaining ten catties of green wheat and gave it to his granddaughter. He remembered that both his daughter and granddaughter loved to drink porridge made from green wheat, so he had especially left this green wheat over for those two.


    After they finished exchanging New Years gifts, the actual New Years Day quickly arrived. On that day, small kes of snow floated down and it made the outside world look like it was crafted of white powder and glowing jade. Inside the residence it was piping hot and full of celebratory joy.


    The Yu Family and Liu Family celebrated New Years Eve this year. The dinner this year was very rich and sumptuous. The meat dishes included sweet and sour fish, which embodied the hope of ¡®abundance year after year¡¯, braised meatballs in brown sauce, meat sandwiched tofu, red braised pork, pork stewed with vermicelli, and a basin of boiled spicy meat slices. There were also a lot of vegetable dishes, such as: green vegetables sauteed with shiitake mushrooms, spinach stir fried with sprouts, lettuce with oyster sauce, mapo tofu, dry-fried potato slices, and cabbage seasoned with vinegar. There was also spareribs soup and savory seafood and meat soup. Vegetarian and meat dishes abounded and everyone could choose their favorites. As for the main starches, there were white and plump steamed rolls that emitted the sweet scent of fine wheat. Even if someone didn¡¯t partake in the other dishes, they would still be able to finish two rolls on their own.


    In the midst of a disaster year, most families didn¡¯t have an abundance of either meat-containing or vegetarian dishes. Very few rich families in the prefectural city were able to have a table full of dishes like the Yu Family did for their New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner. Zhenxiu Restaurant in Tanggu Town had advertised a New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner that cost several hundred taels. In preparation, the head steward had bought several chests full of green vegetables from the Yu Family at a high price and a few hundred catties of potatoes.


    The fact that the restaurant had fresh vegetables for sale and, in addition, had the newly rmended food ingredient¡ª¡ªpotatoes, was more than enough to make the wealthy people in town, who liked topete, flock to the restaurant to get a table. Over twenty tables for the New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner menu had been booked within moments. There were many people who were unable to make a reservation, so they even asked if there would be ater menu simr to this one. They did all they could, including using their own connections, to get the restaurant to leave a table for them in the future...


    However, for the vast majority ofmoners, this New Years celebration was miserable and wretched. Those who were able to eat some wheat flour were already considered fortunate. Most people had to fill themselves with tbreads made of coarse grain. As for vegetables, that was a pipe dream. Before the locust gue hit, not all of the viges were like Dongshan Vige and had harvested their crops early, which could be made into dried or salted vegetables. Later on, with the locusts still around, no other vegetables could be nted. Even money couldn¡¯t buy vegetables. As for meat, normal families couldn¡¯t afford to buy it ah! Thus, the vast majority of people spent the time with their families around a table, sadly eating their pathetic coarse grain tbreads with some thin salty soup on the side to finish bringing in the New Year.


    As for the vigers in Dongshan Vige, most of them had dried vegetables at home. They could put the dried vegetables in a pot, add some extra oil, and stew them for a passable meal. Thus, they were able to eat something decent for their New Years Eve dinner. As for eating dumplings to push out the old and bring in the new, most of them didn¡¯t have any. Without any meat or vegetables, how could they make dumplings? They needed to save whatever could be saved.


    Compared to thefortable and exciting atmosphere in the Yu Family¡¯s old residence, the Yu Family¡¯s new residence seemed a lot more cold and cheerless. The cleverest housewife was unable to cook without any rice. Although Madam Zhang waspetent, she couldn¡¯t magic up food from nothing. At the time, Madam Zhang didn¡¯t believe Yu Hai¡¯s words and thought that he was trying to trick people. Thus, she didn¡¯t try to harvest any of the crops that were growing on hernd. Subsequently, all of it had been eaten by the locusts. Luckily, Madam Zhang usually dug up some ms when she went out digging for sandworms, so she had made some dried ms in the past. In addition, she had also picked up some kelp and seaweed along the way and dried them under the sun. All of that was being stewed together in a pot. Furthermore, Yu Dashan had went out to sea a few days ago and hade home with a fish that wasn¡¯trge or small. Thus, they were able to cook up two dishes to eat.


    Fishermen who lived by the sea had long gotten sick of eating seafood and fish. Furthermore, Madam Zhang was very reluctant to add a lot of oil when cooking, so most of her food was cooked in in water with a pinch of salt. Obviously, the vor of the resulting food was just so-so.


    Madam Li frowned as she swallowed the m meat that didn¡¯t have much vor. Her eyes roved around as she said, ¡°Mother, looks like Yu Hai truly has broken off all rtions with us!¡±


    Madam Zhang raised her eyes to look at her for a second and didn¡¯t reply. Madam Li continued, ¡°I heard that Yu Hai gave Eldest Uncle a piece of pork that weighed at least a dozen catties and was about as thick as three fingers. He also gave them a bag of wheat flour that must have weighed at least twenty catties. They also received a bunch of cabbage and radishes. I¡¯m sure Eldest Uncle¡¯s family¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner is quite delicious and sumptuous right now!¡±


    ¡°Mother! I told you that we should have gone to Second Uncle¡¯s house to buy a few catties of meat, yet you refused to agree. Now you¡¯re envious of other people being able to eat meat...¡± Heizi frowned as he gnawed on his coarse grain tbread as heined.


    He had already be a regr worker at the docks, so he was earning around ten taels a year. Although his grandmother was reluctant to use money to buy meat, he could use his own money to buy some instead. What was the point of calcting things so clearly when they were all one family? However, his mother refused his suggestion and said that she was afraid that if he bought meat, they wouldn¡¯t be able to eat any. Instead, it was likely all of the meat would go to his younger uncle¡¯s family. Argh! If they could split from the family like his second uncle did, then everything would be better. His father could go out to sea and fish while he went to the docks to work. His mother could stay at home and manage the household. A life like that would definitely be better than their current circumstances, where they were stuck eating coarse grain tbreads every day and had to go hungry!


    Little Doudou gnawed on his tbread sullenly and moved his head away when his mother tried to feed him fish, ¡°I don¡¯t want any, smells too fishy!¡±


    Since they had been living together for a few months, Madam Zhang couldn¡¯t always give her youngest son¡¯s family preferential treatment. Ever since the locust gue happened, the family didn¡¯t have a good ie anymore and they had to spend money to get grain to eat. Coins flowed out of their household continuously. Her eldest son had been urged by Madam Li to save a secret purse, so he only gave her half of what he earned from selling his fish. He didn¡¯t earn a lot of money to begin with, so now she received even less money.


    All of the fishing viges relied on the ocean to provide for them in this disaster year. Most vigers went to the beach to dig up sandworms and oysters. The Zhou Family¡¯s factories were also buying these seafoods at a good price, so people from not only the fishing viges but also those who lived slightly further away would all rush to the beaches as soon as they could to gather seafood. Most of the sandworms had been dug up in the vicinity, so now Madam Zhang needed to go to even farther away beaches to find some. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t a guarantee she would be able to dig up any. With three additional mouths to feed at home, Madam Zhang fretted every day about money as her stash dried up. The stress caused canker sores to form in her mouth.


    But what was she to do? Her youngest son spent every day by his books and almost didn¡¯t leave his room. Her youngest daughter-inw was watching over a child as she embroidered handkerchiefs, insoles, and other small items to sell in town. The money her daughter-inw made from selling her items was all given to her. However, embroidery took too much time and these small items couldn¡¯t be sold for much. With so many mouths to feed at home, that little bit of money was like trying to use a cup of water to put out a cart of burning firewood. As the months passed, Madam Zhang¡¯s head of hair had turnedpletely white and her back became more crooked. She looked as if she had aged a decade in the past few months.


    Madam Zhao lightly sighed and gently persuaded her son, ¡°Doudou, you can grow taller if you eat more fish.¡±


    ¡°Then...I¡¯ll just eat one mouthful! When I¡¯m older, I can be like Older Brother Shitou and help do some chores around the house!¡± Little Doudou reluctantly took a mouthful of fish and didn¡¯t even chew much before he swallowed it. He even drank a mouthful of coarse grain porridge to get rid of the fishy taste in his mouth.


    Madam Li started to sourly remark again, ¡°You say ¡®Older Brother Shitou¡¯ with a pretty familiar tone ah! You see him as an older brother but he may not see you as his younger brother. He¡¯s probably eating food with generous amounts of meat and fish, howe he didn¡¯t invite you over to eat some?¡±


    Madam Zhao leveled a displeased look at the other woman and pointedly said, ¡°Second Brother-inw had split from the family a long time ago. No matter how good our rtionship is with him, we are still considered two separate families. I don¡¯t have such thick skin to try to take advantage of him.¡±


    Madam Li mmed her chopsticks down and pointed at Madam Zhao¡¯s nose, ¡°Who are you calling thick-skinned? If your skin isn¡¯t thick, then who¡¯s the one always going to cadge a meal off of them? You im that you¡¯re teaching them how to embroider, but who are you trying to trick ah? Everyone else at home is eating coarse grains and salted vegetables, yet you bring your son to their house to eat delicious foods all the time. You¡¯ve be fat and plump from eating there, yet you don¡¯t even care about your own husband¡¯s health. Are there truly wives like you in the world?¡±


    In terms of quarreling, Madam Zhao was definitely not Madam Li¡¯s opponent. Her eyes became red from fury as she hatefully replied, ¡°Second Brother-inw¡¯s entire family invites me and Doudou over for dinner as a way of rying their gratitude to me for teaching Xiaocao and Xiaolian how to embroider. Older Sister-inw, there¡¯s no point in being jealous! People¡¯s rtionships are built through mutual assent. You can only get rewards if you pay for them. Only someone like you can sit around doing nothing, hoping for a free meat pie to drop from the skies!¡±


    Madam Li was about to reply when she was interrupted by Madam Zhang banging on the table ferociously.


    ¡°Why are you all arguing now? We¡¯re celebrating the New Years! Eldest Daughter-inw, when has Third Daughter-inw ever eaten or drank anything that belongs to you? The fact that she can make other people dly feed her is her own ability. If you have the skills, you can go over and try too, right? I¡¯d be surprised if they didn¡¯t chase you out with arge stick!!¡± The more time passed, the less patience Madam Zhang had for Madam Li, who only knew how to seek out problems in others and didn¡¯t know how to do any work.


    Madam Li sneered, ¡°Mother, you¡¯re always biased towards your youngest son and youngest daughter-inw. Have you ever thought of your oldest son¡¯s and oldest daughter-inw¡¯s feelings? There¡¯s a reason why Second Brother-inw¡¯s whole family doesn¡¯t like us. Isn¡¯t it because you acted too harshly and hurt their feelings to the bone? If we didn¡¯t split the family, wouldn¡¯t our family have everything that Second Brother-inw has? Such as thatrge house and all of thend?¡±


    Madam Zhang red viciously at Madam Li, ¡°So who was the one that said that Yu Hai¡¯s leg was unsavable and that his whole family was sick and weak, so that they¡¯d end up bringing us down? Who was the one who wanted me to think of a method to split them out of our family? Without you behind my back instigating everything, how could I take the risk of being a social pariah and split them out?¡±

 Chapter 320 – New Year’s Money

    <h4>Chapter 320 ¨C New Year¡¯s Money</h4>


    ¡°Then what about Father¡¯s situation? If Mother had treated Father better when he was sick, would he have divorced you? As long as Father was still here, Second Brother-inw would still provide us with some resources every year to show his filial piety. Now, Father has gone to live a leisurely life with Second Brother-inw¡¯s family. What about our family?¡± Madam Li looked at the table of food that could be fed to the pigs and sadly sighed.


    Madam Zhang instantly pulled a long face and she pped her chopsticks on the small table on the kang bed. She stared viciously at Madam Li with her nted eyes and said nothing. Madam Li¡¯s blood froze from her stare and her gaze became dodgy, not knowing where to look. Yu Dashan slightly pulled on the sleeve of his wife and signaled for her to quit plucking at the tiger¡¯s fur. He knew his mother regretted not treating Old Yu well at that time he was sick and for being so heartless. But, what was the use of being regretful? It already was toote.


    Yu Bo set down his chopsticks and med himself, ¡°One shall not travel far away when one¡¯s parents are still alive. As their child, when the parents are sick, I should havee to take care of them no matter what. However, when father was seriously ill, I was in the prefectural city and unable to be filial at their side...¡±


    Madam Zhang¡¯s expression suddenly changed again. She red at Madam Li andforted her son, ¡°Xiaobo, it¡¯s not your fault! Mother didn¡¯t tell you in fear that it would dy your studies. You aren¡¯t your father¡¯s only son. Dashan and Dashan¡¯s wife, what were you doing then? Did you guys make a single meal for your father, or carry water and wash his clothes once? You guys say I mistreated your father, but what did you do? If you had helped, would your father have be that ill?


    When someone was wrong, they were always trying to push their mistakes onto others. Yu Bo had given Madam Zhang the best reason to shirk her responsibilities!


    Yu Dashan opened his mouth yet he didn¡¯t know what to say. Madam Li, on the other hand, grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m his daughter-inw. How can I go into my father-inw¡¯s room? Besides, doesn¡¯t he have a biological son? If Mother had called Dahai over to help the moment father got sick, would things turn out the way it did? Although Second Brother-inw has separated from the family, he couldn¡¯t have ignored his father, right?¡±


    Madam Zhang coldly snorted and said, ¡°People just don¡¯t know when to be grateful. Dashan, since you were a child, everything that you ate and used belonged to the Yu Family. Right now, your wife is saying you aren¡¯t a biological offspring of the Yu Family, and thus you¡¯re unwilling to take care of the elderly. Aren¡¯t you afraid that others will call you an ungrateful and vicious person when you go out? Dashan, a virtuous wife won¡¯t cause so much trouble for her husband. You need to take charge and discipline your wife!¡±


    ¡®How am I not virtuous? No matter how bad I am, I am still better than you, the old hag who is ruthless to her own husband! It¡¯s not me who got divorced by my own husband!¡¯ Madam Li thought. In Madam Li¡¯s point of view, although her mother-inw said that she had a peaceful separation, in actuality, she was just cast off by her husband. It was just that Father-inw was kindhearted. He pitied his son who was studying afar, so he left all his wealth to Madam Zhang.


    Yu Bo spoke at this time, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s not talk about this during the New Year¡¯s. Besides, what use is it to argue about who should take the me now? Mother, don¡¯t be reluctant to spend the money. When springes and I pass the county-level exams, our family¡¯s situation will improve.¡±


    After passing the county-level exams, schrs could be exempt from taxes. Therefore, those with farnd would put theirnds under the name of the schr in order to avoid taxes. The schr would also get some benefits from this. However, in Dongshan Vige, there were fewer fields and more mountains. Most of the vigers depended on the sea for food. Even if Yu Bo were to pass the county-level exams, his ns may note true.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s family¡¯s New Year Eve dinner was so upsetting that they all eventually left. At midnight, there were no dumplings to bid farewell to the old and wee the new. The family didn¡¯t even stay up for New Year¡¯s Eve and went to bed early to avoid being hungry in the middle of the night.


    At the Yu Family¡¯s old residence, the family sat around together merrily and ate melon seeds, dried meat, and snacks such as French fries and chips. Yu Xiaocao also made poker cards with thick paper and taught the children to y cards. The adults watched cheerfully on the side.


    Fang Zizhen, who was worried about his goddaughter because of the incident with the child traffickers, braved the snowstorm toe before the New Years. If he rushed back on New Year¡¯s Eve, then he would most likely pass away on the way back. Thus, he stayed with the Yu Family for the New Year. He watched the children y ¡®Fight the Bully¡¯ (Author¡¯s note: This is the present-day card game ¡®Fight the Landlord¡¯). Feeling tempted, he asked Xiaocao to give him her ce and let him enjoy the game.


    There were many children in the family, so after learning how to y, everyone took turns ying. Therefore, there were many people watching and only four people ying. Yu Xiaocao gave up her position and drew another set of cards for the adults to y.


    Hence, Liu Junping, Yu Hang, Liu Yaner, and Yu Xiaolian happily yed cards on one side of the kang bed. Fang Zizhen, Liu Hu, Yu Hai, and Old Yu battled at the end of the kang bed. Yu Caifeng and Madam Liu watched the games from the side with a smile, while munching on melon seeds. As for Little Shitou and Liu Fangping, they pestered their older siblings to let them y for a while.


    Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t know if he was lucky or not at ying card cards. He always drew the bully ndlord) card yet he never won once. The loser had to stick a piece of paper on his face. Like a curtain, his face was filled with slips of paper that Little Shitou practiced his writing on. Old Yu was a slow learner, so Yu Xiaocao sat next to him and helped him out from time to time. Thus, he was able to win more often. Fang Zizhen became braver the more frustrated he was and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t believe in this bad luck! One more time! I will definitely win this round...¡±


    The asionalughter from the room added a touch of life to the silent night. At midnight, the dumplings that were made in the evening were put into the pot. The fillings of the dumplings included cabbage and pork, pickled vegetables and pork, chives and egg, and seafood... Other families couldn¡¯t even eat dumplings, yet the Yu Family had such a rich variety. Theparison would make people angry ah!


    After midnight, the family ate the dumplings, and then went to bed. The children had sweet dreams in which they received lots of New Year money...


    On the next day, the children got up early without anyone calling them. First, they wished their grandfather a ¡®Happy New Year¡¯ and received a red packet filled with lucky money from the old man. After Liu Fangping kowtowed, he excitedly opened the red packet. Seeing that there were ten copper coins inside, he couldn¡¯t help but smile¡ªit was enough for him to buy lots of maltose candy!


    When they celebrated the New Year in the past, his parents only gave him one or two copper coins as lucky money. Last year, they were refugees fleeing on the road who didn¡¯t even have food to eat, much less New Year¡¯s money. He got ten copper coins just as New Year¡¯s money from Grandfather alone. His parents definitely wouldn¡¯t give any less, and there were also his aunt and uncle...Liu Fangping calcted with his little fingers and reckoned that he would surely get lots of lucky money this year!


    Liu Fangping saw his father walking over from the West Courtyard, so he rushed towards him in a hurry. As a result, he slipped on the ice and ended up sprawled out in front of Liu Hu. His elder brother, Liu Junping, covered his eyes and couldn¡¯t bear to look at him. The other children couldn¡¯t stopughing.


    Liu Hu bent over, picked up his youngest son, andughed, ¡°Oh! Although it¡¯s New Years, there¡¯s no need for such a big bow!¡±


    Liu Fangping wore manyyers, so he didn¡¯t feel any pain when he fell. Without even patting off the snow on his clothes, he bowed with his hands cupped together and smiled until his eyes turned into a line, saying, ¡°Father, Happy New Year! May all your wishes be fulfilled! May you have a prosperous New Year, and now give me the red packet...¡±


    Liu Hu pped his bottoms and then took out a red packet. He lightly poked on his little head and said, ¡°You little money-grubber!¡±


    Liu Fangping took the red packet given by his father and ran to the kitchen to pay New Year greetings to his mother and aunt, who were putting the dumplings in the pot. He reaped two small red packets. He secretly counted and now he had forty copper coins! For ordinary families, it would already be considered very good if they give their children one or two copper coins as lucky money. It was very rare for a family to give out ten copper coins in one go like the Yu Family.


    Yu Hai had wanted to give the children one silver bit each, but upon considering the financial situation of his brother-inw, the two families discussed it and set the New Year money at ten copper coins per person. Before the dumplings were ced on the table, the children had already greeted everyone for New Year¡¯s and their hands were full of red packets.


    Yu Xiaocao gathered her siblings together and murmured something to them. When Fang Zizhen stepped into the Yu Residence, he was surrounded by a group of kids who were all shouting, ¡°May you be prosperous and happy! Hand over the red packets!¡± Fang Zizhen¡¯s ears buzzed from the noise and he threw out the red packets.


    After getting the red packets, the children swiftly dispersed, leaving apletely bewildered Fang Zizhen with a nk expression. Yu Hai came over with a smile and said, ¡°Xiaocao called the children together just now and plotted something mysteriously. It seems like the target was you!¡±


    With lingering fear, Fang Zizhen said, ¡°When there are many children, it¡¯s quite scary! Thinking back to the days when I was surrounded by dozens of enemies on the battlefield, that wasn¡¯t even as scary as the sudden attack I just experienced. Fortunately, I was well-prepared, or else I would¡¯ve been disturbed for a while!¡±


    After getting their red packets, the siblings all ran into a room. Little Shitou felt the contents of the red packet. It was round and didn¡¯t seem to like a copper coin. Liu Fangping couldn¡¯t wait and had already opened the red packet. ¡°Brother Shitou, what is this? Silver?¡± As he asked, he wanted to put it in his mouth and take a bite to verify.


    Little Shitou also took out a thumb-sized and realistic-looking silver peanut. It was known to be used by the wealthy and influential families as rewards or New Year¡¯s money. A small silver peanut was worth at least five mace, which was equivalent to five hundred copper coins! Second Sister¡¯s godfather was very generous ah!


    ¡°Eh? Second Sister¡¯s New Year¡¯s money seems to be different from ours!¡± Little Shitou saw the golden sheen in his second sister¡¯s hand and hurried over to take a look.


    Yu Xiaocao had watched a pce drama in her previous life called The Legend of XX. One of the concubines in it rewarded Su Peisheng 1 a handful of golden melon seeds, which looked like the ones in her hand. Small as they were, each one was at least 20 to 30 grams. After all, it was gold, which was more valuable than the silvers her siblings received.


    She carefully put them away and exined to her curious siblings, ¡°These should be the golden melon seeds that the emperor rewarded Godfather. It only appears in the Imperial Pce. Its value isn¡¯t just in its mary worth, but it¡¯s also an honor.¡±


    Liu Junping, who was a few years older, carefully put away the silver ingots and advised his younger siblings, ¡°These golden seeds and silver ingots are very valuable. Don¡¯t go showing it off outside, or you will be swindled! Fangping, give all the silver peanuts to Mother for safekeepingter. It¡¯s worth a few hundred copper coins, so it¡¯s better to be careful than to lose them!¡±


    Liu Fangping held on to the silver peanuts and whispered unwillingly, ¡°Can¡¯t I wait tillter to give it over? The silver peanuts haven¡¯t even been warmed by my hands yet!¡±

 Chapter 321 – New Year Greetings

    <h4>Chapter 321 ¨C New Year Greetings</h4>


    Because they stayed up toote ying, the Yu family¡¯s breakfast waster than usual but it was still a lot earlierpared to families who normally got up at around 10 in the morning for breakfast.


    Madam Zhao estimated the time that Second Brother-inw and Second Sister-inw would finish their breakfast before taking the children over for New Year¡¯s greetings. Madam Li took a look out the window, pushed her son toward outside signaling with her mouth and said, ¡°Heizi, go with your aunt to your Second Uncle¡¯s house to give New Year greetings. Didn¡¯t you say that your job as a full-time worker was given to you by Brother Six based on Xiaocao¡¯s reputation? Take advantage of the New Year¡¯s to go thank them.¡±


    Madam Li was very calcting. If she¡¯d really wanted to thank others, why didn¡¯t she tell him to go to their house with a gift before New Year¡¯s? Instead, she waited until New Year¡¯s Day to have Heizi to go to their house to give greetings. Those who haven¡¯t married were all considered children and can get New Year¡¯s money. Was this thanking them or asking them for New Year¡¯s money?


    Heizi didn¡¯t think that much of it. Having a better rtionship with Second Uncle¡¯s family wasn¡¯t a loss. He opened the door and said to Madam Zhao, ¡°Wait for me Aunt. I¡¯ming with you guys to go to Second Uncle¡¯s house for New Year greetings.¡±


    Madam Zhao didn¡¯t like Madam Li taking advantage of others to earn easy money. Thus, she didn¡¯t like Heizi as a result, even if he already learned to be good. However, since the younger family member already said it, then she would seem too petty if she refused, so she nodded and took her young son back to the room to wait. It was too cold outside, and she didn¡¯t want Doudou to freeze.


    Heizi quickly washed, put on a half-new coat that didn¡¯t have patches on it and went out. Madam Zhao took her child and half-walked, half-slipped to the foot of the West Mountains. There was a slope on the way to the old residence and it had just snowed, which made it harder to walk. Madam Zhao could barely take care of herself, much less a child as well.


    Heizi saw that his aunt was struggling with walking, picked up Doudou and ced him on his shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Aunt, I¡¯ll go ahead with Doudou. You take your time behind us and don¡¯t fall¡±


    Little Doudou who was sitting on Heizi¡¯s shoulders, giggled. Madam Zhao saw this and was frightened, ¡°You be careful, don¡¯t slip...¡±


    Heizi ran as if he was flying up the slope and then jogged the rest of the way to the Yu Family¡¯s old residence. Normally, he was busy working at the wharf, leaving early and returningte. He seldom had the chance to go to Second Uncle¡¯s house. He would take advantage of the break he got for New Years toe more often.


    He wouldn¡¯t be like his mother or father. One of them only silently listened to his wife, while the other one only wanted to take advantage of others and was refused at the door. As rtives, they should have better rtionships. Brother Six had said that Second Uncle¡¯s family will definitely flourish in the future. He didn¡¯t want to go up and benefit from their association, but who could guarantee nothing would happen in the future? Having one more rich rtive was never a bad thing!


    Before long, he had taken his little cousin up to the old residence. Before stepping through the door, Little Doudou happily shouted, ¡°Older Brother Shitou, Doudou hase to y with you! Older Sister Xiaocao, can you take me on the sleigh today?¡±


    The two families, who were just about to eat breakfast put down their chopsticks upon hearing the sound. Madam Liu came out of the house and was a bit surprised to see Heizi, but soon recovered with a warm smile, ¡°Heizi came? Come in and get warm. Little Doudou, where your Mother? She didn¡¯te?¡±


    Little Doudou came down from Heizi¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Happy New Year to Second Aunt! My mother is slow and is behind us! Older Brother Shitou, I¡¯m here...¡±


    Heizi said ¡®Happy New Years¡¯ to Madam Liu and followed Little Doudou silently into the room. He was hit with the unique fragrance of the dumplings. He swallowed his saliva quietly and with a smile said, ¡°Second Aunt, you guys haven¡¯t eaten yet. I¡¯lle backter...¡±


    Yu Hai came out of the inner rooms and saw the tan and strong Heizi. He patted him on the shoulders and said, ¡°Why are you being an outsider with Second Uncle? Didn¡¯t eat yet? Come in and have a bowl of dumplings. Your second aunt and oldest aunt made a lot.¡± As he said this, he pulled Heizi into the house and pushed him down at the table on the kang bed.


    Madam Liu thought that Madam Zhao must¡¯ve not eaten, so she went into the kitchen and brought in a basket of frozen dumplings. She revived the fire to cook the dumplings. As for the extra bowl of dumplings, she let her husband, who followed her in, to take it to Heizi.


    Little Doudou was carried to the edge of the kang bed and put down to sit with the children. Little Shitou picked a dumpling from his bowl and blew on it before putting it in the little guy¡¯s mouth. Little Doudou¡¯s mouth was bulging and he was chewing hard. His pair of ck eyes were bright, ¡°Brother Shitou. It¡¯s a pork dumpling, and there¡¯s so much meat. It¡¯s so delicious!¡±


    Xiaocao took out a small bowl and gave the dumplings in her bowl to the little one. She smiled, ¡°Eat more if it¡¯s delicious! If it¡¯s not enough, we can make more!¡±


    Heizi, who had been working for nearly a year, had be a lot more mature, so he no longer ate like a bandit like he did when he was a child. He smiled innocently, but his heart wasn¡¯t as peaceful as it seemed. ¡®Second Uncle¡¯s family really is rich and the disaster year didn¡¯t seem to have any impact on them. They have cabbage and pork dumplings, and pork made up the majority of it with only some cabbage added in. The dumplings with leeks and eggs are so fresh, and there are a lot of eggs in it. It seems that there are sandworms added in too. The fragrance is so tempting!¡¯


    When Heizi felt that his saliva couldn¡¯t be held back anymore, Yu Hai came in carrying a bowl full of dumplings and said, ¡°Heizi, this is a bowl of cabbage and pork-filled dumplings. Eat this first. If it¡¯s not enough, your second aunt is in the kitchen cooking another pot!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Second Uncle. This is enough for me to eat!¡± With Heizi¡¯s current appetite, a bowl of dumplings would only allow him to be half full. However, he doesn¡¯t dare to openly eat and let Second Uncle think he came over to get money.


    Old Yu ate the dumplings stuffed with pickles and pork and said to Heizi, ¡°You aren¡¯t an outsider, you don¡¯t have to be so polite. Eat!¡±


    Heizi restrained himself at first but became more rxedter. He ate the fragrant and delicious dumplings with big bites and his eyes began to burn. How long had it been since he had such delicious dumplings? In the past, when the conditions were good, the dumplings he had at home were all cabbage and pork-filled dumplings with more cabbage than pork and each person only had so many. In order for him to eat more, he had stolen Xiaosha¡¯s and Little Shitou¡¯s dumplings. On the second day of the New Year¡¯s, when he went to his maternal grandfather¡¯s house, he could sometimes eat dumplings, but the taste of those was far inferior to the ones of Second Uncle¡¯s.


    ¡°Have some soup, don¡¯t choke!¡± Old Yu saw that Heizi was eating so fiercely, he felt bad. He estimated that this year had been rough on them there, so it was good enough that they weren¡¯t going hungry. Ai... Although he divorced Madam Zhang, humans were emotional beings. He watched Heizi grow up. Although they weren¡¯t blood-rted, anyone would have emotions toward a dog once they¡¯ve raised it long enough.


    Madam Liu and Madam Zhao came in with two tes of dumplings each. Yu Caifeng and Liu Hu had already eaten so they gave up their seats. Madam Zhao ate some cabbage and pork-filled dumplings and tried two chive and egg stuffed dumplings. She praised her second sister-inw¡¯s cooking repeatedly


    Madam Liu smiled and said, ¡°I dare not take the credit; several of the stuffed dumplings were created by Xiaocao. Especially the chive and egg filled dumplings; she added some sandworms to make them more delicious.¡±


    Yu Caifeng also praised, ¡°These pickled vegetable and pork-filled dumplings are more authentic than what we ate in the northeast. Our family¡¯s head had two full bowls! Sister-inw, you eat first, we¡¯ll go digest our food! ¡±


    At the table on the kang bed, everyone was eating happily. Under the kang bed, there were two small beings who were unwilling, ¡®I don¡¯t want to gnaw on bones. I also want to eat dumplings!¡±


    Little Doudou liked Little ck and Little White the most. Upon hearing their pitiful whine, he stretched out his head and gave them two of his dumplings.


    Madam Zhao saw this and scolded her son, ¡°Doudou, how can you give the dumplings to the dogs? How wasteful!¡± In her opinion, people couldn¡¯t even get enough to eat, what was the point in raising dogs? What¡¯s more, giving dogs meat dumplings to eat was just outrageous.


    Seeing that Madam Zhao¡¯s body was shaking with anger, Madam Liu hurriedly advised, ¡°It¡¯s just two dumplings, don¡¯t scare the kids. Doudou hurry and eat. Don¡¯t let the dumplings get cold, or you¡¯ll get a tummy ache.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was full. Seeing that the two little ones were staring at the table after eating one dumpling, she bent down and patted their heads and said, ¡°Your breakfasts are in the West Room and Big Gray is in there too! Go, I¡¯ll take you over there!¡±


    Little ck and Little White, upon hearing the words, finally moved their eyes away from the table on the kang bed. They followed behind Xiaocao with their butts up in the air. Their small steps became brisk as they knew that their little master wouldn¡¯t treat them badly.


    Yu Xiaocao brought a bowl of dumplings from the kitchen. When she walked into the West Room, she saw that Big Grey was eating a piece of cooked pork. Ever since trying the taste of cooked meat, Big Grey wasn¡¯t willing to eat raw meat, especially the dead boar meat, which had been frozen for many days and was hard. Thus, Yu Xiaocao cooked a pot of meat for it and the two little ones every day, putting in a small amount of salt and seasonings. The big one and two small ones all happily ate it.


    One bowl of meat dumplings was split in half into Little ck and Little White¡¯s food bowl. Little ck couldn¡¯t wait to eat it and burned his tongue, making a whine of sadness. Little White was gloating at the side as if he was saying, ¡®Fool, who dares to eat dumplings just out of the pot without getting scalded?¡¯


    Little White was smarter. He first took a dumpling out of the food bowl and put it on the ground to cool for a while. Then he carefully tried it. When he decided that it wasn¡¯t too hot, he ate it with relish.


    Big Grey smelled the fragrance of the dumplings and suddenly felt that the delicious pork lost its delicious taste. He paced to the edge of Little ck¡¯s food bowl, squeezing the little guy out of the way and took one out to slowly try. Mm, the taste wasn¡¯t bad! Then he opened his mouth and took half the basin.


    Little ck looked at this with tears in his eyes. He dared not be angry, but his eyes were full ofints, ¡®Is there a father like you? Taking his kids¡¯ food! Why aren¡¯t you taking it from Little White and just bullying me? Wuwuwu....¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao, who had just turned around and went out, heard Little ck¡¯s sad cries and thought something had happened. So she returned to take a look. She saw Little ck watching pitifully and Big Gray lying on the edge of his food bowl, eating all the dumplings in two or three bites. After finishing, he took the piece of meat from his bowl and put it in Little ck¡¯s food bowl. He used his paws to pat his son¡¯s head telling him to eat.


    Little ck stared at the meat in the food bowl with tears in his eyes and endless resentment in his heart, ¡®I don¡¯t want to eat meat, I want to eat dumplings. Wuwuwu! Little master, be the judge. A father picking on his son, are there any heavenly principles?¡¯

 Chapter 322 – Preparing for the Exam

    <h4>Chapter 322 ¨C Preparing for the Exam</h4>


    With a head full of imaginary ck lines, Yu Xiaocao gave Big Gray a warning re, and then gave the little guy a few more dumplings. Little ck licked his little master¡¯s hands with gratitude, ¡®Little Master, you¡¯re the best! Little ck loves you the most!!¡¯ After that, he gobbled up his dumplings for fear that his father would steal them away again.


    Big Gray wanted to do the same thing and rob Little White¡¯s dumplings. However, Little White wasn¡¯t as easy to deal with as Little ck. Not only was he unable snatch the dumplings, but he also ended up being bitten on the face by Little White, leaving a row of teeth marks. Big Gray looked threateningly at his ¡®unfilial son¡¯, ¡®If master wasn¡¯t next to us, I would have smacked you silly! You dared to fight with your father. Just wait!!¡¯


    Little White unhurriedly finished his dumplings, and didn¡¯t even spare his father a nce, ¡®If you dared to bully me, Master won¡¯t let you drink the tasty water. Humph!!¡¯


    Seeing that Xiaocao had gone out the door of the west room, Little White strode out proudly behind her and ignored Big Gray, who was scratching the floor with his ws. When Big Gray turned his head to look at Little ck¡¯s bowl, the little guy immediately stuffed thest two dumplings into his mouth and then rushed out of the room at the fastest speed. Big Gray was full ofints within his heart, ¡®Master, why don¡¯t I get anything good to eat, and yet I¡¯m always being ordered to work?¡¯


    In the main room, Madam Zhao, her son, and Heizi had already finished eating the dumplings. Old Yu teased the cute Little Doudou and asked him to do the New Year¡¯s greetings, ¡°Doudou, if you wish Grandfather a happy New Year, then you can get a red envelope!¡±


    Under the guidance of his older brothers and sisters, Doudou kneeled down with slight difficulty, lowered his head onto the kang bed several times, and said some auspicious words, ¡°May Grandfather have a happy New Year, and live a long and healthy life!¡±


    In the past, before they had divided the family, the younger generations also kowtowed to the Old Yu couple as New Year greetings. After Yu Hai¡¯s family separated from the family, the children just had to bow with their hands sped in front of themselves. It didn¡¯t matter how they did the New Year greetings, as long as they were able to express their sincerely.


    After Little Doudou received the red envelope from his paternal grandfather, he was encouraged by his older siblings to open it. Little Shitou said with a grin, ¡°Doudou, why don¡¯t you count to see how many copper coins you received as lucky money?¡±


    Little Doudou had learned how to count, so it wasn¡¯t hard for him, ¡°One, two, three... ten coins. There¡¯s a total of ten copper coins!¡±


    Madam Zhao took the red envelope from her son¡¯s hands and prepared to give it back to the old man, ¡°Father, it¡¯s too much. The child would be happy with just one copper coin.¡±


    In her opinion, her father-inw relied on her second brother-inw¡¯s family for all the basic necessities of his life. There were so many children, so if he gave ten copper coins to each, that would be at least eighty to ny copper coins. Didn¡¯t it alle from her second brother-inw? Today, she didn¡¯t bring the kids over for New Year greetings with the intention of getting lucky money. She wasn¡¯t as greedy as her sister-inw, Madam Li, who would destroy all the affection between rtives for the sake of a little money.


    Old Yu looked at her, took the red envelope, and then put it back into the hands of his aggrieved grandson. He said, ¡°Take it. Everyone gets one! Don¡¯t worry, I have money. Your second brother-inw gives me some pocket money every month, but I usually don¡¯t have anything to spend it on.¡± After saying that, he also gave Heizi a red envelope.


    Little Doudou¡¯s face lit up with happiness. His small hands were full after receiving red envelopes from his second uncle, second aunt, oldest aunt, and oldest uncle. Madam Zhao felt slightly embarrassed, so she decided to go back after briefly chatting with them. Old Yu thought about it, and then said to Madam Liu, ¡°Second Son¡¯s wife, are there any more dumplings in the kitchen? Let Third Son¡¯s wife take a bowl of dumplings back for her husband.¡± He got divorced, but Third Son was still a descendant of his Yu Family!


    Madam Liu didn¡¯t say anything and went to the kitchen to get a bowl of dumplings. She ced it in a small bamboo basket, covered it with a cotton cloth, and then handed it to Madam Zhao. Seeing this, Heizi wanted to say something, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to open his mouth.


    After sending off Madam Zhao and the kids, the Yu Family soon weed another group of people who came to give New Year greetings. Zhou Shanhu, who had a good rtionship with Yu Xiaocao, was in the front, while her older brother, Zhou Shaohua, followed behind her. There were also the Qian Family¡¯s Qian Wen, Qian Wu, and Qian Yafeng. The three families lived close by and frequently interacted with each other, so the children had a good rtionship.


    Qian Wen, who would turn fourteen after the New Year, had already grown up to be a graceful and beautiful young man. He was also preparing for the county-level exams in February. He usually worked very hard, and before the school suspended sses, he rarely came back for breaks and stayed at the academy to study. The academy had suspended sses due to the disaster year, so he stayed at home and studied hard. As a result, it had been a long time since Xiaocao had seen this youth.


    Yu Xiaocao took out snacks to entertain her friends. Zhou Shanhu widened her eyes and eximed in surprise, ¡°Stir-fried pumpkin seeds, stir-fried peanuts, maltose candy, sesame candy, peanut candy... Xiaocao, you have such a rich variety of snacks at home. And this, it¡¯s the seeds of the sunflower that you guys nted in your backyard, right?¡±


    With a smile, Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°Yes! I saut¨¦ed it with salt and pepper. Have a taste and see if it¡¯s good!¡±


    Zhou Shanhu didn¡¯t act courteous and grabbed a handful of the seeds. She followed Xiaocao, ced a sunflower seed in her mouth, and bit on the shell. Then she clumsily took out the unshelled seed and savored it in her mouth. She nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s quite tasty! The things brought back from the western hemisphere taste quite good! You guys should quickly try it!¡±


    The children excitedly ate the candies, melon seeds, and peanuts as they happily chatted. Before long, the family weed another group of visitors for the New Year. Among the group was Uncle Shuanzhu¡¯s daughters, Liu Huifang and Liu Yingzi, and second son, Tiedan¡¯er. That Zheng Xiaocui, who always wanted to get closer to the young royal prince, also came.


    While eating the Yu Family¡¯s rich variety of snacks, Zheng Xiaocui felt envious and jealous within her heart, ¡®How could the Yu Family live such a good life if they hadn¡¯t gotten acquainted with the royal prince? If I can be the royal prince¡¯s concubine, my family will definitely live a better life than the Yu Family!¡¯


    Ay! One should know one¡¯s own limitations. With a tan and scrawny appearance and decent facial features, she might be praised as good-looking in Dongshan Vige. However, any random young girl on the streets in town could be better looking than her, let alone the capital. Royal Prince Yang wasn¡¯t a womanizer, so there was no way that he would be interested in her!


    No matter what intentions these children had, since they hade to give New Year greetings, those with the ability would give the children some dried fruits and snacks. After Madam Liu gave the kids some sunflower seeds, peanuts, and various sweets, the children contentedly went to give greetings to the next family. The children of the Yu Family were also pulled along by their good friends to pay New Year greetings to other families.


    Not all families were like the Yu Family, who prepared a lot of delicious food. In the past years, there were all kinds of nuts and dates on the mountains. In autumn, all the households would gather some for their children to snack on. However, this year, the mountain had been gnawed bare by the locusts. Thus, there were fewer families that could entertain the young guests this year. Families that were more well-off, like the vige head¡¯s family, Qian Family¡¯s, and Zhou Family¡¯s, would prepare maltose candy or some sort of nuts. Many people barely had enough to eat, so where would they get snacks to give the kids who came to pay New Year greetings?


    However, the simple rural children, whether they could get snacks or not, were very happy to pay New Year greetings to other families. These cute little fellows added some festive atmosphere to the dreary New Year...


    After eating the sweet and delicious glutinous dumplings and enjoying the colorfulntern show, the Spring Festival [1] wasing to an end. In order to prepare for the district examination in February, Rongxuan Academy resumed sses after the Lantern Festival [2]. But, eating became a big problem. It was easy to buy grain, but it was difficult to find green vegetables. The cooks in the cafeteria were racking their brains for the sake of the children¡¯s meals. At the beginning, there were only salted vegetables and dried vegetables, which were extremely expensive. Fortunately, the sons of wealthy merchants in the south transported some radishes, cabbages, and meat from the south, and thus, alleviated the problem of eating vegetables.


    Little Shitou also registered for district examination in February. In order to ensure that her younger brother could eat well before the exam, Yu Xiaocao moved to the house in town. She also brought a portion of the vegetables, which they had stored in boxes at home, to town. During the transportation, she covered them with a thick quilt to prevent them from freezing.


    The Yu Family house in town was located close to Rongxuan Academy, which made it convenient for her to cook for Little Shitou. Little Shitou applied to be amuting student so that he could eat all three meals at home. The food at the school was too simple, and the cooking skills of the chef was also average. How could it be better than the meals made by Second Sister?


    Every morning, Yu Xiaocao would cook fragrant corn porridge for her younger brother, along with a boiled or fried egg, and egg pancake. At times, she would make pan-fried chives cake, or steamed meat buns. For lunch, the siblings would eat a meal that consisted of one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and soup. The staple food would be rice or steamed buns. For dinner, it was either dumplings or different types of noodle dishes. Every meal was different for the whole week. Every day, Little Shitou would go to the academy with a bulging tummy and show off to his ssmates.


    One day, Little Shitou returned with an expression as if he had done something wrong. Yu Xiaocao was about to ask if he had gotten in a fight with someone at school, but she looked up to see two little tails behind her younger brother¡ªLittle Shitou¡¯s roommates, Liu Jinye and Little Fatty, Sun Runze. Their other roommate, who was younger, wasn¡¯t participating in this year¡¯s district examination, so he didn¡¯t return to the academy to study.


    Little Fatty, Sun Runze, warmly said, ¡°Second Sister, let¡¯s eat our meals together. My father gives me ten taels monthly for my meals. I¡¯ll give them all to you. If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll send a letter to ask my father for more!¡±


    Liu Jinye had already turned thirteen years old after the New Year. He exined with slight embarrassment, ¡°The food at the cafeteria isn¡¯t very good. If we can¡¯t fill our stomachs, then we can¡¯t focus on studying. We know that Miss Xiaocao has excellent cooking skills, so we want toe and eat together...¡±


    Whether it was one sheep or a flock of sheep, they needed to be herded. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t refuse them and only said, ¡°It¡¯s a disaster year and the beginning of spring, so the ingredients are rtively simple. If you guys don¡¯t mind, then let¡¯s eat together. However, you guys need to return to the academy after dinner!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Liu Jinye and Sun Runze hastily nodded.


    Little Fatty was even more ted as he asked, ¡°Second Sister, what delicious food are you making for tonight? I¡¯m not picky as long as it can fill my stomach!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her heart and thought, ¡®Not picky? If you¡¯re not picky, then why aren¡¯t you eating at school anding here for meals?¡¯


    ¡°Tonight, we¡¯re eating pork and bean sprouts braised with vermicelli. Since you guys came, I¡¯ll add ¡®sour and spicy shredded potatoes¡¯!¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t going to pamper them. She would cook with the ingredients they had at home, and they would eat whatever she made.


    Little Fatty, Sun Runze, widened his eyes and asked in surprise, ¡°Sour and spicy shredded potatoes? Is it the ¡®sour and spicy shredded potatoes¡¯ that cost five taels at Zhenxiu Restaurant? The newly imported vegetable from the western hemisphere?¡±

 Chapter 323 – Eating Together

    <h4>Chapter 323 ¨C Eating Together</h4>


    Seeing Yu Xiaocao nodding lightly, Little Fatty danced excitedly, ¡°Second Sister is the best! We¡¯re so lucky to be able to eat delicious food! I have long wanted to try Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s new dish, but I couldn¡¯t get a table!¡±


    Little Shitou couldn¡¯t bear to look at him and reminded, ¡°Who¡¯s your second sister? Sun Runze, don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re two months older than my sister!¡±


    Sun Runze¡¯s thick face had been well trained. He grinned and said, ¡°We have such a close friendship, so isn¡¯t your second sister also my second sister? I¡¯m just following you ah! Alright, alright! This isn¡¯t important. Go, let¡¯s go study in your room. We need to work hard so that we don¡¯t let down our second sister who¡¯s working so hard to cook for us...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who was cutting potatoes in the kitchen, saw the three half-grown children dressed in schrly gowns going into her younger brother¡¯s room with their arms around each other. Shortly afterwards, she could hear the sound of them reading aloud. She lightly shook her head and smiled. The potatoes in her hands were cut into thin shreds, and then soaked in clear water.


    She added a piece of firewood into the stove and poured some oil into the cauldron. After she stir-fried the onion, ginger, minced garlic, and chili pepper to get the vor, she put in the shredded potatoes that were soaked in water and continued to stir-fry them. She added matured vinegar to enhance the fragrance, and then also added some salt. At the end, before ting the dish, she poured in MSG made from the Zhou Family¡¯s seasoning factory. The saut¨¦ed shredded potatoes glistened under the light. With a delicious sour and spicy taste, it whetted one¡¯s appetite and made one want to eat more rice. Little Fatty could finish half a te by himself. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even eat one mouthful and it waspletely devoured by the three little fellows.


    For another dish, she used the marbled meat of wild boar and homegrown bean sprouts, which were braised with vermicelli, and made into a home-cooked dish. The wild boar meat was stewed until it was soft and mushy, and melted in one¡¯s mouth. The vermicelli had absorbed the fats from the streaky meat, so it was very vorful when eaten. The bean sprouts also added a refreshing taste to it. This ¡®pork and bean sprouts braised with vermicelli¡¯ received unanimous praise from all three kids.


    Liu Jinye really liked the spinach and eggs soup. Although his family was quite well-off, he seldom saw leafy greens for the entire winter. It really aroused one¡¯s appetite when seeing the green and yellow colors of the ¡®spinach and eggs soup¡¯.


    These were usually very simple dishes, but they were rare delicacies during a disaster year. Liu Jinye and Little Fatty ate until their bellies were bloated and they couldn¡¯t even bend down. After eating, Little Shitou very naturally cleaned up and went to wash the dishes. Upon seeing this, the two little guys also followed him into the kitchen and helped wash the dishes. Yu Fan¡¯s second sister had worked hard to cook the meal, so they had to help out with the chores. Otherwise, how would they have the face toe over to eat in the future?


    When washing the dishes, Liu Jinye quietly said to the simple-minded Little Fatty, ¡°If we want to eat these dishes that Yu Fan¡¯s second sister made for this meal outside, it will cost at least ten taels. The potato and spinach were especially rare ingredients. The snow hasn¡¯t melted yet, so I don¡¯t even know where Yu Fan¡¯s family got the leafy greens. Vegetables are so expensive right now, so us giving ten taels a month, seems too little...¡±


    Little Fatty nonchntly said, ¡°If ten taels isn¡¯t enough, then let¡¯s pay twenty taels! Just say that we need more nutrition before the exam. I¡¯m sure our families won¡¯t be against that. I know your family well. There¡¯s no way that your family can¡¯t afford twenty taels, right?¡±


    Liu Jinye nodded and decided to ask his family to send him more money tomorrow. Even with twenty taels, Yu Fan¡¯s family would be the ones suffering losses if they ate like this for every meal.


    The next day, Liu Jinye and Sun Runze had someone send a letter back to their respective homes. They told their families that in order to not affect next month¡¯s exam and to be able to get better food, they were going to eat at their ssmate¡¯s house. They asked their families to send some more money over.


    When their families read the letters, they felt slightly rmed in their hearts. What kind of meals was it that even ten taels a month wasn¡¯t enough? Their sons were too young and na?ve, so could it be that they were being deceived?


    During the first month, the silk and satin shop had average business. Thus, Liu Jinye¡¯s father decisively packed his bags, brought along some of his son¡¯s favorite snacks, and went to Tanggu Town. Sun Runze¡¯s father also asked the prefectural magistrate for a few days off to check on the people who his son was eating meals with.


    The two had already met since their sons were ssmates. When they met on the road, they decided to travel together. Setting out early in the morning, they rushed over and finally reached Tanggu Town in the evening. When they arrived at the entrance of Rongxuan Academy, the students had just gotten out of ss. The two fathers waited at the entrance for a while and soon saw their sonsing out with a young student, who looked fair and beautiful.


    ¡°Xiaoze!¡± Sun Runze¡¯s father called out first. Hearing this, Little Fatty looked up and saw his father. Then he ran over happily.


    Liu Jinye also saw his father. He usually acted in a very stable manner, but he also hastened his pace and asked, ¡°Father, why did you personallye? Isn¡¯t it busy in the shop?¡±


    Liu Jinggui looked at his son and saw that his son had a ruddy and healthyplexion. He also seemed to have gained some weight, so his heart finally rxed, ¡°When you first sent a letter back saying that you¡¯re eating salted vegetables every day at school, your mother was already very worried. Several days ago, we received news about you eating meals with other people, so your mother told me toe see if you¡¯re eating well. Now that I have seen you today, I can finally feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Liu, we¡¯re eating very well every day!! If we don¡¯t have enough time in the morning, then Yu Fan will bring the food over for us. For lunch, there is meat and vegetables. We have a very sumptuous meal in the evening. Yu Fan¡¯s second sister has excellent cooking skills, and the dishes are different every day!¡± Little Fatty, Sun Runze, cuddled with his father for a moment. When he heard Liu Jingui¡¯s words, he hastily exined.


    Sun Runze¡¯s father, Sun Jiaqi, and Liu Jingui looked at each other, and clearly saw ¡®disbelief¡¯ within each other¡¯s eyes. If his son said this in the past, he would definitely believe him. However, with the current situation, it was already considered very good if they would eat vegetables, let alone eating different vegetables every day!


    Sun Runze also apparently saw the disbelief within his father¡¯s eyes. He said indignantly, ¡°Father, you don¡¯t believe your son¡¯s words? If you don¡¯t believe me, thene to Yu Fan¡¯s house with us and you will know if I¡¯m telling the truth or not.¡±


    Sun Jiaqi patted his son¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t know who his son got his hot temper from. He looked at Yu Fan, who stood there with a slight smile, and then asked with a smile, ¡°Xiaoze, is this the Yu Fan who you told me about?¡±


    Yu Fan stepped forward and politely bowed with his hands sped in front of him, ¡°This fellow is Yu Fan. It¡¯s nice to meet Uncle Sun and Uncle Liu.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand on ceremony! My family¡¯s Jinye has troubled you!¡± Liu Jingui had an affable smile on his face and said a few polite words.


    Yu Fan politely said, ¡°I dare not say that. Brother Jinye and Brother Runze usually helps me a lot. We¡¯re close like brothers, so uncles don¡¯t need to be so courteous. It¡¯s gettingte. Uncles haven¡¯t eaten dinner yet, right? May this fellow have the honor to invite the two of you for a casual meal?¡±


    ¡°No need. You¡¯re being too courteous...¡±


    Sun Jiaqi was about to decline the offer, but he was interrupted by his son, ¡°Father, didn¡¯t you not believe what I said? Won¡¯t you know the truth if youe with us? Second Sister said she will cook poached chicken for us tonight. Father, do you know what poached chicken is? Have you tried it before? Is it tasty?¡±


    Poached chicken originated in the Qing Dynasty, and was a typical southern dish. It would be strange if Sun Jiaqi had eaten it before! But, chicken was quite expensive recently. At the beginning of the disaster year, in order to be frugal with food, the people who raised chickens had ughtered all their chickens. When winter arrived, there were barely anyone selling chicken in the market. asionally, there would be one or two ces that sold chicken, but it would be extremely expensive.


    He took another look at the fair-looking and well-behaved Yu Fan, and felt very astonished in his heart. Didn¡¯t his son say that Yu Fan came from a farmer¡¯s family? Perhaps it was raised by his own family? But that wasn¡¯t right ah. From his understanding, all the vigers around the prefectural city barely had enough food to eat. Where would they have the grain to feed chickens?


    Liu Jingui also had the same doubts. With a half-believing mindset, he followed his son to the Yu Family¡¯s house, which was five hundred meters away from the academy.


    ¡°Second Sister, we¡¯re back!¡± As soon as Yu Fan entered the house, he habitually called his second sister.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice sounded from the kitchen, ¡°You guys came back ten minuteste today ah! Put your schoolbags down and wash your hands. We will be able to eat soon!¡±


    Yu Fan put his schoolbag back in his room and scooped a basin of water in the kitchen. He hesitated for a moment, and then reminded her, ¡°Second Sister, you should prepare two more dishes because Sun Runze and Brother Jinye¡¯s fathers came.¡±


    While the chicken was being cooked on low heat, Yu Xiaocao washed her hands and followed her younger brother out. She exchanged greetings with the two fathers. Sun Jiaqi waited for a while and didn¡¯t see any adultse out, so he asked, ¡°Are you siblings the only ones at home?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°There are both young and old in the family, so my parents couldn¡¯t leave the house. I was afraid that my younger brother wouldn¡¯t be able to eat well at the academy, so I volunteered toe cook for him. Please sit down for a while. The food will be ready soon. Shitou, prepare some tea for the uncles.¡±


    With two more adults, the food that she prepared wouldn¡¯t be enough. Fortunately, they had readily avable ingredients at home. She got some lettuce from the west room, two potatoes from the cer, and cut some pork. She prepared to make ¡®stir-fried lettuce with oyster sauce¡¯ and ¡®sliced potatoes pot¡¯. In addition, there was also the ¡®poached chicken¡¯ and ¡®stir-fried chives with eggs¡¯. It should be enough for everyone to eat.


    When these dishes were brought out, Liu Jingui and Sun Jiaqi were stunned. Who exactly was this Yu Family? They were actually capable of getting fresh chives and lettuce in this season. And, what was this dish? They were also experienced and knowledgeable people, yet they actually couldn¡¯t recognize the ingredient that was saut¨¦ed with pork in this dish.


    Sun Runze proudly showed off to his father, ¡°Father, you never tried this dish before, right? The ingredient inside is called potato. Last year, Royal Prince Yang brought seed back from the western hemisphere. Even the aristocrats in the capital might not be able to eat it!!¡±


    ¡°Potato?¡± As the assistant of the prefectural magistrate, Sun Jiaqi naturally knew about potatoes. However, he had heard that Royal Prince Yang had sessfully grown several thousand catties of potatoes. The imperial court attached great importance to this matter and prepared to use them all as seeds. The emperor had asked the imperial chefs to try cooking with them and used them to entertain the meritorious officials. The Yu Family were merely farmers in Tanggu Town, so how were they able to get potatoes? Could they be lying?


    As if she could read their minds, Yu Xiaocao said with an indifferent expression on her face, ¡°Uncle Sun lives in the prefectural city, so you must know that the corn and potatoes that Royal Prince Yang brought back to the capital were transported from Tanggu Town, right?¡±


    ¡°You mean...¡± Sun Jiaqi¡¯s eyes widened abruptly, and he looked at her with surprise.

 Chapter 324 – Preparations Before the Exam

    <h4>Chapter 324 ¨C Preparations Before the Exam</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Thanks to Royal Prince Yang, we were able to get the seeds for corn and potatoes. We lived up to the expectations of Royal Prince Yang and sessfully grew the corn and potatoes after many setbacks. Royal Prince Yang is benevolent and let us keep some of the potatoes as a reward.¡± Yu Xiaocao spoke in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant.


    Sun Jiaqi and Liu Jingui¡¯s gaze when looking at Yu Xiaocao and her younger brother had changed. Since they were acquainted with Royal Prince Yang, who was favored by the emperor, it was no wonder that they, who were born from a peasant family, could act in such a generous manner.


    If Yu Xiaocao knew about what the two were thinking, she would definitely smile bitterly, ¡®You two are thinking too much. All the ingredients of the table belong to my family.¡¯ The potatoes, chives, and lettuces were all grown by her family. They stored the wild boar meat and chickenst year. When the Zhou Family was getting rid of thest batch of chickens at the end of autumn, the Yu Family bought a lot of them. After ughtering them, they stored them in the cer. If they ate sparingly, it was enough tost them until the spring.


    Under Yu Xiaocao and her younger brother¡¯s warm attitude, Liu Jingui and Sun Jiaqi picked up their chopsticks and first tried the ¡®sliced potatoes pot¡¯. The main ingredients of this dish were potatoes and a decent portion of streaky pork. The slightly fried potatoes were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and with the fragrant and delicious streaky pork, it was really a new taste to the two fathers.


    Little Fatty gnawed on a chicken wing and rmended to his father, ¡°Father, try the poached chicken made by Second Sister. It has an authentic vor and tastes amazing!¡±


    Sun Jiaqi knew that his son had a picky mouth, and he was extremely picky with food. If he said that it was good, then it definitely tasted good. He looked at the so-called poached chicken. With pure white meat and slightly greasy skin, it emitted the faint fragrance of scallion oil. The ting was also very detailed with the chicken meat ced in a beautiful shape and scallions arranged like flowers around the border. Among the three elements of color, smell, and taste, color had already been achieved.


    As he picked up a piece of poached chicken, his son reminded him, ¡°Dip it in the sauce, it will taste even better!¡± He did as his son said and dipped it into the sauce on the side. After that, he ced the piece of chicken in his mouth and carefully tasted it. The chicken skin had a refreshing mouthfeel, while the flesh was smooth. With a light and delicious vor, it retained the original taste of chicken meat yet also had a distinctive vor. Everything was just right. Even the chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant might not have such culinary skills.


    The chives were fresh and tender, while the eggs were fragrant and soft. The lettuce had a crisp mouthfeel and the potatoes were very vorful. The poached chicken was meaty, tender and delicious. The four dishes seemed like they were cooked by an experienced chef. The two pairs of father and son ate until their mouths were covered with grease, unable to stop. Liu Jingui quietly asked his son, ¡°Do you guys eat like this for every meal?¡±


    Liu Jinye replied in a low voice, ¡°When you guys aren¡¯t here, we generally have one meat dish and one vegetable dish, which is enough for us. Xiaocao said we shouldn¡¯t be partial with food and should eat a well-bnced diet. She has excellent cooking skills, so she cooks different things for us to eat every day. Even Sun Runze, who doesn¡¯t like to eat vegetables, eats half a bowl of vegetables for every meal.¡±


    While the father and son were whispering to each other, Sun Runze, who had a bloated tummy, thought of something and said, ¡°Second Sister, what about the grasshopper sauce? It¡¯s so yummy. Quickly take it out for my father to try ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him. He made it seem as if she was a miser who was unwilling to let them eat it. She said sulkily, ¡°Who serves grasshopper sauce to guests? Moreover, even if I take it out now, is there still room in your stomach for it? You can just eat it with corn pancakes tomorrow morning!¡±


    Sun Runze burped and said embarrassingly, ¡°Then let¡¯s eat it tomorrow morning. I¡¯m already full up to my throat. So full ah... Yu Fan, remember to help me put more grasshopper sauce on the pancake tomorrow ah!¡±


    Sun Jiaqi couldn¡¯t help but cover his face. He seriously didn¡¯t want to admit that this shameless glutton was his son. However, based on the interactions between his son and the Yu siblings, it seemed like the kids usually had a pretty good rtionship. They seemed even more harmonious than a family.


    The fathers were especially surprised at the scene of the kids fighting to wash the dishes after the meal. At home, their sons had never done the dishes before and hadn¡¯t even been in the kitchen. What ¡®gentlemen shall stay away from the kitchen¡¯? It seemed like there was just nothing attracting them to the kitchen. For the sake of being able to eat delicious food every day, they were seriously working hard!


    After the meal, the two fathers inquired about their sons¡¯ meals for the past few days. They noticed that the nutrition was well-bnced for every meal. Furthermore, like what their sons said, every meal was different, and there weren¡¯t any duplicates within a week. Based on the current market price and split among four people, a month¡¯s worth of ingredients for the meals would cost far more than the twenty taels that their sons stated.


    It was gettingte. When two fathers bid their farewells, they both took out four silver ingots that were worth ten taels each. Sun Jiaqi said to Yu Xiaocao, who wanted to decline the money, ¡°Little girl, don¡¯t refuse so quickly. If it was in the past, we wouldn¡¯t even give you ten taels. But, with this year¡¯s situation, people wouldn¡¯t be able to buy your vegetables even if they had money. Right now, people are willing to fight for a batch of fresh green vegetables even if it cost ten taels. Therefore, ording to your meal today, we were the ones who gained a good bargain by giving you fifty taels a month!¡±


    Liu Jingui chimed in, ¡°Brother Sun is right! Miss Yu works so hard to cook three meals a day for these two kids. If we make you guys suffer losses, how can we continue to bother you in the future? If you don¡¯t ept it, then Ye¡¯er won¡¯te to bother you anymore!¡± Sun Jiaqi also nodded in agreement.


    Little Fatty had a terrified look on his face, ¡°No! Second Sister save me! I¡¯m used to your cooking now, so if you tell me to go back to eat the pig¡¯s feed at the cafeteria, I will die ah!!¡±


    Sun Jiaqi patted his son and scolded, ¡°It¡¯s the first month of the year. Why are you talking about death?¡±


    Sun Runze stuck his tongue out at his father, and then immediately pretended to be pitiful in front of Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Second Sister, take pity on me and just take it... My father doesn¡¯tck the money anyways!¡±


    Only a fool wouldn¡¯t take the money that was forced into one¡¯s hands! Yu Xiaocao also felt the nutritional meals that she made every day were certainly worth the fifty taels. At Zhenxiu Restaurant, fifty taels wasn¡¯t even enough for a meal! Under Sun Runze¡¯s imploring and Liu Jinye¡¯s earnest gaze, Yu Xiaocao ¡®reluctantly¡¯ epted the eighty taels of silver. In addition to the ten taels that they each gave her at the beginning, it was a total of one hundred taels for the monthly food expense. She didn¡¯t dare think about it in the past, but now, she reckoned it was considered eptable...


    An alluring aroma always drifted out from the Yu Residence, so not only were their neighbors constantly asking about what they were eating, but recently there were also a lot of strangers appearing nearby. With their inquiring appearance, it seemed like they had bad intentions.


    With the two siblings being the only ones in the Yu Residence, they were like kids frolicking in the market with golden bricks in their hands, and thus caused certain people to have malicious thoughts. After being warned by the little divine stone, Yu Xiaocao sent a letter to ask her father to bring Big Gray along the next time he delivered ingredients to them.


    Most of the people with bad intentions were frightened when they saw the majestic Big Gray wandering around the entrance several times. There were also certain scheming fellows who immediately reported to the yamen that a vicious beast had entered Tanggu Town. They wanted to use the power of the local authorities to get rid of the gray wolf raised by the Yu Family.


    After receiving the report, the bailiffs hastily rushed over and instantly realized that it was just the pet that Royal Prince Yang entrusted the Yu Family to raise. It was just a false rm. After that, the head bailiff informed the neighbors of the Yu Family that Big Gray was a pet wolf that had been raised by people since it was a pup. If people didn¡¯t provoke it, then it wouldn¡¯t bite people. In recent days, the Yu Family were being harassed, so they specially brought Big Gray over from Dongshan Vige to guard their house.


    After this, most of the people with ulterior motives had withdrawn their intentions. However, there were also some people who didn¡¯t give up and felt that a pet wolf wasn¡¯t very threatening. In the middle of the night, they climbed over the walls and entered the Yu Residence...


    The Yu Family¡¯s neighbors were awakened by a scream in the middle of the night. When they got dressed and came out to check on the situation, they saw a figure rushing out of the Yu Residence while holding his butt and fleeing in a desperate manner. Behind him was Big Gray, who was guarding the house. Anyone could tell that that person had gone for wool and came back shorn. He wanted to take advantage of the fact that the two siblings were the only ones in the house and go in to get some benefits, but he ended up being bitten by the wolf raised by Royal Prince Yang.


    Most importantly, he got bitten in vain. Who would dare ask the royal prince to pay the medical fees andpensation? It would be strange if that person didn¡¯t get arrested as a thief and get punished! With Big Gray around, the siblings could finally sleep peacefully.


    The days passed by, and it was getting closer to the district examination inte February. Little Shitou and the other two kids studied even more diligently day after day. Fortunately, Yu Xiaocao was there to prepare different meals for the three children every day. Otherwise, the three little guys would be getting thinner every day like their ssmates, who were studying in the academy. Because they got proper nutrition from their meals, the three children had a ruddyplexion and were full of spirit. That fellow Sun Runze had even gained weight. At the academy, the teachers always used him as an example to encourage the other examinees to also prepare for the exam with full enthusiasm.


    As the date of the district examination approached, the studying atmosphere in the academy became more and more tense. For the sake of their own future, to bring glory to the academy, and to bring honor to their families, all the examinees, who were preparing for the district examination, did their utmost to study.


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, instilled the idea of having a proper bnce between work and rest. When studying, one had to alternate between tension and rxation. Like a rubber band, if one was too tense, one could easily break. Thus, during breaks, Yu Xiaocao would bring the three kids to experience life in Dongshan Vige.


    At times, they would go catch birds in the mountains. Before the winter, there were a lot of locusts on the mountains. So, even when there was a sharp decrease in the number of other animals, there were still many birds in the winter. Using the method of setting snares to catch birds from the textbooks in her previous life, she brought the kids to experience the sense of achievement of catching birds. The millets that were used as bait were mixed with mystic-stone water, so they had a good harvest every time. They collected all the birds and brought them back to town as food.


    Sometimes she would bring them to collect seafood at the beach. The seafood that they collected at the beach was also taken back to town and made into delicious seafood dishes for them to eat.


    Sometimes she would also take them to the docks to see dockworkers doing hardbor and help Yu Xiaolian with her business. This helped increase their real-life working experience and experience the hardships of themon people...


    Thanks to Yu Xiaocao, they were able to spend their breaks in a pleasant and meaningful way. With broadened horizons, they were able to write more in-depth essays and the teachers frequently praised them. Not only did going out to y not dy their studies, but it also effectively improved the quality of their writings. The three little fellows were full of anticipation for their breaks.

 Chapter 325 – District Examination

    <h4>Chapter 325 ¨C District Examination</h4>


    The district examination, which was scheduled forte February. was the first stage of the county-level exams. Normally, the date of the exam and series of cumbersome registration procedures would be announced a month before the district examination. Fortunately, Rongxuan Academy always did group registrations, and thus saved a lot of trouble for the examinees.


    Tanggu Town¡¯s testing location was next to the yamen, which was located in the north and faced the south. It was a decent size. ording to the teachers¡¯ introduction, in the south side of the examination hall, there was a door on the east and west side, and it was surrounded by wooden fences. The examinees had to line up in two rows and could only enter after a full body search. After entering the wooden fences, there was arge courtyard and the main entrance.


    After entering the main entrance, there was a big courtyard. This was the ce where the examinees had to wait for their names to be called. On the north side of the courtyard, there were threerge halls, in which the examiners sat and called the names of the examinees. There were also numerous rows of simply constructed seats, which was the ce for examinees to take their exams.


    Unfortunately, in ancient times, there was no such thing as checking out the testing location in advance. Otherwise, Yu Xiaocao would have really wanted to take a look at the examination hall.


    Today was the first round of the district examination. The examinees had already arrived at the testing location before dawn and gotten a full body search by the ¡®inspectors¡¯. Every examinee had an exam basket, which contained the necessities of the examination such as stationary, food, examination identification, and more. The exam basket needed to be thoroughly inspected to prevent prohibited items from being carried in.


    Rongxuan Academy¡¯s exam baskets were fully prepared by the academy. However, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t like the simple food prepared by the school, which were only rice balls, steamed buns, and salted vegetables. So, she changed the food in his basket into the specially baked peanut and sesame biscuits and jerky. She also included a copper brazier that could warm his hands when it was cold. The specially made heat preservation water bag contained boiling hot mystic-stone water, and it was tightly wrapped with a small quilt.


    Each exam took an entire day and it was still rather cold inte February. Yu Xiaocao hoped that her younger brother could drink some warm water at noon. She had heard that many examinees, who had rtively weak physiques and usually had good grades, were unable to perform well for the exams. The main reasons were the weather and the food. Furthermore, there were people who couldn¡¯t endure the five days of exams due to illness and failed in the examination.


    Little Shitou waved his hands at his parents and second sister, who sent him to the testing location, and then calmly stood in line. Before entering the examination hall, the ¡®inspector¡¯ looked at clothing, which reflected the characteristics of the academy and was slightly surprised when he inspected his exam basket. After repeatedly checking the small quilt, water bag, and brazier, the inspector let him into the examination hall.


    At this time, there were already many students quietly waiting in the courtyard. Although the sky hadn¡¯t lit up yet, there were many papernterns in the yard, which made it very easy to see. Little Shitou followed the other students, walked in an orderly manner, and then entered when his name was called.


    The examinees stood in the yard and faced the examiners as they waited for roll call to enter the central hall to pick up their exam papers. They also had to go through a ¡®vowing¡¯ process. In order to prevent cheating, every examinee, who participated in the district examination, must have a schr who lived on government grants as a guarantor. After Little Shitou got his exam paper, he sat down on his assigned seat.


    After all the examinees received their exam papers, there would be bailiffs walking around to show the exam questions. One of the bailiffs recognized Little Shitou and specially stopped in front of him for two more seconds. After seeing the exam questions and carefully analyzing it, Little Shitou thought about the questions as he grinded the ink. When the ink was ready, he began to seriously answer the questions.


    In the early morning of February, the temperature was very low. The limbs of the students, who stood in the cold wind for more than two hours, had be a little stiff. Little Shitou took out the water bag from the small quilt and drank two mouthfuls of the warm mystic-stone water. He felt warmth returning to his body again. He warmed his hands with the brazier, and then began to write with passion. With the heat provided by the mystic-stone water, he didn¡¯t feel cold at all. His writing on the paper was the same as usual without any sense of stiffness.


    Today was the first round of the exams. The exam was on writing two essays on The Four Books [1] and a poem with 6 five-characters rhyming verses. There was a standardized format for the title, poem, and writing methods, and the maximum word count couldn¡¯t exceed 700 characters. Generally, for the first round, one could pass as long as the writing flowed smoothly. Only those who passed the first round could participate in the second round of the exam. For Little Shitou, there was no need to worry about the first round.


    At noon, he stopped writing and, as if he was having a pic, he leisurely ate the delicious biscuits and took a few bites of the pork jerky. After he drank a few mouthfuls of water, he finished all of his writings in one go. He carefully checked it again, slightly revised it, and then transcribed it onto the exam paper. When he finished, he looked around and noticed that most of the examinees were huffing into their own hands while swiftly writing.


    It was a cloudy day today, so the temperature was lower than that of previous days. Some of the examinees were so cold that their faces had turned white and their lips were purple. Some of them sneezed and sniffled, and appeared to be in a bad condition. Little Shitou felt somewhat puzzled. Why didn¡¯t he feel cold? Could it be the effect of the protective stone that his second sister gave him?


    The little divine stone, who was tied around Little Shitou¡¯s neck, rolled its eyes endlessly, ¡®Master actually lent me to others so casually. Isn¡¯t that being too disrespectful to me, this Divine Stone?¡¯ It thought back to how Yu Xiaocao kept reminding it to take care of her younger brother before they came here. She also said that it was considered a merit, which would help it cultivate its power. Thus, it reluctantly agreed. Yu Xiaocao told Little Shitou that this protective gem was blessed by a great master and could bless him to smoothly pass the examination.


    When the exam ended in the evening, most of the examinees were cringing their necks and shivering as they came out. However, Little Shitou, who had tasty snacks to eat and the protection of the little divine stone, was even more spirited than before he went in.


    As soon as he came out of the examination hall, he saw his second sister, who came to pick him up. Little Shitou rushed over, like a cannonball, with his exam basket, ¡°Second Sister, what tasty food are we eating tonight? I want to eat Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted duck. Can we go buy one back?¡±


    Sun Runze and Liu Jinye also came out and joined the siblings. Hearing that they could eat Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted duck tonight, the two really looked forward to it yet didn¡¯t have any hope.


    Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s ¡®one duck three dishes¡¯ was very famous in both Tanggu Town and in the capital. It was currently the time when ducks were out of season, so Zhenxiu Restaurant only sold twenty roasted ducks a day. The price of one had increased to fifty taels, yet there was still an excessive demand for it. It was apparent that they didn¡¯t believe that Yu Xiaocao was capable of getting the roasted duck.


    Yu Xiaocao took the three kids back home first and had each drink a bowl of brown sugar ginger tea to warm up their bodies. The kang bed was so warm that Sun Runze and Liu Jinye quickly fell asleep as soon as they took off their boots and snuggled into the warm quilts.


    Yu Xiaocao entered Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s back kitchen from the back entrance. When she found out that today¡¯s roasted ducks had been sold out, she rolled up her sleeves and personally roasted two of them. One was for Little Shitou to bring back to the headmaster of the academy to satisfy his cravings, and the other was for them to eat ¡®one duck three meals¡¯ in the evening. The sauce was brought back from Zhenxiu Restaurant, while the pancakes were made by Yu Xiaocao herself.


    As he ate the fragrant duck meat wrapped in pancakes and drank the delicious duck bone soup, Sun Runze immediately felt alive again, ¡°If I can eat such delicious roasted duck every day, I would be willing to take exams every day.¡±


    Liu Jinye scolded him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of bing muddled from taking exams every day!! A roasted duck cost fifty taels, yet it¡¯s still hard to get. The money you paid was only enough for one duck. Are you nning on going hungry in the future?¡±


    Generally, the district examination had four to five rounds with an interval of two to three days between each test. The entire district examinationsted for more than half a month!


    Fortunately, for more than half a month, the three little fellows were able to eat well and had healthy bodies. They werepletely fine even after suffering in the cold wind for a whole day. Before the next exam, Yu Xiaocao made delicious food for the three kids for every meal, for fear that they couldn¡¯t make it through the five rounds of exams.


    For each of the following rounds, the seating was arranged ording to the results of the previous round. Little Shitou performance for the first round was rtively stable and he wasn¡¯t affected by the cold wind and the atmosphere in the examination hall, so he naturally received good results. In the second round, his seat was close to the examiners.


    An instructor of the Confucianism Department saw the fair and cute appearance of the eight-year-old Little Shitou and said with a smile, ¡°Official Zhao, Tanggu Town is full of talents. Even such a young child hase to take the district examination.¡±


    County Magistrate Zhao recognized Yu Fan, so he smiled and said, ¡°Looking at his clothes, he seems to be a student of Rongxuan Academy. Since the teachers of the academy had registered for him, then they must have confidence in him. Based on his seating, it seems like he did very well yesterday.¡±


    The official registrar of Tanggu Town smiled and said, ¡°The examinee looks to be only seven or eight years old. He should be the youngest among the examinees, right? To have such achievements at such a young age, Rongxuan Academy certainly deserves their reputation ah!¡±


    Little Shitou didn¡¯t know that he had caught the attention of the examiners. Like the first day, he wrote down his student number and name first and carefully looked over the questions. Today, they needed to write one essay on The Four Books and an essay on filial piety. In addition, they had to write down a section from Sacred Edict and Board Instructions [2] from memory. With a minimum of at least one hundred characters, they should not make any mistakes and modifications.


    Writing from memory was Little Shitou¡¯s strongest ability. The little guy was originally smart, and after drinking mystic-stone water for over two years, his memory had be even better. It was almost to the point of never forgetting after one look. This was one of the main reasons as to why Headmaster Yuan agreed to let him participate in the county-level examination.


    The writings for The Four Books and Sacred Edict and Board Instructions were very easy for Little Shitou. He just spent more time on the theory of filial piety. After that, he just had to check his answers, transcribe the writings, and wait for the end of the exam. When the examiners saw that he had finished a long time ago, their impression of him slightly deepened.


    For the next three rounds, one round consisted of writing an essay on the Five ssics [3], an essay on rhymed prose, a poem with 8 five-characters verses, and writing from memory the first two lines of Sacred Edict and Board Instructions. Thest two rounds were focused on ssical text, rhythmical prose, the four forms of poetry [4], and so on.


    Although the four forms of poetry and rhythmical prose were slightly difficult for Little Shitou, he still finished answering them seriously. As for the quality of the content, different people would have different opinions.


    During the exam, Little Shitou also noticed that his younger uncle had also gotten into the fifth round. His younger uncle was under high pressure, and although he ate food that was specially prepared by Madam Zhang, he was unable to eat well normally, so his health had seriously deteriorated. Therefore, the five rounds of exams were the same as a torture for him. At the end of thest round, he fainted as soon as he went out of the examination hall. Yu Dashan and Madam Zhang, who came to pick him up, helped him sit down at a small eatery nearby. After drinking a bowl of hot soup, he gradually recovered his senses.


    Yu Xiaocao also saw the scene, but with Madam Zhang¡¯s blood-sucking, leech-like personality, she would definitely cling onto them if she helped out, so she didn¡¯t go over. Sun Runze¡¯s and Liu Jinye¡¯s families had alsoe to thest round, so Yu Xiaocao just took her younger brother home.

 Chapter 326 – Farming Season

    <h4>Chapter 326 ¨C Farming Season</h4>


    Now, they just had to wait for the results to be published. In mid-March, the list of qualified candidates for the prefectural examination was announced. The names of the three kids were all listed in the front. Yu Xiaocao looked through the list and saw that her younger uncle¡¯s, Yu Bo, name was also listed on there.


    ¡°Brother Qian Wen, you also came to check the results! My second sister squeezed inside, so just ask her to help you check it!¡± Hearing Little Shitou¡¯s voice from behind, Xiaocao looked over the list again and saw Qian Wen¡¯s results. His name wasn¡¯t too far behind her younger brother¡¯s name.


    She worked hard to get out of the crowd and found her younger brother. With a smile, she patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°Well done, you¡¯re within the top twenty!! As long as you work hard, our family will have a little county schr-official soon.¡±


    With a gentle smile, Qian Wen said, ¡°Congrattions, Little Shitou!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao said with a smile, ¡°Qian Wen, I saw your name, too. So, congrattions to you, too!! When you guys go to the prefectural city for the examination, please help us take care of our Little Shitou.¡±


    As if he had already expected this result, Qian Wen didn¡¯t show an overjoyed expression. He nodded and said, ¡°With the rtionship between our families, I would do so even if you didn¡¯t ask me.¡±


    After chatting with Qian Wen for a while, Yu Xiaocao brought her younger brother back to Dongshan Vige. There was less than a month before the prefectural examination. After the results for the exam was announced, Rongxuan Academy only gave the students two days off. It was already mid-March, and she needed to go home to cultivate the early-maturing vegetables. It would be toote if she dyed it any longer. She nned on using these next two days to sow all the vegetables fields, and then let her father and the rest of the family handle tending the fields afterwards.


    When they got back to Dongshan Vige, they saw a lot of horses parked in front of their house. Upon entering, they confirmed that it was indeed Royal Prince Yang.


    Zhu Junyang drank the fragrant tea, which was top-quality biluochun that he brought over himself. Even if it was the same tea leaves, tea made from the Yu Family¡¯s water would taste more fragrant than other ces. It was the same for the Yu Family¡¯s food. Even the rice had a much better mouthfeel. Could it be that the water in the Yu Family¡¯s well was different than that of other ces?


    His elegance when tasting tea with his eyes lowered, his graceful disposition, and his indifferent and beautiful face... This simple courtyard seemed to have also be more vivid. Yu Xiaocao was amazed once again!


    Hearing the movement, Zhu Junyang lifted his eyes and looked over. Seeing the glow within Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, his heart suddenly felt more rxed andfortable. With a faint smile, he softly asked, ¡°How was Little Shitou¡¯s results for the exam? Is he on the list for qualified examinees?¡±


    Little Shitou interjected, ¡°I passed! I¡¯m qualified to participate in the prefectural examination!!¡±


    A bright smile appeared on the faces of Yu Hai and Madam Liu, who were originally worried. Yu Caifeng and her husband also quickly congratted them. Yu Hai humbly replied, ¡°This is just the first stage. We don¡¯t know how the next two stages will turn out. Don¡¯t be so happy yet. Little Shitou, you can¡¯t be too proud ah. You need to continue to work hard.¡±


    Little Shitou nodded hard. Madam Liu couldn¡¯t help but smile, and said, ¡°You guys must be hungry. Mother will cook something yummy for you guys!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wanted to go help, but Madam Liu said to her, ¡°Yan¡¯er can help me. You should go work on the vegetable seeds. Since you weren¡¯t home, we just plowed and fertilized the fields. Now we just need to nt the seeds.¡±


    Yu Hai also said, ¡°We should also pre-soak the watermelon seeds. I originally wanted to do it myself, but your mother was afraid that I would mess it up and dy the harvest. These past few days, we have been continuously receiving orders from the prefectural city, hoping that we can grow more watermelons.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s nt watermelons in our over ten mu of farnd in the vige. We can grow the corn in the ntation located on the outskirts of Tanggu Town. By the way, Father, not a single grain was reaped in the ntationst autumn. The tenant farmers must be having a hard time, right?¡±


    Yu Hai nodded and said, ¡°Yes, it hasn¡¯t been easy. It¡¯s not only our ntation, but it was also the same for others. It was just slightly better at our Dongshan Vige. The only thing that I could do was to waive their rents.¡±


    The majority of themon people had no extra grain at home. They all relied on their autumn harvest to get through the cold winter and the period before the new crops were ready. Although the imperial court had distributed food for disaster relief and there was average-priced grain for sale in town, there were still many people who couldn¡¯t afford grain. As a result, there was an increase in people selling their houses,nd, and children at the beginning of spring.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°After Younger Brother takes the prefectural examination, let¡¯s also nt the corn. The ntation has over a hundred mu ofnd, so we¡¯ll need a lot of people to plow, fertilize, sow, and manage the fields. The tenant farmers definitely don¡¯t have enough food tost them until the corn is ready to be reaped. Why don¡¯t we hire the tenant farms as long-term workers? Those who work more will be paid more, and those who do a good job will get a bonus. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Let¡¯s work out the rules first. In a couple of days, I¡¯ll go to the ntation with your oldest paternal uncle and ask for their opinion.¡± Yu Hai felt that this was a very good idea.


    Zhu Junyang interjected, ¡°This prince has also bought somend around Tanggu, so I need to hire some people to manage them. I¡¯ll entrust this matter to you, too!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao curiously asked, ¡°Young Royal Prince, why do you suddenly want to buy farnd in Tanggu Town? Are you also nting corn?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the emperor¡¯s orders! Last year, the locusts destroyed all the corn in the ntation at the capital. However, the output estimated by the Minister of Revenue was far less than that of your family¡¯s. The emperor and Ministry of Revenue wants to experiment in both the capital and Tanggu Town to see whichnd is more suitable to grow corn.¡± Zhu Junyang took the imperial order and nned a long-term stay in Tanggu Town. The experimental fields in the capital were handed over to the group of old fellows in the Ministry of Revenue to take care of.


    Yu Xiaocao lifted her eyebrows and thought, ¡®Without this maiden¡¯s mystic-stone water, no matter how hard they work, the experimental fields in the capital still won¡¯t be as good as the fields in Tanggu Town.¡¯ Was this considered helping the young royal prince again?


    But she still honestly replied, ¡°Corn is very easy to grow since it has good adaptability to different types of soil. Last year, we nted them in sandy soil, and there was still quite a high yield.¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded. He slightly looked around and said, ¡°The emperor said that your family is experienced in growing corn, so we¡¯ll need your family¡¯s help with the experimental fields in both locations. Of course, we won¡¯t let you guys work for nothing. If this task is done well, then you will definitely be rewarded!¡±


    ¡°What kind of reward? Gold, silver, and precious gems? Silk and satin? Fertile farnd and beautiful houses?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were shining brightly, and with her fist holding up her chin, she appeared like a kitten that caught a little fish. She looked quite cute.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but ruffle her hair with his hands. He answered, ¡°You can get all of them! Even if they¡¯re not within the emperor¡¯s rewards, this prince willpensate you. Can you rest assured now?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shook off his hands, red at him, and said, ¡°Men and women should not casually touch each other. I¡¯m already eleven years old, so I¡¯m not a child anymore. Please pay attention to your actions!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s eyebrows were almost twisted together, and his eyeballs were about to pop out. If the other party wasn¡¯t Royal Prince Yang, he would have already snapped his hands in two! What was up with this Royal Prince Yang? He wouldn¡¯t be interested in his family¡¯s Cao¡¯er, right? No way, he must keep an eye on her. His daughter was only eleven years old, so he couldn¡¯t let her be taken away by this big wolf. So what if he was the royal prince? Even the royal prince shouldn¡¯t casually touch other people¡¯s daughters!!


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know that her father had started to guard against him. He looked at Yu Xiaocao from top to bottom, and said, ¡°Eleven years old? I can¡¯t tell ah! You need to eat more in the future, so that you can grow taller and not end up bing a little shorty!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was very distressed about her short stature. She had been consuming mystic-stone water for more than two years, and Doctor Sun said that she had already recovered from the illness that she carried since she was a fetus. She had been eating very well for more than a year, but despite eating so much, she still couldn¡¯t gain much weight. Moreover, she hadn¡¯t grown much taller either. Xiaolian was almost half a head taller than her! Could it be due to theck of natural endowment?


    Seeing Yu Xiaocao looking dejected like a defeated kitten, Zhu Junyang felt bad and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Some people grow up earlier, while others growter. The youngest grandson of the mayor of the capital was only a little taller than you when he was fifteen, but after not seeing him for over a year, he was almost the same height as me. You¡¯re only eleven years old, so you still have six to seven years to grow.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao red at him and thought, ¡®Who¡¯s the one to stab other people in the heart first? You want to give me a red date after pping me? This maiden will remember this. From now on, I¡¯m going to make dishes that you don¡¯t like to eat!!¡¯


    She turned around angrily and went into the storage room to get the mystic-stone water used to breed vegetables. She called it breeding, but it was actually a very simple process. She just needed to soak the seeds in the mystic-stone water, and the seeds would be ready to be nted in a couple of days. The reserved watermelon seeds needed to be soaked until a small bud sprouted, which would increase their likelihood of survival when nted. Thus, they needed to be soaked for a few more days. That was just right, since they could nt the watermelons when they were done nting the vegetable seeds.


    This year¡¯s vegetables had been dyed for nearly half a month. In order to not dy the farming season, Madam Liu asked for the help of her close friends, paying them thirty copper coins per day. There was a total of four to five mu of vegetable fields, so with seven to eight people, they could finish the work in a day.


    After sowing the vegetables seeds, it was about time for Yu Xiaocao to go back to town to be a cook for her younger brother. In order to not affect the growth of the vegetables, Yu Xiaocao decided to just throw the multi-colored stone into the well in the backyard and asked the little divine stone to release its spiritual power into the water. After that, she solemnly instructed her father that he must use their family¡¯s well water to irrigate thend and watermelons with the reason that she discovered that there was something special about the water in their family¡¯s well.


    After being reminded by his daughter, Yu Hai also noticed that rice tasted better when cooked with their family¡¯s well water. It remained to be seen whether it was good for the vegetables and watermelons seedlings. There was one thing that was very good about Yu Hai, which was the fact that he firmly believed and followed his daughter¡¯s words.


    Of course, he also performed a small experiment. He selected a small portion of vegetable field to irrigate with the pond water behind the house instead of the well water. He soon noticed the difference. The vegetable field watered with well water did indeed grow faster and better than the portion that was irrigated with pond water.


    How did his daughter notice this? Did the immortal tell her in her dream? Or did the immortal cast magic in the well water? Yu Hai buried this question deep within his heart and never told anyone. As for the matter of the well water in their backyard being different from that of other ces, he held a small meeting with the family and told them not to mention this matter to others, lest it attract unnecessary trouble.


    With her father and oldest uncle at home, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any worries and concentrated on being a chef in town. After the result of the exam was published, the fathers of Sun Runze and Liu Jinye came over again. They each gave her fifty taels as food expense and asked her to please take care of their children. With the same mindset of ¡®whether it was one sheep or three sheep, she still needed to herd them¡¯, she didn¡¯t decline their requests.

 Chapter 327 – Sulky

    <h4>Chapter 327 ¨C Sulky</h4>


    In the courtyard of the residence in town, she freed up a small area ofnd to nt various kinds of vegetables. With the little divine stone, the vegetables that they wanted to eat were made to mature faster, and it was alright since the other two little fellows knew nothing about farming and only thought that the vegetables nted by Yu Xiaocao grew quite fast.


    Zhu Junyang stopped going to Dongshan Vige once he found out that Yu Xiaocao was acting as a cook for her little brother, who was preparing to sit for the prefectural examination. He bought a house near their residence in town and brought Head Steward Liu along to visit them every day so that he could join in on the meals.


    Every day, Yu Xiaocao struggled toe up with new ideas for their meals. Spring was about the time when the ingredients werecking¡ªthe Yu Family still had vegetables, but meat was a different matter altogether. The pork, chicken and duck meat that they had stored fromst year were nearly finished, but the three children loved meat, so if she made them go vegetarian, they probably would not stand it after a few days.


    When the children went off to the academy, Yu Xiaocao began to loiter around in the market, looking to see if there were meat or eggs to buy, but she was only met with disappointment. The people were all afraid to waste food during the year of disasters, so everyone had quickly taken care of their livestock and poultry. Wild game was also out of the question as wildlife on the mountain had also decreased massively in number.


    While she was loitering around town, she met Third Young Master Zhou, who was rushing back from the prefectural city. The elegant youngster who wore bright clothes and paraded through the streets on his horse saw her looking perturbed, and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, are you troubled? Our families are so close; what¡¯s stopping you from sharing your problems?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao remembered that Zhenxiu Restaurant never seemed to becking in ingredients, so Third Young Master Zhou must have his ways. As such, she told him her problem.


    ¡°I might not be able to help you on other issues, but this problem isn¡¯t even a problem to me! My Zhou Family has our own ship and we head south twice every month to stock up, so we¡¯re nevercking in meat and eggs. You can just get them from the back kitchen whenever you want to...or rather, I¡¯ll just let Qian Xiaoduo deliver meat and eggs to you twice every week. That¡¯s a deal!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou knew Yu Xiaocao was too polite, so if he let her take from the restaurant herself, she¡¯d definitely be ill-at-ease. Since he had alreadye this far, he might as well have someone deliver it to her.


    Embarrassed, Yu Xiaocao replied, ¡°Thank you so much. However, I mustpensate you for the ingredients, otherwise...¡±


    ¡°Why must you regard me as an outsider? I¡¯ll deduct the cost of the ingredients from your share of the profit, will that do?¡± Displeased, Third Young Master Zhou said as he red at her. Sometimes, Yu Xiaocao was just too polite as if she did not take him for family! If he did not take her money, she would definitely not ept the ingredients. He would im to have deducted the cost from her share of the profit, but she would not actually know if he did it or not anyway.


    At the end of every year, Yu Xiaocao would pop up to get her deserved profit from her share of the dividends from her roasted poultry recipes and the factories they shared. She never counted the banknotes she was given and instead left immediately. She never took a look at the ounts, too¡ªseemingly not even afraid of being cheated. Of course, he would never mistreat his own people!


    Yu Xiaocaoughed dryly, changing the topic, ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been busy with the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the prefectural city. How is it going? When will it be open for business?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s set at the start of next month...oh, right, how are your family¡¯s vegetables? If we could create a vegetable feast as a gimmick when the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the prefectural city opens for business, it¡¯d definitely be a huge sess!¡± Thinking of this, Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s eyes lit up, staring unwaveringly at Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao pondered over it, then smiled, ¡°When the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the prefectural city opens for business, I should be able to harvest a little, although it won¡¯t be a lot, or of much variety¡ªit¡¯ll consist mostly of green leafy vegetables...¡±


    Zhu Junyang stared at Yu Xiaocao who stood not far away, smiling happily; and by her side, Third Young Master Zhou who had a look of joy and focused his gaze solely on her. The harmonious sight made him boil with rage. A violent urge to tear everything apart surged in him.


    Head Steward Liu who stood behind him could feel his master¡¯s emotions start to spin out of control, and he tensed up immediately. He followed his master¡¯s cold and violent gaze and saw Yu Xiaocao. She was like a life saviour to him as he hurriedly called out, ¡°Miss Yu, how coincidental!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao who was busy discussing the prices of the dishes with Third Young Master Zhou turned towards the voice. Her heart trembled when she saw a cold-faced Royal Prince Yang who exuded an unapproachable aura. She remembered that Princess Consort Jing had once hinted about Royal Prince Yang to be seemingly possessed by a demon when he was in a temper¡ªa person without sense or reason. She cursed silently in her heart, ¡®Which idiot angered this bad-tempered cheetah? Nonsense aside, let¡¯s quickly calm him down!


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, how have you had free time toe out for a stroll today?¡± Although Yu Xiaocao was reluctant, she still slowly inched towards him with a slightly tense smile. The closer she got with Royal Prince Yang, the colder it seemed to get. Yu Xiaocao felt that her hairs were about to stand at attention.


    Royal Prince Yang stared coldly at her with his bloodshot eyes, not speaking a word. Innocently, Yu Xiaocao blinked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Who offended you? I¡¯ll help you to beat him up so you can feel better. Don¡¯t let out your anger on innocent bystanders, ok?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Royal Prince Yang squeezed out a word and the surrounding air seemed to freeze. Head Steward Liu secretly prepared himself while he cried on the inside, ¡®The master teaches the disciple but dies of hunger. Ever since Master turned 15 years old, I¡¯ve never been able to best him. In a moment, when Master¡¯s temper res up, I need to do my best to restrain him even if it takes all of my strength. Hopefully Miss Yu will be able to sessfully douse the fire!¡¯


    ¡°Me?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes widened as she pointed to herself, confused, ¡°What did I do? ...You mean...I offended you? When? How did I not know?¡±


    Zhu Junyang still stared frostily at her, making Yu Xiaocao feel as though she had been targeted by a starving leopard. She was in imminent danger and unable to escape. Inwardly, sheughed bitterly, making the decision to act cute after a bit of thought.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s big eyes brightened, then she hit the back of her left hand twice with her right hand, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have eyes and offended the young royal prince! You deserve to be hit...¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve already ¡®beat up¡¯ the person who offended you, is it ok now?¡± Yu Xiaocao blinkingly watched Royal Prince Yang as the mischievous dimples at the edge of her lips flickered.


    Head Steward Liu wiped his face, ¡®Miss Yu, do you think you are coaxing a 3-year-old child? Who are you trying to fool?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s gaze traveled slowly from Yu Xiaocao¡¯s try-hard cute face to her left hand that was hit. The fair and tender skin on the back of her hand now had a spot of red, and it was such an eyesore to look at. He could not help but furrow his eyebrows as the red in his eyes slowly faded, although his gaze stayed on the little hand that had turned red from a few hits.


    ¡°What? Is the punishment unsatisfactory? I¡¯ll hit a few more times until your anger dissipates!¡± Yu Xiaocao was slightly relieved when she felt the oppressive aura around her start to lift. She raised her right hand and aimed towards her left hand. She actually did not hit hard¡ªher skin was just too fair and tender, so even a light touch would cause it to redden, although it would also fade quickly.


    Arge hand caught her right hand and prevented it from hitting her left hand. Following the big hand, she raised her gaze to see Royal Prince Yang¡¯s creased brows, seemingly displeased. Finally, he showed expression, albeit, one of displeasure, but it was enough to feel as though they had gone from the South Pole to the warm town in spring.


    ¡°Since when was it your role to teach a lesson to the people that offended me?¡± The irritated beast in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart seemed to have settled into hibernation after he saw the red patch on the small hand. He looked at Yu Xiaocao and wanted to hit someone, but at the same time he was also afraid of not being able to control his strength and seriously injuring someone. He felt so ambivalent and irritated.


    Head Steward Liu finally put his heart back into his stomach. As long as his master spoke normally, it meant that he had his senses back. He was filled with gratitude towards Yu Xiaocao: Miss Yu was indeed a professional at dousing fires¡ªshe sessfully extinguished a fire again.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face crumpled in fear, ¡°Then...you¡¯ll do it yourself? But please be gentle, I¡¯m scared of pain...if my hand is swollen, I won¡¯t be able to cook delicious meals for you.¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the ignorant Third Young Master Zhou who had moved over and his irritation red. He dropped Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand, unpleasantly saying, ¡°When did I say I wanted to hit you? There are many forms of punishment, I¡¯ll have to think about how to punish you...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s courage increased when she noticed that the danger was eradicated, ¡°Before you punish thismoner girl, can I be informed of the offense I havemitted, so that I can die with a clear conscience?¡±


    Zhu Junyang huffed coldly, ¡°Even until now, you still don¡¯t know your offense¨Cthat¡¯s one more fault...¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou could finally speak up, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, Xiaocao is still young and there will definitely be areas where she will not be so thorough, please have mercy...¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Someone is pleading for you¡ªanother fault!¡± Zhu Junyang was even more infuriated. ¡®I¡¯m the one talking here, so what business is it of yours? Go back to wherever you came from!¡¯


    Third Young Master Zhou still wanted to say something but he was stopped by Head Steward Liu. Head Steward Liu could faintly feel that his master¡¯s temper this time had something to do with Miss Yu and this fellow. He would not be able to guess the oue if he allowed Third Young Master Zhou to continue interfering!


    Head Steward Liu hurriedly changed the topic while smiling broadly, ¡°Miss Yu, you¡¯re going somewhere?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt absolutely no pressure when she spoke to Head Steward Liu. She smilingly replied, ¡°The ingredients left at home aren¡¯t enough. Third Young Master Zhou said that he could give me some from Zhenxiu Restaurant. I was just about to head over to the restaurant to get some ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me if there aren¡¯t enough ingredients? What kind of ingredients can¡¯t I get for you, until you have to beg for them from a restaurant?¡± Zhu Junyang got even more displeased and grumbled cholericly.


    Yu Xiaocao maintained her smile, ¡°Young Royal Prince, poultry, meat and eggs are a bit hard to buy in Tanggu Town, and it would take too long if I sourced from other ces. Zhenxiu Restaurant will restock their ingredients every month, so it¡¯s just as though they¡¯re helping me to buy ingredients at the same time. It¡¯s also because my family has been in a partnership with Zhenxiu Restaurant for many years, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t trouble Third Young Master Zhou.¡±

 Chapter 328 – Jealousy?

    <h4>Chapter 328 ¨C Jealousy?</h4>


    Zhu Junyang was even more upset that he had not been thorough in his consideration¡ªwhy had he not thought of sending over more ingredients? He turned to Head Steward Liu and ordered, ¡°Go, have Wu Deshun quickly send some people to the prefectural city to purchase some ingredients¡ªespecially all kinds of meat and eggs. If they can¡¯t be bought in the prefectural city, go to the capital city!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s lips twitched, mumbling, ¡°Even if you go buy now, it would still take a long time. Are we just going to eat vegetarian dishes for lunch and dinner like a rabbit?¡±


    ¡°This prince will treat you to Zhenxiu Restaurant for lunch and dinner!¡± After eating so many meals at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s, it seemed he still had not treated her to a meal!


    Yu Xiaocao fluttered her big eyes andined, ¡°We probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get a table if we went now...¡±


    Zhu Junyang lifted his chin and red at Third Young Master Zhou, ¡°You... what do you think?¡±


    Zhou Zixu wiped sweat off his forehead,ughing along, ¡°It¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s utmost honor to have Royal Prince Yang dine in our restaurant. Thismoner will treat lunch, so please honor us with your presence, Royal Prince Yang!¡±


    The Zhou Family were imperial merchants, but if the Zhenxiu Restaurant was to be sessful in the capital city, they would still need to get themselves a strong backing. Royal Prince Yang was currently one of the most influential people in the capital city, and also the emperor¡¯s most trusted officials¡ªit would be great if they could get his support, and even if they couldn¡¯t, he must also leave a good impression on him.


    Unexpectedly, Zhu Junyang did not appreciate the gesture. Instead, he proudly said, ¡°Does this prince need to repeat myself? Lunch and dinner will be my treat! Am I unable to even afford two tables at a restaurant?¡±


    Royal Prince Yang was indeed a member of the imperial family¡ªhe was as moody as the rumors said! Third Young Master Zhou really could not grasp his temper, so he turned his pleading gaze towards Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao, who got his signal, spoke to Zhu Junyang, ¡°At this moment, Zhenxiu Restaurant wouldn¡¯t have any fresh vegetables. Why don¡¯t we go back to harvest some to bring over? Or you could head over to Zhenxiu Restaurant first and wait for us?¡±


    Zhu Junyang spoke without thinking, ¡°How important are you to have this prince wait for you? Go back and harvest the vegetables! The three little fellows should be finishing their lessons; send someone to notify them to head directly to Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked around him. The only servant he brought with him was Head Steward Liu, who had already been sent off, so it was only the two of them left¡ªwho was to go and notify the trio? ¡®Young Royal Prince, can you harvest vegetables, or can you do errands?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang nced at the manservant beside Third Young Master Zhou. He did not even need to speak before Third Young Master Zhou offered, ¡°I¡¯ll send Simo. He has met the little brother of the Yu Family and he knows the way to Rongxuan Academy. Royal Prince Yang, you should go back and rest for a little while, thismoner will make the arrangements at Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡±


    Zhu Junyang arrogantly nodded. It seemed that only when he was around the Yu Family¡ªor, more specifically, Yu Xiaocao¡ªwould he show his friendly and approachable side.


    The three little fellows jumped for joy when they received the news¡ªespecially Sun Runze, who had always regarded it as an honor to be able to dine in Zhenxiu Restaurant. Just because one was rich, it did not guarantee them a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant, as their tables required a long waiting time. His family did not live in Tanggu Town, so naturally, his father would not spend so much time or money just for a meal in the restaurant.


    Fortunately, they ate in a private room and not in the hall, or else Yu Xiaocao would definitely attract the attention of the rest of the customers by bringing her own vegetables. Even though Head Chef Wang had gone to the capital, the head of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s kitchen was his direct disciple, and his culinary skills were even better than his master¡¯s. They were very satisfied with their meal.


    The only person who was unsatisfied was Zhu Junyang. His eyes shot daggers at Third Young Master Zhou: ¡®Why is this fellow so untactful? Must he unashamedly join them¡ªdoes he not know that he¡¯s annoying?¡¯


    Zhou Zixu expressed his innocence and bewilderment: ¡®Royal Prince Yang doesn¡¯t seem to like me; when did I offend him?


    In the room, Zhou Zixu asked about the three kids, who were going to sit for the prefectural examination, ¡°Including the rest time in between, it¡¯ll take about half a month toplete all three stages of the prefectural examination. Have you all thought through where you will stay?¡±


    Sun Runze was eating a roasted chicken drumstick and his mouth was covered in ayer of oil. He swallowed his food and replied, ¡°Of course we¡¯ll stay in my house! My house is near the prefectural yamen, so it¡¯s very convenient!¡±


    Liu Jinye, unwilling to be outdone, said, ¡°My family has a residence that¡¯s opposite the examination courtyard¡ªstaying at my ce will be even more convenient!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had already decided beforehand that she would see her brother off to his examination in the prefectural city, but she was reluctant to stay in the homes of other people. However, it was more inconvenient if she stayed in an inn, as it would be too noisy, and she also would not be able to cook for her little brother.


    Third Young Master Zhou could sense her hesitation, so he said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to stay in their houses, I also have a residence in the prefectural city. However, it¡¯s further away from the examination courtyard¡ªabout half an hour¡¯s walking distance.¡±


    He had not even finished his sentence before Royal Prince Yang red at him. In his heart, Zhu Junyang mumbled: ¡®He definitely has evil intentions to contribute without reason! This guy always sticks close to Yu Xiaocao¡ªhe must have an ulterior motive. Xiaocao is as pure as a piece of white paper, so he must prevent her from being tainted by others!¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s there to hesitate? You¡¯re notcking in money¡ªjust buy a house near the examination courtyard! If you¡¯re reluctant to spend the money, I¡¯ll sponsor part of it!¡± Zhu Junyang did not want Xiaocao to have any affiliation with Third Young Master Zhou.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it with her head lowered: ¡®It¡¯s not a bad idea to buy one if there¡¯s a suitable house. There will always be students who will sit for the prefectural examination every year, so if the house is near to the examination courtyard, she won¡¯t worry about being unable to rent it out. However, who would sell a house with such a good location?¡¯


    After she expressed her concerns, Zhu Junyang took on everything as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry and just leave this matter to this prince. I guarantee that I¡¯ll find a suitable one for you before the prefectural examination.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t saying this blindly. He knew that Jinwei Prefectural City¡¯s prefectural magistrate had a few residences and shophouses in the prefectural city. There was one shophouse near the examination courtyard. It was a shop in the front, while there was a small three-sectionedpound at the back. Xiaocao should be very satisfied with it.


    He was not at all worried that the owner would not sell the shophouse. The prefectural magistrate worked under his father, Imperial Prince Jing, when he was younger. It was only with this connection that he managed to be the prefectural magistrate. His term as the prefectural magistrate was almost up, and his promotion dependedpletely on Prince Jing¡¯s mood. Zhu Junyang also would not take advantage of the prefectural magistrate¡ªhe would pay whatever the cost of the shophouse.


    Although she was doubtful of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s words, Yu XIaocao stayed silent. If she could not buy a suitable residence, she would just shamelessly live in Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s residence. He did not stay there often anyway.


    Zhu Junyang could tell that Xiaocao doubted him. In a fit of anger, he rushed to the prefectural city the following day and exined his purpose to Prefectural Magistrate Yan. Prefectural Magistrate Yan knew that his term was up in less than a year, and although the location of the shophouse near the prefectural examination courtyard was excellent, it was still not as important as his own future. Without hesitation, he immediately sold the shophouse to Royal Prince Yang at a very low price.


    Pleased with his actions, Zhu Junyang wrote a letter to his father once he got back to Tanggu Town and put in a good word for Prefectural Magistrate Yan. A yearter, Prefectural Magistrate Yan became the mayor of the capital city. Although he was still a fourth-rank official, could the officials in the capital city bepared to those outside? As mayor, he controlled the government of the capital and the areas around it. He was considered to be quite a high authority!


    Since Zhu Junyang took on the duty of providing the ingredients, and the location in the prefectural city was also set, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s only duty everyday was to feelfortable, and ensure that the three little ones and the young prince were satisfied with their meals.


    Time passed quickly. Unknowingly, the prefectural examination was only three days away. It was about time that they left for the prefectural city. Originally, Yu Hai was worried about the brother and sister duo heading to the prefectural city by themselves. Even though Yu Xiaocao was capable, she was still just a child. But it was currently the busiest time in the fields. A portion of the vegetables that they nted was ready to be harvested. Moreover, the few dozen mu of melon fields also needed to be cared for. They could not afford any mishaps. During this time, he was so busy he could not help but wish there were two of him to do all the work.


    The prefectural examination was an important matter for his son and the entire family. No matter how busy he was, he must still make time to send his children to the prefectural city and see to it that they had settled infortably¡ªonly then would he be able to rest his worries.


    Although, before they set off, Royal Prince Yang told him that he was also heading towards the prefectural city and that he could apany Yu Xiaocao and her brother. Yu Hai was quite reassured to know that Royal Prince Yang was following them, so he only reminded them of the important details before readily putting them in Royal Prince Yang¡¯s care.


    It was not because he was trusting, but that Royal Prince Yang still depended on his daughter to cultivate corn¡ªhow could he dare to let anything happen to her?


    The horse carriage that they took was also prepared by Royal Prince Yang. It was the kind offortable big carriage pulled by three horses that was extremely suitable for long distance travel. It felt spacious even if Yu Xiaocao and her brother were to roll around in it.


    Before they set off, Qian Wen, who had agreed to travel with the siblings, was both stunned and disappointed when he saw the mourous horse carriage. No matter how hard he tried, he still could not catch up to her footsteps. Was the distance between him and her ever increasing?


    Horse hooves cked against the ground, and the carriage started to move. Inside the carriage, only Little Shitou bbered non-stop.


    Just as they exited the vige, they were stopped by someone. Yu Xiaocao lifted the curtain only to see the Madam Zhang who she hated the most. The coachman was obviously a person trained in martial arts as he pointed the whip in his hand at Madam Zhang and shouted, ¡°Stop! I won¡¯t be courteous to you if youe any closer!¡±


    Royal Prince Yang said with slight annoyance, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Just ignore irrelevant people! Hurry up!¡±


    Madam Zhang quickly pointed towards her youngest son, who stood behind her, saying, ¡°Thismoner greets Your Highness, Royal Prince Yang. I¡¯ve heard that this carriage is headed towards the prefectural city. This is Yu Xiaocao and Little Shitou¡¯s younger uncle. He¡¯s also headed towards the prefectural city to sit for the examination. Can you please bring us along out of convenience?¡±


    Madam Zhang was going all out for her youngest son; she knew that Royal Prince Yang was not easy to talk to, but still shamelessly made a request. If they could not make it onto this carriage, they would still need to walk to town to catch a ride. The horse carriage from town to the prefectural city was not asfortable as the royal prince¡¯s, not to mention it was bumpy and extremely slow. Even the Yu Family¡¯s horse carriage was better¡ªat least they used rubber tires!


    Royal Prince Yang was aware of how Madam Zhang treated Yu Hai¡¯s family, especially when she refused to give them money to pay for Xiaocao¡¯s treatment when she was sick. Every time he recalled this matter, he could not help but want to kill Madam Zhang with a p. But there was no legitimate reason now! No matter what, she was still the biological mother of Xiaocao¡¯s younger uncle. Yu Bo would definitely not dare to do anything against him if he killed her, but what if he directed his hatred towards Xiaocao¡¯s family? Although he was confident that he could protect Xiaocao, he could not always be in Dongshan Vige. Thus, he could not take this risk!


    As he was inwardly grumbling and about ready to sternly refuse her, Zhu Junyang noticed Yu Xiaocao waving at him. Nudging his horse towards her, he bent down to listen to Xiaocao whisper two sentences to him. Then, he pointed at Yu Bo, ¡°He can get on the carriage, but you can¡¯t!¡±

 Chapter 329 – Back to the Prefectural City

    <h4>Chapter 329 ¨C Back to the Prefectural City</h4>


    Madam Zhang looked at the situation and silently cursed Yu Xiaocao for causing trouble. If that little brat wasn¡¯t here, how could the royal prince not allow her to get on the carriage? One had to admire Madam Zhang for her self-confidence!


    Madam Zhang was about to say something but Zhu Junyang had long lost his patience, ¡°You have two choices. The first is that he takes the carriage alone. The second is that neither of you are allowed to sit in the carriage!!¡±


    Yu Bo noticed that the royal prince had already be angry and hurriedly spoke to his mother, ¡°Mother, I¡¯m not a child anymore so I don¡¯t need you to escort me! I¡¯m already familiar with the prefectural city and I have an old schoolmate there. We¡¯ve alreadye to an agreement that I¡¯ll lodge at his house. Don¡¯t worry! Just wait at home for the good news.¡±


    Madam Zhang hatefully red at the carriage as if she could see through the exterior and look straight at that brat, Xiaocao.


    Fury rose up in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart, so he snapped the whip in his hands towards Madam Zhang with a loud and crisp snap. Madam Zhang retreated a few steps out of rm and her legs softened beneath her. She sat on the ground stupidly and the cruel expression on her face immediately changed to frightened.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhu Junyangmanded the driver. ¡®This prince was helping your son out of the merciful kindness of my own heart because Yu Bo is Xiaocao¡¯s younger uncle, but this old woman still dares to re at Xiaocao. Are you trying to court death here?¡¯


    Although Madam Zhang wasn¡¯t sure why Royal Prince Yang suddenly became angry, she knew that if the carriage left now, her son would need to spend an entire day to get to the prefectural city. Furthermore, he would have to spend money to do so. She didn¡¯t know where she got the courage and strength from, but she flung herself at the carriage and grabbed the wheel with her two hands. She shouted loudly, ¡°Royal Prince, it was this old woman who was greedy. We¡¯ll do as you say and only my son will go along...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. Neither of you two are allowed to sit on my carriage! Unless...¡± Zhu Junyang looked at Madam Zhang with disdain as he waited for her to react.


    ¡°Unless what?¡± When Madam Zhang saw that there was still leeway, she hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Unless you apologize to Xiaocao!¡± Zhu Junyang remembered her previous poisonous re and felt hate bubble up.


    Madam Zhang wanted to refuse and asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We can set aside what you were thinking about earlier, but don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t remember how you treated her whole family in the past? Do you truly believe you don¡¯t owe her an apology?¡± Although Zhu Junyang really didn¡¯t want to talk to this old woman, he had a ball of resentment in his heart towards her.


    Madam Zhang opened her mouth to reply when her youngest son pulled on the corner of her jacket. Yu Bo was speechless in front of his mother, who had no idea of the gravity of the situation. Royal Prince Yang could just lift one finger and destroy their family. They should be doing all they could to follow his wishes, yet his mother kept wanting to press her luck. Was there any benefit to be had if they offended Royal Prince Yang?


    Only now did Madam Zhang recall that she was asking for a favor from the other person. People needed to learn when to bow and submit and when to stand tall. For the sake of her son, she was willing to back down, ¡°Xiaocao ah, in the past, it was Grandmother¡¯s fault. However, our family was poor, so we didn¡¯t have a lot of food. We had many mouths to feed, so we couldn¡¯t just do things for the sake of you and let everyone else starve ah! After all of these years, now your family is doing very well, so please just let bygones be bygones ah!¡±


    Was this an apology? From the words that she used and the odd intonation in her voice that sounded vaguely of jealousy, this was words of dissention disguised as an apology, right? Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t someone to take a loss for nothing, ¡°Old Lady Zhang, we don¡¯t have such a malicious grandmother in our family. Don¡¯t forget, my grandfather has already peacefully separated from you!¡±


    ¡°In addition, don¡¯t try to pull the wool over everyone¡¯s eyes as if we¡¯re all stupid, okay? When I was ill, you were able to use the excuse that the family was poor so you couldn¡¯t take out any money for me to see the doctor. That was somewhat eptable. However, when my father¡¯s leg was savaged by a bear, the three hundred taels that Uncle Zhao gave us after selling the bear had all been given to you. We didn¡¯t hold back a single copper. But what did you do? You were so miserly that you couldn¡¯t bear to spend a single tael to let the doctor treat my father¡¯s leg. When we split from the family, you were even more cruel. We were thrown out of the house as if we were a bunch of beggars and were given next to nothing. If it wasn¡¯t for my grandfather insisting on it, I reckon that we wouldn¡¯t have even gotten the few taels that we did! That was three hundred taels ah! At the time, we had the injured, the sick, the weak, and underage children with us! Anyone with a speck of morality within them wouldn¡¯t have hogged all of the three hundred taels without giving us even a little bit!!¡±


    ¡®Weren¡¯t you trying to use your connection with us to gain an advantage ah? I¡¯ll broadcast it loud and clear to everyone around us, so they can discuss who is right and wrong.¡¯ Popr opinion was turning as people¡¯s hearts generally knew what was fairness and justice. At this moment, there were quite a number of people surrounding the Royal Prince¡¯s luxurious carriage to send the Yu Family¡¯s brother-sister pair off. All of them were giving Madam Zhang dirty looks.


    Yu Bo felt his face heat up in embarrassment as shame settled into his heart after hearing what his mother had done.


    Yu Xiaocao continued, ¡°The horrible things you¡¯ve done to us can be somewhat exined as my father isn¡¯t your biological son. After all, people will always be selfish. However, a married couple is a different story. My grandfather had spent over twenty years with you and helped you raise your oldest son, who¡¯s not blood rted to him. In his old age, for the sake of supporting your family, he went out to sea every day, in rain or shine, to fish without rest. But how did you end up treating him? You couldn¡¯t bear to spend some money to treat a minor illness and let it be a serious infection. Then you threw him into a cramped, damaged room to let him die. You didn¡¯t even give him any water to drink. If I didn¡¯te by to visit in time, my grandfather wouldn¡¯t have died from his illness but would have perished of thirst or starved to death!¡±


    ¡°If the heavens didn¡¯t pity us, my whole family along with my grandfather would have all been bankrupt and perished from your actions! But you just easily say that we should ¡®let bygones be bygones¡¯ to forgive your sins. But isn¡¯t that covering everything you have done?¡± Everything that Yu Xiaocao mentioned was giving Madam Zhang a giant p on her face. Her dirty deeds had finally been let out into the open.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s face turned bright red as she saw her fellow vigers all pointing and whispering. If there was a crack in the ground right now, she would have jumped into it already!


    Yu Bo¡¯s face became painfully flushed. With such a mother pulling him down, what could he do? His head hung down as if it had a thousand catties hanging from it. His voice was as quiet as the buzzing of a mosquito as he said, ¡°Xiaocao, let me apologize on the behalf of my mother. I¡¯ve spent most of the years studying outside and didn¡¯t know my mother had done so many horrible things. I¡¯m truly sorry...¡±


    Even after hearing his apology, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have much of a good opinion of her younger uncle. Everything that Madam Zhang did was for the sake of money. Wasn¡¯t the old woman so stingy for the sake of one person? Obviously, Madam Zhang did everything for Yu Bo¡¯s studies and future. Now, Yu Bo pushed all of the me onto his mother as if he was oh-so-innocent and pitiful as well. These two people were definitely truly mother and son. Their selfish personalities were exactly the same.


    However, in the end, Yu Bo was still her younger uncle, and he had never done anything to harm them directly. For the sake of her grandfather, she wouldn¡¯t make it too ugly, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. If Younger Uncle ns on taking the carriage with us to the prefectural city, thene up ah! The carriage is too small and seating four people is already pretty crowded. As for everyone else, we¡¯ll have to say no!¡±


    Qian Wen was only fourteen years old and could go by himself to the prefectural city for the examinations. Was Yu Bo like a five to six year old child and still needed his mother toe along?


    Although Yu Bo wanted to resolutely refuse for the sake of his face, it would take him almost an extra day to transfer from the town to the prefectural city. Time was money and having extra time could be the difference between a good or bad result. Therefore, time was of utmost importance! He had no choice but to lower himself! Yu Bo took the luggage from Madam Zhang¡¯s hands and silently climbed up the carriage. After he got on, he didn¡¯t enter the inner area and instead sat next to the driver outside.


    Zhu Junyang gave him a look full of disgust, ¡®If you resolutely refused to sit on my carriage, then I would have seen you in a different light! However, you ride my carriage yet sit on the outside. Are you trying to throw a temper tantrum? Who cares about you?!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was also thinking the same thing as she sat on the inside. it was better that he didn¡¯te in! Less room to waste!


    The inside of the carriage was quite spacious and could actually hold a fold-down table in the middle. There were also nooks that could hold some extra snacks and other items. The three of them had just eaten breakfast, so they weren¡¯t interested in snacking at the moment. However, it would take them many hours to get to the prefectural city. If they just sat there the entire time, wouldn¡¯t it be too boring?


    Qian Wen took out a book and prepared to silently read aloud. However, Little Shitou got his attention, ¡°Older Brother Xiaowen, the carriage will be swaying a lot, so it will injure your eyes to read here. Second Sister, think of a fun game for us to pass the time ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took out a deck of cards that she had made herself and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve already made preparations! Come, let¡¯s y ¡®three peasants against thendlord¡¯ [1]!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so ¡®fight thendlord¡¯ can also be done with three people ah!! Older Brother Xiaowen, ¡®fight thendlord¡¯ is a lot of fun and really easy to learn. I¡¯ll teach you!¡± As Yu Xiaocao dealt the cards, Little Shitou exined the rules of the game to Qian Wen.


    Since Qian Wen was a good student, he naturally wasn¡¯t stupid, so he figured out how to y the game very quickly. Within moments, the three of them yed excitedly in the carriage. Peals ofughter and delighted shrieks could be heard from time to time from the inner carriage.


    Zhu Junyang was also quite young and was at the stage in his life when he was interested in everything. From time to time, he would lift the curtain in the carriage and look around. Luckily, he had good horsemanship, so even when he was crouching down, his horse was still obedient. Otherwise, he would have been thrown off long ago.


    Head Steward Liu felt as if he was on tenterhooks as he watched his master repeatedly raise the curtain in the carriage. Finally, he spoke up, ¡°Master, there¡¯s quite a bit to travel before we get to the prefectural city. How about you go inside to rest a bit?¡±


    The road from Tanggu Town to the prefectural city could be finished in four hours if Zhu Junyang spurred his horse at top speed. On a military mission, he could sit on a horse all day without getting tired, so why would he need to rest now? However, this gave him the excuse to enter the carriage. He had the driver stop the carriage while he swiftly entered inside.


    With anotherrge body inside, Xiaocao naturally couldn¡¯t just leave him out to dry as the three of them yed. Thus, the four of them started ying ¡®fight thendlord¡¯. Zhu Junyang¡¯s luck was quite bad and he always pulled thendlord card without ever winning once. Before long, his handsome face had been stuckpletely with scraps of paper. If you agreed to bet, you must ept the possibility of losing as that was part of the rules of the game. Although Zhu Junyang was a noble and respected royal prince, he still yed by the rules.


    Head Steward Liu stayed outside and could hear his master¡¯s cheerfulughter from time to time. His spirits also rose. Miss Yu was truly incredible to be able to find ways to make his master happy. Many years had gone by and this was the first time in a long while since his master was able tough with such delight. His master was currently like a simple and happy child, simr to how he was more than ten years ago. It brought him back to when he first came to serve his master. At first nce, he saw his tiny master, running around the garden with delight andughter...


    With an entertaining card game, the usually long and monotonous journey became merry and short. Before they knew it, the carriage had already passed through therge gates of the prefectural city.

 Chapter 330 – Settling Down

    <h4>Chapter 330 ¨C Settling Down</h4>


    His master and the Yu Family¡¯s siblings spent the whole journey there ying cards. For lunch, they only ate a few bites of the snacks that were in the carriage to whet their hunger. Everyone was in the midst of having fun, so Head Steward Liu directed the driver to go to the Zhenxiu Restaurant branch that had just opened recently in the prefectural city.


    The prefectural city¡¯s branch had only been open for ten days, so business was booming. Currently it was past the usual time to eat lunch, but when they entered to look, the restaurant was stillpletely full of diners. Luckily, the manager of this branch was the old head manager of the Tanggu Town branch. The new manager at Tanggu Town was now Qian Xiaoduo.


    The head manager had long been informed by his master that the Yu Family¡¯s siblings were going to the prefectural city. If they came to Zhenxiu Restaurant, they could use the reserved private room to dine. Thus, the whole group of people went up to the third floor¡¯s private room under the envious gazes of all of the other customers.


    Yu Bo had long heard about Tanggu Town¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s exquisite food. The food was known to be incredibly delicious but the prices were also very high. In addition, getting a table there was very hard. He naturally never had the chance to even try one of the dishes there. However, he would not have expected that he would have the opportunity to dine at Zhenxiu Restaurant after bumming a ride off of the royal prince.


    Under the warm reception of the head manager, the group of people entered the private room. Yu Bo had originally thought that the head manager was only treating them so politely because the royal prince was with them. However, after silently observing for a bit, he discovered that the head manager¡¯s demeanor towards his niece was even more warm and weing than his demeanor towards the prince.


    He had also heard rumors that the young master of Zhenxiu Restaurant had a pretty good rtionship with his second older brother¡¯s family. Perhaps...the Zhou Family¡¯s young master fancied his niece, so the head manager was being weing and polite to his future mistress? That couldn¡¯t be true, right? Although his second older brother¡¯s family now had some assets, they were still very far from the wealth and status of the Zhou Family. If the family backgrounds were not the same, how could the Zhou Family permit this marriage?


    Yu Bo, ah Yu Bo, your thoughts are going in thepletely wrong direction!


    The meal consisted of both meat and vegetable dishes, and all of them were pleasing to the eye while tasting incredible. Yu Xiaocao took a single bite and could tell this was the product of Chef Wang¡¯s hands. She was pretty sure that the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital was now stable and had been taken over by one of Chef Wang¡¯s disciples. Thus, he could personallye over here and supervise the prefectural city¡¯s branch!


    After they finished the meal, before Yu Bo left the group, he first asked whether Yu Xiaocao and her brother had a ce to stay. Once he found out they did, he left with a lightened heart to meet up with his schoolmate.


    ¡°Older Brother Xiaowen, did you already make arrangements for your stay?¡± Little Shitou asked.


    Qian Wen lightly shook his head, ¡°I was nning on finding an inn near the prefectural city¡¯s testing facility to rest in tonight. Then tomorrow I was going to go search for a more suitable living space...¡±


    Little Shitou somewhat excitedly replied, ¡°His Royal Highness helped us rent out a small residence. I heard that it¡¯s pretty close to the examination area. How about you live with us ah?¡±


    Qian Wen nced at Yu Xiaocao, who was currently talking to Royal Prince Yang. He hesitated for a second before he said, ¡°Let¡¯s first get you two settled and then we can talk about me ah!¡±


    Behind the two youths were Yu Xiaocao and Royal Prince Yang. They were currently discussing that residence. Yu Xiaocao looked at the deed that was given to her and it also had a transaction certificate with it. She was shocked beyond words and didn¡¯t quite dare believe what was in front of her as she said, ¡°The houses in the prefectural city are really this inexpensive? A three-sectioned residence only costs a hundred taels?¡±


    What she didn¡¯t say was this: ¡®Such a big residence must be broken beyond repair if it only cost a hundred taels ah! Is it even livable at this point?¡¯


    Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eyes seemed to be able to see into her heart as he resentfully said, ¡°This residence used to belong to someone I know. The family had to return back to the capital in a hurry and knew I was out looking for a residence. Thus, they went with the flow and half-sold it half-gave it to me. What, you have a problem with that?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao replied with a bit of embarrassment, ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do this. As long as the location was good, we would be able to take out the money to buy it at market price.¡±


    ¡°If you can get it for cheaper, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± What Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t mention was that the prefectural magistrate was nning on giving him this residence and thend around it. However, he refused the gift. There wasn¡¯t really a difference between him receiving it as a present and him buying it. This residence was worth at least seven hundred to eight hundred taels. By buying it for one hundred taels, it was pretty much the same as getting it for free.


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a cold re and stated, ¡°I¡¯m only thinking of you and the debt you might have incurred ah! It¡¯s easy to repay a debt of money but it¡¯s hard to return a debt of gratitude. I was concerned that he might have ulterior motives and want you to do something that makes you feel ufortable!¡±


    When Zhu Junyang heard her exnation, a cool refreshing feeling fell into his heart, as if he had just taken a sip of iced water on the hottest day of the year. This littless had improved and knew how to think about him!


    He proudly replied, ¡°Not a problem! I know what he wants and it¡¯s nothing difficult. Not a big deal at all!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao finally rxed. However, she still had to exhort him a bit, ¡°Problems that can be resolved with money are all not a big deal. I advise you to rely less on using connections. It¡¯s hard to fathom a person¡¯s mind. Who knows what other people are thinking!¡±


    ¡°So long-winded! Do you really need to state the obvious? However, if you have absolute power, you will have countless peopleing up to fawn over you. At that point, even if you take their things, they will take it as the ultimate honor! This is what power is!!¡± Royal Prince Yang was giving Yu Xiaocao a lesson on how ¡®a society that relied on hierarchy¡¯ worked.


    Only now did Yu Xiaocao remember that the person in front of her was a royal prince who was born into the imperial family. He was also someone the emperor himself looked highly upon. So, how could he be afraid of anyone?


    She took the deed for the residence and fished out a banknote worth a hundred taels. She stuffed it into the young royal prince¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll take it that I¡¯m basking in your glory and received a big advantage. In the future, I¡¯ll make more delicious food topensate you!¡±


    Zhu Junyang wanted to give the money back to her but he knew her stubborn personality. If he didn¡¯t take the money, she would refuse to take the deed to the house. It didn¡¯t matter. The future was long and he could graduallypensate the money she gave him through other methods.


    Zhenxiu Restaurant was located pretty close to the examination yard, so the group of them walked there as they chatted. This was the first time Little Shitou had been to the prefectural city. Thus, the entire way there he acted as if he wished he could have another pair of eyes to take in all of the sights. Yu Xiaocao thought he looked quite funny, ¡°After you finish taking your exam, we can spend a few more days in the city so you can y to your heart¡¯s content. The most important thing right now is to settle down as soon as we can!¡±


    Before long, the group had arrived at the newly bought residence. Facing the street was a small shop that still had people going in and out of it as they packed away thest of the goods. When the people there saw them approach, a middle-aged man, who looked like a shopkeeper, walked towards Head Steward Liu. He smiled, ¡°We¡¯re a bit behind schedule, so the shop hasn¡¯t beenpletely cleaned yet. Could we possibly get a couple more days? The residence behind the shop has already beenpletely cleaned so everyone can go in whenever they want!¡±


    Head Steward Liu turned to look at the current new owner of the residence¡ª¡ªYu Xiaocao. Yu Xiaocao nodded, ¡°My younger brother will be taking the prefectural exam in three days and needs some peace and quiet to study. Please quickly clean up everything!¡±


    Qian Wen felt a bit confused so he asked in a questioning tone, ¡°Shitou, the house you guys are renting has a shop in front ah! It must not be cheap, right?¡±


    Little Shitou scratched the back of his head and let out an awkwardugh, ¡°My second sister was in charge of everything in regards to renting a ce to live. I¡¯m not really sure. However, we are right across the street from the examination hall, so it¡¯s quite convenient. I guess this store fell behind on rent and so they¡¯re taking this opportunity to rent it out to students taking the exam, right? Let¡¯s go, we should go look at how big the residence is!¡±


    The residence was the perfect example of a three-sectioned house. The front section had been renovated into a store. After traversing through the main gate next to the store and turning past the screen wall, they passed through the inner main gate into the courtyard.


    Little Shitou remarked with slight disappointment, ¡°The courtyard is a lot smaller than the one at home. It¡¯s alsopletely bare and only has two trees...¡±


    Qian Wen silently thought, ¡®Your family¡¯s front courtyard and back courtyardbined must be a few mu in area. A courtyard that big in the prefectural city must cost at least a thousand taels, right? That being said, you¡¯re only renting for half a month before leaving. Does it really matter how big the courtyard is?¡¯


    The main building in the courtyard had three rooms with a side room on each side of the building. The two side wings also had three rooms each. Qian Wen thought for a bit and decided that if Yu Xiaocao had rented the entire courtyard, they wouldn¡¯t have enough people for all of the buildings. That would be a massive waste of money ah!


    Yu Xiaocao leisurely wandered through the courtyard. The courtyard had been cleaned up quite neatly and nothing in the rooms had been moved around. Thus, this residence was move-in ready and came already furnished. Even the quilts and articles for daily use had been changed into new ones. The utensils in the kitchen had clearly never been used before.


    ¡°Miss Yu, is there anything else you need us to acquire?¡± Head Steward Liu was quite pleased with the work his underlings had done, so he casually asked her.


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then replied, ¡°Everything looks good. I just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s hard to get food ingredients in the prefectural city or not!¡±


    Head Steward Liu eyed one of his underlings who was next to them. The servant hurriedly replied, ¡°All of the food has been bought ording to the list that the Head Steward gave us. Everything has been stored in the cer downstairs. Head Steward, please inspect it!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can leave! Tell the rest of them that if they don¡¯t have an order, they¡¯re not allowed to disturb us...¡± Head Steward Liu knew that his master didn¡¯t like other people besides Miss Yu hanging around him. There was no need for any maidservants or senior servants.


    As for the prince¡¯s personal safety, that also wasn¡¯t an issue. Head Steward Liu was the best of the best. Furthermore, all of the bodyguards that came with them were housed in the two residences next to this one. That¡¯s right, his master not only bought this residence but also the two next to this one. Ah, was doing all of this worth it for the sake of Miss Yu¡¯s younger brother taking his examination?


    In the end, they had sessfully persuaded Qian Wen to stay with them. On one hand, this courtyard wasrge and spacious, and there were a lot of rooms. Royal Prince Yang resided in the main building and the two Yu siblings were housed in the east wing. Thus, the west wing was still empty. At this time, it was hard to say whether they could find another house that was suitable to rent. Inns were loud and full of people, how could they be as peaceful and calm as this ce?


    Although Qian Wen decided to stay, he insisted on paying his portion of the rent. Blood-rted brothers would make sure to split the bill, so how could two neighbors, who only had decent rtions, not?


    The next day, Little Shitou went out to pay a visit to his two good ssmates in the city. When he came back, he brought back two little tails along. Sun Runze and Liu Jinye were trying to bum a meal off of them. Little Shitou had traveled a long way, so technically it should have been those two taking him out for a meal. However, they were unable to reserve a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant and all of the other restaurants in the area served food that was nowhere near as delicious as the food Yu Fan¡¯s second sister made.


    Consequently, the two of them somehow managed to get some food ingredients and shamelessly wiggled their way in to bum a meal. The food they brought along was only stuff that was avable in the season. Among the ingredients was some fresh shepherd¡¯s purse that looked quite good.


    Yu Xiaocao epted her fate and began to cook a table of delicious food. She also wrapped a bunch of pork and shepherd¡¯s purse filled dumplings. Thus, after the two stuffed little fellows were sent back home, they finally had time to roam the nearby streets.


    On this walk, she discovered that the residence that her family bought was quite a steal. The location was perfect. Because it was very close to the prefectural yamen, a lot of wealthy families liked to live in the area, meaning it was safe ah! The stores next to the residence had steady business. This showed that all of the people nearby had plenty of money to spend!

 Chapter 331 – Spring Planting

    <h4>Chapter 331 ¨C Spring nting</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao was currently thinking about what to do. This residence shouldn¡¯t only be used for half a month to live in while her brother took his exams. In order to get the most value from the purchase, she needed to do something else with it. Originally, she was thinking of renting it out to students who were taking exams. However, even with that idea the residence would stay empty for more than ten months out of the year! That was such a waste of an investment!


    She really wanted to go back to her roots and open a braised food store. However, right now was not the right season for this as it would be hard to have a food-rted business take off, especially something that relied on meat. It was just the start of spring, meaning it was the usual time for people to catch piglets for people to raise. Thus, there was a half a year dy before those piglets would be ready for ughter. As for chickens and ducks, she also needed to wait for half a year...forget it for now, there was no need to think so much now. Once she got home, the whole family could get together and decide what to do!


    The day of the prefectural exam approached quickly. With the experience of one set of examinations under their belt, Little Shitou and Qian Wen were both a lot more calm and collected this time around. At five in the morning, the doors to the prefectural examination yard opened. Because the exams were only across the street from them, the two of them ate breakfast and left the house at five in the morning. After undergoing inspections by the guards, they were seated ording to their exam results. Everyone was given a small booth in the prefectural examination courtyard. This was another measure to prevent people from cheating.


    The prefectural exam consisted of vocabry, essays, and essays discussing political affairs. It was split into writing from memory, poetry and prose, and current affairs. Writing from memory posed no difficulty at all for Little Shitou. Furthermore, prior to the prefectural exam, Headmaster Yuan had personally instructed him and gave him tutoring on poetry, pose, and current affairs. Therefore, the other two sections of the exam were also passable for him.


    There were a total of fifty people who qualified for the prefectural exams and they were split into two ranks. The top ten were considered the A-rankers. When they were being seated, Little Shitou was at the tail-end of the A-rankers and was number nine. During the examinations, the prefectural magistrate and many of the examiners had all taken note of this exam candidate who was the youngest of the bunch. They made sure to remember his name. When they were discussing the exam results and grading, they discovered that this cute and handsome little examinee had unexpectedly very good results.


    They went back to review the sign up materials and discovered that he had studied at Rongxuan Academy, so his results were not surprising at all. Rongxuan Academy had produced many geniuses. An eight year old who could pass the county level examinations was not off the mark. Even a ten year old top scorer in the imperial pce examinations could be produced from them.


    When they were looking at the results, Yu Bo deliberately waited over there. His name was also on the list. However,pared to the A-rank that Little Shitou received, he was only a B-rank and was only within the top forty. Someone who had passed the prefectural exam was someone who was halfway towards passing the entry-level exams as a whole. After passing the third in the series, only then was a candidate considered to be someone who had passed the county-level exams.


    Originally, Yu Bo was full of self-confidence. However, after he saw his little nephew¡¯s results andpared it to his own, he had to admit thatparisons were the devil. He had been studying for over a decade yet he only scored at the back of the pack. His young nephew, on the other hand, had only studied for only two years yet he was able to score in the top ten!


    He didn¡¯t believe that his own intelligence and efforts were any less than his nephew¡¯s. Instead, he ced all of the me on the fact that Little Shitou was able to study at a famous school and he wasn¡¯t. Yu Bo even thought, ¡®If I was able to enter Rongxuan Academyst year, I would definitely have a better result than Little Shitou. Like at least the top three!¡¯ No one knew where his self-confidence came from!


    However, the top three on the prefectural entry exams were all students from Rongxuan Academy. In fact, within the A-rankers, seven of them were students from Rongxuan Academy. Were they not giving other people a chance? Based on that, it wasn¡¯t surprising that many people did everything they could to enter the school!


    Yu Bo restrained the raging jealousy within his heart and congratted Little Shitou. The Yu Family¡¯s siblings also congratted him. After setting the time when they would head back, they went their respective ways. As for where the Yu Family¡¯s siblings were living, Yu Bo didn¡¯t even bother to ask them.


    The day after the results were published, the two siblings packed up everything to go back home. There were a lot of tasks waiting for them when they got back. The most important out of all of them was to get the corn crop sowed into the ground. Although thest entry-level exam was also in the prefectural city, it only happened in the autumn! The county-level exams only happened twice every three years and this year was the second of the two. Otherwise, they would have to wait until next autumn to take the exam.


    When they got back, the courtyard was covered in a carpet of green liveliness. It made a person feelfortable just from looking at it! The front courtyard was nted full of green leafy vegetables that were already ready to be harvested and sold. Under their agreement with Zhenxiu Restaurant, the vegetables were first sold to them to provide the Tanggu Town¡¯s and prefectural city¡¯s branches. Then, the remaining vegetables could be sold to their frequent customers in Tanggu Town. There were many buyers that hade over happily to inquire but they had to leave disappointed. If they didn¡¯t have to nt and breed corn, Yu Xiaocao would have wanted to use the farnd in Tanggu Town to nt early-growing green vegetables. Could make a lot of money ah!


    That evening, the residence only had Madam Liu, Yu Caifeng, Liu Yaner, and Little Fangping. After asking, she found out that her father and her uncle had taken Liu Junping to the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead to prep thend. They had already plowed almost all a hundred mu and fertilized it too. They were just waiting for Yu Xiaocao toe back before they started nting the seeds.


    Farming matters didn¡¯t wait for anyone. The next day, early in the morning, Yu Xiaocao rode her little red horse to her family¡¯s farmstead in town with the young royal prince apanying her. All of the corn seeds had been transported to the storehouse there and there was always someone there watching over them every day.


    The tenants on the farmstead regarded the owners with awe and gratitude. Last year there was the drought as well as the locust gue, so there wasn¡¯t any harvest to be had let alone enough to pay the rent. Even getting food to eat was a problem. Right about the time they were going to despair, the owners had waived them from paying rent and gave them a way to survive.


    After managing to survive the winter with difficulty, most families had no resources left. Just as they were at an impasse, the owners appeared again. At first, the news that they brought, that they weren¡¯t renting out thend anymore, had hit like a bolt of lightning. Some people started crying bitterly right then and there, and everyone kneeled in front of the masters to beg. Tenant farmers all came from poor families and didn¡¯t have much. They had somehow managed to survive the autumn and winter seasons ofst year. If there was nond to be rented, then they would truly have to go out on the streets and beg for food!


    After the owners coaxed them all up and exined, they found out that the masters wanted to hire them to till thend. Those that did more work and did it well could get a reward. It was a bit like being hired on as long-term workers. However, the wages they offered were on the higher side and were quite fair.


    When it was time to plow and fertilize the fields, everyone worked their hearts out. Even the women and older children in their families came out to help. There were a hundred and seventy or so mu to take care at this farmstead. All sixteen families here had been farmers for generations. Those who had more hands at home could plow around fifteen to sixteen mu. Those that had fewer could still plow three to four mu.


    Most of the families on the farmstead were facing imminent starvation due tock of food stores. Thus, Yu Hai made sure to hand out their wages on a daily basis. Those who plowed more and did a better job could receive more money. The families who plowed less or perhaps didn¡¯t do as good of a job would receive less or even no money. Thus, on the first day, there were some families who received a hundred copper coins while others only received twenty to thirty copper coins.


    Even the people who only got twenty to thirty copper coins were quite satisfied. The current markets had reasonably-priced grain. Coarse grains were eight to nine copper coins a catty, so the money from a day¡¯s work could buy three catties worth of grain! If you added on the wild herbs that the children gathered, the family could still eat until they were half full.


    However, those who only pursued speed and not quality on the first day learned their lesson for the second day and made sure to spend their time doing the job well. Sure enough, the money they received for the second day was a lot more than what they got from the first. As this happened, those who were trying to take advantage of the situation all settled down and began to carefully farm to earn money.


    Within a dozen days, all a hundred and seventy or so mu of farnd had been carefully plowed. Weeds had all been cleaned up and thend had been fertilized. The fertilizer used was all human waste that hade from each family saving it up at home. Yu Hai set a price of five copper coins a cart for the fertilizer and bought it from all of the tenant farmers. The tenants didn¡¯t expect that the fertilizer created from their own waste could also be sold for money, so they were even more deeply grateful towards their employer.


    When Yu Xiaocao arrived at the farmstead, she first met up with her father. After chatting a bit, the two of them separated to do their own work. Yu Xiaocao went into the storehouse to select seeds while Yu Hai gathered all of the tenant farmers up. With the manager of the farmstead there, Yu Hai, as the owner, didn¡¯t need to personally do these menial tasks.


    Zhu Junyang followed Yu Xiaocao and watched as she first went to the farmstead¡¯s well and drew up a bucket of water. In actuality, Yu Xiaocao was using the action of drawing up water to conceal the fact that she told the little divine stone to alter the well. The well water was now a very dilute form of mystic-stone water.


    When he saw Yu Xiaocao struggling to carry the bucket of water, Zhu Junyang took the bucket over with a look of disdain, ¡°Your arms and legs are way too weak. Aren¡¯t you afraid that this bucket of water will cause you to copse?¡±


    Head Steward Liu was shocked, ¡®Master is helping Miss Yu carry water? When did Master ever do such crudebor like this before?¡¯


    ¡°Master, leave it there and let me take it instead!¡± Head Steward Liu hurried forward to take the bucket of water from Royal Prince Yang.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t feel it was right for Head Steward Liu to do hardbor at his age, so she interjected, ¡°Forget it, let me do it instead! The more I exercise, the stronger I¡¯ll get!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Let¡¯s go, where are we taking this?¡± Zhu Junyang carried the bucket of water and ran forward. Yu Xiaocao had to run to catch up. Behind them was Head Steward Liu, whose face was wrinkled into a suffering frown.


    When they got to the storehouse, Yu Xiaocao took out her bottle of already prepared ¡®special medicine¡¯ and poured it into the bucket to mix. Once done, she sprayed it on the corn seeds.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t quite understand what she was doing, so he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of spraying this water on the seeds?¡±


    ¡°To prevent pests and disease from harming the nts ah!! Look, in the autumn, there were probably insects thatid their eggs in the soil. When spring gets warmer, those bugs will alle out and will start eating the roots and shoots of the crops. If I spray the seeds with this pesticide, we can avoid losing some of our crops!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was very earnest as she exined herself. In fact, the spiritual power within the pesticide could also increase the germination and survival rate of the seeds. These other factors were not easily exined to the young royal prince. If the young royal prince didn¡¯t follow her inside, she would have directly sprayed the mystic-stone water onto them instead of going through the hassle of ¡®mixing pesticide¡¯.


    The seeds that had been sprayed with ¡®pesticide¡¯ were all delivered out into the fields. The tenant farmers took the seeds and watched the owner demonstrate the depth of the holes and distance between the holes. Following that, they started to enthusiastically sow all of the seeds into the ground.


    Yu Hai and Liu Hu all had a decent amount of experience with this, so they were in charge of patrolling thend and watching over the process. They conscientiously recorded down every family¡¯s speed and quality of work. This was the first time that the tenant farmers had encountered the nting methods for corn, so some of them hadn¡¯t fully grasped on how to nt them. Yu Hai and the others identified those people and also patiently taught them the right method.


    The efficiency of sowing on the first day was rtively low. The faster families had managed to nt about two mu worth and they received around eighty copper coins in wages. The ones who nted the least were Widow Li and her son. There were only two of them and her son was only around ten years old. Although the two of them were slow, they were very diligent and careful with their nting. In fact, Widow Li was afraid that they might nt the corn in the wrong distance, so she used a branch that she had broken into the correct length to measure as she slowly dug the holes. Yu Hai had seen everything they had done, so when they were getting their wages, they received forty copper coins in total.

 Chapter 332 – First Trip to the Capital

    <h4>Chapter 332 ¨C First Trip to the Capital</h4>


    Widow Li knew that the owners were taking care of her and her son, so she gratefully took the money but didn¡¯t say any extra words. There were a lot of widows in the world and she was afraid the people who did more work than her would start gossiping. However, she made sure to engrave the masters¡¯ kindness deep within her heart. Forty copper coins was enough money to feed her and son for several days. Her son, who had starved into a bag of bones and only had arge head on his shoulders, would finally be able to eat a filling meal!


    The speed and quality of their work was closely tied with how much money they made. All of the tenant farmers were in good spirits. Every day they enthusiastically started working before the sun rose and reluctantly left when the sun finally set. Thus, all a hundred and seventy or so mu were very quickly plowed, fertilized, and sowed with seeds. Afterwards, the tenant farmers became nervous. All farmers knew that the busiest times of the year were spring plowing and the fall harvest. The rest of the time they mostly weeded the fields and watered the crops. The owners had said that corn was a type of nt that could endure droughts but not floods, so it didn¡¯t require a lot of water. They weren¡¯t sure if they would still receive a wage during the idle time of the year.


    Before they could fret for too long, new work arrived. Royal Prince Yang had bought over eight hundred mu of farmingnd and needed them, the ones with experience, to teach the newbies how to till thend. The same wages that the Yu Family set would also be paid. The fields over there had already been plowed, but they weren¡¯t plowed as well as the Yu Family¡¯s fields. Furthermore, thends weren¡¯t fertilized as much as thends on the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead. It was toote to buy more fertilizer, so Yu Xiaocao could only increase the concentration of the mystic-stone water in order to guarantee that the output of the corn at harvest time wouldn¡¯t be too unsightly.


    When all of the corn had been nted, Yu Hai paid the tenants a monthly wage based on how many workers there were in each family in order to make sure they were all taken care of. An adult worker could receive twenty copper coins. During harvest time, those who had a higher output would get a higher reward.


    Royal Prince Yang naturally had his own managers to oversee his eight hundred mu. When he saw Yu Hai and his family making all of the management decisions, he wondered if he should give them a manager. In the future, they would have almost a thousand mu of farnd in Tanggu growing corn. If they all relied on the Yu Family to oversee them, would they be able to handle it?


    Zhu Junyang especially transferred over Manager Nian from one of his farmsteads in the capital. He solemnly instructed him that he needed to follow all of the orders that Yu Hai and his family gave. If any issues arose in the corn fields, he needed to ask the Yu Family for guidance. Manager Nian noticed that his master highly regarded the Yu Family, so he silently reminded himself that he must treat them with the utmost respect in the future.


    In Manager Nian¡¯s eyes, the Yu Family were in the same boat as him. Both of them were helping his master handle affairs. However, in the master¡¯s heart, the Yu Family was on a higher level than him. Manager Nian had been born and raised in Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate and had slowly climbed up thedder. The higher ranked servants at the estate had a lot of power, while the lower ranked servants could only obey them unconditionally.


    When all of the seeds had been nted here, they received some news from the capital. The imperial farmsteads had also finished sowing corn in their fields. Royal Prince Yang was a bit worried now. Could corn seeds that hadn¡¯t been sprayed with pesticide grow as well as the corn crops in Tanggu Town?


    He sought Yu Xiaocao and her father and exined that he hoped that they would go with him to the capital for a trip. Everything important here had mostly been done. The watermelon fields were being taken care of by Liu Hu¡¯s entire family, and the farmsteads with corn had the farmstead manager as well as the manager Royal Prince Yang sent over to oversee. There shouldn¡¯t be any issues arising. Thus, Yu Hai went back home to discuss this proposal with the entire family and then decided to go into the capital with Royal Prince Yang.


    Yu Xiaocao had already altered all of the wells in the farmstead to contain a very low concentration of mystic-stone water. This would not only promote the growth of the crops but would also have good effects on the humans that drank it. Yu Xiaocao also, out of the kindness of her own heart, altered the wells in thends that the young royal prince had bought. This would guarantee that all of the corn in Tanggu Town would grow well.


    After all of the loose ends at home were taken care of, the father and daughter pair traveled along with Royal Prince Yang¡¯s entourage. All of the vigers had heard that the two of them had been invited by the royal prince to the capital to nt crops, and they were all extremely envious. The Yu Family truly had skill; they could even be famous from raising crops.


    The vast majority of vigers had only traveled as far as the town. Those who had been to the prefectural city had boasted about it, so going to the capital was a whole other matter. The Yu Family members had been personally invited by the royal prince to go! If theypleted the task well, perhaps they would even be rewarded with a residence in the capital or something. Perhaps the Yu Family was going to move to the capital in the future?


    Under the envious gazes of their fellow vigers, the two of them climbed into the shy carriage that the royal prince had brought over. The carriage left and traveled in the direction of the capital. Yu Xiaocao had brought along her little red horse. When she was in the mood, she would ride the tiny horse to appreciate the scenes round her. When she got tired, she would go into the carriage, drink a cup of tea, eat some snacks, and then take a leisurely nap. Once energized, she would go back on her horse and quibble with the young royal prince to pass the time.


    The distance from Dongshan Vige to the capital could be traveled in one day and one night if the person traveling was on a horse galloping at top speed the entire way. If they were on a carriage, traveling by day and resting at night, it took around three days of travel. Royal Prince Yang was afraid that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t be able to take a strenuous voyage, so they rested somewhat frequently in between.


    In the evenings, they did their best to stop at a small town and find a nice inn to allow Yu Hai and Yu Xiaocao to rest after traveling the whole day. At noon, if they weren¡¯t trying to get somewhere, they would rest on the side of the road and prepare lunch to eat to their heart¡¯s delight. Thus, the journey was not as tiring as Yu Xiaocao had originally thought. Instead, it was like going on a scenic tour and asionally camping outside to prepare food.


    Originally, Royal Prince Yang had prepared a residence for the two of them. However, when Fang Zizhen found out that his adopted daughter was going to the capital, he made sure to notify his wife well in advance. When the group of them was about five kilometers outside of the capital, they spotted Lady Fang with her maidservants anxiously waiting for them.


    ¡°Godmother, why did you personallye here? Where¡¯s Little Linlin?¡± Yu Xiaocao jumped off the carriage and threw herself at Lady Fang. She rubbed her head against her godmother¡¯s abdomen.


    Lady Fang lovingly stroked her goddaughter¡¯s ck and glossy hair and lightlyughed, ¡°Little Linlin has recently been coughing, so he¡¯s at home with the wet nurse! I was afraid if I sent other people to wait, they wouldn¡¯t recognize you. Godmother finally was able to have youe over. Come, let¡¯s go home together!¡±


    Yu Hai hesitated. The general wasn¡¯t in the capital, so it wasn¡¯t quite proper for him, an adult man, to stay at the general¡¯s estate.


    As if she had anticipated Yu Hai¡¯s misgivings, Lady Fang said, ¡°Linlin¡¯s father is currently finishing up his affairs at the port, so he¡¯ll be back the day after tomorrow at thetest. Brother Dahai, please take the general¡¯s estate as your own home. There¡¯s no need to be polite.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was in an unfamiliar environment, so she didn¡¯t want to separate from her father. She also said, ¡°Father, you can live in the guestroom in the outer courtyard. In the morning, we¡¯ll need to go to the fields and we¡¯ll only get backte at night. If we get busy, we might even have to stay overnight at the farmsteads! If my godfather gets back tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and finds out you were living outside of the residence, he¡¯d scold me to death ah!¡±


    Lady Fang nodded her head from the side with a smile on her face.


    Yu Hai pointed at his daughter and said, ¡°Could your godfather even bear to scold you? I doubt it!¡±


    Royal Prince Yang interjected from the side, ¡°If you guys don¡¯t want to live in the general¡¯s estate, I have a residence that¡¯s pretty close to the general¡¯s estate...¡±


    Lady Fang hastily butted in, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, please don¡¯t make thingsplicated. No one is an outsider here, so it¡¯s still best for them to live with me.¡±


    Zhu Junyang knew that Yu Xiaocao had already made a decision so he didn¡¯t say anything more. He personally escorted the father-daughter pair to the entrance of the general¡¯s residence and tactfully declined Lady Fang¡¯s invitation for him to drink some tea. He then spoke to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°It¡¯s been a rough two days for you. Go to sleep early, tomorrow I¡¯lle in the morning to take you to the fields...¡±


    Before he finished, a voice full of surprise hit his ears, ¡°Older Brother Yang, you¡¯re back from Tanggu Town? Are you here to see me?¡±


    Zhu Junyang immediately scowled and his face became as cold as ice. It was as if every cell in his body had been carved with the words ¡®no living thing shalle near me¡¯. Yu Xiaocao was very curious now. Just what sort of person was this to make the young royal prince react so strongly?


    Xiaocao inquisitively raised her head to look towards the sound and saw that, far away, a slender and beautiful young maiden, dressed entirely in red, wasing over gracefully with a look of surprise on her face. She had a head full of fine ck hair that was tastefully wound up and secured with a dragonfly hairpin made of jade. A piece of red coral that was carved into the shape of a butterfly dangled in front of the middle of her forehead. Her skin was as pale as fresh milk and seemed to glow underneath the sun. This contrasted alluringly with her small red lips. The maiden also hadrge almond shaped eyes that stared fixedly at Royal Prince Yang, as if he was the only thing in the world worth looking at.


    ¡°Wow! She¡¯s so pretty. Young Royal Prince has such luck with women!¡± Yu Xiaocao quietly quipped underneath her breath as she covered her mouth to conceal her sniggering.


    Zhu Junyang seemed to have heard her remark as he frowned even more deeply. His phoenix eyes nted a warning re at her. Just as he was about to say something, the young maiden clothed in red had already stopped in front of him. Herrge eyes gazed at him with infatuation.


    The frostiness on his face became even more apparent and Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t even spare the girl in front of him with a nce as he spoke to Lady Fang, ¡°Lady Fang, I¡¯ve finished escorting them, so I will head out now!¡±


    He shot another re at Yu Xiaocao, who was snickering under her breath, and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to pick you up early tomorrow, so don¡¯t sleep in!¡±


    After he finished talking, he ignored the red-clothed girl as if she was thin air, went around her, and mounted his horse to leave. The young maiden swiftly threw out her hand and held on the reins in Royal Prince Yang¡¯s hands. She raised her delicate face and pouted as if she was wronged, ¡°Older Brother Yang, what did Xian¡¯er do wrong to make you ignore me?¡±


    Jiang Zixian was the youngest daughter of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s second older brother and was younger than Zhu Junyang by a year. Princess Consort Jing had a decent rtionship with her second sister-inw. When she gave birth to her oldest son, her second sister-inw had helped her for an entire month. When Jiang Zixian was born, Zhu Junyang, who was only one at the time, vehemently stated that he wanted to bring his younger cousin home. At the time, Princess Consort Jing cracked a joke, ¡°Why do you want to bring her back? Do you want her to be your little wife ah?¡±


    Because Imperial Prince Jing had power as well as status, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s second sister-inw was naturally eager to make a close connection with them. However,ter on, Zhu Junyang underwent a shocking personality change at the age of five and became tyrannical and impetuous. He was willing to harm people at the blink of an eye. Princess Consort Jing¡¯s second sister-inw used the excuse that the household had gotten more busy to avoid spending more time with her. Thus, the issue of a betrothal was left at that.


    However, in the past two years, Zhu Junyang had been awarded the title of a royal prince and had gone out to sea on behalf of the emperor to find high-yielding crops. He came back in triumph and the emperor rewarded him with many things. Furthermore, he had sessfully grown corn and potatoes, which made the emperor regard him in a new light. Now he was the emperor¡¯s most highly regarded official. Consequently, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s second sister-inw remembered the old joke from many years ago, so she would bring her youngest daughter over to visit Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate from time to time.


    Jiang Zixian had seen her older cousin once while she was in the garden. His handsome good looks caused her to be instantly smitten with him.

 Chapter 333 – Fated Relationship Between Siblings

    <h4>Chapter 333 ¨C Fated Rtionship Between Siblings</h4>


    From her mother¡¯s words, Jiang Zixian knew that they were hoping to betroth her to her older cousin, Brother Yang. The budding affections of the young maiden were soon all focused onto Zhu Junyang. One had to give the girl credit and nerve. She wasn¡¯t scared off by the notoriously temperamental and icy Zhu Junyang. In fact, she became bolder over time.


    ¡°Let go!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t even look at her. From the corners of his phoenix eyes, he faintly scanned over Jiang Zixian¡¯s hand holding the reins. The veiled threat within his voice was in to all.


    ¡°I refuse!¡± Jiang Zixian, on the other hand, was not frightened off by his frosty tone. She puffed up her cheeks and her round eyes glittered with emotion, making her look miserable and pathetic. Yu Xiaocao, who was on the side watching all of this, felt pity rise up in her heart. The young royal prince was too cold hearted. How could he treat such a beautiful maiden in such a coarse way?


    Zhu Junyang had nothing to say to Jiang Zixian. Young girls like her, who wanted to climb up the socialdder to get the lifestyle they wanted, were a dime a dozen in the capital. He had encountered way too many of them. What did it matter that she was his younger cousin? He could tell that she silently longed for the tasteful luxuries of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate, envied the devotion that hisdy mother received, and lusted for the rare flora in the garden...it was already merciful of him to not personally do something to a girl like her, who shamelessly threw herself at him, for the sake of their familial rtions. On the outside, she pretended to be pure and kind yet her heart hid an ambitious salivating wolf. This was the evaluation Zhu Junyang had of almost all of the well-born maidens in the capital.


    Zhu Junyang had run out of patience. He pulled the reins away with a gentle yet swift snap. Jiang Zixian only felt that her hand went numb and that she had lost control of herself. After stumbling back a few steps and finally getting steady, it was already toote. Royal Prince Yang had already spurred his horse forward and was speeding away.


    Jiang Zixian pursed her lips and her eyes shed. Didn¡¯t her aunt say that Older Brother Yang liked girls who were pure, pretty and cute? Was she not adorable enough?


    She scanned Lady Fang and Yu Xiaocao from head to toe and then looked at the sign inscribed at the gate of the residence which said ¡®Zhaoyong General¡¯s Estate¡¯. A flicker of contempt went through her eyes, ¡®Just a third-ranked official. Why would Old Brother Yang be friends with these people?¡¯


    She looked at Xiaocao¡¯s livelyrge eyes which were as clear and limpid as a pure spring. A bolt of jealousy went through her. If she had suchrge eyes that could speak volumes, wouldn¡¯t her older cousin treat her better?


    She then looked at the clothes that Xiaocao was wearing. Jiang Zixian¡¯s almond-shaped eyes roamed quickly and then a smile blossomed onto her face, ¡°Lady Fang, your family¡¯s servant girl is so cute and lively. Ick a maidservant just like her. Can you sell her to me?¡±


    Jiang Zixian¡¯s father didn¡¯t have a high-ranked office as he was only a fourth-ranked official in the Ministry of Ceremonies. However, her grandfather, who was also the father of Princess Consort Jing, was the Imperial Tutor and was one of the most respected teachers of the current emperor.


    Although her husband was a military official and didn¡¯t need to fawn upon the imperial tutor or other imperial teachers, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Lady Fang¡¯s tone toward Jiang Zixian was quite courteous, ¡°Forgive me, Miss Jiang. The servant girl you¡¯re referring to is the adopted daughter of my lord husband.¡±


    The scorn within Jiang Zixian¡¯s eyes deepened. Everyone in the capital knew that General Fang had adopted a little farm girl as his daughter. This little girl was able to fawn upon Zhaoyong General and make him willing to adopt her. To have such schemes at such a young age, this little girl was truly something. Thus, Jiang Zixian let go of the idea of buying the little girl to get into Royal Prince Yang¡¯s good graces.


    Yu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow when she saw Jiang Zixian leaving like an arrogant peacock. No wonder the young royal prince didn¡¯t like her. She acted one way towards him yet behind his back she was like an entirely different person. Were all of the noble-born maidens in the capital like her? Two-faced?


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, don¡¯t be angry! There are some people who love to brandish the authority of their own rtives around. Their eyes are at the top of their heads. You¡¯ll get used to it after encountering a few more. However, when you encounter people like her, you don¡¯t need to back off one bit. After all, you are the daughter of this general¡¯s estate!¡± Lady Fang also disdained Jiang Zixian¡¯s actions and attitude. She was only the daughter of a fourth-rank official yet she acted as if she was an imperial princess. Did she truly believe that everyone would give away to her?


    After giving orders to the head steward of the general¡¯s estate to take good care of Yu Hai, Lady Fang led Yu Xiaocao through the drooping flower gate to the inner courtyard. There were winding corridors paved with small pebbles. On both sides, the pear and peach trees were blooming beautifully. The whole courtyard was filled with gorgeous flora and luminous colors. In between the flowers were decorative rocks, small pavilions, and other unique statuary.


    After passing by the second section of the residence, they arrived at a hall with three rooms. In the front was arge carved screen made of red sandalwood. They circled around the screen and arrived at the back hall that led to the entrance of the main wing¡¯s courtyard. The main wing had five rooms that were richly ornamented. On either side of the courtyard were the side wings. When they saw their mistress leading a little girl inside, all of the maidservants who were clothed in red and green quickly came up to greet them.


    ¡°You must be the Young Miss. So happy that you¡¯re finally here. No wonder our mistress always misses you. When you two stand together, you truly look like mother and daughter.¡± The maid who spoke was clothed in pink and was about eighteen to neen years old. This girl was most likely one of the other two head maids of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s godmother.


    As expected, Lady Fang pointed at the maid andughingly scolded her, ¡°You truly have a silver tongue! Everything you say makes people feel happy ah! But it is true! I, your mistress, and Cao¡¯er have a rtionship that is even better than most blood-rted mothers and daughters! Cao¡¯er, she is one of my head maids, her name is Ling. There is also another head maid who is currently wearing green called Hupo. She has a quiet personality. Now you know all four of my personal maidservants, you can take the two that suit you the most and have them run tasks for you.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hurriedly waved her hands, ¡°No need, Godmother. These older sisters are all your personal maidservants. If I took them away, who would take care of you? Godmother, listen to my idea first. If it was only you around, then being short a maidservant wouldn¡¯t be an issue. However, you also have Little Linlin. If there were only two maids taking care of you and my little brother, where would they have the time? You also know what I¡¯m like. Any two junior maidservants will do for me!¡±


    Lady Fang wasn¡¯t convinced, ¡°How could junior maidservants be as good as Zhenzhu, Ling and the others?¡±


    Sure enough, Linglong had a good grasp on how to arrange things. She smiled, ¡°Mistress, I¡¯ll go help out Young Miss for a few days. During that time, I¡¯ll also train the junior maids so that they don¡¯t end up slighting her.¡±


    Lady Fang knew that Linglong was a very reliable person. After thinking a bit, she nodded her head, ¡°Okay! You can go over to help and train a few maids until they are good enough. In the future, Cao¡¯er will be spending more time in the estate! She absolutely cannot have too few people taking care of her.¡±


    When Ling saw that Linglong had volunteered to take care of the young miss, she silently let out a sigh of relief. She smiled, ¡°Linglong truly knows the mistress¡¯s heart best. Even things she hasn¡¯t said, Linglong can anticipate!¡±


    In actuality, Ling didn¡¯t take this goddaughter very seriously. In her eyes, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even reach the level of her mistress¡¯s niece. At least that youngdy was rted by blood with the mistress. The daughter that the general adopted seemed to be petty and unsophisticated and was really not presentable to goodpany. What sort of profits could she make by staying next to this type of master?


    Ling wasn¡¯t the only one with thoughts like these. Many of the other junior maidservants in the estate also had the same misgivings. The personal maidservants by the mistress, other than Linglong, were all getting older. When they passed the age of twenty, they might be let go. If they were able to show their good sides to the mistress and entered her eye, they might be promoted to her personal maidservant.


    However, there were also some junior maidservants who thought differently. Mistress usually treated this adopted daughter of hers with great importance. She not only sent off delicious snacks, beautiful clothes and jewelry to her on a regr basis, but she also constantly talked about her. If the young miss chose one of them, they would immediately be personal maidservants, meaning they would have to struggle for fewer years!


    No matter what these young maids were thinking about, none of them had any power over any decisions. When Yu Xiaocao was picking out servants, she made sure to pay attention to the junior maidservants¡¯ eyes and expressions. She didn¡¯t pick any of those who evaded her or tried to avoid her eyes. She only chose a few who had honest and clean gazes and didn¡¯t really pay much attention to their outward appearances. However, in the end, the four maidservants she ended up picking were all beautiful and full of life!


    Lady Fang was a bit worried that her adopted daughter had a simple and pure heart and only picked them by appearances. She was afraid she might have picked a few who had ulterior motives. She could tell that Royal Prince Yang treated her daughter differently than other girls. Her daughter¡¯s personality was a bit mischievous and lively. If these beautiful maids had other thoughts, she was afraid that...


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t thinking that far. She watched as her four new personal maidservants all recognized her and was pleased with their looks. Who didn¡¯t like beautiful things?


    At this time, the wet nurse came out of the side room holding the little master and went to Lady Fang¡¯s side. She smiled, ¡°The little master is very close to you, Mistress. As soon as he woke up, he wanted you. If he can¡¯t see you, he won¡¯t be happy.¡± Little Linlin saw his mother and stretched out his chubby little arms, begging for a hug.


    Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t seen Little Linlin for more than half a year. When she saw her pleasantly plump, adorable, and cute little brother, she couldn¡¯t help but reach her arms out to try to hold the little guy. The wet nurse was a bit anxious and stopped her as she said, ¡°Young Miss, don¡¯t be fooled by his young age, he¡¯s quite heavy. I¡¯ll hold him instead!¡±


    Little Linlin¡¯s lips quivered when he wasn¡¯t able to go into his mother¡¯s warm arms. He was about to cry when he suddenly smelled his sister¡¯s innate body scent. He used his arm, which was about as thick as a lotus root, and held onto Xiaocao¡¯s neck and buried his face into her neck. He lightly sniffed at her and then raised his head. He pouted his tiny lips and nted a kiss on her face while also spreading his saliva on her.


    Lady Fang felt very happy at the sight and grinned, ¡°Oh ho, our Linlin still remembers his older sister. He knows that his older sister is the one closest to him other than his parents!¡±


    The wet nurse also repeatedly nodded her head as she remarked in surprise, ¡°That¡¯s right! The little master is only close with you, Mistress. Everyone else he treats as a stranger. He¡¯s never even kissed the Master before ah!¡±


    Lady Fang pulled Xiaocao and her son into her arms and kissed her darling son, ¡°Lin¡¯er and Cao¡¯er truly are fated to be together. If I didn¡¯t know Cao¡¯er, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to get pregnant with Lin¡¯er. Isn¡¯t the fact that Lin¡¯er is close to his older sister a sign that they were fated to be together?¡±


    When Ling heard this, she was surprised. Something like this had also happened? It looked like the young miss¡¯s status in the mistress¡¯s heart could not be underestimated. In the future, she needed to be careful and not slight this young miss who just recently appeared. As these thoughts rolled in her head, the smile on Ling¡¯s face became several times more sincere, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Our little master still remembers Young Miss. This must be a sign of the fated rtionship between siblings, right?¡±


    As the group of peopleughed harmoniously, Little Linlin was in the middle of giving his older sister a bath with his saliva. After coating her face, he tightly wrapped his arms around her neck. No matter what anyone said, he refused to let go. Lady Fang felt a bit jealous inside and gently patted her son¡¯s fat little butt a few times.

 Chapter 334 – The Beauty Standard

    <h4>Chapter 334 ¨C The Beauty Standard</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao knew that when children were young, they perceived the world through their senses like animals. Little Linlin must¡¯ve been attracted by the residual of spiritual power left behind by the little divine stone, and thus he unconsciously tried to get closer to her.


    Little Linlin was almost one year old and was still drinking milk; however, they gave him someplementary food in addition to the milk. He had caught a cold in the past two days, so he began coughing. The best pediatrics doctor in the capital had visited them and prescribed some medicine for him. But the medicine was too bitter. Whenever he saw the dark substance in the bowl, he would start crying and refuse to cooperate. Even if they forced the medicine, he would cry, cough, and spit the medicine out. Therefore, he had been coughing for more than half a month, yet he still hadn¡¯t recovered yet.


    When Yu Xiaocao witnessed the tragic scene of Little Linlin being forced to drink medicine, she hugged him distressfully. She asked the little divine stone to release some spiritual power in the sugar water and fed it to the little guy. The wet nurse standing by the side wanted to stop her, ¡°The doctor said not to give the young master too many sweet things...¡±


    Lady Fang shook her head at her and said, ¡°Cao¡¯er has also learned some medical skills. Last time when Lin¡¯er was coughing, it was his sister who had someone deliver the medicine over. The remaining half bottle of medicine was taken by the empress and given to the little prince...¡±


    The wet nurse¡¯s eyes brightened. She looked at Yu Xiaocao and said, ¡°Young Miss, you should prescribe some medicine for the young master again. The medicine you prescribed is sweet, so the young master doesn¡¯t reject it at all!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao asked to look at the prescription the doctor had prescribed for Little Linlin, confirming that the medicine was for fever, cough, and asthma. After thinking about it, she wrote down a prescription and asked a servant to get all the medicinal herbs in the prescription. Lady Fang took the prescription and looked at it: five catties of fresh loquat leaves, five ounces of bulbus fritiriae cirrhosae, ten ounces of lotus plumule, ten ounces of dwarf lilyturf, ten ounces of jujubes, five ounces of Chinese asparagus, ten ounces of Rehmannia glutinosa, ten ounces of Ningbo figwort, and two catties of refined honey. Most of the medicinal herbs used in this prescription were present in the doctor¡¯s prescription, so she allowed the servant to get the medicinal herbs.


    Before dinner, Fang Zizhen rushed over. In the reception hall, they set up a table of a feast to entertain the father and daughter pair. Yu Xiaocao personally made a bowl of soft, tender, and smooth egg soup for Little Linlin. She added some mystic stone water, so Little Linlin happily ate it. The bowl of egg soup was quickly finished, and Little Linlin let out an ¡®ahhh¡¯ sound, indicating that he wanted more.


    The wet nurse, who stood on the side, smiled as she wiped her tears and said, ¡°Young Miss is indeed skilled in cooking. The young master has a bad appetite these days because we¡¯ve been force-feeding him his medicine. He doesn¡¯t even want to drink milk. This servant¡¯s heart pained for the young master after seeing how much weight he has lost! This is the first time the young master has eaten so happily in more than half a month!¡±


    After dinner, all the medicinal herbs had already been bought. Yu Xiaocao had the servants soak the medicinal herbs for two hours, and then boiled the herbs in a copper medicine pot. After that, it would be brewed on low heat while maintaining its boiling state. The medicine needed to be stirred from time to time and the floating suds would be removed. After boiling it for two hours, the liquid would be filtered out from the herbs, and then cold water would be poured into the medicinal dregs, so it could be reboiled. After boiling it in this manner for three times, the liquid medicine was poured all together and left to settle. Then the liquid medicine needed to be filtered three more times with fouryers of gauze.


    These steps were done by the maidservants who were in charge of brewing medicine. They took turns to brew the medication for the entire night and finallypleted it. Early the next morning, after Yu Xiaocao got up, she began condensing the liquid medicine without eating breakfast first. As it turned into a paste, she added honey and rock sugar into it. She boiled the paste on low heat and continuously stirred it with chopsticks until it became sticky. Finally, the final product was packed in small porcin bottles, which could be stored and eaten after itpletely cooled down.


    When Little Linlin woke up, Lady Fang had made a bowl of bulbus fritiriae cirrhosae and loquat leaf cough syrup for him to drink. Little Linlin was about to cry when he saw the reddish-brown liquid medicine, so Yu Xiaocao dipped the chopsticks in the medicine and ced it in his mouth. The little guy smacked his mouth and realized that it was sweet! The tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes were gone as he looked at the liquid medicine with a hesitant expression.


    Yu Xiaocao took the little guy and allowed him to sitfortably in her embrace. She whispered softly, ¡°Little Linlin, this is sweet sugar water. Do you want to drink it?¡±


    Little Linlin still had a hesitant expression on his face. He wanted to drink it, but he was afraid that he would be deceived again. After he fell ill, he had been deceived so many times that he had be doubtful. What should he do if this bowl was also bitter medicine?


    ¡°Have a taste first. If it¡¯s bitter, you can just spit it out!¡± Yu Xiaocao scooped a spoonful of medicine with a spoon and blew on it, then she delivered it right in front of the little guy¡¯s mouth.


    The little guy hesitated for a moment, before putting on a courageous front like he was heading to an execution ground; he opened his mouth and let the spoon enter his mouth. Yu Xiaocao titled the spoon and poured the liquid into Little Linlin¡¯s mouth.


    The little guy wrinkled his face and kept the medicine in his mouth without swallowing. However, he soon realized that the medicine wasn¡¯t as bitter and unappetizing as before. Instead, it was sweet and delicious, so he gulped it down. Lady Fang usually didn¡¯t spoil him and rarely gave him sweets. The sweet liquid medicine tasted pretty good. Little Linlin stared at the medicine bowl in his mother¡¯s hands.


    Yu Xiaocao scooped another spoonful of medicine from the bowl in her godmother¡¯s hands. The little guy waited with his mouth wide open even before she put the medicine in his mouth. Just like this, spoonful after spoonful, the bowl of liquid medicine was almost finished. Little Linlin unexpectedly appeared to want more.


    Yu Xiaocao wiped his mouth and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s leave some room forter. Older Sister will make you a bowl of vegetables and ground meat porridgeter!¡±


    In the Fang Family¡¯s ss greenhouse, besides precious flowers and nts, there were also lots of vegetables. Lady Fang specifically ordered the gardener to nt them after she returned from Dongshan Vige. The gardener felt very helpless about this. He was very good at handling precious flowers and nts, and he even had a reputation for it in the capital. Yet he was unexpectedly sent here to waste his talents by nting vegetables! Fortunately, the few beautiful and hard to nt orchids in the greenhouse allowed him to clear his head and realize his value.


    It wasn¡¯t necessarily bad to grow some vegetables in the greenhouse. At least, he and his masters would notck vegetables to eat this winter. Being able to freeload some offseason vegetables was the only advantage of growing vegetables.


    The ingredients that Yu Xiaocao used to make the vegetables and ground meat porridge were chicken and cabbage core. Chickens were rich in protein; it could strengthen the baby¡¯s physique and protect him from diseases. Cabbage cores were rich in vitamin C, which could effectively prevent young children from catching a cold. Of course, there was also mystic-stone water added in, which could strengthen the body and enhance the taste of the dish.


    Everyone had a bowl of vegetables and ground meat porridge at the dining table. Not only did Little Linlin eat with relish, but his small bowl of porridge also wasn¡¯t enough for him. Lady Fang was also full of praise for the ground meat porridge, and everyonemended Yu Xiaocao¡¯s cooking skill.


    After breakfast, the steward in charge of the outer courtyard came to report that Royal Prince Yang hade to visit. Yu Hai and his daughter knew that he hade to take them to Imperial ntation. Yu Xiaocao carried an enormous earthen jar from her room, iming that she had made this medicine that could protect against insects and diseasesst night.


    Linglong brought along a maidservant named Yingtao. Yingtao was one of the four maidservants chosen by Yu Xiaocao. She appeared to be around 14-15 years old and was very nimble. When she saw her young miss carrying the earthen jar from the room, she took the jar over and held it carefully.


    It was the same carriage as before. Yu Xiaocao stepped on the small wooden stool that the servants had ced in front of the carriage and climbed up the carriage. Seeing that it wouldn¡¯t be easy for Yingtao to get on the carriage with the earthen jar, she reached out and helped her up. Yingtao was originally somewhat nervous, but she had now calmed downpletely. Her master appeared to be someone with a good temper, so as long as she didn¡¯t make any mistakes, she probably wouldn¡¯t get punished.


    The maidservants, who used to serve Miss Xia, used to privately say that Miss Xia appeared obedient and smart in front of the madam but she had a really bad temper when the madam wasn¡¯t around. If she didn¡¯t get what she wanted, she would beat and scold the servants. A maidservant had been marred by scars from her beating. Therefore, when she and the other maidservants were selected by Yu Xiaocao, they felt somewhat uneasy, for fear that they had to serve a difficult master.


    Along the way, Yu Xiaocao noticed that the young prince was somewhat silent today and hisplexion wasn¡¯t looking too well. Could it be that something happened when he returned to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate yesterday? Suddenly, she thought of the girl clothed in red that she had met yesterday. The desire to gossip was ignited within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, did the beauty chase you all the way to your house yesterday?¡± Had it been anyone else, even if they were beaten to death, they still wouldn¡¯t dare to converse with the young prince when he had such a dark expression on his face, let alone joke with him. ¡®Miss Yu is so foolishly brave.¡¯ Head Steward Liu nced at her and ridiculed in his heart.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s face became even darker. When he returned home yesterday, he first took a bath and changed his clothes. After that, he went to greet hisdy mother but discovered that Jiang Zixian, that disgusting person, was also there. He didn¡¯t know what ideas she had, but she convinced his mother to let her stay as a guest. Wasn¡¯t this forcing him to stay outside?


    However, how could Jiang Zixian¡¯s thoughts escape Princess Consort Jing¡¯s eyes? But she still liked this little niece of hers; her appearance wasn¡¯t bad and her personality was somewhat simr to Yu Xiaocao. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t afraid of her son¡¯s ice-cold face. Could it be that her young son liked this type of girl?


    Although Yu Xiaocao was good, she was very young. So it would take years for her to grow up. Jiang Zixian was about the same age as her youngest son. If it could work out between the two of them, Princess Consort Jing would be d to see it happen.


    Therefore, during dinner, Princess Consort Jing intentionally arranged Jiang Zixian¡¯s seat to be beside Zhu Junyang.


    Jiang Zixian rarely had the opportunity to eat at the same table as Zhu Junyang, so she was eagerly and constantly adding more food to his bowl. Shepletely ignored the dark expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face from the beginning to the end.


    This was a weing feast for Zhu Junyang, but Zhu Junyang left the table with anger. Due to a certain person¡¯s presence at this meal, the meal tasted like he was chewing wax. He just picked out the food that a certain person had ced in his bowl and didn¡¯t take a single bite of it. ¡®Jiang Zixian, are you sure you¡¯re not messing with this prince?¡¯ All the food she picked for him was food that he didn¡¯t like to eat!! Even if there were some that he liked to eat, he decided that he wouldn¡¯t like them in the future!!


    Seeing how her youngest son was forcing himself to be patient, Princess Consort Jing wondered if she had unintentionally done something bad while bearing good intentions? It didn¡¯t seem wise to let Jiang Zixian stay as a guest. Would her sone up with all kinds of excuses to note home because she was here? Based on Princess Consort Jing¡¯s understanding of her son, he was very likely to do such a thing!


    He didn¡¯t have a good dinnerst night, and he used work as an excuse to skip breakfast. Because he was hungry, it directly affected his mood. It would¡¯ve been strange if Zhu Junyang¡¯splexion had been good!


    When Yu Xiaocao asked this, Zhu Junyang felt even more gloomy and he coldly snorted, ¡°Are you blind? She¡¯s considered to be a beauty? If all the beauties look like her, even a pig will be considered more attractive than Diao Chan [1]!!¡±


    Wow! She didn¡¯t expect the young prince¡¯s poisonous tongue to be quite effective. It seemed like he was normally quite merciful to her. Yu Xiaocao noisily asked, ¡°May I ask you, Young Royal Prince, what is your beauty standard then?¡±


    Zhu Junyang seemed to have never thought about this question. He frowned for a long time before he threw out a word: ¡°Clean!¡±

 Chapter 335 – Being Teased

    <h4>Chapter 335 ¨C Being Teased</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao revealed a horrified expression on her face, ¡®Could it be that all the nobledies in the capital appear bright and neat on the surface, but are actually sloppy beneath that facade? Do they not bath or brush their teeth?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang leaned forward and knocked her head that was outside the window of the carriage. The pent-up frustrations in his heart dissipated a little as he unhappily said, ¡°What are you thinking! When I said clean, I don¡¯t mean on the outside. I meant their hearts; Their hearts have to be pure and they need to have a good temperament!¡±


    ¡°Oh... you also noticed that her intentions towards you aren¡¯t pure? But it¡¯s not surprising considering that you¡¯re handsome and have a very promising future. So it¡¯s very normal for you to attract the attention of young maidens, okay?¡± Yu Xiaocao exined to him.


    Zhu Junyang frowned slightly and said, ¡°But...everytime someone with ulterior motives approaches me, I feel irritable and I can¡¯t control myself. I want to pinch her throat and throw her out. What should I do?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her big eyes and suddenly appeared surprised. She hesitated for a long time before she whispered, ¡°Young Royal Prince, are you only like this towards women? What about men? If a handsome looking teenager approaches you, will you also be irritable and want to kill him?¡±


    ¡°I do! As long as those guys with ulterior motive are within three steps of me, I can detect it. Since they¡¯re also men, I don¡¯t need to take too much into consideration and just throw them out!!¡± Zhu Junyang looked up with his chin pointing towards the sky with a proud expression on his face.


    Yu Xiaocao let out a big sigh of relief, patted her chest, and whispered, ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good...¡±


    Zhu Junyang seemed to have smelled that she was hinting at something, so he looked at her and asked in confusion, ¡°What do you mean? Why do I feel like there¡¯s some other meaning behind your words?¡±


    After giving him a lovable eye roll, Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°We have such an iron d rtionship between the two of us, what kind of conspiracy would I plot against you? I¡¯m just concerned about your sexual orientation. I was just afraid that you¡¯ll mistakenly enter the chrysanthemum door and fall deep into the sea...¡±


    ¡°¡®Sexual orientation¡¯? ¡®Chrysanthemum door¡¯? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?? I¡¯ve realized that you often say words that others don¡¯t understand. You and the emperor must share the samenguage!!¡± Zhu Junyang squinted at her and guessed at the possibility of that being true.


    Yu Xiaocao shrank her neck andughed dryly, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you¡¯re wrong about that! The emperor is high above everyone else. He has a lot of knowledge from reading extensively; his mind holds more knowledge than anyone else...I¡¯m just a small peasant girl who never studied and is illiterate. How could I share the samenguage as the emperor?¡±


    She reminded herself in her heart that she was now in the capital, so she had to be careful when she spoke or did something. This way the other transmigrated person wouldn¡¯t be able to get a hold of her weakness. He was the supreme ruler of this era. Killing her would be like killing a little ant. Although she posed no threat to the emperor, she must still be careful. How could she know that the emperor had already long established and confirmed her identity? Like a cat ying with a mouse, he had been watching her movements secretly!


    Just when Yu Xiaocao was staying silent because of her guilt, Head Steward Liu couldn¡¯t hold back and coughed twice. He quietly told his master, ¡°Some of the wealthy people in the capital have special hobbies. They like to ¡®walk the back door¡¯. They call a certain part in the behind the chrysanthemum. I assume the ¡®chrysanthemum door¡¯ that Miss Yu is talking about is rted to this?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was born and grew up in the capital, so he naturally heard of those dirty matters. He even had some experience himself. When he was a child, his appearance was beautiful and delicate and he liked to be alone. One day he left the house by himself and was taken away by an official who had such a special hobby. He had seen some unbearable sights. The filthy scene turned him violent on the spot and he killed the official that tried to do something to him. When his father brought him back, he was immersed in his own consciousness and almost couldn¡¯t ever wake up again!


    Recalling such an unfortunate event, Zhu Junyang became extremely agitated. He jumped off his horse and dragged the carriage from the back to halt it. Then he charged into the carriage and twisted Yu Xiaocao¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Who told you these filthy things? If that person tells you such nonsense in the future, don¡¯t listen to them, lest you dirty your ears!! Tell me, who told you these things? I will personally dismember his body!!¡±


    In Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart, Yu Xiaocao was a ray of light in the darkness; she was the warm sun in the severe winter. She was someone whom one could only meet by chance and not by force in this chaotic world. She was his only salvation. Whoever wished to pollute this simple and purend will be his enemy forever.


    When Head Steward Liu saw that his master had almost turned violent, he couldn¡¯t help but p his mouth. Why did he have to run his mouth!!


    Yu Xiaocao felt very ufortable because her arm was grabbed by the young prince. She tried to shake him off, but she couldn¡¯t. She was annoyed, ¡°Let go! My arm is going to break, it¡¯s almost broken...¡±


    Although Zhu Junyang was very clear about his strength and was able to control it within the range of what the little girl could bear, he still loosened his grip subconsciously. Yu Xiaocao sessfully escaped and reprimanded him, ¡°Men and women shouldn¡¯t touch once they¡¯re over the age of seven. We¡¯re not rted to one another, so it¡¯s best if you keep your distance, lest I depend on you!¡±


    Yu Hai, who was sitting next to Yu Xiaocao, carefully separated the two, and said, ¡°Royal Prince, sometimes my daughter doesn¡¯t think before she talks. Please don¡¯t lower yourself to her level.¡±


    Zhu Junyang pushed him away, and looked up and down at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s thin, weak, and small body. He revealed a disdainful expression, ¡°Just based on you? I don¡¯t have fetish for kids!! If you want to rely on me, then we¡¯ll talk about it in three or five years. Also, you must grow nicely, don¡¯t grow short on looks! When that timees, I will have to reluctantly ept you...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was coldly ring at him, her hair was standing on ends in anger. She was burning in anger as she raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°Stop looking down on people, I will definitely grow into a beautifuldy in the future!!¡±


    After she finished speaking, she touched her tall and straight nose, big bright eyes, and her small fan-like eyshes... although her height was unremarkable, she was still a cute lolita. Her natural factors were pretty good, so when she grew up she can... that¡¯s not right! What did the guy just say? ept her? ¡®You think I¡¯m Hello Kitty because this olddy didn¡¯t show you my powers yet!!¡¯


    ¡°Let me tell you this clearly. Thisdy will not be a concubine!! Even if I can¡¯t marry someone in my lifetime, I still won¡¯t wrong myself!!¡± Yu Xiaocao pointed at Zhu Junyang¡¯s perfect nose as she made her intentions clear in an imposing manner.


    Zhu Junyang narrowed his long, narrow, and charming almond-shaped eyes slightly. He restrained the snickering in his heart and put on a deadly earnest face and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be big-hearted even though you¡¯re so short! If you don¡¯t want to be a concubine, then I¡¯ll let you be a ranked concubine. This is good enough?¡±


    Yu Hai expressed that he was very dumbfounded. The atmosphere just a moment ago was full of anger that was about to explode. How did the topic turn into a discussion about concubines and ranked concubines? His daughter was still young, and he needed to protect her from being taken away by a big wolf. Even if it was the Royal Prince, he won¡¯t... He was just about to express his opinion when he was pulled out of the carriage by Head Steward Liu. Yu Hai found that even though he was such a big man, he was unable to struggle at all in the hands of the old and weak eunuch. Could this be the martial arts that Older Brother Zhao talked about?


    When he was pulled away, he could hear his foolish daughter screaming angrily, ¡°Ranked concubine? Who would want to be your ranked concubine? Scram!!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be a ranked concubine either? Then what do you want? Do you want to be an equal wife?¡± Zhu Junyang was in a good mood and the way he was speaking made her really want to beat him. ¡°Let me think about it for a second... Okay, equal wife then equal wife! You need to be good to me in the future...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was furious, she threw the cushion in the carriage at Zhu Junyang¡¯s face. Stamping with fury, she shouted, ¡°Keeping dreaming!! This olddy won¡¯t marry and share a husband with other women!! This olddy wants to be a pair for a lifetime! If you can¡¯t, then scram as far as possible!!¡±


    The guards around that were in charge of protecting the carriage all had a constipated expression on their faces.


    Just at that moment, a carriage passed by them. The curtains were lifted up, exposing a beautiful face. To be a pair for one lifetime, it was something every woman yearned for. What kind of woman would be able to express herself so bravely and clearly?


    ¡°Miss, it seems to be Royal Prince Yang¡¯s carriage. The old man standing by the side is Royal Prince Yang¡¯s head steward. People say he¡¯s a martial arts master!!¡± The servant beside the woman saw Head Steward Liu and stated this after pondering for a moment.


    Royal Prince Yang? Wasn¡¯t it said that he was tyrannical and murdered people without blinking an eye? The woman frowned. It can¡¯t be, right? How could a person like that allow a woman to climb on his nose and scream in front of him? After thinking about it, she remembered that Royal Prince Yang¡¯s father and mother were an enviable pair in the capital. Maybe Prince Jing¡¯s affection had been inherited by his young son.


    The woman thought about her own situation and was envious. To be able to say those words in front of Royal Prince Yang, this murderous star, she must be someone reliable. For a woman to be able to do whatever she wanted in front of a man, it meant that she held a special ce in his heart.


    The two carriages passed by and gradually got further apart. The woman could faintly hear the man¡¯s calm voice drifting in the wind, ¡°So you want to monopolize my favor? Then from now on, you will have to be nice to me! My shoulders are sore, give me a massage...¡±


    Listening to the man¡¯s voice, she realized his voice was full of the desire to pamper. She didn¡¯t know who the blessed woman was to be favored by Royal Prince Yang...


    Yu Xiaocao, who was in the carriage, had just found out that she was being led by her nose. She calmed herself down and kicked Zhu Junyang out of the carriage and said coldly, ¡°Dealing with you is beneath my dignity. In order to avoid arousing suspicions, please conduct yourself with dignity!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang expressed his regret and clicked his tongue. No wonder those loose men liked to take liberties with ady from a good family. The feeling he got from teasing people was so damn pleasurable!! Wait, that was wrong!! It was only enjoyable when he teased this little girl!! It was a pity that she snapped out of it so soon; he thought he would¡¯ve been able to get her to make promises with him!!


    ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t be angry!! I¡¯m just teasing you!! You¡¯re just a tiny bean sprout, how could I eat you?¡± Young Royal Prince, why do you sound so carefree and rxed? ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at imperial farmsteads, get ready to get off the carriage!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was sulking in the corner with her arms folded. It was really like an eighty year old mother being taunted by her child. If shebined her two lifetimes, then she had lived for more than 30 years, yet she was just teased by a hateful guy who was just 16-17 years old!! Damn it!! Zhu Junyang, wait for this olddy to deal with you!!

 Chapter 336 – Trip to the Imperial Plantation

    <h4>Chapter 336 ¨C Trip to the Imperial ntation</h4>


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, you finally came!!¡± Liu Jiajin, the Minister of Revenue, weed him with a delighted expression. After they politely greeted each other, he eagerly asked, ¡°Did anyone from Tanggu Town¡¯s Yu Familye?¡±


    Since he received the official documents that Royal Prince Yang sent from Tanggu Town and found out that corn grown in Tanggu Town had been bred with pesticides that prevented pests and diseases, Minister Liu¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t stay calm as if it was being scratched by a cat.


    Last year, when they nted the corn, everyone on the experimental fields of the Imperial ntation tended to the corn meticulously. Nearly all corn seedlings were carefully protected, but they still couldn¡¯t grow as well as the corn seedlings nted in the barren and sandy soil of Dongshan Vige. When the locust gue came, the capital wasn¡¯t considered one of the worst-hit regions. It was just mildly affected, but the yield of corn was low, and the seedlings looked as if they were malnourished. Over at Dongshan Vige, they had harvested the early-matured crop in a rush and reaped around 1,800 catties per mu. It was such a sharp contrast!!


    Last year, they could say that they were inexperienced since it was their first time growing corn. But, if they still couldn¡¯t grow the crop better than those at Tanggu Town, where would he put his old face ah?! Therefore, when Minister Liu received the news, he immediately rushed to send a message to request for help. He hoped that the Yu Family would send someone to check if there was a possibility of saving the corn at the Imperial ntation!


    Zhu Junyang admired this white-haired old minister for his sincere concern for the livelihood of themon people. Originally, the Ministry of Revenue wasn¡¯t only in charge of agriculture. However, Minister Liu had devoted all of his energy into cultivating high-yield crops sincest year. He wholeheartedly hoped that themon people could stop suffering from starvation a little bit earlier! Minister Liu was born in a poor family. Perhaps, he was able to understand the life of themon people due to his childhood experiences, and thus he was able to be an official who truly cared about themon people.


    ¡°Yes! She¡¯s on the carriage!¡± Zhu Junyang had just finished speaking when Minister Liu reached the side of the carriage.


    The first toe down was Yingtao, who held a crook. Minister Liu looked at her and wondered when the Yu Family had a daughter so big in their family. At this time, he heard Yingtao voice a reminder, ¡°Young Miss, be careful. The ground isn¡¯t very even, so let Older Sister Linglong support you.¡±


    Just as she finished speaking, Yu Xiaocao had already jumped down from the horse carriage and giggled, ¡°The ground here is considered pretty good already. When I went to catch wild hares in the mountain forest in the past, there were some ces that were really hard to walk... Official Liu, how are you? We meet again!¡±


    For some unknown reason, Minister Liu¡¯s anxious heart calmed down when he saw Yu Xiaocao. He said with a smile, ¡°Miss Yu also came? This is great. Our corn can be saved!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the corn sprouting at the side of the road and reassured him, ¡°Official Liu, you don¡¯t need to be too worried. The pesticide is only a preventive measure. If the corn is grown well, then the possibility of them being harmed by pests and diseases will be reduced!¡±


    Minister Liu stared at the jar in Yingtao¡¯s hands and somewhat anxiously asked, ¡°Is this the pesticide that Miss Yu made? There are over a thousand mu of corn and over fifty mu of potatoes nted in our ntation, is there enough pesticide?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even need to think about as she said, ¡°This is a highly-concentrated pesticide. We only need to add one drop of pesticide into each bucket. Adding too much, on the other hand, wouldn¡¯t be good for the corn seedlings! Official Liu, can you first show me the water source of the ntation?¡±


    Minister Liu nodded and said, ¡°Miss Yu, please...¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who was on the side, interrupted their conversation, ¡°Aren¡¯t we going into the farmstead to rest for a while and have a cup of tea first?¡±


    Minister Liu came to a sudden realization and said, ¡°Just look at this brain of mine. I¡¯m only thinking about the corn fields. Come, Miss Yu, Yu... dear nephew, I should be around the same age as your father, so I¡¯ll just refer to you as my nephew!¡±


    Yu Hai quickly replied, ¡°Thank you, Official Liu, for such a great honor. Please do as you will wish...¡±


    However, Yu Xiaocao nced at Zhu Junyang and said, ¡°Official business is more important. We came in the horse carriage, so I¡¯m not tired! Official Liu, let¡¯s go check out the water source first.¡±


    As Minister Liu dly led the way, he asked, ¡°Is the water source rted to the growth of the corn?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°It¡¯s not too closely rted! As you know, corn can endure droughts but not floods. If it¡¯s not as dry asst year, rainfall will be enough! It¡¯s just a precaution to check the source of water.¡±


    Minister Liu nodded in slight confusion and said, ¡°Oh, ok...¡±


    The Imperial ntation was situated in front of a small mountain on the outskirts of the capital. The spring water from the mountain gathered behind the ntation and formed a naturalke. The Imperial ntation was rtivelyrge, so wells were dug out certain distances apart to fight against and prevent droughts.


    Inside theke, there were fish, shrimp, and other creatures. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to attract things like water monsters, so she didn¡¯t do anything to theke. After she checked all the wells and changed the quality of the well water, she said to Minister Liu, ¡°Although the water isn¡¯t quite as good as that of our Dongshan Vige, it still meets the standard. Is there enough manpower? We can start working!!¡±


    This time, Minister Liu had also brought along two vice ministers and the director of the Granaries Bureau. He was the boss of the Ministry of Revenue, so how could he take care of everything? Minister Liu turned his gaze towards the director of the Granaries Bureau.


    Official Li quickly said, ¡°There are over one hundred households in the Imperial ntation, and there are over four hundred adult male workers. If it¡¯s not enough, this subordinate can borrow some people from nearby ntations.¡±


    The Imperial ntation was in an area with good terrain and fertile soil. In addition to the Imperial ntation, many rich and influential people also built ntations here. One of the neighboring ntations belonged to an idle prince in the capital. This idle prince was the younger male cousin of the emperor emeritus. He was also born from a farmer¡¯s family and had no special skills. After the founding of the new empire, he was bestowed the title of an imperial prince. He didn¡¯t have any authorities and only received an official¡¯s sry. If calcted seriously, Zhu Junyang would have to call him ¡®Granduncle¡¯!


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°No need! It¡¯s not heavybor, so women and children around the age of eight can also do the work.¡±


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t a difficult task. They just had to add mystic-stone water into the water bucket, and then sprinkle it onto the roots of the corn seedlings. However, it took patience to irrigate the crops one by one.


    Official Li gathered the workers together, and they busily fetched water and irrigated the crops. The whole ntation bustled with activity. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t stay idle either. She reckoned that the ¡®pesticide¡¯ that she brought over wasn¡¯t enough, so she pretended to brew a pot of pesticide with the herbs that she brought along. When no one was paying attention, she added a bottle of mystic-stone water inside andpleted the task.


    There were six to seven hundred people and over to thousand mu of farnd, so with each person working on around three mu ofnd, they were able toplete the job in a day. There were people from the Ministry of Revenue supervising the ntation. Zhu Junyang was afraid that Yu Xiaocao would be bored, so he suggested, ¡°Although there isn¡¯t any big game in the back hills, wild hares, pheasants, and so on appear from time to time. Do you want to go take a look?¡±


    The vegetation of Dongshan Vige¡¯s West Mountain had been destroyed by the locusts, so the small animals had all run away. Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t been able to have a taste of pheasants again sincest summer. She thought about it and said, ¡°Okay! I have nothing to do anyway. If we can catch a pheasant or wild hare, then we can have an extra dish for lunch!¡±


    When Yingtao heard that they were going up the mountain to catch game, she volunteered to go with them. Yu Hai was worried about his daughter being alone with the royal prince, so he followed her closely, for fear that his daughter would be deceived by the cunning wolf.


    The hills behind the Imperial ntation were full of green grass and covered in a vast sea of green. Yu Xiaocao had learned to track the steps of prey from Zhao Han. In the ces that the wild hares and pheasants didn¡¯t appear, she didn¡¯t set up traps but left traces of mystic-stone water in the nearby thickets.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t bring any hunting tools, but this didn¡¯t affect him. He cut several bamboo poles, sharpened one end, and prepared to use it as a spear. The locust gue in the capital might not have been as serious as Dongshan Vige, so from time to time, they would be able to see wild hares passing through the grass on the hills.


    ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of game here. Let¡¯s walk over there!¡± There weren¡¯t any vicious beasts on the mountain, so what did they have to worry about? Yu Xiaocao beat the bushes with a bamboo pole as she followed behind Head Steward Liu and Zhu Junyang.


    Suddenly, there was movement in the grass not too far away. Yu Xiaocao picked up a small rock and threw it over there. pping its wings in panic, a colorful pheasant came out of the thicket and darted towards Zhu Junyang.


    Zhu Junyang calmly hit the pheasant¡¯s head with the bamboo pole, and the pheasant stopped moving after fluttering its wings twice. Yingtao had never experienced hunting before. She rushed towards the game happily, and then came back holding the pheasant¡¯s wings, ¡°Young Miss, it seems like this pheasant has fainted. This servant will tie its wings so that it can¡¯t run away when it wakes up!¡±


    Yingtao tied the pheasant securely and put it into the basket that she was carrying.


    [There are pheasant eggs over at the ce that the pheasant just came out from!] The little divine stonezily reminded her. Yu Xiaocao retracted her steps and walked back towards the rtively dense thicket.


    Yingtao also curiously followed her. After Yu Xiaocao pushed away the bushes, she immediately eximed, ¡°Young Miss, Young Miss!! There are pheasant eggs ah!! Seven or eight pheasant eggs!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was infected by her joyous mood andughed, ¡°Hurry and go collect the eggs! For lunch, let¡¯s make ¡®stir-fried wild scallions and eggs¡¯. It will definitely taste great!!¡±


    Yingtao excitedly picked up the pheasant eggs and ced them in the basket. She carefully covered them with grass, and then asked, ¡°Young Miss, we have pheasant eggs, but what¡¯s wild scallions?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took a few steps, bent down, and pointed at a long and thin nt in the grass. She said, ¡°Look! This is wild scallion. Be careful pulling them out. It¡¯s best to also pull out the round rhizome underground.¡±


    Yingtao was in high spirits. After she heard Xiaocao¡¯s words, she started pulling out the wild scallions with her butt sticking out. When the soil was hard, she would dig the soil with a small piece of bamboo and did her best to ensure the wild scallions were intact.


    Seeing that Zhu Junyang and his servant had walked far away, Yu Xiaocao stayed to wait for Yingtao. This girl had never been in the mountains, so Xiaocao was afraid that she would get lost. This small mountain wasn¡¯t muchpared with Dongshan Vige¡¯s West Mountain, but if she really got lost, it would be troublesome to find her.


    Zhu Junyang walked slightly deeper in and caught two wild hares and a pheasant. He also got a ¡®white-fronted pig¡¯ out of its hole. A ¡®white-fronted pig¡¯ was actually a ferret-badger. It was a small animal that lived in a cave and had delicious meat, and thus it was a good game.


    At this time, Yingtao had already dug up quite a lot of wild scallions. Yu Xiaocao looked at the sky and then walked down the mountain along the path that they came from. When she passed by the ces that she set traps in, she harvested two more living hares.

 Chapter 337 – An Eyesore

    <h4>Chapter 337 ¨C An Eyesore</h4>


    In the spring, the mountain was lush with vegetation and had nock of food. These wild hares and pheasants were very plump. At noon, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were also able to eat a sumptuous meal of game thanks to them.


    In the afternoon, there wasn¡¯t much that Yu Xiaocao needed to help with, so she walked around the Imperial ntation like she was on a tour. Zhu Junyang was like a tour guide as he introduced her to the origin of the Imperial ntation.


    In the early days of the Great Ming Dynasty, the officials of the former dynasty either died or fled, and the farmsteads owned by those officials were returned to the imperial court. Most of the farmsteads were rewarded to meritorious officials. The former chief court eunuch, Chief Steward Cao, owned thergest ntation at that time. It had a total of over 18,000 qing [1]. It was difficult for the emperor emeritus to reward such arge ntation to others, so it was taken under the imperial treasury as the Imperial ntation and managed by a trusted eunuch. In the Imperial ntation, there were also a supervisor of the tenant farmers, low-ranking officials, and so on. Therefore, the eunuch was merely in charge of overseeing and hastening their work. The work in the fields still relied on the experienced supervisor and tenant farmers.


    Along the way, corn and potatoes were nted in a small number of fields, and the rest were nted with spring wheat and rice. The Imperial ntation had fertile soil, so the crops grew very well.


    In the evening, most of the corn and potatoes had been irrigated with the ¡®pesticide¡¯. Thus, Yu Xiaocao and her father went back to the general¡¯s estate on their horse carriage. Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to go back to face that disgusting woman, so he stayed at the general¡¯s estate for dinner and dawdled for a long time before returning home.


    When he returned to the estate, Princess Consort Jing had already finished washing up and was preparing to go to bed. Disregarding the hints of Meixiang and the others, Jiang Zixian chatted with her paternal aunt with a flower-like smile. But, with an anxious heart, her eyes frequently looked towards the door.


    Princess Consort Jing knew that her youngest son had gone to the Imperial ntation for work, but it was weird for him to not return when it was already sote in the evening. She looked at her absent-minded niece and sighed in her heart, ¡®Perhaps I was wrong and should not have agreed to let my niece stay.¡¯


    In the past, when her son came back from Tanggu Town, he would apany her for at least half a day. Even if her son was not good with words and barely spoke for the entire day, she could clearly feel her son¡¯s closeness to her.


    But, when her son came back yesterday and saw Jiang Zixian, he looked as if he had just swallowed a fly. He didn¡¯t say a single word for the entire dinner and immediately left after eating. She heard that he went to the study in the outer courtyard and yed chess with his lord father for most of the night. Today, he had gone out before dawn. He rushed around in a hurry as if there was a vicious dog chasing him.


    She looked at the chime clock in the room, which was a rare item that her son brought back from the west. It was very convenient to check the time with this. Ay, it was almost ten o¡¯clock. It was long past the time she usually went to rest, but her youngest son still hadn¡¯t returned. Moreover, this tactless niece of hers was still dawdling in her room...


    ¡°Zhuxiang, is Lady Mother asleep?¡± Just as Princess Consort Jing was feeling regretful, her youngest son¡¯s low voice sounded from outside the door.


    Jiang Zixian, who sat on the edge of her bed, suddenly jumped up. When she saw Princess Consort Jing¡¯s surprised and discontented gaze, she embarrassedly sat down again. She said with slight embarrassment, ¡°Older Aunt, Brother Yang¡¯s work is too tiring, and only came back at this time...¡±


    ¡°The emperor believes in him, and thus entrusted him with the important task of growing corn and potatoes. Due to the natural disastersst year, many good crops were wasted. If it fails again this year, the emperor will probably put the me on him...¡± There was a slight sense of worry within Princess Consort Jing¡¯s tone.


    Jiang Zixian¡¯s eyes shifted and said, ¡°I think Older Brother Yang can hand over the task. Aren¡¯t there the officials of the Ministry of Revenue? Brother Yang is born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never done any farm work, so why does he need to take this thankless job?¡±


    In her opinion, Zhu Junyang¡¯s management of the Imperial ntation¡¯s experimental fields was just a job in which he had to deal with bumpkins. No matter how capable he was, there wouldn¡¯t be a chance to show it. Moreover, he would be one of those lowly farmers that the nobles speak of. It was a degradation to his own status and a disgrace to the education ss!


    Zhu Junyang was slightly surprised when he heard that hisdy mother hadn¡¯t gone to bed yet. However, when he entered his mother¡¯s bedroom and saw Jiang Zixian lingering inside, Zhu Junyang fully understood the reason. In his heart, he felt even more disgusted with this woman, who would do anything to achieve her goals.


    ¡°Lady Mother, why are you sleeping sote today? Didn¡¯t the imperial physician warn you? With your health, you can¡¯t stay up toote and can¡¯t be too tired.¡± As if Jiang Zixian, who frequently winked at him, didn¡¯t exist, he said in a slightlyining yet caring tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired...¡± Before Princess Consort Jing had finished speaking, she yawned, and tears flowed out of the corners of her eyes. She smiled sheepishly.


    ¡°Older Brother Yang, it¡¯s all my fault. I was chatting too amiably with Aunt that didn¡¯t I realized that it was already sote...¡± Jiang Zixian took this opportunity to move closer and looked at Zhu Junyang with a pair of big eyes that were like a pool of clear spring water.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s face turned cold. He looked at Meixiang and Lanxiang, who were serving in the room, and reprimanded, ¡°Are you two dead? Certain people are tactlessly lingering here, yet you guys don¡¯t know to drive them out? If anything goes wrong with Lady Mother¡¯s health, will you be able to take responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t be angry. These lowly servants know that we¡¯re wrong!!¡± Meixiang and Lanxiang felt very aggrieved within their hearts. They had reminded Miss Jiang more than five times, but Miss Jiang kept diverging the conversation. She was a guest, so they couldn¡¯t exceed their authority and kick her out, right?


    Jiang Zixian, who stood one step away from Zhu Junyang, was dying of embarrassment. Older Brother Yang was too inconsiderate of other people¡¯s feelings. No matter what she was still his younger cousin, why did he have to speak so unpleasantly?


    Zhu Junyang still treated her like air and said to the two maidservants, ¡°Since it¡¯s the first offense, I will let you guys go this time. If it happens again, you two will definitely be severely punished!!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing saw her two maidservants kneeling on the ground and shivering like frightened quails. Although her heart slightly ached, she knew that her son was just using this matter as a pretext to vent his anger in front of Jiang Zixian.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness!!¡± Meixiang trembled with fear as she stood up. She walked to Jiang Zixian and said in a low voice, ¡°Miss Jiang, Her Highness needs to rest now. Pleasee back tomorrow.¡±


    Jiang Zixian felt as if she had been pped in the face and it burned painfully. She didn¡¯t have any face to continue staying here, so she hastily bid farewell to her aunt and quickly left. If it had been other people, there was no way that they could continue staying in the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate after this incident. However, Jiang Zixian was too eager to climb up the socialdder, and thus shamelessly stayed...


    Princess Consort Jing looked at her niece¡¯s back figure and lightly sighed, ¡°Lass Xian was such a lovely child. How did she turn out like this after growing up? Yang¡¯er, don¡¯t worry. In a few days, Lady Mother will find an excuse to send her back.¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, why are you letting just any random cat and dog stay at home? If you¡¯re bored, then you can have Younger Uncle Shao¡¯s family¡¯s Lass Yue apany you!¡± Zhu Junyang expressed the dissatisfaction in his heart.


    Princess Consort Jing knew that the ¡®Lass Yue¡¯ who her son mentioned was the legitimate daughter of her youngest full-blooded brother. She had just turned nine, and she was clever, sensible, and very likeable. If her son said that Lass Yue was a good person, then it must be true.


    ¡°Yang¡¯er, do you dislike Lass Xian because she fancies you?¡± Princess Consort Jing teased.


    With a face of disdain, Zhu Junyang said, ¡°If she simply liked me, I wouldn¡¯t hate her so much. She is filled with ulterior motives, yet she still feigns an ignorant and innocent appearance, which is so sickening to see!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing wanted to put in a good word for her niece, but when she remembered her son¡¯s special ability, she swallowed back her words. After a moment of silence, she said to her son, who was about to stand up and leave, ¡°I heard that Lass Yu hase to the capital. Invite her to the estate someday. I¡¯ve been eating the medicinal meals that she prescribed, but I keep feeling that it¡¯s not as effective as the meals that I ate in Tanggu Town. If she doesn¡¯t mind, I want to ask her to check my pulse and see if we need to change the prescription.¡±


    As she spoke, she observed the details of her son¡¯s expression. Sure enough, when she mentioned the little girl of the Yu Family, the expression on her son¡¯s face softened and his gaze seemed to have be warmer. There was always one thing to ovee another. It seemed like her son hadpletely fallen into the hands of thess of the Yu Family. ¡®Ay! How old is that young girl this year? Eleven, right? It doesn¡¯t seem like she understands these matters yet! My son also isn¡¯t someone who knows how to coax women. He seriously makes me worry...¡¯


    ¡°Lady Mother¡¯s health is important. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll personally go invite her over. Xiaocao is always thinking about Lady Mother, and she even asked about you today!¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but put in some good words for Yu Xiaocao in front of his mother.


    Princess Consort Jing looked at him meaningfully, and then said, ¡°I heard that Dongshan Vige was one of the major disaster areas ofst year¡¯s locust gue. I don¡¯t know what happened to the flowers and nts in the valley. Did they also get destroyed? Yang¡¯er, how is our mountain manor in the West Mountains? It would be nice if we can go there to avoid the heat in the summer!¡±


    Zhu Junyang replied, ¡°The construction of the mountain manor is almostpleted. If it hadn¡¯t been dyed due to the locust guest year, we would have been able to move in already. A wolf pack came down the mountainsst autumn. If Son hadn¡¯t just happened to be there, I¡¯m afraid that the Yu Family would have also been harmed... Fortunately, the dozen or so wolves have been wiped out. The wolf fur mattress that Son brought back was a present from Yu Xiaocao to show her respect to you!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing already knew about the wolf pack incident, but she still had lingering fears when hearing about it again, ¡°Although it¡¯s convenient to dig wild herbs and hunt for game when living at the foot of the mountains, it¡¯s still quite dangerous. Tell your lord father to send a group of guards to defend the mountain manor. If the Yu Family needs help, we can help them out since we¡¯re living close by. Yang¡¯er, was there a lot of work today? Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired. I was just apanying them. We mostly relied on Xiaocao¡¯s pesticide... Lady Mother, it¡¯s gettingte, so you should quickly rest. If there¡¯s anything else you want to say, we can continue talking tomorrow.¡± Zhu Junyang saw Princess Consort Jing¡¯s face appeared slightly tired, so he quickly helped her lie down and covered her with the brocade quilt.


    Princess Consort Jing enjoyed her youngest son¡¯s rare thoughtful action and said with a smile, ¡°Good, the experimental fields in both locations have been cultivated. You should be able to stay in the capital for a few more days this time, right?¡±


    Zhu Junyang thought about it and replied in a slightly sly manner, ¡°If there aren¡¯t any irrelevant people being an eyesore in front of me, then I can spend more time apanying Lady Mother at home. If Lady Mother has someone to apany you, there¡¯s still some matters that I need to take care of at Tanggu Town, so Son will have to stay there until there isplete peace and quiet at the home!¡±

 Chapter 338 – First Visit to the Prince Jing’s Estate

    <h4>Chapter 338 ¨C First Visit to the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate</h4>


    Princess Consort Jing jokingly scolded, ¡°Stinky brat, you dared to threaten yourdy mother. Be careful of your lord father spanking your bottoms!! Alright, Lady Mother understands. I will send your younger cousin back as soon as possible.¡±


    Looking at her youngest son¡¯s broad and straight back, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart was filled with emotions. Her son had finally grown up. He could gradually control his emotions without being affected by the negative energy that he perceived. Didn¡¯t her son appear quite cunning and amusing with his childish ¡®threat¡¯ earlier?


    Early the next day, Jiang Zixian missed another opportunity at the dining table again. Her aunt told her that Older Brother Yang had gone out early in the morning. Was Older Brother Yang really this busy? He must be avoiding her! She refused to ept this. With her beautiful appearance, alluring figure, and excellent schemes, there was no way that she couldn¡¯t get Royal Prince Yang!!


    In the main courtyard¡¯s parlor room of the General¡¯s Estate, Yu Xiaocao carried the chubby Little Linlin with slight difficulty to the dining table. She looked strangely at Royal Prince Yang, who sat calmly at the table, and joked, ¡°Young Royal Prince, could it be that the breakfast at the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate doesn¡¯t suit your taste so you¡¯re bumming a meal at our General¡¯s Estate?¡±


    ¡°This child, is that how you should speak to Royal Prince Yang?¡± Lady Fang red at her in disapproval, and then smiled at Royal Prince Yang, ¡°Thisss is used to speaking casually, so please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t even shift as he nodded seriously and said, ¡°The chef in the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate is definitely not as skilled as Xiaocao.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Who are you coaxing? You think I don¡¯t know that your family¡¯s chef came from a family of imperial chefs. His culinary skills are even higher than that of the chefs at Zhenxiu Restaurant. Heh heh... are you hiding here because you can¡¯t endure the attention of the beauty?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at her, raised his eyebrows, and said, ¡°Can¡¯t endure the attention of the beauty? Where did you learn such an impudent remark? It¡¯s enough to just mention it here in this parlor room, lest other people heard you and say that the young miss of the general¡¯s household acts in an undignified manner!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao curled her lips, made a funny face at him, and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re evading the topic of our discussion, I must have guessed correctly!! Who would have thought that the young royal prince has the potential of being ¡®a handsome man who causes cmity¡¯ ah!¡±


    Seeing that she was speaking more and more outrageously, Lady Fang patted her shoulders twice and said, ¡°What ¡®a handsome man who causes cmity¡¯? I have only heard of ¡®a beauty who causes cmity¡¯! Why do you have so many weird phrases in your brain? Cao¡¯er, if you continue to speak so recklessly, I will invite a senior pce servant to teach you some proper etiquette!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, right? I have a new project, so I need to go back to Dongshan Vige in two days...¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face instantly turned pale. When she heard about a senior pce servant teaching her manner, she thought of the scene of the ugly old pce servant pricking the female lead with needles in My X Princess [1].


    Zhu Junyang thought of those noble youngdies who all seemed as if even their breathing were calcted. They all seemed to be exactly the same, which was extremely boring. Hence, he said, ¡°Actually, Xiaocao is very good right now. She¡¯s carefree like a little wild horse, so there¡¯s no need to restrict her.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes at the young royal prince and nodded in agreement, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! I think that those so-called noble youngdies are all really fake, like they¡¯re wearing masks. They¡¯re not living in an unrestrained and free manner at all, so there¡¯s nothing to be envious about.¡±


    Lady Fang also felt that her daughter¡¯s temperament was pretty good and was just somewhat entric at times. She thought about it and said, ¡°After this year¡¯s autumn harvest and when it isn¡¯t as busy at home, youe to the capital again. I¡¯ll teach you how to engage in social activities and some etiquettes of interaction. You should also know some of the rules of the imperial pce. There¡¯s nothing bad with learning a little more!¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded and said, ¡°Mhm, that works!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lowered her head to look at Little Linlin¡¯s chubby hands and thought, ¡®We can think about the matters in autumn when it¡¯s autumn.¡¯ The project that she had in mind should be implemented by autumn. At that time, she could juste up with another excuse to avoiding again!


    Little Linlin, who was nestled within his older sister¡¯s hands, saw the fish porridge in front of himself. His eyes immediately lit up, and he stared at the bowl of porridge without blinking. He patted Yu Xiaocao¡¯s arm with his plump little hands and mumbled, ¡°Eat, eat...¡±


    Little Linlin, who was almost one year old, had begun to learn to speak. Lady Fang never expected that she had taught him to say ¡®father¡¯ and ¡®mother¡¯ for such a long time, but her son¡¯s first word ended up being ¡®eat¡¯! He would definitely grow up to be a foodie.


    Seeing the skinny Yu Xiaocao holding a chubby baby and her fair hands had turned red from the patting, Zhu Junyang felt somewhat displeased in his heart, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a wet nurse? Why are you always taking other people¡¯s jobs? Would they be able to take their wages with ease?¡±


    The wet nurse, who stood on the side, sweated profusely within her heart. She quickly tried to take the young master back, but Little Linlin didn¡¯t cooperate. ¡®Older Sister¡¯s embrace is sofortable ah. It¡¯s fragrant and soft. Older Sister feeds me yummy food. I don¡¯t want the wet nurse: I want Older Sister!!¡¯ Little Linlin desperately pushed away the wet nurse¡¯s hands, and anxiously cried, ¡°No, no!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang stood up. With his hands under the little guy¡¯s armpits, Zhu Junyang picked him up and stuffed him into the wet nurse¡¯s hands. Little Linlin kicked his chubby little legs, but when he turned and saw the dark-faced royal prince, he pouted in fright. He turned his body and looked in the direction of Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Sister! Sister¡ª¡ª¡±


    Lady Fang felt sad in her heart. She took her son and carried him in her embrace. She tapped his small nose and said, ¡°You little heartless fellow. Your older sister has onlye for two days, yet you already got bribed by her tasty food. I have taught you to say ¡®mother¡¯ for so long, but you still haven¡¯t learned it. However, you can say ¡®sister¡¯ quite clearly ah!¡±


    Linglongughed on the side, ¡°Madam, this shows that Young Miss and Young Master are fated. You should be very happy that they have such a deep sister-brother rtionship.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao picked up Little Linlin¡¯s personal bowl and broke the fillet into smaller pieces. She scooped up a spoonful and carefully checked whether there were any bones inside. The fish porridge was made with snakehead fish, which didn¡¯t have a lot of bones. However, it was still better to be more careful since it was being fed to a child.


    ¡°Come on, follow Older Sister and call¡ªMother...Mother...¡± Yu Xiaocao lured the little fellow with the fish porridge.


    Sure enough, Little Linlin was lured by the fragrant smell. All of his attention was focused on the spoon, which he was very familiar with, ¡°Eat, eat... Sister... Eat!¡±


    His cute appearance was seriously too adorable, but Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯tpromise. She suppressed her smile and said, ¡°You can only eat the fish porridge if you learn how to say ¡®mother¡¯! Come, follow me¡ªMother... Don¡¯t grab it. If you don¡¯t call ¡®mother¡¯, Older Sister will eat up all of the fish porridge!¡±


    As she said that, she delivered the spoon to her own mouth. Seeing this, Little Linlin immediately became anxious and turned to look aggrievedly at Lady Fang. He pointed at Yu Xiaocao, who had already put the fish porridge into her own mouth, andined tearfully, ¡°Mother¡ªeat... eat...¡±


    When Lady Fang heard her son calling her ¡®mother¡¯ for the first time, she was so ted that tears welled up in her eyes. She softly said, ¡°Good, good! Since our Lin¡¯er wants to eat fish porridge, Mother will feed the fish porridge to Lin¡¯er!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao washed the spoon with boiled water, and then she scooped up another spoonful of the porridge. This time, she didn¡¯t tease the little fellow and directly delivered it into Little Linlin, who was waiting to be fed. Yu Xiaocao had woken up early in the morning to make the fillet porridge in the small kitchen. The porridge was soft and aromatic, while the fish was delicious and tender. So, it was the best supplementary food for children.


    After Little Linlin ate the various supplementary foods that Yu Xiaocao made these two days, he didn¡¯t even drink milk anymore, which saved him from the painful experience of weaning.


    After he finished the bowl of fish porridge, Little Linlin burped and continued to stare at other people¡¯s fish porridge. Lady Fang was afraid that he would overeat, so she didn¡¯t dare to feed him anymore and told the wet nurse to take him back to his room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to feed Little Linlin the medicine!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but remind her.


    When Little Linlin heard the word ¡®medicine¡¯, his face instantly wrinkled up and he looked as if he was about to cry. The wet nurse quickly coaxed, ¡°We¡¯re not eating it. Our Young Master won¡¯t eat that bitter medicine, but we¡¯re eating the sweet sugar water instead. You just ate itst night. Did Young Master forget?¡±


    When the sugar water was mentioned, Little Linlin¡¯s tears immediately stopped like it was tap water. ¡®After drinking the yummy sugar water, my throat feels veryfortable and I won¡¯t cough anymore!¡¯


    While the wet nurse prepared the loquat leaf cough syrup, Little Linlin stared fixedly at her as if he was supervising her to ensure that she didn¡¯t change the sugar water into the bitter medicine. When she tried to feed him the first spoon, he still had his lips pursed together. He lightly touched it with his lips, and then licked his lips. After he confirmed that it was indeed sweet, he drank it in big mouthfuls.


    Yu Xiaocao watched from the side and said with a smile, ¡°Godmother, Younger Brother is really smart. He already knows that he needs to guard against others deceiving him at such a young age!¡±


    Lady Fang showed a gratified smile on her face, but then sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that he has a weak constitution, and thus easily falls ill.¡±


    ¡°Children have weak immunity. I know a prescription for enhancing one¡¯s immunity. In the next two days, I will make it into a honey paste. Mix it with some water and drink it at least three times daily.¡± What honey paste? In actuality, it was just an excuse to cover Yu Xiaocao¡¯s usage of the mystic-stone water. Adding honey would give it a sweet taste, which children favored.


    Zhu Junyang was bored to death as he sat on the side. Seeing that she had finished breakfast and feeding medicine, she should have time to pay attention to him now, right? He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Xiaocao, Lady Mother knows that you havee to the capital, so she wants to invite you toe visit to our estate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our negligence. When we were at Tanggu Town, Her Highness took great care of us, so it¡¯s only right and proper that we visit her.¡± Lady Fang asked Royal Prince Yang to wait for a moment. She picked a set of clothing for Yu Xiaocao to change into, and then had Hupob her hair into a cute and lovely hairstyle. After that, she personally prepared a gift that was neither too conspicuous nor disrespectful, and took her goddaughter to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate.


    Royal Prince Yang, who rode on a tall steed, followed behind the General¡¯s Estate¡¯s horse carriage all the way to the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Some of the noble young masters in the capital recognized Royal Prince Yang. Upon seeing that it wasn¡¯t Princess Consort Jing¡¯s carriage, they were very curious about who would have such a great honor to be personally escorted by someone favored by the emperor.


    They entered the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate through the side entrance. Meixiang had been waiting by the festooned gate. When she saw the mother and daughter pair, Meixiang smiled politely and said, ¡°Lady Fang, it has been a long time since you havee to chat with Her Highness. Our mistress really misses you ah!¡±


    With a smile, Lady Fang politely replied, ¡°My child is still young, so it¡¯s hard to leave him alone! I¡¯ll personally apologize to Her Highness when I see herter!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao followed behind her godmother with a smile and quietly listened to the two of them exchanging polite greetings. However, her eyes weren¡¯t idle. It was a rare chance toe to the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, so she would treat it as a tour. The courtyard was surrounded by green walls and lush weeping willows. With flower filled corridors on all sides and decorative stone mountains along the pathways in the courtyard, the entire courtyard appeared elegant and magnificent...

 Chapter 339 – Ugly

    <h4>Chapter 339 ¨C Ugly</h4>


    Fine and lush vegetation, dazzling and precious flowers, pavilions and terraces, carved railings and beautiful buildings... Yu Xiaocao felt like she could barely take everything in with her eyes. Zhu Junyang coughed twice and said with a smile, ¡°Pay attention and don¡¯t make it seem like you¡¯re a country bumpkin who came to the town for the first time.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao freed up some time to throw daggers at him with her eyes. She snorted twice and said, ¡°So ignorant! I¡¯m Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Gardens 1! Besides, what¡¯s wrong with country bumpkins? Country bumpkins don¡¯t eat, drink, or use anything that belongs to you, so how are they in your way? On the other hand, you, the dignified Young Royal Prince, often bums off meals at a country bumpkin¡¯s house empty-handed!¡±


    Meixiang secretly nced at her young master and saw that he actually had a smile on his face. It seemed like he had been amused by Miss Xiaocao¡¯s words. Her young master was really tolerant of Miss Yu. Had it been another person, that person would have already been frozen to death by the cold air that he emitted...


    ¡°Older Brother Yang, you¡¯re back ah!!¡± Zhu Junyang was just about to say something when a red cloud drifted out of the flowers and trees, and rushed directly at him, ¡°Ahhh, save me! Brother Yang quickly catch me...¡±


    Based on the distance that Jiang Zixian calcted, if Older Brother Yang stood at the same ce without moving, she would be able to fall right into the strong arms of Older Brother Yang. However, it was under the premise that Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t move. Could he not move? Of course not!


    Zhu Junyang had long detected Jiang Zixian¡¯s little n. Before he got attacked by the fragrant wind, he gently grabbed onto Yu Xiaocao with his right hand and moved to the side... Yu Xiaocao felt a tight grasp on her left arm, and her feet didn¡¯t even touch the ground as she drifted a few steps to the side. When she looked down at her feet, she saw a girl dressed in red lying face down beside her feet. She knocked her forehead on the small path paved with bluestones and emitted a loud ¡®bang¡¯ sound.


    ¡®Tsk tsk, it must hurt a lot!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao grimaced and quickly moved several steps to the side, lest she got caught in the crossfire.


    Seeing stars before her eyes, Jiang Zixian felt stinging pain on her knees, arms, palms, and forehead. What happened? She was somewhat muddled due to the fall. She was about to fall into Older Brother Yang¡¯s embrace and was just about two centimeters away, so how did she fail? That wasn¡¯t right!!


    Zhu Junyang practiced martial arts, and thus he could jump onto the roof in a blink of the eye, let alone merely moving a few steps to the side.


    Jiang Zixian¡¯s maidservant was also stunned for a moment. She hastily went forward and hurriedly helped her young miss stand up. Jiang Zixian¡¯s carefully matched clothing had be untidy, and her meticulouslybed hair had be disheveled. Her makeup had also gotten dirtied by the soil on the ground. Most importantly, there was a scratch on her nose and a bruise on her forehead, which made it appear as if she had a horn on her head.


    Jiang Zixian couldn¡¯t pay heed to the pain on her forehead and nose. Her almond-shaped eyes brimmed with tears as she looked pitifully Older Brother Yang, who was one step away from her. She choked with sobs, ¡°Older Brother Yang, why didn¡¯t you help me when you saw me falling? It really hurts ah!!¡±


    She said thest sentence with a whiny tone that had quite a dramatic effect when apanied by her dirty face. Yu Xiaocao quickly hid behind her godmother with her head bowed and shoulders shaking uncontrobly. She knew that it wasn¡¯t nice tough at others at this time, but she really couldn¡¯t help it ah!!


    Zhu Junyang turned a blind eye to the pitiful-looking young girl in front of him. Instead, he looked at Jiang Zixian¡¯s two maidservants with cold eyes and said with an icy tone, ¡°Is this how you two serve your master? It¡¯s such a t bluestone path, yet you can still let your master trip? Such ipetent servants, shouldn¡¯t you two get flogged and sold already?¡±


    As if they were suffering in the bitter cold and surrounded ten thousand years of ice, the two maidservants felt piercingly cold from the outside to the inside. They kneeled down in front of everyone and shivered like frightened quails. They could hardly speak and could only repeatedly ask for forgiveness, ¡°These lowly servants know our mistakes. Young Royal Prince, please spare these lowly servants this time...¡±


    Zhu Junyang snorted coldly, and with a toss of his sleeves, he walked past them, saying, ¡°You two aren¡¯t servants of the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, so there¡¯s no point in begging me!! Lady Fang, Xiaocao, Lady Mother is admiring the flowers in the rear garden, so let¡¯s go over.¡±


    ¡°Young Miss, please spare us. Young Miss...¡± When the two maidservants heard this, they hastily kowtowed to Jiang Zixian.


    Jiang Zixian covered the bump on her forehead with her hand as she looked at Zhu Junyang¡¯s back obsessively and muttered, ¡°Older Brother Yang was angry at you guys because he was worried about my injury, right? Mhm, that must be it!! What are you two wretches still doing on your knees? Hurry up and help me freshen up again. I still need to go apany my aunt to appreciate the flowers!¡±


    While Jiang Zixian returned to her room to wash up, Meixiang had led the group to the rear garden of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. In the garden, a clear stream, which appeared like a jade belt, zigzagged through the depth of the flora and under the various arched bridges. It moved towards the decorative stone mountains and flowed swiftly into the gaps. With holed cornices, carved ridges, and painted sills, the pavilion was faintly discernible among the rich flowers and trees in the garden.


    In the pavilion, a woman dressed in purple took fish feed from her maidservant¡¯s hands, leaned against the white jade railing, and watched the various koi carps fight for food. With a somewhat leisurely expression, she appeared even more graceful and poised.


    ¡°Your Highness, Lady Fang and Miss Yu are here!¡± Meixiang¡¯s crisp voice sounded along with the melodious sound of birds. The bird in the cage stopped singing for a few seconds, and then started singing again.


    ¡°Chuxue, you haven¡¯t visited in a long time. I almost thought that you have forgotten about me, this friend of yours!¡± At Tanggu Town, Princess Consort Jing and Lady Fang interacted frequently and became close friends. Thus, they intimately called each other by their names.


    Lady Fang smiled and said, ¡°Your Highness must be joking. No matter who I forget, there¡¯s no way that I¡¯ll forget you! You borrowed several pots of rare orchids from me, so how can I forget!¡±


    Princess Consort Jingughed and said, ¡°Well, Xia Chuxue, it seems like you only care about those several pots of flowers ah! Could it be that the affection between the two of us can¡¯t evenpare with several pots of orchid flowers?¡±


    Lady Fang jested, ¡°How could that be? With our deep friendship, Your Highness will definitely be willing to lend me your eighteen schr camellia and camellia japonica to appreciate for a few days, right?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing regarded the eighteen schr camellia and camellia japonica as treasures. After she returned from Tanggu Town, she had specially invited two florists, who were skilled in cultivating camellias, to tend the flora. Even Lady Feng had only seen them once or twice. Normally, Princess Consort Jing seldom showed them to others and treated them like precious treasures.


    Princess Consort Jing nced at Lady Fang with her phoenix eyes, hmphed twice, and said, ¡°You ah! You¡¯re someone who won¡¯t let yourself be taken advantage of at all! What¡¯s the big deal with lending you the two pots of camellias for several days? Anyway, Xiaocao gifted them to us as a form of filial piety. By the way, Xiaocao, was that valley badly damaged? Can the flora be saved?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was holding a cup of tea and watching the two dignified women quarrel when their conversation suddenly shifted to her, which resulted in a dyed response. After being stunned for a few seconds, she showed a bright smile and replied, ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness. I purposely went to check at the beginning of spring. Most of the flowers and nts had grown new branches and buds. However, I don¡¯t really know much about flowers. When Your Highness¡¯s mountain manor in the West Mountain ispleted, I¡¯ll take Older Sister Meixiang and Older Sister Lanxiang to transnt more camellia flowers back.¡±


    Hearing that the camellias in the valley weren¡¯t badly damaged, the concern Princess Consort Jing had eased and the smile on her face had be brighter. When Zhu Junyang saw that hisdy mother¡¯s mood had be better than usual, he said to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Xiaocao, mydy mother¡¯s health has be a lot better after consuming the medicinal meals you prescribed. But, recently, it seems like the effects of medicinal meals aren¡¯t as obvious as before. It is time to change the prescription?¡±


    When they were at Tanggu Town, it was Yu Xiaocao who cooked the medicinal meals for Princess Consort Jing, and thus mystic-stone water was added in it. Later, when Princess Consort Jing was taken back to the capital, she had prepared herbs needed for the medicinal meals, which were all saturated with the little divine stone¡¯s spiritual power. Counting the days, it seemed like those medicinal herbs were almost used up, and thus it wasn¡¯t surprising that there was a reduction in their effectiveness.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and asked, ¡°Your Highness, can I take a look at your recent pulse records?¡± She still wasn¡¯t very skilled at examining one¡¯s pulse. However, there was an imperial physician who stayed exclusively at the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. The monthly pulse conditions should all be recorded.


    Princess Consort Jing told Lanxiang to retrieve the pulse records from Imperial Physician Zheng, and then she had Zhuxiang bring over some easy to digest pastries. After she warmly told Lady Fang and Yu Xiaocao to eat some snacks, she also ate some ejiao cakes.


    A joyous atmosphere was overflowing in the pavilion when Jiang Zixian came over with her maidservants. When she walked up the steps, her two maidservants held onto her arms gingerly for fear that their young miss would trip again or sprain her ankle. Even if the royal prince wouldn¡¯t do anything to them, his grim gaze was enough to frighten them.


    When Princess Consort Jing saw the swelling on her niece¡¯s forehead, she quickly put down the pastry in her hands. She worked hard to suppress herughter and asked, ¡°What happened? I didn¡¯t see you for a moment, yet you turned out like this?¡±


    Jiang Zixian couldn¡¯t help but look at Zhu Junyang. She timidly pretended to be pitiful and said, ¡°Aunt, it¡¯s Older Brother Yang¡¯s fault. He clearly saw me falling, yet he didn¡¯t even help me. He caused me to fall and end up like this... It really hurts ah!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang coldly red at her and interjected before hisdy mother could say anything, ¡°You look so ugly after the fall, yet you¡¯re not embarrassed and stille out to scare people? It¡¯s not your fault that you¡¯re ugly, but it¡¯s wrong for you toe out to scare people! Do you think that other people won¡¯t have nightmares at night?¡±


    Jiang Zixian, who originally looked like she was about to cry, immediately turned into a weeping beauty. She had such a bad fall, yet Brother Yang was still making cynical remarks. So... so annoying!! She remembered how she looked in the mirror earlier: bruised forehead and scraped nose...


    Ah, she was doomed! She had only wanted to appear in front of Older Brother Yang more frequently while he was home and enhance their rtionship. However, she never thought that she would end up with this ugly appearance. Brother Yang had seen everything, and he disliked her now. What should she do? What should she do?¡¯


    Princess Consort Jing noticed her niece¡¯s embarrassment and quickly said, ¡°You¡¯re already injured like this, have you let the imperial physician check on you? You mustn¡¯t be careless about the wounds on your face! If you leave a scar, you¡¯ll end up with it for the rest of your life!!¡±


    Jiang Zixian became even more anxious. In her own opinion, her biggest advantage against her female cousins was her good-looking appearance. With a scar on her face, even if Older Brother Yang didn¡¯t mind, it would still be impossible for her to be his main wife. If he married a woman with a scar on her face as his wife, Older Brother Yang would be ridiculed by others!!


    She hastily left the garden and told her maidservant to call for Imperial Physician Zheng...

 Chapter 340 – Got Poisoned?

    <h4>Chapter 340 ¨C Got Poisoned?</h4>


    ¡°The eyesore finally left!!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s attitude rxed a lot and the expression on his face softened considerably.


    Princess Consort Jing looked at her own son and lightly shook her head. It seemed like inviting her niece to stay at home was the worst move that she had ever made. Fortunately, she had seen through the situation early on, and it shouldn¡¯t be toote to repair the situation. Princess Consort Jing bowed her head in deep thought, trying to think of a reason to send Jiang Zixian back.


    On the side, Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes and stared at the young royal prince, as if she was in disbelief. Zhu Junyang red back at her with a displeased expression and grumpily said, ¡°What are you looking at? Even if you continue to stare, flowers still can¡¯t bloom on my face!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s gaze stayed on his handsome face for a moment, and then she joked, ¡°Flowers can¡¯t blossom on your face, but... your face is originally more pleasing to the eyes than the most beautiful flower in this garden...¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er!!¡± Lady Fang secretly nced at Princess Consort Jing. Was it really alright to say such frivolous words in front of his mother? Though... Royal Prince Yang¡¯s face was indeed pretty good-looking... She pretended to scold her, ¡°What nonsense are you saying? How can a young maiden say such words?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing stared at her son¡¯s face for a moment, and then chuckled, ¡°Chuxue, don¡¯t scare the child! Xiaocao is just speaking truthfully. Among my three sons, Yang¡¯er resembles me the most. But, since he¡¯s abination of the good points of me and my lord husband, if he was a girl, he would definitely look more beautiful than when I was young.¡±


    With a helpless expression, Lady Fang said, ¡°Cao¡¯er isn¡¯t that young anymore. Those who grow up faster are already graceful young maidens. How can she call a man handsome right in front of him? It¡¯s just that she¡¯s normally close with Royal Prince Yang. Had it been someone else, they would probably think that she¡¯s crazy about men!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pouted and said with an aggrieved expression, ¡°Godmother, Daughter can tease the young royal prince because we¡¯re familiar with each other. If it was someone else, I wouldn¡¯t be so impetuous... Sir Su Ran is very good-looking, but I would just secretly look at him a few more times and wouldn¡¯t go up to him and say, ¡®Sir, you¡¯re really handsome.¡¯ It would be weird if I don¡¯t get beaten up!¡±


    ¡°Haha... If someone says that I¡¯m very good-looking, it just means that she has good taste! Why would I be unreasonable and hit others?¡± A gentle voice sounded among the flowers. On the small path paved with bluestones, a tall figure slowly approached.


    A modest gentleman was like a refined jade. Only the tenacity, gentleness, delicacy, and implicitness of jade could describe the endless charm that Su Ran slowly emitted, right? The pure and outstanding man leisurely walked out of the flowers and trees, as if he was those banished immortals flying in the paintings...


    Seeing that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were fixed on another man, Zhu Junyang felt as if there was a big piece of cotton stuffed in his heart, and that feeling irritated him. He quietly tugged at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hair that was hanging loosely behind her, which caused her to re at him in anger. Zhu Junyang raised his eyebrows, ¡®As long as her eyes aren¡¯t focused on other men, I don¡¯t mind suffering a little and getting red at a few more times.¡¯


    As the head steward court eunuch, Su Ran was in charge of the training and assessment of the emperor¡¯s personal imperial bodyguards and the imperial guards. Thus, Princess Consort Jing naturally didn¡¯t dare to put on airs in front of him. After they exchanged some polite greetings, Princess Consort Jing sat down with a proper smile on her face and asked, ¡°Is Chief Steward Su visiting for official business or...¡±


    Su Ran withdrew the smile on his face, and with a slightly stern expression, he said in a low voice, ¡°The reason that Su Ran came to the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate without notice is to ask for help!!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing was shocked. She swiftly stood up and asked, ¡°For help? What does Chief Steward Su mean? Perhaps, in the pce...¡± Princess Consort Jing thought of all the dirty things that could have happened in the Imperial Pce. The current emperor was a brilliant ruler who was loved by the people and supported by all officials. Why would there be a need to ask for help?


    Su Ran nced at the grim expressions on Lady Fang and Royal Prince Yang, yet saw the muddled expression on the face of the little girl of the Yu Family. He quickly calmed them, ¡°Your Highness, Princess Consort Jing, please don¡¯t worry too much! It¡¯s a matter of the Eastern Pce. The young imperial prince got poisoned, and the imperial physicians in the Imperial Pce don¡¯t know what to do. I want to borrow Imperial Physician Zheng of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate to go there and have a look...¡±


    When Lady Fang heard that it was a secret matter in the pce, she quickly stood up and said, ¡°Your Highness, I just remembered that there¡¯s some matters that I need to deal with at home, so we shall take our leave...¡±


    ¡°Lady Fang, please stay.¡± Su Ran looked at Yu Xiaocao, who had also stood up with a foolish expression. He said in a low voice, ¡°I heard that your daughter has studied medicine for several years, and she has a unique understanding of medicine...¡±


    Lady Fang could no longer worry about offending Chief Steward Su, and replied in a fearful manner, ¡°My daughter has only studied medicine under the vige doctor for less than a year, and she usually just treated the vigers¡¯ minor illnesses and injuries. The one in the pce has a precious status. With my daughter¡¯s feeble medical skills, we don¡¯t dare to be conceited and show our slight skills in front of the imperial physicians!!¡±


    It had been eight years since the emperor ascended the imperial throne at the age of twenty. Normally, he was diligent in government affairs and wasn¡¯t immersed in the affairs of the inner pce. At present, including the empress and imperial concubines, there were only six or seven people in the imperial harem. The emperor currently only had two young offspring, one prince and one princess. Thus, it was apparent how precious they were. Moreover, even the imperial physicians weren¡¯t certain about the imperial prince¡¯s condition. If Xiaocao got involved, wouldn¡¯t that be the same as the God of Longevity hanging himself¡ª¡ªwanting to die earlier?


    The smile on Su Ran¡¯s face had faded, and those familiar with him would all know that he was angry. His voice still sounded gentle as he said, ¡°Lady Fang is being too humble. Who was the one who nursed Princess Consort Jing¡¯s health? How was Lady Fang able to give birth to the young son in your family? If Miss Yu has feeble medical skills, then there aren¡¯t any highly skilled doctors in the world anymore!! Lady Fang, Su Ran know what you¡¯re worried about. Rest assured, since it was I, Su Ran, who brought her into the pce, I will definitely bring her out. I, Su Ran, will guarantee with my life...¡±


    Lady Fang wanted to make herst attempt at getting out of this situation, but Su Ran spoke again, ¡°Lady Fang, if you continue to dy the young prince¡¯s illness, neither of us can bear the responsibility!!¡±


    Lady Fang could no longer voice her refusal. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Yu Xiaocao, who didn¡¯t really understand the situation. She gently caressed her head and choked with sobs as she said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you got implicated because of Godmother!! Godmother will apany you into the pce. If... Godmother will apany you!!¡±


    Imperial Physician Zheng had already been invited over by a servant. Without further dy, Su Ran hastily went out of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate with Imperial Physician Zheng and the mother-daughter pair. When they mounted the carriage, he turned his head and saw Royal Prince Yang following them. He had wanted to say something but ended up swallowing back his words.


    The horses galloped at full speed and the horse carriage also moved at full speed. Fortunately, Prince Jing¡¯s Estate wasn¡¯t too far from the Imperial Pce. They soon arrived outside of Donghua Gates. In consideration of the aged Imperial Physician Zheng and young Yu Xiaocao, Su Ran had prepared sedans. They rushed all the way to the Eastern Pce.


    Lady Fang had already patiently exined the situation to Yu Xiaocao when they were on the carriage. The young imperial prince was poisoned, but the imperial physicians didn¡¯t dare to make a rash conclusion. Thus, they wanted to consult with Imperial Physician Zheng, who was born of a family of imperial physicians from the previous dynasty. She, on the other hand, was unlucky to have been at Prince Jing¡¯s Estate at that time, and thus was taken as an extra helper.


    Yu Xiaocao stared at the multicolored stone on her wrist andmunicated with the little divine stone in her mind. After she received the guarantee ¡®as long as there¡¯s still one breath, this Divine Stone will be able to drag him back from the King of Hell¡¯, her anxious heart finally rxed. However, it was quite exciting today. It was her first time visiting the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate and she got to tour around. Was she going to have a one-day tour for her first visit to the Imperial Pce? Yu Xiaocao felt strangely excited at the thought that she was about to see a real-life emperor, empress and imperial prince.


    Zhu Junyang noticed the change in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s emotions. He bent down and whispered into her ears, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, this prince is here! No one will dare to do anything to you!! At that time, if you can treat him, then do your best. If you can¡¯t, then just stand on the side! This prince will support you regardless!!¡±


    The emperor was a wise monarch, so he definitely wouldn¡¯t do the same thing as the emperor of the previous dynasty, killing multiple people for the sake of one person. The empress might act irrationally because of grief, but even if he had to give up his position as the royal prince, he would still protect Xiaocao. Besides, there would be a lot of imperial physicians there at that time. He reckoned that Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t be needed. She was just a random passerby...


    Jingyang Pce was the pce hall that the empress resided in. The imperial prince was still young, so he lived with his imperial mother. In a couple of years, when he was bestowed the title of crown prince, he would have to move to Zhongcui Pce next door. When Imperial Physician Zheng entered the door, he was taken to the dragon and phoenix bed by the other imperial physicians to examine the unconscious imperial prince.


    With reddened eyes, the empress appeared haggard, and her eyes were fixed on her son, for fear that something bad would happen to her son the moment she looked away. The emperor stood behind her and held onto her shoulders, as if he was conveying strength and courage to her.


    Su Ran walked to the emperor and whispered into his ears. Zhu Junfan looked towards Yu Xiaocao, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.


    Since Yu Xiaocao entered the Imperial Pce, she held her hands in front of her abdomen and looked down with her head bowed. She had the appearance of ¡®I¡¯m a good kid and you guys can¡¯t see me¡¯. Su Ran came up to her and softly said, ¡°His Majesty called you to go over!¡±


    ¡®Emperor? Oh my god! I¡¯m going to see a real-life emperor soon!!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao was so excited that she could barely walk. Su Ran thought that she was scared, so he kindlyforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. The emperor is very approachable. You¡¯re just being called over to answer a few questions.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked back at Lady Fang and saw a slight trace of fright in her eyes, yet she still tried to calm down and give her aforting smile. She turned her eyes to Zhu Junyang. He had a calm and gentle gaze that seemed to have the power to appease one¡¯s heart, as if it was saying, ¡®This prince is here, so what are you afraid of!!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart slightly rxed and her steps also became lighter. ording to the pce etiquettes that her godmother taught her on the way, she quickly performed a proper bow when she saw the hem of a bright yellow robe, ¡°Thismoner, Yu Xiaocao, greets the Emperor and the Empress. Long live the Emperor. May the Empress live for thousands of years!¡±


    There seemed to be a ball of fire within the empress¡¯s heart. She didn¡¯t even look at Yu Xiaocao and said with a voice full of impatience, ¡°Why is Su Ran bringing a little girl over at this time? Isn¡¯t that just causing more trouble? Aren¡¯t you going to hurry up and take her out!!¡±


    Zhu Junfan hastily patted her shoulders and softly said, ¡°Miss Yu has studied medicine since she was young, and knows some intricate prescriptions. The young son of the General Estate¡¯s Lady Fang, who got whooping cough, was cured by her. Last time, when our son was coughing and refused to drink medicine, he had also gotten better after taking the medicine brought back from the General¡¯s Estate. When Su Ran went to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, she just happened to have been invited over to nourish Princess Consort Jing¡¯s health, so he also brought her along.¡±

 Chapter 341 – Dysentery?

    <h4>Chapter 341 ¨C Dysentery?</h4>


    Hearing this, the empress quickly replied, ¡°Little miss, I had been rash with my words just now. You...do you have confidence in treating the young prince¡¯s illness?¡± She was also recklessly finding doctors because she was anxious about the illness¡ªhow could a ten-year-old little girl be confident in her treatment when so many imperial physicians were solemnly consulting each other about it?


    Although Yu Xiaocao thought that the emperor¡¯s voice sounded familiar, she did not dare to casually lift her head to confirm his identity. She frankly answered, ¡°Thismoner dare not simplye to conclusions. I must first see the patient to know...¡±


    The empress wiped the corners of her eyes and nodded, ¡°Then go and have a look. There¡¯s more hope with one more person...Chief Steward Su, are all the kitchen staff apprehended? Investigate carefully, I want to see which evil person dares harm my son!¡±


    Zhu Junfanfortingly patted the empress¡¯s back, softly saying, ¡°The imperial physicians haven¡¯t concluded that it¡¯s poisoning, right? Be calm, the person who dares to harm my son will definitely be severely punished!¡±


    Some old officials in court had mentioned the selection of concubines, but he had always used various excuses to push the matter away. In his previous life, he had apanied his mother in watching a few pce intrigue drama series, in which three women were enough for an entire drama. Once the number of concubines increased, so would the drama! There was already enough infighting to give him a migraine even though as of now, he only had several concubines. If he had more concubines, he would probably want to flee the pce and the court. It was too scary¡ªwomen¡¯s jealousy and their vigor to fight for favor!


    Originally, he thought that the concubines in his harem fighting over his favor was just a small matter. He had a son and a daughter, and his son was smart while his daughter was obedient. He had nned to wait until the prince born of the empress had grown up and appointed him as the crown prince before he had more children in order to prevent what happened during Emperor Kangxi¡¯s reign, in which nine of his sons fought for the throne and caused chaos within the pce and the court.


    Since he didn¡¯t have many children, the concubines were still quite well-behaved and had not tried to scheme against the little prince and princess. He was also secretly gleeful over his smart decision, but who could have known that the little prince now disyed signs of poisoning. It was really a p in his face ah!


    Zhu Junfan had a cold expression on his face. If this really was a n that stemmed from his imperial harem, he would definitely not be lenient in the punishment!


    Yu Xiaocao took two steps forward and stood beside Imperial Physician Zheng. Imperial Physician Zheng had already checked on the little prince and took his pulse, and he was currently discussing his opinions with the other imperial physicians. Seeing Yu Xiaocao approach, Imperial Physician Zheng did not scrunch up his face like the others. Instead, he warmly spoke, ¡°Miss Yu, what are your thoughts on this matter?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had already heard most of the imperial physicians¡¯ discussions. The young prince only started showing symptoms yesterday, when his condition escted quickly with fever and convulsions. Now, the little prince was unconscious. His breathing was faint, and he would asionally go into shock. The signs of poisoning were obvious throughout his entire body.


    The little divine stone used its power to scan the little fellow¡¯s body when she approached the bed. Itughed amusedly, saying, [This brat has been brought up with too much care, causing his digestive system to be weak. Now his stomach aches after eating something dirty...]


    Yu Xiaocao turned to ask the imperial physicians and the little prince¡¯s servants, ¡°Since yesterday, has the little prince experienced diarrhea?¡±


    Disdain was written on the faces of the other imperial physicians. Of course, a young girl, who was around the age of ten, could only diagnose the illness as diarrhea. It was too bad that the little prince had not shown any signs of diarrhea ever since his illness began. The pce servants also answered as such.


    Yu Xiaocao furrowed her brows, remembering that in her previous life, the child of her neighbor also once suffered from these symptoms. When they visited the district hospital, the doctor said that it was a more serious case of pediatric dysentery.


    She noticed that the imperial physicians continued to discuss what kind of poisoning the little prince had gotten, and how they should cure it. Yu Xiaocao paused for a moment, then whispered to Imperial Physician Zheng, ¡°Imperial Physician Zheng, perhaps...the little prince hasn¡¯t been poisoned!¡±


    Imperial Physician Wang, who was most knowledgeable on poisons among the rest of the imperial physicians,ughed, ¡°Little miss, this is the Imperial Pce, not somewhere you can simply fool around¡ªyou are responsible for every word you say! Will you be able to hold responsibility if the young prince¡¯s treatment was dyed because of you?¡±


    Imperial Physician Zheng knew that Yu Xiaocao had a certain grasp of understanding on some trickier diseases, so he patiently asked, ¡°Miss Yu, what is your opinion?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought carefully before saying, ¡°I think the little prince has pediatric dysentery...¡±


    The other imperial physicians looked over with an expression of disagreement. Imperial Physician Wang even disdainfully said, ¡°Pediatric dysentery? Little girl, is your head in the clouds? We just told you that the young prince had no signs of diarrhea, and all symptoms point to poisoning!¡±


    Against all the pressure, Yu Xiaocao exined, ¡°There are mild and there are serious cases of pediatric dysentery, and both have different symptoms. The symptoms of normal dysentery are fever, constipation, mucus and blood, and nausea. In mild cases of dysentery, there are no obvious constitutional symptoms as the patient defecates three to five times a day and their feces are apanied by mucus or a little blood. In serious cases of dysentery, the constitutional symptoms are a little more obvious¡ªwhere the patient defecates at least ten times a day and his feces contain mucus and blood. He also experiences abdominal pain, nausea, and dehydration.¡±


    Imperial Physician Wang impatiently interrupted her, ¡°We all know of these simple pathologies, so don¡¯t waste our time. The little prince isn¡¯t experiencing stomachache, nor did he show any signs of diarrhea, not to mention mucus and blood apanying his feces. How did youe to the conclusion that the young prince has pediatric dysentery?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him solemnly, ¡°Besides those that I have listed, there is also a kind of pediatric dysentery called ¡®baciry dysentery¡¯. It¡¯s abrupt and apanied by symptoms such as fever, convulsions, unconsciousness, shock and breathing difficulty. The symptoms regarding the patient¡¯s digestive system usually only appear after 24 hours or sometimes, 36 hours. This illness is more serious and is usually seen urring in children aged from 2 to 7 years old...¡±


    Hearing her speak confidently, Imperial Physician Wang asked hesitantly, ¡°Is there actually such an illness, or did you make it all up after hearing our discussions? Little girl, even if you wanted to take credit for this, you still have to be alive to be able to im it! This is the Imperial Pce, and the patient is the child of the emperor and empress¡ªyou mustn¡¯t implicate us!¡±


    Seeing as no one besides Imperial Physician Zheng believed her words, Yu Xiaocao retreated, saying, ¡°Since Imperial Physician Wang said it so, I¡¯ll value my own life and stopmenting. All of you are very experienced imperial physicians, so you should have alreadye up with a way to treat the little prince from your discussions. If you fail to cure the little prince with your treatment, please try treating him from the perspective of treating pediatric dysentery!¡±


    The imperial physicians nced at each other, still unwilling to believe the words of a ten-year-old girl. They then began treating the young prince with the method and medicine they hade up with earlier. Although they could not trace the poison, if it was poisoning, gentle detoxification should be effective.


    The medicine was quickly brewed and fed to the young imperial prince. The imperial physicians nervously watched the little prince, hoping that his condition would improve.


    ¡°This is bad! The little prince is panting¡ªit looks like he¡¯s short of breath!¡± A pce servant at the side softly eximed upon noticing the young prince¡¯s ufortable state. The imperial physicians quickly surrounded the little prince to give him emergency aid. Fortunately, the little prince¡¯s breathing returned to normal afterwards.


    Not long after they fed the little prince his second bowl of medicine, everyone started to smell a pungent, rotting scent. The pce servants discovered that the young prince had lost control of his bowels, and the product of his diarrhea contains mucus and blood... The imperial physicians immediately remembered Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words from before, ¡®The symptoms regarding the patient¡¯s digestive system will only appear after 24 hours...¡¯ Were they wrong after all? Was it not poison, but actually just a form of pediatric dysentery?


    The imperial physicians then decided to change the medicine to ¡®three huang dysentery relief decoction¡¯ [1]. Very soon, the medicine was brewed and fed to the little prince. Within the short period of half a day, the little prince had been fed a total of 3 bowls of dark, bitter medicine.


    Yu Xiaocao resisted but still could not help herself from whispering, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be faster if we administered enema instead?¡±


    Imperial Physician Zheng secretly pulled on her sleeve while ncing in the empress¡¯s direction, whispering, ¡°Are you mad to even consider enema? The little prince is going to be the crown prince in the future, and if there are no idents, he will ascend the throne after the emperor abdicates. How could we use such a lowly method to treat his illness?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pouted, inwardly thinking: ¡®Is his pride more important than his life? But then again, if the little prince, who will be emperor in the future, knew that his anus had been vited, I really don¡¯t know what he would do. For my own sake, I should just keep a low profile...¡¯


    Zhu Junfan obviously heard what she had said as he gestured for her to go over to his side, whispering, ¡°Will the method that you mentioned help treat my son¡¯s illness?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao secretly nced at the emperor. Then, her eyes widened in disbelief. Oh god! The emperor actually looks the same as the heir of Prince Jing¡ªare they twins? That wasn¡¯t right! Prince Jing is the emperor¡¯s imperial uncle...could it be that the emperor¡¯s father was infertile, so he took in Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s son as his own? But that also didn¡¯t seem right! If it was like that, the news should¡¯ve already spread wide and far.


    So there was only one possibility¡ªthe emperor was travelling outside under disguise, and used the heir of Prince Jing¡¯s name. Yu Xiaocao turned her head around to re at Zhu Junyang: ¡®This bastard even hid the truth from me! I won¡¯t cook good food for him in the future!!¡¯


    Zhu Junfan could tell from Xiaocao¡¯s expression that she had already recognized him, so he lightly nodded to her and said, ¡°Since we already know each other, what can you not say openly?¡±


    After much hesitation, Yu Xiaocao finally whispered, ¡°Enema can directly transport the effectiveposition of the medicine directly into the colon and rectum to take effect without risking damage from digestion in the stomach and small intestines...¡±


    ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, go and brew the medicine for enema. I will personally administer it to my son!¡± Zhu Junfan only had this one son after all. Moreover, he had been personally involved in the growth of this smart son since he was born, so they were naturally closer to each other than ordinary fathers and sons of the imperial family. If his son were to me someone for this, let that person be him! How could he consider so much when it was about his son¡¯s illness?


    Since the emperor already gave out the order, the imperial physicians would not dare to disobey him. Imperial Physician Wang red fiercely at Yu Xiaocao, then left to personally brew the medicine. Yu Xiaocao felt wronged: ¡®Why are you ring at me? I wasn¡¯t the one who ordered you! If you don¡¯t want to do it, why don¡¯t you argue with the emperor? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much to specifically choose this persimmon¡ªme¡ªto squeeze just because it¡¯s soft [2]?¡¯

 Chapter 342 – Unable to Complain

    <h4>Chapter 342 ¨C Unable to Comin</h4>


    The imperial physicians were also quite skilled as the little prince¡¯s conditions quickly stabilized. However, the empress was still worried and decided to make Yu Xiaocao stay in Jingyang Pce for a few days until the little prince recovered from his illness. In her heart, although Yu Xiaocao was young, she was still experienced in certainplex and difficult illnesses.


    Take this case for example: it seemed like it was poisoning, but even with the involvement of all of the imperial physicians, they still could not identify the disease. When Yu Xiaocao came, she knew with only one look that it was not a case of poisoning, but instead was pediatric dysentery. Even in surgery there were specialized departments¡ªperhaps she was more knowledgeable in aspects to pediatric conditions.


    The imperial kitchen was falsely rmed, and the concubines that had been suspected by the empress all let out a sigh of relief. If anything went wrong with the little prince, they would have to suffer the consequences! Although their conscience was clear, they still would not be able to pass their days peacefully if the empress hated them.


    Once his son¡¯s condition stabilized, Zhu Junfan immediately began investigating into the cause of his illness. The little girl of the Yu Family had already said that the digestive tract symptoms only showed after 24 hours. If he thought back a day...his son seemed to have left the imperial pce for the maternal home of the empress¡ªthe Meng Residence.


    He called over the people of the Meng Residence to be questioned and found out that when the little prince was there, the direct nephew of the empress, Meng Shuhuan, had brought him to visit the temple fair and they ate quite a lot of street food. Meng Shuhuan often practiced martial arts with the master at home, so his body was healthier and stronger. He was fine after he ran to the toilet twice after going home, but the little prince was brought up too carefully, so he immediately fell ill after returning.


    As it was her own nephew¡¯s fault, even though the empress¡¯s heart ached for her son, she didn¡¯t punish the Meng Family. However, the empress¡¯s older brother, Meng Shuhuan¡¯s father, did. He beat him up and locked him in the ancestral hall to starve for 2 days. In the end, the matter was allowed to pass because the old madam pitied her grandson and pleaded for his pardon.


    Since then, every time the little prince visited the Meng Residence, everyone would serve him with extreme care, especially in aspects to the food that he ate¡ªit must be tested and tested again before they dared to serve it to the little prince.


    Zhu Junfan felt that his son was too protected even though he was already 5 years old because he was brought up at the empress¡¯s side. As the future emperor, he should not be brought up by a woman alone, so when the little prince recovered, he was moved into Zhongcui Pce, which was next door. Two bodyguards skilled in martial arts were also ced by his side to teach him the ways to strengthen his own body. In order to cultivate the little prince¡¯s interest in martial arts, Zhu Junfan also got him a fewpanions of the same age to practice with. But this was all afterwards.


    Back to Yu Xiaocao, who had been made to remain in the imperial pce. After she had bid her godmother farewell, she followed tiredly behind Chunhong, the maidservant that had been assigned by the empress to serve her. Zhu Junyang thought that she might be unfamiliar with the environment of the imperial pce, so he hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! You¡¯re the honored guest of the empress, if the servants dare to neglect you, just tell me. I¡¯ll seek justice for you from the emperor!¡±


    Chunhong, the maidservant, looked oddly at Royal Prince Yang. This well-known cold-faced royal prince of the capital even had such a considerate side to him. She then looked at the small Yu Xiaocao beside her who held a childish aura and thought, ¡®So Royal Prince Yang favors this type...isn¡¯t she a bit too young?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s gaze was filled with gratitude as she nodded, ¡°Many thanks to the young royal prince! The little imperial prince¡¯s condition has already stabilized, so he should be able to wake up tomorrow! I can then leave the imperial pce when he¡¯s about recovered...Older Sister Chunhong, would you happen to know an abandoned courtyard in the imperial pce that¡¯s full of weeds?¡±


    Chunhong stopped in her steps and looked at her weirdly, asking, ¡°Miss Yu, whatever for do you ask for this ce? This servant will daringly advise you, it¡¯s better to be ignorant of the matters of the imperial pce¡¯s inner court.¡±


    Royal Prince Yang was also puzzled, ¡°Xiaocao, what do you want to do with a courtyard full of weeds?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°I remember there¡¯s a prescription that helps in treating pediatric dysentery, and one of the ingredients is a kind ofmon wild herb. There¡¯s a high possibility that I can find this type of wild herb in a courtyard full of weeds, that¡¯s why I asked.¡±


    Chunhong was one of the empress¡¯s mostpetent maidservants. Once she heard it was to find an ingredient that could aid in the treatment of the little prince¡¯s illness, she naturally did not dare to dy, ¡°Miss Yu, this servant will go and inform the empress. I will bring you there once I get the entry te!¡±


    As long as it was beneficial towards the little prince¡¯s condition, there was nothing the empress would not agree to. Chunhong obtained the entry te and led Yu Xiaocao in the north-west direction. The further they went, the more remote and deste the surroundings became. Since the founding of the nation, there had been sessive years of war which had emptied the treasury, so how could there be money for the renovations of the pces? The imperial pce of the Great Ming Dynasty was still the same one as the previous dynasty, and as the concubines in the imperial harem were only so few, there were still a lot of pces that were empty, even though some eunuchs and maidservants were left to take care of the cleanliness. But as they proceeded further north, they saw fewer people, until eventually there was almost no one around.


    ¡°Older Sister Chunhong, where are we going?¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that more and more weeds grew in the cracks between the bricks under her feet, and the nearby courtyards seemed more and more dpidated. Even the imperial pce had such a run down side!


    Zhu Junyang whispered, ¡°The cold pce of the previous dynasty is in front. The emperor emeritus and the emperor have been merciful, so it has always been empty...¡±


    Chunhong found the old eunuch, who looked after the cold pce, to open the rusted, copper padlock. Once they pushed open the door, their view was immediately filled with overgrown, waist-high grass. Half of the house had already copsed while the other side was crumbling. It looked as though they had arrived at a ruin!


    Zhu Junyang pulled out a sturdy stalk of grass and swept it about in the weeds to chase away all creepy-crawlies. Yu Xiaocao followed behind him arduously, trying to identify the wild herb amongst the weeds. Chunhong was filled with fear seeing the cold pce in such a state of disrepair, so she only led Yu Xiaocao to the doors of the cold pce before she stopped in her tracks.


    The good thing was, the purne that Yu Xiaocao was looking for was prettymon. Very soon, she found purne among the weeds and speedily harvested it. The sky was beginning to darken, and the cold pce was not a good ce to hang around, especially when there were rumors about the many imperial concubines who had died unjustly here...


    With Zhu Junyang¡¯s help, Yu Xiaocao managed to harvest enough purne within half an hour. Once they returned to Jingyang Pce, she also asked the empress for some cane sugar, saying it was important for the medicine. Since it was to be fed to the little prince, without a doubt it needed to be checked by the imperial physicians. The ingredients that Yu Xiaocao required to make purne candy was simple. It only required purne and cane sugar.


    Aside from being amon wild herb, purne was also used to reduce swelling, cool and detoxify the body. In her previous life, the child of her neighbor also took purne candy along with the medicine they got from the hospital. It was said that purne also had antibacterial properties, so it was quite useful to suppress the Shige bacteria.


    Purne and cane sugar could not kill anyone anyway, so she might as well give it a try! With some mystic-stone water, the effect would definitely be enhanced!


    Yu Xiaocao followed a 5:1:1 ratio by first pounding the purne to juice and boiling it with mystic-stone water. She then added cane sugar to the mixture, made it into a candy bar, and cut the candy bar into smaller pieces each weighing about 3 grams.


    When the purne candy was brought to the empress, she saw that it did not look pleasing and asked doubtfully, ¡°This candy can really treat my son¡¯s illness?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°Rest assured, Your Imperial Majesty! This candy is extremely helpful for the little prince¡¯s illness. Moreover the taste is sweet and will be easily epted by the little prince. If you feel uncertain about this, it can be taken along with the medicine prescribed by the imperial physicians. There are no side effects!¡±


    The imperial physician added, ¡°Your Majesty, purne is indeed beneficial towards alimentary diseases, especially dysentery. Themon folk often consume purne as a wild vegetable!¡±


    Since themoners could eat purne as a wild vegetable, then it was definitely not poisonous. The empress then put down her worries and carefully asked about the dosage of the candy.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it for a moment after inquiring about the little prince¡¯s age, then said, ¡°3 pieces per dose, and 3 doses a day. The little prince should recover after 7 days.¡±


    At this moment, a booming voice resounded from outside the pce door, ¡°How is Little Hanwen? My good great-grandson, your great-grandfather hase to see you! What have his servants been doing, to let my good great-grandchild suffer so terribly!¡±


    Hearing this voice, the empress hurriedly stood and went up to plead guilty, ¡°Imperial Grandfather, it is I who had been unthorough and caused Hanwen to suffer. Pleasey down your punishment, Imperial Grandfather!¡±


    Seeing the empress¡¯s tiredplexion, the emperor emeritus, Zhu Huaiyong sighed, ¡°Rise up. Although the illness is on the child, the pain is on the mother¡¯s heart¡ªit¡¯s been hard on you these past few days. Has Little Hanwen¡¯s condition improved? What do the imperial physicians say?¡±


    The empress exined in detail to the emperor emeritus about the little prince¡¯s illness and the treatments. Zhu Huaiyong¡¯s worried heart finally settled down after he knew that the little prince was out of danger.


    ¡°Eh? This little girl...Isn¡¯t this the daughter of the Yu Family in Dongshan Vige? You¡¯re finally willing toe to the capital? What good food did you make today? Let me taste...¡± As he said this, the emperor emeritus snatched a piece of candy off the te that Yu Xiaocao was holding and popped it into his mouth.


    ¡°Mm...it¡¯s quite sweet, although it¡¯s still somewhatcking inparison to the desserts served in the pce. Empress, the reason you called her into the imperial pce couldn¡¯t possibly be to make these few pieces of candy, right?¡± While he was talking, the emperor emeritus picked up another piece of candy again and chewed on it.


    The empress helplessly reminded him after a moment of hesitation, ¡°Imperial Grandfather, that is the medicinal candy that Miss Yu had made for Hanwen. It can cure pediatric dysentery...¡±


    The emperor emeritus felt embarrassed once he heard this. He actually took the medicine for his great-grandson as candy! He coughed a few times and red at the silent Yu Xiaocao, ¡°You little girl, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    Seeing the emperor emeritus¡¯s true identity, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯tin at this point. Why did these imperial personages all like to travel to Tanggu Town? First, it was the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ who had turned into the emperor, now it was Fifth Lord who revealed himself as the emperor emeritus.


    Yu Xiaocao felt wrongly used at the emperor emeritus¡¯s words. ¡®Your old hand is too fast, alright? You¡¯ve already swallowed the candy even before anyone could remind you. You have quite a sweet tooth, even though you¡¯re so old!¡¯

 Chapter 343 – Recovering From the Illness

    <h4>Chapter 343 ¨C Recovering From the Illness</h4>


    It was already past dinner time, and the emperor and empress worried that their son wouldn¡¯t be in the mood to eat. The chefs in the imperial kitchen, who were still badly shaken, began to arrange for the dinners for their masters in the Imperial Pce. Tonight, the meals for all pce halls were nearly an hourte, but no one dared to have anyints.


    Chunhong led Yu Xiaocao to the side hall of Jingren Pce, which was the pce hall that she was going to temporarily stay at. Theyout of the side hall was simple and elegant. A gold incense burner had smoke curling out of it, emitting a sandalwood fragrance. The hollowed-out, carvedttice window had shadows of swaying flowers passing through it. The tables and chairs were made of red sandalwood with extraordinary and exquisitely carved designs.


    In the inner chamber, there was a babu bed with a light green double-sided embroidered sheer curtain sewed with patterns of flora and insects. A brocade quilt embroidered with clouds and flowers covered the bed along with a pillow of the same color. Beside the bed, there was a carved shelf that was as high as the roof. All of the exquisite patterns on the shelf was a work of art. In the room, there were two rows of autumn yellow colored yellow pearwood chairs carved with six horned-dragons and longevity patterns. Beside the chairs, there were fruits and snacks ced on top of thecquered water chestnut flower shaped high-end table... With one nce, one could tell that this room had been meticulously cleaned up.


    Chunhong pointed to the two pce maids behind her, who were wearing pink pce maid outfits. She smiled and said, ¡°These two were sent by the empress to serve you, Miss Yu. The taller one is named Xinyu, and the shorter one is named Sizhu. Miss Yu, are you hungry? Eat some snacks first. Xingyu, go to the imperial kitchen with Sister Xiazi of Jingren Pce to get Miss Yu¡¯s meal.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was really hungry. Since morning, she¡¯d only eaten a bowl of fish porridge and a couple of small steamed meat buns. At noon, the emperor and empress didn¡¯t mention eating since they were too busy saving the little prince. Who would dare say they were hungry at that time? Now, she was so hungry that her chest was stuck to her back.


    When she heard this, she didn¡¯t hold herself back. With Sizhu¡¯s help, she cleaned her hands and sat on the carved yellow pearwood chair. She picked up the pastry that was on a blue and white porcin te decorated with twining lotuses and began eating it with small bites. It was made by an imperial chef, so of course, the taste of the pastry was very good. It had much smoother and finer mouthfeel than many of the pastries outside.


    After eating the snacks and drinking a cup of scented tea, her stomach finally felt better. About an hourter, Xingyu brought back the dinner. It might be because the meal was prepared in a hurry, so there were only several simple dishes in the food box. It tasted so good that Yu Xiaocao identally ate until her tummy was bloated!


    With a full stomach, she took a petal bath and changed into new white underclothing under the care of Sizhu and Xingyu. At this time, Chunhong came in with a small package in her hands. She smiled and said, ¡°The general¡¯s wife sent someone over with a change of clothes for Miss. The underclothing you are wearing was made in a hurry by the Sewing Department. If you aren¡¯t used to wearing it, this servant will help you change it.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao watched as Xingyu took the package from Chunhong and ced all of the clothes inside into therge cab one by one. The maidservants in the pce were indeed well trained. They were better at serving than her maidservants. When she thought of how she had to do everything by herself in Dongshan Vige, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®It¡¯s good to have money and power ah! I can just be azy worm who bum meals without doing anything. So happy!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao fell asleep in the soft and fragrant bedding. Xingyu and Sizhu, these two little pce maids, watched her happy sleeping posture and smiled secretly. They helped cover her with the quilt and quietly closed the door as they left.


    She slept till dawn. After eating breakfast, Yu Xiaocao was taken to the empress¡¯s pce with a happy and glowingplexion.


    As soon as the empress saw her, the smile on her face became even brighter. She waved at Yu Xiaocao toe closer and gently held her hand. She said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect a little girl like you to have such skills. The young prince woke up in the middle of the night and made a racket over being hungry and wanting food. I was afraid that his stomach was still too weak, so I didn¡¯t give him anything but three pieces of the candy you made. This morning, the imperial physician said that he could eat some porridge, and that the young prince seemed to be in good spirits! This was all thanks to you ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was terrified, so she said modestly, ¡°Empress, you¡¯re overpraising me! This is thebined contributions of the imperial physicians. Xiaocao dares not im credit!¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, was it? Don¡¯t be so humble. I have a clear view of the situation!¡± The empress had some lingering fears in her heart. If they had followed the detoxification method given by the imperial physicians, she didn¡¯t know how much her little prince would have to suffer. When she gave birth to the prince, she had harmed her body and might not be able to have another child in her life. If something happened to Hanwen, she didn¡¯t know if she could endure it!


    Fortunately, when Chief Steward Su went to invite Imperial Physician Zheng, he also brought along the littless of the Yu Family. This little girl from the Yu Family was her son¡¯s lucky star! The empress immediately rewarded Yu Xiaocao with many precious jewels, jade pendants, and valuable fabrics.


    Yu Xiaocao shyly thanked her for her kindness and asked Linglong, who Madam Fang had left behind to serve her, to help her put them away. Yesterday, when Madam Fang left, she was afraid that Xiaocao would be lonely and that the maids serving her wouldn¡¯t be useful, so she left Linglong in the pce to apany her.


    ¡°Empress, the little prince has woken up and wants to see you!¡± Qiubai, the empress¡¯s head pce maidservant, came in and said with a smile, as the empress was lovingly holding Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand and talking to her.


    The empress took Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand, stood up and said, ¡°Xiaocao,e with me. Hanwen should meet his savior.¡± Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaocao hurriedly said she dared not to consider herself as the young prince¡¯s savior.


    The little prince was resting in the side hall beside the empress¡¯s pce hall. Imperial Physician Zheng and the doctors of the Imperial Hospital saw the empresse in and hurriedly kneeled. After the empress said, ¡®Rise.¡¯, she asked about the little prince¡¯s health in detail.


    Imperial Physician Zheng replied, ¡°The young prince is no longer in danger. However, the symptoms of dysentery haven¡¯t all been cured yet, so he still needs to take several doses of medicine...¡±


    The empress nodded and said, ¡°I understand the principle of ¡®illnessese quickly and go away slowly¡¯. Just try your best to cure the little prince¡¯s illness as soon as possible.¡±


    After she said this, the empress walked into the inner room and saw the little prince leaning against a pillow with an unhappy and foul expression.


    ¡°My dear son, what¡¯s wrong? Who made you unhappy?¡± The empress¡¯s soft voice was filled with love. She sat down beside the young prince and stroked his soft hair.


    With a paleplexion, the little prince appeared somewhat weak. He flung himself into the empress¡¯s arms and acted spoiled, ¡°Imperial Mother, can¡¯t I just eat candy and not drink those bitter medicines?¡±


    The empress was about to say something, but Zhu Junfan¡¯s voice sounded from outside, ¡°Bitter medicines have a better effect. Hanwen, is this how Imperial Father usually teaches you?¡±


    The little prince hurriedly sat up straight and looked serious when he heard his father¡¯s voice. His round eyes, however, looked at the empress beggingly.


    The empress touched his little face, feeling sorry for him. She turned and looked at the emperor and said, ¡°Your Majesty, our dear son is still sick! He understands these principles, so he will understand if you just tell him calmly.¡±


    ¡°A loving mother is more likely to nurture a good-for-nothing son! Feijia, we only have this one son. He¡¯s going to take on important tasks in the future, so we can¡¯t let him do whatever he wants!¡± Zhu Junfan walked over and touched his son¡¯s forehead, putting his heart to rest.


    ¡°Son will be obedient. I¡¯ll drink the medicine on time and won¡¯t eat random food anymore. Imperial Father, don¡¯t scold Imperial Mother anymore...¡± The little prince¡¯s soft, childish voice and timid expression made him look very soft and adorable.


    The empress, who was very moved, hugged her son and said with teary eyes, ¡°Good boy, Hanwen really is Imperial Mother¡¯s darling son!¡±


    Looking at the pair of loving mother and filial son, Zhu Junfan couldn¡¯t maintain the stern expression on his face anymore and showed a faint smile.


    At noon, when drinking the medicine, the little prince didn¡¯t throw a tantrum and obediently drank the medicine. However, the medicine was too bitter and carried a strong vor of traditional Chinese medicine. With a miserable expression, the little prince resisted the opposition he had in his heart. He took a deep breath and swallowed it in a couple of mouthfuls. However, after coughing a couple times, he ended up vomiting most of the medicine, which he had swallowed with much difficulty.


    The little prince burst into tears, ¡°Imperial Father, Hanwen didn¡¯t do it on purpose! The medicine is too hard to drink. Can I not drink it...¡±


    Tears also flowed down the empress¡¯s face. She used her handkerchief to wipe them away, and then she looked at Yu Xiaocao, asking, ¡°Xiaocao, if he doesn¡¯t take the liquid medicine and just eat the candy you made, would it be able to cure the little prince¡¯s illness?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stood up and calmly said, ¡°May thismoner ask the little prince some questions?¡±


    With his obsidian-like bright eyes, the young imperial prince looked curiously at Yu Xiaocao, who was several years older than himself. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who are you? Did you make the candy that can cure the illness? You¡¯re so young. Are you a doctor, too?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the little prince, who was almost the same age as Little Doudou, with a gentle and sweet smile. She said in a soft voice, ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯m also the doctor who examined your illness! I¡¯ll ask you a few questions. If the answers are satisfactory, then you don¡¯t have to drink the bitter medicine anymore ah!¡±


    As soon as the little prince heard this, he quickly gathered his attention. He nodded his head and said, ¡°Ok, Ok! Quick, please ask!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gently pointed to his belly and asked, ¡°How many times has your little belly hurt since this morning? How many times have you gone to the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°My belly ached three times, and I went to the bathroom two times... Last night, I used the bathroom more often and it hurt a lot more. It feels better now!¡± The little prince was a little shy, but he answered Yu Xiaocao¡¯s questions seriously.


    The little prince¡¯s physique was pretty good. Normally, he seldom got sick and his body had no resistance to drugs. Thus, after several doses of drugs from yesterday and over the night, the dysentery bacteria in his body wasrgely suppressed.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head satisfactorily and asked, ¡°Did you eat your breakfast like you were supposed to? What did you eat?¡±


    The little prince pouted and answered discontentedly, ¡°I could only have the in white porridge they prepared. There wasn¡¯t any taste in my mouth, so I didn¡¯t want to eat. I just ate half a bowl... I¡¯m a little hungry now. Little Doctor, can I eat pastries?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Young Imperial Prince, you were unconscious for all of yesterday without consuming even a single grain of rice, so you need to eat in white porridge to nourish your stomach. You can have some pastries that can be easily digested... As for lunch, you can have some seasoned purne sd with porridge or some razor m seafood porridge...¡±


    The little prince¡¯s eyes brightened. He rubbed his belly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s razor m seafood porridge? Is it good? Imperial Mother, I want to have razor m seafood porridge for lunch...¡±

 Chapter 344 – Showing a Bit of Her Skills

    <h4>Chapter 344 ¨C Showing a Bit of Her Skills</h4>


    The empress looked at Yu Xiaocao with a questioning gaze. Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Razor ms are a kind of shellfish. They taste delicious and have a high nutritional value. It can help with deficiencies and also has some therapeutic effects on dysentery.¡±


    ¡°A type of shellfish? It takes around two days to get to the oceanside on horseback from the capital. It¡¯s a bit unrealistic for my imperial son to have seafood porridge for lunch!¡± The empress frowned and med herself for not being able to give her son what he wanted.


    Yu Xiaocao saw this and hurriedly said, ¡°There should be razor m meat in the dry goods store. It has some of the same effects if you soak it before cooking it in the porridge. However, it¡¯s effects are not as good as fresh razor ms.¡±


    Zhu Junfan was normally strict with the little prince, but he was very worried about his son¡¯s illness. Upon hearing it was good for his son¡¯s illness, he immediately ordered, ¡°Su Ran, send people to quickly go on horseback to go oceanside to buy razor ms! You will personally leave the pce in person and go to the Zhou Family¡¯s dried food store to buy dried razor ms. Our imperial son must have seafood porridge before dinner.¡±


    The little prince pouted and quietly said, ¡°What about lunch? Are you gonna let me have in white porridge again? There¡¯s no vor, it¡¯s so hard to drink...¡±


    The empress softlyforted him, ¡°Doctor Yu said that you can have it with some seasoned purne. Your stomach can¡¯t handle eating anything else right now.¡±


    ¡°What about the medicine? Can I stop drinking bitter medicine now?¡± The little prince looked at Yu Xiaocao with expectant eyes and pouted. He looked very cute.


    Yu Xiaocao managed to barely restrain her desire to pinch the little guy¡¯s cheek and nodded, ¡°If your stomach doesn¡¯t hurt in the afternoon and you don¡¯t have to run to the bathroom, then you don¡¯t have to take the medicine. Eating the purne candy alone should be fine then!¡±


    The little prince rubbed his stomach. When he heard that he didn¡¯t have to drink the bitter medicine, he happily said, ¡°My tummy hasn¡¯t hurt for a while, does that mean I¡¯m getting better?¡±


    ¡°Almost! Eat a few more days worth of candy to stabilize your condition...¡± Yu Xiaocao was very patient with children. For a sick child, the little prince didn¡¯t cry or make a fuss. He could be considered a very sensible child and very cooperative little patient. Sure enough, the children of the imperial family matured earlier.


    ¡°Emperor, Consort Li has brought the little princess toe visit the little prince!¡± Rong Sheng, the head eunuch of Jingyang pce, respectfully reported the new guests with a lowered chest and a hunched back.


    An unnecessarily white face, respectful eyes and brows, a humble smile that wouldn¡¯t change for a thousand years, and a chest that would never straighten out¡ª¡ªthis was the image of an eunuch in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mind. Su Ran¡¯s gentle and refined manner, being neither humble nor arrogant, didn¡¯t match the word ¡®eunuch¡¯ in any way.


    Consort Li looked like she was in her twenties. She was wearing a light green pce dress that was embroidered with butterflies fluttering among flowers. The broad hems of the dress were embroidered withyers of a decorative pattern and her hair was coiled into a winding bun such that she exposed her temple. Her light makeup revealed her delicate beauty, and her lips had a thinyer of rouge swiped on. She looked like an elegant chrysanthemum in the fall, with a lingering charm.


    Her hand was lightly grasped with the hand of a small girl, who was clearly younger than the imperial prince. She looked like a pretty little porcin doll and was dressed in a light pink dress embroidered with gold threads. It made her skin seem even more luminous than snow. The little girl resembled a cute little dumpling and was incredibly adorable.


    The three or four-year-old little girl followed her consort mother and elegantly greeted her imperial father and her imperial mother. Then she quietly and gently stood in front of the sickbed and spoke to the little prince in a milky-sweet voice, ¡°Imperial Brother, is your illness better now?¡±


    The little prince only had this one younger sister, and their rtionship was considered pretty good, so he nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Younger Sister. With the exception of my tummy hurting asionally, there aren¡¯t any other problems!¡±


    ¡°If your tummy hurts, let Imperial Mother rub it for you. Last time when Danyi ate too much and my tummy hurt, it got better after Consort Mother rubbed it...¡± Zhu Danyi, the little imperial princess, looked at her imperial brother cutely as she ¡®seriously proposed¡¯ a solution.


    ¡°Was Younger Sister being gluttonous again? You must¡¯ve sneaked behind Consort Li¡¯s back to eat. Don¡¯t do it in the future. Lying in bed and being unable to move like I am is the result of eating random food!¡± Two little ones had a conversation like this face to face.


    The emperor was handsome, the empress was dignified and graceful, and Consort Li was elegant and beautiful. Thus, their children¡¯s looks would naturally be first ss. In addition, they were young and their voices were sweet. This made them extremely cute. Yu Xiaocao smiled unconsciously as she watched the two children interact.


    Xiazi, one of the pce maids, came back from the Imperial Kitchen. With a puzzled expression, she said, ¡°Empress, the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen have never seen purne and don¡¯t know how to prepare it. In your opinion...¡±


    The empress looked towards Yu Xiaocao and earnestly said, ¡°Xiaocao, it seems that I will have to trouble you again...¡±


    Consort Li had a surprised expression on her face. When did the empress ever treat someone so politely? The other was still a child who was only around ten years old. What made this little girl so special?


    Zhu Junfan solved the puzzle for her by saying, ¡°The little prince¡¯s life was saved thanks to Xiaocao! She¡¯s skilled in the difficult and misceneous diseases that children can get...¡±


    Consort Li heard these words and had her own thoughts about it. To be able to be recognized by the emperor and empress meant that thess had real talents. When children were young, it was inevitable for there to be headaches and fevers. It would be good for the little princess if they made friends with a doctor who was skilled in pediatric medicine. With this in consideration, Consort Li¡¯s gaze toward Yu Xiaocao carried some politeness and sincerity.


    Yu Xiaocao gave the three giants of the Imperial Pce a proper salute and followed Xiazi to the Imperial Kitchen. Once she was out of Jingyang Pce, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s steps became lighter. She breathed in the free air. Being in front of the empress and emperor was too constraining. Yes or no? She felt as if she were shackled, thinking twice before she could do anything. To be with the emperor was the same as living with a tiger, it wasn¡¯t a good feeling.


    When they arrived at the Imperial Kitchen, the purne was already prepared. Chunhong had taken several eunuchs and pce maids to pick it, bring it back and clean it for use.


    Yu Xiaocao first ran boiled water over the purne to remove any vegetal smell and then used cold water to clear away the sticky liquid before chopping it up. Once the pot was hot, she put in some sesame oil and stir fired the purne to make it fragrant. She added a bit of salt to season and then took it out of the pot.


    Washed superior japonica rice was put into the pot and then water was added to boil. The stir-fried purne was added. The whole mixture cooked over low heat until it became soft and tender. Only then was it ready to be taken out of the pot.


    While the purne porridge was being simmered over a small fire, Xiaocao began to make the seasoned purne sd. This was rtively simple. The purne was first nched in boiling water and then it was rinsed with cold water several times to get rid of the sticky juice. Afterwards, it was cut into sections and put onto a te. A bit of salt, some garlic sauce, some sesame oil was added to the dish and it was done!


    Just as the purne porridge was finished, the emperor emeritus appeared in the doorway of the Imperial Kitchen, peering in. A little eunuch, who was helping the cooks, noticed him. Then the entire Imperial Kitchen proceeded to kneel down. Yu Xiaocao also kneeled down in confusion.


    ¡°Get up all of you! Continue with what you have to do!¡± The emperor emeritus noticed Yu Xiaocao in the crowd. His eyes brightened and he scooted over to her with a smile.


    Looking at the food box held by Xiazi, who was beside her, the emperor emeritus coughed softly and asked, ¡°Is this meal personally made by that girl Yu Xiaocao?¡±


    Xiazi hurriedly replied, ¡°Yes, Your Imperial Majesty!¡±


    The emperor emeritus looked at the food box and considered what to say to let Xiazi leave the food box behind. Yu Xiaocao seemed to have seen his thoughts and said, ¡°Emperor Emeritus, the little prince can¡¯t eat anything else right now. This subject has made purne porridge with seasoned purne sd, which can help the prince recover from his episode of dysentery.¡±


    The emperor emeritus made a serious face, nodded and said, ¡°Has the little prince not had lunch yet? Why haven¡¯t you hurried and sent it over? Can you afford to starve my dear grandson?¡±


    Xiazi shivered in fear and left with the food box in hand. The emperor emeritus was really subject to quick changes in his moods. In the future, she would have to be careful around him.


    The emperor emeritus saw that Yu Xiaocao was turning around, preparing to leave. He immediately gave his apanying guard a meaningful nce. The guard reached out and stopped Yu Xiaocao. Yu Xiaocao looked back at the emperor emeritus in surprise.


    The emperor emeritus coughed a few times in embarrassment and said, ¡°Lass, aren¡¯t you interested in opening a braised food shop in the capital? You¡¯re pretty skilled at making braised pig head meat; it¡¯s a waste to not open a braised food shop!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao considered it carefully and shook her head, ¡°To be honest, Imperial Majesty, this subject intends to open a braised food shop, but not in the capital.¡±


    The emperor emeritus frowned and asked in surprise, ¡°Why not? There are many rich people in the capital. You could reach out on the streets and grab a handful of them easily. There¡¯s also an open market for a braised food shop in the capital!¡±


    ¡°However, not all the aristocratic families are like you, Imperial Majesty, who likes to eat braised pig¡¯s head meat! There are many influential families in the capital who view pork as vulgar food. Most of the ingredients for the braised food made by my family are pig¡¯s heads and pig¡¯s offals. No matter how good the taste is, those aristocratic families, who value reputation and fear bing a joke for eating vulgar food, won¡¯t buy it. There will even be some people who will mock those who buy braised foods, saying that braised pig¡¯s head meat is the food of the poor...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao has considered this quite a lot. The officials in the imperial court who came frommon civilians or humble families were still alright. However, the older noble families were all protective of their public images. They only mingled with men of letters and posed as lovers of culture. Those people would definitely not be one of the customers of the braised food shop.


    The emperor emeritus had contempt toward those aristocratic families who pretended to be lofty and noble. What were they pretending for? Many of these aristocratic families had hundreds of years of history, yet they were gradually declining. Who were they putting on airs for? What was wrong with eating pork? What was wrong with enjoying braised pig¡¯s head meat and intestines? He was the emperor emeritus yet even he, the noblest of them all, could eat it, so why couldn¡¯t they eat it? The food of the poor? He wanted to see just who dared to say to his face that this was food fit only for poor people.


    ¡°Xiaocao, let¡¯s talk about opening the shopter! Look, the Imperial Kitchen just happens to have a pig¡¯s head. Can you help with the braising?¡± The emperor emeritus was gluttonous, going out of the way to order the Imperial Kitchen to have the pig¡¯s head prepared.


    After all, this was a recipe that Yu Xiaocao came up with. Although the skills of the imperial chefs in braising the pig¡¯s head weren¡¯t as good as Yu Xiaocao herself, it was still better than having nothing. The emperor emeritus, who loved to eat braised pig¡¯s head, always had the Imperial Kitchen braise one every month, which allowed him to sate his craving.


    Yu Xiaocao, who saw that the pig¡¯s head and the seasonings were already prepared, smoothly braised the pig¡¯s head since it wasn¡¯t too difficult at this point. The pig¡¯s head meat was added with all kinds of braising ingredients and cooked slowly in the pot. By dinner time, it would almost be ready.


    She took into consideration that the emperor emeritus was old and a bit overweight. Since she suspected that he would have the threemon ailments [1], she also added three drops of mystic-stone water into the pot when no one was paying attention. This way, the marinated pig¡¯s head would taste better and be beneficial for the body.

 Chapter 345 – Assisting with the Treatment

    <h4>Chapter 345 ¨C Assisting with the Treatment</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao also braised the pig¡¯s feet and knuckle that she found in the kitchen. In her previous life, aside from the pig¡¯s head meat, the top 3 best-selling dishes of her braised food store also consisted of braised pig¡¯s feet.


    Not that she was boasting, but she had excellent control of the fire when braising the pig¡¯s feet. With just one bite, one could feel the chewiness of the pig¡¯s skin and the soft, tender texture of the meat. Every mouthful was filled with vor and it was a guarantee that whoever ate it once would definitely want to eat it again. As for the braised pig¡¯s knuckle, it glistened golden red, the bone was fragrant while the meat was tender and delicious. It was intact and the soup was thick but not greasy; the emperor emeritus would definitely like it!


    Once she finished instructing the imperial kitchen staff to watch over the fire, Yu Xiaocao left, following behind the emperor emeritus. When she got back to Jingyang Pce, she saw the emperor and the empress smiling pleasantly. Seeing Yu Xiaocao, the empress waved for her to go over, then affectionately held her small hands. She said with a smile, ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re quite capable even though you¡¯re very young! Not only do you know how to treat illnesses, you also have amazing culinary skills! Hanwen had thoroughly enjoyed the porridge and small dishes that you made. Although there wasn¡¯t a lot of porridge, there were still two bowls of it and I was afraid that he would stuff himself full, so I didn¡¯t let him finish it all. When Hanwen ate the porridge, he said that his stomach felt warm and it was veryfortable as the slight pain in his abdomen also receded. This folk remedy is still quite effective even though it doesn¡¯t use expensive herbs!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao humbly replied, ¡°The little prince is just sick of eating in porridge. Purne is just a type ofmon wild vegetable, and its texture and taste are also just so. However, a lot of wild vegetables also have some medicinal qualities. Many civilians who cannot afford a physician will counter the illness with these wild vegetables and herbs. Over time, they slowly became remedies for certain diseases.¡±


    The empress smiled as she looked at her, feeling that although this little girl was young, she was tactful in the way she spoke and acted. So she became more sincere and affectionate towards Yu Xiaocao. Waking up from his afternoon nap, the young prince was more spirited and, after taking another three pieces of purne candy, he eagerly asked Yu Xiaocao, ¡°My tummy doesn¡¯t hurt anymore, so does it mean I don¡¯t have to drink that bitter medicine anymore?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and spoke in a gentle voice, ¡°It¡¯s alright to not drink the bitter medicine, but I have to check your tummy...¡±


    ¡°Alright! You can check my tummy! I¡¯ve really recovered, I don¡¯t need to drink the medicine anymore!¡± The little prince also risked everything just so he could avoid drinking the bitter medicine.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the empress. Once she got her approval, she lifted the little prince¡¯s shirt to reveal his small, round belly. Inwardly, she came to an understanding with the little divine stone and ced the multicolored stone on her right wrist on the little prince¡¯s lower abdomen. If someone else saw this, they would surely notice that the multicolored stone emitted a golden ray of light that slowly enveloped the little prince¡¯s abdomen.


    Yu Xiaocao pretended to check him as she pressed on a spot and asked him if it hurt, and pressed another spot a momentter and asked if he had the feeling of wanting to defecate...The little prince felt as though her touch was magic, as wherever she pressed, the difort of his abdomen would disappear, as if all of it was brought away by her small hands.


    Only after the little divine stone used its power to treat the little prince did Yu Xiaocao say to the eager empress and young prince, ¡°You¡¯re almostpletely recovered. Medicines are also part poison, so you can stop the intake of medicine. The medicinal diet will be enough for the next few days.¡±


    At this time, the eunuch of Jingyang Pce reported the arrival of Su Ran and Royal Prince Yang. Zhu Junyang focused his gaze on Yu Xiaocao the moment he entered Jingyang Pce. Seeing that she was alright and even smiling, he nonchntly shifted his gaze away.


    After he greeted the empress, he gifted the bedridden young prince an automatic toy horse to relieve boredom. The toy horse was about the size of an adult¡¯s palm, and inside it there was a mechanism that, after being wound up, enabled the little horse to walk by itself on a table. The new toy quickly gained the attention of the little prince as he yed with it andughed from time to time.


    Su Ran brought with him a bag of dried razor ms. Once the empress saw that, she turned towards Yu Xiaocao and said apologetically, ¡°Razor m porridge...I still have to trouble you, Xiaocao.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hurriedly stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a bother! However, the razor m porridge will need some time to cook, so thismoner girl will take my leave first.¡±


    Even though the empress was amiable towards her, living in a society where social ss was extremely strict and facing the ss with the authority to control the life and death of other people still made Yu Xiaocao ufortable. She would rather stay in the imperial kitchen and suffer the grease and smoke than converse another word with the empress.


    Seeing Yu Xiaocao leave Jingyang Pce, Zhu Junyang also took his leave. Withrge steps, he caught up to Xiaocao who was being led by Xiazi to the imperial kitchen. Hesitantly, he said, ¡°Actually...it¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t want to do it...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the astonished Xiazi, and then smiled at Zhu Junyang, ¡°Don¡¯t you know me? I like the process of cooking. When you were at Dongshan Vige and ordered all those difficult dishes, didn¡¯t I also try to make them for you too? I was born for a hardworking life, if you wanted me to sit idly, I would feel ill at ease. It was I who asked to help cook the little prince¡¯s porridge.¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that there was not a trace of reluctance on her face and smiled, saying, ¡°You dare mention that? In Dongshan Vige, this prince ordered ten dishes but it¡¯s already considered good enough if you made me two! Only you have the guts to fool me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue at him. Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she said, ¡°Thismoner girl was born into a farmer¡¯s family, and only knows how to cook somemon dishes. The sea cucumber and abalone dishes that you ordered all required expensive ingredients. Even if we caught them, we would rather sell them for money, how could we be willing to try them? Be smarter the next time and order some more ordinary dishes, only then can I guarantee to satisfy you!¡±


    Xiazi looked even more astonished. ¡®Who can tell me whether this man, who¡¯s smiling and whose gaze is filled with affection and indulgence, is actually the cold royal prince who everyone in the capital shied away from? He wouldn¡¯t have been possessed by something, right? Also, the little miss of the Yu Family, you don¡¯t take the royal prince seriously, do you? You actually dared to use such a casual attitude to talk with the moody prince? Are you seeking an early death?¡¯


    The thing that made her jaw drop even more was that the cold Royal Prince¡¯s expression was not cold at all. His face lit up with a smile and his voice was gentle as he said, ¡°Alright! In the future, I will order only the dishes that you can cook!¡±


    The moment they entered the imperial kitchen, Zhu Junyang could smell the strong fragrance of braised meat wafting in the air. ¡°Xiaocao, you braised pig¡¯s head this afternoon? If so, I must find an excuse to stay, I want to eat the pig¡¯s ear strips with chili oil that you made.¡±


    ¡°You brat! The braised pig¡¯s head was requested by me, your grandfather¡ªit¡¯s all mine, don¡¯t even try to snatch it from me!¡± Ever since the braised pig¡¯s head had gone into the pot, the emperor emeritus had been loitering around the imperial kitchen. When he smelled the fragrance, he could not help bute inside and have a look, but when he heard that Zhu Junyang was about to steal his pig¡¯s ears, he felt unhappy and began to protect his food.


    However, Zhu Junyang was not afraid of his imperial grandfather, and immediately began to bicker, ¡°Imperial Grandfather, it¡¯s such a big pig¡¯s head, can you finish it all? Aren¡¯t there two pig¡¯s ears? You¡¯re so generous, wouldn¡¯t you give your grandson one?¡±


    Zhu Huaiyong scrutinized his little grandson, feeling that he was different from before. Previously, he would only scowl and leave, how would he say these words that sounded like he was acting cute? Also, his cold gaze wasparatively livelier than before. Had his grandson¡¯s illness been controlled? Which divine doctor was so skilled?


    To avoid provoking his little grandson, the emperor emeritus made a pained expression and hardened his heart, ¡°Alright! Seeing as you¡¯re so well-behaved today, I¡¯ll award you one pig¡¯s ear...¡±


    Zhu Junyang pressed on, ¡°Imperial Grandfather, this grandson also likes to eat pig¡¯s snout...¡±


    ¡°No! You can only have one pig¡¯s ear. I won¡¯t give any more! If you say any more, you won¡¯t even get the pig¡¯s ear!¡± The older the emperor emeritus was, the more childish he became. The attribute of protecting his food also increased in vigor with his age.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that these two were fighting over a pig¡¯s head until their faces turned red, so she hurriedly advised, ¡°If you think one pig¡¯s head isn¡¯t enough, you can tell the imperial kitchen to prepare a few more pig¡¯s heads. We can stew the meat in braising sauce overnight, so you can thoroughly enjoy your meal tomorrow. Although, the weather is quite warm nowadays, so the braised dishes shouldn¡¯t be kept overnight. If you can¡¯t finish it, just award it to others!¡±


    The emperor emeritus was full of reluctance and mumbled, ¡°I have an icehouse in my temporary imperial residence, if I can¡¯t finish it, I¡¯ll just keep it frozen there and reheat it whenever I feel like eating it! ...Little girl, how long do you n to stay in the capital? I want to eat vermicelli pork stew, chicken and mushroom stew, and northeastern mixed stew!¡±


    In his previous life, Zhu Huaiyong was a true man from northeast China. Since his transmigration, he had rarely been able to eat authentic northeastern dishes and had missed them quite dearly. Even in his dreams, he dreamed of eating those northeastern signature dishes.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it, then said, ¡°I will probably have to stay in the Imperial Pce for a few more days to ensure that the little prince is fully recovered before I can leave. For these few days, just tell the imperial kitchen to prepare the ingredients for the dishes that you, Emperor Emeritus, want to eat and I will make them for you. It¡¯s just that, thismoner girl isn¡¯t sure that my cooking will suit your taste.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to my taste! With your skills in making braised pig¡¯s heads, how can any of the dishes you cook be bad?¡± The emperor emeritus grinned and nodded. In his heart, he thought that he would stay in the Imperial Pce for these few days, so he gave the order to stay in Ningshou Pce tonight.


    The old eunuch, who had served the emperor emeritus for decades, already knew the emperor emeritus¡¯s thoughts. Inwardly, he said to himself: ¡®Ever since the emperor emeritus abdicated his throne, he was either travelling and sightseeing, or he stayed in the temporary imperial residence in the outskirts of the capital; not one day did he stay in Ningshou Pce, which had been prepared for him for seven to eight years. Who could have thought that he would be willing to remain in the Imperial Pce for an ordinary meal? The allure of good food must not be underestimated ah!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao began preparation to make the razor m seafood porridge. The few old imperial cooks of the imperial kitchen shooed away those eunuchs who acted as assistant cooks and came up to her to assist her. They were obviously trying to covertly learn her recipes while watching from the side! However, Yu Xiaocao had not nned to keep the recipes of the seafood porridge, braised pig¡¯s head and northeastern dishes to herself. She was only going to stay in the capital for a few days, and in her opinion, the emperor emeritus was quite interesting. He was intimate with the people and did not carry himself in a haughty manner. Thus, she was quite willing to leave the recipes of some of his favorite dishes to him.

 Chapter 346 – Free Labor

    <h4>Chapter 346 ¨C Free Labor</h4>


    She first soaked the dried razor ms in some water and then rinsed them with some boiling water. After all of the grit and sand was washed out, they were finely minced. Then she instructed one of the imperial chefs take some fresh shrimp, peel and clean them before cutting them into small pieces to use.


    After the rice was washed, it was put into arge deep pot to simmer into congee. The minced dried razor ms, shrimp, and some ham was also put into the pot to stew slowly. Since the little divine stone had healed the little prince in the afternoon, she knew that his stomach would be able to digest more, so she was able to put more delicious ingredients in the food. After the congee finished cooking, she sprinkled some crushed roasted peanuts on top to add an additionalyer of vor. A little bit of sesame oil was also drizzled on for the same purpose.


    Throughout the entire process, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t try to hide any of the steps from the imperial chefs. When they had questions, she even patiently exined her reasoning. Thus, the impression the imperial chefs had of this little girl, who knew how to make many odd things, had improved a lot. Other than the noble masters in the pce, these old imperial chefs didn¡¯t really put anyone else in their eyes. However, they now treated Yu Xiaocao with a lot more respect and reverence.


    That night, the three great personages of the pce ate to their delight. It was said that the empress was very fond of the braised pig trotters, while the emperor liked braised pork knuckle and also enjoyed braised pig head meat. However, the emperor emeritus hogged most of the braised pig head meat and only gave the emperor a miserly tiny portion. The emperor emeritus ate more than half arge te of braised pig head meat by himself and almost finished all of the sliced pig ears seasoned with chili oil. He couldn¡¯t bear to give the leftovers to the eunuchs and pce maids, so he had the servants carefully pack the food up and had it stored in an ice cer. He stated that he nned on eating the rest at his next meal.


    The young prince was also very pleased. He ate two small bowls of seafood congee and still wasn¡¯t satisfied, so he also ate a goblet of razor ms stewed with egg. He was so stuffed afterwards that he had to stroll around his rooms several times with a pce maid to help with digestion. Only then was he allowed to go to bed. All of the imperial physicians were amazed at the speed of the little prince¡¯s recovery. Usually, a patient would need at least a few days to recover from even the mildest bout of dysentery. However, only two days had passed yet the prince had made almost a full recovery and no longer needed to take medication. Was it because the Yu Family¡¯s little girl¡¯s recipe for medication was really that good? Even Imperial Physician Wang, who had some resentments towards Yu Xiaocao, had to admire the efficacy of the girl¡¯s medicine recipe.


    During the time that Yu Xiaocao was in the pce, she had to spend some time almost every day in the imperial kitchens to make two dishes that the emperor emeritus personally ordered. The dishes she made for him included: sweet and sour crispy pork, dry-fried pork strips, pickled vegetables with fatty meat and blood sausage. The emperor emeritus ate until he waspletely satisfied. He praised the food, stating that these dishes were more delicious than all of the northeastern cuisine dishes he had during his entire life. In fact, the emperor emeritus had previously traveled all throughout the country in an effort to find the taste of his hometown. Unfortunately, he was never able to satisfy his cravings before.


    There was a reason why Yu Xiaocao knew how to cook northeastern cuisine dishes. In her past life, her mother was from the northeast. Before her mother passed away, the family¡¯s financial circumstances were considered decent, so her mother often made some authentic northeastern dishes to eat. She had helped her mother cook in the kitchen and learned the ways to make this type of cuisine. Many years had passed then and she was now finally able to recreate the foods from her memories. These dishes all held the vors of the food her mother used to make, such a good memory...


    She taught every single northeastern cuisine dish she knew to the imperial chefs. The master opened the door, but cultivation progress depended on the individual person. It was up to the chefs to rely on their own talents to see if they were able to make these dishes up to par with the emperor emeritus¡¯s tastes.


    The young prince had hismon purne rock candy as treatment. In addition, Yu Xiaocao created menus of food for him, so gradually his body recovered. In the imperial kitchen, Yu Xiaocao came up with some new snacks, such as animal crackers, cakes filled with jam, sheep¡¯s milk pudding, and egg tarts. The food she made changed almost every day and never repeated itself.


    Once the young prince was able to get out of bed, he followed Yu Xiaocao like a little tail every day. When he saw her, he was even more happy to see her than when he saw his father or mother. The empress felt some pangs of jealousy while the emperorughingly scolded him for being a foodie and an ungrateful brat...


    After her sixth day in the pce, the imperial physicians announced that the young prince¡¯s illness hadpletely healed. Thus, Yu Xiaocao also took her leave and left with a bunch of valuable presents given to her by the emperor and empress. The young imperial prince reluctantly said farewell to her at the steps of Jingyang Pce and waved his little hands, looking forward to her next visit.


    Prior to entering the Imperial Pce, Yu Xiaocao had been preupied with the conundrum on what to do with the Yu Family¡¯s residence in the prefectural city. It had a very good location, so leaving it empty was such a waste. Now, she finally came to a decision. She decided to open a braised food shop in the prefectural city. It would be a regr shop and would have a ce to also sell roasted chicken and duck as well.


    However, the thing giving her the most trouble at the moment was where to get the raw ingredients. The locust gue had just happened. Although the prefectural city¡¯s area wasn¡¯t particrly hard-hit by the disaster, there were still significant losses. Almost all of the farnds had sharp decreases in their crop outputs. Without grain on hand, the families that raised pigs and chickens had all ughtered their animals prior to the start of winter.


    Although the weather had been good at the start of spring and the grass had started growing, how could families that raised poultry rely only on grass to feed their livestock? Spring was a time when people still relied on their stores of food, and manymoners were having trouble filling their stomachs let alone have any extra grain to raise chickens. Thus, she had a problem. If she wanted to open her braised food shop, she needed to start raising chickens and pigs now. However, her family had over a hundred mu of fields to tend and their vegetable stand to manage. If they started to raise a lot of chickens and pigs, she was afraid there wouldn¡¯t be enough people at home to do the work...


    After thinking things through, she finally came to a decision. She was going to write a letter to her father, who had gone back home after escorting her to the capital, to tell him to buy somend near the foot of the mountain from the vige chief so they could construct a piggery. Enclosed with the letter was also a blueprint she drew for the piggery.


    Spring plowing had just ended so her three maternal uncles weren¡¯t very busy. Thus, she nned on having them go to the viges that weren¡¯t as hard hit by the disaster to buy and catch as many piglets as they could. Afterwards, they could spread the piglets among families they were close to raise. The Yu Family would provide the food to raise these pigs. Once construction on the piggery was finished, they didn¡¯t need to worry about getting more piglets in the future.


    As for who would take charge of raising the pigs, she had also thought this through. Currently, the business at the docks was slow, so she was nning on having Xiaolian bring Eldest Maternal Aunt and her youngest daughter over to help with managing the piggery. As forpensation, if Eldest Maternal Aunt didn¡¯t want to get paid on ount of familial rtions, then she nned on giving her tworge fat pigs at the end of the season. Right now there was a shortage of grain, so there weren¡¯t many people raising pigs. Thus, pork prices would only continue to rise and not fall, at least until the next year. Tworge fat pigs could be sold for at least a few dozen taels each!


    A thick envelope was soon delivered into Yu Hai¡¯s hands in Dongshan Vige. The Yu Family alwayspletely supported his daughter¡¯s ns. Before long, the piggery was quickly built up. Yu Hai took some strong fellows from the vige and together they worked to build a tall stone wall around the piggery. The stalls of the piggery were simple. They were constructed with lower stone walls and on top was a wooden roof to shield the stalls from rain and snow. There were a total of forty-some small stalls constructed in the end. At the perimeter wall, they also constructed a simple two room dwelling for the people looking after the pigs that was builtpletely of stone. Inside was also a kang bed and everything was constructed very sturdily.


    Yu Xiaocao longed to go back home but she still couldn¡¯t leave the capital because her younger brother¡¯s first birthday celebration was around the corner. Her godfather and godmother both treated her like their true daughter. When she was in the Imperial Pce for those few days, her godmother was so worried that she didn¡¯t sleep well and ended up with canker sores in her mouth. She also became markedly thinner. Yu Xiaocao had previously missed Little Linlin¡¯s hundred day celebration. If she missed his first birthday as well, it wouldn¡¯t be good.


    Before long, it was the day of Fang Haolin¡¯s birthday celebration. Because Fang Zizhen had been well regarded by the emperor this year, other than his close friends and family, there were a lot of other colleagues who came by to participate without an invitation.


    Zhu Junyang hade over early in the morning and he was currently in the kitchen being used as hardbor by Yu Xiaocao. He, Head Steward Liu, and two bodyguards were all assigned arge basin of cream for them to beat!


    That¡¯s right, Yu Xiaocao was nning on giving an enormous threeyer cake to Little Linlin as his birthday present. How could she make a birthday cake without whipped cream frosting? If she was able to buy whipped cream frosting in the Great Ming Dynasty, that would have been the best. However, since none was avable to buy, she could make it herself ah!


    When she was in the imperial kitchen, Yu Xiaocao discovered they had cow¡¯s milk there. It was rumored that the emperor had brought over dairy cows from foreign countries to the country when he hadn¡¯t taken the throne yet. These cows were all raised in the capital¡¯s farmstead and provided the imperial kitchen with different types of dairy products.


    Yu Xiaocao had asked the empress to give her a lot of cow¡¯s milk from the imperial kitchen. Making whipped cream required a lot of milk. Furthermore, she also needed eggs, vegetable oil and white sugar. Other than the milk, the rest was easy to obtain.


    In order to make whipped cream frosting, the person making it needed to whip it constantly at a high speed. Yu Xiaocao originally nned on asking her godfather for a few bodyguards to help her. However, who would have thought that Zhu Junyang would voluntarilye to the door and act as freebor. It¡¯d be a waste not to use him.


    Yu Xiaocao took out a fewrge and sturdy basins and first ced some egg whites in them. She had Zhu Junyang and the others continuously whip the egg whites in one direction. The four of them all were skilled martial artists who had beaten many experts in the capitals. They all stone-facedly used the bamboo tools in their hands to whip the egg whites.


    Once the egg whites were foamy, Yu Xiaocao told them all to stop. She added a bit of milk, oil, and sugar and then had them continue. Zhu Junyang leveled an angry re at her. If he wasn¡¯t looking forward to trying her new food creation, he would have long thrown a tantrum and stopped working. Anyone who was willing to give him orders willy nilly truly had guts! Zhu Junyang vented all of his pent up anger into whipping the egg white mixture.


    When Yu Xiaocao saw him working ¡®so hard¡¯, she heavily praised him and instructed the other people to follow his lead in order to work hard to reap rewards. Head Steward Liu had a face full of suffering as he thought, ¡®My little ancestor ah, please stop adding fuel to the fire. Can¡¯t you see that his royal highness has an expression so dark it¡¯s dripping ink ah? When the master loses his temper, it¡¯s more scary than natural disasters and fierce beasts ah!¡¯


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that the mixture in Zhu Junyang¡¯s basin had thickened, she quickly told them all to stop. She then added an appropriate portion of milk to each of their basins, as well as more oil and sugar. Then, she happily gave them a fewpliments before hinting that they had to continue.


    While the four people were crafting the whipped cream frosting, Yu Xiaocao had mixed up the cake batter and poured it into three separate pans. The pans were ced into the oven and she had Yingtao keep an eye at the heat. She continued to instruct Zhu Junyang and the others how to make the frosting.


    After adding more milk, oil and sugar another two times, Yu Xiaocao saw that the frosting was at the right viscosity. She took the bamboo beater from Zhu Junyang¡¯s hands and gently tested the texture of the frosting. When she saw that the frosting didn¡¯t dete, she proimed that they were done making it.

 Chapter 347 – Exposed

    <h4>Chapter 347 ¨C Exposed</h4>


    Zhu Junyang let out a heavy snort and waved his sleeves as he left. Head Steward Liu used a finger to point at Yu Xiaocao a few times before he sighed and also followed his angry master out of the Fang Estate¡¯s kitchen.


    Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips and quietly muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t he just whip some frosting up? Is it necessary to be this angry ah?¡±


    Yingtao cheerfully stated, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re the only one who can order Royal Prince Yang to do things! Although His Highness looks quite scary, I never would have thought that he¡¯s that easy to talk to ah!¡±


    Easy to talk to? If the people who had been beaten up by Royal Prince Yang could hear her say this, they would have all retorted vehemently, ¡®Are you blind? How can Zhu Junyang, that ck-faced devil, be easy to talk to? You¡¯re not the one who was beaten until you were bedridden for a few months, right?¡¯


    After the cake finished baking, Yu Xiaocao first cut it into three circles of differing sizes and spread on ayer of frosting. Then, she prepared a piece of oiled paper, rolled it into a triangr shaped tube, and poured the whipped frosting into it. Using her pastry bag, she squeezed out beautiful flower decorations on the cake. In her past life, Yu Xiaocao had worked at a pastry shop prior to opening her braised food shop. Because she had skillful hands, all of the cakes she decorated were praised.


    At first, she was a bit unfamiliar with this process. As she continued, the skill came back to her and each consequent flower was more beautiful than the previous and more lively. Since the season wasn¡¯t right, there weren¡¯t any ingredients avable for her to use as food dye. Thus, all of the icing flowers she squeezed out were a pure white color. However, Yu Xiaocao had the servants take out some preserved jams fromst year from the ice cer. There was bright red strawberry jam, orangey-yellow tomato jam, purple grape jam...she also used some spinach juice mixed with honey to create a green colored dye.


    With these five colors avable, she used them all to gently brush onto the flowers¡¯ edges. The whole cake immediately became bright and lovely. Yingtao and another head maid, Muxi, stared in awe at all of the stunning flowers on the cake. Their eyes were opened wide as they took in the sight.


    The cake had threeyers and the firstyer was about twenty inches in diameter. The secondyer was around sixteen inches and the topmostyer was around twelve inches. Eachyer was decorated with carefully crafted icing flowers. The topyer had some writing on it written in red jam that said, ¡®Happy 1st Birthday to Fang Haolin¡¯. In addition, there was a cartoon figure underneath the words that was colored with different jams. It looked almost exactly like Little Linlin.


    The grabbing ceremony had already finished. Fang Haolin had lived up to expectations and grabbed a tiny wooden knife. This caused everyone to exim ¡®like father like son¡¯. For the banquet, they invited the head chef of the capital¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant¡ª¡ªLiu Bi, who was personally in charge of cooking. This caused many guests to be pleasantly surprised because the head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant was very hard to book. He only took three jobs in a month and the waiting list had already extended to next year...


    The banquet for the Fang Family was crafted at the highest standards offered by Zhenxiu Restaurant. Roasted chicken, fruit-scented roast duck, salt-water duck...all the hit dishes were avable. Thus, the guests ate until they were stuffed andplimented the food endlessly.


    Thest course that came out was the present that Yu Xiaocao had prepared for her younger brother¡ª¡ªwhipped cream cake. When the gorgeous and elegant cake was presented out to the guests, everyone was stunned silent. They were speechless not only because the cake was beautiful and incredible beyond belief, but they were also silently ashamed that they had never heard what a ¡®whipped cream cake¡¯ was before.


    The cake was quickly sliced into small triangr pieces and every guest was given a piece. The guests, who were originally stuffed beyondparison, all tasted a bite. The rich vor of the cream and the sweet delicate taste of the cake melted into their mouths. The cake had a bouncy texture that they had never had before. Thus, how could one small slice satisfy the craving of everyone?


    The whipped cream cake was most favored by the female guests. After finishing one slice, the noble madams and young maidens were all too embarrassed to ask for a second helping. However, they all mored to know where this cake was bought from. The texture of the cake was divine and the look was elegant and beautiful. They needed to know where to get this ah!


    However, when they found out that this cake was a present given by the Fang Family¡¯s adopted daughter to her little brother, all of their hearts fell down. If this cake was bought from a shop, it didn¡¯t matter if the price was high and the demand was outrageous, they would still be able to buy it one day. However, the creator was the daughter of the Fang Family. Although she was only adopted, they couldn¡¯t just demand her to spend half a day to craft another cake just to sate their cravings ah!


    When they left, all of thesedies and maidens had a bit of regret on their faces. When their husbands and fathers asked them why, they could onlyugh helplessly. Fang Zizhen was a rough person yet the daughter he had adopted had some skills. She not only cured the young imperial prince¡¯s illness, bringing her to the attention of the empress, but she also had culinary talent. Even the old glutton, the emperor emeritus, unceasingly praised the food she made. Now she had the ability to make novel desserts that had never been seen before.


    The fact that Zhaoyang General¡¯s daughter had great culinary skill quietly spread throughout the noble and wealthy families of the capital. That same day, the master of the Imperial Pce, Zhu Junfan, had also heard of the ¡®whipped cream cake¡¯ that Yu Xiaocao made. He raised an eyebrow¡ª¡ªLooks like I have another clue eh? Such a good old transmigrator friend!


    Just as he was about to summon Yu Xiaocao to the pce again to ¡®have a deep conversation¡¯ with her, the girl had already said her farewells to her godmother and left the capital with Fang Zizhen, who was going back to the harbor. The two of them were on the road back to Tanggu Town.


    When Zhu Junfan got the news, he silently cursed inside, ¡®Littless, you¡¯re escaping quite quickly! However, I¡¯m not in a hurry. It¡¯s not like the littless can run away forever. In the future, I¡¯ll have to slowly ¡®punish¡¯ her!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was riding on her little red horse next to her godfather. Behind them were some of Fang Zizhen¡¯s personal bodyguards. The little red horse wasn¡¯t very big yet it had a lot of energy and was able to keep up with the pace set by Fang Zizhen¡¯s beloved horse.


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s beloved horse wasn¡¯t as valuable as the legendary Ferghana horses, but it was still a good horse. The little red horse that Yu Xiaocao rode was the one that he gave her. However, at the time, he had thought that his daughter was young so he mostly picked out a horse that had a gentle and serene nature. Who would have thought that his daughter had picked up a diamond in the rough? The little red horse was quite a good horse!


    Since Yu Xiaocao was worried about her family¡¯s piggery, they spent the entire journey on horseback and they even ate lunch on horseback. At night, even Fang Zizhen¡¯s beloved horse was already exhausted, let alone the horses of his bodyguards, which were on the verge of copsing! However, that little red horse that caught no one¡¯s eye was still going on strong and full of energy. Naturally, this was definitely rted to the fact that Yu Xiaocao had raised this horse of hers on mystic-stone water for a long time.


    At the speed that they were traveling, they would be able to get to Dongshan Vige by noon the next day. Yu Xiaocao had noticed that the horses the bodyguards were riding on were not up to par and was afraid they would dy her journey, so she secretly gave them some mystic-stone water that night. The next morning, the bodyguards, who were certain they couldn¡¯t travel at the same pace as yesterday, were all startled to see that their horses were acting as if they had eaten a bunch of stimnts as they were full of energy. It was quite a surreal experience¡ª¡ªDid peoplee over at night and switch their horses over for fresh ones? Fang Zizhen looked at his daughter, who was currently grooming the little red horse. In his heart, he had a feeling that the changes in the horses had to be rted to her. His daughter was skilled in medical arts. Perhaps she fed them some medication to relieve fatigue?


    Fang Zizhen was the same as Yu Hai and doted upon his daughter to his bones. Although he had his doubts in his heart, he didn¡¯t voice them. For the past two years, he had discovered that his adopted daughter had out of the ordinary abilities, so he was sure she had a big secret. However, none of this influenced the love and trust he had in her.


    They had been in the capital for more than half a month. Before they left, Yu Xiaocao went to the Imperial ntation with Royal Prince Yang to see that the corn and potatoes were growing very well. With the wells of mystic-stone water at the farmstead, it¡¯d be more surprising if they didn¡¯t grow well! However, the spiritual energy at the wells could onlyst for one year. She would have to deal with the following year when it came!


    When they got to Tanggu Town, neither of them stayed somewhere to rest. Instead, Yu Xiaocao and her godfather went their separate ways. Fang Zizhen went to the docks to oversee the continued construction while Yu Xiaocao went back to Dongshan Vige. Fang Zizhen was a bit worried about his daughter going back alone so he sent a bodyguard with her.


    They traveled at top speed. By the time they got to Dongshan Vige, they were just in time for lunch. When Yu Hai and his wife saw their exhausted and travel-worn youngest daughter, they both put down their bowls to help. Madam Liu went into the kitchen to heat up some water for her daughter to wash herself while Yu Hai led the bodyguard to take a seat to eat some food.


    ¡°Grandfather, everyone should eat first and don¡¯t let the food get cold!¡± Yu Xiaocaoid down in exhaustion on a chair under the grape trellis in the courtyard and gulped down a few mouthfuls of mystic-stone water. Gradually, she felt the bone-deep fatigue disappear from her body.


    Madam Liu swiftly heated up some water and had her daughter wash her hands, face, and neck. After Yu Xiaocao changed into a clean set of clothing, Madam Liu quietly asked, ¡°Are you hungry? If you want to eat something, Mother will make it for you!¡±


    ¡°Mother, there¡¯s no need! Lunch is already made, so I¡¯ll just eat with everyone else okay? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a guest!¡± Yu Xiaocao wiped her body quickly. After changing into a set of clean clothes, she stretched leisurely. It was still best to be at home ah! In the capital, she had to be aware of her every word and action at all times as she didn¡¯t want to lose face for her godparents. It was quite exhausting ah! Now that she was home, it was as if the air was filled with the smell of freedom andfort!


    Madam Liu had a smile full of tenderness as she said, ¡°You truly aren¡¯t a guest, but isn¡¯t there a guest waiting outside?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had to admit that was true. The bodyguard had given his all to escort her back home, so she should make something good to thank him for his work. She left the room and saw that the bodyguard was already sitting next to the table full of food and eating happily in the open courtyard. The capital didn¡¯t have many fresh vegetables around. Those who were able to have green vegetables at the table either hadnds with hot springs or greenhouses to cultivate vegetables. In front of a table full of fresh green vegetables that were tasty and well cooked, the bodyguard couldn¡¯t stop himself from eating!


    When he heard Yu Xiaocao ask him if he wanted anything else, Zhu Xiao quickly swallowed down the mouthful of lettuce greens with oyster sauce and shook his head, ¡°Miss, no need to cook something especially for me. The food here is very good and is more than enough to fill me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and still had her mother stir fry a te of grasshopper sauce and also make a te of chives stir-fried with sandworms. Zhu Xian saw that the portion sizes were generous and thus opened his belly to eat more. Older Brother Li Li was right, the Yu Family¡¯s food was very delicious. If he could eat such sumptuous food every day, he would even be willing to go down to the fields every day to help the Yu Family.


    The Yu Family didn¡¯t have the custom of ¡®staying silent during mealtimes¡¯, so Yu Xiaocao found out how the piggery at the foot of the West Mountain was doing as she ate. The construction on the piggery was pretty much done. Her three maternal uncles had all gone out and came back with a total of forty to fifty piglets. These piglets were all given to some families that they had a good rtionship to raise in their stead for now.


    ¡°Our family doesn¡¯t have much experience with raising pigs, so I think we shouldn¡¯t raise too many for the first year. What do you think? Are these piglets enough for now?¡± Yu Hai had a few misgivings about raising pigs. They ate a lot of grain, so would they be able to afford this? If they raised too many, they didn¡¯t have enough people at home to go out and cut fishwort for them to eat. How would they be able to keep feeding all of them?

 Chapter 348 – Huifang’s Idea

    <h4>Chapter 348 ¨C Huifang¡¯s Idea</h4>


    Even a wildfire couldn¡¯tpletely destroy grass; it grew again when the spring breeze blew. Weeds had the most tenacious grip on life. Even though it was just the start of spring, in the front and back of the vige and all over the mountain, there were wild weeds and herbs growing. The vige kids were all able to cut a basket of them without much difficulty.


    There weren¡¯t enough people in the Yu Family but there were plenty of vige children that had nothing to do! If they set the price at one copper coin for two baskets of fishwort, there would probably be many children who were willing to do a little bit of work to earn some snack money.


    After Yu Xiaocao analyzed the situation, the rest of the Yu Family also thought that it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to raise a hundred or so pigs. Her three maternal uncles continued to help with buying and catching piglets in the other viges. Before long, construction on the piggery had finished. It had tall and sturdy walls and spacious pig stalls neatlyid out in a row. They transferred water from a mountain spring using bamboo tubes and filled a pond in the piggery that was constructed out of stone...everything was just about ready.


    The little piglets had been moved into their new home. Each pig stall had five fat and noisy little piglets. Out of the twenty pig stalls, there were still half that were empty!


    Xiaolian, Eldest Maternal Aunt and her daughter had alle back from the docks. Last year, their business at the docks had been heavily affected by the locust gue. First of all, their braised food business had to stop as none of the butchers in the area had any pigs to ughter. Thus, they only asionally encountered pig heads and offal.


    Although the Yu Family didn¡¯tck grain, everyone else in the area wished they could break one copper coin into two. How could a worker at the docks buy a bowl of noodles to enjoy if his wife and kids were all starving at home?


    Eldest Maternal Aunt and older cousin Liu Feiyan had already returned back to Xishan Vige. However, once Eldest Maternal Aunt heard from her husband that the Yu Family was making a piggery and wanted her to help manage it, she was just waiting for their summons. Once the piggery was finished, she quickly packed her things with her youngest daughter and the two of them went to the piggery and set up their living space.


    Currently, the piglets were still small and didn¡¯t need a lot of food. Eldest Maternal Aunt and her daughter, Xiaocao and her sister, and Old Yu, who was bing more energetic with each passing day, all went out every day with sickles and baskets on their back to cut fishwort in the area around the piggery. Furthermore, they also had the Liu Family¡¯s three cousinsing around to help from time to time, so there were enough people gathering food for the piglets for now.


    In order to guarantee the pigs would grow fast, feeding them only fishwort was not enough. The Yu Family had a bunch of coarse grain stored from the winter that they pretty much hadn¡¯t touched. With white rice and wheat flour around, who would want to eat coarse grain? They also had the sweet potatoes they had harvested fromst year that had been turned into dried sweet potatoes.


    Other than the corn set aside for seed, they also had around a thousand catties of corn which had been ground into cornmeal. The family left a portion to be used to make porridge while the rest was used to feed the pigs. If that old fellow, the Minister of Revenue, found out Yu Xiaocao had used corn to feed pigs, he¡¯d probably be so infuriated that he¡¯d have an aneurysm and then be reborn!


    They also had a lot of bean flour, millet and other coarse grains stored in the granary. Old Yu fretted over the stored grain as he was afraid that when summer arrived the grain would attract pests. Thus, he sighed andmented constantly about this.


    Yu Xiaolian and Eldest Maternal Aunt and her daughter were in charge of preparing the food for the pigs. In the corner of the piggery was a small building crafted of bamboo that had a stove with fiverge burners. Fiverge pots were on those burners and were currently cooking. The three of them were very used to doing work in the kitchen, so preparing enough food for fifty to sixty little piglets wasn¡¯t considered a difficult task.


    Yu Xiaocao also came over every day to help. The most important task she had on hand was to make sure that the water cistern had mystic-stone water added to it. By using water with a very low concentration of mystic-stone water to cook food for the pigs, it created food that the pigs not only liked to eat but it also kept them healthy and growing quickly!


    Zhu Junyang, who was in the capital, somehow found out that she was raising pigs in a piggery. Thus, he sent someone over to bring over a few dozen piglets and a few carts full of rice bran, wheat bran, millet, and other coarse grains to feed them. The piggery now had around a hundred and twenty little piglets.


    Yu Xiaocao calcted after receiving the pigs. If they sold one pig a day, then by the time the first pig they caught left the gates, then it¡¯d be around the New Years celebrations. Thus, she had her maternal uncles stop buying piglets.


    With a hundred and twenty piglets now, they needed a considerable amount of fishwort to feed them every day. Xiaolian and her Eldest Maternal Aunt and cousin had enough work on their hands preparing the food for these piglets, so they definitely didn¡¯t have enough time to gather fishwort. They ended up hiring the twelve year old Liu Yaner to help them.


    The family also had to move up the ns on buying fishwort from other people. Yu Xiaocao found her good friends Zhou Shanhu, Qian Yafang and Liu Huifang and told them that they were nning on buying fishwort at a price of one copper coin per two baskets. The three girls, who had nothing better to do, all proimed that they were willing to do this.


    In the past, when circumstances permitted, all hard working folks would catch a couple of piglets at the start of spring to raise until the New Years. Then, they could either ughter them for meat or sell them for money. The three girls¡¯ families had all done this before, so they were all very used to gathering fishwort. In one day, they could gather at least four baskets of fishwort while working leisurely.


    When they found out that the Yu Family was nning on buying at least thirty baskets of fishwort a day and that the number would increase, the three girls negotiated between themselves. They decided that the three of them would work on gathering fishwort first. If they got to the point that they couldn¡¯t handle it, didn¡¯t they also have brothers and sisters at home? Once the pigs gotrger and needed even more fishwort, then they could find other people to also help.


    They did as they promised. That same day, Zhou Shanhu and the others all received a bamboo basket from the Yu Family and went out with sickles to gather fishwort at the foot of the West Mountain. Qian Yafang brought along Qian Wu, who wasn¡¯t very willing, while Liu Huifang brought along her younger brother and sister too. Only Zhou Shanhu had no one else to bring with her, but there was nothing she could do. Her older brother had gone off with her father to peddle goods on the street and her sister had already gotten married. Her mother needed to take care of a flock of small chicks, so she was the only one with nothing to do at home.


    On the first day, Zhou Shanhu made three copper coins and Qian Yafang made five copper coins. Liu Huifang and her siblings earned nine copper coins in total. After they gave the Yu Family the fishwort and got paid, those who had baskets that weren¡¯t quite full would have those baskets settled during the next day¡¯s work.


    After a month of work passed, Liu Huifang and her siblings didn¡¯t expect that they had earned three hundred or so copper coins. In order to earn money nowadays, there were many people hungrily staring at the few open work positions avable. If people encountered a bad boss, they could only earn ten or so copper coins for one day of backbreakingbor.


    Thus, when Liu Huifang gave her mother the months¡¯ worth of money, Shuanzhu¡¯s wife asked in surprise, ¡°Huifang, where did you go to earn so much money?¡±


    In the past, three hundred copper coins wasn¡¯t considered a lot of money. Those who worked hard when the tide receded to dig up sandworms could earn about this much in one day if they were lucky. However,st year was a disaster year. Thus, the beaches near Dongshan Vige were now filled with people every day. Most of the beaches had been scouredpletely clean and almost all of the sandworms had disappeared in the area.


    Every day, after finishing her chores around the house, her daughter would take her younger brother and younger sister out to y. Whenever she asked, her daughter said that she was going to find her good friend, Yu Xiaocao, to y with. Thus, Shuanzhu¡¯s wife didn¡¯t think much of it. However, she would have never expected that her daughter woulde back in a month with three hundred or so copper coins.


    Liu Huifang told her how she was getting paid for helping the Yu Family gather fishwort every day. Shuanzhu¡¯s wife sternly looked at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m not even going to mention the good rtionship between you and Xiaocao. However, just with your father¡¯s good friendship with your Uncle Yu, we should be helping them without taking their money ah! Come, Mother will return the money back to Xiaocao!¡±


    Liu Huifang wasn¡¯t that concerned about the money as she patiently exined, ¡°Mother, you also know what type of people Uncle Yu and Xiaocao are. If I didn¡¯t take their money, they absolutely wouldn¡¯t let me help them. Instead of having them find other people, it¡¯s better for us to stuff each basket until they are bursting full of fishwort. That way, it¡¯ll prevent Xiaocao giving out money and not receiving enough fishwort in return.¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu, who was in the courtyard drying out the fiss, heard his daughter¡¯s exnation and remarked in approval, ¡°Wife, Huifang is right. You also know how Brother Dahai doesn¡¯t like to take advantage of other people. If we don¡¯t take his money now, he¡¯ll likely find some other way topensate us even more in the future!¡±


    When Shuanzhu¡¯s wife heard this, she hesitated for a few seconds before she finally said, ¡°Since your father said this, then I guess we¡¯ll just keep this money?¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu was simr to Yu Hai as he also loved and pampered his children, ¡°Our Huifang, Xiaoying and Tiedan¡¯er are all hard working. We¡¯ll give them ten copper coins each as spending money! Let¡¯s also buy a few catties of white flour and cut a couple catties of chives from Brother Dahai¡¯s ce. Tonight, we¡¯ll eat some chive pockets!¡±


    When the three kids heard this, they all started cheering in glee. Shuanzhu¡¯s wifeughed and then red at her husband, ¡°You ah, is there anyone else who spoils their children so? Making some chive pockets is one thing, but you also give them some spending money! Children have loose hands, so giving them money is the sure fire way to lose it!!¡±


    Liu Huifang ced the ten copper coins into her own embroidered purse and somewhat indignantly said, ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t agree with what you said! Younger Sister Xiaocao is younger than me, yet all of the money in her family is in her hands and I¡¯ve never heard of her spending money recklessly! Also Xiaosha (Author¡¯s note: Yu Hang¡¯s nickname) and Xiaolian all keep the money that they earn. Even Little Shitou has his own savings. Have any of them spent their money unwisely?¡±


    Yingzi also nodded her head in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Xiaocao is so amazing! She herself has said: ¡®Money is made by earning, not by saving. Those who know how to spend money are the ones who know how to make money!!¡¯ Look at how Xiaocao¡¯s family spends money. They¡¯re never stingy. Evenst year, during the disaster, they ate white rice and white flour and had meat at every meal...¡±


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife pinched her daughter¡¯s face and said, ¡°Who among us canpare to thatss Xiaocao? Every idea thates out her head is a money-making method. Yingzi, if you can be half as good as her, then you can manage all of the money at home!¡±


    Yingzi thought for a bit and replied somewhat in discouragement, ¡°My head is not as good as Xiaocao¡¯s, I can¡¯t think of any methods to make money...¡±


    Liu Huifang hesitated for a moment and then said the idea that had been ruminating inside of her for a long time for the adults in her family to hear, ¡°Father, Mother! I want to get some small chicks and bring them back home to raise! I heard Xiaocao say that the reason why she¡¯s raising pigs is because she wants to open a braised food store in the prefectural city. I thought for a bit and I think that a braised food shop can¡¯t only sell braised pork. Braised chicken and duck should also be a good thing to sell too, right? We don¡¯t have a lot of people in our vige raising chickens, so if we¡¯re able to get them, we won¡¯t have to worry about not selling them...¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu stopped what he was doing, thought carefully a bit, and then nodded his head, ¡°Our daughter has a good idea!¡±


    ¡°How is this a good idea? The child¡¯s dreams are bigger than reality, yet you, as her father, also want to dream so big! Who doesn¡¯t want to raise chickens? Even if you can¡¯t sell them off when they get big, they can stilly eggs to make money. However, the problem is, who has enough extra grain lying around at home to feed all of these mouths ah?!¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife thought that both her husband and daughter were not reliable enough.


    Liu Shuanzhu considered this for a bit before he replied, ¡°If we can¡¯t currently, I¡¯ll borrow Brother Dahai¡¯s horse cart and travel farther to buy a cart full of coarse grain home. Along with some wild grasses, with our family¡¯s situation, we should be able to afford to raise around a hundred and eighty chickens without any problems.¡±


    Last year he had gone shark-hunting with Yu Hai a couple of times. After the money came to hand, he also erged and updated the family¡¯s home. Right now, one side of their nowrger courtyard was being used to grow vegetables. They couldy some stones at the other side and craft a few straw shacks to make a big chicken pen.

 Chapter 349 – An Old Topic Comes Up Again

    <h4>Chapter 349 ¨C An Old Topic Comes Up Again</h4>


    The Zhou Family¡¯s factory continued to buy chicken eggs from the nearby viges to create preserved eggs, so they didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to sell their eggs. There was also a good market for the chickens too. Didn¡¯t the Zhou Family, who lived next to Brother Dahai, be rich from raising chickens? Fortune favored the bold, leaving only scraps for the timid. Liu Shuanzhu thought that raising chickens was a very good idea.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife still wasn¡¯tpletely convinced and had her oldest daughter, Huifang, go ask Yu Xiaocao. In her heart, Yu Xiaocao was a golden grass [1] that knew how to make money. If she agreed, then raising chickens was truly a risk-free method to earn money.


    When Liu Huifang got to the Yu Family¡¯s residence, Yu Xiaocao was currently pondering on what to do next. If they opened a braised food shop, only selling braised pork was not enough. They also needed to prepare some other dishes, like chicken, duck, and vegetables to sell. Vegetarian dishes were easy enough. Her family grew vegetables and then, in a while, the markets would also have plenty of vegetables for sale. Ducks were also easy to get. Their neighbor, Madame Mao, had bought and bred over a few hundred ducklings to raise this year. Every day they herded the ducks into the pond behind the house to free feed and at night they were fed some wild grasses, so they didn¡¯t have to use much grain to keep them.


    However, the Zhou Family¡¯s chickens were not as easy to keep. Luckily, Zhou Shanhu¡¯s father and older brother peddled goods, so they traveled quite a bit. They were able to bring back some cheaply priced rice husks and wheat stalks back. Even with this, the Zhou Family still couldn¡¯t raise too many chickens. They only had a hundred or so chickens. Let alone Zhenxiu Restaurant, even Yu Xiaocao¡¯s braised food shop needed arger supply of chickens than this!


    When Older Sister Huifang came over to tell her that they wanted to raise chickens, Yu Xiaocao naturally apuded their ns wholeheartedly. Furthermore, she promised Huifang that they would buy her family¡¯s chickens at two copper coins above the market price, so they had to only sell chickens to them.


    Liu Huifang was finally able to rx. She smiled and then leveled a look at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Our two families have a good rtionship, so there¡¯s no need to be so polite. When the timees, just buy our chickens at the market price. We can¡¯t always take advantage of your family, right? I can¡¯t chat anymore, I need to go back and tell my parents to start getting chicks.¡±


    The days passed and the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables had been pretty much sold out. In a blink of an eye, their dozen or so mu of watermelon fields had reopened. Although they nted a lot more watermelons this year, a lot of people came by from the nearby towns and the prefectural city to discuss doing business with the Yu Family. They didn¡¯t need the Yu Family to ship the watermelons as they were willing toe get them themselves. The watermelons would be sold to these people at a wholesale price.


    Liu Hu¡¯s whole family continued to sell watermelons in town. Those who could afford watermelons definitely didn¡¯tck money. Althoughst year was a disaster year, it didn¡¯t affect the zing poprity of watermelons one bit. In about a month¡¯s time, Liu Hu¡¯s whole family had earned several fold more than they did the previous year; they received two hundred taels in profit!


    Last year, the royal prince had transported a few carts of watermelons and caused a sensation in the capital. Fang Zizhen was inspired by this. He privately negotiated with Xiaocao¡¯s three maternal uncles. They were in charge of transporting the melons while he would be in charge of finding a market in the capital. The profits would be split fifty-fifty.


    The watermelons sold in the prefectural city were priced higher than the ones sold in Tanggu Town. Thus, if they went to the capital, the price would go up even more. With such profits in front of them, they¡¯d be lying if they said they weren¡¯t tempted. The Liu Family¡¯s three brothers calcted it out and decided it was worth it! The Fang Estate provided the horse cart, while the three brothers hired a few guards from a business that provided escorting services for merchants. They transported the melons to one of the dowry shops of Xiaocao¡¯s godmother. From spring to the start of summer, the Liu Family¡¯s brothers had gone back and forth to the capital five to six times and earned almost a thousand taels for their efforts.


    In the blink of an eye, it was now midsummer. The spring crop of corn was now ripe. Although there wasn¡¯t a lot of rainfall until now, the corn was not affected one bit as it was a drought-hardy crop. In addition, Yu Xiaocao had emphasized that the crops only be watered with the best water from the wells. Thus, the corn on the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead grew very well.


    Now that it was ready to harvest, Yu Xiaocao apanied her father to keep an eye on the town¡¯s farms. For the past two months, Royal Prince Yang had been busy with something, so she hadn¡¯t even seen him once. Right before they were going to harvest, he finally came over in a hurry.


    ¡°Oh ho! Looks like you¡¯ve enjoyed the easy life so much in the capital that you were reluctant to leave eh?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but crack a joke when she saw Royal Prince Yang, who had gotten thinner and tanner since shest saw him. Despite these changes, he was in good spirits.


    Zhu Junyang narrowed his beautiful phoenix eyes and indifferently scanned her, ¡°Do you think I am like you? Always looking for ways to ck off and enjoy life instead of getting ahead?! This prince had gone to Tui Mountain to clean out some bandits!¡±


    A band of violent bandits had formed at Tui Mountain and ughtered and burnt out viges indiscriminately. All of themoners in the area suffered immensely. Taian Prefecture had sent up a report, asking for help from the court. Zhu Junyang rmended himself and took a group of elite soldiers out. They entered the depths of the mountain andpletely defeated that group of bandits. The prince was highly skilled at martial arts and talented atmanding troops. Although he didn¡¯t bring a lot of men with him, he managed to defeat arge group with a few men andpletely caught the whole group of criminals in one swoop!


    Yu Xiaocao listened to Head Steward Liu¡¯s detailed descriptions about the campaign against the bandits. Her pair of eyes immediately started shining with delight. Wow! A young hero with incredible skills. She had finally met a true expert!


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, are you able to traverse a river in one step and go across the snow without leaving prints? Are you able to use leaves as throwing knives and kill a person? Are you able to perform earth-shattering feats and sweep everything in your path? Are you...¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop! What sort of nonsense are you talking about? It sounds like you think martial arts experts are like gods, but that¡¯s not possible! From what you¡¯re saying, a few experts would be able to destroy a whole city, right?¡± Zhu Junyang really wanted to crack open the littless¡¯s head and figure just what was in there. How could she have such ridiculous ideas?


    Yu Xiaocao thought and decided he was right. Martial arts experts weren¡¯t gods. Those who had the skills to dominate the skies were likely only found in wuxia novels, right?


    After looking at the heavy ears of corn that were on the corn stalks, Zhu Junyang personally pulled off an ear of corn and peeled off its outer leaves. The glistening yellow kernels of corn were densely packed together in neat rows and each kernel seemed to be plump and full of juice. The corn on the fields today was not in any way inferior to the ones that were harvested by the Yu Familyst year.


    The hired temporary workers on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eight hundred mu corn ntation were all doing their best. The wages given to them by the master were high and harvesting corn wasn¡¯t something that required a lot of skill. Even women and half-grown children could do this work. In any case, the wages paid out was based on the weight of corn harvested every day. The more a person harvested, the more money he or she received. Thus, the temporary workers all enthusiastically did their jobs. They were often in the fields before the sun came up and only left when they couldn¡¯t see the corn anymore.


    The Yu Family¡¯s farmstead only had around a hundred mu and were taken care of by sixteen families. Their wages were based on how many catties of corn each mu produced. Those who were in the top three could get a bonus of five taels, three tales, or one tael respectively.


    Although Widow Li and her son didn¡¯t have a lot ofnd to take care of, the amount of corn per field they produced was in the top three. First ce went to someone else but they managed to get second ce and received three taels as a bonus. Widow Li and her son immediately kneeled in front of their masters. If they hadn¡¯t followed the right master, they would have probably starved to death at the beginning of spring.


    In the past two months, they not only received money during spring plowing but they also got a sry every month. After subtracting the costs of food, they still had some surplus money leftover. During a time where there wasn¡¯t much surplus grain to be had, the two of them were still able to eat until they were full every day. This was something that they had never thought was possible in previous years. The two of them not only had rosy cheeks, but they also gained some weight and no longer looked like starving refugees.


    Feeling the weight of the three taels in her hand, Widow Li couldn¡¯t believe that this was happening! The money glistened with a gentle silver light and she had never seen so much money before in her life. After the bout of happiness passed, she suddenly felt scared. Recently, the farmstead wasn¡¯t very peaceful. She and her son were only a widow and a half-grown child. Having this much money around wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing!


    ¡°Master, would it be possible for you to help us exchange this money for some grain or cotton cloth?¡± Widow Li quickly made up her mind and made the decision to spend this money on goods that she and her son needed.


    Yu Xiaocao also thought of their situation and took the money as she nodded, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll help you save this money for now. When cotton clothes on the market, I¡¯ll help you exchange some of the money for it as well as some coarse grains! If you two need something urgently, then you can take the money back from me...¡±


    Under the eyes of everyone present, she took the money from the widow. Once the group of people dispersed, Xiaocao secretly found Widow Li again and returned the money back to the older woman as she grinned, ¡°You should hold onto the money yourself, that way it¡¯ll be easy for you to spend it when needed. Now, everyone thinks that I¡¯ve taken the money for you, so you don¡¯t need to worry about other people with bad intentions thinking about it!¡±


    Widow Li was grateful to the bottom of her heart. The master¡¯s daughter had a clever mind and a kind heart. With such a master, it was truly the fortune of a lifetime for her and her son. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t realize that just a simple action done by her had caused the two of them to be hell-bent and forever loyal to her...


    Yu Xiaocao was very pleased with the amount of corn harvested this year. There were more ears of corn harvested this yearpared to thest and the production had sharply increased as well. Her family¡¯s farmstead had yields around 2600 catties per mu for the highest ones and the thirty or so fields that produced the least still yielded around 1800 catties per mu, which was still considered high yield in this era. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s ntation¡¯s yields were a bit lower. The highest had around 2200 catties per mu and the lowest was 1600 catties per mu. The Imperial ntation had very fertilend, so the corn that was nted there had around the same yield as the highest producing fields at Royal Prince Yang¡¯s ntation.


    When the news came out, the entire court erupted. The Great Ming Dynasty was used to grain yields of around two hundred to three hundred catties per mu. Finding out that corn could produce yields around a thousand catties per mu seemed like a fairytale. No wonder the emperor had been looking for this high-yielding crop for a long time.


    Due to the weather and soil conditions, the northern parts of the country had lower crop yieldspared to the southern parts. Themoners there had to live with half-empty stomachs. This was a problem that had bothered Zhu Junfan for a long time. He wished to allow the people of the Great Ming Dynasty to all be able to eat their fill and dress properly. If corn could be widely spread throughout the north, the people there would finally be able to eat properly and have a peaceful life. This would also stabilize the Great Ming Dynasty greatly.


    Zhu Junfan decided that next year they would further increase the cultivation of corn in the capital. Then, the bitterly cold northern areas could start to nt corn and potatoes as well. As the capital and northern areas became the new heart, they could gradually spread these new crops to the rest of the country. He was sure that within a few years, corn and potatoes could be widely cultivated throughout the country.


    Because of all of this, the emperor was very pleased and heavily rewarded the officials in the Ministry of Revenue and Royal Prince Yang. Zhu Junyang not only obtained the vast majority of rewards but he had also been given the town of Tanggu to be under hismand. Naturally, the revenue from the new harbor would be given directly to the imperial purse!


    ¡°Emperor, perhaps you have forgotten a few people. Aren¡¯t there some people who also deserve to be rewarded as well?¡± Royal Prince Yang once again reminded the emperor in court.


    Zhu Junfan cheerfully looked at his younger cousin. Wasn¡¯t his younger cousin taking a bit too much interest in the Yu Family¡¯s daughter? His younger cousin had never cared one iota for the nobly born maidens in the capital, yet he took very good care of the littless from the Yu Family. There was something fishy about this!


    ¡°We know of whom you¡¯re talking about. Isn¡¯t it about how the Yu Family made a lot of contributions to the nting of corn? We have thought about this, how about we make them officials and have them continue to help the court progress?¡± Zhu Junfan already made a decision. The sess of corn and potatoes was heavily intertwined with the handiwork of his old transmigrator friend.

 Chapter 350 – Debate

    <h4>Chapter 350 ¨C Debate</h4>


    ¡°This official believes that the growth and output of the crops is somewhat rted to the methods used but it¡¯s not a big corrtion. Imperial Majesty, you have also said that corn is a high-yielding crop. Without the Yu Family¡¯s help, the yields likely wouldn¡¯t be as high as now, but they wouldn¡¯t be too low either. I believe that we can give the Yu Family a reward, as for an official position...Emperor, please reconsider!¡±


    Imperial Censor Yang had previously been scolded by the emperor in regards to the issue surrounding thess from the Yu Family, so apparently he had a grudge against the whole family now. Last time he was opposed to giving the female an official position and now he opposed to any member of the Yu Family bing an official.


    Before Zhu Junyang could speak, Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue opined, ¡°Imperial Censor Yang, you are wrong! The emperor himself has once said: ¡®Without proper investigation, one cannote to a premature conclusion!¡¯. You were born and bred in an official¡¯s family, so I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve never stepped foot into a crop field. Thus, how could you know what is a normal yield of a field of grain? If the same type of crop is nted, such as wheat, in the same type ofnd but is managed by a different person, there could be a difference in tens or even hundreds of catties at harvest. This is the reason why the Ministry of Revenue solicited experienced farmers to help with the nting of these new crops.¡±


    ¡°Experienced? Official Liu also said that the difference is in ¡®experience¡¯. Corn and potatoes are all new crops that were transported across the ocean. How could the Yu Family have had previous experiences with them?¡± Imperial Censor Yang coldly huffed. He had always regarded Minister Liu, who had been born in a poor family, with contempt and had never liked him.


    Minister Liu¡¯s stubborn personality also came out as he jutted out his face to say, ¡°Regardless, the Yu Family came up with the correct nting method. This year, they had personallye over to supervise the crops being nted in the Imperial ntations. The facts show that the crops ntedst year during the disaster did not have as great a yield as this year. This official has brought over the records written by the ministry. Emperor, please investigate!¡±


    Su Ran took the documents from Minister Liu and ced them in front of the emperor. Zhu Junfan carefully looked them over and discovered that the yields of the corn fields not only increased significantly but even the growing cycle from germination to harvest had also decreased by around twenty days. He rubbed his chin in contemtion. How did his old transmigrator friend manage to change this?


    From what he knew, the littless only went over once to the Imperial ntation. The only thing that changed was that the littless had brought over the so-called ¡®pesticide¡¯ solution to treat the nts. Apparently, this pesticide had to be linked with how the crops grew! Did this littless, like the protagonists of the novels in his previous life, have ess to a secret space that held a mystical spring? Could the spring water improve the growth of nts?


    Zhu Junfan felt as if he was thinking too much into this and wanted tough at himself. He brought himself back to reality and had Su Ran disseminate the documents to the rest of the high-ranking officials. The facts spoke louder than words. The Yu Family was truly skilled in the ways of raising crops!


    When the Minister of Works reviewed the documents, he cautiously said, ¡°Imperial Majesty, this official also admits that the Yu Family is talented at farming. However, there are plenty of people who are talented in the world that are in different areas. If raising crops is enough to raise someone to officialdom, then wouldn¡¯t famous and well-known craftsmen also be officials too? What about merchants? Would they too be officials?¡±


    Official Zhang, who had already been promoted to a second ranked official and had a way with politics, hurriedly interjected, ¡°One must evaluate merits before rewarding. What has the Great Ming Dynasty ced the most importance on now? To allow themon people to have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear. That is the way to stabilize the country! The Yu Family managed to raise the high-yielding crops, corn and potatoes, very well. This is a great contribution to the country and I believe that we can break the rules of officialdom for them!¡±


    Imperial Censor Yang snorted coldly and stated, ¡°Official Zhang, corn and potatoes were the high-yielding crops that the emperor and Royal Prince Yang found. Since they are high-yielding crops, I believe that the output of these crops won¡¯t be low even without the Yu Family! Emperor, I believe that the Yu Family is just taking advantage of the circumstances!¡±


    Minister Liu leveled an angry re at Imperial Censor Yang, ¡°Official Yang, howe you also didn¡¯t take advantage of the opportunity when corn and potatoes first came to our country to get some more honor for your name?¡±


    Imperial Censor Yang¡¯s eyebrows came together heavily, ¡°I¡¯m not greedy for positions nor power! This official is also not in charge of farming affairs, so why should I take on unneeded trouble?¡±


    ......


    ¡°All of you, stop debating!¡± Zhu Junfan pinched the bridge of his nose after getting a headache from hearing all of these old men argue back and forth. He transferred the source of cmity back to his younger cousin, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, what¡¯s your opinion on all of this?¡±


    ¡°The Yu Family is clever and also has talent. We cane to a conclusion next year! Next spring, we can have the crops grown in both the capital and Tanggu Town. The Imperial ntation will still be managed by the Ministry of Revenue while the ntations in Tanggu Town will be managed by the Yu Family. At this same time next year, we will have our conclusive results!¡± Zhu Junyang was supremely confident in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s abilities. He was convinced that without Yu Xiaocao, the yields of corn and potatoes could not be this high!


    Zhu Junfan also thought that there was no point in continuing to dispute. They would just use this method to settle the problem! He immediately agreed to Royal Prince Yang¡¯s proposal.


    Zhu Junyang looked out the corner of his phoenix eyes and gave Imperial Censor Yang a nce before he said, ¡°I hope that when the timees and the facts are there for all to see that Imperial Censor Yang will have no more objections to the emperor¡¯s decisions!¡±


    ¡°If the high-yield of the corn is indeed rted to the Yu Family, this old official will ept it wholeheartedly!¡± Imperial Censor Yang believed that he had finally seeded in preventing the Yu Family from getting an official¡¯s position, so he triumphantly bowed towards Royal Prince Yang. After the herald announced ¡°court is dismissed¡±, Imperial Censor Yang proudly walked out of the throne room, acting like a rooster who had just won a fight.


    The Yu Family¡¯s farmstead in Tanggu Town had already been nted with soybeans. Currently, all of the families on the farmstead had extra cash on hand, so the fields were distributed and rented out like previous years. Each family was able to rentnds and the rent was only forty percent of their crops. All of the families on the farmstead felt immense gratitude to their masters. In the past, their previous masters were considered pretty benevolent for only taking fifty percent as rent. Now, their current masters were not only kind, but they also emphasized with the poor families and helped them survive the hardest time. They also decreased the rent...every single tenant farmer rejoiced that they were now with a good master!


    When the corn was harvested, Royal Prince Yang went back to the capital. Yu Xiaocao discussed things with the steward he left behind and decided to also nt his eight hundred mu ntation with soybeans. In autumn, after the harvest, they could discuss then whether he wanted to nt some winter wheat or to leave thend fallow to allow it to nt corn next spring.


    The scorching hot summer was about to arrive and the mountain residence of Imperial Prince Jing had finished construction, so Royal Prince Yang escorted his mother over to let her take a holiday. The residence was constructed halfway up the mountain and was surrounded by verdant vegetation and stunning scenery. Inside the residence was delicately constructed pavilions and gorgeous gardens. A small stream wound through the beautiful interior, and it looked as if the trees inside could reach the clouds in the sky. The fake mountain and rocks also improved the beauty inside...Princess Consort Jing immediately fell in love with this residence.


    The residence in Tanggu Town that they had bought from County Magistrate Wu¡¯s wife had been renovated and turned into the royal prince¡¯s residence. Tanggu Town was now under Royal Prince Yang¡¯s jurisdiction, so how could he not have a ce to live there?


    However, Royal Prince Yang very rarely lodged in his Tanggu residence. When he was in the area, he always apanied his mother at the residence on the West Mountain because it was easier for him to bum a meal from the Yu Family! If people found out that Royal Prince Yang, who was famed for being a filial son, only lodged with his mother at the mountain for this reason, they would have all of their mouths wide open in surprise!


    After rain fell, the air in the mountains was cool and moist. When a light breeze blew by, it cooled the scorching hot summer air a bit. Royal Prince Yang was currently pompously sitting at the Yu Family¡¯s dinner table. When he saw the simple and light looking food on the table, he frowned in slight disdain. In the summer, the Yu Family mostly ate foods that were light and easy on the stomach. It¡¯s not that they couldn¡¯t afford to eat meat but it was because no one could stomach greasy food in the heat!


    ¡°Where¡¯s the grasshopper sauce, huh? Go stir-fry a batch for me!¡± Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t happy at a meal without meat. He nced at the vegetarian dishes on the table and ate two mouthfuls before he issued his request.


    Yu Xiaocao pushed at the rice in her bowl as she mumbled, ¡°There¡¯s no more...¡±


    ¡°No more? Is there really none left or are you being a stingy little girl?¡± Zhu Junyang was apparently not in a good mood today.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and stated, ¡°If I was that petty of a person, how could I let you bring back jars of grasshopper sauce every time you go back to the capital? The locusts were only gatheredst summer and autumn and we¡¯ve eaten them for an entire year. Do you really think we¡¯d have any leftover now?¡±


    Zhu Junyang frowned in discontent. If he had known earlier that the grasshopper sauce had run out, then he wouldn¡¯t have allowed his father and older brother to eat any thest time he was in the capital. He sulkily picked up another portion of dry-fried string beans with his chopsticks and angrily stuffed it into his mouth and chewed in frustration. If a foodie couldn¡¯t eat the food he craved, the consequences were quite dire!


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then said, ¡°After we finish eating dinner, I¡¯ll take you to catch cicadas. Fried cicadas are also very tasty and delicious. You¡¯ll probably like them!¡±


    Zhu Junyang ced his chopsticks down on the table and stood up, ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go now!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him again, ¡°It¡¯s still too early. We need to wait until it starts getting dark. You can only catch cicadas when therva crawls out of the ground and shed their skin! If you go too early, you¡¯re just wasting your time. Quickly finish your rice. You¡¯re so big now yet you leave food on the table? Little Doudou is only five years old yet he doesn¡¯t leave food...¡±


    Zhu Junyang pushed the remaining half a bowl of rice into his mouth and finished it in a few bites. Yu Xiaocao leisurely finished her dinner and then calmly helped Madam Liu clear off the table and clean. Zhu Junyang stared at her back the entire time. If his eyes had turned intosers, the back of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s clothing would have long started smoking!


    After waiting for a long period of time, the sky finally got dark. Yu Xiaocao lit up a smallntern and held it in her hand as she gestured at the young royal prince, ¡°Let¡¯s go ah! Time to catch some cicadas!¡±


    ¡°I want to go. Older Cousin, bring me along too!!¡± When Liu Fangping found that there was something fun to do, he also pestered her to let him go. Zhu Junyang red at him, ¡®Little brat, why are you sticking along?!¡¯


    Yu Hai was a bit concerned, ¡°It¡¯s dark, what if you guys encounter a wild beast? Cao¡¯er, you only know how to cause trouble!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed Little Fangping¡¯s head and then pointed at Zhu Junyang cheerfully, ¡°Don¡¯t we have two experts with us, the young royal prince and Head Steward Liu, ah? That being said, we¡¯re only going into the thickets at the foot of the mountain and we won¡¯t be going into the mountain.¡±


    Then, she spoke to her older brother, older sister, and older cousins, ¡°If you guys want toe along, bring antern! Once we catch some cicadas, I¡¯ll fry some for everyone to eat tomorrow!¡±


    Zhu Junyang sent someone to the residence to grab two ssnterns from the walkways. Lanterns made out of ss produced more illumination, making it more suitable to see at night.


    With nothing much to do, everyone wanted to have some fun. Thus, they not only had Liu Fangping as a little tail but also Liu Junping, Liu Yaner, Yu Hang, and Yu Xiaolian. The rest of the children came along withnterns in their hands and the group left in high spirits. They went to the Qian Family¡¯s gate to find Qian Wu. Qian Wu was unwilling to be left out so he also came along with his younger sister, Qian Yafan, withnterns in their hands.

 Chapter 351 – Catching Cicadas Under the Moonlight

    <h4>Chapter 351 ¨C Catching Cicadas Under the Moonlight</h4>


    The night sky appeared very clear after being washed by the rain, and the dark blue sky was covered with stars. A bright moon was hanging high in the sky. Its faint light was like a thin gauze that lightly shrouded the mountain forest, leaving a silver glow on the top of the trees.


    A cool breeze gently blew. The cicadas in the forest showed off their clear throats, while the crickets in the thickets sang a long melody. In the dark, the fireflies danced around the smallnterns... Suddenly, the cicadas went silent and the crickets stopped singing. The fireflies also hid within the thickets. The little fairies of the mountain secretly watched the group of people who broke the silence of the forest.


    When they passed by the piggery, Yu Xiaocao called Liu Feiyan toe along with them. Little ck, who was responsible for guarding the entrance of the piggery, excitedly yed with Little White as they ran in the front. At times, they stopped and turned around to look at their masters with their emerald green eyes.


    At the beginning of spring, Big Gray had returned to the mountains. The two wolf pups with different colored fur, Little ck and Little White, were almost one year old. During the past half a year, they grew crazily like inted balloons. With all four limbs on the ground, they were nearly up to Xiaocao¡¯s chest. One was ck, while the other white. They had the same emerald green eyes, same tall physique, and the same dense fur. They had very distinctive personalities; one was lively and the other was cool. The children all really liked them. The vigers all thought that Little ck and Little White were dogs that were mixed with wolves. They had also saved their young master before, so the vigers had good feelings towards them. The two little wolves had never harmed the domestic animals raised by the vigers. Everyone lived together in a harmonious and peaceful manner...


    Royal Prince Yang and Yu Xiaocao walked in front of the group with ssnterns in their hands. Little White followed Xiaocao step by step, like a loyal guard. Whenever there was any movement, he would stop in his tracks and quietly listen with his ears pricked up. The others followed behind them gleefully, and asionally bent down to look for something in the grass.


    Yu Xiaocao was very experienced in catching cicadas. She knew that the best time to catch them was between seven to eight in the evening. She took out a pocket watch and checked the time with the help of thentern. It was about time, so she led the group of excited kids to the foot of the mountain forest.


    With her chest proudly thrusted out, she began assigning the tasks, ¡°Form groups of two or three and just stay around this small forest. Don¡¯t run off too far and shout loudly if something happens. Little ck and Little White will swiftly go assist you guys! Catching cicadas is very simple. Just shine the light of thentern on the tree trunk, and when you see it, just catch it! That¡¯s all you have to do! Alright, that¡¯s it for now, dismissed!¡±


    Liu Fangping, whose hands were held by his older sister, asked with a grin, ¡°Cousin Xiaocao, why do you speak with a northeastern ent? It sounds so close and dear ah!!¡±


    Liu Yaner squeezed his little hands and said, ¡°She must have heard it when you were teaching Little Shitou. She didn¡¯t learn it properly, so it sounds nondescript and quite funny!¡±


    Under the dim light of thentern, Zhu Junyang saw Yu Xiaocao with her hands ced on her hip and speaking in a spirited manner. She looked like a little squirrel that just snatched arge pine nut. She was bing more and more interesting. Holding the back of her cor, he brought her to his side and said, ¡°Let¡¯s form a team. This prince will protect you!¡±


    This big-eyed ¡®little squirrel¡¯ rolled her eyes at him, and then pulled his hands away, saying, ¡°This part of the forest is very safe. At most, there would be some wild hares and pheasants appearing. Would this maiden need your protection?¡± As she spoke, she walked towards a big tree with antern in her hands.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any beasts, but snakes would appear in the grass in the summer...¡±


    Before Zhu Junyang had finished speaking, that proud ¡®little squirrel¡¯ screamed and jumped back next to him. She hid behind him and tightly grasped the corner of his clothes with a flustered expression, ¡°Snakes? Where? Where is it??¡±


    [Coward, that kid is tricking you!! With this Divine Stone around, what are you afraid of?] The little divine stone¡¯s scornful voice sounded in her mind. A small, golden figure swiftly scrawled on top of Little White¡¯s back. It found a ce on the top of his head andy downfortably. Had it been someone else, with Little White¡¯s proud temper, there was no way that he would let others ¡®beard the lion in his den¡¯. However, the little divine stone used its power to regte his body in exchange, so he reluctantly stopped himself from shaking the little kitten off.


    Zhu Junyang also saw the little golden cat, which was only about the size of his fist. It had been over a year, yet it still hadn¡¯t grown at all and it always looked so miniature. Heughed and said, ¡°One will always raise a pet simr to oneself. This little kitten is so tiny ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao immediately forgot that he had scared her with snakes, and exploded in anger, ¡°What do you mean? I have grown taller, okay!! Since the beginning of spring til now, I have grown at least 7 centimeters...¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t tell. You still look so short!¡± Zhu Junyang measured the top of her head which reached up to his own waist.


    Yu Xiaocao stomped her feet like an enraged little rooster. She angrily hollered with her neck stretched out, ¡°You can¡¯t tell because you¡¯re also growing!! Compared with the measurements that I marked on the wallst year, I have grown this much, this much!!¡± As she spoke, she made a gesture with her hands to show him that she had indeed grown in height!


    Zhu Junyang walked up to a tree and pointed at a ck bug that was crawling on the trunk. He asked with slight disdain, ¡°Is this the edible bug that you mentioned? It looks so ugly!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao ran over to hold onto the cicada, and then put it into the jar tied around her waist. She wrinkled her nose at him and said, ¡°You think it¡¯s ugly? I reckon you¡¯re actually afraid of it, right? Then don¡¯t eat it after it¡¯s fried ah!¡±


    ¡°This prince has already tried locust, so would I still be afraid of this little bug?¡± Zhu Junyang proudly snorted. He reached out his arm, picked up a cicada that was high up on the tree, and dangled it in front to her, which resulted in her rolling her eyes at him.


    Yu Xiaocao patted Little White¡¯s neck and decided to stay far away from this haughty drama queen, lest she get infected. Anyway, she had the little divine stone and the two guards, Little White and Little ck, protecting her, so she wasn¡¯t afraid of those creepy-crawlies.


    When she moved a few steps to the side, Zhu Junyang also walked a few steps to the side. He followed her step by step, so no matter what she did, she still couldn¡¯t shake off this little tail. Whatever! Proper business was more important. Holding thentern and bending over, Yu Xiaocao searched forrvae of cicadas on the trunks and bushes.


    Unlike in her previous life, where cicadas were nearly gone, it seemed like they could catch some every few steps. Sometimes, they were able to catch a few cicadas on the same tree. Yu Xiaocao became increasingly enthusiastic as she continued to catch the cicadas. The small jar around her waist had filled up unknowingly.


    Suddenly, Little White¡¯s ears moved, and he shifted into an alert stance. Yu Xiaocao was rmed and hurriedly moved closer to her little tail, Zhu Junyang. She had idently stepped on the young prince¡¯s feet in a panic.


    Zhu Junyang, who was holding a cicada, strangely asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you see something?¡±


    ¡°There seems to be something in the thickets, shhh...¡± It wouldn¡¯t be a snake, right? The thing that she feared the most was those slippery and cold animals with smooth skin. But, Little Divine Stone, who was on top of Little White¡¯s head, didn¡¯t give her a warning, so there shouldn¡¯t be any danger. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s violently beating heart gradually calmed down.


    Right at this time, Little White suddenly jumped onto the thick bushes, and his strong figure disappeared within the darkness. Yu Xiaocao was somewhat worried, ¡°Will Little White be alright?¡±


    Although Little White and Little ck often brought back small game when they frolicked in the mountains, after all, they were still very young and had never encountered fierce beasts. They also didn¡¯t have any experience with intense fighting. No one could guarantee absolute safety in the mountain forest at night. Perhaps, one or two fierce beasts might emerge from an unknown corner of the mountain.


    ¡°Little White is a wolf, not a dog!¡± Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t worried at all. It might be dangerous for Little ck, that dumb wolf, to encounter a ferocious beast, but the survival skills of that haughty little wolf, Little White, wasn¡¯t inferior to Big Gray. If he encountered a lone wolf or cheetah, he should still be able to fight.


    In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart, she couldn¡¯t forget how Little White looked when she first brought him home. He was just a baby wolf that hadn¡¯t opened his eyes. She anxiously checked the thickets and refused to walk away. Suddenly, she felt a furry head pushing at her arm. She turned around and was startled by a pair of emerald green eyes. With a closer look, it turned out to be Little ck. There wasn¡¯t a single strand of hair that was of a different color on his body, so he waspletely hidden in the darkness of the mountain forest. At a nce, only a pair of green eyes could be seen.


    Little ck shook his head excitedly and had a look in his eyes that seemed to be asking to be praised and caressed. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t quite understand, so Little ck touched her hand with his nose. She knew what he meant and stretched out her hand. From within Little ck¡¯s warm mouth, a squirming cicada fell onto her palm.


    It seemed like this fellow saw that everyone was catching cicadas so he joined in the fun to help. The dark night was nothing in the eyes of wolves, but it was quite hard for him to hold a thumb-sized cicada in his big mouth without harming it a bit. He had such good control of his strength! Yu Xiaocao continued to stare in the direction that Little White disappeared in as she patted his head in a perfunctory manner.


    At this time, everyone had gotten a decent harvest. Those who had filled up the vessels that they brought gradually gathered over. Seeing Yu Xiaocao staring at a cluster of bushes motionlessly, they also curiously looked in that direction. When Little White emerged with a wild hare in his mouth, he was bewildered by those strange humans¡ªwhy were they all gathered here? The wild hare was for his young master, so no one was allowed to steal it!


    Yu Xiaocao checked out everyone¡¯s harvest and saw that there were a lot of cicadas in their vessels. It seemed like they got quite arge harvest! In addition, they also got a plump hare. They would definitely have a sumptuous meal tomorrow!


    When they got home, Yu Xiaocao got a wooden bucket and filled it with salt water. After she cleaned the cicadas, she put them in the bucket to be soaked for a night. Once the vor seeped in, it would taste better when fried!


    The night passed by peacefully. The next morning, the three siblings of the Liu Family, Yu Hang, and Yu Xiaolian woke up very early. They picked vegetables in the courtyard as they waited for Yu Xiaocao, who was sleeping in, to wake up. The three Liu siblings had never tried cicadas. Allegedly, in the northeast, these things were caught to be fed to chickens. However, Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian had eaten them before. When the three siblings heard them describe the fragrantly scorched taste of the fried cicadas, they almost drooled. They were filled with even more anticipation.


    After much wait, Xiaocao had finally woken up. The group of children didn¡¯t need the adults¡¯ help as they lit the fire, made the pancakes, and cooked the porridge. With so many people helping, they quickly finished preparing breakfast.


    Yu Xiaocao fished out the cicadas that they caughtst night from the salt water and cleansed them with clean water. With the different cooking methods of deep-frying, dry-frying, and pan-frying, she different vor dishes like ¡®salt and pepper cicadas¡¯, ¡®spicy cicadas¡¯, ¡®cicadas stir-fried with shredded ginger¡¯, ¡®spicy and numbing cicadas¡¯, and so on.

 Chapter 352 – Proving Him Wrong

    <h4>Chapter 352 ¨C Proving Him Wrong</h4>


    After Zhu Junyang¡¯s morning exercise, he came down from the mountains. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he could smell a strong fragrance drifting in the air. He didn¡¯t think that the littless could actually make dishes with such alluring taste with those unattractive and somewhat disgusting bugs that were dug up from the soil.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to eat!¡± Yu Xiaocao held a big te in each of her hands and walked out of the kitchen unsteadily. The fragrance came from the two tes.


    Therge tes, which were piled up with fried cicadas, could almost break her two wrists that were as thin as a stick of firewood. Zhu Junyang¡¯s feet moved faster than his brain; he walked forward and took the tes from Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands.


    Seeing him, Yu Xiaocao grinned widely and said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, your nose isparable to that of a ¡®barking alien¡¯ [1]. You have followed the smell over as soon as the cicadas are fried!¡±


    If Zhu Junyang knew what a ¡®barking alien¡¯ was, he would definitely be furious. She actuallypared him, who was wise and skilled in martial arts, to a canine that only knew how to stick its tongue out and wag its tail to please others. Such disrespect! Fortunately, most of his attention was focused on the fragrantly scorched cicadas, and thus overlooked the meaning of ¡®barking alien¡¯.


    Xiaolian and Liu Yaner, who were helping in the kitchen, each brought out a te of different vored fried cicadas. After they put them on the table, Xiaolian said, ¡°You guys eat first. I¡¯ll take these to Eldest Maternal Aunt and Older Cousin so that they can also have a taste.¡±


    There was a simple kitchen in the piggery. Normally, Xiaolian, Eldest Maternal Aunt and her daughter would cook their meals there. When the family made delicious food at home, they would also send some to them. Since the piglets in the piggery had sufficient food and Xiaocao regrly supplemented them with a light concentration of mystic-stone water, they were all in good health, had good appetite, and grew very well. The first batch of piglets weighed close to one hundred catties after being raised for four months, as if they ate ¡®four months fat¡¯.


    Liu Yaner also delivered a full te of fried cicadas to the Qian Family next door. After all, the Qian siblings also contributed two jars of cicadas yesterday. Qian Wu didn¡¯t take a single one home for this very reason. Who told Xiaocao to be such a good cook? Even if he brought it back, his mother, Madam Mao, wouldn¡¯t know how to cook it. Moreover, even if she did, she wouldn¡¯t be willing to waste oil to fry the cicadas as snacks for him. One must admit that this fellow Qian Wu usually seemed quite foolish, but he had quite a lot of tricks up his sleeves!


    In the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard, the women helping to pick vegetables had arrived. Smelling the scent, one of the women, who usually had a close rtionship with Madam Liu, said with a smile, ¡°Dahai¡¯s wife, what novel food did your youngest daughter make this time? It smells so good that I¡¯m about to drool!¡±


    Madam Liu took out some and ced them on a small te for them to taste. They had just experienced a disaster year, so they knew about the importance of food. The matron resisted the temptation of the food and shook her head, saying, ¡°Dahai¡¯s wife, please don¡¯t lure out the gluttonous bugs in our stomachs. We¡¯re going to be the ones suffering if it rebels. Quickly take the te back. Don¡¯t you know that putting such delicious food in front of us is like a cruel torture to us ah?!¡±


    Madam Liu red at her with a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if the gluttonous bugs are lured out. It¡¯s not like these are anything precious. Do you hear the cicadas on the trees? These are thervae that just crawled out of the soil and haven¡¯t shed off their shells. They can be found in batches in the forest at night. After catching them, they need to be properly cleaned and marinated with salt for a while. They are edible when they are cooked!¡±


    During locust guest year, the Yu Family had spread the news that locusts were edible. Nearly every family caught arge amount back to eat, which saved them a lot of grain. They had already eaten locusts roasted over fire, so why would they be afraid of these cicadarvae?


    Seeing that it wasn¡¯t some expensive ingredient, the matron stopped acting courteous and picked one up to put in her mouth. A strangely refreshing taste instantly erupted within her mouth. It tasted better than the fried dish they had during the New Year! Her eyes lit up and she had a wide smile on her face as she said, ¡°It tastes really good. Tonight, I¡¯ll have my husband and the kids catch some back, and I¡¯ll fry some for the kids to eat.¡±


    The other women also gave up on holding themselves back and each tried a piece. The group of people catching cicadas in the evening grew even bigger. Madam Liu told them to eat some more, but they refused. The members of the Yu Family and the Liu Family added up to more than ten people. How many cicadas could several children catch? They probably didn¡¯t have enough to eat, so even if they wanted to eat more, they had to control themselves. How could they take food from the children?


    Moreover, Royal Prince Yang was here. Right now, his existence in Tanggu Town was of someone superior to the county magistrate. All the viges within the vicinity of Tanggu were under his ruling, so they were also considered his people. They had to at least leave a good impression for the royal prince, right?


    They were worried about the royal prince, but Royal Prince Yang, who had the innate quality of a glutton, focused all his attention on the different vored fried cicadas. His favorite was actually the spicy and numbing vor. Not only did it have a golden color, but it also had a crispy shell and tender flesh. With a dry and fragrant taste and numbingly spicy mouthfeel, he felt as if all the taste buds in his mouth were jumping. This caused him to eat one piece after another, unable to stop.


    ¡®Well, it seems like nearly the entire imperial family has the gene of a foodie. The emperor emeritus is a long-time foodie, and Royal Prince Yang doesn¡¯t lose out to him. I wonder if the emperor would also disregard his noble and elegant demeanor in front of his favorite food?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao thought in her heart.


    Zhu Junyang lingered at the Yu Residence and didn¡¯t leave until he had lunch. Yesterday, Little White had caught a wild hare, which became the Yu Family¡¯s lunch at noon. There were a lot of people eating together, so Yu Hai ughtered one of the rabbits that they raised at home.


    When the wild hare was ughtered, the Yu Family¡¯s little roe deer was still watched happily and ran around gleefully. But, when it saw Yu Hai choose one of its usualpanions and skillfully slit its neck and skinned it, it was so scared that it hid in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s room, trembling. It didn¡¯t even take a single bite of its favorite grass mixed with mystic-stone water, for fear that his master would ughter it for food like that rabbit.


    She didn¡¯t know if the little roe deer had a gic mutation due to its frequent consumption of mystic-stone water, but it had never grown bigger since they brought it back three years ago. It maintained the size of a little roe deer that was less than a month old with a small and thin appearance. It was currently shivering like a fallen leaf blew by the cold wind. It looked cute yet pitiful.


    When Yu Xiaocao noticed that the little roe deer hadn¡¯t eaten for two meals and was curled up into a ball with a dispirited appearance, she thought that it was sick. After she got a reminder from the little divine stone, she realized that the little guy had been scared silly. She quickly hugged it andforted, ¡°Tiny, don¡¯t be scared! No one will eat you. You¡¯re so small and barely have any meat on your body, so you wouldn¡¯t even be enough to fill the gaps between one¡¯s teeth. I promise you that no one in the family will dare to do anything to you without my permission!! However, you must stay alert outside the house. Be careful not to let others catch you and make you into soup!!¡±


    The little roe deer seemed to understand its little master¡¯s position in the family. Since she said that no one was allowed to touch it, it must be safe at home. As for the outside, there was no way that it would let strangers get close to it. It could now run as fast as the wind. Even Little ck and Little White couldn¡¯t catch up to it, so who could catch it? But, for a long time after this, the little roe deer would make a detour when it saw Yu Hai. It was afraid that he would dislike it, and thus decide to ughter it.


    In a blink of an eye, it was already time for autumn harvest. Zhu Junyang followed Yu Hai and his daughter to the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead. The vegetation on the hill behind the ntation had gradually begun to turn yellow. asionally, one or two maple leaves would disy their dazzling appearance among the gold and green colors. The pods in the fields were golden and appeared bloated as if their bellies were about to burst. The tenant farmers working in the fields all had bright smiles on their faces.


    With a sincere smile on his face, the supervisor, Wang Maocai, apanied the owners and exined, ¡°We have also nted soybeans in the past, but the pods were only about the length of a thumb. This year, the pods are even longer than one¡¯s middle finger. Moreover, the beans are a size bigger than the seeds. With a modest estimate, I reckon that the output of the soybean fields will double the output of the previous years!¡±


    In actuality, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t deliberately help the tenant farmers cultivate the soybean fields. It didn¡¯t rain a lot in the summer, so the hardworking farmers were afraid that the yield of soybeans would be affected. They were also afraid that the owners would have doubts regarding their abilities, and then not rent thend for them to farm next year. Thus, they all worked hard to tend the crops. They meticulously irrigated the fields, weeded the fields, and eliminated pests. There was spiritual energy in the well water, so the fields watered by the well water naturally had a higher output of soybeans.


    After four to five days of hard work in the fields, all of the families sent all their soybeans to the granary. After being weighted, the household with the greatest yield had surpassed four hundred catties! The low yield of soybeans was the main reason why farmers were reluctant to cultivate the crop. In previous years, their best output in the fields was no more than 160 to 170 catties. But now, the output had more than doubled ah! The family with the least output had also gotten around three hundred catties! It was about the same as the yield of wheat!!


    The tenant farmers, who were originally pessimistic about the owner¡¯s daughter¡¯s request to grow soybeans, were sincerely convinced by her now. After they got new masters, except for the disaster during the first year, they had gotten a great harvest for the spring and autumn seasons. The tenant farmers believed that the master had good fortune, and thus also boosted the luck of the farmstead. If they continued to work for the master in the future, they would definitely be able to eat to their heart¡¯s content, wear warm clothes, and live a fairly well-off life...


    The farnds that Zhu Junyang bought weren¡¯t very far from the Yu Family¡¯s ntation. After the autumn harvest, he nned on moving the fields next to the Yu Family¡¯s fields. In this way, Yu Xiaocao could help him take care of the farnds, which was much more convenient! Yes, Royal Prince Yang barely knew anything about farming. The steward that he sent to manage thend would consult the father and daughter of the Yu Family for everything, and thus he became a master who only asked others to work and didn¡¯t do anything himself.


    Right after the harvest of the corn, Royal Prince Yang had gone back to the capital to report the good news. Thus, the steward and Yu Xiaocao worked together to make decisions regarding the plowing, sowing, and management of the more than eight hundred mu ofnd. With Yu Xiaocao there, he was absolutely at ease that the output of his fields definitely wouldn¡¯t be low! That¡¯s right, Zhu Junyang was just that confident!


    As expected, the average yield of the eight hundred or so mu of farnd was over three hundred catties per mu. People probably wouldn¡¯t believe it even if they heard it! He had the steward to make detailed records, organize them into a memorial, and send it to the capital at the fastest speed.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t that old fogie with the surname Yang say that the rich harvest of corn had nothing to do with the Yu Family and Yu Xiaocao? I¡¯m going to prove you wrong with the data right away! Have you ever seen soybeans with a yield of over three hundred catties per mu? The Imperial ntation in the capital has also nted dozens of mu of soybeans. If there is a higher output than this prince¡¯s eight hundred mu of fields, this prince will give up my title of royal prince!!¡¯

 Chapter 353 – Preparing to Open a Shop

    <h4>Chapter 353 ¨C Preparing to Open a Shop</h4>


    The memorial presented by Royal Prince Yang set off a wave of storm at court. Minister Liu¡¯s hands trembled as he took the memorial that the emperor had just reviewed. He carefully looked over the data over and over again. The yield on superior farnd was three hundred eighty catties per mu and the average farnd had three hundred thirty catties per mu. The output of inferior farnd had also gotten a high yield of two hundred ny catties per mu.


    Minister Liu burst into tears, ¡°Emperor, this old official is ipetent! All of the fields in the Imperial ntation are superior farnd, yet the yield is only around one hundred ny catties per mu!! This Yu Family is indeed talented, Your Majesty!¡±


    Zhu Junfan looked at Imperial Censor Yang and asked with a spurious smile, ¡°Imperial Censor Yang, do you have anything else to say?¡±


    With facts presented in front of his eyes, Imperial Censor Yang had no other reason to stop the emperor from awarding the Yu Family. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°If what is stated in the memorial is true, then this official will acknowledge it sincerely.¡±


    He was speaking as if Royal Prince Yang had made a false record in order to help the Yu Family. All the civil and military officials in court inwardly shook their heads. This Imperial Censor Yang seriously didn¡¯t have a very good moral character. At this point, he was still trying to find an honorable way to get out of this embarrassing situation.


    He should think about it. Who was the Yu Family to Royal Prince Yang? Why would the cold-hearted and ck-faced royal prince be willing to risk the crime of deceiving the monarch to protect them? Furthermore, even if the Yu Family was bestowed a position, they would merely be a minor seven-rank official. They would just be small agricultural officials under the Ministry of Revenue, so how would that affect him, Imperial Censor Yang, in any way? Was it really worth it for him to cling onto them like a leech?


    The Minister of Works came out again and tried to smooth things over, ¡°Perhaps, there¡¯s a difference in the output due to the difference of the seeds. In my opinion, to truly have fair and just results, the same types of seeds and fields should be used...¡±


    Officials, who knew the situation, all looked at each other with tacit gaze¡ªthe Minister of Works¡¯ granddaughter and Imperial Censor Yang¡¯s grandson were currently in the middle of discussing marriage, so it was no wonder that he would speak up for him.


    At this time, the military officials presented a memorial, stating that there seemed to be trouble at the northwest borders. The surviving supporters of the Yuan Dynasty had divided into two major tribes, Dongliao and Siliao. It seemed like they were eager to cause trouble at the borders. The military officials requested for backup in the event that war broke out and so on... As for the matter regarding the Yu Family, it had been left unsettled once again.


    At the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead on the outskirts of Tanggu Town, it was currently bustling with activity. After the soybeans were reaped, the tenant farmers were busy with fertilizing the fields and preparing for the cultivation of wheat.


    Zhu Junyang, who had a tall and graceful figure, stood at the edge of the field and said to Yu Xiaocao, who was handing out wheat to the farmers, ¡°If you nt winter wheat now, you won¡¯t be able to nt corn in the spring, right? I must remind you that the emperor attaches great importance to corn and ns to poprize the cultivation of corn as a high-yielding crop in the north...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at him and said, ¡°I know. If we want to poprize the cultivation of corn, there definitely aren¡¯t enough seeds. We should do it step by step! Since we¡¯re familiar with growing corn, we¡¯ll naturally take up the responsibility of breeding the seeds! But, this doesn¡¯t conflict with growing winter wheat ah!¡±


    With a look of surprise, Zhu Junyang asked in confusion, ¡°How does it not conflict? I have asked your tenant farmers. After nting the winter wheat, they can only be harvested at the beginning of next summer. Where would you have farnd to grow corn?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lifted her eyebrows and smiled proudly, ¡°Who told you that corn must be nted in the spring? After the winter wheat is reaped, we can nt a batch of corn to be harvested in the autumn. After harvesting the corn, we can grow winter wheat again. The timing is just right! If we don¡¯t nt winter wheat now, the fields would be idle for at least four to five months. Isn¡¯t that a waste of resources?¡±


    After thinking about it, Zhu Junyang felt that it sounded quite reasonable. Yu Xiaocao said that after the poprization of corn, it would at most be considered a type of coarse grain. By growing corn for one season and winter wheat for another season, they would have both coarse grain and fine grain, and themon people would be able to live a better life. Thus, he also handed his eight hundred mu of farnd to her and asked her to help him decide what to nt. He wrote up an imperial memorial overnight and sent it to the capital. Soon, the Imperial ntation on the outskirts of the capital also began growing winter wheat.


    At this time, the method of cultivation for wheat had been rtively improved. Yu Xiaocao just had to let the little divine stone release some spiritual energy into the seeds, and the tenant farmers would take care of all other matters. The father and daughter pair were currently busy dealing with the vigers who came to purchase bean seeds after hearing about good things about them.


    The news that the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead had a great harvest of soybeans, which had a high yield of four hundred catties per mu, had quietly spread throughout Tanggu Town. After being spread through the word of mouth, people began saying that the soybean seeds that the Yu Family used were a high-yielding crop that Royal Prince Yang brought back from the western hemisphere.


    At this time, there had been a gradual improvement of the extraction method for soybean oil. Bean curd, bead sprout, and some other bean-rted products had slowly started appearing on the tables of themon people. The soybean cakes left over after being used to extract soybean oil and bean flour milled by beans were all food that the poverty-strickenmoners relied on for survival. The doubling of the output of beans could help improve the lives of many people, so it attracted quite a lot of people.


    The soybeans harvested from Royal Prince Yang¡¯s fields had to be transported back to the capital. As for the soybeans produced at the Yu Family¡¯s ntation, with the exception of the portion saved to be used as seeds for next year, Yu Hai and his daughter decided to sell them at a state-set price. Why were they selling them at a state-set price? The Yu Family was able to earn a good reputation in several nearby viges by selling the soybeans to the impoverishedmoner ording to the market price of fine breed grain without adding a single copper coin to the price.


    After she finished with the matters at the ntation, Yu Xiaocao packed her bags and set off to the prefectural city. There was less than a month until the college examination. They had several pigs at home that had already reached the weight of two hundred catties, and thus they could be taken out of their pens. In other words, they should start preparing for the opening of the braised food shop in the prefectural city!


    For this trip to the prefectural city, Yu Hai and the Liu Hu couple also came with her. It naturally wasn¡¯t that simple to open a shop. The renovation of the shop, purchasing the ingredients, and buying the kitchen utensils were all areas that required manpower.


    There were two reasons as to why she had her oldest paternal aunt and oldest paternal unclee along with them. First of all, they really didck manpower for the initial preparation of the shop. Second, they were going to coborate with the Liu Family for the braised food shop. The Yu Family would contribute the money and recipes, while the Liu Family would contribute manpower. The profit would be split 20-80; the Liu Family would receive 20% and the Yu Family would get 80% of the profit!


    Yu Caifeng had seen the flourishing business of the braised pig head meat at the docks, so she had no doubts about the braising method of the Yu Family. They could earn 20% of the profit by merely providing some manpower, which meant that they were taking a big advantage of them. After several refusals, under Yu Hai¡¯s persuasion, she finally epted the kindness of her younger brother¡¯s family.


    They came to Tanggu from the northeast without any money at all. Not only did her younger brother help cure her husband¡¯s illness, but he also supported them financially. What¡¯s more, just by helping her younger brother sell watermelons for the past two years, they were able to save up more than one hundred taels even after they built a house and sent Little Fangping to school. This was considered a huge sum of money to them, who had no more than five taels in their savings in the past. Now, her younger brother¡¯s family was nning on opening a shop in the prefectural city, and they were the first people they thought of. Moreover, his family also gave them such a generous share. How could she not be grateful and moved?


    Before leaving, Yu Caifeng had gathered her whole family together and said to the children, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your uncle that we can now live a life without worrying about food and clothing. In the future, you guys need to be filial to your uncle and aunt, just like how you¡¯re filial to me and your father.¡±


    In the past two years, Liu Junping, who was a half-grown child, had clearly seen and kept in mind the kindness that the Yu Family showed them. He nodded solemnly and said, ¡°Uncle is a great benefactor of our family, and we will always remember that!¡±


    Yu Caifeng thought about it and said, ¡°If the shop in the prefectural city is sessful in the future, your father and I will surely bring you guys to the prefectural city at that time. If our braised food sells well, there would definitely be a lot of people trying to uncover the recipes. You guys must remember that the kitchen is the most important ce. You must never let other people go in!! What¡¯s more, you must not leak the recipes, which we rely on to make a living, for the sake of your own benefit. If I find out that any of you have other ideas about the recipes, then don¡¯t me me, as your mother, for disowning you!!¡±


    Little Fangping was frightened by his mother¡¯s expression and tone, so he nodded repeatedly. Liu Yaner quickly said, ¡°Mother, rest assured. Us siblings definitely won¡¯t be grateful and vicious people! Moreover, our family also has a share of the shop. Who would do such a thing like ¡®kill the goose thatys the golden eggs¡¯?¡±


    Afterying down thew with the children, Yu Caifeng and her husband went to the prefectural city with her younger brother and niece. They had hired an elderly man, who lived nearby to look after their house in the prefectural city, and he would help tidy the courtyard every day. No one had lived in the house for half a year, so the four of them spent an entire day to clean up before they finally put everything in order and settled down.


    There were five shops in front. With the storefront in the middle as the divider, three of the shops were used for the braised food shop, and the other two would be turned into a pickled food shop. Yu Xiaocao had a lot of recipes for pickled food on hand and Yu Caifeng was an excellent cook, so it was a waste for such a store to only sell braised food.


    Yu Hai and Liu Hu were busily working on the renovation of the shop in the front, while Yu Caifeng and Yu Xiaocao were responsible for supervising the renovation of the kitchen in the back. The kitchen was quite big, so the two stoves in the kitchen were more than enough for a family¡¯s regr usage. However, it wasn¡¯t quite sufficient for braising food. Therefore, they must first double the cooking area.


    Then, ording to Xiaocao¡¯s idea, they built an oven in the corner of the kitchen. The oven was made of ck bricks, and the walls around it were simr to the heated walls 1 that wealthy families used for heating. The open fire underneath heated the oven, and in the middle, there was a ce to put the ducks prepared with the secret recipe. The heat would be reflected onto the ducks from the wall to roast the ducks. With this method, the roasted duck would have crispy skin, tender meat, a gleaming appearance, and fragrant smell.


    The head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant, who was presiding over the business in the prefectural city, found out that the Yu Family was going to open a braised food shop in the prefectural city. So he made some time to go over for a visit. When he saw the oven in the back kitchen, the head manager joked, ¡°Miss Yu, you¡¯repeting with Zhenxiu Restaurant ah! With your endless new recipes, our Zhenxiu Restaurant can¡¯t win against you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°I dare not! I also have a share in your restaurant¡¯s fruit-scented roasted duck. Why would I fight with myself? This type of roasted duck that I¡¯m making tastespletely different to the fruit-scented roasted duck. Moreover, we¡¯re only selling ten ducks per day. It won¡¯t affect Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s business!¡±


    The head manager stroked his long beard and said, ¡°What about the price? How much is Miss Yu nning on selling it for?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, it will only be one tael cheaper than Zhenxiu Restaurant. We won¡¯t casually set a price and disturb the market!¡± Why was it only one tael cheaper than Zhenxiu Restaurant? What kind of ce was Zhenxiu Restaurant? No matter if it was their dining environment or reputation, they were much higher in ss than a little braised food shop. Would they even be able to sell their food if they set the price to be the same as Zhenxiu Restaurant?


    With a lower price, they weren¡¯t deliberately lowering the price for maliciouspetition. In addition, they were doing the marketing gimmick of limited sales... The head manager could already foresee the blooming poprity of the braised food shop after its opening.

 Chapter 354 – That Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 354 ¨C That Nightmare</h4>


    Before the opening of the braised food shop, Little Shitou and his ssmates were all taken to the prefectural city by Rongxuan Academy. Why didn¡¯t Yu Xiaocao privately cook for Little Shitou before the college examination? That was because the academy was doing a group training for all the students participating in the exams!


    During the day, the teachers arranged intensive pre-examination training for the students. In the evening, Headmaster Yuan called Little Shitou over to his house. He reviewed the readings, pointed out the pros and cons, and exined the methods of improvement. Little Shitou had made great progress in this period of time, and he felt more confident in the college examination.


    After he entered the courtyard from the side door, Little Shitou followed the fragrant smell to the kitchen and saw his second sister and oldest paternal aunt busily working inside. Yu Xiaocao was going to test the oven today. She took out a roasted duck with a golden-brown color and an attractive fragrance from the hot oven. The fire shined upon the contented smile on her face, and her eyes were filled with a sense of satisfaction.


    ¡°Second Sister, how did you know that I would arrive at the prefectural city today, and even prepare a roasted duck for me?¡± Little Shitou had been focused on studying in the past half a year and didn¡¯t go home at all during breaks. He didn¡¯t even know that the family was going to open a braised food shop, and thus happily asked under the impression that they were preparing the food for him.


    Yu Xiaocao put the roasted duck that was on the hook on a te. When it cooled down, she tore off a leg for him and said with a smile, ¡°Try it. This is the new oven roasted duck that Sister came up with. How is the taste?¡±


    Little Shitou hurriedly took a bite and carefully savored it. Then he repeatedly nodded his head and said, ¡°Delicious! It¡¯s not inferior to the taste of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s ¡®fruit-scented roasted duck¡¯! I¡¯m not worried about Second Sister¡¯s culinary skills at all!! Let¡¯s eat ¡®one duck three dishes¡¯ for lunch. I¡¯ve been staying in the academy for half a year, so I¡¯m desperately craving it!!¡±


    Although the food at the academy had gotten better in the past half a year, it was still mostly vegetable dishes. At times, when they provided meat dishes, the food would be snatched up by the wealthier students. During the past half a year, visits from family were forbidden, let alone delivery of food. Even when he went to Headmaster Yuan¡¯s home for tutoring, he wouldin endlessly about missing his second sister¡¯s cooking.


    As Little Shitou gnawed on the duck leg, he asked, ¡°Did you guys rent out the stores in front? That¡¯s not a bad idea. We can at least get some profits. What kind of business are they doing? Theyout looks quite neat and tidy...¡±


    Yu Caifeng, who was cleaning the kitchen, looked at him with a smile and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t rent out the shops in front. We¡¯re going to open a shop ourselves! Didn¡¯t you notice that there are more stoves in the kitchen, as well as an additional oven?¡±


    ¡°Is our family going to sell food? That will definitely make a lot of money. Second Sister has such excellent cooking skills, so if we open a restaurant, there¡¯s no way that Zhenxiu Restaurant canpete with us!¡± Little Shitou blindly worshiped his second sister and was full of confidence in her.


    Yu Xiaocao red at him with a smile, ¡°Your second sister is only good at cooking a few dishes, so how can Ipare with big chefs who had devoted themselves to cooking for decades? Don¡¯t make suchments outside, lest othersugh at your arrogance behind your back!¡±


    After that, she told the little fellow about their coboration with Oldest Aunt¡¯s family in opening the braised food shop. Making braised food was her specialty. Not only did she have secret recipes, but she also had mystic-stone water as a cheat. There was an absolute guarantee for the taste. Little Shitou was also full of confidence in his family¡¯s braised food shop. He repeatedly asked when it would open so that he could promote it to his ssmates who lived in the prefectural city.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the shop. The exam will be in three days, so your task is to rx your mind and focus on studying!¡± Yu Caifeng was afraid that her young nephew would be distracted at this important moment, so she solemnly reminded him.


    The Yu Family had been farmers for many generations, so they were all looking forward to having a county-level official in the family to bring honor to their ancestors. In the past, the Yu Family had put all their hopes in Shitou¡¯s younger uncle, Yu Bo. Now, they also had Little Shitou and more hope. Thus, they naturally attached great importance to this matter!


    Yu Caifeng thought about it and asked Little Shitou, ¡°Shitou, your younger uncle is also participating in this exam, right? Did hee with you? Did he say where he was staying?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to be too involved with Madam Zhang and she also didn¡¯t really like that selfish uncle of hers, so she interjected, ¡°When we came to the prefectural cityst time, Younger Uncle stayed at his ssmate¡¯s house. There¡¯s no need for us to worry so much. Oldest Aunt, try this roasted duck. Is there anything that needs to be improved?¡±


    Yu Caifeng also wasn¡¯t very close with this younger brother of hers. Madam Zhang epted the Liu Family¡¯s betrothal gifts of twenty taels, yet she didn¡¯t prepare any dowry for her at all. When she made her utmost efforts to argue for what was right, Madam Zhang told her that the money was used for her younger brother¡¯s tuition in a bold and confident manner.


    Since she was young, Madam Zhang had been partial to her youngest son. She and Yu Hai didn¡¯t have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, while Yu Bo and Yu Caidie could eat an extra egg or fine grain steamed bun every day. They didn¡¯t know that Madam Zhang was secretly cooking a separate meal for her biological children behind their backs. However, they weren¡¯t stupid. These matters would naturally be exposed over time. Yu Caifeng had a lot ofints about Madam Zhang¡¯s biasness, so she also didn¡¯t really like this younger brother of hers.


    In her heart, Yu Hai was her only real brother who was born of the same mother! Hearing her niece¡¯s words, Yu Caifeng stopped thinking about Yu Bo¡¯s matters. It was getting closer to the opening time of the shop, and she was also getting increasingly busy. The renovation in front could bepleted today, so she needed to go over and clean up everything. Last night, her husband and Yu Hai had gone back, saying that they would ughter two of the pigs first and deliver them over. It was going to be even more busy tomorrow.


    There were also a dozen or so vats of pickled vegetables, which were all made by her and her niece. How exactly did her niece¡¯s brain grow? She actually had so many recipes for pickled food! The salted vegetables should be ready in the next two days. She must taste them carefully and let her little niece know if they¡¯re tasty.


    Yu Xiaocao and her aunt were very busy, and Little Shitou wasn¡¯t affected at all. He still studied and rested ording to his schedule at the school. During his breaks, he also helped them to the best of his capabilities. Heughed and talked every day with no trace of tension.


    Yu Xiaocao praised him, ¡°Not bad! Other than one¡¯s own knowledge, one¡¯s mentality is also very important for exams. You need to learn how to destress yourself! Headmaster Yuan also said that, with your capability, if you perform like normal, you definitely won¡¯t have a problem passing the exam to be a county-level official! If you do well enough, you might even receive government grain! You¡¯re still young, so even if you don¡¯t do very well, you can just wait for the next college examination. Maybe you can ce first in the college examination...¡±


    ¡°Pah, pah, pah! The words of a child carry no harm. Deities, please don¡¯t listen to her...¡± Yu Caifeng put her palms together and bowed in four directions, and then she had Yu Xiaocao spit three times. She chided, ¡°Is there an older sister like you? Why are you saying such unlucky words? Our Shitou will definitely pass the exam this time!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao touched her nose and awkwardly said, ¡°Aren¡¯t I just trying to not give Younger Brother too much pressure? One can achieve sess if one goes into a battle with a light heart! Younger Brother, do your best on the exam! Show your true capabilities. I¡¯m waiting to show off that I have a younger brother who is a county-level official ah!¡±


    Little Shitou smiled and said, ¡°Second Sister, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not nervous at all. Thank you for doing so much for this family, and making sure that I can study at ease. For your sake, I will definitely pass the exam to be a county-level official this time. I¡¯ll let you know that all your hard work was not done in vain!!¡±


    Little Shitou understood very clearly within his heart! He couldn¡¯t imagine how this family would end up like without his second sister! Since his second sister got her head hurt and toured around theherworld, she had turned into apletely different person. Her previously timid and cowardly personality was gone.


    Before they separated from the family, she dared to y mind games with Madam Zhang and fought for welfare for her family. After the separation, she used her endless recipes to gain the respect and coboration with Third Young Master Zhou. The family also nted vegetables, watermelons, corn... Outsiders allplimented his father as an expert in farming, but he knew very clearly that all of his family money-making businesses came from his second sister.


    He once had a dream, in which his second sister didn¡¯t survive and died in the hands of Eldest Paternal Aunt. After his father was bitten by a bear, he didn¡¯t get treated for his severe injury and died! Older Brother was used of stealing. After he was beaten to death by the shopkeeper, the murderer got away unpunished. His mother worked hard to support the family with her sickly body, and finally spat out blood and died in the winter when he was eight.


    For his sake, Eldest Sister sold herself to be a maidservant. Afterwards, she was ¡®promoted¡¯ to be the master¡¯s concubine by the mistress. After she got pregnant and gave birth to a child, they killed the mother and kept the child. She died at a young age.


    As for him, since the age of twelve, he had been doing manualbor at the docks, barely earning enough for a living. But, when the two factions on the docks were fighting for territory, he was injured by mistake and broke his legs. Without any money for treatment, he ended up being disabled for life and could only beg for a living. On a cold winter day, he froze to death on the streets. That year, he had just turned twenty years old...


    When he woke up from the nightmare, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from crying, for fear that his current happy life was just a mirage. He feared that it was just an illusion he had before he froze to death. That morning, for the first time in his life, he, the headmaster¡¯s favorite pupil, skipped ss and fled to his family¡¯s farmstead. He knew that, during the busy farming season, his father and second sister would stay at the ntation to supervise the autumn harvest and autumn nting.


    From afar, he saw the thin and delicate yet very energetic figure of his second sister. Under the radiant morning sun, his second sister was full of energy as she directed the tenant farmers to take all the grain to the granary. Her ruddy and lively face, as well as her sweet and bright smile, warmed up his frightened and cold heart.


    So fortunate. It was so fortunate that the miserable life was just a nightmare. His second sister was still alive. With her around, that nightmare definitely wouldn¡¯te true! At this moment, Yu Xiaocao became the pir of support within his heart. Upon seeing her, all the ck clouds instantly dispersed.


    That day, he just watched his father and second sister from afar. While everyone was busily working at the farmstead, he just stayed there motionlessly for the entire day. He didn¡¯t eat lunch, but he wasn¡¯t hungry at all. It wasn¡¯t until the evening that his heart finally calmed downpletely, and he quietly left the ntation. When he got back to the academy, he was scolded severely by the headmaster. The next day, the teacher had even hit his palm with a ruler.


    Holding his swollen palm, he felt iparably calm within his heart. In the following days, he studied even harder. Second Sister changed their lives, so he also had to work hard for his second sister and support her in the future...


    ¡°Hey, why are you in a daze!!¡± Yu Xiaocao smacked the back of her younger brother¡¯s head and shouted, ¡°Tomorrow is the exam, so you need topletely rx for today and don¡¯t read books! The ss windows that we ordered have arrived, soe check it out with me!¡±


    Little Shitou grinned brightly at her and nodded, ¡°Alright! Second Sister, if there¡¯s anything that I can help with, just tell me!¡±


    ¡°What can you do with your thin limbs? Stay on the side and don¡¯t cause trouble!¡±


    ¡°Second Sister, I can work! I have strength...¡±


    ¡°Go away, go away! Stop hindering our work...¡±


    ¡®Second Sister, thank you!!¡¯

 Chapter 355 – Free Food Tasting

    <h4>Chapter 355 ¨C Free Food Tasting</h4>


    ¡°Did you hear? Over on the east side of the city, someone opened a...what was it called...braised food shop. They have free food tasting and half-price sale for the first day of their opening!¡±


    ¡°Braised food stop? What¡¯s a braised food shop? I¡¯ve never heard of it. Is it edible?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t we know if it¡¯s edible after trying? It¡¯s free anyway!¡±


    ¡°Who would do a business that doesn¡¯t earn money? Won¡¯t they lose all the money that they invested in the business?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Is the manager a fool? They won¡¯t trick us to try it, and then ask for money, right?¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be, right? The shop isn¡¯t very far from the prefectural yamen. Would a swindler dare to scam right in front of the prefectural magistrate?¡±


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go check it out! It doesn¡¯t cost any money to take a look...¡±


    ...


    In the Jingwei Prefectural City, everyone was talking about ¡®The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop¡¯. Like a cool autumn breeze, the opening of ¡®The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop¡¯ had spread to every corner of the city.


    Yu Xiaocao, who came up with the gimmick of free food tasting, was currently busy giving out the braised food to the people waiting in line for tasting! There was a very long line in front of The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop. Liu Hu and Yu Hai were busy keeping order.


    Originally, these people were watching from afar with the mindset of a bystander. At the beginning, there were very few people in front of the braised food shop. Most people didn¡¯t believe that there would be such a good thing as a free meal. However, when Little Shitou¡¯s ssmates who lived in the prefectural city, like Little Fatty and Liu Jinye, heard about the soft opening of the braised food shop, they hurriedly sent their servants to line up. They, on the other hand, huddled in front of the ss window to look at the roasted duck, roasted chicken, smoked chicken, smoked duck, and smoked pork, drooling.


    The first person in line was the steward in charge of the kitchen in the Sun Household. Yu Xiaocao pointed at the slices of braised meat and smoked meat on the te and said with a smile, ¡°Feel free to have a taste!¡±


    The Sun Family¡¯s steward looked at his young master, and then raised his voice to ask, ¡°Can I try it even if I don¡¯t buy anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes!! It¡¯s our soft opening today, so we have free tasting and half-price sale for all our products! You can have a taste even if you don¡¯t buy anything, but each person can only try one piece of each dish!¡± Yu Xiaocao replied with a smile.


    The Sun Family¡¯s steward tried each of the dishes and had high praises for the braised meat. His young master had already selected the roasted duck, roasted chicken, salted duck, and arge braised pork knuckle that he wanted to buy. If Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t stop him, he might have bought all of the different dishes!


    ¡°It¡¯s a little warm now, so the food can¡¯t be out for too long. Just buy the ones you¡¯re eating today. Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste if you buy too much and they end up going bad?¡± Seeing his intention, Yu Xiaocao promptly stopped him.


    The steward of the Sun Family looked at the price of the braised meat. With the fifty percent discount, it was even cheaper than the raw pork sold on the market now. It also tasted very good. He couldn¡¯t help but quietly ask his young master, ¡°Young Master, my mother likes to eat meat, but she has bad teeth. The braised pig head meat is fragrant and soft, so this servant wants...¡±


    ¡°You have money in your pocket, so if you want to buy it, then buy it! There¡¯s no need to ask me!¡± Little Fatty used a toothpick to pick up a piece of ¡®crispy skin roasted duck¡¯ and savored the taste in his mouth. Then he said to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Second Sister, your roasted duck isn¡¯t inferior to that of Zhenxiu Restaurant, and it¡¯s also cheaper. If Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s business plunges because of you, the Zhou Family definitely wouldn¡¯t let you off!¡±


    ¡°Look carefully. Five taels is half price. It will be back to the regr price tomorrow!! Moreover, for products such as roasted duck and roasted chicken, our shop is only selling ten per day and we don¡¯t ept reservations. It won¡¯t affect Zhenxiu Restaurant in any way!!¡± Yu Xiaocao quickly packed the food and collected the money. Then she swiftly sent away Little Shitou¡¯s ssmates.


    At this time, there weren¡¯t any customers in front of the shop again. She raised her voice and yelled, ¡°The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop is having a soft opening today. We¡¯ll have free food tasting for half a day. Come over quickly if you want to taste it. You can have a taste even if you¡¯re not buying anything. Free tasting will be over at noon! Don¡¯t walk by and miss out on this opportunity!!¡±


    Today was the second day after that examination, so there were still a lot of students who hadn¡¯t left yet. A student, who was in his twenties and dressed in a long blue robe, came over to the window and asked Yu Xiaocao in a soft voice, ¡°Excuse me... did you guys used to sell braised food at Tanggu Docks?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked up at him, nodded with a smile, and said, ¡°Yes! Our ¡®one copper coin braised food¡¯ is very famous at the docks. Not only the locals of Tanggu Town, but a lot of foreign merchants are also full of praises for our braised food. Older brother, since you have heard about our braised food, have a taste to see if you like it.¡±


    With a flushed face, the student quickly shook his hands and said, ¡°I didn¡¯te for the free tasting. In the past, my father had brought back your family¡¯s braised food from the docks for me. It¡¯s very tasty, and my whole family really likes to eat it! It¡¯s a pity that we haven¡¯t been able to buy it anymore sincest autumn. I¡¯m going home early tomorrow morning, so I wanted to bring some braised food back...¡±


    ¡°We have many different varieties of braised food. I don¡¯t know which one will suit your taste, so why don¡¯t you try all of them?¡± Yu Xiaocao understood why he didn¡¯t want to taste it. He was afraid that his ssmates would ridicule him by saying that he liked to take advantage of others, so she tried to persuade him to try the taste.


    The blue-robed student looked at the prices of the different braised food through the window and picked two of the cheaper ones to taste. He probably didn¡¯t even have a proper taste of the food before he swiftly weighed the half catty of pig¡¯s head meat, paid for it, and left.


    ¡°I heard that there¡¯s free food here? Give me some of each!!¡± A fat, old woman with drooping, triangr shaped eyes came up to the door of The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop and arrogantly instructed Yu Xiaocao to weigh the meat.


    ¡°Aiyo! Isn¡¯t that Cripple Wang¡¯s wife? This olddy really likes to take advantage of others. Moreover, she was extremely stingy and unreasonable. We¡¯re going to have a good show to watch ah!¡± The onlookers saw that the people who had tasted the food had more or less brought some back, so they were still uncertain if the food tasting was free or not. They continued to watch from afar but slowly came over when they saw the fat matrone over.


    Looking at her attitude, Yu Xiaocao felt that she was the same type of person as Madam Zhang. However, judging from her clothes, she probably wasn¡¯t so poor that she couldn¡¯t afford to buy food. No matter how stingy one was, there must be times when they have to entertain guests. Also, during the New Year and special holidays, they would still have to prepare some meat dishes for their families. In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s opinion, as long as they weren¡¯t beggars on the street, they were her potential patrons.


    With a warm smile, she exined in a sweet voice, ¡°Auntie, it¡¯s free to taste! You can try a piece of the dish that you like!¡±


    ¡°One piece? How would I know what it tastes like with just one piece? Since it¡¯s free, don¡¯t be so stingy.¡± As she said that, she took a toothpick with her plump hands and pierced fiercely at the te, bringing up four or five pieces of braised meat.


    Yu Xiaocao stopped her hands, pointed at the bulletin-like poster on the wall, and loudly said, ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re wee to participate in the free food tasting event, but please abide by the rules of the event! It¡¯s written very clearly that you can only try one piece of each dish. Our purpose is to give everyone who is interested in ¡®The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop¡¯ a chance to taste the food. It¡¯s not to let you eat to your heart¡¯s content!!¡±


    ¡°I have a big mouth, so I can¡¯t tell what it tastes like with one piece!! Do you guys want to do business or not? You say that it¡¯s free food tasting, yet you¡¯re not letting people taste the food. Do you think that we¡¯re fools? If you can¡¯t afford it, then don¡¯t use these insincere tricks!!¡± Cripple Wang¡¯s wife smelled the tempting fragrance of the braised food, and she couldn¡¯t help but swallow her saliva. She tried hard to free her hand that was holding the toothpick from Xiaocao¡¯s grasp.


    With a firm gaze and attitude, Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°My answer is still the same. If you want to participate in the event, then please follow the rules!! Otherwise... we will have to invite the prefectural magistrate to help us judge whether we¡¯re deceiving the consumers or you¡¯re causing trouble without reason!!¡±


    A voice sounded among the crowd, ¡°Cripple Wang, you¡¯re also here? Hurry up and take your wife home. Don¡¯t let her continue making a fool out of herself here. The little girl has already said it and it¡¯s also posted on the notice. Each person can only try a piece. Look at what your greedy wife has done.¡±


    Cripple Wang¡¯s wife¡¯s hand, which Xiaocao was holding, trembled and the expression on her face instantly changed. She hastily put down the toothpick and lowered her head, acting like a quail. Cripple Wang was considered quite a good person, but he had two problems¡ªhe was sensitive about his reputation and he beat his wife. However, most of the time, it was his wife who did something to provoke him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cripple Wang squeezed out of the crowd and looked at her with a sinister gaze, as if he was an injured old wolf staring at his enemy.


    The fat matron¡¯s entire body shivered for a moment, and she replied in a trembling voice, ¡°No...nothing...I heard...that a braised food shop opened here, so I wanted to buy some novel food for you to eat with your drinks...¡±


    The fat matron knew that her husband was very concerned about his reputation. If he found out that she was fighting with them in order to eat a couple more pieces of meat, she would definitely receive a beating when she got home!


    Seeing this, Yu Xiaocao pointed at the promotional poster on the wall and said, ¡°Uncle, our braised food shop is having a soft opening today. We¡¯re doing a free tasting and half-price sale event. Please have a taste and give us some advice!¡±


    When he was younger, Cripple Wang¡¯s family had decent living conditions and he had gone to school for a few years. After he carefully read the rules on the wall twice, he went up to the window and carefully tried each of the dishes. He looked at the price again, and then said, ¡°The crispy skin roasted chicken, roasted chicken, roasted duck, and salted duck taste about the same as Zhenxiu Restaurant. The price is also slightly cheaper. However, it¡¯s still not something thatmoners, like us, can afford. The braised meat and smoked meat taste quite unique... Give me two catties of braised pork knuckle.¡±


    ¡°Okay! One catty of braised pork knuckle cost two hundred sixty copper coins, so the total for two catties is five hundred twenty copper coins. With a fifty percent discount, it will only be two hundred sixty copper coins...¡± After Yu Xiaocao signaled her oldest aunt with her eyes, Yu Caifeng quickly weighted the meat, packed it up, and waited to collect the money.


    Cripple Wang looked at his wife and said with a frown, ¡°What are you still waiting for? Quickly pay up...¡±


    The fat matron touched her money pouch and said with a sad face, ¡°I... I didn¡¯t bring money when I came out...¡± She said that she wanted to buy braised food for him to eat with his drinks earlier, but now she imed that she didn¡¯t have money. How was she going to buy food without money? The onlookers burst out inughter.


    Cripple Wang looked at his wife with even more gloomy eyes. He red fiercely at her, and then said to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Little girl, keep the two catties of braised pork knuckles on the side for me. We¡¯ll go back to get the money. Don¡¯t worry, my house isn¡¯t very far from here. I¡¯ll give you the money in a moment.¡±

 Chapter 356 – Arrival of an Important Guest

    <h4>Chapter 356 ¨C Arrival of an Important Guest</h4>


    Needless to say, the prideful Cripple Wang fiercely beat up his fat wife when he got home. Only when the queue for taste-testing in front of The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop had stretched long and far did she return, limping, to get the braised pig¡¯s knuckles.


    The fat matron with her droopy triangr eyes squeezed her way to the front, then quietly picked up a toothpick and tasted all the dishes on disy. Behind her, people who did not understand the situation and felt unhappy that she jumped her queue said, ¡°Line up, line up! We all have to wait; how can you jump the queue!¡±


    ¡°Line up? I¡¯ve already lined up before to order the meat, and I only went back home to get more money! What are you whining about, huh? Do you need to rush back to cry at a funeral?!¡± Without Cripple Wang around, this fatdy quickly resumed her outrageous and unreasonable behavior.


    The person who she had refuted was not willing to back down, ¡°Who needs to rush back to cry at a funeral? With that ominous mouth of yours, Cripple Wang must¡¯ve collected eight lifetimes of misfortune to have married you! You didn¡¯t bring money? What meat do you want to buy if you didn¡¯t bring money? I think you just need a good beating! Where¡¯s Cripple Wang? Are you not going to control your own wife? If anything happens to my bedridden mother, it¡¯s definitely because your wife cursed her! See if I won¡¯t bring the body to your house!¡±


    The fat matron abruptly stopped talking once he mentioned Cripple Wang. She took the pig¡¯s knuckles that Xiaocao handed over and hurried home in silence.


    Most of the people who came to attend the taste-testing event were still quite disciplined and followed the rules. They were immediately attracted by the taste of the braised food store¡¯s dishes once they had a bite. Moreover, the dishes were sold at half-price today, and thus the cost of many of the dishes were even enough to make a profit! Majority of the tasters would buy a few braised dishes home, and even the people whose families faced financial difficulties would also buy some braised dry tofu and kelp. The dry tofu and kelp had been braised in the braising sauce used to braise pork, so it was filled with the vor of meat. The price was also cheap, so people bought some of it to sate the children¡¯s cravings.


    Nevertheless, there were still some who wanted to take advantage of the activity and brought their entire family to queue up just to taste all of the dishes. The Yu Family did not discriminate against these people, but instead warmly weed them to taste-test and earnestly listened to their opinions until these people began to feel ashamed themselves. It had to be said that the people of this era were quite simple and adorable.


    At noon, the taste-test event ended. After hearing the people, who had tried the food, sing praises about the food, many of the people, who had heard the news and rushed there from the west and south of the city, regretted not taking the new store seriously when they first heard news about it. Their attitude had now caused them to miss the opportunity to eat free food. Many also went up to enquire if there would be a chance for a free food tasting the next day.


    In a single morning, the people had tasted two roasted chickens, two roasted ducks, two salted ducks, two smoked sausages...and half a braised pig. Yu Caifeng¡¯s heart ached so much that she stomped her feet at her niece¡¯s generosity. Just like this, she had gratuitously given out a few dozen taels!


    Fortunately, more braised dishes were sold todaypared to the dishes they offered for free. Even though the dishes were sold at about the same as the cost of making them, the pigs were reared by themselves, so they had saved up a little on the cost. After a rough calction, they still earned a little profit.


    The second day was the official start of the business. Yu Xiaocao had requested for her brother to write a new flyer overnight using arge and eye-catching font: Grand Opening Promotion! Half-price Sale for Three Days!


    This time, even her little brother did not understand her. Holding a free taste-test event on the first day was a gimmick to attract new customers for the shop. The event was quite sessful, so why did they still need to do a half-price sale for three days? How much profit would they lose in these three days?


    Yu Xiaocao met everyone¡¯s disapproving gaze and exined with a smile, ¡°Our free food tasting event is quite sessful, but the prefectural city is huge, and the people who had tasted our braised dishes were mostly the people nearby. This half-priced eventsting for three days would definitely be able to attract more customers from far and wide. I strongly believe that as long as they¡¯ve tried our dishes, they would be our regrs and supporters!¡±


    Taking a breath, Yu Xiaocao continued, ¡°The poultry in our store are sold in limited numbers and the price isn¡¯t low, so we¡¯ll still be able to make up for the cost. We also use our own pigs for the braised and smoked meat that will sell inrger volumes. Look, we¡¯d let them have a free taste of half a pig today, but we still made profit in the end. Trust me, even if we sold our dishes at half-price, we¡¯d still be able to profit!¡±


    Yu Caifeng, who had been the strongest opposition, sighed in relief after hearing her exnation, ¡°As long as we don¡¯t suffer losses, you can do whatever you wish! Oh, right, should we prepare a feast tomorrow to celebrate the grand opening?¡±


    Liu Hu and Yu Hai turned their gazes to Yu Xiaocao. When it came to running a business, Yu Xiaocao was much more capable than the whole family of simple folk. Just like this, a young twelve year old girl had be the mainstay of the family.


    Yu Xiaocao pondered on it, and then said, ¡°Everyone has been busy preparing for the grand opening these past few days, so let¡¯s book a table at Zhenxiu Restaurant tomorrow afternoon to celebrate the grand opening of The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop!¡±


    Yu Caifeng had already made a habit out of saving, so she immediately had her opposition, ¡°Zhenxiu Restaurant? How much would a table cost ah! We ourselves run a business of food, we have roasted duck, roasted chicken, and even all types of braised and smoked meat, why would we need to spend that money? Moreover, there¡¯s no one else but us, why not just prepare our own feast in the inner courtyard?¡±


    The entire family thought that they might as well eat in the inner courtyard since there was no one else they were acquainted with in the prefectural city, and the grand opening was also just a process in which they lit the firecrackers and removed the red cloth on the que. Not to mention, they already had the ingredients and the cooking was not really troublesome. Seeing that everyone agreed to her oldest aunt¡¯s opinion, Yu Xiaocao did not continue to press the matter.


    At dawn the next day, even before the braised food store had opened its doors, someone had knocked on the courtyard doors. When they opened the door, a grumpy Royal Prince Yang met them. Huffing in annoyance, he lectured Yu Xiaocao as soon as he saw her, ¡°You never told me about such a big event as the grand opening. Am I nothing in your eyes? If I hadn¡¯te to the prefectural city for business and dropped by to have a look, I wouldn¡¯t even know that the grand opening of your family¡¯s store is today!¡±


    With a ttering smile on her face, Yu Xiaocaoughed drily, ¡°I was just afraid that you, the Young Royal Prince, would be busy. If I knew that you were going to visit the prefectural city around this time, I would definitely convince you to agree to unveil the store que! It¡¯s not just the prefectural city, even in the capital city, it would be a great honor to have Young Royal Prince help us unveil the store que. Other people wouldn¡¯t dare to even dream of it!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Unveiling the store que? You wish! You want me to unveil the store que even when you didn¡¯t inform me of the grand opening? Dream on!¡± The young prince¡¯s arrogance bared itself again. He turned his head to one side, but his captivating phoenix eyes secretly kept watch of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s every move. His entire body screamed, ¡®Beg me,e beg this prince!¡¯


    Head Steward Liu held in hisugh, solemnly nodding, ¡°My master has yet to give anyone face and help them to unveil their store¡¯s que. Even for Her Highness the Princess Consort¡¯s own shops, my master had only graced them with his presence before he left...¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, I must be really lucky then¡ªto have the sole honor in the entire Great Ming Dynasty, to invite Royal Prince Yang, the emperor¡¯s most trusted aide, to unveil the que of our store!¡± Yu Xiaocao circled him while she tried to tter him.


    Zhu Junyang acted haughty, ¡°When did this prince agree to unveil your store¡¯s que? Stop dreaming!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Young Royal Prince is still grumpy over the fact that I didn¡¯t inform you of the grand opening! Please be forgiving and don¡¯t lower yourself to my level! After these few days, I will personally make ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯ for you!¡± Seeing that the young prince¡¯s clothes was damp from the morning dew, Yu Xiaocao was touched as she figured that he had relentlessly hurried over once he had gotten the news. After the young prince sat down, she served him a cup of mystic-stone water to relieve fatigue. Then, she massaged his shoulders and his arms like his little attendant.


    Hearing ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯, Zhu Junyang was immediately intrigued and pushed away her hands that massaged him, seemingly to please him, and said solemnly, ¡°Men and women should not be so close to each other, keep your distance! Now tell me, what is ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯? Why haven¡¯t I heard you mention this before?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao inwardly rolled her eyes, ¡®He was indeed a closet foodie. Such a prettydy at his side offering her attention, yet he had only kept his focus on his appetite and ignored her effortspletely. Sigh...Young Royal Prince, you¡¯re so dense that the princess consort must worry herself sick over your marriage...¡¯


    ¡°The fragrance spreads far and wide; upon smelling it, Buddha will stop meditating and jump over the wall. Even Buddha cannot resist the temptation, would it be possible for it to taste bad? However, I¡¯ve never made this dish before, so I¡¯ll have to ponder over it for a while...¡± Would she be able to make ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯ if she followed the recipe that she learned on Baidu [1] in her previous life...


    ¡°Xiaocao, the head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant hase to congratte us!¡± Yu Hai had not expected more people toe with felicitations aside from the royal prince, so he hurried forward to greet him.


    The head manager smiled, ¡°Brother Yu, with the rtionship of our two families, how can you not tell us about your grand opening!¡±


    Yu Hai smiled back, frankly replying, ¡°It¡¯s just a small store. We hadn¡¯t nned to inform anyone at all and just celebrate amongst ourselves...¡±


    The manager replied in disapproval, ¡°Our third young master is in the capital and can¡¯t make it here on time, so I, as his subordinate, will represent him to congratte you. Do forgive him!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Once Yu Xiaocao took care of the young prince, she moved over to address him, smiling, ¡°Uncle Manager, you¡¯re currently the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant, even a lot of nobles in the capital will need to hold you in a higher esteem. It is our braised food store¡¯s honor to wee you! Please,e in. Little Shitou, serve Uncle Manager the good tea we bought a few days back!¡±


    Little Shitouplied, leading the manager to the inner courtyard and serving him good tea and refreshments. A few momentster, Little Shitou¡¯s good friends and roommates, Sun Runze and Liu Jinye also arrived with their fathers to celebrate the grand opening.


    Between the two of them, one of them was the prefectural magistrate¡¯s secretary, while the other was the boss of thergest silk and satin store in the prefectural city, and both held quite a high standing in the prefectural city. Little Shitou hurriedly invited them inside. The two men were surprised to see the head manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡ªit seemed that the Yu Family was quite well regarded by the Zhou Family.


    Following that, the two were even more shocked to see that the prefectural magistrate had lowered his status toe and congratte the Yu Family. The prefectural magistrate only came because he had received news of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s arrival. For the royal prince to hurry over just for the grand opening of Yu Family¡¯s small braised food store, it was enough to see his favoritism towards them. ording to the rumors, the royal prince even went so far as to ask for the Yu Family to be rewarded in court!

 Chapter 357 – Backing

    <h4>Chapter 357 ¨C Backing</h4>


    This residence with the attached shop-front was bought from him by Royal Prince Yang, but the name on the deed was the name of a member of the Yu Family. For the cold-faced royal prince to go to such great lengths to obtain a mere residence, it was enough to see the standing of the Yu Family in the royal prince¡¯s heart. Prefectural Magistrate Ning [1] would naturally not miss the opportunity to make connections with him.


    Yu Hai was astounded that the prefectural magistrate personally came to give them his congrattions, and respectfully led Prefectural Magistrate Ning towards the main hall of the inner courtyard. Prefectural Magistrate Ning sharply noticed Royal Prince Yang sipping tea in the hall and quickly greeted him. Seeing his arrival, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s brow twitched in surprise, but itsted only a split-second before he reverted back to his usual cool expression and faintly nodded towards him.


    Even if he only nodded at him, Prefectural Magistrate Ning felt extremely honored. Royal Prince Yang was exceptionally known in the capital for being cold and distant, and usually acted as if nothing was of his concern. Even when he met his father, Imperial Prince Jing, Zhu Junyang would only spare him so much as a nce.


    If someone angered him, he would definitely not consider if they were rted to him before he acted. When he was 12 years old, he beat the heir of Marquis Dingyuan until he was nearly dead. Marquis Dingyuan was quite influential in court at that time, so he had bemoaned about the incident to the emperor.


    When the emperor asked him why he beat the heir of Marquis Dingyuan up, he dragged, ¡°Ask Zhang Qingfeng himself! If he says he doesn¡¯t know, then I will beat him until he knows the reason!¡± Zhang Qingfeng was the name of the heir of Marquis Dingyuan.


    When the heir of Marquis Dingyuan recovered slightly, Marquis Dingyuan had asked him about how he had offended this devil. The heir of Marquis Dingyuan was afraid of being beaten again, so he honestly confessed that he had tried to scheme against Royal Prince Yang in hopes of causing an ident and disabling him from participating in the martial artspetition that the emperor was hosting...


    At 12 years old, Zhu Junyang had already disyed a great talent in martial arts, besting all the wealthy children of the capital. And all the wealthy children did not dare to fight against him for the championship, because he was tougher on himself than on his opponents, and gave his all once a fight was initiated. It was how he earned the title of ¡®ck-faced devil¡¯ so young!


    Back to the scene, Prefectural Magistrate Ning respectfully sat down below Royal Prince Yang and sipped the tea that Little Shitou had served him. He peered into Royal Prince Yang¡¯s cup and was shocked to find the royal prince drinking in water. He hurried to bring his cup of fragrant tea to Royal Prince Yang, whispering, ¡°This cup of Longjing tea that was plucked before the Qingming Festival [2] is still considered quite mellow, would you like to try some, Your Royal Highness?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the cup of tea, inwardly saying, ¡®How could I not know it¡¯s Longjing tea harvested before the Qingming Festival? The tea leaves were even extorted from me by that littless!¡¯ He did not know why, but the in water he drank when he was in the Yu Family¡¯s residence tasted better than the top quality Da Hong Pao tea [3] in the imperial pce. In the Yu Family¡¯s residence, the only drink he would recognize was in water.


    ¡°I like in water!¡± Since Official Ning was Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s subordinate, out of respect for his father, Zhu Junyang graciously replied to him.


    Although it was just one half-hearted sentence, it was enough to surprise Official Ning. All along, Royal Prince Yang was aloof to even his own father, so it was indeed a great surprise to receive a reply from him! Official Ning took a mental note: Royal Prince Yang liked to drink in water, not tea. Many yearster, Zhu Junyang, who was then already an Imperial Prince, epted Official Ning¡¯s invitation to be a guest at his residence. Official Ning, a second-rank official at that time, served him in water...


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, Prefectural Magistrate Ning, please try these desserts made by thismoner girl. Please be understanding if the reception is bad!¡± If it had been just Royal Prince Yang, Yu Xiaocao would still act casually, but she acted demurely seeing as a seemingly dignified prefectural magistrate was around.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the oddly-shaped biscuits and the cakes that were cut into triangles, then casually picked up a biscuit that he wasn¡¯t sure whether it was circr or oval shaped and popped it in his mouth. Although it was not much to look at, the taste was quite nice. It was fragrant and sweet, with a crunchy texture.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time, right?¡± After swallowing the biscuit and drinking a mouthful of water, Zhu Junyang asked.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and smiled, her dimples apparent, ¡°There¡¯s still about half an hour. Both of you can still rest for a while...¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded and said only a momentter, ¡°Official Ning and I will unveil your shop¡¯s queter...¡±


    Shock shed across Prefectural Magistrate Ning¡¯s face, but it was immediately reced with pleasant surprise. He was about to modestlyment when he was stopped by Royal Prince Yang¡¯s re. Internally, Prefectural Magistrate Ningmented, ¡®The experiences of Royal Prince Yang for the past two years have made his gaze sharper than even that of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s gaze. No one can refute him now.¡¯


    When a problem urred, rather than finding the high authorities, it was better to look for the person in charge instead. Yu Xiaocao understood this reasoning, and understood that Royal Prince Yang involved Prefectural Magistrate Ning in this because he wanted to find a backing for Yuji Braised Food Store. Yu Xiaocao was confident that the braised food store¡¯s business would definitely be sessful, but if the Yu Family did not have backing in the prefectural city, a sessful business could still mean trouble. If the prefectural magistrate were to personally unveil the que of their store, then those with ulterior motives would have to think twice before they strike.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Royal Prince Yang, her gaze filled with gratitude, ¡°To have the prefectural magistrate unveil our shop¡¯s que would be our absolute honor. Would it be convenient for you, Prefectural Magistrate Ning?¡±


    Since Royal Prince Yang had already agreed to help them unveil the que, even if Prefectural Magistrate Ning did not want to, he would still have to agree. Prefectural Magistrate Ning hurriedly replied, ¡°Of course! It¡¯s my pleasure to help, you don¡¯t need to mention it!¡±


    Once the firecrackers were lit, Royal Prince Yang and Prefectural Magistrate Ning appeared at the doorstep. Although the people who had surrounded the shop did not recognize the royal prince, there were only a few in the prefectural city that did not recognize the prefectural magistrate. They watched as the prefectural magistrate personally removed the red cloth on the store¡¯s que, revealing the golden words, ¡®The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop¡¯. After a moment of silence, the crowd erupted into apuse.


    Among the crowd, whispers arose¡ª¡ª


    ¡°Who¡¯s behind The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop? They even managed to invite the prefectural magistrate to help them unveil the store¡¯s que.¡±


    ¡°I heard that this shop used to sell satin and was originally owned by the prefectural magistrate, but then it suddenly closed up shop in spring. Half a yearter, they started renovations and then this braised food store was born. Could it be that the satin business was making losses so the prefectural magistrate turned it into a braised food store?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I heard the neighbor say that this residence with the shop attached was sold at the beginning of spring. The location of the shophouse is good, so even if the satin wasn¡¯t bringing in money, he could still earn a lot every month if he closed the business and rented it out...¡±


    ¡°Perhaps an official of higher rank than the prefectural magistrate had set their eyes on this shophouse and bought it? Look at the man unveiling the que with the prefectural magistrate. His aura is so different, so he mustn¡¯t be of a normal standing. Also, the prefectural magistrate is so courteous with him; could it be that he is the true owner of this store?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of the reason, this store now has the backing of the prefectural magistrate and this unknown noble. No wonder that littless did not cower even though Cripple Wang¡¯s wife made a ruckus here yesterday and even said to have the prefectural magistrate be the judge of things...¡±


    ......


    Even as the crowd spected, everyone was certain that this store had the prefectural magistrate¡¯s backing and was not something any ordinary person could get their hands on. In the prefectural city, those who were interested in the Yu Family¡¯s braised recipes secretly snuffed the idea.


    Following this, a few officials in the prefectural city who were not associated with the Yu Family also came to the scene to congratte them. When noon came, it was impossible to simply pass off the celebration in the inner courtyard with the prefectural magistrate and all the other officials around. As for Royal Prince Yang, although he was of high status, the Yu Household did not take him as a stranger. Even when they were back in their old and simple residence in Dongshan Vige, he had never failed to show up during mealtimes.


    In the end, lunch was held in Zhenxiu Restaurant. Yu Xiaocao ordered a whole table full of appetizing dishes, which also included a few dishes that were sold at limited quantities every day. Secretly, the prefectural magistrate and the other officials that came to congratte them were shocked. Although Zhenxiu Restaurant was a new restaurant that only opened up shop this spring, the degree of the business¡¯s sess was well-known throughout the entire city. They would have to book in advance and wait for a whole month before they could dine in a private room like this!


    What kind of background did the Yu Family have in order for them to be able to obtain a private room at any time, moreover, be able to order the limited dishes? So many prestigious and wealthy families in the capital city did not have this privilege in the capital¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant, not to mention the prefectural magistrate. Even if you were royalty, you would still have to wait in line to be able to dine in the famous Zhenxiu Restaurant!


    The meal passed happily for both hosts and guests even though everyone had their uncertainties. The officials became especially enthusiastic and eager after they found out that the person sitting at the main seat was actually the Royal Prince Yang, who had been quite an influential person in court for the past two years. Later on, even the slightly nervous Yu Hai, who had been conversing with them, was put at the back of their minds.


    The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop made an excellent impact on the prefectural city on its first day of business and got itself a strong backing at the same time. Even when it¡¯s business boomed until it nearly caught up to Zhenxiu Restaurantter on, no one dared to make amotion. Are you kidding? Who in the prefectural city did not know that the prefectural magistrate was backing The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop? Besides, the shophouse was diagonally opposite of the prefectural yamen. Making amotion? Did you think you¡¯ve lived for too long?


    All of the dishes were half-priced for the first three days of business! The people who had participated in the taste-test event yesterday had be the living advertisements of the braised food store: the braised food store¡¯s meat was so fragrant, the braised food store¡¯s vegetarian dishes tasted better than the meat, the braised food store also had roasted poultry like Zhenxiu Restaurant, the braised food store...


    Additionally, Yu Xiaocao had set up a metal stove at the entrance and stewed braised pig¡¯s head meat and internal organs...The fragrance of the meat wafted into the air of the entire street. Almost every passer-by stopped to find the source of the smell.


    Their business boomed in these first three days. Yu Xiaocao and her oldest aunt were so busy that they had to recruit the help of Liu Junping and Liu Yaner. Liu Hu and Yu Hai were in charge of the delivery of the raw ingredients and had to travel back and forth between Dongshan Vige and the prefectural city every day.


    Even with the dishes at half-price, their turnover from the first day was more than three hundred taels. If they removed the operating costs, the profit would be around more than a hundred taels. On the second and third day, their turnover kept increasing, until they had a profit of around five hundred to six hundred taels. It had reached the point where even ughtering two pigs a day could not suffice the demand.


    The dishes that sold the quickest were still the cheaper dishes such as the pig¡¯s head meat and internal organs, along with the vegetarian dishes of braised dry tofu, kelp and tofu skin. They had to make several pots of those in a day to make up for the demand, and the pots they used were not the small ones used for ordinary cooking, but rather the big ones that could cater for the meal of one or two dozen people.

 Chapter 358 – Eight-year-old County Official

    <h4>Chapter 358 ¨C Eight-year-old County Official</h4>


    On the fourth day of the store¡¯s opening, the braised food store¡¯s dishes were restored to their original prices. After these few days of free taste-testing and half-price promotions, The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop had sessfully established its reputation in the city.


    The fragrance of roasted chicken had seeped into the bones, and the smoked chicken had charred skin with a crunchy texture and tender meat. The roasted duck was delicious yet not greasy, while the white-skinned salted duck was tender and delectable. The appetizing smoked sausages also held its own unique vor. There were also all types of braised meat that burst with vor...and among them, the braised pig¡¯s head meat that was the most popr dish of all.


    The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop offered a variety of vorsome dishes. If Zhenxiu Restaurant was the food heaven for the wealthy, then The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop would be the affordable equivalent. The middle-ss families in the prefectural city would head over to the braised food store once in a few days to take away a braised meat dish to satisfy their own cravings. When they had guests around, or if it was during festivities, even the poorer folk would grit their teeth and buy a braised dish home for appearance¡¯s sake. The more prestigious families of the prefectural city would also send their manservants to queue up for the store¡¯s limited dishes.


    ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯ roasted duck, roasted chicken and salted duck were cheaper, and definitely did not lose to Zhenxiu Restaurant in terms of taste and vor. The store¡¯s smoked poultry, rabbit and the likes were unique in vor, and could not be found in even Zhenxiu Restaurant. Unfortunately, these dishes were sold in limited quantities¡ªonly ten of each daily. Moreover, it was based on a firste, first served basis; no reservation allowed.


    Those self-proimed wealthy foodies naturally would not miss these delicacies, so they sent their servants to queue since the middle of the night. They were determined to get their hands on a dish to sate their cravings. There was no shortage of wealthy people in even the small Tanggu Town, not to mention such a big ce as the prefectural city.


    As the prefectural city was notcking in wealthy people but there was a limited number of dishes, the demand was naturally higher than the supply. This situation caused people to line up in front of the store earlier and earlier, until eventually there were those that brought their nkets and camped in front of ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯ closed doors just as soon as the sky turned dark. These people became a sight to see in front of the shop¡¯s doors, and they never stoppeding even on rainy and snowy days.


    Once they had a chance to taste The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store¡¯s braised dishes, those wealthy children, who thought that eating pork was undignified, would also secretly send a lesser-known servant to queue up in front of ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯ doors to buy some of the limited quantity dishes along with some braised dishes like braised meat, pig¡¯s trotters and pig¡¯s head. Then they would enjoy them in secret.


    The sales of the Yu Family¡¯s braised meat were so good that simply a pig a day would not suffice the demand. Between the period of time before and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, they ughtered two pigs a day, but their braised meat would still be sold out even before the evening arrived. The Yu Family¡¯s pig farm housed more than a hundred pigs, but they would probably run out of pigs around New Year¡¯s. As such, Liu Hu and his son traveled to disaster-stricken viges and towns to buy and secure live pigs. They offered a reasonable price and gave hope of a long-term partnership, so many people were willing to sell their pigs to them.


    The weather slowly turned colder. Time passed unknowingly for the busy Yu Family until it was suddenly the day of the announcement of the results for the college examination. After finishing his examination, Little Shitou had rushed back in time to help his family out during the braised food store¡¯s grand opening, but once the business had stabilized, Xiaocao had rushed him back to the academy to continue his studies. Bing a county official was not Little Shitou¡¯s ultimate goal¡ªit was to disy his talent at the metropolitan and pce examinations!


    Once the results of the college examination was announced, there would be specialized people acting as the informant who would travel to each vige and town to spread the news. After tha, the local county yamen would then carry the good news to the associated families. For this college examination, there were a total of 13 county officials in Tanggu Town. Among them, two were from Dongshan Vige¡ªQian Wen and Yu Fan! As for Xiaocao¡¯s younger uncle, he still did not be county official as Madam Zhang had wished because he had been eliminated from the college examination at its second stage.


    Only Yu Xiaocao¡¯s oldest aunt¡¯s family was left to care for the braised food store during the time before and after the announcement of the results, as Yu Hai and Xiaocao had returned to Dongshan Vige to await the news. The prefectural magistrate had already sent a person to hint to them about Little Shitou¡¯s results beforehand, but on the day of the announcement, the whole family still eagerly waited for the results.


    The person who came to share the news was the head bailiff of the county yamen. Usually, a task like this would be handled by a normal bailiff, but among the examinees, there was a person from the Yu Family. Who were the Yu Family? They were one of the few in Tanggu Town that could speak directly to Royal Prince Yang, the master of the town. So even if they were of lowly birth, the county magistrate would still have to be courteous with them.


    Aside from the fact that he was extremely capable, the reason Head Bailiff Yue could still maintain his position even after County Magistrate Wu had left was mainly because he was a meticulous person. He eagerly volunteered to ry the news to Dongshan Vige. When he arrived at the vige, a crowd of children immediately surrounded him, asking about the results.


    Once they knew that Yu Family¡¯s eight-year-old son Little Shitou was a county official, the crowd of children ran towards the Yu Family¡¯s residence in order to be the first person to ry the good news.


    The Yu Family had grown in poprity in these past few years. They started a piggery this year, and no one knew what they fed their pigs, but their piglets grew exceedingly fast and were already ready for ughter after just merely half a year. There were also rumors going on about how the Yu Family¡¯s braised food store was booming with business in the prefectural city. How they would ughter five or six pigs every other day to be transported over. Just by this, it was not hard to imagine how sessful the sales were. Liu Shuanzhu and his family also earned a lot from the Yu Family¡¯s business as they no longer had to worry about not being able to sell their chickens. They were also offered a price that was no less than that of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s offer.


    The Yu Family members were not cheapskates, so naturally, they would not be stingy with the people who ryed the good news.


    A fellow viger, Li Yangfan¡¯s son, Li Xiaogui ran breathlessly into Yu Family¡¯s courtyard and, without waiting for his panting to subside, shouted to the eagerly awaiting Yu Household, ¡°Uncle Dahai, Little Shitou made it! Little Shitou is a county official!¡±


    As soon as Old Yu heard the news, he burst into tears. ¡®Thank the ancestors for their protection! A descendant of Yu Family has finally yielded good results! Shitou¡¯s nominal age is only nine years old but he¡¯s studying in the most reputable academy in town and has already be a county official¡ªhis bright future most definitely won¡¯t stop here! After so many generations of farmers, we finally have a schr in our family!¡¯


    Madam Liu and Xiaolian embraced each other tightly, crying tears of joy. They were so grateful that they had divided the family back then, or else with Madam Zhang¡¯s stinginess, she would definitely not be willing to pay for Little Shitou¡¯s education. How would Little Shitou be able to be a county official, then?


    Yu Hai was so ted he had no words, and could onlyugh foolishly. It took only a while before the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard was filled with fellow vigers who came to congratte them. After he calmed down from his excitement, Yu Hang took out sunflower seeds, peanuts and candy to serve their guests.


    Yu Xiaocao took out a small pouch containing several pieces of silver which were worth one tael each, and ced the pouch in Li Xiaogui¡¯s hands as a thanks for rying the news. When he left the Yu Family¡¯s residence, those children who were a little slower than him scrutinized the light pouch and jealously asked him to reveal the content of the pouch so they would know just how much the Yu Family had rewarded him. In their opinion, such a small pouch could barely hold a few copper coins¡ªwas it worth the effort to fight for such a measly amount?


    But the children lost theirposure once they witnessed Li Xiaogui pour out shining silver pieces that looked like peanuts from the pouch. Silver! Yu Family¡¯s reward for rying the good news was actually silver! A tael of silver was equivalent to a thousand copper coins ah! The children could only hate their parents for giving them a pair of short legs, which allowed Li Xiaogui to overtake them! For a moment, they were overwhelmed with envy.


    At this time, Head Bailiff Yue got down from his horse in front of the Yu Residence. Yu Hai, who had already regained hisposure, greeted him and invited him inside for tea. Head Bailiff Yue onlyughed, ¡°I will be forward and call you Brother Dahai! Brother Dahai, I¡¯vee to congratte you. You¡¯ve got a good son there, bing a county official at such a young age¡ªwith high distinction, too! He¡¯s be our Tanggu Town¡¯s youngest granary student!¡±


    Granary students were the top scorers of the college examination, and even in the whole of the prefectural city, there were only about thirty of them. Once one became a granary student, they could receive six pecks of rice monthly and four taels annually from the government. For a poor family, the help given to granary students could easily ensure that the entire family would not have to suffer from famine.


    Although this measly sustenance was not much to the Yu Household, but the title of ¡®granary student¡¯ was regarded as an honor to the entire family¡ªsomething they could take pride in.


    Whenever the Yu Family sent away one crowd of congrattors, they quickly weed another, and they did not stoping even after dark. At noon, the Yu Family had prepared a grand meal for Head Bailiff Yue, and then they proceeded to stuff a fat pouch filled with ten taels in his hands. Head Bailiff Yue¡¯s original intentions was only to forge good connections with the Yu Family, but this errand had unexpectedly earned him a small fortune, too.


    The neighboring Qian Residence was also bustling with life. Two county officials in one vige¡ªthis was a situation never before seen in Dongshan Vige. Thest time someone came to ry the good news was eighteen years ago, when the vige head¡¯s youngest son became a county official. It was also the first time in history that a person from Dongshan Vige became a county official. Back then, it was considered good enough if the vigers did not die of starvation. How could they afford the extra expenses for their children¡¯s education? Now, they actually had two county officials in the vige! All of Dongshan Vige felt so proud they could boast about it for a long time toe.


    Some families were happy, while others were not. While Old Yu wasughing jubntly among his old friends, Madam Zhang was dismal and depressed.


    Madam Zhao, however, was not disheartened. Her father had to sit through the examinations time and time again until he finally managed to be county official when he was nearly forty years old. Last year was a year of disasters, which had led to the academy her husband was attending letting them off for quite a long while. Thus, the dy of his sess waspletely understandable, considering that their family was also not of an educated background. Since he did not be a county official this year, all he would have to do was try again two yearster! Madam Zhao gently consoled the dispirited Yu Bo until he picked himself up and continued to study hard.


    Madam Zhang felt extremely gloomy. Her son had been studying for more than a decade, and yet he still could notpare to Little Shitou, who had only attended a little more than two years of lessons. This had caused her fixation to waver. Back then, the fortune-teller had said that someone of the Yu Family would eventually be a high-ranking official, and since among all of Yu Family, only her son was studying at that time, she naturally thought that he would be the high-ranking official that was mentioned. Now that she looked back on it, perhaps it was not as she thought!


    Discontentment filled Madam Zhang¡¯s heart. She witnessed the hard work her son had poured into his studies, especially the past six months, when the light in his room was barely snuffed. He had pulled all-nighters until he became thin, and he nearly copsed in the examination courtyard.


    And what was that brat Little Shitou doing? Every time he returned home from the academy, he would follow Xiaocao, that wretch, and run around in the wild and the hills. They would catch some fish and trap rabbits, never settling down for even a moment. God was not fair, why was it him who had be a county official instead of her son? Was it possible that since the two of them were of the same surname, that the examiner had confused the two of them? Or...that little brat was blocking her son¡¯s fate of bing an official?

 Chapter 359 – Evil will be Rewarded with Evil

    <h4>Chapter 359 ¨C Evil will be Rewarded with Evil</h4>


    ¡®Yes, it must be! Her son had been doing just fine before that little brat Shitou was sent to the academy. Yu Hai¡¯s whole family is conniving, they must have done something to transfer her son¡¯s fate to Little Shitou. They must have!¡¯


    If that little brat did not exist, the person who would have been epted into Rongxuan Academy and given special treatment by the principal of the academy would definitely have been her son! The person who became a county official and had gotten the government grain allowance would also be her son!


    The more Madam Zhang thought about it, the more fixated she became. The next day, she went to create a fuss in front of the old residence of the Yu Family, saying things like how Yu Hai was evil and used ck magic to switch the fate of his son. She also imed that everything Yu Hai¡¯s family owned should have belonged to her, and Little Shitou¡¯s county official title was also supposed to be Yu Bo¡¯s. She cried as well, threatening to hang herself in front of the old residence in an effort to force Yu Hai to switch the two families¡¯ fortune back.


    The vigers of Dongshan Vige surrounded her and watched her like a circus show. No one stopped her even as she pretended to take off her belt and acted as if she wanted to hang herself in front of the Yu Residence doors. Old Yu was so mad he trembled, shouting loud and clear while he pointed at her, ¡°You say Dahai had altered Xiaobo¡¯s fortune? Bah! If fate and fortune was so easily exchanged, why don¡¯t you find someone to alter your fate into that of a noble-titleddy? You¡¯re just jealous that Dahai¡¯s living a good life, aren¡¯t you? Do you regret your actions now? And what have you done previously? You should¡¯ve known this day woulde when you hid away those 300 taels and chased them away without giving them a single copper! And you dare say that it¡¯s the fault of the examiner that Shitou became a county official instead of Xiaobo! Your words will ruin the child¡¯s future! If this matter was spread, the authorities will have you arrested and charged with crime!¡±


    Madam Zhang now sobbed sorrowfully. It had been getting harder and harder to pass every day for the past two years, so she had counted on her son to be a county official so she could finally walk with her head held high again. Who would have known that Yu Bo did not end up passing the examination and Little Shitou, who she had not thought highly of, would be a county official instead? The greater her expectations, the greater her disappointment; she felt as though her heart had been emptied. Unable to find any excuse or reason to vent on, the pent up frustration in her threatened to explode!


    ¡°Old man! Xiaobo is also your son. The blood of the Yu Family also flows within him! You can¡¯tpletely side with Yu Hai; you need to think about your youngest son too! If they hadn¡¯t switched out Xiaobo¡¯s fortune, how could that little kit, who barely knows his words, manage to be a county official after only a few years of studying instead of Xiaobo, who had studied for many years? If it were that easy, wouldn¡¯t everyone be a county official?¡± Madam Zhang held on to this absurd excuse as she continued to cry.


    The people of this era were still quite superstitious and believed in fengshui, fate and fortune, so once they heard her reasoning, a few of those easily-muddled people in the crowd started to believe in her words and their gaze was filled with skepticism as they looked upon Yu Hai¡¯s family. Some of them even thought, ¡®What if the reason the Yu Family was earning a lot of money through this and that for the past two years was also because they had stolen some of their own fortune...¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao walked out from the courtyard, coldly speaking, ¡°If it were truly like what you said, then wouldn¡¯t it mean the good fortune of all those 80 year old candidates who qualified to take the county-level examinations had been stolen by all the sessful young schrs? You¡¯re implying that Headmaster Yuan¡¯s son, a 20 year old top schr, also stole someone else¡¯s good fortune? No matter how beautiful you carve a piece of elm wood, at the end of the day, it is still elm wood, and cannot be high-quality jade! This should bemon sense!¡±


    ¡°Who are youparing to elm wood? Is there anyone who speaks of their younger uncle like you? Such a rude and disrespectful brat, we¡¯ll see who will want to marry you!¡± Madam Zhang was akin to a lit firecracker and was so loud she didn¡¯t sound human anymore.


    When Madam Liu heard someone curse her daughter for not being able to get married in the future, she lost her temper, ¡°How is my daughter rude? What did she say wrong? It¡¯s stealing your good fortune if our Shitou excels in the examinations, but well-deserved if he doesn¡¯t? What kind of logic is that? Even the headmaster of Rongxuan Academy could see his talent and epted him as his true disciple. It¡¯d be weird if Shitou didn¡¯t excel, considering all thete-night study sessions that the principal gives him every day! Stop spouting nonsense and go home! Your son and daughter still want their dignity even if you don¡¯t!¡±


    Seeing that the usually meek Madam Liu had even dared to shout at her, Madam Zhang dropped to the ground on her butt, wailing, ¡°Heavens! Why do you turn a blind eye? Why do you not strike this unfilial thing? No matter what, I still brought up Yu Hai and let him marry his wife. Not only does he not remember my efforts in bringing him up, but he also egged his wife on to criticize me...How am I supposed to live? All of you should be struck by lightning!¡±


    ¡°If the heavens weren¡¯t blind and were going to strike someone, it would still first strike those people who¡¯vemitted heinous crimes. The kind of person that plotted the murder of her own husband and was charged with murder!¡± Yu Xiaocao paid no heed to Madam Liu, who had tried to stop her, and stepped forward again. She did not care about her good name, since she had never nned to marry anyone in the first ce.


    When the time came, she would not obstruct both of her brothers¡¯ future. She would withdraw herself from the family and start her own household with only herself. Besides, she had her limbs and she had the skill, so she was not afraid of not being able to feed herself. At that time, she would adopt a few children, then leave all her assets to the ones who were filial to her and took care of her at an old age. It was definitely better than marrying a man who had different opinions and could not cross the gap between their different eras.


    Every single soul in Dongshan Vige knew of Madam Zhang¡¯s attempt at murdering her own husband. Old Yu almost died in the hands of this woman, and, if Yu Hai had arrived two dayster than he did, Old Yu would only be a skeleton lying in his grave now. But a murder charge? What were they talking about? Had Madam Zhang also harmed someone else¡¯s life? Although the vigers of Dongshan Vige were sometimes a bit selfish and mean, they were generally not immoral or odious people, so when they heard the words ¡®murder charges¡¯, their expressions changed drastically.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Only now did she remember that Yu Hai still had leverage against her. If they were to expose her misdeeds from that time, she would also not be able to stay in Dongshan Vige anymore even if the yamen did note for her. Her eyes darted around, seemingly trying to find an excuse to free herself from this predicament, when all of a sudden, lightning shot down from the clear sky. Madam Zhang could only feel a numbing pain across her entire body before she fell unconscious and dropped to the ground.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! The heavens are angry and struck her with lightning!¡± Someone in the crowd eximed.


    Madam Zhang¡¯s face was burnt ck, while her hair looked like it had exploded and now resembled a porcupine! She copsed on the ground, with white smoke faintly escaping through her open mouth. Her eyes had rolled into her head, and her limbs were still convulsing. It was a terrifying sight to witness. The vigers that surrounded her earlier now pushed each other, backing away from her. They were afraid that they might be implicated by her and mistakenly struck by lightning.


    ¡°The heavens only strike the evil. It would seem that Madam Zhang had many misdeeds! She must¡¯ve been lying too when she said that Yu Hai stole her good fortune. Even the heavens couldn¡¯t stand it! She¡¯s too evil!¡±


    ¡°When Xiaocao said ¡®plotted the murder of her own husband and charged with murder¡¯, could it be that she meant Madam Zhang? Oh my goodness, I originally thought that this Madam Zhang was only a little mean and unkind, but I never thought that she would turn out to be this evil!¡±


    ¡°Madam Zhang had murdered someone? Who? It couldn¡¯t be one of our vigers, could it? We should keep away from her in the future, or else who knows when we¡¯ll be harmed by her.¡±


    ¡°I remember now. At that time, I was close with Yu Hai¡¯s mother and often visited her when she was sick. At first, she was already on her way to recovery and the physician said she only needed a few more doses of medicine, but when Madam Zhang arrived, her illness immediately took a turn for worse, and she died not long after...Say, could this be Madam Zhang¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Could it really be? Wasn¡¯t Yu Hai¡¯s mother Madam Zhang¡¯s older cousin? She took her in when she had no one to turn to, so Madam Zhang wouldn¡¯t be so ungrateful as to turn against her, right? What was she after?¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk! What else could she be after? At that time, Old Yu was still standing tall and looked quite simr to Dahai. Moreover, he was good at catching fish. She was a widow with a child to take care of, andter she became Yu Hai¡¯s stepmother...What do you think she was after?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s like this, then Madam Zhang is not only evil, but she¡¯s also an ungrateful wretch. Killing her cousin so she could rece her! Does she have no dignity? Would she have died without a man ah?!¡± ......


    Madam Zhang was originally only unconscious for a short while, but when she heard the crowd¡¯s spections, she was so scared she had not dared to move and yed dead on the ground. It was only when Yu Bo received news that he and Yu Dashan both carried the ¡®unconscious¡¯ Madam Zhang back. Otherwise, if she continued to lie on the cold,te-autumn ground, she might actually die from the exposure.


    Despite their efforts, Madam Zhang still suffered from a high fever that same night, and even after they hired a physician and fed her the prescribed medicine for a few days, she still did not fully recuperate from the illness. Rumors spread within the vige that it was Yu Hai¡¯s mother taking revenge on Madam Zhang. Others said that because she hadmitted so many evil deeds, her youngest son had to suffer the punishment.That was the reason why he could not pass the college examination.


    Yu Bo could not stand that the vigers pointed and talked about him whenever he went out, so he disregarded the still-recuperating Madam Zhang, picked up his bags, and left for the academy in the prefectural city. He would study hard and get good results in two years to wash away the shame of today!


    A few more days passed, and Royal Prince Yang returned from the capital. When he heard that Little Shitou had managed to be a county official, he suggested celebrating the sess of the little fellow in Zhenxiu Restaurant, while also insinuating to Yu Xiaocao to fulfill her ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯ promise.


    It waste fall. The business in the prefectural city was going smoothly, and the winter wheat ntation in the farmstead was growing healthily, so Xiaocao was finally free for a few days. For the past few days, Zhu Junyang kept mentioning ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯. Furthermore, Tanggu Town was near the sea, which made the ingredients easier to acquire, so Yu Xiaocao began her attempt at creating thisplicated dish.


    Of course, the expensive ingredients required to make ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯ like shark¡¯s fin, abalone, sea cucumber and shark¡¯s skin would be provided by Royal Prince Yang. Prince Jing¡¯s Residence was notcking in these ingredients, as their storehouse kept quite a lot of even just the top-notch delicacies that were rewarded from the imperial pce.


    ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯ consisted of eighteen ingredients: sea cucumber, abalone, shark¡¯s fin, scallops, shark¡¯s lips (shark¡¯s skin), fish maw, razor ms, ham, pork belly,mb knuckle, pig trotters, pig tendons, chicken and duck breast and gizzard, shiitake mushrooms, and winter bamboo shoots.


    The process of creating the dish was also extremelyplicated. The eighteen ingredients must first be made into their own unique dishes through different methods, thenyered dish by dish into arge ceramic pot. Following that, a suitable volume of soup and Shaoxing wine must be poured in and mixed until the soup, wine and dishesbined together. The opening of the ceramic pot must then be covered and sealed tightly with lotus leaves and put over a fire to heat.


    The fuel for the fire was also specific. Only the white coal, which was fine and did not produce any smoke, would do. The ceramic pot must first be put over arge and zing me to boil, before simmering on a small and warm fire for 5 to 6 hours. Only then would the dish be sessfully created.

 Chapter 360 – Buddha Smells the Food and Jumps Over the Wall

    <h4>Chapter 360 ¨C Buddha Smells the Food and Jumps Over the Wall</h4>


    The process of making Buddha jumps over the wall was veryplicated and Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any experience in her previous life in making it. She only knew the concept. After preparing ten sets of raw ingredients for the dish, Yu Xiaocao continually experimented with her cooking methods to find the correct way. The first few times, either the ratio of the ingredients were off or the ratio of the seasonings were off. Thus, the taste of the final dish was not as good as she would have liked.


    However, even the failed attempts at Buddha jumps over the wall were delicious as it used top-notch delicacies. Yu Xiaocao was talented in cooking and her food was addictive. Thus, to the Yu Family members, the products of her failed attempts were still incredibly tasty. Therefore, before the day of the celebration that Royal Prince Yang had prepared for Little Shitou had arrived, the Yu Family¡¯s old residence constantly had tantalizing smells wafting out of its walls. The fragrance of her cooking caused their two neighbors, the Qians and the Zhous, to drool constantly. Qian Wu, the little youngster, couldn¡¯t stop himself from going over to the Yu Family¡¯s gate to take a look. He really wanted to see what sort of delicious dish Xiaocao was making.


    With each attempt, Yu Xiaocao wrote down what she learned in a small notebook using charcoal. The notes described what had gone wrong with the cooking process and proposed solutions to fix it. If she also discovered the most optimal way to cook an ingredient, it was also recorded down into her notebook...


    Many attempts had passed and she finally failed eight attempts. On her ninth attempt, she finally hit the perfect ratios and cooking methods for all of the ingredients. The scent of the food wafted around the residence in a diameter of five kilometers, causing everyone who inhaled the fragrance to be intoxicated by the ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯ dish.


    Every time Yu Xiaocao attempted to make Buddha jumps over the wall, Zhu Junyang was always there to taste it and give his opinions. He actually proposed quite a few useful opinions and propositions. After all, a true foodie¡¯s mouth could taste all of the details. However, he managed to eat quite a lot of the attempts that were even deemed failures. Even the failed attempts were incredibly delicious that other dishes couldn¡¯t even hope topare.


    When this ceramic pot of Buddha jumps over the wall was just finished, the smell that came out was incredible and could not bepared to the previous attempts. Even Royal Prince Yang, who constantly boasted that there were no delicacies in the world that he hadn¡¯t tried, was also spellbound by the food¡¯s fragrance. In fact, he almost lost his senses in the euphoric sensation of the smell.


    When the ceramic pot was opened, the whole courtyard was bathed in its aroma. Zhu Junyang praised the food unceasingly after taking a bite and couldn¡¯t think of any criticisms. Sure enough, Xiaocao hadn¡¯t been boasting when she said, ¡°When the lid opens and the scent of food permeates the air, Buddha smells the food and jumps over the wall!¡± Basically, even Buddha himself couldn¡¯t help but vite his religious precepts to take a few bites when faced with the sweet smell of this dish.


    The Yu Family members could only smell the first sessful batch that was made and didn¡¯t even get to taste one bite. Royal Prince Yang, who had an icy exterior but an inner core that was very filial to his family, had taken that ceramic pot of Buddha jumps over the wall after wrapping it in some cloth and brought it to the mountain residence where his mother lived. There, he and his mother were able to enjoy the dish together.


    When the construction on the residence finished, Princess Consort Jing had moved in. After her second day there, she invited Yu Xiaocao over to have some fun. With Royal Prince Yang as her escort, Xiaocao ¡®looked around¡¯ at every nook and cranny of the mountain residence. She pointed out the small well that was in the main courtyard¡¯s little kitchen and said that it contained water from a top-notch mountain spring. She imed that using the water from this well for all of the Princess Consort¡¯s food and tea would help her body. In actuality, she had the little divine stone help her to transform the well water into mystic-stone water.


    At first, Senior Servant Su, who had served Princess Consort Jing for a long time, only half-believed Xiaocao¡¯s words. Under the persistence of Princess Consort Jing and the royal prince, Her Royal Highness only ate food and drank tea that was prepared with the water from that well. Only a few days passed, yet her royal highness¡¯s health began to take a turn for the better and her appetite improved a lot. Her skin became more tender and she had a healthy flush on her cheeks. In fact, she even looked a lot more youthfulpared to before. Senior Servant Su, who was a loyal servant, repeatedly said that Dongshan Vige¡¯s environment was good for healing people!


    After spending half a year in the mountain residence, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s body recovered to the point where she was able to wear a hiking costume and go outside. With a few maidservants and senior servants apanying her, she hiked the mountain, went hunting, or even went to gather some wild fruits herself. She had Yu Xiaocao use those wild fruits to ferment some wine. Her days were full of rich activities to do. Even Imperial Prince Jing, who came over on his breaks, was disregarded by her as she was too busy. It made him quite sulky.


    When Yu Xiaocao had free time, she would, from time to time, cook some light dishes for the princess consort and send them to the mountain residence. Princess Consort Jing onceughingly said that the homestyle food that she made was even better than the food that the best chefs in the prince¡¯s residence made.


    At first, the self-important chefs in the residence were quite offended by this and thought that the princess consort had merely gotten tired of eating sumptuous food, so she believed that homestyle food tasted better. However, after they tried the food Yu Xiaocao made, they realized how wrong they were. These simple ingredients could be crafted into incredibly delicious dishes. Was this the legendary ¡®returning to one¡¯s true self¡¯ cooking method? They had never thought that the cuisine that they pursued for over half their life could be produced by a ten to eleven year old girl!


    The head chef at the residence along with the imperial chefs that were bestowed onto the estate all put away their arrogance and self-importance to ask Yu Xiaocao for her advice. Xiaocao didn¡¯t have anything to hide and also didn¡¯t have any lectures to pontificate. Instead, when she cooked, she allowed two of the famous chefs to observe her.


    The famous chefs at the residence both felt grateful. All head chefs had their secrets that they wouldn¡¯t disseminate to others. By being so magnanimous, the two of them esteemed and respected Yu Xiaocao even more. From their observations, the two of them both had their own takeaways. After being inspired by what they saw, both of them managed to make breakthroughs in their own cooking.


    When Royal Prince Yang brought back the Buddha jumps over the wall, it was already time to eat dinner. The two chefs had both made their specialties and were waiting for the two masters to try them. Royal Prince Yang was picky and was always able to find some aspect of the food that wascking. Thus, whenever the masters were eating, the two chefs stayed at the side to hear the royal prince¡¯s opinions or the princess consort¡¯s requests.


    ¡°Yang¡¯er, what sort of treasure are you holding onto today?¡± Princess Consort Jing looked at the table full of light dishes and couldn¡¯t bring up her appetite. What had thatss Xiaocao been up totely? It had been a long time since the little girl came over to spend time with her. Princess Consort Jing felt that her body was pretty much as healthy as a normal person¡¯s and wanted to rx her dietary restrictions. She really wanted to eat roasted chicken, roasted duck, and smoked sausages...


    Suddenly, Princess Consort Jing sat up straight in her chair as her nostrils gently red. Her eyes lit up, and she stared fixedly at the ceramic pot that her son had just unwrapped. The ceramic pot looked like nothing special but there was a tantalizing fragranceing out of it.


    Unconsciously, a brilliant smile blossomed onto Princess Consort Jing¡¯s face as she quietly said, ¡°Yang¡¯er, what did thatss, Xiaocao,e up with now? It smells like meat. Can I try some? I just want to try one bite!¡±


    When Zhu Junyang saw how hisdy mother was acting like a child, he almost wanted tough while simultaneously feeling sorry for her. Her face was full of anticipation as she kept her eyes on the pot containing Buddha jumps over the wall.


    His lord father had previously told him that when hisdy mother¡¯s health was better, she was also a true foodie. She could be arguing passionately with Prince Jing and vow that she wasn¡¯t going to speak to him for the rest of her life. Then, secondster, when Prince Jing took out some pastries from the Imperial Pce, she would change her tune and run over like a little dog who had smelled the scent of meat. Her metaphorical tail would be wagging too!


    Unfortunately,ter on, hisdy mother was injured while birthing him. Furthermore, during her recovery, there was someone who interfered with her healing. It was only after she encountered Yu Xiaocao that her body slowly recovered. For the longest time, hisdy mother ate more medicine than she did food. She was also someone who loved eating meat yet she was restricted to eating light and non-greasy foods due to her health.


    ¡°Yang¡¯er! My body haspletely recovered. Even the imperial physicians say that eating a few pieces of meat is okay!¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time that Princess Consort Jing imed that the doctors said something they didn¡¯t in order to eat delicious food.


    After seeing the obvious desire on his mother¡¯s face, Zhu Junyang ced the ceramic pot on the table and thought for a bit before he said, ¡°This dish uses mostly seafood ingredients, so it should be quite nutritious. Lady Mother, you can eat some. However, you¡¯re not allowed to eat too much tonight in order to avoid indigestion!¡±


    When she heard that she was allowed to eat it, Princess Consort Jing was so happy that she acted like a child. She impatiently opened the ceramic pot and an intoxicating, rich fragrance wafted into the air. The two chefs nearby immediately opened their eyes wide and craned their necks forward, wishing that they could crowd around the pot to see just what exactly was causing such a tantalizing smell. They had cooked for most of their lives yet they had nevere across a dish that was able to emit such a dense and rich aroma before.


    When the lid waspletely off, the entire residence was filled with the addictive smell of Buddha jumps over the wall. All of the maidservants, senior servants, and stewards who were busy working immediately stopped what they were doing and lifted their heads to sniff the air. They then had to silently swallow down the saliva that pooled in their mouths.


    The two servants who were the most tortured right now were Princess Consort Jing¡¯s personal maidservants, Meixiang and Lanxiang, who often served her during the meals. They had undergone stringent training as pce maids and had also served Princess Consort Jing for a long time. Thus, they were very proud of their self control. However, after encountering the tempting Buddha jumps over the wall, both them kept their mouths shut tightly. They didn¡¯t dare to say a word as they were afraid that their saliva would dribble out and down their faces.


    Luckily, Royal Prince Yang took over Meixiang¡¯s duties and scooted next to his mother. He picked up her porcin bowl, which was made in government kilns, and scooped up adle full of shark fin, abalone, and sea cucumber from the ceramic pot and put into her bowl before cing it before her.


    Princess Consort Jing impatiently snatched her utensil and delivered a small taste into her mouth. The fragrant taste of seafood and the rich taste of meat erupted inside her mouth. For a moment, she was so happy that she felt like she was soaring gleefully in the sky and drifting among the fluffy white clouds. Her entire bowl was cleaned of food in two to three bites. She didn¡¯t wait for her son to serve her and instead went to get another helping herself. After trying every single ingredient in the pot, she felt her stomach starting to bulge with fullness yet she didn¡¯t want to stop eating.


    Meixiang surreptitiously swallowed down another mouthful of saliva and quietly reminded her mistress, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯ve already eaten more tonight than you have for most meals. If you continue to eat, you won¡¯t feel well when you go to sleep...¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who was in the midst of enjoying delicious food, only now realized that his mother had an expression full of want and desire as she rubbed her belly. He quickly moved the ceramic pot away from her and said, ¡°Lady Mother, Xiaocao also said that it¡¯s best to eat until you¡¯re seventy percent full at night. That¡¯s the best way to treat your body.¡±


    ¡°But, the food in this pot is truly too good! I really can¡¯t bear to stop!¡± Princess Consort Jing felt that it was a shame as she pursed her lips. She pathetically watched as her son continued to eat and silently cursed her stomach for being an abject failure. If she could be like her son, who was able to eat threerge bowls at each meal, that would be the best ah!


    Zhu Junyang increased his speed of eating. After finishing over half of the food in the ceramic pot, he finally felt like his stomach was too stuffed to eat more. Only then did the two chefs waiting at the side impatiently ask, ¡°Your Highness, Royal Prince, may we try some?¡±


    Other than the Buddha jumps over the wall, the rest of the dishes on the table hadn¡¯t been touched at all. All of the food on the table was usually stuff that was very hard for servants and maids to have the opportunity to eat, yet none of it had any attraction over the remaining pot of Buddha jumps over the wall. The food leftover after the masters ate was often rewarded to the servants and maids beneath them. Meixiang and Lanxiang had already been wondering if this pot would be given to them to eat. However, there were now the two chefs eyeing the leftover food. Lanxiang couldn¡¯t help but give the two chefs a scorching re!

 Chapter 361 – True Disciple

    <h4>Chapter 361 ¨C True Disciple</h4>


    The ceramic pot of Buddha jumps over the wall not only conquered Princess Consort Jing¡¯s stomach but also conquered over the two head chef¡¯s hearts. Out of the two head chefs at Prince Jing¡¯s estate, one of them was born in the famous Jiang Family. They were from Jiangnan and, in history, had produced eight extremely famous chefs. Their family¡¯s recipes and techniques were only passed to their descendants, and only to those born of the legitimate wife.


    During the chaos of war, Prince Jing once saved the patriarch of the Jiang Family. In order to heal his wife¡¯s body, Prince Jing personally went to the Jiang Family to ask them for a chef. At that time, the Jiang Family sent over the chef that was second only to the patriarch to Prince Jing¡¯s estate in order to repay their debt.


    The other chef was the chef who was the best at cooking medicinal cuisine in the pce, Imperial Chef Huang. He had previously cooked food for the emperor emeritus. Before the emperor emeritus retired, he had heard that Princess Consort Jing had a weak constitution and required a lot of nursing back to health. Thus, he sent Imperial Chef Huang to Prince Jing¡¯s estate to have him especially prepare medicinal cuisines for her. It could be said that without Imperial Chef Huang there, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s battered body might not havested and she wouldn¡¯t have been able to meet Yu Xiaocao. Her soul might have left this earth long ago!


    These two illustrious chefs, one world-renowned, and the other an imperial chef, had unexpectedly been conquered by the cooking of a ten to eleven year old little girl. If this came out, no one would believe it.


    At this moment, Yu Xiaocao was not aware of any of this. She was currently in the middle of writing and editing the recipe for Buddha jumps over the wall in preparation to sell it at a very high price to Third Young Master Zhou! The poprity of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s fruit-scented roasted duck had gradually declined, so it was time to push out a whole new dish! ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯ was the perfect dish to send out next.


    Why was she going to sell it at a high price to Zhenxiu Restaurant? All of the ingredients used in the dish were top-notch delicacies and were quite expensive. Thus, this dish had to be marketed to customers that had deep pockets and a willingness to spend money. Not only could Zhenxiu Restaurant make a pretty penny of this, but they could also boost their own reputation and make connections with wealthy and powerful people. It was a win-win from every side. No matter how high the price, it would be worth it!


    The second day after Buddha jumps over the wall came out, Royal Prince Yang had reserved a private room at Zhenxiu Restaurant to celebrate Little Shitou passing the county-level imperial exams. They not only invited Rongxuan Academy¡¯s Headmaster Yuan but they also sent out invitations to all of the teachers in Little Shitou¡¯s grade. County Magistrate Zhao had also somehow found out that this was going on and shamelessly invited himself in and brought along a very generous gift. Other than the star of the day, Little Shitou, the Yu Family also had Yu Hai and Yu Xiaocao there.


    At first, it was with great difficulty that they finally convinced Old Yu toe, but when he got to Zhenxiu Restaurant and found out the headmaster and county magistrate were there, he became frightened and refused to go. He had never interacted before with prestigious personages in his whole life, so he hid in the residence the Yu Family had in town and could not be convinced by anyone to do otherwise. This little episode was only known by the Yu Family and no one else.


    Little Shitou had felt a bit embarrassed by all of this. Originally, this was supposed to be a celebration for the whole family, so how did it be filled with a bunch of unrted people? He acted like a tiny adult and politely said, ¡°I only passed the county-level imperial exams and didn¡¯t even get first ce. There¡¯s nothing worth celebrating!¡±


    County Magistrate Zhao tteringly said, ¡°You¡¯re being too modest. In all of Tanggu Town, there are only two who have passed the exam and get government grain, and you are one of them. That being said, in this batch of examinees who passed, you are the youngest. It¡¯s also said that you caught the eye of the Superintendent of the Zhili Province and he personally read through your exam papers!¡±


    Headmaster Yuan was very satisfied with Little Shitou¡¯s performance and actions. All in all, the little fellow had only been studying for less than three years. If he didn¡¯t have an almost photographic memory to the point where he couldn¡¯t forget things and also a mind that grasped concepts easily, it would have been considered fine for a child his age to be able to recognize all of the words he was reading on the exam. Unexpectedly, the little fellow wanted to try for the county-level examinations!


    Originally, with Little Shitou¡¯s teachers¡¯ estimations, it would have been fine for him to just barely pass the first set of examinations. Who would have thought that his path went smoothly and he passed all three sets of the entry-level examinations and received the honor of bing a schr who passed the county-level imperial examinations. Furthermore, he managed to do very well and became one of the few schrs who would be granted the privilege of receiving grain from the government. Naturally, other than Little Shitou¡¯s incredible innate talent, his sess was very much linked with Headmaster Yuan¡¯s careful tutoring and training.


    None of them knew that Little Shitou¡¯s original IQ was only just a little bit better than his Younger Uncle¡¯s, Yu Bo. In other words, if he studied hard for his whole life, he would probably only be able to pass the county-level imperial examinations.


    However, with Yu Xiaocao transmigrating over and changing the Yu Family¡¯s trajectory, everything else changed too. Since the age of five, Little Shitou had been eating food and drinking beverages that all contained mystic-stone water. For a fully grown adult, mystic-stone water could only bring the person to the peak of health and heal any old illnesses or injuries. However, for children, the changes it could manifest was much greater. It had the ability to make the brain undergo a second development and change a person¡¯s intelligence.


    An ordinary person usually only used three to five percent of their brain power. Even Einstein, the well-known genius, only used up to ten percent of his brain power. Unconsciously, Little Shitou had surpassed this future scientific genius. Not only was his ability to memorize very good but his ability to understand concepts had also increased significantly. Furthermore, he was very hardworking as he wished to also do his part for the family like his second sister, so it would be more surprising if his grades were bad!


    Headmaster Yuan, who had already regarded Little Shitou as hisst disciple, didn¡¯tpliment the boy like other people were. Instead, he stated reasonably, ¡°Yu Fan is right. He only passed the county-level examinations and it¡¯s only the first step in a very long journey. He needs to make sure to not get arrogant and stay humble to avoid having the same ending as the main character from ¡®The Lament of Zhongyong¡¯ [1]. Yu Fan, you need to make sure you face forward always and study hard. Furthermore, you can¡¯t only rely on books to learn as you have to open yourself to get a better understanding of the world. Next year, I will be going to Jiangnan to lecture and you shoulde with me!¡±


    When Little Shitou heard this, he became very excited. Many educated schrs longed to travel to Jiangnan. Historically, many schrly lines of thoughts had originated there and the studious atmosphere there was quite thick. It was said that even the farmers in the fields could also recite a few lines of poetry.


    Every year, Headmaster Yuan would get invitations from a few notable schools down in Jiangnan to have him lecture. Being able to go with him and listen to all of these lectures was only an honor reserved for his true disciples.


    Although Headmaster Yuan had taken care of Little Shitou and given him preferential treatment these past two years, Little Shitou never expected that he could be a true disciple of the headmaster. All of the headmaster¡¯s true disciples had either be notable schrs of merit or respected officials at court helping to govern the country. Regardless, their futures were limitless.


    Yu Xiaocao had juste in with a ceramic pot of Buddha jumps over the wall that gave off its signature tantalizing fragrance. When she saw her younger brother foolishly staring, she hurriedly put the pot down and gently pped him on the back of his head, ¡°What are you doing just standing there, stupidly happy? Quickly kowtow to your master!¡±


    Little Shitou¡¯s main teacher also encouraged him, ¡°We have both wine and tea avable here. Let¡¯s conduct the formal ceremony of you bing his disciple right now then!¡±


    Headmaster Yuan¡¯s full attention was currently on the dense fragrant smell of the Buddha jumps over the wall, so he absentmindedly went through the ceremonial procedures with Little Shitou serving him tea. Like that, the simple ceremony to take in Little Shitou as a formal apprentice was finished. Only after the celebration party ended did he realize that he had just taken a boy, not even nine years old, as his disciple. This disciple was also much younger than all of his other disciples.


    Thest time Headmaster Yuan took in a disciple was over twenty years ago. All of his other disciples, as well as himself, thought that he wouldn¡¯t be taking any more true disciples for the rest of his life. When he said that he was going to take Little Shitou along, it was because he liked talented people and didn¡¯t want the boy¡¯s innate talents to go to waste. Who would have thought that he would absentmindedly take in another disciple during a banquet? Argh! Good food could truly make a person lose their wits!


    However, that Buddha jumps over the wall dish was truly too delicious. Headmaster Yuan, who often bragged that there were no delicacies in the world that he hadn¡¯t tried, had also been firmly conquered by it.


    The person who was most happy after all of this, other than Little Shitou, was Yu Xiaocao. After Royal Prince Yang exined the situation to her, she understood just how fortunate it was that her younger brother was able to be Headmaster Yuan¡¯sst disciple. It could be said, that as long as Little Shitou didn¡¯t make any big mishaps in the future, his future could only be limitless and smooth. Not only would he have ess to the best education and materials, but he also now had connections to all of the talented and skilled older disciples. They wouldter be hiswork! In the future, it was almost an iron-d guarantee that Old Yu¡¯s family¡¯s descendants would be bound for officialdom!


    ¡°Hee hee! Young Royal Prince, I have to hand it to you; it was a great idea to hold this banquet! I don¡¯t even know how to thank you properly!¡± Yu Xiaocao was filled with gratitude from head to toe. Her eyes shined with light full of gratitude and seemed to glow with an inner radiance.


    Zhu Junyang felt his heart skip a beat after looking into her shining eyes and he couldn¡¯t help but turn his head away. He had never known before that a person¡¯s eyes could look so incredibly luminous and beautiful. They looked as if they were crafted out of the most expensive ss and jade and didn¡¯t have a single w. It was as if they could see into the depths of a person¡¯s soul and purify all darkness within.


    ¡°Ahem...then, how do you want to thank me?¡± Zhu Junyang was also happy for Little Shitou. With Little Shitou around, the court would also have another person there supporting the Yu Family wholeheartedly.


    Yu Xiaocao grinned until her eyes turned into crescents and looked like tiny moons, ¡°How about I make you Buddha jumps over the wall every day? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Eat it every day? No matter how delicious something is, it¡¯s always possible to get sick of it!¡± Zhu Junyang was not very satisfied with her answer.


    Yu Xiaocao nted her head to the side as she contemted. After thinking a bit, she was in low spirits. Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s youngest son was also the person the emperor regarded with the most importance right now. There really wasn¡¯t anything that she could take out that would be a proper gift to him to express her gratitude.


    Zhu Junyang watched as the little girl nibbled on her fingernails as if she was a little kitten stuck in a bunch of yarn. Her face was full of confusion. He silentlyughed and then patted her small head, ¡°If you can¡¯t think of anything, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be merciful and let you have a debt for now.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hated owing other people the most. She stated with an expression full of dissatisfaction, ¡°Young Royal Prince, tell me what you want the most. As long as I am able to, I¡¯ll do it for you!¡±


    Royal Prince Yang revealed an arrogant expression, ¡°A gift you give voluntarily versus something I ask for, can those two be considered the same? No sincerity!¡± After he finished, he strolled away withrge steps.


    Yu Xiaocao followed him as if she was his personal tail as she continued to say, ¡°Just tell me ah! You don¡¯tck for anything and it¡¯s not as if I can read your mind! I really don¡¯t know what you need!¡±


    Zhu Junyang could hear in her voice hints of acting spoiled and being cute, and it felt like a little cat was tickling the inside of his heart. He suddenly stopped walking and turned around to look at the little girl whose head didn¡¯t even reach his armpits.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t expect that the person in front of her would suddenly stop moving. She was still speed-walking forward as she roasted him in her mind, ¡®Must be nice to have such long legs, ah! You can walk so fast!¡¯


    ¡°Ouch!¡± The result was tragedy. The little girl bumped her head straight into Zhu Junyang¡¯s abdomen and her nose stung after hitting his rock-hard stomach. Tears involuntarily came to her eyes and dripped down her face.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even give me a head¡¯s up when you stopped. Now my nose is going to be t after hitting you!¡± Yu Xiaocao wiped the tears off her face as she loudly protested. Noses weren¡¯t very strong to begin with. If her nose got hit a couple more times, wouldn¡¯t she have a t nose for the rest of her life then?

 Chapter 362 – The Light Within His Heart

    <h4>Chapter 362 ¨C The Light Within His Heart</h4>


    The feeling of a tiny and soft body hitting his body and being enveloped by his chest made his heart stop beating for a second before it violently started up again. This strange feeling made him feel a tiny bit panicked¡ª¡ªwas there something wrong with his body? When he got back to the mountain residence, he should have one of the imperial physicians take his pulse.


    He lowered his head and saw a pair ofrge eyes shining with tears. It was as if he was looking into a clear, pure spring that had sunlight pouring into it. Her eyes had the rity of water melted from the purest snow and ice at the top of a mountain. Zhu Junyang started feeling his heart starting to beat faster and faster. The littless had a pair of eyes that could speak volumes. Long eyshes framed them, and it made her seem like a cheerful little spirit. Every time they flickered, he could sense her inner emotions and feelings. Sometimes they would even glitter adorably whenever she came up with a naughty idea. They truly made people either hate or love her.


    Zhu Junyang secretly inhaled a deep breath and looked at the bright red nose on the little girl¡¯s face. He spoke in a voice that had overtones of tenderness andint, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you paying more attention when you¡¯re walking? Luckily you only bumped into me. If you hit a rock orrge tree, you might have had an open wound...you¡¯re already not beautiful, so if you had a big wound on your face, how much worse could you look?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt mes of fury rise inside her, ¡®If you didn¡¯t suddenly stop moving, do you think I would have hurt my nose ah? You im I¡¯m not beautiful, hmph! Do you think everyone is like you? With a face so devilishly handsome that you attract everyone around you? Where am I not beautiful huh? I¡¯m a very adorable and sweet looking little girl, okay?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was quite satisfied with her current looks. Her skin was soft and tender and glowed with health. She had a pair of clever andrge eyes and long eyshes framing them. Her nose and mouth were both delicately shaped. In her previous life, her skin was on the duller side so she looked more average than the average person. She was still young right now and hadn¡¯t grown into her full potential. ¡®A girl changes eighteen times between childhood and womanhood. In the future, my looks will definitely stun you!!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao gleefully thought as she threw out any notion of modesty or shyness.


    Zhu Junyang watched as the littless first became furious, huffing and puffing in rage, and then suddenly silently giggling in glee. The only thing he could think now was this, ¡®A woman¡¯s heart is as deep as the ocean. It¡¯s impossible to understand a female!¡¯


    He thought for a bit and continued with the previous topic, ¡°Xiaocao, didn¡¯t you want to say that you wanted to thank me? You wouldn¡¯t be only saying that because you felt happy and gave me an empty promise right?¡±


    ¡°My words are as good as gold. Since I said I wanted to thank you, then I absolutely will. Tell me, what do you want? As long as I¡¯m able to fulfill it, I will!¡± Yu Xiaocao kept thinking about how the young royal prince¡¯s actions had inadvertently caused her younger brother to be taken in as thest disciple of Headmaster Yuan. Her heart was full of happiness.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes shifted a bit and he smiled, ¡°I also know that I¡¯m notcking for anything and don¡¯t have anything that I particrly want. How about...how about this, you can promise to do something for me as a sign of your gratitude? How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°What do you want done? Don¡¯t make it too hard, my abilities have limits!¡± Yu Xiaocao silently thought, ¡®You¡¯re a high and noble young royal prince. If you can¡¯t do it, how could I, the daughter of a farmer, help you instead? If it¡¯s too hard, don¡¯t look at me.¡¯


    The smile on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face had a devilish tint to it, ¡°As for what it is? I don¡¯t actually know yet either! You can hold onto this debt for now. When Ie up with something, I¡¯ll tell you then!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt like she could start seeing the outline of an illusory fox behind the young royal prince again. She frowned and gently rubbed her nose that was still a bit tender and said, ¡°It needs to be something that can be done by me. If I can¡¯t do it, then when the timees, don¡¯t me me for being unable to fulfill it ah!¡±


    As he gazed at the little rascal of a girl, Zhu Junyang suddenly felt as if the weather today was very good. The sun seemed to be even more bright and gentle than before and there was a refreshing breeze blowing around. Even the dried up and yellowing grasses and leaves on the ground seemed better lookingpared to yesterday. Royal Prince Yang, who was now in a good mood, said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! It¡¯ll be something that you can definitely handle!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t take it to heart and only felt like the foodie would only ask for some new delicacies to be made. She had cracked the hard nut that was Buddha jumps over the wall, was there any other dish that would perplex her? At this time, she didn¡¯t realize that she had promised herself out in the future...


    Zhu Junyang happily went back to the mountain residence. Princess Consort Jing, who was currently in the garden admiring and taking care of the flora, could tell her son was in a very good mood. She ced down the water can in her hands and revealed a gentle and sweet-tempered smile, ¡°Yang¡¯er, did youe across something good? You seem very happy.¡±


    Zhu Junyang walked over to his mother and took the water can from her as he described everything that happened today to his mother with a smile on his face. Princess Consort Jing widened her eyes and somewhat unhappily stated, ¡°What? Howe you didn¡¯t tell me, yourdy mother, that you were all going to eat Buddha jumps over the wall? I also really like that boy, Little Shitou. Howe you didn¡¯t tell me this morning that you were going over to the banquet to celebrate his aplishments of passing the county-level imperial exams and bing a county-level official ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang rolled his eyes at his mother in his heart as he thought, ¡®Lady Mother, for the sake of eating some Buddha jumps over the wall, you are really too much! How many times have you seen Little Shitou before? Only a few times! Other than Xiaocao, you haven¡¯t really seen anyone else in the Yu Family, alright? As the princess consort of an imperial prince, if you showed your face just to eat some food, my father would break my legs if he found out!¡¯


    Although this dynasty had repeatedly raised the status of women, most wealthy and noble families followed the traditions and kept women and men apart when they had guests over. The female host would always be behind a screen when she received guests...the banquet that happened today mostly had men over. Naturally, Yu Xiaocao, as a half-grown girl, was the only exception.


    Thinking of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s clever and adorable personality made his heart suddenly beat fast again. He used a hand to press down on his chest and wondered if he had injured the left side of his chest in the past, which was now causing him problems.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Princess Consort Jing noticed that her son had stopped moving his hand, frowned, and was now sping his chest. The harsh expression on his face made her feel very worried.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want his mother to feel anxious and the expression on his face went back to normal. He smiled reassuringly at her and said, ¡°Lady Mother, I¡¯m fine...there were a lot of people today. Other than the principal and teachers of the academy, County Magistrate Zhao also went. Headmaster Yuan ate almost half of the whole pot of Buddha jumps over the wall. I wasn¡¯t able to eat as much as I wanted. In a few days, when Lord Fatheres over, let¡¯s have Xiaocao make us a pot. That way, the three of us will be able to eat a very delicious meal together!¡±


    Once food was mentioned, as expected, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s attention got preupied by that. She smiled and nodded her head, ¡°Buddha jumps over the wall is a non-vegetarian dish that isn¡¯t greasy. Your Lord Father will likely like it very much. You know, how is thatss Xiaocao so clever and lively? Her culinary talents are such that our two famous chefs in the estate have to prostrate themselves in front of her. She also knows how to take care of flora. Last time, my pot of eighteen schrs camellia had dried up and was on the brink of death yet she was still able to bring it back to life. This year, the nt is blooming even more brilliantly...in the future, I don¡¯t know who will be the lucky man who will be able to take Xiaocao as his wife.¡±


    Zhu Junyang unconsciously started frowning when he thought of that clever and odd little girl getting dressed up in wedding attire for another man. The desire to destroy and maim things started to rise in his heart. He quickly controlled his emotions forcefully and did his best not to allow those feelings to overtake his reason.


    His illness hadn¡¯t reared its head for a long time, howe it was suddenly showing up today? That was not okay, absolutely not okay! Right now he was very close to Dongshan Vige. If he lost his reason and became the destructive devil again, wouldn¡¯t he end up destroying her home and hurting the people she loved?


    Just as his heart was about to be swallowed up by the darkness, a pair of warm and limpid eyes appeared in his mind again. It was as if a ray of brilliant light was shining deep within his heart. Although it was weak, it stubbornly left a small illuminating me in the vast darkness. A single spark had the ability to start a huge ze. Zhu Junyang did his best to push against the darkness and the inky ckness slowly retreated. His bloodshot eyes slowly regained rity and regained their usual dark and calm appearance.


    ¡°Yang¡¯er, Yang¡¯er!!¡± When he opened his eyes, in front of him was the anxious and worried face of his mother, who was being surrounded by a dozen bodyguards protecting her. Next to her was also Head Steward Liu and the head of the bodyguards all in readiness for a fight. It was as if an enemy was going to approach them soon.


    ¡°Yang¡¯er, is that you? Yang¡¯er, you need toe back to reality and don¡¯t let the darkness within your heart overtake you. Yang¡¯er...¡± Princess Consort Jing sobbed as she spoke. If Meixiang and Lanxiang hadn¡¯t grabbed onto her with a deathgrip, she would have long sped over and hugged Zhu Junyang. She would dly get injured if it could help her youngest son regain his reasoning faster.


    She also knew that, at her son¡¯s current martial abilities, it didn¡¯t matter how many bodyguards there were to stop him. The whole residence could be destroyed by him, causing destruction and rivers of blood to flow....


    ¡°Lady Mother, I let you worry again. I¡¯m fine now!¡± Zhu Junyang stamped away thest remaining bit of insanity and felt very guilty inside. For many years, his mother had worried herself thin because of him. If he hadn¡¯t been able to pull himself back from the precipice, it was very likely that his mother would be one taking the brunt of his fury.


    Princess Consort Jing happily wiped away the tears on her face. Her son¡¯s illness had gotten much betterpared to before and it looked like he was able to suppress and win against the ¡®evil devil¡¯ inside his heart. Didn¡¯t that mean that before long, her son¡¯s mental demons would finally bepletely healed?


    Head Steward Liu, who was next to Zhu Junyang, surreptitiously wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and exchanged a look with the head of the bodyguards. Within his heart, he let out a sigh of relief. His master¡¯s skill at martial arts had made great progress in thest two years. In the past, Head Steward Liu was able to restrain his master along with the help of seven to eight other men who were very skilled. Now, he was no longer able to do so. Luckily, in the past two years, his master¡¯s outbursts had dwindled. Otherwise, he wasn¡¯t sure what he would do.


    Today, Princess Consort Jing was nearby. If his master hadn¡¯t managed to snap himself out of it, they might not be able to stop him even if they sacrificed all of their lives. If something had happened to the princess consort, the master would likely descend into madness and be reborn as aplete monster...


    When Princess Consort Jing saw that her youngest son had truly regained control of himself, she let out a sigh of relief and quietly asked, ¡°Yang¡¯er, didn¡¯t you used to say that whenever you lost control and went berserk, it was as if you were stuck inplete darkness, locked up in a pit that was so quiet that it could drive a person crazy? What was able to banish the darkness today and allow you to pull yourself back from the brink of madness?¡±


    Zhu Junyang thought of that small light in his heart. It was simultaneously weak and strong at the same time. A few times it had almost been swallowed up by the darkness yet it persisted in giving off a steady little light and warmth. It was just like her. Always looking as if a small wind would blow her over, yet she always managed to stand up tall after heavy storms and rain had passed.


    In the past, the Yu Family had a very hard life. She hadn¡¯t even reached the age of eight or nine and had a tiny, weak body before taking charge. Despite that, she held up the sky for her family. One copper coin for a portion of braised food, early-ripening green vegetables, the famous watermelons of Tanggu Town, nting corn and potatoes...


    All of the children around eight to nine years old in the capital were still acting spoiled to their parents, yet she had already be the backbone of the Yu Family. The children of poor people matured early; this was a true fact he had witnessed himself. Zhu Junyang vaguely felt his heart hurt at the thought.

 Chapter 363 – Poultry Disease

    <h4>Chapter 363 ¨C Poultry Disease</h4>


    Princess Consort Jing felt very gratified when she thought of how her youngest son seemed to be showing a wider variety of expressions and feelings now. In the past, it was as if he had been crafted of the ice from a ten thousand year old cier and molded from cold steel. He didn¡¯t seem to have any humanity. Sometimes, even she felt a bit scared and frightened whenever she had to interact with him. Perhaps it was because of her own feelings that her youngest son became more and more distanced from her and never went back to the closeness they had when he was young.


    However, ever since he came back from his seafaring journey to the western hemisphere, he gradually warmed up. He started to smile more and other expressions gradually became apparent on his face. His attitude when he interacted with his father was no longer as cold and detached as before. He even learned how to tease other people¡ª¡ªNo, it had to be said, only when her youngest son was interacting with the Yu Family¡¯s youngest daughter did he actually seem like a seventeen to eighteen year old youth.


    ¡°Son, during that episode, who did you think of?¡± Princess Consort Jing was in a good mood after remembering the recent changes in her son. Thus, her desire for gossip had risen again.


    Zhu Junyang had a warm smile on his face yet he stayed silent. His phoenix eyes shifted a bit as he thought, ¡®I wonder what that littless is doing right now. Is she joking around with her mother as they water the vegetables in the courtyard? Or is she at the piggery asking her twin sister how things are going? Or is she helping her older brother calcting the price of seafood...such an industrious little girl, and she always seems to have plenty of energy. It doesn¡¯t seem like she ever stops working, doesn¡¯t she feel tired sometimes?¡¯


    In actuality, Yu Xiaocao was doing the exact opposite of what he was thinking. She was currently reclining on a rocking chair underneath the grape trellis. She amused herself by rocking back and forth in a half-drowsy state. Suddenly, a flurry of knocks at the front gate interrupted her leisurely time. Liu Huifang burst in frantically. The weather inte autumn was cool and rxing, yet she had a head full of sweat.


    ¡°Xiaocao,e to my house quickly and take a look! Our chickens are sick!!¡± Liu Huifang was so frazzled that tears almost streamed down her face. People raising chickens were always worried about poultry diseases. There weren¡¯t any veterinarians in this era, so if an illness came up, it was possible that a whole half years of work could go down the drain!


    Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes and sat up straight before she asked, ¡°Don¡¯t panic. Tell me exactly what¡¯s going and don¡¯t leave out any details.¡±


    ¡°On the evening of the day before yesterday, my mother and I brought back the chickens from the woods in cages. When we were giving them water to drink, we noticed that there were a few chickens that looked a bit listless. My mother and I didn¡¯t take it to heart. However, who would have known that yesterday night, when we did the same thing, an additional dozen were also listless. My mother said the chickens probably had gotten an infectious disease, so she put the sick chickens away in their own cage away from the others. But today, half of our chickens areying on the ground looking sick...¡±


    After getting Yu Xiaocao¡¯s advice, the Liu Family decided to raise their chickens free-range. In the morning, they used cages to bring the chickens into a nearby thicket and had them forage for bugs and seeds to eat. At night, they brought them back to their residence. This method not only conserved the amount of grain they had to feed them but also improved the quality of the meat on the chickens. Half a year had passed and the Liu Family¡¯s two hundred and so chickens were all doing well. Who would have thought that after the chickens got to a weight of two catties each, over half had gotten suddenly sick! It was no wonder that the usually calm and steady Liu Huifang was panicking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic! I¡¯ll go with you and take a look at them!¡± Yu Xiaocao was very clear that people who raised a lot of chickens were always fearful of poultry disease spreading. Luckily, she had mystic-stone water on hand. Even if the chickens did have an infectious disease, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    When she saw Xiaocao seemed calm and confident, Liu Huifang gradually felt her heart rx. She nodded her head and said, ¡°I almost forgot that you know some medicinal arts Xiaocao!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled bitterly inside, ¡®I learned medicine to treat humans not poultry, okay? Ah forget about it, the Liu Family only started raising chickens for my braised food shop. A hundred or so chickens can be sold for at least a dozen or so days. Right now Uncle and my older cousin are out traveling to buy more chickens and they work from dawn to dusk. It¡¯s not easy for them either...it¡¯s fine to let the Liu Family believe that I can treat their chickens!¡¯


    The two girls quickly arrived at Huifang¡¯s home. Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was currently sighing andmenting over the chickens that were currently dying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic Auntie, let me take a look at them!¡± Yu Xiaocao inspected one of the chickens that was almost at the brink of death. Its crest was dull and dim, and its eyes were weak and watery. Secretions wereing out of its beak, and it was obvious that it was hard for the animal to breathe. Its crop was obviously swollen as if it umted a lot of liquid. She then looked at the poop of the sick chickens. The poop was yellow and green in color and was apanied by a lot of water...this was the perfect example of a viral illness that struck the chickens.


    After she finished inspecting the sick chickens, Yu Xiaocao had an idea on how to proceed next. She first spoke to the mother and daughter pair who were besides themselves with worry, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am able to treat this disease! I need to go to the mountain side to dig up some medicinal nts but I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡±


    When Shuanzhu¡¯s wife heard that her family¡¯s chickens could be treated, she silently let out a sigh of relief before she said, ¡°It¡¯s already evening right now. Going up into the mountains isn¡¯t safe. How about you wait until tomorrow?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and shook her head, ¡°If we wait until tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid that the whole flock of chickens will be sick then! Don¡¯t worry, the herbs I need aren¡¯t up the mountain. I can find them at the foot of the mountain too.¡±


    ¡°Then have Huifang go with you too ah...¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife still wasn¡¯tpletely convinced.


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then said to Liu Huifang, ¡°Older Sister Huifang, go dig up somemon purne and bring it back. It needs to be washed before it¡¯s used too.¡±


    After she finished, she walked out of the main gate of the Liu Residence. She was only using her need to dig up herbs as an excuse to cover up what she was actually doing. In fact, she only needed a fewmon herbs that were used to reduce fevers and treat colds. After she finished digging up the herbs, the Liu Family helped her wash them clean. She then mixed them together with themon purne and pounded them into a medicinal paste. After adding a little wheat bran and corn meal, she formed the mixture into little yellow pill balls. Naturally, she had also added a good amount of mystic stone water to this medicine as well.


    After she finished making the pill balls, Yu Xiaocao helped the mother and daughter pair catch the sick chickens and forcefully open their beaks to feed them the medicine. They only finished catching and feeding the sick chickens when the sky becamepletely dark.


    After thinking a bit, Yu Xiaocao also chopped up the remaining herbs into a fine powder and mixed it into some rice and wheat bran while adding a few drops of mystic-stone water. She then advised the mother and daughter pair, ¡°Tomorrow morning, use this feed to feed the chickens. For the next few days, don¡¯t let the chickens out to free range. Instead, keep them in their coops and keep a close eye on them. When it¡¯s evening, I¡¯lle over to look again!¡±


    There was a thickyer of clouds tonight, so itpletely covered the moon and made the night much darker. Yu Xiaocao lived at the foot of the mountain and was a bit far from the vige proper. Thus, Liu Shuanzhu escorted Xiaocao back home with a paperntern. Originally, the Liu Family wanted to keep Yu Xiaocao over so she could eat a meal with them. Xiaocao, however, refused their offer as she was afraid that her family might be worried about her and decided to head home.


    The next morning, Liu Huifang hurriedly ran into the chicken yard to take a look. To her surprise, she found that all of the previously sick chickens that had been isted from the others had be much more energetic. They clucked eagerly, begging for food to eat. Even the first group of chickens that had gotten the sick, the ones that were on the brink of death, were also moving around and asking for food.


    Apparently, the medicine that Younger Sister Xiaocao made yesterday had worked! Liu Huifang took out the specially prepared chicken feed mixed with medicinal herbs that Yu Xiaocao made the previous night and poured it into the chickens¡¯ yard. Originally, she was afraid that the chickens wouldn¡¯t want to eat food mixed with medicine. Who would have thought that as soon as she poured the food in, the chickens, which previously had no appetite, suddenly rushed forward as if a flip had been switched. They squawked and pped their wings as they fought over the food mixed with medicine. All of their necks were stretched forward as they eagerly gobbled down the food.


    When Shuanzhu¡¯s wife saw the spectacle, her heart was very moved, ¡°This is amazing! Being willing to eat is a good thing! Xiaocao truly has skills; there¡¯s nothing that she can¡¯t handle!! Huifang, our chickens are saved now!¡±


    Liu Huifang let out a loud sigh and grinned, ¡°Yesterday morning, Auntie Zhou came over to look and said it was truly an infectious poultry disease! She also said, once the chickens get sick, there¡¯s no going back! In fact, the first year her family raised chickens, they ended up getting sick and all of them died. Luckily, they didn¡¯t raise too many chickens that year and didn¡¯t end up losing too much money! Mother, we have over two hundred chickens now and we¡¯ve been raising them for half a year. If they all got sick and died, wouldn¡¯t we lose a lot of money? We¡¯re so fortunate that Xiaocao was here!¡±


    There were still a few pill balls that Xiaocao left behind, so the two of them sighed in relief and then caught the chickens that had been the most ill and fed them the pills. They then took out more of the medicinal feed that Xiaocao had made and fed it to the sick chickens that were recovering. The sick chickens hadn¡¯t eaten for the past two days but their appetites were not any worse than the healthy chickens.


    That night, when Xiaocao came over to visit, the Liu Family¡¯s chickens had almost all made a full recovery. Other than the original ten or so chickens that had gotten sick first, the rest of the previously ill animals seemed no different than the perfectly healthy ones. Yu Xiaocao made another batch of pill balls and medicinal feed for them. She then instructed them to feed the sick animals tomorrow with the medicinal feed that had mystic-stone water added to it. After that, they could continue raising the chickens like normal.


    Three dayster, Liu Huifang went over to the Yu Residence with two hens on hand. When she got there, she found out that Yu Xiaocao had gone with the cart transporting pigs to the prefectural city and Madam Liu was in town sending clothing to Little Shitou. The only one at home was Yu Hang, who was in charge of the seafood purchasing.


    The seafood purchasing business was busy right now, so Yu Hang handed over the stall to his Third Uncle and washed his hands before getting some roasted melon seeds and pastries his family had on hand to greet Liu Huifang.


    Liu Huifang flushed a bright red and somewhat shyly lowered her head as she softly said, ¡°When did Xiaocao leave earlier? I came over to thank her for helping my family treat our chickens...My mother said that these two hens had alreadyid eggs, so you guys should keep them. They can eithery more eggs for your family to eat or you could cook them. Either way is fine!¡±


    The thirteen year old Yu Hang already had the air of youth around him. His face was handsome and his body was growing tall. His skin, which was the color of wheat, was the exact shade that young maidens growing up in fisherman viges liked. This was the first time that Liu Huifang had spent time alone with Yu Hang. She didn¡¯t know what to do with herself and the words that came out of her mouth were jumbled and a little nonsensical.


    Yu Hang spent more time with people on a day to day basis, so, inparison, he was much more calm and collected. He smiled, ¡°Auntie is being too polite! Let¡¯s not even talk about the good rtionship between my father and your father. As fellow vigers, we¡¯re always willing to help each other when another persones across a problem as long as we can. You should take these two chickens back...¡±


    Who would have thought that Xiaocao¡¯s older brother, who usually looked quite taciturn and quiet, had quite a way with words! When she raised her head to look at him and saw the gentle smile on his face, Liu Huifang felt her face burn even hotter. She silently scolded herself for being a dummy. They were both well acquainted with each other, so there was nothing to be shy about.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that! These chickens are a sign of my family¡¯s sincerity to yours! If you don¡¯t take them, I¡¯ll take it as a sign that you want to distance yourselves from us!¡± Liu Huifang didn¡¯t allow him to make any other excuses and marched into the Yu Family¡¯s back courtyard to put away the chickens.


    The Yu Family¡¯s back courtyard had a fenced up chicken coop and rabbit cages. Even Little ck¡¯s and Little White¡¯s dens were also in the back courtyard. She had a good rtionship with Xiaocao, so she often helped them weed the garden and harvest vegetables. Thus, she was very familiar with theyout of the Yu Family¡¯s residence.


    Despite Yu Hang¡¯s attempts to stop her, she ced the two little hens into the chicken coop and closed the gate. When she saw that the rabbits didn¡¯t have much food left, she took out two bundles of green grass and ced it in their cages.

 Chapter 364 – Yu Hang’s Marriage

    <h4>Chapter 364 ¨C Yu Hang¡¯s Marriage</h4>


    ¡°Where¡¯s Little White?¡± Usually when Liu Huifang went into the back courtyard, that little proud white dog would always give her a look of disdain. If she tried to tease him, he would even bare his teeth at her! Little ck had a much better temper. In fact, Little Shitou often pulled on the ck dog¡¯s mouth here and there and he never got angry. Instead, he would also y along.


    ¡°That fellow is quite smart. When he found out that Xiaocao couldn¡¯t bring him along to the prefectural city, he got angry and ran up into the mountains to find his father, Big Gray. It¡¯s fine. Ever since that pack of wolves came down the mountainst year and got destroyed, there haven¡¯t been any savage beasts around the mountain!¡± Yu Hang watched as Liu Huifang entered the back courtyard and fed the rabbits and prepared the chicken feed. He also hurriedly went up to help as he inwardly eximed that Liu Huifang was a hard working littless.


    After adding some water into the chicken coop, Liu Huifang was just about to leave when she saw the little roe deer called Tiny romping about in the vegetable fields. She was afraid that the animal might trample the vegetable and stealthily went over. When the little roe deer wasn¡¯t aware, she caught it and held it in her arms.


    Perhaps it was because she had fed her home¡¯s chickens today with feed containing mystic-stone water, but the little roe deer didn¡¯t try to flee when she came closer. It was only after that it was caught in her arms and turned its head back to look that the animal was startled. The little fellow froze for a second before it started to struggle. The little roe deer had a surprising amount of strength and easily broke out of the confines of Huifang¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Liu Huifang knew that the Yu Family¡¯s siblings all adored the little roe deer. She was afraid that the roe deer might hurt itself, so she inadvertently let out a cry of rm when it leapt out of her arms.


    However, it was a false rm. In midair, the little animal rotated its body three hundred and sixty degrees and lightlynded on the ground. Within a blink of an eye, it ran into its little den and hid behind the building to look at her. If the little roe deer could talk, it would definitely let out a long sigh of relief and say, ¡°Oh my goodness! I was almost caught by a human. The master was truly right¡ª¡ªI need to be cautious every moment!¡±


    When Madam Liu got back home, it was just in time for her to see her oldest son escorting a little girl out of the gate. The little girl¡¯s face was flushed a bright red and she seemed a bit shy. After looking a bit closer, she realized that it was Shuanzhu¡¯s Huifang. Madam Liu went into the back courtyard and saw that both the chickens and rabbits had been fed. Furthermore,st night, the wind blew hard and the trellis for the cucumbers had fallen over. Now, the trellis had been rebuilt and standing tall. After asking around, she found out that Huifang was the person that fixed it.


    That night, when Yu Hai got home, Madam Liu couldn¡¯t help but ask her husband, ¡°Isn¡¯t Brother Shuanzhu¡¯s eldest daughter about the same age as Xiaosha, ah?¡±


    ¡°Yup! Our oldest was born at the start of that year, and his daughter was born at the end of that year. Why are you asking about this?¡± Everyday Yu Hai went back and forth between the prefectural city and Dongshan Vige. In addition, he was also in charge of ughtering pigs, so he was quite busy. His youngest daughter had begged him to hire someone from the vige to help. However, he felt like there was nothing much to do these days. The family had Madam Liu and Yu Hang to keep an eye of things, so he was more than able to keep up with the work. Thus, he decided to not take her advice for now.


    Once it was time to harvest the wheat next year, he would have to supervise his family¡¯s farmstead as well as the young royal prince¡¯s eight hundred mu ntation. By then, it wouldn¡¯t be toote to hire someone to help.


    Madam Liu pursed her lips and smiled, ¡°After the New Years passes, our family¡¯s Xiaosha will be fourteen. He¡¯s the oldest in the family and in the future will be the head of the family. We need to start considering his future marriage prospects early. Furthermore, we have to make sure our eyes are wide open when picking out brides for him. We need to find a girl who is hardworking and generous and avoid someone like Madam Li or Madam Xiong. Women like them, who only know how to bezy and take advantage of others, would only cause a lot of unnecessary trouble for the family. We need to make sure the family will be peaceful and in harmony in the future!¡±


    Yu Hai was a bit hesitant, so he asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too early to start considering marriage for him? Xiaosha is only thirteen years old and we¡¯ve only had a better situation with our family in these past two years. He¡¯s only started hitting his growth spurt and still looks like arge child...¡±


    ¡°How is it too early now? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re trying to get him married this instant. We first need to look at the prospects among our close friends to see if there are any suitable maidens and give the two children some opportunities to interact with each other. If they end up liking each other, then we can start discussing a possible engagement. This would likely take at least two to three years of work. By that time, our oldest son will be around sixteen to seventeen, which is the perfect time to get married!¡± Madam Liu silentlymented in her heart. In a sh, all of her children were getting older and she was slowly getting older as well...


    Yu Hai scratched his head and said, ¡°How about we wait until I get Xiaosha¡¯s opinion in two days? I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯s still too young and doesn¡¯t see girls that way! Oh right, so why did you suddenly start thinking of this today?¡±


    ¡°Today, Brother Shuanzhu¡¯s Huifang came over to give us two little hens. I wasn¡¯t home at that time, so Xiaosha was the one who invited her in. That child Huifang is truly a hardworking littless. When she saw that our family¡¯s chickens and rabbits hadn¡¯t been fed yet, she quickly made sure to give them their food. She even fixed up the cucumber trellises that had fallen over yesterday night. When Xiaosha was escorting her out, the littless had her head lowered and looked shyly at our son. Do you think that Huifang is somewhat interested in our son?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let this type of talk out as it can affect that little girl¡¯s reputation ah!¡± Yu Hai thought about his son, who resembled his wife. His son had a finely sculpted face and was growing quite tall. Everyone who saw himplimented with the phrase ¡®a good looking young fellow¡¯. It probably wasn¡¯t a lie that his son was a good prospect.


    Madam Liu red at him and indignantly said, ¡°Do I need you to remind me? Aren¡¯t we talking behind closed doors right now ah? Our family¡¯s Xiaosha has a good height and also handsome looks. Furthermore, his family¡¯s situation is not bad. I¡¯m also not someone who would be an evil mother-inw to my future daughter-inw. Whoever marries into our family will truly fall into the honey pot ah!¡±


    Yu Hai guffawed, ¡°Are there people like you whopliment themselves so much?¡±


    Madam Liu stretched out a hand to pinch Yu Hai¡¯s side as if she was trying to be fierce. However, that image was soon shattered when she couldn¡¯t hold back her giggles, ¡°Was there anything I said that was not right ah? However, we really need to make sure we get our oldest son¡¯s marriage settled sooner rather thanter. Everyone says that the eldest sister-inw is like a second mother. We need to find someone who will be fair and reasonable, so she¡¯ll treat Xiaocao and the other siblings well.¡±


    She had already thought about the other girls in the vige who were around the same age as her son. The vige chief¡¯s youngest granddaughter was younger than her son by two years and had been pampered since she was little by her grandfather and grandmother. At the age of eleven, she still had an innocent manner like a little porcin doll. How could she possibly take up the mantle of being the eldest sister-inw?


    The Zhou Family¡¯s Zhou Shanhu was good buddies with Xiaocao and Xiaolian, so they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about their rtionships with her in the future. However, thatss was a bit carefree and wasn¡¯t always careful with her words. She wasn¡¯t a reliable girl...


    And then there was Zheng Xiaocui, who had recentlye over more recently to the Yu Family to y. Although the girl had decent looks, she was full of petty thoughts. In a nce, Madam Liu could tell that she had a selfish nature at heart. Most of the Yu Family¡¯s businesses and wealth was all created by her youngest daughter, so, in the future, the Yu Family would not stint on her dowry. If Xiaocao had a selfish eldest sister-inw, then she would definitely be unhappy by the size of Xiaocao¡¯s dowry when the time came.


    After weighing all of the possible prospects in the vige, it was still Brother Shuanzhu¡¯s daughter who was the most suitable. Although she wasn¡¯t the most beautiful, she still could be considered quite pretty and cute. She had an egg shaped face and eyebrows curved like willow leaves. Her eyes were also not toorge nor too small...her only w was that her lips were on the thicker side [1]. However, everyone always said that girls with thicker lips had good personalities and good fortunes.


    Outer looks were only secondary. Huifang was also a hardworking little girl. It was said that the reason why the Liu Family decided to raise all of those chickens was because thatss came up with the idea. In fact, she even especially came over to ask Xiaocao for advice! Furthermore, she did almost all of the work in raising those two hundred some chickens and she was very good at handling all of the details. Even Shuanzhu¡¯s wife didn¡¯t need to do much with the chickens. Before she was upied with raising chickens, Huifang also brought her younger sister and brother along to cut fishwort for the piggery. Between the three of them, they managed to earn a couple hundred copper coins in a month!


    In addition, Brother Shuanzhu had a good rtionship with her husband. Both of them were also realistic men and knew where their roots came from...the more she thought, the more Madam Liu thought that thess Huifang was a pretty good match with her son.


    Yu Hai noticed that his wife was tossing and turning on the kang bed as if she was a pancake being flipped around. It was obvious that she was having trouble falling asleep, so he quickly intervened, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much! Our son is still young and maybe in a couple of years he¡¯ll have his own ideas and find someone he likes, right? Although they say that parents and the matchmaker should choose the child¡¯s partner, we also need to consider whether our son wants to marry the girl or not, right?¡±


    When Madam Liu heard her husband¡¯s opinion, she thought he was right! It didn¡¯t matter if she thought the girl was good or not. If her son didn¡¯t like her, she couldn¡¯t force him to marry her, right? However, at this time her son still wasn¡¯t interested in pursuing girls, so she needed to strike early and advise him. He needed to know that finding a wife shouldn¡¯t be based on the girl¡¯s looks alone; her personality was the most important part!


    The next morning, Madam Liu called her son over and secretly hemmed and hawed over the matter. At first, Yu Hang didn¡¯t quite understand what his mother was talking about. Later on, once his mother became more blunt, his face started flushing a bright red. He eximed, ¡°Mother, how old am I right now? Before I turn sixteen, I won¡¯t even be thinking about finding a wife!¡±


    Madam Liu nted a look at her son and ndly stated, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you to decide on your future wife right now! I only want you to start considering your options. If there¡¯s anyone you like and is a good choice, we can strike when the iron is hot and start negotiating with the other family. That way we can avoid all of the good prospects being stolen by other people in the future!¡±


    ¡°Are there any capable men who are unable to find wives? Even Uncle Ergou was able to find a wife despite his poor character, so why should we worry? Mother, if you have nothing better to do, you can go into the prefectural city to look around. Our family¡¯s braised food shop has been open for about two months now yet you don¡¯t even know what¡¯s happening there!¡±


    When the topic of the conversation came to the prefectural city¡¯s braised food shop, Madam Liu¡¯s attention was immediately refocused on it. She sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not as if you don¡¯t know either. Our family will be selling vegetables until the first frostes and your father spends all his time going back and forth between here and the prefectural city. But someone needs to keep an eye at home. If I¡¯m not doing it, how is that okay ah?¡±


    Yu Hangughed, ¡°Mother, isn¡¯t there still me at home? Right now the weather is gradually getting colder, so fewer and fewer people areing over to sell seafood. Third Uncle alone should be able to handle it. Thus, I can help you keep an eye on things at home. If you don¡¯t feelfortable with me alone, isn¡¯t there also Xiaolian ah? Around half of the pigs in the piggery had already been used and we already have two storehouses filled full of fishwort, so Xiaolian can also find some time to help us here. How about the next time Father goes into the prefectural city, you also go along and take a look?¡±


    The Yu Family¡¯s vegetables were all more cold hardy than other people¡¯s. Other people¡¯s cucumbers and string beans all started to freeze right after the start of autumn, yet the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables were still able to grow without problems. The front courtyard¡¯s spinach, lettuce and mustard greens were still as tender and delicious as before. There were also a few other vegetables that were growing out of season that still flourished in their garden.


    There was a limited amount of vegetables the Yu Family could produce, so they were only able to supply Zhenxiu Restaurant and a few other families they were familiar with in town with them. There were a lot of families in town that didn¡¯tck money. All of themined that the Yu Family didn¡¯t nt enough vegetables for them to buy a portion. Yu Hai and Yu Xiaocao discussed this matter together and wondered if they could take a portion of the hundred or so mu they had on their farmstead and use it to nt some vegetables in the future. Although raising vegetables was more tiring than grain crops, it was more profitable as well!


    After hearing her son¡¯s advice, Madam Liu thought about the family¡¯s situation. The front and the back of the west side of the courtyard were all nted with autumn vegetables, while the east side of the courtyard all had the usual matrons helping out to harvest. Normally, she only helped to weigh the vegetables and count the money. Her son should be able to handle everything on his own.


    Madam Liu was still notpletely convinced, so she stepped back and had her son manage everything on his own for a few days. She discovered that her son was even more nimble than she was and better at calcting receipts. Thus, she rxedpletely. One day, at the end of October, Madam Liu sat on the cart that transported live pigs to the prefectural city and entered the prefectural city for the first time in her life.

 Chapter 365 – Feeling Bad

    <h4>Chapter 365 ¨C Feeling Bad</h4>


    At around nine in the morning, The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop in the prefectural city was full of people buying braised food. It had been almost three months since the store opened and the Yu Family¡¯s shop was bing more and more popr with every passing day. At the start, they only braised one pig a day, but now even braising two pigs a day wasn¡¯t necessarily enough for the demand...


    Every single part of the pig, from its head to its feet, was used in their braised food. Not a single part was wasted, including the head, trotters, and innards. After being braised, each part of the pig had its own unique vor. The ones that sold the quickest were the braised pig¡¯s head meat, pig¡¯s trotters, and offal. This was because the price was more suitable for themon people, yet the vor wasn¡¯t worse than the other cuts of meat. Thus, all of themoners in the area loved those braised ingredients the most.


    Although the prefectural city was arge ce and didn¡¯tck butchers selling meat, the vast majority of the animals had to be imported into the city. Furthermore, the price of meat had risenpared to previous years. For example, in years past, pork at its highest was only around thirty-some copper coins a catty. This was the year after the disaster, so the price of pork in Tanggu Town had risen to around a hundred or so copper coins a catty, whereas, in the prefectural city, the cheapest pork avable was around eighty to ny copper coins a catty.


    Themoners in the prefectural city had a higher standard of livingpared to those living in Tanggu Town. However, most of them had to think for a while if they wanted to eat a meal with meat. Only after grimacing and tightening their belts could they have a dish with meat in it at their dinner table.


    Usually, most families wouldn¡¯t buy a pig¡¯s head or intestines from the butcher even if they really craved meat. This was because no matter how they prepared it, there was always an odd smell and taste to the finished dish that made it hard to swallow. However, the unpopr parts of a chicken and pig, at the Yu Family¡¯s shop, were now delicacies that tempted a person¡¯s gluttonous monster.


    Pig¡¯s head meat, trotters, and intestines that had been braised were all immensely delicious at an affordable price. Regr braised pork cost around a hundred and thirty to a hundred and fifty copper coins at catty, whereas the pig¡¯s head meat, trotters, and intestines were around fifty to sixty copper coins a catty. This price was definitely affordable for mostmoners. Even a normal family could afford to buy some every three to five days to sate their desire. In fact, many people who lived in nearby towns would also buy some when they were in the prefectural city to take back home to eat.


    Thus, the Yu Family¡¯s braised pig¡¯s head meat, trotters, and innards were zingly popr and people rushed to buy it. There was never enough to satisfy the demand. Furthermore, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t in the prefectural city at this time, so the Liu Family could only wait on disappointed customers every day without knowing what to do.


    Liu Junping, on the other hand, had a sharp, flexible mind. He secretly investigated all of the nearby butchers and meat vendors in the prefectural city and found out that when their business was good, they could sell around two pigs¡¯ worth of meat a day. When their business was not as good, they could still sell out one pig¡¯s worth of meat in two days. Furthermore, all of these butcher shops and meat vendors had the pig¡¯s head, trotters, and offal left over as well.


    He went back to discuss with his parents what he had discovered. The three of them came to a conclusion and Liu Hu went out with his son to make a long-term business deal with these butchers and meat vendors. At the price of three copper coins a catty, they would buy all of the pig¡¯s heads, trotters, and intestines from them. One pig had around twenty to thirty catties of meat in its head, trotters, and offal. Thus, the owners of these butcher shops and meat vendors could make an additional hundred or so copper coins in ie per pig. Why wouldn¡¯t they happily sign such a cooperative agreement?


    From then on, Liu Junping was in charge of buying and transporting these extra ingredients back to the shop. Every day, he drove the donkey cart to all of the nearby butchers and meat vendors to pick up the ingredients and was always able to get around seven to eight pigs¡¯ worth of heads, trotters, and offal.


    Preparing these ingredients wasn¡¯t an easy task. Yu Caifeng and her daughter not only had to braise food every day but also roast and smoke ducks, chickens, and geese for the shop¡¯s more high-ss offerings. They were so busy that they ran around like headless chickens every day. In order to prepare the extra pig¡¯s heads, trotters, and offal, they often worked veryte each day.


    Luckily, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t spend a long time in Dongshan Vige. When she got back, she saw that her oldest aunt and older cousin had sunken in eyes, prominent dark circles, and exhaustion carved into their bodies. Right then and there, she made the executive decision¡ª¡ªthey were going to hire a few people to be in charge of handling these hard to prepare ingredients in the future.


    Yu Xiaocao also reorganized the work at the braised food shop from top to bottom. She first personally made a big batch of braising spices and had them all ground up into a fine powder. The finished blend was then stored in arge ceramic jar. By doing this, it made it easier to weigh out the proper amount of spices needed to braise one catty of meat. That would save her the work of making more braising spices in the future.


    As for cooking the roasted duck, roasted chicken, salt-water duck, and smoked meats, Yu Xiaocao taught all of her methods to her older female cousin, Liu Yaner. These foods weren¡¯t difficult to make as long as the person doing it had a good grasp on the ingredients and controlled the heat properly. Liu Yaner was also a smart child and was quick with her hands. After half a month, most people, other than the picky old gluttons, couldn¡¯t taste the difference between the food that she had made versus the ones that Xiaocao had made. Since she was also in charge of food that they limited sales of every day, she actually didn¡¯t have to spend too much time crafting it. Thus, she spent the remaining time in the day helping to sell braised food.


    Oldest Aunt, Yu Caifeng, was in charge of braising every single type of braised food every day. There were four giant pots in the store that were simmering from dawn to dusk without rest. After Liu Junping was done bringing back the pig¡¯s heads, trotters, and offal back, he also helped his mother wash and chop the meat and light the fire. When the store was busy, he also helped with the cashier¡¯s job, weighing meat and handling money.


    Liu Hu was in charge of buying pigs in areas that weren¡¯t as badly affected by the locust gue. The pigs were ughtered at the site and then transported back to the shop. Every day he was busy from dawn until dusk. Sometimes, when he traveled a bit further than usual, he had to stay overnight ande back the next day.


    They ended up hiring two nearby matrons who had skilled hands and were willing to work hard to prepare the pig¡¯s head meat, trotters and offal. Each person got a wage of thirty copper coins a day, which was the same amount an adult man doing hardbor for a whole day could get. Both of these two matrons had somewhat difficult situations at home. One of them had a mother-inw who had to take medicine all year long, while the other woman¡¯s husband had broken his leg two years ago doing work and was still having trouble walking now.


    Although prepping the pig¡¯s heads, trotters and intestines was hard and dirty work, the most important factor was the amount of money they made. These two women didn¡¯t have the strength and endurance to do a man¡¯s hardbor, yet they could get the exact same sry doing this work. Even if they didn¡¯t want to do it, there would be many other people standing in line for this job.


    When they were picking these two to hire, Yu Xiaocao and her oldest paternal aunt¡¯s entire family secretly investigated their backgrounds for a long time. Both of these matrons were honest and simple and their families were the same. The braised food shop¡¯s business was very good and there were a lot of people eyeing it. However, when their store opened, the prefectural magistrate and the royal prince were there to show their support. Thus, those jealous people couldn¡¯t do anything at the moment. As time passed, it was more likely that they would do more behind the scenes sabotage instead.


    The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store had recipes that everyone wanted. Whether it was for the roasted chicken, roasted duck, or braised food, any of those secret methods could help someone make a fortune. Thus, as the braised food shop continued to grow, they would definitely need to hire more people. It was important that they carefully consider who to hire to avoid hiring someone who had ulterior motives.


    Next door, the Yu¡¯s Pickled Vegetable Store had also opened for business. Most of the salted and pickled vegetables in the shop were bought wholesale from Xiaojiang¡¯s pickled vegetable stand in Tanggu Town. Currently, most of the products at Xiaojiang¡¯s pickled vegetable stand were made with Xiaocao¡¯s recipes, so their taste was guaranteed to be good. In addition, Yu Xiaocao also produced a few more secret recipes for the Yu¡¯s Pickled Vegetable Store. These products were all personally made by her and all had unique vors. Not long after it was first opened, the business at the Yu¡¯s Pickled Vegetable Store was doing as well as the braised food shop.


    There were also issues with the business doing too well. Yu Xiaocao spent every day in the picked vegetable shop, weighing the vegetables and handling the money. It got to the point that her voice became hoarse from interacting with the customers and she started sounding like a duck quacking. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sound. When Madam Liu came over to the prefectural city for a visit, she also started helping out at the pickled vegetable store. Originally, she was only nning on staying one day before going back. However, she ended up spending more than half a month there helping out and was unable to leave.


    When Zhu Junyang was heading back to the capital, he stopped by the prefectural city to check up on her. At that time, Xiaocao, who originally had a small and thin face, now looked as if she didn¡¯t have an extra ounce on her. Her chin was so sharp that it looked like it could stab a person to death. Zhu Junyang felt his heart hurt seeing her like this.


    He raised his hands to his chest and was puzzled, ¡®Just when did I get an internal injury here? In the past, I never had problems with chest pangs but why is it happening so often now? That¡¯s not okay, when I get back to the capital, I need to have an imperial physician inspect me carefully. I don¡¯t want to suddenly die early.¡¯


    Zhu Junyang stood silently across the street from the Yu Family¡¯s braised food shop and pickled vegetable shop. He mutely watched as the figures inside the stores ran back and forth as if he was spellbound by the sight.


    By the time it was noon, the customers at the braised food shop and pickled vegetable shop left. Everyone working there let out a sigh of relief. Yu Xiaocao used a wet cloth to wipe her hands before she took off the flowery apron. She shook out both her arms and legs to rx.


    When she raised her head, she saw Royal Prince Yang across the street, so she hurriedly ran out of the shop and grinned in wee, ¡°Young Royal Prince, when did youe over? Come inside the residence and rest a bit ah!¡±


    Royal Prince Yang silently nodded his head and went through the main gate next to the braised food shop. The front courtyard was now very neat and tidy. There was a small tiled road in the middle of the courtyard and on both sides were gardens. One side was nted with all sorts of green vegetables while the other side was currently growing autumn vegetables. All of the nts were flourishing in the gardens. Zhu Junyang quirked up the corners of his lips, ¡®I just knew with thisss around that she wouldn¡¯t let a single inch ofnd go to waste.¡¯


    He walked in further and the main residence had osmanthus trees nted on both sides of the building. Both trees were dotted with tiny yellow flowers all throughout, resembling tiny stars. The dense, sweet fragrance of the flowers wafted throughout the main courtyard.


    As he carefully smelled the air, he detected the pungent and tantalizing aroma of meating from the inner courtyard. Zhu Junyang stopped moving and changed his direction to the small gate at the side.


    Yu Xiaocao tried to stop him, ¡°Young Royal Prince, we braise all of the meat in the inner courtyard, so it¡¯s a bit of a mess back there. How about you rest in the main courtyard ah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. This prince just wants to see just how exactly you guys braise such delicious meat. What? Are you afraid that I¡¯ll steal your secret methods?¡± Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow and nted a look from his phoenix eyes at her. A smile graced his lips that made him look devilishly handsome and vaguely seductive.


    When confronted with such a stunningly handsome man, Yu Xiaocao was almost unable to control herself and barely managed to keep the saliva from dripping out of her mouth. She chuckled dryly and then said, ¡°Your Royal Highness, if you really want the secret recipe, I will dly ¡®present it¡¯ to you with both hands!¡±


    After hearing the littless¡¯s ttering remarks, Zhu Junyang suddenly felt like the weather and surroundings were incredibly pleasing today. He deepened the smile on his lips and snorted, ¡°What would this prince do with your secret recipe? I have no interest in making small change like you are!¡±


    This was the guy who had brought back countless treasures from the western hemisphere. Every single item from the west was worth quite a bit of money. For example, the pocket watch that Zhu Junyang gifted Xiaocao was priced at five thousand taels at his Treasure Pavilion, yet they had all been sold out within half a year. The cost of buying one of these pocket watches in the west was only around a dozen taels. This meant that every item that was sold at the prince¡¯s Treasure Pavilion made a few hundred-fold in profits. There weren¡¯t many people in the capital who couldpete with Royal Prince Yang¡¯s personal wealth at this point! Inparison, the Yu Family¡¯s braised food shop made around a hundred to two hundred taels in profit every day. This wasn¡¯t a small sum, but in the eyes of the prince, it was merely ¡®small change¡¯!


    When he entered the inner courtyard, he looked through the wide open kitchen door and saw four giant pots simmering over the fire. The dense smell of meat wafted out of the room and was even able to ovee the sweet scent of the osmanthus flowers.


    After noticing Yu Caifeng and her son sweating buckets as theybored over the pots, Zhu Junyang frowned a bit and asked, ¡°Have all of you been working like this every day for all this time? With no time to rest?¡±

 Chapter 366 – Buying People

    <h4>Chapter 366 ¨C Buying People</h4>


    Looking at how much thinner her oldest paternal aunt had be, Yu Xiaocao whispered guiltily, ¡°The pickled vegetables shop is doing well. We just need one person to man the shop, and from time to time, we need to import some goods from Tanggu Town. As for the braised food shop, Oldest Aunt must braise several hundred catties of meat every day. We would help her whenever we have time, but Oldest Paternal Aunt is still the one who is the most tired...¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at Yu Xiaocao. She was already thin to begin with, but now she was as thin as a toothpick. His expression was full of anger as he said, ¡°You can just get a few more people to work in the shops. How much more would it even cost to get a few more people? Are you unwilling to spend a little extra to get more people?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and said with a bitter smile, ¡°The problem doesn¡¯t lie in the money. As you know, in our braised food business, the most valuable item is the recipe for the braised food. Since our business is booming, it will inevitably attract people with ill intentions. Therefore, my oldest paternal aunt would rather tired herself out than hire someone.¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at her as if she was an idiot, ¡° When did this prince say you should hire people? I¡¯m talking about spending some money to buy a few servants. It won¡¯t cost you a lot of money either! If you aren¡¯t willing to spend, then I will buy some and send them to you!¡±


    Buy people? The expression on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face looked as if she had just seen a ghost; she was horrified at the idea of buying human beings. Oh, right! She wasn¡¯t in the 21st century right now. In this era, the selling and buying of humans was legal. During times of disaster, the sales of children and women was verymon... After someone was bought and a life contract was signed, they would be servants of the buyer. During this era, the servants were treated harshly. Even if their owner beat them to death, the owner will bear no responsibility or suffer any consequences.


    Zhu Junyang frowned lightly as he stared at her; he didn¡¯t understand why she had such an expression on her face. He asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it. If you don¡¯t want to give them a monthly sry after buying them, then you don¡¯t have to. You can just provide them with three meals a day. Or could it be that you¡¯re not even willing to part with this little amount of money?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled embarrassedly, ¡°Do you think of me as such a stingy person? Money isn¡¯t the problem, it¡¯s just...I never expected that my family would be the ones to buy people one day.¡±


    Zhu Junyang reprimanded her gently and said, ¡°Look at how unconfident you are! This prince will send you a few maidservantster! In the future, when your business grows bigger, how can you manage everything by yourself? It¡¯s better to train some helpers early on!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Young Royal Prince is good at thoroughly examining the situation and thinking about the future. Thank you for reminding me! This little one will go to the kitchen and make a few delicious dishes to thank you...¡± Yu Xiaocao put on an appeasing expression on her face.


    Zhu Junyang poked her forehead lightly with his finger. He jokingly scolded her, ¡°Naughty girl! I won¡¯t be having my lunch here. I need to stop by the prefectural yamen!¡±


    ¡°Then...this little one won¡¯t dy Young Royal Prince any longer. When you return from the capital, this little one will free up some time and make you Buddha Jumps Over the Wall again to thank you for your favor!¡± Xiaocao acted like the pce eunuch in old pce dramas; she smoothed out her sleeves and bowed to him.


    Head Steward Liu¡¯s mouth twitched at the scene. If Miss Yu was a guy, she would definitely be able to make a name for herself if she entered the pce as a eunuch. Her expression and portrayal of pce eunuchs was perfect. Could it be that she had learned these thingsst time when she was summoned to the pce for the young imperial prince? Miss Yu was truly odd. She was a youngdy, but instead of learning from the way the pce maids and the imperial concubines acted, she learned these useless things.


    There were a lot of people present when he ate Buddha Jumps Over the Wallst time, so there wasn¡¯t enough for everyone. This was especially true for Great Schr Yuan, who acted like a hungry ghost. He scrambled around madly to rob people¡¯s food, regardless of the other party¡¯s identity. When he got back to the capital, he must visit Prime Minister Yuan and tell him that no matter how difficult their family situation was, he couldn¡¯t treat his father so harshly! With Great Schr Yuan, that old gluttonous foodie present, how could he have an enjoyable meal? Therefore, Zhu Junyang was very happy about how ¡®tactful¡¯ Yu Xiaocao was being. He was so happy that even his footsteps became lighter.


    In the afternoon, business was so busy that they didn¡¯t even have time to rest. When it was time for dinner, everyone was so tired from working that they had no appetite. They just boiled a pot of noodles, got some braised meat and pickled vegetables from the store, and ate a simple dinner. It had only been three months since the grand opening of their shops, but Yu Xiaocao could see that everyone had lost a lot of weight. They had to be on their feet from morning to night, performing high-intensity physicalbor that even Iron Man couldn¡¯t do! She was more resolute on her decision to buy a few people!


    ¡°Shopkeeper Yu, is Miss Yu here?¡± She had just put down her bowl, when a stranger¡¯s voice could be heard from the front courtyard. Yu Hai had returned to Dongshan Vige, so Yu Xiaocao could only reinvigorate herself and drag her tired body to the front courtyard.


    The man was dressed in an indigo robe and had a goatee on his shrewd face. When he saw Yu Xiaocao, he smiled and said, ¡°Miss Yu, I wonder if you remember this humble servant? This humble servant is a steward working for the prefectural magistrate.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao revealed a surprised expression, no wonder this man seemed familiar. She had seen him when he handed over the shop. This man was originally the shopkeeper for a shop owned by the prefectural magistrate. If she recalled correctly, his surname was Xu.


    ¡°So it turned out to be Shopkeeper Xu! It¡¯s already quitete, why did the prefectural magistrate send you here?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked politely as she secretly pondered over his motive foring here.


    When Shopkeeper Xu stepped to the side, Yu Xiaocao noticed that there were two men and two women standing behind him. Yu Xiaocao appeared even more confused as she looked at Shopkeeper Xu with a puzzled expression.


    Shopkeeper Xu finally revealed his motive foring here as he deepened his smile and said, ¡°This afternoon, the royal prince came to my master¡¯s estate to inquire about the most well-known trafficker matron in the city. He said he wanted to buy a few people! This family of four was personally chosen by Royal Prince Yang for you. The older two are a couple, and they have two children. The husband is thirty-three years old and the wife is thirty-one years old. Their older daughter is fifteen years old and the younger son is thirteen years old. Royal Prince Yang has already investigated their background; they have a clean background. They¡¯re used to hardbor and can endure hardships. Try to use them first, and if you feel that they¡¯re unsuitable, then you can just sell them off. He will pick a few useful ones from Prince Jing¡¯s Estate...¡±


    For Royal Prince Yang to treat the Yu Family with such kindness by personally helping them pick out a few people, it seemed that the Yu Family held an important ce in Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eyes. The prefectural magistrate told him they must have a good rtionship with the Yu Family, and they mustn¡¯t slight them.


    While Shopkeeper Xu was speaking, Yu Xiaocao had been observing the family standing behind him. Although the man wasn¡¯t tall, he looked like an honest man with good strength. The woman also had an honest expression on her face as she stood there with her head down and hands slightly shaking. The little girl had a nice appearance. Her eyes were crystal clear, but her hands were rough. At first nce, it seemed like she was ustomed to hard work andbor. The thirteen year old boy was almost the same height as his father, he also appeared honest and simple.


    ¡°Can you tell me why you would sell yourselves?¡± Selling themselves meant that they would be second ss citizens for their entire life. They had to obey other people¡¯smands. In addition, their grandchildren and future generations cannot participate in the imperial examinations. This was equivalent to burying the future of their future generations...


    The man stepped forward and replied, ¡°My name is Huang Dachui. We lived in Linda Vige, which is more than fifty kilometers south of the prefectural city. Originally, our family had ten mu of poornd, so we were able to barely make ends meet. But this spring, a steward working for Old Master Wang in our vige had taken a fancy to my daughter and asked her to be his concubine. We were unwilling, so he found a group of local ruffians to destroy our house. The ruffians had beat my father until he was seriously hurt, and my mother is now bedridden from anger. Last year was a disaster year, and my family endured until spring with much difficulty. But who would¡¯ve thought we would encounter such trouble! In order to treat my parent¡¯s illness, I sold all thend that my family owned. However, my father and mother still didn¡¯t make it. After taking care of my parents¡¯ funeral, I took my family to the prefectural city to rely on some rtives and to avoid the steward from the Wang Family. When we arrived here, we found out that our rtives¡¯ family had moved away. The steward from the Wang Family brought a group of people and chased after us...we didn¡¯t have any choice, so we decided to sell ourselves...¡±


    Huang Dachui was ashamed that he was unable to protect his family and also for making this decision.


    ¡°Father! It¡¯s all Daughter¡¯s fault for causing the downfall of the whole family. Daughter is willing to be Steward Wang¡¯s concubine...¡± The girl¡¯s delicate and pretty face was filled with tears. The rims of her eyes were red, and her fists were clenched tightly.


    ¡°Shut up! How many times have I told you not to mention this matter again! None of Steward Wang¡¯s concubines had a good ending! If a father sold off his daughter to save his life, is he still considered to be a human?¡± Huang Dachui frowned and appeared mournful.


    The young girl looked at her younger brother who was slightly taller than her and cried, ¡°But if we sell ourselves, then Younger Brother can¡¯t continue studying. Younger Brother¡¯s teacher said that he is very talented. If he continued studying hard, then he might even be able to receive a high rank in the imperial examination! I don¡¯t want to ruin my brother¡¯s future because of my selfishness!¡±


    ¡°Sister! Don¡¯t talk about it anymore. Haven¡¯t we discussed this before? Do you think I¡¯ll be able to feel at ease if I used your life to exchange for my future? I don¡¯t want that kind of future!¡± No wonder the young boy¡¯s hands were less calloused, and his skin was much fairer than his family¡¯s. It turned out that he had been studying for a few years!


    Yu Xiaocao carefully observed the family for a while and realized that the people the Young Royal Prince had selected were quite reliable. She was finally able to cut in their conversation, ¡°Why don¡¯t you...discuss the matter again as a family and then give me a definite answer?¡±


    Huang Dachui¡¯s son looked at her firmly and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for further discussion. We have been bought by your family and we have already signed the ve contract. In the future, our family will be your servants. You can use us as you please!¡±


    Shopkeeper Xu hurriedly delivered the ve contract to her and said, ¡°The seller said that these people haven¡¯t been trained yet. They don¡¯t know how to properly speak or do things ording to the rules, how about...let me send them back and find a few people that are more suitable for you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took the contracts and shook her head gently, ¡°There¡¯s no need! They are good enough! Listen, my family doesn¡¯t have many rules, but we need people with good character, capable of working, and listens well! If you work honestly, then we definitely won¡¯t maltreat you. If you steal or act dishonestly, then I can only apologize and ask you to return from where you came from!¡±


    The four people listened and promised that they would work hard. Shopkeeper Xu¡¯s mission waspleted, so he left first.


    ¡°Huang Dachui, I want you to follow my father first and get used to the process. In the future, I will leave the job of transporting things from Dongshan Vige to you! Dachui¡¯s wife, I want you to follow my oldest paternal aunt and help her out with her chores. Huang Xiaomei, you can follow me and work at the pickled vegetables shop!¡±


    ¡°...Young...Young Miss, what about me?¡± Huang Xiaohu asked softly.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at him and said, ¡°My younger brother had just passed the county-level exams this year. He doesn¡¯t have a book boy. In two days, I will bring you to Tanggu Town. But, I don¡¯t know if Rongxuan Academy allows their students to bring their own book boy.

 Chapter 367 – Determination

    <h4>Chapter 367 ¨C Determination</h4>


    Huang Xiaohu was excited. His master turned out to be a county official! He was even a student studying at Rongxuan Academy! If he was a book boy for his young master, wouldn¡¯t he be able to stand on the side and listen to the lectures at Rongxuan Academy? Rongxuan Academy was a ce that all students from all around the world yearned to study at. He didn¡¯t expect that he would receive such a great honor to listen to a lecture at Rongxuan Academy!


    But his eyes suddenly dimmed again. So, what if he could go to Rongxuan Academy and listen to their lectures? He had sold himself off as a ve. There was no way he could take the imperial exams and gain schrly honor for the rest of his life.


    Yu Xiaocao seemed to know what he was thinking and said softly, ¡°If your family works hard, then I will try to find a method to restore Xiaohu¡¯s status if he intends to take the imperial examinations in the future!¡±


    The four people of the Huang Family were not stupid. They clearly understood the meaning behind the young miss¡¯s words. If they could satisfy the young miss through their hard work, then the youngdy would never treat them badly. Huang Dachui nced at the ten big pots of braised food in the rear court. Although Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store had just opened three months ago, even he had heard of how delicious and fragrant their braised food was.


    The most important thing for making braised food was the secret recipe. Since they were bought by them, that meant they will probably find out the secret recipe for the braised food. In short, this meant that there was a slim chance their masters would release them. However, their son would be able to follow the Yu Family¡¯s son to Rongxuan Academy as a book boy to study. If they could win the appreciation of their masters, then the best oue would be that their young son will recover his status and continue his dream of studying.


    They were bought by the royal prince from the prefectural magistrate, which meant that the royal prince and the prefectural magistrate were backing this shop! The young miss appeared to be around ten years old. Her younger brother was able to pass the county level imperial exam at such a young age, and he was even studying at Rongxuan Academy which had produced many top scorers and second cers in the imperial exams. His future achievements were boundless. As long as they weremitted to their duties and stayed loyal, then their younger son¡¯s future wouldn¡¯t be worse off than right now as long as he studied hard.


    Huang Dachui was an honest and considerate man, but he wasn¡¯t wooden or inarticte. His heart was full of excitement as he took in a deep breath and determinedly said, ¡°Young Miss, please be at ease. We definitely will live up to your trust and benevolence!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took in their expressions and was very satisfied with his response. She smiled slightly and said, ¡°Your family can live in the rear side building in the back. The rear side building is separated in the middle. The west side is where we process the raw materials and it also functions as a warehouse. You can choose one of the three rooms on the east side and live there! Oh right, you still haven¡¯t eaten lunch yet. Put your things down ande eat first!¡±


    Huang Dachui took his wife and children through a small door in the east and arrived at the rear side building. He selected the room closest to the east side and put their spare clothes on the kang bed inside the room. The room was very simple; there was only a kang bed, a wooden table, and two small round stools. An empty wooden box was ced at the end of the kang bed. It was probably used for storing clothes.


    Seeing his wife and children¡¯s overcautious expressions, Huang Dachui felt his heart constrict for them. He felt that he needed to remind his wife and children, ¡°In the future, we will be the servants of this family. We must adhere strictly to the rules when we talk or do things. What our seller said was very reasonable; the most important thing is to stay loyal to our masters and not give in to greed. We need to work hard and fulfill the duties that our masters give us. We definitely won¡¯t be used to it at first, but you must remember to do more than you talk. You need to know what you¡¯re doing!¡±


    Dachui¡¯s wife nodded her head honestly. Huang Xiaomei smiled excitedly and said, ¡°Father, I understand what you just said! The young miss also said, as long as we work hard and satisfy our masters, then Younger Brother can continue to study. Perhaps one day, he might be able to receive schrly honors and bring honor to our ancestors! Father, you can be at ease! I won¡¯t drag my younger brother down!¡±


    Huang Xiaohu¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. He sniffed his nose and said, ¡°Father, actually...I don¡¯t mind if I¡¯m able to study or not. You need to act within your strengths, I don¡¯t want you to work until you¡¯re exhausted because of me!¡±


    Huang Dachui walked over, patted his son¡¯s shoulder gently, and said, ¡°The young miss has already assigned us our tasks. The tasks are less tiring than the bitter hardbor in town. You can rest assured. Our master¡¯s family doesn¡¯t seem to be the type that would mistreat their servants. Our family is rtively lucky! You should rx your mind and just serve their young master well! Come, let¡¯s not make our masters wait for us!¡±


    When they returned to the rear courtyard, a pot of braised meat had just been served. The thick, fragrant scent of the meat entered their noses. Huang Dachui, who usually had good self-control, couldn¡¯t help but secretly swallow his saliva from the delicious scent. It was very fragrant; the rumors were indeed true!


    Huang Xiaomei quickly stepped forward to help Yu Caifeng when she saw Yu Caifeng exiting the kitchen with a pot of freshly braised meat. The two carried arge pot of braised meat to the front of the store. Yu Xiaocao secretly nodded her head when she saw this scene as she exited the kitchen carrying food.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat! It¡¯ste, so there¡¯s not much left. I had just taken some food from the store, so please bear with it for now!¡± There were two dishes; one te was braised seaweed with firm tofu and the other one was a tter of sliced braised pig head¡¯s meat and offal. The steamed buns were made from corn and white flour. Each steamed bun was asrge as an adult man¡¯s fist, and there were around a dozen of them on the table.


    Huang Dachui hurriedly received the food from her hand and said in a terrified tone, ¡°How can we make our young miss serve us food? You could¡¯ve just ordered Xiaomei¡¯s mother to go get the food!


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Let me do it!¡± Xiaomei¡¯s mother responded immediately.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head at her and revealed a soothing smile, ¡°There is also a te of braised food in the kitchen that is already sliced. The steamed buns are in the basket next to it. You can bring them out and serve it together! Most of the pots are being used, so there¡¯s no soup. I will have to wrong you guys by making you guys drink water for this meal!¡±


    ¡°This is already very good!¡± Xiaomei¡¯s mother went into the kitchen for a moment, but she only came out with a basket of steamed buns. She didn¡¯t dare touch the te of braised food because in her opinion, such fragrant braised food was not something people like them could eat. If she had taken the dish meant for her master¡¯s family, then wasn¡¯t it ckening her son¡¯s future?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there another dish? Why didn¡¯t you bring it out together?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked casually.


    Xiaomei¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°That...that te of meat...is for us?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and said to Xiaohu, ¡°Yes! Xiaohu, go and bring the dish out!¡±


    The te piled high with braised food left a trail of fragrant and enticing aroma as it was taken from the kitchen and ced on the stone table in the courtyard. The four people in the Huang Family felt their saliva secretion speeding up. They could no longer swallow their saliva fast enough.


    Huang Dachui rubbed his hands together and said in embarrassment, ¡°This te of food is quite costly, so it¡¯s a waste if you give it to us to eat. Young Miss, we can just eat vegetarian dishes. Isn¡¯t it best if we leave this te of meat to sell?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sliced the meat into pieces, how will I be able to sell it still? Let¡¯s consider this dish as our weing gift to you. Come and eat, you¡¯ll need to workter!¡±


    Huang Xiaomei knew at first nce that the young miss had a pleasant personality. After she heard the young miss¡¯s exnation, she hurriedly put a steamed bun on her father¡¯s and younger brother¡¯s tes. She even helped them pick some meat to put on their te. She said to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Young Miss, this steamed bun is very beautiful. It has a golden color and it emits a slight fragrant scent. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s made with bean meal.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s made from a mixture of cornmeal and white flour!¡±


    ¡°Cornmeal?¡± Huang Xiaomei pulled apart the steamed bun and sniffed the insides gently. Her face was full of confusion.


    ¡°Yes, Royal Prince Yang from the imperial court brought some corn seeds from the west. My family nted a few acres of corn seed, and the harvest was bountiful. After handing the seeds over to the imperial court, we still had some left. So, we just ground it and made it into cornmeal. We use the cornmeal to make steamed buns and porridges; the taste is pretty good. You guys eat, I¡¯m going to the pickle shop to take a look.¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that if she stayed, then the family would feel ufortable, so she used an excuse to leave.


    They waited until Yu Xiaocao¡¯s figure disappeared from the view. Huang Xiaomei excitedly took a big bite of the steamed bun and chewed it carefully. She didn¡¯t even wait until she swallowed it before she said, ¡°It¡¯s delicious! It¡¯s more fragrant and delicious than the steamed buns we made from white flour for the New Years! Father, Mother, try it!¡±


    Huang Xiaohu picked up the steamed bun and looked left and right. He muttered to himself, ¡°Corn? Our master¡¯s family is truly generous to use something as expensive as corn to make steamed buns!¡±


    Huang Dachui thought about it for a while and said, ¡°These must be the food our masters eat. Since we arrived here so suddenly, they probably had no time to prepare.¡±


    Xiaomei¡¯s mother said, ¡°Husband, is it appropriate for us to eat the food our masters eat?¡±


    Huang Xiaomei picked up a piece of braised pork belly and put it in her mouth. It was so delicious that she almost cried. After she swallowed the food in her mouth, she smiled and said, ¡°How is it not appropriate? This is the food the young miss rewarded us! I heard that in big households, the masters reward their leftovers to their servant girls and senior servants! Xiaohu, try this. It¡¯s so soft and fragrant!¡±


    After hearing what her daughter had said, Huang Dachui finally rxed. He picked up arge piece of pig head meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. His daughter wasn¡¯t lying, it was delicious! No wonder the Yu Family¡¯s business was so good!


    ¡°Father, the young miss is very generous. Just one te of braised meat could be sold for quite a sum of money, yet she rewarded it to us! It seems that we shouldn¡¯t worry too unnecessarily. Our master is a good person!¡± With just one meal, Yu Xiaocao was able to win over Huang Xiaomei¡¯s heart. She decided to work hard for her master¡¯s family!


    Xiaomei¡¯s mother ate some braised food and braised seaweed with firm tofu. She chewed the food carefully and sighed. She said softly, ¡°This meal is even better than our family¡¯s New Year¡¯s meal! There are vegetables, meat, and even rice! The rice is not coarse. Is this our blessing?¡±


    Yu Caifeng came out of the kitchen and overheard Xiaomei¡¯s mother¡¯s words. She smiled and said, ¡°What are you saying? Rest assured, as long as you work hard, your days will only be better!¡±


    The young miss had introduced this woman who was wearing a strange smock earlier. She was the young miss¡¯s aunt. All the delicious braised food from the shop was made by her.


    They stood up and greeted her. After she left, Huang Dachui said to his wife, ¡°In the future, when you work under the aunt, you must be diligent. You need to rush to do all the dirty and tiring jobs. When the aunt is making braised food, don¡¯t go into the kitchen unless she tells you to! Don¡¯t talk about the braised food recipe. What¡¯s more, don¡¯t even think about stealing their recipe. Do you understand?¡±


    Seeing how solemn and serious her husband appeared, Xiaomei¡¯s mother nodded her head and said, ¡°Husband, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask or even mention the secret recipe!¡±


    After they finished eating supper, Xiaomei¡¯s mother cleaned the dishes and brought the clean dishes back into the kitchen. There was a burst of noise from the side gate. Liu Hu and his son had butchered a pig and carried it in.

 Chapter 368 – Crybaby

    <h4>Chapter 368 ¨C Crybaby</h4>


    ¡°Xiaocao, these people are...¡± When Liu Hu entered, he noticed the Huang Family of four, so he was a bit perplexed.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at him, ¡°The young royal prince saw that we¡¯ve been extremely busy and sent us some helpers over. These people will reside in the small residence in the back. Uncle, let¡¯s first have Huang Dachui follow you around for a few days. When he bes familiar with the route, you can give the task of buying and ughtering pigs to him. Our shop should also have a head manager around to handle issues!¡±


    Huang Dachui already called over his son and they both went up to start preparing the live pigs that Liu Hu and his son were working on. Liu Hu gestured with his head towards the horse cart outside, hinting that they should bring it to the back.


    Liu Hu observed that Huang Dachui looked honest and hardworking and was also very strong. He chuckled, ¡°Oh ho, our little boss gave me a promotion ah! From a procurer of goods to the head manager. I need to do my job well, otherwise I won¡¯t be able to live up to our little boss¡¯s expectations!¡±


    Yu Caifengughed and leveled a re at him, ¡°Are there any other elders like you ah? Stop speaking so much nonsense!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao started giggling, ¡°Uncle, what you said is wrong! This braised food shop is the cooperation between our two families, so you are also considered one of the bosses. Doing the head manager¡¯s work is only natural!¡±


    These words were said for the sake of the Huang Family. Before they bought servants, their stores were considered family businesses and they took care of everything. Now they had to make it clear to the four members of the Huang Family who was considered an owner and manager to make sure they were respected properly.


    Her uncle was in charge of Huang Dachui and his son, who were both working very hard. From time to time, he would give them some pointers. Yu Xiaocao turned her attention to Huang Xiaomei, who was cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m going to tell you the prices of all of the pickled vegetables and you need to memorize them. In the future, you¡¯ll be in charge of selling pickled vegetables...do you know how to do arithmetic?¡±


    Huang Xiaomei was two steps behind Yu Xiaocao and blindly followed her as she nodded her head, ¡°I know how. My father taught me how to use the abacus.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at her in surprise. There weren¡¯t a lot of girls who knew how to use the abacus! In a moment, when there were more customers in the store, she nned on testing this girl¡¯s ability.


    ¡°Half a catty of beans brined in wine and a catty of sweet and crispy radishes will be a total of thirty-eight copper coins. Take good care, and if you think the food is good, feel free toe back next time!¡± It wasn¡¯t a busy time in the store right now, so Madam Liu was able to handle the flow of customers by herself. After two years of practice, Madam Liu¡¯s gentle personality had been worked on and now she was an old hand at calcting totals.


    Yu Xiaocao poured a cup of water for her mother and gave it to her as she smiled, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s been hard on you! You should go into the residence to rest a bit, Xiaomei and I will take over for you!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing hard about this type of work. All I have to do is weigh out the pickled vegetables and handle the money. The tall chairs here in the shop are pretty good. When there¡¯s no one around, I can sit around and rest my legs. It¡¯s quitefortable! Oh right, the shop¡¯s sweet and crispy radishes and pickled cabbage are very popr, so the vats are almost empty. The next time your fatheres over to transport goods, have him bring two more vats over from Tanggu Town!¡± Madam Liu was quite used to managing businesses now and was able to think for herself.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at every single vat of pickled vegetable in the store and nodded her head, ¡°It¡¯s not only the sweet and crispy radishes. The marinated cucumbers, garlic pickled in sugar, and assorted pickled vegetables are all running low! It¡¯s too hard for Father to go back and forth between Tanggu Town and the prefectural city every day! If it was summer, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up. How about...we hire someone from the vige to help? What do you think?¡±


    Xiaocao originally nned on having Huang Dachui take over her father¡¯s job, but when she saw that the shops here needed a person to personally manage them, she changed her ns. It looked like they still didn¡¯t have enough people to help out so they needed to hire one more person.


    Madam Liu thought for a bit and then said, ¡°Yangfan¡¯s wife once told me that your Uncle Yangfan had been fired by his previous boss and was looking for some suitable work. When I go back, I can ask if he¡¯s willing to do this job.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Uncle Yangfan is an honest person and he works very hard! If he¡¯s willing to do the job, we can give him a sry of eight hundred copper coins a month.¡± The two matrons who were helping out in the back to clean and prepare the pig¡¯s head meat, trotters and offal got around twenty copper coins a day, so eight hundred copper coins a month...shouldn¡¯t be too little, right?


    Huang Xiaomei¡¯s eyes were wide open in shock and her mouth opened and closed a few times. Yu Xiaocao asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? If you want to say something, just say it. No need to stay quiet!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a monthly sry of eight hundred copper coins a month a little too high? My father had once worked in town helping to do work for someone and only got around four hundred to five hundred copper coins a month.¡± Huang Xiaomei thought that the young miss was being a bit too generous.


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then said, ¡°Eight hundred copper coins a month isn¡¯t considered too much. After all, he has to travel regardless of what the weather is like. Transporting goods isn¡¯t an easy job. Xiaomei, your family will also get a sry. If you guys do well, you¡¯ll also get a bonus at the end of the year.¡±


    In the capital, her godmother¡¯s head maidservants received a sry of eight maces a month and the junior maids got three maces a month. The Huang Family had just started, so they would each get three hundred copper coins a month for now!


    A look of surprise crossed Huang Xiaomei¡¯s face. She had previously thought that since her whole family had been bought as servants, they could only do what the masters told them too. Since they were all considered the master¡¯s people, they couldn¡¯t even receive a sry! She never would have thought that even she could earn three hundred copper coins a month as sry! The young miss was truly too generous and kind hearted. However, the young miss didn¡¯t discuss this with the master, so would the master be angry when he found out they were going to get paid each month?


    ¡°Young Miss, we¡¯re servants that were bought by your family. Are we really able to get paid too?¡± Huang Xiaomei couldn¡¯t help but give her a reminder.


    Yu Xiaocao gently nodded her head and stated, ¡°All of you will be doing work, so naturally you will all get paid! Don¡¯t think of yourselves as a lower status. Have you seen the servants and stewards of the rich and wealthy? Although they are also servants, they are all incredibly proud and arrogant! That Steward Wang, who was trying to force you, wasn¡¯t he just waving around his master¡¯s power and status for his own benefit ah? What does that Wang Family have anyway? They just have a little extra bit of stinky money that they used to bribe a few officials and yamen, that¡¯s all. Nothing to be impressed with! In the future, we¡¯ll open more branches of our braised food and pickled vegetable shop in the prefectural city and the capital. At that point, we don¡¯t even have to consider Steward Wang, even the Wang Family themselves will being over to fawn over us!¡±


    Eh? How did the conversation get more off topic the more she talked? Regardless, everything she said was the truth. There was nothing special about the Wang Family. If they dared toe over to cause trouble, the prefectural yamen was just across the street and they were no pushovers! That being said, apparently the prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife¡¯s 40th birthday celebration was the day after tomorrow. She needed to prepare some roasted ducks and roasted chickens for it.


    The prefectural magistrate had made it obvious that her family was under his protection. Although he was only doing this for the sake of Royal Prince Yang, she couldn¡¯t just take his good will for granted. She heard that the prefectural magistrate had originally nned on holding his wife¡¯s birthday celebration at Zhenxiu Restaurant. Unfortunately, Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s poprity had been sky high and he wasn¡¯t able to reserve enough tables there. Thus, he could only invite a chef over to his own residence to hold the banquet there instead.


    Tomorrow, she needed to inquire the prefectural magistrate¡¯s head steward just how many tables they were having. Then, the day after tomorrow, she needed to work a bit harder. She wanted to give them a roasted duck and chicken for each table. Was that enough to show her gratitude? Perhaps she also needed to personally make a cake for the prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife too?


    Yu Xiaocao was just considering how to best return this debt of hers when a carriage stopped right in front of the Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store. Two charming girls around the age of fourteen to fifteen stepped down.


    ¡°Oh my! This is the store that our young miss opened? It smells so good ah! It¡¯s truly the work of our young miss.¡± The young woman who was clothed in green raised her head to look at the sign at the front of the store and cheerfully bbered.


    Next to her was a young woman dressed in pink who red at her, ¡°Yangliu, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop chattering so much about everything! We are currently the personal maidservants of our young miss, so we need to be more steady and not lose face for our master!¡±


    Yangliu grinned at her and her eyes suddenlynded at the pickled vegetable shop behind the other girl. Her eyes opened wide when she saw Xiaocao, who was wearing an apron, bustling around the shop. She yelled in surprise, ¡°Yingtao, look! Isn¡¯t that our young miss ah? The Yu¡¯s Pickled Vegetable Store. Every time I eat pickled vegetables that our young miss has made, I can eat an extra two bowls of congee!¡±


    Yingtao scolded her in amusement, ¡°You¡¯re such an embarrassment!¡±


    She followed Yangliu¡¯s line of sight and, when she saw the familiar face, Yingtao also couldn¡¯t stay calm. She immediately forgot that she was previously scolding Yangliu for not being steady as she lifted her skirts to run inside. She leaned over the counter to yell in a voice full of emotion, ¡°Young Miss!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lifted her head and saw Yingtao standing there, holding back tears. She was a bit bbergasted, ¡°Yingtao? Yangliu? When did you guyse over to the prefectural city?? Did Godmothere over too?¡±


    Yingtao used a handkerchief to wipe the tears of her face as she replied in a voice that slightly trembled, ¡°Mdy didn¡¯te...Young Miss, you¡¯re so cruel. You left us servants back at the residence and haven¡¯t even asked about us. It¡¯s been more than a few months since you left. We are your maidservants for a reason. In the future, wherever you go, we will go too!¡±


    When their young miss left the capital, she didn¡¯t bring a single maidservant along. This caused them, her personal maidservants, to guard an empty courtyard while earning their wages. The other maids, who weren¡¯t previously chosen to be personal maids, always came around to say some sour remarks. They imed that the young miss disdained them and that the young miss couldn¡¯t refuse thedy¡¯s good intentions, so she left without them. Furthermore, they opined that they weren¡¯t sure whether they could keep their positions the next time the young miss came back to the capital! If it wasn¡¯t for Linglonging over often to supervise the courtyard and harshly scolding those other maids, they probably would have had to endure a lot more criticism!


    Thest time the general came back to the capital, he mentioned that Xiaocao had opened a store in the prefectural city and was so busy that she ran around all day and had gotten significantly thinner. He rmended that his wife send a few people over to help her. Yingtao and Yangliu voluntarily came out to take on this task to go to the prefectural city to help their young miss. Yingtao had previously gone with her young miss to the Imperial ntations and had described everything that had happened there to the other maids. Everyone was envious that she was able to go there with the young miss. This time, if she didn¡¯t strike first to grab the position, she might not be able to go to the prefectural city. Yangliu had also been chosen to go because she had talent in cooking and had learned a few recipes from their young miss. Thedy loved the young miss and decided to have Yangliu be in charge of her daughter¡¯s food and drink, while Yingtao was in charge of everything else...


    ¡°Alright ah! Look at you, you¡¯re sobbing just like a little crybaby. If you keep crying like that, you won¡¯t be pretty anymore! Quickly wipe those tears!¡± Yu Xiaocao was also very happy to see Yingtao and Yangliu.


    Yingtao suppressed her emotions and wiped the tears off her face. She noticed that there was a young girl behind Yu Xiaocao and had a bad premonition, ¡°Young Miss, who is she ah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a servant that Young Miss bought!¡± Huang Xiaomei regarded Yingtao and Yangliu with unabashed curiosity. Both of these young women were dressed in such beautiful clothing and they had silver ornaments in their hair and silver bracelets on their wrists. In fact, they were dressed more grandly than the Wang Family¡¯s young miss. The thing she found most surprising was that these two called themselves servants in front of the young miss. Were they, two girls dressed more beautifully and with more jewelry than the young miss herself, truly servants of the young miss?


    When Yingtao heard this, her emotions overtook her and tears gushed out of her eyes again, ¡°Young Miss! Do you really want to throw us away? You would rather buy a maid than bring us along with you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wanted to p her head in exasperation. She never knew that Yingtao, who always looked lively and cheerful, was actually a crybaby. She exined somewhat tiredly, ¡°Xiaomei was given to me by Royal Prince Yang. I¡¯m training her so that she can take over the pickled vegetable store in the future. Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no one here who will try to take over your duties!¡±

 Chapter 369 – Adding Color

    <h4>Chapter 369 ¨C Adding Color</h4>


    After finding out that Xiaomei wasn¡¯t going to be the young miss¡¯s personal maidservant, the feeling of crisis within Yingtao¡¯s rxed by more than a half. She wiped the tears off her face and asked, ¡°Young Miss, did you also give Xiaomei her name too? She also has a name rted to trees [1]!¡±


    When Yingtao and the rest of the personal maids got promoted, they all asked their young miss to give them names. Yu Xiaocao felt that her own name [2] was based off of a tenacious nt, so she also decided to give nt-based names to her personal maids. Thus, the names were: Yingtao (cherry), Pipa (loquat), Yangliu (willow), and Wutong (Chinese parasol tree). Of the names, two of them were rted to fruit-bearing trees and two were rted to wood-bearing trees. In fact, all of the names given to her maids seemed a lot more elegant than her own...


    Yu Xiaocao refuted her guess, ¡°No, Xiaomei was a name given to her by her parents...you two must be tired after sitting so long in the carriage ah! Make sure to rest well today and prepare yourselves. You guys will probably be very busy tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!¡±


    Yangliu somewhat timidly stated, ¡°Young Miss, do you want us to help you make braised food? Although this servant had learned a few dishes from Young Miss while we were at the general¡¯s residence, my skills are nowhere near as good as your own. However, I will definitely do my best to learn and get better!¡±


    Yingtao seemed to have set her sights on Xiaomei and stared at the other girl tantly, as if she was trying to skewer her. She thought for a bit and then said, ¡°I¡¯m not very good at cooking, so I shouldn¡¯t help in the back kitchen with the food. Usually, this servant manages Young Miss¡¯s monthly finances and her clothes, so sums are no difficulty to me. I personally volunteer to help out at the pickled vegetable store!¡±


    At first, Yu Xiaocao took Yingtao¡¯s request at face value and felt that since Xiaomei was new to everything, having Yingtao helping out was a good thing. Thus, she also agreed to Yingtao¡¯s request.


    Prior to dinnertime, the business at the Yu Family¡¯s two stores became hopping again. With Meizi¡¯s mother watching the fourrge braising pots in the back, Yu Caifeng was a lot more free now. She noticed that Liu Yaner was incredibly busy at the shop front, so she went to the counter to also help receive customers.


    Although the business at the pickled vegetable shop was not as popr as the braised food shop, there was also a continuous line of customers there. The orders all asked for half a catty of this and a catty of that. At first, Xiaomei was a bit frazzled from the work, butter on she became more and more familiar with the flow of work in the store. Her abacus was soon cking without stopping.


    However, the person next to her seemed to want to join in on the fun. Every time Xiaomei was just about to finish her calctions on the abacus, that person already stated the total to the customer. That person was Yingtao.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s n was to let Huang Xiaomei practice for a few days. Once Xiaomei had a good grasp on how the business at the pickled vegetable store worked, then she could work independently. At first, she was just observing how Xiaomei¡¯s calcting skills were. Although Huang Xiaomei¡¯s ability at doing arithmetic in her head was on the poorer side, she was a skilled hand at using the abacus and very rarely had errorse up. As long as she continued to practice, Xiaocao would be able to hand the store¡¯s daily affairs to her and go off to do other needed tasks.


    However, the girl Yingtao seemed to be purposely making it more difficult for Huang Xiaomei. The maid showed off her skills at calcting sums in her head, which she had learned from the young miss, and never gave Huang Xiaomei the chance to reach the answer on her own. After this happened a few times, Huang Xiaomei started to get angry. She could also tell that this maid, who was dressed in clothing that was more fancy and beautiful than the young miss, was targeting her on purpose!


    ¡°Just what are you trying to do?¡± Huang Xiaomei took advantage of a time when the shop didn¡¯t have any customers and turned around to confront Yingtao somewhat heatedly. Yingtao had an innocent look on her face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong ah? I¡¯m just helping out in the store like the young miss said I could! You¡¯re too slow at using the abacus and there were so many people in the store. Isn¡¯t it right that I help you calcte the totals ah?¡±


    ¡°If you were sincerely trying to help me, you could help with weighing out the pickled vegetables or handling the money and change...I admit that you are faster at calcting the total than I am, but I am only starting out at this type of business. Practice makes perfect and with familiarity you learn the trick. Don¡¯t you understand this type of reasoning?¡± Huang Xiaomei was barely able to restrain her desire to rush up to Yingtao¡¯s face and rip off that innocent expression. She was definitely doing this on purpose, a hundred percent!


    Yingtao quirked up an eyebrow. It was as if the angrier Xiaomei got, the happier she felt. She arrogantly replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t bring a change of old clothing over. This set of autumn clothing was just made at the residence. If I got it dirty and needed to apany young miss somewhere, I can¡¯t possibly wear dirty clothing and shame her right? So, I can only stand far away. However, I can¡¯t just stand here and do nothing, so I can only help you calcte the sums. Who would have thought you wouldn¡¯t be grateful? Truly a waste of my good intentions!¡±


    In terms of arguing, how could Huang Xiaomei be her opponent? Within a moment, she became so angry that her entire face turned red and tears of frustration welled up in her eyes. She managed to restrain her emotions as she angrily red at Yingtao.


    Yingtao delicately patted her lips with the handkerchief in her hands and acted out a surprised expression, ¡°Oh my, oh my! I¡¯m doing my best to help, yet you resent me for this? Are you going to be a tattletale and tell on me to the young miss? Although I haven¡¯t spent a long time with the young miss, I still have a closer rtionship than someone like you who was just bought as a new servant! What do you think, do you think the young miss will believe you or believe me?¡±


    ¡°I will believe whoever is right!¡± Yu Xiaocao came in with Yangliu as they struggled to transport arge ceramic vat inside. After switching out the old vat of savory and spicy pickled tofu for the new, she raised her head to look at the two girls in the store and calmly replied.


    Yangliu gave Yingtao a look that said, ¡°Just what trouble are you causing now?¡±. Yingtao secretly red back at her and then smiled at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Young Miss, this servant is helping Younger Sister Xiaomei calcte sums yet she seems a bit unhappy because she thinks I¡¯m stealing her work. Young Miss, I only discussed this a bit with her but she suddenly started crying. Please punish me!¡±


    Huang Xiaomei breathed heavily for a few times before she shrilly rebutted, ¡°That¡¯s not true! Young Miss wanted me to practice more on the abacus to calcte sums yet she likes to show off how good she is at doing arithmetic in her head. Every time I¡¯m about to finish calcting, she says the total out loud! She¡¯s doing this on purpose!¡±


    Yingtao replied in surprise, ¡°Oh my! I only helped you because I saw there were a lot of customers here earlier and I was afraid that they would have to wait too long. It really wasn¡¯t out of malicious intentions! That being said, if you didn¡¯t tell me, how could I know that the young miss was trying to help you to be better at calcting sums ah?¡± Yingtao even had a look of ¡®why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier¡¯ on her face.


    Yu Xiaocao somewhat helplessly gave Yingtao a look before she interjected, ¡°Normally you are quite generous and open-minded. Howe you¡¯re causing trouble for Xiaomei today?¡±


    When Yingtao heard this, her eyes turned red and she squeezed out a reply, ¡°Young Miss, you have a new servant now. Doesn¡¯t that mean you don¡¯t want me anymore?¡±


    ¡°How could that thought possibly cross your head? Didn¡¯t I exin it to you earlier ah? Xiaomei will be solely in charge of the day to day management of the pickled vegetable store in the future and doesn¡¯t have any conflict with your current duties ah. Yingtao, you and Yangliu and the other two are all my personal maidservants that I selected myself! What does ¡®personal maidservant¡¯ mean? It means that wherever I go in the future, you will all go with me! You and Xiaomei are different. One of you will be helping with my daily needs while the other one will be helping my family take care of the shop. Everyone has their own duties, so why do you need to strive for favor?¡±


    Although Yu Xiaocao¡¯s body hadn¡¯t reached the age of twelve, the soul inside of her was over thirty years old. Seeing through Yingtao¡¯s inner thoughts and fears, who was only in her teenage years, was quite easy.


    After hearing the young miss¡¯s exnation, Yingtao felt her face turn bright red and sheepishly looked at Huang XIaomei. She lowered her head and said, ¡°Xiaomei, I was the one at fault earlier. Let me apologize to you! In a bit, when more customerse, you only have to handle calcting the totals and handling the money, I¡¯ll weigh the pickled vegetables!¡±


    Huang Xiaomei also wasn¡¯t a petty person who held onto grudges. She finally understood why Yingtao kept targeting her; it was because she was afraid of losing her position. Huang Xiaomei smiled openly at her and said, ¡°Now that I know what was the issue, it¡¯s not a problem! If we¡¯re not busy, Older Sister Yingtao you can check if the sums I¡¯m calcting are correct. If it¡¯s more busy, then you can help handle the money and give the change to the customers. You¡¯re wearing such a beautiful set of clothes. If they got stained with soy sauce or other things, it¡¯d be hard to wash off!¡±


    Yingtao shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay! Young Miss, I believe your cousin has a set of working clothes that she¡¯s not using. This servant will change into that and help. I will truly be helping this time!¡±


    With enough people manning the shop, Yu Xiaocao could finally do other tasks. After Yangliu pleaded to her, she took the maid to the kitchen and taught her a few more recipes. That night, the Yu Family and their servants were all able to eat at a much more sumptuous table.


    The next evening, Yu Xiaocao took out a bunch of already ughtered ducks and chickens from the ice cer to thaw and brine for a night. On the morning of the prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife¡¯s birthday banquet, she especially woke up early and instructed her two personal maidservants to prepare the ingredients needed to make longevity peach cakes.


    That¡¯s right, she was preparing to make a longevity peach cake for each table at the birthday banquet. She even called her uncle, Liu Hu, and cousin, Liu Junping, over to do hardbor. It was unavoidable. If she and the two other girls were in charge of making the whipped cream frosting, it would take them too long and their arms would die from the effort.


    During the slow times of the farming seasons of summer and autumn, Yu Xiaocao had made quite a few cans of preserved peaches, preserved strawberries, rose jam, strawberry jam and other sweet treats. When she came to the prefectural city, she also brought quite a few of these over with her to use as snacks. At this time, it was the perfect time to use them.


    The cakes were baked and shaped such that the bottom was wider than the top, which made them have the shape of a peach. A knife was used to cut slices across the peach-shaped cakes that were about as wide as two fingers. They added preserved peaches and strawberries between each slice and then covered the whole cake with ayer of whipped cream frosting to make it look like a whole longevity peach. A bit of strawberry and rose jam was used to color the tip of the peach and a bit of whipped cream frosting was squeezed out at the bottom of the peach cakes to resemble little leaves, which were dyed green using spinach juice. Thus, each beautiful and perfect peach cake was finished.


    In the inner courtyard of the prefectural magistrate¡¯s residence, all of the guests were exchanging pleasantries and idly talking. Just as the prefectural magistrate and his wife invited the guests to take their seats to start the banquet, the head steward of the residence hurriedly came over and spoke a few words into the prefectural magistrate¡¯s ear.


    The prefectural magistrate¡¯s eyes immediately lit up and the smile on his face became more broad. He gave a few instructions to the head steward and then stood up to address the guests, ¡°For my wife¡¯s birthday celebration, I had originally wanted to have it at Zhenxiu Restaurant and enjoy the atmosphere with all of you. However, who would have thought that Zhenxiu Restaurant is too popr and we weren¡¯t able to reserve enough tables. I am truly regretful that we weren¡¯t able to properly serve everyone.¡±


    No matter whether it was the male guests or the female guests behind the screen, all of them replied that the prefectural magistrate was being too courteous.


    Prefectural Magistrate Ning¡¯s smile did not abate and he raised his voice to continue, ¡°I have a little friend whose ability to make roasted duck and roasted chicken is not in any way inferior to Zhenxiu Restaurant. However, the store that she opened only limits their sales of roasted duck and roasted chicken to ten a day. I¡¯m sure many of the guests also know about this?¡±


    The people who were at the prefectural magistrate¡¯s banquet were all mostly people with some standing in the prefectural city. They naturally had heard that when the Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store had opened, the prefectural magistrate himself had gone to the opening ceremony. Who would have thought that the prefectural magistrate really regarded these people with importance.

 Chapter 370 – Getting Face

    <h4>Chapter 370 ¨C Getting Face</h4>


    ¡°When this little friend found out that today was the birthday banquet, she personally made some roasted chicken and ducks for us. I also heard that she also prepared a lot of beautiful longevity peach cakes to finish the meal as a sweet.¡±


    As he was talking, the head steward led a bunch of servants out who were all carrying roasted duck and roasted chicken. The dense fragrance of the meats immediately enveloped the whole banquet area. Yu Xiaocao deliberately made a bit more than was needed, so every table was graced with a duck and chicken with some extra roasted fowl left over!


    It was obvious that the roasted ducks and chickens had juste out of the oven. Puffs of hot steam billowed out of the roasts. Roasted duck that had juste out of the oven had thin and crispy skin, tender meat, so it had a very good mouthfeel! Roasted chicken had tender skin, vorful meat, and even its bones were soft. A single bite melted in people¡¯s mouths and conquered their taste buds. No matter whether it was the guests at the men¡¯s tables or women¡¯s, all of them started out their meals with these two roast fowl.


    After they finished eating most of the meal, the head steward came out again with servants who were holding the longevity peach cakes. The cakes were vivid and lifelike, resembling real peaches. Furthermore, the coloring on the cakes was very attractive to the eye. Yingtao also came out, wearing her new set of pink clothing, and gracefully stopped in front of the prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife. She revealed a beautiful smile and crisply said, ¡°When our young miss found out that it was your birthday, she personally made these longevity peach cakes for you. We hope that the madam will have a fruitful and enjoyable life and be blessed with many more years toe!¡±


    ¡°Oh ho, which family is this maid from? She looks quite smart and lively ah! Howe I feel like this maid seems very familiar to me?¡± The prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife was very happy andplimented Yingtao a few times. Earlier, the roasted ducks and roasted chickens gave her quite a bit of prestige and face in front of her close friends and acquaintances. These lively longevity peach cakes also added quite a bit to her birthday banquet.


    Yingtao smiled appropriately and stated, ¡°Thank you for your kindpliments. This servant is a maid from Zhaoyang General¡¯s Estate. I am currently serving under the young miss!¡±


    The daughter of Zhaoyang General? The adopted daughter of General Fang? The prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife was suddenly enlightened. She had also been invited to the celebration of General Fang¡¯s heir¡¯s first birthday. During the banquet, the most memorable thing was thest dessert: a cake that was as tall as a person and had manyyers. Not only did the cake look beautiful and delicate, but it also tasted delicious. None of the famous dessert shops or pastry shops in the capital were able to create such a fantastical dessert.


    Unfortunately, there were a lot of guests and not enough cake. Every person only got a tiny piece. The prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife didn¡¯t even get to taste a few bites before she had finished her slice. It was said that the cake was personally made by General Fang¡¯s adopted daughter. When the chef from the most famous bakery in the capital, Daohua Vige¡¯s Pastry Shop, heard about the whipped cream cake, he personally came over to the general¡¯s estate to ask to see General Fang¡¯s adopted daughter. Unfortunately, thess had already left the capital and couldn¡¯t be found!


    Everyone in the capital knew about Daohua Vige¡¯s Pastry Shop. It was a popr bakery with a very good reputation. Rumors said that the head pastry chef was the descendant of an imperial pastry chef from the previous dynasty. When the current emperor was young, he liked to leave the imperial pce and go to Daohua Vige¡¯s Pastry Shop to buy pastries. Their pastries were so popr that the business at the shop was as busy as Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    The head pastry chef at Daohua Vige¡¯s Pastry Shop had a rather weird personality. There were scores of high-ranking and wealthy families moring for him to make cakes for them. However, he only took the orders that interested him. If he wasn¡¯t interested, it didn¡¯t matter how much money the person threw at him, he wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye. Furthermore, he had caught the emperor¡¯s eye. Every month, Chief Steward Su personally left the imperial pce to pick up pastries for the emperor. Therefore, it didn¡¯t matter how much power or money a person had in the capital; no one could force this chef to do anything!


    Since even he personally went over to see the littless who made the cake, it meant that General Fang¡¯s adopted daughter truly had a special talent at crafting desserts.


    The head maidservant, who was currently presenting these longevity peach cakes to everyone, had stated that she was the maid of General Fang¡¯s adopted daughter. So didn¡¯t that mean that these longevity peach cakes were made by someone more talented than the head pastry chef at Daohua Vige¡¯s Pastry Shop? The prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife really looked forward to these cakes!


    ¡°Your young miss has worked hard and is very thoughtful. I will personallye over and thank her another day!¡± The prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife had one of her personal maid servants present a well-crafted silver bracelet to Yingtao. After Yingtao took it, she said a few more pleasantries and then left.


    All of the longevity peach cakes had been served to every table at the banquet. The prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife had the servants take out knives and carefully cut the cakes into small slices for each table. These slices were then served to all of the guests. On the inside, there were yellow peaches and red strawberries, which really made the cakes seem quite appealing.


    ¡°It¡¯s so delicious! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve eaten anything more delicious in my entire life ah!¡± The daughter of the sub-prefect¡¯s family had a pure personality. After tasting a bite, she couldn¡¯t help but proim her thoughts as she genuinely sighed over the cake.


    ¡°The cake is tender and soft and melts in one¡¯s mouth. The fruit filling is also colorful and delicious. Even the capital¡¯s Daohua Vige might not be able to create such beautiful and delicious cakes!¡± The wife of the local magistrate had grown up in the great tutor¡¯s residence. Although she was only the daughter of a concubine, she had seen more things than most other women from other families. If she even stated this, it truly meant that these cakes were special beyond regard.


    Hearing all of these noble madams and misses praising these cakes, the prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife felt that this all reflected good on her. Who would have thought that her husband, who had thought he was only doing a favor for Royal Prince Yang, had actually ended up selling his residence to the adopted daughter of Zhaoyang General? The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store? Oh right! During the birthday celebration of General Fang¡¯s son, Lady Fang had introduced her adopted daughter and said that her surname was Yu. How could she only think of this now?


    The prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife couldn¡¯t help but share her experiences at Zhaoyong General¡¯s son¡¯s celebration. During that banquet, she was able to sample the birthday cake and the taste and beauty of the cake was exactly the same as these longevity peach cakes. The local magistrate¡¯s wife also chimed in. She stated that General Fang¡¯s adopted daughter not only knew how to craft fantastic cakes but she was also very proficient at medicine. When the empress¡¯s little prince was ill, this girl was the one who cured him. The medicinal cuisine she concocted had also rejuvenated and healed Princess Consort Jing¡¯s body...


    The male guests were only separated from the female guests by a wooden screen. When they overheard the ¡®gossip¡¯ from the women¡¯s side, all of them started thinking quickly. Someone who was able to catch the eye of the empress and Princess Consort Jing had to be extremely talented. They could only try to be friends and avoid offending her!


    For the following days, Yu Xiaocao had started mysteriously receiving a bunch of calling cards and invitations. Other than the prefectural magistrate¡¯s wife, she didn¡¯t know any of these people let alone be familiar with them. After having Yingtao and Yangliu handle a few of these, things got even more odd¡ª¡ªwhy were all of these wives and daughters of officials, as well as wealthy merchant families, trying to make a connection with her? She was only the daughter of a farmer who had a good hand at cooking and baking.


    As this continued to happen, Yu Xiaocao almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Luckily, after Huang Dachui¡¯s family started working for them, all of the work at the kitchen and storefronts had gradually decreased for the rest of the family. After practicing for a bit, Huang Xiaomei was also able to handle the work in the pickled vegetable store by herself. Thus, Yu Xiaocao took her two personal maids and went back to Dongshan Vige.


    Ever since Yingtao purposely made things difficult that one time, Huang Xiaomei trained hard to be good at calcting sums in her head. Now, she almost never needed to use her abacus and she was still able to get to the total quickly. It was only when there wererger totals that she had to still use her abacus. Yingtao had observed her for a few days and discovered that Huang Xiaomei had gotten to the point where she never made mistakes.


    Yingtao and Xiaomei¡¯s rtionship had started off rocky but they were now extremely good friends. Yingtao had noticed that Xiaomei didn¡¯t have any other clothes other than the two sets that the young miss had bought her when she first started. Thus, she had given a few sets of her old clothing fromst year that she had worn in the residence to the other girl.


    Lady Fang was quite generous to the servants in the residence. Every season, she would give the maids and senior servants an additional two sets of clothing. For the personal maidservants, they received even more as they often appeared next to their masters and essentially represented their master¡¯s status. The clothing that they received, from the type of cloth used to the patterns on the cloth, were all considered to be of decent quality that most people in the capital could use.


    When Yingtao first arrived, Xiaomei had mistakenly thought that she was the young miss of a wealthy family in the prefectural city! Yingtao¡¯s clothes from the previous year were all about eighty-percent new, so they still were very usable to give to someone. Xiaomei was very happy after receiving the clothes and repeatedly said that she had never worn such beautiful clothes in her entire life!


    In order to hide from the misses and madams from the wealthy families, Yu Xiaocao went back to Dongshan Vige. Without much warning, winter had begun.


    In early winter, arge snow storm had covered the whole vige and mountain. The older folks and young children, who had weaker bodies, all couldn¡¯t handle the change in weather and had fallen ill. Thus, Yu Xiaocao became busy again.


    Ever since Doctor You found his nephew, he only stayed at Dongshan Vige for a short period of time before he decided to go back to his hometown. After saying his farewells to the vigers, he moved for good. As the ¡®direct disciple¡¯ of Doctor You, Yu Xiaocao had be the only person in the vige who had any medical skills.


    At this time, most of the vigers were not in good financial condition, especially right after the disaster year. Those who were only mildly ill didn¡¯t bother to see the doctor and only endured until they got better. Those who couldn¡¯t endure would borrow a ride on a cart to go to the medicine hall in town. Most people had forgotten that Yu Xiaocao had medicinal skills.


    This year, the weather had changed abruptly and Old Yu had fallen victim to it. He got a headache, fever, and his whole body ached from head to toe. In addition, he acquired a cough and had be short of breath. At first, he only thought he had a cold and could get over it by drinking some ginger soup and sweating it out. Who would have thought that after two days had passed, he couldn¡¯t get out of bed?


    Yu Xiaocao took out some herbs from her medicine box that were used for treating colds and concocted them with some mystic-stone water. Then, she had her grandfather drink a few bowls of medicine. Very quickly, his condition got better. Before three days had passed, Old Yu was back to his old energetic self and was back at the foot of the mountain gathering firewood. Old Yu was someone who couldn¡¯t stay idle. In fact, if you stopped him from working, he would start feeling bad. Winter hade and the weather had suddenly turned cold. There wasn¡¯t enough firewood at home, so he went out every day with a basket on his back to pick up firewood at the foot of the West Mountain.


    That night, Old Yu was taking his usual walk and had gone into his older brother¡¯s residence. As soon as he entered, the strong smell of medicine hit his nose. After asking, he found out that his older brother, Yu Lichun, was also unable to escape from the sudden change in weather and had fallen ill, just like he did earlier. He had taken five days worth of medicine but still hadn¡¯t gotten better.


    Furthermore, Yu Jiang¡¯s youngest daughter had also gotten a fever. She was a pitiful tiny girl that had to drink a few bowls of bitter medicine every day. She had cried until her throat had gone hoarse. Most of the time, even if they were able to force the medicine down her, the littless would throw it all back up until her whole body was sticky. She seemed to be in a constant state of drowsiness and her periods of lucidity shortened. The doctor from the town had looked at her and shook his head and said that it didn¡¯t look good.


    After taking care of his father as well his daughter, Yu Jiang had markedly be thinner in the past week. This year he had earned quite a bit of money with his second brother, and he wasn¡¯t greedy for money. When his father and youngest daughter had fallen ill, he had called a doctor from town over and spent over a few taels to buy medicine for them. However, neither of them had gotten better.


    Yu Jiang¡¯s older sister hade over to see their father when she heard the news. After finding out their symptoms, tears streamed down her eyes. She stated that her vige¡¯s Old Han wasn¡¯t as old as their father but had also gotten a high fever and couldn¡¯t leave his bed. His family¡¯s sons and daughters were all filial and had paid for a doctor and medicine. Despite spending quite a bit of money, he ended up dying in the end. Yu Jiang¡¯s older sister couldn¡¯t help but cry when she saw how haggard her father¡¯s face looked.

 Chapter 371 – Secret Recipe

    <h4>Chapter 371 ¨C Secret Recipe</h4>


    At this time, Old Yu stepped into his older brother¡¯s courtyard. When he heard the sounds of his niece sobbing, the look on his face immediately changed. In previous years, when the weather suddenly changed, a lot of old folks with weaker bodies were unable to endure it. His eldest brother was older than him by eight years and was already past the age of sixty. Perhaps...


    He quickened his steps and entered the room. Inside were his niece and nephew, and both of them seemed very distressed. Yu Lichun was lying on the bed with his eyes tightly shut. There was an unnatural flush on his face and there were a few sores on his cracked lips. His chest was still moving slightly, which allowed Old Yu to rx a little.


    ¡°Third Uncle? You got better, Third Uncle? Which medicine hall¡¯s doctor treated you? What type of medicine did you eat?¡± When Yu Jiang saw that Old Yu hade in, he was stunned for a second and then hope lit up his face.


    A few days ago, Old Yu¡¯s illness was quite severe and had pretty much the exact same symptoms as Yu Jiang¡¯s father. He was feverish, coughing, and had fallen into an unconscious stupor due to the severity. After taking medicine that was prescribed by Tongren Medicine Hall, he still didn¡¯t get better. He had heard that Third Uncle¡¯s family had connections with Doctor Sun from Tongren Medicine Hall. Did Doctor Sune back from the capital?


    Old Yu hesitated for a moment and then stated with a bit uncertainty, ¡°Doctor Sun had gone into the capital on the behalf of some noble. The person who treated me was his head disciple, who is also considered a very skilled doctor in town. However, my body was weak and didn¡¯t get better even after taking a dozen taels worth of medicine. Didn¡¯t your niece learn a bit of medicine in the past? People turn to any doctor when someone is ill, so she concocted a few tisanes for me. Perhaps the medicine I took earlier had finally taken effect but within a few days I waspletely better...¡±


    Yu Jiang¡¯s eyes flickered with a different light and knocked his head a few times as he repeatedly said, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Xiaocao also knows some medicine. How could I possibly forget this? Third Uncle, thank you for reminding me, I¡¯m going to go invite Xiaocao over now...¡±


    ¡°Dajiang, how old is Xiaocao right now? She only knows a bit of basic medicine, so she can¡¯t be considered more skilled than the doctors in town right? Even the most skilled doctors in town are no use, so what would inviting her over do?¡± Yu Jiang¡¯s older sister didn¡¯t quite approve of her younger brother¡¯s decision.


    Yu Jiang rubbed his sore and red eyes as he looked at his older sister, ¡°Older Sister, you haven¡¯t spent a lot of time in Dongshan Vige these past two years and don¡¯t know of your niece¡¯s abilities. Even the royal prince, after hurting his arm, had Xiaocao treat his arm. Also, Princess Consort Jing had also invited Xiaocao to craft medicinal cuisine for her to strengthen her body. That being said, if we don¡¯t ask her, are we just supposed to watch our father die in front of our eyes?¡±


    Yu Jiang¡¯s older sister couldn¡¯t say anything. It was true. Even the doctors in town had said that her father couldn¡¯t get better, so they advised them to prepare for the future. Perhaps having Xiaocaoe over to treat him was the only bit of hope they had left?


    After Xiaocao got the message, she almost ran the entire way there. Her medicine box was carried over by Yu Jiang. When they entered the room, they were so winded that they continued to huff and puff for quite a bit.


    Yu Xiaocao was very worried when she saw her granduncle¡¯s condition. When she first transmigrated over, her granduncle had treated her better than her grandfather and supported her family. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t even hesitate to give them all of his money to have her go into town and be seen by a doctor. After they split from the main family, Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family also helped them frequently when they were too busy. Their two families acted as if they were one whole family.


    She resolved to do her best to save such a kind hearted and gentle old man! Yu Xiaocao took her granduncle¡¯s pulse and discovered that he was not doing well. She then took out a porcin bottle from her medicine box and had her Third Uncle, Yu Jiang, pry his father¡¯s mouth open to drip two drops of mystic-stone water into his mouth. She noticed that everyone regarded the bottle in her hand with curiosity, so she exined, ¡°When my grandfather got really sick recently, I used more than twenty medicinal herbs to extract an essence tobat cold illnesses. My grandfather has personally experienced its effects!¡±


    She then had a person fill up a basin of warm water and also added a few drops of mystic-stone water to it. She instructed her Third Uncle to wipe her granduncle¡¯s body, ¡°Eldest Granduncle¡¯s illness is a lot worse than when my grandfather was sick. We not only have to give him oral medication but we also have to wipe medication on his body! By washing his body with some warm water, it can help him reduce his fever. Right now Eldest Granduncle has a high fever that¡¯s not abating, so we need to lower his temperature before the fever damages him!¡±


    After she finished her exnation, Yu Xiaocao stepped out of the inner room and took out a few medicinal herbs that had been filled with spiritual energy by the divine stone. She personally concocted the herbs into a tonic. During the process, when other people weren¡¯t observing her, she also stealthily added a drop of mystic-stone water to the mixture.


    Yu Jiang and his oldest brother, Yu Xi, were in the room as they continuously wiped their father¡¯s body with the warm water mixture. Within moments, the mystic-stone water started affecting the sick man. Yu Lichun¡¯s fever started to go down significantly. By the time the tonic was finished, he had already woken up from his stupor and everyone let out a sigh of relief.


    Yu Lichun drank the medicine and then said a few words to his younger brother and children before he went back into a deep sleep. Yu Xiaocao was cleaning up her medicine box as she said, ¡°The medicine I concocted should be taken three times a day. After three days, I¡¯lle over to take Eldest Granduncle¡¯s pulse again. For the next two days, let Eldest Granduncle rest and he should be like my grandfather very soon and be able to walk around the vige!¡±


    When Yu Jiang¡¯s wife noticed that Xiaocao¡¯s medicine was very effective, she pulled on Xiaocao¡¯s hand as she sobbed, ¡°Xiaocao, can you take a look at my daughter ah? She¡¯s also been sick for many days...¡± Yu Xiaocao entered the west room with Third Aunt and inside was a tiny, skinny baby sleeping there. Her face was ghost white and asionally she would have a bout of hacking coughs. Perhaps she was feeling ufortable, but she started to wail. Her cries were weak and thin and sounded like cat crying.


    Yu Jiang¡¯s wife picked up her daughter and gently patted her on the back. Yu Jiang¡¯s eyes became hot with tears again as he asked, ¡°Xiaocao, can my little girl drink the essence that¡¯s in your porcin bottle? It¡¯s only been a few days but she¡¯s already shrunken until she doesn¡¯t look human. She hasn¡¯t been able to drink any medication and often vomits. Every time she coughs, all of the medicine and gruel we managed to get her to drinkes back up...¡± She was, after all, his own blood and flesh. Yu Jiang was somewhat incoherent when he described his daughter¡¯s condition.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her younger cousin and nodded, ¡°She also got sick after being exposed to the cold. This essence should also help strengthen her body. Third Uncle, go pour a ss of warm water!¡±


    After the previously boiled water was poured, Yu Xiaocao dripped half a drop of mystic-stone water into it and had Third Aunt feed the mixture to the little girl. Yu Xiaocao also exined, ¡°The baby is too young, so we can¡¯t use too much medicinal essence for her. Too much medicine is just as harmful as not taking any! Her cough is quite severe, so I¡¯m going to go back to concoct some cough syrup. The syrup will taste sweet and is suitable for young children to use.¡±


    Yu Jiang¡¯s wife hesitated for a second before she finally decided to ask, ¡°Don¡¯t we need to concoct some medicine for her?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lightly shook her head and stated, ¡°Regr medications are too bitter and most children don¡¯t like to eat it. Even if you force them to, they¡¯ll often vomit it back up. The syrup I¡¯m talking about is actually a type of medication. The only difference is that I also added some honey, so it¡¯ll taste more sweet. The efficacy of the medication is also not bad!¡±


    After she left Eldest Granduncle¡¯s residence, Yu Xiaocao started to concoct the ginger syrup. This type of syrup not only had ingredients to suppress coughing but it could also treat illnesses caused by cold exposure. There were a few drops of mystic-stone water added so it amplified the effect of the herbs. There were quite a few children in the vige who were sick, so Yu Xiaocao deliberately made arger batch of this syrup. That away she could avoid having to make it again when someone inevitably asked for it.


    That night, she didn¡¯t sleep as she made the syrup. The next morning, she went over to her eldest granduncle¡¯s house to deliver the new medication. Her eldest granduncle¡¯s fever had already disappeared, and he was currently leaning against some nkets as he talked to his family. They mentioned that his appetite that morning had been pretty good and he had even eaten two bowls of congee. When they saw Yu Xiaocao enter, everyoneplimented her medicinal skills and proimed that they had faith in her skills now.


    Yu Xiaocao took her eldest granduncle¡¯s pulse and then grinned, ¡°Eldest Granduncle, you just need to take a few more bowls of medicine and then you¡¯ll bepletely better. Rest well for the next few days. My grandfather is still waiting for you so he can y chess with you!¡±


    ¡°With your grandfather¡¯s poor skill at chess, I have no desire to even y with him ah! Xiaocao, I owe you this time. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I¡¯m afraid that this old bag of bones would be gone...¡± Yu Lichun looked like he had aged several years after this bout of illness. His voice didn¡¯t have much energy to it but he seemed a lot more vigorouspared to before.


    Yu Xiaocao hurriedly said, ¡°Just look at what you¡¯re saying! Eldest Granduncle, the heavens help those who are worthy. Although it looked bad this time, in the end, you were able to escape cmity. Go rest, I¡¯m going to go look at the baby.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the baby ah? She¡¯s sick? Is it serious?¡± No one in the family had told Yu Lichun the news about the baby while he was ill, which was why he didn¡¯t know she was sick until now!


    When Yu Xiaocao saw this, she hastilyforted him, ¡°Eldest Granduncle, don¡¯t worry. The baby is fine. She¡¯s only been coughing these past two days. I came over to bring over the cough suppressant syrup I made for her. Children like this type of syrup and it works pretty well. Don¡¯t worry, with me around, the baby will be able to call you ¡®grandfather¡¯ tomorrow!¡±


    Once Yu Lichun found out that the baby only had a cough, he rxed a bit and thenughed, ¡°Youss, you¡¯re quite good at calming people down. However, your little cousin still hasn¡¯t reached the age when she can talk. She can¡¯t even say ¡®father¡¯ or ¡®mother¡¯, so how would she be able to say ¡®grandfather¡¯?¡±


    Some children learned how to speak early, while others learnedter. The baby was already over a year old but she hadn¡¯t started to talk yet. Yu Xiaocao felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed her nose before she dispiritedly said farewell to her granduncle and entered the west room.


    The baby was currently awake and was lying listlessly in Yu Jiang¡¯s wife¡¯s arms. When the little girl saw Yu Xiaocao enter, she blinked her two eyes and then buried her face into her mother¡¯s arms and refused toe out.


    ¡°Oh! Our family¡¯s little girl is a bit shy now!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at the little baby who was hidden inside Third Aunt¡¯s arms with her butt up in the air. She looked very cute so Xiaocaoughed and cracked a joke.


    Afterwards, she asked her third aunt, ¡°It looks like the baby is more energetic. Did she still have a feverst night? What about a cough?¡±


    Yu Jiang¡¯s wife finally had a bit of a smile on her face. She looked gratefully at Xiaocao and replied, ¡°Yesterday night, she slept quite well and didn¡¯t make a peep the entire night. In the middle of the night, I touched her back and saw that she was sweating. Thus, I followed what you said and used some warm water to wipe her body and then changed her into a set of clean clothing. She didn¡¯t cough muchst night and also didn¡¯t vomit. Xiaocao, the medicine you made is better than the one the doctor from town made. What kind of doctor did your Third Uncle bring over from town? He even said that our family¡¯s girl wasn¡¯t looking too good!¡±


    Any doctor in town had better medicinal skills and knowledge than she did. When she heard her Third Auntplimenting her, Yu Xiaocao felt a bit sheepish and lightly coughed, ¡°Everyone has their own speciality. Perhaps that doctor isn¡¯t as familiar with pediatric medicine ah! Third Aunt, the medicine I made is quiteplicated and after treating Eldest Granduncle and the baby, I don¡¯t have much left. Please don¡¯t spread the word about this.¡±


    Her third aunt nodded honestly, ¡°I understand! This is a secret recipe of yours. Normally, most people would hide it and deny that they knew of it. Who would brag about it?¡±

 Chapter 372 – Medicine

    <h4>Chapter 372 ¨C Medicine</h4>


    In regard to what Third Aunt had imagined, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t offer many exnations. She took out the syrup, poured it onto a small soup spoon, and added some hot water to it. As if she was a big gray wolf luring Little Red Riding Hood, she said, ¡°Ni¡¯er, Older Sister brought some sugared water. It tastes delicious. Would you like a taste?¡±


    Ni¡¯er could understand words now. Upon hearing it was sweet sugared water, she was like a little mouse checking the situation outside of its tunnel, revealing one eye from her mother¡¯s embrace. She looked curiously at the spoon in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand. She saw that it was ck inside, simr to the bitter medicine her parents had fed her a few days ago, she hurriedly buried her head in her mother¡¯s arms. She wailed and began to cry.


    Yu Xiaocao still has a trick withforting children. She took out the small cake that Madam Liu made in the morning. It was covered in jam and had a honeyed strawberry. She used a soft and sweet voice, ¡°Ni¡¯er, Older Sister has a small strawberry cake here! It¡¯s fluffy, soft and sweet, and very delicious! Only obedient children will be rewarded a piece!¡±


    Ever since Yu Jiang started helping to collect marine goods, the family¡¯s living standard had risen sharply. The children would asionally eat candy and cakes. However, their family still had frugal habits. Candy and cakes couldn¡¯t be enjoyed by the children by their will, and thus being able to eat them once or twice a month was already great happiness.


    Ni¡¯er stopped crying when she heard that there was a delicious cake, and she even forgot to cry. She secretly looked at the cake in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand from her mother¡¯s arms. The red strawberry and the cake that was emitting a rich fragrance caught Ni¡¯er¡¯s attention. She couldn¡¯t care about being shy, her little head finally popped out from Yu Jiang¡¯s wife¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°After you drink the medicine, I will give Ni¡¯er a piece of cake. Your older brother and sisters won¡¯t be having any!¡± Yu Xiaocao continued to lure the shy ¡®little white bunny¡¯ by saying, ¡°Older Sister promises you that the medicine isn¡¯t bitter at all. Ni¡¯er is the bravest, do you want to give it a try?¡±


    Ni¡¯er looked at the medicine in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s right hand and the cake in her left. Her gaze moved back and forth many times before she made up her mind and gave a little nod.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly put the medicine into Ni¡¯er¡¯s open mouth. At first, Ni¡¯er¡¯s face wrinkled as if expecting a bitter taste. After the medicine entered her mouth, her expression suddenly smoothed out. The little girl¡¯s eyes were round as she stared at the spoon in Yu Xiacao¡¯s hand, which still contained some ck liquid medicine. She smacked her lips twice as if recollecting the taste of it.


    ¡°Ni¡¯er is the greatest! Come on, drink the rest and you can eat the cake!¡± Yu Xiaocao scooped some warm water from the bowl into the spoon. This time, Ni¡¯er didn¡¯t resist at all and drank all the medicine smoothly.


    Yu Xiaocao gave Ni¡¯er apliment again and fed her the strawberry cake spoon by spoon. The little one¡¯s shyness was all gone by this point. She ate the cake happily and danced with joy toward his family.


    With the experience this time, Ni¡¯er wasn¡¯t so resistant to drinking medicine anymore. However, the clever little one would lick the medicine before drinking it every time to try it out. Only when she found that it was sweet, she would drink it without resistance. Sometimes, she felt she hadn¡¯t had enough and she would cry to have another sip!


    When a matron, who had a good rtionship with Xiaocao¡¯s Third Aunt, saw that Ni¡¯er had quickly recovered from her illness after she drunk all the medicine made by Yu Xiaocao, she hurriedly passed the news to her brother in the next vige. The only child in her brother¡¯s family had also gotten sick, coughing really badly. The symptoms were simr to those of Ni¡¯er but not as serious.


    The matron¡¯s brother was almost thirty before he got a precious child, so his heart ached dearly when the child got sick. Hearing that the Yu Family had a certain cure, he came to ask for medicine with money.


    Yu Xiaocao asked about the symptoms of the illness. With the confirmation, she was certain that her cold cough syrup was just right for the illness. She filled a bottle, enough for a week. However, this bottle of medicine wasn¡¯t cheap, five hundred copper coins for one bottle. After all, all the medicinal herbs cost money and a lot of honey was added. The cost alone was at least three hundred copper coins.


    The man gritted his teeth and bought a bottle to take back. His family¡¯s baby son only ate it for one day before his cold lightened. After three days, he was basically well. Then, after stabilizing for two days, the illness was all gone. As a result, by word of mouth, the people of the nearby viges all came to Dongshan Vige to ask for medicine.


    In addition to children¡¯s cough syrup, Yu Xiaocao also made pills tobat the cold, cough relief, anti-inmmatory, and fever reduction, which were all packed in different porcin jars. These pills were all improved from the basicmon medicinal concoctions and with less honey inside, the price was much lower.


    In addition to the children¡¯s cough syrup being sold, these kinds of pills were also sold. Due to the effectiveness of the Yu Family¡¯s pills, the public became gradually aware and more and more people came to seek medical treatment. Medicine practice wasn¡¯t Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wish, the reason she learned medicine was to cover up the results of the mystic-stone water. As a result, most of the people who came to seek medical treatment were rejected by her.


    To the public, her excuse was ¡°Royal Prince Yang is kind and rewarded our family with several prescriptions for treating colds and coughs. I am still young and my medical skills are as good. I dare not give treatment easily. The Tongren Medicine Hall in town has doctors with excellent medical skills and high medical ethics. You can go there for medical treatment; I only sell pills and medicine here...¡±


    When the people who came to seek treatment saw that the rumored legendary doctor was actually a little girl in her teens, they had some doubts in their hearts. They dared not insist on her treating them after hearing her exnation. However, upon hearing that the prescriptions for the pills and medicinal liquids came from Royal Prince Yang, the vigers became convinced and the sales steadily rose.


    When winter came, no one could guarantee that they and their families won¡¯t suffer from having a cold. The pills were sealed with wax on the outside, as long as they were properly sealed, there¡¯s no problem for them to sit for half a year. Thus, almost all the people who had the financial means would buy some pills as precautions!


    Doctor Sun, who had returned from the capital, heard about the Yu Family¡¯s pills and rushed to Dongshan Vige. He braved the snow and wind to sit down and have a long discussion with Yu Xiaocao and her father. It seemed like he was having a discussion with the pair of father and daughter, but in actuality, it was with Yu Xiaocao who was in charge.


    The two sides came to an agreement: Tongren Medicine Hall would provide the medicinal herbs and the Yu Family would be in charge of the production. The profits would be split in half. In fact, Doctor Sun wanted to buy the prescriptions at a high price, but Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t agree.


    Once the prescription was taken out, Doctor Sun would have noticed something was fishy. The medicinal herbs, form, and manufacturing weren¡¯t the most important things. The most important thing was the mystic-stone water in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands. Without this, even if Tongren Medicine Hall got the prescription, it would be of no use.


    However, in this way, Yu Xiaocao, who had only rested for a few days, was busy again. Every day, she would crush herbs, mix them, roll them, and seal them... Although there were Yingtao and Yangliu to help her, Yu Xiaocao was still busy to the point as if she had two heads. The profit from the pills and the medicinal liquid was considerable. Her family had earned nearly one hundred taels in half a month from selling the pills and medicinal liquid alone. After cooperating with Tongren Medicine Hall, she basically had a business without making an investment. Why not share some of the profit and hire some people to help?


    As a result, a production line had been set up for the production of pills. There were specifically assigned people in charge of the steps of grinding, rubbing, sealing and etc. The mixing was the only thing handled by Yu Xiaocao. The east and west wing of the west courtyard were vacated as the operation room of medicinal pills and liquid. She hired ten young matrons and maidens from the vige. Although the weather was freezing cold outside, it was very busy inside the room.


    The volume of sale for the medicinal pills and liquid was surprisingly good. Not only the Tongren Medicine Hall in town, as long as there was a branch of Tongren Medicine Hall in the area, they would sell the Yu Family¡¯s medicinal pills and medicinal syrups. Especially in the capital, if the children of the officials and nobility got sick, they didn¡¯t like to drink bitter medicine. With the medicinal syrup, it was no longer a problem to coax the children into taking their medicines. The medicinal liquids of the capital were sold out as soon as they arrived. In order to buy the sweet medicinal syrups, there was a long line in front of each Tongren Medicine Hall.


    Because of the effectiveness of the pills and medicinal liquids became gradually known by the public, the sales became even better, and shortage became amon thing. Tongren Medicine Hall repeatedly urged the Yu Family to expand their production. The whole courtyard next door was used by the Yu Family as a workshop for making pills and medicinal liquid. They employed twenty more people, and had two work shifts, day and night. Yet they still couldn¡¯t meet the demands of Tongren Medicine Hall.


    When Doctor Sun once again asked the Yu Family to increase production, Yu Xiaocao protested, ¡°Doctor Sun, the most critical step in the preparation of medicinal liquids and pills is all done by me alone. Even if I had three heads and six arms, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to handle everything myself! Look at me, I¡¯m so tired that I¡¯ve begun to lose weight! If I keep pushing myself, my body will break down, and then I won¡¯t be able to make medicinal liquid and pills.¡±


    Doctor Sun saw that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s chin had be pointier. Although he wanted to talk about the prescription again, he also thought that if one didn¡¯t reach the end of one¡¯s resources, who would be willing to sell their golden goose? For the sake of long-term interests, Doctor Sun stopped rushing her. Instead, he told Yu Xiaocao to take a rest.


    Yu Xiaocao was really tired recently. It wasn¡¯t hard to make pills and potions. She wrote down the proportion of the various medicinal herbs and gave it to the Yingtao, who had been helping. Yingtao was very ttered. Her young miss trusted her so much that she gave her the secret recipe for the medicine without any reservations...


    The young girl was moved to tears and choked trying to show her loyalty. She repeatedly promised to keep and protect the prescription properly. The best way was to keep the prescription in her mind. It took her several days to be able to remember the prescription. The paper that Yu Xiaocao gave her was burned to ashes in the stove. Yingtao¡¯s heart was filled with fire, ¡®Only the young miss and her would be the only two people in the world to know the prescription for the medicines!¡¯


    Yingtao could stand out from so many maidservants in the General¡¯s Estate because she had her own outstanding points. Soon, she picked up Xiaocao¡¯s job and became even more efficient than Yu Xiaocao! After two days of observation. Yu Xiaocao waspletely relieved. She left all the burdens behind and was only responsible for providing the mystic-stone water. Hence, the most leisurely person in the family was her.


    After a while, in the viges near Dongshan Vige, there was almost no one who didn¡¯t know that there was a teen girl in the Yu Family who could make very effective medicinal liquid and pills. Many people who came to ask for medicine would call her ¡®Little Doctor Yu¡¯. In actuality, she was a pharmacist at best, and a cheating pharmacist at that.

 Chapter 373 – Gluttonous Insects Show Up

    <h4>Chapter 373 ¨C Gluttonous Insects Show Up</h4>


    After entering the twelfth month, the preparations for the end of the year became more and more important. The New Years was the most important traditional holiday of the year. Even if a family was poor, when the new year arrived, they still made some good food for the family¡¯s improvement.


    The end of the year was also the busiest time for the Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop. After entering the twelfth month, the four burners on top of the stove in the store were kept burning day and night. Three to four pigs and about twenty pig¡¯s heads were being braised every day. Yu Caifeng and Xiaomei¡¯s mother both wished they could work during the time they spent sleeping. When the pickled food shop wasn¡¯t busy, Huang Xiaomei would alsoe by to help.


    In the braised food shop, Liu Junping and his sister worked tirelessly. One was in charge of weighing the braised food, and the other was in charge of manning the cash register. Their movements were very quick but there was still a long line in the store. From time to time, people with impatient tempers raised their voices to urge them on faster.


    Liu Hu, who was originally the manager of the shop, went back to the countryside to collect pigs again. The Yu Family¡¯s pig farm in Dongshan Vige, with the exception of the pigs left behind for breeding, only had one or two left for their family to eat during the New Years. Now the braised pork sold by the shop was all obtained from pigs from the countryside.


    Liu Hu and Huang Dachui went together. Every day they would leave before dawn ande back when the moon and stars were out at night. Only in this way could they supply enough meat to keep up with the amount of braised foods sold every day. The staff in the shop couldn¡¯t handle the booming business so they sent a message to Dongshan Vige asking for help.


    Yu Xiaocao gave Yingtao full authority on the matter of making the medicinal pills and liquids. After getting the message, she and Xiaolian, along with Yangliu, rushed to the prefectural city to help in spite of the cold. Yu Xiaocao took over the task of making roasted ducks, roasted chickens, and other poultry-based foods. Liu Yaner could finally concentrate on being the ¡®salesman¡¯ of the shop. Xiaolian waspetent at both weighing food and collecting money, so she was also sent to the shop to help.


    Liu Junping finally had free time and was able to run more meat stalls in town to buy more pig heads and pig offal. Although more than ten or twenty-some sets of braised pig heads and braised pig offals were prepared every day, these cheap yet delicious pig parts were also the first to be sold out. The number of workers in the shop who were in charge of cleaning up the pig¡¯s heads and offal also doubled. Pig¡¯s heads and offal were hard to prepare and these seasonal workers were usually busy all day long.


    At the request of customers, Yu Xiaocao doubled the number of limited foods sold each, such as the roasted chicken and duck. Wealthier families sent their servants out to line up in front of the braised food store before dawn regardless of the weather in order to be able to buy roasted chicken and duck to entertain guests so they would have better reputations. When Liu Yaner opened the shop in the morning, she was scared by the snowmen standing in front of the door.


    On the tenth day of the twelfth month, around noon, there was still a long line in front of the doors of The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop. Most of them were ordinary people in ordinary clothes, and many of them were vigers from nearby viges. At the start of the twelfth month, people from nearby viges often came into the prefectural city to buy New Year¡¯s products. Now their first choice was to buy a few catties of braised food from the Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop to take home.


    The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop had rich and delicious food at a fair price. In particr, the price of pig¡¯s intestines wasn¡¯t much more expensive than buying raw pork. Ordinary people could easily afford it. In the past, the vigers who had difficulties at home would grit their teeth and buy a half a catty of pork meat to satisfy their children¡¯s hunger during the New Year¡¯s. Now, they switched to buying braised pig¡¯s head meat or intestines that were rich and fatty.


    The dishes with limited sales were sold out as soon as they opened every day. This was still the case when they implemented the rule that everyone could only buy two. If they had let the customers buy all they wanted, it was likely that one person would buy all the limited dishes in the shop for that day. Even with these rules in ce, there were still many families who sent several servants to line up at one time. These families did notck money and had plenty of servants. It was better to prepare more roasted chickens and ducks so that when they had guests over, they would have face.


    Yu Xiaocao asked Yangliu to go to the back kitchen to help her Oldest Aunt. She took the bnce from the pickled food shop and began to help to weigh the braised food. As a result, sales were much faster. There was light snow outside, and the scene of those who were waiting in line to buy braised foods made Yu Xiaocao feel sympathy for those customers.


    At this time, a carriage passed by the doors. The guard beside the carriage was a big man. With bright eyes, he nced at the long line in front of the shop, seeming to be even more on guard.


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡± A familiar voice came from inside, ¡°So fragrant! This is the smell of braised pig¡¯s head meat! This smells more authentic than the work of an Imperial Chef; it¡¯s clearly the work of thatss from the Yu Family! Dequan, go and see where the fragrance ising from.¡±


    The white-haired old man without a beard, who was around fifty years of age and was beside the carriage, jumped off his horse. His action was nimbler than that of a young man. The old man walked by the group and went straight to the doors of The Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop. ¡°Line up, line up! You¡¯re not a local right? You must line up first if you want to buy braised foods,¡± shouted some people in the back who were unhappy.


    The old man ignored them and looked up at the sign above the door and then nced inside the shop. His eyes first stopped on Yu Xiaolian who was collecting money. A momentter, he turned to Yu Xiaocao, who was smiling and weighing braised pig¡¯s head meat for an old woman.


    He didn¡¯t alert the people in the shop and turned around, going back to the side of the carriage. He bent his body and bowed to the person opposite him. In a slightly shrill voice, he said, ¡°Master, you guessed right. It¡¯s a shop opened by Miss Yu. Both sisters are busy in the shop!¡±


    ¡°Haha! When did that girl open a shop in Jinwei Prefectural City? And she didn¡¯t even tell me, the Fifth Lord, a word. Fortunately, we didn¡¯t go on the small backroads or I would¡¯ve gone to Dongshan Vige for nothing.¡± A strong hand came out from the inside of the carriage. On his thumb was a crystal clear jade ring.


    The carriage¡¯s curtain was lifted and an old man with a chubby round face came out. He had white hair yet a childlikeplexion and a long beard. He was wearing fine clothing and had an extraordinary presence.


    The white haired old man without a beard held an oiled-paper umbre above the old man wearing fine clothes. The old man wearing fine clothes strolled up to the braised food shop and shouted at Yu Xiaocao, who was engrossed in serving customers, ¡°Lass, give me half a pig¡¯s head, and a pair of pig¡¯s ears. Slice the pig ears and mix them with red oil...¡±


    The people in line behind him didn¡¯t yell at him to line up as they had at the other old man after they saw his extraordinary presence.


    Yu Xiaocao heard the sound and found it familiar. She almost threw her bnce when she lifted her head up. Oh my goodness, how did this Big Buddhae to this prefectural city? She opened her mouth, looked at the emperor emeritus¡¯s clothes and the people around him, and swallowed the title ¡®Emperor Emeritus¡¯ forcefully. She squeezed out a smile and asked ¡°Fifth... Fifth Lord, why are you not in the capital at this time?¡±


    ¡°Argh....¡± The emperor emeritus sighed with a look of helplessness as he held his stomach. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to run around in the cold either! The gluttonous insects in my stomach are making trouble, so I didn¡¯t have any other ideas!¡±


    Dequan, who was beside him, quietly reminded, ¡°Master, it¡¯s cold outside. Why don¡¯t you greet Miss Xiaocao inside?¡±


    ¡°Speaking out of turn! My body and bones are still fine! In the old days, in order to win an ambush, I waited in the snow for three full days. I caught the enemy by surprise and gained aplete victory¡ª¡ªachoo!¡± Before he finished speaking, the emperor emeritus let out a big sneeze.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly put down the bnce in her hands, came out of the shop, and invited the old man into the yard.


    ¡°Fifth Lord, warm up on the kang bed first in the guest room. I¡¯ll cook you a bowl of ginger soup.¡± Yu Xiaocao originally wanted to invite them into the living room, but the conditions of the courtyard were limited. There wasn¡¯t a heated wall in the living room, so it was as cold as outside. Without any other options, she had to invite them into the guest room.


    The kang bed in the guest room was so hot that the emperor emeritus took off his shoes and sat down with afortable sigh. He spoke to Dequang, who was waiting on him at the side, ¡°Dequan, we can¡¯t refuse to be old. Even with a brazier in the carriage, people will still get sick. Aigh...You should take off your shoes and warm up by the kang bed.¡±


    ¡°This servant doesn¡¯t dare...¡± Dequan was an old eunuch who had served the emperor emeritus for decades. He was very considerate in his daily services but he had a more old-fashioned personality.


    The emperor emeritus cut him off with a nce, smiled, and said, ¡°Why do you not dare? Do you have foot odor and are afraid of suffocating me?¡±


    Dequan responded to the emperor emeritus¡¯s joke in a t voice, ¡°Those with diseases or a strong body odor can¡¯t enter the Imperial Pce to serve!¡±


    ¡°Hold it! It¡¯s been decades, how could I still not know you? Come, this is an order! If you also get a cold, who will serve me? I¡¯m not used to being served by other people!¡± After the emperor emeritus abdicated, he became more and more easy-going. In his eyes, social statuses were just a fart!


    Dequan was deeply moved. Seeing the emperor emeritus¡¯s firm manner, he solemnly thanked his master. He took off his shoes and sat down at the far end of the Kang. The emperor emeritus threw over a nket for him to cover his legs with.


    Dequan was so devoted that he developed rheumatism in the legs in his earlier years. These two days, the stubborn old eunuch wasn¡¯t willing to ride in the carriage with him and rode on a horse in the snow and wind, so it must¡¯ve been hard.


    After covering his legs with the nket, Dequan felt the kindness of his master in his heart again. At that time, after the copse of the previous dynasty, he was sent to the pce to wait for a chance to kill the emperor emeritus who was still the emperor at the time. However, the master never treated him as a ve and instead treated him as an equal, with respect all the time. Even if the master guessed that he had ulterior motives, he was still valued...With time, even a stone heart would be warmed! He betrayed his former master and followed his current master wholeheartedly. It had been thirty years...He had never regretted his decision and even felt d at the choice he had made!


    ¡°Cough cough cough....¡± The emperor emeritus coughed, interrupting Dequan¡¯s recollections. He hurried off the kang bed and poured a cup of warm water from the teapot, serving his master the drink.


    Dequan looked at his master¡¯s face and said worriedly, ¡°Master, we didn¡¯t bring an imperial physician with us on this trip. This servant will go inquire where the most famous doctor is in the prefectural city!¡±


    The emperor emeritus waved a hand and shook his head, ¡°No! Didn¡¯t we buy Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s medicinal pills? I¡¯ll take a cold and cough pill and be fine! It¡¯s just a small cold, it won¡¯t beat this old man yet!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao finished cooking the ginger soup and had added a drop of mystic-stone water before bringing it over. Seeing the pills in Dequan¡¯s hands, she hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°Fifth Lord, can you let this ordinary girl take your pulse? Medicine is three parts poison. Although this pill is good, it can¡¯t be casually taken!¡±


    ¡°Haha....cough cough cough.¡± The emperor emeritus coughed for a while. He looked at Yu Xiaocao and said with a smile, ¡°I almost forgot that the legendary Doctor Yu is still here!¡±

 Chapter 374 – A Pie in the Sky

    <h4>Chapter 374 ¨C A Pie in the Sky</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao seriously checked his pulse and said, ¡°Fifth Lord, you have slight symptoms of a cold. You don¡¯t need to take any pills, but did you bring Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s cough syrup?¡±


    The emperor emeritus red at her with hisrge bell-like eyes, which looked quite scary, ¡°This lord and the people around me are all grown adults, so why would I have such a thing? Aren¡¯t those syrups for children?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao exined, ¡°The syrups are mostly made of rtively mild drugs and don¡¯t have any side effects. It¡¯s effective for treating mild cold and coughing. Fifth Lord, you have a strong body, so you can quickly recover after drinking cough syrup. Why would you eat bitter pills and spoil your appetite?¡±


    The emperor emeritus, Zhu Huaiyong, thought about it and felt that the little girl¡¯s words sounded quite reasonable. It didn¡¯t matter what kind of medication he took, as long as it worked quickly and didn¡¯t dy him from enjoying delicious food.


    After Zhu Huaiyong drank a sip of the syrup, he rinsed the sweetness within his mouth with warm water. Then he eagerly said, ¡°Lass, quickly cut up some pig head meat and pig ears for me. Dequan, take out the wine that I told you to bring along. To drink wine and eat cold pig head meat, that feeling is... even better than living as an immortal!¡±


    With a stern expression, Dequan looked at Yu Xiaocao and asked, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, with my master¡¯s health, can he eat such greasy food and drink wine?¡±


    Without waiting for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s reply, Zhu Huaiyong red at him with hisrge bull-like eyes and shouted, ¡°Why can¡¯t I? It¡¯s just a small cold. I¡¯ve already drank ginger soup and taken the medication. Didn¡¯t you hear what Lass Xiaocao said? My illness will get better soon! Dequan, stop wasting time and quickly go get the wine!!¡±


    Dequan¡¯s feet didn¡¯t move at all, and his eyes were still focused on Xiaocao. Yu Xiaocao smiled at him and said, ¡°He can eat meat, but he can¡¯t drink any alcohol at all!¡±


    Seeing that the emperor emeritus wanted to say something, she continued, ¡°Drinking alcohol is the most taboo thing for one to do when ill. If the illness bes more serious, I¡¯m afraid that, in the future, even eating meat will be forbidden and you will need to eat a light diet...¡±


    When Zhu Huaiyong heard this, he quickly let go of his desire to drink. He didn¡¯t want to be a little white rabbit¡ªbe a vegetarian¡ªunder Dequan¡¯s supervision!


    It was about time for lunch now. Yu Xiaocao cut up a small te of pig head meat, which consisted of more lean meat than fatty meat, and mixed it with minced garlic and sesame oil. Responding to his request, she also made a te of pig ear strips with chili oil and cut half a roasted chicken. After that, she stir-fried several vegetable dishes and ced them all on a kang table.


    Zhu Huaiyongined about the lean meat of the pig head meat, but he unreservedly wrapped the pig head meat within a steamed bun and ate it in big mouthfuls. He devoured all the meat dishes on the table and drank a big bowl of soup, but he didn¡¯t eat much of the vegetable dishes. After he finished eating, he rubbed his belly with contentment andy down to rest on the kang bed.


    Yu Xiaocao also prepared a sumptuous meal for Head Steward Dequan and the imperial bodyguards. Most of the dishes were the braised food from the shop and a few stir-fried dishes. Everyone was very satisfied with her cooking. Originally, it was quite a difficult task to apany their master on a trip in December. However, when the imperial bodyguards found out that their master wanted to go to Dongshan Vige, theypeted fiercely for this opportunity in private. None of the imperial bodyguards who had tried Yu Xiaocao¡¯s cooking didn¡¯t miss and yearn for it.


    Yu Xiaocao had used mystic-stone water to make the soup that the emperor emeritus drank. Therefore, when Zhu Huaiyong woke up from his sleep, his entire body feltfortable and refreshed. His fatigue from the trip was also gone.


    Zhu Huaiyong, who had filled his stomach and rested, called Yu Xiaocao over and discussed with her, ¡°Lass, the business of your braised food shop in the prefectural city is doing very good ah! Are there any ns to open a branch shop?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and seriously answered, ¡°We¡¯re seriously understaffed here, so we can barely manage one shop! Where would we get the energy to manage another shop?¡±


    Zhu Huaiyong widened his bull-like eyes and smacked the table, ¡°Manpower? This lord has it ah! What do you think about this? I¡¯ll provide the workers, storefront, and money, while you provide the skills. Let¡¯s coborate to open a braised food shop in the capital. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything, other than teaching the chefs to make the braised pig head meat to taste exactly like yours. You don¡¯t even have toe to the shop. You can take all the profits; I won¡¯t take a single coin!!¡±


    ¡®What? Emperor Emeritus, are you a fool? Or do you have so much money that you don¡¯t know how to spend it? You¡¯re providing the money, people, and storefront, as well as also doing all the work. Yet you¡¯re giving away all the profit and not taking a single copper coin? Did such a good matter like a pie-in-the-sky really happen to me?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao slightly hesitated, and then asked, ¡°Fifth Lord, didn¡¯t I already give you the recipes for braised food? The imperial chefs in the pce have already learned the method of making braised pig head meat, so why do you still want to open a store?¡±


    When Zhu Huaiyong heard her mention those disappointing imperial chefs, he got angry, ¡°Don¡¯t bring it up! When you were in the pce, the braised food that the imperial chefs made was still eptable. But, after you left and there wasn¡¯t anyone supervising them, their cooking skills instantly decreased! Yet they¡¯re still imed that they made it ording to your recipe. Wouldn¡¯t that make you angry too?¡±


    ¡°Eh... Perhaps they¡¯re used to cooking exquisite and elegant food, so they still have a slight sense of disdain and resistance towards coarse dishes like braised pig head meat and offals. Mentality determines craftsmanship. So that might be why they can¡¯t meet Fifth Lord¡¯s standards, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao was very clear about the real reason, but she had to work hard to think of an excuse for the imperial chefs.


    After thinking about it, Zhu Huaiyongpletely agreed with her. He was so angry that he wanted to harshly reproach those arrogant and self-important imperial chefs.


    Yu Xiaocao giggled and said, ¡°Fifth Lord, have you never suspected that I might have given you a fake recipe, or held something back?¡±


    Zhu Huaiyong nced at her and firmly stated, ¡°You won¡¯t! Your guts are even smaller than an ant, so you don¡¯t have the courage to y tricks with me. Besides, you personally taught those guys in the pce. Under your guidance, they were clearly able to make delicious tasting braised pig head meat. As soon as you left, there was something wrong with the taste. Those old fellows must be loafing on the job!! This won¡¯t do. Lass, you must cooperate with me and open up a braised food shop! Otherwise, this lord would have to run all the way to the prefectural city or Dongshan Vige in order to authentic braised pig head meat!! I¡¯m getting old and can¡¯t endure such trouble...¡±


    ¡®Tsk! He is even using the ¡®tactic of mourning soldiers¡¯! Emperor Emeritus, this isn¡¯t the battlefield, so your tactics won¡¯t work here!¡¯


    ¡°Since Fifth Lord already said that, I can¡¯t tactlessly ignore your kindness, right? Then it¡¯s settled. Selecting the location, renovation, hiring, management, and procurement... I won¡¯t interfere with any of those matters. I¡¯m only responsible for training the cooks! But, I¡¯m not a greedy person, so let¡¯s split 50-50!¡± Yu Xiaocao thought that the emperor emeritus¡¯ proposal was good, but she didn¡¯t feel at ease. If she pulled the emperor emeritus onto the same boat, then no one would dare cause trouble for them.


    ¡°Sure! As expected, this lord didn¡¯t misjudge you. You¡¯re such a kind and righteous girl! I¡¯ll go back tomorrow to make the arrangement and strive to open the shop in December...¡±


    Emperor Emeritus, weren¡¯t you being too impatient? It was already the tenth day of December. When you got back to the capital, you would have to choose the location, renovate the shop, and so on. Wouldn¡¯t that need at least two to three months to bepleted?


    Yu Xiaocao never expected that this wasn¡¯t an idea that the emperor emeritus suddenly came up with. Instead, he had long settled on a storefront, which was used to be the location of a long-established pastry shop. He forcibly exchanged the storefront with them by giving them a store that was located at an even better area and worth a higher price. He alsopensated them with a lot of money for dying their work.


    By the time Yu Xiaocao was taken to the capital on the twentieth of December, the storefront was already ready for operations after being slightly fixed up. In addition to the oven, the back kitchen also had six stoves and various kitchenware were avable. The staff was already in ce, and they were just waiting for her, the ¡®main chef¡¯, toe over!


    For this visit to the capital, Yu Xiaocao also brought along Yangliu, a maidservant who was obsessed with cooking, and her older twin sister, Yu Xiaolian. Yu Xiaolian had already mastered the skill of braising food, and the braised food she made tasted even more authentic than Yu Xiaocao¡¯s. It would be a waste not to use these free helpers.


    Yu Xiaocao wandered around in the kitchen, and then went to look at the well in the backyard. She asked the little divine stone to turn the well water into mystic-stone water, and she also did the same for the water in the vats. She arranged Yu Xiaolian to teach the chefs, who were sent by the emperor emeritus, how to make braised food. Xiaolian had strict control over the ratio of the seasonings, as well as the heat for cooking.


    Xiaocao, on the other hand, personally taught Yangliu how to make dishes like roasted chicken, roasted duck, salted duck, smoked duck, and more. Then she taught the recipes to the other chefs. Anyway, the emperor emeritus assured her that these chefs were trustworthy, and they would never leak the recipes. In order to notpete with Zhenxiu Restaurant, she specially requested to limit the sales of dishes that were the same or simr as the dishes sold at Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    After being busy for two days, the shop that the emperor emeritus personally set up was finally ready for business. Originally, he had prepared open the shop in a low-key manner by just setting off a string of firecrackers and uncovering the que. Unbeknownst to him, many people had started watching him since he exchanged storefronts with the pasty shop. The news that the emperor emeritus had nothing to do and decided to open a store swiftly spread throughout the upper-level circle in the capital. All their preparation before the opening of the braised food shop were being watched by countless eyes in the dark.


    On the day of the opening, an endless stream of high-ranking officials, aristocrats, and retired old officials hade. With a stern expression on his face, Head Steward Dequan greeted all the guests for the emperor emeritus. Fortunately, these people, with the exception of the old officials who had made great contributions when following the emperor emeritus, all tactfully left after leaving a gift.


    From morning to noon, there was no stop in the peopleing to congratte them. Head Steward Dequan and the eunuchs who worked under him had to receive so many presents that their arms were tired. Even the one in the pce had joined in the fun and wrote a phrase of congrattion. He had Su Ran send it over, saying that hanging it up in the shop would give his imperial grandfather more face. Other people would definitely feel greatly honored to receive something personally written by the emperor, however, the emperor emeritus felt that his grandson was being too stingy. He had so many valuable goods, yet he only gifted him with some scribblings!


    The matters outside weren¡¯t things that a little farmer girl like Yu Xiaocao needed to be concerned about. She just dutifully stayed in the back kitchen to teach cooking. She strived to ensure that these chefs could undertake the task without her help so that she could leave earlier and go back to celebrate the New Years with her family!


    Fortunately, these chefs weren¡¯t stupid. They had a solid foundation and learned quickly. After the third day of opening, most of the chefs could do the work on their own. After the Yu sisters supervised the kitchen for a few more days, they felt that they couldpletely let go of their hands for the chefs to cook themselves. Even the emperor emeritus, who had a picky tongue, felt that the chefs could graduate from their apprenticeship, and finally agreed to let the sisters leave.


    When they left, the sisters strolled around the capital under the protection of two imperial bodyguards. They bought many goods that couldn¡¯t be bought in the prefectural city and Tanggu Town, and prepared gifts for everyone in the family. They finally returned to Dongshan Vige on December 28th. The family was pleasantly surprised to see the sisters because they thought that they wouldn¡¯t be able to return for the New Years!

 Chapter 375 – Rejoice

    <h4>Chapter 375 ¨C Rejoice</h4>


    After a joyous and lively New Year, spring quietly approached. In the Yu Residence¡¯s courtyard at the foot of Dongshan Vige¡¯s West Mountain, there was a strong scent of medicine. Yingtao had already be the maidservant in charge of the pharmaceutical workshop. The sense of immaturity on her tender face had decreased quite a bit, and she appeared somewhat more dignified.


    Holding a jar of boiled herbal paste, she went through the moon-shaped door that connected the West Courtyard and East Courtyard. She greeted Madam Liu with a smile, and then walked straight into the backyard.


    The matrons, who were gathering early-ripening vegetables in the courtyard, all watched her until she disappeared around the corner. Ergou¡¯s wife clicked her tongue and said, ¡°Sister, is she the maidservant that the General¡¯s Estate sent over to serve Xiaocao? Look at her appearance; she looks even more pampered than the daughter of a humble family in town. With how she looks, can she really work?¡±


    Auntie Fugui also curled up her lips, ¡°I¡¯ve seen that girl several times, and she¡¯s always dressed up beautifully. She looked even more like a young miss than the young miss! Dahai¡¯s wife, how exactly is that girl? There are some servants who bullies their master! If she¡¯s not a good servant, don¡¯t worry about offending the general¡¯s wife and quickly send her back!!¡±


    The other women also echoed in agreement. With a gentle smile, Madam Liu said, ¡°You guys are thinking too much! Thatss Yingtao is kind and righteous, and she¡¯s also very capable. Without her help, Xiaocao would be so busy every day that she would barely have time to rest! As for her clothes, it was distributed by the General¡¯s Household, and all the head maidservants in the estate dressed in the same way. There are many high-ranking officials and noblemening in and out of the General¡¯s Estate, so wouldn¡¯t the masters lose face if their servants were dressed in old and shabby clothes?¡±


    Auntie Fugui sighed and said, ¡°Ay! Even the maidservants of a rich family dress and eat better than us. Theparison really makes one angry ah!¡±


    Yingtao didn¡¯t know that she had be the topic of discussion of others. At this time, she was standing in the rear courtyard in a daze. Under a pink peach blossom tree, there was a young maiden dressed in a pink spring dress and her hair was tied up in two small buns with blunt bangs. With her neck craned up, she had a serious expression on her fair, jade-like face. She stretched out her hands, stood on tiptoe, and tried to pluck the beautiful peach blossom flowers.


    ¡°Young Miss, the herbal paste for muscle rxation and blood cirction is ready, aren¡¯t you going to check it out?¡± Yingtao, who admired the picturesque view, was unwilling to disturb the beautiful scene in front of her. Young Miss¡¯s homemade skincare cream was indeed effective. ¡®Soft and smooth¡¯ and ¡®fair and delicate¡¯ were perfect descriptions for her young miss¡¯s skin.


    Yingtao freed a hand to touch her own face, and she was very satisfied by the smooth feeling. No matter what her young miss made, she would immediately share them with her. For example, Young Miss had given her a bottle of the skincare cream before she even used it herself (Author¡¯s note: Actually, her young miss is using her as a guinea pig.). She heard that the pearl powder inside could help brighten and smoothen one¡¯splexion. Sure enough, she had only used it for a little over a month, but her skin had a lot smoother. Her skin, which had gotten tanner from the sea breeze, had also brightened up a lot.


    It was really a blessing for her to be able to serve Young Miss. She was already promoted to a supervisory maidservant at the mere age of fifteen. The young miss trusted her so much that she left her in charge of the pharmaceutical workshop, and all the forms of the pills and herbal pastes were in her hands. Every day, she ate and used nearly all the same things as her young miss. Although she had slightly more work than when she was at the General¡¯s Estate, she felt very fulfilled and happy to be busy in such a manner!!


    She felt even more fortunate that she hade out of the General¡¯s Estate with Yangliu, and volunteered toe to Dongshan Vige, which the other maidservants had described as a remote, backward vige. Based on their qualifications in the estate, she didn¡¯t know how long it would take for them to reach their current achievements. Now, she was in charge of the pharmaceutical workshop, while Yangliu was managing the kitchen of the braised food shop in the capital. It was very rare among the noble household to have fifteen to sixteen year old maidservants supervising a dozen or so subordinates. Would Wutong and Pipa regret noting out with them if they found out about their current situation?


    As Yu Xiaocao turned around, the breeze blew behind her and the pink flower petals on the tree scattered onto the ground. She was full of spiritual energy as if she was a peach blossom fairy, or a flower spirit.


    She carried a small basket full of peach blossom petals and walked over to Yingtao. She moved closer to smell the herbal paste in the jar, and then nodded her head and said, ¡°Yingtao, you¡¯re getting better and better. I only wrote down the prescription for this herbal paste and dictated the process of making it, but you have made the exact paste! It seems like you have talent in making medicine! I was right about you. It was indeed a wise decision to hand the pharmaceutical workshop to you!¡±


    Yingtao revealed a bashful smile and her almond-shaped eyes were full of happiness, ¡°Young Miss, it was you who had taught me well! People often say that servants resemble their master. Doctor Sun also praised Young Miss for being talented in medicine. As your servant, I can¡¯t drag you down, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao giggled and said, ¡°That little mouth of yours really knows how to speak ah. I¡¯m very satisfied with your ttery! Alright, after sealing the jars of this batch of herbal paste, send them to the Tongren Medicine Hall in town. After that, you can rest for a period of time. There¡¯s no end to making money, so you must bnce work and rest. If you fall ill from fatigue, where am I supposed to find such a good right-hand man?¡±


    When she heard that her young miss thought of her as her right-hand man, Yingtao was instantly full of energy. If she had a loyalty indicator on her forehead, it must be rising right now. Young Miss had never treated her like a servant, and she had never given her orders in amanding tone. When her young miss made tasty food, she would give her a share. In the Yu Family, she felt the warmth of family, as if she was also an indispensable part of the Yu Family!!


    ¡°Young Miss, Young Miss!! There¡¯s a group of people and horses outside of the vige. Among them, there¡¯s a carriage pulled by four horses. It looks very big and beautiful ah!!¡± A young girl, who was dressed in coarse cloth, yelled as she tottered over from outside. Her hair was tied into two braids, and she had slightly tanned skin.


    ¡°Acting so recklessly! Where are your manners! With your behavior, if we¡¯re at the General¡¯s Estate, you would have already been punished numerous times!! Erya, if you continue to act like this, how am I supposed to trust you to serve Young Miss?¡± Yingtao brought forth the imposing force of a head maidservant and chided the young girl.


    The little girl named Erya was a maidservant who was bought by Yu Xiaocao beside the ox and horse market at the beginning of spring. There was a market formed spontaneously beside the ox and horse market. It was a ce where there was nock of people selling children and women. Erya¡¯s mother was seriously ill, and they needed the money from selling her to save her life. Yu Xiaocao paid five taels to buy this thirteen or fourteen year old girl, having her help the family do chores at home.


    Erya wasn¡¯t afraid of her kind and amiable young miss. All the masters in the family... treated her very well. It was just this Yingtao who scolded her every time they met, as if Older Sister Yingtao was never satisfied with anything that she did. Erya was slightly stunned by Yingtao¡¯s stern expression. She looked timidly at her young miss in hope that she could help her.


    ¡°Alright, Yingtao, we¡¯re not at the General¡¯s Estate, so there¡¯s no need to be so strict. Rx a little, lest everyone feels ufortable!¡± As expected, Yu Xiaocao spoke up.


    Yingtao looked at her young miss with slight aggrievement and said, ¡°Young Miss, the mistress said that, when you¡¯re a few years older, they will take you back to the General¡¯s Estate and help you find a good husband. Since Erya is a maidservant that you bought, she will naturally follow you to the estate. If we don¡¯t change her bad habits now, she will definitely cry in the future!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao red at her and said, ¡°Who said that I must get married in the capital? There are so many rules in those noble and wealthy families. ¡®The courtyard of a noble household is as deep as the sea¡¯, so I don¡¯t want to make trouble for myself! I have already thought about it. In the future, I¡¯ll build a manor in the outskirts of Tanggu Town. I¡¯ll buy and rent out all the surroundingnd and rent them out so that I can be a carefreendy! After my death, the manor and farnds will be rewarded to my loyal servants to thank them for taking care of me in old age and burying me when I die...¡±


    ¡°Young Miss, what are you saying!! Which young maiden doesn¡¯t get married when she reaches an appropriate age? This won¡¯t do. I need to tell Madam Liu to have a word with you!!¡± Yingtao stomped her feet and went back to the front courtyard with a pout.


    Seeing her figure disappear in the backyard, Erya became lively again. With a ttering expression, she moved closer to Yu Xiaocao and giggled foolishly, ¡°Young Miss, Erya will serve you well! I¡¯m not very greedy, so at that time, you can just give me five mu of farnd and two tiled-roof houses!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao red at her and sullenly said, ¡°I, your young miss, will live a long life, so you better stay alive!¡±


    Although Erya was a little na?ve, she wasn¡¯t a fool. She pondered over her young miss¡¯s words. ¡®That¡¯s right! I¡¯m two years older than Young Miss. By the time Young Miss died in bed due to old age, I might have died a long time ago. Even if I¡¯m fortunate enough to be alive, I would already be in my seventies or eighties. I wouldn¡¯t be able to farm even if I got thend ah!¡¯ Erya¡¯s face scrunched up, and she looked as if she was ¡®grieving the loss of her parents¡¯.


    ¡°Alright! Even if you passed away earlier, aren¡¯t your children and grandchildren still around? At that time, the rewards that belong to you will be given to your descendants. Do you really have to look like someone in your family died?¡± Yu Xiaocao scolded her for being hopeless in her heart.


    When Erya heard this, she immediately became happy and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! When I can¡¯t serve Young Miss anymore, I can have my daughter continue to serve you ah!!¡±


    ¡°How are you so certain that you¡¯ll give birth to a daughter in the future?¡± Yu Xiaocao teased her.


    Erya replied matter-of-factly, ¡°I will just continue to have children until I get a daughter!! Our vige¡¯s Old Zhang¡¯s family had nine sons in a row before they finally got a daughter. I won¡¯t be as unlucky as them, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes, ¡®Most people longed for sons, yet you won¡¯t give up until you get a daughter!¡¯ This shameless girl hadn¡¯t even reached marriageable age yet, but she was already moring about giving birth to a daughter. Was this really okay?


    ¡°Oh right, you just mentioned something about a caravan of horses and horse carriage?¡± Erya was slightly stunned by Yu Xiaocao¡¯s sudden change of topic.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time that I have seen such arge convoy and such a luxurious horse carriage. There must be a high-ranking official passing by our Dongshan Vige!!¡± Erya had only arrived in Dongshan Vige at the beginning of spring, so she didn¡¯t know that Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household had a mountain manor on the West Mountain. Thus, she was very surprised by what she saw.

 Chapter 376 – Devilish

    <h4>Chapter 376 ¨C Devilish</h4>


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, Royal Prince Yang is here...¡± As the master and servant talked about the grand carriage procession, a voice of greeting sounded in the front courtyard. Before Madam Liu had finished speaking, a tall figure had already walked into the backyard.


    He was dressed in an ice-blue robe iid with gold embroidery at the border and looked like a person made of wless jade. Even without excessive movement, he still gave off a sense of nobility, prominence, and aloofness. His pair of slightly nted eyes were as clear as a ck obsidian immersed in water. His pure pupils and the bewitching shape of his eyes were merged wonderfully into an extremely beautiful style...


    ¡°Wow!! Young Miss, it was him. He¡¯s the person who was riding on the tall, ck horse in front of the procession!! Could it be that they were heading to our house?¡± Erya was first stunned by the gorgeous appearance of the man in front of her, and then her mind suddenly cleared up and she started screaming again.


    Yu Xiaocao smacked away her finger that was pointing at Royal Prince Yang, and pretended to scold her, ¡°No manners! Aren¡¯t you going to quickly ask the royal prince for forgiveness?¡±


    ¡°Pri... Prince?¡± In the ys, those who offended a prince would be killed. Erya immediately dropped down on her knees and kowtowed several times, banging her head on the ground. With the strength that she used, her forehead had bruised after kowtowing a few times, ¡°Your Highness, please spare my life! Your Highness, please spare my life!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry. She put down the basket full of flower petals in her hands and stopped her from kowtowing. She whispered to Zhu Junyang, ¡°Quickly say that you forgive her! Thisss is slow-witted. If she continues to kowtow, she will faint.¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced disdainfully at the ugly girl who was struggling to free herself from her young miss¡¯s grasp to continue kowtowing to him. He pursed his thin lips, which were as pale as water, and said, ¡°Where did you find this dumb girl? If you need more people to serve you, this prince can gift you with a few maidservants! Any random maidservant in our prince¡¯s estate will be more clever than her.¡±


    When Erya heard this, she continued to kowtow with a crying voice, ¡°Don¡¯t drive Erya away. I will take good care of Young Miss. If Young Miss tells me to go to the south, I would never go to the west. If Young Miss tells me to hit a dog, I definitely wouldn¡¯t chase a chicken...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao burst out inughter and said, ¡°Yeah right! If I told you to hit Little White, would you dare? Even if it was Little ck, I doubt you even have the guts to touch him!¡±


    Erya looked up at Yu Xiaocao and said with a distressed face, ¡°Young Miss, that¡¯s because the two dogs in our family are too fierce, and they¡¯re even bigger than me. Can... Can we rece them with the dogs raised by your eldest granduncle¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°So you think Eldest Granduncle¡¯s dogs are easy to bully? Why are you provoking Dahuang and the others for no reason at all?¡± Yu Xiaocao really didn¡¯t know what to do with her. She pondered if Erya could learn something if she handed her to Yingtao.


    Zhu Junyang red at the dumb maidservant and emitted ¡®cold air¡¯ at her. Erya couldn¡¯t endure the pressure that Royal Prince Yang gave her, so she dejectedly looked for an excuse and went to the West Courtyard. Older Sister Yingtao had medicine. She needed to treat the bruise on her forehead with ointment for promoting blood cirction and dissolving bruises.


    When the eyesore finally left, Zhu Junyang slightly raised his phoenix eyes to look at the graceful young maiden in front of him. After not seeing her for an entire winter, thess had grown a little taller, and she was appearing more like a teenage girl. Some of the immaturity on her small face, which was as tender as a silky white tofu, had also faded. She wore a pink dress and looked slightly more charming than the peach blossom flowers. The ¡®heart disease¡¯ that hadn¡¯t acted up for the whole winter seemed like it might recur.


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, did you have any romantic encounters while staying in the capital for several months? Did Princess Consort Jing force you to go on blind dates? Your nominal age is neen after the New Year. Many of the noble young masters in the capital, who are around your age, probably have sons who run all over the ce, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Zhu Junyang, who looked more and more devilishly handsome the older he was, and wondered what kind of girl was worthy of such a seductively charming face. She also silently mourned for his future wife, ¡®To have a husband who¡¯s even more beautiful than herself, that must be so much pressure ah!¡¯


    Upon hearing her questions, Zhu Junyang immediately pulled a long face and snorted, ¡°Are you really that eager to see this prince go on blind dates and get married? This prince can¡¯t stand thosemonce women!! I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t provoke me on purpose. Otherwise, this prince will get someone to flog you.¡±


    In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, Zhu Junyang¡¯s threat was like Little White baring his teeth at others¡ªthey were just putting on a front. However, she could tell that Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want others to mention this topic. Sheughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s a matter of course for people to get married, so what¡¯s there to be embarrassed about?¡±


    ¡°From which eye do you see that this prince is embarrassed?¡± With a dark expression, Zhu Junyang started emitting ¡®cold air¡¯ towards Yu Xiaocao, but, unfortunately, she was immune to it.


    Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders. In any case, the important matter of the royal prince¡¯s marriage wasn¡¯t something that a little peasant girl should be concerned about. She inwardly made a silent tribute for his mother, Princess Consort Jing¡ªit must be so tiring for Her Highness to have such a troublesome son.


    ¡°Oh right! How¡¯s the red-clothed beauty who I met in the capitalst time? Is she still staying at your house?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart was burning with the desire to gossip, so she disregarded Royal Prince Yang¡¯s anger and fearlessly asked.


    ¡°Beauty? What red-clothed beauty? Can that ugly brat Jiang Zixian be considered a beauty? Are you blind!¡± Zhu Junyang scolded her, and then continued, ¡°Mydy mother had sent her back to the Jiang Family a long time ago! She doesn¡¯t have anything to do with this prince anymore, so don¡¯t put us together. Do you understand?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. That girl Jiang Zixian indeed wasn¡¯t a very good person. She feigned an innocent appearance, but she wasn¡¯t really how she appeared. She also had a very bad temper, and she was very arrogant and willful. It would be so troublesome to have such a wife ah!


    Seeing that thess had obediently closed her mouth, Zhu Junyang shifted his gaze to the basket on the ground and asked, ¡°Why do you need so many flower petals? How many peaches will be ruined because of this ah?¡±


    ¡°What do you know? These are all male flowers, which don¡¯t bear fruits! You just learned something, right? Quickly help me. Let¡¯s pick some more to make peach blossom cakes, peach blossom tea, and peach blossom wine!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at Zhu Junyang¡¯s long limbs and felt that it must be very convenient to use them, so she used food as a bait to get him to help her.


    It seemed like Yu Xiaocao was the only one who dared to tell the cold-faced god of death, Royal Prince Yang, to work for her! Zhu Junyang red at the littless, and then he stretched out his hands, epting his fate. Under Yu Xiaocao¡¯s guidance, he plucked the peach blossom on the branch. Xiaocao had found this peach tree by chance in the valley and transnted it overst year. After being irrigated with mystic-stone water every day, the flowers bloomed brilliantly this year. She wondered how the fruits would turn out!


    When Meixiang, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s maidservant, came over, she saw two figures, one blue and the other pink, standing side by side amongst the flying peach blossom petals. The figure in blue was tall and upright, while the figure in pink appeared petite and delicate. With her clear and lively voice, the petite figure pointed in varying locations as she ordered the tall, blue figure to pick the flower petals on the branches. The blue figure let her have her way and did as she ordered...


    Meixiang suddenly felt like she was watching a little pink fox ordering a lofty, loyal dog to work. No matter what request the little fox made, the loyal dog wouldn¡¯t get angry, and he also had to coax the cute little fox.


    Meixiang couldn¡¯t bear to ruin this harmonious moment, so she just stood there in silence. In the end, it was Yu Xiaocao who had turned around and saw her out of the corner of her eyes. She asked strangely, ¡°Older Sister Meixiang, when did youe? Did Princess Consort Jing need something?¡±


    With a bright smile on her face, Meixiang looked at her family¡¯s young royal prince and the young daughter of the Yu Family and said, ¡°Her Highness has already settled down on the mountain. She told this servant to ask if the royal prince will go back for lunch.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Zhu Junyang and figured that he intended to bum a meal at her house, so she quickly said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, I¡¯m letting you know beforehand that I didn¡¯t know you wereing over today so I didn¡¯t prepare anything special. If you want to stay, you can only eat vegetable dishes for lunch!¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at her obliquely with his charming phoenix eyes. When he saw her dazed look, he was in a good mood and said, ¡°How stingy! You¡¯re reluctant to even let this prince eat one meal at your house! When you ordered this prince to pick the peach blossom petals earlier, didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re going to make peach blossom cakes and peach blossom wine for me to try?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m being stingy, but it¡¯s really ¡®even a clever woman can¡¯t cook without rice¡¯ ah! Making peach blossom tea and brewing peach blossom wine aren¡¯t things that can be done in a short period of time. If you really want to stay, I can make peach blossom cakes for you to eat. However, I know that you don¡¯t really like sweets. Peach blossom cakes have the effects of detoxification and beautifying. I¡¯m afraid that your looks will be greatly enhanced after eating it. Can¡¯t you leave a way out for women?¡±


    Meixiang was terrified in her heart. ¡®She actually dared to joke about the royal prince¡¯s appearance. Miss Yu, do you really think that you have nine lives?¡¯ The young prince loathed othersplimenting his looks. The son of the imperial tutor had privately said that Royal Prince Yang looked pretty. When her young master found out about this, he beat him up until his own mother couldn¡¯t recognize him. With Miss Yu¡¯s small body, she didn¡¯t know if she could even take the strength of her young master¡¯s pinky finger. What should she do? Should she go back and ask Her Highness for backup?


    In the midst of her hesitation and panic, she hadn¡¯t expected that her young master didn¡¯t react in his usual manner. Touching his own face, Zhu Junyang looked seriously at Yu Xiaocao and asked a question that made Meixiang¡¯s jaw drop, ¡°Xiaocao, what do you think about this prince¡¯s looks? Be honest!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also carefully looked at the young royal prince¡¯s facial features in a serious manner. She solemnly nodded and said, ¡°Gorgeous, enchanting, exceedingly beautiful, and unrivaled! If I have to sum up your appearance in one word, I would use the term¡ªdevilish!!¡±


    With every word Yu Xiaocao said, Zhu Junyang¡¯s face would darken even more. When he heard the word ¡®devilish¡¯, the young royal prince¡¯s face was as dark as ck ink. Before he got angry, Yu Xiaocao spoke up again, ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me to say it, so why are you getting angry? Besides, all the words that I used are praising terms, which aren¡¯t derogatory at all. From the bottom of my heart, I feel that you, Young Royal Prince, are very good-looking and fit my beauty standard. I¡¯mplimenting you as a very good-looking man, yet you¡¯re still unhappy ah! So unreasonable!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang sighed heavily and asked, ¡°Tell me the truth! Don¡¯t you think that I look too feminine and don¡¯t have any masculinity?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!! Young Royal Prince, with your handsome appearance and cool and indifferent aura, you have a natural imposing force. You¡¯re bursting with testosterone. How is it possible for you tock manliness?¡± Hearing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s series of ttering remarks, Zhu Junyang¡¯s face looked somewhat better.

 Chapter 377 – Feeling Out

    <h4>Chapter 377 ¨C Feeling Out</h4>


    Meixiang was astonished in her heart. Miss Yu was glib-tongued, but her young master liked her acting like this. Had it been someone else, they would have already been smacked to death, right?


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s go make peach blossom cakes!! Older Sister Meixiang, please take a seat in the front courtyard. When the peach blossom cakes are ready, you can take some back for Princess Consort Jing to have a taste. Peach blossoms can enhance one¡¯s beauty and nourish one¡¯s skin. It¡¯s the most suitable for women to eat.¡± Meixiang was interested after hearing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words, so she stayed back to help in the kitchen.


    Yu Xiaocao kept only the petals of the flowers, and soaked the petals in a light-concentration of salt water for ten minutes. She heard from Meixiang that Princess Consort Jing had high-quality West Lake lotus root starch, which was bestowed by the Imperial Pce, so she told her to go back and ask for some.


    Without a food processor, Yu Xiaocao could only take out the pestle used to grind herbs and ask Royal Prince Yang to help pound the petals into a paste state. Then she mixed it with sheep milk that had been boiled with almonds. After that, she poured it into an earthenware jar and mixed it with lotus root starch. She added powdered sugar, stirred well, and boiled it over a small fire until it turned into a thick substance. While it was being cooked, it needed to be continuously stirred in a quick motion until it turned thick and smooth. Afterwards, she poured the cooked mixture into a container to let it cool down and solidify.


    After solidification, she cut it into small cubes and put a few flower petals on top. It really enhanced one¡¯s appetite to see the creamy-white peach blossom cakes decorated with pink peach blossom petals.


    After that, Yu Xiaocao made peach blossom soup, which was a dessert from the drama The Journey of Flower in her previous life. After cooking glutinous rice and sheep milk into gruel, she sprinkled some flower petals inside. Those who liked a sweet taste could add some white sugar. The two peach blossom desserts captured the hearts of all the women, and even Madam Liu couldn¡¯t help but eat a few more pieces.


    In the end, Zhu Junyang followed Meixiang back to the manor in the West Mountain. Meixiang brought back a box full of peach blossom cakes, which caused the maidservants beside the princess consort to exim, ¡°Miss Yu¡¯s skills in making pastries are even better than the pastry chefs of Daoxiang Vige Pastry Shop [1] in the capital. People will drool just by looking at these peach blossom cakes!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing, who was drinking the peach blossom soup and eating the soft and fragrant peach blossom cake, couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Which lucky brat will end up marrying thisss Xiaocao? Whoever marries her must have umted a great blessing from his previous life ah!¡±


    ¡°Humph! Her? She¡¯s not good at any of the ¡®three morals and four virtues¡¯, so whoever marries her will surely be angered by that mouth of hers. It would be weird if she can get married!!¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly felt annoyed when he heard her words, and even the vor of the peach blossom cake in his mouth changed. Thus, he coldly made a spiteful remark.


    Princess Consort Jing could feel the change in her son¡¯s mood. She looked around and came upon a realization within her heart¡ªher silly son liked thatss, but he hadn¡¯t realized it yet. This slow-witted kid.


    Princess Consort purposely argued with him, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t Xiaocao be able to get married? It¡¯s already outdated to use the standard of ¡®three morals and four virtues¡¯ to measure women. Isn¡¯t the emperor advocating for the equality of men and women? Xiaocao looks so pretty and delicate, and with her big eyes and fair skin, she definitely won¡¯t be too bad looking when she grows up.¡±


    She paused for a moment, nced at her youngest son, and then continued, ¡°The little girl has a kind and honest disposition. She¡¯s innocent and cute, and has a proper sense of propriety. Moreover, she has such superb cooking skills that even the emperor emeritus can¡¯t stop praising her! She¡¯s also good at doing business. She had opened braised food shops one after another, and there¡¯s also one in the capital! Whening back, I had wanted to buy two salted ducks to bring along on the trip, but I couldn¡¯t even get in line. Ay... If we prepare the ducks and all the other ingredients tomorrow, would Xiaocao be willing to make some salted ducks for us?¡±


    ¡°Will she dare to not agree if this prince asked?¡± Zhu Junyang replied with a snort. His mood was veryplicated, but he also didn¡¯t know what he was troubled about.


    Princess Consort Jing blinked her eyes, which were very simr to her son¡¯s, and went on, ¡°Thess is concerned about your identity, but you also shouldn¡¯t go too far. Don¡¯t always bully her with your power as the royal prince! Where were we again? Oh right, Xiaocao is not only good at cooking, but she¡¯s also good at tending flowers and nts. My precious flowers, which were about to die, hade back to life in her hands. They look even better than when I first bought them back!¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right!! Thess also has medical skills. She had unexpectedly saved the empress¡¯s precious baby and left a good impression on the emperor and empress. She had also nourished my health back to normal. In the past, I would feel dizzy after walking a couple steps. Now, I can even walk several kilometers on the mountain road without feeling breathless. Your lord father thought that it was the fengshui on the West Mountain that heals people!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing beamed with joy as she talked about her increasingly stronger and healthier body. Her husband said that, when he had breaks, he would take her to go sightseeing and spend some alone time together as a married couple!


    ¡°Also...¡± Princess Consort Jing was bing more and more enthusiastic as she spoke. However, she was interrupted by her youngest son.


    ¡°Lady Mother, Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t be a long-lost child of you and Lord Father, right? You¡¯re working so hard to praise that you¡¯re giving off the feeling of Old Wang selling melons¡ªpraising his own products!¡± Zhu Junyang felt even more irritated in his heart. He also felt puzzled, ¡®I have already passed the age of fighting for favor ah, so why do I feel displeased when Lady Mother is praising thatss so much?¡¯


    Princess Consort red fiercely at her youngest son. ¡®If Xiaocao was really my child, then you, this brat, will be single forever!! He¡¯s seriously a stinky rock who doesn¡¯t know anything about romance!! You still don¡¯t understand? Then I¡¯ll hit you with something powerful!!¡¯


    ¡°I also want to have such a considerate and talented daughter ah! It¡¯s a pity that thess had already been adopted by Fang Zizhen and his wife. I heard that Lady Fang is nning on bringing thess to the capital in two years. She wants to keep thess by her side and help her find a good husband. Xiaocao is such a clever and cute girl, and she¡¯s also very skilled. There must be a lot of humble and talented gentlemen who will discover her beauty. It might be a fiercepetition ah! Would the General Estate¡¯s threshold be stomped t by all those people?¡±


    ¡°Thess is only eleven or twelve years old, yet Lady Fang is already making arrangements for her. Isn¡¯t it a little too early? Besides, what good match can a little farmer girl, like her, find in the capital?¡± Zhu Junyang felt a flickering me within his heart, and it was getting bigger and bigger. Feeling increasingly irritated, he had the urge to throw things and beat someone up!!


    Princess Consort Jing smiled and said, ¡°She¡¯s the general¡¯s goddaughter, and also has some face in front of the emperor and empress. The emperor emeritus also speaks highly of her... With the most important people in the pce backing her, do you really think she can¡¯t find a good husband? Last year, when she cured the young imperial prince¡¯s illness, there were already people asking me about her!¡±


    ¡°Who? Who¡¯s that sicko?? Xiaocao was only around the age of tenst year. She¡¯s still a child!! Is that guy a pedophile?¡± Zhu Junyang nearly smacked the table and jumped up. His eyes were spewing with anger, as if he wanted to go harshly beat up that disgusting guy.


    Princess Consort Jing red at him and said, ¡°What are you saying! It was the Senior Grand Secretary¡¯s daughter-inw who asked about Xiaocao. She has a younger son who¡¯s around the same age as Xiaocao. At a young age, he has already shown his talent in the Imperial Academy. In the future, he may be able to join the Grand Secretariat like his grandfather!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang seldom interacted with the other noble young masters in the capital. With his brows creased together, he thought for a long time before he vaguely remembered the appearance of the outstanding grandson of the Senior Grand Secretary. He looked so weak that he could barely withstand a gust of wind, and he was also as pale as a ghost. With a dull temperament, he appeared like an old schr. With Xiaocao¡¯s entric personality, she would definitely suffocate to death if she had to be with him!


    ¡°Lady Mother, Xiaocao is still so young, so you mustn¡¯t rashly promise to help them. It¡¯s impossible to judge people by their appearance. Since you like Xiaocao so much, if she isn¡¯t happy in the future, you will definitely regret it! It¡¯s fine to wait a few more years!¡± Zhu Junyang strongly opposed his mother trying to be a matchmaker for Xiaocao.


    ¡°She¡¯s not that young anymore! After the age of ten, young girls mature quickly and look different each year! She will unknowingly grow into a beautiful young maiden!! I think that the Senior Grand Secretary¡¯s younger grandson is very good. He¡¯s warm and friendly, and he doesn¡¯t have that high and mighty sense of superiority. He¡¯s a rarely found good match for young girls...¡±


    ¡°How is he a good match!! I can push that weakling down with merely one finger, and he can be easily blown away by slightly stronger wind. Xiaocao is frequently stirring up trouble, so she should find someone who is strong and skilled in martial arts. That way, there will be someone following behind and helping her take care of all the troubles!¡± Zhu Junyang interrupted hisdy mother¡¯s words, and his eyebrows were creased so tightly that it could kill a fly.


    Princess Consort Jing secretlyughed in her heart, but pretended to agree as she nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right! What kind of man is he, if he can¡¯t protect his woman?¡±


    Before Zhu Junyang could breathe a sigh of relief, she continued, ¡°I have a person in mind. Yang¡¯er, what do you think about the youngest son of the Nine Gates Infantry Commander? He¡¯s about four to five years older than Xiaocao. He¡¯s tall and handsome, and even the emperor emeritus praised him for being highly skilled in martial arts! I heard that the kid is nning to participate and win first ce in next year¡¯s imperial military examination!!¡±


    ¡°Him? He¡¯s just a loser under my hands!! If he wants to be next year¡¯s martial arts champion, he will first need to ask if I am willing to let him!!¡± Zhu Junyang pondered if he should sign up for next year¡¯s military examination and take that fellow down a peg or two. This prince hadn¡¯t been in the capital in recent years, and now just any random cat or dog was trying to lord over others!! Did they forget how this prince had beaten them until they cried for their parents?


    ¡°What¡¯s more, I heard that when the son of the Nine Gates Infantry Commander was fifteen, he had taken in several bed-servants. He also has a concubine. That girl Xiaocao is like an innocent little rabbit. If she married into such a family, won¡¯t she be torn apart by those tigers and wolves?¡± To sum it up in one sentence, ¡®I don¡¯t agree!!!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to continue listening to his mother talking about how good all those noble young masters in the capital were. He stood up and warned her sternly, ¡°Anyway, Lady Mother, don¡¯t join in and cause trouble! If someone asks you to be a matchmaker, just pretend to be ill and ignore them! That way, we can prevent thatss from living unhappily, and thus resent you in the future!!¡±


    After he said that, he quickly left without waiting for Princess Consort Jing¡¯s reply. Zhu Junyang, who had arrived at his own courtyard, tortured the imperial bodyguards around him for the entire afternoon in the martial arts field. He drilled those guys until they cried for their parents, but it still didn¡¯t clear up his gloomy mood.


    He thought of the bright and lovely young girl under the beautiful peach blossom tree. Her smile was even brighter than the sunshine, and her voice was even clearer than the mountain spring... How could he allow her beauty to be tainted by those vulgar men?


    If she got married, then she wouldn¡¯t be allowed to casually meet non-rted men. When he was swallowed by his dark inner demons, there would no longer be a holy golden light to lead him out of the boundless darkness. When he got shackled down by the grim coldness, there wouldn¡¯t be a smile that was as warm as the sun to warm up the deepest part of his heart...

 Chapter 378 – This Prince Will Accept You

    <h4>Chapter 378 ¨C This Prince Will ept You</h4>


    He didn¡¯t know if at that time, like in his dreams, he would degenerate into a killing machine? A ruthless demon? Zhu Junyang shivered in the warm spring sun at noon. He hastily left the manor and unwittingly walked to the ck brick, tiled-roof residence at the foot of the mountain.


    ¡°Your Highness, the royal prince only ate half a bowl of peach blossom soup for lunch...¡± When Meixiang and Lanxiang brought the lunch over, they only saw the young prince¡¯s back view and were confused about where he was going.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He won¡¯t starve!¡± Princess Consort Jing was in a good mood and thus had a good appetite. After she ate a few pieces of peach blossom cakes, she also ate quite a lot for lunch.


    Unknowingly, Zhu Junyang had stepped into the Yu Family¡¯s East Courtyard again. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family was getting ready to eat lunch, so when they saw Royal Prince Yanging in, they all stood up.


    With a smile, Yu Hai rubbed his hands and asked, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, have you eaten lunch yet? If you don¡¯t mind, would you like to eat with us?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the table and saw that the dishes on it weren¡¯t the vegetable dishes like Yu Xiaocao had said. Steamed eggs and ms, fried yellow croaker, grilled salmon... These were all dishes that he hadn¡¯t tried before. Zhu Junyang, who was originally in a bad mood, red up in anger again.


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao! Do you really dislike me this much? Do you hold contempt for this prince?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s tone was filled with a sense of danger.


    Yu Xiaocao, whose name was suddenly called, almost choked on a fishbone. She coughed hard twice and swallowed the fish meat in her mouth. Then she quickly went to put out the fire, ¡°What do you mean, Young Royal Prince? Uncle Shuanzhu brought the yellow croaker and salmon over after you left. As you know, if sea fish is left out for a long time, it won¡¯t be fresh anymore. So...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses! Speak!! Are you annoyed at this prince? You don¡¯t want to let me stay to eat?¡± Zhu Junyang was acting somewhat unreasonable for no reason at all, like a sulky child.


    Yu Xiaocao stopped her family members, who wanted toe help. She said with a smile, ¡°Your Highness, you have misunderstood! With your noble status, you have traveled far and wide and possess exceptional knowledge. So, what delicacies haven¡¯t you tried before? Your willingness to eat at our house is an acknowledgement of my cooking skills. We feel deeply honored, so why would we push away such a great honor? You¡¯re quite lucky. You came over as soon as I seeded in making the charcoal grilled salmon with herbs...¡±


    ¡°If this prince didn¡¯te today, doesn¡¯t that mean that I wouldn¡¯t be able to eat this new dish?¡± Zhu Junyang continued to find fault for no reason. Looking at Xiaocao¡¯s beautiful smiling face, a gloomy feeling hit his heart at the thought of how her beauty would be presented to some unknown person in the future.


    Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes with a look of disbelief, ¡°I was just nning on preparing a feast to wee the royal prince tomorrow! This dish was prepared for tomorrow ah! Since you¡¯re here today, that¡¯s even better! Why don¡¯t you see if it suits your taste?¡±


    After over two years of interaction, Yu Xiaocao had already gotten a good grasp of this cold-faced royal prince¡¯s temper and knew how to get rid of his anger by joking with him. But, it didn¡¯t seem to be working today!


    ¡°Stop acting in such a frivolous manner. How can you be a girl like this? With you acting like this, it would be a wonder if you can get married!!¡± Upon hearing Zhu Junyang¡¯s vicious remark, Madam Liu, as her mother, immediately pulled a long face. Yu Hai, who was a fool for his daughter, also red at Royal Prince Yang with a displeased expression. Had it not been for his identity, they would have stepped forward and ripped into him already.


    ¡°That¡¯s even better! I can stay with my parents and be filial to them right by their sides. That way, I don¡¯t have to be overly cautious and restrained at someone else¡¯s house. There¡¯s also fighting with my mother-inw, sister-inw, and other women... I¡¯m tired just by thinking about it!¡± Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, had a nonchnt expression.


    Madam Liu could no longer be concerned about Royal Prince Yang standing on the side, and chided, ¡°What are you saying!! How can a girl not get married? If you continue to speak nonsense, I¡¯m going to hit you!!¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s threat didn¡¯t have any effect on Xiaocao because she knew that her mother wouldn¡¯t be willing to harm her at all! Since she transmigrated to this small fishing vige, the most gratifying thing for her was that she had parents who loved her so much and allowed her to ¡®make trouble¡¯, and siblings who had a harmonious rtionship and helped each other.


    Hearing Xiaocao¡¯s words, the anger in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart suddenly dispersed like a deted balloon. He said without thinking, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you can¡¯t get married, then this prince will kindly take you!¡±


    Unexpectedly, Xiaocao had a horrified expression on her face when she heard this, like she had just seen a ghost. She hastily replied, ¡°Royal Prince, please don¡¯t! I¡¯m very grateful, but can you use your kindness on others? This lowlymoner acts in a boorish manner and looks ugly. I don¡¯t want to tarnish your saintly image of being graceful and handsome, wise and skilled in martial arts, and unattainable!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, this prince doesn¡¯t mind!!¡± Zhu Junyang was in a bright mood and felt that it was an excellent idea to take her into his household. Thisss was still too young, but it didn¡¯t matter because he had the patience to wait for her to grow up.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who minds!!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that Royal Prince Yang was being serious, so she spoke without thinking, which caused the Yu Hai couple and Old Yu¡¯s hearts to tremble in fright! If she offended this great lord Royal Prince Yang, the entire Yu Family wouldn¡¯t be able to take the responsibility ah!


    With his eyebrows raised, Zhu Junyang stared at her seriously with his phoenix eyes and asked, ¡°Do you think that this prince isn¡¯t good enough for you? I was personally bestowed the title of royal prince by the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, and I was also granted the authority to govern a piece ofnd. If you consent, you will be the mistress of the entire Tanggu area. You can open a shop anywhere you want and buynd wherever you want. Even if you don¡¯t want to do anything, this prince will be able to support you! Although I¡¯m six to seven years older than you, people often say that older men know how to pamper women more! Moreover, this prince looks pretty decent, so you won¡¯t lose face when going out with me! So in what way are you unsatisfied with me?¡±


    Xiaocao felt another headacheing when she saw him promote himself in such a serious manner, ¡°My Lord, you are absolutely perfect! I am the one who isn¡¯t good enough for you...¡±


    ¡°This prince has already said that I don¡¯t mind!!¡± At the beginning, when Zhu Junyang blurted out this idea, he was being slightly impulsive. However, after carefully thinking about it, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to keep the only source of light in his life by his side. In this way, he had resolved all the troubles that he had earlier at the mountain manor.


    Yu Xiaocao had the urge to bite someone. Seeing the stunned expression on the faces of her family members, she knew that she couldn¡¯t count on them. She thought about it, and then seriously said, ¡°Young Royal Prince! You should also know how much my parents value me. They won¡¯t agree to let me be someone¡¯s concubine. You won¡¯t use your authority to force me to be your concubine, right?¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯ll take you in as a concubine?¡± Zhu Junyang looked at her contemptuously. If this tactless girl got married into a disordered household, she would be tortured to death in a few days. Fortunately, the inner court of the Prince Jing¡¯s Household had always been rather peaceful. His lord father had acted in an absurd manner when he was young, but, at present, his mother was his father¡¯s only woman.


    After his eldest brother married his eldest sister-inw, he had sent away all his former bed-servants. As for himself, he didn¡¯t even have a single bed-servant. He was still a virgin at the age of eighteen or neen. If those profligate sons of wealthy families in the capital found out about this, they would definitelyugh at him. What exactly was this stinky girl unsatisfied with?


    With a foul expression, Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°To me, the position of ranked concubine and equal wife is the same as a concubine. I have a slightly domineering temper and I like to guard things that belong to me, so I won¡¯t permit anyone to share my man!!¡±


    The Yu Family members all covered their faces, ¡®This shameless girl. How old is she that she¡¯s already casually talking about men? This won¡¯t do. When the royal prince, who is suddenly acting crazy, leaves, we must properly discipline her to let her know what can be said and what can¡¯t be said!¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s great! This prince hates those pretentious and ill-intentioned women! It¡¯s enough to have only one woman in the inner court. If there are more, it would be a disaster to the family!!¡± Zhu Junyang still remembered the source of his great change in temperament¡ªthat b*tch who wanted to harm hisdy mother! She normally pretended to be a pure white lotus flower, but she was actually a ck-hearted snake!


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know if he was really being serious. Why was he ying with her, a little peasant girl, for no reason? She wrinkled her face and tried to reject him, ¡°Young Royal Prince, since ancient times, one¡¯s marriage is decided by the orders of the parents and the words of the matchmaker. Your marriage needs to be decided by Imperial Prince Jing and Princess Consort Jing. Aren¡¯t you being too disrespectful of our family by making such a rash proposal?¡±


    Yu Hai finally had a chance to interject, ¡°Cao¡¯er is right! Had it not been for your status as a royal prince, we would have already kicked you out with a beating for your absurd behavior! Although we¡¯re justmoners, Cao¡¯er is also a pearl in our eyes¡ªour beloved daughter. How can we just let you take her with merely a few words?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at his future father-inw with a serious expression and nodded, ¡°Uncle Yu is right! This fellow is being rash!! Rest assured; I will make my own decisions regarding my own marriage!! I¡¯ll immediately go write a letter to ask my lord father toe to the mountain manor. On ater day, I¡¯lle with my parents to discuss the matter between the two families...¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait a moment!!¡± If Yu Xiaocao continued to remain silent, then her marriage was about to be settled. She shrieked and interrupted her father and the young prince, ¡°Young Royal Prince, please carefully reconsider and don¡¯t act on impulse. How can two people without feelings stay together for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, do you dislike me?¡± Zhu Junyang felt uncertain in his heart. Many of the noble youngdies in the capital, who had heard of his reputation, would always have theplex emotions of fear, panic, and adoration when they met him. He was afraid that Xiaocao would dislike him after hearing about his past.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head, and Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s head slightly ached as she looked up at the royal prince, who was suddenly in a good mood. She helplessly said, ¡°Not disliking you doesn¡¯t mean that I like you ah! I want to be a couple who loves each other, and not a couple who always acts courteous to each other.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t dislike me, then it¡¯s not a big problem! Isn¡¯t there something called ¡®familiarity breeds fondness¡¯? Mydy mother had also only seen my lord father several times before they got married. Aren¡¯t they happily married now? At present, which noble madam in the capital doesn¡¯t envy mydy mother for having the sole love of her husband?¡± What Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t say was that his lord father had seen hisdy mother by chance and fallen in love with her at first sight. This marriage was requested by his lord father himself!


    ¡°Not all men are as devoted as Imperial Prince Jing!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt very helpless. Could someonee save her? Could someone please take away this royal prince who had suddenly gone crazy!


    ¡°Like father, like son! I¡¯m my lord father¡¯s son, so if my father can do it, then so can I!!¡± Zhu Junyang eximed with determination. Although he still wasn¡¯tpletely clear about his feelings toward thisss, he had finally met a girl who he didn¡¯t hate and wasn¡¯t annoyed by. She was a little too young, but he didn¡¯t want to let her go!

 Chapter 379 – Women are so Troublesome

    <h4>Chapter 379 ¨C Women are so Troublesome</h4>


    Was that a confession? It couldn¡¯t be, right? Although Yu Xiaocao had lived two lifetimes, she had never been pursued by anyone before, not to mention being forced into marriage¡ªdefinitely a first! ¡®But are you sure that you¡¯re really serious about marrying me, and it¡¯s not just an impulsive decision, Young Royal Prince?¡¯


    ¡°Young Royal Prince, I think we should give each other time to think this through. Besides, I¡¯m only twelve, which is still very young. I¡¯m still several years away from marriageable age. We should slowly discuss this matter with both of our families, don¡¯t you think?¡± Yu Xiaocao decided to dy the matter. Maybe the young prince would forget all about this when he went back, and the matter would be resolved by itself?


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s captivating eyes stared at her for a long time. She was about to crumble under his stare when he nodded, ¡°Although being rejected by you will hurt my pride, it won¡¯t discourage me from my desire to marry you! Since you say that you need time to think, I¡¯ll give you enough time¡ªdoes tomorrow sound good?¡±


    Before Yu Xiaocao burst in anger, Zhu Junyang hurriedly continued, ¡°I¡¯m kidding. I¡¯m just trying to lighten up the mood since you and your family might be overly nervous. Don¡¯t worry, my intentions will never change. I¡¯ll wait for your reply, so don¡¯t let me down! Got it?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t funny at all, okay? Whoever couldugh when they¡¯re facing a royal prince who proposes marriage without any warning?


    After all that, Zhu Junyang was also embarrassed to stick around and dine with the Yu Family. But, before he exited the residence, he turned around to take another look at the figure standing gracefully like an orchid. Then, he left with an uncertain heart.


    Once Royal Prince Yang¡¯s figure disappeared from their sights, the entire Yu Household exploded. Old Yu rubbed his chest in an effort to calm himself down, then hesitantly asked his son, ¡°Just now... the royal prince proposed marriage? I¡¯m not dreaming, am I? Such a noble person has his sights set on a daughter of our family?¡±


    Yu Hai unhappily rebuked, ¡°How is my daughter not suitable for him? The royal prince wouldn¡¯t be able topare to Cao¡¯er if he didn¡¯t have his title!¡±


    Madam Liu held her youngest daughter¡¯s hand and worriedly asked, ¡°What do you think, Cao¡¯er? This match isn¡¯t well-suited, since our family¡¯s status differs too much from that of the Prince Jing¡¯s household. If the royal prince bullies you in the future, we won¡¯t be able to back you up.¡±


    Yu Hang, on the other hand, made ament that pleased Xiaocao, ¡°Youngest Sister, no one can force you if you aren¡¯t willing! If the royal prince uses his standing to pressure you, even if I will risk my life, your brother, I will go to the capital to file an imperialint and make sure that the emperor does you justice!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grumbled in her heart, ¡®Eldest Brother, you¡¯re so naive. The emperor? That¡¯s his older cousin! You¡¯d expect him to help us rather than his own family? And besides, how easy do you think filing an imperialint would be, even more so when you¡¯reining about a royalty? Just the mere punishment of rolling on top of a bed full of nails will cost you half of your life!¡¯


    ¡°Ai...¡± Yu Xiaocao sighed deeply, and the Yu Household immediately shut up to watch her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat! The dishes are already cold.¡± Yu Xiaocao weakly fell into her seat by the dining table and tastelessly stuffed a piece of fish meat into her mouth.


    Madam Liu patted her lightly, ¡°You still have a mind for food? How will we handle this matter? Why don¡¯t you give us some ideas?¡±


    Her daughter¡¯s ideas had led them through the past two years, so the household had eventually made a habit out of asking her for her opinions every time they encountered a problem. Everyone had already forgotten that ultimately, she was only a twelve-year-old girl.


    ¡°What else can we do? We can only pray that it was an act of impulse by the young prince. Maybe he¡¯d have regretted this decision by the time he reached his residence. That¡¯s enough, all of you shouldn¡¯t worry yourselves over it, even if the sky falls down, tall people will hold it up for us!¡± Although Yu Xiaocao said this, she still could not swallow her food¡ªit was tasteless. God, who could tell her what kind of insanity Royal Prince Yang was on about? Proposing marriage without any warning, had he been possessed by something dirty?


    ¡°But...what if he¡¯s serious?¡± Madam Liu was still worried. She did not think that her daughter catching the eye of the royal prince was good at all.


    Seeing that everyone seemed to disapprove of this marriage, Old Yu hesitated to talk. He secretly wondered why his son and daughter-inw were dissatisfied with the royal prince. Besides, did it matter whether you were satisfied or not? Would the royal prince allow room for rejection, considering his standing?


    Yu Xiaocao also had no confidence in the matter, so she said after a moment of thought, ¡°When hees, you all can tell him you want to keep me until I¡¯m eighteen years old because you can¡¯t bear for me to leave so young. If he can¡¯t wait, then he can find another? I¡¯m still young anyway, and there¡¯s six years until I¡¯m eighteen years old. Perhaps he¡¯ll meet his true soulmate one of those days!¡±


    Yu Hang quickly responded, ¡°What if he¡¯s still determined to marry you when you¡¯re eighteen?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll marry him! It should be true love if he¡¯s waited for me for so many years, right? Shouldn¡¯t it be worth entrusting the rest of my life?¡± Yu Xiaocao opened her mind to the idea. The young prince was quite good-looking and was not hard to get along with. Besides, there was really nothing bad she could say about him. If she kept him at home, he would still make a good eye-candy!


    That¡¯s right, was there any option aside from marrying him? Yu Hai and Madam Liu shared worried nces with each other.


    On the other side, Zhu Junyang¡¯s steps became light and quick once he left the Yu Residence. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his decision was right! His cousin, the emperor, had once said, ¡°There is an invisible pair of wings behind everyone¡¯s back. Only when you¡¯ve found your other half, will you be able to fly freely.¡± There were so many people in this world, and yet it was only her intentions that he could never tell. She was the only one whom he had the desire to get close to. Was she not the other half that the gods had prepared specifically for him?


    ¡°Lady Mother, I want to marry Yu Xiaocao!¡± Zhu Junyang rushed back to his mountain vi. He did not feel hungry, seemingly even forgetting that he had not even had lunch as his heart had never felt so fulfilled.


    Princess Consort Jing, who had eaten her fill and was strolling in the gardens, raised her brow at his deration, ¡®Oh! He finally understood his feelings after going out for such a short while? Could it be... this fellow was triggered by me and ran off to confess his feelings? He didn¡¯t get chased out by them? Er... How did Xiaocao react? Was she ted? Perturbed? Scared? Or...¡¯ Princess Consort thought heartlessly.


    ¡°Lady Mother? I¡¯ve thought it through¡ªall the noble young misses in the capital only make me annoyed. If they¡¯re not aloof and boring, then they¡¯re deceitful. Otherwise, they¡¯re stupid like pigs... You¡¯re right, I¡¯m already of age and should consider marriage. If I really have to find someone to stay by my side, Yu Xiaocao isn¡¯t so bad!¡± Zhu Junyang did not seem to have grasped the true meaning of ¡®liking someone¡¯, but rather only had a muddled understanding of it.


    Princess Consort Jing did not continue the topic, keeping silent. When she felt her son slowly losing hisposure, she spoke, ¡°And you visited the Yu Family just now?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Suddenly, Zhu Junyang did not feel so sure of himself anymore, for fear that hisdy mother might oppose his decision to be with Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Hadn¡¯t you listed many of Xiaocao¡¯s good traits? I¡¯ve thought about it¡ªrather than letting her be taken by others, why not strike first and tie her down?¡±


    ¡°How did the Yu Family react?¡± That littless Xiaocao was a good child. Although Princess Consort Jing had not had much opportunity to interact with her parents, she heard that they were honest folk. She just did not know if they had any worrying rtives, but with the Prince Jing Household¡¯s reputation, even difficult rtives should know to back down, right?


    ¡°Um... Yu Xiaocao¡¯s parents didn¡¯t say anything (Author¡¯s note: That¡¯s because you hadn¡¯t given them a chance to.). Yu Xiaocao made a few requests, but I think they¡¯re really nothing!¡± In Zhu Junyang¡¯s point of view, Xiaocao¡¯s biggest worry was the difference between their status and his parents¡¯ opposition, but hisdy mother was not like themon folk who only looked at a person¡¯s birth... right?


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s brow rose even higher. ¡®Yu Xiaocao dared to personally make demands with Yang¡¯er? What kind of reaction is this? As a girl, shouldn¡¯t she be shy and hide away from discussions about her marriage?¡¯


    ¡°Lady Mother, you disapprove?¡± Zhu Junyang had misunderstood his mother¡¯s silence.


    Princess Consort Jing smiled and asked, ¡°Tell me, what requests did that girl make?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually nothing. Her biggest worry is that her standing isn¡¯t high enough, so she¡¯s afraid that I¡¯ll have a bunch of bed-servants and concubines and they¡¯ll fight with her for my favor, but she¡¯s overthinking it. With my condition...if I¡¯d never met her, I¡¯d probably never marry in this lifetime.¡±


    Suddenly, Zhu Junyang recalled that dream he had not so long ago¡ªhe turned into a murderer so uncontroble he died in a storm of arrows surrounded by the imperial guards and Jin Wu Guards. He still remembered the dream with rity even though a few months had passed.


    He seldom lost control for the past two years. In those few times when he was about to lose control of himself, he was prevented from it by Yu Xiaocao, either wittingly or not. Head Steward Liu had also hinted to him about his tendency to be ¡®warmer¡¯ when he was around Yu Xiaocao¡ªor rather, Yu Xiaocao was the sun in his heart, warming the cold and dark devil within him.


    ¡°Are you sure that Yu Xiaocao isn¡¯t eying your status and title? Would she have ulterior motives like those young misses from the prestigious families in the capital?¡± The more Princess Consort Jing said, the more upset she felt. Her poor Yang¡¯er...


    ¡°She¡¯s not!¡± Zhu Junyang confidently said. Even though he could not perceive any of her emotions, he was sure in his heart that Yu Xiaocao was not a conniving person. Not only did she not approach him because of his identity, she also showed signs of withdrawing from him. However, he would never let her have the opportunity to push him away. His older cousin, the emperor, had said, ¡°One must fight for their own chances, and hold them tight!¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it...¡± Princess Consort Jing was extremely careful and considerate of the marriage of her poor youngest son. Every mother hoped that their children could find the perfect match for themselves, and she was the same.


    Zhu Junyang misunderstood his mother¡¯s meaning. Furrowing his brows, he thought, ¡®Didn¡¯t Lady Mother quite like Xiaocao? It seems like he was too confident in this matter! It couldn¡¯t be that Lady Mother also minded her family background?¡¯


    ¡°Lady Mother? What more do you have to think about? You couldn¡¯t possibly want me to live alone for the rest of my life, right?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s lips thinned into a line and his expression turned into a sort of stubborn childishness.


    Princess Consort Jing was angry and amused at the same time. He had not even married this wife and she, as his mother, was already being put to the side! She pretended to be angry and huffed, ¡°You¡¯ve really grown up, Yang¡¯er! You¡¯re even threatening your own mother now! Those peasant women were right when they said, ¡®When the little magpie grows up and gets a wife, he forgets his mother...¡¯¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way! I just have a feeling that I¡¯ll really be forever alone if I let Yu Xiaocao slip away...¡± Zhu Junyang was a little anxious, but he could not let hisdy mother have a grudge against Xiaocao... ¡®Ay! Women are so troublesome and so hard to deal with!¡¯

 Chapter 380 – Summoned for a Discussion

    <h4>Chapter 380 ¨C Summoned for a Discussion</h4>


    Princess Consort Jing amusedly watched her youngest son¡¯s anxious expression, feeling relieved. He had been disying more and more emotions for the past two years and seemed more like a living person now. She could still remember being constantly on guard against that small, listless figure that could and would hurt someone at any moment. The entire family was very concerned for him, but it seemed like he started taking a turn for the better after he met that girl from Yu Family. Could it be...that Yu Xiaocao was Zhu Junyang¡¯s soulmate as mentioned before by the Chief Abbot of Xiangguo Temple?


    ¡°Only when Zhu Junyang¡¯s destined benefactor is born will he be redeemed...¡± The Chief Abbot of Xiangguo Temple rarely read a person¡¯s fortune. He only gave this small advice that year because he was touched by Princess Consort Jing¡¯s love for her child.


    For the past decade, the Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had sent out many of their guards to search for Zhu Junyang¡¯s supposed soulmate, but they had never found her. It seemed that they had misunderstood the Chief Abbot, the ¡®birth¡¯ he had mentioned probably did not mean newly-born infants.


    But...Zhu Junyang was seven years old that year she dragged her sick body and kowtowed every step she made to the Xiangguo Temple and begged the Chief Abbot to help her find a way around his fate. Coincidentally, the Yu Family¡¯s little miss was born that year. Was there a connection?


    The more Princess Consort Jing thought into it, the more she felt her guess was logical. She flipped and turned the entire night but did not sleep much. On the morning of the second day, she let Meixiang go down the mountain to summon Yu Xiaocao.


    This morning, Yu Xiaocao had brewed a cup of fragrant peach blossom tea and baked a few types of sheep¡¯s milk biscuits. She was about to dig in when Meixiang knocked on the door and entered the courtyard. The Yu Residence was busiest in the morning, filled with the fellow vigers that they employed, who conversed with each other while they skillfully and carefully harvested the vegetables.


    Two horse carts were parked outside the residence. The insignia on the carts showed that they were Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s purchasing carts, and one of them was headed for the prefectural city. The horse cart would have to travel for about a day before it could reach the prefectural city, but the freshness of Yu Family¡¯s vegetables could be preserved for a longer time. Even if it were a few days after harvesting, they would still taste as fresh as when they were reaped.


    When Meixiang arrived at the Yu Residence, she saw the women load vegetables onto the cart and smiled at Yu Xiaocao as she quipped, ¡°Miss Yu, since your vegetables are so high in demand, you should consider nting more. Otherwise, those people in town will fight with each other just for the right to buy from you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded, solemnly replying, ¡°Mhm, we are nning to do that. We¡¯ll nt fifty mu of early ripening vegetables in our farmstead at the outskirts of Tanggu Town at the beginning of spring next year. If they can sell, we¡¯ll continue to increase the production volume in the following years.¡±


    Watching the young girl who was sitting in a rocking chair leisurely sip her flower tea, Meixiang smiled as she watched the young girl who was sitting in a rocking chair leisurely sip her flower tea, ¡°Miss Yu is indeed skilled in business¡ªyou¡¯re capable and you have the courage. The Yu Family will never have to worry about not making a fortune.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled in response, inviting Meixiang to sit while she poured a cup of peach blossom tea for her, ¡°Older Sister Meixiang has overpraised me. There¡¯s still my father, how can I be given credit for such a thing?¡±


    Meixiang politely declined her invitation and grinned, ¡°Miss Yu, spare me these courtesies. Frankly speaking, even if others weren¡¯t aware, wouldn¡¯t this servant know? It¡¯s you, Miss Yu, who makes the decisions in Yu Family!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao immediately denied her statement. She was guessing that Meixiang¡¯s visit today might be because Princess Consort Jing thought she was seducing her son as Royal Prince Yang had gone crazy yesterday and proposed marriage.


    Yu Xiaocao touched her face. Could it be that she also had the talent of a wily fox spirit? But currently, she was at most a little fox cub, how could she possibly know the ways of seduction?


    ¡°Older Sister Meixiang, was it the princess consort who told you toe here?¡± Yu Xiaocao decided that since the result would be the same no matter what she did, she might as well face it head on. She had a clear conscience, so what should she be afraid of?


    Meixiang secretly nced at Yu Xiaocao who seemed to have be prettier in a pure way and smiled, ¡°Miss Yu is indeed clever. The princess consort has not seen you for a long while, so she sent me to invite you up to the vi for a chat.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded slightly and asked for her to wait for a while. She kept the peach blossom tea that she had scented yesterday night, packed the biscuits she made that morning into a container and followed behind Meixiang up the carved stone steps to Prince Jing¡¯s luxurious yet low profile vi.


    Yu Xiaocao did not exactly feel nervous, since she still had the mood to observe and guess Meixiang¡¯s true identity. Meixiang¡¯s steps were still light and she showed no signs of fatigue even after traversing a length of mountain road. Did this mean that she was not simply an ordinary girl, but rather one that was exceedingly skilled in martial arts?


    At the vi¡¯s mainpound, Princess Consort Jing was having breakfast with her son. When she saw Yu Xiaocao arrive with a packed box of food, she smiled and asked, ¡°Xiaocao, have you had breakfast? If you haven¡¯t, let¡¯s eat together.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao did not refuse the offer. Except for a cup of flower tea, she had not even had the chance to eat the sheep¡¯s milk biscuits that she had baked earlier for breakfast. Moreover, she had travelled about a little over a kilometer toe to their vi. She was ravenous!


    ¡°Many thanks, Your Highness. I won¡¯t be courteous, then!¡± Once she thanked Princess Consort Jing, she took a seat on her right and opened her container. Taking out the delectable biscuits, she calmly said, ¡°Princess Consort, I baked these sheep¡¯s milk biscuits this morning. They¡¯re very nutritious and suitable for people with weak digestion.¡±


    Although Princess Consort Jing¡¯s body had almost fully recovered, her stomach would still feel ufortable asionally, so sheep¡¯s milk biscuits were just right for her.


    Princess Consort Jing picked up a flower-shaped biscuit and took a small bite into it, carefully tasting it. Then, she nodded, ¡°You have quite a skilled pair of hands. Not only are these biscuits delicious, their shapes are also very exquisite, making them look extremely appetizing.¡±


    ¡°If your highness likes them, I will definitely send a portion of the new pastries to you to try when I make them in the future.¡± Yu Xiaocao stuffed a shrimp crystal dumpling into her mouth and savored its taste. The cooks employed by Prince Jing were really skilled and made many exquisitely delicious foods.


    Since Yu Xiaocao entered thepound, Zhu Junyang¡¯s captivating eyes had never left her figure. Yu Xiaocao was either mentally tough or resilient in her heart to be able to calmly savor the meal under his gaze.


    ¡°Xiaocao, have you decided on the matter I¡¯ve mentioned yesterday? Let¡¯s choose a date and get engaged. If you think yesterday¡¯s proposal wasn¡¯t proper enough, I can invite the prefectural magistrate to be our matchmaker. I¡¯ll make sure you receive all the engagement gifts that are due...¡± Zhu Junyang panicked when he saw that Yu Xiaocao waspletely unaffected by yesterday¡¯s episode, as though she had forgotten all about it.


    Yu Xiaocao paused in her chewing and sent a pleading look at Princess Consort Jing. ¡®As his mother, shouldn¡¯t you control your son when he loses his mind?¡¯


    Princess Consort Jing red at her son. She had only just found out that her youngest son was actually an impatient person. Even if he wanted to bring this up, the least he should do was wait until she finished her breakfast! It was no wonder the girl rolled her eyes at him when he so hastily proposed marriage directly to her. Yang¡¯er could not possibly have hot-headedly gone to them like this yesterday, could he? If she was Xiaocao¡¯s family members, she would have definitely chased this dull lecher out with a bat¡ª¡ªit was another matter altogether whether she was actually able to do so.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him, Xiaocao. Eat first!¡± Eating triumphed over all. You needed to wait until after the little girl finishes her meal before you could begin the ¡®ughter¡¯, alright?


    Yu Xiaocao misunderstood Princess Consort Jing¡¯s meaning and thought that she actually disagreed with her son¡¯s behaviour, so she sent a provocative look at Zhu Junyang.


    Zhu Junyang was about to say something, but Princess Consort Jing¡¯s gaze told him to be calm. Zhu Junyang suppressed the restlessness in his heart and, like a cow chewing on a peony, he carelessly ate a few mouthfuls without savoring the taste.


    The three of them finished breakfast in silence, gargled with the gargling water that the servants presented them with, and scrupulously washed their hands at the end. With a gesture from Princess Consort Jing, all the other servants except Meixiang retreated.


    ¡°Xiaocao, Yang¡¯er was too presumptuous yesterday and said some inappropriate things at your home. I hope you and your parents won¡¯t take this to heart.¡± Princess Consort Jing first apologized for her son¡¯s rash behaviour yesterday. She could not have the future inws think that they were disrespectful because they were of higher status.


    Yu Xiaocao had an expression on her face that said ¡®I thought so¡¯ as she replied with a faint smile on her lips, ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness, we¡¯ll act as if nothing had ever happened.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing knew that Yu Xiaocao had misunderstood her, but she continued to smile, ¡°Yesterday, when Yang¡¯er came back from your house, he told me of his true feelings. He said that among all the girls he¡¯s met before, you¡¯re the only one that he doesn¡¯t detest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thismoner girl¡¯s honor.¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s expression was filled with humility. In her heart, her certainty of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s true intention was wavering.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say more of those courtesies. My youngest son has a bad temper and is quite dull; he also doesn¡¯t know how to please girls and always disys an icy expression to keep others away from him, but as a mother, who wouldn¡¯t want their children to find their perfect match? Don¡¯t you think so too?¡± Princess Consort Jing smiled amiably, but did not leave Yu Xiaocao any space to shrink back or evade the question.


    At the side, Zhu Junyang could not help feeling anxious. What was hisdy mother¡¯s intention, to speak of so many of his shorings to Xiaocao? Was she lying when she said she did not object this?


    Yu Xiaocao discreetly licked her dry lips. Should she agree with Princess Consort Jing, or should she courteouslyfort her that Zhu Junyang was not as bad as she imed? Royal Prince Yang was dull? He kept people at arm¡¯s length? Was the royal prince that she was familiar with fake? That thick-skinned glutton, that sarcastic youngster that loved to insult people with his poisonous wit, that royal prince who would act haughty at any moment...these depictions seemed like a wrong match for the person Princess Consort Jing was describing. Princess Consort, are you sure you know your youngest son? Or...did Royal Prince Yang have a twin with the exact same face but a totally different bearing?


    As she did not respond, Princess Consort Jing could only continue, ¡°Sigh...Many of the wealthy sons in the capital are already fathers even though they¡¯re younger than Yang¡¯er. As his mother, I¡¯m more anxious than anyone else, but Yang¡¯er is stubborn. If he doesn¡¯t like the girl, then no one can force him to marry her. There are so manydies in the capital of various appearances and attitudes but none have caught his eye. I also couldn¡¯t help but specte if he has some kind of indescribable disease, or...if he doesn¡¯t like women?¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother! What are you talking about?!¡± Zhu Junyang could no longer stay silent at this point. He was abou to be a homosexual if his mother continued to speak. Was this his biological mother? Working against him must be her profession!

 Chapter 381 – Honesty

    <h4>Chapter 381 ¨C Honesty</h4>


    ¡°Maybe I should do the talking.¡± Zhu Junyang recalled that his cousin, the emperor, had once said that if one wanted to win ady¡¯s affections, the best one could do was to be sincere and honest with the other person and never hide anything from them, because women were very petty and they would remember it for the rest of their lives.


    Although his condition seemed to have taken a turn for the better now, he was still unsure of how his illness would progress in the future. With Yu Xiaocao¡¯s cleverness, she would sooner orter catch a hint about his condition after a period of interaction. Since he had already decided to marry her, he might as well make everything clear from the beginning. It would definitely be best if she could ept him, but if she really could not, then they would maintain as they currently were. At most, he would stay single for his entire life.


    Princess Consort Jing could tell that he seemed to have made some sort of decision, and that surprised her. Her son had finally found a girl that he was willing to get close to, even if she was currently still young, but all they needed to do was wait for her to grow up¡ªit might be several years, but they could afford the wait.


    But it seemed that her son was about to tell Xiaocao the secret he had kept for nearly two decades! Who would be willing to spend the rest of their lives with arge firecracker that could explode at any moment? If, at any day, he went out of control, she could be risking her own life! Her son was too impulsive¡ªthis act was equivalent to pushing her away!


    ¡°Yang¡¯er, you...are you sure?¡± Princess Consort Jing sounded slightly anxious, and her voice tinged with hesitation.


    Zhu Junyang looked seriously at his mother and slowly nodded, ¡°I¡¯m sure, Lady Mother. I can¡¯t hide this matter forever. Since I really intend to marry, I must show my sincerity. I trust Xiaocao¡ªshe¡¯s not the same as the other girls in the capital.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao watched them cluelessly. What kind of riddle were they talking about? It seemed like Royal Prince Yang was about to tell her something important¡ªso important that even Princess Consort Jing took it very seriously. Er...could it be that Royal Prince Yang was not the biological son of Imperial Prince Jing? Or was it some other secret of the imperial family? Could she choose to not listen?


    Princess Consort Jing worriedly nced at Yu Xiaocao, then she sighed lightly, ¡°I won¡¯t say any more since you¡¯ve already made your decision. Xiaocao, even if you can¡¯t ept what Yang¡¯er will tell youter, please don¡¯t use it to hurt him. It¡¯s been difficult for Yang¡¯er all these years...As his mother, I beg of you, no matter what, help him keep his secret, alright?¡±


    ¡°Er... since this secret is so important, I think...it¡¯s better if I don¡¯t know about it...¡± Yu Xiaocao stuttered as she mumbled.


    ¡°No! You must know!¡± Zhu Junyang felt that if he did not pick up the courage to tell her today, he might never have the guts to tell her. He tugged Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wrist and led her to the deepest part of the garden.


    Yu Xiaocao tried to shake his grip off, but the young prince¡¯s hand was like a big pair of pliers. His grip firm yet light, so she did not feel pain. She tried to forcefully pull herself free, but her strengthpared to that of Royal Prince Yang, who was skilled in martial arts, was like an ant trying to shake a tree. With no other choice, she gave up her struggle.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one here. You can say whatever you want to now!¡± Yu Xiaocao said in a somewhat sulky tone.


    Zhu Junyang let go of her wrist, albeit a little unwilling to part with that delicate feeling in his palm. His lips thinned into a line as he structured his thoughts. He stared into Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, ¡°I... When I was five, I fell into a pond and almost drowned...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes widened as many schemes from the plot of inner courtyard fight novels shed through her mind. She blinked her clear, big eyes and carefully asked, ¡°How did you fall in? And what about your servants? Did someone push you? What happened afterwards?¡±


    Now that he had begun, Zhu Junyang felt that the following words were not so hard to say, ¡°I was still young at that time. Moreover, I was frightened and I had fallen ill for some time afterwards, so I don¡¯t remember what happened during that time. I only know that after that incident, my lord father punished a concubine that was quite favored at that time.¡±


    ¡°Your father must¡¯ve found out that it was that wretch who wanted to harm you. That¡¯s weird, you have two older brothers, so why did your father¡¯s concubine target you instead?¡± ording to inner courtyard fight plots, shouldn¡¯t they first get rid of the heir who was going to inherit the princely title? There was no benefit to killing off the youngest son!


    Zhu Junyang red at her and said, ¡°This prince was extremely charming when I was young, and Lord Father favored me very much! Every time he returned from court or after finishing his errands, he would first visit Lady Mother¡¯s courtyard and y with me for a while. That wretch thought that Lady Mother used me as an excuse to persuade Lord Father to her courtyard...¡±


    ¡°Oh... But I thought your father was loyal to your mother? Why did he still bring these messy women into the inner courtyard? You men are always eyeing the pot even though you¡¯re already eating from the bowl. You all want to be surrounded by women and enjoy the bliss of a harmonious harem!¡± Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips, making an expression that said ¡®all men are like this¡¯.


    ¡®You¡¯re just a little girl, how many men have you met? You say that as though you have a lot of experience!¡¯ Zhu Junyang felt so stifled by her words he did not know how to continue. He tsked at her and asked, ¡°Do you or do you not want to hear me continue?¡±


    ¡°Can I choose not to?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s expression was full of reluctance, ¡°I mean, if you really have to tell it to someone, there¡¯s definitely a group of outstanding girls that are lining up and willing to listen to you!¡±


    ¡°No! I only want to tell you and you alone! Others are not fit to know my secret!¡± Zhu Junyang scowled in annoyance. If it were anyone else, he would have had the servants take them away to be punished, but towards Yu Xiaocao, he had no way of doing it. It was like he was trying to catch a porcupine barehanded. He was filled with the feeling of helplessness.


    Yu Xiaocao listlessly responded, ¡°Alright, say whatever you wish, then. I¡¯m listening!¡±


    ¡°You... What kind of reaction is that? Is it so hard to bear, listening to me speak?¡± A zing fire raged in Zhu Junyang. He wanted to let it out, but he could not.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him, her voice tinted with willful arrogance, ¡°So are you going to tell me or not? If not, I¡¯m leaving!¡±


    Zhu Junyang took a deep breath. One of these days, he would definitely die of anger because of this infuriating little girl!


    After he calmed down, he continued, ¡°Since that time I almost drowned and fell seriously ill, I suddenly became able to sense certain people¡¯s emotions, and I¡¯m especially sensitive towards others¡¯ ill intentions.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes bulged in shock, her gaze filled with a hint of excitement, ¡°Wow! That means you obtained superpowers after oveing a tragedy! And it¡¯s a perception-type superpower! So cool! This is very good ah!¡±


    ¡°Good? How is it good? The ill-intent of others will affect my emotions and make me lose all sense of rationality! For example, those people with ulterior motives that try to curry my favor have the lowest degree of ill-intent, and it¡¯s still tolerable as I¡¯ll only feel a little stifled in my heart. But if the other person has ill-intent but has yet to carry it out, it will make me want to rage. If the other party wants to harm me and the people around me, I will lose all rationality...¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s brows furrowed, as though he was reluctant to remember how he managed to endure through that period of time.


    ¡°Maybe you were too young at that time and afraid of the sudden change to your body, so your emotions were strongly influenced. If you were already an adult, you shouldn¡¯t have such a big reaction to it. How badly has it progressed, your loss of all rationality?¡± Yu Xiaocao was affected by his emotions. She smothered that small excitement and started seriously helping him analyze the matter.


    Zhu Junyang hesitated for a moment, ncing at Yu Xiaocao. Finally, he gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°My first outburst was because of mydy mother¡¯s personal maidservant. She was feeding my mother a type of slow-acting poison, and the aura of her malice was so strong it engulfed me and devoured my rationality. At that time, all I could see was ck, and I seemed to have lost control of my body. Not only could I not see and hear anything, but I also didn¡¯t know what was happening. When mydy mother¡¯s anxious scream made me return to consciousness...¡±


    He nced at Yu Xiaocao again, not knowing if the following details would scare the little girl who was listening to his story seriously. He pondered for a moment, but since he had already started, what was the point in only telling half of the story?


    He decided to continue, ¡°When I came to my senses, that maidservant was already dead and lying by my feet. In my hand, I was holding the sharp dagger my lord father gave me on my fifth birthday. My mother¡¯s personal maidservant...her head, her face, her body...had been stabbed until she was an unrecognizable lump of flesh and blood. Both of her legs were broken at the knees, her carotid artery had been cut open and her blood bathed the floor...¡±


    Once he finished, he solemnly watched Yu Xiaocao. He expected to see fear, terror or loathing on her face, and he had also mentally prepared himself to receive her disgust.


    Against his expectations, this twelve-year-old girl disyed only a face ofplete seriousness as her brows pinched together in deep thought. Atst, she met his gaze boldly and unafraid, and analyzed in all seriousness, ¡°Young Royal Prince, I think you have a mental disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder. It can manifest as a desire to kill, to attempt suicide or in self-muttion...¡±


    Where had she heard this from? It was probably a preview from some informative talk show broadcast that she had seen before. It should sound convincingly professional, right?


    ¡°You¡¯re...not afraid of me?¡± Zhu Junyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She was indeed different from others and worthy of being the person who caught his eye¡ªdeserving of him burning his own boats and telling her his secret.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyebrows furrowed together as she met his gaze and asked, ¡°Will you hurt me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± If he had the choice, he would rather hurt himself than let her suffer even a little injury or grievance.


    ¡°So? What is there to be afraid of?¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in reply, and then her line of thought returned to his words, ¡°What about afterwards? Has this kind of situation recurred?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded, ¡°Yes, a lot of times! I feel as though a demon lives in my heart. It¡¯ll appear asionally, take control of my will and body and make me do some brutal things. Honestly, some people might not have deserved to die, but I killed them when I lost all rationality...¡±

 Chapter 382 – Are You Afraid of Me?

    <h4>Chapter 382 ¨C Are You Afraid of Me?</h4>


    Zhu Junyang had suffered a lot these past years. He held others at arm¡¯s length because he was afraid that he would unintentionally hurt those that he cared deeply for when he lost control of himself. He was always on his guard against his sudden outbursts. This was why he did not dare to get close to his family, did not have friends, and was only apanied by a few old eunuchs who were skilled in martial arts.


    Although hisdy mother¡¯s heart ached for him and she showered him with her love, she would still unconsciously reveal her fear and pity of him. His lord father was constantly cautious of him. Both of his brothers distanced themselves from him, and his only older sister turned into a frightened rabbit every time she saw him, shying away from him for as far as she could manage. Perhaps they had all thought of him as a monster...


    Fourteen years had passed since he was five years old. In these fourteen years, Yu Xiaocao had been the only one who actually treated him like a normal person. When she interacted with him, she was only respectful but not afraid. She would naturally disy her emotions on her face; sometimes, she would also verbally shun him like a cat testing the sharpness of her ws. She would also secretlyugh because she managed to get a little benefit...


    There had never been a person who was so carefree in front of him, who was so vivid and interesting in his eyes, and there had never been a person whom he would miss when they were apart, whom he wanted to get close to when they met, who made him care about her smile or every knit of her brows. He did not know if this feeling was called ¡®like¡¯, or if it could be called ¡®love¡¯. He only knew that he would probably never experience happiness for the rest of his life if he let this person go.


    ¡°You...have you killed a lot of people?¡± Yu Xiaocao probed as she was curious.


    That pulled Zhu Junyang back from his thoughts. He thought about it, then tentatively asked, ¡°If I said yes, would you think that I¡¯m cruel? That I¡¯m a demon who is numb to killing?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that you¡¯re a demon. You said so yourself that you only lost control and attacked those who wished to harm you and your family. This means the other person reaped what they sowed and died justifiably. However, the more people you kill, the more your mind and self-restraint will be affected. It¡¯s just like if a person first kills someone, they will feel panicked, afraid, guilty, remorseful...all kinds of feelings mixed together, but if they continued to kill more and more people, they would be numb towards killing and turn into a psychopath!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt as if she had suddenly turned into the ¡®king of analysis¡¯, and it filled her with a very high and mighty feeling.


    Zhu Junyang continued to ask, ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m a psycho? A demon? A devil?¡±


    ¡°Is that what they call you? That¡¯s because they don¡¯t understand you. Young Royal Prince, do you know what I think of you?¡± Seeing the young prince¡¯s nervous expression, Yu Xiaocao could not help but want tofort him.


    ¡°What kind of person am I? Cold? entric?¡± Zhu Junyang tentatively guessed.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and said, ¡°The young royal prince in my eyes is strong, handsome and heroic. You were born as the son of an imperial prince and was awarded the title of ¡®Royal Prince Yang¡¯ by the emperor. Originally, you should¡¯ve been a person so high-up that we would never have the chance to meet, but yet here you are, standing among us, and you never once looked down on us because of our birth, nor have you ever bullied anyone simply because you had the authority to. You also don¡¯t disdain that our farmer¡¯s meals are simple. You stand with us under the hot sun and worry about our crops with us, and you never punish my family and I for misconduct. In the eyes of my family members, you¡¯re an amiable royal prince, and in my eyes, you¡¯re a friend that I can trust. Although, of course, given that you don¡¯t mind the difference between our statuses.¡±


    ¡°When have I ever cared about that?¡± Even though Zhu Junyang was very touched, he still maintained his haughty expression. His phoenix eyes nced sideways at her, but quickly moved away the next moment.


    However, he still could not resist absolving himself, ¡°Disregarding the time at sea I fought back against the pirates and thatst time when I went up the mountains to take down the bandits, I don¡¯t actually have a lot of lives on my hands. Ever since my lord father found out about my condition, he had asked imperial grandfather for an eunuch skilled in martial arts to apany me. He¡¯ll forcibly stop me every time I lose control and start hurting people, even though he only waits for me to beat the other person until they¡¯re left with theirst breath to act, saying that I¡¯d be able to vent my anger without taking the lives of others. Just like this, I was even given the title of ¡®ck-faced devil¡¯ by those cowards in the capital!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a faint smile on her lips, ¡°Then...have most of the wealthy children of the capital been taught a lesson by you?¡±


    Zhu Junyang raised his eyebrow. The expression on his face was a little charming, a little bad and wholly captivating. He noted the stunned look in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s gaze, and he could not help but smile, ¡°I¡¯m not the kind of person that initiates fights. The people that I hurt were all people with ulterior motives. It¡¯s as you said; it became harder and harder to control my emotions and even a small prod could make me lose my senses. As my skills in martial arts became increasingly good, Head Steward Liu Fusheng could no longer single-handedly subdue me. That¡¯s why every time I go out, I will always be apanied by a few imperial guards that are skilled in martial arts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no wonder you always create such a fuss every time youe to Dongshan Vige! So it wasn¡¯t to protect you, but instead to prevent you from harming others! Now that I think about it, I recall that there seemed to be a time when I felt that you were acting a bit odd. At that time, your body seemed to be exuding a dense cloud of blood, and it was so dense it almost enveloped me. It was such a stifling feeling. Luckily, you quickly recovered after I made impromptu jokes. My little heart thumped so hard that time because I was so scared!¡± As though in a trance, Yu Xiaocao recalled that scene from that time¡ªthat feeling as though she had fallen into hell almost made her hair stand on end.


    Zhu Junyang appeared to have a slight impression of that as he nodded, ¡°That time, you were the one who pulled me back from the raging darkness. It was the first time in my life that I was brought back to my senses before my outburst began. Although we weren¡¯t as close to each other then as we are now, you, littless, still left a deep impression on me.¡±


    His gaze was so warm and gentle, so different from the usual haughty and foolish young prince. What to do, men who were gentle, warm and handsome were the hardest to resist!


    Yu Xiaocao shifted her gaze and started a somewhat safer topic, ¡°Young Royal Prince, we should analyze your condition. I feel that your initial outbursts were because you were too young and afraid of the unknown. When your fear reached a certain limit, it would find a way to break out. Think about it, being able to sense the true intentions of others isn¡¯t actually such a bad thing!¡±


    ¡°What is it if it isn¡¯t a bad thing? A good thing?¡± Zhu Junyang vexedly red at her. It sure was easy for her to say such a thing since she was not in his shoes!


    Excitement tinged Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice as she said, ¡°In my opinion, it is a good thing! Consider this, you¡¯ll be able to sense if the other person holds any bad intentions towards you without the other person knowing at all. We¡¯d be able to take precautions before the other party strikes. We could even create a set-up and wait for them to take the bait, and then capture both the criminal and the goods together. You could get rid of all your opponents through legal means. Isn¡¯t this good?¡±


    Zhu Junyang fell into deep thought, ¡®Xiaocao is right!¡¯ His ability wasn¡¯t so scary at all. If he sensed that the other person had ulterior motives, he could choose to distance himself from them, and if the other person has bad intentions, he would know about it earlier and be able to take precautions and avoid a lot of overt and covert schemes. Why did he reject this ability from fear, even until he was strongly influenced by it?


    ¡°We could even ¡®pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger¡¯ by feigning to trust the other party and thenunch a counterattack when they decide to carry out their schemes! Even just thinking about it feels so exhrating!¡± Yu Xiaocao got more and more excited the more she thought about it. That was a superpower¡ªan ability to read minds!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes shined with a smile as he watched the excited littless, asking, ¡°What is ¡®pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger¡¯? You want me to pretend to be pig? You¡¯re actually insulting me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him, ¡°Uncultured people are without fear! ¡®Pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger¡¯ is an idiom. It means you pretend to be weak initially to lure in others¡¯ attention and make them bite the bait. Then, strike while they have their guard lowered. Simply said, it¡¯s concealing your true abilities and pretending to be stupid to lower the guard of your enemy so you can easily take them down.¡±


    ¡°Oh...then why is it pretending to be a pig and not something else? Like a little rabbit, amb, or a fawn? These are weak animals too, and they¡¯re much cuter than a pig.¡± Zhu Junyang was full of curiosity towards this new and unfamiliar idiom.


    Annoyed, Yu Xiaocao waved her hand dismissively, ¡°You ask me, but how am I supposed to know? Anyway, it¡¯s either an idiom, or a colloquialism. It¡¯s not like I created it!¡±


    Zhu Junyang leniently smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t you say enough of these bizarre words? Could I even punish you even if you admitted to creating them?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao did not want to debate over those modern words and phrases she often used subconsciously, so she changed the topic, ¡°Young Royal Prince, would you like to try to see if you can read the minds of others?¡±


    ¡°How do I try?¡± That urge to try in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart could not be ignored. Mind-reading? Did that mean he would be able to sense the thoughts of others? If he was able to clearly hear the thoughts of others, wouldn¡¯t he be able to better make early precautions and ¡®pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger¡¯?


    Yu Xiaocao bit her lip and thought hard about it, saying with uncertainty, ¡°Why not...try to focus and think ¡®I want to know what Yu Xiaocao is thinking about¡¯?¡±


    Zhu Junyang did as she said, and poured all of his focus on her while he chanted in his heart... Unfortunately, it was of no use. He shook his head, ¡°It doesn¡¯t work!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao made a disappointed expression, scratching her head. She mumbled to herself, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be...Aren¡¯t you able to sense the other person¡¯s emotions? This is clearly a type of sensing ability...¡±


    Zhu Junyang was suddenly reminded of something as he hurriedly said, ¡°I think I messed up the person I¡¯m testing this on. I can¡¯t sense any of your emotions, so it¡¯spletely within reason that I can¡¯t read your thoughts. Why don¡¯t we test on another person?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up, grinning, ¡°You can¡¯t sense my thoughts? That¡¯s good! No one likes to be seen through by another person, it¡¯s like being stripped of your clothes¡ªso embarrassing! Is there anyone else that you can¡¯t see through except for me?¡±

 Chapter 383 – An Agreement?

    <h4>Chapter 383 ¨C An Agreement?</h4>


    ¡°Nothing else, it¡¯s only you!¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but step forward and reveal a genuine smile when he saw how happy the littless was, ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re the only one!¡±


    Fudge! Did he have to say something that sweet? Yu Xiaocao felt her tiny heart thumping. Beautiful people truly moved one¡¯s heart! Apparently even handsome men could do the same? Xiaocao wasn¡¯t a true twelve year old girl as her inner self was already an ¡®old woman¡¯ who was past thirty. In front of a young and innocent youth, should she really speak her thoughts?


    ¡°Uhhhh...you really can¡¯t read the thoughts in my heart?¡± Yu Xiaocao decided that she was still considered a good person as she managed to suppress the salivating wolf in her heart and changed the subject. She tried to hypnotize herself, ¡®This sister cannot see the handsome boy in front of me, can¡¯t see him, can¡¯t see him...¡¯


    Zhu Junyang took a step forward and lowered his head to look at Yu Xiaocao who was right beneath his nose. His voice took on a maic quality as he alluringly said, ¡°Thest person I would try to trick in this world would be you...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised her eyes and realized that stunningly handsome face was only a small distance away from her. She swallowed down her saliva and retreated two steps. Since she wasn¡¯t paying attention, she stumbled over a stone while backing up and felt her body start to fall. ¡®I¡¯m screwed! Behind me is the fake mountain in the garden. If I continue to fall towards it, my head will definitely get arge hole in it.¡¯


    Was her life going to end like this? It looked like she was fated to falling. In her previous life, she had fallen down something and died. It looked like this time was...


    Just as the back of her head was about to hit a jutted out portion of the fake mountain, Zhu Junyang reached out an arm and used his hand to protect her head. His other arm was wrapped around her delicate waist, as if they were in the middle of ballroom dancing.


    The young royal prince¡¯s warm breath gently hit her face and Yu Xiaocao looked up to see his straight nose. She idly thought that only people who had undergone stic surgery in Korea could have a nose so perfectly shaped. She then raised her gaze and saw his pair of phoenix eyes. They were as clear as a mountain spring and had an intriguing depth to them. The slightly nted up corners of his eyes added to his seductive look and caused her heart strings to gently throb. He also had perfectly sculpted red lips, and she was sure that they would feel very soft when kissing...Yu Xiaocao felt her heart pounding even faster, even faster than if she had just run a kilometer. It was as if she couldn¡¯t catch her breath anymore.


    At this moment, Zhu Junyang was slightly shocked at how weak and delicate the waist in his right hand felt. The littless was truly too thin. She must have been too busytely. She always worried about everything going on in the Yu Family and she usually didn¡¯t eat enough...once she married him, he needed to take good care of her and let her body heal. He would take care of the usual issues at home and all she had to do was to eat and chat to her heart¡¯s content. When she was happy, she could go into the kitchen to make a few dishes for him!


    As he was lost in his thoughts, he could smell a light fragranceing off of the littless¡¯s body. It was very hard to describe the smell. It didn¡¯t smell like flowers yet it seemed more refreshing than flowers. It also didn¡¯t smell like fruit yet it was more attractive than fruit...perhaps it was just the natural smell of a girl?


    Zhu Junyang slightly came closer and his nose was almost touching Xiaocao¡¯s face. Xiaocao felt very conflicted inside. This body of hers hadn¡¯t even reached the age of twelve. If she got kissed now, wouldn¡¯t that be a bit too early? ¡®Young Royal Prince, you are defiling a young girl who hasn¡¯t even reached her majority! That¡¯s a major crime!¡¯


    Just as Yu Xiaocao was contemting whether she should push away the young, she didn¡¯t expect the young royal prince to sniff the area by ears a bit instead of kissing her. It was like he was arge dog. How embarrassing! Luckily, she didn¡¯t broadcast her thoughts earlier. Yu Xiaocao bitterly red at him¡ª¡ªYoung Royal Prince, you¡¯re worse than a beastly animal!


    ¡°Oh my!¡± The sound of Meixiang¡¯s voice could be heard not too far from them. The two of them simultaneously moved their heads over to look and saw Meixiang¡¯s back.


    Yu Xiaocao noticed their positioning and realized that the posture that they were in could cause other people to have a misunderstanding. She quietly reminded the prince, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you let me go yet? This is so embarrassing!¡±


    ¡°How is this embarrassing? Do you think this prince is not worthy of you?¡± Zhu Junyang very gently supported Xiaocao up and lightly fixed her messed up hair as he sternly said.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and softly replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to try out whether you have the ability to read people¡¯s thoughts ah? Don¡¯t we have an experimental subject right in front of you? Quickly try!¡±


    After hearing her suggestion, Zhu Junyang focused his eyes on the back of Meixiang¡¯s head. A stream of clear thoughts transmitted back into his head. He couldn¡¯t help but say it out loud, ¡°Oh my goodness! So embarrassing! I identally came across the young master and Miss Yu kissing each other...the young master is truly too much. Miss Yu is only twelve and hasn¡¯t reached the age of majority, how could he possibly start messing around...¡±


    The more Zhu Junyang said the angrier he became. His eyes staring at the back of Meixiang¡¯s head seemed to be spewing mes now. ¡®You little wretch of a servant. Just what type of eyes were you using to see me kissing Xiaocao ah? And then you even dare to say bad things about me in your heart. Who gave you the guts?¡¯


    Meixiang covered her mouth and turned around suddenly. Her face was full of surprise as she looked at the young master. ¡®I¡¯m screwed. It looks like I wasn¡¯t careful and identally said what I was thinking out loud. What should I do? Did the young master hear what I said? Will he get angry? Will I be able to still keep my life?? However...howe it didn¡¯t sound like my own voice earlier? When did my voice be so deep?¡¯


    On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao was very excited and she pulled on Zhu Junyang¡¯s sleeve. She lowered her voice as she mysteriously said, ¡°Sess! You really are able to look into people¡¯s hearts and hear what they¡¯re thinking! In the future, if there are people who have malicious thoughts towards you, you can easily figure out why and then craft a n to go against them! Your ability is too freaking awesome! I¡¯m so envious ah!¡±


    ¡°What is ¡®freaking¡¯...is this a word that young girls should be saying ah? You should stop saying such crude and unrefined words in the future!¡± The excitement Yu Xiaocao had was infectious, and Zhu Junyang felt the anger he had towards Meixiang lessen. He raised his hand and knocked it a few times on the littless¡¯s head.


    Yu Xiaocao covered her head with her hands and retreated a few steps. She scrunched up her face in anger and growled, ¡°I grew up in the rural, uncultured farnd, so I don¡¯t know how to say things elegantly like you wealthy nobles do. If you think the words I use are unrefined, then go find someone else to talk to ah! I don¡¯t need to apany you!¡±


    The littless turned her head and left, but didn¡¯t choose the right direction at first. Before she walked far, she discovered that she was heading towards a dead end and then angrily came back. As she passed by Zhu Junyang, she even pretended to identally not notice his foot and deliberately stomped on it.


    Zhu Junyang thought the little girl resembled a blowfish when she was all puffed up with anger. He good naturedly pulled on her elbow in amusement and said, ¡°Alright ah! Your little temper is quiterge! You even stepped on my foot. You¡¯re only doing this because you know I won¡¯t get mad at you, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re a high and mighty young royal prince, the youngest son who Princess Consort Jing loves the most. You obviously can do whatever you want to other people! If you don¡¯t like it, then hit me ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao wondered if she was relying a bit too much on his favor.


    The smile disappeared from Zhu Junyang¡¯s face as he intently looked at her. He used a hand to raise her chin and said, ¡°In the future, don¡¯t keep referencing our statuses. I don¡¯t like it! You also know that I never treated you differently just because I have a higher rank. On the contrary, you always manage to surprise me and change the way I view things. So, there¡¯s no need tock self confidence or be unduly humble. I believe that you¡¯re a good match and that¡¯s the only thing that matters!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pushed aside his hand in annoyance and grumbled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your eyes? I¡¯m notcking self confidence at all! And what do you mean you believe that I¡¯m a good match? I haven¡¯t even agreed to anything!¡±


    ¡°You already know my most inner secret, so do you think it¡¯s going to be easy to get rid of me?¡± Zhu Junyang replied calmly, as if the littless in front of him was already his prey that he had cornered. It seemed as if he enjoyed seeing her struggle.


    Yu Xiaocao unconsciously frowned again and she stopped ying around. She seriously looked at Royal Prince Yang and solemnly proimed, ¡°Young Royal Prince, don¡¯t be so hasty in making your decision. Perhaps you think I¡¯m interesting because so far I am the only person you¡¯ve encountered that you can¡¯t mindread. You¡¯re intrigued about this and that¡¯s the only reason why you want to be closer to me! Or maybe, in the not-so distant future, the person that you¡¯re fated to be with will appear. At that time, you¡¯ll finally know that romantic love was different than what you used to think!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ll be able to encounter anyone who is more suitable for me than you. After all, if I had to live with someone who I can easily mindread at any time, a woman who had no private thoughts, wouldn¡¯t that be incredibly boring?¡± Zhu Junyang was more and more certain that Yu Xiaocao was his fated partner that was decreed by the heavens. She was his soulmate.


    Yu Xiaocao scratched her head and somewhat irritably said, ¡°Who knows? You might encounter another woman very soon who you also can¡¯t mindread, and she might be even more suitable than me, right? If you already made your decision, how could you face your actual soulmate when shees? And then how would you treat me? I¡¯ve already stated that I will never share my partner with someone else!¡±


    Although he couldn¡¯t feel any thoughts or emotions from Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart, Zhu Junyang could readily tell that she was feeling a bit uneasy and jittery. He somewhat med himself for this, ¡®Did I push too hard and too fast with this littles? Maybe I should give her some time and space to think it through herself.¡¯


    Even though he was convinced that Xiaocao was the person he had been waiting for, he didn¡¯t want to give the littless too much pressure. He could only say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not going to force you to do anything! I¡¯ll wait until you reach your majority. There¡¯s still three to four years to go. I¡¯m confident that in that time period you will be able to see my true heart. However, you need to promise me that you won¡¯t hide from me. Let¡¯s keep our interactions the same as they were before, okay?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and decided she could only do that. She unhappily nodded her head and then looked down, ¡°Guess I can only do it this way!¡±


    Zhu Junyang snorted and then pointed at the littless¡¯s forehead, who looked like a dispirited and bullied little rabbit and said, ¡°Howe you sound so unenthusiastic ah? It¡¯s as if you¡¯re some nobly born maiden and I¡¯m a wild youth from the rural countryside who¡¯s not worthy of you. Howe you seem so reluctant to be paired up with me?¡±


    ¡°Is it that obvious ah? I thought I was doing a good job at hiding it!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt listless, as if she was a tiny delicate flower who had just undergone arge blustery storm.


    Zhu Junyang pointed at her unhappily and then addressed Meixiang, who was slowly approaching them from behind, ¡°You, what do you need?¡±


    Meixiang shifted a few steps with her head lowered. Both of her hands were by her side, clenched up in anxiety, as she quietly said, ¡°Her Highness told me toe over and see if you and Miss Yu were finally done talking in private...¡±

 Chapter 384 – Image Change

    <h4>Chapter 384 ¨C Image Change</h4>


    ¡°Act normally and don¡¯t pretend that you¡¯re a little abused wife. Seeing that makes me feel angry!¡± Zhu Junyang was interrupted by Yu Xiaocao, so his fury towards Meixiang had pretty much disappeared. However, in regard to the misunderstanding, he was a bit regretful that he didn¡¯t take advantage of the situation and peck the little girl¡¯s tender face. Tsk tsk tsk, thess hadn¡¯t reached twelve years old yet. Wouldn¡¯t it be a bit too early for that?


    Meixiang silently rejoiced that Miss Yu was there when she saw that the young royal prince didn¡¯t explode. Otherwise...her mother, who was an inner steward at Prince Jing¡¯s estate, would only be given her corpse!


    ¡°Am I truly that vicious ah? That I¡¯ll just kill a person without any warning?¡± This was the first time that Zhu Junyang had peeked into a person¡¯s inner thoughts, so he had trouble stopping it. Poor Meixiang was his experimental subject.


    Consequently, Zhu Junyang felt his temper rising again. Apparently, in the hearts of these maids, he was even more beastly than mere animals and was almost a man-eating monster! ¡®Look at you, Meixiang. Usually you act very normally around me, never showing that you¡¯re scared, and you treat me with respect. Apparently it was all a ruse ah!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao covered her mouth and giggled like she was a little mouse who had seeded in stealing some grain. Apparently, it was like what the young royal prince described. All of the people around him were afraid of him. Even Older Sister Meixiang was the same. The maid normally acted as if nothing was wrong when she was with the young royal prince, yet she had also inwardly thought that the prince had a vicious nature.


    Xiaocao suddenly thought that the young royal prince had quite a pitiful life these past few years. There wasn¡¯t anyone by his side who treated him sincerely. Even the servants and maids around him acted as if they were constantly on thin ice. It wasn¡¯t surprising that his temper only became more and more irritable! If she was in his shoes, she likely would have gotten depression from all of this.


    Meixiang was in the front and she increased the speed of her steps. ¡®How did the young master guess exactly what I was thinking? This is too scary! Next time, when I need to give the young master a message, I should just give the task to Lanxiang and Zhuxiang ah. Argh! Although I¡¯m one of the most trusted personal maids of Her Royal Highness, I have quite a bit of pressure on me.¡¯


    Zhu Junyang stared at Meixiang¡¯s back with such intensity that it seemed like he was drilling a hole. ¡®Meixiang, you brat. Lady Mother sent you to talk to me, and it¡¯s her way of showing how much you¡¯re valued. Yet, you¡¯re not grateful at all. Am I a man-eating monster ah?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pulled on his clothes as she stifled her desire tough, ¡°Alright ah, you can stop observing Older Sister Meixiang. She¡¯s going to be scared to death at this rate! As long as the other person doesn¡¯t have any malicious intentions towards you, it¡¯s not a bad thing if they revere and respect you.¡±


    Zhu Junyang discovered that, when he turned his head to look at Yu Xiaocao, Meixiang¡¯s thoughts became obscured again. Perhaps it was because he wasn¡¯t focusing on the maid. He felt like he was starting to slowly grasp how to control his ability. In the future, wouldn¡¯t it be as easy as pie for him to look into another person¡¯s thoughts?


    He revealed a brilliant smile at Yu Xiaocao. It was as if a thousand flowers suddenly blossomed in the middle of a wintry tundra. It was so stunning that Xiaocao was enthralled for a moment.


    Zhu Junyang felt as if the dense haze within his heart had suddenly been dispersedpletely by a refreshing breeze. He had never felt so open and free before in his life! He really needed to express his gratitude to his littless. She was the one who dragged him away from the edge of the abyss. The littless was truly his lucky star!


    ¡°You...don¡¯t need to smile like that. I feel goosebumpsing up seeing it!¡± Yu Xiaocao found it hard to ept the sudden change in Zhu Junyang¡¯s demeanor. The young royal prince had never smiled so sincerely before and it made his smile more enchanting and gorgeous. The smile was so stunning that it made it hard for a person to look away. If he was a female, he would definitely be a devilish beauty who could cause the downfall of a country!


    ¡°I¡¯m incredibly happy and in an extremely good mood! I have never felt so light and free before in my life! Xiaocao, this prince wants to thank you properly. Whatever you want, please tell me!¡± The sound of Zhu Junyang¡¯s was perceptibly brighter than before. Meixiang could also tell that the young master was in a good mood and also felt happy for him! Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up and her face seemed to glow with an inner light as she asked, ¡°You¡¯ll really do anything that I ask for ah?¡±


    A thought quickly shed through Zhu Junyang¡¯s head and he frowned. He immediately squashed the littless¡¯s hope, ¡°The only thing I cannot do is to stop pursuing you. I don¡¯t care if you believe me or not, but I don¡¯t want anyone but you in this life!¡±


    For a second, Xiaocao¡¯s face dimmed and she frowned as she mumbled to herself, ¡°Don¡¯t say it so confidently. Who knows if one day a great beauty will appear and steal your heart? At that time, wouldn¡¯t that be a p to your face?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the great beauty you¡¯re talking about isn¡¯t arge, salivating wolf? She¡¯s even going to steal my heart...even if a dozenrge wolves appear, I can escape from them without a scratch!¡± Zhu Junyang knocked the littless on the head as he snorted in amusement. He really didn¡¯t know what to do with her sometimes!


    In the front, Meixiang secretly slowed her steps and looked back to take a peek at the interactions between the young master and Miss Yu. She thought, ¡®Looks like the young master is being sincere. This is a good situation that other people can¡¯t even hope to fish up. Why is Miss Yu so reluctant to ept this?¡¯


    The young master treated Miss Yu very well. There were so many maidens in the capital of the proper birth and rank, who were also more beautiful than Miss Yu, that wanted to get closer to the young master. However, the young master always disdained these youngdies and only Miss Yu had caught his eye. She wasn¡¯t saying that Miss Yu wasn¡¯t good either but she felt like that the young master deserved someone better. Unfortunately, what was really infuriating was that Miss Yu didn¡¯t appreciate how good she had it. Meixiang felt a bit aggrieved on behalf of the young master.


    During that second where Zhu Junyang turned around, he could feel Meixiang¡¯s thoughts very clearly. It looked like the maid Meixiang wasn¡¯t too bad after all. ¡®This prince will generously forgive all of her mistakes from earlier!¡¯


    ¡°Look at you ah, aren¡¯t you secretly reading Older Sister Meixiang¡¯s thoughts again? Oh ho...I know, Older Sister Meixiang must have beenplimenting you in her heart. Otherwise, why else would you look so smug?¡± Yu Xiaocao surreptitiously pinched Zhu Junyang¡¯s arm. She was very curious as to what made Zhu Junyang look so pleased.


    She thought that the volume of her voice was soft enough but didn¡¯t expect Meixiang¡¯s ears to be that sharp. When the maid heard this, she immediately jumped forward a few steps and then turned around with a scared expression on her face as she looked at the two people behind her. Tears immediately filled her eyes as she knelt in front of Royal Prince Yang as she hurriedly exined, ¡°Miss Yu, please don¡¯t send me to my doom! May the heavens smite me if I have any untoward thoughts to the young master. Young Master, please believe me...my mother has already found a good marriage partner for me. Once I reach the proper age, I was going to ask the princess consort if she could do me a favor and let me go. I promise that I have never had such vile thoughts in my heart!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was bbergasted by the maid¡¯s reaction. She was only joking, so why did Older Sister Meixiang react in such a frightened manner? Wasn¡¯t maids falling in love with their masters amon plot point in a lot of novels? Was it necessary to be that scared? Zhu Junyang red at her in disapproval and reassured Meixiang, ¡°You can get up. Miss Yu was only joking! Don¡¯t take it to heart!¡±


    When he saw the confusion on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but exin, ¡°In the future, don¡¯t make jokes like this. Two years ago, there was a maid who had climbed into my bed and I broke all four of her limbs before I threw her out of the residence. When I punished her, I called all of the maids in the estate over so they could all see the consequences of having impure thoughts. After that happened, it became peaceful around me...¡±


    Meixiang couldn¡¯t help but shudder when she thought of that maid who had been punished. The aftermath resembled a broken rag doll, with all four limbs going in monstrous directions. That maid used to be one of the most trusted by the princess consort and was also the most beautiful out of all of the maidservants in the residence. Furthermore, she had a glib tongue.


    Perhaps the young master had been more courteous and tolerating of the princess consort¡¯s personal maids, which caused that maid to have ambitious thoughts. Unexpectedly, she took advantage of a time when the princess consort sent her to give the young master some nourishing soup and had added an aphrodisiac to the soup. The young master had found out though...


    It was rumored that the maid¡¯s legs and arms couldn¡¯t be set properly, so she could only lie on a bed, handicapped, for the rest of her life. That maid¡¯s family members had taken her away and she died a few dayster. She also heard that the maid¡¯s older brother and older sister-inw thought that it was too much trouble to care for her, so they deliberately starved her to death...


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing for other people to admire you! That young girl only longs for some romance and you also have such devastating looks. Is it necessary to be that angry ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t think his reaction was correct. Her eyes flickered a bit and she mysteriously said, ¡°Young Royal Prince, you¡¯re already at the right age. Don¡¯t tell me that the princess consort hasn¡¯t prepared any maids to share your bed yet?¡±


    When Meixiang heard this, she started to walk faster as she thought, ¡®Why is this road so long? First she says that the young master looks handsome and then she starts talking about bed-servants...Miss Yu, can you stop trying to tweak the tiger¡¯s whiskers so often ah? ying with fire can lead you to getting burned. Don¡¯t pull me into this too.¡¯


    Zhu Junyang stopped moving and lightly grabbed onto Xiaocao¡¯s arm. There was an unidentified emotion in his slightly nted eyes as he gazed into the littless¡¯s eyes. He gently said with the hint of a smile, ¡°Cao¡¯er, in your heart, what do you think of my looks? I want to hear your true thoughts.¡±


    Eh? Meixiang stopped for a bit. ¡®It looks like the young master has opened his mind ah! Miss Yu had talked about his appearance yet he didn¡¯t get angry and even wanted to confirm her thoughts. Hold on! Did the young master get his soul switched out by something and is now being possessed by a spirit?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was dazzled at the sight of his devilishly handsome face. She licked her lips and found herself entranced by him. She replied in a bewitched manner, ¡°One word: beautiful. Two words: very beautiful. Three words: devastatingly extraordinarily beautiful!¡±


    Zhu Junyang knocked her head in a displeased manner and growled, ¡°As a true man, the word ¡®beautiful¡¯ isn¡¯t necessarily apliment! Choose a different adjective for this prince!¡±


    ¡°Who said that ¡®beautiful¡¯ isn¡¯t apliment for men? Young maidens love flower boys the most, okay ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao grumbled as she used her little hand to rub her head that had turned red from being hit. She silently cursed, ¡®You have so much strength yet you don¡¯t even hold back a little for me. My head is going to have a lump because of you!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow and replied, ¡°Then...am I the type that you love the most?¡±


    ¡°Uh...who wouldn¡¯t like people who are incredibly beautiful? However, this type of ¡®love¡¯ isn¡¯t the romantic type of love!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that there was a trap waiting for her so she hurriedly obscured her words. She then quickened her steps as if she wanted to escape this situation. ¡®Littless, you¡¯re even more slippery than a loach. If I¡¯m not careful, she might just slip away. It¡¯s not a problem, I have plenty of time on my side and lots of patience to tussle with her. There¡¯s no need to say more at this point as there¡¯s no way a tiny thing like you will prevail in the end!¡¯


    Meixiang, who was leading the way, had a better idea of how the young master and Miss Yu interacted now. She really couldn¡¯t figure out just how Miss Yu caught the young master¡¯s eye. Personality wise, Miss Yu was like a willful little kitten, always scratching at a person¡¯s clothes. Yet the young master always held onto her little ws and acted as if he couldn¡¯t bear to say a harsh word to her or punish her. Thus, in Meixiang¡¯s heart, the previous image she had of the young master as a cruel and vicious youth had temporarily evaporated.

 Chapter 385 – Loyal Dog

    <h4>Chapter 385 ¨C Loyal Dog</h4>


    After she had finished discussing their situation with the young royal prince, there wasn¡¯t a lot of change in her day to day life. The only difference now was that the prince started to seem more and more like a big friendly dog. Sometimes, Yu Xiaocao thought that the royal prince resembled Little White a lot. In front of others, they were both arrogant and aloof. However, as soon as she wiggled her hand at them, they would rush over with their tails wagging.


    It was time to switch from the thick padded winter jackets to thinner spring clothing. The wheat flowers in the fields had fallen off and the wheat heads were soon plump and full with kernels. All of the tenant farmers on the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead started to smile more and more brilliantly. No one, including the oldest people there, had ever seen such plump wheat heads before. This year they would definitely have arge harvest! If the winter wheat had a good harvest, that meant that they would be able to have a morefortable living situation for the uing half year! Ever since they started following their current masters, their lives had gotten better and better and they had more hope for the future!


    At the start of spring, the tenant farmers, who had some extra cash on hand, either caught a couple piglets or a couple dozen chicks to raise at the advice of their masters. When the animals got bigger, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about selling them. The masters had told them that they would buy these animals off of them at the highest market price.


    Furthermore, at the start of the season, a lot of people went into the uncultivatednds not far from the farmstead to plow and sow them with some sweet potatoes. Even if they didn¡¯t end up eating the sweet potatoes, they could still be used to feed pigs. No one was the owner of those uncultivatednds and the owner of Tanggu Town and its surroundings was Royal Prince Yang, who had a good rtionship with their masters. Thus, they didn¡¯t have to worry about problems from using these bits ofnd. The tenant farmers on the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead were all proud and confident when other farmers, who were down on their luck, came to ask if there was any space. This was the first time that they had some pride in who they were.


    Other than the Yu Family¡¯s and the royal prince¡¯s stewards, very few people knew that the eight hundred mu ntation that was adjacent to the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead had already been transferred over to Yu Xiaocao from Royal Prince Yang. When the deed with her name written on it was given to her, Yu Xiaocao had a dumbfounded expression on her face.


    This...they hadn¡¯t even gotten to the point in their rtionship where they were considered to be dating, yet he had already given her some of his assets to her? Wasn¡¯t he afraid that after she took his things she would have a falling out with him? However...the man was a young royal prince and wasn¡¯t to be trifled with. If she tried to do that, it was likely that it woulde back to bite her! Yu Xiaocao expressed that this was a lot of pressure to handle. In the future, if they did have a falling out, it¡¯d be very difficult to split up the assets again.


    However, if she didn¡¯t take thend, the young royal prince would act angry. But what if she didn¡¯t care? Then he would change his methods and be pitiful and act cute! Yu Xiaocao admitted that she had no defenses against this type of attack. She very quickly caved at the face of a handsome youth acting cute in front of her. Thus, Yu Xiaocao now had a ntation with eight hundred mu ofnd among her personal possessions! She had changed her fate from a poor farmer¡¯s girl into a wealthyndowner ah!


    Once the wheat became golden and the bumper crop was ready to harvest, Yu Xiaocao was given more helpers from the young royal prince. Some of these people were estate stewards who had more than ten years ofnd management experience and others were old servants who had lots of varied experience in other areas...in short, after all of these people were sent to their respective positions, Yu Xiaocao and the rest of her family had a lot less work on their hands.


    The weather gradually warmed up, so Yu Xiaocao often went to the seaside in her free time. She would sometimes gather seafood with the other vige children or drag Xiaolian along to put on their sharkskin swimsuits and swim in the ocean. asionally, they would even have a friendlypetition with other good swimmers in the area to see who could dive deeper.


    Zhuang Xiaomo was from a nearby fisherman vige and was around fifteen to sixteen years old this year. He was a well-known diving expert and could be found diving from the end of spring to the start of autumn every year. He was always able to dive deeper than the average person and harvest a good amount of seafood, such as abalone or sea cucumbers. Because of his skill, he could often sell his gathered seafood for a good price.


    From time to time, he would travel over to Dongshan Vige to sell sandworms and oysters. The Yu Family had a pretty good impression of this honest and kind-hearted youth. Sometimes, they would even invite him over for a meal. Yu Hang had such a good rtionship with him that they almost acted brotherly in nature. The two of them often chatted about everything and anything. When the Yu Family was busy, he didn¡¯t take himself as an outsider and would always lend a helping hand if he could.


    As her daughters slowly grew up, Madam Liu started to pay more attention to this tanned youth. Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s parents had passed away when he was young and the grandfather who raised him had also died during thest winter. As someone who had been abused and scolded by her mother-inw for more than ten years, Madam Liu naturally hoped that her daughters would not walk down the same path that she did. Whoever married Zhuang Xiaomo wouldn¡¯t have to please a mother-inw or deal with any sisters-inw either. Furthermore, his wife would be able to manage the household as soon as she married in. This was the ideal scenario that most mothers hoped for their daughters, right?


    Thus, Madam Liu kept her eye on Zhuang Xiaomo. The more she observed, the more she had a feeling that this youth wasn¡¯t alwaysing over for pure intentions. In fact, he always smiled more brightly and his eyes looked more joyful whenever he saw her eldest daughter.


    This youth¡¯s taste was actually quite good. Madam Liu wasn¡¯t being over-confident. Xiaolian was very hard working and was probably considered one of the most industrious young girls in all of Dongshan Vige. Although Xiaolian was only twelve this year, she had more money in her personal savings than Madam Liu. Furthermore, once the construction on the harbor finished and the shops there were built, Xiaolian¡¯s dowry in the future would likely be one of the biggest in all of Dongshan Vige.


    However....Xiaolian was only twelve and there was already someone eyeing her to be his wife. Madam Liu felt simultaneously sad and proud at the same time. Both of her daughters were outstanding, so how could she possibly keep them by her side for a few more years? She had originally thought to keep her daughters with her until they turned eighteen, but the young royal prince didn¡¯t seem like the patient type either. Was her oldest daughter also not going to be able to spend an extra two years by her side?


    As their mother, her heart was full of contradictory thoughts. Although she didn¡¯t want them to leave her so soon, she also didn¡¯t want them to lose out on finding the best possible husband. Madam Liu fretted to and fro about this.


    Zhuang Xiaomo treated Xiaolian with utmost courtesy. Every time the two sisters went to their secret swimming and diving spot, he would always somehow appear. From time to time, he would dive ande up with a beautiful whelk shell or a colorful piece of coral or a delicate little sea star. He always found an excuse to give them to Xiaolian. Since he was afraid that she wouldn¡¯t ept his gifts, he also always gave something to Xiaocao as well. However, it was pretty obvious that presents he sent to Xiaocao were a level lower than the ones he gave to Xiaolian.


    Most of the time, Xiaocao would go find the little dolphin that was now grown up to y with. Sometimes she would sit on the dolphin ¡®submarine¡¯ and dive into deep areas. Along the way, she would grab some superior level seafood for the Zhou Family. Every time she dove, she never came back empty handed.


    Royal Prince Yang, who was bing more and more clingy with time, would always show up in Dongshan Vige whenever he didn¡¯t have any tasks to do in the capital. Although the emperor continued to regard him with increasing importance and gave him a lot of tasks, the prince was always able to finish these requests quickly and find some time to run to Dongshan Vige.


    The emperor had a whole new level of respect for his younger cousin¡¯s ability to handle work. Many of the tasks that other people saw as difficult or impossible were, in his hands, always finished well. Consequently, more and more work fell onto Zhu Junyang and he became the perfect example of: ¡®the most capable person always does the most work¡¯.


    Finally, Zhu Junyang privately protested to the emperor. He stated that the emperor was dying him from pursuing his future wife properly. Only then did the emperore to a realization, ¡®So that brat was working so hard to finish his tasks so he could have extra time to go hug a beauty ah! After investigating, I found out that my old transmigrator friend caught his eye! He has good taste! I can¡¯t dy my younger cousin¡¯s future happiness, so as his older cousin, I need to help him.¡¯ Thus, Zhu Junyang finally was able to break free from his imperial cousin¡¯s unending work requests.


    He went to the beach a few times with Yu Xiaocao. Whenever he saw her happily frolicking in the water like a fish and ying gleefully with the little dolphin, Zhu Junyang felt that all of his hard work and difficult times had been worth it.


    Before he went out to sea, Zhu Junyang had spent a whole month diligently learning how to swim properly. Sometimes he would also go into the water and gather seafood with Xiaocao. He would even hoard all of the seafood he got and then have Xiaocao make him a seafood feastter on to eat.


    However, once he found out that his swimming skills, which he had suffered to obtain, was nothing in front of Xiaocao¡¯s abilities and that he was only holding her back, he readily became a mere observer on the side. He sat on the beach and silently watched as Xiaocao easily swam and yed in the ocean waters.


    At first, whenever Xiaocao disappeared underwater for a long time, he would feel worried and couldn¡¯t help but dive in himself to look. However, every time he did so, Xiaocao would always surface far away and cheerfully wave at him. Gradually, he got used to the long time that Yu Xiaocao spent under the water. However, he was never able to not feel concerned.


    When Zhuang Xiaomo appeared, at first, Zhu Junyang felt like he had a crisis on his hands. In his heart, Xiaocao was perfect, so there would definitely be other people besides him who could also see her perfection. Luckily, he had already grasped his ability to read people¡¯s hearts, so he easily found out that the person Zhuang Xiaomo liked was his future older sister-inw¡ª¡ªYu Xiaolian.


    Yu Xiaolian looked about seventy to eighty percent simr to Xiaocao. Her skin was a bit more tanned and her eyes were slightly smaller. Furthermore, she had a more ¡®sturdy¡¯ figurepared to Yu Xiaocao. Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t understand why Zhuang Xiaomo liked Xiaolian better¡ª¡ªjust what sort of taste did the other youth have? Obviously, when youpared the two sisters, Xiaocao was the better of the two, okay?


    However, how could Zhu Junyang understand that in the eyes of Zhuang Xiaomo, Xiaolian was the better choice? Xiaolian had a healthy and strong body and was very hardworking with the ability to endure hardships. Thus, to Zhuang Xiaomo, she was the perfect wife candidate. As for the delicate and weak Xiaocao, who somewhat resembled Lin Daiyu 1, she was nowhere near as attractive as her older sister.


    Naturally, there were also quite a few families who were eyeing the Yu Family¡¯s financial circumstances and Xiaocao¡¯s talents. Those people secretly hinted to Xiaocao¡¯s mother that they were interested in a betrothal arrangement. However, they were all firmly rejected by Madam Liu with the excuse that her daughter was still young and that she wanted to keep her by her side for a few more years. Unfortunately, someone had appeared next to Xiaocao that they couldn¡¯t get rid of even if they wanted to, a giant...boss! Madam Liu really felt quite helpless at the situation.


    If they had to be honest, everyone in the Yu Family didn¡¯t see Zhu Junyang as a good husband candidate. He was ¡®too rich and noble to be a good husband¡¯ in the Yu Family¡¯s eyes. From their perspective, Zhuang Xiaomo, who had a simr background to them, was the type of husband they wanted for their daughters.


    The noble and wealthy families all had a gazillion rules and traditions. Could their adorable and silly youngest daughter, who had never been restricted in any way or bullied since they split from the main branch, endure such a life? Which rich families didn¡¯t have a house full of concubines swarming around? Even if the royal prince promised and vowed that he wouldn¡¯t bring in another woman to fight for favor with their daughter, how could they believe a man¡¯s words?


    In the future, if their youngest daughter was wronged in any way, their family¡¯s status was much too lowpared to his. Even if they wanted to give her justice, they wouldn¡¯t be able to ah!


    Zhu Junyang felt very misunderstood. He had a very good understanding of the thoughts that were running through the minds of Xiaocao¡¯s parents and her siblings. However, no matter what he promised, no one was willing to believe him. Was he really that unreliable in their eyes? In the Yu Family¡¯s hearts, was he really a worse choice than Zhuang Xiaomo, who was the orphan son of poor fishermen?


    He was the son of the high and mighty Imperial Prince Jing and had been personally given the title of a royal prince by the emperor. In court, he was seen as one of the most promising officials, yet he was losing to a fisherman. Zhu Junyang felt very indignant at all of this, ¡®None of you see me in a good light, huh? Then I will definitely show all of you, just what type of person I really am!¡¯


    And thus, Zhu Junyang was now going down the road of bing a husband who pampered his wife, a monster who was even better at treating his wife well than Imperial Prince Jing...


    [1] Lin Daiyu ¨C one of the principal characters of Cao Xueqin¡¯s ssic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is portrayed as a well-educated, intelligent, witty and beautiful young woman of physical frailness who is somewhat prone to asional mncholy.

 Chapter 386 – Popular

    <h4>Chapter 386 ¨C Popr</h4>


    In the early morning, the silvery singing of birds woke up the sleeping earth. The little rooster that was in the back courtyard raised its head and puffed its chest before it valiantly stretched out its neck to crow, ¡®cock-a-doodle-doo¡¯. At the front and back of the house, all of the deep green leaves on the vegetables in the garden had shimmering drops of dew shining on them.


    In between the rows of vegetables, there were a few matrons dressed in in, patched clothing. They were picking the vegetables industriously and using clean water to wash the dirt off before cing them in bamboo baskets. These baskets wouldter be loaded onto carts that came from town.


    At a corner in the front courtyard next to the residence, there was a grapevine twined onto a wooden frame with bunches of grapes heavily hanging. There were a few bunches that had ripened early and the deep purple fruits seemed to glitter like crystals and emitted a sweet aroma. The sight of these grapes made the matrons tsk in wonder and one of themmented, ¡°Madam Liu, your family¡¯s soil is really very good. Anything you guys nt turns out well and even ripens early. Like these grapes for example. Anyone else nting them can only harvest them at the start of autumn to eat. Your rack of grapes will probably be ripe in a couple days ah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Are these grapes a new variety that ripen early that the royal prince brought back from the western hemisphere?¡± Another young matron asked in a voice full of envy. Who didn¡¯t know that the royal prince regarded the Yu Family highly? No one knew just how the Yu Family caught his eye, but he came over every day!


    Madam Liu bent over and pulled all of the weeds out of one area. She smiled at the women working, ¡°I also don¡¯t know where this grape vine came from. When that girl, Xiaocao, nted it, I said that she was doing work for nothing as it wouldn¡¯t live! It was only ntedst year but this year it¡¯s already grown a lot of grapes. When the grapes are ripe, each of you can bring two bunches back home so your children can taste them.¡±


    ¡°No need! If your family¡¯s grapes entered the market now, I¡¯m sure that people would buy them even at one tael a bunch! Tanggu Town has plenty of people with money to spare!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! They even scramble to buy watermelons for five taels a piece. This year, your family nted over a dozen mu of watermelons and it still wasn¡¯t enough to keep up with the demand. Especially the prefectural city¡¯s demand. Cart after cart of watermelon was sent there and each cart earned around one to two hundred taels. That¡¯s not watermelon anymore; they¡¯re all pure money!¡±


    This was also something to be envied but not obtained! The Yu Family had the talent at cultivating watermelons. It was said that in the neighboring vige, there was a wealthyndlord, Li Sancai, who had heard that the Yu Family from Dongshan Vige had made a fortune from nting watermelons. No one knew where he had gotten the seeds from, but he nted a few dozen mu of them. However, the Yu Family¡¯s watermelons had all sold out now yet his watermelons were only about the size of a fist. Furthermore, these watermelons were few in between and couldn¡¯tpare to the yield of the Yu Family¡¯s.


    Madam Liu only smiled but didn¡¯t say anything in response to these matrons. Her family had made quite a bit of money by selling the early ripening vegetables, watermelons, and braised food. Naturally, there were a lot of people who were envious. With the royal prince as their backing, no one dared to do any nasty tricks. However, there were plenty of people who tried to reproduce their sess, like the neighboring vige¡¯s Li Sancai. Perhaps that man had gotten a batch of seeds that weren¡¯t good which caused his melons to grow poorly. She didn¡¯t know whether they would be better once they were ripe...


    The matrons¡¯ discussions became louder and louder, so Yu Xiaocao opened the door to her room while rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. She used her other hand to ruffle through her hair, and it was obvious that she was still quite groggy.


    There were a couple matrons in the field who had male children at home around Xiaocao¡¯s age, so their eyes lit up when they saw her. Immediately, their voices became much more weing. Haixing¡¯s wife grinned until her eyes became a line and said, ¡°Oh! Xiaocao¡¯s bing more and more beautiful with time. Look at her little face, so white and tender. She resembles a well-bred young woman more than those daughters of the wealthy families in town!¡±


    ¡°What is that phrase...a natural born beauty! Dahai¡¯s wife also has good looks. In fact, all of her children are perfect specimens. Dahai¡¯s wife, is your Xiaosha fourteen this year? It¡¯s almost time to find a wife for him...¡± In these past two years, the Yu Family had be one of the wealthiest families in the vige. As their children got older, they became the target of everyone who had marriageable children and were now being eyed like a prime piece of meat by this pack of ¡®hungry wolves¡¯!


    Madam Liu looked at the matron who had asked the question with a somewhat embarrassed manner and sighed before she said, ¡°You all don¡¯t know my children¡¯s personalities. Every single one has their own opinions. As their mother, I can¡¯t lightly make this decision without asking for their own opinions!¡±


    Haixing¡¯s wife¡¯s eyes opened wide as she stated, ¡°Since ancient times, don¡¯t all parents with the help of the matchmaker decree the marriages of their children? As their mother, if you don¡¯t take charge of this issue, who else would be able to?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Dahai¡¯s wife, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m trying to use my seniority to lecture you, but you and Brother Dahai spoil your children too much! In all of our families, if our children don¡¯t listen to us, then we would beat them! Didn¡¯t both of my older girls have their marriages decided by their father and me? And look at them now, aren¡¯t their lives pretty good?¡±


    The matron who had asked about Yu Hang¡¯s marriage prospects earlier was the wife of the vige chief¡¯s nephew. Everyone called her Older Brother Zhimin¡¯s wife.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you know how to raise children and love your girls, so you made sure to find them families that would take care of them.¡± Another matron next to her, who had a good rtionship with her, interjected in a ttering manner.


    Zhimin¡¯s wife revealed a proud and smug smile and didn¡¯t seem modest at all as she stated, ¡°Since we¡¯re on the topic of raising children, then I won¡¯t be shy in saying that all of my daughters are good hands at both farming work and household work. Especially my youngest daughter. She has a fine hand in embroidery. She recently made a pillow cover that was embroidered with ducks ying in the water and it sold to the embroidery shop in town for one tael. The shop even said that they would definitely take her work in the future!¡± After speaking, she used a self-satisfied expression to nce at Madam Liu.


    Madam Liu was concentrating on her task at hand and didn¡¯t notice. Xiaocao, on the other hand, was currently washing her face and hands underneath the grape trellis and saw everything. She silentlyughed inside. Recently, her brothers and sister were as popr as peach blossoms. Her older brother, who was growing handsome and had a steady and hardworking temperament, was the current target of a lot of people. However, she had a hunch that her older brother had a glimmer of a liking towards Older Sister Huifang. In the future, she needed to find some time to question him a bit.


    When Zhimin¡¯s wife saw that Madam Liu wasn¡¯t responding, she felt a bit upset inside. As the mother of the girl, she wasn¡¯t supposed to be the one to send out feelers. However, the Yu Family was truly too popr right now. Xiaosha, as the oldest son of the Yu Family, also looked very reliable.


    Xiaoyun was her youngest child and had older brothers and sisters above her, so she pretty much had never done hardbor in her life. Other than embroidery, she only knew how to cook a few basic dishes. If she got married to a regr family in the vige, she would need to work on the farnd and do housework. She truly couldn¡¯t bear for her youngest daughter to do that!


    Thus, she eyed the Yu Family¡¯s oldest son as her future husband. With the Yu Family¡¯s current financial circumstances, they could easily afford to buy two servants to do all of the hardbor. Therefore, when her youngest daughter married over, she could have an easy andfortable life!


    As these thoughts went through her head, Zhimin¡¯s wife continued, ¡°Dahai¡¯s wife, you need to be careful when deciding Xiaosha¡¯s future bride. He¡¯s the eldest of the family and everyone says that the eldest sister-inw is like a second mother. You need to find a gentle and virtuous girl, someone who¡¯s generous, kind-hearted and filial. Otherwise, all of his younger siblings, as well as you two when you get old, will suffer in the future...¡±


    There were people in the vige with rude and unreasonable wives who ended up kicking their husband¡¯s parents out from the home. Thus, Zhimin¡¯s wife¡¯s warning wasn¡¯t entirely unwarranted.


    ¡°Older Brother Zhimin¡¯s wife, just directly say that you think that your family¡¯s Xiaoyun and Xiaosha are a good match. What¡¯s the point in skirting around the subject and doing verbal gymnastics ah?¡± The matron who piped up also had a daughter at the suitable age. When she heard Zhimin¡¯s wife pointed hints, she became unhappy. Wasn¡¯t it obvious that she was insinuating that her daughter was virtuous and generous while other people¡¯s daughters were rude and unreasonable shrews?


    The right situation hadn¡¯t unfolded yet, so how could Zhimin¡¯s wife allow her spoiled youngest daughter¡¯s reputation to get ruined? She red at the other matron and replied, ¡°I was only mentioning this to remind Madam Liu out of the goodness of my own heart since my husband and Brother Dahai have a good rtionship. Why did you bring my daughter Xiaoyun¡¯s name into the mix? My Xiaoyun has a sweet appearance, is good at the womanly arts, and also has a gentle personality. She¡¯s never gotten into any conflicts with anyone. Such a sweet and obedient daughter, I want her to spend an extra couple of years by my side ah!¡±


    The other matron sneered as she thought, ¡®Yes, your daughter has never gotten into any conflicts with anyone, but why don¡¯t you also mention that your youngest daughter is so shy that when she encounters an outsider, she blushes and can¡¯t even say a word? A girl from a farming family has been so spoiled that she¡¯s like a young miss from a wealthy family. She can¡¯t do hardbor or coarse housework. We¡¯re all farming families, so who would marry their son to a girl like her?¡¯


    This matron personally thought that her own daughter was good. Her daughter had a lot of strength and could even do the work of the man! However, she conveniently forgot that her daughter also had the figure of a man, with broad shoulders and big muscles. From the back, one might even mistake her for a man...


    All of the matrons gleefully gave their own opinions to Madam Liu on the topic of ¡®how to choose the perfect wife for the eldest son of the family¡¯.


    ¡°Huifang, why are you here so early?¡± The sound of Yu Hang¡¯s voice could be heard from the main gate. When the matrons heard him talking, they all craned their necks to see.


    They saw Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s eldest daughter, Liu Huifang, with a small bamboo basket on her arm. She was smiling sweetly at the Yu Family¡¯s eldest son as they talked.


    ¡°Older Brother Xiaosha, you didn¡¯t go to help with the seafood buying business today ah?¡± Liu Huifang¡¯s eyes were sparkling and there was a light flush on her cheeks. She had the figure and liveliness of a young maiden, and, under the glow of the morning sun, looked so lovely that she could make someone¡¯s heart skip a beat.


    Yu Hang didn¡¯t notice that he had unconsciously revealed a gentle smile and his voice had also be gentle and warm, ¡°The seafood buying business has already been transferred over to Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family for now. Recently, I¡¯ve been helping my father in the melon fields.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the watermelon fields, I haven¡¯t yet thanked Older Brother Xiaosha for giving my family a watermelon that other time. I had never eaten such sweet and delicious fruit before in my life!¡± The snacks of the children of farming families were usually only limited to the surplus they had from their own trees or fields. Most of them couldn¡¯t bear to spend money on them, especially fruit that was so expensive they could scare a person!


    The smile in Yu Hang¡¯s voice became even more apparent as he softly replied, ¡°As long as you like it! My younger sister nted a peach tree in the back courtyard and they¡¯ve ripened in the past couple of days. In a moment, you should bring a basket home...for your parents and siblings to taste.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Xiaocao say that she wanted to use the peaches from that tree to make canned peaches and peach jam ah? Did you ask for her permission before you give away her peaches to other people?¡± Liu Huifang¡¯s voice was very crisp and clear and seemed quite cheerful.


    The sound of Yu Hang chuckling could be heard, ¡°My youngest sister isn¡¯t a petty person. She naturally wouldn¡¯t be too stingy to let go of a few peaches. That being said, you¡¯re her good friend. Even without me mentioning it, she would definitely give you a few ripe peaches to take home to try.¡±


    The matrons in the courtyard all exchanged looks after seeing this interaction. Haixing¡¯s wife only had two boys in their teens in her house, so she wasn¡¯t very interested in Yu Hang¡¯s marriage. She shed a teasing look at Madam Liu and said, ¡°Looks like we don¡¯t need to be worried about Xiaosha¡¯s future marriage. It looks like he already has his eye on a girl.¡±

 Chapter 387 – Unexpected Fleet of Ships

    <h4>Chapter 387 ¨C Unexpected Fleet of Ships</h4>


    Huifang had a steady and hardworking temperament and also had a good rtionship with her daughter. If she caught the eye of her son, Madam Liu would definitely be very happy.


    Before she could speak, Zhimin¡¯s wife unhappily spoke, ¡°Haixing¡¯s wife, you can¡¯t just say things willy nilly! Shuanzhu and Dahai are good friends so it¡¯s natural that their children are well acquainted with each other. What¡¯s wrong with them talking to each other? As their elders, we shouldn¡¯t gossip needlessly as we don¡¯t want to inadvertently tarnish the reputation of the girl!¡±


    Haixing¡¯s wife sneered in her heart as she thought, ¡®You¡¯ve been advertising your daughter with every sentence you say, so aren¡¯t you afraid of damaging her reputation?¡¯ She then deliberatelymented, ¡°I think thess Huifang is pretty good. Last year, during the hard period, she even had the guts to catch one hundred to two hundred chicks to bring back home to raise. This year she has even more chickens at home. She even used the money she madest year to build a stand-alone chicken coop and yard to raise them! I heard that these few hundred chickens are all taken care of by her and her younger sister alone. Shuanzhu¡¯s wife doesn¡¯t even have to do anything!¡±


    Zhimin¡¯s wife¡¯s eyes started to sprout fire and red fiercely at her as she said, ¡°If you think she¡¯s good, then howe you don¡¯t go ask her to be a wife of one of your sons? Isn¡¯t your oldest son about the same age as Huifang?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? My son is younger than her by a year! That being said, her family may not think my Xiaochun is a good match...¡± Haixing¡¯s wife nced at Xiaocao, who was quietly eating breakfast underneath the grape trellis, and then returned a fierce re at Zhimin¡¯s wife.


    Zhimin¡¯s wife was about to say something when the two topics of their conversation walked in. Liu Huifang politely greeted them by saying ¡®Auntie¡¯ to all of the matrons present. The other matrons, who were enjoying the show, all warmly responded back. Only Zhimin¡¯s wife neutrally replied with a ¡®mhm¡¯ and instead treated Yu Hang with a much more warm and weing greeting.


    ¡°Older Sister Huifang, you¡¯re giving us some more chicken eggs again? Didn¡¯t we say that you don¡¯t need to send any more to us ah? My family has a few hens at home and they alsoy around five to six eggs a day, so we have more than enough to eat!!¡± Yu Xiaocao put down the bowl of congee in her hands and came over. Her voice had hints of rebuke but her attitude towards Huifang was very warm and close.


    Liu Huifang grinned as she ced the basket on the stone table under the grape trellis and picked one grape that was half purple and half red in a matter-of-fact manner. She didn¡¯t even bother to wipe the grape before putting it in her mouth. After swallowing the sweet and juicy fruit, the smile on her face became more broad as she said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say yesterday that you were going to make peanut and sesame ky pastries ah? My younger sister and I are salivating over the prospect of you making them, so if we don¡¯t give something back, how could we just take the food that your family makes?¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Huifang, you¡¯re being too polite! Alright, since you said it that way, then I¡¯ll have my older brother take you to the back and pick some peaches. When the pastries are done, you can bring some back!¡± Yu Xiaocao transferred the eggs into another basket and then stuffed the now empty basket into her older brother¡¯s hands.


    Liu Huifang snatched that empty basket back and smiled, ¡°I still have a couple hundred chickens clucking and waiting for me to get back to feed them. How do I have the time to wait for you to finish making the ky pastries ah?¡±


    As she talked, she ced the basket at the crook of her hand and walked towards the gate. Yu Xiaocao shouted towards her, ¡°Then...in a moment, when the pastries are done, I¡¯ll have my older brother send you guys a batch. There¡¯s also the peaches. They are quite sweet this year, so I¡¯ll have my older brother pick a basket for you...¡±


    Liu Huifang heard that Xiaocao kept mentioning Yu Hang, so she turned around and gave her a somewhat embarrassed re. Then her face flushed when she saw the mischievous glee on the younger girl¡¯s face. She then fled the courtyard in quick steps, as if there was a rabid dog chasing after her. Yu Xiaocaoughed in the courtyard and Yu Hang poked at her small face and said, ¡°What¡¯s so funny? You made her angry from your teasing!¡±


    ¡°Tee hee, Older Brother, do you feel bad for her?¡± Yu Xiaocao grinned until her eyes became lines and gave her older brother a knowing look.


    Yu Hang was a bit flustered from the look in her eyes. The handsome youth felt both embarrassed and angry so he snapped at her, ¡°Stop speaking nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Mother¡ª¡ªOlder Brother¡¯s yelling at me!¡± Yu Xiaocao immediately became a tattle-tale and puffed her cheeks like a little blowfish. After thinking a bit, she then roguishly said, ¡°Hmph! In a moment, when the ky pastries are done, I¡¯ll personally go over and give them to Older Sister Huifang. You won¡¯t have the chance to get into her good graces then!¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you want to do ah! Stop pulling me into this!¡± Yu Hang felt a bit bashful when he noticed that his sister had seen through his intentions. Since Huifang¡¯s family was raising chickens, he often went over to their residence to buy chickens with his father. Thus, he spent more and more time interacting with Huifang. Yu Hang was also getting older and was reaching the stage where he became interested in girls, so he started to have an impression of Huifang. If he had the opportunity to have a conversation with her, he would feel incredibly happy within his heart. However, after being teased by his younger sister, he felt a bit resentful but he didn¡¯t reject these feelings.


    After they finished eating breakfast, Yu Hang stepped into the kitchen and watched as Yu Xiaocao made ky pastries. Before long, he was given the task of beating the eggs. After thinking a bit, he realized that they were missing a person in the residence today and asked, ¡°Eh? Howe I didn¡¯t see Royal Prince Yang today? Doesn¡¯t he alwayse over very early usually?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was currently crushing roasted peanuts into small pieces and she pursed her lips, ¡°Him ah! He went back to the capital a few days ago. You¡¯ve been busy in the melon fields these past few days, so I guess you didn¡¯t notice earlier?¡±


    Yu Hang resisted for a bit and then he finally couldn¡¯t stop himself from roasting the other youth, ¡°I¡¯ll say ah, how much free time does Royal Prince Yang have? He spends at least half a month each month on hisnds. Does he not have any tasks to do in the capital now?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had never bothered to find out just what type of work Zhu Junyang had to do. She thought for a bit and then guessed, ¡°Perhaps...he¡¯s just an idle royal prince? With a title andnds, isn¡¯t it normal for him to spend more time on his ownnds?¡±


    After hesitating for a bit, Yu Hang finally asked the question that had been tormenting him, ¡°Younger Sister, in the future...will you marry Royal Prince Yang ah?¡±


    ¡°If he still wants to marry only me by the time I turn eighteen, then I¡¯ll marry him! What else can I do?¡± If there was a man who was willing to wait for her for that many years, that meant that it was worth it right? That being said, now that he¡¯s managed to control his inner demon, the young royal prince didn¡¯t really have anyrge ws besides being a little arrogant from time to time. She was willing to be merciful and grant him his wish of marrying her!


    Yu Hang lightly sighed and then softly asked, ¡°Younger Sister, do you like him? I really don¡¯t want you, for the sake of preserving our family, to sacrifice yourself...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stopped what she was doing and then looked at him in surprise, ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve been worrying about ah? Don¡¯t worry, even if I refused the young royal prince¡¯s request, he wouldn¡¯t threaten our family for this. He¡¯s not that type of person! I¡¯m still young, so I¡¯m not sure whether or not I like him that way. In any case, I don¡¯t hate the fellow right now! So, Older Brother, you don¡¯t need to feel guilty towards me! That being said, am I the type of person to silently suffer?¡±


    Yu Hang thought for a bit and then lightly shook his head. With Royal Prince Yang¡¯s status and power, he was always afraid that he would force his younger sister to do something. As her older brother, he was powerless to do anything about it, so he felt quite helpless and resentful about this.


    Yu Xiaocao continued tofort her older brother until he finally looked a bit more cheerful. After she finished baking two patches of ky pastries, Yu Xiaocao sent him off to give a batch to the Liu Family along with some peaches. She then called Steward Yingtao over from the other room and sent her to the West Mountain¡¯s residence with a box of ky pastries.


    After Xiaolian finished inspecting the piggery, she came in from the gate. Currently, they were raising around three hundred pigs in the piggery and they were all about half grown. Everyday they ate so much food that it surprised everyone. All of the more hardworking children in the vige would always cut a few baskets of fishwort to sell to the Yu Family so they could earn a few copper coins as spending money. Ever since Royal Prince Yang sent them some capable stewards and senior servants over, Xiaocao also sent one of them to the piggery. That person managed the piggery very well and it was even better than when Xiaolian was therest year.


    ¡°Younger Sister, right now is low tide, do you want to go diving right now?¡± Recently, Xiaolian had spent a lot of time in the water with Xiaocao and Zhuang Xiaomo, so her swimming abilities had also gone up a notch. Her diving skills had also improved perceptibly.


    Xiaocao wanted to go out to the deep sea to dive to find some superior grade abalone and sea cucumbers. If she went out with Xiaolian and Zhuang Xiaomo, it¡¯d be hard to shake them off. She shook her head, ¡°I won¡¯t go today. Go see if our neighbor Shanhu wants to go and bring her along instead!¡±


    The current mentality of people was that men and women should not touch when giving or receiving things, and it was quite embedded within society. If Xiaocao didn¡¯t go along, Xiaolian definitely wouldn¡¯t go to the beach with Zhuang Xiaomo as they¡¯d be a single man and woman together alone. Although Xiaolian was still a young girl of twelve, there were still differences between men and women. She was afraid that other people might start gossiping about this.


    Xiaolian remembered that Zhuang Xiaomo had told her yesterday that he wanted to take her to an area that had a lot of seafood underwater. If she suddenly changed her ns today, she was afraid that he would wait for no reason. After thinking a bit, she changed into her swimsuit underneath her outer clothes and then took her bamboo basket with her as she went to go find Shanhu next door.


    Not long after Xiaolian left, Yu Xiaocao also secretly changed into her swimsuit and left in a different direction to go to the beach. She found a secluded area and then stashed her outer clothes into a small rocky cave. Then, she dove and swam in the water like the descendant of a fish. Before long, a gray-blue dolphin about two meters long appeared and gleefully swam circles around her as if it was a little dog who hadn¡¯t seen its master for a long time.


    A small golden light next to Xiaocao gradually became bigger and then formed into the shape of a little cat. The little dolphin curiously used its long mouth to poke at the golden kitten but was pushed back by the little divine stone¡¯s w. The cat could swim and actually swam very well. If other people saw this, they would definitely think they were only dreaming or in a fantasy world.


    With the little divine stone by her side, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t need to worry about having to surface up to breathe. In fact, even the increasing water pressure that urred as she dove deeper wasn¡¯t a problem. She climbed onto the little dolphin¡¯s back while the kitten stayed on her shoulder and the three of them swam deeper into the ocean.


    Before long, Yu Xiaocao had filled up her little bamboo basket with seafood. This time, her harvest was truly too good and full of variety. In the deep ocean waters, the little golden kitten gave off a golden glow and she could see everything in the ocean very clearly. Giant abalone and fat sea cucumbers came to her hands easily. Yu Xiaocao also caught a one meter long lobster that weighed about a catty. It was going to be the perfect supplement to the Yu Family¡¯s table.


    [Master, not far from here, there¡¯s a giant fleet of ships in the ocean! They have a somewhat bad smelling off of them!] The little divine stone seemed to sense something and gave her a warning.


    Fleet of ships? If she was remembering correctly, they should still be in the waters that were owned by the Great Ming Dynasty, right? If these were ships from the Great Ming Dynasty, the little divine stone definitely wouldn¡¯t be giving her a warning. She needed to surface up and take a look. Yu Xiaocao was a very brave little girl and patted the little dolphin¡¯s head and directed it to the surface. The little dolphin very obediently swam in the direction she wanted.

 Chapter 388 – Incoming Bad News

    <h4>Chapter 388 ¨C Iing Bad News</h4>


    She was able to see the ships now, so Xiaocao slid off of the little dolphin¡¯s back and quietly got closer to one of the ships that was currently moving. She pulled onto a rope that was dangling down and attempted to climb up. After a few tries with no luck, she asked the little divine stone silently, [Little Glutinous Dumpling, can you help me hear what they¡¯re saying?]


    The golden little kitten dimmed down the lighting off of its body and now resembled a kitten that was not even a month old now. It lightly jumped onto the deck of the ship and boldly walked towards one of the men that was dressed strangely. After it carefully listened for a bit, the little divine stone sardonically stated, [What kind of weirdnguage are they speaking? Can¡¯t understand a single word.]


    It transmitted thenguage that it could not understand to Yu Xiaocao as it also made fun of the man¡¯s appearance and dress, [At the top of their head, they shaved a section, which makes them look like balding old men. The rest of the hair on their head is gathered into a small queue and pinned into a topknot, and they have a tiny beard left at the lips. They even wear wooden clogs...]


    Yu Xiaocao felt her heart fall for a second, ¡®This is the dress and attire of the historical Japanese ah! These Japanese ships in the waters of the Great Ming Empire are definitely not here for a good reason! Oh right! In the historical Ming Dynasty, weren¡¯t there raids by Wokou pirates 1 ah? Are these the ships of the Wokou then?¡¯


    [Little Glutinous Dumpling, do you have any way to understand what they¡¯re saying? This is a very important manner that can change the lives of many people!] Yu Xiaocao was very anxious and hastily asked the little divine stone.


    The little divine stone hesitated for a moment and replied somewhat reluctantly, [With my current cultivation level and amount of spiritual power, if I wanted to enter a human¡¯s consciousness, it¡¯d be very difficult. Originally, I¡¯d be able to speak very soon. If I immerse myself in the other person¡¯s thoughts in the way you want me to, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t even be able to maintain my kitten form anymore...]


    Yu Xiaocao dithered for a second and then said, [Didn¡¯t you say that by helping me, your master, your cultivation and spiritual powers would grow a lot? Furthermore, it would also loosen the fetters on you by a lot. If you really do what I ask you to and are able to help me greatly, you will not only help my family but you will also be saving the lives of countless people. This is a very big virtue ah!]


    [If only it would happen like you said! This divine stone doesn¡¯t expect much, as long as ites out even, then I will be satisfied!] The little divine stone wasn¡¯t convinced that it would be very helpful to its master to find out what the pirate was thinking.


    However, its consciousness was linked to its master¡¯s, so it could clearly feel the waves of worrying off of Yu Xiaocao. Although it was quite reluctant to do so, it followed its master¡¯s wishes. A small condensed stream of spiritual energy went into the ear of the pirate that looked like the leader of them all and read the man¡¯s thoughts.


    [These people are all from a country across the sea from us. They had a very bad earthquake in their country and a lot of people died. This warrior kidnapped some of the fishermen from our country and found out that our country is having arger bumper harvest, so they decided to attack us during harvest time. Master, things are looking bad! Their target is...the Tanggu Harbor and all of the nearby viges...]


    The little divine stone¡¯s usage of energy was astounding. Before long, Yu Xiaocao could only intermittently hear its thoughts. After it was done talking, the little divine stone transformed back into a ray of golden light and returned back to the multicolored stone on Xiaocao¡¯s wrist, falling into a deep sleep.


    However, the information the stone found out was more than enough! She observed the direction the fleet of ships was heading towards and saw that they truly were going towards the harbor. There were around ten ships speeding in the direction of Dongshan Vige. Yu Xiaocao felt scared and troubled. There were over a few dozen families in Dongshan Vige, which meant that there were at least a hundred to two hundred vigers living there!


    This critical information could not be dyed. Yu Xiaocao had the little dolphin swim back at top speed to bring her back to the shore. Although the little divine stone was now in a deep rest, the protections it formed for her were still active, so Xiaocao wasn¡¯t harmed by the water pressure or force. Thus, she was able to go back faster than the ships were moving.


    Yu Xiaocao first went back to the area where Xiaolian usually dove into the water. Using her intuition, she was able to find Zhuang Xiaomo, Zhou Shanhu and Xiaolian together. She dove under water and signaled Xiaolian to surface. Once they surfaced, she hurriedly spoke, ¡°Quickly, quickly go inform the vige chief that Wokou pirates areing!!¡±


    ¡°Wokou pirates??¡± The person who spoke was Zhuang Xiaomo who was treading water next to them. He revealed an expression of disbelief and hesitantly said, ¡°Are you sure that these are Wokou pirates?¡±


    ¡°Wokou pirates are very cruel and vicious. I heard the older generation mention that these pirates have no sense of humanity and will kill anyone they see and steal anything from anybody. They also rape women and burn down entire viges!¡± Zhou Shanhu also came over and eximed as she shook her head with her hands over her mouth.


    Yu Xiaocao took a deep breath and forcefully calmed herself before she said, ¡°I guarantee these are Wokou pirates. The clothes they¡¯re wearing aren¡¯t the type that citizens of the Great Ming Empire would wear and I couldn¡¯t understand a single word they were saying. They looked very cruel and hadrge knives at their waists ah! Older Brother Xiaomo, quickly go to your vige and tell this information to your vige chief and then leave. You should pack up your things, whether they believe you or not, ande to our house!¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo forcefully nodded his head and assented, ¡°Okay! I will warn the vige chief and thene back to join you guys! If I¡¯mte, there¡¯s no need to wait for me and stay in danger.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao watched as he scrambled ontond and started sprinting towards the neighboring vige. She also hurriedly swam to shore and didn¡¯t even bother to change into her clothes as she ran towards the vige holding her clothes.


    She suddenly thought of her godfather who was currently at the docks supervising the construction, so she said to Xiaolian, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the vige chief¡¯s home myself. You should go home first and tell Older Brother to ride Little Gray to the docks to inform my godfather so he can coborate with the magistrate¡¯s soldiers. Tell Mother and Father to pack everything that¡¯s valuable and necessary so we can leave...¡±


    Xiaolian nodded her head and sped off home inrger strides. Zhou Shanhu¡¯s face was ghostly white and she was scampering along behind her. Her father and older brother were out peddling goods and it was only her mother and her at home...it was urgent, she needed to inform her mother to pack everything first. Going with the Yu Family was definitely the safest route!¡±


    By the time Yu Xiaocao reached the vige chief¡¯s residence, she was alreadypletely out of breath. She ced the multi-colored stone at her chest and a cool feeling trickled into her lungs. Her chest, which felt like it was about to explode earlier, finally calmed down a bit. She found the vige chief and told him how she had dove deeply and swam out to sea and coincidentally discovered the pirates¡¯ ships. She told the older man every detail she could think of.


    The vige chief frowned deeply and asked half in disbelief, ¡°Are you sure they were Wokou pirates and not some fishermen from our country out there?¡±


    ¡°I am absolutely sure!! The ships that I saw looked exactly alike to each other and there were at least thirty to forty of them total. Furthermore, they looked very big. I surreptitiously swam closer to one by diving into the water and I could faintly hear the people on the ships talking. I couldn¡¯t understand a single word that they were saying! Then, I climbed up from the tail of the ship and saw that the people there were wearingpletely different styles of clothing than us. They also hadrge knives and swords belted at their waist...I heard my grandfather saying that in the previous dynasty we had attacks from Wokou pirates, so I thought I needed to tell this to you first. Vige Chief, time is running out, pleasee up with an idea ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao did her best to weave a story but she was afraid the vige chief wouldn¡¯t believe her. She was so worried that her entire head was covered in sweat.


    The vige chief knew that although Xiaocao was young, she was quite steady and would absolutely not do something like this as a prank or joke. He thought for a bit and decided it was better to be safe than sorry. Wokou pirates were always incredibly cruel and this wasn¡¯t a small issue!


    This was the first time this year that he had sounded therge bell at the entrance of the vige. All of the vigers very quickly assembled over at the entrance of the vige chief¡¯s residence and were all avidly discussing just what the vige chief called them all over for. Last year, when the bell was sounded, it was right before the locust gue hit.


    The vige chief very simply outlined what Xiaocao had told him and instructed the vigers to quickly go back and pack their things in preparation to flee to the mountains!


    When the viges heard the news, lively discussion immediately arose. A lot of people didn¡¯t believe Xiaocao¡¯s words and thought that she must have seen things incorrectly. Some of them thought that she was making a big deal over nothing. Consequently, there were only a few people who went back home to start packing.


    Yu Xiaocao felt her anxiety rising. The pirates were about toe and the vigers were still debating amongst themselves. She thought for a bit and saw the person who was the best at climbing trees, Goudan. She pointed at the tallest tree in the vige and said, ¡°Goudan, go climb to the top of the tree and look. You should be able to vaguely see the fleet of ships from up there. In any case, I already warned everyone. It¡¯s up to you guys if you want to believe me or not!¡±


    At the end, she also added one more thing, ¡°Think about what happenedst year with the locust gue ah! What happened to those people who didn¡¯t end up believing the news? Now, it¡¯s not just a matter of losing money or grain, your choices can determine the fate of all of the people in your family!¡±


    At this moment, Goudan, who had climbed to the very top of the tree, sputtered from above, ¡°They¡¯re there! I can see more than a dozen ships on the horizon and they¡¯re heading in the direction of our vige! I still can¡¯t see very clearly if they are Wokou pirates or not...¡±


    When people heard Goudan¡¯s shouts added onto what Xiaocao just said, most of the vigers felt more confident in her news. It was just as the vige chief stated: ¡°Better to be safe than sorry¡±. If the shipsing were truly pirates, getting ready and hiding in the mountains was the sensible thing to do. If they weren¡¯t, it wasn¡¯t as if they would lose much, other than getting scared out of their wits.


    When the vige chief saw everyone running back home, he couldn¡¯t help but remind them of a fact, ¡°Make sure to only pack what is necessary and the valuables that are light. You¡¯re not going to be able to bring everything along. Losing some possessions is not the end of the world. What¡¯s important is to preserve your own lives! In an hour, everyone needs to assemble. Whoever¡¯ste, don¡¯t me the rest of us for not waiting!!¡±


    Once Yu Xiaocao saw everyone moving, she waved to the vige chief and then sped off to her own family. On the way, she passed by the Zhou Family and saw Auntie Zhou sighing over the few hundred chickens she was raising.


    ¡°Auntie, take the chickens into the mountain thickets. Whatever can be saved is better than nothing! Take along the valuables that you can bring along but don¡¯t be greedy. Keeping your life is the most important thing!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but give the older woman a reminder.


    When Yu Xiaocao got home, she saw all of the Yu Family members, other than Yu Hang who went to the docks and Little Siitou who was studying in town, congregated in the courtyard. All of their hired workers for the pharmaceutical workshop and piggery had gone back to their respective homes to pack. Yingtao and the stewards that Royal Prince Yang had given her each had a bundle of stuff in their hands as they fearfully waited there.


    ¡°Did someone tell Oldest Aunt¡¯s family?¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that her oldest paternal aunt¡¯s family wasn¡¯t there and had to ask.


    Yu Hai gave her a reassuring look and said, ¡°Erya went there to tell them, they should be back very soon!¡± Just as he spoke, his older sister¡¯s entire family all came in with packs on their back as they rushed into the courtyard.


    [1] Wokou pirates ¨C Historically, these pirates often weren¡¯t only from Japan and included people of Chinese ethnicity who were impoverished by Ming Dynasty trade bans.

 Chapter 389 – The Wokou Pirates Land

    <h4>Chapter 389 ¨C The Wokou Pirates Land</h4>


    ¡°What about Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s residence on the mountain? Did anyone inform them?¡± Although there were a decent amount of guards there, the pirates also had a lot of people and they were cruel. Without the self-proimed martial arts expert Royal Prince Yang there, it wouldn¡¯t be safe for Princess Consort Jing to stay in the vi.


    Senior Servant Yang, who was in charge of the piggery, hurriedly stepped forward and said, ¡°When we got the news, my husband went to the mountain residence immediately. At this time, the princess consort should be almost done preparing!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked around the courtyard and saw that everyone was carrying a packed up bag that wasn¡¯t too big so they could easily flee. It was likely they only packed the most valuable items in their residences for this trip. Yu Hai and Liu Hu had a bit more in their packs. Other than daily necessities, everyone also carried around twenty catties of grain, a steel pot, and some utensils. They didn¡¯t know how long the pirates would stay and when they could finallye back. It was likely they needed to spend several days in the mountains, so the Yu Family and Liu Family needed to bring enough grain tost!


    Yu Xiaocao entered her own room and packed two simple sets of clean clothing. She also took out the banknotes, silver bits, and some jewelry along. After thinking a bit, she also took her medicine box. Inside she had medicines to treat colds and other mild illnesses. In addition, she had medications to stop bleeding.


    Before long, Princess Consort Jing and her twenty-some imperial bodyguards came down the mountain. Along with the twenty-some senior servants, stewards, and maids, her entourage made a grand sight and was muchrger than thebined Yu and Liu Families.


    Princess Consort Jing appeared exceptionally calm and she looked over everyone in the courtyard before she spoke to the now serene Yu Xiaocao, ¡°When we came down the mountain, we saw that those people with questionable backgrounds were already very close tond. Have you decided everything yet? Are we really going to flee into the mountains? Don¡¯t people say that there are a lot of ferocious beasts in there?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao came up and held onto Princess Consort Jing¡¯s arm reassuringly as she gently said, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Your Highness! We¡¯re not going deep into the mountains, so we should not encounter any vicious beasts.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re on the outside part of the mountain and the piratese and find out there¡¯s nothing to take, won¡¯t they chase us up the mountain to find us?¡± One of the bodyguards, who looked on the younger side, frowned and remarked somewhat pessimistically.


    Yu Xiaocao considered his question and then replied, ¡°I know a ravine in the mountain that is pretty well hidden and the entrance is easily guarded and hard to attack. We should go there to hide. Even if the Wokou pirates find the entrance, with you guys protecting it, it¡¯d be hard for them to get through.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing gave her a knowing look and then asked, ¡°Is that the ravine that has a lot of wild camellias and orchids? If that¡¯s the ce you¡¯re talking about, it should be very well hidden.¡±


    After she finished, she then gave a prating look at her two personal maids, Meixiang and Lanxiang. These two maids had once gone with Xiaocao to that ravine and they brought back a few rare specimens. However, the next time when they tried to go there themselves, the two maids couldn¡¯t find the entrance of the ravine again. Meixiang had said that they clearly remembered every twist and turn to get there but they just couldn¡¯t find the entrance again. It was as if that ravine had suddenly disappeared into thin air.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and agreed, ¡°Yes, other than that ce, I can¡¯t think of another ce that is suitable to hide a few hundred people!¡±


    ¡°A few hundred people? We need to take along all of the men, women, children, and elders from the vige along? The more people there are, the more chances there are for mishaps. Miss Yu, you need to make sure you know what you¡¯re doing!¡± Themander of the bodyguards didn¡¯t seem to approve of this idea of bringing so many civilians along. The frown on his face became even more apparent.


    ¡°We¡¯re all from the same vige and some of us are even rted to each other. We can¡¯t just leave them alone to fend for themselves. Since we have the ability, what¡¯s wrong with helping them?¡± It had been almost four years since she transmigrated over to this world. Other than a few special people in Dongshan Vige, the vast majority of vigers were all pure-hearted and adorable. Their simple ways of life and warm interactions with each other caused Yu Xiaocao to consider this ce more and more like her home. When danger was approaching, she couldn¡¯t abandon any of them, even if they had treated her poorly in the past.


    The Yu Family was already done preparing, but the people in the vige were a whole other matter. The vigers were all running around in a panic. Many people couldn¡¯t bear to let go of anything that was of any value, especially those of the older generation. Every needle and thread in the house required money to buy them, so they even brought along old bamboo baskets with holes in them.


    It was getting closer to the time to leave and there were a whole bunch of people standing in front of the vige chief¡¯s home. The vige chief saw a fellow with a giant pack on his left shoulder and arge wicker basket crammed full of items on his right. The man could barely walk as he staggered down the road and stumbled in the group. The vige chief was incensed and scolded them, ¡°Right now we¡¯re running for our lives, not moving! Do you think you¡¯ll be able to climb mountains and hide with all of that stuff you¡¯re bringing ah? You¡¯re just a sitting duck waiting for the Wokou pirates to catch you and then rip you apart! Everyone, open your bags for me now! Other than money, you should only be carrying along two changes of clothing and three days worth of food. Everything else, you need to throw away!!¡±


    When he saw the vigers looking at each other stupidly but not doing anything, the vige chief¡¯s temper exploded again, ¡°If you guys don¡¯t want to listen to me, that¡¯s fine! You are all in charge of yourselves! I¡¯m not going to bother anymore, alright? Figure things out yourselves! Second Son¡¯s wife and Third Son¡¯s wife, you¡¯re both in charge of taking care of the kids. Give all of your packs to your husbands and follow me!!¡±


    When the vigers saw that the vige chief wasn¡¯t going to be in charge of them anymore, they immediately panicked. A lot of the vigers started opening their packs and taking out the stuff that wasn¡¯t that important. After cleaning out their bags, they found a ce to hide the other items. Although the packs were still pretty heavy, they no longer hindered their movements anymore. Once they finished reorganizing their belongings, these vigers pulled their families along to follow the vige chief as they headed towards the West Mountains.


    Those who still couldn¡¯t bear to throw anything else away staggered behind the group of people. Before long, they were at the back of the pack. Among them was Madam Zhang and her family.


    Madam Zhang carried a giant bamboo basket on her back. Other than grain, she also packed a bunch of daily necessities. She even couldn¡¯t bear to leave behind some ceramic tiles at home and also packed that. Naturally, she carried all of the cash at home on her body. Even Madam Li didn¡¯t know where her mother-inw had hidden the money.


    Behind Madam Zhang was Yu Dashan, who was carrying a giant wrapped pack. It was very obvious that they had packed even therge nkets at home. Yu Dashan currently resembled a small mountain and he could only walk a couple steps before huffing and puffing like an overburdened ox.


    Madam Li carried a lot less than the other two people, but her body was fat and soft. She was usually veryzy and did the very minimal to get by, so she wasn¡¯t used to walking so far and started to breathe heavily from exertion. It was obvious that she couldn¡¯t handle traveling so far along with thirty catties of luggage.


    Gradually, these three people started tog behind and were at the very back of the fleeing vigers. They walked one step forward and staggered for the next three. It was quite difficult for them to press on. Madam Li also kept turning back every three steps to mumble about her son, who was working at the docks. She was praying that there wouldn¡¯t be anything bad happening there.


    At this time, the vige chief¡¯s family had already reached the foot of the West Mountains. In front of the Yu Family was Princess Consort Jing and her entourage of servants and bodyguards. After seeing the twenty or so strong and vigorous bodyguards, the vige chief¡¯s heart settled down a bit.


    The vige chief came forward and bowed respectfully to the princess consort before he spoke to Yu Hai, ¡°Dahai, although you haven¡¯t gone up the mountain much these past two years, you still spent a few years with Young General Zhao hunting there. I¡¯m sure you have a much better idea of the terrain and area in the mountains than me. Where do you think would be a good ce for a couple hundred vigers like us to hide in there?¡±


    Yu Hai didn¡¯t even have the chance to reply when a person jumped down from the nearby tree. It was themander of the bodyguards, Commander Zheng. He had been observing the movements of the fleet of ships this entire time and, surprisingly, he had a pair of binocrs in his hand.


    The look in themander¡¯s eyes was grim and he had a slightly worried look on his face as he yelled, ¡°The fleet is about tond and they are truly Wokou pirates! All of them have knives or swords at their belts and they¡¯re not here for a good reason! Your Highness, we can¡¯t dy any longer, it¡¯s time to go!¡±


    The Yu Family lived at the foot of the West Mountains and their residence was on a higher piece ofnd. When the vige chief heard the report from themander, he looked in the direction of the ocean. Sure enough, there were around a dozen ships on the coastline and he could see around a dozen of people running on the beach. They were headed towards the direction of the vige in a very aggressive manner.


    The vige chief then turned to look at the vigers and noticed that there were a dozen families who still persisted in carrying heavy luggage as they staggered in the very back. He screamed at those people, wishing his voice could be as loud as a megaphone, ¡°Are possessions more important or your lives more important?? The Wokou pirates have alreadynded. Before long, they¡¯re going to catch up with us! Throw away those giant bags on your backs, running away is more essential!!¡±


    Yu Xiaoao saw Madam Zhang, who was at the very back and looked very old and haggard. She indifferently looked away. She walked to Princess Consort Jing and supported her into a chair sedan that was being carried by two strong and vigorous servants. She then motioned at the Yu and Liu Family to follow and started to head towards the mountain thickets that she was very familiar with.


    When she was close to the piggery, she blew a clear and resounding whistle. A ck figure suddenly appeared and whizzed towards her. On a closer look, it was Little ck, who had already reached the height of a grown man. He wagged his giant bushy tail and gleefully circled around Yu Xiaocao a few times. Once he got her approval, he followed her from behind with satisfaction and couldn¡¯t bear to leave her.


    Out of the two young wolves, Little White had a more untamed personality and often disappeared into the forests in the mountains to run around like a little tyrant. From time to time, he woulde back to Xiaocao with some prey in his mouth. Most of his time was spent exploring the West Mountains. One time, he had apparently encountered a leopard and killed it, bringing it back. However, he also had some leftover injuries from that fight. Xiaocao used some mystic-stone water and herbal medicines to treat his wounds. Before long, his injuries had healed. This fellow very easily forgot his past wounds and pain. When the wounds just scabbed over, he ran back to the mountainous forests to y around again.


    Little ck, on the other hand, was closer to humans. Every day, he was in charge of guarding and watching the piggery, so he ended up getting fed by the steward, senior servant, and Xiaolian who were there. His figure was bing more and more like a pig¡¯s. This fellow really knew how to sell himself and act cute. Although he was already taller than Xiaocao, every time he saw her, he needed her to hold him a bit. Despite the fact that Xiaocao could no longer hold him up, she still needed to hug him and stroke his head and body before he was finally satisfied. If she wasn¡¯t already certain, it would be hard to guess that this fellow was a true and full-blooded wolf!


    Yu Xiaocao walked at the front with Little ck. On each side of her, there were two bodyguards with their swords unsheathed to open up the way. Right behind her was Princess Consort Jing¡¯s sedan with themander of the bodyguards and a few of the more expert imperial bodyguards around her. They had her encircled tightly within their protection. Following them was the Yu Family and Liu Family. Eldest Granduncle Yu Lichun¡¯s entire family had also been pulled up by Old Yu and was traveling along with the rest of their group.


    Currently, in the eyes of the vigers of Dongshan Vige, the Yu Family and the Liu Family were in the safest position because the remaining dozen or so bodyguards from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s residence were protecting the area around them. All of the bodyguards who were at the mountain residence were handpicked and experts at fighting!

 Chapter 390 – Moments of Danger Reveal a Person’s True Heart

    <h4>Chapter 390 ¨C Moments of Danger Reveal a Person¡¯s True Heart</h4>


    The group had over a hundred people and most of them were the elderly, women and children. Flurries of activity bustled within the group. The sounds of children crying, women scolding, and the men urging them on merged into a cacophony...the sounds startled all of the birds in the area, causing them to flee into the air.


    The vige chief, who was following the Yu Family closely, looked back and saw the mess. He couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and raised his voice to scold all of the vigers, ¡°Every man in the household, be the man! Control your wife and children! You guys are so noisy, is it because you¡¯re afraid that the Wokou pirates don¡¯t know where we are ah? If you guys lure these pirates to you, no one¡¯s going to care whether you live or die!¡±


    The words of the vige chief were very quickly disseminated throughout the people. Within moments, the noise settled down. asionally the sound of a child crying could be heard before the parents shushed their child. A voice sounded from the group, ¡°Aren¡¯t there about a dozen bodyguards who are skilled from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s mountain vi ah? Would they really just watch as we die in front of them?¡±


    The vige chief nced at the bodyguards, whose expressions hadn¡¯t changed, and coldlyughed. He replied back in the direction of the sound, ¡°Just what type of status do you have that you want the Imperial Prince¡¯s bodyguards to save you? They are here to protect the princess consort. How thick faced are you to bring yourself up to the level of the princess consort? Cut the crap and use your energy to flee, alright? If the Wokou pirates catch you, then you can find out if the bodyguards will help you or not, okay?¡±


    The nearby vigers looked at the cold and indifferent expressions on the bodyguards and anxiety swirled within them. Who was so stupid to provoke these bodyguards at this time? If these soldiers decided to leave them to fend for themselves, the West Mountains were veryrge and it was likely they would get lost within moments. If they ended up rushing into the territory of ferocious beasts, they didn¡¯t even need to wait for the pirates to catch up before they would be torn into the pieces tonight by animals!


    Yu Xiaocao, who was at the very front, thought that the person asking sounded like Madam Zhang. She sneered inside, ¡®Do you think you¡¯re the sun ah? And that the earth has to rotate around you? You want the Imperial Prince¡¯s bodyguards to protect you? Gosh, what type of crazy ideas do you have in your mind? Stop dreaming ah!¡¯


    She was currently traversing through a bunch of vegetation that was about as tall as a person. The bodyguards next to her were using their swords constantly to cut any nts that were in the way so that the princess consort¡¯s sedan could pass through without any issues. As this continued, the speed of the fleeing group had slowed down.


    There were still a few peoplegging behind in the back because they were not willing to lighten their packs and leave any items behind. Thus, they struggled through the thick vegetation. Suddenly, in the very back, Yu Dashan could faintly hear the voices of people that were speaking in a foreignnguage. The sounds did not seem very far from him.


    Yu Dashan was so scared that his legs trembled. He threw down the giant pack on his back and raced for his life as he ran forward. He ran and screamed at the same time, ¡°The Wokou pirates have caught up. Quickly run ah! The pirates are here...¡±


    The two women with him, who had been unceremoniously left behind, were stunned for a moment. Neither Madam Zhang or Madam Li had ever thought that Yu Dashan, who usually acted very filial and loving to his mother and wife, would actually leave the two of them, one an elder and one a weak woman, behind and only be concerned for his own safety.


    Madam Li very quickly regained her wits and she turned her head around to look at the thick forest behind her. Although she couldn¡¯t see any pirates in the back, she could hear the sounds of them approaching. Because Yu Dashan had run away screaming his head off, the pirates were able to pinpoint the direction that the vigers were fleeing in. Thus, a hundred or so pirates were now running in their direction.


    Madam Li imitated Yu Dashan¡¯s actions and also threw away all of the possessions she was holding. With her load lightened, she nced briefly at Madam Zhang, who still had a giant wicker basket on her back, and huffed and puffed as she took off for her life. Her only thought was this: ¡®As long as I can pass more people, I¡¯ll be safe.¡¯


    Madam Zhang was so distraught by the events that tears almost dripped down her face. She was now very regretful and angry. She hated her eldest son, who she had taken care of for more than a dozen years. Despite her affections for him, he was willing to throw her away, his old mother, at the face of danger to save his own skin. She was regretful about her previous actions. By being so cruel, she had severed all rtions she had with Yu Hai and his family. If she had treated them better in the past, with Yu Hai¡¯s kind hearted temperament, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t act like Yu Dashan and leave her behind cold-heartedly. Instead, the one who would be protected by the bodyguards in front would be her.


    The people around Madam Zhang were all throwing away their belongings without a single thought and scattering around in a panic as they absconded for their lives. She couldn¡¯t care about her possessions anymore either. At any rate, all of the family¡¯s money was on her body, so the rest of the items didn¡¯t amount to much! She threw off the giant bamboo basket onto the ground and quickened her steps forward as she crookedly stumbled up the mountain trail. She did her best to catch up with the other vigers. She didn¡¯t want to be left behind and be the first sacrifice to the Wokou pirates.


    ¡°What should we do? The pirates are about to catch up! We can¡¯t just watch as they harm and kill all of the other people in Dongshan Vige ah!¡± Yu Hai heard the panicked noises behind them and couldn¡¯t help from clenching his hands into fists.


    Yu Xiaocao frowned seriously and chewed on her lips before she spoke to themander of the bodyguards, ¡°Commander Zheng, with our current speed, I¡¯m pretty sure that the pirates will very quickly catch up to us.¡±


    Themander of the bodyguards unsheathed his long sword and nodded, ¡°Miss Yu, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. Continue to lead the way ahead and I will take a few brothers along to the back to intercept the Wokou pirates. This will give everyone some more time to run away...¡±


    Yu Hai suddenly volunteered, ¡°I¡¯m very familiar with these mountain forests and I also know how to hunt and stalk prey in this area. I¡¯ll go with you guys!¡±


    When Madam Liu heard him say this, she stumbled a step and a feeling of panic bubbled in her heart. She couldn¡¯t stop herself from crying, ¡°My husband...¡±


    Yu Hai smiled reassuringly at her and said, ¡°Wife, don¡¯t worry! In these woods, I can¡¯t brag about anything else but I know how to hide and conceal myself very well. If things are looking bad, I will make sure to retreat very quickly. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do things out of pride and greed and try to be a hero when I¡¯m not!¡±


    Themander of the bodyguards alsoforted her, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t worry! As long as I am here, I will make sure to keep Brother Yu safe and sound! Although there are a lot of pirates chasing after us, they are mostly familiar with battles on the open sea and don¡¯t know how to fight in thick forests. We won¡¯t directly confront these pirates!¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s face had turned as white as a sheet out of fear. She knew her husband had already made his decision and that he wouldn¡¯t listen to her. She could only nod her head weakly and implore him to be very careful. He needed to remember that his family still had many weak and elderly members waiting for him toe back!


    Madam Liu was currently beside herself with worry. Her eldest son had gone to the docks to report on the situation during such a dangerous time. Her younger daughter had said that there were quite a few pirate ships headed towards the direction of the docks as well. It was pretty obvious that that area would also be full of danger. Now, her husband had volunteered himself to head straight into danger himself. How could she not be concerned about them?


    When Yu Hai left with Commander Zheng and the other bodyguards to the back, Yingtao and the wife of the steward who was in charge of the piggery, Steward Zhao¡¯s wife, came up to support Madam Liu on each side. They followed closely behind Princess Consort Jing¡¯s sedan. Princess Consort Jing also turned her head back to say a fewforting words. Inwardly, the princess consort was not as serene as she seemed. However, whenever she saw Yu Xiaocao, a tiny little girl, confronting the crisis in front of them with a cool head and leading the way, she also felt her heart settle down too.


    Yu Xiaocao was also worried about her father going back to confront the Wokou pirates. However, the pirates were catching up to them and there was already not enough time for everyone to flee to the hiding ce in that hidden ravine. They needed someone to create an opportunity for them to get more time. Although those bodyguards were highly skilled, they still weren¡¯t as familiar with the terrain of the forests of the West Mountain as a native. With her father leading the way, they would be able toplete their mission much more easily.


    In order to ensure her father¡¯s safety, she sent Little ck and Little White to go protect her father. Both of the two wolves now had the bulk and strength of an alpha wolf. Although Little ck usually liked to act cute and y with humans, he could actually fight a bear on his own without any difficulties!


    As the group steadily trudged forward deeper into the forest, the people in the back couldn¡¯t help but squeeze closer to the front. The originally loose group of vigers was now all bunched up tightly. Yu Dashan had been fleeing like a madman earlier and finally caught up with Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s group of bodyguards in the front. He forcefully squeezed through people to get closer to the Yu Family¡¯s group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold me back and let me through. I¡¯m also surnamed Yu and I am the older brother of Yu Hai!¡± Yu Dashan was ordinarily a dull and wooden man but now he hadpletely changed. His eyes werepletely red as he fought against the bodyguards preventing him from breaking through the circle. He desperately wanted to go into the inner protected area.


    Old Yu was also currently worried about his son and eldest grandson. When he heard themotion, he slowed down and headed back to where Yu Dashan was currently struggling against the bodyguards. Old Yu looked behind Yu Dashan and disappointment crawled onto his face. He sighed and shook his head, ¡°Dashan...you actually left your mother and wife behind while you ran ahead. You...are you still human ah?¡±


    ¡°How am I not human? Those two are both deadweights and would only pull me back. One¡¯s old while the other¡¯s fat. If the pirates caught up, all three of us would die! Why can¡¯t I run for my life? Preserving one life is still a life!¡± Both of Yu Dashan¡¯s eyes were bright red and it looked like he had lost all reason within his head.


    Yu Caifeng shot a look of disgust at him and said, ¡°Are you worthy of the name Yu? You¡¯re such an unfilial and selfish man, stay farther away from us. Don¡¯t dirty our eyes here!¡±


    ¡°I was your father¡¯s son for more than thirty years and took the surname Yu for over thirty years. As a daughter who married out, what qualifications do you have to determine whether I¡¯m worthy of the name Yu??¡± At this point, Yu Dashan was snapping at anyone who was avable as if he no longer cared about offending others.


    Old Yu let out another sigh and said, ¡°In times of crisis, one can truly see a person¡¯s true nature. If you had brought your wife and your mother along with you, I would shamefully speak up for you and ask the princess consort to show mercy and let you guys stay with us. However...you¡¯re someone who¡¯s even willing to throw away your own mother. What qualifications do you have to have me to plead for you? I¡¯m not that thick-skinned!¡±


    Old Yu then looked at Yu Dashan deeply in the eye while aplicated feeling arose in his heart. He had originally thought that Yu Dashan wasn¡¯t the same as his mother and that he was a straight bamboo sprout that had grown out of a crooked one. However, now he knew that they were truly mother and son. They were cold and selfish to their very bones! He shook his head and turned around to leave. No matter how much Yu Dashan begged or what he said, Old Yu didn¡¯t turn back.


    As this was happening, Yu Hai led the head of the bodyguards and another ten men who were very skilled through the forest. They very quickly reached the back of the fleeing group. Madam Zhang saw him and opened her mouth but in the end didn¡¯t say anything. She instead stamped her feet along and did her best to follow the rest of the people.


    Yu Hai only indifferently nced at her, as if she was a stranger that he didn¡¯t even know. He looked at the terrain around them and then addressed themander of the bodyguards, ¡°The situation is urgent. Judging from the sounds of the Wokou pirates, they should be able to get here in about fifteen minutes. We should set a few traps nearby that arerge enough to catchrge animals and wait for these pirates to fall into them!¡±

 Chapter 391 – Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 391 ¨C Ambush</h4>


    Themander of the bodyguards nodded his head and spoke to the men behind him, ¡°A few guys should set up an ambush in the nearby trees. The rest of you stay with me and help Brother Yu set things up.¡±


    The traps that Yu Hai was setting up used rattan ropes to create a type of noose with a slipknot. If the Wokou pirates stepped into the trap, as long as you used a little bit of force they would get pulled up into the air. At that time, the trapped pirates could be easily handled by them.


    Putting the traps together wasn¡¯t aplicated task. Yu Hai took a few bodyguards and, before long, they were able to set around a dozen or so traps in the areas that the Wokou pirates were most likely to traverse through. At this time, through the thickets of the trees, they could already see the cruel and aggressive pirates who were all gabbling in a foreignnguage.


    Commander Zheng signaled Yu Hai with his hands, telling him to retreat to a safer area. He regrouped his men and they all chose some nearbyrge trees to hide in and easily jumped up. The bodyguards not only had a long sword with them but they also carried a bow and quiver of arrows. Those who were hiding in the trees took out their bow and arrows. They prepared an arrow and aimed it towards the direction of the pirates.


    Within the thickets, they could hear the pirates approaching and it was obvious that these pirates had a lot of people. Before long, a short pirate could be seen by Yu Hai and the others. He was dressed in unfamiliar attire and the top of his head had been shaved bald. The pirate had cruel and malicious looking eyes. Yu Hai, who had hidden in a dense shrub, intently watched where the pirate set his feet. His breathing slowed as he saw the Wokou pirate step into one of the rope traps.


    He was in, he was in! That pirate¡¯s left foot had already stepped into the middle of the noose! Yu Hai immediately made the decision to lightly pull at the trap mechanism in his hand. The noose tightened quickly around the pirate¡¯s ankle and the rope started to fly away using the sticity of the tree branch above. The pirate only felt something mp on his ankle before he shot up in the air towards the trees.


    The trapped Wokou pirate howled in fear and another pirate, who had been behind him, was stunned for a moment before he turned around to holler something behind him. The other pirates started to pull out their long knives. Among them was a slightly taller man and the clothes he was wearing were also moreplex and decoratedpared to the other pirates. Nothing needed to be said as it was obvious that this man was the leader of all of these pirates.


    The head of the Wokou pirates pointed at the strung up pirate and jabbered a few sentences to his subordinates. It sounded like he wanted the others to bring the man down. After receiving hismand, before they had the chance to move, an arrow whizzed through the air and squarely hit the trapped pirate in the throat. The trapped pirate immediately passed away and dangled like a dead dog in the trees.


    The expression on the head of the pirates immediately changed. He hastily ordered the other men to protect him. During the chaos, there were a few other pirates who stepped into the rope traps and were now hanging in the trees.


    ¡°Guard yourselves! Guard yourselves!¡± Earlier, the head of the pirates didn¡¯t think it would take much effort to run over a small fishing vige. He had boasted when talking to General Yamaguchi and imed that he would be able to fully subjugate this tiny fishing vige in half a day and then bring his men to meet up with the general at the harbor.


    He absolutely did not expect that this fishing vige, which only had a dozen or so families in it, would find out early about their attack and pack up all of their valuables to flee into the nearby mountains. Although the vigers had left in a hurry and there was still quite a bit of stuff left back in the vige, the head of this group of pirates was unsatisfied. When he was younger, he had also participated in a raid and had privately gotten a lot of good loot. There were over a dozen othermanders who came up with the general this time to attack. If he had the smallest haul out of all of them, wouldn¡¯t that mean he had lost credibility in the general¡¯s eyes?


    Fury roiled within the head of the Wokou pirates when he saw the empty vige. These poor fishermen weren¡¯t anything in his eyes. With the skills of his men, why wouldn¡¯t they be able to catch up with these fleeing peasants and grab all their belongings?


    Who knew that, as soon as they stepped into the mountain forest, they would encounter a hard rock. Apparently, these fishermen had some experienced hunters among them. It looked like he had underestimated these peasants too much.


    However, the head of this group of pirates didn¡¯t think that the vigers would be able to do much just by relying on a few hunters. Compared to his men, who were well trained and armored appropriately, those hunters were only seeking their own deaths!


    ¡°Bakayarou [1], go look around! Those damned bastards must be in the vicinity. Don¡¯t leave a single one alive. Kill whoever you find!!¡± The head of this group of pirates revealed a cruel and vicious expression and he waved the long knife in his hand as he snarled out his orders.


    At this moment, an arrow shot towards his direction. The head of the pirates revealed a frazzled expression but his reaction speed was quite fast. He grabbed one of the subordinates next to him and threw the other man in front of him as his shield. Then, he ducked down and made sure to hide himselfpletely behind the hapless pirate.


    Warm liquid that smelled slightly fishy sprayed onto his face. The hapless pirate that had been dragged over twitched as he dropped down to the ground. The arrow that had almost hit him was pinned firmly in the other pirate¡¯s heart. Cold sweat spontaneously erupted onto his head and he silently rejoiced that his reflexes were fast enough. Otherwise, the person lying dead on the ground wouldn¡¯t be his subordinate but him!


    A burst of violent anger bubbled in his heart. He needed to drag all of these stubborn fishermen out and dig out their hearts before stringing them in the open air to let them be human jerky!


    ¡°Find them now! Drag all of these Great Ming pigs out for me now!¡± The head of the pirates stomped on the ground in fury and sent down a direct order to his shivering subordinates while he hid himself behind his two bodyguards. asionally he would reveal his head here or there to observe the situation.


    The arrow that had almost taken out the leader of the group of pirates earlier was shot by themander of the bodyguards who was still hidden in the trees. Although he had never stepped onto the battlefield before, he understood the concept of eliminating the enemymander first. He felt quite regretful that he wasn¡¯t able to kill the head of the pirates. Although he continued to look for a second opportunity to kill the pirate head, he discovered that the fellow was deathly afraid of being offed and was currently sticking very closely behind the other pirates. He could only start targeting the other pirates instead.


    The other nearby bodyguards of the imperial prince¡¯s estate also started shooting arrows after their captain sent out the first one. Although they weren¡¯t as skilled as theirmander, they were still able to kill one pirate for every three arrows they shot. The Wokou pirates hadn¡¯t been able to even see who their enemy was before their ranks were drastically thinned.


    ¡°Retreat! There are too many enemies here, so first retreat!¡± The head of this group of pirates was a cowardly fellow, so when he saw his men falling one after another, he lost his bravado. He had no idea how many enemies were waiting for them. From the look of things, this didn¡¯t look like the work of a few hunters and instead resembled the attacks of experienced soldiers. Was it possible that they had a spy in the ranks who tattled on them and gave the Great Ming soldiers time to prepare? That wouldn¡¯t do. They couldn¡¯t just stay here like a bunch of sitting ducks. Otherwise, their losses would be too high. They needed to retreat to a safer ce first and then decide what to do next.


    After getting this new order, the Wokou pirates all started to retreat in a panic. There were quite a few pirates who got shot by arrows in the back as they were leaving. It was quite a chaotic sight.


    At this time, Yu Hai had arrived on the side of the group of Wokou pirates. He had a pitchfork in his hands as a weapon. There was a pirate who was on his own, so Yu Hai forcefully threw the pitchfork towards the pirate. The pitchfork hit the pirate straight in the chest and the man¡¯s screams resounded in the forest and drew the attention of the other pirates. However, the vegetation was too thick in this area, so they couldn¡¯t see anything despite their efforts to try. Furthermore, they were too scared to investigate themselves.


    Yu Hai used this opportunity to go up and retrieve the pitchfork. Then he made a few turns in the lush vegetation that was tall enough to hide a man and disappeared into the forest again. By the time the nearby pirates got the courage to investigate, all they saw was the dead pirate on the ground.


    Using this advantage, Yu Hai found another area to ambush more pirates. In this way, before long, he managed to kill an additional seven to eight Wokou pirates. Although this was the first time he had killed humans, the enemies he killed were vicious and cruel pirates and were not much different, in his mind, than savage beasts. Yu Hai had already prepared himself inwardly for this, so he wasn¡¯t the least bit merciful when he attacked them. He knew that if any of the vigers from Dongshan Vige fell into their hands, none of them would have a good oue!


    After killing those seven to eight pirates, Yu Hai returned back to the area where the imperial prince¡¯s bodyguards had set up their initial ambush. Commander Zheng had already jumped down from his tree so Yu Hai asked him, ¡°Are we going to chase them further?¡±


    Themander of the bodyguards made a few hand signals to his subordinate and all of them jumped down from the trees they were hiding in. He shook his head at Yu Hai and stated, ¡°The Wokou pirates are retreating because they don¡¯t know how many men we have here. Because we struck first, they don¡¯t dare to just push forward. Although we killed quite a decent amount of pirates, they still have the advantage in raw numbers. Once they get their bearings ande back to find us, it will be just us few against theirrge group. We¡¯re not going to be able to fight against a hundred or so Wokou pirates to a standstill. Our primary objective isn¡¯t to kill all of these pirates but to give the princess consort and the vigers enough time so they can get to the hiding ce!¡±


    ¡°Then...what should we do now?¡± Yu Hai felt like everything that Commander Zheng said made perfect sense. Those Wokou pirates looked like they had undergone training. The only reason why he was able to kill a few of them was because they weren¡¯t prepared and panicking when he attacked them on the sly. If he truly confronted them, he wouldn¡¯t be a match for any of them!


    Themander was silent for a bit before he finally said, ¡°In a moment, when the piratese back, we should separate and draw the enemy apart. Using our advantage in the knowledge of the terrain, we need to find the right time to strike!¡±


    He had a very good idea of the capabilities of the men under hismand. Each one of them would be able to fight three to five Wokou pirates without any problems. He was most worried about Yu Hai, who hadn¡¯t gone through deliberate training and had no martial arts skills. He had already promised the Yu Family that he would protect Yu Hai and wouldn¡¯t let him face the dangerous situation on his own.


    ¡°Brother Yu, in a moment, you should go with me!¡± Commander Zheng still thought that having Yu Hai next to him was the safest ce to be.


    Yu Hai shook his head in refusal, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! In these woods, I have the ability to protect myself with no problems. If I encounter any pirates that I can¡¯t fight against, I should have no problem escaping with my life. Commander Zheng, you should do what you need to do and not worry about me!¡±


    The head of the group of pirates was currently discussing the situation with one of his assistants. Both of them were certain that their enemy didn¡¯t have a lot of people and that they had used up most of their arrows on thest flurry of attacks. Thus, they shouldn¡¯t have enough to whittle their numbers again.


    Consequently, the head of the pirates decided to reform the ranks and send them back into the forest. This time, they were a lot more cautious and had split up into small groups of three to five men each. Furthermore, none of the groups stayed very far from each other. If danger approached, they could easily help one another.


    The Wokou pirates crept forward and carefully looked around them as they approached thest battlefield. They didn¡¯t encounter any enemy attacks the whole way there and, before long, they were back at the area where theyst fought. Other than the dead corpses on the ground and a mess of arrows, nothing else was left behind. The few pirates that had been trapped in the trees had long be the dead. Every dead hanging pirate had his throat cut open by someone using a knife. Their blood had subsequently flowed onto the ground below.

 Chapter 392 – Retreat

    <h4>Chapter 392 ¨C Retreat</h4>


    ¡°Bakayarou!!¡± The head of the pirates was extremely angry and he shed his knife down heavily at a tree that was about as thick as the width of a bowl in order to vent his fury. That tree snapped in two. It looked like the quality of the Wokou¡¯s knives and swords were pretty good.


    At the front, there was a short pirate who had a head shaped like a pig and tiny beady rat eyes paired with a wretched looking mouth. His eyes flickered and he bowed toward the group leader, ¡°Lord Watanabe, it looks like these Great Ming pigs are very familiar with this mountain terrain and have the advantage. We are good at fighting battles at sea and opennd and fighting in the forest is not our strength. The forest here is thick and deep and there are too many ces to hide. I don¡¯t think our enemy is merely a bunch of weak and useless peasants. If we confront them, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t get much out of it. How about...we first retreat and then decideter on?¡±


    Smack! Before he finished talking, a heavy p hit his face. Watanabe Hiroshi hadn¡¯t vented all of his suppressed anger. He red at the other pirate with cruel eyes and howled, ¡°You bastard! Are you saying that our fellow brothers just died for no reason ah? We haven¡¯t even seen the shadows of our enemies and more than thirty people have died. If the other groups find out, will I have any face left? Not okay! I need to catch these bastards, rip open their bowels and tear out their hearts in order to vent my fury! Chase after them! Not a single one is allowed to escape! ughter them all!!¡±


    The Wokou pirates held tightly onto their knives and swords and crept forward nervously as they looked all around them. At a crawling speed, they slowly advanced through the forest. The trees in the area covered the sky with their canopy and the area seemed very gloomy and dark. asionally, a ray of sunlight woulde through, casting varied shadows on the ground...


    This time, the Wokou pirates were more scattered as they advanced. They had been divided into small groups that went forward slowly. Each group was only around five to six meters away from the next, so that if any group got attacked, the other ones could easily reinforce them.


    Themander of the bodyguards was currently hidden on a tree that had a trunk that was as thick as three men. The tree¡¯s numerous leaves sheltered himpletely and kept him concealed perfectly as he waited in ambush. Beneath the tree was a small trail that a group of Wokou pirates was walking on. The team leader of the group raised his head several times in worry to look at the trees but didn¡¯t ever spot him.


    When the group of pirates finally passed by the tree, themander silently slid down a rattan from the tree and crept behind thest pirate in the group. He used his left hand to cover the pirate¡¯s mouth and right hand to use a short dagger to slit the man¡¯s throat. That Wokou pirate opened his eyes wide and his body twitched as he silently died.


    Commander Zheng dragged the pirate¡¯s corpse into a bunch of shrubbery that was about as half as tall as a man and the thick vegetation easily hid the dead person. The pirates in the front still hadn¡¯t realized that they had already lost one of their members and continued carefully on through the forest with their backs bent over.


    Themander continued on with his sneak attacks and managed to kill an additional two pirates. At this time, the captain of the small group suddenly turned back to look and discovered that his group had decreased by half. Surprised, he was about to open his mouth to holler. Before he could scream, Commander Zheng stuck his dagger into his boot and unsheathed his sword to immediately attack the pirate.


    The captain of the group didn¡¯t have the time to call out a warning now and instead had all of his attention on using his sword to guard. Themander of the bodyguards was highly skilled and an excellent swordsman. His sword whirled in feints and attacks as he confronted the pirate. The pirate was flustered by the rain of attacks and hastily fought back. If he didn¡¯t have the two other members of the group helping him, he likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to counter even one of Commander Zheng¡¯s attacks.


    The sounds of fighting drew the attention of two other nearby groups, but Commander Zheng was lightning fast. After striking first like a whirlwind, before long, the three pirates had soon be three dead corpses. By the time the other two groups came over, themander of the bodyguards had long scrambled up a nearby tall tree. After jumping and traveling a bit, he had disappeared into the thick forest and only left the two pirate groups to confront the gruesome sight of their deadrades.


    Simr situations were popping up throughout other parts of the forest. However, the other bodyguards could notpare to the skill of themander, so they all quit their attacks while they were ahead. All of them conducted ambush attacks from the back. When they were discovered by the pirates, they immediately fled into the woods to throw off their pursuers. Once free, they approached other Wokou pirate groups and resumed their sneak attacks.


    Yu Hai was using himself as bait and started off at a group of pirates that was on the very outskirts of therge group. He first created some noise to attract their attention and then led them to some nearby traps.


    Although the vigers of Dongshan Vige weren¡¯t very good at hunting, there were a lot of small game to be had on the outskirts of the mountain and in the outer forest. All of the vigers, when they had time between farming, knew how to dig some traps to catch animals. asionally, they were able to catch a couple animals to add to their dinner tables.


    When the vigers made their traps, they would always leave a secret sign next to them to prevent their fellow vigers from falling into their traps. However, the Wokou pirates obviously didn¡¯t know what those markings looked like! Yu Hai quickly ran around the trap and then stood next to the trap to provoke the chasing group of pirates.


    When the Wokou pirates noticed that he didn¡¯t look like a skilled martial artist and instead was dressed in clothes of an ordinary viger, they rxed. His obvious actions provoked them and the captain of the small group yelled amand and then ran straight for Yu Hai. The other pirates weren¡¯t willing to seem cowardly and also followed their captain from behind... The result was pure tragedy! The captain of the small group felt the ground beneath his feet move and then he fell into a very deep pit and was skewered in the leg by a sharpened bamboo stake. He let out a piercing scream. Furthermore, two of the other pirates who came with him weren¡¯t able to stop themselves in time and also fell into the pit trap. They weren¡¯t as fortunate as the captain. One had been stabbed through his bowels and blood quickly seeped into his clothing. The other pirate had been skewered through his neck and, within moments, stopped breathing.


    The remaining two pirates in the group stood at the side of the pit, stunned by the recent events. Yu Hai, who was standing on the other side of the pit, took advantage of their hesitation and thrust the pitchfork in his hands into the chest of the captain, who had a surprised look on his face. The originally injured captain had also lost his life in seconds.


    Yu Hai¡¯s face was cold as he stared at the remaining two Wokou pirates. His calm expression did not betray the fact that his heart was actually beating very fast in his chest. He was wondering whether these two pirates would chase after him. If they did, he absolutely could not confront them head on and he was currently considering the best way to escape.


    Who would have thought that these two pirates had lost all of their courage? They threw down the knives in their hands and sped back away to flee, as if Yu Hai would kill them immediately if he caught up with them...


    At this time, themander of the Wokou pirates was incredibly irate and furious. In about an hour¡¯s time, he had lost an additional third of the men under hismand. If he added on the previous losses, over half of his men had already been killed with this excursion. The sticking point was that he still hadn¡¯t seen what their enemy looked like!


    The aide next to Watanabe Hiroshi opened his mouth again, ¡°Lord Watanabe, we can¡¯t continue on like this! We should retreat from this mountain forest and then decide what to do next! These vigers all left in a hurry so they absolutely do not have enough food on hand. In less than three days, they¡¯ll need toe out to find food to eat. At that time, we can strike when it¡¯s advantageous for us and capture all of them!¡±


    Watanabe Hiroshi had a frosty look on his face and he was obviously not happy about this idea. The aide¡¯s eyes flickered a bit and he continued, ¡°Lord Watanabe, this aide had already researched this area. This vige is called Dongshan Vige. Although it¡¯s not veryrge, it¡¯s very wealthy and prosperous. When we first arrived, I noticed that these vigers didn¡¯t bring a lot of things along with them, especially the very heavy grains. What was our purpose ining? It was to get loot and grain ah! Let¡¯s first return back to the vige and round up everything that is worth money and all of the grain to take back to the ships. At that time, when we have the most loot in our holds, won¡¯t you still be looked upon highly by the other groups here?¡±


    After Watanabe Hiroshi heard his aide¡¯s thoughts, he decided that it was probably for the best. He coldly huffed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s watch and see how long these Great Ming pigs canst! Let¡¯s go, retreat!¡±


    ¡°Hai¡ª¡ªLord Watanabe is wise! I heard that there are quite a few ferocious beasts in these mountains. If these vigers don¡¯t die of starvation, they will probably end up dying under the jaws of some savage beasts!¡± The aide tteringly smiled at themander of this group of pirates.


    Commander Zheng had been secretly following this entire group of pirates from behind. When he saw them leave the woods and start setting up camp outside of the vige as if they were going to stay there for a long time, he couldn¡¯t understand their reasoning. He frowned a bit and wondered, ¡®Are these Wokou pirates too secure in their own superiority now? Are they not afraid that the authorities and army wille over and capture them all at once?¡¯


    However, he couldn¡¯t know that the authorities and soldiers were currently under themand of Commander Sun and Fang Zizhen and were being used to encounter the attacks of thousands of Wokou pirates. General Yamaguchi was very perplexed by this turn of events. He had originally thought that this mission was top secret and he¡¯d be able to strike suddenly and obtain a certain victory. How did the Great Ming authorities react so quickly and defend at such a good timing for them? Was there someone in his ranks who had let out this secret and allowed other people to warn the docks in time?


    In actuality, once Yu Hang got the news, he rode the little gray donkey at a speed that rivaled a Ferghana horse¡¯s to the docks. At this top speed, he was able to get to the docks before the ships of the Wokou pirates arrived. Currently, the construction on the Tanggu Docks had almost been finished.


    The almostpleted harbor had wide streets paved in basalt and there were neat little rows of two-story shops on either side of the streets that all had white walls and tiled roofs. These shops all looked very tidy and sturdy. There were some shrewd merchants in the area who saw an opportunity and decided to buy some of the shops that had good locations. They were currently in the midst of nervously decorating them for their opening. Among these merchants included the Zhou Family, who had already bought five to six shops. The n was to renovate all of these into onerge building so they could build a branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant right at the harbor!


    Originally, the Yu Family had been nning on using their connections with the Zhou Family to buy some shops at the harbor. Later on, once they had a godparent rtionship with Fang Zizhen, who was in charge of constructing the docks into Tanggu Harbor, the county magistrate naturally allowed them first pick of the shops in the harbor for the sake of currying a good rtionship with Fang Zizhen.


    Fang Zizhen took over the decision making and bought ten shops that were directly across from the Zhenxiu Restaurant the Zhou Family wanted to open for his goddaughter. The deeds were all written up and ready. A few of these shops had already been rented out to other people and those people were currently renovating the insides. The management of the harbor estimated that the harbor would be ready to open in about three months. Naturally, these people didn¡¯t want to waste any time on the opening of their stores!


    There were still a few minor matters at the docks that needed to be wrapped up. When Yu Hang got to the harbor, he very quickly found Fang Zizhen, who was currently inspecting a construction area. He didn¡¯t take the time to catch his breath before he ran up and yelled, ¡°General Fang, Wokou pirates areing to attack, please prepare immediately!¡±


    Fang Zizhen noticed that Yu Hang¡¯s face was stark white and full of worry. He seriously said, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry and carefully exin! What do you mean by Wokou pirates? Where did you get this news from?¡±


    Yu Hang shook his head and exined, ¡°I can¡¯t slow down! If I¡¯m any slower, the Wokou pirates will start tond and attack! My younger sister went into the ocean to swim today and was taken by the little dolphin further out. She discovered a giant fleet of ships and all of the people on these ships wore different clothing than we do and also don¡¯t speak the samenguage as us! When she got closer, she discovered that the direction they were headed in was towards Tanggu Town and the surrounding areas. Younger Sister had heard the older folks in our vige mention what Wokou pirates in the past had done. They are vicious and cruel, so she hurried back to inform everyone. General Fang, time is of the essence, please send people to Dongshan Vige to help! My family¡¯s younger sisters as well as parents and rtives are all waiting for you to rescue them!¡±

 Chapter 393 – Yu Hang’s Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 393 ¨C Yu Hang¡¯s Thoughts</h4>


    When he heard that his goddaughter had seen it with her own eyes, as well as Yu Hang¡¯s description of the Wokou pirates, Fang Zizhen waspletely convinced. Xiaocao had a little dolphin friend in the sea. Every year, at the end of spring and beginning of summer, she would y with it in the sea and collect many treasures.


    Fang Zizhen had been able to eat a lot of valuable seafood. The filial Xiaocao would also tell him to bring some back to the capital for her godmother. Every time he went back to the capital, his wife would alwaysin about him not bringing their daughter back. She grumbled for a long time as if he was a fake godfather who didn¡¯t dote on their goddaughter.


    He also wanted to bring Xiaocao back, but his daughter was seriously too capable. Not only did her family open a pharmaceutical workshop, raise hundreds of pigs, cultivate on hundreds of mu of farnd, but they also opened a shop in the prefectural city. The business was doing so well that even he was envious of them. For a period of time, Xiaocao had been very busy and barely even returned to Dongshan Vige. If it wasn¡¯t for Royal Prince Yang who sent several helpers over, he was worried that his daughter wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the exhaustion! Where would she find the time to go to the capital with him ah?


    Fang Zizhen lightly sighed and asked Yu Hang a few questions. Knowing that the vigers of Dongshan Vige should probably have arrived at the cave by now, he felt slightly less worried. He had once followed his goddaughter to her secret base because he was worried.


    The entrance was narrow and covered with vines, so even young hunters wouldn¡¯t be able to find it without someone leading them. The cave inside was very big, and there were many different sized caves connected within. It was definitely capable of amodating three to five hundred people! The valley had a pleasant climate and was filled with flowers. There were many tasty fruits and a small stream flowing through the valley. It was a very suitable ce for refugees to live!


    ¡°Did you say that the Wokou pirates¡¯ fleet is extremelyrge, and that many seem to being towards the harbor?¡± Fang Zizhen asked for the details, and Yu Hang nodded repeatedly in response.


    Fang Zizhen swiftly took his two right-hand men, Li Li and Wu Yun, to the tallest lighthouse on the port. He used the monocr that Xiaocao gave him and looked towards the sea. Sure enough, in the ce where the sea met the sky, there was an unfamiliar fleet approaching at full sail.


    ¡°Li Li, quickly go to town and notify County Magistrate Zhao. Tell him to send some backup. Wu Yun, go to the garrison and notify Commander Sun! Yu Hang, the Wokou willnd soon, so it¡¯s not safe for you to be here. Isn¡¯t your younger brother studying in town? The news might cause chaos in town, so go there and apany Little Shitou. It¡¯s not safe for Little Shitou since he¡¯s so young!¡±


    Fang Zizhen knew that Yu Hang was deeply worried in his heart, but if he went back to Dongshan Vige now, he would likely encounter those murderous Wokou pirates. Although thisd had learned some martial arts with him for a few days, he was still pretty young after all. He might be able to win in a one-to-one fight with a Wokou, but the other party obviously had the advantage of outnumbering them. So failure was inevitable... If Yu Hang got injured or killed, his daughter would definitely hate him to death.


    Yu Hang had originally nned on returning to Dongshan Vige and staying with his parents and sisters after informing General Fang. However, when he heard General Fang¡¯s words, he began to worry about his younger brother in town. As General Fang had just analyzed, if the vigers of Dongshan Vige had been brought into the cave in time, then it wouldn¡¯t be that easy for the Wokou pirates to seed. Moreover, the imperial bodyguards of the Prince Jing¡¯s Household could put up a fight at the critical moment. His youngest brother was only nine, so he could easily be their target...


    Yu Hang gritted his teeth and made a decision¡ªhe would first go to town with Li Li. Li Li was somewhat worried as he nced at Little Gray, who was beside Yu Hang. He took the general¡¯s order to rush to town, but would bringing Yu Hai along dy the process?


    Yu Hang fed Little Gray some mystic-stone water from the water bag. After drinking mystic-stone water for several years, Yu Hang felt that the water in his family¡¯s well was different from the water in the stream outside. Especially when he was tired, if he drank a cup of the water, his exhaustion would instantly disappear.


    Other people didn¡¯t know the reason, but he knew very clearly. He had once seen his youngest sister stretching her hands into the well, as if she was doing a sacred ritual. After his youngest sister left, he fetched a bucket of water andpared it with the water in the vat in the morning. The well water in the bucket was even more sweet, and his whole body felt veryfortable after drinking it!


    He recalled how the whole family¡¯s health started to improve after his youngest sister recovered from nearly dying. Even his weak and sickly mother was bing healthier day by day without the help of medicine. In the past two years, even during the snowstorm, no one in the family had gotten sick. If he had guessed correctly, then this must be closely rted to his youngest sister.


    Also, they were all growing early-maturing vegetables, but other families couldn¡¯t grow them as well and as fast as his family. This was probably because his family used the water in the well in their backyard.


    In addition, the first year that they grew watermelons, the water that they used to irrigate the crops was either touched by Xiaocao, or she told them to use the water from their family¡¯s well. It wasn¡¯t until they hired someone to dig out a well near the melon fields that they stopped doing the troublesome task of transporting water from home to the fields. There was noparison in the past, so they didn¡¯t know. However, someone in the neighboring vige also nted watermelons this year. No matter if it was the size or sweetness, their watermelons could notpete with his family¡¯s. Moreover, his family¡¯s watermelon ripened almost a month earlier than the other family. His family thought that it was because they were different varieties of watermelons, but in his opinion, it was definitely due to the well water!


    Even the grass around the well grew stronger than other ces. The little roe deer especially liked eating the weeds beside the well. It would also lick clean the water spilled when they fetched water from the well. It would have a pleasurable expression on its face like it had just eaten some delicious delicacies! The animals raised at home were bing more and more aware, and this must be closely rted to the well water at home!


    Could it be that his youngest sister was really helped by the gods? They had gifted her with some divine water that could not only improve the health of the family, but also enhance the growth of crops? It was no wonder that Youngest Sister wasn¡¯t afraid of others learning the forms at her pharmaceutical workshop. Without their family¡¯s well water, no one would be able to make the same pills and liquid medicine with the curative effects.


    Various thoughts surged through Yu Hang¡¯s mind. He was full of confidence and expectation for his youngest sister. He always felt that, with his youngest sister around, his family and the fellow vigers of Dongshan Vige would definitely be fine! After he fed Little Gray, Yu Hang gentlybed Little Gray¡¯s smooth hair. He could feel that it was no longer tired, and it was full of energy.


    He mounted the donkey, and when he raised his head, he saw Li Li¡¯s worried gaze. He was confused for a moment, but he immediately understood what the other party was concerned about. He red back disgruntledly, and then gently tightened his legs. Little Gray understood him, and without the need to rush it, it galloped on the smooth, t official road towards the direction of town.


    By the time Li Li reacted, they had already run far away. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®With this speed, it looks faster than the fine-breed horse that I¡¯m riding. It¡¯s indeed a good donkey, and even the general has praised it several times. It seems like that kid Yu Hang is displeased because I underestimated them!¡¯


    He prompted the steed he rode on and chased after Yu Hang. He originally thought that the little donkey may have speed but not endurance, but he hadn¡¯t expected that he couldn¡¯t catch up to them the whole way to town. He was worried that they would hold him back earlier, but it turned out that he was the one whogged behind!


    Jinwei Prefectural City¡¯s garrison wasn¡¯t too far from the harbor. Less than an hour after Wu Yun¡¯s departure, Commander Sun had mobilized the soldiers of the garrison to be stationed near the port in an orderly manner. Fang Zizhen was very worried about his daughter¡¯s safety, but he had tomit to his duty as a soldier. The emperor had sent him to the harbor, so he must ensure the safety around this area.


    Fang Zizhen personally went to the port and got in contact with Brother Six¡¯s management office. He learned that there weren¡¯t too many ships entering the port today, but there were still three fleets, which were about twenty ships. Each ship was full of popr goods from the south. If the Wokou pirates took them, then they would lose up to ten thousand taels! No, he absolutely couldn¡¯t benefit those b*stards!!


    Fang Zizhen told Brother Six to mobilize everyone that he could use to work overtime to transport the goods, striving to transport all the goods to the harbor¡¯s warehouse before the Wokounded! He, on the other hand, met up with Commander Sun. Jinwei Prefectural City was close to the sea, so the garrison had dozens of warships and a group of trained navy soldiers. Commander Sun mobilized the soldiers and led the fleet of warships, ready for battle. He was waiting for the Wokou pirates to get closer to the nearby waters in order to ambush them.


    All of the Great Ming Empire¡¯s warships were modified by the current emperor when he was younger. Each ship was equipped with a stone catapult and a rocket. The stone catapult didn¡¯t throw ordinary stones, but instead it was something simr to arge firecracker. When ignited, it wouldunch towards the opposing ship with the force of the catapult. With its explosive force, it could severely damage the other party¡¯s horses, people, and even ships. Inmmables were tied onto the rockets. Presently, the ships were all built with wood, so onceunched, the other party¡¯s ship would burn in mes. Without their ships, the enemies were just like cats without ws. They wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything!


    Jinwei Prefectural City was located rtively close to the Wokou¡¯s country. During the previous dynasty, they were asionally attacked by the Wokou pirates and suffered heavy losses. Hence, the first batch of improved warships were tested and put into use in Jinwei City. Commander Sun had seen the power of the ¡®weapons¡¯ on the ships with his own eyes, so he felt increasingly confident within his heart and he acted in an even more steady manner.


    After Fang Zizhen passed the message to Commander Sun, he led a group of about forty to fifty people, which included the guards of the General¡¯s Estate and bailiffs stationed at the port. Theyy in ambush nearby, waiting for the Wokou pirates to walk right into the trap!


    Behind them, all of the workers employed by the port management office worked hard to transport all the goods. With the big boss, Brother Six, personally directing the workers, the goods transportation work was carried out in an orderly manner.


    Many of the dockworkers were curious about the reason why General Fang and his soldiers were lying in ambush at the docks, but no one dared to ask. Their boss was watching them right now, so who dared to ck off? Did they still want their jobs?


    The management office had expanded to have fifty regr employees, and their temporary staff far exceeded one hundred. The regr employees got two days off each month, and received a monthly wage ranging between eight hundred copper coins to one tael. Temporary workers were paid for each job, but they might not be able to get work every day. There were many people vying for a position in the management office. If they didn¡¯t work hard, there would be many people waiting to rece them!


    The temporary employees worked hard to perform well in front of the supervisors and strived for a chance to turn into a regr employee next time there was a chance! As a result, even though there was a group of soldiers ready forbat at the port, the dockworkers continued to work as if they didn¡¯t see them.

 Chapter 394 – The Test of War

    <h4>Chapter 394 ¨C The Test of War</h4>


    When the Wokou¡¯s fleet got close to the Tanggu Docks, a fleet of well-equipped warships stopped and surrounded them. Before General Yamaguchi could react, they were stunned by a series of frenzied explosions. In this era, explosives weren¡¯t widely used in the military. Thisrge firecracker, which was simr to a small rocket, had caught the Wokou off guard.


    However, the Wokou¡¯s fleet had the advantage in terms of numbers. After General Yamaguchi returned to his senses, he led his group to break out of the encirclement. He was really able to open a gap and forcibly broke through with half of the ships. The other half of the fleet were destroyed by the gunfire of the Great Ming Empire¡¯s warships. Many of the Wokou pirates fell into the water. Like rats that fell into a pot of boiling water, they tried to flee in panic but had no way out.


    Under themand of General Yamaguchi, the other group of Wokounded not far from the port. Seeing the dozen or so ships docked at the port and numerous packages of goods unloaded from the ships, General Yamaguchi didn¡¯t allow his men to rest and rushed towards the port with over a thousand Wokou pirates.


    Commander Sun¡¯s second-inmand, with a group of soldiers,y in ambush near the port. When the Wokou got closer to the port, they attacked them on both sides with General Fang¡¯s team.


    The dockworkers panicked at the sight of the invading enemies. Fortunately, Brother Six was rtively calm. With his trusted subordinates, they swiftly calmed the dockworkers. However, there were still some workers who were afraid of death. They looked ghastly pale and med their parents for not giving them a couple more legs. Before Brother Six and the others hade up to them, they had already run away, feeling extremely terrified.


    Brother Six had naturally taken notes of these people in his heart. Among them, there were quite a few regr employees of the management office. He would no longer use these people who could only enjoy happiness but not share hardships with the people around them! The dockworkers were used to hardbor, so they all had a lot of strength. Brother Six called on them to pick up weapons and protect their homnd!


    Over the past few years, the eighteen year old Yu Heizi had grown up to 1.75 meter in height. His skin was tanned, and his fat body had long transformed into a body full of muscles. Thus, he did look somewhat intimidating by just standing there. This kid was like apletely different personpared with his younger self. He was willing to work hard and was good at currying favors with others. He had been promoted to the position of a small team leader by Brother Six, and earned a monthly wage of one tael!


    When the Wokounded, for a moment, he also wanted to escape with those workers. However, Brother Six was watching them not too far away. After following Brother Six for the past few years, Yu Heizi had gradually turned into a regr employee from a temporary worker, and with his own efforts, he was also promoted to a small team leader. If he ran away, wouldn¡¯t it be a waste of all his previous efforts?


    ¡®Argh, I¡¯m going all in!! Aren¡¯t there a lot of soldiers at the port? Although we¡¯re outnumbered by the Wokou pirates, we have the advantage of location and unity of the people. I¡¯m not trained in martial arts, but I¡¯m still very strong! Since Brother Six didn¡¯t leave, the situation at the wharf shouldn¡¯t be too serious. Oh whatever! Moneyes from danger, so I¡¯ll just take this risk!¡¯


    He immediately stood behind Brother Six. With a thick stick in his hands, he looked at the two groups of people fighting at the docks with a nervous expression.


    Brother Six looked at Heizi with an approving gaze. At first, he allowed Heizi to work for him because he was giving Yu Xiaocao face. He had originally thought that this little fatty wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the hardship and leave on his own. He hadn¡¯t expected that the kid had actually endured it. Yu Heizi was a hard worker and had some tricks up his sleeves, so he promoted the fellow to a foreman. The small team led by Yu Heizi could sessfullyplete their tasks every time. They had been praised by the customers on multiple asions. Hence, Brother Six saw him in a new light!


    Based on Brother Six¡¯s understanding of Yu Heizi, he wasn¡¯t considered someone very brave. Thus, he never thought that this kid would be the first person to choose to trust him and stand by his side. He watched as the other dockworkers followed suit by picking up their weapons and following closely behind him. Although there were only about sixty to seventy people, Brother Six felt very satisfied. To be able to step forward and support him in the face of danger, he, Brother Six, would definitely provide them with a good future!!


    At this time, due to the difference in numbers, some of the Wokou gradually broke through the defense line of the soldiers and came to the shoreside. The Wokou pirates began to kill and rob on ships with unloaded cargo.


    There weren¡¯t arge number of Wokou pirates approaching the port; only around a dozen or so. The weapon in Brother Six¡¯s hands was a steel fork, simr to a harpoon, and the tip of the fork glimmered with coldness. He said to the nervous dockworkers behind him, ¡°Do you guys dare to join me to destroy these Wokou pirates?!¡±


    Yu Heizi was somewhat nervous, but he was the first one to respond, ¡°What is there to be afraid of!! We have sixty to seventy people, so how can it be possible that we can¡¯t beat a dozen or so dwarfs?¡±


    Hearing his words, the other dockworkers looked at the short stature of the Wokou pirates, and they were immediately full of confidence and courage. Yeah, what was so scary about these dwarfs? If one person wasn¡¯t enough, then they could fight as a group, which would be enough to squash him to death!!


    Seeing that the morale of his workers had gone up, Brother Six faintly smiled and quickly divided them into groups of five. Each group would go up against one of the pirates. He took the lead and led a group towards one of the Wokou. The other groups also didn¡¯t want to appear weak, so they tightened their grasp on the wooden sticks in their hands, clenched their teeth, and rushed forward.


    All men had a certain sense of righteousness and a heroplex. When he saw Brother Six holding a steel fork to fight with the other party¡¯s steel sword, Yu Heizi, who was in the same group as Brother Six, raised up the wooden stick in his hands. The expression on his face caused his originally slightly fierce-looking face to appear even more ferocious. Taking advantage of the time when the other party hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to retrieve his sword, he brutally hit him on the head and back.


    The other dockworkers in the same group also attacked the unlucky Wokou with the various weapons in their hands. Before the Wokou could make his second move, he was already knocked out on the ground and lost his ability to fight. Brother Six pierced the steel fork into the other party¡¯s chest and killed him.


    Seeing that their boss had won, the other groups became more vigorous and imposing. They screamed like a ferocious tigering down a mountain and charged towards the Wokou pirates. Seeing the situation, the rest of the pirates didn¡¯t dare to continue fighting and quickly ran back to the shore. Some of them were blocked and killed by the soldiers on the shore. The dockworkers caught up to some of them and beat them until they couldn¡¯t fight back.


    The dockworkers had won their first battle. Their timidity had been swept away and everyone was full of confidence. In the uing battles, each group was able to achieve victorious results. Brother Six had also stated, ¡°Later, ording to the number of Wokou killed,e to me for a reward. Five taels for each Wokou! After killing them, cut off their left ear as evidence!¡±


    The dockworkers became extremely hyperactive as they rushed towards a Wokou that was alone. The Wokou was so scared that he tried to flee in all directions. Each time the dockworkers killed one of the pirates, they would pick up his weapon. They were soon armed with steel swords, which made them even more confident!


    It might be because of their good cooperation, but despite a lot of workers getting injured, most of them were minor external injuries. Brother Six took out the wound balm that he bought from Tongren Medicine Hall, which was very effective in stopping bleeding. The wounded dockworkers were triggered by the bloodshed, and they were also unwilling to give up on the rewards promised by Brother Six. Thus, they wouldn¡¯t leave the front line due to minor wounds and continued to do their part in protecting the harbor!


    As the battle at the docks started in full swing, the Wokou pirates over at Dongshan Vige had retreated into the vige and adopted the policy of ¡®loot all, kill all, and burn all¡¯. Even from afar, one could see that the vige was aze with fire. Especially the thatched cottages, they swiftly burned into ashes as soon as they were lit on fire.


    The Yu Residence, which was the newest and strongest within the vige and also very close to the West Mountain, was expropriated by Watanabe Hiroshi. The vegetables in the courtyard had encountered a disaster as they were plucked and chopped, and they werepletely destroyed by the Wokou. Most of the grain and fruits in the Yu Family¡¯s cer, as well as the meat in the icehouse, were carried aboard the Wokou¡¯s ships. The rest was left for Watanabe Hiroshi to enjoy.


    The Zhou Family next door had driven their chickens into the mountain forest nearby. They reared their chickens in coops, so many of the chickens returned and gathered in front of the Zhou Family¡¯s house. The Wokou pirates stationed nearby happily caught the chickens. After plucking the feathers, they seasoned the chickens with salt and roasted them. Since a great natural disaster happened in the Wokou¡¯s country, they hadn¡¯t eaten any meat except for fish! The Zhou Family¡¯s chickens were met with an unfortunate ending.


    Likewise, the Yu Family¡¯s piggery also wasn¡¯t spared. Fortunately, in order to prevent the deterioration of the meat, these guys only ughtered a portion of the pigs to sate their cravings. They nned on ughtering the others before their departure and transporting them onto their ships. Every day, there would be miserable cries of pigsing from the Yu Family¡¯s piggery.


    At this time, except for several families who had fled into the forest by themselves when they were initially chased by the Wokou pirates, the other hundred or so vigers of Dongshan Vige were being led by Yu Xiaocao to her secret base.


    The valley wasn¡¯t too far from Dongshan Vige, but the mountain road was hard to walk, which took up some time. After the Wokou pirates left the mountain forest, Yu Hai and Commander Zheng had followed the traces left by the group and joined them.


    When Madam Liu saw her husband, she immediately checked if he was injured. There was quite a lot of blood on Yu Hai¡¯s clothes, but it was stained onto his clothes when killing the pirates, and he wasn¡¯t wounded at all. Most of the bodyguards hade back unharmed. Even if some were injured, they were just minor injuries that weren¡¯t a big deal.


    Yu Xiaocao guided the group to a fog shrouded forest near the cliff. There wasn¡¯t any fog here in the past, but in order to protect her secret base from being found and ruined by others, Yu Xiaocao asked the little divine stone to set up this decoy. Without the guide of someone familiar with the path like her and her younger brother, other people would quickly get lost in the hazy forest. Once in a while, someone from Dongshan Vige woulde here, but when they saw the inexplicable appearance of fog, very few would dare to enter.


    ¡°Xiaocao, are you sure we¡¯re going in the right direction? I¡¯ve been here before, and I ended up walking around for three days and nights before finally getting out. I nearly starved to death here!¡± Goudan had been known as a mischievous child in the vige since he was young. He had gone up the mountains and dived in the sea; there weren¡¯t any ces that he didn¡¯t dare to go. When he grew up, his courage was still sky high. He made a bet with others to enter the foggy forest and almost didn¡¯te out.

 Chapter 395 – Settling in the Cave

    <h4>Chapter 395 ¨C Settling in the Cave</h4>


    Goudan wandered in the forest for three days, and his mother cried for three days. In the end, the fog in the forest gradually dispersed and he followed the sound of his mother¡¯s cries out!


    It wasn¡¯t because of his luck that he was able toe out. Instead, the fog array changed every three days. Even if someone got trapped, there wouldn¡¯t be any great danger and they could naturallye out after three days. Goudan¡¯s incident had a great impact on the vigers of Dongshan Vige. They all repeatedly warned their children to stay away from the foggy forest.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him and said with a smile, ¡°Older Brother Goudan, you aren¡¯t frightened by the fog forest, right? Want to have a bet to see who can go in ande out intact?¡±


    Goudan knew that she was teasing him. At that time, when he made the bet, he had nearly buried himself here for the sake of two wheat steamed buns!


    Had it been someone else, Goudan would have already started fighting with that person. However, when he looked at Xiaocao¡¯s tender and pretty little face, Goudan blushed and scratched his head, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, don¡¯t make fun of me. When I was younger, I didn¡¯t know how to be afraid and did a lot of ridiculous things. I won¡¯t do it anymore in the future...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°If I say that I can bring everyone inside safely and provide everyone with a safe ce to stay, would you believe me?¡±


    Goudan was mesmerized by her bright smile. ¡®Xiaocao is so beautiful. Her skin is even more tender than a peeled egg and her eyes are big and lively, as if they can speak. Her voice is also very nice and sounded even better than therk that I caughtst time.¡¯ Goudan unconsciously nodded and said, ¡°I will believe everything Younger Sister Xiaocao says! Haha!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at the foolish-looking Goudan in her heart. She was only twelve, okay? In her previous life, she would only be a little sixth grader. Who did she offend to have so many rotten peach blossoms [1]?


    She ignored Goudan and said to the vige head, ¡°Vige Head Grandpa, my younger brother and I are very familiar with this forest. We oftene here to y when we were younger, and we have never gotten lost. The cave that I mention is at the end of the forest.¡±


    The vige head remained silent for a moment, and then confirmed with her again, ¡°There was no fog in the forest before, so it wasn¡¯t easy to get lost. Have you been here after the forest was shrouded by fog? Have you ever been in this mountain forest? It¡¯s not that Vige Head Grandpa doesn¡¯t believe you, but this affects our vige of more than a hundred people. I must be cautious ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao firmly replied, ¡°Rest assured, Vige Head Grandpa! I came here ten days ago to catch some little white fish in the valley to make soup for the princess consort. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Her Highness!¡±


    The delicious small white fish could only be found in this valley stream and couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else. After he got Princess Consort Jing¡¯s confirmation, the vige head finally agreed to let Xiaoaco take everyone into the fog. Originally, many vigers rejected this idea. Didn¡¯t the imperial bodyguards already say that the Wokou had already withdrawn from the forest? So, why couldn¡¯t they just stay in any random cave? Why must they enter this dangerous fog forest?


    Several households didn¡¯t believe Xiaocao¡¯s words. Among them, there was a viger who frequently set traps and hunted in the surrounding forest. He thought that he was very familiar with the surrounding area. The head of those families came to an agreement to work together. After talking with the vige head, they took their families and separated from the big group.


    That viger had once gone into the mountain and encountered heavy rainfall. At that time, he hid in a cave to avoid the rain. That cave could amodate at least thirty to forty people. The families had a good rtionship, and there was more than enough room for them. However, that cave was somewhat far from here. Fortunately, they should be able to arrive before sunset.


    The people who stayed chose to believe in Xiaocao. In actuality, the person who they believed in was the vige head. Since the vige head trusted in Xiaocao, they didn¡¯t have the courage to doubt her. Thus, they could only follow the majority.


    Xiaocao took everyone and stepped into the fog filled forest. The fog didn¡¯t actually exist in her eyes. Therefore, she could clearly see where they needed to turn and the obstacles in their path. The people behind her could only see the back of the people in front of them, and beyond that waspletely covered by fog. In order to not make any mistakes, all of the vigers werepletely focused on following the person in front. They were afraid that they would get left behind in the forest identally.


    Soon, Xiaocao stopped in front of a cliff full of green vines. There wasn¡¯t as much fog here. She turned around to check on her family; none of them were missing! Meixiang, who was beside Princess Consort Jing, also did the same and made sure that the people who came with them were all present. The vige head told each head of the household to make sure that everyone in their families were present.


    Xiaocao gently pushed away the vines that covered the entrance of the cave and revealed a pitch-dark and bottomless hole. The entrance of the cave could only fit a person who was bending down. Thus, Princess Consort Jing got off the sedan with Meixiang¡¯s help. Yu Xiaocao, who had a short stature, got a torch from the basket that her uncle was carrying and lit it up.


    Seeing this, Princess Consort Jing hastily told Meixiang, ¡°The entrance of the cave is narrow, so it¡¯s not safe to use a torch. Meixiang, take out the luminous pearl and give it to Xiaocao.¡±


    ¡®Luminous pearl? Luminous pearls really existed?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes with curiosity. Meixiang carefully took out a circr object wrapped in silk from her small bundle. After she unwrapped it, a white object, simr to a frosted crystal ball, was revealed. She handed the luminous pearl to Xiaocao and said, ¡°Miss Yu, this luminous pearl is the love token that His Imperial Highness gave to Her Highness, so you must be careful and not break it.¡±


    ¡°So talkative!¡± Princess Consort Jing red at her, and then said to Xiaocao, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. Just take it, and you can keep it if you like it. Anyway, I have a lot of these things at home and will give them to my family¡¯s Little Three!¡±


    Little Three [2]? Yu Xiaocao quickly lowered her head and tried really hard to suppress herughter. So it turned out that the young royal prince had such a ¡®hrious¡¯ nickname. She rubbed her somewhat tired cheeks and did her best to control her expression as she said, ¡°This is an expression of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s love for you. How can I be so shameless to take it? Your Highness, be carefully and follow me closely. I¡¯ll lead the way in front.¡±


    Without waiting for Princess Consort Jing¡¯s reply, Yu Xiaocao had entered the entrance of the cave. Princess Consort Jing had no choice but to hold up her dress, bend down, and carefully follow behind Xiaocao. As soon as they entered the cave, the originallymon ¡®frosted crystal ball¡¯ emitted a peculiar glow. The faint blue glow was like a 60-watt lightbulb, but its glow was much softer than a lightbulb.


    The luminous pearl was able to light up around seventy to eighty square meters of its surrounding. Yu Xiaocao had a short stature, so she just needed to bow her head when walking. From time to time, she would turn around to help Princess Consort Jing carry the hem of her dress, or help her walk over the uneven ground. Fortunately, Princess Consort Jing wore a rtively light riding outfit and her hair was styled into a simple bun. She also didn¡¯t wear much jewelry. Otherwise, it would be more difficult to walk.


    After walking about twenty or so meters inside, the opening of the cave gradually widened. Princess Consort Jing could finally straighten her back. Meixiang, who was behind her, quickly stepped forward to support her mistress to rest on a stone beside them.


    The members of the Yu Family were behind Meixiang, and behind them were Xiaocao¡¯s oldest paternal aunt¡¯s family and eldest granduncle¡¯s family. The ce that Princess Consort Jing rested at was another opening of the cave that was about 198 square meters. It was dark and deep. From time to time, drops of water would fall down onto the stone, making a light sound.


    The people outside came in one by one. Some with bigger luggage had to divide their big bundle into two to three smaller bags. Otherwise, they would get struck at the entrance and couldn¡¯te in.


    When the vige head entered this somewhat small cave, he frowned and said to Xiaocao, ¡°Xiaocao, it¡¯s too crowded for over a hundred people to stay here. There isn¡¯t even enough space to sit.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at him and said, ¡°This is just one opening of the cave. It¡¯s very big inside. The biggest cave is capable of amodating three hundred people. Your Highness, have you rested enough?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing wiped the sweat on her forehead. She stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t think of me as being so weak. I can now walk up from the foot of the mountains to the entrance of the residence without others helping me.¡±


    With the luminous pearl in one hand, Yu Xiaocao held Princess Consort Jing¡¯s arm with her other hand. Then she turned around and said to her father, ¡°Father, Oldest Paternal Uncle, light up a torch so that the people in the back can see the path. We can walk faster that way.¡±


    Before she finished speaking, a clear howling of a wolf spread throughout the cave. The echo within the cave made it hard to distinguish which direction the sound came from.


    The vigers in the back immediately panicked. Some of them instantly turned back and screamed, ¡°Wolf! There are wolves in the cave!! Quickly run ah!!¡±


    The others also panicked, and even Yu Hai worriedly stepped forward to block in front of his daughter and Princess Consort Jing, solemnly guarding them. Before Xiaocao said anything, Little ck and Little White dashed out from the back of the group. They put down the game in their mouths and made a clear howling sound with their necks stretched out. The sound of the wolf howling on the other side stopped, and a pair of emerald green eyes appeared from a dark cave nearby. The green eyes came closer and closer, and soon appeared within the area illuminated by the luminous pearl. A gray wolf with a rich coat of fur and a powerful appearance showed up in front of the Yu Family.


    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t this the gray wolf that the royal prince entrusted Xiaocao to raise?¡± The vige head took a closer look and recognized it. He hastily cated the vigers, ¡°Don¡¯t panic, everyone. This wolf is domesticated and doesn¡¯t bite people!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao bent down, gently touched the gray wolf¡¯s head, and said, ¡°Big Gray, our vige is in trouble, so I brought my fellow vigers here to take refuge. Sorry for disturbing you!¡±


    Big Gray looked at the water bag she was carrying on her body with an apparent meaning of, ¡®You guys can live here, but you need to pay rent¡ªwhat do you think about paying with that mystic-stone water?¡¯


    Little ck and Little White were very excited to see their father. Especially Little ck, he immediately hugged Big Gray¡¯s neck with his forelegs and gently nibbled on his father¡¯s ears. Big Gray impatiently shook off his paws, pressed his foolish son onto the ground with his front paws, and grimaced somewhat threateningly at him. Little ck thought that his father was ying with him, so he happily rolled around on the ground.


    When the people in the back saw the interaction between the Yu Family¡¯s two ¡®dogs¡¯ and the wolf, they finally believed the vige head words. Last winter, their vige was attacked by wolves and a gray wolf had saved Yu Hai¡¯s life. This was a matter that had spread throughout the entire Dongshan Vige. The Yu Family¡¯s children had also used a gray wolf to pull on their sled, which was something that all the vige children envied. When they got home, they had told their parents and grandparents numerous times in an envious tone. The vigers¡¯ mood gradually calmed down.

 Chapter 396 – The Worry in Her Heart

    <h4>Chapter 396 ¨C The Worry in Her Heart</h4>


    More than a hundred vigers of Dongshan Vige followed behind a gray wolf and quietly entered a cave. If someone made any noise, the big gray wolf that was about the height of a person would stare fixedly at that person with his emerald green eyes until that person quieted down. As a result, the more than one hundred people, including the children in their arms, all silently moved forward in the quiet, dark cave.


    Soon, a ray of light came from the top of the cave and arge cave appeared in front of everyone. The cave was very big and should be able to amodate more than three hundred people like Xiaocao said. The best thing was that it wasn¡¯t dark in the cave thanks to the glow from the top of the cave, which was like a brightmp.


    It was very dry inside the cave, and there were a lot of dry branches and stones. Xiaocao stopped and announced that they would settle down here. Each family could select a ce to settle down, put down their luggage, and do some simple cleaning.


    They were safe for now, so the children, who were carried by the adults, were full of curiosity regarding the cave. After knowing that there was no danger in the cave, several of the older children began to explore the cave. The younger children frolicked around their families. Since there was a lot of echo in the cave, the children¡¯sughter rippling through the cave made it oddly noisy.


    Princess Consort Jing furrowed her brows slightly and felt a slight headache. She preferred a quiet environment, so it was too noisy for her to stay in a cave with more than a hundred people of varying ages. However, she knew that it was a peculiar period and she shouldn¡¯t be too picky. Thus, she just signed and endured it.


    Yu Xiaocao dodged an infant who had just learned to walk and came up to Princess Consort Jing¡¯s side. She said, ¡°Your Highness, there¡¯s a lot of connected caves here. I¡¯ll go with Older Sister Meixiang to select one that¡¯s suitable for you to stay in. Later, you can move over.¡±


    When Princess Consort Jing heard this, she revealed a smile and nodded, ¡°Alright, you and Meixiang should be careful. Bring Little White and Big Gray along with you. Come back earlier!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Big Gray, who was drinking water with his head lowered, and gently touched his butt with her feet. Big Gray moved his bottom slightly to the side and looked up at her with a somewhat impatient expression as if she had interrupted him from enjoying the mystic-stone water.


    ¡°Big Gray, are you full? If you are, then take us to find a cave where we can live. It¡¯s best to have around four or five caves that we can live in. It doesn¡¯t need to be too big. It¡¯s big enough if it can amodate ten or so people!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t care whether Big Gray could understand her. The cave was very big with a lot of connecting caves, like a maze. How was she supposed to find habitable areas by herself?


    Meixiang chuckled and said, ¡°Miss Yu, can he really understand you?¡±


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t underestimate an animal¡¯s ability, especially one with intelligence! Big Gray isn¡¯t a normal wolf, so he should be able to understand me, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao also felt somewhat uncertain as she spoke.


    Big Gray pushed away Little ck who was trying to take his mystic-stone water and swiftly finished licking the bowl of mystic-stone water. He licked his mouth and walked towards a small opening in the cave. Seeing that Xiaocao and Meixiang didn¡¯t follow him, he turned his head to look at them, as if he was rushing them.


    Xiaocao understood and pulled Meixiang to follow along. The opening was as tall as a person¡¯s height and two people were able to walk side by side. After walking about fifty meters, it suddenly brightened up. This part of the cave was semi-closed, and the top of the cave was semi-circr, like it was covered by a lid.


    One side of the ¡®lid¡¯ was opened, and several slightly nted trees covered the gap. Among them, there was a wild peach tree with many fruits hanging on it. Many of them were ripe for picking. From the opening, she could see the view of the valley. At this time, it was already dusk. The orange sunlight shot into the cave, and made it appear warm and bright.


    On the walls of the cave, there were a row of openings like doors. Xiaocao looked inside and saw that they were small caves that were probably dug by humans. The walls were all neat and tidy, and there were also some stone beds and stone chairs left behind. Each of the small caves looked like a room that was around seventy to eighty square meters. It was dry and refreshing inside, and people could move in after doing some simple cleaning.


    Meixiang was very surprised as she looked at each ¡®room¡¯ and asked, ¡°People must have lived here before. I wonder who dug these caves. We wouldn¡¯t have taken over some hermits¡¯ homes, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the thick dusk on the ground, and then shook her head, saying, ¡°Even if someone had lived here, it must have been a long time ago. ¡®Ancestors nt the tree and the descendants enjoy the cool under the tree.¡¯ Well, it¡¯s to our benefit. There are eight ¡®rooms¡¯ here, which should be enough for us to live in! Older Meixiang, please tidy up here while I go get the princess consort.¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao came back with the princess consort and her family, Meixiang had already cleaned up one of the bigger caves. At this time, she was wiping the stone bed in the cave with a wet handkerchief!


    ¡°Eh? Older Sister Meixiang, where did you get the water?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked in slight surprise.


    With a smile on her face, Meixiang pointed at a stone trough near the gap. The spring water flowed out of the mountain wall and gathered in the stone trough. The excessive water flowed out to the outside of the wall.


    ¡°This is really such a good location. With this stone trough, it will be so much easier for us to get water.¡± As mentioned, if there wasn¡¯t a source of water here, they would have to fetch water from the valley under the tall cliff or walk back to the other cave and go out to find a water source. It would be very inconvenient!


    Lanxiang quickly got a basin from another servant and started cleaning the cave with Meixiang. They covered the stone bed with a brocade quilt, and used the stone tables, which were carved out of the walls, as storage space. Princess Consort Jing¡¯s belongings were neatly ced on the tables. Xiaocao ced the luminous pearl in the highest part of the cave. The entire room lit up as if they had just installed a lightbulb in the room.


    As for the remaining caves, the Yu Family, Xiaocao¡¯s oldest aunt¡¯s family, and Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family each lived in one cave. The maidservants and senior servants divided the rest of the four caves. The manservants and imperial bodyguards could only sleep in a corner of the ¡®living room¡¯.


    It was gettingte, and in order to escape, no one had time to eat lunch. Everyone was so hungry that their chests were sticking to their backs. There was quite a lot of food brought over from Prince Jing¡¯s mountain manor, and there was aplete set of condiments such as oil, salt, and soy sauce. Xiaocao¡¯s family and her rtives had brought enough food tost them for three to five days, moreover, they also had Little ck and Little White catching pheasants and wild hares back.


    They simply cleaned up their own cave. The stone bed inside was very big like arge kang bed, and it was big enough for ten or so people to sleep on. Old Yu slept in the innermost spot, and next to him were Yu Hai and Madam Liu. Xiaocao and Xiaolian slept at the outermost part of the bed. For families with poor living conditions, it wasmon for the entire family to crowd together on one big kang bed during the winter in order to save firewood.


    After putting their things down on the stone bed, Xiaocao took Xiaolian out to the gap outside of the cave. They set up a simple stove with stones, washed the rice, and started cooking. She looked to the side and saw the servants of the Prince Jing¡¯s Household busily working. They had three stoves, on which they cooked three pots of rice. There were thirty to forty people from the Prince Jing¡¯s Household, including the servants and imperial bodyguards. They ate a lot of food and everyone was hungry now, so it wouldn¡¯t be enough if they cooked too little!


    Yu Caifeng came over with a bag of rice. She squatted down beside Xiaocao and helped her light a fire. She thought for a moment and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t our families cook together? That way, we can save up on some firewood!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded. She thought about it and said, ¡°Oldest Paternal Aunt, can you go over to Eldest Granduncle¡¯s ce and ask if they want to eat together? Our families are eating together, so if we don¡¯t ask them, I¡¯m afraid that Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family might think that we¡¯re not treating them as rtives...¡±


    Yu Caifeng smiled and said, ¡°Xiaocao is still the most thoughtful one. Okay! I¡¯ll go ask Eldest Aunt to see what they n on doing.¡±


    A momentter, she came back and shook her head with a smile. She said to Xiaocao, ¡°Eldest Uncle said that they brought dried rations, so they¡¯re not cooking tonight. They also said that they will eat separately since they have a lot of people in the family.¡±


    In the middle of their conversation, a figure passed through the opening of the cave. Xiaocao looked carefully and saw that it was Commander Zheng and his subordinates. Each person carried a bundle of firewood on their backs. It turned out that the bodyguards of the Prince Jing¡¯s Household thought that it was too troublesome to walk around the cave, so they tied a rope on the stone and tree sticking out of the gap. It was only ten or so meters tall, which wasn¡¯t too difficult to climb for people who practiced martial arts like them.


    Commander Zheng left three big bundles of firewood for Xiaocao, which was enough for them to cook three or four meals. Yu Xiaocao returned the favor by giving them a pheasant that Little ck caught. It wasn¡¯t enough for all of them to eat, but at least they had some meat among all the vegetable dishes, right?


    Xiacoao skinned the wild hare that she kept, and then stewed it together with potatoes. She gave both Princess Consort Jing and Eldest Granduncle a bowl each. While the rice was cooking, she added the sausages and smoked meat that they didn¡¯t finish in the winter, which was delicious even without vegetables. In addition, Xiaocao also cooked a pot ofver soup.


    The members of the Yu Family and the Liu Family all held a big bowl of cured meat rice with potatoes stewed hare. It might be due to hunger, but everyone ate with great relish. Even the youngest Little Fangping finished more than half a bowl of rice and a spoonful of hare meat.


    Seeing the little guy eat with relish, Madam Liu suddenly put down her chopsticks and heavily sighed. Yu Caifeng saw this and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°When I see Little Fangping, I will think about our Little Shitou. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s safe in town, and there¡¯s also our Yu Hang. Xiaocao said that the Wokou pirates have also reached the docks. Xiaosha wouldn¡¯t have encountered them, right...¡± The more she thought about this, the more Madam Liu felt as if there was arge rock pressing on her heart.


    Yu Caifengforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Little Shitou is in town, which is quite a distance from the sea. Even if the pirates went there, aren¡¯t the local authorities there? They will definitely ensure their safety! As for Xiaosha, there is even less for you to worry about. Xiaocao¡¯s godfather is a great general who has experienced numerous battles. His subordinates are also very skilled. There¡¯s no way that they can¡¯t protect him.¡±


    Hearing her words, Madam Liu felt that she was right and her heart slightly rxed. But she couldn¡¯t continue eating after eating half a bowl of rice. ¡®To raise a child until they were a hundred years old and be worried about them until they were ny-nine.¡¯ Parents would always be worried about their children.

 Chapter 397 – Urgent Message

    <h4>Chapter 397 ¨C Urgent Message</h4>


    Unbeknownst to Madam Liu, her two sons, who she was worried about, had daringly sneaked out of town and were rushing to Dongshan Vige.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, if those Wokou pirates didn¡¯t find anyone in the vige, would they go directly to town on the official road? Perhaps this path isn¡¯t safe anymore!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s face was full of worries for his family. It was safer to stay in town, but their family had all gone into the West Mountains and their safety was uncertain. So how could he be at ease?


    Yu Hang patted his younger brother, who was sitting in front of him, pacifyingly and spected, ¡°Killing isn¡¯t the ultimate goal of those Wokou pirates. Plundering goods is their most important mission. The vigers left in a hurry, so they could only take a few things. There are enough food and goods left behind for them to search through for a while! At this time, they should have settled down in Dongshan Vige, so it¡¯s the safest to stay in town. Shitou, in fact, I cane back by myself. You¡¯re young and have a short stature, so you wouldn¡¯t be able to help much even if you return!¡±


    Little Shitou shook his head and disagreed, ¡°Although there¡¯s not much I can help with, my heart is with everyone. It¡¯s really painful for the family to be separated in different ces and be worried about each other¡¯s safety!¡±


    Yu Hang remained silent for a moment. His younger brother was only nine and he was a young county-level official. His teachers praised him a lot and the family were full of expectations for him. Yu Hang didn¡¯t know if bringing his younger brother back was the right decision. If something happened to his younger brother, how was he supposed to face his parents and younger sisters?


    ¡°But, in order to get to the West Mountain, we must pass by our house. In the vige, besides the vige head¡¯s house, our house is the biggest. So, we don¡¯t know if there will be any Wokou at our house!¡± Yu Hang¡¯s concern wasn¡¯t without reason.


    Little Shitou thought about it and said, ¡°I know a path that can bypass our house, but it¡¯s somewhat difficult to walk. At that time, I¡¯m not sure if we can bring Little Gray along...but Little Gray is very smart. If it hides in the forest, it probably won¡¯t get caught by those wicked pirates, right?¡±


    Little Gray was a very intelligent little donkey. It had been with the Yu Family for nearly three years and had done a lot of work for the Yu Family. It had a special ce in the hearts of every member of the Yu Family. Would it be dangerous for it if they left it in the forest at night? Would it get eaten by those Wokou pirates?


    However, there was no use in worrying about this right now. During such a crucial time, they didn¡¯t even know if humans would be safe, let alone a domesticated donkey.


    They soon reached the small path that Little Shitou mentioned. In order to enter the mountain, they needed to climb over a mountain peak. Although it wasn¡¯t very high, it was somewhat steep. Humans could manage to climb up, but it was impossible for Little Gray. Disregarding whether Little Gray could actually understand him, Little Shitou thoroughly cautioned the little donkey. After that, he patted its bottom and told it to quickly find a ce to hide. Little Gray appeared somewhat reluctant as it looked at Little Shitou with its big, dewy eyes. It licked his hand and walked into the nearby forest while turning back at every step.


    Under the dim moonlight, the brothers climbed up the mountain. Fortunately, the brothers were used to climbing up mountains since childhood. This slight slope wasn¡¯t too much of a problem for them. Four hourster, the two brothers had arrived at the foggy forest.


    ¡°Awoo¡ªAwoo¡ªAwoo¡ª¡± A series of familiar wolf howling turned Little Shitou¡¯s stern expression into a smile, ¡°Eldest Brother, Big Gray and the others came to wee us!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, a ck figure dashed out from the white fog and excitedly jumped towards Little Shitou.


    ¡°Little ck, slow down! I can¡¯t carry you now!¡± When Little Shitou saw the ck figure running towards himself at full speed, he feared that it would unwittingly jump on to himself. With his small body, would it even be possible for him to bear the weight of Little ck, who weighed over one hundred catties?


    Even without his reminder, Little ck had a sense of propriety. His lightning-like figure abruptly came to a stop three meters away from Little Shitou. The force of inertia caused his forelegs to slide two meters forward. When he finally stopped, his head just happened to touch Little Shitou¡¯s shoulder.


    Little ck hadn¡¯t seen Little Shitou for nearly half a month and was particrly excited to see him. He rubbed his head on Little Shitou¡¯s body and used his rough tongue to lick Little Shitou¡¯s hands and face. Big Gray and Little White, who were behind him, strode forward in the same solemn manner and came to their side.


    Little Shitou rubbed Little ck¡¯s neck, patted Little White¡¯s head, and then climbed onto Big Gray¡¯s back. Big Gray shook his body in annoyance, but Little Shitou held on tightly and didn¡¯t fall down.


    ¡°Big Gray, you can¡¯t always act so differently in front of different people. No matter what my second sister does to you, you¡¯re as obedient as a cat. However, you won¡¯t allow me to do anything. I haven¡¯t seen you for three months, so just let me ride on you...¡± With a rascally expression, Little Shitou clung onto Big Gray¡¯s body with both his legs and arms.


    Yu Hang, on the other hand, went up to Little White and asked with a slightly uneasy voice, ¡°Little White, have my parents and sisters arrived? Are they safe?¡±


    As Little Shitou struggled to avoid being thrown off by Big Gray, he giggled and said, ¡°Since Little ck and Little White are here, our family is definitely also here. Second Sister and I are the only ones who are familiar with this part of the forest, so there won¡¯t be any problems at all with Second Sister leading the way!¡±


    Little White looked at Little Shitou, and then nodded his head at Yu Hang. He turned his body and looked back at Yu Hang, motioning him to follow him. As for Little Shitou, he was finally thrown off by Big Gray. He patted the dust on his long gown, made a funny face at Big Gray, and also followed his older brother into the forest.


    Little White guided the brothers through the maze-like cave and avoided the big cave that the vigers were staying in. They soon reached the entrance of the cave that the Yu Family stayed in. There were two imperial bodyguards guarding the entrance to prevent the vigers from disturbing them again.


    It turned out that in the evening, Madam Zhang hade to cause trouble with Yu Dashan. They had thrown away the food that they brought along when they were being chased by the Wokou pirates. Seeing that the two little wolves had caught game, the mother and son wanted to pretend to be pitiful and get some food. Madam Zhang thought that since she had once been married to Old Yu, the old man wouldn¡¯t just watch as they starve to death. This ¡®extraordinary person¡¯ finally remembered that she and Old Yu were married. When Old Yu was seriously ill and on the verge of death, she didn¡¯t even think about their familial affections at all!


    The Yu Family also didn¡¯t bring a lot of food. No one knew when those pirates were going to leave, so it was impossible for them to share their food with the pair of ungrateful mother and son. When Madam Li fled in the forest, she got separated from the group and her safety was still uncertain. However, Yu Dashan didn¡¯t seem very sad about it. As expected, it was true that ¡®a married couple were birds in the same forest who would fly separately in the face of danger¡¯!


    Madam Zhang and her son were thick-skinned and wanted to continue to cause trouble. Princess Consort Jing¡¯s head started to hurt due to the ruckus they were causing, so she just gave them two pancakes and had the bodyguards throw them out. She also sent two imperial bodyguards to guard the entrance. Except for the members of the Yu Family and Liu Family, no one was allowed to casually enter! With Princess Consort Jing here, the pair of ¡®extraordinary¡¯ mother and son didn¡¯t dare to continue to cause trouble and timidly went back to the bigger cave.


    The two imperial bodyguards recognized the Yu brothers. Although they thought it was strange for the brothers toe back at this time, they just let them go in. It was alreadyte at night, so everyone was already in deep slumber. As soon as the brothers entered the cave, Commander Zheng, who slept on the floor outside, opened his eyes vigntly. With the dim light of the torch, he took a clearer look at their faces. Then he pointed to the small cave where the Yu Family stayed to the brothers and made a gesture, telling them to be quiet.


    When the brothers saw that the bodyguards and servants lying on the ground, they carefully walked around them and arrived at the small cave that their family lived in. Under the dim light of the torch, the brothers saw their sleeping family. With tears brimming in their eyes, their anxious hearts finally rxed.


    After a day of thrilling escape, the Yu Family members didn¡¯t sleep very well. Yu Hai had opened his eyes when the Yu brothers entered the cave. Seeing the tired and untidy appearance of the brothers, he immediately sat up. He didn¡¯t speak for a long time, thinking that he was dreaming.


    ¡°Father! Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re fine...¡± With tears brimming in his eyes, Little Shitou walked to the stone bed and pulled on his father¡¯s hands.


    Yu Hai finally believed that this wasn¡¯t a dream. He examined both children and asked in a slightly angry tone, ¡°You kids, why aren¡¯t you obediently staying in town anding here at this time? If you guys encounter a wild beast in the middle of the night, what will you do ah!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s voice woke everyone up. When they saw Yu Hang and Little Shitou, they were both surprised and happy. Madam Liu hugged the brothers tightly, and then scolded them, feeling fearful. Yu Xiaocao silently watched the scene and felt that they could ovee anything with the whole family together!


    ¡°Eldest Brother, Shitou, have you guys eaten dinner yet? There¡¯s still some cured meat rice, but it¡¯s a little cold!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that their lips were peeling from dryness and guessed that they hadn¡¯t eaten and drank anything since the afternoon.


    Little Shitou was slightly embarrassed as he struggled out of his mother¡¯s embrace. He smiled at Xiaocao and said, ¡°It¡¯s still Second Sister who dotes on me the most! Eldest Brother and I were worried about you guys, so we left in a hurry. We didn¡¯t even drink a sip of water the whole way. I¡¯m dying of hunger ah!!¡± Before he had finished speaking, his little tummy growled several times, amusing everyone.


    While the Yu brothers wolfed down the cold rice, the capital had already received the urgent message sent from Tanggu Town. Could the emperor just sit back when he saw that the Wokou pirates had invaded? That night, he immediately summoned the ministers to his imperial study to discuss the situation.


    The Tanggu area was under the ruling of Royal Prince Yang, so he naturally wasn¡¯t left out. Zhu Junyang immediately became anxious when he heard that a lot of Wokou pirates had gone to Tanggu Town. They also appeared to be well-trained and very fierce, and didn¡¯t seem like ordinary pirates. Hisdy mother and future wife were both in Dongshan Vige ah!


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, are there Wokou pirates at Dongshan Vige?¡± Zhu Junyang interrupted the officials¡¯ discussion and anxiously asked.


    When the emperor nodded solemnly, Zhu Junyang immediately turned around and left the imperial study! The message was sent from Tanggu Town and reported to the emperor. Then the emperor summoned them over. Didn¡¯t they waste a lot of time already? He didn¡¯t know how hisdy mother and Xiaocao were doing. Could those imperial bodyguards protect them? Zhu Junyang could only me himself for not leaving more bodyguards at the mountain manor. How long could those twenty or so imperial bodyguards hold up?

 Chapter 398 – The People He Worries About

    <h4>Chapter 398 ¨C The People He Worries About</h4>


    ¡°Emperor, look at Royal Prince Yang, he...¡± The Minister of War had long disliked the fact that the emperor favored Royal Prince Yang. Thus, when he had a chance to badmouth the other person, he took it.


    As soon as he opened his mouth, Zhu Junfan knew what the minister wanted to say. He waved a hand to interrupt the official and said, ¡°Beloved Official Zhen, Princess Consort Jing is still residing in the mountain vi at Tanggu Town ah! The mountain vi is close to the sea and Junyang definitely is worried about hisdy mother. We can understand his filial heart and concerns!¡±


    The Minister of War had a tactful personality. When he saw that the emperor wanted to protect the royal prince, he resentfully closed his eyes for a second. Why was the emperor always so lenient to that good-for-nothing and cruelly violent fellow? Was it because he was the son of the emperor¡¯s imperial uncle? The emperor didn¡¯t only have Imperial Prince Jing as his only imperial uncle. Furthermore, weren¡¯t any one of his own sons more talented and outstanding than Royal Prince Yang? Despite all that, the emperor only seemed to regard Royal Prince Yang with importance. He really couldn¡¯t understand why!


    While the rest of the court officials were currently discussing the matter at Tanggu Town, Zhu Junyang was currently dashing back to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate. An imperial prince was allowed to have his own private army. He knew that his lord father was in the outer study and rushed over there to inform his father about what he just learned from the emperor.


    Once Imperial Prince Jing found out that Wokou pirates were attacking Tanggu Town and that his beloved wife was still in the mountain vi there, he almost lost his reason. If he hadn¡¯t been able to restrain himself, he would have been just like his son and ran to Tanggu Town despite his other responsibilities.


    However, since he had been an imperial prince for over twenty years, he was able to squelch the worry towards his beloved wife. He took out the token to the prince¡¯s estate, gave it to his son and solemnly said, ¡°Yourdy mother¡¯s safety is in your hands now, son!¡±


    ¡°Lord Father, ease your worries! I, your son, will definitely not disappoint you!¡± Zhu Junyang gripped the token tightly within his hands and didn¡¯t say another word as he turned around to bring Head Steward Liu and a few bodyguards along. They spurred their horses the entire way to thends on the outskirts of the capital that housed the estate¡¯s private soldiers.


    After checking over the eight hundred soldiers and giving orders to Commander Liu, they all started to head towards Tanggu Town at top speed. However, Zhu Junyang thought that the soldiers¡¯ horses were too slow, so he left a personal bodyguard to give them directions and sped off on his own. He took with him two bodyguards and Head Steward Liu. The four of them raced to Dongshan Vige on horseback the whole way there. Because the situation was urgent, all of the ry stations had their horses ready to ride. Thus, Zhu Junyang switched horses at every station and didn¡¯t rest at all throughout the whole journey. A route that normally took two to three days waspressed by him and the three other people into one day and one night. Like that, the small group arrived at the heavily guarded Tanggu Town.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯ve already been on horseback for a whole day and night. You haven¡¯t eaten or drunk anything. Even a person made of steel wouldn¡¯t be to handle this ah! How about we first go into town and find a ce to eat and drink...¡± Head Steward Liu had noticed that his master¡¯s lips were dry and cracked, and his eyes werepletely bloodshot. The prince was covered entirely in dust and there was no color on his face, so the steward couldn¡¯t help but beg him to rest. Even he, as a servant who was used to doing all sorts of tasks every day, was having trouble handling such a gruesome schedule. His master usually lived a luxurious life full offorts. In fact, when they were out at sea and encountered storms and other hardships, it was not as difficult as today.


    However, Zhu Junyang sped past Tanggu Town¡¯s gates and directly galloped his horse down the official road towards Dongshan Vige. It was as if Head Steward Liu¡¯s entreaties hadn¡¯t even entered his ears so he naturally couldn¡¯t respond. Stop to get a drink and eat food? What a joke! What sort of situation was it now? The two most important women in his life (alright, one of them could only be considered a young maiden), were currently being trapped at Dongshan Vige by the Wokou pirates and it wasn¡¯t certain if they were still alive. How could he rest at this time?


    Right now, it was as if a blistering fire was in his heart. His mind was only filled with the thoughts of hisdy mother and Xiaocao and their safety. He could care less about his own physical diforts at this time. The sooner he got to Dongshan Vige, the sooner the danger would lessen a bit for hisdy mother and Xiaocao. He absolutely could not stop now nor rest at this time. For the sake of his loved ones, time was of the essence right now! If the two women who had treated him the best in his life were...gone, what was the point in him living anymore?


    The horse crop in his hands came down heavily on the horse¡¯s rump again. His beloved horse had already been exhausted on the way to Tanggu Town, so he was currently riding a horse he had switched into when he was at Jinwei Prefectural City. The horse had been spurred on at full speed this whole time, so it already had streaks of sweat and foam at its mouth. It was likely it wouldn¡¯t be able to endure such a punishing speed for much longer.


    Suddenly, the sound of a horse whinnying in distress could be heard followed by a loud thump. Head Steward Liu turned back to look and saw that one of the horses that a bodyguard was riding had copsed from exhaustion. Ity there, trembling weakly. All of them knew that once a horse fell from exhaustion, there was nothing left for it. How many horses had fallen already? Not even the best horse in the world could endure galloping at top speed all day and night without rest ah!


    When Head Steward Liu turned back to the front, he found out that his master had already traveled a great distance and left the three of them behind. Zhu Junyang only had one thought in his mind right now: faster, faster, faster! Everything else could not even enter his scope of attention now. Nothing was more important to him than getting to Dongshan Vige as fast as possible.


    Fortunately, the horse that Zhu Junyang was riding still had some energy left. Only when he reached the entrance of Dongshan Vige did the hapless animal finally copse from exhaustion. At the moment the animal stumbled down, Zhu Junyang leapt out of the saddle andnded not far in front of the horse. He didn¡¯t stop moving for a single second and continued to run forward with his two legs towards the direction of Dongshan Vige.


    Head Steward Liu had a face full of worry as he mustered his energy and jumped off his horse to reach a further distance to chase after his master. His horse also copsed not long after. Despite his advanced age, he had to move his old body and run after the prince.


    ¡°Master, the vige has Wokou pirates there. You should observe it first and thene up with a strategy...¡± Before Head Steward Liu had finished talking, Zhu Junyang had already gotten to the vige gates and was in the midst of fighting against the pirates standing guard there.


    Zhu Junyang looked like a crane in a flock of chickens as the pirates were all shorter than him. He didn¡¯t say a word as the pirates surrounded him with their knives on hand. It was better to act first and talkter. He unsheathed his double-edged sword in one swift movement and took care of these pirates in a few moves.


    Perhaps he had finally heard Head Steward Liu¡¯s words but he no longer charged forward into the vige in a conspicuous manner. Instead, he slunk forward and made sure to stay hidden. When a patrolling group of pirates came by, he avoided them and then headed towards the direction of the Yu Family¡¯s residence, which was at the foot of the West Mountain.


    This was already the second night that the Wokou pirates had been lodging in Dongshan Vige. Watanabe Hiroshi was currently in the middle of the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard. Every day, he ate chicken meat, pork meat, white rice and food made from white flour. It was quite a luxurious situation for him. However, he was very much aware that he couldn¡¯t spend too much time here. They needed to leave on either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at thetest. The Great Ming¡¯s army was not to be trifled with!


    Watanabe Hiroshi ganwed on a chicken leg as he frowned in thought. It had already been a day since he sent some men to the docks. Why hadn¡¯t theye back yet? Did General Yamaguchi encounter some difficulties over there?


    When Zhu Junyang came over the wall and looked into the Yu Family¡¯s courtyard, he saw that all of the vegetable fields had been stomped over and defiled. He remembered that these fields were all lovingly taken care of by Xiaocao and her family. He was so incensed by the destruction that he barely managed to restrain his urge to jump in and ughter all of the pirates in there!


    Head Steward Liu noticed that his master¡¯s restrained urges and quickly stated, ¡°Master, we haven¡¯t seen a single viger in Dongshan Vige and we also didn¡¯t find any ces where they were holding prisoners. They must have been able to flee in time! Master, let¡¯s not do anything here and find the people first!¡±


    ¡°Did you already go and look at the mountain vi up the mountain? How¡¯s the situation there?¡± Zhu Junyang took a deep breath. The fury within his phoenix eyes was enough to burn a man to ashes. He red fiercely at Lord Watanabe, who was currently sitting in Xiaocao¡¯s personal rocking chair and leisurely gnawing on a chicken leg. He snarled inside, ¡®That miserly littless never let me sit in her rocking chair in the past. You, you stinking dwarf, actually dare to sit in Xiaocao¡¯s chair. Once I guarantee mydy mother¡¯s and Xiaocao¡¯s safety, I¡¯m going to rip you into pieces!¡¯


    ¡°Master, the mountain vi has been locked up securely and the people inside must have retreated to safer grounds. Perhaps the Wokou pirates weren¡¯t able to find the vi because it¡¯s halfway up the mountain and hidden among the trees!¡± When Head Steward Liu saw the condition of the mountain residence, he had let out a sigh of relief. The princess consort must be safe somewhere!


    Zhu Junyang nodded in reply and then lowered his head to think for a bit. He mumbled to himself, ¡°Looks like mydy mother must have fled along with Xiaocao and the others to a safe refuge. But where would a hundred or so people from Dongshan Vige go?¡± As he spoke, he looked towards the lofty and grandiose West Mountain in the distance. He scowled slightly.


    ¡°Head Steward Liu, wait at the mouth of the vige for Xiaowu and Chunzi. Tell them to guard the mountain vi. If any little nasty piratese around, kill them instantly!¡± Zhu Junyang jumped down from the tall walls of the Yu Family¡¯s residence and dashed towards the direction of the West Mountain.


    Head Steward Liu hurried after him and lowered his voice as he projected, ¡°Master, where are you going ah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the West Mountain. Xiaocao is a sneaky littless and must have brought mydy mother and the vigers to hide in the mountain range! I¡¯m going to go find them!¡± Zhu Junyang felt even more desire to see Xiaocao. He knew, with that weird and clever littless around, hisdy mother would be perfectly safe!


    Head Steward Liu stated somewhat dispiritedly, ¡°Master, the mountain range is vast, do you know where Miss Yu took everyone? You¡¯re not very familiar with the terrain there. What if you encounter some vicious beasts...¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything else because his master had already ran into the mountain forest and had already disappeared into the thick vegetation. Head Steward Liu thought of the task that his master had given him and angrily went back to the entrance of the vige. He leapt onto the old elm tree that was there, which must have been at least a few hundred years old, to wait for the two imperial bodyguards to arrive.


    With what he knew about Xiaocao, Zhu Junyang could already guess where the littless had most likely taken all of the people. Zhu Junyang had gone a few times to Xiaocao¡¯s secret valley. The ravine not only had a bunch of beautiful and rare flora, but it also had a lot of wild herbs and fruit trees. The creek there also had lots of fish swimming in the waters. The most important part was that the secret valley was hard to find yet had no savage beasts. There were also enough caves in that area that could hold at least a few hundred people. This was naturally the best ce for the people to hide in!


    Zhu Junyang hurried in the direction that he remembered. He rejoiced inwardly that, in the past, he had used the excuse of guarding Xiaocao against any beasts and tagged along a few times. Thus, he had a decent idea of where to go.


    At this time, he felt tired, thirsty and hungry, but he could only continue to worry about hisdy mother and Xiaocao. With those thoughts on the forefront of his mind, he leapt through the thick vegetation that was about as tall as a man. In that short half an hour, he felt like time was creeping by slowly, as if it was slower than two days or even two years.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Not far from the inner forest shrouded by mist, a familiar figure jumped down from a tree. If he hadn¡¯t already recognized the person¡¯s voice, Zhu Junyang already would have attacked Commander Zheng and killed the other man, leaving a corpse on the forest ground.

 Chapter 399 – Drawn into an Embrace

    <h4>Chapter 399 ¨C Drawn into an Embrace</h4>


    ¡°Third Young Master, how are you here?¡± Commander Zheng almost didn¡¯t recognize the wan and sallow figure in front of him and eximed in surprise.


    After Zhu Junyang identified the person in front of him, he grabbed onto themander¡¯s shoulder and hurriedly said, ¡°Zheng Yun, mydy mother...and Yu Xiaocao, are they okay? Have they been injured?¡±


    Commander Zheng grimaced from the tight grip of the prince and stated, ¡°They¡¯re all okay, all okay! This subordinate will take you to see the princess consort now.¡±


    Zhu Junyang loosened his hold on the other man¡¯s shoulder and the tight feeling in his heart finally rxed. Commander Zheng led the way in front. After receiving Xiaocao¡¯s instructions, the mountain vi¡¯s guards were all patrolling within the misty and foggy forest.


    Commander Zheng took a brief nce at the royal prince and calcted the time. Yesterday, at around noon, the Wokou pirates had arrived. The capital was around four hundred kilometers away, and, at top speed, it must have beente at night when the news finally arrived. Third Young Master must have ran straight to Dongshan Vige as soon as he got the news ah!


    It only took him slightly more than a day of travel to get to Dongshan Vige. The prince absolutely must have ridden his horses at top speed in order to finish the four hundred kilometer journey so quickly. Just how many horses were dead of exhaustion from his trip? What about Third Young Master¡¯s ck Cloud? It couldn¡¯t have been left on the side of the road right? Although Third Young Master usually looked very cold and reserved, he had always been very filial to hisdy mother. No wonder the princess consort treated him more lovingly than the heir to the estate and Second Young Master. Her efforts had not been wasted on him!


    However, how could themander of the bodyguards know that the royal prince, who had been praised to be very extremely filial, was more worried about Yu Xiaocao at this moment? Although Zhu Junyang was also concerned about hisdy mother, there were still over twenty or so skilled bodyguards to protect her. In addition, the mountain residence also had a dozen or so servants to take care of her. It was likely that she was perfectly safe through all of this.


    As for the light of his heart, Yu Xiaocao, other than her parents, the rest of her family was either the elderly or the young. If they encountered the Wokou pirates, they had no way to resist ah! Throughout his whole breakneck journey, images of a tiny scared face and bloodied dress kept shing through his mind...the demon that had been hibernating for a long time in his heart finally started stirring up again. He did his best to squish down the violent tendencies inside him as he was afraid that if he lost control of himself, then he would lose precious time to get to the vige and Xiaocao would...


    Perhaps he didn¡¯t even notice it himself, but that clever and adorable littless now had a firm foothold in his heart. Her importance had even eclipsed the mother whom he respected and adored.


    They circled around the Dongshan vigers. Before long, Commander Zheng very quickly brought Royal Prince Yang to the cave that had been designated to them alone. As soon as he stepped into the cave, Zhu Junyang immediately spotted a slight figure in front of a simple stove in the corner. The person¡¯s back was turned towards him. In that second, all of the irritability had left his body. Seeing that familiar figure reassured his heart and it was as if some hole inside him had been crammed full.


    ¡°Third Young Master?¡± Commander Zheng turned his head and saw that the prince had stopped moving forward. The youth was staring fixedly at a corner, so the bodyguard couldn¡¯t help but call at him. It was as if he had just woken up from a dream. Zhu Junyang went forward withrge steps towards the figure that had been the object of his worries for so long.


    When the people outside the cave, who were all busy doing their tasks, saw Zhu Junyang, they all cried out in delighted surprise, ¡°Third Young Master!¡± and ¡°Your Royal Highness!¡±.


    The young royal prince? Wasn¡¯t he in the capital? A few days ago, she had gotten a letter from him that said that he probably still had half a month more before he finally finished his tasks. How could he suddenly appear at these caves? Yu Xiaocao was very confused as she turned around. Before she could clearly see what was going on, she had been pulled into a warm and gentle embrace.


    Yu Xiaocao stiffened for a moment. In both of her lives, she had never been this intimately held by a man before. The amount of heat on her face was almost enough to fry an egg. This hug was filled with the scent of a man, which had the slight aroma of sweat mixed in with the smell of ambergris. It didn¡¯t repel her at all. However...her face seemed to be stered against his rock-hard abdomen, if it went down a bit...Yu Xiaocao felt horrified at the thought and forcefully pushed against the prince.


    Madam Liu, who had been helping on the side, dropped the iron pot in her hands with a loud ng. She pointed at Zhu Junyang with a hand that shook with anger and worry. In front of all of these people, her youngest daughter had been embraced by Royal Prince Yang. Men and women needed to keep their distance from one another. What would happen to her youngest daughter¡¯s reputation now? If Royal Prince Yang was being sincere towards her Xiaocao, that was one thing! However, if the royal prince was only chasing after something novel...what would her poor Cao¡¯er do in the future?


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re okay, that¡¯s what matters. I¡¯ve been so worried!¡± Zhu Junyang felt his face flush when he saw his future mother-inw staring at him tantly. It definitely wasn¡¯t proper of him to hug a girl in front of her mother. However, he had been unable to control himself when his feelings overwhelmed him.


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that her mother had acted as if Sun Wukong had paralyzed her with an art with her eyes bugged open. She red fiercely at the troublemaker and then grumpily said, ¡°This older sister is doing just fine!¡±


    ¡°Calling yourself ¡®older sister¡¯ now eh? You¡¯re younger than me by seven to eight years! Instead, you really should be addressing me as Older Brother Junyang!¡± Zhu Junyang saw that her face had a healthy glow and her clothes were neat and tidy, so he was finally able to rx. He couldn¡¯t control his mouth and let out a sarcastic remark.


    ¡°In your dreams!!¡± Addressing him as ¡®Older Brother Junyang¡¯ would be too sickeningly corny. Yu Xiaocao roasted him in her mind, ¡®This older sister has lived two lives already and, with mybined age, I am old enough to be your aunt. You¡¯re out of luck if you want to take advantage of me!¡¯


    A hint of a smile curled onto the edge of Zhu Junyang¡¯s lips. He was about to say something when he frowned and sniffed at the air, ¡°What¡¯s this smell? Smells like some type of meat is burning...¡±


    ¡°My pheasant stewed with mushrooms! Mother, the food is burning! Quickly give the spat to me!¡± Yu Xiaocao also smelled the scent of something burning and hurriedly took the spat from Madam Liu¡¯s hands before sprinting towards the pot with the food cooking in it to flip the food. Luckily, only a few pieces of pheasant meat at the bottom of the pot had been burnt. The rest of the food was still edible.


    Zhu Junyang said a greeting as Xiaocao ran to rescue her ¡®pheasant stewed with mushrooms¡¯ and was then brought to the inner cave that Princess Consort Jing resided in by Meixiang. When Princess Consort Jing saw her son, she had a smile on her face while she shook her head ruefully. She lightly sighed, ¡°No wonder all of the matrons in the vige say that once a son is married he¡¯ll forget his mother. Xiaocao isn¡¯t even your wife yet but she¡¯s still more important to you than me, your mother.¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, just what are you saying? I only greeted her first because I saw her first. It was only a few sentences...¡± Zhu Junyang was obviously a bit embarrassed and had to say a few words to defend himself.


    ¡°Oh? Are you sure it was only a few sentences in greeting? Howe I heard from other people that as soon as you entered you went up to hug her, ah? And you even did that in front of her mother! If I was Xiaocao¡¯s mother, I would have long thrown the spat in my hands towards your head!¡± Princess Consort Jing suppressed the smile on her lips as she made fun of her son.


    Zhu Junyang replied somewhat sheepishly, ¡°Lady Mother, are you sure I¡¯m your biological son ah? How could my own mother say such weird things to me ah?¡±


    The mother and son were currently having their conversation in the inner cave. While that was happening, Madam Liu finally couldn¡¯t restrain herself from saying something in the outer cave. She softly said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, in the future, with the royal prince...try to keep some distance. You¡¯re still young right now but I need to tell you that when men and women interact together, the one that always loses out is the woman! Before marriage, you must not do any intimate actions...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought this was kind of funny. However, when she saw the worried look on her mother¡¯s face, she hurriedly nodded her head and said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry so much! I know what¡¯s proper and what¡¯s not. The young royal prince isn¡¯t that sort of man, earlier...it was probably because he was too concerned about us, so he forgot his manners.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been dependable since you were young, so I was only giving you a reminder. Please don¡¯t believe the flowery speech and promises of a man. As a woman, only when you respect yourself and love yourself will a man treat you with respect.¡±


    Madam Liu thought that her daughter was still too young for her to say things too explicitly. In the future, she would still have time to slowly teach her. She took out the pheasant stewed with mushrooms from the pot and divided the food into two tes. She gave the smaller te to one of the maids from the mountain vi to have her serve it to the princess consort. The environment within the caveplex was on the cruder side, and Xiaocao had a good hand at cooking, so the princess consort¡¯s meals were all made by her.


    Zhu Junyang smelled the delicious scenting towards the cave and saw Lanxianging in with the te of pheasant stewed with mushrooms. He grinned at Xiaocao and scampered over as he said, ¡°Oh! Looks like the food here is quite good! Looks like you¡¯ve all been living the good life here. I was all worried for nothing!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao inspected him from head to toe and frowned at the sight of his sloppy attire, ¡°Did youe straight from a refugee camp ah? Look at yourself, quickly go wash up in the small creek now...¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, how could you say such a thing to the royal prince? Quickly apologize to him now!¡± Madam Liu noticed that her youngest daughter hadn¡¯t been the least bit polite when addressing the prince and was afraid the prince would get angry. Thus, she hurriedly scolded her daughter.


    Zhu Junyang hastily pasted on a warm and gentle smile and spoke to his future mother-inw, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, Auntie! In the future, just consider me to be one of your family¡¯s nephews, no need to stand on such courtesy! Xiaocao speaking like this to me means she doesn¡¯t see me as an outsider. Makes me very happy ah!¡±


    ¡°Do you see now ah? He¡¯s the one asking for this...¡± Yu Xiaocao revealed a satisfied expression as if she had done something great.


    Zhu Junyang gave her a look that said ¡®just watch how I get back at you for this¡¯ and then followed Commander Zheng outside. They exited from the side and jumped down a few meters from a cliff. The ravine experienced all four seasons and right now they were at the end of spring. The water in the little creek wasn¡¯t considered too cold, so Zhu Junyang was able to wash off all of the dust and dirt from his body. After changing into a clean set of clothing, he felt as if all of the exhaustion had been washed away from him.


    When they were eating, Zhu Junyang actually wanted to sit at the same table as Yu Xiaocao. However, he decided to sit with his mother to take care of her and ended up reluctantly going into the inner cave. Princess Consort Jing quipped, ¡°Your eyes are almost glued onto thatss¡¯s body and can¡¯te back! Since you feel so reluctant, then go outside and eat with her. If I get to eat alone, I¡¯ll be able to eat more!¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, how could you possibly finish all of the food on this table? It¡¯s still better for me to help you finish it all!¡± Zhu Junyang picked up a pheasant leg and ced it into Princess Consort Jing¡¯s bowl on top of the rice before he continued, ¡°Before I left, my lord father repeatedly reminded me that I need to take good care of you. You need to eat more. If you get thinner, my father will peel the skin off of me!¡±


    ¡°You stinky brat, you only know how to make fun of me. Be careful or else your lord father will spank you.¡± A flush arose on Princess Consort Jing¡¯s face. She was already in her forties yet was still able to reveal bashful expressions like a young woman. Under the light of the luminous pearl, the smile on her face seemed to have a bit of elegance and splendor mixed together. It was no wonder she was able to have Imperial Prince Jing favor her alone for all these years.


    ¡°Lady Mother, please spare me ah! I don¡¯t dare to make fun of you...¡± Zhu Junyang took on the task of being Old Laizi [1] and did his best to tease his mother into a better mood. With her son by her side, Princess Consort Jing was quite happy and was able to eat a few more bites of her mealpared to before. The lightly stir-fried dishes in front of her tasted exceptionally good today...


    [1] Old Laizi (ÀÏÀ³×Ó) ¨C One of the exemrs from the 24 filial exemrs, behaved in a childish manner to amuse his parents and keep them happy.

 Chapter 400 – Lacking Food

    <h4>Chapter 400 ¨C Lacking Food</h4>


    The crisp sounds of birds chirping broke the silence in the mountain ravine. The first ray of warm sunlight peeked into the mouth of the cave. Zhu Junyang, who had been sleeping on the ground with the bodyguards outside of the cave, stood up and loosened his stiff and somewhat sore limbs. From time to time, he unconsciously looked towards a certain cave inside.


    All of the caves were currently silent without any movement. Other than the sounds of the bodyguards walking around, the rest of the cave system waspletely quiet. Before long, the maids and senior servants from the mountain vi had gotten up, washed up simply, and started to cook breakfast for the bodyguards and other servants.


    Zhu Junyang stretched his neck a bit. Howe there was no sound of movement in the Yu Family¡¯s cave? When would thatzyss, Yu Xiaocao, finally stop sleeping in? He had only arrived at this cest evening. After eating dinner with his mother and catching up, Yu Xiaocao had already gone inside her family¡¯s cave to start dreaming by the time he came out. The cave housed his future father and mother-inw, so he couldn¡¯t just walk in to bug their daughter under their noses. He could only resist the temptation within his heart and stroll around the outer cave system for a long time before he went to sleep.


    Finally, there were some sounds of movement in the middle cave. The first person toe out was a graceful young maiden who was wearing a simple set of cotton clothing. Her hair had beenbed into two hair buns. Happiness crawled onto Zhu Junyang¡¯s face and he stepped forward. However, once he got a closer look at the girl¡¯s face, he revealed a disappointed expression and said, ¡°Ah, good morning, Xiaolian!¡±


    Yu Xiaolian had noticed the disappointed look on the prince¡¯s face and covered her mouth to surreptitiously smile. Then she spoke to the royal prince, who was craning his neck so far that he almost entered the cave, ¡°Younger Sister will probably be sleeping for another hour before she gets up. Yesterday night she told me to tell you that if you woke up early, you could go to the small creek and catch some small white fish to bring back. That way, she could make some fish soup today. This is the ceramic pot that¡¯s already been baited, so you can use it...¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked a bit helpless, ¡°Thatss always knows how to order me around. How can I be forced to do such crudebor?¡± Despite hisints, he still took the ceramic pot that was offered to him. The littless wasn¡¯t going to get up for another hour. It was better to take a walk in the ravine a bit instead of staying here doing nothing. Getting some fresh air in the morning would be nice.


    He jumped into the valley and traveled to the bank of the creek. After taking off his shoes and stepping into the water, he looked at the white fish swimming in the water and idly thought, ¡®Why would I need to use bait to catch these fish? With my skills, how would I not be able to catch these fish easily?¡¯


    However, when he started to try without the bait, he immediately discovered that he had overestimated himself. The small white fish were nimble and were even more slippery than loaches. They darted back and forth between the rocks. Sometimes they would brush by his fingertips while other times they would swim around his feet as if they were teasing him.


    After trying for quite a bit of time, his body was covered with sweat and he didn¡¯t end up catching many. Now humbled, he could only ce the ceramic pot inside the creek and wait. Suddenly, a weird phenomenon urred. Those little white fish seemed to have been supernaturally drawn towards the ceramic pot and even lined up to go in. It was as if they were all squeezing in to do a pilgrimage to see a saint.


    He unconsciously frowned. Every time he was near Yu Xiaocao, he always felt like the littless had some sort of secret. This secret allowed her to go beyond the natural and do things that were considered impossible in this world. He was worried that, in the future, her mysterious power would cause trouble for her.


    However, with him around to protect her, other than the emperor or his imperial grandfather, no one else would be able to harm the littless before going through him first. He would be her shield and help her protect her secret and keep her safe. With him around, there was no one who could harm his littless. After thinking it through, Zhu Junyang gradually stopped frowning as his mood improved. His littless only needed to do whatever she wanted to do. Seeing her act naturally all the time was what he liked about her.


    By the time he brought back the ceramic pot full of fish and entered the entrance of the cave, Yu Xiaocao had already started cooking on the crude stovetop. She nced at Zhu Junyang, who had scuttled by, and didn¡¯t even raise her head as she said, ¡°Prepare the small white fish right now. I¡¯ll need to use them in a moment.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Zhu Junyang pointed incredulously at his nose and his voice had an undertone of obvious surprise. ¡°I know how to use swords, staves and how to kill enemies...I just don¡¯t know how to clean fish to eat...¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know how, you can always learn! Quickly go! I need to use them soon!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even raise her eyes as if ordering around a royal prince was something that came naturally to her.


    The servants from the prince¡¯s residence had already gotten used to this. They continued to do their tasks and not a single one came forward to help their master get out of this predicament. Princess Consort Jing stood at the entrance of her own cave and watched with obvious interest as her youngest son held the ceramic pot in his hands with a look of bewilderment on his face. She covered her mouth to hide the smirk on her face.


    In the end, Madam Liu graciously took over. She rolled her eyes at her daughter and then took the ceramic pot from Royal Prince Yang¡¯s hands. She then pointed at his wet pant legs and said, ¡°Your Highness, go change into some dry clothes. I¡¯ll take over the task of cleaning and preparing these fish for you.¡±


    Zhu Junyang smiled at her gratefully. The smile seemed to be even more brilliant than the rays of the rising sun and it blinded Madam Liu for a second. She could only think, ¡®The royal prince is too handsome. In fact, he¡¯s even more pretty than Xiaocao by a few fractions. Is this type of person really reliable?¡¯


    In actuality, if Madam Liu had the choice, she absolutely would not choose a husband like Royal Prince Yang for her daughter. They were a farmer¡¯s family so what they were looking for was someone who was steady and reliable for their daughter. The best would be to find someone who was around the same social level as them. That way, if their daughter got bullied in the future, they, as her parents, would be able to support her and negotiate. The royal prince was exceptionally handsome and also had an illustrious background. In the future, if he had a change of heart, all they could do for their daughter was to cry andment with her.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Madam Liu let out a heavy sigh and a worried frown crossed her face.


    Zhu Junyang thought that his future mother-inw disdained him for not being able to clean and prepare fish, so he hurriedly said, ¡°Auntie, in the future just call me Junyang ah. Always addressing me as ¡®Your Highness¡¯ is a bit too formal. If you have other things to do...you can teach me how to prepare the fish. I learn things very quickly.¡±


    Madam Liu shook her head and the frown didn¡¯t dissipate from her face, ¡°Your High...your hands aren¡¯t the type of hands used to prepare fish, right? Quickly go change into a dry set of clothing ah. The temperature in these caves are colder in the morning and night, so you shouldn¡¯t get chilled.¡±


    When Zhu Junyang saw that his future mother-inw was concerned about him and that he didn¡¯t need to prepare the fish, he obediently followed her suggestion and went back to his own cave dwelling to change clothes. Princess Consort Jing gleefullymented, ¡°Oh ho! Whose son is so obedient now? Usually no one ever listens to my words. Sigh...what¡¯s the point in raising sons ah? It only benefits other people in the long run!¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother!¡± In the past two years, her youngest son didn¡¯t have any of his violent spells anymore and it seemed like the demon in his heart had been suppressed. Because of that, Princess Consort Jing was able to set down one of her big worries and be more cheerful. Every day she seemed to like to pick on her youngest son, and Zhu Junyang had no choice but to go along with it.


    Princess Consort Jing pretended to use the handkerchief in her hands to dab at the non-existent tears in her eyes as she curled her lip, ¡°Okay ah! You haven¡¯t even married your wife yet you already think that I, your mother, is being too irksome. Sigh...life is too cruel ah. I spent twenty years raising my sons and I¡¯ve gotten nothing in return ah!¡±


    Zhu Junyang helplessly went around his mother and entered the cave to change his clothes. He was too busy to pay any attention to her fakements and woes. He couldn¡¯t give her attention at this point. Otherwise, she wouldtch on and not let go. The only strategy he could do was to ignore her and let her talk it out.


    Breakfast was on the simpler side. They each had some thick white rice congee, griddled tbread and a bowl of fragrant fish soup. The smell of food lingered in the caves whenever they ate and took a long time to dissipate. Today, the Yu Family, Liu Family, and Princess Consort Jing and her son all sat together in a corner outside their caves to partake in the meal. They found a few rocks that were mostly t to act as their table. Other than Princess Consort Jing, who was sitting on a cushion, everyone else sat on the ground as they ate the food with gusto.


    ¡°Father, we don¡¯t have much grain leftover from what we brought. If we scrimp and save, we should be able tost until tomorrow morning.¡± Yu Xiaocao drank the fish soup as she frowned with a worried look on her face.


    Yu Hai sighed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how long these Wokou pirates will stay until they leave...how about, tomorrow I¡¯ll go walk around the mountain a bit and see if I can hunt down arger animal or something...¡±


    Zhu Junyang scowled and said, ¡°How about I take Zheng Yun and the others to go into Dongshan Vige and snatch some grain back. While we are there, we can also kill a few pirates and allow me to vent my temper on them!¡±


    When he found out that the pirates were attacking, he sped all the way over to Dongshan Vige on horseback. The rage in his heart hadn¡¯t gone away. If he wasn¡¯t worried about hisdy mother¡¯s and Xiaocao¡¯s safety, he would have already charged into Dongshan Vige and started ughtering the pirates by the dozens to relieve his fury.


    Princess Consort Jing remarked out of concern, ¡°There are quite a number of Wokou pirates, at least a hundred to two hundred! We don¡¯t have many people on our side, so we can¡¯t act rashly. Meixiang, how much grain do we have leftover now? Let¡¯s go with Yu Hai¡¯s suggestion and hunt some game down to add to our food stores to hopefully stretch it out for a few more days. When the residence¡¯s private armyes, then we can beat those pirates into a pulp.¡±


    When Imperial Prince Jing was younger, he had traveled throughout the country with the emperor emeritus to the battlefields, so he was also considered a martial prince. Thus, all of his sons had also learned martial arts since they were young and they were quite interested in it. Naturally, this all influenced Princess Consort Jing so she would also asionally reveal a more warlike side of her.


    Although Zhu Junyang really wanted to ughter the Wokou pirates willy nilly but he couldn¡¯t bear to disobey hisdy mother and cause her to be worried. He stamped down on the outrage inside his heart. After finishing breakfast, Zhu Junyang and a few other bodyguards left the cave system and went deeper in the West Mountain with Yu Hai as their guide.


    Some of the vigers, when fleeing for their lives, had lost all of their luggage, so these two days passed like a year for them. Madam Zhang and Yu Dashan were two of those people. At first, they had brought too much stuff along with them and had almost fallen into the hands of the pirates, so they had thrown their belongings away to run. Other than the money that Madam Zhang hid on her body, the two of them had nothing else other than the clothes on their backs. During the crazy run, they had also lost Madam Li somewhere in the chaos. Even now she had not met up with the other vigers.


    Originally, some vigers thought that these two looked quite pitiful and would give out some food for them to eat. However, after two days had passed, none of the vigers had much food left as all of them had packed lightly. They couldn¡¯t even feed their own family members anymore so how could they give out food to feed these two?


    Luckily, the bodyguards from the prince¡¯s residence had told them that there were no wild beasts in the valley and that some wild vegetables and fruits could be found. As long as they worked hard, they should be able to fill their bellies. When the news traveled throughout the vigers, it brought hope to all of them. Thus, the tranquil and peaceful environment in the ravine was quickly broken by the vigers. All of the flowers in the valley had been trampled t by the hungry vigers who didn¡¯t know any better as they scrounged for food.


    The group that had gone out to hunt today was quite lucky. They hade across a family of four wild boars. The adult wild boars had thick skins and most ordinary arrows couldn¡¯t prate their hides. However, the bodyguards from the residence were all skilled. By surrounding the animals with their superior numbers, they very quickly took down the family of wild pigs. The two adult boars weighed around four hundred to five hundred catties in total. The two juvenile ones were about half grown, so they also provided about a hundred catties of meat too.

 Chapter 401 – Surprise Attack in the Rain

    <h4>Chapter 401 ¨C Surprise Attack in the Rain</h4>


    The weather at the end of spring had cool mornings and evenings. However, around noon, it was quite hot. The meat from the wild pig could not be left out for too long or else people would get sick from eating it. After getting Zhu Junyang¡¯s permission, Yu Hai gave one adult pig and one half-grown pig to the vigers. He even helped them to cut it into smaller chunks to divide amongst everyone there.


    The vigers only brought food along with them that was easily stored. Other than a few people who brought some dried meat along, the rest of them only carried some coarse grain to whet their hunger. Now with two catties of wild boar meat per family, most of them were very grateful towards Yu Hai and Royal Prince Yang.


    For the past two years, the vigers at Dongshan Vige had pretty good lives and weren¡¯t as poor as they were before. In previous years, they were only able to eat some meat during the New Years. Now they were usually able to buy around a half catty of meat every couple of months so that their children could eat some. Two catties of wild pig meat were worth around a hundred copper coins on the market!


    However, there were also people who had greedy hearts, such as Madam Zhang and her son, Yu Dashan. In their eyes, Yu Hai only strolled around the forest for a bit to get a lot of boar meat. That meant the Yu Family had been eating a lot of meat in these past two days! In contrast, they had only been eating wild vegetables, fruits and whatever they could scrounge. It was a worse living situation than the disaster year so they felt very resentful about this. A me of hatred ignited in their hearts towards Yu Hai and his family!


    At noon, Yu Xiaocao made a giant pot of twice-cooked pork and also braised the pig¡¯s head and intestines. Although she didn¡¯t have all of the spices needed, with the mystic-stone water on hand, the taste was still eptable. She soaked the remaining boar¡¯s meat in mystic-stone water. The caves were rtively cool so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to store the raw meat for one to two days.


    However, when she was making lunch, Yu Xiaoao discovered that there was barely any white rice or white flour left. Everyone else could endure eating more coarse fare as they had lived through hard times before. However, the princess consort had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth and had been pampered all of her life. Herplexion had be more sallow in these past two days. Her body was already weak to begin with and she wasn¡¯t able to sleep very well on the hard rock bed in the caves. If she couldn¡¯t eat well either, it was possible she wouldn¡¯t be able to endure much longer.


    Yu Xiaocao brought this problem up to Zhu Junyang and analyzed the pros and cons. Yu Hai and Commander Zheng were also present. The group was silent for a bit before Zhu Junyang finally frowned and said, ¡°No need to worry. Tonight, I¡¯ll go into the vige and snatch some grain to bring back! The estate¡¯s private army should be here by tomorrow or, at thetest, the day after tomorrow. Just endure another two days and then we¡¯ll figure things out!¡±


    Yu Hai thought for a bit and nodded his head, ¡°This morning there were red clouds all throughout the sky which means it will probably rain in the early evening. We can use the cover of the rain and strike when they are least expecting it! Our cer at home has plenty of grain but I just don¡¯t know if the pirates moved it all out!¡±


    Zhu Junyang lightly shook his head, ¡°They probably haven¡¯t taken all of the grain! The leader of the Wokou pirates and a few of his close subordinates are all living in your residence. They need to eat and drink too, so they absolutely wouldn¡¯t take everything to the ships. This evening, we will also investigate their ships. The best case scenario would be to damage them. Once my family¡¯s soldiers arrive, they won¡¯t be able to escape even if they wanted to!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her eyes and looked at him glowingly, ¡°You want to damage their ships ah? I can help with this! I¡¯m great at swimming so those little bastards definitely won¡¯t be able to spot me!¡±


    ¡°Not okay! This is work reserved for men, not something that a littless like you can do!¡± Zhu Junyang gave her a look from his seductive eyes and immediately killed her hope in the cradle.


    Yu Xiaocao glowered at him with wide eyes and remarked with disdain, ¡°Someone who has lost against me has no right to decide what I can do!¡± Usually when she dove in the ocean, Zhu Junyang would also sometimese along to swim a fewps. His swimming ability was cultivated hastily before he left for his journey to the western hemisphere, so he naturally wasn¡¯t as good as Yu Xiaocao, who had been born and bred by the ocean. Even if Xiaocao didn¡¯t have her cheat item, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to win against her.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, the royal prince¡¯s swimming abilities may not be that good but I, your father, swim very well, right? Just stay back here like a good girl and chat with Her Royal Highness to pass the time. This isn¡¯t a game!¡± Yu Hai was on the same side as Zhu Junyang as he also didn¡¯t want his daughter to go into a dangerous situation.


    Yu Xiaocao pouted her lips and continued to fight, ¡°Father, you also don¡¯t believe in me? Don¡¯t you already know my abilities by now? I can hold my breath longer in the water than you can ah! Let me go ah, I promise that I¡¯ll listen to everyone¡¯s orders and I won¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary. You never know, I may be of big help, right? Father~~~¡±


    She knew that whenever she acted cute in front of her father, his heart would melt. So she deliberately elongated the sybles on thatst ¡®father¡¯ she said in an adorable manner. It wasn¡¯t only Yu Hai who was affected, even Zhu Junyang felt his defenses copsing at her act. The two men looked at each other and Zhu Junyangpromised, ¡°You cane along too, but you must stay very close by my side. You¡¯re not allowed to act on your own and rush into danger. You¡¯re also not allowed to...¡±


    ¡°Alright, I know, I know!¡± Yu Xiaocao was very pleased with this development and casually waved a hand at him while making a funny face.


    Zhu Junyang was speechless, ¡°...¡±


    This littless only knew how to act cute and adorable around her father. When it came to himself, there wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of warmth or charm from her. Did she think he was a pushover? In the future, he needed to show her his strength in order to avoid being underestimated and disrespected!


    Young Royal Prince, you were truly making too much of this! Everyone knew that chasing a wife required patience. You have only just started yet you want to show your dominance now? Patience...


    In the early evening, arge rainstorm started as expected. The sky darkened into inky ckness and sheets of rain poured from the sky. The ¡®whooshing¡¯ sound of rain in the mountain forest permeated the air as if a waterfall had appeared nearby. Zhu Junyang put on his rain jacket that was woven in the afternoon and looked at the pouring rain outside of the cave. He then said to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°The rain ising down so hard, so you should stay here instead. Otherwise, you might get sick from the cold and wet!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was wearing a woven rush raincoat that was in a smaller size and even wore arge woven hat that was slightly too big for her. When she heard him saying this, she rolled her eyes and rebutted, ¡°Why did you change your mind now? If I want to go to the ships and you don¡¯t allow me to go, aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll sneak along anyway?¡±


    When he thought of how the littless acted in the past, it was quite likely she would do that! Zhu Junyang felt his head start to throb with a headache. He couldn¡¯t help but remind her a few times, ¡°Okay, but remember, you must be at my side the entire...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying! You¡¯re like an old man, always repeating the same things and nagging nonstop! Let¡¯s go, it¡¯ll take us some time to get out of the mountains, we can¡¯t dy this mission!¡± Yu Xiaocao rudely interjected after bing impatient.


    Zhu Junyang could only helplessly close his mouth. The littless couldn¡¯t be scolded or hit. He really could do nothing against her!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s sharkskin swimsuit was in her room and she didn¡¯t take it with her when they fled up the mountain. Zhu Junyang made the decision to first go to the Yu Family to steal grain while also grabbing the littless¡¯s swimsuit at the same time.


    The storm came quickly yet settled down fast too. By the time they got to the foot of the mountain, the downpour of rain had already decreased into a misty small rain. Darkness had fallen and all of Dongshan Vige was enveloped in the embrace of night. Zhu Junyang, Yu Hai and his daughter, as well as a dozen bodyguards from the mountain vi surreptitiously snuck closer to the Yu Family¡¯s old residence.


    Perhaps it was because of the earlier storm but all of the pirates living in the Yu Residence had already gone to bed! The head of the Wokou pirates was living in the east courtyard of the residence, so that area was more heavily guarded. The west courtyard was moreckadaisical. There were only two pirates on night guard and both of them were yawning continuously. They stood listlessly under the eaves of the roof. From the main room and the side rooms, the sounds of roaring snores permeated the air.


    These snores were a bit like a luby and made the people on guard feel even more sleepy. One of the pirates let out a giant yawn and rubbed at the water that came out of his eyes when he yawned. He addressed the other guard, ¡°I¡¯m going to lean against this wall for now and sleep for a bit. Keep an eye out. In a bit, I¡¯ll switch with you!¡±


    After he spoke, he sat down on a small stool under the roof and leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. The other pirate struggled to stand up crookedly. The gentle sounds of rain lulled him until his eyelids felt heavier and heavier. Just as they were about to close, he opened them suddenly and stared listlessly into the air. Following that, his eyes slowly started to close again...after a few repeat cycles, his eyes finally closedpletely...


    In that split second, Zhu Junyang and Commander Zheng, who had been lying in the shadows in ambush, appeared in a sh. Each of them muffled one of the guards and then cruelly twisted their heads with a snap! Zhu Junyang quickly observed the area outside the room and then gave a look towards themander of the bodyguards. The two of them dragged the two dead pirates to a more hidden area¡ª¡ªhis littless was a bit cowardly so he didn¡¯t want her to be scared at the sight of dead people!


    The Yu Family¡¯s storeroom in the west courtyard had already been cleaned out by the pirates and the sounds of thundering snores could be heard from that room. Yu Hai made a hand signal towards them. The back courtyard had a more hidden cer and there was quite a bit of grain, dried meat, and preserved ducks and chickens there. He didn¡¯t know if that had been discovered yet by the intruders.


    Yu Xiaocao followed Zhu Junyang from behind and sneaked around like a thief on her tiptoes as she headed towards the back courtyard of her home. After the storm passed, it washed away all of the mud and dirt on top of the wooden door to the cer. The wooden door was now apparent. Yu Hai used his strength to open up the door and came down the woodendder that was inside. The underground cer still had grain stored. He pulled up a dozen bags of white rice and white flour and also grabbed a few air-dried ducks and chickens. He also filled a basket with chicken eggs to bring up.


    When they exited the underground cer, the rain had already stopped. Each of the dozen bodyguards had a bag of grain on their back and their hands weren¡¯t free either. They were all holding dried ducks, chickens, or baskets of eggs. They silently headed towards the west mountains with the stolen food. As for the pirates in the west courtyard, all of them were still sleeping like a bunch of dead pigs.


    Zhu Junyang, Yu Hai, Yu Xiaocao, and Commander Zheng were the only four left in the residence. The moon gate between the east and west courtyard had been tightly closed. Commander Zheng jumped over the wall and then opened the gate. All four of them then entered the east courtyard.


    The moon peeked through a crack in the clouds to reveal half of itself and curiously regarded these four people who were still up in the middle of the night. Yu Xiaocao used the light from the moon to look at the vegetables nted in the courtyard. All of the vegetables had been squashed into a giant mess into the ground. She felt a fire of rage light up in her heart. She wished she could incinerate all of these damned Wokou pirates right now to quench her rage!


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, once my subordinatese over with my men, I will definitely ughter all of these pirates as revenge for you!¡± Zhu Junyang casually held onto Xiaocao¡¯s small hand and squeezed it gently. Her small hand felt very supple and soft as if she didn¡¯t have any bones in it. The skin on her hand felt smooth and fine as if he was touching the best quality mutton-fat jade and it felt veryfortable in his hands. He didn¡¯t want to let go, what to do?


    ¡°Ahem, ahem!!¡± Yu Hai noticed that his daughter was being taken advantage of at this point. He didn¡¯t care that it was a royal prince doing it, he still felt upset and frowned deeply. He red at the man who was holding his daughter¡¯s hand and it was as if there were mesing out of his eyes. He wished he had a knife in his hands right now so he could cut off this Deng Tuzi¡¯s [1] hands immediately.


    Royal Prince Yang couldn¡¯t continue to be brazen in front of his future father-inw. Although he didn¡¯t want to let go, he still released his hold at the same time Xiaocao shook him off. Otherwise, it¡¯d be very unlikely that the littless would be able to push him away with just her little strength.


    Xiaocao and Xiaolian¡¯s room was on the east side of the main room. They could hear the sounds of around seven to eight pirates snoring from that room.

 Chapter 402 – The Royal Prince Gets Seriously Injured

    <h4>Chapter 402 ¨C The Royal Prince Gets Seriously Injured</h4>


    Zhu Junyang was furious. He had never stepped into his littless¡¯s bedroom before yet these damned bastards were snoring in her room and lying down on the kang bed that she used to sleep on. That was not okay! These bastards all needed to die immediately!


    Consequently, the whole room full of Wokou pirates was sent down to greet the King of Hell in their dreams with the help of Zhu Junyang and Commander Zheng.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s room had beenpletely messed up by the pirates. Her better sets of clothing had been all moved onto the pirates¡¯ ship to bring back to theirnd. Even if they couldn¡¯t sell them, the clothing could be given to their own women to wear. As for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s and Xiaolian¡¯s old clothing, they had all been unceremoniously thrown onto the floor.


    Their swimsuits had been stuffed into a corner of their room. It took a bit of searching for Zhu Junyang to finally find them. He had never expected that the first time he entered his littless¡¯s room would be under circumstances like these. He looked at how thess¡¯s bedroom had been defiled and had a sudden desire to poke more holes into these dead pirates with his sword.


    However, after thinking a bit, he decided not to act on that impulse. How could thess live in this room that had been dyed with blood? And all of these dead pirates...they needed to take them out to prevent Xiaocao from having misgivings about living here in the future. Right then and there, he came up with the idea that once the pirates were all eradicated he was going to take out money to have the Yu Family¡¯s old residencepletely renovated. It wouldn¡¯t befortable for his littless to live in a ce where people were killed.


    The seven to eight pirate corpses that were in the east room had all been moved out by Zhu Junyang and Commander Zheng and thrown into the nearby mountain forest for beasts to drag away. Inside the forest, Yu Xiaocao changed into her sharkskin swimsuit and then the four of them snuck out under the light of the moon towards the beach.


    To get to the ocean required going through the entire vige. When she saw that the vast majority of houses and residences had been burnt to a crisp in the vige, Yu Xiaocao felt rage burning inside her. These bastards were really too evil. Stealing the vigers¡¯ things was one thing, but what was the point in burning down their homes? She also rejoiced that the vigers had all fled. Otherwise, those cruel and vicious bastards wouldn¡¯t have shown any mercy to them! The sorrowful sight in front of her further solidified her desire to sabotage all of the pirates¡¯ ships tonight.


    In a dark and secluded area of the reef, Yu Xiaocao easily slipped into the ocean and seemed to be one with the water. It was as if she had turned into a cute dolphin, swimming swiftly in the ocean. Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t catch her even when he tried and could only stare nkly as she swum further and further away to be a hazy ck dot in the distance.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t we agree that you were going to stick close to me ah? You forget your promises so quickly!¡¯ Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t vent his temper right now. Fortunately, Yu Hai¡¯s swimming abilities were decent and he stuck closely to Xiaocao in the water. Only then did the prince feel his anxiety drop.


    Once they got to the bottom of the Wokou pirates¡¯ ship, the father and daughter pair were both like oysters and clung tenaciously to the bottom of the ship. With chisels in their hands, they forcefully started to chip at the hull.


    [Little Divine Stone, are you there?] Trying to damage the hull of the ship underwater was truly an arduous task. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but try to find some outside help.


    [Don¡¯t talk to me, this divine stone doesn¡¯t have much energy and I¡¯m currently in the middle of cultivating...] The little divine stone thought that it personally contributed a lot to the previous events, so it decided to use this as an excuse for the near future to not help.


    [Such nonsense! You helped me a lot thisst time and you managed to save so many lives at the Tanggu Docks and Dongshan Vige. You must have gained a lot of energy for these deeds so it¡¯s more likely that your cultivation has increased tremendously and your energy restored! Stop making excuses and start helping out now!] It¡¯d be more surprising if Yu Xiaocao believed the lying stone¡¯s words.


    It was getting harder and harder to fool its master. The little divine stone rolled its eyes. However, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t wrong at all. At this time, the little divine stone had gained a lot of energy and the fetters on its body had loosened again. With its cultivation increased, now it could form a material body and speak!


    This time its ability to make a physical form wasn¡¯t like the past when it could only be a little kitten. As long as it wanted to, it could take the form of a child around three to four years old and also make ordinary people around it hear it talk. This was already a great improvement. It was confident that, before long, it would regain all of its cultivation, break through its chains, and travel to the heavens, leaving behind this godforsaken ce. It could finally return to Goddess Nuwa¡¯s side...


    It epted its fate and channeled some spiritual energy into Xiaocao¡¯s arm. Yu Xiaocao suddenly had supernatural strength in the arm holding the chisel and the damage she inflicted upon the hull increased. After a few more pushes, a giant hole appeared at the bottom of the ship. Ocean water rushed into the ship and the hole became wider and wider. The ship slowly started to sink...


    The Wokou pirates, who were on the ship guarding it, very quickly discovered that there was something wrong. Sounds of them jabbering could be heard and some went down into the ship to patch the hole while others looked over the sides of the ship. The other three people weren¡¯t like Xiaocao with the little divine stone to help them breathe underwater. Very soon, one of the pirates on the ship had spotted Zhu Junyang swimming in the water.


    ¡°The enemy is attacking! There are people in the water attacking the ships!¡± The pirates on the ship hollered. Following that, the sounds of a few people dropping into the water could be heard. A dozen or so pirates who were good at swimming headed towards the four people to pincer them.


    If they were on drynd, these dozen or so pirates wouldn¡¯t be able to do much against Royal Prince Yang. However, in the water, Zhu Junyang was like a tiger who had its fangs pulled out and he couldn¡¯t put up a real fight. Yu Xiaocao swam up to him and pulled on his arm to take him towards another ship in the water. Yu Hai did the same for Commander Zheng to help the other man swim. Naturally, with another person dragging them down, their speed in the water decreased. The pirates who were swimming after them slowly caught up.


    At this time, a group of little dolphins swam over and used their heads to push the humans through the water. Among them was the little dolphin that was Xiaocao¡¯s good friend, Xiaobu. Apparently, every time Xiaocao entered the water she emitted the tell-tale signature of spiritual energy, which spread throughout the water. Xiaobu was able to sense it very quickly and always swam over to find her to meet up.


    With the help of the little dolphins, the speed of the four people increased again. They were able to evade the pirates in the water and damage all of the hulls of the other ships that the Wokou pirates had brought over. The number of pirates in the water increased steadily and it was starting to get hard to avoid them. Zhu Junyang and Commander Zheng encountered a few of them and ended up getting injured in the process.


    At this time, another batch of pirates were swimming over. Yu Xiaocao made a hand signal towards her father, hinting that he should take the heavily injured Commander Zheng back tond. She, on the other hand, stuck onto the little dolphin¡¯s back and secretly headed towards one of the Wokou pirates. Yu Hai was so worried that tears almost came to his eyes. It was such a dangerous situation and his daughter didn¡¯t have any skill at fighting. If she was discovered by the pirates, she was done for!


    However, he was currently holding onto Commander Zheng, who had lost consciousness. If he didn¡¯t bring the heavily injured man tond to get treatment, themander of the bodyguards would likely perish here. Yu Hai wasn¡¯t able to leave behind a wounded person so he could only swim towardsnd with his heart in his mouth.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw her actions. This Yu Xiaocao was really too disobedient. Was this the time to y around? If she wasn¡¯t careful, she would end up losing her life...however, despite his worry, he didn¡¯t have any methods left for him any more. He was currently tussling with two pirates and couldn¡¯t break free from their grasp. Since part of his attention was on thatss, Xiaocao, he wasn¡¯t careful and ended up getting stabbed in the leg by one of the pirates. Fresh blood dyed the water around him and started to spread throughout the ocean.


    Perhaps it was because the little dolphin swam around the pirate¡¯s line of sight, but Xiaocao found it very easy to sneak up on him. The chisel in her hand shed with a cold light. If someone was looking closely, they would be able to make out a faint golden hue on the tool. The chisel, which had been strengthened with the little divine stone¡¯s spiritual power, wasn¡¯t an ordinary weapon anymore.


    When she was about a meter away from the unsuspecting Wokou pirate, she jumped off the little dolphin¡¯s back and silently swam to the pirate. The chisel in her hand shed and she stabbed it towards the left side of the pirate where the heart was located. It slid into the pirate as if the person in front of her wasn¡¯t made of flesh and blood but of tofu instead. The tool embedded itself deeply into the pirate beforeing up. Dark colored blood oozed out of the pirate. That pirate didn¡¯t even have the chance to struggle before he sank into the deep ocean waters.


    This was the first time she had killed a human being in both of her lives. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any time to feel scared or any other emotion when another pirate started swimming in her direction. She hurriedly climbed back up onto the little dolphin¡¯s back and had the creature bring her far away. With the little divine stone helping them out, the little dolphin shot off like an arrow from a bow into the water. In a moment, the two of them swam a great distance.


    After circling around the scene, Yu Xiaocao came back as she wasn¡¯t convinced that the young royal prince¡¯s water skills were good enough. She saw that he was currently entangled with two pirates and didn¡¯t have the chance to surface to breathe more air. Those two pirates were likely trying to keep him underwater so that they could drown him in the ocean.


    In actuality, Zhu Junyang felt like his chest was about to explode fromck of air. His movements gradually slowed down and the wounds on his body increased. He felt like this was the day when his life would be over. The only bit of regret he had in his heart was that he wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to marry Yu Xiaocao and have her be his wife anymore. Sigh...perhaps it was his destiny to spend his life alone, the bane of everyone¡¯s existence...


    He felt his mind starting to turn dark as bubbles spewed out of his mouth. As his body got heavier and heavier, there was a force that seemed to bring him up. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was an illusion or real. When he couldn¡¯t hold onto his breath any longer, the substance he breathed in wasn¡¯t seawater but fresh air!


    Yu Xiaocao had attacked one of the pirates who was besieging the young royal prince and then went underwater to drag the drowning Zhu Junyang away. She then directed the dolphin to swim in the direction of another pirate. Xiaobu seemed to have its heart linked with hers and swam over to drag the two of them away. It swam very quickly to escape with them. She hadn¡¯t fed the little dolphin with mystic-stone water in vain.


    Zhu Junyang, who was able to breathe again, gradually regained consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he saw Yu Xiaocao¡¯s delicate and pretty little face. The expression on that little face looked quite solemn and her pair ofrge eyes seemed to have a hint of concern. Was she worried about him? Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but wonder about this.


    Unexpectedly, Xiaocao looked over at this time and met his eyes. When she saw that he was awake, the littless seemed to let out a sigh of relief and then fiercely red at him. Zhu Junyang revealed a dazzling smile at her and he didn¡¯t even notice the pain of his wounds anymore.


    He was currently so close to his littless and could feel warmthing off the other person. In addition, it seemed like her body was giving off that particr smell of a young maiden...Eh? Apparently he wasn¡¯t dreaming, he...really could breathe underwater! He moved his nose closer to Xiaocao and deeply inhaled. It smelled so good. It was a scent that could clean a person¡¯s heart and he couldn¡¯t help but want to smell more.


    ¡°Are you a dog ah?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s breath tickled the back of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s neck. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t take it anymore. If this guy wasn¡¯t injured, she would have pushed him away long ago.

 Chapter 403 – Inhumane

    <h4>Chapter 403 ¨C Inhumane</h4>


    Eh? The littless could actually speak underwater? Zhu Junyang was even more surprised and his eyes opened wide. This was truly unbelievable! His littless was too awesome. She not only could speak normally and breathe underwater but he also gained the same skills when he was by her side...perhaps Xiaocao was the reincarnation of the ocean¡¯s Dragon King¡¯s daughter? Although it seemed a bit far fetched, he couldn¡¯t help but think along those lines in the face of the impossible.


    Yu Xiaocao pulled Zhu Junyang onto a shallow reef as if she was dragging a dead dog. The Wokou pirates in the water had long been left behind by her. On the dark and silent reef they watched as the ships, which were not far from them, slowly sank into the sea. The ship that they had damaged first had already sunk down and its masts almost weren¡¯t visible.


    Since Zhu Junyang had lost quite a bit of blood, his head felt very dizzy and heavy. He leaned against a rock and a smile appeared on his ghastly white face, ¡°Although it was dangerous, we still managed toplete our mission perfectly!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t give him a happy look and instead scrunched up her face, ¡°Perfect? Just what was perfect about any of this? It was so perfect that you almost lost your life and became shark feed!¡±


    The smile on his face became even more enchanting and there was a hint of trying to obtain favor in it, ¡°I owe a lot to you for today, Xiaocao. Otherwise my life really would have been lost in this section of seawater. Tell me, how can I thank you properly?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Who was the one who said that I don¡¯t know martial arts and would only slow the group down so you didn¡¯t want to bring me along?¡± Yu Xiaocao trembled as she began to settle her previous grievances.


    ¡°It was my bad! I apologize to you for looking down on you!¡± Zhu Junyang followed her lead and the look he had in his eyes as he gazed at her had be extremely gentle. The littless absolutely had some kind of secret. If she didn¡¯t want to talk about it, then he was just going to pretend he didn¡¯t notice it. He was willing to bury her secret deep within his heart and not say a peep.


    Yu Xiaocao nted a look at him and began to make her request, ¡°Then...in the future if something else like thises up, will you still refuse to let mee along?¡±


    ¡°Uhh...that really depends on the situation. If it¡¯s too dangerous, then it¡¯s better if only men like me go. As ass, all you need to do is hide behind me...¡± Zhu Junyang immediately refused the request. No matter what, he didn¡¯t want his littless to get her hands stained with blood and he was even more reluctant to have her be put into dangerous situations.


    Yu Xiaocao red angrily at him, ¡°Before we came, that¡¯s what you said but look what happened, ah? If there wasn¡¯t a littless like me along, wouldn¡¯t all of you men be an easy banquet for these Wokou pirates?!¡±


    ¡°Ahem ahem...how could I be an easy banquet? It¡¯s not as though those Wokou pirates arepletely savage and are willing to eat raw meat...¡± Zhu Junyang had lost all of his face so he hemmed and hawed. It took quite a bit of effort for him to sit up on the reef and move his arms and legs. When he was in the water, his wounds had ached furiously and he thought that he had been seriously injured. However, now he discovered that these were all superficial wounds. Although the injured areas were all a bit white from being in the water, none of them were serious.


    Zhu Junyang felt quite puzzled by this discovery. He was pretty sure he remembered that there were a few serious injuries. In fact, one of the pirates had hurt him near his heart. Howe there weren¡¯t any problems there right now? He felt his chest. It ached a little but other than that minor pain, he didn¡¯t have any other feelings.


    The little divine stone, which was on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wrist, felt quite proud. It arrogantly boasted to its master, [This divine stone saved your man, how are you going to thank this stone?]


    [What are you being so arrogant for, speaking like the prince? Where did you learn this from? Saving a person¡¯s life is more meritorious than building a seven-level pagoda. This is also something that will help you regain your cultivation and spiritual powers. This is a mutually beneficial act for you to do. That being said, that fellow is absolutely not my man!] Yu Xiaocao was not going to fall for its act. This stone must have some sort of crazy request on mind so she needed to prevent it from acting up.


    [Hmph! This divine stone is generous and open-minded so I won¡¯t bother to quibble with you!] However, she didn¡¯t expect the little divine stone to let it go so easily. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know that this fellow was currently smugly thinking, ¡®Apparently saving the young royal prince is as helpful in increasing my cultivation as saving my master herself. My master is still in denial, hmph hmph! In the future, we¡¯ll see what happens to you.¡¯ The little divine stone didn¡¯t say anything else and went back into the multi-colored stone to continue cultivating.


    All of the more serious injuries on Zhu Junyang¡¯s body had been healed by the little divine stone while Yu Xiaocao swam through the water with him. The remaining injuries were mostly some superficial wounds that would heal after resting a bit. The only other issue was that he had lost too much blood, but that was easily fixed. When they got back, Xiaocao just had to make him some medicinal cuisine to nurse his body back to full health.


    ¡°Oi! At this time, all of the Wokou pirates who were on the ships should be grouping up onnd to start looking for us! If we leave now, we will probably be caught by them. What do you think we should do now?¡± Yu Xiaocao used her foot to lightly kick at Zhu Junyang¡¯s leg as she asked.


    Zhu Junyang thought for a bit and proposed, ¡°It¡¯s probably better if we circle around to the neighboring vige. Although there are probably Wokou pirates there, most of them should be sleeping. If we¡¯re careful, there should be no problems!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao considered his n and then nodded, ¡°Okay! Then we¡¯ll just circle around to the neighboring vige...I don¡¯t know if Zhuang Xiaomo was able to escape or not.¡±


    Before the pirates arrived, they had already made a n with Zhuang Xiaomo that they would wait an hour for him to meet up with them. When everything happened, they still hadn¡¯t seen that youth appear. Xiaolian had already mentioned him several times. That littless was only twelve yet there was spring love in the air already? It was clearly puppy love ah! Sigh, the ancient people definitely matured too early!


    Zhu Junyang felt a burst of sourness rise up in his heart and his face darkened. He grumbled peevishly, ¡°My injuries are so serious yet you don¡¯t seem to be worried about me for one bit. In fact, you seem to be more worried about that other fellow who has nothing to do with you!¡±


    ¡°Zhuang Xiaomo isn¡¯t someone unrted to me! He¡¯s the future son-inw that my parents both want!¡± Before Yu Xiaocao had finished what she was saying, she had been pulled into an icy cold hug.


    Perhaps he had lost too much blood but Zhu Junyang felt like his entire body was chilly and his head was spinning. He locked the littless into his arms and sourly remarked, ¡°The son-inw that they want? That stupid, good-for-nothing, tanned young fellow? How could hepare to my stunning good looks, skillful martial arts and boundless future?¡±


    ¡°Pffftt...¡± Yu Xiaocao sprayed out augh and forcefully pushed him away. When she saw Zhu Junyang stagger after being pushed, she reached out to support the weakened youth as she said, ¡°Just why are you being so jealous right now? Zhuang Xiaomo is someone that my mother wants for Xiaolian¡¯s future husband. You¡¯re so tyrannical so how could my mother possibly try to find someone else for me besides you?¡±


    Only after hearing that did the jealousy in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart slightly settle down. He pretended to be very weak as he leaned against Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder, but he was also afraid that his weight would push her down and make her too tired. On the nearby reef, Commander Zheng had left a secret message hinting that they had already gone back to the West Mountains.


    The two of them rxed and circled around the sandy beach to avoid the Wokou pirates searching for them. They got to the vicinity of Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s vige. In the distance, using the hazy light of the moon, they could see some human-shaped figures dangling from therge tree at the mouth of the vige. When they got closer, Yu Xiaocao almost vomited from the sight. The figures hanging from the tree were all the vigers that the pirates had ughtered. They must have been dead for at least two days as their corpses were giving off a dense, rotten scent. After the storm from the evening, all of them had swelled up and didn¡¯t resemble people anymore.


    Didn¡¯t Zhuang Xiaomo run back to warn the vigers that the pirates wereing? Howe there were still so many vigers who had been brutally killed? However, how could she know that the vige chief of Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s vige refused to believe the words of a youth who was half grown and didn¡¯t take any of it to heart. Other than the few families who had a good rtionship with him that had packed and fled to the nearby hills, the other vigers didn¡¯t prepare anything and had met their doom when the pirates arrived.


    This vige was smaller than Dongshan Vige but it still had around eighty to a hundred vigers usually. From the looks of it, at least fifty to sixty of them had been brutally murdered. Yu Xiaocao had also noticed that there were almost no young women among the corpses that were hanging on the trees. Anyone with a brain could tell what had happened to those women. The Wokou pirates were too cruel. Stealing the vigers¡¯ belongings was one thing yet they also had to viciously ughter innocents and rape helpless women! Yu Xiaocao felt simultaneously disgusted and afraid. She ground her teeth in rage.


    Zhu Junyang lightly covered her eyes and gentlyforted her, ¡°Xiaocao, don¡¯t worry! All of these lives will definitely be paid back for you! I will definitely make sure that these bastards pay blood for blood!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sniffed and then helped him to circle around the vige along a tiny muddy trail. They headed towards the West Mountains. Since Zhu Junyang had been injured, their speed was very slow. By the time they entered the mountain, the first rays of light from the sun had just peeked over the horizon. The sounds of birds chirping gradually filled the air.


    Her head was still filled with the mournful images of the vige. Fortunately, the vige chief of Dongshan Vige had trusted her and the Yu Family and made a wise decision. His decision saved all of the lives at Dongshan Vige. Their lost possessions could be slowly earned back but people who lost their lives could nevere back!


    The two of them silently trudged through the forest with difficulty. Suddenly, Zhu Junyang stopped moving and made a gesture to her, telling her to be quiet. He was listening to the sounds in the vicinity.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you hear something? Is it a person or animal?¡± Yu Xiaocao immediately became nervous. Could it be the Wokou pirates had chased them into the mountain? Although Royal Prince Yang was very skilled at fighting, he had been heavily injured. If they were in the water, she might have some skills to get them out of a bad situation. However, on drynd, she couldn¡¯t be of any help. What should they do? What should they do?!


    Zhu Junyang pointed at arge tree behind them and helped her climb up. He followed up behind her with a lot of effort and they used the dense tree leaves to cover up their figures.


    Before long, the figure of an adult man appeared underneath the tree and a familiar voice could be heard, ¡°So weird, I¡¯m pretty sure I shot that animal. Howe I can¡¯t find it now?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a blood trail here. If we follow it, we will definitely find it. Xiaomo, don¡¯t be in a hurry. That dumb roe deer absolutely can¡¯t run for too far!¡± This was the voice of the adult man. Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very familiar with it.


    However, she could already guess the identity of this man and the worry within her heart gradually dissipated away. Zhuang Xiaomo wasn¡¯t too stupid. At least he knew to hide in the deep mountain forest. Luckily, he didn¡¯t lose his life. Otherwise, she wasn¡¯t sure how to break such news to Xiaolian.


    ¡°The crisis is over, it¡¯s Zhuang Xiaomo and the others!¡± Yu Xiaocao quietly informed Zhu Junyang. Zhuang Xiaomo, who was under the tree, suddenly raised his head to look at the leaves above him. His dark and bushy eyebrows slowly came together in a frown and he also slowly raised the bow in his hands in the direction of the tree top.


    ¡°Oh ho! This fellow has some pretty good ears on him. Too bad he¡¯s on the older side. If he was able to get formal training when he was young, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t be any less skillful than Zheng Yun and the others!¡± Since the other person had already spotted him, Zhu Junyang naturally also raised his voice.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and revealed her small head from the cover of the leaves as she hurriedly said, ¡°Zhuang Xiaomo, it¡¯s me, Yu Xiaocao!¡±


    When he heard her voice, Zhuang Xiaomo lowered the bow in his hands. The few men behind him only discovered that the tree was hiding people after they heard the sound of Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice.

 Chapter 404 – It’d be a Shame to not Touch

    <h4>Chapter 404 ¨C It¡¯d be a Shame to not Touch</h4>


    Zhu Junyang jumped off the tree and the effort caused the wounds on his legs to split open. He grimaced from the sudden pain. Yu Xiaocao scrambled down from the tree and didn¡¯t forget to remark caustically, ¡°Serves you right! Trying to show off when you¡¯re injured, must hurt a lot!¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo had a slight smile on his face as he looked at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Xiaocao, howe you¡¯re over here? You didn¡¯t flee with the rest of the vigers into the mountain?¡±


    ¡°We were destroying the Wokou pirates¡¯ ships!¡± Yu Xiaocao briefly summarized what they did and reached out to support Zhu Junyang. She was currently regretting that she didn¡¯t bring any of her wound balm along.


    Zhuang Xiaomo noticed that Royal Prince Yang was deathly pale and hurried over to support him as well, ¡°Your Highness got injured? Is it serious? I know a type of medicinal nt that can stop bleeding and I just saw it earlier. Older Brother Jiang, could you go pick some for us please?¡±


    The man who had been called Older Brother Jiang made a noise in assent and headed back inrge strides. The other vigers smiled kindly at them and continued to follow the blood trail of their injured prey.


    Zhuang Xiaomo asked again in concern, ¡°It was only the two of you? That¡¯s way too dangerous! Xiaocao, are you alright ah?¡±


    ¡°You also know how well I swim. I won¡¯t speak of other things but as long as I want to run away, there¡¯s no one else who will be able to catch me in the water! This guy¡¯s swimming skills are too lousy and had been caught by the pirates. He got injured when fighting with them.¡± Yu Xiaocao gave Zhu Junyang a faint look of dislike.


    Zhu Junyang felt helpless as he couldn¡¯t refute her statements. He was a high and noble royal prince and had defeated plenty of enemies before. Now he was like a downtrodden phoenix who was no stronger than a chicken. Getting injured wasn¡¯t a big deal but he had lost a lot of prestige in front of his littless and even received her disdain. He could tell that his desire to be a manly husband in front of her was going to be a hard journey!


    ¡°Then...did you guys seed?¡± Zhuang Xiaomo vehemently hoped that Xiaocao and the others were able to damage the damned pirates¡¯ ships beyond repair. His heart was filled with hatred towards the pirates. Last night, he and a few other vigers had snuck into the vige and saw the grisly scene of the dead vigers. Almost all of the men, women, elderly, and children of the vige, other than a few young women, had been brutally killed and their bodies unceremoniously hung up. As for the women who had been taken by the Wokou pirates, they were currently living a life worse than hell...


    ¡°With me, the graceful white shark, at the scene, we definitely wouldn¡¯t let any ship go. We sunk all of the ships outside our vige. We didn¡¯t leave a single ship afloat for those disgusting dogs! I also killed quite a few of those bastards in the water! I only regret that I couldn¡¯t kill a few more!¡± Yu Xiaocao once again recalled the images of those ughtered vigers as she righteously remarked.


    Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s voice filled with emotion and he sniffed a few times before he said, ¡°I¡¯m so useless. I tried my best to convince the vige chief for a long time but I didn¡¯t get his trust. The vige chief said that our two viges are pretty close to the port¡¯s authorities so the Wokou pirates wouldn¡¯t dare to attack us. He refused to believe my words! Since it was futile, I could only convince a few families who were close to mine one by one! By the time we had hastily packed some things, it was already past the time for me to meet up with you guys. Furthermore, the pirates had silently snuck into the vige so the only thing we could do was flee into the mountain and find a cave to hide in. Perhaps those Wokou pirates were only preupied with killing the people in the vige and didn¡¯t find out that they were missing around thirty more people. That¡¯s probably how we avoided being chased by them...oh right, are you guys okay? Xiaolian...she¡¯s not injured right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lightly shook her head and sighed, ¡°Everyone has their own fate, so don¡¯t me yourself Xiaomo. Don¡¯t worry, all of us are doing well. As for whether Xiaolian is doing well or not, you cane with us and see for yourself, right? We stole a bunch of grain yesterday night, so how about youe with us? That ce is spacious and also safe...¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo thought for a bit and then nodded his head, ¡°We¡¯re currently hiding too close to the vige, so we¡¯ve all been living in fear for the past two days that the pirates wille after us. Once Older Brother Jianges back, I¡¯ll ask him and the others if they want toe with us!¡±


    Older Brother Jiang came back very quickly and he had a few herbs in his hands that had thorns on it. Yu Xiaocao swiftly cut off the thorns and used her hands to mash the nt into a paste while also secretly adding some mystic-stone water. She then put the mixture on Zhu Junyang¡¯s wounds. His originally painful wounds immediately felt a cooling sensation covering them. Zhu Junyang was very surprised at the efficacy of this medicinal nt that wasmonly found in the mountains. How could it be so effective at treating external wounds that it was even better than the Snow Jade Wound Balm from the Imperial Pce?


    He couldn¡¯t help but eye the littless who was helping him bind his wounds. This absolutely had to do with something from her. Zhu Junyang felt a bit helpless. Thisss didn¡¯t know how to disguise her actions one bit. If someone else found out, what good could happen of this? It looked like he needed to help her create a smokescreen in the future. Otherwise, the littless might fall into the trap of some unscrupulous person!


    By the time all of his wounds had been poulticed with the medicinal herb, the other men who had been chasing after the dumb roe deer returned with their prey on hand. When these people heard that there was a safe and spacious hiding ce and that they could get some grain, they immediately were tempted.


    Yu Xiaocao went to the cave that these people were hiding in. It was a small and cramped dark little cave that was harboring around thirty-some vigers. There wasn¡¯t even enough space for these people to lie down, so they could only sit to sleep at night. These people had pretty much finished all of the grain they had brought with them. Most of them were listlessly leaning against the stone walls. When they saw that their menfolk had caught a roe deer, all of their eyes started glowing with the light of hunger.


    Only after they ate could they have the strength to travel. The roe deer only weighed around a few dozen catties, so everyone only got around one catty¡¯s worth of meat in the end. With some food to whet their hunger, these people all quickly packed up their belongings and followed behind Yu Xiaocao and the prince to slowly head towards the hidden valley.


    At this time, Zhu Junyang was feeling a lot better and his body regained some energy. On the whole journey back, he didn¡¯t end up slowing them down at all. Yu Xiaocao supported him the whole way in order to reduce the amount of effort he had to use.


    By the time it was noon, the group of people finally arrived at the outskirts of the dense and foggy forest. A few bodyguards from the mountain vi were all waiting for them anxiously.


    Last night, when Princess Consort Jing found out that her youngest son was going to bring some people to attack the Wokou¡¯s ships, she felt anxious and jittery the whole night and couldn¡¯t sleep. When she saw Yu Haie back with Commander Zheng, who was quite skilled, on his back, she didn¡¯t see her youngest son with them. She became even more worried. If it wasn¡¯t for some maids pulling her back forcefully, she likely would have left to go find her son herself!


    Zhu Junyang was brought in by a few of the bodyguards. Princess Consort Jing noticed that her son was deathly pale and rushed up anxiously to ask about his wounds. Zhu Junyang briefly went over what happened and said that his wounds were all superficial and had been treated already, so he wasn¡¯t in a bad condition. Only after he walked a few steps to let his mother observe him did Princess Consort Jing finally rx.


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, was currently busy helping the other vigers settle in. Fortunately, the caves in this area were all linked so these people didn¡¯t have to squeeze in with the hundred or so vigers from Dongshan Vige. After she helped them settle in, Zhuang Xiaomo impatiently followed Xiaocao from behind to arrive at the Yu Family¡¯s cave.


    When the youth saw Yu Xiaolian bustling about making food, he finally rxed and was convinced that she was safe. Madam Liu spotted him and hurriedly pulled on his hand to ask how he was doing. She had been concerned about him for these past two days and she fretted about whether he had encountered something bad.


    At this time, Zhu Junyang had just exited hisdy mother¡¯s cave and had seen the whole interaction between Madam Liu and Zhuang Xiaomo. Jealousy surged in his heart. He walked up to Yu Xiaocao and pouted towards Madam Liu and Zhuang Xiaomo as he remarked in a voice full of jealousy, ¡°Your mother is so biased. I got injured but I didn¡¯t hear a single word of concern from her...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised her eyes to look at him and suppressed theughter bubbling up, ¡°Young Royal Prince, how old are you this year?¡±


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of her unexpected question. He lowered his head to look at her and he had a perplexed look in his seductive eyes. However, he still obediently replied, ¡°I¡¯m neen ah...I¡¯ll say, you really don¡¯t care about me ah. You don¡¯t even know how old I am!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you remember you¡¯re neen ah! I had thought that you were nine years old from the way you¡¯re acting! Isn¡¯t it a bit too childish of you to get jealous over something like this?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a slight smile on her face and the dimples on her rosy cheeks were barely visible.


    Zhu Junyang felt his face flush from her teasing and he pinched her cheeks as he helplessly said, ¡°You ah! You wouldn¡¯t feelfortable if you don¡¯t tease me at least once a day, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao snickered and then changed the subject, ¡°I have some wound balm made by my pharmaceutical workshop. I¡¯ll give you a bottle and you can have Older Sister Meixiang rub them on your wounds.¡±


    ¡°Meixiang is currently helping mydy mother rest and is too busy...¡± Zhu Junyang looked hopefully at Yu Xiaocao, as if he was a little kid trying to beg for a piece of candy.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there also Older Sister Lanxiang ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t fall for his excuse.


    Zhu Junyang immediately replied, ¡°None of them have the time...¡± As he talked, he nted a look at the servants who were cheerfully waiting around. All of the servants, whether they were male or female, immediately began to pretend to be busy and bustled around the two of them doing random tasks.


    Yu Xiaocao speechlessly red at him and then brought him into her family¡¯s cave. She had him take off his clothes until he was only wearing his underwear and instructed him to lie down on one of the stone beds.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even have a hint of a blush on her face. She first used the mystic-stone water to help him wash his wounds clean and then carefully spread some of her special wound balm on all the injuries. As she spread the ointment on him, she also didn¡¯t forget to sneakily make a few passes on Zhu Junyang¡¯s well-muscled abdomen. She thought in admiration, ¡®The young royal prince looks thin but he has a great body. He¡¯s the type that looks skinny when clothed but has a finely sculpted body when unclothed.¡¯


    ¡°Ahem ahem! Are you done touching me? Are you pleased with what you see ah?¡± Zhu Junyang had a slight flush on his cheeks. His littless was definitely different from other girls. When confronted with a half-naked adult man, she not only didn¡¯t have any sign of bashfulness or embarrassment, but she also had a hint of admiration in her eyes. Her unruly little hands had been feeling his abdomen to and fro. He was pretty sure he didn¡¯t injure that area...


    Yu Xiaocao calmly helped him put on his top clothing as if she was in no way rted to that earlier little lecher who had been feeling the young royal prince up. She even nodded her head righteously, ¡°Mhm mhm! You have a great body!¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know what to do with her. Was his littless still too young to understand some things ah? She didn¡¯t seem the least bit concerned in the differences between men and women. Sigh...she was still too young.


    ¡°Lass, in the future, if there are any men who are half-naked in front of you, you must immediately hide. If you¡¯re able, you should hit them stoutly too...¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but give her a few reminders. He was afraid that one day his littless might be spirited away by a big, perverted wolf.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and revealed an expression on her face that basically said: ¡®do you think I¡¯m an idiot?¡¯. She then said, ¡°Then...aren¡¯t you half-naked in front of me now? You don¡¯t even have your pants on. Shouldn¡¯t I be beating you up right now ah?¡±

 Chapter 405 – Total Defeat

    <h4>Chapter 405 ¨C Total Defeat</h4>


    Zhu Junyang choked on his own saliva and coughed a few times, ¡°How could those peoplepare to me? What type of rtionship do we have? In the future, I¡¯m the person who will be marrying you...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure, you still haven¡¯t passed the tests yet! Who knows if another beautiful maiden will catch your eye and you¡¯ll forget all about me ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao ruthlessly pushed aside the still bare chest that hade over to her. She was getting ready to leave the cave to eat lunch. From the previous evening until now, she only had a small piece of roe deer meat and it was only roasted inly over a campfire. It couldn¡¯t be considered to be very appetizing.


    However, her arm was suddenly held captive by him. She raised her head to look at Zhu Junyang, who had a solemn and serious expression on his face. He reiterated, ¡°I won¡¯t be interested in anyone else, so stop hoping for anything else. Just wait obediently for me to marry you!¡± When he finished talking, he moodily put on the clothing that the servants sent over and flung his arms as he left.


    Angry now? Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders and followed behind him to leave the cave. Her whole family was waiting for her to eat lunch. The spread was quite splendous. There were bowls of glistening white grains of rice, a te hand-shredded dried chicken, a te of stir-friedmon purne, and tureen of egg drop soup. Zhuang Xiaomo had also been invited over for the meal, and Xiaolian had even somewhat shyly served him a chicken leg.


    The rice that they had painstakingly stolen back yesterday night had already been divided to the other vigers. Regardless of whether they were men, women, elderly, or children, every person had been given five catties of rice and two catties of white flour. It was enough for everyone to eat for the next two days. The remaining surplus was stored in one of the outer caves. They had just divvied up grain rations to Zhuang Xiaomo and the others, so there was still enough left to use for another two days.


    After they finished lunch, Zhu Junyang slept so heavily that it was almost impossible to wake him up that evening. Yu Xiaocao had used the medicines within her box and the mystic-stone water to simmer a pot of tisane that could replenish the blood and restore the body. She was nning on making sure he drank some every day for the next three days.


    Who would have expected that he would disappear the next morning and even took a dozen bodyguards with him? The note he left behind said that the troops from the imperial prince¡¯s residence had already arrivedst night and that Head Steward Liu hade over to report this himself. When Head Steward Liu saw the scattered wounds all over his master¡¯s body, he silently rebuked himself for not going along with the master. However, even if there were ten of him in that situation, he likely wouldn¡¯t be of much help to his master. After all, his swimming abilities were too average. He was the type of person who was considered a hero onnd and a useless nobody in the water.


    Yu Xiaocao was quite rxed about all of this. The young royal prince had told her that he had brought over half of the imperial prince¡¯s troops along, which was around eight hundred soldiers. The Wokou pirates at Dongshan Vige only had a hundred or so people on their side. The pirates would absolutely be ughtered and captured with these well-trained troops fighting against them.


    The pirates, who were having the time of their life at Dongshan Vige, would have already left if Watanabe Hiroshi had listened to the urgings of his advisors. Over a dozen of theirrades had somehow passed away that night and even their ships had been sunk. What did that mean? It meant that there was a highly skilled enemy around them! If this enemy wanted their lives, it would be easy for this mysterious person to kill them.


    Unfortunately, Watanabe Hiroshi was a very conceited individual who was very concerned with his image. They hadn¡¯tpleted their mission of sweeping away loot and even lost all of their ships. In front of General Yamaguchi, did he still have any prestige leftpared to his other rivals? Although he lost the loot, he needed to make up for his lost reputation. He was determined to enter the mountain forest to attack the vigers after resting for one day. He was aiming to do the same as the other pirates in the neighboring vige: ughter every single viger and be able to vent his temper!


    Such a hubristic individual wasn¡¯t willing to listen to any of his advisors, who urged him to meet up with the general at the docks. In fact, he even heavily pped one of his most trusted advisors for insubordination. All of the people around him felt quite helpless. They were stuck with a leader who was blinded by arrogance, so they could only go down with him.


    Before Watanabe Hiroshi could gather all of his remaining men, the troops from the imperial prince¡¯s estate descended like a bunch of avenging gods and gave them no chance to fight back. The Wokou pirates dropped their weapons in an attempt to flee in panic when they saw their opponent¡¯s superior numbers and massively better training. However, Dongshan Vige had long been surrounded by the soldiers from the estate. No matter how the pirates tried to run, they couldn¡¯t escape from the troops.


    Before an hour had passed, the battle had ended. The pirates in the vige had either been killed on site or captured. Zhu Junyang remembered the grisly sight of the neighboring vige. If hisss hadn¡¯t been ying in the ocean when she did and discovered the Wokou pirates approaching, then those people who were dead, hanging on the tree, might also...


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t dare to think further down that line. He had almost lost his littless. The more he thought, the more resolute he became to take an eye for an eye. No matter how the pirates begged for mercy, not a single one of them was left alive. All of them had been unceremoniously hung from the old elm tree at the mouth of the vige!


    The two bodyguards who came with him had already gotten a good understanding of the situation at the neighboring vige. Once the battle at Dongshan Vige ended, the imperial prince¡¯s troops immediately headed out to the other vige. The pirates, who had already gathered all of the loot they wanted, were now trapped by the soldiers on the beach and not a single one was able to flee. The pirates on the ships could tell that things were not going well and were about to make a run for it. However, the archers in the troops shot fire arrows at the ships. After the rain of arrows fell, all of the ships burst into mes. Not a single ship out of the four in the water had a good oue.


    In the past three days, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s godfather was unexpectedly unable toe by to check up on her. This meant that the situation at the docks wasn¡¯t going too well. Zhu Junyang led the eight hundred soldiers under hismand and rushed to the docks majestically.


    The dozens of ships worth of pirates under General Yamaguchi¡¯smand were all warriors from his own n who had undergone strict training. They were brave and not afraid of death. Furthermore, they had the advantage in numbers. The most important fact was that they were good at battles on the water and knew when to attack and retreat. If their opponents had a tight defense and the situation wasn¡¯t optimistic, the pirates would just flee into the water! Consequently, the county¡¯s soldiers and troops sent from the town and prefectural city weren¡¯t able to gain an advantage over the Wokou pirates. Thus, the whole situation had fallen into a stalemate.


    General Yamaguchi wasn¡¯t an arrogant idiot like Watanabe Hiroshi. When he saw that the imperial prince¡¯s private troops, who were all well-trained, wereing over from the direction of Dongshan Vige, he knew that things had turned against him. The Tanggu Docks were heavily guarded and they weren¡¯t able to crack such a tough nut in a short period of time. Thus, he sounded the order to retreat.


    The dozens of pirate ships headed to the deep ocean to flee. The ships from the prefectural ships caught up to them as they ran and, after a tempestuous battle at sea, ten pirate ships were lost. The rest had finally managed to escape from the prefectural city¡¯s ships and sped off. By the time Zhu Junyang and his private troops got to the docks, they could only watch the pirate ships disappear into the horizon.


    ¡°Looks like you know how to run fast!¡± Zhu Junyang cursed towards the deep ocean and then walked towards General Fang, who looked quite downtrodden and exhausted.


    Fang Zizhen rubbed at his tired face and bowed toward Royal Prince Yang before he hastily asked, ¡°How¡¯s Dongshan Vige right now? Are my daughter and the others doing alright?¡±


    ¡°The vigers from Dongshan Vige fled at the right time and all of them are safe deep within the West Mountains. Unfortunately, the neighboring vige wasn¡¯t as lucky. Almost all of the vigers there were massacred!¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the thought.


    Commander Sun came over with one of his assistants and greeted Royal Prince Yang, ¡°Royal Prince, you came at just the right time! Those Wokou pirates are too cunning. They always made a ton of feints and nevermitted, which made it very tiring for us to defend. Luckily they saw that the winds weren¡¯t behind them and finally left. If this battle with them was prolonged, we wouldn¡¯t have enough men here in the county to fight. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have begged for immediate help from everyone in our vicinity.¡±


    ¡°The emperor has already sent troops over and I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll arrive within the next few days.¡± Zhu Junyang was quite satisfied with the speed of his family¡¯s private troops. He exchanged a few other words with Commander Sun yet his heart was still thinking about his littless who was hiding in the mountains. Thus, he very quickly took his troops and left the docks.


    Fang Zizhen also said his farewells to Commander Sun so he could go to Dongshan Vige to take a look. He was originally responsible for overseeing the construction of the harbor at Tanggu and it wasn¡¯t his job to repel the pirates and defend the town. However, as a general, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from butting in when there was war on the horizon. Thus, he stood out at the first moment to help fight against the pirates. Commander Sun promised him that he would bring up his bravery and deeds to the imperial courtter on.


    Fang Zizhen clearly didn¡¯t care about any of this and waved a hand at the other man. He mounted his horse and rode behind the royal prince as he inquired about his goddaughter¡¯s circumstances. When he found out that his littless had helped to sink four to five pirate ships and even saved the prince¡¯s life, he guffawed loudly. He stroked the whiskers on his cheeks and proudly announced, ¡°This is truly an example of how an excellent father has an excellent daughter ah! My daughter is truly a woman beyondparison and is not less than any man!¡±


    Zhu Junyang silently roasted the older man in his heart, ¡®What do you mean about your daughter? Her surname is Yu not Fang and she¡¯s not even blood-rted to you. What¡¯s the point of you being proud about this?¡¯


    The eight hundred men from the imperial prince¡¯s private army were now stationed in the remains of Dongshan Vige. The first thing that Zhu Junyang did when he got back was to bring some people along to destroy the Yu Family¡¯s old residence. The bastard pirates had slept in these rooms and he couldn¡¯t bear for his littless to live in such a ce anymore! If thess objected to this decision, she could go find him! He was more than willing to take out money to have them rebuild a bigger and better residence for her family.


    Fang Zizhen was quite perplexed when the prince destroyed the residence. After finding out the details, he, as her godfather, also raised his hands up in support. So what if they didn¡¯t have a ce to live in for now? Not a problem, he had arge residence in town for them. Not only could it easily handle the whole Yu Family, but it could also easily handle her Oldest Aunt¡¯s family too. There was plenty of room for everyone!


    When the Dongshan vigers descended the mountain and saw the ruined remains of their homes, they all started to wail inconsbly. Many of the older folks revealed dumbfounded expressions as they had no idea what the future would hold. Most of the families here were fine and had enough money on hand to rebuild their homes. However, there was a portion of families who didn¡¯t have a lot of resources and were so poor that they were happy just having enough food to fill their stomachs. Where would they get the money to rebuild their house?


    Yu Xiaocao felt very sympathetic towards these people and wanted to help them in some way. However, she was also afraid that once she opened her mouth, more things woulde tumbling towards them. While she hesitated, Zhu Junyang proimed, ¡°Tanggu is under my feudal jurisdiction, so you are all technically under my governance. We cannot stop disasters in their tracks and can only endure and survive through hard times. Every family who had their homes ruined will get thirty taels from me!¡±


    He had decided on the amount of money to give to these vigers after consulting with the Yu and Liu Families. Xiaocao¡¯s Oldest Aunt had a house made out of bricks and tile and it was one of the only homes, other than the Yu Family¡¯s and vige chief¡¯s, to be constructed this way. They spent no more than twenty taels to build their residence. In the countryside, people crafted their own mud bricks to build a house and only needed to invite some people over and pay them in food for their help. Houses made of straw were even more simple as rice straw was an even cheaper construction material. A five-room house made of rice straw didn¡¯t require spending more than ten taels to build.


    When the Dongshan vigers heard his announcement, all of them were deeply grateful. Under the lead of the vige chief, they all kowtowed and proimed their thanks to the prince.


    Zhu Junyang lightly waved a hand and had them stand up. He then nced at Yu Xiaocao with a proud look in his eyes.


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao was currently puffing up her cheeks in anger as she sulked moodily. Her family¡¯s residence was perfectly fine just a day ago. How could it be destroyed and be a pile of ruins in just one day?

 Chapter 406 – Rebuilding the Residence

    <h4>Chapter 406 ¨C Rebuilding the Residence</h4>


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s exnation was that when the troops were fighting with the pirates, they weren¡¯t careful and ended up damaging the residence.


    Bah! Nonsense! Who would believe that? Were you driving a bulldozer around when you were fighting the pirates? Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t believe a single word of his lie. This fellow must have done this on purpose! But why would he do such a thing? He destroyed the residence that her whole family lived in and they were now homeless, yet he wanted her to be grateful. They didn¡¯t even have a gate left standing!


    ¡°What should we do now? Do we have to live in town now?¡± Yu Xiaocao red at Zhu Junyang as she fretted over this. Although their residence in town wasn¡¯trge, it was spacious enough that the main wing could house her immediate family. But what about her Oldest Aunt¡¯s family? And her Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family? Were they...supposed to be like the other vigers and raise a temporary awning to live in?


    Xiaolian came over, puffing with anger, as she furiously eximed, ¡°Our family¡¯s piggery hasn¡¯t been destroyed and we still have around a hundred pigs left in there! Those bastard pirates only concerned themselves with taking food and didn¡¯t even feed them. Other than the ones they ughtered, there are still a decent number of pigs that died from sickness and starvation. The remaining pigs are so hungry that they¡¯re staggering when they walk!¡±


    Senior Servant Yang, who was in charge of the piggery, was quite distressed, ¡°Those evil bastards! We had three hundred pigs and the pirates only left us with this many! Miss Xiaolian, is there still pig fodder and feed in the piggery? We can¡¯t have anything else happen to the remaining a hundred so pigs...Old Man, let¡¯s go. Come with me to take a look!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going along too!¡± Xiaolian was quite concerned about the pigs they raised. Luckily, most of the pigs that died of starvation or sickness were the smaller pigs that had just been caught this past spring. The pirates had killed a few of the older ones and half-grown ones to eat. The rest of the pigs only became thinner.


    The piggery was the building that had been preserved the most out of all of the vige. It was able to house around twenty some workers and had storerooms filled with wheat bran and rice bran. None of the feed had been touched. The remaining pigs in the piggery all squealed weakly. Senior Servant Yang and her husband immediately lit up the stoves in the piggery and started to make pig feed. Perhaps the pigs were able to smell the scent of food but all of them started to cry and squeal in hunger.


    Zhu Junyang watched as Yu Xiaocao conversed with Zhuang Xiaomo and the rest of his vige, ¡°The dead from your vige have already been buried. That ce isn¡¯t suitable for human habitation anymore. What are your ns?¡±


    The vige chief of Dongshan Vige thought for a bit and then proposed, ¡°If you guys don¡¯t mind, you¡¯re all wee to live in Dongshan Vige ah! I¡¯ll divvy out somend for all of you and then you can start building your homes...¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo didn¡¯t really care. He was fine as long as he had enough to eat and a ce to live. That being said, if he could now live in Dongshan Vige, he¡¯d be even closer to Xiaolian. What problem would he have with that?


    The remaining six families first discussed this amongst themselves and then decided to be a part of Dongshan Vige. Their reasoning was simple. Dongshan Vige was one of the most famous viges in the area for being prosperous and the vige had Yu Hai¡¯s farming business that was doing very well. The Yu Family often gave the vigers opportunities to make more money. Furthermore, Dongshan Vige was the closest vige to their old vige, so those who didn¡¯t want to be too far away from their old home thought that this was the best solution. Furthermore, if they settled down here, Royal Prince Yang wouldn¡¯t discriminate against them and would also give them thirty taels a family to build a new house!


    Right then and there, the vige head divvied up some plots ofnd for Zhuang Xiaomo and the other families. Zhuang Xiaomo had been given an area close to the West Mountain and was only about two to three hundred meters away from the Yu Family¡¯s old residence. The tanned youth was quite pleased with this arrangement.


    After mourning for a bit, all of the vigers started bustling about again. The men started to cut trees to build temporary shelters with their women helping them. The elderly took the children to scrounge about the remains of their old homes to see if they could find anything usable. Although the royal prince was willing to subsidize them, they had gotten used to scrimping and saving. The more they could save the better!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s Oldest Aunt¡¯s family and Eldest Granduncle¡¯s family were all nning on building temporary shelters in the vicinity of their homes. That way it would be easier for them to keep an eye on things when the houses were being built. The Yu Family was also concerned about their businesses in the vige and didn¡¯t really want to move into town. Zhu Junyang warmly invited them to go live in the mountain vi but had been resolutely refused by Yu XIaocao. He red at her sulkily after that.


    Fang Zizhen was still concerned about the harbor. When he saw that his daughter was fine, he headed back to the docks. Before he left, he gave the key to the Zhao Family¡¯s residence to Xiaocao and said, ¡°I already took a look and my martial uncle¡¯s home hasn¡¯t been touched. If you guys don¡¯t want to go into town, you can live there instead!¡±


    It looked like there were no better options avable. Yu Xiaocao took the key and then spoke to her Oldest Aunt and Eldest Granduncle, ¡°The worker rooms in the piggery are still empty. Oldest Aunt, Eldest Granduncle, if you guys don¡¯t mind the odor of the piggery, you all can live there for now.¡±


    Summer was about toe and the rainy season was imminent. Temporary shacks naturally weren¡¯t asfortable as living in the piggery, which had been sturdily built with bricks and had a tiled roof. Yu Caifeng thought for a bit and said, ¡°I need to go back to the prefectural city¡¯s braised food shop to oversee some things. Yaner and Junping are still young so I¡¯m not sure they can handle everything. How about...we let your Oldest Uncle handle the house getting rebuilt here and I take Fangping back to the prefectural city to check on things?¡±


    Earlier, their two families had discussed things over. The whole vige was now casting mud bricks so no one had the time to help anyone else. The two families decided to hire some bricyers from the town to rebuild their homes. Neither of themcked money. In fact, they were nning on rebuilding their residences next to each other to be neighbors. This way, it¡¯d be easier for them to check up on each other and help when needed. They only needed to spend money on the bricyers¡¯ wages to have them work on their house. Thus, Liu Hu alone was more than enough to oversee things.


    Yu Lichun discussed things with his sons and they felt that Xiaocao¡¯s proposal was quite good. They packed up their luggage and left with Erya to go live in the piggery. All of the other people in the vige watched enviously as they left. In their eyes, having a proper roof over their heads was the most fortunate thing at this time.


    Madam Zhang and her son sidled up and tried to get a handout. They both knew that Old Yu was the most softhearted out of all of them and so they found him, ¡°Old Man, for the sake of our previous rtionship as husband and wife, can you give us something? Dashan also called you father for more than thirty years.¡±


    Old Yu had finally seen the truth. This mother and son pair could tter you like the gods when they needed something from you. However, once you had no value to them, they would kick you to the side of the road as if you were a stray dog. If he still fell for these fair-weather folks¡¯ tricks, he would truly be the dumbest idiot in the whole vige.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. The piggery is Dahai¡¯s whole family¡¯s business. They can let whoever they want to live there. It¡¯s none of my business.¡± Old Yu put his hands behind his back in preparation to go to the Zhao Family¡¯s residence at the foot of the mountain with his son.


    Madam Zhang grabbed onto his arm and pleaded, ¡°You¡¯re Yu Hai¡¯s biological father, isn¡¯t his property your property? How could he not dare to listen to you if you say a word? The word ¡®filial¡¯ will stop him in his tracks! Old Man, I noticed that Yu Hai listens to everything that thess, Xiaocao, says. I heard that thess even has all of the housing deeds, business contracts and money in the family. Just think, she¡¯s a bad investment and who knows who¡¯ll she marry in the future! You can¡¯t just let all of that money go to an outsider in the future! You¡¯re the head of the family so you need to set down some rules. You can¡¯t just let the younger generation just walk all over you!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xiaocao having all of those assets in her hands? The family¡¯s early ripening vegetables, watermelons, the cooperation with the Zhou Family, and stores in the prefectural city...which of these weren¡¯t ideas that came from Xiaocao first? The vast majority of money from the family had alle from her. Even if she took everything as her dowry when she got married, no one in the family would say a word! Is handling the money you made yourself considered being rash and arrogant now? Then, are you saying that if we give everything to you instead, pay for all your living expenses, that¡¯s not being rash and arrogant??¡±


    Old Yu only nned on living out the rest of his days leisurely with the Yu Family. Other than helping out here and there, he had no desire to meddle with anything else. His grandchildren had their own ways of life. As an old man who had been a fisherman for all of his life, it was better if he didn¡¯t interfere too much!


    ¡°Just look! I wasn¡¯t implying that at all, I was only thinking for the Yu Family as a whole...¡±


    Before Madam Zhang could continue on her attempt to persuade him, Old Yu interrupted her, ¡°As an outsider, you have no need to be concerned with my Yu Family¡¯s affairs! Since we were a married couple for so long, I¡¯m going to give you some advice. You two don¡¯t really have much going for you in the vige. It¡¯d probably be better if you both went into town or the prefectural city and rented a ce to do some small business there. You¡¯ll also be able to keep an eye on Xiaobo then. I can¡¯t say anything else but I know that Xiaocao¡¯s pickled vegetable store in the city is doing quite well. The city is sorge so you¡¯ll easily be able to find a small market to sell some pickled vegetables. Doing that is better than just getting by in Dongshan Vige.¡±


    For the sake of his life, Yu Dashan disregarded his mother and lost his wife. All of the other people who had lost contact with their loved ones hadn¡¯t had any news even now. It was possible that their family members were gone forever. For the past few days, all of the vigers side-eyed or red at Yu Dashan whenever they saw him. Their pointed looks stabbed him and made him feel low. If he continued to stay in Dongshan Vige, he¡¯d never be able to lift his head again.


    When he heard Old Yu¡¯s proposal, he was quite tempted and said to his mother, ¡°Mother, what Uncle Yu is saying makes sense! Aren¡¯t you always fretting about Youngest Brother ah? We can do some business in the prefectural city and also take care of Youngest Brother. That way he¡¯ll be able to focus on studying. During the next period, he¡¯ll be able to pass the exams and be a county-level official. I¡¯m pretty strong and I can find some work in the city to supplement some ie for us...¡±


    Madam Zhang was persuaded by his viewpoint. After receiving the housing subsidy, the mother and son pair left for the prefectural city the very next day. Later on, the people back in Dongshan Vige would asionally get some scattered news about them. It was said that they had found a small residence to rent with other people in the southern district of the prefectural city wheremoners lived. They had started buying some popr pickled vegetables wholesale from the Yu¡¯s Pickled Vegetable Shop and were selling them at a nearby market. Their business was decent and they made around a tael of ie every month. Yu Dashan went out every day to do hardbor and his standard of living had improvedpared to when he lived in the vige. All of this was in the future!


    In Dongshan Vige, there were people everywhere crafting mud bricks andying them out under the sun to dry. Everyone wanted to build their house before the rains started. The Yu Family expanded their construction ns at the old residence. They were building a residence that had three interlinked courtyards and the front and back courtyards had been expanded considerably too. Altogether, it was around four to five mu in size. The Liu Family was building their new residence next to the Yu Family and they also decided to have arge courtyard and tall walls. The Liu Family had two sons, so they were nning on constructing a two courtyard residence that had three main rooms with two storage rooms in each courtyard. It was going to be very spacious.


    Currently, construction had just started on both of their residences. They had hired the best bricyer from town. In addition, Xiaocao¡¯s Third Maternal Uncle also came over to help.


    When the Wokou pirates wereing, Eldest Maternal Aunt and her daughter, who had been working at the piggery, hurriedly packed all of their things and ran back to their vige. Because they were afraid that the pirates might ughter their way to Xishan Vige, they told the news to their vige chief. Xishan Vige¡¯s vige head was an old veteran from the battlefields. Thus, he instructed the vigers to pack up their valuables and some food in preparation to flee to the mountains. He also organized the strong adult men in the vige and had them patrol the area around the vige. As soon as they saw any sign of the pirates, they could warn the vige and they could all run for the mountains as fast as possible.

 Chapter 407 – Her Family’s Concern for Her

    <h4>Chapter 407 ¨C Her Family¡¯s Concern for Her</h4>


    Luckily, Xishan Vige was quite a distance away from the ocean and there was the West Mountain in the middle. Thus, the Wokou pirates didn¡¯t go there. When they got the news from the Yu Family that the pirates had been defeated, Liu Cunjin took his two sons along with him on the very next day to bring a cart full of grain and daily necessities.


    The Yu Family¡¯s residence had been pushed over by a particr person but most of their belongings hadn¡¯t been destroyed, so they could still use them after picking them up. However, a lot of these supplies had been taken over by one of the men of the household, who distributed them for use to the vigers who had less. Currently, the daily necessities that they were using at the Zhao Residence had been newly bought by that same man. Other than the grain they had taken away on that rainy night, there was still more than enough grain and other food still stored in the underground cer for them to eat.


    The food and necessities that her maternal grandfather and uncles brought over was a token of their concern and love for them. Naturally, they couldn¡¯t make them take it back. Yu Hai and her two uncles spent a lot of time moving all of the goods from the cart before they finally finished bringing everything to the residence halfway up the mountain. There were pros and cons to living halfway up the mountain. The con was that it was more difficult to move heavy goods there, which required quite a bit of energy.


    ¡°Your family¡¯s residence also got destroyed by the Wokou pirates? Ai! These evil bastards are truly too inhumane. They not only steal things from us but also destroy our homes!¡± Liu Cunjin wiped the sweat off of his face and took the tea that his granddaughter offered. He guzzled the liquid down in one gulp. The tea from his daughter¡¯s home was very good and was even better than a pot of fragrant tea that cost a few taels from the tea houses.


    Madam Liu sighed for a bit and then said, ¡°Steal our things and destroy our homes? They also kill people ah! The neighboring vige chief didn¡¯t believe Xiaomo¡¯s warning. Other than the few families who had a good rtionship with him and fled into the mountains, the rest of the vigers had all been ughtered by the pirates. Their corpses were hung on the tree outside the vige and were exposed to wind and rain. From far away you could smell the ghastly stench. It was truly too horrifying! Now, no one can live in the neighboring vige for fear of gue!¡±


    When Liu Cunjin heard this, he felt immense relief and joy in his heart, ¡°Luckily thatss Xiaocao was swimming in the ocean that day and encountered the Wokou pirates¡¯ ships. Otherwise...¡±


    ¡°Of course! The vige head and all of the vigers said so too. They said that our Xiaocao is the savior of the entire vige! If it wasn¡¯t for me and her father stopping them, they would have wanted to erect a longevity que to her in the vige!¡± Madam Liu had a hint of pride in her voice.


    ¡°Maternal Grandfather, there are even some people who im that my second sister is the reincarnation of the child, Shancai, who is the disciple of the Goddess of Mercy. This is the reason why she cane up with all of these methods to make money as well as saving everyone. They even im that my second sister was ill in her childhood because it was hard for her young body to support such a reincarnated spirit. Don¡¯t you think all of this is funny?¡± Little Shitou came over to join in on the fun and brought over a small wooden stool to sit next to his maternal grandfather. When he heard them chatting idly, he also interjected his thoughts.


    Madam Liuughed as she pointed at his head, ¡°Go, go, go! What are you doing here? Everyone is just idly chatting so don¡¯t gossip along!¡±


    ¡°Younger Sister, I feel like there¡¯s some truth in what people are saying! Xiaocao is still very young yet she knows how to make such delicious food ande up with so many methods to make money. Even I, as her rtive, can benefit from her skills!¡± Liu Pei grinned as he drank his tea while he voiced his agreement with Little Shitou.


    In Little Shitou¡¯s heart, his second sister was omnipotent. He nodded his head repeatedly, ¡°I also feel like Second Sister is the reincarnation of a little immortal girl. In fact, she must have been a very powerful immortal girl too...¡±


    Liu Pei quipped, ¡°If your second sister is the reincarnation of an immortal girl, then you, Shitou, are the reincarnation of the Wenqu star [1]. At such a young age, you passed the exam to be a county official and even scored high enough to be a granary official. In the future, won¡¯t you be able to take first ce in the imperial examinations?¡±


    Little Shitou remarked bashfully, ¡°It¡¯s only with the help of my teachers...that being said, it¡¯s not easy to ce first in the imperial examinations, right? My school¡¯s headmaster said that as long as I work hard, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for me to ce in the top ten. The worst that I¡¯ll ce would be within the top twenty!¡±


    The little fellow was still young so he wasn¡¯t able to hide things very well. Thus, he proudly told the adults in the room what his master had told him a few days ago. After getting numerouspliments from his maternal grandfather and uncles, he felt a bit embarrassed and fled to the kitchen to watch his second sister cook food.


    Liu Cunjin had a gratified look on his face as he smiled, ¡°Seeing that all of you are fine, I can finally rx again! In the past, I wasn¡¯t in favor of you marrying into the Yu Family. Everyone says that having a stepmother means having a stepfather. You suffered so much for those years and even your children were thin and sallow. Your mother and I didn¡¯t feel good seeing that. However, we weren¡¯t well-off at the time and couldn¡¯t help much...luckily, you guys finally split from the family and your husband is a hard working man. Your children are sweet and obedient. Seeing that your life is going well, your mother and I can finally rx.¡±


    Liu Cunjin loved his youngest daughter a lot. Originally, he wanted to find a husband from her in their own vige who came from a decent family. With her three older brothers around, his youngest daughter absolutely wouldn¡¯t be taken advantage of. Who would have thought that Dongshan Vige¡¯s Yu Hai would take a liking to her?


    The matchmaker had made it seem like Yu Hai was a match made in heaven. He was good at fishing and knew how to hunt to subsidize the family. His family had a five-room house that was newly built and he was an honest and kind man...the only thing the matchmaker didn¡¯t mention was that he had a selfish, vicious and heartless stepmother. At that time, he should have stuck to his guns and adamantly refused. Otherwise, his daughter wouldn¡¯t have to suffer so much for all of these years!


    Madam Liu¡¯s eyes became hot and she pulled at her father¡¯s rough,rge hand. As if she was a young maiden again, she swayed back and forth and said, ¡°Father, Daughter is unfilial and made you worry so much!¡±


    ¡°Sillyss! Living well is the best way of showing your filial respect to me and your mother! Quickly wipe away those tears, your children are watching.¡± Liu Cunjin patted his daughter¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°I see that your family¡¯s old residence is expanding again. I know you don¡¯tck money at this point, so I won¡¯t say anything. Your older brothers and I don¡¯t have much to do at home, so we¡¯ll stay around and help you for a few days.¡±


    Madam Liu used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears as she shook her head, ¡°Father, this time, the royal prince found an experienced bricyer in town to build our residence. Even my husband can¡¯t do much to help. You¡¯re getting old, so in the future, leave the hard work to my older brothers...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that because I¡¯m in my fifties that I can¡¯t do much. This body of mine is still sturdy and your second older brother can¡¯t evenpare with me in the fields. In the future, if you guys need help, please ask us! I¡¯m your father and they¡¯re your blood-rted brothers, so don¡¯t take us to be outsiders!¡± Liu Cunjin knew that his daughter¡¯s family had a good life now. However, as a father, he couldn¡¯t help but worry and always wanted to help. The feelings of parents were always so!


    Liu Pei also nodded his head repeatedly, ¡°Father is right! We are your blood-rted siblings. If there¡¯s anything going on, just say a word!¡±


    This year, the Yu Family nted all of their fields in Dongshan Vige with watermelons. The two brothers, Liu Pei and Liu Han, had rented a shop in the prefectural city. One of them went back and forth between Dongshan Vige and the prefectural city to transport the melons, while the other manned the shop and sold the melons. In a month, they made three to four hundred taels!


    He had originally nned on coborating with his second younger brother to buy that shop. That way, when his younger brother-inw expanded his early-growing green vegetable business, they could buy them wholesale from him and sell them at this stall. However, he didn¡¯t expect that his second sister-inw was short-sighted and refused to take out five hundred taels to buy the store. She was afraid that they¡¯d lose all of their hard earned money in this investment.


    At the time, he only had around seven to eight hundred taels on hand. The owner of the store had originally set a price of a thousand and two hundred taels for the shop. He had painstakingly managed to haggle down to a thousand, but he didn¡¯t have enough money on hand. After talking to Yu Hai, his younger brother-inw didn¡¯t say anything and gave him five hundred taels to buy the shop now. As for the money that was left, once he made enough money, then he could return it!


    With the shop on hand, his wife had bought some braised food from Xiaocao¡¯s braised food shop. Every day they could make around a couple hundred coppers to one tael. At this rate, even if they weren¡¯t able to sell the early-ripening vegetables, they¡¯d be able to make all of the money they spent to buy the shop in four years.


    When his second sister-inw found out, she immediately regretted her decision and argued with them to also take a share. Where was she when they needed them? At the time, she refused to take out the money as she was afraid of losing it. Now that she saw them making money, she insisted on cooperating with them. Who was willing to spoil such a person? His father had lost his temper right then and there and his mother had scolded his second sister-inwter privately. Only then did the woman calm down.


    However, towards his younger brother-inw, who helped them during their times of need, Liu Pei felt immense gratitude. Although they refused his thanks, he couldn¡¯t forget their kindness. In the future, when he had the chance, he would definitely repay them.


    Liu Han had a clumsy mouth and didn¡¯t like talking. At this time, he also spoke up, ¡°Younger Sister, if there¡¯s anything you need help with, just tell me. I don¡¯t have much else but I am strong and willing to do hard work.¡±


    Liu Han never said anything about the help his younger sister¡¯s family had given him but his heart knew what he owed. His wife was working in the Zhou Family¡¯s factories because Xiaocao had introduced her to the managers. She made around one tael per month as sry and could also bring some vermicelli and century eggs home from time to time as bonuses. All of the other matrons in the vige envied her endlessly. He was only a peasant farmer who knew how to tend his fields. After coborating with his eldest brother to sell watermelons, they had made a few hundred taels each in the past two to three years. This was something that they would have never dreamed of in the past!


    Although his wife had been the one to stop him from coborating with his eldest brother to buy a shop, he had his own ideas now. He was nning on using their money to buynd. He would nt and take care of anynd he could. The rest he could rent out to other people. That way, they¡¯d have an additional source of ie each year. If it wasn¡¯t for his youngest sister and brother-inw¡¯s family, his whole family would only have those few plots ofnd to take care of and would have to live very frugally! Even his petty and small-minded wife was also very grateful to his younger sister¡¯s whole family.


    When Madam Liu saw that her father and older brothers all sincerely wanted to help her, she felt warmth bubble up in her heart. Her maternal family¡¯s living situation had gradually improved over time. Even her youngest older brother had made quite a bit of money working at the docks. Since her family was rebuilding their residence right now, her youngest older brother didn¡¯t say anything and packed all of his gear toe over to help. Right now, no one in their family needed to oversee the work on the house as her youngest older brother had taken charge of everything. With her youngest older brother taking over, as an experienced bricyer, no one would dare to goof off or try to use shoddy materials to fool them. It relieved a lot of work for their usually busy family.


    When the Liu Family¡¯s father and sons saw that there wasn¡¯t much they could help with, they finished lunch and decided to head out. Madam Liu wanted her father to spend a few days with her but he refused, ¡°Right now you guys have a lot going on, so I won¡¯t add to the trouble. Once your house is done, your mother, I, and your brothers and sisters-inw will alle over to celebrate! At that time, if there¡¯s nothing going on, your mother and I will spend a few days with you.¡±


    After Madam Liu heard her father¡¯s thoughts, she didn¡¯t try to convince him again. She escorted her father and older brothers down the mountain and reluctantly watched as they left.

 Chapter 408 – Gold-filled Summer Harvest

    <h4>Chapter 408 ¨C Gold-filled Summer Harvest</h4>


    The imperial army arrived the day after the Wokou pirates retreated. The leader was Commander Fang, who went on the ocean voyage with Royal Prince Yang. He was appointed the title of Zhenhai General and led ten thousand elite soldiers to guard the coastal area of Jinwei Prefectural City.


    Not only that, but there was also a guarding station set up every ten kilometers along the coastal area, which was guarded by one hundred soldiers. At each location, they were required to build a watchtower, and two people were on watch for every shift. A guarding station was set up near Dongshan Vige, and the watchtower was built on the cliff that Xiaocao and the others often gathered seafood at.


    When the group of soldiers passed by Dongshan Vige, the vigers only dared to watch afar for fear that they would get into trouble. Since the guarding station was so close to the vige, the vige head was afraid that the soldiers would use their authority to force the vigers to give them things from to time! If Xiaocao could read his mind, she would definitely tell him, ¡®Vige Head Grandpa, you¡¯re thinking too much. With the great Buddha Royal Prince Yang in our vige, they wouldn¡¯t dare to ¡®pluck a tiger¡¯s whiskers¡¯ even if someone lent them some more courage!


    The guarding station was located on the ruins of a neighboring vige. The herbs and other substances to prevent pestilence had already been sprinkled throughout the vige. The soldiers fixed the few remaining houses in the vige and used them as basecamp. Every day, they went back and forth between the cliff and the basecamp, and worked hard to build the watchtower. The watchtower wasn¡¯t only a lookout, but when there was a situation out in the sea, they would light up a beacon to convey the message.


    When Yu Xiaocao asionally dived in the sea, she would look at the cliff from afar. The construction of the watchtower progressed rapidly and looked different every day. She didn¡¯t know if she was overthinking, but she always felt that there was someone watching her on the cliff. Could it be that the soldiers of the guarding station were monitoring her because they thought that she was a spy? After that, Xiaocao didn¡¯t dare to dive near the cliff to gather seafood. She was afraid that the soldiers monitoring the sea would find out about her secret. After she dove into the water, she would tell the little dolphin to take her into the deep sea, and she would only emerge from the water at that time.


    This year, the amount of seafood that the Zhou Family had to pay tribute to the imperial court had increased, so Xiaocao had to make time to go to the sea a few more times. She had a rich harvest every time, and at times, she would also bring back a big lobster and some deep-sea fishes for her family to enjoy.


    After moving into the Zhao Residence, they lived even closer to the mountain manor, which made it much more convenient for Zhu Junyang to bum off meals from them. Every summer, he was able to eat good food and endless delicious seafood such as ¡®sea urchin lobster roll¡¯, ¡®grilled salmon¡¯, ¡®tuna and lettuce rice ball¡¯, ¡®fried yellow croaker¡¯, and ¡®grilled cod in oyster sauce¡¯... These dishes, which he had never seen before, made him sigh when eating them, ¡®How am I supposed to live in the future without thatss Xiaocao?¡¯ Thus, for the sake of being able to eat good food in the future, Royal Prince Yang clung onto Yu Xiaocao even more tightly.


    The foundation of the house in Dongshan Vige had just beenpleted, and the winter wheat in the farmstead had matured. Yu Hai handed the task of supervising to his third brother-inw, while he went to the front line of harvesting with his oldest son, youngest daughter, and the royal prince¡¯s entourage.


    Of course, as the owners, they didn¡¯t need to personally harvest the wheat. The supervisor of the tenant farmers stood behind them with a bright smile as he reported the growth of the wheat. This year, the wheat in the fields had grown very well. Not only were the ears of the wheat bigger than the neighboring ntation, they were also very full. ording to his years of experience, the output of wheat probably exceeded five hundred catties per mu!


    It shall be noted that, unlike in her previous lifetime, this wasn¡¯t a time period when it was easy to produce over a thousand catties of crops. The yield of wheat generally ranged between two hundred to three hundred catties. An output of more than three hundred catties was considered a high yield. As for five hundred catties, that was something that had never happened before! Yu Hai, as the owner, expressed his satisfaction and openly praised the supervisor.


    Before the harvest, Yu Xiaocao had requested the tenant farmers cut and put aside the wheat stalks with longer ears and fuller kernels. When nting wheat next year, they could nt these kernels in a separate plot ofnd and see if the yield could reach a new high. The output of five hundred catties per mu hadn¡¯t reached Xiaocao¡¯s ideal results. It would be even better if the yield per mu could reach up to a thousand catties or more, like in her previous life. In this way, the people of the Great Ming Dynasty wouldn¡¯t have to worry about not having ample food and clothing.


    Seeing this, Zhu Junyang also told the steward to instruct the long-term workers to look for wheat stalks with longer ears and fuller kernels in his eight hundred mu of farnd and put them together with Xiaocao¡¯s collection. After threshing, it actually exceeded one hundred catties, which meant that they could open up fifty to sixty mu ofnd as experimental fields.


    It was always sunny recently. After she asked the little divine stone and found out that it wouldn¡¯t rain for half a month, the summer harvest began vigorously. For the tenant farmers of the farmstead, each household had a portion ofnd that they were responsible for, and they worked especially hard when reaping the wheat.


    In less than five days, more than one hundred mu of wheat had been harvested, threshed, dried, and transported to the granary. With a rough estimation, they yielded six hundred catties of wheat per mu in the superior farnds and five hundred catties per mu in average farnds. Even in the inferior farnds, they were able to harvest more than three hundred catties per mu. The entire ntation was overjoyed!


    In this way, not counting the rent that they gave to the owners, on average, they still had more than two hundred catties of grain per mu. Those with morebor force in the family were divided forty to fifty mu ofnd to work on, so wouldn¡¯t that mean that they could receive nearly ten thousand catties of wheat? This was only for one season, so if they added the corn harvested in autumn... Oh my god! They wouldn¡¯t be able to finish everything even if they ate wheat flour and white rice daily!


    But, of course, they definitely couldn¡¯t consume this high-yielding wheat. Xiaocao nned on leaving the wheat as seeds for next year. She wanted to see if the kernels improved by mystic-stone water could be even more high-yielding next year. As a result, after all the seeds had been threshed, the Yu Family bought all of the wheat kernels from the tenant farmers at market price.


    The news about the high yield of wheat at the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead swiftly spread in the vicinity. The first to contact Yu Hai was the Zhou Family¡¯s steward, who was in charge of the ritual fields. The Zhou Family and Yu Family were business partners, so he was considered an old acquaintance of the family. After they exchanged greetings, the steward directly revealed the intention of his visit, ¡°Master Yu, our patriarch heard that your family had a good harvest of wheat, so he wanted to ask where you guys got the wheat kernels.¡±


    Yu Hai had wanted to say that they were just normal wheat kernels, but he was stopped by his youngest daughter. Xiaocao smiled as she pushed the responsibility onto Royal Prince Yang, ¡°Our ntation¡¯s wheat kernels were awarded to us by Royal Prince Yang. At that time, the kernels appeared to be the same as ordinary wheat kernels. We didn¡¯t expect it to be so high yielding.¡±


    Royal Prince Yang had once gone to the western hemisphere and brought back many seeds of high-yield crops. This was something that nearly the entire Great Ming Empire knew about, let alone Tanggu Town. The steward from the Zhou Family pondered for a moment, and then asked, ¡°Then...can Master Yu give some kernels to the Zhou Family? We¡¯re willing to pay a lot of money!¡±


    Yu Hai looked at his daughter, and when he saw her nod at him, he asked, ¡°May I know how many kernels the Zhou Family wants?¡±


    The steward pondered for a moment, and then said, ¡°The Zhou Family has five hundred mu of ritual fields. The first branch has three hundred mu of fertile farnd under their name, while the second branch...¡±


    ¡°Steward Liu, it¡¯s also our first time nting and harvesting wheat, so we don¡¯t have a lot of seeds on hand. We can only provide you seeds for the five hundred mu of ritual fields.¡± One mu ofnd would require between fifteen to twenty catties of seeds. The Zhou Family would need almost ten thousand catties of seeds for just their ritual fields. The Yu Family¡¯s farmstead collected a total of seventy thousand catties of seeds. If they let Steward Liu continue on, they would have to share one-third of their seeds with the Zhou Family alone. After making a rough calction within her heart, Yu Hai interrupted Steward Liu¡¯s words.


    When Steward Liu heard that they could only give them seeds for the five hundred mu of ritual fields, he was worried that he had only aplished half of the task that the patriarch assigned him. He wanted to try to get some more, but Yu Hai firmly stated that they would only provide ten thousand catties of seeds, and nothing else!


    Yu Xiaocao just stood at the side with a smile. If the first branch of the Zhou Family had treated Third Young Master Zhou better, then she might have put in a good word for the Zhou Family and given them a little more wheat kernels. However, the Zhou Family¡¯s first branch was a group of weirdos, who often bullied Third Young Master Zhou and his mother. The eldest master of the Zhou Family would asionally use his identity as the birth father and attempt to control the second branch. It was great that their ntation didn¡¯t have a good harvest of grains. It was none of her business! As for the farnds under the name of the Zhou Family¡¯s second branch, would her father not give Third Young Master Zhou face if he asked?


    They had finished negotiating the price of the fine seeds. Since fine seeds could produce double the amount of normal wheat kernels, the price would be at least several folds higher. For example, normal wheat kernels cost ten copper coins per catty and twenty catties of seeds could be nted in one mu of farnd. Thus, it would be a total of two hundred copper coins. Three hundred catties of wheat could be harvested in one mu of fertile farnd. The market price of wheat was five copper coins per catty, so one mu of farnd could reap 1500 copper coins, which was seven or eight times more than the investment.


    Their family could produce six hundred catties per mu with ordinary wheat kernels. If they changed it to fine seeds next year, the output would definitely be higher. If calcted based on a yield of six hundred catties per mu and an ie of three taels per mu, then she could earn fifty copper coins with one catty of seeds. Shouldn¡¯t be too much, right?


    Steward Liu calcted in his heart, and then said with a smile on his face, ¡°Master Yu, isn¡¯t it somewhat expensive? Look, your family¡¯s seeds only yielded double that of ordinary seeds, but the price is five times higher. Aren¡¯t you asking for too much?¡±


    Yu Hai felt that this daughter had set the price for too high, but he just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. Then he turned his gaze to his youngest daughter.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a gaze that said ¡®don¡¯t worry¡¯, and then she said to Steward Liu with a smile on her face, ¡°Steward Liu, let me make the calctions for you and you can consider whether this is a good deal. The yield from ordinary wheat kernels can only earn one tael per mu, but our family¡¯s fine seeds can earn three taels per mu. For ordinary wheat, you will need to nt twenty catties per mu. For our fine seeds, you just need to nt fifteen catties. That is to say, if you invested 750 copper coins, you can earn three taels per catty. The ie will be 2250 copper coins. For five hundred mu of ritual fields, you can earn 1125 taels... If you just used ordinary seeds, you guys can at most earn a little more than 600 taels. It¡¯s nearly doubled the money ah!¡±


    Steward Liu took the abacus from the worker behind him and did the calctions. Sure enough, they could earn nearly twice as much on the same fields. Only a fool wouldn¡¯t ept this deal!

 Chapter 409 – Vegetable Production Base

    <h4>Chapter 409 ¨C Vegetable Production Base</h4>


    Steward Liu hesitated for a moment and wondered if there was a possibility for the other party to lower the price. At this time, Yu Xiaocao spoke up again, ¡°Steward Liu, you also know about our family¡¯s rtionship with your future head of the household. How about this? We¡¯ll give your third young master face and sell one catty of seeds for forty copper coins! However, we¡¯ll need Steward Liu to keep this a secret and tell outsiders that you bought them for fifty copper coins per catty!¡±


    After removing ten copper coins per catty, they had taken off a total of one hundred taels for the five hundred mu ah! Steward Liu looked at Yu Hai. Upon seeing that he didn¡¯t have any objections, he thought, ¡®Everyone says that the one who truly manages the Yu Household is the family¡¯s youngest daughter. Many of the best-selling and delicious dishes of Zhenxiu Restaurant, which was the starting point of Third Young Master¡¯s sess, are made by her.¡¯


    In the past, he had thought that the rumors were exaggerated. How could a little girl have such capability? She was just being pampered by her family, and thus they gave her all the credit. But, after today, he really believed it! One hundred taels wasn¡¯t considered a small sum of money for any families of peasant origin.


    This was especially true for Dongshan Vige, which had just experienced the burning, killing, and looting of Wokou pirates. The entire vige had to rebuild their houses. With one hundred taels, they could build a decent house! However, the little girl didn¡¯t even discuss this matter with her family and made the decision to lower the price herself. Moreover, her father appeared to be quite used to this behavior. It seemed like there was a reason as to why the mother-son pair of the second branch was on friendly terms with Miss Yu.


    Steward Liu thought to himself that he mustn¡¯t slight this young girl in the future. He must treat her like how he treated his masters. Weren¡¯t the workers in Zhenxiu Restaurant, who had a good rtionship with her, all promoted to management level positions? He had been in charge of the ritual fields for over twenty years, so he should move somewhere else...


    With that thought in mind, he appeared somewhat more respectful as he said with a simple, ¡°No need, no need! With the good rtionship between the Yu Family and our master, you definitely wouldn¡¯t demand an outrageous price. If Third Young Master finds out that this old servant tried to bargain with Miss Yu, he will definitely strip me of the position of a steward! Let¡¯s just agree on the price of fifty copper coins per catty!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised her brows. So there were really people who didn¡¯t take advantage of others even when given the chance ah! Since Steward Liu was so tactful, she wouldn¡¯t let him go back empty-handed. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t say anything else in regard to the price and agreed on the price of fifty copper coins per catty. Then she weighed ten thousand catties of seeds for Steward Liu. Steward Liu smoothly paid five hundred taels for the seeds.


    Before leaving, Yu Xiaocao quietly gave him fifty taels, saying that it was for all the hard work that Steward Liu had done. Steward Liu was very stunned and hurriedly gave it back to her, ¡°No, this won¡¯t do! If the masters know that this old servant had embezzled the money for the seeds, wouldn¡¯t they skin me alive?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao quickly offered him a reason to ept the money, ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying. How is this considered embezzlement? Didn¡¯t you already pay for the seeds? You have been working hard the whole day, so this is for you to get something to drink...¡±


    ¡°No, no! This old servant has worked at the ritual fields for over twenty years, I have always kept my hands clean. Miss Yu, please don¡¯t lead others tomit crimes! If someone finds out, this old servant¡¯s reputation will bepletely ruined!¡± With a mournful expression, Steward Liu tightly clenched his sleeves, for fear that she would forcibly give him the money.


    What a joke! His primary goal was to befriend the Yu Family, especially Miss Yu Xiaocao. Although fifty taels was arge sum and about the same as his annual sry, he couldn¡¯t lose the main goal because of small gains ah! He knew that as long as Miss Yu put in a good word for him in front of Third Young Master then he could walk on a smooth road in the future!


    Seeing that he really didn¡¯t want to take it, Yu Xiaocao had a slightly better impression of Steward Liu. She thought about it, and then took out several pills from her pouch. There were pills for diarrhea, cold, and coughing. These were good medicines that were hard to buy even if one lined up in front of Tongren Medicine Hall, especially after that stinky guy Zhu Junyang promoted her family¡¯s workshop. Now, they were short in supplies. She heard that the price of one pill in the capital¡¯s Tongren Medicine Hall had inted to one hundred taels.


    One must admit that this wasn¡¯t an unreasonable price. Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s medicine pills and wound balms were very effective. For example, one might not be able topletely cure a cold even after drinking bitter medicine for three to five days. However, the illness could bepletely cured after taking a pill, or if more serious, two pills. It was the same for the wound balm. When injured, one just needed to put some on the wound, and it would immediately stop the bleeding and pain. The chance of inmmation was also greatly reduced. The wound would bepletely healed after three to five days. If it was some other wound balm, it would take at least eight to ten days to remove the scab!


    The capital didn¡¯tck rich people, so they would definitely be happy to spend a hundred taels in exchange for less suffering. Especially for those big merchants with thriving businesses. If they were healed a day earlier, wouldn¡¯t they be able to earn a day more of money? The pampered children of noble families couldn¡¯t stand the torture of illness. For pills that could get rid of illness, not to mention one hundred taels, but they would be willing to buy it even if it was more expensive.


    Allegedly, that person in the pce was already eyeing Tongren Medicine Hall for the next selection of imperial merchants. They had already decided behind closed doors that all kinds of pills and medicinal syrups would be appointed as tribute to the Imperial Pce!


    Within the entire Tanggu Town, only a few families could afford to use the pills. Patriarch Zhou was getting old, so his health had been deteriorating. Thus, they had prepared several of these pills at home for emergencies. When the young masters and young misses of the first branch coughed a little, they would mor about wanting to drink the sweet medicine.


    Among the servants, only the capable people around the patriarch and matriarch could asionally be awarded with a pill. For people like Steward Liu, who had been assigned to manage the ritual fields in the remote suburbs, they had never even seen the pills before. Could Steward Liu not be excited to see Miss Yu take out five pills? Logically speaking, he should refuse. But he really didn¡¯t want to refuse. These were good medicines that couldn¡¯t be bought even if one had money ah!


    Recently, his father had a craving for cold food and ate too much iced watermelon, so he had an upset stomach. After taking several doses of medicine, there still wasn¡¯t any improvement in his condition and it seemed to be worsening. The doctor said that his father was old and his organs were aging, and thus even a minor illness might kill him.


    When Steward Liu came out today, his father was already bedridden with an ashenplexion. Among the pills given by Miss Yu, there were two that treated diarrhea. Refusing to ept them might cost his father¡¯s life ah!


    After struggling for a long time, Steward Liu gritted his teeth and epted the five precious pills with trembling hands. He wasn¡¯t even forty years old yet, so he could strive for his future again in the future. However, he only had one father. He would nevere back after leaving!


    Seeing that Steward Liu had epted the pills, Yu Xiaocao breathed out a sigh of relief. This Steward Liu was too timid and overcautious. He had to think for so long before epting the pills that she casually made! It almost seemed as if he was afraid that she would go tattle to Third Young Master Zhou about him epting bribes!


    It should be known that the pills that she casually made were much more effective than the pills produced in the workshop. On one hand, there was a higher concentration of mystic-stone water. On the other hand, during the process of making the pills, the spiritual energy of the multicolored stone on her wrist had flowed into the medicine. The unassuming pill was two or three times more effective than the pills made in the workshop!


    Therefore, when Steward Liu fed his father the pill upon returning home, his father¡¯s diarrhea immediately stopped, and hisplexion also became more healthy. Half a dayter, he was able to get up from his bed and stroll around the fields. His body was even stronger than before he fell ill. Steward Liu regarded the remaining pills as holy medicine. These pills could save their lives during critical moments!! It was no wonder that so many wealthy families scrambled to buy Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s pills. Even if they had a lot of money, it couldn¡¯t revive a life ah!


    How could the news of the steward of the Zhou Family buying fine seeds from the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead be kept a secret from those households who kept a close eye on the high-yield wheat kernels? There were quite a lot of rich people in Tanggu Town. Even for those who got rich from doing business, who didn¡¯t purchase a few hundred mu of fertile farnds when buying property? It was necessary to have all these real estates, okay?


    The second household to buy fine seeds was the Yao Family, who only bought vegetables from the Yu Family. Steward Yao had already been promoted to a trusted head steward who served the patriarch. But after all, he was more familiar with the Yu Family, so he was sent to talk with the Yu Family.


    He didn¡¯t bother Yu Hai, who was busily working in the fields, and directly went to find Yu Xiaocao, who was nting corn. He greeted her with a smile, ¡°Long time no see. How are you doing, Miss Yu?¡±


    ¡°Steward Yao ah! It¡¯s been a while since I have seen you. I heard that you have been promoted to a head steward. Congrattions ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao congratted him.


    Steward Yao waved his hands and humbly said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it all thanks to the Yu Family? Your family¡¯s vegetables helped me gain some merit in front of our old master. Thanks to our old master¡¯s kindness, he has transferred this old servant to serve him directly. It¡¯s a pity that more than half of your family¡¯s vegetables had been destroyed by the Wokou pirates... Since we aren¡¯t able to buy the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables, our old master¡¯s appetite has greatly reduced. During meals, he would always sigh in front of the dishes! Miss Yu, when will the construction on your house bepleted?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still too early ah! However, we have decided to open up some space for a vegetable garden at our ntation. We will nt vegetables of the current season that will be specially sold in the Tanggu area. Leafy greens have a short growth period, so they might be on the market in about half a month!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had long wanted to expand the scope of their vegetable cultivation. The few mu ofnd in their courtyard at home gradually didn¡¯t have enough supply to provide to the Zhenxiu Restaurants in Tanggu Town and the prefectural city. Except for old customers like the Yao Family, they had stopped selling vegetables to the rich families in Tanggu Town. Cries of discontent could be heard everywhere from those who were used to eating the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables.


    Now, the Zhou Family had opened up another branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant at the harbor. It was even bigger than the ones in Tanggu Town and the prefectural city. Furthermore, it was a big hotel that provided lodging, food, and bathing. Third Young Master Zhou had freed up some time to go to Dongshan Vige and pestered her to ovee all difficulties to ensure that she could provide vegetables for the Zhenxiu Restaurant at the docks. He wanted to strive for a good start. He wanted those visiting merchants to think of Zhenxiu Restaurant whenever they came to Tanggu Docks... In this way, the expansion of vegetable cultivation was imminent!


    Fortunately, the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead was closer to Tanggu Town and the prefectural city than Dongshan Vige. Moreover, there was an official road right in front of the ntation connecting Tanggu Town and the prefectural city, which made transportation more convenient. After discussing with her father, they first plowed ten mu of vegetable garden in the ntation and found two meticulous and loyal families to manage it. In the future, the vegetable fields in the farmstead needed to provide vegetables to the restaurants and families in Tanggu Town and the prefectural city. Dongshan Vige was located closer to the harbor, so the vegetables grown at home were specially used to supply the Zhenxiu Restaurant at the docks!

 Chapter 410 – Complete Loyalty

    <h4>Chapter 410 ¨C Complete Loyalty</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao acted without dy and called over Widow Li and her son and the family of the matron, whose husband broke his leg when the Yu Family just bought the ntation. After the husband¡¯s leg recovered, he had a slight limp, but it didn¡¯t affect his ability to work. The two families were very grateful to the owners for they took care of them, and thus they were more loyal than the other tenant farmers.


    In particr, Widow Li and her son, who were divided three mu ofndst autumn, had tended the fields meticulously. When it was time for harvest, they even got first ce in the vige. With an average yield of six hundred eighty catties per mu, they were awarded with one tael per mu by the masters. In addition, there were also over one thousand catties of fine wheat kernels. They had earned an ie of thirteen taels within half a year.


    Allegedly, the masters would also buy the kernels of corn, which would be harvested in thetter half of the year, back at market price. In this way, they could make at least twenty-something taels in a year. This was something that Widow Li and her son had never dared to imagine. After working for a few more years, her son would have enough money to get married!


    When Widow Li and her son and Liu Dazhuang¡¯s family (Author¡¯s notes: The tenant farmer who walked with a limp.) were called over by the masters, all the tenant farmers in the ntation discussed animatedly, ¡°They are the two families with the leastbor force and they aren¡¯t responsible for a lot of fields. Do you think that the masters are nning on kicking them out and hiring new people?¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be, right? The master and young miss are so kind-hearted. When distributing farndst year, they even counted women and older children, who are capable of working. Didn¡¯t Widow Li and her son get awarded by the masters?¡±


    A tenant farmer, who was jealous of her family being rewarded, curled up her lips and said, ¡°Their family of two only need to take care of three mu of farnds. Had it been me, I would have done better than them! Widow Li and her son received a dozen or so taels, so even if they got kicked out, they wouldn¡¯t be penniless.¡±


    ¡°In fact, although Liu Dazhuang is crippled, it doesn¡¯t hinder him from doing farm work. His son is also sixteen, and thus can also be considered an adult worker. His wife is also a capable worker. So they probably wouldn¡¯t have theirnd taken away and kicked out, right?¡±


    There were sixteen families in the farmstead now, and none of them wanted to leave the Yu Family¡¯s ntation. There was no need to mention the kindness of the masters. During the locust gue, they not only refused to ept rent, but they also subsidized them by hiring them as long-term workers. While the tenant farmers in the nearby viges and other ntations became emaciated and sold their children and women, they were able to live a good life without worrying about food and clothes.


    This year¡¯s summer harvest was even more gratifying. The family with the lowest harvest also got a dozen or so taels as ie. The supervisor¡¯s family, who had the mostnd, earned eighty taels when they sold the seeds they reaped! In this way, their family could earn one hundred taels in a year!


    It was eight lifetimes of blessing for them to be able to follow the Yu Family ah. They would soon be able to live a good life! In a few years, they would have earned enough money to buy some property nearby. They would no longer be tenant farmers without a house and farnds! This was all thanks to the owners. They had gotten high-yield seeds for them to nt, so even after they paid the rent, they still had a lot leftover.


    The tenant farmers at the ntation were mostly people left behind by the previous owners. At that time, they just had barely enough to eat. After paying rent, there were at most a hundred or so catties of grain per mu leftover. Each catty could only be sold for four to five copper coins, so they could only earn five to six hundred copper coins per mu. The tenant farmers reaped wheat, but they were reluctant to eat wheat flour. Instead, they exchanged them for coarse grain in order to somewhat fill their stomachs.


    It was different from the present. Now, each family could earn a dozen or so taels. They wouldn¡¯t be able to use up the money even if they ate wheat flour throughout the year! With money, they no longer had to worry about not being able to fill their stomachs. Moreover, they could also asionally buy some meat back to satisfy the kids¡¯ craving. They didn¡¯t have to dig around for money to celebrate the New Year, and they could buy some clothes for their families every year...


    When the tenant farmers saw Widow Li and Liu Dazhuang getting called over by the owners, they felt sorry for them. Everyone understood that the masters naturally had the rights to choose to hire people who could work. It was just that these two families were short-handed and weren¡¯t of much help to the masters...


    Widow Li and her son felt very uneasy right now. Had it been the previous owners, they would have long been driven out when her husband died. The current master and young miss were kindhearted. Not only did they keep them, but they also considered them as second-ssborers when dividingnd to them. Although three mu of fields wasn¡¯t a lot, she and her son wouldn¡¯t starve to death if they carefully tended the fields.


    Widow Li was shocked by their ie after the summer harvest. She felt very uneasy within her heart. Could it be possible that she was dreaming? Would she wake up and realize everything was fake?


    When she heard that her family and Crippled Liu¡¯s family of three were called over privately by the masters, her heart instantly sank. Could it be that the masters thought that their families were burdens and wanted to drive them out? When she looked at Cripple Liu¡¯s family of three, she saw that they also looked very rmed and anxious.


    Yu Xiaocao saw the anxious expressions on the faces of both families. She quickly reassured them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I called you guys over because I have a new job for you!¡±


    Widow Li and Liu Dazhuang¡¯s families all looked at each other. In the end, Widow Li timidly asked, ¡°Young Miss, you... aren¡¯t you doing to drive us out?¡±


    ¡°Drive out? Why would I? Your two families are doing a good job taking care of thends distributed to you. Your families are within the top three in terms of harvest. Wouldn¡¯t it be a loss to our farmstead if we kicked such capable people out?¡± Yu Xiaocao was slightly stunned, but she quickly showed a reassuring smile and calmed the hearts of the two families.


    When the two families heard this, the big rock on their hearts immediately fell to the ground. Liu Dazhuang finally had a smile on his dull-looking face. He rubbed his hands and asked, ¡°Young Miss, we¡¯ll do whatever you want us to do! We are very relieved to be able to work for Master and Young Miss!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a calming gaze and said, ¡°Have you guys heard about Dongshan Vige¡¯s early-maturing vegetables?¡±


    Liu Dazhuang was a man, so he would work odd jobs in his spare time. He quickly nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard about it! I heard that the Zhenxiu Restaurant in town uses vegetables from Dongshan Vige. At the beginning of spring, one te of saut¨¦ed vegetables cost one tael ah! The wealthy and influential families in town also scrambled andpeted to buy Dongshan Vige¡¯s vegetables. The town¡¯s Patriarch Yao is very famous in town because all his vegetables were supplied by Dongshan Vige... Unfortunately, the range of vegetable cultivation in Dongshan Vige was too small to provide vegetables for everyone in town...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him approvingly. Seeing the shocked expression on Widow Li and her son¡¯s faces, she said, ¡°You guys should know that we¡¯re from Dongshan Vige...¡±


    Liu Dazhuang widened his eyes and couldn¡¯t help shouting, ¡°Young Miss, could it be that those vegetables came from the master¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The early-maturing vegetables came from my family. Had we not made money from selling vegetables and watermelon, how would we, normal farmers, be able to own a ntation in our lifetime?¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t afraid of letting them know more about her family. If she wanted them to work for them wholeheartedly, she must give them confidence that they could live a good life!


    ¡°Watermelon? The best-selling watermelon in Dongshan Vige is also from your family?¡± Not only Liu Dazhuang, but even Widow Li, who rarely went to town, couldn¡¯t help but exim. The masters¡¯ family was too capable. In just a few years, they had transformed from ordinary farmers to owners of a ntation. It was no wonder that everything that the masters nted were in great demand. Even their wheat output was higher than others. The two families were even more determined to live a good life by following the masters!


    ¡°Young Miss, just let us know what you want us to do!¡± Liu Dazhuang dered his resolution first.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± Widow Li also hurriedly replied for fear that the young miss would dislike her slow response and not give them the new job.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded with a smile and said, ¡°As you guys know, Dongshan Vige has just experienced a disaster and most of the vegetables have been destroyed. If we want to start over again, I¡¯m afraid that it will take up to next spring. There¡¯s a lot ofnd in our farmstead, and there are a lot of ces suitable for growing vegetables. So...¡±


    Liu Dazhuang immediately understood and asked, ¡°Young Miss, do you mean...you want our two families to help manage the vegetable fields?¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect that the dull-looking Liu Dazhuang was quite clever! Yu Xiaocao liked to work with smart people because it wasn¡¯t as tiring. She looked at him with approval and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! I believe that your two families are experienced in growing vegetables, so it shouldn¡¯t be difficult for you guys to tend the vegetable fields, right?¡±


    ¡°Not hard, not hard!¡± Widow Li quickly replied. She had heard that the Yu Family had a shortage of vegetables, so there was definitely a market for it. Which family in the farmstead didn¡¯t grow some vegetables in the front and back of their house? As long as they carefully took care of the vegetables, would it even be possible to not grow them well?


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Rest assured! We won¡¯t grow too much in the first year; each family will start with ten mu. Don¡¯t worry, my family¡¯s vegetable seeds have been improved, so they don¡¯t need to be fertilized. They also aren¡¯t afraid of pests and diseases. As long as you work diligently, they just need to be watered and weeded every day! Don¡¯t worry about the water. I¡¯ll ask my father to hire someone to dig two wells next to the fields, which are specially used for the vegetable fields...¡±


    ¡®No need for fertilization and pest control? Can the vegetables grow well?¡¯ The two families were full of doubts, and their expressions naturally revealed their feelings. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t exin either. They would know after the vegetables were grown!


    The next day, Yu Hai asked a well-digging craftsman to dig a well next to the selected vegetables fields. Since they were in a hurry to nt vegetables, Yu Hai gathered the tenant farmers in the farmstead and had them plow the twenty mu ofnd first. Widow Li¡¯s family and Liu Dazhuang¡¯s family were given eight mu and twelve mu respectively. They stayed in the fields for the entire day. They loosened therger clumps of soil with hoes and carefully weeded the fields.


    Although the young miss said that they didn¡¯t need to fertilize the fields, the two families still took out most of the manure that they had saved up for over half a year. After drying and crushing them into powder, they scattered them over the fields. The young miss had said that 10% of the field¡¯s ie belonged to them.


    Liu Dazhuang had asked around and found out that they could earn at least a dozen or so taels a month per mu of vegetable field. Didn¡¯t that mean that they could earn at least one tael per mu each month? Twelve mu ofnd would be twelve taels, so with the exception of four or five months that would be too cold to grow vegetables, their families could earn an annual ie of eighty to ny taels! Moreover, this was calcted based on the least amount they could possibly receive. The price of vegetables would be several times more expensive at the beginning of spring, which meant that their ie would also increase several folds!


    Widow Li felt even more motivated to work after hearing his analysis! If they took care of the vegetable fields meticulously, then they would have a higher output and earn more money. It would be worth it even if it was somewhat tiring!

 Chapter 411 – Comparison Hurts

    <h4>Chapter 411 ¨C Comparison Hurts</h4>


    It was a cloudy summer day with birds singing. The sky was full of rosy clouds like it was dyed with paint. It reflected upon the figures of the busily workingborers, appearing beautifully magnificent.


    On the edge of the field was an elegant and handsome figure, who made the slender figure beside him appear even more petite. The two people were Zhu Junyang, who had just returned from transporting wheat kernels to the capital, and Yu Xiaocao, who was supervising the tenant farmers to grow corn on the edge of the field.


    ¡°Look! This is the money from the imperial court for the purchase of the seeds. It¡¯s five thousand taels in total. Put it away!¡± Upon his return to the capital this time, Zhu Junyang had reported the output of Tanggu¡¯s wheat, which shocked the whole imperial court. The emperor and a group of ministers, who were concerned about the people and the country, were also ted when they heard the news.


    The high yield of corn was due to the fact that the crop itself was high-yielding and it was coupled with meticulous care. So although the officials were somewhat surprised at the results, they weren¡¯t inplete disbelief as they were now.


    After Minister Liu heard that they had nted winter wheat over at Tanggu Town, he also nted some in the experimental fields at the Imperial ntation in the capital. The best wheat seeds were selected, and a good amount of fertilizers had been used. They also had experienced, old farmers taking care of the crops... Even though they had done their best in all areas, the yield still didn¡¯t exceed four hundred catties per mu.


    Minister Liu and his subordinates had also gone to check out the fields at Tanggu Town. The soil wasn¡¯t as fertile as the soil at the Imperial ntation, and the wheat seeds were delivered over from the capital. They had hired long-term workers to tend the fields... There wasn¡¯t a single aspect in which they were better than that of the Imperial ntation, but their fields achieved an output of six hundred catties per mu, which was nearly double that of the Imperial ntation. What exactly was the reason?


    It definitely wasn¡¯t due to Royal Prince Yang. Who in the capital didn¡¯t know that Royal Prince Yang had been detained in Prince Jing¡¯s Estate for some unknown reason since he was young? Even if he went out, he would be followed by highly skilled martial artists. Had the emperor not forced him to take the task of growing corn, he might never have the chance to deal with farming in his life. He was the type of person who only knew about cooked rice and steamed buns, but didn¡¯t recognize rice and wheat.


    Minister Liu carefully made a conclusion andparison. The only difference between Tanggu Town and the Imperial ntation was that the fields in Tanggu were managed by the Yu Family. He had specially inquired the royal prince about the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead, which was not too far from the eight hundred mu of farnds in Tanggu. They had also reaped a high yield. The nearby ntations all ordered the improved variety seeds from the Yu Family. The price of the wheat kernels had gone up to fifty copper coins per catty.


    Minister Liu had speciallypared the wheat produced by the Imperial ntation and the grain transported from Tanggu Town. He noticed that the wheat grains from Tanggu Town¡¯s fields were a size bigger than that of the Imperial ntation. Moreover, they all looked like a little fatty and appeared very full. He was also surprised to see the wheat ears that Royal Prince Yang brought back. It was about the same length as an adult man¡¯s middle finger, and it was almost twice as long as the ears of wheat produced by the Imperial ntation. No wonder the output was so much higher.


    If they used these wheat kernels as seeds, would they be able to have a big harvest next year? To be able to reach a yield of five hundred catties per mu would also be considered a great improvement ah! There would still be people willing to buy it for a higher price, let alone fifty copper coins per catty!


    In order to make a thoroughparison, the emperor had specially ordered people to grind the wheat from the two ces into flour. They were made into steamed buns for the officials in court to taste. People should be content and not make unnecessaryparisons. The steamed buns made of the Imperial ntation¡¯s wheat flour appeared like a humble maidservantpared with the steamed buns made of Tanggu¡¯s wheat flour.


    The Imperial ntation¡¯s steamed buns were fine by themselves. They were just regr steamed buns with a decent taste. However, whenpared with Tanggu¡¯s steamed buns, the results were apparent. Tanggu¡¯s steamed buns were white and plump, and they emitted an alluring smell. With a chewy mouthfeel, it had a sweet and delicious taste. Even though it wasn¡¯t some special dish, people wouldn¡¯t be able to stop after eating one.


    For the two steamer baskets of steamed buns, the officials only tried a small bite of the Imperial ntation¡¯s steamed buns, andpletely devoured the steamed buns made of Tanggu¡¯s wheat flour. Two military officials had even fought for thest piece of bun, and nearly got into a fist fight.


    Zhu Junfan, who sat on the imperial throne, ate half a bun and yearned for more. Since he had transmigrated here, he had always eaten the steamed buns simr to that of the ones made of the Imperial ntation¡¯s wheat flour. Without a flour bleaching agent, it appeared darker and had a sticky mouthfeel. It didn¡¯t taste as good as the high gluten flour from his previous life. Today, he had finally eaten a delicious steamed bun that was white, soft, and fragrant. It was even tastier than the steamed buns he ate in his previous life.


    This must be the credit of his fellow transmigrator friend. How did she improve the wheat into this current version? Or could it be...that she had a blessed spot to nt crops as her transmigration cheat? Wasn¡¯t it like this in all the novels? Transmigrating with a Realm, Farming in a Transmigration Void, Personal Realm: A Hundred Thousand Mu of Fertile Farnd... Zhu Junfan was immersed in his daydream as he sat on his imperial throne, and totally didn¡¯t notice that his officials were about to get into a physical fight due to a steamed bun.


    Su Ran noticed that his master¡¯s mind had drifted far away, so he quickly coughed twice to remind him to pay attention to the two military officials. It was too embarrassing. They weren¡¯t beggars in the slum area, so was it really necessary for them to act this way for a steamed bun?


    By the time Zhu Junfan returned to senses, the two old generals, who were over a hundred years old together, had already begun to fight. He loudly cleared his throat, and the people around the two old generals hastily pulled them apart. Seeing that the emperor had a displeased expression on his face, the court immediately quieted down. Only the sound of the two old generals¡¯ heavy breathing could be clearly heard.


    Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t know if he shouldugh or cry, and said, ¡°It seems like my beloved officials favored the improved variety of wheat from Tanggu Town¡¯s ntation. We do too! There¡¯s such a big difference between the grain grown from the same seeds. Wht exactly is the reason?¡±


    The ministers immediately began to debate. Some expressed that it was due to the water and soil, while some said that it was because of the climate. There were also some who said that it was rted to the people who managed the fields... At this time, Minister Liu exerted Zhuge Liang¡¯s 1 vigorous debate skills and refuted all of the factors spected by the officials.


    The conclusion was somewhat mysterious yet irrefutable¡ªas long as the Yu Family participated in the process in the cultivation, their results would almost always be different from others. They grew early spring vegetables and sweet watermelons. They had a good harvest of corn despite the locust gue, and they also got a high yield of wheat. Facts spoke louder than words. Those who strongly opposed the Yu Family bing imperial officials earlier had stopped and no longer came out to voice their objections!


    Zhu Junfan smiled and said, ¡°The Yu Family is really capable! Especially the little girl from the Yu Family! We heard that it was the twelve year old girl who suggested to nt the vegetables, watermelon, corn, as well as the winter wheat. It seems like the one who is truly capable in the Yu Family is this unassuming young girl!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I don¡¯t oppose the men of the Yu Family joining the imperial court as an official, but...if Your Majesty wants to promote the little girl, I¡¯m afraid that the people will criticize the decision...¡± Imperial Censor Yang jumped out again. This person was seriously inflexible and didn¡¯t know when to stop.


    Zhu Junfan chuckled and said, ¡°Criticism? As long as the people have enough to eat and wear, why would we be afraid of some criticism? When we were still the heir of Imperial Prince Li, we had built a shipyard and constructedrge ships. Weren¡¯t there also a lot of officials who said that we were wasting money and manpower? Those doubts were automatically disproved after we personally set sail to seek the high-yielding and stomach-filling sweet potatoes. Without those ships that we made, would we have the high-yield sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes now?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty is wise!¡± The officials bowed to the emperor and were sincerely convinced by his foresight. Corn and potato had not been poprized, but they knew very well the importance of sweet potatoes. In the north, the number of people who died due to sessive years of disasters was far less than that of previous years. Moreover, they were also able to quickly return to their normal lifestyles. In addition to the emperor¡¯s benevolence in tax reduction and exemption, it was also because sweet potatoes were high-yielding and suitable for all types of soil. Therefore, the victims of the disasters wouldn¡¯t die of starvation due to ack of food.


    ¡°Since ascending the throne, we have attached great importance on the livelihood of themon people. For the sake of the people being able to fill their stomachs and wear warm clothes, we have been looking for experts who can promote agriculture. Now, an extraordinary talent in farming has appeared. Do we really have to give up on her because of her gender?¡± Zhu Junfan asked in a very sincere manner.


    The bowing court officials didn¡¯t say anything, but Imperial Censor Yang still very tactlessly voiced his opinion, ¡°Emperor, you can reward her father and older brother...¡±


    ¡°Beloved Official Yang, the girl is still young, so her father and older brother can help her with the cultivation for the next few years. But what happens when she grows up and gets married in a few years? Her father and brother upies her position but can¡¯t do much for themon people. Is our Great Ming Dynasty going to bestow positions to officials who hold the office and enjoy the privileges without making any contributions?¡± Zhu Junfan spoke in a serious tone and questioning manner. He hated those pests who held onto a position without doing any work and didn¡¯t let others take over. However, these good-for-nothing officials still existed and there was no way to prevent them from clinging on.


    Imperial Censor Yang wanted to refute, but he didn¡¯t know how to reply to the emperor¡¯s words. He frowned and seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Seeing that the emperor was enraged, the other officials didn¡¯t dare to make anymorements.


    Zhu Junfan lightly sighed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this matter again after we see the father and daughter of the Yu Family. Junyang, send a hundred catties of the wheat you brought over to each official¡¯s house. Consider it a reward!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t!!¡± The officials were very happy and were about to thank the emperor when Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue jumped out and tried to stop the emperor¡¯s order with his life.


    Zhu Junfan was mentally tired ah. He sighed and asked, ¡°Beloved Official Liu, what ¡®high opinion¡¯ do you have?¡±


    ¡°Emperor! The wheat kernels that Royal Prince Yang brought back are all plump grains, which makes them excellent seeds ah! This official thinks that the wheat should be used as seeds and nted around the capital. Your Majesty, imagine how many people will benefit if these seeds produce a high yield and are poprized all over the country ah! This official thinks that these wheat kernels should be stored as improved variety seeds and not be eaten as food!¡±


    The officials were still reminiscing the taste of the white, plump steamed buns. When the emperor said that he would give the grains to them, their hearts burst with joy. With one hundred catties of wheat, they could grind seventy to eighty catties of flour, right? Wouldn¡¯t they be able to make a lot of steamed buns then? It would definitely be enough to satisfy their cravings! What was wrong with this Minister Liu? To ask the emperor to retract his imperial edict, he was seriously harming others without any self-interest! ¡®Your Majesty, you stand your ground ah!!¡¯


    Zhu Junfan felt very relieved yet tired to have an official who wholeheartedly cared about themon people. In fact, Minister Liu¡¯s words were quite reasonable. However, could he really not even reward these officials, who had helped him with a lot of worries, with a mere bag of wheat?

 Chapter 412 – You Are My Angel

    <h4>Chapter 412 ¨C You Are My Angel</h4>


    ¡°Beloved Official Liu! Royal Prince Yang has brought back at least five hundred thousand catties of wheat. Giving each official in court one hundred catties would only use up less than ten thousand catties. Although the improved wheat kernels are important, giving away a little bit is fine!¡± The officials all nodded in assent and threw daggers with their eyes at Minister Liu, as if he was a sinner who hadmitted a crime that caused public wrath.


    Seeing that Minister Liu wanted to say something, Zhu Junfan quickly said, ¡°Chief Steward Su, pass on our order to summon the father and daughter of the Yu Family to the capital! Beloved Official Liu, we will assign the father and daughter to work under you, specializing in farming. Do you still be worried about not having high-yield seeds in the future? Perhaps, in the future, there will also be improved varieties of rice and millet...¡±


    As soon as he heard that the father and daughter of the Yu Family, who were farming experts, were assigned to the Ministry of Revenue, Minister Liu was so happy that it seemed like he had picked up eight hundred taels. He no longer worried about the eight thousand catties of wheat kernels. As the emperor had said, with the two treasures, there would definitely be a lot of improved variety of wheat seeds in the future!


    After the court session ended, Minister Liu stopped and asked all sorts of questions to Royal Prince Yang, who was the most familiar with the father and daughter of the Yu Family. Zhu Junyang was so annoyed with him that he almost exploded in anger. In the end, Minister Liu went back to official business, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, did Miss Yu say whether these wheat kernels could continue to produce high yield?¡±


    Zhu Junyang had asked the same thing to Xiaocao before, and Xiaocao¡¯s reply was, ¡°If it¡¯s the first generation of seeds, then I can guarantee that an output of at least five to six hundred catties. However, I can¡¯t guarantee the same for the second generation of seeds.¡±


    She was also clueless. The spiritual energy of the mystic-stone water could help germination and heading of the seeds. Hence, the yield wouldn¡¯t be too bad. But, if the kernels were used as seeds, she didn¡¯t know whether they could continue to produce a high yield.


    Zhu Junyang also answered Minister Liu in the same way. Minister Liu felt somewhat disappointed in the answer, but if the first generation could be high yielding, then the second generation shouldn¡¯t be too bad either. It would at least be better than normal seeds. Besides, even if the kernels couldn¡¯t be used as seeds again, they definitely didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to sell them. At least the grinded flour of the wheat could make delicious food!


    The next day, Zhu Junyang used the excuse that he needed to supervise the corn cultivation at Tanggu Town¡¯s ntation to leave the capital. At that time, Zhu Junfan had jokingly scolded, ¡°A man¡¯s heart leans towards outsiders. It¡¯s hard to keep a grown son at home!¡±


    This younger cousin of his always ran to the Tanggu area whenever he had time. Although he always sessfullypleted all his assigned tasks, he always finished them within the shortest amount of time possible. In addition, he would ask for a vacation right after he finished his tasks. He would run off to Tanggu Town, refusing to work. In the past, he had thought that this kid was very filial and freed up time to apany hisdy mother. However, it now seemed that the fellow began to understand how to please girls.


    The stinky brat had quite keen eyes. His little transmigrator friend was still just a budding flower, but he had already started guarding her all the time, for fear that she would be taken away by someone with the same keen eyes!


    Zhu Junfan thought of the five thousand taels that he had been cheated of and couldn¡¯t help but feel angry. That stinky brat had actually let the little girl from the Yu Family manage the eight hundred mu of fields at Tanggu. It seemed that in order to please the young girl, his younger cousin had gone all in. He had given away the eight hundred mu of farnds without hesitation and reluctance.


    Ay! Now, he, the Emperor, should be the one whose heart ached. The brat didn¡¯t lower the price even a bit for the nearly fifty thousand catties of wheat kernels and sold them to the imperial court at market price. Moreover, he even had an expression as if he got taken advantage of. It was wheat kernels produced by the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead, but fifty copper coins per catty was expensive ah! It almost seemed like the brat was unwilling to sell them for just fifty copper coins per catty!


    He was resigned to his fate and took out five thousand taels from the Imperial Treasury to give to the brat. No matter how difficult it was for his country, he couldn¡¯t let his people suffer ah! Zhu Junfan strongly suspected that the brat had an ulterior motive. If the ntation at Tanggu belonged to him, would he really be that shameless to take his imperial older cousin¡¯s money? That stinky brat was very cunning!


    The five thousand taels of banknotes, which caused the emperor¡¯s heart to ache for a few seconds, was currently in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands. Her pair of big eyes were full of confusion as she looked at the young royal prince, ¡®My lord, what do you mean?¡¯


    ¡°What are you looking at? Are you trying topete with this prince to see whose eyes are bigger?¡± Zhu Junyang poked her forehead with his index finger. He thought that her cute expression was very adorable, and he really wanted to pinch her tender cheeks.


    ¡°This money... You¡¯re giving it to me?¡± Seeing Zhu Junyang nod, Xiaocao continued to ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    Those who liked money would have a proper way to get it! She didn¡¯t want this money that came from an unknown source! It wasn¡¯t like shecked money!


    ¡°At such a young age, your memory is quite worrying ah!¡± Zhu Junyang teased her with a gorgeous smile on his face, and then he continued, ¡°This prince has already given you the deed for the eight hundred mu of farnds as a betrothal gift, did you forget?¡±


    ¡°Betrothal gift? When did you say you were giving me the farnds? Howe I didn¡¯t know about this?¡± Yu Xiaocao still had a bewildered expression on her face and didn¡¯t dare to withdraw her hands, which were holding the banknotes.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not giving them to you, then why did I give you the title deed?¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know what to do with this little muddlehead. Although he didn¡¯t directly say it at that time, he felt that his intentions were very obvious. She agreed to his pursuit and he gave her the title deed. In the future, everything that belonged to him would be hers. Wasn¡¯t that very clear?


    The corner of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched and she whispered, ¡°I thought that you just wanted me to help you keep it for you! I thought you wanted me to help manage the fields more often...¡±


    ¡°Little muddlehead!¡± Zhu Junyang pinched her nose dotingly, and then said, ¡°Do you understand now? Aren¡¯t you going to quickly put away the money?¡±


    ¡°But...we agreed at that time that if you found another girl that you liked, then we would split up. If you give me allnd and money, you will regret it in the future! I won¡¯t give it back ah!¡± She didn¡¯t know that, in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, she looked like a spoiled kitten when she threatened people. She was scratching people with her palm rather than her ws.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart softened. He ruffled her hair and said with a smile, ¡°Rest assured, this prince has a very small heart, which can only hold you. Don¡¯t worry about me falling for someone else! This prince doesn¡¯t even want to take another look at those pampered noble youngdies in the capital!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. In fact, all girls are angels who are lovely in their own ways. You can¡¯t generalize everyone just because of one special case!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that the young royal prince had the wrong mentality. There were so many noble young misses and girls from humble families in the capital, so there must be one that suited him. How would he know about their good sides if he didn¡¯t even try to understand them?


    ¡°Angel? Messenger from the heavens?¡± Zhu Junyang was already used to the weird terms that came from her mouth from time to time. He shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave those angels for others because this prince already has an angel sent from the heavens to save me.¡± As he said that, he looked at Xiaocao affectionately with his charming phoenix eyes.


    ¡®Devilish! He¡¯s too devilishly handsome!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao got goosebumps from his staring. She quickly lowered her head, folded the banknotes, and carefully put them into her money pouch. Zhu Junyang felt very helpless, ¡®When will my littless understand ah?¡¯


    When corn and potatoes were nted in the ntation at Tanggu, several leaves of the leafy greens in the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead¡¯s twenty mu of vegetable fields had already grown out. In a few more days, they should be ready to be reaped and sold.


    When Yu Xiaocao spread the news in Tanggu Town and the prefectural city that her family had nted vegetables, many people had been keeping an eye on them! There was no need to mention Zhenxiu Restaurant. There were also many famous restaurants and some old customers from Tanggu Town who expressed their desire to purchase the vegetables grown in the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead.


    Twenty mu of vegetable fields should be more than enough to supply the entire Tanggu Town and several restaurants in the prefectural city. Yu Hai had already signed a supply agreement with them, but they kept the practice of not providing delivery services. If they wanted to buy vegetables, then they needed to send a cart over. The Yu Family was only responsible for picking and loading the vegetables onto the carts, but not delivery!


    Had it been another vegetable farmer, they would definitely send the vegetables all the way to their kitchens if they managed to get one of those families as their customers. They would be afraid that their services weren¡¯t good enough and that the customers wouldn¡¯t buy their vegetables. The Yu Family, on the other hand, were big shots. Well, who told them to have such delicious and high-quality vegetables?


    In order to get a chance to purchase the Yu Family¡¯s vegetables, those normally smug and respected stewards in Tanggu Town spoke in a soft, humble manner with a ttering smile. Not to mention that there was no delivery service, but they wouldn¡¯t dare to refuse even if they were ordered to personally go gather the vegetables in the fields. What could they do when it was considered an honor in Tanggu Town to be able to eat the vegetables produced by the Yu Family? They were just that amazing!


    Since the ntation and farmstead were both on track, the father and daughter pair went back to Dongshan Vige to check on the progress of their house. As for the job of picking and selling vegetables after they were put on the market, Yu Xiaocao asked the steward of the ntation to help keep an eye on them. If theycked manpower, he could hire some short-term or long-term workers, and he could also set the wage. Yu Xiaocao felt quite at ease with this steward.


    He hade from the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. To be able to be a steward, he naturally had his own abilities. After Zhu Junyang gave away the eight hundred mu ntation, he also gave away the ve contracts of the steward and servants of the ntation. Now, this steward worked for the Yu Family.


    Steward Wang was very clear about his own position. His royal prince cared deeply about Miss Yu, and he was very determined to have her be his wife. Although he was given away as a servant, he would be able to return to work under his master when Miss Yu married over. In order to help his master to please Miss Yu, he must work even harder. If he ruined the royal prince¡¯s matter, he might sell him in a rage in the future. At that time, there was no use to even cry. His entire family worked in the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Even the doorkeeper of the Prime Minister¡¯s Estate was considered a seventh-rank official, so it was such a great honor to be able to work in the prince¡¯s estate. He couldn¡¯t ruin his entire family¡¯s future.


    Steward Wang did his best and worked wholeheartedly, and thus Yu Xiaocao trusted him even more. Not only was he responsible for the matters of the ntation, but he also helped keep an eye on the farmstead¡¯s vegetable fields. In actuality, as a steward, he didn¡¯t need to do everything himself and he just needed to have a good grasp of the situation. His assistants, who he had trained for a long time, weren¡¯t just used as a piece of art. But, since Miss Yu attached great importance to the vegetable fields, he must visit more often and help his future mistress keep an eye on them!

 Chapter 413 – Ethereal

    <h4>Chapter 413 ¨C Ethereal</h4>


    ¡°By the decree of the emperor, father and daughter, Yu Hai and Yu Xiaocao are to enter the capital to meet His Imperial Majesty!¡± Su Ran¡¯s figure stood firmly and appeared very spirited and radiant. He gave off the feeling as though he were a banished immortal that was above themon folk.


    ¡°Thismoner moner girl) epts this decree. Many thanks to the Emperor!¡± As it was his first time receiving an imperial decree, Yu Hai was a bundle of nerves and almost did not manage to stand up from the ground as he had gone weak in the knees. It was only after Yu Xiaocao supported him that he was able to hold the imperial decree in his trembling hands.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the smiling Zhu Junyang who stood behind Su Ran. The both of them had their own distinctive features. In terms of appearance, one was devilishly charming and the other was otherworldly clean. One emitted a cold aura, while the other warm...they were both extremely beautiful men who were very pleasing to the eye.


    Noticing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s gaze, aforting smile appeared on Zhu Junyang¡¯s cold face and he nodded at her, as though telling her that it was a good thing. Just as he smiled, flowers bloomed and the wind of spring blew for five kilometers, stunning Yu Xiaocao who thought that she was already immune to his charm.


    ¡®It¡¯s alreadye to such a situation, yet she still has the mood to appreciate beautiful men?¡¯ Seeing that his youngest daughter gave no reaction even though so much time had passed, Yu Hai took out a piece of banknote worth 500 taels from his sleeve and reluctantly presented it to Chief Steward Su, stuttering, ¡°Chief...Chief Steward Su, this is a small token of my appreciation...¡±


    Su Ran nced at the Yu Residence that was undergoing renovation. He did not reach out for the banknote in Yu Hai¡¯s hand. Instead, he smiled, making them feel as if they were bathing in the wind of spring, ¡°Master Yu need not be so courteous.¡±


    Yu Hai was a little undecided about whether or not he should keep the banknote. ¡®Could it be that Chief Steward Su thought the amount was too little? That could be the case, since he is the emperor¡¯s most trusted chief steward. Which side of society has he not seen? Why would he care for these mere 500 taels from his family? Ai...he should¡¯ve taken out 2 pieces of banknotes just now,¡¯ Yu Hai felt very regretful ah!


    Casually, Yu Xiaocao took the banknote from her father¡¯s hand and forcibly stuffed it into Su Ran¡¯s fair and delicate hands. She somewhat shamelessly smiled at him, ¡°Sir Su, we¡¯ve troubled you toe so far from the capital, so just take this money as Xiaocao treating you to tea!¡±


    Su Ran lightly pushed the banknote back. He did not seem to have used much strength, but it had managed to easily push away Xiaocao¡¯s enthusiastic little hand. He smiled slightly and his voice sounded gentle and warm as he spoke, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, if you sincerely want to treat me to tea, then you should personally brew the pot of tea yourself. The country wild tea you brewedst time for the ¡®heir of Prince Jing¡¯ was quite lovely. It would be even better if it was apanied by desserts!¡±


    Seeing that he was adamant about not receiving the banknote, Yu Xiaocao knew that it would not look good if she continued to persist, so she went with the flow and kept the banknote. She stuffed it into her pouch and said to Chief Steward Su, ¡°Sir Su, my home is undergoing renovation, so it¡¯s a little more chaotic than usual. Please...¡±


    ¡°Please rest in the manor, Chief Steward Su...¡± Zhu Junyang shed a smile at Yu Xiaocao, smoothly continuing her sentence.


    Su Ran¡¯s gaze moved between Zhu Junyang and Yu Xiaocao for a few times before he let out a faint smile, ¡°That¡¯s also good. Since I¡¯vee to Dongshan Vige, it is expected that I go and greet the princess consort...¡±


    Towards the rest of the Yu Household who were at a loss, Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°Father, you should go and pack your bags for the capital. Mother, can you see if we have any specialty products for us to bring to Godmother? Godmother likes to eat the bacon and dried fish that we make...¡±


    Hearing the words of their daughter, the two of them were akin to waking up from a dream and immediately started to busy themselves. When he heard that he had to enter the capital to meet the emperor, Yu Hai was so nervous he tensed uppletely and even walked awkwardly. His arms and legs would not listen to hismands, and his brain was also near giving up! He never thought that he would be able to have the opportunity to meet the emperor in the years he was alive. It was a real-life emperor, not the ones that appeared in operas! His life was now without any regrets!


    Madam Liu was a little tentative, so she turned towards her husband after the figures of Chief Steward Su, Royal Prince Yang and her youngest daughter disappeared into the stone pathway covered by trees, whispering, ¡°Xiaocao¡¯s father, why do you think the emperor wants to meet us? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?¡±


    Yu Hai was also a little lost, replying with uncertainty, ¡°I¡¯m also not sure...Cao¡¯er has followed Chief Steward Su. If she were here, even if she didn¡¯t know the reason, with her cleverness she¡¯d still be able to make an approximate guess.¡±


    The old vige head, who had apanied the Yu Household to receive the imperial decree, held it in his trembling hands as he observed it. He was actually fortunate enough to be able to receive the imperial decree twice during his time as the vige head! Even though the imperial decree was not directed at him, he still felt proud regardless. The first time he received the imperial decree, Hunter Zhao¡¯s family went to the capital and he even became a general. This time, the Yu Family was about to rise to new heights with this imperial decree!


    He reverentially returned the imperial decree to the Yu Family, smiling as heforted Yu Hai and his wife, ¡°Don¡¯t panic. You see, the person who came to read the imperial decree is the chief steward. His expression was calm and treated your family warmly, and even Royal Prince Yang¡¯s face had a hint of a smile¡ªit¡¯s definitely not a bad thing! Eldest nephew, good things areing your way! When the timees, don¡¯t forget to look after our Dongshan Vige!¡±


    ¡°Vige Head is exaggerating! I¡¯m only a farmer, how could I be capable of looking after the vige?¡± Yu Hai felt calmer now that he had heard what the vige head had said.


    The vige head smiled, his bearing now even warmer, ¡°I¡¯m guessing that your family did a great dealst time when we fought off the Wokou pirates. Regardless, if it weren¡¯t for Xiaocao, our vige would be faced with the threat of destruction like the neighboring vige. If your Xiaosha hadn¡¯t risked his life to ry the news to the garrison, they wouldn¡¯t be able to arrive in time and the harbor would¡¯ve been awash with the blood of merchants, and their goods would be plundered, causing a huge loss! Considering your family¡¯s contribution, the emperor will surely reward you with a lot of good things when you arrive at the capital, maybe even a noble title or something...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll borrow your auspicious words!¡± Surrounded by fellow vigers who looked at him with gratitude and envy, Yu Hai cupped his hands together and made a deep obeisance before he went back to the Zhao Residence to prepare the luggage he was to bring to the capital. Madam Liu also followed him up the mountain as the dried meat and preserved ducks and chickens in the icehouse had not been ransacked by the Wokou pirates. She could still pack some for them to bring to Xiaocao¡¯s godmother.


    When Xiaocao¡¯s godmother heard of the Wokou pirates¡¯ invasion, she had hurriedly delivered an entire cart of supplies from the capital. The supplies included food, clothes and all of their necessities. She even sent a thousand taels over for fear that they would be short of money because the vige waspletely ransacked. Her daughter was fortunate to have gotten such a sincere godmother. They did not have anything valuable to give her, and she did notck anything in the capital. Thus, Madam Liu prepared some of their local products for Xiaocao¡¯s godmother to enjoy.


    Su Ran, Zhu Junyang and Xiaocao casually walked on the path in the forest. In the early summer, the hot sun zed in the sky, but a cool and slightly humid breeze could be felt along the shady path, giving them afortable feeling. Green was all that filled their sights, and when they turned around for a look, the blue surface of the ocean seemed like a badly-polished mirror. The blues of the sky and the sea blended together until no one could tell where the line was in which they met.


    ¡°This seems like a good ce to retire!¡± A light breeze carried the edge of Su Ran¡¯s pristine robes, making it seem as though he could fly away with the wind at any moment. Xiaocao could not help but stare!


    Zhu Junyang felt sour in his heart. His littless used to only stare at him, but now she was ¡®cheating¡¯ on him right in front of his eyes? This was too outrageous! He coughed heavily, reminding that littless who watched other men until she forgot herself¡ªbe reserved!


    His cough did not pull the littless back from her daze, but instead attracted the attention of Su Ran, who had been appreciating the view. He followed the jealous gaze of Royal Prince Yang, only to see that littless lost in a daze as she stared at him. He outstretched his long hand that could bepared to that of a pianist¡¯s and waved it in front of Xiaocao¡¯s face, smiling, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, what are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Sir Su...is like a god from the heavens who is above themon folk...¡± Xiaocao mumbled her thoughts as though she was hypnotized. She quickly realized what she had said and her face immediately reddened. She lowered her head and pretended to be a quail.


    Brightughter erupted from Su Ran. Since he was young, his appearance had only attracted vulgar, greedy and lustful desires. He had be the emperor¡¯s most trusted chief steward and even first-rank officials had to be courteous with him, but he could still feel a lot of jealous and contemptuous gazes behind his back. It was actually his first time receiving such unadulterated appreciation andpliments. He was touched, but he also felt rueful.


    Yu Xiaocao was not aware, but Zhu Junyang knew very well that Chief Steward Su Ran¡¯s biggest taboo wasments about his appearance. Many of those high-ranking officials who desired him as their male bed-servant because of his looks had eventually lost their position and died very horribly. The littless was so tant she was only one step away from saying he was beautiful. If he continued to let her speak, he did not know what kind of shocking words woulde out of her mouth.


    Zhu Junyang quickly took a step forward and blocked Chief Steward Su Ran¡¯s line of sight. He wanted to say something to help the littless justify herself, but he heard Chief Steward Su say with a smile, ¡°Miss Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills are so extraordinary that even the imperial cooks hold you in high esteem. If Su Ran doesn¡¯t eat cooked food, wouldn¡¯t that mean I wouldn¡¯t be able to taste Miss Xiaocao¡¯s craft? Wouldn¡¯t I be missing out on a lot of delicacies?¡±


    ¡®Eh? Eh? Chief Steward Su Ran wasn¡¯t smiling out of anger, right? He even has the mood to joke around, he probably isn¡¯t mad at the littless, right?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly spoke before Xiaocao could respond, ¡°Let Xiaocao make some signature dishes for Chief Steward Su this afternoon as an apology...¡±


    ¡°Apology? Royal Prince Yang has exaggerated!¡± Su Ran¡¯s gaze lightly brushed over Zhu Junyang, seemingly slightly colder than before. He turned around and continued to stare at the ce where the sky met the sea, feeling as though his mind had broadened just by watching the vast ocean.


    Yu Xiaocao was left confused. She red at him and crinkled her nose as she whispered, ¡°Why should I apologize to Sir Su? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! Don¡¯t blindly cut into our conversation. Can¡¯t you see that Sir Su¡¯s mood was quite good before, but now he¡¯s displeased because you decided to cut in?¡±


    Zhu Junyang also felt that Su Ran was not as happy as he was just now. He tried to focus his attention to sense Chief Steward Su¡¯s thoughts, but she had a sudden realization. Eunuchs were always ced lower than themon folk. Even if he was a trusted and favored eunuch, many people still disdained him behind his back even though they treated him courteously. Chief Steward Su had experienced so much of this that it was natural that he had a deep understanding of theplexity and viciousness of the human heart.

 Chapter 414 – The Beautiful Yearning in His Heart

    <h4>Chapter 414 ¨C The Beautiful Yearning in His Heart</h4>


    The littless was pure at heart. In her eyes, Chief Steward Su was just like everyone else, and she would naively appreciate his appearance and get close to him because of his aura. Every reaction of hers towards Chief Steward Su was purely because of himself, not his identity, and she was sincere in her everypliment and gaze. As such, Chief Steward Su treated her differently.


    ¡°Sir Su, this ce backs the mountains while facing the sea while the surroundings are beautiful and the feng shui is exceptional. When Sir Su retires, you cane here to pass off the rest of your days.¡± Seeing that Su Ran liked this ocean view, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered before she grinned broadly, ¡°Sir Su, can I recite you a poem?¡±


    Su Ran turned around, a warm smile on his face as he looked at her, ¡°Oh? You also know how to recite poems?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me. At the very least, I¡¯ve studied for two years with my county official little brother!¡± Yu Xiaocao adorably rolled her eyes, clearing her throat, ¡°From tomorrow onwards, be a blissful man,


    Feed horses, chop firewood, traverse the world;


    From tomorrow onwards, care for grain and vegetables;


    I have a house, facing the sea, with spring blossoms.¡± ......


    Give every winding river and every mountain an endearing name.


    Stranger, I, too, wish you happiness,


    I wish for you a glittering path ahead,


    I wish for you to meet your lover, make a home,


    I wish for you to receive happiness in this world,


    I only wish to face the sea, with spring blossoms...¡± [1]


    Zhu Junyang secretly held his breath, resisting the urge tough. He did his best to maintain his emotionless face, but the slight tilt of the edge of his lips said otherwise, ¡°Xiaocao, are you sure this is a poem?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so uncultured, do you even know how to appreciate the artistic concept of poems?¡± Yu Xiaocao threw him a disdainful look. In her previous life, this lyrical poem written by modern poet Hai Zi [2] had been spread among the people for a long time, and it expressed the poet¡¯s yearning for happiness in his loneliness and destion. It was just right for Su Ran¡¯s current state of mind.


    Su Ran faintly nodded his head, ¡°Although Miss Xiaocao¡¯s poem seems more like an epode, it isparatively freer than that. The artistic concept of the poem is clear yet deep, bright yet implicit, easygoing and hearty yet dignified and rich. It is indeed a rare, good piece.¡±


    ¡®Facing the sea in the warmth of spring while the flowers bloomed.¡¯ It was such a beautiful yearning. Perhaps it was the average little warmth that he longed for in his heart, but would never obtain. Su Ran took onest look at the calm ocean waters before he turned around and continued his steady ascent uphill on the stone steps.


    Among the favored eunuchs recorded in history, how many of them were actually able to smoothly retire? Most of them were unjustly med for the emperor. They became the person who had bewitched the emperor into his misdoings, and even in death they did not have a ce to rest in peace. Right now, the emperor was still young. He was wise and loved his people, but what about the future? The human heart changed easily, so who knew what would happen in the future? ¡®Facing the sea in the warmth of spring while the flowers bloomed.¡¯ Perhaps it would be the only yearning in his heart.


    ¡°Sir Su, I think you¡¯re more fit to be a recluse¡ªliving in the mountains facing the sea, a peach blossom tree beyond your door, and beneath the tree, a guqin...¡± Yu Xiaocao felt moved by the scene she drew. Ah! A person who was akin to a banished immortal, ying his guqin as he sat beneath the brilliant peach blossoms, the breeze caressing his long hair as the edge of his clothes danced with the petals of the peach blossoms...it was such a wonderful scene.


    Su Ran climbed the steps quietly, slowly, as though by doing this, he would be able to get closer to the peaceful life she had made up, to the beautiful yearning in his heart. The edges of his lips faintly curled upwards, and it was as if he was no longer the person whomanded the emperor¡¯s hidden guards. He was no longer the head steward who could flood the court with blood in a split second, but instead a recluse who secluded himself in the forests, with a jug of wine in hand while he was surrounded by flowers, lying drunk in a forest of peach blossoms...


    In Prince Jing¡¯s West Mountain manor, Su Ran stood to leave after he greeted Princess Consort Jing and drank the tea that Xiaocao had personally brewed. He was afraid that he might feel more and more reluctant to leave if he stayed even a while longer...Perhaps it was time he found a sessor.


    Before leaving Dongshan Vige, he stood in front of his white, immacte steed and passed a jade pendant to Yu Xiaocao, smiling as he said gently, ¡°When you arrive at the capital, if you meet a situation that you can¡¯t resolve, take this jade pendant to Eastern Dwelling Distillery. As long as it¡¯s within my capabilities, I¡¯ll definitely help you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took the jade pendant into her hand joyfully. It looked like an ordinary double-fish jade pendant, but the letter ¡®Su¡¯ was carved on the back of it. Was it Sir Su¡¯s personal seal? Sir Su was the emperor¡¯s trusted head steward. With his backing, she could parade about the capital without fear!


    ¡°Many thanks to Sir Su. Here is some peach blossom wine that we made ourselves, and peach blossom tea that I personally crafted. If you don¡¯t disdain this gift, bring it back and try it!¡± It wasn¡¯t polite to be gifted something and have nothing to give back in return. She didn¡¯t have anything else on hand. This homemade wine and hand-crafted tea could help maintain the good health and youthful appearance of the consumer, and they were quite excellent in taste. Besides, it was the sincerity behind the gift that mattered, not the price, right?


    Of course, Su Ran would not disdain the gift. He smiled, replying, ¡°There¡¯s no one in the capital who isn¡¯t aware that the peach blossom tea in the general¡¯s residence is fragrant, delicious to drink and even helps to maintain a youthful appearance and remove freckles. It was rumored that Lady Fang¡¯s freckles from her pregnancy hadpletely disappeared as a result of drinking this tea. Not only that, but she even seemed to have be a few years younger. Herplexion is much better than before. So this peach blossom tea that¡¯s so hard to procure is actually the craft of Miss Xiaocao!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had no idea that the peach blossom tea she had asked her godfather to bring to his wife had caused such a big sensation in the capital. She was happy, and also fortunate that her godmother had not told anyone of the origins of the peach blossom tea. Otherwise she would never be able to live her life here peacefully!


    When she raised her head, she saw Sir Su¡¯s gaze that was filled withughter and cleared her throat, ¡°This peach blossom tea not only helps to maintain one¡¯s youthful appearance, but it also helps to dredge meridians and replenish qi and blood...and this peach blossom wine will help to prevent diseases if you drink a small cup of it twice every day in the morning and at night.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I appreciate Miss Xiaocao¡¯s sincerity. In the future, I will definitely follow Miss Xiaocao¡¯s instructions and drink a small cup of it every morning and night.¡± Although Su Ran still had his doubts about the effectiveness of the wine as the little miss had imed, he instinctively felt that there were only benefits to be gained from drinking this peach blossom wine.


    Once Su Ran left, Xiaocao hurriedly returned to pack her things for the trip to the capital. Naturally, Zhu Junyang would not leave her alone and apanied her along, fearful that the littless would be anxious.


    Although she was a little tentative, Xiaocao was still calmer than her father after she found out from the young prince that their summons to the capital this time was a good thing. After all, she had entered the imperial pce and met the emperor and empress before. Oh, right, and the emperor emeritus, that adorable and esurient old man. She believed that even if she made a few mistakes in her speech, the emperor and empress would not take it to heart. She had, after all, helped the little imperial prince before!


    She dismounted from her horse in front of the general¡¯s residence. When the page saw Xiaocao¡¯s figure, he hurriedly ran inside to notify the madam. After a short period of chaos, Lady Fang appeared with Zhenzhu and Linglong following behind her, along with an entire crowd of her courtyard¡¯s servants.


    Yu Xiaocao went up to greet her, but was instead pulled into an embrace by Lady Fang. Lady Fang lightly pped her back twice, chiding, ¡°You heartless littless! It¡¯s as though telling you toe to the capital is equivalent to harming you! Every time, you only send things to me, but don¡¯t you realize that no matter how many things you send me, it doesn¡¯t hold a candle to youing here personally? I missed you so much!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s eyes felt warm. Seeing her godmother¡¯s eyes turn red, she quickly turned towards the plump little boy in the arms of a nanny who stood behind Lady Fang, ¡°Yo, is this our Little Linlin? He¡¯s so big already! He¡¯s quite handsome; luckily he doesn¡¯t look like Godfather...¡±


    The little boy Fang Haolin, had been curiously eyeing the little miss in his mother¡¯s embrace. Seeing her look in his direction, he shyly turned his head away.


    ¡°You dare say! Thest time you saw your little brother was on his first birthday. Only now, when he¡¯s nearly two years old does he get to meet his older sister! You see, Little Linlin doesn¡¯t even recognize you anymore!¡± Lady Fang was full of grievances as she red harshly at her goddaughter. She rarely got to see this littless. If it wasn¡¯t for the food that she sent to her once in a while, she would¡¯ve thought that thisss had already forgotten about her godmother!


    ¡°Hee hee! It¡¯s my fault, okay? This time, I brought you some peach blossom wine, and several catties of peach blossom tea. If you can¡¯t finish them, then you can give them to the other madams that you¡¯re usually closer to. Not to mention the peaches we ntedst year¡ªquite a lot of them bore fruit this year, but it¡¯s not so easy to transport, so I only brought one basket full of them. I carried them on my back the entire journey to the capital, afraid that others might bruise them if they were careless. The other peaches had been canned and there¡¯s enough for you to enjoy for a whole year!¡± With a pleasing tone, Yu Xiaocao offered the peaches to Lady Fang like she was presenting treasures.


    Although the peach tree in the Yu Residence¡¯s back courtyard was actually a wild peach tree that was dug out from the mountain, it still couldn¡¯t ¡®withstand¡¯ the mystic-stone water that she watered it with every day. Not only did its flowers bloom beautifully, but the peaches it bore were also very big. The pink peaches were as big as the fist of an adult and emitted an enchanting fragrance. The peaches were also imbued with some spiritual energy that benefited the human body.


    Perhaps it was because the little boy, Fang Haolin, had been fed the mystic-stone water by Xiaocao before when he was younger, but he was more sensitive to this kind of spiritual energy. His head immediately turned back and he stared unblinkingly at the peaches in Xiaocao¡¯s hands. Yu Xiaocao used the mystic-stone water in her water bag to wash a peach. Then, she held it in front of the little fellow.


    Fang Haolin shyly looked at the somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar older sister in front of him, and slowly, a bashful smile blossomed on his face. Without saying whether he wanted it or not, he stared fixedly at the peach.


    Then, as though he was tempted by the fragrance of the peach, he slowly outstretched his little ¡®paw¡¯. He wasn¡¯t able to hold it in one hand, so he extended his other arm and, with both hands, held the peach to his chest. The smile on his face grew even sweeter.


    Only then did Lady Fang notice that Royal Prince Yang had been apanying Yu Xiaocao, and hurriedly went forward to greet him. Zhu Junyang stopped her, smiling as he said, ¡°Lady Fang doesn¡¯t need to be so courteous! Xiaocao will need to enter the imperial pce to meet the emperor tomorrow, so she should rest early today. I¡¯lle pick her up tomorrow morning!¡±


    They escorted Royal Prince Yang out the door, and then Lady Fang arranged for Yu Hai to settle in the outer courtyard. Fang Zizhen also returned to the capital yesterday, and, at the moment, he had been summoned to the imperial pce by the emperor for questioning. When he returned a whileter, the two of them would have a good drink together.


    Xiaocao and Lady Fang were crowded into the inner courtyard. The little fellow, Fang Haolin, held the big peach in his grasp and smelled it with his nose, but he didn¡¯t bite into it. Once they were within the inner courtyard, the servants dissipated once they greeted Yu Xiaocao, and only Wutong and Pipa were left to serve her.

 Chapter 415 – The Adorable Fang Haolin

    <h4>Chapter 415 ¨C The Adorable Fang Haolin</h4>


    At this time, Fang Haolin, who had been ced on the floor, secretly nced at Yu Xiaocao before he toddled towards Lady Fang. He did his best to outstretch his chubby little arms that looked like lotus roots, cutely saying, ¡°Mommy, eat fruit!¡±


    Lady Fang picked up her son and ced him on herp. She shook her head and said, ¡°Your sister gave you that, so you eat it!¡±


    Little Linlin stubbornly put the peach to her mouth, ¡°Linlin eat after Mommy eat!¡±


    ¡°Godmother, Linlin is so filial. You should just take a bite!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly as she looked at the little toddler, who was barely two yet already knew to first let his mother eat the good things. Although this little fellow was a little shy, his parents had taught him well.


    Only after Lady Fang pretended to take a small bite into the top of the peach did Little Linlin happily eat the peach. The peach was full of juice and extremely sweet. Just by biting into the skin and lightly sucking it, a piece of sweet and juicy peach went into the little fellow¡¯s mouth.


    ¡®So yummy! It¡¯s even better than the cherries that Mommy bought before. Mm...it¡¯s almost as good as the watermelons that Older Sister sent from Tanggu Town!¡¯ Little Linlin secretly looked at his fair-skinned, doe-eyed older sister. ¡®So this is my older sister who lived in Tanggu Town. She¡¯s the one who can make delicious food, and often sends delicious pastries and fruits over to us, right? Older Brother Xuanxuan said that his older sister treated him very well and spent all her monthly allowance on him! Now that Linlin also has an older sister, will she also treat Linlin as good as Older Brother Xuanxuan¡¯s older sister does?¡¯


    Our little friend, Fang Haolin who was barely two years old, thought about all this as he ate the big peach, but he identally ate too much while he was distracted! He had gotten spleen-stomach disharmony recently. Moreover, he did not cooperate with the treatment. Therefore, he ended up rolling on the bed while clutching his stomach and wailing until tears and mucus streaked his face.


    Lady Fang felt both amused and helpless. She resignedly gave out orders to brew the medicine, but the little fellow refused to take his medicine even though his stomach was in pain, ¡°Mommy, Linlin doesn¡¯t want to drink that bitter medicine. I don¡¯t wanna, don¡¯t wanna!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t drink the medicine, your stomach will hurt for the whole afternoon.¡± Coaxing her son to take his medicine was a difficult task. Lady Fang saw the little fellow bury his head into his nket while leaving his wiggling little butt exposed outside, looking like a big, stupid caterpir. Seeing this, she couldn¡¯t help but feel her head ache.


    Our little friend, Fang Haolin also felt very aggrieved. His tummy was so painful, yet his mother still wanted to make him drink the bitter medicine. Was she even his biological mother? He hugged his stomach and wailed, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna drink that bitter medicine. I wanna drink the sweet medicine that Older Sister sent!¡±


    ¡°Syrup is used to treat coughing, so it can¡¯t be used to treat your indigestion!¡± Madam Fang admonished earnestly, but the little fellow was barely two years old. Thus, he did not understand anything about using the right medicine for the right disease. Since he did not need to drink bitter medicine to treat cough, the same could be said for his stomachache!


    ¡°I want Older sister. Older sister is a doctor and she has medicine that isn¡¯t bitter!¡± Little Linlin¡¯s eyes brightened as he pulled his head out from under the nkets. His eyes that had been washed with tears now shone like the brightest star in the night sky. Didn¡¯t his mother say that his older sister was very skilled? Imperial physicians would only give bitter medicine to little children, but his older sister was able to make sweet-tasting medicine. Older Sister must be more skilled than imperial physicians!


    ¡°I hear that Little Linlin is looking for me. Why is Linlin looking for Older Sister?¡± Yu Xiaocao returned to the main courtyard after she got cleaned up and changed into another set of clothes in her courtyard. She did not expect to hear Fang Haolin wailing for her before she even entered the room. It seemed that she was still quite popr among children¡ªshe had not met him for almost a year yet Little Linlin was still quite close to this older sister of his!


    When she entered the room, she noticed that Little Linlin had two streaks of tears running down his cheeks while he pitifully and somewhat shyly looked at her. The sight made her heart melt. She went up and held the little fellow who had a milky scent into her arms, gently and softly asking, ¡°Little Linlin, why did you cry? Tell Older Sister, where are you feeling ufortable?¡±


    ¡®Older Sister¡¯s embrace is so fragrant andfortable!¡¯ Our little friend, Fang Haolin buried his face into his older sister¡¯s embrace and deeply took in her scent. ¡®My tummy doesn¡¯t seem to hurt as much when I¡¯m in Older Sister¡¯s embrace.¡¯ The little fellow stayed in Xiaocao¡¯s embrace, refusing to leave no matter how hard his mother tried to coax him. He even used an adorable tone to pitifully moan, ¡°Older Sister, Linlin¡¯s tummy hurts...¡±


    Xiaocao looked up at Lady Fang with a gaze filled with curiosity. Lady Fang felt angry yet amused as she watched her son ¡®rebel¡¯ and leap into her goddaughter¡¯s embrace. She nced at him, saying, ¡°He has some indigestion issuestely, but he forgot all about it because he was ovee with joy that you¡¯re here. This little guy must have overeaten after eating such a big peach!¡±


    Fang Haolin nervously watched his older sister, lowering his head in embarrassment, ¡®Would Older Sister disdain him for being gluttonous and disown him?¡¯ The little fellow stared at his chubby fingers and the tears in his eyes threatened to fall at any moment.


    Xiaocao lightly rubbed the little fellow¡¯s abdomen and softly said, ¡°It¡¯s Older Sister¡¯s fault. I shouldn¡¯t have given you a whole peach. Older Sister will make you a cup of milk teater, it can help digestion.¡±


    ¡°Is milk tea bitter?¡± The little fellow was the most afraid of consuming something bitter. He blinked his doe-like eyes and looked at his older sister with a hopeful expression.


    Xiaocao lightly tapped the tip of his nose, smiling, ¡°It¡¯s not bitter; it¡¯s sweet and fragrant!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you see! Older Sister has medicine that isn¡¯t bitter!¡± The little fellow Fang Haolin still had a drop of tear on his cheek as he broke into a smile.


    Since Royal Prince Yang brought back a few dairy cows from his expedition to the western hemisphere, drinking milk became all the rage among many people in the capital. In a farmstead under the name of Royal Prince Yang, some dozen mu of farnd had been converted into pastures. Now, he already had more than twenty dairy cows and this dairy now supplied milk to the majority of the wealthy and powerful families in the capital.


    Lady Fang had epted her goddaughter¡¯s suggestion¡ªnot only did she make her son drink cow¡¯s milk even after stopping his intake of breast milk, she also persisted in drinking cow¡¯s milk. The benefits had already started to show after a period of time. Her body and bones became stronger, her sleep quality had improved, and her skin also became much more delicate than before. Whenbined with the effects of the peach blossom tea and wine that her goddaughter sent her, even her close friends who were younger than her now looked like her older sisters! They were so envious of her that they also began to drink cow¡¯s milk themselves!


    Yu Xiaocao took the milk that they already had in store and boiled it with white sugar. Then, she added a fewdles of tea and a few drops of mystic-stone water. She let it cool down, and then served it to the little fellow, Fang Haolin. Perhaps it was the psychological effect, or the mystic-stone water¡¯s effect, but the little fellow quickly patted his stomach with a grin, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. I¡¯m cured! Older Sister is more skilled than the imperial physicians!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak these words carelessly! Be careful that you won¡¯t be able to invite any imperial physicians to treat your illness in the future!¡± Xiaocao pinched the little fellow¡¯s chubby face and couldn¡¯t resist kissing his cheek.


    Little Linlin suddenly became bashful, hiding his face into his mother¡¯s embrace. ¡®Mommy doesn¡¯t smell as good as Older Sister, but...since Older sister kissed Little Linlin, does this mean Older Sister likes Little Linlin? Little Linlin also likes Older Sister!¡¯ He pulled away from his mother¡¯s embrace and said to his older sister, ¡°Older Sister is skilled and makes delicious medicine that isn¡¯t bitter! Since I have Older Sister, I won¡¯t need imperial physicians to treat me in the future!¡±


    ¡°Then when Older Sister returns to Dongshan Vige, who¡¯ll treat you when you fall sick?¡± Yu Xiaocao could not help but tease him.


    Hearing this, Little Linlin¡¯s face creased up, tearing up, ¡°Don¡¯t go back, Older Sister! Isn¡¯t it okay to just stay here, Older Sister?


    ¡°See! Your little brother doesn¡¯t want to part with you, so you should stay in the capital for a few more days this time!¡± Lady Fang red at her reprovingly. Ever since she returned to the capital to awaitbor, this busy goddaughter of hers had only visited her twice! What a heartless girl!


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose,ughing drily. All of a sudden, her gaze lit up as itnded on Little Linlin, ¡°Godmother, Little Linlin is older now, so you can bring him to Tanggu Town! Now that they¡¯re winding-up thest few details of the harbor, Godfather would be busier and need to stay for a while longer at Tanggu Town. If you bring Linlin to Tanggu Town, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the two of you after work!¡±


    After a moment¡¯s silence, Lady Fang raised her head and shot her a side-nce, ¡°It¡¯s as though I¡¯m trying to harm you by keeping you in the capital for a few more days! Now you¡¯ve evene up with the idea of ¡®abducting¡¯ the two of us to Tanggu Town! Linlin, isn¡¯t your older sister bad?¡±


    ¡°Not bad! Go to Tanggu Town, find Daddy!¡± Little Linlin had gotten pertussis not long after he had been born, and even after Xiaocao had treated his illness, the servants of the General¡¯s Estate still treated him with the utmost care. The general and the madam were only able to conceive this golden child when they were nearing forty years of age, so the servants were naturally afraid that they did not serve well enough.


    Little Linlin was almost two years old, but he had never gone out of the General¡¯s Estate before. He only had friends to y with when Lady Fang¡¯s close friends brought their own children over. It was why he was very attached to Older Brother Xuanxuan and Older Sister Juan¡¯er. He often pestered Lady Fang, asking her why they had note to y with him.


    Once he heard that he could go to Tanggu Town to visit his father, Little Linlin was naturally very enthusiastic. Going to Tanggu Town was good because his father coulde back home every day, and he could see his older sister much more often. He would be able to enjoy his older sister¡¯s pastries more frequently, too!


    ¡°You little traitor, you don¡¯t want your mother anymore once you see your older sister!¡± Lady Fang felt happy to see her son get close to her goddaughter so quickly, even to the point of attachment. She was already extremely grateful to be able to have a blood-rtive like this in her lifetime. If this child was close with his older sister, he would have another family member in the future. Xiaocao had a mind of her own, so in the future when she and her husband passes away, the brother and sister duo would still be able to discuss matters with each other and be each other¡¯s support. This was what she hoped!


    ¡°Mommy! Linlin likes mommy the most! Linlin wants mommy, but Linlin also wants older sister!¡± Our little friend, Fang Haolin said cutely as he leapt into his mother¡¯s embrace and hugged her neck. The sweetness in his voice went straight to their hearts.


    Lady Fangughingly called him ¡®little tterer¡¯ and teased him, ¡°Then...if Mommy stays in the capital and Older Sister returns to Tanggu Town, will you stay here with me, or follow Older Sister to Tanggu Town to see Daddy?¡±


    Fang Haolin¡¯s face was full of ambivalence. He looked at his mother, and then at his older sister who was smiling sweetly. He thought long and hard about it, until he eventually reluctantly said, ¡°Then...Linlin will still stay in the capital with Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Yu Xiaocao pretended to be hurt, pressing her hand to her chest.


    Little Linlin hurried to hug her in an effort tofort her, ¡°When Older Sister returns to Tanggu Town, Daddy will have Older Sister aspany. Mommy is alone in the capital, so Linlin will stay and keep Mommypany!¡±


    Lady Fang was touched. She hugged her son tightly, ¡°Good son, Mommy hadn¡¯t pampered you for nothing!¡±

 Chapter 416 – The Forbidden City

    <h4>Chapter 416 ¨C The Forbidden City</h4>


    Fang Zizhen had returned yesterday night and he taught his adopted family all that they had to know about the etiquette of the imperial pce. Both father and daughter had been woken up early in the morning today and, after a flurry of preparations, they rode a horse carriage to the Imperial City under Fang Zizhen¡¯s lead. Outside the Meridian Gate, they got off from the carriage.


    Su Ran had already been waiting from behind the gates since dawn. Yu Xiaocao, who was originally a little unnerved because she had to meet the emperor in court, felt her body and soul rx once she saw the ever-graceful Sir Su standing there.


    Sir Su was the head steward who took care of all the internal matters of the Imperial City and was the trusted aide of the emperor. Every single official that came to attend court smiled and saluted him courteously. What was there to be afraid of when he personally came to meet the two of them?


    In any case, the whole court already knew that she and her father came from the countryside, so it was justifiable if they werecking in the aspect of court etiquette, right? Yu Xiaocao¡¯s steps became lighter and lighter the more she thought about this, and her original reservedness turned into nonchnce.


    Since there was still some time before court proceedings began, she slowed down in her footsteps and started to appreciate the sights of the Imperial City. Above the Meridian Gate sat a pavilion with double eaves that looked as though they were five phoenixes about to take off into the air. This was also why the Imperial City was called the Hall of Five Phoenixes.


    Once she passed through the Meridian Gate, she saw five bridges made of white marble that passed over the moat. Paired with the majestic Meridian Gate and the brilliance of the buildings, they formed an enchanting painting. The intricately carved bridge railing that looked like white jade belts made Yu Xiaocao want to take down a piece to bring home and keep as a momento.


    She caressed the white marble railing, reluctant to part with it. Yu Xiaocao was about to walk onto the center bridge that was carved with a coiling dragon when Su Ran pulled her back, pointing to the stone bridge to the right as he smiled, ¡°That¡¯s our bridge. Only the emperor can cross on this center bridge. The court officials cross over on all the others...¡±


    Realization hit Yu Xiaocao that moment, and she chanced another nce at the intricately carved coiled dragon. Even after she crossed the stone bridge, she still couldn¡¯t help but look back at it. Su Ran shook his head in amusement and slowed down in his footsteps, following Xiaocao¡¯s speed.


    After they passed the five white marble bridges, they quickly arrived at a brilliant and magnificent pce. This was the Hall of Supreme Harmony that was depicted in countless dramas. She walked until she was at the wide tform in front of the hall. There, she saw copper turtles and cranes that were crafted so skilfully they looked almost alive. It was just as her younger brother from her previous life had told her when he came back from his visit to the Forbidden City. These graceful and magnificent copper statues represented the long reign of this nation! She honestly couldn¡¯t see the rtion.


    She stopped in her tracks and looked up. On the eaves of the roof of the pce sat a carving of an immortal sitting on a phoenix. Behind it, there were many small beasts of different forms, and every one of them was extremely lifelike. The zed, golden yellow roof tiles of the pce, the bright red pirs and all the mix of the colors¡ªit was just too much for her eyes to take in.


    The throne room was where matters of the state were discussed, but now, there was actually a little girl who was rxed and leisurely strolling about, as though she were strolling through her garden at home. All the officials that came to attend court gave her a sidelong nce. What surprised them even more was the fact that the person who was leading the little miss was actually Chief Steward Su who served the emperor!


    What was the origin of this little miss? Even though the clothes and essories made her look as though she was an official¡¯s daughter, they were ultimately still ordinary clothes and essories! But Chief Steward Su was amiable towards her, even to the point of amodation. Chief Steward Su¡¯s every action and word represented the emperor¡¯s intentions, so didn¡¯t this mean that the emperor thought highly of this unfamiliar little miss?


    Look! Look! Isn¡¯t this little miss acting too casually? She actually dared to touch the copper crane in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony! Did she think that this was a stroll in her own garden? And not only did Chief Steward Su not reprimand and stop her, but he was also smiling and even stood to the side to wait for her! If they weren¡¯t aware that the emperor only had one five-year-old little princess, the court officials would believe that this little miss was actually the emperor¡¯s most favored princess!


    Eh? It was possible! This little miss looked about ten years old, and the emperor loved to travel around the world before he took over the throne. Could it be that she was his daughter who had been lost among themoners? The more they made up, the more the court officials believed their story to be true. If she was a daughter from the prestigious families of the capital, she would be careful with every action she made, especially when she entered the imperial pce. Which daughter of the capital¡¯s prestigious families would be like her and touch the beak of the copper crane with her small hand?


    Many court officials couldn¡¯t help but slow down in their steps as they reached the tform in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, their eyes shining with gossip. At this moment, Minister Liu hurried up the steps. His gaze paused when he saw a spot of pink among the throng of court officials¡¯ robes. Recognizing the familiar figure, Minister Liu¡¯s face erupted into a grin, walking to the person that had attained the focus of all the court officials. He called out, ¡°Miss Yu, long time no see! How are you?¡±


    Hearing this, Yu Xiaocao turned around and saw Minister Liu. A smile broke out on her face as she said, ¡°Official Liu! You¡¯re here to attend court?¡±


    The crowd of court officials all thought, ¡®Isn¡¯t this a redundant question? If we¡¯re not here to attend court, then what are we doing?¡¯


    Su Ran noticed that Minister Liu seemed to have a lot to say to Xiaocao, so he hurried to cut them off before the other man could continue. Towards Yu Xiaocao, he asked warmly, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, it¡¯s about time for court. Shall we enter the hall and await for the emperor?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded, smiling, ¡°Sir Su, do you all attend court at this hour every time? It¡¯s so early! It seems that it¡¯s quite difficult no matter if you¡¯re the emperor or the court officials!¡±


    Su Ran smiled faintly but didn¡¯t reply, simply gesturing for her to enter. Yu Xiaocao turned her head to look at her reserved father who had been quietly following behind her all this time, andforted, ¡°Father, don¡¯t be afraid! You¡¯ve met the emperor before. He¡¯s quite a nice person. When the timees, we¡¯ll just answer whatever he asks. If we can¡¯t answer, we can just shake our heads. We¡¯re onlymoners after all, and we haven¡¯t seen any big affairs before, so it¡¯spletely understandable if we don¡¯t know!¡±


    The officials that passed-by her gave her another sidelong nce when they heard her words. When in court, who didn¡¯t consider their answer over and over before they answered the emperor¡¯s questions? Who wasn¡¯t extremely careful with their words, afraid that they would say the wrong things if they were careless? This little miss said it so casually. Did you think that your family owned the court, that the emperor would ¡®y¡¯ with you?


    After her conversation with Minister Liu, every court official now knew that Xiaocao was the little countrysidess who was skilled in agriculture. No wonder, after all, she was of low birth! Oh right, isn¡¯t thisss also the goddaughter of General Fang? Did General Fang and his wife not teach this littless pce etiquette yesterday? It was not a surprise either. Fang Zizhen was so uncouth, so what would he know? It was enough if he didn¡¯t mess up himself! In a moment, they needed to watch as these peasants disgraced themselves in front of the emperor.


    Those court officials that disagreed with the idea of awarding an official¡¯s rank to the Yu Family waited to watch the drama and their gazes lit up with epicaricacy. Zhu Junyang , who had been unable to pick up Xiaocao from the Fang Residence because he waste to leave his residence, felt the ill intent of the officials and couldn¡¯t help scrunching up his brows. His face turned cold as he took to standing beside Yu Xiaocao, using his actions to tell everyone else that he supported his littless!


    Yu Xiaocao leisurely came to the doors of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and looked inside. The emperor¡¯s imperial throne sat on top of the sevenyered tforms in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Naturally, as the emperor¡¯s throne, it was intricately carved and extremelyvish, and behind the throne was seven dividers that had carvings of clouds and dragons. There were about a dozen golden dragons coiled around the rim of the throne and the pattern of two dragons spitting a pearl was carved onto the base of the throne. The whole throne shimmered with gold, disying the absolute pre-eminence of the person who sat on that treasured seat.


    The moment she stepped into the hall, Yu Xiaocao noticed that all the civil and the military officials had already separated into two sides and lined up in an orderly fashion. There wasn¡¯t any space for her and her father to stand, so she dumbfoundedly asked, ¡°Sir Su, where do we stand?¡±


    At the side, an official with a thin beard wearing a set of dark red, second-rank court official¡¯s robes sneered, sliding his gaze over, ¡°Where is there space for you to stand in this hall?¡±


    ¡°Official Yang! Don¡¯t you think your words are too much?¡± Zhu Junyang exuded a terrifying cold aura and his phoenix eyes filled with a growing darkness. An air of bloodlust seemed to engulf him, and even such an old and experienced official as Imperial Censor Yang was struck with terror.


    No wonder Royal Prince Yang was said to be a devil. He was rumored to have a bad temper and not be able to recognize his own rtives when he was furious among the people of the capital. It seemed that the rumors were not groundless! Imperial Censor Yang shifted his eyes away, not daring to meet his gaze.


    Chief Steward Su Ran lightly nced over Imperial Censor Yang, ¡®This surnamed Yang seems to have gotten sick of being an official, always looking for trouble when there is none. It seems that it¡¯s about time for the hidden guards to do a sweep through the Yang Residence!¡¯


    He turned towards Xiaocao, softly saying, ¡°You and your father will wait here. In a while, his imperial majesty will call your names and summon you. He¡¯ll casually ask you a few questions and thenmend and reward you for your contributions. You don¡¯t have to be nervous; you definitely won¡¯t make a mistake if you maintain yourposure!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded slightly, a look of obedience on her face, ¡°Rest assured, Sir Su. I am aware of the gravity of the situation, I won¡¯t speak carelessly!¡±


    Head Steward Su Ran smiled at her, and moved to the Hall of Central Harmony that was behind the Hall of Supreme Harmony with quick steps. The Hall of Central Harmony was the ce where the emperor rested before attending court. At this time, he should already be there! When he entered the grand doors of the Hall of Central Harmony, he indeed saw the emperor who was wearing bright imperial robes sitting on one of the red sandalwood chairs.


    ¡°How was it? The littless wasn¡¯t scared silly, right?¡± Seeing him enter, Zhu Junfan asked with a smile.


    Su Ran recalled Yu Xiaocao¡¯s leisurely pace, and how she didn¡¯t show a hint of fear or worry as though she was strolling through her backyard and couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Replying to Your Majesty, Miss Xiaocao is very...collected!¡±


    Zhu Junfan raised his eyebrows, recalling the time when he had only transmigrated here and scorned the supposed rank restrictions and ideology on the distinguished and the humble. Thatss probably had yet to experience the terrors of imperial authority, so naturally, she was still able to go about without much worry. At most, she would feel slightly unsettled as she was not familiar with this situation.


    ¡°Thatss has always been quite bold. Junyang told me that he once almost lost control in front of her, but it was because she made impromptu jokes that he was pulled back to sanity! You¡¯ve also witnessed Junyang¡¯s violence and the degree of terror he instills when he rages. The littless didn¡¯t faint under those circumstances, so how could the mere atmosphere of entering the imperial pce to meet the emperor scare her?¡± Zhu Junfan was a little regretful. He wasn¡¯t present at that time, but he also wanted to witness how the little girl managed to subdue the cold-faced god of death.


    Su Ran resignedly watched the fascinated emperor, softly reminding, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, it¡¯s time to attend court...¡±

 Chapter 417 – Atmosphere at Court

    <h4>Chapter 417 ¨C Atmosphere at Court</h4>


    ¡°The emperor has arrived¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°May the emperor live for ten thousand years...¡± The civil and military officials all greeted the emperor in one voice. Yu Hai and Yu Xiaocao, who were in the back behind all of them, were stunned for a second and then kowtowed half a secondter.


    Zhu Junfan majestically walked in and stood in front of the intricately carved dragon throne as he nced at the direction of the Yu Family¡¯s father and daughter pair. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile as he lifted his right hand, ¡°Rise my beloved officials!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty!¡± All of the officials came up and then respectfully stood in their ces. Yu Xiaocao clumsily pulled herself up. Bowing down, kneeling, and then standing up was truly torturous. This society was too cruel for having a centralized monarchy and a culture that was heavily based on rank and status...


    ¡°If there are important affairs, bring up the memorials. If there¡¯s nothing to be said, then retreat¡ª¡ª¡± Su Ran¡¯s voice sounded gentle and reserved and didn¡¯t have a hint of shrillness in it. He had a very soothing voice. Yu Xiaocao was short and couldn¡¯t see much over the heads of the officials. She wanted to clearly see the man who was sitting high up on the dais in the throne room, so she craned her neck to look.


    Su Ran easily spotted the little head that was peeking through behind the orderly ranks of the civil officials. Because the head was slightly tilted, the dangling hair ornaments in that person¡¯s hair also swayed a few times. The littless seemed to have sensed his eyes and naughtily grinned at him.


    If Su Ran saw this, then Zhu Junfan, who was sitting next to him in a dignified manner, naturally also spotted this. He knew that his old transmigrator friend wasn¡¯t a cowardly and timid person. How could she be intimidated by the grand and splendorous throne room? It was more likely that the littless was taking this as a leisurely tour and enjoying the sights here.


    Zhu Junfan spaced out for a bit while sitting on the throne. The official standing beneath him was reporting on the affairs of the people in Tanggu Town and the vicinity, so he only got the general gist of things. Following that, a few other officials sent up reports...Zhu Junfan asionally took some time to nce at the littless¡¯s head that was still curiously looking around the room. It was as if she was watching a y that was very interesting and engrossing. For some reason, her tant curiosity rubbed him slightly the wrong way.


    Finally, none of the officials in court brought up anything else. Zhu Junfan looked at his younger cousin and raised an eyebrow, ¡®Looks like you¡¯re quite patient today ah!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang noticed the emperor¡¯s gaze and stepped forward, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the Yu Family¡¯s father and daughter are already outside the throne room. They¡¯re waiting in the back to be called in!¡±


    His cousin was clearly lying through his teeth. Thatss was clearly already inside the throne room. She had been craning her neck this whole time to see. At this rate, she was going to be a giraffe very soon!


    Zhu Junfan silently roasted his cousin yet he acted in his usual dignified manner and announced, ¡°Allow them in!¡±


    Su Ran stood up straight and announced, ¡°Bring the Yu Family inside the throne room!¡±


    When Yu Hai heard this, his whole body trembled from head to toe. He felt like his limbs weren¡¯t listening to his mind anymore. The highest ranked official he had seen in his life was the county magistrate. Although General Fang and Royal Prince Yang both had rtively high positions, he only interacted with them privately and had never spoken with them in such a formal situation. Even though General Fang had given him a crash course on the court etiquettes when meeting the emperor, he was incredibly nervous and he felt like his head had turned into a bunch of useless mush at this time.


    It was his daughter who roused him from his induced panic. As she walked by him, she lightly pulled at his sleeve and that action calmed him down a bit. He saw that his daughter had her head properly lowered and her two hands were modestly ced on her abdomen as she went forward in small steps. She easily traversed through the officials in front of them. Her entire demeanor was calm and collected and there was a slight smile on her face. Even the hair ornaments on her head didn¡¯t sway much as she walked forward.


    Yu Hai felt a bit ashamed now. In front of such a grand asion, his daughter must not be as calm as she seemed. As her father, he couldn¡¯t be his daughter¡¯s backbone and even required her to help him at such a crucial point. He was truly an ipetent father ah! With these thoughts running through his head, a burst of courage came up and he straightened his back and neck. His steps going forward had also be more steady.


    The two of them didn¡¯t make a single mistake as they properly greeted the emperor. After the emperor absolved them, the father and daughter pair stood up straight. Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t say a word as he silently observed the reactions of the father and daughter pair in front of him. Although Yu Hai did his best to keep himself calm, he still had a hint of anxiety and frazzledness about him. This was the first time he was meeting the emperor and the first time he was in such a situation. His reactions were normal.


    As for the Yu Family¡¯s littless, she was only putting up an act. Every movement she made was as graceful and elegant as those noble young maidens in the capital. Not a single movement was wrong or out of ce. But why did her actions rub him the wrong way? Ah! It was because, within her bones, there was a certain attitude. She was neither servile nor overbearing and was extremely calm and collected. In fact, she even had a hint of excitement. ¡®Littless, don¡¯t think that because you have your head down that we cannot see your true expression!¡¯


    The emperor had called in the Yu Family¡¯s father and daughter inside yet hadn¡¯t said a word. The officials all looked at each other in dismay. Just what was going through the emperor¡¯s mind right now?


    Zhu Junfan waited until he saw that Yu Hai was about to break from the pressure. Only then did he slowly start, ¡°We¡¯ve heard that you were the one who first discovered the presence of the Wokou pirates near Tanggu Town. Furthermore, you also warned the authorities there, is that correct?¡±


    The most important person in the Great Ming Dynasty was asking him a question! Yu Hai opened his mouth and felt like there was something stuck in his throat. His heart pounded furiously as if it was going to jump out of his chest cavity. He reminded himself that he was a father and needed to bring honor to his children. He bowed and stammered, ¡°In...in reply to Your Imperial Majesty...¡±


    ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty! This subject has decent swimming skills and has signed a contract with the Zhou Family to help them obtain seafood. That day, this subject had unconsciously swam into the deep ocean and saw a fleet of around a hundred ships in the distance. They didn¡¯t look like merchant ships and also didn¡¯t look like navy ships from our Great Ming Empire. I thought it was a bit odd and secretly swam over to one of the ships. I found out that the people on the ships not only wore different clothing than us but I also couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. They were absolutely not people from our country.¡±


    ¡°This subject once heard the elders from my vige talking about the fact that Tanggu Town is not too far from a neighboring country. In the past, they had experienced Wokou pirates attacking them. In addition, in the past few days, there were the remnants of a typhoon that blew past us from the direction of that country. The people from that country likely encountered a natural disaster! This subject also heard that, in the previous dynasty, manymoners here had been forced to be bandits after natural disasters struck where they lived. Thus, this subject wondered if the people in that country decided to be pirates due to the disaster and wereing to our Great Ming Dynasty to steal things from us! Thus, I swam back with all my might to warn my vige chief.¡±


    ¡°This subject¡¯s godfather is in charge of the construction of the harbor and I was worried about his safety. I had my older brother ride a steed at top speed to warn him. It was this subject¡¯s adopted father who made the prompt decision to inform the authorities. By doing so, they managed to organize all of the soldiers in the area and snatched the opportunity to protect the docks when the pirates struck!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was quite tired from her speech. Speaking in such a formal and flowery manner was not a strength of hers. However, if she spoke too directly, would that cause problems for her godfather and godmother? After all, she had spent quite a bit of time learning the proper etiquette and manners of a well-bred maiden from her godmother. Her godmother had spent quite a bit of effort to teach her how to be a noble maiden!


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, this great effort and contribution is all thanks to your godfather, who was overseeing the construction of the harbor!¡± Zhu Junfan had a slight smile on his face as he looked towards the military officials to find a certain someone.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have a single hint of wanting to pull glory onto herself as she modestly replied, ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty, the sessful defense of the docks was from the joint efforts of Commander Sun and General Fang. Furthermore, the soldiers of the county and docks were brave and heroic. Themon people and all of the soldiers worked together to produce this oue. This is not the credit of one person alone!¡±


    Fang Zizhen looked at his daughter with admiration as his back became straight. He had a proud look at his face. He felt like all of his colleagues knew that the person who was in front of the emperor, the little girl with the calm demeanor who was under the eyes of all of the officials in the room, was his daughter! With such a daughter, he was proud and full of glory!


    Zhu Junfan revealed a faint smile and slightly nodded his head as he praised, ¡°However, you cannot discount your own efforts ah! If you weren¡¯t there to give the timely warning, then when those pirates attacked the docks, it was likely it¡¯d be a pyrrhic victory even if we won! Now, the county¡¯s soldiers had fully defeated the pirates and the damage to the docks were kept to a minimum. This is definitely rted to your efforts!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for yourpliments, this subject is ashamed and dares not to ept the honor!¡± In fact, Yu Xiaocao was quite pleased to receive the emperor¡¯spliments under the eyes of all of these court officials. Since the emperor himself had admitted that she had done a good job, didn¡¯t that mean that he wanted to give her some type of reward? The rewards from the emperor had to be expensive and good right? Sparkling gold and beautiful jade, the more the better. ¡®Just bury me in riches ah...¡¯


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, this subject is a bit confused about something!¡± General Shi, who didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with Fang Zizhen, suddenly stepped forward and interjected as he looked at Yu Xiaocao from the corner of his eye.


    Zhu Junfan knew that General Shi was a great general who had previously fought with his imperial grandfather. At that time, he had actually fought against the previous dynasty¡¯s General Zhao and General Fang when they were still master and disciple. On the battlefield, he had lost more than he won against those two, so he had never forgiven them for that.


    After the previous dynasty was overthrown, General Fang had been given the title of ¡®Zhaoyang General¡¯ by his imperial grandfather after his wounds had healed. Although it wasn¡¯t a position with a lot of power, it was still a court appointed position that got an official sry. This never sat well with General Shi. So many of his soldiers had died under the hands of Fang Zizhen, and he had vowed to personally take revenge for those men with his own hands.


    However, these two enemies were now colleagues under the same court. How could he not be sullen about this? Thus, from time to time, he would jump out to provoke Fang Zizhen. It was rumored that, in private, the two of them had fought numerous times and each were victorious or defeated at different times. Luckily, both of them knew how to restrain themselves for the greater picture and had never ended up fighting to the death. Whether it was the emperor emeritus or the current emperor, both of them turned a blind eye to this.


    Weren¡¯t they supposed to reward the people who were good at farming at Tanggu Town today? Howe Fang Zizhen, that bastard, was also being pointed out for a reward now? If this went on, wouldn¡¯t that fellow, Fang Zizhen, be promoted to the ranks of nobility? That was not okay! He absolutely could not allow that fellow to get something good! General Shi fiercely glowered at Fang Zizhen.


    ¡°Beloved Official Shi, what are you confused about?¡± Zhu Junfan felt a bit powerless. Someone else was trying to raise issues now!


    General Shi seriously looked at Yu Xiaocao and said, ¡°Little girl, you say that you¡¯re good at swimming and can swim deep in the ocean. This, I believe! However, you are also iming that you can swim faster than the ships, fast enough to get tond before them. Furthermore, you also had enough time to warn the docks. This is something that I and other people find hard to believe!¡±


    There were quite a decent number of officials in the court who had decent swimming skills. However, were any of them willing to im that they could swim faster than a ship and at a speed that was much faster? No one was willing to say that! This was something impossible that no one could believe. Just how brave was this littless? She was so gutsy that she was willing toe up with such an absurd lie to fool the emperor, did she not know that deceiving the monarch was a crime worthy of death?

 Chapter 418 – Tit for Tat

    <h4>Chapter 418 ¨C Tit for Tat</h4>


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, what do you have to say to this?¡± General Shi¡¯s doubts did make some sense. Did his old transmigrator friend have some sort of treasure on hand? Zhu Junfan rubbed his chin and looked with great interest at the littless who didn¡¯t seem frantic at all.


    Yu Xiaocao turned her head to look at the old general who was nearing sixty years of age. She was quite perplexed, ¡®I have never seen him before ah, let alone have the opportunity to offend him. He looks like Zhang Fei 1 and an old crabby old man, so why is he targeting me? Perhaps...he¡¯s jealous of the recognition that I¡¯m getting?¡¯


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty...and this old general! You probably don¡¯t know that this subject had saved a juvenile dolphin about two years ago when I was swimming in the ocean. That little dolphin is very clever and lively. After healing its wounds, it remembers me and alwayses over whenever this subject goes to gather seafood on the beach or dives in the water. It always frolics around me and swims to y around.¡±


    ¡°This subject identally found out that the little dolphin can also carry a person in the water as it swims at high speed. It swims faster than a fast...fast ship. From time to time, it¡¯ll take me along into the deeper ocean to y around. Everyone in my family and Royal Prince Yang knows about this. This is also the main reason why they are okay with this subject going out to the deep ocean alone. That day, it was Xiaobu¡ª¡ªthat is the name that this subject gave to the little dolphin¡ª¡ªwho carried me on its back as I swam in the ocean!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked very calm and collected. Even though the thing she was talking about seemed a bit bizarre, the vast majority of officials at court believed what she said. However, there was also a group of people who snorted at this story, such as the nearby General Shi.


    Zhu Junfan noticed that General Shi seemed to not believe a single word, so he looked at Zhu Junyang and asked, ¡°Junyang, is everything that Yu Xiaocao said true or not?¡±


    ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty, everything she said is true! This subject has personally seen it!!¡± Royal Prince Yang stepped forward a couple of steps to arrive next to Yu Xiaocao. His phoenix eyes swept a look at her and, for a second, met Xiaocao¡¯s eyes. It was as if he was trying to say, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, this prince is here!¡¯


    Zhu Junfan faintly nodded his head and looked towards General Shi to ask, ¡°General Shi, do you still have anything to say?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty! It¡¯s not that this subject doesn¡¯t believe Royal Prince Yang but this story is a little too inconceivable and hard for all of us to swallow ah!¡± General Shi frowned until his face became a mess of wrinkles. His messy beard moved as he spoke and gestured, trembling asionally.


    Yu Xiaocao furrowed her delicately shaped eyebrows and gave General Fang a look full of doubt, ¡°General Shi, have I offended you in the past ah? Why are you deliberating targeting me, a young maiden?¡±


    ¡°Impertinent! In front of the emperor, who can stand you spewing nonsense? When has this old man ever tried to deliberately target you? I am only stating the facts! The ims you are making are too inconceivable!¡± General Shi opened his eyes wide, such that they resembled gongs, and red fiercely at her. The look on his face would have scared a true girl around ten into tears.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t intimidated by his act! She wasn¡¯t lying so what was there to be afraid of? That being said, it was clear that the situation was in her favor as the emperor seemed to be on her side. This bad tempered and stubborn old general wasn¡¯t going to get anywhere even if he continued to make trouble.


    ¡°The facts? What facts are you talking about? Everything I said was the truth. Without proper investigation, you have no leg to stand on! Any viger in Dongshan Vige knows about this. As soon as you investigate, you would find that out. Why would I try to lie to the emperor ah? Thews state that deceiving the emperor is a crime worthy of death and could even implicate nine generations of one¡¯s family! Do you think I¡¯m an idiot, ah? That I¡¯ll gamble with my life to make a joke?¡± Yu Xiaocao no longer tried to embellish her words in an elegant way. In any case, the general was a military official. If she said things in a way that was too flowery, he might not even be able to understand!


    ¡°Dolphins can get close to people and also y with you? A bunch of crazy nonsense! Your Imperial Majesty, this official hopes that you will heavily punish thisss who is misleading the public with her rumors!¡± General Shi was infuriated that a littless was schooling him, an old man. How could he possibly endure this?


    ¡°Why do you have to say that I need to be punished? Because I¡¯m telling the truth?? Old General, don¡¯t try to use your status as an old man against others and try to threaten the court with your previous contributions to force the emperor to make a decision! The emperor himself will give this subject justice and determine what is right or wrong!!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao gave the crabby old man a fierce glower. ¡®You want to proim me guilty? Your words don¡¯t mean anything!¡¯


    General Shi was furious but an inkling of rm appeared in his heart. Using his might as a general to threaten the emperor was a crime that wasn¡¯t insignificant! He had underestimated this little girl. Although she looked like a naive, rural country brat, he didn¡¯t expect her to have such a crafty and cunning mind!


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense! When has this old man ever tried to force the emperor? Your Imperial Majesty, please believe this old official ah!¡± General Shi cried out his grievances.


    Zhu Junfan looked at General Shi in an amicable manner and gently asked, ¡°Beloved Official Shi, have you been to the ocean before?¡±


    ¡°This old official has never been!¡± General Shi was a bit perplexed that the emperor would suddenly change the subject and ask him about something unrted. Regardless, he obediently replied.


    ¡°Then have you seen the creatures that are named dolphins before?¡± Zhu Junfan continued to ask a follow up question.


    ¡°This old official has not seen them before...¡± General Shi¡¯s confusion increased but he continued to honestly respond.


    Zhu Junfan smiled, ¡°In the past, when we were at the shipyard, we had gone out to sea for a period of time. While testing out ships, we had oncee across a pod of dolphins in the water and they chased and swam around the ship, jumping and ying excitedly. Dolphins are a type of gentle and clever sea creatures. If you train them, they can do quite a fewplicated maneuvers and tricks. We have also heard of stories from old fishermen who said that dolphins had saved people in the past. Thus, the things that Miss Yu is saying aren¡¯tpletely out of line or unbelievable.¡±


    General Shi noticed that the emperor was clearly on the side of the Yu Family¡¯sss, so he felt a bit upset. He still needed to persevere to the end, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, stories, after all, are just stories!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, Old General, I¡¯m not making up stories here! Animals are very sensitive. If you treat them well and have good intentions, they will be gentle back. If you have bad intentions towards them, then they will treat you ordingly. That year, during the locust disaster, all of the herbivores in the mountain had nearly died out. Thus, the carnivores were on the edge of starvation. My younger brother and I went into the mountains to gather firewood and encountered a very thin and skinny gray wolf...¡±


    All of the officials in the throne room seemed to be very interested in this story and turned slightly to hear better. Yu Xiaocao paused for a second and then continued, ¡°However, it didn¡¯t hurt me or my younger brother and instead brought us to a cave in the mountains. It took out two little wolf pups that were about to starve to death! It ced the two wolf pups in front of me and my younger brother and gave us a look before it staggered away!¡±


    ¡°And then?¡± Zhu Junfan stared at her intently, seemingly interested in what happened next.


    ¡°And then? We saw that the wolf pups looked quite pitiful, so we brought them back home to raise. Later on, our family was attacked by a pack of starving wolves. That gray wolf appeared again and not only helped us fight off that pack of wolves but also saved my father¡¯s life ah! I knew that the gray wolf was thanking us for helping it raise its pups, which was why it came over to help!¡± Yu Xiaocao simply sketched the story out for everyone. Zhu Junfan gave her a disapproving look as he felt her story telling skills were not that great. Such an interesting and thrilling story was told in such a boring and lifeless manner.


    ¡°Are you certain that you¡¯re not making this all up? You encountered a starving wolf and it didn¡¯t rush over to kill you to be its dinner, who would believe that?¡± General Shi persisted in his own views. He truly believed that Yu Xiaocao was full of lies and not worthy to be trusted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you want to believe me or not. As long as the emperor believes me, that¡¯s what matters! Your Imperial Majesty, those two wolf pups have already grown up to be adult wolves and they¡¯re taller than me. They now guard my family¡¯s residence. This time, when the Wokou pirates attacked, my whole vige along with Princess Consort Jing fled into the West Mountains to hide. Those two wolf pups went out to hunt every day and caught a lot of game for us to add to our meals!¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at the old man.


    ¡°Are you certain you¡¯re talking about wolves and not dogs?¡± General Shi snorted disdainfully.


    ¡°Our family¡¯s wolves have been hand raised since they were young, so they¡¯re even more obedient than dogs! My family also has a small roe deer that knows how to go to the restroom on its own! It¡¯s up to you if you want to believe me or not! I¡¯m toozy to argue more with you...¡± Yu Xiaocao twisted her head around to let the old man only see the back of her head.


    ¡°You...Your Imperial Majesty, just listen, there¡¯s nothing believable that the littless is saying...¡±


    ¡°Old General Shi, don¡¯t get too emotional! Whether or not she¡¯s telling the truth can be easily found out when the emperor sends people over to investigate at Dongshan Vige!¡± Royal Prince Yang was getting annoyed with this old man who was always bullying his littless and couldn¡¯t stay silent anymore.


    Zhu Junfan also nodded his head, ¡°Beloved Official Shi, thess from the Yu Family also said that everyone in Dongshan Vige knows about this. If you don¡¯t believe her, you can go there yourself to take a look. Wouldn¡¯t you be able to find the truth then? You can im that the littless is lying but can you say that the whole vige is also lying too?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty is wise and brilliant!¡± Yu Xiaocao proudly nced at General Shi with a hint of amusement in her eyes as she expertly ttered the emperor.


    ¡°Since there are people who have doubts about your contribution to the Wokou pirate disaster, then we will shelve this issue for now. We have also heard that your Yu Family¡¯s farmstead nted wheat that harvested up to six hundred catties per mu. Is this true?¡± Zhu Junfan finally remembered what he had summoned the Yu Family¡¯s father and daughter for, so he waved a hand at General Shi to dismiss him and started to ask about their wheat.


    Yu Xiaocao retreated one step and gently pulled at her father¡¯s sleeve, hinting that he should be the one to take this honor.


    Yu Hai let out a quiet sigh and stepped forward, ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty, this is a true fact!¡±


    Zhu Junfan sat up straight on his throne and inquired in a voice that had a hint of eagerness, ¡°Tell us, just how did you manage to cultivate wheat to have such a high output?¡±


    Yu Hai thought for a bit and then replied, ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty, this subject¡¯s daughter had carefully picked through the wheat kernels to only select the plump and big ones. When nting, we made sure to be very careful and the tenant farmers all worked very hard. In addition, the past year has had good favorable weather, so...¡±


    ¡°That is not the whole truth!!¡± Minister Liu hurriedly jumped out and interrupted Yu Hai to exin, ¡°The experimental fields at the Imperial ntations all have one person in charge of each mu. In addition, we also pick through the seeds very carefully to select the very best. The capital¡¯s climate is pretty much the same as Tanggu Town¡¯s. However, whenever we harvest, our fields have never reached around four hundred catties per mu! Brother Yu, don¡¯t hide it anymore and tell us the entire truth about your process ah!¡±


    Yu Hai revealed a somewhat awkward expression and carefully thought before he finally replied, ¡°As Minister Liu said, there doesn¡¯t seem much difference between how thismoner¡¯s farmstead nted and tilled the winter wheat! Ah! Thismoner finally recalled something. When we were done selecting the seeds and before we started nting, we had sprayed the seeds with a special pesticide that thismoner¡¯s daughter had mixed up. Perhaps that is the reason...¡±

 Chapter 419 – Her Secret

    <h4>Chapter 419 ¨C Her Secret</h4>


    Minister Liu suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at Yu Xiaocao, who had her head lowered in an attempt to receive less attention. Heughed and said, ¡°Fantastic!! The secret to having high-yielding crops must be here! Last spring, Miss Yu had gone to the Imperial ntations once to look at the experimental fields. At that time, she had also given us a pesticide and said that it could prevent pestilence and bugs from harming the crops. That autumn, we had an immense harvest of corn and the ears of corn wererger than the previous year by a great magnitude. The kernels of corn were alsorge and plump. The fields had surpassed one thousand and five hundred catties per mu. Miss Yu, do you still have any of that pesticide left? We¡¯ve already nted the corn now but it shouldn¡¯t be toote now, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised her head to look at this old man. Minister Liu¡¯s head of hair had gonepletely white and his skin seemed somewhat rough and tanned from going to the Imperial ntations often and getting sun exposure. A few wisps of admiration rose in her heart. She lightly nodded her head and replied, ¡°This subject did bring some of that pesticide along this time. It¡¯ll be the same asst year. One bucket of water mixed with one drop of the pesticide should do the trick. The mixture should be sprayed on the corn seedlings and should have the same effect.¡±


    Director Bai of the Imperial Court n noticed that Royal Prince Yang was protecting the Yu father and daughter pair. His eyes whirled quickly and he stepped forward to say, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, you often say that ¡®the court must work for the people and food is the God of the people¡¯. The country will only be stable and prosperous if themon people do not have to worry about starving and dying from the cold. This subject has already heard that Miss Yu has made contributions to medical science but I didn¡¯t know that bybining her medicinal skills and farming knowledge that it could make such a great benefit! Emperor, if Miss Yu can publicize the recipe for her pesticide, then that would be a great contribution to the whole country!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered when she heard the official¡¯s proposal and she looked down. Uneasiness bubbled up inside of her. She definitely had the recipe for the pesticide! However, the problem was that the most important ingredient wasn¡¯t something that could be found normally in this world. If she told them that the pesticide required mystic-stone water that was full of spiritual energy as its main ingredient, then it was likely that the emperor and all the officials would think she was a raving lunatic. On the other hand, would they think that she was trying to fool them? She was screwed, what should she do now?


    Zhu Junyang could minutely tell from the littless¡¯s stiff demeanor that she was feeling very nervous and anxious. The littless clearly had a big secret. This was something he had known for some time. Was this pesticide one of those secrets that she was hiding?


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, this official believes that forcefully taking someone¡¯s personal recipe is harming their livelihood! Yu Xiaocao spent many months ving over this to create such an efficacious pesticide. If your majesty does as Official Bai says, using your imperial authority to take her recipe, wouldn¡¯t that be an abuse of your power to force themon people ah?¡± Zhu Junfan found Zhu Junyang¡¯s every word and act to be very hrious. His younger cousin had finally grown up and he now knew how to protect the person he admired the most.


    Official Bai was the person in charge of the Imperial Court n, so he was very aware of who had the most prospects within the imperial n. It was clearly that the juniors from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate were the future stars. Prince Jing had three sons. His eldest son was steady and calm and would inherit the estate in the future. His second son was talented at martial arts and had gone to the northwest two years ago. His talents had shone on the battlefield and caught General Zhao¡¯s eyes. It was clear that his future would definitely be boundless.


    As for Prince Jing¡¯s youngest son, the rumors said he was cold and unfeeling with an explosive temper. However, in the past two years, the emperor had been regarding him with increasing importance. Furthermore, he consistently finished all of the tasks assigned to him by the emperor. Thus, he had been given the title of Royal Prince Yang before the age of twenty and had also been awarded with feudalnds. In the future, it was likely with his continued hard work, the youth may easily be a titled imperial prince. A family that had two imperial princes in it was definitely something to look out for within the extended imperial n!


    Official Bai was a shrewd man. After thest few court sessions, how could he not tell that Royal Prince Yang regarded the Yu Family in a different light? He had originally tried to get on the prince¡¯s good side by reminding the Yu Family to give up their recipe for the good of the country. That way, the emperor would be pleased and reward them with sinecure titles in the court. Yu Xiaocao would naturally be the daughter of an official¡¯s family then. Thus, in the future, if Royal Prince Yang wanted to, he could easily take her into his back courtyard without anyone quibbling about her status.


    However, his attempt at ttery had utterly failed as the first to object to his proposal was Royal Prince Yang. Since it was like this, he couldn¡¯t continue to persist and instead hurriedly said, ¡°Royal Prince Yang is right! The emperor loves his people as if they were his own children. It was this official who was not thinking things through!¡±


    Zhu Junfan had been an emperor for almost a decade so he naturally spotted the minute change in the littless¡¯s demeanor. He couldn¡¯t help but let his imagination run wild. Wasn¡¯t it just the recipe to a pesticide ah? Why was thess so nervous all of a sudden? Was it...perhaps his previous suspicions were right and the littless had gotten a separate dimension to use when she transmigrated over? Thus, the so-called pesticide was just a way to disguise her usage of the spiritual water from the separate dimension?


    The more he thought down those lines, the more he decided this made sense. By giving up the recipe for the pesticide, it would be of great benefit to the country and the people. Even without Official Bai¡¯s reminder, a dummy would also know that giving it up would be advantageous in all ways. However, this Yu Family¡¯sss, who was clearly a sharp one, didn¡¯t open her lips at all. When Official Bai started hinting, she also pretended to hear nothing and only lowered her head more.


    Furthermore, his younger cousin had immediately jumped out as soon as thess started to be ufortable to help her get out of this situation. In fact, he used the excuse of abusing one¡¯s imperial power to bully themoners to stop him. For the sake of giving themon people enough to eat, would he, the emperor, care about gaining the reputation of bullying one person ah? Hmph! Did that fellow, Zhu Junyang, also know something that made him want to protect the little girl so much?


    After thinking a bit more, Zhu Junfan started to be angry. This old transmigrator friend was truly too tant about things. How could she so easily tell someone else the secret of her separate dimension as well as a spring full of mystic-water? These were extremely valuable possessions! Furthermore, if she had to tell someone, why didn¡¯t she tell him, her fellow transmigrator? Was she afraid that he would kill her to gain her treasures? Was he, the emperor, truly such an evil person? However, if this littless truly had these treasures on hand, then he needed to pay more attention to her. That way, he could prevent someone else from suspecting her...


    The sound of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s clear and crisp voice roused him from his thoughts, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, this subject isn¡¯t being stingy over the recipe for the pesticide but there is a problem with one of the ingredients. It is very hard to find. Because of that, other than myself, no one else is truly able to create a pesticide that is as efficacious.¡±


    How about that? Wasn¡¯t his guess correct? That incredibly hard to find ingredient had to be water from the mystical spring. Other than the littless¡¯s separate dimension, there wasn¡¯t another spring to be found in this world. Hmph, hmph! The incredible pesticide was only a way to hide the fact that she had ess to a spring with spiritual water!


    The heavens were too unfair. The little girl was given a giant golden finger when she transmigrated¡ª¡ªa special, separate dimension, but what about him? He had only downed two bottles of beer and fallen drunk. After transmigrating over in a muddled manner, he ended up in the Great Ming Dynasty in an alternate reality. Fortunately, his imperial grandfather was also a transmigrator. Otherwise, he would have been locked up long ago by people mistaking his odd thoughts and ways as the signs of a crazy maniac.


    When he transmigrated over, other than having a head full of knowledge in regards to ship-building, he didn¡¯t get any other advantage. However, that wasn¡¯t aplete loss. Using his knowledge, he was able to engineer new ships that were able to cross oceans to travel to the western hemisphere and return with precious goods. Furthermore, he was able to bring over new crops early. In addition, he had altered early forms of rockets and cannons to be much more effective. When he traveled across the seas, using those new weapons, he was able to defeat many pirates. The results could be seen recently. When the Wokou pirates had attacked, the reason why the prefectural city¡¯s navy was able to push them back with minimum losses had a lot to do with his contributions to the engineering in this country.


    However, he also wanted to have a mystical spring and a separate dimension where he could nt crops and improve their yields. What should he do? Perhaps...he should have his secret soldiers catch the littless, then threaten and torture her until she gave up her goodies? Was that a bad idea? After all, they were both fellow transmigrators and, in his past life, he had been a person who tried to do good for the world.


    Then should he...force the little girl under house arrest and have her use her special items for him for the rest of her life? Ahem ahem, that seemed a bit too dishonest and cruel. The littless didn¡¯t have it easy either. She had also been forced over into a strange world and she didn¡¯t even get to transmigrate into someone of status. He had heard that she had endured quite a few years of hard times in this world. Argh, how could he bear to torture someone in the same boat?!


    Then...maybe he should use a honey trap to bewitch the littless such that she would willingly ¡®work hard¡¯ for him? Ahem ahem, this might cause misunderstandings. He wasn¡¯t the sort of bastard who would steal a woman from another man. In fact, he was thinking of using his little cousin, who had a high IQ but low EQ, as bait. If his cousin married this littless, then they would all be one family in the future. As the older cousin, it wouldn¡¯t be too dastardly to have a few requests, right?


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty...¡± Su Ran, who was standing next to Zhu Junfan, could tell that the emperor had been spacing out for a while and couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth to remind the emperor that he was currently at court. Concentration was a must!


    Zhu Junfan sat up straight and had a sanctimonious look...ahem ahem, it was an earnest expression on his face, and said to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Lass, since you¡¯re the only one who can make this pesticide, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to work harder in the future to make as much pesticide as possible! There have been disasters guing the people these past two years and they have suffered quite a lot. In many ces, eating until one is full is an extravagant hope and most only wish to have enough food to not starve to death. Since you have the ability, we are afraid that you¡¯ll have to do the most work in the future!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out a deep sigh in her heart. She was truly afraid that the emperor would force her to cough up the recipe for the pesticide. If that was the case, she had juste up with an idea¡ª¡ªthe recipe for the pesticide wasplicated and if other people couldn¡¯t make it correctly, it had nothing to do with her. She was fortunate that the emperor was a good ruler and didn¡¯t force her. Otherwise, she would have to make up a fake recipe for the pesticide to hand out!


    ¡°This subject will do my best to deserve the emperor¡¯s trust. I didn¡¯t have much to do during the winter season, so I made quite a bit of pesticide that I stored in the hidden cer at my home in Dongshan Vige. Fortunately, when the Wokou pirates came, they didn¡¯t find it and destroy it. This subject will send a letter home and have my family bring it all over!¡± With the crisis over, Yu Xiaocao felt every cell in her body rx perceptibly. Zhu Junyang, who was watching her from the back, silentlyughed at her.


    There truly was a batch of pesticide in her family¡¯s cer at Dongshan Vige. However, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t actually make it during the winter. Instead, she made it recently as she wanted to take advantage of her family¡¯s sess at cultivating high-yielding grains to sell it to people in Tanggu Town. Who would have thought that before she could implement that n, she and her father had been called into capital by an imperial decree? Sigh! She had missed out on making a bunch of money. Her heart was currently aching at the thought!


    As Yu Xiaocao talked about bringing this batch of pesticide in, she couldn¡¯tpletely hide her sorrow at losing out on another money making n. Zhu Junfan thought that her money-grubbing ways were quite amusing. It looked like this old transmigrator friend of his was truly someone who loved making money!


    After thinking about it, he had to admit that everything she did made money. First she started selling braised pig offal, then she came up with early-ripening vegetables. Following that, she cultivatedrge and sweet watermelons and opened a pharmaceutical workshop as well as a braised food shop. Everything she did was a method to be rich. This Yu Family was truly hiding more than it showed. He reckoned that their family was quite wealthy at this point. They may not be at the point to rival wealthy imperial merchants, but they had to be among the top of the families in Tanggu Town.

 Chapter 420 – Female Official?

    <h4>Chapter 420 ¨C Female Official?</h4>


    In a corner of the capital, at a small teahouse...


    ¡°Did you hear about the news? A father and daughter pair from a fishing vige were summoned to see the emperor because they are good at growing crops and were even awarded with an official¡¯s position!¡± The person who was speaking was a man around the age of forty. He was dressed in homespun clothes that had patches on it, and his feet were crusted over with yellow mud. He was a sturdy fellow with a full beard on his face.


    ¡°What? Someone can be an official from nting fields? Don¡¯t take everyone for a fool! Who doesn¡¯t know that if you want to be an official you need to spend decades studying your pants off and slowly test your way up? Even during the most disorderly times of the past dynasty, you needed a lot of money in order to be even a lowly official.¡± This person looked like a county official who had fallen on hard times. He was dressed in a long robe that was going white from being washed and he had a thin figure. His whole head had gone white with age and the look he gave the peasant farmer was full of disdain.


    ¡°County Official Suan, did you juste to the capital ah? The whole capital has heard about this, so who wouldn¡¯t know? It¡¯s said that the Yu Family is truly spectacr. The winter wheat they grew yielded up to five to six hundred catties per mu, which is multitudes higher than what other people have done! If this type of wheat can be disseminated throughout the country, we would all be able to eat white flour every day and then eat some meat every few days...¡± The peasant farmer who had mud on his feet had a face full of longing. Bing an official was a goal that was too far away for him. His true desire was to be able to eat until he was full and allow his wife and children to eat some delicious foods.


    ¡°Older Brother Zhang, my youngest brother-inw¡¯s second aunt¡¯s cousin works at the yamen. I heard that the imperial court will set aside a portion of these high-yielding seeds to be sold at a fair price. The seeds sold will be the wheat seeds that they got from the Yu Family as well asst year¡¯s seeds, which were from some kind of new nt that can yield a thousand catties per mu. I asked my youngest brother-inw¡¯s rtives to help with keeping an eye on things. As soon as news gets out, we can rush over to stand in line to buy some...¡±


    The person who just spoke was a man who was a bit younger than the other peasant farmer. He had tanned skin and the corners of his eyes had some faint wrinkles. His clothes had a few patches in them and he had rolled up his pant legs high. He had one foot on the bench and when he spoke, his voice sounded like thunder as it was quite loud.


    County Official Suan snorted sardonically and shook his head with disdain, ¡°Can such a good thing actually fall upon lowly people like you? Who doesn¡¯t want to get their hands on high-yielding seeds? I¡¯m afraid that, as soon as word gets out, all of the wealthier families will buy them out!¡±


    The younger man who had patches on his clothing nced at him and noticed that the man surnamed Zhang was now worried. He hurriedly reassured him, ¡°Older Brother Zhang, don¡¯t panic. My youngest brother-inw¡¯s family said that the emperor sent Royal Prince Yang to oversee the seeds. Have you heard of Royal Prince Yang yet? All of the members of the imperial family and the high-ranking officials¡¯ families have to tread softly around him. Even the officials at court are afraid of offending him. With Royal Prince Yang in charge, none of those noble and wealthy people will try to hoard the seeds without thinking about the consequences. Our vige isn¡¯t very far from the capital. If wee here as soon as the news gets out, we can probably buy some before it runs out.¡±


    The man surnamed Zhang let out a sigh of relief, ¡°If it¡¯s truly like that, then we will soon have better lives! Let¡¯s not talk about the grain that can yield a thousand catties per mu, even the Yu Family¡¯s winter wheat could help us better our situations if we nt a few mu with those seeds. If this can allow us peasant farmers to live a life where we can get enough to eat and not freeze to death, I have no objections to the Yu Family¡¯s father and daughter bing officials, no matter how high ranked they are!¡±


    ¡°What nonsense! People who nt crops well can also be officials? Then where does that ce us schrs? It¡¯s truly too scandalous to even think about! Doesn¡¯t that mean Zhang so-and-so who raises pigs well and Li so-and-so who raises cows well can also be officials too?¡± County Official Suan thought about how hard he had studied for fifteen years and he had only passed the county level exams after all that work. The fact that someone else could be an official simply from nting crops well was too unfair!


    The farmer named Zhang had long gotten annoyed with this haughty schr¡¯s demeanor and couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°What¡¯s the point of bing an official from studying alone if you can¡¯t help themon people better their lives? The emperor himself has said that themoners are the backbone of our country. The country will only be stable and prosperous once everyone has enough to eat and enough to wear! Can raising pigs and cows well help usmoners eat to our fill and not freeze to death? The Yu Family¡¯s father and daughter are just this skilled, so their official titles were also given to them on basis of their hard work. There¡¯s no point in being angry about this!¡±


    County Official Suan sneered. People who walked different paths couldn¡¯t see eye to eye. It was useless for him to argue with these coarse people who couldn¡¯t read a single word! He picked up his teacup and drank a mouthful of bitter tea. Although his heart was full of disdain, he didn¡¯t say anything else.


    The younger man dressed in clothes full of patches started talking again, ¡°I heard that the Yu Family¡¯s daughter is only around twelve to thirteen years of age but she had also been given the title of a sixth rank official under the Ministry of Revenue. I¡¯ve only heard of women bing officials in ys and stories. Whether in the previous dynasty or this one, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard of a female bing an official!¡±


    When he heard this, County Official Suan, who had originally nned on staying silent, couldn¡¯t hold himself back. He pped the table and raised his voice, ¡°This is a woman who usurps authority and is turning society upside down! Can a twelve to thirteen year old girl plow thend or turn dirt? Yet she was given a sixth rank official title?? How can this be so?!¡±


    ¡°Are you questioning the emperor¡¯s wise decision?¡± The younger man wasn¡¯t very impressed by this county official who only knew how to make acerbic and stinging remarks. He snorted and said, ¡°My youngest brother-inw¡¯s rtives also said that although this Miss Yu is young, she¡¯s very clever and hardworking. The minister from the Ministry of Revenue looks highly upon her. Last year, they were only able to nurture that new grain to produce a thousand catties per mu because Miss Yu had gone over and helped them nt. That¡¯s the only reason why they had such a great harvest! Also, she¡¯s the one who came up with the pesticide that helped the Yu Family¡¯s winter wheat get yields higher than the Imperial ntation can get!¡±


    The young man paused to take a breath and then continued, ¡°That being said, ever since the emperor ascended to his throne, he has elevated the status of women over and over again. Now, there are plenty of women who don¡¯t wear veils when they go out on the streets. Furthermore, there are more and more women working in business now. The young woman from the Jiang Family is talented at crafting and sewing clothing. Even the empress and imperial consorts have bought custom made clothing from her. What¡¯s so odd about the Yu Family¡¯s daughter being elevated to a small official position?¡±


    The man surnamed Zhang guffawed, ¡°If they could sell me enough high-yielding seeds to nt a few mu, I wouldn¡¯t protest her bing a sixth level official or an even higher one! Brother, I bet the Yu Family probably has a lot of seeds back home. Your connections, can they...¡±


    The younger man gave him a look and replied, ¡°That Yu Family¡¯s ancestral home is in the Tanggu area and nowhere near the capital. Even if my youngest brother-inw¡¯s rtives had good connections, they can¡¯t possibly reach all the way to Tanggu Town! However, I heard that the Yu Family only sent up around eight hundred mu of grain to the court out of their almost one thousand mu ntation. As for the remaining one hundred or so mu of grain, other than keeping enough back to nt for next year, they sold the rest at a higher price. In fact, the price they set was five times the current market price for wheat. Can you afford it?¡±


    ¡°What? Five times the regr market price? Then isn¡¯t that saying that a catty of seeds is around fifty copper coins? So nting one mu with these seeds would cost one tael? That¡¯s a bit too expensive, right?¡± Farmer Zhang was stupefied at the price and immediately backtracked. His family had five mu back home, so the cost of seeds alone would be five taels to nt it all. Even if he sacrificed everything he had, he wouldn¡¯t be able toe up with that much money.


    The younger man shook his head and smiled, ¡°Brother Zhang, I was telling you the price that they set for the grain that they sold to people in Tanggu Town. The Yu Family sold this grain to the rich and wealthy families in town, so those people don¡¯tck for that bit of money. You only see the high price but have you ever thought that if you could get six hundred catties of wheat per mu, you could still earn around three taels per mu even if you sold it at the regr market price? Do you think those rich merchants and families are stupid and would go into a business to lose money?¡±


    ¡°But...there¡¯s no one in our vige who coulde up with that much money to buy seeds right? Argh, it looks like such a good thing can¡¯t fall upon usmoners!¡± Farmer Zhang was a bit dispirited as he sighed over this.


    The younger man immediatelyforted him, ¡°Brother Zhang, you probably don¡¯t know all of the news. The emperor loves usmoners as if we were his children. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t try to earn a profit from us. I heard that the high-yielding seeds will be sold to the public at the regr market price for wheat, which is ten copper coins a catty. That new grain is already being sown in the Imperial ntation. They¡¯re probably nning on selling the rest in a few days!¡±


    ¡°Is the news about the new grain that yields a thousand catties per mu reliable?¡± Farmer Zhang was a bit hesitant about this.


    ¡°How could it not be reliable? I heard the emperor specifically sent down the order to have Royal Prince Yang go to the western hemisphere so he can find some. What was it called...ah! I remember now, it¡¯s called corn! Corn can be ground into cornmeal and then carefully filtered. The steamed buns made from corn are a golden yellow and have a sweet fragrance. They are very delicious!¡± The younger man wanted to show off his superior knowledge and had a very self-satisfied look on his face.


    County Official Suan interjected to dete the young man, ¡°You say it as if you have personally eaten some! The rarer something is, the greater the value. For a crop that has such a high-yield, it definitely won¡¯t be expensive in the future. That being said, most of themoners don¡¯t know anything about the corn that you¡¯re talking about, so who would dare to buy it? It¡¯s possible that after you nt it, you might not be able to sell it. That¡¯d be a gigantic waste of your time, fertilizer, and money!¡±


    ¡°Stop being such a wet nket! If you don¡¯t talk, no one will mistake you for being mute! My youngest brother-inw¡¯s rtive said that his immediate superior was fortunate enough to get to eat corn once at a friend¡¯s house. Steamed buns made out of fine corn flour were fragrant and delicious. They even have a slight sweet vor and the more you chew the better they taste! Older Brother Zhang, just think, one mu can produce a thousand catties. Even if one catty can only be sold at the price of coarse grain, you can still make around three to four taels per field ah! In any case, my family has three mu of farnd and we n on using one to try to nt some corn. Even if we can¡¯t sell any, for the next year, at least we¡¯ll have grain to eat! I heard that the leaves and stalks from the corn nt can also be used to feed pigs and other farm animals. Next year, my family ns on grabbing two extra pigs and we won¡¯t have to worry about finding food for them to eat!! Just thinking about it makes me happy...¡± The younger man rambled as his eyes shone with light. It was as if he could already see himself in better times.


    Farmer Zhang hesitated for a second and then pped the table and grimaced, ¡°Since you have already said it out loud, then I too will also get around two mu worth of seeds to nt back home. In any case, it¡¯s still grain. If I can¡¯t sell it, my family can still eat it ah! Two mu of corn at the very least can produce around two thousand catties at harvest time. At least for the uing year, my whole family won¡¯t have to starve with that much grain on hand!¡±


    The younger man nodded his head approvingly. County Official Suan was still preupied with the thought of the Yu Family bing officials. He stated in a manner that belied his disapproval of the matter, ¡°A silly littless was given a sixth rank official position. Then what about her father? Would he be given a higher ranked position, like a third level?¡±


    These people were just a bunch of muddy peasants who couldn¡¯t read a single word. If they could be a third ranked official just by being good at raising crops, would the other officials at court be okay with that?


    However, the younger man burst out into giggles and said, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite interesting. The Yu Family¡¯s daughter is now a sixth ranked official under the Ministry of Revenue, but her father is only a lowly seventh ranked official. I heard that he¡¯s stationed at Tanggu Town and is especially in charge of managing Royal Prince Yang¡¯s feudal grounds¡¯ farnds...¡±

 Chapter 421 – Separate Dimension?

    <h4>Chapter 421 ¨C Separate Dimension?</h4>


    ¡°Brother, do you think a seventh-level official is small? That¡¯s the same level as the county magistrate ah. That being said, the Yu Family has close ties with Royal Prince Yang. On the royal prince¡¯s feudalnds, even the prefectural magistrate has to give them some leeway! Right now, the Yu Family has a lot of clout in Tanggu Town!¡± Farmer Zhang expressed his feelings of envy and jealousy. Howe such a good thing didn¡¯t fall onto him ah?


    The younger man was about to say something when suddenly a skinny youth ran into the teahouse. The young man immediately stood up and weed the youth as he asked urgently, ¡°Is there news already?¡±


    The skinny youth picked up a cup from the table and guzzled it down. He used his sleeve to wipe his mouth and then started talking, ¡°Obviously ah! Starting at noon today, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s eighteen grain shops will all be selling corn seeds and will close after five days!¡±


    ¡°What about the seeds for wheat then? Are they being sold? I didn¡¯t bring a lot of money with me, so I don¡¯t know if I have enough...¡± Farmer Zhang started scrambling frantically as he didn¡¯t know what he should do next.


    The skinny youth nced at him and knew that this famer was with his older brother-inw and hurriedly said, ¡°They will only start selling winter wheat after the autumn harvest. Right now they¡¯re only selling corn seeds and the price is so low that it¡¯s unbelievable. One catty is only five copper coins!¡±


    The younger man pulled at his arm and said, ¡°One of the prince¡¯s grain shops is on this street. Let¡¯s get there before the news gets out. That way we can get a ce in line.¡±


    The other peasant farmers who were in the teahouse eavesdropping also followed these two men after settling their bills. They all jogged in the direction of the imperial prince¡¯s grain shop. By the time they got there, they discovered that there was already a line with a dozen or so people in it at the front.


    It didn¡¯t need to be said just how popr the imperial prince¡¯s grain shops were right now. Every single one had a winding line in front of it. Yu Xiaocao, who had just been given the title of a sixth rank official, was still lost in wonder! In her past life, she hadn¡¯t even acted as the ss monitor. The highest position she got was when she was in the factories working and had been appointed a small group leader. Now, she suddenly became an official that was two levels higher than the county magistrate. Although she was only an official in the Ministry of Revenue in charge of farming affairs, it was still a ranked position.


    Today, the official uniform that had been personally tailored for her¡ª¡ªa small sized sixth level official¡¯s robe that was green-blue in color and had an embroidered heron in the front¡ª¡ªhad arrived. She changed into it while she was in her rooms and proudly walked back and forth with it on. While she was joking along with her maidservants, the pce sent down a decree for her to enter.


    Good timing! She didn¡¯t even need to change clothing. What was the point of having official clothing? Obviously, when the emperor called her in, she needed to wear it right? Like this, she had the maidservants arrange her hair into a neat bun that was fastened with a jade hairpin and then boldly entered the Imperial Pce.


    In the imperial study, only the emperor was there with his head lowered, reading documents. When Yu Xiaocao saw this, she immediately rxed. If there were other court officials there who saw her wearing official¡¯s clothing, they absolutely would find her to be an eyesore. Since it was only the emperor seeing her, it absolutely couldn¡¯t be a big issue. At most, he would only want to talk about some farming affairs. She was very familiar with this stuff so there was nothing for her to be afraid of!


    However, she would have never expected that the emperor¡¯s first words would scare her silly, ¡°I¡¯ll say...old friend ah, when will you ever spill the beans to me eh?¡±


    Apparently, as soon as Yu Xiaocao entered the imperial study, Zhu Junfan had immediately noticed her. At first, the littless¡¯s every movement was quite cautious and she stayed obediently behind Su Ran like a little bird with her head tucked down. However, once she noticed that it was only him in the room, she suddenly straightened her back and became much more lively.


    He pretended to be engrossed in the documents in front of him. The littless was bing more and more bold. She was looking around the imperial study as if she was on a tour. She craned her neck to look at the books on the bookshelves and then secretly touched a few items that were on the treasure shelf. She even bent down to take a whiff of the incense censer that was burning ambergris. ¡®Little girl, do you think the imperial study is like your own backyard ah? Just watch as I scare you a bit, you bold little thing.¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao felt her heart skip a beat and cold sweat immediately poured out of her pores. She stuttered, ¡°What...old friend? Your Imperial Majesty, is your ancestral home in Tanggu Town?¡±


    ¡°Pretending, always pretending!! Are you still going to pretend that you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about? Peking roasted duck, braised food, Buddha jumps over the wall, and thoserge watermelons as well as the early ripening vegetables...even an idiot would know that you are from the same ce as I am!¡± Zhu Junfan propped his chin up in an unruffled manner and watched as the littless revealed expressions of unease and fright.


    ¡°That uh...this subject, no, this official had found an old cookbook that was damaged...¡± Yu Xiaocao still attempted to defend herself but her excuse seemed quite pathetic at this moment.


    ¡°Beloved Official Yu, deceiving the monarch is a crime worthy of death!¡± Zhu Junfan revealed an emperor¡¯s presence and stared at her fixedly like a tiger staring at its prey. It made Yu Xiaocao feel as if she was under a lot of pressure.


    Yu Xiaocao lowered her head and slumped her shoulders. She had always known that once her old transmigrator friend, the emperor, had suspicions towards her, she would be pulled out of the dark by the tail. Struggling to death was of no use, so she could only brace herself as she answered, ¡°Whatever Your Imperial Majesty says will do...¡±


    Zhu Junfan saw that the littless was now acting like a depressed little bunny and had an expression that showed she had epted her fate. He grinned, ¡°Why do you need to act all down and depressed ah? I¡¯m not a tiger that will eat you, right?¡±


    ¡°You are the emperor and I am only a tiny official who has just stepped into office. In your hands, I don¡¯t even have the chance to struggle so I can only ept my fate and die.¡± Yu Xiaocao felt her heart quiver with anxiety. She wasn¡¯t sure how this old transmigrator friend would act and how he would treat her.


    ¡°ept your fate and die? Why would I want to kill you? Did you do anything that is worthy of death? Or were you an evil bastard in your past life and murdered dozens of people?¡± Zhu Junfan ridiculed her as he replied.


    ¡°You are the evil...¡± The word ¡®bastard¡¯ didn¡¯t leave her lips as she raised her head to look at the shining dragon robe on the other person. She immediately shut her mouth and shrank back like a frightened quail.


    Zhu Junfanughed noiselessly for a moment before he finally relieved her worries, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! As long as you don¡¯tmit any heinous crimes, we will not kill you! We are quite delighted to encounter another transmigrator after so long, so why would we kill you for no reason?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out a long, relieved sigh and felt her body rxpletely. Zhu Junfan looked at her and then asked, ¡°Old friend, what did you do in your past life? What happened to make you transmigrate over to here? What year and month did you transmigrate over on?¡±


    When she saw that Zhu Junfan¡¯s attitude seemed quite gentle, not at all like those transmigrators who were afraid of fellow transmigrators stealing their thunder and wanted to kill them as rivals, she felt her fears melt away. She paused for a second and then obediently replied, ¡°In my past life, I was a very ordinarymoner. I didn¡¯t even graduate from middle school when I had to go out to work. Later on, I opened up a braised food store and the business went quite well.¡±


    At this point, she paused and thought of her younger brother¡¯s exciting and dignified wedding. She smiled bitterly and shook her head, ¡°That day, it was my younger brother¡¯s wedding. I was so happy that I drank an extra two sses of alcohol. When I was going down the stairs, I wasn¡¯t careful and fell. Once I woke up, I found out that I had transmigrated into the body of a poor little fisherman¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°You also drank alcohol before you transmigrated over? Aish, I was out with my roommates celebrating at a restaurant on the night of our graduation. I didn¡¯t even finish a bottle of beer when my head became dizzy. When I woke up, I was being born in the turmoil and chaos of war. Looks like you reced a soul while I was reborn into an infant. But we were both put into this situation by alcohol ah!¡± Zhu Junfan let out a sudden sigh.


    He had just graduated from a prestigious university and was about to go out into the world to do something big. However, he never expected that his soul would be sent into a different world and that he¡¯d be a tiny infant that only knew how to cry. It was truly such a letdown! Even more annoying was that the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor was still making hisst struggle to keep his throne. He, who had just been born, had to flee with his new mother under the protection of some soldiers like a bunch of homeless vagrants. He almost died from this struggle! Luckily, his new grandfather very quickly managed to overthrow the dynasty and established the new Great Ming Dynasty. Only then did his life stabilize a bit...


    ¡°Old friend, when did you transmigrate over?¡± Zhu Junfan asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Around October 18th 2017, likely right as the 19th started.¡± Yu Xiaocao had originally been nning on going home that night to go online and listen to her leader¡¯s lecture. However, tragedy happened instead. Sigh, her younger brother must have also been upset. His wedding day was now the anniversary of his older sister¡¯s death.


    Zhu Junfan nodded and then casually said, ¡°You wereter than me by about three months. I transmigrated over in July...old friend, tell me the truth, when you transmigrated over...did the god of transmigration give you a big golden finger?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s pupils suddenly narrowed and both of her hands tightened. How could such a small movement escape the discerning eyes of Zhu Junfan, who had been an emperor for seven to eight years? A flicker of joy shed in him and he urgently followed up to ask, ¡°What sort of golden finger is it? Is it a separate dimension with a spiritual spring where you can nt vegetation?¡±


    Originally, Yu Xiaocao was quite nervous and on edge. When she heard this, she opened her eyes in disbelief and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, is the hole in your head a bit too big ah?¡±


    Not a single change in expression escaped Zhu Junfan¡¯s gaze. When he saw this, he felt a bit disappointed. If it wasn¡¯t a separate dimension, then what was it?


    ¡°Old friend, don¡¯t worry ah. I¡¯m not one of those shameless people who¡¯s going to steal your treasure. Just obediently tell me what it is and stop hiding it! If you don¡¯t have a separate dimension with a mystical spring, then how are you able to grow crops so well? It doesn¡¯t seem to matter what type of nt it is either. In your hands, even the mostmon wheat doubles its output at harvest. Also, there¡¯s the watermelons. They are sweeter than the ones sent for tribute and are even more delicious than the ones I ate in my previous life! If you don¡¯t have a mystical spring, then how can you, someone who had worked and was a small business owner, possiblye up with methods to craft medicinal pills and tinctures that are so effective? Tell the truth and stop trying to resist!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the multi-colored stone that was strung on her wrist with colorful string. She reluctantly said, ¡°What separate dimension, that stuff doesn¡¯t exist! I¡¯m willing to vow an oath to the God of Transmigration. If I have a separate dimension and I¡¯m not telling, then let me fall into an endless circle of reincarnation with all of my memories!¡±


    ¡®Reincarnate with all of your memories? Are you sure that¡¯s not a reward instead of a punishment?¡¯ Zhu Junfan gave her a pointed look. However, judging by the littless¡¯s attitude, he was pretty sure that she didn¡¯t have a separate dimension. Then just what sort of golden finger did she have?


    Zhu Junfan looked in the direction that the girl had gazed at earlier. On her pale wrist, there was a colorful stone the size of a marble strung on some braided colored string¡ª¡ªthe littless loved money but didn¡¯t like to wear gold, silver or jade. Was her special item somehow rted to this small stone?

 Chapter 422 – Honest Confession

    <h4>Chapter 422 ¨C Honest Confession</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao, whose heart was filled with unease, noticed that the emperor¡¯s gaze had fallen on the multicolored stone on her wrist. She hurriedly hid her hand behind her back in a seemingly guilty manner and said, ¡°There¡¯s no separate dimension. There really isn¡¯t another realm!¡±


    In Zhu Junfan¡¯s eyes, her reaction seemed like a clumsy denial that resulted in self-exposure. He felt even more certain that there was something with the multicolored stone.


    The little divine stone¡¯s scornful voice sounded in Xiaocao¡¯s mind, [What are you afraid of? With this Divine Stone here, would I let you get bullied? With my current power, I¡¯ll immediately abolish him if he dared to harm you! But, ording to this Divine Stone¡¯s probing, the other party currently doesn¡¯t have any malice towards you. Tut tut, this fellow has a pretty character. In the face of such a big temptation, he unexpectedly doesn¡¯t have any intention of taking it for himself!]


    After Yu Xiaocao heard what the little divine stone said, her heart somewhat rxed. The little divine stone was right. The emperor just didn¡¯t have any intention of taking it for himself at present, but if he continued to misunderstand, he might change his mind one day. After all, the possession of a realm that defied allws, or a spiritual spring that could resurrect people, were a major challenge to one¡¯s heart.


    He was the high and majestic emperor. In this ancient society, the supremacy of the imperial family was the norm. Even if she had the protection of the little divine stone, she couldn¡¯t let him feel suspicious about her. After all, she just wanted to be a dutiful little peasant girl. She didn¡¯t want to live a life where she had to flee to the end of the world if she murdered the sovereign.


    Since it turned out this way, it would be better to be honest than let him think that she had aw-defying realm! A celestial stone that could improve one¡¯s health and elerate the growth of crops should be much less tempting than aw-defying realm, right?


    Yu Xiaocao bit her lower lip hard, and a faint taste of blood spread in her mouth. As if he could see the struggles within her heart, Zhu Junfan just stared at her silently with a calm gaze. Seeing that her fists were tightly clenched as if she had made a decision, he finally spoke up, ¡°What? You¡¯ve decided? Do you want to be honest and receive a lighter sentence, or refuse to confess and get a harsher punishment?¡±


    ¡°If I refused, would Your Imperial Majesty cut off my head?¡± Yu Xiaocao had calmed down a lot as she asked in reply.


    Zhu Junfan seriously pondered for a couple seconds, and thenughed, ¡°Since I became the emperor, I vowed to be a wise ruler. It seems to contradict my ideals if I want to kill you merely because of the separate dimension in your hands. So...I won¡¯t kill you. No matter how tight one¡¯s mouth is, the Ministry of Justice seems to be able to pry it open. Do you want to go have a tour?¡±


    ¡°No need! I¡¯m still underage, so it¡¯s bad for a pre-teen¡¯s mental and physical health to see such a bloody scene!¡± Yu Xiaocao was somewhat curious about the top ten tortures of the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, but she would politely decline the offer to see it in person.


    Zhu Junfan curled up his lips and said, ¡°Pre-teen? In your previous life, even your younger brother was married, so how can you be underaged? Who knows, you might even have a few kids. Stop pretending to be young.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has a bunch of kids! I¡¯m still a single young woman, who has passed the average age of marriage! I don¡¯t even have a boyfriend, so where will I get a kid?¡± Yu Xiaocao bravely red at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a single young woman passed the average age of marriage, yet you¡¯re still shamelessly pretending to be underaged?¡± There was finally someone who he could talk in a casual manner with, so Zhu Junfan started to joke with her.


    Yu Xiaocao pouted and stubbornly said, ¡°I¡¯m young at heart! To be able to always keep a pure childlike innocence is very rare andmendable, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s stop talking about all this nonsense! Quickly tell me about your separate dimension. What does it look like? How big is it? What did you nt inside? Do you have hybrid rice? Wheat that can produce a thousand catties per mu?¡± Zhu Junfan really had no intention of taking the realm for himself. In his opinion, the possession of a treasure was predestined and couldn¡¯t be forced.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and interrupted the emperor¡¯s series of questions. She said in a stern and serious manner, ¡°Emperor, I really don¡¯t have any separate dimensions!!¡±


    ¡°Then what is that little rock on your wrist? Don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s just a normal little rock!¡± Zhu Junfan stared at her wrist with a ¡®stop lying¡¯ expression.


    ¡®You¡¯re a little rock. Your whole family are little rocks.¡¯ The little divine stone rolled its eyes and sharpened its ws on the side.


    After briefly thinking about it, Yu Xiaocao took the multicolored stone bracelet off her wrist, walked forward, and handed it to him. She said, ¡°Your Majesty, you have sharp eyes. This is indeed not an ordinary stone. It said that it is a multicolored stone left from when Goddess Nuwa mended the sky. After tens of thousands of years of cultivation, it had gained intelligence and spirituality, and could transform into a human form. It could also talk...¡±


    After Zhu Junfan heard this, he thought, ¡®This little stone has be an immortal ah!¡¯ He took the stone and thoroughly examined it with an incredulous expression, ¡°Hey, my fellow transmigrator friend, even if you want me to believe that you don¡¯t have a separate dimension, you don¡¯t have to fabricate a fantasy story to lie to me ah! I might believe you if you tell me that a monkey wille out of the rock. But to say that this stone has cultivated into an immortal, hehe...do you think that I¡¯m a fool!!¡±


    [Dummy! Fool! Stupid! Take your dirty hands off of me! Why are you touching me? How can a vulgar mortal like you disrespect this Divine Stone?] The little divine stone¡¯s young yet haughty voice suddenly emerged within Zhu Junfan¡¯s mind. He trembled with fear and threw the multicolored stone on the ground. Xiaocao quickly stepped forward, picked up the little divine stone, and gently wiped it.


    The voice sounded in Zhu Junfan¡¯s mind again and seemed to be filled with anger, [D*mn it, you actually dared to throw this Divine Stone! If I don¡¯t let you have a taste of my power, you won¡¯t understand why the flowers are so red!]


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, don¡¯t!¡± From the little divine stone¡¯s tone, Yu Xiaocao knew that the little fellow was really angry, so she hastily stopped it. However, before she finished speaking, the gold-coated carved wooden chair that Zhu Junfan sat on suddenly scattered into a pile of wood. As for him, the emperor wearing his imperial robe, he was now sitting awkwardly within the bits of wood awkwardly with a bewildered expression on his face.


    Suddenly, Zhu Junfan¡¯s eyes widened and his expression was full of disbelief. It turned out that a faint golden light had emerged from the multicolored stone on Xiaocao¡¯s wrist and slowly turned into a golden baby. The little baby was chubby and only wore a little red top. Its exposed limbs looked like lotus roots, while its hair was tied up like aunching rocket. It looked like it hade out of a New Year painting.


    The little baby appeared very pleased with itself as it snorted, ¡°You dared to disrespect this Divine Stone. Do you know how powerful I am now? If you do it again, I won¡¯t let you off so lightly.¡±


    ¡°Xiao...Xiaocao, quickly pinch me. Am I dreaming?¡± Zhu Junfan waspletely stunned to see a little baby appear out of nowhere. It was too mystical, wasn¡¯t it?


    After hesitating for a second, Yu Xiaocao immediately went forward and stretched out her hand to harshly pinch the emperor¡¯s cheek. She felt very satisfied in her heart, ¡®At the present time, I¡¯m probably the only one to have a chance to pinch the emperor¡¯s face. Such a good feeling ah!¡¯


    Zhu Junfan, who had seen through her thinking, helplessly smacked away her hand, which was torturing his cheek. He said, ¡°You¡¯re really pinching me just because I said that!¡±


    ¡°Heh heh, wasn¡¯t it an imperial edict by you, the Emperor? How can this lowlymoner notply? This lowly official received an imperial edict to pinch you ah!¡± With a slightly crafty smile, Yu Xiaocao spoke in a very right and confident manner.


    ¡°Who told you to pinch my face? It¡¯s all red now. How am I supposed to see peopleter? Can¡¯t you give me some face, my fellow transmigrator?¡± Zhu Junfan rubbed his painful face as he red sulkily at the young girl. She really didn¡¯t treat him as the emperor ah!


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and replied in a matter-of-fact manner, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pinch somewhere else next time.¡±


    ¡°You want to do it again?¡± Zhu Junfan stared at her with a fierce gaze, revealing a domineering force. This caused the young girl to finally realize the difference between their statuses. She immediately stepped back and stood a safe distance away.


    ¡°Tell me, what exactly is that thing?¡± Zhu Junfan asked as he pointed at the little baby who was walking around and touching the things in the imperial study.


    Seeing that the other party still spoke in a disrespectful manner, the little divine stone was infuriated. It put one of its hands on its hip like a teapot and scolded, ¡°How dare you! You dared to speak of this Divine Stone in such a manner. It seems like your fall earlier was too light...¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, alright! I¡¯m wrong. You¡¯re not a thing, okay?¡± Zhu Junfan felt very wronged. He was the emperor, but the little girl didn¡¯t take him seriously and even pinched his face. This unknown thing scolded and punished him whenever it liked. Was there anyone more wronged than him?


    ¡°Humph! Foolish human, this Divine Stone is a disciple of Goddess Nuwa. I was ordered by Goddess Nuwa to cultivate in the mortal realm!¡± The little divine stone picked up a crane and evergreen ornament and scratched the crane¡¯s mouth. ¡®Humph! Little White Crane looked down on me because it¡¯s Goddess Nuwa¡¯s mystical mount. It also called me a slow-witted and obstinate stone. See if this Divine Stone doesn¡¯t break your beak so that you can¡¯t speak!¡¯


    Zhu Junfan nced at Yu Xiaocao with eyes full of questions. Yu Xiaocao nodded at him and said, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, which is the Divine Stone¡¯s current name, identally recognized me as its master. Had it not been for it, I would have died a long time ago and wouldn¡¯t have the chance to be reborn into this era. Once it umtes enough merits, it will leave this world.¡±


    Zhu Junfan, on the other hand, thought of another matter. He ceased his brows and had a gaze full of worries, ¡°Based on what you¡¯re saying, the reason you¡¯re able to produce high-yield crops has a lot to do with it. If it leaves, then...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°The spiritual energy that the little divine stone emits while it cultivates can gather in water and help elerate the growth of crops. It¡¯s thanks to the little divine stone that my family early-ripening vegetables can be harvested in early spring. It¡¯s also responsible for the high yield of my family¡¯s corn and wheat. However, there¡¯s still several decades before it¡¯s time for it to leave. If we carefully cultivate it, we will definitely be able to produce high-yield crops. I have already told the tenant farmers at the farmstead to collect bigger wheat ears, and if we also grow them meticulously... I believe that the output of wheat will increase in a few years. A yield of a thousand catties per mu isn¡¯t just a dream...¡±


    ¡°Good! We were right about you!! Whether the people in our country can fill their stomachs will depend on you... Oh right, without the divine stone¡¯s spiritual energy, can the seeds from the crops you grow still be able to produce a high yield?¡± Zhu Junfan expressed his worries.

 Chapter 423 – Safe Haven

    <h4>Chapter 423 ¨C Safe Haven</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao had already gotten a confirmation from the little divine stone, so she replied without hesitation, ¡°At present, if we nt the wheat kernels transported from Tanggu Town, the output should be the same, or even higher, than that of our farmstead. As for the second generation of seeds, I reckon that there will be a reduction in the yield. After all, Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯s power in the seeds will gradually dissipate after multiple generations of nting.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that if we want to maintain a high yield, we must buy seeds from you at least once every two years?¡± A worried expression appeared on Zhu Junfan¡¯s face. If it was like this, then the output of the crops would return to the previous state when the stone goblin umted enough merits.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded and said, ¡°Therefore, we must try to breed high-yield seeds and not rely entirely on Little Glutinous Dumpling ah!¡±


    Zhu Junfan pondered for a moment, and then asked, ¡°You¡¯re brazenly wearing such a precious cheat on your wrist, aren¡¯t you afraid of being robbed?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at him, and then replied with a spurious smile, ¡°Won¡¯t people be more suspicious if I hid it? This multicolored stone looks beautiful, but isn¡¯t it still just a stone? I made it into a bracelet and wore it on my wrist, so if others asked about it, I would just say that it was blessed by an eminent monk. Like a safety amulet, it will protect me to grow up healthily. Who would be so shameless and steal a pretty-looking rock? I¡¯m not an idiot who would publicize that I found a treasure. At present, other than myself, you, the Emperor, are the only one who knows about the magic of the multicolored stone.¡±


    Her meaning was very obvious. As long as the emperor didn¡¯t have any bad ideas, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone else eyeing the multicolored stone!


    ¡°Oh? You really trust me, your fellow transmigrator, so much? Aren¡¯t you afraid that I will suddenly change my mind and steal it from you?¡± After getting a rification from her, Zhu Junfan had the urge to tease this entric little transmigrator friend again.


    ¡°You¡¯re the knife, while I¡¯m the fish. What can I do when you¡¯re so lucky? You transmigrated into the imperial family and even became the emperor, so would I dare to not answer your questions honestly? Like you said, those who lie to the emperor will be executed!! Moreover, at present, the little divine stone¡¯s power only works on crops. Your Majesty, with your noble status and busy schedule, you can¡¯t actually go work in the fields yourself, right? It¡¯s better to have littlemoners like us help you with these types of hardbors!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao acted in a very fawning manner. Well, he was the emperor after all. Since she was in a feudal society ruled by the imperial family, she must know her ce. She shouldn¡¯t forget who she was just because they came from the same ce. If she really did that, then she would probably die really quickly! Of course, she also didn¡¯t have to always tter the emperor like everyone else. After all, for someone who was in such a powerful yet lonely position, there would be times when he would want to rx for a moment. It was quite tiring to always act high and mighty.


    ¡°Oh? Does your multicolored stone really only work on crops?¡± While Xiaocao was talking, Zhu Junfan had seen the baby, who was gnawing on his cup, roll its eyes at her and had a dissatisfied expression. Thus, he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Yu Xiaocao red at her pig-like teammate, sighed, and resignedly said, ¡°It can also do some other things like strengthening one¡¯s body! It can enhance the effects of medicine! It can help brighten and smoothen one¡¯s skin...and so on.¡±


    Zhu Junfan casually fiddled with the ruler in his hands and asked in a seemingly casual manner, ¡°Oh? Only these and nothing else? For example...something like bringing the dead back to life?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao widened her eyes and made an incredulous expression, ¡°How is that possible! The little divine stone has limited spiritual power, so how can it do something ofw-defying? It won¡¯t be able to do that even after returning to its heyday!¡±


    Zhu Junfan curled up his lips as he looked at the young girl¡¯s slightly exaggerated expression. He pointed at the little baby, who was currently drinking water from a ceramic teapot and lightly chuckled, ¡°Then...how much power will it have when it returns to its heyday?¡±


    ¡°Who knows! After all, it only has less than one percent of its power now.¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t dare to get deeper into this topic. She was really afraid that her fellow transmigrator would suddenly want to take the little divine stone.


    Zhu Junfan tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. He could feel the young girl¡¯s anxious mood, so he deliberately said, ¡°This little stone can only use one or two percent of its power, yet it¡¯s already so powerful. What will happen when it returns to its heyday? I really anticipate it... What to do? I have the urge to take it away!¡±


    ¡°It has already recognized a master, so there¡¯s no use in taking it!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt slightly rmed in her heart. She carefully observed the emperor¡¯s expression, but she couldn¡¯t tell if he was joking or being serious.


    ¡°Then...what if its master¡ªdies?¡± Zhu Junfan deliberately showed a cruel gaze and curled up his lips so that his expression appeared sinister.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s entire body turned cold, and her lips instantly lost all color. Yeah! If she died, then wouldn¡¯t the little divine stone be without a master? Could it be...that her fellow transmigrator finally wanted to get rid of her?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! Since you¡¯re already bound with this Divine Stone, how can you die so easily? You will definitely die peacefully in bed!¡± Little Divine Stone couldn¡¯t help but cover its face when it saw the stupid expression on its master¡¯s face. Why did it have such a coward as a master? It must never let its friends in the other realm know about this. It was too embarrassing!


    Zhu Junfan finally looked at the pantless baby seriously and calmly asked, ¡°If the sovereign wants the official dead, then the official will have no choice but to die! What if I really want her life and take the treasure?¡±


    ¡°Then you can try! Who knows who will end up dead!!¡± The little divine stone spoke in a tone that was full of the arrogance of looking down on all living beings. Not to mention the pce¡¯s imperial guards, but even with tens of thousands of soldiers, they still might not be able to ensure theplete safety of their master.


    Yu Xiaocao really wanted to block the little divine stone¡¯s mouth. Wasn¡¯t it just adding oil to the fire? The other party was the emperor. If he really got angry, then that would lead to a death sentence. Although the little divine stone could ensure her safety, she yearned for a stable and peaceful life, rather than being a refugee for her entire life ah! There were more than a dozen lives altogether in her entire family, including her extended family!!


    Without a change of expression, Zhu Junfan deepened his gaze and said with a light chuckle, ¡°She¡¯s only an ordinarymoner, so is she really worth you doing this for her? We are the ¡®son of the heavens¡¯ and thus have the qi of a dragon on my body. Isn¡¯t it better to cultivate around us than her?¡±


    The barefooted baby walked up to him and looked him up and down, as if it was examining the value of an object. After a long time, the little fellow shook its head and sighed, ¡°It is indeed more beneficial for my cultivation to stay around you!¡±


    It paused to give the rmed Yu Xiaocao a reassuring look, and then continued, ¡°If this Divine Stone had not recognized a master yet, you¡¯re indeed the best candidate. Unfortunately, this Divine Stone has already signed a blood contract with this girl. If I betray my master, I will turn back into my original form. By the time I recover my intelligence, it will probably be several hundreds or even over a thousand yearster!¡±


    The meaning of the little divine stone¡¯s words was very obvious. ¡®Kid, don¡¯t even think about trying to instigate this Divine Stone to rebel against my master and break our rtionship. You won¡¯t be able to get anything good out of it unless you can live for over a thousand years. Then you will have to wait for the Divine Stone to recover my intelligence and make a contract with you. Unfortunately, you¡¯re only a mere mortal. By that time, you would have long turned into a pile of dry bones. Who knows where you¡¯ll end up at that time!¡¯


    ¡°It seems like the possession of a treasure really did depend on fate!¡± After hearing the little divine stone¡¯s words, the slight trace of desire within Zhu Junfan¡¯s heart waspletely cut off and a rxed feeling reced it. Seeing that his little transmigrator friend was scared out of her wits, he quickly revealed a pacifying smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I was just joking with you!¡±


    However, he knew very clearly within his own heart whether he was purely joking with her. It was such a rare treasure, so who wouldn¡¯t want it? Since he wasn¡¯t fated to have it, he could only give up.


    ¡°Emperor, Royal Prince Yang requested an audience.¡± Chief Steward Su Ran¡¯s voice sounded from outside of the imperial study and broke the apparently awkward atmosphere in the room.


    Zhu Junfan chortled and teased, ¡°Let that kide in! We aren¡¯t a man-eating tiger, so did he have to be so worried?¡±


    As soon as Zhu Junyang stepped into the imperial study, he could clearly feel an ufortable emotioning towards him. If Xiaocao was the only woman who he couldn¡¯t detect the feelings of, then the emperor and his imperial grandfather were the only two who could block his mind reading ability. He concluded that this was because they had the qi of a dragon protecting them!


    The two people in the imperial study were both people he couldn¡¯t see through, but he was sensitive enough to feel the weird atmosphere in the room. He looked worriedly at the littless, who he was worried sick about. Seeing that she still had a frightened expression on her face, he felt as if his heart had been pricked by a needle and the pain prated into his internal organs.


    ¡°Emperor, Yu Xiaocao was born in the countryside, so she doesn¡¯t know proper etiquette. If she offended you in any way, this official will apologize to you on her behalf.¡± Zhu Junyang knew that the littless was bold and would say whatever she wanted in front of him. However, the person in front of her was the emperor. He wouldn¡¯t tolerate all her actions. Did the littless offend the emperor with her words and got scolded, so she got frightened?


    With a meaningful smile on his face, Zhu Junfan chuckled and teased, ¡°Oh! You guys aren¡¯t even married yet but you¡¯re already so protective? I didn¡¯t expect that Royal Prince Yang, who is known as a cold faced killer, to also have such a gentle and considerate side.¡±


    Zhu Junyang slightly blushed. He nced at the littless who was hiding behind him. She gently held onto the edge of his clothes and looked as if she trusted and relied on him. An inexplicable feeling surged within his heart. He was afraid that the littless would be shy, so he quickly said, ¡°Your Majesty, girls are thin-skinned, so please be merciful with your words. This official doesn¡¯t want to add more obstacles to my long pursuit of my wife!¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk, Younger Cousin ah, you can¡¯t always spoil women, lest they walk all over you!¡± Others might not, but he was certain that this fellow transmigrator of his wasn¡¯t someone who would obediently listen to others. His younger cousin would definitely be tortured in the future!


    As soon as Royal Prince Yang came in, Yu Xiaocao, who was in a panic, instantly calmed down. She was like a little grass in the rain and wind that had finally found a big tree to shelter her from the furious storm. Thus, she couldn¡¯t help but move closer to his back, seeking protection. His broad and lofty back seemed to be able to block all kinds of storms. She felt a full sense of security when she hid behind him. No matter how strong women were, they still needed a safe haven to stop at, right?

 Chapter 424 – Inner Demon

    <h4>Chapter 424 ¨C Inner Demon</h4>


    A burst of hot summer wind blew towards them when they came out of the imperial study. There was still a moist feeling on her back, which had been drenched in cold sweat. As she stepped on the white marble tform, she looked back at the yellow zed tiles on the roof of the pce hall and the golden dragon and multicolored paintings on the double-eaved roof.


    Looking at the magnificent pce, Yu Xiaocao had personally experienced the horror of imperial authority! Perhaps, there was actually a moment earlier when the emperor really thought about taking the multicolored stone. However, he just suppressed it with his rationality. As for herself, she had just barely dodged death!


    Stepping on the t surface of the marble flooring, she walked forward silently. She didn¡¯t have any energy to talk as if she had just exhausted all her courage in the imperial study earlier.


    Zhu Junyang quietly apanied her. Seeing that the littless didn¡¯t have any intention of speaking, he didn¡¯t disrupt her confused feelings in hope that his silentpany could help her calm down. He didn¡¯t know what just happened in the imperial study, but he was certain that the littless had been greatly frightened. Didn¡¯t the emperor think highly of the littless? Could it be that he intimidated her in order to make her obedient? Or...did the emperor find out about thess¡¯s secret and wanted to inquire about it?


    He turned around and saw the young girl¡¯s silky ck hair, which was styled into a small flower bud on the top of her head and adorned with green hairpins. The top of the littless¡¯s head hadn¡¯t even reached his shoulders, yet she seemed to be carrying a big secret on her thin shoulders. He wanted to tell her that he was the only person that she could trust, so she could rest assured and tell him about her worries. He would help her carry the burden. However, he was afraid of scaring her. He should forget about it for today and try again in the future.


    Seeing that thess had stopped next to the terrace in Qianqing Pce and her gaze was fixed on a metallic gold pavilion on the stone step, Zhu Junyang said, ¡°This metallic gold pavilion is called ¡®Magnificent Pce of the Country¡¯, which symbolizes that the country is in the hands of the emperor.¡±


    Yes, the country was in the hands of the emperor. She, on the other hand, was just a little ant that he could easily kill at any time. He had let her go today, but it wasn¡¯t because she was someone very important. Instead, it was because she was still useful to him.


    How astonishing would it be for a woman to be an official? How many officials would have objected? Yet the emperor still bestowed her the position of a sixth-ranked official. What did this mean? In addition to her cheat for farming, he had also disyed the supremacy of imperial authority. As imperial officials, they had the right to voice their opposition, but they couldn¡¯t control the emperor¡¯s decision.


    Yu Xiaocao touched the multicolored stone on her wrist. Today¡¯s conversation in the imperial study seemed like a casual chat but it was actually full of danger. Had it not been for the fact that the little divine stone had already recognized a master who couldn¡¯t be easily reced, perhaps...


    ¡°This prince doesn¡¯t know what you and the emperor talked about before I arrived that made you so scared. You also know about this prince¡¯s ability. When I stepped into the imperial study, I didn¡¯t feel any killing intention from the emperor. Thus, he had no intention of harming you in any way! As long as the emperor isn¡¯t nning on harming you, with this prince here, no one would dare to touch you!¡± Seeing that Xiaocao was staring at the ¡®Magnificent Pce of the Country¡¯ in a daze and didn¡¯t appear as lively as usual, Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help butfort her. He hoped that she could break away from her perplexed feelings.


    Yu Xiaocao still appeared somewhat listless, but she gave him face and replied, ¡°Is it really okay for you to privately specte the emperor¡¯s intentions? This is the Imperial Pce... There are ears and eyes everywhere, so it¡¯s better to be cautious with your words and actions!¡±


    The littless, who usually acted in a reckless and bold manner, had now be timid and overcautious. Seeing this, the darkness within the deepest part of Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart started to be restless and a burst of violence escaped from within. At this time, he wanted to overturn everything in front of him, including therge and thick pce walls.


    Su Ran, who was personally escorting Royal Prince Yang and Yu Xiaocao out of the pce, alertly sensed the change in Zhu Junyang. He had long known that the royal prince would sometimes lose control of himself due to a childhood trauma. There was once an episode that was so serious that even the emperor had been rmed, and thus sent him to assist Head Steward Liu to suppress the royal prince, who had gonepletely out of control.


    At that time, he, Head Steward Liu and several martial arts experts, who served the royal prince, had exerted a lot of efforts to prevent Royal Prince Yang from hurting others. In the past two to three years, the royal prince seemed to have ovee his childhood trauma and had never gone out of control again. Why was the royal prince suddenly on the verge of going on a rampage? What caused his inner demon toe out and lead him to lose control?


    Su Ran realized that this was a bad situation. They had just walked not too far from the imperial study. If Royal Prince Yang lost control in the pce and hurt the emperor, not only would it affect the royal prince, but the entire Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household would also be doomed...


    In a sh, Su Ran had quickly turned around and shortened the distance between himself and Royal Prince Yang. He was now two steps away from him, and he was secretly on guard.


    Su Ran¡¯s vignce might have triggered Zhu Junyang. His charming phoenix eyes gradually turned crimson red and the veins around his eyes became apparent. His slender hands were like the strong talons of an eagle...


    [Oh no! Master, your man is about to go crazy. Quickly stop him!] As soon as Zhu Junyang stepped into the imperial study, the little divine stone had already turned into a golden light and went back into the multicolored stone. When it sensed that something was wrong with Zhu Junyang, it immediately jumped out to stop him. ¡®Damn it! There¡¯re so little resources for cultivation here, so why would there be demon possession? With my current power, I won¡¯t be able to beat this demon. What should I do? What should I do!¡¯


    ¡®Whose man? Little Glutinous Dumpling is seriously speaking more and more recklessly!¡¯ However, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have time to rebuke it. She immediately grabbed onto Zhu Junyang, who was on the verge of losing control. Her soft and slightly cold hands seemed like sweet spring water that went straight to the heart of a thirsty man and soothed the uncontroble rage within his heart.


    The little divine stone also hurriedly gathered all its spiritual power and let it flow into the deepest part of Zhu Junyang¡¯s consciousness through his veins. The demon inside was about to break through its shackles. A demon could control one¡¯s heart because it could hold onto the weakness of human nature. It could also hide in the deepest wound in one¡¯s heart and expand infinitely until one loses control of their consciousness. In this way, it could take control of the person¡¯s body and do irreparable things. The process would repeat over and over again until the person copsedpletely and finally became the puppet of the demon.


    This meant that if a person had a strong enough mind, the demon would never be able to do anything and would be suppressed within the deepest part of one¡¯s mind. The moment Yu Xiaocao grabbed onto Zhu Junyang, the pure sense of worry, anxiousness, and concern directly entered his heart. The raging fire within his heart slowly cooled down and extinguished, as if it had encountered a spring rain.


    The spiritual power that the little divine stone had released, with the help of its master¡¯s hands, had also entered the deepest part of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s consciousness and disrupted the demon that was about to emerge. The inner demon¡¯s control on Zhu Junyang had been weakened, and with the anxious calls of Yu Xiaocao, Zhu Junyang gradually recovered his senses. The darkness of the demon was suppressed bit by bit until it reluctantly retracted back into a corner.


    Su Ran was inwardly stunned as he watched the redness in Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eyes gradually fade and he regained his senses. He looked profoundly at Yu Xiaocao, who was holding onto Royal Prince Yang¡¯s hands with an anxious and worried expression. It seemed like thisss was quite important within Royal Prince Yang¡¯s heart ah. She could actually pull him back before he lost control of himself. Could this be the so-called ¡®there was always one thing to ovee another¡¯?


    Since the emperor ascended the throne, he had been shackled down by the old ministers and had always wanted to nurture his own capable ministers. Royal Prince Yang was the emperor¡¯s younger cousin, and he had both capabilities and ways to get things done. But as the emperor described him, he was like a bomb that could explode at any moment, hurting others and himself. Thus, he would be hard to control.


    In recent years, he might have strengthened his self-control as he aged. There had not been another incident when he lost control and hurt others again. Thus, the emperor gradually began to let him handle some matters. Royal Prince Yang also didn¡¯t let people down and sessfullypleted his tasks. Based on what he had heard from the emperor, it seemed like he was nning on putting the royal prince in an important position in the future.


    Earlier, he almost thought Royal Prince Yang would be possessed by the demon again and lose control of himself. With Royal Prince Yang¡¯s current martial arts skills, it would be quite difficult to suppress him. It was fortunate that thess of the Yu Family was here! She appeared like such a thin and weak person, but she could actually help the royal prince instantly recover his senses. Perhaps, Royal Prince Yang attached great importance to her deep within his heart. He was afraid of losing her, and thus he desperately tried to suppress his inner demon and control himself before he exploded...


    It seemed that as long as Miss Yu was here, all of the emperor¡¯s worries would be unnecessary. In the future, the emperor would have another capable assistant. He had gotten one step closer to his dream...


    When he sent them out of the pce, Royal Prince Yang had already recovered to his usual state. It appeared as if the ferocious demon earlier was only Su Ran¡¯s imagination. When the young girl got on the carriage, the tall physique of Royal Prince Yang, who sat on his horse, appeared even more stalwart. The strong and gentle figures seemed very harmonious. Even the gorgeous sunset dimmed inparison with them.


    When he returned to the pce hall, the eunuch told him that the emperor was still in the imperial study. After receiving permission, Su Ran entered the imperial study again. He noticed that the emperor, who was usually a diligent worker, had left the imperial memorials aside and sat beside the bookcase in a daze... In a daze? Earlier, the emperor had kicked everyone out of the room, so even he couldn¡¯t stay to serve by him. Could it be that the emperor and Miss Yu had discussed a difficult matter, and thus he was acting abnormally now?


    Fortunately, the emperor soon cleared up his mind. He let out a long sigh as if he had made some sort of decision. He took a look at Su Ran, who stood in front of him, and slowly said, ¡°Junyang...and Miss Yu, have they already left the pce?¡±


    ¡°In reply to Your Majesty, this servant personally escorted them out. It seems like Royal Prince Yang intends to send Miss Yu back to the General¡¯s Estate.¡± Thetter part of Su Ran¡¯s response seemed to have a deeper meaning.


    ¡°Oh? Junyang is already neen, right? Most simr aged men in the capital have children who can already help with errands. He, on the other hand, always regarded the noble young misses in the capital as ferocious tigers. He would avoid them as much as possible. If he can¡¯t, then he would pull a long face and scare them off. We thought that the kid would be single for the rest of his life, but we didn¡¯t expect that he would suddenly understand love and fall for Miss Yu. But thatss is only twelve this year, right? That kid will still have to wait for a while!¡±


    Zhu Junfan experienced a struggle within his heart, but he finally made a decision. Since he couldn¡¯t have possession of the treasure, he must ensure that the treasure would stay close to him for his usage!

 Chapter 425 – Visitor

    <h4>Chapter 425 ¨C Visitor</h4>


    His imperial uncle, Imperial Prince Jing, was quite capable and had no greedy ambitions. His eldest son had a steady character, while his second son was radical. His third son had the most unpredictable temperament, but he was the most capable among the three brothers. Had it not been for Junyang¡¯s instability, he would have long put that kid in an important position and let him handle important matters. There was no way that he would let him constantly run off to Dongshan Vige.


    While he was deep in his thoughts, Su Ran, who seemed to have seen through his thoughts, thoroughly recounted what had happened earlier in front of Qianqing Pce.


    Zhu Junfan raised his brows. To be able to pull his younger cousin back from the verge of tyranny, thatss was really quite capable. There was a lid for every pot. The heavens must have specially prepared that young girl from the Yu Family for that kid Junyang. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have transmigrated back thousands of years to meet him.


    As his older cousin, Zhu Junfan was finally at ease to know that a girl who could control that kid had appeared. On second thought, it was fortunate that he didn¡¯t make the wrong decision of ¡®killing in order to obtain the treasure¡¯. Otherwise, that kid Junyang would probably go on a rampage and destroy Qianqing Pce.


    Zhu Junyang, who was riding on a horse and following the General Estate¡¯s carriage, leaned over and looked into the carriage through the window. He finally couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Xiaocao, why were you so nervous in the imperial study? Did the emperor force you to do something?¡±


    Regarding her secret, it was already quite dangerous to have the emperor know about it, so there was no way that she would dare to disclose it to another person. Since ancient times, a person¡¯s heart was the hardest to predict. Royal Prince Yang took great care of her and her family, but who could guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t be interested in such a tempting treasure?


    ¡°No...nothing! It¡¯s just that the emperor thinks too highly of me. He wants me to cultivate wheat and rice grains that produce a thousand catties per mu. I might have been a little dazed due to the pressure. Young Royal Prince, I didn¡¯t act improperly in front of the emperor earlier, did I?¡± In order to avoid the earlier topic, Yu Xiaocao pretended to be at a loss. Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t use his mind reading ability on her anyway, so it was harmless to tell a little lie.


    Zhu Junyang looked seriously at the littless. Since she didn¡¯t want to tell the truth, he wouldn¡¯t force her. He was willing to be a protector, who silently guarded her for a lifetime. It was just that he didn¡¯t know what the emperor¡¯s intentions were.


    For the two people on either side of the carriage, one was in an unsettled state, while a myriad of thoughts went through the other¡¯s mind. For a moment, they fell into a silence and only the crisp sounds of the horses¡¯ hooves and the wheels rolling over the road could be heard...


    Zhu Junyang escorted her to the main entrance of the General¡¯s Estate and looked at the doorkeeper, who hastily opened the side door to wee the young miss¡¯s return. An idea came up in his mind, so he said in a soft voice, ¡°You¡¯re now someone who has to deal with official matters. In the future, the supervisor of the Imperial ntation and lower ranked officials of the Ministry of Revenue wille ask for advice from time to time. Even Minister Liu might alsoe to disturb you. Therefore, it will be inconvenient for you to stay at the General¡¯s Estate. This prince has a small and exquisite house nearby. If you need to, feel free to use it...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao considered it carefully, and then declined the offer, ¡°My father will go back to Tanggu Town in a couple of days. There are a lot of matters that he needs to take care of at our farmstead. Since the emperor is paying close attention to our farmstead, we must manage it properly. My father was granted the position of a seventh-ranked official, so he should naturally take responsibility for his duties. In this way, I¡¯ll be the only one staying in the capital. My godparents would definitely be worried and not let me move out. At best...I can ask my godmother to let me reside in a separate courtyard with a side door.¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t force her anymore. The littless was only twelve, which was an age when the children of other families would be acting like a spoiled child in front of their parents. If she really lived in a house alone, he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease, let alone others.


    As the two of them talked at the door, a head peeked out from the side entrance. With a closer look, it turned out to be one of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s maidservants, Xichun. Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very good ating up with names, so her godmother helped her name the head maidservants in the courtyard.


    Yingtao was in charge of the pharmaceutical workshop in Dongshan Vige, while Yangliu was responsible for the braised food shop in the capital. The other two girls, Wutong and Pipa, had more ideas in their heads and were less loyal than the others. Thus, they were only responsible for serving her daily life. However, she was now granted a position of a government official and was responsible for managing the Imperial ntation. So, she needed to urgently train some capable assistants.


    For the names of the second-ranked maidservants, she had giarized the names of several of the young misses of the Jia Family in Dreams of the Red Chamber like Tanchun, Xichun, Yingchun, and Hechun. The name ¡®Yuanchun¡¯ was too eye-catching so she didn¡¯t use it. Her godmother praised that the names were artistic and well-named. Anyway, Dreams of the Red Chamber didn¡¯t exist in this era and that Cao Xueqin [1] wasn¡¯t even born yet. Why should she feel shameful about it? Thus, she shamelessly epted thepliment.


    Among the four ¡®chun¡¯, there were two who were capable. For example, Xixhun who was currently in front of her. With a clever and flexible mind, she never did things sloppily. She was also capable of working independently. Most importantly, this girl was absolutely loyal to her, and she also somewhat idolized her. Since she was bestowed a position of an official, this girl always looked at her with little stars in her eyes. The girl obeyed everything that she said like it was an imperial edict. Moreover, she alwayspleted her assigned tasks in a strict manner.


    At this time, the young maidservant dashed over at full speed with excitement in her eyes. Before she had even caught her breath, she eagerly said, ¡°Young Miss, Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue has been waiting at the estate¡¯s study for a long time.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew in her heart that he must havee for her ¡®potion¡¯ which was good for the growth of crops. She nced at thess Xichun and noticed that she was currently staring admiringly at the official¡¯s gown that she was wearing.


    Zhu Junyang reached out to help fix the crooked jade hairpin on Xiaocao¡¯s head, and softly said, ¡°Minister Liu is seriously such a workaholic. It¡¯s already thiste yet he¡¯s still staying at another person¡¯s house with no intention of leaving. You should go and send him away. This prince will take you to the Imperial ntation tomorrow morning. Go to rest earlier. Have your maidservant burn some calming incense for you and brew a cup of soothing tea.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart warmed up because of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s concern. She nodded her head obediently like a gentle kitten, waved goodbye to him, and then followed Xichun to the study in the outer courtyard.


    Minister Liu had already drunk the nth cup of tea in the study, and his intention was very obvious. The faster he could get the pesticide and spray it on the corn seedlings, the sooner he could feel at ease. Today was the first day that the eighteen grain shops in the capital started selling corn seeds, and it was extremely popr. He heard that the viges around the capital had been notified in advance, so under the leadership of the vige heads, the vigers were rushing to the capital. He reckoned that the stores around the grain shops would have decent business in the next few days.


    He had hurried over to the General¡¯s Estate in order to share the news with Miss Yu. He hadn¡¯t expected that she got summoned by the emperor right after lunch. It seemed like the emperor shared the same view as him. The current priority was to increase the output of crops so that themon people wouldn¡¯t have to starve.


    Minister Liu sighed when he thought about the problem of people¡¯s livelihood. In the past two years, the north had been suffering from drought and locust gue. Fortunately, the emperor made a timely decision to send Royal Prince Yang to transfer grain from the south to the north via waterway so as to avoid widespread starvation. The emperor had racked his brain in order to ensure that the people wouldn¡¯t starve! If these high yield crops could be poprized and every family had surplus food, they wouldn¡¯t be thrown into chaos in times of disaster.


    The sun was slowly moving closer to the west. Miss Yu had been in the pce for the entire afternoon, so it was apparent how much importance the emperor ced on her. Those officials, who discriminated against Miss Yu because she was a girl and tried to stop the emperor, should have realized their mistakes now, right? Miss Yu didn¡¯t get the position of an official to be an ornament, but instead she was an official who worked diligently. She was much more capable than those fellows who held a position but didn¡¯t do any work.


    From now on, he could finally take his hands off the matters of the Imperial ntation with ease. In the past two years, he was seriously exhausted from running back and forth between the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial ntation. He believed that the Imperial ntation¡¯s experimental fields would thrive under the management of Miss Yu!


    Just as Minister Liu held up his eighth cup of tea and felt too full to stomach it, he heard some movement outside of the study. A momentter, Yu Xiaocao, who dressed in a red official¡¯s gown, came in from outside and she was followed by a young maidservant who couldn¡¯t hide her excitement.


    ¡°Official Liu, you must have waited for a long time!¡± Minister Liu was a second-ranked official, so he had a much higher status than her who was just a low sixth-ranked official. As a lower ranked official, she should show proper respect to the higher ranked official.


    Minister Liu didn¡¯t wait for her to finish her bow and stretched out his hands to stop her, saying, ¡°Yu... Official Yu, please don¡¯t be so courteous. Quickly have a seat!¡±


    After staying in the imperial study for the entire afternoon and suffering a fright, Yu Xiaocao really did need to sit down for a rest. She politely asked Minister Liu to sit down and had someone get a new pot of tea before she sat down.


    ¡°Miss... Official Yu, may I know how much of the pesticide you have on hand...¡± Minister Liu almost called her ¡®Miss Yu¡¯, but when he saw the small official¡¯s gown on her body, he quickly changed his words.


    Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°Official Liu, you¡¯re a higher ranking official and an elder to me, so you should just call me ¡®Xiaocao¡¯. It sounds more cordial. When you say ¡®Official Yu¡¯, I almost thought that you were calling my father!¡±


    Originally, with Minister Liu¡¯s rigid temperament, he wouldn¡¯t easily change his way of speech. However, the young girl in front of him was about the same age as his granddaughter. She also spoke and behaved in a very amiable and lively manner. Thus, people couldn¡¯t help but to feel a sense of affinity towards her. He smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you ¡®Miss Xiaocao¡¯.¡±


    As long as he didn¡¯t insist on calling her Official Yu, it didn¡¯t matter what he called her. Yu Xiaocao picked up her cup of tea to moisten her throat, and then said, ¡°Xiaocao really admires Official Liu¡¯s dedication to the people. But, I didn¡¯t bring a lot of the potion with me this time. I just have some samples for the emperor and officials to look at.¡±


    Seeing Minister Liu¡¯s eager and anxious expression, she quickly continued, ¡°But, after seeing the emperorst time, I started to work on gathering the ingredients for the medicine. I almost have all of them now. It¡¯s gettingte now, so it¡¯s a littlete to leave the city. I¡¯ll work overtime tonight to make more potions so that tomorrow¡¯s work won¡¯t be dyed.¡±


    Since Yu Xiaocao said that, Minister Liu could only suppress the anxiety in his heart. He nodded and said, ¡°Then I will have to trouble Miss Xiaocao tonight! This old man wille over early tomorrow morning!¡±

 Chapter 426 – Worry

    <h4>Chapter 426 ¨C Worry</h4>


    ¡°Official Liu is being too polite!¡± One really needed skills when interacting with officials. How was she going to survive in the future ah! After sending away Minister Liu, Yu Xiaocao stretched her back and put her legs up on another chair. Xichun alertly crouched down beside her and helped her massage her tired calves.


    This was the scene that Fang Zizhen saw when he came in. He chuckled and said, ¡°Oh! Who is this lord? You don¡¯t have a very high rank, yet you¡¯re quite haughty. If your godmother sees you, she will definitely nag you for several days!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao was appointed as an official, Fang Zizhen was very happy for her for a while, but Lady Fang was very worried. As a girl, she wasn¡¯t staying in the inner court and learning how to manage a household, but instead she had to deal with a bunch of men. What would outsiders think about her? Perhaps, many of the people who were on bad terms with the General¡¯s Household had already prepared snacks and were waiting to watch a good show.


    Lady Fang had originally nned on having her goddaughter move into the estate when she was around twelve or thirteen. She wanted to fix her temperament, teach her things that a youngdy should know, bring her to some flower appreciation gatherings and tea parties, and find a good marriage partner for her.


    Now, that Royal Prince Yang, who was rumored to be the cold-faced death god, followed her everywhere without any sense of propriety. This caused her close friends to ask her whether she decided to let her goddaughter be the royal prince¡¯s concubine for the sake of her husband¡¯s future.


    Was she that kind of person? She knew very clearly herself how much she cared about Xiaocao. She treated her even better than if she was her biological daughter and wanted to give her all the best things. Especially in terms of marriage, she didn¡¯t want her to be mistreated. Why would the rumors turn her into a shameless person who wanted to send her goddaughter to be a concubine for the sake of her husband¡¯s future? Lady Fang felt very wronged ah!


    The emperor also joined in and made things worse. If he wanted Xiaocao to help with matters of farming, he could just privately send an imperial edict or give an oral order. Why did he have to go through all that trouble to summon her to the Imperial Pce and make her a little sixth-ranked official? Wasn¡¯t...wasn¡¯t this just making things hard for people?


    Since ancient times, how many women were able to be government officials? Even Shangguan Waner, who served Empress Regnant Wu Zetian, didn¡¯t have a good ending. Which of those officials in the imperial court weren¡¯t proud and arrogant? Which one of them would be willing to let a woman be an official in court? The emperor had sent out an imperial edict, but besides the emperor and Minister Liu, who genuinely cared about the good of the people, how many of them really had a good opinion of her family¡¯s Xiaocao?


    How was this being favored by the emperor? This had really destroyed all hopes for her goddaughter marrying a son of an official! Which of those young masters of aristocrat families and schrs who failed the imperial examination would be willing to marry Yu Xiaocao, who constantly worked outside the house and had a government post that people ridiculed? When the imperial edict was announced, Lady Fang was so angry that her chest started to hurt. ¡®Your Majesty, you¡¯re seriously so annoying for doing this!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao, who was being teased by her godfather, knew about her godmother¡¯s concern. She giggled and put down her legs. After greeting her godfather, she said, ¡°I won¡¯t upy Godfather¡¯s study any longer. I¡¯ll go back to my courtyard to change my clothes so that Godmother won¡¯t see me wearing this official¡¯s gown and say that I look out of ce and feel angry again.¡±


    When Fang Zizhen recalled what his wife told himst night, he sighed and said, ¡°Your godmother is seriously thinking about your future. Think about it. Many of those young masters of the noble families in the capital don¡¯t even have a position as a sixth-ranked official. Which young man with some reputation would want his wife to be more capable than themselves? Your godmother is worried about your future marriage ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand,ughed nonchntly and said, ¡°I know that Godmother wants the best for me. My father said that he wanted to keep me until I¡¯m eighteen, so isn¡¯t there still six to seven years? A person who sincerely loves and values me won¡¯t be blinded and shackled by thosemon views. I, your daughter, don¡¯t want someone who thinks too much, is restricted by his concerns, and despises women in his heart! To be able to meet a man who genuinely loves me will be a blessing, but if I don¡¯t, then that¡¯s life! Let¡¯s leave it up to fate! In the future, if I don¡¯t find someone I like, I¡¯m fine with living by myself. With Godfather, Godmother, and Little Linlin around, would you guys just watch me starve and get bullied?¡±


    ¡°Pah pah! What are you saying? Why would my, Fang Zizhen¡¯s, daughter be worried about not being able to get married? Our Xiaocao is so talented. At a young age, you¡¯re an even better cook than the imperial chefs, and you also know how to earn money. Those who look down on us are blind, so they don¡¯t deserve our Xiaocao!! You¡¯re not allowed to talk about being single for the rest of your life anymore. If your godmother heard it, she would probably lie in bed for nearly half a month?¡± Fang Zizhen red at the littless and chided.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t afraid of her godfather, but she was a little scared of facing her godmother. It wasn¡¯t that her godmother treated her badly, but it was because she treated her too well. Her godmother was always trying to do what¡¯s best for her and strived to turn her into a virtuous noble youngdy. Her heart ached when she thought about having to walk, speak, and act in a restrained manner like a monkey controlled by the band-tightening spell.


    Yu Xiaocao made a funny face at her godfather, and then walked back to her courtyard with Xichun. As soon as she entered, a round ball-like figure tottered over and hugged her leg. He looked up and called, ¡°Older Sister¡± in a babyish voice.


    ¡°Oh! Little Linlin, why are you at Older Sister¡¯s courtyard? Are you waiting for me toe back?¡± She bent down to pick up the little fellow, which really required some strength. The little guy was quite heavy ah!


    Fang Haolin¡¯s wet nurse smiled happily and said, ¡°Eldest Miss, right after you went out, the young master has been looking for you. Like this, he has been waiting for the entire afternoon. During the wait, he asked about you many times. If you hade back anyter, our young master will probably throw a tantrum!¡±


    Lady Fang had long instructed all the maidservants and senior servants in the estate to treat Yu Xiaocao like the legitimate blood-rted young miss of the household. They must never slight and disrespect her. Otherwise, they would be kicked out of the estate after a beating! In addition, the madam¡¯s four personal maidservants were all very respectful to the young miss, so the others didn¡¯t dare act in a reckless manner.


    The wet nurse was also a clever person. From time to time, she would bring the young master over to the young miss¡¯s courtyard for a visit. There was an older sister who he couldn¡¯t help but want to get closer to and a lot of snacks that he had never eaten before, so the little kid Fang Haolin would visit his older sister¡¯s courtyard three times a day. He would always stay until it was time for lunch or dinner before leaving.


    Yu Xiaocao carried her younger brother back to her room. The news of the young miss¡¯s return had spread to the courtyard as soon as she entered the estate. At this time, hot water had already been prepared in the washroom and Pipa was waiting on the side with a set of clothes the young miss usually wore.


    ¡°Pipa, give the young master a peach to eat. It¡¯s almost time for dinner, so just feed him half of it.¡± Yu Xiaocao handed the heavy ball of flesh to the wet nurse. It was only a short walk from the entrance of the courtyard to the room, but her arms were already sore. Later, when the little guy could walk steadily, she must suggest to her godmother to not let others carry him. He should run around himself as exercise, lest he turn into a big fatty and couldn¡¯t find a wife.


    She couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud at that thought. She was seriously worrying over nothing. With her godfather¡¯s background as a military official, would he just let his only son grow up in the inner courtyard? Perhaps, her godfather was now making ns to have his son practice basic martial arts when he was three or four years old.


    After she took a simple bath and changed into afortable set of clothing, Yu Xiaocao took her younger brother, who had finished eating more than half a peach, back to the main courtyard. Lady Fang had been waiting in the room for a long time.


    Lady Fang let the wet nurse carry the little fellow, who wanted to stay by his older sister, away, and then asked with concern, ¡°Why did you go for so long? Did the emperor make things hard for you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw that her godmother¡¯s face looked somewhat sallow and the dark circles under her eyes were very apparent. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t been sleeping well these past few days. She quickly went forward, held her hands, and said with a smile, ¡°Godmother, His Majesty has always been kind, so why would he make things hard for a little girl like me? The emperor is worried about farming and asked me a lot of questions about farming. Don¡¯t worry, the task that the emperor assigned me is something that I¡¯m good at. I definitely won¡¯t disappoint you and His Majesty!¡±


    Lady Fang patted her daughter¡¯s soft, delicate hands. This was a pair of tender and fair hands that even the noble young misses couldn¡¯tpare with! This pair of hands should be doing needlework and casually flipping through the books at home. At times, she could tend the flowers and nts, or make some pastries and drink some tea.


    But she was now working with a group of officials from the Ministry of Revenue to help tend the crops. It wasn¡¯t that she looked down on women who helped their family do farm work. She didn¡¯t say anything in the past when her daughter helped her family grow vegetables, grow watermelons, and make braised food. Ay... She had unintentionally thought about troublesome matters again. In a short period of time, Lady Fang had sighed numerous times.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly pacified her, ¡°Godmother, I was granted the position of an official because the emperor acknowledges my ability. I¡¯m responsible for managing the Imperial ntation, which bears the emperor¡¯s expectations for me and his love for the people. When I get back to Dongshan Vige and my friends find out that I have be an official, they will be so envious!¡±


    Seeing that Lady Fang still appeared very worried, she continued, ¡°Godmother, whether it¡¯s a punishment or reward, it¡¯s still a grace from the emperor. Besides, I like this job. As long as the crops are nted well, wouldn¡¯t your daughter be in charge of the entire Imperial ntation and the mountains around it? We can nt all kinds of fruit trees on the mountains and leave a portion ofnd to grow vegetables and melons. In this way, we can harvest vegetables in the spring and reap melons in the summer. Not only will it be convenient for us to eat, but we will also get more ie!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Since His Majesty has entrusted you with such an important task, you must do your work in a serious and honest manner. Don¡¯t do unnecessary things. If someoneins about it and the emperor wants to punish you, then you¡¯ll be in serious trouble!¡± Hearing her words, Lady Fang had no choice but to ept the facts. Since things couldn¡¯t be changed, she had to give her the greatest support so that she wouldn¡¯t have any worries.


    Ay! She wasn¡¯t a good godmother. Her daughter was appointed as an official and summoned to see the emperor alone, so she must be very nervous and scared in this situation. Instead of supporting and helping her, she had fallen ill and needed her daughter tofort her. Ay... She was really bing more and more immature as she got older! In the past, when she didn¡¯t have a son, didn¡¯t she also bravely survive the groundless rumors in the capital? Why did she be so timid after bing a mother?


    Her daughter was right. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, it still couldn¡¯t be avoided. So there was no use in being afraid. The key was to know how to turn the bane into a boon! With her husband¡¯s position as a third-ranked general and noble title of Count Zhongqin (Author¡¯s note: The title was granted to him after the Wokou incident.), would they not be able to find a good husband for their daughter?

 Chapter 427 – Bad Friend

    <h4>Chapter 427 ¨C Bad Friend</h4>


    General Fang and his wife were worried about their goddaughter¡¯s marriage, but they would¡¯ve never expected that a big-tailed wolf had been watching their precious goddaughter. See, the next morning, the other party had gone to their house, saying that he had been ordered by the emperor to escort the agricultural officer, Miss Yu, to the Imperial ntation.


    General Fang, who had personally weed him into the reception room, clicked his tongue andined in his heart, ¡®My Royal Prince Yang, can you make a reasonable excuse? A little official of the sixth rank can be easily found in the capital, how could they trouble you toe? You are a perfect example of a drunk who isn¡¯t interested in the wine¡ªhaving ulterior motives!¡¯


    The two people each had a cup of tea and Yu Xiaocao, who was wearing a red riding outfit, came out of the backyard. Xichun, Linglong, and Wutong, who followed behind her, were also dressed in clothes that allowed more movement. Linglong was originally Lady Fang¡¯s most capable personal maidservant. She was worried about her goddaughter¡¯s first day at work, so she had Linglong act as an assistant.


    In the future, some of the trivial matters of the Imperial ntation must be handled by someone that could be trusted. Xichun was a young girl but she was capable and none of her work was sloppy. Xiaocao nned for her to be her assistant after training her. As for Wutong, she would serve and follow Xiaocao.


    Wutong and Pipa saw that Yingtao and Yangliu, who were loyal toward their master, had respectable jobs. Even the head senior servants in the estate had to be polite upon seeing the two. Those two were originally like them, just serving maids in the young miss¡¯s courtyard. Now they were more powerful than those stewardesses in front of the madam. They were also able to have some standing in front of their masters.


    They, on the other hand, not only did not change in the slightest, but they also had lost favor with their master. Their identity and status didn¡¯t just differ a little. Wutong and Pipa felt extremely regretful. At first, when their mistress asked who would be willing to go to the countryside to serve the young miss, why hadn¡¯t they jumped out to express their loyalty?


    Otherwise, one of them would be in charge of the most famous braised food shops in the capital. In the worst case, they could¡¯ve be a female steward of a pharmaceutical workshop. If they had known, the pharmaceutical workshop Yingtao managed didn¡¯t produce ordinary drugs but was the Tongren Medicine Hall pills and syrup that were hard to find in the capital, and all the prescriptions were in the hands of their Sister Yingtao, they would¡¯ve been so regretful that they would¡¯ve found a block to tofu to knock themselves to death.


    When they came out of the General¡¯s Estate, a clever red horse and a green shed carriage were waiting outside. The red horse was the foal that the general had given his goddaughter years ago, and now it has grown into a plump and sturdy adult horse.


    The little red horse was a verymon breed, but upon being raised by Xiaocao, its hay was mixed with diluted mystic stone water and its drinking water was also diluted mystic stone water. No matter how inferior the horse was, it would¡¯ve been conditioned into a quality horse. Even General Fang¡¯s carefully selected beloved steed was not as good as Little Red. Only the fine steed under Royal Prince Yang couldpete with it.


    The little red horse grew up with her master and the benefits of the mystic stone water for many years. This one might look like a little mare but she has a proud temperament. Especially in front of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s Ferghana horse, she showed an air of defiance.


    When Yu Xiaocao and Royal Prince Yang were riding side by side, the little red horse would constantly make petty actions. She would either intentionally use her body to push Royal Prince Yang¡¯s horse, which was called Fierce Wind, or frighten him by stretching out her mouth as if she was going to bite Fierce Wind when her master wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    Horses would resemble their masters. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s Ferghana horse wasn¡¯t a docile one either. With the exception of Royal Prince Yang, no one else could ever have the slightest chance of riding him! If you thought you would be able to jump on his back and subdue him with your riding skills, then you were very wrong. This horse was very strong, and many skilled riders had been flung off by him. Not only were they flung to the ground, but they were also almost seriously injured from being stepped on by his hooves.


    Now, this fierce thoroughbred horse was as tame as a sheep. No matter how Little Red provoked him, even if he was kicked in the legs, he didn¡¯t get angry at all. His big wet eyes looked at Little Red with tolerance, as if he was a good-natured gentleman indulging hisdy¡¯s temper.


    Royal Prince Jun jokingly scolded Fierce Wind for being so useless and blinded by beauty that it allowed Little Red to y the domineering role. He even said that the beast was spoiled, and it would only be obedient after being disciplined... Before he finished speaking, he saw Xiaocao¡¯s raised eyebrows and her angry round eyes ring at him. He hurriedly changed his words and said, ¡°I¡¯m talking about horses. Don¡¯t worry. How could I bear to hit you? Aren¡¯t you normally the one beating me?¡±


    He had changed his words quite quickly. Who was the useless didn¡¯t one, my Lord? Steward Liu and Commander Zheng turned their faces in the opposite direction, for fear that their master would see their distorted expressions.


    Yu Xiaocao snorted coldly and said, ¡°Fierce Wind¡¯s actions are called gentlemanly manners. There¡¯s a huge power gap between men and women. What kind of man would fight a woman?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! Women are supposed to be cared for and pampered. Look at my family¡¯s style. There has never been a precedent for hitting women. My father is reluctant to even say anything harsh to my mother. I¡¯m their son, so this fine tradition has been deeply rooted in my bones since I watched it growing up. So my future princess consort will be blessed!¡± This shameless guy was speaking like ¡®Grandma Wang selling melons and praising her own products¡¯!


    ¡°Oh! Who is this? How can you have such thick skin!! Looking to see if a young girl can be deceived and taken home with colorful words?! Is this something that you, Royal Prince Yang, would do?! s...It¡¯s said that Royal Prince Yang has a cold personality and is a man of few words. Surely I didn¡¯t meet a fake Royal Prince Yang today?¡±


    A fair-skinned and chubby man, who was around the age of twenty, walked towards them. There was a hint of smile in his squinty eyes that gave him the appearance of a smiling tiger. He was wearing a brocade robe and the jade pendant on his waist seemed to be of great value. He fanned himself with the fan in his hands.


    Yu Xiaocao had heard that Royal Prince Yang had very few friends in the capital but a lot of enemies. However, with his skills and temperament, not many would dare to outright provoke him. This guy had a tone of finding fault the minute he opened his mouth. He didn¡¯t seem like a good person, but since he dared toe over to provoke Royal Prince Yang, he surely had a high status. She wondered if Royal Prince Yang would get in trouble for pping him to death.


    The ¡®smiling tiger¡¯ detected Xiaocao¡¯s unfriendly gaze. He opened his squinty eyes with a surprised face and said, ¡°Oh! I was thinking it was Royal Prince Yang who was flirting with women on the street! Turns out that one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer! Looks like I was too impulsive!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao frowned, and her face suddenly became cold. This person had a face that needed a beating. How could he be so annoying? Her hand was itching to beat him up, what to do?


    Seeing that the littless looked like a cat that had been offended and eager to show off her ws, Royal Prince Yang hurriedly urged his horse over to the ¡®smiling tiger¡¯ and punched him in the shoulder and said, ¡°This mouth of yours! You must have been beaten up a lot over the years! When did youe back?¡±


    ¡°Hehe! All the beating that I¡¯ve gotten in this life would never add up to the time I got beaten up by Royal Prince Yang. Back then, I couldn¡¯t get out of bed for three months!¡± The chubby young man with fair skin retracted his crooked smile, looking less annoying.


    Zhu Junyangughed and said, ¡°This fellow, you are one to bear grudges. That happened when we were ten, yet you¡¯re still talking about it! Didn¡¯t I already send you a gift to apologize?¡±


    ¡°You call that an apology gift? You dislocated my arm, broke three ribs and my tibia, and took half my life. Your father had to use force and cajolery to finally get you to reluctantly apologize, leaving the matter settled just like that. At that time, I was upset and didn¡¯t forgive you. My bones hadn¡¯t even recovered before they were broken again by you, this brat, with petty tricks! You even threaten me, saying that if I didn¡¯t forgive you then you would beat me up every time you saw me. My mother felt heartache and cried for me to admit defeat. If I wasn¡¯t worried that my mother would worry, only a ghost would forgive you!¡± If the chubby youth wasn¡¯t riding a horse, he would have been jumping up and down.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s poker face hadn¡¯t changed at all, but his words could choke someone to death, ¡°Who let you learn so poorly? If you have the ability, just win it back openly! You used so many little tricks over the years, but not once have you seeded. Aren¡¯t you too shabby?¡±


    The little fatty was so angry his nostrils red like a mule¡¯s and said, ¡°You think everyone is like you, practicing martial arts like they¡¯re desperate. Even your talent for it is surprisingly high! Let¡¯s not talk about me, just in the entire capital, can you find someone that can beat you? You¡¯re just a monster!¡±


    ¡°Alright! We wouldn¡¯t have met each other if we hadn¡¯t fought. The things of the past, why are we still fussing over it so much? Are you nning on leaving aftering back this time?¡± Listening to Zhu Junyang¡¯s tone, he has a pretty good rtionship with this guy. At least, it was not the attitude of killing with a cold re.


    The little fatty was unhappy and snorted a few times before he said, ¡°It¡¯s also me who was the bigger person and was magnanimous. I pitied you for not even having a single person in the capital to speak to and just reluctantly became friends with you! Not leaving, not leaving! A few days ago, I just epted the position of an imperial guard in the Yulin Division. I will take up the official post next month!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions! This prince should get half the credit for you being able to get this job. If I hadn¡¯t spurred you on, would you even be able to get a job within the Twelve Divisions of Imperial Guards with your measly martial arts skill? In the future, I will urge you more ¡®with all my heart¡¯ lest you let the emperor down!¡± The expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face didn¡¯t change but his eyes were full of bad intentions.


    ¡°Oh, I should really thank you then! Your kindness will be remembered in my heart. This delicate body of mine can¡¯t handle being tossed about by you. If you... have that spare time, you better practice speaking honeyed words, or thickening your skin, in case thedy dislikes you!¡±


    The little fatty politely declined his ¡®good intentions¡¯. Although he never stopped practicing martial arts all these years, there was still quite arge gappared to that monster Royal Prince Yang. Even Chief Steward Su Ran might not be able to beat Royal Prince Yang in a fight, let alone a small fry like him. If he fell into this guy¡¯s hands, he¡¯d be half dead.


    ¡°Scared now? You weren¡¯t like this in the past. You would continue fighting despite setbacks and was full of valor and vigor! Now you¡¯ve eaten so much that you have lost your nerve!¡± Royal Prince Yang¡¯s sharp tongue was very powerful.

 Chapter 428 – The Horse is Like the Owner

    <h4>Chapter 428 ¨C The Horse is Like the Owner</h4>


    ¡°If you know you can¡¯t do it, then it isn¡¯t brave, it¡¯s stupid! This is called changing my actions to suit the changing times!¡± The fat young man could be said to be one of Zhu Junyang¡¯s few bad friends. This fellow¡¯s thoughts were simple and he worshipped the strong.


    He had veryplex emotions towards Zhu Junyang, who had beaten him until his own mother almost didn¡¯t recognize him. Feelings of anger and dissatisfaction had swirled within him, and he was always trying to find a way to take his dignity back. However, he never took advantage of Zhu Junyang, a wolf cub two years younger than him, when thetter interacted with him. Zhu Junyang also never detected any malicious intent from him. So although they fought whenever they met, their rtionship became deeper with each fight and they had somehow be best friends.


    This person wasn¡¯t of low birth. His grandfather, Lu Dawei, was one of the founding fathers of the country and was a strong general. After the emperor emeritus abdicated, the old general also retired. The emperor urged him to stay many times, and even repeatedly went to his estate to invite him, but he refused toe back from retirement.


    None of his sons seeded him. His eldest son received an empty title that had a sry but no political power. His second son took the path of the imperial examinations. At present, he was only a small official of the fifth rank. Thus, he may not be able to take upon bigger tasks in the future. His youngest son abandoned his official position and started a business, which was currently booming. At that time, the high ranking Old Master Lu oftenmented that his martial arts and military arts were unable to be imparted onto the next generation.


    Unexpectedly, Lu Hao, the only legitimate son of his eldest son, suddenly had a change in personality when he was ten and pestered him to teach him martial arts, Although ten was a bit toote to start learning, the little guy was talented. After learning for a year, he managed to catch up with those who had been practicing for three to five years.


    However, this kid didn¡¯t do him proud. His grandson learned his martial arts well, but hecked practical experience. Old Master Lu didn¡¯t know who he had offended to get beaten to the point that he was ck and blue with his eyes all swollen. Old Master Lu was angry but, at the same time, he refused to ept what had happened. He secretly searched for the perpetrator.


    In the end, he discovered that the culprit was a kid who was two or three years younger than his grandson. The way that kid fought was ruthless, as if he didn¡¯t care about living or dying. That type of callousness made Old Master Lu feel a bit scared but he also appreciated the kid¡¯s guts. At that time, with Lu Hao¡¯s martial art skills, his grandson may have been that kid¡¯s opponent if he gave it his all. Yet, his grandsoncked the drive to give it his all. When he threw a punch, it was naturally weaker by about three fractions. Thus, every time he was beaten badly.


    At that time, Old Master Lu¡¯s love of talent came up and he wanted to ept the kid as hisst disciple. In this way, his mantle would be passed down and, in the future, his fat grandson would have a helper. However, as soon as he started asking around, he ended up inquiring all the way to the emperor and emperor emeritus. This wolf cub was the grandson of the emperor emeritus, which was quite unexpected! With a regretful heart, he had to give up on his previous idea. With his worldly wisdom, no matter how talented Zhu Junyang was at the time, he couldn¡¯t ept the Imperial Grandson as a disciple!


    However, from time to time, his little grandson would go fight the other and he pretended not to notice. Since then, his grandson¡¯s martial arts skills had greatly increased. Although he came back ck and blue every time from the fights, the kid always practiced more vigorously in the future.


    When Lu Hao was around seventeen or eighteen, the Old Master threw him into the old army to gain experience. At that time, Zhu Junyang had just been granted the title of royal prince and got the task of heading to the West. Thus, this pair of ¡®bad friends¡¯ only met up on the streets many yearster.


    ¡°Some other day, I¡¯ll invite you to Zhenxiu Restaurant to drink wine. I¡¯m still on the job. I¡¯ll take my leave from this point.¡± Zhu Junyang looked at the sky. If he didn¡¯t say anything soon, he was afraid he would have to spend the night over at the Imperial ntation.


    Although theyout of the Imperial ntation wasn¡¯t bad, he had to consider that Xiaocao was a female. It wasn¡¯t good if word got out that a girl had stayed the night outside. There were already many people saying bad things about her since hisss became an official. They couldn¡¯t let something else happen that would allow the others to gossip about her during their meals and teatime!


    Lu Hao took a look at Yu Xiaocao and his face showed a ¡®this brother knows¡¯ expression. He smiled knowingly and said, ¡°Ok, this brother won¡¯t dy your ¡®business¡¯ anymore. In the future, I will be in the capital. Let¡¯s get together another day.¡±


    The two said their farewells and Lu Hao nodded politely to Yu Xiaocao. He patted his horse¡¯s stomach and they passed by each other. Yu Xiaocao was very pleased with the way the two got along. No wonder there was a saying, ¡®Qin Hui [1] still has three good friends.¡¯ It was said that Royal Prince Yang had a solitary personality and was hard to get along with. In his darkest times, wasn¡¯t he considered quite lucky to have a friend beside him?


    After they passed the city gate, there weren¡¯t many people on the official roads. The people travelling were all people from the suburbs on the outskirts of the capital, carrying burdens to sell. When there were fewer people, the little red horse suddenly gave Fierce Wind a look full of provocation. The little red horse spread her four legs and ran like a gust of wind.


    Yu Xiaocao had a connection to her steed. When Little Red was ¡®making eyes¡¯ at Fierce Wind, she knew what this horse wanted to do. She gently mped down on the horse¡¯s belly and leaned forward slightly so that they were one. Before Royal Prince Yang could react, the one entity had already ran into the distance. The dust that rose from their run made him and Head Steward Liu cough.


    Zhu Junyang felt slightly exasperated and amused. He patted Fierce Wind¡¯s neck and said with a smile, ¡°Fierce Wind, you are a good for nothing. The other has already thrown a challenge at your face. Hurry and pull out your fighting spirit for this challenge. If you lose to a woman, then you will lose your reputation as a Ferghana horse! There are times to spoil a woman but there are also times to show her your strength and dignity!¡±


    When he finished speaking, with a shake of the reins in his hand, Fierce Wind chased the red figure that was growing smaller and smaller in the distance. As a Ferghana horse, the title of ¡®a thousand-mile horse¡¯ wasn¡¯t just for show. With the addition of Zhu Junyang¡¯s consummate riding skills, the advantage Little Red obtained with her head start slowly disappeared, and the distance between them got gradually smaller.


    When they were almost at the Imperial ntation, Zhu Junyang had caught up with Yu Xiaocao. He drove Fierce Wind to keep the same speed as her, traveling side by side. The little red horse defiantly sped up, but, no matter how fast she went, the other could always keep up with her. After the little red horse ran for a while she felt bored and slowed down on her own.


    ¡°This little red horse of yours is pretty good!¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but praise.


    Yu Xiaocao gently stroked Little Red¡¯s smooth mane and modestly said, ¡°Little Red is good, but she can¡¯tpare with your Fierce Wind. The title of a Ferghana horse isn¡¯t false.¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked into her eyes with a doting look and softly said, ¡°Dayuan had offered several Ferghana horses as tribute and one of them just recently foaled. I went to see it and it¡¯s a fine specimen, one that is hard toe by. If you raise it well, it won¡¯t be any worse than Fierce Wind. If you want to change horses, I can go ask the emperor...¡±


    Head Steward Li, who had been left behind in the dust, finally caught up in a disheveled manner. After overhearing their conversation, Head Steward Liu had a constipated look on his face andplex feelings ran through him as he thought, ¡®My master, that horse has been born for less than a month. Who doesn¡¯t know that the emperor has earmarked it for the empress¡¯s little prince? They¡¯re just waiting for the young prince to get well and for the horse to get a little older before arranging riding and shooting courses. Consort Li also covets that horse and begged for it for the little princess several times but the emperor didn¡¯t change his mind. Is it really good for you to outright snatch at the little prince¡¯s things like this?¡¯


    Although he thought like this in his heart, Head Steward Liu didn¡¯t show anything on his face. He knew just how much his master valued Miss Yu. If a wisp of desire escaped her mouth, the master would get it for her despite all the difficulties. He prayed in his heart, ¡®Miss Yu, please resist!¡¯


    Maybe the Gods and Buddhas pitied his loyalty toward his master as Miss Yu refused as he had wished. ¡°I think my Little Red is very good. Just like how important Fierce Wind is to you, Little Red isn¡¯t just a tool for me but also a close partner. As you know, all the animals in our family have intelligence. If I abandon Little Red, she will be sad.¡±


    As if she understood her master¡¯s words, Little Red¡¯s defiant eyes became soft and gentle. Even her steps were light and made rhythmic sounds on the ground. However, Yu Xiaocao knew that this little horse held grudges. She might not do anything to Royal Prince Yang, who proposed recing her, but she was definitely going to take actions against Fierce Wind in private.


    Just like the young man who loved her and would always tolerate her little temper and willfulness, Yu Xiaocao was willing to bet that Fierce Wind must also have some feelings for Little Red, which was why he was always so docile towards her despite her violence.


    She raised her eyes to look up at Royal Prince Yang, who asionally looked over from time to time. Sure enough, a person with a certain personality would raise his or her horse into the same personality. In the future, this guy would definitely be someone who cherished his wife, right? If he could keep his promises, he would be a good marriage partner. Maybe...she needed to consider his proposal more seriously!


    After thinking more about this, she decided that she didn¡¯t actually reject the prospect of marriage as much anymore. Even in her previous life, one¡¯s choice in spouse may not be the correct one. After all, there were scumbags in every era. Why shouldn¡¯t they give each other a chance at happiness?


    Zhu Junyang noticed that the gaze of the person beside him had changed. Although he didn¡¯t know the reason for the change, his keen intuition told him that the change wasn¡¯t a bad thing. For no reason at all, his mood soared with the breeze, and even the rising summer heat had be lovely and amicable.


    The two of them silently rode side by side until they arrived at the Imperial ntation. The carriage carrying Xichun and the others hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Yet at this time, many carriages had stopped in front of the Imperial ntation. It seemed that there were people more excited than them.


    Sure enough, once they entered the Imperial ntation, they discovered that Minister Liu had brought some officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the managers of the Imperial ntation to wait for them there.


    Out of these people, some had met Xiaocao and knew her skills. Although they didn¡¯t admire her as much as Minister Liu did, they still gave the appropriate greetings. Some had eyes that were full of contempt. What could a girl around the age of ten even do? She had only been awarded the title of a sixth rank official on the whims of the emperor.


    If they didn¡¯t cooperate, what could shee up with? If she didn¡¯t have any achievements, then that meant she had no ability. When that time came around, wouldn¡¯t the matter of her office being taken be certain?


    The thoughts of these officials were already known by Zhu Junyang. He resisted the anger in his heart and remembered the names of the managers and officials who wanted to embarrass hisss. He was now prepared to find a chance to get at them.

 Chapter 429 – In Domestic Harmony

    <h4>Chapter 429 ¨C In Domestic Harmony</h4>


    ¡®Didn¡¯t you want my girl to lose her job? Why don¡¯t I make you lose your job as an official of the court and never have the chance to turn your fortunes around?!¡¯ Those people who did not intend to harm the girl, for the time being, weren¡¯t in the position to say anything either. No, it was useless to scold these insincere people.


    Zhu Junyang stepped forward and stood next to Yu Xiaocao. He stood side by side next to her, expressing with his action that he was here to support


    ¡°By the emperor¡¯s orders, whether it is the agricultural officials in the Ministry of Revenue or the stewards at the Imperial ntation, everyone has to listen to Agricultural Officer Yu¡¯s orders. If you disobey her orders, then there will be severe punishment!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s sharp gaze swept across the officials harboring bad intentions. He paused for a moment before he continued speaking, ¡°The Imperial ntation has been given to the Ministry of Revenue and I to take charge of. I suggest that all the matters in the Imperial ntation should be decided by the newly appointed agricultural official. Minister Liu, what do you think of my decision?¡±


    ¡°I have no objection. In terms of farming, this old man is still an amateur. Miss Yu has far surpassed this old man when ites to farming. This old man will be at ease if she is in charge of the Imperial ntation!¡± Next, Minister Liu introduced the officials and the stewards in charge of the ntation to Yu Xiaocao. He clearly stated all the details of what everyone was in charge of.


    Yu Xiaocao listened attentively. The officials from the Ministry of Revenue were all dispensable. For example, the official responsible for keeping records and the official in charge of the warehouse did not know much about farming. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t depend on them. The stewards in the Imperial ntation did their job well and their arrangements were reasonable. She wasn¡¯t nning on taking any action for the time being. She only listened to their report quietly.


    After everyone finished their reports, someone reported that the carriage carrying servant girls had arrived outside. Yu Xiaocao looked at the time and got up, saying, ¡°The pesticides are here. Steward Wang, please help me ask the tenant farmers in the Imperial ntation to gather here. After this official finish mixing the pesticides, we will begin the irrigation immediately. After all, the farms don¡¯t wait for the farmers to nt themselves!¡±


    Steward Wang was personally sent here by the emperor. He was also one the most dependable stewards under Su Ran. Because of Su Ran¡¯s positive attitude towards the Yu Family and Yu Xiaocao, Steward Wang was naturally more respectful towards her and listened to hermands.


    Soon, all the workers in the Imperial ntation slowly gathered around in the field carrying buckets and poles. These tenant farmers are divided into ten different groups. Each group had a group leader in charge of mixing the proportions of the pesticide correctly. Once the well water was mixed with the pesticide, the water will be irrigated into the fields.


    Xiaocao had the little divine stone transform into a ray of golden light as it circled around the entire Imperial ntation. Although the little divine stone didn¡¯t have strong powers right now, it was still able to improve the soil in the Imperial ntation after circling around it. The spiritual energy in the field was now enough to support the growth of the crops in the field. The autumn harvest would definitely be bountiful this year!


    There were many people in the Imperial ntation. Whether it was men, women, or children, they were all assigned a task. Even the stewards were ordered to work around the fields. In half a day¡¯s time, they finished irrigating 3,000 mu of cornfields.


    Minister Liu was unwilling to leave the field no matter what, so the officials from the Ministry of Revenue apanied him around the sidelines of the fields.


    Looking at the small leaves of the corn sprouts glistening underneath the setting sun, it was a touching and verdant sight. Minister Liu stroked the beard under his jaw with a gratified smile on his face, ¡°Miss Yu, I don¡¯t know if this old man is seeing things, but the corn sprouts looked much more alive after we irrigated the pesticide on it. It also seemed like they had grown a little...¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at him and his mind began to ponder. It seemed like he was trying to find an excuse to help Yu Xiaocao lie, ¡°Official Liu, I think that¡¯s only a figment of your imagination. No matter how effective the pesticide is, it¡¯s impossible for it to have an instant effect on the crops. It¡¯splete nonsense for nts to suddenly grow. All living things grow at their own pace. Agricultural Official Yu is not an immortal, how can she have that kind of magical power?¡±


    Minister Liu also felt that he was overly sensitive andughed, ¡°What Royal Prince Yang said is correct. This old man was probably too anxious to see results; hence, I began to see illusions.¡±


    The agricultural officials around him all murmured in their minds: ¡®Although we¡¯re unclear whether the corn seedlings have grown or not, we are certain that the corn sprouts appeared more spirited than this morning. The whole field is brimming with vitality and each de from the fields is full of spirit. Is this all just part of our illusions?¡¯


    Under the sky that was full of red clouds, a red and a ck horse walked side by side on the spacious, smoothnd. A tree with a crooked tree trunk would asionally stretch its verdant leaves on its branches under the summertime light. Two figures were dyed red from the sunset; one figure was petite and delicate, while the other figure was tall and lofty. Two saddled horses and an ordinary green carriage followed behind the two figures.


    ¡°What are you thinking about again?¡± Yu Xiaocao had her head lowered and Zhu Junyang could easily tell from her expression that she was pondering some important issues.


    Yu Xiaocao looked up at Zhu Junyang and asked, ¡°Do you think the emperor will agree if I nt some fruits trees on the mountain behind the Imperial ntation, or build a greenhouse to grow vegetables next to the Imperial ntation to sell to the high officials and nobles of the capital?¡±


    He knew that this girl would never sit idly by. Just as he expected, she had only arrived at the capital for a few days, and she already wanted to utilize the Imperial ntation. The Imperial ntation was originally a ce used by the emperor to cultivate and improve crops. As long as she sessfully fulfilled the task entrusted to her by the emperor, the emperor would not mind if she used the mountains near the Imperial ntation for some personal benefits.


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problem if you don¡¯t take up the fields that are part of the Imperial ntation. Why don¡¯t I write a memorial to the emperor and ask about it?¡± In addition to helplessness, Zhu Junyang also felt a sense of admiration for the endless money-making ideas that came out from Xiaocao¡¯s mind.


    Writing imperial memorials was not her strength. Besides, the emperor will probably struggle to read her messy handwriting, which she had only practiced for a few days. Thus, she was naturally happy that someone else was willing to do it for her.


    ¡°However, if you want to build a greenhouse, you will need a lot of ss. Large pieces of ss are quite expensive. The several houses in the capital that have greenhouses only used it to nt precious flowers and nts. If you use the greenhouse to nt vegetables, it will take a while for you to earn a profit...¡±


    Zhu Junyang remembered that the manufacturing department had recently received a batch of sses of excellent quality, but he was uncertain whether the emperor had nned to use the ss or not. How likely would it be for him to seed If he asked the emperor to give it to them?


    Yu Xiaocao calcted the cost in her mind. It simply wasn¡¯t profitable if she only grew vegetables in arge greenhouse. As Royal Prince Yang had said, the cost of the ss was too high, and the initial investment was too costly. It was not a cost-effective idea...


    ¡°Then...would it be possible for Young Royal Prince to be able to obtain some fruit tree saplings? Saplings fromst year¡¯s fruit trees work too!¡± Yu Xiaocao thought that if she wasn¡¯t able to build arge greenhouse to grow vegetables this year, she should try nting some fruit trees first. When the fruit trees ripen next year, she could make them into canned fruits and earn some money from selling them.


    It was not easy to live in arge capital. Although the capital was a nice ce to live in, it was expensive to live in the capital. She had to spend money left and right. Although she earned an official¡¯s sry, the sry was not enough. One year¡¯s sry wasn¡¯t even enough to buy a hairpin or a bracelet in the capital. Therefore, she needed to expand her financial resources instead of only trying to save money!


    Zhu Junyang had a confident expression on his face, ¡°What type of fruit trees do you want? There are no fruit trees that I cannot get! Just tell me and I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±


    ¡°Apples, oranges, peach trees, pear trees, apricot trees, and grapevines...can I get a few of those first? When is the soonest you can get them here?¡± Of course, Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t buy or sell the fruit trees from the south. They were too garish. The ones she listed were allmon fruit trees in the north.


    ¡°Do you want them right now? Isn¡¯t the best time to nt fruit trees in the spring? Will the fruit trees survive if you nt them right now?¡± Zhu Junyang was worried.


    Yu Xiaocao stuck out her small nose and snorted. She said in an arrogant tone, ¡°With my ability, is there anything that I can¡¯t grow? Just wait to eat some fruits next year!¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that the little girl¡¯s expression was quite simr to the expression of the golden kitten she raised. Her head was almost raised all the way back. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Stop boasting so much! Be careful or else all your boasting will turn out to be empty!¡±


    ¡°Stop looking down on people! Do you want to eat fruits or not?¡± The little girl began to threaten him courageously.


    Zhu Junyang trusted the little girl¡¯s ability. He was only teasing her because he wanted to see her angry appearance. The peach tree in the back of the Yu Family¡¯s house in Dongshan Vige was originally a wild peach tree on the mountain. The fruits on the tree were small and tasted slightly sour. It was not tasty at all. However, after the peach tree went through the meticulous care of the little girl, the peach tree producedrge peaches that tasted as sweet as honey. The peaches were so soft that even elderly people without teeth could eat a few.


    There was also a grapevine in the courtyard. They were able to eat sweet grapes starting in April. The grapes from other people¡¯s homes started to go bad two days after it was picked. In contrast, the grapes from the Yu Family still maintained its sweet taste a week after it was sent to the capital. The grapes were asrge as a bull¡¯s eyes, and it was well-received by the nobledies in the capital. Hisdy mother became quite troubled after many nobledies asked her where she got the grapes.


    He could imagine that if the little girl nted an orchard of fruit trees in the Imperial ntation, it would be absolutely astonishing. It was very likely that the fruit business in the entire capital would be monopolized by her! It seemed like it was necessary for him to buy a few fruit shops under his own name. When the timees, he could sell the fruits that thess grew. Wouldn¡¯t they look like an old married couple?


    With this n in mind, after he sent Xiaocao back to the General Estate, Zhu Junyang wrote up a memorial that night and sent it to the emperor. Then he ordered his men to collect fruit trees near the capital. He collected only five or six trees of each type. He wanted to let thess experiment with it first. It would be great if the fruit trees managed to live, but it also wasn¡¯t a big deal if the fruit trees died.


    After the morning court ended the next day, Xiaocao was called into the pce again. Perhaps thest time she entered the pce had cast a shadow over her heart, her heart began pounding as soon as she entered the pce this time. She didn¡¯t know whether the emperor would go back on his words and covet her multicolored stone.


    This time, Sir Su did not lead her to the imperial study but led her in the direction of the imperial garden.


    ¡°Sir Su, how is the emperor¡¯s mood today?¡± She felt that it wasn¡¯t smart if she tried to inquire directly about the emperor¡¯s intentions. So, Yu Xiaocao thought that she could judge whether entering the pce this time was good or bad for her by knowing the emperor¡¯s current mood.

 Chapter 430 – Meeting the Young Imperial Prince Again

    <h4>Chapter 430 ¨C Meeting the Young Imperial Prince Again</h4>


    If anyone else had asked such a question, Su Ran would have ignored them directly. However, since it was Xiaocao, Su Ran reminded her kindly, ¡°Miss Yu, don¡¯t worry. The emperor probably didn¡¯t summon you for something bad.¡±


    Don¡¯t worry? How could she feel at ease? Ever since the emperor had guessed that she had a golden finger, she had been feeling like there was a knife constantly hanging around her neck. The knife could fall down at any moment. Who knew whether the emperor would have a cramp one day and decide to kill her? s...it seemed like she needed to keep a lower profile!


    That being said, when did she ever keep a low profile? When she had no money, she made braised food and sold a lot of recipes on roasted chicken and duck to other people. She was even able to produce out-of-season produce and watermelons. Not to mention, she opened a braised food shop...this stack after stack of aplishments, anyone with a discerning eye would easily be able to figure out her status with just a nce.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness, please slow down. Be careful so you don¡¯t fall.¡± It was unknown which pce servant had said that, but the voice came from behind the cluster of flowers not far away. Shortly after, Xiaocao heard footsteps heading in her direction.


    Su Ran straightened up and bowed at the little figure that appeared in front of the two. He said, ¡°This servant pays his respects to His Imperial Highness.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao followed after him and bent her knees to salute the young prince. Perhaps the little figure had been running too fast because the young prince continued to rush towards Xiaocao. He was about to fall on her leg. Xiaocao hurriedly stood up and leaned over to support him with her arms. She said softly, ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t fall!¡±


    The young prince stabilized his footing and looked up at Xiaocao¡¯s eyes. After he frowned for a moment, he suddenly shouted in realization, ¡°I remember you! Thest time I was sick, you made sweet medicinal candy for me. You also know how to make seafood congee...¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness is quite clever. It has been a while since it happened, yet you still remembered. Your memory is better than ordinary people¡¯s!¡± Yu Xiaocao praised the young prince. Her younger brother and Little Linlin from her godmother¡¯s household were both little boys. Thus, she had her own ways of getting along with children.


    As expected, the young prince revealed a bashful but proud expression on his face. But he suddenly pursed his lips and said, ¡°Why did you leave? The seafood congee made by the imperial chefs isn¡¯t as good as the one you made. Are you going to leave the pce after this? Why don¡¯t I ask my imperial father to let you work in the imperial kitchen? Is that okay with you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the official¡¯s robe she was wearing and crouched down. She nced at the young prince and had a soft smile on her face as she said, ¡°If Your Imperial Highness wants to eat seafood congee, I can make it for you after I visit the emperor. However, I can¡¯t work in the imperial kitchen because I have some official matters that I need to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Why? You are a woman, so what kind of important task would my imperial father give you? Isn¡¯t working in the imperial kitchen and serving me food a better job for you?¡± Since the young prince was born into the imperial family, he was naturally influenced by the imperial household¡¯s honor and arrogance.


    One shouldn¡¯t look down on children just because they were young. They stillprehended many things. As long as one patiently exined everything, they will gradually begin to understand. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t dare to have the slightest impatience in her tone as she softly said, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, this humble official might be good at cooking, but that is not my best skill set.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then what are you the best at? Is it medicine? That¡¯s not right, the official¡¯s robe that you¡¯re wearing is not one that an imperial physician would wear.¡± The young prince¡¯s face revealed his confusion as well as contained some expectation. She was so talented at cooking, yet she said she had something that she was even more skilled in. She must be amazing!


    Yu Xiaocao continued talking with a smile, ¡°This humble servant is not the best at cooking or medicine, but farming!¡±


    ¡°Farming? Is that when you sprinkle the seeds into the soil, wait for them to grow into small sprouts, and then finally harvest them when they grow into wheat?¡± The young prince blinked his big eyes. His expression was both innocent and adorable.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness is very smart. You even know about farming!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words made the young prince feel that he was very intelligent. But he still exined honestly, ¡°My imperial father opened a small field in the northwest area of the imperial garden. He once took me there to farm with him. I also helped him put the seeds in the small holes in the soil! When harvesting time came around, my imperial father gave me a small sickle to reap the grain. Then, we used the wheat I cut down to grind it into flour. The flour was then used to make steamed buns. The steamed buns were tastier than the ones I¡¯ve bought from outside!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness even helped with farming. You really are really capable!¡± Yu Xiaocao praised him and continued, ¡°Do you know why the emperor grew wheat in the imperial garden?¡±


    ¡°I know! My imperial father said that there are many people in the world who don¡¯t have enough to eat. Each year, there are children around my age who starve to death because they have no food. Some children are even sold off by their parents in exchange for food...¡± The young prince was indeed smart, so it was only natural that his knowledge was linked to the emperor¡¯s teaching.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s correct! The emperor tries his best and thinks of many ways to prevent all the children in the world from starving and for all the parents in the world to be able to stay with their children. This humble official is good at farming. The emperor ignored the objections of the other officials and appointed me as an official. Now, I¡¯m in charge of the entire Imperial ntation. He did this in hopes that I will be able to cultivate high-yield seeds as soon as possible and distribute them to the people. Your Imperial Highness, please ponder over this question. Originally, one mu ofnd could produce 300 catties of grains. But after the farmers paid the rent for the fields, the remaining grain could only keep the family from starvation. If the output per mu ofnd is increased to 600 catties or even 1,000 catties, what do you think will happen?¡±


    ¡°Themoners will not only be able to have enough food to eat to their fill, but they will also have surplus leftover!¡± The young prince was only six or seven years old, but he followed the emperor around and learned many things from the court. He also knew a lot about farming. The emperor often sighed before the empress on this matter. The young prince remembered that and asked, ¡°Can you grow 1,000 catties of grain per mu now?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head gently, and disappointment filled the young prince¡¯s eyes. However, Yu Xiaocao said firmly, ¡°This humble servant is working hard in that direction! Your Imperial Highness, have you heard of the Yu Family from Tanggu Town?¡±


    ¡°Yes! My imperial father told me that the Yu Family has grown wheat that yields 600 catties per mu. If we can spread this across the country, then within three years, the people of the Great Ming Dynasty will have enough food and clothing. In addition, the world will stabilize! The Yu Family has really done an outstanding service to the Great Ming Dynasty!¡± The proud expression on the young prince¡¯s face was quite adorable and funny. Xiaocao almost reached out her hand to squeeze his face.


    ¡°Many thanks for the praise, Your Imperial Highness! This humble servant will definitely do my utmost and strive to nt wheat that will yield 1,000 catties per mu! This humble servant will pursue this goal even until my death!¡± Yu Xiaocao solemnly expressed her gratitude.


    The young prince looked at her in surprise and said, ¡°So, you are a part of the Yu Family! Now that you have taken charge of the Imperial ntation, can you guarantee that you can produce high-yield wheat that can also grow in the capital?¡±


    ¡°This humble servant can guarantee that I will only produce wheat with higher and higher yield rates!¡± Yu Xiaocao was confident in this aspect.


    Su Ran waited quietly on the side. When he saw that the conversation hade to an end, he said, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, the emperor is still waiting in Jin Pavilion for Official Yu. The emperor has some questions for her...¡±


    The young prince waved his hands at Yu Xiaocao and said, ¡°You can go visit my imperial father first to discuss your business. When you have free time, I will ask my mother to bring you to the pce to have a good chat with you!¡±


    ¡®Are you only going to summon me to have a good chat with you? Young prince, your words do not reflect your true heart. Do you feel embarrassed to tell me directly that you want to eat the food I make?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t say anything and only bid the young prince farewell. She followed Chief Steward Su Ran and soon arrived at Jin Pavilion.


    ¡°Little girl, you sure are brave to make me wait for so long!¡± Zhu Junfan looked at Yu Xiaocao with a faint smile on his face. Steam began to rise from the pot of water that was being heated on top of the y stove. He lifted his slender hand and lightly picked up the dragon engraved Yixing y teapot before he lightly poured the tea from the teapot into a cup...


    Chief Steward Su Ran took the Yixing y pot from the emperor. His posture when he was brewing tea was pleasing to the eye and his voice was like a clear spring as he said, ¡°We had bumped into the young prince when we walked through the imperial garden. As a result, we were dyed for a moment.¡±


    ¡°After he recovered from his illness, his body has strengthened a lot. This is all thanks to Official Yu!¡± Zhu Junfan picked up the Yixing y cup with a dragon carved on it, gently blew on the tea, took a small sip, and shook his head lightly. Even the best quality Da Hong Pao didn¡¯t taste as good as the wild tea the little girl made. Could it be due to the multi-colored stone on her wrist? His gaze couldn¡¯t help but wander towards the multi-colored stone on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wrist.


    Suddenly aware of his stare at her wrist, Xiaocao only made matters worse by hiding her hand behind her back. She put on a fake smile and tteringly said, ¡°His Imperial Highness is blessed by the gods. Even if this humble servant didn¡¯t help, his illness would¡¯ve still been cured. I only helped the young prince by allowing him to drink fewer bowls of bitter medicine. This humble official does not dare to take credit for the young prince¡¯s quick recovery.¡±


    ¡°Saving Wen¡¯er from drinking all that bitter medicine is already a contribution. During the time when he was still ill, Wen¡¯er had nagged for you more than once. He insisted on arguing with his imperial mother that all the physicians in the imperial pce cannotpare with your medical skills.¡± Zhu Junfan put down the teacup in his hand. The look in his eyes was unclear.


    Xiaocaoughed dryly, ¡°His Imperial Highness is overpraising this humble official. This official doesn¡¯t dare topare her skills to the imperial physicians. This would mean that I will offend all the imperial physicians in the imperial medicine bureau. In the future, if this humble servant has a headache or fever, none of the imperial physicians will be willing to help me!¡±


    Su Ran nced at her and thought, ¡®Miss Yu, you cannot be too honest. You shouldn¡¯t have said that even if you were thinking that! Are you saying that the young prince had caused trouble for you? Moreover, you don¡¯t have the right to ask an imperial physician to personally go to your estate to treat you since you¡¯re only a sixth-ranked official. Unless...the emperor grants it.¡¯


    Zhu Junfan motioned for Su Ran to leave and then he beckoned Xiaocao over. He pointed at the Yixing y teapot and said, ¡°With your medical skills, why would you need to summon a doctor to cure your fever or minor illnesses? You¡¯re being too modest.¡±


    He continued to talk, preventing Xiaocao from opening her mouth and acting modest, ¡°Ever since I drank the tea that you brewed at Dongshan Vige, the tea in the pce seemed to has lost its vor. Come, help me brew a cup of tea so I can taste your craft again.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao resigned to her fate and picked up the Yixing y teapot. She opened the lid and tested the temperature of the tea inside the water with her hand. Then, she said, ¡°For this type of tea, you can¡¯t use water that is too hot. You should use water that is around 80 degrees. The first time you boil the water is to wash the impurities off of the tea. The tea will taste the best on the third and fourth brew.¡±


    She knew only a bit about how to conduct a tea ceremony. She could only wash the tea awkwardly and pour another cup of tea for the emperor. Then, she instructed him to taste the tea.


    Zhu Junfan took a sip of the tea, frowned, and said, ¡°Are you trying to fool me? I want to drink the tea that I drank in Dongshan Vige!¡± Did she really think he asked her toe here to perform a tea ceremony? He could grab any eunuch in the imperial pce, and they could perform a tea ceremony much more professionally than her. She really was uneducated!

 Chapter 431 – Seen Through

    <h4>Chapter 431 ¨C Seen Through</h4>


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her heart and once againmanded the eunuch, who was standing far away, to bring over a pot of clear water. She took off the multi-colored stone from her wrist and let it soak in the water for a short period of time before she finally ced the Yixing y teapot [1] on the small y stove.


    ¡°Is that stone of yours clean or not? Will I get a stomach ache from drinking water from it?¡± Zhu Junfan was making a fuss over nothing. He watched Xiaocao¡¯s movements and naturally assumed that putting the multi-colored stone in the water was necessary to release spiritual energy in it.


    Before Xiaocao could open her mouth to retort, a golden light flew out of the multi-colored stone. It shaped itself into a small golden kitten about the size of a person¡¯s palm and stood on the table. The little divine stone tended to prefer to take this kitten shape versus the fat and chubby baby shape.


    ¡°Stupid humans! This divine stone¡¯s bathing water has always had good effects on your bodies. How could you possibly end up with diarrhea? If you don¡¯t want to drink it, there are plenty of people who would rather drink it instead and will line up to do so!¡± The golden kittenzily stretched forward and its mouth opened and closed. Only Xiaocao and Zhu Junfan could hear it speaking.


    Zhu Junfan looked at the Yixing y teapot that was warming up on the y stove and had an expression on his face that was full of disgust, as if he had just stepped into dog poo, ¡°What? You say that is your bathwater? Isn¡¯t that a bit too disgusting ah? How long has it been since youst bathed?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I, this divine stone, am like you dirty humans? That unsanitary ah? This divine stone bathes every day and sometimes I bathe several times in one day!¡± The little divine stone naturally liked water and often ran to nearby sources of water or wells to soak in. It currently had a good control over its spiritual energy and wouldn¡¯t leak any out inadvertently. Without its master¡¯smand, it wouldn¡¯t let any energy out.


    However, Zhu Junfan understood this exnation in a different manner. In his mind, Xiaocao had the little divine stone create mystic-stone water every day in order to keep the crops growing well. This tiny little rock was probably working very hard in order to make enough mystic-stone water. It looked like the little divine stone wasn¡¯t omnipotent. Since the multi-colored stone¡¯s abilities were nowhere near what he thought it was, he naturally lost the desire to keep this treasure all to himself.


    As he was lost in his thoughts, the water in the teapot was finally heated to a boil. After waiting for the water to cool down, the process of brewing tea started. Before the tea could be tasted, a delicate and alluring fragrance spread into the air. The tea leaves used were the highest quality oolong, Da Hong Pao. It was said that the leaves for this tea were picked off an ancient tea nt that was over a thousand years old and grew on a high cliff. After undergoing aplicated process to stir fry and oxidize these tea leaves, they only got around two catties of finished tea leaves per year.


    Da Hong Pao that had been brewed a second time seemed to have a more mellow and rich vor, and its aroma became a bit more elegant. Zhu Junfan had long forgotten the fact that the water being used for this tea was technically the bathing water of the little divine stone. He gently sniffed at the fragrance of the tea and then delicately tasted a sip. It had a pure vor that seemed to tell the person to keep drinking without stopping.


    ¡°Mmm! This is the right taste!¡± After he finished this cup of tea, Zhu Junfan personally poured himself a second cup. Tea that was brewed from the third wash of leaves seemed to have an even more full and round vor than the second.


    The emperor seemed to be engrossed in drinking tea and had apparently forgotten that Xiaocao was still on the side, waiting for hismand. Xiaocao finally opened her mouth after she saw that he finished his third cup of tea, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, your purpose in summoning this official wasn¡¯t for the sole sake of brewing this pot of tea, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not!¡± He drank another cup before he finally reluctantly set down the porcin cup and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already read the reports that Junyang sent up! Were you the one who asked him to send them up?¡±


    ¡°Hee hee, I only saw that the Imperial ntations has some hills nearby that arepletely vacant. I thought that it was a waste of resources and wanted to do something good! That being said, if the fruits grown on these mountains are good, would I not give you a portion?¡± Yu Xiaocao cajoled with a sickly ttering smile on her face.


    Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t seem to need to think much about this as he simply nodded his head, ¡°This world doesn¡¯t have enough variety of fruits and they don¡¯t taste very good either. The apples sent from Yantai prefecture are not asrge nor as delicious as the Fuji apples from my previous life. The pears here have coarse meat and not enough juice. They¡¯re also not sweet enough. The grapes here are more sour than sweet...and the watermelons. Although they are sweet, there is something wrong with the melon flesh. Only the ones that you grow are simr to the ones in our previous lives. They arerge, the flesh is red, and the vor is juicy and sweet! This means that you are quite good at cultivating and nting fruits! Alright, all of the hills near the Imperial ntation are yours to use to nt fruit trees. However, all of the fruit for the pce must be provided for free by you in the future!¡±


    ¡°For the fruit for the pce, does that exclude the regr eunuchs and pce maidservants ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao frowned and started to haggle over the conditions.


    Zhu Junfan pointed a finger at her and said in amusement and exasperation, ¡°If all of the hills near the Imperial ntation are nted with fruit trees, you¡¯d have more than enough fruit to supply the whole capital let alone the pce alone. Just how stingy are you? You¡¯re not even willing to lose even this little bit?¡±


    ¡°If you add up all of the eunuchs and pce maids together, there must be at least a few hundred if not a thousand. If I had to provide fruit for every single person in the pce, just how much would it be ah? I¡¯m only doing a small business and can¡¯t handle giving out that much for free!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s frugalness was being pushed to the extreme.


    ¡°Alright then! Then you¡¯ll only provide enough fruit to supply the masters and the higher ranked eunuchs and maids then. Altogether, that¡¯s not more than thirty to forty people. Is that alright then? You won¡¯t be losing out, right?¡± Zhu Junfan agreed irritably.


    He suddenly thought of something else and brought the topic up, ¡°As for using a greenhouse to grow vegetables, if you use ss to construct these facilities, then it would cost too much to expand it, so you can¡¯t do it on arge scale. A few years ago, when I was figuring out how to manufacture rubber tires, I also came up with a method to make some thick stic membrane. However, the strength, flexibility, and transparency of this stic is only so-so. At that time, it wasn¡¯t considered an urgent item and making it also pollutes the surroundings, so I didn¡¯t pursue it further. If you n on growing vegetables on arge scale in greenhouses, I can send down an imperial decree to have some people in the Ministry of Works to work overtime and help youe up with more. Does that work?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was pleased beyond expectation. She nodded her head as if she was pounding garlic with it and breathlessly said, ¡°If there¡¯s stic membrane avable, that would be even better! We¡¯re just at the start of summer, so it¡¯s not something that needs to be done in a hurry. How about...you first have the people at the Ministry of Works experiment a bit and see if they can increase the transparency a bit on the stic membrane?¡±


    ¡°Done! Doesn¡¯t that take only a word from me? Don¡¯t look down upon these ancient people. Sometimes I can get a lot of results by only giving them an idea here or there. It appears that there are geniuses in every era!¡±


    Zhu Junfan had often sighed over this in admiration. Since he had an engineering background from his past life, he regarded these inventors and workers who had talent in these areas with importance. Thus, the Ministry of Works had also gradually erged throughout his reign and recruited people of talent.


    ¡°Hee hee! If we are able to buildrge greenhouses out of this, then I will take care of all of the vegetables for the pce for free!¡± Yu Xiaocao patted her chest and happily gave this promise.


    Zhu Junfan red at her and rebuked, ¡°You¡¯re only going to provide the pce with vegetables for free? That¡¯s giving you too many advantages! I¡¯m giving you two hundred mu at the Imperial ntations so you can grow vegetables in greenhouses. We should be splitting the ie 40-60. I get 40 percent while you get 60 percent!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was just about to protest when he swiftly interrupted her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry at me yet. I¡¯m going to give you a brief calction! The farnds, stic membrane, and workers are all given to you for free by the court. You¡¯re only providing the expertise, so how can it be that you¡¯re the only one who gets all of the profits ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao calmed herself down to think a bit. He was right. Other than the knowledge of growing vegetables in greenhouses and the mystic-stone water, there wasn¡¯t much else she could provide to this endeavor. However, the fact that she had to give away forty percent of the ie made her feel a bit unhappy. She grumbled sourly, ¡°The farnds were already under your ownership and the workers were already there. You¡¯re only providing the stic membranes yet you want to get forty percent of the ie. Isn¡¯t that a bit too much ah?¡±


    ¡°Without the stic membrane technology, you would have to use greenhouses constructed entirely out of ss. That would increase the amount of capital you have to put in, so how many vegetables can you grow? Thus, what kind of ie would you have then? Have you calcted all of this out? Right now I¡¯m allotting two hundred mu from the ntations to you. This is still the first year. If this is sessful, then we can expand evenrger. Just think, in one year, how much can you make by using the stic film over ss? Just what makes more sense money-wise?¡±


    That being said, although this forty percent of the ie was going into his private purse, he had spent a lot of money ever since he ascended the throne. The money he personally spent was to help the country recover and the economy to stabilize. For the first two years, his ie from taxes and such was not enough to cover all of the country¡¯s expenditures. Only after two years of hard work of expanding business opportunities did the pressure gradually abate. The giant mountain of money he had made when he had gone out on his sea journey had gradually shrunk in order to subsidize the imperial treasury. If he didn¡¯t rebuild his coffers, in the future, his descendants would only have an empty shell to inherit!


    Yu Xiaocao had already calcted everything out in her mind. If she could only use ss to construct these greenhouses, she couldn¡¯t even harvest a hundred thousand catties of vegetables in one year. Even at a good price, that was only a few thousand taels in ie. Now, if she switched to using stic film to construct these giant greenhouses, then she absolutely could harvest around a few hundred thousand catties of vegetables from these two hundred mu in one year. It would be stupid of her to not take this opportunity to make more money ah! Consequently, Yu Xiaocao readily agreed to the emperor¡¯s request.


    Before she left, Zhu Junfan also had her go to the Imperial Kitchens and have her use the multi-colored stone to alter the well water in the kitchens. Thest time the littless went to the kitchens, the food had tasted much better for a little bit after she left. Originally, he thought that the imperial chefs had improved their skills under the littless¡¯s instructions. However, after that period of time passed, the food that the imperial chefs made went back to their old vor and were not as good as when thess was there.


    Now, he finally understood the reason for the difference. It wasn¡¯t because the imperial chefs had poor skills. Instead, it was all due to the fact that the water quality was different. Simr to that pot of tea earlier, the littless must have secretly put the stone in the well water to alter it, which changed the water quality and ultimately changed the way the food tasted.


    Since she was at the Imperial Kitchens anyway, Yu Xiaocao once again started to cook there. This time, she made two desserts that she was good at. One was honey cakes while the other was ky egg tarts. Both were desserts that little children loved to eat. When she was in the imperial gardens, she had encountered the young imperial prince and promised him that, if she had the opportunity, she would make something especially for him. Now, she was about to stay good to her word!


    While she was personally teaching the imperial chefs how to make these two types of pastries, the emperor¡¯s trusted little eunuch had secretly put the multi-colored stone into the well. When she was about to leave, he made sure to give it back to her. In actuality, even if she forgot to retrieve the multi-colored stone, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. The little divine stone would automatically take its stone body back to her.


    Yu Xiaocao only left the Imperial Pce after she finished eating lunch. The imperial chefs who worked in the kitchens naturally had to be pretty talented to work there. With that added onto the altered water, the food they made was naturally better than before. Yu Xiaocao happily ate a sumptuous and delicious meal in the pce before she left.


    Even the masters of the pce were very satisfied with this meal and made sure to send down a lot of rewards afterwards. It was said that the little imperial prince and princess were extremely ecstatic over the deserts today. They especially liked the egg tarts and didn¡¯t seem to want to stop eating them. They even sent down an eunuch down to state that they wanted to eat this pastry tomorrow as well.


    The young imperial prince even made a bet with the empress whether the pastries today were made by Yu Xiaocao herself. After they investigated, he joyfully took his imperial mother¡¯s forfeit and even implored his mother to call Yu Xiaocao into the Imperial Pce more often in the future. The reason was quite obvious...

 Chapter 432 – Planting Trees and Melons

    <h4>Chapter 432 ¨C nting Trees and Melons</h4>


    The blistering heat of summer had arrived. All of the young maidens in the capital had switched to wearing light and airy cotton clothing. The Imperial ntation was backed against the mountains and had a clear creek surrounding it. When the wind blew over it, it felt cool and refreshing.


    Yu Xiaocao was currently wearing a short dark green riding habit with narrow sleeves. It was paired with a pair of thick, soft boots. She energetically directed the tenant farmers on the ntation to nt the fruit trees in the already dug up holes. Royal Prince Yang was quite efficient. In just two days time, he was able to deliver all of the fruit trees that she wanted.


    There were ten peach trees, ten pear trees, ten citrus trees and ten apple trees. She also had fifteen apricot trees, plum trees and persimmon trees. There were a bit more grape vines, around twenty or so. This was the first year she was trying to cultivate these fruit trees and it also wasn¡¯t the right season to move and nt them. Thus, the prince didn¡¯t give her too many in fear that if they died, she would be very sad.


    Most of these samplings had already flowered and borne fruit in the past. As long as they were nted well and taken care of, it was likely they would bear fruit in the following year. She didn¡¯t know where Royal Prince Yang had gone to get such good fruit trees but it was likely he exerted quite a bit of effort.


    Each fruit tree had its roots with a bunch of soil attached and their root systems had been preserved very well. After the trees were all nted, Yu Xiaocao personally took over the task of watering these trees. Xichun and Wutong held the water buckets as they followed their young miss from behind. They watched as she went back and forth between the bucket to get dippers of water. She was bent forward constantly to water the trees properly. Xichun eagerly stated, ¡°Young Miss, you should rest for a bit. Let this servant try instead!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao put thedle into her hands and smiled, ¡°Watering nts isn¡¯t something that requires a lot of skill. You only need to make sure that each tree gets two full dippers of water. I know you¡¯re worried about me. Rx, in the future, if the entire hillside is full of fruit trees, then I will make sure to assign people to take care of them. We won¡¯t have to do the hardbor then.¡±


    Xichun cheerfully replied, ¡°It¡¯s only watering a few nts, nothing too tiring! Young Miss, do you think we¡¯ll be able to eat some peaches and grapes at this time next year?¡± Yu Xiaocao used her hand to fan her face and smiled as she nodded, ¡°Yes. If the trees are taken care of, they might even fruit early!¡±


    ¡°Then...will they be as delicious as the honey peaches you brought from Dongshan Vige?¡± Xichun was a natural foodie. Last time, after finishing her tasks well, the master had rewarded her with a peach. Since eating that peach, she couldn¡¯t seem to forget about it.


    Yu Xiaocao replied in a forthright manner, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, these peaches will be even more delicious. If you don¡¯t believe me, next year at the start of spring, I¡¯ll have my family back at Dongshan Vige ship some peach branches over. We can graft the branches on these small peach trees. I promise the fruits will be incredibly good!¡±


    ¡°Graft? Is that what you mentioned before, Young Miss? Using pumpkin vines to grow watermelons?¡± Xichun was very interested in this concept.


    Wutong, however, found her question hrious, ¡°How can pumpkin vines possibly produce watermelons? Xichun, are you feverish right now? Be careful what you say unless you want to get made fun of by other people.¡±


    Xichun was originally only a second-ranked maidservant. However, the young miss was starting to see her in a different light. Wutong gradually felt more and more unhappy about this. In front of her master, she managed to control herself. However, she was starting to reject the other maid in surreptitious ways and this was one of her methods.


    Xichun had a generous and magnanimous personality. She smiled innocently and said, ¡°Older Sister Wutong, don¡¯t just take my word for it! The young miss said that you can gra...graft watermelon sprouts onto pumpkin vines. The resulting melons from these two vines arerge and sweet. Furthermore, they¡¯re more resistant to disease and pests harming them! We should do our best to learn about these farming methods that the young miss in charge of. That way we¡¯ll be able to help her more in the future!¡±


    This maid was always forthright and outspoken. She didn¡¯t have any other intentions in what she said as she only wanted to persuade Wutong to take more interest in the young miss¡¯s farming affairs instead of being narrowly preupied with managing that small inner courtyard. However, her good intentions, in Wutong¡¯s ears, became a sarcastic criticism of her own inability to take care of her master, as if she was not detail-oriented enough. Anger immediately blossomed in Wutong¡¯s heart and her expression darkened. She deliberately used coarser movements when watering the nts and ¡®identally¡¯ sshed Xichun¡¯s pants and shoes with some water.


    All of this was observed by Yu Xiaocao. From her perspective, there would be conflicts wherever people were. It was pretty normal for maids to fight for favor and power. In some ways, it could be a good thing as it would spur them topete with each other and therefore elevate all of their abilities. However, the people that she could not tolerate were those who relied on small tricks, gossiped behind people¡¯s backs, or gave their rivals the cold shoulder.


    After choosing her four main maidservants at the onset, she discovered that Yingtao was efficient and responsible with a good handle on managing affairs. Thus, she gave the job of managing the pharmaceutical manufacturing to her and it was thriving. Yangliu had a steady temperament and was obsessed with cooking. She was also hardworking and her culinary skills improved by leaps and bounds. At the rate she was going, she was soon going to surpass her master¡¯s skills. Thus, Yu Xiaocao had no qualms in handing over the management of the braised food store that was opened in conjunction with the emperor emeritus in the capital to Yangliu.


    Pipa was on the slower side and only had average abilities. She also wasn¡¯t very ambitious but her ability at taking care of Xiaocao¡¯s inner courtyard wasn¡¯t bad. Thus, other affairs outside of the residence weren¡¯t suitable for her. Wutong had illusions of grandeur and was on the more selfish side. She was also more prone to petty actions but she didn¡¯t have a lot of ability. As long as her maids abided by the rules and showed restraint, Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t treat them poorly. However, it was possible that as time went on, some of them might be more bold...


    ¡°The sun is quite fierce today. Howe you¡¯re not wearing a hat out?¡± Zhu Junyang had been roaming around the hills and had caught two wild hares, one wild pheasant, and gathered some pheasant eggs. He noticed that her face had turned bright red from the sun and hurriedly took off the straw hat from his head and ced it on Xiaocao¡¯s head.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head in dislike as if she wanted to have the hat fall off her head. However, Zhu Junyang stopped her from doing so, ¡°Keep it on. Otherwise, your skin might start peeling from the sun exposure and you won¡¯t be pretty! You should delegate this type of hardbor to the tenant farmers and servants. Why do you always need to do everything yourself?¡±


    ¡°You also said that this isn¡¯t the season to nt fruit trees. If I don¡¯t keep an eye on them and the fruit trees die, wouldn¡¯t that waste all of the effort you expended to get me these trees?¡± Xiaocao touched her somewhat hot face. When she got back, she needed to use some mystic-stone water to cool her skin down. What if, like Royal Prince Yang mentioned, her skin got burnt by the sun and started to peel? How could she go and see people then?


    [It won¡¯t! As long as you put mystic-stone water on your face a few times, I guarantee that your skin tomorrow will look as smooth and wless as a boiled egg. It¡¯ll be tender, glowing, and soft to the touch...] A tiny golden kitten appeared out of nowhere and scrambled towards a fruit tree. It batted at one of the branches with a tiny paw.


    ¡°It¡¯s so cute! Where did such a tiny kittene from? It¡¯s so small; was it just weaned from its mother¡¯s milk?¡± Xichun stared at the adorable cat with stars in her eyes. She desperately hoped she could bring the creature back so she could take care of it.


    Zhu Junyang bent down and picked up the kitten by the scruff of its neck. He examined the cat, which was hissing and growling at him, head on. Its angry demeanor was very simr to its master¡¯s! He happily ced the little kitten in his palm and let the creature gnaw on his thumb with its tiny milk teeth. He smiled at Xiaocao, ¡°You also brought your cat along? You¡¯ve been raising this little fellow for a few years now, so why is it still so tiny? Seems like it hasn¡¯t grown at all.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took the little divine stone from Royal Prince Yang using both of her hands and gently stroked its soft and glossy fur. She casually remarked, ¡°Who knows ah? I picked it up at around this size when I was in the mountains. Perhaps this species only gets this big ah?¡±


    Xichun quickly finished watering the remaining few fruit trees and threw thedle down to run over. She looked at the tiny adorable kitten in her master¡¯s hands and asked curiously, ¡°Young Miss, is this cat yours? Howe I don¡¯t see it usually?¡±


    ¡°This fellow is more wild than tame and often runs off to who knows where for a few days. Not only you, I haven¡¯t seen it since I came to the capital. I even thought that it had gotten lost and wasn¡¯t able to find its way. I would not have expected to encounter it at the Imperial ntation!¡± Yu Xiaocao smoothly constructed a lie without even batting an eye.


    ¡°The Imperial ntation is quite a distance away from the capital. Did it run all the way here by itself?¡± Xichun¡¯s eyes opened wide and looked very simr to the little golden kitten¡¯srge and cute eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and replied, ¡°Who knows ah? Perhaps it was hiding in some corner of the carriage. Little Glutinous Dumpling is very smart and clever!¡±


    Xichun extended her hands and asked her master, ¡°Young Miss, you should let this servant hold the kitten instead. You might get tired!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gave the maid a sidelong nce. If you wanted to hold the little kitten, then just say so instead of making an excuse. How heavy could a tiny kitten about the size of a person¡¯s palm be? Despite the little divine stone¡¯s protests, she handed it to Xichun.


    Xichun hurriedly held the little kitten close to her as it was struggling to get out. She continuouslyforted the cat, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, don¡¯t be scared, be sweet...Young Miss, it seems like Little Glutinous Dumpling is a bit shy of strangers. Am I scaring it right now?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, the little fellow is extremely bold and brave. In fact, it even teases the wolves it encounters in the mountains!¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t making things up this time. The little divine stone was a bit bored for a period of time and went off to bother Big Gray. Big Gray ended up chasing it everywhere.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so amazing!¡± Xichun¡¯s eyes immediately became dazzled with stars again and she instantly became the little divine stone¡¯s biggest fan. The little divine stone could sense the maid¡¯s worship and it became unduly proud and arrogant. Thus, it allowed her to hold it for a bit.


    Zhu Junyang nced at the fruit trees, which still had their leaves slightly curled under the sun. He suddenly stated, ¡°Littless, are all of the people at the ntation usable? If there are any who are not good, make sure to tell me. I¡¯m now in charge of everything at the Imperial ntation. If there are any people who are not usable, we have the power to change them out!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao carelessly waved a hand at him, clearly not interested in the topic, ¡°With Steward Wang around, those people with ulterior motives will have to weigh the pros and cons before acting. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only person here at the Imperial ntation. Furthermore, don¡¯t I have the emperor himself as my backer? As long as the emperor treats me with importance, those people with grievances can only obediently follow my orders anyway. I have to go into the pce to report anyway so it¡¯s not as if they can do anything! As for those people who dislike me, they can only grumble underneath their breath and say a few sour words behind my back. It doesn¡¯t matter what they say as long as they obediently follow their orders, right?¡±


    ¡°Alright! As long as you don¡¯t think those guys are eyesores, then you can continue using them!¡± Zhu Junyang sincerely didn¡¯t want his littless to be wronged in any way. He thought for a bit and decided to let those unruly people jump around a bit. He was confident he could find their weak points easily. When that came...heh heh, he wouldn¡¯t be lenient with them!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered with a light and she changed the subject, ¡°I heard that you bought the neighboring ntation, right? What ns do you have for it?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You have an idea for me? Just say it. What sort of crazy idea did youe up with now?¡± Zhu Junyang had a good grasp on all of her expressions. Whenever her eyes got this particr look, he knew that the littless hade up with another idea.


    ¡°I want to take advantage of the warm weather to grow some watermelon seedlings. I n on grafting them on some disease and pest-resistant gourd vines. By the time the Ministry of Works is done developing the stic film, then we can make some giant greenhouse tents and grow watermelons and cantaloupes in there. If we can get some Hami melon seeds, that¡¯d be even better!¡± Yu Xiaocao never let a money-making method slip through her hands.

 Chapter 433 – The Hidden Instigators

    <h4>Chapter 433 ¨C The Hidden Instigators</h4>


    The farmstead next to the Imperial ntation wasn¡¯t veryrge and only had about six hundred mu innd. It was previously owned by an idle member of the imperial n. Somehow, Royal Prince Yang was able to convince this person to give it to him. The vast majority of the fields had already been nted with soybeans and sorghum. It was apparent that this idle member of the imperial n didn¡¯t regard this farmstead with much importance. All of the people at this ce, from the stewards to the tenant farmers, were all incrediblyzy. If they didn¡¯t prep thend now, then the timing for farming would be over this year!


    In actuality, it was still the middle of June right. If she got them nted now, she could harvest a batch of watermelons by September with the help of the mystic-stone water. At that time, it would be the right time in the market to sell these watermelons.


    Royal Prince Yang had already switched out all of the stewards at the farmstead and recruited a bunch of new tenant farmers to tend the fields. He had already sent down his orders that every single person at this ce needed to listen to Official Yu¡¯smands. Consequently, Yu Xiaocao had very little pressure when ordering these people around.


    She first had the tenant farmers clear out a batch ofnd as she grafted watermelon seedlings to gourd vines. The well at this farmstead had already been altered by the little divine stone¡¯s energy. She not only used the mystic-stone water to irrigate the grafted watermelon vines but she also instructed the tenant farmers to water all of the crops on thend with this water. Recently, the capital had been on the dryer side and it hadn¡¯t rained for several days. Thus, her orders to irrigate all of the crops made sense to the farmers working there.


    For the following few days, Yu Xiaocao frequently ran to the Imperial ntation to check on things. Lady Fang oftenined that the emperor had given the work of an adult man to a twelve year old young girl. However, only Yu Xiaocao knew that the reason she went there so often wasn¡¯t for the corn growing at the ntation. Instead, she was more concerned about the fruit trees on the mountains as well as the watermelon vines at Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead.


    After some precious rain fell, Yu Xiaocao once again arrived at the Imperial ntation with the moist wind surrounding her. The people under Steward Wang, who were in charge of the everyday details of the fields, were currently reporting to her on how the corn was growing. Furthermore, they also gave her the reports that the secretary of the Ministry of Revenue wrote on the progress.


    She flipped through these reports briefly and stated in an uninterested tone, ¡°There¡¯s not much difference between this and the materials I provided in the past. Even the most detailed documents cannot rece walking through the fields for a personal look.¡±


    After she talked, she strolled into the fields with a bunch of somewhat unwilling stewards and officials. Under the zing hot sun, they arrived in the middle of one of the experimental fields. With the little divine stone as her cheat, it¡¯d be odd if the corn didn¡¯t grow well!


    ¡°Miss Yu, all of the fruit trees on the hills are still alive. Other than a few that don¡¯t look quite lively, the vast majority don¡¯t look like they¡¯ve just been transnted over.¡± Although the fruit trees on the mountain were the private property of Yu Xiaocao, Steward Wang still helped her keep an eye on them. Yu Xiaocao dly epted this favor from him. In the future, once the fruit orchard expanded and the canning factory and preserved fruit factory started, she was nning on giving him a few shares.


    However, didn¡¯t Steward Wang state that some of the trees weren¡¯t growing well? That couldn¡¯t be, right? Yu Xiaocao walked towards the fruit orchard on the hills in unhurried steps. When she got to the fruit trees that Steward Wang said were ¡®not quite lively¡¯, she couldn¡¯t help but frown. These fruit trees had all been moved!


    As the proverbs said: ¡®trees die when moved, people live when moved¡¯. Finicky and precious fruit trees were the most afraid of being transnted casually. If she didn¡¯t have mystic-stone water on hand, Xiaocao would have never been sure that moving these trees now, out of season, would be sessful. Apparently, there were people who took advantage of when she was gone and moved all of her trees. It looked like those people who had ulterior motives could no longer wait anymore and had finally acted!


    ¡°Steward Wang, let me get this straight. The Imperial ntations usually don¡¯t allow outsiders to easily step in, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao bent over to loosen the soil near the roots of one of the trees that was looking listless. At the same time, she secretly had the little divine stone infuse the tree roots with some spiritual energy. The little divine stone angrilyined to her in her mind that all of the fruit trees on this hill had been moved. If it wasn¡¯t for its energy keeping them alive, all of them would have dried into sticks and died.


    Steward Wang felt chills run through his heart. Was the problem with these fruit trees something that was caused by humans? He hurriedly stated in a serious manner, ¡°Miss Yu, these are the experimental fields of the Imperial ntation and the emperor ces great importance on this. Even those tenant farmers were specially picked before they were sent here. Ever since the high-yielding crop corn has entered the country, the emperor has also sent his personal soldiers here to patrol the area. Thus, outsiders absolutely cannot enter here!¡±


    ¡°So doesn¡¯t that mean that the culprits are the people who work here instead?¡± Yu Xiaocao shot a knowing gaze at the people behind Steward Wang. She slowly looked at every single person present and coldly smiled.


    Someone automatically spoke up in discontent, ¡°This isn¡¯t even the season to transnt fruit trees, so the vast majority of these trees can¡¯t even stay alive. It¡¯s not unusual for a couple of trees to die here and there. Official Yu, all of us have been sent over by the emperor himself. You can¡¯t just suspect us for no reason!¡±


    The cold smirk on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face became more prominent as she slowly replied, ¡°Steward Leng, it¡¯s not as if you guys are the only people who are working at the Imperial ntation. Aren¡¯t there a few hundred tenant farmers too? You¡¯re so eager to jump out to defend yourself. Is it because you have a guilty heart?¡±


    ¡°You...I, Leng Fang, have been here since the emperor emeritus was on the throne and have been helping the emperor manage the Imperial ntation. I¡¯ve already been here for many years yet I have to deal with the sarcasm and disdain from a little girl! I can¡¯t take such disgrace anymore!¡± This steward named Leng Fang looked to be around forty to fifty years of age. His hair and beard was speckled with white hairs but the skin on his face was pale and smooth, without many wrinkles. At a nce, one could tell that he very rarely spent time out in the fields. Instead, he looked like an idle and wealthy lord who did nothing at home.


    Yu Xiaocao quirked up an eyebrow and was not even the slightest bit polite as she said, ¡°You also know you¡¯ve been here for quite a while? You¡¯ve spent many years here and it¡¯s about time for you to think about retirement! The next time this official enters the pce, I will make sure to mention to the emperor that those officials who are over the age of fifty are no longer suitable due to physical health to manage the fields at the Imperial ntation...¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Leng Fang was so angry that he turned red from head to toe. However, he also didn¡¯t dare to say anything at this point. This girl in front of him was viewed by the emperor with great importance and would go into the pce to personally meet the emperor every month to report. What was his status? He was only a tiny little assistant official at the Imperial ntation. If the littless truly said what she had stated earlier to the emperor, he was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stay much longer at the Imperial ntation!


    Steward Leng backed down but Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t nning on letting this issue go, ¡°I don¡¯t care what your status is at the Imperial ntation. Whether you¡¯re a steward or a tenant farmer, I will absolutely not tolerate anyone who tries to harm any of the affairs here! This time, you guys have decided to harm my fruit trees. Doesn¡¯t that mean next time you guys will start causing problems for the experimental fields in the Imperial ntation?¡±


    ¡°Official Yu, aren¡¯t you being a bit too unjust here? Let¡¯s not talk about the fruit trees as we can¡¯t even prove that people have tampered with them. Instead, let¡¯s talk about the experimental fields. As soon as a problem shows up, all of us can¡¯t run away either. Who would harm a project that is tied up to their own lives and livelihood?¡± The person who spoke up was a steward named Zhou Yang. He was on the younger side and always had a friendly and approachable air around him. Because of that, he had a good rtionship with most of the people at the Imperial ntation.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly and looked at him discerningly in the eye, ¡°I know that I am very young and also a woman. Thus, there are many stewards and officials here who are quite upset that I am in charge here. If anything bad befalls the Imperial ntation, the first person the emperor would me would be me, the official in charge of all of the operations here. As for you guys, all you have to say is ¡®we did everything ording to the leader¡¯ to wash most of your shorings away. Once the emperor loses faith in me, then won¡¯t all of you, who have been making things difficult for me, still be able to keep your positions here? I can¡¯t say for sure, but I bet there are already people who have thought of this and havee up with methods to get rid of me, the person you don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°What a bunch of nonsense! Do you have any proof? This is only your own personal suspicions and nothing else!¡± Leng Fang angrily rebutted.


    ¡°Whether or not my guess is right or wrong, I¡¯m sure the perpetrators know for sure! Looks like I, this official, have been too benevolent. I thought that everyone here at the Imperial ntation had been here for a good amount of years and held fondness for their positions. Thus, when the emperor gave me the power to change out any people I wanted, I couldn¡¯t bear to move any of you away. However, the facts tell me that my decision then was wrong!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sighed and then spoke to Steward Wang, ¡°Steward Wang, you¡¯re now in charge of this situation! Please find the people who are responsible for harming the trees here in three days. Otherwise...I will have to take drastic measures and send up a report to the emperor. Then I will change everyone here for new people!¡±


    When she mentioned that the emperor had given her the power to swap people out of the Imperial ntation as she pleased, everyone present, except for Steward Wang, immediately started to panic. The emperor had ced great importance on the experimental fields at the Imperial ntation, so naturally, whatever they needed was given to them quickly. Thus, the treatment of the people working here was naturally much betterpared to other ces. Even the lower ranked stewards at the Imperial ntation got treated about as well as the eunuch stewards in the Imperial Pce. Furthermore, they could sometimes get a few other side benefits from working here.


    No one wanted to be stripped of position here and have to leave such a flourishing site. When Steward Wang was just about to start investigating, there were already plenty of people volunteering up information to him and telling him exactly what they knew.


    In actuality. Steward Zhou was trying to privately give Yu Xiaocao a lesson by having his trusted subordinates re-transnt all of these fruit saplings. Although he wasn¡¯t very old, he was a proud man and had usually done very well for himself due to his connections here at the Imperial ntation. However, once Yu Xiaocao started taking over, everyone had to listen to her. As soon as she arrived, she had ordered all of the stewards to start working in the fields along with the tenant farmers to do hardbor.


    In private, all of the stewardsined and moaned about this. Whenever they got together as a group, they all grumbled and wailed that this littless didn¡¯t know her proper ce in life. When Yu Xiaocao transferred some tenant farmers to the hills to help transnt fruit trees, they found out that these fruit trees were privately owned by the littless.


    She was tantly using the Imperial ntation¡¯s resources for her own private gain and profits. Wasn¡¯t thisss being too bold about this? Zhou Yang was speechless by this misuse. Once he saw that the fruit trees were thriving, he felt even more unhappy about this. He came up with a method to create a stumbling block for her and have her eat a silent loss. One night, he brought along a few trusted subordinates and had them pull the trees up before putting them back into the ground.


    Originally, he had thought he had ounted for everything. In any case, this wasn¡¯t the right season for transnting fruit trees, so no one could guarantee whether these trees would live or die after transnting. Even if they died, there wasn¡¯t any leeway to suspect anyone of wrongdoing. That being said, thess was using the hills of the Imperial ntation for her own private affairs. Even if she ate a loss, she wouldn¡¯t dare to bring this problem up. However, he would have never expected that she had already reported her idea to the emperor and was now going to send up a report about people sabotaging the trees.


    Those who were able to act as stewards at the Imperial ntation were naturally shrewd and not stupid. Zhou Yang¡¯s private affairs naturally didn¡¯t escape the eyes of those people. However, they also wanted to teach this littless a lesson so they turned a blind eye to this. Unfortunately, how could they know that thess would rather ughter a hundred innocents instead of letting go of a single thief? For the sake of their own affairs, they needed to sacrifice Zhou Yang first in order to keep their own skins!


    Once Zhou Yang had been pointed out by the rest, he was sure that he was doomed to leave the Imperial ntation. He didn¡¯t know what sort of punishment was in store for him as well. However, who would have expected that Yu Xiaocao would decide to do somethingpletely outside of their expectations. Instead of driving him out and punishing him, she actually put him in charge of the fruit orchard on the hills. She was following this saying: ¡®using work to make up for your past mistakes!¡¯

 Chapter 434 – Greenhouses for Vegetables

    <h4>Chapter 434 ¨C Greenhouses for Vegetables</h4>


    Zhou Yang was extremely surprised at this turn of events and he didn¡¯t know quite how to feel. However, in the end, he couldn¡¯t bear to leave his position at the Imperial ntation and took on this task of managing the fruit orchard. Furthermore, he did a very good job in doing so.


    In the future, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s fruit orchard epassed the entire hill and the fruits from the orchard were sold all throughout the country. These fruits were famed and well-known among the people. Zhou Yang resigned from his position at the Imperial ntation and became the head steward at the fruit orchard. His position and treatment there was two-fold higher than when he was at the ntation. In addition, the master even gave him five percent of the profits.


    Five percent may not seem like a lot but most people were poor for their entire lives and had never seen as much money as this steward got in one year from bonuses. All of his previous coworkers at the Imperial ntation envied himpletely! Obviously, this was all in the future.


    The stewards and officials at the Imperial ntation finally settled down and started to earnestly do work. With someone also especially in charge of the fruit trees, Yu Xiaocao could focus her efforts on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s new farmstead and their melon vines. Since they had nted watermelons at ater date than usual, she had the little divine stone shorten the sprouting phase by a third of the time. In any case, there weren¡¯t a lot of people cultivating watermelons in the capital. Furthermore, she was on the only one in the capital using this special grafting method to raise them.


    After the melon sprouts were grafted on the vines, she had Royal Prince Yang handpick some trusted servants and then taught the grafting method to them. These people were not the tenant farmers on the farmstead. Instead, they were all trusted servants from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate and their loyalty to their masters were a guarantee.


    After all of the melon sprouts were grafted onto the gourd vines, they were transnted into the melon fields. They were irrigated with mystic-stone water from the well, so they naturally grew very well. The people who had been snickering behind her back, iming that she didn¡¯t know the first thing about farming, now had nothing to say. They no longer had a leg to stand on. After all, Yu Xiaocao managed to finish the agricultural tasks assigned to her in a timely manner and also managed to transnt her own fruit trees and watermelon vines such that they were flourishing. They now had to admit that she was very skilled in the area. The emperor¡¯s decision to give her the title of an agricultural official was truly a wise idea.


    There were countless people in the capital who were keeping a close eye on the Imperial ntation. After two months passed, the tenant farmers on the ntation, under the management of the stewards, began to harvest the corn like wildfire. Which of the tenant farmers who worked at the Imperial ntation weren¡¯t old hands at farming and harvesting? These people all had giant grins on their faces as they picked the plump ears of corn. They discussed amongst themselves just how good the harvest was this year.


    Minister Liu came over early that morning to inspect the Imperial ntation. When he saw the ears of corn that had been harvested, he smiled so broadly that all of his wrinkles became apparent. The size of the ears of corn were significantlyrger than the previous years and each kernel seemed to be plump and bursting with juice. Compared to the harvest fromst year, this year¡¯s harvest was of an entirely different grade.


    After one mu from the experimental fields was fully harvested, Minister Liu personally took some people along to impatiently weigh all of the ears of corn. Oh my! One mu had actually yielded around two thousand catties of grain! He had originally thought thatst year¡¯s a thousand catties per mu was considered a high-yield. However,pared to their giant harvest this year,st year¡¯s numbers looked really too wretched. As expected, having Miss Yu take on the position of an official and being given responsibility of the Imperial ntation was a very wise decision!


    All of the officials who had been keeping a close eye on the situation at the Imperial ntation could only shut their mouths now. The vast majority of court officials rejected the idea of having a tiny littless be an official at the Ministry of Revenue. However, the emperor was adamant. Minister Liu and Royal Prince Yang also supported this n, so they didn¡¯t stubbornly fight this appointment and decided to wait and observe instead.


    If the harvest this year at the ntation was about the same asst year or even not as good, then they would have a leg to stand on to voice their objections. After all, the weather each year differed, which influenced the resulting harvest. This was the reason why there was this saying: ¡®themon people depend on the heavens to eat¡¯.


    This year, the weather conditions had not been very good. There wasn¡¯t a lot of rain after summer started and even the deepest wells at the Imperial ntation had water levels that were incredibly low. After autumn started, a few downpours of torrential rain also urred. Thus, these unfavorable conditions naturally influenced the growth of the crops. In fact, themoners who lived around the capital all had their grain harvests decreased by about a third or even more this year. They were so sure that the littless was doomed.


    Contrary to their expectations, the Imperial ntation was not affected by the poor weather conditions. Instead, the yield of corn there actually went up. The officials that were sent by the Ministry of Revenue had tallied up the numbers and the numbers were incredibly shocking. The farmers who had bought corn seeds to nt in their own fields also got yields around a thousand catties per mu. As things were going, corn, as a true high-yielding crop, would soon be propagated throughout the northern parts of the country. It was likely that there would be many more farmers standing in line to buy corn seeds. The grain stores in the capital would likely explode with poprity then!


    The numbers from the farmstead in Tanggu Town also came back to court. The Yu Family¡¯s farmstead, which now had over a thousand mu in fields (Author¡¯s note: Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eight hundred mu farmstead had been given to Yu Xiaocao so now thend was naturally a part of the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead), had produced over 180,000 catties of grain. In other words, their fields had also reached a yield of two thousand catties per mu. It was rumored that all of the viges in the vicinity had sent out representatives to negotiate with Yu Hai as they wanted to buy these corn seeds at a high price. If the Yu Family agreed to this trade, then the high-yielding crop corn would first be widely nted in the areas around Tanggu!


    Tanggu was the feudalnds of Royal Prince Yang, so they couldn¡¯t let the royal prince monopolize the benefits of growing high-yielding crops alone. Consequently, for the next few sessions at court, there were lively debates about how to disseminate the high-yielding corn to areas around the capital and the process to do so.


    The endless arguments at court didn¡¯t have much to do with Yu Xiaocao, who was only a small sixth-level official. She, on the other hand, was currently busy making another fortune!


    During the summer, Yu Xiaocao had nted a hundred mu with grafted watermelons at the farmstead next to the Imperial ntation to test it out. These watermelons were now ripe and entering the market. From her rough estimations, she figured that this season they could harvest more than eight thousand catties of watermelons from the fields. Watermelon sprouts that had been grafted to gourd vines were more resistant to pests. In addition, the soil on these fields had some spiritual energy there, so this made the watermelons grow better. Furthermore, all of the people in charge of watermelons were very hardworking and did a good job in taking care of these nts.


    When the first batch of watermelons was ripe, the other watermelons on the market had already disappeared. Once theserge and extremely sweet melons hit the shops, they all sold out within moments. They were currently in the middle of the hot spell of autumn and being able to eat some sweet and cooling watermelon to quench one¡¯s thirst was truly such a great feeling!


    In addition, the watermelons from Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead were not onlyrger than the other watermelons, but the inner rind was also fully bright red and didn¡¯t have any of the depressing stripes of white in between. Thus, eating this watermelon was much more enjoyable. If these watermelons came onto the market during the summer, then those other watermelons would have been ignoredpletely. Withrge, sweet, and juicy watermelons to be had, who would still want to eat those small and not as tasty watermelons instead?


    One hundred mu of watermelons was not enough to provide enough melons for all of the rich and noble families in the capital. Whether it was for stately banquets, drinking parties, flower banquets, or dignified dinner parties, everyone would feel like the hosts were being too stingy if there wasn¡¯t at least one te of watermelon at the table. Gradually, the people who didn¡¯t offer watermelon at their gatherings found out that their friends and acquaintances would find any excuse to decline their future invitations. Furthermore, their friends were also not as close and intimate with them anymore...


    Yu Xiaocao was only able to be happy over the zing watermelon sales for a few days before she became busy again. The Ministry of Works had finally finished working on the stic film and incorporated her requests. Not only was the new product stronger and more flexible, but they also managed to improve its transparency. Thus, construction on the greenhouse pavilions for vegetable cultivation began at breakneck speed.


    There were people bustling around everywhere on the Imperial ntation. Within the experimental fields, the corn stalks had all been chopped down and their roots needed to be pulled up one by one from the ground. The ground also needed to be plowed in preparation for the second crop. Yu Xiaocao was upied with directing the people constructing the greenhouses while also overseeing the breeding of an improved wheat crop. Although she said she was breeding, in actuality, she only had the little divine stone transform into its golden kitten form and run around the grain storerooms a few times to let its spiritual energy settle into the seeds.


    The construction of these greenhouse pavilions was also done by people from the Ministry of Works. Just the ceiling alone caused the workers to work very hard for a period of time. In terms of how to construct these greenhouses, Yu Xiaocao also only knew about half. She used the experience she had from her previous life, when she spent half a year working in a greenhouse, toe up with ideas and methods to properly build this. Thus, progress on these pavilions took quite a long time.


    Furthermore, the technology for working with iron was much more primitive in this time period. Steel output was very low, so using a steel backbone for these greenhouses was out of the question. She could only use bamboo and wood as the building materials for the backbones of these structures. The thick stic film was then put across the wooden structures. During the winter, they could use moreyers of stic to increase the instion and keep it warmer inside.


    By the time the farmers were done sowing the winter wheat, the greenhouse pavilions had also finished construction. This was her first year in trying this, so she only had them make enough to cover a hundred mu. The neighboring farmstead also hadrge pavilions set up on the fields. However, those greenhouses weren¡¯t intended for growing vegetables. Instead, they were going to be used to grow some out of season watermelons and Hami melons.


    What did people hereck the most in the winter? Obviously, it was ack of ess to fresh vegetables and fruits. During the winter, people either ate cabbages with radishes or radishes with cabbages. As for fruits, the only fruits avable were the dried and shriveled up fruits stored fromte autumn, such as apples and pears. In the past, even if you had money to spend, you still couldn¡¯t buy fresh fruits. However, this winter was going to bepletely different!


    Once the greenhouse pavilions were done, Yu Xiaocao personally used her own money to hire some experienced vegetable farmers to look after the vegetables nted in the greenhouses. Green vegetables had a short growing cycle, especially the ones that were infused with spiritual energy. After the seeds were nted, they grew very quickly and were ready to harvest after about a month had passed.


    As for the cucumbers, eggnts, green beans and tomatoes, they were being grown in specialrge greenhouse tents. They grew even faster than they did at the start of spring. The hired vegetable farmers all thought this was very odd. However, they thought that it was because the tents helped the vegetables grow. The awe and envy in their hearts grew and they began to wish that the court would start selling this stic membrane to the public. In the future, wouldn¡¯t they also be able to grow such vegetables too?


    Every year when it was about time for frost to start in autumn, everyone had already made sure to stock up their cers full with cabbages and radishes for the winter. They had to store enough to eat for an entire winter. The wealthy and noble families in the capital usually cut down on their banquets at this time of year because there wasn¡¯t much variety of food to be served, so it made for a poor table for the guests.


    However, this year was entirely different! The capital was loosely organized with the rich and wealthy in the eastern and western parts of the city and the poor in the northern and southern parts. Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate had added five more fruit and vegetable shops in the eastern and western parts of the city. Usually, at the end of autumn and start of winter, these shops would either switch to selling other goods, such as dried goods and candied fruit, or they would shut down for the season. This was because there were no vegetables or fruit to be sold! However, this year, Prince Jing¡¯s estate had actually opened a decent amount of vegetables and fruit stores.


    The rich and wealthy instantly thought of the greenhouse pavilions that housed vegetables and melons on the prince¡¯s farnds. Then, all of the rich, powerful, and noble families turned their attention to the stores. Everyone knew that this year the prince¡¯s estate didn¡¯t nt that many vegetables and melons, so they didn¡¯t know if these greenhouses could supply enough vegetables and fruits for the whole capital.


    Finally, these fruit and vegetable stores opened and satisfied these people¡¯s expectations. The first day they opened, they were stocked with fresh green vegetables. There was fresh spinach, tender Indian lettuce, crispy celery, and lush and verdant romaine lettuce. In addition, they had shepherd¡¯s purse, amaranth greens, mbar spinach, pea shoots, and a whole host of other leafy greens. These vegetables were all stacked high in the shops. The lush green color of the vegetables made people feel happy just looking at them and they all wished they could buy all of it home to eat.


    The day the shops first opened, all of them exploded in poprity. Because there was a quota ced on these vegetables, limiting the amount each household could buy, these wealthy and rich families only started fighting. Luckily, Royal Prince Yang had experienced the immense poprity of the braised food store before and had the foresight to send bodyguards to keep order at all of these shops. That was the only reason why fist-fights didn¡¯t break out around the shops.

 Chapter 435 – Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 435 ¨C Invitation</h4>


    ¡°The young miss is back! The young miss is back!¡± When Yingchun got the news, she happily went back to the young miss¡¯s courtyard, chirping like a cheerful bird. She ran all the way from the drooping flower gate and had a sunny smile on her face.


    Wutong walked out from inside and had a stern look on her face. She hollered at Yingchun, ¡°What are you being noisy about? No sense of etiquette! The young miss was only gone for a few days yet all of you flout the rules and etiquette! As a servant, having good etiquette and manners brings prestige to our young miss. It¡¯s no wonder that the young miss doesn¡¯t bring someone like you, who has her head in the clouds, out when she leaves!¡±


    The giddiness within Yingchun¡¯s heart was extinguished as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her. Her cheerful steps stopped and the smile on her face slowly disappeared. Wutong was the personal maidservant of the young miss and was one of the earliest people to follow her. No one knew when she had be the maid in charge of the entire courtyard, but she was now in charge of all of the maids and senior servants in the young miss¡¯s residence.


    At first, Wutong treated the other maids amiably. However, once the young miss promoted Xichun and Hechun to fill the empty positions within the personal maidservants, Wutong changed. She became moody and prone to anger. Sometimes, the eyes she used to look at other people seemed as if they had daggersing out of them. It always made the other maids feel a bit scared.


    All of the maids and senior servants in the courtyard knew that the young miss didn¡¯t have a lot of rules and regtions. As long as you did your work well, she was satisfied. The lower ranked maids all secretly whispered that they felt more rxed in the presence of the young miss as they didn¡¯t have to guard their every action. Even small mistakes were waved away by her with a smile. However, in Wutong¡¯s hands, if she wasn¡¯t in a good mood, you might be punished lightly with a fine or heavily by getting beaten with the nk.


    Ever since the young miss went back to Tanggu with Hechun and had given the management of the Imperial ntation¡¯s greenhouses to Xichun, Wutong had been in a bad mood. She and Pipa had been left behind to manage the courtyard again. Everyday, she roamed around the courtyard looking for victims so she could vent her discontent. The smallest mistakes would be picked out by her and used to torture the other maids. All of the maids in the courtyard didn¡¯t dare to say anything out loud but they cried out their grievances in secret. They were all looking forward to when the young miss got back from Tanggu because Wutong would restrain herself a lot more when the young miss was around.


    Yingchun wasn¡¯t as lucky as Xichun and Hechun as she didn¡¯t catch the eye of her mistress to get promoted to a first-ranked maid. She naturally didn¡¯t dare to have an outright conflict with Wutong, so she suppressed the displeasure within her heart. Instead, when Wutong was not looking, she made a funny face at the other girl¡¯s back as she viciously thought, ¡®You¡¯re such a two-faced person, so it¡¯d be surprising if the master trusted you! Serves you right that the young miss left you behind to only guard a courtyard that is the size of three mu ah!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao had just entered the inner courtyard when a group of maids surrounded her and escorted her to her own courtyard. As they walked, she asked if anything important happened recently. Wutong had a face full of smiles and had rushed in front of Pipa to take the lead. She gently smiled and said, ¡°Ever since the fall harvest, you have be a well-known figure throughout the capital, Young Miss. Especially once the green vegetables grown in the pavilions came to market. Everyone in the capital knows that you¡¯re able to cultivate fruits and vegetables out of season and that you can make anything be ripe during any time of the year. While you were out and about, many young maidens from good families had sent invitations to you to attend some banquets and such. If you hadn¡¯t just left for Tanggu, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d be very busy right now!¡±


    Yingchun surreptitiously curled her lip. Wutong was such a two-faced person. Earlier she had been as vicious as a female wolf when scolding her but now she was pretending to be as sweet and innocent as a white bunny rabbit. The smile on Wutong¡¯s face was so ttering.


    ¡°Pick only the important things to tell me!¡± Yu Xiaocao was not the least bit interested in interacting with these young maidens in the capital. These girls either started spouting poetry as if they were ill or had to show off their other skills in some fashion. She wasn¡¯t good at any of this stuff. All of those people sending her invitations to parties and banquets likely wanted to see her stumble in these social settings so they couldugh at her, right? Consequently, even when she was in the capital, she had no desire to attend any of those boring parties.


    Wutong¡¯s eyes flickered and she smiled, ¡°The best modiste in the capital, Jiang Siniang, who is also the owner of Exquisite Garments, also sent an invitation asking to see you. Young Miss, are you interested in meeting her?¡±


    Many years ago in the capital, Jiang Siniang had endured lots of criticism from naysayers simr to Xiaocao. However, she used her own abilities to suppress all of these people. Her Exquisite Garments boutique not only became famous in the capital but she also opened several branch stores in the nearby prefectures. The stores did very well with the public and was in no way inferior to the poprity of Zhenxiu Restaurant and the Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shops and Fruit Shops.


    The clothing that Jiang Siniang designed was not only bold in their usage of color but they also harmonized very well. Even bright reds and greens, when used together, could be an impable work of elegant art in her hands. Furthermore, all of her clothing was beautiful and ttering to the female form. People often offered grand sums of money to have one of her stores make a piece of clothing for them. All of thedies and maidens in the capital desperately wanted to have a piece of clothing personally made by Jiang Siniang. It would allow them to have immense status and boasting power in their circles.


    Unfortunately, for the past few years, Jiang Siniang only took five custom orders each season. Furthermore, not just anyone could be lucky enough to get a custom order slot. From her words, it all depended on fate. Those who caught her eye, even if they didn¡¯t have a single penny, she was still willing to design and sew a custom piece of clothing for them. Those who didn¡¯t, even if they offered a thousand taels of gold, she would still refuse to make one for them. Even the imperial concubines in the imperial pce had toply with her rules. After all, the emperor himself had given her a handwritten document personally written by him that stated ¡®the epitome of a talented woman¡¯!


    In Wutong¡¯s eyes, the fact that such an incredible woman, who had legendary designing and crafting skills, wanted to see the young miss was an incredible honor! If those other young maidens in the capital found out, then wouldn¡¯t they be incredibly jealous? In fact, even thedy of the residence didn¡¯t have a custom crafted piece of clothing from Jiang Siniang.


    Jiang Siniang? Yu Xiaocao paused in her motion of taking off her cloak. Was that the Jiang maiden who had refused an offer of marriage from the son of the prime minister on the grounds that she wanted to focus on her career? The two of them had never interacted before, so why would she want to see her suddenly?


    ¡°Also, Royal Princess Minn is hosting a ¡®flower war banquet¡¯ in the middle of this month and sent you an invitation to you. Do you want to see if...¡± The other young maidens were one thing but Royal Princess Minn was the treasure of her family. She was actually paternal cousins with Royal Prince Yang.


    ¡°Flower war banquet? What does a ¡®flower war¡¯ mean?¡± Yu Xiaocao did actually recognize Royal Princess Minn¡¯s name. It was said that this princess had learned how to ride and shoot arrows since she was young with her older brother. The average person was not her match. She had a bit of an arrogant and headstrong personality but also wasn¡¯t a person who looked down on those who were lower ranked than her or someone who deliberately made things difficult either.


    Wutong took the cloak from her young miss and handed it over to Yingchun. She hurriedly exined, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple. It¡¯s just that every invited person must bring along a pot of flowers. Whoever brings the most valuable specimen is the winner.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Does the winner get a prize for this?¡± Yu Xiaocao was more interested in this. When it came to rare and expensive nts, her godmother and Princess Consort Jing both had plenty that she had given to them. These were the flowers that were found in that mountain ravine. Thest time they had to take refuge there, the princess consort even brought her personal maidservants around to stroll around the valley. When they left, she was able to bring back another bunch of rare flora.


    Wutong smiled, ¡°Every person who participates not only has to bring a pot of flowers but also needs to bring a forfeit item. The winner can take all of the forfeit items from everyone else home!¡±


    ¡°They can take away everyone¡¯s forfeits?¡± Yu Xiaocao stroked her chin and her eyes crinkled up into a smile. She looked like a little fox who had thought up a sly trick. The noble misses of the capital all cared about their reputations, so they absolutely wouldn¡¯t bring forfeit items along that were cheap. Then...didn¡¯t that mean that she could make a small fortune from this?


    After changing into a set of clothing suitable for the indoors, Yu Xiaocao headed out of the courtyard, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I need to greet Godmother! It¡¯s been a few days since Ist saw Little Linlin and I quite miss him!¡±


    Wutong followed along and said, ¡°Young Miss and the little master are truly siblings. The young master always keeps asking, ¡®Where has Older Sister gone?¡¯ and ¡®When will Older Sistere back?¡¯. He even has no desire to eat his most favorite egg tarts anymore!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s courtyard was very close to the main courtyard. As they talked, they already arrived at the gate to the main courtyard. Linglong grinned as she weed her inside, ¡°Young Miss, the mistress and young master were just talking about how much they missed you. The young master especially does. When he found out that you came back, he wanted to go to your courtyard to wait for you and only the mistress kept him back.¡±


    ¡°Older Sister!¡± The curtains to the door had just been lifted when a little pudgy ball rolled out and held onto Xiaocao¡¯s leg. The little fellow raised his plump little face and pouted his lips as he unhappily whined, ¡°Older Sister, you didn¡¯t bring Linlin out to y. Naughty, naughty!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao bent down to try to pick up the little fellow and almost stumbled over. Fang Haolin had gotten plumper again and she almost couldn¡¯t hold him anymore. When Wutong saw this, she took the little master into her arms. The little fatty didn¡¯t like this change and his hands waved as he eximed, ¡°I don¡¯t want you, I want my older sister!¡±


    Xiaocao carried the little fatty into the inner room while Linglong and Wutong carefully escorted her from the side as they were afraid their two masters might fall over. Lady Fang saw this spectacle and burst intoughter, ¡°Look at you two siblings. One gets thinner as time passes while the other gets fatter. Right now it looks like a skinny monkey is carrying a fat little piggy.¡±


    ¡°Linlin is not a fat little piggy. Linlin is Sun Wukong and I have a golden cudgel to kill monsters!¡± When Xiaocao was at the residence, the ¡®Journey to the West¡¯ had be Fang Haolin¡¯s usual bedtime story.


    Although the little fellow was young, he worshiped heroes. For example, the Monkey King was now his idol. He even begged his father to get him a round stick and imed that it was the golden cudgel that Sun Wukong used. He brandished it constantly at the flora in the garden, iming that he was ¡®destroying monsters¡¯. It was so bad that Lady Fang didn¡¯t dare to bring out her precious flowers out anymore. She was afraid that the little brat might destroy them!


    Lady Fang picked the little fellow up and sat on the chaise lounge. She gently pped his bottom. If everything went the way the little boy wanted, then every piece of furniture or decoration in these rooms would have long been broken by him. She patted at an open area on the lounge and had her daughter sit down before she asked, ¡°Was your trip this time smooth? Is everything going well over there in Tanggu?¡±


    ¡°Royal Prince Yang¡¯s bodyguards escorted me the entire way, so it¡¯d be more surprising if it wasn¡¯t smooth. A hundred or so mu ofnd next to the farmstead have also been bought by Royal Prince Yang and the greenhouse pavilions have also been built there. The artisans in charge of building the pavilions as well as the workers in charge of taking care of the nts were all highly skilled workers from hisnds in the capital. I only had to provide a bit of advice here and there, so there wasn¡¯t much for me to do!¡± Yu Xiaocao picked out a small piece of cantaloupe and delivered it into Little Linlin¡¯s wide-open mouth. She also picked a slice of watermelon for herself and happily dug into it.


    ¡°Mommy is biased. Howe Older Sister is allowed to eat watermelon but Linlin isn¡¯t?¡± The temperatures at the start of winter tended to be very cold and watermelon was considered a cold-natured food. Little Linlin had only recently be stronger in the past half year, so Lady Fang didn¡¯t dare to feed him a lot of watermelon. However, it seemed like the little fellow was unhappy about this.

 Chapter 436 – Qi-style Attire

    <h4>Chapter 436 ¨C Qi-style Attire</h4>


    Lady Fang tried to frighten him, ¡°Your older sister¡¯s body is healthy and won¡¯t get sick. Have you forgotten that you had to take the bitter medicine for a while because your tummy hurt after having one more mouthful of shaved ice during the summer?¡±


    Little Linlin rolled up his sleeves to reveal his chubby arms as he argued, unconvinced, ¡°Linlin¡¯s body is also healthy! You see, Linlin has more meat than Older Sister! If Older Sister can eat, Linlin too can eat it, too!¡±


    The little fellow was so adorable that Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. She took a small piece of watermelon and ced it in his hand, saying, ¡°Mhm! Little Linlin has been obedienttely. You have been eating well and persisting in your daily run around the garden, so this is your reward. You can only have one piece a day. If you eat more, you¡¯ll fall sick!¡±


    The little fellow, Fang Haolin, stuffed the watermelon into his mouth with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid! With Older Sister here, I don¡¯t need to drink the bitter medicine!¡± After having a piece of watermelon, the little fellow knew to stop pestering them even though he still wanted more, and followed his nanny to the garden to y.


    ¡°Madam, Young Miss, Jiang Siniang of Exquisite Garments is here.¡± Ling was smiling and her voice was clear as she drew the door curtain and entered the room. A while ago, Modiste Jiang Siniang had sent them a calling card and came to visit Young Miss, but the young miss was not here at that time. Who knew that Jiang Siniang woulde and visit again when the young miss had just returned? Did this mean that her young miss was special in the eyes of Modiste Jiang?


    Lady Fang also felt proud. The master of embroidery that others were rarely able to invite to their residence hade as a guest to her residence on multiple asions! It was such a great honor. Her close friends would be so envious if they knew about this!


    ¡°Hurry, invite her inside!¡± Lady Fang held her daughter¡¯s hand as she stood up, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to the main hall to greet the esteemed guest.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her own casual attire and thought, ¡®Would it be impolite if I wore this out to greet guests?¡¯ She lifted her head and smiled, ¡°Godmother, I need to go back to change my clothes. I¡¯ll immediately go to the main hall afterward.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been careless in my considerations.¡± Lady Fang took a look at her daughter¡¯s clothes, then lowered her gaze to her own clothing, which had wrinkled after shey on the seat. Sheughed, ¡°See, even I, as your mother, am not as collected as you are!¡±


    ¡°Godmother, this Modiste Jiang is only a master of embroidery, but you¡¯re a third-rank noble madam. Why do you regard her so highly?¡± The Jiang Siniang that others deemed highly of was only the owner of Exquisite Garments to Xiaocao. These madams and misses must not have enough entertainment, to have ¡®worshipped¡¯ Jiang Siniang like a fan towards their idol.


    Lady Fangughed, ¡°My daughter sees the situation clearer than all of the capital¡¯s women. For the past few years, the madams and misses in the capital have indeed gone a little overboard with their adtion towards Modiste Jiang. However, this Jiang Siniang does indeed have the skills. The phoenix that she embroiders seems almost able to take off into the air, and the flora she embroiders, able to attract bees and butterflies. The clothes that she designs are able to cover up a person¡¯s shorings and bring out the good points of a person¡¯s figure. No matter how young or old a woman is, who doesn¡¯t like to be beautiful? That¡¯s why many began to adte Jiang Siniang¡¯s skills.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any association with her, so why has shee to visit several times?¡± Yu Xiaocao mumbled. She was not so interested in apparels, and the clothes her godmother had prepared for her was, in her opinion, already good enough. Besides, the skills of the servants in the sewing department of their residence were quite good¡ªshe was satisfied with their needlework.


    Lady Fang changed into another set of clothes and smiled at her confused daughter, ¡°Stop worrying and go change your clothes. Wouldn¡¯t you understand once you meet the guest?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao returned to her courtyard and told Pipa to take out her newly-made modified Qi-style attire [1]. This set of clothes was actually the result of a whim when she went to the sewing department tomission for a set of practical garments suitable for traveling on horseback.


    The outer garment was lc and reached down to her thighs. It split into two sides at the waist and, in effect, entuated the curve of her waist. A little folded cor sat prettily on her neck, while slightly darker confederate roses were embroidered on the oblique cor and the hem of her bell sleeves. The lower part of her garment was a light yellow, pleated skirt, and the front part of the upper garment and hemline of the skirt was embroidered with the same pattern.


    She let Wutong style her hair into two cute hair buns and used strings of rice-sized pearls as a hair tie to hold them in ce. The hair at the sides of her neck were bound into two small yet long braids that hung until her chest, making her seem yful and bright.


    Jiang Siniang was softly conversing with Lady Fang when Yu Xiaocao arrived at the main hall. Jiang Siniang¡¯s eyes lit up as she noticed her. Actually, Jiang Siniang was a fanatic for clothes and waspletely obsessed over fashion design. This was also one of the reasons why she was always able to innovate on her old designs and receive the praises of the upper ss.


    Since she was ten years old, Jiang Siniang had disyed a surprising talent for fashion design, but it had been so many years, and her inspiration was bound to dampen at some point. Although they were not as cooped up in their homes as the women of the previous dynasty, the women of this era still rarely traveled very far. In recent years, Jiang Siniang had reached her bottleneck in fashion design, and no matter how hard she tried, she could not reach a breakthrough. She was distressed over the fact that she could not seem toe up with anything new.


    About a month ago, she almost bumped into a passing rider on a horse outside of Exquisite Garments because she was too preupied with the design of the hemline of a piece of clothing. She was so startled that she immediately looked up, but she was instantly enraptured with the rider¡¯s clothes.


    To be honest, if she were to describe the clothes the young girl was wearing in one word, it would be ¡®in¡¯. It was made from ordinary muslin, and there was nothing special about the craftsmanship, but the design itself was never before seen in this region!


    It was a light green, straight-cut Qi-style attire with an oblique cor. It was made from muslin, and a pattern of peonies surrounded by butterflies was embroidered onto the outfit using colorful threads. Worn on top was a light blue, sleeveless jacket embellished with colorful clusters of flowers, and the edges of the sleeves and the hemline of the skirt was decorated with an iy of faint, white flowers. The lower garment consisted of a loose pair of skirt pants made of the same material, and the hemline of the trousers were also adorned with the same pattern of peonies surrounded by butterflies. Although it was an outfit paired with trousers, it did not feel vulgar, but rather brought about an air of neatness.


    It was just a split second, but that small and delicate figure had deeply imprinted itself into the mind of Jiang Siniang. A voice in her heart told her, ¡®This girl will be the key to my breakthrough. I must absolutely find her!¡¯


    She inquired about the identity of that girl through various sources, and only then did she find out that the young girl was actually a sixth-ranked official under the Ministry of Revenue. That day, that girl was riding towards the Imperial ntation outside of the capital. She guessed that the trouser-attire was so that it was more practical to carry out any agricultural activities.


    She could not hold back her excitement, so she sent a calling card and visited the very next day, but the person who greeted her was Lady Fang. She was quite disheartened after she found out that the girl had left for Tanggu Town two days ago and they weren¡¯t sure when she would return. She forced herself to discuss a few topics on apparel and essories with Lady Fang before she excused herself.


    After that, she had her servants pay extra attention to the whereabouts of the only female official at court. In actuality, when the emperor awarded her to be an official, she had be the capital¡¯s hottest discussion. At first, many were skeptical and made a lot of sarcastic remarks, but this young female official was quick to shut their mouths with her actions.


    She cultivated high-yield crops to the point where a single mu ofnd was able to produce two thousand catties of crops, and even managed to sessfully nt fruit trees and watermelons out of their proper season. During fall, she managed to yield fresh vegetables by cultivating them in greenhouses so the people could enjoy arger variety of dishes at mealtime during fall and winter.


    Even though it was already the beginning of winter, the prestigious families could still serve their guests with an exquisite te of fruits filled with watermelon, cantaloupe, and a type of small tomatoes that seemed to be called cherry tomatoes. It was pleasant to their taste buds, tasting both sweet and sour at the same time. Those madams and misses of the prestigious families would alsoment about this young female official once in a while; although they disapproved of a girl being appointed as an official, they couldn¡¯t help but praise her for the results of her work.


    It was not hard to track the whereabouts of this young female official. Once she found out from her subordinate that Miss Yu had returned to the capital today, she hurriedly came to visit. Regardless of everything else, just the sight of this pretty young girl¡¯s attire had already made her trip worthwhile. It was as though a door leading towards a new fashion had opened right in front of her eyes...


    Yu Xiaocao was taken by surprise by Jiang Siniang¡¯s zealous gaze that seemed as though it wanted to swallow her whole. She forced a stiff smile on her face and politely offered the guest some fruits and dessert, but the other person¡¯s burning gaze was fixed on her...clothes, as if she wanted to strip her bare. Was there...something wrong with this person?


    Jiang Siniang¡¯s personal maidservant knew that her mistress¡¯s obsession had resurfaced and shot Lady Fang and Miss Yu an apologetic smile. She lightly tugged on her mistress¡¯s sleeve and softly called her, intending to remind her to be a little more reserved.


    Jiang Siniang, who was seemingly entranced, ignored her efforts and stood up, walking towards Xiaocao. Her slender and fair hand slowly reached towards Xiaocao¡¯s cor, lightly feeling the embroidery as she mumbled, ¡°The design of this cor is truly ingenious, and although the craftsmanship of this button knot is a little unrefined, it¡¯s quite stylish. This pinched-waist design which splits in the middle entuates the waist, and theyers of pleats gives volume to the skirt...the only thingcking is the embroidery. If I made this, the quality of this attire would definitely improve tremendously and be able to reach the height of its beauty...¡±


    Not one person in the world wouldn¡¯t react to a pair of unfamiliar hands feeling about their body¡ªto be precise, their clothes. Imaginary ck lines hung on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s forehead as she inwardly rolled her eyes as hard as she could. ¡®Jiang Siniang, Modiste Jiang, is it alright for you to do things so carelessly?¡¯


    Jiang Siniang¡¯s maidservant felt so awkward she wanted to hide somewhere no one could find her. She felt so embarrassed every time her mistress¡¯s obsession surfaced, to the point where she wanted to cry. She apologized on behalf of her mistress, ¡°Lady Fang, Miss Yu, I¡¯m really sorry for this! Every time my mistress sees a new design or a particrly stylish set of clothes, she¡¯d be a little...different! She¡¯s not usually so impolite!¡±


    The shock on Lady Fang¡¯s face faded as she slowly nodded, ¡°Only when one person reaches the point of obsession in a certain field, can they be the expert of said field and be true to the title of ¡®master¡¯. That is Modiste Jiang¡¯s true nature, how can it be considered impolite?¡±

 Chapter 437 – Inspiration

    <h4>Chapter 437 ¨C Inspiration</h4>


    A significant amount of time passed and by the time Jiang Siniang finished studying Yu Xiaocao¡¯s clothes, Xiaocao felt that her muscles were going stiff. Jiang Siniang slowly let out a breath and returned to her seat, sipping the tea that had been served before she said, ¡°Official Yu, if it¡¯s possible, can you tell me who designed the clothes you¡¯re wearing?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also let out a deep breath, and the smile on her face was a bit stiff as she replied, ¡°Modiste Jiang is too courteous. Please, call me by my name. It feels like someone is calling for my dad when I hear them call me ¡®Official Yu¡¯.¡±


    Jiang Siniang chuckled, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t be courteous since Miss Yu is so easygoing. I¡¯m only a few years older than you are, so if Miss Yu doesn¡¯t mind, please call me Older Sister Jiang!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Jiang, let¡¯s also forgo ¡®Miss Yu¡¯. Since I¡¯m calling you older sister, you can call me Younger Sister Xiaocao.¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly and her expression was filled with joy. She did not disdain the other maiden at all even though she was an official and Modiste Jiang was just a merchant.


    Jiang Siniang¡¯s heart hadpletely rxed. Official Yu had indeed made a fortune by means of trade. She was unlike the madams and misses of other families who secretly looked down on merchants yet still wanted to get some benefits from her. Did they ever realize that if it weren¡¯t for the merchants in the capital, it would be extremely hard for their supposed ¡®high officials¡¯ to carry out their work...


    ¡°Older Sister Jiang, why did you visit us twice?¡± Yu Xiaocao already had her own guess in her heart, but she still asked nevertheless.


    Jiang Siniang had a somewhat embarrassed smile on her face, ¡°To be honest, Younger Sister Xiaocao, I came because of the design of your clothes. I¡¯ve never seen the likes of the one you¡¯re wearing right now in the capital before. Can I know where you bought it?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°This outfit I¡¯m wearing was actually paired with a pair of pants so that I can move around the fields with ease. But wearing trousers while I¡¯m greeting guests would be a little too impolite, so I had the servants make this white, pleated skirt. Clothing that is tightly fitted at the top and loose at the bottom really entuates a person¡¯s figure, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Hearing this, Lady Fangughed, ¡°You really don¡¯t have any shame, do you? You dare to speak as though you¡¯re a person in this trade in front of the true master? How can you disy this outfit that you blindly came up with in front of others?¡±


    Jiang Siniang hurriedly interjected, ¡°Lady Fang, you¡¯re too humble! Although Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯s outfit doesn¡¯t have wide sleeves, a train, nor is it paired with fancy essories, there is exquisiteness in its simplicity. I should¡¯ve known that when splendor andplexity reached its limit, we should turn around and return to the basics, progressing towards the direction of simplicity and humility. Younger Sister Xiaocao has inspired me and opened a new window in fashion design for me. She is my benefactor! How did Younger Sistere up with this design?¡±


    Looking at the excited Jiang Siniang, Lady Fang secretlyughed, ¡®Indeed the rumors weren¡¯t false, this Jiang Siniang is quite an obsessed person, but it¡¯s really because of her ¡®obsession¡¯ that she is able to throw herself wholly into her work and be a master, isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    ¡°You sisters keep talking, I still have other things to do, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± Lady Fang noticed that the two sisters were conversing amiably, so there was no need for her to be around. She was naturally happy to see her daughter be close to Modiste Jiang and not wholly because of Jiang Siniang¡¯s craft, but rather so that Xiaocao could widen her connections in the capital and make more friends.


    The so-called ¡®well bred maidens¡¯ of the capital were blindly arrogant and looked down upon Xiaocao, who was born into a farmer¡¯s family. From time to time, mocking words aimed towards her daughter reached her ears and because of this, she had cut off all ties with a few other families.


    She did not understand what those pampered little misses were so arrogant about. Were their chins lifted high up into the sky just because they knew how to recite a few poems, y a few instruments, and work a needle and thread together? Even Jiang Siniang who was a merchant seemed better than them! At the very least, she used her own skills and effort to create beautiful pieces of clothing for others! What right did those little rich misses who only knew how to wait for others to serve and pamper them and never contributed anything to anyone have to look down on others?


    Lady Fang was inwardly ted when she saw her daughter chat animatedly with Jiang Siniang. Only those who could appreciate her daughter¡¯s capabilities were worthy to interact with. As such, what importance do the words and opinions of those supposed ¡®well-breddies¡¯ hold?


    Jiang Siniang politely stood up with Xiaocao and waited until Madam Fang went back into the inner courtyard. Then, she held Xiaocao¡¯s hand and asked eagerly, ¡°Quick, tell me! Where did you get this idea from?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao seriously pondered about it and then said, ¡°My aunt originally married over to the northeastern mountain region, and there¡¯s an ethnic group called Manchu over there. Most of them wear clothes that are designed like this, and it¡¯s called ¡®Qi-style attire¡¯, not the ¡®qi¡¯ from ¡®riding a horse¡¯, it¡¯s ¡®Qi-style attire¡¯ from the word ¡®g¡¯ [1]. This outfit is not only practical, but it also saves a lot of cloth!¡±


    Jiang Siniang drifted into a daze, seemingly mumbling to herself, ¡°So it¡¯s the outfits of another ethnic group! I¡¯ve heard that the clothes of the Hu ethnic group that live towards the northwest are very special and pretty and they use a veil to cover their faces. If I have the chance, I¡¯d really want to travel around and see the world outside, then I wouldn¡¯t becking in inspiration...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s better to travel ten thousand kilometers than read ten thousand books. I¡¯ve heard that the people in the southwest use silver essories, and their clothes are dyed with a special method, it¡¯s really marvelous...If I had the chance, I¡¯d like to follow our Great Ming¡¯s ships to the western sea to see it for myself. Rumors say that the people over there have white skin, golden hair, blue eyes and a head full of curly hair, isn¡¯t it interesting?¡± In her two lifetimes, Yu Xiaocao had never travelled outside her country, and, though the chances were small, she still yearned to see the world for herself.


    Jiang Siniang¡¯s eyes widened as she held her hand to her mouth in surprise, ¡°Blue eyes, yellow hair, moreover, curly hair? It...sounds like the description of monsters from the legends. Are there really people like this?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Both the emperor and Royal Prince Yang have travelled across the western sea and seen westerners before. I heard that not only do they have yellow hair, but some of them also have red hair! They look different from us, and theirnguage is also different. I don¡¯t know how the emperor and Royal Prince Yang were able tomunicate with them! The clothes that the westerners wear are also different from ours. If the opportunity arises, we can have the fleet get us some of the clothes that the westerners wear for reference!¡± Yu Xiaocao said a little whimsically.


    However, the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s trade ships were all currently under themand of Royal Prince Yang. She would only need to ask, and Zhu Junyang would definitely be willing to bring back not only their clothes, but also even all of their rare and strange trinkets and items for her.


    ¡°That would be wonderful! I¡¯d really like to travel everywhere and sightsee...¡±Jiang Siniang¡¯s current expression was akin to a young girl who was filled with hopes and dreams and seemed unlike that of a master of embroidery¡¯s bearing.


    Yu Xiaocao watched her and suddenly thought that having a dream was such a wonderful feeling. ¡®What is my dream? Cultivate high-yielding crops so that the civilians would never starve? This dream is too noble and should be one belonging to a person of higher authority. it doesn¡¯t have much to do with me as I¡¯m only a small official. Make a fortune so that my family is able to pass their livesfortably? But I¡¯m notcking money, and my family¡¯s conditions only keep improving. What exactly is my dream? I really need to seriously think about it!¡¯


    Jiang Siniang collected herself and returned to the more practical topic. She attentively inquired about the Qi-style attire¡¯s concepts, but Xiaocao only knew a little and did not understand the craft of making clothes at all.


    ¡°Can Younger Sister draw out the impression you have of the Qi-style attire for Older Sister to see?¡± Jiang Siniang felt that understanding the concept through sight was somewhat better in this case.


    Yu Xiaocao said somewhat embarrassingly, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to draw. I¡¯m afraid that my drawings wouldn¡¯t serve any purpose and I¡¯ll only serve to humiliate myself. Why not let me describe while you draw? This seems much easier.¡±


    The two of them moved to Xiaocao¡¯s courtyard. Servants fetched them the writing tools from the outer courtyard and Jiang Siniang¡¯s maidservant ground the ink as Yu Xiaocao slowly introduced the designs of Qi attire that she knew to the modiste.


    Yu Xiaocao, who loved to watch shows set in the Qing Dynasty such as ¡°Empresses in the Pce¡±, ¡°Scarlet Heart¡± and ¡°Nothing Gold Can Stay¡±, was more than familiar with the apparels and essories of the Qing Dynasty.


    The length of its skirt nearly reached the feet, which was a simr design to qipao that cameter. It was paired with a sleeveless jacket and had various types of the cors such as saddled-shaped, round shaped, and slightly folded. There were several different designs of the upper garment, like pipa style, buttoned-down on the right side, and buttoned-down in the middle. The matching skirt or pants had printed flower patterns, embroidery, and pleating. The edge of thepel, cor, and sleeves were decorated with different techniques like iy and embroidery. The sleeves were wider on the bottom and shaped like a horse hoof...


    It could be said that Jiang Siniang¡¯s drawings were even more beautiful and exquisite than what Xiaocao had pictured. Jiang Siniang produced a few sketches of different beautiful designs. The other girl was indeed talented in clothing design, and she was able to create designs that were even better than what Xiaocao had imagined as long as Xiaocao was able to describe even just a little part of the outfit. Her maidservant¡¯s eyes shone with pride, yet said with a little haughtiness, ¡°Mistress, the designs would be better if you¡¯d used our colorings to draw them.¡±


    There was a design where the upper garment¡¯s length reached the knees and was decorated with iys. It was paired with a pleated skirt. Yu Xiaocao pointed at it and smiled, ¡°My godmother would look so good in this outfit! Since the weather is getting colder, you can sew on some fox fur on the cor and the opening of the sleeves. It¡¯d be warm to wear and it¡¯ll still look good at the same time...¡±


    The inspiration that had collected in Jiang Siniang over the past few months seemed to have found an opening and exploded. She consecutively drew more than a dozen different designs of the Qi-style attire. Some of them followed Xiaocao¡¯s descriptions while others were innovations of her own ideas and understanding of the concept. Each design was unique in its own way and was extremely elegant and exquisite. Looking at these designs was like seeing the sets of outfits present themselves to an observer in real life.


    Jiang Siniang¡¯s heart itched when she looked at these designs. She yearned to rush back immediately so she could start turning these sketches into stunning sets of clothing.


    Hearing Xiaocao¡¯s words, Jiang Siniangughed, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao indeed has a good eye for things. I have created this design with Lady Fang¡¯s figure in mind. Xiang¡¯er, take Lady Fang¡¯s measurementster. Two dayster, Older Sister will visit you again after I¡¯ve created the outfit ording to the design. At that time, we¡¯ll see if it¡¯s the correct fit for Lady Fang.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was aware that her godmother had long desired to own clothes that were made personally by Jiang Siniang, so she smiled and expressed her gratitude, ¡°Then I shall trouble Older Sister!¡±

 Chapter 438 – Handmade Soap

    <h4>Chapter 438 ¨C Handmade Soap</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯d be treating me like an outsider if you¡¯re too courteous! If it wasn¡¯t for you, I¡¯d have already been exhausted and my inspiration would¡¯ve run out. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely treat you well! Exquisite Garments will sponsor all of you and Lady Fang¡¯s future clothes! I¡¯ll personally make a set of clothes for you and Lady Fang every season, and I¡¯ll give you 20 percent of the profits from the Qi-style attires. Don¡¯t refuse me, or else I¡¯ll throw these designs into the brazier!¡±


    If Jiang Siniang was not a determined person, she would not havee out despite all the pressure and taken over the Exquisite Garments that was about to close up operations. She also would not have been able to sessfully establish her reputation along with Exquisite Garments through her skills and hard work.


    Jiang Siniang had initially nned to find the person who designed Official Yu¡¯s clothes and subsequently buy off the drawings and designs. However, she hadn¡¯t expected that she would connect so well with the designer, Yu Xiaocao, and they even became sisters of a different surname.


    She had always put emphasis on integrity when she did her business, and reciprocity when she interacted with others. As the older sister, she most definitely would not take her younger sister for granted. Not only did she promise to personally create Xiaocao and Lady Fang¡¯s clothes, she had also considered Xiaocao¡¯s designs and ideas as an important element and decided to share her profits with her at the end of the year.


    With the Yu Family¡¯s current conditions, Xiaocao didn¡¯t care whether she got the profits or not. However, she felt Jiang Siniang¡¯s insistence, so she was not courteous with her, ¡°I¡¯ll unabashedly ept Older Sister¡¯s gift, then.¡±


    Only now did Jiang Siniang¡¯s face light up with joy as she stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll return now¡ªI still have to sort out these drawings and write up a profit-sharing agreement, which Xiang¡¯er will send over to youter.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wanted to have her stay for lunch, but she tactfully declined under the pretense of having things to do back in Exquisite Garments. Xiaocao did not insist, and called the servants to prepare a basket containing a few watermelons and cantaloupes for her to bring home.


    Once they were in their horse carriage, Xiang¡¯er happily put aside the watermelons and cantaloupes and said, ¡°Mistress, Miss Yu is quite generous¡ªeven just these watermelons are worth over a hundred taels! The fruits and vegetables store owned by Imperial Prince Jing sells a medium-sized watermelon for ten taels each, and we wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to get one even at this price! Not to mention that they¡¯re sold in limited numbers¡ªfifty watermelons and thirty cantaloupes a day...¡±


    She paused, then tried to stifle herughter as she gossiped, ¡°I heard Duke Wei was holding a birthday banquet, and in order to have a te of fruits for each table, he had his servants queue up since the middle of the night. It so happened that his rival, Imperial Prince Rong, also wanted to hold a feast. The two of them nearly fought to buy the fruits! The melons and fruits produced in the greenhouse of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead is like a chicken thatys golden eggs.¡±


    ¡°Then do you know who is the one that made growing vegetables, fruits and melons possible during winter?¡± Jiang Siniang asked without lifting her head as she flipped through the drawings in her hand.


    ¡°How could I not know? Who in this capital doesn¡¯t know of Official Yu that works in agriculture under the Ministry of Revenue? Not only can she cultivate high-yielding crops, but she also made it possible to grow produce out of season! In the future, the people of the capital will be able to enjoy these delicacies! Who would¡¯ve known that all of this is actually the result of the contribution of a smart yet gentle girl in her teens?¡± Xiang¡¯er¡¯s face was filled with envy and admiration as she said this.


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao isn¡¯t only talented in agriculture, but she¡¯s also gifted in culinary. It¡¯s been said that many of the best-selling dishes of Zhenxiu Restaurant are her creations. Her medical prowess should also be praised. She¡¯d even sessfully treated the little prince¡¯s illness!¡± Jiang Siniang couldn¡¯t help but feel in awe as she thought about the girl who was only several years younger than her and yet had already possessed such capabilities.


    Xiang¡¯er¡¯s eyes lit up as she held her face in her hands and dazedly breathed, ¡°Official Yu looks only about eleven or twelve years old, yet she¡¯s so knowledgeable and proficient. Could it be that she¡¯s a genius?¡±


    Jiang Siniang could not bear to move her gaze away from the pieces of designs, and she loathed that she could not immediately turn these drawings into pieces of clothing. She could imagine the sensation these extraordinary designs would cause in the capital!


    She agreeably nodded to Xiang¡¯er¡¯s words. Simply from the words of her rtive, Younger Sister Xiaocao was able to identify the many special elements of the designs and had servants make an eye-catching outfit out of it. If Younger Sister Xiaocao would only spend a little more time on her drawing skills, it would only be a matter of time before she would have to surrender the title of ¡®Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s Master of Embroidery¡¯.


    When Jiang Siniang returned to her residence, she immediately began work on making Qi-style attires throughout the day, and she was so immersed in making the clothes that she even forgot to sleep and eat. After she left the Fang Estate, Yu Xiaocao returned to the inner courtyard. She climbed andyzily atop a cushioned seat that was ced next to a heated wall. By her side, Lady Fang silently listened to Hechun¡¯s animated prattles.


    ¡°Madam, you don¡¯t know how amazing the young miss is! With just a few simple sentences, she was able to let Modiste Jiang sincerely treat her like her sister! This servant was also amazed when Young Miss described the Qi-style attire. Although it was only in ck and white, the designs that Modiste Jiang made based on Young Miss¡¯s descriptions were enough to make people long for it. I¡¯m filled with pride whenever I think that the Qi-style clothing that will be the trend among those well-breddies of the capital all came from Young Miss!¡± Hechun was only a fourteen-year-old girl after all, she took it as a form of pride to be serving such a talented young miss, so her words were full of energy and filled with admiration.


    Yu Xiaocao only smiled, ¡°That¡¯s because Older Sister Jiang is amazing. She¡¯s capable of sublimating and refining my thoughts and words into something better. She is the true talent in the world of fashion!¡±


    Hechun agreed with this statement, but she still felt that her own young miss was better, ¡°Modiste Jiang also said that, if it weren¡¯t for Young Miss that gave her a spark of inspiration, she would never be able to design outfits that are so unique and beautiful. Young Miss had made a great contribution to her!¡±


    Linglong, who was usually solemn and serious, also chipped in, ¡°To have Modiste Jiang¡¯s sincere friendship, our young miss is definitely the first among the capital¡¯s youngdies!¡±


    Hechun nodded her head almost as if she were kowtowing, and her face blossomed with a smile, ¡°Madam, take a guess at what Modiste Jiang had promised to Young Miss!¡±


    ¡°What did she promise? Make a set of clothes for our Cao¡¯er?¡± Lady Fang did not have a single thing to say against her own daughter, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you¡¯re growing¡ªit¡¯s about time you have a few sets of apparels and essories that you can wear out!¡±


    Hechun¡¯s smile deepened, ¡°In the future, Young Miss can wear the clothes that Modiste Jiang personally makes for you when you go out. With a set of clothes from Modiste Jiang every season, you¡¯d definitely be the envy of those arrogant youngdies!¡±


    ¡°A set of outfits every season? For every year?¡± Lady Fang was astounded. It should be known that it was enough bragging rights for a year if any one of the youngdiespeting managed to get their hands on even just one set of Modiste Jiang¡¯s creations. Moreover, this was getting a set of clothes every season!


    ¡°It¡¯s not only for Young Miss. Madam, you, also get a set of clothes every season, made personally by Modiste Jiang! Modiste Jiang also said that the first set of Qi-style clothing would be made ording to your measurements. You¡¯d be the first noblewomen in the entire capital to own a Qi-style attire!¡± Once the words escaped Hechun¡¯s mouth, all the maidservants in the room immediately eximed and congratted their mistress.


    Lady Fang could not believe what she was hearing. It was good enough that Jiang Siniang connected well with her daughter and even offered to make clothes for her, but she didn¡¯t expect her daughter to weigh so much in Jiang Siniang¡¯s heart until Jiang Siniang¡¯s favor extended even to her, and promised to make clothes for her, too. Everyone in the capital knew that Modiste Jiang of Exquisite Garments would not simply make clothes for anyone¡ªhow lucky she was!


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, since Modiste Jiang treats us so well, we should reciprocate and return the favor!¡± Lady Fang thought about what she could possibly give back to Jiang Siniang.


    Without much thought, Yu Xiaocao said, ¡°At the most, I¡¯ll sponsor Jiang Family¡¯s fruits and vegetables for this winter!¡±


    But Hechun responded hesitantly, ¡°Young Miss, Modiste Jiang only promised to make clothes for both you and the madam because you gave her the designs of the Qi-style attire. If you also provide her with fruits and vegetables, isn¡¯t it a little...¡±


    Lady Fang pondered about it, and then nodded, ¡°Hechun is right, if there are too many benefits between friends, the friendship would no longer be pure. However, some harmless little gifts should still be alright. Don¡¯t you like making pastries? You can asionally send her some so she can try.¡±


    Xiaocaoughed when she noticed that Hechun seemed like she wanted to say something, ¡°If you have something to say, just say it! It¡¯s not like someone is covering your mouth, why make such an odd face?¡±


    Hechun tittered, ¡°Young Miss, we actually have something new that can be sent as gifts to one¡¯s BFF!¡± She¡¯d heard the term ¡®BFF¡¯ from Young Miss before. From now on, Jiang Siniang would be considered as her young miss¡¯s BFF, right?


    Xiaocao¡¯s eyes lit up as she said, ¡°You mean, the handmade soaps?¡±


    Hechun nodded fiercely, ¡°Yes, yes! I followed the instructions that you gave and tried for a long time before I finally made aloe soap and honey-milk soap! I¡¯m only waiting for you to return and check the results!¡±


    ¡°Go bring it over for me to see!¡± Yu Xiaocao was excited.


    Speaking of handmade soaps, the idea only came by when she was washing her face one morning andined about the rough soap, ¡°This soap is expensive but it¡¯s not particrly useful. It can¡¯t keep moisture, nor can it whiten the skin¡ªit¡¯s not worth buying!¡±


    Hechun always wanted to look pretty. On normal days, she liked to make some cosmetics like rouge and face powder. Once she heard her young missin about the soap that cost five taels each, the Hechun who idolized Xiaocao began to pester her, asking about the kind of soap that would be able to moisturize and whiten the skin. Thus, Xiaocao told her two ways to easily make soap. Although the person speaking was careless, the listener had the intention. Hechun remembered the instructions and secretly tried them out. Xiaocao had not expected that she would be able to sessfully craft them after only a month¡¯s work.


    The other maidservants in the room snickered when Hechun brought back two pieces of oddly shaped handmade soap. The aloe soap was only a green lump that looked like squished vegetable balls. The color of the honey-milk soap was neither yellow nor white and it looked like expired cheese. Could these actually be used?


    Wutong felt that she had stolen her limelight earlier, so she was eager to deride her, ¡°Hechun, this is the ¡®handmade soap¡¯ that you mentioned? Are you sure it¡¯s not a failed product that you brought out to fool Young Miss? Who would dare to use such a thing like this?¡±

 Chapter 439 – The Young Ladies of the Capital

    <h4>Chapter 439 ¨C The Young Ladies of the Capital</h4>


    Hechun¡¯s face reddened from their mockings and she retorted, ¡°It looks bad, but it works better than the soap we buy from outside! Using the aloe vera soap moisturizes your hands and using honey and milk soap won¡¯t dry your hands. In fact, it¡¯ll even make them feel fine and smooth!¡±


    Wutong continued to mock her, ¡°With your lousy skills, others won¡¯t even buy it for half a tael, much less for five taels! Hurry and take it back, don¡¯t humiliate yourself!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s gaze lightly slid over her, and Wutong knew to immediately shut her mouth.


    ¡°Let me see it!¡± Yu Xiaocao took the two handmade soaps from the maidservant. Their shapes were indeed too horrible to look at. Hechun was too careless with this. Did she just casually shape them with her hands? She ced the light green soap to her nose and took a light sniff. The smell was quite refreshing and exquisite, with a hint of the fresh scent of aloe. The coloring of the soap was uneven. It was probably because Hechun had not thoroughly stirred the mixture when she had poured in the aloe juice.


    She let Wutong bring in a pot of water and used the honey and milk soap to wash her hands. The soap suds were quite fine, and her hands felt smooth and moisturized after washing. There was a slight smell of milk candy leftover. The soap worked quite well; the only thingcking was the appearance.


    She gave Hechun some tips and a bottle of mystic-stone water, iming that it was an extract of many herbs that had many benefits for the skin. She instructed the maid tol drip a drop of the ¡®herbal extract¡¯ into the mixture the next time she made soap, so the effects would be better.


    Hechun revered her mistress¡¯s skills in medicine. If her mistress said that this extract was beneficial to the skin, then soaps containing this extract would definitely have the same effects as her mistress had imed. They would be able to brighten, moisturize, and remove pimples from a person¡¯s skin...


    In Hechun¡¯s heart, her young miss was an existenceparable to the gods. Older Sisters Yingtao and Yangliu were both people that she admired and also the target she was working hard towards. Older Sister Yingtao was talented in medicine, which was why she became the manager of the pharmaceutical workshop. Meanwhile, Older Sister Yangliu showed great talent in the culinary arts and was ced in charge of the kitchen of their braised food store in the capital. If she could perfect these handmade soaps and add some finishings, could she also be young miss¡¯s important subordinate like them in the future?


    Lady Fang smiled as she watched her daughter ¡®fool around¡¯ with the maidservants. Seeing Hechun getting fooled by her daughter with just a few sentences, sheughed, ¡°Hechun, your young miss has a lot of unique ideas, and what she really requires are girls like you who have the guts to try and like to take action. Try your best, this might be your chance!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao only smiled, but Hechun was full of vigour. At the side, Wutong sulked, ¡®Does the young miss not like me? She¡¯d rather promote that lowly little girl than give me a chance. Could it be...that wretch had told the young miss that I was unwilling to follow her to the outskirts to suffer, and that I had even said some sarcastic remarks at that time?¡¯ Her worries consumed her as she thought really hard about what she could do to let her mistress change her opinion of her.


    On the other side, Xiaocao and her godmother were discussing the youngdies of the capital.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, Royal Princess Minn has already personally sent the invite over for next month¡¯s flower war party. If we continue to decline her invite, others might say that we¡¯re arrogant and disrespectful, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll suffer grievances if you go...¡± Lady Fang was also very hesitant. On one hand, she wanted her daughter to interact with more peers and slowly create her own circle of friends, but on the other hand, she was fearful that the other arrogant, pampered little misses would look down upon her daughter¡¯s lowly birth and use it to mock her.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be aggrieved about. Those supposed well-bred maidens of prestigious families only behave so because they¡¯re backed by their family. If we disregard their backgrounds, what else is left for them to be arrogant about? Rest assured, Godmother, I won¡¯t get upset because of people who are unrted to me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been free and easy, so I won¡¯t say any more. You¡¯re right, making friends require fate. We should just go with the flow!¡± Seeing that Xiaocao understood the current situation, Lady Fang didn¡¯t say anymore on that topic, ¡°Royal Princess Minn¡¯s quite brisk and generous, unlike others. However, she does tend to be really down-to-earth with her words, so she doesn¡¯t necessarily have prejudices against you if she said something that¡¯s a bit offensive. This, you¡¯ll have to feel for yourself!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao obediently nodded as Lady Fang continued, ¡°It¡¯s not a secret in the capital that Royal Princess Minn loves chrysanthemums. For the flower war, you should bring the pot of ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ from our greenhouse and present her the thing that she likes. Even if you can¡¯t get first ce, Royal Princess Minn would still look at you differently.¡±


    After a thinking a bit, Lady Fang still did not feelpletely at ease, so she started to prattle about the other well-bred maidens of the capital, ¡°Among thedies of the capital, the ones who are most well known are the ¡®four talented girls of the capital¡¯ and the ¡®two beauties¡¯. Among the four talented girls are the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy¡¯s daughter, Cao Panyun; the granddaughter of the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Library, Wu Lingfu; Wen Shuhan, daughter of a schr at Hanlin Academy; and Lin Weiyu, daughter of an official under the Grand Secretariat. They¡¯re all skilled in many aspects and are the target of pursuit of many schrs in the capital. These people are aloof and conceited, but they care very much about their reputation and won¡¯t offend others easily.¡±


    ¡°As for the ¡®two beauties¡¯, they¡¯re judged by their appearance and bearing. One of them is the daughter of Prime Minister Yuan, Yuan Xueyan, who likes to wear white and is usually cold. The other is the granddaughter of the Princess Royal, He Wanning, who wears red and has a fiery temperament. Although the two of them have opposing temperaments, they¡¯re actually quite good friends. Yuan Xueyan is fine, but remember to never offend He Wanning. If she¡¯s angry with you, she¡¯ll hit you no matter who you are...¡±


    Lady Fang also introduced the traits and temperaments of other youngdies and was unwilling to stop even when she had ranted on until dinnertime. She was afraid that if she missed out even just the slightest detail, her daughter might be at a disadvantage.


    Yu Xiaocao only quietly listened to her. She had not intended to interact much with those well-bred young maidens who carried themselves arrogantly and seemed so fake. When the time came, it would be just fine as long as they could get along on the surface.


    Days passed. As the weather slowly turned colder and colder, the greenhouse vegetables now fully disyed their charm. The farmstead had only tried cultivating a hundred mu of vegetables this year, but the capital was full of people that had wealth and authority. If one were to casually throw a stick on Chaoyang Street, they would hit a person that was either rich or distinguished. Neither the wealthy nor the powerfulcked money, so when the supply of greenhouse vegetables could not reach the demand, the prices of the vegetables spiked.


    Even at the price of fifty copper coins a catty, one wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to buy the green, leafy vegetables that normally sold at a few copper coins per catty. The prices were even higher for eggnts, yardlong beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and the likes. People would still fight for them even if they were sold at the price of one tael per catty. People queued in front of the fruit and vegetable stores at the east and west sides of the city even before dawn, and all the limited quantities of produce would definitely be sold out before half the day had gone by.


    The person who suffered the most because of this was definitely Imperial Prince Jing. Once the people found out that the fruit and vegetable stores in the east and west of the city were owned Prince Jing, all of his peers, regardless of whether they had been acquainted before or not, approached him to chat, but every one of them eventually led to topics rting to fruits and vegetables, hoping that he would supply them with more produce outside of the set quantities under the table.


    Imperial Prince Jing was so annoyed he could only sell out the emperor, ¡°The greenhouse vegetables are the result of a cooperation between the emperor and Official Yu under the Ministry of Revenue and has nothing to do with the Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. We¡¯re only in charge of sales. I¡¯m an imperial prince, but I really have no say in this matter! Rather than wasting your time here, it¡¯d be better if you tried their luck with the little Official Yu instead.¡±


    Those civil and military officials were mostly against the appointment of Yu Xiaocao as an official. Back then, when she was being appointed, some officials who were more headstrong and obstinate almost rammed their heads into a pir. How could they, for the sake of fulfilling their cravings, put down their dignity to beg a mere sixth-ranked official? Some of them even began to use Yu Xiaocao of not trying to fix her rtionships with other court officials... These people wanted her vegetables, yet still acted haughtily while expecting her to hurriedly hand them over. It was really stupefying!


    Yu Xiaocao would definitely spit her rice out if she knew how these people thought. The emperor only appointed her as a small official for practicality sake. She did not think that she could be promoted to a first-ranked official just by cultivating agricultural produce. Sixth-ranked was as far as she could go!


    However, the general¡¯s estate received an increasing amount of calling cards recently. A small part of them came for Yu Xiaocao from some unknown youngdies with unknown motives. The rest were invites for Lady Fang to some gatherings that also specified for her to bring along her daughter, Yu Xiaocao, but Xiaocao had tactfully declined all of them under the pretense that she was busy with work. Rather than deal with those pretentious youngdies, she felt it was easier to go to the ntation and do some actual work!


    It was exactly because she rarely attended these gatherings that she became a mystery among the youngdies of the capital. Of course, the youngdies whose invitations she had declined had spoken badly about her, like how she was so arrogant, petty, how they gave her face but she didn¡¯t want to save face and the likes...This had incited more curiosity from others. What kind of person was this twelve year old girl who was born in a farmer¡¯s family but was now a sixth-ranked official?


    The day of the ¡®flower war party¡¯ arrived quickly. Days before the event, a lot of people were already asking about, trying to see if Official Yu under the Ministry of Revenue was attending the event. Even more eagerly awaited for a good show. If that person surnamed Yu would dare to not give face to Royal Princess Minn, then she could only wait to be left out of the circle of well-bred youngdies! (Yu Xiaocao: Is this even important?)


    Jiang Siniang had sent the Qi-style attire she had made to the general¡¯s estate in advance. The Qi-style clothing was about to make its first appearance on Exquisite Garments¡¯ disy. She wanted to use this flower war party as an opportunity to create a huge sensation for it among the prestigious circles in the capital.


    When Yu Xiaocao was trying on the clothes, she even mocked herself, ¡°Older Sister, I¡¯m only afraid that I¡¯ll go in bright and beautifully, bute out covered in ash and mud. Wouldn¡¯t it be a shame if someone were to ¡®identally¡¯ spill tea or some sauce over such a pretty set of clothes?¡±


    Jiang Siniang¡¯s hand, which was helping her to adjust the garment, paused. She recalled the difficult times at the beginning when she was barely holding up Exquisite Garments and her lips thinned into a line. She proimed coldly, ¡°It¡¯s alright! Those people still want to maintain their reputation, so they won¡¯t dare to do anything to you directly. At most, they¡¯ll say some unkind words¡ªjust take it as wild dogs barking. I¡¯ve brought you an additional set, just remember to be careful while you¡¯re changing, or else you might fall into someone¡¯s trap. You¡¯ll have to guard against the secrets and schemes of the youngdies.¡±

 Chapter 440 – Misunderstanding

    <h4>Chapter 440 ¨C Misunderstanding</h4>


    The day before the flower war banquet, Zhu Junyang, who usually couldn¡¯t be found, had finally appeared for some reason. The littless looked like she had grown taller again and was now at the height of his chest. He was worried about her and reminded her, ¡°Lass, if anyone tries to bully you, don¡¯t keep it inside of you. Come back and tell me...¡± After not seeing the young royal prince for over a month, the only thought Yu Xiaocao had going through her head now was¡ª¡ªthis fellow is even more bewitching now! She didn¡¯t dare to look deeply into that pair of alluring phoenix eyes as she was afraid that, if she wasn¡¯t careful, she might get lost in their depths. Someone needed to take this guy down a notch because otherwise he was going to harm everyone else!


    When she heard this, Xiaocao, who was somewhat lost in her thoughts, burst out intoughter. She lifted her tiny head and looked at that devilishly handsome face and said, ¡°Why do I need to tell you? Are you going to beat them up?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was speechless for a second and then coldly huffed, ¡°Although I don¡¯t hit women, these girls do have brothers you know...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao silently gave a moment of silence to the brothers of the maidens who were nning on making things difficult for her. She then faintly smiled, ¡°In actuality, you don¡¯t have to go through so much trouble. We just won¡¯t allow the families of those who are stupid enough to try to bully me to buy vegetables or fruits then. In any case, if she looks down on my background as a farmer, then she shouldn¡¯t be eating fruits and vegetables grown by this farmer¡¯s daughter, right? As for next year¡¯s fruit and watermelon harvest, we also won¡¯t sell it to them. When the canned and jarred fruitse out, we won¡¯t sell those to them either!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t the reason why those people looked down upon her because they came from wealthy and powerful families? However, if they had the money but were still unable to buy popr goods, would they still believe that they were better than others?


    Apparently his littless wasn¡¯t a little white bunny who was easily bullied by others. Instead, she was a tiny cat who hid her sharp ws until she needed them. Usually she looked quite gentle, obedient and adorable. However, whenever she was unhappy, she would reveal those ws and leave a bloody mark on you that you could never forget!


    Zhu Junyang, who had been escorted to the gate of the outer courtyard, helped Xiaocao by pulling her cloak and furry little hat into ce. He smiled, ¡°Recently I haven¡¯t spent much time with you. When winter is in full swing, I¡¯ll have more time to spend with you. Whoever tries to bully you, remember them and tell me. I will make sure to get them all back for you!¡±


    In actuality, for the past month or so, Xiaocao had been even more busy than Royal Prince Yang. She was the only one in charge of the vegetable stand in Tanggu and also was in the midst of managing the pharmaceutical factory¡¯s new products. Recently, Tongren Medicine Hall came up with a few new pills for nurturing the body, which were the masterpieces of her work from the past month. So...the young royal prince didn¡¯t have to be concerned about Xiaocao pining for him. In fact, she was too busy to even think about him!


    The next day, early in the morning, Yu Xiaocao changed into the set of Qi-style clothing that Older Sister Siniang had personally designed and sewn for her. Her hair wasbed into a pair of cute flower buns with two side braids that were expertly arranged on her head to make it look like she had two elegant flowers on her head. The buns were decorated throughout with hair pins encrusted with pink pearls. The remaining loweryers of hair werebed into small braids to swing at the front of her chest. It made her look younger by about two years and she looked especially adorable and unique.


    When Xiaocao entered the inner courtyard of the Duke Zhenguo¡¯s estate, countless pairs of curious eyes looked at her from head to toe. She was dressed in a simple and elegant Qi-style dress that was a light pink. Her white sleeves resembled the petals of lilies as they had two to threeyers. She wore a rose red outer short coat that was dotted with clouds embroidered with gold and the cor was embroidered with icy white lotuses in full bloom. Tobat the cold of the winter, the cors and cuffs of her clothing all had puffs of white fur lining it, which looked very cute. On closer look, the pleated skirt on her dress had artfulyers that were colored a rosy-pink. It contrasted very elegantly with the icy white lotuses and harmonized perfectly.


    One of the maidens there, who had sharp eyes, had noticed that this girl¡¯s clothing had a tell-tale seal on it. She was incredibly surprised. This set of clothing was clearly the handicraft of Jiang¡¯s Exquisite Garments. In fact, it had to be made by the owner of the shop herself and was a brand new style. The clothing not only broke through the previous conventions of how dresses should be styled but also showed a brand new design. It was truly a stunning piece of work.


    The young maidens who had arrived at the gathering early all looked at this strange little face that had skin as transparent and luminous as jade. They were all trying to guess who she was. Which family¡¯s young miss was fortunate enough to catch the eye of Modiste Jiang and be able to show off her new work in this type of setting?


    ¡°Oh ho! Which family are you from, little sister? You don¡¯t look familiar to me. Is this the first time you¡¯re attending a gathering with us fellow sisters ah?¡± Royal Princess Minn couldn¡¯t help but smile and stand up when she saw this unfamiliar, adorable little girl. She was previously sitting next to He Wanning, who was a beauty and had a personality thatplimented with hers.


    Lady Fang was a bit worried about her daughter attending such a party, so she had Linglong apany Xiaocao. The maid quietly reminded her and Yu Xiaocao hurriedly ced her delicate white hands on her abdomen and bowed a greeting. She used a dulcet voice as sweet as a skrk to reply, ¡°I am Yu Xiaocao. Greetings to Royal Princess Minn and the other older sisters here.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao? Who was that? When the unfamiliar little girl said her name, everyone had a confused look on their faces. There was only one official that was surnamed ¡®Yu¡¯ [1] in the capital. He had just taken up a positionst year at the Ministry of Appointments and was the Left Assistant Minister, Yu Yonghe. It was said that his younger daughter was around ten years old. Was this little girl in front of them his daughter? The daughter of the Right Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Appointments, Li Meirou, smiled as she walked over. She intimately pulled on Xiaocao¡¯s hand and used a familiar tone of voice to address her, ¡°So it¡¯s the little sister from the Yu Family ah! I have long wanted to meet you and wished to invite you to my family as a guest. However, your honored mother always said that your health wasn¡¯t good, so you couldn¡¯t leave the residence. From what I see today, you must be feeling better, right?¡±


    Xiaocao had a more weak and delicate looking body. The Qi-style clothing cinched in at the waist, which made her seem even more dainty and ethereal. In addition, with her slightly bony chin and arge pair of eyes that seemed to overwhelm her face, it made her egg-shaped face seem even smaller. Luckily, her pale skin had a rosy glow to it. Otherwise, it would really look like she had just recovered from a great illness!


    ¡°Young Miss, she is Miss Li, the daughter of the Right Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Appointments.¡± Although Linglong was a bit perplexed at the other girl¡¯s enthusiasm, she didn¡¯t forget her status and made sure to remind her young miss.


    This...type of attitude didn¡¯t seem quite right! Why was she pretending to be on familiar terms with her? Was this some type of trap? Despite her doubts, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t show any of her confusion on her face and instead revealed a sweet smile as she politely replied, ¡°Many thanks, Miss Li, for your kind thoughts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I should do!¡± Li Meirou pulled on Xiaocao¡¯s tiny hand and waved gracefully at the group of young maidens as she said, ¡°Come, Older Sister will introduce you to a few good sisters to let you be familiar with them.¡±


    Everyone who she met in the warm room had revealed a kind smile at her. Although they were not as warm in attitude to her as the young miss from the assistant minister¡¯s family, they also weren¡¯t cold.


    ¡°Younger Sister Yu, is the set of clothing you¡¯re wearing from Exquisite Garments? I didn¡¯t expect that you, as a neer to the capital, would be able to catch the eye of Modiste Jiang and get a set of customly designed clothing from her. Is there a story behind all of this?¡± The person who spoke up was He Wanning. She was around fourteen to fifteen years of age and was wearing a set of clothing in fiery-red. The color made her face look even more lively and her personality was simr to the color of her clothing, bold and unrestrained. There wasn¡¯t anything she was afraid to mention.


    Today, Yu Xiaocao had also set a mission for herself to promote the new Qi-style attire. She naturally wouldn¡¯t let this perfect opportunity go by, ¡°The set of clothing I¡¯m wearing was made by Older Sister Jiang and she had drawn inspiration from a different culture. This style really shows a woman¡¯s gentle and delicate side. I¡¯m certain that, before long, this style of clothing will also be disyed in all of the Exquisite Garment Stores.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with Modiste Jiang, ah?¡± One of the girls sitting in the room asked in a tone full of jealousy.


    Yu Xiaocao replied in a humble manner, ¡°I¡¯ve only seen her a few times, that¡¯s all...¡±


    ¡°You already call her as an ¡®older sister¡¯, so it must not have only been a few times. Miss Yu, you¡¯re not telling the entire story! Quickly tell us, just how did you be familiar with Modiste Jiang?¡± He Wanning circled around Xiaocao and inspected her clothing carefully from head to toe. This wasn¡¯t considered to be a rude gesture in the noble maiden circles. If any of them had gotten a customly designed set of clothing from Exquisite Garments, then everyone would have to look at them closely.


    Yu Xiaocao hesitated for a moment before she simply outlined the reason why Jiang Siniang had asked to see her. He Wanning frowned slightly, ¡°Are you saying that Modiste Jiang saw that you were wearing a different style of clothing once and ran after you to ask about it?¡±


    Li Meirou also had an expression of disbelief on her face as she said, ¡°Younger Sister Yu, hasn¡¯t the wife of the Left Assistant Minister always said that you had a weak constitution and rarely went out? It¡¯s a bit coincidental that Jiang Siniang would randomly see you outside once wearing clothing that interested her, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao revealed a perplexed expression and asked, ¡°The wife of the Left Assistant Minister? I have never met her, so how could she know what my body is like? I am quite healthy and I can easily ride a horse every day for an hour without any problems.¡±


    Li Meirou had a shocked expression on her face and used the handkerchief in her hand to cover her mouth, ¡°Eh? You¡¯re not the young miss of the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Yu Xiaocao blinked herrge eyes. Her clear and limpid eyes reflected all of the awkward expressions on the young women¡¯s faces in the room.


    Li Meirou stated in a somewhat angry and bbergasted manner, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you were surnamed Yu ah? Out of all of the officials in the capital, other than the new Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, there isn¡¯t another family surnamed Yu, right? Just who are you? Why are you trying to pretend to be a young miss and fool everyone?¡±


    Apparently everyone had mistaken her for someone else! Yu Xiaocao finally understood why everyone had been treating her so well from the start. As long as it wasn¡¯t some sinister plot, then she was fine! The tight knot she had in her chest was now rxed.


    In front of the bewildered other youngdies, Yu Xiaocao was very calm. She faintly smiled and said, ¡°Miss Li, I believe we¡¯ve had a misunderstanding! I am truly surnamed Yu, it¡¯s the Yu from ¡®may you have abundance year after year¡¯.¡±


    One of Royal Princess Minn¡¯s maids next to her quietly whispered a few words into her ear. She looked at Linglong, who was next to Xiaocao, and nodded her head. She had a reserved smile on her face as she said, ¡°So you are the young miss from Zhaoyang General¡¯s estate. I was rude earlier and had mistaken you for someone else.¡±


    The young miss from Zhaoyang General¡¯s estate? Wasn¡¯t that the girl who was now a newly appointed agricultural official at the Ministry of Revenue? It was true. That agricultural official was also surnamed Yu and had the first name of Xiaocao. In fact, many of the noble maidens had privately made fun of her name, stating that it was such a crude and inelegant name. It made it obvious that she came from a peasant farming family.


    Many of the young maidens in the warm room stopped smiling now and they had a look of slight disdain in their eyes. Li Meirou was even more flustered and unhappy. This Yu Xiaocao was too vile! She had misled her and had her embarrass herself in front of all of these noble maidens.


    ¡°What is wrong with you? Howe you didn¡¯t state your identity clearly? Were you afraid of your own status and decided to pretend to be someone else?¡± Li Meirou babbled incoherently as she was afraid the other girls would start to misunderstand and think that she was friends with a crude and lowly girl from a peasant farmer¡¯s family.


    Yu Xiaocao lost her smile and gave her a cursory nce. She stated in a neutral tone of voice, ¡°Miss Li, am I right in assuming that you always reference the fact that you¡¯re the daughter of the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments when you¡¯re greeting someone? What¡¯s wrong with my birth? If we go back a few generations, no one should beughing at anyone else!¡±


    After they heard this, they had to admit that her reasoning was sound. Even the person sitting on that regal and golden throne was the descendant of a poor peasant in his grandfather¡¯s generation. In fact, even Duke Zhenguo and many other generals had alle from peasant stock. They weren¡¯t any more noble than regr farmers either.

 Chapter 441 – Qualifications

    <h4>Chapter 441 ¨C Qualifications</h4>


    Li Meirou sensed that Royal Princess Minn was looking at her in a displeased manner and decided that she couldn¡¯t lose this argument. She raised her voice to say, ¡°Everyone who is here had ancestors who contributed to the country, which is how they ended up with their ranks. You¡¯re only the daughter of a farmer, so how dare youpare us to you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes wide and looked at Li Meirou. It was only when the other girl started to feel ufortable that she finally replied, ¡°You also said that this was all the deeds and contributions of your ancestors. So what leg do you have to stand on in being so proud and arrogant? Are you able to help the emperor in making the country better? Or are you able to improve the lives of the people? If you can¡¯t, then are you in any position to look down on other people?¡±


    Li Meirou was speechless. Her father, as the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, was a third-ranked official. Other than He Wanning asionally saying a remark that made everyone not know what to say, there really wasn¡¯t anyone else in this circle who would speak to her so impolitely. At this moment, she was so incensed that her lips trembled and the rims of her eyes gradually turned red.


    As one of the famed four talented girls in the capital, Wu Lingyun [1] had to interfere now. She stepped forward and said, ¡°Older Sister Li had just had a misunderstanding with you and felt a bit upset about it. The only reason why she was a bit rude was because of the situation. Official Yu, do you need to be so overbearing?¡±


    Overbearing? Her? Was the other girl sure it wasn¡¯t the other way around? One shouldn¡¯t be this obviously biased, right? Yu Xiaocao had never been the type of person to rein in her sharp tongue. That being said, it wasn¡¯t as if she was trying to fawn over these maidens. What was the point in swallowing this humiliation for nothing? If they wanted to cause problems for her, then she wasn¡¯t going to make their lives easy either.


    ¡°Miss Wu, the words you¡¯re saying are a bit too biased! From the moment I entered, have I ever personally imed to be the daughter of the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments? Miss Li made a mistake, which isn¡¯t a big deal in the first ce. But was there any need for her tosh out at me about my background and birth? From what Miss Wu is saying, I should take these insults, no matter how awful, and just endure it? Then, if someone wants to p my face, I shouldn¡¯t try to dodge and instead raise my face to meet their hands and let my dignity be trampled? Is this how the noble maidens in the capital interact with each other? If that¡¯s the case, then I was wrong toe to this flower battle!¡±


    As she finished, she slowly stood up and used a sharp gaze to look at all of the maidens who were obviously enjoying the show. She flitted across Wu Lingyun¡¯s and Li Meirou¡¯s faces before finally looking at Royal Princess Minn. She moved a few steps as she said with an unapologetic look on her face, ¡°Forgive me for causing havoc at your flower banquet, Your Highness. This pot of ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ I will leave behind as a gift of apology. Hechun...¡±


    Hechun stepped forward with a rigid look on her face and ced the pot of flowers in her hands up front. She also took cloth covering off of the flower, revealing a pot of chrysanthemums that had flowers that were colored yellow and purple on one bloom.


    Royal Princess Minn, who was a lover of chrysanthemums, immediately forgot the words of persuasion she wanted to say as her entire attention was now on that pot of gorgeous flowers. The dark green leaves contrasted sharply with the one flower in full bloom. The flower had rows of delicate petals and, in the exact middle, there was a clear division between the bright yellow petals and gorgeous purple petals. Next to the open bloom were several delicate buds that were all half yellow and purple. They seemed like shy little sisters that hid behind their beautiful sister and regarded everyone else bashfully.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this...this the legendary ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ chrysanthemum that is referenced in ¡®Two Qiaos hidden deeply within the Bronze Sparrow tform¡¯ [2] poem and has flowers that are two colors? Miss Yu, where did you get such a valuable chrysanthemum? In fact, in order to find such a beautiful specimen, I begged my father and my older brothers to look for news about it. Yet, we¡¯ve had no luck so far...¡±


    The rumors weren¡¯t wrong. Royal Princess Minn was truly someone who loved chrysanthemums beyondparison. When she saw this valuable ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ species, she only had eyes for this and nothing else.


    Earlier, when her background was established, for a moment, all of the maidens in the room regarded the ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ on the table with undisguised contempt. That all happened before Royal Princess Minn revealed the identity of this flower. Yu Xiaocao had gotten a brief overview from her godmother before she went to this party. Royal Princess Minn had been spoiled by her father and older brothers, so she had a somewhat childish yet open personality. Consequently, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any ill will towards her.


    After the princess spoke, Yu Xiaocao nced deliberately at the other maidens in the room and especially gave Li Meirou a provoking look before she leisurely replied, ¡°My hometown is next to the mountain and ocean. In the mountains there, there¡¯s a valley surrounded on all four sides by the mountains. The climate there is mild and very few humans venture into that area. My younger brother and I had coincidentally discovered this area and found that the valley had all types of rarely seen flora. This two-colored chrysanthemum had alsoe from that valley. From my godmother, I found out that this flower is the famous ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ chrysanthemum. Thus, I brought it into the capital to the General¡¯s Estate and had it raised in the greenhouse...


    ¡°The rumors that true treasures are found in the wild are true. Flowers that have been bred from the hands of humans all seem to lose some sort of liveliness. Only this flower, which came from the wild mountains, has the liveliness befitting of a treasure. After hearing Miss Yu¡¯s story, I also want to go to that valley to take a look!¡± Royal Princess Minn adored this pot of ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ chrysanthemum and couldn¡¯t bear to look away.


    She remembered that this pot of ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ was something that Miss Yu had brought over to attend the flower wars banquet. However, thepetition hadn¡¯t even started before this guest wanted to leave in anger. This offended guest also wanted to leave such a valuable specimen as a gift to her. If word of this came out, her reputation, as the host, would be negatively affected and people would im she wasn¡¯t raised well. Royal Princess Minn reluctantly ordered her maid, ¡°This pot of ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ was brought over by the young miss of Zhaoyang General¡¯s residence to attend the flower wars party. Quickly bring it into the greenhouse before it gets damaged from the cold.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was about to open her mouth to say something when the princess interrupted her, ¡°There¡¯s amon saying: ¡®an exchange of blows may lead to friendship¡¯. It¡¯s hard to avoid a few misunderstandings here and there between us girls. For my sake, would you two consider making up now?¡±


    Although Li Meirou was indignant at the thought, she wasn¡¯t brave enough to refuse Royal Princess Minn¡¯s suggestion. The princess¡¯s father was a first-ranked duke and her older brothers were all in the military with illustrious deeds under their belts. In fact, Royal Princess Minn was awarded her title as royal princess from her father¡¯s and brother¡¯s deeds. If she made things inharmonious at the princess¡¯s party, then she likely wouldn¡¯t get any future invitations to the duke¡¯s residence...


    After thinking things through, she restrained the hatred in her heart and pasted on a fake smile before she said to Yu Xiaocao, ¡°It was just a misunderstanding. Miss Yu, please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± This was the most she could do at this point. If she really had to apologize to a peasant with dirt on her shoes, in the future, how could she hold her head up in this circle of girls?


    Yu Xiaocao slightly sneered but she decided to assent to Royal Princess Minn¡¯s suggestion. It looked like she and Miss Li weren¡¯t fated to get along, but it wasn¡¯t a big deal! In any case, she would take things as they came and react ordingly.


    After looking around, she saw He Wanning waving a hand towards her, so she walked to that table. That table only had He Wanning, who was dressed in fiery red, and Yuan Xueyan, who was dressed entirely in white sitting there. Thus, she also took a seat at the table.


    However, one of the maidens in the room, who she didn¡¯t know, sourly remarked, ¡°That table either has the daughter of a first-ranked official or the rtive of the imperial family or the Royal Princess herself. Even the daughters of third-ranked officials don¡¯t have the guts to go up there. Why should she sit there?¡±


    Royal Princess Minn was in a very good mood after getting to see a ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ chrysanthemum. When she heard this particr maiden stating a remark meant to cause trouble, she lightly gave her a nce that held a hint of warning.


    Unexpectedly, Yuan Xueyan, who had been sitting at this table silently, spoke up in a cool tone, ¡°If we¡¯re speaking about qualifications, in this entire room full of people, other than the royal princess having her own title, only Miss Yu is personally titled as a sixth-level official. Although sixth-level officials don¡¯t amount to much in court, many of the people here have fathers and brothers who aren¡¯t high-ranked either. She is the person most qualified to sit at the head table here.¡±


    The so-called ¡®four talented girls of the capital¡¯ only had male rtives that were lowly ranked. In fact, the highest ranked among them was only a fifth-ranked official. Compared to Yu Xiaocao¡¯s sixth-level official title, it wasn¡¯t that much higher. In this room full of young maidens who were the daughters of second-ranked and third-ranked officials, they were only here because of their fame as ¡®talented girls¡¯. Otherwise, if they relied on their status as daughters of fifth-ranked officials or lower, they didn¡¯t have the qualifications to be invited to a party held by Royal Princess Minn as there were plenty of girls of their status on the capital¡¯s streets. After hearing the ¡®icy beauty¡¯ Yuan Xueyan speak up, these four girls all blushed in embarrassment and lowered their heads.


    The other girls in the room, who had originally wanted to cause problems, also reined themselves in when they saw Royal Princess Minn and the other ¡®two beauties of the capital¡¯, who were unspoken heads of this circle, speak up for Yu Xiaocao.


    ¡°Many thanks, Miss Yuan, for helping me. Let me take this cup of tea in ce of wine to toast you a cup.¡± Yu Xiaocao held up her cup of tea and took a big drink from it.


    Yuan Xueyan¡¯s lips slightly curved up in what could be considered a smile and also took a gentle sip from her cup. After cing down her teacup, she lightly said, ¡°Yu Fan is thest disciple of my grandfather, so our two families are actually connected in this way. My grandfather always praises your younger brother and states that his schrly abilities are simr to my father¡¯s when he was young. Not everyone can understand the struggles of a talented young man who is born in humble circumstances.¡±


    Although her voice wasn¡¯t loud, it was enough that everyone in the room could hear her words clearly. Someone who was praised by Great Schr Yuan to be simr to his most talented son likely was truly a talented youth! Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t look much older than ten to eleven, which meant that her younger brother was even younger. However, he had been taken in by Great Schr Yuan as hisst disciple. His future career and connections was not something to be taken for granted.


    The vast majority of the young maidens here silently rejoiced that they didn¡¯t tantly reveal their disgust and contempt towards Yu Xiaocao. The interpersonal rtionships between the young maidens in the capital were actually miniaturized versions between the officials and wealthy nobles. If they couldn¡¯t help their fathers and brothers, then, at the very least, they shouldn¡¯t be causing trouble for them.


    Yu Xiaocao could easily tell that the looks that were on her had now held less contempt and more kindness now. She gratefully nodded her head towards Yuan Xueyan and said, ¡°Headmaster Yuan¡¯s takes good care of my younger brother, so I am very grateful towards him. I will definitelye and visit him on another day...¡±


    ¡°Miss Yu is being too polite! Before the end of the year, Grandfather came back to the capital from Tanggu Town. He is very fond of your culinary talents and often talks about the snacks that you make. If he found out that you, Miss Yu, wasing over to visit, he would definitely be extremely happy.¡± Yuan Xueyan also felt a bit helpless at her foodie grandfather¡¯s gluttonous actions. In the past, her grandfather would be more restrained for the sake of his reputation. However, now he was acting more and more like an unruly urchin. For the sake of eating good food, he had done many things that made other peopleugh. However, because of his status, no one actually showed their ridicule.


    The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face became a few fractions more sincere when she thought of Headmaster Yuan¡¯s true personality. Even her attitude towards Yuan Xueyan became more intimate.


    He Wanning had finally finished inspecting the set of clothing Xiaocao was wearing. She raised her eyes to look at the other girl¡¯s face and noticed the younger girl¡¯s smooth and perfect skin. She felt her own skin on her face and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s truly nice to be young. Younger Sister Yu¡¯s face has skin that looks as smooth and glossy as a freshly peeled boiled egg. It¡¯s glowing with health and full of moisture. With my personality, I can¡¯t stand spending the entire day cooped up at home, so I have to go out to ride my horse or practice archery...under the insults of the sun and wind, my skin is so dry that it seems like tree bark now...¡±

 Chapter 442 – Handmade Soap

    <h4>Chapter 442 ¨C Handmade Soap</h4>


    In actuality, He Wanning¡¯s skin was the shade of light wheat. Paired with her strong eyebrows, it also had a distinctive vor and beauty. However, the climate in the north during the autumn and winter seasons tended to be on the dry side, so it was natural that it would cause her skin to be dehydrated.


    Hechun had been silently standing behind her young miss when she heard this. Her mouth opened and closed but she didn¡¯t end up saying anything. Despite that, Yu Xiaocao managed to sense her maid¡¯s movements and turned her head to look at her for a bit. The two of them exchanged nces and, from Hechun¡¯s eyes, Xiaocao could tell that this maid had brought along some of her recently-made handmade soap along.


    She carefully inspected He Wanning¡¯splexion and quietly asked, ¡°Miss He, what do you usually use to wash your face?¡±


    ¡°I naturally use the soap crafted by ¡®Full Spring Fragrance¡¯, which is the most famous cosmetics store in the capital. Since I often go out to ride my horse, if I don¡¯t wash my face with soap, I feel like my face doesn¡¯t get clean enough.¡± He Wanning stated this in a matter-of-fact manner. Although soap was an expensive item, most of the noble young maidens in the capital could afford to use it.


    Li Meirou coldly remarked from the side, ¡°Miss He, I¡¯m afraid that some country bumpkins may not have heard of this type of soap. Isn¡¯t this like ying the qin to a cow ah?¡±


    One of the young girls sitting next to Li Meirou sniggered quietly. From time to time, some of the other youngdies would shoot a look to see if Yu Xiaocao had any reaction to this. Hechun was so incensed by this that her face turned red and wished she could go argue with these girls. Yu Xiaocao gave her warning look that said, ¡®We¡¯ll find out very shortly just who is the country bumpkin here.¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao nced briefly at Li Meirou, who was immensely pleased with herself. She lightlyughed and continued to talk with He Wanning, ¡°Full Spring Fragrance¡¯s soap admittedly is very good at washing all of the dirt and oil off of your face, but it contains lye as one of its ingredients, so it takes away a lot of moisture from the skin. When added on to the dry climate of the north, it¡¯s very easy for your skin to be dehydrated in autumn and winter. Our skin is like an apple. Originally, it is full of moisture and life but if itcks water, it very easily shrivels up and bes dry...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t she iming that a country bumpkin would not have heard of soap before? However, now, the person she was iming to be a bumpkin knew the ingredients of the soap. Was there anything else she could say now? Li Meirou felt like her face had just been pped and felt herplexion flush hotly.


    ¡°Then what should I do? If I don¡¯t wash my skin clean, I¡¯ll get pimples on my face. The pimples are red and quite swollen, so they don¡¯t look very good! Younger Sister Xiaocao, I heard you¡¯re skilled at medicine. Quickly tell me if there are any methods to fix this, okay?¡± He Wanning felt her own face and thought of a dried up apple that lost all of its juice. She shuddered and then had to ask if there was a solution.


    Which maiden in her teenage years didn¡¯t like to be beautiful? There were quite a few youngdies in this room that had some sort of problem with theirplexion. Even the most expensive cosmetics didn¡¯t seem to do much for their skin. They had noticed that Yu Xiaocao had skin that looked as tender as tofu and felt their insides start to itch. Although they pretended to be disinterested on the surface, they all had their ears perked up as if they were afraid they would miss something important.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Hechun and the smile on her face became even more sincere as she said, ¡°Tanggu is close to the ocean, so the air tends to be more humid. It was only aftering to the capital that I started feeling like my skin was getting dry in this climate. I also have simr issues to Miss He. I spend a lot of time outside due to work and my skin gets exposed to the buffeting of the wind and the harsh rays of the sun. If I don¡¯t protect my skin, wouldn¡¯t it be as rough as tree bark then?¡±


    When He Wanning heard this, she repeatedly nodded her head, ¡°Stop saying ¡®Miss He¡¯ this and ¡°Miss He¡¯ that. It seems so distant ah! I¡¯m only older than you by a few years, so just call me by Older Sister He then. Younger Sister Xiaocao, quickly tell me what methods you have to protect your skin, okay?¡±


    When the other young maidens heard He Wanning¡¯s statement, they looked at Xiaocao with gazes full of envy and jealousy. He Wanning was the granddaughter of the Princess Royal [1] and, consequently, had a high status in the capital. She also had a somewhat proud and aloof personality. Most people found it difficult to get close to her. However, they would have never expected that a young girl from a farmer¡¯s family would get her good opinion after meeting her once. It looked like this Yu Xiaocao was someone not to be underestimated!


    Yu Xiaocao flitted a look at all of the other maidens¡¯ expressions and smiled more deeply. A pair of cute dimples appeared on her face that were adorable enough to make people take a second nce, ¡°I guess I will have to assent to your request and tell my secrets then! Older Sister He, to protect the skin, you need to hold in moisture and prevent damage from the sun. Let¡¯s talk about protecting your skin from the sun. The best method would be to wear a sunshade or veil when you go outside. If you don¡¯t like wearing those, then you need to spread some protective cosmetics on your skin. In actuality, the best method is to not go outside when the sun¡¯s rays are the harshest. As for keeping and replenishing moisture in the skin, aloe vera is one of the best things to use...¡±


    ¡°Aloe vera? What is that?¡± He Wanning wasn¡¯t the only one who hadn¡¯t heard of this term. Even Royal Princess Minn had never heard of this type of nt.


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and suddenly realized something. Aloe vera was a native nt in Africa. The Great Ming Dynasty did have aloe vera but it was probably something that was brought over by the emperor or Royal Prince Yang when they had journeyed to the western hemisphere. Since this nt didn¡¯t look very dazzling, most of these young maidens probably didn¡¯t notice it, which was why none of these girls knew about it.


    ¡°Aloe vera is a type of nt from the western hemisphere. It hasrge and fat leaves. When the leaves are cut open, it will reveal some nt juice. This nt juice can help decrease the redness from someone¡¯s skin and also add hydration. Besides that, aloe vera also has some medicinal properties. However, the juice from aloe vera shouldn¡¯t be put directly on the skin as some people may have allergies to it...¡± Yu Xiaocao started to exin.


    ¡°Allergies? What are allergies?¡± He Wanning was currently a curious little dumpling. She had a pretty high ability to catch onto unfamiliar phrases.


    ¡°Allergies ah...¡± Yu Xiaocao paused for a bit to think before she continued, ¡°Allergies are when you have a particr reaction to something. Some people will haverge raised red bumps on their skin after touching something. These bumps can be itchy or cause peeling of the skin. Other people will start feeling like they have cold symptoms. Their noses will start itching and they will sneeze a lot. More severe reactions will lead to trouble breathing...¡±


    Before Yu Xiaocao could finish, one of the young maidens suddenly eximed, ¡°My mother can¡¯t be around cats and dogs or other animals that have fur on them. Otherwise, she can¡¯t stop sneezing and her eyes won¡¯t stop tearing up. It¡¯s very ufortable for her. Is that an allergy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, your honored mother is likely allergic to the fur on animals. As long as she stays away from them, she naturally wouldn¡¯t have any reaction.¡± Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in assent.


    There was another youngdy who had a more introverted personality and didn¡¯t like to talk. She was around fifteen to sixteen years of age. She wanted to say something but then hesitated. Finally, she decided to ask, ¡°Miss Yu, in the spring, my face gets itchy and will also have some small bumps appear. Is that also an allergy?¡±


    Spring allergies were verymon and a lot of people were allergic to the pollen and fluffy catkins from willow trees. Yu Xiaocao stated without thinking, ¡°It must be. I don¡¯t know what kind of flora you have in your garden. Can you list them for me?¡±


    The youngdy thought for a second and then replied, ¡°In my courtyard, there¡¯s not a lot of flowers. I like the gentle elegance of weeping willows so my mother had the servants nt a lot of weeping willows next to the small pond...¡±


    ¡°Then when you have the symptoms on your face, does it happen when the fluffy catkins from the willowse out?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a good idea of what was going on and asked specifically about this.


    That young maiden thought for a bit and then hurriedly nodded her head, ¡°Indeed! Every time the fluffy seeds are flying around is when my skin has problems. I love looking at floating seeds drifting around the air. It¡¯s as if a warm snow is falling and very beautiful...but every time I¡¯m done admiring the sight, the bumps on my face get worse. Does that mean my allergies are rted to the willow trees?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head, ¡°Many people are allergic to willow catkins. As long as they keep far away from them and add moisturizing ingredients to their skin, their symptoms will naturally decrease.¡±


    He Wanning patiently waited through the conversation about allergies and now impatiently asked the question that everyone wanted to ask, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, can you tell us, how do you keep your skin hydrated?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention it earlier? Aloe vera juice has very good hydrating properties. I¡¯ve altered some soap and created handmade aloe vera soap. It not only cleans the skin well but also prevents moisture from leaving the skin.¡± Yu Xiaocao pretended to smile in a mysterious manner.


    ¡°Handmade aloe vera soap? This is soap that has the hydrating aloe vera juice added to it? Younger Sister Xiaocao, did you bring any along today? Can you take it out to let us older sisters take a look?¡± At a party or banquet, most people had to wash their hands at some point. Some maidens were more picky and would always bring their own soap along. Because of this, He Wanning asked to see if Xiaocao brought any soap along.


    Yu Xiaocao gave Hechun a look and lightlyughed as the rest of the girls looked at her, ¡°I¡¯m not used to using the soap that is sold by the stores in the capital, so I really did bring some along. I not only brought over some aloe vera soap but I also brought over some new soap that my maid and I came up that contains honey and milk in it. It not only can maintain the skin¡¯s hydration but also has brightening and whitening effects...¡±


    ¡°Quickly take it out so we can see!¡± He Wanning could no longer wait. Before they realized it, Xiaocao had be the person under the spotlight. Even Royal Princess Minn no longer had the patience to talk to the other guests and instead looked at Xiaocao with interest as she sat next to her.


    Hechun had a proud look on her face as she transferred the two flower pots in her hands to one of the maids in charge of this warm room. She took out her personal purse and carefully lifted out two delicately carved wooden boxes. These boxes were tiny and adorable and had a lily carved on their lids.


    He Wanning grabbed one of the wooden boxes and carefully lifted the lid. Everyone could see that inside the box was a handmade soap that looked as beautiful as the most precious mutton-fat jade. It was about half the size of a maiden¡¯s palm and was in the shape of a flower. On the top of the soap, they could also see a small lifelike honeybee carved there.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful and it even has the light sweet smell of cow¡¯s milk. It resembles the most expensive pastry from ¡®Daohua Vige¡¯!¡± A plump young girl who still had some baby fat on her face eximed somewhat foolishly. Apparently, before they knew it, Yu Xiaocao had attracted the attention of everyone and had been surrounded by all of the young maidens. Everyone craned their necks so that they could see the box holding the soap in He Wanning¡¯s hands.


    Yu Xiaocao introduced this product, ¡°Older Sister He is holding the milk and honey handmade soap. It not only brightens and hydrates the skin, but it also leaves a light fragrance on your hands after you wash with it.¡± ¡°Quickly, bring a basin of water over. I want to try it!¡± He Wanning had an impetuous personality, so she immediately ordered one of the maids to bring some washing water over.


    Royal Princess Minn was also holding a small wooden box in her hands. Inside this box was a handmade soap in the shape of a leaf. It was so intricately decorated that she could even see the ¡®veins¡¯ on the leaf. It had a pale green color that looked very fresh and cute. A light sniff revealed a simple and delicate fragrance that reminded people of the smell of spring in the countryside. The aroma reminded them of fresh cut grass and spring flowers and was intoxicating to them.


    ¡°Is this...the handmade soap that has some aloe vera juice added to it?¡± Royal Princess Minn quietly asked.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and smiled, ¡°This soap is very good at maintaining skin hydration. After washing your hands, your skin will feel slippery and soft. It feels quitefortable.¡±


    The water basin had been brought up and He Wanning wet her hands before holding the milk and honey handmade soap bar. She grinned, ¡°Such a beautiful handmade soap. I almost can¡¯t bear to use it!¡±

 Chapter 443 – Flower War

    <h4>Chapter 443 ¨C Flower War</h4>


    ¡°Articles for daily use should be used in order to get their true value. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Yu Xiaocao took the handmade soap and gently wet it with some water before rubbing it on He Wanning¡¯s hands.


    He Wanning slowly rubbed her two hands together and a white bubbly foam quickly appeared. She grinned, ¡°Just from the bubbles alone I can tell that this soap is better than the one from Full Spring Fragrance. Furthermore, the smell of the soap is very good. Although Full Spring Fragrance¡¯s soap has some added fragrance in it, it still can¡¯tpletely get rid of the scent of lye. Younger Sister, your handmade soap has the slightly sweet smell of cow¡¯s milk and has no weird odors. Afterparing the two, I can tell your soap is much better!¡±


    She gently rinsed off the foam from her hands and then wiped her hands dry with a handkerchief. A look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face as she eximed, ¡°Wow! My hands are so soft and slippery! It¡¯s not like how they feel after I use Full Spring Fragrance¡¯s soap; they usually feel dry and astringent. Xueyan, feel my hands! Aren¡¯t they soft and smooth now...¡±


    ¡°Your hands? You always use them to hold onto swords or boxing. They¡¯re so hard that they feel like steel ws, how could they possibly feel soft?¡± From the tone of Yuan Xueyan¡¯s voice, everyone could tell that these two beauties had a good rtionship with each other and were quite close!


    He Wanning red at her and groused, ¡°I was telling you to feel the skin on my hands to see if they feel soft and smooth! You ah! If you don¡¯t insult me a couple of times every day, then you probably don¡¯t feel right. Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Yuan Xueyan had a clearly reluctant expression on her face as she reached out to feel the other girl¡¯s hands. Suddenly, under the expectant gaze of He Wanning, she let out a noise in surprise and then carefully felt the skin on He Wanning¡¯s hands again. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face.


    ¡°Are you done touching me? I¡¯m starting to get goosebumps from your constant touching! If I didn¡¯t have a good understanding of you, then I would start thinking that you have lesbian tendencies ah!¡± He Wanning pulled her hand out of Yuan Xueyan¡¯s hands and forcefully rubbed it.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, may I feel your hands too?¡± Yuan Xueyan noticed that Royal Princess Minn had already washed her hands with the handmade aloe vera soap and proposed a question.


    Royal Princess Minn felt the skin on her hands and then felt the skin on her face. She discovered that her hands had be much more hydrated and softpared to before. After hearing the other girl¡¯s request, she moved her hands to allow Yuan Xueyan to feel them. She noticed that the other girl was lost in thought after feeling her hands and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡±


    Yuan Xueyan liked to make her own cosmetics at home and the products she made were not in any way inferior to the famous brand, Full Spring Fragrance. The duck-egg powder she made could improve the coloring of one¡¯s skin and it looked more natural on a person¡¯s face. The maidens who had a good rtionship with her all shamelessly thought up ways to ask her to give them a box of powder. If this handmade soap could earn her recognition, then it was absolutely a ster product.


    ¡°Who would have thought such a small piece of soap could have the ability to keep moisture in the skin and smooth it out. Furthermore, its effect is instantaneous. This is something that even I can¡¯te up with.¡± Yuan Xueyan gave a very favorable review of this handmade soap in front of everyone, which made this product recognized by all of them.


    Yu Xiaocao felt like it was time to be modest at this point and humbly said, ¡°In actuality, keeping the skin hydrated not only requires the use of external cosmetics but it¡¯s also important to treat it from within. Every morning, having a cup of warm water can replenish all of the water lost from your body overnight. Eating more fruits and vegetables is good not only for the skin but also for the rest of the body. Furthermore, one can frequently use thin slices of cucumber ced on the face to help maintain skin hydration. If you want to brighten the skin, then you can mix some tomato juice with honey together and use it as a mask on the skin. However, you should probably test it out on a small patch of skin first to see if you have an allergic reaction...¡±


    What a joke, she remembered all of the little secrets and methods that were well-known in modern times to treat the skin. In this era, where there was a dearth of information about this, her little bit of knowledge was more than enough to impress the other young maidens. As expected, a portion of the youngdies¡¯ eyes started shining with an admiring light. The rest of them pretended to be calm and not interested, but it was obvious that all of them had their ears perked up to hear everything.


    A flower war party had almost be a discussion in swapping skincare secrets. Luckily, Royal Princess Minn didn¡¯t forget the purpose of her banquet. Although she was a bit reluctant to change the subject, the ¡®flower war party¡¯ was now in full session.


    Li Meirou was quite upset that Yu Xiaocao had gotten the attention of everyone else earlier. In addition, the other girl had already revealed her ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ chrysanthemum flower and had an additional two pots of flowers with her. She couldn¡¯t help but sourly remark, ¡°There are some people here who are obviously inexperienced! Everyone only brought one pot of flowers over for this flower war party. She, on the other hand, brought over three pots! It¡¯s not like she can win by bringing more flowers along!¡±


    One of the girls next to her lightly pulled at her sleeve. Earlier, everyone¡¯s impression of Yu Xiaocao had clearly changed and she had observed all of that. All of the maidens here desperately wanted to get their hands on some handmade soap like the ones that He Wanning and Royal Princess Minn had tried. Who didn¡¯t want to use some handmade soap that could nourish and brighten their skin? Jumping out at this time to cause trouble for the inventor of the soaps was truly a stupid thing to do.


    This young maiden usually had a good rtionship with Li Meirou, which was the reason why she was reminding her. Furthermore, she helped her to soften her earlier remarks, ¡°This is the first time that Miss Yu has attended a flower war party. It¡¯s likely that she didn¡¯t understand the rules before she came.¡±


    ¡°Just whose side are you on anyway? You¡¯re only eyeing her handmade soaps, which is why you¡¯re saying a few ttering words, right? You just want something from her. Wang Qiuyue, I never thought you were this kind of person!!¡± Unfortunately, Li Meirou wasn¡¯t grateful and even snapped at her in a sarcastic manner.


    Wang Qiuyue was so antagonized by her manner that her face turned white. She turned her back to the other girl and decided to ignore this person who was clearly too stupid to recognize good from bad. In the past, she thought Li Meirou was only slightly arrogant but she never knew that she was such a stubborn and dislikable person! Usually the other girl treated her fine but the one time things weren¡¯t going her way, she decided to bite off the head of a well-meaning person. It was better to stay far away from such a person!


    When the other maidens saw that she even verbally abused Wang Qiuyue, who was the youngdy who had the best rtionship with her, they promptly decided to forgo trying to smooth things over.


    The more Li Meirou dug a hole for herself, the happier Yu Xiaocao felt. She looked at the three pots of flowers that she brought and spoke to Royal Princess Minn, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring all three along topete in the flower wars. This pot of ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ is my gift to the hostess for inviting me. This pot of ¡®Cinnabar Purple¡¯ camellia is for the opening act of the flower war. As for thisst pot of orchids, that¡¯s the pot that I will be using topete in this banquet.¡±


    Li Meirou snorted disdainfully, ¡°You certainly know how to smooth things over. Truly someone who refuses to admit a mistake! I, this youngdy, shouldn¡¯t have bothered speaking earlier. When you lose faceter on, then we can allugh at you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao decided to not lower herself to the level of someone who had no brains to speak of in order to avoid getting contaminated by the other girl¡¯s stupidity. A maiden dressed in purple, who feverishly adored camellias, slowly got closer and remarked with an expression full of surprise, ¡°Is this the famed ¡®Cinnabar Purple¡¯ camellia from Dali Bai? Their most famous variant? It really is, it really is! The color of these flowers is almost an inky dark purple and I heard that this type of camellia is the one with the most pigmented flowers. It¡¯s gorgeous without being overwhelming, stately without being crude...this camellia, did you also find it in that ravine in the mountain?¡±


    The burning gazes of all of the maidens fell onto Yu Xiaocao. If she also stated that this camellia was found in the mountain ravine, she was pretty sure that they would all throw a tantrum and insist on going there. Yu Xiaocao hurriedly stated, ¡°This pot of ¡®Cinnabar Purple¡¯ camellia was given to me as a reward from Princess Consort Jing.¡±


    The purple-clothed maiden muttered, ¡°No wonder. Everyone knows that Princess Consort Jing loves camellias. Imperial Prince Jing and her three sons travel all throughout the country to find rare and beautiful varieties for her. Other than Lady Feng, no one else besides her would be able to have a precious specimen like this.¡±


    Lin Weiyu, who was one of the ¡®four talented girls of the capital¡¯, had a spark sh through her eyes and a friendly smile appeared on her face, ¡°Princess Consort Jing adores her camellias the most. Younger Sister Yu, you must have done something great in order to have her personally give you one of her beloved camellia flowers! I heard that Princess Consort Jing¡¯s health had improved immensely in Tanggu Town after encountering a famous doctor who healed her body. Younger Sister Yu is from Tanggu and also has good medicinal skills. Are you somehow rted to this famous doctor, Younger Sister Yu?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the other girl and gave her a small smile, ¡°No famed medicinal skills here. I only coincidentally encountered a few prescriptions that are good for nourishing the body that were able to improve Princess Consort Jing¡¯s health! However, this reward wasn¡¯t given to me at random. Princess Consort Jing¡¯s camellia had gotten infested with wood maggots and I managed to fix it, which is how I got this pot of ¡®Cinnabar Purple¡¯ camellia. I merely tried to graft it onto an ordinary camellia and didn¡¯t expect it to actually work!¡±


    The eyes of the purple-clothed maiden lit up, ¡°Are you saying that you used a branch of ¡®Cinnabar Purple¡¯ camellia and grafted it onto another camellia sessfully? And now it¡¯s growing well? Then...doesn¡¯t that mean, as long as I¡¯m able to get ahold of a branch of an expensive and precious camellia, you¡¯ll be able to grow it into a full nt?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t make such a im. Otherwise, in the future, everyone would be mouring for her to raise nts for them. Where would she find the time to do so? Thus, she hurriedly exined, ¡°This pot of ¡®Cinnabar Purple¡¯ camellia only happened because this method coincidentally worked. If you wanted me to grow other ones, I really don¡¯t know where I would start!¡±


    The purple-clothed maiden was a bit disappointed. However, she persisted in insisting, ¡°Since you know how to treat the ailments of camellia flowers, that means you also have a good handle on how to raise nts. When springes, my family will be having a flower banquet, so please, Miss Yu, show up.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course! It would be my honor!¡± Yu Xiaocao metaphorically wiped away a bit of non-existent sweat from her face. Interacting with these obsessed young maidens was truly more tiring than she had thought!


    In order to make sure the oue of the flower war party was fair, Royal Princess Minn had especially invited a person famed for her gardening knowledge. In fact, she was on the level of Princess Consort Jing and Lady Feng and was considered an esteemed guest by both of them. She never had any issues answering any difficult questions about different flora.


    Every young noble maiden, in order to gain some reputation at this flower battle, had also put in a lot of effort in finding good specimens for this party. However, rare and precious specimens could only be sought and not obtained. The ordinary varieties were a dime a dozen. As for any true rare flowers, there really weren¡¯t any.


    The young maidens all brought along beautiful pots of flowers along. There were sumptuous and gorgeous peonies, elegant and stately chrysanthemums, delicate and adorable camellias, and refined and graceful orchids...it was truly an astonishing sight. To be able to get so many flowers in such a season, it made it seem like that atmosphere in this warm room had abruptly changed seasons. It looked like spring was in full bloom here.


    There was a lot of variety of flowers. In the peonies section, there was the ¡®Pea Green¡¯ peony that had sparkling and translucent petals as adorable as jade. Then there was a variety that had thickyers of snowy white petals called ¡®Bright Jade¡¯ and a variety that had light purple petals that was called ¡®Lightly Tinted Jade Pavillion¡¯...there was also quite a bit of chrysanthemums in this room. Aromatic Gilt, Purple Dragon Curled in Snow, Precious Jade Phoenix, A Thousand Birds, Rouge Stained Snow...these were just the names of some of the chrysanthemums present.


    However, there wasn¡¯t a lot of variety of camellias present as the room only held the variants that weremonly seen. A few pots of orchids were avable and their rarity was decent. Some of their names were: Heavenly Jade Snow, Green-scented Jade, and Great Silk Snow. Despite that, she had seen all of these orchid variants in the greenhouse at the Fang Residence.

 Chapter 444 – Winning the Competition

    <h4>Chapter 444 ¨C Winning the Competition</h4>


    The ¡®judges¡¯ all minutely discussed each and every flower in detail. Not a single w escaped their eyes. However, they weren¡¯t truly interested in any of the disyed pots because not a single specimen was one that caught their eye with its brilliance and grandeur. The two that Yu Xiaocao had brought, the ¡®Two Qiaos¡¯ chrysanthemum and ¡®Cinnabar Purple¡¯ camellia, made their eyes glow with admiration as they were perfect examples of rare and beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, those two pots of flowers were not here to participate in thepetition.


    Nevertheless, one was here as a gift to the hostess while the other was to open thepetition. Since both were such rarities, didn¡¯t that mean that Yu Xiaocao had brought over a flower that was even more precious and grand than those other two for thepetition? All of the flower experts here were looking forward to her entry.


    Finally, Yu Xiaocao took out herst pot of flowers and ced it on the judging table.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this...this a lotus-petal orchid? That¡¯s not right, it...it looks like abination of lotus-shaped petals that has harmonized with the simple elegance and character of the three most famous orchids! I¡¯ve lived for so long yet I¡¯ve never seen such an orchid like this. Could it be a new breed?¡± The judge who knew the most about orchids and who had personally thought that there wasn¡¯t an orchid in the world she hadn¡¯t seen was named Du Wenli. She was an esteemed flower expert but she almost thrust her head forward in an undignified manner to get a closer look at this pot of flowers.


    Within the delicate porcin pot, an orchid flower quietly bloomed. In between its slender leaves was a blossom of sparkling white petals that resembled the most high-quality jade. It looked like a simple and elegant courtdy shyly revealing a sweet smile. Its lotus shaped petals had fine, delicate veins running through it that were tinted a light green. It made it seem as tender as a newborn child...


    Another flora expert, Mei Fanghua, also praised this flower endlessly, ¡°This is definitely an example of a lotus-petal orchid of the best caliber. Look at the flower petals, the length and width of them are perfectly proportional and bnced with each other. The ends of the petalse to a point like an arrow and make the petalse to the shape of an immortal peach. When that is added on to the delicate little tongue, no other lotus-petal orchid in the world could possiblypare to this one! It even has the superimposed colors of a bright red outline and pure white insides. One could truly say that this orchid is ¡®something that can¡¯t be sculpted by even the best artisan, a pure example of flowers blooming from the water¡¯!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absolutely right! Lady Mei¡¯s assessment of this orchid is spot on and I believe that this specimen has increased the standards all flowers should be judged by. Truly something worthy of celebration!¡± Du Wenli had finally encountered someone who had simr inclinations with her. She pointed at this pot of orchid flowers, ¡°Can you see the few strands of light-green traveling through the petals? I believe it truly entuates the simple elegance of an orchid flower. Just like a top-notch beauty from the Tang Dynasty, it has clear features with a coquettish plumpness. Heavenly beauty and each open flower looks like it is surrounded by five heavenly peaches. Truly bewitches a person beyondparison...¡±


    Heavenly immortal peaches? Yu Xiaocao scooted over to take a closer look. Didn¡¯t all of the petals on the flower look like they were just in the shape of a peach? She felt like these expert flower enthusiasts had imaginations that were a bit too oundish. Expert Du must be a foodie! Her godmother had said that Expert Du was one of her good friends. Next year, when the honey peaches were ripe, she needed to give her a portion...


    Just as she was lost in her thoughts, Expert Du¡¯s voice suddenly brought her back to the present. Du Wenli noticed that the young girl was blinking herrge eyes in confusion as if she had long stopped paying attention to the events around. She lightly chuckled and thought, ¡®Lady Fang¡¯s adopted daughter is really quite interesting. At such an important event, she can even get lost in her own thoughts. Is she very confident in the oue or does she not care at all about this flower war banquet?¡¯


    ¡°Miss Yu, does this pot of orchid have a name?¡± Lady Du gently made a few noises. Only when she saw that the littless had finally looked at her did she quietly ask her question.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled at her and said, ¡°My godmother said that this orchid¡¯s flower, leaves, fragrance, demeanor, color, spirit, beautybined with its lotus characteristics, simple and elegant atmosphere and other qualities makes it noble and refined. Thus, she gave it the name ¡®Elegant Lotus Crown¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡®Elegant Lotus Crown¡¯? Very good name. It truly describes the half-lotus and half-orchid characteristics of this orchid nt! This Elegant Lotus Crown orchid is simple and elegant, pure beyondparison, so it is definitely one of the best orchids out there! Do you happen to know where Lady Fang got this nt?¡± Lady Mei also praised the name of this orchid unstintingly and she was very envious of Lady Fang¡¯s good fortune.


    Lady Fang had loved orchids ever since she was a young girl. At that time, Matriarch Xia had also spoiled her and spent lots of money to buy precious orchids for her. After she married General Fang, she didn¡¯t have any children after twenty years of marriage. Consequently, she paid even more attention to her orchid flowers. General Fang also searched throughout the country to help her find rare and precious orchid flowers. Every time she had a flower banquet at her residence, her collection of orchids always dazzled everyone there. She truly had a collection that was hard to find.


    Only half a year had passed since shest saw Lady Fang, yet the other woman had gotten her hands on another precious orchid flower. This orchid was particrly special and unique. It was unlikely that any of the other orchids in her collection could even hold a candle to this one in terms of rarity and value.


    No one was the least bit surprised that the ¡®Elegant Lotus Crown¡¯ orchid that Yu Xiaocao brought was the winner of this flower war. Li Meirou felt very aggrieved at this oue. However, in front of these flower experts, who were allplimenting this orchid without stopping, she couldn¡¯t say anything. Although the look on her face was slightly ugly, she wasn¡¯t so stupid that she would refute these expert opinions.


    In fact, for the sake of gaining some prestige at this flower war party, Li Meirou had begged her mother to use her connections to get Lady Feng to lend a famous camellia flower to her. Naturally, how could someone who loved flowers bear to lend out her most precious flowers to another person? Despite that, even Lady Feng¡¯s least outstanding flower from her collection was still more than enough to outshine the specimens from the young maidens who only had a hobby of raising flowers.


    However, the result was contrary to her hopes. A girl from a farmer¡¯s family, from who knows where, had actually brought over a pot of flowers that even the flower experts had never seen before. Furthermore, this new variety was also one of the rarest orchids too. It really ticked her off that someone else had stolen her thunder!


    Li Meirou remarked in a dissatisfied manner just as everyone was in good spirits, ¡°This pot of rare orchid isn¡¯t something from your own collection. So what¡¯s the point in you feeling so happy and proud about this? So unexpected that you have such an ambitious personality that you would bring out a rare orchid from Lady Fang to show off. You just wanted to stomp everyone else in the ground!¡±


    When she finished speaking, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t deign to reply but many of the other young maidens in the room had their expressions change. Out of the two dozen or so youngdies here, just how many were true flower lovers? Most of them were only participating for the fun and took the flower war party as an excuse to spend time with each other in a lively situation. The vast majority of them had brought over some rare specimens from their older rtives to attend this party for the sake of saying a few ttering words to the royal princess. Now that their actions had been brought to the forefront, how could any of them be happy? Flushes of anger and shame appeared on their faces.


    Every young maiden here had a different personality. Some of them swallowed down their fury and seethed inwardly. Others, on the other hand, ignited as if they were a firecracker and brought the conflict out into the open, ¡°Li Meirou, just what are you trying to say? You¡¯re shameless enough to scold other people, ah? What about that pot of ¡®Crane Feather¡¯ camellia you brought over? Do I need to say anything more?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, your paternal aunt visited Lady Feng¡¯s residence and didn¡¯t bring anything along. However, when she left, she came out with a flower pot. I¡¯ve known you for so many years but I¡¯ve never seen you take much interest in flowers. Yet, you suddenly appear at this party with a rare species of camellia. And this all happens after your paternal aunt called upon Lady Feng, the renowned lover and collector of camellias. What do you have to say for yourself?¡± Another young maiden took advantage of the situation to sling some mud at her.


    Li Meirou had originally been trying to target thatss, Xiaocao, but she didn¡¯t expect her actions to draw the ire of the others. After being confronted with the pointed remarks of her previous friends, her eyes immediately turned red as if people were bullying her. She choked out, ¡°You guys...why are you guys speaking up for that stupidss? Were you truly just bought over by a little handmade soap and methods to nourish the skin? Or are you guys thinking of other benefits you can get from her so now you¡¯re targeting me instead...¡±


    When she said this, everyone else was even more offended by her words. From what she was iming, everyone here was only using others for their own advantage and were stepping down on her!


    Royal Princess Minn sent a scathing re at her, hinting at her to stop talking. Then she came out to relieve the pressure, ¡°Miss Li¡¯s words were a bit rash. Everyone has known each other for many years, so we should all be familiar with her personality, right? That being said, this flower war party was for the sake of having some fun and I only did it as an excuse to have everyonee together. Does it really matter where we got the flowers from and who actually owns them? Despite that, my eyes have truly been opened by today. Apparently, there were many species of precious flowers that I have never seen before so I have grown in knowledge. In the future, if we continue to have more flower banquets, it¡¯s likely that all of us will be much more knowledgeable in flowers!¡±


    After receiving Royal Princess Minn¡¯s warning, Li Meirou didn¡¯t dare to show that she was upset despite the grievance she felt in her heart. If she ruined the royal princess¡¯s party, then in the future, it was unlikely that she would be invited by any of the noble young maidens for other gatherings. She squeezed out a smile on her face and tried to show her friendliness to the other girls present. However, she still somehow managed to neglect Yu Xiaocao in her apologies.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t take any of this little girl¡¯s petty actions to heart and continued to sit peacefully at the main table. She was currently in a lively discussion with Yuan Xueyan, who was very interested in the Elegant Lotus Crown orchid.


    ¡°Older Sister Yuan, if you like this flower, then when the flower starts diving into a second stalk, I¡¯ll give you that one!¡± This pot of Elegant Lotus Crown orchid was actually one of the other stalks that had split from the one she had given to her godmother two years ago. However, she had used the excuse of borrowing this pot at the banquet already, so she naturally couldn¡¯t just give it to someone. Thus, Xiaocao could only promise that in the following year, she would give a stalk that split from the main nt to Yuan Xueyan.


    Yuan Xueyan sincerely liked this orchid that was pure and elegant. It was really to her taste and fit her temperament. However, she could tell that this Elegant Lotus Crown orchid was extremely rare and valuable from Lady Mei¡¯s assessment of the flower and the older woman¡¯s envious tone. This was the first time they met. Although their personalities got along and she truly liked this younger girl, she really couldn¡¯t ept such a valuable gift so shamelessly.


    He Wanning, who was sitting at the side, could tell her good friend¡¯s misgivings and hurriedly interjected, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, this orchid is extremely valuable and precious and must be the treasure of your godmother. Is it alright for you to so easily promise that you¡¯ll send a pot out without asking your godmother first? What if she has other ns for it?¡±


    Li Meirou, who was sitting at a neighboring table, had been eavesdropping this entire time in an attempt to catch Xiaocao at a disadvantage. How could she possibly let go of such a good opportunity? She coldlyughed and sneered, ¡°Looks like some people here throw caution to the winds in order to tter the noble daughter of the prime minister! I wonder how Lady Fang would feel if she found out that her own goddaughter promised to give out her treasure to climb onto others. A piece of dog meat cannot stick onto a sheep. Some people are so shameless that they¡¯ll try to grab onto anyone. However, doing so will never change the truth of their lowly background!¡±


    Just who was the dog meat and who was the sheep? Yuan Xueyan lightly frowned. Just how did the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments teach his daughter? She never thought before she spoke and acted impulsively and arrogantly. She was narrow-minded and only concerned with the superficial. How could this type of person be also considered a noble young maiden?


    Li Meirou didn¡¯t realize that while she was trying to point out Yu Xiaocao¡¯s ws and tter the daughter of the prime minister, she actually ended up offending said daughter of the prime minister. Furthermore, Miss Yuan now considered her to be a person she absolutely could not interact with in the future. She had truly bitten more off than she could chew!


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and, under the concerned gaze of Yuan Xueyan, easily refuted the other girl¡¯s usations, ¡°Miss Li, it is of no concern to you whether or not I have the authority to give out this Elegant Lotus Crown orchid. I am well aware of what I can and cannot do. However, some people did their utmost best to borrow a valuable nt from others yet clearly have no idea how to take care of it. If that flower got damaged by frost or even destroyed, I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ll make it up to the original owner, right?¡±

 Chapter 445 – Invite

    <h4>Chapter 445 ¨C Invite</h4>


    Li Meirou still wanted to talk back, but when she turned her gaze to the flower that she brought over, she realized that it really didn¡¯t look as lively as when she came. Lady Feng loved flowers, so if it was really harmed in any way, her aunt tearing her apart would be considered letting her off easily.


    With this thought in mind, Li Meirou felt as if she was sitting on pins and needles. She struggled for a long time inwardly and finally decided not to stay to the end of the banquet. She came up with an excuse and left the venue ahead of time. She carefully protected the pot of gorgeous camellia flowers for fear of any mishaps.


    After sending away that eyesore, Yu Xiaocao ate and drank with relish at the banquet. The cooking skills of Duke Zhenguo Estate¡¯s chefs were pretty good. Duke Zhenguo Estate had put in a lot of effort for the sake of this flowerpetition. In addition to meat dishes, the vegetables were all bought from the greenhouse. For these two tables of dishes, they had to spend at least several hundreds of taels.


    During the meal, Royal Princess Minn picked up a refreshing and crisp green vegetable and said, ¡°In the past, when I wanted to eat some fresh greens in the winter, I would have to grow some vegetables in the hothouse like nting flowers. It would usually be hard to even have a te of leafy greens on the table, let alone eat to one¡¯s heart¡¯s content. The small amount of vegetables grown in the greenhouse wouldn¡¯t even be enough to entertain guests at banquets and New Year celebrations. Now, we can buy nearly any fresh vegetables that we want to eat. We can even eat fruits and melons in the winter!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Younger Sister Xiaocao, what exactly is your brain made out of? You actually came up with the idea of growing vegetables in a big greenhouse. You¡¯re my savior ah!! Do you know that? I really hate eating cabbage and radish, but in the winter, other than the different kinds of meat, those two are the only two vegetables that can be eaten. The taste makes me want to vomit, but if I don¡¯t eat it, I¡¯ll get inmmation and ulcers in my mouth. It¡¯s fine now because I¡¯m saved by the greenhouse vegetables!¡± He Wanning took a bite of the stired-fried lettuce with oyster sauce, which had a fresh and green appearance that roused one¡¯s appetite.


    For families of high-ranking officials like them who had money and power, they could afford to eat vegetables daily. However, at today¡¯s banquet, there were quite a lot of young misses from families of fourth-ranked and fifth-ranked officials whose fathers and brothers worked in a post without much profit. Thus, they couldn¡¯t eat vegetables, which were even more expensive than meat, whenever they wanted.


    In addition to sweet watermelons, the fruits served after the meal included the sweet and delicious muskmelon and little tomatoes that were about the same size of pigeon eggs. These little tomatoes were produced by gic mutation with the help of the little divine stone¡¯s power. They were small but had an even better taste. They also had a richer concentration of spiritual power than ordinary fruits and vegetables.


    The frequent consumption of the little tomatoes would trigger an obvious change in the human body, so in order to prevent this, they only nted a small amount of the tomatoes. Most of them were kept for their own consumption, while a small portion was sold. The price for the little tomatoes were ten taels per catty, which almost caused a fiercepetition. This was because there was a purchase limit. Each household could only buy one catty per day. They would at most sell ten catties a day, so it could only be considered something novel to try out.


    For example, for Duke Zhenguo Estate¡¯s banquet today, they either had to line up for several days without rest, or ask families, who they had a good rtionship with, to help them buy the tomatoes. What? They should have had their servants go buy more in disguise? If they got discovered, they would get cklisted by the store. Moreover, there were so many rich and influential businessmen in the capital. Would they allow one family to dominate the goods? No one dared to openly cheat in front of public eyes!


    The fruit tes were mostly filled with cut up watermelons and muskmelons. There were only enough little tomatoes for each person to eat one. The people here were all tactful and knowledgeable people, so no one dared to inwardlyin that Royal Princess Minn was being petty. Instead, they admired her for being able to entertain guests with little tomatoes!


    It was the first time that these youngdies, who hade from humble backgrounds with fathers and brothers in low-ranking positions, had tasted such a delicious ¡®fruit¡¯. There was a slight sour taste in the sweetness. With one bite, the juice would instantly burst within their mouths. It was an iparably satisfying feeling that caused people to savor the taste for a long time.


    He Wanning finished the little tomato in two bites, and then looked at the remaining fruit on the te. When the little tomatoes were served at the main table, except for Yu Xiaocao, everyone had picked up a piece to carefully taste. Even Royal Princess Minn, as the host, was unwilling to give up the little tomato, which she seldom had the chance to eat, to the guests.


    ¡°Younger Sister, you¡¯re not eating?¡± Seeing that Xiaocao had reached her hand out to get a muskmelon and slowly savored it, He Wanning looked around and asked with a smile as she pointed at the remaining tomato.


    Yu Xiaocao took in the expression in her eyes. She suppressed herughter and thought, ¡®She really is just a teenage girl who can¡¯t resist the temptation of tasty food.¡¯ Then she looked at the other young misses, who held the little tomato in their hands and were unwilling to eat it. ¡®So who¡¯s the ignorant country bumpkin?¡¯


    ¡°If Older Sister Wanning likes it, you can have my share!¡± These fruits and melons were all grown by her, so would sheck these at home? Thisss He Wanning had a straightforward temperament, but she wasn¡¯t someone with ill intentions. For someone like this, if she liked someone, she would even be willing to take out her heart and give to others. But, of course, if she didn¡¯t like someone, then she would unreservedly show it on her face.


    He Wanning was just waiting for her to say that, ¡°Then I won¡¯t be courteous! Heh heh...¡±


    ¡°Just look at how embarrassing you¡¯re being! Does the princess royal not feed you? You¡¯re embarrassing yourself at other people¡¯s house!¡± Yuan Xueyan knew her temper, so she jokingly scolded her.


    As if she was Zhu Bajie eating a ginseng fruit, He Wanning ate the little tomato in one bite. She sighed and said, ¡°You should also know that this thing can¡¯t be bought even if one has money! Even if you line up in front of a fruit shop for three to five days, you still might not be able to buy one catty back! My grandmother isn¡¯t very interested in other fruits, but she loves this little tomato. After we managed to get a catty back with much difficulty, most of them were given to my grandmother. Do you think that I can snatch food from my grandmother, who has doted on me since I was young?¡±


    ¡°Who told you to put up a front and say that you don¡¯t like eating it?¡± Yuan Xueyan knew the reason behind it, so while she teased her, she actually agreed with her friend¡¯s actions in her heart.


    With a troubled expression on her face, He Wanning replied, ¡°If I didn¡¯t say that, my grandmother would be reluctant to eat it and she would save them for me to eat! My grandmother has doted on me for nearly fifteen years, so why can¡¯t I pamper her once? Poor me, I have to find an excuse to leave every time my grandmother eats the little tomatoes so that she wouldn¡¯t see my salivating expression.¡±


    Someone who was filial couldn¡¯t be too bad of a person! Yu Xiaocao thought that she was someone who was worthy of making friends with. However, she wouldn¡¯t say this in front of everyone. She just asked in a roundabout way, ¡°What does Older Sister He usually do for fun?¡±


    ¡°I just read books and practice swordsmanship. asionally, I will run a fewps on the racetrack in the countryside. When my older brothers go hunting, they would sometimes take me along.¡± He Wanning wasn¡¯t interested in the four arts [1] and was brought up like a tomboy by her older brothers.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, ¡°I have a little red horse with good strength in its legs. On another day, if you¡¯re interested, we can go for an outing on horseback together. There are many pheasants and wild hares in the mountains near the Imperial ntation. My archery skills aren¡¯t very good, but I know how to set traps. If we catch some game, we can have a barbecue at the foot of the mountain...¡±


    Outing? It was winter now, so it wasn¡¯t a good idea to go on an outing in this cold weather. But the thing that piqued He Wanning¡¯s interest wasn¡¯t the outing. Instead it was the location of the outing¡ªnear the Imperial ntation! What was the most famous thing about the Imperial ntation now? Greenhouse vegetables ah! At Royal Prince Yang¡¯s ntation next door, they had the even more famous greenhouse fruits! Inside, they had her favorite little tomatoes...


    Younger Sister Yu was considered half an owner of these greenhouses, right? If she went as a guest, wouldn¡¯t she be treated to good food and drinks? She might even be able to back some stuff back when leaving...


    ¡°Okay, okay! When are we going?¡± With that thought in mind, He Wanning was itching to leave Duke Zhenguo Estate and immediately go to the Imperial ntation.


    Seeing He Wanning¡¯s reaction, Royal Princess Minn understood what she was thinking and immediately said, ¡°Younger Sister Yu, you can¡¯t just favor one over another and only invite her but not me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my honor to be able to invite Your Highness the Royal Princess. On another day, I¡¯ll send an invitation to invite Royal Princess, Older Sister He, and Older Sister Yuan to go on an outing! Please ept my invitation ah!¡± Of course, she didn¡¯t mind making friends with some of the most famous noble young misses in the capital. Now, her godmother didn¡¯t have to worry about her not being able to make friends.


    When she came out of Duke Zhenguo Estate and the carriage had traveled a short distance, Hechun quietly said, ¡°Young Miss, Royal Prince Yang is in front of us. Could it be that he¡¯s waiting for you, Young Miss?¡±


    Linglong shot her a look and the smile on her face slowly faded, ¡°Where are your manners? What right do you have to speak of the master¡¯s matters?¡±


    Hechun bowed her head and timidly replied, ¡°Yes! This servant knows my mistake. Please punish me, Young Miss!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at Linglong, nodded, and said, ¡°Then you will be punished with no sry for three months. Go back and reflect on yourself!¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± Hechun inwardly scolded herself for crossing the line. Her master was kind, but that didn¡¯t mean that servants didn¡¯t have to abide by their duties. She had be somewhat smug after her handmade soaps were praised by the noblewomen. From now on, she must remember this lesson and live up to the trust and support of her young miss.


    ¡°How is it? Did things go well at today¡¯s flower banquet?¡± When Zhu Junyang, who was riding on Fierce Wind, saw the familiar horse carriagee over, he guided his horse to follow beside the carriage. His voice sounded through the window of the carriage.


    Yu Xiaocao lifted the curtain and looked at the devilishly handsome man dressed in dark ck brocade robe. There was a profound glow within his pair of phoenix eyes, which seemed to be able to lure one¡¯s soul, as he looked at her. The corners of his eyes were slightly nted upwards, which enhanced his seductive charms. With his lips pursed together, it seemed like the snow had melted and spring had started. ¡®So devilish ah! He¡¯s seriously so devilishly charming ah!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao inwardly eximed when she saw the young maidens and matrons on the street staring at him with blushing faces.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Got bullied? Who is it? Tell this prince!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s face was suddenly covered with frost, and a wave of murderous intent lingered around him.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head and said, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. No one bullied me! The flower banquet went very well. All the flowers that everyone brought over were famous species. However, in terms of value, they naturally couldn¡¯tpete with my ¡®Elegant Lotus Crown¡¯. I won a lot of rewards today. Since you¡¯re here, how about I share half of them with you?¡±


    ¡°This prince isn¡¯t interested in things that girls like!¡± Seeing that there didn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with the littless¡¯s expression, Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart felt half relieved. As for the other half, he would see after he inquired about what had happened!

 Chapter 446 – Blacklist

    <h4>Chapter 446 ¨C cklist</h4>


    It wasn¡¯t hard to find out about the discord between the daughter of the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments and Yu Xiaocao, who was an official under the Ministry of Revenue. When Zhu Junyang heard about this matter, he was immediately enraged. Not far from the entrance of Assistant Minister Li¡¯s residence, he stopped Eldest Young Master Li and beat him until he looked like a pig head. Fortunately, he had controlled his strength. Otherwise, he would have broken several ribs and that guy would have to lie in bed for more than half a year.


    Before he left, he even arrogantly said, ¡°Tell your foolishlycent younger sister to stay away from the Ministry of Revenue¡¯s Official Yu and don¡¯te out to disgust people! Otherwise, this prince will beat you up every time I see you!¡±


    Eldest Young Master Liy on the ground and groaned. Who did he offend? He didn¡¯t have any rtionship with this ck-faced King of Hell ah. Why did he suddenly encounter misfortune out of nowhere? When Assistant Minister Li heard the news and came over, he only saw the elegant and unrestrained back view of Royal Prince Yang leaving, and his son lying on the floor like a dead dog.


    ¡°What happened? Why did you have to go and offend the ck-hearted and cruel King of Hell? You¡¯re lucky that he was being merciful to you, otherwise, you might have died! Quick, quickly go get a doctor!!¡± Assistant Minister Li only dared toin in his heart and didn¡¯t dare to actually go seek justice. If one offended Royal Prince Yang, there was nowhere to voice one¡¯sints!


    Eldest Young Master Li was helped up by two servants. He covered his swollen face with his hands and murmured, ¡°How would I dare to offend him? I usually stay as far away from him as I can! I was just someone else¡¯s scapegoat!!¡±


    ¡°Who? Whose scapegoat? Your two younger stepbrothers? They¡¯re timid and weak, so there¡¯s no way that they would dare to do anything. Your two younger brothers? How old are they? One is eight, while the other is six years old! Even if they want to offend that jinx, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do it!!¡± Assistant Minister Li thought of all the possibilities, but still couldn¡¯t find the answer.


    It couldn¡¯t be that...he was the one who had unknowingly offended Royal Prince Yang, right? It seemed...perhaps...probably...when Official Yu was bestowed the position of an official, he had voiced his opposition¡ª¡ªArgh! He wasn¡¯t one of the main opposers. The royal prince wouldn¡¯t have held a grudge for this long and finally decided to get revenge, right?


    Eldest Young Master Li snorted and shook off the two servants. As if he had an egg in his mouth, he shouted, ¡°You want to know? Then go ask your precious daughter!!¡±


    Assistant Minister Li had three sons with his legitimate wife and two illegitimate sons, so he had a bunch of sons. Since Li Meirou was his only daughter, he had always doted on her. As a result, this daughter of his had been spoiled rotten by him and his wife. At times, even Eldest Young Master Li, who was the oldest son, had to give her some face.


    This resulted in Li Meirou¡¯s arrogant and cocky personality. Normally, when interacting with other noble young misses, she would listen to her parents¡¯ warning and somewhat restrain her temper. When she encountered those whose fathers and brothers had a lower rank than her father, she would disy her bossy and snobbish attitude. The young misses, who came from families of lower ranking officials, would also suppress their dislike and try to tter her, which enhanced her arrogance. Now, she had finally offended someone she shouldn¡¯t have.


    Yesterday, when Li Meirou returned from the flowerpetition, she broke several valuable porcins in her room. She locked herself in her room and cried for a long time. Upon asking, they found out that she had been shamed by the newly appointed female official of the Ministry of Revenue. Assistant Minister Li and his wife finally pacified their precious daughter after they coaxed her and promised to help her get some face back by teaching that sixth-ranked official a lesson.


    Upon hearing his son¡¯s words, Assistant Minister Li didn¡¯t take his words seriously and said, ¡°Your younger sister? What trouble would a little girl like her cause? Besides, I actually want your younger sister to have some rtionship with Royal Prince Yang. But, on second thought, with your younger sister¡¯s temperament, she wouldn¡¯t be a suitable partner for Royal Prince Yang... There¡¯s no way that it was your younger sister who offended him, right? Think about it again. Perhaps, during the meetings with other schrs, you had inadvertently said something bad about that jinx...¡±


    ¡°He told me himself to tell your precious daughter to stay away from Official Yu. If she appears in front of her again, Royal Prince Yang won¡¯t bother to do anything with a little girl but he will vent his anger on me, her older brother!! Father, I¡¯m just a weak schr, who can barely take a flick of his finger! If you don¡¯t want me to die before you, then you should restrain that daughter of yours. Don¡¯t act differently in front of different people and look down on others because of their origin!¡± With a toss of his sleeves, Eldest Young Master Li limped into the estate. He didn¡¯t need to participate in the schr meetings for the next few days. With his face swollen like a pig¡¯s head, his friends would definitely ridicule him!


    Assistant Minister Li¡¯s brows were tightly creased together as he stepped forward and said, ¡°What did you say? Are you saying that Royal Prince Yang came to avenge thatss with the surname Yu because Meirou offended her at the flowerpetition? What ability does thatss have for that jinx Royal Prince Yang to support her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what ability Official Yu has, but I know that if your daughter doesn¡¯t know when to stop, then I, your son, won¡¯t need to go out anymore!¡± Eldest Young Master Li replied angrily without giving his father any face. How exactly did that cold-faced death god make it so that his entire body ached but his bones were fine? Ay! He didn¡¯t check the almanac before going out. It was seriously such an unlucky day ah!!


    That wasn¡¯t the end of it! After Royal Prince Yang left Assistant Minister Li¡¯s Estate, he went straight to his vegetables and fruits shop and directly ordered, ¡°From now on, if people from the household of the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointmentse to purchase fruits and vegetables, don¡¯t sell it to them! Just tell them that it¡¯s an order from this prince. Since they look down on farmers, then they don¡¯t need to eat the fruits and vegetables grown by them!! Also, send out the message that whoever helps Assistant Minister Li¡¯s household buy fruits and vegetables will also be on the cklist!¡±


    The vegetables and fruits shops on the east and west side of the capital city were all part of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s dowry. In the past, they either rented them out, or sold goods like silk fabrics and pastries. However,pared with the present fruits and vegetables stores, they were only small businesses. It wasn¡¯t enough to use ¡®thriving businesses¡¯ to describe the vegetables and fruits shops. Every day, the people lining up to buy food would fill the entire street. During the busiest times, military forces were dispatched to maintain public order.


    Since Royal Prince Yang managed the business of the fruits and vegetables shops, Princess Consort Jing gave the stores to her youngest son. He could do whatever he wanted with them, and she didn¡¯t have to worry about them.


    Before the transfer of the shops, many people used their rtionship with the Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household to harass the imperial prince or sent their wives to visit Princess Consort Jing. This really bothered the couple. Since they gave the shops to their youngest son, the world instantly quieted down and the people who wanted to go through the backdoorpletely gave up on the idea. It seemed like her youngest son¡¯s aloof face was quite useful at times.


    Since the fruits and vegetables shops belonged to Royal Prince Yang now, everyone had to do things ording to the royal prince¡¯s rules. No matter how high one¡¯s status was or how influential one was, it was all useless in front of this fellow who wouldn¡¯t even give face to his own rtives. In this way, although the business was booming in the fruits and vegetables shops, it was still very orderly. Those servants who assumed that they had a high status all acted in an honest and careful manner in front of the shops. They were afraid of viting the shops¡¯ rules and causing their masters to not be able eat fresh vegetables.


    In front of the vegetables and fruits shop, everyone was equal. As long as one was willing to spend money and had enough patience and energy to line up, there wouldn¡¯t be a situation in which the shops refused to sell the goods to them because theycked power and influence. They also wouldn¡¯t use their status as a high-ranking official to pressure merchants to give up their business opportunities to them. In conclusion, even if the emperor came, they still might not give him face!


    Therefore, when Royal Prince Yang¡¯s message was sent out, no one questioned the reason, let alone put in a good word for Assistant Minister Li. There must be a reason why Royal Prince Yang refused to sell fruits and vegetables to him! Soon, some people recalled the ¡®flower war¡¯ a couple days ago! Who in the capital didn¡¯t know that the female official in the Ministry of Revenue was supported by Royal Prince Yang? After Assistant Minister Li¡¯s daughter mistook her identity, she got angry from embarrassment and repeatedly used the young girl¡¯s family background to insult her. However, she didn¡¯t gain anything from this. Instead, she was roasted so badly by the other party that her head waspletely muddled. In the end, the girl became friends with Royal Princess Minn and the two beauties of the capital. She ruined her own reputation for no reason and went home in disgrace.


    Who in the capital didn¡¯t know that Royal Prince Yang would seek revenge for the smallest grievance? There was nothing one could do if their son got beaten by him. There was also nothing one could do if he refused to sell fruits and vegetables to them!


    Assistant Minister Li was extremely anxious these past few days! His father¡¯s seventieth birthday wasing up soon and they had already sent out all the invitations. However, the purchasing servants came back to report that Royal Prince Yang¡¯s fruits and vegetables shops had put them on the cklist. It didn¡¯t matter how much money they had if the other party wasn¡¯t going to sell the goods to them!


    Now, people no longer cared about having fish, meat, and valuable seafood at banquets in the capital! Vegetables that could be bought with one copper coin in the spring and summer had be the new favorite on dining tables. If one didn¡¯t have a few fresh green vegetable dishes on the table when entertaining guests, people would say that they were insincere behind their backs as they weren¡¯t even willing to line up to buy some vegetables. When they hosted another banquet again, many people would find different reasons to decline the invitation.


    People often said that seventy years old was a critical moment¡ªif one could pass this critical period, they wouldn¡¯t have any problem living up to their eighties or nies. Therefore, Assistant Minister Li, who was a filial son, had made a lot of effort to prepare a big event for his father. Assistant Minister Li had nned on spending a lot of money. He had arranged more people to line up day and night with the thought that it would eventually be their turn to make a purchase. It was the beginning of winter now, and the vegetables could be kept for many days. Moreover, the shelf life for the greenhouse vegetables was longer than ordinary vegetables. On the day of the birthday banquet, there would be more than enough vegetables and fruits.


    But, their household was suddenly cklisted by the stores. This meant that their family wouldn¡¯t be able to eat greenhouse fruits and vegetables anymore in the future. They could only eat radishes and cabbages over the winter... It was very easy for the frugal to be extravagant, but hard to reverse the process. Inparison to the fresh and tender green vegetables, the radishes and cabbages stored for the winter were seriously not very appetizing. It was just the beginning of winter, so how were they going to endure the long winter?


    Instead of something in the future, we should talk about the patriarch¡¯s seventieth birthday banquet. If they didn¡¯t have any fruits and vegetables, there wouldn¡¯t be anything special about their dishes. If the banquet failed, the patriarch would be upset. Then if something bad happened... Assistant Minister Li didn¡¯t dare to think about it anymore!


    He hurriedly asked someone to help put in a good word for him. But, was there anyone who didn¡¯t know about the royal prince¡¯s temper? Even his parents might not be able to change his mind. If they made him upset again, even the mediator would be ced on the cklist. The loss outweighed the gains ah.

 Chapter 447 – Choice

    <h4>Chapter 447 ¨C Choice</h4>


    As a result, the people who Assistant Minister Li wanted to seek help from, either found various reasons to refuse or directly ordered the doorkeeper, ¡°If Assistant Minister Lies, just tell him that the master isn¡¯t home!¡±


    Seeing that he was so filial, the Ministry of Revenue¡¯s Minister Liu pitied him and reminded him one day after court, ¡°Whoever started the trouble should end it. Official Li should go back and think about why Royal Prince Yang cklisted your household. Did you offend him?¡±


    ¡°Offend Royal Prince Yang? Who would dare?¡± Suddenly, he recalled that day that his oldest son got beaten up. He seemed to have said that his daughter had offended the Ministry of Revenue¡¯s female official. During those few days, his daughter kept scolding thatss with the surname Yu... Could it be that Royal Prince Yang was targeting their family because of this? Assistant Minister Li finally understood the underlying problem.


    He disregarded going back to work at the Ministry of Appointments and hurried home. He had his wife wake up his daughter, who was still in bed, and asked for the details of what happened on the day of the flowerpetition. Li Meirou naturally made it seem like she was in the right. She described Yu Xiaocao as a crude and hateful country girl who was disrespectful and arrogant. She, on the other hand, became a pitiful person who was insulted, ignored, and ostracized.


    Assistant Minister Li had a good understanding of his daughter. Although she was somewhat arrogant, she still got along quite well with the noble young misses in the capital. Why would those girls unite to bully his daughter for the sake of a rural girl who just arrived in the capital?


    ¡°Rou¡¯er, tell me exactly what happened on that day. Tell me honestly! Don¡¯t add things into the story and don¡¯t recount it in a biased manner! This is very important to our family!!¡± This was the first time that Assistant Minister Li pulled a long face and spoke in such a serious tone when hearing his daughter¡¯sint.


    Since she was the only daughter in the family, she had been pampered since young. When had Li Meirou ever seen her father with such a ¡®stern¡¯ expression? For a moment, she was stunned.


    Lady Li¡¯s heart ached for her daughter as she pulled on her hands and said to Assistant Minister Li, ¡°Husband, give the child some time to speak. Don¡¯t scare her! Rou¡¯er, listen to Mother. Just honestly tell your father what happened on that day. Didn¡¯t Mother tell you this in the past? It doesn¡¯t matter if you caused trouble. The most important thing is for you to honestly tell us, your parents, the truth, so that we can help you solve the problem!¡±


    Seeing her parents¡¯ anxious gazes, Li Meirou realized that there was some major issue rted to the flowerpetition. She stopped pretending to be aggrieved and told them about her conflict with Yu Xiaocao that day, as well as how Royal Princess Minn and the other noble young misses treated Yu Xiaocao. Although she still added some personal feelings in, she had recounted most of the details of what happened that day.


    Lady Li lightly gasped. From her daughter¡¯s narration, she could clearly feel her precious daughter¡¯s contempt and hatred towards the female official. She could also understand why Royal Prince Yang was targeting their family. He was helping the female official get some face back!


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! You always talk about how it¡¯s disdainful and shameless for women to be officials. Your words have influenced the child¡¯s view on the female official. Our daughter has a frank temperament, so she won¡¯t hide her likes and dislikes. Well, isn¡¯t it great now! She has seriously offended someone...¡± Li Meirou had a wronged and puzzled expression on her face that also showed a slight sense of unease. Seeing this, Lady Li couldn¡¯t bear to say harsh words to her daughter, and got angry at Assistant Minister Li instead.


    At that time, he had voiced his opposition about women being officials before that official made an outstanding contribution. Since the big harvest of corn and the emperor decided to promote this high-yield crop in the north, had he ever said anything bad about that female official? Moreover, her greenhouse vegetables and fruits had be a trend in the capital¡ªit was an honor to have them on the dining table.


    How could hein about her when he was eating her food? At this time, he desperately wanted to be on good terms with her, okay? But, his ignorant daughter just had to go and offend the other party. What made him even more helpless was that she not only didn¡¯t find fault in the other party but also got roasted instead! Ay! There were so many noble young misses at the flowerpetition, but why didn¡¯t theye out to say anything? This child had been spoiled rotten by her mother, so she didn¡¯t have any worldly wisdom at all!


    ¡°What should we do now? There¡¯s only five days until the patriarch¡¯s birthday banquet! Even a good housewife wouldn¡¯t be able to cook without the ingredients. Without the vegetables and fruits, how am I supposed to hold a banquet with over a dozen tables?¡± In the past two days, Lady Li couldn¡¯t eat well and sleep well for the sake of the birthday banquet. She felt like her hair was going gray from worrying about the banquet.


    .


    Assistant Minister Li looked at his daughter with a hopeless expression, snorted, and said, ¡°What else? She¡¯s the one who caused the trouble, so it¡¯s natural that she¡¯s the one who must clean up the mess! Tomorrow, bring our daughter to the General¡¯s Estate. Make sure to bring enough gifts to show our sincerely...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go! I won¡¯t apologize to that boorish wretch! If I do that, then how am I supposed to hang out within the capital¡¯s noble youngdies¡¯ circle in the future? I¡¯m not going. I won¡¯t go no matter what!!¡± Without letting Assistant Minister Li finish speaking, Li Meirou screamed desperately with a look of pain and madness within her eyes.


    Assistant Minister Li was seriously angry now. If he had another choice, would he let his daughter be wronged? But the birthday banquet was already in the works. If there was ack of vegetables and fruits on the tables, it was obvious that the Li Family would be aughingstock for the entire capital! How was he supposed to lift his head in front of his colleagues in the future?


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who caused this mess. If you don¡¯t go, who¡¯s going to go?¡± When faced with his daughter, who kept shaking her head and was extremely resistant, Assistant Minister Li felt very exhausted. His precious daughter, who he had doted on for a dozen or so years, was actually so selfish that she only cared about herself and neglected the overall situation.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll be aughingstock if I go apologize to that wretch! I definitely won¡¯t go! If you guys force me then...I¡¯ll go kill myself!!¡± Li Meirou recalled thatst year, there was a noble young miss who encountered a simr situation, in which she had to bow her head to her rival. At that time, she had taken the lead to ridicule and humiliate her. That night, that noble young miss hung herself with a white silk. She shivered at this thought, and the air around her became suffocating.


    Seeing her daughter¡¯s pitiful appearance, Lady Li couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Husband...why don¡¯t you ask your colleagues to see if anyone has a hot spring manor or grows vegetables in a greenhouse? We can buy them at a higher price...¡±


    When Li Meirou heard this, she fixed her expectant eyes on her father. Assistant Minister Li sighed and slowly shook his head as he said, ¡°Think about it. Would those who could afford a hot spring manorck money? It¡¯s better not to mention money. Otherwise, the other party will get irritated! Also, those who own greenhouses are people with literary pursuits. Their greenhouses are used to raise valuable nts and flowers. Have you seen anyone grow vegetables in their ss greenhouses?¡±


    Li Meirou¡¯s hopes werepletely shattered. She hugged her mother¡¯s arms and silently wept. Assistant Minister Li went up to her and gently stroked her hair. He said, ¡°Rou¡¯er, Father knows that you feel wronged! However, Father really doesn¡¯t have any other choice ah! Think about it. If you attend a gathering with those noble young misses and there¡¯s ack of fruits and vegetables at the banquet, what would you think?¡±


    ¡®What would I think? I will definitely gossip about them being stingy and shabby with other noble young misses in private. Since they can¡¯t prepare a high-ss banquet, they shouldn¡¯t pretend to be capable and make a fool out of themselves!¡¯ It was going to be her grandfather¡¯s seventieth birthday in five days. Originally, her family had made great efforts to gain some face through this birthday banquet. If they couldn¡¯t get the vegetables and fruits, then it wouldn¡¯t be gaining face. Instead, it would be getting pped in the face¡ªpping themselves in the face!


    But, it was worse than killing her to have her lower her head in front of that low-born and vulgarss, admit that she had offended the other party, and ask for her forgiveness.


    Seeing her daughter silently weeping, Lady Li¡¯s heart ached as she said, ¡°Why don¡¯t...I go visit Lady Fang alone? I don¡¯t have a close rtionship with her, but after all, both our husbands are officials of the imperial court. Lady Fang is the female official¡¯s godmother, and they allegedly have a rtionship that¡¯s closer than real mother and daughter. If I can persuade Lady Fang, that female official wouldn¡¯t not give her godmother face, right?¡±


    Li Meirou raised her head again, sniffled her nose, and a spark of hope shed through her eyes. Assistant Minister Li thought about it carefully and still felt that it wasn¡¯t right, ¡°This is ourst hope. If we mess it up, our family won¡¯t be able to raise our head in the capital anymore. I think that it¡¯s better to bring Rou¡¯er along, just in case.¡±


    Seeing the slightly desperate look for help within her daughter¡¯s eyes, Lady Li showed a troubled expression and said, ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°No buts! I¡¯m someone with no backing, so do you think that it was easy for me to get up to this position step by step? If you feel bad for our daughter, then let¡¯s just let it be and not care about losing face. Anyway, my term for this position will end next year. I¡¯ll just apply for a post outside the capital. When we move to a new location, no one will know us...¡±


    Before Assistant Minister Li had finished speaking, he was interrupted by Li Meirou. She anxiously said, ¡°Don¡¯t! I¡¯ll just go apologize to Yu Xiaocao, so don¡¯t apply for a position outside of the capital!¡±


    When Li Meirou was younger, she had grown up in that environment. Although it was true that she had a higher status among the noble youngdies in that ce, it was still a much lower status than in the capital. Hanging out with a bunch of ignorant country bumpkins had pulled down her ss.


    Although she wasn¡¯t very famous in the noble young misses¡¯ circle in the capital, she was the subject of ttery among the young misses, who came from families of fourth-ranked and fifth-ranked officials. If her father transferred to a position outside of the capital, then she could only interact with those unpresentable people in the future.


    Moreover, she was fifteen this year, and had reached the marriageable age. Had it not been for the fact that her parents doted on her and wanted her to stay with them for two more years, she might have already gotten engaged like many of the other noble misses. But, if her father transferred out of the capital, he would have to go for four years. By then, she would be neen years old. Even if she didn¡¯t get married to a local at that ce, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to find a good marriage partner when she got back to the capital. There was also a big possibility that she would get married to a local and not be able to easily return to the capital. She didn¡¯t want that to happen!


    Thus, she made a decision to stay in the capital and lower her head to the other party.


    Lady Li¡¯s heart ached for her daughter, so she got someone valuable from the dowry and gave it to her daughter. When Li Meirou¡¯s eldest sister-inw found out about this, she privately grumbled to Eldest Young Master Li, ¡°It seems like they¡¯re the only ones who are rted by blood and you, the eldest young master, was picked up from the streets...¡±

 Chapter 448 – Half-truth

    <h4>Chapter 448 ¨C Half-truth</h4>


    The next day, Lady Li delivered a message to Count Zhongqin¡¯s (Author¡¯s note: New title awarded to Fang Zizhen) Estate about their visit.


    When Lady Fang received Lady Li¡¯s message, she looked strangely at the maidservant who brought the message over, ¡°The assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments sent a message over? When did our general ever have any rtionship with Assistant Minister Li?¡±


    The maidservants thought about it and all shook their heads. Zhenzhu said, ¡°Madam, don¡¯t you always say that the general doesn¡¯t like to interact with those civil officials? Those schrs all speak in a genteel manner and have a stomach full of schemes. It¡¯s tiring to listen to them speak!¡±


    Lady Fang knew that her husband didn¡¯t have a close rtionship with any of the officials in court because he used to be amander under General Zhao in the previous dynasty. Normally, their household only interacted with some of her close friends and matrons who liked flora. She had never met this Lady Li before, okay?


    ¡°One wouldn¡¯te for no reason. For what reason would this Lady Lie over today?¡± Lady Fang muttered to herself.


    Hupo spoke without thinking, ¡°I reckon she¡¯s a weasel paying respects to a chicken¡ªshe has ill-intentions!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Even if she wants to be a weasel, I, your mistress, am not willing to be a ¡®chicken¡¯!¡± Lady Fang red at her and pretended to be angry.


    Hupo hastily smacked her mouth and begged for mercy, ¡°Look at this servant¡¯s mouth. I can¡¯t control it! This servant has said the wrong thing, so please punish me, Madam!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let it go this time! In the future, remember to be cautious with your words, lest you cause trouble outside. I might not be able to help you even if I want to!!¡± Lady Fang was usually quite tolerant of her maidservants, who had mostly grown up around her. However, she would still discipline them when needed.


    Linglong hurriedly came out to help her, ¡°This servant thinks that Lady Li¡¯s visit might have something to do with Young Miss.¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er? Sinceing to the capital, Cao¡¯er has either been working at the Imperial ntation or ying with Lin¡¯er at home. She seldom came in contact with the families of other officials in the capital. How would she know Lady Li?¡± Xiaocao was afraid that her godmother would be worried, so when she got back from the flower banquet, she didn¡¯t tell her about her unpleasant matters and only reported the good things that happened. She told her that she had invited Royal Princess Minn and the capital¡¯s ¡®Two Beauties¡¯ for an outing at the Imperial ntation. She didn¡¯t mention anything about the incident with Li Meirou.


    Linglong pondered for a moment, and then said, ¡°Although Young Miss had no contact with Lady Li, she did have a friction with the young miss of the Li Family at the flowerpetition banquetst time...¡±


    ¡°What? Did the daughter of the Li Family bully our Cao¡¯er?¡± Lady Fang sat up straight and looked at the message with a frown. She was deliberating on whether she should let Lady Li wait outside for a while! Lady Fang felt that she had a rather good understanding of her goddaughter¡¯s personality. That kid Xiaocao would never deliberately cause trouble, but if someone provoked her, she wasn¡¯t someone who would take it sitting down.


    Sure enough, Linglong pursed her lips into a smile and said, ¡°Madam, would that Young Miss Li be able to bully our young miss? Of course, she got roasted by Young Miss!¡±


    Lady Fang threw the visiting message aside and asked with interest, ¡°Oh? Quickly tell me what happened.¡±


    .


    Linglong told her about how Li Meirou tried to use the young miss¡¯s family background to insult and ostracize the young miss, but she ended up being retorted and rendered speechless by the young miss. In the end, she was the one who was ostracized by the other noble young misses. Their family¡¯s young miss, on the other hand, left a good impression on Royal Princess Minn and the ¡®Two Beauties¡¯.


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Lady Fang hit the table, and the smile on her face deepened, ¡°Humph! In what way is Assistant Minister Li¡¯s family background better? He¡¯s just a poor schr who can¡¯t do anything by himself. Had it not been for his inws providing financial assistance, he wouldn¡¯t even have enough travel expenses toe take the exam in the capital! At the beginning of our dynasty, there was a lot that needed to be done and the imperial court was in urgent need of talents. This was the reason why someone like Assistant Minister Li, who had just done well in the primary rounds of the imperial examination, was able to stay in the capital! In the previous dynasties, people like Assistant Minister Li would have been sent to a post outside the capital. It would be extremely difficult to get a position as an official in the capital without working for a decade or two! Li Meirou¡¯s maternal grandparents¡¯ family is merely a local squire, so thatss also grew up in the rural area. How many years has it been since she came to the capital? She¡¯s already putting up airs and looking down on others?! Who does she think she is?!¡±


    ¡°No wonder the young miss said that the more one feels inferior, the more one will attack others in order to seek a bnce in their hearts. This Young Miss Li is probably one of these people!¡± Linglong quite agreed with her young miss¡¯s theory.


    Lady Fang looked at her trusted personal maidservant with amusement. Linglong was a thorough and prudent worker, so she had sent her to help her daughter with several errands. She hadn¡¯t expected that this girl had gradually be a strong supporter of her daughter.


    There was no shortage of maidservants in her daughter¡¯s courtyard, but there wasn¡¯t a supervising matron. At the beginning of spring next year, Linglong would be eighteen, which was a marriageable age. Lady Fang was pondering about which young steward in the estate had a bright future and would be a good person to betroth Linglong to. Later, one could work in the outer court, while the other could serve her daughter. After gaining a few years of experience the couple could apany her daughter when she got married. One could manage the affairs of the outer court, while the other could manage the inner court...


    After being stared at by her mistress for a long time, Linglong felt somewhat perplexed as she asked, ¡°Madam, did this servant say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lady Fang thought about it and decided to test the girl to see what she had nned for the future. If she wanted to leave and return to a normal status, she wouldn¡¯t insist on making her stay, ¡°Linglong, you¡¯re not young anymore! Do you have someone you like?¡±


    The sudden question from the madam caused Linglong¡¯s entire face to flush up. She quickly changed the topic with slight embarrassment, ¡°Madam, Assistant Minister Li¡¯s wife is still waiting outside! Do you want to see her? Please give me an answer!¡±


    Lady Fang chuckled and said, ¡°Alright, alright! Today isn¡¯t the right time, so I¡¯ll let you go for now! But, you should also have something in mind. With your status as a head maidservant in the count¡¯s estate and pretty appearance, it would be a waste for you to just marry into a poor, humble family! Of course, if you want to stay in the estate, I¡¯ll ask the master if there¡¯s any promising young stewards in the outer court...¡±


    ¡°Madam...¡± Linglong¡¯s face was as red as the sunset at dusk. She tried her best to shift away from the topic, ¡°I heard that Assistant Minister Li and his wife have spoiled their daughter rotten. Do you think that Lady Li ising to help get justice for Young Miss Li?¡±


    ¡°Seek justice?¡± Lady Fang snorted coldly and said, ¡°If she dares to mention the incident at the flowerpetition, then I¡¯ll rip into her! How long has it been since their family got rid of their identity as country bumpkins, yet they¡¯re already looking down on my daughter? Go! ¡®Invite¡¯ that Lady Li in. I shall meet her!¡±


    At this time, Assistant Minister Li¡¯s wife was in the carriage reminding Li Meirou, who was dressed as a maidservant, ¡°Rou¡¯er, Mother knows that you feel wronged! However, for you to be so understanding, your father will definitely make it up to you in the future! Later, if you¡¯re too embarrassed to speak up, then just lower your head and appear as if you understand your mistake. No matter what that female official says, you must endure it...¡±


    ¡°Mother, I understand!¡± Li Meirou¡¯s heart was full of hatred. What exactly was so good about that despicable wretch for Royal Prince Yang to protect her?! Not to mention that Royal Prince Yang was a member of the imperial family, but he was also someone trusted and favored by the emperor. Although she usually stayed at home, she had also heard that Royal Prince Yang was a man who would seek revenge for the smallest grievance. If they offended him, her father¡¯s future would bepletely ruined!


    Li Meirou was taken to the capital when she was six. At that time, she could already remember and understand things. After experiencing the prosperity of the capital and the joy brought to her from power and influence, she didn¡¯t want to return to that small and backward ce. She wouldn¡¯t be able to stay there for even a moment. She didn¡¯t want to leave the capital. Didn¡¯t she just have to apologize to that lowly wretch?! Even Han Xin [1] had to suffer the humiliation of crawling under someone¡¯s legs. For the sake of her father¡¯s future and her own future, she decided to bear the humiliation!


    After preparing herself mentally, Li Meirou appeared very well-behaved. This made Lady Li very happy, yet her heart also ached for her daughter.


    ¡°Later, when we enter the estate, I will identally knock over the handwarmer so that you can go change your clothes. In this way, others would think that I came to Count Zhongqin¡¯s Estate with two maidservants. Your friends won¡¯t know about youing to apologize to Official Yu...¡± Lady Li was worried sick about how to help her daughter save face.


    Li Meirou hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, ¡°Mother, do you think that girl with the surname Yu will spread this out? Using my humiliation to improve her reputation?¡±


    Lady Li pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Later, I¡¯ll talk to that Official Yu. If she¡¯s really that kind of person, Mother will think of another way to handle the situation!¡±


    When Linglong invited them in, Lady Li came down from the horse carriage with her daughter, who was dressed as a maidservant, and her personal maidservant.


    ¡°Lady Li, sorry for the wait! Our young master likes to pester people in the morning, and our madam just managed to pacify him! Linglong looked at Li Meirou, who had her head bowed. She felt that the maidservant looked somewhat familiar, so she looked at her again.


    Lady Li stepped forward to block her line of sight and said with a smile, ¡°Children like to cling to others at this age, but it¡¯s just for these two years. When they get older, it will be difficult to get them to be so close to you!¡±


    Sure enough, after they entered the estate, Lady Li ¡®idently¡¯ knocked over the handwarmer in her hands, and the silvery ashes inside soiled her clothes. She pretended to apologize and said, ¡°Just look at me. As I get older, my hands and feet aren¡¯t as nimble as before. I can¡¯t meet Lady Fang in such a state. It¡¯s so impolite! Youngdy, can you find a room for me to change my clothes first?¡±


    It had only been a few days since the flowerpetition, so Linglong still had a rather deep impression of Li Meirou. At that time, she had already recognized Li Meirou, who was dressed as a maidservant. Seeing Lady Li¡¯s action, she already knew her n. She sneered in her heart, ¡®Acting in such a sneaky manner, they definitely aren¡¯ting to cause trouble. If Li Meirou was in the right, they would definitely make it known to the whole world.¡¯


    On second thought, in the past two days, Royal Prince Yang had announced that his fruits and vegetables shops would never sell their goods to Assistant Minister Li¡¯s Household in order to avenge her young miss. Could it be that this pair of mother and daughter hade because of this matter? If she frankly admitted her mistake, her young miss might be benevolent and let the matter go. But, upon seeing this mother-daughter pair put up this act, Linglong inwardly made an assessment of this Young Miss Li, ¡®She wants to be a b*tch, but she also wants to look honorable!¡¯

 Chapter 449 – Exchange Blows

    <h4>Chapter 449 ¨C Exchange Blows</h4>


    Everything went as Lady Li expected. In the room that Linglong prepared for them, the mother and daughter changed into a new set of clothes. Of course, Linglong also reported their actions to her mistress.


    Lady Fang had an even worse impression of the mother and daughter! They had indeede from a low-ss family. Even after being in the capital¡¯s aristocratic circle for ten years, they still couldn¡¯t get rid of their petty nature. A daughter from such a family actually dared to look down on her daughter?


    In front of the mother and daughter of the Li Family, Lady Fang acted in a polite and aloof manner. Others couldn¡¯t find fault in her, but they also couldn¡¯t get close to her.


    The servants were ordered to serve tea. Lady Fang held a cup of tea and gently blew the tea leaves on the surface of the tea. She took a sip of the tea, and then asked with a spurious smile, ¡°Lady Li, aren¡¯t you going to try the tea?¡±


    Would Lady Li be in the mood to drink tea? She took a sip casually, forced out a smile, and repeatedly nodded as she said, ¡°It¡¯s fragrant and tastes very good. May I ask where Lady Fang got such a good quality tea?¡±


    Lady Fang just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. She slowly took another sip with her eyes narrowed, as if she was savoring the sweet aftertaste of the tea. She finally spoke up after a long time, ¡°Lady Li, have you ever heard of peach blossom tea?¡±


    Peach blossom tea? Was it that beautifying flower tea that was very popr with the noblewomen in the capital and imperial consorts of the Imperial Pce in the past two years? When Lady Li looked down and saw the clear and fragrant tea in the cup, her expression turned solemn. One should know that it was very hard to find peach blossom tea in the capital!


    Aiyo! She remembered now!! Didn¡¯t this peach blossom teae from Lady Fang? She looked up at the Lady Fang, who was over forty years old but had aplexion that was even better than someone in her thirties. Lady Li¡¯s attitude became more sincere as she hastily said, ¡°Even if one has money, it¡¯s still very difficult to buy this peach blossom tea. It¡¯s an honor to be able to drink this precious product here!¡±


    Lady Fang put down the cup in her hands and wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief. With a slight smile, she looked up and said, ¡°This peach blossom tea is valuable not only because it tastes good, but also because it can detoxify and beautify, making one¡¯s body feel lighter. It¡¯s easy for people like me, who are older and had just recently given birth to a child, to have a plumper figure. After drinking peach blossom tea for over a year, my body feels much lighter and myplexion has also gotten better...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lady Li lowered her head to look at her love handles and protruding belly. She looked even more eager as she said, ¡°My Lady, from the back, you look just like a young maiden. Also, there¡¯s a healthy flush in your fair skin. There¡¯s no sign of dullness at all. Unlike me, I¡¯m only around thirty-five but I have enough wrinkles to kill mosquitoes!¡±


    Li Meirou quietly pulled on her mother¡¯s sleeves. What exactly was she talking about? No wonder her father didn¡¯t think it was a good idea for her mother toe for a visit. He was probably afraid that she would say the wrong thing and embarrass their family.


    Lady Fang looked at the young miss of the Li Family. She pretended that she didn¡¯t see her small action and continued, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of youughing at me. I gave birth at the advanced age of forty and got a mischievous little fellow. After giving birth to Lin¡¯er, I was out of shape and would pant after walking a couple steps. There were spots on my face, which couldn¡¯t be covered by a thickyer of powder. I had even more wrinkles than you!! Had it not been for this peach blossom tea, I wouldn¡¯t even dare toe out to entertain guests!¡±


    ¡°Does the peach blossom tea really have such an amazing effect?¡± There weren¡¯t any women who didn¡¯t like beauty. Lady Li seemed to have forgotten the purpose of her visit, and her train of thoughts had been led astray by Lady Fang.


    Lady Fang deliberately touched her smooth and delicate face and smiled mysteriously, saying, ¡°Lady Li, don¡¯t believe what people tell you until you see it for yourself. What do you think?¡±


    Lady Li leaned forward and asked eagerly, ¡°Lady Fang, can you tell me where you bought this peach blossom tea?¡±


    .


    ¡°Buy?¡± Lady Fang revealed a proud smile on her face and lightly shook her head, saying, ¡°If it can be bought, who in the capital doesn¡¯t have the money to buy it? The peach blossom tea would have already poprized amongst the upper-ss circle! Lady Li, have you seen anyone else drinking it except me?¡±


    Lady Li shook her head without thinking. Who wouldn¡¯t want to put powder on their face if they had it? If the noblewomen in the capital had something good, they would want everyone to know about it. She had tasted premium quality Da Hong Pao tea at other people¡¯s houses, but she had only heard about peach blossom tea. What did this mean? Peach blossom tea was so valuable that it couldn¡¯t be bought!


    Suddenly, a thought shed through her mind. Lady Li mumbled, ¡°Could it be...that this peach blossom tea was made by Lady Fang?¡± If it was like this, then everything made sense.


    It was no wonder that, except for the imperial consorts in the Imperial Pce, there were only a few people in the capital who could show off the effect of the peach blossom tea. On second thought, those people all had a good rtionship with Lady Fang!


    Lady Fang shook her head with a smile and said, ¡°Would I have such capability?¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± Lady Li didn¡¯t believe that the peach blossom tea had nothing to do with Lady Fang. She looked at Lady Fang with an extremely eager gaze.


    Lady Fang felt that she had tantalized her long enough, so she said in a rather appreciative and proud tone, ¡°It¡¯s thanks to my filial daughter. I don¡¯t know where she got the recipe but she personally made this peach blossom tea, which has the effects of detoxification and enhancing one¡¯s beauty. At the beginning, I didn¡¯t really believe that the peach blossom tea would be so effective. After drinking it for a little less than half a year, my skin and figure have improved significantly. Those madams, who are close to me, noticed my change and asked about it. Hence, the peach blossom tea was spread out. The process of making peach blossom tea is veryplicated. I¡¯m afraid that my daughter would be too tired, and I don¡¯t want her to work several days and nights to make the tea. Thus, she only makes one or two catties per year. There isn¡¯t even enough for our family to drink. The only reason I gave those madams the tea was because I usually had a good rtionship with them. I couldn¡¯t refuse them when they came to ask me for the tea, so I had to harden my heart and give some out!¡±


    Lady Fang¡¯s words not only verified the amazing effects of the peach blossom tea, but she also clearly told Lady Li, ¡®Our rtionship isn¡¯t so good that I would give you the little bit of tea that I saved for myself! So, if you¡¯re smart, don¡¯t ask about it!¡¯


    Hearing this, Lady Li silently swallowed down the request that was on the tip of her tongue. Sheplimented with a smile, ¡°So it turns out that Official Yu is also skilled in this area! At such a young age, Official Yu is not only skilled in cooking and medicine, but also making flower tea. She is really full of talents!¡±


    ¡°Lady Li is being too courteous. There¡¯s no need to call her Official Yu. Our family¡¯s Cao¡¯er came from a peasant family and has a low status. She can¡¯tpare with Young Miss Li, who came from a noble family, so she doesn¡¯t deserve such praise from Lady Li!¡± Lady Fang ndly refuted Lady Li¡¯spliment.


    When Lady Li heard her response, she knew that the other party was angered by her daughter ridiculing Miss Yu¡¯s family background at the flowerpetition. She quickly red at her daughter and said with a helpless expression, ¡°Lady Fang, the purpose of our visit today is...to apologize to Miss Yu!¡±


    ¡°Apologize? My Cao¡¯er is busy working for the imperial court and seldom has time to socialize. She probably doesn¡¯t know Lady Li, right? So what is Lady Li talking about?¡± Lady Fang asked with a puzzled face, pretending not to know.


    With a slightly embarrassed expression, Lady Li sighed and said, ¡°My daughter has been spoiled rotten by me since she was a child. She has a straightforward temper and believes everything she hears. Last time at the flowerpetition, she was egged on by others and said something rude to Miss Yu. When she got home, she realized her mistake and felt very guilty. She asked me to bring her to see Miss Yu so that she can apologize to her in person.¡±


    ¡°Lady Li, you¡¯re making a fuss over nothing. We have both been young girls too. The rtionship between young girls can be different every day. It¡¯s normal for them to argue and throw tantrums ah! Why would there be a need to apologize in such a serious manner?¡±


    Lady Fang¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change, but her lowered gaze was covered with coldness. She called her daughter a lowly person in front of so many noble young misses, but wanted her daughter to forgive her with just a few words? How could this be resolved so easily?


    Lady Li was slightly irritated to see that Lady Fang wasn¡¯t someone easy to deal with. However, she still remembered the purpose of her visit. She suppressed the unpleasant feeling in her heart and said with a smile, ¡°Lady Fang, the child is still young and inexperienced, so her thoughts are rather simple. She was led on by others to say those things at the flowerpetition, and thus said those words in a haste. I have already severely disciplined her at home. I have scolded her for not knowing people¡¯s hearts and making bad friends...¡±


    She paused briefly and saw that Lady Fang had no intention of replying, so she continued, ¡°You see, your daughter is two years younger than this brat in my family, but she¡¯s already working for the imperial court. Moreover, she¡¯s very talented in many areas. There isn¡¯t a very big age difference between the two girls, so I think my family¡¯s brat should learn more from Miss Yu...¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t!¡± Hearing this, Lady Fang interrupted the other party and said, ¡°My daughter has a low status and her work requires her to work with country bumpkins. Assistant Minister Li¡¯s daughter is raised in a pampered lifestyle, so it¡¯s better not to let Cao¡¯er, who came from a peasant family, lead her to be boorish and vulgar!¡±


    Boorish and vulgar were words that Li Meirou used to insult Xiaocao with at the flowerpetition. Lady Fang felt angry in her heart when she said this. Had it not been for the fact that her husband and Assistant Minister Li were both officials of the imperial court, she would have already kicked these two out of her house. What kind of people were they! When others were of no use to them, they would trample them under their feet. But, when there was someone useful about the other party, they would pretend to tter them. No one was a fool here. If there was something they needed to say, they should just do so directly. What was the point in being so pretentious?


    ¡°It¡¯s all my daughter¡¯s fault. She came to apologize to your daughter wholeheartedly. If Miss Yu is upset, she can vent her anger by scolding and hitting her a few times.¡± Lady Li worked hard to suppress the impatience in her heart and said in a good-natured manner.


    Lady Fang, on the other hand, picked up the tea cup, took a sip with her head lowered, and said, ¡°If Lady Li and Miss Li hade for this matter, then it¡¯s unnecessary! My daughter doesn¡¯t care at all. Perhaps, you might not believe this, but she didn¡¯t mention anything about the ¡®misunderstanding¡¯ with Miss Li at all. She only said that she had met a few friends with simr temperament at the flowerpetition.¡±


    After she said that, she held the cup and looked up at Lady Li. The meaning of her words was very clear, ¡®My daughter is magnanimous and won¡¯t be on the same level as your daughter. So stop pretending to be apologetic. Even I feel tired for you.¡¯

 Chapter 450 – Mission Completed?

    <h4>Chapter 450 ¨C Mission Completed?</h4>


    In actuality, what she was hinting at was quite different: my daughter is able to get along swimmingly with Royal Princess Minn, Miss He and Miss Yuan, yet she¡¯s unable to get along with your daughter. It was obvious; the problem did not lie with her daughter!


    Lady Li nced at her daughter and noticed that she had her head lowered obediently and wasn¡¯t making a sound. She remembered that she was here toplete a mission. Despite the fact that the other woman had already served tea and was saying pleasantries, she continued on, ¡°Miss Yu is magnanimous and we were unable to treat her properly. Is Miss Yu avable to be seen so that we can clear the air on this misunderstanding?¡±


    In reality, Lady Li didn¡¯t believe a single word Lady Fang was saying. If she really didn¡¯t take any offense to the situation, why was she refusing to allow her daughter to be seen? Was this the way the Fang Residence received guests? If they didn¡¯t have a grudge against them, then why did they ask Royal Prince Yang to support them and cause so much trouble for them in the capital such that they had no face to see anyone else? However, she was here to ¡®apologize¡¯ to them today. Therefore, she could only suppress these questions within her heart.


    ¡°Eh? Did I not tell you that my Cao¡¯er has gone out to the Imperial ntations early this morning to overlook the affairs there? Aiya! My memory now has gone to ashes after chasing after that little disobedient boy all day everywhere. Lady Li, please don¡¯t take offense! Just think, if my daughter was at home and a young miss came over, how could I not have here greet the other maiden? That is not how my General¡¯s Estate treats guests.¡± Lady Fang pretended to look frustrated but her eyes shed with a mischievous light.


    Lady Li¡¯s expression changed suddenly and she slightly frowned, but, before long, she regained her serenity. She sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for her to take care of court affairs! It¡¯s getting colder with every passing day. It must be very difficult for her to run to the Imperial ntation everyday!¡±


    Lady Fang also sighed along with her and stated in a tone full of approval, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! As a mother, how could I bear for my dear daughter to endure any grievance? After all, she did receive the imperial decree, and the emperor ces great importance on this winter wheat. A few days ago, he even showed up himself with only Chief Steward Su along to inspect the fields! We won¡¯t even get into her other responsibilities, but she has been fretting over her greenhouses full of vegetables. Ever since she got back from Tanggu Town, she had to personally go and check whether the people from the Ministry of Works had finished building the greenhouse pavillions. The vegetables have just sprouted, so she goes over every day to check on them to make sure that we will have green vegetables in time for the New Year¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Then Miss Yu must be working very hard!¡± Lady Li suddenly saw an opportunity when the topic of the conversation moved to the vegetables. She obsequiously began to tter, ¡°Speaking of the greenhouse grown vegetables, everyone in the capital knows how incredible Miss Yu is. In the years past, other than radishes and cabbages, it was already considered pretty good if we could have a few wilted green vegetables to eat at this season. Not at all like today, as long as you have money, you¡¯re more than able to eat some fresh green vegetables.¡±


    Li Meirou sneered inwardly when she saw her mother giving flowerypliments to that disgusting, low-born girl. What was so great about her growing vegetables in the greenhouses? Was that low-bornss really that pure and great? They imed that she was growing them for the sake of allowing people to have ess to fresh vegetables, but howe they didn¡¯t talk about the immense amount of money thatss made from selling it? No matter how many vegetables she grew or how much money she made, that low-born chit was still a farmer! Muddy peasants were all the same. The low-born were always the low-born!


    Lady Li was currently wracking her brains in praising Yu Xiaocao more and more beautifully. The wordsing out of her mouth were so fake and obvious that even the personal maidservants attending to Lady Fang rolled their eyes in their hearts. No one paid attention to a youngdy for no reason¡ª¡ªthere must be an ulterior motive! This wife of the Assistant Minister had already dawdled at the residence, chattering away, for almost half the morning, yet she still hadn¡¯t got to the crux of the issue. Did she really want to stay over and also eat lunch here too?


    ¡°My daughter is still young and isn¡¯t worthy of Lady Li¡¯spliments!¡± Lady Fang couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and didn¡¯t want to interact with her anymore. She interrupted the other woman and said, ¡°Lady Li, if you only came here to apologize, then I can receive this apology in my daughter¡¯s stead. She absolutely didn¡¯t take this misunderstanding to heart. However...is there anything else you need today, Lady Li?¡±


    Lady Fang had already made it this obvious, so Lady Li didn¡¯t try to beat around the bush anymore. She slightly frowned and got to the point, ¡°To tell you the truth, this time when we came to visit, other than giving an apology to Miss Yu, we also had another matter we wanted to discuss.¡±


    ¡°What sort of matter do you want to discuss right now? Just directly say it. As her mother, I can definitely speak in her stead at certain times!¡± Lady Fang had already a good inkling on what this otherdy was hinting at but pretended to be clueless on purpose.


    Lady Li was inwardly thinking that Yu Xiaocao was amoner and had only be a puny little sixth-level official recently. In the capital, there were the scores of sixth-level officials just walking around the streets. If Lady Fang didn¡¯t manage her matters, then how could thatss be able to work in the capital without any problems? However, these were thoughts that she could only think of and not say.


    ¡°You also know that my family¡¯s patriarch will be celebrating his seventieth birthday in a few days. Everyone says that to reach the age of seventy is a very rare thing. My husband is very filial and wanted to make sure that his birthday celebration goes very well, so he started preparing very early. However, recently we havee across a small problem...¡± Lady Li raised her head to look at Lady Fang and stopped for a moment.


    ¡°The fact that Patriarch Li has reached an old age is a cause worthy of celebrating!¡± Lady Fang said a few words of congrattions as she inwardly roasted the otherdy, ¡®Your family¡¯s patriarch is celebrating his birthday, but we haven¡¯t even received an invitation here. Can¡¯t you tell that our two families don¡¯t have much to do with each other? Do you really think thating here to ask for favor is truly suitable at this point?¡¯


    .


    Lady Li noticed that the other woman wasn¡¯t taking a hint and felt even more vexed inside. However, she had already reached this point. She could only go ahead and shamelessly continue, ¡°You also know that schrs are distressingly direct and can often inadvertently offend someone with their speech. I¡¯m not sure when my lord husband has offended Royal Prince Yang but his fruit and vegetable stores refuse to give my family any service. How can we have a birthday banquet without any fresh vegetables? However, other than Royal Prince Yang¡¯s own vegetable and fruit stores, there are no other stores in the capital that are selling any fresh vegetables! I heard that when Miss Yu was in Tanggu Town, she had helped Royal Prince Yang handle many things. Thus, she does have some ability to ask him for a favor. You see...can¡¯t Miss Yu help say a few words in our favor and let Royal Prince Yang allow us to...¡±


    ¡°I was wondering what such a big problem was! Isn¡¯t it just some fresh vegetables?¡± Lady Fang acted as if she didn¡¯t understand her true meaning but she continued, ¡°Patriarch Li¡¯s seventieth birthday celebration is a very important event! We absolutely cannot let him have a poor time then! Don¡¯t you worry, I will take care of all the fresh vegetables needed for his birthday celebration! Linglong, tell the kitchen to not touch any of the vegetables that will be sent to us in the next couple of days. On the day of the birthday celebration, we will send them all to your residence!¡±


    Before Lady Li could interrupt, Lady Fang continued, ¡°As one of the younger generation, I should actually visit your residence on the day of Patriarch Li¡¯s birthday. However, you have also seen how many things I have to manage at the General¡¯s Estate. In addition, my family¡¯s little rascal is very clingy and needs me at every moment! So just take these vegetables as a sign of my respect to your patriarch. Please don¡¯t take it to heart!¡±


    Lady Li did not expect that the result would turn out like this today. On the surface, she hadpleted her mission. In actuality, they were only treating the symptoms and not the root cause! They were able to get a supply of fresh vegetables for the birthday celebration, but what about in the future? Lady Fang had already said that these vegetables were being sent to show her respect to the patriarch for his birthday. What about after the birthday celebration? Was their entire residence going to have to go back to eating only radishes and cabbages for the rest of the winter?


    When she tried to interject, Lady Fang had already started to pretend that she was very busy. She had her maids go in and out of the courtyard to manage affairs as well as report to her what was going on today. Helpless, Lady Li could only say a few pleasantries before she finally said her farewells. There was always time for a second attempt. In the future, she would wait for when Miss Yu was at home and then bring her daughter along to see her then. She was very sure that Miss Yu, who was only around ten years old and also from the rural countryside, would be much easier to fool than the experienced Lady Fang! The two of them had just left the parlor when they saw a maidservant gleefully rush in. Following that, the sound of the maid¡¯s clear and crisp voice could be heard, ¡°Mdy, Modiste Jiang from Exquisite Garments is here to see us.¡±


    ¡°Quickly! Quickly invite her in! Zhenzhu, go into the greenhouse and pick a few ripe tomatoes. Hupo, tell the kitchen to cut some watermelon and some cantaloupe to bring into the parlor!¡± Lady Fang¡¯s voice seemed much more inviting and weing.


    Lady Li sneered. Was a mere seamstress and someone born of the merchant ss worthy of everyone¡¯spliments and praises? How did their current society turn out like this? Everyone rushed now to chase after some crude and rustic farmers and lowly people from the merchant ss. Everyone tried to fawn over them constantly! Society was only getting worse and worse with each passing day!


    As she raised her foot to leave, she heard that maid, who was named Linglong, speak, ¡°Mdy, Modiste Jiang is likely here to deliver the sets of clothing meant for winter and autumn. Last time, our young miss had worn a set of Qi-style clothing fit for the autumn season at the flower war banquet. The princess royal¡¯s granddaughter, Miss He, had asked about it constantly! Didn¡¯t the prime minister¡¯s wife invite you over to appreciate the plum blossoms in a few days? If you wear some Qi-style attire over, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be the subject of all the matrons¡¯ discussions then!¡±


    ¡°Stop that, stop that! I¡¯m already of an advanced age, so how can I be like a young maiden, only preupied with showing off my clothing?¡± Lady Fangughingly scolded the maid.


    Linglong¡¯s voice was full of glee as she replied, ¡°Mydy! Let¡¯s not even talk about the newest style of clothing that Exquisite Garments hase out with. There¡¯s probably not even a second person in the whole capital who is able to have Exquisite Garments send her clothing that is handmade by Modiste Jiang for all four seasons...oh wait, I mean there¡¯s probably not even a third person in the capital! Our young miss is the only other person in the capital to have such an honor!¡±


    ¡°Lady Li?¡± Ling, who was sending off the guests, saw that the mother-daughter pair had stopped in their tracks and was shamelessly craning their heads to listen in on the conversation in the parlor. They didn¡¯t even try to hide the fact that they were eavesdropping. These two women were really too much!


    Only then did Lady Li lead her daughter to walk slowly down the hallway. As expected, before long, Modiste Jiang¡¯s figure could be seen in the building.


    After Jiang Siniang became famous, obtaining a set of personally handmade clothing from her was rarer than gold. It didn¡¯t matter how much money you had. She would only custom-make clothing for those who caught her eye. Assistant Minister Li¡¯s official position was not low, but his status could not everpete with those families who had been rich and powerful for many generations. Lady Li and her daughter had long lusted after a set of clothing made by Modiste Jiang. However, every time they went to Exquisite Garments to see her, they were always sent away with some excuse or another. Even now, they had never even met Jiang Siniang in person.


    This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Lady Li pasted a friendly smile on her face. Even Li Meirou, who had kept her head down this entire time since she had entered the Fang Residence, looked up with eyes shining with delight as she stared avidly at Jiang Siniang. It was as if the famous dressmaker was a piece of delicious meat that she was craving for.


    They were just about to stride forward and find some way to speak to Modiste Jiang to make a good impression on her. However, they were blocked by Ling. Out of the four personal maidservants of Lady Fang, Ling was the tallest out of all of them and was likely around 1.7 meters tall. With her blocking the way, Lady Li and her daughter were unable to even see one nce of the famous seamstress. By the time the two of them were able to walk around the blocking maid, Jiang Siniang had already walked past them.


    ¡°Modiste Jiang!¡± Li Meirou was quite anxious and gently hollered a greeting.


    Jiang Siniang didn¡¯t slow down her steps one bit. She only turned her head to nod at them when she rounded the corner.

 Chapter 451 – Rumors

    <h4>Chapter 451 ¨C Rumors</h4>


    As soon as they left the General¡¯s Residence, Li Meirou swiftly slipped into the carriage and angrily made a ruckus, ¡°Why is it like this?! How could that lowly peasant girl be able to wear clothing personally made by Modiste Jiang? Is she even worthy?!¡±


    Lady Li saw that her daughter¡¯s face had almost twisted into an unrecognizable expression out of anger and hurriedlyforted her, ¡°Thatss has to go to the Imperial ntations every day, take care of the fields, and harvest vegetables. Even if she has beautiful feathers to wear, a wild pheasant can¡¯t morph into a phoenix! My sweet daughter is pretty and dignified with a graceful figure. It¡¯s Modiste Jiang¡¯s own loss that she refuses to design clothing for us!¡±


    If Yu Xiaocao could hear Lady Li¡¯s words, she would definitely have to ask the woman, ¡°Lady Li, are you a transmigrator from the Republic of China ah? You¡¯re pretty simr to Ah Q ah! You truly embody the spirit and soul of Ah Q [1] and could be considered a true disciple of his ways ah!¡±


    ¡°Mother, just what is Modiste Jiang thinking? Is it really like what that peasant girl said? That she inspired Modiste Jiang? Sending her two sets of clothing as thanks is one thing but why is she now sending her two sets of custom-made clothing for every season now?¡± Li Meirou felt very aggrieved over this whole matter. She had lusted over gaining even one piece of clothing from Exquisite Garments yet her desire never came true. That rural peasant girl, on the other hand, was now getting supplied with two sets of clothing for every season now!


    Lady Li hastilyforted her daughter, ¡°Rou¡¯er, just think about Modiste Jiang¡¯s family background. She¡¯s only from a merchant family. In the four sses of our society, merchants are even lower in status than farmers. Although everyone in the capital treats her like a precious flower, she still must feel inferior and unimportant when she walks in our wealthy and noble circles. Now, a peasant farmer girl whose birth is even more lowly than hers has suddenly popped up from who knows where. Naturally, she feels morefortable interacting with another dull sparrow!¡±


    Only after hearing her mother¡¯s exnation did Li Meirou¡¯s expression finally rx. Suddenly, she thought of something and lifted the curtain covering the window to look around before she seriously said, ¡°Mother, we can¡¯t say such things in public! Everyone in the capital loves Modiste Jiang¡¯s clothing. If what we said gets transmitted to her ears, then we will likely never be able to set foot into Exquisite Garments again! We must be careful of what we say!¡±


    ¡°My daughter, you are very wise and think of all situations! Alright, we won¡¯t speak anymore on this subject! In the future, we will only secretly have such discussions in our inner courtyard!¡¯ Lady Li abruptly remembered the purpose of her visit today. Did sheplete her mission or not?


    ¡°Rou¡¯er, it looks like this Yu Xiaocao¡¯s fame in the capital will not be in any way inferior to Jiang Siniang¡¯s acim. Right now, just by relying on her ability to grow fruits and vegetables in winter, the whole capital knows of her name and her deeds. I heard that on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead, the little tomatoes there are almost as popr as the clothing personally designed and made by Jiang Siniang herself. Wealthy and noble families now take out little tomatoes when they receive guests to show off.¡±


    Lady Li recalled that Lady Fang was older than herself by four to five years yet the other woman looked like she had just hit thirty years of age. Her skin was so tender and smooth that it resembled a young maiden¡¯s. If this was truly the product of that peach blossom tea, then once Yu Xiaocao came up with a method to manufacture more and put it on the market, it would definitely be a product that was even more popr than Jiang Siniang¡¯s handmade clothing.


    Other types of clothing, while inferior to the ones made by Jiang Siniang, were still eptable to wear. However, the quality of one¡¯s skin was a different story. It didn¡¯t matter how beautifully one was dressed if it was paired with a face that had skin like tree bark. Beautiful clothes didn¡¯t go very well with sallow and aging skin. However, if a person had good skin, it made them seem much younger. Even if they were wearing normal clothing they could still have a pretty and graceful presence. Wasn¡¯t Lady Fang from today a perfect example of this?


    Although Li Meirou was unhappy about this, she had to admit that the facts were true. The small tomatoes were currently sold in tiny boxes for ten taels each. Each box only held less than a catty of the fruit. The Assistant Minister¡¯s residence was more than able to afford this but these tomatoes had rationed sales. Every shop only sold twenty boxes of tomatoes a day.


    There were many high-ranking officials in the capital, and there were even more wealthy merchant families around. Even if the stores sold a hundred boxes a day at a price that was ten times the current price, that still wasn¡¯t enough to sate the appetites of the rich and wealthy. In the past two months, the Assistant Minister¡¯s residence was only able to snatch one box of tomatoes. There were around at least a dozen people in their family as well as her father¡¯s most favored concubine. It was considered pretty good to get one or two tomatoes to eat. Since she was favored by both her parents, she only got an extra tomato for herselfpared to her older and younger brothers.


    The little tomatoes were small and delicate, with a pleasing red color that delighted the eye. They had a sweet and sour taste and were very juicy. One bite was more than enough to cause people to fall in love with them. She also heard rumors that the tomatoes not only tasted good but were also good for nourishing the body!


    It was rumored that the little imperial princess didn¡¯t have a good appetite a few days ago but didn¡¯t want to eat medicine. Yu Xiaocao had sent in a basket of tomatoes to her and the little princess got better without taking medicine! Not only was her appetite better but herplexion had also improved and she had be more lively. Consequently,, Consort Li¡¯s maternal family¡¯s attitude to that lowlyss had also improved quite a bit after this happened.


    She was only a stupid farmer yet there were so many nobles who treated her as if she was a treasure. This lowly brat was truly too lucky! Although Li Meirou inwardly disdained Yu Xiaocao, she knew, for the sake of her family¡¯s connections, that she would have to y nice with her. This would help her family thrive in the future.


    .


    Without her mother persuading her, she had already understood what she needed to do in the future. However, she still pretended to be a bit distressed, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry! In the future, I won¡¯t try to make things difficult for her anymore. If she wants to, I will even treat her like one of my best friends.¡±


    ¡°I knew you were Mother¡¯s sweet daughter! I know you feel aggrieved about all of this. How about this? I know you¡¯ve long liked my golden bracelet that¡¯s shaped like clouds and has jewels embedded in it. When we get back, I¡¯ll have one of the maids find it and give it to you!¡± Lady Li felt very grateful that her daughter had seen the light and knew how to bend for her family¡¯s sake.


    Li Meirou immediately felt happy but she remarked in hesitation, ¡°Isn¡¯t that bracelet supposed to be inherited by the wives of the family and not the daughters? I think Eldest Sister-inw also likes it very much!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Give that bracelet to her? Wouldn¡¯t she just send it back to her maternal family? Rou¡¯er, in the future, you absolutely cannot act like your eldest sister-inw, always thinking about sending money and goods back to your maternal family. Although our family isn¡¯t extremely wealthy, we don¡¯t need you, as a daughter, supplementing us. Doing this will only cause your husband¡¯s family to resent you!¡± In regards to her eldest daughter-inw, Lady Li was very displeased and looked down on her. She also med her husband for this as well. He had gotten drunk one night and had promised another man that they would be inws. Now they were in a mess. They were stuck with some poor inws who were always looking to get more from their residence to subsidize their expenses.


    ¡°Mother, just what are you saying?¡± Li Meirou blushed with embarrassment as the topic of the conversation changed to her future marriage prospects. As long as they stayed in the capital, it probably wouldn¡¯t be hard for her to get a good marriage in the future as her father was a third-ranked official in court. Thus, being aggrieved for a bit didn¡¯t count for much in the grand scheme of themes. However, she also knew that now wasn¡¯t the right time to be talking about her future marriage. It was all that lowly peasant girl, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s, fault! That farmer girl had harmed her reputation recently!


    Lady Li¡¯s eyes flickered as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know where that Yu Family¡¯sss got that recipe for the peach blossom tea. If we were able to get our hands on that recipe, then we would definitely make a fortune!¡±


    Li Meirou thought for a bit and then the smile on her face deepened. She whispered quietly, ¡°Mother, if news came out that there was a recipe that could make women be more youthful, wouldn¡¯t people rush out and try to grab it? There are plenty of people in the capital who are more powerful than General Fang! Do you think that if this came out that tiny sixth-ranked official farmer girl would be able to hold onto her recipe for long?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Lady Li looked at her daughter in a dazed manner. She had never seen such a malevolent and hateful expression on her daughter¡¯s face before.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple! If I can¡¯t have it, then I can¡¯t allow that lowly peasant girl to have it either! It doesn¡¯t matter who gets this recipe in the end. As long as it¡¯s not in the hands of that farmer girl, I¡¯m happy!¡± Li Meirou snarled out her thoughts.


    Before long, news that the newly titled Official Yu had a recipe to allow women to be more youthful spread throughout the capital. For a period of time, the currents in the capital became murky and stormy. Lady Fang had subsequently be more busy as more people came to call on her to inquire about the news.


    When Royal Prince Yang got word of this, he suspected that there was the stink of a conspiracy. He was quite busy with his official affairs recently, so he couldn¡¯t personally deal with this right now. Instead, he sent over two bodyguards who were skilled at martial arts to Yu Xiaocao and repeatedly reminded the littless that she needed to take them out with her when she went to the Imperial ntation. He still wasn¡¯t satisfied with this, so then he gave her two maids who were skilled at martial arts to protect her at all times. Finally, even Head Steward Liu was sent over by him to guard Yu Xiaocao. He gave the excuse that the steward was there to help her manage the farmstead for him while he wasn¡¯t there. In actuality, it was obvious that Head Steward Liu was only there to keep a close eye on her and the people targeting her.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t fuss at these protective measures and epted them without any questions. The rumors swirling in the capital became more oundish with each passing day. They now imed that Yu Xiaocao had the ability to reverse time which was why she was able to grow fruits and vegetables out of season. This ability could even be used to restore the youth of older people! If it was merely the ability to beautify people and make them look youthful, then only the people obsessed with beauty would be interested. However, reversing time and giving back youth was a whole other matter and scores of people were now interested. Rulers of every generation all hoped to obtain long youthful lives, so why wouldn¡¯t the rich and powerful covet it too?


    In a sh, Yu Xiaocao had be the most delicious piece of meat in the world and everyone stared at her wherever she went. Luckily, she had the best bodyguards from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate following her and also Royal Prince Yang¡¯s Head Steward Liu, who no one truly understood. These protective methods caused a lot of people to not act on their desires.


    However, these rumors had also entered the Imperial Pce. Some of the favored concubines in the pce had whispered their desire to obtain this recipe at the emperor¡¯s pillow. Even the empress herself was very interested in these rumors.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, do you really think there is some type of medicine or prescription in this world that can make a person regain their youth?¡± The empress quietly asked this question while she was gazing at her reflection in the mirror. The woman shown in the mirror was not as lively or youthful as she was in the years past.


    Zhu Junfan guffawed in amusement and replied, ¡°You ah, you¡¯re the mother of the empire ah! Howe you also want to believe these baseless rumors? If there really was a medication that can restore the youth of the old, do you think any of the emperors in dynasties past would let this go? Have you heard of anyone in any previous dynasty bing immortal and youthful forever? That being said, why do you need to use a medication to restore your youth? Look at that face of yours, Fei¡¯er, you look like you¡¯re still around eighteen years old. If you be even younger, then we will have another imperial daughter in this pce!¡±


    The empress felt her heart burst with happiness when she heard the sweet words from the emperor. However, she restrained the corner of her lips from lifting up as she replied in a scolding tone, ¡°What are you saying? If other people hear this, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re a joke!¡±


    Although she still looked young, she was almost thirty this year. Compared to those newer concubines entering the pce, who were around seventeen to eighteen years old, she was definitely not as youthful or tender. However, the emperor wasn¡¯t the type of person who lusted after new women all the time. He had been on the throne for seven to eight years by now, and the pce didn¡¯t even have more than four to five new concubines currently. Compared to the previous dynasties, where they had thousands and thousands of women in the pce, how could those few count?


    She had known the emperor since she was young and was childhood sweethearts with him. No matter how much the other concubines were favored, none of them could overtake her. Even if herplexion was not as beautiful as it was when she first married the emperor, or her voice as beautiful, the emperor had never slighted her a bit and still treated her well. She should be very pleased with all this! Thus, she often told herself that as the high and mighty empress, was there any point in her trying topete with those concubines?

 Chapter 452 – Flower Tea and Skin Cosmetics

    <h4>Chapter 452 ¨C Flower Tea and Skin Cosmetics</h4>


    However, which woman didn¡¯t like to be beautiful? This year, Lady Fang was nearing forty years of age. When Lady Fang came to the Imperial Pce to greet her, the older woman¡¯s skin andplexion was even better than her own. It was hard for the empress not to sigh over this. Lady Fang was also perceptive and had brought a box of peach blossom tea that her goddaughter had made and given it to her.


    After drinking this peach blossom tea, she discovered that it truly had an effect on her skin. The dark spots that had been left on her face after her pregnancy with her imperial son had lightened considerably. After putting on some powder on her face, they weren¡¯t visible anymore. Furthermore, when she was pregnant, she started to have constipation issues. This was a rather private issue for her, so she was ashamed to ask the imperial physicians to take a look at her. Unfortunately, it caused a lot of trouble for her. However, after drinking this peach blossom tea, her constipation hadpletely disappeared and she no longer had this problem!


    Less than half a year had passed since she started drinking the tea. If she continued to consume this tea, she was certain that her skin would be much better than Lady Fang¡¯s. After all, she was younger than the other woman by almost a decade!


    Lady Fang had also mentioned that this peach blossom tea recipe was something that her goddaughter hade up with when there was nothing better for her to do. Thus, was the so-called medicine that was able to give back youth and reverse aging actually this peach blossom tea? Then what was the point in her asking the emperor about this youth medication in such an impatient way? As long as Lady Fang had ess to this peach blossom tea, she, as the empress, would naturally have ess too.


    She was quite aware of the value of this recipe that could improve one¡¯s looks andplexion. However, as the high-and-mighty empress, the emperor¡¯s private purse (and warehouse) was under her management. Since the sales of the greenhouse grown vegetables had been zingly popr, the emperor¡¯s private purse had be fuller with every passing day. Basically, this meant that the amount of money in her hands was also growing with every day. Was she really going to do such a shameful thing as fighting with her own official to snatch a recipe? Furthermore, this particr official was currently regarded with great importance by the emperor and had also saved her imperial son¡¯s life.


    After thinking this far, the empress spoke to the emperor in a somewhat worried tone, ¡°If this so-called youth regaining medicine does not exist, then what are the ulterior motives of the people spreading these rumors? Just how much do these people hate Yu Xiaocao to cause so much trouble for her?¡±


    Even as the empress she could not resist the lure of this youth regaining medicine, so what did that mean for other people? Yu Xiaocao was only a tiny sixth-level agricultural official. She didn¡¯t have much foundation or backing in the capital and only had her godfather, who was only a third-level military official without much power. There were so many powerful and wealthy officials in the capital who could easily squash General Fang with no problems! If these people decided to move, then thisss would be in incredible danger!


    Zhu Junfan had already investigated the source of these rumors as soon as the news came out. The secret guards under the lead of Chief Steward Su were not there for show. Su Ran also had a soft spot in his heart for this littless. Thus, in regards to this little girl¡¯s affairs, as soon as something appeared, he was sensitive to it and made sure to investigate it thoroughly.


    ¡°Merely a small clown who is jealous of the littless¡¯s abilities!¡± Zhu Junfan was not impressed with Assistant Minister Li¡¯s ability to manage and educate his children. He even now regarded the assistant minister himself with a bit of disgust. Thus, he directly stripped the man¡¯s assistant minister title from the Ministry of Appointments, which was a very lucrative position, and gave him the title of the Minister of Imperial Stud. Although they were both third-ranked official positions, how could being an official in charge of horsespare to being an official in the Ministry of Appointments? This was all in the future though.


    For the sake of his younger cousin, Zhu Junfan needed to keep a closer eye on his cousin¡¯s sweetheart. Furthermore, from her contributions at the Imperial ntations alone, he needed to make sure to protect this farming expert well!


    ¡°Fei¡¯er, on another day, you should invite the littless to the Imperial Pce and ask if she has any ns on opening a flower tea store. If people are able to buy the flower teas that can improve their appearances and nourish their bodies, then there wouldn¡¯t be such a fuss over all of this! Su Ran, you¡¯ll need to work a bit to suppress all of these rumors about the so-called youth renewal medication! Change the rumors such that the so-called youth renewal medication is only something that can slow down aging and improve the physical appearance of people. At the start of spring, this flower tea store will be open on the market! Empress, you should coborate with her and receive 10% of the profits from the store!¡± Zhu Junfan believed that he was a good emperor as he had eliminated a lot of obstacles for his own official.


    Su Ran was surprised for a moment and then immediately replied, ¡°Yes, this subordinate will go do this now!¡±


    The empress waited until Su Ran had left the room and then gave the emperor a chiding look, ¡°Miss Yu was the one who invented the recipe for peach blossom tea. If she opens a store to sell this tea and I just get 10% of the profits for doing nothing, how is that appropriate?¡±


    ¡°How is it not appropriate? If you don¡¯t get involved in this business, then there will still be people who want to get a bite of this rich piece of meat! It¡¯s not as if you¡¯ll be doing nothing. By involving yourself, you¡¯re protecting her from other people who want to swoop and steal her work! Think of all of the trouble you¡¯re saving her from!¡± Zhu Junfan stated this in a matter-of-fact manner.


    The empress finally understood his reasoning and lightly chuckled, ¡°Imperial Majesty, you are truly someone who appreciates the talented as you are protecting Miss Yu. I just don¡¯t know whether or not she appreciates the amount of care you put into her.¡±


    .


    Zhu Junfan also smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate this littless; she¡¯s not a stupid person. The 10% cut that I mentioned is only a small number. She herself may offer a cut of the profits to you that¡¯s even higher!¡±


    Many of the merchants in the capital, in order to avoid encountering a lot of trouble, did their best to find a sponsor for their businesses. With someone powerful behind them, they could do their businesses without any worries of outside interference. In the capital, if you didn¡¯t have a powerful backer, it was hard to do anything. Let alone the empress, there were plenty of second-ranked and third-ranked officials who took thirty to forty percent of the business¡¯s profits in order to be their sponsor.


    Before long, another set of rumors spread throughout the capital. It was said that little Official Yu didn¡¯t have a youth regaining medicine recipe on her hands. In fact, she had inadvertently offended someone and that person was deliberately spreading malicious rumors about her. If she truly had such a recipe on her hands, then why didn¡¯t she use it on her own family?


    Originally, only a very small group of muddle-headed people believed that there truly was a youth regaining medicine recipe. The vast majority of people in the capital only half believed what was being transmitted. Naturally, there are also people who vehemently refused to believe that this was true! When the second set of rumors came out, it gave most of these people a believable exnation for what was going on. There was still a group of people who harbored ulterior motives that decided to wait and see what would happen next.


    Another two days passed and more news came out that little Official Yu had been invited into the pce to see the empress. News quickly disseminated from the pce. They said that the empress had rewarded Official Yu heavily for creating this peach blossom tea. The empress also stated that this tea was so beneficial to women that it really should be ced on the market and sold through the capital. She had also asked Official Yu whether she was nning on opening a flower tea store to sell this. Little Official Yu readily agreed to this proposal and decided to coborate with the empress.


    Naturally, with the empress as her backer, Yu Xiaocao would be an imbecile if she didn¡¯t open this flower tea store! She was someone who loved to make money, so how could she possibly let go of this perfect opportunity? In fact, she didn¡¯t even have to worry about obtaining a good location for the store. The empress herself had already prepared everything. Furthermore, even the employees of the store had already been picked by the empress. These people were all maids from the Imperial Pce who had been sent out, so she didn¡¯t even have to train them before they could be employed.


    When this news came out, the people who had ulterior motives immediately stopped their ns in their tracks. If the emperor himself hadn¡¯t approved of this coboration, then how could the empress, who was someone who liked to keep to herself, start to work with Official Yu and open up a store jointly to sell flower tea?


    Official Yu¡¯s peach blossom tea recipe had already caught the eye of the emperor. Who was stupid enough to try to steal something from the emperor? Did they want to lose their heads?


    When the noble matrons of the capital found out this news, even the most aloof person became gleeful and ecstatic. They only had to look at Lady Fang to see the effects of the peach blossom tea. Prior to drinking the peach blossom tea, her skin was sallow and had spots of discoloration all over. She had a bloated figure and there were fine wrinkles around the corners of her eyes. When she came out with her son in her arms, if no one knew the truth, they would have thought that she was holding her own grandson!


    But what about now? Didn¡¯t she seem to return to her youth again? She was in her forties but looked like she was barely in her thirties. Her skin no longer had any unsightly discolorations on it and she glowed with the blush of youth. Her figure had also be more graceful and delicate than it was when she was young. When she stood next to the other matrons around her age, she made them all look like dried-up old sticks.


    Furthermore, the empress herself had drunk the peach blossom tea that Lady Fang had given her. Now, her skin glowed with health and it looked as if her skin quality was about the same as when she was a young maiden.


    Which woman in the world did not want to be beautiful? Which young maiden in the world did not want to be more alluring? The effects of the peach blossom tea were obvious. Unfortunately, there was none to be had on the market. If it was avable, they wouldn¡¯t care even if the price was sky high. They would still squabble to buy some!


    In the past, people who had ignored Lady Fang now did their best to make connections with her. They all wanted to see if they could use their connections with her to get their hands on some peach blossom tea. However, other than giving a box to the empress herself, Lady Fang didn¡¯t have much tea at home. She wasn¡¯t even sure if she could drink a whole year¡¯s worth before it was gone. Thus, how could she possibly give some to other people? At most, if you came over for a visit, she might give you a cup of tea to drink. That was already considered very weing. Because of this, Lady Fang¡¯s status and position in the capital had also increased sharply.


    Now it was different. The empress had finally opened the market for the good of the people. She had Lady Fang¡¯s goddaughter bring out the tea to sell. Even if the sales were rationed, simr to the fruits and vegetables on the market, it still meant that people had an opportunity to buy some! This was still better than what it was like now, where they had to use their connections with Lady Fang to see if they could possibly get something out of her.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t care what other people thought or felt at this point. As soon as she got back from the pce, she ran into her little study in her own courtyard and only allowed Hechun at her side to help her. Everyone else was prohibited from entering. She was busy recalling all of the recipes that she knew about flower teas and organizing them in a methodical manner.


    She was nning on not only selling flower teas at the shop but also making a set of cosmetic products to sell at the store as well. Women who wanted to improve their appearances needed to use both ¡®inner¡¯ and ¡®outer¡¯ methods. It was definitely important to consume nourishing items but they also should not neglect using external cosmetics to help the process along!


    She was nning on handing the management of the ¡®Nourishing Skin Beauty¡¯ shop to Hechun in the future. This maid was very interested in making cosmetics and also had some talent in this area as well. For example, after only getting a few tips from Xiaocao, Hechun was able to make handmade soap that came to about 80 to 90 percent of what Xiaocao was looking for.


    The upgraded handmade soap had only been sent to Royal Princess Minn and the ¡®two beauties of the capital¡¯. They had already sent back their initial impressions. The effect of these handmade soaps was quite obvious. Although they hadn¡¯t been using the soaps for very long, they felt like their skin no longer felt as dry after washing during this early winter season. Furthermore, the smell of the handmade soap was very light and fragrant. Compared to Full Spring Fragrance¡¯s soap, which had a very dense and heavy perfume, these soaps smelled a lot more pleasing and natural.


    However, Yu Xiaocao actually wasn¡¯t very good ating up and making new cosmetic products. If she only relied on the mystic-stone water for the effect on her products, that wouldn¡¯t be good for the long-term longevity for this line of business.


    She vaguely recalled that when she attended the flower war banquet she had heard that one of the concubine born daughters from a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Ceremonies was obsessed with making new blushes and powders. Furthermore, the products she made worked very well. In addition, one of the ¡®two beauties of the capital¡¯, Yuan Xueyan, also liked to create new products whenever she had time. Two heads were better than one. Perhaps they coulde up with products that could rival the poprity and fame of Full Spring Fragrance!


    As of right now, she needed to wait a bit on the flower teas. After all, this was early winter, and most flowers were all withered and dead on the ground. There was no way for her to get any ingredients even if she wanted to. Once spring started, there were a lot of flowers to be found on the hills at the Imperial ntation. For example, there were jasmine flowers, chrysanthemum flowers, and other early spring blooming flowers. She wasn¡¯t sure if roses were avable in this time period. On another day, when she saw Royal Prince Yang, she could ask him. Roses were also quite efficacious when made into flower teas.

 Chapter 453 – Everyone Has Their Own Road to Walk

    <h4>Chapter 453 ¨C Everyone Has Their Own Road to Walk</h4>


    Fortunately, this year, when she nted fruit trees on the hills behind the Imperial ntation, she had nted the most peach trees. She didn¡¯t know where Royal Prince Yang had gotten these trees. All of the trees looked to be around ten years old, and some of them even had trunks about as thick as an adult person¡¯s arm. These trees had probably just reached the age when they were about to bear fruit. She wasn¡¯t sure what method the royal prince used, whether it was power or money, to get the owners of these trees to give them to him.


    With a dozen or so peach trees in the fruit orchard, in spring, when the flowers were blooming, it would be a sight to behold. In her eyes, she could already see the air filled with fluttering flowers and the ground carpeted with scattered, delicate petals. It would be a fantastical and picturesque sight that could bewitch people¡¯s hearts. In the future, when they nted more fruit trees, they could open up the peach tree de in the spring and allow people inside to admire their blossoms. She was nning on building a few elegant and intriguing pavilions within the peach tree forest. Schrs could rent these pavilions so they could hold a small banquet with the flower filled forest. Thus, she could also make another batch of money from this.


    After thinking about it, she decided that managing a fruit tree orchard was quite worth it. The flowers during the spring could be picked and used to make flower tea. The blossoming trees themselves could also attract people who were willing to pay to admire them. Once the fruits were ripe, she could start a pick-your-own fruit business. The guests could freely walk amongst the fruit trees and eat any fruits they picked without paying while they were still in the orchard. If they wanted to bring any fruit home, they would have to pay by weight.


    In her previous life, all of these methods were used in farms producing strawberries, peaches, and grapes until they were toomonce. In this time period, noble young maidens rarely left their homes to do anything. Wholesome ces like this should prove to be very interesting and fun to them, right? Thus, Yu Xiaocao had especially consulted young maidens like Jiang Siniang and He Wanning to see if they would be interested in something like this. Both of them stated that they were very intrigued by this idea!


    However, these ns of hers would have to wait until the fruit orchard had expanded to arger size. Currently, Yu Xiaocao was huddled next to the heated wall and discussing the cosmetics business with Hechun. For now, she decided that for cleansing items they would just rely on their handmade soaps. Other than honey, milk and aloe, they could also add a bunch of other natural ingredients to their soaps. That way they could divide their soap products into four main categories: moisturizing, refreshing, whitening, and e prevention.


    Manymon ingredients in everyday life could all be incorporated into these soaps. For example, they could make soaps that contained glutinous rice and wolfberry, cow¡¯s milk with fresh salt, evening primrose and soy milk, creamy butter and silver fungus, propolis, mint, chrysanthemum flowers... they could even use fruits and vegetables and other food items in their soaps, such as: cucumbers, luffa, tomatoes, apples, eggs...After processing all of these raw ingredients, their essences could be easily mixed and matched to create the effect they wanted. Furthermore, with the mystic-stone water on hand, these products were guaranteed to work.


    Since all of these cosmetic items targeted the noble and wealthy young maidens and matrons of the capital, that meant the packaging of these products needed to be very beautiful and fit for the audience. They decided to use the highest-quality precious woods for the boxes of their products and were nning on hiring master carpenters to carve and shape these delicate boxes. The products would be split into three tiers: top-notch, superior, andmon. The top-notch products were going to be packaged in boxes made of golden silk nanmu wood. Superior quality soaps were going to be packaged in boxes made of red sandalwood and the lowest tier were going to be packaged in boxes made of yellow rosewood. In terms of pricing, even the soaps in the mostmon tier cost at least a few dozen taels per soap. Clearly, none of these products were thingsmoners and peasants could afford.


    When Yu Xiaocao stated the pricing she was thinking of, Hechun was stunned by the numbers. She had never thought that the handmade soap she made, which was around five taels of silver for ingredient and production costs, could actually be sold for such a high price. Themon tier of soaps was priced around at least fifty taels a bar, while the superior grade soaps were around a hundred taels per bar. As for the top-tier luxury bars, their prices were set at an even higher multiple than the superior grade soaps.


    Hechun now regarded her young miss with feelings of worship. Her young miss was truly someone suited for doing business as she had both vision and boldness. If she was the one setting the prices, then she would have thought that selling the soaps for double what it cost to make them would have already been a grand thing. Her young miss, on the other hand, had priced them at ten times to a hundred times over the ingredient and production costs.


    If Yu Xiaocao could hear her thoughts, then she would have scolded the maid, ¡®What do you know? Do you think a price could just be set willy-nilly? If these products are not efficacious, let¡¯s not even talk about selling them for a hundred to two hundred taels, even if we sold them at one tael a bar, there would still be no one willing to buy them! The three tiers of soaps are created for a reason. There is an obvious difference in the efficacy between the tiers.¡¯


    In fact, she was only nning on making around twenty bars per month of the top quality tier of soaps. These twenty bars of soap would all be personally made by her and she was going to use mystic-stone water for the entire process. Naturally, the effect of these soaps was very good. As for the superior quality soaps, she was only nning on adding a dozen or so drops of mystic-stone water to each bar. Themon tier soaps had even less of the mystic-stone water added. However, even if the soap only had a little bit of mystic-stone water in it, the effects of these soaps were still very good.


    Furthermore, Yu Xiaocao was nning on visiting Miss Yuan at the prime minister¡¯s residence soon to see if she wanted to be added as a coborator to this cosmetics store. She also sent an invitation out to the concubine-born daughter of the official from the Ministry of Ceremonies to inquire if she wanted to teach her methods of making cosmetics to Hechun in return for ten percent of the profits. She heard that this youngdy was not very favored at home and didn¡¯t have an easy life. A tenth of the profits could help her alter her life considerably! In the future, when she got married, the amount of dowry she brought with her also determined how her husband¡¯s family would treat her. Yu Xiaocao was sure that as long as this girl wasn¡¯t stupid she wouldn¡¯t refuse this offer.


    Yu Xiaocao was in the midst of discussing the cosmetics store operations with Hechun when Wutong suddenly came into the room. The maid shot a nce full of jealousy at Hechun and the smile on her face seemed a bit stiff as she said, ¡°Young Miss, Yingtao is back and is waiting outside to give her greetings to you!¡±


    Wutong was considered to be one of the maids who had been the longest with the young miss. At that time, after the young miss finished selecting her four personal maidservants, Yingtao and Yangliu ended up with good futures. Both were now managers of either stores or manufacturing facilities. Furthermore, they had shown their loyalty to the young miss so it wasn¡¯t unusual that the young miss rewarded them.


    However, Xichun and Hechun, who came alongter, didn¡¯t have qualifications that beat her nor were they more talented in any way. Why was one of them put in charge of the greenhouse operations at the Imperial ntation and the other on the cusp of bing a manager at the cosmetics shop? Just what sort of qualities did they have that made the young miss regard them with such importance?


    .


    The more she thought, the more Wutong felt resentful about all of this! Why did the young miss never see her good parts when she always carefully carried out her duties and didn¡¯t make a single mistake?


    Pipa, who had also been left at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s side, was in charge of managing the young miss¡¯s wardrobe and jewelry and was a lot more calm in the face of things. At first, she also thought things were not fair, especially after Wutong aired her grievances. However, she had gone to the Imperial ntation with the young miss and had seen Xichun with her pant legs rolled upboring hard in the fields with the tenant farmers. The other maid looked incredibly busy. The sight made her understand that if she was the one in Xichun¡¯s shoes, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do as good as a job as the other girl.


    As for Hechun, thatss had always likeding up with new recipes and methods to make beautifying cosmetics. Furthermore, that maid had the talent to match. When the young miss had exined the process of making milk and honey infused soaps and aloe vera soaps, she didn¡¯t hide it from either Wutong or herself. Pipa wasn¡¯t sure if the other maid understood anything but she herself couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of even the simplest instructions. On the other hand, Hechun was able to make these two soaps. Although her first batch was on the more ugly side, the effects of these new soaps were obvious.


    Pipa lowered her head to look at her hands that had obviously be more smooth recently. Every time Hechun finished making a bar of soap, she always took it out and offered it to the people in the courtyard to use first. Wutong had a heart full of indignation and would often not only refuse to use the soap but also say a few scathing words that she didn¡¯t want to use experimental products for fear that they would harm her skin. Pipa, on the other hand, readily epted the milk and honey soap bar. After using it for half a month, her face and hands were no longer dry as before and it looked like her skinplexion had also brightened.


    The size of one¡¯s stomach determined the amount of food one could eat! Pipa believed that even if the young miss handed the management of the cosmetic stores to her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do well. It was still better for her to obediently stay by the young miss¡¯s side and spend her time working wholeheartedly for her. Would the young miss treat her poorly for this?


    Since even Pipa had noticed Wutong¡¯s little petty actions, she was sure that the young miss was also aware of the other maid¡¯s activities. The higher one climbed, the harder one fell! Recently, the young miss had treated her betterpared to the past and had distanced herself from Wutong. Pipa tried to remind Wutong once out of the kindness of her own heart but the other girl was not grateful at all and insteadshed out at her. Forget about it! Everyone had their own fate. As long as she did her duties properly, that was all that mattered!


    ¡°It¡¯s still quite a bit of time before the year¡¯s end, so why did Yingtao return now? Invite her in ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao waved a hand at Wutong and gave her an order without even raising her head


    Wutong felt quite discontent by this treatment. When she turned to leave, she shot an angry re at Hechun. Hechun expressed her innocence. What was going on now? When did she end up offending this little angry ball again? Yingtao noticed that Wutong had an upset expression on her face when she exited the room, so she asked casually, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who made you angry?¡±


    ¡°I now see clearly. Everyone in this courtyard can step on me whenever they like! Even Pipa¡¯s status in the young miss¡¯s heart is higher than mine!! Yingtao, how could that girl Hechun be so well regarded by the young miss even though she¡¯s younger than us by two to three years? The young miss is preparing her to manage the cosmetics shop! The profits from that ce will be even higher than your pharmaceutical workshop ah!¡± Wutong grumbled this all out in a quiet voice and her voice had an undertone of discontent.


    Yingtao nced at the other maid and sighed within her heart. Howe Wutong still hadn¡¯t made any progress yet? She never reflected on her own thoughts and actions and always bit off more than she could chew. She thought highly of herself but had little ability. Despite that, she always considered herself to be more important than other people. In reality, as a maidservant, everything depended on your master. If the master approved of you, then you had status. If you couldn¡¯t, then shouldn¡¯t think of ways to show your reliability and talents to them?


    Yingtao smiled faintly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t judge the young miss by her age. She has a good eye for appointing people to the right positions! Since the young miss has decided to promote Hechun to the management of that store, that means that Hechun must have some abilities that make her stand out! Wutong, you need to make an effort to learn more while staying next to the young miss. Once you be proficient in a particr field, only then can you assume responsibility for bigger projects. Don¡¯t you think that makes sense?¡±


    In actuality, she was trying to help Wutong with these words. However, in Wutong¡¯s ears, all she heard was that Yingtao was looking down on her and was making fun of her. A sliver of hate arose in her heart towards the other maid, ¡®What do you have to be so proud of? Aren¡¯t you just helping the young miss manage the pharmaceutical workshop? You¡¯re still just a servant under the orders of the master. What are you all arrogant about?¡¯


    Yingtao, after managing the workshop for the past two years, had interacted quite a bit with all sorts of people and naturally acquired the ability to read others. From the slight sneer at the corner of Wutong¡¯s lisps, she knew that the other maid didn¡¯t understand her true intentions. Forget about it, ungrateful dogs only knew how to bite those who tried to help. If Wutong didn¡¯t change her attitude in the future, then it would be very hard for her to advance!


    Yingtao decided to ignore her and lifted the thick door covering over the doorsill. She stepped into the room. Because the room had a heated wall, it felt as warm as spring inside. Pipa took the hat she had taken off and ced it on a shelf. Yingtao thanked the other maid with a smile. Now wasn¡¯t the time for her to exchange pleasantries. She hade over to discuss an important matter with the young miss!


    ¡°Yingtao, quicklye over closer to the heated wall. The weather suddenly changed today and we have a cold spell. You must be freezing, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao waved a hand at Yingtao and motioned to her to sit. Hechun perceptively brought over a small embroidered stool and ced it next to the young miss¡¯s low couch.

 Chapter 454 – Leaving the Capital to Suppress Bandits

    <h4>Chapter 454 ¨C Leaving the Capital to Suppress Bandits</h4>


    ¡°Congrattions Young Miss! You¡¯ve added another money-making venture to your collection!¡± Yingtao finished greeting her young miss and sat down on the small embroidered stool. She grinned broadly as she looked at her master. It had been a few months since shest saw her young miss and the fact that time passed so quickly made her head spin.


    Although Yu Xiaocao had spent almost a month at Tanggu, she spent all of her time at the farmstead on the outskirts of Tanggu Town to keep an eye on the workers constructing the greenhouse pavilions. Furthermore, she personally trained the employed farmers how to sow seeds, water the nts, and fertilize the soil in the greenhouse...by the time the work on the greenhouse pavilions was about done, the capital needed her toe back. She didn¡¯t even have the time to visit Dongshan Vige to see her family¡¯s newly built home.


    Argh! She hadn¡¯t even reached the age of thirteen yet. In her past life, at this age, she was still wearing a backpack going to school every day. Why was she as busy as a dog now?


    Yu Xiaocao let out a sigh and then smiled at Yingtao, ¡°Big Boss Yingtao is a very busy person! Howe you have the time toe to the capital ah?¡±


    Yingtao¡¯s lips twitched and she said in a scolding tone, ¡°Young Miss, you only know how to make a joke out of me! If this servant wasn¡¯t busy, then I¡¯d be afraid that you¡¯d use me of not taking my responsibilities at the pharmaceutical workshop seriously!¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re a responsible helper, I consider you to be my right arm. Tell me, you can¡¯t have traveled to the capital just because you missed me, right?¡± The subordinates under her were all hard-working and knew what they should and should not do. Consequently, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have any airs when she interacted with them. In fact, their interactions seemed more akin to a sisterly rtionship.


    The smile on Yingtao¡¯s face deepened, ¡°Young Miss, I heard you¡¯re preparing to open a flower blossom tea shop and are also nning on selling some skin cosmetics there too. Then have you thought about where to build the workshop for it ah? Are you nning on building the ce yourself or buying a building from other people? Don¡¯t just think about finding a ce for your new venture. You should also remember to think of more ideas for our pharmaceutical business too.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow and remarked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Does my head manager want to move the pharmaceutical workshop to the capital?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to move the workshop over! Instead, I want to open another workshop here in the capital!¡± They had chosen a good location in Dongshan Vige to build the pharmaceutical workshop. Now that the harbor was about done, it was quite convenient to ship their goods either via the water or bynd.


    Tongren Medicine Hall had opened quite a few branches in Jiangnan so their need for medicinal pills and tinctures also increased. The pharmaceutical workshop at Dongshan Vige had expandedpared to the past but it would be hard-pressed to supply all of the medications needed in Jiangnan and in the north!


    Currently, the piggery had already been moved to the young miss¡¯s maternal rtives at Xishan Vige and it was under the management of her eldest maternal aunt. With that transferred over, the young miss¡¯s older sister had more time on her hands. Yingtao wanted to propose to the young miss that they open a new pharmaceutical workshop in the capital and have the products from that ce be responsible for supplying the north. Dongshan Vige was close to the new harbor so it could be in charge of the products sent to the south.


    Recently, Miss Xiaolian had already started helping at the pharmaceutical workshop. Once she was familiar with the methods and management of the ce, Yingtao wanted to hand that one over to Miss Xiaolian to manage. Then, she could head to the capital to build and establish a new pharmaceutical workshop. Once the new facility in the capital was up and running, Miss Xiaolian could decide to stay at Dongshan Vige ore to the capital. Both of them were trusted by the young miss. With one of them managing one workshop each, it was also a good working situation.


    Yu Xiaocao fell silent for a moment after hearing Yingtao¡¯s proposal. Only after Yingtao finished her cup of tea did she finally raise her head. She gave a look full of praise towards Yingtao, who had started to feel nervous, and then said in a voice full of admiration, ¡°Yingtao, I didn¡¯t expect you to mature so quickly ande up with innovative ideas on your own! I will hand over the pharmaceutical business for you to handle alone! With you managing things, I can rest easy!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Young Miss, for believing in me!¡± Ideas rushed through Yingtao¡¯s head. She was first going to find a good location for the new workshop as it couldn¡¯t be too far away from the capital. The best scenario would be to have it located in a ce close to the young miss so she could visit the young miss often. The young miss was her backer. With her around, she always felt calm no matter what she was doing.


    ¡°Yingtao, for the capital¡¯s pharmaceutical workshop, I n on discussing it with Royal Prince Yang and see if we can build it on his farmstead. At most, we could just give him a percent of the profits! That farmstead is very close to the Imperial ntation and also has imperial soldiers patrolling nearby. This will prevent any small bandits or thieves from getting close. Furthermore, I¡¯m currently managing all of the affairs at the Imperial ntation. That way, I can also find some time to help you with some issues. It will be quite convenient!¡±


    .


    Yu Xiaocao thought that this idea was quite good. In fact, the best scenario would be that the flower blossom workshop could also be built on the small hill behind the farmstead. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead had a small hill in the back. In future years, she was nning on nting a lot of flowers and trees in the area. Flowers were the raw ingredients for both the flower teas and skin cosmetics, so having their workshops near the sources were a good thing.


    The more she thought about this, the more Yu Xiaocao thought that Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead was the best location for all of this. She started mumbling to herself, ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether Royal Prince Young would be willing to part with his farmstead and allow us to buy it from him...¡±


    Yingtao¡¯s eyes flickered as she silently thought, ¡®My mistress, with how much Royal Prince Yang likes you, I¡¯m pretty sure he would even happily give this farmstead to you, let alone allow you to buy it from him. Didn¡¯t he readily give you his farmstead in Tanggu Town? And that had around 800 mu ofnd. Isn¡¯t this an example of the saying, ¡®spending thousands of taels of gold to obtain a smile from a beauty¡¯?¡¯


    However, she was afraid that her master might feel embarrassed by all of this, so she didn¡¯t say it out loud. She only quipped, ¡°Young Miss, I¡¯m sure that as long as you open your mouth and ask, Royal Prince Yang would happily give this farmstead to you.¡±


    ¡°Bah! Are you asking for a beating?¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at her maid and then continued, ¡°How could I just ask for someone¡¯s possession? That¡¯s truly too shameless! In fact, I heard that he had bought this farmstead for around two thousand taels. When I get back, I need to check whether we have enough money in our ounts for this.¡±


    Two thousand taels was considered an oundish sum to Yu Xiaocao when she first transmigrated over. She didn¡¯t even dare to dream that she might have that much money in her hands at that time. However, things had changed. Her dividends from Zhenxiu Restaurant alone could easily cover that cost. Furthermore, she had a farmstead in Tanggu Town that had almost a thousand mu innd. The harvests from the spring wheat as well as the autumn corn were so high that they shocked other people. All of this could either be sold to the imperial court as seeds, or they could be sold at a high price to other people in the area. From the spring and autumn harvests alone, they were probably making around ten thousand taels. In addition, the Yu Family had their early-growing vegetable and watermelon fields, their braised food store and pickled vegetables store, and the pharmaceutical workshop... Now, she had even added her split of the profits from the greenhouse grown vegetables and fruits in the capital. Let alone two thousand taels, even if she needed to take out twenty thousand taels that wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    However, the amount of capital she had to use to build the new pharmaceutical workshop, flower tea workshop, skin cosmetics workshop, and the storefronts was quiterge. She still needed to scrimp and save where she could! If she could borrow thend on Royal Prince Young¡¯s farmstead to build these facilities, then she didn¡¯t need to think about buying it directly from him. The greenhouse grown vegetables and fruits on thatnd were now the goose thatid the golden eggs!


    ¡°Then...this servant will return back to Dongshan Vige and discuss this with Miss Xiaolian. After that, I will rush back to the capital to take charge of building the new workshop.¡± Yingtao felt like her body was full of energy now that she had the permission to start building a new facility.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her with mirth in her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t start bustling about now! Royal Prince Yang was just assigned a task and has left the capital. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be able toe back. Without him as the owner of the farmstead to give us permission, how can we shamelessly use thend on his property right now? It¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve been back at the capital, so you should go see your parents and siblings. Also, Yangliu is waiting for you and you haven¡¯t seen her for more than a year. Every time shees to see me, she always talks about you!¡±


    Yingtao was a servant who had been born in a noble estate. Her family had been sent over as dowry from the Xia family to take care of Lady Fang¡¯s dowrynds. She had an older brother above her; he was a clever man. He had already been promoted to assistant steward at one of Lady Fang¡¯s dowry shops. Her younger brother was still young, so he was currently assigned to study in the outer courtyard as one of the servants. Ever since Yingtao had gone to Dongshan Vige and taken control of the pharmaceutical workshop, she had been so busy that she rarely had the opportunity to return to the capital, let alone spend time with her parents and family.


    Because the chefs in the braised shop in the capital were now experienced, Yangliu now had more time on her hands. Ever since Yu Xiaocao returned to the capital, Yangliu went to see her mistress from time to time to describe how the business was doing. She also talked about some interesting gossip she heard throughout the capital. Yingtao and Yangliu were as close as two blood-rted sisters, so she often talked about the other maid when she was there.


    It had been a long time since Yingtao had been back, so she had also started missing her family. She also wanted to keep touch with some of her good friends in the residence. In the future, these connections could help her young miss as well.


    ¡°Young Miss, you said that Royal Prince Yang had left the capital? Did he go out to sea again? Will he be able toe back before the start of spring?¡± Winter in the capital was quite cold and the ground was frozen during that time of year. It absolutely was not a good time to build new constructions at that time. It looked like they needed to wait until spring before building these new workshops. They weren¡¯t sure when Royal Prince Yang would be able to get back. If he needed to go out to sea again like thest time, it might be one or two years before he came back. By that time it would be toote!


    Yu Xiaocao frowned somewhat worriedly and stated, ¡°When he left, I vaguely remember him mentioning that the emperor had sent him to the north to suppress bandits! A few days ago, he sent a few skilled bodyguards over to keep me safe. On the day he left the capital, if I hadn¡¯t persisted in refusing, he would have even left Head Steward Liu behind with me. It¡¯s already been seven to eight days since he left, and I don¡¯t know how his mission in suppressing bandits has been going...¡±


    Yingtao hurriedly tried tofort her young miss when she saw the downcast and worried expression on the younger girl¡¯s face, ¡°Young Miss, Royal Prince Yang is rumored to be one of the best martial arts experts in the capital, so he has plenty of ability to protect himself in dangerous situations. In addition, with Head Steward Liu protecting him, none of the bandits will be able to harm him no matter how skilled they are! You don¡¯t need to worry too much about him!¡±


    ¡°Swords and knives don¡¯t have eyes. Who can guarantee their safety? However, I made him pack the best wound balm we have and some pills to treat internal injuries. As long as he has one breath of life left, the medicines can keep him alive!¡± When she saw him off on his journey, she had personally handed the two types of medicine to him. She even repeatedly reminded him to pack them carefully and to remember to use them if he got hurt. She wasn¡¯t sure if that fellow took her words to heart or not.


    Yingtao deliberately used a cheerful tone of voice to reply, ¡°What do you have to be worried about now that you have given him the medicine you personally made yourself? That being said, he¡¯s just suppressing some bandits that¡¯s all. Some tiny mountain bandits are nothing. Let¡¯s not even talk about using the elite troops from the army against them. Even the private soldiers under the royal prince¡¯smand could rout them out with no problems!¡±


    Last time, when the Wokou pirates invaded, the royal prince had rushed there from afar and brought his personal troops to ughter the pirates. Their fierceness and heroism were deeply engraved into Yingtao¡¯s heart and the Dongshan vigers¡¯ memories.


    Hechun felt extremely envious as she watched Yingtao and the young miss happily converse from the side. Usually, the young miss was already quite tolerant and lenient when she dealt with her maids. However, she had never treated them with the camaraderie and friendliness that she did with Yingtao. They looked so natural together!


    She heard that Older Sister Yangliu and Older Sister Yingtao had personally volunteered to go to Tanggu Town when the young miss was under more difficult circumstances. No wonder they had be the young miss¡¯s left and right arms now. Hechun could deeply feel that as long as she waspletely loyal to the young miss and did her best to help the young miss, the young miss would definitely remember her efforts and treat her ordingly!

 Chapter 455 – Hoping for his Return

    <h4>Chapter 455 ¨C Hoping for his Return</h4>


    This time, there was no news from Royal Prince Yang for more than a month. When they had said their reluctant farewells, the prince had only stated that he was going to the north to suppress bandits and didn¡¯t go into detail.


    As midwinter came closer, Xiaocao started to feel more and more concerned. She could faintly feel that Royal Prince Yang had mentioned suppressing bandits for the sole purpose of hiding the true mission from her to prevent her from fretting this much. When he left the capital, he had taken with him arge portion of the Jinwei elite troops with him. If he only had to suppress some mountain bandits, he would have longe back victorious. Was it possible that the northern border had gotten invaded instead and that¡¯s why the emperor sent Royal Prince Yang there?


    Argh! If the border truly had a crisis, then she was afraid that it would be impossible for the prince to return before the end of winter. Winter in the northern parts of the country was harsh and long. If the roaming nomads north of the border had lost any of their cows or sheep, then they would definitely attack the Great Ming Empire in an effort to steal food. At this time, protecting the borders was a vital task!


    The first snowfall was falling in the capital and Yu Xiaocao was sure that Royal Prince Yang wouldn¡¯t be able to get back before the end of the year. However, he suddenly returned triumphantly. On the day that had happened, Yu Xiaocao was at the Imperial ntation, wearing a thick woolen robe that made her resemble a tiny fuzzy ball. She was inspecting the greenhouse pavilions with the hired farmers and having them sweep the snow off of the structures.


    ¡°The snow is falling harder with every passing second. You guys need to keep an eye on it. If too much snow umtes on top of the pavilions, it might cause the whole thing to copse. It¡¯s slightly better while we still have daylight but you guys absolutely cannot neglect this when darkness falls!¡± Yu Xiaocao slipped out of one of the pavilions. Every structure had a heated wall inside, which guaranteed that the insides of these greenhouses were as warm as spring. She was quite satisfied with the farmers in charge of taking care of these pavilions. Every greenhouse was filled with lush green vegetables that were growing. The sight of these vegetables pleased people¡¯s hearts and made them feel extremely refreshed.


    One of the farmers, who was in his forties, was named Liu Shanshui and had been promoted to a foreman by Yu Xiaocao. He was honest and hardworking with a talent for taking care of vegetables. He was following closely behind Xiaocao and apanying her as she inspected every greenhouse. He stated firmly, ¡°Official Yu, don¡¯t worry ah! At night, we¡¯ll have a rotating watch of people on guard and we will make sure nothing bad happens to the greenhouse vegetables!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m relieved with you in charge! Tell the rest of the hired farmers that they¡¯ll have to work a bit hard this winter but I¡¯ll make sure to give every one of you a fat red packet as a bonus at year¡¯s end!¡± Yu Xiaocao was never stingy towards her subordinates who were hardworking.


    A sincere smile spread across Liu Shanshui¡¯s tanned face. He chuckled happily, ¡°Official Yu, the monthly sry you give us is quite good! We¡¯ve made more money in these past two months than we¡¯ve made in a year fromboring hard! It is our fortune to be able to have such a generous employer like you!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be growing vegetables under these greenhouse pavilions until next March or April ah! When spring starts, I n on splitting what we do on thesends. One section will continue to grow vegetables while we¡¯ll grow watermelons on the other portion. At that time, if you guys would still like to stay, you guys can continue working for me! I won¡¯t stint on your sries!¡± These forty-or-so vegetable farmers all had years of experience under their belts. Whether it was the greenhouse vegetables on the Imperial ntation or the neighboring greenhouse grown fruits on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead, all of them were taken care of by these farmers. From the way things were going, other than a small percentage of them who had other motives, the rest she could continue using!


    The smile on Liu Shanshui¡¯s face became deeper and he repeatedly nodded his head, ¡°Official Yu treats us with honesty and intimacy. Even if we made less, we would still feel the mostfortable working with you. If the prices of the vegetables decrease next spring, it wouldn¡¯t bother us even if our wages decreased.¡±


    Liu Shanshui was originally a tenant farmer on one of the nearby farmsteads. His family had a few mu rented to them, and he always nted them with vegetables. Every day he would get up at the crack of dawn and work untilte to care for his vegetable fields. When they were ripe, he was so busy that he rushed around every day. Before the sky had light, he needed to get up to pick his vegetables and then bring them into the capital to sell in a wheelbarrow.


    The capital and its surrounding suburbs had a lot of farmers like him who relied on growing vegetables to make a living. Even if he spent the whole day at the vegetable market selling his vegetables, he wasn¡¯t guaranteed to sell them all by the end of the day. He pretty much had no free time in the year and the amount of money he made was just enough for his family to eke by.


    The other farmers¡¯ circumstances were not much better than his. Some of them had even worse living situations. After the start of autumn, most of their vegetables had been harvested and sold. They usually didn¡¯t have much to do in the winter. When they found out that the Imperial ntation was looking for experienced vegetable farmers to cultivate vegetables in greenhouses in the winter, they decided to try their luck since they had the time anyway.


    At first, Liu Shanshui was not very optimistic about the prospect of trying to grow vegetables in the winter. Regardless of whether they were nting grain or vegetables, they all needed to respect the seasons. It was a foolish dream to try to grow fresh green vegetables in the harsh cold of winter. Furthermore, the person looking to hire them was also a littless just over the age of ten. He truly thought she was making a ruckus at the time!


    If he didn¡¯t have his innate awe and worship of imperial authority, Liu Shanshu would have long muttered within his heart, ¡®Has the emperor be muddle-headed ah? He decided to promote a tiny, delicate little girl, who hasn¡¯t even reached thirteen, to be an agricultural official and even gave her the authority to manage the Imperial ntation. How much can a littless know? Can she even tell the difference between a wheat sprout and a garlic sprout ah?¡¯


    .


    He would have never expected that they were really able to cultivate vegetables in the middle of winter. In fact, many of the vegetables that were previously only grown in spring or summer were all thriving in the greenhouses even when it was the frost season or the snow season. Furthermore, even watermelon and cantaloupe vines were also able to bear fruit in the middle of winter. This was the first time he was able to see such an astounding sight in his forty years of living.


    He had to wonder just how Official Yu¡¯s head was screwed on to be able toe up with such a crazy method to build these magical greenhouse pavilions. They had a very good ability to retain heat and she even knew to build heated walls inside to keep the temperature up. Although snow was falling endlessly outside, when they entered the greenhouses, they didn¡¯t even have to wear thickyers of clothing to feel warm.


    Night watch also wasn¡¯t a big deal. They just needed to erect a few simple beds in the corners of the greenhouses and have one person at all times keeping an eye on things. The rest of them slept in rotation. Sleeping inside the greenhouses, with their regted temperature and humidity, was actually a lot morefortable than sleeping on their kang beds at home!


    Official Yu had stated that as long as they did their job meticulously, they were going to be able to get a fat red packet at year¡¯s end as a bonus! If that bunch of stinky brats found out, they would definitely work their hearts out to receive such a thing!


    Even if they didn¡¯t get a bonus, they needed to work hard to leave a good impression on Official Yu. The amount of money they made was not a joke. Even if they only worked for four to five months, they still made substantially more than they used to earn from selling their own vegetables! From what Official Yu was saying, she was nning on continuing to grow vegetables and fruits in the spring and summer and needed to pick some workers from their ranks then.


    Liu Shanshui knew what he had to do now and decided to remind the fellows he had a good rtionship with. He needed to tell them to not ck off like some of the other people. Otherwise, their gains would not make up for their losses and Official Yu would stop hiring them in the future.


    After she was done inspecting the greenhouses on the Imperial ntation, Yu Xiaocao braved the blustery snow and wind to arrive at the neighboring farmstead. The tenant farmers on thosends were currently busily removing snow from the pavilions.


    When he saw Yu Xiaocaoe over, the steward in charge of the farmstead, Jiang Youshun, hurriedly went over to greet her. After that, he followed her blindly from behind to listen to her every single order. Jiang Youshun was originally sent over as a steward with Princess Consort Jing when she got married. Since he was talented and hardworking, the princess consort had transferred him over to her youngest son to help manage her son¡¯s newly bought farmstead and greenhouses.


    Yu Xiaocao felt very pleased when she saw the tenant farmers working exactly as she ordered, so sheplimented Jiang Youshun a few times.


    As she was talking, a fast horse rushed over through the wind and snow. When the horse got closer, Yu Xiaocao finally recognized this steed. It was the one Head Steward Liu liked to use the most. Riding the horse was a thin and wiry figure with white hair that seemed to have fused with the falling kes of snow.


    ¡°Head Steward Liu! You guys are back? How is Royal Prince Yang? Did the mission go well this time ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao went forward a few steps and asked a series of questions to Head Steward Liu, who had just jumped down from his horse.


    Head Steward Liu puffed out a few breaths that fogged up the air. When he saw that Yu Xiaocao seemed very concerned about his master, a smile bloomed onto his aged face. It was clear that his master¡¯s sacrifices had not been in vain. At the very least, Miss Yu cared about him in her heart.


    Liu Fusheng used his somewhat shrill voice to slowly reply, ¡°In reply to Miss Yu, my master has just entered the capital and the army should be following shortly. The master needs to report to the emperor first but he was afraid that you might be worried, so he sent this old servant to inform you. I first went to General Fang¡¯s residence to find you and found out there that you were at the Imperial ntation, so I spurred my horse over here!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Head Steward Liu. Let¡¯s go to the building so you can drink a cup of tea and warm yourself up!¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly thought the sky full of falling snow had be cute after hearing the news that Zhu Junyang hade back safely. The rock that she had been holding in her heart was now released and she felt much morefortable.


    Head Steward Liu bowed in thanks and remained one step behind Yu Xiaocao as they headed towards the building. In other people¡¯s eyes, he, Liu Fusheng, was a fierce and merciless castrate. Even though his master had always treated him well, no one else treated him like a normal person as Miss Yu did. In fact, Miss Yu always regarded him with clear and limpid eyes without any hint of disgust or fawning. It was as if in Miss Yu¡¯s eyes, he was the same as other people. Thus, interacting with Miss Yu made him feel like he was a whole and true human being!


    Some people said that his master had poor taste to fall in love with a small peasant girl. He, on the other hand, felt the exact opposite. His master¡¯s taste was unique and perfect. Perhaps Miss Yu¡¯s peculiarities were able to calm his master¡¯s heart and soothe him. From that, his master was able to control his inner demon and go down a better road...


    ¡°Head Steward Liu, did you guys encounter any danger this time?¡± Yu Xiaocao had noticed that hisplexion looked a bit dull as if he had just recovered from an injury, so she asked.


    Steward Liu drank a sip of the warm tea and felt his insides slowly heat up. Even his just healed injury seemed to feel a lot morefortable after that sip. He lightly sighed and said, ¡°This mission went pretty well, all things considered. However, there were still a few difficulties. This old servant needs to thank Miss Yu! If you hadn¡¯t given Master your medicine, this old servant might have lost my life in the north!¡±


    ¡°What? Are you telling me that those mountain bandits were so fierce that even you, Head Steward Liu, weren¡¯t their opponents? Then...what about Royal Prince Yang? Is he okay?¡± Yu Xiaocao felt her heart skip a beat. Her heart, which had been rxed, started to rise to her throat again.


    Head Steward Liu thought for a bit and then sent all of the other people out of the building and quietly said, ¡°To the outside, we only broadcast that we were suppressing bandits. In actuality, it was an armed rebellion instigated by the remnants of the previous dynasty. The northeast had encountered many disasters these past few years. First they had a drought that onlyes once in a hundred years, and then there was the snow disaster. Following that, there was the locust gue from two years ago that also affected the northeast. In addition, the north has the Khitan people thate to raid them from time to time. It hasn¡¯t been easy for themon people to survive there. Thus, the remnants of the previous dynasty seized this opportunity to incite themon people to rebel...¡±

 Chapter 456 – Putting Down a Rebellion

    <h4>Chapter 456 ¨C Putting Down a Rebellion</h4>


    At first, they thought it was only a small rebellion. However, they soon discovered that there was an expert from the previous dynasty hiding within their ranks and it was even someone that Head Steward Liu knew. In fact, Head Steward Liu was also a remnant of the previous dynasty and had been a small leader of one of the groups of the imperial hidden guards.


    When the current emperor emeritus stormed his troops into the Imperial Pce, the emperor of the previous dynasty had sent out his newly born grandson with the then leader of the imperial hidden guards. The leader had originally been a free and arrogant martial arts expert in the jianghu [1]. Once, he had been chased by his enemies who wanted to kill him and he had serendipitously encountered the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor, who was traveling incognito among the people. The previous dynasty¡¯s emperor told his subordinates to save the expert, who was on the verge of dying, and also helped him take revenge.


    The people of the jianghu followed their own code of ethics and chivalry, and this particr expert was an adamant adherent to the code. He believed that his life had been saved by the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor and swore a blood-oath to follow his orders to death. Thus, he was the one responsible for building up the imperial hidden guards from scratch and all of the hidden guards within the organization were personally trained by him. Every single hidden guard in the group was a peerless martial arts expert.


    When the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor died alone from an illness, his only request was that hisst blood-rted descendant would live and,ter on, regain the throne. At that time, the head of the imperial hidden guards took away more than half of his loyal subordinates and left the rest in hiding in the capital to wait for opportunities and further orders.


    This leader had been in hibernation with his little master for more almost thirty years. The hidden guards, who had been left in the capital, went from hope to despair. In this time period, medical science was not very advanced and the survival rate of young children was not very good. It would be difficult to ensure that an infant, who was just a month old, didn¡¯t encounter any mishaps while being taken around with a crude adult man.


    There were loyal and devoted hidden guards among those who had been left in the capital. They continued to train their sessors and sent them into the Imperial Pce to serve whenever they had the opportunity. In fact, Su Ran was one of those people who had been trained and sent in. There were also those that, as time went on, started to be indecisive about their mission. Within these people, some had left the capital to go live their own private lives, while others wanted to use this giant secret to get some glory and wealth in return.


    In the end, a traitor had appeared within their ranks and many of the previous dynasty¡¯s hidden guards who had connections with him were pulled out of their hiding spots. Liu Fusheng, who had been hiding in a remote pce for a very long time, was one of the men who was betrayed by the traitor.


    The emperor on the throne at that time was the current emperor emeritus. He had been a military man all his life and had been a god of the battlefields. When he found out that there were so many remnants of the previous dynasty around him, he erupted in fury. A river of blood appeared in the capital as he sent people to chase down and ughter all of these hidden guards. The results were disastrous for the hidden guards. Only one in ten had survived the massacre. Those who were fortunate knew that they could no longer stay in the capital and secretly fled. They followed the secret messages left behind by their leader and returned to meet up with their leader and their young master. As for the remaining hidden guards in the capital, they had almost been wiped out!


    Liu Fusheng had been a head steward in the pce then and had been heavily tortured and punished until his body didn¡¯t even resemble a human being¡¯s anymore. Despite that, he still refused to betray any of the secrets he knew. However, within their ranks, there were other people who were not as courageous and daring as he was.


    At that time, the previous dynasty had been destroyed for almost twenty years. These hidden guards had cover jobs in every trade. Some of them, after getting used to a normal life, had lost their courage and loyalty. With these people confessing, it speeded up the destruction of the remnants of the hidden guards. As for those turncoats, who thought that confessing would lead to lenient treatment, they had been executed in secret. On the contrary, those like Liu Fusheng, who stayed faithful to the end, had obtained the appreciation of the emperor emeritus and he kept them around.


    The emperor emeritus respected and admired those who remained loyal and persevered. He knew that as long as he obtained their loyalty, he would be able to obtain subordinates who were dependable. After several years of kindness, even a stone would start to warm up.


    Liu Fusheng had been castrated before he entered the Imperial Pce but it wasn¡¯t his personal idea to do so. For the sake of the previous dynasty¡¯s emperor, he had forsaken his right to be a man. Furthermore, he had eradicated many dissidents to the previous emperor, so he was a meticulous and dutiful subordinate. At that time, Liu Fusheng had finally started to slowly soften under the years of good treatment and the persuasions of his fellowrades who had also pledged loyalty to their new master.


    During that time period, the emperor emeritus never treated him poorly because he was one of the remnants of the previous dynasty. Instead, he ced Liu Fusheng by his side to manage therge and small affairs of the pce. It could be said that other than the other old experienced court eunuch by the emperor emeritus¡¯s side, he had the most power.


    After all, with his status as a previous enemy, it made the rest of the court wary of him and many officials sent up requests to either remove him from office or imprison him. However, the emperor emeritus withstood all of that pressure and showed Liu Fusheng that he was trusted. This was the main reason as to why Head Steward Liu Fusheng became hell-bent on following the directives of the emperor emeritus.


    Despite that, in order to avoid having his old leader and previous colleagues use his status against him for their own motives, he had continuously looked for an opportunity to leave the Imperial Pce and the emperor. Later on, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s youngest son had a probleme up and required an expert to ¡®protect¡¯ him. Liu Fusheng volunteered to take that role and had been with his current master until now.


    .


    Liu Fusheng truly wasn¡¯t one of the original turncoats. He had never used his knowledge to trap and kill his formerrades within the hidden guards. At most, he only abandoned his previous master and was now following a new one.


    Unfortunately, the remnants of the hidden guards from the previous dynasty didn¡¯t know the whole truth! The head of the hidden guards, who had been hiding within the rebel army, had seen his previous capable subordinate following the leader of the army in charge of putting down the rebels. Furthermore, this leader was also one of the members of the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s imperial family. The head of the hidden guards thought of many possible circumstances. He now believed that Liu Fusheng had used the blood and lives of hisrades to obtain the trust of the Great Ming dogs in return for glory, splendor, and wealth.


    Consequently, while the army was putting down the rebels, the head of the previous dynasty¡¯s hidden guards and a few death soldiers he personally trained used the chaos of the battle to mount a sneak attack at Royal Prince Yang and Liu Fusheng, who was by the prince¡¯s side.


    Because he detested traitors, the head of the hidden guards, who was the most skilled out of all of them, made Liu Fusheng the target of his ambush. As for Royal Prince Yang, who had barely reached his twentieth birthday, the leader regarded him as an unskilled young fellow. Thus, because he was underestimated, Royal Prince Yang was only targeted by two of the death soldiers.


    With Royal Prince Yang¡¯s insane martial arts skills, how could two little death soldiers do much against him? In fact, the prince acted as if he was a cat ying with two mice and was very carefree as he fought with the two soldiers. The fight didn¡¯t even resemble a battle and instead seemed more like a game to him.


    Liu Fusheng, on the other hand, was in a whole other situation! It could be said that all of the hidden guards¡¯ skills had been learned from this leader alone. Furthermore, their master wouldn¡¯t teach them all of his tricks. Even though Liu Fusheng hadn¡¯t be rusty in the past few decades and even sparred constantly with Royal Prince Yang, his opponent was still his previous master! The leader of the hidden guards wasn¡¯t just a tiny bit better than him; he was a lot better.


    As he was caught off guard, Liu Fusheng had been instantly injured by his old master and obtained a serious internal injury. Blood spewed out of him as he desperately tried to defend himself. Under the oppressive attacks of his opponent, his body started collectingrge and small injuries very quickly. If Royal Prince Yang hadn¡¯t discovered his peril and started to fight seriously to get rid of his own opponents before he leapt over to block a fatal attack, it was likely that Liu Fusheng would have lost his old life at that battlefield.


    After hearing such a thrilling story, Yu Xiaocao felt her heart clench in fear and she asked in worry, ¡°That leader of the previous dynasty¡¯s hidden guards is so violent that even you, Head Steward Liu, aren¡¯t his opponent. Wasn¡¯t Royal Prince Yang in danger then?¡±


    Liu Fusheng finished hisrge cup of tea and then poured himself another cup from the tea kettle on the table. He had tasted pretty much all of the famous teas of the era and thought that even the top-notch Da Hong Pao [2] wasn¡¯t as fragrant as the tea in this pot. Obviously, this pot of wild tea had been personally processed by Miss Yu herself. All of his deep exhaustion and pain from his injuries seemed to have disappeared after drinking this tea.


    ¡°Miss Yu, you are truly looking down on my master!¡± Head Steward Liu let out a light sigh of relief and continued to tell his story about that fight on the battlefield.


    When the head of the hidden guards saw that Royal Prince Yang wasing of his own volition ¡®to die¡¯, he decided to seize the opportunity to arrest the leader of the opposing army right then and there. This guy was from the imperial family and was also a favored grandson of the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s emperor emeritus. If he had this prince in his hands, then the Great Ming troops wouldn¡¯t dare to continue for fear of harming the youth. It would definitely be an advantage to capture this juicy target.


    The leader of the hidden guards didn¡¯t even consider Royal Prince Yang to be an opponent after looking at his youthful, handsome face. He believed that as long as he stretched a hand, the prince would be captured. He never expected that this ¡®embroidered pillow¡¯, who was even more beautiful than a woman, was more than he could handle! Since he underestimated the prince, Royal Prince Yang very easily injured him. With an internal injury now hindering him, the head of the hidden guards continued to fight but noticed that Royal Prince Yang seemed to get fiercer and fiercer as time went on. The young man fought with an incredible ease and was full of energy. The leader of the hidden guards knew that he had finally hit a hard wall!


    As soon as he sensed that things were going south, he made a quick calction. Although he was unable to defeat Royal Prince Yang, he still had some leeway to flee with his life. His young master was still waiting for him to get back, so he couldn¡¯t have a mishap ur here. Thus, he abandoned all of his subordinates and the rebel army he incited. The leader of the hidden guards escaped without even looking back!


    Soon thereafter, the remaining remnants of the previous dynasty, who had infiltrated in, either fled from the battlefield or died right there. The ignorant peasants, who had been incited, had nothing left for them! Before long, the rebellion in the north had been suppressed!


    Liu Fusheng had a very serious internal injury and was also covered in external wounds that weren¡¯t light. If his master hadn¡¯t reluctantly given him a pill for treating internal injuries, then he likely would have lost his life. Even if he didn¡¯t somehow die from his injuries, his veins, muscles and tendons had all been heavily damaged. He would have likely be a cripple.


    Fortunately, the internal injury pills that Miss Yu personally made not only saved his old life but also allowed him to recover from his internal injury very quickly. The military doctor had kept saying that a full recovery was impossible. However, the master had also given him some special wound balm and it was much more efficacious than the army¡¯s wound balm. The foot-long wound on his back had very quickly stopped bleeding after the wound balm was rubbed on. Furthermore, his wounds stopped hurting and a cool, refreshing feeling came on instead. Before several days had passed, he felt like his scabs were starting to itch. After identally picking one off, he discovered that the flesh underneath had unexpectedly healed! This...wasn¡¯t logical ah!


    After receiving a warning re from his master, Liu Fusheng, as a perceptive man, naturally knew that this wound balm and medicine to heal internal injuries weren¡¯t normal. He continued to wrap himself underyers of gauze even after his wounds hadpletely healed. Furthermore, whenever he swapped his dressings, he didn¡¯t dare let the military doctor help. He even pretended to have an internal injury that hadn¡¯t healedpletely from time to time as he was afraid other people might notice something odd. Now that he was looking back, he felt that it was very tiring to have to put up an act for so long!


    Just as they were about to go back to the capital after putting down the rebellion, news came from the northern border that outsiders were invading. The emperor sent an emergency decree from far away to give Royal Prince Yangmand over the army as the head general to reinforce the frontier troops.


    When he received this new imperial decree, Zhu Junyang had already been away from the capital for more than a month and he missed his littless. He originally thought that after the rebellion was put down and things became calm, he would be able to go back to the capital to see his littless, Xiaocao. He didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d be called to duty again to rush to the northern border for who knew how long. This made the prince very irritable for some time.

 Chapter 457 – Urgent Feeling

    <h4>Chapter 457 ¨C Urgent Feeling</h4>


    Although Zhu Junyang was rarely influenced by his heart devil now, he was quite upset by all of this so naturally his aggressiveness shot up. Now that he had been given the title of Zhenbei General, he had the responsibility of defending the northern borders. With his soldiers behind him, he ughtered like a raging god on the battlefield. The invading Tartars had been beaten until they cried for their parents. It was an utter defeat for them.


    The so-called Tartars was actually just a name used to describe the fierce nomadic tribes that roamed in the north. These tribes lived on horseback and had a lot of cavalry. They were relentless in battle and used gueri warfare tactics as their movement speed was quite high. This was a headache to the Great Ming generals and soldiers in charge of defending the northern borders.


    The stationed general in the north was very disappointed when Royal Prince Yang arrived to bring reinforcements as the prince had both a youthful and devilishly handsome appearance. The general believed that the prince was a silver-spooned member of the imperial family and was merely at the border to gain some glory. He didn¡¯t have any expectations for this youth. However, the other person soon proved him wrong. Royal Prince Yang gave a decisive victory to the Great Ming Empire and did so by only using his own men.


    Whether it was the private soldiers under Royal Prince Yang¡¯smand or the elite Jinwei soldiers, they were all staunch and experienced soldiers on the battlefield. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s private soldiers were especially tough as they were often tormented by their master in private to spar with him. Every soldier had undergone extreme training and was extraordinarily valiant.


    This time, the prince had brought along around a thousand cavalry units to the north with him and the vast majority belonged to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s private troops. Everyone in the capital knew that, in the younger generation, Royal Prince Yang was the wealthiest as he had brought over a dozen ships full of novel items from the western hemisphere. In the capital, he sold finely wrought clocks, delicate jewels and dazzling enamelware at sky-high prices.


    Beyond that, if they only counted the amount of money he made during winter by selling vegetables and fruits out of season, he still had arge fortune in money. With plenty of money on hand, did he have to worry about equipping his private troops? Every private soldier under hismand not only had a fine Mongolian steed, but even their armor and weapons were also the finest avable on the market. The elite soldiers from the Jinwei troops had always thought that the emperor was their ¡®true father¡¯ as they were always supplied with good equipmentpared to the other armies. However, when theypared themselves to the private troops under Royal Prince Yang¡¯smand, they looked like a wretched bunch...


    Under themand of their master, the private troops under Royal Prince Yang took the lead as they sped into battle. They swept everything away. As for the elite Jinwei soldiers, they could only follow behind and take the job of cleaning up the aftermath. As for the troops that were originally stationed here, they really had nothing left to do.


    Royal Prince Yang had a belly full of rage within him and he let it all out on the battlefield. He viciously attacked the Tartars with no mercy. On their first battle, he immediately ughtered the Tartar¡¯s most skilled warrior at a moment¡¯s notice and used the man¡¯s head as a grisly g on the battlefield. His private soldiers charged their tall and sturdy horses into the fear-stricken Tartar ranks. It was as if a bunch of savage tigers had been unleashed and they weren¡¯t going to be restrained!


    Morale was very important during war! On the Great Ming Empire¡¯s side, they had already gained the upper hand on the first battle by their show of strength and easily extinguished the fires of eagerness within the Tartars. Following that battle, everything else continued on the Great Ming¡¯s advantage. Zhu Junyang not only seized a total victory but also broke the unspoken rule to ¡®not chase a retreating enemy¡¯. He continuously forced the Tartars to retreat further and further along.


    Following that, the Great Ming army continuously attacked the Tartars and obtained victory after victory! Furthermore, they even managed to win back all of the cities that they had lost prior to the establishment of the Great Ming Dynasty. The Tartars had been beaten back to the prairie grasnds and sent envoys again and again to ask for peace.


    At first, Zhu Junyang refused to ept their terms for peace and only preupied himself with beating them back farther and farther. By the time the leader of the Tartars was about to despair, the prince finally received one of the envoys and stopped fighting. The resulting negotiations were not something that was within Zhu Junyang¡¯s given authority, so that was handed off to someone else.


    By then, snow had already started to fall inrge kes in the north. Zhu Junyang wrapped himself in a cloak made of weasel fur and watched as the snowzily drifted throughout the air. He felt as if he could see an image of that small and skinny figure, running around the snow like a happy little fairy.


    Winter in the capital was much colder than it was in Tanggu Town. He wasn¡¯t sure if that littless was currently hiding in a room with a heated floor or heated wall, or whether she wasing up with another crazy idea to sell her unique pastries.


    While he was at the border, Zhu Junyang continued to think about Yu Xiaocao. The northern hunters in the area had quite a selection of valuable furs and the prince made it his mission to get as many quality specimens as possible. There was the lustrous and colorful scarlet-red fox fur that was good at keeping a person warm. He bought it! Then there was soft and delicate ferret fur with a pure color. He also bought it! As for weasel fur, silver fox fur, sable fur...all good specimens had one oue: buy, buy, buy!


    Other than good quality furs, the north also specialized in producing valuable medicinal ingredients. From what happened with Head Steward Liu, he knew that his littless was able to make medicines of astounding efficacy. With better quality ingredients on hand, she would be able to make even better medicines. Hundred-year ginseng, thousand-year reishi mushroom, and hundred-year Chinese knotweed? He bought them all! With money, one could be willful!


    .


    His days passed like this while he waited for the envoy in charge of negotiating the treaty to get there. Finally, the envoy arrived and he had also brought the emperor¡¯s imperial decree to withdraw the troops and head back to the capital. Zhu Junyang had long set his heart on heading home, so he braved the snows with the troops to go back. He didn¡¯t care whether it was day or night as he traveled as he was only preupied with speed. Despite the soldiersining non-stop about this breakneck speed, they arrived back in the capital about a dozen days earlier than expected.


    As he got closer and closer to his littless, Zhu Junyang started to feel a bit homesick. Was his littless doing well? Did she miss him like he missed her? Had she been eating properly? Had she grown any taller? He had never simultaneously experienced feeling both nervous and excited before.


    As the leader of the victorious army, he had to go into the Imperial Pce to ¡®report¡¯. He resisted his urge to see the littless and entered the throne room somewhat resentfully. He was afraid that Xiaocao might worry too much, so he sent Head Steward Liu Fusheng out to report on what had happened to him.


    After hearing the entire story of their adventures from Head Steward Liu, Xiaocao felt happy for Royal Prince Yang but also worried that Head Steward Liu only told her the good and not the bad. She was afraid that he might have hid the fact that his master had gotten injured. She couldn¡¯t stay at the farmstead anymore and needed to see Zhu Junyang as soon as possible to verify his safety in person.


    She patiently waited until Head Steward Liu Fusheng finished his tea and ate a few pastries before she proposed returning to the capital. Liu Fusheng didn¡¯t say an extra word as he picked up his own cloak to go outside! The earlier they got back to the capital, the earlier he¡¯d be able to let Miss Yu see his master. He was sure his master would be very happy!


    After leaving Xichun at the farmstead to keep an eye on things, Yu Xiaocao declined Wutong¡¯s and Pipa¡¯s proposal to have her sit on the carriage. Instead, she mounted her own horse and galloped off in the falling snow.


    In the blustering snow, there was a delicate little figure clothed in a fiery red satin cloak riding on a fiery red fine steed. The bright colors of this person seemed to add a bit of warmth and light to the dusky cold of the winter evening. This was the first snow of the season and it wasn¡¯t asrge or dense as the snow that fell in the northern parts of the country, which more resembled dense cotton balls. The ground only had a thinyer of snow at this point and didn¡¯t negatively influence the little red horse¡¯s speed at all. The icy cold wind whipped at her face and her skin had already gone numb to the stabbing pain. She held the reins in her hands that had already frozen into ice chunks. Despite the cold, Yu Xiaocao seemed to have forgotten that she wasn¡¯t even wearing gloves at the moment and had also forgotten to wear her scarf. The chill on her body couldn¡¯t fight against the warmth that was rising from within her heart. The sooner she returned to the capital, the sooner she could see him. That seemed to be the only thought running through her head at this moment.


    Head Steward Liu, who was doing his best to keep up with Yu Xiaocao from behind,ined endlessly within his heart. ¡®Miss Yu, Official Yu, the Honorable Miss Yu! Can you slow down a bit ah? That red horse you¡¯re riding on is on the same level at treading through snow as the master¡¯s ck Cloud. Although this old servant is riding a decent horse, it still can¡¯tpare to yours.¡¯ Unfortunately, Head Steward Liu could only nkly watch as the distance between the two of them grewrger andrger. It was almost to the point where he couldn¡¯t see the red figure anymore.


    The days were short in winter and it got dark rtively earlier. The snow fell harder and harder, which reduced her visibility by a lot. Suddenly, in the dusky light of the evening, the snow seemed to part and a tall and sturdy figure appeared within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s line of sight.


    Although that figure was a bit vague and hard to make out, Yu Xiaocao intuitively could tell that it was the person she had wanted to see!


    The figure slowly grewrger and grew clearer within her eyes. Before Yu Xiaocao could clearly see that person¡¯s face, Little Red, who she was riding, used its animal intuition and figured out the identity of that person¡¯s mount. The little horse let out a happy and arrogant little whinny.


    Both horses were rare specimens of perfect horseflesh. Two silhouettes, one red and one back, quicklye closer until they met...


    Zhu Junyang greedily looked at that tiny and adorable little face...a sharp pointed chin, enormous eyes, eyshes that were long and curly, a ruddy little mouth, and the delicate little nose that had turned red from the cold. He noticed that Xiaocao¡¯s face and hands were both exposed to the wind and cold, so he couldn¡¯t help but scowl.


    ¡°You...didn¡¯t you go enter the pce to see the emperor ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯srge, doe-like eyes gleamed with happiness as she inspected Royal Prince Yang from head to toe. She still wasn¡¯tpletely without worry so she asked, ¡°Are you doing okay? Were you injured at all...¡±


    Before she could finish speaking, she let out a cry in surprise as her body was lifted by a pair of strong arms out of the saddle. By the time she got a hold of herself, she had already been moved onto the other person¡¯s horse and pulled into a warm hug.


    A familiar rabbit fur scarf that alternated between ck and white stripes and held a person¡¯s warmth was wrapped around her tiny face until only her two bright eyes were visible. This scarf was something she had made in her leisure time. She used rabbit fur and cotton thread together to spin into a knitable yarn. After working for a bit, she finished knitting the scarf. Originally, she was nning on giving it to either her father or godfather. Who knew that Royal Prince Yang had kept an eye on it and he snatched it away like a bandit when she was done!


    She didn¡¯t expect that he had actually brought this scarf along when he went north to put down the revolt. Her little face, which had lost all feeling in it, started to warm up under the soft and cozy rabbit fur scarf. Her eyes suddenly welled up with some tears. She sniffed her nose. The scarf still had his faint smell on it that was hard for her not to notice.


    In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao knew how to knit sweaters. When her younger brother and sister went to school, she bought some yarn and learned how to knit sweaters from the neighbor next door in order to save money. Later on, as their family¡¯s financial situation improved and both her younger siblings had their own jobs, she stopped knitting them for her siblings as the sweaters in the shops and malls around her had better styles and colors. After transmigrating over, it had been many years since shest touched knitting yarn and other tools like that. She was out of practice.


    This was one of her practice scarves, so there were parts of the weave that were looser and parts that were tighter. The individual stitches also had some issues, so she didn¡¯t consider the end product a sess as it didn¡¯t truly show her skill. In actuality, she was nning on knitting the prince a better quality product after practicing on this one. However, the prince didn¡¯t seem to care and had instead taken this ¡®wed product¡¯ as his own.


    ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t put on a scarf or gloves? It¡¯s such a cold day, so why did you go to the Imperial ntation? What would you do if you got frostbite? There are so many experienced hands at the ntation, so it¡¯s not like they need you to help!¡± Zhu Junyang gently and softly scolded her and his voice was full of tenderness.

 Chapter 458 – Attached to Love

    <h4>Chapter 458 ¨C Attached to Love</h4>


    Her icy cold little hands had been sped within a pair of warm palms. It felt very cozy andfortable. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes curved in a smile and then she turned to look at the always stunningly handsome face of Zhu Junyang. She quietly asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it snowing right now? I was afraid that it might snow too hard and crush the greenhouse pavilions, which is why I ran to take a look at the Imperial ntation. I was wearing the fox fur scarf and gloves you had given me, but when I found out you were back I was so happy that I forgot them at the farmstead!¡±


    Zhu Junyang supported her back and moved her from her side sitting position to astride on the horse. This littless¡¯s waist was too thin. He wasn¡¯t sure if she had been eating right in the past month or so but even when she was wearing thick winter clothes his two hands were able to encircle her waist. Perhaps it was because her life had been too hard when she was young but in his memories, she had always been thin and weak in such a pitiful way. When she reached her age of majority and married him, he nned on making sure that she was eating and drinking well so that she could nourish her body!


    He had Xiaocaofortably lean back on his chest while he wrapped his sable overcoat tightly around her. He cupped hisrge hot hands around the littless¡¯s icy cold ones and leaned over to gently breathe hot air on them. He continued to ask, ¡°What? Were you this excited to see me? If you miss me so much, then marry me earlier. That way you¡¯ll prevent me from being bewitched by an evil spirit!¡±


    After hearing the littless state that she was so excited to see him that she hurriedly rode her horse over and forgot to wear her scarf and mittens, Zhu Junyang simultaneously felt a wave of tenderness and sweetness hit his heart as if he was suddenly drinking honey. The littless had always been deathly afraid of being cold.


    When the little red horse saw that its master had been taken over by Fierce Wind¡¯s [1] owner, it still obediently followed behind the stallion despite having no rider. It walked behind at a leisurely pace. Although Fierce Wind now had two people riding it, its steps were still light and easy. From time to time, it would move its head a little to look Little Red in the eye.


    Xiaocao turned her head to roll her eyes at Zhu Junyang and snorted, ¡°Why would I want a man who was so easily taken by others? Tell me! This time, when you left the capital, did you end up saving any little white flowers or encounter a poor but pretty girl who had sold herself into prostitution for the sake of her father?¡±


    Little white flowers? Was that the term the littless used to describe women who loved cry out sob stories and act pathetic ah? Just what type of taste did she think he had that she would believe that he would fall in love with one of those people? Wasn¡¯t it tiring to be around someone all day who constantlymented and wept with an aggrieved expression?


    ¡°Did you forget just what kind of person I am? Do you think I would easily fall for the wiles of those women who don¡¯t have pure thoughts? Don¡¯t worry, other than you, I won¡¯t be interested in anyone!¡± Zhu Junyang could tell that there was a faint undertone of jealousy in Xiaocao¡¯s words and he immediately felt gratified. He made sure to make his thoughts clear such that she knew that he was only loyal to her.


    Yu Xiaocao had warmed up so she was in the mood to banter with him, ¡°Men are all the same ah! They always say the sweetest things but then do the exact opposite! The person with the mind-reading abilities is you, not me. How am I supposed to know what you¡¯re actually thinking about?¡±


    Zhu Junyang pulled over one of her little hands that had warmed up and ced it on the area of his chest where his heart was and stated, ¡°Do you feel it now ah? My heart only beats for you! In order to see you sooner, I galloped at top speed as soon as I left the Imperial Pce. I am totally devoted to you alone. If you still don¡¯t believe me, then you¡¯re truly too simple-minded!¡±


    After hearing his heartful vow, Yu Xiaocao felt like the goosebumps on her body were about to fall off. He was being too corny! Where did this fellow learn how to say such things? Was he not afraid that other people might be sickened by his sharine words?


    ¡°Can you be more normal ah? You need to tell the truth. Just who taught you to speak in such a sickening way? It¡¯s really not your style at all!¡± Yu Xiaocao endlessly roasted him. Zhu Junyang blinked his seductive phoenix eyes twice and then let out a sigh, ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t like this at all! When I get back, I¡¯m going to beat the crap out of those Jinwei youngsters who urged me to say such corny things. However, Xiaocao, you need to know my heart only has room for you in it!¡±


    Although hisst few words were inspoken, why did they sound so good in her ears? Yu Xiaocao lowered her head to think a bit. Royal Prince Yang had the status and power. He also had a well-shaped body and alluring appearance. In addition, he had the talent and abilities...the most crucial point was that he didn¡¯t stubbornly cling onto the ancient people¡¯s ways of thinking and didn¡¯t expect his significant other to embody ¡®the three injunctions and four virtues¡¯ [2] of women.


    In reality, she would be hard pressed to find a second man like him in the entire Great Ming Empire. If he was truly sincere about his feelings and had a heart that would never waver, then what was she hesitating for? Although she imed that she¡¯d be fine with never getting married, in such an environment and society, it¡¯d be an extravagant hope for her to be able to live a happy and prosperous life alone as an unmarried spinster. She had the abilities but no significant background. Furthermore, she was female, so when things happened, she¡¯d be the one who¡¯d likely lose out.


    When he saw that the littless had her head down and was seemingly thinking hard about something, Zhu Junyang gently stroked her head and softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t make things tooplicated. I won¡¯t give you pressure! Didn¡¯t you say that you would only consider marriage once you turned eighteen? There¡¯s still five to six years to think about this! Take your time, I¡¯m sure that the next five to six years will truly show my intentions and sincerity to you!¡±


    .


    Yu Xiaocao felt her eyes well up with hot tears when she heard such understanding and sweet words from him. Her nose got stuffy and, in the spur of the moment, she almost promised him something due to her roiling emotions. Ahem ahem! She needed to calm down now! Royal Prince Yang was right. There was still five to six years for her to contemte this. She needed to take her time and then make her decision!


    The blustering snow seemed to linger around the two affectionate people. The whole sky was filled with fat kes of fluffy snow and they seemed to dance around like graceful butterflies as they circled around these two people.


    Suddenly, the sound of a horse¡¯s urgent gallops could be heard from behind them. A somewhat old and shrill voice hollered through the night, ¡°Miss Yu, please go a bit slower. It¡¯s hard to travel in such snowy conditions. If something happens to you, what can this old servant say to the master?¡±


    The owner of the voice stared closely at the scene in front of him. Oh! The back of that person seemed quite familiar, wasn¡¯t that his master? He could now see Miss Yu snuggled within the master¡¯s arms and they seemed to be quite content. Liu Fusheng hurriedly shut his mouth and obediently followed them from behind as they slowly rode forward. Miss Yu had already safely met up with the master so there was nothing he needed to do anymore. All he had to do now was follow silently from behind and fade into the background properly!


    However, Master, was it really alright for you to hug Miss Yu like this? If other people saw this, Miss Yu¡¯s reputation would definitely be ruined. Was that something you wanted to see? Liu Fusheng fell into a conundrum as he wasn¡¯t sure if he should pipe up a reminder to his master.


    Luckily, it was gettingte now and the snow was falling harder. The main roads in the surrounding areas of the capital were dark and empty at this moment. Otherwise, Miss Yu wouldn¡¯t be able to show her face out in public anymore!


    If an old eunuch like Liu Fusheng realized this, how could Zhu Junyang not think of this? When they had traveled far enough that they could see therge gates to the capital, Zhu Junyang ced Yu Xiaocao, who was now nicely warmed up, back on her own mount. However, he still pressured her to continue to wear hisrger sable fur overcoat.


    The spacious andrge overcoat was so big that it was easily able to wrap the littless from head to toe. Even the gloves put on her hands were made of the bestmbskin that money could buy. The gloves still had the remnants of the prince¡¯s warmth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll escort you back to the General¡¯s Residence first! In the future, don¡¯te out on such a cold stormy day! If there¡¯s anything up, just send someone to tell me instead and I¡¯ll make sure to order the right people to get things done! If you really have no choice but to leave the estate, then take a carriage instead! This prince has recentlymissioned a custom-made carriage and it¡¯s quite spacious. There¡¯s a ce to store a brazier and it can also boil hot water. If you get tired, you can lean against the carriage and sleep...¡± As long as it involved Yu Xiaocao, he would do his best to make sure all of the details were right. It was truly hard to find someone who had these intentions towards her!


    Zhu Junyang spent the whole journey back to the General¡¯s Residence reminding her in a long-winded manner. If anyone else saw this, their jaws would have dropped open in utter surprise. Was this still the same grave and stern Royal Prince Yang who regarded his words as if they were gold? It was as if he was apletely different person, like he had swapped personalities with a talkative old naggy woman.


    ¡°Want toe in and rest for a bit and drink some tea before you leave?¡± Yu Xiaocao clumsily jumped down from the little red horse. There was nothing to be done about that as she had been wrapped up until she resembled a teddy bear.


    Zhu Junyang leapt off his horse and helped her tidy up the overcoat that had been tousled from her dismounting. He wrapped her up even more tightly and then rubbed at her rosy little face as he gently said, ¡°No need! I still need to return to the prince¡¯s residence and tell mydy mother that I am safe and sound. Tomorrow I¡¯lle by to see you again! Go in and drink some more ginger and sugar tonic. Be careful not to get chilled.¡±


    Head Steward Liu Fusheng was so surprised his eyes were wide open. He had a look on his face as if he had just seen a ghost. His master finally had his head screwed on straight and knew how to care about people. Should he be happy about this or be ecstatic about this? Such a gentle and considerate motion and such a tender voice had actuallye out of the mouth of the capital¡¯s most grim and vicious death god. Hearing this...tsk tsk, sure enough, love could change everything ah!


    The exaggerated expression on the old eunuch¡¯s face was too much for other people to handle! Zhu Junyang faintly shot a nce at him and then turned his attention back to Yu Xiaocao. He gently said, ¡°Go in ah. I¡¯ll watch as you enter...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao somehow managed to surmount the threshold to the side door while dragging the giant overcoat behind her. It could have served as a perfect object to sweep the snow. She turned her head to look onest time at Zhu Junyang, whose hair now had many snowkes on it. The fluttering kes of snow in the air blended seamlessly into the background. This devilishly handsome man was gazing back at her with eyes full of emotion. He lightly moved hisrge and pale hands at her, hinting that she should quickly head inside.


    She wasn¡¯t a true tiny maiden who didn¡¯t understand the vor of romantic feelings. As she gazed at the picturesque scene in front of her, her heart, which had been silent for over thirty years, couldn¡¯t help but palpitate suddenly. It looked like she had the halo of the main female character on her. She had truly walked into an unexpected good situation. Such an outstanding and handsome man was willing to wait for her...


    Her head was still dizzy and confused even after she greeted her godmother and entered her small courtyard. A man¡¯s charms could truly make a person¡¯s head spin, especially those who were silently beautiful and had deep emotions!


    At this moment, Zhu Junyang had already entered Prince Jing¡¯s estate. After talking to his lord father for a bit, he headed directly towards the inner residence.


    Princess Consort Jing got up from the heated couch and pulled at her youngest son¡¯s hands. She inspected him from head to toe with red-rimmed eyes. She spoke in a voice that was choked with emotion, ¡°Why are you wearing so little? Where¡¯s that ugly scarf that you always have around the neck? And where are your gloves? Just what are the servants around you doing? Such a big snowfall yet you¡¯re not even wearing a woolen outer garment?¡±


    Head Steward Liu Fusheng, who had always personally served his master, felt that this was an inurate usation. The master¡¯s entire set of outer clothing had been transferred to Miss Yu instead. What could he say about this? Naturally, he couldn¡¯t say anything! When the master returned back to the capital and left the Imperial Pce, the first thing he did was run to the Imperial ntation to find his little lover. He even forgot his own mother. But if he said that, wouldn¡¯t that imply that his master was unfilial? Thus, he had to take the fall for his master.


    Zhu Junyang supported his mother up and had her sit back down on the heated couch. He sat next to her on a nearby embroidered stool and had a smile on his face, ¡°Lady Mother, feel my hands. They are quite warm and aren¡¯t even the least bit cold!¡±

 Chapter 459 – A Mother’s Concern

    <h4>Chapter 459 ¨C A Mother¡¯s Concern</h4>


    ¡°You ah you! You didn¡¯t even leave a word at home when you left to suppress a rebellion! Do you know how worried I was about you? Your second older brother fled to a border garrison without a word and we only get letters from him maybe once every two to three months. I¡¯m worried about him constantly too, but even you don¡¯t consult with us before epting such a dangerous task...the emperor is too much. There are so many high-ranking military officers at court yet he bypassed them and insisted that you go on the battlefield despite never having experience before. If something happened to you, what am I supposed to do...¡± Princess Consort Jing became somewhat agitated as she went on and had to dab the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.


    ¡°Lady Mother, aren¡¯t I perfectly fine right now and back? You really can¡¯t find more than a few people in the whole Great Ming Empire who can harm me! I¡¯mpletely safe. If you don¡¯t believe me, then how about I strip right now to allow you to inspect me?¡± Zhu Junyang had long be more patient under the tutge of thatss, Yu Xiaocao. Thus, when he had to interact with Princess Consort Jing, heforted her as if she was a young maiden.


    Princess Consort Jing let out augh in amusement and nted him a look, ¡°Go ahead and strip ah! If you¡¯re brave enough to strip, then do you think I¡¯m not brave enough to look? When you were only a wee thing, I even gave you a bath before! What on your body haven¡¯t I seen?¡± She used her hands to motion around something that was the size of a pillow while moreughter escaped from her lips.


    Zhu Junyang was struck speechless. At that time, he had just been born and was an ignorant little baby. If he had the choice at the time, then he absolutely would not have allowed anything that would give hisdy mother the excuse to make fun of him in the future!


    Suddenly, Princess Consort Jing used aplicated expression to stare at her son. It made the hairs on Zhu Junyang¡¯s body stand up. What was hisdy mother thinking now? Why were her eyes full of grievance now? Did his lord father bring in new concubines to the residence recently?


    Princess Consort Jing had thought of the people she had sent out of the residence to get information. As his mother, she fretted over her son constantly yet the object of her worries was something else. Instead, as soon as her son left the pce, he rode at top speed towards the Imperial ntation. Even though he passed by the prince¡¯s residence, he didn¡¯t think of stopping by to greet her. Everyone always said that when a girl matured you couldn¡¯t make her stay at home. It was the same for boys too!


    ¡°Little magpie gets a wife, forgets his mother at midlife...¡± Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t help but think of themon little ditty that she had learned when she was in the rural areas. Meixiang and Lanxiang, who were next to her, exchanged looks with eyes that were filled with mirth before they lowered their heads¡ª¡ªHer Highness was feeling the bite of jealousy!


    Zhu Junyang felt even more helpless now. All he could do was pretend that nothing had happened. Instead, he quietly asked the servants whether hisdy mother had been eating well recently, how her sleeping had been, and if she had any diforts of her body.


    Princess Consort Jing felt quite pleased within her heart when she saw this. Her youngest son finally had the warmth of a human being and knew how to be concerned about her, his mother! However, she also remembered that the reason he had changed was because of another woman...ahem ahem, another maiden. Thus, her feelings becameplicated again. Raising a son was only for the benefit of others ah!


    ¡°How¡¯s everything at the Imperial ntation? Are the people at the Imperial ntation doing well? The Imperial ntation...¡± Princess Consort Jing deliberately used a voice full of grievance and a gaze filled with resentment to ask about the Imperial ntation. This was her way of telling her youngest son that she knew about him visiting the Imperial ntation earlier. Was he going to continue to pretend?


    Zhu Junyang replied in a calm and collected manner, ¡°This son really doesn¡¯t know how things are doing at the Imperial ntation! In such a small period of time, even if I could fly, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get to the Imperial ntation. Lady Mother, if you want to say, just directly say it. No need to beat around the bush!


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong? Did you meet up with thatss Xiaocao when you were halfway there? Are you pleased now that you¡¯ve met up with thess? Young one, you¡¯ve truly gained skills! You know that it¡¯s important to curry favor with little maidens when you get back from a trip! Tell me, when will you bring a wife home for your mother?¡± Princess Consort Jing was pretty satisfied with Yu Xiaocao. When her son was gone for more than a month, the littless was afraid that she was worried and woulde over from time to time to chat with her to relieve her boredom. Furthermore, thess came up with new and novel foods for her to eat. Princess Consort Jing pinched the flesh at her waist. It looked like she had gotten fatter recently!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s lips involuntarily curved up when the topic came to his littless. His eyes also warmed up and gentled as he replied, ¡°Lady Mother, thatss will only be thirteen by the New Year! Didn¡¯t the emperor himself state in the past that women should only get married and have children when they turn eighteen in order to not harm their bodies? We still have five years to go and I n to wait!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing deliberately pretended to be a bit upset and regarded him with a displeased look, ¡°You¡¯re going to be twenty this year. If another five years pass, how old will you be then? Your older maternal cousin is only older than you by a year but he has children running around him! From what you¡¯re saying, just when can I hold a grandson from you ah?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother¡¯s son, Congsheng, already knows how to say ¡®grandmother¡¯. Lady Mother, if you want to hug a grandson, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have any around.¡± Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t going to fall for his mother¡¯s tricks. His eldest brother¡¯s oldest concubine-born son was already two years old this year but he had never seen his mother coo over him.


    ¡°How is that the same? I¡¯m only concerned about one of your most major turning points in your life!¡± Princess Consort Jing red at her youngest son.


    Zhu Junyang replied with a stubborn expression on his face, ¡°Lady Mother, you should first worry about Second Older Brother ah! He¡¯s older than me by five years! Second Older Brother is not even as far along as me. I at least have a goal in mind and I¡¯m striving towards it. He doesn¡¯t even have a person he likes right now and he¡¯s living at the border garrison. The army only has a bunch of old men in there so he¡¯d be hard pressed to even see a female sow around...¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s manner of speech had be a bit more crude and direct after spending so much time with soldiers and eating with them. Although Princess Consort Jing wasn¡¯t very used to this, she was still happy for her son. Her youngest son had finallye back to thend of the living and no longer acted as if he was just going through the motions of living.


    However, Princess Consort Jing found it very difficult to keep up her good spirits after hearing her youngest son¡¯stest words. Having more sons just meant more headaches as not a single one of them was easy to handle! Sigh! Xiaocao¡¯s mother was right. The younger generation would always figure out a way for themselves so you might as well just let them go!


    Zhu Junyang seemed to sense that his mother¡¯s mood was more downcast so he hurriedly tried to change the topic, ¡°Lady Mother, this time, when I went to the north, I came back with quite a few furs and they are all top-notch specimens that you can¡¯t even find in the capital! This son will have the servants bring them in. You should see if there are any that you fancy so you can take them and then have someone craft some warm outer garments for you!¡±


    Chests filled with furs were moved into the room. Princess Consort Jing looked them all over briefly. They were truly very good specimens that could not be bought in the capital. She snorted and then said, ¡°Are these the leftovers that someone else has already picked through?¡±


    ¡°How could that be? Naturally I need to show the good things to you first, Lady Mother! The servants in charge of bringing these goods back went directly to the residence as soon as we got to the capital. They didn¡¯t make a single detour! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go question Steward Sun in the outer courtyard.¡± Zhu Junyang really couldn¡¯t understand the way women thought. They somehow always made a mountain out of a molehill and could be angry for half a day over the smallest things. Wasn¡¯t this just causing trouble for oneself for no reason?


    When Princess Consort Jing heard this, she immediately revealed a happy smile. After all, this was the son who she had loved for almost twenty years, so it was right that he thought of her first when there were good things to be had. She casually picked out a fine weasel pelt and a beautiful sable fur before she stopped to say, ¡°To gain the favor of a young maiden, you can¡¯t just rely on having a sweet mouth...nevermind, I¡¯m pretty sure that tongue of yours doesn¡¯t know how to say anything that would gain her liking! This scarlet-red fox fur and this ferret fur are both good furs to be used to make some outer garments or a hat for young girls as they will make them look lively and cute. Tomorrow, you should bring them to thatss Xiaocao...also, you also need to send some to Lady Fang. Furthermore, you can¡¯t forget to send gifts to Dongshan Vige as her biological parents and siblings are all there!


    ¡°Lady Mother is still the most thoughtful! Tomorrow, I¡¯ll send some servants to make a trip to the Tanggu area...Lady Mother, you seem to be healthierpared to before as yourplexion looks quite good today!¡± At the very least, Zhu Junyang¡¯s ability to coax his mother into a happy mood had improved by a good amount.


    His efforts had obviously paid off as Princess Consort Jing was so delighted that her mouth was wide open in a smile, ¡°Thatss Xiaocao always sends me some ingredients for medicinal cuisine and fully made meals every few days or so. I¡¯ve been eating them and I feel like they¡¯re more efficacious than what can be bought outside. In the past, before winter even started, I couldn¡¯t leave the inside as my hands and feet were always icy cold. Now, I can even admire the plum blossoms in the snow without feeling chilled! For these past two years, I haven¡¯t even gotten a tiny illness during the winter. This is something that I would have never believed before.¡±


    Zhu Junyang was also genuinely happy for his mother and spoke intimately with her, ¡°Lady Mother, if you like eating them, then have thatss make more medicinal cuisine for you and send it over. I¡¯m sure it can make your body stronger. Xiaocao once said that using medicine to nourish the body is not as good as using food. If you eat properly, then it should be no problem for you to live until you¡¯re a hundred! Thus, you don¡¯t need to keep worrying about my future marriage. By the time this son¡¯s grandchildren are born, you will still be able to help me watch them!¡±


    ¡°You child, if I live that long, wouldn¡¯t I be an old witch by then?¡± The smile on Princess Consort Jing¡¯s face widened but she also lightly rolled her eyes at him. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something and said, ¡°In your household, other than Liu Fusheng, there are just two other male servants. How can male servants be as detailed as maidservants? How about, you can pick two maidservants from my side...¡±


    Before Princess Consort Jing could finish her thought, Zhu Junyang interrupted her with a waving hand, ¡°Don¡¯t! You better not propose giving me bed-servants or anything like that! Didn¡¯t you say before that concubines and bed-servants are like bombs just waiting to explode and only make a household messy? If Lord Father suddenly came back with two young maidens, what would you think? Thatss Xiaocao hasn¡¯t even agreed to marry me, so you better not make things moreplicated than they are!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing found his reaction simultaneously annoying and hrious. She patted his arm a few times with a bit of strength and growled, ¡°Stinky brat! Why did you start talking about me and your father? Your father is already how many years old? He¡¯s at a grandfather¡¯s age, so why would he ruin a young girl¡¯s life and bring her back?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh! My lord father is in the prime of his life right now. He has a strong and brawny stature that gives off a matured charm that younger men can¡¯t beat. If he really wanted to bring some young maidens home, there would be plenty standing in line. Lady Mother, you have to keep a close eye on him...


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re itching for a spanking since you dare to say bad things behind my back! Meixiang, go and bring out the familyws!¡± Imperial Prince Jing had just finished his work in the study and it was around the time he usually ate dinner with his wife. Who knew that as soon as he entered her rooms he would hear his youngest son, who in his impressions was always a taciturn and gloomy fellow, actually making a joke at his expense. Was he dreaming at the moment or was the youngster being impersonated by another person? It didn¡¯t seem right for his son to be like this!


    Zhu Junyang had no problems bantering with his mother but whenever he had to interact with his solemn father, he immediately became obedient and docile, ¡°Lord Father, this son won¡¯t butt into your affairs with Lady Mother. You can just have the servants send dinner to Dongxi Courtyard for me. Lord Father, Lady Mother, I will withdraw now!¡±


    In actuality, Zhu Junyang was quite envious of the rtionship his father and mother had with each other. Ever since that particr incident happened, his father had felt very guilty and needed topensate, so he sent all of the other women in the residence out. Thus, he began the legend of ¡®Imperial Prince Jing only favors his wife¡¯ in the capital. His mother had been spoiled as if she was a young maiden and didn¡¯t need to worry for anything.

 Chapter 460 – Sweet Target

    <h4>Chapter 460 ¨C Sweet Target</h4>


    There wasn¡¯t a single noble matron or maiden in the capital who didn¡¯t envy the rtionship between Imperial Prince Jing and his wife. As their son, Zhu Junyang was influenced by their examples. Whenever the prince was in the capital, he always tried to eat all three meals with his wife and would even, from time to time, carve some time out to live with her in the vi. He even promised that when he had free time and when her body was healthy enough, he was going to take her out traveling toplement all of the things he hadn¡¯t done for her.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but think of his future with the littless. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t make the same mistakes as his father, who almost lost the object of his affections before he did his best to make up for all of his blunders. He wanted his littless to forever stay under the protection of his wings so she could live a leisurely and pleasant life. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t give anyone the opportunity to harm her!


    The next day, as soon as morning court ended, Zhu Junyang went directly to the Fang Residence. Along with him came all of the gifts he was going to give to Yu Xiaocao and the people of the Fang Residence. They were prepared on the previous night. When he was attending morning court, he left them outside the pce walls and had his personal servant Zhang Debao and Head Steward Liu keep an eye on them. The officials who were also heading into the pce all saw the chests full of top-notch furs and they couldn¡¯t help but take a second nce. There were even some who asked if these furs would be soldter on.


    Recently, the northern borders haven¡¯t been quiet and, from time to time, the outer tribes would try to raid. Thus, the merchants who used to go to the north or the northwest had pretty much stopped their activities. After all, when they had to choose between making money or their lives, the scales tipped towards one and not the other. Consequently, furs that were as good quality as these were unable to be found in the capital.


    Winter was here and if these furs were sold on the market, then the officials were nning on buying some for their womenfolk at home to make some warm outerwear so they could be happy.


    However, after asking, they found out that the prince had no intentions of selling them as he was giving them to other people. Pretty much the whole court knew that Royal Prince Yang had been sent to the north with troops to suppress the rebellion, but having him reinforce the borders was only something the emperor decided at the spur of the moment. Before Royal Prince Yang returned to the capital, news of his sesses hade back in waves.


    They didn¡¯t expect that this guy would also have some good ideas to use his free time to buyrge amounts of top-notch furs to bring back. It really made people envy him. They heard that the soldiers who had gone to the borders had also bought a lot of good things from the local hunters there. Obviously, the person who made the biggest gains still had to be the great behemoth that was Royal Prince Yang! It was one thing for him to buy these things, but why did he have to bring them out to make other people jealous? Some of the imperial censors felt their hands itch and wondered if they should send up memorandums using him of misconduct!


    The officials who had daughters around Royal Prince Yang¡¯s generation all wrung their hands now. They didn¡¯t think that the previously gloomy and cold Royal Prince Yang would suddenly do a 180. He not only finished the tasks assigned to him in a satisfactory manner and received the emperor¡¯s favor and rewards, showing that he had a boundless future, but he also became a lot more gentle and refined. Recently, he would even have a faint smile on his face and the look in his eyes had gentled considerably. He even knew how to send gifts to the person he admired. If they knew about this earlier, then they would have set a betrothal down with their daughters! They weren¡¯t sure if they still had the opportunity to do so now.


    As for the little maiden surnamed Yu in the Ministry of Revenue, most of these people immediately forgot about her. She was only a littless from the rural countryside and had a big gap in background from the prince. Even though she managed totch onto General Fang¡¯s thigh and be his goddaughter, nowadays, not even biological fathers were reliable all the time, let alone a godfather. If Royal Prince Yang truly couldn¡¯t let her go, then he could just bring her in as a favored concubine instead. What trouble could a littless from a farmer¡¯s family, with no background or power, cause for the legitimate wife who came from a good family?


    There were quite a few people in the capital with these thoughts and there was actually one who actually tried to act on them. This person was the Assistant Commander of the Fifth Army, a second-rank official, Qian Shi. He didn¡¯t care that it wasn¡¯t proper for the girl¡¯s side of the family to make the overtures. As soon as the idea came to his mind, he went to find Imperial Prince Jing to ask about this.


    Prince Jing knew the temperament of his youngest son, so he didn¡¯t dare to hide this from him. He gave the excuse that the marriage of his son required the person in question to approve as well. Thus, he called Zhu Junyang in for this meeting. That Qian Shi said everything he should have said and even said things that he should not have mentioned.


    The official pompously proimed in a voice that hinted that he was conveying a favor that he would allow the prince to marry his daughter while also keeping Yu Xiaocao as a concubine. He also stated that women should obediently stay in the inner courtyard and that letting them show their faces outside was an embarrassing thing! The other man huffed and puffed endlessly in a winding lecture.


    Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t wait for the other person to finish his thoughts before he ordered the official to leave the residence immediately. However, this Qian Shi tried to use his age as a weapon and even started to scold Royal Prince Yang in the manner of an elder. Imperial Prince Jing was not happy by this turn of events. Zhu Junyang was his son and even he didn¡¯t dare to say too many harsh words to him. Why was an unrted official posturing and gesturing like an elder in front of him, Zhu Junyang¡¯s own father? Did he think that he was dead ah? Right then and there, the imperial prince smashed his teacup and had his subordinates chase this shameless man out of the residence.


    Zhu Junyang thought that this wasn¡¯t enough to vent his temper. Thus, on one day, when this official, Qian Shi, finished attending court and was heading home, he passed by a small, remote alleyway. The prince stuffed the man into a bup sack and viciously beat the older man up. The assistantmander had been born in a military family and had also followed the emperor emeritus around, battling fiercely. Naturally, his skill at martial arts was quite good. However, in Zhu Junyang¡¯s hands, he didn¡¯t have a single chance to fight back. Furthermore, Zhu Junyang deliberately targeted this general¡¯s face and smacked him until even his own mother wouldn¡¯t recognize him.


    This Qian Shi thought that this was too embarrassing and asked for some time off from court. For a long time, while he healed, he didn¡¯t attend court and also didn¡¯t dare to go out of the residence to manage affairs. This caused some significant losses to the assistantmander¡¯s estate. Regardless, he didn¡¯t want to go out with the injuries still prominently disyed as he was afraid that other people mightugh at him.


    At this time, Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t know that he had now be the target of everyone. From a cmitous star that everyone tried to avoid, he had now morphed into the ideal son-inw in most people¡¯s eyes. After finishing court, he went directly to the general¡¯s residence with his eye-catching presents.


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao was currently receiving the concubine-born daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Ceremonies. This young maiden was named Li Mengru and was older than Yu Xiaocao by two years. In this uing year, she was going to turn fifteen years old. Since her biological mother had passed away when she was young and she wasn¡¯t very favored at home, she didn¡¯t have the most easy life. Luckily, the legitimate wife of the household wasn¡¯t someone who couldn¡¯t tolerate concubine-born children, so she wasn¡¯t treated too poorly at home.


    Although thisss had the same Li surname as Li Meirou, her personality was vastly different. The young maiden was gentle and sweet-tempered and was even a bit timid. When she talked, she very rarely raised her voice. Her interestsy ining up and mixing up new cosmetics. Thus, her monthly allowance and any extra money she got during the New Years were all used on this hobby. It had been five years since she started this hobby, so she had gained some decent skills by now.


    This maiden had an innocent and pure personality, so she always happily gave out any of the cosmetics she made to her legitimate older sister and her other concubine-born sisters when they asked for them. Furthermore, the girls she had good rtionships with also received many gifts from her. Her hand-made products were at a point that, if she had the money to buy better quality ingredients, it was likely that all of the well-born maidens of the capital would chase after them.


    Even though she wasn¡¯t able to use top-notch ingredients, her fame had still spread throughout these circles. Many of the maidens from official families used their connections with other people in an attempt to buy cosmetics from her. However, this young maiden felt that her skills and products were not up to par to be sold for money. Thus, whenever she made a new batch of cosmetics, she would send some out to other people. Even if she was so poor that she couldn¡¯t afford to buy the raw ingredients, she still refused to take other people¡¯s money.


    Li Mengru had had an introverted personality since she was young and wasn¡¯t very good at interacting with other people. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she was skilled at crafting cosmetics, it was likely that even her own sisters in the residence would forget about her, let alone the noble-born maidens in the capital.


    Such an obscure and unknown person had suddenly received an invitation to go to Count Zhongqin¡¯s residence. The little maiden was quite perplexed by this turn of events. Her legitimate mother [1] was also very confused. Official Yu, who was currently a mighty figure in the capital, wasn¡¯t even polite to the daughter of an assistant minister. This concubine-born daughter of hers also had a quiet and timid personality and never strove for the spotlight. How did she suddenly get an invitation?


    When Li Mengru received the invitation, she had no idea what to do. Her wet-nurse was the one who reminded her that she should ask her legitimate mother what to do. Her legitimate mother also didn¡¯t look highly upon thisss who was born in a farmer¡¯s family and had been titled a small official for her farming ability. However, ever since Assistant Minister Li had such a tragic oue, she naturally wouldn¡¯t reveal this disdain outside as she wanted to avoid having a simr oue befall her own family.


    Currently, Assistant Minister Li and his family were the butt of all the jokes in the capital. The legitimate daughter of the high-ranking official in the Ministry of Ceremonies had also gone to that Flower Wars banquet. She had remembered her mother¡¯s advice to not be conspicuous and not reveal her true thoughts. Thus, she had managed to connect with a few other young maidens who were of the same mindset as her.


    Assistant Minister Li¡¯s daughter, on the other hand, wanted to smash Official Yu to the ground at the flower war banquet yet she was the one who ended up in the mud. It was one thing to lose her own dignity but she even pulled the hatred of Royal Prince Yang onto her family. When the high-ranking official from the Minister of Ceremonies found out, he especially called his daughter in and told her to describe exactly what happened. In addition, he repeatedly reminded her that this young maiden surnamed Yu was currently in the high tide, so she absolutely could not offend the other person. If she truly didn¡¯t like the other girl, she just needed to avoid her. This was to avoid having a simr oue as Assistant Minister Li¡¯s family. Now they couldn¡¯t even help their patriarch satisfy his cravings for green vegetables, let alone get any out of season melons, fruits, or small tomatoes.


    Li Mengru¡¯s legitimate older sister only had neutral feelings towards Yu Xiaocao. That being said, it wasn¡¯t as if their familycked money and needed to fawn over the other girl for the sake of getting some green vegetables or out of season fruits. However, as the legitimate mistress of the family, she also couldn¡¯t alienate the other person and make her angry at them.


    Consequently, when Li Mengru came over with the invitation to let her see, Lady Li very easily agreed to let her go. Furthermore, she instructed her concubine-born daughter to spend more time with other well-born maidens and make some more friends instead of spending all her time cooped at home messing around with a bunch of unrted stuff.


    However, how could she know that Official Yu, who she had no desire to offend, had sent an invitation to her concubine-born daughter exactly because that daughter liked to mess around with a bunch of unrted stuff?


    Early in the morning, Li Mengru arrived at Count Zhongqin¡¯s residence and said her greetings to Lady Fang before Yu Xiaocao brought her back to her own courtyard. Originally, when she found out she was going to meet the legendary Official Yu, she was quite nervous and anxious about the meeting. However, once she saw a girl shorter than her by half a head and around the same age as the younger concubine-born sister who lived in the same courtyard as her, her apprehension had almost disappeared.


    When Yu Xiaocao took out a te of small tomatoes to serve to her, Li Mengru¡¯s eyes became as wide as saucers and she revealed a bewildered expression. These bright red tomatoes, which were small and delicately shaped, were only given to a select few in her family. Out of the younger generation, only her legitimate older sister had the opportunity to try some. In general, such expensive and hard-to-get fruits were saved for serving important guests that came over to the residence.


    She recalled the time her legitimate older sister had first tried this type of fruit and had minutely described the taste of these tomatoes: tart and sweet with a light heady fragrance that made a person feel instantly addicted. Just one bite was not enough to satisfy a craving! When her legitimate older sister described the fruits, she even had an expression full of longing on her face. At that time, Li Mengru and her other concubine-born sisters were all so envious that they were swallowing back their saliva that had pooled in their mouths.

 Chapter 461 – Strawberries

    <h4>Chapter 461 ¨C Strawberries</h4>


    Li Mengru was very well aware of the value of these small tomatoes. Although her family was lucky enough to buy them once or twice, one box only had around two dozen, so only the children of the legitimate wife were given one to two tomatoes. As for the concubine-born children, even those who were more favored weren¡¯t necessarily given the opportunity to try any.


    She had never expected that the fruit that her older legitimate sister had talked about would actually show up next to her. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t one or two tomatoes and was actually a whole fruit tter full of them. There were around a couple dozen on the te!


    ¡°Try some. These were nted by me and my godmother and I think they taste better than the ones grown in the greenhouse pavilions!¡± Yu Xiaocao secretly watered these tomato nts with some mystic-stone water every day, so it was obvious as to why they tasted better. Furthermore, eating these were also beneficial to the body!


    Li Mengru carefully used her hand to pick up one and nced at Yu Xiaocao as if she was trying to assess if it was truly okay for her to eat them. When she saw Yu Xiaocao nod with a smile and also pick one up from the tter in front of her and deliver it to her mouth, Li Mengru finally cautiously ced the small tomato into her mouth. She lightly used her teeth to bite into it and slowly chewed.


    A fresh taste of sweetness with a hint of sourness traveled throughout her mouth. It was an unfamiliar vor but a sense of happiness and contentment spread from her mouth and into her heart. No wonder her older legitimate sister couldn¡¯t forget the taste of these fruits. It wasn¡¯t just the vor of these small tomatoes that conquered people¡¯s hearts. These tomatoes also gave people a sense of satisfaction. It was the kind of feeling that she only had when her concubine mother was still alive and could still take care of and protect her.


    She forcefully sucked on the sweet and sour juice within the cherry tomato, as if she was trying to preserve that feeling of happiness. Because she had been reminded of the good times she had with her concubine mother, Li Mengru¡¯s eyes started to shine with unshed tears while her face had a sweet smile on it.


    After she slowly finished the tomato in small bites, Li Mengru gently sniffled and used her handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes. She smiled and said, ¡°Forgive me, I was impolite earlier and let you see a joke!¡±


    ¡°No need to be so polite! I¡¯m the same as you. Whenever I eat something that I like I can get overwhelmed by my feelings. Although these small tomatoes are considered quite expensive and valuable by other people, in my residence, they¡¯re asmon as cabbages and radishes¡ª¡ªI¡¯m not trying to brag. I just want you to feel morefortable and eat as much as you wish.¡± In order to soothe the other young maiden¡¯s heart, she made sure that her every expression and word showed howmon these cherry tomatoes were to her.


    As expected, when Miss Li heard her words, she let out a peal ofughter and said, ¡°If you said this on the streets of the capital, there will definitely be plenty of people who want to beat you up! These fruits are so rare that even those with goblets of money may not be able to get any, but in your eyes, they¡¯re asmon as cabbages and radishes. Aren¡¯t you looking for a beating?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao casually shrugged her shoulders and waved a hand, ¡°Everything I say is true. If you don¡¯t believe me, then you cane visit my family¡¯s greenhouse to take a look. My godmother says I don¡¯t understand elegance since I¡¯m using her greenhouse, which she uses to raise rare and valuable nts, to grow some fruits. Truly a waste of prime resources!¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I am now truly curious about your family¡¯s greenhouse!¡± Li Mengru was still quite young and usually spent most of her time in her own courtyard. She didn¡¯t have many opportunities to interact with and chat with other young maidens her age. Yu Xiaocao was very different from the other youngdies she knew, who always talked with deliberate politeness. Those maidens were only interested in the four arts and the womanly crafts. Xiaocao, on the other hand, was the exact opposite and it was very refreshing. The other girl was using an expensive greenhouse to grow fruits and vegetables, so she could see why Lady Fang would scold her daughter for being wasteful!


    Yu Xiaocao also wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get to her reason for inviting the other girl. As long as she was able to let the other maiden let down her guard and see her as a friend, in the future, things would naturally go as they willed. She grinned and stood up, ¡°If Miss Li doesn¡¯t disdain this, then you cane to the greenhouse with me. Other than tomatoes, I¡¯m also growing some strawberries. This morning I took a peek and it looks like a few of them are pretty much ripe. We can go pick some and try!¡±


    Strawberries? She was even growing strawberries? A glitter of delight shed through Li Mengru¡¯s eyes. Her legitimate mother was considered quite generous and never shortened the allowances of the concubine-born children. In spring, Li Mengru loved eating the sweet and sour strawberries the most out of all the fruits! She never would have thought that there was someone who could grow strawberries in the middle of winter when the snow and winds blew fiercely. Her young maiden¡¯s heart immediately lightened and the curiosity within her also increased.


    The two young maidens put on their thick outer clothing and left the room that was warmed with a heated floor to step into the blustering snow. Yu Xiaocao was in the front, leading the way while Li Mengru followed from behind. Before long, the two of them were in front of the greenhouse.


    Since Lady Fang loved flora, General Fang had constructed a veryrge greenhouse for her in the corner of the back garden. It took up an area of at least three hundred square meters. All four sides of the greenhouse were constructed of transparent ss and even the connecting roof at top was made entirely of expensive ss. This greenhouse alone must have cost at least a thousand taels to construct. Li Mengru was quite bbergasted at the sight.


    When they entered the greenhouse, Li Mengru discovered that the flowers inside weren¡¯t left on the ground like she thought and instead were in pots that were stacked high on shelves. There were shelves on all four sides of the greenhouse. On the south side, there were two stacks and the rest of the sides had three stacks each. All of the shelves held a variety of valuable and rare nts, and orchids made up thergest number. In the best position in the greenhouse was the orchid that had caught everyone¡¯s eye at the flower war banquet, ¡®Elegant Lotus Crown¡¯. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t only just one pot! Some of the flowers had been suspended from above in an effort to save space in the greenhouse to allow vegetables and fruits to be nted below.


    The ground in the greenhouse had been cleared. Half of it was used to nt tomatoes and the other half was used to grow strawberries. It was likely that most of the ripe fruits had been picked in the morning as the vast majority of tomatoes on the nts were still green in color. asionally, she could see a few that had some faint red coloring. As they walked by, Yu Xiaocao casually picked a few remaining ripe tomatoes that had escaped the earlier harvest and passed them to Li Mengru as she said, ¡°In reality, the fruits that you pick yourself are usually the most sweet. Let¡¯s go, we should go further in to check the strawberry fields!¡±


    The strawberry vinesy on the ground and some bright red fruits peeked out from within the vibrant green of the leaves. Li Mengru spotted a strawberry that waspletely red and couldn¡¯t help but bend over to pick it. At this point, Tanchun, who was by Yu Xiaocao¡¯s side, picked up a water dipper from the corner of the greenhouse and walked over with adle full of water and smiled, ¡°Miss Li, do you want to wash it?¡±


    Li Mengru looked at therge and bright red strawberry in her hands that was wafting off a sweet fragrance. This strawberry wasrger than any of the ones she had previously eaten and the smell it gave off was more dense too. She couldn¡¯t help but swallow down her saliva and then nce sheepishly at Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even notice the embarrassed look in the other girl¡¯s eyes. She stepped onto the slightly moist soil and walked into the strawberry fields. She bent down as she searched within the strawberry leaves and picked the ripe ones she came across. She washed the ones she picked in a dipper of water that was in Wutong¡¯s hands and happily ate them after they were washed.


    Li Mengru hesitated for a moment before she copied the other girl¡¯s movements. She ced the strawberry she had just picked into the water dipper to wash clean and then took a big bite from it. It was so sweet and fragrant! Li Mengru¡¯s eyes curved up in delight and finished the strawberry in another few bites. Then, she followed Xiaocao from behind and looked for new targets.


    The two maidens had their heads lowered as they continued to search for ripe strawberries. Although they didn¡¯t speak much, their hearts had unconsciously be a lot closer. By the time they left the greenhouse, Li Mengru was no longer as stiffly polite as before. Even though she still wasn¡¯t very talkative, the smile on her face had be much more sincere. The friendship between these two young maidens had started like this.


    While filling her stomach with a bunch of strawberries and small tomatoes, Li Mengru felt as if she was in a dream. She was in afortably warm greenhouse eating icy cool fruits that she had personally picked herself. It was truly a strange and eye-opening experience for her.


    By the time they got back to the receiving room, the kitchen had sent a few tes of delicate pastries to them. After asking, Li Mengru discovered that Yu Xiaocao herself hade up with the recipes for all of these novel and beautiful desserts! A wave of admiration surged within her¡ª¡ªit was no wonder that Xiaocao at such a young age was able to be the only female official in the Great Ming Dynasty. She truly had the talents to back it up!


    Li Mengru tried a piece from every pastry and was at the point that her belly bulged from eating. The two young maidens had be close friends after eating and drinking tea together in a harmonious manner.


    ¡°Older Sister Mengru, I won¡¯t beat around the bush now and will just say it outright! This time I invited you over because I wanted to discuss with you about coborating together in opening a store!¡± Yu Xiaocao stated her motives for inviting the other girl after drinking a sip of digestive tea.


    ¡°Coborate in opening a store?¡± Li Mengru replied in a very surprised tone and then immediately added sheepishly, ¡°I¡¯m only the daughter of a concubine and I don¡¯t have a lot of money on hand. If Younger Sister Xiaocao doesn¡¯t disdain this, then I can have Jiner take out all of my savings and bring it over to you.¡±


    Jiner, who was standing by her side, had also been given a few pieces of pastries to eat. She was quite grateful that she had gone out today with her young miss. When she heard her young miss offer her life savings, she couldn¡¯t stop her lips from twitching a bit as she thought, ¡®Young Miss ah! You probably don¡¯t have more than ten taels saved up right now and the only reason you have that much is because it¡¯s winter right now and you can¡¯t buy your ingredients for your cosmetics. Official Yu has so many money-making ventures in her hands, so how could she possiblyck your insignificant ten taels?¡¯


    As expected, Yu Xiaocao chuckled gently, ¡°Older Sister Mengru, I want to open a cosmetics shop that targets women. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve also heard of my residence¡¯s peach blossom tea, right? Since it¡¯s a beautifying cosmetics store, it can¡¯t just rely on flower teas alone and needs some products targeting the outer skin. I heard that you¡¯re quite good and creative ating up with new cosmetic products. Thus, I boldly invited you over...¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you want to sell the cosmetics that I make in this new store?¡± Li Mengru¡¯s eyes were opened wide in disbelief as she asked in a bbergasted manner. Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and replied, ¡°Yes! Not only you, but I also invited the daughter of the Prime Minister, Older Sister Yuan, to also coborate with this venture and see if she wants to sell her products...¡±


    ¡°Oh no, oh no!¡± Li Mengru repeatedly waved her hand and said, ¡°Those cosmetics are just some random things I made in my free time and they are nowhere near finished products. It¡¯s fine to take some out and y around but if I dare to sell them in your store, I¡¯m afraid I might drag you down a bad road, Younger Sister. I absolutely cannot!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister, is it necessary for you to be so humble? Even Older Sister Yuan, one of the two beauties of the capital, praises the cosmetics you make without end. She also said that the products you make are even better than the cosmetics that are sold by Full Spring Fragrance. The other noble maidens who have tried your products also have the same opinion. Older Sister, do you still have any doubts now?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°No need for buts! People need to learn how to try before they know what they truly can or cannot aplish! Back when the emperor titled me as a sixth-ranked official and put me in charge of managing the Imperial ntation, I was also feeling a bit uneasy. However, now, didn¡¯t the facts show that I am capable of doing this?¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that the other maiden wasn¡¯t necessarily without talent but more had an issue with confidence. Thus, she tried to bolster the other girl.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 462 – Demonic Side?

    <h4>Chapter 462 ¨C Demonic Side?</h4>


    Li Mengru was already quite tempted. Although she had a timid personality, she also wanted to show that she wasn¡¯t aplete failure. Yu Xiaocao was younger than her by two to three years and was already so bold and courageous. Why couldn¡¯t she also try to be more like the other little girl?


    ¡°Then if...you¡¯re not afraid I¡¯ll ruin your store, then I¡¯m willing to coborate with you in opening this new business!¡± Opportunities in life didn¡¯t appear all the time. Li Mengru gritted her teeth and made her first daring decision in her entire life. Yearster, the oue would show that the step she took today was very worth it.


    She had now convinced Li Mengru. In addition, she had already obtained the consent of Older Sister Yuan during herst visit with the other noble maiden. The daughter of the prime minister was quite intrigued by this beauty and cosmetics business and also agreed to work with her. With this, they were already halfway there to opening the beauty and cosmetics business.


    ¡°I¡¯m nning on making our business into a special ce for women to rx and beautify themselves. Other than selling some floral and herbal teas, we can also sell nourishing tisanes, cosmetics and other beautifying skin products. Furthermore, we can offer services to improve a woman¡¯s face and appearance. For example, we can have facial consultations, shoulder and neck messages, traditional medicine consultations and pedicures. Furthermore, we can also organize parts of the boutique such that the customers can admire flowers, taste tea, eat pastries, y cards, and y mahjong. Also, we will only allow female customers in the store so this will be a boutique that is solely for the purpose to help women take care of themselves...¡± Yu Xiaocao described the wide scope that she wanted to try tobine so that Li Mengru would have more confidence in bing a coborator.


    Li Mengru¡¯s eyes started to glitter with excitement and a look of longing crossed her face. She murmured, ¡°Originally, I thought that this was only going to be a store that sold cosmetics. But from what you¡¯re saying, even I want toe and try out the services!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! Once the beautifying facility has finished construction, you, I, and Older Sister Yuan will all have our own special small courtyards in the building. Each mini-courtyard will have a perfect set of facilities, so you can experience any procedure that you want. Furthermore, it¡¯ll be free for you and any of your next of kin! Each of us will also be given three diamond cards that allow people to get fifty percent off, so you can give them to your good friends!¡±


    ¡°Wow! That good, huh? But...isn¡¯t that a bit too generous? Would our boutique not be able to cover our expenditures if we give out such good benefits?¡± Li Mengru was a bit hesitant at this. She had around six to seven sisters in her family. Although some had already married, they were still considered next of kin, right? If her sisters also brought other people along, would they be charging those people or not?


    Yu Xiaocao grinned, ¡°We can make the rules very clear. Only next of kin gets services for free. The people they bring along will at most get ten percent off, so it still gives them some face! Everyone is a well-breddy in the capital and no one will dare to risk their personal reputation for the sake of getting a bit of personal benefits. We don¡¯t need to worry about this! That being said, I have all the power in this scenario. If they want to enter, then they need to follow my rules. Otherwise, if they don¡¯t, then they can enter the cklist for all of my other enterprises! I¡¯m sure that no one will be so stupid to try to do that!¡±


    When she heard the word ¡®cklist¡¯, Li Mengru recalled what had happened to Assistant Minister Li¡¯s entire family. It was said that they had already eaten only radishes and cabbages for the past half month. Although they didn¡¯t have to skimp on meat, they couldn¡¯t only eat meat containing dishes all the time, right? Even she, as an unfavored concubine-born daughter, still had a te of fresh and green vegetables at every meal! Assistant Minister Li¡¯s family was so pathetic now!


    However, who allowed their daughter to offend Younger Sister Xiaocao so much? Younger Sister Xiaocao was so friendly and adorable, yet Li Meirou unexpectedly hated her guts and even deliberately provoked her. The consequences were clear now. Li Meirou only brought disaster on her own family and they were now theughingstock of the capital!


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s discuss the divisioning of profits now. I¡¯ve already drafted up a contract. I¡¯ll be in charge of obtaining the location, staff, materials, as well as bringing everything into operation and the marketing. You and Older Sister Yuan will only need to train a few maidservants such that they can make your special rouge, face powder, and duck egg powder. Both of you will get twenty percent, while I get sixty percent! How do you feel about that?¡± Yu Xiaocao took out a contract that had that all written out and gave it to Li Mengru to allow her to inspect it carefully.


    Yu Xiaocao had just said that this beauty boutique spa was going to sell skincare products, cosmetics, cosmeceuticals, and beautifying procedures. Her rouge and face powder was only a small part of the business. Even if she didn¡¯t coborate, Xiaocao could easily make a business deal with Full Spring Fragrance instead. She felt a bit guilty taking twenty percent of the profits!


    ¡°In actuality, I could just take a tenth of the profits instead...¡± Li Mengru was very satisfied with the contents of the contract. If things went all, even though it was only twenty percent, it was still likely going to be arge sum of money. She felt a bitcking in confidence taking such a generous share.


    ¡°Young Miss...¡± Her maidservant, Jiner, quietly prompted her. Was there anyone else in this world who would push away offered money? Her young miss was not very favored by her family. Other than some spending money, she never got rewarded with anything else. Furthermore, her entire allowance was pretty much spent on the ingredients to make her special blush and face powder.


    Her young miss was almost fifteen and needed to start thinking for herself. Although Lady Li wouldn¡¯t stint on the young miss¡¯s dowry to embarrass her, she was still a daughter of the concubine at the end of the day. The young miss wasn¡¯t very close to the madam usually, so it was unlikely that her dowry would be filled with valuable items. A dowry determined a woman¡¯s status in her husband¡¯s family. Naturally, the more one had the better. Miss Yu was kind and honest and was offering to give twenty percent of the profits to her young miss. Who would have thought that her young miss was so silly that she would negotiate to have a smaller share. Sigh...following such an innocent and naive mistress made her worry to bits sometimes!


    Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly and shot a nce at the worried maidservant before she said, ¡°Twenty percent is what I negotiated with Older Sister Yuan. If you have problems, then I can also invite Older Sister Yuan over next time and you can discuss with her...¡±


    ¡°No, no! Twenty percent is also very good. There¡¯s no need to bother Miss Yuan about this!¡± The legitimate daughter of the prime minister was also known as the one of the two famed beauties in the capital. Compared to herself, who was merely the concubine-born daughter of an official in the Ministry of Ceremonies, Miss Yuan was the heavens to her ground. To her, Yuan Xueyan was someone she could look up to. Even her older legitimate sister wouldn¡¯t necessarily have the status to chat easily with Miss Yuan. How could she dare to question Miss Yuan¡¯s decision on something?


    ¡°Since you have no objections, then you can sign this contract!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt like she was the big bad wolf who was trying to abduct Little Red Riding Hood. She had Wutong grind the ink and then handed the brush over to Li Mengru.


    Li Mengru signed the contract in a woozy manner. The contract that described her twenty percent share of the profits was now finally done. Jiner carefully ced Li Mengru¡¯s finished contract into her embroidered pouch and nned on immediately cing the precious agreement into her young miss¡¯s personal box when they got back to the residence.


    At this time, Yingchun lifted the curtain and stepped inside. She used a crisp and clear voice to announce, ¡°Young Miss, Royal Prince Yang has paid a visit!¡±


    ¡°I have a guest over, so go tell Zhuzi to bring him to the study in the outer courtyard and serve him some tea and light refreshments. When I¡¯m done here, then I¡¯ll receive him!¡± Yu Xiaocao nced at the color of the sky outside. That fellow must have rushed over as soon as court let out. The smile on her face unconsciously deepened a bit.


    After Yingchun left with her orders, Yu Xiaocao turned around and discovered that Li Mengru¡¯s face had suddenly turned so white that it was a bit scary. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes filled with concern and she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Older Sister Mengru, are you not feeling right? I know a bit of medicine, how about I take a look for you?¡±


    Li Mengru forced the corners of her lips up and revealed a smile that was more ugly than a sob. Her voice shuddered as she replied, ¡°I...I¡¯m alright!¡±


    After she finished replying, she picked up her teacup and suddenly drank arge gulp that almost ended up choking her. Yu Xiaocao gave her an odd nce. The other maiden was perfectly fine earlier, so what caused her to suddenly act like this? From the way she looked, she resembled a little roe deer who had been frightened to death.


    Her eyes flickered and Yu Xiaocao finally revealed an expression full of doubt as she decided to try to ask, ¡°Older Sister Mengru, are you...afraid of Royal Prince Yang?¡±


    Li Mengru hesitated for a moment and then slightly nodded her head. She spoke in a quiet voice, ¡°I heard...that Royal Prince Yang looks as crude as a bear and his face is as ck as the bottom of a pot. His eyes are asrge as copper gongs and his voice sounds like thunder! One p from him is able to kill a startled horse on the scene. One kick from him can cause a man to spit up blood and die instantly. Just a single re from him is enough to cause a person¡¯s blood to flow backwards....he¡¯s temperamental and moody to a fault. He can be fine for one second and then the next second he¡¯ll flip out! In a rage, he could rip a person in two...¡±


    ¡°Pffffttt¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t hold back her mirth when she heard the other girl¡¯s descriptions. She gurgled incessantly withughter as she held her belly. Apparently, in the eyes of these young maidens who rarely stepped outside, Royal Prince Yang had such a bad reputation that he resembled the ck bear demon in the Journey to the West. He could even rip a person in two! This was truly the same ability that those demons in the mythical stories had in her past life! That was too funny! When she saw Zhu Junyangter, she needed to make fun of him!


    ¡°Why are youughing? I¡¯m not done talking!¡± Li Mengru opened her eyes wide as if she wasn¡¯t as scared anymore. However, she still used a quiet voice to remind Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, you must be very, very careful when you¡¯re interacting with Royal Prince Yang. You¡¯re so tiny so it¡¯d be easy for him to eliminate you with one finger! You absolutely must go with what he says and don¡¯t offend him!¡±


    ¡°Young Miss...¡± Jiner noticed that her young miss was bing more and more ridiculous with every word she said. She stealthily pulled at Li Mengru¡¯s sleeve to remind her to say less. This wasn¡¯t the first time that Miss Yu had met with Royal Prince Yang. It was obvious that their rtionship was quite good as Royal Prince Yang protected her fiercely and was willing to punish Assistant Minister Li¡¯s family for her. ¡®If you keep saying such things behind Royal Prince Yang¡¯s back to Miss Yu, is it really alright?¡¯


    However, Li Mengru threw off her maid¡¯s hand and continued, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, you absolutely need to believe this. Did you know that Royal Prince Yang¡¯s reputation is used to scare little children? When my fifth younger brother was being very naughty, my legitimate mother scared him by saying, ¡®if you refuse to behave, then I¡¯ll send you to Royal Prince Yang¡¯. This saying is known throughout the capital and everyone uses it!¡±


    ¡°PFFFTTTT! Bwahahahaha, I can¡¯t take it anymore...my tummy is about to burst fromughing too much!! Wutong, quickly give me a belly rub! Iughed so hard that I¡¯m bloated!¡± Yu Xiaocaoid on the table and continuously pounded the table in mirth. She wasughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face!


    Wutong and Tanchun stifled their smiles. One maid started rubbing their master¡¯s belly while the other poured a cup of hot tea to serve to her. Apparently, in other people¡¯s eyes, that handsome and good-tempered Royal Prince Yang had a demonic side to him. The nicknames ¡®the cold-faced death god¡¯, ¡®grim demon king¡¯, and ¡®the cmitous star¡¯ were probably all given to him because of these false rumors, right?


    How could these two maids know that if the prince hadn¡¯t met their young miss, then, other than his looks, he might be exactly like the man described in those rumors that Li Mengru mentioned. That prince would have been tormented by his inner demon and would have started to kill people willy-nilly, causing rivers of blood to flow. As time passed, he would be a blood-seeking demon and the court would need to take out their entire army, including Su Ran and the hidden bodyguards hemanded, to subdue him once and for all...

 Chapter 463 – Follow-up

    <h4>Chapter 463 ¨C Follow-up</h4>


    Seeing that Yu Xiaocao had other guests, Li Mengru decided to leave now. She repeatedly reminded the other girl to be careful around Royal Prince Yang. Yu Xiaocao held back herughter and easily promised the other maiden. She personally escorted Lin Mengru out of the drooping flower gate.


    Suddenly, Xiaocao¡¯s second-rank maidservant, Yingchun, walked by with the elegant and handsome as a god Royal Prince Yang. When she saw everyone, Yingchun bent over and gave a greeting, ¡°Young Miss, this servant is taking Royal Prince Yang to go see the mistress...¡±


    Royal Prince Yang? Li Mengru had kept her head lowered down carefully when she heard that there was an outside maning in. Her heart was filled with equal parts of apprehension and curiosity. She couldn¡¯t help but stealthily raise her head slightly to look at the dark, shadowy figure who was behind Yingchun. Unexpectedly, her eyes met a pair of cold and piercingly fierce eyes. It frightened her so much that her heart stopped for two beats. She quickly lowered her head to her chest as if she was a scared little rabbit.


    So scary! Sure enough, the rumors were not wrong. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s gaze was as sharp as a knife and almost frightened her to death! Although she didn¡¯t have the time to clearly see the other person¡¯s external appearance, her mind automatically filled in the gaps to form a picture: a very tall figure that resembled an iron tower (Author¡¯s note: the prince is wearing a ck cloak, okay?) and a piercing gaze that could kill a person instantly. Incredibly dreadful! Would Younger Sister Xiaocao be bullied by this manter on?


    Zhu Junyang could sense someone feeling very apprehensive and was concerned that someone was trying to scheme against his littless. He opened up his mind to his power and unexpectedly heard Li Mengru¡¯s train of thoughts. He didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry at this new information¡ª¡ªthis young maiden, whose courage was smaller than a bunny¡¯s, had actually described him in such a fearsome manner and was even worried that he would harm Xiaocao? She was thinking too much, okay? He constantly thought about how to protect her better. How could he bear to harm a single hair on hisss¡¯s head?


    When that maid came to get him, who did she say was meeting Xiaocao? The concubine-born daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Ceremonies? She dared to ruin his great and mighty reputation in front of hisss. Should he give her a lesson? Forget it! Since hisss was treating that young maiden quite well, he would let her go this one time! His littless wouldn¡¯t be as timid as that girl. At most, he would likely beughed at and teased by her. In any case, it wasn¡¯t the first time this happened, so he was indifferent to it! As long as hisss was happy, that was what mattered!


    Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow when he met the gleeful look in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes. His lips slightly curved up and he gave her a look that said, ¡®this prince will be waiting for you¡¯. Then, he left as if nothing had happened in that brief encounter.


    Li Mengru, who had been scared speechless, clenched tightly onto her handkerchief and kept her head lowered as much as possible. Her legs were tightened in fear. Only after Royal Prince Yang¡¯s figurepletely disappeared did she finally let out a long sigh of relief. She felt as if she had just taken a stroll next to the gates of hell.


    Until she entered her carriage, Li Mengru still had some lingering sense of apprehension. Jiner, who was holding the gifted box, also patted her chest in relief and slowly let out a sigh as she softly said, ¡°Young Miss, earlier Royal Prince Yang was too scary! I could feel the air freeze when I was only three steps away from him. This servant was so scared that I didn¡¯t dare to breathe! Oh right, Young Miss! Did you get a good look at what Royal Prince Yang looks like?¡±


    ¡°When I raised my head, I was so frightened by the sharp look in his eyes that I immediately lowered it again. I only saw that he was wearing all ck and that he is very tall! Jiner, since Royal Prince Yang is so scary, do you think Younger Sister Xiaocao will be bullied by him?¡± Li Mengru was sincerely worried about the young maiden she had just gotten familiar with.


    Jiner replied hesitantly, ¡°I don¡¯t...think so, right? With Lady Fang there, she wouldn¡¯t let her daughter get pushed over! Furthermore...from what Miss Yu was showing, it¡¯s unlikely that she¡¯s very scared of Royal Prince Yang. Perhaps, those rumors...are all exaggerations! That being said, Royal Prince Yang can¡¯t just get angry for no reason at any time. Young Miss, don¡¯t be so worried!¡±


    When they returned to their residence, the two of them were immediately escorted to the central courtyard where the legitimate wife lived by a maidservant who was waiting for them at the inner gate. Li Mengru¡¯s legitimate mother, older legitimate sister, and a few of her younger legitimate brothers were all waiting in the reception hall. The sight somewhat resembled a joint hearing.


    Li Mengru appeared a bit wilted when she saw this and gave the proper greeting as she softly said, ¡°Li Mengru greets Mother.¡±


    Lady Li had a sweet smile on her face as she waved a hand to summon this concubine-born daughter of hers who normally wasn¡¯t very eye-catching. When Li Mengru arrived next to her, Lady Li gently said, ¡°There¡¯s no one that¡¯s an outsider here, so there¡¯s no need to be so stiff. Quickly sit down and drink a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up.¡±


    Li Mengru couldn¡¯t refuse an offer from the older generation, so she sat down on a small embroidered stool next to the chaise lounge in a reserved manner. She sped a cup of tea in her hands and slowly drank it in small sips. Hm...the vor of this tea was quite inferior to the tea at Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯s ce.


    Her older legitimate sister, Li Mengqi, didn¡¯t wait before she finished her cup of tea before she impatiently came over and asked, ¡°Younger Sister Ru, did Official Yu invite you over for some matter? Did she receive you with a tter of fruits?¡±


    Li Mengru handed the teacup over to Jiner, who was standing next to her and gently replied, ¡°Official Yu wants to cooperate with me as my ability to make cosmetics caught her eye. She wants to open a store together. Besides me, she also invited Older Sister Yuan from the prime minister¡¯s residence to also work on this business.¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Yuan¡¯s handcrafted duck egg powder is very famous throughout the capital. I would have never expected that younger sister¡¯s dabblings in mixing cosmetics could also catch Official Yu¡¯s attention...¡± Yuan Xueyan had a cold and indifferent personality. Ordinarily, she only interacted with those who were close to her, like kindred spirits. There were no more than ten people in the capital who had entered her circle of friends. When she saw that her concubine-born younger sister had the opportunity to interact with the legitimate daughter of the prime minister in a business coboration, Li Mengqi¡¯s voice became soured with a hint of jealousy.


    Lady Li shot a faint nce of warning at her short-sighted daughter and smiled before she took over the conversation, ¡°Mengru, were you able to get along with Miss Yu? How¡¯s her temperament? Is she as crafty and tricky as rumored? You are one of the daughters of our residence, so there¡¯s no need for you to cater to other people and wrong yourself!¡±


    When she heard that her legitimate mother seemed to be defending her, the innocent and naive Li Mengru felt her heart warm. She replied in a moved manner, ¡°Thank you, Mother, for thinking of me. Younger Sister Xiaocao is not as tricky and crafty as the rumors say. In fact, she¡¯s the exact opposite. She has a very sweet personality and treats people with respect and courtesy. There wasn¡¯t a hint of disdain in her demeanor when she talked with me, even though I am the daughter of a concubine. She not only took out good tea and refreshments but also presented a fruit tter of small tomatoes to me...¡±


    A whole te of precious and valuable small tomatoes was taken out to receive a concubine-born daughter as a guest? Lady Li¡¯s two underage sons revealed envious, jealous, and somewhat hateful expressions. Li Haoming, who was seven, pouted and grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ve only eaten cherry tomatoes twice thus far, and every time I¡¯ve only gotten three at most. Older Sister Ru was actually able to monopolize a te of them. It makes people feel very jealous.¡±


    ¡°Ming¡¯er!¡± Lady Li rebuked as she red at her younger son and said, ¡°Noblemen must be upright and elegant. How can they only desire good food? Be careful to not let your father hear you. Otherwise, he¡¯ll punish you by making you copy books!¡±


    Li Mengqi loved her younger brother dearly and hurriedly changed the topic, ¡°Only Official Yu could bear to use a te of small tomatoes to receive guests. With her connections with Royal Prince Yang, her supply of fruits from the greenhouse pavilions will always be strong!¡±


    Li Mengru lightlyughed and said, ¡°Older Sister, you¡¯re wrong in this case! The small tomatoes that were used to receive guests at the Fang Residence weren¡¯t grown in the greenhouse pavilions. Instead, they are grown in their own greenhouse at home. Her family¡¯s greenhouse has been split into several levels. The precious and rare flowers are all arranged on shelves or hung in the air. The entire ground has been used to grow tomatoes and strawberries!¡±


    Not every family could afford to build a greenhouse in their own residences as it easily cost over a thousand taels to craft one. It was arge amount of money for an estate like the official from the Ministry of Ceremonies. Lady Li also wasn¡¯t someone who loved flowers as much as the flower fanatics, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t bear to spend thatrge amount to build a greenhouse.


    Li Mengqi remarked enviously, ¡°Naturally it¡¯s more convenient to eat these fruits if you nt your own ah! Official Yu is talented at this so I¡¯m sure the tomatoes she nts at home taste even better than the ones on the market!¡± ¡°Older Sister Ru, did you finish an entire te of cherry tomatoes?¡± Li Haoming was still obsessed over the fact that a concubine-born older sister of his was able to monopolize a whole te of cherry tomatoes.


    Li Mengru lowered her head and chuckled, ¡°How could I? After all, I was there as her guest, so I needed to show a bit of restraint. I only ate a few of the small tomatoes on the te. However, when I was in the greenhouse, I ate quite a few tomatoes that I had picked myself.¡±


    Li Haoyu, who had been silent this entire time, finally opened his mouth when he heard this, ¡°Official Yu also invited Older Sister Ru to pick tomatoes in the greenhouse? Are the tomatoes you pick yourself more tasty? I heard that, on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead, they have opened a business allowing guests to personally pick their own fruits. The entrance fee alone is a hundred taels but you can eat as much as you want while you are in the greenhouse. However, if you want to bring any of the fruits home that you picked, you need to pay more money. There are no restrictions on the amount of watermelons or cantaloupes by weight but every person can only buy at most five catties of the small tomatoes.¡±


    ¡°Every person can buy five catties of tomatoes? Then doesn¡¯t that mean that if we want to eat small tomatoes we can directly go to the farmstead instead of waiting in the wind and snow to buy it at the fruit stands?¡± Li Mengqi¡¯s eyes lit up as she started to consider begging her father on some day to bring them to Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead to open their horizons.


    Li Haoyu gave her a look and continued, ¡°If you want to enter the greenhouse, every person needs to pay a hundred taels each as an entrance fee. Furthermore, the prices of the fruits at the farmstead are much higher than the prices set at the fruit stands. This type of expense isn¡¯t something that every family can afford to do!¡±


    One visit there for one person would cost at least a hundred or so taels. With her father¡¯s official sry and her mother¡¯s ie from her dowry shops, if their whole family went once, it was likely that they would have financial difficulties for the next few months. Li Mengqi wilted down and slumped her shoulders.


    Li Mengru noticed that her older legitimate sister and two legitimate younger brothers all seemed to be somewhat downcast. She hurriedly looked back at Jiner and said, ¡°Mother, Younger Sister Xiaocao said that we got along well, so she not only treated me very well but also gave me a present to bring back!¡±


    Jiner was a bit unwilling to take out the small tomatoes and strawberries that Miss Yu had given her young miss. Usually, when the family was lucky enough to buy some tomatoes, she never saw the madam or the eldest young miss thinking of her young miss. Why was Young Miss being generous in light of her own poverty?


    Although her heart was reluctant, Jiner didn¡¯t dare to reveal a single thought. She took out the two small and exquisite wicker baskets. The baskets had lids on them that prevented any of the people in the reception hall from seeing their contents. Li Haoming was very curious about this and stretched his neck forward in anticipation to see the present that Official Yu gave.


    Lady Li revealed a happy expression on her face and said, ¡°Miss Yu is truly too polite!¡±


    Li Mengru ced the two small baskets on the small table in front of the lounge and then took off the covers, revealing the bright red small tomatoes and plump strawberries.


    ¡°Wow! A basket full of tomatoes. It must weigh around two catties ah? Official Yu is really generous!¡± Li Haoming eximed in pleasure.


    ¡°There are strawberries avable in this season? No wonder the rumors all say that Official Yu can disregard the seasons and grow any fruit or vegetables at any time of the year!¡± Li Haoyu was also very surprised by this.


    Lady Li stared at the sweet and attractive strawberries and small tomatoes while her heart made a few fast calctions. Hereafter, she needed to treat this concubine-born daughter better. Perhaps through her, they would be able to make a connection with Miss Yu...

 Chapter 464 – The Kitten and the Dog

    <h4>Chapter 464 ¨C The Kitten and the Dog</h4>


    The family looked at the bright red fruits on the table and, for a second, the whole entire room was silent. Even the youngest, Li Haoming, didn¡¯t start mouring to eat the tomatoes. At this time, Official Li from the Ministry of Ceremonies walked in. He revealed a perplexed expression as it was currently lunchtime but there were no food dishes on the table.


    When he noticed the small tomatoes and strawberries on the table, Official Li¡¯s expression lightened and he smiled, ¡°Looks like our luck was pretty good today and we were able to buy such rare fruits. What a coincidence, tomorrow I¡¯m inviting a few of my colleagues over. I can use such valuable fruits to serve them then.¡±


    Unexpectedly, his youngest son, Li Haoming, pouted unhappily when he heard this, ¡°Father, these fruits weren¡¯t bought by the servants from the kitchens. Fifth Older Sister had gone to Official Yu¡¯s residence as a guest today and these are her gifts!¡±


    After he finished, he stared pitifully at his father and the expression on his face clearly said, ¡®These fruits are considered to be the property of Fifth Older Sister. Father, you don¡¯t even say a greeting before taking them over, is it really right?¡¯


    ¡°Ru¡¯er?¡± Official Li stared at his normally silent and taciturn concubine-born daughter with a bbergasted expression. He would have never expected that she would catch the eye of Miss Yu and even be able to get some gifts from the other person.


    After his daughter exined what had happened, he was silent for a moment before he stated, ¡°Our ancestral background, if we go back three generations, is also from a farming family. We cannot use our backgrounds to humiliate other people! Assistant Minister Li¡¯s family is a great example of what could go wrong, so you must keep this in mind! This Miss Yu is very young but has already shown such talent at farming and agriculture. In the future, the emperor will clearly view her with great importance. Since Ru¡¯er has caught her eye, then coborate well with her. Do not use your background and talents to bully the other person!¡±


    ¡°I will listen and obey Father¡¯s instructions!¡± Li Mengru seldom had the chance to talk to her own father, let alone receive any personal teachings from him. She was quite moved by this change.


    Li Mengqi grinned, ¡°Father, you don¡¯t know what type of personality younger sister has? If she was an arrogant and willful person, even if she had talent, Miss Yu might still not decide to work with her. Earlier when this daughter attended a banquet to admire the plum blossoms, I heard a rumor that Miss Yu is nning on opening a flower tea store and to sell her peach blossom tea that is able to improve a person¡¯s appearance. Even without Younger Sister¡¯s rouge and face powder, she wouldn¡¯tck for business.¡±


    Official Li muttered to himself for a bit before he finally said, ¡°You¡¯re normally just messing around when you make your rouge and face powder, so there¡¯s usually not a whole lot when you¡¯re done. It¡¯d be hard to manufacture enough with your current process¡ª¡ªhow about this, have your mother take some money from the residence¡¯s budget and give it to you. If you need any particr materials, please tell your mother. Before the shop opens, you need to practice more in order to avoid ruining Miss Yu¡¯s business venture!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Thank you, Father!¡± Li Mengru¡¯s normally reserved expression revealed hints of happiness. If she had ess to top-notch ingredients, she was sure that she would be able to make cosmetics that were much better than the ones sold by Full Spring Fragrance.


    When he saw how obedient and sweet his daughter was, Official Li felt his heart rx a few fractions. He looked at his sons and daughters in the room and felt a bit of pride rise up¡ª¡ªhis children were all so obedient and understanding, so they definitely wouldn¡¯t do anything like Assistant Minister Li¡¯s daughter to bring cmity to their whole family!


    His oldest son was only ten this year but he had already read through and knew the Book of Songs and the Book of History [1] . In the future, he naturally was going to be an official. His younger son was lively and clever. Although his personality was not as steady as his oldest son, he wasn¡¯t a stupid child either. His wife was virtuous and generous. People always said, ¡®a virtuous wife will reduce harm to her husband¡¯, and this ancient saying wasn¡¯t wrong! Wasn¡¯t Assistant Minister Li¡¯s wife short-sighted andcking in knowledge? After all, she had spoiled their daughter to the heavens, which caused them now to be theughingstock of the whole capital.


    ¡°Hm hm...¡± Official Li looked at the valuable fruits on the table. There were even strawberries to be had in this season? Only Miss Yu¡¯s residence was able to bring out such rare fruits in this season so easily to give to other people, right? He looked at Li Mengru and then asked in a somewhat awkward manner, ¡°Ru¡¯er, what do you n on doing with these fruits?¡±


    Although Li Mengru had a weak and timid personality, she wasn¡¯t an imbecile. She hurriedly stated, ¡°Whatever Father decides is best...¡±


    ¡°There are no outsiders here, so there¡¯s no need to be so cautious. In my heart, you, Qi¡¯er, Ming¡¯er, and Yu¡¯er are the same. You are all Father¡¯s good children!¡± Official Li raised the status of this unassuming concubine-born daughter of his to the level of his legitimate children. This showed how much importance he ced on the recent events.


    Lady Li was very skilled at guessing her husband¡¯s intentions and hurriedly interjected, ¡°Ru¡¯er lost her concubine-mother when she was young and has always been a sensible and clever child. I quite pity her. Husband, how about we record Ru¡¯er¡¯s name under me. In the future, she can also get a good marriage because of this!¡±


    ¡°Then we will do as my wife says!¡± Official Li admired his wife¡¯s generosity and wisdom in this situation and now regarded her with even more importance.


    Li Mengru almost couldn¡¯t believe her own ears. Being recorded under the legitimate wife¡¯s name was a very big honor for concubine-born children. This meant that, in the future, she would be of the same status as her legitimate born older sister and younger brothers and would be considered a legitimate born child under the legitimate wife...


    She couldn¡¯t help but exim in happiness and repeatedly cried, ¡°Thank you Mother for being so loving and generous...¡±


    The smile on Li Mengqi¡¯s face didn¡¯t change at all as she said, ¡°In the future, I will have a new legitimate younger sister! We¡¯re close in age so we should be more intimate together. Mother, the courtyard next to my Qinn courtyard is still empty. How about we move Younger Sister Ru into that courtyard? That way, us sisters can easily spend more time with each other.¡±


    ¡°Okay! We will do as Qi¡¯er suggests!¡± Lady Li naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse to go with her daughter¡¯s wise decision.


    Only now did Official Li point at the two types of fruits on the table. Under the anxious gaze of his younger son, he proimed his decision, ¡°These two fruits are indeed very difficult to get. If I took them both, I would be ruining everyone¡¯s mood here. How about this? We¡¯ll leave half of each fruit here and use them at the end of our noon meal! Ru¡¯er, from today going forward, you should stay in the main courtyard and take all of your meals with your mother!¡±


    Before Li Mengru could reply, Li Haoming already let out a scream of delight and had the servants bring a clean te over. He personally divided the fruits by half and ced them on the te.


    Li Mengru felt like she was in a dream today. First she had been invited by the famous Official Yu and had signed a coboration contract for a new business with her. Then, her father and mother started regarding her with importance and even, for some reason, elevated her status and made her a legitimate born daughter under her legitimate mother¡¯s name!


    While the main courtyard of Official Li from the Ministry of Ceremonies were happily enjoying their tomatoes and strawberries, at Count Zhongqin¡¯s Estate, General Fang¡¯s residence, Royal Prince Yang was currently holding a bright scarlet fox pelt in his hands and showing it to Yu Xiaocao.


    ¡°This type of red fox fur is very warm. Winter in the capital is different than in Tanggu Town as it tends to be very dry and cold. You should take it to make a long coat. You¡¯re always going back and forth between the capital and the Imperial ntation. How could it be okay if you don¡¯t wear warm enough clothing?¡±


    Lady Fang sat on the side with a smile on her face as she looked at the chests full of furs in the hall. Her satisfaction towards Royal Prince Yang had gone up a few fractions. Originally, when she discovered that Royal Prince Yang liked her twelve year old daughter, she was quite opposed to this. Years ago, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s ¡®bad reputation¡¯ had long spread throughout the capital. The rumors made him seem more vicious than a wild beast and he couldn¡¯t be easily controlled.


    Her daughter was weak and soft. If Royal Prince Yang exploded in temper, she would have no way to defend herself. She would rather find a more ordinary family for her daughter to marry into as long as the man was gentle and responsible then send such a weakmb into the lion¡¯s den.


    However, after observing for some time, she discovered that while Royal Prince Yang may still treat other people with a cold and lofty manner, he was as gentle as a tamed colt with Xiaocao. Her normally clever and obedient daughter quarreled, contradicted, ridiculed and even acted willful around the prince at times. It was as if she was a tiny naughty kitten using her ws to tease a gentle and honestrge dog. Thatrge dog could obviously eat the tiny kitten in one gulp but couldn¡¯t even bear to show his teeth to the small kitten when she dragged her ws over him. He was so good tempered that he allowed her to do whatever she pleased.


    Recently, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s bad reputation was not as horrible as it was in years past, especially in these past two years. The prince hadn¡¯t lost control of himself and harmed anyone in recent times. It seemed like that wild beast within his heart had finally calmed down. The emperor also regarded him with increasing importance. Furthermore, every time he finished the tasks assigned to him, the emperor was always pleased with the oue. Even if his tasks took him far away from the capital, Royal Prince Yang always thought of her daughter. For example, when he left to quell the rebellion in the north this time, he still remembered to buy Xiaocao tons of winter furs during the chaos of war.


    The room was currently filled with top-notch furs and even people with money to spend in the capital wouldn¡¯t be able to buy them. Because of this, Lady Fang¡¯s heart rxed perceptively.


    When she came back to reality, Lady Fang could hear her daughterining, ¡°It¡¯s such a bright red color. Using it to make a scarf or hat is fine, but if it¡¯s used to make an entire long coat, won¡¯t I resemble a red packet at the end being clothed from head to toe in red?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being clothed in red from head to toe? It¡¯s almost the New Years and red is such a festive color, right? If you wear a long red coat, you¡¯ll resemble the good luck child in the New Years pictures and everyone will find you adorable!¡± Royal Prince Yang did his best to persuade the littless from the side.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t moved by his opinions. She frowned as she stared at the red fox pelt in her hands and shook her head, ¡°What type of aesthetic do you have? What do old men know about beauty? It¡¯s better to use this to make a nice cloak. I can line the edges of the cloak with some white fox fur. This is the biggestpromise that I¡¯ll make!¡±


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, how can you speak to Royal Prince Yang in that way? He¡¯s giving you furs out of the kindness of his own heart!¡± Lady Fang was afraid Royal Prince Yang would be unhappy and hurriedly pretended to scold her daughter.


    Zhu Junyang noticed that Xiaocao was a bit upset as her lips were pouting and hastily interjected, ¡°No worries, this prince is already used to her mannerisms. If she treated me withplete politeness, then I would find it too weird! Lady Fang, this chest of furs is for you and General Fang. You should go through it and see if there¡¯s anything else you want, okay?¡±


    Oh ho, looked like he considered her an eyesore and was trying to send her off! Lady Fang was helpless at this and had Linglong stay in the room. Furthermore, before she left, she gave a few knowing looks to Xiaocao¡¯s other maidservants. With so many maids around, there was no way they could do something improper ah!


    After the older generation ¡®eyesore¡¯ left, Zhu Junyang turned up his dy killer charm¡¯ and gently stroked the littless¡¯s head. The smile on his face was extremely gentle and the destructive power of his devilish looks came out in full force as he said, ¡°These two chests are all for you to pick through. Whatever you want to do with them is fine. This prince just got back from the battlefield and didn¡¯te here to argue with you. You littless, why are you like a fighting chicken day in and day out? Is there anyone else besides me who can handle your little temper all the time?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt a bit embarrassed by his words. A few days ago, when she didn¡¯t have any news about him, she felt deeply concerned and worried all the time. It didn¡¯t matter how delicious the food she was eating, none of it seemed to have any vor. Her face, which had originally plumped up under the care of her godmother, had returned to its usual slender and oval shaped structure.

 Chapter 465 – Only Because You’re Too Gentle

    <h4>Chapter 465 ¨C Only Because You¡¯re Too Gentle</h4>


    But when she saw him, she could not resist bickering and bantering with him¡ª¡ªperhaps this was the ¡®spoiled from pampering¡¯ that people always talked about? Sigh! Acting cute with a young handsome man who was not even twenty years old. The more she lived, the more she regressed!


    When she lifted her gaze, she was once again stunned by this young man¡¯s outstanding features¡ª¡ªhow could a person be so beautiful? He was so beautiful that his gender could be disregarded, that no one could ever hold a single sphemous thought towards him, so beautiful others could not help but...fall for him!


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡ª¡± Zhu Junyang saw that his littless had gone into a daze while she stared at him. He had received quite a lot of infatuated stares like this in recent years, most of them from young girls in their teens...but some also came from disgusting old men! He disliked all of them, all of them except for this littless¡¯s gaze. Not only that, but he also even felt ted that she would look at him like that!


    Did this mean that the littless was...beginning to like him? After the New Years, she would be thirteen years old, and in certain tribes in the north, girls who reach the age of thirteen were already eligible for marriage! Although, he was aware that it would be bad for both the girl¡¯s body and the future generation if the girl was to marry too early, if it were up to him, he still wished to marry her as early as possible. At most, they would only consummate the marriage after she turned eighteen!


    Since the littless looked at himself like this, did it mean that she was notpletely indifferent towards him? This new understanding was a big thing for him. It made him happier than even when he was rewarded by the emperor after winning a war and making a huge contribution to the Great Ming Empire.


    Zhu Junyang uncontrobly reached out his right hand and caressed the little maiden¡¯s soft cheek. He was addicted to this feeling, unwilling to part with it. If he could, he would hold the littless¡¯s face as they stared at each other forever until the end of time.


    ¡°Ahem ahem!¡± Linglong had orders from the madam, so when she saw her young miss being taken advantage of by Royal Prince Yang, she hurriedly coughed loudly, reminding Royal Prince Yang to watch his actions. The madam had her ¡®eyes and ears¡¯ around!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s brows furrowed in displeasure from being interrupted. His icy gaze slid over to Linglong, coldly barking, ¡°If you¡¯re sick, go see a physician. Don¡¯t stay here, lest you spread the disease to your mistress!¡±


    Both Royal Prince Yang¡¯s expression and tone was saying: ¡®If you dare infect my littless, you¡¯d better fear for your life!¡¯


    Linglong, who had been dutifully preventing her young miss from being snatched away by arge wolf, felt aggrieved after she was threatened, ¡®I¡¯m not sick, I¡¯m just reminding you to be more respectful! Royal Prince Yang, is it really alright for you to dismiss us so ¡®justifiably¡¯ after you¡¯ve taken advantage of our young miss?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao scrutinized Linglong but saw that she looked normal, so she said, ¡°Sister Linglong¡¯s body should be fine. She¡¯s probably feeling ufortable in her throat because of the difference in temperature indoors and outdoors. I have some Chinese liquorice root and malva nuts in my courtyard. In a bit, we¡¯ll brew medicinal tea afterward. You¡¯ll be fine after drinking it for two days!¡±


    Linglong was even more aggrieved. ¡®Young Miss, please don¡¯t listen to Royal Prince Yang. He¡¯s a sly, old fox. My throat is fine, really!¡¯


    Maybe it was the psychological effect that, at this moment, she felt an itch in her throat. But she was afraid that her mistress would make her take some weird medicine, or that Royal Prince Yang would now have a reason to send her out, so she could only resist the urge to cough. It was ufortable to have an itchy feeling in her throat yet not being able to cough it out. She wanted nothing more than to reach into her throat and scratch at the itch.


    Once more, Zhu Junyang red at the maidservant who ruined the atmosphere. As he turned back around, he could not recover the previous feeling, so he could only point to another piece of pristine, white, snow fox fur and said to Xiaocao, ¡°This kind of fur is the thickest. You should let the sewing department make a few coats so you can wear them interchangeably when you¡¯re out at the Imperial ntation. It¡¯s the middle of winter and there¡¯s nothing really important at the farmsteads. You don¡¯t need to be so dutiful and travel to and fro the farmsteads when it¡¯s snowing!¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing that needs my attention at the winter wheat ntation, but it¡¯s our first year testing out the greenhouse pavilions, I still need to make my rounds asionally. Isn¡¯t it snowing already? I¡¯m afraid that the snow will ruin the greenhouse. It¡¯s only a minor problem if we don¡¯t make a profit, but it¡¯ll be terrible if we dy the supply of fruits and vegetables to the capital!¡± Yu Xiaocao would never admit it out loud that she was actually just afraid of affecting her profits.


    Zhu Junyang was well aware of his littless¡¯s obsession with money, but he did not reveal her true thoughts. If she said she was worried about the meals of the prestigious in the capital, then it was what she meant! Was that not what his soldiers said? If he wanted to make a girl happy, he would first have to agree that everything that she said was right, even if it was really outrageous and even if he disagreed!


    However, she wasn¡¯t wrong! It was easy to transition from rags to riches, but hard to adapt from riches to rags. The esteemed and wealthy folks of the capital were already used to such luxuries. If their supply of fresh fruits and vegetables were suddenly cut off, they would no doubt be quick to voice theirints.


    ¡°What happened to the horse carriage that I gave you? Why didn¡¯t you ride in that? The carriage is wide enough for you to put some braziers and warming censers!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart ached whenever he recalled the sight of that thin figure standing in the snow and wind.


    Now that he had mentioned about the horse carriage that he sent her, the edge of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s lips could not help but twitch. That horse carriage was awarded to Royal Prince Yang by the emperor. It was made to fit the status of a royal prince¡¯s personal carriage, but she was only a small sixth-ranked official. If she openly rode that horse carriage out to run her errands, the emperor would definitely receive manyints about her on his imperial desk the next day.


    Yu Xiaocao told him about her thoughts. Zhu Junyang looked at her resignedly yet mingly, inwardly grumbling, ¡®Won¡¯t you be rid of one more worry if you married me earlier? It seems that she won¡¯t be using my horse carriage, but I can¡¯t deny that I wasn¡¯t thorough in my considerations. At the time, I only wanted the best for her, but I hadn¡¯t considered the restrictions on her status. I¡¯ll need to have them quickly craft anotherfortable horse carriage suited for her rank!¡±


    ¡°Oh right, was that young maiden just now your new friend? It should be so. It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve arrived at the capital, yet you only go to the imperial ntation while staying cooped up at home for the rest of the time. You¡¯re a youngdy, you should interact more with your peers, lest you be a little ¡®olddy¡¯!¡± Although Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t really like Li Mengru¡¯s cowardly temperament, he agreed that friends who were simple-minded and harmless were still better suited for Xiaocao.


    Remembering a possible future source of ie, Yu Xiaocao grinned at him, ¡°Do you know which group of people spend the most money? It¡¯s children and women! Aren¡¯t there a lot of people in the capital who are envious of Godmother, who has fair and smooth skin, a great figure and looks younger than she actually is? I¡¯m preparing to open a beauty salon that specifically provides services to women. As long as they¡¯re willing to spend the money, I¡¯ll make sure that they go out fair-skinned, slim and beautiful even if theye in dark-skinned, plump and ugly!¡±


    Seeing her confident expression, Zhu Junyang was a little worried that she would identally expose her intentions and affect her good name. At this time, he recalled the rumors that spread in the capital that time before the rebellion was put down, and he could no longer hold back his thirst for blood. ¡®You brought up a good daughter and married a good wife, Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments! Since you dare touch my person, you must be prepared to suffer the repercussions!¡¯


    The littless was quite sensitive and seemed to have sensed the change in his emotions. Zhu Junyang met her questioning gaze and rubbed the top of her head, saying, ¡°Promise me, no matter what happens, don¡¯t face the dangers by yourself! If you have any difficult decisions to make, you must consult me first. Remember, even if the sky falls down, I¡¯ll hold it up for you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so hateful! You messed up my hair!¡± She was touched, but Yu Xiaocao pried off the outrageous hand on her head and bared her teeth at him in an attempt to hide it. Sigh...being pampered felt so good!


    In her previous life, her parents had passed away very early, so in order to bring up her young siblings, she forced herself to grow up¡ª¡ªkeeping all her sorrow and anger in her heart and bearing all the pressure and difficulties on her shoulders. At the very beginning, she was only a teenager, a freshman in high school! There was no one to share her despair with, so she could only withstand the pressure herself and drink her own tears!


    Now, there was a person who stood in front of her and told her, ¡°No matter what happens, I¡¯ll protect you!¡± It would be a lie to say that she wasn¡¯t touched. She hadn¡¯t expected that ancient people would be so captivating!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Though Zhu Junyang could not read Yu Xiaocao¡¯s thoughts, his senses were still much more sensitive than ordinary people. He sensed that the littless was feeling down all of a sudden and worriedly looked at her.


    Yu Xiaocao sniffled and grinned at him, her voice louder and clearer than before, ¡°Thank you, Zhu Junyang! Thank you for liking me, an ordinary person who couldn¡¯t be moremon. Thank you, for your unconditional support and trust in me. Thank you for being willing to wait for me! If your intentions are still the same when I reach the age of sixteen, let¡¯s get engaged!¡±


    Linglong panicked when she heard her young miss so ¡®casually¡¯ promise her hand in marriage. ¡®My dear Young Miss, shouldn¡¯t your marriage be decided by your parents? You¡¯re only so young, yet you¡¯ve already promised your hand in marriage to the royal prince? Have you considered Madam Liu¡¯s feelings? Our madam¡¯s feelings? Oh my goodness! I have to send someone to inform the madam, Eldest Young Miss is too young and too easily tricked!¡¯


    At first, Zhu Junyang was stunned at her words, then, he was ted. ¡®The littless finally gave her word and she also brought forward her age to sixteen! Mhmm! This age is very reasonable¡ª¡ªproposal, engagement ceremony, and the exchanging of betrothal gifts and bride price between two families...all of these engagement and marriage ceremonies will take quite a while, and at that time, the littless would be nearly eighteen years old!¡¯


    ¡®The littless will be thirteen years old after the New Years, so there¡¯s only three more years until she¡¯s sixteen!¡¯ Three years! It was a huge surprise for Zhu Junyang, who had prepared himself to wait for her for five years. Although the soldiers in the army were tactless, their logic was still right. Indeed, wives had to be coaxed and pampered!


    In his exhration, Zhu Junyang could not contain his joy. He slid his arms around Yu Xiaocao¡¯s slim waist and held her up in the air like a child. Taken by surprise, Yu Xiaocao screamed in fear, shouting to be put down while hitting him with her small fists.

 Chapter 466 – To Live in the Lap of Luxury

    <h4>Chapter 466 ¨C To Live in the Lap of Luxury</h4>


    The littless¡¯s fists weren¡¯t very strong¡ªthey felt more like an itch when they hit Zhu Junyang. It was as though he was possessed, grinning like a fool as he stood there unmovingly, letting her hit him. Linglong watched them interact so naturally and suddenly, she felt that her young miss and Royal Prince Yang were probably made for each other. One had a cold temperament, but extremely pampered her young miss; the other was a long way off the image of a ¡®virtuous wife and good mother¡¯ in people¡¯s hearts, but Royal Prince Yang especially liked this type.


    Although Royal Prince Yang enjoyed ¡®flirting¡¯ with his littless, Lady Fang¡¯s ¡®eyes and ears¡¯ were still around them. No matter how much disregard he had for the views of others, he still could notpletely ignore his future mother-inw¡¯s opinions. Marriage was decided by the parents, wouldn¡¯t he get himself unnecessary bumps in his n to marry his wife if his mother-inw decided to work against him?


    He caught the littless¡¯s fists in his hands and lightly gripped them, unwilling to let her go. Zhu Junyang lowered his head to look at her reddened face, gently saying, ¡°Where were we? You said you want to open a new shop? Have you picked an address? Do you need my help?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him for seizing the chance to take advantage of her, but she really did not take him for a stranger, so she uncourteously said, ¡°I¡¯d like arge residence, five-sectioned, if possible, and it should have several little courtyards inside. The surroundings should be more elegant, suitable for the standing of the madams and misses of the capital and up to their aesthetic standards. You¡¯re the overlord of the capital, just help me keep an eye out!¡±


    ¡°Why do you need to buy a property? I already own several properties that are quite good in both the east and west parts of the city, I¡¯ll bring you there on another day to have a look. If you like it, I¡¯ll just give it to you! Just take it as an early betrothal gift!¡± He couldn¡¯t keep the grin from his face whenever he imagined that this littless would be marked as his in just three years.


    Yu Xiaocao red at this handsome man who had a rare, silly expression on his face and grumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to give it to me! This youngdy has money, can I not even purchase a property? Not to mention, what kind of a rtionship do we have that I can ept such a grand gift from you? What would those chatterbox madams outside say? They¡¯d say that the newly-appointed Official Yu is a seductress, bewitching Royal Prince Yang at such a young age...¡±


    ¡°Who would dare! I¡¯ll cut off her tongue!¡± He was once again reminded that his littless had almost been put in harm¡¯s way because of Assistant Minister Li¡¯s wife and daughter, and rage rushed to his head. ¡®I need to have the hidden guards look into Assistant Minister Liter, I don¡¯t believe I won¡¯t find any discrepancies! A family that has not even maintained its sess for more than three generations dares to look down on my littless?! I¡¯ll let you scram back to where you came from!¡¯


    ¡°It is more dangerous to restrict the people¡¯s freedom of speech than to block a river. You¡¯re a crass man with thick skin. You¡¯ll be just fine, but I¡¯m a just pure, delicate girl; I must avoid them!¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t agreeing to marry Zhu Junyang because of his assets. Moreover, although her own assets weren¡¯t as bountiful as Prince Jing¡¯s, the fortune that she had collected these past years was not to be underestimated. Did she still need to covet the properties of others?


    Linglong nodded in her heart when she heard this. ¡®Eldest Young Miss has really been enlightened. At the very least, she knew to maintain her distance. The madam¡¯s efforts were not a waste.¡¯


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been careless in my considerations.¡± ¡®First rule of the Code of Conduct for the Pursuit of a Wife: The wife is right no matter what she says. You have to agree with her even if she¡¯s wrong!¡¯ Royal Prince Yang nodded and, at the same time, thought about how to legally transfer his best property to under her name.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered and then she continued, ¡°Additionally, I have another profitable deal and I want you toe with me. Do you want to coborate with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll go with you!¡± ¡®Second rule of the Code of Conduct for the Pursuit of a Wife: Follow every order of the wife.¡¯ Moreover, if the littless said it was a profitable deal, then it definitely will be a profitable deal! He would be stupid if he chose to not profit when the opportunity arose! Royal Prince Yang hurriedly said, ¡°Is there anything you need me to do? Just say it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nning to open up a flower tea workshop at the start of spring and I¡¯d like to use the emptynd at the foothill of your farmstead. I¡¯d also like to nt some flowers, grass and seeds on the small hill, and I¡¯ll need you to help me watch over it, too! At that time, we¡¯ll equally split the profit of the workshop.¡± Xiaocao nned to make quality flower tea, so to share half of the profits in such a short time, her heart burned as though someone had dug out a piece of it.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry as he noticed the littless¡¯s expression. She was the one who decided the profit-sharing; he didn¡¯t push for it at all, so why did she look like she was being bullied? ¡®Third rule of the Code of Conduct for the Pursuit of a Wife: Everything should be done to the wife¡¯s liking, and the husband should unwaveringly side with her!¡¯


    ¡°Half the profit is too much considering the fact that I¡¯m only sponsoring some emptynd. I can¡¯t take advantage of you like this. What about this, whatever help you need with the workshop, just tell me, I¡¯ll help you build it. At the same time, make a list of all the flowers and seeds that you need, I¡¯ll definitely get all of them for you as long as they can be found within our Ming Dynasty. And even if they can¡¯t, I¡¯ll look for ways to get them to you! Twenty percent of the profits of the workshop is enough for me.¡± Just as Zhu Junyang finished hisst sentence, he saw that the littless was grinning from ear to ear.


    In his heart, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head, ¡®Who do you take after, to be so avaricious? Don¡¯t you realize that even if you gave me your money now, all of it would still belong to you in the future? At most, I¡¯d only be safeguarding it for you for a few years...¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was quite satisfied with Royal Prince Yang¡¯s ¡®tact¡¯, and in her state of happiness, she lost all sense of measure, heavily patting Zhu Junyang¡¯s chest a few times while she smiled, ¡°Rest assured, if you follow thisdy, I¡¯ll make sure you live in thep of luxury!¡±


    At the side, Linglong held her face in her hands, ¡®Oh, my mistress! What is Royal Prince Yang¡¯s status? Ever since he was born, he¡¯s led afortable life, whyever would he need to follow you? ...that¡¯s not right, when Royal Prince Yang was born, chilis had not yet been brought to our country, so it¡¯d be a little difficult for him if he wanted to eat something spicy...¡¯


    Zhu Junyang, however, held in hisughter, lowering his head to look at the soft, warm, little hand that was rampaging on his chest, close to his left breast. He chuckled, ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll be waiting to live well under Official Yu!¡±


    ¡°Hehe! You don¡¯t say; thisdy will treat you to good food today!¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly remembered that the kitchen had been able to procure a deer this morning and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to m hotpot. Will you honor me, Royal Prince Yang who is always busy?¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m busy, I still won¡¯t miss your cooking!¡± ¡®Fourth rule in the Code of Conduct for the Pursuit of a Wife: Recklessly throwpliments¡ªmen who are sweet talkers get the prize!¡¯


    At lunchtime, General Fang braved the wind and snow and made it back home, and the whole family, along with a freeloader (Royal Prince Yang), enjoyed venison hotpot in the parlor room. The pot had been specially made ording to the style and shape of Beijing hot pots, with a divider in the middle so as to amodate Fang Haolin¡¯s tastes. One side of the pot used clear, ck chicken soup for its soup base, while the other used authentic, old Chongqing m hotpot ingredients as its soup base.


    tes of thinly sliced venison,mb, various meatballs and fish balls, as well as tofu skin, tofu, spinach and other green vegetables were on the table. This was paired with a dip made by Xiaocao that had the entire family stuffing themselves full. Even Little Linlin ate a lot of meat and fish balls!


    While helping her son to cook themb, Lady Fang pretended to ask casually, ¡°Cao¡¯er, are you going back to Dongshan Vige this New Year¡¯s, or are you celebrating in the capital?¡±


    ¡°Er...I think I¡¯ll still go back to Dongshan Vige. My family is there, so it wouldn¡¯t be right if I didn¡¯t go back.¡± It had been a long time since Yu Xiaocao returned to Dongshan Vige, and she missed her rtives who stayed there, as well as the simple Dongshan vigers.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong about it? You¡¯ve already spent a dozen New Year¡¯s with Brother Dahai, but you¡¯ve never spent a New Year with me and your godmother! Don¡¯t go back this year, the four of us will have our own celebration!¡± Fang Zizhen was really treating Xiaocao like his own daughter. His daughter was such a lovely person, not to mention that she understood his temperament! It was a pity that Yu Hai kept trying to steal his daughter from him. It was so displeasing!


    He didn¡¯t seem to recall that Yu Xiaocao was still surnamed Yu, after all, and she was Yu Hai¡¯s own flesh and blood. At first, Yu Hai pitied him because he had no children of his own, so he shared his daughter with him, but now it had be a case of Yu Hai stealing his daughter from him. Ai! You really couldn¡¯t reason with such a crude person!


    ¡°Er...¡± Both front and back sides of her hand had flesh on it, and both her godfather and biological father were still her fathers. Yu Xiaocao was put in between a rock and a hard ce.


    Even just his movements of cooking the ingredients in the soup was so pleasing to the eye. Zhu Junyang helped the littless nch a bowl of venison andmb, then refilled her empty cup with fruit tea before he leisurely said, ¡°What¡¯s there to argue about? Wouldn¡¯t it be simpler to just bring Xiaocao¡¯s family into the capital for New Year¡¯s?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Fang Zizhen pped his thighs and loudly concurred, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! Brother Dahai wasn¡¯t able to take a good look at the capital thest time he was here! It¡¯s much more lively in the capital than in Tanggu Town during the New Year! Cao¡¯er, you should bring your siblings over, and when the timees, you can bring them to the temple fair and enjoy thenterns. Everybody can have fun together!¡±


    ¡°Father, Older Sister, Linlin also wants to see thenterns!¡± Fang Haolin quickly jutted in after swallowing the piece of tofu that his mother fed him.


    ¡°Okay! When the timees, I¡¯ll bring Linlin and your older sister to see thenterns together, and buy Linlin a bunnyntern...¡± Fang Zizhen pinched his son¡¯s chubby little face, grinning so widely his eyes had turned into slits¡ªas if the matter was already settled.


    ¡°Linlin wants a big tigerntern, not a little bunny!¡± Ever since he heard his older sister¡¯s story of the mighty tiger, tigers had be the object of affection for our little friend, Fang Haolin, because it was the best of all the animals!


    ¡°Very well, we¡¯ll buy both the tiger and the bunny!¡± Fang Zizhen¡¯sughter resounded within the parlor room.


    Looking at her godfather¡¯s exuberant expression, Yu Xiaocao really couldn¡¯t bear to spoil it for him. However, if the entire family was to spend the New Year in the capital, disregarding all the effort it would take, it would already be a difficult challenge in itself to find a ce to fit the entire family. If they lived in the Fang Residence, her family would definitely not feel at ease. Did she have enough time to buy a house now?


    Sigh...why hadn¡¯t she thought of buying a yard of her own in the first ce? She seemed to have had the intention at the beginning, but then her godparents were afraid that she would move out of the Fang Residence after she bought her own residence, so they had strongly opposed her, and that was the end of it.

 Chapter 467 – Uncontrollable Feelings

    <h4>Chapter 467 ¨C Uncontroble Feelings</h4>


    ¡°Why are you so hesitant? Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re now a court official and you don¡¯t get many days off for the New Year. In fact, you¡¯d be spending most of your vacation days on the road. Uncle and Aunt Yu definitely wouldn¡¯t be willing to have you suffer like this if they found out that you¡¯d be braving the wind and snow on your journey to and fro just to spend a few days at home.


    ¡°If you¡¯re really worried that there¡¯s no ce for them to live in, then there¡¯s still more than two months till the New Years. I¡¯ll be in charge of finding you a suitable residence within this time. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll buy it with your money and put it under your name. Won¡¯t that work alright?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was unexpectedly attentive and considered all of Xiaocao¡¯s concerns, leaving her without a worry.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it for a while, then raised her head to look at this spirited, handsome man and said lightly, ¡°Why not...put it under my father¡¯s name! I¡¯m still young now, moreover I¡¯m an official and I¡¯m often busy with the Imperial ntation. When I grow up and marry, it¡¯s generally uneptable for me to still go out and take care of these matters. My father is as good as I am when ites to agriculture, so my father will probably take over the matters at the imperial farmstead in the future. He¡¯s only in his early forties, and after two decades, my eldest brother should¡¯ve already matured...¡±


    Did she take the Imperial ntation as her family business? However, it was true that the Yu Family had the most skilled people in agriculture as of now. At the very least, only this family could cultivate six hundred catties of winter wheat in just one mu ofnd!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s gaze was gentle as he stared at her and he lightly tucked strands of her hair that were out of ce behind her ear, chuckling, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be like this. Even if you¡¯ve already married me, I won¡¯t care about the views and opinions of others, so if you want to be an official, you can continue to do so; if you want to cultivatend, you can cultivatend; and if you want to earn money, you can go ahead with it. I¡¯ll support you unconditionally!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was touched upon hearing this. She really didn¡¯t think she could find another person who was so carefree, easygoing and wouldn¡¯t detest her for ¡®usurping authority¡¯ and publicly showing her face when taking care of official business in this male-dominated ancient era. Regardless of whether he would be true to his promise in the future, at the very least he wasn¡¯t like those obdurate old fellows who thought that she was disgraceful right now!


    Yes, she was touched, but the results of his probation still depended on his performance. She cutely rolled her eyes and lied, ¡°Who wants to marry you! You¡¯re jumping to conclusions! We still have to evaluate your performance!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! I¡¯ll work hard during this probation so that you might reduce the probation period again!¡± Looking at the littless who was beautiful and lovely, Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help thement in his heart, ¡®Time passes too slowly. There¡¯s still three years until we can get engaged, whereas our marriage is five years away!¡¯


    ¡°You still want to shorten the probation period? Dream on! If I¡¯m not sixteen years old, my parents would definitely not be willing to get me engaged! The reason why we want you to perform is to see whether or not you¡¯ll pass the probation, if you don¡¯t, you won¡¯t be able to be my husband!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that his hand was reaching towards hers, and lightly hit the back of his slender andrge hand before he could do anything.


    Zhu Junyang rubbed the back of his hand that was hit although it did not hurt at all, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely work hard to perform. I guarantee to meet Official Yu¡¯s demands, don¡¯t worry!¡±


    ¡°What should I be worried about?¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him again, ¡°Back to the previous topic, I¡¯d like to purchase a residence in the capital for my family. Even if my father doesn¡¯t get stationed in the capital in the future, Little Shitou would still need toe here to sit for his examinations. With his cleverness, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to achieve second rank [1] in the imperial examinations. When the timees, he could even possibly be stationed in the capital as an official. It would be too impractical to not have a residence ah!¡±


    ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll keep an eye out for another residence. Our little God of Money doesn¡¯tck money anyway, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to buy two properties in one go, one under your name and the other under Uncle Yu¡¯s!¡± Zhu Junyang noticed that his cold image had long disappeared ever since he met the littless. He was bing more and more like a chatterbox.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right, we still need the big property that¡¯s going to be turned into a beauty salon!¡± Yu Xiaocao was still concerned about her n to make a fortune and hurried to remind him.


    ¡°Alright, alright! And arge, elegant house!¡± Zhu Junyang watched her with a loving expression on his face.


    ¡°Ahem ahem!¡± Fang Zizhen coughed loudly. If it weren¡¯t because his wife was holding him back, then he would¡¯ve beat up this kid who was acting as if no one was around! He actually dared to sweet talk his daughter and even wanted to take advantage of her right in front of them! ¡®Be careful lest I break your roguish hands!¡¯ Er...he would do his best even if he wasn¡¯t necessarily able to defeat Royal Prince Yang.


    Yu Xiaocao felt so speechless. The ancients were not wrong; beauty did, indeed, distract people! It must be because Zhu Junyang was too handsome, too considerate, and his voice too gentle, that she hadpletely forgotten that there were still three more people in the room. They had said so much publicly, and their conversation even sounded like they were flirting! Aiya, it was too embarrassing! It was all the fault of this handsome man in front of her! Her small hand reached under the table and pinched said person¡¯s thigh and even gave it a twist.


    It was so painful that Zhu Junyang gritted his teeth, ¡®She¡¯s right, it¡¯s all my fault!¡¯ Then, his gaze flitted to his future father-inw¡¯s face which was dark, so he immediately sat upright. Could he still make up for it now? Sigh! What a hard life he led. Other people only had a pair of inws to deal with, but his littless had to make it difficult for him and present him with two pairs of inws to tackle. Sigh...the road to pursuing a wife was so long, when would he reach the end?


    ¡°Cao¡¯er,¡± Fang Zizhen ced some venison in his daughter¡¯s bowl and said in a serious tone, ¡°You¡¯re still young, so there¡¯s no hurry for you to settle down! Besides, we¡¯re not just looking at the face when we look for a son-inw, we also do an overall evaluation! Your godmother and I have met many more people than you have, so you must seek your godmother¡¯s and mine, as well as your parents¡¯ opinions regarding this matter in the future. You¡¯re a precious girl, so you can¡¯t make these decisions recklessly...¡±


    ¡®You brat, didn¡¯t they say that you were cold and a man of few words? How are you cold? How are you a man of few words? There¡¯s only incessant sweet talking out of that mouth of yours! You try to snatch my daughter away even when I¡¯m right in front of you! I¡¯ll have to stay in the capital to keep an eye out in the future¡ªto take precautions and strictly guard my daughter against you.¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was so embarrassed that she had nearly buried her face into her bowl. She didn¡¯t know how else to respond except to nod her head. Zhu Junyang had tried to interject several times, but he always retreated from Fang Zizhen¡¯s re.


    ¡®What probation? Who¡¯s your wife? Have I, this father-inw, agreed? There¡¯s no chance that you can steal my daughter away with your clever remarks!¡¯


    Seeing her husband¡¯s raging expression, Lady Fang grabbed some vegetables for him andforted, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t get mad! No one will be able to steal our daughter away without your approval. Here, eat some vegetables, they¡¯re already cooked until soft!¡±


    Linglong had already told her every detail of the scene that urred in the parlor room before lunchtime. Lady Fang was, of course, somewhat mad at her daughter taking matters into her own hands and promising her own hand in marriage. The young miss of their Count Zhongqin Household did not need to worry about her marriage!


    It was true that they would be marrying their daughter into a household of higher status, and that Prince and Princess Consort Jing were quite sensible and reasonable, but Royal Prince Yang was simply not a good partner! Regardless of the fact that he already held a noble title at such a young age; regardless of the fact that the emperor greatly trusted him in these recent years; regardless that he wouldter separate from the Prince Jing¡¯s Household and live in his own residence...


    However, his temper that wasparable to a volcano eruption was unpredictable. Simply this one point was enough to overshadow all his other good points. The previous Minister of Rites also seemed like a pleasant person on the outside, very polite and well-mannered, but once his temper red, he wouldn¡¯t recognize even his own rtives. He had married three wives before, and it was announced that they either passed away from a disease or they died suddenly, but they were, as a matter of fact, actually personally murdered by the minister when he lost control of himself. Furthermore, there were the carcasses that were uncovered in the garden of his inner courtyard. Those poor people had all been the concubines and servants that he had killed when he lost control.


    When he was exposed, the emperor had personally interrogated him. He sobbed, iming that he didn¡¯t know how he came to be like this. When he lost all sense of rationality, he couldn¡¯t control himself at all, and when he came to, the people had already died...The emperor said that he probably had schizophrenia, so he would normally seem like any other person, but when his condition acted up, he would be a deranged murderer.


    The Royal Prince Yang mentioned in the rumors was exactly like the previous Minister of Rites! If it weren¡¯t because they had found out about his condition early and gave him ¡®guards¡¯ skilled in martial arts that were actually there to prevent him from acting up, then he would¡¯ve probably killed a lot more people! She would not let her daughter jump into such a pit of fire!


    However, once she heard Linglong finish describing all that happened in the parlor room, Lady Fang began to hesitate. Even if she didn¡¯tpletely understand her daughter¡¯s temperament, she still understood her enough to know that she wasn¡¯t the kind that could sit idly. Pray tell, which rich son of the capital wouldn¡¯t mind that his wife would be publicly showing her face outside, carrying out her official duties and running her businesses? If her daughter married into such a family, she would be akin to a bird whose wings were broken and put into a golden cage. She definitely would not be happy!


    It was hard toe by, such a person like Royal Prince Yang who was an outstanding character and came from a distinguished family, who didn¡¯t care for anything besides Xiaocao. He was already of marriageable age, yet he was willing to wait for Xiaocao alone, willing to pamper and support her unconditionally. If she didn¡¯t consider the dangerous side of his temper, then the two of them were really a match made in heaven.


    Lady Fang felt so conflicted, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel touched at the scene she just witnessed at the dining table. Every woman would definitely be touched by Royal Prince Yang¡¯s zealous side. As she thought of this, she sighed inwardly and began, ¡°Royal Prince Yang...¡±


    ¡°Madam, please speak openly!¡± Zhu Junyang put down his chopsticks and straightened his posture, looking as though he was a pupilmitted to changing for the better.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er is still young, and she¡¯s the one that¡¯s the most well-behaved and pampered in the family. We don¡¯t really want to restrict her, so she might be a little clueless when ites to the precautions of interactions between men and women, but you¡¯re different, you¡¯re born into a distinguished family and you¡¯re even of marriageable age. I hope...you can be more reserved, so as to maintain our Cao¡¯er¡¯s good name. You know how important a woman¡¯s reputation is. If you really care about her, you won¡¯t bear to see her hurt in any way whatsoever, right?¡±


    Lady Fang currently felt just like any other protective mother: Her daughter was absolutely perfect¡ªeven if there were imperfections, it would be the fault if others! Cao¡¯er was still a child, it must be Royal Prince Yang who coaxed her into promising her hand in marriage behind her parents¡¯ back. Royal Prince Yang was at fault for all of this!

 Chapter 468 – Meeting the Emperor

    <h4>Chapter 468 ¨C Meeting the Emperor</h4>


    Since she had already phrased her words so clearly, Royal Prince Yang naturally wouldn¡¯t disagree, quickly nodding, ¡°You¡¯re right, madam. I¡¯ll be more careful in the future!¡±


    ¡°Our Cao¡¯er is slowly growing older, so it¡¯s not so convenient for her to meet with a male outsider in the future. If you have any official business with her, please discuss it with her at the yamen or at the Imperial ntation. Royal Prince Yang, do you think...I¡¯m being reasonable?¡± Lady Fang¡¯s intentions were quite clear. First, have the two of them keep their distance, and if Royal Prince Yang was truly sincere, then she would follow her daughter¡¯s wishes and agree to their engagement in three years. At the very least, if he changed his mind, her daughter¡¯s marriage wouldn¡¯t be affected!


    Zhu Junyang felt troubled. Could he say no? But if he agreed, then it would be harder for him to see the littless in the future. Passerbys, father-inw, mother-inw...they were all here just to meddle with his affairs!


    ¡°But...Godmother, I¡¯ve asked Royal Prince Yang to help me find suitable residences!¡± Yu Xiaocao had abruptly transmigrated into this world, then brought up in the countryside, so she was not so concerned with the worldly decorum. Her heart mildly rejected the idea that she might not so easily see Royal Prince Yang in the future.


    Lady Fang red at her daughter who interrupted her and said, ¡°Even if you wanted to buy some properties, does it necessarily have to be Royal Prince Yang? Are your godfather and I decorations? Don¡¯t you worry, your godfather will take care of this matter!¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to buy a residence? Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have the whole family merrily celebrating New Year¡¯s together?¡± Fang Zizhen originally nned to have his daughter celebrate New Year¡¯s with them, but now it seemed that the n was about to fall t. Sigh! What was the point if it were just the three of them coldly celebrating New Year¡¯s? Cao¡¯er, that littless, was so determined to buy a house, and it seemed that he could only help her! He needed to keep an eye out for suitable, nearby residences that were for sale...


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyebrow twitched. In just a short period of time, the task he was entrusted to by his ¡®wife¡¯ was now snatched away by another person? Indeed, his father-inw was made to suppress him! ¡®However, you can buy yours, but I¡¯ll still buy mine. We¡¯ll see which residence the littless likes more!¡¯


    When he exited the Fang Residence, Zhu Junyang paused in his steps, hesitating, then he turned his horse around and once again rushed in the direction of the imperial pce.


    After Zhu Junfan apanied the empress and his son for lunch, he had wanted to return to Qianqing Pce to rest for a short while. He had not anticipated for a small eunuch to report that Royal Prince Yang was requesting to meet him.


    ¡®Yang¡¯er? He¡¯d hurriedly left the Hall of Supreme Harmony this morning, I heard he¡¯d gone straight to the Fang Residence. Shouldn¡¯t he be flirting with his sweetheart in the Fang Residence now? How had he remembered toe to the imperial pce to see me?¡¯


    ¡°Let him wait for me in the Imperial Study!¡± Zhu Junfan was so curious he put off his rest, immediately changed his clothes and headed towards the Imperial Study.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty!¡± Once Zhu Junyang went through the ruler-subject decorum, he didn¡¯t even wait for the emperor to start, ¡°Official Yu of the Ministry of Revenue has cultivated a third more corn thanst year, perhaps more than that. Even without mentioning the good growth of winter wheat, just the vegetables grown in the greenhouses alone enriches not only the meals of the people of the capital, but also fills your inner treasury. Shouldn¡¯t this be a cause for merit?¡±


    ¡°Merit? Hadn¡¯t we already resisted the pressure and appointed her as a sixth-ranked official? Is that not enough? Did shein to you? She¡¯s so young, yet has such a big appetite! Aren¡¯t a few ntations all she¡¯s relying on? Her aplishments are so little and she¡¯s already beginning to feel conceited over her talent and act spoiled because she¡¯s special?!¡± Zhu Junfan pretended to be enraged and heavily mmed his hand on his desk!


    ¡°No! She hasn¡¯tined about anything. Rather, she only feels grateful towards your majesty. It is this subject that...thinks your majesty has not rewarded her enough, as merely anyone in the capital dares to scheme against her!¡± Zhu Junyang was absolutely unafraid of his cousin¡¯s act. There wasn¡¯t any sign of anger from him at all!


    ¡°Then what do you suggest we reward, to show our favor and trust in her?¡± Zhu Junfan amusedly leaned into his seat, scrutinizing his younger cousin, trying to figure out what he was up to.


    Zhu Junyang ignored his scrutiny and said, ¡°Official Yu intends to receive her family into the capital for a reunion, but she is currently staying in Count Zhongqin¡¯s residence and it is utterly impractical for her. So...shouldn¡¯t your majesty reward her with a residence?¡±


    ¡°A residence? Which residence do you think is suitable for us to reward?¡± Zhu Junfan thought, ¡®What a good brat you are; you only know to side with your ¡®wife¡¯, and now you¡¯re even starting to stuff things into her hands? Most of the residences in the capital already have an owner, and haven¡¯t I already rewarded you with the best one? If you really want to please her, you could just give it to her, right?¡¯


    ¡°This subject thinks that the residence of the Grand Preceptor of the previous dynasty has been well preserved, moreover the surroundings are elegant. It is perfect as a reward for a meritorious official!¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly raised his head to look at his cousin, the emperor, and enunciated.


    ¡°The residence of the Grand Preceptor of the previous dynasty? Hadn¡¯t I already given it to...¡± Zhu Junfan¡¯s brows creased. He stared at his younger cousin for a while before he smiled. People always said that women always sided with their husbands, but it would seem that men, too, sided with their wives. His younger cousin had really given his all to court his ¡®wife¡¯.


    But since his cousin was happy to do so, why should he be the bad guy? Zhu Junfan chuckled. Originally, he was worried that his younger cousin would live the rest of his life alone, but now it seemed his worries were for nought! Could this brat also have transmigrated? His tactics in courting girls were endless! Zhu Junfan somewhat admired him.


    However, as the emperor, even if he wanted to unt his tactics in courting women, he would first need to be presented with the chance! If he spent a fortune on just a woman, what would the future generations say of him? That he was lecherous? That he loved his women over his empire? Or would they say that the woman he courted was a seductress who bewitched the emperor? Zhu Junfan was slightly excited¡ª¡ªer, still, let¡¯s forget it. Even if he wanted to be lecherous, he would still first need to have the conditions to do so. Now that there were still many things to be done for the Great Ming Dynasty, he was better off being a wise emperor!


    That very evening, Yu Xiaocao, who had been lying on a cushioned seat ying with Little Linlin, received the emperor¡¯s decree to attend court the next morning. As Yu Xiaocao was only a sixth-ranked official, she did not usually have the qualifications to attend court, unless the emperor specially allowed her to.


    The next day, before dawn, Yu Xiaocao, who was sleepy and hazy, was awoken by a few maidservants. They helped her dress,bed her hair, and even the washing up was done in a dazed state. ¡®I¡¯m still a growing child, I need sleep, I don¡¯t want to go to work before dawn...¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao, who had finished her breakfast with her eyes barely open, was hurriedly stuffed into a horse carriage headed towards the heart of the capital. At the side of the horse carriage was Fang Zizhen, who had only just returned to the capital yesterday. Royal Prince Yang, d in ck, waited atop his ck horse at the midpoint of the journey. He almost blended in with the night, but his handsome, cold face was still so dazzling in the darkness.


    Yu Xiaocao yawned, thrusting her hands into mittens made from ferret fur. Hearing the familiar sound of a horse¡¯s hooves outside the window, she hurriedly lifted the carriage¡¯s curtains and looked straight into a pair of eyes as deep as ink. The moment their gazes met, the cold ice in the eyes that were as deep as ink instantly dissipated, and his cold face was dyed with a warmer color. Yu Xiaocao stared at his beautiful face, stunned to the point that she almost forgot what she was going to say.


    ¡°My dear daughter, can we be more reserved, please?¡± Fang Zizhen bitterlyughed, but fiercely shot a re at Royal Prince Yang. ¡®It¡¯s all his fault; why does a man need to be so beautiful? To seduce little girls?¡¯


    ¡°Keke!¡± Yu Xiaocao heard her godfather¡¯s words and awkwardly coughed twice.


    Zhu Junyang, however, worriedly looked at her and said gently, ¡°It¡¯s coldest when it stops snowing. How do your servants take care of you? Don¡¯t they know to dress you in moreyers? My cloak is made from sable fur and is the best at keeping warm. Why aren¡¯t you taking this and putting it on your mistress?¡±


    Seeing that he was left with only thin, ck robes after he took off his cloak, Yu Xiaocao rushed to stop his movements and said, ¡°I¡¯m already wearing a cloak! It¡¯s made from ermine fur, and it¡¯s warm! Your size differs too much from mine, if I put on your clothes, I¡¯ll be able to take part in operas! By the way, do you know why the emperor suddenly decreed for me to attend court?¡±


    She cocked her head to one side and thought hard about it. She had not dyed a single matter concerning the Imperial ntation, and nothing had gone wrong with the greenhouse-grown vegetables that were currently the chicken thatid golden eggs! Besides, it was currently the season when agricultural activities were most inactive, and all the farmers would be hiding at home. There shouldn¡¯t be any important matters that could alert the emperor! Or did he...change his mind and set his sights onto her multicolored stone?


    ¡°Don¡¯t think nonsense,¡± Zhu Junyang wanted to soothe the folds in her brow, softlyforting, ¡°Maybe the emperor wants topensate you for the sess of your greenhouse-grown vegetables!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao seriously scrutinized his expression, and when she saw nothing different, she put away her worries and a smile appeared on her face again, ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve earned so much money for the emperor, so it¡¯s only natural for him to give me some reward. I still have a big gift for the empress at the beginning of spring!¡±


    ¡°The empress gets a part in that beauty salon of yours?¡± In his heart, Zhu Junyang felt that the emperor was a little outrageous. It was enough that he got a portion since the greenhouse used to grow vegetables upied imperialnd and the Ministry of Works supplied the stic film, but how could he let his sister-inw exploit the littless¡¯s salon that she was establishing with her own craft?


    Yu Xiaocao excitedly said, ¡°The idea for this beauty salon actually sprouted from the empress¡¯s suggestion. Back then, how many people tried to get my flower tea recipes? If the empress hadn¡¯t spread word around, how could I, a pitiful girl without a backing, have possibly kept those precious recipes? As such, the empress deserves ten percent of the profit as this beauty salon will be run using the empress¡¯s good name!¡±


    Her words had caused the two men to take offense. Fang Zizhen: ¡®My dear daughter, with godfather around, how could you ever be a pitiful girl without a backing? Who would dare to covet my daughter¡¯s secret recipes? Come out and fight, we¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t kill you!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang: ¡®Littless, am I dead to you? You say you don¡¯t have a backing? I, Royal Prince Yang, and the entire Prince Jing Estate are your backing!¡¯ However, the Prince Jing Residence would eventually belong to his eldest brother, the heir of Imperial Prince Jing. Even if they were brothers, they still needed to maintain rity with each other! It seemed that the title of ¡®Royal Prince¡¯ was still too low, so he needed to work harder and get more merit! That way, in the future, she would be able to parade around the capital as she liked because he could protect her.

 Chapter 469 – Feudal Princess?

    <h4>Chapter 469 ¨C Feudal Princess?</h4>


    The sky, that was washed by the falling snow, was now the bright mirror of high-quality ck jade and the stars were glittering like diamonds. Venus was in the east shining with a silver light. Gradually the sky outside the pce walls became whiter...


    If it wasn¡¯t because the temperature was too low in the early mornings of winter and that the surrounding areas weren¡¯t covered with unmelted snow all around, Yu Xiaocao would still be in the mood to enjoy the clean and pollution-free sky of this ancient era. She was currently dressed in a dark red official¡¯s robe with a silvery-grey cloak wrapped on top. Around her neck was a bright scarlet red muffler made of fox fur and her hands were hidden inside her warm sleeves, which were lined with a thickyer of sable fur. Her feet were shod with a pair of leather boots. Even though these boots were lined with a thickyer of fur, they still weren¡¯t able to stop the cold feeling from seeping up the soles of her feet.


    She wrapped herself in a thick cloak and looked into the audience hall. With her insignificant official position, there was no ce for her in the audience hall. The poor her could only stand in the corridor outside the audience hall and be blown by the chilly wind. Such an experience was unforgettable enough!


    What was the matter with the two old officials inside? Were they purposely messing with her to argue about a problem that was about as big as a fart for so long?! Fortunately, within her sleeves, she had the high-quality gold and copper hand warmer that Royal Prince Yang had stuffed into her hands before he went into the audience hall. It gave off aforting heat and it was warming straight into her heart...


    ¡°Calling for the Agricultural Official Yu of the Ministry of Revenue to enter the hall!¡± Eh? The eunuch who went to court with the emperor today wasn¡¯t the immortal-like Sir Su? Such a pity, she hadn¡¯t seen Mister Su in such a long time. His appearance, which didn¡¯t seem tainted by earthly matters, would be hard for her to forget.


    Maybe because it had been frozen numb, but Yu Xiaocao¡¯s brain still had time to think about all this other extraneous stuff. Dressed like a small bear, she knelt clumsily on the ground in front of the emperor on the throne. Her attempts to give the greeting of a subject to the monarch, thepliments, and tteries in her mouth were interrupted by a series of sneezes!


    Zhu Junyang looked over in concern. Thess¡¯s health wasn¡¯t good to begin with. No matter how much she ate, she didn¡¯t gain any weight. She was thin and weak. He could practically clutch her waist with one hand. She was just blown by the cold wind outside for such a long time, could she have gotten sick? His brows wrinkled and he thought about inviting the head examiner of the Imperial Physician¡¯s courtyard after court to examine thess.


    ¡°Oh! Did you get a cold? It was my negligence. We shouldn¡¯t have let you wait outside the hall for so long!¡± Zhu Junfan¡¯s casual tone and intimate expression all showed his favoritism toward this female official. ¡°Quick, get up. Bring a chair for Official Yu. If she gets sick, then therge greenhouses in the Imperial ntation won¡¯t have anyone to care for them. Then, everyone in this hall will have to eat radishes and cabbage for the New Years!¡±


    The two elder officials, who had been deliberately holding up the time to give Yu Xiaocao a show of power, had frozen expressions on their faces upon hearing this. Why did they forget to find fault? In the winters of the previous years, besides some meat dishes and dried vegetables, such as cabbages and radishes, there were also some other dried vegetables stored away for the winter. Since the beginning of winter this year, they hadn¡¯t felt the change on the dinner table. All kinds of delicious greens and fruits had almost made them forget the miserable conditions of the past.


    After the emperor¡¯sment, they immediately realized that if the thin and just of age girl really did get sick from being frozen then they would have to go back to the previous years, bracing themselves to eat the few vegetables that they were already tired of eating.


    With this in mind, no one protested the imperial favor of Yu Xiaocao being allowed a seat in the audience hall.


    ¡°Beloved Official Yu! We¡¯ve heard that the Imperial ntation¡¯s greenhouse grounds have doubled in size again? And that the variety of vegetables has increased too?¡± When rewarding others, he had to be clear about what it was for. Zhou Junfan asked about the project filling his small treasury like he was a family member asking about domestic trivia.


    This matter would involve the livelihoods of all the civil and military officials. Currently, vegetables and fruits were sold in limited quantities. The amount each household could get was only enough for a few dishes. Furthermore, if they went a littleter, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to see a hint of the vegetables. Most of the officials in the audience hall had heard their wives mention that the output of the vegetables from the greenhouse was too small. The stewards in charge of purchases also had tearfullyined to them. They said that every time they lined up to rush for the purchase, it was like a tough battle. A moment of carelessness could prevent their masters from eating fresh vegetables and the pressure was too much. Increasing the supply of the greenhouses¡¯ vegetables was something everyone in the audience hall was happy to see.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was sittingfortably on the cushioned chair and holding a warm hand stove in her hands, could finally squeeze out a smile. ¡°Answering your imperial majesty, the green leafy vegetables, which have shorter growing periods, have reached a nting area of 500 mu. The fruit-like vegetables with longer growing periods have also doubled. There¡¯s more good news. In ten days, a batch of fruits and vegetables, such as cucumbers, eggnts, beans, and tomatoes will be out on the market. The volume of daily vegetable supplies should also double in size!¡±


    The daily supply of vegetables should be able to double? When the vegetables from the greenhouse expansion were on the market in one month, won¡¯t they be able to buy even more vegetables? Perhaps when the New Year came, the limited purchase of vegetables will be removed and they will be able to have a happy New Year! The civil and military officials all looked at each other and saw the traces of joy in each others¡¯ eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words were interrupted by coughs. The two elderly officials, who had been deliberately quarreling to hold up the time, were stared at with reproach by everyone else. Their hearts were also full of remorse. The vegetables in the greenhouse in the ntation needed caring for now. If Official Yu got sick, then wouldn¡¯t it affect the vegetable supply n?


    Official Zhang, who was informed of government affairs, said, ¡°Official Yu, your job is rted to the livelihood of the capital¡¯s citizens, take good care of yourself! Your Imperial Majesty, this subject asks for an Imperial Doctor to take Official Yu¡¯s pulse. Even a robust and strong military official wouldn¡¯t be able to stand in the cold outside for so long ah!¡±


    ¡°Eh...Many thanks for your concern, Official Zhang. I have some understanding of medicine myself, so there¡¯s no need to bother the Imperial Physicians toe!¡± There were some old people in the Imperial Hospital that didn¡¯t like her. She didn¡¯t want to be messed around by those old guys and be prescribed some bitter medicine.


    ¡°Doctors don¡¯t cure themselves. Since everyone cares so much about you, then how about... letting Imperial Physician Wange check on you?¡± Zhu Junfan, who seemed to see through to her mind, said this with a smile.


    Imperial Physician Wang? When she was examining the little prince, she had realized that the medical skill of this physician was just barely passable, but his character wasn¡¯t good! She cured the little prince using a folk recipe and the old guy bore a grudge against her for stealing the limelight. If he were to check her pulse, then even if she wasn¡¯t sick, he would say she was sick. No way!


    ¡°Thank you for your great kindness, Your Imperial Majesty! However, it¡¯s freezing right now. To let the civil and military officials dy getting off the court because of this official¡¯s minor matter, especially when there are elderly officials old enough to be this subject¡¯s grandfather, this official wouldn¡¯t be able to bear it. It¡¯s better to deal with business first and deal with other matters after court!¡± Yu Xiaocao still had confidence in her own body. Sneezing a couple of times and coughing a few coughs was nothing at all. It could all be solved by drinking a cup of mystic-stone water mixed with brown sugar when she got home!


    The emperor stopped teasing her and nodded, ¡°It must be hard on beloved subject to be so reasonable and fair. We just wanted to give a definitive answer. Can you keep up with the supply of vegetables until the New Year?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°If we want to provide food for the tens of thousands of citizens in the capital, then this official doesn¡¯t have that confidence. After all, this is the first trial. No matter the nting area or the yield, it¡¯s not enough. However, the off-season vegetables are precious to begin with. The price is rtively high and only a few can afford it. Once the second batch of vegetables is on the market, the vegetable supply needs of most people who can afford them should be able to be met!¡±


    Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials were overjoyed. It seems that everyone¡¯s worries about the rush to buy vegetables for the New Year shouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore!


    ¡°Good, good good! If Beloved Official Yu¡¯s greenhouse vegetable technology can be poprized, it will be good for the country! The people of the Great Ming Dynasty are not far from the days of eating vegetables in the winter! My dear subjects, tell us, should such contributions be rewarded?¡± Zhu Junfan looked around the audience hall at the officials who had a joyful look and rhetorically asked.


    Reward? So all of this prepping was because the emperor wanted to reward Official Yu again! No wonder, the emperor had a share of the profits of the greenhouses too. Since winter hit, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s vegetable and fruit shops had been thriving. Money was flowing like water into the emperor¡¯s personal treasury. The pce treasury, which had been emptied in earlier years, finally had some savings now. This was all due to the contributions of Official Yu!


    Since the founding of the Great Ming Dynasty, the emperor emeritus has fought in the north and south, crusading the world, leaving behind a heavily damaged national treasury for the emperor, who had been only twenty-five years old when he ascended the throne. Fortunately, the emperor was diligent and benevolent, worrying about the imperial court and the citizens every day. All the money in his persona; treasury was subsidized into the national treasury, leaving behind an empty shelf.


    In recent years, natural cmities and man-made disasters coupled with unstable borders had left the national and pce treasury empty. Now, thanks to Official Yu, the pce treasury had finally improved. It was no wonder that the emperor was finding ways to reward her. Thinking of the informationing from the pce, it seemed that the empress also contributed to the flower tea shop opening next year. Official Yu was really the goose thatid the golden eggs to the emperor! Of course, he had to give a carrot to hang in front of her so she can continue to contribute to the country!


    However, how to reward and what to reward? That was the big problem again. A girl in her early teens was already a sixth-ranked official. If promoted, then there would be many more dissatisfied people. What¡¯s more, the official post wasn¡¯t offered long ago. If she was promoted so quickly, then what would those old fellows who had been in the same position for decades think?


    Just when the officials were struggling, the emperor opened his mouth again, ¡°You¡¯ve only been appointed as an official for less than half a year. If you were to be immediately promoted, it would be too fast! How about this, we will award you the title of feudal princess. Oh right, we heard that you were looking for a house in the capital? We have a residence where the Grand Tutor of the former dynasty lived. We will grant it to you too!¡±


    What? The officials didn¡¯t care about the so-called empty title of a feudal princess. However, wasn¡¯t that former Grand Tutor¡¯s residence already awarded to Royal Prince Yang yesterday as a reward for pacifying the rebels? Your Imperial Majesty, do you have selective amnesia? Is it appropriate to give the residence to someone when it¡¯s already been awarded to someone else?


    Some of the people present scented something out of the ordinary! The rtionship between Royal Prince Yang and Official Yu started in Tanggu Town¡¯s Dongshan Vige. The cold and aloof Royal Prince Yang seemed to have a deep connection with Little Official Yu. Allegedly, he went to Count Zhongqin¡¯s estate once he got off court yesterday, and he also took some good furs along that had people looking enviously. Did this mean...

 Chapter 470 – Money Squandering Den?

    <h4>Chapter 470 ¨C Money Squandering Den?</h4>


    Some officials looked at Royal Prince Yang with eyes filled with questions. How old was Official Yu? Twelve or thirteen? A few years ago, the little girl was even younger. Could Royal Prince Yang be into the young type? Was that the reason why he never even nced at the other youngdies from noble families in the capital?


    Zhu Junyang, who was affectionate, devoted, and deeply in love, didn¡¯t know that he had be a frivolous and perverted pedophile in the eyes of some people. At the moment he was looking at the littless reclining leisurely on the back of the chair with eyes full of doting¡ª¡ªonly this girl would have the nerve to sit so leisurely and carefreely in front of all the civil and military officials like there was no one else, right? Maybe, thess was currently thinking if there was a cup of hot sugared ginger water in front of her, then it would be even better!


    In actuality, at that time Yu Xiaocao was dizzy with shock! How did she be a feudal princess in a moment of carelessness? Shouldn¡¯t a feudal princess be the title of the daughter of an imperial prince or a royal prince who was regarded with importance by the emperor? She was just a small peasant girl, so how did her status rise so much? Reaching the sky with one step couldn¡¯t be this easy, right?


    There was more; there was more! The deeds of the former dynasty¡¯s Grand Tutor was something she had learned from the storyteller in the teahouse. He was a big corrupted official! It was said that he had everything the emperor had, and he even had things that the emperor didn¡¯t have! Allegedly, the floors of his home were paved with gold bricks; the trees in his garden were carved with green jade; the furnishings of his home are extravagant and luxurious!


    Such an estate, even if it went through the war and the emperor¡¯s confiscation, a skinny camel was still bigger than a horse. This residence should still be something that everyone was aiming towards, right? There were so many meritorious officials and they were all staring at this fat meat. Why did it drop on her head? When she left today, she didn¡¯t step on any dog poop, so why was she so dog-gone lucky today?


    Until she stepped out of Jinluan Hall, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s head was still in the clouds, not knowing what time of day it was. Zhu Junyang, who was beside her, saw that her steps were unstable. He thought she had been freezing outside the hall for too long and had caught a cold. When Xiaocao was walking down the steps, he offered her a hand in concern and softly asked, ¡°Do you feel ufortable? I already sent someone back to the estate to invite Imperial Physician Zheng over. Once we get to the Fang Estate, he should almost be there!¡±


    ess vi


    When he finished speaking, he moved his hand toward the littless¡¯s forehead. Unexpectedly, before he could touch the clear and beautiful forehead, he was pped aside by Fang Zizhen, who was watching hostilely, ¡°What are you doing! You are taking too many liberties. Do you consider me, her father, to be dead at this moment ah?!¡±


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao, who had been a bit lost in her head, finally moved. She grabbed Royal Prince Yang¡¯s hand, put it in her mouth, and bit down hard. She left deep bloody teeth impressions on his flesh. She raised her head, looked up at Zhu Junyang seriously, and asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at the neat little teeth impressions in his hand. This was the mark left by the littless and those tiny teeth marks looked incredibly cute to him. He raised his wrist and did something that made everyone¡¯s chin drop¡ª¡ªhe put the wound in front of his mouth and gently licked the blood beads that came from the teeth marks.


    The scarlet blood droplets and the perfect outline of his lips made him even more attractive. It added a sense of temptation to his handsome appearance. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face suddenly became red and couldn¡¯t lift her head under the strange looks of the officials who just got off from court.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it doesn¡¯t hurt!¡±


    ¡®Who¡¯s worried about you? You¡¯re so shameless!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang stroked the littless¡¯s head and softly said, ¡± Don¡¯t worry, you aren¡¯t dreaming! The former Grand Tutor¡¯s residence will be yours from now on! Didn¡¯t you want to open a health club? Theyout of every yard there has its characteristics, which is all in line with your requirements!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao finally came back to herself and looked up at Zhu Junyang suspiciously and fiercely asked, ¡°Talk! Did you ask the emperor to give it to me as a reward?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Won¡¯t it be alright as long as good things are in hand? The emperor gave it anyways, so there¡¯s no use in not wanting it! For residences like the former Grand Tutor¡¯s, even if it¡¯s just an empty shell now, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to buy it back even if you had ten thousand taels on hand. Furthermore, even if you had the money, you may not be able to find a ce like this for sale! Just think of how much money you¡¯re saving now, right?¡±


    Zhu Junyang knew that the littless had a money-grubbing personality, so he went to the heart of the problem. He hoped she wouldn¡¯t worry about where these rewards came from. However, he didn¡¯t expect that his cousin, the emperor, would also award the fifth rank title of Feudal Princess Jinan to the littless.


    Although he didn¡¯t care about the world¡¯s view of him or the difference in their family status, he was worried that thements of outsiders would make the little girl ufortable. Now it was fixed. The marriage between a feudal princess and a royal prince could be considered a marriage of equal status, right?


    Sure enough, after hearing his words, the littless¡¯s eyes brightened and she eagerly said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go to that estate today, shall we?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? That residence is right there and it can¡¯t run anywhere! What matters most right now is going back to the estate and let Imperial Doctor Zheng take a look at you!¡± Zhu Junyang quickly rejected her suggestion. She was just sneezing and coughing in the audience hall. He didn¡¯t know if she had a fever. The littless¡¯s health was the most important thing right now!


    Yu Xiaocao protested fiercely, ¡°I can be counted as half a doctor, so how could I be unclear of my body¡¯s situation? I¡¯m alright; I want to see the estate where the former Grand Tutor lived!¡±


    ¡°That residence already belongs to you, so you can go anytime. Why does it have to be today? You said that you can be counted as half a doctor. Doctors don¡¯t heal themselves. Today you must let the imperial physician take a look at you!¡± In front of Yu Xiaocao, Zhu Junyang was rarely so insistent, but he was not giving her any chance to y around.


    The officials passing by looked at the way the tall and short figure got along and were all shocked. The small and petite little Official Yu was like a fearless kitten constantly teasing the whiskers of the mighty lion. In front of this little kitten, the cold and tyrannical Royal Prince Yang became a big dog with a good temper, letting the little one chew on his head, not bearing to shake her off.


    This truly was an example that every pot would have a fitting lid. Royal Prince Yang was really like what the rumors imed as it was obvious that he had taken a fancy to little Official Yu, who didn¡¯t have the appearance of a daughter from a noble family. Was that why he could tolerate her provocations? If it was anyone else, he would have sent them flying with a palm strike!


    In the end, little Official Yu still couldn¡¯t defeat Royal Prince Yang and was carried into the carriage by him. The maidservant serving inside had already made a cup of tea for her master using a pot to boil water on a small y stove. The charcoal within her handwarmer, which had been slowly cooling, was also reced. This evil feudal society was not without its merits. After all, look at how thoughtful the servants were.


    As she held her cup of hot tea, Yu Xiaocao still felt infuriated! That wretched guy, she just wanted to see the residence she just got. Why didn¡¯t he let her? Too domineering, too strict, point deduction! Severe point deduction!


    ¡°Alright! Don¡¯t be angry anymore!¡± Zhu Junyang seemed to notice the sadness and angering from the carriage. He quickly tried to remedy the situation, ¡°What are your requirements for the estate¡¯s repair and furnishing? I¡¯ll take care of it. Take it as an apology for this, okay?¡±


    That was more like it! Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t polite, so she told Royal Prince Yang the appearance of the beauty and health spa she had in mind through the walls of the carriage. When she spoke about the exciting parts, her hands would start gesturing, and she even stuck her head out of the carriage as if she was afraid that he wouldn¡¯t understand her exnations.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for now. I haven¡¯t seen the residence so that¡¯s all I can do for now!¡± Yu Xiaocao, who had spoken till her mouth was parched and her tongue dried, took a sip of the tea that had be lukewarm. Her expression showed the fact that she had wanted to continue.


    In her previous life, she had once worked in arge-scale beauty and health club and became the store manager. If it wasn¡¯t because she met thedy boss who taught her how to braise food, then she would¡¯ve probably opened a beauty salon after making enough money. Her wish that wasn¡¯t fulfilled in her past life could now be realized in this ancient era!


    Along the way, Royal Prince Yang became a loyal audience. He made sure to engrave the strange things that came out of the little girl¡¯s mouth deeply in his heart. As long as it could be found on the market, no matter how hard it was, he would find it. If he couldn¡¯t find it, then he would make it for her no matter how many obstacles he had to push aside.


    Even he was moved after hearing the description of the beauty and health spa that was currently in the littless¡¯s imagination. Consequently, how could those women in the pursuit of beauty resist this ce? Even if the spa was only a tentative n, he still believed that in the near future it would be the most popr money squandering den in the capital!


    ¡°Only serving women? Isn¡¯t that a bit too biased?¡± Zhu Junyang put forth a small objection.


    Build a money squandering den for men? The words ¡®Heaven and Earth¡± suddenly appeared in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mind. This was the ancient era and it was permitted byw, could she...However, she soon dismissed the idea. If she were to make a ce like a high-ranking brothel, not only would it be difficult to get the idea across to her friends and rtives, but it would also be difficult to get it across in her own heart. It was better to honestly open up a beauty and health spa and then pursue other things!


    ¡°If you¡¯re interested in the idea then you can make a simr ce, just for men. Besides some Thai-style massages, you can also build some medicinal baths, medicinal fumigation, and some other facilities that can treat chronic illnesses. Also, those who are more into literary pursuits can enjoy flowers, listen to music, and have tea; those who are more open can participate in entertainments such as ying cards, mahjong, horse racing, pot throwing, and so on. It¡¯s a pretty good idea to build an entertainment ce that keeps peopleing!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao kept egging him on. She was a girl, so doing these things might not be very appropriate for her but it was different for Royal Prince Yang. On the principle of making money together, she decided to give him this suggestion as repayment for him asking the emperor for her reward!


    Zhu Junyang was also good at business. Presently, the most profitable business in the capital¡ª¡ªforeign goods stores were established by him. Also, the most popr vegetable and fruit shop were made by him and the little girl. From the few words Xiaocao just said, he saw infinite business opportunities.


    That being said the littless could make so much money. He needed to work harder to avoid being regarded as a good-looking young man who could only live off a woman when he proposed marriage to her! He had to find time to have a good talk about the so-called entertainment club! Just the horse racing and horse betting that she mentioned were enough to make men be full of excitement!


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 Chapter 471 – Returning Home With Honor

    <h4>Chapter 471 ¨C Returning Home With Honor</h4>


    How did this little girl¡¯s brain develop into someone so smart? She had many great money-making ideas! It was impossible for him to not admire her! She was such a capable and gifted youngdy. He needed tobel her as his quickly, otherwise, someone was going to steal her away from him once they realized what an amazing girl she was.


    It seemed like he had to do something to cheer the littless up and put her in a good mood. He needed to see if he could shorten the so-called probation period. Hm...didn¡¯t the littless want to buy a residence? He had many readily avable houses in his hands, but she was not willing to ept his offers! As a result, he could only apany her to help her find a suitable residence!


    Most of the good houses in the capital had already been bought, so there were only a few suitable houses left. However, who would be willing to sell their home two months before the New Year? Ugh! This problem was causing him quite a headache...


    Oh, that was right! Zhu Junyang wondered if the hidden guards he had sent out had any luck finding evidence. If he was able to find some evidence and information that could be used to ckmail Official Li family, then...


    Not long after Yu Xiaocao was bestowed a reward, news came out that the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments had taken many bribes. In return for those bribes, he helped them find jobs. In addition to that, his wife¡¯s younger brother had relied on the minister¡¯s backing tomit many crimes in the local areas. For example, he kidnapped women from ordinary families, killed people, and suppressed the people who tried to report him. He was not afraid of the consequences. Once, he even disguised himself as a thief and robbed another family. Furthermore, he burned their house after robbing them...A pile of well-documented evidence of all the deeds the minister¡¯s wife¡¯s younger brother had done was all gathered together. Along with the evidence, there seemed to be an invisible hand that was pushing the evidence forward, exposing all his evil deeds to the world.


    Although Official Li had borrowed other people¡¯s powers to further his own interests, he had never killed anyone. Even so, his wife¡¯s younger brother¡¯s crimes had implicated him negatively. He was stripped of his position as an assistant minister and became a regr citizen. His family gloomily packed their things and entrusted a middleman to help them sell off their house quickly. He nned on using the money he earned from selling the house to buy some acres ofnd to live the remainder of his life as a wealthy man in his hometown.


    ess vi


    His house was only one alley away from Count Zhongqin¡¯s Estate. It would be very convenient tomunicate andmute between the two ces. Furthermore, Official Li was known to be a culture snob, so his inner courtyards were decorated elegantly. After Zhu Junyang saw the inside of this residence, he was certain that this house should satisfy all the littless¡¯s requirements.


    There were many wealthy people living in the capital that wished to have an estate with a beautiful interior. However, Royal Prince Yang had already spread the news: he had already set his eyes on the courtyard. Those who were willing topete with him for the house should prepare to bid with him for the house!


    There were many in the capital who had the wealth and power to buy the house; however, they all fell short when they werepared to Royal Prince Yang who owned shops that gave birth to golden eggs. The wealthy merchants who had their eyes on the house also gave up the idea ofpeting against him when they heard the news that Zhu Junyang was also interested in the house. Even though the merchants were wealthy, they were afraid of his identity and power.


    Since Royal Prince Yang had nopetitors, he was able to buy the house at a very low price. The strange thing was that the deed of the house after the sale had Yu Hai¡¯s name written on it.


    Who was Yu Hai? How was he able to make Royal Prince Yang personally buy a house for him? Since his surname was Yu, then could he be rted to the newly appointed official, Official Yu? Didn¡¯t Official Yu have some kind of rtionship to the royal prince? It seemed like the rumors were not groundless gossip! Royal Prince Yang had really fallen in love with Little Official Yu, who was still not an adult yet.


    Soon, all kinds of gossip seemed to arise. Some envied Yu Xiaocao¡¯s luck because she was able to hold onto Royal Prince Yang¡¯s thick thighs; others sympathized with her because she was still a young and ignorant girl, yet she had already caught the eye of a cold and indifferent devil. It was such a pity!


    Among the rumors, there was a rumor that Official Yu had a prescription that could recover a person¡¯s youth. The rumour was spread around by Official Li¡¯s wife and daughter. It had rmed many people and many high ranking people were moved by this news. There were even public figures from jianghu [1] that came knocking at Official Yu¡¯s door after hearing about the rumors. Those people were all pushed away by the people Royal Prince Yang and Official Yu had left behind.


    Royal Prince Yang was angry at the injustice that Official Yu had faced, so he had dug out all the bad deeds that Official Li had done and caused him to lose his officialdom. As if it was not enough, he forcefully suppressed the price of Official Li¡¯s estate and managed to buy the house for less than half of its original value...


    It didn¡¯t matter how far the rumors had spread because a month before the New Year, Official Li¡¯s original house was renovated and its que was reced with the gue titled ¡°Yu¡¯s Estate¡±. It was rumored that the words on the que were written by the emperor emeritus himself! The people who were envious of this began to specte: What was the Yu Family¡¯s origin? How were they able to form a rtionship with the emperor emeritus? Who was it that had said that the Yu Family was a mere peasant household that had no backings? Perhaps the Yu Family¡¯s ancestors had once fought with the emperor emeritus to form this country. Then, they retired after the war was over and settled down in a small fishing vige!


    Alright ah! After the emperor emeritus came to the estate to freeload some food from them and ate his fill, he heard that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s family had purchased an estate. He had a sudden impulse to write and wrote these two characters for her on a whim. However, the emperor emeritus¡¯s sudden impulse caused people to believe that the Yu Family came from a strong background. The people in the capital, who had originally looked down on the Yu Family because of their poor background, suddenly all shut their mouths! After all, a loose tongue may cause them a lot of trouble. They didn¡¯t dare to insult the Yu Family anymore after they saw how Official Li was stripped of his title.


    As soon as the twelfth month came, the Ministry of Revenue, who was in charge of the agricultural department, went on a leisurely holiday. The people working in the other departments were red with envy! Every time winter came, they would go on holiday. While people worked busily in the cold weather, the people in charge of the farming tasks would have their sleeves tucked up while they drank tea and chatted over a warm fire. In the previous years, while many of the other departments were busily working, they simply took a long vacation!


    Now, nobody made fun of people who chatted with or came into contact with the peasant farmers. Some people even began to think that it was actually morefortable to work in the agricultural department. This was because Official Yu had achieved arge feat and the people working in the agricultural department were able to appear before the emperor because of that. They even registered themselves and were bestowed a considerable amount of rewards. The people working the Qingshui yamen farming task would sigh as they walked. They kept wondering if it was toote to transfer themselves to work under Official Yu.


    After she bought an estate and was on vacation, Yu Xiaocao decided to take advantage of the good weather to return to Dongshan Vige. She nned on taking her family to the capital to celebrate the New Years!


    After Zhu Junyan returned from the border, he handed his military power over and returned to being an idle royal prince. He didn¡¯t take up an important official position, so unless the emperor summoned him specifically, he did not need to attend the royal court every morning.


    As soon as he heard that Yu Xiaocao was returning to Dongshan Vige, he immediately sent up an ount to the emperor asking the emperor for permission to take a short leave so he could inspect his fiefs. Zhu Junyang followed Yu Xiaocao¡¯s carriage as soon as she exited the capital. He only brought along a few close guards and servants.


    ¡°Ah! What a coincidence! Are you returning to Dongshan Vige? I¡¯m on my way to my fiefdom in Tanggu Town. Since we happened to be going the same way, let¡¯s stay together. What do you think?¡± He pretended to be surprised that they were going the same way, but his acting skills weren¡¯t good enough to pull it off.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him. She was toozy to pay attention to this fool! It was nice to have someone to apany her along the way. They would be able to chat and joke around so she wouldn¡¯t feel lonely.


    Zhu Junyang never had the intention of entering Tanggu Town. When they reached the crossroad where they were supposed to go on separate paths, Zhu Junyang directly followed after Xiaocao¡¯s carriage to Dongshan Vige.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to inspect your fiefs? Why did you head on this path instead?¡± Yu Xiaocao tried to embarrass him.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes twitched slightly as he smiled and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t Dongshan Vige a part of my fiefdom? Besides, my estate is located in the West Mountains. I¡¯m nning on resting there for a few days and then take a tour of my fiefdom. After all, mynd won¡¯t suddenly grow legs and run away from me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always so reasonable!¡± Yu Xiaocao ignored him and lifted the curtain of the carriage. She looked attentively at the passing scenery. She calcted the time and she realized that it had been half a year since she returned to Dongshan Vige. During that half a year, she had returned to Tanggu Town once. However, during that visit, she had poured all her time on cultivating the profitable vegetables in the greenhouse pavilions. Even though she had seen her father, mother, brothers, and sister, she didn¡¯t have time to return to the vige. It had been five years since she transmigrated here. She gradually felt a sense of belonging among the honest and kindhearted vigers and the mountains and seas in the small vige.


    When she entered Dongshan Vige, it was during the time that the elders had finished breakfast and hade out for a walk. Although Dongshan Vige had just recently been invaded by Wokou pirates, it was doing quite well thanks to their savings and the financial support given to them by Royal Prince Yang. Dongshan Vige was rtively wealthypared to the nearby viges.


    However, peasant families were still rtively frugal. This was especially true during the winter when the farm was idle. This was true for most peasant families except for the Yu Family, who had a stable ie year-round. The peasant families ate two meals a day. They ate their breakfast at 9 o¡¯clock in the morning and their dinner was around 4 to 5 o¡¯clock in the afternoon.


    The weather was great today; it was bright and sunny. The old people liked to sit in sunny areas to y chess and gossip after they finished eating.


    ¡°Old Yu! A few horse carriages arrived outside the vige. Could those carriages be headed for your house?¡± An old man asked with a smile on his face as he raised his chin in the direction of the carriages. The old man who was ying chess with Old Yu was around sixty years old. He squatted in the direction where the horse carriages were heading. He squinted his eyes to see the vehicles better.


    Only the Yu Family could afford to use a horse carriage in the vige! Old Yu was really blessed. His children and grandchildren were all hardworking. His son¡¯s farming skill earned him the title of a seven-ranked official. Therefore, his son was on an equal footing with the county magistrate. Old Yu¡¯s grandson was talented at studying and was able to pass the county-level exams and be a county official despite his young age!


    What was even more unexpected was the fact that his youngest granddaughter had be the first female official of the Great Ming Dynasty. She managed the Imperial ntation for the emperor! A few days ago, the emperor had bestowed an imperial edict that praised Yu Xiaocao for her hard work. The emperor even gave her the title of a feudal princess!


    Did you know what a feudal princess was? ording to the operas he had listened to, the title of a feudal princess was only conferred to a marquis¡¯s daughter. Xiaocao sure received a great blessing after her near-death experience. Now, she was on equal footings with a marquis¡¯s daughter!


    Tsk tsk! The Yu Family was amazing! Green smoke wasing from their ancestral graves! How much virtue did Old Yu umte in his previous life for him to have such amazing grandchildren that brought honor to their ancestors?


    Old Yu looked back and squinted at the oing carriages for a while. He was uncertain as he said, ¡°Who knows? Madam Liu and Xiaolian are at home right now. Dahai and his son are at the farmstead. If nothing unexpected happened, then they wouldn¡¯t have returned so early! Plus, the carriage doesn¡¯t look like it belongs to my family...¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Xiaocao has returned? Didn¡¯t you receive a letter from her two days ago stating that she had set up an estate in the capital? She said that it¡¯s not good for the estate to be vacant for the first year, so she is nning to bring you guys to the capital to celebrate the New Years?¡± Xiaocao¡¯s granduncle, Yu Lichun felt that the carriage was headed in the direction of his third brother¡¯s house. It couldn¡¯t be anyone else from the Yu Family, so it had to be Xiaocao!


    ¡°Grandfather¡ª¡ª¡± Xiaocao stuck her head outside the window of the carriage. Even though she was still far away, Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but wave her hands and shout at her grandfather when she saw his familiar figure.

 Chapter 472 – Homesickness

    <h4>Chapter 472 ¨C Homesickness</h4>


    ¡°Hey! Elder Brother, you actually guessed correctly! Sure enough, Xiaocao has returned!¡± How could Old Yu still continue to y chess? He tookrge strides towards the carriage and waved back at her to wee her.


    The sixty-year-old man who was ying chess with Old Yu hesitantly asked, ¡°Lichun, since Yu Xiaocao is now a feudal princess, do we have to greet her on our knees?¡±


    Yu Lichun chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiaocao is the most benevolent and righteous girl I¡¯ve ever met. She won¡¯t put on a front! She is a feudal princess, but she is also from our Dongshan Vige, and she is also a descendant of our Yu Family...¡±


    He hadn¡¯t even finished speaking yet when the carriage stopped under the old elm tree at the entrance of the vige. Xiaocao was clothed in pink paired with a silver mink fur cloak. She looked like a lovable and small girl as she jumped down from the carriage. The old vigers widened their eyes in surprise at the adorable little girl.


    Was she still Yu Xiaocao, Old Yu¡¯s granddaughter? When they saw her in the past, she was as skinny as a cat. People thought that she would probably be unable to survive much longer, but she proved them all wrong. She had only gone to the capital for half a year, and they were barely able to recognize her because of how much she changed. The thin satin clothing that she was wearing shimmered in the sunlight, making the vigers unable to open their eyes. She was pretty and had a confident aura around her. There was no one in Tanggu Town who could evenpare to her beauty.


    If Old Yu hadn¡¯t introduced her as his granddaughter, they would¡¯ve thought that she was the daughter of a high ranking official! The two girls standing behind her were her maids, right? Even the maids were dressed more exquisitely than the daughters of the wealthy families in town!


    ¡°Grandfather, Eldest Granduncle, Grandfather Li...are you guys basking in the sun?¡± Yu Xiaocao greeted everyone intimately. There was no arrogance in her manner or tone even after her identity changed.


    Old Li¡ª¡ªthe sixty-year-old who was just mentioned, had a slightly reserved smile on his tanned red face. He rubbed his hands and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! The weather is great today...Xiaocao, did you just return from the capital?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and was just about to respond when Yangfan¡¯s wife interrupted her, ¡°Xiaocao, are you here to take your grandfather, father, and mother to the capital to celebrate the New Year? Sure enough, you¡¯ve received blessings from the gods after all the cmity you faced. Ever since your head injury was cured five years ago, your luck has been getting better and better. You saved someone¡¯s life and even gave away your secret recipe. Then, you showed so much talent in the field of farming. Now, you¡¯re the first female official in our country! Tsk tsk...you¡¯ve also been conferred the title of a feudal princess and an estate! Xiaocao is a really blessed girl!¡±


    ¡°Auntie, I should thank you! If you hadn¡¯t found me in time, then I probably wouldn¡¯t be alive right now! Auntie, I brought you some pastries from the famous Daohua Vige¡¯s Pastry Shop in the capital. Please have some!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had just finished speaking, when Wutong who was standing behind her, took out a small exquisitely wrapped wooden box that contained some pastries from the carriage. The box was decorated with a delicate pattern and looked quite expensive.


    Yangfan¡¯s wife had never seen such a beautiful box. The pastries inside must be quite expensive. She hurriedly shook her head and said, ¡°We¡¯re all one family in this vige. No matter who it was that encountered an ident, we will also help out. Quickly take the pastries back, Auntie cannot ept it!¡±


    ¡°Auntie, please take it! Even if we ignore the fact that you saved my life, you are like a sister to my mother. Consider this as a snack from your niece and ept it.¡± Yu Xiaocao turned around and took the pastry box from Wutong. Then she stuffed the box in Yangfan¡¯s wife¡¯s hands.


    Old Yu looked at them and chuckled. ¡°Yangfan¡¯s wife, you should just take it since Xiaocao gave it to you. It¡¯s just a box of pastries, it¡¯s not that expensive.¡±


    The vigers enviously looked at the box of pastries. Their hearts sighed sorrowfully. Three years ago, Old Yu was closely controlled by Madam Zhang. He wasn¡¯t even given one copper coin by Madam Zhang. After he was brought in by his second son, Old Yu didn¡¯tck any food or clothes. Old Yu¡¯s son also gave him a lot of pocket money to spend every month. In the past, he didn¡¯t even have the power to give away one piece of a steamed bun. Yet right now, he was able to say that the box of pastries was not expensive even though it probably was. Old Yu finally received his blessings and nothing could stop it!


    ¡°Eldest Granduncle, how is your health? I have prepared a New Year¡¯s gift for you. It might be difficult for you to carry it, so I will send someone to send the gift over to your houseter!¡± Yu Xiaocao said affectionately as she looked at him with a kind smile on her face.


    Yu Lichun smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯tck anything at home, so there¡¯s no need for you to spend money on me...Third Younger Brother, it must¡¯ve been hard for Xiaocao toe all the way here. She probably didn¡¯t even have time to eat lunch yet. Hurry up and take her home...Xiaocao hasn¡¯t seen your new house after it was repaired! Take her to go see it!¡±


    Even though Yu Lichun had said that, he was still very happy. Xiaocao was a girl who knew how to repay other people¡¯s kindness. When she was sick, his family had given her family some money so they could afford to see a doctor. It was just a simple matter, yet she still remembered it deeply.


    After they split households, her family¡¯s livelihoods got better and better. Xiaocao never forgot to send his family some things during New Year¡¯s and other holidays. When she started her business, she didn¡¯t forget to bring Yu Jiang and Yu Xi over to earn money together. Now, his family was not only in charge of purchasing seafood from other people, but his family also nted watermelons. He was able to sell the watermelons to a few nearby wealthy estates!


    Now, his family had be the second wealthiest family in the vige. This was all thanks to the care that Xiaocao¡¯s family had shown them!


    Yu Xiaocao had always treated her eldest granduncle as her own grandfather. She took his hand and exchanged some words with him. It wasn¡¯t until her stomach started growling that Yu Lichun urged her to go home and eat. She finally said, ¡°Eldest Granduncle, I will go to your house to bow and greet you for the New Year after I finish eating...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t ride the horse carriage to her house. Instead, she walked the familiar paths in the vige. Not far behind her was the carriage that she was originally riding on. Behind that, were five carriages that were carrying specialty items from the capital. The vigers quietly began to gossip after seeing those carriages.


    ¡°Old Yu¡¯s house is certainly flourishing! Based on the items on these five carriages, she probably spent several hundred taels of silver! Xiaocao sure has a loose hand when ites to spending! I bet the six-month sry she received as an official has all been spent on these five carriages!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Did you think Xiaocao lives only on her sry as an official? I heard that she had set up a braised food shop in the capital. She opened the shop as a partnership with a very distinguished noble from the capital. Based on the dividends, she could probably afford more than just five horse carriages!¡±


    ¡°The person riding on a horse next to the carriage must be Royal Prince Yang, right? How thick is Xiaocao¡¯s skin to actually make the Royal Prince Yang to personally escort her? I heard that the emperor values her farming skills. Just by looking at them, I can tell that the rumors are true!¡±


    ¡°Shuanzhu¡¯s wife, did you know that Xiaocao is back? She also brought a lot of goods back from the capital. The girl is quite generous; she gave Yangfan¡¯s wife a box of pastries from the capital. Just the box alone is probably worth several taels of silver! The pastries inside the box probably cost even more than the box! Your family has strong ties with the Yu Family, and your daughter is close to Xiaocao. I bet you will receive a lot of goods from the capital!¡±


    ¡°I really envy you guys for having close ties with the Yu Family. You guys are too far-sighted! Even if we had money, we still probably won¡¯t be able to buy those goods from the capital for sure! I don¡¯t even know if I will have the chance in this lifetime to go to the capital and experience the atmosphere of the imperial capital...¡±


    ...


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t know what was happening. Her return had created more topics for the vigers in Dongshan Vige to talk about after their meal and tea. Xiaocao currently felt that Dongshan Vige felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Dongshan Vige had changed a lot in the past six months. Some of the houses that were destroyed by the Wokou pirates were rebuilt on their originalnd. However, some vigers selected some othernd to rebuild their houses.


    When the Wokou pirates attacked, due to Xiaocao warning them in advance, the vigers at Dongshan Vige did not sustain as many losses as the people in neighboring viges. Combined with the financial support given by Royal Prince Yang, the vigers were faring much better than other people. The vigers had discussed amongst themselves and decided that even if things were difficult at home, they should grit their teeth and rebuild their houses using tile and brick.


    The newly built green brick buildings, therge stone courtyards, and the brand new wooden doors...the whole vige looked familiar and strange. Old Yu began exining as he walked next to Xiaocao, ¡°Dongshan Vige has be a wealthy vige that is envied by the nearby viges! Not to mention, none of the other viges had all their houses built using green bricks and tiles.¡±


    Because the Yu Family¡¯s braised food shop in the prefectural city had flourished, they had opened three other branches. The number of chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs that were needed in the braised food shops were immense. As a result, it was impossible to supply all the stores with the pigs from the Yu Family¡¯s pig farm.


    Now, every family in Dongshan Vige would raise a few pigs, chickens, and ducks. Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s family raised hundreds of chickens and ducks at the foot of the mountain and some families copied what they did. Anyway, it didn¡¯t matter how many livestock they raised because they didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to sell them! The Yu Family wasn¡¯t the only family that needed livestock. The Zhou Family also needed a considerable amount of livestock to sell their roast ducks and chickens. The two family businesses gave priority to the businesses in Dongshan Vige. Compared to the previous years where they depended on the sky and sea for their livelihood, the vigers¡¯ current ie was ten times higher than it was previously!


    As long as they work hard, then there will always be money to be earned! The boys in the vige didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to marry anymore because there were many girls from other viges that hoped to marry into one of the families in Dongshan Vige. This was because the daughters from Dongshan Vige all had a rich dowry. The doors of their soon to be husband¡¯s house would probably break down from the amount of dowry there was! In short, the people in Dongshan Vige also didn¡¯t have to worry about marrying off their daughters anymore.


    Dongshan Vige¡¯s sudden wealth was naturally all thanks to the Yu Family. When Yu Xiaocao arrived in front of her family¡¯s newly built house, she couldn¡¯t help but be speechless. This...this was their family¡¯s courtyard? There were golden colored nails on top of the vermilion gate. There were two tall and mighty guardian lion statues in front of the entrance to the house. The tile roof was zed red and yellow and the roof was supported by tall eaves on both sides! The wall of the courtyard was tall and was made from cyan-colored bricks. The wall was also decorated with zed tiles just like the roof. From the outside, the house looked like the estates owned by high ranking officials in the capital!


    Inside the gates was a residence with three separate courtyards in it. If Yu Hai hadn¡¯t prevented it, then the people Royal Prince Yang sent to build the estate would have likely built a five-courtyard residence for them! Most of the houses in the vige only had one courtyard once they entered the gates. There would be three to five main rooms and east and west side rooms. They wouldn¡¯t have such aplicated residence like this. Therge courtyard covered the smaller courtyard and the smaller courtyard was connected to the other courtyards.


    When the house was first built, the married women in the vige would exaggeratedly joke around, ¡°Because they have such arge residence, I almost got lost when I went in!¡±


    The only distinguishing feature that made the Yu Family¡¯s house different from the wealthy estates in the capital was that the wealthy estates in the capital were decorated with nts and elegant flowers. In contrast, the Yu Family¡¯s courtyards were all used to nt vegetables! Since it was currently winter, most of the vegetable fields in the courtyard were empty. Only the greenhouse located in the back garden was nted with vegetables that the Yu Family frequently ate.

 Chapter 473 – Untitled

    <h4>Chapter 473 ¨C Untitled</h4>


    ¡°This...is a bit too much, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t expect that her own family¡¯s newly built residence would be so ¡®nouveau riche¡¯ in style. This type of building was considered quite luxurious for the standards of Tanggu Town, let alone a tiny fishing vige.


    Zhu Junyang, who had followed her in from behind, didn¡¯t have the same thoughts, ¡°Although it can¡¯tpare with the residences one can buy in the capital, it¡¯s still considered quite decent!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Do you know what¡¯s written all over this house ah?¡±


    ¡°What? A residence? Howe I don¡¯t see anything written on it?¡± Zhu Junyang had a perplexed expression on his face. Did he miss something earlier?


    ¡°The words, ¡®We have lots of money¡¯, are written all over the residence inrge, shiny characters. You didn¡¯t see that? We don¡¯t have that many people in the family yet we built such arge residence. Let¡¯s not even talk about keeping it clean but isn¡¯t this clearly telling everyone else: ¡®We have lots of money, quicklye steal it¡¯?! The next time the Wokou piratese to raid the coastline, they will definitely head straight for our home first!¡± Yu Xiaocao had nothing more to say.


    Zhu Junyang thought that she was worried about her family¡¯s safety and stated in a confident manner, ¡°No worries, this prince will send a few guards over to patrol the area! As for the cleaning, it¡¯s not like your familycks the money to buy a few servants, right? If you don¡¯t feel like spending the money, then I¡¯ll buy them for you!¡±


    ¡°This is not a question of money! I¡¯m afraid that the vigers might get other thoughts after seeing this!¡± In the past, her family didn¡¯t have much. When they originally split from the main Yu Family, their circumstances were worse than most of the others in the vige. Now they were at a point where they could be considered a local wealthy despot, so wouldn¡¯t that bring resentment towards them?


    Zhu Junyang used a finger to tap on her head and said, ¡°Do you believe that if you guys built your home like everyone else¡¯s that no one would talk behind your back? Let¡¯s not talk about other things but your family has a thousand-mu farmstead and the greenhouse vegetable business in town. That¡¯s more than enough to make others feel jealous! If you want to prevent other people from acting maliciously from jealousy, then you need to increase the gap between yourself and those people. That way, you be something that everyone else can only look up to, a mark that they can only hope for!¡±


    His reasoning was very clear. If you wanted to reach a point where other people couldn¡¯t pull you down, then you needed to climb to a height, like the clouds, where other people couldn¡¯t touch. That way, those who envied you and were jealous wouldn¡¯t dare to have those feelings Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t a slow-witted person. After hearing his words, she immediately understood his reasoning. The current Yu Family wasn¡¯t like before. Her father was now a seventh-ranked official and the emperor ced great importance on herself and had even given her the title of a feudal princess. Even if their residence was even more grand andrge, other people would think that it was right and proper. In fact, if they tried to be more discreet, it was likely that there would be people gossiping behind their backs stating that they were pretending to be poor. What was the point then?


    The scenes that urred at the mouth of the vige shed through her mind. The vigers who used to have amiable or indifferent expressions now all had fawning fake smiles on their faces. Even Auntie Yangfan, who was rtively close to them, had a bit of cautiousness added to her friendly manner. Before she had noticed it, she and the Yu Family had suddenly be an entity that was high above the other vigers at Dongshan Vige. The times had changed and there was no way to go back...


    ¡°Dahai¡¯s wife! Xiaolian! Quicklye out and see who hase!!¡± Old Yu loudly announced as he stepped inside. From his steady gait and clear voice, it could be seen that Old Yu had been very healthy these past two years. His old body was still sturdy and strong!


    Madam Liu and Xiaolian were in the back courtyard taking care of the greenhouse harvest. They could vaguely hear the noise in front and impatiently rushed out without even taking the time to wash the mud off of their hands. When she saw Xiaocao, Madam Liu couldn¡¯t restrain her emotions and ran forward to hug her daughter as her eyes filled with tears, ¡°You¡¯re finally back! You¡¯ve gotten thinner...¡±


    ¡°Mother...you¡¯ve smeared Younger Sister¡¯s clothing with mud!¡± Xiaolian also felt tears well up. Her once tiny and skinny little sister, who previously resembled a starved kitten, was now an elegant and pretty young maiden! Although she was only a few minutes older than Xiaocao, she had acted as a protector of her younger sister since they were very young. The fact that her younger sister, who the doctors had proimed wouldn¡¯t live long enough to reach adulthood, was able to live until today was heavily rted to her care.


    ¡°No worries, isn¡¯t it just a set of clothing ah? If it gets dirty, then we can just wash it! Mother, I missed you!¡± Yu Xiaocao could sense that Madam Liu had hesitated for a moment and hurriedly hugged her mother back. She made herself whine a little as if she was a little kitten begging for attention.


    Wutong, who was behind Xiaocao, sneered inwardly, ¡°Young Miss, this will cause other people to hate you, okay? There are so many young maidens in the capital who lust after a custom-designed set of clothing that is personally made by Modiste Jiang. You on the other hand, merely say ¡®it¡¯s only a set of clothing¡¯. If those proud and arrogant youngdies could hear you now, what would they do?¡¯


    Just earlier, seeing her youngest daughter attired in expensive satin and silk damask gave Madam Liu a sense of strangeness. However, when her daughter started to act spoiled in her arms, it allowed her to find that her Cao¡¯er was still the same. She wiped the mud off onto her own clothes and then patted her youngest daughter¡¯s back and smiled, ¡°You must be tired, right? Quickly go into the room and rest on the kang bed. Mother will make you some mutton stewed with noodles. It¡¯s the perfect dish for the cool weather!¡±


    As she talked, she pulled her daughter into the room and had her sit down. Then she left the room to start making lunch for her daughter. From start to finish, Madam Liu only had eyes for her daughter. Despite being tall, Royal Prince Yang had been neglected this entire time.


    Royal Prince Yang: ...


    However, in front of his future mother-inw, he couldn¡¯t put on the airs of a royal prince. The road to chasing a wife was long so he still needed to work hard!


    ¡°Xiaolian! Did you not eat enough this past year? I¡¯m already taller than you ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao sat across from Xiaolian and grinned mischievously at her.


    It was only after the two sisters had a good chat that Xiaolian noticed Royal Prince Yang, who had been ignored this entire time. She asked in a somewhat reserved manner, ¡°Royal Prince, you¡¯re also visiting? What kind of tea do you want to drink? Thismoner will go make some...¡±


    ¡°This prince only drinks the tea that Xiaocao personally makes!¡± Although Xiaocao¡¯s twin sister, Xiaolian, looked very simr to her, Zhu Junyang could faintly tell the difference between the two. Besides looks, Xiaocao¡¯s demeanor seemed to be a bit more clean and purepared to her older sister. In front of other people, this fellow resumed his usual cool and lofty attitude.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even give him a look as she pulled Xiaolian down to sit again, ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him. The tea leaves and hot water are all on the table. It¡¯s up to him if he wants to drink any or not!¡±


    ¡°Is that...really alright ah? He is a royal prince after all!¡± Xiaolian was still a bit apprehensive whenever she was around the expressionless Royal Prince Yang.


    Yu Xiaocao reclinedfortably on the warm and toasty kang bed and pinched up a few roasted pumpkin seeds from the table on the kang bed. She cracked them with pleasure, ¡°No worries! No one is an outsider here, so there¡¯s no need to be so restricted. That being said, he may be a royal prince but I¡¯m a feudal princess now! Hmph¡ª¡ª¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked somewhat helplessly at this ¡®arrogant person relying on favor¡¯. He shook his head and chuckled lightly. After refusing Head Steward Liu¡¯s suggestion to have him brew tea, the prince personally picked up the hot water and steeped a cup of hot tea for both him and Yu Xiaocao. Yu Xiaocao gleefully received the hot tea and cheerfully took a small sip¡ª¡ªone shouldn¡¯t spoil a man too much!


    ¡°Oh ho ah! Tiny!! What were you doing to cause you look in such dire straits?!¡± Yu Xiaocao spotted a murky little creatureing in from the door. After a closer look, it was unexpectedly the little roe deer who was muddy from head to toe.


    When it heard the sound of Xiaocao¡¯s voice, the little roe deer excitedly plunged in and raised its forelegs in an attempt to climb onto the kang bed. Before it could jump up, Erya grabbed it from behind.


    ¡°Young Miss, you¡¯re finally back. I¡¯ve missed you so much!! This time, are you going to abandon me here again when you go back to the capital?¡± The silly and honest Erya held the little roe deer as she impetuously inquired.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her and grinned, ¡°Looks like Erya has gotten taller and fatter! Don¡¯t worry ah, when I go back to the capital again, I¡¯ll be bringing the whole family along to celebrate the New Years there!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! In this life, I never thought I¡¯d have the chance to go to the capital. Is this servant dreaming right now?¡± Before Erya had entered the room, she was likely in the greenhouse pavilion in the back courtyard, helping with the nting. She was covered in mud too and wasn¡¯t much cleaner than the little roe deer. In addition, she had an ordinary appearance and her skin was on the tanner side. Her whole body was covered in dirt and she really resembled a wild girl in the countryside.


    Wutong sneered and remarked in a voice that was neither loud or soft, ¡°Young Miss said that she was here to bring her ¡®family¡¯ to the capital to celebrate the New Years. What status do you have to dare to consider yourself one of Young Miss¡¯s family?¡±


    Erya nced at Wutong and Yingchun, who were wearing clothes that were more beautiful than the young girls in town, and then picked at her own clothes in embarrassment. She scuttled to Xiaocao¡¯s side and quietly asked, ¡°Young Miss, are these two older sisters like Older Sister Yingtao? Are they also maidservants you brought from the capital ah?¡±


    ¡°They are, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Yu Xiaocao shot a faint look at Wutong and grinned at the straightforward maid in front of her.


    ¡°Are all of the maidservants from the capital this fierce ah? Older Sister Yingtao scolded me as soon as she met me and this older sister is doing the same!¡± Erya felt a bit aggrieved. They were all maidservants, so why did the other have to bully her?


    Wutong was also a bit upset after being stared at by the young miss. She stammered an exnation, ¡°Young Miss, this maidservant hasn¡¯t been instructed properly, so how could she serve you right now? She¡¯s not even trained enough to do the work of a third-ranked maidservant!¡±


    ¡°No one is born knowing how to do everything! As her senior, shouldn¡¯t you know how to teach her ah? Erya is a maidservant that I personally bought. She may not have anything else but I can definitely vouch for her loyalty!¡± Yu Xiaocao had other thoughts about this matter.


    Wutong felt even more wronged now. It was clear that making a mistake once could steer the trajectory of one¡¯s life. She might not be able to make up for her error even if she tried hard for the rest of her life. However, she was going to do her best to let the young miss see that she had changed. Wutong vowed not to act like before and harbor other motives within her heart.


    Throughout this, Zhu Junyang peacefully sipped on the wild tea that Xiaocao had personally roasted herself. At this moment, he raised his eyes to look at Wutong for a second and then looked down again. Thatss Xiaocao had a group of pretty good servants around her. At least, none of them had impure thoughts. This maid called Wutong perhaps had other motives in the past but now had been infected by thess¡¯s ¡®personal charm¡¯ and had promised to mend her ways. He would just let her be for now. If she wasn¡¯t suitable in the future, then he would find some excuse to let her go.


    When Madam Liu went to serve the piping hot mutton stewed with noodles, she finally noticed that there was arge man in the room. She stared nkly for a second and then hurriedly said, ¡°Your Highness, thank you very much for escorting thatss Xiaocao back home! Please eat the mutton stewed with noodles too while I go saute a few dishes for you...¡±


    Zhu Junyang wanted to look at the sky in exasperation and howl, ¡®This prince is over 180 centimeters in height, but why is my treatment so poor here? Everyone is ignoring me for some reason.¡¯ However, he didn¡¯t have the guts to question his future mother-inw at the moment, so he quietly replied, ¡°Auntie Yu, there¡¯s no need to trouble yourself! Mutton stewed with noodles is perfectly fine!¡±


    ¡°Aiyo ah, I dare not ept this honor, dare not...¡± What did the royal prince just call her? Auntie Yu? Goodness gracious! How could she, a mere vige wife, possibly allow this?

 Chapter 474 – Gradually Proceed, Gradually Get Further Apart

    <h4>Chapter 474 ¨C Gradually Proceed, Gradually Get Further Apart</h4>


    After he finished the evening meal, Zhu Junyang went back to the mountain vi. Xiaocao and her mother and sister congregated on the kang bed to talk. Xiaocao told Madam Liu some things that were happening in the capital and her thoughts about them.


    As they talked, she suddenly remembered the residence that was halfway up the mountain that used to be the Zhao Family¡¯s. She asked, ¡°Mother, I once saw Auntie Zhao when I was in the capital. She said that we can do as we see fit with their old residence. If the ce stays empty for too long, it¡¯ll likely start falling apart from disrepair.¡±


    Madam Liu looked as if she had thought of something and said, ¡°The Zhao Family¡¯s residence hasn¡¯t stayed empty for long periods of time. Before our family¡¯s residence was done, we spent over three months living there. Your father also goes there from time to time to take a look. He often repairs any damage and fixes the roof too. I and Xiaolian also often go up to clean up the ce. Ah, right! Your Older Brother Zhao Han also enlisted in the militaryst year. However, he didn¡¯t go to the northwest area of the country like his grandfather and father and instead entered the navy for training. The neighboring vige recently established apany of soldiers and he was transferred there. It¡¯s said that he did well and got promoted to a small ringleader...¡±


    Xiaolian giggled and interjected, ¡°Mother, his rank is called a toon leader and he has around fifty soldiers under hismand. A small ringleader makes it sound like he¡¯s a bandit!¡±


    ¡°Go, go, go! You know the most, okay? You even dare to make fun of your mother! Are you itching for a beating ah?¡± Madam Liu red at her older daughter. Thisss¡¯s guts seemed to be growing bigger with time and she seemed to want to tease everyone.


    Xiaolian was afraid that her mother might fly into a rage due to humiliation and hurriedly cated her, ¡°Alright, alright, alright! Whatever you say goes! A small ringleader is a small ringleader ah! Younger Sister, while you¡¯ve been in the capital, Older Brother Zhao Han hase by a few times and even ate with us. When he saw that you weren¡¯t around, he even especially asked about you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean he especially asked about her? He was only inquiring out of politeness. Young maidens should know when to hold their tongues. Don¡¯t speak so much nonsense!¡± Madam Liu had long known what Royal Prince Yang felt towards her youngest daughter and was afraid this might be transmitted to him and cause problems. She hurriedly interrupted her older daughter¡¯s words and then continued, ¡°That child Zhao Han ispassionate. Every time he has a break, he alwayses over to help us out. After we moved into our new home, he started to reside in the residence halfway up the mountain since it wasn¡¯t too good for him to stay with us. Thus, that home isn¡¯tpletely empty all the time.¡±


    ¡°When I visited Auntie Zhao, sheined that Older Brother Zhao refused to go to the army in the northwest and instead insisted on entering the navy. When the Wokou pirates came and attackedst time, he had been sent over with the other troops. I didn¡¯t expect that he would be assigned to a post that is so close to us.¡±


    In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart, Zhao Han was the one other person besides her close family members who treated her kindness and warmth when she first transmigrated over. He was like an older brother to her. Not only did he do his best to take care of her and Little Shitou but he also epted her odd and weird quirks without question.


    After thinking about it, she realized that Older Brother Zhao Han had just reached eighteen years of age. He had been born in a military family and had been trained in his family¡¯s arts. It wasn¡¯t surprising that he had been recognized for his talents and been promoted to a toon leader. If she had the opportunity, she was nning on making some pastries for him and find out how he was doing. That way, when she went back to the capital, she would be able to report on his well-being to Auntie Zhao.


    The next morning, Royal Prince Yang sat boldly in the middle of the Yu Family¡¯s reception hall. In the capital, whenever he visited Xiaocao, there was always someone there with them. Whether it was Lady Fang herself or some maids and senior servants, they never had the chance to be alone. The littless very rarely had the chance to go into the kitchen there, so he had started to miss the taste of her food.


    Yu Xiaocao thought that she had gotten up quite early, but when she finished washing up, she realized that Royal Prince Yang had already drank through several cups of tea. She looked at Zhu Junyang¡¯s ¡®pitiful, begging¡¯ expression on his face and became resigned to her fate of cooking in the kitchen. Inside the kitchen was a basin full of water and giant tiger prawns. She immediately ordered him in, ¡°If you want to eat earlier, then help me peel these shrimp.¡±


    Zhu Junyang had a dumbfounded expression on his face as he stared at the basin full of wriggling and jumping prawns. He had eaten shrimp before but, as for peeling their shells and getting them ready, he had never even had the chance to see it being done let alone doing it himself.


    Yu Xiaocao sighed and picked up a prawn. To demonstrate, she pinched the head off and removed its shell and tail before deveining it. Then, she had Zhu Junyang attempt to follow what she did. Zhu Junyang¡¯s brows furrowed so tight that he could kill an insect when she stuffed a slippery shrimp into his hands. However, when he saw the littless busily working in the kitchen, mixing up and kneading dough, he squatted down helplessly and started to clumsily clean the basin of prawns. He was very well aware that hisss had a crafty and odd mindset. If he summoned someone else in to take over his task, it was very unlikely that he would be able to eat some crystal shrimp dumplings for breakfast.


    On this trip to Dongshan Vige, Zhu Junyang had brought along Head Steward Liu and a personal bodyguard who doubled as a personal servant, Dong Dali, with him. The two of them entered the residence energetically with some prey they had hunted earlier. When Dong Dali got to the entrance of the kitchen, he suddenly stopped to a standstill and blinked his eyes in surprise. He had a bbergasted look on his face¡ª¡ªhis valiant and godly master was actually squatting inelegantly on the floor, peeling shrimp.


    Head Steward Liu had long gotten used to seeing odd happenings between his master and Miss Yu. He patted Dong Dali, who was frozen in astonishment, and reminded the other man, ¡°Go clean up the game so we can add it to the noon mealter. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don¡¯t look at what you¡¯re not supposed to look at and absolutely do not say anything that you¡¯re not supposed to say!¡±


    By the time the crystal shrimp dumplings had finished steaming, Yu Hai and his son had already rushed here from the farmstead. On their way back, they had also caught up with Little Shitou and Qian Wen, who were on their break from school.


    ¡°Wow! Second Sister personally made these crystal shrimp dumplings! Older Brother Xiaowen, you¡¯re lucky in food today. An invitation is not as fortuitous as a chance encounter. Stay with us and eat some dumplings, okay?¡± Little Shitou had grown considerably taller in the past half year and had almost caught up with Xiaocao. Although he still had somewhat of a childish air around him when he spoke, he had also added a bit of elegance to his demeanor.


    Qian Wen looked at the familiar figure bustling about in the kitchen. She was no longer the painfully skinny, short little girl in his memories. She was still slender but now she seemed to have the figure of a pretty young maiden. Xiaocao seemed to have sensed his gaze and turned around to smile brilliantly at him.


    She seemed to have grown more beautiful again. The features on her face had matured and her eyes wererge and deep. She had pale and exquisite skin and the dimples on her cheeks were faintly discernible when she smiled at someone. He heard that she had sessfully established greenhouse-grown vegetables and fruits in the capital. Her aplishments drew lots of praise from the people there. He also heard that she was nning on building a new pharmaceutical workshop in the capital. Furthermore, she had been given the title of a feudal princess and been bestowed a fine residence in the capital. In addition, she had used the money she made in half a year to buy an estate in the capital that was recorded under Uncle Yu Hai¡¯s name...


    He had originally thought that, as long as he worked hard, he¡¯d be able to pass the imperial examinations and shorten the gap that had grown between them. However, why did it seem like the distance between them kept growingrger andrger? The memories of that little girl, who had a starving belly and was digging up wild herbs in the bitter cold, had gradually faded away from his mind. In front of him was a youngdy he was familiar with but why did it seem like they had be more distant, like strangers?


    He inhaled deeply and before he could say the words of refusal on his lips, the young girl had already spoken, ¡°Qian Wen, I made some crystal shrimp dumplings, shumai, and soup dumplings. Stay with us and eat a bit!¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Despite being dazzled for a split second by that incandescent smile of hers, he still refused her good intentions. ¡°I was off traveling with a few ssmates before and hadn¡¯t gone home in awhile. I should go home first and see my family ah! You...when are you all going to leave for the capital?¡±


    He had encountered the Yu Family on his way back and had already found out that they were going to travel to the capital to celebrate the New Years soon.


    ¡°We¡¯ll still be here for a few more days ah! My mother said that she still has a few things to pack!¡± Yu Xiaocao paused and then took out a few steamer baskets from the kitchen and ced them in his hands, ¡°Since it¡¯s like that, I won¡¯t insist that you stay and eat with us. Take these with you when you go back and have Uncle Qian and Auntie Qian try them. Also, tell Xiaowu and Yafang toe by and y when they have time!¡±


    Qian Wen didn¡¯t refuse this offer and silently left the courtyard with the steamer baskets in hand. Little Shitou stuffed a piping hot steamed dumpling into his mouth and grimaced when he got scalded, ¡°Second Sister, I¡¯ve missed your cooking so much ah! Your steamed dumplings are too delicious and they look very appetizing too! If you open up a breakfast stand, I¡¯m sure the business would be booming!¡±


    Yu Hai lightly pped the back of his son¡¯s head and rebuked, ¡°Do you think your older sister is the same as you? Idle with nothing to do? She¡¯s in charge of the Imperial ntation, with several thousand mu of fields to manage and harvest. How could she do other things when the emperor gave her such an important task?¡±


    Litlte Shitou hadn¡¯t swallowed the food in his mouth so he almost choked when his father hit him. He covered the back of his head with a hand and made a sullen face. He thenined to Xiaocao, ¡°Second Sister, just look how biased Father is! You¡¯re the only biological child in his eyes. The rest of us were just picked up from the side of the road. Father, if you hit me until I be stupid, who will be the top scorer in the imperial examinations in the future and bring honor to our ancestors ah?¡±


    ¡°Are you that certain that you¡¯ll be able to be top scorer in the imperial examinations in the future? Don¡¯t get toorge for your pants and make a promise that you can¡¯t keep. Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up losing the entire Yu Family¡¯s dignity.¡± Yu Hai felt like he needed to knock this youngster¡¯s confidence down a notch so that he wouldn¡¯t end up with a conceited sense of self.


    ¡°Father, are you sure you¡¯re my real father ah? My self confidence has just been trampled into the ground. Second Sister, I need to eat delicious food to soothe my ego!¡± Little Shitou acted like an elegant little schr when he was at the academy and all of the teachers there praised him for being aplished despite his young age. However, whenever he was in front of Xiaocao, he would momentarily revert to his original personality¡ª¡ªa young and childish little monkey who liked to act spoiled!


    Yu Xiaocao advised her father, ¡°Father, in the future, please don¡¯t hit Shitou when he¡¯s eating food. What if he ends up choking on it and loses his life?¡±


    Yu Hai watched as Little Shitou coughed until his face turned bright red and felt somewhat regretful. Luckily, his son rapidly recovered and was back to normal. After hearing his younger daughter¡¯s advice, he also thought that it was quite dangerous earlier. Thus, he deeply engraved his younger daughter¡¯s words within his mind.


    ¡°Xiaocao, go look in the pot and see if the corn porridge is done yet!¡± Yu Hai and Little Shitou heard a familiar voice and turned to look towards it. They almost burst out intoughter. Royal Prince Yang, who was dressed quite grandly, had just stood up from behind the stove with his entire face and body covered in grime. He looked quite messy and out of sorts. It was quite a hrious sight.


    Yu Hai let out a few fake coughs to disguise the smile on his face and pretended to scold his daughter, ¡°Cao¡¯er, how could you have Royal Prince Yang manage the cooking fire? Where¡¯s your mother and older sister?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t he manage the cooking fire? He ordered a bunch of hard to make breakfast foods, so he shouldn¡¯t think he¡¯d get out of this for free. Don¡¯t spoil him just because he¡¯s a royal prince. After all, I¡¯m a feudal princess now but didn¡¯t I also make food as soon as I got back home?¡± Yu Xiaocao had also spotted the streaks of soot of Zhu Junyang¡¯s forehead. The fact that the devilishly handsome Royal Prince Yang had ¡®fallen¡¯ into dirt added a bit of adorableness to his image. This side of Royal Prince Yang had a breath of liveliness to him and was quite to her taste!


    Royal Prince Yang cleared his throat and earnestly said, ¡°Xiaocao is right. This prince is also experiencing how themon people live! The emperor himself has said that only by knowing the pain and difficulties of themoners can we truly rule them...¡±

 Chapter 475 – Seeing Zhao Han Again

    <h4>Chapter 475 ¨C Seeing Zhao Han Again</h4>


    ¡°Auntie Yu, I heard Xiaocao is back from the capital?¡± A familiar voice could be heard at the gate.


    Little Shitou¡¯s eyes lit up and he didn¡¯t care that his mouth was still full of shaomai as he cheerfully eximed, ¡°Older Brother Han, I heard that you¡¯ve been assigned at the localpany near our vige. That¡¯s too good! In the future, it¡¯ll be more convenient to see you. Tomorrow I¡¯m on my break. If you have free time, then you, my second sister, and I can go to that secret ce to catch small fish. Second Sister hasn¡¯t been home for half a year, so whenever I went there alone I wasn¡¯t able to catch fish. Ai...I miss those days when we were able to catch fish in a half-broken pottery jar to make fish soup!¡±


    ¡°Even food can¡¯t make you be quiet! Have we ever stinted you on food or drink? You miss the days of before, when we had to eat coarse grain tbread, drink bean porridge and couldn¡¯t eat our fill? What¡¯s to miss about that?¡± Madam Liu heard the sound of Zhao Han¡¯s voice and walked out of the back courtyard. She leveled a re at her youngest son and then smiled in wee at Zhao Han and invited him in to rest.


    Little Shitou gnawed on a shaomai as he walked next to Zhao Han. He made a funny face at Madam Liu and said, ¡°I¡¯m trying to express the good memories I had with Older Brother Han in the past. Mother, you misunderstood me.¡±


    Madam Liuughingly red at him and then turned to speak to Zhao Han, ¡°Cao¡¯er¡¯s in the kitchen taking care of breakfast. Does eating here work for you today? Have you eaten breakfast yet? Today, you should eat all three meals at Auntie¡¯s ce and don¡¯t take yourself to be an outsider.¡±


    Ever since Zhao Han enlisted in the navy, his figure had be more tall and sturdy. His height was about the same as Royal Prince Yang, so he was at least 180 centimeters tall. Perhaps it was because he was constantly on patrol in the ocean, but his skin was now a healthy bronze-tan color. The added color contrasted with his handsome face, making him seem much more masculine. He was truly suitable for the title of the ¡®walking hormone¡¯.


    ¡°Auntie, to refuse your generous offer would be impolite of me. Don¡¯t busy around too much for my sake as I¡¯m not an outsider here. This nephew will go into the kitchen to look to see if there¡¯s anything I can help with.¡± As he spoke, his steps became somewhat more eager as he headed out of the drawing room. He walked over inrge strides towards the kitchen.


    Before he could get to the entrance of the kitchen, a slender and elegant young maiden came out. She was holding a ceramic pot that puffed out hot steam. The young girl was wearing a plum-red outer small jacket that was embroidered with gold thread and cinched in at the waist. The light corset on top of it was covered in fluffy white fox fur. The whole ensemble contrasted adorably with that flushed little face and made the owner seem incredibly cute. It was her, Yu Xiaocao! She was the odd and clever little girl with a boundless source of ideas! She had grown taller and into her features. She had gotten more beautiful...


    ¡°Older Brother Han? You¡¯re already this tall? And you¡¯ve be more handsome. I almost didn¡¯t recognize you!¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her head to look at that tall and soldierly figure. She was stunned for a second before she finally recognized the other person.


    Zhao Han couldn¡¯t help from stepping forward two steps to take the ceramic dish from her hands. His voice had a deep maic quality to it as he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that hot? How about I carry it instead? What did you make? It smells so good ah!!¡±


    ¡°How could it not smell good? This was the work of this prince making sure to...keep the fire going. My efforts cannot be missed!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice was full of displeasure. What was going on today? There were people one after another who were eyeing his littless with a covetous interest. When he saw Zhao Han¡¯s outstanding appearance, Zhu Junyang suddenly felt a sense of crisis hit him.


    Yu Xiaocao grinned and cated the prince, ¡°That¡¯s right ah. You did half of the work needed to make breakfast today, is that okay now?¡±


    Zhao Han¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed as he looked towards the peerlessly handsome man. Royal Prince Yang? He had long heard that this prince had taken good care of the Yu Family. Originally, he had thought that the prince appreciated the Yu Family¡¯s talents and culinary skills. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t as simple as that. His male intuition told him that Royal Prince Yang was interested in Xiaocao in another way!


    ¡°This subject, Zhao Han, greets Royal Prince Yang!¡± Although Zhao Han was currently holding a piping hot ceramic pot, he still greeted the other man with utmost courtesy.


    ¡°Alright ah! No one is an outsider here! No need to be so polite!¡± The tone of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice hinted that she was quite close to Royal Prince Yang. This made the slight frown on Zhao Han¡¯s face even more perceptible.


    ¡°Older Brother Han, this is the chicken soup I simmered in the ceramic pot. It¡¯s been on the stove on low heat for the whole morning and I also added some ginseng and Angelica sinensis. It¡¯s very good for nourishing the body! Let¡¯s try it together!¡± Fortunately, Yu Xiaocao was also quite intimate and close when she spoke to him. This made Zhao Han feel slightly better. However, from the tone of her voice, there was still a slight difference. Perhaps...he lost out on his opportunity with her?


    Although Zhu Junyang was very jealous, he knew he needed to show his magnanimous side as the future husband of Xiaocao. Thus, he spoke in a manner that insinuated he was the host here, ¡°Xiaocao is right. No one is an outsider here so there¡¯s no need to be a stickler to these convoluted and overborate ceremonies. You¡¯re a guest here, so spend some time here and try thess¡¯s food.¡±


    Zhao Han tried to endure this but was not sessful. He looked Zhu Junyang straight in the eye and sternly said, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, although you have helped Uncle Yu, Auntie Yu, and Xiaocao a lot, you¡¯re still an outside man. Xiaocao has grown up and needs to think of her reputation. You should stick to the conventions.¡±


    The expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face immediately chilled and the temperature of the surrounding air seemed to have dropped several degrees. Only Yu Xiaocao was thick-skinned enough to not sense that anything had changed. Perhaps, in her mind, Zhu Junyang was the same as Little White: arrogant and cold while pretending to be cruel. In reality, he didn¡¯t have vicious tendencies. His cold expressions no longer had any impact on her anymore.


    Zhu Junyang could tell that the littless had no clue about the surging turbulence that was rising between the two men. She had such an innocent and carefree expression on her face. His gaze towards her held a bit of helplessness and a deep desire to pamper her. Love rivals couldn¡¯t be conquered through the usage of force. Instead, a true victory only came after you prevailed over them for your sweetheart¡¯s love.


    A smile returned to Zhu Junyang¡¯s face as he went down that thought. Zhao Han noticed the rapid change in the prince¡¯s expressions and felt rmed inside. Was it possible that something had happened between Xiaocao and Royal Prince Yang in the years he had been gone? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Xiaocao wasn¡¯t even thirteen yet and hadn¡¯t started noticing men in that fashion. How could she possibly fancy Royal Prince Yang, who was temperamental to the extreme?


    ¡°toon Leader Zhao, it¡¯s not surprising you haven¡¯t heard yet and this prince doesn¡¯t me you for your ignorance. This prince and Yu Xiaocao have alreadye to an agreement that we will be together in five years. In other words, when she turns eighteen, this prince will marry her. Therefore, to the Yu Family, this prince is not considered an outside man.¡± Royal Prince Yang revealed a bit of satisfaction when he saw the utter shock in Zhao Han¡¯s eyes. ¡®Young fellow, if you want to take what belongs to me, you first have to decide if you have the ability!¡¯


    ¡°Oh right! Because of my sincerity towards her, thess finally took pity on me. Xiaocao already promised that she¡¯ll get engaged with me when she turns sixteen. Thus, in actuality, based off of our verbal agreement alone, this prince is already Xiaocao¡¯s fianc¨¦! Therefore, there¡¯s no need for toon Leader Zhao to worry about Xiaocao¡¯s affairs!¡± It was very clear what the prince was hinting at now: ¡®Xiaocao¡¯s already taken by someone else, so quickly shove away those shameful thoughts of yours!¡¯


    At the same time, Zhu Junyang rejoiced at his brilliant decision. Fortunately, he had struck first and gained the upper hand to make sure that his rtionship with the littless was very clear. Otherwise, by the time the littless became romantically interested in men, perhaps he would be in the same boat as Zhao Han right now and be at a loss.


    ¡°What are you two talking about huh? Why are you both standing in the courtyard? Aren¡¯t you both cold? Older Brother Han, if you keep standing there, the soup in the ceramic pot will get cold!¡± Yu Xiaocao walked out of the kitchen with a stack of small steamer baskets in her hands that rocked precariously. ¡°Hey you,e help me now, they¡¯re about to fall down!¡±


    Zhu Junyang had already advanced towards her before she could speak. He took over the steamer baskets from her and stated in a voice that was filled with tenderness andint, ¡°How can you possibly transport this much stuff with your skinny arms and legs? Let this prince take over! Little Shitou, go help your Second Sister to bring out the bowls and chopsticks. She was busy the entire morning in order to make us breakfast so she should rest now!¡±


    Not bad, at least he knew how to take care of his girlfriend and took over the work of his own volition. Her man was quite warm and considerate now. Yu Xiaocao revealed a smile that seemed to glow with light and the dimples on the side of her face appeared, which enchanted the people around her.


    Zhao Han lowered his eyes to conceal the sense of loss in them. Perhaps....this time, he had trulye back toote...


    The breakfast spread was extremely sumptuous and everyone in the Yu Family ate to their heart¡¯s content and praised the food constantly. The only exception was Zhao Han, who seemed to eat without tasting any of the food.


    After they finished breakfast, fellow vigers came one after another to visit the Yu Residence. On one hand, they were expressing their happiness to Yu Hai and the others that they had the good fortune to celebrate the New Years in the capital. On the other hand, they also wanted to show their ¡®reverence¡¯ to the newly-appointed feudal princess. Everyone thought that the ancestral graves of the Yu Family were now sprouting smoke. Not only did they produce an official in this generation but they also unexpectedly produced a feudal princess!


    Along with Old Yu, Yu Hai and his wife bustled around receiving their fellow vigers and close neighbors. Zhao Han sat for a bit but soon used the excuse of having duties to do to leave. When he left, Little Shitou and Xiaocao escorted him to the gate.


    Zhao Han had hesitated for a moment but could no longer hold back. He asked, ¡°Xiaocao, just what is your rtionship with Royal Prince Yang?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Royal Prince Yang is Second Sister¡¯s benefactor and superior? What else could there be?¡± Little Shitou supported his round little belly and unhurriedly followed behind the two of them to allow the food he ate to digest. When he heard Zhao Han¡¯s question, he looked at the two of them with a puzzled look and had to inquire further.


    Zhao Han didn¡¯t follow up with Little Shitou and instead gazed deeply into Xiaocao¡¯s eyes as he stated in a very solemn manner, ¡°Xiaocao, forgive me for being forthright. Royal Prince Yang...he¡¯s too wealthy and powerful to be a good match for you! He¡¯s not an ideal husband candidate!¡±


    ¡°Ideal husband candidate? Second Sister, you and Royal Prince Yang...¡± The one hundred thousand watt light bulb in Little Shitou¡¯s head suddenly lit uppletely. If Royal Prince Yang was at this scene, he would definitely praise the boy with, ¡®Youngster, you did a good job!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was silent for a short period of time. She wasn¡¯t the least bit shy when she had to talk about the rtionship between her and Zhu Junyang. She only discussed what was necessary, ¡°I am also not certain at this point whether I like him that way or not. Although he seems cold-hearted and cruel in other people¡¯s eyes, he is never like that with me. He¡¯s always gentle and considerate around me and is very magnanimous. He treats me incredibly well and I can tell it is very sincere andes from his heart! Currently, I can¡¯t think of any other man who can be better than him. Therefore, I have decided to give him a chance. If he still treats me well in the years before I turn eighteen and even treats me better than before, then why shouldn¡¯t I marry this kind of man?¡±


    Zhao Han felt like his heart was currently in the middle of winter as it felt icy cold. He tried to backtrack and softly said, ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re still young. Perhaps you don¡¯t understand the type of feelings we¡¯re talking about right now. So, don¡¯t make a hasty decision right now. I believe you should discuss this with Uncle Yu and Auntie Yu first. Having an adult¡¯s perspective on all of this might be able to help you see the whole picture.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Older Brother Han! I will be careful! We¡¯re going to stay in Dongshan Vige for a few more days. If you¡¯re not busy during that time,e over and visit us!!¡± Yu Xiaocao had an innocent expression on her face as if she hadn¡¯t detected that his eyes held more than friendship in them.


    ¡±Zhao Han let out a deep sigh inwardly and turned around, ¡°Recently, the battalion has been patrolling the nearby waters and I may not have an opportunity to visit. Let me first congratte you guys and wish you all a pleasant journey to the capital...¡±


    After he finished talking, he took one more deep look at Xiaocao and then turned around to resolutely leave. However, that tall and sturdy figure seemed a bit distracted...

 Chapter 476 – Setting Out

    <h4>Chapter 476 ¨C Setting Out</h4>


    The news that Royal Prince Yang had escorted the newly titled feudal princess back to Dongshan Vige to visit her family traveled quickly to Tanggu Town. County Magistrate Zhao and many of the important people in town came over on the second day to greet these tworge personas. Although the feudal princess was born in a farmer¡¯s family, Royal Prince Yang was a true bred and born royal! That being said, the whole area of Tanggu and its surrounding areas were Royal Prince Yang¡¯s feudalnds. It wasn¡¯t wrong for them to consider him as their master.


    After County Magistrate Zhao greeted Royal Prince Yang and Feudal Princess Jinan, he exchanged a few courteous words with Yu Hai, who had the same ranking as him. He knew that Royal Prince Yang looked highly upon the Yu Family. In addition, their family had also produced a fifth-ranked feudal princess so he naturally wouldn¡¯t dare to slight them.


    He reported on the affairs of Tanggu and its surrounding areas to Royal Prince Yang and also produced the annual tax records for the prince to look over. The harbor had finished construction in the autumn and was now open for business. There was a lot ofmerce now in the area and it had be quite busy. Even the nearby Tanggu Town had also be more lively and many shops had been added in that time period. Thus, the amount of taxes that they collectd had also increasedpared to the previous year.


    After Royal Prince Yang verified County Magistrate Zhao¡¯s work, he awarded the man with a few valuable trinkets andplimented him a few times. County Magistrate Zhao left the Yu Family¡¯s residence in a happy manner. Being able to show his face to Royal Prince Yang was a good thing. If he could enter the prince¡¯s eyes, wouldn¡¯t that mean his future was guaranteed?


    Although many of the important people in town couldn¡¯t be like County Magistrate Zhao and have a legitimate reason to see Royal Prince Yang, that still didn¡¯t stop most of them from stopping by the Yu Residence. The stream of visitors seemed to be never ending. At the very least, the Yu Family was able to speak to the royal prince personally. Furthermore, this time, the prince didn¡¯t even reside in the mountain vi and instead took residence in one of the Yu Family¡¯s separate courtyards. Therefore, making a connection with the Yu Family could only give them benefits.


    Ever since Yu Xiaocao went back home, the Yu Family¡¯s threshold seemed to have been stomped t by the number of visitors who came to see them. After a while, Yu Hai couldn¡¯t take it anymore and went back to the farmstead in town to hide. They were going to head out to the capital soon, so didn¡¯t he have to make sure that everything was fine at the farmstead before he left? Yu Hang, as the eldest son of the family, endured another two days at home but then also fled to the farmstead in town. He saw no point in enduring these social visits as he found more value in managing the vegetables and fields in town!


    Thus, the Yu Family only had females and the old left at home, so they could only apologize and not receive visitors. The eager social climbers were helpless now and could only leave behind their cards and presents before returning back without hitting their goals.


    The residence had finally quieted down, so Yu Xiaocao started to organize and send the year end gifts to her rtives. Her eldest granduncle¡¯s family was given six boxes of the best pastries from the capital as well as arge chunk of venison. They were also given several bolts of fine cotton cloth that were dyed in bright colors. Furthermore, she sent some fine pastries and local delicacies to the families they had good rtionships with in the vige.


    Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandparents in Xishan Vige were also given a lot of year end gifts and Xiaocao especially added a few valuable items as well. Currently, her eldest maternal aunt was entirely in charge of the piggery that supplied their pigs for their braised food shop. She had hired a few of the vige matrons over there and the piggery was managed perfectly in her hands.


    After they finished sending out their year end gifts, it was about time to travel to the capital. The Yu Family packed their clothes and necessities and entered the carriages. Under the envious gazes of their fellow viges, they left the vige and started their journey. Other than the Yu Family, there was no one else in Dongshan Vige who was able to buy a residence in the capital as well as have the opportunity to celebrate the New Years there.


    ¡°Younger Brother¡¯s break only starts ten dayster. Should we send someone over to escort him over?¡± Little Shitou would only turn ten this uing year. Xiaocao wasn¡¯tpletely okay with leaving him alone in Tanggu Town.


    Royal Prince Yang was currently wrapped up in a giant, thick coat and spoke to his littless, who was a bit anxious, through the carriage¡¯s window, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask Headmaster Yuan to take care of him ah? That being said, as soon as his break starts, Headmaster Yuan will also need to travel to the capital. Your younger brother is the disciple he is the most proud of. Even without you mentioning anything, he would make sure to take good care of Shitou. Oh right, your family¡¯s dumb little roe deer has caught up with us...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stuck her head through the window to take a look. Sure enough, there was a little ck dot behind the carriage that was headed towards the carriage at top speed. The Yu Family weren¡¯t the only people headed to the capital as they had even brought Erya, a simple maidservant, along. They had asked Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s family to help them keep an eye on their house. In actuality, there wasn¡¯t much that needed to be watched. Other than the few rabbits and hens in the back courtyard, there was only Tiny, the dumb little roe deer, that needed to be fed.


    When they left, they had locked up all of the courtyards securely and given the spare key to Shuanzhu¡¯s wife. So how did this dumb roe deer escape from the back?


    Tiny had started living with the Yu Family not long after they split from the main branch. Since it was small of stature, there wasn¡¯t much meat on its bones so the family just raised it as a pet for the children. It had been four years since the roe deer started living with them but the animal was still the same size as it was when it first came to them. Although they called it the ¡®dumb roe deer¡¯, the little creature was quite clever and lively. Perhaps it could tell that everyone in the family was leaving and it had been ¡®abandoned¡¯ behind. Thus, it had somehow escaped from the back courtyard to chase after them.


    Since she was afraid this little deer might be caught and eaten by someone, Yu Xiaocao instructed the driver to stop the carriage and wait for the little roe deer. Once it caught up, she brought it into the carriage. It wasn¡¯t muchrger than a small hunting hound, so the little creature sniffed around excitedly at first, licked Xiaocao¡¯s hand, and then obedientlyid down next to her feet. It was obvious that it thought that as long as it kept close to its master, it wouldn¡¯t be abandoned.


    The little divine stone was currently in its golden kitten form and jumped in through the window. Although the divine stone was now able to take the form of a human, doing so used up quite a lot of spiritual energy to maintain it. Thus, it still liked to use its kitten form to roam about the world. While they were in the capital, the little divine stone often couldn¡¯t go out due to circumstances and could only hole up in the multi-colored stone to cultivate its energy until it was about to die of boredom. It seized the opportunity when they went to Dongshan Vige to jump out of the stone and enjoy some fresh air!


    ¡°Young Miss, your family¡¯s pets are all so small and adorable! Especially this kitten with the shiny golden fur. This servant has never seen such a beautiful cat before!¡± Yingchun was still quite young and at the age where one liked tiny animals. As she talked, she stretched out a hand to try to pet the little kitten that was currently sleeping on its master¡¯s knees.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling doesn¡¯t have a good temper and doesn¡¯t like other people. Usually, it likes to roam around in the wild and I often don¡¯t know where it is. Yingchun, if you like small animals, you can help me take care of this little roe deer. It¡¯s the apple of my younger brother¡¯s eye!¡±


    Yingchun joyfully pulled Tiny onto herp. Perhaps it was because she had the scent of Yu Xiaocao on her body, but the little dumb roe deer didn¡¯t reject her and obediently stayed on Yingchun¡¯sp and acted as a hand warmer.


    ¡°There are wolves! Protect our master!!¡± One of the bodyguards from the new residence had spotted one ck and one white figure swiftly running around. At first he thought that they wererge dogs but when they got closer, he suddenly realized they were toorge and sturdy to be dogs. The expression on his face immediately changed and the hand on his weapon tightened. He ordered the other bodyguards to surround the Yu Family¡¯s carriages in a defensive circle.


    Wutong was scared silly by the bodyguard announcing that there were wolves in their vicinity. She crouched down in a corner of the carriage as she frantically thought, ¡®As expected, being loyales with a price. Isn¡¯t this an official road that most people use? How can wolves suddenly appear? I heard the older servants at the residence tell stories before and they said that wolves only usually appear inrge packs. How many wolves are there? I hope these bodyguards will be able to keep us safe.¡¯


    From the calm and collected manner of the little roe deer, Yu Xiaocao knew without sticking her head out to look that the wolves that the bodyguards hollered about were Little ck and Little White. These two usually didn¡¯t stay at the Yu Residence when she was gone and instead spent all of their time in the mountains. Little White had fought against the alpha wolf in the wolf pack and won yet he disdained bing the leader. After spending a short period of time with them, it leisurely traveled back and forth between Dongshan and Xishan Viges, doing as it pleased. It still remembered that before its master left for the capital, she had asked it to keep an eye on her family.


    Little ck constantly caused trouble in the mountains. She once heard that it had somehow provoked a giant bear once and was in dire straits. Luckily, this fellow was clever and led the bear to a pit trap that Yu Hai had set before. Afterwards, he scrambled back to the Yu Residence to bring the male master to the trap to reap the rewards. Yu Hai kept the bear paws, galldder and skin and sold the rest of the meat to Zhenxiu Restaurant. They made a tidy fortune from that windfall.


    Yu Xiaocao could hear the ruckus outside as the bodyguards prepared for a fight. She clearly eximed ¡®Stop¡¯, which scared the two nervous maidservants, Wutong and Yingchun.


    When she saw that her young miss was about to lift the curtain and leave the carriage, Wutong snaked out a hand to stop her as she stuttered, ¡°Young Miss, it¡¯s dangerous outside. Stay inside the carriage and this servant will go out in your stead to see what¡¯s going on!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao cast her a somewhat surprised look. When did this maidservant finally see the light? The originally selfish and arrogant maidservant, who had been so scared that she was about to wet herself, had actually gathered the courage to volunteer to go out...it looked like she couldn¡¯t keep judging a person by their past actions.


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. These two wolves have been raised by me since they were young and they won¡¯t harm me!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled slightly at her and then patted gently at the hand that had a death grip on her clothing. The tone of her voice also became much warmer.


    Yingchun, who had a bit more courage, opened her eyes wide and asked, ¡°What? One can also raise wolves? Won¡¯t they bite people?¡±


    ¡°Animals have a sixth sense! As long as you care for them sincerely, they will also treat you well back!¡± Yu Xiaocao gazed at Wutong again and then lightlyughed. She jumped off the carriage, leaving Yingchun, who had stars in her eyes, and Wutong, who had a pensive look on her face.


    Little ck and Little White had already grown into Big ck and Big White. The two wolves were currently on the outside of the defensive perimeter. Since Xiaocao had fed them mystic-stone water from when they were young until now, they were aboutrger than the average wolf by a third. At their shoulders, they were about as tall as a half-grown calf. When you added on their thick winter coats, they looked quiterge and intimidating.


    As they got closer to the carriage train, the horses stamped their feet uneasily and the bodyguards on the horses tensed up in preparation and tried to calm their steeds.


    Royal Prince Yang had also dismounted from his horse when Xiaocao left the carriage. He was like a knight who was protecting his ¡®princess¡¯ from every side.


    When Xiaocao got to the front of the carriage train, she saw Little White with its head lowered and teeth showing. The white wolf¡¯s appearance had thoroughly scared a nervous young bodyguard. Little ck was next to him, peering around as if it was trying to find something.


    When it saw Yu Xiaocao¡¯s figure, Little ck¡¯s eyes lit up and it leapt up with a ¡®whoosh¡¯ sound. Its sturdy andrge figure immediately disappeared from the sights of the bodyguards. One of the bodyguards looked around carefully and saw a ck figure dashing out of the corner of his eye. When he turned around to look, the ck wolf had already entered the group of people and was rushing toward the feudal princess.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± The sound of the bodyguard¡¯s voice was choked in his throat suddenly. He rubbed his eyes. The heavens! What did he see? He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes! Perhaps...perhaps they had all seen wrongly and these two animals were merelyrge dogs that looked like wolves instead of being vicious wolves?

 Chapter 477 – Large Wolves as Pets

    <h4>Chapter 477 ¨C Large Wolves as Pets</h4>


    That ck creature...he wasn¡¯t sure whether it was a dog or wolf, was currently circling around the feudal princess in a ttering manner. It looked like it really wanted to jump on her to wash her face with its tongue but it didn¡¯t dare to. Even dogs had be more aware in this age. The young bodyguard thought that he had actually seen joy, fawning, and a desire to toady in the animal¡¯s eyes...


    ¡°Little ck, if you dare to lick this prince¡¯s future wife, this prince will skin you from head to toe and feed your flesh to the dogs. Do you believe me or not?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice sounded icy cold like a sharp sword and seemed to prate Little ck¡¯s thick fur.


    Little ck shrunk its neck back in a cowardly manner and its ears drooped down as it ran to its master to hide behind her. Unfortunately, its master was too small and delicate. No matter how hard it tried, it was unable to hide itsrge and bulky figurepletely behind her. Little ck surreptitiously raised its eyes and looked to nce at the ¡®human¡¯ it considered to be an apex predator. In its heart, it knew that it couldn¡¯t offend this human in the future.


    As for Little White, it red at its pathetic brother and raised its head high to arrogantly walk through the circle of bodyguards to get to Yu Xiaocao. It endured the pressure of Zhu Junyang¡¯s stare and shoved its shaggy and furry giant head towards Xiaocao. It was acting like it did when it was young, proudly begging for pets.


    Xiaocao hugged its neck and stroked its head a few times. Little White pretended to look displeased but its eyes betrayed its pleasure. The master smelled incredibly good and it really wanted to jump on her. However, its master was truly too small and weak. If it leapt on her, she would probably break in two. What to do? Such a dilemma!


    Little White effortlessly ced its giant chin on his master¡¯s shoulders and then rubbed its furry wolf face against its master¡¯s delicate little face. It enjoyed the feeling of his master caressing it. Furthermore, it even sent a provoking nce at Royal Prince Yang, who had a glowering expression on his face. ¡®Little human, if you want to fight with this wolf king for a human, you¡¯re still a bit too naive for this!¡¯


    It had been a long time since Yu Xiaocaost saw Little ck and Little White. She hugged their two necks and enjoyed being with them for a bit. The bodyguards all watched their new master with their hearts in their throats. She was quite careless in front of these two wolves that were even taller than her. She¡¯d pet one head and then pull on the other¡¯s ears. She even jumped onto the back of the ck wolf and had the creature move forward a few steps.


    All of the bodyguards were quite astonished by this. Were these animals actually wolves? They clearly looked like wolves but why were they even more docile than most dogs? That wasn¡¯t right. Although these two animals were quite gentle around the Yu Family, they had clearly been baring their fangs at them, the bodyguards, earlier! However, from the looks of things, these two creatures should be the pets of their new master because their attitude to the new master was even more intimate and loving than they were towards the other Yu Family members.


    Ai! This truly a sign that the person their old master had his eye on was a special one. She was such a small and young girl yet she was able to train vicious and cruel wolves to a point where they were more docile and gentle thanmbs. No wonder she was also able to the tame the ¡®ruthless beast¡¯ that was Royal Prince Yang.


    All of these bodyguards had been personally handpicked by Royal Prince Yang from his own ranks of bodyguards. He had sent them over to guard the Yu Family¡¯s new residence. The vast majority of them had grown up with their old master and some of them were even trained by Royal Prince Yang and had endured his crazy ¡®training¡¯ sessions.


    They had all experienced what their old master was like whenever he lost control of himself. Furthermore, they were responsible for risking their lives when he was insane to subdue him. Naturally, they weren¡¯t his match. They were often injured during these fights and had to recuperate for a while after their old master calmed down.


    However, ever since their old master became acquainted with the new master, it seemed like his personality had undergone a vast change and he hadn¡¯t exploded since. They never had to risk themselves to stop him and no longer got injured heavily. Although the ones who were sent to the Yu Residence were a bit reluctant in their hearts, their fellow colleagues, who had been left behind, were quite envious of them.


    By following their new master, their lives not only became much more secure but their new master was also very generous. Every time she gave the maidservants something new to eat, they would also get a portion. Their days had passed by in quite a leisurely andfortable manner. Uh...it hadn¡¯t been too long but they all had to loosen their belts and punch a new hole in them...


    However, it wasn¡¯t as if they didn¡¯t have a conscience. They didn¡¯t forget their old master after gaining a new one. Furthermore, the royal prince had said that once they had trained some new guards for the Yu Residence, then they could follow their new master as a part of her dowry when she married over. At that time, the royal prince was nning on having his own separate household and they would go with him as the new household would also need bodyguards to protect them...Uh! Something didn¡¯t seem quite right. Howe they suddenly felt like they, who were unrivaled martial experts exceptpared to the prince, were now like those two wolves romping around their new master?


    ¡°Little ck, Little White? Are you two...nning on heading to the capital with us?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at the wolves with a bit of astonishment. Didn¡¯t these two value their freedom, which was why they didn¡¯t like to be cooped up in the residence? Why did they suddenly want toe with her to the capital?


    Yu Xiaocao felt a bit ufortable when she saw the two pairs of eyes staring at her with clear persistence. In Dongshan Vige, she was still able to fool the vigers by saying that they had a mix of wolf and dog blood. Furthermore, these two had grown up in the vige and were quite gentle. No idents had urred.


    However, in the capital, it was a different story. Anyone they bumped into on the streets could be the rtive of the imperial family or some member of a high and noble family. If they weren¡¯t careful and harmed someone, then she wasn¡¯t sure she could bear the consequences! That being said, although these two were quite gentle usually, it really depended on who they interacted with. If they were around someone strange and they were provoked, she couldn¡¯t guarantee they wouldn¡¯t bite. Even if they didn¡¯t bite down, it was likely they would scare the offender until he peed his pants.


    Yu Xiaocao smacked her lips and couldn¡¯t make up her mind. These two had grown up with her and had been fed mystic-stone water their whole lives. When they saw that their master was hesitating, they acted as if they were abandoned puppies and drooped down in dismay.


    Little ck thought, ¡®Wah wahhhh....Master, this one doesn¡¯t want to be abandoned in the mountains. This one wants to go with you and celebrate the New Years. This one wants to look around the capital and see what it¡¯s like. Wah wahhhh, don¡¯t abandon Little ck. Little ck will be obedient!¡¯


    The normally arrogant and proud Little White, on the other hand, had a tinge of sadness in its thoughts, ¡®Did the master get a new pet in the capital so our status in her heart has decreased? That¡¯s not okay, we absolutely cannot let someone new take over our ces in the master¡¯s heart. Even if the master doesn¡¯t bring us, we still need to follow her sneakily from behind. We need to find out who dared to take our ces. We¡¯re willing to fight to the death to maintain our ces!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang frowned as he eyed the little white wolf and he didn¡¯t miss the dejection in the wolf¡¯s eyes. Although he had the ability to read minds, it didn¡¯t extend to reading the thoughts of animals. However, he could clearly tell that his littless was conflicted over this.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t bear to not bring them, then bring them along! Later on, just say that they are new animals that this prince brought over from the western hemisphere. Wouldn¡¯t that work? What are you working yourself up for?¡± He squeezed through the two animals and lightly patted the littless¡¯s head as he helped her make the decision. Little ck eyes¡¯ glittered with joy as it looked at the prince, ¡®You¡¯re so good! Brother, Little ck will invite you to eat wild pheasant...¡¯


    Little White stared at the hand that Zhu Junyang was using to stroke its master¡¯s head for a long time with its deep green eyes as it thought, ¡®This person has ulterior motives for the master. Should I bite off his hand? Or should I bite it off? I should bite it off...¡¯


    Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow at the wolf, ¡®Do you want to try? Will you be able to bite my hand off or will this prince pull all of your teeth out first?¡¯


    Little White weighed the ability of the man in front of him and then felt a bit depressed. A wise person needed to submit to the circumstances. Right now it couldn¡¯t win in a fight against this human, so it was better to lie low for now.


    ¡±Thus, the carriage train to the capital had added on tworge dog-like animals. Little White was pretty good as it was steady and escorted Xiaocao¡¯s carriage from either the left or right side. Yingchun was quite interested in Little White and asked, ¡°Young Miss, is Little White really a wolf ah? Are there truly white wolves? It looks so pretty ah and this servant wants to be like you, Young Miss, and pet it. However, it looks really arrogant and proud! If this servant tries to touch him, will it bite me?¡±


    ¡°If you try, won¡¯t you find out?¡± Wutong had rxed a bit when she found out these two vicious looking animals had been raised since young by the young miss and that they wouldn¡¯t harm people. However, she still couldn¡¯t bear to like them. Yingchun was the one with more courage than sense. Other people did their best to avoid such fierce beasts yet this girl was trying to get closer. If one identally provoked them, then getting bitten on the hand or foot would be considered a light consequence!


    Yingchun slightly raised the window curtain and looked at the Little White who had an expression that clearly said, ¡®strangers are not allowed¡¯. She then looked at Little ck, who was trotting in the front next to one of the bodyguards, and swallowed before she said, ¡°Forget it. This servant will first try getting close with Little ck first ah...¡±


    With these two around, the rations of the carriage train had improved perceptively. On the way there, they had crossed over many wild fields or small forests. Although these areas didn¡¯t have anyrge animals, there was still quite a bit of small game to be had. Sometimes, during lunch, these two would disappear into the wild thickets and not be seen.


    Before long, the bodyguards were supplied with a decent amount of wild pheasants, wild hares, and other small game. Sometimes, the two wolves would even bring back a wild goat or roe deer back! Yu Xiaocao had taken out some spices for roasting for the group, so everyone from the Yu Family to the bodyguards and maidservants were able to eat handsomely. Thus, they all agreed that having the two wolves along was good.


    Like this, Little ck and Little White became familiar with the bodyguards. The horses in the group also no longer spooked at the sight of these two wolves and now saw them as rge dogs¡¯. By the time they got to the capital, the bodyguards were good buddies with Little ck. Little ck had an easy-going personality and got along well with people. Thus, everyone would be able to pet its head from time to time.


    On the whole journey, the two of them continued to hunt every day. The game that they couldn¡¯t finish were all thrown onto a separate cart to store. It was the middle of winter, so the meat wouldn¡¯t spoil when kept outside. By the time they reached the gates of the capital, they had a whole cart full of game!


    When their carriage train was about to go through the city gates, they were, as expected, stopped by the city guards. There was nothing they could do. After all, it was very hard to miss these tworge wolves.


    The officials in charge of guarding the capital had recognized Yu Xiaocao and Royal Prince Yang when they saw them. One of them eyed the two of them in embarrassment, who were well-regarded by the emperor, and stammered, ¡°Royal Prince, Feudal Princess, fierce beasts are not allowed in the capital...if they harmed anyone there, this one can¡¯t take the responsibility.¡±


    Yingchun had a bold personality and walked forward with the little roe deer in her arms as she scolded, ¡°What kind of eyes do you have to see fierce beasts following us to the capital?¡±


    The guard official looked towards Little ck and Little White, which made it obvious what he was referring to. Yingchun snorted and stated, ¡°Are your eyes half blind? These are clearly a new type of dog that were brought over from the western hemisphere. How are they now vicious beasts? Little ck...¡±


    Little ck, who was currently in the middle of acting cute and ying with the people around, heard someone call its name. It scampered over and used its damp andrge eyes to regard the guard official, who had a nervous expression on his face, with curiosity. Then it looked towards Yingchun as if it was asking, ¡®Master¡¯s maidservant, what did you call me over for?¡¯


    ¡°Little ck, he ims that you are a fierce and vicious animal who will harm people. Tell him, will you bite people ah?¡± Yingchun was on the younger side so when she spoke she had a bit of a childish air.

 Chapter 478 – Prodigal

    <h4>Chapter 478 ¨C Prodigal</h4>


    Little ck, ¡®Are you blind? From which eye did you see this wolf bite someone? As long as you don¡¯t harm this wolf¡¯s master, I¡¯m very reserved. This wolf isn¡¯t interested even if you stretch your neck over!¡¯


    ¡°Little ck sit down!¡± Yingchun didn¡¯t dare to give orders to Little White, but in order to prove that the two were a new breed of dog that appeared fierce on the surface but had a gentle temper, she decided to issue orders to the one that was easier to control.


    Little ck was stunned for a moment. It turned its head to look at its master, and then decided to give its master¡¯s maidservant some face. It sat down hesitantly and sulkily rolled its eyes at the city guards.


    ¡°Little ck, hand!!¡± Seeing that it had given her face, Yingchun excitedly stretched out her own hands and waited for Little ck to give her the honor of shaking its hands.


    Idiot! Little ck gave her a major eye roll. However, for the sake of entering the city to stay with its master and drink the tasty water, it reluctantly stretched out one of its paws and ced it on Yingchun¡¯s fair hand.


    ¡°Little ck, turn around!!¡± Yingchun, who was in high spirits, continued tomand Little ck. Little ck turned around in a circle impatiently, and then turned to find Xiaocao to pacify it, leaving Yingchun with a proud back view. ¡®Master, your maidservant is such an idiot!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao patted its proud head and smiled mischievously. She waved the bone in her hands, and then...threw it past the crowd. She threw it...


    The crowd only saw a ck figure sh by them like a wind. Some of them thought that they heard the sound of the wind above their heads, but they didn¡¯t see anything when they looked up. Before they had even lowered her heads, they saw a ck belly whizzed past the top of their heads. When they looked into the middle of the crowd again, the ¡®big ck dog¡¯ had already retrieved the bone that its owner threw and returned to its owner¡¯s side.


    ¡°Good!!¡± Cheers came from the crowd. With the bone in its mouth, Little ck gracefully paced around the crowd before returning to its master¡¯s side. It put it back into its master¡¯s hands with an expression that seemed to be asking forfort and praise.


    Little White, who was on the side, maintained a haughty and reserved appearance. As if it was looking at an ¡®idiot¡¯, it ¡®enjoyed¡¯ its brother¡¯s performance. ¡®This wolf doesn¡¯t know that wolf! It¡¯s such a disgrace to the wolf n!!¡¯


    With Royal Prince Yang, who had a dark face the entire time, in the group, the city guards didn¡¯t dare to make things difficult for them. The city guards sent a silly low-ranked soldier to provoke Little ck and Little White to see if they would attack people. However, the two only looked at the soldier like he was an idiot and even revealed a disgusted expression when he put his hand in front of their mouths.


    ¡°Heh heh, Boss, these two aren¡¯t wolves. They¡¯re just big dogs that look like wolves! I grew up in the mountains, and I¡¯ve never even seen a wolf king this big! Perhaps, they¡¯re really a new breed that Royal Prince Yang brought back from overseas.¡± The foolish soldier rubbed Little ck¡¯s head and hugged its neck like they were close friends. It was fortunate that the one he touched was Little ck. Had it been Little White, would he still be able to say the same thing?


    Little White, ¡®This wolf isn¡¯t going to let that stupid human touch me like that dummy Little ck!¡±


    Seeing this, the city guard bowed to apologize to Royal Prince Yang. Royal Prince Yang snorted coldly and didn¡¯t even look at him. After being ignored, he tried to exin his own difficulties to Yu Xiaocao.


    ¡°This is your duty, so Official Wang is a responsible city guard!¡± Yu Xiaocao gave him face by giving him a high evaluation. After a long hold up, the group was finally allowed to enter the gates.


    After entering the capital, the two acted incredibly obedient as they guarded closely beside Xiaocao¡¯s horse carriage. However, they were too eye-catching. From time to time, there would be screaming or disorder. Little ck and Little White had innocent expressions on their faces, ¡®What does them being cowards have to do with us?¡¯


    However, it was inevitable that such powerful and majestic ¡®big dogs¡¯ would attract covetous eyes. Just like now, the prodigal son of Duke Rongguo had blocked the path of the carriage.


    Duke Rongguo had gotten his son, Ning Donghuan, at an old age. Duke Rongguos¡¯s wife was in her forties when she gave birth to him, so she naturally doted on him excessively. An overly benevolent mother would result in a good-for-nothing son. Using his family background and measly martial art skills, Ning Donghuan led a group of prodigal sons of wealthy families in the capital to stir-up trouble everywhere. But, with Duke Rongguo around, he didn¡¯tmit sinister crimes like harassment and murder.


    In addition to causing trouble in the capital, Ning Donghuan also had another hobby, which was hunting! He had average riding and hunting skills, so he was always searching for good hounds. In the rear garden of the Duke Rongguo Estate, arge area had been used to specially raise his hounds.


    The hounds in Duke Rongguo Estate were very famous in the capital. In order to make things more fun, many children of noble families liked to borrow hounds from the Ning Family when they went hunting. Ning Donghuan had an open-minded and uninhibited character, so he never refused anyone who came to borrow things from him. Therefore, although he was profligate, he was quite popr among the children of noble families in the capital.


    Today, Ning Donghuan went to the suburb of the capital to hunt with his group of friends. The pedestrians all avoided them when they saw the fierce appearance of the dozen or so hounds in his hands. He had good results today, especially the stag that weighed over a hundred catties. Tomorrow, he should have a plum blossom appreciation and roasted venison banquet and invite his close friends to have some fun.


    He was bringing the game home in high spirits, but all of a sudden, his normally ferocious hounds became timid and wailed sadly for some unknown reason. Some leashes went limp in their legs and couldn¡¯t walk properly. The servants, who were holding their leases, had to drag them forward, leaving a trail of defecation.


    Ning Donghuan felt very embarrassed and his heart was full of confusion. When he looked up, he saw two huge dogs on both sides of a carriage. They were about half the height of the horses that were pulling the carriage. Their dignified and striking appearance made it hard for him to look away. Weren¡¯t they the prime example of the almighty canine in his heart?


    ¡°Ahem! Please stop for a moment!!¡± Ning Donghuan blocked the horse carriage. As if they were super glued, his eyes were glued onto Little ck and Little White. Hepletely ignored the frowning and cold-faced Royal Prince Yang, who was next to the carriage.


    Even if he saw him, he may not be able to make the connection between the handsome Zhu Junyang with the legendary ck-faced death god. Royal Prince Yang wasn¡¯t in the same social circle as him, so they never had much interaction. Thus, it was understandable that Ning Donghuan didn¡¯t recognize him.


    Yu Xiaocao poked her head out from the carriage and looked at the unfamiliar Ning Dinghuan with a frown, asking, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    However, Ning Donghuan knew who Yu Xiaocao was. Due to the miserable situation of the Ministry of Appointments¡¯ Right Assistant Minister household, many of the noble families in the capital had strictly warned their children to never offend the new agricultural official, Yu Xiaocao. Otherwise, their entire family would only be able to eat dirt!


    After Ning Donghuan recognized Yu Xiaocao, he had a bad feeling in his heart. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able achieve his wishes today. But, when he looked at the pair of ck and white ¡®canines¡¯, he felt as if there were dozens of cats scratching on his heart. Thus, he decided to give it a try.


    ¡°So it¡¯s Your Grace the Feudal Princess. Please ept my, Ning Donghuan¡¯s, greeting!¡± It was never wrong to be polite. Even if the other party was unwilling to sell the dogs in the end, he wouldn¡¯t leave a bad impression, right...


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s brows were tightly creased together, ¡®What does this brat want? What¡¯s with his ttering expression? Is he trying to seduce his littless? This won¡¯t do. I must see what he wants¡ªOh! It¡¯s a false rm, so he was after the two stupid wolves!!¡¯ His brows slowly rxed and he looked as if he was waiting for a good show.


    ¡®Who¡¯s Ning Donghuan? Am I familiar with you?¡¯ However, one shouldn¡¯t hit someone who was smiling. Yu Xiaocao revealed a kind smile and asked, ¡°Young Master Ning, is too polite. May I ask why Young Master Ning stopped this maiden¡¯s carriage?¡±


    ¡°That...may I know if these two dogs belong to the feudal princess¡¯s family?¡± Ning Donghuan¡¯s gaze had never left the two big wolves. He didn¡¯t beat around the bush and directly asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! They¡¯re usually raised in the mountains, so they have quite a wild temper. It¡¯s their first time in the capital, so they probably didn¡¯t offend Young Master Ning, right?¡± When Yu Xiaocao reached out her hands, Little ck automatically moved his head closer for its master to touch.


    Seeing that the ck canine was so intelligent, Ning Donghuan¡¯s desire to obtain it grew even stronger, ¡°Feudal Princess, would you be willing to give me one of your two dogs? I¡¯m willing to pay a lot of money to buy it!!¡±


    He often wandered around the capital, and the good thing about this was he knew a little about everything in the city. He didn¡¯t understand why this little girl with the surname Yu bought Assistant Minister Li¡¯s old estate when the emperor had just awarded her with a property that made people envious.


    However, this new feudal princess, who was born in a peasant family, had just arrived in the capital for only half a year. Even though the sales of the greenhouse vegetables were amazing, she probably didn¡¯t have much money on hand after purchasing the estate, right? So, she would probably be interested if he offered a lot of money, right? Ning Donghuan decided that, as long as the price was within ten thousand taels, he would swiftly agree to buy the dog!!


    ¡°You mean them?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at the two giant wolves sitting beside the carriage, like guardians. She thought, ¡®Even if I sell them to you, would you be able to control them?¡¯


    Ning Donghuan looked at her brightly with full of expectant eyes, waiting for her reply. Yu Xiaocao showed a troubled expression and said, ¡°These two are a new breed that Royal Prince Yang brought back from overseas. They have been with me since they were little palm-sized puppies, so they are like family to me. Young Master Ning, if I ask you to sell your family for money, would you?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Ning Donghuan really wanted to say that he was willing to give away his younger step-siblings for free, as long as she was willing to give the two dogs to him! However, he couldn¡¯t say this out loud. He could only try asking again, ¡°Don¡¯t you have two? You can just give me one. The price is negotiable...¡±


    ¡°The price isn¡¯t the problem.¡± Seeing that he wasn¡¯t easy to deal with, Yu Xiaocao let someone else handle the trouble, ¡°They were given to me by Royal Prince Yang, so how can I just sell them away? If you can get the consent of Royal Prince Yang, then I¡¯ll give you one for free!¡±


    After she said that, she looked at Zhu Junyang, who was just watching the show, with a warning gaze that said, ¡®See what happens if you dare to give away my Little ck and Little White!!¡¯

 Chapter 479 – Jade-like Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 479 ¨C Jade-like Beauty</h4>


    Although Zhu Junyang really wanted to send the two little eyesores away, he immediately spoke up when he received the look of ¡®help¡¯ from his future wife, ¡°This prince gave them to you, so take good care of them! If you¡¯re short on money, just let me know! No matter how bad your financial situation is, you can¡¯t be someone who needs to sell dogs for a living!¡±


    Ning Donghuan had finally realized that the imposing and dazzlingly handsome man beside him was the second person who his father warned him not to offend. Why was Yu Xiaocao ranked first and the fierce-looking Royal Prince Yang in second ce? Of course, it was because of Duke Rongguo¡¯s self-interest.


    If his son offended Royal Prince Yang, he would at most receive a severe beating. It wouldn¡¯t affect Duke Rongguo¡¯s Household in any way. (Ning Donghuan: Are you my real father ah? Did you pick me up from the streets?)


    But, if they offended Yu Xiaocao, the former right assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments was a prime example of the consequences. Duke Rongguo didn¡¯t want to lose the opportunity of eating delicious fresh greens and sweet fruits because of his unscrupulous son. Furthermore, they might not be able to buy the medicinal pills and syrups when they fell sick. They would have to take those bitter medicines, which wasn¡¯t very effective...


    The first and second on the list were both in front of him, but Ning Donghuan still didn¡¯t want to give up. He couldn¡¯t move his eyes away from the two ¡®dogs¡¯, ¡°Since these two dogs are so big, you probably have to waste a lot of food to raise them, right? So why don¡¯t you give me one...¡±


    ¡°Stop wasting our time. Even if there were twenty or two hundred dogs, this prince is still capable of raising them, let alone two! Hurry up and get out of the way. We¡¯re all tired from the long journey, so this prince needs to escort the feudal princess back to rest!¡± Royal Prince Yang couldn¡¯t stand these prodigal sons of wealthy families, and had an impatient look on his face.


    ¡°But...¡± Ning Donghuan still didn¡¯t give up.


    Suddenly, a gentle voice, like a top-grade mutton fat jade, that could warm up one¡¯s heart in the cold wind could be heard, ¡°Xiaohuan, what trouble did you cause now?¡±


    This voice stirred the strings of a qin like a spring breeze. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but look towards the source of the sound. What a pure and refined gentleman! He wore a long white robe and had a warm smile that could warm people¡¯s hearts on his gorgeous face. At that moment, his face appeared serene and pure like blooming spring flowers...


    Speaking of beautiful men, Zhu Junyang, who was beside her, was worthy of that description. However, the person in front of them had apletely different type of beautypared with him. His carefreeness and elegance weren¡¯t inferior to that of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s devilish charms. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°A beautyparable to that of a jade and a peerless gentleman.¡±


    The still water ran deep.


    The sound of the sheng [1] could be heard as one danced on the surface of the sea;


    Making beautiful flower-like ripples.


    Just because you looked back once, I kept thinking about it day and night.


    After you turned around, a wisp of fragrance came from afar.


    The passing snow was shallow.


    The scent of spring was strong.


    And the smile was deep.


    The emergence of a leaf led to a pursuit.


    The blossoming of a flower opened up a new world.


    Yearning for one person for a lifetime. [2]


    It seemed like the jade-like person was the only one left on the bustling street. Even thest trace of warm sunlight became inferior in front of him. Yu Xiaocao, who was used to the so-called beautiful men and handsome youth in her previous life, was deeply impressed by the appearance and demeanor of the person in front of her.


    ¡°Aiyo!¡± Yu Xiaocao, who was immersed in the temptation of the beauty, suddenly held her head and screamed. She angrily shouted at Zhu Junyang, ¡°Why did you hit me?¡±


    Zhu Junyang felt upset in his heart. He was very upset. No, he was extremely upset. His littless was actually looking at another man in a daze. Her eyes were practically sucked in and unable to pull away. He acknowledged that the second son of Duke Rongguo, as the rumor said, had a unique aura and was iparably handsome. However, he felt that he was also quite good-looking ah. With him, this gorgeous man, by her side, she still had the time to appreciate the beauty of others. This was the biggest insult to him.


    ¡°Is this prince better looking, or is he better looking?¡± Zhu Junyang asked childishly. Although he thought that, as a man, he shouldn¡¯t be considered about his own appearance, his littless seemed to be a ¡®lecherous person¡¯. Based on how she would asionally look dazedly at his handsome face, it was obvious that she had no resistance to good-looking faces. Zhu Junyang felt quite happy that the littless liked his appearance, but he had never thought that there would be a day that thess would reveal a stunned expression upon seeing another man. Royal Prince Yang expressed, ¡®This prince is jealous!¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re both good-looking!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked back and forth between the two for a long time and made the conclusion after a carefulparison. One was devilishly charming, while the other refined and indifferent. They were both very pleasing to the eyes.


    Zhu Junyang turned the littless¡¯s face back to him and looked directly into her eyes. With a serious expression, he said, ¡°You can only choose one!¡±


    ¡°Uh...choose what? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the emperor picking out whichever consort I like in front of me!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that he was being somewhat unreasonable. Didn¡¯t she just take a look at a beautiful man? Was this necessary? Moreover, this maiden was just looking at him from the perspective of pure appreciation, like how one would appreciate flowers and sceneries. There wasn¡¯t any lecherous meaning, okay?


    Zhu Junyang felt aggrieved, ¡®This prince is being unreasonable? Your eyes are practically glued to another person right in front of this prince, yet you won¡¯t even allow me to express my jealousy?¡¯


    Ning Donn naturally couldn¡¯t ignore the fervent gaze that was on him. He looked towards the gaze and couldn¡¯t resistughing. He was just wondering how a woman could be so unreserved and unabashed when she looked at him with a covetous gaze. It turned out that she was just an innocent child who could distinguish the beauty and ugliness of men. This child had a pair of good eyes that were full of intelligence.


    ¡°Second...Second Brother!¡± If there was one living thing that he could make him terrified from the bottom of his heart, then it would be his second older brother. His second brother appeared harmless, but, in fact, his heart was like a glutinous dumpling filled with sesame paste¡ªhe was aplete ck-belly. Since he was young, Ning Donghuan had been disciplined by his second brother. However, he never seeded whenever he tried to tattletale on him. For someone like his second brother, he must avoid him like the gue!


    ¡°Did you take a liking to someone else¡¯s pet? Ning Donn nonchntly nced at the ck and white... They were wolves, right? If he didn¡¯t see incorrectly, then they should be! But, with his third brother¡¯s character, that fool must have thought that the two wolves were a fine breed of dogs and wanted to take them home, right? When Ning Donn thought of the lofty kennel in the middle of the back garden and the barking of the dogs, his hands itched with the urge to beat a certain someone.


    ¡°Second Brother...¡± Ning Donghuan watched him carefully and seemed to have noticed the change in his mood. He quickly stepped back and tried to exin himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t have any intention to forcibly take them. We¡¯re currently discussing whether I can use arge sum of money to buy them...¡±


    ¡°Large sum of money?¡± Ning Donn murmured and snorted, ¡°If I remember correctly, you have already gotten your monthly allowances up to the end of next year in advance. You can¡¯t even take out a hundred taels, so where are you going to get therge sum of money?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pricked up her ears to listen to the brothers¡¯ conversation. Upon hearing that, she stared at Ning Donghuan with her eyes wide open. It seemed like this guy was just trying to fool others with his words earlier. Despite not having any money, he still acted in such a confident manner. In terms of being thick-skinned, this older sister really had to acknowledge you ah!


    Seeing that she was staring at him, Ning Donghuan touched his nose and whispered to his second brother, ¡°I don¡¯t, but don¡¯t you have some, Second Brother? If you want to, just one scroll of your calligraphy could be sold for tens of thousands of taels...¡±


    ¡°Did you steal the paper that I practiced calligraphy on again and sell it?¡± Ning Donn¡¯s voice was filled with the sense of danger.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m being falsely used ah, Second Brother!! You have been travelling for more than half a year, so even if I want to steal it, I wouldn¡¯t be able to ah!¡± Ning Donghuan quickly made the gesture of swearing with a very solemn expression on his face.


    Ning Donn, who had just returned from travelling, nced at him warningly. When he turned towards Yu Xiaocao and Royal Prince Yang, there was only a light-hearted and carefree attitude, ¡°My younger brother has troubled the two of you. Zihong will apologize in his stead!¡± Zihong was Ning Donn¡¯s courtesy name.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay...¡± Yu Xiaocao wanted to have a conversation with the polite and handsome man, but she was cut off by Zhu Junyang.


    ¡°He is him, and you are you! He¡¯s already an adult, yet he still needs his older brother to help him clean up after him? If so, why is he still running around outside? He should just hide in Duchess Rongguo¡¯s embrace and be a little baby!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s poisonous tongue was only aimed at people he didn¡¯t like. At this time, he was extremely dissatisfied with this handsome face in front of him.


    Ning Donn withdrew the faint smile on his face. He stood ramrod straight and looked directly at Royal Prince Yang, who was looking down at them while sitting on his horse. There seemed to be a sh of lightning and storm between them.


    ¡°Young Master Ning, don¡¯t mind him. This is just how Royal Prince Yang usually acts!¡± Yu Xiaocao also thought that Zhu Junyang had gone overboard with his words. The other party¡¯s third brother didn¡¯t do anything unforgivable. Didn¡¯t he just have the impossible desire to buy my family¡¯s Little ck? He didn¡¯t try to forcibly take it from them! However, that was probably thanks to her identity as the feudal princess. Had it been someone else, would he really not rob them?


    ¡°How does this prince usually act?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice was filled with a sense of danger. The temperature around him seemed to have dropped several degrees and it felt like a snowstorm wasing. The bodyguards around him were all on alert for fear that their master would get angry at any moment. Xiaocao¡¯s two little maidservants had never seen this side of Royal Prince Yang. They were so scared that their faces had turned pale. They hugged each other tightly as their teeth chattered, making a clear ¡®chattering¡¯ sound.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly pacified him, ¡°You have a great temperament, but your mouth never spares anyone!¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡± At least she was tactful. Zhu Junyang withdrew his imposing force, but he still felt somewhat ufortable in his heart, ¡°This prince naturally wouldn¡¯t give face to those that I don¡¯t like!¡±


    ¡°Feudal Princess, on another day, Zihong will take my younger brother to personally visit and apologize to you. We won¡¯t dy the feudal princess from going home any longer!¡± Ning Donn was surprised at Royal Prince Yang¡¯s tolerance towards Yu Xiaocao. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t have a conflict with the royal prince on the streets, but he still had to say some courteous words.


    ¡°No need! This prince and Feudal Princess Jinan won¡¯t take this trivial matter to heart!¡± This shameless brat actually wanted to use this excuse to look for his littless. No way! He must put an end to any possibility of interaction between the two! Zhu Junyang had already taken Ning Donn as a lifelong enemy and was prepared to be alert at all times.


    Seeing that the dangerous situation had been resolved, Ning Donghuan, who was hiding behind his second brother, stuck his head out and weakly said, ¡°Feudal Princess, please consider it again. The price is negotiable...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for reconsideration. I have already said that they are the same as family to me. If I asked you to sell your second brother to me, would you be willing?¡± The expression on the other three people¡¯s faces all changed due to the example that Yu Xiaocao used.

 Chapter 480 – A Small Sacrifice

    <h4>Chapter 480 ¨C A Small Sacrifice</h4>


    Zhu Junyang, ¡®Hmph, Yu Xiaocao, you¡¯re being so unfaithful. Not to mention that you¡¯re staring at the other party and coveting his beauty, but you also want to buy him and keep him at home? Do you think that this prince is dead?¡¯


    Ning Donn, ¡®This child speaks so recklessly. Had it not been for her young age, I would have thought that she was flirting with me!¡¯


    Ning Donghuan, ¡®Feudal Princess, if you like him, please take him away. I won¡¯t take a single coin. Gods knows how much I want to get away from my wicked second brother!! Why don¡¯t I exchange my second brother for one of your dogs?¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao realized that she had said the wrong thing, so sheughed hollowly and said, ¡°Although my analogy isn¡¯t very appropriate, my meaning is apparent. I won¡¯t sell them. Then...both Young Master Ning, let¡¯s bid our farewells here and never meet again...¡±


    When the carriage moved, Ning Donghuan almost rushed up to pull on the reins. Seeing his rather forceful movement, Little ck, who was originally looking at the new surroundings with a foolish expression, suddenly showed a fierce gaze and revealed its sharp teeth, which appeared very gleaming and frightening. Ning Donghuan¡¯s beloved dogs cried in sorrow and couldn¡¯t even stand up due to their weakened legs.


    The onlookers cried out in fear and fled away for fear that the big fierce dog would bite anyone it caught. When Xiaocao, who had gone back into the carriage, saw the situation, she softly called ¡°Little ck!¡± With that, the previously ferocious ¡®big dog¡¯ instantly returned to a fawning attitude. It went back next to the carriage and tried to stick its head into the window. However, its head was too big and ended up being stuck.


    Yu Xiaocao pushed hard to get its mouth out. Seeing Little ck¡¯s sad expression, she patted its big head and pacified it, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so let¡¯s go home!¡±


    ¡®Miss Yu, since you¡¯re reluctant to give away these two, when they have pups, can you give me one?¡± Ning Donghuan still didn¡¯t want to give up. It wasn¡¯t easy to encounter a world-renowned canine, moreover, two of them at the same time. Just one of them was more powerful than all of his hounds together. Thus, he really didn¡¯t want to lose this chance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it again when they have pups!¡± Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders without giving a definite answer. Her Little ck and Little White were both male, and there was no way that she could control when they had pups.


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise then...¡± There was no way that Ning Donghuan, who was obsessed with dogs, couldn¡¯t identify the gender of the two wolfhounds. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll send over several dogs that are going through the dogs that are in the heat. Hehe, what do you think?¡±


    ¡®Send dogs over? So that they can be extra meals for Little ck and Little White?¡¯ Oh right, she had never seen Little ck and Little White bite other people¡¯s dogs when they were in the vige. On one hand, it might be because the dogs in the vige always ran away in fright when they saw the two of them. On the other hand, the two were very confident about their identity so they were unwilling to bully the weak. She was curious whether the two would bite dogs if they were hungry.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! No matter how much you look at them, you still won¡¯t be able to obtain them!!¡± After the horse carriage had gone far away, Ning Donn kicked his third brother¡¯s, who was still looking eagerly at them, butt.


    Ning Donghuan¡¯s eyes darted around, and then he suddenly looked at his handsome second brother with bright eyes, like a big dog begging for food. Ning Donn pinched the area between his eyebrows, sighed, and asked, ¡°What do you want? Just say it and don¡¯t make that disgusting face.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh...¡± Ning Donghuanughed hollowly. He moved closer to his second brother and fawned, ¡°Second Brother, you¡¯re the top among the capital¡¯s Four Gentlemen. You¡¯re the best in terms of appearance and talent. You should have also seen the stunned look in the feudal princess¡¯s eyes earlier, so...¡±


    ¡°Use human speech!¡± Ning Donn red at him with contempt. He and his older brother were both intelligent and steady, but his third brother waspletely different. He had turned into such a ridiculous person. He seriously didn¡¯t want to admit that he was his real younger brother!


    ¡°I¡¯ll guarantee with my own reputation that the feudal princess definitely likes you... Aiya, Second Brother, why did you hit me again?¡± Before Ning Donghuan could finish speaking, his second brother had interrupted him with a smack.


    Ning Donn gave him a sidelong nce and snorted, ¡°Reputation? Do you even have any? Please think before speaking, okay! Didn¡¯t Father already say that we can offend anyone except Miss Yu? You¡¯re damaging her reputation in public. If she hears about this, you can just gnaw on cabbages and radishes in the future!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Although Ning Donghuan was a meat lover, he wasn¡¯t someone who only consumed meat. He had a rather bnced diet. He couldn¡¯t help but shiver at the thought of theck of good food on the table in the future, ¡°Second Brother, aren¡¯t we just having a chat between ourselves? There¡¯s no way that it would reach other people¡¯s ears. As your younger brother, I must state the facts. If the feudal princess is really interested in you, you should just sacrifice yourself a bit!¡±


    If Miss Yu became his second sister-inw, wouldn¡¯t those two wolfhounds belong to the Ning Family? As her younger brother-inw, she probably wouldn¡¯t mind lending them to him for a few days, right? Moreover, after Miss Yu married over, they could have greenhouses in their family¡¯s farmstead, and they could nt all the vegetables and fruits that they want to eat! In that way, they wouldn¡¯t have to send people to line up in front of the fruits and vegetables shop every morning... A suspicious liquid substance was flowing out of Ning Donghuan¡¯s mouth.


    If they weren¡¯t in the middle of the street, Ning Donn would have kicked this fool far away! This brat seriously didn¡¯t have a filter! Not to mention the fact that there was only a moment of astonishment and no romantic interest in her gaze at all, but the possessive attitude of Royal Prince Yang, who was beside her, alone was enough to show that Miss Yu was already taken!


    To offend the powerful and unapproachable Royal Prince Yang for the sake of a girl, who hadn¡¯t even grown up, was something that anyone with a brain wouldn¡¯t do! Moreover, how old was Miss Yu? Twelve? Thirteen? He was already twenty-five years old. If he was born a few years earlier, he would be old enough to be her father. How could he take an interest in such a young child?


    When Ning Donghuan got home, he received a beating from his second brother. Heined to Duchess Rongguo, ¡°Mother, Second Brother is bullying me again! Be honest, don¡¯t you think that my words are right?¡±


    In regard to her second son, who was talented but not very close to her, Duchess Rongguo always spoke in a slightly careful manner. Although she felt bad for her youngest son, she didn¡¯t dare to agree with him, ¡°Your second brother is right to be concerned. For marriage, the mutual affections between the two sides is very important. Otherwise, it¡¯s not a marriage but a feud! Although this Miss Yu was quite capable, she was still young, and it¡¯s still hard to determine her temperament. Your second brother appears to be indifferent to everyone and everything, but in fact, when someone with such temperament falls in love, the feelings willst a lifetime. So, I don¡¯t really want him to have anything to do with Miss Yu...¡±


    ¡°But...Mother, those two dogs are extremely rare fine breeds...¡± Ning Donghuan hoped that his second brother, who was seven to eight years older than him, would be able to have a good life partner, but he also couldn¡¯t let go of Little ck and Little White.


    Duchess Rongguo poked his head helplessly and said, ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that your second brother needs to discipline you. You want to sell your second brother for the sake of two dogs?¡±


    Ning Donghuan¡¯s head drooped like a defeated rooster, and he could only say, ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll send over several good-looking female dogs. I don¡¯t believe that there are only cats that don¡¯t eat fishes!¡±


    Little ck, ¡®This wolf isn¡¯t a cat, and I¡¯m not interested in female dogs! Even when the little female wolves in the mountains tried to flirt with me, this wolf can still resist the temptation. You want to know what this wolf yearns for? Of course, it¡¯s the tasty water in my master¡¯s hands. This wolf will take as much as I can get!¡¯


    It was almost dusk by the time they returned to the Yu Estate. The two families lived not too far from each other, so Lady Fang had calcted the time that the Yu Family would arrive at the capital and came to the Yu Estate in the early morning to help tidy the house. The kitchen was also stocked up with fresh fruits and vegetables. Needless to say, things like grains, seasoning, and so on had been prepared a long time ago.


    A small portion of the servants of the Yu Estate were transferred from the General¡¯s Estate to help out, while the rest were bought from the official intermediaries. There were servants who had been dismissed by families in dire situations and servants from families that hadmitted a crime. There were also some servants who were strictly trained to serve the families of officials. Now that there was a feudal princess in the Yu Family, they were no longer considered unimportant low-ranked officials. Thus, the head of the official intermediaries were especially attentive!


    ¡°They¡¯re here, they¡¯re here!!¡± The ones waiting at the entrance were the doorkeeper, the steward of the outer court, and Tanchun. Upon seeing the carriage turning onto the street in front of the house, the young girl eximed with a crisp voice that was full of excitement.


    ¡°Open the door. Quickly open the door to wee the masters to the capital!¡± The steward in charge of the outer court was selected from the official intermediaries. Allegedly, he used to be a steward of a certain official who hadmitted a crime. He was capable, but his loyalty needed further observation.


    When the horse carriage stopped in front of the main entrance, the doorkeeper tactfully ced a small stool beside the carriage as a footrest. Zhu Junyang got off his horse, went forward, and stretched out his hand to help Xiaocao off the carriage. The servants in front of the Yu Estate and imperial bodyguards, who followed him to Dongshan Vige, were astounded upon seeing this. To be able to have Royal Prince Yang support her off the carriage, they must reevaluate the importance of their masters in their heart.


    Some other servants swiftly put a footrest beside the carriage in the back. Yu Hai jumped out of the carriage first. He had originally wanted to ride a horse, but it was morefortable to sit in the carriage in the cold winter. Thus, he was persuaded to ride in the carriage with his wife by his children.


    Madam Liu got off the carriage with the help of her husband. When she saw that the grand entrance and high walls weren¡¯t much different than that of their house in Dongshan Vige, the fear in her heart gradually disappeared. So what if this was the capital? The officials in the capital didn¡¯t live more luxuriously than them ah!


    However, she felt somewhat ufortable with these pretty maidservants, who eagerly came to support her. They were all delicate young girls who had hands that were more fair and tender than her, yet they served her cautiously for fear that they would make mistakes.


    The clever Tanchun noticed the slight awkwardness of the madam, so she quickly said to Erya, who was standing on the side foolishly, ¡°You¡¯re Older Sister Erya, right? It¡¯s quite cold outside, so you should quickly help the madam inside!¡±


    Upon hearing her words, Erya, who didn¡¯t know what to do in front of this group of pretty maidservants, finally found her ce. She smiled gratefully at Tanchun, and then walked up to Madam Liu. In a silly manner, she said, ¡°Madam, Erya will support you. Be careful when walking up the steps!¡±


    With someone familiar around, Madam Liu gradually rxed. She looked back at her children, who were surrounded by the servants, and her youngest daughter, who had carefully made all the arrangements. After that, she nodded and quietly entered the main entrance.

 Chapter 481 – Like a Dream

    <h4>Chapter 481 ¨C Like a Dream</h4>


    As soon as they entered the main entrance, they saw a screen wall against a decorative mountain. On top, the edge of the eaves were painted blue and there were patterns of pines and wintersweet on both sides. The circr d¨¦cor in the middle was andscape pattern. It appeared elegant and dignified.


    With the support of Erya and Tanchun, Madam Liu walked to the door that connected the outer and inner courts. After walking a short distance, they had arrived at the festooned gate of the second-gate courtyard. With the help of the maidservants, Madam Liu walked up a few steps and walked through the festooned gate. As soon as she entered, a spacious and tidy courtyard appeared in front of her. When she looked to the left and right, there were corridors that connected the side buildings and main building. In the middle, there was an intersecting corridor paved with bluestone. The left and right sides were separated by a festooned gate.


    There was a moon-shaped gate next to the wing rooms on both sides, which led to the east and west courtyards. On the east side, there was an exquisite garden with pavilions, a small bridge above a stream, and decorative stone mountains. It looked quite elegant. The courtyard on the west side used to be a school building, but now it had turned into the living quarters and study of the youngest son in the family, Little Shitou.


    They followed the bluestone paved passage and quickly reached the main building, which had three rooms. There were also three side rooms on both sides of the building. The back of the building was surrounded by a terrace, which was spacious and tidy.


    ¡°You guys are finally here!¡± Lady Fang received the news that they would arrive today, so she hade to the Yu Estate to help out early in the morning. She had personally checked every single room, for fear that her adopted rtives weren¡¯t being taken care of properly. Before, when she was in Dongshan Vige, the Yu Family had often taken care of her. Now that they were in the capital, she must pay special attention and help her goddaughter with the arrangements.


    Upon seeing Lady Fang, Madam Liu¡¯s slightly anxious feelings were finallypletely rxed. She went up with a smile, pulled on Lady Fang¡¯s hands, and said, ¡°Aiya, I felt like I was dreaming the whole way here. My heart is finally at ease now that I see Older Sister Xia. This is such a beautiful house, is it really ours?¡±


    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s really hard to find good houses in the capital. I had my husband wander around the capital for two or three months, yet we still couldn¡¯t find a suitable ce. There were many people eyeing this estate when it became vacant. Fortunately, we acted fast! You guys are also blessed. We were able to find a suitable house right after you guys made the decision to temporarily stay in the capital!¡± The Fang Family¡¯s residence was simr to this estate. It was also a three-sectioned estate with side courtyards. But, after all, it was the home of a military official, so it wasn¡¯t decorated in such afortable and elegant manner, like the Yu Estate.


    Madam Liu thanked her with a smile, ¡°Many thanks to Older Brother Fang and Older Sister Xia! If Xiaocao didn¡¯t say that she bought a house in the capital and it wasn¡¯t good to leave it empty in the first year, we wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much energy toe all the way here...¡±


    Lady Fang smiled and said, ¡°Younger Sister Liu, you¡¯re thanking the wrong person! It was Royal Prince Yang who handled all the matters regarding the purchase of the estate. He put in quite a lot of effort. It was because he personally handled the matters that we were able to buy the estate at such an affordable price! Oh, look at the time. You must be tired after traveling for so many days, right? First, go wash up and eat something. Rest earlier tonight. Tomorrow, my husband and I will treat you guys to a meal at Zhenxiu Restaurant to wee your arrival.¡±


    Lady Fang, who originally had straightforward temperament, spoke to Madam Liu like she had lived in Dongshan Vige for a long time. She was very amiable and there were no barriers at all.


    Linglong and the maidservants in the estate took the Yu Family¡¯s belongings to their own rooms. Some of the important items were locked in the storage room. Yu Hang settled in the east wing, which didn¡¯t have grand furnishing but was veryfortable. Xiaocao and her sister lived in the west wing, which had three rooms.


    Originally, the Yu couple had wanted Old Yu to live in the main building. However, he refused resolutely. With no other choice, Yu Hai and his wife had his father settle down in one of the three rooms in the east wing and be neighbors with Yu Hang.


    After the Yu Family rested for a bit, a young maidservant came to tell them that dinner was ready. The dinner was prepared by the female cooks in the kitchen. In order to show their skills to the new masters, they made great efforts. There were a good variety of ingredients avable. Not only did they have a variety of meat, but they also had all kinds of fruits and vegetables. The family had a lively and delicious dinner.


    After dinner, Lady Fang noticed the tired appearance of the Yu Family members, so she got up and bid her farewells. Royal Prince Yang stayed for a little longer before leaving. The members of the Yu Family washed up with the help of the servants and went to rest.


    Xiaolian originally lived in a separate room, but she couldn¡¯t sleep well upon arriving in a new environment. Thus, she took her pillow and went to sleep on the same kang bed as Xiaocao. The winter in the capital was cold and dry. When fixing up the house, Xiaocao had specially ordered to leave a room in both the east and west wings vacant to put in a kang bed. As long as they werefortable with their living environment, it didn¡¯t matter what others thought. The floor in the main building was heated, so the room was as warm as spring. Thus, they didn¡¯t need to add anything to it.


    ¡°Younger Sister, is this house really ours?¡± Xiaolian was no longer that ignorant little girl in the countryside from five years ago. When doing business at the docks, she had met merchants from all over the world. Hence, she naturally knew the astonishing price of the houses in the capital and how hard it was to find a house.


    Along the way, she had quietly observed the surroundings from the window. The people living nearby were all wealthy and respectable families, and their neighbors were all families of officials. The houses in this kind of location weren¡¯t easily obtainable! Although this house wasn¡¯t as big as their house in the countryside, it was still a three-sectioned official¡¯s estate with side courtyards. It must have been very difficult to buy this house!


    Lying on the warm kang bed, Yu Xiaocao turned over to face Xiaolian and said with a smile, ¡°If it¡¯s not ours, then whose house is it? Shall I show you the house deed? Do you want to check if our father¡¯s name is written on it?¡±


    ¡°Haha! Sometimes, I¡¯m really afraid that these good days are all a dream. When I wake up, we are still living in the house with our grandmother. Our family is still cramped together in the rundown room beside the pigpen. Every day, there are endless chores and we also have to listen to our grandmother¡¯s shrill scolding. We also can¡¯t fill our stomachs.... I can tolerate all of these, but I¡¯m most afraid that when you fall ill, our grandmother will tell us to throw you into the mass grave in the southern side of the mountains!¡± Xiaolian slightly choked up as she spoke.


    Xiaocao also teared up. She patted Xiaolian¡¯s shoulders andforted in a soft voice, ¡°Rest assured that it¡¯s all in the past! There are still good days ahead of us. We must look ahead! You just have to wait to be a young miss of an official¡¯s household. When the timees, I¡¯ll have my godmother find a good marriage for you and prepare avish wedding for you...¡±


    ¡°Humph! You only know how to tease me! How old am I that you¡¯re already talking about my marriage?¡± Xiaolian blushed slightly as she thought of that tall, handsome, and tanned youth from a fisherman¡¯s family. It must be because the kang bed was too hot. Yes, that must be it!


    ¡°You¡¯re not that young anymore. You¡¯ll be thirteen next year. In the previous dynasty, wasn¡¯t itmon for people to get engaged at thirteen and married at fifteen?¡± Yu Xiaocao teased.


    Xiaolian red at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t just talk about me! We¡¯re born on the same day, so aren¡¯t you also going to be thirteen? Shouldn¡¯t you also start thinking about your marriage?¡±


    ¡°Do I still need to worry about my marriage? Isn¡¯t there Royal Prince Yang around? He has the status, the looks, and the ability. How many sons of officials in the capital canpare with him?¡± Yu Xiaocao showed off shamelessly.


    Xiaolian widened her eyes and asked with a look of disbelief, ¡°Are you really settled on Royal Prince Yang? He gives off the impression of being very cold and bad-tempered. His family background is also much higher than our family¡¯s. Last time, Younger Brother taught me a phrase¡ª¡®ipatible due to one¡¯s superiority¡¯. Are you two really suitable?¡±


    ¡°Only the feet will know if the shoes fit properly; only one¡¯s heart will know if they¡¯re suitable for each other. At present, he cares about me and I don¡¯t dislike him. So let¡¯s just leave it at that for now. There¡¯s still several years until I be an adult. At that time, if he doesn¡¯t change his heart and treats me wholeheartedly, then why not marry him?¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled gently.


    Xiaolian stared at her for a long time, and then said, ¡°Younger Sister, sometimes you give off the impression that you¡¯re a wise elder, but there are also times when you seem like a childish kid. There are a lot of contradictions on you. Just like the matter of choosing a husband. Others would be bashful when talking about it, but it seems so natural when you¡¯re the one talking about it...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying that I¡¯m unabashed and shameless?¡± Yu Xiaocao reached into her nket and attacked her armpits.


    Xiaolian screamed andughed as she begged for mercy, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t trying to belittle you. I don¡¯t know how to express it. Sometimes, I feel like you shouldn¡¯t be born in the Great Ming Dynasty because you¡¯re too reckless. You shouldn¡¯t be shackled down bymon customs.¡±


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re starting to talk in a schrly manner after studying with Younger Brother for a few days? Not bad ah. It¡¯s such a surprise to hear such high-level terms from you!¡± Yu Xiaocao stopped attacking her and evaded the subject under discussion.


    As the sisters were chatting, the sudden scream from a maidservant outside and Yingchun¡¯s scolding could be heard, ¡°What are you shouting about? I won¡¯t spare you guys if you disturb the masters¡¯ rest. Don¡¯t make a fuss. These two are pets raised by the masters. They appear frightening, but they aren¡¯t scary at all!¡±


    ¡°Yingchun, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Yu Xiaocao poked her head out from the quilt.


    Yingchun carried Tiny in from outside and said with a smile, ¡°Young Miss, it¡¯s nothing! A little maidservant got scared by Little ck and Little White. They are both lying in front of the door of the west wing, so we should do something about it. Where would be a suitable ce for them to stay?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t there three rooms in the west wing? Xiaolian and I each have a room. There¡¯s still one that¡¯s vacant, so why don¡¯t we just let them live there for now?¡±


    Yingchun¡¯s eyes darted around. With her head lowered, she stroked the head of the obedient and cute Tiny in her arms and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s have Tiny stay with this servant...¡±


    ¡°If the person you¡¯re sharing the room with doesn¡¯t mind the smell, then it¡¯s up to you!¡± In actuality, Tiny was very obedient and would never relieve itself everywhere. At night, as long as the door was left slightly opened, it would find a ce to relieve itself.


    ¡°Tiny doesn¡¯t smell at all!¡± Yingchun said with a grin. She shared a room with Tanchun. Tanchun also seemed to really like the little roe deer, so she wouldn¡¯t disagree. There weren¡¯t any thirteen or fourteen year old girls who didn¡¯t like cute pets.


    After she said that, Wutong came in. Seeing the little roe deer in Yingchun¡¯s hands and her excited expression, she said sullenly, ¡°Today, I¡¯m on duty with Qing¡¯er. You should quickly bring the little roe deer back and rest. If you can¡¯t get up tomorrow, the deduction of your monthly wage will be doubled!¡±

 Chapter 482 – Membership

    <h4>Chapter 482 ¨C Membership</h4>


    Qing¡¯er was the maidservant assigned to serve Xiaolian. She had two personal maidservants and two lower ranked maidservants. They were all named after colors. Her two personal maidservants, Qing¡¯er and Bi¡¯er, were around the same age as Wutong. Hong¡¯er and Cheng¡¯er, who were younger, were twelve or thirteen years old and also very quick-witted.


    Xiaocao and Xiaolian hadn¡¯t seen each other in a long time, so they had endless things to talk about. However, it was mostly Xiaolian talking while Xiaocao quietly listened with a smile. They weren¡¯t used to being served by others at all times, so they told Wutong and Qing¡¯er to go rest in the side room. Qing¡¯er was alright, but Wutong, who had gone along to Dongshan Vige, was so exhausted from the trip that she immediately fell asleep upon touching the pillow. There were two people sleeping in the side room, so the sisters didn¡¯t continue to chat. After speaking for a while, they also went to sleep.


    The weather was also very good the next day. They were living in their own home, so there was no harm in sleeping in. Yu Xiaocao, who was lying on the warm kang bed, huddled inside the quilt, unwilling to get up. The Yu Family members were used to working and waking up early, so they had gotten up early in the morning. Madam Liu still wasn¡¯t ustomed to having others help her change and wash up. It made her feel very awkward and restrained. If they were at Dongshan Vige, she would have already rolled up her sleeves and went to work in the greenhouse in the backyard. Now, she was just sitting in the parlor room with a cup of honey water in her hands and didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°Madam, Miss He from the Grand Princess Royal Estate and Miss Yuan from the Prime Minister Estate came for a visit to congratte Second Young Miss for moving to a new house...¡± A maidservant, who appeared very likeable, came in to report with a smile on her face.


    Madam Liu looked at her. What was her name again? There was too much going on yesterday. The maids all wore the same clothes and they were all around the same age. Thus, she couldn¡¯t immediately tell them apart. Wait, hold on. What did she just say? The young miss of the Grand Princess Royal Estate? The young miss of the Prime Minister Estate? Cao¡¯er had only been in the capital for a short period of time, yet she had already be acquainted with so many noble young misses?


    ¡°Uh...¡± Seeing that the young maidservant was quietly waiting for her orders with her head bowed, Madam Liu pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°Is Second Young Miss awake?¡±


    ¡°In reply to Madam, she¡¯s not! Perhaps she was too tired yesterday,¡± Xiaohuan replied in a soft voice.


    Madam Liu frowned slightly and was somewhat at a loss. After a moment of hesitation, she said, ¡°Wake up the second young miss first and ask her what to do.¡±


    Pipa, who Xiaocao assigned to temporarily serve Madam Liu, softly reminded, ¡°Madam, do you think we should invite the two young misses inside first and serve them some tea and pastries, so as to not neglect the guests?¡±


    ¡°Pipa is right. Let¡¯s do as she suggested!¡± Madam Liu quietly nodded, but her heart wasn¡¯t as calm as she appeared. The two girls were either a rtive of the emperor or the daughter of a high-ranking official. She really didn¡¯t know how she should interact with them.


    Fortunately, when Yu Xiaocao heard that the two older sisters hade for a visit, she swiftly washed up as if she was at war. She casuallybed her hair into two braids and arrived just before He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan reached the parlor room.


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, this isn¡¯t right. You didn¡¯t even tell us that you¡¯re moving. If you did, we could do a housewarming for you ah!¡± He Wanning hadn¡¯t even appeared, but her voice could already be heard.


    Yu Xiaocao went up to them with a smile. Seeing that their hands were empty, she joked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guyse for a housewarming? Why aren¡¯t there any presents ah?¡±


    ¡°Humph! You didn¡¯t even send us invitations, so why should we bring gifts?¡± He Wanning pinched her smooth and tender face and gently pulled it.


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed her face and red at her. Then she said to Yuan Xueyan, ¡°Older Sister Yuan, look at her. She¡¯s bullying the young and weak.¡±


    Yuan Xueyan smiled faintly and said, ¡°Wanning, don¡¯t forget that you came to ask for a favor. If you offend her now, you might end up cryingter!¡±


    As they spoke, they arrived in the parlor room. Madam Liu stood up and gave them a slightly awkward smile. Fortunately, He Wanning had a straightforward personality. She quickly said, ¡°Madam Yu, you¡¯re our elder, so please quickly sit down. Please forgive us foring uninvited, Madam Yu.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay... Cao¡¯er, entertain the distinguished guests well. I¡¯ll go check on the stewards in the estate. Young misses, don¡¯t be courteous. Just treat this as your own home. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡± Madam Liu felt that the other parties wouldn¡¯t befortable with her around, so she got up to return to her room.


    ¡°Madam Yu, please do!¡± He Wanning watched Madam Liu leave, and then whispered to Xiaocao, ¡°You take after your mother. You have fair skin, big eyes, and a delicate appearance. You and your mother both have such smooth, fair, and soft skin, is it because the environment in Tanggu produces a lot of beauties?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought of the vigers, who had dark skin due to being constantly blown by the sea breeze. She giggled and said, ¡°We¡¯re born beautiful, and it has nothing to do with the environment. As for the reason why our skin is so good, it¡¯s probably due to the handmade soap that we use and the flower tea that we frequently drink.¡±


    He Wanning touched her face, which had be much smoother, and said with a smile, ¡°I must say, since I started using the handmade soap that you gave me, my skin isn¡¯t dry anymore and it has also be much smoother. My grandmother also said my skin looks fairer recently! I¡¯m almost done with that piece of soap. When is your shop going to open ah? Older Sister Yuan said that you¡¯re doing some sort of membership system for that club of yours? What exactly is it? Quickly tell me.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao signaled Yingchun with her eyes and pointed at the fragrant flower tea on the table as she said, ¡°This is the jasmine tea that I personally made. It tastes quite good. Try it! There¡¯s also honey cakes, which are new pastries that I told the kitchen to specially make.¡±


    After drinking a sip of jasmine tea, which had a strong scent of flowers, He Wanning eximed, ¡°Though you came from the countryside, you¡¯re much more knowledgeable than us so-called noble youngdies. Let¡¯s use today¡¯s tea and pastries as an example. It tastes much better than all the teahouses and pastries shops in the capital! Tell me, what¡¯s the benefit of this jasmine tea?¡±


    ¡°Jasmine tea has the effects of clearing the liver, improving eyesight, and producing saliva to ke thirst. It can also relieve one¡¯s mood and dy aging. It¡¯s good for one¡¯s mind and body.¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up a piece of honey cake and ate it in small bites. She got dragged out of bed early in the morning, and thus she hadn¡¯t eaten anything at all.¡±


    When He Wanning heard that it had so many benefits, she quickly drank the entire cup in one breath. Then she said to Wutong, who was waiting on the side, ¡°Give me another cup. Younger Sister Xiaocao, does your mother often drink jasmine tea? She looks very young and doesn¡¯t seem like someone with such a grown daughter!¡±


    Upon seeing her embarrassing appearance, the elegant and indifferent Yuan Xueyan quietly red at her. She seriously didn¡¯t want to admit that this shameless girl was her close friend. However, the jasmine tea had so many benefits that she also couldn¡¯t help but lower her head to take a sip. The fragrant scent dispersed in her mouth. Disregarding the effects of the tea, the taste alone was enough for it to be popr among people.


    ¡°My mother is thirty-one years old and has only started looking younger in these past few years. In the past, she had to do hardbor, and thus looked very haggard...¡± Since Yu Xiaocao often saw Madam Liu, she never really noticed her gradual change. After hearing He Wanning¡¯s words, she realized that her mother did look younger than when she first transmigrated over. It was mainly because herplexion had gotten much better.


    ¡°Then it must be because of these flower teas that you made! I don¡¯t care. With our friendship, you must let me be a member when your shop opens. You must also save me a portion of those limited flower teas and products.¡± Although He Wanning didn¡¯t understand what a membership was, she reckoned that it wasn¡¯t someone bad. Thus, she decided to upy a ce first.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a given?¡± After she said that, Yu Xiaocao exined the membership system to her, ¡°The membership system will have four levels. The lowest level is bronze members, which is only eligible to those who have spent over two thousand taels. They can get a 5% discount on all goods and services. Silver members, which is the next level, are people who have spent over ten thousand taels. They can enjoy a 10% discount. Those who consume over fifty thousand taels are eligible to be gold members. In addition to getting a 20% discount all on goods and services, they won¡¯t be restricted on a quota for the limited items. The highest level is diamond members, which is only for those who have spent more than two hundred thousand taels. Diamond members can enjoy a lifetime discount of 50% and the privilege of trying new products and services first. They will be provided with unlimited quantities of the limited items. All membership cards can only be used by the applicants themselves. If you lend it out, then your membership will be directly canceled.¡±


    This was Yu Xiaocao¡¯s initial idea for the membership system. It was also Yuan Xueyan¡¯s first time hearing her exin the details. She inwardly admired her for her boldness and means of doing things. Needless to say, He Wanning couldn¡¯t help but exim, ¡°Oh my! Diamond members need to spend two hundred thousand taels of silver? That¡¯s a whole lot of money ah! But there¡¯s nock of wealthy people in the capital. As long as the products are good, there will be people willingly delivering money to you guys! I¡¯m not that greedy, so I don¡¯t need a diamond membership card. I¡¯ll be contented with a gold membership card...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao exchanged eye contact with Yuan Xueyan, and then said with a smile, ¡°Older Sister He, aren¡¯t you looking down on us? As the close friend of the two biggest shareholders of the beauty and health club, we definitely have to give you diamond membership ah! But, of course, if you really don¡¯t want it, then let¡¯s forget...¡±


    ¡°Who said I don¡¯t want it? I¡¯ll be more than happy!!¡± He Wanning looked at her with an expression that said ¡®I didn¡¯t misjudge you¡¯.


    ¡°When things are rare, it bes precious. For now, I only prepared ten diamond membership cards. The three of us will each have one. I¡¯ll send two to the empress so that she can give it out as a reward. There¡¯s also my godmother. The remaining five are for those rich consumers...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had originally wanted to save one for Madam Liu, but with her personality, she definitely wouldn¡¯t go by herself. Anyway, those with the diamond card had the qualification to bring one extra person along. At that time, she could just bring her to enjoy the various services. As for the other goods, that was even more simple. She could just buy them back for her whole family to use.


    The membership cards had already been made a while ago. Royal Prince Yang contacted a famous cksmith to make the cards. ording to Xiaocao¡¯s request and repeated testing, a type of alloy steel was made by chance. However, due to low quantity, it was only used to make the diamond membership cards.

 Chapter 483 – Living Signboard

    <h4>Chapter 483 ¨C Living Signboard</h4>


    The other membership cards, on the other hand, were made of thin iron sheets ted with bronze, silver and gold. The decorations on the cards were also different, with the bronze card featuring auspicious clouds, the silver card featuring the qilin, and the gold card featuring the vermilion bird spreading its wings.


    Yu Xiaocao gave He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan each a membership card that gleamed bright and silvery. It was carved in the form of a relief, with arge, shining diamond in it.


    Yuan Xueyan had read a lot of books, but she had never seen a description of this material in any book before. The diamond card was hard and had low malleability. She repeatedly scrutinized the membership card with a look of seriousness on her face and muttered, ¡°This material, if it is used to craft weapons...¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoughed heartlessly, ¡±Older Sister Yuan, you thought of the same thing as Royal Prince Yang. This alloy was obtained by chance during smelting and it¡¯s not avable inrge quantities. There¡¯s not much that we can do with it except to make membership cards. However, Royal Prince Yang has already invited that cksmith to the smelting workshop under the Ministry of Works, and he¡¯s been working day and night with those artisans under the Ministry of Works in hopes that the smelting method can be determined soon so that they can produce better weapons.¡±


    Yuan Xueyan¡¯s eyes sparkled, ¡®People always said that Royal Prince Yang doesn¡¯t do anything and won¡¯t be a sessful person, but it seems that he still has an eye for politics. The emperor wasn¡¯t wrong in his choice¡ªRoyal Prince Yang might be a dark horse that will appear in the upper-ss circle in the future, an able subject under the emperor!


    He Wanning fiddled around with her membership card in fascination. Then, suddenly, she solemnly said, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, I¡¯ve actuallye to ask for a favor.¡±


    ¡°Older Sister He is too polite. As long as I¡¯m able to help, I definitely won¡¯t stand by.¡± Seeing her seriousness, Yu Xiaocao also treated the matter with utmost seriousness.


    ¡°The truth is, it¡¯s somewhat unbing of me, a girl of marriageable age to be asking you this, but I know you¡¯re not the kind of person who holds to worldly ideals, so I¡¯ve dared toe ask for your help,¡± He Wanning paused, then, lowering her voice, she asked, ¡°I heard that...Lady Fang only conceived her beloved son after taking your prescriptions?¡±


    In her heart, Yu Xiaocao understood her reason. She had been in the capital for half a year, and she hadn¡¯t exactly been cooped up in her house, so naturally, she would have heard of some rumors and gossip before. Ever since the Grand Princess Royal married her husband, she had never had much luck with children. She only gave birth to He Wanning¡¯s father and an aunt of He Wanning¡¯s, who had died at a young age. He Wanning¡¯s father also only had her and her older brother.


    When it came down to He Wanning¡¯s brother, they had not seen any legitimate children conceived although he had been married for three years. He Wanning¡¯s brother and sister-inw were quite close, and could even be considered childhood sweethearts, but for the sake of the continuity of the bloodline, He Wanning¡¯s sister-inw heartachingly made one of her maidservants into her husband¡¯s bed-servant.


    That bed-servant put in quite the effort and conceived a child not long after. After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to the eldest concubine-born daughter. However, ever since she was born, neither the legitimate wife nor the bed-servant had any stirrings in their wombs.


    He Wanning¡¯s sister-inw was quite virtuous. She took in a few more concubines for her husband, but it had been more than a year and none of them had shown any signs of a pregnancy. The Grand Royal Princess¡¯s Household had yet to produce their third generation heir, and this matter had be the matter of concern of the entire residence.


    When Lan Fang had given birth to Lin¡¯er in her advanced age, the Grand Princess Royal had let her daughter-inw visit to ask for her secret recipe to conceiving a child, but Lady Fang did not have any secret recipes, and only said that it was because her goddaughter had helped her to condition her body. At that time, Yu Xiaocao was still far away in Dongshan Vige, and though the Grand Princess Royal had the intention to pay her a visit to ask for her secret, she was still prudent and did not visit them unexpectedly.


    When the Grand Princess Royal heard her granddaughter mention that she was quite good friends with the goddaughter of General Fang, she was once again tempted to visit them and ask for the secret recipe. He Wanning¡¯s brother was older than her by eight years, so she had grown up being pampered by him. This was one of the reasons why she was so arrogant and difficult. However, she only acted like that around people that she disliked, so usually, she was still quite well-liked by others. Once she heard that her grandmother intended to ask for the secret to conceiving a child for her older brother and sister-inw, He Wanning was naturally obligated to take on the grave task of testing the waters.


    Yu Xiaocao was aware that she asked this on behalf of her older brother and sister-inw, so she said, ¡°I¡¯ve read from an old book that the reason a person is infertile differs from person to person. For example, it¡¯s only because my godfather was suffering from an old injury from war that my godparents had difficulty conceiving. The problem naturally faded away once I managed to nurse him back to health.¡±


    If she had agreed straightaway, then He Wanning might not be so convinced, but she felt that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s reasoning made sense and thus she breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao might¡¯ve heard some rumors of my family¡¯s situation. My older brother is already twenty-five years old this year and he¡¯s been married for nearly eight years, but he still has not had a son. A fortune teller once said our He Family would have difficulty conceiving heirs, and that we really can¡¯t rush it, but I don¡¯t believe him. I heard that you had been conditioning Lady Fang¡¯s body the whole time before she gave birth to your little brother in her advanced age of forty, which is why I¡¯vee to ask for your favor!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao paused for a moment, then, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, half of my medicinal skills were self-taught, so naturally I can¡¯tpare with those imperial physicians or skilled physicians among themon folk. The most I can do is give you some simple, local prescriptions. If Older Sister He doesn¡¯t mind, could I make a visit to your residence on another day to have a look at your older brother and sister-inw?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind! How could I? I¡¯d love to have you over!¡± It had to be known that, back then, in order to show his favor to General Fang, not only did the emperor expend the whole Imperial Hospital to help with his treatment, he even spread the news to call for renowned physicians from all over the empire, but none of them had seeded in their treatment. When everyone had given up all hope, they received news that Lady Fang had actually managed to conceive a child after staying in Dongshan Vige for a few months, and even gave birth to a healthy and lively Lin¡¯er not long after. ording to the pair of husband and wife, this could all be credited to the work of their goddaughter.


    He Wanning had sessfullypleted the task entrusted to her by her grandmother, and she also obtained a diamond membership card that enabled her to fifty percent discounts, so she was in good spirits. After having a few pieces of honey cakes, she noticed that the Yu Household were all busily settling into their new home and felt a little embarrassed, ¡°You¡¯ve only arrived at the capital yesterday. We shouldn¡¯t have visited you and created trouble for you. Older Sister Yuan and I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. We¡¯ll definitely visit for your house-warming on another day!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sisters, so there¡¯s no need for these courtesies.¡± Yu Xiaocao also had the intention to forge a good rtionship with the Grand Princess Royal¡¯s household, and smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll have to check on the growth of the crops and greenhouses at the Imperial ntation tomorrow. What about the day after tomorrow? I¡¯ll make a visit to greet the Grand Princess Royal the day after tomorrow.¡±


    He Wanning gratefully held Xiaocao¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll definitely be waiting to wee your arrival the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Yuan Xueyan, who had been pulled along to apany He Wanning, hadpletely be her extra. At this time, she also got up and said, ¡°The servant who makes the face powder has almost mastered the skill. Are you going to open this shop before or after the New Years? I¡¯m afraid time will be a little tight if it¡¯s before the New Years.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°It¡¯s only about a dozen days before the New Year, not to mention the former Grand Tutor¡¯s residence is still undergoing renovation. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to open the business before the New Years. However, our skin care business doesn¡¯t need to be carried by the New Year¡¯s hype. As long as our products are effective, there¡¯s no need to worry about business.¡±


    ¡°I already have a preliminary idea in my mind for the vanishing cream that you mentioned, and I¡¯ve also experimented a few times. I estimate that I¡¯ll be able toe out with the finished product after the New Years. How¡¯s the progress of your cleanser and toner?¡± Yuan Xueyan looked cold, but once she had her focus on something, she would go all out.


    ¡°My maid Hechun is quite skilled. She has already produced the cleanser and toner and they are in the process of being tried out. The response has been good. Do you want to take some back to try?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had not expected that Hechun would be able to sessfully produce the cleanser and toner that she had suggested in just her trip to and fro Dongshan Vige. She washed her face with the cleanser today, and her skin felt quite clean, but it could be even better if the smell of the product was more refreshing. Once the maidservant heard her suggestion, she once again dove into the rear room to work on it.


    When they were buying maidservants this time, they were lucky enough to meet a manager of a bankrupt rouge and powder shop and a woman who also worked there. Hechun had made the decision herself to buy both of them back, so now she had a total of six helpers underneath her and already began to look like a small manager herself. In order to have the opportunity to show their faces to their new mistress, those female workers gave their all to help Hechun with her ns and ideas. Their hard work was undeniably one of the reasons why the cleanser and toner were able to be produced so quickly.


    Yu Xiaocao was very satisfied with these people. She decided that once the cleanser and toner were tested to be effective, each of them would be rewarded with a silver ingot, and she would also give them more rewards during the New Years.


    He Wanning took the ceramic vial the size of a baby¡¯s fist into her hands and opened it. It was filled with a pale yellow paste-like substance. She sniffed it lightly and eximed, ¡°It smells milky. Could it be that these cleansers are also separated into a few different types?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve already determined the initial four types¡ª¡¯whitening¡¯, ¡®moisturizing¡¯, ¡®e removal¡¯, and ¡®anti-wrinkle¡¯. The same goes for the toners. Older Sister Yuan, when your vanishing cream is sessfully developed, we can also make them in the same series. Then, the overall effect will be better.¡± Yu Xiaocao pointed to the small vial in He Wanning¡¯s hand and continued, ¡±Older Sister He, the one in your hand has whitening and moisturizing effects. The one Older Sister Yuan has is a part of the moisturizing and cleansing line.¡±


    He Wanning smacked her lips and said a little embarrassedly, ¡°The both of you work so hard for the beauty salon and only I didn¡¯t do anything, yet I still got a diamond membership card... How about you change my membership card into a gold card?¡±


    ¡°Who says you can¡¯t help us? Your task now is to use our products, and make your skin white and tender. When the timees, you¡¯ll be our living advertisement. At the beginning of spring, you only need to initiate a few more gatherings so thedies of the capital can see how much you¡¯ve changed. This will be your contribution!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at her delicate little face, thinking, ¡®There¡¯s still three to four months before spring. Once Older Sister He takes care of her wheat-colored little face and turns it white and tender, she¡¯ll definitely be our living signboard!¡¯


    ¡°I knew it, this was your aim all along! How else would you be so kind as to let me use these products?¡± He Wanning pouted, pretending to be upset.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you could return it to me. I remember that the second miss of the Grand Preceptor¡¯s household has slightly yellowish skin, perhaps she would be willing to give it a shot and enhance her skin...¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately stretched out her hand to retrieve the small vial.

 Chapter 484 – Intimidated

    <h4>Chapter 484 ¨C Intimidated</h4>


    He Wanning hurriedly hid the vial behind her back, crinkling her nose at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Do people do things like you? How can you take back things that you¡¯ve already given away? If you can guarantee that my skin won¡¯t be this dark even when I¡¯m constantly going out, then whatever, I¡¯ll be your living signboard!¡±


    It was already near noon by the time she sent the two of them away. Yu Xiaocao rubbed her shriveled abdomen. She originally intended to sleep in, and, as she had not expected to be aroused so early, she only had a cup of jasmine tea and two pieces of honey cakes. She was so hungry!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you have an upset stomach?¡± Zhu Junyang disregardedmon practice and took long strides into the inner courtyard. He was even faster than the little maidservant who came to report his arrival. Seeing Yu Xiaocao clutching her stomach, he worriedly went to support her.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry~¡± Yu Xiaocao mewed, and the sound tickled Zhu Junyang¡¯s ears and heart.


    Seeing the littless¡¯s unenergetic form, Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart ached and he scolded, ¡°Are all these servants dead? Why aren¡¯t you hurrying to the kitchen to prepare a meal? Do you not see how starved your mistress is?¡±


    ¡°Er...don¡¯t yell at the servants. I told them not to prepare my meal, since Godmother said we¡¯d have lunch at Zhenxiu Restaurant. If I ate now, I wouldn¡¯t be able to eatter!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that his expression began to darken whereas her maidservants started to tremble while their faces turned pale. She was afraid that this ck-faced devil would scare away her maidservants.


    ¡°Second Young Miss, the madam is asking if you¡¯re prepared to leave? If you are, we can head out to Zhenxiu Restaurant now!¡± Erya was indeed a very dense person. She excitedly rushed over, smiling sweetly at Xiaocao while she prattled on. She even shot the other maidservants a curious look when she saw them looking a little odd.


    The maidservants all thought, ¡®Sister Erya is so great. She is unfazed by Royal Prince Yang¡¯s oppressive aura.¡¯ Inwardly, they were a little less contemptuous of this undisciplined little girl who came from the countryside.


    Meanwhile, Erya thought, ¡®Royal Prince Yang is angry? Aiyaya, is this for real? Why didn¡¯t anyone remind me? I wouldn¡¯t be thrown out, would I?¡¯


    The other maidservants: ...


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wear a cloak before you came out? If these maidservants can¡¯t do things right, just send them away, I¡¯ll give you some disciplined ones!¡± Zhu Junyang was displeased when he noticed that Xiaocao was only d in a thinyer of clothes. These wretched maidservants¡ªdid they feel contemptuous of his littless? Was that why they were so careless in serving her? This cannot do¡ªhe must request hisdy mother to send a few of her maidservants over, lest his littless suffer any grievances.


    The maidservants present dropped to the ground on their knees, pale-faced and begging for mercy. Only Erya was dazedly standing beside the second young miss, thinking, ¡®Why did everyone kneel all of a sudden? Can anyone exin? What should I do? Should I continue to stand, or should I kneel like the others?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re so impressive, Royal Prince Yang! You have an even greater authority here than I, the mistress of this residence! Don¡¯t you think your actions have crossed the line?¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him, gesturing for her maidservants to get up.


    The maidservants discreetly nced at Royal Prince Yang, unsure of whether to rise or not. Erya rushed them, ¡°Second Young Miss told you to rise, so why aren¡¯t you guys listening to her? No wonder Royal Prince Yang is mad! Hurry and rise, or are you waiting for your mistress toe and help you up?¡±


    There were a few clever ones among the maidservants who quickly understood. They were the servants of the Yu Residence, so even if Royal Prince Yang had a high status, it was still a taboo for them to disregard their master¡¯s good intentions for an ¡®outsider¡¯. These clever little maidservants quickly got up, and though they were still pale-faced and fear was still present in their hearts, they still stood respectfully beside their mistress. A second-rank maidservant who had been assigned to Yu Xiaocao asked for her permission before running towards the west wing. Royal Prince Yang was angered because the young miss was too thinly d; she must quickly bring the young miss her cloak.


    ¡°Alright! Stop frowning, you¡¯re scaring the little maidservants. It¡¯s not good even if you only scare the flowers and grass! Erya, go and tell Godmother that I¡¯m prepared to leave at any time!¡± Yu Xiaocao said to Erya afterforting the little maidservants while she put on her arctic fox fur cloak.


    Once Erya received the order, she immediately ran towards the inner courtyard. Zhu Junyang witnessed this and his eyebrows creased. What was this? There¡¯s no sense of propriety at all!


    Soon, the Yu Household had donned their best clothes that were mostlymissioned by Xiaocao when she was in the capital. They were the authentic crafts from Exquisite Garments. Although they were not made by Modiste Jiang herself, they still came from the skilled hands of the seamstresses of Exquisite Garments.


    ¡°You prepared such a bright set of clothes for me, and your sister, Xiaolian even coaxed me into wearing it. I think it¡¯s better if I change it...¡± The Yu Family was already used to Royal Prince Yang¡¯s appearances. Madam Liu only politely nodded at him before sheined to her youngest daughter.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that her mother was wearing a dark red Qi-style attire that paired with an azure blue, pleated skirt. A lotus pattern was embroidered on the cor, cuffs and hemline of the skirt. The outfit made her mother look younger by several years. Not to mention, Madam Liu¡¯s skin was fair and her waist was slim. No matter how one looked at it, she didn¡¯t seem like a woman who already had a child over the age of ten.


    ¡°Mother, you look very spirited and young when you wear this, almost as if you¡¯re only in your early twenties! If we stood together, others would definitely only think that we¡¯re sisters, not mother and daughter!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t stopplimenting her mother as she clutched onto her arm.


    Yu Xiaolian wore a light blue Qi-style attire underneath a light yellow jacket. Fox fur had been sewn at the hem of her cor and sleeves, making her seem youthful and cute. Hearing Xiaocao¡¯spliments, she also chipped in, ¡°You see, Mother! Don¡¯t you trust Youngest Sister¡¯s beauty standards?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw her gleeful father at one side and smiled, ¡°Mother! You really look good wearing this. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask Father!¡±


    Yu Hai¡¯s eyes lingered on his wife for a long time and, upon hearing this, grinned, ¡°Beautiful, you look really beautiful! You¡¯re as beautiful as when I first met you!¡±


    Madam Liu¡¯s face flushed with color when she heard his words. She nced at her daughters who were smilingly watching them and embarrassedly red at her husband, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?! Are you not afraid that the kids willugh? Let¡¯s leave now, best not to let our adopted family wait for too long!¡±


    Madam Liu and her two daughters got into a horse carriage, while Yu Hai and Yu Hang each rode on a horse a small distance behind Royal Prince Yang. The three of them would asionally softly exchange a few words.


    Zhenxiu Restaurant had opened branches in both the east and west side of the capital. The east was where the wealthy people lived, whereas esteemed families would live in the west of the city. During the development of the capital in the previous dynasty, the officials would choose to live in the western side of the capital to make it easier for the emperor to summon them. The residence that Xiaocao bought could also be considered as the residence of an official of the previous dynasty. It was bought by Assistant Minister Li after he moved to the capital for his duties. As such, it was only a few minutes away from the Zhenxiu Restaurant at the west side of the city.


    Third Young Master Zhou, Zhou Zixu, was currently discussing certain matters with the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant. He had arrived early and waited at the restaurant¡¯s entrance as he heard that General Fang was holding a weing feast for the Yu Family today. From afar, he saw Royal Prince Yang atop his horse and beside him were both the father and son of the Yu Family. Then, his gaze moved to the horse carriage that followed behind them and smiled as he went up to greet them, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you, Royal Prince Yang!¡±


    Royal Prince Yang had already somewhat sensed Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s feelings towards Xiaocao, so he only coldly grunted before he led thepany into the restaurant. Zhou Zixu knew that the well-known Royal Prince Yang had always been cold and aloof, so he did not take his response to heart. Instead, he turned to Yu Hai and ardently said, ¡°Uncle Yu, it¡¯s been a long time since west met. I didn¡¯t think that I would meet fellow vigers in the capital. This is also a kind of fate. Let me show my filial piety by treating you to this meal...¡±


    ¡°Zhou Family¡¯s little brat, didn¡¯t I say this meal is my treat? What are you doing, cutting in? Brother Dahai and his family will be staying in the capital until after New Year, will you be unable to find a chance to treat them to a meal?¡± Fang Zizhen angrily scolded Third Young Master Zhou when he came down from a private room upstairs and overheard his words.


    Zhou Zixu hurriedly rectified, ¡°It¡¯s myck of thorough consideration. How about this, on the sixteenth of thest month of the year, I¡¯ll treat both Uncle Yu and General Fang¡¯s families to a meal. Please be sure to honor me!¡±


    ¡®The sixteenth ofthest month of the year? That¡¯d be three days from now. This little brat is quite considerate. The Yu Household would¡¯ve had enough time to settle into their new home and rest in three days.¡¯ Fang Zizhen boldly patted his shoulders, ¡°Alright! I agree on behalf of Brother Dahai. Now hurry, bring out the good wine and dishes, don¡¯t let our esteemed guests wait!¡±


    ¡°How could I? Uncle Yu is like my elder...¡± Zhou Zixu trailed off when he caught sight of a small, familiar figure stepping down from the horse carriage, and his face immediately lit up.


    Xiaocao and Xiaolian were helped down first. The apanying Wutong and Qing¡¯er, learning from the morning¡¯s lesson, rushed to help their mistresses don their cloaks. The two extremely simr girls then reached out to a beautiful woman in her thirties and helped her down the horse carriage. The scene was quite pleasing to the eye.


    ¡°Oh? Your Imperial Majesty, isn¡¯t that the newly titled feudal princess, Miss Yu, down there?¡± Sitting by the window, Su Ran still had the heart to appreciate the view even on such a cold day. His eyes shone with surprise as hemented to the emperor who hade out in in clothes to have a change of pte.


    Zhu Junfan stood up and walked over. He hesitated for a moment when he saw two girls that looked almost the same, and said with uncertainty, ¡°That...Yu Xiaocao is the one wearing the rose-colored jacket, right?¡±


    Although the two little misses looked extremely simr and even their height and postures were about the same, Su Ran was still able to recognize Yu Xiaocao at one nce. Her clear gaze and animated expressions gave her away. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty is wise.¡±


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao actually has a twin sister? We heard that many among themon folk would send away one twin when they were born for fear that they wouldn¡¯t be able to raise the both of them together. Either that, or they would drown one of them. Is that the truth?¡± Zhu Junfan¡¯s eyebrows creased together. This was all because of poverty!


    Su Ran thought about it and said, ¡°There are some that send away or drown their child, but because the conditions of most families aren¡¯t good, often times, the milk of the mother isn¡¯t enough to sustain two children, so they can only choose one to feed, while the other¡¯s survival would depend solely on divine will, as its own body would be weak and frail.¡±


    ¡°Ai... Giving birth to twins was such a joyous asion in the future, but our people... When can we truly be a strong country with prosperous people?¡± Zhu Junfan mumbled to himself, upset about these circumstances.

 Chapter 485 – Opportunity Presented Itself

    <h4>Chapter 485 ¨C Opportunity Presented Itself</h4>


    ¡°However, Yu Xiaocao and her sister are quite fortunate!¡± Seeing that the entire Yu Family had already entered the restaurant, Zhu Junfan returned to his seat and continued to tuck into Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s delicacies.


    Su Ran shook his head, ¡°When Miss Yu was born, she was very weak and frail. There were several times when she almost died! Her grandmother was very miserly, unwilling to spend money for treatment when the children were sick, so they all had to endure through it. That time, if it weren¡¯t for her father, who went to borrow some money from their rtives for her to see a physician, I really can¡¯t tell if she would be able to live until today.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s hidden guards had already done a thorough check on her background when he first decided to ce her in an important position. Which meant that in front of the emperor, any privacy of hers could no longer be considered as a privacy anymore.


    Zhu Junfan was aware that the thing that changed Yu Xiaocao¡¯s fate was that small, in stone. He would be lying if he said he was not tempted, but everything had their own fate. Even if he stole the multicolored stone from her, he would not necessarily be able to use it to its full potential. It was not his style to ruin the present situation for an unknown result. Why not temporarily let the littless keep it, since technically, he was still able to use it, no?


    ¡°Beloved Official Yu and her family had just arrived in the capital yesterday. As the emperor, should I do something?¡± As such, under Su Ran¡¯s clear gaze, Zhu Junfan stood up and leisurely knocked on the door to the private room that General Fang had booked.


    The person who opened the door was Royal Prince Yang¡¯s personal bodyguard. Seeing a dignified, handsome face that was somewhat simr to his master¡¯s, Dong Dali¡¯s face twitched, his voice sounding like someone was strangling him, ¡°M-Master, H-His...¡±


    Royal Prince Yang¡¯s response was, ¡°Speak properly! I don¡¯t keep stutterers around. What this...Your Imperial Majesty, how are you here? And you only brought along Su Ran? Aren¡¯t you a little too bold?¡±


    ¡°We only found out today that our little cousin actually speaks so much! We didn¡¯te here for you, we came here for Beloved Official Yu¡¯s weing feast! What about it? You don¡¯t wee us?¡± The emperor stepped into the room with Su Ran following behind him, closing the door. It was fortunate that there were only private rooms on the second floor. All of the other customers were behind closed doors and did not notice what had urred.


    Everyone in the room stood up immediately after they heard Royal Prince Yang call out ¡®Your Imperial Majesty¡¯. Fang Zizhen was about to lead the rest to bow to him when he saw him clearly, but Zhu Junfan stopped him, ¡°We¡¯vee out in in clothes today, there¡¯s no need for such courtesies. Please, sit!¡±


    ¡®You must be joking, who would dare sit down before you did?¡¯ Fang Zizhen hurriedly offered the main seat and personally invited the emperor to take his seat.


    Zhu Junfan looked at the entire table of untouched dishes and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s still Mingzhe¡¯s who is more reputable and able to order all of the limited quantity, signature dishes of Zhenxiu Restaurant. We were just next door, but we didn¡¯t get the same treatment!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, this official...¡± Who would dare im to be even more important than the emperor? Cold sweat formed on Fang Zizhen¡¯s back when he heard this, as he stood stiffly, not knowing how to respond to the emperor¡¯s words.


    ¡°Why are all of you standing? Hurry, sit down and eat, the dishes are getting cold!¡± The culprit acted as if nothing had happened and picked up his chopsticks, digging into the boiled meat slices that he liked very much. When he tried to order this dish earlier, the waiter had informed him that they were all booked out. Hmph! If he wasn¡¯t afraid of revealing his identity, then he really wanted to use his authority to oppress them.


    This was the second time the Yu Household¡ªaside from Yu Hai and Xiaocao¡ªmet the emperor. However, he had not revealed his true identity the first time and only pretended that he was the heir of Prince Jing, so they were taken by surprise by his sudden arrival. For a moment, they were unsure of what they should do and whether they should dig in.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you all eating? Is it because the dishes aren¡¯t to your tastes?¡± Third Young Master Zhou asked, puzzled, when he personally brought in a te of spicy chicken pieces to the room but saw that no one was eating.


    ¡°Spicy chicken pieces? This one is good!¡± In his previous life, Zhu Junfan originated from Sichuan, and loved to eat any and all that was spicy. He had not had a taste of his hometown¡¯s dishes for more than twenty years, so naturally, he was full ofpliments when he saw that there were quite a few Sichuan dishes on the table.


    ¡°And this is?¡± Even though Third Young Master Zhou was the future head of the Zhou Family, he still did not qualify to meet the emperor. As such, he was unable to identify the person in front of him and only felt that he looked familiar.


    Fearing trouble, Zhu Junfan shot everyone else a warning nce, ¡°I¡¯m Zhu Junyang¡¯s paternal cousin. I happened upon them here earlier and it was like the saying, ¡®a chance encounter is better than an invitation¡¯, so I shamelessly followed to take part in Official Yu¡¯s weing feast.¡±


    Royal Prince Yang¡¯s paternal cousin? That meant he was also part of the nobility. When he saw Chief Steward Su Ran who stood behind the emperor, Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s heart trembled. The one person, who could have the head steward court eunuch personally attend to him, and was also simultaneously Royal Prince Yang¡¯s paternal cousin, could only be...it could only be that person! Should he kneel and greet the emperor? Third Young Master Zhou was extremely undecided.


    ¡°Su Ran, what are you foolishly standing about for? Find a spot and sit down. There¡¯s so many good dishes you usually might not even be able to taste!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou squeezed out a smile as he said, ¡°You...this is the top membership card of thismoner¡¯s restaurant. If you desire toe and have a meal here in the future, you need only show this card and you may order whatever dish you like. We¡¯ll even give you a 50 percent discount.¡±


    He actually took the idea for membership cards from Yu Xiaocao, and made only ten of these top membership cards. It was really this restaurant¡¯s and the Zhou Family¡¯s honor if the emperor would ept this card.


    ¡°You¡¯re much more dexterous than your eldest uncle, little brat! The Zhou Family has a capable sessor!¡± Zhu Junfan did not care whether he got the fifty percent discount or not, since his private treasury was currently full, but the temptation of being able to order whatever he wanted, including the limited quantity dishes, was very strong.


    ¡°Your dishes are very authentic! Very good, very good!¡± Zhu Junyang praised generously while he dug in.


    Third Young Master Zhou was exuberant, ¡°Thank you for yourpliments! What else would you like to eat? Please, order as you like. There¡¯s no need to be courteous, just take it as a gift from this small restaurant...¡±


    ¡°Sichuan poached fish in chili sauce, m tofu, steamed chicken with chili sauce, duck¡¯s blood and beef tripe in spicy soup, sliced beef and offal in chili sauce...¡± Zhu Junfan was not courteous at all. In a single breath, he had ordered multiple delicious Sichuan-style dishes. It wasn¡¯t often that he was able to leave the imperial pce, so he must eat until he was satisfied!


    Third Young Master Zhou felt troubled when he heard the orders, and looked pleadingly at Yu Xiaocao, stuttering, ¡°Your...Our small restaurant serves Sichuan poached fish in chili sauce and m tofu, but thismoner has never heard of steamed chicken with chili sauce, duck¡¯s blood and beef tripe in spicy soup, sliced beef and offal in chili sauce...¡±


    Zhu Junfan red at him, harrumphing, ¡°You¡¯re so inflexible! Even if you¡¯ve never heard of it, the person who taught you Sichuan poached fish in chili sauce and boiled meat slices would definitely have heard of it before! How is Sichuan cuisineplete without m duck¡¯s blood and sliced beef and offal in chili sauce?¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, you see...¡± Third Young Master Zhou was forced to seek help from Yu Xiaocao. However, he had ns to introduce a few new dishes for New Year¡¯s, and he was already discussing this matter with the manager. It would be great if he could take advantage of this opportunity and get a few precious recipes from Xiaocao.


    Zhu Junfan knocked his chopsticks on his te in order to get his attention and said, ¡°Really, if you want someone to help you earn money, who¡¯d do it if you didn¡¯t give them any benefits?¡±


    Zhou Zixu was also quite bold. He grit his teeth and said, ¡°Xiaocao, if you provide Zhenxiu Restaurant with a few new recipes every year, I¡¯ll give you one share of this Zhenxiu Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Only this restaurant, or all of the Zhenxiu Restaurant branches?¡± Zhu Junyang was aware that the Zhou Family had opened Zhenxiu Restaurant branches in other prosperous cities in Jiangnan. As Zhenxiu Restaurant was most likely going to be the Zhou Family¡¯s main business in the future and open branches all over the country, he thought to gain some benefits from them for his little acquisitivess.


    Third Young Master Zhou threw caution to the wind and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten percent of all the Zhenxiu Restaurants¡¯ profits!¡±


    It was good to have a strong backing. Even if Yu Xiaocao ran out of recipes in the future, just based on her rtionship with Royal Prince Yang and the fact that she had the emperor¡¯s favor, she was already the backing that Zhenxiu Restaurant and the Zhou Family could only hope for. It should be known that although the Zhou Family were imperial merchants, they still faced difficulty in establishing their name in the capital these past two years without a proper backing. If it weren¡¯t because Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s dishes were too good, then it probably would have already been taken over by other well-established restaurants with a strong backing.


    Even if Yu Xiaocao was notcking money, her eyes still lit up when she heard him promise ten percent of the profits of all Zhenxiu Restaurants. Moreover, his request was not very demanding¡ªonly a few recipes a year, not to mention, if Zhenxiu Restaurant earned more money, her share in the profits would also increase!


    She was already feeling extremely blissful in her heart, yet Yu Xiaocao showed only a face full of resignation as she stood up. She looked at the emperor who was stuffing himself with the dishes on the table and sighed, ¡°Indeed, I know how to make steamed chicken with chili sauce, duck¡¯s blood and beef tripe in spicy soup, sliced beef and offal in chili sauce. Since there¡¯s no time like the present, I¡¯ll provide you with the recipes for these three dishes today.¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou had expected as much. Yu Xiaocao was definitely his lucky star. It was too bad that Royal Prince Yang, who was always by her side, always kept a watchful eye. If he could marry her and make her the wife of the Head of Zhou Family, it would definitely be a blessing to the entire Zhou Family! But it was toote now. Third Young Master Zhou felt somewhat regretful as he led Yu Xiaocao to the kitchen.


    When they heard that the proprietor had brought in a teenage girl to teach them a few dishes, the cooks in the kitchen felt a little displeased, but the proprietor was still watching from the side, so they could only pause their work and gather around.


    However, their view of her immediately changed when they had a taste of the te of steamed chicken with chili sauce that she made. The cooks present were all experienced people, so after watching her make the dish once, they already understood most of the steps to creating the same dish. Moreover, Xiaocao had the intention to teach them, and even patiently repeated several key points to the recipe. The ten main cooks of the capital¡¯s western Zhenxiu Restaurant branch were quick to grasp the main points and created steamed chicken with chili sauce that did not lose to Yu Xiaocao¡¯s at all!


    ¡°Give out free steamed chicken with chili sauce dishes to every customer dining in private rooms on the second floor today. From tomorrow onward, steamed chicken with chili sauce will officially be one of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s limited quantity dishes. The limited quantity will be twenty sets per day!¡± Third Young Master Zhou personally served the one that Yu Xiaocao made to General Fang¡¯s private room on the second floor. Were you kidding? He absolutely must serve the man at the highest point of the Great Ming Dynasty with the best.


    The ten main cooks of the kitchen did not feel contemptuous anymore, and instead looked at Xiaocao with a burning passion, waiting for her to teach them the recipe of the second dish. Sliced beef and offal in chili sauce and duck¡¯s blood and beef tripe in spicy soup both required fresh duck¡¯s blood and offal, but Zhenxiu Restaurant imported their braised meat and offal from the Yu Family¡¯s braised food store, and as such, their kitchen did not have the required ingredients.


    However, Zhenxiu Restaurant was able to achieve its current sess because it had its resources, and all the ingredients that Yu Xiaocao required were brought to her very quickly. Yu Xiaocao rolled up her sleeves and was about to start cooking when suddenly, she heard a familiar voice shout, ¡°Wait! Wait a second!¡±

 Chapter 486 – Destined for a Life of Labor

    <h4>Chapter 486 ¨C Destined for a Life of Labor</h4>


    They paused only to see a plump figure nimbly squeeze through the crowd of cooks and appear at Xiaocao¡¯s side. He used his chubby palm to wipe the sweat on his face as he panted, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, you¡¯ve already finished teaching them the recipe to a dish? That¡¯s not fair, why didn¡¯t you wait for me, Fatty Wang!¡±


    Pitiful him. When he received news of this, he immediately took a horse carriage and rushed over from the eastern branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant. He was in such a hurry that he still sweat a lot despite it being a cold, winter day. During the entire journey, he kept rushing the driver, but even so, he still missed a dish. Head Chef Wang¡¯s expression looked like he wanted to burst into tears.


    The other chefs that he had pushed to the side could only suppress their annoyance, as Head Chef Wang ranked elder in Zhenxiu Restaurant. His culinary skills were extraordinary, and he was the exemry chef among all the chefs. Many of the chefs present had been mentored by him before, so they could only swallow their discontent as he took up the best spot.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled, looking at this familiar person who had grown plumper and said, ¡°Head Chef Wang, it¡¯s currently lunchtime, is it really good for you to just ditch the whole kitchen ande here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better if Ie here alone. It¡¯s much better than iif a whole group of people ditched the customerspletely! The chefs in the eastern branch are more than capable, so it doesn¡¯t matter whether I¡¯m there or not! Now, which step are you at? Don¡¯t stop, I, Old Wang, am still waiting to learn so I can go back and show my skills to the customers!¡± Head Chef Wang was still so carefree.


    Yu Xiaocao pointed towards the chopped ingredients on the cutting board, ¡°This dish is called duck¡¯s blood and beef tripe in spicy soup. The soup is bright red, fragrant, spicy and thick. It¡¯s suited to be served during the start of the year.¡±


    Head Chef Wang turned his gaze to the cutting board and whoa, that was a lot of ingredients! He counted duck¡¯s blood, swamp eel, tripe, streaky bacon, ham, squid, sea cucumber...Wait a second, what were these ingredients? Why had he never seen them before?


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the ingredients Head Chef Wang was curiously looking at and smiled, ¡°This is called ¡®yellow throat¡¯. It¡¯s a main blood vessel at the heart of livestock like pigs and cows. It¡¯s very nutritious and the texture is crisp.¡±


    This time, Yu Xiaocao was making top quality duck¡¯s blood and beef tripe in spicy soup, so she was very demanding when it came to the quality of the ingredients. However, for such a big restaurant like Zhenxiu Restaurant, they still had a lot of stores in their kitchen.


    She poured chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorn, ginger, garlic, and the Zhou Family¡¯s factory¡¯s chili bean sauce into the warmed peanut oil and stir-fried the ingredients on low heat until it was fragrant. Then, when the soup was ready, she fished out the whole spices and added seasonings like MSG, sugar and vinegar into it. After that, she sliced, diced and nched the main auxiliary ingredients and added them to the boiling red soup. Once the soup was done, she poured it into a vessel and sprinkled spring onions on top. Then, she heated more oil, added the Sichuan peppercorn and chili peppers and fried them until they were fragrant, and quickly poured the oil onto the soup that was ready.


    The process seemed simple, but the actual creation of the dish was not so simple. It was a good thing that all the chefs had more than ten years of experience in the culinary arts, so they quickly mastered the techniques and sessfully made a pot of duck¡¯s blood and tripe in spicy soup. Yu Xiaocao tried the result of their cooking and indeed, the older ginger was spicier¡ªHead Chef Wang made the most authentic dish. The other chefs¡¯ dishes were also quite good.


    After Third Young Master Zhou served the steamed chicken with chili sauce which received the emperor¡¯spliments, he hurried downstairs and waited in the kitchen. Once he saw anotherpleted dish, he immediately said, ¡°Let the waiters go to the private rooms and promote today¡¯s new dish. Duck¡¯s blood and tripe in spicy soup, priced at 88 taels and only limited to 10 sets per day!¡±


    Except for the one that he had taken away, there were exactly ten sets of m duck¡¯s blood that the chefs in the kitchen had made as practice. Xiaocao disdainfully looked at him, ¡®Cunning businessman¡ª¡ªif he isn¡¯t cunning, he isn¡¯t a businessman!¡¯


    The ingredients required for the sliced beef and beef offal in chili sauce were a little more troublesome. It was made by braising cow¡¯s head¡¯s skin, heart, tongue, stomach and meat as its main ingredients, but in this era, cattle were the mainborers in paddy fields, so if the ntation owner was able to rear a cow, it was equivalent to owning a tractor in the future. Who would kill their cows to eat? The beef soldmercially were all from old or wounded cows that were dmissioned frombor. They could only be found but never sought. Fortunately, Zhenxiu Restaurant was quite efficient in sourcing ingredients and actually met with one of these urrences.


    As it was a braising process, it would naturally take a longer time to make sliced beef and beef offal in chili sauce. Yu Xiaocao had Third Young Master Zhou inform the emperor that he would not be able to have the dish for lunch, and would need to return at night in order to enjoy the dish.


    The chefs did not care how much work it took, as only when they had mastered the dish could it be theirs. They had already heard from Head Chef Wang that this young girl in front of them was extraordinary, and many of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s signature dishes came from recipes that she had provided. Hehe! Indeed, cooking still required talent. Just look at her, even if one started learning in his mother¡¯s womb, he might still not have the years of skill and experience that they had when he reached her age, but every single dish that passed through her hands came out extraordinarily delicious!


    The chefs perked up and watched as Xiaocao cut the beef into pieces and washed them clean along with the cow parts (cow¡¯s tongue, heart, head¡¯s skin, stomach). She then used seasonings like spices, salt and Sichuan peppercorn to braise them. First, she used arge, zing fire to bring it to a boil before switching to a small fire, braising the meat until it was tender and soft yet still held together. Then, she lifted the meat out and allowed it to dry before slicing it intorge, thin slices forter use. She used auxiliary ingredients such as chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn powder, roasted sesame seeds and roasted peanuts to make red oil that she then poured onto the meat. The finished dish looked bright and appetizing, emitting a strong and spicy aroma while the meat was tender and fresh.


    It was already halfway through the afternoon when all of the chefs had mastered these three dishes. All of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s customers had already left, and although the emperor had not been able to taste the beef slices and beef offal in chili sauce that he had longed for, he was still very pleased with the other two dishes. He, too, left, leaving behind the nervously trembling Yu Family who had not dared to touch their chopsticks and the host, Fang Zizhen. The dishes on the table had already gone cold, so Third Young Master Zhou had arranged for the kitchen to cook them a new set of dishes, and only then were they able to eat their fill.


    The most pitiful of them all was Yu Xiaocao. She hadn¡¯t eaten much in the morning, then personally gave the chefs a culinary lesson at noon, so in the afternoon she was so starved she nearly copsed. Head Chef Wang pitied her, so he made her a bowl of golden string noodles in chicken soup and she was finally able to fill her stomach eating that paired with the freshly made beef slices and beef offal in chili sauce.


    When she returned to the private room on the second floor, everyone was drinking tea and having dessert as they waited for her. Zhu Junyang saw her enter and asked, ¡°You must be tired. Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Will the kitchen be short of food? But once I get busy, I really forget anything. I¡¯ve only had a bowl of noodles...¡± Yu Xiaocao unceremoniously dropped into a chair¡ªit was too tiring!


    ¡°This...what is this!¡± Fang Zizhen pitied his daughter, but he did not dare toin about the emperor out loud and could only sigh, ¡°All of us had not been able to enjoy ourselves this afternoon, let¡¯s continue this evening and thoroughly enjoy ourselves?¡±


    Yu Hai also felt ufortable seeing that his daughter had been busy for the entire afternoon and shook his head, saying, ¡°Maybe another day! We¡¯ve journeyed for days and haven¡¯t had enough rest yesterday. Cao¡¯er has also been busy for nearly half a day, so we¡¯ll gather together some other day.¡±


    ¡°Brother Dahai is right, I¡¯ve been careless in my consideration! Oh right, I heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant has a booked reunion dinner event. How about we have our New Year¡¯s Eve reunion dinner together, the two of our families? It¡¯d be merry!¡± Fang Zizhen suggested.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Yu Hai was unwilling to let his daughter celebrate New Year¡¯s with the Fang Family, since they had only 3 people, but if he kept her with his family, the Fang Household would definitely feel cold and empty. Why not have the two families celebrate together, so that it would be bustling and everyone was happy?


    Once they were home, Yu Xiaocao slept like a log, and could only force herself to stay awake when she woke up the next day and went to do her rounds at the imperial ntation with Zhu Junyang apanying her. The winter wheat grew very well, and the greenhouse was also well taken care of. The new batch of green, leafy vegetables was already being sold, while the others would follow some time before New Year¡¯s. Only now was Yu Xiaocao¡¯s worries put to rest.


    She followed Zhu Junyang to the neighboring farmstead and pointed to the hill at the back of the ntation, saying, ¡°Have you found the seeds I asked you to? Additionally, you have to find more experienced flower farmers. I n to grow many varieties of flora on this few hundred mu of wide slopingnd.¡±


    Zhu Junyang silently held her cold and soft hands and blew a breath of hot air on them as he replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I guarantee that I¡¯ll do a satisfactory job! But since you¡¯re in a hurry for these rose flower seeds, the quantity might not be a lot, and at most will be about three to four mu?¡±


    ¡°Three to four mu will be fine, at least it¡¯s better than nothing. What about the forget-me-not flower seeds? I heard that they have them in the Persian Empire. Your voyage fleet should pass by there.¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at him with her eyes filled with trust.


    When she was looking at him with such an expectant gaze, Zhu Junyang naturally wouldn¡¯t bear to see her disappointed, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a messenger dove to them. When they return at the beginning of spring, they will probably be able to bring back a lot! You rarely go out, how do you know these things?¡±


    He was well aware that Xiaocao had secrets, but he had never intended to prod and only asked casually. However, Yu Xiaocao panicked, inwardly berating herself for not being careful. Sheughed drily, ¡°I saw it in a book of peculiar things that I had procured by chance. I can¡¯t be sure if it¡¯s real, but why not try? Since your fleet is also passing by!¡±


    Zhu Junyang watched the littless¡¯s panicked expression andughed, ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. The fleet belongs to the court, I¡¯m only helping them manage it. However, the westerners have many types of machinery that I think are quite interesting. When this fleet returns, I¡¯ll bring you there to pick those that you¡¯re interested in. There¡¯s a kind of clock that stands on the floor, and when the time reaches exactly the hour, a small bird wille out and tell the time. I think you¡¯ll like it! At that time, I¡¯ll give one to you.¡±


    ¡°Who gives others clocks as a gift?¡± Seeing that he did not linger on the previous topic, Yu Xiaocao recovered her animated expressions and rolled her eyes at him.


    Zhu Junyang raised his brows and asked, puzzled, ¡°Why can¡¯t I gift clocks? Is there a saying about it?¡±


    ¡°Giving a clock, giving a person his end! Isn¡¯t that inauspicious?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s expression was saying, ¡®You¡¯re such a simpleton¡¯, and it gave Zhu Junyang the urge to pinch her tender little face.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say ¡®give¡¯! Everything I own is yours, so you can go and take it yourself, does that work?¡± No one knew where he was learning this from, but Zhu Junyang was getting increasingly better at talking.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head. Suddenly, slyness shed in her eyes as she secretly giggled, ¡°Have you heard of ¡®three injunctions and four virtuous things to do¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Three Obediences and Four Virtues? Of course! But I¡¯m not so demanding of my wife, mmm... You¡¯re fine just the way you are!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s lips spoke as though they were coated with honey today.

 Chapter 487 – Dengtu Zi

    <h4>Chapter 487 ¨C Dengtu Zi</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a look that clearly said, ¡®you¡¯re missing the entire point here¡¯, and then exined, ¡°The so-called three injunctions and four virtuous [1] things to do I¡¯m talking about are the new standards that men are judged by. These are not the antiquated and old-fashioned three injunctions and four virtues [2] that you¡¯re thinking of!¡±


    Zhu Junyang showed that he was willing to listen with all ears open. Yu Xiaocao held back augh and said, ¡°Listen well. The so-called three injunctions are: One, you must follow your wife wherever she goes; Two, you must obey all of your wife¡¯smands; Three, you must obey your wife even if she¡¯s wrong. The four virtuous things to do are: One, you must wait when your wife is getting ready; Two, you must remember your wife¡¯s birthday; Three, you must endure your wife¡¯s scoldings; Four, you must be okay with your wife spending money.¡±


    Zhu Junyang pretended to be bbergasted when he saw the littless sniggering endlessly. He contemted her words for a bit and then said, ¡°This prince has thought over what you said and I believe I can adhere to this new version of the ¡®three injunctions and four virtuous things to do¡¯! Is there anything else you¡¯re dissatisfied with?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao revealed an astonished expression. Was Royal Prince Yang truly not a transmigrator ah? If any other man in this era heard such ¡®disgraceful and rebellious speech¡¯, she would have likely been scolded to death or be given an indignant and furious glower. Why did this fellow never react in the usual way?


    Once again, she started to reflect on the rtionship between the two of them. If the man in front of her had been switched out for any other man in this era, who firmly believed in the superiority of men over women, would she be able to endure it? Royal Prince Yang, on the other hand, was able to embrace every part of her. Even when she espoused extremely shocking views or did somethingpletely out of the ordinary, he still supported her wholeheartedly. Such a man would be hard to find even in the modern era. What was she still hesitating for then?


    Zhu Junyang suddenly sensed from the relieved smile on her face that something had changed. The rock in his heart fell down. The littless had finally decided to open her heart and ept him. It looked like she believed in his sincerity. Excitement surged within him and he abruptly stepped forward and swept Yu Xiaocao into her arms and lifted her high up. He eximed in tion, ¡°I¡¯m so happy! All of a sudden I feel like a hundred flowers are blooming and a hundred birds are singing in joy! This prince is too ted today!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out a scream out of shock when she was suddenly held and lifted up high. She cried out and forcefully hit Zhu Junyang¡¯s arm as she sputtered in displeasure and amusement, ¡°What is wrong with you? Quickly put me down! My head¡¯s dizzy and I¡¯m afraid of heights...¡±


    Zhu Junyang revealed a grin that was somewhat childish and foolish as he said, ¡°Xiaocao, today is a special day. This prince will never forget it! Don¡¯t worry, this prince will be able to follow the ¡®three injunctions and four virtuous things to do¡¯ to a T. Even if my hair turnspletely white and I¡¯m covered with wrinkles, I will go out with you whenever you go out. Any money you spend, I will give to you and I won¡¯t ever let you get bullied or pushed around!¡±


    Head Steward Liu and Bodyguard Dong Dali ran over to see what was going on when they heard Yu Xiaocao cry out. Due to their hurry, they identally overheard their master¡¯s sweet and corny confession. It was so corny that they almost didn¡¯t know what to do with themselves. Dong Dali had an odd expression on his face as he thought, ¡®Oh my goodness, apparently you were this kind of master!¡¯


    Head Steward Liu had long gotten used to his master¡¯s weird antics and was afraid that this uncouth youngster might ruin his master¡¯s good situation. He forcefully dragged Dong Dali away. ¡®Master, this old servant can only help you this much!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao, who had just been ced on the ground again, wasn¡¯t even able to stand up straight before she was pulled into a warm and sweet-smelling chest. Her face turned bright red as she lightly sniffed. Everyone said that ancient men didn¡¯t like to bathe, which caused them to have a weird and off-putting odor on their bodies. Her man, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to have this problem! He didn¡¯t have any body odor to speak of and his clothes even seemed to have a natural appealing scenting off of them. This was the type of aroma she liked!


    Suddenly, her chin was grasped by arge, warm and gentle hand. Her face, which had been buried in her man¡¯s chest, was softly turned up. She looked up and fell into those seductive phoenix eyes. His eyes seemed to be as deep as the vast ocean and as boundless as the night sky. Within them seemed to be stars shing with brilliant light and it was enough to steal a person¡¯s soul away from them.


    That bewitchingly handsome face of his was getting closer and closer to her. Yu Xiaocao, who had never eaten pork before and only saw pigs running away, started to panic within her heart. Was her first kiss in her two lifetimes about to be taken away like that? So embarrassing, so nerve wracking, what should she do?


    Wutong and Yingchun, who had followed over in the carriage, had originally been standing far away. When they heard their master cry out in rm, they ran over. Unexpectedly, they came across the master being tightly hugged by a man. Heavens above! The young miss was being insulted! Yingchun pushed her sleeves up in preparation to run forward but was stopped by Wutong pulling on her sleeve, ¡°That¡¯s Royal Prince Yang. If we go over now, we¡¯ll be killed instantly!¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t mean we should just watch while the young miss is getting bullied ah! Young Miss hasn¡¯t even turned thirteen. If Royal Prince Yang takes her innocence now, then even if she marries into Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s family in the future, no one will respect her! Older Sister Wutong, you¡¯re still too selfish, which is why the young miss has been ignoring you!¡± Yingchun spoke before she thought and couldn¡¯t care less about Wutong¡¯s feelings. She needed to throw off the other girl to ¡®save¡¯ her young miss!


    Wutong¡¯s expression changed but she still refused to let go of Yingchun¡¯s sleeve. She exined her reasoning, ¡°I¡¯m not abandoning the young miss to save my own skin! Use your brain a little, okay? If we rush up like this, what if Royal Prince Yang blows up out of rage and does something out of the ordinary and ends up harming our young miss? Please, use that brain of yours! If you act impetuously without thinking, you won¡¯t even be able to help the young miss and may actually end up harming her!!¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think we should do?¡± Yingchun felt like her head was about to explode and was so worried that tears almost streamed down her face.


    ¡°I have an idea! Isn¡¯t Xichun on the farmstead helping to manage the greenhouse pavilions? Go find her and have her im that there¡¯s something that she needs the young miss to look over!¡± In a moment of desperation, Wutong came up with a n that wasn¡¯t too shabby.


    Yingchun nodded her head and gave Wutong an apologetic look. She didn¡¯t have the time to properly apologize as she sped off toplete her mission. She was praying that she would be fast enough to bring Older Sister Xichun over to save the day before that Dengtu Zi [3] , Royal Prince Yang, did something that was unthinkable.


    The two maidservants thought that they were being quite discreet but they would have never thought that every word and action they said and did had already been heard by Zhu Junyang through his special ability. He nced at the littless¡¯s bright red little face, bashful expression, and watery doe-like eyes...he felt a bit regretful. Why did those two meddlesome maidservants have to be so loyal? They ruined his opportunity! However, he also felt gratified and happy that Xiaocao had such loyal maidservants by her side.


    The little red mouth in front of him seemed to be crying out ¡®kiss me ah¡¯ ¡®kiss me ah¡¯! He really wished he could go up and take a nibble but the sounds of hurried footsteps from the farmstead were getting closer and closer. He needed to think of his image in the littless¡¯s maids. For his future, he resisted the tempting urge and bypassed this chance.


    If he had kissed her in front of the maids, then, in the future, it was likely it wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to see Xiaocao! Right now, he was able toe and go as he pleased from the Fang and Yu Residences. One reason was because they were giving way for his royal prince title but the other reason was that he had never overstepped the bounds of propriety before. He couldn¡¯t break the trust of other people and be the stumbling block in their rtionship now!


    Those beautiful looking lips were just about to meet her own when they stopped and then slowly backed away. This made Xiaocao simultaneously feel relieved and a bit at loss.


    Zhu Junyang lightly chuckled and said, ¡°You¡¯re still too young. I have enough patience to wait for you to grow up. On the day that you be my fianc¨¦e, I will make sure to satisfy your desires¡ª¡ªyour loyal and anxious maidservants havee over. If I don¡¯t let you go know, then I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll view me as their enemy! The future is long, so no need to be in a rush!¡±


    ¡®Just who was in a rush?!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face turned an even brighter shade of red and she leveled a fierce re at him before she forcefully pushed him away. What a loathsome fellow! Not only did he try to take advantage of her but he also had to say such provoking words! One couldn¡¯t lose one¡¯s guard against men. It was too easy to be taken advantage of by them!


    ¡°Young Miss, you are okay, right?!¡± Yingchun dragged Xichun along as she pelted down the road. She huffed and puffed as she stood in front of her young miss. She first inspected her young miss from head to toe and then puffed up her cheeks to eye Zhu Junyang warily as she inquired after her mistress.


    Wutong hurried forward to pull the other girl back as she smiled, ¡°Young Miss, Xichun came across a bit of difficulty when going over the ounts, so she wanted you to help look at them!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something off about the ounts?¡± Xiaocao had personally taught Xichun how to record and bnce the ount books. In fact, she had taught the maid how to use Arabic numerals and other ounting methods from the modern world, so most people in this era had no idea how to use it. Xiaocao swallowed the maids¡¯ white lie easily and looked at Xichun, ¡°Where are the ount books ah? Didn¡¯t you want me to take a look at them?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Xichun was previously busy going over the ount books at the year¡¯s end and had been dragged over by Yingchun without even knowing what was going on. She currently had a stupefied look on her face, ¡®Was someone going to tell her what was going on? What was she supposed to say now?¡¯


    Wutong hurriedly gave her a look and smiled to smooth things over, ¡°Young Miss, it¡¯s cold out and the ground is frozen. You¡¯ve already spent so much time outside. How about you go into the building on the farmstead, warm up next to a brazier, and drink some piping hot tea to thaw yourself? It won¡¯t be toote to look at the ount books then.¡±


    Earlier, she had been in Zhu Junyang¡¯s arms and was against his nice, warm chest that felt like a furnace, so she didn¡¯t feel cold at all. Now, after hearing Wutong mention it, she finally noticed the winter wind ¡®whooshing¡¯ around her. Although her outer cloak was thick, it wasn¡¯t able to block all of the wind from her. Wutong¡¯s proposal made perfect sense to her. She didn¡¯t even look at Zhu Junyang as she headed towards the building on the farmstead.


    Zhu Junyang followed closely behind. The paths between the fields were wide enough to allow two people to walk side by side without touching each other. Thus, the two of them had left the other three maidservants inadvertently behind them. He lowered his head to look at the littless who still looked a bit sulky to quietly say, ¡°Your three maidservants are all pretty good!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, hmph!¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t willing to pay any attention to him but she couldn¡¯t help but proudly remark, ¡°Of course, you need to see who their mistress is!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes! You have the best eye for people and you are the greatest. No one else can surpass you, is that right?¡± Zhu Junyang humored the littless good naturedly.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t the type of person to stay arrogant and ignore another person. Furthermore, despite his royal status, the prince never tried to make her feel below him. In fact, he always endured her little tantrums so the anger in her heart subsided considerably. She rolled her eyes at him and used an arrogant tone to say, ¡°As long as you know! In the future, don¡¯t provoke me so much, otherwise, hmph hmph...¡±


    The three maidservants behind them were currently quietly discussing the previous situation. After Xichun heard the other two maids¡¯ exnations, she finally understood what was going on. Anyone who had eyes could see the regard and desire Royal Prince Yang had for their young miss.

 Chapter 488 – Infertility

    <h4>Chapter 488 ¨C Infertility</h4>


    At first, General Fang and his wife didn¡¯t think Royal Prince Yang was the best match for their daughter. However, Royal Prince Yang soon showed that his behavior had changed and always treated their daughter well. Now, they were willing to let nature take its course. As for the Yu Family, they seemed to approve of Royal Prince Yang more and more as time went on.


    However, Xichun still approved of what her two fellow maidservants did today. Prior to Xiaocao getting engaged, they absolutely needed to guard their young miss¡¯s innocence. They could not allow Royal Prince Yang get a single advantage off of her.


    After she entered the building on the farmstead, Yu Xiaocao answered a few questions that, in her mind, were all things she had taught Xichun long ago. Although she had some doubts in her heart, she didn¡¯t inquire further.


    Everything on the farmstead was going as usual. Even if she didn¡¯te over for a dozen days to check on things, it would still be smooth sailing. Winter had begun and it had already snowed twice. This meant that the winter wheat next year would definitely have a good harvest. The greenhouse pavilions were warmed perfectly by the heated walls, so the vegetables growing inside weren¡¯t the least bit influenced by the dropping temperatures outside. It absolutely wouldn¡¯t be a problem for them to supply more than half of the capital¡¯s needs for the New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner.


    On the day after she got back from the farmstead, Xiaocao had been invited to go to the grand princess royal¡¯s residence. He Wanning had long been waiting by the second gate for her. With her was the somewhat shy wife of the heir, who was also there to receive the guest.


    The two of them politely exchanged a few greetings before He Wanning linked arms with Xiaocao. She looked at Wutong, who was behind Xiaocao holding a familiar gift box, and the smile on her face became more brilliant, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, we made you work hard again. Only someone like you would be willing to bring cherry tomatoes as a greeting gift! They are valuable without being too ostentatious!¡±


    The term ¡®little or small tomatoes¡¯ didn¡¯t seem very elegant, so they were given a more pleasing name now and were considered ¡®cherry tomatoes¡¯. He Wanning wasn¡¯t wrong. People who sent cherry tomatoes as gifts to others only did so to the people they had rtively good rtionships with.


    Yu Xiaocao revealed a smile, ¡°Yesterday I went to the farmstead and picked a few while I was there. I know you like to eat fruits, so I not only brought some cherry tomatoes over but also picked a few watermelons and cantaloupes as well.¡±


    ¡°You personally picked these? Younger Sister Xiaocao, you told me a while ago that you would bring me and Older Sister Yuan to the farmstead to pick tomatoes. However, ever since winter started, you haven¡¯t said a word. You don¡¯t keep your promises! Tell me, how should I punish you?¡± He Wanning had long wanted to personally experience picking her own melons and tomatoes in the greenhouse pavilions at the farmstead. However, Xiaocao had been busy since winter started, and she wasn¡¯t shameless enough to bother the other person.


    Yu Xiaocao pondered this question and then replied, ¡°Punish me by making me help you grow some cherry tomatoes and strawberries in your family¡¯s greenhouse then. By the start of spring, they should be ready to eat. What do you think of that?¡±


    ¡°Okay ah, okay ah! I like this type of punishment!¡± If her own family had their own cherry tomato and strawberry nts, that naturally meant that she could pick them whenever she wanted to eat some. He Wanning apuded this idea with both hands.


    He Wanning¡¯s eldest sister-inw quietly watched these two young maidens talk to each other. She was quite gratified that the two of them had a good rtionship. If her younger sister-inw had a good rtionship with Godly Doctor Yu, then that naturally meant that Miss Yu would do her best to diagnose and treat her. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that, before long, she would also be able to have a cute and precocious son or daughter?


    Yu Xiaocao first stopped by the main courtyard to greet the grand princess royal. The grand princess royal looked a bit simr to the emperor emeritus but appeared somewhat younger. She was the youngest sister of the emperor emeritus and the two of them had an age gap of around eight to nine years!


    The grand princess royal treated Yu Xiaocao in a kindly manner that also seemed to have a hint of intimacy entwined in. It was as if she was interacting with one of her own direct descendents. This made Yu Xiaocao rx quite a bit. He Wanning¡¯s mother, Marchioness Anning, on the other hand, was a bit more spective as she inspected Xiaocao.


    After spending some time conversing idly with the two elders, Yu Xiaocao was then invited to the wife of the heir¡¯s courtyard. Thedy warmly weed Xiaocao.


    After exchanging courteous pleasantries, thedy finally couldn¡¯t beat around the bush anymore and she stated in a somewhat embarrassed manner, ¡°My issue...Wanning has already told you, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao slowly nodded her head and said, ¡°Please relieve your worries, mdy. With my rtionship with Older Sister He, I will do my best. I also mentioned that, in terms of infertility, there are many possible reasons. Some are caused from birth while others are from other reasons. The other issues tend to be easier to fix. With our current medical knowledge, the issues from birth are probably very hard to treat.¡±


    When the wife of the heir heard this, her eyes dimmed a bit and she sighed, ¡°I already know all of this. So many years had passed and I had already decided to ept fate. However, when I heard what had happened with Lady Fang, a sliver of hope appeared in me again. Miss Yu, don¡¯t worry. If you are able to fix this problem, then the He Household will all be grateful towards you. If you can¡¯t, then that is just fate...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t bear to look at her dispirited expression that had a hint of despair in it. She suggested that she feel the woman¡¯s pulse. Thedy easily handed her wrist over and before Xiaocao had even started, the multi-colored stone on her wrist subtly flickered and the little divine stone¡¯s voice appeared in her head, [There¡¯s no need to check. Her body is perfectly fine! No illness!!]


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand paused for a second but she continued to take the woman¡¯s pulse. It was just as the little divine stone said. The wife of the heir had a body that was more healthy than the vast majority of people, so she actually shouldn¡¯t be having problems with infertility. Then...did that mean that there was an issue with Heir Anning instead?


    ¡°How is it?¡± Thedy had a worried look in her eyes. It was clear that she desperately wanted to know but was also afraid of Xiaocao¡¯s answer, which all showed on her face.


    ¡°Your body has no problems, mdy. There¡¯s nothing stopping you from having children.¡± Yu Xiaocao stated the truth.


    The wife of the heir revealed a disappointed expression and lightly shook her head, ¡°All of those other doctors, famous ones and imperial physicians, said the same thing as Miss Yu. However, so many years have passed but there¡¯s been no quickening in my belly...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hesitated for a moment and then softly asked, ¡°You must know that infertility may not always be caused by an issue in the woman...¡±


    The wife of the heir smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to get at. It¡¯s been so many years and there¡¯s been no news from my abdomen. I¡¯ve seen many doctors and they all told me I have no problems. Someone also once mentioned that perhaps my lord husband had an issue instead. For the sake of his future heirs, my lord husband restrained his displeasure and also had the imperial physicians take his pulse¡ª¡ªeverything was normal! Not surprising, after all, as my lord husband has a concubine-born daughter now. How could he have an issue with his body? Sometimes I can¡¯t help but think, did Imit too many sins in my past life so in this life I¡¯m getting retribution and can¡¯t have children...¡±


    ¡°Eldest Sister-inw! You absolutely cannot think along those lines! Xiaocao also said that having children depends on fate and timing. Perhaps, you and my little nephew haven¡¯t reached the right timing yet. Look at Lady Fang, she¡¯s older than you by a dozen years but didn¡¯t she manage to birth Lin¡¯er without any issues at her age?¡± He Wanning had a good rtionship with this gentle and sweet eldest sister-inw of hers, so she couldn¡¯t help but try tofort the other woman.


    As for Yu Xiaocao, she had fallen into deep thought. Both husband and wife had no problems with their bodies yet they didn¡¯t have any children together. In her past life, she also knew of a couple who were like the heir and his wife. They had been married for a dozen years but had no children. They had gone to see doctors all over the ce but everyone told them the same thing: their bodies had no problems. Despite that, they still weren¡¯t able to have children. Later on, the couple was unable to endure the pressure and ended up divorcing. They both got remarried and had children from those second marriages. It was as if there was something wrong when the two of them were together as if they were unable to have children together for some reason. Perhaps, the heir and his wife were also like that other couple?


    That couldn¡¯t be right either! After all, the heir had taken in five to six concubines after his wife was unable to be pregnant but he still wascking in heirs. Why did he only have one concubine-born daughter despite all these concubines?


    ¡°Forget it, Younger Sister. There¡¯s no need for you tofort me. Fate and destiny rules over all and we can¡¯t change it no matter how hard we try. Right now, all my hopes are on the concubines in this residence. If one of them is able to bear a son for my lord husband, I will be happy. At that time, I can take the child under my name and then the family will have a legitimate heir too!¡± The wife of the heir had a resigned look on her face yet her eyes still flickered with sadness and grief.


    The heir and his wife were childhood sweethearts and they naturally had deep rooted feelings for each other. In his youth, the heir had once promised to ¡®have only her in his life¡¯. However, because she was unable to be pregnant, she personally destroyed that beautiful dream. She sent one of her personal maidservants to her lord husband¡¯s bed to be his concubine. At that time, her husband¡¯s eyes had aplicated look in them: disappointment, pity, and helplessness.


    Following that, concubines entered the residence one after another and she had slowly be numb to all of this. She could never return to the bliss and sweetness she had before with her husband. Perhaps even the deepest love could be slowly worn away by the realities of life and time...


    ¡°Mdy, Concubine Wen asks to be seen!¡± The clear and crisp sound of a young maidservant¡¯s voice could be heard outside of the door.


    She lightly frowned and asked, ¡°Why is sheing over now? Is Fu¡¯er not feeling well again? Dingxiang, I currently have guests over and it¡¯s not convenient to see her. Please ask her specifically what she needs.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The little maidservant had a voice full of respect. Before long, the curtain to the door was lifted up again and the maidservant politely came in and stated, ¡°Concubine Wen said that Eldest Young Miss¡¯s cough has gotten worse again. The cough syrup in the residence has been all used up and she wanted to ask if you had any left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very hard to get a bottle of Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s cough syrup. That bottle was thest one the residence had. Tell the outer servants to go to Tongren Medicine Hall to try their luck and see if the shop has any in stock!¡± The wife of the heir was quite careful when it came to her lord husband¡¯s only descendant.


    After she sent the young maidservant away, the wife of the heir looked at Yu Xiaocao and smiled weakly, ¡°I let you see a farce. Fu¡¯er has been weak since she was born and especially sickly during the winter. She gets sick almost every two to three days and often has a cough. Poor thing, at such a young age she takes more medicine every day than she eats food. Luckily, Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s cough syrup is quite effective for her. Unfortunately, the cough syrup and pills from the shop are all extremely hard to get even when you have money, so we have to try our luck.¡±


    There were very few people in the capital who knew that Xiaocao was the one behind Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s new cough syrup and pills. She also didn¡¯t want more people to find out as it would be hard to fend against other people¡¯s jealousy. She smiled and said, ¡°The medications from Tongren Medicine Hall are very popr, especially during the winter. Everytime new stock gets in, it barely hits the shelves before they¡¯re all sold out. I¡¯m pretty sure the servants wille back empty-handed. My family bought a few bottles of the cough syrup and still has some left. Yingchun, go back to the residence and bring the remaining bottles of cough syrup here.¡±


    ¡°How could you possibly bear to...¡± The wife of the heir also knew how hard it was to find some cough syrup. How could she shamelessly take someone else¡¯s?


    ¡°It¡¯s important to take care of children immediately, mdy, so there¡¯s no need to be so polite!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a ready supply of the medications that other people found difficult to find. The cough syrup at home as well as the other pills were all personally made by her. Naturally, their effects were better than the ones sold at Tongren Medicine Hall.

 Chapter 489 – Shining Hope

    <h4>Chapter 489 ¨C Shining Hope</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao thought that she was likely unable to help with their infertility issues. However, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue for her to help them heal and strengthen their only descendant in the residence...


    Wait, earlier the wife of the heir had mentioned that the heir¡¯s only concubine-born daughter had been weak and sickly since she was born...an idea shed through her head. She had probably found out the reason why the two of them were unable to have children!


    ¡°Forgive me for my presumptuous question, but what does your lord husband normally like to eat and drink?¡± Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then cautiously inquired.


    He Wanning knew that Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t ask this question without a reason and asked with slight curiosity, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, why are you asking this question? Are you possibly suspicious of someone in the residence tampering with my older brother¡¯s food and drink? That can¡¯t be true, right? The staff here all have simple backgrounds and I can guarantee there isn¡¯t someone who is trying to harm my eldest brother due to his position as the heir...could it be Father¡¯s political enemies?¡±


    The young maiden¡¯s thoughts flew a bit too far! Yu Xiaocao shot a look at the other girl and didn¡¯t heed her. Instead, she continued to solemnly look at the wife to the heir in anticipation of her answer.


    When the wife of the heir saw that she was quite serious, she couldn¡¯t help but think carefully before she replied, ¡°My husband usually likes to drink mung bean milk the most so he has a cup almost every morning. He also loves any dish that contains tofu, so the residence¡¯s chefs and kitchen maids will always make different types of tofu dishes every day. As for other foods that he likes...ah, I remember! I like to eat celery and my husband will usually eat some with me...¡±


    ¡°My older brother also especially likes to eat barbecued and deep fried foods, especially once winter starts. He often hangs out with his friends to roast venison and mutton and he does that quite frequently.¡± He Wanning chirped in to help exin and revealed several other foods that her older brother liked to eat.


    Yu Xiaocao let out a sigh of relief in her heart. Sure enough, everything that they told her had met her expectations. She finally found out the reason as to why the heir and his wife had problems with infertility!


    Although He Wanning usually looked cheerful and carefree, she had a conscientious heart that caught onto details. When she saw that the expression on Xiaocao¡¯s face had changed subtly, she hurriedly asked, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, are you implying the reason why my older brother and older sister-inw haven¡¯t been able to have children are rted to the foods my older brother likes to eat?¡±


    The wife of the heir¡¯s previously dead heart once again was ignited with a me of hope, ¡°Miss Yu, is it really as Wanning says...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the older woman and forcefully nodded her head, ¡°I was able toe across a book of recipes once by chance. Inside, it not only described many ways to cook delicious foods but it also talked about the effects of eating certain types of food. Among them, it recorded that if a man constantly ate bean products, celery, and foods that were barbecued and deep fried, he would have problems siring heirs...¡±


    ¡°Is that true? Miss Yu, are you stating the truth? Then, the reason why my husband and I have been unable to have children is due to the foods he likes to eat and not because of an issue with my body?¡± The older woman¡¯s lips trembled and the mist of tears gradually appeared in her eyes. Apparently, the truth was just that simple. They had spent so many years striving in a different direction and had bypassed the actual reason.


    The heavens knew how she had lived these past nine years. Their inability to have children had be a giant mountain pressing down on her heart so hard that she couldn¡¯t move. Its weight was so heavy that she felt like she couldn¡¯t breathe at times. Many a night, her tears wet her pillowpletely; many a night, she spent sleepless until dawn. She didn¡¯t know how many times she loathed herself and she also didn¡¯t know how many times the thought of suicide rose up in her mind...


    Now, she was finally able to break free of the fetters on her heart and her spirit could soar free again without the weight of that suffocating pressure. She finally could raise her head and look her husband in the eye without the shadow of guilt and let him know, ¡®The problem is not with me!¡¯


    ¡°Lord...Lord Husband?!¡± Through the veil of her tears, the wife of the heir saw that tall and imposing figure that was engraved in her soul slowly walking towards her, getting closer and closer...


    Arge, warm palm wrapped around her two hands and a familiar voice sounded in her ears, ¡°Zhen¡¯er, you¡¯ve had a hard time these past years...¡±


    The wife of the heir no longer cared that there were other people around and buried her head into that familiar and warm chest. She sobbed as if she was a heartbroken child who had just been wronged.


    The heir, He Junpeng, embraced his wife tightly within his arms and gently patted her back as heforted her silently. In all these years, he had seen the efforts his wife had gone through to get pregnant and engraved it deeply within his heart. Although all the doctors told her that her body was very healthy, she still downed those bowls of extremely bitter nourishing tonics and tried every folk remedy that was avable. She even tried the local treatments that people in rural areas had and pinched her nose to swallow a concoction made of nt ash and water.


    Although she loved him with all her heart, she was the one who personally broke his promise of ¡®only having her in his lifetime¡¯ and allowed concubine after concubine toe in. On the day that his concubine-born daughter was born, she cried for an entire night but still sincerely felt gratified that he had a daughter now...


    He wanted to tell her, ¡°Being able to have such a wife like you is the result of three lifetimes of fortune. Even if the heavens have decided that we would never have children, I have no regrets marrying you!¡± The wife of the heir very quickly calmed herself back down and looked at Yu Xiaocao with red eyes and nose. She stated somewhat bashfully, ¡°Miss Yu, I let you see a farce!¡±


    ¡°Human nature.¡± Yu Xiaocao had a perfect smile on her face and her eyes shone with sincere emotion towards the heir and his wife.


    In actuality, when the inner courtyard had guests, as a man, He Junpeng shouldn¡¯t be around as it was considered extremely impolite to the female guests. However, the circumstances today were different and he was very concerned. When he heard that they had invited over the godly doctor who had helped General Fang and his wife treat their bodies, he couldn¡¯t restrain himself. This was the first time he did something outside the societal norms but he had toe back to hear the news.


    However, he didn¡¯t expect that, as soon as he entered the inner courtyard, he found out that the reason why they weren¡¯t able to have children was rted to the foods hemonly liked to eat. Regret immediately bloomed within him. If he had known earlier that the food he consumed was the cause of their infertility, he wouldn¡¯t have eaten one bite no matter how much he liked them.


    He Junpeng looked at Yu Xiaocao and noticed that she didn¡¯t seem upset or angry, so he felt his heart settle a bit. However, he still seriously apologized to her, ¡°Miss Yu, I was rude today, please forgive me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao calmly smiled as she shook her head, ¡°Milord is being polite. Older Sister He and I are like sisters and you are her older brother, so there¡¯s no need to consider each other as outsiders, right?¡±


    ¡°Miss Yu is very generous and kind....do you know if, with my current situation, I still have a chance to father children?¡± He Junpeng jumped straight into the awkward conversation without any qualms and asked with a bit of urgency in his voice.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and suggestions flowed out of her mouth, ¡°Since we know the root cause, it is easier to proceed from here! First, Milord and Mdy need to change your eating habits. Try to cut down orpletely eliminate bean products and celery. Eating too many barbecued or deep fried foods is also not good for the body so do your best to not have any. Try to eat more garlic chives, Chinese yam, onions and other vegetables. You should soak wolfberries in water or brew them into a tisane to drink. Try eating more nuts like cashews and walnuts. I advise you to roast ck sesame seeds and walnuts together before grinding them into a powder that you can mix with water. You should have a bowl of that every day. You can also eat more abalone, loaches, and other seafood. You can also buy some dried mussels from the dried food stores and use them to make congee or stir fried dishes...¡±


    ¡°Miss Yu...can you speak a little slower, please? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m a bit slow and I can¡¯t remember everything. May I go get a brush, ink and paper so I can write this all down?¡± The wife of the heir appeared as if she had a new lease on life and her entire body was filled with liveliness and energy. He Junpeng noticed this and felt like his wife had reverted back to how she was nine years ago, when she first married him. She was so charming and lively then...


    Thedy looked at Yu Xiaocao and clearly wanted to say something. After hesitating for a while, she finally asked in an uneasy manner, ¡°I heard that Miss Yu is quite talented at creating medicinal cuisine. I heard that Princess Consort Jing¡¯s body recovered because you made her food. Would you perhaps know any good medicinal cuisine recipes that are helpful for promoting fertility...¡±


    Since the heir had been eating foods for a long time that suppressed his fertility, it made it hard for him to get his wife or his concubines pregnant. Even when his women did get pregnant, the children from that union would end up sickly and weak, just like that concubine-born daughter he had.


    She did know of a few foods and recipes that could increase his yang energy. If she just gave them the recipes, it was likely the effect would not be as good as the dishes she made. After all, she could add mystic-stone water when she made the food, increasing the efficacy.


    Since He Wanning was a good friend of hers, she decided to take on the task. Furthermore, the grand princess royal was the grand-aunt of Zhu Junyang. She was willing to do all she could to help the grand princess royal have a descendant.


    ¡°It¡¯s all set then! I¡¯m going to go back to my residence to first prepare some useful medicinal cuisine for you. Once I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll have the servants bring it over. I will also give you the recipes to make these foods once I¡¯m done writing them down.¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t seem the least bit upset by the request, which allowed the heir and his wife let out a sigh of relief.


    As soon as thedy opened her mouth to ask, she knew that her request was a bit presumptuous. After all, the recipes were the private property of Yu Xiaocao and she may not want to give them out. Although her younger sister-inw had a decent rtionship with Miss Yu, they couldn¡¯t capitalize on this too much. If they ended up ruining the rtionship between the two, she would feel incredibly guilty!


    Fortunately, Miss Yu wasn¡¯t a stingy or petty person. She not only didn¡¯t take offense but also personally offered to make some medicinal cuisine for them. Marquis Anning¡¯s estate would remember this good will from her. In the future, if the Yu Family or Fang Family came across any troubles, they would definitely do their utmost out of friendship and duty to help them.


    The grand princess royal invited Xiaocao over to have lunch with them. Marchioness Anning, He Wanning, the heir and his wife were also there. The couple finally had an answer for their troubles and hope for the future. Thus, they were naturally very solicitous and warm towards Xiaocao throughout the meal. From the way the two of them treated the guest, both the grand princess royal and Marchioness Anning could tell something was different and ordingly viewed Xiaocao with a higher evaluation.


    The grand princess royal soon found out from her grandson what had happened earlier. That evening, when Xiaocao was about to leave, the grand princess royal pulled on her hand to say something, ¡°This old woman is being presumptuous, but I must call you ¡®Xiaocao¡¯ right now. Xiaocao, this old woman will always remember the kindness you have shown Marquis Anning¡¯s estate. In the future, our residence and the grand princess royal¡¯s estate will always be open to you. You¡¯re always wee toe over as a guest.¡±


    ¡°Grand Princess Royal, you are being too polite. As a doctor, I have a benevolent heart. As long as I can help someone, I will do my best to help them.¡± Yu Xiaocao thoughtfully replied in a courteous manner.


    After the grand princess royal said her farewells to Xiaocao, she turned to her son and daughter-inw to state, ¡°Everyone always mentions that Yu Xiaocao was born and bred in the wild countryside, but she has a generous and kind heart. In my eyes, that makes her much better than the vast majority of noble maidens in the capital! Although Wanning has a more hasty personality, she has a good eye when making friends. The Yuan Family¡¯sss and this Xiaocao are both quite outstanding and worthy of friendship!¡±

 Chapter 490 – New Year’s Eve

    <h4>Chapter 490 ¨C New Year¡¯s Eve</h4>


    When Yu Xiaocao got back, she pondered thoughtfully for a long time before she finally decided to make ¡®emia lower body strengthening soup¡¯, ¡®northern groundcone kidney strengthening soup¡¯, and ¡®morinda root and pork tripe soup¡¯. All of these would help the heir increase his fertility. For his daily tea, she nned on recing it with wolfberry tea instead. Furthermore, she wrote down exactly what he should and should not eat on a daily basis...all in all, it turned out to be several pages worth of information.


    After looking at her dismal brush handwriting, she felt that it wasn¡¯t too presentable (Zhu Junyang quips: ¡°What do you mean by ¡®not too presentable¡¯? Even three year olds who have just started to learn how to write have better handwriting than you!¡±). The only person in her family who had good handwriting, her younger brother, wasn¡¯t on his vacation yet, so she dragged Royal Prince Yang into this mess and made him rewrite everything she wrote.


    When the bags filled with specially prepared medicine and the medicinal cuisine recipes arrived at the grand princess royal¡¯s estate, the grand princess royal noticed the familiar calligraphy on the notes. She shook her head in amusement. Everyone said that her grandnephew had his eye on that preteen Yu Xiaocao and was willing to do almost anything for her. Originally she thought that the rumors had exaggerated things. Now, however, she knew that the rumors weren¡¯t necessarily false!


    She sent the sacks full of medicines to an imperial physician and a few other famous doctors who were in the residence. It wasn¡¯t that the grand princess royal didn¡¯t trust Yu Xiaocao but, in regards to the heir of the Marquis Anning¡¯s estate, she needed to be cautious!


    The imperial physician and the other famous doctors looked at the prescribed medications and also carefully examined the medicinal cuisine recipes. They couldn¡¯t help but p the table in astonishment. All of the materials here were for gently replenishing the yang energy in the spleen and kidneys, and they were novel and valuable! These old fellows had never thought of using medications and food in this manner before.


    The grand princess royal watched as the old men discussed animatedly between themselves and remarked in a displeased tone, ¡°Have you all seen enough? How will this medicinal cuisine impact my grandson¡¯s situation? If they can be used, then quickly have a maidservant go make some. The earlier he takes it, the faster he¡¯ll get better.¡±


    The imperial physician and the other famous doctors nodded their heads one after another and said, ¡°They¡¯re fine! All of these are astoundingly effective recipes. Would you...happen to know which genius prescribed these recipes? Would you be able to introduce us to this person?¡±


    The grand princess royal gently shook her head and said, ¡°That godly doctor doesn¡¯t want to be known in this world, so...¡±


    Many of the godly doctors in the world were solitary and very rarely left their abodes. They also tended to have entric personalities and didn¡¯t like interacting with other people. When the grand princess royal exined it in that way, the other doctors expressed their understanding. When the other doctors finally left, Imperial Physician Liu, who hade from the pce, was silent for a bit before he finally asked, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, if this old man didn¡¯t guess wrongly, these recipes were all made by Feudal Princess Jinan, right?¡±


    ¡°Who can say for sure?¡± The grand princess royal quirked up an eyebrow and picked up the teacup by her hand before lowering her head to take a small sip. She replied without a hint of emotion.


    Imperial Physician Liu smiled, ¡°Your Imperial Highness must remember that the Eldest Imperial Prince was once deathly ill and the imperial physicians found themselves helpless. Only Feudal Princess Jinan was able to cure him with her folk remedies. Unfortunately, this old man was not in the pce that day. Otherwise, I would have asked the feudal princess for some tips and pointers. Every doctor has their own habits when prescribing medicine. This old man has once researched Feudal Princess Jinan¡¯s methods and it seems quite simr to the recipes seen today.¡±


    The grand princess royal raised her eyes to nce ndly at the old doctor. This old man clearly was the most shrewd and innovative imperial physician in the pce. He hadn¡¯t gotten his reputation foring up with treatments for obscure and unknown diseases for nothing. Originally, when she invited him over to treat her grandson and his wife, she also held onto the hope that this man would be able to create a miracle and fix their infertility. Unfortunately...luckily, her granddaughter had a reliable friend. It looked like Marquis Anning¡¯s future was saved!


    While Heir Anning was energetically consuming his medicinal cuisine and downing medicinal tea, the preparations for the New Years were in full swing at the Yu Residence. Everyone in the estate was busy. Although their New Years Eve dinner had already been booked at Zhenxiu Restaurant, they still needed to prepare an adequate amount of vegetables and meat. After all, the Yu Family was nning on spending the entire first month of the year in the capital.


    The Yu and Fang Residences were not far from each other. Lady Fang was afraid that the Yu Family might find things difficult as it was their first time in the capital celebrating the New Years. Thus, she came over from time to time to help out with the management. Her personal maidservant, Linglong, also came along and she was a hardworking and diligent girl. She was sent to Madam Liu to help her train a few new maidservants.


    Every year, the whole family worked together to make delicious foods to celebrate the New Years. This was the first time Madam Liu had to manage it on such arge scale. Every day, the stewards and senior servants asked her for instructions or reported on matters that were going on in the residence as they were in charge of managing the lower-ranked maids and servants. Luckily, the stewards and senior servants were quite capable. In addition, Xiaocao and Lady Fang came over from time to time to help arrange things. Thus, Madam Liu started out quite frazzled, but, over time, she slowly got a handle on things and it became second nature to her.


    On the 28th of thest month, Little Shitou braved the snows and wind to travel to the capital with Headmaster Yuan. As soon as Headmaster Yuan entered the capital, he didn¡¯t even bother going back to his own family and instead went directly to the Yu Residence. His reasoning was simple: he was escorting his little disciple home.


    When Headmaster Yuan arrived at the Yu Residence, every word he said hinted at one thing: he missed Lass Yu¡¯s food. Yu Xiaocao was grateful for his treatment of her younger brother, so she naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse his request. She personally went into the kitchen to craft a table full of delicious dishes. She also invited the emperor emeritus over to partake in the meal.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too biased ah, Lass Yu!! You¡¯ve already been in the capital for more than half a year but you never invited Fifth Lord over for a meal before. However, as soon as this fellow surnamed Yuan appears, you easily make a table full of food to greet him. The difference in treatment is too obvious, right? That¡¯s not okay, I need to order a few dishes to soothe my broken heart.¡± The emperor emeritus was currently stuffing his face with red-braised pork as heined.


    Yu Xiaocao had long gotten used to the emperor emeritus¡¯s old urchin antics and suppressed a smile as she said, ¡°Feel free to order whatever your heart desires. As long as I can make it, I¡¯ll make sure that you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°I want Kung Pao chicken, chopped bell peppers with fish head, sweet and sour pork chops, sweet and sour crispy pork...¡± The emperor emeritus remembered the delicious foods he had eaten in his past life and his saliva almost dripped down his face. It wasn¡¯t easy for him to encounter a transmigrator who knew how to cook so he needed to sate his cravings now.


    Headmaster Yuan was unhappy by this turn of events, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, can you finish all of the food you just ordered? This food is so good, so it¡¯d be a pity to waste any of it ah! If you want to eat more, then you cane back another time with me!¡±


    ¡°Old Yuan, you made a mistake! I already said that today I¡¯m the Fifth Lord and not the emperor emeritus. I need to punish you...in a moment, you¡¯re not allowed to touch a single dish that I ordered. Hmph, hmph!¡± The emperor emeritus was already displeased that he had to fight for food with this old glutton. He grinned evilly as he craftily stated his requests.


    Headmaster Yuan wasn¡¯t going to go down without a fight, so he hurriedly said, ¡°Fifth Lord, are you really able to finish that many dishes? How about this, I concur that I spoke wrongly. I¡¯ll punish myself by drinking three cups of wine, how¡¯s that?¡±


    The emperor emeritus immediately snatched the wine jug off the table and growled, ¡°You certainly know how to get every advantage possible. This jug of grape wine was brewed by Xiaocao personally. It has a smooth and mellow taste, and it¡¯s obviously a top-notch product. There¡¯s not much wine left in the jug, yet you ¡®punish¡¯ yourself with having to drink three cups. Is this a punishment or a reward ah? You¡¯re so sly that you even thought of this, huh? That¡¯s not okay, I need to punish you to drink three fewer cups of wine.¡±


    This table only had Little Shitou and Royal Prince Yang attending the two old urchins. When they saw the two old men, who had abined age of around a hundred and fifty, fighting like two kids over a jug of wine, the two youngsters exchanged helpless nces and pretended that they couldn¡¯t see anything as they continued to eat the delicious food in front of them.


    Yu Xiaocao came in with a tter of sweet and sour crispy pork and saw Headmaster Yuan and the emperor emeritus on the verge of starting a fist-fight over a jug of wine. She hastily went forward to stop them, ¡°Today is for eating and sampling delicious food, so you absolutely cannot drink too much alcohol. If you two be drunk, wouldn¡¯t that be an offense to this table of scrumptious food? If the two of you like this wine, then when you leave, both of you will get a jug each!¡±


    When they found out that they both could get a jug to take home, the two old fellows decided not to fight anymore. They pushed their winecups away and started to eat with gusto.


    In the blink of an eye, New Year¡¯s Eve arrived. The Yu and Fang families were currently sitting in a privately reserved room at Zhenxiu Restaurant, resting after they finished their New Years Eve dinner. That evening, fireworks and firecrackers went off nonstop throughout the capital. Yu Xiaocao sat in front of the window in the private room and watched as brilliant blossoms of light erupted in the sky. She somehow started reminiscing about her family in her previous life.


    Were her younger brother and sister doing well there? She had an unexpected ident on what was supposed to be a happy day, so she wasn¡¯t sure if her younger brother would feel guilty about this. As time passed, the pain from hurtful situations should dim. She hoped that her younger brother and sister would be able to get together in happiness and remember the good times...


    ¡°Hey! What are you thinking about? This prince has been waving at you for almost half a day but you haven¡¯t reacted one bit!¡± Zhu Junyang was dressed entirely in ck and was wearing a ck overcoat that was threaded with red embroidery at the edges. He was seated high on arge horse and had his head raised to look at her. Under the radiant light of the fireworks, he looked incredibly enchanting with the snowy ground as his background.


    ¡°Why are you here? Did you eat your New Year¡¯s Eve dinner?¡± Yu Xiaocaoy on the windowsill with half her body outside. She had a somewhat misty smile on her face.


    Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow and an alluring and bewitching smile appeared on his face, ¡°Lass, did you drink wine? This prince knows a good ce to view fireworks. Do you want toe?¡±


    ¡°Go! Why wouldn¡¯t I go?¡± Yu Xiaocao propped herself up with two hands on the windowsill. With the rmed cries from the Yu and Fang families surrounding her, she leapt out of the window. Her silveryugh seemed to fuse with the snowyndscape as she eximed, ¡°I¡¯ming, make sure to catch me...¡±


    The Yu and Fang families had reserved a private room on the third floor of Zhenxiu Restaurant for their New Year¡¯s Eve dinner. Once again, they were on the third floor! The room was dead silent for two seconds before cacophony exploded. Xiaolian, who had also been admiring the fireworks at the window with Xiaocao, was currently frozen in a position with her arms stretched out. Her younger sister had jumped down from the third floor and resembled arge and brilliant butterfly as she fell down with her clothes trailing behind her in the snowy winds. She only had the time to brush against her younger sister¡¯s clothes but wasn¡¯t able to grab onto her...


    Below them, Zhu Junyang was stunned for 0.1 seconds before he stepped forward like lightning to where the littless was following. He stretched out his two muscr arms in preparation to catch the littless¡¯s light body.


    ¡°Hee hee hee...so provoking and addicting!¡± Yu Xiaocao grinned like a fool when she fell into Royal Prince Yang¡¯s arm. She grabbed onto his clothing and herrge eyes seemed to be clouded over with mist, as if she was in a fog.


    Thwap, thwap, thwap! Her small butt had suddenly been pped by arge hand three times. The smile on her face immediately disappeared as she glowered angrily at Zhu Junyang. She forcefully bit down at his chest and snarled, ¡°Bad man, you even dare to hit me!¡±


    Unfortunately, Zhu Junyang¡¯s chest muscles were too hard and he had also had the padding of his winter clothing. She was only able to bite onto a scrap of silk fabric. Zhu Junyang very rarely saw the littless act in such a childish manner and an enchanting smile curled onto his lips as he said, ¡°Lass, you got guts. Don¡¯t you know that it was so dangerous earlier? If this prince wasn¡¯t able to catch you time, what do you think would have happened?¡±


    ¡°What could have happened? My head getting sttered on the ground, right? Cracked open, spilling blood...hey, you hit me again! You¡¯re such a bad person, bad person! I¡¯m going to bite you to death!¡± Yu Xiaocao grabbed the hand that had hit her again and forcefully bit down.

 Chapter 491 – Romantic Night

    <h4>Chapter 491 ¨C Romantic Night</h4>


    Zhu Junyang looked at the two rows of teeth marks and the glisteningyer of saliva that was left on the back of his hands and pretended to be slightly disgusted as he frowned, ¡°You deserve to be hit! We¡¯re celebrating the New Years, but what are you saying? So inauspicious!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao snorted a few times and didn¡¯t say anything else. Under the shing lights in the cold and cheerless street, they leisurely strolled forward. A gust of cold wind and snow blew past them and Xiaocao, who had just been inside a warm room, couldn¡¯t help but let out an involuntary shiver. She unconsciously shrunk back into Zhu Junyang¡¯s chest, seeking warmth.


    Zhu Junyang took off hisrge overcoat and wrapped the littless, who seemed as sweet as a kitten, tightly until only her tiny adorable face was left out in the open. Xiaocao had a somewhat tipsy expression on her face as she leaned against the broad and sturdy chest behind her. She swayed slightly with the rocking motions of the horse going forward.


    ¡°Littless, just how much did you drink earlier ah?¡± Earlier, when he saw the lonely and empty expression on Xiaocao¡¯s face, as shey on the windowsill, looking up towards the sky, he felt his heart tighten. Under the blossoming fireworks, which brightened and dimmed ordingly, he unexpectedly had a feeling that she could disappear at any time. This type of feeling felt like a giant vice around his heart, as if it could choke him at any time. Luckily, when he spoke, the ethereal air around the littless momentarily dissipated.


    The littless had a secret and it was also a gargantuan secret. He had long known about this. After all, the littless disyed astonishing talents at raising crops and using medicines at a very young age. Furthermore, all of these skills were self-taught, which made no logical sense. Sometimes, an absurd and ridiculous idea surfaced within his heart: was the littless actually a little immortal who had descended to this mundane world? Was that the reason she had such a big changepared to her earlier self?


    Zhu Junyang had previously investigated her background long ago in the past. Before she turned eight, Yu Xiaocao had always been sickly and timid. She had been an ordinary little vige girl who almost never left the house. How could she possibly pick up the old remnants of a scroll that described recipes and medicinal prescriptions? The change had started after her head had been cracked open. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that sick and weak Yu Xiaocao had been swapped with a little immortal girl after she became injured and fell unconscious. He spected that perhaps a soul swap had caused his littless to be as entric and adorable as she was today (Author¡¯s note: I have to say, Royal Prince Yang, you almost stumbled upon the truth).


    The more he went down this path, the more certain Zhu Junyang became, and the more terrified he felt. He was afraid that, on some day, his weird and odd littless would suddenly leave and that timid and gutless soul would return to the body. He didn¡¯t know what he would do if that happened. Would he have a breakdown then?


    ¡°Promise me that you won¡¯t leave, alright?¡± The arm that Zhu Junyang had around Xiaocao tightened and he lowered his head to press a gentle kiss on the top of her head.


    Yu Xiaocao was a bit ufortable in his grasp and wriggled for a second before she found a morefortable position. She raised her head to look Royal Prince Yang in the eye for a second and discovered that his eyes looked quite lonely. She couldn¡¯t help but frown, ¡°What are you saying? Why would I leave? Where would I go ah?¡±


    ¡°Promise me to always stay by my side, okay?¡± Zhu Junyang helped her wipe off a pure white snowke from her hair. His voice sounded gloomy and lonely.


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    Yu Xiaocao could tell that he was in a downcast mood, so she deliberately snorted arrogantly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re still under probation ah! Whether or not you can pass this trial depends on your behavior! You¡¯re such a crafty fellow. Don¡¯t think you can take advantage of this beautiful and bewitching night to bait a honey trap for me. I have a heart of steel and a steady will. I won¡¯t be so easily conquered by your sweet ways.¡±


    The chest behind her moved a bit and arge hand suddenly appeared in front of her nose and gently pinched it. Zhu Junyang grinned, ¡°Alright! Tonight, I will do my best to show you my good side!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao deliberately acted like she was a frightened little deer and hugged herself, ¡°You...what do you want to do? This young maiden hasn¡¯t reached her age of majority, so you absolutely cannot do anything too weird...¡±


    The movement on his chest became more obvious and Zhu Junyang deliberately used a look full of disdain to inspect her ¡®t¡¯ body from head to toe. He clicked his tongue, ¡°Your chest is as t as your back. Is there anything worth this prince messing around with?¡±


    ¡°Stinky fellow! You lose points for this, lose points! You¡¯re making fun of my figure so I must take ten points from you!¡± Yu Xiaocao hollered loudly and there was a bit of anger and humiliation on her face, ¡°Just watch, in two more years, this young maiden will be more elegant and beautiful, and I¡¯ll have plenty to look at from head to toe...you¡¯re such a cad to make fun of a young maiden who hasn¡¯t reached maturity!¡±


    ¡°This prince was wrong! When have I ever not admitted that I was wrong ah? I¡¯ll make it up to you. I heard that, in the south, they have a type of fruit called papaya and it has the ability to make one¡¯s bosom grow. This prince will send some ships down to bring some back for you, how¡¯s that?¡± Zhu Junyang stifled his urge tough and cleared his throat subtly.


    Yu Xiaocao was interested at the prospect of eating southern fruits so she didn¡¯t jib with him about his joke about her chest. She eximed, ¡°I want to eat durian, jackfruit, passionfruit, dragon fruit, lychee, coconut, longan...bring some papaya too. We can use it to make papaya milk and it¡¯s very delicious and refreshing!¡±


    ¡°I got it, little foodie!¡± Ever since they had a method to craft ice, Zhu Junyang was no longer afraid of transporting perishable goods from the south. He silently remembered the names of the fruits that the littless mentioned. There were some he had never heard of before, yet she, who had never been to the south, rattled them off as if they were as familiar to her as her own backyard. He was once again even more sure that she wasn¡¯t an ordinary person.


    ¡°Where are you taking me? If we keep going, we¡¯ll leave the city!!¡± Tonight was a national celebration so there wasn¡¯t the usual curfew. Other than a few people who stepped outside their gates to gaze at the fireworks, there weren¡¯t a lot of people on the streets.


    Zhu Junyang was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°This prince especially reserved a few fireworks for you and I want to find a ce empty of people to allow you to enjoy them!¡±


    ¡°The more people watch, the better the fireworks look. Right now the weather is getting colder. If we exit the capital now, then the officials and soldiers guarding the capital will think we¡¯re a bunch of idiots!¡± Yu Xiaocao let out arge yawn. She was currently very warm andfortable, which made her feel slightly sleepy.


    Zhu Junyang tapped her nose when he saw the littless¡¯s drowsy expression. He looked around and was quiet before he said, ¡°Then let¡¯s set them off at the city walls. That way, we can enjoy them with the soldiers who are guarding the walls on New Year¡¯s Eve.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! This is a good idea!¡± In her past life, there were some leaders who would give their greetings to their subordinates during the New Years. Royal Prince Yang was actually a general, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems with him celebrating with the guards and soldiers, right?


    Under the bbergasted looks of the soldiers, the two of them climbed up to the wall. Yu Xiaocao almost tripped over the long andrge overcoat that was around her, but luckily Zhu Junyang swiftly grabbed onto her and pulled her back onto the wall before she could fall.


    The fireworks at the wall exploded into existence one after another. The words ¡®Happy New Year¡¯, ¡®Blissful Family¡¯, and ¡®The Country Celebrates¡¯ blossomed in the air and the bright lights seem to dazzle a person¡¯s eyes. The guards on the wall eximed in astonishment and pleasure at this disy. Following that, the words ¡®Happy New Year¡¯, ¡®I love you¡¯, and ¡°I will give you happiness¡± appeared in the air. These phrases were all written in English and had no meaning to most of the people on the wall.


    ¡°Haha! This absolutely must have been an idea that the emperor came up for you. Did I guess right?¡± Under the brilliant rose-shaped firework that zed in the sky, Xiaocao had a bewitching expression on her face. Her sweet smile seemed incredibly beautiful at that moment.


    Zhu Junyang slowly nodded his head and raised his head up to gaze at those magnificent firework roses that bloomed in the sky. He stated in a somewhat strange voice, ¡°You understand these foreign words? I reckon you¡¯vee from the same ce as the emperor and it must be a mysterious and strange nation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! It¡¯s an ancient and flourishing country...¡± Perhaps the night sky was too beautiful or the fireworks too glorious, or the person in front of her was too gentle and handsome, Yu Xiaocao muttered her thoughts out without any regard to where she was. A sparkling tear slowly fell from the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Are...you still able to return ah?¡± Zhu Junyang hurriedly asked a follow up question when he heard her confess. This was the question that he had wanted to know the answer to the most.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go back; it¡¯s impossible to go back...¡± Yu Xiaocao stated in a distracted tone. In her previous life, she was only an ordinary worker and owner of a braised food store. In this life, she had encountered so many beautiful and strange events. Who would have thought that she, a little farmer¡¯s girl, could actually be a female official and feudal princess? Furthermore, she even had such an incredible man next to her who was willing to be her partner. If she had the choice, then it would take a lot of courage for her to let all of this go and go back!


    Zhu Junyang extended arge andnky hand and gently grasped her soft little hand. He lowered his head to smile sweetly at her, ¡°Don¡¯t feel sad, this prince will stay by your side, apany you, protect you, love you, and won¡¯t allow you to be bullied one bit. You will discover that staying behind is the most wise decision you have ever made.¡±


    A scarlet-red firework in the shape of a heart exploded in the sky. Snowkes danced merrily in the wind and circled the two people as if they were spotless white butterflies frisking in the air. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes reflected the flickering, brilliant light in the air and a happy smile graced her face. She wished for a second that she could stay in this moment forever!


    ¡°Bend down, I want to say something to you!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a gentle look glowing in her eyes and Zhu Junyang almost drowned in it. He didn¡¯t want to wake up from this scene.


    Like a big, loyal dog, Zhu Junyang obediently bent down and ced his ear close to Xiaocao, waiting for the littless to tell him what she wanted to say. Suddenly, a soft and somewhat moist sensation touched his cheek. He could hear a barely audible voice that seemed to have merged with the wind say, ¡°I¡¯m so fortunate to be able to meet you!¡±


    He sped the cheek that had been kissed and a foolish smile crept onto Zhu Junyang¡¯s handsome face. It looked quite funny. Another smile blossomed onto Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face and it seemed more splendid and beautiful than the sky lit up by brilliant exploding fireworks.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but reveal a giant grin. The littless kissed him! The littless has finally grown up!! His patience and efforts were not in vain as the littless finally had a ce for him in her heart. ¡®Did you all hear this? The littless said, ¡®I¡¯m so fortunate to be able to meet you!¡¯ ah!!¡¯ In fact, him being able to meet her was one of the miracles of his life!


    He pulled the littless into his arms and, under the astonished looks of the guards, gleefully raised her up as he turned around, ¡°This prince is too happy! Today is the best day of this prince¡¯s life!!¡±


    The soldiers all thought, ¡®The rumors are true. Royal Prince Yang is pursuing Feudal Princess Jinan. Aren¡¯t we only able to see these romantic fireworks today because of the feudal princess? Tsk tsk, what type of taste does Royal Prince Yang have? He actually likes an ordinary little farming girl. Truly a mismatched couple and they look so odd together!¡¯


    However, there were other guards who didn¡¯t have the same thoughts. Feudal Princess Jinan was the goose thatid the golden eggs. Just the greenhouse-grown vegetables and fruits alone made her a fortune this winter, let alone her other business endeavors. How many noble maidens in the capital could im they had that under their belts? Furthermore, the emperor clearly valued Feudal Princess Jinan. Whoever married her would acquire a great helper for his future.


    If Zhu Junyang knew what these men were thinking, he would have been incensed, ¡®With this prince¡¯s abilities, do I truly need someone to help me? Do you think this prince is a good-for-nothing who relies on his wife to support him??¡¯

 Chapter 492 – Lantern Festival Pt. 1

    <h4>Chapter 492 ¨C Lantern Festival Pt. 1</h4>


    Although winter in the capital was cold, it was still quite lively. Snow started falling during New Year¡¯s Eve, and, while there were some breaks in snowfall, it continued to snow now and then until the sixteenth of the first month.


    This was the first time the Yu Family celebrated the New Years at the capital. Zhu Junyang no longer acted as aloof and cold as before. Instead, he had morphed into the ideal son-inw around his future wife¡¯s family. He was warm and considerate to them as he took them around the capital to take in the sights.


    On the fifth day after the New Years, there was a temple fair at Baiyunguan Temple that was located in the suburbs of the capital. The whole group of them went to attend the fair to sightsee and participate in ¡®sacrifices to the gods¡¯, ¡®sacrifices to the ancestors¡¯, ¡®hitting the golden coin to ask for wealth¡¯, ¡®touching the stone monkey¡¯, and othermon temple activities. On the eighth day after the New Years, there were festivals and ys at some of the more wealthy suburbs around the capital. Zhu Junyang asked around and found the suburb with the most festive activities and brought the Yu Family there to watch performers on stilts, parade floats, festive drumming, folk dancing, banner dancing, lion dancing, small carts, bamboo horses...they were all able to participate and enjoy the celebrations. Everyone had loads of fun. The most festive moment, of course, was thentern festival on the fifteenth day.


    That evening, before darkness fell, Zhu Junyang ate a bowl of glutinous sweet dumplings with his parents, eldest brother, and eldest sister-inw before he hurried out. Imperial Prince Jing swallowed his final bite of glutinous dumpling as he frowned at the sight of his youngest son leaving in a rush. He stated casually, ¡°This youngster¡¯s heart seems to be elsewheretely. He hasn¡¯t even calmed down during the New Years. Where is he going now?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing had a smile flickering on her lips as she remarked with slight jealousy, ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious that his heart is elsewhere, ah? He is always thinking about that little sweetheart of his, so he doesn¡¯t have any time to spend with his old father and mother. Instead, he¡¯s off to spend time with his future inws! They didn¡¯t even need to ask before he volunteered to escort them off to enjoy thenterns! Everyone always says that girls will leave the nest but our third son is also leaving the nest too!¡±


    ¡°Yang¡¯er truly has his eye on Yu Xiaocao?¡± Imperial Prince Jing asked in a manner that didn¡¯t show his thoughts on the matter.


    ¡°I¡¯d bet gold on it!¡± Princess Consort Jing took the offered cup of warm water from Meixiang¡¯s hands and took a sip as she gently washed her mouth. She looked at her husband and asked back, ¡°What? You don¡¯t agree with his choice?¡±


    Prince Jing nced at his wife and replied cautiously, ¡°My opinion isn¡¯t important. What¡¯s important is whether you see eye to eye with that young maiden! As a father-inw, how many times in one day can I encounter a daughter-inw? Don¡¯t you spend the most time with the daughters-inw instead? The most important thing is that she¡¯s able to get along with you and make you happy!¡±


    His casual remarks had unintended effects. The wife to Prince Jing¡¯s heir had a somewhat unnatural expression appear on her face. Ordinarily, she didn¡¯t spend much time with her mother-inw. Other than greeting her husband¡¯s mother in the morning, she rarely had the time to chat and interact with her. In fact, she wasn¡¯t the type of person who was good at worming her way into other people¡¯s good graces. In addition, her mother-inw also had no interest in managing the household. There were a lot of things to take care of at Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate, and all of these matters had fallen onto her once she married in.


    Luckily, while she was still an unmarried youngdy, her mother had often taken her along when she was managing household manners. Furthermore, she had experienced stewards and senior servants helping out too. After working hard for half a year, she was finally able to make things run smoothly at the estate. Usually, she was busy managing all of these things so she naturally had very little time to spend with her mother-inw. Based on what the imperial prince was saying though, she truly wasn¡¯t an ideal daughter-inw...


    Princess Consort Jing had noticed the awkward expression on her eldest daughter-inw¡¯s face and secretly red at her husband as she said, ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, our sons¡¯ wives aren¡¯t for them but for me ah? If this came out, who would be willing to marry their daughters to our sons?! Try to be a bit more serious. Our son naturally has to marry a wife that he likes. After all, the two of them will be spending the rest of their lives together!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m usually quite busy, so I was only afraid that you¡¯d be lonely presiding over such arge courtyard by yourself!¡± Imperial Prince Jing also thought that his earlier words were not quite right so he hurriedly tried to exin himself.


    Princess Consort Jing nted another annoyed look at him, ¡°What kind of eyesight do you have that you think I¡¯m lonely ah? I spend my time raising flowers, walking around the garden, and ying with the dogs and cats. I¡¯m quite pleased with my life ah! Don¡¯t you know that odd temperament of your youngest son ah? Let¡¯s not talk about the fact that I already like thatss Xiaocao. Even if I didn¡¯t, he would still marry her. Unless you want our youngest son to be alone, like a monk, for the rest of his life, it¡¯s going to happen!¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing naturally knew what his youngest son was like. From his subordinate¡¯s reports, Miss Yu looked weak and delicate on the outside but she was still able to reign in that tiger of a son of his. In fact, she was even able to stop his son from breaking out into one of his monstrous tantrums. This truly showed that each pot had its own lid to match and that the gods had ordained this from the get go.


    Furthermore, the littless was incredibly skilled at crafting and making medicinal cuisines. The medicinal cuisine she madepletely healed his wife¡¯s previous weak and broken body. From that alone, the littless was the whole residence¡¯s lucky star!


    ¡°Ah...my Zhu Family is truly an affectionate group. From this aspect, Yang¡¯er took after me...¡± Imperial Prince Jing saw that his eldest son and daughter-inw had tactfully left the room and decided that he no longer needed to hold back. He scurried over to curry favor with his wife.


    Princess Consort Jing nced at him and had a faint smile on her face as she rebuked, ¡°My son is much better than you! At least Yang¡¯er has never had any fluttering birds or butterflies around him. As for you, how are you considered affectionate? If it wasn¡¯t for those rotten peach blossoms around you, do you think our family would have turned out like this? Zhu Xiaole, let me tell you, if our Yang¡¯er hadn¡¯t encountered Yu Xiaocao and gotten back to normal, I wouldn¡¯t have forgiven you in this lifetime!¡±


    ¡°See here, you¡¯re bringing back that old stale stuff again? Do you think as his father I also didn¡¯t feel bad about this? That I didn¡¯t regret this?¡± Imperial Prince Jing noticed that his wife seemed a bit angry again and hurriedly apologized. He pretended to seem a bit lost and lonely as he sighed, ¡°Meijuan, you also said earlier that parents, siblings and children are just passing moments in one¡¯s life. In the end, the person who apanies me for the rest of life is my old partner! How can you quarrel with me for the sake of our children?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing pushed away his face and yfully spat, ¡°Go away! Who¡¯s your ¡®old partner¡¯ ah? Just where do I look old? Lady Fang is only younger than me by a couple of years yet she just had Lin¡¯er ah. How can I be old ah?¡±


    ¡°My bad, it¡¯s all my fault!¡± Prince Jing looked at his wife¡¯s tender and glowing skin that seemed to be more beautiful than a young maiden¡¯s. In the past, there were some fine lines at the corners of her eyes but they had all disappeared after she had consumed the specially crafted medicinal tea that the Yu Family¡¯s littless had made. Now, she was someone in her forties who looked like she had just entered her thirties. He hastily ttered her, ¡°Meijuan, I just discovered that you seem to be getting younger with every passing day. When you go out with our son, you look like siblings...that¡¯s not okay, I need to ask Miss Yu if she has any tea that is suitable for me. Otherwise, in another two years, I¡¯m going to look like your father...just thinking about that makes me shiver with fear!¡±


    ¡°Hmph hmph, weren¡¯t you trying to fight for favor with our children? Howe now you feel like you¡¯re getting old eh? However, men be more attractive with age. The older they get, the more vor they have! I don¡¯t mind you looking like this, so why do you want to be younger looking ah? You want to seduce some young maidens?¡± Princess Consort Jing was quite happy after beingplimented by her husband. However, she deliberately didn¡¯t show her pleasure and instead deliberately asked her husband this.


    All of the maidservants and senior servants in the residence knew that the imperial prince didn¡¯t like having people around him when he was alone with his wife. Thus, there was no one around to witness the two of them yfully bickering and flirting with each other.


    Imperial Prince Jing swept a look around the room and discovered that there were no people around! Thus, he became more ¡®dishonorable¡¯. He pulled his wife onto hisp and started to stroke her slim and soft waist. The look in his eyes became gentle and sweet, ¡°Other than you, I don¡¯t want to seduce anyone else! Weren¡¯t you envious of Lady Fang having Lin¡¯er earlier? Looks like I need to work a little harder and take the attention from that guy, Fang Mingzhe! How about we give Yang¡¯er and the others a little sister, eh?¡±


    ¡°You old, shameless fellow...¡± Princess Consort Jing didn¡¯t get to finish her scolding before she was suddenly quieted. Her entire body had also been lifted up in the air. By the time she got her senses back, she discovered that she was being carried princess-style by her husband and they were walking out of the reception hall towards the bedroom.


    The maidservants, who were waiting outside, were all surprised by this sight and hurriedly lowered their heads to pretend that they didn¡¯t see anything. Princess Consort Jing was simultaneously embarrassed and angry, so she forcefully scratched at her husband a few times as they entered the bedroom. The room quieted down for a moment and then intimate noises soon followed. The maidservants were all immediately embarrassed by this but they also envied the prince and his wife for their close rtionship. The two of them had already been married for a couple of decades yet they were still so¡ª¡ªpassionate together...


    Zhu Junyang, who had left the residence, didn¡¯t know that his parents were currently undergoing an embarrassing mission of ¡®making another human¡¯ back at home. He was currently headed towards the Yu Residence. By the time he got there, the Yu Family had already finished eating their sweet glutinous dumplings and gotten ready. They were just waiting for him now!


    At first, Little Shitou was a bit wary of this man who was trying to snatch away his second sister. However, after romping around for a few days with his future brother-inw, Little Shitou was now a die-hard fan of his ¡®second brother-inw¡¯. It wasn¡¯t because he was valuing benefits over his sister. It was because he could tell after these few days just how much Royal Prince Yang cared about his sister. Although the prince had a horrible reputation as a beast, in front of Little Shitou¡¯s sister, he became as loyal and obedient as arge dog. He not only took care of his second sister¡¯s every need like she was a precious princess, but he also treated their entire family with courtesy and respect and made sure they were all doing well.


    Little Shitou naturally had a very close rtionship with his second sister, so he obviously wanted her to be able to obtain happiness. In his eyes, none of the men in the world were worthy of his second sister. Only Zhu Junyang barely met his high expectations. After staying in the capital, he had been taken along to a few schrly gatherings with Headmaster Yuan. While he was taking in these new experiences, he also heard a few rumors regarding his second sister.


    The children of the wealthy and powerful in the capital all had their eyes on the tops of their heads. The vast majority of noblemen were chauvinistic to the extreme. His second sister had always been hardworking and innovative. Even his master said that if his second sister had been born a boy, it was likely that she would be no worse than the Zhou Family in Tanggu Town.


    When his second sister arrived at the capital, she not only showed her strength but also came up with the zingly popr greenhouse vegetables. Now, all of the wealthy families needed to have her vegetables on the table. Some people praised her in an effort to get a connection with her but there were plenty of others who derided her for being a woman who usurped authority, disturbed the societal norms, and acted beyond her status. Furthermore, the Yu Family didn¡¯t have an illustrious background, so trying to find a man who truly loved, cherished and respected his second sister would be difficult.


    Fortunately, Royal Prince Yang had long established his intentions and was doing his best to pursue his second sister. From the looks of it, the prince was a barely eptable match, so Little Shitou was able to reluctantly acknowledge him as his ¡®second brother-inw¡¯. However, if his second sister didn¡¯t like the prince, no matter how good he was, Little Shitou would not agree to this match. However, it looked like his second sister currently didn¡¯t reject Royal Prince Yang¡¯s attempts to get closer to her...regardless, he needed to keep an eye on this!


    ¡°Older Sister! Linlin missed you a lot! Linlin loves Older Sister the most! Linlin also wants to go out with you to look at the colorednterns!!¡± When he heard a childish and sweet little voice pipe up, Little Shitou rolled his eyes inwardly¡ª¡ªBah, another person was here who was trying to steal his second sister away from him!

 Chapter 493 – Lantern Festival Pt. 2

    <h4>Chapter 493 ¨C Lantern Festival Pt. 2</h4>


    The wet nurse came in holding Fang Haolin, who was wearing so many clothes that he resembled a little ball. When the little kid saw his older sister, he struggled to be put down. As soon as he reached the ground, he staggered over to Xiaocao like a fat little ball.


    Xiaocao stepped forward a couple of steps to support him and lifted him up with a bit of effort. When Zhu Junyang saw her struggling, his eyebrows slightly furrowed and he reached out to grab Little Linlin instead.


    Fang Haolin had just been able to snuggle into his older sister¡¯s warm and fragrant arms. Before he could enjoy the feeling and grin happily, he was suddenly taken out of his sister¡¯s arms and held by another person. He stupidly raised his head and saw Royal Prince Yang¡¯s cold and indifferent face. The little boy¡¯s face immediately creased.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to cry!¡± Zhu Junyang truly was the stuff of nightmares for little children. After hearing the youth¡¯s soft reprimand, Little Linlin¡¯s eyes filled up with tears but not a single one dripped down. He had a wronged expression on his face that was enough to melt anyone¡¯s heart.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the little fellow¡¯s adorable manner and suddenly the thought came up into his mind whether his future children with Xiaocao would be as cute. Would they also be chubby and soft and so adorable that you didn¡¯t dare to make them sad? His voice softened perceptively as he exined, ¡°Your older sister is too skinny and is unable to support your weight. You¡¯re a boy and in the future you need to protect your older sister, so you can¡¯t just start crying for any old reason.¡±


    Fang Haolin nodded as if he didn¡¯t quite understand the youth¡¯s words and then turned his head around to see his father and mother smiling at him. He hurriedly reached out his hands. His eyes had a look of yearning in them as he stared at his parents¡ª¡ªthis uncle is too scary, save me soon!


    Fang Zizhen noticed that his son looked a bit wilted and grinned foolishly at the side. He even said to his wife, ¡°Have Junyang continue to hold him ah! In the future, Lin¡¯er will be a general and he can¡¯t be too cowardly. The more time he spends with Junyang, the more he can practice!¡± Was this something a biological father should be saying?


    Fang Zizhen turned towards Xiaocao and had apletely different reaction, ¡°Cao¡¯er, it¡¯s cold outside so you need to wear more. Otherwise, you might get chilled! In a bit, when you go look at the colorednterns, there will be a lot of people so all of you servants need to be careful and make sure to protect your young miss. Prevent her from being squeezed through the crowd. Do you all hear me?¡±


    Fang Haolin¡¯s inner thoughts: ¡®Linlin was picked up at the side of the road, only Older Sister is their biological daughter...Linlin wants to leave home and find my true biological parents!¡¯ The little fellow hung his head down dispiritedly and was resigned to his fate being carried by his future brother-inw. He looked withered and would, from time to time, nce at his older sister in a pathetic manner.


    Fortunately, when they left, his older sister spent the entire time next to his future brother-inw who had an icy cold face. With his older sister by his side, Fang Haolin very quickly stopped being unhappy and regained his cheerfulness.


    Dazzlingnterns filled the sky and people wound through them like the tide. The streets were illuminated brightly by the lights and citizens of all ages, men and women, old and young, young matrons leading their children, were in the streets calling merrily to their friends. Zhu Junyang was afraid that Xiaocao would be squeezed unceremoniously by the giant crowd, so he used his strength to boost Fang Haolin onto his shoulders. He left one hand to support the little boy¡¯s legs while he used his other arm to monopolize Xiaocao. When people squeezed by, he pulled Xiaocao towards his chest and tightly protected her.


    This was the first time Fang Haolin had ever been up so high. He was stunned for a moment before he became excited. He observed everything from high above and saw people below him who were shorter than him by a head and the bright and colorful beautifulnterns in the not far distance. Sweet lisps ofughter burst from his lips and asionally he would let out a few screams in delight.


    The whole family walked together at first. As more and more people filled the streets, they were slowly separated from each other. Fortunately, none of them were far from the others. With Fang Haolin high above the crowd and also letting out a few squeals of excitement here and there, no one in their group was lost from the others.


    The shops on both sides of the streets had been open since the fifth day after the New Years. In order to attract customers, all of the stalls were decorated festively and almost every single one of them had colorednterns hanging in the front. The types and variety ofnterns in front of the stores seemed to advertise their poprity and wares to the people. Thus, all of the shopkeepers did their best to get their hands on the most beautiful and interestingnterns. There werenterns shaped like flowers, birds, fish, and people. They were all painted bright colors, such as red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and bright white. It made a gorgeous and bewitching sight.


    Somenterns wererge, others were small, some were shaped like rectangles, while others were round...many different shapes were avable. Red ones, yellow ones, green ones, purple ones...the colors were unmatched and brilliant. There were silknterns, papernterns, ssnterns, bamboonterns...multitudes of materials were used. The most beautifulnterns were the ones that were crafted from the Imperial Pce. There was one shaped like two dragons holding a bright pearl, one shaped like the fortuitous three goats, one shaped like the four auspicious flowers of the seasons, one shaped as the five blessed and lucky bats, one shaped as the eight immortals crossing the sea...they were made so beautifully that they looked realistic and made people gape in admiration.


    With Zhu Junyang as her escort, Yu Xiaocao was always able to stand in the spot that was best for admiring the lights. She felt like she was almost lost in the beauty of thenterns.


    What Fang Haolin found most interesting were thenterns that the other children were holding. Even though their hands had turned red from the cold, their noses had mucus dripping down, and their heads were covered with snow, those children were still incredibly happy to have antern on hand.


    ¡°Fish, horse, rabbit...¡± Fang Haolin pointed out the types ofnterns each child was holding. Yu Xiaocao also looked towards where he was pointing and watched as the small children yed with theirnterns and sang nursery rhymes cheerfully. In the festive atmosphere, the pure and innocent smiles of the children seemed incredibly precious.


    The children who didn¡¯t haventerns in their hands stood in front of the stalls sellingnterns, looking at them pitifully. Towards the end of the New Years celebrations, any family that had a bit of spare cash on hand couldn¡¯t resist fulfilling their children¡¯s wishes to have antern. Even being given the most crude papernterns would cause a child to smile broadly.


    They stopped in front of a shop selling variousnterns. Yu Xiaocao looked over the variety of wares being sold there. The simplestnterns had a bamboo skeleton that had white paper pasted over. These came in shapes of the twelve animals from the zodiac, such as rooster, horse, ox, sheep...the entire roster was there. The ones that the children liked the most were thenterns that had wheels on them, such as the horse, sheep and rabbitnterns...as such, these were more expensive. Whichever child had antern in wheels on it would always have a bunch of his or her friends behind, looking at it enviously. Those children were incredibly proud and happy as they strode forward with their wheeledntern.


    ¡°This prince will buy whicheverntern that you like!¡± Zhu Junyang had noticed that the littless was staring at the children who were pulling along their wheelednterns. Didn¡¯t that mean she wanted one?


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a little child, so how could I shamelessly hold antern around? Don¡¯te up with these silly ideas!¡±


    ¡°Why are these silly ideas? You¡¯re only thirteen and haven¡¯t reached your age of majority, so it¡¯s perfectly fine for you to hold onto antern. Do you like the ones with wheels on them? I will buy you one...how about this monkey? Or this dog with its tongue out?¡± Zhu Junyang enthusiastically helped her to picknterns out.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very interested but that didn¡¯t mean that Fang Haolin, who was currently being ignored, wasn¡¯t. He pulled on Zhu Junyang¡¯s ears forcefully from side to side and hollered, ¡°Tiny! I want the Tinymp!¡±


    From the moment Fang Haolin saw the Yu Family¡¯s pet roe deer, he cried and wailed that he wanted to bring the creature back home. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t bear to let the kid cry during the New Years so she lent Tiny to him for a few days (Author¡¯s note: Hopefully the little roe deer wasn¡¯t too scarred by this). Yu Xiaocao looked over at where the little fellow¡¯s plump hand was pointing and saw antern shaped like a deer made out of thin, reinforced paper.


    His future younger brother-inw had spoken. Although Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t very pleased that the kid was pulling on his ears, he still took out some money to buy the deer-shapedntern. The little boy held thentern that was lit up with a candle in his hands and returned to his inquisitive and sweet manner. His dark round eyes stared at thentern in delight. Because he was young, Fang Zizhen and his wife rarely took him out of the residence. This was the first time he had seen so many people around and so many lights in such a lively setting. The little fellow was incredibly delighted by all of this.


    Zhu Junyang persevered until Yu Xiaocao finally picked out a ssntern that turned to reveal different images of the eight immortals crossing the sea. When thentern was lit, the contraption turned around and around, showing different types of scenes. There was Han Xiangzi blowing his flute, then there was He Xiangu holding a lotus, and then there was Zhang Guo riding his donkey...even Fang Haolin, who was on Zhu Junyang¡¯s shoulders, was fascinated by the changing images. He held onto the prince¡¯s head and leaned over to stare at thentern.


    Yu Xiaocao was afraid he might fall down and reached up to let him hold onto the ssntern. Unfortunately, the little fellow¡¯s hands were too weak to hold onto it so he could only pout unhappily and watch as his older sister held onto themp.


    However, he was soon distracted by the sugar painting stalls. His older sister had once told him the story of the monkey king, Sun Wukong, wreaking havoc in heaven. Thus, he ended up choosing a sugar painting made in the shape of a monkey. After ying around with it a bit, he finally couldn¡¯t resist the sweet smell of the sugar and bit off the monkey¡¯s head. He chewed noisily on the treat in utter delight.


    ¡°You be careful up there. If you get this prince¡¯s hair dirty, your little butt will feel the pain!¡± Zhu Junyang was somewhat of a clean freak and was slightly disgusted by the little fellow¡¯s saliva. He hurriedly brought the boy down from his shoulders and held him in one arm while the other took the offered handkerchief from Xiaocao. He patiently wiped the saliva that had congealed on Little Linlin¡¯s chin.


    The cold and arrogant Royal Prince Yang actually had such a patient side to him. Although his expression looked impatient, his hands were quite gentle. He was like a strict father who treated his kids seriously but still loved them as much as their mother.


    In the future, he was probably going to be a good father right? Yu Xiaocao watched their interactions and the dimples on her cheeks became slightly visible.


    ¡°Eat...you eat some candy.¡± After spending an entire evening with him, the little fellow Fang Haolin no longer seemed scared of Zhu Junyang. He presented the sugar painting that didn¡¯t have a head anymore towards the other person¡¯s mouth.


    Zhu Junyang dodged the boy¡¯s clumsy attempts and didn¡¯t even bother to hide the disdain in his voice, ¡°Who wants to eat a sugar painting that has your saliva all over it? It¡¯s alright, you can eat it yourself. This prince doesn¡¯t need your good thoughts!¡±


    When Fang Haolin saw that the other person was not grateful for his generous offer of something he really liked, he puffed up his cheeks and took the sugar painting back. With another ¡®crunch¡¯, he bit off half of the monkey¡¯s body and noisily chewed on the treat. His saliva continued to drip out of his mouth. Zhu Junyang had a helpless look on his face as he helped to wipe the little boy clean. When had he ever served someone else since he was born? As expected, children were truly annoying!


    ¡°Do you want to eat some?¡± Yu Xiaocao had bought a stick of candied hawthorn fruits and had bitten off half of one fruit. It was so sour that she scrunched up her entire face.


    ¡°Eat!¡± In actuality, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t like to eat sour foods one bit. However when he saw half of the red fruit with bite marks on it, he stretched out his neck and gobbled up the remaining half. He chewed on it with relish.


    ¡°You ate something that has Older Sister¡¯s saliva on it!!¡± Fang Haolin had an outraged expression on his face. ¡®You eat Older Sister¡¯s food but you don¡¯t eat Linlin¡¯s. You¡¯re truly humiliating this baby!!¡¯


    Although Zhu Junyang still had his usual frosty expression on his face, he replied in a roguish manner, ¡°This prince just likes to eat your sister¡¯s saliva, okay? Isn¡¯t it right and proper for men to eat a woman¡¯s saliva? Leave your saliva for your future wife to eat!¡±

 Chapter 494 – At a Loss

    <h4>Chapter 494 ¨C At a Loss</h4>


    ¡°What kind of nonsense are you saying! You¡¯re going to misguide the child!!¡± Yu Xiaocao flushed bright red and she reached out to twist Zhu Junyang¡¯s arm. There were so many people on the streets, so how could it be good if other people heard this? This fellow¡¯s skin was truly too thick in that he wasn¡¯t afraid of other peopleughing at him!


    ¡°The news is true! Zhenxiu Restaurant has icenterns in the front! Quickly go find a good ce!!¡± Someone sped past Yu Xiaocao and almost touched her arm. She was startled by this sudden appearance but immediately her waist tightened. By the time she realized what had happened, she had already been drawn into that warm chest.


    She raised her head and met a pair of dark phoenix eyes that seemed to glitter like the stars. It was as if they were two deep pools that could draw one¡¯s soul into them. Yu Xiaocao was about to be bewitched by them when a snowke leisurely floated down and coincidentallynded on her nose. She unconsciously looked at that pure white snowke and wasn¡¯t aware that, in another person¡¯s eyes, she had a silly look on her face while being cross-eyed.


    She felt that person¡¯s chest rumble and arge hand gently brushed the snowke off of her nose. Only then did Yu Xiaocao realize just how funny she looked earlier. She firmly red at Zhu Junyang, who was suppressing hisughter, and forcefully pushed him away. He was tantly hugging her in such a public ce. How scandalous! She didn¡¯t want to admit anything so she became angry out of humiliation!


    Zhu Junyang raised the hood on her cloak to cover her head and brushed off all of the snow that had fallen onto her shoulders. His smile seemed to be as bright as the lights around them and it had an alluring quality to it. The youngdies and matrons around who saw him all revealed a bashful smile and their eyes lingered on him.


    ¡°Attracting all of the bees and butterflies!¡± Yu Xiaocao snorted grumpily. Zhu Junyang hurriedly stopped smiling and reverted to a grim expression and starkly cold eyes. The young women around them, who had been surreptitiously looking at him, suddenly felt like they had seen a demon. Their faces immediately turned white and they all retreated one after another...


    ¡°Are you satisfied by this now?¡± When Zhu Junyang lowered his head to look at Xiaocao, he couldn¡¯t help but unconsciously soften his expression. The loving gentleness in his eyes was enough to make someone intoxicated.


    ¡°Older Sister...it¡¯s so scary!¡± Fang Haolin, who was gnawing on the sugar painting, had been scared by Zhu Junyang¡¯s earlier expression. He pouted his lips and sobbed as if he had been wronged.


    Zhu Junyang red at him, ¡°You¡¯re such a coward yet you im you¡¯ll protect your older sister when you get older. It¡¯s more likely your older sister will be the one protecting you!! Do you see that young fellow wearing a light green colored robe? He is also the younger brother of your older sister and has already be a county official at such a young age. He¡¯s determined to ce first in the imperial pce exams! After he does that, he¡¯ll be a powerful official and help back your older sister up. If you don¡¯t get more courage, then you¡¯ll be pushed down by him!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao found this hrious yet a bit too much. She picked up Little Linlin, who had been begging for a hug, and said, ¡°Why are you telling him this? Can¡¯t you see he hasn¡¯t even reached the age of two yet? It¡¯d be surprising if he could understand what you¡¯re saying!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister, when Linlin gets older, I¡¯ll be a big general and I¡¯ll fight bad people to protect you!¡± When he said the term ¡®bad people¡¯, Fang Haolin surreptitiously nced at Zhu Junyang and it was clear how the little fellow categorized the prince in his mind.


    How could Zhu Junyang allow Xiaocao to carry the little fatty? The littless had such slim arms and legs, so what if she became tired? He looked at Fang Haolin with contempt and said, ¡°What kind of big general is this cowardly? When the bad peoplee, you¡¯re going to be crying instead. How can you protect your older sister?¡±


    ¡°Linlin is very brave!!¡± Fang Haolin was very upset by this and was no longer cowed by the prince¡¯s res. He puffed up his cheeks and stared intently at Zhu Junyang as if by doing this he wouldn¡¯t be scared anymore.


    ¡°How do you prove you¡¯re brave? As soon as I look a bit gloomy, you want to cry. Is that a sign that you¡¯re brave?¡± Zhu Junyang had an expression that stated he didn¡¯t believe the little boy as he secretly observed the little kid¡¯s reactions.


    Fang Haolin scrunched up his little face for a long time before he finally stretched out his hand in an effort to prove he wasn¡¯t scared as he stated, ¡°Linlin is not crying. Linlin is brave. In the future, Linlin will be a great general and fight bad people!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Zhu Junyang took the little boy back into his arms and lowered his head to talk to Xiaocao, who was hiding a smile, ¡°It looks like your parents are walking toward the direction of Zhenxiu Restaurant to go look at the icenterns. Should we follow them too? I heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant is sellingte night snacks. After walking around, it¡¯s easy to get hungry and tired so we can also stop at the building and rest our feet while eating some food.¡±


    Before Xiaocao could reply, he lifted up Little Haolin in his left arm and grasped Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand in his right. They followed the stream of people headed towards Zhenxiu Restaurant. Beautiful lights lit up the criss-crossing streets, producing an image of a flourishingnd. On the two sides of the street, different varieties ofnterns lit the way and the bright glow of the candles inside of them flickered and swayed...


    The unique icenterns in front of Zhenxiu Restaurant were actually Yu Xiaocao¡¯s idea! In her previous life, the thing she regretted the most was that she had never traveled to Harbin in the winter to admire their ice sculptures andnterns. Winter in the capital this year was quite cold, which was why she casually spouted this thought. However, she didn¡¯t expect Third Young Master Zhou to take it to heart and actually follow through.


    By the time they got close to Zhenxiu Restaurant, there was already a giant crowd, that had to be at least three shoulders deep, surrounding the building. It was obvious just how popr these icenterns were! In front of Zhenxiu Restaurant were tworge ice sculptures that had been shaped into lions and they resembled the guardian stone lions in front of temples. Inside them were giant red candles, which lit them up from within. It made them look festive and pure. Nearby, there were all sorts of finely sculpted icenterns, such as pavilions, buildings, bridges, animals, humans, and courtdies...it was truly a beautiful and fascinating sight to behold. It was as if they had entered a fairnd that was made entirely out of ice!


    Third Young Master Zhou was currently at one of the nearby buildings, looking down on the crowd below. He suddenly spotted a familiar figure within the people and hurried down the building. He managed to squeeze through the crowd with difficulty and finally arrived in front of Yu Xiaocao and Royal Prince Yang, ¡°Why are you guys stuck in the crowd? Be careful to not get stepped on! Come, go into the building with me. I especially reserved a room upstairs where you can see all of the icenterns from above. The view is quite spectacr up there!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao followed him as they headed towards Zhenxiu Restaurant. Zhu Junyang came along with Fang Haolin in his arms as he also protected Xiaocao from being squished by the crowd around him. Luckily, he had long legs and arms so he didn¡¯t need to struggle as hard.


    ¡°Third Young Master, have you seen my parents and godparents?¡± Yu Xiaocao quietly asked after she reached the third floor. She was currently sitting in the private room by the window and drinking a warm cup of tea.


    Third Young Master Zhou shook his head and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t see them. Are you sure they came over here? I¡¯ll have the people downstairs keep an eye out. If they see Uncle Yu and the others, they will immediately invite them over to this private room¡ª¡ªthere are too many people downstairs looking at the lights. It might be difficult to find anyone for a bit.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stuck her head out the window to look and enjoyed the gorgeous and delicate icynterns. She had to admit that she couldn¡¯t look down on the ancient people¡¯s creativity and work. The icenterns downstairs were all delicate and gorgeous and were obviously much more beautiful and interesting than the othernterns in front of other stores. Zhu Junyang ced Fang Haolin at the windowsill and held onto the boy as he stuck half his body outside. The prince avidly observed Xiaocao¡¯s side profile. The littless had gotten older by one year after the New Years and seemed to have be more beautiful. The childish part of her was gradually disappearing and revealing the charm and grace of a young maiden.


    ¡°What are you looking at me for? Go look at the lights!!¡± He was staring too obviously at her and it made Yu Xiaocao feel a bit antsy. She felt her cheeks redden from embarrassment and even her ears were heating up. Ultimately, she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and turned around to glower at him angrily.


    ¡°The lights aren¡¯t as pretty as you!!¡± Zhu Junyang was nowpletely shameless and really had nopunctions left. He even said something so shameless in front of Third Young Master Zhou. Was he not even a bit embarrassed?!


    (Fang Haolin: I¡¯m still here! Me!! You don¡¯t just ignore Linlin just because Linlin is small!


    Zhu Junyang: Anyone younger than three isn¡¯t considered a person...


    Fang Haolin res angrily...)


    Third Young Master Zhou opened his eyes wide and stared in astonishment at Zhu Junyang. Was still the same widely known cold-faced royal prince? Why did he suddenly get off his high horse and became a youth who was head over heels in love? This guy could say such sappy and lovely things without even batting an eye or turning red. It was really too much! Such sticky sweet sentiments truly prickled a single man¡¯s heart! He couldn¡¯t take it anymore!


    Zhou Zixu did his best to suppress the rising tide of jealousy within him but a thought suddenly popped up in his mind. If he hadn¡¯t put all of his efforts in establishing Zhenxiu Restaurant and the family business in order to prove himself to his grandfather and the Zhou Family and instead listened to his heart to pursue Yu Xiaocao, would he be the one next to her right now? Would he be the one whispering sweet nothings to her?


    Although he now had the trust of his n and was the acknowledged heir of the family business, he discovered that he had lost his chance with that person as she had already been taken away by someone else. It felt like his heart had been dug away and he was only left with an empty hole that felt cold to his bones.


    ¡°Third Young Master, are you cold? Should we close the windows for a bit?¡± Yu Xiaocao had noticed from the corner of her eye that Third Young Master Zhou had let out a shiver, so she hurriedly asked.


    Third Young Master Zhou endured the sharp look from Zhu Junyang and did his best to remain calm as he smiled and shook his head, ¡°There are two braziers here, how could I feel chilly? Oh right, I remember I had the kitchen leave a fruit tter for me. I¡¯ll go down and bring it back so we can eat...¡±


    Zhu Junyang watched as Third Young Master Zhou fled out of the room and raised an eyebrow. Aplicated look crossed his eyes as he fell into thought. He was willing to bet his royal prince title that this youngster surnamed Zhou was also interested in his littless! Fortunately, he had struck rtively early. Otherwise, he wasn¡¯t sure if his littless would be snatched away by some other bad wolf!


    ¡°Awoooooo¡ª¡ª¡± Far away, at the Yu Residence, Little ck, who had been abandoned by the family, was sulking in the courtyard with the snow falling around it. From time to time, it would raise its head and howl in the air¡ª¡ª¡¯Master, Little ck also wants to go out and admire the lights. Why didn¡¯t you bring Little ck along?!¡¯


    Little White was currently lying down at a pavilion in the corner of the courtyard garden and rolled its eyes at his brother. Its blue-gray eyes, which were full of contempt for the other wolf, had two words written in them¡ª¡ªGiant idiot!!


    The Yu Family and the Fang couple were very quickly brought up to the warm and lively private room. It was gettingte and the people in the streets were slowly going away. However, the icenterns at Zhenxiu Restaurant glittered with a beautiful light, so the crowds admiring them did not thin out one bit.


    Zhou Zixu had the chefs prepare a light and refreshing table of midnight snacks. After walking around for a few hours, everyone was feeling a bit thirsty and peckish. They drank some refreshing West Lake water shield soup, ate some lightly cooked dishes, and idly chatted as they enjoyed the beautiful scenes below them.


    Outside, the snow continued tozily float to the ground. Inside, the friendly and affectionate feelings among the people swirled into a beautiful image and engraved itself into everyone that was present there...

 Chapter 495 – Opening Day

    <h4>Chapter 495 ¨C Opening Day</h4>


    Although celebrating the New Years in the capital was a novel and joyous event, Yu Hai still worried about the greenhouse pavilions on their farmstead back in Tanggu Town. Madam Liu also felt anxious about their home, so as soon as the first month passed, they started to pack up in preparation to go back to Tanggu.


    On the eighteenth of the first month, Little Shitou had packed his bags and was taken away by Headmaster Yuan to travel to Jiangnan. The most famous academy in the south, Yuelu Academy, had invited Great Schr Yuan to go and lecture there. He naturally had to bring along hisst disciple with him to travel and gain some experience. Yu Xiaocao thought that their trip would be long and exhausting, so she made quite a few shelf-stable pastries and biscuits for them to bring along. Headmaster Yuan even brought along a few roasted ducks and chickens for their journey. He stated that he wanted to eat some while they were on the road.


    Originally, Yu Xiaocao wanted to keep Yu Hang and Xiaolian around in the capital for a bit longer. However, Yu Hang was able to take on more than half of the work at the farmstead in Tanggu now. Yu Hai had noticed that his son had gradually matured and that he had a steady and responsible temperament. Thus, he had the desire to start cultivating him to inherit the farnd. In the future, both of Yu Hai¡¯s daughters were going to get married and his youngest son was talented at studying so his future was already set. The family had a farmstead nearing a thousand mu. Although the vast majority ofnd was given to them by Royal Prince Yang, they would likely obtain more and morend in the future. As the eldest son, Yu Hang needed to be able to manage all of this. Currently, the greenhouse vegetable business was going to be popr until the start of spring. Yu Hang was afraid his father would have more work than one person could deal with so he tactfully declined his younger sister¡¯s invitation.


    Xiaolian also wasn¡¯t an idle person. Yingtao was currently in the capital, managing the building and establishment of a new pharmaceutical workshop. Thus, the workshop back in Dongshan Vige was now under her hands. The littless was in charge of all of the manufacturing recipes, ingredients, and supervising the workers. Most of the workers in the workshop were hired from her home vige or the surrounding viges, so they all had faith in the Yu Family. Thus, none of them looked down upon her, a preteen girl, as their manager, so everything she said was done. The workers¡¯ vacation for the New Years was set to end on thest third of the first month. Although there was a steward keeping an eye on things, Xiaolian still wanted to go back.


    Like this, Yu Xiaocao was once again left in the capital all alone. In fact, she also wanted to take this chance to go back to Dongshan Vige and spend some time with her family. However, her new cosmetic and spa business for women was currently making all of its preparations to have a grand opening. Although the vast majority of work had been delegated to a female shopkeeper that Royal Prince Yang rmended and her maidservant Hechun, as the owner of the business, she couldn¡¯t just stand aside and do nothing, right?


    That being said, the heir of Marquis Anping and his wife still required her to help nourish their bodies. In actuality, these two people had healthy bodies just like all of the imperial physicians and other doctors had said. They didn¡¯t have any big problems to deal with. The heir¡¯s sperm count was low because he had been eating and drinking the wrong things. As long as he stopped eating those offending foods and continued to eat her medicinal cuisine with the mystic-stone water added into it, she was sure that good news would soon be on its way.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had been left in the capital, spent a few days in her own residence, a few days in her godmother¡¯s residence, and would sometimes rest at the Imperial ntation when she had work to do there. When Royal Prince Yang was in the capital, he always spent time with her, so it wasn¡¯t too lonely. However, once the first month passed, Zhu Junyang, who was regarded highly by the emperor, sometimes had tasks that took him out of the capital. Sometimes, he would be out for ten days to half a month and it made Yu Xiaocao feel at a loss whenever he was gone.


    There were times when Yu Xiaocao thought that she was being a bit ridiculous. When she first transmigrated over into this society where men were seen dominant over women, she had originally nned on being single for the rest of her life. In the past, when she was working hard with her family to alter their circumstances, she was in charge of everything and had to rely on herself. As a girl who hadn¡¯t even reached the age of ten, she had to support the whole family, so naturally she didn¡¯t have much leisure time to think of much else. Now, with someone pampering and taking care of her at every turn, she was at a loss when he was gone. The problem was that she had too much time now! It looked like she needed to make herself busy again. Otherwise, she would turn into those other women and be someone who relied on a man for everything in life!


    Fortunately, as the weather warmed, the season of flowers blooming had arrived. The mountains and hills behind the Imperial ntation and Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead were now covered in brilliant flourishing flowers and it made the scenery look multi-colored. From a distance, the scene resembled clouds that were colored like the rainbow.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s farmstead was especially gorgeous. The back mountains were nted full of a variety of nts and flowers. There were moremon flora such as peonies, jasmine, Indian azaleas, magnolias, Chinese roses, etc. There were also lessmonly seen varieties such as Chinese enkianthus, Buddha¡¯s hand, bitter orange flowers, globe amaranth, etc. Naturally, there were also varieties that were brought over from the western hemisphere, such as roses, forget-me-nots, lilies, tulips, etc...


    Every type of flower was nted in neat rows and each section was under the care of an experienced flower gardener. When the entire hill bloomed in sequence, the gorgeous scenery was a sight to behold. It resembled an ocean of flowers and looked as if they were in an immortalnd.


    She wasn¡¯t sure how word came out but a stream of elegant literary schrs and talented women starteding to the ¡®flower mountain¡¯ to enjoy the sights. Royal Prince Yang¡¯s stewards at the farmstead also built a few pavilions on the hills. There were rustic and interesting thatched pavilions, delicate and elegant eight-sided pavilions, simple and small round pavilions, and lively and grandyered-roof pavilions.


    If they had more time, Steward Sun would have liked to build a ¡®flowing cup pavilion¡¯. The most famous flowing cup pavilion had to be the ¡®Melodious Flowing Water Goblet¡¯. Watching a wine cup float down the water was one of the most favorite pastimes of literary schrs. This type of pavilion was the best for schrs to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the flowers and all of the schrs loved to congregate in these areas. In fact, some of the more famous and talented schrs even took the initiative to volunteer in creating a few couplets for these buildings!


    As the warm spring caused the flowers to bloom, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s flower tea business had also started its production. The nearby vige girls and matrons were all attracted by the offered wage of twenty copper coins a day. These hired workers picked the flowers in the fields and also helped process the flowers under a strict set of protocols to create a variety of flower teas. Every type of flower tea that was made all had to undergo the secretivest step that was controlled entirely by Yu Xiaocao. In other people¡¯s eyes, this was a mysterious process. In actuality, Yu Xiaocao just had the little divine stone morph into its golden kitten form and have it run around the flower teas. It imbued the flower teas with a tiny bit of its spiritual energy by doing so. Thus, the signature flower teas of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ couldn¡¯t be made by anyone else.


    As for the fruit trees at the Imperial ntation, the peach blossoms bloomed and then the pear flowers followed. Peach blossoms had the ability to enrich the blood and improve a person¡¯splexion, whereas pear flowers could help fade hyperpigmentation from a person¡¯s skin. In addition, these were the two types of fruit trees that they had nted the most of at the Imperial ntations. Consequently, when these two flowers bloomed, Yu Xiaocao took her personal maidservants along with some daughters of the tenant farmers to pick the male flowers from the trees.


    With raw ingredients on hand, the manufacturing of flower blossom tea was on its way. Furthermore, Hechun had also begun producing cosmetics and health supplements and a supply had slowly built up. Thus, the ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ cosmetics and spa facility had its grand opening at the start of April!


    The estate that the emperor had given them had long finished the renovations needed. On the outside, there was a building that had been changed to fit the store front. Three rooms were earmarked for the selling of flower blossom teas, another three rooms were reserved to sell cosmetics, and thest three rooms were to be used to sell health supplements. Inside the estate, the beautiful and elegant residence was kept the same as before.


    Yu Xiaocao was toozy toe up with original names for each courtyard at the estate, so she willfully pilfered names from the buildings in Prospect Garden from the ¡®Dream of the Red Chamber¡¯. There was ¡®Enjoyment Red Hall¡¯, ¡®Bamboo Lodge¡¯, ¡®Alpinia Garden, ¡®Violet Caltrop Ind¡¯...when the names came out, the famous talented girl of the capital, Yuan Xueyan, unanimously approved of them. She stated that Xiaocao must be refined inwardly in order to choose such suitable names for the courtyards.


    The inscribed board at the front gates of the cosmetic and spa facility was crafted by the most famous artisan from the Ministry of Works who faithfully copied the empress¡¯s handwriting and her personal plum blossom seal. On the day that it opened, Zhu Junyang somehow managed to get a dragon and lion dance team from who knew where to noisily celebrate on the streets. The empress had sent her personal pce maids out to the store and, surprisingly enough, even the wife of the heir to Marquis Anning was also present. Other than these people, there were also the ¡®Two Beauties¡¯ of the capital at the scene. In short, the noblest and highest ranking women in the capital were present for the grand opening of this new business.


    Since the effects of the peach blossom tea were now legendary in the capital, all of the noble young misses anddies in the capital paid close attention to ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, the new cosmetics and spa facility, before it even opened. They were waiting for it to open so they could rush to buy flower tea! As for the business¡¯s skin care facilities and the health supplements, these women were also very interested. Lady Fang had only relied on drinking flower tea to restore the health of her skin and body. If they added on the other treatments, it would definitely be even more efficacious!


    As for the efficacy of the flower blossom teas and the cosmeceuticals, the noblewomen and maidenspletely believed in their effects. After all, the empress herself was involved in this endeavor. If the effects weren¡¯t good, wouldn¡¯t that be pping the mother of the country in the face? It was unlikely the Yu Family¡¯sss would dare to do something underhanded!


    On the day of opening, there were sedans and carriages parked outside ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ cosmetics and spa resort long before it was time. There were women from the imperial n, nobledies from high-ranked officials¡¯ families, sweet and cute daughters of officials, and also the wives and favored concubines from rich merchant families...all of them had onemon trait: none of themcked money!


    These upper ss women and young maidens were all invited to elegant rooms based on their family backgrounds and likes. The items disyed in these rooms were not only void of any nouveau-riche sentiments but they also seemed to be full of things that each person liked as if they had been personally tailored to them.


    For example, the wife of the imperial tutor was a famous talented maiden in her youth. Her daughter was also proficient in poetry and verses. The room they were escorted to was full of schrly items, such as famous paintings and calligraphy. It was extremely elegant and refined.


    As for the wife of the Grand Secretary of the Pavillion of the Imperial Library, she loved flora and adored famous and valuable flowers. The room that she was in had valuable orchids, top-notch quality peonies, precious Chinese peonies...there were even some varieties she had never seen before. As soon as she entered the room, she almost forgot what she was there for. Instead, she hungrily appreciated these beautiful flowers.


    ......


    These examples could be found everywhere. Each room that a person went into was extremely well tailored to their personal likes. Naturally, this was the skill of the female shopkeeper in charge of the business. She had gathered information on the likes and dislikes of almost all of the potential customers in the capital. Thus, she used that information to create more than thirty types of rooms to fit those styles. These rooms were perfectly crafted to receive the guests at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. When Yu Xiaocao found out, she was impressed with this woman and trusted her even more implicitly. She also raised the sry of this shopkeeper by a lot more.


    Every guest in the rooms was given a small booklet describing the skincare items, health supplements, and flower blossom teas at the spa. Furthermore, each room had its own maid who was perfectly trained. They were there to answer any questions or exin anything the customers weren¡¯t sure about.


    If the guests were interested in the spa resort¡¯s other services, they would be given another pamphlet that introduced the benefits of getting skin care treatments, lymphatic massages, gua sha treatments [1] , and healing foot baths. All of these maids could also describe these treatments in full detail. They had sweet and gentle voices and were able to really speak to the customers about the business¡¯s offerings and treatments.


    Many customers became very interested in obtaining a membership card to the cosmetics and spa resort. After spending a certain amount of money at the spa, they could apply for different levels of membership cards. Membership cards not only could give them a discount on their future visits but they also served as a status symbol among the women.

 Chapter 496 – Thorny Case

    <h4>Chapter 496 ¨C Thorny Case</h4>


    Many of the capital¡¯s wealthy and noble matrons and maidens were polite and courteous on the surface to each other but they privately put in a lot of effort to think up every possible method they could to defeat each other! This was also the reason why everyone pursued Jiang Siniang¡¯s custom made clothing.


    For example, if a friend of yours could only register for a silver membership card but you were able to get a gold membership card, wouldn¡¯t you have a lot of face when spending money at the resort? As for diamond membership cards, that was just a dream. It was rumored that those cards were a legend.


    What? The empress herself had two diamond cards on hand? She was nning on awarding them to the wives of prominent officials who had contributed much to the court? All of the wives of the fifth-ranked officials and above began acting virtuous when they got home. That way, their husbands wouldn¡¯t need to fret about anything at home and would be able to do their best at work!


    What? Lady Fang had a diamond membership card that was personally given to her by her goddaughter? Suddenly, the gates of Count Zhongqin¡¯s estate, which used to be deste and empty, were now filled with sedans and carriages. It wasn¡¯t because someone was as shameless to ask for the diamond membership card from Lady Fang. Instead, everyone wanted to see what a diamond membership card actually looked like. It was rumored that it was made out of a very rare material. This material could be used to make weaponry and could destroy other weapons made of other, less rare material. The imperial court was very interested in this material and they are currently in the process of secretly manufacturing more...


    What? Miss Yuan and Miss He, who were good friends with the owner of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, also had diamond membership cards? The other young maidens in the capital, who previously had their noses up in the air, were filledpletely with regret now. They wished now that they were the ones who had jumped out to help Yu Xiaocao when Li Meirou was making things difficult for her during the flower war banquet. That way, they could be her close friends and would also obtain a spot in the quota for the legendary diamond cards that everyone wanted to get ahold of.


    Regardless, the ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ cosmetics and spa resort was now zingly popr throughout the whole capital. On the opening day, they had made over five hundred thousand taels in ie. Furthermore, there was a promotion going on during the opening day. Every product was ten percent off and they also offered free facials and physiotherapy.


    The thirty private rooms at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ were filled to capacity that day. The most popr products, the flower blossom teas, were extremely expensive, especially the legendary peach blossom tea. The price was actually a hundred taels per catty. The other dozen or so flower teas were also not cheap. For example, the pear blossom and Chinese angelica tea, which was good for fading hyperpigmentation, the three flower blossom tea, which was good for slimming the body, and the rose and lily flower tea, which was good for renewing skin sticity and glow, were all priced at eighty taels per catty.


    At the cosmetics counter, the most popr product were the different types of handmade soap. After an entire winter, Hechun and the other maidservants under hermand had already manufactured more than twenty types of handmade soaps. They could whiten, moisturize, and renew a person¡¯s skin...there were all types of beneficial effects avable.


    The raging poprity of the handmade soaps was due to the living advertisement, He Wanning. Last autumn, her skin was extremely dry, had erged pores, and seemed quite dark and dull. During the flower war banquet, Yu Xiaocao gifted her some handmade soaps and also gave her some usable prototypester. After using them for a whole winter, her skin was now tender and glowy and felt as soft as a baby¡¯s skin. Her skin was also brighter and less dull and it made her seem more lively and youthful.


    The sales of the watery lotion and moisturizing cream were closely behind the soaps, and following that was the rouge powder. The lip color that Li Mengru instructed her maidservants to make was also quite popr. Yu Xiaocao suggested that she should use the wealth of spring flowers avable to make more lip colors. Thus, the lip colors currently had the following options: rouge red, peachy red, rose red, coral red, light almond blossom pink, pomegranate red, violet red, ruby red, etc...all in all, there were around a dozen or so colors avable. No matter the age of the customer, whether they were elderly or a young maiden, there was a suitable color avable.


    Every customer who came in was able to buy the exact products that fit their needs. Naturally, when they got back home, their purses were also much lighterpared to before. However, after using these products, they discovered that these cosmetics and supplements were well worth the cost.


    Those who bought skincare items found that their skin had an improved texture, brightened, and had fewer wrinkles. The young maidens looked more delicately pretty while the married women looked more youthful. Those who bought flower teas discovered that theirplexions were more rosy and not as dull. Furthermore, their bowel movements became regr and their figures became more graceful while all of their small ailments seemed to disappear. Those who bought health supplements found out that they were no longer short of breath, their bodies felt lighter and healthier...in conclusion, in one word¡ª¡ªworth! Two words¡ª¡ªworth it!! Three words¡ª¡ªextremely worth it!!


    ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ had exploded onto the scene at the capital and all of their customers consisted of the noble matrons and maidens in the area. Almost everyone in the upper sses was buzzing excitedly about the efficacy of the products from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. In one month, over twenty people had registered for gold membership cards and almost a hundred people had registered for silver membership cards. As for bronze membership cards, it was obvious that the number was not small!


    ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ cosmetic and spa resort also provided facilities for women to bathe in medicinal baths as well as other services to improve one¡¯s health and beauty. Perhaps the women in ancient times were a bit more reticent, but in the first month, there weren¡¯t many people who tried the body massage services and other treatments. However, there were a decent amount of customers who tried the skin facial treatments. The medicinal baths were offered privately on a one-on-one basis in the spa rooms, and the customer¡¯s own maidservant could serve them there, so there were also a decent number of women who tried that.


    Although the body massages and other body treatments were not very popr currently, Xiaocao was convinced that the guests who had tried them woulde back again to be a repeat customer after seeing the effects. Furthermore, the number of guests would increase over time as she believed that as the first customers let out word of mouth about their treatments, other women would also be curious and try. That was their marketing strategy!


    On one particr day, Xiaocao was currently in her own private room enjoying a leisurely swim in the hot springs. Wutong, who was serving her outside, came in to let her know that Hechun was asking to see her, so Xiaocao rinsed off her body and bundled up in a bathrobe before she saw her maid.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Yu Xiaocao calmly asked after she saw the embarrassed expression on Hechun¡¯s face.


    Hechun gave her a greeting and said, ¡°There¡¯s a customer that¡¯s arrived at the spa today and this servant thinks her situation is a bit thorny. Master, can you go take a look?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What sort of guest is it that makes it a thorny case that even our expert treatment hero, Hechun, can¡¯t handle ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao quipped teasingly at her maidservant as she went behind the standing screen to have Wutong help her change into proper clothing.


    ¡°Young Miss, do you still remember the daughter of the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments, Miss Yu?¡± Hechun began reporting to her young miss from the other side of the screen.


    ¡°The Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Appointments? He¡¯s also surnamed Yu? However, I don¡¯t remember interacting with his daughter before. I do have a very deep impression of the daughter of the Right Assistant Minister, Miss Li!¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very familiar with most of the youngdies in the capital. Other than the few she got along with, the rest she could barely recognize.


    Hechun knew her young miss wouldn¡¯t remember and reminded her, ¡°It was during the flower war banquetst year. At first, everyone had mistakenly thought that you were Miss Yu from the Left Assistant Minister¡¯s residence. Do you still remember this?¡±


    ¡°Uh...now that you mention it, I now vaguely remember. Her ¡®Yu¡¯ (ÓÚ) is written with two horizontal lines and a vertical stroke with a hook at the end, so it¡¯s different from our Yu (Óà). Isn¡¯t that Miss Yu around thirteen to fourteen years of age right now? It¡¯s just the age when young girls like to be beautiful. Just rmend a few skincare products that can moisturize the skin, what¡¯s so hard about that?¡± Yu Xiaocao put on a set of brightly colored qi-style clothing and walked out from behind the screen. The attire emphasized her fine and slender waist and it made her look as elegant and tender as a lily.


    Hechun was stunned by the sight of her young miss. Qi-style clothing was currently mainstream in the capital, but she thought that her young miss was the one who wore it best. Her young miss was bing more and more beautiful. No wonder Royal Prince Yang was always keeping a close eye on her whenever he had free time!


    ¡°Come back to reality! I was asking you a question, why are you spacing out now?¡± Yu Xiaocao waved a white little hand in front of Hechun¡¯s face.


    Hechun recalled the ravaged condition of Miss Yu¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but tremble, ¡°Master, please go and take a look. Miss Yu has too many pimples and lesions on her face and they are the pustule type that are very densely packed together. This servant is afraid to do any treatments on her.¡±


    The spa resort had a pimple extraction treatment service. They first used a fine sterile needle to prick the pimples to help with extraction. However, this youngdy hadrge and small pustules covering her entire face, so none of the trained employees there were willing to try!


    After hearing Hechun¡¯s descriptions of the young maiden¡¯s face, Xiaocao wondered whether the young girl had facial blisters. They couldn¡¯t use any old treatment on facial blisters. If the treatments ended up leaving a scar on her face, then that would destroy the reputation of Blossoming Beauty!


    In the most private courtyard of the spa, a young girl, who was heavily veiled and looked no older than ten years of age, was currently sobbing piteously against her mother, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s go ah? Didn¡¯t you see the expression on the manager of ¡®Drifting Beauty¡¯? The estheticians all said that she is the best consultant they have here. However, even she seemed to be at a loss for words after seeing my face. Why should we continue to stay here? To allow other people tough at us?¡±


    The wife of the Left Assistant Minister was only in her early thirties but she looked even more aged and sallow than Lady Fang. The hair on her temples was already frosted with gray and it was obvious that she normally was quite stressed. It was no wonder. Not long after her youngest daughter was born, a rash started to appear on her child¡¯s face. After seeing doctors for more than a decade, there was still no improvement. Instead, her daughter¡¯s facial rash seemed to be getting worse as she got older. Her sweet and clever little girl gradually became more silent and antisocial. As her mother, how could she be happy through all of this?


    ¡°Qing¡¯er, Mother already carefully asked around. ¡®Drifting Beauty¡¯ is the ce that is best at treating pimples. You¡¯ve also seen the older sister from the Wu Family, right? In the past, she also had a face full of pimples like you but after undergoing treatments at ¡®Drifting Beauty¡¯ for less than a month, they¡¯ve mostly disappeared. Furthermore, the treatments didn¡¯t leave a single discoloration or scar on her face. Her skin also looks much more sleek and healthy than before. Didn¡¯t that consultant say something earlier? The best at doing skin treatments isn¡¯t her but it¡¯s actually her master, Feudal Princess Jinan!¡± The wife of the Left Assistant Minister quickly tried to console her daughter.


    Yu Wanqing was silent for a moment before she slowly shook her head, ¡°She was given her title of feudal princess by the emperor himself, so how could she be willing to lower herself to help me heal my skin? Mother, let¡¯s not continue to bring humiliation onto ourselves and go! If rumorse out about my face, how am I supposed to live anymore?¡±


    The wife of the Left Assistant Minister didn¡¯t want to renounce theirst hope and persevered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Qing¡¯er! The spa honors and keeps every guest¡¯s privacy and they won¡¯t broadcast the circumstances of any customer to the public. Even if your skin condition can¡¯t be treated, it won¡¯t be any worse than it is now! You¡¯re still young and you can¡¯t spend the rest of your life with your face in this condition. Sigh...it¡¯s all Mother¡¯s fault. I couldn¡¯t give you a beautiful and adorable little face. Instead, I let you endure so much pain and heartbreak since you were young...¡±


    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s not your fault! If you continue to me yourself, then I will feel even worse!¡± Yu Wanqing was sensible and restrained her sorrow to start consoling her mother.


    The wife of the Left Assistant Minister patted her daughter¡¯s small hand and held back the sorrow in her heart. Her daughter was sweet and sensible, but why did the heavens treat her so unfairly? What did she do wrong? If she could choose, she would rather her own face be ravaged instead of her kind and obedient youngest daughter.

 Chapter 497 – Source of Disease

    <h4>Chapter 497 ¨C Source of Disease</h4>


    ¡°Qing¡¯er, listen to me. Wait a little longer. Maybe Feudal Princess Jinan can really cure the pimples on your face? Promise me, don¡¯t give up any chance of treatment, alright?¡± The wife of the left assistant minister didn¡¯t want to see her twelve year old daughter dispirited and tried to get her to see sense.


    Upon seeing that her mother was enduring her own sadness and trying tofort her with her heart and soul, Yu Wanqing nodded slowly with tears in her eyes. No matter what the result was, she had to try, even if she were to lose hope in the end. She didn¡¯t want to waste her mother¡¯s painstaking efforts. It wasn¡¯t easy for her mother these past few years...


    ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be upset. I won¡¯t go back! Just as you¡¯ve said, no matter what the result is, we should face it firmly. Your daughter won¡¯t run away. Even if Feudal Princess Jinan can¡¯t cure my face, then it¡¯s my fate.¡±


    Yu Wanqing had be tired and downtrodden by the condition of the skin on her face after all these years. With such a face, all the other children treated her as a monster when she was a child, avoiding and running away from her. There were even ones who were so scared they cried. Not only did she not have any ymates but she also had to bear the criticisms of the parents of the children who were scared into crying.


    She feared her parents wouldn¡¯t like her and wouldn¡¯t want her, so she forced herself to be sensible and obedient, to be a well-behaved daughter. Her parents were also so worried for her sake that their hairs turned grey early. Thankfully, she had a pair of loving parents who never gave up on seeking out medical treatments for her for more than ten years. Her mother feared that she was lonely and apanied her often, even going to the point of ignoring Yu Wanqing¡¯s older brother and father...


    She decided, if the treatment didn¡¯t work this time, she would advise her parents to give uppletely. She would just live alone this life with this appearance!


    ¡°Qing¡¯er, Feudal Princess Jinan has medicinal skills. I heard that she even has folk remedies on hand that can treat dubious or hard-to-treat mdies. Perhaps she truly can heal your face.¡± The wife of the left assistant minister carefully continued down this subject. Her daughter had endured this pressure for a very long time. She¡¯d had her hopes lifted and then extinguished time after time. As an adult, even she almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore, let alone her young daughter.


    ¡°Lady Yu, Miss Yu, our master is here!¡± Hechun opened the coral beaded curtains and walked in. Behind her, a little maiden, who was about the same size as Yu Wanqing, came in wearing pink Qi-style clothing.


    Lady Yu¡¯s eyes looked over. The little girl¡¯s skin was white and delicate, and it looked as lustrous, smooth and soft as a pearl. She had a pair of big eyes that were sparkling with confidence, which could convince anyone. The dimple by her mouth that was partly visible was sweet and lovable. Was this Feudal Princess Jinan? The Feudal Princess Jinan who could grow high yield crops, invented greenhouse nting, and set up Blossoming Beauty? Lady Yu couldn¡¯t believe her eyes; she looked just like a delicate, weak, and protected noble youngdy!


    ¡°Feudal Princess Jinan, please forgive us for disturbing you!¡± Whether or not the other party could cure her daughter¡¯s face, there should still be etiquette. Lady Yu slightly bowed and said with a smile. Yu Wanqing gave a slight curtsy before falling back behind her mother.


    Yu Xiaocao had looked over the daughter and mother pair as soon as she entered the door. Lady Yu looked haggard but her eyes were kind. She seemed like an amiable person. Miss Yu¡¯s head and face were covered with a heavy veil. No matter the style or color of the clothes she wore, they could only be described as ordinary. It seemed like they had low-key and modest temperaments. As the wife and daughter of a third-ranking official, there didn¡¯t seem to be any arrogance and haughtiness. Rather they had a slight calmness about them, which gave Yu Xiaocao a good impression.


    ¡°Lady Yu is too polite. What Feudal Princess, please call me Xiaoyu!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s straightforward personality won a favorable impression from both the mother and daughter pair.


    ¡°Qing¡¯er, Miss Yu is older than you. Why don¡¯t you call her Older Sister Yu?¡± Lady Yu took her daughter¡¯s hand and said with a smile.


    ¡°Older Sister Yu...¡± Yu Wanqing had a bit of an inferiorityplex and a liking for quiet due to the condition of her face. Listening to her mother, she softly called out ¡®older sister¡¯.


    Yu Xiaocao knew that for the patient to cooperate wholeheartedly, she must win over their trust and gain a favorable impression. Hearing this, the dimples near her mouth deepened, ¡°Since I¡¯m older, I¡¯ll call you Younger Sister Yu. Younger Sister Yu, ever since I came to the capital, all the people I know are older than me. I finally have a delicate and weak sister to take care of.¡±


    Seeing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s attitude, Lady Yu¡¯s heart finally rxed. It was rumored that Feudal Princess Jinan had a sharp tongue, so she was originally worried that the other party wouldn¡¯t be easy to get along with. She didn¡¯t expect the girl to be a kind person with a considerate heart that seemed to have a great understanding of people. It seemed as if those rumors couldn¡¯t be trusted after all!


    ¡°To tell you the truth, Miss Xiaoyu, my daughter and I came to ask for help. I¡¯ve heard that your ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ can help with regting and healing the skin. Do you have any good methods of treating skin disease and improving its condition?¡± Lady Yu loved her daughter so much that she didn¡¯t beat around the bush but went straight into the main topic.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s smile didn¡¯t diminish and she nodded slightly, ¡°Our beauty and health spa, which integrates improving beauty and preserving health, ismitted to improving the quality of problematic skin so that every maiden and woman can bloom like flowers for their own splendor. As for the skin disease mentioned by Lady Yu, I have to see it before I can know if it can be cured.¡±


    Lady Yu saw that the young maiden spoke freely, confidentiality and politely, so she was convinced a bit. She looked back at her daughter. If her daughter¡¯s face wasn¡¯t like that, would she be as self-controlled, confident, and beautiful as Miss Yu?


    In order to avoid giving her daughter any embarrassment, Lady Yu suggested that they avoid unnecessary people. Yu Xiaocao let her personal servant girl wait outside but left behind Hechun, ¡°Lady Yu, Hechun was taught personally by me. She has an extraordinary talent for skincare. As you know, I still have an imperial office and may not have the chance to look after Younger Sister Yu every time so...¡±


    Lady Yu expressed that she understood. After all, the young maiden had the post of an Agricultural Official in the Ministry of Revenue and she still had to take care of the matters on the Imperial ntation. When her husband was serving his official post, he also ced great importance on agricultural cultivation. She knew that spring was an important season for the crops. If she became busy, how could she have time to care about other matters?


    ¡°However, don¡¯t worry Lady Yu. Hechun will be Younger Sister Yu¡¯s exclusive skincare specialist in the future. When I¡¯m here, I will try to personally help with her treatment. However, when I¡¯m not present, she will take full responsibility. Hechun¡¯s level of expertise isn¡¯t any lower than mine, so the two of you don¡¯t have to worry!¡± Yu Xiaocao exined the situation clearly, so as to avoid the mother and daughter having any misgivings about the method of treatment.


    Yu Wanqing saw that the girl in front of her was about the same age as her. Not only did she have an important position on the imperial court but she also opened a store as big as ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. While she admired her in her heart, she also couldn¡¯t help respecting her, ¡°Older Sister Yu, we believe you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gave her a sweet smile. This smile seemed to have a soothing effect on people. Yu Wanqing stopped worrying and gently lifted the face covering, revealing a dainty, but red and swollen face. In some ces, it even hadrge pustules that oozed pus.


    Yu Xiaocao put away the smile on her face and looked at the symptoms carefully and solemnly. There was no contempt or disgust in her eyes, which made Yu Wanqing¡¯s body and frame of mind rx a lot more. Older Sister Yu was so strong. Even she herself dared not look at this face in the mirror, but the other maiden was looking at it so attentively. Was she not afraid of having nightmares?


    When others saw her face, they either took a breath of cold air, screamed in fright, or ran away like they saw a ghost. Only Older Sister Yu stayed normal, not even frowning a bit, and didn¡¯t have any expression of disgust or dislike. No matter if her face could be healed or not, as long as Older Sister Yu was willing, she was willing to be her friend¡ª¡ªYu Wanqing didn¡¯t have many friends growing up. She idly wondered if Older Sister Yu was willing to ept her as a friend.


    ¡°How is it? Can Qing¡¯er¡¯s face be cured?¡± Just when Yu Wanqing was thinking about her personal gains and losses, her mother asked anxiously.


    Yu Xiaocao had a conversation with the little divine stone and confirmed her guess. Under the expectant and uneasy eyes of the mother and daughter pair, she nodded slowly.


    Lady Yu and Yu Wanqing¡¯s hearts fell back down, like a boulder falling to the ground, and they felt as if they were still in a dream. They couldn¡¯t tell if that gentle nod a while ago was a hallucination or reality. Lady Yu held her daughter in her arms with eyes full of tears and said, ¡°My daughter, my daughter that life has been cruel to, there is finally an end to your suffering!¡±


    Yu Wanqing¡¯s face was nestled in her mother¡¯s chest. Although it was ufortable, she couldn¡¯t care. Her mind was repeating, ¡®There¡¯s a cure. There¡¯s a cure. There is a cure for my face!¡¯ The tears of joy stung the areas of ulceration on her face but her heart was full of joy. The heavens finally pitied her and sent her savior, Older Sister Yu, to her side. She wouldn¡¯t have to hide by wearing the face veil anymore or bear the strange, disgusted, and frightened gazes of other people. She could finally be like a normal person and live a normal life!


    ¡°Younger Sister Yu¡¯s papr eczema is caused by a skin allergy. It¡¯s apanied by blisters around the mouth and nose. As long as the source of the allergy is found, and the symptoms are treated, her skin will heal without any scars.¡±


    Under the little divine stone¡¯s reminder, Yu Xiaocao already knew what the little girl¡¯s skin was allergic to. This little girl was too miserable. She was allergic to willow catkins in the spring, lotus flowers in the summer, daisies in the fall, and plum trees in the winter...No wonder her skin never got better all year round. Most importantly, someone in her family liked the ornamental nt, kaffir lily, that bloomed all year round. That was the main cause of her skin eczema bing ulcerated and swollen.


    ¡°Source of allergy? How do we find it? Miss Xiaoyu, please tell us.¡± Lady Yu was happy but at the same time more urgent upon knowing her daughter¡¯s face could be cured. She hoped to cure her daughter¡¯s skin as soon as possible.


    ¡°Younger Sister Yu should be allergic to some type of flower pollen. Think of the flowers at your home. Which ones are most numerous and the ones that you have the most contact with?¡± Yu Xiaocao pointed them in the right direction.


    The mother and daughter pair looked in each other¡¯s eyes and saw surprise and regret. When Lady Yu was young, she liked kaffir lilies. She had met her husband because of this flower. Official Yu, who was a poor schr back then, also liked the kaffir lilies. The two of them took fancy to a pot of kaffir lily in the same flower shop on the same day at the same time. Thus, a story of a beautiful official¡¯s daughter and a talented poor schr began.

 Chapter 498 – Good Omen

    <h4>Chapter 498 ¨C Good Omen</h4>


    Lady Yu always believed that the kaffir lily was the matchmaker of her and her husband. Consequently, all kinds of kaffir lilies were nted in the courtyards and the rooms. When Official Yu was free, the two of them would write poems and make paintings while looking at the kaffir lily, creating the scene of a beauty studying with a schr.


    Who would have thought that the kaffir lily, which they regarded as the token of their affection, was the main cause of their young daughter¡¯s suffering for more than ten years? In a small corner of Lady Yu¡¯s heart, there was a small voice that said, ¡°Maybe, they got it wrong?¡±


    Yu Wanqing, after a period of silence, suddenly said, ¡°I remember thest time when I went with Mother to Jingan Temple, we abstained from eating meat and listened to scriptures there. We were right when a Buddhist festival ured, so we stayed a few more days. Jingan Temple is known for its rare trees and they don¡¯t nt a lot of flowers there, so during the time I was there, the redness and swelling on my face got better and the papules went down a lot. My mother and I thought it was because of my sincerity that moved the Buddha so my face got better. It turns out the only reason why my symptoms were alleviated was because I was staying away from the nts that caused problems for my skin!¡±


    Lady Yu had also thought of this. It seemed that the kaffir lily at home couldn¡¯t stay any longer. Nothing was more important than her daughter¡¯s face!


    ¡°Once we go back, I¡¯ll tell your father to give away all of the kaffir lilies! Right now the most important thing is curing the skin on your face. Miss Yu, will the skin on my daughter¡¯s face heal by getting rid of the source of her allergy?¡± Lady Yu felt a bit resigned. After all, those were the beautiful memories of her and her husband. However, for her daughter, there was nothing that she wasn¡¯t willing to give up.


    Yu Xiaocao pondered briefly and formted a n for Yu Wanqing¡¯s recuperation and treatment, ¡°I¡¯ll choose a suitable courtyard for Younger Sister Yu to stay at for some time, so that it will be more convenient for her to receive concentrated care. Sensitivity to allergens and papules aren¡¯t easy to treat. The most fundamental thing is that we have to start from within and improve Younger Sister Yu¡¯s physique, using facial skincare as a supplement. Therefore, when necessary, medicinal soups and food will be vital. If Lady Yu is worried, you can spend a few days with Younger Sister Yu in the club as well.¡±


    Yu Wanqing shook her head and said, ¡°What is there to worry about? I¡¯m not a kid anymore. I¡¯m just a few months younger than Older Sister Yu. Older Sister Yu can undertake tasks alone, yet I¡¯m like a nestling being protected by my parents. If I didn¡¯t dare to stay in a safe courtyard, won¡¯t I be a useless person? Besides, aren¡¯t there servant girls to wait on me? Mother, go home and clean my courtyard first. That way when my skin is better, it won¡¯t have a rpse.¡±


    Lady Yu revealed a happy expression on her face. Her daughter was growing up and she was brave enough to take the first step. How precious it was for her!


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll do as my daughter says!!¡± Lady Yu also had an impatient disposition. What day was better than today? They should start the treatment for her daughter today, ¡°Miss Yu, do you have anything else to tell me? I¡¯ll go home right now and help my daughter pack some clothes to bring over.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a moment and said, ¡°I suggest you don¡¯t keep any willow trees, lotus flowers, chrysanthemums, or plum blossoms on your estate. nt more ornamental foliage nts. It¡¯s better not to have any pond water in Younger Sister Yu¡¯s courtyard. An environment that¡¯s too humid can cause Younger Sister Yu to have a buildup of moisture in her body, causing eczema.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Your Younger Sister Yu likes lotus flowers. In her courtyard, there¡¯s a delicate pond that¡¯s full of lotus flowers facing her window. In the summer, the scent of lotus flowers covers the entire courtyard... I always wondered why Qing¡¯er¡¯s face gets worse in the summer. Turns out it¡¯s rted to those lotus flowers!¡± Lady Yu turned to her daughter and said, ¡°I¡¯ll find some people to fill up the small pond when I get home. Don¡¯t think it¡¯s a pity that it¡¯ll be gone.¡±


    ¡°Mother, as long as it¡¯s good for my skin, I won¡¯t have any objections to any of your arrangements!¡± Yu Wanqing was still immersed in the joy that her skin could recover. Even if her courtyard was left with a plot of dirt, she would dly be content.


    Yu Xiaocao watched as the mother and daughter pair rejoiced in hope for a bit before she said, ¡°I¡¯ll give Younger Sister Yu some simple skincare first. Younger Sister, follow me to the inner chamber to lie down.¡±


    A veil hung from the entrance of the inner chamber, allowing a vague view of what was inside. There were two narrow beauty treatment beds in the room, which could hold one person lying on their back. There was also a simple treasure shelf in the room that had many bottles in a variety of different shapes.


    The simple furnishings and privacy designs allowed Yu Wanqing¡¯s slightly uneasy mood to rx. At Yu Xiaocao¡¯s suggestion, sheid on one of the beauty beds. Her hands were tightly sped as she basked in the novelty of the experience.


    Yu Xiaocao took a few bottles down from the treasure shelf. Hechun helped her fetch some fresh water at just the right temperature and Yu Xiaocao immersed a delicate cotton cloth into the water and gently wrung the water out. She avoided the areas of ulceration on the girl¡¯s face as she began to clean Yu Wanqing¡¯s skin.


    ¡°Younger Sister Yu¡¯s skin is sensitive and allergenic, so she can¡¯t use the alkaline handmade soap to clean it. This cleanser with cucumber extracts is mild and has hydrating functions. It¡¯s more suitable for her symptoms. However, for the sake of caution, do an allergy test on the skin behind her ear first!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had worked in a beauty spa for more than a year in her past life, so she wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with facial care. While she cleansed the younger girl¡¯s face, she gave Hechun an exnation for her steps which also served the dual purpose of letting the Yu mother and daughter pair know her intentions and the effects of each step.


    A soft and smooth hand caressed her face, which was a new sensation for Yu Wanqing. That pair of hands seemed so gentle as if they were caring for a treasure. Although Yu Wanqing was a little shy, she didn¡¯t hate the touch.


    Ten minutes into the allergy test, it was confirmed the cucumber cleanser could be used. Yu Xiaocao used her middle finger and ring finger to gently massage the cleanser into the other girl¡¯s face. This step didn¡¯t take long and, soon, the faintly fragrant foam was washed away. She didn¡¯t know if it was a psychological effect, but Yu Wanqing felt that her face was fresher in an instant.


    Next, Yu Xiaocao opened a jade bottle containing mystic stone water. After diluting it appropriately with the right proportion of saline, she taught Hechun where to spread the beauty solution on the other girl¡¯s face. She also exined to her that this beauty solution could also be used to improve skin that was oversensitive.


    Next came a mask that was made of fine cotton and had holes cut out for the eyes, nose and mouth. Yu Wanqing opened her eyes and looked curiously at it. When this mask like cotton gauze was ced on her face after being soaked in the normal saline beauty solution, she felt that her face was cool as if there was something going directly into her skin and repairing her swollen and broken skin. The previous stinging of the ulcers suddenly disappeared. It felt sofortable...


    Unknowingly, Yu Wanqing fell asleep and slept soundly. Lady Yu fought back tears of joy. In her memories, her daughter seemed to have never slept so peacefully, always being awakened by nightmares.


    Yu Wanqing slept with a smile. In her dream, she was lonely and sad, and then she met a little immortal girl. The immortal girl said that she could help her relieve her pain and help her recover her original appearance. With that, the immortal gently waved a hand and a gentle light surrounded her. The pimples, redness, and ulcerations on her face were gently removed like a mask, revealing delicate, white, and smooth skin without any ws. Yu Wanqing was ecstatic beyond measure. When she looked back, the immortal girl was flying away on a propitious cloud, but she clearly saw the immortal¡¯s smiling face¡ª¡ªit was Older Sister Yu¡¯s smiling face.


    When she woke up, the first thing she saw was the face of the immortal girl in her dream. The smile was so real, sincere, and went straight into the hearts of the people. She involuntarily told them the dream she just had. Lady Yu gently stroked her soft hair and happily said, ¡°This is a good omen indicating your face will soon be like it was in your dream, smooth without any ws.¡±


    When she finished speaking she turned her hopeful gaze toward Yu Xiaocao, who was finishing her daughter¡¯s facial treatment, hoping to gain her acknowledgment and confirmation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if there will be any ws. Everyone¡¯s skin is different and I¡¯m not the immortal girl in your dream with magical powers so great I can change a person¡¯s appearance. However, I can guarantee that the pimples, the redness, and swelling, as well as the ulcers on your face, will all disappear!¡± Yu Xiaocao assured the mother and daughter pair, while she washed her hands, and put on hand cream.


    It was just the first treatment, but Yu Wanqing felt that her face wasn¡¯t as itchy as before and her symptoms were lighter. She couldn¡¯t help but raise her hand to touch her face but Yu Xiaocao stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t move! There are many things that a person¡¯s handse into contact with. Too many dirty things are on them that can be seen. Your skin is sensitive, so you should try to avoid touching your face with your hands. You also shouldn¡¯t pick at your pimples with your fingernails as it¡¯ll only make your skin worse.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that? In the future don¡¯t touch the pimples with your hands, or squeeze out the pus inside. You must remember!¡± Lady Yu grabbed her daughter¡¯s hands nervously and reminded her again.


    ¡°Your mother is right. Using your hands to squeeze out the things in the pimples can cause inmmation or even leave scars. When your face is healing there will be scabs. Younger Sister Yu, you must endure it. I will prepare an ointment for you. When you feel itchy, you can apply it with a cotton swab. It can help stop the itching and diminish inmmation, helping the skin recover.¡± The ointment that Yu Xiaocao was talking about had a rtively high concentration of mystic stone water in it, and thus there was no need to mention the effects.


    ¡°Thank you, Older Sister Yu. You really are my savior. I don¡¯t ask for anything else, just for the red swelling, the ulceration, and pimples to go away, so I won¡¯t beughed at or hated by others!¡± Yu Wanqing sniffed. When she was in despair, it was Older Sister Yu who gave her the seed of hope.


    To tell the truth, every time she looked in the mirror, she would look for her facial features through the armor-like papules and try to imagine her appearance. Her mother said that her facial features were elegant, and that if it wasn¡¯t because of her severe skin conditions, she would have been a beautiful girl.


    Previous Chapter


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 Chapter 499 – Public Reputation

    <h4>Chapter 499 ¨C Public Reputation</h4>


    She didn¡¯t want to be pretty; she just wanted to be like an ordinary person. She didn¡¯t want to wear a face veil whenever she went out. She didn¡¯t want to worry about scaring little children with her face because the wind blew away said face veil!


    Yu Wanqing was quite satisfied with this courtyard. It was secluded and serene, which made it a perfect ce for her to recuperate. There weren¡¯t many flowers and nts in the courtyard, and the courtyard was also decorated in a simple manner. Older Sister Yu said that this ce was suitable for her to live, so she decided to live in this courtyard.


    Yu Xiaocao prescribed her some medicinal cuisine that would help her recuperate her body. There was a small kitchen in the courtyard that her maids could use to brew medicine and make tisanes. Lady Yu loved her daughter, so she sent the cook that was most experienced with making medicinal cuisine over to her daughter. In addition to brewing medicine for her daughter, the cook could also make some foods to help recuperate her daughter¡¯s body.


    Because Yu Wanqing¡¯s face injury was quite serious, Xiaocao increased the concentration of the mystic-stone water in her prescriptions. It was said that an extremely high concentration of the mystic-stone water could ¡®bring the dead alive and knit together the bones that had been broken¡¯. It was unnecessary to go into details of how powerful it was. Yu Wanqing¡¯s face recovered very quickly, and the appearance of her face changed from day to day.


    On the first day, her face was no longer itchy or painful. On the second day, the festering pus on her wounds began to close up, and a thinyer of scabs had faintly formed over the wounds. On the third day, eczema started to disappear and the red rash gradually faded. Her face was originally red and swollen, but now, the original color of her skin could be seen on some parts of her face. On the fourth day, the scabs on the festering wounds began to fall off, exposing the tender and delicate red skin underneath...


    When Lady Yu finished handling the affairs of the estate in the mornings, she came to apany her daughter in the afternoons. When she saw the miraculous changes on Yu Wanqing¡¯s face, Lady Yu couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears. She held Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hand and thanked her incessantly. She told Xiaocao that it was all thanks to her that her daughter was now going to have a second chance in life and that she was the great benefactor of the Yu Family.


    The left assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments had taken office for less than a year. In the past, he used to be an outsiderpared to the other high-ranking officials. Everyone in the capital knew that the left assistant minister had a daughter that was reaching maidenhood, but very few people had seen her. Otherwise, Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t have been mistaken for her when she participated in the flower war banquet. The Yu Family always told other people that their daughter was unwell and was unable to have visitors.


    However, the people who had a good rtionship with Left Assistant Minister Yu knew about the skin condition of Yu Wanqing¡¯s face. In addition to feeling sympathy for him, the other families wanted to enhance their rtionship with the left assistant minister, so they would persuade their daughters to be closer with the left assistant minister¡¯s daughter.


    But after the sweet and delicate youngdies saw Yu Wanqing¡¯s face, they started treating her like a malicious spirit. They refused to apany her, let alone be her friend. Fortunately, these youngdies were not people who liked to kick others when others were down nor were they the type to gossip. As a result, Yu Wanqing¡¯s story did not spread throughout the capital. Everyone thought that the left assistant minister¡¯s daughter was weak and sickly. Of course, there were also some people that said behind their backs that Young Lady Yu was arrogant and looked down on other people, so she was unwilling to be friends with them.


    Yu Wanqing went to ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ to nurse the skin on her face and Lady Yu didn¡¯t conceal the truth. When several madams politely asked about her daughter, Lady Yu told them about her daughter¡¯s current situation. The madams were very curious about ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ and wondered if it was as magical as Lady Yu had described it. Could it really restore a youngdy¡¯s appearance to normal even when many famous doctors were helpless and unable to cure Lady Yu¡¯s daughter? As a result, many noble households in the capital began to silently pay attention to the beauty club¡¯s movements.


    Yu Wanqing lived in the ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ beauty and health spa for a month. During that time, the eczema and the blisters on her face had practically all disappeared, leaving only the areas that originally had more severe wounds with a redder skin tone. The excess moisture inside her body was nearly gone due to medicinal meals, fire cupping [1] , and gua sha [2] treatments. Her immunity had increased, so her skin¡¯s resistance to allergens also increased. If she avoided overexposure to her allergens, then her skin condition wouldn¡¯t re up again.


    Originally, Yu Wanqing¡¯s symptoms had improved significantly after twenty days of treatment. She could¡¯ve gone home and nursed herself back toplete health. Yu Xiaocao provided her with anti-allergic flower tea to drink daily and skin care products that she needed to use daily. However, Yu Wanqing feared that she would not be able to properly take care of herself after returning home and, as a result of that, all their previous efforts would go to waste. So, she insisted that she wanted to live in the courtyard until her skin waspletely cured.


    It was just like she was being hospitalized because she did nothing every day. The cost of living in that courtyard was twenty taels a day. In addition to the skin care, body detoxification, and the medicinal meals, her daily cost of living exceeded five hundred taels of silver per day. When Yu Xiaocao said that her face could be cured, Lady Yu clenched her teeth and recharged fifty thousand taels at the spa and obtained a gold membership card.


    Although Minister Yu was born from a humble family, Lady Yu¡¯s maternal family was rich. When Lady Yu married him, Minister Yu had already passed the imperial pce examinations and had taken second ce. Lady Yu¡¯s maternal family was very pleased with the results, so the dowry they provided was very rich and generous. It was said that the procession of the dowry alone filled up five kilometers of the road. The dowry also consisted of thousands of acres of fertile fields in Jiangnan, dozens of prosperous shops in the capital, and two hundred thousand taels in banknotes.


    At Lady Yu¡¯s maternal home, her family only had two children: Lady Yu and Lady Yu¡¯s older brother. Her brother was over ten years older than her, so she grew up spoiled by the family. Because she was her brother¡¯s only sister, her brother also doted on her and spoiled her. Lady Yu was also good at making money and managing the estate¡¯s finances, and under her care, the Yu Family prospered over the years. Now, the Yu Family was notcking in money at all. This was also the reason why Lady Yu was able to fork out fifty thousand taels of silver in one sitting.


    Every product and service in ¡°Blossoming Beauty¡± had a price tag. People like them had to first recharge money first on their cards before they were able to buy products or receive services in ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. Every customer had a record of their ount status in the shop¡¯s record-keeping book. The record-keeping book had all the information, such as what the customer bought and how much they spent that day. It was all clearly recorded in an organized table.


    When Lady Yu came to pick up her daughter to go home, there was only a little over twenty thousand taels left in her gold membership card. Over the month, the money was not only spent on Yu Wanqing¡¯s skin condition, but Lady Yu also spent arge sum in the shop. For example, she bought medicinal tea for hair care, wrinkle-reducing products, and facial and shoulder physiotherapy that was by the spa portion of the shop.


    Therefore, at the celebration party hosted for her daughter, the noble matrons at the party enviously said that her skin looked much healthier and she appeared younger! When these madams learned that Lady Yu had been receiving care from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, they all inquired about the price and effects of their products and services.


    When they learned that the mother and daughter had nearly spent thirty thousand taels of silver in one month at the shop, many of them were disheartened. Not everyone was as rich as Lady Yu. Facial treatments and body physiotherapy treatments at the spa were incredibly expensive, but they could afford to buy a few skincare products to try out at home. Those who were more wealthy would also buy some herbal and flower teas to maintain their beauty from the inside out. Maintaining their beauty from the inside out was much more effective than just applying skin care products on the face. Even so, it would cost them at least two to three thousand taels a month!


    Some of the madams who wanted to be cheap had invited professional doctors over who were experts on Chinese medicine to find out the ingredients in the flower and herbal tea. They managed to formte part of the tea, but no matter how much they tried, the tea they made could not achieve the same effect that the tea from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ could attain. After using the products from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, the results could be seen within a month and the effects were remarkable. The self-made products had little effect, and some people even had side effects after taking it. When the news came out, the madams and youngdies did not dare to try alternative products.


    Afterwards, ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ received many new clients who had pimples and e on their face. After all, it was normal for youngdies to have a few pimples and e on their face during puberty. However, the noble youngdies of the capital all went to the spa to treat it as they feared that their faces would develop rashes just like Miss Yu.


    Ever since Yu Wanqing¡¯s face was cured, the kaffir lilies and other nts that caused her allergies had beenpletely cleared out of the residence. She started paying attention to her diet and skin care, and, as a result, she never developed an allergic reaction again. The left assistant minister¡¯s daughter finally presented herself before everyone else in the capital.


    Yu Wanqing had a petite and well-proportioned figure, an oval face, big eyes, a tall nose bridge, a small mouth, and skin as fair and delicate as a piece of white jade. She was a remarkably beautiful youngdy. If people examined her appearance closely, then they would notice that her appearance was about 30% simr to Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face. They were both beautifuldies with small faces andrge eyes.


    Yu Wanqing became more and more confident and was no longer afraid of others knowing about the previous state of her face. During parties and celebrations hosted for youngdies, she would generously satisfy the other youngdies¡¯ curiosity and tell them about the miserable state her face was previously in. After learning about the before and after of her face, the noble young maidens in the capital were even more convinced by the effectiveness of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯s¡¯ services and products.


    The few noble youngdies that had seen her face before it was cured respected Yu Wanqing a lot more when they saw that she didn¡¯t hesitate to talk about her past to others. Their attitude towards her became more friendly. The youngdies¡¯ families were already close. Now that their daughters had be close friends, the families¡¯ rtionship became even closer.


    Many people asked the youngdies who had seen Yu Wanqing¡¯s face before to confirm her story. Looking at Yu Wanqing¡¯s fair and soft skin and her rosyplexion, it was hard for them to believe that just over a month ago, her face would easily scare people to tears. After obtaining consent from Yu Wanqing, the noble young maidens who had seen her appearance before would describe Yu Wanqing¡¯s previous appearance in detail to other curious youngdies. They did not exaggerate or lie while telling the story.


    As a result, more and more people who knew Yu Wanqing¡¯s backstory and the number ofdies who believed in the ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ shop¡¯s effectiveness also increased. The youngdies in the capital with several minor skin problems such as erged pores, rough skin, sallowplexion, e, and pimples...all of their problems were solved after using the skin care products or the facial treatments from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. The reputation of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ grew rapidly.


    The products in ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ were selling out faster and faster, and business was booming. If the product was selling well, then she would have to expand the production of the product. This meant that the courtyard she bought in the capital for manufacturing skin care products was notrge enough. Yu Xiaocao bought the entire back mountain and therge stretch of uncultivatednd behind the Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead from him. She built a skin care product workshop and a flower and herbal tea workshop. The numerous courtyards were all connected together in a grand scope.


    Originally, Zhu Junyang wanted to give the farmstead and everything along with it to Yu Xiaocao, but she rejected his offer. The rtionship between the two was bing more and more stable. Zhu Junyang would send some material goods, jewelry, and other toys as gifts to her from time to time. However, before their rtionship was officially determined, Yu Xiaocao would drown in gossip from the busybodies in the capital if she epted his farmstead.

 Chapter 500 – Breeding Base

    <h4>Chapter 500 ¨C Breeding Base</h4>


    In fact, even though Zhu Junyang¡¯s farmstead was not officially under Xiaocao¡¯s name, it more or less belonged to Xiaocao now. He sold the mountain area behind the farmstead to Xiaocao at a low price. He also gave her the right to arrange thend in the farmstead as she pleased. She was also able to order the stewards and servants working in the farmstead as she wanted. Xiaocao was respected and treated like the master of the farmstead by the servants. Of course, she was treated with respect because of her capability and charming personality.


    Although they nted many flowers in the mountain area behind the farmstead, they were still short on supply. Yu Xiaocao publicly purchased a variety of flowers and petals from various ces. She even had suppliers from Jiangnan. Furthermore, Zhu Junyang had assigned one of his fleets to personally purchase flowers for Yu Xiaocao.


    They already agreed that the thousands of mu of fertilend in the farmstead would be nted with vegetables and fruits in the winter. At the beginning of spring, thend in the farmstead will then all be used to nt flowers. In addition to that, he also had a couple of hundred mu located on the backend of the mountain area. That amount ofnd should be barely enough, right? If it wasn¡¯t enough, Zhu Junyang was thinking about purchasing the neighboring farmsteads at a high price...


    Yu Xiaocao had been busy with the beauty and health club during spring. Of course, she had not forgotten about her official responsibilities. She had also been taking care of the matters in the Imperial ntation. At the beginning of spring, she nted fresh vegetables after the greenhouse pavilions were taken down.


    The vegetable farmers in the suburbs of the capital also nted some vegetables at the beginning of spring. However, their vegetables couldn¡¯tpare to the vegetables nted in the Imperial ntation. Perhaps the Imperial ntation was infected with the dragon spirit from the royal family, but the vegetables produced this year appeared fresher and lusher than the vegetables from the other vegetable farmers. The vegetables from the Imperial ntation tasted even better than the previous years.


    As a result, the vegetables sold by the shops under Zhu Junyang¡¯s name were much more expensive than the vegetables sold by ordinary vegetable farmers. Even so, the cunning government officials, noble families, and wealthy merchants all fought to buy some vegetables and fruits from his shop.


    Themoners in the capital were naturally reluctant to buy the same type of vegetables at a price that was several times higher just because it tasted better. Therefore, there was still a market for vegetables sold by suburban vegetable farmers. The vegetables produced by the Imperial ntation were coined as the ¡®noble vegetables¡¯ because it supplied mostly the wealthy upper-ss people. It didn¡¯tpete in the market against the vegetables nted by ordinary vegetable farmers.


    The weather gradually became warmer. People took off their warm clothes for lighter and morefortable summer garments. The one thousand mu of winter wheat nted in the Imperial ntation had grown into plump and massive ears of wheat. It looked like the Imperial ntation was covered with a golden colored nket. When they saw the vast golden wheat field, the old and experienced tenant farmers in the Imperial ntation smiled until their wrinkles deepened at the corners of their eyes.


    They had nted crops for the majority of their life, but this was the first time they had seen suchrge and plump wheat ears. This year was definitely going to have a bumper harvest and they would be able to live a better life this year due to the bountiful harvest! Although the wheat in the Imperial ntation was owned by the imperial family, the tenant farmer¡¯s ie was still linked to the harvest of the fields each year. The output of the harvest usually got converted into other forms of food or silver as ie for the tenant farmers.


    Before Miss Yu came to the Imperial ntation, the tenant farmers working in the Imperial ntation were envied by others. The emperor was well known for his benevolence and love for his people, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t treat the tenant farmers in the Imperial ntation badly. Last fall, under Miss Yu¡¯s leadership, the corn output in the Imperial ntation broke a new record. Each of the tenant farmers¡¯ ies had doubledpared to the previous years. Looking at the fields of winter wheat for this spring, they knew that their ie would definitely be better than the ie they received fromst fall. In other words, this year¡¯s ie was better than all the previous payments they had received in the previous two to three years!


    As a result, the tenant farmers were full of energy when they were harvesting the winter wheat. Men, women, and children all looked like they were engaging in battle as they cut, tied, and picked the wheat...the children followed behind the adults while carrying a small basket to pick the wheat ears that fell to the ground. They knew that the ntation had to receive the wheat in the warehouse first before it would be considered as their own. Since this year¡¯s winter wheat had grown so well, they couldn¡¯t afford to have an ident when harvesting the crops. They wouldn¡¯t be able to afford the consequences!


    When the thousand mu of winter wheat had been cut, dried, and stored in the warehouse, the tenant farmers who had been busy harvesting all day and night could finally let out a sigh of relief. Steward Wang and Minister Liu of the Ministry of Revenue couldn¡¯t wait to calcte the output of the winter wheat with the officials in charge of the farming tasks.


    Minister Liu trembled with excitement. Seven hundred catties!! The average yield per mu actually reached seven hundred catties, which meant that they yielded a higher catty per mu than the crops produced at Tanggu Town. In this era where the average wheat yield per mu was only around two to three hundred catties, no one could even imagine that they could one day produce seven hundred catties per mu! This was simply a myth that they didn¡¯t even dare to imagine!!


    The statistics of the total yield from the Imperial ntation was presented to the emperor. The yield per mu of the fields in Tanggu Town was also counted and it turned out that the yield per mu wasn¡¯t much different from the Imperial ntation this year. However, Xiaocao asked a few people to select a few exceptionallyrge wheat ears in the previous year for her, and then she nted those in a few acres ofnd. The winter wheat nted in the few acres ofnd produced wheat ears that were a thirdrger in size than normal wheat ears. The wheat ear managed to create a miracle by outputting nine hundred catties per mu!


    Above the imperial court, the emperor held a giant wheat ear and excitedly said to the civil and military officials, ¡°Do you see this? This is the wheat ear that yielded nine hundred catties per mu. If we use this as a seed, then the yield next year definitely won¡¯t worsen! Imagine if all the wheat in the north can reach this output, then would our Great Ming Dynasty have people who go hungry every day? Would we still have people who are poverty-stricken? Will we still have people who won¡¯t be able to make a living?? The people in the Great Ming Dynasty will be able to live in peace and contentment. The Great Ming Dynasty will no longer be unstable because of poverty. Feudal Princess Jinan is indeed one of my most capable officials. Now, my officials and ministers, do you still believe that I¡¯m trying to cause chaos to the imperial court by appointing a young girl as an official? My officials and ministers, do you still believe that a woman cannot be a capable and efficient official?¡±


    The imperial court fell silent. The ministers, who strongly opposed appointing Yu Xiaocao as an official, had their heads hanging down. Their faces burned as if they were pped multiple times! The emperor always appointed people ording to their abilities and merits. He had stubbornly appointed a young girl from a peasant family as an official even though half of the imperial court opposed this idea. He didn¡¯t want to overlook a farming genius just because of her background or gender.


    After the emperor ascended the throne, in order to save some expenses for the imperial treasury, he insisted on using the former imperial pce. Some of the more remote and deste pces were starting to fall apart, yet he refused to repair the buildings. In order to prevent the wasting of manpower and resources, he even canceled the drafting of youngdies to the imperial harem that usually urred once every three years. The emperor¡¯s harem, including the empress, consisted of no more than ten women! The emperor and the empress also had their expenses cut down by keeping their longevity celebrations simple. The celebration cost no more than one thousand taels of silver, which meant that it cost even less than the birthday celebration of a wealthy merchant.


    The imperial family was naturally frugal because the funds in the imperial treasury were not abundant. In the past ten years since the emperor¡¯s ascension to the throne, he had worked diligently for the people, encouraged people to open upnd for farming, lowered taxes again and again, and he even gave the people who suffered from war and disasters an opportunity to live a good life. Even so, many people in various ces still could not fill their stomachs because the grain output was too low! After an ordinary family worked for an entire year, the remaining money they had after they paid the rent for the farm was barely enough to make ends meet.


    If the yield per mu was increased by three to four times, then the tenant farmers would still have surplus money after paying for rent and food. If the people were well off, then the nation would be stable. Wasn¡¯t this what all rulers wished for? There were hundreds of officials in court, but the generals were the ones who built this country, and the ministers were the ones who ruled this country. Yet it was a young girl whom everyone looked down upon who ended up stabilizing this country!


    Now, it was impossible for the ministers to reject the result. Official Yu used her extraordinary ability to win the recognition of the hundreds of civil and military officials in court! Her aplishments were gradually revealed to the people!


    Some of the high yielding winter wheat seeds were stored to be nted in the Imperial ntation next year, and the remaining ones were sold to the poor people in the north at ordinary prices. In order to prevent certainndowners and officials from monopolizing the seeds, the court had dispatched an imperial envoy to preside over the sale of the seeds.


    The Imperial ntation and Yu Family¡¯s farmstead in Tanggu Town only totaled around four to five thousand mu ofnd. The average yield per mu was around seven hundred catties, so they produced over three million catties of wheat seeds. It took fifteen catties of seeds to nt one mu ofnd. This meant that the seeds that they currently had could only supply the nting for around two hundred thousand mu ofnd. This was far from enough since the Great Ming Dynasty had over six hundred million mu of arable farnd!


    The emperor asked the imperial hidden guards to secretly count thend in the outskirts of the capital and the nearby Zhou prefecture that belonged to the officials and wealthy merchants. The area of arablend unexpectedly exceeded one hundred thousand mu. If all these farmsteads could be used to breed the seeds, then they would be able to supply enough seeds for the nine million mu ofnd! If this happened, then they would be one step closer to their goal of growing high yielding wheat all over the north!


    The emperor asked Chief Steward Su Ran to gather these people together and announce that the court had expropriated theirnd. Of course, their farmsteads would not be used in vain. The seeds will be distributed by the court, and the harvested grains can only be sold to the court. The court was willing to pay ten copper coins per catty to buy the wheat harvested from thend.


    The highest price for wheat in the market was only five copper coins per catty. The owners of these farmsteads would earn a huge profit, so why wouldn¡¯t they agree? The imperial court signed a ten-year agreement with the owners of the farmsteads. They agreed that the court was going to decide what they will nt and how they will nt it for the next ten years. When they harvested the crops, the court will send amissioner to buy all the crops.


    The crops nted by each farmstead were different. Some nted winter wheat while other farmsteads nted spring seedings, so the process was quite chaotic. Therefore, the agreement went into effect after this current autumn harvest ended. The beginning of the agreement started once winter wheat was nted in the ground.


    After the winter wheat was harvested, both the Imperial ntation and the farmstead at Tanggu Town wildly proimed that they were now nting corn and potatoes. The climate in the northeastern and northwestern regions was harsher, and thend was more barren, so crops like corn and potatoes were more suitable for nting than wheat. Last year, many vigers from the suburbs of the capital came to the capital and frantically bought some corn seeds before returning. They immediately started nting the seeds at the start of spring. ording to their feedback, the corn was growing very well; however, the specific output of the crop would not be unknown until harvest season in the fall.


    The two farmsteads already had some experience with nting corn. Before she started nting the seeds, Yu Xiaocao walked around the well water at the edge of the Imperial ntation. She increased the concentration of the mystic-stone water that had already gradually weakened. She also put on an act and walked around the fields a few times with her hands sped behind her back. Her task was nowpleted!


    At this time, the peaches and plums at the back of the farmstead already began to mature. Because she had urgently required fruit trees at the time and couldn¡¯t pick and choose, they now had a wide variety of peaches growing on the hill.. A few of the trees there were grafted with Dongshan Vige¡¯s honey peach branches, and the resulting peaches wererge and sweet. As for the other varieties avable, they had the sweet and crunchy big white peaches, sweet and sour juicy blood peaches that looked as red as blood, and the sour and sweet crispy yellow peaches. Regardless of the variety of peach, all of the peaches produced at the fruit orchard wererge and numerous. There were so many peaches on the trees that the branches were slightly bent from the weight.


    As soon as the peaches were ripe, they were all shipped to Royal Prince Yang¡¯s premium fruit and vegetable shops. The peaches were packaged in exquisite gift boxes, and the prices set for each box were quite expensive. Fortunately, those who were willing to buy from the premium fruits and vegetable shops were not people whocked money. The peaches that came from the mountain area located behind the Imperial ntation, regardless of the variety, were allrger than the fist of an average adult male. There was no need to even exin the taste of the peachespared to the regr ones.

 Chapter 501 – Surprise Guests

    <h4>Chapter 501 ¨C Surprise Guests</h4>


    Honey peaches had soft and sulent flesh. After taking a small bite, one could lightly suck on it and the meat from the peach would flow into the mouth. They tasted incredibly sweet. Thus, honey peaches were more suitable for young children and the elderly to eat.


    Before therge white peaches were ripe, they had a light green color. When the color of the peel slowly changed and approached a light white, then the peaches were ready to be picked. The skin of these peaches were tender and crispy, and the flesh extremely fragrant. Most young people loved this type of fruit.


    Blood peaches werepletely red and they had a lustrous and bright color. The flesh tasted fresh and, in one bite, even the juice that came out was a blood red color. It had a strong vor that seeped into a person¡¯s mouth, filling it with vor. This type of peach could nourish the blood and body. Thus, people who had just recovered from an illness and didn¡¯t have much energy would find great benefit from eating this type of peach.


    ......


    All of the peaches were packaged in delicately carved boxes to sell. Each box had six peaches in it and their weight exceeded five catties. The price was set at ten taels per box. Compared to ordinary peaches, which were only a dozen copper coins per catty, these peaches were extremely expensive.


    However, the high price came with a reason. Ordinary peaches could not evenpare to the ones cultivated on the Imperial ntation, and the difference was like that between that of a peasant and a nobleman. After eating peaches grown at the Imperial ntation, one would disdain the taste of regr peaches. There wasn¡¯t a lot of fruit grown on the back of the Imperial ntation, so there was a quota implemented on the peaches. Only a hundred boxes of peaches could be sold a day and they would be sold out before the end of the day. Supply definitely did not meet the demand.


    Once the lively and vivacious He Wanning found out that the peaches on the hills behind the Imperial ntation were ripe, she could no longer sit still. She ran over to the Yu Residence and found out that Xiaocao was currently at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. Thus, she also scurried over to the cosmetics and spa resort and burst into Xiaocao¡¯s private courtyard. She rushed towards Xiaocao, who was currently in the middle of swimming in her private hot spring and stated, ¡°Xiaocao, you¡¯re really too much, you know?¡±


    The so-called hot spring was merely a pool of water that had been heated. Mystic-stone water had been added to the pool, so bathing more frequently could improve one¡¯s skin texture and quality. Yu Xiaocao was currently wearing a swimsuit while she swam freely in the water that was about as deep as a person¡¯s height.


    She was quite surprised when He Wanning had burst in. She swam over to the side of the pool and gazed in puzzlement at the other girl and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? How did I make you unhappy this time?¡±


    ¡°Sincest year you¡¯ve said that you were going to invite us to go to the Imperial ntation to hunt and enjoy a pic. However, you haven¡¯t followed up on that promise. I¡¯ll say, do you even have us friends in your heart at this point?¡± He Wanningy down on a cushion next to the hot spring and sshed water towards Xiaocao.


    Xiaocao swiftly dove into the water and avoided the other girl¡¯s sneak attack. She surfaced at a distance and smiled mysteriously, ¡°Older Sister He, do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re hinting at? You¡¯re just thinking about those peaches in the fruit orchard, right? If you didn¡¯te today, I still would have sent out invitations to you, Older Sister Yuan, Royal Princess Minn and Li Mengru to invite you all to experience the life of a fruit farmer!¡±


    ¡°Experience the day to day life of a fruit farmer?¡± He Wanning¡¯s eyes immediately lit up and an expression of eager interest crossed her face. Despite her obvious excitement, she said, ¡°Hmph! You clearly know how to make us work for you to pick peaches. After all, you don¡¯t have to pay us for this work. I knew you were a money-grubbing little businesswoman!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to go? Suit yourself...¡± Yu Xiaocao stepped out of the pool and took the offered bath towel from Yingchun¡¯s hands. She sat down on a nearby couch and had Wutong dry her hair for her.


    ¡°Go! Of course I¡¯ll go! Why wouldn¡¯t I? This time of year, the hares are probably plump, so after picking some peaches we can go hunt some game too. In the evening, we can have a barbecue. If we stay toote, doesn¡¯t Royal Prince Yang¡¯s farmstead nearby have a courtyard residence for you ah? Then we can rest there...¡± He Wanning became more and more excited with every word she said. She couldn¡¯t help but stand up and spin in delight.


    He Wanning bummed a whole body essential oil massage off of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s courtyard before she finally decided to leave. Before she left, she made sure to remind Xiaocao, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to send an invitation. It needs toe quickly!¡±


    That night, Yu Xiaocao sent out a few invitations to her good friends in the capital. She was inviting them over to the Imperial ntation in two days to have fun. They were to meet at the three-story pavilion on the outside of the city.


    That day, Yu Xiaocao rode her little red horse and brought along her two ¡®hunting dogs¡¯, Little ck and Little White. Right after she exited the city, she saw that there were already people waiting by the three-story pavilion. However, as she got closer, she noticed that, other than Royal Princess Minn, Li Mengru and the two beauties of the capital, there were a few uninvited guests too.


    The first to speak was Li Mengru who looked quite embarrassed. She nced at her older legitimate sister and two legitimate younger brothers and softly apologized, ¡°Younger Sister Yu, after I received your invitation, my older legitimate sister and two legitimate younger brothers were also very interested in your proposal, so...without asking for your permission, I presumptively brought them along. I¡¯m truly very sorry!¡±


    Li Mengru¡¯s older legitimate sister, Li Mengqi, had a rtively open personality. When she saw that her concubine-born sister was acting so carefully, she was afraid that they had stepped over Yu Xiaocao¡¯s invisible line and hurriedly said, ¡°It was me. I was the one who coincidentally saw my younger sister¡¯s invitation and I was very interested in picking peaches, so I begged her to bring me and my younger brothers along. Younger Sister is kind and softhearted and couldn¡¯t refuse my request. me me instead of her ah!¡±


    ¡°Miss Li is taking it too seriously. Since it is a leisure trip, obviously the more the merrier. I don¡¯t have many friends in the capital, if you wish toe along, then I will be happy to take you. Why would I me you?¡± Since these people already came, she felt no need to act the bad guy and make everyone else unhappy. It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t know how to be courteous. If these people were worthy of being friends with her, then she was happy to incorporate them in the future.


    The Li Family¡¯s siblings were one thing, but...who was that weird-looking fellow that was salivating over Little ck and Little White? What was he doing here? Also, who was that handsome man next to him? He was so handsome that he looked like he came right out of a fairy tale. Why did he look so mysterious?


    ¡°Hee hee, Feudal Princess Jinan, these two hunting dogs of yours still haven¡¯t had a litter of pups yet? Is it because you can¡¯t bear to give any away that it¡¯s like this ah?¡± Ning Donghuan desperately wanted these two ¡®dogs¡¯. He even imed that he was famous for having good hunting dogs and knowledge, yet he couldn¡¯t even tell the difference between a wolf and a dog.


    Yu Xiaocao was toozy to pay any attention to this guy. Instead she turned an inquiring gaze over to the other people there. Who the heck brought this idiot along? Someone needed to take charge of him as this fellow had some guts to try to provoke Little White. If Little White ended up losing its temper, then it was likely the wolf would bite this guy¡¯s pants off!


    He Wanning let out a couple of fake coughs and looked away as she said in a somewhat unnatural voice, ¡°These two are the young masters from Duke Rongguo¡¯s estate. They are named Ning Donn and Ning Donghuan and they are the maternal cousins from my eldest sister-inw¡¯s family. My eldest sister-inw had gotten pregnant after eating your specially prepared medicinal cuisine and drinking the medicinal tea! Her maternal family came over and I don¡¯t know why but Duke Rongguo¡¯s youngest son came over too. When he found out that I had an outing with you today, he shamelessly pestered me toe along!¡±


    He Wanning¡¯s eldest sister-inw originally didn¡¯t have any big issues with her body. After she took more care with her food and drink and also began eating the special prepared foods that Yu Xiaocao prescribed, she had gotten pregnant within a few months. This news made the grand princess royal and Marchioness Anning incredibly ecstatic and they especially prepared arge amount of thank you gifts for Yu Xiaocao. Furthermore, they sent over the heir and his wife to express their gratitude in person to Xiaocao. They were so thankful that Xiaocao felt a bit ufortable by their expressions.


    In the eyes of He Wanning and the other maidens here, it wasn¡¯t too surprising that Ning Donghuan came over as he had always been a hedonistic good-for-nothing. However, they would have never expected that Duke Rongguo¡¯s second son, Ning Donn, who had a reputation of being a perfect gentleman, would also want toe. It was quite out of character for him and this surprised He Wanning endlessly!


    ¡°We¡¯re in luck! Quickly, quickly, we¡¯ve almost caught up with them! I¡¯ll say, Little Yangzi, I don¡¯t think your charms are deadly enough! Your littless doesn¡¯t even ce a lot of importance on you. She¡¯s going out to y today but didn¡¯t even let you know in advance. If it wasn¡¯t for this young master¡¯s connections, you would still be in the dark!!¡± The person who spoke was a pale-faced youth dressed in green on a buckskin horse.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the precious grandson of Old General Lu? Wasn¡¯t his rtionship with Royal Prince Yang quite bad? Howe they¡¯reing over together?¡± He Wanning had once been infuriated by Lu Hao¡¯s sharp tongue and had tried to whip him in retaliation. However, her skills with the whip were no match for Lu Hao, who had spent years tussling with Royal Prince Yang. The gap in their skills was too great. She ended panting in exhaustion with sweat dripping down her face while the infuriating youth hadn¡¯t gotten hit even once. Thus, the two people¡¯s argument ended like that!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes momentarily softened when she saw that familiar handsome youth dressed entirely in ck with the phoenix eyes riding on a ck horse. She didn¡¯t even need to nudge her mount as Little Red headed over to Fierce Wind and tried to bite the other horse¡¯s ears.


    Yu Xiaocao patted Little Red¡¯s head and stopped her from bothering Fierce Wind. She looked at Zhu Junyang with a smile in her eyes, ¡°When did you get back to the capital? You look like you¡¯ve gotten thinner. You still need to take care of yourself no matter how urgent your task is.¡±


    Zhu Junyang reached out a hand to stroke the little girl¡¯s tender face and the severe look on his face gentled, ¡°Last night I had just gotten back...ever since I left the capital, I¡¯ve longed for the food you make. Even the simplest porridge and stir-fried veggies you make are better than the most expensive delicacies. This prince wants to eat your Buddha jumps over the wall!¡±


    Didn¡¯t he just say that even her simplest porridge and stir-fried vegetables were good enough? Yet he suddenly wanted to eat Buddha jumps over the wall. Just what was he trying to say? Yu Xiaocao knew that this fellow wasn¡¯t happy unless there was a meat dish on the table so the mirth in her eyes deepened. She nodded her head and said, ¡°Alright, tomorrow evening you shoulde over to Count Zhongqin¡¯s estate and I¡¯ll make you some Buddha jumps over the wall...you got back to the capital yesterday; don¡¯t you need to show up at court today to report? Is it really okay for you to go out with us?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem! The emperor gave me a day off to rest up ah!¡± Zhu Junyang had been out of the capital for more than a month doing his task and had constantly thought of his littless. The first thing he wanted to do when he got back was to see her. From his good friend, he found out that she was taking people to the Imperial ntation to y around today, so he came along without even thinking about it.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem! Is it really okay for you guys to be like this when there are a bunch of other people around? All of us are just standing here ah, yet you guys don¡¯t feel the least bit embarrassed?! Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! Head out!¡± Lu Hao had just experienced first hand the lovey-doveyness between these two people and couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. He would have never expected that the cold faced royal prince, the cruel and vicious devil star, actually had such a gentle and sweet side of him. Lu Hao shuddered at the memory as goosebumps rose throughout his body. The legendary ¡®the tempered sword being twisted around a beauty¡¯s finger¡¯ was actually true!


    The emperor raising the status of women wasn¡¯t without benefit. In fact, every noble-born maiden in the capital was quite skilled at horseback riding. In total, the group consisted of over a dozen young nobles. With their maidservants and servants added on, there were around a few dozen horses all headed down the capital¡¯s official roads. The peasant farmers, who were pushing or pulling carts towards the capital, all hurriedly went aside to let these nobles through. Judging by these people¡¯s clothing and attitudes, it was easy to tell that they couldn¡¯t afford to offend any of them. It was better to make way, right? If they had identally caused offense to one of these arrogant and noble masters, then they would likely have to pay in blood!

 Chapter 502 – Fierce Wind is Jealous

    <h4>Chapter 502 ¨C Fierce Wind is Jealous</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao spurred her little red horse on. Her steed had seen a bunch of other horses around it, so its thirst forpetition rose. It stretched out its legs and bolted off like a red whirlwind. In a wisp, it quickly left the other horses far behind it. Since Fierce Wind was a Ferghana horse, it wasn¡¯t difficult for it to keep up with Little Red. However, after spending a lot of time with Little Red, the ck horse always allowed the little red horse to do anything it wanted. Thus, it kept half a horse head¡¯s distance from Little Red and ran neck to neck.


    Yu Xiaocao turned her head around to look at the confident and calm Zhu Junyang and grinned at him. Fierce Wind was like his owner and always did little tricks to get the other horse to like him. Suddenly, Xiaocao heard the sound of another horse¡¯s hooves from behind and curiously turned around to look. She saw the elegantly handsome Ning Donn, who was dressed entirely in white, riding a white steed that glided over quickly. His white sleeves billowed around him and his coal-ck hair floated in the wind. His ethereally handsome face along with his heroic figure seemed to make him resemble a celestial immortaling down to earth...


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhu Junyang had noticed that his littless had her attention taken away by another man, so he felt quite unhappy. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from ring at Ning Donn with daggers in his eyes. Everything was good about his littless. The only problem she had was that she was ¡®horny¡¯! Of course, the type of ¡®horny¡¯ that he meant was that she really liked looking at beautiful things, which included handsome and good-looking men.


    In fact, he recalled that when the littless was only around eight to nine years old, she also regarded him with a stunned look on her face. Now that he remembered that scene, he felt quite pleased and self-satisfied. However, when the littless revealed an admiring expression at other men who were good-looking in front of him, that good feeling rapidly changed into something else!


    After he saw that the littless hadn¡¯t noticed his jealousy, Zhu Junyang threw another look at the tactless Ning Donn, who had caught up with them, and remarked in a very aggrieved tone, ¡°Lass, what are you looking at so intently for?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao finally stopped staring and sensed his displeased expression. She rubbed at her nose self-consciously and quibbled, ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking at anything! I was just a bit amazed by Young Master Ning¡¯s horse. It was actually able to catch up with Little Red and Fierce Wind. I don¡¯t know what kind of horse it is!¡±


    Who was she trying to fool?! Earlier she was staring tantly at that handsome guy¡¯s face so much that the drool almost fell out of her mouth, yet now she imed she was looking at the man¡¯s horse instead. He obviously wouldn¡¯t believe that excuse! However, Zhu Junyang had a good understanding of Xiaocao¡¯s personality and didn¡¯t bother to argue with her over this. Instead, he yed along, ¡°Older Brother Ning¡¯s beloved horse looks lively, hasrge intelligent eyes, a tall arched neck, delicate ears, strong sturdy limbs, and a light gait...it should be a very good example of a Yili horse¡ª¡ªa very good breed!¡±


    Ning Donn, who was already neck to neck with Xiaocao, heard what Zhu Junyang said and revealed a gentle smile, ¡°Royal Prince Yang is very knowledgeable. I spotted this horse in the middle of a herd of wild horses on my most recent journey. It took me quite a bit of effort to tame it! However, Falling Snow is probably the most lively and intelligent horse I¡¯ve had...¡±


    Everyone knew that Yili horses were incredibly beautiful, so Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but nce at the horse a bit more. Little Red, on the other hand, was quite unhappy about this. The most lively and intelligent horse was this little white horse? That was an utter lie! The most lively and intelligent horse was right here!


    Little Red thought that Falling Snow looked more and more like an eyesore, so it bunched up its muscles and sped forward in an effort to leave the little white horse behind. Although Little Red wasn¡¯t a famous breed, it had been fed with mystic-stone water by its master since it was young. Thus, most famous and good steeds couldn¡¯t beat it! Consequently, it leapt forward and left Fierce Wind and Falling Snow behind it by more than a horse length!


    When they almost reached the fork in the road that led to the Imperial ntation, Yu Xiaocao pulled on the reins and began tofort Little Red. She was nning on waiting for the rest of her friends here before they entered the Imperial ntation.


    Ning Donn waited until Falling Snow came to a stop and then leapt off his steed. He regarded his beloved horse, which looked exhausted, with a tender look on his face and then looked with astonishment at Little Red, who was currently being fed mystic-stone water by its master. He asked curiously, ¡°Miss Yu, your precious horse truly has some unusual legs and can actually run faster than Falling Snow. I really can¡¯t find many horses that can do that! Perhaps...your horse is the descendant of the legendary Red Hare [1] ?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders and gently stroked Little Red¡¯s soft and silky mane as she casually replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about horses. Little Red was given to me by my godfather when I was young and it was only a small yearling then, so I couldn¡¯t see anything special then. I never would have expected that it would be more amazing as it got older and that it has quite a bit of stamina. It¡¯s a bit hot-blooded in temperament though and always likes to bully Fierce Wind and other horses.¡±


    ¡°Good horses all have bad tempers! When I was taming Falling Snow, I almost got kicked or stepped on multiple times. It was quite dangerous. Your horse actually runs faster than Royal Prince Yang¡¯s Ferghana horse, which is a top-notch horse. It must have some blood-line of Red Hare!¡± Ning Donn noticed that his beloved horse, which was usually quite proud and aloof, was currently doing its best to curry favor with the little red horse. He was quite surprised by this turn of events.


    Fierce Wind was not happy by this at all. It stubbornly inserted itself between Little Red and Falling Snow and even jostled the white horse away. Falling Snow also had a temper and opened its mouth to snap at Fierce Wind. Fierce Wind had a simr temperament as its owner. Other than acting gentle and sweet around Little Red, it was vicious and temperamental to all other horses. The two horses actually started toe to blows and began fighting. It was quite a thrilling sight!


    Zhu Junyang could tell that his beloved steed had the advantage here and nted a look while he crossed his arms around his chest and a cold smile appeared on his face. From time to time, he would throw a provocative look at Ning Donn.


    Ning Donn saw that his beloved horse had almost been kicked a few times by Fierce Wind and frowned in worry as he said, ¡°Although Falling Snow has an arrogant temperament, it¡¯s not the type to cause trouble for no reason. What¡¯s going on today? Miss Yu, is your Little Red a female horse?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao naturally could tell that Fierce Wind was jealous and nced at its master. Argh...this horse was truly too petty; it must have learned this from its master. After hearing the question, sheughingly led Little Red forward to avoid getting injured and nodded, ¡°Yes ah! My Little Red is a mare and it¡¯s a very attractive female horse!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Only knows how to attract outside bees and butterflies!¡± Zhu Junyang huffed coldly and had a displeased look on his face.


    ¡°Who are you talking about ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao immediately became a bit upset and herrge eyes had a hint of danger in them.


    ¡°I was talking about the horse, who else would I be talking about?¡± Zhu Junyang immediately backed off and stared at the cause of all this trouble¡ª¡ªLittle Red.


    Yu Xiaocao was still not happy, ¡°That¡¯s also not okay! My Little Red is so sweet and obedient and didn¡¯t start this trouble. It was clearly the fault of someone else who shamelessly came forward. So shameless and brazen ah!¡± It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t know how to say things in a roundabout way.


    Zhu Junyang was helpless against her onught and could only admit defeat now. He ordered Fierce Wind, ¡°Fierce Wind, it¡¯s about enough, alright? It¡¯s not as if you have a blood-feud right now. Are you really going to fight until the other can¡¯t anymore? Come back!¡±


    Fierce Wind resentfully turned around. As it turned, it took onest bite at Falling Snow¡¯s neck. Falling Snow¡¯s reactions weren¡¯t fast enough so it ended up with a bloody bite mark on its neck. However, Fierce Wind was still going easy on the other horse. Otherwise, the white horse would be missing a bit of flesh right now.


    Falling Snow let out an anguished whinny and Ning Donn hurriedly took out a handkerchief to treat his poor horse. Yu Xiaocao, who had been watching all of this, quite liked that pretty white horse so she wet her own handkerchief with some mystic stone water and offered it over, ¡°Young Master Ning, use this to wipe Falling Snow¡¯s wound ah.¡±


    Ning Donn didn¡¯t refuse her good intentions and took the offered handkerchief as he washed the wound on Falling Snow¡¯s neck. Heined out of love, ¡°That horse really bit down hard. Clearly the horse is like its master; both are irritable and bad tempered!¡±


    As someone who shielded the shortings of her loved ones, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t happy, ¡°It wasn¡¯t right for Fierce Wind to bite Falling Snow. I know you love your horse but you can¡¯t just me other people unjustly.¡±


    Ning Donn inwardly thought, ¡®If Royal Prince Yang had restrained his horse earlier, would Falling Snow be injured now?¡¯ However, he could tell Xiaocao was protecting Zhu Junyang and didn¡¯t say anything more.


    Zhu Junyang was over the moon when he saw his littless defending him. It was as if he had just drank a cup of ice cold water during the hottest day of the year. It was obviously that his littless still had him in his heart and she wasn¡¯t bewitched by another pretty face.


    After they waited for quite a bit, He Wanning and the others finally caught up with them. He Wanning had a dissatisfied expression on her face as sheined, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, is this how the host should be acting? Leaving the guests behind while you run off in front? Yes, we all know that your steed is amazing. When I get back, I¡¯m going to have my father find me a good horse and leave the three of you guys in the dust next!!¡±


    ¡°Alright ah! This silly animal of mine took control of the situation and insisted onpeting with Fierce Wind and Falling Snow. I wasn¡¯t trying to show off my horse. Older Sister He, don¡¯t me me wrongly!¡± Yu Xiaocao suppressed the smile on her lips and patted Little Red¡¯s neck as she easily transferred the me over.


    He Wanning stared at Little Red with a covetous gaze. Little Red felt a bit uneasy by this and irritability stamped its hooves on the ground. He Wanning nodded her head, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, your horse doesn¡¯t look very impressive and I would have never expected that it would be on the same level as a Ferghana horse. If I¡¯m not wrong, this horse of yours should be a mare right?¡±


    After Xiaocao nodded her head in assent, He Wanning revealed an expectant expression, ¡°Then, once this horse has a foal, it will go to me. I¡¯ve already spoken and made this reservation. You¡¯re not allowed to give it to anyone else!¡±


    ¡°Who did you make an agreement with? Did you get this prince¡¯s permission yet?¡± Zhu Junyang once again felt like the littless wasn¡¯t taking him seriously. She even agreed to send out Fierce Wind¡¯s and Little Red¡¯s future child out to someone else without even consulting him.


    Yu Xiaocao and He Wanning both looked at him with simr bbergasted expressions on their faces, ¡°Why do we need to get your permission?¡±


    Strictly speaking, He Wanning was actually considered cousins with Zhu Junyang. Other people were afraid of this devil-like Royal Prince Yang, but she wasn¡¯t, ¡°This is strictly between me and Younger Sister Xiaocao, why are you butting in?¡±


    Zhu Junyang huffed and said, ¡°The little foal that you¡¯re talking about is also the descendant of Fierce Wind. Why can¡¯t I, as one of the masters involved here, also have an opinion?¡±


    ¡°Who says that Little Red¡¯s kid must be Fierce Wind¡¯s kid?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t expect this fellow to be this aggressive that he wouldn¡¯t even allow other people¡¯s horses to breed with her horse.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression darkened even more, ¡°What kind of owner are you? Haven¡¯t you seen the rtionship between Fierce Wind and Little Red? Are you going to callously tear them apart?¡±


    ¡®What kind of eyes do you have to think that Little Red and Fierce Wind are in a loving rtionship? Obviously it¡¯s only Fierce Wind who is shamelessly pestering Little Red and my Little Red hasn¡¯t yet agreed to this!¡¯ However, she could tell that Zhu Junyang was truly mad about this so Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t bother to quarrel with him. The first step hadn¡¯t even been taken yet, so what was the point in arguing over the future of Little Red¡¯s children? There were better things to do!


    ¡°In front of us is the Imperial ntation, do we want to go directly to the back hills or first go to the main building to rest a bit?¡± As the host, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t spend all of her time soothing the hurt feelings of a certain someone. She needed to make sure she took good care of all of these noble-born misses and young masters.


    He Wanning didn¡¯t even wait to consider before she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the back mountains first! We can all make our own decisions there. Those who want to pick peaches can pick peaches. Those who don¡¯t can go hunting first. At lunch, we can have a barbecue with the hunted game and eat the free fruits as well!¡±


    [1] Red Hare ¨C famous horse owned by the warlord L¨¹ Bu

 Chapter 503 – Attempted Fraud

    <h4>Chapter 503 ¨C Attempted Fraud</h4>


    The group followed the winding trail behind the Imperial ntation and hiked towards the little hill that wasn¡¯t too far from them. Steward Wang, who was in charge of overseeing the Imperial ntation, had gotten word of their arrival and hurried over with the staff to wee them. These young masters and misses were all from noble families and one of them was actually their immediate superior, so they couldn¡¯t slight them one bit.


    However, He Wanning felt like they were all in the way and directly ordered them away. Since they were here for an outing, it needed to be more rustic for them to have fun. The invitation from Steward Wang waspletely ignored by everyone.


    At the peach orchard, a beautiful sight greeted their eyes. Rosy and bright peaches hung from the branches and the weight of them made the branches bend down. Raising one¡¯s head would allow a fuzzy peach to hit one¡¯s forehead. The sweet scent of the peaches permeated the mountainside.


    ¡°Those of you who want to hunt go ahead. We can split duties. In any case, I want to pick peaches!¡± He Wanning impatiently picked a massive scarlet blood peach that had caught her eye. She wiped the fuzz on the peach with a handkerchief and began to stuff the fruit into her mouth. Her maidservant hurriedly stopped her and took out a water pouch that she carried to help her wash the peach clean before handing it back to her.


    He Wanning bit down and bright red juice dribbled down from the corner of her mouth. She wiped the juice off with the back of her hand in an uninhibited manner and swallowed down the flesh and juice in her mouth. She remarked in a pleased manner, ¡°So delicious! Apparently peaches that are just picked are even more fresh. This type of peach has a sour and sweet taste to it and it really stimtes one¡¯s appetite!¡±


    Royal Princess Minn personally preferred the juicy and rich honey peach. She carefully looked around and selected a honey peach tree from the orchard. She stood on the top of her tiptoes to pick a peach that had caught her eye. Her maidservant swiftly took it from her hand to help her wash it before handing it back to her.


    Royal Princess Minn held the washed peach in one hand while she picked another ripe peach with her other hand. The honey peaches that she picked were all ced in a basket held by a maidservant behind her. After picking five peaches, she finally stopped. She delivered the washed peach to her mouth and gently took a small bite. Then, she sucked at the bite and sweet and mellow juice immediately flowed into her mouth. It tasted as sweet as honey. After she finished sucking out the juice, she discovered that what was left in her hands was only the skin of the peach and the seed. The flesh of fully ripened honey peaches had already turned to juice. No wonder they were called honey peaches!


    Li Mengru¡¯s two younger brothers were just at the age where they liked to y. When they saw that their older sisters had started to pick peaches without saying a word, they didn¡¯t want to be outdone. They ran towards the peach trees they liked and began to pick fruit. For the fruit that were on the higher branches, they sat on the shoulders of others to help them reach.


    Lu Hao couldn¡¯t control the strength in his hands. After attempting to pick a few honey peaches, he found out that he always ended up damaging the fruit so he switched his targets to the giant white peaches. Giant white peaches had firmer flesh and were not as delicate as honey peaches, so they were more suited to him. He ced the fruit basket that the staff of the orchards used at his feet and, before long, most of the basket was filled with peaches. The speed at which he picked peaches was even faster than the most experienced orchard hands.


    Ning Donghuan had always had a more deranged temperament. When he saw everyone else spending time in the fruit orchard, he also changed his mind and began to pick peaches. After picking one, he rubbed it casually on his clothes a few times and then took a giant bite. Before long, three to fourrge peaches had already gone down his gullet. The coarse young man eximed, ¡°I¡¯m rich, I¡¯m rich! These peaches are all for free so I need to eat as many as I can! I need to let all of my friends know that the peaches that they can¡¯t even buy can be eaten by me. I can eat as much as I want. Won¡¯t they be so jealous of me?!¡±


    Ning Donn, on the other hand, was an elegant and cultured fellow. He was dressed entirely in white and had both of his hands behind his back. One of his hands held a fan that had an ornament attached to it that lightly swayed with his steps. His demeanor made him look like a peach immortal. However, this ¡®immortal¡¯ wasn¡¯t the type that disdained the mundane food of mortals. Whenever he saw a peach that caught his eye, he would also stretch out a hand and pick it off the tree. After washing the fuzz off of the fruit, he would happily taste the peach.


    ¡°All of you men are here picking peaches, are any of you going to go hunting? You guys wouldn¡¯t happen to be waiting for us young noble maidens to go instead ah?¡± After eating two peaches, He Wanning¡¯s stomach was no longer empty. Although her desire to pick peaches didn¡¯t go down, her desire to eat peaches had changed.


    Ning Donghuan ran to a nearby pear tree and picked off a pear that was purple-green in color. He bit down and almost choked on the acidity of the fruit. He spat out the unripe flesh from his mouth and threw the pear onto the ground. After hearing He Wanning¡¯s question, he blew a loud whistle to summon a giant hunting dog. He patted the dog¡¯s head and proudly remarked, ¡°With my Tyrant here, why do we need people to hunt? Tyrant, go show them your skills and hunt some wild peasants and hares for us!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Tyrant and discovered that it was a Tibetan mastiff. Tibetan mastiffs were well-known for being fierce hunters. No wonder Ning Donghuan loved this dog so much!


    When he saw that Tyrant hadn¡¯t entered the thickets yet, Ning Donghuan boasted proudly, ¡°My Tyrant was brought over from U-Tsang (historic name for Tibet) and it¡¯s very fierce! No dog in the capital is its match. It is truly the King of Dogs! Miss Yu, on another day, bring your Little ck and Little White along to scuttle with Tyrant alright?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out a ¡®pft¡¯ ofughter. Tyrant was the best eh? In Little ck and Little White¡¯s eyes, that dog wasn¡¯t even worth a second nce! Although Little ck and Little White were usually good natured, they could actually make a fierce tiger back down when they needed to!


    Ning Donghuan hurriedly added when she saw her expression, ¡°Don¡¯t dismiss me so early. Tyrant is a mastiff and the Tibetan people use them to fend off fierce creatures. They will even fight off wild wolves.¡±


    Awooooo¡ª¡ªJust as he finished speaking, he heard the frantic cry from his dog. Ning Donghuan¡¯s expression immediately changed and he eximed, ¡°That sounds like Tyrant. Didn¡¯t you say that there aren¡¯t any fierce beasts in the hills here? What happened? That¡¯s not okay, I need to go take a look!¡±


    Ning Donn pulled his younger brother back and frowned, ¡°If it is truly a vicious creature, it¡¯s not like you can do anything with your poor martial arts skills. Royal Prince Yang, if there are truly fierce beasts here, we can¡¯t just let this go. After all, Miss Yu spends a lot of time here at the Imperial ntation working...¡±


    Zhu Junyang had also thought of this point. However, when Ning Donn pointed it out, he felt quite unhappy inside. He was the only one who needed to be concerned about hisss¡¯s affairs. As an ¡®outsider¡¯, why was this guy butting in? Did this fellow have other motives towards the littless?


    ¡°For the past year, I¡¯ve pretty muche to the Imperial ntation almost every day from the capital and I never heard of any fierce beasts staying in the area. That being said, other than some shrubbery in the area, there¡¯s no thick forest here for vicious animals to hide in. There shouldn¡¯t be any real danger. Perhaps Tyrant identally fell into a trap that was dug by one of the nearby vigers? How about we go over and take a look?¡±


    During their journey here, Little ck and Little White had run far in front of the horses. Yu Xiaocao had personally seen them run into the thicker areas of the back mountain. If there truly were any vicious creatures around, Little ck and Little White would have already warned her. Although she wasn¡¯t worried, that didn¡¯t mean Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t let even one small detail escape his eye when it came to his littless¡¯s safety. In a few days, he needed to have some people clean up the surrounding areas around the fruit orchard. Then, he was going to bring some people up from the farmstead and have them begin to patrol the nearby areas to make sure everything was safe. Only then would he be okay with having hisss spending a lot of time at the Imperial ntation.


    ¡°Lu Hao and I will go take a look. After all, the two of us are well trained. The rest of you should stay here. Head Steward Liu and Bodyguard Dong will stay here to protect all of you!¡± Zhu Junyang pulled the eager and excited Xiaocao and He Wanning back, who had a face full of curiosity. He didn¡¯t need to worry about the other young maidens. These two, however, were always ready to get into trouble.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s displeasure at being held back shown on her face. What was wrong with her tagging along? With these two hulking men along, would they really not be able to protect her, a tiny little girl?


    Just as the two youths were about to head forward, they could hear some rustling in the nearby bushes. From the looks of it, it looked like arge creature was headed their way. Ning Donn headed a few steps closer to Xiaocao and stood in front of her as he quietly reminded them, ¡°Be careful! All of the youngdies should retreat back into the fruit orchard, the servants should keep an eye out...¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, a giant ck head revealed itself from the bushes. The creature¡¯s bright blue eyes looked at the group of humans in puzzlement. When Zhu Junyang clearly identified the animal, he immediately rxed.


    ¡°Tyrant! What¡¯s wrong, Tyrant?!!¡± Ning Donghuan clearly saw what was being dragged along by that giant ck head. Why did it look so familiar? This...could it be his Tyrant ah? Tyrant, who had no rivals in the whole capital, was currently acting like a dead animal in Little ck¡¯s jaws and whimpering and whining pitifully.


    ¡°Little ck, who told you that you could just bully other people¡¯s dogs eh?¡± Yu Xiaocao was very familiar with Little ck¡¯s personality. It loved to y around and could romp happily with the stray dogs in the vige. If it was Little white, on the other hand, she could believe that it was that guy who started the fight. However, Little ck would never bully another dog without being provoked first.


    Little ck tossed Tyrant onto the ground. When Ning Donghuan saw his beloved pet like this, lying on the ground not moving, he cried out and ran forward, ¡°Tyrant, I rely on you to give me face ah, you can¡¯t be dead! What will I do if you¡¯re dead?¡± The distress on his face made it seem like his wife had died.


    Ning Donn couldn¡¯t stand his younger brother acting like this and poked his brother in the back with his foot to remind him to stop making a spectacle out of himself.


    ¡°This is not okay! Miss Yu, your Little ck killed my Tibetan mastiff that cost ten thousand taels to buy. You need topensate me...just give me Little ck ah, Little ck is mine now! Otherwise, I¡¯m going to cause a racket at your residence every day!!¡± Ning Donghuan revealed his hooligan side and stared at Little ck with a covetous expression.


    ¡°Psh! You sure are hoping to get the better side of the deal here! Let me tell you, my Little ck is worth more than ten of your Tyrant!¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and gave a pointed look at Ning Donn. Her intent was obvious, ¡®Quickly take your younger brother away. The fact that he¡¯s trying to ckmail someone in front of all of these people is really too shameless of him!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang felt the fires of rage rise up in his heart when he saw his littless looking at Second Young Master Ning. He pulled the shameless Ning Donghuan, who was hugging the ¡®dead corpse¡¯ of his dog, up by his cor and pointed at Tyrant, whose eyes were still blinking and looking around. He growled, ¡°If this dog of yours was killed by Little ck, then this prince wouldpensate you for your ten thousand taels! However, open your eyes wider, idiot! It was only scared silly by Little ck and doesn¡¯t dare to stand up around the other dog!¡±

 Chapter 504 – Fun Pastime

    <h4>Chapter 504 ¨C Fun Pastime</h4>


    As if it was trying to verify their thoughts, Little ck shot a look full of disdain at Tyrant and then turned around to walk into the shrubbery. Tyrant could smell the scent of Little ck of leaving and slunk back up. It stuck its tail behind its legs, hid behind its master, and refused to go out again.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Ning Donghuan, who was still trying to be shameless, stared at his dog with a bbergasted expression. Under the mocking look of Yu Xiaocao, he sheepishly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect my Tyrant to be so smart. It knows how to y dead to avoid danger...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao burst intoughter and looked at Tyrant, who was quite subdued but looked to be in fine shape, ¡°Little ck wouldn¡¯t bully your dog for no reason. Tyrant must have tried to steal his prey! Little ck is quite bold and powerful when he is hunting. Whoever wants to steal his game without his permission will get punished! Alright ah! After that false rm, let¡¯s go back to picking fruit. In the afternoon, we need to send out a shipment. In order to allow everyone to fully enjoy themselves, I even had the workers stop working. Go pick some more and don¡¯t waste the time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re truly taking us for a bunch of fruit pickers ah! Can you afford to hire us nobles as regr workers?¡± He Wanning scratched at her neck and she felt like her whole body was one big itch. She wished she could take off her clothes to scratch everywhere. However, after being instructed in the etiquette and mannerisms of a noble maiden for over a decade, she couldn¡¯t do something so impolite and could only resist the urge.


    ¡°Stop scratching, stop scratching! Qiulu, quickly take out a clean handkerchief and wet it with some water to let your young miss wipe herself down!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that He Wanning¡¯s neck had turned red from her scratching and hurriedly went over to stop her, ¡°The fuzz on peaches are notorious for causing people to feel itchy. You have to be careful and avoid getting it on your skin!¡±


    ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t mention this earlier?¡± Ning Donghuan acted as if he was a giant monkey who had been infected with lice as he scratched his whole body uninhibitedly. The more he scratched, the more it itched, and the more it itched, the more he had to scratch. His neck and arms were all red and excoriated from his efforts as if he didn¡¯t care that he might break his skin from scratching so hard.


    Li Mengru¡¯s younger brother Li Haoming had also gotten some peach fuzz on his skin. He cried as he scratched his body. Luckily, the only parts that had gotten fuzz on were his arms. Li Mengqi held a wet handkerchief and helped him wipe it off.


    Yu Xiaocao pointed at a small brook that wasn¡¯t very far from them and spoke at Ning Donghuan, ¡°You all can go over there to wash off. When Little ck and Little White get back, we can go to the grass pavilion by the sea of flowers to take our noon meal.¡±


    He Wanning still wanted to continue to pick peaches and looked at all of the peaches in the trees. She wished she could pick them all down and carry them away. Even if she couldn¡¯t take them with her, she found picking fruit from the tree to be a very fun activity, ¡°Those of you who want to wash up can do so, I¡¯m going to continue to pick some more fruit.¡±


    Other than Ning Donghuan, the rest of the group stayed at the fruit orchard and continued to pick peaches. When they first entered the orchard, they ate peaches as they picked. Their bellies now were full and they couldn¡¯t eat any more fruit. The sweet aroma of ripe fruit was very calming. All in all, the sweet young maidens along with the young masters and all of their servants were able to pick all of the fruits that were needed to be sold in the afternoon before noon arrived.


    A pile of game had already formed outside the orchard. There were wild hares, wild pheasants, badgers...everything that needed to be there was there. There was even a wild goat that weighed over a hundred catties! All of the game had been killed with a powerful bite to their necks. The wounds were quite small and even less blood flowed out. The only exception was the wild goat, which had its back legs dripping with blood and was quite mangled.


    When Little ck came back again with wild Reeve¡¯s pheasant, Xiaocao patted its head and praised it unstintingly, ¡°Little ck is so hardworking. We have enough game here! Go bring Little White back. In a moment, we¡¯ll barbecue some meat for you guys to eat!¡±


    Little ck licked its master¡¯s hand and joyfully wagged itsrge fluffy tail. It shot another threatening look at Tyrant before it swiftly disappeared into the bushes.


    ¡°So fast!¡± Ning Donghuan salivated as he stared in the direction that Little ck disappeared in. He fawningly walked up to Xiaocao and said, ¡°Such top quality hunting dogs, and you have two of them. What a waste, right? How about you set a price and transfer Little ck to me? Don¡¯t worry, no matter how high the price, I¡¯m willing to buy...¡±


    ¡°Does it look like Ick money ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao was toozy to pay him any attention and casually rebuked.


    Ah...although Ning Donghuan was a profligate young master, he knew all of the news and rumors swirling about the capital. Fresh fruits and vegetables grown out of season, Blossoming Beauty¡¯s flower teas and cosmeceuticals, the specialty resort spa, and this fruit orchard gleaming with gold...The Yu Family¡¯sss had only been in the capital for less than a year but she likely made more money than one could spend in a lifetime, no, multiple lifetimes. She truly wasn¡¯t someone whocked money!


    ¡°Then tell me ah! What will allow you to give Little ck to me?¡± Ning Donghuan dispiritedly asked with his head lowered down as if he was trying to look pathetic.


    ¡°Little ck and Little White aren¡¯t considered mine. I don¡¯t have the power to decide where they go.¡± In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart, these two were already past the stage of mere pets. They shouldn¡¯t be confined in a tiny little space in a residence as the deep forest was their true home. However, these two didn¡¯t seem interested in spending all their time in the great outdoors as they were very close to her. Perhaps it was due to the fact she had the multi-colored stone on her?


    Unfortunately, Ning Donghuan didn¡¯t understand theplexities behind her words. Instead, his face lit up and he remarked with great emotion, ¡°If they¡¯re not considered yours, then who are they owned by? Royal Prince Yang ah?¡±


    As long as they weren¡¯t owned by Yu Xiaocao, Ning Donghuan felt like he would have no qualms bothering anyone else. His old father had said that Miss Yu was absolutely someone he could not afford to offend. Otherwise, he would have long resorted to some duplicitous methods to get his hands on one of her dogs. As long as she wasn¡¯t their owner, then it was all very easy to resolve. Even if the owner was the hard to connect with Royal Prince Yang, he was confident in his own skills and wiliness that he would be able to get the prince to sell one of the dogs to him! The worst case scenario would be Royal Prince Yang beating him into a pulp. A few flesh wounds were nothing!


    ¡°No, they¡¯re not owned by any person! They are only owned by themselves.¡± Yu Xiaocao thought that interacting with this idiot was truly too onerous. This guy truly had zero brains in that empty head of his.


    However, Ning Donghuan became even more ecstatic, ¡°They¡¯re not owned by anyone? Doesn¡¯t that mean they are masterless then? Then doesn¡¯t that mean that as long as I find a way to bring them back that they would be considered mine ah?¡± Whoever caught masterless animals would be considered their new masters. Wasn¡¯t that what she was hinting at?


    Yu Xiaocao could sense his growing interest and had an inkling of what he was going to try to do. She gazed at him mysteriously and had a faint smile on her face as she said, ¡°You could think of it that way. However, don¡¯t me me for not warning you in the future. Little ck and Little White aren¡¯t that easy to get along with...¡±


    However, Ning Donghuan didn¡¯t take her warning to heart. His mind was obsessed with the idea of getting these two ¡®hunting dogs¡¯ into his kennel. Naturally, this was the direct cause of his future sad predicament.


    The maidservants and manservants moved all of the game to the grass pavilion. Little ck and Little White also came along,ing and going like a ck and white whirlwind. They frolicked through the flower fields swiftly and scared the female workers who were working in the fields into shrieks.


    Several barbecue racks had been set up on the t ground next to the pavilion. The charcoal inside had also been lit up. The cleaned game was in the process of being strung up on steel skewers and Royal Princess Minn, Yuan Xueyan, and another few young maidens stood curiously at the side of the rack. They watched in fascination as the workers from the ntation swiftly made barbecue skewers from the freshly in game.


    The workers rubbed oil, flipped the meat, and added seasonings...it wasn¡¯t a simple process ah! He Wanning was extremely eager to try and dismissed one of the servants who was cooking and began to start working herself. Younger Sister Xiaocao had told her earlier that barbecuing your own food was the most fun.


    When she picked up a skewer of potatoes that was still half raw and waved it in front of Xiaocao as if it was a precious treasure, Xiaocao was currently cooking the wild goat that was missing a leg. Why was it missing a leg ah? That leg had been savaged by Tyrant earlier and she had cut it off so she could roast it for Little ck and Little White. She had no interest in eating meat that already had saliva on it!


    ¡°Xiaocao, look at the potatoes I roasted. Don¡¯t they look great? They look so delicious!¡± He Wanning somewhat proudly raised the skewer of potatoes and used her other hand to wipe her forehead of sweat. The only thing she aplished in doing was leaving three ck lines on her face.


    Yu Xiaocao took a look at the pathetic looking skewer of potatoes and wondered if she should stop the other girl from eating some. After thinking a bit, she decided it was better not to pour cold water on He Wanning¡¯s enthusiasm. After all, eating some potatoes that were half burnt and half raw wouldn¡¯t kill a person and would only cause some diarrhea at worst.


    ¡°Do you want to try some? This is the first skewer that I¡¯ve ever roasted myself! If it was anyone else, I couldn¡¯t bear to let them try any!¡± He Wanning thrust the ash-covered skewer towards Xiaocao¡¯s mouth and resisted the urge to take it away.


    Yu Xiaocao had a wide-eyed expression on her face as she politely refused, ¡°Thank you! This is the first time you¡¯ve roasted your own potatoes, so it¡¯s better if you eat it instead ah...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that expression on your face ah? It¡¯s potatoes I roasted, not poison....if you don¡¯t want to eat it, it¡¯s your loss!¡± He Wanning stuffed the skewer of roasted potatoes in her mouth in a fit of pique. The expression on her face immediately changed.


    ¡°Peh, peh, peh....so salty, so disgusting ah!!¡± He Wanning spat out the food that was in her mouth and beckoned to the maidservant beside her to give her some water so she could rinse her mouth.


    Zhu Junyang came over with a skewer of chicken thigh meat that had been roasted until it was crisp and golden. He squatted down next to Xiaocao and stuffed the chicken thigh meat skewer into Xiaocao¡¯s hands. He took over the whole roasted wild goat that she was in charge of and easily flipped it, ¡°Go have some fun ah. I¡¯ll take over this.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took off a piece of meat from the skewer and delivered it into Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth while she also took a bite. She ate with relish, ¡°So good! I never would have thought that Royal Prince Yang was also skilled at roasting meat ah!¡±


    ¡°Any soldier who ahs marched with the army knows how to roast meat. Whenever we have free time, we¡¯ll go out and hunt some game down to barbecue. Although I can¡¯t guarantee the taste of the food, I can at least attest that it¡¯s cooked through.¡± As he talked, he even shot a sardonic nce at He Wanning as if he was hinting at something.


    Yu Xiaocao restrained theughter bubbling up inside of her and split the chicken meat between the two of them. Then, she stood up and pulled He Wanning, who looked quite at a loss and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll teach you how to roast meat skewers!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao used the already skewered raw goat meat to show her how to control the heat, how to flip the meat, how to brush on oil and seasonings...to her, barbecuing some meat was super easy and came to her like it was nothing. He Wanning, on the other hand, was astonished at her skill. Although it looked deceptively simple, when she tried, she ended up frantically trying to do all of the right steps. The meat that Xiaocao roasted came out ky and crispy on the outside and delicious on the inside. The meat that she cooked, on the other hand, always turned out ck and sad on the outside and the inside was always half raw.


    After going through many attempts, He Wanning had to stop in regret. It looked like she had no culinary talent! Now that she epted the truth, she ate the cooked food to salvage her hurt pride and ended up monopolizing all of the roasted meat that Xiaocao had cooked. She had no other choice. The food that Xiaocao barbecued was seriously too delicious. No matter if it was wild goat meat, pheasant meat, or rabbit meat, they were all cooked and seasoned perfectly. Even the barbecued skewers of vegetables were as delicious as the meat skewers and caused people to continuously eat without stopping.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 505 – Dew Point

    <h4>Chapter 505 ¨C Dew Point</h4>


    The prospect of roasting their own skewers was an interesting and fascinating concept to the young maidens. At first, enthusiasm ran high. However, once they tried a few times, they discovered that they either cooked the food until it was burnt or took it off too early when it was too raw. Furthermore, the skewers that they roasted were either salty enough to choke someone or not seasoned enough. They all had to admit that they didn¡¯t have the talent in this area and thus sat obediently in the grass pavilion to wait for the food to be done.


    Naturally, the most popr skewers were cooked by Yu Xiaocao herself. After all, she had worked at a night market in her past life roasting skewers, so she definitely was very skilled at this. Even the seemingly cold and aloof Yuan Xueyan eagerly strove against Royal Princess Minn for the skewers Yu Xiaocao made.


    The two younger boys, Li Haoming and Li Haoyu, stood pathetically at the barbecue rack next to Xiaocao, waiting for the meat to finish cooking! Although Ning Donn resembled an immortal on the outside, his serene appearance actually hid an avid foodie. In fact, he even fought for food with the seven year old Li Haoming. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s previously ethereal impression of him had immediately been shattered.


    Lu Hao, on the other hand, had some skill at barbecuing. It was said that when he was stationed in the southwest in the past, he had spent a lot of time hunting in the forests and had consequently learned how to roast meat then. Although the vor of his skewers were different from the ones Yu Xiaocao cooked, they were still quite good. Those who were too hungry to wait for Xiaocao¡¯s skewers to get done ate his instead.


    As for Ning Donghuan, he had disappeared at the start of the barbecue and no one was sure what had caught his interest this time.


    Before long, the whole wild goat with the secret seasonings had finished roasting. Zhu Junyang wordlessly shaved a te of roasted meat and ripped off the one remaining back leg and delivered the food in front of Xiaocao. While he was keeping an eye on the goat, he had keenly noticed that his littless had been busy cooking food for others and hadn¡¯t eaten much. He naturally cared a lot about his littless. Thus, he took over cooking the skewers from her to allow Xiaocao some time to eat.


    When He Wanning saw this, she started heckling him, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, are you still my older cousin ah? Howe when the goat was done you didn¡¯t give me a heads up? Is that taking care of your younger cousin ah? Is Younger Sister Xiaocao the only one worth of your care in your eyes ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang lightly nced at her and coldly replied, ¡°You have hands and feet, can¡¯t you get some yourself? You only care about your own pleasure and force other people to do work for you. Are you handicapped ah?¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk...Younger Sister Xiaocao also has hands and legs ah!¡± He Wanning scooted over and reached out a hand to pick up a piece of roasted meat.


    Zhu Junyang slightly turned his body away to avoid her hand and coldly stated, ¡°Hasn¡¯t Xiaocao been using her hands to roast meat for you ah? Haven¡¯t you eaten enough meat made by her? She¡¯s been busy this entire time and hasn¡¯t eaten anything. What¡¯s wrong with me sending her some food to eat?¡±


    ¡°Oh ho, looks like you really care about her! Tsk tsk...¡± He Wanning mischievously nced over. From the looks of things, she wanted to see if Xiaocao had a bashful expression on her face after hearing their conversation.


    However, her expectations werepletely off the mark. How could something this mild cause any waves in Yu Xiaocao? This was all too trivial for her! Xiaocao gleefully took the te full of food without a change in her expression and began to eat. Furthermore, she motioned with her chin in the direction of the roasted wild goat and reminded the other girl, ¡°Older Sister He, if you dy any longer, you won¡¯t even have any bones to gnaw on. This wild goat meat is much more fragrant than the meat from domesticated goats!¡±


    He Wanning looked over and saw that everyone was surrounding the roasted goat. Slices of meat were quickly being cut and she could see the food disappearing before her eyes. She eximed, ¡°Qiulu, quickly snatch a te of roasted meat for me! Go now!¡±


    The whole roasted goat had been coated with the specially prepared blend of secret seasonings that Xiaocao had prepared. The cooking heat was also well controlled, so the outside of the goat was golden and crispy while the inside meat was soft and tender. The fragrant smell of goat¡¯s meat hit everyone¡¯s noses and they all praised it without measure. He Wanning interjected, ¡°Xiaocao, I heard that this year in autumn, the emperor wants to go to Weichang County this year to go hunting. At that time, you should also go. If any wild goats get caught, we can roast them to eat!¡±


    ¡°The autumn hunt at Weichang County? The people who are allowed to go have to be of a certain rank right? I¡¯m only a sixth-ranked small official, how do I have the qualifications to go?¡± Yu Xiaocao also wanted to experience what an Imperial Hunt was like but she also knew that only certain people were allowed to tag along.


    He Wanning blinked herrge eyes a few times and nted an ambiguous look in the direction of Royal Prince Yang. She pouted her lips and a devilish grin appeared on her face, ¡°You may not have the qualifications but that doesn¡¯t mean other people don¡¯t ah! My older cousin is highly regarded by the emperor. If he asks for a favor to bring you along, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoughed and shook her head, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss it more when the timees. Isn¡¯t there several months before the autumn hunt?¡±


    ¡°Alright...I still hope you cane along. Besides anything else, if you bring along your Little ck and Little White, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get a good result at the hunt. Perhaps you could even be rewarded by the emperor!¡±


    He Wanning had decent equestrian skills whenpared to the other noble maidens in the capital. However, to the noble masters born from military families, her skills were not that impressive. She had thought about this. If Xiaocao went along, she might even take a cing at the hunt and cause an upset among those arrogant fellows. Wouldn¡¯t that be grand ah?!


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about this. The autumn hunt is likely a contest of personal skill. If we rely on Little ck and Little White topete, it¡¯d be hard for other people to ept the win ah! That being said, we might not even be able to bring hunting dogs along!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that He Wanning¡¯s delusions of grandeur were a bit too much.


    He Wanning chuckled and said, ¡°Who knows, perhaps we will be able to bring them along? This is the first autumn hunt of the Great Ming Dynasty and we might be able to have a loophole! Regardless, we first need to make sure you¡¯re allowed to go. If Royal Prince Yang is not willing to help, then I¡¯ll have my grandmother mention this in front of the emperor emeritus. If the emperor emeritus agrees, the emperor likely wouldn¡¯t disagree for the sake of face.¡±


    The two were currently discussing things animatedly when suddenly a wretched scream surprised them. Following that, they could vaguely hear the sounds of someone crying intermittently for help. He Wanning stopped talking and the two of them listened carefully. The voice sounded oddly familiar.


    ¡°That¡¯s Third Young Master Ning¡¯s voice!¡± Zhu Junyang came forward a few steps to reach Xiaocao as he alertly looked in the direction of the sound. After thinking about it, he realized that it had already been about two hours since theyst saw Ning Donghuan. From the panic in his voice, did the fellow encounter something dangerous?


    Ning Donn had rushed forward towards the direction of the voice as soon as he heard the first scream. Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow at this. He never would have expected the schrly and gentlemanly Second Young Master Ning was a hidden expert. If the other man wasn¡¯t skilled at martial arts, his bearing and speed would not be able to reach this current point. The screams continued and soon, a figure staggered out from the nearby thickets. Behind the person were two giant animals. One was ck and one was white.


    ¡°Save me! Save me ah! Second Older Brother, quickly save me!!¡± Ning Donghuan spotted Ning Donn speeding over and acted as if he had seen his savior. His steps quickened towards his older sibling.


    Ning Donn had noticed that his brother¡¯s clothing was now raggedy and all in strips. Despite that, his brother¡¯s body didn¡¯t have many flesh wounds on them. He only looked pathetic. As Ning Donghuan fled, Little ck, who was behind him, had noticed that reinforcements had arrived. Little ck wanted to y ¡®cat and mouse¡¯ with the offender and leapt forward to press his ¡®prey¡¯ beneath his giant paws. He revealed his sharp, gleaming white teeth and acted as if he could snap the youth¡¯s neck at any time.


    When Ning Donn saw this, he hurried forward and swept his fan horizontally in the direction of Little ck. Little White spotted his movements and sped forward to reach it. The two white colored figures met in midair and began tussling at breakneck speed. It was so fast that people couldn¡¯t make out who was the person and who was the wolf.


    Although Ning Donn¡¯s martial art skills were quite good, Little White¡¯s speed was too astonishing. The wolf moved around at the speed of lightning and didn¡¯t give the man any room to counterattack. Since Ning Donn hade along with Xiaocao and the others, Little White was already being lenient with him. Otherwise, the wolf would have bitten the youth already. Despite that, Ning Donn¡¯s white clothing very quickly became torn in parts and he started to look quite bedraggled.


    Ning Donghuan, who had been pinned down by Little ck, saw the rows of sharp white teeth that were only about an inch away from his neck. Little ck breathed out hot air that smelled faintly fishy. The puffs of air hit the youth¡¯s neck and made him even more frightened. He wailed in panic, ¡°Miss Yu, save me ah, Miss Yu! I was wrong! I won¡¯t ever do this again!¡±


    When Little ck heard ¡®Miss Yu¡¯, it raised its head slightly and looked towards the direction of its master as if it was trying to ask, ¡°Master, can Little ck bite this bad man once to teach him a lesson?¡±


    Ever since Little ck appeared, Zhu Junyang knew that they were not in any danger and didn¡¯t stop any of the young maidens from getting closer.


    Yu Xiaocao leisurely strolled over. She first ordered Little White to stop fighting with Ning Donn and then stopped in front of Ning Donghuan. When she saw his head to toe attire of ¡®beggars clothing¡¯, she stifled herughter and stroked Little ck¡¯s neck as she gently asked, ¡°Third Young Master Ning, how did you end up offending Little ck? You truly have skill if you were able to provoke him to this measure.¡±


    Ning Donghuan noticed that Little ck¡¯s jaws were much further from him now and decided the danger was gone. He stubbornly imed, ¡°How could I have the guts to provoke your Little ck ah?! You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t train your hunting dog right! He¡¯s vicious and that¡¯s the reason why he bit my Tyrant and even injured me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao raised an eyebrow and inspected the fellow from head to toe. Other than some red areas on his skin from where he had brushed past some trees and shrubs, the rest of his skin was perfectly intact and didn¡¯t have a single inflicted injury. Sheughed, ¡°Third Young Master Ning, if Little ck wanted to bite you, do you really think you¡¯d be able to run out of the thickets before he got to you ah? Is there any part of you that...has been injured by him ah?¡±


    Ning Donghuan courageously pulled away the ck wolf paws that were pressing him down and sat up, seeing that Xiaocao was inspecting him. He suddenly discovered that he was revealing parts of himself to her and hurriedly covered himself in shame. He shouted in embarrassment, ¡°What are you looking at? Every part of me has been seen by you, so you need to take responsibility ah!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang shot an icy cold re at the hapless youth and he deliberately gave a warning look at a particr area before he coldly stated, ¡°Who do you want to take responsibility ah? How should they take responsibility? Why don¡¯t you tell us your thoughts?¡±


    Ning Donghuan hurriedly closed his legs and the expression on his face immediately changed, ¡°Noth...nothing! I was just wondering if it is really okay for a young maiden to inspect a person like this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong about that? I haven¡¯t even mentioned the fact that you¡¯re exposing yourself to me. Since you want to y this game and wish to ckmail me, then I will have to go along. Little ck...show him your strength!!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice didn¡¯t hold the slightest bit of anger. Instead, her pair ofrge dark eyes were filled with mirth.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 506 – Longing for More

    <h4>Chapter 506 ¨C Longing for More</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao had just finished speaking when, with a tearing sound, one of Ning Donghuan¡¯s pant legs was ripped off, revealing the pale skin of his thigh and hair on his leg. All the noble maidens screamed in surprise and quickly turned around. Their faces were flushed red from embarrassment. As for the tattered pant leg, it was currently in the mouth of the innocent-looking Little ck.


    ¡°Take your hands off...no, take your mouth off!! Miss Yu, if you don¡¯t control your dog, I¡¯m going to be butt naked! As a man, I¡¯m not afraid of being seen, but I¡¯m afraid of dirtying the eyes of all you noble maidens. Miss Yu, please have mercy and tell Little ck to let go of me!¡± Ning Donghuan didn¡¯t know where he should cover. He felt extremely relieved that he had worn underpants. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain his integrity ah!


    ¡°I can tell Little ck to let go of you, but you must tell me honestly. What did you do to provoke Little ck? It¡¯s not easily angered.¡± Yu Xiaocao was very curious. This fellow had disappeared for the entire afternoon. Could it be that he had gone to annoy Little ck?


    A gust of mountain breeze blew. The chilliness caused Ning Donghuan to hug his shoulders. He replied with a pitiful expression, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that, as long as I can tame Little ck and Little White, they will belong to me? It didn¡¯t seem like I should provoke Little White, so with my little skills in training dogs, I decided to go for Little ck. I didn¡¯t expect that it shouldn¡¯t be trifled with either. It won¡¯t hurt people, but it specially targeted my clothes. If you guys found me a littleter, I would probably have to run away naked!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t pity him at all. This fool was quite bold to actually want to tame Little ck. She curled up her lips and sneered, ¡°Third Young Master Ning, be d that you came along with us and Little ck had met you several times. If you were a stranger, it wouldn¡¯t be your clothes that got torn but your body instead!¡±


    Ning Donghuan imagined that scary scene and shuddered. So fortunate! Fortunately, Little ck recognized him. Otherwise, his body would bepletely tattered. He would be the first person in the capital to be bitten to death by a hound...


    ¡°Young Master, Third Young Master...¡± Another dreadful scream sounded. They turned around and saw Ning Donghuan¡¯s personal manservant crying as he ran out from the thickets like there were savage beasts chasing after him.


    Little ck had a lively temperament and liked to y pranks. As if it was a cat looking at a mouse, its blue eyes shined with excitement. Before it had spit out the pant leg in its mouth, it had dashed towards the frightened manservant. The manservant¡¯s legs immediately went soft and he fell to the ground. With a ghastly pale face, his whole body trembled, and his cries came to an abrupt stop.


    ¡°Young...Young Master! Help, the young master was eaten by a vicious dog! Help...¡± Seeing the familiar piece of cloth in Little ck¡¯s mouth, the manservant gathered all his remaining strength and let out a cry that shook the entire forest. He scared the birds that were returning to their nests and caused them to hastily flee towards the sky.


    ¡°What are you screaming about! You¡¯re the one who got eaten by a dog!! I, your young master, am fine!!¡± After putting on the outer robe that he pulled off from his attendant, Ning Donghuan walked over and kicked the manservant, who was desperately crying for help with his eyes closed. This guy was really useless. At the critical moment, he had fainted from fright and was of no help at all. It seemed like he should change his manservant to one who knew martial arts!


    ¡°Young Master! You¡¯re alright ah. That¡¯s great!! Waahhh... If something happened to you, this servant can only make up for this fault with my life!!¡± When Guizhu heard the familiar voice, he wiped his snot and tears, hugged his master¡¯s leg, and cried incessantly.


    ¡°Ning Donghuan shook his leg hard and said impatiently, ¡°Alright, alright! Isn¡¯t this lord fine? Quickly get up and stop being so embarrassing!! In the future, work on bing braver so that you won¡¯t faint from fright so easily. Otherwise, what do I need you for?!¡±


    Guizhu got up from the ground and sobbed, ¡°This servant was chased by a dog when I was a child, so I¡¯m afraid of dogs. In the future, I will try to interact with the hounds at home as much as possible to ovee the weakness in my heart. I won¡¯t embarrass my master again! Young Master, that dog is too fierce, so we won¡¯t be able to control it. Let¡¯s give up?¡±


    Ning Donghuan was so angry that he rolled his eyes at him. He gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t speak, no one will think that you¡¯re a mute!¡± What else could they do other than give up? If you had the ability of taming this beast, then this lord would serve you like you were my master! However, he didn¡¯t dare to say this in front of Little ck for fear that he would really be butt naked.


    Ning Donghuan, who hade back after changing his clothes at the ntation, felt that nting corn and potatoes was quite a novel experience. He mored about wanting to experience the feeling of ¡®hoeing grain at noon¡¯ [1] , and then went to work in the fields with a hoe. He Wanning also held a small basket of corn kernels and followed behind to sow the seeds. The soil stained her embroidered shoes and the hem of her dress was covered with dirt, but she was still in high spirits.


    Yu Xiaocao hastily instructed Third Young Master Ning to ensure that there was a distance between each nt, and then she told He Wanning how many kernels she should sow each time. She had to run around in the field, which made her very mentally tired. It seemed like it was better to have less of these kinds of activities. It was too troublesome!


    When the setting sun dyed the back mountain red, the group of noble young masters and maidens reluctantly left the Imperial ntation. He Wanning¡¯s body was so dirty that she looked like a y figurine, but she was very excited, as if she wanted to continue. She said, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, do you think that the peach pits we buried will sprout and bloom next year, and produce peaches?¡±


    ¡°Next year? There shouldn¡¯t be any problem with germination, but we will need to wait three years for flowering and fruiting. Just wait slowly!¡± The pit of the peaches that everyone ate in the orchard were buried in a reserved space by category. Almost everyone personally nted three to five peaches, saying that they wanted to eat the peaches that they grew themselves next year.


    In actuality, with how they directly nted the core, there was a very low chance of germination. However, there was nothing to worry about since they had the mystic-stone water as a cheat. There was no 100% guarantee that they would all sprout, but at least 90% of them would sessfully sprout.


    ¡°What? We still have to wait for three years ah!! I wanted to invite my friends to appreciate the peach blossom that I grew next spring.¡± He Wanning looked at her broken fingernail with grievance and felt that it wasn¡¯t worth the loss.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled andforted her, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I already told them to pay attention to the saplings. In the autumn, we will try to nt another hundred or so peach trees. We will also expand the nting scale of the other fruit trees. At the beginning of next spring, let¡¯se enjoy the flowers. At that time, you guys can proudly introduce the saplings that you personally nted to your friends.¡±


    ¡°We still have to wait until next spring toe back?¡± He Wanning pondered, and then said with a smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the grapes will be ripe in two months? I have never picked grapes myself...¡±


    The eyes of the other noble maidens suddenly brightened up. The lives of the noble young misses in the capital were very boring. They either read, practiced calligraphy, drew, or yed the qin at home. If not, then they would organize flower appreciation parties or tea parties. It was really interesting to have such a fulfilling and novel outing. If they had another chance toe back, they would naturally be very happy.


    ¡°Older Sister Yu, can we alsoe to pick grapes next time?¡± Li Haoming blinked his big, dark eyes and asked with expectation. This time, he was able toe uninvited and have a good time thanks to Older Sister Mengru. He hoped that he could receive Older Sister Yu¡¯s invitation and rightfullye over.


    There were more peaches and grapes in the back mountains. The reason for nting peaches was that peach blossoms could be used to make flower tea and peaches that weren¡¯t sold could be used to make preserved peaches and canned peaches. They nted more grapes so that they could save a portion to make wine. Wine mixed with mystic-stone water had low alcohol concentration and a sweet taste. It was good for one¡¯s health to drink it often.


    Every time the emperor emeritus came, he would ask to bring some back to sate his yearning for alcohol. After all, he was quite old now. Although he was still in good health, the imperial physicians and emperor strictly restricted his drinking. However, with his temperament, he liked to drink from a big bowl and eatrge pieces of meat. To not let him drink was the same as strangling him. He wouldn¡¯t be able tost for even a moment.


    Fortunately, the imperial physicians said that he could drink the wine that he brought back because it was good for his health. It was a pity that there wasn¡¯t a lot. The Yu Family had only brewed a total of ten jars. He didn¡¯t bear to drink the wine that he brought back for fear that he would finish them too quickly, which would lead him to suffer in the following days.


    Therefore, when he found out that Xiaocao was going to grow fruits in the back mountains of the Imperial ntation, he urged Xiaocao to grow more grapevines. He even helped to get some grape nts. Now, there were about twenty to thirty grapevines in the back mountains. They all had green grapes that were about the size of a fingernail. Yu Xiaocao prepared to keep the grapes on twenty of the grapevines to sell at the fruit shops, and the rest would be used to make wine.


    This time, when the noble maidens walked around the fruit orchard to help digestion, they had arrived at the vineyard nearby and saw the countless fruits on the vines. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t picking season. When they heard Yu Xiaocao say that it would take one or two months to mature, they had to leave with regrets.


    Now that He Wanning and Li Haoming had initiated this topic, the others also expressed their wish toe. Yu Xiaocao also seldom had the chance toe out to y with so many friends. Today, she had made friends with the bold and straightforward Lu Hao, the refined and gentle Ning Donn, and the foolish Ning Donghuan. There were also Li Mengru, who had a bright personality, and the innocent and cute brothers, Li Haoming and Li Haoning. It was alright to arrange more of these gatherings.


    Without hesitation, Yu Xiaocao agreed to send invitations to everyone when the grapes were ripe. She also said that she would teach them how to make wine and grape juice, which increased the noble maidens¡¯ anticipation.


    Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the noble maidens and gentlemen appeared very tired, but they were still in high spirits. They chatted about the interesting matters during this outing in groups of two or three, and cheerfulughter could be heard from time to time. The carefreeughter made the glow of the sunset even more gorgeous. The birds returning from afar also stopped flying. Everything seemed to be fixed on the word ¡®happiness¡¯.


    However, the maidens, who had experienced the joy ofbor, all felt some aching in their waists and backs. Normally, even when these young misses just wanted to drink water, the servants would have to put the cup into their hands. How would they be able to endure working in the fields?


    As a result, these noble maidens gathered at the beauty and health club, ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, the next day. After being exhausted, it was perfect to soak in a medicinal hot spring bath and have a spa. They all had a gold card at the club and didn¡¯t hesitate when spending money.

 Chapter 507 – Younger Female Cousin

    <h4>Chapter 507 ¨C Younger Female Cousin</h4>


    Ning Donghuan signed andmented, ¡°Why isn¡¯t there a ce for men to rx? Miss Yu, aren¡¯t you overly favoring women over men? This won¡¯t do. You should open up a health club for men so that we also have a ce to rx.¡±


    Zhu Junyang immediately shot daggers at him and said with a frown, ¡°Xiaocao is a girl, so how can she work with a bunch of men all day long? Don¡¯t cause trouble and make suggestions for bad ideas!¡±


    Ning Donghuan rubbed his chin and said with a crafty smile, ¡°If Miss Yu isn¡¯t interested, then I, Third Young Master Ning, will go for it! But, can you pass on the technique for back massage?¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked him up and down, and then said with disdain, ¡°Would someone like you be able operate a high-ss club? Don¡¯t make it into a dirty ce. As for the massage technique, you and I aren¡¯t rted, so do you think that I will generously pass on the secret massage technique to you?¡±


    Zhu Junyangughed and said, ¡°People should know their own limitations. Just eat as much as the size of your bowl. Don¡¯t always be overly ambitious and take unnecessary risks!¡±


    ¡°I suggested you guys should open a men¡¯s club, but you guys didn¡¯t want to. Now that I decided to open it, you guys are shooting me down.¡± Ning Donghuan was exasperated.


    Yu Xiaocao chuckled and said, ¡°Who said we¡¯re not opening it? The location has already been chosen. It¡¯s a farmstead in the suburb 2.5 km away from the capital. I reckon that it should bepleted by next autumn.¡±


    ¡°A recreational ce specially for men? What interesting things will there be? Let¡¯s hear about it.¡± Ning Donghuan, who was full of spirits again, asked with wide and curious eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a business secret, so I can¡¯t tell you!¡± Zhu Junyang had bought the farmstead in the suburb by chance. It wasn¡¯t very big, covering an area around 3000 mu. Xiaocao had mentioned to him that she wanted to build an entertainment castle integrating food, entertainment, leisure, and vacation. As soon as they bought the farmstead, they started making ns for it. The construction of the main building had already begun, and the design had already beenpleted. It was only a matter of time before itspletion.


    Although Ning Donghuan felt like there was a cat scratching his heart, he still had a sense of propriety. He didn¡¯t continue to ask and just said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be looking forward to your surprise! Ay...you two have taken up all the money-making businesses in the capital. Can¡¯t you leave a path for others to make a living?¡±


    ¡°Before Xiaocao came to the capital, I didn¡¯t see youe up with any money-making businesses. You¡¯re envious now that you see others making money?¡± Although Ning Donn was his second older brother, he couldn¡¯t resist ridiculing his younger brother. He was nearly twenty years old, yet he still wasn¡¯t doing any honest work and just hanging out with a bunch of wastrels all day long. What good prospects would he have in the future?


    Ning Donghuan was silent for a moment, and then he went up to Xiaocao with a ttering expression. He said with a grin, ¡°Miss Yu, we¡¯re considered old friends, so do you think...you can help this younger brother a bit? Can you teach me a way to make money?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gave him a sidelong nce and said with disdain, ¡°Who¡¯s younger brother are you? I¡¯m not that old to have such a big younger brother. My youngest brother is only three years old!¡±


    ¡°Miss Yu, Miss Yu...please don¡¯t be angry! I¡¯m referring to myself as ¡®younger brother¡¯ because I¡¯m willing to be your subordinate. This younger brother will listen to everything you say!¡± Ning Donghuan moved closer in a very fawning manner. Seeing his toadying gesture made Ning Donn really wanted to kick him away and pretend that he didn¡¯t have such a younger brother.


    Yu Xiaocao quickly stretched out her hands to block him and said, ¡°No, thanks. I don¡¯t dare to use the third young master of the Duke Rongguo Household as ackey. However, since we are acquaintances, I¡¯ll give you a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Please say it!¡± Ning Donghuan wished he could honor Yu Xiaocao like she was the God of Wealth. He looked exactly like a servile servant as he nodded and bowed.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t bear to look straight at him. With a grin, she said, ¡°Aren¡¯t there ces for cricket fighting and cockfighting in the capital? Don¡¯t you boast about raising a lot of fierce hounds at home? You can train some fighting dogs and set up a dog fighting arena. Arrange a few dogfights daily and have people bet on them, or you can organize a godly dogpetition...¡±


    Ning Donghuan¡¯s eyes grew increasingly brighter as Yu Xiaocao spoke. In the end, he was so excited that he began to dance with joy. Yes, in terms of having fierce canines, was there anyone in the capital who could beat him, Third Young Master Ning? Training fighting dogs really wasn¡¯t a difficult matter for him. Although there were dog fighting games among themoners, they were just small-scale games. If he could gather a group of like-minded people and make a high-ss dog fighting arena, making money definitely wouldn¡¯t be a problem!


    After that, Xiaocao taught him about some methods of under-the-table maniptions. For example, dogs that looked tall and strong would appear more likely to win. If they offered high odds, then it would attract people to ce bets. Then they needed to use dogs that looked ordinary, but were actually very fierce, as the opponents. In this way, the ¡®banker¡¯ would naturally be the one making the money!


    Ning Donghuan naturally knew no less than Xiaocao about these matters. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Soon afterwards, dog fighting became popr in the capital and Ning Donghuan¡¯s dog fighting arena was full of people for every battle. Third Young Master Ning had earned a pot full of gold, which would be a story to be recountedter.


    Under the afterglow of the sunset, the group reached the gate of the capital city. Upon their arrival, they encountered a group of carriages that seemed to belong to the rtives of officials. There were more than a dozen carriages carrying luggage alone. They were also apanied by a famous escort agency.


    An exquisite and elegant carriage among the group stopped in front of Xiaocao and the others. A slender arm reached out from the carriage and pulled away the curtains, which were embroidered with entwined branches and lotuses. A voice, like the tinkling of a spring and the plucking of strings, sounded from inside the carriage, ¡°Older Cousin...¡±


    Older Cousin? Yu Xiaocao looked at the Ning brothers. Could it be that their rtives had returned to the capital to report on their work? Did they not get the news?


    In the midst of her thoughts, a beautiful young girl poked her head out of the carriage. She wore a light-colored silk dress iid with silver threads. A pale pinkish grey gauze skirt was fastened around her waist, and a moon-white gauze open front cardigan was draped around her. With her every movement, there would be a sense of flowing waves on the gauze cardigan. Her smiling eyes, which looked innocent and na?ve, gleamed like ck pearls. Her gaze was as clear as the streams under ten-thousand-year-old ciers. It wasn¡¯t tainted by the passing of time at all. Her long, thick eyshes were curled upwards like two small fans. Her soft lips had a dewy light pink color and was curled up to a beautiful angle. The elegant Yn magnolia adorned in her hair buns and the graceful hanging jade ne seemed to be able to shake the depths of one¡¯s heart as they swayed with the evening wind. With such a fresh and lovely face, and innocent and clean smile, she looked as beautiful as a celestial fairy who stepped into the mortal world. Even Xiaocao, who was of the same gender, couldn¡¯t help but be stunned by her beauty.


    Upon making eye contact with Zhu Junyang¡¯s cold and indifferent gaze, that pair of clean and bright eyes sadly dimmed. The beautiful young girl lightly bit her lips and appeared dejected, which caused all the males to have the urge to protect her. (Little ck: Nonsense! This wolf doesn¡¯t have that feeling!! Gets kicked away by the author.)


    ¡°Older Cousin, you don¡¯t remember Ling¡¯er? When we were young, you ignored everyone and only liked to y with Ling¡¯er ah!¡± The young girl¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave Zhu Junyang for even a moment. Others couldn¡¯t help but pity her upon seeing her gaze.


    A slightly dignified female voice came from within the carriage, ¡°Ling¡¯er, you were only five or six at that time. Now, you have already grown into a young woman. Of course, your older cousin wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize you. Yang¡¯er, we haven¡¯t seen each other for many years. How¡¯s yourdy mother?¡±


    Looking at the face in the carriage that was somewhat simr to his mother¡¯s, Zhu Junyang suddenly realized that his maternal aunt¡¯s family had returned to the capital. It seemed like hisdy mother had mentioned this matter a few days ago. Later, he had left the capital for an assignment andpletely forgot about this matter.


    ¡°Aunt, Nephew just came back to the capitalst night, so I didn¡¯t know that Aunt was going to arrive today. Please excuse me for my negligence.¡± Zhu Junyang vaguely remembered that his maternal uncle had been serving as an official outside the capital for the past ten years, and thus his aunt¡¯s family seldom returned to the capital. In recent years, hisdy mother had mostly stayed in the residence in Tanggu, so there was very little news about them.


    Jiang Meiyun, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s younger stepsister, looked at him, nodded slowly, and asked, ¡°Yang¡¯er, where are youing back from?¡±


    Zhu Junyang lied with a straight face, ¡°Nephew went to the Imperial ntation in the outskirts of the capital to inspect the matters of summer nting. I met this group of kids, who went on an outing, so we came back together. Aunt, you must be tired from the travel. You should quickly enter the city and rest. I¡¯ll go pay my respects to Aunt on another day.¡±


    Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t on close terms with this aunt of his. When he was a child, he had faintly felt an ufortable feeling from her. Now that he could perceive her thoughts, he was even more unlikely to be on friendly terms with her. His aunt envied his mother¡¯s noble status and happy family, but she also wanted to cling onto his parents so that they could help her husband get a good position in the capital. How could anyone like someone with such thoughts?


    Wu Junling widened her innocent eyes and looked curiously at her older cousin. Earlier, when they were in the carriage, her mother had pointed to the man in ck, who was as handsome as a god who descended from the heavens, and said that he was her older male cousin. As a child, her older cousin really liked to y hide and seek with her. She couldn¡¯t help but have her attention bepletely taken away by her older cousin, who had a strong figure and enchanting face.


    The person that her mother mentioned that most was her aunt, Princess Consort Jing, who was dearly loved by all. Every time her mother mentioned this person, she would always have a sense of envy and unwillingness, as well as a mix of helplessness¡ªa deep sense of helplessness to reality.


    Her father¡¯s family background wasn¡¯t as good as her mother¡¯s. Her mother always carried the reservation and pride of an aristocratic family in her speech and manner. Although her father respected her mother, he could never be close with her. Besides the set dates, he always stayed in the rooms of those considerate and gentle concubines.


    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t understand the resentment in her mother¡¯s heart, but she didn¡¯t know what to do other than acting cute and behaving in front of her father so that he would give her face and stay in her mother¡¯s room more often. Her aunt, on the other hand, was able to get the sole favor of Imperial Prince Jing. One must admit that she was really skilled.


    People often said that children would more or less be influenced by their parents. Older Cousin looked like someone who appeared cold on the surface but warm inside. Perhaps, if she married into such a family and someone like him, she would be able to avoid making the same mistake as her mother and get her own happiness and life, right? Wu Junling looked at Zhu Junyang with clear eyes mixed with some inexplicable emotions...


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 508 – Love Rival?

    <h4>Chapter 508 ¨C Love Rival?</h4>


    Zhu Junyang suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Could this be some sort of ¡®bad premonition¡¯? He nced at his so-called ¡®younger female cousin¡¯ and met a pair of beautiful, watery eyes. Although she and Xiaocao both had a pair of watery, big eyes, Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were always clear, bright, and full of life, which made others unable to resist smiling at her. She, on the other hand, had eyes that were like a deep pond in the morning. It was shrouded by ayer of fog and carried a sense of mysteriousness.


    He couldn¡¯t help but concentrate all his energy to find out what his ¡®younger cousin¡¯ was thinking about at this time, but he was surprised to find that he couldn¡¯t perceive anything. It felt like he got rebounded by something, making his forehead faintly swell with pain.


    ¡®So strange, I have never had this kind of feeling before.¡¯ Although he couldn¡¯t perceive Xiaocao¡¯s thoughts, she was like apletely transparent person that his consciousness could freely shuttle through. However, there seemed to be something protecting his so-called ¡®younger cousin¡¯. It was resisting and guarding against his consciousness. Could it be...that she practiced some sort of martial arts? Zhu Junyang frowned and looked at Wu Junling with an inquiring gaze.


    Seeing that her older cousin was looking at her, Wu Junling revealed a pure smile and a shy expression on her face. With her head slightly bowed, she showed her long and tender neck. She knew that many men wouldn¡¯t be able to resist her looks. Could it be that, on their first meeting after so many years, her older cousin was also deeply attracted to her? Wasn¡¯t this want she wanted? With this thought, she slightly lifted her head and looked at the intoxicatingly handsome face.


    Seeing her younger daughter¡¯s action, Jiang Meiyi looked at her nephew¡¯s iparably handsome face. Her eyes slightly flickered. Her older stepsister¡¯s son had been granted the title of ¡®royal prince¡¯ at a young age. He was also given an important job and was a rather capable subject of the emperor. If her daughter could marry into such a family and marry her nephew with such a promising future, it would certainly be a great help to the Wu Family in the future. Thus, there was an extra hint of smile on her stern-looking face.


    ¡°Hey! Miss Yu, your Royal Prince Yang is about to be snatched away. Aren¡¯t you going to quickly do something?¡± Ning Donghuan revealed a rascally smile and looked as if he was waiting for a good show.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the tall man beside her, and scolded in her mind, ¡®Attracting bees and butterflies.¡¯ Then, she said in an indifferent tone, ¡°If it¡¯s something that can be easily taken away, then it must not belong to you. Do you think that it¡¯s worth it to have a bloody fight over something that doesn¡¯t belong to you?¡±


    In regard to their ¡®flirting nces¡¯, Yu Xiaocao felt somewhat sulky in her heart. No wonder people often said, ¡®It was easy for something to happen between maternal cousins!¡¯ Sure enough, there was truth in the famous saying ¡®prevent fire, anti-theft, and guard against younger female cousins¡¯!


    Ning Donghuan quickly nodded like he was pounding garlic, and as if he was trying to fan the fire, he said, ¡°Miss Yu is open-minded! It¡¯s hard to find a toad with two legs, but how can there be a shortage of talented youths with two legs in the capital? Don¡¯t you have one...no...two right in front of you?¡± After he finished speaking, he looked at his second older brother, ¡®Why did you poke me with your fan?¡¯


    This fool was a little too loud and attracted the attention of Wu Junling. As if a breeze had passed by a deep pond, ripples appeared in the depth of her eyes, ¡®It¡¯s true that the capital was full of handsome men and beautiful women. The two handsome men in front of her each had their own style. One was free and unrestrained, and there was a slight sense of fatal charm in his wicked smile. The other one was a graceful, fairy-like beauty, and his gentleness could warm the bottom of one¡¯s heart.


    The noble maidens behind them were either passionate like fire, aloof like the moon, gentle like water, or yful like stars... Although she felt that she looked slightly better than them, the other parties each had their own unique charms. Could it be that...one of them had already imed Older Cousin? No way! She must not allow something like that to happen. ¡®No one can snatch something that I, Wu Junling, wants!¡¯


    Her gaze became distant, but her smile was still sweet and pure, ¡°Older Cousin, aren¡¯t you going to introduce them to us?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked deeply into her eyes. It seemed like he could prate into her skin and see the depth of her soul. Wu Junling felt a sense of fear due to his gaze, so she became more cautious in her behavior.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote now. Aunt and Younger Cousin should hurry into the city. After you guys have settled down, I¡¯ll introduce my friends to Younger Cousin. Official Yu and I need to report to the Ministry of Revenue. We still have work on hand, so I won¡¯t send you off.¡± Looking away, Zhu Junyang had an indifferent expression on his face and a hint of coldness in his voice.


    Wu Junling didn¡¯t hide her disappointment and softly said, ¡°Work is more important. Older Cousin, please go do what you need to do.¡±


    Zhu Junyang watched as the Wu Family¡¯s convoy entered the capital before he turned to look at Yu Xiaocao and said in a soft voice, ¡°Are you going back to the Yu Residence or Fang Estate? I¡¯ll follow you.¡±


    With a bit of anger, Yu Xiaocao snorted, ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere! Older brothers and sisters, I¡¯ll treat you guys to a feast at Zhenxiu Restaurant. Are you guysing?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Of course, I¡¯m going!¡± Ning Donghuan cheered the most happily, ¡°But, I know you¡¯re just saying it casually. Without making a reservation half a month beforehand, you won¡¯t be able to get a table in the main hall of Zhenxiu Restaurant, let alone a private room.¡±


    Royal Princess Minn gave the fool a sidelong nce, and then said to Xiaocao with a smile, ¡°We want to go, but just look at our clothes. It looks like we just crawled out of the soil. We should quickly go home to wash up. Let¡¯s go to Zhenxiu Restaurant on another day. At that time, it will be my treat. So you guys just wait for my invitation.¡±


    Yuan Xueyan seemed to have noticed something, so she faintly said, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, everyone¡¯s tired today, so let¡¯s meet again on another day. Let Royal Prince Yang send you back. Rest earlier.¡±


    ¡°No need, I know the way home!! Older sisters, when the grapes are ripe, let¡¯s meet for another outing.¡± Yu Xiaocao waved her hand and bid farewell to the noble misses. She didn¡¯t even bother giving Zhu Junyang a single nce.


    Zhu Junyang vaguely felt that thess was angry. He asked with slight confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you suddenly angry at me? What did this prince do to offend you?¡±


    Ning Donghuanughed even more happily, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, it¡¯s not you who offended Miss Yu. It¡¯s your delicately pretty younger cousin who made Miss Yu unhappy!!¡±


    ¡°Who? Ling¡¯er? How did she offend you?¡± Zhu Junyang frowned slightly as he tried to recall whether thess from the Wu Family said or did anything provocative. Since the littless was angry at her, she must have done something wrong. His littless would never take the initiative to cause trouble.


    Ning Dinghuanughed even more loudly, ¡°A love rival has appeared, so how can Miss Yu be happy?¡±


    ¡°No one will think that you¡¯re a mute even if you don¡¯t talk!!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that this idiot was very annoying. She really wanted to pull out his annoying tongue and kick him aside.


    ¡°Love rival?¡± Zhu Junyang looked down at Xiaocao and carefully observed her every expression. He noticed that there was a look of awkwardness on her face for a moment. A part of his heart softened and became joyful, ¡°Lass, rest assured that this prince isn¡¯t a fickle person. Since I have settled on you, I will never change.¡±


    ¡°Humph! Who¡¯s worried? Stop thinking so highly of yourself!!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s expression became even more awkward. She stubbornly said, ¡°Are Ning Donghuan¡¯s words even believable? What love rival? Don¡¯t forget that you don¡¯t have a formal status yet! You should know the consequence of not passing the observation period!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at the Ning brothers, who were enjoying the show, and red at them fiercely. Then he continued to assure her in a gentle voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this prince will continue to work hard to strive to be formally recognized. No matter how good other girls are, they won¡¯t be as good as Xiaocao is in my heart!!¡±


    Ning Donghuan had a very interesting expression on his face, ¡®I didn¡¯t expect that the cold-faced demon would meet his nemesis. He can actually say something so cheesy. Tsk tsk, you really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover!¡¯


    Ning Donn saw that a faint look of danger appeared within Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eyes. He was afraid that his stupid younger brother would say something to trigger the other party, so he hastily pulled Ning Donghuan away. Under the dim moonlight, only a tall and small figure were left in front of the city gates.


    ¡°Come on, this prince will take you home! Let¡¯s go to the General¡¯s Estate, lest you think about unnecessary things alone at home.¡± There was a hint of smile on the corner of Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth. He really enjoyed the bit of jealousy that thess showed. His littless was finally beginning to understand!


    The two were silent the entire way, and only the sound of the horses¡¯ hooves echoing through the spacious street could be heard. Yu Xiaocao finally could resist and suddenly looked up at the devilishly handsome face. She snorted and said, ¡°If you¡¯re interested in that younger cousin of yours, then stay away from me. Based on my woman¡¯s intuition, she definitely likes you. If you¡¯re also interested in her, tell me earlier. Don¡¯t even think about having one foot on two boats and enjoying the happiness of both sides. Otherwise...humph!!¡±


    The smile on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face deepened, and he said in a doting manner, ¡°Woman¡¯s intuition? A mighty woman who¡¯s thirteen years old? Alright, this prince will promise you that I definitely won¡¯t give her any chance to be alone with me and have any hopes! This prince has said that you¡¯re my only wife in this lifetime. No one else can enter my eyes.¡±


    ¡°My mother said a man who talks eloquently is the least trustworthy!¡± Yu Xiaocao snorted coldly and remained unconvinced. A momentter, she said, ¡°Men are all attracted to appearances. Your younger cousin is quite pretty. Weren¡¯t you also looking at her in a daze earlier? It¡¯s easier to seed when a woman pursues a man. Who knows, maybe you will be lured away by that white lotus one day! Don¡¯t be so sure!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang raised both of his hands and had an aggrieved expression on his face, ¡°I¡¯m being wrongly used ah. When did this prince look at her in a daze? Defamation, it¡¯splete defamation!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao cast a sidelong nce at her, curled up her lips, and said, ¡°You dare say that you weren¡¯t staring at her just now? I¡¯m not the only who saw it. Everyone saw it!! Bodyguard Dong, didn¡¯t your master look like he wanted to dig his eyes out and stick them onto that ¡®younger cousin¡¯?¡±


    The innocent bystander Dong Dali had a fearful expression on his face. His eyes were opened wide as he stammered, ¡°Miss...Miss Yu, this subordinate was standing behind my master just now, so I couldn¡¯t see his expression. So...¡±


    One was his master, who he had served for many years, while the other, if there weren¡¯t any idents, would be his future mistress. When sandwiched between the two of them, he would be in the wrong no matter who he sided with. He was in a dilemma and could only gloss over it by giving a vague answer.


    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m not asking you anymore! You¡¯re his subordinate, so it¡¯s natural that you will speak for him!¡± Yu Xiaocao red at him, and then continued, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not blind and can see everything very clearly! Zhu Junyang, answer honestly. Did you stare at your pretty younger cousin?¡±

 Chapter 509 – You Are the Only One

    <h4>Chapter 509 ¨C You Are the Only One</h4>


    ¡®This little vinegar jar!¡¯ Zhu Junyang touched her head dotingly. She was really a sweet little burden. However, suspicion was the worst thing to have between couples. He didn¡¯t want to give hisss any chance to think about nonsense, so he decided to be frank, ¡°Don¡¯t I have the ability to read one¡¯s thoughts? However, it seems like my ability doesn¡¯t work on Wu Junling. It was really weird, so I looked at her a few more times.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt even more sour, ¡°You can¡¯t read her thoughts? Wasn¡¯t the reason you chose me because you couldn¡¯t perceive my thoughts so there was no pressure and burden in our interaction? Now that there¡¯s another special existence, does that mean it¡¯s time for me, this rural girl, to beid-off and go into retirement?¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t understand what id-off¡¯ meant, but he knew the meaning of retirement. With a stern expression, he stared fixedly at the littless. Zhu Junyang said in a deep voice, ¡°You have already dered this prince to be guilty before you even know the full story? Is this how you think of me? Am I this unreliable in your heart?¡±


    In face of Zhu Junyang¡¯s sudden anger, Yu Xiaocao was stunned for a moment. Then she bit her lower lip aggrievedly and didn¡¯t speak. Since Zhu Junyang expressed that he wanted to pursue her, she had been hesitant. There was a huge gap between their identities. On the surface, she pretended that she didn¡¯t care, but would there really be anyone who didn¡¯t care at all?


    She had always thought that she was the only unique person around him, and this was also the only advantage that she felt she hadpared with the other noble maidens in the capital. However, this advantage suddenly disappeared. How could she not feel sad about it? It turned out that proud and awkward youth, who gave her warmth, had quietly entered her heart. She cared, so she was afraid...


    Zhu Junyang sighed softly. He reached out his hand to move a wisp of mischievous hair behind her ear, and then said in a soothing voice, ¡°Lass, don¡¯t think about unnecessary things. She¡¯s different from you. When this prince is together with you, it feels like the air is filled with a refreshing scent. Even my breathing has be smoother and my entire body feels rxed andfortable. Your aura is transparent and clean. When I¡¯m with you, I would never have to be on guard and try to find out your intentions. She appears pure and cute, but she gives me a somewhat suppressed feeling, like dark clouds shrouded above a mountain before rainfall.¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s five senses were more sensitive than ordinary people. Even if he couldn¡¯t read the other party¡¯s mind, he could still intuitively feel it. He paused for a moment, and then said, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t see her heart, but instead there seems to be something blocking me. She either has some treasure that can restrain my ability, or she¡¯s so defensive and heavy guarded that my power isn¡¯t strong enough to see through her yet.¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s expression became increasingly solemn because of his guess. She thought about it and said, ¡°Based on your younger cousin¡¯s age, it probably isn¡¯t thetter. Could it be that...she has some sort of special item with a defensive function?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether she has a special item or not. The important thing is that there¡¯s no longer any misunderstanding between us, and you aren¡¯t angry at me!¡± In Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, Wu Junling was just an unimportant rtive, and they just needed to maintain a decent rtionship on the surface.


    Yu Xiaocao was a little embarrassed as she kicked a small stone and mumbled, ¡°Was it a simple misunderstanding? Even if you¡¯re not interested in your younger cousin, who can guarantee that she¡¯s not interested in you? Based on my woman¡¯s intuition, she definitely likes you!¡±


    ¡°Oh? What makes you think that she likes this prince?¡± Seeing that thess wasn¡¯t sulky anymore, Zhu Junyang wanted to tease her.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him, snorted, and replied in a matter-of-fact way, ¡°When she looks at you, there are hooks in her eyes, which exude deep affection and bashfulness. The only thing that¡¯s missing from her face is that she didn¡¯t write out, ¡®Older Cousin, I like you. Quicklye flirt with me!¡¯ Also, the most important thing is that you have a face that attracts the attention of bees and butterflies. There¡¯s no sense of security at all!!¡±


    ¡°So it turns out that, in Xiaocao¡¯s heart, this prince is so handsome that you have no sense of security? This won¡¯t do. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll request an edict from the emperor to send me to the Xishan Barracks for training. I¡¯ll make myself tanner and uglier. That way, you won¡¯t doubt me anymore, right? But, you¡¯re not allowed to abandon this prince at that time.¡± The emperor had long wanted him to take charge of the Xishan Barracks. He also wanted to set up a military experimental base to study firearms, cannons, and so on. Zhu Junyang reckoned that a decision would be made regarding this matter when he returned to the capital to report his work. Thus, he mentioned this to thess in advance.


    Yu Xiaocao hesitated and looked at his pale and charming face. When she imagined him getting tanned and looking like Judge Bao [1] , she couldn¡¯t bear to look at his face anymore. She suppressed herughter and said, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t have to get purposely all dirty and unkempt. As long as you maintain your ck-faced killer style and ignore all those young girls and female cousins, I believe that, with time, they will learn that it¡¯s impossible and withdraw.¡±


    ¡°They? Where did ¡®they¡¯e from? Isn¡¯t it just Wu Junling, or do you have some imaginary rivals? It¡¯s fine to be jealous, so why find so many excuses? This prince likes to see you being jealous, okay?¡±


    Zhu Junyang escorted Yu Xiaocao to the entrance of the Fang Estate and knocked on the side door. The doorkeeper yawned as he opened the door. Seeing that it was Royal Prince Yang and his young miss, he quickly smiled and had someone lead the horse to the stable in the back. He attentively said, ¡°Young Miss, you¡¯re finally back. Master and Madam have been talking about you for several days. Royal Prince Yang, pleasee inside. This servant will go invite the master out...¡±


    ¡°No need. It¡¯s quitete now, so I won¡¯t disturb them. I¡¯lle over to y go with General Fang on another day. Xiaocao, rest earlier. I¡¯ll go back now!¡± Zhu Junyang looked at Xiaocao affectionately with his phoenix eyes. His smile was even more dazzling than the bright moon in the sky.


    After watching the back view of the handsome Zhu Junyang leave, Yu Xiaocao turned around and met the yful eyes of Lady Fang. She was slightly embarrassed as she said, ¡°Godmother, why did youe out?¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it because of your younger brother? When he heard from the maid that his older sister hade back, he was too impatient to wait and pestered me abouting out to wee his older sister. Who knew that we¡¯ll see the scene ¡®Eighteen Li to Send-off¡¯ [2] . Ay, a grown girl can¡¯t be kept at home. If we try to make her stay, we¡¯ll be enemies ah!¡± Lady Fang sighed.


    ¡°Godmother...who teases their own daughter like you?¡± Yu Xiaocao protested with a flushed face. She picked up Little Linlin, who had rushed over, and walked to the inner courtyard without looking back.


    The mother and daughter chatted for a while, and then went to rest in their respective rooms. When Royal Prince Yang returned to the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, he was called over by hisdy mother.


    ¡°I heard that you came backst night, and then went out early in the morning. Did you go see thess, Xiaocao?¡± She had worked hard to raise this son of hers for twenty years, but as his mother, she wasn¡¯t even as important as a littless in his heart. Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart was like an unripe plum¡ªextremely sour.


    Zhu Junyang sensed his mother¡¯s thoughts, so he quickly exined, ¡°This morning, Lu Hao came to find me and said that he wanted to go on an outing in the suburbs. I didn¡¯t expect to meet Xiaocao and her friends at Sanli Pavilion outside the city. Thus, we went to the Imperial ntation together. Lady Mother, Son had gone out to y and made Mother worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Humph, lip service! Didn¡¯t you just go meet your little lover? You must have had fun with Xiaocao today, right?¡± Princess Consort Jing also knew that he had gone out with Lu Hao. Since he was a child, her son didn¡¯t have many close friends. Lu Hao was one of them. Recently, her son had been busy with work and wasn¡¯t often in the capital. It was understandable that he wanted to rx when he returned. Besides, Xiaocao was a daughter-inw who she liked. So why was she being so unreasonable?


    ¡°Lady Mother, Xiaocao knows that you like to eat plums, so she specially picked several early-ripening plums. Do you want to have a taste?¡± Zhu Junyang was relieved to see that hisdy mother wasn¡¯t targeting Xiaocao. Since ancient times, the most difficult thing to deal with was the rtionship between mother-inw and daughter-inw. Fortunately, hisdy mother had a rather close rtionship with Xiaocao. In the future, when thess married him, there wouldn¡¯t be that many problems. How could he bear to let his littless suffer grievance?


    ¡°Plum? Isn¡¯t there at least half a month more before they ripen?¡± When Princess Consort Jing was in poor health, she had a poor appetite and her digestive system wasn¡¯t very good. Imperial Prince Jing had heard that plums could promote peristalsis and improve one¡¯s appetite, so he searched for different types of plums. Since then, Princess Consort Jing had also fallen in love with fruits that had a sweet and sour taste.


    Zhu Junyang exined, ¡°The fruits facing the sun are exposed to more sunlight, so they ripen earlier. Why don¡¯t you have a taste?¡±


    He opened the small basket that he was holding and removed the cover inside, revealing the dark purple colored fruit inside. The plump and dainty plums exuded a faint fragrance, and one couldn¡¯t help but like them with one nce.


    Princess Consort Jing picked up one and put it in her mouth. When she took a small bite, the purplish-red juice flowed into her mouth along her lips, and a sweet taste seeped into her heart. She swallowed the bite of plum in her mouth and said with satisfaction, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Xiaocao could grow fruit trees so well. This plum is twice as big as the lemon plums that I used to eat. It¡¯s also much sweeter and doesn¡¯t have an acrid taste. It¡¯s the first time that Lady Mother has eaten such a delicious plum.¡±


    ¡°Son also brought back white peaches, honey peaches, yellow peaches, and blood peaches. Xiaocao personally picked them for you. They¡¯re very fresh!¡± Zhu Junyang constantly tried to help thess Xiaocao leave a good impression in front of Princess Consort Jing.


    Princess Consort Jing didn¡¯t eat a lot for dinner. She ate two plums and a peach before she was advised to stop by her son. The mother and son chatted for a while, and then Princess Consort Jing suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, in the evening, I received news that your aunt¡¯s family arrived in the capital today. They will rest tomorrow, and thene visit us the day after. I heard your aunt¡¯s daughter, Ling¡¯er, looks like a little fairy. When thatss was a child, she was very pretty and lovely. Before she left the capital, you really liked ying with her. You often made her cry and didn¡¯t know how to act more tenderly towards girls. Are you free the day after tomorrow? Let¡¯s meet your aunt and your little green plum [3] together.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, I need to go report my work. I don¡¯t know if the emperor has any other arrangements. So let¡¯s talk about it the day after tomorrow!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t like the three words ¡®little green plum¡¯, so he automatically ignored it.

 Chapter 510 – Loyal Servant

    <h4>Chapter 510 ¨C Loyal Servant</h4>


    When he went to attend court the next day, he handed in his assignment and immediately asked for orders to go to the Xishan Barracks. He even declined the short break that the emperor gave him. He didn¡¯t even stay in the capital for a moment, as if there was a vicious dog chasing behind him.


    As a result, when Zhu Junyang¡¯s aunt and pretty younger cousin came to visit the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, he was already at the Xishan Barracks and leading a group of recruits, who had just joined the army this spring, to train in the mountains. When he asionally returned to the capital, he would either be apanying his mother or staying beside Xiaocao. He didn¡¯t give the ¡®little green plum¡¯ any chance to get close to him at all, lest a certain vinegar jar got flipped over.


    After corn and potatoes were nted in the fields, it was time for summer. No matter if it was the Imperial ntation or the fruit orchard, there were special personnel managing the fields. From time to time, Xiaocao would go to check on things at the scene. At other times, she just stayed at home, eating a bowl of iced fruits.


    On this day, Yingtao, who was in charge of the pharmaceutical workshop, and Yangliu, who was responsible for the back kitchen of the braised food stores, came together. After they greeted the young miss, Yingtao took out the ount book for this quarter and showed it to her young miss, ¡°Young Miss, our pharmaceutical workshop is too small. We¡¯re incapable of supplying the capital and all the surrounding counties because the medical pills and liquid are always short in supply. Should we expand the scale of the workshop?¡±


    ¡°Expand the scale? The workshop in the capital has only been in production for less than half a year, yet the production scale needs to be expanded again? Yingtao, aren¡¯t you too dedicated to your work?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but marvel. If this girl lived in modern times, she would definitely be a career woman.


    Yingtao¡¯s lips pursed into a smile. The affirmation from her mistress made her feel as if she had drunk an ice-cold drink during the hottest period of the summer¡ªthe coolness went to the bottom of her heart. She humbly replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that this servant is capable. When Young Miss was in Dongshan Vige, you formted a set of production rules and procedures. As long as the medicinal materials are ready and workers take charge of their own jobs, this servant just needs to control the ratio of the medicines, which is very easy to handle. Young Miss, you probably don¡¯t know but many spies from other medicinal herb stores have infiltrated into our workshop. They worked for us for a long time, but all of them failed to aplish their task. Young Miss, how can you be so wise as toe up with such an effective method of production? It¡¯s seriously such a good way to keep a secret!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao casually flipped through the ount book. This quarter¡¯s production volume was higher than the previous quarter. This was expected since, during thest quarter, the workers were all novices and still needed more practice. The output was a bit lower than Dongshan Vige¡¯s, but they soon caught up during this quarter.


    ¡°What¡¯s more, the reward system that you set up¡ªget more pay for more work done¡ªhas aroused the enthusiasm of the workers. Several managers were given some shares of the pharmaceutical workshop, so they wished that they could stay in the workshop for 24 hours a day. They¡¯re working very hard!¡±


    Yingtao became increasingly excited as she spoke, gesturing with her hands and feet. If the managers working under her saw like this, they would definitely be shocked. Head Manager Yingtao, who was usually very dignified and steady, actually had such a lively side. It was only in front of her young miss that Yingtao would only reveal the truest and purest side of herself.


    Yu Xiaocao had Yingchun to serve a bowl of fruit shaved ice to Yingtao and Yangliu. Yingtao, who was just in high spirits, immediately stooped down and covered her stomach, sighing, ¡°Master, this servant can¡¯t eat cold food these few days. It¡¯s such a torture to not be able to eat cold food in hot weather. This servant misses the fruit shaved ice made by Master. But, when I try to make it myself, I can never get the right taste.¡±


    Yangliu took the bowl, but she didn¡¯t immediately eat it. With her head lowered, she looked at the shaved ice in the bowl and muttered, ¡°There¡¯s peach, watermelon, cantaloupe, and cherries. Are there cherries in this season?¡±


    Yingchun replied with a grin, ¡°Older Sister Yangliu, the peaches, cherries, and strawberries are all preserved canned fruits. Young Miss said that it will taste better with the canned fruits. Young Miss also said that, when she has time, she will teach us how to make ice cream. The strawberry milk ice cream and vani ice cream that the young miss madest time were so delicious!¡±


    Yangliu hesitated for a moment, and then she finally lifted her head to look at Xiaocao. She said in a soft but firm tone, ¡°Young Miss, this servant wants to leave the braised food store!¡±


    ¡°What? Are you not happy working in the braised food store? Or is there someone bullying you? Tell me, I¡¯ll support you!¡± Yu Xiaocao had noticed that Yangliu seemed to have some concerns on her mind, but she didn¡¯t expect her to make such a request.


    ¡°No, no one is bullying me. The braised food store is already on track now, and the head chef in the kitchen is experienced so he doesn¡¯t need me to guide him. Now, it doesn¡¯t matter whether this servant is at the braised food store or not.¡± Yangliu felt that she had be unnecessary to the braised food store. Every day, she just symbolically wandered around the kitchen twice.


    No matter if it was braising meat, or making all kinds of roasted ducks, roasted chickens, and smoked meat, her guidance wasn¡¯t needed anymore. She had be a dispensable existence. Her job was too easypared with Yingtao, and thus her ambitiousness gradually eroded.


    ¡°Then...do you have some other ns in mind? Let me hear about it!¡± Yu Xiaocao wanted to create opportunities for the people around her so that they could discover their own specialties and do the things that they liked. Weren¡¯t Yingtao and Hechun both very passionate with their work? When Yangliu served by her side, she liked to cook. Thus, she sent her to manage the back kitchen of the braised food shop in the capital. She hadn¡¯t expected that this wasn¡¯t what she wanted.


    Yangliu¡¯s character wasn¡¯t as lively as Yingtao¡¯s, and she usually buried everything in her heart. However, for the sake of not having a mediocre future and for her own dream, she bravely said what she thought in her heart under the encouraging gaze of Yingtao, ¡°Young Miss, didn¡¯t you make a lot of beautifying and nourishing pastries? When this servant was serving by your side, I learned how to make some pastries. I want to open a pastry shopparable to that of famous pastry shops like ¡®Daoxiang Vige¡¯.¡±


    A gratified smile appeared on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face as she looked at Yangliu with a gaze full of appreciation and encouragement, ¡°Good idea! I have long wanted to open a Chinese and Western fusion pastry shop, but I have been busy and there wasn¡¯t a suitable helper. So the n was dyed. Since you have this intention, go back and write down your ideas about the shop. After that, find some quick-witted and nimble-fingered female workers. I¡¯ll find some time to train you guys. Let¡¯s try to open the shop within a month.¡±


    With the support and encouragement of her mistress, Yangliu was instantly full of confidence. When they were in Tanggu Town, she often helped her young miss to make various kinds of delicious pastries. Many of them were new to her, and they all tasted excellent. There was no need to worry about the sales.


    ¡°Okay! This servant will go back and sort out my ideas. I¡¯ll present my ns to Young Miss tomorrow!¡± Yangliu stood up in a somewhat impatient manner.


    Yu Xiaocao chuckled and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be in such a hurry. It¡¯s not toote to go back after eating the shaved ice. I always thought that Yingtao was the most impatient among you guys. I didn¡¯t expect that Yangliu, who usually appeared gentle and unhurried, is also an impatient person!¡±


    Yingtao refuted, ¡°Young Miss, why are you dragging this servant in when you¡¯re talking about Yangliu? I¡¯m no longer an ignorant person. When the managers in charge of the medicine stores in the capital sees me, they all call me ¡®Head Manager Yingtao¡¯. This servant is veryposed now!¡±


    ¡°Is that so? May I ask, ourposed Head Manager Yingtao, who was the one dancing with joy and almost jumped up from her chair earlier?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at her with a teasing gaze and asked jokingly.


    Yingtao giggled and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for this servant to put on airs in front of Young Miss. That¡¯s so exhausting ah!¡±


    Xiaocao lightly poked her with her finger and said, ¡°Oh, right, you just mentioned that you wanted to expand the scale of the pharmaceutical workshop. What are your ns?¡±


    As soon as they started talking about work, Yingtao immediately sat down in a serious manner. She did indeed seem somewhat like a dignified boss, ¡°Young Miss, recently, there are a lot of pharmacies from other regions that want to cooperate with us. This servant has done some research. Tongren Medicine Hall, which we are currently working with, has over a dozen branches, but it¡¯s impossible for all the prefectures in the country to have a branch of Tongren Medicine Hall.¡±


    She paused for a moment, and then continued, ¡°At present, the pharmaceutical workshop in Dongshan Vige is capable of supplying Tongren Medicine Hall in the Jiangnan region. The workshop in the capital can barely manage to supply the eight or nine branches of Tongren Medicine Hall in the central and northern regions. If we want to cooperate with other pharmacies, then our production quantity is far from enough!¡±


    ¡°Therefore, this servant thinks that we need to first increase the production of pediatric medicine. In this way, in regions without Tongren Medicine Hall, sick children won¡¯t have to consume bitter medicine. They would be able to take the liquid medicine and syrup produced by us. Then, if we¡¯re capable, we should expand the production of other medicinal pills and try to sell the medicine produced by our Yu Pharmaceutical all over the country!!¡± Yingtao¡¯s eyes glowed very brightly and she seemed to be moved by the prospect she imagined.


    While she expressed her ideas, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but lightly nod, ¡®Thisss Yingtao really does have the potential to be a career woman. Since she is so motivated, I can¡¯t let her talents be buried.¡¯


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s do as you said. Don¡¯t worry and boldly implement your ideas! No matter how things turn out, I¡¯ll be there to support you guys!¡± Yu Xiaocao provided both of them with affirmation and encouragement, and she also praised, ¡°Do you guys know? Your mastercks nothing but talented individuals, who are full of drive and capability, like you guys! Work hard and, when you guys reach a suitable age, I will restore yourmoner status and find a good husband for you...¡±


    ¡°Young Miss!¡± Yingtao interrupted her word with a flushed face and eximed, ¡°You¡¯re also still a child barely in your teens, yet you¡¯re already worrying about our marriage? Let¡¯s forget the matter of returning to amoner status! This servant holds the secret medicine forms in my hands, so I¡¯m afraid of being tricked and marrying someone with ulterior motives. I have already thought about it. When this servant reaches twenty, I¡¯ll marry one of the stewards in the household and continue being your capable assistant!¡±


    Yingtao was also a bold speaker. Although she was somewhat shy, she still clearly expressed her thoughts. She, Yangliu, Wutong, and Pipa weren¡¯t children of the servants of the Fang Household 1 . They were orphans bought from outside the household, and thus they had nothing to do with the Fang Family and Lady Fang¡¯s maternal family, the Xia Family. Lady Fang had probably also considered this point when she assigned them to serve the young miss.

 Chapter 511 – Iced Desserts in the Heat of Summer

    <h4>Chapter 511 ¨C Iced Desserts in the Heat of Summer</h4>


    Not to mention, even if she was granted freedom, what kind of a family could a person like her, who was without her own roots and could bepared tomon duckweed, marry into? She would only be living amongst the civilians at the lowest level of society, ridden with poverty and struggling to feed herself every day.


    How could she be able to live like she was now, as a manager of a pharmaceutical workshop? Even if she was a servant of the Yu Household, she still had her own private courtyard in the workshop, and in that courtyard, she even had a few maidservants who would sweep the floor and cook. It could be said that even though her status was that of a servant, her life was no worse than the daughter of a humble family.


    She would wait until she was older, then look for a humble, reliable, and most importantly, loyal, steward to marry, so that she could continue to help her mistress manage the pharmaceutical workshop. Her mistress was kind and valued her rtionships, so she definitely wouldn¡¯t mistreat her when she was older. She recalled the times before she was sold into the Fang Residence. At that time, her entire family survived only on rice bran and wild vegetables, and they never knew a life where they could eat until they were full. She was already very satisfied and grateful for her current conditions.


    Wutong served at the side, looking at the frank and eloquent Yingtao and Yangliu who already had their own ns, andpared herself to them. Then, she felt more at ease. ¡®Young Miss is right, one should do only what one is capable of. With my personality, I might not be able to manage a workshop filled with up to a hundred people.¡¯


    Yingtao was bold yet meticulous, and took decisive actions, so she was able to manage the pharmaceutical workshop well and even showed signs that she was able to further expand the business. Yangliu was talented in cooking and making pastries and she had the bravery to get into the profession. If she were to open a patisserie, she would definitely astound everyone. Not to mention Hechun, even if she appearedter than all of them, her talent in crafting handmade soap and cosmetics was undeniable.


    There was a reason they were given great responsibilities by their mistress. Before this, she only knew to be envious of others, and got upset because she was not put at the same level of importance. She had never thought to look for the reason behind this on herself. Now that she thought about it, what could she do if the young miss gave her the opportunity? It was better for her to serve loyally by the young miss¡¯s side and manage the matters of the courtyard. This was what she was good at!


    The young miss had mentioned that shecked a trustworthy steward who could keep an eye on the matters of the residence. In this case, she would work towards this goal. Although she wasn¡¯t able to help the young miss in her businesses, she could still work hard to be the young miss¡¯s trusted aide in the residence, so that the young miss could be rid of one more worry when she was working hard outside.


    Wutong became more open-minded after she came to this realization, and the calctive air that she exuded also dissipated. It was as though she had been reborn.


    One day, when Zhu Junyang snuck out of the Xishan Barracks and pestered Xiaocao to make ice cream for him, he noted the change in Wutong and secretly told his littless that this maidservant could be tasked with greater responsibilities. As such, Xiaocao slowly started to entrust her with more and more matters regarding the Yu Residence.


    Wutong did not disappoint. After oppressing a few pricks and subduing some managerial senior servants, she became increasingly more like a managerial servant who was able to take care of all the matters of the residence.


    During the height of summer, the capital city felt as though it was being grilled with a torch blower. This summer, the temperature in the capital city hit a new high, and it was said that it was the hottest season in decades. Many of those that did short-term jobs and heavybor to survive fainted due to the heat, and the hospitals became flooded with patients that got heat stroke until they were almost at maximum capacity.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had given herself summer vacation, along with Doctor Sun of the Tongren Medicine Hall had finally perfected the form to make Jintan cooling lozenges. They also worked overtime at the pharmaceutical workshop, immersing themselves into its production. The medicinal herbs required to make cooling lozenges weremon and cheap, so the price of a pill wasn¡¯t expensive, yet it was effective in relieving heat. Once the pill was introduced to the market, it received many praises and caused a huge sensation in the city.


    Other than that, Xiaocao also gathered the maidservants that were skilled in making pastries that Yangliu had bought for her, and quickly trained them in the ways of making iced desserts (Author¡¯s Note: mainly ice cream and smoothies of different vors), and a variety of ways to brew herbal tea. She had opened a few shops that sold iced desserts at all four sides¡ªnorth, east, south and west¡ªof the capital city.


    The key to the shops were the well-sealed ice houses. They were as big as two houses and were equivalent to arge-scale cold storage. Inside, ice ponds made from nitre were ced in neat rows, while a freezer room stored the ready-made ice. The ice used to make smoothies, ice porridge and other types of cold beverages were all taken from the ice houses. The ice cream was also frozen in here.


    The majority of the people who lived in the north and south of the city were normal citizens, so the frozen dessert shops there served more simple and chilled beverages like simple smoothies which sold the quickest. Meanwhile, the east and west sides of the city were the hubs of wealthy and influential families, so their main focus products were the ice cream of multifarious vors, fancy ice porridges and luxurious smoothies.


    On a hot summer¡¯s day, ordering a bowl of ice porridge or strawberry or peach vored ice cream in a cool iced dessert shop was definitely refreshing and would help cool the body down. It was a ce for businessmen and officials that had to be out on errands to rest and escape from the scorching heat of the summer.


    It was especially a favorite among the children who had tried The Yu¡¯s Frozen Desserts before. During the evening, when the sun was not too hot, they would always pester their parents to bring them to the iced desserts shop to have some ice. The children loved the smoothies that were vibrant in color and had a great texture, as well as the ice cream that had varying vors that they could mix and match to eat. Even adults could not resist the temptation of these iced desserts, much less children.


    The Yu¡¯s Frozen Desserts Store on the western side of the capital was thergest branch in the city. The shop was a part of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s dowry shops. When Xiaocao was in a hurry for her search for a shophouse, Zhu Junyang had told hisdy mother about her pressing issue. Princess Consort Jing then shut down the original satin shop that was doing quite well and offered her the shophouse. But, of course, Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t be taking her shop for free. Instead, she took it as Princess Consort Jing using her shop space to buy shares, and split with her half of the profits.


    The structure of this shop was simr to Zhenxiu Restaurant and it had three stories in total. The cold storage was ced in the inner courtyard, while the first floor was the front of the shop and the main hall. It was renovated to look simple yet elegant, and the tables were all simple, rectangr tables made for pairs and groups of four, six and eight people. Intricate wooden carvings were hung on the snow-white walls and elegance exuded from the simplicity of the design.


    The second and third floors consisted only of private rooms, all decorated eithervishly, elegantly, simply or fancily. Ice basins were ced in every private room and it felt as though an air-conditioner was ced in the room. It was a different kind of pleasure that was felt, to be in a cool room during a hot summer¡¯s day.


    At this moment, in the ¡®Tall Mountain Flowing River¡¯ private room on the third floor, a special customer had ordered three scoops of ice cream¡ªherbal, strawberry and milk vored respectively. Using a small, wooden spoon, he dug into the ice cream and sighed in praise, ¡°Xiaocao, that littless, she really doesn¡¯t let go of any opportunity to make a profit. She actually made ice cream! Not to mention, the taste is actually quite good!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, your digestion has not been goodtely, so you should eat less of these cold foods.¡± Although Su Ran was advising others to eat less, he did not follow his own advice at all. A big bowl of ice porridge was ced in front of him. It had peach vored shaved ice at the bottom while arge amount of honey beans wereyered on top, making the dish extremely vorful and extravagant.


    That was right, this mysterious customer was the emperor who hade out in in clothes. Zhu Junfan dug into the strawberry vored ice cream and savored the smooth texture of the cold ice cream melting in his mouth. Then, he shot a side-nce at Su Ran, ¡°Chief Steward Su, since when have you be an old mother? So naggy, it really makes people feel fed up! We don¡¯t have digestive problems; it¡¯s just the summer heat! The weather is too hot, having some ice would help cool down the body and work up an appetite. It¡¯s such a pleasure...¡±


    Seeing the emperor enjoying himself, Su Ran shouted out of the room, ¡°Waiter, bring me another set of ice cream. Three scoops of it!¡±


    Downstairs, Yangliu stopped a sweaty Yu Xiaocao the moment she stepped into the shop. Yangliu personally managed this iced desserts shop at the western side of the city that was thergest among all the branches. She also personally made the desserts while a few other servants watched and learned from the side while assisting her.


    Yangliu, who was panic-stricken, seemed to have found her pir of strength once she saw her mistress, and said, ¡°Young Miss, there are two customers on the third floor. I think it¡¯s the one from the imperial pce.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had her describe the appearance of the two customers. Yangliu thought about it, then said, ¡°The two of them looked to be in theirte twenties, and they look extremely handsome! One of them looked very dignified, while the other was ethereal, a little like a wise and virtuous person...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao confirmed the identity of these two customers after hearing Yangliu¡¯s description, and she couldn¡¯t help but scrunch up her brows, thinking, ¡®It¡¯s such a hot day, why is the emperor parading around outside instead of hiding in his pce? Even more so, he¡¯s eating ice! Who would be responsible if he got a stomach ache? This cannot do, I must personally make a special ice cream with added secret ingredients for him.¡¯


    She was currently making a sundae. It had snow-white sweet cream vored ice cream drizzled with strawberry, nectarine and blueberry syrup. The most important part was, the ice cream was made using mystic-stone water. Not only did it improve the texture of the ice cream, but it was also now beneficial to the body instead of being harmful!


    Just as she finished crafting it, a waiter from upstairs hopped over, ¡°Head Manager, the esteemed customers on the third floor ordered another set of three scoops of ice cream.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao replied in ce of Yangliu, ¡°Alright, we got it! You can head up first; we¡¯ll send it up immediately!¡±


    The waiter was a clever one. Although he had never met the owner before, he could somewhat take a guess from the way Head Manager Yangliu treated Xiaocao, and smiled, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been hard on you!¡±


    ¡°Not bad! Yangliu, you have quite an eye for people. You should train these girls, soon, they¡¯ll be our dessert shop¡¯s core patissieres. And this waiter, he¡¯s clever and seems genuine.¡± The frozen dessert shops were established in a flurry, and during those days, Yangliu was at the shop almost every hour of the day. She had lost a few pounds during that period of time.


    Yangliu smiled sweetly when she heard her mistress¡¯s praise, ¡°This is because Young Miss has taught me well. You¡¯ve said before, our customers are the Jade Emperor, so we need to treat them with the same respect we give to the gods. This servant only passed on this concept to all our staff in the shop.¡±


    ¡°Well done! No matter what, our customers are our ¡®parents¡¯ that feed and clothe us, so we must not slight them in any way. We must let them feel as though they are returning to theforts of their own homes. Alright, I¡¯ll serve these sundaes to our esteemed customers!¡± Yu Xiaocao patted Yangliu¡¯s shoulder and exited the production room.


    Behind her, Wutong carried the tray and followed her up the stairs to the third floor. Seeing the waiter gesture to the private roombelled ¡®Tall Mountain Flowing River¡¯, Yu Xiaocao knocked on the door and said, ¡°Esteemed customers, I¡¯vee to serve you the iced desserts you¡¯ve ordered!¡±

 Chapter 512 – Fright

    <h4>Chapter 512 ¨C Fright</h4>


    Zhu Junfan heard this familiar voice and raised his brow at Su Ran, chuckling, ¡°Is her zodiac sign the dog? How is her nose so good that she catches a whiff of our scent so quickly?¡±


    Su Ran smiled faintly and said, ¡°It¡¯s not the littless who is well-informed, but her maidservant. When we wereing up earlier, the manager had been eyeing you, Master, and I suspiciously for such a long time, so you can¡¯t say you didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    He stood up to open the private room¡¯s door and grinned warmly at the littless outside. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes sparkled when she saw this beautiful face, ¡®Wow, Sir Su is even more ethereal than the male lead in the drama ¡®The Journey of Flower¡¯ [1] that she had watched in her previous life. He¡¯s such an eye candy. The emperor keeps such a handsome man by his side, could he actually be...¡¯


    ¡°Wretchedss, what kind of dirty thoughts are you having, smiling so secretively?¡± Zhu Junfan noticed the sundaes of a variety of colors in the stylish, transparent sses and raised his brows, looking quite satisfied.


    Facing the emperor who was dressed in in clothes, Yu Xiaocao did not feel as much reverence as before, and smiled, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I¡¯m but a child, so how could I have dirty thoughts? If there is Buddha in your heart, you¡¯ll see everything as Buddha; if there is dog poop in your heart, everything you see will be dog poop...¡±


    Su Ran took the tray from the littless¡¯s hand and shot her a look that said ¡®that¡¯s some guts¡¯, reminding her of the identity of the person she was referring to. She drilyughed, racking her brain for ways to tactfully resolve her statement.


    Zhu Junfan dug into a strawberry vored sundae, asking dangerously, ¡°Beloved Official Yu, what do you think is in our heart right now?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes rolled around in thought, then suddenly a sly expression shed across her face as she grinned, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, your eyes and heart must be full of iced desserts right now. How is the taste of the sundae? I¡¯ve personally made it just for you¡ªit¡¯s an honor no one else has!¡±


    ¡°Good that you¡¯re clever! We¡¯re gracious, so we won¡¯t stoop down to your level. However, you opened this iced desserts shop at just the right time, when we wereing up, the seats downstairs were nearly full, and there weren¡¯t many private rooms left upstairs. How is it? You¡¯ve earned quite a lot, haven¡¯t you?¡± Zhu Junfan felt a shot of coolness reach the bottom of his heart when he ate the strawberry sundae, but instead of perceiving the cold, he felt a kind of indescribablefort in his stomach.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled along, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your gracious self. The business is going well, so I¡¯m able to earn some pocket change!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! This is pocket change? A bowl of ice porridge, which is just a small piece of crushed ice and a little bit of honeyed beans, already costs five hundred copper coins! And a scoop of ice cream that¡¯s not even as big as a ping pong ball costs one tael! If we came in, we wouldn¡¯t be able to leave without spending a few taels. How is this pocket change?¡± Zhu Junfan paused, then nodded as he continued, ¡°Right,pared to your ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, which easily earns tens of thousands of taels, this is indeed pocket change!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao tittered, adding more strawberry syrup to the emperor¡¯s ss and joked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this because a big ¡®Buddha¡¯ backs our Blossoming Beauty? Don¡¯t people only trust my spa because of your gracious self and her imperial majesty?¡±


    He thought about his empress and her ten percent share of the Blossoming Beauty¡¯s profit after it opened for business for a few months. The amount was near to exceeding his personal treasury! What more could be said about this littless¡¯s earnings? He ate another mouthful of the sweet yet tart strawberry syrup and said with a slight sourness in his tone, ¡°Littless, you have so many ideas for earning money that your assets are nearly exceeding ours, as we are only a poor man.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, please don¡¯t say this, this little one is really fearful! This little one is not that Shen Wansan [2] whose fortune could match that of a country¡¯s wealth; please don¡¯t learn from that Zhu Chongba [3] and behead this little one to confiscate this little one¡¯s assets!¡± The story of Zhu Yuanzhang and Shen Wansan did not exist in the current Great Ming Dynasty. As such, this ssic could only be understood by her and this fellow transmigrator who came from the same world.


    ¡°Legend says...Shen Wansan died because he owned a treasure bowl and was punished because of his wealth. Moreover, his fortune could bepared to that of a country¡¯s treasury, and he was able to buy half of the empire, so Zhu Yuanzhang was afraid of him. You ah...As long as you¡¯re honest and don¡¯t be full of yourself, we won¡¯t mind no matter how much money you earn!¡± When he mentioned the treasure bowl, he had an odd smile on his face and Yu Xiaocao felt his gaze flicker to the multicolored stone on her wrist.


    Su Ran, who was enjoying his sundae at the side, listened in bewilderment to their conversation. Although he had never heard of the story of Shen Wansan and Zhu Chongba, he could still sense something off about their conversation. It was as though the emperor and the littless of the Yu Family shared the same secret. However, he was a dutiful chief steward, he would do his best for the matters under his jurisdiction, but for the matters that he should not know, he would pretend to be mute and deaf. This had been strictly taught to him since the day he entered the imperial pce.


    ¡°The treasure bowl is but a rumor! Shen Wansan was a genius in his trade, that¡¯s why he could be the richest man in the empire. As for me, I don¡¯t have any great ambitions, I just want to not worry about basic necessities and live life like a rice weevil which only ever eats and waits for its death. That¡¯s enough for me.¡± Yu Xiaocao reminded herself in her heart, ¡®All I need is enough money to spend. I mustn¡¯t be like Shen Wansan. He worked hard all his life but in the end, all of his efforts went to someone else instead.¡¯


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not allowed!¡± Zhu Junfan now felt a bit upset, ¡°You¡¯re our good minister, the revitalization of our agriculture and the prosperity of the empire all depend on you, beloved official!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao waved her hands with an expression of fear, saying, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the matters that you¡¯ve entrusted to this little one, I will definitely give my all toplete them. However, please don¡¯t say words such as the prosperity of the empire, that would be going over the top. This little one¡¯s shoulders are too frail, I cannot handle this burden.¡±


    After finishing the strawberry sundae, Zhu Junfan picked up the blueberry vored one, and suddenly changed the topic, ¡°This blueberry was imported from the western hemisphere, right? That brat, Junyang, has secretly kept quite a lot of good stuff!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve only tried nting a few of these blueberry nts, so we don¡¯t produce a lot of them. Except for the small portion we leave for our own consumption, the rest have been made into blueberry jam, and we only have a few jars of it. That¡¯s why blueberry-vored iced desserts are a few times more expensive than the rest. Please, try it. If you like it, you could bring a jar back with you?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart was bleeding despite the fact that she sounded generous on the surface.


    In her previous life, she liked blueberries the most, but she didn¡¯t eat them because they were quite expensive. She had mentioned it to Zhu Junyang once, but she never expected that he would let the voyage fleet actually go and search for blueberry seeds and even secretly tried to nt it. Only when the blueberry nts bore fruit was she presented with a great surprise.


    As it was the first year the nts bore fruit, there were not a lot of blueberries. Zhu Junyang could not bear to eat a single one, and kept all of them for her, either to eat as a fruit, or to make them into jam. As they were scarce, she extremely treasured them.


    Listing it in the iced desserts shop and marking it up to a high price was just a gimmick¡ªshe didn¡¯t expect to make money from it. She never would have thought that when the Emperor came, she would lose a jar of jam... Even though she was the one who initiated it, his words sounded like he wasining that Zhu Junyang used his power for personal gain. If she didn¡¯t do something, she didn¡¯t know what kind of outrageous ims this person would say.


    Zhu Junfan was very satisfied with her initiative. He savored the blueberry-vored sundae and said slowly, ¡°Honestly, the taste of blueberry jam is just so-so to me. But it¡¯s sour and sweet, so our beloved concubines and children should like it. We¡¯ll thank you in their stead! By the way, since you¡¯ve made blueberry vor, what about chocte vor? We haven¡¯t had chocte in almost thirty years, we miss it quite a lot!¡±


    When Su Ran heard this, he choked on the ice cream in his mouth and coughed a few times. Then, he waved his hand at the emperor and Miss Yu who had looked over, indicating, ¡®Please continue your conversation and ignore the existence of this servant.¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao shot Zhu Junfan a look that clearly said, ¡®Is it alright if Sir Su overhears our conversation?¡¯


    Zhu Junfan nodded slightly as if to reply, ¡®It¡¯s alright, Su Ran is very loyal, and he¡¯s also tight-lipped. He knows what to say and what not to say.¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao looked again at Su Ran who held a ss of sundae and pretended to look at the view outside and thought, ¡®Pretend, keep pretending! It¡¯s the hottest time of the day outside, not a single soul could be seen on the streets, what are you looking at?¡¯


    ¡°This frozen desserts shop was opened rather hastily and was not nned in advance. I don¡¯t know if chocte has been discovered yet, but I¡¯m certain that it hasn¡¯t been brought to our Great Ming Dynasty. If we sent people to search for it now, it¡¯d probably still take quite a while. So...this time next year, if Your Imperial Majesty returns to this shop, you might be able to eat chocte-vored ice cream!¡± Yu Xiaocao dazedly remembered that cocoa trees had already been nted in North America at this time, and wondered if the voyage fleet that set sail this year would be able to return with a surprise for her.


    s! The ancient timesgged behind. If it were in her previous life, you could buy chocte just by going into any random supermarket, so why would she need to go through all this trouble? Xiaocao and the emperor looked at each other, saw the same thought in each other¡¯s eyes, and let out a long sigh in unison.


    The more Su Ran heard from the side, the more frightened he became. Sometimes, Yu Xiaocao was really simr to the emperor when he was young. At that time, the emperor seemed to have the whole world under his control. He knew which areas had which countries and what local specialties were avable in each country like the back of his hand. Originally, Su Ran thought that these were just his master¡¯s spections. He didn¡¯t expect that his master¡¯s spections would be true until he apanied his master and his ocean-voyaging fleet after it was established to, for the first time, sail across the western sea. He also didn¡¯t expect that his master, who had never been in contact with westerners before, could actually speak theirnguage andmunicate with those foreigners with yellow hair, green eyes and jutting noses without any difficulty.


    He had thought that his master was unique in this world, a gifted person who had been bestowed with a unique ability by the heavens, the ability to understand things without a teacher, and know all the matters of the world without ever needing to leave his house. He never would¡¯ve thought that the little miss of the Yu Family would be like his master and know everything about thend overseas. Chocte, North America...it felt like he was listening to something tooplex for him to understand, yet the two of them conversed without any difficulty.


    [1] The Journey of Flower ¨C 2015 Chinese television series starring Wace Huo and Zhao Liying. It is based on the fictional novel of the same name written by Fresh Guoguo, which is inspired from Daoist legends regarding the path to immortality


    [2] Shen Wansan ¨C a businessman during the beginning of Ming Dynasty. Shen used to be one of the richest men at the area of south of the Yangtze river. But the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, was envy of his property and concerned about the threat posed by this fabulously wealthy man. Shen was finally exiled to Yunnan and spent the rest of his lifetime there.


    [3] Zhu Chongba ¨C birthname of Hongwu Emperor

 Chapter 513 – Heated Debate

    <h4>Chapter 513 ¨C Heated Debate</h4>


    How did he exin this? He had a daring spection: his master and Miss Yu came from the same mysterious ce, and the people there knew the matters of the world like the back of their hands. They were like the gods in the sky, overlooking the Great Ming Dynasty from their point of view.


    At this moment, Su Ran was d that he decided to give up his wrong way of life and turn to follow his current master. His master had never disdained him for being disabled, and he never suspected him because of his previous identity. Instead, his master entrusted to him the grave responsibilities of managing the hidden guards and the firearms camp.


    He could clearly sense the respect to him and appreciation of his features from Miss Yu, who possibly originated from the same ce as his master. The people from his master¡¯s and Miss Yu¡¯s homnd were probably equally respected and extremely cultured. He really wanted to have a look at just what kind of a ce it was, to be able to produce such talented people like his master and Miss Yu.


    However, he was puzzled by the way his master treated Miss Yu. If the two of them were exceptionally talented and came from the same mysterious space, shouldn¡¯t his master be afraid of Miss Yu? As the saying went, ¡®one mountain cannot contain two tigers¡¯. Was it because Miss Yu was not a threat to his master, so that was why he entrusted her with important responsibilities?


    It had to be said, Chief Steward Su Ran had really unwittingly hit upon the truth. If Yu Xiaocao was a capable young man who had the means, Zhu Junfan might have considered getting rid of this threat as soon as possible. However, he saw through Yu Xiaocaopletely. She was just a ¡®girl without the three conditions¡¯; she didn¡¯t have the scheming, means nor the family background. She only excelled in agriculture and earned money for fun and didn¡¯t have any great ambitions. Why should he be wary of her? He wasn¡¯t so narrow-minded!


    Moreover, as a transmigrator, he was also very lonely and needed someone who ¡®spoke the samenguage¡¯ as he did. When he was bored, he could have a chat with her, or even scare her for entertainment to relieve stress and rx (Yu Xiaocao: Wah, so angry!!).


    At this moment, Zhu Junfan had started a new debate about chocte with Yu Xiaocao. One said, chocte had yet to be discovered. As a chocte enthusiast, Zhu Junfan had spent time studying the history of chocte before in his previous life. Chocte first appeared in history at the start of the 16th century, but it was currently only the 14th century, so there was still a difference of nearly two centuries!


    The other said, cocoa beans were among the treasures that Columbus had brought back when he had discovered the New World. That meant that before the 15th century, North America had already begun nting cocoa trees. It was currently the middle of the 14th century, who could confirm that North America didn¡¯t have any cocoa trees now, considering that there was only less than a century¡¯s difference in time? Once there was a cocoa ntation, then the precursor of chocte, liquified cocoa drink would definitely already have been discovered.


    The both of them argued their own points until their faces were flushed red and their voices grew increasingly louder. Su Ran had never seen the emperor so rxed and acting so childish before. As expected, any sort of pretense was unnecessary in front of the person who understood you the most. That was why the emperor was able to banter with her and even sulk about it like a normal person.


    Miss Yu also had quite the guts, to dare m the table in front of the emperor and even shout until she got spit on the emperor¡¯s face. The two of them argued over an insignificant topic until they were flushed red¡ªit really was enough!


    ¡°Sir Su,e and reason! Isn¡¯t your master being too arbitrary?!¡± Yu Xiaocao started to look for allies and dragged Su Ran, who had been watching their drama while leisurely enjoying his iced desserts at the side, into the fire.


    Zhu Junfan also moved his gaze onto Su Ran, harrumphing, ¡°Chief Steward Su, what about you? Isn¡¯t thissspletely basing her assumptions on spections that aren¡¯t concrete?¡±


    ¡°Tch...¡±


    Su Ran raised his brow. ¡®Thisss is so audacious, she actually dares to ¡®tch¡¯ at the emperor. It¡¯s really disrespectful ah!¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re invincible just because you¡¯ve studied a few more years and got into a third-rate university! You majored in shipbuilding, not history. Don¡¯t always insist that you¡¯re right, that¡¯s just you being obdurate!¡± Vexed by all of this, Yu Xiaocao started throwing personal insults!


    Zhu Junfan chuckled and said unabashedly, ¡°That¡¯s right, at least I¡¯ve gotten into university. Someone hasn¡¯t even graduated from junior high school and doesn¡¯t even know how to write the word ¡®history¡¯, yet still dares to boast shamelessly that their guess is right!¡±


    ¡°So what if you¡¯ve attended university? You can neither toil with your limbs nor tell the five types of grain apart. You can¡¯t even discern between spring onion and garlic sprout, so how do you want to revitalize agriculture? In the end, don¡¯t you still need to depend on me, a person who hadn¡¯t even graduated from junior high school?¡± Yu Xiaocao ced her hands on her hips in an arrogant manner.


    Zhu Junfan, who was born, grew up and studied in the city in his previous life, indeed did not know how to differentiate between spring onions, garlic sprouts and wheatgrass. He swallowed hard and mmed the table heavily, saying, ¡°Those who toil with their minds lead those who toil with their limbs! Even if you¡¯re really capable in agriculture, aren¡¯t you still working for me, a person who can¡¯t tell wheatgrass and garlic sprouts apart?¡±


    ¡°This is all caused by this horrible feudalist society!¡± Yu Xiaocao was not willing to back down one iota.


    Zhu Junfan was gleeful over the fact that he gained the upper hand, ¡°Regardless of whether it¡¯s a feudalist society or a socialist society, capable people have the advantage! For example, think of the gold-cor, silver-cor workers and those CEOs, aren¡¯t they all highly educated, have a high IQ and a high ie? Don¡¯t theborers still need to work under their lead?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was at a loss for words, yet she was not to be outdone, ¡°Don¡¯t drag the topic so far! We¡¯ll just keep the topic on cocoa beans. You say there are none, but I say there are! The voyage fleet had already ventured towards the americas for half a year, we¡¯ll know who¡¯s right when they return! Let¡¯s make a bet, if I lose, I¡¯ll supply you with a year¡¯s worth of chocte for free. What about you, what if you lose?¡±


    ¡°Me, lose? Me, a person well-versed in history, will lose?¡± Zhu Junfan racked his brain for something that could be used for the wager.


    Su Ran facepalmed at the side, ¡®Oh, my master! You got sucked into the littless¡¯s trap! Just think, if Miss Yu lost, the voyage fleet wouldn¡¯t even be able to bring back that bean, and if she doesn¡¯t have that bean, how would she make chocte? If she can¡¯t make chocte, then how would she be able to give you a year¡¯s worth of supply?¡¯ He did not expect that Miss Yu, who looked to be quite simple and naive, knew how to trick others to get something for nothing.


    Zhu Junfan finally thought of a wager that he thought was quite good, ¡°How about this? If I lose, I¡¯ll raise your feudal princess rank from fifth-ranked to third-ranked, and then I¡¯ll even decree your marriage! What do you think?¡±


    ¡®Fifth-ranked feudal princess raised to third-ranked? This is good! As for the decreed marriage, it¡¯spletely unnecessary! I¡¯m well-liked and I even have a loyal dog guarding by my side, I don¡¯t need you to decree my marriage!¡¯


    ¡°What are you pouting for? Do you think that a certain someone is already in your grasp and won¡¯t be able to escape? Let me tell you, you shouldn¡¯t be so confident, especially not towards men, they¡¯re the most fickle of animals!¡± Zhu Junfan had the expression of an expert in romance.


    Su Ran ate sundae after sundae, ncing at his master when he heard this, thinking, ¡®Your Imperial Majesty, you¡¯ve just sold yourself out and became the public enemy of all men!¡¯


    ¡°What¡¯s the point even if I schemed to keep a fickle man who can¡¯t resist temptation? In this male-dominated society, men who¡¯ve had a change of heart can bring in countless concubines to his home, or he could even directly divorce his wife and remarry. Those who are more ruthless could even kill off their wife, so they wouldn¡¯t even need to return the dowry. They could spend their ex-wife¡¯s money to marry another...¡±


    Zhu Junfan pouted his lips, ¡°Littless, you¡¯ve read too many inner courtyard fight novels, haven¡¯t you? How could the original wife be divorced so easily? Even going so far as to killing off the original wife, do you think our Great Ming Dynasty¡¯sw is a joke?¡±


    ¡°Law? Thew back there is quite well-rounded, right? But there are still loopholes that people exploit. To divorce the wife, she needs to fulfill at least one of the seven grounds for divorce. Wouldn¡¯t he have an excuse to divorce his wife if he simply threw a man onto her bed? As for harming people...I have a thousand ways to kill you silently without a leaving behind a trace of evidence, would you believe me?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a dark expression on her face.


    At the side, Su Ran had to interject, ¡°Miss Yu, please be cautious of your words!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just giving an example; it¡¯s not directed at Your Imperial Majesty! Not to mention, we¡¯re only discussing the problem of the original wife¡¯s death, you¡¯re not a female and there¡¯s no conflict of interest between us. As such, you don¡¯t need to be afraid!¡± Yu Xiaocao shed arge grin at Zhu Junfan.


    ¡°Then...if ever we have a conflict of interest with you, then you¡¯ll be able to kill us off silently?¡± Zhu Junfan deliberately misinterpreted her words and took advantage of the loophole.


    Yu Xiaocao shook her head like a rattle, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, you live deep within the imperial pce. I, as a normal citizen, would rarely get a chance toe into contact with you. My hands can¡¯t reach so far even if I wanted to harm you! Not to mention, you have such an expert like Su Ran who is always ¡®by your side¡¯ protecting you. So much so that not even an insect could fly within a ten-step radius of you, moreover such a big target as me?¡±


    As she said this, a fly flew out from a corner of the room. Su Ran¡¯s hand skimmed the water on the outside of the sses on the table and, with a flick of his hand, the droplet hit the fly and it dropped onto the table, dead.


    ¡°Chief Steward Su, who are you siding with? Can you not cooperate with her so tacitly?¡± Zhu Junfan wanted tough but he stifled it until his face was flushed red.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s sentence ended just as he was done flicking the fly. Even Su Ran himself wanted tough. He coughed, lowering his head and continued to dig into his sundae, thinking, ¡®Please continue your argument and ignore me!¡¯


    Zhu Junfan suddenly said seriously, ¡°Yu Xiaocao, let¡¯s go back to our previous topic. What do you think of Zhu Junyang?¡±


    ¡°What? You really want to act as a matchmaker?¡± Yu Xiaocao watched the emperor with slight amusement. She didn¡¯t think that he would have such a nosy side.


    Zhu Junfan shook his head with an expression that said he was anticipating drama, ¡°Don¡¯t me me for not warning you beforehand, you have a love rival now! When Junyang¡¯s aunt entered the imperial pce, she expressly implied to the empress that she had taken a fancy to Royal Prince Yang, and even wanted the empress to decree a marriage for her youngest daughter!¡±


    ¡°He attracts so many women!¡± Yu Xiaocao grunted angrily. The sourness in her heart could not be ignored. She couldn¡¯t help but curse Wu Junling, ¡®Have you never seen a man? You pursue relentlessly, not even caring whether or not he likes you. Now you¡¯ve even asked for the empress to decree your marriage? With Zhu Junyang¡¯s personality, he would dare to refuse the marriage even if it was the emperor¡¯s decree, not to mention the empress¡¯s!¡¯


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    Next Chapter

 Chapter 514 – Worries

    <h4>Chapter 514 ¨C Worries</h4>


    However, when she thought a bit more, she realized that people would only try to snatch men who were outstanding. Ever since Zhu Junyang managed to restrain the heart devil within him, his rtionships with other people as well as his charm improved rapidly, especially within these past two years. The emperor treated him with importance and gave him heavy responsibilities. Furthermore, the emperor even gave him the task to train and drill the Xishan Barracks. In addition, he was also in charge of the innovation of firearms and almost ovepped with Chief Steward Su¡¯s tasks. In the future, it was obvious that amanding position would be his.


    He was barely twenty yet he had reached a third-ranked position at court relying on his own abilities. His prospects were endless in the future. Consequently, Zhu Junyang had be the most highly eligible bachelor out of all of the noble bachelors in the capital. Many people hade to inquire about whether or not Princess Consort Jing had chosen his future wife yet.


    Recently, Princess Consort Jing, who loved peace and quiet, had been irritated beyond measure! It was reasonable to say that her son did need to marry a wife and start having descendants as he was already twenty. Furthermore, even if the position of his legitimate wife hadn¡¯t been decided yet, there were people avidly eyeing the positions of his side consorts and other concubines.


    Within a short span of time, the guests going to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s inner courtyard had increased suddenly. All of these matrons who came to visit were discreetly making inquiries as to whether she had a daughter-inw in mind. When they found out from her that Royal Prince Yang already had a girl in mind, they changed the subject to ask about the position of his side consort instead. In addition, these marrieddies always brought some pretty and delicate young maidens along with them to visit and praised their daughters to the skies. The young maidens were all very courteous as well and always followed whatever the princess consort said in a ttering manner. Listening to all of this hinting made Princess Consort Jing feel quite exhausted!


    Princess Consort Jing especially couldn¡¯t stand her younger concubine-born sister. In the past, when they were both still unmarried and living at home, they didn¡¯t have a good rtionship. Her illegitimate younger sister always unted the fact that she was favored by their father by virtue of being born to the favored concubine in the residence. Thus, she always showed off her strength in front of Princess Consort Jing. If Princess Consort Jing didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with Imperial Prince Jing, with a love more solid than gold, it was highly possible that this concubine-born younger sister of hers might have seeded in scheming this marriage away from her!


    Now, this concubine-born sister of hers decided that her older sister had something of value, so she shamelessly came over. However, she, Jiang Meijuan, was someone who held grudges! She didn¡¯t allow her husband to help with her younger sister¡¯s husband¡¯s official prospects. Thus, her brother-inw still only had a fifth-ranked official¡¯s position in court. Hmph hmph! It was already considered fortunate that she didn¡¯t make things more difficult for them!


    However, this concubine-born younger sister of hers even wanted to scheme about her youngest son¡¯s marriage! This dream was really a bit quite far-fetched! Although thess Ling¡¯er¡¯s looks, temperament and morals(?) were all eptable and she liked the girl, she absolutely wouldn¡¯t agree to a marriage between her and her son solely because of her meddling, loathsome mother!!


    However, judging from how Yang¡¯er treated his younger cousin, it didn¡¯t seem like hepletely rejected the maiden. At least, they were able to converse a little. Eh...in actuality, it was mostly thatss Ling¡¯er chatting away while Yang¡¯er listened silently. From the surface, his stern demeanor didn¡¯t hold any hints of repudiation. Perhaps in her son¡¯s heart, this younger cousin of his was different than the other youngdies.


    Despite that observation, Princess Consort Jing wasn¡¯t in any hurry at this point! Even if her son didn¡¯t hold someone in his heart already, from her understanding of her son¡¯s temperament, Yang¡¯er may not necessarily like thess Ling¡¯er in that way. Ever since he received his new position at the Xishan Barracks, his schedule became more erratic and he often wasn¡¯t home. When he dide back, he always detoured over to see thatss Xiaocao before he came back to the residence. This obviously showed that her son had little interest in Ling¡¯er.


    Thatss Ling¡¯er was thick-skinned just like her mother. Yang¡¯er had already dropped a few obvious hints but she acted as if she didn¡¯t understand anything and put on an act as if she was a naive and innocent maiden. Who was she trying to fool? In the past, her concubine-born sister also used the same tactics to try to get closer to Imperial Prince Jing!!


    That was not okay! She needed to find some time to remind her son in order to avoid her concubine-born sistering up with some underhanded scheme to ¡®ruin¡¯ the reputation of Wu Junling and force her son to marry her!


    Princess Consort Jing was quite annoyed by Jiang Meiyi and her daughter by now. Thus, she seized the opportunity to leave the capital when her husband had to travel for work and her son spent most of his time at the barracks. She instructed the maidservants and senior servants to pack her bags and silently left the capital to travel to the mountain vi that was halfway up the West Mountain at Dongshan Vige.


    It was currently midsummer, so the mountain vi was lush and full of blooming greenery. With its back against the ocean, it was truly a beautiful sanctuary for her to stay at. She was also eager to explore that hidden mountain ravine again to see if she could find any more rare and valuable flora to add to her collection. That way, she could astound the matrons in the capital again!


    Thus, the next time Jiang Meiyi and her daughter came over to visit Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate, they weren¡¯t even able to pass the gates. The servants at the residence all stated, ¡°Her Highness has left the capital to avoid the heat and none of our masters are home. Thus, we are unable to receive any honored guests at this moment!¡±


    Jiang Meiyi was so infuriated by this that she almost ripped her handkerchief to shreds at the moment, ¡°I see how you are, Jiang Meijuan! You¡¯re not even giving me face ah?! If it wasn¡¯t for my precious daughter, would I even bothering to see and tter you? And you act as if you¡¯re something special eh?!¡±


    ¡°Mother, be careful what you say!!¡± Wu Junling lifted up the curtain in the carriage and stuck her head out to look around before she finally let out a sigh of relief. From her perspective, her mother sometimes caused more harm than benefit. They clearly had to rely on her aunt¡¯s favor yet her mother continued to act arrogantly in front of her older sister and refused to back down.


    Did her mother ever think about just what she had topete with her aunt? When they were still unmarried maidens, one was born from a concubine, while the other was the daughter of the legitimate wife. Anyone with brains would try to cultivate a rtionship with the legitimate daughter. Furthermore, her mother had unted the fact that she was favored by their father in an attempt to push down her aunt and even tried to steal her aunt¡¯s husband. If she was Imperial Prince Jing, she would also choose the gentle and sweet legitimate daughter over thepetitive and scheming concubine-born one, alright?


    Then, there was her father¡¯s career. If her mother had lowered herself a bit and begged her aunt for help, he wouldn¡¯t have only gotten a meager position doing idle work at the Qingshui yamen. As for her own affairs, if it wasn¡¯t for her mother causing issues, perhaps her aunt would have seen her in a better light...Argh, it looked like she needed to work a lot harder in order to smooth things over between herself and her older cousin. She absolutely wouldn¡¯t be as brainless as her mother. In the end, her older cousin was fated to be hers alone!


    Wu Junling gazed at the world outside the carriage and, through the curtains, she saw a slim and delicate little figure dressed in apricot colored qi-style attire riding on a date red horse. Suddenly, an honest-sounding voice piped up from within the crowd, ¡°Official Yu, thank you so much for cultivating high-yield corn for us. My family has three mu ofnd and thatnd is responsible for feeding more than a dozen of us. During spring, we nted them all with corn and ended up with around four thousand catties of grain at harvest. After paying our taxes, we still have around three thousand catties of corn left. This is enough food for my entire family to eat for a year! Thank you for allowing us to not go hungry!¡±


    Last year, they had targeted the farmers surrounding the capital by advertising corn. This spring, many families had rushed out to buy and nt the new seeds and all of them ended up with yields over a thousand catties per mu. Every family that nted the new crop had surplus grain on hand now.


    The streets of the capital were filled withmoners. When they heard this person¡¯s thoughts, they also began to exim, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! With surplus grain on hand at home, we don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s all thanks to Official Yu!¡±


    ¡°Official Yu¡¯s good deeds can bepared to the merciful Buddha¡¯s ah!!¡±


    ¡°Official Yu, here are some eggs that my family¡¯s chickens haveid. If you don¡¯t disdain them, please take them as a sign of my entire family¡¯s gratitude to you!¡±


    ¡°Official Yu, here are some apricots from my family¡¯s garden. Please take some to try.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s some vegetables I nted...¡±


    Someone interrupted thest speaker, ¡°Official Yu nts vegetables and her vegetables look and taste much better than yours. All of the wealthy and official families in town eat the vegetables she nts. Why would she need you to send some to her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to show my appreciation and gratitude to Official Yu ah!¡±


    A voice as clear as spring cut through the mour of the crowd and everyone quickly calmed down, ¡°Fellow countrymen, I, Xiaocao, appreciate all of your kindness and warm thoughts! It is my duty to cultivate high-yielding crops, so I feel a bit ashamed to receive your gratitude! With everyone¡¯s support here, I will continue to do my best and cultivate more crops that are high-yielding!¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, the sounds of gratitude, admiration, and opinions hit the air again. A youthful and somewhat lofty voice cut through the chatter of the crowd, ¡°Official Yu, I heard thatst year¡¯s wheat harvest was a bumper crop and the yield was more than three times higher than regr wheat. Would you happen to know if this high-yield winter wheat will be sold this autumn to usmoners?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at this youth who was dressed entirely in in farmer¡¯s attire that was dotted with patches all over it. She smiled and said, ¡°The seeds for winter wheat will naturally be sold to themoners in the capital. However, anyone who has bought seeds from the government must sell it back to the court¡¯s officialse spring and no one is allowed to sell it privately. The price will be at ten copper coins a catty. Anyone who is caught breaking the rules will no longer be allowed to buy any more high-yielding seeds in the future. In addition, their whole vige will also be cklisted as well!¡±


    Essentially, they were using the tactic of ¡®guilty by association¡¯. If anyone in the vige wanted to privately sell the high-yielding wheat crop for their own profit, then that entire vige would be cklisted in the future. By doing this, every family in the vige would be keeping an eye out on their neighbors. It¡¯d be very hard for someone to sell things sneakily with everyone watching everyone else!


    In fact, this restriction wasn¡¯t actually that restrictive. The new winter wheat could produce seven to eight hundred catties per mu. When sold at a price of ten copper coins a catty, a farmer could make six to seven taels per mu. An adult man may not necessarily be able to make that much money by doing hardbor for a whole year!


    The winter wheat that was harvested this past spring would be able to supply ten thousand mu of farnd in addition to the new ten thousand mu farmstead that had been constructed by the court. Thus, all of the farmers in the area of the capital would benefit! When themon people heard this news, they transmitted it quickly and soon almost all of the suburbs knew about this.


    ¡°Ling¡¯er, what are you looking at right now? You seem so concentrated.¡± Jiang Meiyi nced briefly outside and only saw the backside of a young maiden riding a red horse.


    ¡°Mother, have you heard of Yu Xiaocao?¡± Wu Junling had a somewhat dark expression on her face and she clenched the handkerchief in her hands tightly. Her usually brightrge eyes had a shadowy veil dimming them.


    Jiang Meiyi frowned slightly and thought for a bit before she replied, ¡°Yu Xiaocao? This name seems quite unfamiliar ah? Why are you bringing her up? What¡¯s the point?¡±


    Wu Junling watched as that slight figure disappeared in the street before she finally lowered the carriage curtain. She smiled slightly and said, ¡°Mother, you haven¡¯t heard of Yu Xiaocao? Then, have you heard of the imperial court¡¯s only female official?¡±


    ¡°Uh...are you talking about thatss who relied on her ability to nt crops and caught the emperor¡¯s eye? The one who is a sixth-ranked small official at the Ministry of Revenue and is in charge of their fields? Argh! What was the emperor thinking when he elevated a rural country brat into an official?¡± Jiang Meiyi thought about her own husband, who had cautiously worked in the backwards countryside for more than a decade. He only received a fifth-level sinecure position in the capital now. Yet, a little farming girl, who hadn¡¯t reached the age of majority, was actually an official around one rank lower than her husband? For what?


    Wu Junling nced at her mother helplessly and spoke in a cajoling tone, ¡°Mother, we¡¯re no longer in that small ce, Huainan. We¡¯re currently under the emperor¡¯s foot. Can you think a little bit more before you speak? The emperor¡¯smands are all-important and holy, so do you think you¡¯re allowed to criticize him? I beg you, Mother. If you can¡¯t help me or Father, then at least don¡¯t cause any trouble for us, okay?¡±


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 Chapter 515 – Warning

    <h4>Chapter 515 ¨C Warning</h4>


    Jiang Meiyi wasn¡¯t very happy when she heard her daughter¡¯s criticism. However, she wasn¡¯t stupid beyond measure and knew that sometimes she said things that were a bit too much. Thus, she didn¡¯t retort and only impatiently said, ¡°I understand. In the future, Mother will take more care. Howe you suddenly brought up the topic of thatss surnamed Yu?¡±


    Wu Junling let her body sway gently with the rocking of the carriage as she tightened her grip on her handkerchief, ¡°The rumors on streets state that this Official Yu is intimately close with...Older Cousin! I don¡¯t know who started these rumors but they state that Older Cousin likes Official Yu and that once she bes of age, he will send down his engagement gifts to her!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...this rumor is really too hrious. It absolutely ispletely false!!¡± Jiang Meiyi used her handkerchief to cover her mouth as if she had heard the most absurd and funny joke, ¡°I¡¯ve been sisters with your aunt for many years, so how can I not understand her personality? My legitimate older sister, ah, is very aware of her noble status and somewhat aloof. That girl surnamed Yu has a lowly background, so does it matter that the emperor regards her with importance? She¡¯s only a muddy peasant farmer¡¯s girl who¡¯s risen beyond what¡¯s proper. How could your aunt possibly allow someone with such a vulgar and petty background marry her son?¡±


    After hearing her mother¡¯s thoughts, Wu Junling felt as if her heart had lightened a bit and she slightly smiled and mumbled as if she was speaking to herself, ¡°That¡¯s right ah. Older Cousin is as high as an immortal. He would have to be blind if he didn¡¯t pick me...¡±


    How could she know that a certain blind man¡¯s whole heart only had room for Yu Xiaocao? As a matter of fact, he had been training the soldiers in the deep mountainous forests for half a month. As soon as he got back to the base camp, he returned to the capital that very night on a fast horse.


    He instructed Head Steward Liu and Bodyguard Dong to go back to the prince¡¯s residence as he secretly went to visit the Yu Family¡¯s residence. With Zhu Junyang¡¯s skills, he was easily able to avoid the expert bodyguards he had personally trained there to go into the estate.


    However, Yu Xiaocao, who was currently going over the ount books, very quickly discovered that he was there because Little White, who was guarding her at her feet, had smelled the scent of Zhu Junyang in the air. The white wolf raised its ears and stood up before it softly ¡®woofed¡¯ a couple of times. It was reminding its master that a certain someone had climbed over the walls again.


    Yu Xiaocao had long gotten used to a certain someoneing over without an invitation. She didn¡¯t even raise her head as she said, ¡°You¡¯re here? Thene on in! Why are you standing at the doorway pretending to be a pir ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang had an intoxicating smile on his face and his voice was gentle and sweet as he said, ¡°Looks like our hearts are connected. Otherwise, how else can you always tell when this princees over despite the fact that none of the bodyguards can sense me?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have a single romantic bone in her body as she replied in a matter-of-fact manner, ¡°Our hearts are connected? I think it¡¯s more likely that your heart is connected with Little White instead. Every time youe over, Little White is the first to sense you!¡±


    Little White, who hadin back down next to Xiaocao¡¯s feet, lifted its head in rm to nce at Zhu Junyang. Then it immediately turned its head away in disgust.


    Zhu Junyang sat next to Xiaocao and didn¡¯t believe that the wolf disliked him. He gently rubbed Little White¡¯s soft and furry head and said apliment, ¡°Little White, you¡¯re very good! When this prince isn¡¯t around, your master¡¯s protection is up to you. Next time, the prince will bring some roasted venison for you!¡±


    Little White obviously didn¡¯t like his ¡®caresses¡¯ and forcefully shook its head but was unable to throw that hand away. Its blue-green eyes were filled with annoyance. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that it knew it couldn¡¯t beat this human, it would have already savaged the hand on its head already!


    ¡°Your Highness, Great General Zhu, howe you didn¡¯t go visit your sweet and innocent younger cousin and came to visit me instead?¡± Xiaocao had long known that Wu Junling had been running over to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s residence to visit. In fact, the princess consort herself had invited Xiaocao over to speak of this. On the surface, she was stating that she shouldn¡¯t worry but in actuality, she was warning Xiaocao that her son was quite popr and that she needed to treat him better to avoid him being snatched away by someone else.


    Zhu Junyang could smell the vinegary scent of jealousy in the air and hurriedly pulled the littless into his arms as he vehemently dered, ¡°I¡¯m being falsely used here ah! Ever since that episode in front of the capital gates, this prince has never gone to see her. Furthermore, I haven¡¯t even spoken to her since then...¡±


    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t feel a tiny bit of regret in your heart in not seeing her?¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed away the prince¡¯s chest. This fellow was bing more and more bold. He was now openly touching her without any shame. She wouldn¡¯t allow this!


    ¡°Not even the slightest bit! I¡¯m doing my best to avoid her, so why would I want to see her?¡± Zhu Junyang felt a bit lost when thess left his embrace, so he tenaciously pulled at the littless¡¯s pale and tender hand and gently wrapped his palm around hers.


    To someone who had lived in the modern area, holding hands in a rtionship didn¡¯t really mean too much, so she didn¡¯t reject this advance. That being said, this fellow had behaved quite well recently. Other than staying at the barracks, he only went out to see her and very rarely went back to the imperial prince¡¯s estate to visit. She should give him a small reward for this.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like her, then you need to make things clear early. I don¡¯t like it when something that is considered mine is always being eyed covetously by someone else!¡± In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao really disliked men who pursued girls in an ambiguous manner. Obviously, she wouldn¡¯t give Zhu Junyang the chance now to act in that way.


    Zhu Junyang nodded his head in a solemn manner, ¡°Okay! The next time I see Wu Junling, I will say that I already have a shrew at home. In order to not cause a misunderstanding, she needs to stay far away from me. Does that work?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao forcefully restrained her urge to smile and let out a huff, ¡°That¡¯s about right! Listen well! If you start getting feelings for another woman, even if it hurts me a lot, I will still make sure to leave you. I will definitely not aggrieve myself for the sake of some petty love!¡±


    Zhu Junyang regarded the littless in a serious manner and stated, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this prince was born with very little room in my heart. I only have enough space for the tiny little you and no one else!¡±


    Xiaocao had to admit that she did like to hear romantic sappy things sometimes just like other people. She gripped Zhu Junyang¡¯s hand and raised her head to swiftly nt a light kiss on his cheek. Then her cheeks flushed as she quietly said, ¡°This is to reward you!¡±


    Zhu Junyang felt his throat suddenly dry and his phoenix eyes fixated on that adorable, small pair of lips that resembled cherries and he swallowed involuntarily...


    Yu Xiaocao watched as Zhu Junyang¡¯s head came closer and closer to her face. His pair of phoenix eyes seemed to be aglow with a tantalizing light and his perfectly shaped lips seemed to be beckoning towards her. She forcefully tore herself out of this reverie and managed to restrain herself from kissing him. She jerked back a few steps and ced a small hand on the lips that were inches away from her.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that I have a lot of people keeping an eye on me? I¡¯m still a child. If you cross the line, in the future, you won¡¯t even be able to visit me secretly!¡± Yu Xiaocao reminded him.


    Zhu Junyang had been sternly warned by Fang Zizhen in the past. He had also agreed to the terms. Before they got engaged, he couldn¡¯t engage in any intimate acts with Xiaocao. Although the residence¡¯s guards were unable to prevent him from entering, he couldn¡¯t dismiss his future father-inw¡¯s words. He could already tell that this godfather and godmother would be much harder to handle than hisss¡¯s biological parents.


    Argh! He stared at Xiaocao¡¯s tantalizing red lips for a bit and managed to dampen down his desire. He reluctantly increased the distance between him and his littless while an aggrieved thought popped up in his mind, ¡®Why can¡¯t it be like the storybooks and allow me to directly timeskip to when the littless is eighteen and we¡¯re allowed to get engaged for marriage?¡¯


    He spent half the night with Xiaocao being sweet with her. It was only after the littless started yawning constantly that he finally reluctantly went back to the imperial prince¡¯s estate to rest in his own courtyard. When he found out that his mother had fled to avoid that mother-daughter pair, he frowned deeply. The littless was right. He couldn¡¯t allow this to continue and needed to make things clear to all parties.


    The next day, he took advantage of his break to visit his aunt¡¯s home. When Wu Junling heard her maidservant report, ¡°Young Miss, Royal Prince Yang is here and he says he wants to see you!!¡±, she almost couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Her older cousin had finally decided to see her? Did her sincerity finally move him and change his heart?


    ¡°Older Cousin...¡± Wu Junling changed into a new set of qi-style attire that had been made by Exquisite Garments. The pale blue color outer garment delicately hugged her maidenly form and the goose-yellow cotton sleeves contrasted beautifully with her pale hands that were barely visible. At this moment, she was regarding Zhu Junyang with her doe-like eyes with a sweet and adoring expression. If it were anyone else in the room, they would have wanted to drown into those innocent and watery eyes and note out.


    Unfortunately, she was interacting with singrly unromantic, cold-faced Royal Prince Yang. It was as if he didn¡¯t see her careful attempts to dress up for him at all. In fact, he hadn¡¯t even properly looked at her since she entered the room. Wu Junling felt her heart slowly grow heavy and a bad feeling settled into her heart.


    As expected, Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t the type to mince his words around young maidens. He took a sip of tea from the cup in his hands and directly stated, ¡°Aunt, Younger Cousin, recently you¡¯ve both been visiting the residence very frequently and have disturbed mydy mother. If you wereing over as a simple visit between family members, then we would happily wee you. However, if you¡¯reing over due to some other ulterior motives, this prince will have to advise you to don¡¯t be the victim of your own perceived ingenuity!¡±


    Zhu Junyang believed that he had made himself quite clear with this. After all, the other party had never explicitly stated that she liked him romantically and wanted to be with him. After he finished he stood up and swiftly turned around to leave the room. He had no desire to spend another second looking at the ttering look on his aunt¡¯s face and the aggrieved expression on his cousin¡¯s face.


    ¡°Older Cousin...you¡¯ve probably misunderstood us!¡± Wu Junling hurriedly stood up and went forward two steps. Herrge, doe-like eyes, which were very simr to Xiaocao¡¯s, seemed to be misted over and filled with tears. Although the tears didn¡¯t fall, it made her seem even more pitiful.


    ¡°Older Cousin, ever since I¡¯ve arrived at the capital, I¡¯ve recalled a lot of things from the past. When I was young, you took me to the back garden in the estate to y hide and seek, plucked some flowers from Her Highness¡¯s most precious nts, and added some Chinese goldthread powder to your two older brothers¡¯ tea...Her Highness has also said that our connection is even closer than two biological siblings. I don¡¯t know what someone else said to you about me, but I¡¯ve always regarded you like an older brother! Older Cousin, the words you said are truly too hurtful...¡±


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t sense Wu Junling¡¯s thoughts at all and it made him feel quite uneasy. The younger cousin in front of him gave off an aura that waspletely different from Xiaocao. Whenever he was with Xiaocao, he felt as if his heart was at peace and that he couldpletely rx himself. However, whenever he was with this young maiden, who was currently pitifully looking at him as if she was an innocent who had been vilely bullied, he felt irritable and on edge. The darkness within the deepest corner of his heart seemed to react to this and started to act up again. His heart devil, which he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time, seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to rise so it could show itself again...

 Chapter 516 – Evil Intention

    <h4>Chapter 516 ¨C Evil Intention</h4>


    In fact, Wu Junling¡¯s appearance was quite simr to Xiaocao¡¯s, but there were also some obvious differences. Her skin was as white as snow but it wasn¡¯t as wless and exquisite as Xiaocao¡¯s. They both hadrge doe-like eyes that seemed to be pure but Xiaocao¡¯s eyes seemed to have more light within them and they always shone with liveliness. asionally, Xiaocao¡¯s eyes would even flicker with some craftiness. They both had slim and delicate figures but his Xiaocao didn¡¯t seem the least bit sickly or weak. In fact, she always seemed full of energy and exuberance...


    Furthermore, the feelings he had towards the two people werepletely different. When Xiaocao revealed a sad and hurt expression, he felt so bad that he wanted to bring the whole world in front of her to cheer her up. On the flip side, the young maiden in front of him, who was weeping pitifully in a way that made her seem beautiful, gave him, instead, a slight feeling of disgust and desire to stay away from her.


    Other than Xiaocao, Zhu Junyang had never treated any other young maiden in a gentlemanly manner. Instead, he coldly stated, ¡°All of those stories urred when this prince was around six to seven years old, how could I remember any of this? However, Younger Cousin, your memory is quite good. You can recall things that happened to you when you were three to four as if they had just happened!¡±


    Wu Junling¡¯s face paled and her eyebrows slightly furrowed together. She revealed a weak and pitiful expression, ¡°Older Cousin, when my father was dispatched to a distant territory, I became quite introverted and shy because of thenguage and cultural differences. Thus, my wet nurse often told me stories of what had happened when we were visiting the imperial prince¡¯s residence. At that time, we had no worries or fears...¡±


    ¡°At that time, both of us were still young. Men and women should stay apart when they reach the age of seven. You are, after all, this prince¡¯s maternal cousin. We still need to make sure to abide by these customs!¡± After Zhu Junyang finished this sentence, he continued to stick more verbal knives into her, ¡°Aunt, Younger Cousin must be around seventeen, right? It¡¯s time for her to settle down on her marriage. If you don¡¯t have any good candidates in mind, then I have some good young generals under me who are possibilities as they are from good families. I can help you choose a suitable match!¡±


    ¡°Older Cousin...¡± Wu Junling¡¯s face was deathly white as she tottered. In a manner that seemed to show that she was ready to let things loose, she deeply inhaled and said, ¡°Older Cousin, why do you have to treat Ling¡¯er in such a heartless manner? Is it because you believe my father¡¯s official position is too low and that my status doesn¡¯t match up to yours ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang frowned impatiently. He had already said it very clearly. Why was she still hanging on and insisting on ripping all pretenses between them?


    ¡°Younger Cousin, where do these wordse from? Didn¡¯t you just say earlier that you see me as your biological older brother ah? Between blood-rted siblings, why do we need to talk about our statuses matching each other?¡± Although Zhu Junyang could not read her mind at all, he wasn¡¯t aplete idiot. In the end, Wu Junling was still a nobly-born young maiden who had been raised in the inner courtyard her whole life. Although she may have a few tricks up her sleeve, she wasn¡¯t an expert schemer by any means. The more he investigated, the more holes turned up in her story.


    ¡°Older Cousin!¡± Wu Junling had a mournful look on her face, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you can¡¯t tell the way I feel about you. Why do you need to treat me this callously?¡±


    Zhu Junyang coldly regarded her pretty face and there wasn¡¯t even a hint of pleasure on his face as he quirked up the corner of his mouth, ¡°There are many women in this world who have good feelings towards this prince. It¡¯s not as if you¡¯re the only one. If this prince decided to answer every single person, then I could spend my entire day going from beauty to beauty without doing anything else!¡±


    Despite her desire to interrupt several times during their conversation, Jiang Meiyi had managed to keep herself silent throughout all of this as she remembered her daughter¡¯s earlier warnings. However, she could no longer resist and rushed forward to scream at Zhu Junyang, ¡°How could you treat your younger cousin in this way? My Ling¡¯er has both the looks and talent, so what part of her doesn¡¯t pair well with you? She has deep feelings towards you yet you insist on hurting her. Are you still a man ah?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not this prince is a man is not to be determined by the wife of only a fifth-ranked official!!¡± The frostiness in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes became more apparent as he smiled coldly, ¡°Official Wu¡¯s abilities as an official can be considered alright. Do you know why he was only given a position at the Qingshui yamen ah? It¡¯s because he has a wife who doesn¡¯t understand how to be humble, is greedy, and believes she¡¯s smarter than everyone else! If his inner courtyard isn¡¯t well organized, how can he possibly govern the rest of the country?¡±


    If it were anyone else with slightly more of a brain, they would have reflected and felt bad about their conduct. However, Jiang Meiyi wasn¡¯t that type of person. When she heard Zhu Junyang¡¯s criticism, her eyes turned red and her expression twisted as if she wanted to rip the person in front of her into shreds as she shrieked, ¡°How did your mother bring you up? You even dare to say such nderous things to your own aunt. How can one disrespect their elders?! If Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s household stood out, then how could my husband¡¯s career be this bad ah? You guys are the ones who are cold and aloof and don¡¯t know how to treat one¡¯s family properly...¡±


    ¡°Mother...¡± Wu Junling wanted to stop her mother from exploding but was thrown off by her. The despair within her heart increased as she saw the increasingly icy expression on her older cousin¡¯s face.


    ¡°Shut your mouth! What kind of elder are you? You¡¯re only the lowly seed of a prostitute from a brothel yet you dare to criticize this prince¡¯sdy mother?¡± Zhu Junyang felt as if an evil devil inside of him was stirring awake. He did his best to tamper down on the thought of wringing Jiang Meiyi¡¯s neck as he silently began to recite a heart sutra. Unfortunately, the heart sutra clearly had no more power over him.


    It was toote! Zhu Junyang began to hyperventte and beads of cold sweat rolled down his face. The green-blue veins on the sides of his face began to bulge with effort and both of his eyes turned a blood-red color. His face twisted into a malevolent expression and he no longer resembled an elegant and handsome young youth anymore. A ruthless and cruel air surrounded him like a cloak, as if an evil demon had just been resurrected. Wu Junling scuttled back a few steps in astonishment at his change and her legs weakened as she sat onto the ground.


    Jiang Meiyi, who was the person nearest to Zhu Junyang, bore the brunt of the damage. The crazy evil aura that was bursting from the prince hit her directly and she tottered a bit before she fell over into a dead faint.


    Since the Wu Family¡¯s women were receiving the guest in the inner courtyard, Head Steward Liu and Bodyguard Dong, who were both highly skilled at martial arts, had been left in the outer courtyard and were being served refreshments. Head Steward Liu could acutely tell that something had changed in the atmosphere. He threw down the cup of tea in his hand and silently hollered that something wasn¡¯t right. He speedily headed towards the inner courtyard. When Bodyguard Dong saw the change in Head Steward Liu¡¯s expression, he also felt that something wasn¡¯t right and didn¡¯t hesitate to follow the eunuch. The head steward in charge of taking care of the guests in the outer courtyard was stunned for about three seconds when he saw them speed out. Just what had happened?


    Fortunately, the Wu Family¡¯s residence wasn¡¯trge. Head Steward Liu only needed a fewrge jumps to go from the outer courtyard to the receiving room in the inner courtyard. When he saw that familiar stance of his master, Head Steward Liu rushed forward as he wanted to strike before his masterpletely fell into darkness. He wanted to take his master to a ce where there were no people in order to avoid his master hurting others.


    ¡°Head...Head Steward Liu, what¡¯s wrong with my older cousin?¡± Wu Junling saw that both Head Steward Liu and Bodyguard Dong had arrived. She timidly stood up and her colorless lips trembled for a bit before she finally inquired.


    Dong Dali red at her with an unhappy look on his face before he said, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years since the masterst had this happen! You guys truly have skills to make the master lose control of himself...¡±


    ¡°Xiaodong, don¡¯t waste your time pping your lips at them. Quickly bring the master to Miss Yu!¡± Head Steward Liu had wanted to press the master¡¯s acupuncture points to dy the time to madness but he had been pushed fiercely away by Zhu Junyang, whose eyes werepletely red!


    ¡°This is bad!¡± Head Steward Liu could tell that his master¡¯s reason had beenpletely eaten away by that heart devil. With his master¡¯s current skills and abilities, he would onlyst about half an hour before he would get beaten, ¡°Xiaodong, quickly go to the Yu Residence to bring Miss Yu over. I¡¯m going to restrain the master for now!¡±


    ¡°Miss Yu?¡± Dong Dali hesitated. Judging by how much the master valued Miss Yu, if he identally harmed her while in his frenzy, the master would definitely be heartbroken when he finally woke up and probably gut him right there!


    ¡°Xiaodong, what are you waiting for? Do you want the Wu Family to perish in a river of blood ah? Quickly go!! I can¡¯t handle him for too long!¡± Head Steward Liu picked up the fainted Jiang Meiyi and threw her towards Wu Junling¡¯s direction as he hollered, ¡°Quickly take your mother out of here. If you don¡¯t want to die, then don¡¯te back!¡±


    At this moment, Zhu Junyang felt like everything around him was full of darkness and evil. The people around him seem to flicker. Some of them were angrily raging at home, some of them wanted him to die, some of them wanted to destroy hisdy mother...he had the desire to destroy everything around him. Thus, he used all of his energy to rush towards the area that he felt like held the most malicious aura...


    Head Steward Liu felt his heart skip a beat and his body moved before he could think. In that moment, the area where he was before he moved now had a deep crevice in it. The nearby pir had beenpletely severed in two and the roof above had started to sway rmingly.


    Wu Junling, who was currently struggling to drag her mother out of the room, had almost been scared silly when she saw what had just happened. She almost dropped her mother¡¯s body to the ground to flee. Danger could always stimte a person¡¯s inner potential. The amount of strength she had to move her mother suddenly increased by a lot. Thus, by the time Zhu Junyang discovered her, she had just left the reception room.


    The current room had long been destroyed beyond repair. Tables, chairs, shelves, and valuable items had been smashed until they were just rubble. Head Steward Liu was currently doing his best to dodge his master¡¯s attacks but he had a few close encounters.


    The amount of rubble inside the room increased by the second and the floor was strewn with trash, as if a horrible war had reached here. Head Steward Liu could only helplessly leave and run towards the outer room. There was more space outside and it¡¯d be easier for him to avoid his master¡¯s attacks. It had been a while since he was his master¡¯s match in battle so he could only rely on running away to drag things out. He hoped desperately that Dong Dali would be able to find Miss Yu without much issue.


    Fortunately, the heavens had heard his prayers. When Bodyguard Dong arrived at the Yu Residence, Yu Xiaocao had just gotten back from the frozen dessert store and hadn¡¯t entered through the gate.


    ¡°Miss Yu, my master is waiting for you to save him!¡± Although Dong Dali didn¡¯t quite understand exactly why Head Steward Liu instructed him to get Miss Yu, his words weren¡¯t an exaggeration. It truly was to save someone¡¯s life as they were trying to save Head Steward Liu¡¯s and the entire Wu Family¡¯s life.


    When Yu Xiaocao noticed that the normally taciturn and calm Bodyguard Dong was frazzled to the point of babbling, worry exploded in her heart. She didn¡¯t even bother to ask him what was going on as she turned her horse around and sternly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your master? Quickly take me there!!¡±


    Dong Dali had run over like a madman earlier and had leapt across countless roofs to get here. He didn¡¯t even bother to catch his breath as he snatched the reins from Yingchun¡¯s hands and pulled the maid down. He flipped onto the horse and spurred the horse to a gallop in the direction of the Wu Family¡¯s residence.


    Yingchun, who was caught off guard by all of this, had almost fallen onto her bottom. If it wasn¡¯t for Wutong supporting her, she absolutely would have fallen t on her face! After she finally stood steady, she cursed a few times at Dong Dali¡¯s disappearing figure. That wasn¡¯t enough to sate her anger, so she tore off her embroidered cloth shoes and hurled them forcefully at the man. Dong Dali and Xiaocao had long galloped off and they couldn¡¯t even be seen anymore, so naturally, she wasn¡¯t able to hit the object of her frustrations.


    The young maidservant in charge of keeping an eye on the gate hurriedly rushed forward and brought her embroidered shoes back. She knelt down to put them back on the other maid. Wutongforted Yingchun, ¡°There must be something really important going on. Otherwise, Bodyguard Dong wouldn¡¯t act in such a way.¡±

 Chapter 517 – Shrink Back

    <h4>Chapter 517 ¨C Shrink Back</h4>


    Yingchun curled her lip and remarked in worry, ¡°Will the young miss be in danger? Earlier Bodyguard Dong said that he needed the young miss to save someone...if even Royal Prince Yang is unable to handle this, how could the young miss be any different? This is not okay. Let¡¯s go find some skilled bodyguards and send them over to protect her.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where the young miss is now though?¡± Wutong was also worried about her mistress¡¯s safety but she was quite helpless in this situation.


    When Yingchun heard this, she burst into fury and cursed, ¡°That wretched Dong Dali! He couldn¡¯t say things more clearly. If even a single hair on the young miss¡¯s head is harmed, just watch as I shave him bald!!¡±


    Dong Dali, who was currently bolting down the streets, suddenly felt an icy coldness go down his scalp. It was so sudden that he shivered and a bad premonition settled into his heart.


    By the time Yu Xiaocao arrived at the Wu Residence, the entire inner and outer courtyard of the estate had turned into rubble. If it weren¡¯t for Head Steward Liu doing his best to draw things out, then there would be dozens of casualties among the Wu Family and their servants. The Wu Family¡¯s maidservants and senior servants were all cowering in the back of the residence in fear.


    At this time, Jiang Meiyi had already woken up from her faint. When she saw the rampaging Zhu Junyang, however, she almost fell into a dead faint again. As Wu Junling watched her older cousin, who resembled an evil monster, with increasing horror, she realized that she was no longer interested in him anymore. She could only pray now that there was someone out there who was able to stop this out of control fiend.


    Apparently, the bad rumors regarding her older cousin weren¡¯t just a result of those who maliciously resented his status and skills. If she had known this earlier, then she would have never tried to seduce her older cousin, the royal prince, even if she had ten times the courage she had now. wing her way up the socialdder was definitely something she desperately wanted to do. However,pared with her life, anyone with half a brain would know what to choose first.


    As the mother and daughter pair stared at Zhu Junyang, who had lost all reasoning and was currently a ¡®residence destroying fiend¡¯, their hearts filled with utmost regret. Why did they have to provoke this cmitous star? Why did they have to infuriate him? Wu Junling continuously thought back to their interaction, trying to figure out exactly what she said to cause her older cousin to transform into a monster.


    When the Capital¡¯s Militia received the Wu Family¡¯s cry for help, they arrived at the scene just moments before Xiaocao did. Themander of the militia was an old fox, so when he saw Head Steward Liu being pushed back continuously by Royal Prince Yang, he felt his scalp turn numb. Even the highly skilled Head Steward Liu was helpless in front of this madman. If he and his men rushed to help, they would only be cannon fodder.


    Many of the officials within the Capital Militia had illustrious backgrounds. In fact, if you randomly picked someone from the ranks, they were probably the descendants of second ranked and third ranked military officials. Many of these people used the Capital Militia as a springboard for their future career so that in the future they could enter the emperor¡¯s personal bodyguards or be future generals in training. If these people encountered something bad, themander of the militia was very sure that his position would no longer be his anymore!


    Without themander¡¯s orders, the officials within the militia could only stare nkly from horseback. They watched as the out of control Royal Prince Yang rampaged fiercely and they felt their hearts tremble at the sight. Head Steward Liu was now decorated with many wounds all over his body and it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that he looked quite dismal now. This was only because he had never tried to confront his master and instead did his best to avoid the prince¡¯s attacks. He was doing his best to stall for time and hoped that he could hold on to his old life by the time Miss Yu came over.


    ¡°Let us through! Those who can¡¯t help should disperse!¡± The sound of Dong Dali¡¯s voice seemed like it hade from the heavens. Although there was still some distance between them, it gave Head Steward Liu some hope and extra energy to hold on.


    The men from the Capital¡¯s Militia had pretty much plugged the streets until they were full. Outsiders were not able to go in. Dong Dali was worried that his master and his good friend Head Steward Liu were in danger, so he was so rushed that he started to curse. When Yu Xiaocao saw this, she quickly said a few words into the bodyguard¡¯s ear.


    Bodyguard Dong¡¯s eyes lit up and he raised his voice to holler towards the Wu Residence, ¡°Head Steward Liu, Miss Yu and I can¡¯t cross over. Can you bring the master over here...¡±


    When Head Steward Liu heard this, he leapt up onto one of the remaining side buildings in the Wu Residence. Before he could steady himself, the thundering sound of brick and tile copsing could be heard and half of the building had turned into rubble. Broken pieces of brick and tile flew out of the residence and the alleyway became chaotic. Many of the officials standing there were injured by the flying rubble.


    ¡°Retreat...let¡¯s first retreat out of here!¡± Themander of the militia noticed that the battle was about to ur in the streets and hurriedly hollered out hismands. The soldiers and guards in the alleyway quickly fled out of the offending street. Before long, the street became empty and quiet and only the sounds of Zhu Junyang fighting with Head Steward Liu could be heard.


    Dong Dali could tell that Head Steward Liu wouldn¡¯t be able to hold for much longer so he rushed forward to give a helping hand. He had been born and raised at Imperial Prince JIng¡¯s estate and had trained since he was young with the master in martial arts. Since he was clearly talented in this area, he was able to be well known in the estate. Thus, he was selected by Head Steward Liu to personally serve the master. Although he could be considered a top-level expert,pared to Zhu Junyang and Head Steward Liu, he was only a small fish in the end.


    This fellow wasn¡¯t as nimble as Head Steward Liu. As soon as he stepped forward, the winding off of Zhu Junyang¡¯s strikes ended up hitting him in the chest and pushing him away until he hit a nearby wall with a thud. A burst of blood came out of his mouth.


    Yu Xiaocao waspletely shocked by this. Aplete expert seemed to have no defenses against the prince. Every strike Zhu Junyang threw out seemed to be covered by an aura that billowed, causing a destructive power that was astonishing. In fact, that one simple and elegant looking punch seemed to havepletely subdued Bodyguard Dong in a jiffy. Even the extremely skilled Head Steward Liu could only retreat repeatedly in front of the prince. He was truly an expert among experts!


    While she was mesmerized by the scene in front of her, Head Steward Liu had also been struck by his master and couldn¡¯t get up from the ground. In the blink of an eye, two experts had both been subdued. This was truly a sign of how powerful the prince was in battle ah!


    Head Steward Liu, ¡®My little ancestor, please stop sighing over this! If you don¡¯te out now, this old servant will have to eat a lunchbox from hell ah!!¡¯


    The current Zhu Junyang was like a puppet beingpletely controlled by his heart devil. He felt like every de of grass, every tree, every tile, and every brick was imbued with the heavy aura of malice. This type of malice entwined around him and fettered him so tightly that he almost couldn¡¯t breathe. His heart only had one thought: destroy everything! He needed to tear down everything that was around him in order to eliminate all of the sources of malice that were shackling him down.


    ¡°AHHHH¡ª¡ª¡± A scream ripped from his throat as if it was a voiceing from hell. It couldn¡¯t be described as a human sound and more resembled the anguished cry of a beast. Everyone that heard it trembled in fear.


    Yu Xiaocao could hear the pain and despair that Zhu Junyang felt within that cry and a flood of tears involuntarily came to her eyes. Just as Zhu Juyang was lifting a stone lion about the height of a grown man in the direction of Head Steward Liu, who was no longer able to move, a heavenly voice seemed to have cut through the darkness with him, lighting up the dense dimness around him. The voice seemed to dispel some of the thick malice around him and it flittered into his ear brightly, ¡°Zhu Junyang¡ª¡ª¡±


    Who? Who was calling his name? Zhu Junyang slowly turned around with the stone lion still high above his head. A flicker of reason seemed to shine through his bloodshot phoenix eyes.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang, the stone lion must be very heavy. Isn¡¯t it tiring for you to raise it up so high ah? Quickly put it down!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t the least bit frightened by the malevolent expression on the prince¡¯s face. Instead, she slightly frowned and looked at the stone lion in his hands with an expression full of pity and worry.


    The sound of that voice seemed incredibly familiar and pleasing. It was as if the coldest spring water was currently being poured onto his head. His muddled mind somewhat regained a bit of logic, ¡®Who? Just who was calling his name in that manner?¡¯


    The elders who were close to him would all call him ¡®Yang¡¯er¡¯, whereas those of the same generation who had a good rtionship with him would call him ¡®Junyang¡¯. Those who were a bit more distant would call him ¡®Royal Prince Yang¡¯. It seemed like there was only one person in this world who always boldly called him by his entire name. He had resisted many times as he wanted her to call him ¡®Older Brother Yang¡¯ but he had never seeded in convincing her to do so.


    Zhu Junyang continued to have a perplexed expression on his face as he shuffled a few steps in the direction of the voice while he still held the stone lion high above his head.


    Dong Dali, who was in slightly better shape, had already sneaked by and gotten to the ce where Head Steward Liu was lying. He wanted to bring the eunuch somece safe. When he saw the scene in front of him, Dong Dali remarked in worry, ¡°Head Steward Liu, will the master harm Miss Yu ah? If that happens, once the master regains his senses, he will feel so regretful.¡±


    At first, Head Steward Liu was also quite anxious about something like that happening. However, once he saw his master stop rampaging as soon he heard Miss Yu¡¯s voice, he felt that his decision in bringing her over was one of the wisest ideas he ever had. He fished out a pill to heal internal injuries from his clothes and popped it into his mouth. After coughing up a lot of clotted blood, his chest felt a lot morefortable. The medicine that Miss Yu personally made herself was truly very excellent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even when he¡¯s rampaging, the master couldn¡¯t bear to harm even a single strand of Miss Yu¡¯s hair. Let¡¯s just watch and see ah!¡± Head Steward Liu managed to slowly sit up with Dong Dali¡¯s help. He leaned against the damaged wall and gradually caught his breath.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang, snap out of it ande back to reality. I¡¯m so worried about you!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice seemed a bit choked with emotion as she slowly headed towards Zhu Junyang. Despite her roiling emotions, she kept that smile he liked so much on her face. He had once told her that her smile was his savior. Even though tears continued to drip down her face, her smile never wavered.


    Zhu Junyang cocked his head to the side and the stone lion in his hands fell with a thud to the ground, leaving behind a deep crevice. The malevolent expression on his face slowly disappeared and he felt like his head was bing clearer. It was his littless! Darn it! How did he forget his littless? The sound of her voice, the smile on her face, and her way of directly calling him by his given name had already been deeply engraved within his heart and soul.


    ¡°Xiao...cao?¡± Zhu Junyang still felt a bit muddled inside but the darkness around him seemed to be dissipating. That delicate and skinny little figure in front of him was bing more and more clear. A sweet aroma seemed to be wafting off her body and all of that malice surrounding him was rapidly being eradicated by that smell.


    The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face deepened and she went forward two steps and stretched out her pale little hands. The tears in herrge eyes made them seem even more limpid and clear as she said, ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s me¡ª¡ªYu Xiaocao! Come, I¡¯m going to bring you home!¡±


    Home was that safe harbor without the glint of knives or swords. There was no scheming or cheating, no backyard tricks and no overflowing malice. Because there was her, he could rx...


    ¡°Don¡¯t...don¡¯te over! I...will hurt you...¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly stopped reaching towards her hands when he saw a red line cutting across Xiaocao¡¯s white and tender little face. He forced himself to retreat a few steps. As he distanced himself from his savior, the heart devil within him started to stir again.


    Yu Xiaocao wiped a hand in the direction that he was looking at and felt a twinge of pain. This must have happened during the battle earlier as she probably got cut by a piece of rubble flying in the area. She secretly dripped a few drops of highly-concentrated mystic-stone essence onto her hand and rubbed that area clean. The small cut instantaneously healed and the scab also fell off, leaving behind only a faint pink line.

 Chapter 518 – Leaving?

    <h4>Chapter 518 ¨C Leaving?</h4>


    ¡°Look! You didn¡¯t harm me. It¡¯s only just a stain!¡± The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face was still as sweet as before. Her eyes were curved up in glee and they seemed to glitter with a bit of craftiness. They were so lively that it made a person want to stare at them endlessly.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the faint red scar on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face and revealed a hesitant expression. At this moment, he was slowly bing more clear-headed. He had a faint impression of what had happened when he lost control this time, which was different from previous times when he had no recollection whatsoever. Perhaps it was because his mind-reading ability was bing more and more sharp, but he could clearly feel Head Steward Liu¡¯s feelings and thoughts when he was fighting with him. He truly knew that the eunuch was his most capable servant yet he still had been deceived by his heart devil and couldn¡¯t stop fighting.


    Ever since he met Xiaocao, although he couldn¡¯t always control the heart devil, he was always able to pull himself away during the past few years. He thought that he had the ability now to control the darkness inside of him. However, he didn¡¯t expect that the heart devil was still inside of him, just waiting for an opportunity to explode.


    Today, with Head Steward Liu by his side and fighting for his life, he managed to avoid massacring the Wu Family. Zhu Junyang actually didn¡¯t care whether the Wu Family lived or died. However, what if one day he harmed the Yu Family or the Fang Family? Would Xiaocao hate him for the rest of his life? Or perhaps, when Xiaocao was by his side and he was taken over by the heart devil...he was too afraid to think further down that line. Maybe...staying far away from her was the best way to protect her!


    Immense distress and sadness shone in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes and Yu Xiaocao could clearly see that the prince had made the decision to decisively cut all ties with her. This made her feel incredibly flustered. She had a feeling that if she wasn¡¯t able to resolve this situation perfectly, he would leave her forever...


    ¡°Older Brother Yang, I¡¯m so scared, I want a hug...¡± Yu XIaoao shamelessly acted like a spoiled little girl and cutely asked for a hug.


    A sorrowful feeling rose up in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart. His littless was finally willing to call him ¡®Older Brother Yang¡¯. However, this was likely the first andst time that he would be able to hear her call him in such an adorable and sweet way. If he couldn¡¯t give her happiness by her side, then he could only stay far away and watch as she lived contently.


    Ordinarily, Zhu Junyang was always looking for an opportunity to get closer to her. If she ¡®begged for a hug¡¯, then he would dly turn into a ¡®hungry wolf¡¯ and rush towards her. However, today, he actually retreated a few steps. His eyes shone with tenderness and were so filled with emotion that it made a person¡¯s heart ache.


    At that exact moment he turned around, Xiaocao felt like something was ripping her heart in two. ¡®Zhu Junyang, you bastard, didn¡¯t you say that you were going to stay by my side and guard me? That you were waiting for me to be an adult ah? Don¡¯t tell me that your previous promises and oaths were as insubstantial as smoke ah?¡¯


    That wouldn¡¯t do, she couldn¡¯t let him just leave. Even if he had to go, he needed to make things clear first. Yu Xiaocao slightly frowned as she contemted what to do. She didn¡¯t believe that Zhu Junyang, who had always cared dearly about her, could harden his heart that easily and ignore her.


    ¡°Aiya¡ª¡ª¡± She deliberately eximed in a distressed manner and gritted her teeth as she made herself fall towards the ground that had rubble strewn all over it.


    In the moment she cried, Zhu Junyang, who had originally been jumping up onto the roof, nced over with his phoenix eyes and clearly saw her headed towards the broken bricks and tiles on the ground. A distance of seven to eight strides was covered in a blink of an eye by his skills. He appeared almost instantaneously next to Xiaocao and reached out vigorously and supported her back up by grabbing her thin, slender arm. He gently lifted her and drew her into his arms as he anxiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you twist your ankle? Did you fall anywhere and hit yourself?¡±


    From the flurry of questions he just asked, she could tell just how deeply he cared about her. Then, why was he going to leave? Yu Xiaocao leaned into his embrace and tightly hugged his chest. She spoke in a voice that had a hint of a sob in it, ¡°Don¡¯t go. You told me that you were going to protect me as I got older. Don¡¯t leave me...¡±


    Zhu Junyang felt his eyes grow hot, and he gently stroked Xiaocao¡¯s silky long hair as he sighed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid...afraid that one day I¡¯ll do something that I¡¯ll regret and can¡¯t fix. I¡¯m an unlucky and ominous person and will only bring unhappiness to the people I care about the most. Perhaps, staying far away from you is the best decision.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! You¡¯re not an unlucky and ominous person! You¡¯re my God of Protection!¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her head and eximed, ¡°Because of you, I¡¯m able to rx and do whatever I want to do without having to think of auxiliary issues. This is because I know, that even if I rip a hole in the sky, you will help me patch it up.¡±


    She sniffled and then tightened her arms around him even more, ¡°All these years, if I didn¡¯t have you around, then my life would have been much more difficult. Without you, the watermelons, early-ripening vegetables, and secret recipes I came up with in Dongshan Vige would have long been schemed away by some evil person. Without you, my family¡¯s braised food shop in the prefectural city would not have been able to open so smoothly and some local tyrant would have long snatched it away from us. Without you, the high-yielding crops that we nted in the Tanggu Farmstead would have had some local official taking credit for us instead. Thus, naturally, me bing an official and titled a feudal princess wouldn¡¯t have happened either.¡±


    ¡°The only reason I am so sessful today is because you were by my side. Otherwise, I would still be in that tiny fishing vige and living a downtrodden and difficult life!¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately stated the worst case scenarios that could have happened, ¡°Have you ever thought that if you leave, the emperor would lose a great helper at court and be angry? He might even be angry at me and take back all of the glory and honor he has given to me before. Perhaps he would send me back to be a little farmer¡¯s girl in a tiny fishing vige.¡±


    ¡°At that time, then the Imperial ntation¡¯s fruit orchard, your farmstead¡¯s greenhouse vegetables and fruits, as well as the beauty salon, pharmaceutical workshop, and frozen dessert store would all slowly be taken away by those people who are envious of me.¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her head slightly to secretly nce at Zhu Junyang¡¯s face to gauge his reaction to all of this. When she noticed that he had be quite solemn, she continued, ¡°Also, you always say that I¡¯m very muddle-headed and don¡¯t have a brain for scheming or politics. Without you as my patron, I, with nothing behind me, would probably be used by someone and forced by that person to work for very little profit...¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen! This prince will handle everything before I go. Whoever wants to touch a single hair on your head, I will make sure to make their entire family pay in blood!¡± When he thought of Xiaocao being imprisoned by someone, losing her independence, and being forced to work for them...rage roiled up in his heart and his eyes gradually became red again.


    Yu Xiaocao held on tightly to his neck and rubbed her soft and tender face against his as she softly said, ¡°Even if you killed all of those people in the end, it still won¡¯t take away the hurt and harm I¡¯ve experienced, right? If you don¡¯t want me to get harmed, then say by my side and keep me safe forever. Continue being my shield against those with evil intentions and let me grow up without a care in the world.¡±


    How could Zhu Junyang not want to stay by his littless and watch as she slowly grew up, be his wife, and then have a group of little cute buns with him? However... ¡°I¡¯m afraid if I stay by you, I will be the person who hurts you.¡±


    ¡°Master, have you not discovered that whenever you¡¯re about to lose control of yourself, as long as Miss Yu is around, you¡¯re able to suppress that heart devil? Let¡¯s take today for an example. You had beenpletely consumed by the heart devil but as soon as you heard Miss Yu¡¯s voice and saw her, your reason and mind gradually returned. Miss Yu is the nemesis of your heart devil. You not only won¡¯t harm her but with her by your side, you will also get farther and farther away from the devil and inky darkness inside of you!¡± Head Steward Liu managed to slowly walk over with the help of Dong Dali after taking a pill to heal his internal injuries.


    His words were like the strikes of a clock chiming and woke Zhu Junyang up from his confusion. That was right. In the past, before he met Xiaocao, the darkness within him seemed to always be hazily present and waiting for him to lose control. However, with Xiaocao around, she somehow managed to disperse the inky fog around him, and, like a ray of sunlight, warmed his entire being and soul. She allowed him to experience the warmth and happiness of a normal person.


    Head Steward Liu was right. Xiaocao was the nemesis of his heart devil! Just like earlier, when he had been consumed by the darkness and controlledpletely, the sound of Xiaocao¡¯s voice prated the confining fog and reached the bottom of his heart and roused his consciousness again. The aura around Xiaocao was like the warmth and fragrance of a spring breeze. Although it was gentle, it was able to disperse all of the negativity away from him.


    He lowered his head to sniff gently at the littless¡¯s hair that was lightly fragranced. The sweet smell of her finally released thest bit of moodiness and darkness out of his heart. Earlier, he had boxed himself in a corner. If he left Xiaocao, then it was likely that he would once again be in the thrall of that heart devil and bepletely controlled. There would likely be one day when his two hands were coveredpletely with blood and his eyespletely red. At that time, could he still remember then how much he cared about her?


    ¡°Zhu Junyang, Head Steward Liu is right. If you let me stay by your side, we can work together to resist and defend yourself against the monster inside of you. Believe me, thest victory will definitely be ours!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯srge eyes were filled with anxiety and worry, which made him feel a pang inside.


    He lightly stroked the little mark on his littless¡¯s face and finally made a decision. The littless had so many secrets on her. If he wasn¡¯t by her side, once those secrets exploded, it would probably be the day she was condemned to hell. He needed to stay by her side forever, protecting her and all of her secrets and be a man who would sweep all of her troubles and worries away!


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call me ¡®Older Brother Yang¡¯ earlier ah? Howe you¡¯re using ¡®Zhu Junyang¡¯ again? Call me ¡®Older Brother Yang¡¯ again.¡± Zhu Junyang had returned back to his roguish self and started to tease Yu Xiaocao again.


    Yu Xiaocao unexpectedly didn¡¯t blow up at this frivolous statement of hers. The tears in her eyes slowly flowed down her face while she still had that beautiful and sweet smile on her lips. She foolishly said, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t leave me, I can call you ¡®Older Brother Yang¡¯ all you want.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Looks like I didn¡¯t need toe here today!¡± A clear and gentle voice could be heard from the right side of these two people.


    The two of them, who had been firmly embracing each other, finally let go of the other person and turned to face the familiar voice. On top of the eaves that were tiled with light green tiles, there was an elegant figure dressed entirely in white. The slight breeze gently lifted his long, dark hair and made the sleeves of his outfit dance gracefully. The person in front of them resembled an ethereal and beautiful immortal that could only be found in paintings.


    ¡°Sir Su, howe you¡¯re here?¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her head and looked at that man who resembled a perfect gentleman carved out of the finest jade. She used a sleeve to wipe the tears from her face and revealed a smile as bright as a blooming flower.


    Su Ran lightly jumped off of the roof andnded on the ground soundlessly. He nced at Zhu Junyang, who had regained his usual calm, and then raised an eyebrow at the ruins of the Wu Family¡¯s estate. He lightly chuckled, ¡°Someone told me that the Wu Family was currently deconstructing their home. I had nothing better to do, so I came over to take a peek!¡±

 Chapter 519 – What the Hell?

    <h4>Chapter 519 ¨C What the Hell?</h4>


    The Wu Family had narrowly escaped disaster and they apprehensively came out of the back room. The maidservants and senior servants surrounded Jiang Meiyi and her daughter, and all of them had still somewhat panicked expressions on their face. After they heard Chief Steward Su¡¯s words, the entire Wu Family opened their eyes wide in disbelief. This...was clearly a sign that he was shielding the prince!


    The male master of the Wu Family, Wu Dingsen, was a perceptive person and hurriedly agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right ah, that¡¯s right! We have a lot of people at home and the residence was too small. We wanted to expand a few buildings but we didn¡¯t expect to rm Chief Steward Su...and Royal Prince Yang. It is truly embarrassing ah!¡±


    Jiang Meiyi had wanted to use this opportunity to ask for more money from Zhu Junyang aspensation. When she heard her husband speak in such a way, she immediately panicked, ¡°Lord Husband, our family doesn¡¯t have enough money to rebuild...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!!¡± Wu Dingsen growled out, seething. He had admonished this stupid woman so many times that she needed to have a good rtionship with Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate and Royal Prince Yang. They were not people she could afford to offend. However, this woman never listened to him. Every time she went to visit Princess Consort Jing, she always held head up high and spoke in an incredibly arrogant manner. She never thought about the fact that she was only the wife of a fifth-level small official. Did she have any qualifications to act so pretentiously in front of a first-ranked princess consort? She truly managed to make a giant mess out of an originally good hand! At that time, how could he have been so blind to marry such a muddle-headed person?


    Today, when he had left court, he had heard that Royal Prince Yang hade to the residence to pay a visit. This was such a good opportunity to make a connection with the prince. However, he didn¡¯t know how this mother-daughter pair somehow managed to offend this cmitous star. The entire estate was almost ruined in their hands! He could always rebuild the buildings that had been destroyed but if his son, who he had gotten with great difficulty, and the favored concubine who bore him his son died, then he would cry until he had no tears left in him.


    It had been difficult for the Wu Family to beget an heir. The only son he had was born only after he had taken in a dozen or so concubines into the residence in his forties. Wu Dingsen regarded the crowd with a bit of panic as he continued to shield his son and concubine. He came to a decision within his heart. He could no longer indulge the mess-maker, Jiang Meiyi! Since feelings of hate had arisen towards his wife, he even felt a bit dissatisfied towards his normally clever and sweet daughter.


    ¡°Chief Steward Su, Royal Prince Yang, it¡¯s a bit inconvenient to receive you two today at the residence. I will act as the host another day and invite you two to eat and chat merrily then!¡± Wu Dingsen squeezed out a smile and spoke in a very courteous tone.


    Zhu Junyang took out a banknote worth five thousand taels from a very ugly waist pouch and handed it to Wu Dingsen and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that! Let me give my congrattions right now for your new home. I will be unable to make it to your housewarming party once construction is done as this prince will be at the army barracks. Here is a token to take instead. Please don¡¯t disdain it, Official Wu.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stared at that crookedly sewn pouch that was embroidered with an unknown pattern on top. Her eyes twitched. Didn¡¯t she tell Yingchun to throw away the pouch that she had practiced on? How did it end up appearing on that fellow¡¯s waist belt? Even she felt embarrassed looking at that ugly pouch, yet he, on the other hand, was wearing it as if it was a precious treasure. Was he not afraid of beingughed at by other people?


    In actuality, many people had made fun of Zhu Junyang while he was in the barracks because of this pouch. However, he didn¡¯t think it was an embarrassment and instead, considered it an honor. He regarded all of the people teasing him with an arrogant and boastful expression. ¡®This prince¡¯s woman had personally made this and this prince is extremely happy to wear it. The rest of you are just single dogs who are envious of me!¡¯


    They weren¡¯t envious of you, okay? However, the impression the officials and soldiers had of Yu Xiaocao had improved a bit¡ª¡ªFinally, there was something that even Official Yu wasn¡¯t good at!


    A little preteenss had suppressed all of the young men in the capital. You couldn¡¯t find another person in the capital who was as talented as Official Yu. This made the bunch of old men in the army feel a bit ashamed of themselves. However, there was nothing they could do. They knew how to march in the army, use different battle formations, and fight bravely. In terms of farming, trade and making money, they could be left in the dust behind Yu Xiaocao. It made this group of men feel ufortable being surpassed so easily by a littless. Now, after seeing that incredibly ugly pouch, they finally felt a bit morefortable again.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know that the littless was currently trying to figure out a way to get that extremely ugly pouch back in her hands. He directly stuffed the banknote into Wu Dingsen¡¯s hands. Although Jiang Meiyi and her daughter were the direct cause as to why he had lost control of himself, he had still destroyed their family¡¯s residence. Five thousand taels was more than enough to rebuild the estate or even buy apletely new one.


    Wu Dingsen still wanted to refuse but Zhu Junyang stopped him from protesting, ¡°Just take it as it is! I hope, in the future, Lady Wu and Miss Wu will stop disying themselves in front of this prince. This prince is afraid that I may lose control of myself again and cause some harm...¡±


    Wu Dingsen felt his face go numb when he saw Zhu Junyang crush a ceramic tile in his hands into a bunch of dust. This stupid mother-daughter pair had truly offended the princepletely. In the future, even if they wanted to grow closer to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s household, they wouldn¡¯t be able to! Wu Dingsen pasted a smile on his face and repeatedly assured the prince that he would restrain his wife and daughter.


    In actuality, even if he didn¡¯t restrain them, Jiang Meiyi and her daughter were scared to their bones after this episode. They no longer dared to shamelessly get closer to Zhu Junyang. The images of Zhu Junyang transforming into a mindless monster were deeply engraved in their hearts and they would never forget it.


    Su Ran left to go back to the pce to report after he confirmed that Zhu Junyang was back to normal and there was no big fallout from this episode.


    As they were about to leave the remains of the Wu Residence, Yu Xiaocao looked at Zhu Junyang, who was covered in head to toe with dust and dirt, and the two injured servants next to him. She didn¡¯t feel that it was safe for them to just head back to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate like this. Head Steward Liu and Bodyguard Dong were both so heavily injured that they couldn¡¯t ride horses, so she rented a carriage from the streets and had the two men lie down there in order to avoid worsening their injuries.


    ¡°Just what did that mother-daughter pair do to make you suddenly lose control of yourself?¡± Yu Xiaocao thought that it¡¯d be wise for them to figure out the root cause of the problem. That way, they coulde up with a targeted solution and thoroughly suppress his heart devil.


    Zhu Junyang frowned slightly and thought carefully for a bit before he said, ¡°Although they are both very irritating, they didn¡¯t do anything too excessive. Only...¡±


    ¡°Only what?¡± Yu Xiaocao pursued this line of thought.


    ¡°Only that...that Wu Junling gives off some kind of weird smell that makes me feel very ufortable.¡± Zhu Junyang also thought it was weird that he had lost control of himself after so many years of quiescence. In fact, even when he was in the midst of battle, fighting a dangerous war, he had never gotten close to falling into the darkness. Thispse had to be heavily rted to the Wu Family.


    Yu Xiaocao deliberately used a juvenile tone to reply, ¡°What sort of smell? Are you saying that your younger cousin has some body odor that you can¡¯t stand?¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who was walking abreast with her on the street, smiled at thatment and used his finger to gently tap her head as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not in the least bit rted to her body odor! Is this prince that weak to go out of control because of a little bad body odor? As for what sort of smell it is, I really don¡¯t know how to describe it. I can only say that it¡¯s a feeling that makes a person want to rampage!¡±


    [I know what the problem is!!] The little divine stone had been mediating and cultivating for the entire day and finally decided to show itself.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s spirits rose and she quietly asked, ¡®Quickly tell us, just what is the reason?¡±


    [Your little lover¡¯s younger cousin is a pure yin girl. She was born on a yin year, in a yin month, on a yin day, at a yin hour. She must have been very sickly and weak when she was young. In addition, she probably easily attracted remnant spirits here on earth that continue to linger on after death. In moremon terms, she attracts ghosts!] The little divine stone exined to Xiaocao the facts about being a pure yin girl.


    ¡®So what does this have to do with Zhu Junyang losing control of himself?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t quite make heads or toes of this. Were people with pure yin bodies able to disturb heart devils?


    [It usually wouldn¡¯t have much of an effect! However, your little lover¡¯s younger cousin is quite favored at home and her mother couldn¡¯t bear to see her enduring hardships, so she invited an ¡®expert¡¯ to change her fate.] The little divine stone paused a bit as it seemed to like to keep its audience in suspense.


    Yu Xiaocao frowned deeply and impatiently grumbled, ¡®Can you just say it all at once? Hemming and hawing all the time is so irritating!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang observed as the littless first grinned happily and then revealed an unhappy look. Her facial expressions changed rmingly quickly. He really wanted to know what his littless was thinking about at this time.


    ¡°Xiaocao, what¡¯s wrong?¡± He lightly pushed on Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder and gently asked.


    Yu Xiaocao was right in the middle of the most important part of the little divine stone¡¯s story, so she waved a hand at the prince in dismissal and turned all of her attention back to the stone. [Unfortunately, your little lover¡¯s younger cousin¡¯s mother is a stupid one. She didn¡¯t seek out any of the true expert monks in the world. Instead, she had to find a swindler who dabbled in some type of sorcery. However, this swindler did have some tricks up his sleeves. He used a spell to steal from a person¡¯s life force to suppress that poor girl¡¯s fate.]


    ¡®Stealing a person¡¯s life force?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao was quite startled by this. This type of sorcery definitely caused harm to a person, ¡®Then, doesn¡¯t that mean that this spell is eating away at Wu Junling¡¯s life span?¡¯


    [That¡¯s right ah! If that spell doesn¡¯t get broken, then I bet she won¡¯t live past the age of thirty! However, if the spell does get broken, she will revert back to having spirits congregating around her at every night and her nightmares will go on without stopping. That will also influence her life span! In any case, thisss wasn¡¯t born to live a long life ah!] The little divine stone spoke in a manner that made it seem like it was a swindler waving around a magic wand.


    ¡°Argh...sorcery can truly harm people ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao revealed a sympathetic look on her face and inadvertently said her thoughts out loud.


    Before Xiaocao could walk into a pir in front of her, Zhu Junyang pulled her aside to avoid getting hit. He asked worriedly, ¡°What sort of demonic sorcery? Xiaocao, just what is going on? Did you encounter a sorcerer?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s been enspelled; it¡¯s your younger cousin!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at him and wanted to say more but she was also afraid he would dig deeper into this.


    ¡°How do you know that Wu Junling had a spell cast on her? She looks like a normal person.¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t think she was speaking nonsense. He solemnly looked at Xiaocao. He didn¡¯t care whether Wu Junling had encountered demonic sorcery but he was afraid it might affect Xiaocao in some way.


    Yu Xiaocao prepared what she was going to say first before she replied, ¡°If I told you that I know a bit of ¡®the way of mysterious learning¡¯ [1] , would you believe me?¡± She lifted herrge, glittering eyes to look at Zhu Junyang in a hopeful manner. She wasn¡¯t expecting him to believe her nonsense but was mostly trying to pave the way to the topic at hand.


    ¡®The way of mysterious learning¡¯? What the hell was that? Was that the Daoist way of catching monsters and spirits or the feng shui way of predicting one¡¯s fortune? Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes flickered, showing that he didn¡¯t believe the littless¡¯s words. He had known her since she was eight years old and had never seen her learn how to cook, concoct medications,e up with skin and body nourishing recipes, or build greenhouses. However, she knew how to do all of those things and do them quite well.


    Now, she said she knew a bit about the way of mysterious learning. He thought it wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary. Even if she imed that she was the earthly incarnation of the Queen Mother of the West [2] , he would still take that as fact. However, if she was the Queen Mother of the West, he wouldn¡¯t be able to marry her. She absolutely could not be the Queen Mother of the West!


    ¡°Alright, Immortal Teacher Yu, what have you discovered?¡± Zhu Junyang was as calm and collected as ever.


    Yu Xiaocao slightly rxed when she saw that he wasn¡¯t going to pursue this line of questioning. She stated, ¡°Your younger cousin has traces of being enspelled by someone. This is the reason why whenever she gets close to you, the heart devil inside of you will have a reaction. Your exposure to her caused your heart devil to wake up and control you.¡±

 Chapter 520 – Sending Oneself Over

    <h4>Chapter 520 ¨C Sending Oneself Over</h4>


    Zhu Junyang clearly had no doubts regarding Xiaocao. The littless was sometimes quite mysterious. She even knew how to distinguish between the way of mysterious learning and sorcery. Was there anything in this world she didn¡¯t know how to do?


    When he saw her frowning perceptibly, he knew that she was worried about him. He felt his heart warm and he ruffled the littless¡¯s head as he smiled, ¡°Now that we know the reason, then it¡¯s easy to handle! In the future, when I see Wu Junling, I¡¯ll stay far away from her. That way, I won¡¯t be influenced right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao mumbled quietly, ¡°That solution only treats the symptoms but not the root cause. Is there any way we canpletely remove this hidden danger?¡±


    ¡°Lass, are you talking to me ah? Completely remove this? Are we going to secretly kill her?¡± Zhu Junyang was actually in the mood to crack a joke. Not to mention the fact that Wu Junling was his blood-rted younger maternal cousin, but even if she was just an ordinary daughter of an official at court, killing her with his hands was also quite inconvenient. Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him.


    In actuality, herst question was directed at the little divine stone. A tiny spell was not even a speck to the little divine stone, who had already regained almost half of its spiritual power. It¡¯d be able to handle it in a jiffy. Once she got a definitive answer from the stone, Xiaocao felt her heart settle down. Following that, as long as she found an opportunity to meet Wu Junling, then they¡¯d be able to release the magic on her.


    As for what would happen once the spell suppressing Wu Junling¡¯s fate was removed, it wasn¡¯t within her scope to think about. Hmph! That girl had tried to target her man. If she didn¡¯t get a little revenge back, then she wouldn¡¯t be called Yu Xiaocao anymore!


    Before Yu Xiaocao coulde up with an excuse to meet up with Wu Junling, the target had presented herself to her door. Three dayster, Yu Xiaocao received an invitation from the Ministry of Appointments Left Assistant Minister¡¯s residence to participate in Yu Wanqing¡¯s thirteenth birthday party. This was also the first time that Yu Wanqing had invited people over to her family¡¯s estate.


    After three months of careful facial treatments added on to taking medicines and tonics for her body, Yu Wanqing¡¯s face hadpletely recovered. The little maiden had a round and adorable face, pale and tender skin, and a pair of smiling eyes. Her adorable looks made it very easy for other people to immediately like her.


    Official Yu had invited young maidens who were the daughters of his colleagues to the banquet, the daughters of his friends and family, as well as thedies who were good friends with his daughter.


    Although Official Yu had already taken up his post and been in the capital for more than two years, this was the first time his daughter was showing her face in public. Many people were curious about Miss Yu and wanted to know what she looked like. Was she truly like what the rumors imed? So ugly that she was embarrassed to see people?


    There were always bored people in the world who loved to exchange gossip behind people¡¯s backs. As for Official Yu¡¯s daughter, she was always sickly and very rarely went out to see people. Thus, when the rumors came out that she was ugly beyondparison, there were people who thought that there was a grain of truth in it all.


    As soon as they found out that Yu Wanqing would show herself in front of everyone at her birthday party, many noble matrons and maidens were very curious to see what she looked like. Even those with only tenuous connections to the Yu Family came over to partake in the festivities after getting the news. All of these people came with gifts on hand. Official Yu was a bit bbergasted at how good his rtionships were with other people and hurriedly told the servants to prepare a few more banquet tables at the residence to avoid slighting any of the guests.


    In fact, Wu Junling was one of those unexpected guests who showed up. Using the excuse of being distantly rted, she and her mother went to participate. Official Wu had thought that being able to have a good rtionship with the third-ranked Left Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Appointments would be beneficial to his future career and promotion. Thus, he had presumptuously sent his wife and daughter to Assistant Minister Yu¡¯s banquet. Before they left their home, he had especially warned Jiang Meiyi, ¡°If you manage to cause trouble this time, in the future, you will be shut in the inner courtyard¡¯s family temple and forced to be vegetarian and recite sutras!¡±


    Ever since the fiasco regarding Royal Prince Yang had urred, Wu Dingsen had removed the power of managing the household from Jiang Meiyi¡¯s hands and had temporarily given it to his beloved concubine who had birthed him a son. Whether or not Jiang Meiyi managed to reflect on her actions and grow up was a future question! Currently, Jiang Meiyi felt very aggrieved at all of this and a wisp of hatred was threaded through her heart. However, she didn¡¯t dare to throw a tantrum in front of Official Wu, so she could only resentfully pass the power away.


    This time, when they went out, Wu Junling had also repeatedly warned her mother, ¡°When we are there, you should speak less and just keep a gentle smile on your face. If you really can¡¯t keep quiet, then make sure to say some things that sound nice. Keep an eye out for my expression.¡±


    Now, even her most beloved daughter was no longer on the same wavelength as her. Jiang Meiyi was so incensed that she babbled incoherently, ¡°Do you also think that I, as your mother, make you lose face ah? Have you ever thought as to why I can¡¯t raise my head around your father? It¡¯s because I birthed three good-for-nothings in a row!! If you were a son, do you think your father would treat me this way? Would there still be that cheap slut in the house?¡±


    Wu Junling almost wanted to cry from her mother¡¯s stupidity. She took in a deep breath and exined, ¡°Mother, is there any point in talking about this now ah? You are still the legitimate wife of the Wu Family. As long as you don¡¯t make another mistake, your status at home will not change. Your top-most priority right now is to change the way Father sees you! This isn¡¯t the time to throw a temper tantrum!!¡±


    Jiang Meiyi had also been scared after the recent events and was afraid that she would be locked up in the family temple, forced to endure hardships. She curled her lip and said, ¡°I know. I just won¡¯t talk when we get there, that¡¯s all!!¡±


    At the Yu Residence, they had especially prepared an elegantly decorated little courtyard to receive the young maidens as guests there. The youngdies first went with their mothers to greet the Assistant Minister¡¯s matriarch and wife before they were brought to the courtyard.


    Because she was friendly with Yu Xiaocao, Yu Wanqing also became acquainted with the spirited and lively He Wanning, the outwardly cold but actually easy to get along with Yuan Xueyan, and the gentle and sweet Li Mengru. The good friends had arrived rtively early and had already been seated at the main table to drink tea and eat pastries.


    The tea there was provided by Yu Xiaocao and it was the famous flower tea that nourished one¡¯s body. The pastries were provided by the Yu¡¯s Dessert Shop and they were the new western-style pastries. Fruits had also been obtained from the back mountains in the Imperial ntation. The group of young maidens happily sipped at the fragrant rose blossom tea, ate cream puffs stuffed full with luscious cream, and chatted merrily amongst themselves about interesting happenings throughout the capital.


    As soon as Wu Junling entered the reception pavilion, she saw Yu Xiaocao, who was dressed in a set of beautiful qi-style attire and had her hairbed up into a pair of cute flower buns. The other girl was currently pointing at a tter full of jewel-toned purple grapes and telling her good friends to taste them.


    Wu Junling stopped walking and silently measured up Yu Xiaocao in her eyes. Her heart was filled with dissatisfaction. The girl in front of her was merely a short wax gourd who was so skinny that she didn¡¯t have a figure. At most, her features could be considered cute. Anyone with eyes would choose herself, who was much more beautiful and alluring! Was her older maternal cousin blind ah? Or was it that thisss used some underhanded methods to seduce him? How could he only have eyes for a little brat who didn¡¯t even look like much?


    A woman¡¯s heart was truly unfathomable sometimes. For example, Wu Junling had personally experienced what Royal Prince Yang was like when he lost control of himself. Other than deep fear, she held no other feelings towards him. However, when she encountered the woman he liked, she felt incredibly jealous for some reason. It was as if she needed topete with Yu Xiaocao no matter what. Only when she had firmly pushed down her ¡®rival¡¯ beneath her feet would she finally feel happy.


    Yu Xiaocao could sense the other girl tantly staring at her and nced at Wu Junling through the corner of her eyes. She silentlyughed inside. The heavens truly had eyes. Before she could even start scheming, the person in question had sent herself over. Today, she was going to use Younger Sister Wanqing¡¯s birthday celebration to thoroughly get rid of the hidden danger to Zhu Junyang!


    Yu Xiaocao lowered her head and took a sip of the fragrant tea. The dimples at the side of her face were barely visible. Those who were familiar with her would have known instantly upon seeing that expression that she was up to no good again.


    Although Yu Xiaocao could happily ignore Wu Junling, Yu Wanqing, as the hostess, couldn¡¯t. Even though she had never met this beautiful older sister before, the maiden in front of her was still a guest. Yu Wanqing cheerfully went up to greet her. After Wu Junling introduced herself and gave the birthday girl a present, she was then sent to one of the tables to the right of the main table to sit at.


    The vast majority of young maidens at this table were the daughters of fourth and fifth-ranked officials. Most of them already knew each other, so only Wu Junling was an unfamiliar face here. When they found out that she was only the daughter of a small fifth-level official and that her father was working at the Qingshui yamen, the rest of thedies at the table exchanged looks. They gradually began to ignore her. Was being beautiful anything to be proud of? Within the noble circles in the capital, being beautiful alone was not enough. The most important thing was still your family¡¯s status!


    How could Wu Junling, who was quite sensitive, not figure out that she was being snubbed by the other girls? She had attempted a few times to make conversation with some of the young maidens at the table but all of her attempts were either rebuffed or duly ignored. It looked like she needed to do something else at this rate.


    She discovered that the two youngdies sitting next to her praised the tea that they drank and the pastries that they ate without end. Some of the young maidens continuously sipped at the rose-blossom tea. After all, one cup of flower tea cost at least a few dozen taels! As for the pastries and fruits, they all said that apparently Feudal Princess Jinan had provided them to the banquet for free.


    ¡°Who would have thought that Miss Yu would manage to be friends with Feudal Princess Jinan? In the future, the Yu Residence will absolutely notck for fresh fruits or vegetables! As for these cream-based pastries, even if you line up you may not be able to buy any.¡±


    ¡°I heard that, in the past, Miss Yu had fearsome looking pimples growing all over the face. They were simultaneously red and very swollen and she couldn¡¯t go out to see people! It was only after she went to Feudal Princess Jinan¡¯s ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ health and beauty club that her face healed. I heard that she spent around tens of thousands of taels on this treatment. This Yu Family truly has money!¡±


    ¡°My mother told me that when Lady Yu married Official Yu, her dowry chests made a long train. In fact, in terms of cash alone, she had brought over tens of thousands of taels. The Yu Family doesn¡¯tck money at all. Lady Yu only has one precious daughter. Let alone tens of thousands of taels, even if it reached hundreds of thousands of taels, she would happily spend the money to treat her daughter!¡±


    ¡°If my mother was this rich, that would be so great! I had my eye on a set of whitening skincare from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ that cost around a thousand taels. I begged my mother for a long time yet she still couldn¡¯t bear to take out the money to get it for me. You guys should look at Miss He. In the past, her skin was so coarse and tanned but now it¡¯s so tender and pale. It¡¯s obvious just how well those cosmetics work.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Miss He is one of the very few who has a diamond card level membership at the spa! Furthermore, many of her personal cosmetic items were custom-made by Feudal Princess Jinan herself for free!¡±


    ¡°Feudal Princess Jinan is so generous ah! If I could be friends with her that would be great...¡±


    ¡°If any of us were able to be friends with Feudal Princess Jinan, that meant that our ancestors had done a lot of meritorious deeds ah. I heard that the two beauties of the capital and Royal Princess Minn had been invited on an outing to the Imperial ntation. You all know about the fruit orchard on the back mountains of the Imperial ntation, right?¡±


    ¡°Psh! Who doesn¡¯t know? The fruit trees that Feudal Princess Jinan nts all produce fruits that are a hundred items more delicious than regr fruits! Especially the honey peaches. As soon as they enter one¡¯s mouth, they melt into juice...just thinking about it makes my saliva flow. Unfortunately, sales of fruit are rationed every day and as soon as they hit the shelves they disappear. My family was just able to snatch a box after trying for a long time. The peaches cost a hundred taels a box and each box only has six honey peaches in it. However, the taste is so incredibly delicious. I¡¯ve never eaten such delicious fruit in my life before!¡±


    Wu Junling looked at the entire table of young maidens who all had looks of envy on their faces. They made it sound like eating a honey peach was truly an experience to remember. She couldn¡¯t help but be curious. Wasn¡¯t it just a peach ah? She had often eaten peaches when she was living in Huai¡¯an prefecture. These young maidens in the capital were truly too uncouth to even brag about eating peaches in this way!


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    Next Chapter

 Chapter 521 – Twists and Turns

    <h4>Chapter 521 ¨C Twists and Turns</h4>


    Also, who was this Feudal Princess Jinan that they kept talking about? Didn¡¯t they say that the Imperial ntation waspletely managed by thess, Yu Xiaocao? Did she give the back mountains to Feudal Princess Jinan to nt fruit trees?


    ¡°That uh...this Older Sister, forgive me for interrupting. I truly admire this Feudal Princess Jinan you¡¯re talking about, but would you happen to know who she is? Is she here today?¡± Wu Junling had been silently listening for a bit and finally found a chance to ask some questions.


    The noble maiden she had asked the question to was the daughter of the fourth-ranked assistant official in the office in charge of the crown prince¡¯s affairs. That girl gave her a side-long nce full of contempt and let out a coldugh before she replied, ¡°You don¡¯t even recognize Feudal Princess Jinan, eh? You must be new to the capital, right?¡±


    Wu Junling had never endured such poor treatment before. However, at this entire table, she was the one with the lowest rank out of all of the maidens. Thus, she could only grit her teeth while keeping a smile on her face as she said, ¡°Older Sister¡¯s observational skills are very good. This younger sister has only been in the capital for a few months and there are many people that I¡¯m unfamiliar with!¡±


    ¡°No wonder!¡± The daughter of the assistant official had an air of conferring a great favor as she pointed towards the main table and said, ¡°Do you see that table? The person who¡¯s wearing the light pink qi-style attire is Feudal Princess Jinan. The emperor personally titled her.¡±


    Following that, she ignored the rmed Wu Junling and continued to chat about the previous topic with her good friends, ¡°A few days ago, plums entered the market. Have any of you had the chance to try any? In the past, I hated eating plums the most. I always felt like they were incredibly sour fruits but the plums grown on the back mountains of the Imperial ntation have a sweet and fresh taste. They don¡¯t even have a hint of acidity in them. I could probably eat three to four of them in one sitting! Unfortunately, it¡¯s very hard to buy them. Eating only a little bit isn¡¯t enough to satisfy my cravings!¡±


    Another young maiden interjected, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right. If only during that flower war banquet, when Feudal Princess Jinan was being dismissed, I hade out and spoken up for her, wouldn¡¯t that mean I would be one of the people by her side right now?¡±


    ¡°Stop dreaming! Haven¡¯t you looked at the people interacting with Feudal Princess Jinan now? Which one of them isn¡¯t the daughter of a first-ranked official at court? The feudal princess looks down upon lower-ranked people like us!¡± This young maiden, who wasmenting sourly, had noticed that as soon as she finished speaking, the other young maidens around the table, other than the country bumpkin, were regarding her with eyes wide with shock. The two girls who were sitting next to her had even scooted their chairs away from her and had an expression on their faces that showed that they didn¡¯t want to interact with her.


    After she figured out just what she had said, she hurriedly tried to exin, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way, I...I was trying to say that Feudal Princess Jinan is a feudal princess that the emperor had personally titled. She¡¯s talented beyond measure and thus attracts people of the same standing. Those who are able to be friends with her are only the nobledies whose fathers are grand first-ranked officials or the rtives of the imperial family...I wasn¡¯t trying to imply earlier that she only toadys to the powerful...¡± Thest sentence was spoken in almost a half sob and this girl¡¯s face had turned white from fear.


    The other young maidens all acted differently. Some lowered their heads, pretending to drink tea. There were some who picked up a few sweet grapes from the te to eat. Some looked out the windows as if they were admiring the beautiful scenery in the courtyard...none of them wanted to talk to that girl as if they were afraid a particr someone would misunderstand and think that they agreed with this youngdy. Last year, during the flower war banquet, Li Meirou had gotten into conflict with Miss Yu. Now, no one knew what godforsaken corner she had been sent to. Furthermore, they all knew the astonishing ending of the Li Family...all of the young maidens shuddered for a second. The table they were sitting at suddenly fell silent.


    Yu Xiaocao and the others at the main table weren¡¯t even paying attention to what was happening at that side table. He Wanning was right in the middle of excitedly nning their next trip to the Imperial ntation to pick grapes. Thest time they went, she was able to eat and pick fruits. In fact, her family wasn¡¯t able to finish all of the fruits she brought back and they were able to send them out as gifts, which gave them a lot of face. The grapes that Yu Xiaocao had brought along were as sweet as honey. She definitely needed to pick more when she had the chance.


    Yu Wanqing sat on the side and listened enviously as her eyes revealed her inner desire to participate. Only after Yu Xiaocao promised that she would also get an invitation did she let out a sigh of relief inside. Older Sister Yu truly treated her quite well. She not only fixed her problem with her face, but she also never forgot to bring her along whenever there was fun to be had or good things to eat.


    Finally, as the host, Yu Wanqing discovered, after getting reminded by one of the maids, that the atmosphere at that side table was a bit off. She hurried over and smiled sweetly, ¡°Older Sisters, this is the first time this younger sister has invited so many people over. If there¡¯s anything wrong going on, please bring it up and I will try to fix it.¡±


    ¡°Younger Cousin Qing, I made a big mistake, what should I do? Sob sob sob...¡± The young maiden, who realized she had made a verbal faux-pas, was a distant rtive of Yu Wanqing and felt extremely frightened now. When she saw Yu Wanqing, she grasped onto the other girl as if she was her savior.


    Yu Wanqing looked at the other youngdies who had previously been getting on swimmingly with her older cousin. They all revealed expressions showing that they wanted nothing to do with this, so Yu Wanqing felt quite perplexed. She quietlyforted her older cousin, ¡°Older Cousin Xin, even the emperor has once said: ¡®People are not saints, so we will all make mistakes. If one can change after making a mistake, there is nothing better.¡¯ It¡¯s not the end of the world if you make an error. As long as you sincerely admit that you¡¯re wrong and courageously try to change in the future, I¡¯m sure that everyone will all generously forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Then...can you apany me as I ask for forgiveness from Feudal Princess Jinan?¡± Ding Yaxin timidly nced at that figure sitting at the main table and pitifully looked at Yu Wanqing. ¡®Older Sister Yu? The so-called trouble that Older Cousin Xin had gotten into was offending Older Sister Yu? That can¡¯t be right ah. Ever since they entered the courtyard, I don¡¯t think the two of them have even interacted together, right? Did Older Maternal Cousin do something in the past that was bad to Older Sister Yu?¡¯


    Right at this time, Wu Junling interjected, ¡°Miss Ding, don¡¯t worry. Younger Sister Xiaocao isn¡¯t someone who is that narrow-minded. She absolutely wouldn¡¯t me you.¡±


    Although she wasn¡¯t clear how thatss, Yu Xiaocao, had suddenly obtained such a high status in the eyes of these young maidens, it looked like she needed to get closer to thatss in order to quickly blend into the capital¡¯s noble maiden circles. Wu Junling wasn¡¯t sure as to whether there was a problem between the two of them because of her older cousin¡¯s affairsst time.


    When the other young maidens heard her call Feudal Princess Jinan ¡®Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯, all of them sneered inwardly as if they were of one heart. A daughter of a tiny and insignificant fifth-level official was so shameless to boast like this. She made it sound like she was very close to Feudal Princess Jinan and that she understood her like the back of her hand!


    Ding Yaxin was so desperate that she was willing to turn to anyone for help. She grabbed onto Wu Junling¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Older Sister, are you very familiar with Feudal Princess Jinan ah? Can you help me say a few nice words in front of her then?¡±


    Wu Junling lightly chuckled and patted her hand, ¡°I¡¯ve only met her once but my maternal aunt and older cousin are very close to her. They should be able to say a few words for you to her.¡±


    Ding Yaxin was also a foolish girl. She didn¡¯t beg the younger cousin next to her and instead was groveling towards Wu Junling, who she wasn¡¯t even familiar with! She was truly too muddle-headed! She revealed an expression full of hope and said, ¡°Older Sister Wu, then can you tell me who your maternal aunt and older cousin are...¡±


    ¡°Princess Consort Jing is my mother¡¯s blood-rted older sister and Royal Prince Yang is my older cousin ah!¡± As she spoke, she turned towards the other maidens on the table and winked at them while revealing an ambiguous smile.


    ¡°Pffffttt¡ª¡ª¡± The words had just left her lips when a voice could be heard from behind her, ¡°Don¡¯t start saying ¡®older cousin, older cousin¡¯ as if you¡¯re very close to him. Did you ask Royal Prince Yang his opinion about this ah? Is he actually willing to admit that you are his younger cousin?¡±


    ¡°Feudal Princess Jinan¡±, ¡°Feudal Princess Jinan¡±...the whole table of nobly-born maidens politely stood up at the same time and paid their respects to her simultaneously. When Wu Junling heard these words, the smile on her face stiffened and congealed. She didn¡¯t expect the outwardly weak and delicate Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t actually give her any face. Instead, she made it such that she couldn¡¯t easily step away from this problem in front of everyone at the party.


    Wu Junling also stood up with everyone else and turned around to face Yu Xiaocao. She squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, Older Cousin Yang and I are truly rted by blood through the maternal line. Whether or not he is willing to admit it, we are still rtives.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh? Is that so ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao was tired of seeing Wu Junling act all tranquil and peaceful as if nothing could touch her. The other girl couldn¡¯t snatch away her man so she changed her tactics to use her familial connections to climb up the socialdder in the capital instead. Who did she think she was?


    ¡°But, didn¡¯t I hear Zhu Junyang personally say two days ago that he wanted Official Wu to keep a close eye on you and your mother? That he didn¡¯t want to see you two appear in front of him again? Otherwise...he couldn¡¯t guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t harm you two!¡± Yu Xiaocao watched as Wu Junling¡¯s expression abruptly changed and she revealed an innocent look on her face. Everything she said was true ah! She wasn¡¯t embellishing this story at all! However, the way other people heard it, it made it sound like the Wu Family¡¯s wife and daughter and offended Royal Prince Yang and that Royal Prince Yang wanted nothing to do with them anymore.


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, I...¡± Wu Junling recalled what her older cousin had looked like when he lost control of himself and felt her heart suddenly tremble and the expression on her face darkened. She didn¡¯t expect that this Yu Xiaocao, who outwardly looked sweet and kind, was actually this malicious inside. The younger girl cornered her in this type of situation and made it impossible for her to step back.


    ¡®Who do you think you are ah? To allow this old woman to give you face, ah? You¡¯re not worth it!¡¯ If Yu Xiaocao could hear what she was thinking, she would have absolutely pped Wu Junling.


    [Master, the aura of evil sorcery on her ising from that talisman that she has strung on a ne on her chest. The pendant must be the thing holding the spell. As long as you get closer to her, this divine stone will be able to break the magic on her!] Right at this point, the sound of the little divine stone¡¯s voice resonated in her mind.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t give Wu Junling the chance to quibble before she used her hand to stop the other girl from talking as she said, ¡°Miss Wu, we¡¯re not that close, so I really don¡¯t want to hear you say ¡®Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯ in the future! As for the rtionship between you and Zhu Junyang, this young maiden won¡¯t manage it and I¡¯m toozy to even bother. As for the two of us, we are different people who walk different roads and cannot make ns together. Let¡¯s just agree to remain acquaintances in the future!¡±


    As soon as she heard the little divine stone crow ¡®I got it!¡¯, she didn¡¯t give Wu Junling another chance to speak as she turned around swiftly to ask Yu Wanqing, ¡°Younger Sister Wanqing, could you tell me where the washroom is? I want to wash my hands.¡± Her hands were originally clean but after touching a certain someone¡¯s mouth, who knew how many germs were on them now? She needed to wash them carefully with soap!


    ¡°Feudal Princess Jinan, please wait!¡± Ding Yaxin had mentally prepared herself for a multitude of scenarios before she finally spoke up. She bowed deeply and sincerely stated, ¡°Earlier, my lips were loose and I said, ¡®You only associate with the daughters of first-ranked officials¡¯. I admit that I was jealous then and I also admit that I was wrong about you. Thus, I am sincerely apologizing to you.¡±


    Rather than having her words being twisted to and fro by other people and finally making it to the Feudal Princess Jinan¡¯s ears, it was better for her to admit it outright. One had to admit that being cowardly had its benefits too. At least, she wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble that was too big to handle!


    Yu Xiaocao nced at her briefly and revealed a faint smile before she slowly said, ¡°I ept your apology. However, I need to leave you with one piece of advice, ¡®It¡¯s best to think again and again before acting and don¡¯t be goaded into making a bad decision¡¯. Not all mistakes can be fixed and you will not always be forgiven for your actions.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she didn¡¯t even give Wu Junling another nce before she left with the personal maidservant of Yu Wanqing to head to the washroom.


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    Next Chapter

 Chapter 522 – Disparity

    <h4>Chapter 522 ¨C Disparity</h4>


    Just as Yu Xiaocao turned to leave, the entire table of noble maidens looked at Wu Junling with disdain and ridicule in their eyes. Did she really think that anyone could cozy up to Feudal Princess Jinan? And she even wanted to make a connection with Royal Prince Yang. She was truly overestimating her own abilities! If she truly was a rtive of Imperial Prince Jing, then would Official Wu still only be an idle fifth-level official?


    Wu Junling was so infuriated that she almost ripped the handkerchief in her hands into shreds. She hatefully thought, ¡®Isn¡¯t she just a rural bumpkin?! No matter how good she¡¯s at raising crops and despite the fact that she¡¯s been titled a feudal princess, she¡¯ll never get away from her muddy peasant roots! Other people may look up to you but this young maiden won¡¯t!¡¯


    However, did Wu Junling ever think that just a few seconds ago that she was trying to worm her way into Xiaocao¡¯s good graces to get some benefits?


    Naturally, for the rest of the birthday banquet for the Left Assistant Minister¡¯s daughter, Wu Junling was snubbed and ignored by the other guests. As for Yu Xiaocao, she had personally made a threeyer birthday cake for this celebration and had astonished everyone present with it. The cream and jam cake had the sweet and pure vor of cream. As soon as one ate a piece, it melted in the mouth. The cake was soft and bouncy with a very fine texture. Everyone there praised it to the skies.


    When the maidens there found out that the Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastry Store now had many types of fancy birthday cakes avable for sale, they all sent their servants to the shop as soon as they left the Yu Residence to reserve a birthday cake in advance. After all, everything that Feudal Princess Jinan came out with was a smashing hit in the capital. Everyone who was somebody rushed to snatch hertest goods. By reserving a cake early, it would prevent them from having an awkward situationter on where they didn¡¯t have a birthday cake when everyone else did. Not only would that cause the host to lose face but they would also receive the disdain of their fellow noblewomen in the future.


    Other than this fancy and beautiful looking cake, Yu Xiaocao also gave a set of skincare items that was especially suited to Yu Wanqing¡¯s skin. The items had moisturizing and protective abilities and were packaged in a delicate and beautiful gift box, making it look very high-end and ssy. It was obvious that this set of skincare items was worth quite a lot. Even after getting a discount, it would cost another customer around a few thousand taels to buy! Although the Yu Family didn¡¯tck money, sending gifts required one to think of the recipient¡¯s likes and dislikes. Otherwise, even the most expensive gift may not make the person happy.


    For Yu Wanqing¡¯s birthday feast, they had booked Zhenxiu¡¯s Restaurant¡¯s head chef in advance to be in charge of the menu and cooking. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact they had a good rtionship with Xiaocao, Head Chef Wang wouldn¡¯t personallye to cook!


    He was the most skilled chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant and the one who knew all of the recipes. Thus, he very rarely ¡®left his mountain¡¯. The banquet that he created obtained thepliments of every guest present, so Official Yu had gained a lot of prestige from this. The guests all ate happily, so as the host, he was naturally very happy. However, the person who was the most pleased by all of this was Yu Wanqing as this was the first time she held such an event at her home and had made so many new friends.


    The only person who was feeling unhappy today was Wu Junling. After all, anyone who was being snubbed and pushed out wouldn¡¯t feel very good about it. When she got home, her father, who had consumed so much alcohol that he was in a drunken stupor, even repeatedly asked her if she had managed to make a good connection with Miss Yu. It made her very irritated!


    However, there were more troubles ahead of her now! That night, Wu Junling had nightmares without end. The dreams all featured vengeful spirits who demanded another chance at life and there was a thick scent of monsters about. After being scared awake, she felt like her entire room was full of ghostly presences. The usually warm weather in early autumn actually felt incredibly chilly to her and caused her to have goosebumps.


    Even with a few of her personal maidservants surrounding her and having all of the candles and oilmps lit up in her room were not enough to give her a sense of security. After being tormented for an entire night, she wasn¡¯t able to sleep a wink. The next day, she seemed quite spiritless andcking in energy.


    Her miserable days continued in the same vein. Every night, the neighbors next to Official Wu¡¯s residence could hear the mournful cries of fear and the pitiful sounds of weeping next door. When Jiang Meiyi saw that her precious daughter had trouble going to sleep every night, she became extremely worried. Every mother sincerely cared about their own children. Jiang Meiyi felt her heart hurt after seeing her daughter suffer every night, so she spent every night next to her daughter to help her calm down. However, the effects were miniscule. Her daughter continued to clutch onto her, shivering with cold and iming that there were ghosts around...


    Jiang Meiyi couldn¡¯t help but recall what her daughter was like prior to turning three. Back then, she also said that she could see ghosts and was often so scared that she turned feverish. She had gone to countless temples and monasteries to beg for protective amulets and had also invited senior monks over to drive these monsters away for her girl. However, the results were unsatisfactory. It continued until a gloomy-looking middle-aged Taoist priest dropped by and imed that he could fix her daughter¡¯s problems.


    By then, she had seen many swindlers and didn¡¯t harbor much hope for this man. However, that Taoist priest said that if what he did had no effect, then he wouldn¡¯t charge them. Only then did she make a decision to have him try. She didn¡¯t expect that once her daughter started wearing the protective amulet that he made she was finally able to sleep without any problems!


    Over a decade had passed since then and they never had another episode of her daughter ¡®seeing ghosts¡¯ again. She originally believed that the problem had been resolved once and for all. However, suddenly, her daughter¡¯s old problem hade back again! The world was vast and boundless and that Taoist priest didn¡¯t leave them a way to contact him. Where would they find him now?


    Since she was being frightened to death every night and didn¡¯t have much energy during the day, Wu Junling, who used to be beautiful and full of life, very quickly wilted like a dying flower. Herplexion was deathly pale and there were obvious dark circles under the eyes. If she wanted to act in a horror movie, she wouldn¡¯t even need to have makeup done to fit in. If this continued on for much longer, it was possible that she might lose her life one day.


    That couldn¡¯t happen! It absolutely couldn¡¯t happen! Jiang Meiyi had heard that the Grandmaster Yuanhui of Huguo Temple was an experienced senior monk. In fact, in the past, the emperor emeritus himself had asked him to divine his fortune for the future! Although Grandmaster Yuanhui no longer interfered in the mundane world and had gone into closed door contemtion to recite sutras in the past few years, saving a life was more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda. If it involved her daughter¡¯s life, Grandmaster Yuanhui wouldn¡¯t just sit idly and watch her die, right?


    Jiang Meiyi lowered her head and asked Concubine Qiu for permission to leave the residence. After obtaining it, she brought her daughter along to go to Huguo Temple, which was outside the capital. The temple was located on top of a small scenic mountain surrounded by quietnds and their teachings emphasized having a sincere and honest heart. Thus, all carriages and sedans had to stop at the foot of the mountain and believers had to ascend to the mountain by foot using the stone steps in order to enter the temple.


    After being tormented for days and days, Wu Junling was at the edge of either a physical or mental breakdown. It was only with the support of her mother and maidservants that she was finally able to ascend the stone stairs to Huguo Temple after taking many breaks along the way.


    However, when they inquired after the grandmaster, they discovered that he had gone traveling. After asking in more detail, they discovered that Grandmaster Yuanhui would only be back in about a dozen days. Jiang Meiyi and Wu Junling felt their hearts drop in despair. It had only been half a month and Wu Junling had been worn down until she was starting to resemble a ghost herself. If she continued to have ¡®ghosts swirling about her¡¯ for the next dozen days, she might not be able to hold on and be a ghost herself!


    Fortunately, the person left in charge of Huguo Temple, Grandmaster Huiming, who was also the head disciple of Grandmaster Yuanhui, felt sympathy for these two women after hearing their story and had them sent into one of the side courtyards to live in until Grandmaster Yuanhui came back. The two women listened to scriptures every day and were living on consecrated templends now. Only then did Wu Junling¡¯s ¡®nightmares of seeing ghosts¡¯ stop and she was finally able to sleepfortably for a few nights in a row.


    By the time Wu Junling and her mother had reached Huguo Temple to wait for Grandmaster Yuanhui toe back, the grapes on the back mountains of the Imperial ntation had ripened. There were green grapes, purple grapes and the milky-white long white grapes. All of them were sweet and fresh and left a delicious vor in a person¡¯s mouth. When they came on the market, they were as zingly popr as the honey peaches and caused a sensation. Naturally, the lines to buy these grapes grew longer with every passing day.


    He Wanning, Royal Princess Minn, Ning Donghuan and the other people who had gone picking peachesst time all seeded in receiving invitations from Yu Xiaocao to go to the Imperial ntation for a fun outing. In addition, they also added on Yu Wanqing, who had just reached the age of thirteen.


    Originally, Lady Yu was nning on apanying her on this trip. Her daughter had almost never left her side since she was small. Because her face had that issue, she took special care of her and raised her in a way that made her very sheltered and almost everything had to be decided by her. Suddenly, her daughter was about to go out with a bunch of young masters and maidens out to y and she even heard that they were nning on hunting. How could Lady Yu feelfortable about that?


    This was the first time Yu Wanqing did her best to resist her mother¡¯s intent. She acted spoiled and whined that the other older sisters didn¡¯t have their parents apanying them. If her mother came along, then those older sisters would definitelyugh at her.


    However, Lady Yu¡¯s thoughts were that her daughter was the youngest out of the group and had never gone out alone. In fact, she had only started learning how to ride a horse. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became...


    Yu Wanqing then brought out Older Sister Xiaocao as an example and stated that when the other girl was around eight to nine years old, she was even doing business at the docks, selling recipes to Zhenxiu Restaurant, nting vegetables and watermelons...when Xiaocao was ten, she was starting to help Royal Prince Yang nt the newly brought over crop from the western hemisphere, corn, anding up with ways to breed crops to make them more high-yielding.


    ¡°When Older Sister Yu was titled as a sixth-rank agricultural official by the emperor, she wasn¡¯t even as old as I am today! Even then she rode a horse daily to go back and forth between the capital and ntation. Although I¡¯m not as smart and capable as her, as her friend, I can¡¯t be too weak. Don¡¯t you think so too, Mother?¡± This was one of the main reasons why she managed to convince Lady Yu.


    Yu Wanqing had been bright and considerate since she was young. It was only because of her face that she had been bound to the inner courtyard for long. Although she was a bit more on the shy side and a bit more cowardly, she was still optimistic and strong in spirit. In fact, she frequently helped tofort her mother, who loved her dearly.


    Lady Yu didn¡¯t believe that her daughter was inferior to other people. She was incredibly intelligent and was skilled at all of the four arts. Her poetry was very lively. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that her skin disease had hindered her, she might even be a very famous and talented young maiden in the capital at this point!


    Lady Yu felt her heart soften after looking at her daughter¡¯s eyes, which were full of expectation. In addition, her husband had also said that it would be hard for a pine tree raised in a pot to reach the skies, and that chicks raised under a mother¡¯s wings found it hard to fly. It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t understand these concepts. Thus, although she was still worried, she still agreed to her daughter¡¯s request.


    That day, everyone ate to their fill and were able to y to their hearts¡¯ content, especially the littless Yu Wanqing who had run around ecstatically. She had picked bunches of grapes, trapped wild hares, gone on a pic, helped brew some wine...she even tried crushing grapes with her feet and enjoyed the experience. She was incredibly happy after this outing!


    When she got back, her face had turned red from sun exposure and the smile on her face was exceptionally bright. She chattered happily about everything she had experienced that day and talked endlessly to her father and mother. She even gestured excitedly with her arms and hands and let out small peals ofughter. Compared to that timid and gutless Yu Wanqing who pretended to be strong, it was as if another person had appeared.


    Official Yu, Lady Yu, and Yu Wanqing¡¯s older brothers were all incredibly gratified to see the change in her. An optimistic, open, and lively Yu Wanqing was aplete stranger to them but they were also d to see her in this way.


    Lady Yu decided that the two best decisions she had ever made in her life were this: One, she had persevered in marrying her husband despite her parents¡¯ opposition; Two, on that warm spring day, she had nervously brought her daughter into ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯s¡¯ doors.


    Her first decision had led her to have a husband who loved her dearly and a blissful and happy family. The second decision had given her a healthy, beautiful and confident daughter! She truly felt like she had hit the jackpot in life and was now pleased with everything!

 Chapter 523 – Headed Out to Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 523 ¨C Headed Out to Hunt</h4>


    ¡°The scenery goes on for a thousand measures, in the north is the Xingan Mountain Range, lively things all congregate together and the mountains are linked into valleys. All in all, it is a fertilend with plenty of animals around.¡± From the descriptions alone, it could clearly be seen that the Imperial Hunting Grounds had natural conditions that were superior to others.


    After being jostled on horseback for half a month, Yu Xiaocao finally got to experience the fascinating and beautiful allure of the wilnds outside the walls. Here, the mountains and teaus flowed into one another and there were rolling hills everywhere the eye could see. The rivers andkes dotted thendscape like glittering stars and the dense forests criss crossed through the grasnds. The vast ocean of prairind was especially a glorious sight. It was said that during the spring and summer, this area was full of life and carpeted with lush green grass. During the autumn, the thick forests would be dyed in spectacr colors and the air would be filled with the sweet aroma of fruit. In winter, thend would be carpeted in silvery snow, making the trees look as if they were made of jade. Was this the main reason why the transmigrated emperor decided to hold the Autumn Hunt here?


    That was right. The Imperial Family¡¯s Autumn Hunt, which had undergone preparations for the past two years, had finally opened not long after Xiaocao and her group of friends had their grape-picking gathering. She didn¡¯t need Zhu Junyang or He Wanning to plead for this favor as she herself had been personally picked by the emperor toe along.


    For this Autumn Hunt, invitations had obviously gone out to people like Royal Prince Yang and He Wanning, who were the blood-rted rtives of the emperor. Following that, the officials who had done meritorious deeds had also been granted the favor from the emperor toe along. Originally, Yu Xiaocao could barely be considered a part of those official ranks and would have been given a nondescript position in the procession. However, this time, she had to proceed along with a group of white-bearded old imperial physicians who were almost always right next to the emperor, empress, and prince.


    She could clearly feel that some imperial physicians¡ª¡ªsuch as Imperial Physician Wang, were regarding her with a scathing gaze. Yu Xiaocao could only express her own innocence. It wasn¡¯t as if she was the one who moured for this spot and was pretending to be a medical expert. In fact, the emperor himself had said that she was very skilled at treating pediatric ailments and had ¡®contributed greatly¡¯ to this area of medicine. He was afraid that his beloved children, such as the prince, would not limate well to the change in surroundings and insisted on bringing her into the physician ranks.


    In other people¡¯s eyes, being next to the emperor was a very glorious thing that brought honor to one¡¯s family. Yu Xiaocao wanted to scoff at those people! She didn¡¯t want this kind of honor, alright? Anyone within the vicinity of the emperor was being watched by everyone around them and she had to guard every word and action she did. She felt like she was being imprisoned by chains being here and didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of freedom. Even when she rode her horse she had to make sure that her posture was ramrod straight¡ª¡ªit was quite tiring!


    Luckily, Zhu Junyang, who was officially in charge of the emperor¡¯s safety, would, from time to time, use his authority as an excuse to spend time next to her. He would always ask in concern whether she was tired or thirsty.


    When he noticed the exhaustion on her face , Zhu Junyang spurred Fierce Wind forward and arrived next to Xiaocao. He quietly said, ¡°We still have about half an hour to go before we¡¯ll arrive at the temporary imperial residence. Just hold on for a little bit longer...I have some pears that some subordinates gave me. Although they are not as good as the ones grown on the Imperial ntation, they can still quench your thirst...¡±


    ¡°Yang¡¯er, are you secretly giving your little wife some good things again? Yet you didn¡¯t leave a portion for us? Looks like I took care of you for nothing!!¡± The sound of the emperor¡¯s voice could be heard from the nearby sedan. Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at this. The journey here was too long and monotonous so the emperor always found some time to make fun of her and Zhu Junyang. Wasn¡¯t he starting again now?


    Zhu Junyang replied in a serious manner, ¡°In reply to Your Imperial Majesty, this subject bought the pears from a small merchant on the side of the road. I do not know the origin of these fruits, so how could I dare give them to you?¡±


    The scope of the Autumn Hunt was quiterge and there were some brave merchants and peddlers who drove ox and donkey carts along the procession to sell some local goods, articles of daily use, and other goods to the officials in the line. When the soldiers guarding the line didn¡¯t stop them and they ended up making good profits, the number of merchants increased day by day. It got to the point when it was starting to resemble a small moving bazaar. From time to time, Zhu Junyang took advantage of his position as a guard and made sure to patrol around and take the time to look at the goods of these merchants. He would always buy some things that he felt that Xiaocao needed or things that weren¡¯tmonly seen in the capital for her.


    Zhu Junfan felt like his younger cousin was bing less and less cute as time went on. No matter how much he tried to tease the youth, the prince always kept the same stoic expression on his face. Not interesting at all!


    ¡°Imperial Father, I¡¯m thirsty and want to eat some fruit! Feudal Princess Jinan, I heard that you brought along quite a few good things along in your luggage carriage. Can you let this prince go take a look?¡± The young imperial prince was sitting in the same carriage as the emperor. He was a bit bored from sitting inside and wanted to go out to get some fresh air.


    The empress looked at her son¡¯s eyes that were full of expectation and smiled, ¡°Wen¡¯er has been stuck in this carriage the entire time. Even I, as an adult, feel a bit irritable from sitting for so long, let alone him, right? Your Imperial Majesty, let him go out and rx a bit. With Royal Prince Yang guarding him, we don¡¯t need to be worried about his safety.¡±


    Although Zhu Junfan was a bit strict with his heir, he wasn¡¯t strict beyond reason. He rubbed his son¡¯s little face and nodded, ¡°You need to listen to Royal Prince Yang and Feudal Princess Jinan. You¡¯re not allowed to be stubborn and willful...¡±


    ¡°This son will remember Imperial Father¡¯s words!¡± The little fellow was indeed quite eager. As soon as the emperor gave his permission, he yelped in glee and jumped off the carriage.


    Zhu Junfan¡¯s forehead slightly creased into a frown. Before he could say anything, the empress interjected, ¡°Imperial Majesty, Wen¡¯er is still only a child of around seven to eight. You¡¯ve often said that we should preserve our son¡¯s childhood for as long as possible and not try to break his spirit. Normally, you¡¯ve often told me that Wen¡¯er seems a bit old for his age. Today, this is the first time in a long while since he¡¯s shown such a spirited and childish air around him. I hope you can forgive him for this.¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t going to admonish him for this. In fact, we were only worried that our son jumped out of the carriage without waiting for it to stop. It¡¯s a bit dangerous to do that. Do you think you are his biological mother while I am merely his stepfather ah?¡± In private, Zhu Junfan often stopped using the imperial forms of address with the empress and spoke to her as if they were a normal married couple. He felt that using those old-fashioned forms of address was too stifling and made it seem like they weren¡¯t a family.


    The empress red coquettishly at him and stated, ¡°Just what are you saying! Stop bbering! Right now we¡¯re in public, so be careful that other people don¡¯t hear you!¡±


    She had long gotten used to Zhu Junfan cracking undignified jokes from time to time. She wasn¡¯t sure how other emperors interacted with their empresses but the emperor always treated her in a way that showed how much he loved and cared about her. Sometimes he would even give her some small tokens. It made it such that she never regretted marrying into the imperial family and entering the deep inner pce...


    At this time, the imperial prince that they were talking about was currently riding his little pony with Zhu Junyang and Yu Xiaocao apanying him. He was regarding all of the peddlers and merchants with great interest. Sometimes he would ask them what one thing was and then pick up something else a momentter to ask about that.


    The small merchants and peddlers were very courteous to them. Even if they only asked about their wares and never bought anything, the merchants never revealed a hint of resentment. After all, the people in this entourage, even a small insignificant maidservant, weren¡¯t people that thesemoners could ever afford to offend.


    As for Yu Xiaocao, she was behind the two and had bought quite a bit of good medicinal herbs. The Imperial Hunting Grounds were located on the south side of the Xingan Mountain Range and had a lot of unique products. The locals often went out to gather medicinal nts and woulde back with rare species. How could Xiaocao, who was excited by all of this newness, possibly go home empty handed?


    ¡°Korean pine nuts, tasty delicious pine nuts...¡± Maybe it was because he noticed that the eldest imperial prince and Xiaocao looked like half-grown children, but the uncle selling nuts enthusiastically called out to them.


    In her past life, Yu Xiaocao loved snacking on pine nuts the most. However, because Korean pines [1] were slowly decreasing in number during that time, the amount of Korean pine nuts that were produced had also decreased, so she never had the chance to try any then. She arrived in front of the nut peddler and picked up a plump pine nut and asked, ¡°Can I taste this ah?¡±


    ¡°Honored customer, feel free to try as many as you like! The pine nuts I have here are fat and very tasty. I guarantee that you can¡¯t stop from eating just one!¡± The older uncle grinned until his eyes closed into a line.


    These fresh pine nuts had a very special nutty fragrance and eating one spread the aroma throughout one¡¯s mouth. As expected, these pine nuts were much more delicious than the ones she had bought off of the inte in her past life. Yu Xiaocao bought out the merchant¡¯s entire stock of Korean pine nuts and also bought some hickory nuts and hazelnuts.


    The hazelnuts and hickory nuts she bought were still in their shells so it was a bit difficult to eat them. However, didn¡¯t she have Zhu Junyang by her side who was skilled at everything and was thus her own personal ¡®nutcracker¡¯ ah? Nuts that took her forever to crack open only took a little pressure from his hand to pop open, revealing the delicious nut meat inside. Thus, Zhu Junyang was in charge of cracking the nuts while Xiaocao and the eldest imperial prince ate them. It was a perfect pairing.


    Other than nuts, there were also merchants selling fur pelts. However,pared to the fur pelts that Royal Prince Yang brought backst year, these pelts were of much inferior quality. Yu Xiaocao only nced at the offerings and then quickly lost interest in the fur merchants.


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s personal luggage carriage had arrived before them. Xiaocao invited the eldest imperial prince to sit in her carriage for a bit.


    Zhu Hanwen wasn¡¯t very interested in sitting down again but when he found out that Xiaocao was nning on squeezing fresh fruit juice for him and was even going to add ice, he was immediately hooked. He had heard from his friends that the Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastry Shop made the best snacks that were suited for the summer. He knew that his imperial father had gone out a few times incognito to eat at the frozen desert store. He had once begged his imperial father to bring him along so he could try but his father had given the excuse that ¡®little children are not allowed to eat ice¡¯ to refuse his request!


    He naturally knew that the frozen dessert and pastry store was owned by Feudal Princess Jinan. The store¡¯s iced drinks and desserts all came from her hands. Now, on the road, they were limited by their circumstances so he couldn¡¯t eat any frozen desserts. However, he was able to drink some fresh-pressed fruit juice that was iced with no problems!


    Zhu Hanwen entered Xiaocao¡¯s personal carriage and Zhu Junyang used the excuse of guarding the eldest imperial prince to also shamelessly enter as well. Zhu Hanwen disdained the other prince¡¯s actions inwardly, ¡®No wonder Imperial Father always says that Royal Prince Yang sticks to Feudal Princess Jinan like glue. He acts as if he has to keep the wolves, other men, from her at all times. It¡¯s truly as Imperial Father says. I¡¯m only a seven to eight year old child, yet he doesn¡¯t feelfortable letting the two of us sit in one carriage. He¡¯s truly too much!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang: ¡®This prince isn¡¯t sticking to other people¡¯s wives, so what¡¯s wrong with me sticking around my future little wife ah? Is there anything wrong with that ah? Little brat, wait until you get older and you start understanding things!¡¯


    The outside of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s carriage looked quite normal but the inside was very spacious and had also incorporated many design elements that she had proposed. Zhu Junyang had helped her acquire many of the more exotic items contained in her carriage. For example, she was currently holding a hand-held juicer in her hands and this instrument was something that she had described. Zhu Junyang had written out what she wanted and had hired a foreign artisan to create her equipment.


    This time, Xiaocao had brought along Wutong and Yingchun as her two personal maidservants. She also took the two maidservants that Zhu Junyang had given to her who knew some martial arts to act as bodyguards for her. She had Wutong bring out a few snow pears and bunches of grapes from the back storage, clean them with water, and then cut the snow pears into small chunks.


    Zhu Hanwen curiously watched as Xiaocao stuffed the chunks of snow pears into that odd contraption made of wood. After she cranked something that faintly resembled a hand, pure snow pear juice slowly flowed out of another opening into a transparent ss cup.


    ¡°Wow! That¡¯s so interesting. May this prince try as well?¡± Zhu Hanwen, after all, had a child¡¯s heart and was eager to try after watching this happen.


    Yu Xiaocao used a damp handkerchief to wipe his hands clean and then slowly let him try. The principle behind the juice maker was quite simple. By using an inward spiral, it could crush the flesh of the fruit and press out juice. The raw juice would then flow through a filtering area and pure juice would flow out in the end. Using it was also quite easy, so Zhu Hanwen quickly became familiar with it and started to y with relish.

 Chapter 524 – Imperial Hunting Grounds

    <h4>Chapter 524 ¨C Imperial Hunting Grounds</h4>


    Cup after cup of juice was pressed. In addition to snow pear juice, there was also grape juice. Zhu Hanwen drank a cup of snow pear juice with honey added in and started on his pressed juice business again. The juice was sent to the emperor and empress by his personal eunuch apanying them. Upon hearing that it was pressed by their son, they were deeply moved by the little guy¡¯s filial piety. The juice tasted even better now.


    At noon, the summer¡¯s heat was giving off its full power. Prince Jing, who was on horseback, saw the cups of many different colored juices that were sent out from the back of the group. He touched the water bag at his waist that had been empty for a long time andmented that he had a fake son. Even at seven to eight years old, the eldest imperial prince knew to be filial to the emperor and empress. His son, on the other hand, would follow behind the little girl whenever he had free time. s... the moral degeneration of the world was getting worse day by day!


    Before he could finishmenting, Dong Dali, Zhu Junyang¡¯s bodyguard and servant, came over carefully with a cup of snow pear juice. ¡°Your Highness, are you thirsty? This is our master¡¯s filial piety towards you!¡±


    ¡°Was it personally pressed by that boy?¡± The gloominess in Prince Jing¡¯s heart disappeared and his eyes shone with pride. After taking the juice, he didn¡¯t forget to unt it to the other members of the imperial family around him.


    Dong Dali seemed to know what the prince was thinking and said in a loud voice, ¡°Yes, Your Highness, it was personally pressed by our master! Have a drink first. If there isn¡¯t enough, there¡¯s also grape juice, tangerine juice, and pomegranate juice!¡±


    Prince Jing finished drinking the sweet and thirst-quenching snow pear juice in one breath. He purposely smacked his lips and said, ¡°Go, let that boy squeeze a cup of grape juice for his father again! I didn¡¯t expect thatss Xiaocao to bring so many fruits. It¡¯s been more than half a month but she still has more in stock!¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s luggage carriages could be considered to be a line of supply carts. In fruits alone, she had brought along five carts, and all were preserved with ice. There were also ingredients to make all kinds of pastries, seasonings for grilling meat, etc. Everything that needed to be there was there. Zhu Junyang onceughed at her, saying that she could open a food shop at the imperial hunting grounds.


    At the time, Yu Xiaocao thought, ¡®Do you really think I¡¯m willing to bring so much food along? Did you ever think that, as a small sixth-rank official in a group of first and second ranking officials, anyone could crush me to death?¡¯ If she brought less food along, after being robbed by one person and having another take something else, would she have any left for herself?


    In fact, right now was a prime example. The eldest imperial prince pressed cup after cup of juice for fun. In no time, dozens of catties of fruit had gone down and he still hadn¡¯t stopped pressing juice. ¡®Eldest Imperial Prince, are you trying to burst the stomachs of the emperor and empress?¡¯


    Luckily, Zhu Junyang persuaded him to stop. After he pressed two more cups of juice for Prince Jing, Yu Xiaocao thought about it for a moment. She didn¡¯t have any rtives to show filial piety to. The only one who was qualified to apany the emperor was her godfather, who had a post at the port in Tanggu Town. She lifted the curtains and looked out towards the white figure beside the bright yellow carriage. An immortal like figure appeared in front of her eyes. Yu Xiaocao pressed a cup of snow pear juice and sent Wutong over with it.


    The emperor and empress drank the fruit juice happily at first. Later on, they sipped on the juice with a bitter look on their faces while holding their stomachs. In the end, there were cups full of juice on the carriage. Su Ran could tell the eldest imperial prince was addicted to ying with the juice presser as he sent cup after cup of juice over. The emperor and empress were unwilling to share the fruit juice that their son had personally made with other people, so they could only drink until they were stuffed!


    They drank until they were about to burst but at least they were still better off than those who couldn¡¯t even drink one cup, right? Su Ran took a nce at the emperor who had a look of satisfaction on his face. Sadness suddenly rose in his heart. If he hadn¡¯t entered the pce back then, would he have a family of his own right now? Children might be ying around his knees and filially bringing him a cup of tea...


    ¡°Sir Su, our young miss has asked this servant to bring you a cup of juice. Please enjoy it!¡± Although she had seen Head Steward Su a few times before, Wutong was still impressed by his beautiful appearance and face. How could someone be so handsome and unique...


    Su Ran, who had been interrupted out of his thoughts, nced at the snow-white pear juice. The transparent cup had crystal clear water droplets on the outside. Thatss, Xiaocao, was so attentive. She knew that he liked to eat cold foods and added ice to the juice. Su Ran¡¯s eyes softened and an intoxicating soft light flooded his gaze. If Xiaocao saw his expression right now, she would be dazzled by it.


    He took the snow pear juice and took a sip of it with his slightly red lips. A refreshing sweetness seeped into his heart. The mncholy and unwillingness in his heart seemed to follow the cool taste into his heart, turning into sweet juice.


    At his age, if he had married early, he would have a child of about twelve to thirteen years of age. If he had a daughter, would she be smart, capable, attentive, and kind like thatss Xiaocao?


    The cup of juice was downed in one gulp. Su Ran¡¯s heart felt slightly mncholy¡ª¡ªif he wasn¡¯t a eunuch, taking the Yu Family¡¯sss as a goddaughter would¡¯ve been a good choice. Unfortunately, with his position and identity, it would only bring thess a lot of trouble and make her aughingstock. It was better this way, not too far and not too close, observing her silently. When it was necessary, he¡¯d help. This was the best choice!


    A cup of juice being sent out caught many people¡¯s attention. Lu Hao of the Yulin Division took advantage of the break during shift changes and came to Xiaocao¡¯s carriage after wiping his face to ask for some fruit juice to drink.


    The eldest imperial prince hadn¡¯t yed enough and excitedly said, ¡°Beloved Official Lu has worked hard. I¡¯d like to reward you with a cup of juice that I pressed...¡±


    Lu Hao didn¡¯t expect the prince to also be there. In a panic, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare let Your Highness work for me. Let Miss Yu¡¯s servant girl press a cup for this subject!¡±


    After finishing the cup of juice in a couple of gulps, he quickly left. He was afraid that the eldest imperial prince would reward him with a cup of juice. Even though the emperor and empress couldn¡¯t finish the juices personally pressed by the eldest imperial prince, they still weren¡¯t given to others. If they found out that he had drunk the juice pressed by their son, he didn¡¯t know how they would think!


    With Lu Hao as an example, several of the noble youngdies who were on friendly terms with Yu Xiaocao, along with Ning Donghuan and his brother who were thick-skinned enough toe up, all came to ask for juice. They also asked that ice should be added. They really thought of her ce as a mobile juice stand and the kind that was free too! Just when Yingchun came up with a bitter look on her face and stated that they were running out of fruits from the cart behind them, they finally arrived at the temporary imperial residence for the imperial hunting grounds.


    The temporary imperial residence was built in a hurry with limited funds. Compared to the tourist attractions of her past life, it was simpler. Fortunately, the scenery nearby made up for the furnishing of the temporary imperial residence. The forest here was lush. There was plenty of water and nts, and, from time to time, hawks and falcons would fly across the sky giving a different sense of feelingpared to the innernds.


    The hunt was scheduled to begin on the next day. After a short rest, Yu Xiaocao came to the meadow outside the temporary imperial pce and looked out towards the thousand acres of grasnds. Not far away, under the double peaks surrounded by clouds and shadows, the Yixun river rushed down. The vast grasnd was dotted with wildflowers. This pure and natural scenery opened up people¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°How is it, not bad right?¡± The emperor¡¯s voice rang out from behind her and he stopped her from giving a salute. Zhu Junfan sighed, ¡°In my past life, I heard that the Mn imperial hunting grounds was ¡®the source of water, the hometown of the clouds, the world of flowers and the ocean of forest.¡¯ Unfortunately, I never had the chance to go see it. This life, I can finally fulfill my wish.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Su Ran who was behind the emperor and blinked a few times thinking, ¡®The emperor trusts Sir Su so much that he even talks about past lives and this life in front of him without any hindrance. Mmm...there¡¯s something between them! One has the manner of delicate beauty, while the other is rich and handsome. One is handsome beyondpare, while the other has the looks of immortal beauty. A perfect match of a domineering power and gentle beauty¡ª¡ªOuch! Who hit me?¡¯


    ¡°What are you thinking about? That pair of shifty eyes of yours hasn¡¯t stopped roving around. There can¡¯t be anything good going on in that mind, right?¡± Zhu Junfan pulled back the fan that he had used to hit her and turned his gaze back out towards the grasnd.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth moved but she didn¡¯t tell the truth in the end. Her neck was too fragile to survive an encounter with the guillotine the emperor used to chop off people¡¯s heads. It also wouldn¡¯t survive being snapped in two by Sir Su. She changed the subject, ¡°Grey skies, vast wilderness, cattle and sheep can be seen in the grass blown by the wind! Why can¡¯t you see herds of cattle and sheep? I¡¯d want to try the vor of a whole roasted sheep!¡±


    Zhu Junfan chuckled, ¡°This is the imperial hunting grounds, which wasmandeered by us. Naturally, you won¡¯t see themon people releasing cattle or sheep! It¡¯s rumored that there are bighorn sheep and wild deer in the forest on this grasnd. When ites time, there won¡¯t be any less for you to eat!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, aren¡¯t you the most frugal and diligent? How can you think of wasting money to create an imperial hunting ground for autumn hunting?¡± Yu Xiaocao was looking for something to talk about and casually picked a question to ask.


    Zhu Junfan raised his eyebrows at her and the corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile, ¡°Weren¡¯t those transmigration novels popr in our past lives? Weren¡¯t there a lot of female readers? I don¡¯t believe that you have seen any of them! Tell me, are you on the side of the fourth prince or the eighth prince [1] ?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s the fourth prince. Although the gentle, jadelike, honest gentleman eighth prince is very attractive, the fourth prince is more to my taste. He is cold on the outside and warm on the inside. In public, he¡¯s just an ice prince; however, in private, he turns into a loyal dog! That¡¯s the type I like!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes brightened. She didn¡¯t expect the emperor to have the same pursuits as her in his past life!


    Zhu Junfan¡¯s eyes shed with a bantering light and he made a loud ¡®Oh¡¯ in assent. Then, he quipped, ¡°No wonder then! No wonder you chose Zhu Junyang that sullen man!¡±


    ¡°What choice or no choice? Did I have a chance to choose?¡± The current her wasbeled by Royal Prince Yang. It was too unfair. If that guy changed his mind, she would die alone. s... this patriarchal society was truly too unfair!


    Zhu Junfan gossipy heart flourished, and, with the face of a gossiping woman, he asked, ¡°Tell the truth, if you had to choose between Ning Donn, who is elegant andparable to a gentleman, and Zhu Junyang, who is majestic, cold and stern, how would you make your decision?¡±


    ¡°Ning Donn? What does this have to do with him? I¡¯m not familiar with him, ok? Although his appearance is very pleasing to me, I¡¯m not a person who likes to just look at a person¡¯s appearance! Besides, my Zhu Junyang¡¯s appearance isn¡¯t any worse than his, alright?¡± Yu Xiaocao was audacious enough to obviously roll her eyes at the emperor.


    Su Ran looked appreciatively on the sidelines and thought, ¡®Thisss¡¯s courage can¡¯t bepared to that of ordinary people.¡¯ Maybe it was because the two people came from the same ce. When they spoke, there wasn¡¯t any care about the difference between monarch and subject or the distinction between superiors and inferiors.


    Zhu Junfan grinned evilly and continued, ¡°¡®My¡¯ Zhu Junyang? Looks like you¡¯ve already made the choice in your mind. I pity Ning Donn, the embers of love are going to be put out heartlessly before they can even be ignited...¡±


    [1] Zhu Junfan is referring to the novel Bubu Jingxin. It was made into a very famous television drama called Scarlet Heart. In the story, the main character has to choose between the Eight Prince and the Fourth Prince.

 Chapter 525 – Inferior Horse, Divine Steed

    <h4>Chapter 525 ¨C Inferior Horse, Divine Steed</h4>


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense! Which eye of yours saw Ning Donn¡¯s favorable impression toward me? He¡¯s gentle toward everyone, alright? You¡¯re the emperor, don¡¯t be like a gossiping woman, it¡¯s really painful to look at!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to continue on this subject. If Zhu Junyang heard this and became overwhelmingly jealous, it wouldn¡¯t be fun!


    Since rebirth, it was the first time he heard such impolite words directed towards him. Zhu Junfan poked her and huffed, ¡°You dare say I¡¯m a gossiping woman and that it hurts to look at? Lass, do you know how to write the word ¡®death¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m illiterate in this life as I didn¡¯t go to school!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that the other party didn¡¯t have any signs of anger, so she stuck out her tongue and made a face at him.


    ¡°Do you want me to teach you?¡± Zhu Junfan revealed a sinister expression.


    Yu Xiaocao blinked herrge eyes innocently and smiled tteringly at him, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, you deal with a myriad of important matters every day, so I won¡¯t bother you. Besides, this word is too unlucky. It¡¯s better to learn more auspicious words like ¡®Imperial Gift¡¯, ¡®Reward¡¯, and ¡®Promotion¡¯ ah!¡±


    ¡°Dream on!¡± Zhu Junfan gave her a sidelong re and continued on the previous topic, ¡°You¡¯ve seen so many transmigration romance stories, so aren¡¯t you curious about the Mn Autumn Hunting Grounds of this world?¡±


    ¡°So you made this hunting ground to satisfy your curiosity?¡± Yu Xiaocao refused to admit that she was also interested in the Autumn Hunts from the Qing Dynasty.


    Zhu Junfan showed a pleased expression and said, ¡°In the past, I was concerned about the hardship of the people and the empty treasury. Aren¡¯t the lives of the people better and the country is bing more prosperous with peaceful people because I discovered your talents? What¡¯s wrong with having an Autumn Hunt that the subject and the emperor can enjoy together to celebrate? Oh, by the way, having such an event can also frighten and pacify the foreign tribes outside the borders. So what¡¯s wrong with having this happen?¡±


    All of sudden, Xiaocao pointed toward the people on horsebacking towards them from afar and asked uncertainly, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, there¡¯s people racing horses on your imperial hunting ground and no one is taking charge of it? Isn¡¯t the management too bad?¡±


    Zhu Junfan¡¯s eyes were quite keen. He saw the white-haired elderly man in the center clearly and with a wry smile said, ¡°No matter how brave the management is, they wouldn¡¯t dare try to manage him. Even if it was me, I wouldn¡¯t dare to stop him from using the imperial hunting grounds as a horse racetrack!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also saw who was taking the lead and asked in surprise, ¡°Eh? The emperor emeritus? When did hee? Howe we didn¡¯t see him on the road?¡±


    ¡°He thought the carriages were going too slow, so he took a few bodyguards and came ahead on horseback...¡± As he said this, the emperor emeritus and his group approached them swiftly. Xhu Junfan hurriedly expressed his concerns, ¡°Grandfather, you should slow down. Age isn¡¯t merciful, so you should take it easy!¡±


    ¡°Haha... I¡¯ve practiced for several decades with the army here in the northeast. I¡¯m quite fond of this piece of grasnd, so I still think of it! Unfortunately, inter times, the air in this ce is no longer as fresh and the sky is also not as clear!¡± The over sixty year old emperor emeritus agilely jumped off of his horse¡¯s back and onto the ground. The skill he showed was very robust as if he had gone back to his twenties and thirties when he was still fighting on horseback.


    This was also thanks to Xiaocao¡¯s medicinal food, which helped nurture his body. Three or four years ago, he would need help getting on and off the horse! At that time, he often eximed, ¡°A hero¡¯s old age is the setting sun!¡± Unexpectedly, the medicinal food he impatiently ate was actually quite effective.


    In the past, it was the old head steward begging him and watching him eat it. Now, he would ask for a bowl on his own. On one hand, it was because he learned about the effects of medicinal food, but on the other hand, it was because the taste of the food wasn¡¯t too shabby.


    Su Ran¡¯s eyes shed. From the emperor emeritus¡¯s tone, he could tell that the emperor emeritus came from the same ce as the emperor and Yu Xiaocao. Earlier when the emperor used the phrase ¡®past life¡¯, Xiaocao, thatss, secretly looked at him. Could it be...that they all reincarnated with the memories of their previous lives? The emperor emeritus should have been a senior general who had been in the army for decades. The emperor¡¯s past life...he should have been a shipbuilder? This exined why, when he was young, he was able to supervise the design and building of a fleet of ocean-worthy ships. In Miss Yu¡¯s past life, she was good at farming, cooking, and preserving good health? By pure ident, Chief Steward Su had actually felt his way to the doorway of truth!


    The old head steward wasn¡¯t surprised by the ¡®crazy words¡¯ of the emperor emeritus anymore and his bodyguards also knew what could and what couldn¡¯t be said. The old head steward nced at Su Ran, and the two of them exchanged a look that had a tacit understanding.


    ¡°Greetings towards Your Imperial Majesty¡± Yu Xiaocao took advantage of the gap between the two people talking to give a salute to the old yet strong emperor emeritus.


    The emperor emeritus saw her and his eyes narrowed into a smile, ¡°Lass Xiaocao is here too! Looks like the meal for tonight will be quite good!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyelids twitched a bit and she had the feeling that she was being used as a cook. ¡®The emperor is out on a tour apanied by his imperial chefs. Could you guys quit thinking of me?¡¯


    As if he could see into the littless¡¯s mind, the emperor emeritus¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t happy as he said, ¡°Now that I¡¯m back to my old ce, I want to eat some authentic northeastern food but no one is serving any. It¡¯s really annoying! I¡¯ve eaten all at all the restaurants and eateries nearby, and I still can¡¯t find that feeling from the past! Xiaocao, when I was Dongshan Vige and ate the pork stewed with vermicelli you made, that was the taste that I was looking for!¡±


    Since it already came to this, could Yu Xiaocao still refuse? Let alone the fact that it was the emperor emeritus making this request, even if it was an ordinary old man missing the taste of home, she still couldn¡¯t refuse! Yu Xiao maintained the smile on her face and said, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, this subject doesn¡¯t know many dishes from the northeast. I hope you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Not disappointed, not disappointed!¡± The emperor emeritus guffawed and said, ¡°As long as it¡¯s made by you, the taste definitely can¡¯t be bad. Let the people in charge of the temporary imperial residence buy the ingredients you need. Oh right! I have some wild pheasants here that I hunted. Ask whether the temporary imperial residence bought any mushrooms yet. Do you know how to make ¡®stewed mushrooms with chicken¡¯ ah?¡±


    Stewed mushrooms with chicken wasn¡¯t a difficult dish, so who didn¡¯t know how to make it? She was just afraid that the taste of the one she made would be different from the one that was in his memory. Yu Xiaocao showed an expression of reluctance. The most difficult food to make was recreating a taste from memory because it was the hardest to replicate.


    How could the emperor emeritus not see her reluctance? Heughed more heartily, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m not a picky person. Make it however you want! It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s not good!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao resignedly went back to the temporary imperial residence. In the small kitchen, in the emperor emeritus¡¯s courtyard, she started to get busy. That evening there was stewed mushrooms with chicken, sweet and sour crispy pork, three treasures from the earth [1] , crispy fried pork, northeastern hotpotch [2] , plus pork stewed with vermicelli at the table. All of these dishes were authentic northeastern dishes. Taking into ount the spicy tastes of the emperor, she also made several Sichuan dishes as well. This made all four generations of the imperial family, from the grandparent to the great-grandchildren, enjoy their meal with relish!


    That¡¯s right, in addition to the emperor emeritus and emperor, Prince Jing and the eldest imperial prince were also at the table. Prince Jing said this was the first time he ate northeastern food. He was the son of the emperor emeritus, so their tastes were simr. The sweet and sour crispy pork and crispy fried pork were quite to his liking. The father and son pair basically ended up eating these two dishes in their entirety.


    The arrival of the eldest imperial prince allowed Xiaocao to add two dishes that children liked¡ª¡ªsweet and sour pork chops and roasted chicken wings. Zhu Hanwen ate the pork chops and chicken wings one by one. His small mouth grew a ¡®mustache¡¯ as he ate. Paired with fresh juice, he ate until his stomach was round. A little eunuch was told to take him on a long walk to aid with digestion before allowing him to return to his pce to rest.


    Zhu Junyang took pity on her for cooking so many dishes and apanied her to explore the grasnd under the moonlight. Galloping on the grasnds was what Xiaocao had in mind that afternoon. Sadly, it was ruined by the emperor and emperor emeritus. Tonight was the fifteenth and the moon was bright. The grasnd seemed to be covered with a snow-white frost, which added a sense of mystery to the vast meadow.


    The two horses, Little Red and Fierce Wind, were itching to have a go! Little Red, in particr, could rarely run to her heart¡¯s content. Usually, she was either in the city itself or in the suburbs of the capital and had to be content with holding back her speed. Upon seeing the boundless green grasnd, she had long been unable to hold back. As soon as her master gave the order, she immediately spread her hooves and rushed out like lightning. Luckily Xiaocao and her horse seemed to be linked through their hearts. If it were anyone else, they would¡¯ve been thrown off.


    Fierce Wind didn¡¯t decline this challenge. He didn¡¯t wait for his master¡¯s orders and instead shot off after Little Red like it was a conditioned reflex. One ck figure and one red figure turned into shadows under the moonlight, galloping together. It appeared incredibly harmonious, natural, and beautiful.


    The two people seemed to have let go of the reins, allowing the two horses to gallop freely. They were on the imperial hunting grounds anyway, so they would never get lost no matter how far they ran. Besides, the two horses were intelligent and could remember the path. Fierce Wind was exceptionally intelligent. He once brought his master, who was unconscious and wounded, back to camp from the battlefield and had been turned into a legend!


    After the two riders had enjoyed their ride, they slowed down and trotted along the road. Zhu Junyang took a look at Little Red, who was no worse than the Ferghana Horse under him and had a sh of inspiration. He suddenly asked, ¡°Xiaocao, are you sure your horse is just amon breed?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao scratched her head, not knowing how to answer. This was because Little Red¡¯s change had a lot to do with her feeding it mystic stone water, but an inferior foal suddenly growing up to be a quality horse, wasn¡¯t there something wrong with that?


    ¡°What¡¯s there that you can¡¯t tell me? The secret you have...do you think I¡¯m so stupid that I can¡¯t tell?¡± Xiaocao¡¯s mistrust towards him made Zhu Junyang feel pain in his heart. He thought that with their rtionship, the defenses in her heart would have been long gone and they could open their hearts to each other.


    Yu Xiaocao heard this and her eyes widened. Under the moonlight, a glimmer of surprise climbed up on her face that was as fine as jade. She pondered a moment and conservatively said, ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t know if Little Red intelligence came from what her breeding or if it was more rted to how I raised her. I don¡¯t know much about horses. However, when my godfather gave me her, he once said he would let me ride it first. When I got older, he nned on getting me a better horse. ¡±


    ¡°General Fang has a way of looking at horses. From what he was saying, it sounds like that Little Red should originally have been an inferior horse...¡± Before Zhu Junyang could finish his thought, Little Red, who had beenbeled a bad quality horse, became unhappy and let out an angry hiss. In retaliation, she turned her head to bite Fierce Wind, ¡®I can¡¯t afford to offend your master, so I¡¯ll use you to vent my anger instead!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao quickly pacified Little Red and put a piece of sugar made with mystic-stone water into her mouth. Little Red chewed on the rock sugar contently. To the coveting Fierce Wind, she shot a proud look¡ª¡ª¡®I won¡¯t let you eat any! Just watch as I annoy you to death!¡¯


    [1] three treasures from the earth ¨C stir fried potatoes, eggnt and sweet peppers


    [2] northeastern hotpotch ¨C potato, bean, Chinese cabbage, eggnt, wood ear and random vegetables stewed with pork belly

 Chapter 526 – Support

    <h4>Chapter 526 ¨C Support</h4>


    ¡°Let me guess. You probably have some sort of treasure that can increase the yield of crops, improve the properties of medicines, make food taste better...and help inferior horses be superior ones, right?¡± Zhu Junyang cautiously stated his thoughts as if he was afraid this ¡®little snail¡¯ would be startled and retreat away.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered with an evasive light and she no longer met Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes as she nibbled on her bottom lip. She smiled unnaturally and said, ¡°Your imagination is truly too out there ah? Is there truly such a treasure that is that powerful?¡±


    [I can¡¯t sense any greed or desire to snatch things from you at all. This divine stone believes that he can be trusted. How about you be honest with him for once?] The little divine stone quietly gave her a reminder in order to avoid these two having a gap between them because of this in the future. Oftentimes, a split between two people started from doubting and concealing secrets from each other.


    From the way she was acting, Zhu Junyang had already gotten the answer he had wanted. He was absolutely spot on with his guess. Whenever the littless was feeling unconfident, she always had some tell-tale signs. For example, her eyes would always shift back and forth and avoid meeting his eyes directly, or she would start picking incessantly at her own nails, or she would lower her head and y with her hair. Currently, she was pretending to be fascinated by some clouds in the sky and was looking at them quite intently.


    He rubbed her small head and smiled, ¡°Alright ah, this prince won¡¯t force you to tell me! I believe that one day my sincerity will finally move you. I have plenty of patience to wait until you trust me heart and soul and are willing to open yourself to me.¡±


    The guilt within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart started to bubble and expand as if it was proofing dough being fermented with yeast. She lowered her head and used the toe of her foot to kick at a patch of grass as she quietly said, ¡°I...it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but it¡¯s hard to truly understand a person¡¯s heart. No one would willingly try to gamble and take a risk on the darkness of people¡¯s hearts. I don¡¯t want to lose the happiness I have right now and don¡¯t want to lose the you who protects and cherishes me with all your heart...please forgive me for being cowardly and cautious...¡±


    Although Zhu Junyang felt a bit downcast at this, the littless¡¯s deste mood made him feel sorry again. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have chosen this time to force her but he really wanted to create a new cavalry unit that was armed with the new firearms. This cavalry required many good horses of high caliber. After inspecting the horses that were being raised by some noble families, he discovered that none of their horses met his requirements...


    ¡°Xiaocao, on this hunt, I was trying to find an expert at raising horses and was nning on spending a lot of money to help this prince train and raise horses¡ª¡ªyou¡¯re willing to help me, am I right?¡± Zhu Junyang tactfully expressed what he wanted. The littless had a nimble mind and could definitely understand what he was hinting at within his words.


    Raise and breed horses? Yu Xiaocao raised her head to look at him with a somewhat bbergasted expression on her face. From the profound smile on his face, she was able to understand what he wanted. The twenty year old Zhu Junyang had already revealed his outstanding talent at leading and training troops. This was the reason why the emperor was willing to allow him to manage the usage of these new firearms.


    For elite troops, relying on soldiers alone was not enough, especially when they had to fight against those tribes that fought on horseback. The cavalry currentlycked good steeds for their soldiers and it was a ring weakness of theirs. For the Great Ming Empire, the vast majority of good horses hade from outsiders during trade.


    Naturally, those nomad tribes who lived on the central ins constantly eyed the empire. During winter, they would oftene to raid. Thus, how could they possibly trade their best horses away to their future enemy? Even if the Great Ming Empire was asionally able to get one to two good horses, after generations of breeding, the quality of the animals had naturally be more average...


    Zhu Junyang was determined to create a set of elite troops that could sweep away anything. Thus, he was naturally very anxious to find a way to supply his men with good horses, right? Yu Xiaocao could vaguely sense through those dark eyes of his a bit of desire and hope.


    She clenched her two hands into fists and made a decision. It was always him silently helping and protecting her all of these years. Feelings naturally didn¡¯t only exist from one side. It was time for her to sacrifice something for him now!


    A brilliant smile blossomed on her face and Yu Xiaocao¡¯s bright eyes met that handsome and manly face, ¡°As long as you need me and as long as I can do it, I absolutely will help you with all I can!!¡±


    The two of them stared at each other for a long time and they both revealed happy smiles. Zhu Junyang leaned over on his horse and gently raised that delicate and small body into his arms. He embraced her soft and lovely body into his chest and muttered in a deep voice, ¡°Cao¡¯er, meeting you was the luckiest moment of my life!¡±


    ¡°Young Miss!¡± The two of them suddenly heard Yingchun shrilly shouting next to her. Apparently, without noticing, their two horses had wandered back to the vicinity of the temporary imperial residence and they had been seen by the two maidservants.


    Xiaocao felt a bit ufortable under the using looks of her maids. Zhu Junyang chuckled lightly and she could feel the chest behind her rumble. She couldn¡¯t help but reach out a hand to grab some flesh from his waist and cruelly pinch down. It seemed like he didn¡¯t have an extra ounce of flesh on his waist, so even her hand felt tired trying to pinch down on his rock-hard muscle. The fellow seemed to not feel anything either.


    ¡°If this prince doesn¡¯t let you down soon, do you think your loyal and protective little maidservant wille up here and try to rip me apart?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice was full of mirth, ¡°Argh...such a pity, I wanted to hold onto you for longer ah! Xiaocao is so soft and fragrant. It feels so nice to hug you...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao forcefully jabbed back her elbow and hit that fellow¡¯s steel-like abdomen. She growled angrily, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a toy ah? That you can hug me whenever you want? Let me go, this maiden wants to get down!¡±


    Zhu Junyang easily jumped off his horse. He held onto the littless¡¯s thin waist and slightly raised her a bit before finally putting her down, ¡°You¡¯re too skinny. I could probably snap your waist in two with one hand. In the future, you¡¯re not allowed to be picky with food. You need to eat more, especially more meat...¡±


    ¡°Are you done ah? You¡¯re like a nagging housewife! I don¡¯t have time to pay attention to you!¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her nose up high in a spoiled manner and shook off his hands as she headed towards the temporary imperial residence inrge strides. She left with a parting sentence, ¡°When your horse-breeding center has opened, remember to tell me. I will go over and help you a bit. I have a lucky star guiding me and I¡¯m extremely lucky. What¡¯s wrong with lending you a bit of luck ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang watched as the littless¡¯s figure slowly disappeared in the distance and a slight sense of happiness washed over him. Although the littless didn¡¯t tell her secret to him, from what she was telling him, she could absolutely be of great help in breeding better horses. The clever little girl must have understood his ambitions and would do her best to help him reach his goals!


    Right now, the first thing he needed to do was find a ¡®expert horse breeder¡¯ to help cover for the littless. Hm..st time, in battle, he had saved someone who had a mix of Han and Tartar blood. It was said that this guy had helped the Tartars raise their horses. Mhm! He would be perfect for the role!


    The night passed uneventfully. The next day was the first day of the big hunt. The hunting grounds had been split up into thirty-six different areas. First, the head steward of the whole area took the cavalry out to surround the outskirts of the grounds in a tight. Then, they slowly closed the circle and drove the game closer together.


    There were also some soldiers who had disguised themselves with deer masks and hid within the forests as they blew on whistles that mimicked the sounds of wild deer. As the herds of deer slowly got closer together, it would also attract some animals who were their predators over.


    As the circle got smaller and smaller, the areas that the wild animals could move in also got smaller. Once the wild beasts were concentrated to a certain point, the hunt could begin.


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, the time hase. Please, take the lead!¡± The head steward hade over to report on the matters.


    The sons of the imperial family had all been trained in equestrian archery since they were young. Thus, shooting down a wild animal congregated in the thicket wasn¡¯t a difficult task for Zhu Junfan. He took out a hunting bow that was borately decorated and drew an arrow out of his quiver. He faced a herd of deer that wasn¡¯t far from him and aimed at a tall and sturdy buck.


    The arrow flew and hit the buck squarely in the neck. After struggling for a bit, the deer fell heavily to the ground and the rest of the startled herd scattered in fright. Following that, it should have been the imperial sons and grandsons taking the lead. Unfortunately, the oldest imperial prince hadn¡¯t reached the age of eight yet and the bow in his hands was only a tiny toy to the other people around them. Although Zhu Hanwen wanted to shoot down some game just like his imperial father, the bow in his hands was only strong enough to possibly shoot down some small wild pheasants.


    Zhu Junfan waved a hand, signaling to the princes, dukes, and high-ranked officials that the hunt was officially underway. Furthermore, he took out a few impressive treasures that would be awarded to the first, second, and third ces to those who killed the most game. The prizes weren¡¯t the most important thing. The most important thing was that the winners would be able to show their faces to the emperor! All of the young children from military families who believed that they had good skills rubbed their hands together in anticipation and began to prepare for the hunt.


    Yu Xiaocao was currently riding a horse not far behind the emperor. She looked at the young men who were all sitting tall on their horses and suddenly had a desire to eagerly try as well. However, when she remembered how skinny and thin her arms and legs were and that she probably couldn¡¯t even pull even the lightest bow, she decided that only the little prince¡¯s bow would be suitable for her. Instantly, her interest in hunting on her own waned.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Not going to try to experience it yourself?¡± Zhu Junyang, who was in charge of the safety here, urged his horse over and quietly asked.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and dully said, ¡°What is there to experience for me? When I was in Dongshan Vige, it¡¯s not as if I didn¡¯t experience hunting before. Why do I need to fight for game with these people?¡±


    He Wanning spurred her horse over. She was dressed in bright red riding attire and she held a bow in her hands as she said, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, let¡¯s go! This older sister will take you to go hunting!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never learned any archery. There¡¯s no use bringing me along. You go by yourself and be careful!¡± Yu Xiaocao waved a hand at her.


    He Wanning giggled happily at her and had an exultant smile on her face, ¡°You guys are no fun, did you alle to the Autumn Hunt to take a tour ah? Just watch this older sistere back with a tiger for you!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao grinned back, ¡°Alright, then tonight I¡¯m waiting to eat some tiger meat and drink tiger soup!¡±


    Zhu Junyang gave He Wanning a look full of disdain as he remarked in a voice dripping with poison, ¡°Kill a tiger? You¡¯d better hope the tiger doesn¡¯t chase you and bite you down! Don¡¯t cry when youe back empty-handed because you boasted so much earlier!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to snivel like a child ah!! Can¡¯t you say something nice for once?¡± He Wanning let out a huff and then spoke to Xiaocao, ¡°You should shoo away men like him sooner rather thanter. His words are enough to kill a person!¡±


    After she finished talking, she turned around such that Zhu Junyang could only see the back of her head and spurred her horse towards the hunting area. Behind her were four highly-skilled bodyguards that had been sent over by Marquis Anning¡¯s estate.


    Zhu Junfan had heard the ruckus and hade over. He asked Zhu Junyang, ¡°Yang¡¯er, you¡¯re not going to go out and try?¡±


    ¡°If this official participated, would there be anyone else who couldpete with me for first ce?¡± Zhu Junyang patted his nine stone bow. Whether it was his martial arts skills or his body constitution, he was much stronger than he was four to five years ago. Now, he was able to bend his nine stone bow with ease and wouldn¡¯t end up damaging his arm tendons from pulling it.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 527 – Accompanying on the Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 527 ¨C Apanying on the Hunt</h4>


    Zhu Junfan knew that the bow in his cousin¡¯s hands didn¡¯t look very impressive but it definitely wasn¡¯t something an ordinary person could bend. He curled his lip and thought, ¡®Zhu Junyang, you brat, why does it seem like you¡¯re begging for a spanking now?¡¯


    ¡°This official¡¯s most important task is keeping you, Imperial Majesty, safe!¡± Zhu Junyang had an earnest expression on his face and it made him seem a bit fascinating and charming.


    Zhu Junfan waved a hand in dismissal and said, ¡°We will be close by, shooting a few arrows here and there. There are so many imperial bodyguards along, what sort of danger could befall us? This is a rare opportunity for you to go y, so don¡¯t just hang around here!¡±


    However, Zhu Junyang was not moved by the emperor¡¯s statement and disyed an expression of utter loyalty and willingness toplete his duty. On the other hand, the eldest imperial prince felt a bit restless and asked, ¡°Imperial Father, can I go hunt?¡±


    ¡®You want to go hunting with that little bow that seems like a toy?¡¯ Zhu Junfan raised an eyebrow and looked at his son. It wasn¡¯t that he was looking down on his son. However, a child of around seven to eight really couldn¡¯t do much, despite the fact that he had learned some boxing from the imperial bodyguards. The young prince had only started his lessons on archery, so what could he possibly shoot down now?


    However, Zhu Junfan considered himself to be apassionate father, so he looked in the direction of Yu Xiaocao and said to his son, ¡°You want to go hunting? Go ahead!¡±


    A smile full of happiness unfolded on Zhu Hanwen¡¯s adorable little face. Just as he was about to cheer in glee, he heard his father¡¯s follow up statement, ¡°However...you need to stay by Official Yu¡¯s side the entire time!¡±


    Zhu Hanwen was only happy for about three seconds before his face fell. He remarked unhappily, ¡°Imperial Father, Official Yu is a girl, so how could she know how to hunt ah? If you let me apany her, it¡¯s no better than staying by your side ah!¡±


    ¡°Since my son is so filial, then stay by my side!¡± Zhu Junfan took great pleasure in teasing his son and smiled as if nothing had just happened.


    ¡°Imperial Father...¡± Zhu Hanwen twisted his body around like a python and attempted to act spoiled to have his father change his mind out of softheartedness.


    ¡°Stay here or go hunting with Beloved Official Yu! Those are the only two options you have!¡± Although Zhu Junfan was usually quite kind and sweet to his children, once he came to a decision, it was almost impossible to change his mind.


    The eldest imperial prince naturally knew of this side of his father. He didn¡¯t beg for long before he made his decision, ¡°Then...this son will go hunting for small animals with Official Yu then...¡±


    On the side of all of this, Yu Xiaocao blinked herrge eyes as she thought, ¡®Can¡¯t you two solicit my opinion about all of this before making a decision? When did I ever say that I wanted to go hunting? My own hunting skills are quite bad but I also have to bring along a little tail now? Anyone else would be better. The eldest imperial prince has a lofty status. If he got even mildly injured, who will take the me?¡¯


    ¡°That uh...Imperial Majesty, Imperial Highness, this official doesn¡¯t know how to hunt...¡± Yu Xiaocao interjected weakly.


    The eldest imperial prince immediately replied, ¡°Imperial Father, look...Official Yu doesn¡¯t know how to hunt. Can this son change her for someone else ah? Duke Rongguo¡¯s third son brought two fierce hunting dogs along and they must be very bold. How about we have him apany me instead?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao secretly sneered, ¡®Your Imperial Highness, just how much do you dislike me ah? Why don¡¯t you make it even more clear now? Be careful what you wish for. Next time, you might have to guzzle down some really bitter medicine!¡¯


    This time, the person who spoke was the empress, ¡°Imperial Son, Miss Yu is only being modest when she says that she doesn¡¯t know how to hunt. I heard that when Miss Yu was eight, she often went into the mountains to hunt so she could add some meat to her family¡¯s meals and has never gone home empty-handed. Her father had even killed a ck bear! A talented father will have a talented daughter, so Miss Yu absolutely cannot be too bad!¡±


    The corner of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth twitched when she heard the empress¡¯s words, ¡®You two are really too much! Isn¡¯t the only reason you¡¯re pushing the prince to go along with me is because you both know that I value my own life and naturally won¡¯t go to any dangerous ces? You both truly spare no pains or efforts to keep him safe ah!¡±


    In the past, she had only set a few traps and snares, using the mystic stone water as bait. How could that count as hunting? If they wanted her to use bow and arrows to hunt game, she was pretty sure that even if she shot ten arrows, not a single one would hit unless her luck was sky high. They even brought up her father. If her father truly had the ability to kill a bear on his own, then how could he have almost died after getting his leg savaged by one?


    When Zhu Hanwen heard this, he immediately gazed at Yu Xiaocao with an admiring look in his eyes. He was no longer as reluctant as before. Little children were truly easy to trick!


    Zhu Junfan then added on another incentive, one that was enough topletely convince the eldest imperial prince that going with Yu Xiaocao was a good idea, ¡°Beloved Official Yu, don¡¯t you also have two veryrge and special hunting dogs ah? Even that fellow Ning Donghuan salivates over your massive dogs, so they must be exceptional! Imperial Son, if you go with her, even if you don¡¯t use your bow at all, you¡¯ll be able to get quite a bit of game!¡±


    Even Ning Donghuan envied her for these dogs? Zhu Hanwen¡¯s gaze towards Xiaocao became much more fervent, ¡°Official Yu, where are your hunting dogs? Howe I didn¡¯t see them on the journey here?¡±


    Little ck and Little White had also been given permission to go to the Autumn Hunt. However, in order to not startle any of the horses on the journey there, the two of them could only follow the procession from far behind. When they got to the grasnds, they were like fish in the water and ran so far that no one could see them. asionally, they would remember their master and bring some game back and leave it in front of the temporary imperial residence. The patrolling bodyguards benefited from their gifts.


    Zhu Junfan also voiced his agreement, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Beloved Official Yu seems to like to hide her hunting dogs from the rest of us. If you don¡¯t take them out now to y, when will you? Anything a hunting dog catches is also counted under the master¡¯s game count. Don¡¯t you want to ce highly?¡±


    Get first to third ce? Was it really alright for someone who couldn¡¯t even bend a bow to get in the first three rankings? Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes inwardly but turned to face the prairie and raised her voice to yell, ¡°Little ck, Little White,e here¡ª¡ª¡±


    Zhu Hanwen was currently sitting on his pony and stood up in his stirrups to look afar. His childish face, which still had some baby fat on it, was lit up in anticipation. However, after waiting for a bit, he noticed that there weren¡¯t any signs of movement in the grass and the little fellow became a bit dispirited. He mumbled quietly, ¡°Official Yu, was the sound of your voice too soft such that Little ck and Little White couldn¡¯t hear you? How about you raise your voice a bit louder and yell for them...¡±


    Before he could finish his thought, the little pony beneath him became uneasy and started stomping its hooves restlessly, turning around and around. If it wasn¡¯t for the young eunuch holding tightly onto the reins, the pony might have already started running off uncontrobly. Just like this, there were a couple of times that the prince had almost fallen off the pony. When Zhu Junyang saw this, he hurriedly bent over and pulled the eldest imperial prince onto his horse to sit steadily.


    The other horses in the vicinity also became restless. Fortunately, the horses that the imperial family rode were all carefully picked out and meticulously trained. Thus, people were able to calm them down and restrain them easily.


    At this time, in the distant thickets, a ck and white small dot appeared and speedily headed towards their directions. The small dots becamerger andrger. In the blink of an eye, the eldest imperial prince could make out the full figures of those small dots. The ck and white colored figures looked like very big and fierce dogs.


    Within the span of a couple of breaths, the two massive hunting dogs stopped not far from the group of people. They did so because their master had told them that not every human would be able to tolerate them and treat them with friendliness, so they needed to keep their distance from people they didn¡¯t know.


    Little Red, who had already be a bit impatient, trotted forward when it saw the two wolves without even waiting for its master for an order. It reared up slightly to warmly greet the two wolves. Little White was its usual cold and arrogant self. Little ck, on the other hand, warmly licked Little Red¡¯s hooves to send a greeting back.


    Two pairs of shining blue eyes regarded their master with excitement and intimacy. Xiaocao dismounted from her horse and hugged a furry wolf neck with each arm. Her small hands caressed their heads, mussing up their fur. The two of them clearly enjoyed their master¡¯s pets and closed their eyes in joy and their mouths opened in what looked like a smile.


    ¡°Wow! Official Yu, your dogs are so big and so majestic looking ah!¡± Zhu Hanwen had somehow appeared next to her and had stopped when he was about three steps away. The prince knew that most strong and fierce hunting dogs had some wildness inside. Other than their own masters, they very rarely allowed strangers to get close to them.


    ¡°Imperial Majesty! Those two are clearly...will the eldest imperial prince be in any danger?¡± The head steward in charge of the huntingnds hade across many animals in his time. Naturally, he was able to tell the difference between wolves and dogs. Thus, he was asking this out of concern.


    As the father, Zhu Junwan wasn¡¯t the least bit worried by any of this, ¡°No worries, Official Yu is there!¡±


    As expected, as soon as Little White noticed the boying close, it became wary and wrinkled its snout to start to snarl at Zhu Hanwen. Xiaocao lightly stroked its ears and smiled, ¡°Little White, no need to be so nervous! He¡¯s a friend, not an enemy! Rx a bit! Look closely you two, protecting him today is also your responsibility today ah!¡±


    Zhu Hanwen noticed that Little White¡¯s previous snarling countenance had immediately disappeared and eximed in surprise, ¡°Official Yu, Little White seems to be able to understand what you¡¯re saying!¡±


    Xiaocao turned her head around and beckoned towards him with a hand. The little boy scampered over and bravely attempted to stroke Little White¡¯s soft and silky white fur. However, the arrogant wolf dodged his attempts. Xiaocao spoke to Zhu Hanwen, who had a face full of loss, ¡°Imperial Highness, Little White is a bit bad tempered. Go pet Little ck, he¡¯s much more gentle and amiable!¡±


    Little ck, who had just been sold out by its master, heard its master calling its name and excitedly turned in a circle. Then it shoved itsrge head over to push away Little White and opened its mouth in an attempt to act cute.


    Zhu Hanwen giggled in amusement when he saw therge dog, who was taller than himself, acting adorable for the sake of begging for pets and favors. This ck dog¡¯s eyes seemed to be more gentle and sweet. No wonder Official Yu said that its temperament was a lot better!


    ¡°You can reach out a hand to pet it!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that the eldest imperial prince had scooted over and had a face full of desire to pet, yet he still seemed hesitant. Hisrge eyes were shining with longing and he somehow resembled a tiny puppy begging for a bone to chew on. He was so cute that he made a person want to pinch his chubby little cheeks. In actuality, her hand had already reached over and started to do what she thought of!


    Zhu Hanwen was startled for a moment and he stared nkly at that w that had gone back to its owner. Other than his imperial father and mother, the rest of the people around him either treated him with utmost respect or had an air of ttery around them. No one had ever been so daring to pinch his little face. He didn¡¯t fly into fury because of this. Instead, he felt it was a bit novel and intimate. Official Yu must really like him in order to pinch his face, right?


    Yu Xiaocao sheepishly looked over in the direction of the emperor and empress, praying that the two of them didn¡¯t see her incredibly rude action earlier. When she met the emperor¡¯s eyes, the man regarded her with a faint smile on his face and he turned around as if nothing had happened. Everything was just an illusion, all fake and a figment of your imagination...


    ¡°Eldest Imperial Prince, Little ck is very gentle. Once you be familiar with each other, you can even ride on its back. However, it¡¯s not as steady orfortable as riding a horse, so you need to be careful!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s deliberate attempt at changing the subject was sessful in distracting the little fellow.

 Chapter 528 – A Good Outcome

    <h4>Chapter 528 ¨C A Good Oue</h4>


    Zhu Hanwen stretched out a hand towards Little ck. The head steward of the hunting grounds couldn¡¯t stay calm anymore. If the eldest imperial prince got bitten by a wolf while in the hunting grounds, he wouldn¡¯t be able to take this responsibility ah!


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, even wolves that have been raised since they were young still have a bit of wildness in them. This official worries...¡± The head steward remarked somewhat anxiously.


    When the empress heard this, she revealed a surprised expression and frowned, ¡°Wolves? Wasn¡¯t it said that Miss Yu had raised wolf-dogs ah? How did they be wolves? Emperor, quickly call our imperial son back, it¡¯s too dangerous!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all thinking too much. Just watch, isn¡¯t our imperial son getting along quite splendidly with Little ck ah?¡± Zhu Junfan knew Xiaocao¡¯s abilities. As long as these two wolves didn¡¯t sense any danger, they wouldn¡¯t go against their master¡¯s wishes and attack humans on their own.


    The empress looked over and saw that giant ck wolf with its head cocked looking cutely at her son. Its eyes shined with a gentle and joyful light. Suddenly, her heart squeezed and she tightened her grip on the reins¡ª¡ªthat giant wolf was lowering its head and its immense mouth was getting closer to her son¡¯s tiny hands¡ª¡ªif it bit down now, half of her son might be savaged. How could the empress not be worried?


    In a ce where they couldn¡¯t see, there was a person who couldn¡¯t restrain his excitement. He silently repeatedly to himself, ¡®Bite down, bite down on him! Bite ah! Aren¡¯t you a wolf ah? Isn¡¯t it normal for wolves to eat humans?¡¯ If the eldest imperial prince had a mishap here, then he wouldn¡¯t have to implement any of his ns.


    Unfortunately, the heavens didn¡¯t hear his plea. Little ck gently sniffed at Zhu Hanwen¡¯s small hand and felt like he was quite simr to his master¡¯s younger brother when he was young. The prince gave off a very familiar feeling. It immediately ssified the eldest imperial prince as ¡®someone on our side¡¯ and intimately used its rough tongue to lick the prince¡¯s palm.


    Zhu Hanwen only felt that his hand was ticklish and couldn¡¯t help but giggle a few times. The apprehension within his heartpletely disappeared. He followed his desires and ran over to hug Little ck¡¯s neck. Little ck¡¯s long fur didn¡¯t have the tell-tale musky scent of most animals and, instead, gave off a smell that made him feelfortable.


    The eldest imperial prince stroked Little ck¡¯s fine and soft fur as if there was nothing else he would rather do. He fished out a piece of dried drained yogurt, kurt, from his pouch and offered it to the wolf. Little ck lowered its head to sniff at it and obligingly ate it. Although it wasn¡¯t as tasty as the snacks its master gave it, it gave off a dense smell of milk and wasn¡¯t considered unptable¡ª¡ªthese were the picky thoughts that Little ck had going through its mind.


    ¡°Does Little White want to eat some?¡± The eldest imperial prince took out another piece of kurt and looked somewhat fawningly over at the arrogant Little White. However, the wolf rebuffed him with a look of disdain in its bright blue eyes. Zhu Hanwen felt his fragile heart shatter into pieces and went back to interacting with the foolish Little ck. Before long, his hurt feelings were easily soothed by the other wolf.


    The eldest imperial prince decided to stop trying to get closer to Little White and focused all of his attention at Little ck. They quickly became close pals and the prince intimately patted the wolf¡¯s neck, ¡°Little ck, do your best! Bring back more game and make those people who look down upon me eat dirt!!¡±


    ¡°Awooooooo¡ª¡ª¡± Little ck responded to him conscientiously. ¡®Catching game is not a problem for this wolf! Friend, just wait and see!¡¯


    Little White nted a look full of disdain at the two of them. They were a pair of idiots!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! The hunt has begun! Let¡¯s go into the forest!!¡± The eldest imperial prince proimed in his high-pitched voice. He rode his little pony forward and brandished the bow in his hands as he earnestly began his first hunt.


    Yu Xiaocao epted her fate and followed him from behind. Along with them were also two bodyguards who were highly skilled at martial arts as well as the two maidservants that Zhu Junyang sent to her who also had fighting skills¡ª¡ªChunhua and Qiushi.


    In order to guarantee the safety of the eldest imperial prince, Yu Xiaocao deliberately chose the section of forest that was the safest out of the thirty-six allotted areas. From what the head steward of the hunting grounds said, this area only had small animals around and he had patted his chest and proimed that he guaranteed that there were no fierce beasts around.


    Although the eldest imperial prince had only the very basics of equestrian archery, his aim was actually quite good. Before long, he had shot down a brightly colored wild pheasant in the wing with the ¡®toy bow¡¯ in his hands. The bird dropped to the ground and struggled heavily.


    The personal eunuch of the eldest imperial prince trotted over and picked up the injured wild pheasant. Praise was free to give, so he said, ¡°Imperial Highness, you¡¯re so skilled ah! In the future, once your strength increases, you will probably be even stronger than Royal Prince Yang when you reach his age...¡±


    ¡°Little Zhuozi, don¡¯t speak nonsense! My imperial father has said that Royal Prince Yang is a rare talent and it would be hard to find a second person who is as talented at martial arts as he is. If he had been born in a martial artsmunity, he absolutely would be the head of one strong group...¡± Zhu Hanwen quite admired this older uncle of his. He was like a little loyal fan and couldn¡¯t allow other people to say one bad word about him.


    Little Zhuozi was around eleven to twelve years old. Because he was detail-oriented and handled tasks given to him well, Su Ran had assigned him to take care of the eldest imperial prince. Although this guy was a bit of ackey, he did have the ability to understand what his master wanted. He hurriedly stated, ¡°Royal Prince Yang is gifted at martial arts and equestrian archery right now. However, when he was at your age, Imperial Highness, he wasn¡¯t necessarily as good as you are now.¡±


    The eldest imperial prince felt quite pleased at this praise and nced over at Yu Xiaocao who was behind him. He rebuked Little Zhuozi, ¡°You¡¯re quite brave to put down Royal Prince Yang in front of Official Yu. Be careful not to make an enemy!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wanted to express her innocence. If the two of them wanted to joke and bicker, why did they have to pull her into the mix? Did she cause trouble for them in any way?


    ¡°Shhhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Zhu Hanwen had spotted something and made a shushing gesture at Little Zhuozi, who was still joking around. Yu Xiaocao focused over where the prince was looking and saw a herd of sika deer in a thicket a distance away from them. The deer were currently leisurely eating grass and didn¡¯t realize that danger was approaching them.


    The eldest imperial prince lowered his head to look at the small bow in his hands and had to reluctantly admit that, with his current arm strength and bow, unless he shot the deer directly in the eyes, it would be hard to bring one down. His eyes flickered and quietly spoke at Little ck, who was rummaging in the grass, ¡°Little ck, it¡¯s time for you to show your abilities! Go, catch some sika deer and bring it back. Tonight we will have roast venison to eat!¡±


    Little ck heard its name being called and turned its head back to look at its new friend in a confused manner, as if it didn¡¯t understand what was being said. Zhu Hanwen was a bit upset that the wolf wasn¡¯t listening to him and his mouth pouted down.


    Little Zhuozi immediatelyforted his master, ¡°Imperial Highness, some pets will only listen to themands of their masters. How about you ask Official Yu?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also wanted to eat roasted venison. When she saw the pleading look in the eldest imperial prince¡¯s eyes, she hurriedly ordered the two wolves, ¡°Little ck, Little White! Go, catch some game for us!¡±


    The two giant wolves immediately changed theirzy demeanors. Their ears perked up and their eyes stared brightly at the herd in front of them as they looked for a good opportunity. They stealthily crept closer to the herd of sika deer. The deer seemed to sense danger approaching them and stopped their eating movements, raising their heads up to look around them in rm.


    Little ck and Little White continued to slowly stalk forward. The deer could sensitively tell that things weren¡¯t going well and observed their surroundings minutely. The head of the herd, a buck, screamed out a few noises in rm and the entire herd leapt away in all directions. When the two wolves saw this, they no longer tried to be sneaky and instead rushed out at top speed towards the fleeing herd.


    The herd of deer scattered. Although sika deer were very good at running away quickly in forest terrain, for Little ck and Little White, who had been drinking mystic-stone water since they were young, speed was not an issue to them. The eldest imperial prince only seemed to see two shes of ck and white bolting around and couldn¡¯t see the details of their movements before they finished. Little ck and Little White both very quickly had a deadrge buck in their mouths and they marched back to where the humans were standing. Under the astonished looks of everyone around them, Little ck¡¯s eyes shone with pride and arrogance.


    The eldest imperial prince¡¯s two imperial bodyguards both sighed over the speed of the two wolves. They remarked admiration and felt that Little ck and Little White were almost uncanningly human smart. Just from the look in Little ck¡¯s eyes and his demeanor, one could easily mistake him for a child who was bragging about his skills.


    Furthermore, they could see that the dead deer in their mouths had only their throats ripped open and not a single injury elsewhere. In fact, the deer that Little White caught was still twitching slightly.


    ¡°They¡¯re too awesome ah! Official Yu, should we switch an area to hunt in? With Little ck and Little White around, we don¡¯t need to worry about not reaching the first three ces!¡± Zhu Hanwen stroked Little ck¡¯s fur in admiration and took out another piece of kurt to give to the wolf. Little ck gulped it down without a hint of pickiness.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very interested in getting a high rank. She felt that her first obligation was to make sure the eldest imperial prince was well protected through all of this and not have a single hair be injured. She immediately tried to dissuade him, ¡°Imperial Highness, this official believes that the people who deserve to be ranked are those who hunt relying on their own abilities. If we rely on Little ck and Little White abilities to get ranked, it¡¯s a bit unfair. What do you think?¡±


    Zhu Hanwen, after all, was the heir that the emperor was cultivating so he was naturally smart and knew how to look at different sides of an issue. He replied quickly, ¡°What Official Yu says makes sense. Once I get a bit older, I¡¯ll rely on my own abilities topete with the others. Then now...shall we continue?¡±


    ¡°Of course, what¡¯s the point ofing to this hunting facility if we don¡¯t experience hunting a bit?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a bow in her hands that Zhu Junyang had especiallymissioned for her. It wasn¡¯t muchrger than the one the eldest imperial prince was using but was much more carefully made. However, with Yu Xiaocao¡¯s poor archery skills, she wouldn¡¯t be able to show off the bow¡¯s true abilities.


    Zhu Hanwen¡¯s interest in hunting had gone up again, ¡°That¡¯s right! The ancient people had once said, ¡®The pleasure in fishing isn¡¯t in how many fish you catch but in enjoying the process¡¯. It doesn¡¯t matter how much game we catch, the important thing is that we go through the process. This ce isn¡¯t dangerous. You guys can also go around and experience the joy of hunting too. How about that?¡±


    Although the two imperial bodyguards were envious of their fellow colleagues, who were participating in the hunt, they knew that their first responsibility was protecting the safety of the eldest imperial prince. Thus, they hadn¡¯t moved from where they were standing. It was only after the eldest imperial prince became a bit impatient and unhappy did they reluctantly leave.


    Fortunately, the animals in this hunting area were all small creatures that didn¡¯t attack humans. Otherwise, even if you beat them death, they wouldn¡¯t have been willing to leave the eldest imperial prince from their sights. The two bodyguards discussed amongst themselves for a bit and decided to hunt in the nearby area at a set distance from the prince. If there was danger, they would be able toe back quickly to help.


    Yu Xiaocao also allowed Chunhua and Qiushi to roam around nearby to also have them experience the joy of hunting. Little ck and Little White didn¡¯t restrain themselves anymore and darted into the forest thicket, disappearing very quickly.

 Chapter 529 – Inner Focus

    <h4>Chapter 529 ¨C Inner Focus</h4>


    ¡°Official Yu...how about you...¡± The eldest imperial prince was merely a child around seven to eight. It was only him and Xiaocao now. He looked at the gloomy forest around them and had a bit of uneasiness in his eyes as he asked hesitantly.


    Although the thickets here were quite dense, it wasn¡¯t really considered muchpared to the West Mountain¡¯s forests that were near her home. Xiaocao had even dared to run into the forests there when she was young to set traps. However, after sensing the prince¡¯s uneasiness, she decided to y the role of the weak one here for the sake of his little ego. She stated, ¡°This official is a bit cowardly and I rarely use the bow. I¡¯d be quite scared by myself. Imperial Highness, just let this official apany you!¡±


    Zhu Hanwen immediately puffed up like a little man and thrust out his small chest, ¡°Alright ah! Then just obediently follow me from behind and don¡¯t run off!¡±


    The vegetation became thicker and thicker as they went deeper into the forest. The sky waspletely covered by the criss-crossing branches of the trees and the full foliage created a tightly packed canopy. Consequently, the amount of natural light in the area had dimmed considerably. From time to time, some wild hares and pheasants would dart across their feet from nearby shrubbery as they ran away in panic. The two of them would also asionally cry out in fear.


    An unknown creature flitted lightly across Xiaocao¡¯s head, bringing about a small breeze. She screeched and hunkered down. Zhu Hanwen had also been scared into a tremble by her scream and turned around to look in her direction. Apparently it had only been a mischievous little squirrel that was holding a nut in its paws. It sat high above on a nearby tree, regarding them with tant curiosity.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Imperial Father say that when you were in the countryside you often went out to hunt? Isn¡¯t your father a hunter who can even bring down a bear?¡± Zhu Hanwen felt quite speechless at the moment. He didn¡¯t understand why his imperial father insisted on him apanying a little coward.


    Yu Xiaocao also felt quite helpless and stated somewhat huffily, ¡°Do you know of any rural countryside girls who use bows and arrows? The so-called hunting I did was setting some snares and digging pit traps ah! As for hunting bears, my father had killed one together with someone else. Ah! That¡¯s right, he was with the current Young General Zhao at the time...¡±


    The Zhao generals were at the borderst winter and had pushed back another Tartar attack, seizing a total victory. From that battle, Young General Zhao had also received the title of ¡®Battle God¡¯. Naturally, the eldest imperial prince knew all about this. He curled his lip and said, ¡°If the Battle God Young General Zhao went out hunting, he¡¯d be able to kill a tiger easily, let alone a bear. Imperial Father is truly too much, why did he have to trick me?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it was because he knew that this official is cowardly and doesn¡¯t dare to go to any dangerous areas. If you stayed with me, you wouldn¡¯t encounter any bad situations. The emperor also did it because he has a fatherly heart ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao exined her thoughts.


    Zhu Hanwen drooped his shoulders down in dismay and remarked unhappily, ¡°With you dragging me down, it looks like I won¡¯t be able to make Imperial Father see me in a different light today!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we also have Little ck and Little White ah? We can have them work a little harder and then won¡¯t we end up with plenty of game ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao tried tofort the prince.


    ¡°The two of them always kill their prey by biting at the throat, so everyone can easily tell that it wasn¡¯t me who killed them. I even told my imperial father and mother that we would be able to taste the game that I personally shot tonight!¡± The eldest imperial prince sighed. Although there was a decent amount of game around, they were all too perceptive. Before he could even pull his bow open, they disappeared without a trace. After thinking a bit, he realized that the first pheasant he encountered was truly a stroke of luck for him and that he had only killed it because of that.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at that tiny childish face that was full of worry and fell silent for a second before she proposed, ¡°Then how about....this official can set some snares to catch prey. After we catch some game, you can then shoot them with an arrow. How¡¯s that?¡±


    Zhu Hanwen blinked hisrge eyes twice and looked at her for a bit before he finally nodded, ¡°Although I dislike lying, in order to not disappoint my imperial father and mother, we can only do it this way. However, are you sure you¡¯re able to catch animals with your snares? Did you bring any rope along?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked around and picked a pretty pliable and strong piece of rattan from arge tree. She used the small dagger kept in her boot to trim off the branches and leaves and set a snare in an area where small animals often appeared. After she finished crafting her snare, she stealthily added a few drops of diluted mystic-stone water to act as bait.


    [Why does this divine stone have such a stupid master. Even after drinking my bathing water, you haven¡¯t be one iota smarter!] The little divine stone used a deadpan voice to speak to her mind as it sighed.


    ¡®Can you not use the word ¡®bathwater¡¯ to describe it? Just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao was teaching the eldest imperial prince how to set snares as she quarrelled with the stone.


    The little divine stone huffed and said, [Don¡¯t call it bathwater? Fine ah! Then let¡¯s change it to saliva, how does that work?] Sometimes when it was releasing spiritual energy into well water, it would deliberately take its golden kitten shape and pretend to spit into the water. However, if one thought about it more carefully, how could a small stone possibly have saliva?


    ¡®If you have anything to say, just say it! Stop using those disgusting terms to make other people feel sick!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao continued to give pointers to the eldest imperial prince as she asked the divine stone what it wanted. This fellow had somehow been provoked by something and was often cultivating studiously inside the stone in order to return back to the astral nes sooner. She very rarely saw it these days.


    [With your current level of inner focus, if you want to shoot down an animal, it wouldn¡¯t be a hard task. Why do you have to do something so idiotic like set traps ah? Truly doing more than is required!] The little divine stone didn¡¯t forget to insult her this time either.


    What was this ¡®inner focus¡¯? Yu Xiaocao expressed her confusion, ¡®How do I use this so-called inner focus? No one has taught me anything. Do you think I¡¯m a genius and just know how to do everything?¡¯


    [Concentrate all of your attention on the prey and tell me what you see.] The little divine stone reminded her.


    At this time, the sweet sound of a bird singing began again above her. She raised her head and followed the little divine stone¡¯s instructions and stared unblinkingly at the bird. She was astonished to discover that that bird, which wasn¡¯t muchrger than the size of her fist, seemed to be growing bigger and closer in her eyes until it reached the size of a millstone. Furthermore, it felt like she could see every single tiny movement the animal made. The bird, when it preened itself, seemed to be moving in slow-motion. Was this the benefit of using inner focus?


    [How¡¯s that? Do you think you can shoot down the target now?] The little divine stone asked in a leisurely tone.


    With such arge target that was almost within reach, only an idiot wouldn¡¯t be able to shoot it! Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t say anything as she took down the bow from her back and pulled it back forcefully. She remembered the instructions Zhu Junyang had given her and aimed the arrow before letting it fly. It hit the silly bird square in the neck.


    ¡°Wow! Official Yu, even the sages pretend to be ordinary people ah! You can even shoot down such a small and faraway target yet still im you don¡¯t have archery skills?¡± Zhu Hanwen had held his breath from the moment Yu Xiaocao pulled back her bow and arrow. He thought her hands had gotten itchy and that she only wanted to try. He truly didn¡¯t expect her to hit the target.


    The sound of the eldest imperial prince¡¯s voice brought her from that mysterious world back to reality. She picked up the first prey she had ever shot down in her life and looked at the admiring eyes of Zhu Hanwen. A feeling of pride rose in her heart.


    ¡°Quickly tell me, how did you possibly learn how to shoot something so far away?¡± Zhu Hanwen¡¯s eyes were full of pleading and made it impossible for someone to refuse his request.


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Have you been taught the essay, ¡®Ji Chang Learns Archery¡¯ ah?¡±


    When she saw him shake his head, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s one of the essays contained in ¡®The Writings of Master Lie¡¯ [1] in the chapter ¡®The Questions of Tang¡¯. It talks about learning archery. The first thing students need to do is to practice their eyesight and work towards a state of not blinking. Even when one¡¯s eyes stings and burns, one cannot blink...look, your eyes haven¡¯t gotten to the point of perfection yet!¡±


    She deliberately suddenly waved a fist in front of the eldest imperial prince¡¯s eyes and stopped right before his face. Zhu Hanwen, who had suddenly been attacked, would naturally blink in reflex and pull back.


    ¡°The second step of training the eyes is to be able to see a small object as a veryrge object. Ji Chang had practiced this tirelessly over the years and was finally able to see a tiny louse as something that wasrger than a carriage wheel.¡± Yu Xiaocao exined the essay she had read in her past life to the eldest imperial prince.


    A pensive look appeared on Zhu Hanwen¡¯s face as he muttered, ¡°To be able to see a tiny louse as something that wasrger than a wheel? How long did he have to practice ah?¡±


    ¡°If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle. As long as you continue to persevere and strive forward, there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do!¡± The words Yu Xiaocao said today had buried a small seed within the future emperor¡¯s heart. In the future, no matter what sort of difficulties the court encountered, he was never afraid or retreated. He ended up winning the faith, admiration and respect of his officials in the end. However, this was allter!


    Yu Xiaocao tried to use her bow a few more times. Sure enough, every arrow she sent out hit its target. The avid admiration in Zhu Hanwen¡¯s eyes had almost berge enough to fill ake. Unfortunately, good things couldn¡¯tst forever. Using this ability with her archery used up a lot of energy. She only realized that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world when the sides of her head started pounding and she felt like her head had be incredibly heavy.


    She retrieved her water pouch and took a few sips of mystic-stone water. Her head felt slightly better afterwards. She raised her head to look at the color of the sky and said, ¡°Imperial Highness, it¡¯s gettingte. We should go back and see if we caught anything in our snares and then head back earlier to avoid worrying the emperor and empress.¡±


    ¡°The sun is still up high. Let¡¯s head deeper into the forest a bit. Perhaps we cane across some good prey! Little Zhuozi, how about you first take some of this game back. That way, we won¡¯t have the problem of having too much game to bring backter.¡± Zhu Hanwenmanded the little eunuch, who had been excitedly picking up the game they had caught.


    Little Zhuozi had noticed that on the entire way here, the sika deer were thergest animals they had encountered so far. Thus, there wasn¡¯t any danger to be had in this area. Thus, he carried the dead deer on his shoulders and picked up a few strings of wild hares and pheasants to bring back where they had left the horses with a light heart. However, he didn¡¯t know that while he was gone, his master would encounter a huge conspiracy and end up in a life or death situation.


    ¡°Look! What¡¯s that? It looks like a giant rat but its snout and nose look a bit like a pig¡¯s...¡± Zhu Hanwen quietly pointed in a direction and hinted at Xiaocao to look.


    Yu Xiaocao looked in the direction that he was pointing at and saw an animal gnawing on grass. It had four thick and stout limbs and a bulky head. It had small eyes and small ears and its entire body was ck and white¡ª¡ªwasn¡¯t this a pig badger ah?


    ¡°That¡¯s a badger and is also sometimes called a pig badger! It has tender meat that is very delicious. Its fat can also be used in medicine and is very good at treating burn injuries.¡± Yu Xiaocao gave him a brief lesson on the animal.


    ¡°Hm...I want to try to bring down this pig badger.¡± Zhu Hanwen raised his small bow and slowly got closer to the badger. The badger hadn¡¯t seemed to sense danger approaching and continued to dig up wild peanuts from the ground. It happily bit through the shell of a peanut and began to eat it gleefully.

 Chapter 530 – Starving Tiger

    <h4>Chapter 530 ¨C Starving Tiger</h4>


    Zhu Hanwen scrunched up his little face and stared at his prey. He slowly pulled back the bow in his hands and ced an arrow on the string; he was about to shoot...


    Suddenly, the badger raised its head up alertly and its tiny eyes quickly looked around it. Its fur stood up and it scampered into the nearby bushes at a surprising speed, disappearing into the forest.


    ¡°Darn it!¡± Zhu Hanwen lowered his bow and went a couple step forwards in the direction that the badger had disappeared. He stamped his feet in annoyance, ¡°An animal¡¯s perception of danger is too strong ah! This prince was so far away but I still ended up scaring it...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and was about to say a few words infort when the smile congealed on her face. A sense of crisis blossomed in her heart, stifling herpletely. There was something wrong! The area around them was too quiet, as if they were in a pool of stagnant water. She wasn¡¯t sure when the birds stopped chirping but even the crickets singing in the bushes had gone silent. She could smell a faint fishy scent in the air. Danger was approaching them!!


    ¡°Imperial Highness, there¡¯s something wrong with this area, let¡¯s...¡± She was just about to call the imperial prince back to leave when she suddenly saw the fierce eyes of a starving tiger appear right behind Zhu Hanwen.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? That silly look on your face is not enough to scare me!¡± The eldest imperial prince hadn¡¯t seemed to have sensed that danger was here. He grinned happily at Xiaocao and made a funny face at her.


    ¡°Eldest Imperial Prince, please do not move and do not look back!¡± Yu Xiaocao was very clear that making any sudden or frantic movements would only provoke the animal at this point and cause it to attack. At this moment, that tiger seemed to be fixedly watching the imperial prince, as if it was trying to calcte the best timing to spring its attack on its prey.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t be bothered to wonder why a fierce tiger had suddenly appeared in the safest area in the hunting grounds. Right now, she was entirely preupied with trying to figure out how to save the eldest imperial prince¡¯s life. She had been ordered to protect him. If the eldest imperial prince encountered any misfortune, then her head was forfeit too!


    She silently ground her teeth and gave a pointed look at the imperial prince, who was starting to look nervous. Then she waved a hand at the giant tiger behind him and screeched, ¡°Evil beast! If you have the skills,e for me! This young maiden is not afraid of you ah!¡±


    It was obvious that the tiger had been starving for a long time. Its belly was deted and shriveled looking and the fur on its body had long lost its usual glorious luster. Its pair of fierce looking eyes were full of bloodlust. Prey that was moving around was naturally more interesting than something that wasn¡¯t. The blood-shot eyes of the hungry tiger moved from the prince to Xiaocao. However, it seemed not to be very interested in the thin and small Xiaocao and started to turn its attention back to the plump and sturdy prince again.


    Yu Xiaocao bent down to pick up a rock and flung it at therge tiger. She had used her inner focus for this throw and urately hit the starving animal on its head. Yu Xiaocao then deliberately jumped a few times in a provoking manner and screamed at it, ¡°Stinky tiger,e here ah! Come bite me ah!!¡±


    That tiger was truly infuriated now. It leapt up like lightning and sped over towards her. Under the clear signal from Xiaocao, the eldest imperial prince let his bow fall to the ground and fell down with his hands on his head. He could feel the tiger barely brush over him and the scent of the beast¡¯s odor hit him straight in the nose. He stared at the rampaging beast and was so scared that his teeth immediately started to chatter.


    A tiger! A giant tiger! Although this tiger was quite thin, it was still at least two meters long in length. Just its tail alone had to be one meter long and its head was asrge as a millstone! Zhu Hanwen felt his body tremble involuntarily. A few times, he attempted to pick up his bow from the ground to save Official Yu but his hands didn¡¯t seem to want to listen to him and hung stiffly by his side.


    Zhu Hanwen started to cry in frustration. What should he do? Official Yu had lured the tiger away to save him. If it wasn¡¯t for Official Yu deliberately provoking the animal, he would have long be a finished snack in the tiger¡¯s jaws. He couldn¡¯t just do nothing and run away, leaving Official Yu to die. That was the conduct of a coward. He didn¡¯t want to be tormented by his cowardly actions for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Someonee ah!¡± Someonee ah! Save us¡ª¡ªsave us ah¡ª¡ª¡± Zhu Hanwen realized that using his toy-like bow alone was not enough to fight against a fierce tiger. He could only hope that his two bodyguards weren¡¯t too far away and coulde back in time.


    As for Yu Xiaocao, when she saw the tiger had taken the bait to follow her, she was hurriedly running in a direction away from the eldest imperial prince. She was hoping that the prince would be smart and find a safe ce to hide while she led the animal away. There wasn¡¯t enough time for him to find reinforcements! She could only pray that she would survive this!


    [Lie down!!] The little divine stone¡¯s voice echoed in her mind and she immediately fell onto the ground. The tiger just barely missed scratching her head as it leapt towards her previous position. Before her mind could realize what was happening, her body had already reacted and she was climbing up from the ground to charge in another direction. She had never known that her body had this strength inside it and that she could run so fast when she needed to.


    However, no matter how fast she ran, she was no match for a tiger with four sturdy legs. The angry howls of the tiger were close behind her and she could smell the rotten fishy scent of its breath. She knew that the tiger¡¯s jaws were only seconds away from her. So screwed! The bushes in front of her were blocking her way and the danger behind her was quickly approaching. She was stuck between a rock and a hard ce now and she could feel the God of Death just waiting for her.


    Was this the end of her? Was the purpose of her transmigrating over to this world to use her life to save the life of a little brat? It must really hurt to be bitten to death by a tiger right? She could only hope the tiger would kill her in one blow so she wouldn¡¯t have to experience the suffering of being torn apart alive.


    Would Zhu Junyang fall into a frenzy when he saw her ravaged corpse? Then who would stop him then? Sir Su seemed like a very skilled expert but she wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d be able to subdue Zhu Junyang.


    It looked like her ns on creating a super farm were going to end abruptly. She had wanted to be the second Yuan Longping [1] and improve the rice paddy seeds. Sigh...she wasn¡¯t sure whether she would be able to transmigrate back to the modern world after she died here. Didn¡¯t the novels all write it like that ah? All sorts of thoughts came up in her mind during this one moment.


    [What are you standing there stupidly for? Why don¡¯t you quickly call those two weak wolves over?! If outsiders see this divine stone¡¯s spiritual powers, it¡¯d be hard to exin! Those two had been raised on this divine stone¡¯s bathing water since young, so isn¡¯t it just a small job for them to clean up this insignificant tiger?] The pain she had expected didn¡¯t manifest, and, instead, the sound of the little divine stone¡¯s voice appeared in her mind again.


    A bit confused, she raised her head and almost peed her pants when she saw the open and raging jaws of the tiger in front of her. After looking carefully around her, she discovered that she had been surrounded by a golden light that had protective qualities. It kept the tiger on the outside, away from her.


    The pitiful tiger had no clue what was going on. Its prey was clearly right in front of it, but no matter how it tried to bite or w at it, it wasn¡¯t able to touch one hair. There was an alluring smelling off of the prey which caused its stomach to pulse with renewed hunger pains. These damned humans had used some sort of drug to ensnare it and had closed it in a cage for a long time before finally letting it out. It was quite angry about this and wanted to eat all the humans it could get its ws on to vent its hatred.


    Animals had a one track mind. Although it clearly had no way to get at Yu Xiaocao, that didn¡¯t stop it from continuing to try. It continued to bite and w at the protective golden screen in an attempt to get at its hated prey.


    After Yu Xiaocao sent out a call to bring Little ck and Little White over, she tried to use the mystic-stone water to lure the beast into tameness. However, she failed in the end. She was quite puzzled by this. Big Gray was also a fierce beast and he couldn¡¯t resist the lure of the mystic-stone water. Howe this tiger, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t interested in it at all?


    Her intuition told her that this tiger regarded her as an abject enemy, as if she had ughtered its father, so it stubbornly clung to the idea of ripping her to death. Furthermore, there shouldn¡¯t be any fierce beasts appearing in the dozen or so hunting areas in this area. Why did she and the eldest imperial prince have such rotten luck to encounter a tiger here?


    The situation wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed! Yu Xiaocao, who had read many novels about pce schemes in her past life, smelled the sour notes of a conspiracy. She was only a tiny sixth-ranked official. Other than having talent in agriculture, there wasn¡¯t much else she could bring to the table. Thus, it was unlikely that anyone would deliberately target her here.


    Perhaps...this unknown person was targeting the eldest imperial prince? Yu Xiaocao felt like she had suddenly been drawn into a pce drama. However, the emperor didn¡¯t have many children currently and the only imperial prince from his bloodline was the eldest imperial prince. Killing the eldest prince to gain the position of the heir seemed a bit far-fetched right now.


    Could it be the plot from the remnants of the previous dynasty? It wasn¡¯t easy to hurt the emperor so instead they decided to try for his heir instead? That was definitely more likely. Furthermore, didn¡¯t Royal Prince Yang lead troops to the border areas to put down a rebellion? Was it someone who escaped then trying to cause trouble now? Yu Xiaocao¡¯s thoughts flitted to and fro and she began to think that she was getting closer and closer to the ¡®truth¡¯.


    If a random person stumbled upon this scene now, they absolutely would not be able to believe their eyes. There was a youngdy, who resembled a fairy, sitting cross-legged on a carpet of golden leaves. Her entire body seemed to emit a pure golden light and a majestic tiger was ¡®frolicking¡¯ around her in a dance...


    Yu Xiaocao: ¡®Frolicking? Does this look like frolicking to you?!! Are you blind ah? Can¡¯t you see that the tiger wants to open its jaws wide and swallow me instantly?!¡¯


    At this time, the tiger suddenly stopped its attacks at Yu Xiaocao. It wasn¡¯t that it was giving up. Instead, it had sensed some other fierce beastsing over. That tiger let out a loud roar of warning and Xiaocao felt her ears echo afterwards. The deafening sound made her feel quite dizzy.


    The tiger had originally thought its warning snarl would cause the other animals to retreat. It didn¡¯t expect the other beasts to, in fact, increase their speed and approach faster. It couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue to attempt to harm Yu Xiaocao and turned around in preparation for another battle.


    When Yu Xiaocao saw Little ck and Little White¡¯s figures, her heart finally settled down and rxed. Sheined, ¡°Why did it take you guys this long to arrive? If I relied on you two, I¡¯d already be a dead, white skeleton on the ground!¡±


    Little ck and Little White didn¡¯t even bother to give any attention to the extremely thin tiger. They guiltily headed over to their master. The tiger believed that the two reckless wolves were trying to snatch away its food and immediately exploded in fury. The tiger believed that it was powerful but why were the two wolves acting as if it was Hello Kitty ah?! How could the King of the Forest possibly put up with the provocations of two tiny shrimp?


    Unfortunately, it had underestimated the prowess of Little ck and Little White and ended up having a tragic ending. The two wolves yed with it like two cats teasing a mouse. The tiger was fighting a dead-end battle. In fact, if it weren¡¯t for their master telling them to ¡®try to keep the tiger pelt free of scratches¡¯, that tiger would have ended up ripped to ribbons before its final death.


    When the tiger sensed that things weren¡¯t going its way, it attempted to flee but it was toote. The two wolves outnked it and kept the tiger easily within their control. Its final ending was to die in exhaustion after getting its throat ripped open. Even in death it couldn¡¯t understand why the two wolves, which were animals as well, would listen to the orders of a weak and little human and protect her so closely.

 Chapter 531 – Embrace

    <h4>Chapter 531 ¨C Embrace</h4>


    Once the eldest imperial prince¡¯s two imperial bodyguards found their master and made sure he was safe, they followed the noise and discovered the weak and delicate looking Official Yu holding a dagger as she stood next to a very dead tiger corpse. She was currently wondering just how she should skin the tiger in order to keep its pelt as intact as possible.


    The two bodyguards had their eyes wide open and it seemed as if their eyeballs would fall out of their sockets at any moment. Yu Xiaocao revealed an embarrassed smile and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. This tiger was killed by Little ck and Little White. I mostly thought that the animal didn¡¯t have much meat on it and wanted to skin the pelt to bring back.¡±


    The situation had already passed and the two imperial bodyguards had already heard the gist of what had happened from the eldest imperial prince. A little girl, around thirteen to fourteen years of age, was able to boldly lure a fierce tiger away from the eldest imperial prince. Furthermore, she was able to staypletely unharmed and was now calmly holding a knife in an attempt to skin the dead tiger. This was already incredibly amazing! Any other young maiden in her shoes would have only screamed in fright and gone into a dead faint, bing no help at all and likely bing an impediment instead.


    Originally, Xiaocao thought that even though the tiger was very skinny, she still wouldn¡¯t have enough strength to carry it back to the rest area. Now, with two freeborers around, if they wanted to bring the entire animal back, they were more than wee to! Little ck and Little White had been keeping guard over Xiaocao this entire time. When they noticed that more protection had arrived, they eagerly leapt into the forest. There was still prey that they had killed earlier that they hadn¡¯t brought back.


    ¡°Wah wah wah...Official Yu, I didn¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to ever see you again...¡± What was this little brat saying? Can¡¯t he be happy and excited to see her alive? Seeing him sob like this made it seem like he didn¡¯t actually want to see her.


    When the imperial bodyguards picked up the tiger corpse, the little brat¡¯s expression immediately cleared and he bounced around the dead tiger excitedly, ¡°Official Yu, did you kill the tiger ah? You¡¯re so strong ah! You¡¯re even stronger than Wu Song [1] !!¡±


    ¡®Child, you¡¯re thinking too much. Can¡¯t you see the dead tiger¡¯s throat? It¡¯s clearly been ripped open ah.¡¯ Yu Xiaocao silently pointed at the wound on the dead tiger. The little brat believed that he had discovered something amazing and continued to remark emotionally, ¡°Little ck and Little White bit the tiger to death ah? Goodness gracious! Official Yu, the hunting dogs you raise are so fierce and powerful, even a tiger isn¡¯t their opponent!! Third Young Master Ning even ims that he is the best expert in the capital at training hunting dogs. He must be talking big, right? The best expert really should be you!! Where¡¯s Little ck and Little White? Did they get injured in the fight?¡±


    ¡°They went off to hunt more game! Your Highness, I¡¯m not sure if this area is safe right now. How about we go back first ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao still had some lingering fears after that thrilling episode. If the person who let out the starving tiger had another trick up their sleeve, they only had two bodyguards here with them and it¡¯d be very difficult for them to get out without any problems.


    Fortunately, the eldest imperial prince grasped the severity of the situation that they were in and nodded his head in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! When we get back, I¡¯ll have Imperial Father look into this. Why would a tiger appear in this area? We got a pretty good haul today. After all, not just anyone has the skill and luck to be able to kill a tiger!!¡±


    They returned back to where they had hitched the horses and the two maidservants were already there waiting for them. Chunhua noticed that Xiaocao looked quite disheveled and even had a scratch on her face. The expression on her face changed and she hurried over to ask, ¡°Master, what happened¡ª¡ªdid you encounter a fierce tiger?¡±


    Qiushi also frowned and remarked doubtfully, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that the areas in this vicinity only contained small animals ah? How could a vicious tiger appear?¡± The two imperial bodyguards also had simr doubts.


    Yu Xiaocao waved a hand at the two girls and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, I¡¯m fine!! Let¡¯s go back first and see what the emperor says!!¡±


    At this moment, Zhu Hanwen had alreadypletely calmed down and a cold sneer was on his plump face as he said, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Not only did a tiger ¡®coincidentally¡¯ appear in this safe area, but it also appeared at my back. If it wasn¡¯t for Official Yu, this prince would have been devoured with nothing left!¡±


    Anyone born into the imperial family didn¡¯t get a true childhood. Only those who forced themselves to mature quickly would be able to survive the treacherous political currents and not get buried behind in the ground. Zhu Hanwen was already considered quite lucky. He was the legitimate son of the empress and was also the first child of the emperor. He was also the only imperial prince in the pce and there were no rivals fighting for his position. However, even at such a young age, he was able to sense that there was something off about all of this and that someone was plotting against him.


    Since it involved the imperial family, Yu Xiaocao was not going to voice her opinion at this time. She only silently rode her horse behind the eldest imperial prince as they went back in the direction of the camp.


    The eldest imperial prince¡¯s pony took the lead. The emperor and empress, who were idly strolling on the outskirts of the camp, spotted their son far in the distance and they felt their anxious hearts finally rx. Zhu Junyang, who was also patrolling around the perimeter, also saw a familiar figure and the expression on his face gentled considerably.


    Suddenly, he frowned as he observed the faraway figures of the people. A severe expression settled onto his face as he reported to the emperor, ¡°Imperial Majesty, there¡¯s something off. It looks like Official Yu had gotten injured! This official asks for permission to go over and check...¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, go ahead ah!¡± Zhu Junfan wasn¡¯t going to believe his cousin¡¯s lies. They had only been separated for half a day yet the youth still couldn¡¯t sit still and was looking for an excuse to get closer. Didn¡¯t he know toe up with a better exnation? There were bodyguards and other experts protecting them, how could they possibly let thatss Yu Xiaocao get injured?


    Zhu Junyang speedily mounted his horse after getting imperial permission and bolted off towards the small hunting group. When he saw the dead tiger being carried on one of the imperial bodyguard¡¯s horses, the worry and caution in his eyes became much more distinct.


    ¡°Imperial Highness, are you okay ah...Xiaocao, you got injured?!¡± While he was conversing with the prince, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hair was all mussed up and there was an eye-catching scratch on her fair little face. He almost couldn¡¯t resist the urge to pull her into his arms.


    What had happened? Everyone else didn¡¯t have a single scratch on them. It was only his littless who had her clothing all messed up, her hair in disarray, and a wound on her face. Judging by the injuries on the dead tiger, did he even need an exnation now? If the littless hadn¡¯t raised two wolves, she...Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t even want to go down that line of thought!


    ¡°Just how were you two protecting your master?!!¡± Zhu Junyang vented his entire temper on the two maidservants. He had spent a lot of time snatching them out of the hidden soldiers¡¯ ranks, but they had decided to act like they were young misses instead? Their master had gotten injured yet not a strand was out of ce for either of them! This was a crime that could not be forgiven within the hidden soldiers¡¯ ranks...


    Chunhua and Qiushi trembled as they knelt down in front of their infuriated previous master. For them, their master¡¯s safety and well-being was more important than their lives. If they were unable to protect their master, then they would be tortured within the hidden soldiers¡¯ hidden chamber. Even if they didn¡¯t die, they would still lose ayer of skin. These two female bodyguards, who had just reached the age of sixteen, didn¡¯t even dare to beg for mercy and could only wait in despair for their punishment.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang, just why are you scaring them? The scratch on my face is only from a branch that I brushed past, that¡¯s all. Only the skin got broken, and I don¡¯t even need to put on any medicine in order to have it heal without a scar!!¡± Yu Xiaocao explicitly expressed her disapproval of the prince¡¯s way of handling things. These two maidservants had already been given to her. As their mistress, she hadn¡¯t even said a word, so why should someone who was irrelevant butt in? Was that really proper?


    Zhu Junyang immediately stowed away his temper when he saw that she had gotten angry. He gently sped her small face in one hand and inspected the cut on her cheek as he gently said, ¡°Are you sure it happened because a wayward branch hit you and not because the tiger¡¯s ws had narrowly missed you?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pretended to bepletely carefree as she replied, ¡°With Little ck and Little White around, even if another tiger appeared, I wouldn¡¯t be hurt at all! This was the first time I had seen a tiger in person and was a bit flustered. When I was turning around, I wasn¡¯t paying attention and had brushed past a branch that had thorns on it. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, saw through her bold fa?ade and discovered the fear within her. He gently pulled her into his arms and felt her body still trembling slightly. He hurriedly tried tofort her and his voice became even more gentle as he soothed, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! This prince is here now! Our Xiaocao is so awesome that you can even calm me down when I¡¯m in a rage. How could a tiger be counted as anything in front of you?¡±


    During the moment she was pulled into his warm embrace, Yu Xiaocao felt tearse to her eyes. However, after she heard Zhu Junyang¡¯s subsequent words, she burst intoughter. She remembered the scene at the Wu Family¡¯s residence. The prince hadpletely lost control of himself and had destroyed the area, making it look like an earthquake had just passed through. At that time, he was ten times more fierce and scary than a tiger. Despite that, she had confronted him in that state and hadn¡¯t felt the least bit afraid the entire time. Perhaps she unconsciously knew that he would never harm her, right?


    She sniffled a few times and then used a spoiled tone toin, ¡°When the tiger ran towards me, I was so scared! I was afraid that if I died, what would you do in the future? I also wondered if Sir Su would be able to subdue you in the future should you lose control without me!


    ¡°The only person in the world who is able to control me is you. Thus, you absolutely cannot have anything happen to you. Otherwise, this prince will also go down to hell with you...¡±


    Zhu Junyang tightened his arms around that slim and weak little figure and gave her a kiss on the head. Relief was entwined with a bit of sweet happiness¡ª¡ªthe littless had only thought about him when she was in imminent danger. Zhu Junyang had finallyprehended the true meaning of ¡®happiness¡¯ at this moment.


    ¡°And then what happened?¡± Zhu Junyang quietly asked.


    Yu Xiaocao returned his hug. His embrace made her feel very warm and safe inside. It was as if a sailboat that had endured the stormy waters of sea had finally gotten back to the tranquil safety of the harbor. She had a home now for her heart.


    ¡°Next? What do you mean what¡¯s next??¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice sounded quite stuffy as her head was buried into his chest. It was a sound that brought pure pleasure to his ears.


    ¡°You said that the tiger leapt towards you. So what happened next?¡± Zhu Junyang gently patted her back with extremely soft movements. It was as if the girl in his arms was a weak and precious little infant.


    Yu Xiaocao blinked herrge eyes a few times at an angle where he couldn¡¯t see the expression on her face. Anyone who knew her would know instantly from looking at that face that her following words were not to be trusted. Sure enough, she concealed the little divine stone¡¯s contribution and pushed Little ck and Little White out instead, ¡°Then...naturally Little White came by at just the right time and bravely appeared between me and the tiger. It managed to engage the tiger and pull it away from me to battle it. Following that, Little ck also ran over. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that I wanted the tiger pelt, Little ck and Little White would have long torn the tiger to pieces by working together!!¡±


    Zhu Hanwen was silently listening at the side as Xiaocao described how the two wolves had fought the fierce tiger. He gazed at Little ck and Little White with a look of pure admiration in his eyes. He esteemed their strength and boldness and admired their loyalty towards their master. Although he would have luckily gotten away today, if it wasn¡¯t for the two wolves, then he would have had to sacrifice Official Yu¡¯s life. The loss would still be great. His imperial father would lose one of the best ways to strengthen and enrich the country, and he would have to bear the guilt and shame towards the Yu Family for the rest of his life. Furthermore, it was likely that he would have to bear the loss of losing Royal Prince Yang, who was a brilliant general...


    ¡°Official Yu, you are my savior! Expressing my gratitude for such a boon is not enough. This prince will remember your deeds in my heart for the rest of my life!¡± Zhu Hanwen had an extremely solemn look on his childish little face and his eyes were filled with gratitude.


    [1] Wu Song (ÎäËÉ) ¨C Also known as Wu the Second. He is one of the well-known characters in Water Margin, one of the Four Great ssical Novels in Chinese literature. He ys a man-eating tiger after drinking 18 bowls of wine.

 Chapter 532 – Saliva to Heal Wounds

    <h4>Chapter 532 ¨C Saliva to Heal Wounds</h4>


    After Yu Xiaocao calmed her nerves down, she emerged out of Zhu Junyang¡¯s arms and addressed the serious looking eldest imperial prince, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, you don¡¯t need to take this episode to heart. I also did this to save my own life. Just think about it, if something happened to you in front of this official, and I just stayed on the sidelines, running away for my own life, how could the emperor possibly spare me?¡±


    Zhu Hanwen revealed a slight smile and his expression rxed a bit. He shook his head and said, ¡°However, I still need to thank you because not everyone would be able to sacrifice their own safety to save another person in the face of immense danger. Although Official Yu is a woman, your actions and bravery are above most men! Imperial Father was right. The world has so many women of distinction who are buried in the inner courtyards, forbidden to go outside. We need to release them and give them their freedom to reach their true potential!¡±


    By the time the group of them reached the edge of the campgrounds, the emperor had already gotten a full report of what had happened. The empress pulled the eldest imperial prince aside and inspected him carefully from head to toe before she was finally convinced that not a hair had been harmed on him.


    She pulled her son into her arms. Currently, she was only an ordinary mother who was concerned about her son¡¯s safety. She haltingly stated in a voice choked with emotion, ¡°My child, why couldn¡¯t you just obediently stay next to Imperial Father¡¯s and Imperial Mother¡¯s side? Yet you insisted on going out to hunt! If something terrible had happened to you, how would Imperial Mother feel then?¡±


    Zhu Junfan looked at Yu Xiaocao for a minute and then looked back to address the mother-son pair, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, isn¡¯t our imperial son fine? A pine tree raised in a greenhouse will be unable to reach the skies. As the heir to the throne, if Wen¡¯er can¡¯t even handle the slightest bit of trouble, then we will truly be worried about the throne in the future.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Father, the appearance of this tiger was a bit strange...¡± Zhu Hanwen wriggled out of his mother¡¯s arms and his pair of round eyes held a hint of seriousness. The appearance of the tiger was too coincidental. Why did it not appear in a different area and instead showed up right where he was at? If this wasn¡¯t fishy, then he...would eat this entire tiger!!


    Zhu Junfan narrowed his eyes, which had a bit of resemnce to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s eyes, and raised a hand to stop the eldest imperial prince from stating his next thoughts. He had a solemn look on his face, ¡°Wen¡¯er, you¡¯ve been frightened, so you should go back to the temporary residence to rest a bit. Tonight, we still have a bonfire and banquet to participate in! Don¡¯t worry, we have our own suspicions about this. Someonee...take this tiger away!¡±


    ¡°My tiger pelt...¡± Yu Xiaocao was very interested in this tiger pelt but she had to stare nkly as servants took it away. She revealed a reluctant expression on her face which was very obvious to everyone that was present. However, when she saw the faint look of amusement on the emperor¡¯s face, she shrank back in fright. She didn¡¯t dare to bring up the topic of the tiger pelt again.


    Sigh...the littless had a bunch of regret within her heart. In her previous life, Amur tigers had been ssified as a grade one state protected species. It was said that the country only had around a few dozen wild tigers. She could only see tigers in zoos, but the animals there had been raised as if they were giant house cats and had no wildness left in them. It¡¯d be impossible in that time period to get her hands on a tiger pelt even if she wanted to!


    Even after transmigrating over, it wasn¡¯t as if a tiger could be hunted whenever one wanted to. In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, if she was able to have a tiger pelt to be used as a mattress, that would be incredibly awesome. However...the tiger pelt that had appeared before her eyes had been shamelessly snatched away by someone who had way more power than she did. She could only grit her teeth and twist her handkerchief as she nkly watched as the tiger pelt was taken further and further away from her.


    ¡°Beloved Official Yu, we will dly receive this game that you have offered as tribute!¡± The same shameless bandit was shoving another dagger into her heart. Who sent this up as tribute ah? Clearly it was you snatching it away from me!


    ¡°Our imperial father has had a weak body for quite some time and cannot tolerate the deep cold during the winter. This tiger pelt will be a sign of our filial respect for him. We will not take this pelt for free from you and will definitelypensate you fairly with treasures.¡± Zhu Junfan deigned to give an exnation to her.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty has an imperial father?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but blurt out the question that was twirling in her mind.


    Zhu Junfan lightly chuckled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not as if we were born out of a crack in a rock like Monkey Sun. How could we not have an imperial father ah? However, Imperial Father¡¯s body has been weak and he has been recuperating in the south all this time. After thinking about it, it seems like it has been many years since west saw our imperial father!¡±


    The emperor¡¯s father was Imperial Prince Duan. In the past, during the chaos of war and the fight for the throne, in the middle of winter, he had harmed his body and constitution when he saved the emperor emeritus who had fallen into an icy river. His body¡¯s condition was sometimes good and sometimes bad, but he had been weak and sickly ever since that incident. As for the emperor emeritus, he had the halo of transmigration and hadn¡¯t even gotten a cold or cough after spending a copious amount of time in the icy water.


    Yu Xiaocao had originally thought that the reason why the emperor emeritus had passed on the throne to his grandson was because the current emperor¡¯s father was no longer alive. She didn¡¯t expect that he had skipped a generation and directly transferred the throne to the grandson he looked the most highly upon.


    ¡°Imperial Father, this son acts for permission to go see imperial grandfather in Jiangnan so I can do one¡¯s filial duty for you.¡± Zhu Hanwen¡¯s eyes glittered with the craftiness of a child as he butted into the conversation.


    Zhu Junfan red at him. Earlier the child had just mentioned that there was a plot against him and they hadn¡¯t even found out who the culprit was, yet this kid now wanted to go y in Jiangnan. Hmph! It looked like he needed to temper his son a bit more. In the future, he was adding more schoolwork to this brat!


    ¡°Your imperial grandfather¡¯s body has gotten a lot better after eating the warming pills made by Tongren Medicine Hall. We n on bringing our imperial father back and have the imperial physicians take a look at him and see if there¡¯s any hope in healing his body back to normal.¡± Zhu Junfan easily rejected the little brat¡¯s request.


    Zhu Hanwen was a bit disappointed but continued to sincerely think of his grandfather, ¡°Imperial Father, are you sure that bunch of chatans in the imperial physicianpound are up to it? If we¡¯re talking about healing the body, Official Yu should be the best expert here. Wasn¡¯t Princess Consort Jing¡¯s body healed by her?¡±


    At that time, everyone in the capital knew that Princess Consort Jing was an invalid but now she seemed to have no problems at all. In fact,pared to people of the same age as her, she even looked healthier and livelier. This was truly all due to Official Yu¡¯s medicinal cuisine!


    ¡°Imperial Son, you must think before you speak!¡± What chatans? If the imperial physicians apanying them heard his son¡¯s words, what would they think? Why did this child have to speak to truth so candidly?


    Ever since his son found out that his life had almost been lost by the ineffective treatments of the imperial physicians, he had always regarded the bunch of old men with disdain. In addition, the imperial physicians only knew how to prescribe incredibly bitter tonics that he hated to drink. Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, knew how to make sweet and tasty medicine to treat his illnesses. This child now believed that all of the imperial physicians added together were not as skilled as Official Yu!


    He couldn¡¯t have his son continue believing this! After all, Zhu Junfan knew what cards Yu Xiaocao had in her hands. Should the intelligent stone leave her one day, then all of her so-called medical expertise and ability to concoct astonishing medications would disappear. Although the old fellows at the imperial physicianpound were a bit more conservative in their prescribing methods, they had all been born and raised in medicinal families, so they weren¡¯t all ipetent.


    After getting scolded by his imperial father, Zhu Hanwen pouted his lips slightly in discontent. What good were the old men at the imperial physicianpound if they couldn¡¯t even diagnose dysentery? Now, most of the imperial physicians had switched to using the pills and syrups that were made by Tongren Medicine Hall.


    The efficacy and nature of these medications had all been proven. What sort of contributions did they have if they used someone else¡¯s medications to cure a patient? Furthermore, these pills and syrups had all been invented by Official Yu and were manufactured at workshops owned by her. Who was more skilled now? Wasn¡¯t the answer obvious?


    ¡°Imperial Majesty! Official Yu has gotten injured. This official will escort her back to the temporary imperial residence and ask one of the imperial physicians to take a look.¡± Although Xiaocao had continued to emphasize that it was only a small flesh wound, the scrape was still on her face and it was better to be extra cautious. Young maidens needed to be careful with their faces. After all, if it didn¡¯t heal right and left a scar, wouldn¡¯t that ruin her looks?


    The imperial couple had been preupied with their son and only now discovered that there was a three inch gash on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face. The empress stated in a slightly worried tone, ¡°Xiaocao got injured? You mustn¡¯t be too cavalier about an injury to the face. Chunhong, give Miss Yu some of my ¡®Healing Jade Ointment¡¯ to use. Xiaocao, don¡¯t worry. The efficacy of Healing Jade Ointment is quite good.¡±


    ¡°This official gratefully epts Your Imperial Majesty¡¯s benevolence!¡± Yu Xiaocao kneeled to express her thanks.


    After getting permission from the emperor and empress, Zhu Junyang rode with thess on pillion to the temporary imperial residence. Before long, Chunhong appeared with a bottle of Healing Jade Ointment on hand.


    ¡°Miss Yu, the recipe for this Healing Jade Ointment has been passed down for generations by her imperial majesty¡¯s maternal family. It is only given to women and not men, daughters and not sons. The ingredients for this ointment are quite precious and rare. The empress herself only has three bottles on hand! The fact that the empress has given you one bottle for your injury truly shows how highly her imperial majesty regards you.¡± Chunhong was the personal pce maid of the empress and knew how to drum up support for her mistress.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Chunhong, for running this errand. Please make sure to express my gratitude to the empress!¡± Yu Xiaocao still wasn¡¯t very used to the winding and graceful speech that was required when speaking to the imperial family. However, the smile on her face was quite sincere.


    Ever since Yu Xiaocao had used the empress¡¯s name to open ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, the renowned beauty and cosmetics spa, the empress had more opportunities to leave the imperial pce. Chunhong had also interacted with the young girl a few times and had a decent understanding of her. The maid smiled and then left the room, leaving Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang alone again.


    ¡°Come here, this prince will spread the ointment on for you.¡± Zhu Junyang took the bottle of ointment from Wutong¡¯s hands and scooted forward a few steps. He bent down and held her face in one hand as he carefully inspected the wound. Although it was only a minor, superficial wound like she said it was, he still revealed a tender expression.


    Yu Xiaocao stopped him from continuing, ¡°Wait a moment, I need to clean the wound first. Hm, use the water in my water pouch then. That¡¯ll save us a trip to get some water.¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes nced briefly at the water pouch at her waist and a hint of a smile appeared, ¡°How about we use the water in my water pouch instead? I¡¯ve only had a few sips of it and there¡¯s still quite a lot left!


    ¡°That won¡¯t work!¡± Yu Xiaocao was very opposed to this idea. The water in the prince¡¯s pouch was only ordinary water while the water in her pouch was the multi-use mystic-stone water that could reduce swelling, relieve pain, and prevent inmmation. How could they be the same thing?


    When she saw the look in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, she carefully crafted a believable lie to exin, ¡°You¡¯ve already taken sips from your water pouch. A person¡¯s mouth has a lot of germs in it. If my wound got infected from that, wouldn¡¯t that make be causing a serious injury from a minor one?¡±


    ¡°Then...are you telling me you haven¡¯t taken a sip from your water pouch?¡± Zhu Junyang expressed that he was quite curious about the term ¡®germ¡¯. The littless often said some interesting phrases that he had never heard of before. He had already gotten used to this quirk of hers.


    ¡°I...I¡¯m already immune to the germs that live in my mouth. Perhaps you don¡¯t understand what ¡®immune¡¯ means, but you should understand the term ¡®resistance¡¯ right? Therefore, I won¡¯t get infected!¡± Yu Xiaocao made a few leaps of logic and twisted her words to suit the situation.


    ¡°Then...howe this prince has heard of the fact that saliva can help wounds heal? Just look, many people lick their wounds when they get injured, so isn¡¯t that a valid thing to do?¡± Zhu Junyang knew that the water in the littless¡¯s pouch as well as all of the water consumed by the Yu Family was different from ordinary water. However, he just wasn¡¯t making it known that he knew about this.

 Chapter 533 – Teasing

    <h4>Chapter 533 ¨C Teasing</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s willow-like eyebrows came together in a frown as she tried to think of a way to convince Zhu Junyang to use the mystic-stone water within her pouch to clean her wound. Zhu Junyang suppressed the smile on his lips and earnestly said, ¡®What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you think this prince makes sense ah? How about this? I could help you lick your wounds and use my saliva to help you disinfect it...¡±


    Wutong, who was waiting at the side if her master needed anything, felt her face turn bright red! She hesitated a bit. If Royal Prince Yang really nned on using his saliva to wash her young miss¡¯s face, how should she stop him?


    ¡°Go away! Aren¡¯t you dirty ah? Isn¡¯t it disgusting to use your saliva to lick my wounds?¡± Yu Xiaocao almost wanted tough at the absurdness of it all. This fellow just knew how to take advantage of her. Why did she used to think that he was a cold and aloof person? Clearly, he was just a shameless rascal!


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t restrain hisughter any longer and took the water pouch from her hands, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop teasing you! This prince will help you clean your wound. Wutong, where¡¯s your young miss¡¯s cosmetic box? Go take out a few cotton swabs and bring them here.¡±


    Although Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t reached the age when she would start using cosmetics, she had already prepared a beautiful red sandalwood box that was delicately carved to carry them. Inside the box there were some daily necessities, skincare items, and some small pieces of jewelry. Cotton swabs were something she came up with but she didn¡¯t normally use them very frequently. Using them to clean and treat a wound was quite appropriate though.


    Zhu Junyang dabbed the cotton swab into some mystic-stone water and carefully helped her to clean the gash on her face. After he cleaned up all of the congealed blood in the area, he discovered that the wound was quite deep. He couldn¡¯t help but tenderly help her blow a few times on it, ¡°It¡¯s so deep, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll leave a scar or not!¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to tell me that you¡¯ll no longer like me if I have a scar on my face?¡± Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, didn¡¯t really care too much about the wound on her face. Mystic-stone water was quite effective at preventing and removing scars. Even her mother, who previously had old scars on her hands from cutting grass, almost had no scars left after using it. How could a mild scratch on her face evenpare?


    Zhu Junyang helped her spread on some Healing Jade Ointment. His movements were incredibly gentle as if he was doing something that was very holy. The expression on his face was solemn and when he heard her remark, he rebuked it instantly, ¡°Nonsense! Is this prince someone who has such a fickle heart ah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say ah! Men are visual creatures. As soon as they see a beautiful woman, their eyes are stuck on them and don¡¯t move! If I was like Official Yu¡¯s youngest daughter and had a face full of pimples, so swollen that I resembled a pig¡¯s head, and also had pustules that oozed pus and blood, would you still like me?¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him while she obediently kept her face still to allow him to spread the ointment more easily.


    Zhu Junyang gave her a good-natured re and stated, ¡°When did you ever see me staring at another woman as if I didn¡¯t want to look away? If this prince really was a womanizer, wouldn¡¯t my inner courtyard be filled with beauties by now? How could I possibly set my eyes on you, an immature littless?¡±


    ¡°Just what are you trying to imply here?¡± Yu Xiaocao instantly erupted in fury, ¡°Are you iming that I¡¯m not beautiful? I have such tender skin,rge doe-like eyes, long and lush eyshes, and a delicate egg-shaped face. Do you still think I¡¯m not pretty at all? Just what part of my looks don¡¯t meet up to your standards?¡±


    Zhu Junyang deliberately held her face in his hand and stared at it for a long time. His sword-like brows knitted together into a frown and he solemnly dered, ¡°Mm...after looking at your face closely...looks like your features have really opened and look quite fine together. All in all¡ª¡ªyou still resemble a silly little girl!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the silly little girl ah! Say it again, I dare you to say it again!!¡± Yu Xiaocao seethed at hisments and resembled a puffed up little frog. Her feet, which were shod in embroidered shoes, stamped down furiously at Zhu Junyang¡¯s boot-covered feet. That wasn¡¯t enough to vent her anger, so she even started jumping up and down on his feet.


    Zhu Junyang handed the bottle of Healing Jade Ointment to Wutong and drew the littless, who was still hopping up and down, into his arms. He let out augh that sounded as melodious as a string instrument and said, ¡°My little silly girl, quickly grow up. Once you be a young and virtuousdy, then I will marry you. That¡¯ll stop you from having flights of fancy in that weird little head of yours. I just found out today that apparently you¡¯re quite afraid of this prince having a fickle heart ah!¡±


    ¡°Just who wants to marry you, hmph¡ª¡ª¡° Yu Xiaocao arrogantly moved her head to the side even though her face was bright red. In her previous life, she had been solely preupied with earning money to support her family and never had the time to indulge in the pleasure of romance before she perished early. However, she never would have expected that after transmigrating over, the God of Transmigration would give her a chance to be with such a handsome and loyal dog of a man. As someone who had no romantic experience whatsoever, it was a bit embarrassing that she had no defenses against such an alluring man at all.


    Zhu Junyang decided to give her a break and quietly changed the subject, ¡°Where did you guys meet up with the tiger? Be as detailed as you can.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao described everything as they happened today to him. She also added her opinion of the situation at the end, ¡°Everyone had confirmed that the hunting area that we were at didn¡¯t have any ferocious beasts. In fact, even the slightly more dangerous wild boars and pigs weren¡¯t allowed in that area. How could a tiger suddenly appear then? There must be a conspiracy afoot, one that is targeting the eldest imperial prince!¡±


    Zhu Junyang gently knocked on her head and smiled, ¡°Oh! Looks like you finally grew some brains! Your analysis makes a lot of sense. This situation is not very simple so we cannot assume that there was no outsider involvement. However, there¡¯s no need for you to worry about this. I¡¯m sure the emperor has his own suspicions. Go eat something now. In a moment, when the other people out huntinge back, wouldn¡¯t you want to see the results from today?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao remarked in an uninterested tone, ¡°You didn¡¯t even participate in thepetition today, so whoever is first today has nothing to do with me. It doesn¡¯t matter if I even go out or not.¡±


    ¡°Xiaocao, who would have thought that you were hoping that this prince would get first ce ah? Alright, tomorrow I¡¯ll ask the emperor for a day off so I can help you get a tiger pelt! I guarantee that the pelt I get will be that much better than the one the emperor took away!¡± Zhu Junyang, who always kept a close eye on thess, naturally spotted the disappointment that had shed through her eyes when the tiger pelt had been taken away from her.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s spirits immediately came up and a brilliant smile blossomed onto her face, ¡°Okay ah, okay! With your archery skills, killing a tiger must be a piece of cake for you. However...do you think there is another tiger to be had on these hunting grounds?¡±


    Zhu Junyang tapped on her nose and lightly chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if these grounds don¡¯t have any, this prince will head into the deep mountains to find one for you! When have I ever not done what I promised before? Let¡¯s go, we should see what their spoils are like today!¡±


    In the evening, before the sun had set behind the western mountain range, the people who had gone out to hunt had all sessively returned. There was quite a lot of game to be had on these hunting grounds and everyone more or less had some sort of harvest. Even He Wanning, who was a noble young maiden and had been taught some rudimentary equestrian archery, came back with game on hand.


    He Wanning walked over with a string of colorful wild pheasants and plump wild hares. From the self-satisfied expression on her face, one could easily tell that she was very pleased with her results today. Royal Princess Minn also had a decent amount of game on hand and she had even managed to bring down a fat and plump roe deer! There were also some young maidens from military families who participated in the hunt. They were dressed valiantly and had long strings of game hanging off of their horses. These maidens all had proud expressions on their faces.


    As for the men who were skilled in martial arts and equestrian archery, they naturally had very good hauls from the hunt today. However, the person who did unexpectedly well was the rascally good-for-nothing Third Young Master from Duke Rongguo¡¯s Estate. The amount of game he brought back was easily more than the other people¡¯s and he even had arge wild boar in his haul. No one needed to even count to know that he was the one who was going to take first ce today.


    ¡°Congrattions Brother Ning!¡± The second ce winner, Lu Hao, elegantly cupped his hands at the other man while he congratted the first ce winner.


    Ning Donghuan squeezed out a smile, ¡°Brother Lu, how could you, as a close friend, not know how much game is from my own efforts? More than half of the game here wasn¡¯t killed by me!¡±


    Lu Hao noticed that most of the game had been killed with a snap to the neck. Then he looked at the two heroic looking mastiffs behind Ning Donghuan and said, ¡°The game that your hunting dogs catch are also counted under you. You do deserve first ce for this, Brother Ning.¡±


    Ning Donghuan waved his hand frantically, ¡°How would my hunting dogs have the ability to kill a wild boar so easily? Look more carefully at the wounds on the game. Don¡¯t you have a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu seeing this?¡±


    Lu Hao had also gone out on the outings that Yu Xiaocao had organized before. Thus, he was a bit familiar with the hunting tactics that her tworge wolves had. When he noticed that the vast majority of game here had all had their throats ripped out and their necks snapped in two, without any other wounds on their bodies, he had a better understanding of what had happened.


    He remarked in puzzlement, ¡°Aren¡¯t Little ck and Little White quite protective of their spoils ah? Why did they allow you to take their game?¡± He also remembered that Ning Donghuan had once coveted the two wolves¡¯ spoils when they were in the back hills of the Imperial ntation. However, the young master had been punished summarily by these two wolves and had ended up with his clothes ripped to ribbons and his naked butt revealed to everyone there. When did this Ning fellow be some close to these two creatures?


    ¡°Sigh...don¡¯t even mention it or ask!!¡± Ning Donghuan had a resigned expression on his face.


    Apparently, Ning Donghuan had brought his two mastiffs along with two servants along to the hunting grounds. He chose a rtively safe area to hunt. As he shot prey himself, he was also training his two beloved dogs how to hunt properly. As they wandered around, the two mastiffs suddenly put their tails between their legs and looked terrified.


    Ning Donghuan had thought that he hade across a dangerous animal. With his own skills, he¡¯d be able to bring down a medium sized animal without any problems. However, if a tiger appeared or some other incredibly vicious beast, he could only run away for his life. He at least had this much self-awareness. Immediately, his heart started pounding faster as he looked around to see what was going on.


    At this time, he heard the familiar howl of Little ck in the near vicinity. Ning Donghuan had salivated over these two wolves for a long time so he naturally recognized the howl. From the sounds of it, Little ck had likely encountered arge opponent and Ning Donghuan wondered if he should head forth to help in order to curry favor with Little ck and Little White. In the future, when the two of them had puppies, he might even be able to shamelessly cajole one out of them.


    Thus, he gathered his courage and walked towards them. He was just in time to see Little ck easily subdue arge wild boar. Wild boars had thick hides but Little ck bit through the animal¡¯s neck in a single bite. It was very clear that the wolf had razor sharp teeth from that demonstration. Ning Donghuan thought his eyeballs were about to fall out of his head and desperately wished he could immediately bring Little ck back home. Unfortunately, even a wild boar couldn¡¯t put up much of a fight with Little ck, so how could he possibly subdue the wolf?


    When he got closer, Little ck sensed him. Since Ning Donghuan already had a criminal record in the eyes of Little ck, the wolf stood menacingly in front of the dead boar and showed him his long, white teeth in a warning snarl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand!¡± Ning Donghuan knew Miss Yu had raised Little ck and Little White to be incredibly intelligent and that they could mostly understand what a human said. He revealed a ttering smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to try to steal game from you...this wild boar looks quite heavy, so won¡¯t it be quite strenuous for you to bring it back? I have a lot of people here, how about we can help you move it back?¡±


    Little ck understood the word ¡®help¡¯ but still gave Ning Donghuan a look that was full of distrust. Ning Donghuan immediately raised his hand to swear an oath to the heavens stating that he absolutely wasn¡¯t going to try to steal their game. He had a very sincere expression on his face and was doing all he could to convince the wolf of his good intentions.

 Chapter 534 – Pleasantly Surprised

    <h4>Chapter 534 ¨C Pleasantly Surprised</h4>


    For the time being, Little ck decided to believe his ¡®sincerity¡¯. However, the wolf didn¡¯t forget to bare his teeth at the youth one more time. Its meaning was very clear: ¡®If you decide to y some tricks, just watch as I make you show your bare butt to everyone again!!¡¯


    With someone to help move the game, Little ck gleefully ran to the area where it had hidden its spoils and dragged out what it had caught one after another. There truly was a lot of game to be found at the hunting grounds. In a short period of time, the wolf was able to kill around a dozen prey.


    Among them included a roebuck, a deer, and a roe deer. It also caught ferrets, red foxes, hazel grouses and other animals that were highly valued for their furs or delicate meat. It even had killed a giant elk that had to weigh around four to five hundred catties. Little ck was extremely strong to be able to drag over a piece of game that was evenrger than it was.


    When Little White got ¡®the news¡¯, it also hurried over to bring over what it had killed. Its haul was no smaller than Little ck¡¯s and had about the same variety as its brother. However, Little White had an addition of a beautiful animal from the wild cat family¡ª¡ªan Amur leopard.


    From Ning Donghuan¡¯s understanding of the Amur leopard, this creature had a very keen sense of smell, which helped it stalk its prey. It had four slender legs, razor sharp ws, and incredibly sharp teeth that were all used to strike its prey dead with one blow. Out of all of the animals in the kingdom, Amur leopards were considered one of the top three hunters. Let alone smaller prey, it routinely dined onrger, more dangerous animals like wild boars and ck bears.


    He would have never have expected that Little White, who he had determined to be a ¡®proud and adorable pet¡¯, actually had the ability to fight with an Amur leopard and even kill it without getting a single injury. Ning Donghuan¡¯s understanding of the two wolves¡¯ hunting ability had gone up another few notches.


    By the afternoon, Ning Donghuan and his two hunting dogs had been downgraded to transporting game for the two wolves. Along with his two servants, they hauled the game on their shoulders before riding on their horses back. When he got back to the main campgrounds, he was simultaneously gratified and a bit at a loss when he saw that the pile of game in front of him was thergest of the lot. Unfortunately, more than half of the game wasn¡¯t considered his, so he could only be happy for a short while.


    Little ck and Little White appeared to blindly follow him from behind. In other people¡¯s eyes, the procession was quite grand and impressive but Ning Donghuan knew that these two were only keeping a close eye on him. As soon as he showed a hint of trying to snatch away their game, they would start biting at his buttocks in revenge.


    Therefore, as soon as Xiaocao appeared, Ning Donghuan hurriedly delivered these ¡®hot potatoes¡¯ to her, ¡°Miss Xiaocao, this pile of game is all from the efforts of your two hunting dogs. This one is merely helping them bring them over for you. No need to thank me at all!¡±


    The two of them sat in front of Xiaocao, one on the right and one on the left. Their azure blue eyes glittered with joy. Little ck looked especially happy as it used its paw to point at the wild boar that it had killed. The expression on its face clearly showed that it was asking forpliments. Xiaocao stood on her tiptoes and used her hands to stroke their heads before giving them each arge hug.


    Out of all of the game here, she didn¡¯t seem very interested in thergest ones ¨C the wild boar and elk. As for the delicate looking hazel grouse, the sables and red foxes that had gleaming fur, she took a second look at those. Little ck seemed to have learned something from that first day as in the following days, it ended up killing many hazel grouses, sables, and red foxes.


    Sable fur was a valuable type of pelt and was considered one of the three treasures of the northeast, along with ginseng and young deer antler. In some previous dynasties, only officials of a high enough rank were entitled to wear clothing made from sable fur to show their status. In fact, there was a saying about all of this: ¡®First-ranked wears silver fox, second-ranked sable, third and fourth-ranked are allowed to wearmon fox¡¯. The meaning was very clear. Only second-ranked officials and above had the qualifications to wear sable fur. Fortunately, the current dynasty didn¡¯t have such a custom. Otherwise, Xiaocao, who was only a sixth-ranked official, was quite a bit away from being able to wear sable fur.


    Although red fox fur was not as famous and valuable as silver fox fur, it was brightly colored and was often liked by young maidens. Red foxes were amonly seen creature in the northeast of the country and the red foxes in these areas had full thick pelts with gloriously colored fur. Therefore, by the time the hunt ended, Yu Xiaocao ended up with around thirty to forty red fox pelts in her luggage and had around a dozen sable pelts as well. The young maidens who were close to her, such as He Wanning, Royal Princess Minn, Yuan Xueyan, Yu Wanqing and Li Mengru, all got a few red fox fur pelts from her. She gave some sable pelts to the empress, Princess Consort Jing, her godmother and mother. In the end, she only had enough furs left to make two sets of clothing for herself. Naturally, this was all in the future.


    After checking the amount of game that each person who had participated on the first day had caught, as the master of Little ck and Little White, Yu Xiaocao had almost ced in the top three. If they had added on the tiger that the emperor had taken away from her, she absolutely would have ced in the top three and might have even been a contender for first ce. Other than giving out the first three prizes, the emperor had also taken off a dragon-shaped jade pendant and given it to Yu Xiaocao, who had been looking at him in grievance this entire time.


    The dragon-shaped jade pendant had been given to the emperor during his full moon ceremony [1] by the emperor emeritus. Seeing the jade pendant was akin to seeing the emperor himself. Whoever had this pendant, no matter what sort of crime he or shemitted, it could all be forgiven. Thus, it was equivalent to the golden token that excused being sentenced to the death penalty. The people who had taken the first three positions in the huntingpetition were very envious of this prize. However, when they found out that Official Yu had risked her life to save the eldest imperial prince, they had no objections to this anymore. After all, the court only had this one prince, so his safety was absolutely more important than a mere jade pendant.


    After receiving the equivalent to the ¡®golden token that saved one from the death penalty¡¯ and the ¡®sword that bestowed imperial power¡¯, Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt that the tiger pelt was no longer as important as before. Herrge pair of eyes crinkled up in a joyous smile and her whole face resembled a tiny squirrel who had just stolen a hazelnut.


    A few chancellors at court, who were very good at toadying up for personal gain, looked at her now in a different light. They were all wondering if there were any suitable descendants at home who could possibly be a good marriage match for little Official Yu. After all, she was heavily favored by the emperor so it might not be a bad idea to make an alliance with her. Furthermore, those officials who imed that Yu Xiaocao was a ¡®woman who usurped authority¡¯ were once again squarely pped in the face by the sight of this littless gaining more favor from the emperor through her own skills and efforts.


    For the next following few days, the hunt continued with enthusiasm from all participants. The younger generation all did their best to fight over the first three ces. It was normally hard toe by a chance to show their faces in front of the emperor.


    Unfortunately, none of them had any fate with taking first ce anymore because Royal Prince Yang had entered the scene. Other than standing out the first day, he participated in all of the following days and easily snatched first ce every day. All of the game he hunted, whether it was in terms of numbers or quality, easily surpassed the hauls of those in second and third ce. Consequently, the legend of Royal Prince Yang dominating first ce at the hunt became a sure thing.


    On the veryst day of the hunt, the sun had already set but Royal Prince Yang was still nowhere to be seen. The curtain of night was being pulled across therge grasnds and the stars started to twinkle naughtily in the dark blue sky. A cold night breeze began to blow and it brought along the fresh, unique smell of the grasnds with it. The bonfires had all been lit up in the camp. The emperor looked at the color of the sky and then nced at the youths who were all waiting for the cings and rewards. There was still one person, the most spirited of them all, missing from that group of people.


    ¡°Su Ran, that fellow hasn¡¯te back even now. Do you think he encountered a sticky situation somewhere ah?¡± The emperor kept a faint smile on his face as his lips barely moved while conversing with Chief Steward Su.


    Su Ran replied as if nothing had happened, ¡°Imperial Majesty, Royal Prince Yang is a genius at martial arts. These past two years, his skills have advanced by leaps and bounds. In fact, this servant may not be able to prevail against him in a one-on-one fight. Thus, there¡¯s no need for you to be worried.¡±


    Even though the eunuch had said the words ¡®this servant¡¯, Su Ran¡¯s handsome appearance and demeanor still resembled that of a pure and lofty immortal.


    Zhu Junfan gave him a look that said ¡®you broke the rules just now¡¯ and then continued to pretend to be dignified. After waiting another few minutes, although the officials and their offspring didn¡¯t obviously show their anxiety and impatience, it wasn¡¯t quite right to make them keep standing there in the cold wind. After all, there were quite a few older officials in the group and it wouldn¡¯t be good for them to be exposed to the elements for too long.


    Just as the emperor was about to decide to stop waiting and announce the first three ces as is, in the distant thickets, there was a flicker of torches. Yu Xiaocao keenly saw the light and cheered in a trumpeting tone, ¡°Imperial Majesty, someone hase back. It must be Royal Prince Yang and the others!¡±


    Even though it was getting dark andte and the forest was full of danger, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t too worried. Not only was Zhu Junyang¡¯s skills top-notch, but he also brought along Head Steward Liu and Bodyguard Dong along, who were both top-experts at martial arts. In addition, no one else at court was possibly able to bend the bow that he used, so he was the top predator in the forest. Although she wasn¡¯t anxious about their personal safety, she was still worried about them being out sote and for so long.


    As the torches got closer, it became clear it was Zhu Junyang and his subordinates. As they got even closer, everyone could see their haul from today and they all breathed in sharply in astonishment. Although they didn¡¯t have a lot of game on them, what they did have was more than enough to blow the rest of them out of the water. They had a giant bear that weighed around four to five hundred catties and an Amur tiger that had been killed with a single arrow in the eye. Just these two specimens alone would be enough to win first ce here.


    ¡°Wow! My tiger pelt!!¡± Yu Xiaocao was incredibly excited. Although she knew that Zhu Junyang had promised her earlier and that he had never broken a promise, as the end date to the hunt got closer and closer, the disappointment in her heart had also increased with each passing day. Today, she had already prepared herself mentally. Even if he wasn¡¯t able to encounter a tiger, she was not going to reveal one iota of her disappointment to him. After all, so many days had passed and there were so many people out hunting every day. None of them had even seen the shadow of a tiger, so how could he just coincidentallye across one?


    As evening rolled across the sky and more time had passed without Zhu Junyang returning, Yu Xiaocao began to feel moved and remorseful. She knew that the reason why he was returning sote was to find a tiger for her. No matter what sort of oue he had today, she needed to say the words ¡®thank you¡¯ to him.


    ¡°Why is the tiger pelt automatically yours? Everything that is under the skies here is under my jurisdiction. Technically, all of the game that has been caught at this hunt is our personal property!¡± Zhu Junfan deliberately expressed an opposing opinion to Xiaocao¡¯s.


    The bright smile on Xiaocao¡¯s face immediately froze and congealed. If the emperor was really nning on snatching this tiger pelt from her, as a tiny official, what could she say?


    ¡°However...if you want to trade that dragon-shaped jade pendant for the tiger pelt, then we will have to acquiesce to your request.¡± Zhu Junfan regarded the littless¡¯s conflicted expression with a sense of wicked delight. He was in a very good mood now.


    After he had given out his jade pendant, that night, the empress had tactfully hinted that giving out something that was that significant and important to a young maiden may not be the most suitable thing to do. Thirteen to fourteen year old girls were na?ve and inexperienced. If she decided to unt this jade pendant in her hands and do something inexcusable, was that really okay?


    Zhu Junfan, on the other hand, had a pretty good understanding of this littless and consoled the empress, ¡°The littless is quite cowardly and knows what can and cannot be done. Fei¡¯er, the situation that you¡¯re worrying about will not appear. That being said, a jade pendant is dead whereas people are alive. Is it really worth it to get ourselves in a tizzle over a dead object?¡±


    [1] full moon ceremony ¨C A Chinese custom, when a baby turns one month old, a ceremony is held to celebrate her first full month of life. Both mother and baby are formally introduced to the extended family and friends. For many of them, this will be the first time they are meeting the new baby.

 Chapter 535 – Drunken Conversations

    <h4>Chapter 535 ¨C Drunken Conversations</h4>


    After interacting with her a few times, the empress also had a good impression of Yu Xiaocao. Thess was smart, lively, and wise beyond her years. She not only was extremely talented but also had an amiable and friendly personality. This wasn¡¯t something that everydy had.


    There was one other point that the empress liked about Xiaocao. It wasn¡¯t exhausting interacting with her as the empress didn¡¯t have to bring out the imposing mother of the empire demeanor with thess or have to worry about whether her bearing was appropriate or not. Everything felt very natural around thess, as if she could rx and be herself. Thus, the empress naturally agreed with what the emperor was saying. With this littless¡¯s personality, the dragon-shaped jade pendant was safer in her hands than anyone else¡¯s.


    ¡°Since the emperor is aware, then I won¡¯t say anything more.¡± The empress paused for a moment before she continued, ¡°That being said, Miss Yu is the savior of our imperial son. The value of the dragon-shaped jade pendant can¡¯t evenpare to our imperial son¡¯s life. Emperor, we absolutely cannot allow the person scheming from behind to get away with this!!¡±


    The empress gritted her teeth as she said this, wishing that she could tear that person into pieces right now. She was childhood sweethearts with the emperor and had been married to him for a full three years before she had Wen¡¯er as her only child. The imperial couple had a good rtionship and only had this one child between them. Furthermore, he was also the emperor¡¯s only son. The medicaldies from the imperial physician¡¯spound had already told her that she had a particr body constitution and it¡¯d be hard for her to bear a second child. If anything had happened to Wen¡¯er, it¡¯d be worse than taking her own life.


    Zhu Junfan lightly patted her hand and promised her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if you didn¡¯t say anything, we would not be merciful to the people who dare to scheme against the imperial family¡¯s descendants!¡±


    That moron was really too idiotic. His own younger sister had just reached month six of her pregnancy and the doctors couldn¡¯t even urately determine whether the child was male or female, yet he was scheming for the position of an imperial uncle! The man had no brains and was clearly being used by someone who tempted him with the dream of bing one of the most powerful officials at court!


    In actuality, even if the hidden soldiers hadn¡¯t been sent out to investigate this matter, the emperor already had a suspicion of who was behind this. Consort Yi was the only one in the imperial pce to transmit good news recently. All of the other pce concubines had been eyeing her belly as they were all afraid that she¡¯d be lucky enough to bear a son and receive more imperial favor.


    Zhu Junfan never took the little petty movements in the inner pce too seriously. On top was the empress, who he trusted to manage everything. None of the women there had the guts to scheme against the imperial heir. Consequently, as long as their little schemes didn¡¯t hit his bottom line, he would just pretend to not notice anything.


    Consort Yi was an obedient one and there was only a thin line between being obedient and being a coward. Her older brother had been spoiled by everyone in her family. Naturally, he had an elevated opinion of his own abilities yet he never used his head when making a decision. Four months ago, his younger sister¡¯s belly hadn¡¯t even started showing and even the imperial physicians didn¡¯t dare to hazard a guess about the gender of the child. He, on the other hand, decided to listen to the ramblings of a traveling priest who stated that he had the fate of bing the imperial uncle. Unfortunately, there was a barrier in his way. As long as he got rid of that problem, then his path to glory would be smooth and guaranteed.


    This fellow had no learning or skills to bring to the table. The only reason why he had the title of ¡®Count Mingzheng¡¯ was because his younger sister was a titled consort in the imperial pce. Thus, he had an idle position at court. Unfortunately, this fellow had overweening ambitions but no talents to back it up. In addition, his ego wasrger than his brains, so he wasn¡¯t satisfied with his current lot. Consequently, he was easily swayed by a stranger and came up with a n that actually required some thinking which had almost seeded.


    When Count Mingzheng found out that his younger sister was pregnant, he managed to acquire an idle job at the hunting grounds. The head steward in charge of the grounds was very courteous to him because of his rtionship with Consort Yi and didn¡¯t give any hard work to him. Thus, this gave him plenty of time to work out his scheme to perfection.


    He spent a vast sum of money to hire some roaming martial arts experts and had them search for the signs of a tiger within the hunting grounds. Then, they sprinkled some powerful mind-muddling drug on some badly mangled bait for the tiger. The tiger ate the bait and fell into their hands easily. Following that, they raised the captured tiger in a special steel cage deep within the thickets.


    A few days before the imperial hunt started, they started to short the tiger of its food. After confirming where the eldest imperial prince had gone, he had his underlings calcte how long it would take for the drug to wear off of the tiger and then ced the drugged tiger in the vicinity of the eldest imperial prince. When the starving tiger woke up, clear-headed, it would see its prey right before its eyes and absolutely wouldn¡¯t let this chance to eat meat go...


    Although his n seemed quite absurd on paper, it was actually quite efficacious. If it wasn¡¯t for Yu Xiaocao using her own body to lure the tiger away and if she didn¡¯t have her two strong and fierce wolves with her, not only would the littless be hard pressed to escape the tiger¡¯s jaws, but even the eldest imperial prince might have also met his end!


    Although a lot of things had happened at the imperial hunt, no one had lost their life or had gotten crippled from injuries, so it was considered quite a sessful event! The giant bear that Zhu Junyang had killed was also divided up appropriately to reward the apanying powerful officials, princes and dukes. Out of the four bear paws, the emperor emeritus was given one, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate was given one, Yu Xiaocao was allotted one, and thest one, the plumpest right front paw, was left for the emperor.


    The emperor emeritus scurried over to find Xiaocao with his bear paw in hand. He now had no faith in the abilities of the imperial chefs and only trusted Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills. As his grandson, Zhu Junyang also came over with his bear paw in hand. This fellow knew that Xiaocao had the ability to cook bear paws, so what was wrong with adding another one to her queue? In conclusion, out of the four bear paws that had been divvied up, Xiaocao now had three of them in front of her.


    But there was a problem! Whether it was Asiatic ck bears or brown bears, in modern times, they were all considered protected animals. Yu Xiaocao had never seen these ingredients on the market let alone know how to cook them. If she just brazenly tried without experimenting, she was afraid that she¡¯d end up wasting these valuable ingredients. She stared at these three bear paws without any solutionsing to her head. In the end, she had to ask the imperial chef who was the best at preparing exotic delicacies from the deep mountains to cook them instead.


    Whether it was preparing the bear paws or cooking them, all of that took quite a bit of time. The next morning, the imperial chefs all became very busy. With the addition of the bear paw from the emperor, they had four bear paws that they needed to prepare. Thus, they racked their brains to figure out the best way to cook them.


    They decided to use different methods to cook all four bear paws. There was ¡®bear paw steamed with ginseng and young deer antler¡¯. This dish had a golden-yellow color, preserved the original vor of the ingredients, and was exceptionally delicious. Then there was ¡®superb bear paw¡¯, which kept the pawpletely intact. It had a rich and mellow vor with glossy shiny meat. Following that was the ¡®simmered red bear paws¡¯, which had ky and soft palm meat that was incredibly fragrant. Finally, there was ¡®ribboned bear paw¡¯. It had a lustrous red color, concentrated fragrant vor, soft and tender texture, and the shining appetizing juice...


    When it was all done, the emperor waved a hand and proimed, ¡°At noon, the whole family shall enjoy this meal together. The more the merrier!¡± Consequently, the high-ranking members of the imperial family all got together and enjoyed the feast. The emperor emeritus¡¯s youngest son¡ª¡ªthe idle Imperial Prince Sa had smelled the aroma of the food and shamelessly came over to cadge a meal. If they eliminated Yu Xiaocao from this meal, then it would have be a meal reserved solely for the imperial family members.


    Yu Xiaocao hadplied to popr request and made a ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯ that wasprised of exotic delicacies from the deep mountains. In addition, the imperial chefs had carefully prepared a bunch of other dishes for the meal. All of these powerful people ate to their heart¡¯s content andplimented the food endlessly. Even the empress herself, who was usually a very elegant and refined person, had eaten until she was stuffed!


    Thest bits of the fruit Xiaocao had brought along had also been served up at this meal as a way to cut the grease. For the people who had drunk a bit more alcohol, she had also considerately pressed some fruit juice for them. The emperor emeritus revealed a pleased expression and pped his grandson¡¯s¡ª¡ªZhu Junyang¡¯s arm. He remarked with a bit of a lisp, ¡°Thatss Xiaocao truly agrees with this old one! She refused my offer to be an adopted granddaughter. Who knows which big bad wolf in the future will take her away once shees of age. Quite a pity!¡±


    Imperial Prince Sa had somewhat of a loose tongue. He hupped and interjected, ¡°Then isn¡¯t...that easily fixed ah? Our family has nothing more than sons to go around. We have plenty of youngsters around thess¡¯s age. If you think it¡¯s a pity that she¡¯ll marry someone else, then have one of our kids marry her instead!! It wouldn¡¯t be considered a disgrace for her to marry into the imperial family!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that his third uncle was bbering more and more nonsense. If he didn¡¯t butt in now, then that uncle of his might take hisss away to be his daughter-inw instead. Before he had the chance to open his mouth, Imperial Prince Jing, whose face had already turnedpletely red from drinking too much alcohol, pped the table and spoke to Imperial Prince Sa, ¡°Third Younger Brother! Don¡¯t you understand the concept of following seniority? As your second older brother, I haven¡¯t even had the chance to voice my opinion, so why do you get to state yours first?¡±


    Following that, he narrowed his eyes and red at his own son as he scolded, ¡°Stinky brat! Yourdy mother has had strands of her hair turn white fretting over your future marriage! You¡¯re already twenty and don¡¯t have a wife yet. So useless!!¡±


    He paused for a bit and then pointed at Xiaocao before speaking to his son, ¡°Yourdy mother quite likes thisss. Your mother has never liked another young maiden as much as she likes this one! Her appearance is decent and she also knows how to cook. Furthermore, she can help your mother nourish and heal her body...as your father, Imand you to take thisss into your own residence!¡±


    What the! His father was being quite tant about his intentions. He wanted his son to marry a wife not for his son¡¯s sake but for his princess consort¡¯s sake? Imperial Prince Jing was quite righteous about all of this. As long as his wife was happy, he wouldn¡¯t just be willing to choose a wife for his son, he would even be willing to sacrifice his grandson¡¯s marriage as well!


    Zhu Junfan watched with avid interest from the side. The littless very rarely showed such an abashed and embarrassed expression on her face, as if she didn¡¯t know what to do. A sense of evil pleasure rose within his heart.


    Just as his younger cousin was about to open his mouth to say something, Zhu Junfan suddenly butted in, ¡°Imperial Uncle, thess Xiaocao is still quite young and has a childish air about her! Junyang may not necessarily like her that way!¡±


    ¡°He dares to not like her!!¡± Imperial Prince Jing was clearly quite drunk now. The man, who was usually in control of himself, was now being quite impolite. He forcefully pped the table, causing the tes and bowls to jump up and down, ¡°What does he have? His face resembles a woman¡¯s and he has a cruddy personality. If he wasn¡¯t lucky enough to be born into the imperial family, who would want to marry him?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was speechless at this. Apparently, in his lord father¡¯s eyes, he had be a pitiful person who wasn¡¯t able to find someone willing to be his wife! Sigh, with a father who was solely preupied with his mother, what did he expect? For the sake of a beauty¡¯s smile, this man was even willing to sacrifice his son¡¯s future happiness in marriage. He was really too much!


    He imed that he looked like a woman? And that no one would want him? Only his biological father could say something like that. If anyone else tried, just see what would happen! His littless really quite liked this face of his and had often been entranced by his looks on end. Hmph! It didn¡¯t matter what other people thought. He didn¡¯t care as long as hisss liked him!


    His unhelpful father started talking again, ¡°Although thess is on the younger side, this brat isn¡¯t in any hurry to get engaged. Waiting a few more years for thess to reach her age of majority wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Yang¡¯er, yourdy mother and I will wait patiently for two years, so please shape up a bit. Don¡¯t let yourdy mother, myself, and your imperial grandfather be disappointed! Do your best!¡±


    When he noticed the extremely awkward expression on the littless¡¯s face, Zhu Junyang¡¯s protective instincts for his future wife rose up, ¡°Imperial Grandfather, Lord Father, Imperial Uncle, is it really appropriate to be talking about this in front of the person in question? Look at her. She¡¯s so embarrassed that she¡¯s about to be one with the table!¡±


    The emperor emeritus chuckled in amusement when he saw the bright red cheeks on Xiaocao¡¯s face, ¡°Lass, what are you embarrassed about? You¡¯re almost fourteen. In the previous dynasty, you¡¯d be almost ready to get married at this age. It¡¯s time for you to also think about the most important event in your life, marriage! From what I see, it looks like your family cares a lot about your opinion. As long as the person who catches your eye isn¡¯t too bad, I¡¯m sure your family will allow you to marry him. Speaking of that, my grandson is not bad, how about...you consider him ah?¡±

 Chapter 536 – Good Wine

    <h4>Chapter 536 ¨C Good Wine</h4>


    He couldn¡¯t let these people continue, or else his duck, which was about cooked, would fly away! Zhu Junyang had an idea and tried to change the topic, ¡°Xiaocao, hadn¡¯t you made a few earthen jars of grape wine before you came? I remember that you brought two jars over. Counting the days, they should be about ready to drink. Quick, bring it over so everyone can try.¡±


    The emperor emeritus forgot about everything else the moment he heard this. Only the words, ¡®grape wine¡¯, resonated in his mind. He had tried the fruit wine that Xiaocao had made before, and especially liked her grape wine and pomegranate wine.


    ¡°Littless, you dare dream to hide good things in front of me? Go, quick!¡± The white wine of this time were all grain wines which had low alcohol content, so he did not feel so satisfied drinking them. In the emperor emeritus¡¯s point of view, it was still the Maotai [1] that had been specially crafted for the army from his previous life that had enough punch. The taste was mellow and sweet, while the texture was smooth and the rich aroma, longsting...


    However, a shrimp will do if there was no fish. The grape wine that Xiaocao made had a rich texture, and it was even beneficial towards the body! He had snatched a jar from herst time, and after he finished that jar, he clearly saw that the internal injuries that he had suffered from the war previously had healed significantly, not to mention that it was not so hard for him to get by on a cold day anymore. Hearing that the littless had stored quite a lot of grape wine, the emperor emeritus rubbed his chin, thinking that he should get a few more jars from her this time.


    From the heated gazes she received, Yu Xiaocao knew that she could not hide her grape wine anymore. She fiercely red at Zhu Junyang while no one was watching, ¡®This scourge! Not only did he let me be teased, he even sold out the grape wine I just made! I haven¡¯t even tried it myself!¡¯ She decided to be upset at him for the next three months


    The pitiful Zhu Junyang was schemed against by his closest rtives, but he could only silently swallow this loss. ¡®Ai...the thoughts of a girl are too hard to guess. One moment of carelessness wouldnd him on andmine!¡¯


    The grape skins and pulp in the wine jars that Yu Xiaocao had brought over had not been strained out yet, so these men, who knew the process, patiently waited for her to carry out the filtration. Imperial Prince Sa curiously watched his father and older brother¡¯s eager expressions, wondering, ¡®Father said that even the good wine that was supplied to the imperial family was tasteless like in water, isn¡¯t this sweet grape wine for women? Why are they showing such an odd expression?¡¯


    The red wine danced in a swirling dance as it was slowly poured into a transparent, crystal ss, exuding a thick, pleasant aroma. Imperial Prince Sa held the crystal ss filled with the crystal bright and transparent wine, and lightly sniffed at it. A fresh, pleasant fruit fragrance hit his nose, making him unable to resist taking a sip of the sweet, crisp, red liquid. It flowed slowly from the ss into his mouth and infiltrated the taste buds on the tip of his tongue. The bnce between sourness and sweetness was just right, the aroma was refreshing, and the texture was smooth...He did not know if it was an illusion, but a warm feeling spread among his internal organs as the liquor flowed through, invigorating him.


    ¡°Good wine! It sure is good wine!¡± Imperial Prince Sa praised upon recovering from his daze. He was a man who knew how to enjoy himself, and he followed his heart in everything that he did, pursuing quality in life. Aside from beautiful women, he had another great passion¡ªwine! Over the years, he had quite often shamelessly asked for imperial wine from the Imperial pce. His collection of wine was muchrger than the pce¡¯s storage!


    He had drunk a lot of fruit wine before, but they were sweet as juice, so he thought it was only suitable for women. But today, this jar of wine from Xiaocao changed his opinion. If the ordinary fruit wine was like a soft beauty, then this wine was akin to a strong yet gentle female general¡ªthere was a beautiful side, but there was also a strong side. A beauty like a delicate flower was easy toe by and could be easily reced. However, a perfect woman was hard toe by, and when you meet one, you would definitely not marry any other women!


    How could he drink other good fruit wine after he had tasted this grape wine? After Imperial Prince Sa dazedly finished his ss of grape wine and returned to his senses, he found that the two wine jars had been almostpletely shared out.


    He heartachingly grabbed a jar of wine and hugged it close to him. Then he pointed at his father, brother and nephew, who were all red-faced, and said, ¡°How can you drink so recklessly? Isn¡¯t this just wasting good wine?¡±


    ¡°Little Third, are you going to drink it or not? If you¡¯re not, hand over the jar, I haven¡¯t had enough yet!¡± The emperor emeritus reached out to grab the wine jar in his arms.


    Imperial Prince Sa swiftly dodged him and snorted in a burst of drunken bravery, ¡°All of you are like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit¡ªyou don¡¯t know how to appreciate the taste! It¡¯s such a waste, such a waste...¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, someone pped the back of his head ¡°You little brat! Who are you calling Zhu Bajie? If I were Zhu Bajie, you¡¯d be a bunch of piglets!¡± While he was still dazed from the beating, the emperor emeritus took advantage of this chance to snatch back the wine jar and pour himself another full ss.


    Stars were still dancing in front of Imperial Prince Sa¡¯s eyes but another p came down on him, ¡°Little Third, you¡¯re really capable now, aren¡¯t you? How dare you snatch my wine? Don¡¯t you see, except for Xiaocao, who among us can you steal from?¡±


    Following seniority and status, the emperor emeritus, his imperial brother, the emperor, the empress... Imperial Prince Sa really didn¡¯t dare to stomp his foot in front of them. He was about to say something when he turned to his young nephew, Zhu Junyang, but he was red back by his cold, sharp gaze.


    The only person here who was lower than him in rank was his young nephew, and he was a ¡®Buddha¡¯ that even he, who was his uncle, usually avoided. He had heard about the matters with the Wu Family. If it weren¡¯t for the two servants who risked their lives to stop him, the Wu Household would have already been awash with blood. Rumors said that it was only when Chief Steward Su Ran had been called to the scene did they manage to subdue him. If his young nephew lost all his rationality, he would not care if he was his uncle and just squash him like an ant.


    ¡®Forget it, let¡¯s just have a drink to calm down¡ªHuh? Where¡¯s the wine? There¡¯s not even a drop left?¡¯ Imperial Prince Sa had the urge to look up at the sky and wail.


    Thest ss of wine had been personally poured into the empress¡¯s ss by the emperor himself. Zhu Junfan knew that, with the mystic stone in Xiaocao¡¯s possession, the wine she made must be extraordinary. The empress had not been feeling welltely, so drinking more of this wine would only benefit her.


    Imperial Prince Sa couldn¡¯t snatch his niece-inw¡¯s wine now, could he? Not to mention that she was the mother of the nation! He only had one ss of wine out of a whole two jars! Imperial Prince Sa wanted to pound his chest and stomp his feet! He turned his sorrow and anger to his appetite, and ate a whole bear paw on the table, along with half a jar of ¡®Buddha jumps over the wall¡¯. A moment¡¯s carelessness caused him more tragedy¡ªunable to move because he had stuffed himself full. He was then ced in a situation where he was forced to be carried back home by his guards.


    The next day, the emperor, who had been rxing outside for nearly a month, announced that he was heading back to the pce. Not only was he able to enjoy the unique grasnd scenery on this trip, but he also witnessed the thrill of the hunt. As the emperor, although Zhu Junfan could not freely participate in the hunt, he went down to the Imperial Hunting Grounds and personally shot quite a few game. He had also met with the chieftains of the nearby tribes, taking the opportunity to show them the prowess of his people, especially Royal Prince Yang¡¯s bow, which had struck fear in many of those who had imed to be strong and brave men.


    The return journey was smooth and uneventful. Shortly after returning to the capital, Yu Xiaocao heard word that a certain favorite concubine in the pce had been ced into the cold pce and soon hanged herself, killing herself and the child in her womb. Her family, the Count Mingzhen¡¯s Household, was also confiscated of their assets and executed. Yu Xiaocao then understood that the conspiracy at the Imperial Hunting Grounds hade to an end, and those who should be punished had already paid the price.


    When Yu Xiaocao delivered the grape wine to the Imperial Pce, the empress held her hands and sighed, ¡°Concubine Yun was actually a good person. She was only implicated by her brainless brother. Ay, this Concubine Yun. Even though she was demoted and moved to a more remote pce, living a hard life is still better than a good death! Not to mention that she still had hope of a fresh start with the child in her womb. If she had been able to look past it, there was still a possibility that her rank as an imperial concubine would be restored once she gave birth to an imperial child in a few months and the emperor¡¯s anger subsided. What a pity! Her character had preordained that she wouldn¡¯tst long in the pce...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao deliberately made a clueless expression, thinking in her heart, ¡®Your Majesty, is it really appropriate to tell me, a young, teenage girl, the secret matters of the Imperial Pce? I¡¯m really still a child and don¡¯t understand anything that you said!¡¯


    The empress looked at her childlike expression andughed, ¡°Silly me, why did I tell you all this! By the way, if you have nothing to do today, dine with me in the pce! Wen¡¯er has been missing you for the past few days. If you still didn¡¯t enter the pce, he would¡¯ve asked his imperial father for permission to leave the pce to visit you! Speaking of which, you¡¯ve saved his life twice...¡±


    ¡°This official doesn¡¯t dare...¡± Yu Xiaocao expressed her fear.


    The empress took her little hand and chided lightheartedly, ¡°You, when did you learn to pretend? Rarely can I find someone that I can talk to¡ªyou can¡¯t turn into those women who always follow the opinions of others! It¡¯s so tiring to talk to them!¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoughed drily. Fortunately, only she and the empress were in this pce, otherwise, if word spread, she would be hated by thosedies!


    ¡°Xiazi, go see if the eldest prince has finished his homework. Tell him that Miss Yu hase, and tell him toe over to my Kunning Pce as soon as he finishes his lessons!¡± The empress instructed her personal maidservant, then turned back to Xiaocao and boasted, ¡°Ever since we returned from the Imperial Hunting Grounds, Wen¡¯er seems like he¡¯s matured a lot. Not only is he more sensible, he¡¯s also more attentive to his homework. He especially worked hard to improve his skills at mounted archery, so much so that even the mounted archery teacher kept praising him, saying that he¡¯s improved very quickly!¡±


    ¡°His Highness did really well at the Imperial Hunting Grounds, hunting hazel grouse and hares with only a toy-like little bow. He definitely would¡¯ve gotten more game if he wasn¡¯t so small and weak!¡± Yu Xiaocao agreed.


    The empress¡¯s loving smile continued to beam as she said with obvious pride, ¡°Right now, Wen¡¯er is building his strength every day, saying that he¡¯ll definitely be able to draw the lightest bow next year. He¡¯s not even ten years old, yet he lifts rocks that weigh more than ten kilograms fifty times a day! I¡¯m really afraid that he¡¯ll hurt himself.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, His Highness is really striving to be better. Don¡¯t his arms ache from practicing like that every day?¡± Yu Xiaocao let out a genuine exmation.


    The empress was slightly distressed as she said, ¡°How could it not ache? He could barely hold his chopsticks while eating. His hands shook so much that he couldn¡¯t pick up the food. The next day, he couldn¡¯t even lift his hands, yet he still clenched his teeth, determined to practice! I can¡¯t bear to look at him...¡±

 Chapter 537 – Change

    <h4>Chapter 537 ¨C Change</h4>


    ¡°This subject has a cream that can promote the blood cirction of the body. If Your Majesty doesn¡¯t mind, this subject will have a servant go and fetch it at once.¡± To have such self-discipline at the age of seven, Yu Xiaocao admired yet felt her heart ache for the child.


    The empress was well aware of her prowess in medicine. Her smile widened as she nodded, ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t mention it, I would still shamelessly ask you for some medicinal remedy for my son. Those mediocre doctors in the Imperial Hospital...ahem, the imperial physicians are sometimes too careful with their prescriptions, so the effects are slower...¡±


    ¡°Imperial Mother, Imperial Mother!¡± A clear and bright childish voice sounded from outside the pce hall, glee prominent in his tone, ¡°I heard that Older Sister Yu has entered the pce! Is it true?¡±


    Hearing this, the empress grinned and said to Xiaocao, ¡°I¡¯ve just praised him for his steadiness, and immediately, hees and ps me in the face.¡±


    ¡®Face pping¡¯ was a phrase that the emperor had brought up to her in private. She had even specially asked the meaning behind it, and now she was putting it to practice.


    ¡°He is still a child, so it¡¯s in his nature. Besides, it¡¯s good that he¡¯s lively! His Highness sometimes handles matters even more maturely than this subject, and he only shows such a lively side in front of you, Your Majesty.¡± Yu Xiaocao did not have much resistance towards little children, so once she heard the eldest prince¡¯s voice, a smile crept up her face without her even realizing it.


    Seeing this, the empress¡¯s gaze was filled with even more sincerity. As long as you treat others sincerely, it would eventually return in the form of a true friendship.


    ¡°Older Sister Yu, it really is you! I thought Little Zhuozi, that servant, was lying to me!¡± Zhu Hanwen¡¯s affectionate attitude and address of Xiaocao made her feel somewhat uneasy.


    She hurriedly stood up and bowed towards the eldest prince, ¡°Your Highness, you mustn¡¯t address this subject as such, I can¡¯t ept this!¡±


    The empress pulled Xiaocao to sit beside her, saying, ¡°You ah, you¡¯ve been ¡®wrongly¡¯ taught by your godmother. What can you not ept? You¡¯ve saved his life twice and you¡¯re also older than him by a few years, so what¡¯s wrong with him calling you ¡®older sister¡¯? I still remember that when Wen¡¯er was still small, his imperial father had asked him if he wished for me to give him a little brother or sister. Do you know what his answer was?¡±


    ¡°Imperial Mother!¡± Zhu Hanwen was unhappy now. His imperial mother once again was finding enjoyment out of his embarrassing incidents.


    Seeing the eldest prince¡¯s exasperated and flustered reaction, Xiaocao asked with slight curiosity, ¡°How did His Highness answer?¡±


    The empress disregarded her son¡¯s various attempts to obstruct her and said, stifling augh, ¡°He said that he wished I could give him an elder sister because the older sisters of other families always leave a portion of the good food for their younger brothers, and they would also embroider a nice pouch for their younger brothers. Older sisters are so gentle and considerate, so he wanted such an older sister.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Mother...¡± Zhu Hanwen was full of resignation as he made a long face. His whole demeanor screamed that he was an unhappy little baby. Older Sister Xiaocao was his ¡®idol¡¯, but his imperial mother was ¡®tarnishing¡¯ his good name in front of her! It was too embarrassing! He couldn¡¯t face the world anymore!


    ¡°Sometimes, the words spoken by a child can be really surprising. When my little brother was small, he also said a lot of funny things. I remember that there was a time when he plucked a fat caterpir back from the vegetable farm. My hair was nearly standing on end when I saw the caterpir wriggling on his palm! But seeing him excitedly toying with the caterpir, I didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him to throw it away, and only said, ¡®Shitou, the caterpir¡¯s mother will be anxious if she doesn¡¯t find it!¡¯ Do you know what he did afterward?¡± Seeing the eldest prince enjoying her story, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but leave him in suspense.


    Zhu Hanwan promptly responded, ¡°Your little brother immediately released the caterpir?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pretended to breathe a long sigh, ¡°Ah, he took off toward the vegetable farm again. I thought he was only going to release the caterpir, who could¡¯ve expected that within moments, when he returned, there would be arger caterpir on his palm! He even gleefully said to me, ¡®Older sister, look, I¡¯ve brought the caterpir¡¯s mother here!¡¯¡±


    Both the empress and the prince were so amused they could not stopughing. Yu Xiaocao continued to talk about a few of her little brother¡¯s embarrassing stories when he was younger, not expecting that the eldest prince would, because of this, be very interested in this young county official who was only older than himself by a few years. Many yearster, the eldest prince who had already ascended the throne to be the emperor, would often use these stories to tease his trusted aide, Little Shitou, who was then already a first-ranked official.


    Once she finished having lunch with the mother and son, Yingchun, who had gone back to retrieve the cream, had also returned. Little Zhuozi brought his master to the side hall and helped Zhu Hanwen to apply the cream. He did not know whether it was just a psychological effect, or if it was really the cream that had wondrous healing properties, but after applying the cream, Zhu Hanwen felt the burn in his arms suddenly reced with a cooling sensation.


    Later in the afternoon, when he went to practice mounted archery, the sore ache in his arms waspletely gone. He even performed outstandingly well during practice, earning him praises from his mounted archery teacher. As such, the little fellow idolized Xiaocao even more, and kept bringing her up every day until even the empress felt a little jealous of her.


    Even though her rank as an official did not change, Yu Xiaocao had been awarded the title of a feudal princess because she had saved the eldest prince. She was also rewarded with a lot of good things, which had mostlye from the empress¡¯s own private storage¡ªthe value of the items was evident.


    The youngdies of the capital could only look on with envy and discuss the matter sourly behind closed doors while they would still tter her when they were outside. After all, she was currently favored by the emperor and managed the supply of the entire capital¡¯s vegetables and fruits through fall and winter. They were not as blind as Assistant Minister Li¡¯s daughter who had brought tragedy upon her own family.


    This fall, thousands of mu of experimental corn ntation produced a great yield that was slightly more thanst year¡¯s. However, this was only the yield of the experimental ntation. The farmers who had nted corn at the start of spring had kept the seeds, but their corn yield during fall was lesser than the experimental ntation by three to four hundred catties per mu. Although each mu had yielded more than a thousand catties of produce, it was still nearly one fifth less than the yield during spring.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had received the statistics, started to worry. The seeds that had been immersed in the spiritual energy of the little divine stone would definitely produce high yields, but as she had expected, following each generation, the spiritual energy contained within the seeds would diminish more and more, and as a result, the yield of corn would also follow suit and decrease.


    If she couldn¡¯t ovee such a phenomenon, when the little divine stone umted enough merit and returned to its original world, would everything return to its original point? To her, it was of absolute importance that she cultivated seeds that could truly produce high yields.


    The little divine stone, who could understand her thoughts, rolled its eyes, feeling that her worry was for naught. Once its powers werepletely recovered, it would be a simple thing for it to make a few types of high yielding crops. It might even be able to steal the new species that the Goddess of Spirits had bred¡ªthat was the true high-yielding, healthy crop that could prolong a person¡¯s life so that every person could live beyond a hundred years! The people of this world were so easily surprised because they weren¡¯t exposed to more things!


    Since the winter wheat had been sowed into the ground, the vegetables in the greenhouse were once again nted in a flurry. Besides the Imperial ntation, the farmsteads under Zhu Junyang, Imperial Prince Jing, and Imperial Prince Sa¡¯s name around the area had all been turned into greenhouses to nt vegetables and fruits under Xiaocao¡¯s instructions. Of course, they, as her elders, would not take advantage of Xiaocao, so they would still give her twenty percent of the profits of each greenhouse.


    As there were more greenhouses this year, not only did they manage to supply the whole capital with fruits and vegetables without limitation, the nearby counties and prefectural cities also came to the capital to buy them regardless of the length of their journey. Perhaps it was because the temperature was low during fall, so the greenhouse vegetables were able tost almost two times as long as the vegetables on other seasons, and no one was afraid that the vegetables they bought would spoil if they could not finish them.


    All the managers of the Imperial ntation, regardless if they were in charge of the experimental ntation, the orchard or the greenhouses, had slowly begun to mature in their ways of dealing with their responsibilities. Although the experimental ntation this year had spread among quite a lot of farmsteads around the capital, the court officials of the Ministry of Revenue, who were stationed at the Imperial ntations, and the stewards at the Imperial ntation had all been able to carry out their responsibilities and had managed the experimental ntation well. As for Yu Xiaocao, the agricultural official who had been promoted to a feudal princess, she only needed to trouble the little divine stone to emit its spiritual energy to the seeds, or make an asional visit to the farmsteads to check up on them.


    With the experience and sess ofst year, the vegetable farmers who had filled their coffers put in even more effort for the greenhouse fruits and vegetables. Even though there were two more farmsteads of greenhouses this year, they didn¡¯t let Xiaocao worry too much. Thus, she still passed her days leisurely.


    Once they entered thest month of the year, the farmers began to hide at home, so Xiaocao also let herself off on a winter holiday after asking for her direct supervisor, the empress¡¯s permission. She packed her bags and headed back to her vige under the envious gazes of her colleagues from the Ministry of Revenue. She had decided to pass this spring at Dongshan Vige. Xiaocao, who had not been reunited with her family for a long time now, missed her parents and fellow vigers dearly.


    When they passed-by the prefectural city, Yu Xiaocao made a detour into her family¡¯s braised food store and pickled food shop with her two maidservants, Yingchun and Wutong.


    Most of the maidservants under her could already assume important responsibilities. Yingtao, who was managing the pharmaceutical workshop in the capital that had expanded to twice its size, was now the head manager that the pharmacies nearby tried to curry favor with.


    Yangliu¡¯s pastry shop had already opened branches in the east, south and north of the city. It even introduced beautiful gift boxes that were now the most popr choice for souvenirs in the whole of the capital. The end of the year was the busiest time for them, so Yangliu could not even make time to send her mistress off when she came back.


    Manager Hechun¡¯s ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, the beauty spa, was filled to the brim nearly every day. The customers were required to make appointments to do skincare treatments, and their supply of skincare products and cosmetics could never fulfill the demand. She had nned a huge end-of-the-year sale, and added batch after batch of silver and gold membership cards, to the point where her hands had gone weak from dealing with money.


    Xichun frequently stayed at the farmsteads. She helped her manage the orchards, flower farms and greenhouses. Besides that, she even received Xiaocao¡¯s teachings and built a fruit wine distillery at the foot of the hill. For now, the fruit wine did not have much of a variety, and mainly consisted of grape wine and pomegranate wine, with a small volume of others like apple wine, plum wine and jujube wine. The orchard on the hill of the Imperial ntation had expanded to more than ten times its original size this year, and along with that, they also started nting other varieties like mulberries, raspberries and tangerines. She believed that in the following year, the variety of fruits and the fruit wine distillery¡¯s fruit wine would definitely increase!


    Additionally, as the volume of fruit wine was not enough this year, she did not sell themmercially. She sold most of it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and either sold or gave the rest to the people that she was closer to. Now, when the emperor rewarded his officials, those old officials did not want gold or silver nor various precious silks and cloths, they only hoped to be rewarded with a bottle of fruit wine for them to strengthen their constitution.

 Chapter 538 – Changes and Developments

    <h4>Chapter 538 ¨C Changes and Developments</h4>


    These old officials gossiped privately amongst themselves. Who among them had drunk the fruit wine the emperor emeritus had given them? Those who used to be bedridden for most of the year could now get out of bed and move around. Who among them had a body full of old injuries after battling for the throne with the emperor emeritus? After drinking the grape wine that was given to them, they no longer felt the pain of those old injuries in the winter. Their legs and feet had also be more nimble as well...


    Even taking the emperor emeritus as an example would work. When he was young, he spent many years out on campaign and was famous for risking his life. Consequently, he constantly added on new injuries on top of the old. Ten years ago, he had abdicated from the throne and gave it to his imperial grandson. He was in his early sixties then but resembled a doddering old man with illnesses all throughout his body. When his old injuries red up, he wasn¡¯t even able to mount a horse then.


    But what about now? He was in his seventies but resembled a man in his early sixties and seemed even younger than he was ten years ago. It was as if he had obtained a second spring in his body. His body was full of youthful vigor now and hisplexion glowed with health. During the autumn hunt, he evenpeted with men much younger than him and had killed quite a bit of game with his arrows.


    In the eyes of these old officials, these changes in the emperor emeritus were linked heavily with the fruit wine. Although fruit wine had just started being used by the emperor this year, those old generals with a good rtionship with the emperor emeritus had tasted some grape wine with him before. When they went home, they couldn¡¯t forget the taste of that beverage.


    Therefore, in many people¡¯s hearts, the fruit wine was more effective than the most miraculous medicine being produced by Tongren Medicine Hall. There were plenty of old men whose bodies were deteriorating, yearning to stay in power, and reluctant to retire from their official posts who privately tried to investigate the origins of the fruit wine. However, other than the imperial family, very few people knew about where the wine came from. Of the people who had an inkling, they kept their mouths shut and refused to divulge the secret. Thus, they could only stay disappointed!


    However, going off topic for long was not good, so it was best to go back to the maidservants by Xiaocao. Out of the four personal maidservants she had first chosen, Xiaocao now only had Wutong and Pipa left by her side. Pipa had a steady and introverted temperament, so she was currently in charge of managing all of the affairs at the Yu Residence.


    Originally, Xiaocao had been nning on giving this task to Wutong. After spending two plus years with her mistress, this maid had tempered herself and was now very loyal and skilled at managing people. However, Wutong personally made the decision to stay by Xiaocao¡¯s side as a personal maidservant as she felt she could continue to learn a lot more and sharpen her skills. Nevertheless, she did a very good job in managing Xiaocao¡¯s courtyard. Everything was clear and orderly under her management and the maids in the courtyard were more afraid of her than they were of their master. Because of this, she had trained quite a few useful maidservants.


    If Wutong was considered her left hand, then Yingchun, who had gradually matured, could be considered her right hand. Although the littless was a bit talkative at times, she resembled apletely different person on the outside. She was very decisive in her actions and never made her master lose face.


    Tanchun was the youngest of the bunch and was currently studying very hard with a teacher to learn arithmetic. She noticed that her mistress seemed tobor hard over the ount books every day and wanted to help her mistress out. Thus, she secretly learned how to read ount books by her master¡¯s side. When Xiaocao noticed that she was quite diligent about this, she hired a specialist to specially teach her. She wasn¡¯t the only student. In the future, as the family¡¯s businesses increased, she would need more and more people who had the ability to read and bnce ount books. Right now she was recruiting more talent for the future!


    Tanchun¡¯s goal was to be the best bookkeeper under her master! In the past, ounting and bookkeeping were only done by men but times had changed! Her mistress had said that women could hold up half of the sky. She wanted to be the best female ountant in the nation, one that would make men envious of her skills! However, the most important task right now was to carefully learn the ¡®Arabic numerals¡¯ and the ¡®multiplication tables¡¯ that her master had talked about.


    Consequently, the maidservants under her were now even more busy than herself. Yu Xiaocao felt a bit embarrassed about this fact. However, with people willing to help out, there wouldn¡¯t be anything wrong with delegating the management of her industries to these maids she had personally taught herself, right?


    Thus, the maids that apanied her on this outing were still Yingchun and Wutong. Ah! She also had the two bodyguard maids that Zhu Junyang had sent to her, Chunhua and Qiushi. Speaking of them, Xiaocao felt a bit remorseful for what had happened to these two maidservants.


    After the hunt had ended, these two had disappeared for a long period of time. At first, Xiaocao had thought that that fellow Zhu Junyang had taken them back for a mission. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy to raise and keep female hidden soldiers who were skilled at martial arts. Later on, she discovered that her assumption was wrong. In fact, Chunhua and Qiushi had the crime of not protecting their master well and were duly punished. They were bedridden for a whole month after that.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Zhu Junyang worried that Xiaocao would feel sad if he gave her new people, these two maids wouldn¡¯t be able to even keep their lives. Every time he thought of his littless confronting that starved and half-mad tiger, helpless and alone, Zhu Junyang had a desire to go out and ughter people.


    Although the littless had put up an external act of being perfectly fine, she had had nightmares for several nights in a row. If another weak and delicate noble maiden had been in her ce, they would have be severely ill from the fright and might haveid in bed half-dead.


    In Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, making the two maidservants, Chunhua and Qiushi, bedridden for only a month was a sign of mercy for them. After all, they weren¡¯t able to protect his littless well. Since the two of them had escaped the death penalty, they were even more loyal to their ¡®savior¡¯ and now naturally apanied Xiaocao wherever she went.


    Little ck and Little White also came along. To them, the mountainous deep forests in Dongshan Vige and West Mountain were considered their true home. Thus, the tiny little patch of mountains behind the Imperial ntation wasn¡¯t enough for them to y around in. It was only during the trip to the hunting grounds that they were able to show off their true natures and they nearly terrorized almost half of the beasts living there. However, these two didn¡¯t stay with Xiaocao as she traveled back. Instead, they ran on the small side roads around them. At this time, they were probably already back at the West Mountain, ying around.


    Speaking of time passing, it had been a long time since Xiaocao had visited the braised food shop in the prefectural city. Her eldest maternal aunt¡¯s family had bought a residence in the prefectural city to make it easier for them to keep an eye on things and they had moved over. The braised food store and pickled vegetable store continued to grow and grow. They even bought all of the shops in the nearby area to expand and create a giant workshop. The two stores were now a wholesale business run by her maternal aunt¡¯s family.


    ¡°Right now ah, we have hired around thirty or so women to help out with our stores. However, the most vital areas involving the recipes and manufacture of our goods are being taken care of by the servants that we have bought off of the market. Other than Huang Xiaomei and her family, we also bought another dozen servants. Five of the new ones are also from one family.¡± Liu Xiaoyan noticed that Xiaocao seemed very interested in this and pulled her into the back courtyard to view the kitchens.


    About a dozen or so back courtyards of the previous small shops had been renovated into onerge area. The ce was split into the braised food kitchen, the smoking kitchen, the roasted duck and chicken kitchen...the braised food kitchen was thergest out of them all as that was the most popr product they sold.


    ¡°Mother and Father spend all day managing this business. In order to understand the ount books better, my parents have both learned quite a few words. My father also learned how to use the abacus recently and is quite skilled at it now! Since my parents have never undergone formal learning before, they find it a little hard. Younger Brother, on the other hand, was sent to a school to learn how to read when he reached the age of six. As for myself and my older brother, we hired a tutor over and we spend two hours each night learning how to read and write. Sometimes, my parents will also sit in on the lessons!¡±


    Liu Xiaoyan brought Xiaocao into the braised food cooking room and there were a dozenrge stoves all roaring with warmth. On top of the stoves wererge cauldrons that simmered withrge puffs of steaming out. The entire room was filled with the dense fragrant smell of braised food. The workers inside all were wearing snow-white smocks paired with light green aprons. They also all wore white caps on their heads. Although the room was a bit chaotic inside, it was still very clean and hygienic.


    ¡°Xiaocao, you always emphasized the importance of having a clean and tidy kitchen. Even though the scope of our business has gottenrger, we have not rxed our restrictions on cleanliness. Every day, I¡¯m in charge of making sure each worker is following all of our cleaning procedures. As soon as I discover that someone has broken the rules, I fine them with three days¡¯ sry. If they end up viting the rules three times, then they are sentenced to wash pig intestines and do the most dirty and tiring work in the business.¡± Liu Xiaoyan was quite satisfied with the way she handled things here. At least she didn¡¯t make her younger cousin lose any face.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in satisfaction and then turned to see a familiar face. Xiaomei¡¯s mother was no longer the cowardly and timid woman as she first was. Now, she ordered the people below her with a practiced ease as she monitored the people in charge of mixing the spices and adding them to the bubbling cauldrons. When she saw Yu Xiaocao and her cousin enter, she revealed a warm smile and came up to greet her masters.


    Liu Xiaoyan excused her from greeting them in a manner that really bespoke of a head manager. The two of them exited the braised food area and she smiled, ¡°For the past two years, it wasn¡¯t just my family who has improved and matured. In the past, Xiaomei¡¯s mother would turn red even from speaking to someone. Now, she¡¯s a bustling and energetic woman and very suited to being the head manager of the braised food operations.¡±


    She paused for a bit and then continued, ¡°My mother listened to your advice and delegated all of the normal working responsibilities to other people. It¡¯s like you said, there¡¯s no point in making a lot of money if you¡¯re exhausted every day and you harm your body from working too hard. The pickled vegetable store is now under the control of Huang Xiaomei. She¡¯s pretty much learned all of the techniques and recipes you came up for the pickled vegetables. Furthermore, she¡¯s very proficient at them. In a moment, I¡¯ll take you to the neighboring pickled vegetable store. Do you want to try her handiwork?¡±


    ¡°The braised food kitchen is under Xiaomei¡¯s mother¡¯s management. As for the smoked food kitchen, that¡¯s under the family we boughtter and is managed by Lanying, who is the wife of the man of that family. Their whole family had migrated from Sichuan province and the people living there are all good at smoking foods. Thus, she was able to quickly get ustomed to things here.¡±


    ¡°Since we ration the number of sales of roasted chickens and ducks every day, we don¡¯t need to make too many. Thus, I usually manage that kitchen. The two people I have under me are also quite nimble and agile, so I¡¯m sure before long I won¡¯t need to be there in person anymore. Then I can focus on handling the day-to-day money management!¡± Liu Xiaoyan liked the feeling of exchanging so much money that her hand cramped. Thus, no matter how busy their sales were every day, she was still very happy.


    ¡°At the moment, many of the braised food shops in the prefectural city get their goods from us. Not only that, but there are also quite a few wholesale buyers from the nearby Zhou Prefecture whoe here to buyrge quantities of braised food and picked vegetables. Although we sell wholesale items at a slightly lower price, the increased quantity that is sold more than makes up for it ah!¡± Whenever she got started about the booming business, Liu Xiaoyan could talk all day. In fact, if you gave her three days to talk about it, she¡¯d likely be able to fill your ears without stopping without repeating a single thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s around mid-morning right now, so there shouldn¡¯t be too many people at the retail store. However, there are plenty of customers at the wholesale business. Let¡¯s go and take a look!¡± Liu Xiaoyan pulled Xiaocao to walk to the west. There was already a long line of people already waiting there.


    ¡°The wholesale business opens at the crack of dawn until the end of midmorning, when most of the customers are gone. At that time, that¡¯s when the retail stores be more busy. Fortunately, we have hired enough people and they are all good hands at work.¡± This was all said in a slight boasting tone. Was she trying to fish forpliments?


    Yu Xiaocao was quite surprised by the booming braised food and pickled vegetable business in the prefectural city. Two years ago, she would have never dreamed to have it expand to this state. Although the stores were under the ¡®Yu Family¡¯ in name, the management had pretty much been taken over by her eldest paternal aunt¡¯s family.

 Chapter 539 – Regrets

    <h4>Chapter 539 ¨C Regrets</h4>


    Currently, the Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store was considered a coboration between the two families. She provided the capital and ingredients, while her eldest paternal aunt¡¯s family was in charge of management. At the end of the year, they split the dividends forty-sixty.


    Last year, at the year¡¯s end, Xiaocao was quite surprised by the amount of money she had received when her older cousin Liu Junping came over to split the money. She had even asked him about it as she was afraid that her eldest paternal aunt¡¯s family had given her arger share than they had agreed on. Now, after personally seeing the booming business, she was able to believe her older cousin¡¯s assurances. From how well things were going, it was likely that her split of the money at the end of this year would be even more generous!


    Yu Xiaocao and Liu Xiaoyan both revealed satisfied smiles when they saw the long and orderly line of people waiting to buy goods wholesale. Suddenly, within the line, they saw a familiar figure. This person had peppered white hair, an aged looking face, drooping eyes that looked a bit cruel, and deep lines around her mouth. All of thisbined made her look even more harsh and mean¡ª¡ªwasn¡¯t this Xiaocao¡¯s step-grandmother, Madam Zhang?


    Madam Zhang hadn¡¯t appeared in Xiaocao¡¯s vicinity for more than two years now and Xiaocao had almost forgotten that this particr person still existed. After two years had passed, Madam Zhang looked a lot more oldpared to before. Her previously straight back was now bent over and there were a lot more wrinkles on her face. Furthermore, more than half of her head of hair had already turned white.


    Seeing her reminded Xiaocao of her own grandfather. Old Yu had been eating the medicinal cuisine that Xiaocao had personally prepared for him and had also been consuming mystic-stone water. His previously weak body had be healthy again. Her older brother had written a letter to her talking about the farm and the letter mentioned that their paternal grandfather¡¯s energy in the fields were higher than some younger people¡¯s. Perhaps it was because he had plumped up a bit, but the wrinkles on his face also seemed to recede recently. If he stood next to Madam Zhang now, despite Madam Zhang being younger than him by seven to eight years, it would look like he was standing next to his older sister!


    Liu Xiaoyan lightly sighed and said, ¡°Ever since she moved out of Dongshan Vige, Madam Zhang has been buying wholesale from us so she could sell it at one of the vegetable markets to the south of the city. In the past, all she had to do was order people around. Now, for the sake of earning money for Younger Uncle¡¯s studies and keeping their family afloat, even if it¡¯s stormy out, she still opens up her stall to sell goods. Luckily, our braised food is quite popr. I heard Mother mention that, in her youth, Madam Zhang also wasn¡¯t azy person, so her stall is doing quite well. It¡¯s rumored that she¡¯s already rented quite a few small stalls in the vegetable market. Other than selling braised food, she also buys vegetables from neighboring farmers to sell as well.


    ¡°What about Younger Uncle? I heard that he passed the county level examinations. So it doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯sbored in vain, right?¡± When she thought back to how it was for her family when she first transmigrated over, where everyone had been used up until they didn¡¯t even resemble humans any more, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t feel one iota of sympathy for the old woman.


    Liu Xiaoyan nodded her head, ¡°Although Mother truly hates Madam Zhang for being so cruel, she can¡¯t seem to bring it upon herself to also hate Younger Uncle who is rted to us through Grandfather. Every few days or so, she¡¯ll go to Younger Uncle¡¯s academy and bring some food for him to eat. Maternal Grandfather will also give him some pocket money from time to time.


    Liu Xiaoyan paused for a moment before she continued, ¡°Ever since everyone found out about the crime that Madam Zhangmitted and she moved out of Dongshan Vige, it seems like Younger Uncle has also matured quite a bit. His past selfishness and desire to cut corners have all been thrown away. Now, he spends all of his time at the academy, studying his heart out. After working hard for two to three years, he finally passed the county level exams and became a county official. However, his results wereckluster as he was only in the back of the pack. Not like our Little Shitou, who was able to score high and be a granary official and receive the government¡¯s annual stipend of grain. My mother spoke to one of the teachers at the academy and he said based off of my younger uncle¡¯s talents, being able to pass the prefectural level exams would be the best oue he could manage. As for passing the imperial exams, that likely can¡¯t be done by him!¡±


    If their younger uncle could pass the prefectural level exams, he would get a grain stipend every year from the government and could also decrease the amount of taxes his family had to pay. Should Madam Zhang continue to do business for a few more years and save some money, they could probably buy somend to farm. Even if she couldn¡¯t tend thend herself, she could still get an ie from renting it out to others. That way, wouldn¡¯t her grandfather no longer have to worry about his youngest son anymore?


    At this time, Madam Zhang had spotted Xiaocao and the expression on her face immediately changed and she looked away from Xiaocao to avoid her eyes. She scurried her thin and scrawny body to hide behind another person in line.


    The news that Xiaocao had been entitled a royal princess had also spread to the prefectural city. Her eldest paternal aunt and uncle thought that it was a great honor, so they not only bought the longest string of fireworks that could be found but also promoted three days of twenty percent off of all of their goods at the stores. The previous prefectural magistrate of Jinwei prefecture had already finished his term of service there and moved back to the capital. Now, the Yu¡¯s Braised Food Store had an evenrger backer. Other than Royal Prince Yang, they also had a royal princess that the emperor himself had titled backing them. This was also the reason why no one ever tried to cause trouble for this business even though it became more and more popr with every passing day.


    At that time, Madam Zhang had been in the crowd waiting to buy goods wholesale. When she saw the proud and joyful expression on Xiaocao¡¯s eldest paternal aunt¡¯s face, she felt so regretful that her face turned green. If she had treated Xiaocao¡¯s family better in the past and hadn¡¯t been so biased, she might be the one in front basking in the glory. Perhaps, she could still be with the old man and be the noble matriarch of the family. In fact, she might have been able to head to the capital and live in argepound with a group of maidservants and underlings catering to her every whim, living a life of luxury and glory...


    Unfortunately, it was toote for regrets. Ever since the news that she had murdered Xiaocao¡¯s biological grandmother came to light, the Yu Family became estranged from her and regarded her with loathing. Madam Zhang avoided Xiaocao¡¯s line of sight as she was afraid the now royal princess would recall her crimes and send people to pull her into prison.


    She was already an old woman, so spending time in jail or even getting the capital punishment wasn¡¯t a big deal. However, she was anxious about her youngest son¡¯s prospects and whether he¡¯d be affected by her issues. Even if the Yu Family remembered familial ties and let her youngest son go, without her around providing for the family, how could her son be able to study without any worries?


    Madam Zhang made the decision to keep her distance away from the Yu Family when she spotted them in the future. If she couldn¡¯t avoid them, then she would keep her head lowered with a smile on her face. As long as they didn¡¯t pursue her past crimes against her, she was even willing to kneel in front of them and beg for forgiveness and mercy.


    She still had a petty person¡¯s way of looking at things. Before she had appeared again, Xiaocao had pretty much forgotten to think about her. That being said, Madam Zhang was an old woman in her sixties doing hardbor every day in order to keep herself and her youngest son¡¯s family afloat. In Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, having to work so hard in life at such an advanced age was already the best punishment and torture for her.


    Xiaocao stayed in the prefectural city for two days and, during that time, she gave the recipes for Jiangsu style crystal pork trotters, pork trotter sausages, and sweet and spicy Hezhou ck duck as well as numbing and spicy Hezhou ck duck to her eldest paternal aunt and her older cousin, Xiaoyan. There were about twenty or so days until the New Years, so it¡¯d be good to have new products on the market to increase the sales even further.


    After leaving the prefectural city, she spent two days at Tanggu Town. Tanggu¡¯s greenhouse grown vegetables and fruits had been entirely dominated by the Yu Family. In the past two years, the Yu Family had expanded their farmstead to over three thousand mu and they were now thergest privately owned farmstead in the Tanggu area. Two thousand mu were currently nted with high-yielding winter wheat and the remaining a thousand mu had greenhouse pavilions on them since the start of autumn. All of the nearby vegetable merchants in the vicinity as well as the restaurants all got their supplies of vegetables and fruits from the Yu Family.


    The prices of these greenhouse grown vegetables and fruits were all at least ten times as much as they were during the regr growing season. Thus, it was obvious that they were making quite a big profit from all of this. Naturally, there were other people who wanted to reproduce their sess and use greenhouses too. However, only the imperial court¡¯s Ministry of Works had the technology to manufacture the stic film used in these greenhouses and they didn¡¯t produce very much. Not just anyone could get their hands on it!


    The influential officials in the capital naturally envied the imperial family¡¯s dominance over the greenhouse growing market. However, only those who were stupid would try topete with the imperial family. There were those who were more shrewd and flexible and tried to reproduce their sess in the more faraway Zhou Prefecture. However, without Xiaocao¡¯s mystic-stone water on hand as well as ack of experience in farming, their vegetables and fruits had poor outputs and didn¡¯t look very good. They weren¡¯t even going to necessarily make up for the amount of money they poured in. When these people failed, the other wealthy and noble families, who had started to get ideas, also decided to let this go. Thus, the greenhouse growing market was still dominated by only one family.


    Right now, they were right in the middle of a very popr time for the vegetables and fruits. Other than Yu Xiaolian, who was back at Dongshan Vige managing the pharmaceutical workshop, the rest of the family were all busy working on the farmstead. Even Old Yu, who seemed to be more youthful now, was also in the fields picking and weighing vegetables like a busy bee. Even though the family had hired enough workers to keep up with everything, Old Yu couldn¡¯t stay idle and had a lot of energy in his body. When the family saw him happily working every day, they allowed him to continue to keep up his spirits.


    ¡°Father, Mother! Your Cao¡¯er is back ah!!¡± Yu Xiaocao hollered loudly from the distance when she saw her parents going over the ount books in front of the granary.


    Yu Hai and his wife thought that they were imagining things when they first heard their younger daughter¡¯s voice. Zhuang Xiaomo keenly spotted in the distance that there was a small figure riding on a red horse. He revealed a smile and hurriedly spoke to Yu Hai and Madam Liu, ¡°Uncle Yu, Auntie, Xiaocao is back! You two should quickly go greet her. I¡¯m not in a hurry right now!¡±


    Ever since the Wokou pirate disaster, Zhuang Xiaomo had moved to Dongshan Vige. As the years went by, he slowly grew up and became more certain that he wanted to marry the hardworking Xiaolian. However, as he saw the Yu Family¡¯s fortunes go up and up, he started to feel a bit of pressure.


    Uncle Yu and Auntie Yu treated him like their own son and often sent him food. In fact, most of his clothes and shoes were personally made by Auntie Yu. However, he had just reached the age of seventeen and knew in his heart that using his sincere character alone was not enough to marry Yu Xiaolian. He also needed to make sure that his situation was better to ensure that her living situation would be smooth and steady in the future.


    Consequently, when Xiaoaco came backst year to establish the greenhouse grown vegetables business and mentioned the booming vegetable and fruit stalls in the capital, Zhuang Xiaomo had an idea. He decided to also start a stall that only sold the expensive greenhouse grown vegetables and fruits in Tanggu.


    He didn¡¯t have a lot of money on hand and had originally nned on renting a stall in the regr food market for this. As he started on his ns, Uncle Yu found out and enthusiastically supported his idea. However, Uncle Yu advised him against renting a stall at the regr market. After listening to Uncle Yu¡¯s reasoning, Zhuang Xiaomo was enlightened. The vast majority of people who went to shop at the regr marketce were themoners, but whom among them could afford the expensive out-of-season fruits and vegetables?


    In the end, Uncle Yu gave him some ¡®business capital¡¯ and he rented two stores in the western rich area of Tanggu Town to open Tanggu¡¯s first specialty vegetable and fruit stores. Naturally, this money was a loan and he gradually paid it back through the money he had earned.


    Last autumn, Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s vegetable and fruit stores made a bunch of money. The Yu Family¡¯s greenhouse business only gave him wholesale pricing on their goods and introduced him to a few old customers. Tanggu nevercked for the rich and wealthy. Thus, Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s vegetable and fruit stores exploded in poprity.


    In order to make it easier on himself to stock the stores, he bought a donkey cart. Every day, before the sun rose, he would drive the cart to bring the goods over. He spent the morning busily selling his stock. Sometimes, when business was especially good, he would have to go get another set of goods to replenish for the afternoon. He was quite busy every day.

 Chapter 540 – Homesickness

    <h4>Chapter 540 ¨C Homesickness</h4>


    At the start of spring, Zhuang Xiaomo went to look at his ount books and the results stunned himpletely. In one winter, he not only made back all of the money that Uncle Yu had lent him as well as the money he spent to buy the donkey cart, but he also made three hundred taels to spare.


    He was only idle for a few days, fixing up the store, when the Yu Family¡¯s early ripening watermelons were ready to go on the market. Thus, a new episode of business began for him. The watermelons could be sold until the end of summer. Furthermore, when that time came, the surplus grapes, pears and apples that the Yu Family couldn¡¯t eat also came on the market. Following that, it was the start of the busy season for the greenhouse grown vegetables and fruits again.


    They were currently right in the middle of the busy season for the greenhouse grown vegetables and fruits. Every day, a whole cart full of vegetables and fruits would be sold out before noon. Furthermore, he always had a list of customers who reserved more goods to be delivered in the afternoon. Thus, Zhuang Xiaomo took advantage of the noon period, when no one was in the store, to drive his little ck donkey and cart to get replenishments. He wasn¡¯t expecting that Xiaocao would appear at this time.


    It had almost been half a year since Yu Haist saw his youngest daughter and he missed her dearly and worried about her. At the end of autumn, someone from the capital had especiallye over to give some good news to them. They said that his youngest daughter had saved the eldest imperial prince during the autumn hunt and had been titled a royal princess as a reward. Everyone else only saw the glory and honor that his youngest daughter brought to their family but how could they understand a father¡¯s worried heart?


    There were many skilled experts protecting the eldest imperial prince. If Cao¡¯er was the one to save him, then how dangerous of a situation must have it been at the time? His youngest daughter had no skills at fighting so he didn¡¯t know whether she had gotten frightened or injured from that time. She always only gave them the good news and not bad. As her parents, how could they not fret over her?


    For the past few months, Yu Hai and Madam Liu tossed and turned at night on their bed. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they were so busy with the greenhouse business, the two of them would have long packed their luggage and visited the capital to take a look. Fortunately, their youngest daughter understood their anxious hearts and very quickly set a letter over telling them that she would be back in the twelfth month to visit. She was nning on staying to happily celebrate the New Years with them. Only then did the two of them restrain themselves from visiting the capital. They impatiently waited for the twelfth month to arrive.


    When they heard the faint yet clear sound of his youngest daughter¡¯s voice and raised their heads to see her tiny figure in the distance, the two of them could no longer restrain their worries. Yu Hai smiled apologetically at Zhuang Xiaomo and couldn¡¯t be bothered to take off his gloves or arm guards before he started running towards his youngest daughter, who was already at the entrance of the farmstead. In order not to dy the business for their customers, Madam Liu called her father-inw and eldest son over to take over. One of them could weigh while the other one dealt with the money and records. Only then did she follow her husband from behind and run towards her youngest daughter.


    ¡°Father!¡± Yu Xiaocao jumped off her horse and threw herself at her father¡¯s arms like a birding back to nest.


    ¡°Be careful, be careful!¡± Yu Hai watched in rm as his youngest daughter leapt off the back of that high horse. He hurried over to catch his youngest daughter¡¯s delicate body.


    He felt his youngest daughter¡¯s icy cold face and looked at her nose which had turned bright red from the cold. Yu Hai remarked worriedly, ¡°It¡¯s the middle of winter, why did you ride a horse home? What¡¯s wrong with sitting in a nice andfortable carriage...¡±


    ¡°Carriages go too slow and I wanted to get back earlier to see Father and Mother ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw her mother huffing and puffing as she ran over and threw herself at her. She fiercely hugged her mother¡¯s soft body and couldn¡¯t help but rub up against her mother in a spoiled manner.


    Madam Liu tapped her head and remarked in a scolding tone, ¡°You ah! It¡¯s not as if Mother and Father will run away. What¡¯s the difference between getting back a day or twoter? If you got sick from the cold, however, then we would feel really bad ah¡ª¡ªaiya, your tiny hands are like ice cubes. Quickly,e with Mother to go inside and warm up. The kang bed has had fuel burning this entire time!¡±


    Madam Liu pulled on her youngest daughter¡¯s hands and continuously blew hot air on them. Yu Hai took off his gloves and used hisrge, warm hands to envelop them and rub them to add heat. Before long, Xiaocao¡¯s hands had thawed.


    Thergest courtyard in the farmstead was the one upied by the Yu Family. It was a simply crafted four-sided courtyard with a main structure that had three rooms and two side rooms on the left and right. Yu Hai and his wife took their youngest daughter into their own room and had her sit on the bed after taking off her boots. They noticed that her four maidservants had also been frozen until their faces turned red and their lips turned blue. Madam Liu stated, ¡°We don¡¯t have that many customs in the countryside. The four of you should also sit on the kang bed to warm up ah.¡±


    Wutong and Yingchun had previously experienced sitting on the same kang bed as their master before, so they readily went up. Chunhua and Qiushi, on the other hand, had been scrupulously trained and they refused to go on the bed. Instead, they would onlypromise on sitting a small stool next to the kang bed.


    Wutong noticed the stubborn looks on their faces and persuaded them, ¡°This room doesn¡¯t have a heated floor or heated walls. Only the kang bed provides warmth here. If you two get sick from the cold and can¡¯t take care of our master, you¡¯ll end up making our master worried. If Royal Prince Yang was also here, he wouldn¡¯t say anything either about you sitting on the kang bed.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao held onto herfortable hand warmer and deliberately pretended to be angry as she raised her eyes, ¡°Chunhua, Qiushi! If you want to keep me as your master, then sit down! Otherwise, at the start of spring when we¡¯re back at the capital, you should go back to the hidden ranks ah! I absolutely cannot keep servants who do not listen to my orders!¡±


    When Chunhua and Qiushi heard this, they hurriedly knelt down in rm to apologize. Hidden soldiers who had been sent back had eithermitted an unforgivable crime or had some sort of other fault. It was obvious what their fate would be then.


    Madam Liu came with two bowls of ginger-sugar soup and saw the two maidservants kneeling on the icy cold floor. She hurriedly said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, even if they made a mistake, we shouldn¡¯t let these people kneel for this long ah! Quickly let them get up in order to avoid harming their knees.¡±


    ¡°Return back to the ranks or listen to my orders unconditionally. You two can choose one!¡± Yu Xiaocao took the bowl of ginger-sugar soup from her mother¡¯s hands and drank it in one gulp. The warm and toasty liquid warmed up her insides and pushed away the cold from her body.


    Chunhua and Qiushi both vowed that they would listen to her orders. Yu Xiaocao pointed at the free space on the kang bed, ¡°That¡¯s good, then you two should sit there. You won¡¯t refuse this time, right?¡±


    The two maidservants exchanged looks and obediently pulled themselves onto the kang bed. They sat at the very edge of the kang bed with their legs tucked under them. Yu Xiaocao revealed a faint smile and said, ¡°Erya, give the bowl of ginger-sugar soup to these two older sisters. It¡¯s best to drink it while warm so it can drive away the cold!¡±


    Wutong suppressed the smileing on her lips as she watched the two maidservants obediently take the crude bowl of porcin over and drink the soup in a few sips. She also drank down her own ginger-sugar soup and said, ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry about your loyalties. However, you two really need to understand your true position here. Are you Royal Prince Yang¡¯s maidservants or our young miss¡¯s? If you¡¯re with our young miss, you naturally should listen to her orders. Our young miss has a kind and generous heart and is not very strict about the customs. As long as you do your own work properly, there¡¯s no need to walk on eggshells around her.¡±


    Chunhua and Qiushi both nodded their heads and thanked her for her advice. Before long, Madam Liu came over with two tes of pastries and ced it on the small table on the kang bed and said, ¡°It must have been tiring to travel so quickly here. Eat some pastries for now. The pot is stewing a small wild pheasant. Tonight, we¡¯ll eat dinner early and rest early. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll go with you back to Dongshan Vige.¡±


    Yingchun saw that her mistress¡¯s mother was going back to the kitchen and perceptively jumped down. She put on her thick fur-lined boots and chased after the older woman, ¡°Although my skills are not as good as yours, Madam, I can still be of great help in the kitchen.¡±


    Madam Liu shook her head at her and pushed the maid back towards the room, ¡°No need, we don¡¯t have so many customs in our family. Go back to the room and warm uppletely first!¡±


    ¡°Then...this servant will help the madam manage the fire! The stove is much warmer than being on the kang bed. This servant will be gaining a favor from this!¡± Yingchun said all of this with a cheerful smile on her face, making Madam Liu unable to rebuff her offer.


    Yu Xiaocao had the protection of the little divine stone on this journey so she didn¡¯t feel like she had gotten exposed to the cold. In addition, she had also added some mystic-stone water to the water that her maidservants drank every day. Thus, they weren¡¯t harmed from exposure either. Before long, they all warmed up. When they saw that the madam was in the kitchen cooking for them, the maidservants couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. Unfortunately, not a single one of them had any talent at cooking. They could only enter the kitchen to do chores like washing vegetables and cutting them. Madam Liu thought that they were in the way and sent them all out.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled up her own sleeves and began to cook. She made Sichuan poached fish in chili sauce, spicy chicken pieces, and spicy congee. Eating spicy food in this type of weather warmed a person¡¯s belly up. The four maidservants were quite frightened by the fact that they had let their master cook food for them to eat. It was truly disgraceful of them. When they got back to the capital, all of them worked hard to learn how to cook. Although their food wasn¡¯t as tasty as the food made by cook maids, they were still edible. But this was in the future.


    After living on the farmstead for a few days, Xiaocao realized that the scope of the greenhouse business here in Tanggu was not in any way smaller than the one in the capital. Just from wholesale alone, they sold tens of thousands of catties of vegetables and fruits every day. This basically meant that they made a few thousand taels in ie every day. It was likely that Yu Xiaocao no longer knew just how much wealth her own family had at this point.


    During those days, Yu Xiaocao brought her four maidservants along to also help on the farm. Chunhua and Qiushi clearly had martial arts skills as both of them had much more strength than the average person. Containers holding over a hundred catties of vegetables were easily moved around by them like it was no big deal. The male workers on the farmstead were all so shocked that their eyes nearly fell out of their heads when they saw those two maids working. As for Wutong and Yingchun, they stayed with her. One of them worked the scale, while the other worked on the books. They cooperated quite nicely together and helped save Yu Hai and his family quite a bit of work.


    As New Years got closer and closer, Madam Liu finally was able to hand her work to Yingchun and have some time to herself. She took her daughter and her remaining three maids to spend lots of time perusing the markets to buy items for the New Years celebrations. It wasn¡¯t easy for her daughter to make it back for the holiday to celebrate together. Thus, she needed to make sure they bought everything they needed.


    In reality, the family had their own supply of fruits and vegetables and it was very easy for their family to buy any chickens, ducks, and seafood they needed in the vige. Thus, there wasn¡¯t much they needed to buy. However, shopping was a woman¡¯s pleasure. Every day, they left with empty baskets but would alwayse back with packages,rge and small, with them. Chunhua and Qiushi had be their bag holders and ended up with all sorts of shopping bags hanging off of them every day.


    On the twentieth day of the twelfth month, Madam Liu took her daughter with her back to Dongshan Vige with a giant donkey cart filled to the brim with goods.


    This time, when Yu Xiaocao came back, she didn¡¯t bring any of the ceremonious gear that was befitting of a feudal princess or royal princess rank. Thus, the vigers were much more weing and casual when they saw her. Seeing their familiar faces with their warm smiles, hearing their familiar voices with the hard to forget vige ent, Yu Xiaocao sometimes thought that this sort of simple and honest life was what she really wanted. No matter how much glory, splendor, gold, silver, and treasures one had, one couldn¡¯t buy sincerity or the warmth of true friendship. It couldn¡¯t buy a simple honest life. Homesickness suddenly struck her...


    ¡°Xiaocao!¡± Liu Huifang had already transformed into a slender and pretty young maiden. She had just apanied her father to deliver a cart full of chicken eggs and didn¡¯t expect to see her childhood friend at the mouth of the vige. Now, Liu Shuanzhu¡¯s entire family were upied with their chicken-raising business. They now had almost a thousand chickens at home. Although the hens didn¡¯t like toy eggs as much in the winter, they still had some eggs every few days or so. Selling those eggs to the Zhou Family¡¯s factories was also a good source of ie.

 Chapter 541 – Future Older Sister-in-Law

    <h4>Chapter 541 ¨C Future Older Sister-in-Law</h4>


    Liu Huifang jumped off of the donkey cart and jogged over to pull on Xiaocao¡¯s hand. The smile on her face was sincere and pretty, ¡°A few days ago, I saw Little ck in the forest so I knew you were going to be back soon. The capital is truly good at nourishing people. Look at how tender and fair your skin is. I always thought I had a pretty goodplexion in the vige, but when I stand next to you, I look like a piece of charcoal instead!¡±


    ¡°No worries, as long as my older brother doesn¡¯t care, what does it matter then?¡± Sometime, while she was gone, Yu Hang and Older Sister Huifang had ended up seeing eye to eye. When her mother had someone help her write a letter, she had specifically mentioned this detail.


    Uncle Shuanzhu was good friends with her father and their whole family was of good moral character. Older Sister Huifang had an open personality and was very hard working. She also had a good rtionship with her. Thus, in Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mind, she was more than happy to have Huifang be her older sister-inw in the future. From the letter her family sent her, she could tell that everyone else also liked her quite a bit. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the two of them were still quite young, Madam Liu would have gone over to Huifang¡¯s family to negotiate for a betrothal. She needed to strike early in order to obtain such a good girl for her son.


    Liu Huifang¡¯s cheeks immediately turned bright red after being teased by her good friend. She red at her and grumbled, ¡°If you¡¯re only going to speak nonsense, I¡¯m going to ignore you!¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m speaking nonsense? Aren¡¯t people supposed to stick to the truth at this time of year? Sigh, my future older sister-inw is so hard to get along with, as the younger sister-inw, it looks like I¡¯ll have a difficult time in the future.¡± Yu Xiaocao shook her head and sighed but her eyes glinted with a spark of mischief.


    Liu Huifang revealed an embarrassed expression and raised a hand to lightly p Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder. She was halfway there when another hand stopped her. She raised her head and met a pair of eyes that were full of warning. Liu Huifang looked at Xiaocao in a bbergasted manner and asked, ¡°Who is she ah?¡±


    Wutong hurriedly took her hand out of Qiushi¡¯s hand and smiled, ¡°Miss Liu, this is a misunderstanding! Qiushi is in charge of our young miss¡¯s safety and was only trying to protect her. Qiushi, Miss Liu is only ying around with our young miss, so there¡¯s no need to be too nervous! Dongshan Vige¡¯s people have either watched our young miss grow up or were friends with her during childhood. No one will harm her. You two, ah, can just rx a bit!¡± Now, Wutong was no longer like she was before when she viewed everyone around her as beneath her. She now treated her young miss¡¯s friends in a polite and friendly manner.


    Qiushi looked at her master. When she saw Xiaocao lightly nod in agreement with Wutong¡¯s words, she released Liu Huifang¡¯s hand and simply said, ¡°Please forgive me!¡±


    Liu Huifang looked at Chunhua, who was behind Qiushi and Xiaocao. The other girl was standing straight and seemed quite fierce. She lightly elbowed Xiaocao and grinned, ¡°Oh ho! Looks like bing a royal princess does have some changes in customs. You now have female bodyguards protecting you!¡±


    Xiaocao winked at her and said, ¡°No matter how powerful this royal princess is, my older sister-inw will still be able to outrank me. An older sister-inw is like a second mother. I currently need to fawn over you, that way you¡¯ll treat me better in the future.¡±


    ¡°Speaking nonsense again!¡± Liu Huifang lightly pinched her small arm. This time, the two bodyguard maids didn¡¯t try to stop her.


    ¡°Alright ah! Don¡¯t be embarrassed ande back home with me. I have things I want to give you!¡± Like she did in the past, Yu Xiaocao linked her arms with Older Sister Huifang and the two of themughed and chatted as they headed towards the Yu Family¡¯s residence. She had stayed a few days in the prefectural city and Tanggu Town, so it was likely the luggage carts had already gotten to her home.


    Liu Shuanzhu cheerfully watched as Xiaocao ¡®took¡¯ his daughter away. After saying a greeting to Madam Liu, he drove the donkey cart home. His wife had seen her daughter and husband leave together but, when only her husband returned, she asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Huifang ah?¡±


    ¡°The Yu Family¡¯sss, Xiaocao, is back and called our daughter to her home. She said she has some gifts to give our daughter.¡± Liu Shuanzhu unhitched the animals from the cart and took out some fodder from their shelter for them.


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was currently taking out theundry and her hands faltered for a moment and a slightly worried look appeared on her face. Liu Shuanzhu noticed that his wife was sighing repeatedly and asked, ¡°Wife, what¡¯s wrong? Is that brat Tiedan causing you problems? Just watch me discipline him! Tiedan¡¯er,e out for your father!!¡±


    ¡°Our son is currently practicing his calligraphy, why are you hollering about?¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife rolled her eyes at him and continued, ¡°Tiedan¡¯er is very sweet and obedient. He works very hard at school and even the teacher there said that at the start of spring, he can try taking the entrance exam to Rongxuan Academy.¡±


    ¡°The teacher really said that? This boy is truly giving me some face! If he can enter Rongxuan Academy, I can¡¯t guarantee anything else but he will definitely be able to be a county-level official. At that time, our family will also have a county-official then!¡± Liu Shuanzhu broadly smiled and revealed a joyous expression on his face.


    ¡°Father, what did you call me for?¡± Tiedan¡¯er came out of his own room and was still holding a writing brush with ink on it.


    Liu Shuanzhu patted his son¡¯s shoulder and the smile on his face broadened as he proimed, ¡°Nothing at all! Continue to work hard! I don¡¯t know if your Older Brother Shitou wille back for the New Years, but if he does you can ask him for some tips for the examination. That way you can work hard to pass the entrance examination to Rongxuan Academy and give our Old Liu Family some glory.¡±


    Tiedan¡¯s round little face revealed a smile and he said, ¡°Older Brother Shitou will definitelye back because he goes wherever Older Sister Xiaocao goes. Since Older Sister Xiaocao came back for the New Years, Older Brother Shitou will not let this opportunity go. Father, don¡¯t worry, I will definitely work hard and test into Rongxuan Academy!¡±


    ¡°Good son! Go ah and you can continue working on your calligraphy!¡± Liu Shuanzhu thought that his son¡¯s nimble brain resembled his own. However, his family¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t good enough when he was young to allow him to study. Otherwise, he might be a county official right now!


    In the blink of an eye, he noticed that his wife¡¯s expression was still a bit worried and he inquired in puzzlement, ¡°Since it wasn¡¯t our son that made you unhappy, then why do you have such a long look on your face ah? What¡¯s going on ah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about our daughter!¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife red at her husband. He was a good man but he was a bit too thick sometimes!


    Liu Shuanzhu was even more perplexed now and asked in a puzzled tone, ¡°Our daughter? What¡¯s up with our daughter? If it wasn¡¯t for hering up with the idea to raise chickens, do you think our family would be doing so well now? Our daughter is so hard-working, what is there for you to be worried about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Huifang and Xiaosha¡¯s thing!¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife threw the piece of clothing in her hands into the wooden basin next to her and red at her husband with an exasperated look.


    At that time, the Yu Family¡¯s braised food shop¡¯s roasted chicken, smoked chicken, and air-dried chicken were very popr in the prefectural city. The Yu Family was honest and would rather spend more time on the road to help their fellow vigers do well. The Liu Family now raised thergest number of chickens in the vige, so they sent a bunch of chickens every few days to the prefecture city. Yu Hang often came over to help settle the bill. As time passed on, he and Huifang became familiar with each other. The two families began to work even more closely together as business partners and the two of them naturally began to develop feelings for each other.


    Liu Shuanzhu scratched the back of his head and frowned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with our daughter and Xiaosha? Did Xiaosha do something to make our daughter unhappy? I¡¯ll go and scold him now and let him know that our daughter isn¡¯t someone he can just bully because he wants to!¡± As he finished, he turned around to head out the gate.


    ¡°Youe back right now!!¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife felt quite helpless at this turn of events. If her husband could urately guess what she was thinking, then the sun would start rising from the west, ¡°I was trying to say...Xiaocao is a royal princess now and has the same status as the daughter of an imperial prince. Furthermore, for the past two years, the Yu Family¡¯s business has continued to expand and be more prosperous. I won¡¯t even mention their other businesses but just from the greenhouse grown vegetables alone, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯d make at least ten thousand taels in one winter, and that¡¯s estimating low, right? Although our family is one of the most prosperous in the vige now, the gap between our two families is still toorge right?¡±


    ¡°Wife, are you trying to say that when our daughter marries into their family, they¡¯ll look down on her? Don¡¯t worry about that, Brother Dahai and his wife aren¡¯t the type of people to do that! That being said, we¡¯ve watched Xiaosha grow up under our eyes and we can definitely vouch for his personal character!!¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu thought that his wife was thinking too much. Madam Liu was very satisfied with their daughter and even told them that after the New Years, they should make things official between their two children. If they decided that this was too early for their daughter, they could wait another two years before they got engaged.


    ¡°But...the social gap between our two families is really too big. I heard that Xiaocao not only was titled a royal princess but that the emperor and empress treat her very well, almost as if she was their own daughter. The eldest imperial prince even calls her ¡®older sister¡¯...¡± Shuanzhu¡¯s wife was quite anxious about this.


    Liu Shuanzhu also frowned at this and said, ¡°Thatss Xiaocao is a fortunate one indeed. However, Xiaocao is still Xiaocao, Xiaosha is still Xiaosha...Brother Dahai also said that if Little Shitou passes the imperial court¡¯s examinations and bes an official at court, Tanggu¡¯s farmstead and the businesses at Dongshan Vige would be inherited by Xiaosha. Their roots are in Dongshan Vige and the eldest son should keep an eye on their ancestral home. With that, Huifang will also be close to us and we can help her when needed. What¡¯s there to be worried about then? That being said, thatss Xiaocao isn¡¯t one of those people with her head up high and eyes to the sky. Today, when she saw our daughter, she was very intimate and friendly with her just like before!¡±


    ¡°But I still feel a bit anxious within my heart.¡± Regardless, Shuanzhu¡¯s wife felt a bit better after hearing her husband¡¯s analysis of the issue. He was right! The Yu Family was famous in the vige for being honest and trustworthy. Furthermore, the head of the Yu Family had pretty much grown up with her husband like true brothers. The Yu Family¡¯s wife had a good-natured personality and was very satisfied with her daughter. In addition, Xiaosha was a hard worker and had a trustworthy personality. What did she have to be worried about now?


    ¡°Mother, once Older Brother passes the exams and bes an official, he can give support to Older Sister!¡± The Liu Family¡¯s youngest daughter had originally been sitting in the courtyard, shelling peanuts obediently. When she heard her father and mother talking, she childishly interjected her opinion.


    Liu Shuanzhu strode over to his daughter and picked her up, lifting her high. Heughed joyously, ¡°Our Xiaoya¡¯er is right! When your older brother bes an official, then we¡¯ll also find you an official to be your husband!¡±


    Shuanzhu¡¯s wife rescued her daughter from her husband and red at him, ¡°What nonsense are you saying now ah? Are you not afraid you¡¯ll lead our daughter down a crooked road?¡±


    Xiaoya¡¯er pinched up a shelled peanut and delivered it into her father¡¯s mouth as she mumbled, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the wife of an official ah.¡±


    Liu Shuanzhu chewed on the peanut and guffawed, ¡°Then what type of man does our Ya¡¯er want to marry?¡±


    Xiaoya¡¯er puffed up her bun-like face and frowned for a bit before she stated in a conflicted tone, ¡°I want to find someone who is hardworking, just like...Older Xiaocao! Someone who can do anything! If Older Sister Xiaocao was a man, Ya¡¯er would definitely marry her!¡±


    ¡°Alright! In the future, Father will make sure to find you a hardworking man!!¡± Liu Shuanzhu had been tickled by his youngest daughter¡¯s somewhat childish thoughts on the matter. His wife could only shake her head repeatedly. This child truly knew no shame and was willing to say anything out loud.


    While the two of them were at home teasing their children, their oldest daughter was already sitting on the kang bed in Xiaocao¡¯s maiden room. Huifang¡¯s eyes were wide open in astonishment as she looked at the beautiful and delicate wooden boxes on the bed. She couldn¡¯t help but remark in surprise, ¡°This set of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ skincare products...is for me?¡±

 Chapter 542 – Unclean Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 542 ¨C Unclean Thoughts</h4>


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Weren¡¯t youining earlier that you thought your skin wasn¡¯t bright and fair enough? This set is for brightening and hydrating the skin, and it¡¯s very efficacious. This set contains a washing lotion, moisturizing toner, whitening essence, and hydrating cream...if you follow the instructions I just told you and use it ever morning and night, after one month, I guarantee that your skin will be fairer by a shade and also look very bright and hydrated. I¡¯m sure my older brother will be so entranced by you then!¡± Yu Xiaocao revealed a grin.


    In the previous dynasty, there were plenty of fifteen and sixteen year old youths and maidens getting married and having children everywhere. Yu Hang and Liu Huifang were experiencing their first awakening of love. Even when their eyes met across the room, they would blush. After being teased by Xiaocao, Liu Huifang¡¯s face was so hot that one could fry an egg on top.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that Older Sister Huifang had now buried her face into her chest and stopped teasing the other girl before it got too much, ¡°Oh right, during the autumn hunt, Little ck and Little White caught a lot of red and silver foxes, so I have a lot of fox pelts. Bring these back to give to Uncle Shuanzhu and Auntie so they can use them to make a hat and scarf. The old men in the capital often wear fur hats in the winter. However, silver fox pelts aren¡¯t something that anyone can buy ah!¡±


    ¡°Since they are that rare, you should leave them for Uncle Yu and Auntie instead ah!¡± Liu Huifang stroked the silky soft fur on the silver fox pelt. Even if she didn¡¯t know what it was, she could tell that it was very valuable and expensive.


    ¡°Little ck and Little White are very talented and hardworking. I not only have set aside some for my parents, but my grandfather and godparents also have a share ah! I especially picked out these two pelts to give to Uncle and Auntie Shuanzhu. Ah, this is a box of pastries that I got from my family¡¯s pastry shop and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll taste just as good as the pastries I got from Daoxiang Vigest year. Bring it back so Tiedan and Younger Sister Ya¡¯er can try some!¡± Yu Xiaocao was very thoughtful and had prepared gifts for everyone in the Liu Family. She knew that Little Tiedan was currently studying and especially gave a set of brushes and paper for him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t...all of this a bit too expensive ah?¡± Without even mentioning the two fur pelts, just the ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ skincare set was incredibly pricey. She had gone to the prefectural city with her father before and had once overheard a young miss from a wealthy family happily bragging that she had gotten a handmade soap from the capital¡¯s famous ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ cosmetic shop. Just one soap cost a few dozen taels. She even said that ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯s¡¯ prices were sky high and only the noble and wealthy families could afford goods from there. In fact, just registering a card there cost around ten thousand taels. If a tiny piece of soap was that pricey, then this set of skincare items probably cost around at least a few thousand taels.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at her and said, ¡°These gifts I prepared, the furs were from my own hunting, and the cosmetics and pastries I took from my own shops. Other than the few taels I spent on the brushes and paper, which of these are considered expensive for me ah? Older Sister Huifang, when did you be so conservative and maudlin? You¡¯re not at all like you were in the past, so open and free. If you don¡¯t take them, then I won¡¯t recognize you as my older sister-inw!¡±


    If she continued to refuse, then it would be a bit too impolite. Liu Huifang could only take these gifts with a blush on her face. The two friends were chatting quite happily when they heard a person in the courtyard yell, ¡°Auntie Yu, I heard Younger Sister Xiaocao hase back and I¡¯m here to see her!¡±


    Madam Liu was just in the middle of organizing the storeroom with the four maidservants and raised her head to see the Zheng Family¡¯sss. The smile on her face congealed lightly. Madam Liu truly couldn¡¯t find it in her to like thatss Zheng Xiaocui. Thatss had too many schemes in her head and was always trying to get something good out of other people¡¯s hands and never seemed to realize that no one was as stupid as she thought!


    In the past, when Royal Prince Yang went to visit Xiaocao, she would always show up and try to tag along. It was rumored that she even wanted to be a concubine of the royal prince, so Cao¡¯er¡¯s other friends didn¡¯t even like bringing her along to y anymore. Later on, she wasn¡¯t sure just what exactly Royal Prince Yang said, but thisss didn¡¯t try to find her youngest daughter for a long time.


    Madam Liu had originally thought that thess had smartened up. However, as the Yu Family became more and more prosperous, apparently thisss now had the idea to cozy up to her own son. As long as Yu Hang came back from Tanggu Town, she would always ¡®coincidentally¡¯ bump into him. Madam Liu had seen a few times just how thisss interacted with her son. She always talked to him in a coy and breathless manner, and her eyes seemed to be glued onto her son¡¯s body. Luckily, Hang¡¯er didn¡¯t seem to have any good feelings towards the girl and would always greet her politely before making his escape as fast as possible. However, Zheng Xiaocui refused to give up and often used the excuse of looking for Xiaolian to spend half of the day at their residence. She even deliberately pretended to not notice the pointed looks and hints to leave from other people. It really made people feel helpless!


    Who knew what little scheme she was cooking this time? Although Madam Liu didn¡¯t like her very much, they were both from the same vige, so she couldn¡¯t just shoo the girl away. She could only squeeze out a smile and say, ¡°Cao¡¯er is in her room talking to Huifang ah...¡±


    ¡°Huifang is also here?¡± The expression on Zheng Xiaocui¡¯s face slightly changed and she couldn¡¯t hide the jealousy within her eyes. Her mother had told her that girls had to be subtle when chasing boys. Originally, she thought that as long as she struck first and created more opportunities to meet Yu Hang, that kind and obedient youth would very quickly fall into her hands. However, that fellow was as dense as a block of wood. No matter how much she hinted, he refused to get a clue.


    Her mother had told her that some boys maturedte. Perhaps Yu Hang just hadn¡¯t gotten to the point where he was interested in girls yet. However, how could she know that not long ago, news came out that the Yu Family was intending on engaging their son to the Liu Family¡¯s Huifang? Although it wasn¡¯t officially set, they had already exchanged a few tokens. Just what part of that wretch, Liu Huifang, was better than herself? She spent all day with the chickens and smelled horrible. She wasn¡¯t as pretty as herself, so was that fellow Yu Hang blind? He didn¡¯t choose her and chose Huifang instead?!


    Zheng Xiaocui was about the same age as Huifang and would be turning sixteen after the New Years. Her older sister had been married off at that same age to a cripple who was older than her by ten years. The reason was because his family was able to give out fifty taels as a betrothal gift. The Zheng Family didn¡¯t have a good reputation in Dongshan Vige. The men in the family were allzy and didn¡¯t do much work while also only valuing boys and not girls. In her father¡¯s eyes, the only point of having daughters was to have them do work around the house and then get some valuable betrothal gifts when they got married off.


    Appearance wise, Zheng Xiaocui was considered to be a beauty in the vige. Her father had long started to n just what sort of benefits he could get off of her! Thus, when his daughter shamelessly tried to get closer to the Yu Family¡¯s eldest son, he turned a blind eye to this. If his daughter became the eldest daughter-inw of the Yu Family, wouldn¡¯t the Yu Family¡¯srge and prosperous businesses be the Zheng Family¡¯s? However, when he found out that there wasn¡¯t much hope for Yu Hang anymore, he started to ask the matchmaker for other matches. He discovered that there was a local tycoon in town who was looking to take in his twelfth concubine. It was rumored that the tycoon would be giving out two hundred taels as a betrothal gift!


    When Zheng Xiaocui found out from her mother that she was about to be sold to an old man to be his twelfth concubine, she almost fainted right then and there. If she had to be a concubine, then at least she should be a concubine to a person like Royal Prince Yang! Royal Prince Yang had a face that was even more beautiful than hers and had a well-sculpted body to match. Furthermore, his status in society was also very appealing. At this time, she had long forgotten the threats that Royal Prince Yang had said to her.


    When she found out that Xiaocao was going toe back to celebrate the New Years, she had started counting the days. Xiaocao spent most of her time in the capital and was also quite close to Royal Prince Yang. If she could convince the other girl to bring her to the capital, she would be able to find an opportunity to get closer to the prince and have him see her charms!


    Thisss truly dared to dream high! Even if Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t have the ability to read her thoughts and see through her schemes, he still wouldn¡¯t be interested in her somewhat pretty and nd looks. In fact, even his bodyguards wouldn¡¯t be interested in her, let alone someone like the prince who saw glorious beauties all the time.


    Zheng Xiaocui saw the pile of New Years gifts in the courtyard that were piled up like a mountain and the jealousy in her heart zed high. If Yu Hang hadn¡¯t been seduced by that slut, Liu Huifang, then all of these delicate silk bolts, gold and silver treasures, precious curiosities, and famous goods from the capital would be considered hers! All hers!!


    Zheng Xiaocui deeply inhaled and did her best to move her eyes away from the valuable objects. There was no hope left for Yu Hang, but if she became a concubine of Royal Prince Yang, she would not only have status but also have wealth. Wouldn¡¯t that be much better than marrying into a tycoon¡¯s family?


    For the sake of her goal, she raised her spirits and revealed what she thought was her warmest smile and entered Xiaocao¡¯s room, ¡°Xiaocao, when I found out you got back, I especially brought over some of your favorite hickory nuts and hazelnuts. They¡¯ve all been roasted already, quickly try some!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stared at the other girl for a long time and then looked over at Older Sister Huifang for help, ¡®Who is this ah? Howe I don¡¯t really have an impression of her?¡¯ In the past, when she was in Dongshan Vige, she was always busy doing something or other and didn¡¯t have much time to interact with the other vigers. She only spent time ying with Older Sister Huifang, Shanhu, and Qian Yafang. As for everyone else, she mostly nodded her head and smiled when she saw them.


    Zheng Xiaocui almost couldn¡¯t keep the smile on her face. What was this all about? Did she be arrogant after bing a royal princess and no longer deigned to recognize her old ymate? ¡®Yu Xiaocao, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be this kind of person!¡¯


    Liu Huifang also knew that Zheng Xiaocui had once set her eyes on Yu Hang. However, they were all from one vige. Normally, they went along their separate ways but it wasn¡¯t good to outright ignore her. After seeing Xiaocao¡¯s reaction, she almost burst out intoughter, ¡®You keep pretending to be very close to her, but she doesn¡¯t even remember who you are. Isn¡¯t that embarrassing ah?¡¯


    However, after thinking about it, she understood why! In the past, every time she had made ns with Xiaocao to go gather seafood or wild nuts in the mountains, Zheng Xiaocui always used her name to tag along. Later on, Xiaocao had gotten busy and they rarely had the time to go together to the mountains or ocean. It had been a few years ago, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that Xiaocao couldn¡¯t remember Zheng Xiaocui.


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, this is Zheng Xiaocui. Her family lives pretty close to mine. In the past, we had gone out together to pick wild mushrooms!¡± Liu Huifang gave a short introduction to the other girl.


    Yu Xiaocao frowned for a bit and then very soon revealed an expression that showed she remembered. Zheng Xiaocui immediately smiled broadly and pulled at Xiaocao¡¯s delicate and soft hand and warmly said, ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s me! At that time, you used to call me Older Sister Xiaocui. It¡¯s been almost two years since youst came back to Dongshan Vige. At that time, you were still young, so it¡¯s not surprising you can¡¯t remember who I am.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao now remembered that Royal Prince Yang had warned her in the past that she shouldn¡¯t spend too much time with this girl as she had unclean thoughts. Although she didn¡¯t think it was a big deal, she never doubted that fellow¡¯s abilities. This was the perfect example of someone eyeing a benefit they could get from you while acting solicitous! It looked like she needed to keep her guard up in order to avoid falling into this person¡¯s ns.


    ¡°Ah! I remember now! You¡¯re the person who Shanhu said who wanted to be the concubine of Royal Prince Yang and got angry and left!¡± Yu Xiaocao took her hand out of the other girl¡¯s and pped the bed with an expression that showed that she had realized something.


    Zheng Xiaocui¡¯s face froze, ¡®This stupid brat. She couldn¡¯t remember anything else except that ah?¡¯


    Just as she was racking her brains, trying to find a way to change the topic, Yu Xiaocao spoke again, ¡°Xiaocui, where did you hear about bing a concubine? Our Dongshan Vige doesn¡¯t have the precedence of selling their daughters to be low-ranked concubines in wealthy people¡¯s families.¡±


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 Chapter 543 – Feeling Inferior

    <h4>Chapter 543 ¨C Feeling Inferior</h4>


    After a short pause, she shook her head again and said, ¡°Besides, a concubine is merely a ything for her husband in a wealthy family. The mother-inw can simply punish her with one simplemand. The maidservants in the estate will not treat her as one of their masters. Even the child they give birth to cannot address his or her own mother as mother, instead, the child had to refer to her as ¡®concubine¡¯... I just don¡¯t understand why some women are scrambling to be a concubine. Sister Huifang, do you agree?¡±


    Liu Huifang saw that the expression on Zheng Xiaocui¡¯s face was bing more and more unsightly. When she recalled how Zheng Xiaocui had used her of seducing Yu Hang behind her back in the vige, she grinned in agreement, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right? Even though you will be poor and tired, you can still live with dignity and freedom if you¡¯re married to an ordinary family. I heard that sometimes, a concubine¡¯s status cannot even bepared to a maidservant that has some power and influence in the estate. Why would anyone be so desperate to be someone¡¯s maidservant?¡±


    Zheng Xiaocui hated that she couldn¡¯t shred Liu Huifang¡¯s proud face into pieces. She was just bbering on because it had nothing to do with her. If she managed to snatch Yu Hang back then, Liu Huifang wouldn¡¯t have been able to say what she had just said. It was a pity that Yu Hang acted like a piece of wood. He never fell for her charms; it was like she was acting kind in front of a blind person!


    However, this was not the time for her to argue with that cheap woman. Zheng Xiaocui forced out a smile and asked curiously, ¡°Xiaocao, what is the capital like? Is it fun? The farthest I¡¯ve been is to the town. The capital is much bigger than the town, right?¡±


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t really want to talk to her and was about to give her a perfunctory reply when she saw the curiosity in Sister Huifang¡¯s eyes. She picked a few interesting and exciting stories and told them about the prosperous and lively imperial capital.


    Zheng Xiaocui had a fascinated expression on her face when she muttered, ¡°I can die without any regrets in this life if I have the chance to stroll around the streets of the imperial city... Xiaocao, now that you¡¯re promoted to a royal princess, will you be moving into a bigger house? Do you need maidservants? Do you think I can be your maidservant?¡±


    In her opinion, even someone as stupid and slow as Erya was bought by Xiaocao¡¯s family to be a maidservant. Therefore, she would definitely qualify as a maidservant. After all, she was clever, nimble, and efficient, so she was qualified to be Xiaocao maidservant.


    Wutong, who had finished arranging the gifts and the luggage, coincidentally entered the house and overheard their conversation. She sized Zheng Xiaocui up and down, and then sneered, ¡°A person like you wants to work as a maidservant? You¡¯re not even qualified to be a maidservant that does rough work around the Yu Estate!¡±


    It was fine if Xiaocao treated her coldly, but how can she stand being ridiculed by a mere maidservant? Zheng Xiaocui felt humiliated, she was so angry that her neck had turned red, ¡°Xiaocao, aren¡¯t you going to punish your servant?!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao chided Wutong indifferently since Zheng Xiaocui came from the same vige as her, ¡°Xiaocui, Wutong, and Pipa are in charge of all the maidservants in my estate. She took your joke seriously. This maidservant is frank and outspoken, so you shouldn¡¯t take what she says to heart.¡±


    Wutong regretted her words the moment she said them. After all, everyone who came to the estate was a guest. Although she had never heard her young miss mention thisdy before, thisdy might still be her young miss¡¯s friend since she rushed here the moment her young miss returned to the vige. But after she saw how her young miss didn¡¯t scold her, and instead, spoke on her behalf, Wutong was relieved. It seemed like her young miss did not like thisdy!


    Wutong hurriedly apologized and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Xiaocui. I took your joke seriously! But this maidservant didn¡¯t say anything incorrectly. Anyone with a status in the capital would buy their maidservants from an official intermediary. In the capital, all the ordinary girls who want to be a maidservant have to go through two to three years of training. The maidservants in our estate are all the best of the best. Let me say this as a joke. If you really want to work as a maidservant for our estate, then you will have to sell yourself to an official intermediary. However, the official intermediaries don¡¯t usually buy everyone who goes there to sell themselves. They usually ept younger girls around the age of ten because they would be the perfect age to be a maidservant after two years of training.


    Zheng Xiaocui was so angry that she was about to cry. She screamed at Xiaocao angrily, ¡°Yu Xiaocao, it doesn¡¯t mean that you can bully other people as you wish just because you are a royal princess! Don¡¯t forget that you used to be impoverished too! You weren¡¯t able to eat your fill back then too. How can you look down at your childhood friends now that you have money and power? I didn¡¯t expect that you would be such a person!!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Who are you shouting at?¡± The expression on Wutong¡¯s face changed. She was full of dignity as she scolded her sternly, ¡°You were the one who said you wanted to enter our estate as a maidservant, so I kindly informed you about the situation at our estate! If you don¡¯t want to listen, then you cane at me. Why are you shouting at our royal princess? Our royal princess is someone who cares about the vigers. Otherwise, you would¡¯ve been dragged out and beaten by the wooden board for being so rude to our royal princess!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Come at me then! Fight me then! I want all the vigers to see how you, Yu Xiaocao, humiliate and abuse your friends after you be wealthy and influential. It seems like I misjudged you!¡± Zheng Xiaocui was somewhat scared; she may appear fierce on the outside, but she was cowardly at heart. After she spat out those words, she turned around to leave.


    ¡°Stop!!¡± Yu Xiaocao held a cup of fragrant tea with a calm expression on her face. She took a sip of the tea and gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Her voice did not waver at all when she said, ¡°Zheng Xiaocui, it¡¯s true that I went out digging for wild vegetables and gathering seafood by the sea with you when we were kids. However, I did all of that because of Sister Huifang. In the past, you approached Royal Prince Yang more than you¡¯ve approached me. So, please stop tutting your own horn by calling me your ¡®friend¡¯!¡±


    Xiaocao had always been amicable, but when the smile on her face disappeared, she suddenly looked like a stranger. The noble and imposing aura that she exuded made it impossible for people not to admire her. Even Liu Huifang couldn¡¯t help but release the breath she was holding while her heart shrank in fear.


    The sunlight shone through the ss window and shrouded her body in a golden halo. People were afraid to look directly at Xiaocao because she looked as dazzling as a god with the golden halo shrouded around her body. She had a majestic presence around her, and none of the people present dared to look directly into her eyes. They realized that the girl in front of them was beyond their reach.


    ¡°Furthermore, you were the one who offered yourself to be a maidservant of our estate, yet you couldn¡¯t even pass a small test. I wouldn¡¯t take you in as my maidservant even if the vigers asked me to do so, solely because of your attitude and temper. I need a loyal, obedient, and capable maidservant by my side. I don¡¯t need a youngdy with an attitude!¡± In just a few short words, Yu Xiaocao was able to turn Wutong¡¯s deliberate mocking words into a test of Zheng Xiaocui¡¯s character.


    Zheng Xiaocui took a deep breath and summoned up thest strand of courage and said, ¡°Fine, I was wrong! I just didn¡¯t like the way the maidservant standing beside you trampled on my dignity as she wished...¡±


    ¡°Dignity? I don¡¯t think you understand your ce. A servant has no dignity in front of their master. When the master gets off the horse carriage, the servant has to act like a stool, so that their master can step on them when getting off the carriage. If the master¡¯s shoes be dirty, the servant will have to kneel on the ground and wipe the shoes clean. If the servant makes a small mistake, then the servant will be stripped of his or her pants and whipped in public... Although these actions that you speak of don¡¯t have any dignity to them, they¡¯re what a servant is required to do! Zheng Xiaocui, if you want to keep your dignity, then don¡¯t talk about offering yourself up to be a maidservant!¡±


    Chunhua had quickly rushed here when she heard some shouting. Yu Xiaocao picked up a hazelnut and casually handed it to Chunhua when she rushed in. Zheng Xiaocui was stunned¡ª¡ªthe thin and weak looking maid gently pinched the hard hazelnut shell with her hands, and the shell easily cracked under the pressure.


    Xiaocao put the hazelnut that Chunhua had peeled for her into her mouth. Her mouth bulged slightly when she popped the hazelnuts into her mouth; she looked like a squirrel with her bulging cheeks. She loved eating delicious and savory nuts, but she hated peeling them herself. When Royal Prince Yang was by her side, he was in charge of peeling the nuts for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m thirsty...Wutong, go brew a pot of the Da Hong Tao that was bestowed by the empress, and then bring it here so Sister Huifang can have a taste!¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly instructed after she ate a few hazelnuts.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wutong curtsied obediently and retreated out of the room. She had been a servant for her master for many years, so she immediately understood what her master was nning.


    Wutong took out aplete set of Kung Fu Tea. Her movements were elegant, smooth, and natural as she washed the tea, added water to the tea, brewed the tea, closed the lid, poured the tea, and served the tea... The fragranceing from the tea was extremely fragrant. The scent tickled their noses and made it impossible for people not to enjoy the pleasant scent of the tea.


    Qiushi took out a zither and started ying with it with her bare hands in the corner of the room. The elegant and gentle sound from the zither filled the room. Yingchun fetched an incense burner and blended her master¡¯s favorite scent, which was a gentle lotus scent...


    ¡°Sister Huifang, have a taste of this. This is top-notch Da Hong Pao. It was picked from a century-old tea tree on the steep cliff from Wuyi Mountain. This tea has a strong orchid scent, and the fragrance from the tea is longsting. This old tea tree only produces two to three catties of tea leaves in a year. All of the tea leaves will be given as a tribute to the Imperial Pce, so it¡¯s very difficult for others to have a taste of this tea!¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up the teacup with three fingers. She lowered her head and sniffed the fragrance in the cup and sipped the tea slowly, finishing the tea in three sips.


    Her beautiful fair hands were as white as jade and her movements were graceful when she lowered her head to drink the tea. Xiaocao¡¯s sweet-tempered and charming movements made her fairy-like figure even more beautiful. Liu Huifang stared at her with a nk look on her face. She was so caught up with staring at Xiaocao that she neglected to take the fragrant tea that was offered to her by Wutong.


    It was impossible for Zheng Xiaocui to be jealous and resentful towards Yu Xiaocao after seeing her served by four maidservants because she knew that their statuses were very different. She could never reach the status that Yu Xiaocao had reached. Zheng Xiaocui could only stand in admiration and watch the scene from a distance. She didn¡¯t dare to have any other thoughts.


    Zheng Xiaocui was too embarrassed to ask Xiaocao if she could be her maidservant again. Perhaps this was because she had already secretly acknowledged what Wutong said to her. She was nothingpared to the four maidservants serving Yu Xiaocao. Perhaps she didn¡¯t even qualify to even be a maidservant that did rough work around the estate.


    The maidservants serving Xiaocao, whether it was their appearance or temperament, were more elegant and graceful than the so-called wealthy young maidens in town. Even with their beautiful appearance and good-natured temperament, they were still willing to serve Xiaocao. They sincerely treated her as their master. By now, she realized that Xiaocao was different from the Xiaocao she knew before!


    However, if she didn¡¯t fight for an opportunity, then she will be sold to an old man that was older than her grandfather as a concubine. Zheng Xiaocui clenched her hands into fists and made her final attempt to avoid being married off to an old man. She didn¡¯t try to act smart or tried toe up with a sly n. Instead, she directly told Xiaocao about her current situation, hoping that Xiaocao could point her in the right direction.


    Zheng Xiaocui had tears when she slowly shook her head and said, ¡°My father only wants to sell me off right now. This way, he can save up some money for my brother to marry a wife and take over the family business. Unless I can raise the equivalent amount of money that they nned to sell me for, then I can only ept my fate and marry an old man who is almost 60 years old. I will have to be his 12th concubine.¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect Zheng Laojiu to be such a greedy person! Yu Xiaocao frowned lightly, sighed, and said, ¡°There is a limit to how much other people can help you. You can only rely on yourself for this matter.¡±

 Chapter 544 – An Encounter at the Road

    <h4>Chapter 544 ¨C An Encounter at the Road</h4>


    ¡°Royal Princess...I beg you, please give me some pointers!¡± Zheng Xiaocui knew that Yu Xiaocao had a smart mind. She would definitely be able to think of a n for her to get out of this situation.


    ¡°I can offer two suggestions for you. For the first option, I can rmend some work for you. You can either work at the Zhou Family¡¯s workshop or work as an assistant for the chefs at Zhenxiu Restaurant. After you choose a job, you will head home and tell your father everything honestly. You will tell him that all the money you earn before the age of eighteen will be handed over to him. Even after you get married, you will continue to honor him by giving him half of your wage. I think your father is smart enough to figure out whether it¡¯s better to have a reputation for selling his daughter off or earning more money in the long run!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao paused for a moment as she silently nced at Zheng Xiaocui¡¯s thoughtful expression. She picked up a cup of tea and sipped gently, and continued, ¡°The second option is for you to report this matter to the authorities, have a fallout with your family, and escape to the prefectural city to earn a living. I¡¯m sure you know that Yu¡¯s Braised Food Shop is doing very well in the prefectural city. I can ask my oldest aunt to sell you some goods on credit. You can start selling braised food by setting up a stall in the beginning, and when you have the funds, you can rent a small shop... However, after you cut off all your ties, you will be all alone. Even if you¡¯re bullied by other people, there will be no one there to support you anymore!¡±


    Even though there was a slim chance that her father would protect and support her when she needed it since he always valued his son over his daughter, her parents had raised her for more than ten years. They should still have some affection for each other because they had the same blood flowing in their veins. Although Zheng Xiaocui was somewhat snobbish and had her own ns and ideas, she was still reluctant to report her father to the authorities. Even if her father¡¯s sole purpose of raising her was to sell her off to save up money for her younger brother¡¯s marriage.


    ¡°I choose the first option!¡± Zheng Xiaocui didn¡¯t n on choosing the second option unless she had no other choice.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t pay much attention to what happened to Zheng Xiaocui afterward. Perhaps it was because Zheng Xiaocui¡¯s filial piety had emotionally moved her father, or perhaps it was thanks to Yu Hai¡¯s persuasion that Zheng Laojiu never mentioned selling his daughter to the rich old man anymore.


    Before Xiaocao left Dongshan Vige, Zheng Xiaocui packed up a small bundle of luggage and came to find Xiaocao. She asked Chunhua to take her appointment tablet to find Head Manager Xiaodou of Zhenxiu Restaurant and ask him to give Zheng Xiaocui a job washing dishes and picking vegetables in the back kitchen.


    Sometimeter, news arrived informing her that Zheng Xiaocui worked very hard in the back kitchen. Zheng Xiaocui had good eyesight, lively, and she looked pretty, so she was soon transferred to work as a server in the front hall of the restaurant. The people in charge of washing vegetables learned less than a tael of silver in a month, but servers earned nearly two taels of silver a month. Zheng Laojiu settled down after he received more than 20 taels of silver in a year.


    Later, when Yu Xiaocao had already been married, she heard from her family members that Zheng Laojiu prevented her daughter from marrying until she was 20 years old because he wanted her sry. Later, Zheng Xiaocui begged Yu Hai, by then, he was already the owner of tens of thousands of acres of farm, to plead on her behalf. After she repeatedly emphasized that she will still give half of her wages to her family after getting married, Zheng Laojiu finally loosen his grasp and allowed her to get married. Zheng Xiaocui married one of the managers of the shop. Her life was in, but she was very content. But these were all things that happenedter.


    After the 20th day of the twelfth month, everyone in Dongshan Vige became busy. But Yu Xiaocao had nothing to do after she sent the Zhou Family, her eldest granduncle, and several families she had a good rtionship within Dongshan Vige, a generous and practical New Year gift. The family matters were all managed by her mother and four other maidservants. Erya was also extremely busy, but it was impossible for Xiaocao to intervene and help.


    Every day, Yu Xiaocao would either chat with a few good friends or take a stroll around the mountain with two of her stronger maidservants. She hunted some wild game to add more dishes to their meals at home. She was not used to being so idle all of a sudden.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, your eldest granduncle will be killing a pig for New Year¡¯s today. Let¡¯s head to your eldest granduncle¡¯s house at noon to have pork stew. Do you remember the time when you were a child and stuffed yourself with pork stew? You ate so much that youid motionlessly on the bed because of a stomach ache. Your mother and I were so frightened! When I invited a doctor from town to check on your condition and he told me that you just ate too much. He prescribed a few hawthorn pills and left!¡± Yu Hai was talking about an incident that urred before Xiaocao had transmigrated here. The young girl¡¯s body was extremely weak, pork stew was a dish that was heavy on the oil. She was lucky that she only had a stomach ache from eating too much.


    While the maidservants smiled at his story, Yu Xiaocao calmly said, ¡°At that time, we didn¡¯t have much oil at home. I would be a fool if I didn¡¯t stuff myself full of that fragrant and savory pork stew! Speaking of which, it¡¯s been two years since Ist ate our vige¡¯s signature dish, the pork stew! Wutong and Chunhua, you should learn a little from me. Don¡¯t eat anything in the morning, so you can stuff yourself with pork stew with an empty stomach!¡±


    Wutong suppressed her smile and asked, ¡°Young Miss, didn¡¯t you say that it¡¯s important not to have an uneven diet or overeat to maintain a healthy diet? Are you going to make an exception for today?¡±


    ¡°Of course, today will be an expectation! My eldest grandaunt¡¯s hometown is from the northeast. The northeast region is most well known for its pork stew. In addition, she makes delicious simmered pig¡¯s head, blood sausages, fatty pork with garlic sauce, and sliced pork diaphragm with garlic sauce...no, I can¡¯t think about it, otherwise, I can¡¯t stop drooling! You haven¡¯t seen any of those dishes before, right? Come and gain some experience with me!¡± Yu Xiaocao headed back to the house and changed into some warm and more light-weight clothes. The four maids were dressed in coarse cotton-padded jackets to blind into the vige as they followed their master out the door.


    ¡°Hey! Xiaocao, where are you going?¡± The vigers from the same vige always greeted her warmly.


    Xiaocao had a bright smile on her face when she replied, ¡°My eldest granduncle had killed a pig for New Years. I¡¯m nning to head over to have some pork stew!¡±


    ¡°Why are you heading over so early? Isn¡¯t the pork stew usually prepared in the afternoon?¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoughed mischievously. She had an odd expression on her face when she exined, ¡°These young girls are from the city, so they never saw a pig being killed. I¡¯m taking them there early, so they can see it for themselves. Auntie, you should attend to your business; I¡¯ll be heading over there first!¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡± When the four servants and their master walked away, the woman smacked her lips and said, ¡°Did you see that? Xiaocao has really matured by now. Those beautiful-looking maidservants that looked like youngdies from a wealthy family are only worthy of being her maidservants! Xiaocao is like those princesses in the ys that I¡¯ve watched. They would live in arge pce paved from gold bricks, wear satin and silk, eat exotic delicacies, and have gold, silver, and jewels piled up like mountains in her pce...¡±


    Chunhua and Qiushi had excellent hearing. The master and the maidservants were all amused when they were informed about what Chunhua and Qiushi had just overheard. It seemed like Auntie Jinzhen had quite a rich imagination to imagine that she lived in a pce made with gold bricks.


    ¡°Huh? Brother Han? Did you just return from patrolling the sea?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked up and saw a burly figure approaching her. She greeted the healthy and handsome guy first.


    Zhao Han heard the news that Xiaocao had returned, so he came to look for her on his first day of vacation. Even though she may already have someone she liked in her heart, he still wanted to see her, listen to her melodiousughter, and see her sweet smile.


    ¡°Yes! I just came back yesterday. I heard that you came back from the capital, so I came here to see you!¡± He greeted her warmly when he saw Xiaocao¡¯s brilliant smile simr to that of a sunrise. The emotions hidden deep in his heart were slowly fermenting.


    Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips and said with a smile, ¡°Brother Han, did you know that Auntie Zhao has returned to the capital? I visited your house as a guest a few days ago. Grandpa Zhao and Uncle Zhao are both at the border, so Auntie Zhao will be spending the New Year in the capital. Do you guys get a vacation?¡±


    Zhao Han forced himself to look away after he realized that he had been staring at her energetic little face for too long. He shook his head and said, ¡°The sea has not been peaceful recently. The wokou are pretending to be pirates to loot the ships that are passing by. In two days, I will be heading back to the sea to train new soldiers...¡±


    ¡°Then...if you return before New Year, you cane over to my house to celebrate the holiday. Little Shitou wrote a letter informing me that he will be back before the New Year. He is still childish at heart. In his letter, he said he wanted you to take us up the mountain so we can catch a wild rabbit!¡± If his ssmates witnessed how spoiled he acted and the childish ways he talked, would they see this earnest-looking and talent young boy in the way?


    ¡°Okay, then it¡¯s settled...cough, cough, cough!¡± Zhao Han suddenly clutched his chest and coughed a few times.


    The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face faded as she asked with concern, ¡°What happened? Did you get injured? Did you fight against pirates when you went out to sea this time? What about the medicine I asked someone to give you? Why is it ineffective?¡±


    Xiaocao¡¯s worried expression and caring tone warmed Zhao Han¡¯s heart. His wound seemed less painful after seeing how much she cared about him. He finally responded after Xiaocao finished asking a series of questions, ¡°We met with arge group of wokou pirates. They outnumbered us by having twice the number of crews. Fortunately, my troops trained very hard regrly and our ships were more advancedpared to the wokou¡¯s ships. As a result, we managed to annihte them and seized arge amount of their property. The medicine you gave me is very effective. If it weren¡¯t for the medicine you gave me, I didn¡¯t even know if I was able to make it ashore. Your medicine saved many of my brothers that were seriously injured. I want to thank you for that in their stead.¡±


    She originally didn¡¯t give him a lot of medicine, and yet he distributed the medicine to other soldiers for their own use. No wonder his injuries had not healed yet! Judging from hisplexion, his injury must be quite serious. Yu Xiaocao sighed and said to Wutong, ¡°Go to my medicine chest and bring me the gourd-shaped jade bottle and a few bottles of Wound Balm for me.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she turned to Zhao Han and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t the court purchase a lot of Wound Balm? The soldiers should¡¯ve received some. What happened?¡±


    Zhao Han shook his head and said, ¡°The northwestern border has been unstable recently. Although there were norge-scale wars, there had been a few small-scale battles and skirmishes from time to time. The effects of the Wound Balm produced by your workshop is more effective than other ordinary products. When the purchased medicines are distributed, it is first distributed to the border patrol soldiers. By the time the medicine reaches us, it would be considered good if each soldier can receive one bottle. I heard that the Wokou¡¯s country had a severe snow disaster this winter. Many of the civilians who could no longer survive on their own were fooled into bing wokou pirates. Soon after winter began, several minor skirmishes and wars broke out. We¡¯re almost out of ordinary Wound Balms too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once I return to the capital, I¡¯ll have someone bring more Wound Balms over for you. As for this bottle of medicine, you can¡¯t tell other people that I was the one who gave it to you. The materials needed to make this are too precious, and I don¡¯t have many bottles of these.¡± Yu Xiaocao stuffed all the medicine that Wutong had fetched for her into Zhao Han¡¯s hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You came just at the right time. My eldest granduncle¡¯s family is nning on killing a pig today, so why don¡¯t youe and enjoy the pork stew together tonight?¡± Yu Xiaocao invited him over for dinner. In the past, when Zhao Han was still in the vige, he often ate pork stew made by her eldest granduncle.


    Zhao Han seemed to be reminiscing his memories as he nodded, ¡°Okay! It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve eaten Grandpa Yu¡¯s pork stew. Sometimes, I even dream of smelling the pork stew in my dreams! Let¡¯s head over now to see if we can help.¡±

 Chapter 545 – Pig Banquet

    <h4>Chapter 545 ¨C Pig Banquet</h4>


    ¡°You still have some wounds on your body...how about, youe to my family¡¯s residence to change the dressing on your wounds and also take some pills to heal your inner injuries? In two days, don¡¯t you have to go out to sea to patrol ah? Take the time to carefully nurse your wounds in these two days. Otherwise, how will you be able to protect the country well? In my opinion, you should stay at my family¡¯s residence and I¡¯ll create a special regimen to treat your body and make some medicinal cuisine to nourish you!¡± Yu Xiaocao was truly worried about Zhao Han¡¯s injuries. If more pirates came over likest year, it would be very dangerous for him to fight him with half-healed wounds!


    As she talked, she acted as if she was a child again and pulled on Zhao Han¡¯s sleeve as they went back up the road. Her four maidservants naturally followed her blindly and grouped around the two people as they headed towards the Yu Residence.


    ¡°Eh, why did thatss Xiaocaoe back?¡± A bunch of married matrons were currently congregated at the foot of the wall, sunning themselves as they mended shoes. Their expressions changed when they saw a tall and sturdy man next to Yu Xiaocao.


    ¡°It¡¯s Hunter Zhao¡¯s son...no no, now he is a great general. I heard the Zhao Family¡¯s son is also a small official and is in charge of a hundred men now!¡±


    ¡°The Zhao Family¡¯s youngster had a good rtionship with the Yu Family¡¯s children in the past. He used to bring Xiaocao and her younger brother all the time into the mountain to trap hares and wild pheasants. When the Yu Family was in difficulty, if they didn¡¯t have the game to supplement their meals, they might not have survived until now!¡±


    ¡°This Zhao Family¡¯s youngster will likely be a high-ranking general in the future. He¡¯s only a few years older than Xiaocao. A general and a royal princess...these two seem quite fit for each other!¡± There was never ack of gossip in the vige.


    ¡°Shhh! Luckily, Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯te back this time. If he heard you say that, he would sentence you to twenty nks to shut your mouth! Who in the vige doesn¡¯t know that Royal Prince Yang treats Xiaocao in a different way. Many people all say that Xiaocao will be Royal Prince Yang¡¯s concubine in the future!¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking nonsense! Xiaocao is now a royal princess that the emperor himself titled. How could she possibly be the mere concubine of someone? In my eyes, I¡¯m pretty sure she could be his princess consort!¡±


    ¡°What good is it to marry into a prince¡¯s residence? Any of the wealthier men in town, as long as they have a bit of status, have a bunch of concubines in their inner courtyard. Everyday they fight and scheme constantly. Isn¡¯t that so exhausting? In my eyes, it¡¯s better for her to go for the Zhao Family¡¯s son. Their two families are close and they grew up together. The roots are already there. Even if the youth takes in a few concubines in the future, the Zhao Family won¡¯t treat Xiaocao unfairly!¡±


    ......


    The group of matrons became more and more exhrated the more they gossiped. They were now divided into two groups. One group approved of Xiaocao marrying into the prince¡¯s estate to be his princess consort, whereas the other group felt that it was better for her to marry into the Zhao Family and livefortably. Neither side gave way to the other and they all started to quarrel endlessly for a period of time.


    When Xiaocao brought Zhao Han home, she found out that it would be hard for him to clean and dress the wounds on his back, so she wanted to help him. However, her maidservants expelled her out. Men and women should not have close contact after the age of seven. Their young miss would be fourteen after the New Years but she still didn¡¯t know how to be even a little bit discreet. Finally, the youngest of the bunch, Yingchun, had been pushed out to treat the wounds on Zhao Han¡¯s back.


    Almost half of his back had the criss-cross marks of vicious looking wounds and the sight of it scared the slightly bashful Yingchun. He also had another deep wound that was likely caused by the stab of a sharp sword. It was in the area of his lungs. No wonder Young Master Zhao seemed to be breathing with a bit of difficulty earlier. After being around her master, who was skilled at medicine, Yingchun had naturally picked a few things up and knew the basics of treating injuries.


    She used her young miss¡¯s special ¡®disinfecting water¡¯ to wash Young Master Zhao¡¯s wounds and then spread a thickyer of the wound balm that her young miss personally made onto his back. Following that, she wrapped him back up with some clean gauze.


    Outside the room, Wutong was currently carefully reminding her mistress, ¡°Young Miss, you¡¯ve almost reached a marriageable age, so it¡¯s best if you keep your distance away from men. Although Young Master Zhao was your childhood ymate, he¡¯s still a man...¡±


    ¡°I already know what you speak of! However, there is one thing you need to remember: a doctor must bepassionate. I¡¯m not only a young girl but I¡¯m also a doctor. Even if my patient is a man, I can¡¯t just let him suffer and not save him, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at the maid and took out a bunch of medicinal ingredients from her medicine box. She wrote down a few prescriptions and gave the ingredients to Wutong and said, ¡°In a moment, you won¡¯t have toe along to view the pig ughter. Help me concoct this medication for Older Brother Han ah.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Young Miss, didn¡¯t you say earlier that you wanted to bring this servant along to widen my horizons ah? This servant really wants to taste the pig banquet ah!¡± Wutong revealed a long-suffering expression on her face but still took the medicinal ingredients given to her without any reluctance.


    Yu Xiaocao refused to acknowledge her own pettiness and solemnly said, ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about watching them kill a whole pig? It¡¯s so bloody and I don¡¯t want you to get scared! When you¡¯re done concocting the medicine and helping Older Brother Han take it, you cane along with him. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to save a seat for you.¡± As she spoke, she also gave the maid a look that clearly said, ¡®How¡¯s that? Isn¡¯t your master quite clever ah?¡¯


    At this time, Zhao Han exited Yu Hang¡¯s room with Yingchun following him with the wound balm in hand. Yu Xiaocao came forward and said, ¡°Older Brother Han, it must not befortable resting on the ship, right? Drink this cup of honey water and you can take a nap in my older brother¡¯s room. When the pig banquet is just about ready, I¡¯ll have someonee over to bring you guys over!¡±


    Zhao Han nodded and took the cup of honey water from Chunhua¡¯s hands. He drank it down in one gulp. The honey water had a sweet and mellow vor, simr to the brilliant smile on the young maiden¡¯s face. He nced at the dimples at the side of Xiaocao¡¯s mouth and was spellbound for a second. It distracted him from the warm feeling of the water relieving the pain near his lungs.


    As heid on the mattress that smelled faintly of sun-driedundry, Zhao Han felt as if he had never been this rxed before. The wounds on his back felt cool andfortable after getting their dressings changed. They no longer felt as sharp and painful as before. Even the heavy pressure he had near his lungs had also disappeared¡ª¡ªdid Xiaocao add some special medicine to heal internal wounds in his honey water earlier?


    Before he knew it, Zhao Han¡¯s breathing becamefortable and he fell into a deep sleep in the bright early morning light of winter. By the time Wutong woke him up and gave him a bowl full of medicine to drink, Zhao Han felt as if his body was now full of energy and that all of his hurts had been banished away. He knew this medicine was something that Xiaocao herself had personally prescribed for him, so he didn¡¯t hesitate as he drank the whole mess of bitter contents down in one gulp.


    Xiaocao had gone over to her eldest granduncle¡¯s residence to get in on the fun. When she got there, she saw that therge fat pig had pretty much been cleaned and divided. There were plenty of friends and family in the courtyard helping out. Some helped to wash and take the hairs off of the freshly ughtered pig, while others were cleaning and preparing the pig innards. Yu Hai and his wife didn¡¯t go to the farmstead today and instead were in the courtyard working busily.


    A group of matrons were with Xiaocao¡¯s eldest grandaunt. They were washing and chopping the ingredients in a busy manner. Before long, the pig¡¯s head was ced in a heated pot to cook while another pot that was cooking blood sausages bubbled merrily. Madam Liu used her family¡¯s secret spice recipe to help braise the pig trotters and offal...


    At lunch, everyone who came over to help sat around in the full courtyard. Yu Xiaocao and her servants were sitting with the Yu Family. Even Erya revealed a silly smile as she sat next to Madam Liu, inquisitively regarding the scene around her. Originally, Xiaocao¡¯s maidservants were a bit hesitant to sit at the same level as their master. Only after Xiaocao half-jokingly scolded them did they finally reluctantly sit down next to her to partake in the meal.


    Everyone said that northern people were very practical. Each te here was piled high with food for the pig banquet. There was fatty pork with garlic sauce, pork with kidney beans stewed with vermicelli, pickled vegetables with pork blood sausage, simmered pig¡¯s head, sliced pork diaphragm with garlic sauce, braised pork bone meat...although all of the dishes looked very fatty and greasy, they tasted incredibly delicious and Xiaocao almost couldn¡¯t stop eating.


    Xiaocao loved eating the sliced pork diaphragm with garlic sauce and the pickled vegetables with pork blood sausage the most. The four maidservants watched as their master happily ate the ck colored blood sausage and gobbled down the braised pork bone meat. Although the food wasn¡¯t very elegant, it definitely stimted their appetites and made them want to eat more too.


    Wutong didn¡¯t quite understand her master¡¯s enthusiasm. She had never seen her young miss eat with such gusto before, even when they were at Zhenxiu Restaurant dining on their finest dishes. The food here looked very crude and greasy, so how could it be so suited to her young miss¡¯s tastes? She looked at the other three maids, Yingchun, Chunhua and Qiushi. They all seemed to be eating quite happily too. She couldn¡¯t help but pick up her chopsticks and grab a slice of pork diaphragm meat that didn¡¯t look too greasy. After cing into her mouth, she carefully chewed a bit¡ª¡ªMm, it was a bit nd and chewy, nothing else.


    Yu Jiang¡¯s wife, who was sitting next to her, smiled, ¡°Girl, you need to dip this pork diaphragm meat into the garlic sauce to eat. Otherwise, it¡¯ll have no vor at all.¡± As she spoke, she picked up a piece of meat and dipped it into the sauce before cing it in her mouth. She chewed it with gusto.


    In the past, the residence¡¯s senior servant had instructed her that a good personal maidservant couldn¡¯t eat anything that was too heavily vored. In fact, she should avoid eating too many meat-containing dishes too in order to avoid having any strong smells sticking to her, causing her master to dislike her. In the afternoon, she still needed to take care of her mistress. Was it really alright for her to eat garlic sauce and other foods that had a very distinct smell?


    Yu Xiaocao could see the hesitation on Wutong¡¯s face and patted her shoulders before personally giving her a piece of pork diaphragm meat that was dipped in garlic sauce, ¡°This afternoon, all of you will get a half day break and there¡¯s no need for any of you to stay by my side. Eat whatever you want to eat and don¡¯t sit there twiddling your thumbs. It¡¯s too awkward that way! This piece of boiled meat may look fatty on the outside but it¡¯s not the least bit greasy when you eat it. Try some! Also, my eldest grandaunt makes the best blood sausage in the area. You wouldn¡¯t be able to try this anywhere else!¡±


    Xiaocao had noticed that the muscles on Wutong¡¯s face involuntarily twitched when she picked up a blood sausage, so she silentlyughed at the maid. She deliberately picked the foods that the maid obviously didn¡¯t want to try and ced it in Wutong¡¯s bowl.


    Wutong truly wanted to cry when she saw the evil and mischievous expression on her master¡¯s face. However, as the servant, it was a great honor to be awarded food by her master so she needed to eat it even if she wanted to weep. She gathered her courage and ced the pork diaphragm meat with garlic sauce into her mouth. As expected, thebination was much more vorful together and the more she chewed, the more she liked its unique vor.


    As for the fatty pork with garlic sauce, the fatty slices of meat looked very greasy. Wutong pinched her nose and ced a slice that was about the size of half her palm into her mouth in a manner that clearly showed her reluctance. She forced herself to chew. As she chewed, the expression on her face gradually changed and she no longer looked as reluctant as before. Eh? So odd, it didn¡¯t taste greasy at all. Instead, it had a fresh and savory vor she never tasted before.


    As for the blood sausage, Wutong had seen her young miss eat piece after piece. Now that she hadplete faith in her master¡¯s tastes, she wasn¡¯t the least bit hesitant as she tried a blood sausage. In any case, hadn¡¯t she eaten braised pig intestines in the past before? What was the point in being squeamish now?


    Wutong, who had no misgivings now, started to try all of the foods she had never had the opportunity to eat before and went through all of the dishes. Although each dish looked very crude and simple, their taste was quite unique and surprisingly delicious. Yu Jiang¡¯s wife felt her heart rx when she saw this city girl finally eating with gusto and enthusiasm.


    For the honest and simplemoners, they felt like they only fulfilled a host¡¯s duties when their guests were all able to eat to their fill and enjoy their meal. In Yu Jiang¡¯s wife¡¯s eyes, despite the fact that Yu Xiaocao now had a prestigious title, she was still a part of the family and a child she had watched herself grow up.

 Chapter 546 – Thinking Freely

    <h4>Chapter 546 ¨C Thinking Freely</h4>


    For one¡¯s own family, it was fine no matter how you received them. However, it was rumored that Xiaocao¡¯s maidservants hade from the imperial city and their usual conduct was even more elegant than most girls from wealthy families. Yu Jiang¡¯s wife had been worried this entire time that these maids would not be used to their crude and simple fare. Now, from the looks of it, her worries were superfluous.


    In the farming viges in the northeast, almost every family would ughter a year end pig. The vigers there all got together to celebrate noisily. From the start of the twelfth month, these vigers ate pig banquet foods non-stop. Dongshan Vige originally didn¡¯t have this type of custom, but when her eldest grandaunt fled from the northeast, she and her family brought this event over. Now, many of the families here had also started ughtering pigs for the pig banquet. However, the most authentic pig banquet still came from Eldest Grandaunt¡¯s hands!


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed her rotund little belly that was stuffed full of food and strolled around the foot of the West Mountain. She also checked the traps and snares that were set earlier to see if she had any game. Zhao Han silently walked along with her and cherished his previous memories they had together in their childhood.


    Every snare that Xiaocao set always had a higher than usual chance to catch prey. Thisss seemed to have been blessed by a god. Just look, they were clearly in an area where wild animals were not numerous but out of ten traps and snares, around six to seven of them had animals caught in them.


    The four maidservants took off their reserved andposed demeanors and revealed their true natures. Every time they found a snare that had prey in it, they all eximed in excitement and rushed forward to be the first to grab it. Almost everyone by the end had their hands full with some game. In fact, Zhao Han even carried a dead dumb roe deer back on his shoulders!


    The twelfth month seemed to pass faster than other months. In the blink of an eye, they were at the year¡¯s end. The farmstead¡¯s greenhouse pavilions had stopped business since the twenty-ninth and would only reopen on the fifth of the next year. Little Shitou had braved the winds and snow to go back home on the twenty-eighth and only then was the Yu Family all back together.


    At their New Year¡¯s Eve family dinner, other than the Yu Family, there were an additional two guests. Zhao Han had been invited by Xiaocao to celebrate the New Years with her family and the other was the orphan Zhuang Xiaomo. At the table, Zhuang Xiaomo exerted quite a bit of effort to be attentive to Xiaolian the entire time. Yu Hai didn¡¯t have a good expression to any of his ¡®sons-inw¡¯ who were trying to steal his daughters from him. He couldn¡¯t do much to Royal Prince Yang, but he wouldn¡¯t make it easy for the fellow surnamed Zhuang, that big wolf, to steal Xiaolian away.


    Xiaolian, who would be turning fourteen at the start of the year, had experienced her first awakening to love. Apparently, she seemed to have a bit of a good impression of the tall and handsome looking Zhuang Xiaomo. As for his attempts to get closer to her, Xiaolian had a red blush on her face and didn¡¯t seem to reject them at all.


    As for the so-called future mother-inw, Madam Liu seemed to regard this future son-inw with increasing appreciation. She had always had a decent impression of this orphaned fellow, who, despite hisck of family, had a sense of self-confidence and ambition to do better for himself. In addition, he had a polite and gentle demeanor, a kind heart, and understood gratitude. If it wasn¡¯t for her husband stopping her, Madam Liu would have treated him as if he was her half-son.


    During New Years Eve night, Yu Hang took his younger brother Little Shitou, along with Zhao Han and Zhuang Xiaomo, to set off fireworks in the courtyard. In the rooms, Yu Hai took out the ount books and went over the past year in detail with his youngest daughter. He also went over his proposed ns for the following year.


    ¡°Right now, the corn and winter wheat seeds from our farmstead are selling very well. In addition, we¡¯re by the ocean, so it¡¯s very convenient to ship our goods around. There are plenty of shipping convoys that are traveling from south to the north that want to buy our seeds to bring it there. However, we have a limited amount ofnd on our farm, so we¡¯re not able to supply all that they want.¡± Yu Hai felt his heart itch whenever he thought of all of that money in front of him that he couldn¡¯t get.


    ¡°That being said, we are still employed by the court! Naturally, we have to provide high-yielding seeds to Tanggu Town and the nearby Zhou Prefecture. Based on that, the amount of seeds we can sell elsewhere goes down even more!¡±


    Yu Hai had found out through his older sister that the climate in the northeast was harsh, so their crop yields were very poor. The peasants who lived there had to tighten their belts for half a year. During the harshest time of the year, the people there could only eat one bowl of the cheapest and mostmon type of coarse grain gruel a day. If a disaster befell them, then they had to pack all of their things and flee from their homes.


    Corn had a high harvest yield and wasn¡¯t picky about its growing environment. If this crop could be widely nted in the north, then themoners¡¯ lives would improve considerably for they would at least be able to fill their stomachs. Thus, Yu Hai did his best to sell as much corn as he could to those ships going to the north, but his efforts were like trying to put out a forest fire using one cup of water at a time.


    Yu Xiaocao bit her lip in thought and then smiled at her father, who was looking at her expectantly, ¡°Father, what are you looking at me for? Are you that certain that I¡¯ll be able toe up with an idea?¡±


    Yu Hai chuckled and stated in a somewhat proud manner, ¡°Of course, my daughter is so incredible, so how could such a small problem cause any problems for my Cao¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°In our hearts, Younger Sister, you are the most resourceful of us all, our lucky little immortal girl. Quickly tell us, what do you think about this?¡± Xiaolian urged Xiaocao on as she ate roasted melon seeds.


    ¡°I truly have an idea!¡± Yu Xiaocao continued under the gleaming and excited looks of her family, ¡°I want to make Tanggu into a giant agricultural center and be the country¡¯srgest seed wholesaler!¡±


    Yu Hai nodded his head and said, ¡°In actuality, this is also in line with my thoughts. However, we don¡¯t have that muchnd ah! I¡¯ve asked around and none of the owners of thend or farms around us are willing to sell. However, in the area between Tanggu Town and the prefecture city, there¡¯s arge stretch of fallow, emptynd. Unfortunately, in order to transform such fallownd into good farmingnd, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d take more than a couple of years to make that happen...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lightly frowned and said, ¡°Tanggu is a part of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s feudalnds. If he is willing to help, it absolutely wouldn¡¯t be a problem to get morend. As for that fallownd ah, leaving it just sitting there would be such a pity...I think we can negotiate with Zhu Junyang and have him push out a fewnd reform policies that encourage people to develop newnd. For example, if people want to clear an area for farming, they won¡¯t need to pay any taxes for the first three years and the following five to ten years, they could have half taxes and other benefits...right now, most of the arablend is in the hands of a few. Many people end up bing tenant farmers, rentingnd in order to make a living. I¡¯m certain that themoners would be very happy if they had the opportunity to own their own fields.¡±


    His youngest daughter had mentioned Royal Prince Yang twice in a short period of time. Yu Hai hesitated for a moment but ultimately couldn¡¯t restrain himself from asking, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you and Royal Prince Yang...you¡¯re growing up and need to take mind of a few things, don¡¯t let other people take advantage of you. That being said, men are fickle creatures and Royal Prince Yang has a high status and power. It¡¯d be hard for him to not change in the future and have his eyes roam around. So...¡±


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry! Your daughter knows very well! If Zhu Junyang decides to treat me poorly, I would rather be single for the rest of my life then marry myself out to someone who wasn¡¯t suitable. He¡¯s still in his probation period so he naturally wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to me!¡± Yu Xiaocao was well aware of her father¡¯s worries so she couldn¡¯t help but try tofort him.


    Their youngest daughter had been intelligent from a young age and almost all of their businesses their family had undertaken hade from her ideas. Her husband would always go find her whenever he couldn¡¯te up with an idea. Thus, Madam Liu became more confident in her youngest daughter¡¯s abilities. However, her daughter would only be fourteen after the New Year and usually didn¡¯t spend a lot of time by her side, so she couldn¡¯t help but say a few words, ¡°Cao¡¯er, you don¡¯t have to set your sights only Royal Prince Yang. If he¡¯s unable to pass your tests, then Mother will find you an even better match¡ª¡ªin actuality, if Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t make his intentions obvious so early, I think that the fellow Zhao Han is not bad...¡± After she finished speaking, Madam Liu even nced out the window.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry, ¡°I only see Older Brother Han as an older brother, so why are you putting us together now? Don¡¯t worry ah, I know what I should and should not do!¡±


    Old Yu, who was wearing a bright red traditional-style jacket, was sitting at the head of the kang bed with his legs crossed. He picked up a piece of soft and sticky pastry and addressed his son and son¡¯s wife, ¡°You two don¡¯t need to fret so much! Royal Prince Yang is a royal prince but our Cao¡¯er is no longer just an ordinary little farmer¡¯s girl. Through her own efforts, she¡¯s be a royal princess. Have you ever seen a royal princess anywhere have to worry about her marriage ah? There are so many talented men in the capital, as long as their eyes aren¡¯t blind, they will be able to see our Cao¡¯er¡¯s strengths. Even if there isn¡¯t a Royal Prince Yang, there¡¯s still a Royal Prince Yin, and Royal Prince Yue!¡± [1]


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right!¡± Yu Xiaocao was afraid that her parents would needlessly worry about this. Although her grandfather¡¯sparison was a bit crude, she restrained herself fromughing and said, ¡°Father, Mother, don¡¯t worry. Before I turn twenty, I promise I¡¯ll get married and I¡¯ll do so in a very grand way. Alright ah?¡±


    Madam Liu tapped her head andughed, ¡°You, ah, don¡¯t have the least bit of shame and are willing to say anything. In the future, be more careful. Otherwise other people willugh at you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at home ah! It¡¯s only in front of us that Cao¡¯er would dare say such things. When those wealthy people from town came to tter us, our Cao¡¯er¡¯s temperament and bearing was even more elegant and imposing than those princesses¡¯ in the stories.¡± Yu Hai always thought that everything his youngest daughter did was good!


    The whole family chatted about the prospective seed breeding business until it was past midnight. Following that, they cooked some dumplings and ate them together as a midnight snack before heading to their own rooms to rest.


    Yu Xiaocao had a leisurely and joyful New Years celebration at Dongshan Vige. On the first day of the New Year, she went along with her good friends to say their greetings to everyone in the vige. The group of them managed to eat a bunch of special snacks that the other vigers made. On the second day, she went along with her parents to go visit her maternal grandparents and received quite a few thick red packets.


    Currently, her maternal grandparents were one of the wealthiest families in their vige. They had pushed down their previous house, which was made of sogon grass, and rebuilt it into a spacious and beautiful residence that had bright white walls and a pretty tiled roof. Small greenhouse pavilions had been constructed in the front and back courtyards and they grew some fruits and vegetables inside. Because of their rtionship with the Yu Family, the other vigers in their vige also reaped the benefits and were now nting high-yielding winter wheat in their fields. Thus, the Liu Family¡¯s position and status within the vige was second only to the vige chief¡¯s.


    Since she didn¡¯t have to worry about the market, Xiaocao¡¯s eldest maternal aunt bought a piece ofnd from the vige chief after the Wokou pirates struck and established her own piggery as the original one had been damaged. She began to raise pigs in earnest. Now, she had at least a few hundred pigs every year that were carefully fed and raised until they were ready to send to market. Xiaocao¡¯s eldest maternal uncle then took those pigs to the prefectural city using his mule-drawn cart. When the greenhouse pavilions in Tanggu Town had their out of season vegetables ready for sale, Eldest Maternal Uncle and Second Maternal Uncle began to ship those vegetables to the prefectural city together. They were able to earn a few dozen taels from each trip there.


    Xiaocao¡¯s second maternal uncle bought a few dozen mu of good farmingnd. In the spring, he nted corn and in the autumn, he nted winter wheat. The crops he harvested were pooled in with the Yu Family¡¯s grain business and he could make quite a bit of money every year. Xiaocao¡¯s youngest maternal uncle also gave up his bricying career and entered the Yu Family¡¯s business to help. The sry he earned now was a few timesrger than what he used to earn. His wife also began to help Eldest Maternal Aunt with the piggery...


    All in all, the Liu Family¡¯s lives were getting better and better with each passing year. Even Second Maternal Aunt, who had a sharp tongue and a shrewish temper, had be more pleasant as her life got better. She no longer looked as harsh as before and her tongue had gentled considerably. The Liu Family¡¯s patriarch and matriarch now had free and easy lives now.


    [1] Old Yu is making a pun here. The word used for ¡®Yang¡¯ refers to the sun, ¡®Yin¡¯ is the opposite of Yang, whereas ¡®Yue¡¯ is the character for moon.

 Chapter 547 – Giant Farmstead

    <h4>Chapter 547 ¨C Giant Farmstead</h4>


    The days went by quickly. Originally, she was nning on staying in Dongshan Vige until the end of the second month, but her ns were very quickly changed. On the sixteenth of the first month, an unexpected guest arrived at Dongshan Vige.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang, why are you here? You didn¡¯t even let us know in advance and just suddenly appeared ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao had gone up to the mountain to set snares at dawn. When she got home, she saw that there were some new horses in front of the residence. After entering the room, she discovered that Zhu Junyang was there, sitting on the kang bed like he owned it. He was snacking on the nuts she had roasted before the end of the year. There was a small te next to him that held a tiny pile of peeled walnuts.


    Zhu Junyang raised an eyebrow at her as he cracked another walnut in his hand. He carefully picked up the meat inside and ced it into the small te next to him. Only after he finished this did he say, ¡°This prince only wanted to give you a nice surprise, ah? What? You don¡¯t like me here? Is it because you have Older Brother Han to apany you now so you¡¯ve long forgotten this prince?¡±


    The royal prince was already feeling a bit unhappy after hearing Little Shitou mention ¡®Older Brother Han¡¯ all the time. If he had known that there was arge wolf roaming around, he would longe back to apany the littless in visiting her parents, celebrate the New Years in Dongshan Vige, and then go back to the capital together. The littless had been back home for over a month now. Did that fellow take advantage of when he was not here to especially woo hisss?


    ¡°Oh ho! Just who tipped over a vinegar jar in this room? The sour scent of jealousy is so thick here!¡± Yu Xiaocao took off her silver fox fur cloak and Wutong easily took it from her and hung it on a pear wood clothes hanger.


    When he saw how red Xiaocao¡¯s face was from getting exposed to the cold, Zhu Junyang moved to allow her space on the warmest part of the kang bed for her. After Xiaocao took off her boots and sat down, he also transferred the small quilt on his legs to cover her legs and feet. Then, he pointed at the walnuts that he had already peeled and stated in a voice held both amusement and grievance, ¡°You truly have no conscience. Did you have so much fun at Dongshan Vige that you forgot everything else in the capital? You¡¯ve been gone for more than a month but you haven¡¯t even written a single letter to this prince. You went into the mountains right at dawn today. Were you spending time with that fellow surnamed Zhao ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao took a handful of walnuts and began to stuff them in her mouth. Her cheeks bulged with the nuts and her eyes curved up with happiness. She resembled a little squirrel snacking on nuts. When she heard hisints, she nted Zhu Junyang a nce and said, ¡°Do you think Older Brother Han is as idle as you? He¡¯s out at sea, drilling his troops. How would he have the spare time to go into the mountains to set snares to catch hares?¡±


    ¡°Older Brother Han eh...you seem to call him in a very intimate manner. Howe I never hear you call this prince using ¡®Older Brother Yang¡¯ ah?¡± A burst of sour jealousy exploded in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart. Thess always called him using his full name and was never polite about it either.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that he had stopped cracking the nuts open and hurriedly patted his hand in an attempt to remind him to continue. When she heard his jealous words, she raised her head to look him in the eye and seriously stated, ¡°I call him ¡®Older Brother Han¡¯ because I see him as an older brother. Do you...want me to regard you as an older brother then?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± He absolutely did not want that! Zhu Junyang noticed that the peeled nuts in the te were disappearing at light speed and hurriedly hastened his cracking speed. He grumbled, ¡°However, this prince is not very pleased with the way you call me.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you want me to call you? Junyang? Yangyang? Yang Baby??¡± Each suggestion was more sticky-sweet than the previous and Yu Xiaocao was delighted to discover that Zhu Junyang¡¯s ears had turned bright red from her teasing.


    Zhu Junyang pretended to cough a couple of times. He lightly cleared his throat and said, ¡°When I was young, I once came up with a nickname for myself, it¡¯s ¡®Ruizhi¡¯. Only the people close to me know about this...¡±


    ¡°Alright ah, then I¡¯ll call you Ruizhi then!¡± Yu Xiaocao easily followed his suggestion and then said, ¡°Zhu Ruizhi, the walnuts are gone, but I still want to eat more!¡±


    ¡°Eat fewer snacks as breakfast is being warmed up for you in the pot ah!¡± Madam Liu entered the room just in time to hear her youngest daughter tantlymand Royal Prince Yang to help her peel nuts. She couldn¡¯t help but level a re at her daughter.


    ¡°If you ce the nuts inside the congee, it¡¯ll be nut porridge and will also taste quite good!¡± Yu Xiaocao craftily said as she stealthily reached a small hand towards the nuts that Zhu Junyang had peeled. She swiftly stuffed them into her mouth and truly resembled a little mischievous squirrel stealing food.


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t control her, so she spoke to Zhu Junyang, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, don¡¯t spoil her! During all ofst month and this month, she ate snacks instead of partaking in proper meals! Everyone else gains a few catties during the New Years. She, on the other hand, didn¡¯t gain and instead got thinner instead!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hastily exined when she saw Zhu Junyang looking inquiringly at her, ¡°Who said I got thinner? Look at my face, it¡¯s almost as round as a steamed bun. All mothers will say this as they all feel that their children have gotten thinner. All of them try to stuff their children until they be fat little piggies.¡±


    ¡°Raising pigs?¡± Madam Liu tapped Xiaocao¡¯s head and took the te of nuts off the kang bed¡¯s table. She motioned to Yingchun to ce the congee, steamed buns, and side dishes on the table and said, ¡°If the pigs in a piggery are all like you, I¡¯m pretty sure the owners of said piggery would go out of business very soon!¡±


    ¡°Mother¡ª¡ªis there truly a mother like you who scolds her daughter in this way ah? I¡¯m such a beautiful and delicate little girl but you decide topare me to a stinky and yucky pig. I¡¯m angry now!¡± Yu Xiaocao seized the opportunity to act spoiled around her mother.


    Madam Liu pursed her lips and revealed a smile, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who started theparison. You were the one who first brought up the topic of raising pigs, so Mother will not take this fall! Finish everything on the table, otherwise, I won¡¯t allow you to eat any more snacks today or tomorrow!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the two steamed meat buns that were bigger than the size of her fist and therge bowl full of congee. She immediately began to pout andined, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s make a deal. Let me just eat one meat bun, okay?¡±


    ¡°No deal! Last night, you only ate half a small bowl of noodles, so you need to eat more this morning. Do you think you¡¯re an immortal and can live off of air ah?!¡± Madam Liu sternly refused her suggestion, ¡°Eat it now while it¡¯s hot. The meat buns were made using the meat from that roe deer you caught, so it¡¯s very fresh and tasty!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered and roved around. She suddenly revealed a bright smile at Zhu Junyang, who had been watching the mother and daughter pair from the side, ¡°Ruizhi¡ª¡ªyou haven¡¯t eaten breakfast, right? Eating together is more enjoyable!¡±


    Madam Liu pushed away the hand that was offering a meat bun towards Zhu Junyang and sternly looked at her daughter, ¡°Royal Prince Yang has already eaten with us, so don¡¯t try to make him eat for you. I¡¯ve already calcted everything. If you eat everything here, you¡¯ll just have a slightly rounded belly but you won¡¯t be bloated!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Zhu Junyang with a pathetic look on her face. However, Zhu Junyang was currently being eyed by his future mother-inw, so he could only make a helpless gesture at the littless. As he was sandwiched between his future mother-inw and future wife, he could only lower his head and pretend to be busy as he continued to peel the nuts.


    Yu Xiaocao became resigned to her fate and picked up a steamed meat bun and began to chew on it angrily. She paired the buns with some tasty side dishes and ended up finishing both meat buns. Following that, she poured the nuts Zhu Junyang had peeled into her bowl of congee and then added some raisins and pieces of dried hawthorn cake to it before she gulped the bowl down. Brrp¡ª¡ªafter letting out a burp, Xiaocao rubbed at her little belly and wondered if she should make a bowl of digestive soup to drink.


    Madam Liu noticed that her youngest daughter was now sprawled on the kang bed and red at her in amusement, ¡°The weather is nice today. You can rest for a bit and then take Royal Prince Yang for a stroll in the vige, which will help you digest your food. At noon, I¡¯ll make your favorite seafood feast. There will be braised prawns, salt and pepper small yellow croakers, steamed scallops in broth, stir-fried cmari...¡±


    In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have much opportunity to eat seafood. After transmigrating over, she obtained a deep fondness for eating seafood and her mother also cooked seafood very well. When she heard that there would be a seafood feast, her eyes began to shine with excitement and the saliva pooled in her mouth. In order to make some room in her stomach to eat seafoodter, Xiaocao pulled Zhu Junyang along and walked several round trips from the mountain vi to her family¡¯s residence. She originally wanted to stroll around the vige too, but after encountering too many curious and inquisitive looks from the vigers, she changed the n.


    Since Royal Prince Yang was visiting his feudalnds, it was natural for the officials of the Tanggu area toe see him. He also checked the taxation records while he was here. After the Yu Family¡¯s greenhouse growing business began, it also stimted the growth of othermerce in Tanggu Town. Consequently, the amount of taxes received also increased by almost two timespared to the previous year.


    Yu Xiaocao had already told him her idea of transforming thends around Tanggu into a seed-breeding business and obtained Zhu Junyang¡¯splete favor. As for her proposal in opening up fallownd, he also decided to adopt it. Zhu Junyang directly expropriated farnd from the schrs andndlords who owned them in the nearby area by telling them they would get decreased taxes. This won the approval of everyone involved. Some merchant families thought that this could be quite a profitable endeavor for them and even took out all of their farmsteads to see if the prince wanted them. Naturally, the ones that were too far from the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead were summarily rejected.


    After the summer harvest and when it was time to nt corn, the Yu Family farmstead had expanded considerably. They now had twenty thousand mu of top-notch farmingnd alone, and the average and more poor qualitynd was also around the same number. With a forty thousand mu farmstead, they naturally could increase the amount of crops they harvested every year.


    There were some officials at court who regarded this with pure envy and did their best toin voraciously to the emperor about Yu Xiaocao. They imed that she wasn¡¯t doing her duties to the court properly and was abusing her power to enrichen her family members. Consequently, those who were close to Xiaocao defended her just as adamantly. They stated that everything she was doing to help the imperial court in advancing the production of high-yield crops as quickly as she could. Thus, the debates at court stormed for a period of time and the court officials argued furiously over Xiaocao¡¯s conduct and actions.


    However, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t take any of the political squabbles to heart. Prior to expanding her base of agricultural operations at Tanggu Town, she had reported to the emperor and gotten his full permission to go ahead. The earlier they could push out more high-yield corn and winter wheat to the people, the earlier that the emperor¡¯s people would be able to throw off the shackles of poverty and starvation and walk in the direction of health and happiness.


    As long as her ¡®big boss¡¯ was on her side, it didn¡¯t matter to her what other people imed. She wasn¡¯t in this for the sake of obtaining a false reputation. In fact, weren¡¯t those people using her of misconduct only doing so because they were jealous of her ability to make money? She nned on making even more money so that their jealousy could eat them alive!


    Yu Hai currently had a bunch of experienced tenant farmers working under him. Although the operations in Tanggu Town were quite massive now, Xiaocao didn¡¯t actually need to personally handle much there. Her responsibility was to make sure that all of the seeds they were going to use were appropriately infused with spiritual energy in advance.


    This was quite an easy process but it was very necessary. Yu Xiaocao had the little divine stone take its golden kitten form and had it run a few times in the granaries that held their seeds. She instructed it to y around, spit some saliva, or pee a bit¡ª¡ªthe little divine stone vehemently opposed thest suggestion she had. It imed that it was a cultured and refined divine stone, so how could it do something so uncouth and crude?


    In short, the breeding base for high-yield seeds were now in the capable hands of Yu Hai as the head of the management. With Yu Hang helping and some other stewards working on things, the work on the expanded farmstead was going in good order. In addition, they had Royal Prince Yang as their backer, so they naturally had no issues getting the green light to continue and everything seemed to be going smoothly...


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 548 – Seaside Outing

    <h4>Chapter 548 ¨C Seaside Outing</h4>


    The days flew by and in a sh, it was time to harvest again. The Yu Family¡¯s farmstead in Tanggu once again had arge bumper harvest of winter wheat and the output had increased again. On average, they had gotten around seven hundred and fifty catties of wheat per mu.


    Although the yields of themoners who had bought wheat seeds from the Imperial ntation and Tanggu weren¡¯t as high as the Yu Family¡¯s or Imperial ntation¡¯s, they still received on average six hundred catties per mu. Compared to normal wheat yields, this was about an additional fifty percent to double of what was normal. Themoners who lived in the suburbs near the capital, as well as those near Tanggu, all had joyous expressions on their faces.


    The vigers near Tanggu were especially happy as they had started nting high yielding corn and wheat earlier than the ones by the capital. Their lives had been much more pleasant these past two yearspared to before. They had surplus grain on hand and could even sell it out at a high price. Some people, for the sake of increasing their profits, sold all of the grain they produced and used that money to buy ordinary grain instead to eat.


    Since the Yu Family¡¯s farmstead originally only had around two thousand mu innd, they were limited in how much improved grain they could nt and harvest. Some of the merchants in the area came up with the idea to buy grain from the nearby viges. However, they soon discovered that the seeds from those people gave yields that were much lower than the ones they got from the Yu Family. Thus, they soon gave up on that idea and did their best to get connections with the Yu Family so that they would be able to buy high-yielding grain as soon as possible.


    Seeds for winter wheat were reserved for the grain merchants who sold to the people in the northeast. After carefully inspecting and getting information on all of the eager merchants, Yu Hai decided to cooperate with a grain merchant surnamed Zhen. This man had a pretty good reputation in the northeast districts and didn¡¯t cheat the people there, so the people liked him. After signing an agreement where the merchant agreed not to inte prices on the grain, they filled two of his cargo ships with winter wheat seeds and they set off from the harbor to go to the northeast.


    After a light refreshing rain, it was time to start the autumn nting on the expanded Yu Family¡¯s farmstead in Tanggu. Once this season of corn was harvested, then they would be able to supply more than half of themoners in the northeast with seeds to nt.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was currently in the capital, wondered if she should find some time to go back to Tanggu to take a look. It didn¡¯t seem very honest of her to throw all of the responsibility onto her father and older brother while she stayed away, acting as an idle manager.


    When He Wanning, who represented everyone who was interested in whether there would be a second ¡®picking peaches pic¡¯, heard her tentative n, she immediately became interested, ¡°Xiaocao, if I¡¯m remembering correctly, you once said that your hometown is by the mountains and the sea. One can hunt in the autumn and winter and gather seafood in the summer and spring. How about you organize a ¡®seaside feast¡¯ and invite us over to see your hometown? What do you think of this idea?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her helplessly and replied in a tone that didn¡¯t have much hope, ¡°Older Sister He, you forgot that when I first came to the capital, many people mocked me for being a ¡®crude viger¡¯ or ¡®muddy peasant¡¯. Not everyone is like you and is interested in how life goes in a small fishing vige!¡±


    He Wanning had a confident expression on her face as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you find out what everyone else thinks. Those who want toe are wee toe, whereas those who aren¡¯t don¡¯t need to! If no one else is interested, then the two of us can go. It¡¯ll definitely be more rxing that way!¡±


    After He Wanning left Xiaocao¡¯s residence, she directly went to visit her good friend, Yuan Xueyan. She enthusiastically described Yu Xiaocao¡¯s farmstead as if she had personally been there and then pped the table and stared at Yuan Xueyan, who showed zero reaction the entire time, with wide open eyes and asked, ¡°Are you going to go or not?¡±


    ¡°When will you be able to change that rascally temperament of yours? Younger Sister Xiaocao has made it such that you look gentle and tender on the outside and no longer resemble a tomboyish urchin. But as soon as you open your mouth, that image is ruined!¡± Yuan Xueyan put down her book of lyrical poems and faintly nced at He Wanning.


    ¡°Xueyan, are you still my best friend or not? This is an idea that I came up with. If you don¡¯t agree with it, then what sort of face will I have in front of Younger Sister Xiaocao now?¡± He Wanning pulled at Yuan Xueyan¡¯s hands and swayed back and forth until she started to feel dizzy.


    Yuan Xueyan let out an audible sigh and took her hands out. She calmly said, ¡°Alright ah! Since you¡¯re trying so hard right now, then I¡¯ll agree to your proposal. As a matter of fact, I also wanted to see my grandfather and younger brother, so it¡¯ll be the perfect timing to stop by too...¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯re all set then! I¡¯m going to go visit Minn and see if she¡¯s interested or not. In actuality, I feel like just the three of us going without any extraneous people following is more rxing and enjoyable.¡± He Wanning recalled that with Royal Princess Minn¡¯s fiery temperament, if she didn¡¯t invite her on a fun outing, then the other girl would likely get revengeter.


    Royal Princess Minn had a simr personality to He Wanning and also wasn¡¯t one to be patient. When she heard He Wanning¡¯s proposal, her eyes lit up and she excitedly said, ¡°I heard that Younger Sister Xiaocao is very skilled at swimming and she knows how to dive deep to gather seafood. She also has a dolphin friend that helped her discover the Wokou pirates early! Do you think we¡¯d be lucky enough to see her dolphin friend?¡±


    He Wanning also became excited at the thought. She strolled back and forth a few times as sheined, ¡°Thatss Xiaocao is truly some friend. Her hometown has so many fun things to do but she never thinks of us, her good friends! If I didn¡¯t have a moment of impulse and blurt out a sentence, thatss would have secretly ran back to Dongshan Vige by herself! That¡¯s not okay, I need to make her pay this time! She needs to provide us with an authentic seafood feast!¡±


    After she got in touch with her two best friends, He Wanning ran back to the Yu Residence and made sure to confirm the date that they were leaving on. Then, she went home and exhratingly began to pack for her trip!


    Having one sheepe along was no different than having two sheep. Since she already had three extraneous people tagging along with her to Tanggu, there was no real difference if she added a few more. Thus, she sent out invitations to Yu Wanqing and Li Mengru and her sister. After thinking a bit, she also went to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate to visit to find out if that fellow Zhu Junyang had time to spare. This was to avoid her petty man from bing jealous and sulky that she invited other people but not him.


    When she entered the prince¡¯s estate, she found out that Zhu Junyang had been summoned by the emperor to enter the pce and it sounded like the emperor had some sort of task in mind for him. See, it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to bring him along; it was that he was unfortunate enough to have other duties stopping him froming. She spent some time chatting idly with Princess Consort Jing and ended up being invited over for lunch. At the table, she encountered Wu Junling, who hade to pay her respects to Princess Consort Jing.


    Perhaps it was rted to the fact that Wu Junling now burned incense and spent her days in Buddhist prayer, but her personality seemed to have changed tremendouslypared to before. In the past, she was charmingly beautiful but was like a delicate pretty flower vase without a soul. She had no inner substance and every movement she made was tainted slightly with a tacky secr element.


    Now, it was obvious that her soul and mind had calmed down. She no longer seemed to be frivolous and hadpletely removed all hints of fickleness and impatience from her demeanor. She was graceful and peaceful. With that added onto her natural good looks, it even made Xiaocao, who once didn¡¯t see eye to eye with her, unable to feel disgusted by her.


    Wu Junling was only a bit startled after she saw Xiaocao sitting closely to Princess Consort Jing in an intimate manner. Apparently, she didn¡¯t expect to see Xiaocao there. After that, she smiled faintly at her while she absentmindedly stroked the Buddhist prayer beads on her left wrist. This bracelet was only obtained after her mother kowtowed at Huguo Temple for ny-one consecutive days and moved Grandmaster Yuanhui by her sincerity. Only then was he willing to create this prayer bracelet for Wu Junling. Ever since she started wearing it, the nightmares and ghosts that gued her previously never appeared again.


    When Grandmaster Yuanhui gave these prayer beads to her, he gave her a piece of advice, ¡°Chasing stubbornly after your desires may not lead to your desired oue. You need to open your heart and see that the world is much more vast than you previously thought. One cannot force fate or destiny!¡±


    After being frightened by her older cousin, Wu Junling didn¡¯t have any desire to get closer to that alluring and devilishly handsome face again. Ever since she got back from Huguo Temple, she stayed in her own courtyard and set up a small Buddhist shrine there. Every day she would burn incense and chant scriptures as she sincerely prayed there. It felt like her entire body had lightened up and rxed more.


    Yu Xiaocao was a bit bbergasted by theplete change in Wu Junling. The little white lotus, who once tried to grasp Zhu Junyang, had unexpectedly mended her ways. It was truly inconceivable. Xiaocao returned the other girl¡¯s smile with a tranquil smile of her own and continued to chat with Princess Consort Jing on the previous topic of conversation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether that mountain ravine has any other precious and beautiful camellias. Xiaocao, when you go, help me keep an eye out...however, I doubt your ability to appreciate flowers, so don¡¯t just bring any old nt back to fool me!¡± From the tone of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s voice to the expression on her face, Wu Junling realized that aunt regarded Yu Xiaocao quite highly. In fact, the degree of how much her aunt liked the other girl frightened her. It made her realize that her aunt had always been courteous to her, but never that intimate.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled bashfully at the princess consort¡¯sments. She knew she wasn¡¯t an elegant person and she was never truly interested in the different types of flora. Other than the difference in colors or species, she never paid much attention to them. As for identifying what sort of subspecies or shapes, she was out of her knowledge sphere¡ª¡ªshe had no clue where to start.


    She nced at Meixiang, who was standing behind Princess Consort Jing muffling herughter, and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t there an easy solution to this? Older Sister Meixiang¡¯s knowledge of camellias were taught by Your Highness. If you simply let me borrow her for a few days, wouldn¡¯t that solve the problem?¡±


    ¡°Youss, I knew you were trying toe up with some idea to steal my maidservant away from me! Alright ah, in order to make thatdy surnamed Feng truly ept her defeat at the next flower admiring banquet, then I will lend my precious maidservant to you temporarily.¡± For the past few years, Princess Consort Jing had roundly defeated Lady Feng using her improved collection of camellias, so she was in quite a good mood about it!


    Yu Xiaocao teased, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness, I¡¯ll return her to you with nary a hair out of ce!¡±


    Meixiang pretended to be astonished and stated, ¡°Then this servant won¡¯t even dare to brush my hair every morning. If I¡¯m not careful and lose a hair, then Miss Yu will find it very hard to report back to Her Highness ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao also revealed an rmed expression and then frowned to remark in a concerned manner, ¡°Then what should be done? Your Highness, how about...I send my most capable personal maidservant¡ª¡ªWutong, topensate you?¡±


    Wutong, who had just been mentioned, also began to y in this act and put on a distressed expression on her face, ¡°Young Miss, please don¡¯t send this servant away to another person. In the future, this servant will eat half a bowl less rice. I swear I¡¯m easy to provide for!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t take it anymore and covered her mouth with a handkerchief asughter spilled out of her, ¡°No need topensate me, no need! I can still afford to send out a maid!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, in the future, this servant will also eat a half bowl less rice at each meal. Please don¡¯t send me to serve Miss Yu.¡± Meixiang also copied Wutong¡¯s expression and phrases, which made Princess Consort Jingugh harder in amusement.


    Wu Junling couldn¡¯t help but feel envious when she saw them interact with their servants in such a rxed and teasing manner. However, it was only envy and nothing else. She had engraved the words that the grandmaster in charge of the temple had told her: ¡®It is useless to force anything. Everything has its own karma and fate.¡¯

 Chapter 549 – She Has an Idea

    <h4>Chapter 549 ¨C She Has an Idea</h4>


    By the time lunch was ready at Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, Zhu Junyang still hadn¡¯te back. Princess Consort Jing and Xiaocao both thought that Zhu Junyang would be taking lunch with the emperor in the pce. Since Wu Junling was here as a guest, the prince¡¯s estate split the lunch table into two tables with a screen in-between. The table on the outside only sat Imperial Prince Jing and his heir.


    By the time they were about half finished with lunch, Zhu Junyang hurriedly came in. As soon as he entered the residence, a servant told him that Miss Yu hade to visit. When he entered the reception pavilion, he discovered that only his father and elder brother were at the table, eating silently. He hesitated for a moment and then heard the clear and sweet voice of the littless behind the screen. He was just about to go behind it when his father stopped him, ¡°There are female guests inside. If you haven¡¯t eaten yet, then sit out here and eat ah.¡±


    Zhu Junyang rather unwillingly sat down and picked up the chopsticks that one of the servants handed to him. He nted his ears towards the screen to attentively listen to the voices beyond the screen. He knew that his littless never visited without a reason. He wasn¡¯t sure whether she was here for hisdy mother or for himself this time.


    ¡°Lord Father, when Xiaocao came over today, did she say what she was here for?¡± Zhu Junyang eavesdropped for a bit and didn¡¯t get the answer he was looking for, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask Imperial Prince Jing, who had gotten home before him.


    Normally the whole family sat together to have a scrumptious and lively meal together. His beloved wife would even from time to time personally serve him some foods that he liked to eat. Now, he had to sit on the outside and stare at these two brats. Even his appetite was affected by this. Thus, Imperial Prince Jing was in a bad mood so he replied with a bit of heat, ¡°I, your father, also just got back. How would I know what they¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Then...when Xiaocao gave her greeting to you, did she look happy or a bit worried?¡± Zhu Junyang was afraid that hisss had encountered some difficulties. It was hard for him to concentrate on eating.


    Imperial Prince Jing red at his youngest son and replied in a displeased manner, ¡°Are there any people who would show a long face when giving their greetings to other people? Thatss Xiaocao is very sensible. Even if she was worried about something, she wouldn¡¯t show it on her face to make other people worried too. By asking this, aren¡¯t you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing said in a voice full of mirth from behind the screen, ¡°Lass Xiaocao, quickly say what you¡¯re here to find Yang¡¯er for. Otherwise, he¡¯s going to have a stomachache from eating and fretting at the same time!¡± When Zhu Junyang found out that the littless was here to find him, he craned his neck as if he was afraid he¡¯d miss a single word. He could only hear the littless giggle a bit and then her sweet voice said, ¡°In actuality, it¡¯s nothing important. In two days, I was going to organize an outing and I wasn¡¯t sure if this busy person had time to participate.¡±


    The littless had finally taken his grumblings to heart. It wasn¡¯t like thest time when she invited others over for an outing to pick fruit and didn¡¯t think of him. However, he was only happy for a brief second before a frown took over his face. The littless had finally sent him an invitation but he now had a task that the emperor assigned him and had to leave the capital for some time. The emperor was truly too much. He couldn¡¯t give him this task earlier orter and instead had to give it on the day the littless gave him an invitation for an outing. He didn¡¯t know how disappointed hisss would be when she found out that he wouldn¡¯t be able to apany her (Author¡¯s note: Zhu Junyang, you¡¯re overthinking this!).


    ¡°Next month is Princess Consort Duan¡¯s fiftieth birthday celebration. Since she loves precious pearls, the emperor wanted to give her a cor that hasrge precious pearls embedded in it. However, superior grade pearls are only things that you cane across and not easily buy, so it¡¯d be hard to find one, let alone the nine needed to make this cor. We could only find one superior grade pearl in the internal storeroom...so, this morning at court, I received the emperor¡¯smand to go search for superior grade pearls.¡± Zhu Junyang was afraid that his littless would be unhappy about his refusal, so he exined in great detail what was going on and hoped that she could sympathize with his plight.


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this, she immediately became interested. Ifrge superior grade pearls were that easy toe across, the emperor would not have sent someone as talented as Zhu Junyang to do this task. All of the experienced pearl hunters by the ocean already had their regr customers, so even if you visited them, they would likely have none in stock. As for the merchants who bought and sold pearls, if they had a superior grade pearl on hand, wouldn¡¯t they hide it in their treasure boxes or search for a customer who they can sell it to at a sky high price? Why would they wait for you to find them and then sell it? As for those who were able to afford superior grade pearls, they either were incredibly wealthy or powerful, so why would they be willing to step aside for you? Even if the person who came along was the envoy of the emperor, it was not like they could forcefully take it from the owner.


    Therefore...Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes flickered around as she asked, ¡°Princess Consort Duan¡¯s grand birthday celebration is next month and you¡¯re still missing eight top-notch pearls, so time is of the essence. Do you have any ideas right now?¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s mind was also nk at this point. As soon as he left the pce, he rushed back to the residence and didn¡¯t have the time to convene with his advisors toe up with a working n. However, he could hear the undertone of excitement within her voice, as if she had something to say. Thisss always had odd-ball ideas floating around in her head, so perhaps she could lead him down the right direction.


    ¡°Do you have any thoughts on this? This prince has no clue where to start! It¡¯d be difficult to find one superior grade pearl, let alone eight. The emperor is deliberately giving out this hard task to make it difficult on me!¡± Zhu Junyang deliberately pretended to be out of sorts and sighed ponderously.


    ¡°Third Son! As an official, since the emperor gave you instructions, just do what you need to do. What¡¯s the point inining so much? The emperor gave you such an important task because he believed in your ability, so you should be doing your best to relieve his worries!¡± Imperial Prince Jing took into consideration that there was an outsider here and red at his youngest son as he pompously spewed out a few words.


    Zhu Junyang winked at his father and then let out another long sigh as he somewhat helplessly said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t I just worried that I don¡¯t have any good ideas ah? You don¡¯t even let me grumble a little ah!¡±


    ¡°I do have a somewhat immature idea right now, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be of much help!¡± After all, this was a task that the emperor had given Royal Prince Yang, who had a reputation of being omnipotent. If even he couldn¡¯te up with something, then making it sound like she had everything all set was a bit too much.


    ¡°Eh? What sort of idea? Quickly tell me...¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t sit still in his chair anymore and wished desperately he could pull that screen away and snatch thess over to get her thoughts on this.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem!!¡± Imperial Prince Jing lightly cleared his throat and gave a slight warning, ¡°The mealtime is not the time to talk, nor is it proper to talk during bedtime. When we¡¯re eating, it¡¯s best not to discuss official matters. After we finish, we can talk about these things in the study!¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing had his own concerns right now. Although the Wu Family¡¯sss seemed to have changed for the better, that mother of hers, as well as her previous conduct, made the prince feel wary around her. One needed to be careful in regards to the task set by the emperor. Otherwise, it was possible that some malicious people would try to interfere and cause them to fail. Recently, his youngest son had been rising prominently in court and he had made quite a few political enemies who were looking for an excuse to trip him over.


    The rest of the meal closely adhered to the etiquette of ¡®the mealtime is not the time to talk, nor is it proper to talk during bedtime¡¯. However, it was obvious that everyone¡¯s speed of eating had increased sharply. Wu Junling perceptively knew that she would not be permitted to participate in the following conversation, so she didn¡¯t even stay to partake in the after meal tea before she said her farewells.


    Princess Consort Jing watched as the young maiden left and remarked with a sigh, ¡°Thatss Ling¡¯er has truly changed a lotpared to before from what I can tell. If she didn¡¯t have that mother of hers, she would truly be a good girl.¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at Wu Junling with the eyes of a stranger. In his eyes, she was someone who waspletely irrelevant to him. Thus, did it matter that she changed or not? As long as she didn¡¯t cling onto him stubbornly, he wouldn¡¯t stop her froming over to visit hisdy mother and chatting a bit.


    Zhu Junyang led Xiaocao to the outer study. His advisors, who had gotten the summons, were already congregating there. They had already heard of the task that the emperor had given their master and were currently enthusiastically discussing it. However, the group of them didn¡¯t seem toe to a good idea by the time their master was done with lunch.


    After the advisors greeted the prince, they discovered that behind him was a littless. There were all sorts of rumors in the capital about their master and they had heard a lot of them. Some said that their master was a pedophile, others said that their master had bad taste to fall in love with rural countrysidess. Some said that the master had struck first to tyrannically im Miss Yu as his own...however, rumors, after all, were just rumors. It couldn¡¯tpare to seeing things first hand.


    Was this short, delicate-looking, with a bit of childish demeanor girl in front of them the center of all of these rumors? She looked like she was only around ten years old. Did the master truly like them that young?


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, didn¡¯t you say earlier you had an idea in regards to the pearls? Quickly say it now for us to hear!¡± Not only Zhu Junyang turned to look at her expectantly but everyone else in the room, as well as Imperial Prince Jing, who had entered this meeting without an invitation, also turned around to gaze at her. The looks in other people¡¯s eyes betrayed their hesitation and spection.


    A few of the advisors who were older men with white beards, such as Sir Shen, had obvious expressions of disdain of their faces. They had already debated this topic for almost half a day but no one here dared to say they had a good idea. How could a silly little girle up with anything good?


    One of the younger advisors of the bunch, Lu Wenxuan, held more curiosity in his eyes. If one had to choose the person who had caused the most waves in the capital recently, other than his own master, then it had to be this young maiden in front of him. She looked very sweet and delicate. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary for her was that her skin seemed more exquisite and her eyes slightlyrger than other girls. Otherwise, there wasn¡¯t much difference between her and the other nobly-born maidens in the capital.


    However, there was the saying that ¡®you shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover¡¯. This young maiden had used her own abilities to obtain spectacr glory and honor for her family. Furthermore, she also made herself and her family incredibly wealthy in the process. Greenhouse grown vegetables, ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ beauty and health salon, The Yu Family¡¯s Pharmaceutical Workshop...he heard that even the master¡¯s ¡®Celestial World¡¯ entertainment facility was also the product of this youngdy¡¯s ideas.


    He recalled the daily ie of the entertainment facility and thought that it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the ce was a gold-manufacturing machine. The area that was most profitable had to be the racehorse tracks that allowed betting. Every single race was filled to the brim with excited gamblers and was the most fashionable ce for entertainment in the capital currently. Just what type of ideas did this young maiden have hidden in her little mind? He was quite curious about her.


    In front of all of those inquiring, doubtful, and spective gazes, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t seem the least bit perturbed or intimidated at all. She exined her thoughts in a very natural confident manner, ¡°My idea is notpletely fleshed out so please remember that when listening. Right now, the temperatures outside are perfect for pearl diving. So, why don¡¯t we set up arge pearl gatheringpetition? We can advertise thispetition throughout the coasts where fishing viges are and use a big reward and the chance for glory to attract all of the experienced pearl divers topete. Thepetition can go on until the middle of next month. As long as we¡¯re able to gather the superior quality pearls we need before Princess Consort Duan¡¯s birthday celebration at the end of next month, then wouldn¡¯t you be able to finish your task without any hups, Ruizhi?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s proposal had been thought up on the spot so it wasn¡¯tpletely perfect. However, in the advisors¡¯ minds, it was the best idea that hade up so far and a treasure to behold. The doubts they had in their hearts hadpletely disappeared and they could finally see the light.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 550 – Bickering Couple

    <h4>Chapter 550 ¨C Bickering Couple</h4>


    There was just a little over a month. Searching for a top-quality pearl in the Great Ming Empire was like looking for a needle in the haystack. However, if Miss Yu¡¯s ¡®pearl huntingpetition¡¯ was promoted well and was able to attract all the pearl collectors from all over the Great Ming Empire, wouldn¡¯t the chance of obtaining high-quality pearls be much higher?


    The aides felt that it was quite feasible and immediately entered discussion mode. The general direction had already been established, but they still needed to discuss the method of implementation in detail. There was only less than two months, so the most important task was to maximize the impact of the pearl collection gathering.


    Seeing that she was no longer needed, Yu Xiaocao excused herself. When Zhu Junyang sent her out, he asked with concern, ¡°Where are you guys nning to go on this trip? Who¡¯s going? Is it safe?¡±


    Upon knowing that she was going to Dongshan Vige with a group of pampered girls, he couldn¡¯t help but frown, ¡°Only a few inexperienced and undaunted girls? It¡¯s hard for this prince not to worry... Why don¡¯t I have Head Steward Liu follow along? My assignment isn¡¯t dangerous this time anyways. Give me an invitation card and I¡¯ll ask if that fellow Lu Hao can take several days off. Let him protect you girls on the road.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew that he was worried about her and felt very happy about it, but she rolled her eyes at him, saying, ¡°We¡¯re travelling on the official road and we also have a bunch of servants and guards with us. What dangers can there be? Young Master Lu is working in the Yulin Division, so how can he leave so easily? You ah, you¡¯re just worrying over nothing.¡±


    Zhu Junyang pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about Lu Hao¡¯s matterter! When are you guys leaving? Why don¡¯t I have Head Steward Liu report to the Yu Residence today?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving in three days, and we¡¯ll have to trouble Head Steward Liu at that time! Quickly go back. The aides are still waiting for you!¡± Yu Xiaocao got on the carriage and went to ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ first. She took a fragrant flower petal bath before returning home.


    Originally, they had nned on taking a vacation by the sea with a few girls. However, the news was leaked through an unknown source. The Ning Brothers of Duke Rongguo¡¯s Household, Royal Princess Minn¡¯s thirteen year old younger brother, Li Mengru¡¯s two younger brothers, and Yu Wanning¡¯s older brother, who hade along because he was worried about her, all found out about this trip... When they set off, there were five to six more youths in the group. With the addition of the servants, their group was quite big.


    When they got out of the capital, they noticed that Lu Hao was waiting there with a team of imperial guards. Seeing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s slightly surprised face, Lu Hao beamed with pride, ¡°That fellow Zhu Junyang was worried about your safety on the trip, so he sent me and my brothers to escort you guys. What do you think? Looks quite impressive, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the imperial guards behind him, chuckled, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to shoulder this favor! You guys have an assignment on hand and are just escorting us on the way. What? Did Zhu Junyang send you guys to take the lead in Tanggu Town?¡±


    ¡°A young maiden shouldn¡¯t be too clever because it will discourage men from approaching¡ªbut you don¡¯t have to worry. That fellow Zhu Junyang nearly wants to carry you on top of his head.¡± Lu Hao gestured to her to go ahead with a toothy grin as he said, ¡°Please, may this little one have the honor of escorting youdies.¡±


    He Wanning red at him and snapped the whip in her hands as she stated in a valiant manner, ¡°Do we need you to escort us? Let alone that it¡¯s a time of peace and order, even if there are robbers and bandits, I¡¯ll sure that they won¡¯t be able go back alive!¡±


    Lu Hao raised his eyebrow and smiled roguishly, ¡°Oh! Charcoal He, you shouldn¡¯t boast and make unrealistic vows. With your measly martial arts skill, if you really got attacked, then you will be captured within two rounds!¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling a ¡®charcoal¡¯? Are you blind? Let everyone be the judge. Which one of us looks more like a charcoal?¡± Since she used the whitening and moisturizing skincare products that Xiaocao gave her, He Wanning was now unprecedentedly confident in herself.


    Lu Hao was seriously so annoying. He had naturally fair skin, so when they were children, he gave her various nicknames, like ¡®Little Charcoal¡¯, ¡®Dark Beauty¡¯, and ¡®ck Ball¡¯. Every time, He Wanning was provoked until she got into a rage. She would yell and chase after him with a small whip. She wanted to teach him a lesson by whipping him a few times. However, despite his chubby figure, that fellow was very nimble. Thus, she was never able to seed.


    She acknowledged that she used to have a darkplexion, but she now had ruddy, fair skin. She looked very young and beautiful, yet he still called her ¡®Little Charcoal. What kind of eyes did he have? Lu Hao, on the other hand, often practiced martial arts and was also dispatched to work under the sun after he joined the Yulin Division. Hence, his skin had gotten much tanner. However, he was still considered fairly palepared with the imperial guards behind him, who had healthy-looking bronze skin.


    Lu Hao carefully examined her for a moment and admitted, ¡°I must say Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯s products have the power to make the ugly beautiful. They were actually able to turn a little ck ball into a beautiful woman with fairplexion. Tsk tsk...it¡¯s so incredible ah!¡±


    ¡°Humph! You have a good eye, admitting that this maiden is a beautiful woman! This maiden is originally a natural beauty. It¡¯s just that you should have gone to see a doctor for your eyes in the past!¡± Whenever He Wanning saw him, they would definitely quarrel. So this trip was going to be very lively.


    ¡°Natural beauty?¡± Lu Hao looked as if he couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter as he said, ¡°I reckon that you¡¯re a natural charcoal.¡±


    ¡°Lu Hao! I dare you to say that again!!¡± He Wanning raised the whip in her hands in a murderous manner. A beautifuldy had turned into an angry beast.


    Lu Hao wasn¡¯t afraid of her. He made a funny face at her and said, ¡°Little Charcoal, Little Charcoal! Don¡¯t think that you can get rid of your childhood nickname just because you have gotten whiter. Don¡¯t forget that I still have your portrait!!¡±


    He Wanning was even more angry when he mentioned the portrait. That guy Lu Hao deliberately sshed ink on the paper and insisted that it was a portrait of her. This caused her to beughed at by her stupid friends for a long time. She couldn¡¯t tolerate this any longer!! He Wanning forcefully squeezed the horse¡¯s belly and charged fiercely towards Lu Hao. Without holding back, she snapped the whip in her hands at his fair, plump, and annoying-looking face.


    Lu Hao, who had been trained by Zhu Junyang for so many years, had continued to fight despite setbacks, so how could he let a young girl hit him so easily? He controlled his mount and deliberately kept a distance of a horse between them. He wanted to let her think that she could hit him, but, in actuality, she wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him. From time to time, he would also intentionally provoke her with words.


    Looking at how the two interacted, the two words ¡®bickering couple¡¯ appeared within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mind. So Older Sister He liked this type of guy ah...


    Seeing that they had ran far away during the chase, Yu Xiaocao said to the guests, who were either invited by her or came uninvited, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so let¡¯s quickly set off. Big brothers, please take care of us along the way. When we reach Tanggu Town, I¡¯ll treat everyone to drink alcohol and eat seafood!¡±


    A young man, who looked like a leader among the imperial guards, smiled brightly as he replied, ¡°Miss Yu is being courteous! It¡¯s not important whether we get to eat seafood, but on behalf of everyone, let me say this¡ªit¡¯s good as long as there¡¯s enough alcohol!!¡±


    In addition to fruit wine, the distillery in the outskirts of the capital had added a high-quality liquor called ¡®Five Grains Liquid¡¯, which had a mellow taste and wasn¡¯t too strong. Even if one was dead drunk, one would still feel refreshed and energetic the next day. There wouldn¡¯t be any symptoms of a splitting headache, and it wouldn¡¯t cause one to dy their tasks on the next day. Therefore, it was very popr among soldiers.


    However, due to the scale of the distillery, not a lot of Five Grains Liquid were produced every month. Moreover, it was very expensive and wasn¡¯t affordable for ordinary soldiers like them. Now that the owner of the distillery was in front of them, it would be foolish of them to not try to get some advantages!


    As soon as Yu Xiaocao heard this, she knew what these guys wanted. She wasn¡¯t a petty person, so with a wave of her hand, she said, ¡°Rest assured! When we get back from Tanggu, I¡¯ll give each of you a jar of Five Grains Liquid. A ten catties jar!!¡±


    The imperial bodyguards were immediately in a state of uproar, and they couldn¡¯t believe the sudden arrival of happiness. One should know that, on the market, a small one catty jar cost forty-eight taels per each. Furthermore, it was sold out as soon as it was put on the market and had been out of stock for a long time. Wouldn¡¯t a ten catties jar of Five Grains Liquid cost nearly five hundred taels? That was several years of sry for these soldiers who came from ordinary families, okay? Miss Yu was indeed the same as the rumors¡ªgenerous!!


    ¡°Five Grains Liquid? Ten catties? Do I get one too?¡± Lu Hao just happened to hear his brothers discussing this topic enthusiastically when he returned from running ap on his horse with He Wanning chasing after him. He leaned over to shamelessly ask as he avoided her whip.


    It was hard to say whether it was due to being angered or she was tired from whipping, but He Wanning¡¯s face waspletely red. She still had a murderous look on her face as she shouted at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, if you give him the Five Grains Liquid, then you¡¯re no longer my younger sister!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suppressed herughter and looked at Lu Hao with a helpless expression. Lu Hao yelled at He Wanning, ¡°These are separate matters. Tomboy, you dared to threaten Younger Sister Xiaocao. Be careful that I¡¯ll report it to the cold-faced death god!¡±


    Tsk, in such a short period of time, ¡®Little ck¡¯ had turned into ¡®Tomboy¡¯! He Wanning roared at him with an arrogant and indifferent tone, ¡°Go report it ah! So what if he¡¯s a cold-faced death god? Isn¡¯t he as docile as Little ck in front of Younger Sister Xiacoao? He appears like Little White in front of people but acts like Little ck in private. He¡¯s a prime example of a double-faced man!!¡±


    Lu Hao looked at her with a ¡®you win¡¯ expression, but he still needed to strive for a chance to get the Five Grains Liquid, ¡°Little Lady, I¡¯ll apologize to you, okay? Please be magnanimous and don¡¯t lower yourself to my level. We¡¯ve known each other for over a decade, so you should know how I am. I just have a rotten mouth. You shouldn¡¯t take my words to heart!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you very happy calling me ¡®Tomboy¡¯ earlier? Now that you need a favor from me, you changed it to ¡®Little Lady¡¯? Humph! Let me tell you, this littledy is in a bad mood. Let¡¯s talk about the liquor when you make me happy again!¡± He Wanning thought that she had gotten a hold of Lu Hao¡¯s weakness and had the samecent expression on her face that Lu Hao had earlier.


    Lu Hao couldn¡¯t stand her smug expression. He sneered and said, ¡°Forget it then! I¡¯ll just ask Zhu Junyang for itter. I doubt you can interfere with Younger Sister Xiaocao sending alcohol to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate.¡±


    He Wanning had a stunned expression on her face and she was even more angry. She ran after the irritating fellow with the small whip in her hands. Along the way, these situations kept repeating. The group was amused by their banter, and thus didn¡¯t feel that the journey was tiring.

 Chapter 551 – Too Happy to Think of Home

    <h4>Chapter 551 ¨C Too Happy to Think of Home</h4>


    As soon as they entered Tanggu Town, Lu Hao led his team of imperial guards and parted ways with Yu Xiaocao and the others. After all, he had work on hand, and official business was still his priority.


    At noon, Yu Xiaocao took the group of tired and hungry youths to the entrance of Zhenxiu Restaurant. Zhenxiu Restaurant had already opened several branches in the capital. This group of noble young masters and misses from the capital naturally knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to taste the delicacies in Zhenxiu Restaurant without booking several days in advance.


    Although they really wanted to sit down in Zhenxiu Restaurant and have a good meal, the group of noble young masters and misses knew clearly in their hearts that it was just their wishful thinking. When they smelled the strong aroma of the roasted duck wafting out from the restaurant, the group felt that their hunger was even more unbearable.


    Ning Donghuan covered his rumbling stomach that was protesting for food and looked pitifully at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°I say, Xiaocao, you clearly know that we¡¯re dying of hunger, but you¡¯re deliberately tempting us with food. Can we still happily y together? You aren¡¯t that na?ve to think that there¡¯s still vacant seats for us in Zhenxiu Restaurant at this time, right?¡±


    Shi Donglin, Royal Princess Minn¡¯s younger brother, watched as customers went in and out of the entrance of Zhenxiu Restaurant, and said dispiritedly, ¡°I took a look, and it seemed like the main hall was already full. There¡¯s no point in asking. Wasn¡¯t there a ¡®Fulin Restaurant¡¯ earlier? It also seems like a famous, long-established restaurant. Why don¡¯t we just eat there and fill our stomachs first?¡±


    Yuan Xueyan was the only one among them who knew about the rtionship between Zhenxiu Restaurant and Yu Xiaocao. This was something that she had heard from her grandfather, Great Schr Yuan. Xiaocao was considered half of a boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant, so she never had to make reservations when eating there!


    Yu Xiaocao smiled yfully at Shi Donglin, who was around the same age as her younger brother, and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Maybe we¡¯ll be very lucky and encounter a sudden cancetion? You guys wait here, while I go ask. It won¡¯t take much time!¡±


    Ning Donghuan still wanted to say something, but he was stopped by his refined second brother. He asked with confusion, ¡°Second Brother, why are you stopping me? Are we just going to let Xiaocao get rebuffed? That guy with a goatee just came out with a face full of disappointment. It¡¯s obvious that there are no tables left ah!¡±


    Ning Donn watched as Xiaocao entered Zhenxiu Restaurant, and then shook his head at his brainless third brother, saying, ¡°When have you ever seen Xiaocao fight a battle unprepared? Although she said that she was going to try her luck, she had an air of confidence. Don¡¯t worry about it. Just wait to go in and have a good meal.¡±


    Inside Zhenxiu Restaurant, Qian Xiaoduo, who was busily greeting the customers, saw Yu Xiaocaoing in from outside. He went forward with an even warmer smile and said, ¡°Miss Yu, you...did you just return from the capital? Quickly go upstairs. This little one will have someone bring you a basin of water so you can wash up!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked strangely at Qian Xiaoduo¡¯s beard and curiously asked, ¡°Manager Qian, why did you suddenly grow out a beard? It makes you look several years older.¡±


    Qian Xiaoduo touched his beard, which had just grown out a little, and chuckled, ¡°People often say that young people can¡¯t be trusted with important tasks. So I want to make myself look more dignified!¡±


    After he said that, he looked outside and continued, ¡°Are those people outside your friends from the capital? Is this a trip to the seaside? It¡¯s not a bad idea to let the noble young masters and misses in the capital see our newly built harbor in Tanggu, as well as the ships that areing and going! Erzhu¡¯zi, go and invite those guests outside to the third floor. Miss Yu, do you want to head up first?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao waved her hands at him and said, ¡°They¡¯re my friends so there¡¯s no need to be so polite. I¡¯ll call them over myself. I brought spring tea that I stir-fried¡ªhave someone brew a pot and bring it upstairs!¡±


    Wutong took out a jar of tea leaves from her bag. Qian Xiaoduo¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened up and he quickly took it over with both hands. As if he was holding a treasure, he went to the tea room to find the person who was most skilled in making tea. Who didn¡¯t know that the wild camellia tea that Miss Yu made had an even more fragrant and mellow taste than top-grade Yunwu tea?


    Since the current master of the Zhou Family tasted the tea, he always thought about it whenever he returned to the old residence in Tanggu Town. After serving Miss Yu¡¯s friends, there should still be a lot of tea leaves left in the jar. Miss Yu was a generous person, so she definitely wouldn¡¯t take back the remaining tea leaves. It seemed like he had gotten another chance to show his face in front of the old master again thanks to Miss Yu!


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t care about Manager Qian¡¯s thoughts and turned to walk out of Zhenxiu Restaurant. She beckoned her friends and showed a crafty smile as she said, ¡°It seems like we¡¯re really lucky today. There¡¯s a private room on the third floor that¡¯s vacant.¡±


    Ning Donghuan eximed in surprise with an incredible expression on his face, ¡°Really? There¡¯s an empty spot as soon as you go ask. I clearly saw several waves of peopleing out with a disappointed look. Oh...I know. Do you have a long-term reservation of a private room in Zhenxiu Restaurant so that you cane eat the delicacies at the restaurant at any time?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a contemptuous gaze and said, ¡°If I¡¯m going to make a reservation, I would have done it in the Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital. These two years, I can only return to Tanggu Town a limited number of times. If I made a reservation, wouldn¡¯t it be empty most of the time and only be used less than twice a year? Do I have that much money to waste?¡±


    Ning Donghuan pouted and grumbled, ¡°You do have a lot of money ah! The beauty salon, pharmaceutical workshops, and wine distillery are all money-making businesses. If calcted seriously, you can be considered one of the wealthiestdies in the capital! What¡¯s the big deal about reserving a private room in Zhenxiu Restaurant?¡±


    Ning Donn was embarrassed by his younger brother¡¯s stupidity. He red at him and said, ¡°There are so many branches of Zhenxiu Restaurant in the capital. Have you ever heard of them letting outsiders reserve a private room? If it was possible, with so many rich and influential families in the capital, wouldn¡¯t all the private rooms already be taken? Can¡¯t you use your brain before speaking?¡±


    With a puzzled expression, Ning Donghuan scratched the back of his head and asked in confusion, ¡°Then how did she get a private room? Could it be that she used her beauty...Ouch!!¡±


    Ning Donn retrieved his fan and didn¡¯t want to pay attention to him anymore. Ning Donghuan continued to murmur. Even when they had sat down in the private room on the third floor and was drinking the fragrant tea, he still pestered Xiaocao to ask her how she managed to get such a high-ss private room.


    Yuan Xueyan reminded him in an indifferent tone, ¡°Has anyone ever seen Zhenxiu Restaurant open the third floor to outsiders?¡±


    Indeed! Yuan Xueyan¡¯s words enlightened everyone present. The third floor of Zhenxiu Restaurant had always been very mysterious, and it was said that it was specially used to entertain close friends and rtives. Could it be...


    Ning Donghuan looked at Yu Xiaocao with bright eyes, as if he was a puppy begging for a bone, ¡°Xiaocao, are you the illegitimate daughter of the Zhou Family...Aiya, Second Brother, why did you hit me again?¡±


    Ning Donn shook his head in disappointment and said, ¡°I told you to use your brain before speaking, but it seems like that was a rather difficult request because you don¡¯t have one at all!!¡±


    Seeing that everyone had looked over curiously, Yu Xiaocao quickly smiled and exined, ¡°I found a tattered recipe book by chance, and made several dishes ording to the book. The third young master of the Zhou Family took a fancy to the dishes and bought several of the recipes at a high price. Third Young Master Zhou, who is generous and treats me like a friend, gave me the rights to use the private rooms on the third floor...¡±


    Hearing this, Yu Wanqing looked at Xiaocao with admiration and eximed, ¡°Older Sister Xiaocao, you¡¯re so amazing! You¡¯re good at everything!!¡±


    Ning Donn, on the other hand, had a thoughtful look on his face and said after a long time, ¡°This Zhenxiu Restaurant was originally just amon restaurant in Tanggu Town. I heard that it barely managed to survive thepetition of other famous, long-established restaurants. Later, the restaurant released oyster sauce dishes, roasted chicken, roasted duck... Only then did it gradually gain a firm foothold. Allegedly, these dishes were recipes given to them by a mysterious person. This mysterious person wouldn¡¯t just happen to be Xiaocao, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t expected that Ning Donn knew all these things, but the history of the establishment of Zhenxiu Restaurant wasn¡¯t a secret. Anyone who wanted to inquire about it could find out. She replied humbly, ¡°It just so happened that those dishes were in the book. At that time, my family was in a situation where we didn¡¯t have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, so we sold the recipes in order to improve our living conditions.¡±


    Ning Donghuan beat his chest andmented, ¡°Aiya! What a pity! Isn¡¯t that the same as selling a chicken thatys golden eggs? If you still had them now, we could cooperate to open a restaurant with these signature dishes. It will definitely be better than Zhenxiu Restaurant!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had endless recipes in her hands, so opening a restaurant wasn¡¯t a problem for her. However, in the past two years, she had been in the limelight enough in the capital. She didn¡¯t want to attract more attention so as to not attract the jealousy of others and bring disaster to herself.


    After the group casually washed up, they had a good meal at Zhenxiu Restaurant and a short rest before they rushed to Dongshan Vige. The vigers of Dongshan Vige were stunned by the sight of the group of over a dozen people, who were all dressed in brocade robes and apanied by fine horses and myriads of servants.


    Who said Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t seed because she had no roots in the capital? Look at how she was apanied by a royal princess and noble young masters and misses. They were truly the children of wealthy and influential families. Those who boasted about being noble young misses in town were far inferior to these people!


    As for their amodation, Zhu Junyang had already thought it over for Xiaocao. The Yu Family¡¯s old residence was built to appear spacious and grand. However, it might be too crowded to entertain over a dozen children of noble families, and dozens of servants and guards. Fortunately, Prince Jing household¡¯s mountain manor on the West Mountains was currently vacant. After Zhu Junyang got permission from hisdy mother, he had servants clean up the empty rooms in the manor to entertain the group of noble young maidens and masters.


    The problem of their lodging had been resolved, and there was no need to worry about food. Those who lived on the mountain lived off the mountain, while those who lived near the sea lived off the sea. If they wanted to eat game, then they should go hunt for some in the mountains. If they wanted to eat seafood, then they should go fishing. Would they starve with Xiaocao around?


    For the next several days, the young masters and maidens who had never been to the sea yed like crazy. Every morning, they followed Xiaocao to set traps in the mountains. When the tide was low, they went to gather seafood at the beach with the half-grown children in the vige.


    The young masters, who thought that they were good at swimming, had even borrowed Yu Hai¡¯s and Yu Hang¡¯s sharkskin diving suits. They swam around in the sea, and then dived into the shallow water to catch some small fish and shrimps. At dusk, they went back to the mountains to retrieve the pheasants and wild hares that were caught in the traps. Then, in the evening, they filed their stomachs with the delicacies from the mountain and sea.


    Sometimes the young maidens also envied Ning Donghuan and the others for being able to experience the joy of ying the water, but they could only watch and sigh because they had poor swimming skills. Although they couldn¡¯t swim, Xiaocao knew how to swim ah! Thus, He Wanning pestered Xiaocao to teach her how to swim.

 Chapter 552 – Baby Dolphin

    <h4>Chapter 552 ¨C Baby Dolphin</h4>


    When the girls were swimming and diving, they naturally had to find a secluded area and have many guards around them. After all, they were all grown maidens. After putting on the tight-fitting diving suits, their delicate figures be somewhat more apparent.


    The reef beside the cliff, where Yu Xiaocao used to gather seafood, was the most secluded area. Every time she went to the sea, she would choose to get into the waters here. Xiaocao, who had put on a ck sharkskin diving suit, jumped into the waters from the reef like a nimble little dolphin.


    Little dolphin? The noble maidens on the reef seemed to have thought of something. Yu Wanqing eagerly asked, ¡°Older Sister Yu, will your little dolphin friende today? I have never seen a dolphin before ah!¡±


    The others subsequently nodded to express that they wanted to see the little dolphin that was full of spirits. Of course, Yu Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t let them down. She called out towards the depths of the ocean, ¡°Xiaobu¡ª¡ª¡±


    Yu Wanqing looked at the surface of the sea in the distance. Her eyes were full of expectation as she asked from time to time, ¡°Older Sister Yu, the sea is so big, can the little dolphin hear your voice? Is the little dolphin big enough to carry a person while swimming? What does the sea floor look like? Is it the same as the Dragon Pce in the legends, with shrimp soldiers and crab generals and shell pce maids?¡±


    The others were amused by her childish words. He Wanning, who had changed into a diving suit, took a deep breath and dived into the waters. When she came out, she pretended to be surprised and eximed, ¡°Wow! I saw a tortoise prime minister!¡±


    ¡°Where is it? Where is it??¡± Only Yu Wanqing, the na?ve fellow, was fooled and hastily rushed over. She didn¡¯t even care that her embroidered shoes got wet and only cared about seeing what the tortoise prime minister looked like.


    He Wanning couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. Sheughed and said, ¡°I lied to you! How can there be any shrimp soldiers, crab generals, Dragon King and dragon maidens? Those are all mythological characters, so how can we see them in real life?¡±


    Her words led to fits ofughter. Yu Wanqing pouted and stamped her feet, ¡°Older Sister He is so mean. I¡¯m not ying with you¡ªAh! Dolphin, is that a dolphin? There are so many!!¡±


    Everyone looked towards the direction that she pointed at. Sure enough, a group of sea elves jumped out of the water from time to time. They had pointed mouths and backs with graceful lines. What elegant and cute creatures!


    ¡°Older Sister Yu, that¡¯s Older Sister Yu, right?!¡± Yu Wanqing saw a head surrounded by the dolphins and screamed out in surprise. It turned out that, at some point, Xiaocao had swam far away and met up with the pod of dolphins!


    Among the dolphins, Xiaobu had already grown into ¡®Big Bu¡¯. Xiaobu was very excited because it hadn¡¯t seen its good friend, Xiaocao, in a long time. It swam around her, jumped out of the water beside her from time to time, and let her head rest on top of its head.


    Xiaocao dripped a drop of mystic-stone water into its wide opened mouth. Seeing Yu Wanqing Li Mengqi desperately waving their hands at her, she climbed up onto the dolphin¡¯s back and had it carry her towards the group of people, like when she was younger.


    Xiaobu often yed with Xiaocao, so it wasn¡¯t scared of humans. It obediently swam to the shore, and soon the crowd on the reef were able to clearly see its appearance: blue back, sharp dorsal fin, shiny ¡®skin¡¯, and a pair of bright, ck eyes that shined with life.


    ¡°So pretty!¡± Yu Wanqing couldn¡¯t help but exim. The others were also mesmerized by the cute appearance of the little dolphin.


    He Wanning tried to get closer to Xiaobu with her measly dog paddle swimming skills. Xiaobu tilted its head and looked at her curiously with a friendly and gentle expression.


    ¡°Dolphins are kind creatures that are lively and yful. As long as you don¡¯t have any ill intentions, it will be happy to ept you as a friend!¡± Yu Xiaocao introduced her little dolphin friend to her close friends.


    He Wanning slowly stretched out her hands, trying to feel Xiaobu¡¯s shiny bald head. Suddenly, she felt something in the water push against her waist. She was so scared that her face turned pale and she forgot how to dog paddle. Her limbs pped in confusion and she seemed to be sinking into the sea. The girls on the shore screamed repeatedly, feeling worried for her.


    After drinking two mouthfuls of salty sea water, He Wanning suddenly felt herself being lifted. She thought that it was Xiaocao who saved her. She pitifully squeezed out a grateful smile at her, but she found out that Xiaocao was two arm¡¯s length away from her. ¡®Huh? Then who saved me?¡¯


    Xiaocao motioned her to look in the sea. It turned out that Xiaobu was pushing her with its head, letting her body surface above the waters. Xiaocao said with a smile, ¡°The legend of dolphins saving people is widely known around the seaside. Fishermen will never hunt these mystical little creatures because they will probably have to rely on the dolphins to save them when they encounter dangers at sea. Haha, so it was you, this little guy, who was causing trouble ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao plunged into the sea and saw a little dolphin that was even smaller than the Xiaobu that she first met. It swam around He Wanning, and from time to time, it would curiously push her with its rostrum. It was because of this little guy that He Wanning had nearly drowned in fear earlier.


    Seeing Yu Xiaocao swim over, the little fellow wasn¡¯t scared. It hovered around Xiaobu and looked at her curiously with a shy expression of wanting to approach but was embarrassed to do so.


    Yu Xiaocao swam closer to it, stroked its smooth back, and bribed it with a drop of mystic-stone water. The little fellow finally got close to her and swam around her. It rubbed its small head against her and didn¡¯t even struggle when Xiaocao held onto it.


    Xiaocao carried the little guy to the surface of the sea and grinned at He Wanning, who had already climbed ashore, saying, ¡°Older Sister He, you¡¯re so timid. You¡¯re afraid of such a small baby dolphin!¡±


    ¡°Wow¡ªit¡¯s adorable! Can I touch it?¡± Yu Wanqing excitedly screamed as she rushed in front of the others.


    The water level near the reef was too shallow for adult dolphins to swim over, but it was different for the mini dolphin that Yu Xiaocao was holding. After Xiaocao let it go, it didn¡¯t swim away and swam around in the shallow waters while pping its tail.


    Just like how the young maidens onshore were curious about it, it was also full of curiosity since it was its first time meeting human girls. Seeing Yu Wanqing put her hands into the sea water and called it warmly, the little fellow swam over in a silly manner and put its head on her palm, asking to be stroked.


    ¡°So cute. The little dolphin is so cute. I really want to take it home to raise as a pet!¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she knew that dolphins couldn¡¯t leave the water like fishes, Yu Wanqing would hold it in her arms and kiss it.


    Royal Princess Minn disproved her, ¡°The little dolphin needs to live in the water. Do you have seawater at home? Moreover, even if your family has the financial ability to transport seawater back every day, would the dolphin be happy after leaving its friends in the ocean? It¡¯s like...you¡¯re suddenly able to breathe underwater. The little dolphins made you stay in the ocean and won¡¯t let you back go ashore. Would you be willing?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Yu Wanqing immediately retorted.


    ¡°See? The little dolphin doesn¡¯t want to go home with you. The ocean is their paradise!¡± Royal Princess Minn squatted down, and the little dolphin swam towards her, which idently led to a tragedy¡ªit ran aground on the reef.


    Xiaocao hastily carried it back to the deep sea, and the little fellow, who got frightened, immediately swam back to Xiaobu to be consoled. Xiaocao, who had an alert mind, pointed at the little guy and asked Xiaobu, ¡°Xiaobu, this little fellow wouldn¡¯t be your child, right? You¡¯re a mother now?¡±


    As if it could understand Xiaocao¡¯s words, Xiaobu nodded its head that hade up on the surface of the water. It caressed the back of the little dolphin with its fin, and a sense of affection could be seen within its ck eyes.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s call him Little Xiaobu. Little Xiaobu looks actually the same as when you were younger, and it¡¯s also just as bold!¡± Yu Xiaocao remembered the Xiaobu from a few years ago. It was slightly bigger than Little Xiaobu now, yet it dared to approach her. They swam freely in the sea, and even dared to tease those big sharks.


    Under the guidance of Xiaocao, He Wanning swam for a while and learned to dive. She picked up a small crab in the shallow sea and was so excited that she nearly drowned again. After she yed for a while, she went ashore to dig mussels and pry barnacles with Yuan Xueyan and the others.


    ¡°Watch me catch a fewrge lobsters as dinner for you guys!¡± It had been a long time since Yu Xiaocao swam in the bottom of the sea to her heart¡¯s content. Seeing that her friends were ying happily on shore, she called out to them and plunged into the water, diving into the azure blue sea.


    With the little divine stone¡¯s escort and Xiaobu¡¯s guidance, she soon arrived at the deep sea. The gorgeous corals, which she had not seen in a long time, rippled with the waves in various forms. The colorful school of fishes formed a as they swam, frolicking. A big sea turtle slowly swam past Xiaocao and looked curiously at her...


    The treasures of the seabed appeared in front of Xiaocao. She grabbed huge lobsters one after another; picked upzily squirming sea cucumbers one after another; dug out fist-sized abalones one after another...


    She had gained a full harvest at the bottom of the sea. The people on the shore became anxious when they saw that she hadn¡¯t floated up for a long time. Even the indifferent-looking Yuan Xueyan had a worried expression on her face, ¡°Xiaolian, I heard that there are many undercurrents and dangerous shoals under the sea. Xiaocao has gone down for so long. Did something happen?¡±


    Upon hearing her words, Xiaolian, who was helping her younger sister entertain the pampered guests from the capital, shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Younger Sister hase back safe after diving for an even longer time than now. You guys can rest assured!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that she hasn¡¯te up to breathe for so long?¡± Royal Princess Minn tried to hold her breath on the shore and couldn¡¯t hold it for a long time.


    Xiaolian, who was born in a fishing vige, had heard many stories about pearl divers. She told them that some people were born with the talents for diving and could hold their breath underwater for more than twenty minutes without a change in their faces. If Xiaocao was here, she would definitely recall that, in her previous life, the record holder of the Guinness World Records held his breath for twenty-two minutes!


    As they spoke, they saw a head appear in the distant sea. She waved at them, and then dived down again. Yu Xiaocao quickly gathered a bag of seafood. She found an extremely bright red coral, which was as dazzling as the red clouds in the sky. It looked lustrous and transparent. Hence, she was attracted to go over.

 Chapter 553 – Pearl Hunting Competition

    <h4>Chapter 553 ¨C Pearl Hunting Competition</h4>


    At this time, red corals were already regarded as an auspicious and fortunate item that represented nobility and power, so it was also called ¡®Lucky Gem¡¯. It was the symbol of happiness and eternity. Xiaocao heard from her godmother that when the princess of the previous dynasty got married, the imperial family included a red coral that was even taller than a person in her dowry. It was extremely valuable, and thus attracted the envy of countless noble maidens. Corals with such a bright and dazzling red color like this should be considered top grade, right?


    With the little divine stone¡¯s help, Yu Xiaocao picked the beautiful red coral and slowly pulled back to the shore. Fortunately, there was buoyancy in the sea and she also had the help of the little dolphin. Otherwise, she wasn¡¯t sure if she could bring this coral that was nearly the same size as her back.


    The coral was dragged ashore with the help of her friends. The group of young maidens were amazed because they had never seen such a coral that was so big and red.


    He Wanning was pleasantly surprised as she walked around the coral twice and said, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, you¡¯re really lucky to actually find such a top-notch quality red coral. How did you drag it up with that small and thin body of yours?¡±


    Li Mengqi also knew about the value of red coral. The matriarch of her family had a red coral in her dowry. It was only a little more than half a meter tall, but she treated it like a treasure and hid it for fear that it would be damaged by others.


    Yu Wanqing showed the string of red coral beads on her wrist to the others and said with a smile, ¡°My mother gave a red coral beads bracelet on my birthday. The color isn¡¯t as beautiful as this one, yet I heard it cost several thousand taels! Older Sister Yu, you can grind out so many beads from this coral ah!!¡±


    He Wanqing smacked the back of her head. She disregarded her wronged expression and rebuked, ¡°Do you know how rare a colony of coral is? If it¡¯s divided into pieces like you suggested, then that¡¯s recklessly wasting god¡¯s gift! Xiaocao, you can¡¯t be muddle-headed and suffer big losses for the sake of small gains ah!¡±


    Yuan Xueyan, on the other hand, thought more profoundly and asked, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, this coral is very valuable. Have you figured out what to do with it?¡± People often say that ¡®one¡¯s only crime was to carry a jade¡¯. Such a precious item would likely attract thieves.


    Yu Xiaocao understood what she meant, so she answered without any hesitation, ¡°At the end of next month, isn¡¯t it the emperor¡¯s imperial mother, Princess Consort Duan¡¯s, birthday? The emperor and empress treat me so well, and I have nothing to repay them with. So I¡¯ll give this coral as a birthday present to Princess Consort Duan.¡±


    He Wanning felt very regretful about it. In her opinion, Xiaocao had been granted the title of a feudal princess, but to be a match with Royal Prince Yang, who was a real member of the imperial family, there was still a gap between their statuses. If she had such a valuable item in her dowry when she got married, those nosy people probably wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything, right? However, Xiaocao wanted to give it to someone else. Her heart ached for her, alright?


    Royal Princess Minn sourly said, ¡°No wonder the emperor and empress like you so much. You, thisss, really know how to tter others. You¡¯re giving away such a precious thing just like that! But you need to be prepared. You¡¯re giving such a valuable birthday present that will make others pale inparison, so it will inevitably cause certain people to feel displeased. You¡¯re inadvertently offending people by doing this!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it and felt that she was right. She quickly ran over to hug Royal Princess Minn and said, ¡°Older Sister Minn, thank you for reminding me. Otherwise, I would have really done something stupid and caused trouble for myself!!¡±


    ¡°Go, go away! Stay away from me. Ah¡ª¡ªmy clothes are wet because of you. It was so hard to get Modiste Jiang to personally make this set of clothes ah!! Look, it¡¯s all dirty because of you!¡± Royal Princess Minn was exasperated after Xiaocao rubbed seawater all over her body. What did she do?! If she knew this would happen, she wouldn¡¯t have reminded thatss!!


    Yu Xiaocao chuckled and avoided her little hand that was about to smack her. She said with a cheeky grin, ¡°Older Sister Minn, I¡¯ll go back and wash it for you. If it¡¯s ruined, then I¡¯ll get you a new set aspensation! I just had a set of clothes made this year that I haven¡¯t worn...¡±


    ¡°With that tiny body of yours? Am I going to wear it so that others canugh at me?¡± While Xiaocao wasn¡¯t paying attention, Royal Princess Minn pushed her off the reef. Looking at the sshing water, her sulky mood was somewhat relieved.


    Yu Xiaocao moved her limbs and leisurely swam backstroke in the sea water, but she also didn¡¯t forget to provoke Royal Princess Minn. Royal Princess Minn appeared to have a bad temper, but in fact, after she got a better understanding of her, she realized that Royal Princess Minn was just a paper tiger that could be easily broken with a single poke!


    When the night sky filled the entire beach, the group of young maidens happily returned to the vige with a rich harvest. The red coral, which was the height of a person, was carried back to the mountain manor by Chunhua and Qiushi.


    On the way back, they encountered the Ning brothers, who were worried since they hadn¡¯t returned for so long, and three half-grown youths. Seeing the red coral under the moonlight, Ning Donghuan¡¯s eyes nearly popped out. Such a big coral? Thatss Xiaocao was going to make a fortune!!


    Before he had figured out how to buy the coral from Xiaocao, Xiaocao had already sent someone to call Lu Hao over. The task of transporting the red coral back to the capital was handed to this team of imperial guards of the Yulin Division. She decided to quietly give the coral to the emperor. Whatever he decided to do with it had nothing to do with her.


    These young masters and maidens spent a few days in Dongshan Vige and had a great time. They ate all kinds of delicacies from thend and sea. Madam Liu¡¯s authentic seafood cooking skills conquered their taste buds. Garlic lobster, sea cucumber and chicken soup, crispy abalone with salt and pepper, soy sauce scallops, spicy Mantis shrimps... They ate so contentedly that they didn¡¯t want to leave this wonderful ce, Dongshan Vige.


    However, no matter how good Dongshan Vige was, they still eventually needed to return to the capital. Just as they prepared to go home, the news of a pearl huntingpetition suddenly spread throughout Tanggu. It was said that in addition to the hefty reward, the first ce would also be granted an official post. Although it was only a sinecure seventh-ranked position, it was a great temptation for fishermen and pearl divers.


    One must admit that Royal Prince Yang had done a great job with the promotion. There were even some people from small fishing viges hundreds of kilometers awaying to sign up for participation. Anyway, the registration was free, so even if they couldn¡¯t get ranked in thepetition, it wasn¡¯t a big loss for them. By giving it a try, perhaps the God of Luck would help them, right?


    Many fishermen with good diving skills had signed up for thepetition, let alone those who had many years of experience in pearl hunting! Surprisingly, there were also quite a lot of women who had also signed up. Sure enough, the legendary profession of female pearl divers really existed.


    The most skilled swimmer in Dongshan Vige was Yu Hai. However, he was now rich and had a position of an official. Thus, he wasn¡¯t interested in this event. Several fearless youths had signed up without informing their families. Xiaocao had only found out on the day of thepetition that Zhuang Xiaomo had also secretly signed up to participate.


    Zhuang Xiaomo had even better diving skills than Xiaocao¡¯s father, Yu Hai. Allegedly, the old man who adopted him was a famous pearl diver when he was young. Later, due to problems with his health, he stopped working in this profession and became an ordinary fisherman.


    Although he didn¡¯t want this adopted grandson to take the same disastrous road, he also didn¡¯t want his over a decade of precious experience in pearl diving to be forgotten. In the midst of his hesitation, he gradually passed on his experience to Zhuang Xiaomo. Zhuang Xiaomo had also listened to his grandfather and didn¡¯t embark on the dangerous road of being a pearl diver. However, he believed that his diving and pearl hunting skills were much better than ordinary pearl divers.


    Zhuang Xiaomo, who liked Xiaolian, had always felt inferior. He was afraid his status wasn¡¯t worthy of her and that she would fall in love with someone better than him. Therefore, Zhuang Xiaomo always had a knot in his heart. He hoped that he could rely on his own efforts to obtain a status that was a good match for Xiaolian.


    This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him. If he really got first ce and won the hefty reward, he would be able to buy a house in the capital for Xiaolian. Although it wouldn¡¯t be as good as the one bought by Xiaocao, they would at least have a ce to stay in the capital.


    Although a small seventh-ranked official didn¡¯t have any real power, he would be able to get rid of the identity of a bumpkin and be someone from the highest ss among schrs, farmers, artisans, and merchants. When he proposed a marriage to the Yu Family, he could stand up straight with confidence. When he promised to give Xiaolian happiness, he could say it in a bold and confident manner.


    On the first day of the pearl huntingpetition, Xiaolian, who hade to join in the fun with her younger sister, noticed a familiar figure among the crowd, and suddenly felt flustered. Since she had always lived by the sea, she had naturally heard the older generation talk about pearl divers.


    The profession of picking pearls may sound like a good career to make money, but who really knew about the difficulties in the profession? Who would know that in order to obtain each round and translucent pearl, the pearl divers had to risk their own health and even lives?


    On the surface, the vast expanse of water was calm and without waves. However, the mysterious seabed was full of ravines, dense reefs, turbulent undercurrents, and ceaseless whirlpools. There were far more dangers than that. There were poisonous sea serpents lurking in the crevices of reefs, poisonous jellyfish floating in the sea, and fierce sharks patrolling their territory in groups.


    In order to obtain pearl oysters that lived more than ten meters, or even tens of meters, under the sea, pearl divers not only had to withstand the huge pressure of the sea water, face the risk of being swept away by the undercurrent and engulfed by the whirlpool, but they also had to be on guard against the attacks of various dangerous marine organisms.


    Therefore, when Zhuang Xiaomo called Older Brother Jiang and the others to get on the boat, Yu Xiaolian rushed over and indiscriminately yelled, ¡°Zhuang Xiaomo, who told you to sign up for this? Do you know how dangerous pearl hunting is? Why are you getting yourself in danger? Are you really that short of money? For the sake of money, you¡¯re even disregarding your life?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Little girl, can¡¯t you say something good?¡± Before Zhuang Xiaomo could reply, a tanned and burly man on the next boat had voiced his displeasure. For people in this profession, it was taboo for others to say that it was dangerous and life-risking! Wasn¡¯t that cursing them?


    Zhuang Xiaomo smiled apologetically at him. Then he turned to Xiaolian and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m just going to try it out with Older Brother Jiang and the others. I won¡¯t go too far off and just wander around nearby. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t cost much to sign up for such a grand event, so I¡¯ll just treat it as an experience. Don¡¯t worry. I value my life more than you, so I won¡¯t easily take risks!¡±


    His inner monologue was, ¡®If I died in the sea, wouldn¡¯t that just benefit those stinky brats who are looking at you with covetous eyes?¡¯

 Chapter 554 – The Dangers of a Pearl Diver

    <h4>Chapter 554 ¨C The Dangers of a Pearl Diver</h4>


    Yu Xiaolian still felt uneasy. With her lips pursed, she didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Seeing that other people were setting off, she reluctantly asked, ¡°Can you not go? Isn¡¯t your vegetables and fruit shop doing pretty good? We don¡¯tck money, so why do you have to join in the fun?¡±


    ¡°I have already signed up to participate, and Royal Prince Yang is looking over this event. If I go back on my words and give up halfway, what would others think? Alright, I promise you that I will prioritize my safety, okay?¡± Zhuang Xiaomo coaxed her for a long time before Xiaolian finally agreed to let him go.


    ¡°You...must be careful and don¡¯t try to act brave. I¡¯ll wait for you toe back safe and sound!!¡± Yu Xiaolian¡¯s eyes were full of worry and reluctance.


    Xiaolian¡¯s concern made Zhuang Xiaomo feel a sweet feeling as if he had eaten honey. He looked deeply at her, pushed his own pearl hunting boat, and sailed towards the deep sea with the equipment that he had prepared.


    The pearl hunting boat was a special wooden boat that was powered by sails. The bow and stern of the boat were round, and the hull was rtively wide, like a huge oval wooden basin. Zhuang Xiaomo checked his equipment again: thick ropes, ceramic jar, straw mat, wooden bucket, bamboo basket, pearl picking knife, and so on.


    Yu Xiaolian watched as Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s pearl hunting boat sailed further and further away. In the end, there was only a small figure at the horizon. The worry in her heart slightly deepened. Yu Xiaocao noticed that Xiaolian seemed absent-minded when they got home. She almost cut her fingers several times when cutting vegetables. Xiaocao thought about it, and then said, ¡°If you¡¯re worried, let¡¯s have Eldest Brother row a boat to catch up to him. With my swimming skills, if he encountered any danger, I can help out a bit!¡¯


    ¡°I want to go too. Can you take me along too? I¡¯ve never been out to the sea before!¡± He Wanning overheard the conversation between the sisters and jumped out to express her desire.


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Yu, I want to go too!¡±


    ¡°Me, me, me...¡±


    Before Yu Xiaocao could reply, a group of troublesome fellows jumped into the kitchen. Yu Xiaocao felt a slight headache. If she had known that this would happen, she would have sent these people back several days before the pearl huntingpetition was announced!


    Just when she didn¡¯t know how to reject them, Dong Dali, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s trusted bodyguard, came over, ¡°Miss Yu, my master is going out to the sea. He told this subordinate to ask if you¡¯re interested ining along.¡±


    ¡°Interested! Of course, she¡¯s interested!!¡± Before Xiaocao could speak, more than a dozen mouths had answered for her. As a result, there were an extra dozen excitedly chirping and curious figures on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s big ship.


    Royal Prince Yang¡¯s ship wasn¡¯t the only one going out to patrol the sea. After all, Princess Consort Duan¡¯s birthday celebration was a happy event. If something happened to these pearl divers, then it would ruin the happy asion! Thus, Royal Prince Yang sent out a fleet of a dozen or so ships to patrol the deep sea. If they encountered someone asking for help, they would be able to assist them in a timely manner.


    Zhu Junyang had originally nned to take his littless on a romantic trip to the sea, but he hadn¡¯t expected that there would be an addition of more than a dozen giant lightbulbs on the ship, ruining his n. Looking at the group of noisy brats, he really wanted to lift each of them by their legs and throw them into the sea!


    Yu Xiaocao quietly stood at the front of the ship with a telescope in her hands, looking for Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s boat. This kind of telescope was brought back from the west by Zhu Junyang when he was on a voyage to the western hemisphere. It was called a ¡®thousand miles eye¡¯.


    ¡°How is it? Did you find him yet?¡± Yu Xiaolian, who was beside her, asked anxiously.


    ¡°Wait a moment, there are so many pearl hunting boats out today, so how can I find him so quickly...wait, I think I found that fellow Zhuang Xiaomo. Why don¡¯t you take a look and see if it¡¯s him?¡± Yu Xiaocao handed the telescope to Xiaolian and pointed towards a direction.


    Xiaolian looked around carefully and finally saw Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s figure. However, at this time, Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s pearl hunting boat didn¡¯t seem to be in a good situation. They had encountered a rtivelyrge whirlpool, and if they weren¡¯t careful, there was the danger of them dying along with the wrecked boat.


    But, of course, this little problem wasn¡¯t difficult for him. Zhuang Xiaomo directed the people on the boat to throw the straw mats into the whirlpool. When the whirlpool was blocked by the straw mats and slowed down, Zhuang Xiaomo slowly steered the pearl hunting boat through.


    ¡°Ruizhi, let¡¯s sail that way, but don¡¯t get too close. It¡¯s fine as long as you can observe the situation with the telescope!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that Xiaolian would only be at ease if Zhuang Xiaomo was within their line of sight.


    Seeing that thess was focused on another person, Zhu Junyang was unhappy, ¡°Humph! It turns out that you had an ulterior motive when you agreed so readily ah! It seems like youpletely disregarded this prince¡¯s sincere heart.¡±


    This guy was jealous again. Yu Xiaocao quickly pacified him, ¡°Aren¡¯t I doing this for my older sister? If I let her brood on it at home, then I don¡¯t know what would happen! You ah, why are you getting jealous over everyone?¡±


    For the sake of his future sister-inw¡¯s matter, he tolerated it! Zhu Junyang knew that she had extraordinary diving skills. He pointed to the cabin and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not going to experience such an interesting activity like pearl hunting?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao touched her own ears and had to admit that Zhu Junyang knew her quite well. She had secretly brought her diving suit with her, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to find out.


    ¡°Actually, I just want to try my luck. After all, we¡¯re strangers to pearl hunting and have no experience at all.¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled awkwardly.


    Zhu Junyang tapped her little head and said with a smile, ¡°Go, this prince will swim around with you. Where¡¯s your little dolphin friend? Is it still around?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Xiaobu gave birth to a baby dolphin that looks exactly like her. It¡¯s so cute! I¡¯ll go down to change first. I¡¯ll call it overter and show you!¡± Yu Xiaocao excused herself with the excited bunch on the ship, and then went down to the cabin to change into her diving suit.


    Zhu Junyang also changed into his own tailor-made diving suit. Xiaocao was stunned to see his bulging muscles under the tight-fitting suit, his strong and slender thighs, and his thin waist that didn¡¯t have any extra fat. This guy had a really good figure!


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but feel proud when he saw the littless¡¯s admiring eyes. Looking at thess¡¯s tight-fitting diving suit, he couldn¡¯t help frowning slightly. The littless had begun to develop in the past two years. Although she was far from having a voluminous figure, the curves of her figure had be apparent after all. In addition, with her slender waist, the diving suit perfectly outlined her fine figure. No way, this was a benefit only for him! He couldn¡¯t let others see it! Zhu Junyang covered the young girl¡¯s body with his outer jacket and told her to take it off when she got into the water.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the expensive fabric of the clothing and curled up her lips. Since the owner of the clothes didn¡¯t mind, she had nothing to worry about. However, the clothes would definitely be ruined after being soaked in the sea. This guy seriously didn¡¯t know how to be frugal!


    From the side of the ship, Yu Xiaocao jumped into the sea with a perfect diving posture. The noble young masters and maidens all watched in admiration. After Zhu Junyang entered the water, he swam to Xiaocao¡¯s side, and the two, like a pair of attached fish, swam far away in the sea. Of course, Xiaocao, intentionally or unintentionally, swam towards the direction of Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s pearl hunting boat.


    The pearl huntingpetition was quite long,sting twenty days. For the pearl hunters, the first few days were used to explore the area that the pearl oysters lived in, which they called pearl bed. However, this step could be omitted for Zhuang Xiaomo, a native who was familiar with the nearby seas.


    When he arrived at the sea area that he had already looked into, the two groups, which they had divided into, on the boat began to work. He was a good swimmer and diver, so he was responsible for diving into the sea to gather pearl oysters. Older Brother Jiang and others were responsible for sailing the boat and reinforcement.


    Zhuang Xiaomo, who had put on a sharkskin diving suit, tied a long rope around his waist. He held a sharply polished pearl picking knife in one hand and a bamboo basket in the other. He took a deep breath, and then dived to the bottom of the sea while holding his breath. In the sea, he must open his eyes to find pearl oysters.


    The area that he chose was quite good. He had found the pearl oysters shortly after diving into the sea. He swam to a palm-sized pearl oyster and put it into the basket. In this way, he picked up several oysters of simr size, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied with any of them.


    Suddenly, he discovered a pearl oyster among the reefs, which was about the size of a te. Based on his experience, there was a high chance that there would be pearls in this pearl oyster. With a push of his legs, he swam towards the reefs. A long and slender shadow came in front of him rapidly, so he instinctively waved his pearl picking knife. The dark shadow, which was cut into two pieces, turned out to be a kelp. It was a false rm.


    He approached the pearl oyster. When he used his hand to pick up the pearl oyster, he found that the oyster was attached to the reef with extremely strong byssus threads. He pulled it several times, but still wasn¡¯t able to get it off. He used the pearl picking knife to cut off the byssus, and then ced the oyster into his basket. The air in his lungs was almost exhausted, so Zhuang Xiaomo pulled on the rope around his waist. Older Brother Jiang and the other men were keeping an eye on the rope, so when they received the signal to pull him up, they quickly pulled the rope and lifted him out of the water. Zhuang Xiaomo took in deep breaths of fresh air and smiled at Older Brother Jiang, who took over the basket of pearl oysters. He poured the pearl oysters into a jar filled with sea water to temporarily raise them.


    ¡°How are you feeling? Do you need to rest for a while?¡± Jiang Sanshan asked with concern. Zhuang Xiaomo shook his head. He took a deep breath and jumped into the sea again, disappearing in an instant.


    Things were going rtively smoothly. The life of a real pearl diver might not always be so smooth. Sometimes the reinforcement on the boat might not receive the pearl diver¡¯s signal to pull him up, but see blood gradually appearing on the surface of the sea instead. This meant that the pearl diver had probably encountered danger. It was likely that he had been attacked by a shark.


    At this time, when they pulled the pearl diver up in a hurry, his limbs would probably be broken and there would be numerous wounds on his body. He would probably be badly mutted. Even if he narrowly escaped death, he would be a disabled man. Sometimes, it was just the broken limbs of the pearl diver that was pulled up, which was a terrible sight to see.

 Chapter 555 – Reincarnation of the Dragon King’s Daughter?

    <h4>Chapter 555 ¨C Reincarnation of the Dragon King¡¯s Daughter?</h4>


    Now that people wore swimsuits, it was better. In the past, pearl divers usually swam in the ocean pretty much naked. If they were bitten by a venomous sea snake and couldn¡¯t be rescued in time, they often lost their lives. Venomous jellyfish often floated in the seas as well. If a diver got injured by their tentacles, there weren¡¯t any good medications to be had to treat their injuries. The wound would then fester and rot and cause extreme pain to the victim. Those who were unlucky and had more severe wounds could also die.


    In addition, the pearl divers who were in the water needed to have good cooperation with the people remaining on the boat. That way, as soon as they shook the rope tethering them to the boat, the people aboard would respond. If the people on the boat were too slow to react, the divers may end up dead in the water from suffocation.


    These weren¡¯t the only dangers that the divers had to look out for. Sometimes, the people on the boat would reel in the rope and find it severed without a person on the end. This usually meant that the pearl diver had already been swept away by the underwater currents or perhaps had disappeared into an underwater whirlpool...


    It was no wonder that Yu Xiaolian was so worried that Zhuang Xiaomo had insisted on participating in this pearl divingpetition!


    As of now, Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s luck wasn¡¯t too bad. He had dove down ande back up multiple times, picking up quite a few nice-looking pearl oysters in the process. At lunchtime, he had pretty much gathered all of the pearl oysters in this ¡®pearl pond¡¯. In the afternoon, his group went to a different location and they also had a decent small haul in the end.


    When they went back to shore, the vast majority of pearl diving boats came backpletely empty. Many of the pearl divers from other areas who hade to participate didn¡¯t even finish exploring the waters while Zhuang Xiaomo and his group had already gotten to the step of opening up their pearl oysters.


    The pearls obtained from the pearl oysters could either be taken home to be submittedter or given right there for thepetition. Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t afraid that anyone might try tomit fraud. As long as thepetition was able to produce superior grade pearls, he didn¡¯t care about the cash reward or tiny official position.


    When it was time to open up the pearl oysters, Yu Xiaocao and her cohort of friends all gathered around until Zhuang Xiaomo and his group were surrounded by threeyers of people. The probability of finding a pearl in a wild pearl oyster was about the same odds of winning arge raffle. The first few that were opened were all empty. Thus, those youngdies and young masters from the capital started off very excited and then ended up leaving in disappointment with their lips curled.


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, continued to squat next to the pile of pearl oysters and casually ran her hand through them. Yu Wanqing took a small stool and sat next to her as she watched Zhuang Xiaomo continuously open the oysters and be disappointed by them. This ¡®little fangirl¡¯ of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s anxiously said, ¡°Older Brother Xiaomo, you should have Older Sister Xiaocao open a few and see. Her luck has always been very good!¡±


    This young maiden also began to call Zhuang Xiaomo as ¡°Older Brother Xiaomo¡¯ after following Xiaolian¡¯s and Xiaocao¡¯s examples. She didn¡¯t have the least bit of airs or arrogance of a young miss from the capital. In fact, she seemed to admire Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s pearl diving abilities quite a bit.


    Yu Xiaocao was startled by her unexpected suggestion and nked out for a bit before she replied in good humor, ¡°What does this have to do with luck? Do you think I¡¯d be able to magically make an oyster have a pearl if I opened one versus another person?¡±


    Yu Wanqing remarked in a righteous manner, ¡°I¡¯m sure there must be some pearls in this pile of oysters. Other people may not be selecting the right ones, but Older Sister Yu¡¯s luck has always been good. I¡¯m sure the one that you pick will have a pearl in it!¡±


    At this time, the little divine stone hade out of hibernation and used its powers to scan the pile of pearl oysters. It remarked in a voice with a hint of disdain, [This fellow surnamed Zhuang is pretty unlucky. He picked up a bunch of trash and there are only a few oysters here that have an inkling of spiritual energy.]


    In the eyes of those who cultivated, jewels and pearls were considered treasures of the earth and sky. Consequently, they could feel a bit of energying off of these precious items. The more energy they felt, therger the item was, and the more valuable it was.


    In a corner that was out of sight of everyone else, the little divine stone materialized into its glimmering golden kitten form that was norger than the palm of a person¡¯s hand. It sauntered over to Xiaocao in an arrogant and graceful manner. Yu Xiaocao picked it up and held it as she searched through the pearl oysters. Following the little divine stone¡¯s prompts, she reached her hand out to a small and wretched looking pearl oyster under the expectant and ridiculing gazes of the others.


    Yu Wanqing became anxious for her, ¡°Older Sister Yu, you should pick thergest one! Aren¡¯t the older pearl oysters more likely to produce pearls? The one you picked is so small. Even if it had a pearl in it, it wouldn¡¯t be very big.¡±


    Xiaocao also didn¡¯t quite understand the choice, so she could sympathize with Yu Wanqing¡¯s feelings. However, the little divine stone was very adamant that this pearl oyster was emitting the strongest aura of energy. She had never doubted the little divine stone¡¯s judgements.


    She threw the oyster to Zhuang Xiaomo, hinting that he should open it. Everyone saw that she looked calm and confident and immediately transferred their excited gazes over to Zhuang Xiaomo and the oyster in his hand.


    The pearl oyster was very quickly pried open and it revealed a shimmering pearl, about the size of the joint on the pinky finger, conspicuously cradled in the middle. Under the fading light of the evening, it glittered gently and emitted a small glow.


    ¡°Wow! There really is a pearl! Xiaocao, you¡¯re too awesome. You just casually picked up a pearl oyster but it had a pearl inside!! How did you do it?¡± He Wanning rushed over and sped the oyster that had just been opened, inspecting the round and beautiful pearl inside. Apparently pearls could be found in these tiny and ugly pearl oysters!


    She had asked the question that everyone else had thought. Under the shining gazes of the others, Yu Xiaocao hesitated for a long time before she finally said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just my intuition that¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°Psht! Xiaocao, you¡¯re really so boring!!¡± Most people were unsatisfied with that exnation.


    Yu Xiaocao opened her hands and said, ¡°Alright ah! In my recesses of my mind, there seemed to be someone guiding me and allowed me to spot this unassuming-looking oyster out of the giant pile. My hand unconsciously stretched forward to that pearl oyster and the voice within my head repeatedly told me, ¡®this one has a pearl, this one has a pearl...¡¯¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk! You should change your career to be a storyteller!¡± A few of the young men in the group had evident disdainful expressions. The young maidens in the group were stifling their giggles. Obviously, no one believed a single word she had just said. Yu Xiaocao merely shrugged. She wasn¡¯t lying; the little divine stone did truly tell her mind-to-mind which oyster had a pearl in it. No one was willing to believe the truth anymore!


    The little divine stone roasted her, [It¡¯s because you made the truth sound too fake so of course no one would believe you!]


    In a pique of temper, Yu Xiaocao opened up six oysters in a row, and all of them contained pearls that were neither too big nor small. Then, under the stunned looks of everyone in the area, she flounced away. The remaining dozen or so pearl oysters didn¡¯t have a single pearl in them. Everyone all thought that they were dreaming. Was Xiaocao¡¯s intuition really that spot on that she didn¡¯t miss a single one?


    ¡°Quickly tell me! Are you a little immortal girl who has descended down to earth?¡± He Wanning gazed at Xiaocao with a different look in her eye as she scuttled over. She asked in a lowered tone as if she was afraid other people would overhear her.


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at the other girl and patiently said, ¡°Older Sister He, have you read too many fairy tales ah? An immortal girl descending to earth? I can also turn ordinary rocks into gold at the touch of a hand! Dongshan Vige is next to a giant mountain and borders the ocean. Why don¡¯t you suspect me for being a mountain spirit disguised as a human? Or the daughter of the Dragon Kinging up to shore to y?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say this very loudly but Yu Wanqing and the others heard her. The young men in the crowd all suppressed their smiles while the young maidens giggled and began to tease He Wanning for having an overactive imagination.


    Yu Wanqing, on the other hand, blinked herrge eyes and solemnly nodded her head, ¡°It¡¯s entirely possible ah! Older Sister Xiaocao is very good at swimming and is able to hold her breath for a very long time underwater. She was also able to be friends with the little dolphin. Older Sister Yu, I think in your past life you were probably the daughter of the Dragon King ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocaoughed in disbelief and pinched the other young maiden¡¯s cheek as she chuckled, ¡°If you say so then! Who knows what happened in my past life! Perhaps, my Younger Sister Wanqing was a very beautiful little immortal girl in her past life and the Jade Emperor¡¯s daughter was extremely jealous of your looks. Thus, in this life, she spitefully made pimples and lesions grow all over the face so you would be lonely for more than a decade. Only after you encountered me, the reincarnation of the Dragon King¡¯s daughter, were you able to lift the curse on you and be rebirthed!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! It¡¯s very possible that this is true! Older Sister Yu, do you have any memories from your past life? What does the pce of the Dragon King look like?¡± Yu Wanqing was a pure and naive young maiden and had unexpectedly believed her story. It made the other older maidens in the group not know what to do.


    For the next few days, Zhuang Xiaomo had a haul every day. However, the pearls that he obtained never surpassed the pearl that was the size of the pinky finger joint that he obtained that first day. However, he wasn¡¯t downhearted by this. He went out early and returnedte every day to continue his quest to find pearls.


    More and more pearl divers from outside areas came over. Although they came a bitte, they still had more than a dozen days left until thepetition ended. Diving for pearls relied on two things: skill and luck. As long as they had the opportunity to participate, it was possible that they might hit the jackpot!


    The pearl divingpetition continued. Although there were a few dangerous situations that urred in the middle, the experienced pearl divers all managed to weather it with ease.


    Although thepetition hadn¡¯t finished yet, the families of the noble young maidens and masters had already written several letters over urging them toe home. It was especially true for Yu Wanqing as she was the youngest out of all of them. Although her eldest brother hade along, Lady Yu still wasn¡¯t relieved with her gone so long and sent people over several times to urge them toe home.


    The young maidens, who had wanted to extend their stay until thepetition was over, had been gently reminded several times by servants sent over that they should go home. They really had no excuse to not go home now after all this time. Although they didn¡¯t want to leave, they still reluctantly turned to take the journey back home. The two Ning Family brothers also had to go back because of the same reason.


    When Xiaocao saw them off, He Wanning and Ning Donghuan repeatedly reminded her to write letters to them once thepetition was over. They wanted to know the oue.


    After the dozen or so people left, Dongshan Vige finally quieted down again. Ever since the young masters anddies from the capital had visited here, the vigers were all very careful whenever they spoke as they were afraid that they might inadvertently offend one of these people with their words or actions. In the hearts of themon people, the children of high-ranking officials and nobles were all arrogant and hard to get along with.


    Every time the raucous group of people entered and left Dongshan Vige, the vigers only dared to stand far away and watch them. Even Yu Xiaocao¡¯s good childhood friends in the vige very rarely came by to visit her. Her friend, Zhou Shanhu, who was the most carefree out of all of them, did go visit Xiaocao¡¯s residence a few times. Although she didn¡¯t converse much with these noble maidens, she thought that they weren¡¯t as difficult or temperamental as the other vigers said they were.


    Peace came back to Dongshan Vige after the bright and raucous group of high-spirited young nobles had left. Other than a few vigers asionally bringing them up to discuss their confident and unrestrained ways, they were like a cool breeze. After they blew over, there was no other news.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 556 – Dangers in the Sea

    <h4>Chapter 556 ¨C Dangers in the Sea</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao, who didn¡¯t have to corral a bunch of people anymore, finally could watch thepetition with her full attention. There were only about a dozen or so short days left in the pearl divingpetition. Zhuang Xiaomo was no longer able to stay calm in the face of his poor hauls. Nowadays, he seemed to have a perpetual look of worry on his face. For the past few days, Yu Xiaocao could see that Zhuang Xiaomo seemed to be taking thispetition quite seriously and it was probably rted to Xiaolian. The reason she thought so was because he often seemed to nce at Xiaolian with a lonely look in his eyes and then sink into deep contemtion afterwards. Yu Xiaocao decided to secretly lend Zhuang Xiaomo a helping hand.


    Because there were more pearl divers in the area, it was hard to find and upy a good spot in the waters now. Thus, Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s pearl diving boat went out further and further into the deep ocean. With the help of Xiaobu, Yu Xiaocao also followed them every day from afar. In a way, this was her way of keeping an eye out for him. Although Zhu Junyang had already done a lot to make this pearl divingpetition safer, there was always the possibility of something out of the ordinary happening. She didn¡¯t want something to happen to Zhuang Xiaomo and end up leaving a shadow in Xiaolian¡¯s heart.


    Other than protecting Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s pearl diving boat from afar, Yu Xiaocao had managed to gather many good quality pearls under the guidance of the little divine stone. The vast majority of them wererger than the first segment of a person¡¯s thumb. Although they couldn¡¯t be considered superior grade pearls, they were still considered above average quality. She was nning on using these pearls to make her mother a pearl ne. As for the remaining pearls, she was thinking of embedding them into hair jewelry and hoped to get enough to make a full set of head ornaments. Her mother had always been frugal and even now couldn¡¯t bear to spend the money to get a presentable set of hair ornaments.


    As it got closer and closer to thest day of thepetition, Yu Xiaocao continued to increase her collection of gathered pearls. In fact, in her collection, she had managed to get some pink and deep purple pearls! Every pearl she had gathered was worth quite a bit and she didn¡¯t even need to bring pearl oysters up to shore to get them. That way, none of the pearl oysters she got the pearls from had to needlessly die to give up their contents.


    The seafloor was the home of pearl oysters. The vast majority of pearl oysters in the deep waters of the ocean usually were opened,zily ¡®sunning¡¯ their tender inner flesh. Thus, it was easy to see in a nce whether or not they had any pearls in them. However, these creatures were quite sensitive and would immediately close if they sensed any movement in the nearby waters to protect themselves.


    However, didn¡¯t Yu Xiaocao have the little divine stone as her cheat item on hand? Even if the pearl oysters shut themselves tightly, she was easily able to use a drop of mystic-stone water to bait them into enthusiastically opening and weing this ¡®guest who offered presents¡¯. Using a drop of mystic-stone to exchange for a pretty good quality pearl was a business transaction that was satisfactory to both participants.


    During thepetition, Zhuang Xiaomo had a pretty smooth time. Although he didn¡¯t get any pearls that he was hoping for so far, he hadn¡¯t encountered any dangerous situations that he couldn¡¯t resolve. The most thrilling time was when he had a brief encounter with a group of sharks. Luckily, those sharks hadn¡¯t sensed him. Otherwise, it was likely that Older Brother Jiang would end up pulling up a savaged bodyter on.


    In actuality, what had actually happened was that Yu Xiaocao had lured away that school of sharks using mystic-stone water. Sharks were animals that had a keen sense of smell. If only one lone shark had missed Zhuang Xiaomo that could easily be believed. However, if a whole school ofrge sharks had missed him, it would only be possible if they were all blind and had lost their sense of smell. Compared to the lure of the mystic-stone water, Zhuang Xiaomo was a much less interesting target for those sharks.


    As for Zhuang Xiaomo, who didn¡¯t know what had actually happened, he thought that he was incredibly lucky and rejoiced for a long time. However, there were many dangers in the sea that the pearl divers had to look for. There were underwater whirlpools, dangerous currents, sea snakes, jellyfish, and fierce sharks. In addition, some giant pearl oysters could also end up bing the downfall for a pearl diver.


    On the final day of the pearl divingpetition, Zhuang Xiaomo had almost lost his life because of a particr pearl oyster.


    Zhuang Xiaomo had managed to find a very good stretch of pearl oysters on thest day. After taking a few round trips to and fro, he had managed to get a decent haul. Jiang Sanshan grinned during one of those interludes and said, ¡°Our haul today is quite good. Perhaps we¡¯ll get first ce in thepetition from a pearl found in one of these oysters!¡±


    His previous poor luck in finding good pearls had given a blow in his confidence. Now, Zhuang Xiaomo only thought about bringing up more pearl oysters in order to increase his chances of finding a good pearl. Thus, he continued to dive and dive again into the ocean to grab more. He didn¡¯t waste his time trying to gather the normal oysters and instead slowly swam around the reef to find the target he was looking for.


    Suddenly, there was a faint sparkle of light in the dim seafloor. A shot of happiness ran through Zhuang Xiaomo. His grandfather had once said that superior grade pearls emitted their own light. Perhaps the heavens had heard his prayer and gave him the opportunity to obtain his wish?


    He slowly swam in the direction of that light. In the depths of the coral reef, there was a gargantuan pearl oyster quietly resting on the seabed. Its shell opened out and a massive pearl appeared, resting inside the oyster. Zhuang Xiaomo felt his heart start to race and it felt like he had used up almost all of the air in his lungs. Although he was very reluctant to leave at the moment, he remembered the most important thing: a treasure was only worth it if you were alive to take it. He forcefully tugged on the rope around and was quickly towed back up.


    When Jiang Sanshan saw that he didn¡¯t have a single pearl oyster in his basket, he was a bit puzzled. He didn¡¯t have enough time to ask what happened before Zhuang Xiaomo filled his lungs with fresh air and dove deep again. Using his above-average memory, he once again approached that giant pearl oyster.


    The pearl, which wasrger than a pigeon¡¯s egg, emitted an attractive light inside the oyster. It was as if a witch had set a spell on it, making a person unable to take their eyes off of it.


    With his current arm strength and physique, it was obvious he¡¯d be unable to move that pearl oyster one inch. However, he also couldn¡¯t bear to let go of the chance to get first ce in thepetition. Before he knew it, he was stretching his hand out to grab the huge pearl that was lying within the oyster... The pearl oyster, sensing that an intruder hade, suddenly closed its shell on Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s arm, keeping it tightly within. Zhuang Xiaomo felt like his arm was being held down by a giant vice. Now that he was back to his senses, he silently realized that he was not in a good situation. He struggled desperately to pull his arm out. The more he pulled, however, the tighter the oyster mped down.


    As the precious seconds passed by, he felt the air within his chest was disappearing. Zhuang Xiaomo knew that if it continued on, he would end up suffocating fromck of oxygen in the deep ocean. He did his best to pull on the rope, hoping beyond hope that the people on the boatbined with his own strength would be able to pull him and this pearl oyster up.


    When Jiang Sanshan received the signal from the rope, he and three other strong and vigorous youths began to tug on the rope with all their might. In the past, the person below was very quickly drawn up to the surface. However, this time, no matter how hard the four of them pulled, it was as if the rope was rooted to the seafloor and didn¡¯t budge an inch.


    ¡°This is bad! Xiaomo was probably not careful and identally got stuck in a crack on the reef and can¡¯t pull his foot out. Continue to pull hard with all of your might, I¡¯m going to dive down to take a look!¡± Jiang Sanshan took off his outer garment, revealing the swimsuit beneath it. He jumped over the ship with a leap. Although his diving abilities were not asparable as Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s, he was still considered quite good within the fishermen. He followed the rope down and very quickly approached Zhuang Xiaomo. The sight that appeared before his eyes startled him. Zhuang Xiaomo hadn¡¯t gotten his foot stuck in a crack on the reef like he thought. Instead, his arm had been thoroughly trapped by a pearl oyster that wasrger than a bathtub.


    He swam over and pulled on Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s hand. The two of them used their strength to try to pull the youth¡¯s arm away from the pearl oyster. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they pulled, they were unable to free Xiaomo¡¯s wrist from the stubborn creature. Jiang Sanshan then changed his target and began to try to pry open the oyster¡¯s shell. However, the oyster¡¯s shell was like a rock door that had been tightly closed and there was no way for the man to pull it open.


    Zhuang Xiaomo transferred the pearl hunting knife he used into Jiang Sanshan¡¯s hand. The man raised the knife up high and forced it down in an attempt to cut the shell open. However, the outside hull was as hard as steel. The knife only left a small white mark on the outer shell. What was to be done? The two of them were underwater with no solutions at hand.


    At this time, Jiang Sanshan was unable toe up with a good idea and swam back up to get another breath of fresh air. He went back down to transfer the air in his mouth to Zhuang Xiaomo, whose face had already turned red in an effort to hold his breath. After a few roundtrips back and forth, Zhuang Xiaomo was temporarily no longer in danger of drowning in the deep sea. However, they still hadn¡¯t resolved the biggest problem: his wrist was still trapped by the pearl oyster. The two of them tried a multitude of methods but ultimately they failed in getting rid of this ¡®shackle¡¯.


    ¡°Saving one¡¯s life is the most important thing, how about...we chop this hand off?¡± Jiang Sanshan mimed using the knife to sever the limb but Zhuang Xiaomo vehemently shook his head in refusal.


    In terms of status, he was already way behind Xiaolian. If he lost his hand as well, how would he have the face to go to the Yu Family to ask for her hand in marriage? How would he be able to give Xiaolian a happy and stable life then? Even if Xiaolian deigned to marry down, he would feel inferior and insufficient for the rest of his life...but, if he had to renounce Xiaolian and had to watch her marry another man with his own two eyes he...would rather let his life go and rest in these dark and ice-cold waters then!


    Jiang Sanshan argued silently a bit with him and saw that the youth would rather die than sever his wrist. He swam up to see if there was another way. After discussing briefly with the other three fellows, he decided to go to the other ships to ask for help. He prayed that he¡¯d be able to find more people such that they could use their strength together to pull Xiaomo and the pearl oyster back up.


    However, the ocean was vast and endless. In order to find more pearl oysters, most of the pearl diving ships were far from the others. Furthermore, the patrolling government ship had just passed by not long ago. He had no idea when it woulde back again! Jiang Sanshan was full of anxiety at this point and hollered out to the sea, ¡°Help us ah! Someone, please help us!!¡±


    Unfortunately, the only reply he got was the sound of seagulls cawing in the air as well as the sound of the sea breeze blowing around them. Jiang Sanshan and the others had all been neighbors that Zhuang Xiaomo had saved during the Wokou pirate disaster. If Zhuang Xiaomo hadn¡¯t persisted in convincing them and bringing them to the West Mountain to hide,ter bringing them to the hidden Dongshan Vigers, it was entirely possible that they and their families would have the same fate as the other vigers in their old vige: dying grievously under the ravages of the pirates. These lucky few families now treated each other like blood-rtives, so they naturally had a close bond with each other. Despair and sorrow settled within these men. Were the heavens so cruel to take another family member away from them now?


    Ssh! A small head suddenly popped up from the water and a pair of jet-ckrge eyes glittered as they looked at the small group, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s going on? I thought I heard someone crying for help earlier!¡±

 Chapter 557 – Xiaocao Helps Out

    <h4>Chapter 557 ¨C Xiaocao Helps Out</h4>


    Like an ocean spirit, Yu Xiaocao suddenly appeared in front of Jiang Sanshan and immediately became hisst grasp at hope.


    ¡°Miss Yu! Quickly, quickly! Zhuang Xiaomo has been trapped by a giant pearl oyster on the seabed. If we¡¯re anyter, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll still be alive!!¡± Jiang Sanshan was a big, strapping, hulk of a man but he was now so worried that he was almost in tears.


    Yu Xiaocao slightly frowned and stated, ¡°You guys should continue asking for help in the surrounding area. I¡¯m going to have Xiaobu bring me down to take a look! Don¡¯t fret, perhaps it¡¯s not as bad as you think it is!¡±


    By the time Yu Xiaocao swam down, Zhuang Xiaomo, who had already given up, was unconscious fromck of air. Yu Xiaocao had the little divine stone create a bubble of air around Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s head and then forcefully made him cough up the seawater he had inhaled. Following that, she had the little divine stone imbue him with some spiritual energy to make him breathe normally again.


    Although she could use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to also do the same, this fellow was going to be her future older brother-inw. In this ancient and feudal society, using one¡¯s mouth to help a person breathe was too shocking and out of the norm. Since she had another method on hand, she decided to give up on the method that she wasn¡¯t that good at anyway.


    Zhuang Xiaomo was breathing again but hadn¡¯t regained consciousness. Yu Xiaocao fed a drop of mystic-stone water to him and then ignored him for the more pressing matter at hand. She now gave her full attention to that gargantuan pearl oyster that was trapping the youth. Since Zhuang Xiaomo had risked his life to insert his hand in the creature, there must be a pearl of immense value and size inside!


    Yu Xiaocao ended up using three drops of mystic-stone water to finally open up that crafty pearl oyster. Inside was a giant pearl. Even she felt her heart waver when she saw it. No wonder Zhuang Xiaomo would take such a risk. She retrieved the round andrge pearl from the oyster and then patted the creature¡¯s shell before she swam back to Zhuang Xiaomo.


    She thought for a bit and then stuffed that giant pearl into his hand and then ced a purple pearl she had just gathered into his other one. Colored pearls were quite rare and purple was an auspicious and precious color. With those two added together, he should have no problems getting first ce, right? After finishing this, she pulled on the rope that tethered Zhuang Xiaomo to the boat.


    ¡°Older Brother Jiang, Older Brother Jiang!! The rope is moving again!¡± A young man who was a few years older than Zhuang Xiaomo had been watching the rope like a hawk this entire time. At this time, he was quite agitated from excitement.


    Jiang Sanshan had been yelling for a bit and his voice was quite hoarse now. When he saw this, he hollered at the younger man, ¡°What are you waiting for ah? Quickly pull it up!¡±


    The four men used all of their might to pull¡ª¡ªit moved! Pure joy flowed through Jiang Sanshan and he yelled loudly, ¡°Faster, faster ah!! Perhaps we can still save Xiaomo!!¡±


    They very quickly pulled the rope onto the boat and the four of them all reached out to carry Zhuang Xiaomo onto the vessel. Jiang Sanshan immediately ced a hand underneath the unconscious youth¡¯s nose and could feel him breathing. He then crouched down to listen to Xiaomo¡¯s chest and everything seemed normal.


    This was quite odd. Although he had transferred some air to Zhuang Xiaomo prior to surfacing, that bit of air should have been all used up by now. Also, didn¡¯t people normally breathe in water when they became unconscious underwater? Quite a few questions circled around Jiang Sanshan¡¯s mind.


    Immediately following the rescue, Yu Xiaocao had been delivered back to the surface with the help of Xiaobu. Although Jiang Sanshan had no idea how she managed to open that giant pearl oyster, he still sincerely thanked her for her help.


    Yu Xiaocao waved a hand dismissively, ¡°In actuality, I wasn¡¯t that much help. By the time I swam down, Older Brother Xiaomo was already unconscious and that giant oyster was already slowly opening itself back up. I only waited a bit. Once the oyster waspletely open, I helped him to pull on the rope that¡¯s all...eh? Older Brother Xiaomo seems to have something in his hand, right?¡±


    Jiang Sanshan and the other three people immediately turned their attention to Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s hand. They used a bit of force to pry open his hand and were instantly stunned by what they saw¡ª¡ªit was a giant pearl and it had to berger than a pigeon¡¯s egg!!


    Just as they were sighing over the specimen, Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s hand twitched and he slowly woke up. Jiang Sanshan shook him emotionally and his voice trembled as he said, ¡°Xiaomo, you¡¯re finally awake!! Look, look, you did it!! You finally got a superior graderge pearl!!¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo felt like his mind was in a fog and, for a moment, he had no idea where he was right now. He...wasn¡¯t dreaming ah? He didn¡¯t die? Also, wasn¡¯t the pearl in Older Brother Jiang¡¯s hands the pearl that he had seen in that giant pearl oyster that had trapped him? What happened? Did Older Brother Jiang bring someone over to save him and also bring the pearl up with them?


    After Jiang Sanshan emotionally described the series of events that had just passed, Zhuang Xiaomo was even more confused. Logically, that pearl oyster would not have easily opened and allowed his hand toe out. How could it just randomly allow him to escape after just a short period of time? This...was truly out of the norm!


    Eh? What did he have in his left hand? Zhuang Xiaomo discovered that there was something in his other hand and slowly opened it up. The fright on his face deepened a few fractions. A purple pearl? He only remembered that the giant pearl oyster seemed to have a big white pearl that wasrger than a pigeon egg. Now, where did this purple pearle from? Everyone else stared at the other pearl, spellbound.


    ¡°Wow! Xiaomo, you are truly too skilled. You even came across a purple pearl. Those noble and wealthy people really love purple colored items. This pearl must be worth a lot of money, right?¡± One of the younger men grabbed the purple pearl and carefully appreciated it. His eyes shone with a fascinated light.


    Another young man nodded his head in agreement, ¡°I heard the older generation say that many years ago, there was another pearl diver named Grandpa Lu, who was just as skilled as your grandpa, Xiaomo. He came across a purple pearl that was much smaller than this but sold it for around eight thousand taels ah. His whole family moved to the prefectural city and they bought a store to do business. They¡¯re doing quite well now. Xiaomo, you¡¯ve hit the jackpot this time!¡±


    Jiang Sanshan waited until that pearl had made a round through everyone on the boat before carefully giving it back to Zhuang Xiaomo. He suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°Earlier, Miss Xiaocao had swam over along with her dolphin friend, Xiaobu. She was the one who dove down and discovered that the oyster had let you go and pulled the rope for you to allow us to bring you back up. Eh? Howe I don¡¯t see Miss Xiaocao around anymore?¡±


    The young man, who mentioned that Zhuang Xiaomo had hit it big, chuckled and said, ¡°She has a dolphin bring her around, so who knows how far they¡¯ve swam by now! Miss Xiaocao¡¯s swimming abilities are even better than Xiaomo¡¯s. There¡¯s no need for us to worry needlessly about her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so let¡¯s go back to the port ah! Xiaomo, you should have your body checked out by a doctor when we¡¯re back onnd to make sure you haven¡¯t harmed anything during the interlude.¡± Jiang Sanshan had asked for Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s opinion before making a decision. The group of five directed their ship back home.


    Zhuang Xiaomo vaguely knew within his heart that the purple pearl in his hand definitely was rted to Xiaocao in some way. Since she chose such a surreptitious method to help him, it was likely she didn¡¯t want anyone else to know about her involvement. Then...he should just pretend nothing had happened, right?


    Ever since he moved to Dongshan Vige, Uncle and Auntie Yu treated him like he was their own biological son. From the conversations he had with Xiaolian and the other family members, he discovered that everyone in the family had an unspoken trust in Xiaocao. Furthermore, this type of trust wasn¡¯t reliant on her actions and abilities and instead seemed like a blind trust. Even if Xiaocao had somehow plucked the moon from the sky, they wouldn¡¯t seem the least bit surprised.


    Furthermore, from his observations, all of Xiaocao¡¯s abilities and skills seemed to havee from nowhere. For example, the recipes for her cooking. She imed that she had picked up an old book and learned from it. However, no one in the Yu Family had ever seen this book. Another example would be the greenhouse-grown vegetables that Xiaocao came up with. No one in the Great Ming Dynasty had ever heard of such an idea, so where did she learn how to do this? In addition, it seemed like that no matter what the Yu Family grew, they always seemed to get a higher yield than other people and their products also tasted better. Even the most ordinary cabbage that they grew was more fresh and tastypared to the other cabbages on the market. From what the Yu Family mentioned, he knew that it seemed to have some sort of connection to Xiaocao as well. Xiaocao was like a little immortal girl who hade down to earth. No matter what sort of problem there was, she never seemed to have an issue resolving it.


    Then, wasn¡¯t the reason why he was able to escape with his life today rted to her? Also, there was that purple pearl...it must have been that she could tell that he desperately wanted to win, so she decided to give a rare pearl that she had found herself to him.


    Sigh...originally he had thought that he could rely on his own efforts to let the Yu Family regard him better. In the end, he still had to rely on the Yu Family. In fact, his own life had been saved by a member from the Yu Family. Zhuang Xiaomo silently vowed that if he had the fortune to be able to marry Xiaolian as his wife, he would definitely treat her as a precious treasure. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t let her suffer one little bit!


    Yu Xiaocao, who had no idea of theplicated thoughts that were going through Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s mind, was currently swimming freely on the quiet ocean floor, hunting for pearls. With the little divine stone¡¯s air bubble protection plus its sensing abilities, she was able to find pearls quite easily. In fact, pearls that were smaller than the first segment of a thumb were deemed too small for her to get.


    There were countless pearl oysters avable that had their shellszily opened, waiting to see if she was willing to take their treasures or not. It was as if she was perusing a glittering and fantastical jewelry shop that allowed her to carefully pick and choose what she wanted. In addition, this shop also didn¡¯t require you to pay anything.


    ¡°Are there still any more pink pearls around?¡± Yu Xiaocao gazed into her pouch full of pearls and greedily asked the little divine stone.


    The little divine stone morphed into its kitten form and paddled its four tiny legs in the water. It looked incredibly adorable as it swam through the ocean. It rolled its eyes at its master, who was getting pickier and pickier with time, and then swam over to arge pearl oyster that was about the size of a wash basin and waved a paw at it. The pearl oyster obligingly opened and inside, hiding, was a sparkling pale pink pearl that now revealed itself to Xiaocao. The pearl seemed to float up, as if it was being towed by an invisible hand, and headed towards Xiaocao.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, that¡¯s a great one! I still need two more and I¡¯ll have enough to make a bracelet. Then, Xiaolian and I will both have one. These types of pink pearls are the best color for young maidens our age.¡± Yu Xiaocao moved the pearl next to her arm to show off how good it looked against her skin. The pale pink color of the jewel contrasted beautifully with the color of her skin.


    The two of them, along with the dolphin, continued to swim leisurely through the water, going deeper into the ocean to search for more pearls. As they swam, Xiaocao suddenly hit a transparent ss-like barrier and bounced off.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Yu Xiaocao squinted her eyes to look at the water in front of her. She couldn¡¯t see anything. She carefully stretched out a hand to feel the space in front of her and found out that there truly was a transparent material there that didn¡¯t allow her to pass through.

 Chapter 558 – A Fantasy

    <h4>Chapter 558 ¨C A Fantasy</h4>


    The little divine stone had found another ck pearl and delivered it up to its master using a small kitten¡¯s paw. When it saw that her attention was taken up by the barrier and was full of curiosity, it reminded her, ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve arrived at the barrier of the Dragon King¡¯s Pce.¡±


    ¡°Barrier? Isn¡¯t that a term that only appears in the stories about gods and heroes?¡± Yu Xiaocao took the ck pearl in passing and stuffed it into her bulging pouch as she asked in an astonished manner.


    ¡°Then do you think that I, this divine stone, should only appear in the stories about legends and not appear before you ah?¡± The little divine stone rolled its eyes at her so hard that its eyes almost rolled out of its head.


    Yu Xiaocao scratched the back of her head and chuckled sheepishly, ¡°What you say makes sense! Also, me transmigrating over to here is also something that science cannot exin.¡±


    ¡°Science? Pffftt¡ª¡ª¡± The little divine stone snorted disdainfully. Science was only something that those bored human mortals came up with in order to describe the world around them in a wed manner. What atheism, it was all such bull...fart, ahem ahem! Alright, it didn¡¯t really matter what the humans believed. None of it had any impact on it. It needed to keep its mouth shut in order to avoid getting censored. Hold one¡¯s tongue, hold one¡¯s tongue!


    In the little divine stone¡¯s eyes, every independent realm, that is, what the novels described as separate dimensions, had threeyers to it that housed different beings. This particr realm was truly too lowly and it must have been created by the Goddess of Spirits on a whim in her early days. The human world had very little spiritual energy so there were very few people who could cultivate here. From thest time it visited the God of Thunder and Goddess of Lightning here, the so-called upperyer here, ifpared to the realm that it originally lived in, could only be considered a small ce full of small fry.


    The little divine stone used its tiny w to gently push at the barrier and discovered that with its current level of spiritual energy, it was very easy for it to open. This barrier was truly quite trash!


    ¡°I, this divine stone, am able to send you through the barrier. Do you have any interest in exploring around the pce of the Dragon King?¡± The little divine stone¡¯s golden eyes nced at Xiaocao as it asked arrogantly.


    Explore around the pce of the Dragon King? Yu Xiaocao shrunk back and refused without even thinking about it. One must forgive her for being gutless. After all, she was currently on her second chance of life and didn¡¯t want to lose it for a moment of curiosity. She was quite satisfied with her current state of life now!


    The only thing she knew about the Dragon King came from stories like ¡®Nezha Conquers the Dragon King¡¯ and ¡®Journey to the West¡¯. Who knew what kind of tempers the dragon king, his daughters, sons, and grandchildren had? In fact, when she first arrived at the capital, she had been rejected and isted by all of the noble young maidens. How could the realm of the dragon king be any different? It was possible she might even die without knowing what had happened to her!


    The little divine stone snorted disdainfully when it saw how cowardly and cautious she was. However, it did have to admit that with its current powers, it was able to do whatever it wanted in the mortal realm but it may not be able to protect Xiaocaopletely in a more godly realm. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing that it had a cowardly master to follow.


    ¡°Eh? Who are you guys? Howe I¡¯ve never seen you guys before?¡± Suddenly, before Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, an adorable little face appeared in the ocean waters. The creature hadrge, doe-like eyes, a pointy chin, long violet hair, and two little horns at the top of its head¡ª¡ªthe horns resembled a young deer¡¯s antlers that had just sprouted.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at this young maiden with horns on her head and saw that herrge eyes were filled with curiosity and good will. Xiaocao revealed a brilliant smile and replied, ¡°I am...a pearl diving girl and I¡¯m swimming in the ocean to gather pearls!¡± As she talked, she showed the other girl her pouch full of pearls.


    ¡°Pearl diving girl? Ah! Then aren¡¯t you a mortal from the human world?¡± The young maiden looked quite excited and went forward to get closer but ended up getting repelled by the barrier.


    ¡°Just what is going on here?¡± The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face didn¡¯t waver one iota but she was inwardly quite furious at the little divine stone. This girl¡¯s sudden appearance absolutely had to do something with the stone.


    The little divine stoneughed sheepishly, [Earlier, when this divine stone opened up the barrier, you didn¡¯t want to go in so I had to seal it again. Perhaps the method I used to seal it is different from the methods used in that world, so...this is why something like this has happened.]


    Yu Xiaocao frowned and silently asked the stone, ¡°Are you sure the barrier you put up works ah? What if the fish and shrimp that have reached a higher state in the Dragon King¡¯s world secretlye over and cause problems for humans here? Wouldn¡¯t I be the criminal who has harmed all of the people here?¡±


    The little divine stone¡¯s voice was filled with displeasure as it replied, [You actually dare to doubt this divine stone¡¯s abilities! Let me tell you ah, even if the old barrier between the worlds gets broken, this divine stone¡¯s barrier won¡¯t!]


    ¡°Eh? Is this the legendary kitten? Kittens can swim in the water ah? Its fur is golden and shining and it¡¯s so small. How adorable ah!¡± The young maiden with horns saw a tiny golden kitten using its paw to knock on the barrier between their worlds in a quite furious manner. The glowing excitement in her eyes deepened perceptibly.


    ¡°Pearl diver girl, can you tell me some stories from the human world ah? Ever since my third older brother secretly came out and was murdered by a human named Nezha, my royal father reinforced the barrier between our worlds. Us siblings, who were bornter, are all not allowed to secretly go into the human world to y like our older brothers and sisters did. I really want to know what the human world is like.¡± The young maiden¡¯s eyes were filled with longing and it was hard for anyone to refuse her request.


    Yu Xiaocao would have never expected that her transmigration story, which led her to be a farming expert, would suddenly morph into a fantasy. If she wasn¡¯t wrong about her guess, she was pretty sure that this young girl was the youngest daughter of the Dragon King. Was it also boring to spend one¡¯s entire life in the ocean ah?


    Thus, she kindly described a few defining features of what the world was like onshore and also told the other girl a few interesting stories. Although it was all ordinary things she talked about, the young maiden seemed absolutely fascinated and repeatedly sighed, ¡°The ways humans live their lives are too interesting. If I could break the barrier between the worlds and visit the human world to look, that would be too good! Older Sister Xiaocao, I really want to give you some pearls and let you win the pearl divingpetition. However, this stupid barrier...¡±


    [Not a problem, give them to me!] As soon as she finished speaking, a golden cat paw stretched out in front of her. A beautiful pouch that was embroidered with orchids on it dangled from the paw.


    The young dragon maiden¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock and she asked in surprise, ¡°Howe it can go through? Older Sister Xiaocao, can you also go over? Come over and y with me ah. I¡¯m the youngest in the family and they all have their own things to do and don¡¯t y with me...¡±


    ¡°If someone like you who has magical powers can¡¯te through, how can I, a mere mortal, go through?¡± Yu Xiaocao stretched out her hand and let it bounce off the barrier. She shrugged and revealed a helpless expression on her face.


    The little dragon maiden was so unhappy that she started to pout and drooped her head down. Even the little horns on her head seemed to be less luminous and livelypared to before. Suddenly, she reached out a hand and held tightly onto the little divine stone¡¯s w and a rascally smile appeared on her face, ¡°Older Sister Xiaocao, how about you leave your cat behind to apany me? That should work, right?¡±


    However, the smile on her face soon congealed. Apparently, other than that golden kitten¡¯s paw, the rest of it couldn¡¯t go through the barrier. She didn¡¯t dare to use all of her strength as she was afraid she¡¯d hurt the little cat, so she could only helplessly let the little paw go.


    The little dragon maiden used all of her strength to hit the barrier and then used all of her magic power to hit the barrier in the vicinity of the little divine stone¡¯s paw. However, it was no use. The barrier stayed strong and continued to stay an imprable wall between the two of them.


    In the end, the young dragon girl let her head hang down dispiritedly and took out a pouch made of an unknown material. She ced it near the barrier and said to Xiaocao, ¡°This pouch probably has twenty to thirty pearls. I don¡¯t know for sure since I never bothered to count them. Usually, when I¡¯m bored, I use them like marbles to y. Go take them to your pearlpetition, okay? I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll be able to see you in the future...¡±


    ¡°In a few days, I¡¯ll be going back to the capital, so...you need to cultivate hard. Once you¡¯re strong enough to travel across worlds, I¡¯ll dly wee you in the capital! It¡¯s gettingte now. If I don¡¯t go home now, my family will worry about me!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that the little divine stone¡¯s paw had alreadye back with that multicolored gorgeous pouch. Thus, she reluctantly said her farewells to the young dragon maiden.


    When she turned around to nce at the little dragon maiden, who looked like a pathetic little dog who had been thrown away by its owner, Yu Xiaocao hardened her heart and waved a hand at her. They had only met each other for a short moment and had be friends, but she didn¡¯t know if she would ever see her again. Then, she turned andy on Xiaobu and swiftly swam back towards shore.


    Xiaocao¡¯s casual polite remark had be a promise in the naive and pure dragon maiden¡¯s eyes. She originally had a cultivating talent that was only seen once every ten thousand years for the dragon race. However, she loved to y and wasckadaisical about training. She spent a lot of time fishing and sunning. Despite that, her cultivation speed still wasn¡¯t slow.


    Ever since she made a ¡®date¡¯ with Older Sister Xiaocao, the young dragon maiden suddenly became serious about practicing cultivation. She worked hard every day and spent time in closed-door cultivation to get more powerful. By the time she reached a state that other people envied and was able to travel between worlds, she impatiently left the ocean and arrived at the capital.


    She excitedly asked after Yu Xiaocao¡¯s whereabouts and had finally been led into the prince¡¯s residence. There, she saw Older Sister Xiaocao, who was now over a hundred years old and had wrinkles all over her face. The young dragon maiden could still vaguely see that sweet and adorable little maiden in the wrinkled and aged face in front of her.


    As for Yu Xiaocao, who was on her deathbed, she had never expected that one casual remark from her would cause this adorable and naive young dragon maiden to assiduously train for a hundred years. She also didn¡¯t expect that right before she died, she would be able to be reunited with that friend who she had a brief encounter with but would never forget. The young dragon maiden took out the embroidered orchid pouch that had already faded with time and been roughened up. Yu Xiaocao also trembled as she took out the colored pouch that was made with an unknown material and ced it into the dragon maiden¡¯s hand.


    The young dragon maiden was still as cute and sweet-looking as she was when she first encountered her. However, Xiaocao had already reached the end of her life. Gods and humans truly had a difference in lifespans. However, she didn¡¯t envy the immortals and didn¡¯t regret transmigrating over because, in this life, she had parents and siblings who loved her and a husband who doted on her like a loyal dog. She also had filial and obedient descendents.


    She was most grateful for that little divine stone, who had sent her over and also helped her for her entire life. Without it, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to live her legendary life...


    After sping her hand with the young dragon maiden, Xiaocao slowly closed her eyes and let go. Her descendents, who were all kneeling around her bed, began to weep. Suddenly, a golden light came out of her deceased body and shot out. Under the amazed looks of everyone there, it circled a few times in the room and then escaped into the sky, never to be seen.

 Chapter 559 – Lies and the Truth

    <h4>Chapter 559 ¨C Lies and the Truth</h4>


    Naturally, all of this urred around a hundred yearster. Since meeting the young dragon maiden caused Xiaocao to tarry, she was currently being scolded roundly by her family and Royal Prince Yang for staying out for so long.


    ¡°You said that you were having so much fun with the little dolphin that you forgot the time? You¡¯re not a child anymore but you don¡¯t know toe home when it gets dark. Do you know just how worried we all were when we didn¡¯t see youe back thiste? Do you know that if you didn¡¯te back now, this prince would have sent out ships to patrol and search for you tonight?!!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t surprising that Zhu Junyang was angry. This was the final day of the pearl divingpetition. Since he needed to judge the results, by the time he got back to Dongshan Vige, it was alreadypletely dark. When he found out that Xiaocao hadn¡¯t gone back then, how could he not be worried?


    In addition, Zhuang Xiaomo, who had won first ce in thepetition, told him that when he had gone back to shore, Xiaocao had still been in the ocean ying around with her dolphin friend. At that time, it was already sunset. The sea at night looked tranquil but there were a lot of hidden waves and currents.


    When the whole family heard this, they almost became crazy from anxiety. Although Xiaocao¡¯s swimming abilities were quite good, it wasn¡¯t as if she was idly frolicking in the pool at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ or the pond behind their home. Instead, she was ying in the dangerous ocean. No matter how smart the little dolphin was, if they encountered any sharks or other fierce beasts, it would be hard pressed to save itself let alone protect Xiaocao.


    As the moon rose higher and higher and the stars illuminated the dark blue sky, there was still no word of Yu Xiaocao. Madam Liu and Xiaolian both started to weep from worry and Yu Hai and Yu Hang had already changed into swimsuits. They were nning on going to the areas that Xiaocao usually liked to y in to find her. Zhu Junyang had Bodyguard Dong bring over his horse in preparation to go docks to get the fleet put under hismand. Even if he had to search the entire night, he needed to find either the live person or a dead body...


    The whole family was about to go crazy when Xiaocao, holding her little golden kitten, suddenly appeared before them. When they asked, they found out that she had been having too much fun ying around and forgot the time!


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao, from what this prince knows about you, you¡¯re not that type of person. Are you not telling the whole truth about what happened to dy you until now?¡± Zhu Junyang deeply inhaled a breath in an effort to calm himself down and not let his temper spill over.


    Yu Xiaocao also knew that no one would believe this weak excuse of hers. However, if she told the truth and said that she had been distracted by the Dragon King¡¯s youngest daughter and had been telling her about the mundane world, who would believe that? In any case, if someone told her that story earlier in the day, she would have pped them silly for telling such a foolish story¡ª¡ªjust how stupid did they think the other person was?


    ¡±Zhu Junyang saw that she refused to tell the truth and was even curling her lip. He couldn¡¯t help but grab onto her shoulder and shake her a few times, ¡°Just what is it? Just what are you hiding that you can¡¯t tell us? The people here are the ones closest to you. Why can¡¯t you believe in us?¡±


    Her refusal to tell the truth made Zhu Junyang unable to stop himself from thinking more. A young maiden,ing back veryte, who refused to tell the truth of what happened...was it possible that Xiaocao encountered a bad person and was...harmed, so that she...


    When he got to that thought, Zhu Junyang felt his whole body shudder. He had been protecting his little treasure and keeping her safe as she slowly grew up, making sure to never go too far. However...however...an aura of fury exploded from his body and everyone in the room couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang! Zhu Ruizhi!!! Wake up, wake up!!¡± Yu Xiaocao instantly could tell that something was wrong and she pulled on Zhu Junyang¡¯s hand while patting his face gently with her other hand. She had personally watched as the Wu Family¡¯s ¡®demolition¡¯ had happened and she didn¡¯t want her family¡¯s residence, which had only been recently built in the past few years, to also be destroyed by his ¡®presence¡¯.


    The soft and icy cold hand on his face returned a bit of reason back to him. He forcefully clenched his hands into two fists and didn¡¯t even feel his nails digging into his flesh. He felt like he needed to be considerate of the little girl¡¯s frail and tender feelings and lowered his voice to say, ¡°No worries, no matter what happened, this prince will make sure to stay by your side. Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here! I will absolutely make sure to rip the person who hurt you into ten thousand pieces!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yu Xiaocao, who had been tightly embraced by him, didn¡¯t know whether she should cry orugh as she used a hand to pat his back, hinting that he should let her go. This fellow¡¯s imagination was a bit too strong, right? He actually thought that she had been...however, didn¡¯t the ancient people take chastity and celibacy quite seriously ah? Even though Zhu Junyang thought something of that magnitude had happened to her, he still tried tofort her through his anger. This truly showed just what a treasure he was.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang, I am seriously telling you that I am perfectly fine! When I left Older Brother Xiaomo¡¯s boat, I truly spent the rest of the time in the ocean and didn¡¯te ashore!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked directly into his eyes and stated the facts solemnly.


    Zhu Junyang gripped Xiaocao¡¯s wrist to feel her pulse. Her calm and steady heartbeat told him that she wasn¡¯t lying. The pressure that had been choking his heart seemed to disappear and it felt like a ten thousand catty stone had fallen down. However, if that was the case, then what was she doing this whole time in the ocean? Why didn¡¯t shee back before it got so dark?


    Yu Hai noticed that his youngest daughter had been looking into Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eyes for a bit of time and hurriedly cleared his throat, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, Cao¡¯er is still half a child, so it¡¯s quite normal for her to want to y as much as she can. In a bit, her mother and I will definitely scold her properly.¡±


    ¡°This prince wasn¡¯t angry, I was just worried about her, that¡¯s all!¡± Zhu Junyang let go of the littless¡¯s right hand but still kept her left hand in his as he said, ¡°Xiaocao, this prince doesn¡¯t want to worry about you and also have to hear lies too.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and sent her maidservants as well as Zhu Junyang¡¯s bodyguards out. Only after they left did she remark yfully, ¡°Alright ah, since all of you want to know why I came backte, I¡¯ll tell the truth then!¡±


    Everyone perked up and began to listen with an attentive ear. Xiaocao vaguely outlined what had happened, ¡°The little dolphin brought me to a secret ce in the sea. There, I encountered the youngest daughter of the Dragon King. She wanted me to spend some time with her to chat, which was why I came back sote! It¡¯s that simple, ok? Do you all believe me?¡±


    If it were anyone else telling this story, Zhu Junyang would have long scolded the person for giving a bad excuse that no one would believe. However, the pulse underneath his hand didn¡¯t change its steady beat one bit. Thus, he had to believe this somewhat ridiculous and absurd exnation. He looked at everyone in the Yu Family. Although they all looked quite shocked, not a single one rebutted Xiaocao¡¯s story. What did that mean? It meant that they had already taken her excuse as fact, even though it was an outrageous story!


    He had long suspected that Xiaocao had a giant secret. Perhaps...she was truly like what the rumors imed, that she was the reincarnated form of a little immortal girl or dragon girl? If that was true, then it wasn¡¯t so weird that she could encounter a creature like the young dragon maiden in the sea then!


    Once again, Zhu Junyang pulled Xiaocao into his chest and tightly held onto her as if he was afraid that as soon as he let go, she would fly away into the sky, never to be seen again. He muttered endlessly, ¡°This prince knows you have a lot of secrets but I will respect you and not force you to tell me. However, listen up, this prince will do everything within my power to keep you by my side. No matter how great the enemy is or whether I have to make the Heavens themselves my enemy, I will do so. Remember, I won¡¯t ever let you go!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t touched by this vow of his, but this fellow¡¯s imagination was truly a bit too active. Just what was going on in that head of his, ah? Yu Xiaocao could sense the disapproving looks her parents were sending them and hurriedly pushed Zhu Junyang away. In a voicemonly used to soothe children, she cated him, ¡°Alright ah, alright ah! My career and businesses are going quite well and my life is very enjoyable the way it is right now. How could I possibly bear to let everything go and leave? Don¡¯t worry, other than the God of Death, no one else can possibly take me away!¡±


    The God of Death? If the god wanted to take his littless away, he needed to get past him first. Although it was unlikely that he was the opponent of the Death God, he would still choose to fight to death for her! Zhu Junyang held onto the littless¡¯s delicate and soft hand and he felt energy rush into his heart.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know that her casual mention of the God of Death had once again provoked the overactive imagination of a certain someone. She suddenly remembered that she had missed the end of thergepetition and asked enthusiastically, ¡°Who¡¯s going to tell me what happened at the end of the pearl divingpetition today?¡±


    Xiaolian revealed a somewhat shy and bashful smile as she said, ¡°Older Brother Xiaomo had a pearl that wasrger than a pigeon¡¯s egg. Whether it was the size or shape of the pearl, it was still the best out of all of the ones presented there. Other than the pearl that gave him first ce, he also came across a purple pearl and it was bought by Royal Prince Yang for twenty thousand taels. Younger Sister, when you go back to the capital, help me keep an eye out for any suitable residences or shops up for sale there!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Our family is nning on opening a business in the capital? Right ah! I should have thought of this earlier! In the future, once younger brother ces first in the imperial exams and bes an official at court, our family needs to have more properties and areas in the capital ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately misinterpreted her sister¡¯s request and repeatedly nodded her head.


    Xiaolian became even more embarrassed and hurriedly shook her head, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it! It¡¯s...Older Brother Xiaomo who wants to use his prize money to buy a shop and residence there...¡±


    ¡°Xiaolian, how can you butt into Older Brother Xiaomo¡¯s affairs? Just what type of rtionship do the two of you have?¡± Xiaocao had a wicked look on her face and even deliberately raised an eyebrow to tease her older sister.


    Xiaolian red at her helplessly and stamped her feet, ¡°So annoying! I¡¯m not going to pay attention to you anymore!!¡± After she finished, she fled back to her room with her head lowered and refused toe out.


    Madam Liu used a finger to tap her youngest daughter¡¯s head andughingly said, ¡°You ah! You know that Xiaolian gets embarrassed easily yet you still try to tease her! However, that child Xiaomo truly is quite good and even said that the properties he¡¯s going to buy in the capital will be under Xiaolian¡¯s name.¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo was truly showing his intentions now. His actions were simr to a boyfriend in the modern times buying a house and writing his girlfriend¡¯s name on the housing deed. This at least showed just how highly he valued Xiaolian in his heart.


    ¡°No worries, we won¡¯t be taking advantage of him. When Xiaolian gets married, we will just add more to her dowry then!¡± Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit. When the time came, she was nning on giving her shares of the braised food shop in the capital that she had jointly opened with the emperor emeritus to Xiaolian as a part of her dowry. At that time, if the married couple wanted to live in the capital, they would have an extra source of ie.


    ¡°Oh right, I also experienced what it was like to dive for pearls today and got quite a haul!¡± Yu Xiaocao took out her embroidered pouch and poured out the contents. Although the pearls she got were not asrge as the giant one Zhuang Xiaomo had encountered, they were all still quite big and were considered superior grade pearls. The pink ones were especially good and were rarely seen usually.

 Chapter 560 – Planning Her Hairpin Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 560 ¨C nning Her Hairpin Ceremony</h4>


    Seeing the whole table full of simrly sized pearls that were even bigger than a thumbnail, Zhu Junyang suddenly said, ¡°Are these pearls...gifts from the young dragon maiden that you met?¡±


    ¡°You can consider it that way!¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately smiled in a mysterious manner. In truth, she wanted to say, ¡®The pearls that the young dragon maiden had given me are all still in my pocket.¡¯ She had not dared to take them out, for fear of shocking others with the pearls that were about the same size as small chicken eggs.


    The Pearl Hunting Competition this time was considered quite sessful. They had managed to find several thumb nail-sized pearls. Including the ones that they had bought while they were in the capital, and some of the smaller pearls, there were enough to make a pearl crown. The value of the crown increased by another fold when the purple pearl that symbolized grace and eminence was ced in the center of the crown.


    Anyway, during Princess Consort Duan¡¯s birthday celebration, she wore this crown and outshone all her guests, stunning the nobledies of the capital. What made others envy her more, was that aside from this crown, the Imperial Pce had also given her a bright, sunset-red coral that was as tall as a person. She had put it on disy in the middle of the hall for everyone to admire, earning praises from noble rankingdies for raising a filial son.


    Only Imperial Prince Duan and the princess consort were aware that this red coral disy was actually obtained by Yu Xiaocao, that littless, when she went diving. It was rare to find a girl with such disregard of fame and fortune at such a young age, that she would privately offer the coral to the emperor as tribute, and, though his ¡®hands¡¯, give this extremely valuable gift to them.


    Princess Consort Duan was now even more curious toward this littless who she had never met before. For a girl who was born into a farmer¡¯s family, she was not petty at all, and her bearing was even better than the noble maidens of the capital. Moreover, she had remarkable skills in medicine. She heard that Yu Xiaocao had learnt all of this from a barefoot doctor in the countryside, and that her skills were no worse than the families well-known for their medicinal prowess. In fact, she maybe even better, as even Imperial Prince Duan¡¯s damaged body was already slowly recovering from her nursing.


    From the little girl¡¯s skilled hands in medicine, it was clear that her teacher must have been a master of medicine who had secluded himself away from the world. Many had guessed that he was the disciple of the Medicine King Valley that the previous dynasty had annihted. ording to the rumors, the disciples of the Medicine King Valley could do the impossible¡ªthey knew ways to revive the dead and even the secret to immortality. The emperor of the previous dynasty had coveted this, and that had directly caused the annihtion of the whole Medicine King Valley.


    Many had guessed that the Medicine King Valley should still have a few disciples who survived because they had left to gain experience outside of the valley. However, they were now keeping a low profile and secluding themselves deep within mountain forests and in packed cities. It was just that no one was aware of their true identity. As such, Doctor You, who had given Xiaocao enlightenment in medicine, had be a reclusive master in the words of others. As for his disciple, Xiaocao, although she had only learned the bare basics of concocting medicine and wellness, it was enough for her to be praised by others.


    It had to be said that the public had quite the imagination. They found logical exnations for Xiaocao¡¯s ¡®cheat¡¯ medicines and medicinal diets, and in effect, she was saved from a lot of exnation.


    At Princess Consort Duan¡¯s birthday banquet, Yu Xiaocao held a very low profile, only giving her a set of cream that she had personally made. Her seat was also ced among the young maidens who she was close to. There were also some who she had seen before but had not had much interaction with. All in all, they got along quite well.


    In the circle of well-bred, youngdies of the capital, although there would still asionally be people who made sour remarks, the majority of the people still had good words to chip in for Xiaocao. They said that she was kind and easy to get along with, very generous towards the people who she considered her friends, and really knew how to hold refreshing gatherings. Compared to those tea banquets and flower banquets where they only sat around and talked, activities like fruit picking, hunting and beacbing seemed so much more refreshing to the youngdies of prestigious families who had only known one source of entertainment.


    During the banquet, Liang Jiahui, the granddaughter of the Grand Preceptor, saw that Xiaocao seemed quite approachable, so she asked probingly, ¡°Miss Yu, I heard that it¡¯s about the season that the fruits in your family¡¯s orchard ripen. Do you have any ns of holding an orchard gathering this year?¡±


    The youngest daughter of Imperial Prince Sa, Zhu Yaner, was a little glutton. Upon hearing this, she finally dropped her chopsticks and raised her head with sparkles in her eyes¡ªher excitement evident in her expression. Previously, she had only heard rumors of this mysterious Official Yu, and thought that Xiaocao was a person who was vengeful and hard to approach.


    After interacting with her today, she found that she was actually quite an amiable and interesting person. The delicacies that she mentioned, and her interesting stories from her time at the beach became the little girl¡¯s yearning. The young girl regretted that she got to know her toote, which had caused her to miss out on the previous beach gathering. However, it shouldn¡¯t be toote now. She should be invited to the next orchard gathering, right?


    With Xiaocao¡¯s status of a royal princess, the youngdies at this table were either rtives of the imperial family, or the daughters and granddaughters of first-ranked court officials who were usually quite haughty. However, after hearing He Wanning¡¯s stories of collecting seashells at the beach, the underwater adventure and the pearl huntingpetition, all of them started to long for events like this. The life of young girls could actually be so exciting!


    Especially when they heard Xiaocao mention that the person who won third ce in the pearl harvestingpetition was actually just a fifteen-year-old girl. They started to think that perhaps being born in a fisherman¡¯s family and living a carefree life would be much more interesting than being cooped up indoors and learning the four arts every day.


    However, the freedom in their eyes was just part of the struggles of the livelihood of a daughter born into a fisherman¡¯s family. In the eyes of the daughters of fishermen, these girls who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths were the ones who should be envied. If one wasn¡¯t a fish, how would one know how much a fish would envy a human¡¯s joy?


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s circle of friends widened considerably after Princess Consort Duan¡¯s birthday banquet. There was the daughter of Imperial Prince Sa, the granddaughters of the Grand Preceptor and the Director of the Imperial Court n... By the time the gathering was held, some of their uninvited brothers also joined them, so the group attending this fall¡¯s orchard gathering was more than twice the size of the group that attendedst year. Their group was so big that the little animals around the hill had been too scared toe out, so the animals that were caught by the traps they had set were much lesser than the number they had caughtst year. If it weren¡¯t for Little ck and Little White, they might not even have had enough ingredients to carry out the orchard barbeque!


    Just like this, these peaceful days slowly passed. Because she had been keeping such a high profile for the past two years, Xiaocao did note up with any new ways to earn money. However, even just her pharmaceutical workshop, beauty spa and greenhouse vegetables were enough for others to envy her.


    With the passing of fall, came winter; and with the end of spring, summer returned. Regardless of whether it was the imperial nt breeding center, or Yu Family¡¯s farm in Tanggu Town, they all had a plentiful harvest of fruits. The seeds of winter wheat were enough to satisfy the ntation needs of the dozen states and prefectures in the north, and corn was already bing amon crop in the northeast and northwest. The people of the northwest, which was known for its barrennds, were finally able to keep some extra grains after filling their stomachs because they nted high-yielding corn seeds.


    Just as the Yu Family¡¯s twenty thousand mu farm in Tanggu started to show some good results, they weed Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin ceremony. Originally, Xiaocao only wanted to have a meal and eat a cake together with her family in Dongshan Vige, but her godmother and Royal Prince Yang were unwilling!


    Needless to say, it was such a rare asion that Zhu Junyang actually had a valid chance to court Xiaocao¡¯s favor, how could he miss out on such an opportunity? If things went ording to his way, the ceremony would be held asrge-scaled and as grand as possible!


    Lady Fang was also of this opinion. Before, she was only able to attend the hairpin ceremony of the daughters of other people, and who knew how many gifts she had given away. But now she finally had the chance to hold one for her own daughter. So, of course, she wouldn¡¯t let go of this chance to earn gifts!


    Xiaocao¡¯s best friends also excitedly chipped in their ideas. Although Xiaocao had already been in the capital for a few years, she was stillpletely clueless about the various etiquette of the hairpin ceremony. Not to mention, her godmother had arrived at her home a few months in advance to discuss with her about how they should decorate the ce. It made her feel that the ceremony was too bothersome. She dearly missed the way she celebrated birthdays in her previous life, where she could just walk into a restaurant and they would take care of everything else for her.


    Oh right! In her previous life, in order to save trouble, everyone did it like this, so why couldn¡¯t she do it now? Didn¡¯t she have Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s boss as her friend? If they could sessfully host her hairpin ceremony¡¯s banquet, it might even be a new business opportunity for Zhenxiu Restaurant!


    As such, she invited Third Young Master Zhou, who was in the capital, over and told him the gist of her idea. What? She wanted to hold her hairpin ceremony in Zhenxiu Restaurant? Turn the whole third floor into a big hall that could hold the hairpin ceremony? She wanted to hold the hairpin ceremony and the banquet together as a bundle?


    This idea was very fresh, so without much thought, Third Young Master Zhou, who was always willing to experiment, agreed to the n. As Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin ceremony was only less than two months away, Third Young Master Zhou put off every other matter and focused solely on this.


    Lady Fang was disapproving when she heard that her goddaughter wanted to hold her most important fifteen-year-olding-of-age ceremony in a restaurant, but she ultimately gave in since Xiaocao insisted. However, she was even more invested in the renovations and decorations of the hall on the third floor where the hairpin ceremony was going to be held than her own home. She mulled over almost each and every decor for half a day.


    With an expert like Lady Fang who watched them closely, Third Young Master Zhou was even more confident towards the sess of the hairpin ceremony and banquet. Coupled with the help of Xiaocao¡¯s friends who were of high status, the decoration of the main hall on the third floor was done in a quick and orderly manner.


    Just a few days before the hairpin ceremony, Third Young Master Zhou invited Xiaocao to check out the results. The main hall, which appeared luxurious yet elegant, presented itself to Lady Fang and Xiaocao. It was looked simple, yet also exuded magnanimity,


    Every drapery in the hall was top-notch in both pattern and texture, and even the pendants on top were embellished with pearls or gemstones (these were sponsored by Royal Prince Yang). The furnishings on the antique shelves were genuine antiques, and the paintings and calligraphy on the walls were also prized possessions of famous people. Even the floor was cut and polished from limestone that was brought back from Dali. The marble floor was as polished as a mirror, and the patterns on it were like a natural inkndscape painting... In short, the entire hall was decorated more beautifully than the couple¡¯s parlor room.


    As for the hairpin ceremony¡¯s banquet, that went without saying! In addition to all of the signature dishes of Zhenxiu Restaurant, Xiaocao also specially introduced several new dishes. These dishes were mainly Cantonese dishes: honey roasted pork, stewed shark¡¯s fin with vegetables, bird¡¯s nest with coconut milk and sugar, steamed striped bass, fried salt and pepper mantis shrimp, pineapple with sweet and sour pork, and steamed crabs. The head chefs of each branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant, led by Head Chef Wang, gathered together to learn and practice their culinary skills in order to make a ssh at the banquet.

 Chapter 561 – Full of Guests

    <h4>Chapter 561 ¨C Full of Guests</h4>


    As for the pastries and fruits, that went without saying. The fruits were naturally meticulously hand-picked from the back hill of the Imperial ntation: pears, apples, grapes, mulberries, raspberries... Although it was alreadyte fall, many fruits from the previous seasons like peaches, watermelon, cantaloupes, strawberries had been preserved fresh, as though they had only just been harvested from the orchard.


    The pastries were all sent from The Yu¡¯s main pastry shop. Other than the exquisite little pastries on each table, the one thing that became the focus of everyone was still the giant cake that was being made on the spot in the main hall on the ground floor of Zhenxiu Restaurant. The cake at the bottom was brought in from the pastry shop after it was baked, and formed arge rectangr structure of about 10 meters long and 3 meters wide. As for the whipped cream, fruit jam and fruitpote that were spread on top, they were made then and there with the cooperation of six pretty little misses.


    Those little misses and young masters that arrived earlier surrounded the area where the giant cake was taking shape and peered at it curiously. Gasps sprouted from their lips as they saw beautiful, life-like whipped cream flowers and multicolored decorations taking form under the skilled hands of these young patissieres.


    The giant cake was covered with pink and purple roses, with lush leaves that made the colors pop, as though they had only just been picked from the bushes. The cake was decorated with a lining of whipped cream, while jams and fruitpotes of different colors decorated the center of the cake.


    Thest touch was a little girl at the center of cake with a slender figure, big eyes, and a sharp chin wearing a red Qi-style attire¡ªvaguely recognizable as Xiaocao through her facial features. This humanoid decoration was the masterpiece of the head manager of The Yu¡¯s pastry shop and top patissiere, Yang Liu.


    Those who had arrived slightlyter were unable to witness the creation of this giant cake and deeply regretted missing out on it when they heard about it from those who did. However, they all discreetly asked the few cake makers who were standing next to the cake if such a superstar¡¯s birthday cake like this could be custom ordered. Even when they were told that it had to be booked a month in advance and that it cost a lot, no one hesitated, because most of the people who came to Xiaocao¡¯s Hairpin Banquet were either rich or of a high status, and no one was short of money for a cake. Some people even wrote down their birth date on the spot on the reservation book in the cake maker¡¯s hands. Yang Liu, who had wanted to make her mistress proud at her banquet, had inadvertently ushered in a new high of reservations for her pastry shop again.


    Originally, Yu Xiaocao had nned to keep a low profile, only inviting some friends and family over, and have a meal together to celebrate her birthday just like how she did in her previous life. However, even without mentioning Lady Fang¡¯s reluctance, the imperial pce had already sent out a decree along with the pce maidservant, Chunhong, to help Lady Fang with the preparations of the hairpin ceremony. Such imperial favor caused certain people in court to start making ns in their hearts.


    Naturally, the Yu Family¡¯s rtives could not be missing from the list of banquet guests: her eldest granduncle¡¯s family, maternal grandparents, eldest uncle, second uncle, youngest uncle along with her three aunts, and her cousins and their spouses. Zhu Junyang had sent his own convoy to transport all of them over.


    Then, there were the rtives of the Fang Family. Fang Zizhen was an orphan, and had no other rtives except for his master¡¯s wife, Madame Zhao. However, there were quite a few rtives from Lady Fang¡¯s maternal family. Although only the families of the eldest and younger legitimate uncles were invited, the party that arrived was still quite big.


    In the past, Lady Fang¡¯s maternal family didn¡¯t understand her when she took a peasant girl as her adopted daughter, saying that instead of choosing her niece from her maternal family, she took a low-born, vulgar country girl to be her adopted daughter. Her sister-inw even came to argue with her about Xia Furong, threatening to cut off all contact with her.


    But in the past two years, Yu Xiaocao, with her own abilities, had not only managed to reach new heights in her career and made her businesses prosper, but she was also in great favor with the emperor, and had been given the honorary title of a royal princess. Now, in terms of wealth and the favor of the emperor, even Fang Zizhen, Count Zhongqin, found it hard topete with, let alone the Xia Family, which had already been in a gradual decline.


    The Xia Family, which had always sucked-up to the influential and looked down on people who had lower status, would never miss this opportunity to get closer to the Yu Family¡ªor to be exact, Yu Xiaocao¡ªeven without Lady Fang¡¯s invitation. As such, everyone who was part of the legitimate bloodline, regardless of whether they were on the invitation list or not, came to get acquainted.


    The sister-inw who had threatened to sever ties with Lady Fang was actually shameless enough toe up and suggest that Xia Furong be the master of ceremonies of Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin ceremony. Disregarding the fact that Xia Furong and Xiaocao had an unpleasant encounter in the past, the master of ceremonies was always either the best friend or sister¡ªwho did she think she was?


    Apart from the rtives were the families that they were closer with. There was the Grand Princess Royal, Marquis and Marchioness Anning, Heir Anning and his wife, who also brought along their one-year-old baby, andst but not least, He Wanning. She had already reserved the role of the master of ceremonies a long time ago, and even asked Yuan Xueyan and Royal Princess Minn to not fight with her.


    Quite a few members of the Yuan Family also came, starting with Great Schr Yuan, then the prime minister and his wife, Yuan Xueyan¡¯s brothers and sisters-inw, plus Yuan Xueyan and her youngest brother Yuan Yunxi. Other than that, there was Royal Princess Minn and her mother and sister-inw. Not to mention, Left Assistant Minister Yu and his wife, along with Yu Wanqing and her brother and sister-inw were also there.


    As her business partner, naturally, Li Mengru wouldn¡¯t be absent. Madam Li came along with her eldest legitimate daughter, Li Mengqi, and her two young sons who came to join in on the fun....


    As for the Zhou Family, the old master and old madam personally came over to watch the ceremony. The madam and children of the first branch, and of course, Madam Zhou, the mother of the third young master who had a good rtionship with Xiaocao, also brought congrattory gifts to celebrate the little girl¡¯s birthday. Madam Zhou was not aware that Xiaocao was already promised to someone else, so she wondered if they could cement old ties through marriage? After all, her son and Xiaocao had known each other since they were small, and had always been on good terms.


    Then, there was the master and mistress of Prince Sa¡¯s Estate, as well as the heir and his wife, and Zhu Yan¡¯er, who was quite close to Xiaocao. The moment she arrived, she started to argue that she wanted to be Xiaocao¡¯s master of ceremonies, but He Wanning quickly rebuked her.


    Naturally, as Xiaocao¡¯s future inws, it was impossible for Prince Jing¡¯s Household to not attend their future daughter-inw¡¯sing-of-age ceremony. Princess Consort Jing had almost stolen Lady Fang¡¯s seat and taken herself as the host to greet the guests. As Zhu Junyang and hisdy mother made their way to the third floor, his two mothers-inw approached and stopped him. Lady Fang looked at him with a half-smile and said, ¡°The people watching the ceremony upstairs are all female guests, so it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for Royal Prince Yang to go up there, would it?¡± Although Zhu Junyang did not want to miss his little fiancee¡¯s hairpin ceremony, he was forced to stay downstairs to wait for her toe down after the ceremony due to etiquette.


    The most unexpected thing was, Imperial Prince Duan, who had rarely left his residence, had actually brought Princess Consort Duan with him to observe the ceremony. Imperial Prince Duan looked a little thin, but his body was still quite strong¡ªhe didn¡¯t look terminally ill as said in the rumors. Could it be that Miss Yu¡¯s medical skills were really better than the old physicians¡¯ at the Imperial Hospital, and she had actually cured Imperial Prince Duan¡¯s decades of chronic illness?


    Humans were just mere mortals, so how could they not fall sick? Not everyone had a chance to befriend a skilled medical practitioner. As such, Imperial Prince Duan¡¯s arrival had attracted quite a few uninvited guests to Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin ceremony. It wouldn¡¯t be right to chase this group of people who eagerly rushed up to present their gifts out, right? While Lady Fang enthusiastically greeted the guests, she sent a servant to ask Third Young Master Zhou to see if he had prepared sufficient dishes. Fortunately, Third Young Master Zhou was reliable and had prepared extra dishes, so they didn¡¯t embarrass themselves by not having enough tables for their guests.


    Of course, only the female guests were able to watch the ceremony unfold on the third floor while the rest of the guests were served refreshments downstairs. Originally, the hairpin ceremony was held in the ¡®ancestral shrine¡¯, so many secretlyughed at the Yu Family for not following customs when they saw that the invitation said that the hairpin ceremony was going to be held in Zhenxiu Restaurant. However, as soon as they entered the grand hall on the third floor, their hopes of witnessing a farce immediately dissipated.


    The grand hall on the third floor was quiet and open, decoratedvishly yet with a schrly elegance, revealing an air of solemnity everywhere. It was surprisingly better and more imposing than most ancestral shrines, and the decorations and all kinds of details in the hall especially received everyone¡¯s praises.


    When they climbed the steps, they were met with a calm, smiling Lady Fang, and Madam Liu, who was beautiful, fair-skinned and donned a gorgeous dress¡ªnot a single bit of her bearing told others that she was, in fact, only just the wife of a farmer. The both of them stood at the eastern side of the steps to wee guests, while the woman who stood on the western side of the steps was actually the wife of Heir Anning.


    As for the protagonists of the day, sisters Yu Xiaocao and Yu Xiaolian changed into their ceremonial clothes and shoes, and calmly waited in the dressing room at the east side of the hall after taking a fragrant flower petal bath. That¡¯s right, as Xiaocao and Xiaolian were twin sisters, their hairpin ceremonies would naturally be held together.


    Xiaolian secretly peeked out from inside the dressing room, looked at the luxuriant and graceful guests outside, and stuck her tongue out and said mischievously, ¡°Younger Sister, I¡¯ve really ridden on your coattails today¡ªthere are so many wives and daughters of court officials that came to celebrate! I wouldn¡¯t have dared to dream of it before!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not to dream about? So what if they¡¯re the wives of court officials? Don¡¯t they also have two eyes and a mouth? Can they possibly have one more nostril than we do?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s little head also appeared above hers, poking around and looking out.


    Eldest Maternal Aunt Han saw them and hurriedly pushed the two simr-looking little heads back into the room, ¡°Behave yourselves! Today is your big day, so don¡¯t be aughing stock in front of so many guests! You should still remember all the etiquette that the senior pce servant taught you the other day, right? Hurry up and recall them in your head before you make a mistake!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao yfully hugged her eldest maternal aunt¡¯s arm and swung it, acting cute, ¡°Eldest Maternal Aunt, I¡¯m thirsty, can you bring me a piece of watermelon to quench my thirst?¡±


    ¡°No! What if you get nervous and want to pee? Bear with me, as soon as the ceremony is over, I¡¯ll bring you a ss of watermelon juice. Xiaolian, you too! Be good, alright?¡± Eldest Maternal Aunt pacified the two restless little girls, and hurriedly went out to serve the guests again. Although those noble guests did not need her to take care of them, there were still quite a few guests from their hometown, and her younger sister and sister-inw might not be able to handle it all¡ªshe still had to go and keep an eye out.


    As the ssical musical instruments began to y, the arrival of the guest of honor caused an uproar. The Grand Princess Royal who had originally nned to fight for the seat of the guest of honor immediately gave way with a smile as soon as she saw the guest of honor. In her heart, she muttered, ¡®This little girl of the Yu Family is so reputable¡ªshe actually managed to invite the empress as her guest of honor. Is there any other guest more honorable than her?¡¯

 Chapter 562 – Peeping

    <h4>Chapter 562 ¨C Peeping</h4>


    Yu Hai and his wife didn¡¯t recognize the empress, but Fang Zizhen and his wife, who were also the hosts of this ceremony, couldn¡¯t act as if they didn¡¯t know her. The couple quickly brought over their adoptive rtives to greet the empress. Yu Hai and Madam Liu¡¯s eyes widened in surprise upon finding out this guest¡¯s identity. Was their daughter¡¯s reputation truly so great such that even the empress herself woulde to her small hairpin ceremony?


    ¡°Please rise quickly. Today¡¯s leading role is Miss Xiaocao and her sister. I am merely looking for an excuse to rx a bit after living deep in the pce for so long.¡± The empress¡¯s smile was as warm as a spring breeze which calmed Yu Hai and Madam Liu¡¯s racing hearts.


    ¡°Where is Older Sister Xiaocao?¡± The eldest imperial prince also benefited today. He had been given a day off of ss, so he could leave the pce. He stuck out his head from behind his mother¡¯s back and looked around curiously at everything on the third floor. A pair of eyes as bright as the stars looked for Yu Xiaocao¡¯s figure. Older Sister Xiaocao hadn¡¯t been in the pce for so long because she was busy with the matters of her hairpin ceremony!


    Fang Zizhen and his wife hurriedly gave the eldest imperial prince¡ª¡ªno, the crown prince a greeting. Aftering back from the Mn Imperial Hunting Ground, Zhu Hanwen was conferred the title of crown prince and moved into the eastern pce. However, there weren¡¯t many children in the Imperial Pce, and he also wasn¡¯t very old. Thus, things remained the same as before with him going to the empress¡¯s Kunning Pce and staying there if it gotte.


    Lady Fang asked Zhenzhu to invite Yu Fan, the second young master of the Yu Family, over. The two of them were about the same age as the crown prince was younger than Yu Fan by less than two years. Thus, these two young people should have many things to talk about.


    Sure enough, when Zhu Hanwen saw Little Shitou, he forgot all about Older Sister Xiaocao. Due to his rtionship with Xiaocao, Little Shitou¡¯s fame had also spread into the pce. Zhu Hanwen highly regarded this person who was only a little older than him and had be thest disciple of Great Schr Yuan, who was the father of the prime minister. This youth was also called junior brother by the old schrs in court, whose beards have turned white. He didn¡¯t forget to live up to their expectations. At the age of eight, he passed the county-level exams and became a county official. If it wasn¡¯t because his master, the Great Schr Yuan, took him to travel in recent years, making him unable to participate in the recent autumn examinations, he probably would¡¯ve be a provincial official at ten and an imperial official at fifteen. Didn¡¯t the ancients have Gan Luo, who became an official at the age of ten? So why couldn¡¯t the Great Ming Dynasty produce a schr who ced first in the imperial exams in his teens?


    Maybe if these words were spoken from the mouth of someone else, it could¡¯ve been counted as an exaggeration. However, these words were spoken by the Great Schr Yuan, the strict and proper Headmaster Yuan, who has never even praised his son, the prime minister, before. This clearly showed that he was quite satisfied with this disciple of his.


    Zhu Hanwen had been spiritually attracted to this youth schr for a long time. He had long wanted to see the person that Great Schr Yuan had praised like a flower. In addition, Yu Fan was Older Sister Xiaocao¡¯s younger brother. Although they never met, he admired him, and envied him a bit, from the bottom of his heart.


    As Xiaocao¡¯s younger brother, he could enjoy the snacks and food made personally by Older Sister Xiaocao every day. Such a wonderful thing! If it was possible, he would¡¯ve liked to exchange identities with this youth named Yu Fan! Even though he was the crown prince, he actually envied a youth from a peasant family. The world of a foodie was really hard for ordinary people toprehend.


    Little Shitou, who was already thirteen, had be a graceful and beautiful young man. His cultured and quick-witted manner, his schrly and polite speech, along with his features that were simr to that of Xiaocao¡¯s allowed Zhu Hanwen to increase his sincerity even though it was the first time they met. Soon, the two youths were chatting together.


    Little Shitou¡¯s return to the capital, in addition to celebrating his second sister¡¯s hairpin ceremony, was to prepare for next year¡¯s autumn provincial exam. These past few years, he had traveled to the north and south of the Yangtze River with his master. He debated academics with the schrs who lived south of the Yangtze River, allowing him, a young boy, to quickly grow up. The knowledge in the books had been thoroughly dissected by Little Shitou as he had an eidetic memory. He was like a dry sponge greedily soaking up the spring of knowledge. Through these years of travel, hisck of perspective and experience had been quickly enriched. He and his master, Great Schr Yuan, were confident about the autumn exams next year!


    Great Schr Yuan had high expectations for this talented and diligent disciple. This autumn exam, Little Shitou needed to get first ce in order to not weaken the reputation of Rongxuan Academy and his master. On the other hand, Yuan Yunxi, the youngest grandson of Great Schr Yuan who was also going to participate in the provincial exams, had been overlooked by him.


    Yuan Yunxi: ¡°Grandfather, am I your grandson, or is Yu Fan your grandson?¡±


    Yuan Sinian: ¡°No respect for your elders, call him little martial uncle!¡±


    Yuan Yunxi looked at Little Shitou who was a full head shorter than him and seven to eight years younger. He had nothing to say now...


    But that was enough about the future emperor and prime minister, Zhu Hanwen and Yu Fan, who were conversing animatedly and regretting that they didn¡¯t meet sooner. The sound of beautiful instruments came from upstairs, since the empress, who was the guest of honor, had already entered the hall. The guests were seated at the left and right seats. As the hosts, Yu Hai and Fang Zizhen, along with their wives, sat at the hosts¡¯ seats after all the guests were seated.


    As the fathers, Yu Hai and Fang Zizhen stood up at the same time after ncing at each other. Originally, the opening speech could be made by one person; however, these two people quarreled at home for a long time. Neither of them was willing to miss the opportunity to give the opening speech at their daughter¡¯s hairpin ceremony. In the end, Xiaocao pped her hands down and said how about they each say half, which solved the problem between the two fathers.


    Yu Hai gently smoothed the folds of his fine clothes with his rough hands and said in a strong voice, ¡°Today is my little daughters, Yu Xiaocao and Yu Xiaolian¡¯s hairpin ceremony. Thank you all foring...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, my turn!¡± Fang Zizhen quietly reminded as he gently pulled on Yu Hai¡¯s clothes. Then he looked at the guests with a smile and loudly said, ¡°Once again, I thank everyone who has found the time toe to my daughter¡¯s Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin ceremony. Next, Yu Xiaocao and Yu Xiaolian¡¯s hairpin ceremony will officially begin! Linglong, go invite the two young misses toe in and greet the guests!¡±


    After Linglong went into the changing room, He Wanning, who got the position of master of ceremonies, came out, washed her hands, and took her ce on the western stage. Yu Xiaocao and Yu Xiaolian came out holding hands and went to the center facing the south, with their backs to the north. They greeted the guests and then kneeled down in their position facing the west.


    The two sisters came out looking like copies of each other. They had the same clothing, the same hairstyle, and they had simr heights, weights, and facial features. In addition, both were wearing light makeup. For a moment, it was hard to tell who was the older sister and who was the younger sister.


    ¡°Imperial Uncle, Imperial Uncle! Let me have a look, just a look!¡± On the balcony of the third floor on the east side were three young men in fine clothes. Wasn¡¯t the one jumping up and down the crown prince who had been conversing happily with Yu Fan downstairs?


    Unexpectedly, the person, who was in front of the young prince, with the best view was actually the cold and fierce Royal Prince Yang. He was currently craning his neck to look through the window. As for the lightplexioned youth beside the two, who had a helpless expression on his face, wasn¡¯t that Little Shitou, Yu Fan, who was responsible for keeping the crown princepany?


    On the narrow windowsill, there were three people, big and small. Below them were bodyguards that were looking up with nervousness, attracting the attention of people passing by. The pedestrians on the street followed their line of sight and found the three figures that were peeping on the windowsill. They were surprised for a moment. What hobbies did these high officials and royal families have to do something so uncouth in broad daylight? For a period of time, many pedestrians, who were passing by Zhenxiu Restaurant, gathered in front for a moment and pointed up at the window.


    The emperor and Su Ran, who hade a littleter due to handling government affairs, looked at this scene in bewilderment. When they followed the view of the crowd, the emperor found that it was his cousin¡¯s tall back that was on the balcony peering through the cracks of the window. A wide grin that held hints of anticipation appeared on his face as he said to Su Ran, ¡°We should let those who are afraid of Royal Prince Yang, who is like a tiger,e and have a look at what this guy looks like right now. If this ured at night, wouldn¡¯t he look like a Peeping Tom?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, doesn¡¯t the person next to him look familiar to you?¡± Su Ran had already spotted that there was a small figure jumping up and down, trying to squeeze Prince Yang out but couldn¡¯t. It was the crown prince.


    Zhu Junfan looked over at the small figure beside Zhu Junyang with interest and his expression suddenly became dark. Just now, he was looking on passively, but now that the person being watched passively was his child, he couldn¡¯t be calm as a father.


    ¡°Zhu Hanwen, you little rascal,e down now! Quickly!¡± Zhu Junfan roared, scaring the crown prince upstairs, making him almost fall off the balcony.


    ¡°It¡¯s over. Didn¡¯t Father say he was too busy toe? How... Yu Fan, quick help me figure a way out. How can we avoid this...¡± Zhu Hanwen had a premonition that if he couldn¡¯t find a reasonable cause, his small butt was going to blossom when he went back to the pce.


    Yu Fan¡¯s eyes roved around and pointed his lips in the direction of his future brother-inw. Zhu Hanwen suddenly understood and nodded with a giggle.


    Sliding down the pirs outside of the Zhenxiu Restaurant, the crown prince was caught by the guards and smiled at his father. In a low voice, he said, ¡°Imperial Father, I was just having a good talk with Yu Fan in a private room on the second floor when I saw Imperial Uncle sneaking up to the third floor through the window. I was curious and followed him...¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhu Junfan asked in a deep voice with a frown after he saw his cousin leaping down.


    ¡°How could this prince be absent from thess¡¯s hairpin ceremony...¡± Zhu Junyang said confidently.


    Zhu Junfan kicked his cousin¡¯s butt but almost made himself fall down. Fortunately, Su Ran was at his side holding him. Zhu Junfan was furious, ¡°You dare to refer to yourself in such a pompous manner? If you want to go then go openly. By doing it secretly, you¡¯re teaching children the wrong things!¡±


    ¡°This prince... If I could go up, would I still be here talking to you? My Future mother-inw said that the female guests are all up there and that we needed to wait downstairs!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s tone was somewhat indignant. As her man, he couldn¡¯t even attend thess¡¯s hairpin ceremony!


    Zhu Junfan exasperatedly gave him a look and said, ¡°Then you¡¯re just taking your future brother-inw and your nephew to climb walls and to do sneaky things?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced at the crown prince and thought, ¡®Your son also wants to see his Older Sister Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin ceremony, what does that have to do with me? I¡¯m not taking the fall for this alone.¡¯

 Chapter 563 – Coming of Age Ceremony

    <h4>Chapter 563 ¨C Coming of Age Ceremony</h4>


    Zhu Hanwen was afraid his imperial uncle would expose his affairs and quickly cut off the conversation and asked, ¡°Father, Older Sister Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin ceremony has already started. If you don¡¯t go up now, you won¡¯t get to see anything exciting!¡±


    Zhu Junfan red at him, ¡®Little rascal, I¡¯ll settle this when we get back!¡¯ Zhu Hanwen, who understood the meaning in his father¡¯s eyes, couldn¡¯t help shrinking his head down and going to hide behind his imperial uncle. Seeing his father take long strides up toward the third floor, he winked at the friend he just met today and followed his father up like a fox masquerading as a tiger.


    Wasn¡¯t it an honor for the emperor toe in person to their daughter¡¯s hairpin ceremony? Who would quibble about whether or not it was in line with customs? The womenfolk on the third floor all knelt on the floor to give their respects to the supreme emperor.


    Fang Zizhen quickly told people to add in a mahogany chair in between the hosts¡¯ seats to let this uninvited god sit down. The thick-skinned Zhu Junyang stole the position of a bodyguard, standing tall behind the emperor. However, that pair of phoenix eyes focused on a delicate figure on the stage without blinking.


    Thess seemed to have grown up suddenly. The broad clothes couldn¡¯t hide her delicate and exquisite figure. Her eyebrows were lightly swept and her eyes looked deep and clear as if it was a deep pool. If a person had a moment of carelessness, it would be easy to be sucked in. A light pink color had been lightly added to her small mouth and her lips looked as delicate and charming as a rose, making people unable to do anything but fantasize... Zhu Junyang¡¯s soul was about to be hooked out by this little spirit! Faced with the hot gaze of a beautiful man, Xiaocao, who was originally rxed, suddenly became tense.


    At this time, the crown prince also straightened his back, standing behind his father. However, his little partner, Yu Fan, soon brought over a chair so he could sit at the right hand side of the emperor. Yet... Little Shitou also stood confidently behind the crown prince, but his slightly skinny figure was less imposing than Prince Yang.


    Su Ran took a look at his position that was currently upied and revealed a helpless expression. Fortunately, Yu Hai had ordered people to add a chair slightly off to the side, so he didn¡¯t have to stand in the hall at a loss.


    The emperor waved his hand andmanded, ¡°You all can continue.¡± The hairpin ceremony, which was interrupted by the emperor¡¯s arrival, went on. The only difference now was the atmosphere of the room became more restrained.


    As the master of the ceremony, He Wanning stood behind Xiaocao. While gentlybing her long silky ck hair, in a slightly jealous tone she said, ¡°The emperor and empress havee to attend your hairpin ceremony. This is the first for any youngdy in the capital! You¡¯re in the limelight now.¡±


    ¡°Is this limelight any good? Having too high a profile might not be a good thing!¡± Yu Xiaocao murmured into He Wanning¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Wow! There¡¯s two Older Sister Xiaocaos!¡± The crown prince was dazed by the two simr-looking faces in the same dress. He thought that there was something wrong with his eyes and he was hallucinating. He blinked his eyes a few times, but the two figures were still there. The little guy was confused.


    Little Shitou, who was standing behind him, bent down and exined in a low voice, ¡°My oldest sister and second sister are twins. They just look alike.¡±


    ¡°Twins? Isn¡¯t it said that twins willpete for each other¡¯s luck and generally only one can survive?¡± This was a folk myth. Many families sent one of the twins far away so both could survive. In actuality, because of the backward medical conditions of the ancient times, twins were generally born prematurely. The nutrition in the womb couldn¡¯t keep up with two little guys, so they were born weak. Thus there were very few twins who could survive at the same time.


    Yu Xiaocao was the weaker of the two. It was Madam Liu, who was a careful mother, that managed to raise her sick little daughter to the age of eight. Unfortunately, that girl managed to survive the illnesses but she couldn¡¯t survive that senseless disaster, which had benefited Lin Xiaowan¡¯s soul from a different world. If it wasn¡¯t for the Little Divine Stone¡¯s help, the broken body carrying the transmigrated soul might not have survived till now.


    Zhu Junfan turned his head and gave his silly son a warning look. They were having a solemn hairpin ceremony right now. This fellow was asking for trouble with his questions and exmations. Zhu Hanwen pursed his mouth, held in his curiosity, and calmed down to watch the girls¡¯ hairpin ceremony.


    The two masters of ceremonies finishedbing the girls¡¯ hair and ced thebs on the south side of the mat. The empress, as the guest of honor, stood up and washed her hands with Madam Liu and Lady Fang. They then returned to their respective ces and sat down.


    The pair of sisters, Yu Xiaocao and Xiaolian, turned to the east and sat straight. The empress walked slowly over to Xiaocao and Xiaolian and chanted a congrattory message, ¡°On this month and this auspicious day, I add on your first robes of adulthood. Leave behind your juvenile aspirations, and let it be your adult virtues. Blessed with longevity, and prosperity be with you.¡± Then she knelt down onto the mat tob the sisters¡¯ hair and inserted their hairpins in. Afterward, she got up and returned to her original position.


    He Wanning corrected Xiaocao¡¯s hairpin and said in a low voice, ¡°The empress personally added the hairpin for you, so you can¡¯t keep a low profile anymore! However, it¡¯s no problem. In any case, no matter what, your Royal Prince Yang will block any problems for you. Look at him, his eyeballs are following you without stopping. They¡¯ve almost be cross-eyed with how much he¡¯s staring!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gave her a re but she couldn¡¯t help looking at the tall and upright figure. She met his eyes, which were full of passion. Her face became hot and she quickly lowered it. The gentleness of her lowering her head was like the modest bashfulness of a water lily. In Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, it became another alluring expression.


    The two sisters slowly rose to their feet and the guests congratted them. However, no one knew who was sincere and who was jealous. When they returned to the dressing room, He Wanning took the clothes from her sister-inw and followed the two sisters into the room to help them change into iner looking robes to match their hairstyles.


    After changing their clothes, the two sisters came to show the guests their clothes and hairpins. Facing their parents, they bowed down solemnly in gratitude for the love and care received from them. After Xiaocao bowed to her parents, she extended the same courtesy to her godfather and godmother, who were waiting at the side.


    Lady Fang helped her goddaughter up with tears of joy in her eyes. Originally, her husband didn¡¯t discuss it with her before he took a peasant girl to be his goddaughter. Although Lady Fang never opposed it, she didn¡¯t expect to look after her either. In her mind, the country girl would be naive, simple, and not noble enough.


    Yet, when she first saw Xiaocao, she immediately had a good impression of this strange yet funny girl, who had good self-control, even more than her niece who had apanied her many years. Maybe this was the so-called fate. Although her goddaughter came from a peasant family, she was surprised again and again by her. She was most impressed by her goddaughter¡¯s medicinal food, which had improved the couple¡¯s physiques and allowed her to have a blood-rted descendant that she had always dreamed of.


    After the little girl came to the capital to further herself, her businesses became more and more prosperous. She, as her godmother, gained a lot of credit. She now had a supply of fresh vegetables and fruits that seemed never ending during the winter, so much that she couldn¡¯t finish them. Furthermore, she also had unlimited ess to the rare floral teas from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ and the expensive skincare products she couldn¡¯t even finish. Using them to give to people as gifts to improve rtionships had proven to be quite weed by the other parties. She had reached the age of forty-five this year, but when she stood next to her childhood friends, she looked almost a decade younger than them. All of her friends regarded her with pure envy now.


    Today that lovely and filial girl had finally grown up and be a beautiful young maiden. As her godmother, her heart was filled with iparable joy, and her eyes couldn¡¯t help bing moist.


    Yu Xiaocao raised her hands to wipe away the shining tears from the corners of her godmother¡¯s eyes. She gently hugged this godmother who treated her better than a mother could treat her own daughter and gave her the biggest smile possible.


    Returning to her original position, she continued to sit facing the east. The empress washed her hands again in the gold basin iid with jewels. Heir Anning¡¯s wife presented a bright and dazzling hairpin. After a closer look, the main gem on the hairpin was a huge pink diamond. Small diamonds were also embedded around the hairpin, making it seem as if it was decorated with shining stars that had gathered together. The hairpin looked incredibly bright and dazzling.


    What woman didn¡¯t love beauty? What woman could resist beautiful jewelry? There was an uproar in the field! Needless to say, the hairpin must¡¯ve been gifted by Royal Prince Yang. There wasn¡¯t any ce to buy diamond jewelry besides Royal Prince Yang¡¯s Treasure Pavillion. The unmarried girls present casted odd looks towards the cold Royal Prince Yang one after another. However, they found that the other person¡¯s gaze had never left the pretty figure in the center field.


    The noble madams and youngdies present all felt jealous. How could Xiaocao, a small bird flying out of a mountain nest, have the emperor personallye to her hairpin ceremony to bless her, have the empress be the guest of honor, and even have her master of ceremonies and attendant be of such outstanding statuses? Furthermore, the arrogant two beauties of the capital and the entric Royal Princess Minn all became her best friends. However, most of them here couldn¡¯t even find a way to curry favor with these people. Comparisons were truly the quickest way to infuriate oneself!


    What really angered them the most was that the most promising new noble in court, Royal Prince Yang, was also fascinated by that girl. He couldn¡¯t even see the beauty of other women! Could it be that this little girl was really the rumored sprite in the mountain or the dragon king¡¯s daughter in the sea, using her magic to blind the people around her and making them willing to dig out their hearts and lungs for her?


    No matter howplicated the youngdies in the room felt, the hairpin ceremony still continued. The empress chanted, ¡°On this auspicious month and such day, I affirm your robes. Respect it with dignity. Let grace and modesty be your virtue. May your longevityst a myriad of years, and may you forever receive good fortune.¡±


    He Wanning helped Yu Xiaocao take off the hairpin in her hair and the empress picked up the hairpin that made all of the women¡¯s hearts flutter and put amidst the dark and beautiful ck hair. The sisters, under theplicated gazes of the guests, gave the empress a salute. They then, once again, returned to the changing room and changed into robes with long trains. At this point, all the clothes for the hairpin ceremony were in the Han-style and were all embroidered by Modiste Jiang, who was like a sister to Xiaocao. When the girls present learned about this, the jealousy in their hearts became even stronger

 Chapter 564 – Who is Whose Father?

    <h4>Chapter 564 ¨C Who is Whose Father?</h4>


    After Xiaocao and her sister changed their clothes, they went back into the reception hall and faced the guest of honor, the empress. Their first kowtow was to her, their second was to show their respect to their elders, and then they stood up and kneeled towards the east. The guest of honor washed her hands three times and then took the offered hairpins for the ceremony.


    All of the matrons and young maidens present, who had envious hearts, had no reaction when they saw the twovishly decorated hairpins that had valuable pink pearls embedded in them. This was because they were already numb to the situation. It was as if there weren¡¯t these extremely expensive hairpins present, then it would be abnormal for this ceremony.


    The empress looked at the identical hairpins. Each one had several pink pearls decorating it. The pearls were all around the same size, perfectly round shapes, and seemed to glow gently under the light. Any one of these pearls would be considered a top-notch pearl on its own, let alone the dozen or so that were on each hairpin. It was said that Xiaocao herself had personally gathered these pearls from the ocean. It was already considered fortunate for an experienced pearl diver to get one such specimen during their career. The fact that she was able to get around twenty or so in one trip made it a bit odd.


    Although the empress¡¯s heart was full of doubts, she still remembered why she was the guest of honor here today. She chanted, ¡°By the auspiciousness of this day, and by the times of the moon, I give you this robe. With your family here, use these to actualize your virtues. May you enjoy boundless longevity and receive the joys of heaven.¡±


    Following that, she inserted invaluable pearl hairpins into Xiaocao¡¯s and her sister¡¯s hair and stood up to go back to her original position. The guests all squeezed out a smile and congratted the two of them for reaching theiring of age. The two sisters then went back to the changing room and changed into extravagant long ceremonial robes with long sleeves that matched their hairpins perfectly.


    Now that the two sisters were wearing their pearl hairpins paired with beautiful ceremonial robes that were embroidered all over with peonies, it made their previously slightly immature looks seem more charming and mature. Even the jealous female guests had no choice but to admit that the two sisters looked quite lovely and attractive. In fact, anyone in the room could tell that Royal Prince Yang¡¯s eyes were almost glued onto Yu Xiaocao and couldn¡¯t be pulled away. The two sisters then faced the emperor and saluted gracefully to show their respect for the imperial throne.


    The heir of Marquis Anning and his wife directed the maidservants to set up the ceremonial table and toy out the ceremonial wine and offerings out on the west side of the room. The empress took the two girls to take a seat and He Wanning presented the sweet and nourishing fruit wine. The empress took the ceremonial wine and walked to Yu Xiaocao and her sister, revealing a contented smile as she started to recite verses again, ¡°A goblet full of sweet wine to add auspiciousness and fragrance. ept it in worship for settling your prosperity. Take unto the beauty of the Heavens and remember this for a lifetime.¡±


    After the two of them kneeled again, they took the goblet of wine and saluted the guest of honor. This wine wasn¡¯t for the two sisters to drink. Instead, they kneeled again and sprinkled some of the wine onto the floor as a libation. Following that, they symbolically touched a bit of wine to their lips and returned the cup back onto the ceremonial table. There was some sweet cooked rice on the table, so the two of them symbolically ate a mouthful each. Then they kowtowed to the guest of honor and the empress returned the bow before standing back up at the east side of the steps.


    They had to admit that theing of age ceremony was quiteplicated and full of rituals. The two of them had gone back and forth between the rooms, changing their clothes and kneeling and bowing all the time. The two of them were starting to feel quite dizzy from all of this. Xiaolian was well aware that she was riding on her younger sister¡¯s coattails in order to have all of these guests here to celebrate. Furthermore, it was also the only reason why she was able to get so up close to the empress herself.


    Although she was quite nervous, she was also incredibly proud and a bit joyful too! She was proud and happy that she had such a capable younger sister who had brought so much glory to their whole family. She stealthily took a look at those noble young maidens, who usually had their noses up in the air, and saw their envious and jealous expressions. From that, the slight bit of inferiority and timidness she feltpletely melted away and her movements became even more graceful and calm.


    Next came the process of choosing a ¡®courtesy name¡¯ for the two sisters. The empress stood up and faced the east while Yu Hai, his wife, and Fang Zizhen and his wife stood up and faced the west. The empress chose the courtesy names for the two young maidens and recited a few more lines, ¡°The rites and rituals are prepared, and on this auspicious day and month, I announce your courtesy names. By a splendid courtesy name, it shall benefit your virtues. To show you chaste virtue, and forever keep you. You two shall be named ¡®Weihe¡¯ and ¡®Yongxi¡¯.¡±


    The empress had recited so many ceremonial verses that were all written in ssical Chinese. The two sisters felt like they were listening to an entirely differentnguage and their heads were just floating along. They only understood thest verse. One of their courtesy names was ¡®Weihe¡¯ and the other was ¡®Yongxi¡¯. Xiaolian¡¯s courtesy name came from ¡®Fine Rain on a Lotus Pond¡¯, as a misty rain falling upon lotus flowers was an enchanting sight. The mood the name evoked was good and the meaning behind it was auspicious. Xiaocao¡¯s courtesy name was ¡®Yongxi¡¯. The character for ¡®Xi¡¯ referred to the first light of day and the character for ¡®Yong¡¯ meant forever. The meaning of her name evoked that she would forever bring light to the people and also gave them hope.


    The emperor and empress had discussed this for a whole night beforeing up with these two courtesy names. The profound meanings behind them caused the nobledies in the crowd to fall into deep thought¡ª¡ªthis Yu Yongxi had given themon people hope, so was this person someone who they could afford to offend? Did it matter if you were jealous? Or envious at this point? After all, their daughters were only slightly talented but they had not done anything to benefit the people, so what leg did they have to stand on now?


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao and her sister simultaneously replied, ¡°Although I, Xiaocao (Xiaolian), may not be worthy, I dare not refuse the honor...¡± Following that, they bowed to the guest of honor and the guest of honor returned the salute. Then, all three of them returned to their respective ces.


    Xiaocao and her sister kneeled in front of their parents and listened to the instructions given to them. Yu Hai and his wife gratefully looked at their two beautiful daughters who had finally grown up. They had slight smiles on their faces as they said, ¡°In a wink, you two have be adults. As your parents, we don¡¯t have any requests or expectations for you two. All we hope is that your lives in the future will be smooth and happy.¡± Although their speech was quite in and simple, their words showed just how deeply these two loved and cared for their daughters.


    Fang Zizhen was also an uncouth fellow and didn¡¯t bother trying to make things sound poetic. He lifted his adopted daughter up with his arms and trumpeted loudly, ¡°Your father is right! Young maidens shouldn¡¯t think so much. Supporting one¡¯s family and chasing positions and wealth is the job of a man. You two sisters should just be preupied with having happy lives in the future. If there¡¯s nothing to do, then spend more time with your friends. y whatever you want to y and don¡¯t take such heavy responsibilities on your shoulders all the time. You¡¯ve taken on so many weighty responsibilities on these slim shoulders of yours that we, as your fathers, feel very ashamed ah...¡±


    The emperor, who was seated high above, felt the corner of his eyes twitch. Was Fang Zizhen encouraging his beloved official to stop working ah? Did Old Fang really think things through before he said such words in front of him?


    Yu Xiaocao grinned broadly at her two fathers and said, ¡°Father, Godfather! This daughter understands what you¡¯re both trying to say. However, my greatest happiness is to make a lot of money and count the money I make whenever I get bored! Therefore, you two may think that I¡¯m very tired from engaging in so many businesses, but I actually take a lot of pleasure and fun in managing them!¡±


    When her two sets of parents heard this, they all revealed helpless smiles. Fang Zizhen guffawed heartily and said, ¡°Alright! Daughter, as long as you¡¯re happy, that¡¯s all that matters!¡±


    Xiaolian pulled at her younger sister¡¯s sleeves and the two of them became solemn again and seriously answered, ¡°This daughter may not be worthy, but I dare not disobey!¡± Then, they kowtowed again towards their parents.


    The final segment of the ceremony required Xiaocao and her sister to be present and salute all of the guests to express their gratitude for attending. The two of them first bowed to the guest of honor, the other guests, the assistants, and the attendants. Everyone smiled gently at them and nodded their heads.


    Yu Hai bowed to the crowd and thanked them, ¡°My daughters, Yu Xiaolian and Yu Xiaocao, have nowpleted theiring of age ceremony. Thank you, honored guests, for your great kindness in participating. We have prepared some drinks and light refreshments downstairs. Please, everyone, head down and take your seats...¡± Madam Liu and Lady Fang respectfully led the female guests downstairs and also had the maidservants lead people into the already prepared private rooms.


    Downstairs, there was a gargantuan cake that had these words written on it bright red jam: ¡®Congrattions Yu Xiaolian, Yu Xiaocao, for youring of age ceremony¡¯. Under the inquisitive and greedy eyes of the children there, the attendants sliced up the cake into small pieces and the waiters from Zhenxiu Restaurant served them to every table at the feast.


    The banquet was sumptuous and delicious. The new style dishes especially caused the guests¡¯ taste buds to explode in vor. The men had all been served the Yu Family¡¯s Winery and Distillery¡¯s new alcoholic beverage that had a high alcohol content. The generals especially enjoyed it. As for the women¡¯s and children¡¯s tables, they had the sweet and sour fruit wine that also had health benefits. It was tasty and good for one¡¯s health.


    The emperor, his imperial father, and his two imperial uncles sat at the same table. After toasting three rounds of wine, Zhu Junfan suddenly discovered that the table seemed to be missing one person, ¡°Imperial Uncle, where¡¯s Junyang ah?¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing drank a mouthful of the fresh and tasty Five Grains Liquid and lightly waved a hand, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. Ever since we entered Zhenxiu Restaurant, I haven¡¯t seen heads or tails of the youngster. Earlier, if I hadn¡¯te down from the third floor with Your Imperial Majesty, I wouldn¡¯t have even known that the brat had stealthily gone up to attend the ceremony! That stinky brat¡¯s heart only has room for his sweet and adorable future wife, so how could he possibly spend the time eating food with us?¡±


    ¡°What?! You stinky brats all went to the third floor to attend the ceremony? Howe you didn¡¯t call your father up with you all? A bunch of good-for-nothings ah!!¡± When the emperor emeritus heard this, he angrily finished chewing his mouthful of honey roasted pork and indignantly pped the table to hoot.


    Imperial Prince Duan leisurely drank a mouthful of grape wine. With his body¡¯s current condition, it wasn¡¯t suitable for him to drink a more alcoholic drink. Following that, he calmly spoke to his father, ¡°Imperial Father, you¡¯re the father of us three brothers. Junfan¡¯s father is me, your son! He couldn¡¯t even think of his own father when there was something fun to watch, how could he possibly think of his father¡¯s father?¡±


    Imperial Prince Sa had shrunk down like a quail as soon as the emperor emeritus became angry. He didn¡¯t say anything but gave his eldest brother a big thumb¡¯s up. Only his eldest brother had the guts to tweak the tiger whiskers of their bad-tempered old father.


    As expected, the emperor emeritus¡¯s pair of bushy eyebrows came together in a frown and he was just about to flip out when he noticed the prominently pale face of his oldest son. He turned his attention to his youngest son, who was making faces and growled, ¡°Stinky brat, what sort of face are you making? You¡¯re old already and are already at the age of a grandfather but you still don¡¯t do anything proper. Are you not afraid that Little Xinxin thinks you¡¯re a joke?¡±


    Little Xinxin was Imperial Prince Sa¡¯s grandson who hadn¡¯t even reached one year old. He had also been brought along. However, the child was currently with Imperial Prince Sa¡¯s heir¡¯s wife in one of the private rooms and eating delicious egg-drop soup.


    Imperial Prince Sa revealed an innocent expression. He hadn¡¯t even said a word but why was he always the one being targeted? Luckily his second older brother was a true brother and helped him to change the target.


    ¡°Imperial Father, you¡¯re too right! Zhu Junyang is such a brat and doesn¡¯t even think of me, his father! All he can think of is his future wife¡¯sing of age ceremony and he even boldly goes up to attend. Right now, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s trying to figure out some way to see his wife alone somehow!¡± Imperial Prince Jing deliberatelyined in a sour tone.


    The guests who attended today were either people who had already had a good rtionship with Xiaocao in the past or those who saw that she had a boundless future ahead of her and wanted to shamelessly worm their way in. That littless had only arrived at the capital two to three years ago but she already had so many connections. This made him feel quite astonished and grateful. However, the fact that his future daughter-inw was so capable gave him, as the future father-inw, quite a bit of pressure. Perhaps...once his daughter-inw married in, he should split that stinky brat from the family?

 Chapter 565 – Provoking a Tiger

    <h4>Chapter 565 ¨C Provoking a Tiger</h4>


    At this time, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know that he was going to get kicked out by his father once he married his future wife who was too good at making money. He had taken advantage of the time when the guests were moving downstairs to secretly enter the east room.


    His littless was currently sitting next to the window. The light from the window illuminated that slightly smiling and pretty girl with a gentle veil of warmth. Her pair of lively and asionally crafty or coquettish eyes were glowing with life. It was as if they could suck a person¡¯s soul away from them and make them bewitched.


    He didn¡¯t know what Xiaolian had said but his littless stopped looking out the window and turned around. Her pretty face had a hint of anger on it. In addition, the skin on her slight face seemed to glisten like the most precious jade and had the most perfect texture, glowing with health. It was as if she had been sculpted from a high-quality piece of jade.


    Zhu Junyang suddenly had a saying that he didn¡¯t know where he got from sh through his head, ¡®A so-called beauty resembles a flower, has the demeanor of an immortal, the grace of the willow, bones like jade, cold snow-like skin, and the limpid autumn water-like eyes...¡¯ Before he had known it, his littless had already grown into a beautiful youngdy!


    Perhaps his staring was a bit too obvious or perhaps the two of them had their hearts linked together, but Xiaocao looked in the direction of where he was hiding and met his eyes directly. Zhu Junyang watched as the young maiden suddenly revealed a smile that seemed more gorgeous than spring flowers blooming. He immediately had a desire to go up and embrace his adorable littless. Thus, Xiaolian and the two maidservants in the room seemed a lot more irksome now.


    He frowned and thought for a bit before motioning at Xiaocao to ¡®wait a bit¡¯. He stealthily left the room. Before long, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s most capable maidservant, Meixiang, entered the east room with a somewhat unnatural look on her face. She spoke to Xiaolian, ¡°Miss Xiaolian, my mistress wants to see you to chat for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Me? Older Sister Meixiang, are you sure Her Highness wants me?¡± Xiaolian was extremely surprised. Although Princess Consort Jing spent around half a year every year recuperating on the vi on the West Mountain, she still had very little contact with her. In addition, she didn¡¯t have the gift of gab like her younger sister. Why would the princess consort want to talk to her?


    Meixiang secretly nced at a particr corner in this room and nodded, ¡°This servant is not mistaken. Her Highness truly wanted to see you.¡±


    Xiaocao had a faint idea of what was going on and red at that hidden person in the corner. Sheforted the slightly nervous Xiaolian, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. Just treat Her Highness as a kind senior, alright?¡±


    Xiaolian uneasily exited the east room and her maidservant naturally followed her. However, Wutong continued to stick to her own post. Meixiang thought for a bit and then smiled, ¡°Miss Yu, this servant has something that I need Younger Sister Wutong to help with. Do you think...¡±


    Xiaocao sighed within her heart and revealed a faint, knowing smile at Meixiang. She turned her head to address Wutong, ¡°Since Older Sister Meixiang has asked, then I will have to agree to your request even though I care for my maid dearly. Wutong, go out with Older Sister Meixiang for a bit ah.¡±


    Wutong bowed slightly and said, ¡°Young Miss, please wait a moment. This servant will go down and call Yangliu up to have her keep youpany.¡± In her thoughts, she believed that a good maidservant would never let her master be left without someone to take over her duties. If she went down, then the young miss wouldn¡¯t even have someone to pour more tea if need be. This would not do.


    Meixiang smiled, ¡°I¡¯m just taking you out for a little bit. It¡¯s not as if your young miss will be kidnapped by a big bad wolf in that time!¡± As she spoke, she sent a re at a particr corner in the room that harbored a big bad wolf and silently snickered in her heart.


    With Zhu Junyang¡¯s powers, he could naturally tell what hisdy mother¡¯s maidservant was thinking about. However, he didn¡¯t have the time to fight with her. His entire heart was focused on that delicate and sweet young maiden in front of him.


    ¡°What did you want to tell me that made you take all of the people out of this room?¡± Yu Xiaocao strolled over to the corner he was hiding in and yanked at the front piece of his clothing. She casually pulled him out into the open.


    Since the young maiden had gotten closer to him, Zhu Junyang naturally could smell the littless¡¯s unique and alluring scenting off her body. His eyes darkened a few shades.


    ¡°It¡¯s your birthday today, so why can¡¯t this prince spend some quality time with you alone for a bit ah?¡± Zhu Junyang pulled at her wrist and gently embraced her against his chest. The littless¡¯s soft and silky hair was underneath his chin and that alluring scent intensified. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t know when hisss had developed a more womanly body but they only had a few pieces of thin cloth between them. With her pressed against him, he could feel two soft little buns against his rock hard eight-pack abdomen. The softness made his mouth suddenly feel incredibly dry.


    After having her hand being pulled and her face being rubbed, Yu Xiaocao felt her cheeks turn fiery hot. Everyone said that men were controlled by the bottom halves of their bodies. Although this fellow always imed that he was waiting for her to turn eighteen before they married, she had just reached the age of majority and he couldn¡¯t seem to suppress his hungry side and was hugging her tightly. This fellow¡¯s chest was quite sturdy and felt as hard as steel. Her chin was starting to ache at this point. She started to curiously explore the muscles of his abdomen with her small hands...


    ¡°Are you satisfied with what you feel ah? Isn¡¯t this prince¡¯s body quite good ah?¡± Her cheek, which was pressed against his chest, vibrated a few times as she heard his somewhat hoarse voice speak. The voice held a hint of sexiness as it brushed past her ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s...it¡¯s not bad!¡± Yu Xiaocao buried her face, which was scalding hot at this point, deeper into his chest. A little snicker wound its way around her lips.


    Zhu Junyang slightly lowered his head and he could see her slender and white neck, delicate and attractive corbones, a bit of extra skin from where her cor had slipped a bit, and an alluring and bewitching dip. Zhu Junyang felt like his head was exploding at the moment and a wave of heat welled up and headed towards a particr part of his body.


    Yu Xiaocao felt that the arms around her had suddenly tightened and her soft and delicate body had been pressed even harder against a particr fellow¡¯s firm body. Her chest area, especially, started to ache from the prolonged contact and being squished. She lightly wiggled a bit but was soon stopped by a pair ofrge hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move! Let this prince hold you...¡± Zhu Junyang was in the midst of being tortured with happiness. He started to feel that he wanted to enjoy the feeling of this soft body against his for as long as possible.


    He looked down at his adorable little girl, who had her bright red lips slightly parted open and a somewhat silly expression on her face. That lookpletely stoked the fires within him. He held onto the young maiden¡¯s shoulders and gently pushed her away before turning his body slightly to avoid a direct look from hisss¡¯s alluring eyes.


    Her delicate pink and soft lips seemed to have a faint and dangerous fragranceing off of them. His usual iron self control was starting to loosen. His throat moved up and down and he could hear himself hoarsely say, ¡°This prince has prepared a very special present to congratte you on reaching youring of age...¡±


    ¡°A present? Didn¡¯t you already give me a diamond hairpin and helped me find the best jewelry maker to craft my pearl hairpin...¡± Yu Xiaocao looked a bit perplexed. The confused expression on her face, when seen in a certain person¡¯s eyes, looked incredibly adorable and tempting.


    ¡°Those didn¡¯t count. What I really wanted to give to you was¡ª¡ªmyself!¡± As he finished talking, he lowered his head to urately peck at those beautiful petal-like lips. Originally, Zhu Junyang only nned on stealing a brief kiss from her but thess¡¯s warm lips were too tempting and fragrant, which made it impossible for him to stop there.


    Zhu Junyang acted as if he was bewitched as he gently bit down on the young maiden¡¯s tender red lips. His tongue swiped quickly around the perimeter of her perfect mouth and softly teased her lips open to get a taste of the sweet inside. Xiaocao, who had suddenly been attacked, felt her head turnpletely nk.


    Although she was already an old maid in her early thirties in her past life, she had been preupied with working and making money the entire time. Dating had be a luxury for her. On the few blind dates she went on, they had never even reached the stage of holding hands, let alone stealing kisses from each other.


    In the past, she always thought that entwining her tongue with someone else¡¯s and exchanging saliva was a very disgusting prospect. But why was her heart beating so fast now and she was starting to feel a strange form of...pleasure?


    As her lips were being thoroughly plundered in a gentle and soft manner by the man in front of her, she could hear the ambiguous sounds of pantinging from the two of them. Her mind seemed to bepletely nk and a feeling of helplessness rose within her. However, her body seemed to instinctively know what to do and reacted honestly. She felt like her soft and delicate body was starting to melt into a warm puddle from all of this. Her cherry red lips opened further in invitation, revealing a soft pink tongue within.


    The young maiden¡¯s body had a fragrant scent wafting off of it and it was extremely alluring and tempting. Furthermore, now that her delicate tongue was now inadvertently revealed, this only increased the temptation. Zhu Junyang felt like there was a violent wave of heat surging inside his chest as if a fierce tiger was trying to w its way out. Hisrge hands had begun to surreptitiously roam further down her body naughtily and were now around her willowy and soft waist.


    Although he was self-taught, he was doing quite well in ravaging and conquering the girl¡¯s lips. His disobedient tongue began to wind itself and y with her bright white teeth before it slipped further into her mouth. As it explored inquisitively, it continued to teasingly lick and sample within to get as much sweetness as it could.


    As soon as it encountered the smaller tongue, which didn¡¯t seem to know what to do, it became much more excited and rushed forward. Zhu Junyang caressed and began to gently nip at Xiaocao¡¯s small tongue in a sensuous dance. When the smaller tongue tried to dodge and run away in embarrassment, hisrger tongue vehemently chased it down and captured it again.


    The feeling of having her tongue entwined with another¡¯s provoked another new feeling that Xiaocao had never felt before. She felt incredibly woozy and there didn¡¯t seem to be a bit of strength left in her body. She could only weakly lean against the tall and strong man and let him continue to do as pleased. Suddenly, a particr hard object seemed to jab against her body and jolted her out of this misty dreamscape. She pushed with her arms in an effort to get further away from this fellow who was enjoying the feast a bit too much.


    She had read a few raunchy novels in her past life, so she naturally knew what that object was. When men became...aroused, they really didn¡¯t have much logic left in their minds. Although she had already epted this person in front of her after many years of testing, they were living in ancient times. In these times, having any sort of physical intimacy prior to marriage was a huge taboo and would bring shame upon her. She truly didn¡¯t want such a giant scandal toe out on her owning of age ceremony!

 Chapter 566 – A Skilled Wild Cat

    <h4>Chapter 566 ¨C A Skilled Wild Cat</h4>


    Now that she had her reason back, Yu Xiaocao used her small fists to pummel the guy in front of her. However, her tiny bit of strength only tickled the fellow in front of her, who was in his prime and very strong. It didn¡¯t seem to affect him at all as he continued to steal kisses.


    His rock hard abdomen and a certain something seemed to heat up even more and be harder. It poked against Xiaocao, making her feel quite ufortable. She knew that it was pointless to struggle as it would serve to excite a certain fellow. After going through her options in her woozy head, she forcefully bit down on the fellow¡¯s lips. However, when the iron taste of blood touched her lips, the fellow seemed to not care and continued to lick and nibble at her swollen and bright red lips.


    She reached out a hand and urately pinched the fellow¡¯s attractive nose closed. He had to breathe sooner orter, which meant that he had to let her go! Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes glittered with a crafty light. However, she didn¡¯t expect that Zhu Junyang had a very good lung capacity and continued to ravage her lips for a long time before he finally let her go.


    ¡°Deng Tuzi, such a pervert!!¡± Yu Xiaocao scuttled away in that one moment when he had regained his mind. She red at him in displeasure and her swollen and red lips were in a pout. Her eyes had a tinge of fury in them, which made Zhu Junyang feel quite puzzled.


    ¡°Tell me the truth!! Have you kissed a lot of women before? Which is why you¡¯re not the least bit unfamiliar with the techniques?¡± Yu Xiaocao put her hands on her hips and had a sour, jealous expression on her face. She looked quite fierce at this moment.


    ¡°This prince is being wrongly used. Other than you, who else is attractive enough for me to kiss? Don¡¯t you know ah? All men instinctively know what to do, so we¡¯re all self taught. In addition, this prince has been kissing you in my dreams for a long time. Isn¡¯t it better that I seem practiced?¡± Zhu Junyang had a righteous expression on his face, and he was secretly delighted that the littless was feeling jealous.


    Yu Xiaocao red at him suspiciously for some time and couldn¡¯t detect a hint of guilt anywhere. Only then did she reluctantly say, ¡°Hmph! This time I¡¯ll let you go. If I find out that you dared to fool around with other women, I will make sure to drug you such that you¡¯re unable to...perform!¡±


    ¡°Pfffft¡ª¡ª¡± Zhu Junyang had almost just choked on his own saliva and he frowned. He used his pair of seductive phoenix eyes to inspect the littless as he remarked in displeasure, ¡°Where did you hear such nonsense? If this prince is unable to...perform, what are you going to do?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s cheeks flushed a bright red and she leveled a re at him and growled, ¡°If you¡¯re ever disloyal, then I will sweep you out of the door. When the timees, we will no longer interact with each other for even a second. Thus, why would I care whether you can perform or not? Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯ve learned medicine, so I¡¯ve naturally skimmed through and seen what certain conditions a man can have...¡±


    ¡°In the future, stop looking at those weird medical texts. It¡¯s not as if we need to rely on your medicinal skills to make money! If you want to make money, next month when the ships set off to the western hemisphere, I¡¯ll have them trade tea and porcin for precious gems and diamonds. We can open a jewelry store, which doesn¡¯t require much capital and make a lot of profit...¡±


    His little wife was very good at a lot of things and most of these skills seemed toe out of nowhere. For example, thess imed that she had spent time with her vige¡¯s barefoot doctor when she was young, learning the basics. However, her skills were such that they sometimes even surpassed the imperial physicians. As for her ability to concoct medications...Zhu Junyang suddenly felt a bit helpless. His wife had too many secrets. In the future, it looked like he had a lot of cleaning up after her to do!


    ¡°Why are we talking about medicine now ah? Be a bit more serious. Right now, we¡¯re discussing whether or not you¡¯re able to stay loyal in one rtionship!¡± Yu Xiaocao had almost been taken astray by this change of topic and hurriedly went back to the problem at hand.


    Zhu Junyang saw that his future little wife was brandishing her power, so, as a future husband who knew how to bend and sway with the situation, he hurriedly said in a solemn manner, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this prince will absolutely be loyal to you alone. In my twenty-two years of life, other than you, there hasn¡¯t been a second woman around me! My feelings are definitely more loyal and longsting than Little ck and Little White¡¯s feelings toward you!¡±


    Seeing that he wasparing himself to Little ck and Little White, a brilliant smile appeared on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face. Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but step forward a couple of times in an attempt to take advantage of her again. However, his ns were cut short by the sounds of people talking outside, ¡°The banquet has already started downstairs. Why hasn¡¯t the young miss gone down? Eh? Wutong, howe you¡¯re not in the room?¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Meixiang needed me to help her out with something and I already got permission from the young miss. Yangliu, how do you have the time toe up ah?¡± Wutong was a bit puzzled by what had happened. It was clearly a very simple task that any maid would be able to handle. Why did Older Sister Meixiang need her especially for it? However, Meixiang was her young miss¡¯s future mother-inw¡¯s personal maidservant. She needed to bury her doubts within her heart no matter what.


    Yangliu had a bit of excitement in her voice, ¡°The giant cake downstairs has already been cut and served and all of the other desserts have been disyed appropriately. It¡¯s been a while since Ist saw the young miss so I wanted to greet her on this special day and give her my congrattions!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao could hear the sounds of the two maidservants approaching. She looked at Zhu Junyang¡¯s lips, which had been injured from her bite, that stopped moving about two inches from hers and restrained augh as she said, ¡°Wutong is back. Are you not going to hide again?¡±


    The sound of a soft sigh came out of Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth and he looked at that delicate and pretty face in front of him and softly said, ¡°Lass, let¡¯s not wait until you¡¯re sixteen. Can we get engaged before the end of the year?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a few months difference. You¡¯ve already waited for this many years, does it matter if you wait a few short months more? That being said, an engagement isn¡¯t marriage. Did you think we¡¯d start bing intimate right after getting engaged?¡± Yu Xiaocao quipped.


    ¡°After the engagement, you¡¯ll have my name all over you and then those crazy wolves won¡¯t dare to approach you anymore. Don¡¯t think that just because this prince has been spending a lot of time at the barracks that I¡¯ve neglected keeping an eye out on what¡¯s happening in the capital. Don¡¯t you think Duke Ronguo¡¯s second son is interested in you? Every time you organize an event, he brings his younger brother along to shamelessly join you. That fellow has a face that attracts women. In fact, the first time you saw him, you were entranced by his appearance!¡± Now the one feeling jealous was Zhu Junyang.


    His littless pretty much had no defenses against men who had outstanding looks. Every time she saw Chief Steward Su Ran, her eyes began to sparkle so much that they could blind a person. If Chief Steward Su wasn¡¯t an eunuch, Zhu Junyang would have long started a fight with the other fellow! The second young master of the Ning Family had beenplimented by thess for having a gentlemanly exterior and a refined appearance. In his eyes, however, the other youth was only faking it!


    ¡°Alright ah, alright! Stop bringing up these old rotten topics. How old was I then? I was only admiring him like I would a painting! Wutong and the others are almost at the door, are you still not going to leave now?¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed him towards the window and watched as he climbed over the windowsill and sat down.


    Zhu Junyang turned his head around and, with a rascally expression on his face, threatened, ¡°Kiss me one more time. Otherwise, this prince will just sit here and not leave!¡±


    She could already hear the sound of the door opening behind her. Helpless, Yu Xiaocao pecked at his lips as lightly as a butterfly. As the sounds of people walking approached her, she forcefully pushed Zhu Junyang¡¯s back and didn¡¯t care that they were up on the third floor. In her eyes, with his martial arts skills, even if he fell off a thirteen story building he would be fine, let alone a three story fall.


    ¡°Young Miss, let this servant do it instead, alright?¡± Wutong saw that her young miss was standing in front of the open window and thought that she was about to close it so she hurried over and shut the shutters. At this time, Zhu Junyang, who was hanging off of the windowsill, saw the window being closed and licked his lips, wishing that he could continue. His littless was truly too sweet. It was such a pity that her maids were too quick! However, in the future, there were plenty of other opportunities. Now he should go attend the littless¡¯s birthday feast!


    Zhu Junyang gracefully walked into the banquet hall. By the time he arrived at his assigned table, everyone there had already drank plenty of wine and eaten until they were half full.


    Zhu Junfan keenly spotted that there were some tell-tale teeth marks near his younger cousin¡¯s lips and he secretlyughed. It looked like this fellow had tried to steal a kiss from a beauty. Not bad, not bad at all, the child was teachable and seemed to resemble himself during his youth.


    ¡°You stinky brat, where were you ah? Howe you only got back now? If you came back anyter, you wouldn¡¯t be able to have a share of your little wife¡¯s birthday cake!¡± There was a piece of cake in front of Zhu Junyang¡¯s seat. That piece had the word ¡®Cao¡¯ written on it with bright red jam and it was obvious that it had been especially reserved for him.


    ¡°Imperial Grandfather, Imperial Majesty, my two imperial uncles...¡± Zhu Junyang greeted all of his family members one after another. His usually cold and icy face didn¡¯t seem to be as frosty today. Instead he seemed quite lively, which made everyone at the table gape in astonishment.


    The emperor emeritus was currently chewing on some sliced pig ears in chili oil and loudly remarked, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit ah! Young people need to smile more in order to make girls like them! You look the most like myself when I was young. I just remember, back then, although we were quite poor, there were still plenty of young maidens eyeing me in admiration...¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing nced at his father¡¯srge face that was as round as a pancake paired with a fat double chin. Then he turned to nce at his younger son¡¯s slender and well-sculpted face that was paired with alluring phoenix eyes. His lips twitched involuntarily¡ª¡ªthis old man was clearly too overconfident about his own looks! Junyang was obviously the son that most resembled his mother in looks. If the emperor emeritus had to bepared to someone else¡¯s looks, then he should be using the emperor, who hadrge eyes and fierce manly eyebrows.


    Imperial Prince Sa stared fixedly at the teeth marks near Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth and he snickered endlessly. Finally, he couldn¡¯t resist and teased the younger man, ¡°Oh ho, Boy Yang, what happened to your mouth? You were only gone for a bit so how did that happen?¡±


    Zhu Junyang idly touched the wound near his mouth and revealed a bit of softness in his expression. He immediately became serious to confront the insatiable curiosity of the older man and drilly said, ¡°Nothing much, I wasn¡¯t careful earlier and was injured by a little wild cat who bit me...¡±


    Imperial Prince Sa¡¯s son, Zhu Junxu, was simr to his father and liked to tease other people. When he heard his cousin¡¯s exnation, he snickered and said, ¡°Oh ho! This little wild cat must know martial arts in order to injure our Royal Prince Yang, who has exceptional skills. Furthermore, its ability to target your mouth urately shows that it¡¯s quite impressive!¡±


    When Zhu Junyang sent an icy glower at him, Zhu Junxu shivered and hurriedly showed his cousin that he wasn¡¯t going to say any more. He buried his head down towards his te to eat more delicious food as he silently cursed the other fellow, ¡®Stinky brat. With your cold and stupid personality, it¡¯d be a miracle if any girl liked you! Getting bitten by someone else is karma for you!¡¯


    When Yu Xiaocao and her sister came over to toast their table, all of the people there noticed immediately that her lips seemed to be a bit swollen and red. Hence, all of their expressions as they looked at her seemed a bit ambiguous. Under the slightly puzzled looks of Madam Liu and Lady Fang, Yu Xiaocao angrily red at the criminal in question and pretended as if nothing had happened while she toasted each imperial family member at the table. After saying a few words of gratitude, she immediately fled. She was afraid that someone might link her with Zhu Junyang and spill the beans to her two mothers!

 Chapter 567 – Horse Breeding Farm

    <h4>Chapter 567 ¨C Horse Breeding Farm</h4>


    Ever since that passionate kiss during hering of age ceremony, Yu Xiaocao discovered that Zhu Junyang had be much more clingypared to before.


    The firearms camps portion of Xishan Barracks had already started. With the emperor, who loved and was fascinated by firearms, at the forefront at this project, they needed to make sure that progress on developing and manufacturing firearms and red coat cannons was going well. Those soldiers under Royal Prince Yang, who had been assigned to the firearms camp, each had a firearm assigned to them and every battalion was given arge cannon.


    After he delegated the task of training these new firearms to Dong Dali, who had already be a skilled gunman, Zhu Junyang became much more idle. He took on the task of escorting his future little wife to and from her tasks at the Imperial ntation. asionally he¡¯d steal a kiss from her. Thus, the days passed idly and happily for him.


    At this time, whether it was the capital¡¯s seed breeding program or the Yu Family¡¯smercial farmstead, they were all operating smoothly. The capital¡¯s seed breeding program had been split into fourrge farmsteads and each one had an overseer who was personally sent over by the emperor to keep an eye on things. They were already two years into the program and everyone working there knew the drill. Prior to the plowing seasons, Xiaocao would go to each farmstead to deliver her ¡®specially prepared¡¯ seeds. In addition, she also took the time to inspect the wells at each ce.


    Some of the stewards in the ntation discovered that the seeds that Official Yu sent over didn¡¯t have much difference between the seeds that were produced there. Thus, they tried an experiment and grew a batch of seeds on a separate plot ofnd. When it was time to harvest, they discovered that the yield between the two types of seeds wasn¡¯t very different from one another.


    However, when these seeds were sold on the market, the officials in those areas got used by the farmers who bought them. They imed that those stores had sold counterfeit high-yielding seeds as they gave an output of around one hundred to two hundred catties per mu less than the other viges. For themoners, their crop outputs were even more important than their lives. Wasn¡¯t selling counterfeit seeds tantamount to killing them?


    Since the outputs between the two types of seeds were so different, even though they were sold at the same shops, this made people question what might have happened. After a thorough investigation, they discovered that the seeds that had lower yields were all products that had not gone through Official Yu¡¯s hands.


    With such a report that had ¡®the facts¡¯, they found out that Official Yu always used a special type of ¡®nt liquid¡¯ that not only increased the yield of the seeds but also prevented pests from damaging them. Consequently, there were some shrewd people who wanted to force Yu Xiaocao to bring out the recipe in the open and the wsuit¡¯ had even been sent up to the emperor.


    The emperor was well aware of Xiaocao¡¯s hidden hand, so he found a suitable excuse and helped Xiaocao smooth this all over. However, this wasn¡¯t the true solution he was looking for. After all, the little divine stone would one day go back to its home dimension. Once that happened, wouldn¡¯t all of the high-yielding crops they had now revert back to the way things were at the start of the dynasty?


    In private, the emperor urged Xiaocao to experiment with methods to breed real high-yield seeds. In addition, hemanded the Ministry of Works to develop more high tech machinery for the use in farming, such as seed drillers, crop harvesters and threshing machines.


    Yu Xiaocao consulted with the little divine stone about this problem. She found out from it that once it restored all of its powers, it would help her alter the gic materials of the seeds before it left. That way, they would truly have wheat seeds capable of producing a thousand catties per mu. With that guarantee on hand, Yu Xiaocao no longer had to worry about this issue. After all, she wasn¡¯t a true farming expert and wasn¡¯t able to be like Yuan Longping [1] . She mostly relied on the little divine stone as her cheat item for this.


    ¡°Lass, the autumn corn has already been harvested and the winter wheat has been sowed. You promised me in the past that you would help this prince start a good horse breeding program. Isn¡¯t it about time for you to make good on that promise?¡± After Zhu Junyang had organized everything at the firearms camps to his liking, he once again started to ponder about his desire to create a standing cavalry.


    Cavalries had the advantage of being incredibly mobile and fast, so their attack power was quite high. In Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, the Great Ming Dynasty needed to build their own cavalry, and the sooner the better. Troops on horseback could speedily chase after enemies, surround them, mount sneak attacks, and provide rescue missions. A charging cavalry could effectively deal with a battalion of crudely equipped foot troops. Furthermore, troops on horseback relied on the speed of their horses to travel. This meant that they could strike an enemy¡¯s camp like lightning and effectively break apart their formation. The imposing looks of a cavalry could also strike at an enemy¡¯s morale and make them cower back in fear. All in all, for foot troops, a well-trained cavalry was their worst nightmare.


    At the northern borders of the Great Ming Empire there were fierce nomad tribes that were on horseback. On the wide prairies, their superiority over foot troops in battle could easily be seen. Time after time, the Great Ming Empire¡¯s army had suffered losses against them. It was particrly bad once winter set in. For the sake of obtaining food and other goods, these enemy tribes adopted gueri warfare tactics and would strike border viges like the wind. After plundering and killing all of the inhabitants there, they would then flee like ghosts. By the time the Great Ming¡¯s army arrived, all that was leftover were the grisly corpses of the dead vigers and the burnt out shell of the vige. The soldiers stationed at the borders naturally hated these tribal horse cavalry units to the heavens.


    There were also other high-ranking military officers who had wanted to create fast cavalry units to fight against these attacks. However, where would they get their supply of good horses? The outside nomad tribes naturally wouldn¡¯t sell or trade their best horses to the Great Ming Empire to be used against themselves. As for the horse breeders within the country, they didn¡¯t have good bloodlines to work with so they naturally couldn¡¯t produce horses that could be of any threat to the nomads. If they attempted to forcefully create these cavalry units without a good supply of horses, then they would end up being ineffective units in the end.


    Zhu Junyang had long been eyeing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s beloved horse, Little Red. In fact, he had especially invited horse experts over to inspect Little Red from head to toe but ended up getting inconclusive findings. Many of the experts who had examined Little Red stated that the horse was of a typical hybrid breed that was found in the country and that breed was usually considered inferior. These horses were typically used to transport cargo or pull wagons. However, they had no idea how its master had raised it to transform an inferior breed into such a prime specimen. If it weren¡¯t for Zhu Junyang¡¯s high and mighty status as a royal prince, those horse experts would have chased after him incessantly, begging him to tell them his secrets in raising and feeding horses.


    Zhu Junyang was even more certain that Xiaocao had a method on her hands to alter an inferior horse into a good horse. Naturally, if Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to reveal this secret, he wouldn¡¯t force her to. His backup n would be to bring along some troops armed with firearms and sneak into enemy territory to steal their horses.


    However, his littless didn¡¯t fail him this time either. He only proposed the issue and the littless easily agreed to his request. However, Xiaocao told him that all of the credit of breeding good horses needed to go to him as well as the expert breeders he brought along. Zhu Junyang was quite happy to serve as a smokescreen for the littless and deliberately chose two soldiers from the hidden guard ranks to be these expert horse breeders and trainers and announced it publicly.


    On a bright and beautiful morning, Royal Prince Yang received an imperial decree and headed towards the northern border along with his two ¡®horse experts¡¯ to begin his breeding and training program.


    For the past two years, the firearms camp¡¯s soldiers had participated in missions to suppress and protect the borders from bandits, and they did extremely well. Furthermore, they hadn¡¯t lost a single soldier but had managed to capture three enemy cities. It could be said that the soldiers within the firearm camps were extremely well disciplined and trained in tactics and battling. At court, even those military officials, who didn¡¯t see quite eye to eye with Zhu Junyang, had to admire his abilities at training and drilling troops.


    When Zhu Junyang went to court and impassionately described the advantages of building up a cavalry as well as starting a horse breeding program, the entire court was silent. After all, was making a sessful horse breeding and training program that easy? Was having good horse trainers alone enough to reach their goals? Where would they be getting these good bloodlines? Many of the officials thought that Royal Prince Yang¡¯s idea was a bit too far fetched and decided to wait andugh at him when he failed.


    However, the emperor thought that this idea was a good one because, two days prior, Xiaocao had entered the pce to speak to the empress. Afterwards, she had asked him to allow her to go with Zhu Junyang to the borders to start the horse breeding program. With Yu Xiaocao¡¯s golden finger along, Zhu Junfan was looking forward to the results of this endeavor.


    If the Great Ming Empire could have a cavalry equipped with fine horses and modern firearms, then no one around them would be able to beat their military superiority! Every man had a dream of aplishing something big and grand in his life and every emperor hoped to have a flourishing country with a strong military. Zhu Junfan felt his heart fill with excitement at this prospect and immediately gave Xiaocao permission to go along. Furthermore, he also sent Chief Steward Su Ran to be the overseer there.


    Consequently, when it was time to head out, there was an addition of a handsome man, dressed entirely in ethereal immortal white, to their group. With such a piece of eye candy by her side, Xiaocao was naturally in good spirits while Zhu Junyang sulked. Originally, this was supposed to be a sweet and sappy journey for the two of them. No man would be happy with such an eye-catching third wheel tagging along.


    The emperor also sent a squadron of the firearms camps from Xishan Barracks along to act as guards for the horse breeding program. Although the nomad tribes near the borders had be a lot more quiet after getting defeated a few times, this horse raising ranch was right by the border. They needed to prevent the enemy foreigners from ying tricks and sabotaging this endeavor.


    The two person journey Zhu Junyang had hoped for had now turned into a grand procession full of people. It didn¡¯t bother him much that there were a bunch of small insects tagging along. However, he was quite upset that hisss regarded that stupid and extremely handsome eunuch with admiration and joy.


    Perhaps he should find an excuse to fight a bout with that stupid eunuch? However, if he lost the spar, how would his littless regard him then? Argh! He had to endure this instead! Since he didn¡¯t have a guarantee that he would be able to win against Chief Steward Su, he could only bear with the other person¡¯s presence for now.


    ¡°Sir Su, try some of my hazel grouse stew! We were quite lucky today to be able to shoot down a hazel grouse. Everyone says that hazel grouses have tasty and tender meat, so this stew should be quite delicious!¡± While they were camping outside, Yu Xiaocao haddled up a bowl of stew for Su Ran and happily enjoyed having a meal with such a handsome person. It was truly something that delighted her!


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, this prince also wants to drink some hazel grouse stew...¡± Royal Prince Yang, who had been coldly ignored at the side, now acted like arge dog begging for attention. He pitifully asked Xiaocao to give him some food too.


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even nce at him as she replied, ¡°There¡¯s more in the pot, so go get some yourself! Sir Su, how¡¯s the taste? My cooking skills are decent, right?¡±


    The elegant smile on Su Ran¡¯s handsome face warmed by a few degrees and he slowly nodded his head, ¡°The meat from the hazel grouse is tender and vorful, and it has been cooked perfectly. Everything in the soupplements each other to a superb degree, so it tastes splendid!¡±


    Jealousy exploded within Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart as he stared fixedly at Chief Steward¡¯s Su Ran¡¯s incredibly good-looking face. He had to inwardly admit that this stupid eunuch was truly quite handsome, especially when he smiled warmly. That smile was enough to warm a person from head to toe. In fact, this was his littless¡¯s preferred type of man! At the same time, he shamelessly rejoiced that it was fortunate that Su Ran was a eunuch. Otherwise, there would be no guarantees that his littless wouldn¡¯t change her affections.


    ¡°Lass, you¡¯re being a bit too biased here, right? This prince killed the hazel grouse, and I also plucked it and started the fire...he didn¡¯t do anything but he gets to enjoy the fruits of yourbor. This prince wants to drink some stew but I even have to get it myself! It¡¯s not fair!!¡± A bit of hurt tinged Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes and he had a pathetic looking expression on his face.


    Su Ran faintly nced at Zhu Junyang to ¡®appease¡¯ the younger man but he was inwardly howling withughter. Watching Royal Prince Yang drink sour vinegar every day was truly too amusing. In fact, it made him want to eat two extra bowls of rice every day!

 Chapter 568 – Saving Some People From Wolves

    <h4>Chapter 568 ¨C Saving Some People From Wolves</h4>


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s new assistant, Hou Xiaoliang hurriedly helped his master todle a bowl of soup. He grinned, ¡°Master, you don¡¯t need to do anything. This one will help you get some food!¡±


    ¡°You are quite diligent...but does this prince want you to serve me food? Go away!¡± Zhu Junyang was annoyed by this fellow¡¯s inability to read the situation. Was this prince really asking for soup ah? No! This prince was trying to make a certain person serve him soup!


    In the end, Yu Xiaocao could no longer ignore Zhu Junyang¡¯s pathetic act and alsodled up a bowl of stew for him. She watched as he gulped it down and then sigh in an exaggerated manner. She was simultaneously irritated and amused by his ridiculous actions. For a guy who was over twenty years old, he truly acted quite childish sometimes. Naturally, his so-called childish act was only really revealed around her.


    Yu Xiaocao pushed out a food item called ¡®beggar¡¯s chicken¡¯ from the campfire and instructed Zhu Junyang to break the mud shell off of the chicken, revealing the inner lotus leavesyer. Immediately, a puff of tantalizing smell hit everyone¡¯s noses. She ripped off arge chicken leg and served it to Su Ran. Then, with a certain someone staring at her with grievance in his eyes, she tore off the other leg and shoved it into his mouth. Finally, she served herself the two chicken wings as a part of her dinner.


    Yu Xiaocao gnawed on her chicken wings as she looked around her surroundings. They were already approaching the border and the area around them had markedly be more open and crude. Other than a few small tree des here and there, the rest was just a vast grasnd. She casually threw her finished chicken bones into the fire and wiped her hands clean with the handkerchief Zhu Junyang handed to her. A sudden thought came to her mind, prompting her to ask, ¡°In this wilderness, you really can¡¯t see many people around. Are there wolf packs in the area?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Even if there are wolf packs, we have a lot of people here and they wouldn¡¯t dare to approach us on their own¡ª¡ªhowever, if there were people who decided to lure them to us, then that¡¯s a whole different story!¡± Zhu Junyang had a serious look on his face as he stared fixedly in the direction of a de of trees. The aura around him seemed to be full of fierce intent, as if he was a sharp sword ready to be used at any time.


    Su Ran calmly used a pure white handkerchief to wipe his hands and the smile on his face became even more warm and gentle. Those who knew him would know that Chief Steward Su had a particr habit. The kinder and gentler the smile on his face, the more cruel he was willing to be. In a moment¡¯s notice, he could switch from being as soft as a spring breeze to as chillingly cold as a winter¡¯s storm, with a severed person¡¯s head in his hand. He was truly the epitome of the smiling King of Hell.


    The two of them made an interesting pair. One was the smiling King of Hell while the other was the cold-faced God of Death. However, they had the same merciless and cruel mindset when they needed to act.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was a bit slow to react, lowered her head to take a sip of hazel grouse soup and then nced at Zhu Junyang, who was giving off a chilly aura. Then she looked briefly at Sir Su, whose smile resembled the beautiful sight of a de of blooming peach trees. She finally seemed to sense something and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are there enemies around?¡±


    Su Ran smiled reassuringly at her and said, ¡°Not an issue, just a few wild wolves in the area. If you¡¯re afraid, go hide in the tent. Once we get rid of this wolf pack, then you cane out again.¡±


    ¡°There really is a pack of wolves? Just look at this inauspicious mouth of mine. I just casually mentioned it and it came true!¡± Yu Xiaocao watched as the soldiers around her made preparations one by one and thought about the time when that pack of wolves descended on her vige. One or two wolves weren¡¯t too scary but a whole pack of them could not be underestimated.


    Zhu Junyang looked back at Xiaocao and stated in an uneasy manner, ¡°Go call Little ck and Little White over. I¡¯ll feel better with them protecting you!¡±


    Before he even finished hisst sentence, under the light of the moon, two figures, one ck and one white, rapidly approached them. Before the firearms troops could react, the two creatures had already jumped through the group of people and uratelynded right next to Xiaocao. They resembled two extremely loyal bodyguards with their master sandwiched in between them.


    Su Ran, who was only around two steps away from Xiaocao, lightly petted Little White, who was about the height of a grown man when sitting down. Little White merely nced at him arrogantly. The white wolf had a solitary and aloof personality and even members of the Yu Family, other than Xiaocao and Little Shitou, who had grown up with it, were warned away with bared fangs. However, all animals had an instinctual sixth sense and Little White could tell that Su Ran wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. It only looked back at the man with an impatient expression in its eyes. If it were anyone else, it would have already growled and howled in protest.


    The night breeze that blew by held the faint scent of blood and there were small green lights that seemed to be approaching them. With the light of the moon helping her, Yu Xiaocao, who had keen eyesight, could faintly see a few staggering figures in front of a wolf pack.


    ¡°Ya! Quickly go save them!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but let out a cry when she saw another figure fall down and perish beneath the wolf pack.


    ¡°Stay obediently next to Chief Steward Su. This prince will go and take a look!¡± Zhu Junyang could hear a faint trace of sympathy in thess¡¯s voice. If they continued to watch and observe, he was afraid that his kind-heartedss would end up feeling remorse in the future for not doing anything.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the dense glowing green lights in the distance and couldn¡¯t help but warn him, ¡°You need to be careful ah...¡±


    The tall and study figure of Zhu Junyang, who was dressed in ck and armored well, quickly disappeared into the dark sky. With her keen eyes that were nourished by mystic-stone water, Yu Xiaocao was able to see exactly what was going on in the distance. The people who were fleeing seemed to have seen the light of their fire and received another burst of energy. The group was shielding a person in the middle as they did their best to rush over as fast as they could.


    However, these people were exhausted and already wounded. How could they possibly out run a pack of wolves who had already been excited to a bloodthirst? From the group, another two split out and used their own bodies to slow down the savaging pack in order to give their master a few more seconds of precious time. The person, who was being pushed forward by the rest, would, from time to time, look back and let out sorrowful and anguished cries when he saw more people die.


    ¡°Derang! Xiujie!¡± Yelu Rong watched as his bodyguards fell one by one. They had managed to avoid getting ughtered by the traitors but now they were losing their lives to the jaws of the wolves.


    ¡°Your Majesty! Run away quickly and don¡¯t let our brothers¡¯ sacrifices be in vain!¡± Yelu Rong¡¯s two other bodyguards each held an arm as they forced their exhausted and wounded bodies forward. Their goal was to reach that campfire, that shining me of hope.


    Around this time of year, no one else would be in the area other than some merchant caravans. Judging by the size and light of the fire, this group of merchants probably had a decent number of people. They prayed that these merchants had brought enough bodyguards with them to get rid of the devils chasing them...


    When Zhu Junyang dropped out of the sky like a god, Yelu Rong only had two loyal bodyguards left. The rest of them had already died under the jaws of the wolves.


    Zhu Junyang neatly kicked away a wolf that was leaping towards Yelu Rong¡¯s back. With a few graceful moves of the sword in his hand, he easily pushed back a few other fierce wolves that were at the head of the pack. Zhu Junyang used his right hand to pick up Yelu Rong, who was wounded in his leg, by the cor. In a few quick movements, he quickly brought the injured person back to camp. Without their master slowing them down, the other two bodyguards picked up their speed and fled swiftly towards the glowing campfires.


    When Little ck saw the approaching wolf pack, it became so excited that it couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. It wed at the ground with itsrge paws and its shining blue eyes stared fixedly at the alpha wolf in the middle of the pack. Little ck¡¯s normal strategy was to target the leader of the group first.


    The wolf pack had also long discovered that there were other people here. As they got closer, they could smell the alluring scent of their ¡®prey¡¯, which made them even more excited and vicious. There were at least a hundred animals in this pack of wolves and they had been a terror to the area for quite some time. The merchants that traveled in this area banded together for safety and even that wasn¡¯t a guarantee that a tragedy wouldn¡¯t happen. As for the officials nearby, they didn¡¯t have enough soldiers on hand to destroy this pack of wolves so they were quite helpless as well.


    Wolves who had already had the taste of human meat were even more vicious than usual and they weren¡¯t the least bit cowed by the sight of more people. The fire illuminated their shadowy figures and Hou Xiaoliang couldn¡¯t help but shiver when he saw densely packed figures of wolves with their glowing green eyes. He blurted out, ¡°Holy moly! So many! Did you lure over all of the nearby wolves in this area ah?¡±


    Yelu Rong nervously watched as his two bodyguards, who hadn¡¯t reached their circle of safety, continued to run towards them. He opened his mouth in an attempt to ask for help, but before he could, he heard the sound of a wolf howling behind him. It scared him so much that his legs buckled and he fell t onto the ground.


    Even Hou Xiaoliang had been caught off guard and was a bit frightened by the howl. He turned his head around and discovered that therge ck dog next to his future mistress was currently raising its head and howling to the sky.


    ¡°Oh my! Even hunting dogs can imitate wolves now. Did Little ck just learn this ah?¡± Hou Xiaoliang scratched at his ear as he quietly mumbled. Compared to the calm and steady Dong Dali, Hou Xiaoliang had a bit more liveliness and nervous energy.


    When the wolf pack heard Little ck howling, they all stopped moving one after another, giving the two bodyguards a chance to flee with their lives. The two of them stumbled into the vicinity of the campfire, and their faces still held traces of lingering fear.


    ¡°Awoooooo¡ª¡ª¡± A tall and big gray wolf came out of the middle of the pack and gave a warning howl at Little ck. It was as if it was trying to say, ¡®This is my domain, so all outsiders need to scram.¡¯


    How could Little ck take this lying down? The ck wolf immediately strode forward and stopped not far from where the gray wolf was standing and posed arrogantly. Its pair of blue eyes shown with disdain. Little ck¡¯s entire demeanor was like that of a king¡¯s, as if it owned the entirend before it.


    The alpha wolf was the leader of this hundred-some odd wolf pack, so it naturally was quite incredible in its own way. With this ck young fellow suddenly appearing and provoking it, how could it back down? It snarled furiously and leapt forward towards the ck wolf to strike first.


    The result went as expected. How could Little ck, who had been raised since it was a pup on mystic-stone water, possibly lose against a wild wolf? After a few quick exchanges between the two wolves, the opposing gray wolf ended up with its neck neatly bit through and ity, dying, at Little ck¡¯s feet.


    The wolf pack was now without a leader. In addition, the soldiers from the firearms camp weren¡¯t to be trifled with. The two groups fought fiercely and it ended up being a decisive win for the humans, as they had destroyed over half of the wild wolves in the pack. The remaining dozen or so wild wolves were all scared and ran for their lives. Later on, when the officials in the area found out, they organized all of the nearby hunters to hunt down these remaining creatures once and for all. After the man-eating wolves were all put down, the merchantsing to this area no longer had to take a detour for safety.


    Yu Xiaocao took out the healing ointments that she had personally made and had her maidservants, as well as herself, help the military doctors to treat the wounds from the injured soldiers. Yelu Rong¡¯s leg, which had been cut deeply by a sword, was also cleaned, treated and bandaged with a thickyer of gauze. His two bodyguards¡¯ injuries were also treated as well!


    ¡°Many thanks, heroes, for stepping out and saving our lives. Xiao Rong will never forget this favor!¡± After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the vast majority of people from the Yelu n had changed their surnames to Han ethnicity names. Yelu Rong still currently used the surname, Xiao, that was given to them back during the Liao Dynasty.


    Previous Chapter


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 Chapter 569 – Civil Unrest

    <h4>Chapter 569 ¨C Civil Unrest</h4>


    Xiao Rong looked battered and exhausted. Although he had a rough appearance, he looked quite handsome upon closer inspection. Yu Xiaocao felt that he looked somewhat familiar, and after she carefully pondered for a while, she suddenly blurted out, ¡°Qiao Feng¡ª¡ªno, you should be Xiao Feng!¡±


    If Zhu Junfan was here right now, he would definitely agree with Yu Xiaocao¡¯s statement. This person really resembled Felix Wong¡¯s version of Qiao Feng. Even the clothes he was currently wearing were simr¡ª¡ªhis clothes were shabby and looked like a beggar¡¯s clothes.


    Xiao Rong was shocked as his tiger-like eyes locked on the thin figure in front of him. Last year, an elder brother from the same n, who resided in the Central in for the majority of his life, hade back to the tribe to look for his roots, and his name was Feng. He couldn¡¯t remember whether or not his elder brother¡¯s surname was Qiao, but based on the surnames of the Khitan tribes, this elder brother should be called Xiao Feng. Could the young girl in front of him, who was as delicate and tender as grass, recognize the elder brother from the same n? Did she see through his identity?


    The prosperity of the Khitan tribes had long be history. During the Song Dynasty, their Liao Empire had taken over half of the country. But ever since the Yuan Dynasty started, their empire gradually declined. In order to avoid disaster, most of the people from the Yelu n lived with the Han people and changed their surnames intomon Han surnames.


    They were ambitious and wanted to restore the former glory of their ancestors. But their wishes were quickly smothered when they were faced with the well-trained and powerful army of the Great Ming Dynasty and the fierce tribes such as the Jurchen and Mongols. With them eyeing their n, the survival for his n members was extremely difficult.


    While the n had external worries, they also suffered internally. His brainless younger brother was incited by his own ambition and started a rebellion while he was celebrating his younger son¡¯s birthday. Amid all the panic, he entrusted his wife and child to one of his confidants and tried to pacify and control the armed rebellion under good faith.


    He never expected that the brother he entrusted had been bribed by their enemy and gave him a critical strike. Fortunately, he had brave and loyal soldiers apanying him. They protected him and helped him escape from the rebel army¡¯s siege. But after they broke out from the siege, there were merely a dozen good soldiers left.


    When it rained, it poured. They had just broken out from the siege when the blood from their wounds attracted a pack of wolves. If it weren¡¯t for the person standing in front of him, then he, Xiao Rong, the grand leader of the tribe, would¡¯ve been eaten by wolves.


    Xiao Rong secretly observed his ¡®savior¡¯. As he observed the other party and the other party¡¯s subordinates, he realized that they were ¡®well-trained¡¯. The group in front of him didn¡¯t consist of many people, but they were definitely not merchant caravans either. He could guarantee with his own life that these people definitely had military background and were brave and capable martial arts experts!


    This was especially true for the leader of the group. Although he looked more beautiful and charming than a woman, he couldn¡¯t hide the stern and imposing aura his body was exuding. Just by looking at his face, Xiao Rong could already feel the blood-thirsty spirit that was directed at him. Even the best fighter from his tribe stood no chance against that man.


    Although they were close to the border right now, this territory still belonged to the Great Ming Dynasty. Even if he didn¡¯t have a brain, he could already guess that the warrior standing in front of him was a soldier from the Great Ming Dynasty. But he hadn¡¯t heard about a war breaking out at the border? Could it be that his stupid younger brother¡¯s rebellion had already been exposed? Did the soldiers from the Great Ming Dynasty already prepared a counterattack n?


    Or could it be...the person who encouraged his stupid younger brother rebel was actually someone sent by the Great Ming Dynasty? The Great Ming Dynasty had be stronger and stronger with each year. They had a well-trained and powerful army. They even developed a very powerful firearm that could kill people that stood ten meters away. Could it be that the Great Ming Empire was starting to be impatient and wanted to immediately unify the various tribes outside its borders? Was the rebellion started by his own tribe, one of the conspiracies nned by the people from the Great Ming Empire? For a period of time, Xiao Rong was immersed in his thoughts.


    What should he do? The young girl seemed to have recognized his identity. Although his wound was fully treated, his physical strength and energy were vastly depleted. It would take him a while topletely recover. Xiao Rong nced cautiously at the tall and handsome man standing next to the young girl. Even if he was in his best condition, he still may not be able to escape from his opponent¡¯s grasp. Furthermore, he could tell that the handsome man dressed in white was not someone that could be easily dealt with either.


    Zhu Junyang remained calm and collected as he silently observed the battered and exhausted man standing in front of him. He noticed that the man¡¯s muscles became taunt and his gaze towards Xiaocao was full of rm and ill-intention when his little girl blurted out the words ¡®Xiao Feng¡¯.


    However, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t take this person to heart. The man in front of him was injured, but even if the man was not injured, he was confident that he could protect the person he loved. Furthermore, Chief Steward Su looked as if he was inadvertently trying to protect the young girl by sticking to her side.


    He nced at Little White who was baring its teeth at the unfamiliar man. A glint of praise towards Little White shed by Zhu Junyang¡¯s seductive phoenix eyes. Little White was always alert and loyal. Its first priority had always been to protect its master. It seemed like he should give Little White an extra chicken legter!


    ¡°Yongxi, do you know this person?¡± Yongxi was the name bestowed to Xiaocao by the empress, but Zhu Junyang usually preferred to address her as ¡®Cao¡¯er¡¯ or ¡®littless¡¯ since it seemed more intimate.


    Yu Xiaocao was embarrassed as she touched her nose. She recalled that The Great Hero Qiao Feng was a character from a book written by Sir Jin Yong. She didn¡¯t transmigrate into Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, so there was no one named Qiao Feng here. She chuckled dryly and said, ¡°Uhm...I mistook you for someone else! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Her exnation allowed Xiao Rong to rx. He knew that he didn¡¯t look like the elder brother from the n that much. How could a young girl like her possibly see through his identity immediately? There were simr items in this world, so there were also people who resembled each other a lot. It was not impossible for the young girl to mistook him for the wrong person. However, he must act cautiously since he was now at the enemy camp.


    Xiao Rong believed that he was hiding his identity very well, but he didn¡¯t know that his reaction and action did not escape Zhu Junyang and Su Ran¡¯s sharp eyes. The two people exchanged nces but decided to bide their time for now.


    Zhu Junyang already noticed a few things. Judging from Xiao Rong and his two guards¡¯ build and appearance, they looked slightly different from people who came from the Central ins. Based on the way he talked and his manners, he was different from themoners living outside the border. It was obvious that he had caught a big fish. A man with the surname Xiao? Didn¡¯t the leader of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe use the same surname, Xiao, from the Liao Empire?


    If he was indeed the leader of Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe, then it was strange for him to suddenly appear in the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s territory. From his current attire and wounds, he looked like he had run away! If he could boldly guess the reason, then he would assume that perhaps, there was civil unrest in the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe.


    Zhu Junyang was a talented military strategist. He was able to guess the other party¡¯s identity quite urately and quickly.


    ¡°This...warrior, would you like to have some barbecue?¡± Yu Xiaocao pointed at the rabbit they were roasting over the fire as she greeted the three guests enthusiastically.


    In the past few days, in order to hide from the rebel army that was trying to kill them, Xiao Rong and his men had not had a warm meal for many days. To be more precise, they had not eaten in the past two days because the soldiers chasing after them were hot on their heels.


    After he hesitated for a moment, Xiao Rong took the roasted rabbit from Xiaocao and divided it among the remaining two guards with him and devoured the food. The rabbit meat was grilled until charred on the outside, and the meat was tender on the inside. The rabbit meat was coated with honey and an unknown spice, making the meat vorful and delicious.


    ¡°If that¡¯s not enough, then the roastedmb over there will be ready soon. Have some soup to moisten your throat!¡± Seeing how the three men were choking until their necks were straight, Xiaocao hurriedly gave them the remaining hazel grouse soup. They seemed quite pitiful. How long had they survived without food? How are they living worse than refugees?


    Xiao Rong gnawed at the roasted rabbit and drank the bowl of fragrant hazel grouse soup that Xiaocao had given him. His belly was finally somewhat full. He sighed happily and looked up at the innocent young girl. He sincerely expressed his gratitude, ¡°Thank you for your help and the food. Xiao Rong will not forget your kindness!¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded at him indifferently. He continued to roast the wild goats that Little White had hunted. Under the me¡¯s light, Zhu Junyang¡¯s handsome and charming face dazzled Xiao Rong. It was such a pity that such a beautiful and charming face belonged to a man.


    The people from the Central ins were as beautiful as the rumors had said. The two men standing close by, one looked charming and the other one looked refined. Even the young girl who had yet matured looked as pure as the cold spring in the high mountains. There wasn¡¯t even a trace of dust or dirt in herrge eyes.


    Did he guess incorrectly? Why would an innocent and young girl appear in the middle of a marching army? Furthermore, these people had tents set up and are barbecuing meat. They didn¡¯t look like a marching army, instead, they looked like people who came out to y.


    Xiao Rong thought of another possibility. Didn¡¯t the Great Ming Dynasty have an imperial hunting ground? In the previous year, the emperor had also hunted in the hunting ground! Could it be that the three people standing before him were people from the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s imperial family? Could the well-trained guards who were standing beside them be the imperial guards that were assigned to protect these people?


    Xiao Rong¡¯s eyes flickered with that in mind. If this was the case, if he can contain these people, then wouldn¡¯t he have enough bargaining chips to negotiate terms with the emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to ask him to send their army to help him regain his position as the head of his tribe?


    However, he needed to take his time to make a final decision. Among the three people, the two handsome men were unlike the warriors he had fought against before. This was especially true for the charming and beautiful man. He gave off a dangerous aura. When his cold gaze met his eyes, he looked like a wild beast that was about to escape. Xiao Rong couldn¡¯t help but tremble at that thought. The man dressed in white was a mystery. There was a glint in his eyes from time to time, and he couldn¡¯t be underestimated. It seemed like, among the three people, he should start with the young girl who seemed like she knew nothing about the cruelty of the world.


    ¡°Have a taste of the roastedmb leg made with my secret recipe. I added cumin, honey, and tomato sauce on it. It¡¯s crunchy on the outside, and soft and fragrant on the inside. I promise that you will never be able to forget the taste once you eat it!¡± Yu Xiaocao was arrogantly unting off her cooking skills. However, the seasoning she made for the roastedmb was finally made after many repeated attempts to perfect the recipe. Everyone praised her after eating it!


    Xiao Rong subconsciously took the roastedmb leg from her. He took a bite of the roastedmb leg under the young girl¡¯s expectant gaze. Sure enough, the meat was crispy on the outside, and soft and rich in vor on the inside. The meat was tender and fragrant. In contrast, all the roastedmb he had eaten before suddenly tasted like vorless dregs.


    After he finished the meat and soup, the young girl gave them the only unupied tent to them and said, ¡°The three of you are injured, so sleep in the tent tonight! You can sleep peacefully because Little White and Little ck will keep guard. The wolves won¡¯t dare toe close with them guarding!¡± With that said, she patted the two formidable wolves that were snuggling her.


    Although the two wolves had a different colored coatpared to ordinary wolves, Xiao Rong had lived in the grasnd for nearly 30 years. How can he fail to recognize the difference between a wolf and a dog? The ck wolf had just killed off the leader of the wolf pack with just a few bites. The white wolf looked feistier and more difficult to deal with. It just happened that the two ferocious wolves were snuggling up against the young girl standing in front of him. They acted more docile and gentler than regr dogs. From a nce, it was impossible to believe that they were once wild animals. He felt incredulous at the sight.

 Chapter 570 – A Good Plan?

    <h4>Chapter 570 ¨C A Good n?</h4>


    The vast grasnd was like an enormous painting that was spread out between heaven and earth. Autumn didn¡¯t seem to have affected this vast in of greenery at all. It was impossible to describe the beautiful and pure nature spread out in front of her. When she looked around, she could only see a sea of green everywhere and was unable to find a point of focus. The vast, boundless grasnd was like an immobile ocean. It caused people to fall into a stupor and lost in their daydream.


    Yu Xiaocao was riding on a pure white horse as she gazed far into the distance. The blue sky, white clouds, gentle breeze, and the warm sun seemed to have dispelled the exhaustion she had bottled up from all the traveling. In the distance, there were a few ck dots quickly approaching them. When the rider finally came into view, Xiaocao realized that she knew him¡ª¡ªhe was themander of Prince Cheng¡¯s Estate¡¯s private army, Commander Liu. When the Wokou invaded, Zhu Junyang had asked for an imperial decree to be sent that exact night to allow Commander Liu to lead a private army of eight thousand soldiers and headed to Dongshan Vige to rescue the people. Thus, Yu Xiaocao had met him on several asions.


    ¡°Master, you have worked hard. This subordinate has already arranged a ce for you to stay. Pleasee with me!¡± Commander Liu led his men to greet their masters. But his heart tensed up when he raised his head and saw Chief Steward Su, the emperor¡¯s personal bodyguard, standing next to the group.


    Chief Steward Su was in charge of protecting the imperial family, and he was also the head of the imperial guards. He was responsible for the safety of the emperor, so he rarely left the emperor¡¯s side. However, he was unexpectedly assigned to investigate the horse breeding ground outside the borders. This meant that His Majesty had ced great importance on the breeding ground. Commander Liu was originally feeling a little gloomy because he was dispatched to ¡®horse farm¡¯, but that disappointment and gloominess had all disappeared.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, are you tired? Do you want to take a break fist?¡± Zhu Junyang had been paying close attention to the news from beyond the borders ever since he appointed Commander Liu and a few of his trusted aides to prepare the horse farmst year. If he wasn¡¯t worried about Xiaocao¡¯s wellbeing, he would¡¯ve directly headed for the breeding farm by now.


    Yu Xiaocao naturally understood his current mood. After she took a sip of the mystic-stone water, all the exhaustion in her body disappeared. She straightened her back and in high spirits, she said, ¡°No need! Let¡¯s head to the horse farm first! My Little Red is still there, I wonder if she still remembers me!¡±


    During the spring season, Little Red finally epted Fierce Wind and she quickly got pregnant with a baby horse. Since Fierce Wind and Little Red were Ferghana horses, everyone had high expectations for the baby horse. So, he asked for Xiaocao¡¯s consent to transfer the pregnant horse to the horse farm outside borders. Little Red¡¯s baby was used as an important observation target and was raised with great care.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯te in person to visit the young horse after it was born, but from time to time, she would send people to deliver a ¡®carefully¡¯ formted fodder for the young colt. She heard that the young colt was plump and strong after eating the fodder and was already a budding genius among the other young horses that were born around the same time. An experienced horse expert already confirmed that the young colt would not be less talented than his parents in the future.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s stern and handsome face revealed a warm smile when he noticed how considerate his littless was being, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s head to the stable first.¡±


    ¡°Master, what should we do about those three people?¡± Hou Xiaoliang pointed his mouth towards three strong figures not far in the distance. The imperial horse farm was the army from the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s only hope. He couldn¡¯t allow strangers with ulterior motives to spy on their secrets.


    Zhu Junyang nced at him approvingly. Although this man wasn¡¯t very steady, he could be quick-witted when needed. He said to Liu Dekun, Commander Liu, ¡°Send one of your subordinates to take the three guests to the ce where you are staying and settle down. They are my ¡®guests¡¯, so remember to ¡®treat¡¯ them carefully!¡±


    Commander Liu understood what he was implying and nodded his head, ¡°This subordinate understands! Li Daming and Zhang Wenbin, the two of you should take the distinguished guests back to rest. Serve them with good tea and food. Remember to treat them well!¡±


    The two people who were mentioned, responded, ¡°Yes!¡± They took Xiao Rong and the two guards to a courtyard located more than five kilometers away from the horse farm. The courtyard was specially built for the people from the imperial family who came to inspect the horse farm. The outside of the courtyard looked simple on the outside, but the furnishings on the side were expensive. It was something only nobles can afford. This further convinced Xiao Rong and his guards that their savior had an extraordinary status.


    ¡°My Lord, based on the horse farm they mentioned, could they n on raising horses outside the borders?¡± Ajige, one of Xiao Rong¡¯s trusted guards, frowned as he said that.


    Xiao Rong¡¯s other guard, D Citeng,ughed so hard that his beard trembled as he said, ¡°Raising horses? If they do not have a good stallion to breed, then all the horses they¡¯ve bred will merely be inferior horses used to carry goods. What¡¯s the use of that? Speaking of good stallions, I believe the best ones are the wild horses that are tamed by the people of the grasnd. But after the fine stallions bred for a few generations, their bloodlines will not be as pure anymore¡­¡±


    Ajige red at D Citeng, who was all brawn and no brains. He ignored him and continued talking to his master, ¡°Do you think the Great Ming Dynasty is nning on raising a calvary to deal with the various tribes located outside the borders?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very possible!¡± Xiao Rong tapped his fingers on the table. His two thick eyebrows were wrinkled tightly.


    The red coat cannon and the firearms camp developed by the Great Ming Dynasty already revealed how extraordinary it was during its fight against the Jurchen tribe. If they managed to create arge and strong cavalry with the firearms they already have, then his younger brother¡¯s n to reestablish their ancestor¡¯s former glory would be a joke. The Great Ming Dynasty had already reached a height that was impossible for them to achieve. If Xiao Xuan continued to insist on going against the Great Ming Dynasty, then their entire tribe would be victims of his ambition!


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I¡­secretly head down and listen to their discussion about their horse farm?¡± Ajige frowned when he saw that his master was caught up in his own thoughts. He wanted to share his lord¡¯s burden.


    Xiao Rong raised his hand to stop him and said, ¡°You absolutely cannot do that! Even if we disregard the fact that they had saved our lives, the well-trained and disciplined soldiers and firearms in their hands showed that they¡¯re people we cannot trifle with! I believe that among one of the three people in the group, one of them must be someone from the imperial family. Ajige, do you think our tribe has the power to fight against the Great Ming Dynasty even if we currently aren¡¯t experiencing civil unrest?¡±


    Now, it was Ajige¡¯s turn to frown. In the past, the tribes beyond the borders relied on their strength and guerri warfare to barely deal with the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s army. However, during the recent battle between the Jurchen tribe and the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s army, the Jurchen tribe suffered a crushing defeat with numerous casualties after they faced the red coat cannon. Not only did the Great Ming Dynasty have a new weapon, their weapon didn¡¯t seem to miss. The Jurchen tribe suffered such heavy losses after that battle that they probably would not be able to fight again in the next ten years.


    The Jurchen had united more than a dozen tribes to fight against the Great Ming Empire, yet their battle ended in a disastrous defeat. How can a small Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe like theirs face such a powerful enemy? Ajige shook his head slowly and sighed heavily.


    ¡°Ajige, you are one of the great warriors of our Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe! I didn¡¯t expect you to be a coward! Our Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe doesn¡¯tck brave warriors who are not afraid of death! Even if the Great Ming Dynasty wishes to kill us off, I will make sure we bite a few chunks of their meat off first! I, D Citeng, am not a coward and I am not afraid of death!¡± The blockhead pounded his chest loudly. So what if they were from the Great Ming Empire¡¯s imperial family? They looked as thin as paper; he could easily pinch them to death with his finger!


    Ajige red angrily at him and reprimanded, ¡°Do you think this is the time for us to fight force against force? You have to look at our reality. Do you think it¡¯s worth it to sacrifice the entire tribe just to prove ourselves?¡±


    D Citeng was usually somewhat afraid of his crafty partner. When he saw that the other party was angry, he only muttered a few words in response before he fell silent.


    ¡°My Lord, from our current viewpoint, we can only try to be on friendly terms with the Great Ming Dynasty. We cannot be aggressive against them!¡± Ajige persuaded Xiao Rong patiently. He was afraid that his lord¡¯s mind would be spurred on by D Citeng¡¯s words.


    Xiao Rong smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I am like a stray dog right now. I don¡¯t even have the power to protect myself, so how can I fight against the mighty and formidable Great Ming Empire?¡±


    ¡°My Lord, this subordinate has a n. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll allow me to discuss it!¡± Ajige pondered for a while and based on the current situation, he felt that this was the only feasible n.


    ¡°Tell us your n!¡± Xiao Rong could already guess part of his n, so he nodded his head at him.


    ¡°The Han people believe strongly in the saying, ¡®enduring hardships while plotting your revenge¡¯. My Lord can pretend to surrender to the Great Ming Dynasty and use their power to help you regain your tribe!¡± Ajige paused as he secretly observed his lord¡¯s reaction.


    Xiao Rong smiled bitterly and said, ¡°The emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty is not someone who can be easily fooled. If we want to borrow troops from them, we will have to show them a certain degree of sincerity! Do you think we cane up with anything that can stir the emperor¡¯s desire based on our Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe¡¯s current financial resources?¡±


    Ajige gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s army short on horses? We can pay tribute to them every year with horses¡­¡±


    ¡°Ajige! You clearly know that the Great Ming Dynasty is nning to build a calvary! What do you think the purpose of their cavalry is? Of course, the cavalry they built will be used against us! In the end, we will be victims either way. What do you think you¡¯re suggesting?¡± D Citeng was so angry that he roared at Ajige.


    Ajige nced at him and said, ¡°Even if they don¡¯t have a cavalry, they will still be able to subdue all the tribes beyond the borders if we give them time. Do you believe me or not?¡±


    ¡°Humph! I only know that they will be stronger once they have calvary! They¡¯re already a tiger, and with their enhanced cavalry, they¡¯ll be a tiger with wings. It will be very difficult for our tribe to continue to survive once that happens. How would you know that the Great Ming Dynasty would not destroy all the tribes outside the borders once they developed a strong army and cavalry?¡± D Citeng paced around impatiently.


    ¡°Even if we don¡¯t do this, just relying on the three of us and the traitors from our tribe, we will still be helpless against the Great Ming Dynasty. We have nothing that will give us an advantage against the Great Ming Dynasty.¡± Ajige knew that this was only a temporary measure to sate the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s thirst.


    However, he had noticed that the emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty seemed to want to pacify the tribes located beyond the borders. In the past two years, the emperor increased the trade between the tribes and people from the Great Ming Dynasty. He has also strengthened the connection between the tribes beyond the borders and the people from the Central ins. This was the reason why he had proposed such a n.


    ¡°Stop fighting! The Great Ming Dynasty has already started building their own horse breeding farm to raise horses for war. Even if Ajige¡¯s n was not implemented, they will still manage to build their own calvary in a few years!¡± Xiao Rong felt that he had sighed more times today than the thirty years he had livedbined.


    D Citeng whispered apprehensively, ¡°If they don¡¯t have a good stallion to breed, how can they easily raise an army of military horses? Didn¡¯t the Great Ming Dynasty have a cavalry before? But those horses were bred from inferior horses, so they were only worthy of eating the dirt behind us!¡±


    Xiao Rong interrupted him and sighed, ¡°At the present, our priority is to inquire about the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s policies towards the tribes beyond the borders. The first matter we should focus on is to quell down the civil unrest. Otherwise, Xiao Xuan, that idiot, will be spurred on by that vile character and start a war with the Great Ming Dynasty. I¡¯m afraid that if that happens, no matter how ingenious our ns are, we will have no use for it!¡±

 Chapter 571 – Reasons for Marriage

    <h4>Chapter 571 ¨C Reasons for Marriage</h4>


    The location of the horse breeding operation had been very carefully chosen. It was within a valley. During the autumn, the area was protected from the chilly, biting winds on all four sides, so the grass here was especially green and tender. A small pure creek criss-crossed its way through the area and there were a few spirited horses leisurely eating grass by the side of the water with their tails idly swishing.


    Yu Xiaocao stood on the soft as carpet grass and next to her was a pure date-red horse that was gently butting her arm with her head from time to time. In the past, when Little Red had been sent to this stud farm, she had already been pregnant for four to five months. It had been almost half a year since shest saw her master. She used her pair of bright, watery eyes to stare at her master in an aggrieved manner, as if she was trying to ask why she had been abandoned for so long.


    However, at this time, Xiaocao¡¯s attention was taken up entirely by a little ck colt who was next to Little Red. The little fellow, who hadn¡¯t reached three months in age yet, looked quite sturdy and he had graceful and handsome lines.


    Perhaps it was because Xiaocao¡¯s body gave off the scent of mystic-stone water, but this usually arrogant and proud little colt wasn¡¯t the least bit afraid of this new stranger. In fact, he pushed away his mother, Little Red, and stretched out his neck to touch Xiaocao. His pair ofrge, limpid eyes curiously regarded this strange human in front of it.


    Xiaocao retrieved a piece of rock sugar from her embroidered pouch and dipped it into some mystic-stone water before delivering it in front of the little fellow¡¯s face. The little ck colt¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with interest. This was the tantalizing smell that was in his food every day and it was more irresistible than oats and bean fodder. How could the little horse possibly reject such delicious smelling food? However, by the time he reached his head forward, a long tongue curled forward, around the sugar lump, and the tasty snack in front of him had disappeared!


    The little ck colt stood there stupidly for a second and then raised his head. He discovered that the owner of that tongue was his own beloved mother! Wah wah wah... The other foals had mothers who truly loved their children. Every day, those mares would use their tongues to help wash their offsprings¡¯ fur. However, his mother, other than trying to steal food from him, was like a stranger. No! She was even worse than a stranger.


    Whenever he tried to get closer to his mother, his mother would always step away in disdain. Every day, when it was time for him to drink milk, if it weren¡¯t for the farm hands doing their best to cate his mother, then he would have long starved to death.


    Fortunately, when he got a little bit older, the grooms added food for him. However, whenever it was time to eat, his mother would run over and try to steal his food. The stable hands saw how pitiful he was, so they would always add some more for himter. As he was small, he ate at a slower pace. Thus, when his mother finished eating the food she had stolen, she would always run over to eat his share again.


    Wah wah wah...now it was the same again! His mother had stolen that sweet-smelling piece of candy from that human little girl from him! Was he not his mother¡¯s true son? He must have been picked up from the side of the road, wah wah wah...


    The little ck colt¡¯s jet ck eyes seemed to be shining with wet tears as he wretchedly watched as Little Red chewed on the lump of rock candy with relish. He looked quite pitiful and pathetic at this moment!


    Little Red truly didn¡¯t like that ck furred son of hers. If she hadn¡¯t lost control of herself and allowed Fierce Wind to take advantage of her, she wouldn¡¯t have gotten pregnant with this fellow and been sent to this godforsaken ce, in the middle of nowhere, as a result.


    What was wrong with eating his fodder? After all, when she was by her master¡¯s side, she ate delicious foods and drank delicious water every day. All of her meals then were more delicious than this little fellow¡¯s snacks. She had eaten so many sugar lumps that she had almost gotten sick of them!


    Hmph! If it wasn¡¯t for this little fellow, she wouldn¡¯t have had her job snatched away by that stupid white horse and would still be her master¡¯s primary steed! Instead, she was banished to this tiny, boring area and was sentenced to eat tasteless grass and fodder all day. This son of hers wasining even though she ate just a single piece of his snack. Clearly, he wasn¡¯t a filial child!


    Yu Xiaocao knew that Little Red had been spoiled rotten by her and was very particr about her food. In the past, when she fed Little Red and Fierce Wind together, Little Red also insisted on snatching away Fierce Wind¡¯s portion but she also didn¡¯t want to let her own share go to waste. Thus, the little red horse often ate until she was bloated. Fierce Wind, on the other hand, usually had to go half hungry.


    However, she didn¡¯t expect that this horse was still clueless after bing a mother and had started to fight for favor and food with her own child. Xiaocao took out another piece of candy and dipped it into some mystic-stone water before giving it to Little Red. Only then did Little Red rx¡ª¡ªthe master still loved her. She knew that she liked to eat candy and had especially brought more over.


    Little Red happily ate the piece of rock sugar from her master¡¯s hand and even licked all of the mystic-stone water from her master¡¯s hand clean with her tongue. Now that she was satisfied, when the master attempted to give another piece of candy to her son, she didn¡¯t try to snatch it away from the younger horse. The master¡¯s embroidered pouch was chock full of rock candy and she wasn¡¯t so short-sighted to make her master upset and end up losing more in the end.


    The little colt was finally able to taste the sweet-smelling candy and he closed his eyes in bliss. The candy was so delicious and was a hundred times more tasty than the ones that the farm hands would asionally give him! His mother had said that the person in front of him, the little girl who fed him the candy, was her master. His mother¡¯s master was naturally his own master ah! If he recognized her as his master, wouldn¡¯t that mean, in the future, he would get more tasty sugar to eat? As he thought about it, the little fellow¡¯s eyes shined with admiration as he looked at his new master.


    After Zhu Junyang had heard the reports from the steward in charge of the stud farm, he came over. Behind him was the strong and sturdy Fierce Wind. It had been a long time since Fierce Wind hadst seen his wife, Little Red, so he eagerly trotted over and used his neck to rub against Little Red in a very intimate and affectionate manner. Little Red, on the other hand, had no interest in the fellow. In fact, she even twisted her head around and bit at his ears until she drew blood. The criminal who had sent her away to this godforsaken ce was him! In the future, she was not going to be nice to him at all!


    Xiaocao carefully inspected the little colt. The colt was like a mini-version Fierce Wind! She took advantage of the fact that Little Red was being distracted by Fierce Wind and began to get closer to this little fellow.


    The horse breeder had said that the little fellow was still young but had the same arrogant temperament as his father. Other than his personal assigned groom, no one else was allowed to get close to him. Every time the stud farm¡¯s veterinarian came around to inspect him, they needed to expand a lot of effort for this fellow to cooperate. Later on, they discovered that as long as they gave him some of that special fodder, this little colt would obediently allow them to do whatever they needed to do.


    Truly this fellow resembled his mother as they were both little foodies. Xiaocao took out another sugar cube while the little colt watched her avidly. Then, when she was adding some mystic-stone water to it, the little fellow even stretched his head over and used his tongue to drink the water out of the pouch with a satisfied expression on his face!


    Xiaocao hugged the little horse¡¯s neck. The colt was so small and was even smaller than Little Red when she first got her. However, it wasn¡¯t surprising as the horse had only been born about three months ago. The reason why he was able to grow so fast and so strong was probably rted to the special fodder that she had sent over here under Royal Prince Yang¡¯s name, right?


    After Little Red was done having her tantrum with Fierce Wind, she noticed that her son was currently being groomed by her master and felt jealousy rise. She rushed over and pushed her son away before stretching her head forward towards her master. Xiaocao felt helpless at the sight of her horse¡¯s jealous actions and could only first groom this jealous vat of vinegar¡¯s sleek and soft fur first to sooth her feelings.


    Zhu Junyang burst intoughter when he saw this, ¡°Little Red is still so strong-willed. Look, Fierce Wind has been injured from head to toe from her tantrum but he¡¯s not even willing to bare his teeth at her. Everyone says that a horse takes after his master¡¯s temperament. This prince¡¯s horse treats his wife so well, so clearly he took lessons from this prince!¡±


    ¡°Pffftt¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocaoforted Little Red as she interacted with the little ck colt. However, she didn¡¯t forget to rebuke the self-satisfied man in front of her, ¡°Are you sure you want topare yourself to Fierce Wind? Are you sure you¡¯re as good tempered as Fierce Wind?¡±


    ¡°When has this prince ever been bad tempered in front of you? All of the rumors in the capital say that this prince is a scary beast but, in front of you, I act like a gentle little rabbit! I have never had a temper tantrum or threatened force against you!¡± He paused for a moment and then a mischievous smile crossed his face as he slyly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, then you can also bite this prince a few times. That way you can test just how good tempered I am, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao watched as that shameless fellow scuttled over with his lips pouted. Her face felt hot and she red at him furiously as she snarled, ¡°There is one thing that makes you and Fierce Wind quite simr!¡±


    ¡°Ah? What part?¡± This was one of the only times when that annoying eyesore, Chief Steward Su, wasn¡¯t around, so Zhu Junyang took advantage of the other man¡¯s absence to monopolize the littless. He pecked at her red, alluring lips a few times and only backed off once she angrily red at him.


    Yu Xiaocao retreated a couple of steps as she used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth. She glowered at him and hatefully said, ¡°You¡¯re both incredibly shameless and clingy to the extreme. Brazenly shameless!!¡±


    ¡°Everyone always says a fierce woman is afraid of a clingy man. If this prince wasn¡¯t more forward, when would I ever be able to hug the beauty, eh?¡± Zhu Junyang was usually quite cold and aloof in front of others, but in private he was quite sloppy and sappy. If his subordinates could see him now, they would have absolutely thought that some evil, perverted spirit had entered his body and started controlling him.


    Yu Xiaocao coldly huffed and stamped her feet helplessly on the grassy ground. Behind her were two horses, onerge and one small, and then another one also came over. It was Fierce Wind, who was begging for favor. If a stranger was here now, they would have thought that the stud farm had an additional groom in the form of a young girl!


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, let me remind you that you will be sixteen next year ah!¡± Zhu Junyang threw a charming look at the littless in an attempt to change the topic to his liking.


    Yu Xiaocao pretended to not understand what he was trying to hint at and casually replied, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! I¡¯ll be older by a year again!¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that she was deliberately making things difficult and decided to directly address the issue at hand, ¡°Just look, don¡¯t you think this prince should have mydy mother start preparing for the three letters and six rites [1] ?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t starting to prepare now be a bit too early? Didn¡¯t we agree to go with the imperial court¡¯s suggestion to only marry when I turn eighteen?¡± Yu Xiaocao continued to bait him. In actuality, after all these years of observation and testing, Yu Xiaocao had already epted this man in front of her. In addition, she felt like she was discovering more and more good things about him every day.


    One of his good points was that if she married him, he wouldn¡¯t expect her to act like the typical virtuous wife like the other old fossils in this era. Other men expected their wives to spend almost all of their time in the one mu or so ofnd in the back courtyard, managing the household and children. Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, had directly said that she could do whatever she wanted to do after she married him. He didn¡¯t expect her to change at all.


    The second good point was that he was very lenient and epting of her, and this was something very important to her. After all, her ways of thinking and interacting with the world were very different from the other people living in this ancient era. Regardless of what shocking things she did or scandalous things she said, he always reacted the same: with a raised eyebrow and a rueful smile.

 Chapter 572 – Big Bad Wolf is Hungry

    <h4>Chapter 572 ¨C Big Bad Wolf is Hungry</h4>


    With Zhu Junyang¡¯s observation skills, it would be highly unlikely that he didn¡¯t sense that there was a big secret that she was hiding, but he always respected her privacy. He never tried to ask her or chase her about this secret. Sometimes, he would even do something to help protect her and create a smokescreen. His actions truly touched her.


    Perhaps this was the true reason why she had epted him. Naturally, the fact that Zhu Junyang had fallen head over heels for her first and chased after her wholeheartedly also yed arge role in decreasing the defenses around her heart.


    ¡°Lass, you couldn¡¯t have forgotten right? Two years ago, you once told me that, once you turn sixteen, this prince could propose marriage to you! This prince has thought about it. We¡¯ll first settle our engagement and once all of the ceremonies surrounding that are done, you should be around eighteen. At that time, we can get married...¡± As he got to this point, Zhu Junyang acted as if he was already in his red wedding clothes, escorting his bride, who was also clothed entirely in her wedding attire. His whole face lit up with exuberant happiness and it made his handsome face seem even more attractive and bewitching.


    Yu Xiaocao felt her heart itch and thump at the sight of those phoenix eyes filled with pure joy. Her lips curved up into a mischievous smile as she deliberately pasted on a befuddled look on her face, ¡°What? Did I ever say that before? That can¡¯t be right, you must havee up with that yourself. You¡¯re the big bad wolf trying to trick Little Red Riding Hood!¡±


    Zhu Junyang narrowed his phoenix eyes and looked at her with a faint smile on his face as he went forward a couple steps. His voice deepened in a maizing manner as he said, ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t remember? How about this prince help you jog your memory, eh?¡±


    ¡°No...no need ah!¡± With such an attractive handsome face in front of her, Xiaocao unconsciously retreated a couple of steps. She felt like her mouth had suddenly turned dry and she couldn¡¯t help but swallow some saliva involuntarily. Bewitching beauties caused the downfall of people; this fact was true!


    Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, had no desire to let go of such a rare opportunity to be with her alone. Thus, he naturally wouldn¡¯t let this littless, who was always provoking him, go that easily. His voice became a bit hoarse, which added an attractive quality to it, ¡°But, this big bad wolf is hungry now and wants to eat Little Red Riding Hood. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Little Red Riding Hood absolutely refuses!¡± Yu Xiaocao seemed to have thought of something as a blush crept up onto her face like the glow from a sunset. Her adorable little pink tongue involuntarily licked the edges of her bright red lips.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s throat moved a bit and the tiny fire within him ignited with a raging roar. He groaned quietly, ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s tempting me...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt her waist being embraced by a certain someone¡¯srge hand and her body just followed that hand to be smooshed against a certain someone¡¯s chest. Her eyes opened wide and she could only see a figure briefly sh before her small mouth had been captured by a warm and soft object. Hot, steamy breath hit her face and she felt her cheeks flush with heat. Herrge, doe-like eyes glittered with a bashful light as she looked into Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes, which were half-closed in pleasure.


    ¡°Close your eyes...¡± The warmth on her lips disappeared for a second and the eyes of the man in front of her shined with good humor. She felt her heart tremble and she obediently closed her eyes. Because of that, she was much more aware of the sensations that followed.


    The barrier of her red lips were easily bypassed by a lively tongue. Zhu Junyang¡¯s tongue entered her mouth and began to oppressively ravage her tongue and conquer the territory inside. They entwined together into a tantalizing dance and Yu Xiaocao started to feel her head spinning from breathlessness.


    Zhu Junyang sucked, nibbled, licked, and devoured her lips...the two of them were linked passionately between their lips and Yu Xiaocao clearly felt her delicate small body being embraced strongly against Zhu Junyang¡¯s tall and study figure. Hisrge, warm hand gently stroked her back, causing involuntary shivers to cascade down her body. Her legs began to buckle and weaken under his ministrations.


    Just as the two of them were growing drunk on their kisses and were heading towards a mindless state, suddenly, a horse¡¯s head appeared between the two of them and interrupted their session. The horse¡¯s hot and humid breath steamed over their faces and Zhu Junyang opened his eyes to see a pair of ck curious eyes staring at him. He almost couldn¡¯t resist the urge to smack that big red horse¡¯s face far away!


    Apparently, when Little Red saw that the master she had waited to see for so long being preupied by Fierce Wind¡¯s master, she became quite upset and deliberately thrust her face between the two of them to fight for favor! Xiaocao, who finally regained her senses, felt her face flush red when she saw her horse looking at her inquisitively. She hurriedly retreated a few steps and hugged Little Red¡¯s neck while she buried her face into the horse¡¯s neck.


    As for the little ck colt, who had been ignored this entire time, he also squeezed forward and shoved his adorable little head into Xiaocao¡¯s chest¡ª¡ª¡®Mother¡¯s master¡¯s body smells so good. I really want to lick at her!¡¯


    All of the lingering affection between the two had been rudely interrupted by these two horses. Zhu Junyang inwardly let out a long sigh and then red at his own steed¡ª¡ª¡®What a useless fellow, you can¡¯t even keep your own wife in check! Shepletely ruined this prince¡¯s ns. In the future, it looks like I¡¯ll have to change out your good fodder for the ordinary!¡¯


    Fierce Wind expressed his innocence. He was also very aggrieved, alright? Couldn¡¯t the prince see that his entire head had been savaged by his wife and was now bloody? His beautiful ears had also been ravaged, but his master not only didn¡¯t pity him but also red at him. Wasn¡¯t this just sentencing this horse to death?


    Zhu Junyang gazed at his future little wife, who was gently stroking the young colt. Her small delicate body seemed to be glowing under the autumn sun, and she looked simultaneously indolent and delicate. Herrge almond-shaped eyes were slightly closed in pleasure and her bright red lips, which had just been thoroughly kissed by him, were curved up into a sweet smile. Her entire body seemed to be lit up from within, making her seem like a delicately carved jade statue. Although his future little wife wasn¡¯t the most stunning beauty he had ever seen, he felt like the more he looked at her, the more he liked her. He felt his heart begin to throb again.


    ¡°Commander Liu said that there is a herd of wild horses here and there should be some good quality horses that are usually hard to find within them. Do you want to go take a look?¡± Zhu Junyang deeply treasured this time alone with his littless, and wanted to take her around so she could enjoy the scenery. Naturally, if the littless would ride pillion with him as well, he would be even more happy.


    A herd of wild horses? As expected, his proposal had stoked Xiaocao¡¯s interest. As Xiaocao was about to mount her white horse, she discovered that her clothing was being pulled back by something. When she turned her head around, she saw Little Red looking pitifully at her as if she was trying to say, ¡°Master, do you really not want Little Red anymore ah?¡± Then, the red horse revealed a fierce expression at the white horse, ¡°The master is mine, go scram!¡±


    ¡°You just gave birth to the baby not long ago, are you sure you¡¯repletely recovered?¡± Yu Xiaocao stroked Little Red¡¯s head as she asked in concern.


    Little Red ran around a few times and then rushed back. Her actions were clear, ¡°Master, Little Red is quite well, let¡¯s run with the wind ah!¡±


    Xiaocao took the tack off of the white horse and then put them all back onto Little Red. Suddenly, she saw the little ck colt, staring foolishly at them. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Little Red, your baby is still small, don¡¯t you want to spend some time with him?¡±


    Little Red snorted in disdain and nced faintly at her son and then looked away, pretending as if she hadn¡¯t seen anything. The little ck colt wasn¡¯t sad that his mother was leaving. In fact, he was sad because he didn¡¯t want Xiaocao to go. Usually, Little Red didn¡¯t do much else with her son besides trying to steal his special fodder. Thus, the little ck colt had already gotten used to the cold treatment from his mother and didn¡¯t care anymore. Although he was small, he was quite independent now!


    Xiaocao turned and fed the little fellow another piece of candy. She stroked his neck andforted him, ¡°Go y by yourself for a bit. We will be back soon. When wee back, I¡¯ll give you more delicious things to eat!¡±


    In a moment of carelessness, she had taken out the thing that the little glutton liked the most. However, it was quite effective. When the little colt heard the words ¡®delicious things to eat¡¯, he no longer clung onto them and obediently watched as the two humans rode off in the distance. Only then did he start to stroll leisurely on the fields. From time to time, he would lower his head to nibble a bit on the grass. However, he would always spit the mouthful out in disdain¡ª¡ªhe needed to leave some space in his stomach for when his mother¡¯s master came back with more delicious food!


    The two of them galloped swiftly across the ins and enjoyed the feeling of flying through the air. Before long, they came out of the small ravine and arrived at the top of a small hill. Further down was a lush, green, deep valley. The climate inside this area was the same as that mountainous ravine near where Xiaocao lived. A clear, gurgling stream wound through it and there was an abundance of dark green grass that reached knee height. From time to time, they could hear the startled cries of marmots and wild hares as they fled away from the horses¡¯ hooves.


    ¡°Did you say that the wild horse herd was in this valley? They chose a good ce to live ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao sat on horseback and looked all around this area. With bright and lush greenery all around, she immediately felt her spirits rise.


    ¡°That¡¯s why they say that animals are quite sensitive ah!¡± Zhu Junyang agreed with her and pointed in a direction, ¡°It¡¯s rumored that the herd of wild horses were first discovered over there. If we¡¯re lucky today, we might be able toe across them!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly started to grin mischievously and then spoke her outrageous thought, ¡°The leader of the wild horses must be a stallion, right? Do you think if we use Little Red as a beauty trap that we¡¯d be able to seduce that stallion over?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Zhu Junyang really didn¡¯t know what to say. However, this shameless fellow soon smiled brightly and seriously said, ¡°If it were this prince and you came out, I would definitely obediently follow you after being seduced!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao red at him and growled, ¡°Shameless, not even a little bit shy!¡±


    ¡°However, I heard from the horse tamers say that there truly was a time when a wild horse snuck into our herd here and mated with one of the mares. His offspring was quite a piece of horseflesh!¡±


    Fierce Wind, who was being ridden by Zhu Junyang, unhappily whinnied, ¡°You want this horse¡¯s little wife to go seduce another stallion? Do you have any shame left? This horse vehemently objects to this n, absolutely object!!¡± Zhu Junyang cated his beloved steed and continued to head into the valley. Without Xiaocao prompting her, Little Red followed closely from behind.


    Evidently, fortune was on their side today. Before long, a herd of wild horses appeared before their eyes. The horses all had their heads down as they leisurely ate grass. There had to be around thirty to forty horses in this herd, so this was considered to be quite arge group of wild horses.


    ¡°Wow! That white horse is so beautiful ah! It¡¯s even better than my white horse, Treading Snow!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyesight was quite keen and she pointed out a wild horse who didn¡¯t have a single hair out of ce. Its fur was a gleaming, snow white, so she couldn¡¯t help but exim in astonishment and appreciation.


    Although she didn¡¯t know much about horses, she could tell that this white horse, that didn¡¯t seem to have a single w apparent on its body, was a superior animal. Every line of its body could be seen and healthy muscle bunched out from underneath its fur.


    ¡°The horse that you¡¯re talking about should be the head stallion of this wild herd! If you don¡¯t believe me, just look!¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly whistled shrilly, which echoed loudly throughout the valley.


    That white horse immediately raised its head and let out a loud, ear-piercing whinny which resounded throughout the valley. The other horses who heard this noise quickly stopped eating and all ran in one direction down the valley.

 Chapter 573 – Bait

    <h4>Chapter 573 - Bait</h4>


    The herd of horses bunched together and took off like the wind. Their long manes and tails billowed in the wind and they galloped off, one after another, sweeping off into the distance. They moved as onerge group as they fled quickly. It was a moving sight that was both powerful and beautiful at the same time and also incredibly majestic.


    The wlessly white head horse stampeded off with its long hair flying gloriously in the air. It made a magnificent figure as it arced through the air like a homing pigeon and gracefully swept away like a petrel. It easily took the lead position of the herd as the group thundered away on the grassy valley.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang, you scared off all of the horses!!¡± Yu Xiaocao pouted and angrily red at the offender as she cried out indignantly.


    Zhu Junyang stretched out a long arm and brought the littless, who was full of anger, from Little Red to ride in front of him. They headed in the direction where the horses fled as heughed, ¡°Littless, do you truly believe that we would easily be able to capture that head stallion today?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be able to?¡± Yu Xiaocao rubbed at the sugar lumps in her embroidered pouch. She had her golden finger ah! She was quite sure that the horse wouldn¡¯t be able to resist taking the bait. Even if the head stallion was smart enough to resist the lure, that didn¡¯t mean the other wild horses in the herd would be able to.


    Zhu Junyang pinched her small nose and chuckled, ¡°For something like this, shouldn¡¯t we go back and discuss it first? After all, taming and capturing a wild horse isn¡¯t something that happens in a day. You need to give me some time to prepare...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao silently digested his words. She realized that he was afraid that other people would start suspecting her if this had happened and felt a bit ashamed. Now that she thought more about this, she had been quite lucky these past few years. She hadn¡¯t encountered any people who noticed anything and tried to investigate more into her. Otherwise, she wasn¡¯t sure that she¡¯d be able to keep her secret for this long.


    In thest two years, she hadn¡¯t needed to keep a low profile. With the emperor in front and Zhu Junyang behind keeping her safe, she had be more and more tant in her usage of her golden finger. Perhaps, during a time when she was unaware, trouble had alreadye knocking but had been pushed or scared away by a certain someone! After all, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s prestige and reputation were quite effective in the capital!


    ¡°Alright then! You can go back and think of a good idea while Ie up with a few different types of bait to see if we can lure that white horse over. When the momentes, I¡¯m sure the trap we set will be impossible for it toe out of!¡± As she spoke, the littless became excited and exhrated again. Her intuition told her that the white stallion was absolutely a superior quality animal, on par with Fierce Wind. The stud farm required such a good specimen!


    The two of them galloped in the front while Little Red easily kept up with them from behind. Before long, they arrived at a set of buildings on the stud farm. These buildings had a special little courtyard built into it that had been prepared to allow them a ce to rest. Although it was a simple dwelling, it was quite clean andfy. The rooms even had a bunch of <i>kang</i> beds in them, and, in the winter, they would definitely keep the dwelling warm and give it a sense of home.


    The hundred or so soldiers from the firearms camps that Zhu Junyang brought along had already been situated in the barracks in the back. Head Steward Liu and Hou Xiaoliang had already gone into the small courtyard residence and ordered the servants there to stow away their luggage and do some cleaning. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s four personal maidservants were currently busying away in making the meal.


    ¡°Young Miss, you¡¯vee back? There was a little horse outside that was hanging around for a long time and had just been led away by one of the trainers here. The little horse doesn¡¯t seem to be afraid of people and it kept trying to stick its face into this servant¡¯s pouch ah! How did it know that this servant keeps snacks in my pouch?¡±


    As soon as Yingchun saw that her mistress hade back, she came forward and chattered away in wee. Every time she came out with the young miss, she was always able to encounter interesting and novel things. Thus, whenever there was a trip to be had, she was always very energetic and diligent as she was afraid of being left behind. Wutong, on the other hand, carefully nced at her young miss and discovered that nothing seemed to be amiss. Only then did she let out a quiet sigh in relief.


    However, how could her tiny movement escape Zhu Junyang¡¯s keen senses? He raised his eyebrows¡ª¡ªhis littless¡¯s maids were getting harder and harder to fool as time went on! However, he was confident in his ability to steal a few affections here and there away from these guardian devils.


    ¡°A little horse?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help butugh as she asked, ¡°Was it a ck little horse? Not very tall but seems very smart ah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Young Miss, you¡¯ve also encountered this horse before?¡± Yingchun looked behind Xiaocao and saw a red horse that she hadn¡¯t seen for some time. She smiled, ¡°Little Red? It¡¯s been a long time! Young Miss, will Little Red be able toe back with us this time?¡±


    Little Red also perked up her ears as if she was very interested in this topic. Although thends here were full of lush, green grass and she could gallop to her heart¡¯s content, she still preferred to stay by her master¡¯s side. Her master always gave her delicious foods to eat every day, not like these people, who only gave that little ck thing preferential treatment. If she wanted to eat something good, she even needed to steal from him. Such a downgrade!


    Yu Xiaocao stroked Little Red¡¯s neck and fed her a soothing pill as she said, ¡°Mhm, when we go back, Little Red will naturallye with us! The little horse you saw earlier is Little Red¡¯s son. Isn¡¯t he quite handsome ah?¡±


    She had a proud and happy expression on her face. Little Red had been raised by her since she was young. If in her past life she had taken her pets to be her sons, then Little Red was her daughter now. Thus, her daughter¡¯s son was her grandson ah! Although she was a bit young to be a grandmother, she was still quite proud of the fact that her grandson was so handsome and lively!


    ¡°Little Red¡¯s son ah! Aiya, if I had known earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have let that horse trainer take him away. Wasn¡¯t all of the horse fodder we brought along for his sake ah?¡± Yingchun eximed in exasperation and was a bit regretful that she hadn¡¯t spent more time with the little fellow.


    ¡°Young Miss, does Little Red¡¯s son have a name yet? Will he also being back with us to the capital?¡± Yingchun helped her master to wash up while she chirped away incessantly like a skrk.


    ¡°The little fellow looks like Fierce Wind and is ck from head to toe. I think the name ¡®ck Whirlwind¡¯ will fit him quite well! What do you think?¡± As the ¡®grandmother¡¯ in this rtionship, choosing a name for the horse was naturally her duty.


    Zhu Junyang, whose opinion had just been asked, had always thought that her naming conventions for things were quite dull. She gave names like ¡®Little Red¡¯, ¡®Little ck¡¯, and ¡®Little White¡¯...in the future, this little colt was destined to be one of the best horses in the empire. He was truly afraid that, in a moment of hot-headedness, she would also give him a ¡®simple andmon¡¯ name to this horse.


    As soon as he heard ¡®ck Whirlwind¡¯ being proposed as a name, he immediately nodded his head in agreement. Out of all of the names that the littless hade up with, this had to be the best one yet! However, he would have never expected that thess had gotten this name by purloining it from someone¡¯s book[1] !


    ¡°Mhm, this name is very suitable and quite fitting!¡± Zhu Junyang gave his evaluation.


    The littless huffed arrogantly and said, ¡°Obviously. When have I ever chosen a name that¡¯s not fitting?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nced in the direction of Little Red and stated, ¡°Eh? Is that so ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao immediately scowled and red at him angrily. She used her foot to kick at a certain someone¡¯s ankle and then huffily left to go eat. Earlier, when they were galloping their horses on the in, she had lost track of time identally. By the time they got back, it was mid-afternoon and her stomach was rumbling in hunger. On the way back, she had even secretly eaten a piece of rock candy from the pouch she used to feed the horses. This maltose candy was actually made by her and she used malt and mystic-stone water as the raw ingredients. Naturally, it was very tasty!


    ¡°Master, what do you n on doing with the three people in the guest courtyard?¡± After they finished eating theirte noon meal, Commander Liu seriously asked Zhu Junyang for his opinion.


    Zhu Junyang raised his eyes and looked at him while he ndly asked, ¡°What is it? Something is off?¡±


    Commander Liu had a slightly angry expression on his face as he growled out, ¡°Master, you told me to carefully observe these three people, so I sent Li Zhan, who is good at disguising himself and making discreet inquiries, to keep an eye on them. I didn¡¯t expect to find out that those three people aren¡¯t actually citizens of the Great Ming Empire and instead are from the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe! The other two call the one who looks like the master ¡®Great King¡¯. The other two are named Ajige and D Citeng, and they seem to be his trusted aides. Master, for these three people to enter our Central ins, they must have ulterior motives! In addition, it must not be for a small reason!! This subordinate asks permission to bring a few people over so we can take them for prisoners!¡±


    Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe¡¯s Great King Yelu Rong? The rulers of the Khitan tribes always had the surname of ¡®Xiao¡¯. Since he had introduced himself as ¡®Xiao Rong¡¯, it meant that he wasn¡¯t trying to deceive them. As for Ajige and D Citeng, one of them was the current Wise Teacher of the State while the other was a famous general who was well known to be good at fighting. With them here, that basically made it obvious what Yelu Rong¡¯s identity was!


    Although the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe was a more subdued tribe, Zhu Junyang still knew them like the back of his own hand as he had once led troops as a high-ranking military official. There were only two reasons why the Great King of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe would sneak into their borders, which was a very dangerous thing for him to do. He was either pretending to be injured in order to get closer to his objective, or they had an internal incident in the tribe, leading him to secretly flee into the Great Ming borders.


    When they had encountered these three men, if he, Zhu Junyang, hadn¡¯t lifted a hand to help them, it was likely those three would be dead now. As the Great King, Yelu Rong absolutely wouldn¡¯t risk his own life to that extent in order to finish a mission. Thus, it was very likely that there was internal strife in his own tribe!


    ¡°No need to hurry! Commander Liu, take a few people to secretly leave the border and make some inquiries on what is happening with that tribe. If it truly is what this prince suspects, then the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe will soon make their own moves next!¡± Zhu Junyang smiled craftily like a fox, which made chills run down Commander Liu¡¯s body.


    Like that, Xiao Rong and his two advisors were left by themselves in the guest courtyard. Every day, the guest courtyard was always sent delicious foods and drinks for them to enjoy. Furthermore, they even had a highly skilled doctor tending to their wounds. The servants in the courtyard were also extremely polite and treated them with utmost courtesy. Xiao Rong had alreadye up with the idea to be allies with the Great Ming. The only thing he was missing was the chance to broadcast his good will to Zhu Junyang. However, by the time their wounds werepletely healed, he still hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to meet up with the prince.


    Every time they asked the servants in the guest courtyard about their master¡¯s whereabouts, the servants always said the same excuse, ¡®The master is currently trapping a wild horse herd for the farm,¡¯ to diplomatically hint that their master was too busy to see them.


    In actuality, this wasn¡¯t aplete lie. Zhu Junyang had been spending most of his days with his subordinatesing up with a special method to catch these wild horses. Furthermore, they hade up with a perfect strategy. Naturally, this strategy relied heavily on Xiaocao¡¯s special ¡®bait¡¯.


    The so-called ¡®bait¡¯ was merely a cake that was made with a special oat and bean mixture that had some mystic-stone water added to it. In order to fool other people, Xiaocao also especially added a few umon herbs to this ¡®bait¡¯. Furthermore, her finished ¡®bait¡¯ was tested on the horses at the stud farm.


    [1] ck Whirlwind is the nickname of Li Kui, a character in Water Margin, as he has dark skin and berserk behaviour in fights. <i></i>

 Chapter 574 – Cover Up

    <h4>Chapter 574 - Cover Up</h4>


    The little ck colt, who had just received the name of ¡®ck Whirlwind¡¯, soon became a frequent visitor at the stud farm¡¯s courtyard. Xiaocao¡¯s and Zhu Junyang¡¯s people all knew that he was the son of Little Red and were very lenient towards him. The servants working there had already known that he was the most promising foal they had at the farm, but now they were even more caring around him.


    The little fellow went in and out of the courtyard all of the time and he often headed into the inner courtyard¡¯s makeshift pharmacy. In fact, he was almost there every day because he was gluttonous and knew that the back courtyard had delicious food. The food there was even more delicious than the extra snacks he was given at the stables.


    Today, Yu Xiaocao was carrying a basket full of ¡®bait¡¯ that emitted the alluring fragrance of spiritual energy. As soon as she exited the inner courtyard, she encountered ¡®ck Whirlwind¡¯. The little colt¡¯s dark eyes immediately lit up and he scrambled over, stretching out his mouth towards the contents of the basket¡ª¡ªtasty snacks, he wanted some!


    Yu Xiaocao pushed at the little fellow¡¯s head but wasn¡¯t able to push him away. This little guy was extremely shameless and knew everyone favored and pitied him. He knew how to sell his cuteness and used hisrge, limpid eyes to look anxiously at her, showing that he was feeling a bit aggrieved. His pitiful act instantly conquered Xiaocao.


    She took out a piece of ¡®bait¡¯ that was about the size of a child¡¯s fist and had Yingchun feed it to the little fellow. Yu Xiaocao lifted the basket and continued to walk in the direction of the stud farm. For the past few days, other than clinging onto her, Zhu Junyang spent the rest of his time at the stud farm, which clearly showed how much importance he ced on this farm.


    Zhu Junyang was currently discussing matters with the veterinarian and helping the man inspect a horse. When he saw here over, he fixed his clothing and took the basket from her hands while he quietly asked, ¡°Do you have confidence in this ¡®bait¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Naturally! The Yu¡¯s products are all top quality. In addition, I added some smoketree that the horses like and a few herbs to it that will increase the vor of the smoketree to its peak. The horses in this paddock should all be able to smell this bait!¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that he was deliberately asked this question in front of the vet and the other grooms in the farm. She pretended to not notice that she had inadvertently leaked the ingredients of this bait.


    When the vet and the grooms in the area saw that their master and future mistress weren¡¯t trying to hide the contents of the bait from them, they felt incredibly gratified within their hearts. In their hearts, Royal Prince Yang had risen a few more levels.


    Zhu Junyang transferred the basket in his hands to Commander Liu. He somewhat anxiously and emotionally shouted at one of his aides, ¡°Zhang Qun, go experiment to see just how far this bait can attract horses. If there¡¯s no problems with it, tomorrow we¡¯ll start to capture some wild horses! That herd of wild horses has some great quality stallions in there. If we¡¯re able to catch around seven to eight of them, then our stud farm won¡¯t have to worry about having enough prime studs in the future!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stood at the side and faintly smiled as she watched them busting around. Then, she nced at the stables behind them and noticed that there were three young horses that looked a bit listless. After looking at the clearly worried vet, she could easily tell that there was something wrong with these three horses. No wonder Zhu Junyang always ran here these past few days. He now regarded the stud farm with more importance than her. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to admit that she felt a bit jealous about this.


    She stepped closer to the stables and seemed to just idly stroll by the mangers. With her right arm, which had the multi-colored stone strung on it, she just seemed to barely pass by the fodder within those mangers. However, if someone was paying attention to the hay and oats inside them, they would have noticed that they now looked a bit more tender and appetizing!


    ¡°Your Highness, the stables are dirty, please stay away...¡± Commander Liu didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence when Yu Xiaocao entered the stables. He watched as she used one hand to gently stroke one of the sick horses and had an expression full of pity on her face.


    Zhu Junyang stepped forward and picked up a dipper full of water and held it in front of Yu Xiaocao. He gave her a meaningful nce and Yu Xiaocao seemed to understand his hint. She brushed her hand across thedle and smiled brilliantly at him.


    In other people¡¯s eyes, the actions between the two seemed quite flirtatious in nature. The vet, who was a skinny old man, even deliberately turned his face away in an awkward manner. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the royal prince was offering the dipper full of water towards one of the sick horses and he reminded the prince, ¡°Your Highness, this horse hasn¡¯t eaten or drunken any water for the past three days...¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes widened in shock when he saw the sick horse, that almost couldn¡¯t stand steady on its feet, energetically shove its mouth into thedle. It guzzled the water down in one gulp. Ahem ahem! Wasn¡¯t this pping his own face ah? However, the awkward expression on the vet¡¯s face also held a gratified smile. The fact that the horse was willing to drink water meant that its illness was taking a better turn.


    Last year, when the stud farm was just being established, they invited Doctor Wang, who was a very famous veterinarian, to work there by offering him a lot of money. It could be said that he had been with the farm from its start and known what sort of difficulties it had gone through to get to its current expanse. Step by step, they had built up the farm with his help. Doctor Wang was able to recite the character quirks of every single horse living at the farm. In fact, every foal that he had helped to birth was like his own child and he cared for them very deeply.


    Consequently, whenever any horse got ill, he was the most anxious out of all of them and did his very best to help them get better. If he came across any he couldn¡¯t heal, he hurt the most out of everybody! This energetic little old man had no sons or daughters of his own and considered the stud farm to be his own home and the horses here to be his own children.


    Thus, when these two horses revealed the signs of sickness, he spent a lot of time observing them, diagnosing them, treating them...if it was under ordinary circ.u.mstances, these horses should have at least stabilized and gotten slightly better. However, in front of Royal Prince Yang, he had failed! Not only did the original two horses not get better but there were also other horses now showing the signs of sickness.


    Was it a contagious illness? Could it be...they hade across the hard to treat horse gue? How could it be ah? All of their symptoms were not rted to the horse gue, but why weren¡¯t they getting better?


    ¡°Eh? Red Clouds is finally willing to drink water!!¡± Doctor Wang hurriedly squeezed through and pushed Xiaocao, who was crouching next to Zhu Junyang, aside. If it weren¡¯t for Zhu Junyang being swift of hand, the littless likely would have fallen face first into a pile of nearby hay.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes shed with a cold light and it caused all of the other people around them to shiver in fear. However, Doctor Wang, who only had his head filled with thoughts about the sick horses, waspletely oblivious to the prince¡¯s change in demeanor. Yu Xiaocao muffled herughter¡ª¡ªApparently, there were even times when Royal Prince Yang¡¯s aura had no effect?


    Zhu Junyang smiled helplessly at her and knocked a finger on her head. He ignored her angry response and asked Doctor Wang, ¡°Vet, can this horse still be saved?¡±


    ¡°It can! It absolutely can get better!!¡± Doctor Wang seemed extremely excited. Red Clouds¡¯ condition now looked much betterpared to how it seemed earlier that morning. Furthermore, the horse seemed interested in eating now too, ¡°Quickly! Quickly bring some nutritious hay and fodder over!¡±


    The special fodder had been brought over from the far away capital and it was usually used to add some nutrition to the foals who had just been born. Sometimes, in order to help the sick horses get better faster, they would also be given a portion.


    ¡°Let me feed the horse?¡± Yu Xiaocao took the fodder from the staff in passing. Her pale hand, which seemed as bright as jade, seemed to inadvertently flip the special food around a few times.


    Doctor Wang frowned a bit and snatched the food over, not even caring that he was being rude to a royal princess. He grumbled quietly, ¡°This special fodder is for the horses to eat, not to y with!¡±


    Commander Liu saw this crabby old man was being a bit unreasonable and hurriedly helped him to smooth the situation, ¡°Your Highness, Doctor Wang has a straightforward personality and doesn¡¯t always think before he speaks. Please don¡¯t take it to heart!¡±


    ¡°Not a big deal, he¡¯s only worried over the horses after all! The stud farmcks people like him, who care about the horses wholeheartedly!¡± Yu Xiaocao rubbed at her nose a bit self-consciously. In any case, when she had turned the fodder over twice it had given enough time for the little divine stone to infuse some spiritual energy into it. The horse should get better faster after eating it, right?


    ¡°Commander Liu, do we have a deep well here at the stud farm? Do the horses drink well water or water from the creek?¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that this red horse, which sort of resembled Little Red, had already started eating and pretended to just casually ask this question.


    Commander Liu pointedly looked at the grooms who were standing by the side. One of the fellows immediately replied, ¡°The well at the farm has just been drilled, but the water from it is not of very good quality. The stream that runs through the pasture has water thates from the snowmelt in the mountains, so it¡¯s considered quite clean and pure. Therefore, the vast majority of the time, we usually let the horses drink water from the creek.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao frowned ever so slightly and nced at Zhu Junyang. Without her saying anything, Zhu Junyang knew what she was thinking and immediately spoke to Commander Liu, ¡°Is that well opening still avable ah? Take this prince to look! Although the water from the creek is good, we don¡¯t know exactly where it travels through before it gets here. If our stud farm here ends up throwing a wrench in certain people¡¯s ns, they may decide to sabotage our water source. Wouldn¡¯t that be of great danger to our farm?¡±


    Commander Liu silently felt rmed. The stud farm had just been started and certain tribes at the border were all watching them, waiting for a good show. However, if the farm began to prosper and threatened their advantages, it would be hard to say that they wouldn¡¯t try to sabotage this venture. Apparently, he had been toocent.


    The well was located pretty closely to the stables and it was obvious that it hadn¡¯t been used recently. Weeds grew all around it and there was dust and dried up leaves at the mouth. Zhu Junyang suddenly held onto Xiaocao¡¯s hand and began to walk forward with her. When the other people saw this, they deliberately dawdled behind to give their master an opportunity.


    Xiaocao crouched down near the well opening while the people behind them still dallied and looked around. Doctor Wang had been deliberately dyed by Commander Liu, who was asking him question after question. Xiaocao lowered her upper body down to look at the bottom of the well. A gust of humid air hit her face, and she saw that the water inside was quite murky and the quality was only okay. She nced in the direction of Zhu Junyang and met his inquiring eyes.


    ¡°Uhhh...the water quality looks quite decent, so it could be used!¡± Yu Xiaocao hesitated for a moment while she linked up with the little divine stone. She stretched her hands towards the bottom of the well and a spark of golden light whizzed down. The water within the well immediately became clear and transparent and even the moss and weeds around the well seemed to be a lot more verdant.


    Unless Zhu Junyang waspletely blind, it¡¯d be impossible for him not to notice such an obvious change. His eyes flickered slightly but the expression on his handsome face didn¡¯t change one iota. It was as if the water within the well had always been this clear and clean. He only thought that the littless¡¯s attempt at hiding her actions, which only made it more obvious that she was doing something, was a bit funny. The littless evaded his gaze. If there was suitable sandy ground in front of her, she would have likely buried her head in there like an ostrich to avoid hisughing eyes.


    One of the grooms retrieved a water bucket and used it to bring up the water from the well by hand. The expression on his face immediately brightened. The water felt cool and refreshing and seemed even more pure than the best spring water from the top of a snow-capped mountain. The taste of the water was also incredibly good.


    ¡°Who would have thought that letting this well sit for a while would let it produce such better water!¡± The stablehand drank another mouthful and almost wanted to continue to drink without stopping.

 Chapter 575 – The Best Trap

    <h4>Chapter 575 - The Best Trap</h4>


    ¡°Since the well water can be used, then we will water the horses in the future from it ah!¡± Commander Liu also tasted the water in the well and nodded his head in agreement.


    By the time the group of them were back at the stable, the red horse, who was previously the most ill out of all of them, was already able to stand up again. Its appetite was quite good and it had finished all of the special fodder had been sent over. Furthermore, it looked as if it wanted to eat more. The other few sick horses had also started to eat after drinking the water in the manger. However, they seemed to be only interested in the special fodder and disdained the rest of the food as beneath them.


    ¡°So picky!¡± Doctor Wang patted each horse and there was finally the sign of a smile on his thin and dried up old face. To him, there was nothing better than a horse getting well to make a person happy.


    ¡°Master, Commander!¡± Zhang Qun, who had been sent off to experiment with the new bait, ran back excitedly, ¡°This bait is quite effective at luring horses over. I tried a few times and found out that it has a range of around five hundred meters. Any further and its effects decrease by about half! Furthermore, the horses really seem to like eating this bait. When this subordinate tried to snatch a piece away from a horse, I was almost bitten by that animal!¡±


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s effective! Lass, when you go back, go make a few more pieces of this bait. Tomorrow, this prince will take you out to lure some wild horses! Didn¡¯t you have your eye on that head stallion earlier, eh? This prince will tame it for you to be a riding steed!¡±


    Xiaocao had done quite a lot today for the stud farm. She not only fixed the problem of catching the wily wild horses but she also helped heal the sick ones at the farm. He obviously knew it all had something to do with her. After all, he was pretty sure the littless had done something with the fodder that was given to that very ill red horse.


    Zhu Junyang could long tell that the littless was very interested in catching wild horses. As a reward, he was going to fulfill her wishes and take her out to y!


    The next day, at the crack of dawn, Zhu Junyang and Commander Liu split into two groups as they headed into the deep grasnds. Zhu Junyang¡¯s goal was to meet up with that herd of wild horses. When they headed out, he only brought along a few trusted aides with him, among them included Hou Xiaoliang and Head Steward Liu.


    Thest time they were out, although they had startled that herd of horses, the horses didn¡¯t feel threatened as they didn¡¯t show their faces to the animals. Thus, they headed towards that particr valley again. Zhu Junyang decided to set the trap not far from the opening of the valley. There were a few wizened old trees in the area with lush verdant branches that criss-crossed and acted as a perfect screen. It was the perfect hiding ce for the humans. Not far from the trees, they set up the traps to capture the horses and they baited the traps with the special bait that no horse could resist.


    They had prepared several traps like this throughout the valley. Each one had a trusted aide guarding it. Zhu Junyang and Yu Xiaocao were sitting in ambush at the trap that was the deepest within the valley. Before long, the herd of horses began to move. The smell of the bait was really too attractive to them. Even with the warning of the head stallion, there were still some wild horses who ignored him to head to the trap in the outermost part of the valley.


    A few of the wild horses had already been lured over by the smell. The aides, who were next to the traps, hurriedly ced out some more bait as quietly as they could into the traps. If any horse got close, the person near the trap would add an additional piece of bait. Before long, even Zhu Junyang, who was the one closest to the innermost part of the valley, had started putting out bait. As for the aide stationed in the outer part of the valley, there was already a horse who had been lured in!


    ¡°One¡¯s here!¡± Yu Xiaocao mouthed a signal at Zhu Junyang. The young maiden was currently lying on the grass and she had a woven grass hat on her head. On top of the hat was a bunch of colorful flowers. She was a beautifully delicate young maiden to begin with and now with that childish looking hat on top, she looked even more lively and vivacious.


    As for the man next to her, Royal Prince Yang, who gave off an air of coldness and killing intent, he was also wearing the exact same flower grass hat on his head as well. If his subordinates could see him now, they would all exim that ¡®an ill.u.s.trious man was ruined just like that¡¯!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes held a hint of helplessness in them. He really wanted to take off the silly looking woven grass hat but the little maiden next to him imed that he looked very handsome with it on. She even stated that the hat suited him more than anyone else she had seen. He couldn¡¯t bear to not follow her ideas, so he rejoiced that it was only the two of them in the area. There was no third party to see just how foolish he looked right now.


    He looked in the direction that Xiaocao had pointed out and saw a plump and sturdy light buckskin horse slowly heading towards their trap. This buckskin colored horse was probably second only to the head stallion in the herd of wild horses. If they were able to tame and train it well, it wouldn¡¯t be any worse than his Fierce Wind! Zhu Junyang immediately became enthused at the prospect and focused all of his attention at luring this horse over.


    It was getting closer and closer! The light buckskin horse was already within the vicinity of the trap and its mouth was already going into the carefully crafted noose. Suddenly, it raised its head as if it had sensed some danger nearby and retreated a couple of steps. However, the smell of the bait was truly too alluring. It was akin to the delicious scent of red braised pork to a person who had been starving for a long time. No matter how strong that person¡¯s will power was, he or she would definitely be unable to resist eating that food in the end, so how could a mere horse resist this?


    The light buckskin colored horse looked left and right and didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, so it stepped forward again. It stretched out its long neck and grabbed the piece of bait, taking it out. It closed its eyes as it enjoyed the taste of the food. It was truly too delicious! In fact, it could tell that this food held the power to help it be more powerful and strong. If it was able to eat more, perhaps, in the future, it¡¯d be able to challenge the head stallion and take over the herd. That way, it would be the leader instead!


    With its defensespletely obliterated by the tasty food, the light buckskin colored horse stuck its head fully into the noose and began to eat the remaining few pieces of bait inside. Using this opportunity, Zhu Junyang pulled sharply on the rope, tightening the noose around the buckskin horse¡¯s neck. The startled horse let out a scared whinny and struggled fiercely to throw this rope off of it. Unfortunately, it was toote for the horse. It had already been tightly restrained by that strong piece of rope, and the person holding the other end of the rope was Zhu Junyang, who had a monstrous strength in his tworge hands.


    The rmed scream of the buckskin horse seemed to be a signal. Other whinnies from horses could be heard from the other traps. As for the horses that were luckily able to escape, the sounds of their frantic hooves thundering were soon heard. Royal Prince Yang could also hear the yells of his trusted aides.


    ¡°Lass, look...¡± When Zhu Junyang turned his head towards the direction of where Xiaocao was previously hiding, he discovered that the slight and delicate figure of the littless was nowhere to be seen. He had been too focused earlier at his task at hand that he couldn¡¯t even sense when the littless had left. Fortunately, there was no one else around them so he was quite sure that no one had tried to kidnap her.


    He tightened his grip on the rope. No matter how hard that buckskin horse struggled or jumped, it was unable to free itself. Zhu Junyang leapt up andnded on the back of the horse, using his two legs to grip tightly to keep his seat. As an arrogant wild horse, how could it possibly allow a human to easily ride it? The buckskin horse became frantic and crazy, jumping up and down and bucking with all of its might to get this hateful human off. However, Zhu Junyang¡¯s equestrian skills were consummate and he was quite skilled at taming and training horses. It was as if he was anchored onto the wild horse¡¯s back. As he resisted the buckskin horse¡¯s attempt to buck him off, he scanned the area quickly, looking for any sign of Yu Xiaocao.


    Today, in order to hide herself better, Xiaocao had especially worn a set of clothing that was a light green color and also wore the woven grass hat. With that on, she pretty much melted into the environment. However, Zhu Junyang was still able to keenly spot where she was currently.


    That littless had some guts. He didn¡¯t know when she managed or what method she used to get closer to the herd of horses but the horses in the herd didn¡¯t seem to reject her at all. After the buckskin horse began to whinny and scream in protest, the herd of horses, which had previously been calm and idle, began to move. Worry entwined around Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart as he was afraid the horses¡¯ frantic movements would end up inadvertently hurting the young maiden.


    That was right. While Zhu Junyang had focused his entire attention on luring and trapping the buckskin horse, Xiaocao suddenly had an ideae to mind. She sprinkled some mystic-stone water on her body and carefully left that hidden area with her pouch of ¡®bait¡¯. She slowly headed towards the wild horse herd step by step.


    As expected, when the members of the herd smelled the mystic-stone water on her, they didn¡¯t reject her. Instead, there were even a few horses who stupidly stepped closer to her and used their noses to take a gentle whiff of her body. They almost started to lick her.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to get a face full of horse saliva, so she took out a bit of bait from her pouch that had been dipped in mystic-stone water and carefully offered it to one of the horses next to her. She knew that wild horses were quite sensitive and was afraid that if her movements were toorge, she¡¯d end up frightening them. Fortunately, the horses werepletely focused on the bait in her hands. A dun-colored horse inquisitively stretched out its mouth and chowed down on the ¡®bait¡¯ in her hands. When the other horses saw that it was clearly enjoying the treat, they also headed over and begged for food from her.


    If an outsider had seen this, they would have never believed that these horses, that were willing to get closer to a human, were actually wild and untamed horses and not horses that were familiar with humans.


    What made Xiaocao even more happy was that the head stallion, the horse that had a wlessly white coat, didn¡¯t seem to reject her getting closer either. The white horse seemed to have a more aloof personality. Although it was also interested in bait in her hands, it continued to quietly stand where it was while the other horses in the herd squeezed over. Itsrge, tranquil ck eyes seemed to hold a bit of arrogance as it gently stared at Xiaocao. It didn¡¯t seem to regard her as a dangerous human and instead seemed to take her as one of its own. The scent of mystic-stone watering off of her body was able to transcend the limits of species and seemed to make any creature want to get closer to her.


    Xiaocao slowly stepped closer to the white horse carefully. When she saw that the horse didn¡¯t reject her attempt, she smiled sweetly at the creature and offered it a piece of ¡®bait¡¯. The white horse naturally took the offered food from Xiaocao¡¯s hands as if it was entitled to it. Xiaocao, who was biased, then fed the rest of the bait in her pouch to this wlessly white horse.


    Although the white horse she had ridden here was quite beautiful,pared to this stallion, it was a mere g. The white horse in front of her was the perfect example of what a horse should look like. She couldn¡¯t see a single w on it.


    The white horse ate her bait and now regarded her more intimately. When she took out a hand to pet its neck, it didn¡¯t refuse her advances at all. In fact,pared to her arrogant Little Red, it even seemed more gentle.


    However, its gentle side immediately disappeared when the sounds of rmed horses began. As the leader of the herd, it stretched out its neck and trumpeted out an order while its hooves stamped on the ground. The other horses around Xiaocao also began to move around restlessly. As for the horses on the outside of the herd, when they heard the white horse scream out a warning, they began to flee in panic and run towards the deep valley.

 Chapter 576 – Sneaking into the Horse Herd

    <h4>Chapter 576 - Sneaking into the Horse Herd</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao was frightened into squatting down into the grass with her head in her arms, fearing that the horses¡¯ hooves woulde down and trample her small body. Fortunately, the horses around her seem to be worried about the existence of her petite self and avoided her, either unconsciously or consciously, when they were running.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the small figure that had rolled itself into a ball in the middle of the horse herd in panic and fear. The wild horses were fierce and difficult to tame. Dozens of wild horses galloped past her. If any of them trampled on her, the consequences could be unimaginable.


    How could he still care about taming the wild horse underneath him? He leaped from the horse¡¯s back. The harness on the buckskin horse was casually thrown away and then he rapidly leapt off and ran towards the wild horse herd in the distance. He prayed to all the gods he knew to protect the girl that he loved so that she could get away from the wild horse herd without any injuries.


    He summoned all of the energy within and lightened his body, using all of his internal energy to go towards the sole figure in his eyes. His speed had already reached the limit. Even Fierce Wind galloping at its top speed couldn¡¯t match the prince¡¯s speed at this moment. The wind lifted his long hair and his eyes turned crimson with worry. His entire face seemed to be covered with ayer of ten thousand year old ice.


    Faster, faster, he had to be even faster! However, the distance between the two of them was too great. Due to his sudden appearance, the horse herd galloped even faster. The trampled grass flew up high into the air, scattered onto the smooth dark hair of thess and then slipped down quietly.


    The lead white horse galloping in the distance suddenly turned its head and ran back against the horse herd. The cool breeze of the grasnd blew through its handsome mane. The tuft of fur on top of its head shook up and down with its movement. Its muscles were tense, making it look strong and powerful.


    Just when Zhu Junyang was around thirty to forty meters away from Xiaocao, he saw the white horse m to a stop in front of Yu Xiaocao, simr to how Little Red invited its master for a ride every time. It knelt in front of Yu Xiaocao and snorted a few times as if inviting her to mount it.


    Xiaocao was stupefied for a moment. Before her own brain could react, her body had already moved. In a jump, she had leaped onto the graceful white horse¡¯s back.


    "Lass!" Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know if he should cry orugh. Thisss, when he was trying to save her using his all, had jumped onto the horse¡¯s back without even thinking about it, gradually leaving his sight. Such a heartless little thing! All of his worries for her were for naught!


    As if it had perceived the dangerous auraing from the prince, the moment Xiaocao jumped on its back, the white horse got up quickly, spread its four hooves, and ran like the wind. The ends of its tail had almost swept across Zhu Junyang¡¯s charming face.


    "Don¡¯t worry, the horse doesn¡¯t have any ill intent towards me! Wait for me to return!" Yu Xiaocao, who was bent over the horse¡¯s back, could only shout at Zhu Junyang as the wind blew into her mouth. Fortunately, her riding skills were quite good. She clung onto the horse¡¯s back with her hands and feet wrapped around the horse like an octopus.


    Zhu Junyang wanted to continue chasing, but he was afraid he would scare the horse into taking thess to a farther ce. When they went back to the farm, he would have to give this boldss a good spanking for not letting him worry so much!


    While he was having bitter thoughts, he whistled for Fierce Wind and jumped onto the horse¡¯s back, heading in the direction that the buckskin horse had escaped in. Not just anyone could escape easily from the palm of the prince¡¯s hand!


    Let¡¯s not mention Zhu Junyang, who had caught up to the unfortunate buckskin horse and was currently having an endurance contest with it. Currently, Yu Xiaocao, who was carried on the back of the white horse that was running at top speed, had caught up with the wild horse herd. Dozens of horses galloped through the grasnd. After a while, when Yu Xiaocao thought she was going to be taken to the distant horizon, the herd of horses slowed down and stopped by ake.


    Yu Xiaocao jumped down from the horse¡¯s back and took off the water bag she carried around her waist. She took off the leather cap and gulped down some water. The white horse, who had originally wanted to drink water by theke, stopped the moment she opened the water bag and looked at it eagerly with a pair of big gentle eyes. The white horse¡¯s eyes were very beautiful. Under the sun, they shed with an amber glow. The eyshes on its eyes were long, curly and thick. If a girl had such eyshes, she would definitely be envied by her peers!


    Xiaocao had no resistance to that eager gaze. She poured some mystic-stone water into her palm. The white horse immediately came to drink the water in her hand and it even licked all the water droplets from her hand. Yu Xiaocao poured several more times until the water in the bag was all gone. Only then did the white horse reluctantly step back, licking his lips with its long tongue.


    Yu Xiaocao washed her hands by theke and took out a small pastry from the small pouch on her back. She ate it in small bites. When they left in the morning, they didn¡¯t know when they would go back. Each of them had brought along enough dried food tost for a day. Besides dried meat and crackers, she also brought some personal snacks in her small pouch.


    The white horse stood silently beside her, watching her eat the pastry with its head tilted, as if it was curious about the taste of the pastry. Yu Xiaocao broke off a corner and held it by its mouth. The white horse tasted it and reluctantly ate it. It was obvious that the pastries eaten by humans weren¡¯t as attractive as her special horse bait. Yu Xiaocao took out a sugar cube that had been made from mystic-stone water from her small pouch and the white horse ate it with relish.


    The other wild horses seemed to be very interested in what Xiaocao had taken out, but with the white horse present, they seemed more restrained. From time to time, they would look over and then return to drinking water or eating grass.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the sky. It was already past noon. She had been caught off guard and brought here by the wild horse herd. Zhu Junyang watched her as she was taken away and she didn¡¯t know if he woulde find her after hearing her previous words. However, if they didn¡¯t go back soon, she didn¡¯t know how worried he and her servant girls would get if they didn¡¯t see her when it got dark.


    However, the horse herd had been running with her for so long. She didn¡¯t even know where she was and how to go back?


    Looking at the pouch beside her, the white horse was like a child begging for candy. Her eyes swiveled and an idea came to her mind. As the head of the herd, the white horse was the best in both intelligence and physical strength. She hoped that it could be one-tenth as smart as Little Red and could understand what she was saying.


    She got out another piece of rock candy and also took out a porcin bottle from her chest pocket and dropped a drop of mystic-stone water onto the sugar. By doing this, the plentiful and dense spiritual energy on the food was very attractive to the white horse. Even the other wild horses nearby risked being kicked and bitten by their leader toe this way. The white horse gave a long threatening hiss at its subordinates, staring menacingly at those who tried to snatch food from its mouth.


    Just as it stretched out his mouth to pick up the sugar cube which was overflowing with spiritual energy, it discovered that the sugar cube that was right in front of it went missing. Following the spiritual energy, it found that it was hidden behind the little human girl in front of him. The white horse circled halfway around Xiaocao,ing to her back. When it stretched out its mouth, the sugar cube changed ces and was in the front again.


    As a proud leader horse, being ¡¯teased¡¯ again and again made the white horse a little unhappy, so it bared its teeth menacingly at Xiaocao, ¡¯Hand over the sugar cube or I¡¯ll... bite you!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was afraid of provoking this guy. After all, she was counting on it to send her back! She needed to give this guy something sweet to eat first, and she didn¡¯t believe that he wouldn¡¯t take the bait.


    "I¡¯m ying with you! Here!" The sugar cube that was soaked in a high concentration of mystic-stone water was put into the mouth of the white horse. The horse¡¯s humanized expression instantly cooled. Its soft and beautiful big eyes narrowed into slits and the horse grinned, like the expression of an addict who was addicted to opium.


    After the sugar cube entered its mouth, the white horse felt a burst of vitality in its body and a veryfortable feeling all over. It felt even more wonderful than finally being exposed to the sun after climbing up from an ice cave it had fallen into! It felt that its physical strength was improved in an instant. Furthermore, its mind, which had previously been shrouded in a confusion mist, was now clear and seemed to be quicker than it had ever been.


    When the second piece of sugar cube appeared in front of it, the white horse¡¯s self control had copsed into broken bits. It could only think, ¡¯Eat, eat! Eat it and you can be stronger andmand even more wild horses!¡¯


    "I don¡¯t know if you can understand what I¡¯m saying! You must know that I am not the same species as you. Just as the wild horse herd is your home, I also have my home and my family! Earlier when you took me, the person that showed up was... was my family member. Think about it, if you were to leave the wild horse herd, would you be willing?" The white horse neighed as if responding to her words.


    "You see, you don¡¯t want to leave your family. I¡¯m the same. Right now, I want to return to my family member¡¯s side. Can you take me back? Of course, as a thank you, I will give you two more of these. If you agree, nod your head and cry out twice!"


    Yu Xiaocao was like the wolf grandma tempting Little Red Riding Hood, luring the white horse with sugar cubes. The divine stone had said the mystic-stone water produced by its power had the ability to enlighten slow-witted animals. She didn¡¯t know if that sugar cube would work.


    The white horse looked at her silently without any movement. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t helpughing at herself, ¡¯Little Red could understand some of her simple words because she had grown up drinking mystic-stone water and eating grass that had spiritual energy. Animals with intelligence, how could that happen overnight?¡¯


    Suddenly, the white horse came to her, grabbed the sugar cube from her hand, and quickly chewed and swallowed it. Then it seriously looked at her and nodded its head a few times and let out a long neigh, stamping its hooves rhythmically on the grass three times.


    Seeing her sluggish expression, anxiety shed through the white horse¡¯s eyes and it called out again. Its hooves trampled on the grass heavily three times. Yu Xiaocao tentatively asked, "Do you mean...you want three more cubes?"

 Chapter 577 – Mess

    <h4>Chapter 577 - Mess</h4>


    The white horse¡¯s face showed a relieved expression, and it nodded its head. Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she should cry orugh, ¡¯This horse has be enlightened and already knows how to bargain. As expected, it deserves to be called the foal of the divine steed. It¡¯s smart enough to say no.¡¯


    She thought about it carefully and decided that it wasn¡¯t too surprising. Her Little Red was originally an inferior horse breed. When she hade to Xiaocao, the power of the divine stone hadn¡¯t recovered as much as it did now. Although it had been years since they were together, and Little Red had been transformed into a fine horse, the old foundation was still there!


    The white horse in front of her was the best among arge herd of horses without the help of the divine stone¡¯s power. Furthermore, at this time, half of the divine stone¡¯s power had already returned and the spiritual energy was concentrated enough to transform a fine horse.


    "Deal, you send me back and I¡¯ll give you three sugar cubes!" Yu Xiaocao was pleased with the white horse¡¯s ¡®shrewdness"¡¯ and wondered whether she could swindle this guy over and help the horse farm breed several fine horses?


    The white horse stayed in ce for a moment to rest before letting Xiaocao get on its back. The scene of the horse herd galloping and neighing left Xiaocao with only one word to describe it: ¡®Magnificent¡¯! It took nearly an hour and a half for them to get there, so naturally, the journey back wouldn¡¯t be short.


    Zhu Junyang, who had caught the buckskin horse, was full of resentment and had no ce to vent his anger, so he began to tame the unruly buckskin horse with all of his might! The poor buckskin horse had been thoroughly run over by the prince. In the end, itsst trace of energy was squeezed out and it powerlesslyid on the ground, panting.


    When Zhu Junyang returned to the stud farm, riding a now well-behaved buckskin horse, he found the horse farm was facing a great enemy. The horses had all been rushed into the stable and the stewards of the horse farm had even invited the captain of the firearms camp toe to support them.


    Steward Yan, who had originally been the steward of a manor under the prince, was now assigned at the stud farm. This was because he had experience raising horses when he was younger. Thus, he had some insights into the habitual nature of horses and the management of a horse farm. He was promoted to the top and cooperated with Commander Liu in running things at the ranch.


    Today, other than the hundred or so officers and soldiers from the firearms camp, most of the other men had gone to trap wild horses. However, one after another, the grooms came back to report that wild wolves had infiltrated into the horse farm. Steward Yan immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. If something happened to the dozens of horses in the horse farm under his watch, then even death wouldn¡¯t be enough to wash away his me! Almost all of the guards at the farm had gone out. He told the horse grooms to rush back to the horses and then he went to the firearms camp for help. So, this was the scene that Royal Prince Yang came back to.


    "The stud farm has a wolf pack in it? Were the horses attacked? How many wolves are there? Has the farm suffered any losses?" Zhu Junyang knew very clearly that the emperor ced great importance on these horses by the border. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been allowed to bring soldiers from the firearms camp to take charge of the safety of the ranch. Not only that, but the chief military instructor of the firearms camp was also sent in to take charge of the safety of the horse farm.


    Furthermore, even Yu Xiaocao had been ordered toe. The prince guessed that the emperor had some doubts about thess¡¯s abilities and even had knowledge of her secret. Otherwise, how could he let a little girl apany him to inspect the stud farm?


    It wasn¡¯t just the emperor who had this dream. Any military officer, who led troops, would dream of having a sessful cavalry troop under his belt. Zhu Junyang was also the same. Thus the horse farm¡¯s position in his heart was second only to the littless whose smiles and frowns could influence his heart.


    A pack of wolves entering the horse farm wasn¡¯t a trivial matter! The stud farm had finally found some good horses, so they couldn¡¯t be ruined by the wolves! Even the Khitans, who were valiant and skilled in warfare, had almost been annihted by wolf packs, much less tamed horses!


    Steward Yan felt deeply ashamed in his heart. In his anxiety, he hadn¡¯t asked the questions that the master had asked. Steward Yan pleaded forgiveness for his fault and immediately asked people to find the grooms that had brought the news. He nned to ask them in front of Royal Prince Yang.


    Faced with the majesty of Royal Prince Yang, who was dressed in fine clothes, the horse grooms felt as if they were between a rock and a hard ce. When Royal Prince Yang asked about the wolves, one replied, "When pacifying the horse herd in themotion, this servant faintly saw two wolves in the chaos."


    Another added, "The two wolves didn¡¯t attack the horses and just moved around them at a distance."


    Another said, "I didn¡¯t see the wolves. I only heard the wolves howling..."


    "What did the two wolves look like?" Zhu Junyang frowned and had a faint guess of the situation¡¯s origin.


    "The two wolves are different from the gray wolves we usually see. One was ck, and the other was snow-white. When you take a quick look at them, you can¡¯t tell that they are wolves!" A horse keeper who saw traces of the wolves said without thinking too much.


    Hearing their words, the captain of the firearms camp gave a long sigh of relief and, with a smile, said, "False rm! Guys, withdraw!"


    "Eh? What¡¯s happening?" Steward Yan, who saw the officers and soldiers of the firearms camp give a salute to his master and swiftly return to their barracks, was very surprised.


    Zhu Junyang ignored him. He took out a special whistle and blew on it hard. Before long, one ck and one white lightning-like figure rushed out from the distance, stopping hard in front of the crowd.


    "That¡¯s them! That¡¯s them!" Several horse grooms stepped back, shouting in confusion. Little ck and Little White suspiciously looked at the only familiar figure in the crowd, and then gazed into the crowd searchingly.


    "Little ck, Little White! Can you guys smell your master? Can you take me to her?" Xiaocao had been taken away by the wild horse herd for more than an hour. Thess was soft and weak,cking the strength to even truss a chicken. Zhu Junyang was worried about her. If it wasn¡¯t because of this mess at the horse farm, then he would¡¯ve been unable to control himself and had gone looking for her earlier.


    Steward Yan finally had some idea of what was going on. It looked like the two wolves they saw were the pets of the master and their future mistress! He was worried for nothing!


    Little White stood haughtily, looking at Zhu Junyang with eyes filled with disdain as if it was saying, ¡¯You are really useless. You can¡¯t even protect the master, what kind of man are you?!¡¯


    Little ck was more kind because Zhu Junyang had fed him delicious food on more than one asion, so it was closer to him. Little ck circled around Zhu Junyang twice and took two steps in a direction and then stood still, looking back at him as if saying, ¡¯What are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you following?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang mounted his horse and the two little ones turned and ran toward a direction in the grasnd. The prince, who was riding his beloved horse, followed closely. Fierce Wind was one of the best among the other horses but, whenpared to the two wolves, who grew up on mystic stone water, it was inferior.


    Little ck and Little White, ran and stopped, and didn¡¯t leave the man and horse behind. Little White was more irritating. From time to time, it would look at Zhu Junyang and his horse with disdain as if to remind them of how ¡®useless¡¯ they were.


    When Zhu Junyang met up with Xiaocao who was mixed in the wild horse herd, it was already more than half an hourter. Because the wild horses smelled Little ck and Little White earlier, they wanted to get away. However, because the target of Little White and Little ck was their master, who was in the middle of the horses, it became a game of chase and escape.


    No matter how intelligent the white horse was, its natural fear of wolves was still present. The more it valued the human on its back, the more it wanted to take her away from danger. The other wild horses were even more desperate to run for fear that they would lose and be the unlucky one that lost their life at the mouths of the wolves!


    Little White seemed to be aware of something and gradually slowed down. Little ck, seeing their owner on the horse¡¯s back in the distance, chased the horse with excitement. He easily caught up with the wild horse herd and the wild horses scattered, running for their lives. Out of the dozens of horses in the herd, in the end, there were only two or three who managed to keep up with the speed, following their leader, running as hard as they could.


    "Awooh¡ª¡ª¡± Little ck was side by side with the white horse and howled, acting in a spoiled manner toward its owner, who was on the back of the horse. The white horse was startled by the sound and almost threw Xiaocao off its back.


    At first, Xiaocao didn¡¯t notice the two little ones. She was very puzzled when the wild horse herd sped up. Particrly, the white horse, who showed panic, made her vaguely aware that there was dangering. Thus, she very cooperatively lowered her body so the white horse could run faster.


    When Little ck appeared in her field of vision, she understood what was happening. Especially after Little ck¡¯s low howl, the horses became even more panicked and fl.u.s.tered, which made herugh and be a bit mad.


    "Little ck, do you want me to be thrown off? Don¡¯te so close, let the horses calm down!" Yu Xiaocao rebuked Little ck, who was running around the white horse happily. Little ck¡¯s clear blue eyes immediately filled with puzzlement and aggrievement.


    Zhu Junyang, who was far behind, was worried and helpless. Little ck wasn¡¯t as smart as Little White and was goofy. The more you chased, the harder the wild horses would run unless they became tired, but when would that be? However, seeing that Xiaocao was safe and sound, beside her hair which was messy from the wind and her clothes which were a bit wrinkled and had grass stains, Zhu Junyang could finally rx a bit.


    Fortunately, Little ck stopped very quickly. His ears drooped down, making him look quite gloomy and sad. His appearance was very pitiful and spoke volumes, ¡¯I was very happy to see Master, but Master scolded me. My heart is hurt. Wah wah wah~Master is so mean!¡¯


    Little White bit his neck, ¡¯You are a male wolf. Why are you crying like a girl? You really give wolves a bad reputation! Don¡¯t say you are my brother when you go out, it¡¯s too shameful to me!¡¯


    The white horse under Xiaocao already had itss mind opened. It saw that the ck wolf actually listened to the words of the human on its back and stopped. It also slowed down! The rush to flee had used up its physical strength and energy. It didn¡¯t know which of its subordinates didn¡¯t escape the wolves¡¯ mouths.


    However, since the ck wolf listened to the human girl¡¯s words that meant the white wolf probably wouldn¡¯t hurt the other horses without an order, right?


    As a fine horse that could go a thousand miles, it was only slightly tired after the sprint. The other horses following were in a worse state, with foam at their mouths and their hooves were beginning to weaken. If it wasn¡¯t for the fear of being overtaken by wolves, they would¡¯ve fallen to the ground in pure exhaustion.


    Xiaocaoforted the white horse and finally made it stop. She ced a sugar cube soaked in mystic stone water into other horses¡¯ mouths that were by her. After eating one, the white horse stretched out its mouth over again. The horse¡¯s eyes were full of emotions as if it was trying to tell her that she needed to keep her promise.

 Chapter 578 – Abduction

    <h4>Chapter 578 - Abduction</h4>


    The herd of horses, which had been chased by Little ck until they almost wanted to vomit blood, very quickly regained their senses after eating the sugar cubes. A few of the horses were able to keep up with the white horse¡¯s pace. Although they weren¡¯t as smart as the white horse, they were still considered top quality specimens. Furthermore, they at least knew that Yu Xiaocao had something they wanted to have and yearned for. Every single one of them that originally had arrogant expressions now all revealed gentled looks.


    ¡°Think about it. If you go back with me, I¡¯ll have the humans take good care of you all. For example, you¡¯ll all be able to eat one piece of this sugar candy every day.¡± Yu Xiaocao hugged every single horse¡¯s neck and then rubbed them. She was setting the stage for the future.


    The white horse had a face full of disdain. Those horses who had been tamed had all forgotten what it was like to gallop free without any restraints. Submitting to humans was losing their face. It had no desire to be one of those horses! It had no desire to submit and wasn¡¯t someone who would be moved by wealth or honor. However...once its thoughts had been tranted over to Xiaocao through the little divine stone, she could tell that its eyes had never left the embroidered pouch by her waist. Its words would have been more persuasive if it wasn¡¯t staring at her goodies.


    Xiaocao hugged the white horse¡¯s neck and continued her persuasions, ¡°If youe with me to the stud farm, I promise that no one will try to tame you, unless you want it. I can also promise that you will all at least be able to eat one meal with the fodder that I have just given you. You will all have a lot of freedom and cane and go as you please on the prairie. Furthermore, you won¡¯t have to worry about humansing after you, trying to catch you anymore. The people at the farm will also keep you safe. At night, there¡¯s even a warm stable to shield you all from rain and wind. That way, you don¡¯t need to be exposed to the elements like you are in the fields and forage for food in bad weather!¡±


    There were some terms that the horses didn¡¯t understand. However, Xiaocao had the little divine stone trante everything for her, so her ideas and exnations were fully transmitted to the horses. The little divine stone, who had been suddenly pulled into working for her, had once again morphed into a pocket-sized horse. It jumped and ran around the wild horses. In this form, it didn¡¯t even reach the height of the horses¡¯ knees but still frolicked around as if it wasn¡¯t afraid of being stepped on.


    It was quite obvious that the other five to six horses were starting to be tempted by her offer. Only the head stallion, the white horse, was still a bit hesitant. On one hand was the dignity of the horse race, but, on the other hand, there was the temptation of delicious foods to eat. The horse battled between these two factors and couldn¡¯te to a decision.


    Yu Xiaocao patted its neck in aforting manner and smiled as she looked into the distance at that figure that was speeding over. She lightly sighed and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to make a decision today. You can go back and think about it. I¡¯ll be at the farm in the future. If you want to eat sugar cubes or fodder, you can go and find me. Mypanion is here and it¡¯s getting dark, so I need to go!¡±


    As she spoke, she took out thest piece of rock candy from her pouch and stuffed it into the white horse¡¯s mouth. The white horse could sense that there was another human approaching and became a bit uneasy. The other horses, on the other hand, seemed to be quite calm. Perhaps it was because they had only interacted with Xiaocao and had a decent impression of humans in their hearts now, so they weren¡¯t as skittish anymore.


    However, after a few seconds, the smell of a wolf came by again. Although the white horse knew that this little human girl had raised that ck wolf as a pet, it wasn¡¯t willing to gamble with its or the other horses¡¯ lives. It used its neck to rub against Xiaocao and then began to run farther away.


    Before Fierce Wind could stoppletely, Zhu Junyang leapt off of his horse and bolted towards that slender figure. In the next moment, Xiaocao had been tightly embraced into his warm and sturdy chest. She grinned and was about to return the hug when she discovered that her butt had been hit a few times.


    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ª¡± Xiaocao screeched in rm. It wasn¡¯t because her butt hurt a lot nor was she trying to gain sympathy from him. It was because the attack hade too suddenly and she was feeling embarrassed by the process.


    Zhu Junyang had been startled by her scream and thought that he had hit her too hard by ident. He hurriedly bent over to take a look at her bottom. However, could a virtuous maiden¡¯s butt be checked by just anyone? Yu Xiaocao quickly used her hands to hide her butt and retreated a few steps. She looked at him warily and shouted, ¡°Stop! What are you trying to do? Are you going to do something perverted?¡±


    Zhu Junyang noticed that she was quite nimble in her retreat, so it looked like there was nothing wrong with her butt. He immediately became angry and huffed a few times before he began scolding her again, ¡°You¡¯re still okay scolding this prince, ah? Do you know just how worried I was when I saw you in the middle of that wild horse herd? Do you know just how close you were to being trampled into a meat paste by those stampeding horses? Do you know just how this prince has felt for this past half day while looking for you? Hitting you on the butt a few times is just a light punishment! Tell me! Are you wrong or not? Will you do this again in the future?¡±


    ¡°Alright ah! I admit that I was too impetuous this time. Next time, I won¡¯t dare!¡± Yu Xiaocao was very apologetic. After all, when the wild herd had run off at that moment, there was a split second when she thought that she was going to lose her life under their hooves! Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t the time for her to die yet. After traveling around a bit with the wild horse herd, she managed to make it out alive and well.


    Zhu Junyang saw that the littless¡¯s shoulders were slumped and her head down, as if she was truly regretful of her previous actions. His heart immediately softened but he didn¡¯t let his words show that he had already excused her, ¡°Hmph! If you¡¯re ever this impetuous again, then it won¡¯t just be a matter of getting hit on the butt a few times! Do you know how we punish the servants who make a mistake in the residence ah?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Yu Xiaocao was like a student who had made a mistake and was being scolded by her teacher. She stood there obediently and listened.


    ¡°Their pants get pulled down and they get hit with a nk in front of everyone!!¡± Zhu Junyang was trying to scare her. However, the image of the littless with her bottom bare suddenly came to his mind. His nose heated up and he almost had a nose bleed right then and there.


    Yu Xiaocao wrinkled her nose and raised her head to look at him usingly, ¡°Are you sure you want everyone to see your future wife¡¯s bare butt ah?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh...of course I don¡¯t!¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly felt like he was someone who had just crushed his own toe with his own rock. He hurriedly stated, ¡°This prince will only have the two of us in private while we pull down your pants and hit your butt!¡±


    ¡°Such a pervert!!¡± Yu Xiaocao red at him fiercely and turned around to bury her head into Little White¡¯s fur in an attempt to make him angry. Earlier, when Little White saw that his master¡¯s butt was being hit, he had already made preparations to attack. Even though the man was very familiar with the master, he was still alert to any problems. Little White was clearly very loyal and was obviously much more reliable than Little ck, who was stupidly watching everything.


    When Little ck saw that his master had her face buried in his brother¡¯s fur and was stroking him, he felt quite envious and also came over to join in on the fun. He threw himself onto his master and Little White. Although this fellow was a bit foolish sometimes, he still knew that when he was ying that he needed to put most of his weight on Little White and not Xiaocao. Now sandwiched between the two, Xiaocao could feel their fur tickling her and her silveryughter echoed out and filled the air.


    Zhu Junyang pushed aside Little ck but he didn¡¯t try to do the same with Little White because earlier, when he was hitting the littless¡¯s butt, there was a split second where he felt that if he was ¡®violent¡¯ towards Xiaocao, Little White would have tried to bite him.


    After dragging thess off of Little White, he pointed at the white horse, who was standing not too far from them and said, ¡°That wild horse seems to be observing us right now! Did you have any gains after staying with the horse herd for half a day?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I gained quite a lot! The fact that the head stallion even allowed me to ride him is the most obvious gain! However, if we want to tame him, we still need a bit more time and work! When we get back, gather all of the employees at the stud farm together to have a meeting. You need to tell them that if they see any wild horses getting closer to the farm, they are absolutely not allowed to make a big fuss or try to catch them. They should just pretend that they¡¯re not there.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with her ordering Zhu Junyang, the head of the stud farm, around. This particr habit of hers had been allowed by this man for a long time. Royal Prince Yang, who usually seemed quite cold and aloof, was very obedient and amodating in front of hisss. Even the extremely important horse farm and the subsequent cavalry unit was behind him in importancepared to hisss.


    When the emperor found outter, he couldn¡¯t help but make fun of the prince. The emperor quipped that while other heroes had a weakness for the charms of a beautiful woman, Zhu Junyang was a hero who had a weakness for the tears of a silly littless! At most, Xiaocao could be considered a delicately pretty young maiden. Compared to some of the other young maidens in the capital, who were immensely talented and had stunning good looks, Xiaocao was, at most, amon appetizer.


    However, who would have thought that his cousin would be unhappy by thisparison? In fact, the prince even rudely interrupted him and expressed that he just liked this type of appetizer paired with his meal. Thus, he didn¡¯t need the emperor worrying about them!


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t have anything against Yu Xiaocao¡¯s proposed idea and n. He only asked her out of curiosity, ¡°What¡¯s the reasoning behind all of this?¡±


    ¡°The wild horses in the herd are all, for the most part, free horses. They¡¯re very simr to free people. Without a reason, why would any person sell themselves to be a servant and, thus, the property of someone else? Anyone in that circ.u.mstance would resist. Horses are the same! By using special horse feed and the sugar cubes as bait, we can lure them into the stud farm. As long as the ranch allows them enough freedom, these horses will soon find out that living at the stud farm doesn¡¯t mean that we will deprive them of their independence and dignity. As time goes on, they will realize that the horse farm and the humans there aren¡¯t as scary or horrible as they thought. Thus, they will gradually be intimate with the ce.¡±


    She paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Perhaps the ones in this generation will never be able to be ridden or tamed by any of us. However, their descendants will be born at the farm and grow up there. They will feel a sense of belonging then. At that time, these descendants won¡¯t leave the farm even if we tried to make them go!¡±


    Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t a slow or stupid person. In fact, he was thinking even further ahead in the future, ¡°Quite brilliant ah! At that time, when the wild horses spend time with the mares on the farm, wouldn¡¯t that mean we have a good supply of strong stallions for the stock, ah? This truly solves our problem of finding good quality horseflesh to introduce to the bloodlines here! Such an incredibly awesome idea!! Just where do you get these ideas of yours ah? Such a great n and stratagem for the future of the stud farm, as expected of someone this prince likes!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Just who was the one hitting me earlier and also stated that I needed to be punished, ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao crossed her arms around her chest and she jutted out her face. If she had a tail, it likely would have been perked up into the air.


    Zhu Junyang walked over, and before she could react, he attacked her butt again. However, this time, he didn¡¯t hit her butt and instead started massaging it! The feeling of her soft and bouncy butt against his hand made him feel quite delighted! He remembered to cate the littless by saying, ¡°This prince was only worried about your safety! Although the stud farm is important, you are still the most important thing in my life. There¡¯s nothing in the world that will be able to disce you from the position in my heart!¡±

 Chapter 579 – Approve

    <h4>Chapter 579 - Approve</h4>


    ¡°Stinky pervert!¡± Yu Xiaocao had to admit that she had been moved by the handsome fellow¡¯s terms of endearment. Her heart started to race as she stared at that incredibly attractive face that no woman could possibly resist. His phoenix eyes gazed at her with deep emotion. Naturally, if this fellow¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t on her butt, she¡¯d be even more moved!


    ¡°Eh? Where did this fellowe from? Is it one of the descendants of the wild horses?¡± At this time, Zhu Junyang noticed a golden-colored, pocket-sized, adorable little horse. He also felt that it didn¡¯t seem quite right. Even a foal who had just been born would berger than this little creature. The little fellow looked quite small and exquisite and every line of its body showed that it was a top quality horse. In his eyes, this odd little fellow was even more intelligent and spirited than the white head stallion and had a more pure and noble bloodline.


    Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t thought of a good exnation for him about the little divine stone when the sight in front of her stunned her to silence. The little divine stone unexpectedly began to openly transform in front of Zhu Junyang from its horse shape into its usual golden kitten shape. It also deliberately nced at Zhu Junyang, who was thunderstruck, with its pair of golden eyes and then arrogantly jumped onto Xiaocao¡¯s shoulder. Its whole demeanor showed that it disdained the world beneath it.


    ¡°It...¡± The expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face changed a few times. From the faint golden glowing off of the kitten, he remembered the golden ray of light that had appeared when Xiaocao was at the stables and was waving her hand at the feed and water troughs. It wasn¡¯t hard for him to guess that the littless¡¯s secret was minutely linked with the mysterious golden kitten in front of him.


    ¡°You need to hide it well! You absolutely cannot let other people see it transform!!¡± The first thing that came to his mind was the littless¡¯s safety. If he could, he would rather destroy this golden kitten and allow Xiaocao to live a normal person¡¯s life then have her have to live a life with other people coveting and trying to steal her divine item.


    [Do you think this divine stone is an idiot ah?! Do you think I¡¯d easily appear in front of other people?] The little divine stone¡¯s voice was full of disdain and the little kitten moved into a more arrogant position.


    ¡°It...it...can even talk?! Did this prince hear wrongly? It was talking to me, right?¡± Zhu Junyang was once again frightened by what had happened and was actually stuttering for a moment.


    The little divine stone sneered and turned its attention over to Xiaocao, [Are you sure you want to be with him? No ns on changing to someone else? This fellow is stupid beyond measure, so what part of him is worthy of you liking him?]


    There wasn¡¯t a single person, in his entire twenty odd years of life, who had ever used him of being stupid before. When he was a child, he had been adorable and cute with a quick and clever mind. As he got older, some people stated that he had an odd personality while others stated he had an explosive temper. There were even some who stated that he was extremely temperamental. However, the only thing that people didn¡¯t say was that he was dumb.


    He didn¡¯t get angry by the stone¡¯s sarcastic remarks. Instead, he stretched out a hand in an attempt to grab the little golden kitten so he could inspect it to see just what it was. As his hand reached over, the little divine stone didn¡¯t try to avoid or dodge it. Instead, in that moment before the prince¡¯s hand touched it, it transformed into a beam of golden light and shot through the prince¡¯s fingers andnded on Xiaocao¡¯s other shoulder. It reformed itself into its golden kitten shape.


    ¡°Just...what is it?¡± The look in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes became cold. He was afraid that this odd little thing would harm his littless. In all of the stories talking about magical items, didn¡¯t they all mention that there were some things that relied on sucking the life energy of others to improve their cultivation? His littless was always so thin and weak. Could this odd object be sucking out her life energy? Would it decrease her life span? One had to admit that Royal Prince Yang had quite an imagination that was better than most authors of <i>xuanhuan [1] </i> novels!


    The little divine stone scornfully rolled its eyes at him andzily remarked, [Xiaocao, are you sure you can¡¯t like someone else ah? This fellow even thinks that this divine stone is sucking out your life energy! And also thinks that I¡¯m hurting your lifespan! Go tell him that, if it wasn¡¯t for this divine stone, your weak and sickly body would have long expired and you would have met the King of Hell. You probably would have reincarnated into a different family by now!]


    ¡°It can even tell what this prince is thinking. Does it also have the ability to read thoughts like I do?¡± Zhu Junyang frowned even more deeply. This fellow had too many abilities; it¡¯d be quite difficult to eliminate it...however, did he even have the strength to get rid of this creature for his littless?


    [At least you know your limits. You want to destroy this divine stone? Maybe in your next life you¡¯ll reincarnate into a dimension where you can cultivate. After cultivating for a few thousand or ten thousand years, then you can see if you can get rid of me ah!] The little divine stonezily yawned and lost its desire to shoot sarcastic remarks at the prince. It transformed into a beam of golden light and went back into the multi-colored stone on Xiaocao¡¯s right wrist. Recently, it had hit a bottleneck on its cultivation progress. After all, the Goddess of Spirit¡¯s chains were not so easily released.


    Zhu Junyang had personally seen that that weird thing had gone into the multi-colored stone that Xiaocao always wore on her right wrist. It was a pretty unassuming, small colored stone. It wasn¡¯t made out of jade or another precious gemstone, and it wasn¡¯t shaped in any pleasing manner. The only thing it had going for it was that it was colored a bit brightly.


    After Zhu Junyang became certain of his feelings, he had thought that the reason why his littless always wore that tiny colored stone strung on some red string was because her family was poor but she still liked to dress up. Because of that, he had especially picked out a gold bracelet embedded with jade stones on it to give to her. At the time, the littless had looked quite happy with the gift. However, as soon as he turned around, she had ced the bracelet into her jewelry box where she also hid her other treasures and the bracelet never saw the light of day again.


    Later on, no matter how expensive or how beautiful the bracelets he sent her were, she would at most wear them for a couple of days and then leave them in her jewelry box. She still continued to wear that small colored stone that was strung on a red string on her right wrist. Now, he knew that the reason why she only wore this stone was because it hid such a secret!


    ¡°Lass, are you sure that this creature won¡¯t harm you?¡± Zhu Junyang had seen the littless wear the stone for many years. Although she was quite thin, she had never gotten sick. Furthermore, all of her family members were quite healthy and strong. Her parents were in their thirties but they looked around ten years younger. Her godparents were in their forties but they were more energetic and lively than people in their thirties. Furthermore, her godparents managed to have the miracle of having a child in their old age and had given Xiaocao a younger brother. Even the people around her seemed to have health benefits. Hisdy mother was a perfect example. Was this truly all rted to this little stone that looked so unassuming?


    When Yu Xiaocao found out that her man was merely worried about her, she revealed an incandescent smile and hurriedly reassured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! It not only won¡¯t harm me but it also gives me benefits!¡±


    In her heart, however, she castigated the little divine stone for being a meddler. What was it trying to do by appearing so suddenly? It actually even changed forms right in front of Zhu Junyang. How was she ever supposed to exin something so unimaginable? Fortunately, Zhu Junyang was only worried about her safety and didn¡¯t ask her more about the stone. Otherwise, she really didn¡¯t know what she was going to do. Was it better to skim over this event or just tell him everything?


    Should she tell him that the original owner of this body had died early and that she was a lonely soul from hundreds of yearster that took over? Or should she tell him that her soul had traveled through the millennium with the help of the multi-colored stone for the sole purpose of meeting him? Zhu Junyang had quite a bit of courage, so he shouldn¡¯t be scared by this, right?


    [Psh! Being cautious is truly a good character trait but there¡¯s a line between being cautious and being a coward ah! This divine stone has been observing silently for a long time. Although this fellow¡¯s outer appearance doesn¡¯t give one the confidence of reliability, his actual character is quite different. You truly hit the jackpot with this one ah!] The little divine stone couldn¡¯t help but sigh over this. How did thisss manage toe across one of the only good men in this world? Was it because that it, as the divine stone, had brought her good luck?


    ¡°Do you dare to say that more clearly?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t resist the urge to roast the divine stone a bit but didn¡¯t expect that she would actually say that out loud.


    ¡°Are you...talking to this prince? Or are you talking to that fellow?¡± Zhu Junyang continued to long-windedly lecture again to take care of herself and avoid getting hurt by that ¡®stone spirit¡¯. ¡®Stone spirit¡¯ was the name that he had given to the little divine stone.


    Yu Xiaocao apologetically waved at a hand at him to tell him to ¡®wait a second¡¯ and continued to listen to the little divine stone¡¯s ¡®earnest thoughts¡¯.


    [Since you¡¯ve decided on this fellow, that means, in the future, you will be spending the rest of your life with him. Are you nning on hiding this secret from him for a lifetime? Do you think you would be able to hide it ah? This fellow is a lot more shrewd and astute than you, a feeble-mindedss! Do you really believe that he hasn¡¯t sensed that something was off in all these years? In the past two years, you¡¯ve be less and less cautious for the sake of earning money and lost your head. Do you really think he¡¯s that stupid that he doesn¡¯t suspect something? Even if I, this divine stone, didn¡¯t appear today, he¡¯s already around eighty to ny percent close to the truth at this point!] The little divine stone lightly sighed. It didn¡¯t know whether it should consider itself fortunate or not for being stuck with this type of troublesome master.


    On one hand, it was lucky that it didn¡¯t encounter a master who had extreme ambitions and wanted to use its powers to snatch the throne. Although this littless used it like a little hamster slowly .u.mting wealth, she also used its abilities to benefit themon people of the Great Ming Empire.


    Those medicinal pills and tonics had cured many people and also saved a bunch ofmoners from ailments that weren¡¯t easily treated in this medically backwards society. Furthermore, her high-yielding crops had benefited an evenrger percentage of the people, allowing them to gradually pull themselves out of poverty and starvation. As for the variety of fruits and vegetables she grew, this all increased the diversity of options for the people¡¯s diets in the capital. All of these things allowed the stone to gradually regain its previous cultivation while also obtaining a lot of merits and good karma.


    It was as the Buddhists said, ¡°Everything in the world has karma¡±. In this strange and deste dimension, it couldn¡¯t easily throw off its shackles. The more virtue it .u.mted, the more it would end up helping it in the future. How could it not rejoice that it had been stuck with a kind hearted and foolish little girl ah?


    As for the flip side, how should it describe it? In order to regain its cultivation, it could only help its master, who didn¡¯t have much ambitions beyond earning money, in doing some small things here and there. The thing that affected its spiritual strength the most was helping its master in some way or another.


    The more help it gave, the more it recovered. However, if it could only help its master with some trivial matters, how long would it take before it finally regained all of its strength and was able to break through the shackles and return to the dimension where the Goddess Nuwa lived ah? Just thinking about its snail-like speed made it want to cry bitter tears.


    ¡°Everyone says that men are fickle creatures, so who can guarantee that he won¡¯t change in this lifetime?¡± Yu Xiaocao interrupted the stone¡¯s silentmentations and muttered in a slightly mncholy tone.


    Having been unceremoniously ignored this entire time, Zhu Junyang was keenly able to hear her grumbles. Apparently, the littless had been silently criticizing him this entire time with that stupid stone! He raised a hand and knocked on her forehead. His gloomy voice had a hint of solemness to it, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! There are so many men around you, staring at you as if you¡¯re their prey. How could I possibly bear to change my mind? This prince will only recognize you in this life and I don¡¯t have any room in my heart for anyone else!¡±


    [1] <i>xuanhuan </i>- a broad genre of fictional stories which remixes Chinese folklore/mythology with foreign elements & setting <i></i>

 Chapter 580 – Worry About Personal Gains and Losses

    <h4>Chapter 580 - Worry About Personal Gains and Losses</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed at her forehead, which was faintly sore, and rolled her eyes at him. She continued to converse with the little divine stone, [This divine stone also cannot guarantee whether he¡¯ll change or not. The only thing I am certain about is that he is solely preupied with you. Couldn¡¯t you tell that he¡¯s been helping you hide everything that you¡¯ve been secretly doing at the stud farm ah? He even said that he got the special herbs for the horse bait from the western hemisphere. Just watch. This time, when we get back, he will definitely say something to take suspicions off of you about the wild horses being willing toe to the ranch. In fact, he might even take on that responsibility himself.]


    Yu Xiaocao touched her nose and smiled in embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s thinking too much. I can¡¯t, for the sake of some unknown future, relinquish the happiness I have in front of me now. Wouldn¡¯t that be too stupid of me?¡±


    [However, if you¡¯re truly worried that his heart will change in the future, this divine stone has a ¡®constant til death¡¯ talisman. At the time, I had stolen it from the God of Talismans in the heavens. That fellow even chased me to Goddess Nuwa¡¯s pce and wanted toin to her about me ah! Fortunately, Goddess Nuwa was in closed-door cultivation then and I was the highest ranked entity in the pce. The God of Talismans could only helplessly leave, ahahahahahaha...] The little divine stone let out a joyfully satisfiedugh.


    ¡°No wonder the Goddess of Spirits ended up sealing your powers and banished you to the mundane world! You¡¯re so naughty. Did Goddess Nuwa know about any of this?¡± Yu Xiaocao lowered her head to look at a piece of yellowing paper with weird symbols written on it that had suddenly appeared in her hands. She inspected it excitedly, mostly because she had never seen a talisman before and was incredibly curious about them. She had no intention of using it on Zhu Junyang though.


    The little divine stone immediately stoppedughing and became unhappy, [Can¡¯t you just converse with me normally? Mocking someone is uncouth; it¡¯s better to use your mouth to .u.mte virtue ah! Forget it, this divine stone is generous and magnanimous, and I won¡¯t lower myself to your level. You can keep this talisman. If there¡¯s ever a day that he changes his mind, you can p this talisman on his back. That way, you will never have to worry about him betraying you!]


    If that day really dide, perhaps it meant that their fate together hade to an end, right? If he was only loyal towards her because of the effects of the talisman and not of his own will, was it even worth it to keep such a person by her side ah?


    Zhu Junyang had also noticed that a piece of yellowing paper had suddenly appeared in her hands. The paper even had some odd-looking designs on it painted on with red ink. His intuition told him that this wasn¡¯t something that was going to be good for people. Furthermore, the littless was looking at it intently with a quite serious expression on her face.


    ¡°What is that? Did that rock give it to you? Will it be dangerous to you? How about...you give to this prince for safekeeping. I have a healthy body and I¡¯m not afraid of anything!¡± Zhu Junyang was the most worried about her safety and always considered her perspective.


    Yu Xiaocao picked up the paper talisman and waved it a couple of times in his direction. She lightlyughed and asked him in a probing manner, ¡°If I told you that this paper talisman will make you loyal to me for the rest of your life, such that you will never change your mind, do you think I should paste it on you or not?¡±


    ¡°This prince has no intention of ever changing my mind. There¡¯s no difference whether or not you put it on me. If you really are feeling insecure, then put it on ah! However...¡± Zhu Junyang revealed a slightly worried expression.


    Yu Xiaocao felt her heart fall and she inhaled sharply before she asked, ¡°But what? Do you regret what you¡¯ve said in the past?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! Lass, you just like to overthink things too much!¡± Zhu Junyang rubbed her head gently andughed, ¡°This prince is only worried about whether such a thing is reliable or not, okay? What if it turns me into an idiot or an unthinking puppet? At that time, you can only cry until you have no tears left in you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely reliable. It¡¯s an item from the world of immortals, so its effects are guaranteed!¡± Yu Xiaocao was linked to the little divine stone, so they were in the same boat together. The little divine stone absolutely wouldn¡¯t lie to her.


    ¡°An item from the world of immortals?¡± Zhu Junyang promptly viewed this piece of paper in a whole other light, ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, then that piece of stone you hang around with is also from the world of immortals and you just happened toe across it?¡±


    ¡°Mhm! Its cultivation and powers were sealed by a god and it was sent down to our mundane world of mortals to temper itself and .u.mte virtue. Only then will it be able to break out from its shackles and return to its true form!¡± Didn¡¯t all of the cultivation novels say something like this ah? Yu Xiaocao gave the prince a half-false and half-truthful exnation.


    The little divine stone, on the other hand, fell into thoughtful contemtion. Was that truly the intention of the Goddess of Spirits? The Goddess of Spirits had always been close to Goddess Nuwa like a pair of true sisters. All those years ago, it had caused quite a bit of trouble for Goddess Nuwa and offended many people. The other immortals often came charging over to tattle-tale on it and ended up impacting Goddess Nuwa¡¯s cultivation progress. After it had been kicked out of the world of immortals, it had been stuck in a bottleneck for a long time.


    The Goddess of Spirits must have seen everything clearly, which was probably why she sent it, who was stubborn and mule-headed, down to the mundane world to temper its heart and spirit. Was it possible that only after it learned these hard lessons, its cultivation would increase by bounds and it could return back as a high-leveled god? Aiya, even a mere mortal was able to see through to the truth yet it had held a grudge against the Goddess of Spirits for all these years. No wonder its recent cultivation progress had been so slow and tortuous ah!


    Once it understood its situation better with Xiaocao¡¯s ¡®advice¡¯ and realized the Goddess of Spirits¡¯ true intentions, it began to reflect on itself. Suddenly, it felt that, out of the three shackles suppressing it, one of them had been broken. The energy that the Goddess of Spirits had imbued into that shackle began to harmonize with its own and began to stimte its stagnant cultivation. In a split second, it felt its energy increase by leaps and bounds. It didn¡¯t even have the time to say a parting word to Xiaocao when it jumped back into its separate space to begin earnestly cultivating again. It could tell that, once it finished this episode of closed-door cultivation, it would be able to return to almost half of its previous strength!


    ¡°Since you are confident that this talisman has no issues with it, then go ahead. Where do you want to stick it? On my forehead?¡± Zhu Junyang stuck his head forward and even conscientiously bent down to make it easier for her.


    Yu Xiaocao used her other hand to push away his face. The dimples on her face deepened and her pair ofrge, almond-shaped eyes shone brightly, glittering with emotion. She pretended to be angry as she replied, ¡°Do you believe everything I say ah? This is only a peace and safety talisman but it truly was given to me by the little divine stone. Its effects are definitely much better than the ones you can beg from temples. You often are out and about. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll make you a small pouch to hold it. You should bring it around and you definitely shouldn¡¯t take it out lightly!¡±


    Zhu Junyang stared at the talisman for a long time and tried to see from Xiaocao¡¯s expression if there was anything else he was missing. However, Xiaocao hid her thoughts very well, so he temporarily believed her. He shook his head in refusal, ¡°Are you still not familiar with my talents? Does this prince really need a peace and safety talisman? You should wear it instead ah. Last time, at the hunting grounds, weren¡¯t you almost eaten by a tiger for a snack?¡±


    ¡°Although it was a frightening experience, didn¡¯t that tiger, in the end, be our prey ah?¡± Xiaocao lowered her head and quietly mumbled a bit. It had been almost a year since that happened yet Zhu Junyang still harped about it.


    ¡°Keep that talisman safe. When you get back, have Wutong make a small pouch for you. I¡¯m afraid your embroidery skills are such that you wouldn¡¯t be willing to wear anything you made yourself.¡± As he talked, he especially nced at the ugly embroidered pouch that was hanging on his waist.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face immediately turned bright red. That was the pouch that she had made after her godmother had threatened her. It was supposed to be a way for her to learn some feminine skills. However, not only did the pouch turn out slightly deformed but even the embroidered pattern on the outside was also quite sloppy. It was hard to make out what it was supposed to look like. At that time, she had even happily showed off her first finished sewing product to the prince, but he had actually snatched it away from her. He began using it despite other peopleughing at him.


    Even He Wanning had teased her for this. She said that, when shepared her skills to that pouch, even her sewing skill level seemed to go up a few. Yu Xiaocao had tried many times to get the pouch back from Zhu Junyang to no avail. Now that she thought about it, perhaps she needed to learn how to sew better from Pipa when she got back. That way she could at least sew a decent-looking pouch.


    Out of all of her maids, Pipa had to be the one who was the most skilled at the womanly arts. She also had a quiet personality and a lot of patience. Many of the sewn items that she used had all been made by that maid.


    Zhu Junyang saw that the littless seemed a bit upset and hurriedly changed the subject, ¡°You said this thing was given to you by that piece of rock. It¡¯s only a tiny and round colored stone, where does it keep something the size of the talisman? If I didn¡¯t personally see that it could change forms with my own eyes, then this prince would have thought that you were cracking a joke!¡±


    ¡°Uh...perhaps beings from the world of immortals all have their own special dimension to carry things ah? Like the Bracelet of the Heavens or dimension pouches from those mythological stories...right?¡± He was sessful in switching Yu Xiaocao¡¯s thoughts to a different subject. She silently asked the little divine stone repeatedly, ¡®Isn¡¯t that right?¡¯


    The little divine stone, who was currently cultivating, naturally had no response for her. She raised her head and shrugged her shoulders at Zhu Junyang, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling must have gained something and is currently cultivating. When I asked it, it had no response for me! Forget it, once it¡¯s done cultivating, I¡¯ll ask it then!¡±


    ¡°No wonder that little golden kitten seems toe and go like a ghost ah! Apparently, it¡¯s been hiding on your body cultivating! How much time does it usually spend in cultivation?¡± Zhu Junyang only asked out of pure curiosity.


    Yu Xiaocao also wasn¡¯t sure so she could only say, ¡°Who knows, ah? With its restless personality, as soon as it¡¯s done, it¡¯lle out on its own. It¡¯s gettingte, so we should head back!¡±


    As she finished speaking, Xiaocao carefully ced the talisman into her own embroidered pouch and then waved a hand at the white stallion not far away from them who still, from time to time, would look over at them. Then, she refused Zhu Junyang¡¯s offer to ride pillion and instead jumped onto Little ck¡¯s back and let out a loud whistle. They headed back towards the stud farm at an astonishing speed.


    The grasnds in the evening had a picturesque and stunning view. The setting sun was slowly withdrawing all of its golden needles into itself and it seemed to regard the world of humans with a shy and bashful glowing red face. Thus, the creek running through the prairie shimmered with a multitude of colors, making people feel as though there was a crystal pce hiding beneath its waters with a precious treasure underneath.


    A fairy-like young maiden rode a wolf as she sang a beautiful and sweet song. The delicate and lively youngdy seemed to be cloaked by a bewitching and gentle rosy glow from the setting sun. It truly looked like she was an immortal girl who had jumped out of a picture.


    This type of surreal and fantastical image conjured up a bunch of worried thoughts in Zhu Junyang. As someone who had a divine object by her side, would she have the chance to ascend to the world of the gods one day, leaving him alone in this mundane mortal world? Or perhaps, she, who had been touched by divine energy, would continue to be as youthful and beautiful as an immortal while he aged into a stooped over and white-haired old man? At that time, would he still be able to keep her, an immortally beautiful fairy, by his side?

 Chapter 581 – Who is More Good Looking?

    <h4>Chapter 581 - Who is More Good Looking?</h4>


    On this day, the people that Zhu Junyang brought along had a decent oue. Altogether, they had caught six wild horses. The best horse that they had caught that day was the light buckskin colored horse that Royal Prince Yang had personally trapped.


    As for Commander Liu¡¯s group, they didn¡¯te back to the stud farm that day as they had traveled farther to find the other herd of wild horses. Three dayster, they came back with eight proud and hard to tame wild horses. Although none of them couldpare to the superior horse that their master had caught, every single one was still much better than the other specimens at the ranch.


    Following that, Commander Liu and his subordinates began to tame these wild horses. Taming a wild horse wasn¡¯t something that could ur in a day or two. Fortunately, Commander Liu and his men had learned from the experts on how to tame horses properly after they first arrived here. Other than the buckskin colored horse giving them some issues, the rest of them would only require a bit of time before they were ready.


    Unexpectedly, the wildest and most arrogant buckskin colored horse was actually the one that got tamed first. Zhu Junyang was tough and unyielding and his equestrian skills were consummate. In addition, that day he was extremely worried about Xiaocao and poured his entire temper on this unlucky horse. The tricks and strategies he used on that light buckskin colored horse had left an impression on the animal. Thus, whenever the horse saw the prince, it was even more obedient and gentle than the other horses at the farm. Under the absolute suppression and power of another, what was the point of being a proud and arrogant wild horse? Could pride be eaten ah?


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, pitied this poor horse as she was part of the reason why it had been dominated so thoroughly by the prince. Every time she went to the stables, she would always bring some tasty snacks and special feed for it. Whenever the horse saw her, it acted like it was seeing its own mother.


    However, once it saw the fiendish shadow that was inseparable from her, it immediately held its back and didn¡¯t dare to make a loud noise. Even when Xiaocao stuffed a piece of rock candy in its mouth, the horse acted like a noble born young maiden and delicately ate the food in a refined manner.


    On the days that Zhu Junyang didn¡¯te along, it would happily circle around Xiaocao, acting spoiled and using its mouth to gently pick at her embroidered pouch full of treats. It would even use its tongue to wash Xiaocao¡¯s face and was actually more servile and ttering to her than Little ck.


    In the blink of an eye, five days had passed and there was no news of seeing the white horse and its otherpatriots. Yu Xiaocao felt a bit disheartened by this. Were her special tricks useless in front of this extremely hard to encounter divine steed? She thought for a bit and wondered if it was because she hadn¡¯t added enough mystic-stone water to the sugar cubes at the time.


    Yu Xiaocao, who wasn¡¯t particrly good at concealing her inner thoughts, always had a hint of worry on her face due to this. Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want her to be depressed and anxious over something that was his responsibility, so he decided to take her out for an outing to relieve some pressure. He knew hisss liked the feeling of a sessful hunt and the feast that came afterwards.


    About a few hundred kilometers east of the stud farm, there was a mountainous area that one of the outside tribes called ¡®Jinalin¡¯, which to them meant ¡®white mountain¡¯. It was said that, on the highest peak in that range, the snow there never melted. On clear and sunny days, one could see the distant white cap of the mountain, which exined how it got its name.


    The people from the outside tribes who had been hired to help train the horses at the stud farm said that there were a lot of animals in that mountain. Many hunters longed to go there. However, the fierce beasts in there were incredibly vicious. Oftentimes, during blizzards, they would descend down the mountain and hurt people. Consequently, no hunter would dare to go into the mountain on his own unless they absolutely had to make a living.


    Since people very rarely entered deeply into this area, there should be a lot of valuable medicinal nts avable, secondary to the plentiful prey. Wasn¡¯t the northeast also known for housing the ¡®three treasures¡¯ ah? Other than ginseng, the mountains also had reishi mushrooms, manyprickle, schisandra, Mongolian milkvetch, and other medicinal herbs. The littless was well-acquainted with using these herbs and also liked toe up with new pills and medicines to treat and heal people. She should be very interested in gathering wild medicinal nts, right?


    As for the fierce beasts, he was confident in his own abilities to protect herpletely. It was the perfect opportunity to obtain some beautiful bear and tiger pelts to be used to create a splendid mattress for the littless. He still remembered that during the Autumn Hunt, the littless was very interested in tiger pelts. She also took quite a few tiger bones back as well and used them to make some bone-strengthening medicinal wine. All of the influential officials scrambled to buy some. In fact, the capital now had a saying: ¡®A thousand taels of gold may not be enough to buy the Yu Family¡¯s medicinal wine¡±.


    Sure enough, as soon as Zhu Junyang outlined his proposal to her, Yu Xiaocao grinned widely. Her pair ofrge, pure eyes shone like the stars and they curved up in joy in the shape of the crescent moon. Her glowing little face seemed to beam with happiness. At this moment, the young maiden seemed to be imbued with a halo of light that struck a person¡¯s heart. If it weren¡¯t for that maidservant named Wutong by her side, ring like a fearsome tiger, Zhu Junyang would have long pulled the littless into his arms and kissed her silly.


    Yu Xiaocao had no clue that the man next to her was already getting wolfish thoughts, stalking her closely. Her heart was very clear. The mountain range that Zhu Junyang was talking about was likely called the Stanovoy Range in the future. It was a famous mountain range and, in this time period, hadn¡¯t been damaged by people. Thus, there were likely a lot of animals and rare nts to be found there.


    The northeast¡¯s ginseng was quite well-known. If she was lucky and came across some wild ginseng, she could use it with some mystic-stone water and create some medicinal wine and cuisine that could elongate a person¡¯s life! Didn¡¯t her maidservant Yangliu want to open a restaurant that was even more famous than Zhenxiu Restaurant? They could take an alternate route and open a restaurant that only made medicinal cuisine to nourish a person¡¯s body.


    The first floor could be the consulting area. They could hire a few famous doctors to take people¡¯s pulses and then, after observing every guests¡¯ constitution and body condition, rmend some medicinal wines and cuisines. The teas they served to the guests would all be nourishing teas and the wines would all be nourishing medicinal wines. The medicinal food served there would all have the ability to nourish the body. What were the rich most afraid of? Naturally it was to die before they spent their money! There were so many rich merchants, high-ranking officials, noble families, and descendants of the imperial family in the capital. Thus, she didn¡¯t have to worry about this new business of hers bing popr or not!


    Zhu Junyang waved his long-fingered hands in front of Yu Xiaocao a few times. She didn¡¯t blink a single time and there was a dreamy smile on her face. She looked like she had suddenly seen a massive mountain of gold in front of her and he thought she looked quite amusing. Just what was the littless daydreaming about again? Did his proposal prompt another money-making idea in that brain of hers?


    The littless always came up with more and more ideas to make money. Now, her family was among the wealthy in the capital. How many years had it been since she got there? If a few more years went by, would she be the richest woman in the capital? By the time he was able to marry her, would other people start suspecting him for going after her immense wealth? After they got married, would his colleagues start to think that he was an idle pretty boy who lived off of his rich wife¡¯s money?


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but rub his face at this moment. Argh! He spent a lot of time in the military camps, drilling and doing exercises like all of the other soldiers and officers in the regiment. After a month outside, everyone else had already tanned into a manly and healthy bronze color. His skin, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t seemed to have much change at all. In a group of brawny, tan fellows, he looked even more conspicuous. With that added onto the face he had inherited from his mother, didn¡¯t he really resemble a pretty boy now?


    ¡°Stop touching your face! You¡¯re the most beautiful in this entire world, okay ah?!¡± Yu Xiaocao finally exited her blissful daydream and saw that fellow, who was as pretty as a peac.o.c.k, touching his handsome face in a narcissistic manner. She tteringlyplimented him. However, all she got in return was that pair of alluring phoenix eyes ring at her.


    She hadplimented him for being beautiful but he wasn¡¯t the least bit grateful! If someone else hadplimented her in that manner, she, an old maiden, would be incredibly happy that she¡¯d forget what direction north pointed! Yu Xiaocao silently cursed him. Suddenly, she inquired, ¡°When we¡¯re gathering medicinal herbs and hunting, will Sir Sue with us ah?¡±


    ¡°Sir Su, Sir Su! Just who is he to you to make you always think of him ah?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s jealousy immediately exploded. He had had enough recently! As long as Chief Steward Su was around, thatss¡¯s eyes would always give off glowing sparks whenever she saw him. The gleeful look in her eyes was even more bright and dazzling than when she was counting money. He couldn¡¯t help but sourly think from time to time that if Chief Steward Su wasn¡¯t an eunuch with that type of awkward status, would she also fall in love with him at first sight? And treat him lovingly and wholeheartedly?


    Yu Xiaocao was not willing to admit that she found Chief Steward Su¡¯s elegant beauty to be charming, so she came up with a different exnation, ¡°Sir Su is the envoy sent by the emperor himself and represents imperial power! We naturally must honor and respect him. If we go out on a tour, isn¡¯t it polite to ask him if he wants to go? Aren¡¯t I right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You make it sound like you have some lofty ideal! Do you think this prince doesn¡¯t know that the thing you like about Chief Steward Su the most is his looks?!¡± The jealousy within him didn¡¯t abate at all. He grumbled sourly, ¡°Lass, when you were young and tiny, you used to salivate over me all the time. Furthermore, the first time you saw Chief Steward Su, you wished you could stick your eyeballs onto him! Do you have any womanly reserve in you?¡±


    ¡°How am I not reserved ah? Everyone loves beauty and that¡¯s a fact! Me showing my appreciation off in a calm manner is much better than those fake fairies who surreptitiously look at others!¡± Yu Xiaocao was upset by his words. He made it sound like she was woefully smitten!


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t get any constion from thess and instead got pushed back by her confidently instead. Even more jealousy bubbled up within him as he clucked his tongue and eximed, ¡°Then tell me! Let¡¯s pretend our status and positions are the same. If this prince and Chief Steward Su stood in front of you now and you could only pick one person to admire, who would you pick?¡±


    ¡°Obviously I¡¯d pick¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao almost blurted her answer out, but when she saw that bewitching handsome man in front of her pretend to act as if he was unperturbed but actually was very interested in her answer, she deliberately elongated her answer. She watched as he listened so intently that his muscles almost bulged out.


    She sniggered and didn¡¯t give the answer that he was hoping for, ¡°Obviously I¡¯d pick¡ª¡ªthe most handsome one out of you two!¡±


    ¡°So shallow!!¡± This was the first time Zhu Junyang had lost confidence in his own looks. He coldly huffed and then continued to ask, ¡°Then tell me, between this prince and Chief Steward Su, which one is more your type?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking a girl so directly. It¡¯s so embarrassing!¡± Yu Xiaocao covered up her delicate little face and pretended to be bashful.


    Zhu Junyang naturally knew that she wasn¡¯t someone who would get embarrassed over something like this. He grabbed onto her shoulder and asked in a serious and somewhat anxious manner, ¡°Stop fooling around, quickly tell me! Who¡¯s more good looking?!¡±


    ¡°Alright ah, alright! Didn¡¯t I say it earlier? You¡¯re the most beautiful in this entire world, alright ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s way of saying this made Zhu Junyang feel quite dissatisfied.


    He was just about to say something when he heard a gentle and full of doubt voice behind him, ¡°Cao¡¯er, who did you say is the most beautiful?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nted her body to the side to look past Zhu Junyang. When she saw the person behind him, her eyes immediately sparkled like a bunch of small stars and the expression on her face became more lively, ¡°Sir Su, earlier, Royal Prince Yang was very jealous of your elegant and graceful demeanor, which resembles an immortal from a fairy tale. He simply forced me to answer the question of who I found more good-looking between the two of you!¡±

 Chapter 582 – Saccharine Sweetness

    <h4>Chapter 582 - Sharine Sweetness</h4>


    Su Ran had long felt the faint aura of animosity Royal Prince Yang had towards him in the past few days. In addition, the prince was bing more distant. At first, he was quite puzzled by this change. Later on, after some careful observations, he discovered that whenever thatss Xiaocao treated him warmly, the prince¡¯s hostility towards him would increase. Only then did he realize that Royal Prince Yang was feeling the bite of jealousy!


    Argh! He was pretty sure that, in the whole Great Ming Empire, only Royal Prince Yang would actually consider an already damaged person to be an invisible rival for his sweetheart¡¯s affections. When he got back, if he told this to the emperor, Su Ran was pretty sure the other man wouldugh until he cried.


    A faint smile appeared on Su Ran¡¯s face. This slight smile made his face seem even more elegant and ethereal. He was the perfect image of a pure and lofty gentleman. So handsome, so elegant! He was even more like an immortal than those actors who yed the main characters in the <i>xianxia [1] </i> dramas. Yu Xiaocao felt like she was truly a bit smitten by his appearance and demeanor!


    ¡°Oh! Then, who do you think is more good looking between the two of us ah?¡± Su Ran¡¯s tone had a hint of enticing temptation in it and Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression immediately became cold. The prince opened his mouth to stop the littless from replying.


    Unfortunately, Xiaocao had reacted even faster than he had expected. She almost immediately blurted out, ¡°Sir, you and he are both incredibly good looking in your own ways! Each of you have your own styles and both styles have their merits!¡±


    It was important to realize that Chief Steward Su hated peoplementing on how good looking he was the most. Apparently, during his youth, he had a few bad experiences all rted to his stunning good looks. His handsome appearance had induced a few people to scheme against him for unsavory reasons. In fact, even after he had been rescued and sent into the ranks of the hidden guards, he still had some shadows from those previous experiences.


    It was said that when he first entered the pce service, he had caught the eye of a particr member of the imperial family. That person wanted to ask the emperor emeritus to give Su Ran to him as a favored human pet, but Su Ran vehemently refused to go. This caused that member of the imperial family to have a hateful grudge against him, and that member ended up bribing some of the stewards in the family to harm and kill Su Ran. Fortunately, he had been saved by the current emperor when he was still the heir of Imperial Prince Duan. After that, Su Ran had slowly climbed to the position where he was today.


    Not long after the current emperor ascended the throne, Su Ran became the head of the hidden guards and was in charge of the internal affairs of the pce. He had helped the emperor from behind the scenes to handle many disloyal people. As for that particr member of the imperial family, after Su Ran became powerful, he suddenly had a serious illness that caused pus filled sores to grow all over his body. In addition, these ulcers stank to the high heavens. Even the imperial physicians from the pce found themselves unable to figure out where he had gotten this condition from. After lying in bed, struggling to hang onto his life for half a year, he died just like that!


    Some people imed that the pus filled sores that the member from the imperial n had gotten were rted to Chief Steward Su Ran. He had chosen that horrible method to take revenge for his previous insult and dishonor. In addition, other people who hadmented or gossiped about Su Ran¡¯s looks all ended up having bad oues, such as breaking an arm or a leg during some ident. Thus, all of the hedonistic nobles in the capital soon learned to change the subject as soon as someone mentioned Su Ran and refused to say a peep about him.


    If anyone else, especially a man, had franklyplimented Su Ran on his looks in the way the littless did, it was likely that person would already be on the ground and unable to get up again. The injuries inflicted on that person would take at least ten days to half a month before they would heal enough for the person no longer to be bedridden.


    However, this time, Chief Steward Su seemed quite pleased by her words and even began to joke with the chilly looking Royal Prince Yang, ¡°It is my honor to bepared to the capital¡¯s most famous handsome man who also has an equally bad reputation, Royal Prince Yang!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both on the same level, ok?!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s alluring phoenix eyes met Su Ran¡¯s pair of elegant and clear looking eyes. It was clear that there was apetition going on. In terms of reputation, both of them were considered to be cmitous stars in the capital and were on other people¡¯s ¡®do not offend¡¯ lists.


    However, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s bad reputation was mostly on the surface. Since he had highly-skilled bodyguards and Head Steward Liu at his side, when he lost control of himself in the past, at most, he would beat the offender until he was half dead. He had never actually taken an innocent life. Chief Steward Su Ran, on the other hand, acted entirely on his mood at the time. If he thought someone was an eyesore, then he was always able to find a way to torment a person to death without leaving any clues behind. After all, his title as the head of the hidden guards wasn¡¯t just for show. Consequently, the people in the capital were much more wary of him. In terms of bad reputation, his was much more warranted than Royal Prince Yang¡¯s!


    ¡°However, I thought I heard someone earlier mention that you were nning on going into the mountains to gather herbs and hunt game? I¡¯m quite interested in this, Cao¡¯er. Do I have the honor toe along as well?¡± Su Ran wasn¡¯t too noble to have some petty moments. He obviously knew that Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t want him toe along, so he insisted on following along. The more he could make the other man unhappy, the happier he became.


    ¡°Of course! I was just about to ask you earlier to see if you wanted toe or not!¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately pretended not to see the rivalry that had appeared between the two men and giddily promised. She was incredibly happy to allow his request.


    Su Ran felt incredibly satisfied within his heart when he saw the dark expression on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s face! He smiled even more brightly and said, ¡°Then we are in agreement! As soon as you decide to head out, just send someone to let me know. I¡¯m going to go visit that little fellow ck Whirlwind. It should be at the front courtyard begging for food right now!¡±


    Zhu Junyang felt like there was a zing fire within his heart and the heat from his anger was about to ignite his temper. However, when he looked at hisss, who had a face full of innocence, he couldn¡¯t bear to let out his temper to her.


    Yu Xiaocao felt that it was simultaneously amusing and a bit pitiful at the same time when she saw steaming out of his ears. She thought it was a bit pathetic that this outwardly handsome and elegant man had actually been run around in circles by her because of his inexperience with emotions. She needed to soothe him down quickly, so she stepped forward and batted her eyes in a bashful and timid manner. She nced at his stunningly handsome face and said in a sharine tone, ¡°Little Junjun, Jun Yangyang~~~don¡¯t be angry ah~~¡±


    ¡°Speak like a normal person!¡± Zhu Junyang had no temper left after hearing her ridiculous words. Little Junjun, Jun Yangyang, just what were these nonsense names?! However, bubbles of happiness immediately began to surface within his heart.


    ¡°Jun Yangyang~the person who I really really like the most is still you, my handsome Little Yangyang~~¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice was so sweet that it was almost at the limit. At this point, that outwardly cold but inwardly passionate handsome man in front of her had his ears turn bright red from her antics. Wutong, as her personal maidservant, also felt goosebumps rise throughout her body after listening to her master¡¯s corny statements. She couldn¡¯t help but rub her arms after hearing all of this.


    Zhu Junyang no longer cared about the irksome third wheel¡ª¡ªWutong, and put his arms around the littless¡¯s slim and tender waist. He pulled her against his body and lowered his head to gaze deeply into her eyes as he questioned in an uncertain manner, ¡°Is that true? Is this prince truly the person you like the most?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao decided that, based on this handsome man¡¯s recent actions, she could give him a taste of sweetness. After all, this fellow would definitely show up at her residence to propose marriage at the end of the year. Right now, they were basically considered engaged at this point. She reached her hands up to hug his neck and her little face became a bit flushed. She nced at Wutong and saw that her maid seemed to have turned away in embarrassment before she hurriedly stood up at her tiptoes and gave her handsome man a quick kiss on his warm lips.


    In actuality, Wutong had been paying attention to her master this entire time! Before they left, Lady Fang had warned her many times to make sure she kept an eye on the young miss and to absolutely not allow a particr big wolf to take advantage of her.


    After being with her master for such a long time, she had long found out that Royal Prince Yang was only a paper tiger. As long as she worked hard for her mistress, even if Royal Prince Yang found her irksome, he wouldn¡¯t do anything against her for the sake of her mistress. Therefore, Wutong¡¯s courage had continued to grow. She frequently interrupted Royal Prince Yang¡¯s attempts to hold her young miss¡¯s hand or hug her in a stern manner. In fact, she often seriously repeated the words that Lady Fang had told her and, for the vast majority of the time, was sessful in stopping him.


    However, this time, Zhu Junyang had swiftly hugged her master before she could even react. Wutong had just taken a step and was about to say some words to stop them but her own young miss had moved to ruin her attempt.


    Lady Fang had only stated that she needed to protect her mistress against Royal Prince Yang and never mentioned what she should do if her own mistress made the first move. Should she pretend that she didn¡¯t see anything or be the annoying person butting in between the two lovers? Fortunately, she remembered who she was serving and turned her head around to pretend she didn¡¯t see anything. However, she was also worried about her master being taken advantage of, so she continued to watch the two of them out of the corner of her eye. Who would have thought that the one taking advantage of the other person would be her very own mistress!


    Wutong¡¯s delicately pale face suddenly became dyed red and it was so crimson that it looked like it would start burning at any time. However, she wasn¡¯t too frightened in her heart. Ever since she had apanied her master, she had encountered so many frightening things. She was already used to this!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s lightning fast kiss stunned Zhu Junyang for a second and he missed the best opportunity to ¡®strike back¡¯. He wasn¡¯t satisfied with a paltry peck alone and wanted to kiss her again in a much more passionate manner. However, the littless had nimbly dodged his attempt.


    After forcefully pushing away his rock hard chest, Yu Xiaocao leveled a re at him and then turned to address Wutong with a pout on her lips, ¡°Why are you just standing here? Are you waiting for something? Let¡¯s go ah! Time to pack our bags for the trip into the mountains!¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t think he could hate Wutong more than right now. This maidservant had interrupted him too many times. Loyalty was one thing but this loyal maid always managed to pop up whenever he wanted to get somewhat intimate with his littless and wave her authority around to make him stop. He stared at her with an icy-cold re. If this look of his had substance, Wutong would have long been pierced and heavily injured by it.


    Even though it was just a re, Wutong couldn¡¯t help but shiver a bit. When she saw her master turn around to go back to her rooms, she hurriedly trotted after her. She didn¡¯t dare to be alone around Royal Prince Yang at this moment because she couldn¡¯t guarantee that the youth wouldn¡¯t restrain himself and end up strangling her to death! As for the person in question, Zhu Junyang truly had the urge to do so!


    The next day, the three of them traveled off with their lightly packed bags and a small escort. Other than the three, they also brought along the full of energy Hou Xiang and Xiaocao¡¯s two maidservants, Chunhua and Qiushi. They rode their horses towards the east in the direction of ¡®Jinalin¡¯. Wutong, who had no strength or martial arts, had been firmly ordered behind by Zhu Junyang. He pompously stated that she would only cause them to slow down and bring no benefit to their group.


    Wutong also knew that Royal Prince Yang truly found her incredibly annoying and could only inwardly seethe at the indignity as she didn¡¯t dare to voice herints. However, she needed to protect her master¡¯s reputation to the very end. The two maids, Chunhua and Qiushi, had all been given to her master by the prince, so they couldn¡¯t be counted on. Hou Xiaoliang was Royal Prince Yang¡¯sckey, so he naturally was unreliable in this aspect. The only person she could throw her hopes on was Chief Steward Su.


    Although Chief Steward Su had a stunningly handsome face and a seemingly warm and gentle demeanor, Wutong still felt the hairs on her body rise whenever she was alone around him despite hisck of an actual temper. Her intuition told her that he was even more scary than Royal Prince Yang.


    [1] <i>xianxia </i>- a genre of Chinese fantasy influenced by Chinese mythology, Taoism, Buddhism, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, and other traditional Chinese elements <i></i>

 Chapter 583 – To Perform One’s Duty

    <h4>Chapter 583 ¨C To Perform One¡¯s Duty</h4>


    However, for the sake of her master, she suppressed the fear in her heart and quietly approached Chief Steward Su. She quickly stammered out her purpose foring to him. Wutong originally believed that it would take more pleading for her to convince him, but Chief Steward Su agreed immediately to her request after she finished speaking.


    There was actually a mini version of Su Ran in his heart. The mini version of him had his hands on his hips while smirking evilly, ¡®Blocking Royal Prince Yang is something I¡¯d love to do. It makes me happy and delighted to do so!¡¯


    ¡°Rest assured, Miss Wutong.¡± The smile on Su Ran¡¯s handsome face softened as he said, ¡°I will take care of your master and prevent Royal Prince Yang from approaching her.¡±


    Chief Steward Su smiled very gently at her, but Wutong could see through his facade. He was like a restless demon that was grinning evilly at her. Although his handsome face looked elegant and refined, his smile made people shiver on the spot...Wutong¡¯s heart trembled in fear. She was more terrified of him right now than the time when Royal Prince Yang went crazy.


    Along their journey, Su Ran guarded Xiaocao ¡®responsibly and diligently¡¯. He and Zhu Junyang stood on either side of the young girl to protect her, making sure that they were never more than five steps away from her. Su Ran had gone beyond the borders before on his missions, so he had a good understanding of the local conditions, customs, and folklore. Su Ran made many wittyments along the journey, so Yu Xiaocao¡¯s attention was always on him. Whenever he saw Royal Prince Yang¡¯s jealous gaze directed at him, Su Ran felt as if he had drunk a freezing cold beverage in the hottest periods of summer. It was an extremely refreshing feeling.


    Zhu Junyang had long wanted to pull the obnoxious Chief Steward Su to the side and ¡®learn from each other¡¯. Even though he may not be as skilled as his opponent, he still wanted to spar with him and vent out his frustrations. Chief Steward Su was definitely doing this on purpose!! Every time he wanted to introduce the scenery, customs, or even an interesting story to his littless, that guy would always intercept his conversation.


    Zhu Junyang never realized that Chief Steward Su was such an eloquent speaker until now. Unlike other damned pce eunuchs who had ear-piercing voices, Su Ran had a gentle voice. His voice was as gentle and pleasant to the ear as a spring breeze. Zhu Junyang knew that, in addition to being attracted to a handsome appearance, the littless also liked people who had a beautiful and pleasant voice. Normally, his littless would fall into a trance due to his deep and graceful voice. He was quite happy about that.


    However, it was apletely different matter when she fell into a trance from other people¡¯s voices. Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart was stinging painfully; it was like his heart had been scratched by the sharp ws of a dozen vicious cats. The most important point was that Su Ran¡¯s storytelling ability far surpassed his. The back of the littless¡¯s head was facing him as she listened with interest to Chief Steward Su¡¯s legend about ¡°Jin A¡¯Lin¡±.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er, I also know this story. I can tell it to you...¡± Zhu Junyang continued to persist as he tried to draw the littless¡¯s attention back to himself. He had been given the cold shoulder the entire time.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t even turn her head around and said, ¡°The stories you tell are dry and uninteresting! Sir Su¡¯s story is fascinating and he¡¯s a great storyteller. Only a fool would listen to your stories! When you return, you should properly read more books and study hard. Be obedient~¡±


    Zhu Junyang deted once again. By now, he was extremely depressed, but he had no other strategy left to try. Suddenly, an idea hit him, and he interrupted their ¡®storytelling session¡¯ and said, ¡°Cao¡¯er, didn¡¯t you want to see my skills? I didn¡¯t have an opponent that could match me before, so I couldn¡¯t show you. But now, we have Chief Steward Su here. Why don¡¯t I spar with him and show you who the real expert is?¡±


    He originally thought that the littless¡¯s eyes would brighten and readily agree to his proposal, but she didn¡¯t react as he expected. Xiaocao looked back and forth between Chief Steward Su and Su Ran. Then, with a frown on her face, she slowly shook her head and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t! I don¡¯t want to see the two of you with a bloody nose and a swollen face walking around me after the fight. I like this pleasing and delightful view right now!¡±


    Su Ran smothered the chuckle that almost escaped from him. He looked up at Zhu Junyang and gave him a provocative nce: ¡®Luckily, you managed to escape a cmity. If you challenge my patience again, then I will make sure to beat up your face until it looks like an ugly pig and humiliate you in front of the little girl.¡¯


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s temper almost exploded by the provocative nce that Su Ran gave him. However, his sanity was soon restored when his gaze met the littless¡¯s clean and pure gaze. Had his opponent been anyone else, then he was sure to beat them until they fell onto the ground without being injured himself. However, in front of Chief Steward Su, he only had 20% chance of winning in his violent state. If he fought Su Ran right now, he would only be abused and beaten. s! He couldn¡¯t beat him in either material arts or literature. Did he really have nothing that couldpete against Chief Steward Su?


    On a certain evening, while they were spending the night in a grove, Zhu Junyang set up a tent and a thick sheepskin mattress for his littless with the help from his imperial bodyguard, Hou Xiaoliang. After that, he tugged the littless around the temporary ¡®hotel¡¯ he built for her. Then, he secretly asked her, ¡°Do you have any powerful sleeping drugs? I need it urgently!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was quick-witted and immediately frowned at his request. She looked at him disapprovingly and said in a reproaching tone, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re nning on using the drugs on Sir Su? I¡¯ve always thought you were an upright and honorable man. I didn¡¯t expect you to actually use such underhanded means! I¡¯m thoroughly disappointed in you! Sir Su is a humorous, charming, and easy-going person. Why must you always cause trouble for him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s humorous, charming, and easy-going! In contrast, I¡¯m dumb, boring, weird, and wretched! Why don¡¯t you ask yourself why I always cause trouble for him? If you treated me better and paid more attention to me than him, then why would I trouble myself to cause him trouble?!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s lowered voice was brimming with rage and grievances.


    Yu Xiaocao found the situation to be quite funny, but she still felt sorry for him. She cupped Zhu Junyang¡¯s beautiful face that was brimming with anger with her hands. She sighed softly and said, ¡°Why are you so insecure? Think about it, you are Royal Prince Yang, a proud son of heaven, with a royal background and high status. You are also highly valued by the emperor! You are tall in stature with an appearance that can even rival the celestials in heaven! In contrast, I am just a small girl from a farming vige. I just know some money-making methods. My appearance is not extraordinarily beautiful, and I have an odd character and a weird temperament...in other people¡¯s eyes, I¡¯m the one who climbed up the socialdder. I should be the one clinging onto you! So, how did you be the one who started bing worried about losing me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because...I care about you. I care more about you than you care about me! You¡¯re a littless with no conscience!¡± Zhu Junyang gnashed his teeth as he said, ¡°I have been waiting for you for years, but have you ever promised me anything? Have you ever given me a precise answer to my feelings? You always act so ambiguous around me. Tell me, are you just treating me like a dog that you can y around with any time?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re stupid!¡± Since there was no one else nearby, Yu Xiaocao was unrestrained with her words, ¡°Do I act like a loose girl in your eyes? If I didn¡¯t acknowledge your feelings for me, would I have let you touch my hand from time to time? Would I have let you hug me and kiss me when other people aren¡¯t looking? If you dare to say no, then this youngdy here will clear your scores and give you all zeros during my observation period! I will set up a household headed by a female in the future and live alone for the rest of my life!!¡±


    When he heard the anger in Xiaocao¡¯s words, Zhu Junyang immediately softened his approach. He smiled and carefully said, ¡°Fine! It¡¯s all my fault for being too stupid. I failed to interpret your actions, so I should apologize to you. Please don¡¯t be angry! You know that I¡¯m rtively slow in this respect. If you had told me this earlier, then my mind would¡¯ve been put to ease and I wouldn¡¯t have carelessly be jealous. Furthermore, you were acting very friendly towards Chief Steward Supared to me before. As a man, it¡¯s natural for me to feel uneasy and it¡¯s impossible for me to control it.¡±


    ¡°I called you stupid as a joke, but it turns out that you really are stupid! Don¡¯t you know that the closer two people are, the more casual their interactions be? For example, I act cute and tter the emperor emeritus, the emperor, and the empress from time to time. They are our superiors, so we need to coax and amuse them to appease them! Sir Su is a special correspondent sent by our superiors to apany us on the mission. Should I follow your example and give him the cold shoulder too? When I first met Sir Su, I felt that we got along quite well. The way I treat him is no different from the way I treat my elders and nothing more!¡±


    Zhu Junyang muttered softly, ¡°Chief Steward Su is only a few years older than me. He¡¯s at most in his early thirties, and he has a youthful appearance. How would I have known that you treat him like an elder?¡±


    However, he recalled that Xiaocao was only eleven to twelve years old when she first met Chief Steward Su, who was twenty-seven to twenty-eight years old. In the past, wasn¡¯t itmon for people at the eunuch¡¯s age in rural viges to have children around Xiaocao¡¯s age? His face blushed with shame at those thoughts.


    ¡°Okay! Now that we¡¯ve cleared things up, you won¡¯t act uncourteous towards Sir Su again in the future, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao squeezed his wless cheek. Oh, his cheeks felt nice to touch!


    This bold littless! Except for the time when he was still an infant, who would¡¯ve ever dared to squeeze his face like this? Her soft and supple small hands cupped his cheeks, warming them up. The little girl¡¯s almond-shaped eyes sparkled when she pinched his cheeks. In addition to their ambiguous position, the two people were alone in the tent¡ª¡ªcausing Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes to darken.


    ¡°If you kiss me, I will listen to everything you say in the future!¡± Zhu Junyang puckered his lips at Xiaocao. His puckered lips looked like a chicken¡¯s butt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to! I have just deducted ten points from your observation period record book. I have extended the observation period, so all intimate actions will be prohibited in the future! That includes holding hands!¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed away his handsome face that was inching towards her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that! I have already reflected on my actions and corrected it in time. The ancient ones said: If you realize your mistakes, then you can correct them. There is nothing better than acknowledging and changing after realizing your mistakes! Give me a chance to change!¡± There was a small hand that covered his face and pushed him back. But he continued to push forward, and as a result, his handsome facial features were squished together into a deformed appearance. It was ugly to the extreme!


    ¡°Young Lady Yun said: You should be punished if you make a mistake. You can¡¯t haggle over your punishment! Step aside! Do you think you can do whatever you please because Wutong is not here?¡± Yu Xiaocao was strict.


    Zhu Junyang blinked his charming phoenix eyes at her incessantly and even looked at her flirtatiously. He looked at her affectionately and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take advantage of her absence and kiss me. Just once would be enough for me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao acted like she was not someone that could be seduced by beauty and said, ¡°We absolutely cannot do that! Who are you to me? How can I allow you to kiss and do as you please with me?¡±


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 584 – National Treasure

    <h4>Chapter 584 ¨C National Treasure</h4>


    ¡°After the New Year passes, I will send someone to your family to propose marriage. After that, you will be my special someone. But before that, why don¡¯t you let me have a small taste of you?¡± Zhu Junyang pestered her shamelessly. He only had one goal¡ª¡ªto get close with her.


    ¡°Do you think I will agree to your proposal just because you asked? You have yet to pass your observation period and your observation period has been extended. As for how long it will be extended, it will all depend on my mood!¡± Yu Xiaocao refused to yield even an inch to him and nned on properly teaching this guy a lesson!


    Zhu Junyang pondered for a moment and then put on an act like he was an abandoned and heartbroken puppy. When Xiaocao let her guard down, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her delicate, soft, and slim body, confining her two arms on the left and right side of her body. He smiled slyly at his sess and said, ¡°I¡¯ve caught you! Give me a kiss, just one kiss!¡± He leaned his face towards her as he spoke.


    ¡°Ahem! Cough cough!¡± An untimely voice suddenly flowed towards them at the door of the tent. The darkness in the tent gradually faded as the bright light poured in from the door of the open tent.


    Zhu Junyang reluctantly released the fuming little girl in his embrace. He clenched his teeth as he turned to stare at the familiar figure standing by the door of the tent. He wished he could tear that person into pieces. He gnashed his teeth and asked, ¡°May I ask why Chief Steward Su is here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing really, I just wanted to check on Xiaocao since she hasn¡¯te out from the tent for a while!¡± Su Ran raised his eyebrows at him provocatively, but, when he turned to face Xiaocao, there was only a gentle smile on his face, ¡°Xiaocao, I have hunted a male deer just now. The quality of the antler is quite good, so I came here to ask you if you want it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want it!¡± Yu Xiaocao took this opportunity to kick Zhu Junyang¡¯s lower waist, climbed out of the tent, and walked up to therge sika deer. She instructed Hou Xiaoliang to help her cut off the sika deer¡¯s antlers. She also put the deer penis and deer blood inside her luggage. These medicinal ingredients are very effective when used to treat certain symptoms of andrology. Once she made it into medicine, she was certain that its stocks would sell smoothly in the capital.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but frown when he saw how enthusiastic she was while she instructed people to tidy up the deer: Was the littless suspicious of his capabilities in bed? Was she preparing ahead of time for their future happiness? He didn¡¯t need it at all, okay? His physical strength and energy were extremely good, okay? If she didn¡¯t believe him...then she could try him out?


    Zhu Junyang had just coaxed the littless, so he didn¡¯t dare to stroke the tiger¡¯s whiskers by voicing his thoughts out loud. He was parched after eating roasted venison, but he could only lean pitifully against the tree and watch the small tent from afar. The quiet breathing sound from the small tent made him unable to sleep all night.


    Su Ran was resting on one of the thick branches on the tree not far from him. He would nce at him mockingly from time to time. Zhu Junyang had nowhere to vent his anger, and now all the bottled-up anger throughout the day exploded. He dragged Chief Steward Su to a distant ce from their camp and fought three hundred rounds with him. Cough. Cough. It was purely a spar topare their martial arts; it was not what you were thinking!


    Xiaocao was awakened by the birds¡¯ chirping the next day. She was feeling quite refreshed when she walked out of her tent, but she was immediately started by the ¡®giant panda¡¯ above her. If she remembered correctly, they were currently in Northeast China, not Sichuan. Why was the country¡¯s national treasure here? But upon closer inspection of the ¡®giant panda¡¯, she realized that it was merely Zhu Junyang who was in a bad mood. Each of Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes was beaten up, donning matching symmetrical bruises.


    ¡°Oh my! What happened? Did you develop those dark circles under your eyes because you didn¡¯t sleep wellst night?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but tease him.


    Zhu Junyang narrowed his swollen phoenix eyes at her and handed her the toiletries in his hand. He gently tapped her head a few times and said with his silver tongue, ¡°I ate too much venisonst night, so I was parched. Last night, I kept tossing and turning while I tried to sleep because I was thinking of you all night. As a result, I became like this! You are the main culprit!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao burst outughing, and her crispughter startled the birds that were perched on the nearby trees. She went into her bag and took out a small bottle that smelled of medicinal herbs. She opened the lid and scooped out a green gtin textured ointment and helped him apply it around his eyes.


    A cool and refreshing feeling quickly spread around his swollen eyes. After the littless finished, Zhu Junyang could already feel that most of the swelling and pain around his eyes had faded away. He was certain that it was not an illusion.


    ¡°Your ointment is very effective; I will be taking it.¡± Zhu Junyang shamelessly took the small porcin bottle from and raised his eyebrows somewhat proudly at the white silhouette in the distance.


    Yu Xiaocao applied some mint-vored tooth powder on her toothbrush and carefully brushed her small teeth. This tooth powder was a product that had recently beenunched by ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. It was much more effective than the green salt that nobledies usually used to brush their teeth. Not only did it taste sweet, but it also helped whiten the teeth. The mint fragrance that remained in the mouth after someone finished brushing their teeth kept their breath fresh and clean all day long!


    Soon after this product wasunched, the upper-ssdies and nobles rushed to her shop like ducks for this product. Even the menfolk in their family would secretly use their tooth powder to brush their teeth. As a result, thedies would often notice that they were running out of the tooth powder when they were brushing their teeth.


    Without any other choice, the nobledies would buy a box for everyone else in the family the next time they visited Xiaocao¡¯s shop. Even the young children of the houses received them. The young children used the sweet fruit-vored tooth powders instead of the mint-vored ones. There were a total of five different vors, all of which were deeply loved by children.


    On this journey, Xiaocao had brought seven to eight cases of tooth powder, and it was enough tost more than half a year. However, on the way here, Zhu Junyang and Sir Su each robbed a case from her. If they stayed in this horse farm for a year, there wouldn¡¯t be enough tooth powder for the three of them!


    She used warm water to wash her face, then she applied some moisturizing skincare on her skin. Xiaocao was acting a little narcissistic as she touched her tender and bouncy skin. Compared to the youngdies in the capital, Xiaocao¡¯s appearance was only average, but the condition of her skin was unrivaled. The youngdies that she frequently yed with all envied her skin. They said that her skin looked so moist that water could probably be squeezed out of her skin!


    She recalled the time when she first transmigrated here. Her whole family had yellow and dry skin, like a bunch of starving refugees. Even though her family members¡¯ skin could not bepared to hers, their skin was still rosy, healthy, and moist now. The daily maintenance of one¡¯s skin was very important.


    ¡°Littless, do you have any skincare products that are suitable for me?¡± When he saw how his littless¡¯s skin was almost transparent under the morning sun, a sense of crisis abruptly arose in Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart. He touched his face. Although his face was not rough, it was far inferiorpared to the littless¡¯s skin. He was already seven to eight years older than Xiaocao. If he didn¡¯t take good care of his skin, would he be mistaken as the littless¡¯s father if they went out together in the future?


    Yu Xiaocao was calmly drinking the fragrant and sweet glutinous rice congee and chewing marinated cucumbers. But when she heard his question, she almost choked on her breakfast. She forced herself to swallow the congee in her mouth and looked at him like she had just seen a ghost, ¡°Jun Yangyang, are you being possessed by a lonely spirit from the wild? I gave you a set of men¡¯s skincare products, but you bestowed it to one of your subordinates because you said skincare products were products for women. So, why did you suddenly ask me about men¡¯s skincare? What made you upset to the point that you asked this question?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m upset by you!¡± Zhu Junyang gnawed on a bite of dried meat and chewed it vigorously, ¡°I only have this handsome face that can attract you. If I be ugly one day, wouldn¡¯t you abandon me? Stop talking nonsense and just tell me whether there is any!¡±


    ¡°Jun Yangyang, you¡¯re being too modest!¡± Yu Xiaocao examined his face carefully for a while before she said, ¡°To tell you the truth, your skin is in pretty good shape. But because you often stay outdoors, your skincks moisture. I have a bottle of immortal water. You just need to apply ayer of it on your skin after you wash your face every day. I promised you that you will look magnificent and dominate all other men in terms of appearance in three days!¡±


    ¡°Get lost! Why would I want to dominate a group of men? If I want to dominate, then I will dominate a group of women!!¡± Zhu Junyang rolled his eyes at her.


    Yu Xiaocao took out a small porcin bottle and looked at him with a smile yet not a smile. She made sure to emphasize every word as she spoke, ¡°Oh? Royal Prince Yang has such a big appetite for wanting to dominate a ¡®group¡¯ of women! Humph, what a womanizer!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly rified his mistake and said, ¡°Don¡¯t nitpick at my words. I merely followed after what you had just said. Littless, I haven¡¯t even settled your score yet for teasing me and you¡¯re already trying to counter-attack with my words.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao cutely stuck out her tongue at him and grabbed the dried piece of meat from his hand. She took arge bite of the dried meat and chewed. Zhu Junyang took the small porcin bottle from her and uncorked it. A calming fragrance emerged from the porcin bottle. It was the same scent that Xiaocao exuded all year round, could it be...


    ¡°Does this have something to do with that stupid stone?¡± Zhu Junyang saw that Su Ran was standing quite far from them, so he leaned towards Xiaocao¡¯s ears and whispered the question in her ear, making sure that only she could hear him.


    [You¡¯re a stupid stone!] A golden ray of light shot out from Xiaocao¡¯s wrist. Along with the divine stone¡¯s words, Zhu Junyang¡¯s body suddenly became numb all over and for a moment, he lost all ability to control his body. If he had met a martial arts expert, this moment of inability would have cost him his life.


    [This divine stone was created in the ancient time and trusted by Goddess Nuwa. You are a mere mortal, yet you dare to act so disrespectfully towards this divine stone. This divine stone will allow you to reflect over your mistakes, so don¡¯t repeat this mistake again next time, or else I will not forgive you as easily as this time!]


    The golden light materialized into a palm-sized golden cat. It walked up to him proudly and took thest piece of dried meat from his hand and rewarded it to Little ck who was drooling by the side!


    Since they were hunting deep in the mountains, how could she not bring Little ck and Little White? They were able to single-handedly fight a tiger and together, the two of them can even fight against ck bears!


    Su Ran walked towards them with a bowl of rice. He was a true southerner because he liked rice more than pancakes, steamed buns, and steamed stuffed buns. The rice they brought along was Japonica rice. It was thin, slightly green, translucent, and had a captivating aroma. A person could still eat a full bowl of this rice even without side dishes like vegetables and meat.


    This type of rice was known as Green Essence Rice in ancient times. It was actually produced by one of the ordinary provincial counties around the capital. Perhaps it was because of the county¡¯s geography and climate, but the Japonica rice could only be grown there. However, the Japonica rice they brought along their trip was produced in the Imperial ntation. It was able to sessfully grow there thanks to Xiaocao¡¯s handiwork.


    Not only did the Japonica rice grown by Xiaocao taste better, but it also had great health benefits. Unfortunately, the Japonica rice grown in the Imperial ntation was only offered as a tribute to the imperial court and was not sold to the public. In the rice market, people could only buy ordinary Japonica rice. The food produced by the Imperial ntation was used to supply the masters in the imperial pce and the majority of it was used as rewards to be bestowed upon meritorious officials of the court.


    As for meritorious officials of the court, there were two of them present on this trip. With Official Yu and Royal Prince Yang present on this journey, they will neverck Japonica rice.

 Chapter 585 – Guest Residence

    <h4>Chapter 585 ¨C Guest Residence</h4>


    When she saw the jade pearl rice, Yu Xiaocao suddenly had the desire to make onigiri. Inside the cooked rice, she added dried meat, crispy melon, ham and some nuts to it. Thebination, when chewed, felt very tasty and rich. For Su Ran, this was the first time he had eaten something so novel and he ended up identally eating too much. Thus, he had to walk around the vicinityter to aid in digestion.


    Zhu Junyang also thought this method of eating was quite interesting and tasty. In the future, the army could add on ready-made onigiri as another type of ration to their supplies. Onigiri contained both rice and other ingredients. As long as you heated them up a bit, they could fill the stomach and they also tasted quite good!


    After traveling for another day, they finally arrived at a tiny vige at the foot of the wild and flourishing mountain. The word ¡®tiny¡¯ truly wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. The vige only had around seven to eight families in it, and they were all hunting families. In the winter, wild and vicious beasts often came down to attack the viges around the mountain. Thus, right before it was about to snow for the first time, the vigers would all move about fifty kilometers away to live in town. When spring came again, only then would theye back to their vige and begin their nting.


    Spring was the season for all of the animals to breed and flourish. Thus, the hunters all had an unspoken rule to not hunt animals that had babies with them, were young, or those that were heavily injured. The fall was the busy season for the hunters. At this time of year, all of the prey was plump and numerous, with glossy fur and high-quality meat. Furthermore, the animals moved around quite a bit at this time so it was more convenient to encounter them on a hunt.


    Yu Xiaocao and the others arrived at this somewhat shabby-looking small vige. Inside the vige, there were only the old, young, and women left behind. All of their adult men had gone into the mountain to hunt. Although the hunters only dared to hunt on the outskirts of the mountain, the forest in that area stretched for hundreds of kilometers. Thus, the men only came back to the vige once every ten to fourteen days.


    When the elderly and women in the vige saw the group of people with theirrge horses, splendid clothing and imposing demeanors, they knew that they weren¡¯t ordinary folks. Even their bodyguards and maidservants were dressed in such a way that showed that their masters had an extraordinary rank. Thus, these vigers only dared to watch them from afar and even made sure to keep their children and grandchildren close by, in order to avoid inadvertently offending these noble personages and bringing disaster upon themselves.


    Although the elderly and women had curiosity written on their faces, there was no sign of timidity among them. After all, these were all the families of tough hunters. Even the women and elders were able to pick up weapons and fight when needed.


    Out of the entire group, Yu Xiaocao looked the most harmless. Thus, she volunteered herself to negotiate with one of the vigers to use their home as a temporary resting ce for them. She headed towards thergest residence that was in the vige and had a bright and warm smile on her face. She spoke genially towards the elder and child who stood in front of the doors and said, ¡°Old Grandfather, it¡¯s nice to meet you! We¡¯re merely passing through the area and it¡¯s getting dark. We would like to rest at your gracious abode. Do you think we¡¯d be able to?¡±


    The old man¡¯s hair and beard had gonepletely white with age but his body was still strong and hale. His back was straight and hisplexion was ruddy with health. There was a scar running across his forehead that he had most likely gotten from a hunting injury in his youth, but it didn¡¯t make him look scary. The young boy next to him looked to be around ten years old and also looked quite strong. The boy held a hunting knife in his hand and had a wary look on his face.


    The old man observed her minutely. He saw that the young maiden in front of him had bright and pure eyes with a brilliant smile on her face. He returned a genial smile and said, ¡°You all are here to hunt, right? I won¡¯t hide it from you. Every year, our vige will get a few noble guests like yourselves who are here to tour the mountains and hunt game. If you noble folks don¡¯t mind our crude situations, then please stay here ah!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather!¡± The little boy didn¡¯t seem to wee them at all as the expression on his face showed that he rejected them. It would be hard to me him. After all, not everyone was easy to get along with. Generally, the more noble and highly-ranked the people were, the more issues they had. Last time, when they had housed some noble young maidens and masters, those people regarded everything around them with obvious disdain. They even imed that the food that was served to them was only fit to feed pigs!


    The people in front of them looked a lot more difficult to get along with than their past guests, especially that man who was dressed entirely in ck riding on a ck horse. That man had an expression on his face as if everyone owed him a couple hundred taels and his eyes were like knives. He didn¡¯t even dare to meet that person¡¯s eyes! As for the man dressed entirely in white, although he had a smile on his face, the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes, so he clearly wasn¡¯t someone to tussle with either. Out of the six people in this group, only the young older sister in front of him seemed easy tomunicate with. His grandfather was already of an advanced age and his mother was sick in bed. He truly didn¡¯t want to serve these people and end up not even getting a word of gratitude back!


    The old man lowered his head to look at his young grandson and rubbed his head. These noble folks had headed towards their residence as soon as they entered the vige. If they refused them without a good reason, wouldn¡¯t that end up offending them to their detriment? That being said, he had lived for many years and had a good eye for people. Instinctually, he could tell that this group of people weren¡¯t the type to throw around their wealth and rank for no reason or bully themon people.


    ¡°Honored, noble guests, please head inside!¡± Hemanded his young grandson, ¡°Take these guests and their horses to the stable in the back of the residence. Make sure their animals get some fodder and water...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble this young fellow. Just tell me the general direction of the building. We brought along fodder for our animals!¡± Yu Xiaocao wanted to minimize the amount of trouble they caused for these people, so she tactfully refused the old man¡¯s good intentions.


    The little boy sneered slightly and muttered quietly, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®troubling us¡¯? You may have brought your own fodder along but did you also bring your own water too?¡±


    ¡°Xiaohu!¡± The old man reprimanded his grandson and smiled apologetically at Xiaocao and the others. When he saw that they didn¡¯t look angry, it confirmed his initial impressions of the group.


    Jin Xiaohu puffed up his cheeks and reluctantly led them towards the shed for the animals. His family¡¯s residence looked very simr to the residence Xiaocao¡¯s Family had in Dongshan Vige prior to their upgrades. It was a decently sized courtyard residence and had a five-room main building. The two side courtyards contained three-room buildings. The shack sheltering their draft animals was on the left side from where they first entered and there was already a strong and hale looking donkey hitched in there.


    After the group of six¡¯s horses had all been led into the shelter, the originallyrge and spacious shack seemed much more crowded now. Thatrge donkey had been squeezed into the corner by Fierce Wind and Little Red and regarded the other strange ¡®guests¡¯ timidly.


    Hou Xiaoliang retrieved the fodder and fed the horses until they were full. Little Red still acted spoiled towards Xiaocao and managed to beg a few pieces of rock candy to eat. When it saw Fierce Wind staring at it pitifully, it magnanimously gave the ck horse a piece of candy to eat. As for therge donkey on the side, who was salivating over its leftover fodder, Little Red revealed a look full of disdain at this ¡®country bumpkin¡¯. ¡®How is it ah? You¡¯ve never had anything like this before, right? As for me, I¡¯ve eaten this since I was young and sometimes feel sick of it!¡¯


    They left Hou Xiaoliang there to take care of their picky horses. Yu Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang had been invited to enter the living area. The old man gave them a brief tour of the residence, introducing the various parts of the house. Although their space seemedrge and they had a lot of rooms, they also had quite a few people in their family. His sons, grandsons, and other elderly folks altogether came out to be nine people. Other than Xiaohu, who was by his side, the rest of the men had gone into the mountain. As for his daughters-inw, other than his third daughter-inw, who was ill in bed, the rest of them had gone to the wastnds at the foot of the mountain to harvest the corn they had nted there.


    Last year, his eldest son had waited in line for a whole day and night at the grain store in town in order to buy the corn seeds that were rumored to produce a thousand catties per mu during harvest. After they finished their summer harvest, they followed the instruction booklet and nted the corn seeds. Although thend at the foot of the mountains was a bit infertile, the corn that grew out of it didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the poor quality soil.


    Clearly, this type of crop wasn¡¯t very picky. Their about one mu ofnd had all grown very well and the corn ears were quiterge and plump. Although he didn¡¯t have much experience in nting crops, he could tell that the yield from this crop wouldn¡¯t be very small! They had just reached the harvest season but all of his sons were in the mountains. Fortunately, his daughters-inw were all hard workers. As soon as it was light out, they set out to the fields to harvest corn.


    The other families in the vige all kept an eye on them to see how their one mu of corn nting went. They all said that if their family had a good harvest, then, at the start of spring next year, they also nned on going into town to stand in line to buy seeds. That way, the money they had carefully saved throughout the year could be used to buy seeds and improve their families¡¯ circumstances.


    ¡°Cough cough...Father, we have guests here? I¡¯ll go make some food...¡± A sickly matron with a yellowplexion walked out of one of the side rooms after supporting herself at the door sill. She had one hand on her chest as she coughed incessantly. Yu Xiaocao noticed that her face was turning red from the effort and that her breathing wasbored. She guessed that this woman likely had something wrong with her bronchioles or lungs.


    ¡°Mother, you haven¡¯t gotten better yet. Quickly go back and lie down. They brought their own servants, so if they want to eat anything, they can make it themselves ah!¡± Jin Xiaohu stepped forward and supported the woman. He used his small body to help his mother support herself. As he walked her back to the room, he even looked back to re angrily at Xiaocao and the others.


    The old man hurriedly tried to exin the actions of his grandson, ¡°My daughter-inw had gotten a chill from the wind a few days ago. She refused to go see the doctor and insisted on staying at home, nursing herself with somemon medicine. Yesterday night she ran a fever. Xiaohu is worried about his mother. Guests, please don¡¯t take it to heart!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao reckoned that this woman¡¯s fever likely worsened her respiratory issues, so she took out a bottle of pills that were used to treat chills and respiratory ailments. She handed it over and said, ¡°These are pills from Tongren Medicine Hall and are used to treat chills and lung ailments. It also can treat coughs and fevers. You should have Auntie take one pill at each meal. After taking it for three days, she should feel much better.¡±


    Xiaocao still had quite a bit of confidence in the pills that she personally made.


    ¡°Medicinal pills from Tongren Medicine Hall?¡± The old man repeatedly waved a hand in refusal. He had gone to the prefectural city to sell fur pelts awhile ago and had walked past Tongren Medicine Hall. There had been many people in line there, waiting to buy medicines. The people said that their pills and syrups cost a few hundred taels per bottle and, despite the high price, were still often sold out. Every time new stock came in, it would very quickly disappear after people scrambled to buy some. The pills and syrups all had an expiration date of one year orter. Any family who had some money would always have some at home. It was better to be prepared!


    The tiny bottle of pills in front of him likely cost a few hundred taels. His whole family was good at hunting but, at most, they could make thirty to fifty taels a year. When they were lucky and were able to kill an animal that had a rare pelt of fur, they could sell it for around a hundred taels. Their whole family would need to save money for many years before they could afford to buy such an expensive bottle of pills!


    ¡°We were fated to meet by chance, so please take it. Just take it as our rental fees for the next few days! Auntie¡¯s illness should not go on any longer without being treated properly. Otherwise, a small illness could be much more serious.¡± Yu Xiaocao stuffed the bottle full of pills into the old man¡¯s hands before asking, ¡°Old Sir, where will we lodge tonight? We should unpack our luggage first and then begin to make food. I¡¯m not going to lie to you. We¡¯ve been camping outside for the past few days and we¡¯ve started to long for some properly cooked food.¡±


    The old man saw that she was sincere in her actions and didn¡¯t try to refuse anymore. He handed the bottle of pills to his grandson, who was already impatient to leave. As soon as Jin Xiaohu got the pills, he didn¡¯t even say a word of thanks before running into the room where his mother was resting to retrieve some warm water before giving her medication.

 Chapter 586 – Suspicions

    <h4>Chapter 586 ¨C Suspicions</h4>


    Old Man Jin shook his head and solemnly thanked them before he brought the whole group to the three-roomed building on the east side. The smile on his face became more sincere as he said, ¡°This three-roomed building normally doesn¡¯t have people living in it. You all can first ce your luggage here. In a bit, when my three daughters-inwe back, I¡¯ll have them help you clean things up. Xiaohu¡¯zi, quickly go to the back courtyard and pick some vegetables so we can start the fire and help the guests make food!¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! We will do things ourselves!¡± Without waiting for Xiaocao¡¯smand, Chunhua and Qiushi began to clean up the rooms. The east building had three rooms. Zhu Junyang and Su Ran were assigned to one, Xiaocao and her two maidservants were in another, while thest one was for Hou Xiaoliang, who had gotten lucky this time and had his own room.


    When Old Man Jin¡¯s three daughters-inw came back with baskets full of corn on their backs, they had already finished cleaning and organizing the three rooms. The beds had been made with their own bedding and Yu Xiaocao took her two maidservants to the kitchen to begin cooking. They made arge pot of preserved meat with rice and stir fried some old string beans with stewed meat. In addition, they also made simmered eggnt casserole, stir fried old cucumbers, and spicy and sour cabbage. The portion sizes of all of the dishes were quiterge and was enough to feed their group as well as Old Man Jin¡¯s family. After all, they couldn¡¯t just make the host family wait to eat just because they borrowed their kitchen, right?


    When she saw that Old Man Jin¡¯s three daughters-inw had to haul back giant baskets of corn after working an entire day in the fields, she instructed Hou Xiaoliang to bring two of the more gentle horses to help them bring their harvest back. After getting their host¡¯s permission, she picked out some more tender ears of corn from their basket and boiled them to eat.


    The sweet smell of cooked corn lured Xiaohu, who had been taking care of his mother this entire time, out of the room. He sidled by the kitchen and lightly sniffed the air with his nose. Not only did the smell of tasty preserved meat hit his nose, but he also identified a new, sweet and savory odor. It made the saliva pool in his mouth.


    Yu Xiaocao took out a just cooked ear of corn from the pot and waved it in the air to cool it a bit before she beckoned the young boy over, ¡°Xiaohu,e here and try your family¡¯s corn. See if it tastes good or not.¡±


    When Jin Xiaohu found out this corn was nted by his family, he didn¡¯t try to be polite and took the corn back to the room, ¡°Mother, are you feeling better ah? It¡¯s already been two days since youst ate. Eat some corn to fill your stomach first. In a bit, I¡¯ll go help Eldest Aunt to make supper.¡±


    ¡°Corn?¡± Xiaohu¡¯s mother had slept a bit after taking a pill and now felt much better. Her chest no longer felt as tight as before and she already had an appetite again. She took the ear of corn from her son and asked, ¡°Did you eat any yet?¡±


    ¡°That noble young maiden boiled many ears, so I¡¯ll go grab some moreter. Eat this first, okay? This is the corn that our family grew and it smells quite delicious. It must be good!¡± Jin Xiaohu secretly swallowed down his saliva and coaxed his mother to eat.


    Xiaohu¡¯s mother broke the ear in two and handed him half. She only began to gnaw on the corn in her hands after she saw him happily eating his share. The corn was soft and tender underneath their teeth. The more they chewed, the tastier it became. Even Xiaohu¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but eat bite after bite. After she inadvertently finished her portion of corn, she finally realized just how delicious it was.


    ¡°Mother, it looks like noble guests that are here this time aren¡¯t the same as the ones we hadst time. Although the man dressed in ck doesn¡¯t look like someone we should offend, their servants haven¡¯t tried to bully or walk all over us. As for that young maiden who has skin as white as snow, she doesn¡¯t have any of the airs or arrogance of a noble family¡¯s young miss. She even personally went into the kitchen to make food! I peeked in there earlier and saw that she made a lot of food. There¡¯s ayer of preserved meat on top of the rice they cooked and they also made big portions of the other dishes. The spread is even better than what we eat during the New Years.¡±


    After Xiaohu finished eating his corn, he took his mother¡¯s finished cob and threw it into a corner in the courtyard. There were hens over there and they clucked excitedly over the new food.


    ¡°The fact that they just gave us these medicinal pills for free shows us that they¡¯re not bad people. We¡¯re only a mere hunter¡¯s family and have nothing of worth for them to covet. These people must have good hearts, so we must remember their kindness.¡± Xiaohu¡¯s mother gently stroked her son¡¯s head and smilingly advised him.


    ¡°Then...I¡¯ll go see if the traps we set earlier have any game in them. If they do, should I give them to the guests to add to their meal?¡± Jin Xiaohu no longer felt as resentful as he did earlier towards Xiaocao and the others. However, he still felt a bit conflicted inside.


    However, as soon as he exited the room, he discovered that the courtyard had an additional two giant, monstrous animals¡ª¡ªone ck and one white wolf? Or were they dogs? One of them had a still twitching roe deer in its mouth while the other had a gray bird.


    ¡°Are...are these two animals your pets?¡± Jin Xiaohu watched as those two ced their caught prey in front of the maiden dressed in pink like they were presenting treasures. Then, the tworge creaturesy down in front of her, acting cute and begging for pets. Their actions didn¡¯t suit theirrge and ferocious looking exteriors at all.


    Yu Xiaocao raised her head and saw that Jin Xiaohu had a face full of bewildered rm and also a bit of anticipation. She grinned at him, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Don¡¯t judge these two foolish ones by their appearances. Without their owner¡¯smand, they won¡¯t harm anyone. Especially Little ck, he¡¯s the good-natured one of the two. You can pet him if you like!¡±


    The stupid roe deer that Little ck brought back suddenly jumped up from the ground and began to scramble around the courtyard in a panic. Little ck violently jumped over and used one w to powerfully press the roe deer onto the ground until it couldn¡¯t budge. Only after that episode did Jin Xiaohu discover that the prey that these two brought back didn¡¯t have a single injury on them. As for the dusty gray bird that had been brought back by the white wolf, it was still calling out on asion.


    ¡°Oh ho! It¡¯s a hazel grouse ah! The sky has hazel grouse meat while the ground has donkey meat. Miss, you all are quite lucky today!¡± Old Man Jin had gone back and forth two times to help his family move the corn, and they had finished harvesting about one mu¡¯s worth of corn. The corn had been piled in the courtyard. Old Man Jin made a quick estimate and was pretty sure that their harvest had exceeded a thousand catties. This year, they would be able to save quite a bit of money that was normally used to buy grain during the winter!


    Yu Xiaocao had Zhu Junyang help to prepare the roe deer and hazel grouse meat. Then, she swiftly cooked up a pot of hazel grouse soup and stewed up a pot of roe deer meat. During the mealtime, she only served up enough food for their group and sent Chunhua and Qiushi with the remaining food to give to the Jin Family.


    Old Man Jin attempted to refuse but saw that they sincerely wanted to give the food to them. He thanked them a few times and ended up taking their gift. There was savory preserved meat steamed on top of rice, arge basin of roe deer meat, a basin of hazel grouse soup, and a few different vegetable dishes. The Jin Family couldn¡¯t bear to make this much food during the New Years!


    ¡°Grandfather, they have given us both medicine and food. Do you think there¡¯s something they want from us?¡± Jin Xiaohu gnawed on the roe deer meat as he mumbled out his question.


    ¡°What could they possibly want from us?¡± Old Man Jin was also a bit puzzled by their guests¡¯ generosity.


    ¡°Father, do you think they want us to lead them into the mountain? Last time, the eldest son of the Lu Family was pressured to take some nobles up the mountain and ended up getting savaged by a ck bear. When he got back, he only managed to endure for a few days before he passed, right? If they ask this of us, you absolutely cannot agree ah. How is this leading them into the mountains? This clearly is asking for us to act as bait!¡± The Jin Family¡¯s second daughter-inw was a shrewd one. The other two daughters-ins also began to look worried and anxious.


    ¡°They probably wouldn¡¯t, right? Do you think they really resemble those other people ah?¡± Old Man Jin ced down his bowl and chopsticks as he pondered over this


    ¡°Father, how are they not the same as the others? To the rich and powerful, are we,moners, even people to them? In my opinion, we need to be careful of suspicious folks bearing gifts as they are sure to be ill-intentioned¡ª¡ªthey likely have ulterior motives!¡± His second daughter-inw coldly huffed and picked up a piece of roe deer meat to chew on angrily. The rich added generous amounts of oil and seasonings to their food, so even the vegetables they cooked tasted better than what their own family made.


    ¡°Then what can we do ah?¡± The other two daughters-inw were so worried now that they had no appetite. Only the second daughter-inw continued to eat with relish, as if this didn¡¯t affect her appetite.


    ¡°Grandfather, if they want us to bring them up the mountain, let me do it ah! I often run around the forest near the mountains and know where there aren¡¯t any fierce beasts but plenty of prey. Even if we encounter any danger, I have nimble legs and feet and will be able to run much faster than those weak and soft young masters and misses!¡± After thinking about it in this way, Jin Xiaohu felt an urge to eat more. There was so much delicious food and savory meat. It¡¯d be such a pity to not eat to his fill. It was better to fill his stomach than to continue to fret over this.


    As the Jin Family continued to discuss how to avoid being taken advantage of, Xiaocao and the others were currently making their ns for the next day to enter the mountain.


    ¡°Tomorrow, just the three of us should go up, right? Didn¡¯t they say that there are a lot of vicious creatures up there? It might not be a good thing to bring too many people along!¡± Yu Xiaocao gestured between herself, Zhu Junyang and Su Ran as she proposed her idea.


    Chunhua and Qiushi immediately objected, ¡°Our objective is to keep you safe, Young Miss. You also just said that there are fierce beasts in the mountain. We need to go with you.¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang regarded them with a bit of disdain as he opined, ¡°With the master and Head Su around, does Miss Yu still need you two to protect her? Just obediently stay back and don¡¯t drag them from behind. Look at me, I know my limits and didn¡¯t even try to bring myself along!¡±


    Chunhua and Qiushi wanted to continue to protest but they were interrupted by Zhu Junyang who made the final decision, ¡°Alright, it¡¯ll just be the three of us. Bring along Little ck and Little White. Cao¡¯er, make sure you let those two know that they are not allowed to leave one step away from you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Don¡¯t I also have Little Glutinous Dumpling ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao pointed at the golden kitten that was sleeping soundly on her knee and gave a knowing look towards Zhu Junyang.


    Su Ran, who was sitting on the other side of Xiaocao, reached out and picked up the golden kitten by its scruff and brought it over. He met the kitten¡¯s golden eyes for a bit of time and then shook his head and put the angry little animal back down. He muttered to himself, ¡°This kitten¡¯s fur is a bit more brilliant than other cats¡¯, but I don¡¯t see anything else that¡¯s special about it. Are you sure it¡¯s able to protect you and wouldn¡¯t just run off at the first sign of danger?¡± The second sentence he directed towards Xiaocao.


    ¡°Sir Su, don¡¯t underestimate it. Although Little Glutinous Dumpling looks quite small, it¡¯s very fast and has sharp ws. It can easily attack an opponent¡¯s eyes. Even Little ck and the others don¡¯t dare to provoke it!¡± Yu Xiaocaoforted the little divine stone who wanted to w Su Ran for the insult. She said a few good words for it in front of Su Ran in order to have the other man not suspect her too much.


    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s that special eh? Then it must not be an ordinary house cat right? Little Lass, where did you go to get so many powerful pets?¡± Su Ran was very interested in the arrogant and aloof white wolf. If it wasn¡¯t Xiaocao¡¯s pet, he would have long snatched it over. Now, she even had an additional strong little kitten and it really piqued his curiosity and desire to investigate more into this.


    Yu Xiaocao unconfidently turned her gaze away and lifted the little golden kitten to her eye level. She had an unnatural smile on her face as she said, ¡°I had picked up Little Glutinous Dumpling near the West Mountain, so who knows what type of breed it is. After raising it for so many years, it hasn¡¯t gotten bigger. It¡¯s always been so tiny and cute, so I kept it by my side.¡±

 Chapter 587 – Touched

    <h4>Chapter 587 - Touched</h4>


    ¡°If I¡¯m not remembering incorrectly, I believe your family also has a little roe deer that also hasn¡¯t grown throughout these years.¡± Su Ran stretched out a hand towards Xiaocao¡¯s cat but was pushed back by a swiping paw. Its speed was quite fast as he wasn¡¯t able to dodge it at all. He was pretty sure that the little fellow had retracted its ws for the sake of Xiaocao. Otherwise, his hand right now would be dripping with blood.


    Not a single one of the littless¡¯s pets were normal. Even the most normal-looking roe deer was as intelligent as a little devil. He heard that Miss He from the grand princess royal¡¯s estate had once asked Xiaocao to give her the little roe deer. However, the animal had overheard her request. From then on, as long as Lass He went over to the Yu Residence, the little roe deer would hide until even its shadow couldn¡¯t be found. It would only reappear once the other girl left. As for the white and ck wolves, they were even more astounding. Now, she had a nondescript tiny little kitten whose speed was so fast that even he couldn¡¯t dodge it!


    However, in his eyes, the most unusual one still had to be the master of all of these pets. A teenage girl who was born in an ordinary farming family, whose ancestors had all been ordinary farmers and fishermen, had actually had a variety of talents appear on her. She knew how to improve crops to make them high-yielding, grow vegetables and fruits in greenhouses, manufacture medications, concoct medicinal cuisines, brew wine, cook food, make pastries and frozen desserts...


    It was also said that the littless was talented at cultivating flowers. Any families in the capital who had a good rtionship with the Fang Family, if they liked growing flowers, then as soon as their flowers started to wilt, they would send it over. Every time when those flowers went back, it was as if those nts had received a second chance at life and had eaten a miracle medicine!


    Out of all of her abilities, other than farming and raising vegetables, the rest had very little to do with her farmer¡¯s family background. None of these other things would be something that a normal girl from a farmer¡¯s family would ever encounter, let alone be proficient in. If one started to investigate the littless more closely, one would find that there were too many incongruencies. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the emperor had stopped him from doing so, he would have already begun to deeply investigate her background. It wasn¡¯t because he was afraid that the littless would go rogue but more to satisfy his own burning curiosity.


    It seemed like the emperor already knew just what type of secret the littless was hiding, which was why he especially told him to not examine her closely. Furthermore, he was instructed to do all he could to prevent other people from investigating the young maiden. Those who attempted to use or trip up the littless would be warned. If they refused to listen¡ª¡ªthen he would directly get rid of them! His involvement was the reason why the littless was able to do so much these past few years in the capital without encountering any sticky situations!


    Only after Su Ran stopped looking at the little golden kitten with that piercing gaze did Yu Xiaocao¡¯s nervous expression finally rx a bit. With Sir Su¡¯s astute mind and abilities, she was sure that Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯s abilities and her secrets would all be an open book to him. There was nothing that she could do to hide from him if he decided to investigate more. She silently prayed that Sir Su would never be too curious about the little divine stone.


    [Don¡¯t worry ah! The man surnamed Su listens to themands of your emperor. As long as the emperor doesn¡¯t want him to, he won¡¯t do more than what is required. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask your man. Doesn¡¯t he have the ability to partially read people¡¯s minds ah?]


    The little divine stone, in its kitten form,zily stretched out its body and then jumped on the table. It used its paw to pick up a piece of c.u.min roe deer meat and threw it towards Little ck and Little White, who were waiting for scraps of food underneath the table. It had no interest in foods that had no spiritual energy in them, even if they tasted very good. After all, at its current level of cultivation, it hadn¡¯t gained a sense of taste yet!


    Xiaocao saw that when Sir Su finished eating his evening meal, he went straight back to his room to rest and didn¡¯t inquire more about the little golden kitten. She threw a questioning look towards Zhu Junyang, who had just ced down his bowl and chopsticks.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to see her worry about this and immediately exined the situation to her, ¡°If the emperor doesn¡¯t want him to investigate something, Chief Steward Su will not do so! Tell me, does the emperor already know your secret? Is that why he¡¯s prohibiting other people from investigating into you?¡±


    ¡°The emperor is wise and far-sighted, with clear-sighted eyes. What can possibly escape his gaze?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a helpless expression on her face and then remarked in a slightly joyful tone of voice, ¡°Fortunately, the emperor is a wise and benevolent ruler and doesn¡¯t covet this official¡¯s treasure. Otherwise...I don¡¯t even want to think about it ah!¡±


    Zhu Junyang fell silent for a moment and there wasn¡¯t a single expression on his face as he lightly drew the littless into his arms and ced his chin on her head. He stayed like that for a long time before he finally broke his silence and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, this prince is here for you!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt her eyes grow hot and sparkling tears appeared in them. She was very well aware of the deep meaning behind his words. ¡®Don¡¯t be afraid, even if the entire world is against you, this prince will always stay by your side and protect you using my own body, keeping you safe for eternity...¡¯


    She forcefully blinked the tears back from her eyes and deliberately stated in a light and happy voice, ¡°You are right! Even if the sky falls, I have someone tall to shield me! Why should we worry about what-if¡¯s? Life is so beautiful, so we need to treasure all of the good parts! Ruizhi, from your behavior, this young maiden will now dere that your probation period has ended early!¡±


    ¡°Really? Then this prince will immediately have someone send a letter back to my parents to have them prepare the matters around proposing marriage...¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t expect this to happen and was extremely happy by this change in the situation. His enchanting and alluring phoenix eyes suddenly glowed with joy and were so bright they could blind a person. His handsome face, which sometimes looked androgynously beautiful, had arge grin on it that couldn¡¯t be concealed.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯srge pair of eyes curved up in happiness and her dimples became quite apparent as she continued to gaze at that alluringly handsome face. The man before her only showed his good sides to her alone. His tall and imposing figure paired with his strong body always seemed to stand in front of her, shielding her from the wind and rain that raged outside. Why did she still need to worry about her own personal gains and losses at this point? She was sure that her partner would be this man! In addition, she was confident that this deliriously happy man in front of her would be the one to give her a lifetime of happiness.


    ¡°No need to rush! We¡¯re still about three to four months from the New Years! It won¡¯t be toote to propose marriage at the start of spring next year!¡± Yu Xiaocao softly said and the look in her eyes was incredibly gentle and soft.


    Zhu Junyang ced his hands around her slender waist and suddenly lifted her up high, as if he was holding up a priceless treasure. Then he gently ced her down as he spoke somewhat incoherently, ¡°How could I not be in a rush? This prince has waited for so many years for this exact day! This won¡¯t do! I need to write a letter and send it by pigeon immediately to tell mydy mother to ask the head priest of Huguo Temple to calcte a fortuitous day. Also, she needs to start preparing the items needed for the three letters and six rites...¡±


    As he spoke, he let go of her hand and was about to hastily walk out the room. He was pulled back by Yu Xiaocao, who didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry at his actions, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what time is it right now? It¡¯s alreadypletely dark outside and the homing pigeons should be resting right now. That being said, did you bring any homing pigeons along on this trip?¡±


    Zhu Junyang gradually calmed down after hearing Xiaocao¡¯s words. A hint of self-deprecation and embarrassment appeared on his handsome face as he admitted, ¡°This prince was so happy that I became befuddled! How about we head back to the stud farm tomorrow? We¡¯ll have plenty of chances to hunt and gather herbs in the future...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being absurd now!¡± They were already at the foot of the mountain and Yu Xiaocao had no desire to postpone this hunting trip, ¡°Where did that shrewd, calm, and meticulous Royal Prince Yang I know disappear to?¡±


    ¡°Uh isn¡¯t this...bing hasty out of pure happiness ah?¡± Zhu Junyang also thought that he was being a bit ridiculous. He pulled the littless, who was behind him, into a hug and enjoyed the feeling of her soft body against his. He thennded a fiery kiss on her temples and started to be a little unruly.


    Yu Xiaocao escaped from his arms and pushed him out of the room, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte and we need to prepare to enter the mountain tomorrow. Go back to your room and rest ah!¡±


    ¡°What else do we need to prepare now? Don¡¯t we just need to bring your secret barbecue seasonings along? How can we possibly starve with that?¡± Zhu Junyang wanted that fragrant and sweet body to stay with him and held onto her again. This time, he secretly tightened his grip. In a few more months, the littless would bebeled officially as his. His heart desperately wanted to scream, to let the entire world know, that she was about to be his official fianc¨¦e!


    Yu Xiaocao could sense the roiling emotions in the man behind her. She didn¡¯t want things to go too far in this simple and crude room. She cooled down her voice as she ndly asked, ¡°Is it hard to understand my words?¡±


    ¡°Easy to understand, very easy!! This prince is not one of those people who is all talk and no action. I¡¯m also not the type to say beautiful words to trick young maidens and forget what I pledgedter on. I still remember that men need to follow the ¡®three injunctions and four virtuous things to do¡¯! They are: the man must listen and obey his wife¡¯smands, when the wife goes out, the man needs to go as well...¡± Zhu Junyang sensed that the littless was feeling a bit uneasy and hurriedly recited the ¡®Standards of the Optimal Man¡¯ to her.


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t take it anymore and burst out intoughter. She coquettishly turned around to look him in the eye as she said, ¡°Then, this young maiden orders you: ¡®Let me go! Step away and leave!!¡¯¡±


    Zhu Junyang obediently let go of her and didn¡¯t try to sneak another touch in. He dillydallied in the room, not wanting to leave, so Yu Xiaocao had to push him out of the side room. When she saw that the master room in the courtyard was dark and that there was a shadow of Su Ran¡¯s body on the opposite bed, she decided that no one was paying attention to them and she hurriedly snatched a kiss from her man¡¯s perfect, red lips. Having a man was like having a pet! If you didn¡¯t give them some treats now and then, they wouldn¡¯t listen to you!


    Her actions were quite unexpected but extremely wee for Zhu Junyang. However, his greedy heart still felt like the kiss was over too quickly. He didn¡¯t even get to taste her when it ended. It happened so quickly that it felt like just an illusion.


    The moon was out tonight and shone brightly. The watery light from the moon shone on the littless¡¯s snow white face and seemed to make her skin glow. He felt like he could never get enough of her delicate brows and eyes. His eyes became extremely gentle and soft as he stared at her, as if he was gazing at a rare and precious treasure. He lightly held the young maiden¡¯s face and bent over to get closer and closer to those red lips that seemed as tender and lovely as a flower...


    ¡°<i>Cough cough! Cough cough!!¡± </i>Suddenly, the sound of heavy coughs could be heard from the neighboring room, followed by Su Ran¡¯s clear voice, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, do you prefer sleeping at the head or the tail of the <i>kang</i> bed?¡±


    During the ninth month, thends near the northern border already had cold and chilly mornings and evenings. Old Man Jin, who was quite hospitable, had lit up the <i>kang</i> beds in the east courtyard¡¯s three rooms. Su Ran had earlier sensed that there was someone who wanted to act like a hungry wolf on the other side of the window. It looked like that bad wolf was trying to take advantage of a certain young maiden.

 Chapter 588 – Asiatic Grass Frogs

    <h4>Chapter 588 - Asiatic Grass Frogs</h4>


    Since he had agreed to that maidservant Wutong¡¯s request, then he needed toplete his task. Thus, he found an excuse to butt in on someone else¡¯s ¡®wicked conduct¡¯!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s lips were only around two centimeters away from Xiaocao¡¯s and that unexpected voice had cut off his desire. His handsome face momentarily darkened and regrets surfaced up within his heart¡ª¡ªwhy did they have to bring such an irksome fellow along on this trip ah? Chief Steward Su was truly too indiscreet, right? Zhu Junyang was absolutely sure that this fellow was interrupting them on purpose!


    Yu Xiaocao muffled herughter and looked like a little squirrel eating a pinecone. When she saw the alluringly bewitching face in front of her face, she knew that he was quite upset with nowhere to vent his temper. She felt her heart soften, so she gently hugged him again before rising up on her tiptoes and giving a quick kiss on his attractive lips.


    The tight look on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face seemed to rx a bit and he bent down his body to swiftly return a kiss. His voice sounded deep and slightly gloomy as he hoarsely said, ¡°You must be tired after traveling hard these past few days right? Go rest early. Tomorrow, if you¡¯re still tired, we can rest another day before heading up.¡±


    ¡°No need! My body is perfectly fine!¡± Yu Xiaocao had gulped down a cup of mystic-stone water earlier and the vast majority of her exhaustion had disappeared, ¡°The kitchen has hot water, so you should have Xiaohou bring some over to soak your feet. It really helps in rxing you. Also, I¡¯ll brew some tea for you and, in a moment, I¡¯ll have Chunhua bring it over. Don¡¯t drink too much tea at night. Otherwise, you¡¯ll have trouble sleeping...¡±


    The littless chattered on and on, just like a young married wife incessantly reminding her husband just before he left. Zhu Junyang thought that this was quite a novel experience for him and didn¡¯t want to let her go. Finally, Xiaocao managed to pull herself out of this beautiful man¡¯s trap and pushed this fellow back to his own room.


    As for Su Ran, who had been in his room this entire time, he had seen the sticky-sweet actions between the two of them. However, he didn¡¯t try to interrupt them at all. The littless and Royal Prince Yang were a young couple in love. There was no need for him to act as an annoying bystander. If he turned a blind eye to all of this, it would pass quite soon!


    The next morning, Yu Xiaocao woke up very early to make breakfast. Like before, she made enough breakfast to feed her entire group as well as the Jin Family. There was a pot of thick congee, soft and tasty steamed white buns, and Xiaocao¡¯s preserved vegetables made from her own secret recipe. Although it was a bit simple, everyone ate the food with relish.


    Old Man Jin had already concluded that this group of rich people was different from thest lot. Although the two men in the group were more cold, they didn¡¯t stand on ceremonies and demand ridiculous things. Nor did any of them look down on them for beingmon peasants. The delicate young maiden who loved to smile was especially cordial to everyone. She didn¡¯t seem to have any of the innate arrogance of a young miss from a noble family. These people were generous to others and never made them feel like they were conferring a great favor when they gave a gift to others. It felt like they were being honored and respected instead.


    He had seen the noble guests packing their luggage. Just as they were about to leave to head to the mountain, he warned them out of the goodness of his heart, ¡°There are many fierce beasts deep in the mountain, so you all must be very careful. I would advise you to avoid going too far into the forests and instead spend more time on the outskirts to get some hunting done instead!¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded his head at the old man. Although his face was expressionless, he appreciated the other man¡¯s good intentions. Yu Xiaocao smiled brightly and thanked him, ¡°Thank you, Grandfather Jin, for your reminder. We appreciate your good thoughts, so don¡¯t worry about us ah! I left some fodder for those horses we¡¯re leaving here, so I¡¯ll have to trouble Grandfather Jin and Xiaohu to help us out and make sure they get fed every day.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem at all! Please be at ease ah! We promise that we will take good care of your horses!¡± Old Man Jin solemnly nodded his head and almost saluted them.


    Xiaocao saw that the two handsome men were done packing their bags and were ready to go, so she picked up her own bag and turned to wave goodbye to their hosts. She grinned, ¡°Make sure to dry out the newly harvested corn when there¡¯s a nice day. After the kernels are dry, you can stone-grind them into cornmeal, which can be added into tbread or used to make steamed buns. It tastes best if you mix it with some white flour as the texture and mouthfeel is great. I left two bags of white flour in the kitchen. Just take it as our thanks for keeping an eye on our luggage and feeding the horses.¡±


    Before Old Man Jin and his grandson could reply, she scampered away to chase after the two tall men, one who was dressed entirely in white while the other was dressed entirely in ck. Chunhua and Qiushi both carried a bundle on their backs and followed her closely from behind.


    ¡°Grandfather, we¡¯ve encountered some generous people! My mother, after taking the medication they gave usst evening, didn¡¯t cough for the entire night and also didn¡¯t have any issues breathing either. She slept very well.¡± Jin Xiaohu had already retracted his thorny exterior a while ago. He stared at the group of six as they left and his gaze held a bit of gratitude in it.


    At this time, a few of the other vigers came over to ask about the new guests. The two of them vaguely replied with minimal details about the noble guests. How could they tell them exactly what had happened? If they told the other people that these people were kind hearted, not arrogant, and generous, wouldn¡¯t those vigers who liked to take advantage of otherse out of the woodwork and cause issues? Later on, the topic of the conversation went to their family¡¯s harvest of corn. When the other vigers saw how much corn they had in their courtyard, they all became quite envious and expressed the desire to buy seeds from them.


    Old Man Jin remembered what his eldest son had told him and hastily exined to the other vigers that it was best for them to buy corn seeds in town next year. The seeds from their harvest may not necessarily maintain the high yield. Some of the vigers didn¡¯t believe him, so Old Man Jin could only sell them some seeds. As for the other people, they decided to wait like their family and go into town next year and buy corn seeds from the grain shops. Later on, those vigers found out that nting the corn seeds they bought from the Jin Family on the same type ofnd with the same type of management resulted in vastly different yields from those who bought seeds from the grain shops. Only then did the vigers believe his words and regret their previous decisions.


    As for Xiaocao¡¯s group, not long after they left the vige, they had entered the start of the mountainous forest. It truly was an old forest and couldn¡¯t bepared to the West Mountain back in Xiaocao¡¯s hometown. Although they were only on the outskirts, they would see beautifully plumaged golden pheasants fly by from time to time or a few wild hares suddenly appearing in the underbrush. They could hear the sounds of living creatures on both sides of the trail they were on.


    Xiaocao took out her scented bags filled with herbs that repelled insects and snakes and gave them to Hou Xiaoliang and everyone else. The little divine stone had helped her increase the potency of these herbs. It told her that all of the bugs and snakes in the area could feel it and were keeping a wide berth from them. That way she wouldn¡¯t be frightened by them! Although during the harder times she had previously caught a king ratsnake and made it into a soup, as a girl, she still wasn¡¯t very fond of these soft and long animals.


    The mountainous forest became more and more dense and the shrubs and underbrush became more and more lush. Fortunately, they had the two experts, Zhu Junyang and Chief Steward Su, in the front opening the way. Xiaocao was behind them, carrying a tiny bag on her shoulders. From time to time, she would pick off a leaf and use it as a tiny flute and whistle a little ditty. She seemed quite free and unrestrained.


    In the past, when she was still living in Dongshan Vige, she often entered the mountain and ran a few times in the deep forest. Consequently, she was quite at ease in this area. Everyone else also had no problems with this terrain, so their speed didn¡¯t decrease at all. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s primary goal was to find some rare medicinal ingredients. Hunting was only a side perk.


    Therefore, as soon as she entered the mountainous forest, she had the little divine stone transform into its kitten form and let it roam independently. Since some extremely rare medicinal herbs that were on the older side had their own spiritual energy, the little divine stone would be the best to find them as it was very sensitive towards spiritual energy. It could be said that it was a rare ingredient detector!


    In the front was Zhu Junyang, who was opening the way. He constantly thought of the littless and worried as if she was a porcin doll, trying to keep her from getting any bumps or bruises. From time to time he would look back to see how she was doing. When he saw that a tiny kitten had appeared on her shoulders, his phoenix eyes shed a bit but his expression stayed the same.


    Su Ran, on the other hand,ughed when he saw the little cat, ¡°Why did you bring this little guy along? Does it have a special task at hand?¡±


    ¡°Sir Su, don¡¯t look down on Little Glutinous Dumpling. I¡¯ve trained it to especially be able to find rare medicinal ingredients. It has a very sensitive nose and can urately distinguish the smell of rare herbs from a bunch of other smells! I heard that Jinalin produces ginseng, reishi mushroom, and other precious ingredients. Perhaps Little Glutinous Dumpling will be able to find a lot today!¡± Yu Xiaocao quickly outlined the little divine stone¡¯s abilities such that, in the future, Su Ran wouldn¡¯t feel too suspicious.


    Just as she finished speaking, it seemed like she had sealed the deal. The little golden kitten suddenly jumped off her shoulders and swiftly ran towards a cliff on the right side. In a blink of an eye, it came back with a frog that was evenrger than itself in its mouth.


    Yu Xiaocao stared at it for a moment and called out in surprise, ¡°Wow! An Asiatic grass frog! Not only does it have tender meat but it also can be used to make hasma, which is a very valuable tonic. It is very nourishing, helps support the lungs, and improves one mind!¡±


    She took out a sack from Chunhua¡¯s luggage and put the Asiatic grass frog that Little Glutinous Dumpling caught inside. She then spoke further to the two men in front, ¡°If you two see any more forest frogs like this, remember to catch them for me ah! Tonight, I¡¯ll roast some forest frogs for us to eat!¡±


    The two of them were incredibly handsome in their own ways and epted their mission to continue opening up the road while they looked for more frogs for her. In fact, the two of them actually ended up catching quite a lot! That night, when they camped down, Yu Xiaocao began to prepare all of these Asiatic grass frogs and made a secret special sauce to roast them until they were delicious. The two men, who had worked hard the whole day, were able to eat their fill. She herself spent some extra time to extract hasma from all of the frogs. Hasma that had been infused with spiritual energy from the little divine stone was even more effective than the normal kind. When they returned, she was nning on sending some to Princess Consort Jing and Imperial Prince Jing so they could take it to nourish their bodies. She was sure that the effects would be very good!


    Zhu Junyang watched as the littless, who had walked a whole day in the mountain, worked tirelessly to extract the hasma. A whole sack of forest frogs only produced around two small jars of hasma and one of those jars was going to be sent to hisdy mother. He felt his heart soften immediately. The littless never forgot to send anything that was good for the body to his mother.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the littless tirelessly helping to nourish his mother¡¯s body, he was pretty sure that she¡¯d be bedridden at this time. Memories came back from long ago. Back then, the imperial physicians, who had been sent to diagnose and treat hisdy mother, had once tactfully told his lord father that his mother¡¯s life was likely destined to be short because of her weak constitution.


    Now, their residence¡¯s Imperial Physician Zheng was almost like a decoration. This was because the littless had prescribed special medical cuisines to everyone in the household ording to their body constitutions. Furthermore, she would even send some tasty foods and drinks over from time to time. Hisdy mother, who had previously been wan and weak, had been treated so well that herplexion was rosy and her body healthy. Not even a sneeze came out of her anymore.


    All of this was due to the littless in front of him! Zhu Junyang revealed a gentle and soft expression on his handsome face and involuntarily attributed her actions to ¡®loving the house and its crow¡¯. He thought that because she liked him, that was the reason why she treated his family members so well. It must be that reason!

 Chapter 589 – Goose that Lays the Golden Eggs

    <h4>Chapter 589 ¨C Goose that Lays the Golden Eggs</h4>


    ¡°Ruizhi, over there! There¡¯s a purple reishi mushroom!¡± A clear and melodious voice sounded in the deep thickets. It startled all of the nearby birds, causing them to flee into the air.


    Zhu Junyang raised his head and followed the little golden kitten as it jumped around. He was light on his feet as he leapt onto a tree that had a trunk thick enough for several people to put their arms around it. There were plenty of old and majestic trees like this one in the forest. Towards the top of the tree, he could see a giant hole in the tree at the top. He couldn¡¯t tell if it appeared because the tree had gotten hit by lightning before or for some other reason.


    The little golden kitten stopped right outside that hole andzily looked back at him. It used its paw to point at a stalk of purple reishi mushroom that was growing out of the hole in the tree. They had already been in the mountains for three days now and Zhu Junyang had gotten used to this little kitten surprising him from time to time. He inspected the reishi mushroom. It had a dense purple color and seemed to have an inner glow. Even someone like him, who didn¡¯t know much about medicinal materials, could tell that it wasn¡¯t amon object.


    He took out a dagger from his boot and carefully cut out the reishi mushroom along with a small portion of wood from the tree.


    Once he came down from the tree, Xiaocao impatiently came over and carefully took the purple reishi mushroom from his hands. She inspected it with a face full of happy greed.


    Su Ran also sidled over to take a nce as he calmly said, ¡°This purple reishi mushroom must be at least a few hundred years old. Such a rare and old herb is invaluable.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao gleefully put the reishi mushroom away and then spoke to him, ¡°With this, the Grand Tutor¡¯s diabetes, the matriarch of Count Boyang¡¯s residence dizziness, and my tonic to resist aging will all have one of its main ingredients!! Little Glutinous Dumpling, good job ah!¡±


    [Stop calling this divine stone by the name Little Glutinous Dumpling. This name is too lowly and not worthy of my divine status!!] The little divine stone once again protested the name given to it by Xiaocao. Despite its resistance, it was never able to break away from it and it was really annoyed that it had such an inglorious nickname.


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling has a nice ring to it! Furthermore, it has a great meaning! Round and smooth, which hints at you reuniting with Goddess Nuwa in a smooth and happy manner!¡± Yu Xiaocao cated the little divine stone, who was about to explode in a temper tantrum, with a half truth. This treasure mountain truly had quite a number of rare ingredients around, so she still needed the divine stone to keep searching them for her!


    The little divine stone jumped on her shoulders and angrily scratched at her pigtails, making them messy. It only felt better after her hair had be a rat¡¯s nest.


    Su Ran stared at the little kitten who was wreaking havoc on Xiaocao¡¯s hair. He was very puzzled by all of this. How could a seemingly ordinarily little cat, not much different than a newborn kitten, do such incredible things? Truly, it looked like what Xiaocao said was right. This cat had an uncanny ability to find precious medicinal herbs!


    They had been in the mountains for three days. Other than the Asiatic grass frog on the first day, they also obtained two stalks of hundred year old ginseng on the second day. Now, today, they managed to get a few hundred year old purple reishi mushroom! If any one of these herbs got taken out, it would cause a ruckus, with people rushing to grab them.


    ¡°Lass, when you leave, you need to hide your little kitten well! It¡¯s like the goose thatys the golden eggs and is a true treasure!¡± Even Su Ran himself, who always thought no amount of money could move him, couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted by this little fellow¡¯s abilities.


    [You¡¯re the female goose; your whole family are female geese!] The little golden kitten became infuriated again and rushed towards Su Ran like a bullet. Its paws whooshed as it attempted to make the odious fellow in front of him get a new ¡®beggar¡¯s outfit¡¯.


    Fortunately, Su Ran was skilled at martial arts and was able to block the cat¡¯s attacks with difficulty before Xiaocao hurriedly rushed over and called the cat back, hugging it close to her body. His clothes were therefore spared ravagement. This little fellow¡¯s speed was truly too quick. It was harder to stop him than all of the concealed weapons he had encountered in this lifetime.


    Su Ran felt some lingering fear as he gazed at the little kitten, who was currently brandishing its ws at him from Xiaocao¡¯s arms. He really didn¡¯t know how he had offended the little fellow. Earlier, he was clearlyplimenting it for its abilities!


    ¡°This fellow is quite smart and has an intelligence to rival a teenager. Earlier, when you said that it was like the goose thatys the golden eggs, it became angry at beingpared to a goose...¡± Zhu Junyang grinned happily from the side, taking pleasure in the other man¡¯s misfortune. Earlier, when Little Glutinous Dumpling was having its temper tantrum, he didn¡¯t lift a single finger to help the other man despite being close by. It was worth having this eyesore along as he finally got to see Chief Steward Su in a less than ttering situation.


    Su Ran shook his head in bemusement and said, ¡°Just what type of breed is this cat? It not only has a very keen nose but can also understand what humans say! If it wasn¡¯t the pet of the littless, I would want to grab it for myself so I could inspect it more!¡±


    ¡°Sir Su, if you like it, then you can borrow it for the next few days! Little Glutinous Dumpling is very easy to take care and it can hunt for itself. You don¡¯t need to do much. However, it loves to y and can sometimes run off for a dozen days to half a month. It¡¯s quite wild ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao kept her two hands around the little kitten as she presented it towards Su Ran.


    The little divine had a look of disdain on its face as it bared its fangs in protest, [Strike! This divine stone proims a strike!! Ahead of us, not very far, is a stalk of ginseng that is over a thousand years old. I originally wanted to find it for you. Now...hmph hmph! I can save myself the trouble now!]


    ¡°Aiya! Don¡¯t be so petty! Sir Su isn¡¯t someone who has a greedy and dark heart. He¡¯s only a bit curious about you, that¡¯s all! He won¡¯t do anything to you!¡± Yu Xiaocao ced its furry little body next to her cheek and gently rubbed herself against it. She talked to the little divine stone in a ttering manner through their mind to mind link.


    [You¡¯re just a sell out looking for honor! Although that fellow has quite a bit of power and is skilled at martial arts, in front of this divine stone, it¡¯s not enough! With this divine being¡¯s current level of cultivation, I just need to extend a small finger to subdue that fellow. You don¡¯t need to lower yourself in front of him to beg for favor!] The little divine stone¡¯s dark golden eyes shed with an evil light.


    Su Ran felt the little golden kitten¡¯s ¡®malice¡¯ emanating towards him and felt arge sense of danger approaching him. He hurriedly retreated a few steps and cautiously stared at the kitten¡¯s eyes that were shining with ill will. He revealed a small bitter smile and shook his head at Xiaocao, ¡°Forget about it ah! I don¡¯t think I can enjoy this kind of glory! I¡¯m pretty sure that it only does this for you. If anyone else tried, it would rebel and be untamable! Royal Prince Yang, do you want to try?¡±


    ¡°This prince is not as honored as Chief Steward Su. Even you have been rebuffed by the cat, so this prince will not bother even trying!¡± Zhu Junyang nced at the fierce little cat that was in Xiaocao¡¯s arms and revealed a scared expression.


    [Looks like you know some tact!] The little divine stone¡¯s voice suddenly appeared in his mind and ended up shocking Zhu Junyang to his bones. When he sensed Su Ran looking over in his direction, he hurriedly adjusted his expression, pretending as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Awoooooo¡ª¡ª¡± A familiar howl could be heard. Before long, Little ck¡¯srge and sturdy body suddenly appeared before the group of humans. This fellow instantly began to act like arge ck dog as soon as it saw its owner. Its fluffy ck tail was raised high and it waved back and forth in excitement. It had spent a lot of time with the other dogs in Dongshan Vige in the past, so it also had picked up some dog-like habits from them.


    Little ck proudly presented the object in its mouth by carefully cing it in front of Xiaocao. Everyone stared at the object. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t some prey the wolf had caught and was instead a stalk of ginseng that was about the size of a person¡¯s thumb. The ginseng still had ayer of fresh dirt on it!


    Apparently, when this fellow saw the little cat, who it had determined to be something it couldn¡¯t offend, being praised by everyone for finding old ginseng, it became envious and jealous. It decided to stop hunting game and began to dig around for herbs. Unexpectedly, it had actually ended up finding a stalk of ginseng!


    Although this ginseng wasn¡¯t very old, it was still an authentic stalk of northeast ginseng from the mountains. Furthermore, this fellow was quite observant and didn¡¯t break a single part of the herb. However, this fellow¡¯s nose and mouth now had a thickyer of soil on it. Paired with its fawning attitude, it looked quite foolish.


    Little White, who was holding arge hazel grouse in its mouth, had a look of pure disdain on its face, as if it didn¡¯t want to acknowledge that this foolish fellow was its own younger brother.


    Yu Xiaocao stifled her urge tough and helped Little ck wipe off all of the dirt from its face. She rubbed itsrge head and generouslyplimented the wolf, ¡°Little ck is truly too talented. You were able to learn how to find ginseng so quickly. Tonight, I¡¯ll make sure to add an extra chicken leg to your food!¡±


    Little ck cracked open itsrge mouth, which made it look like it was grinning broadly. It used its ws to gently push at the ginseng it had dug up, telling its master to quickly put the ginseng away. Following that, it sent a look full of pride at Little White as if it was saying, ¡°Aren¡¯t you always showing off how capable you are ah? Being able to catch a hazel grouse! But look here, the master already said that tonight I¡¯m going to get an extra chicken leg. None will be going to you!¡±


    Su Ran could apparently tell what the wolf was thinking from its expressions and couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Lass, I feel like all of the pets you raise are like you. Hardworking and very interesting!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually want to receive apliment like that, alright ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao packed the ginseng away. Although she couldn¡¯t sell it for a sky high price, she could still use it to make some ginseng shampoo, conditioner, or add its essence to some skincare products. It was quite useful after all.


    [Not even a bit like a wolf! So shameful ah!!] The little divine stone truly disdained Little ck¡¯s actions, so it huffed at the animal. Then it remarked arrogantly, [This divine being won¡¯t quibble with these silly mortals. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m going to bring you to that ginseng that¡¯s over a thousand years old!]


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t restrain herself from cheering in glee. Her eyes shifted a bit under the bbergasted looks of Su Ran and Zhu Junyang as she smiled somewhat unnaturally. She pointed at the little golden kitten in her arms and stated in embarrassment, ¡°It looks like Little Glutinous Dumpling has sniffed out another herb. It¡¯s struggling so hard in my arms to get out ah!¡±


    ¡°Then let it out and have it bring us to it!¡± Zhu Junyang knew that the little divine stone had said something to her which caused the littless to react impolitely. Thus, he helped her hide this situation.


    ¡°Lass, this time when we came out, we originally nned on hunting. Looks like it¡¯s turned into a trip to help you find medicinal ingredients. You¡¯ve made quite a haul already, so don¡¯t forget to give us some spoils when we¡¯re done!¡± Su Ran looked back and forth between the two people as he quipped.


    Although Yu Xiaocao did love money, she wasn¡¯t a petty person. She generously said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah, when I get back, I¡¯ll personally make some nourishing and beautifying medicine. You will definitely get a good share!¡± Su Ran¡¯s expression changed for a brief second before it returned back to its usual tranquility, ¡°I¡¯ll happily take the nourishing medicine. As for the beautifying tonics, it¡¯s probably better if you give it to other people, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm! You¡¯re right! With your appearance and demeanor, you¡¯re truly one of the most handsome people in the capital. How could you possibly need...¡± Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue, acting like the mischievous kitten in her arms. She asionally also liked to show her ws.

 Chapter 590 – The Wounded

    <h4>Chapter 590 ¨C The Wounded</h4>


    Seeing that Su Ran¡¯s expression was about to break, Zhu Junyang hastily interjected for fear that he would get angry after being ¡®offended¡¯ by his littless, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the kitten discovered something? If it¡¯s another ginseng or reishi mushroom that¡¯s over a century old, then we have quite a good harvest today ah!¡±


    ¡®More than a century old ginseng? Humph! Humph! Hold onto your jaw lest you¡¯re so shockedter that it drops on your feet.¡¯ Yu Xiaocao wrinkled her nose and had a ¡®just wait and see¡¯ expression on her face.


    The little divine stone jumped out of Xiaocao¡¯s arms and quickly shuttled through the knee-deep grass. Su Ran was obviously interested in its abilities, but after being interrupted by Little ck, his desire to explore had extinguished quite a lot. He quickly followed behind the golden kitten to see what kind of new surprise it would bring them.


    The small golden kitten ran very fast, but with Zhu Junyang and Su Ran¡¯s skills, they were still more than capable of keeping up with it. It was apparent that it had slowed down to amodate these ¡®weak humans¡¯. As for Yu Xiaocao, who was an even weaker human in its eyes, she was held by Zhu Junyang, experiencing the feeling of flying without touching the grass.


    After a few turns in the mountain forest, they suddenly saw light in front of them. The dense forest disappeared, and a steep cliff appeared in front of them. The golden kitten stopped in its tracks and sniffed its nose. Then it turned towards a direction and galloped down the cliff towards the rocky valley.


    Yu Xiaocao, who was being held in a strong arm like a light cloth-bag, didn¡¯t feel good at all. She only felt a surge in her stomach, and the feeling of motion sickness that she hadn¡¯t felt in a long time came back to her. ¡®Why haven¡¯t we arrived yet? If this goes on, I¡¯m about to vomit!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang sensed Xiaocao¡¯s difort, so he quickly changed his posture to carry her princess-style, letting her head gently rest on his strong chest. Yu Xiaocao subconsciously hugged his neck and smiled pitifully at Zhu Junyang, who had lowered his head to look at her.


    Thess was so light that she was barely heavier than a bag of rice. When Zhu Junyang looked at thess¡¯s nearly transparent, pale face and the weak smile on her face, he felt a pain in his heart. When they returned to the capital, he had to find two capable assistants for thess to help her with the matters of her business and breeding.


    As a young girl who had just reached the age of fifteen, the noble maidens in the capital would only stay in the inner courtyard to embroider, raise flora, recite poems, and y the qin. They were still at an age of acting spoiled in front of their parents. Hisss, on the other hand, had too many burdens on her shoulders!


    It was so irresponsible of the emperor to put the burden of solving the problem of the people¡¯s livelihood on a young girl! Thess must be so stressed ah. She was so skinny that she barely had any meat on her body, and her waist was so thin that he could almost hug her fully with just one arm.


    When the matter of horse breeding at the stable was solved, he must present a memorial to the emperor to request him to not put so much pressure on his littless! Right now, they were familiar with the cultivation method of winter wheat and corn. The littless was also freed from theborious field work and able to do what she liked to do!


    Zhu Junyang was multitasking. He was thinking about how to help shoulder hisss¡¯s burden, while holding the delicate young girl and jumping on the rocks in the valley.


    In the silent valley, the fist-sized golden kitten leaped nimbly through the rocks. It was followed by two handsome men in ck and white. In the arms of the man dressed in ck was a clever-looking young maiden in a light-yellow dress. As for Xiaoliang and the two maidservants, Chunhua and Qiushi, they had long lost track of them.


    Suddenly, the golden kitten stopped in front of a steep cliff. It seemed to have sensed something when it slowly arched its body and quietly approached the disorderly gravel and grass. It looked like it would attack at any time.


    Zhu Junyang and Su Ran also noticed that something was off, so they stopped a short distance away. Zhu Junyang put Xiaocao down and softly told her to stay behind him and never be more than three steps away from him. Su Ran moved forward slowly with silent footsteps and an expression full of vignce.


    A sudden groan came from the dense grass in front of the golden kitten. The little divine stone stopped briefly, and then continued to slowly approach the injured human who was two steps away. Zhu Junyang and Su Ran looked at each other when they heard the sound. They didn¡¯t slow down and gradually got closer to the messy grass area.


    As they got closer, the scene in the grass appeared in front of them: an old man with gray hair and disheveled beard was lying in the rubble, as if he had just awoken from aa, with a painful expression on his face. His face and arms were covered with wounds, the corner of his mouth was stained with blood, and one of his legs was bent in an unnatural angle. In conclusion, the injury was quite serious ah!


    ¡°Ah! This old gentleman must have fallen from the cliff!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked around and saw a broken medicine box lying not too far from the injured old man. ¡®Uh! He¡¯s also of the same profession ah!¡¯


    [The thousand year old ginseng is on top of this mountain wall.] The little divine stone wasn¡¯t interested in the wounded, and weak humans couldn¡¯t arouse the slightest sympathy from it. Besides people and things rted to its master, what did other things have to do with it? It jumped several times and climbed onto the protruding rocks and small tree leaning out on the side. When it got on top of the cliff, it stopped beside the thousand year old ginseng.


    The thousand year old ginseng was definitely something that could only be found by ident and not by seeking. Of course, Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t let it get away! She looked at the two men beside her, and then said to Su Ran, ¡°Sir Su, would you please go up and get the medicinal herb?¡±


    Although she was merely an amateurish doctor, she couldn¡¯t ignore a patient lying in front of her. As for Zhu Junyang, he was currently guarding her in a protective stance. There was absolutely no way that she could persuade him to leave her alone with a stranger. Even if that person was unconscious from an injury. Thus, she could only ask Chief Steward Su to help.


    ¡°Alright! Leave it to me!¡± With a light jump, Su Ran hadnded on top of a rock that was several dozens of meters high. After he observed the surroundings, he jumped a few more times and gradually got closer to the golden kitten. Xiaocao was stunned as she looked on from below. His white robe fluttered as he nimbly jumped, appearing like an immortal who descended to the human realm. Sir Su was seriously too handsome and he was even more ethereal than white tofu!


    The scene in front of Xiaocao¡¯s, who was very amazed, eyes suddenly darkened. Her pair of sparkling eyes were covered by a hand. She shifted her gaze and saw Zhu Junyang¡¯s jealous eyes. She secretly stuck out her tongue¡ª¡ªher man¡¯s vinegar jar was toppled over again ah!


    Yu Xiaocao lowered her head and pretended to be busy checking the pulse of the old man lying on the ground. Then, with thebination of the external wounds, she concluded, ¡°He should have fallen off the cliff. There are multiple scratches on his body. His left leg is fractured, three ribs are broken on his right side, and there¡¯s an internal injury in his lungs...¡±


    It was hard to say whether the old man was fortunate or not! It was indeed unlucky of him to fall down the mountains when collecting medicinal herbs alone. However, he was considered quite lucky because he had encountered a group of people. Otherwise, he would have likely died from the serious injuries by lying here. Even if he didn¡¯t die of a serious injury, there was also the chance of him attracting a wild beast and being bitten to death!


    Yu Xiaocao took out a pill for internal injuries. She melted it with mystic-stone water, pinched the old man¡¯s mouth, and poured it down. Then she had Zhu Junyang cut down a wooden stick nearby to help secure the old man¡¯s injured leg. Fortunately, his ribs had just cracked, and weren¡¯t broken and dislocated. Otherwise, with her measly skills as a doctor, she really didn¡¯t know how to fix his bones.


    After taking care of the more serious injuries, Xiaocao asked Zhu Junyang to help apply Wound Balm on the old man. By the time all of this was done, the medicine and mystic-stone water that the old man consumed had begun to work. His pale face and painful expression had got better.


    As for Su Ran who had easily climbed the mountain, he was so shocked that his eyes were about to pop out. This small golden kitten was really something. It was actually able to find a thousand year old ginseng! The ginseng that it had just dug out was as thick as two fingers, and it was shaped like a human with a head and four limbs. Facial features could actually be vaguely seen on its head, and it actually had ¡®something¡¯ between its ¡®two legs¡¯! Perhaps this fellow might be a sprite in a few years!


    The little divine stone waited on the side with a calm expression. Not to mention this ginseng that had just taken a human shape, it had seen quite a lot of ginseng babies that had cultivated into sprites. At that time, it was cultivating beside Goddess Nuwa and the Goddess of Spirits often sent elixir pills over, so it didn¡¯t need to catch these mystical herb sprites to help with its cultivation.


    If there was a ginseng baby right now, it could help it recover decades of cultivation! It would definitely catch and eat it without hesitation! Unfortunately, the spiritual energy in this dimension was too sparse. To have the possibility of taking human form, it would have to be situated in an exceptional location and absorb the essences of the world for ten thousands of years. After all, the cultivation of nts was much more difficult than animals!


    While it was regretting that it didn¡¯t catch and save up some ginseng babies in the past, it didn¡¯t notice that it was being coveted by others. Su Ran¡¯s eyes, which were as deep as a pool of water, stared fixedly at the arrogant-looking golden kitten in front of him as he calcted his chance of winning against this ¡®evil creature¡¯. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to take it as his own, but instead he wanted to subdue it with force to gain its approval and asionally instruct it to work for him.


    As if it had sensed his intention, the golden kitten turned around and looked at him with obvious contempt. It seemed to be saying, ¡®If you want to subdue this Divine Stone, you need to cultivate for five thousand years first!¡¯ However, with the little spiritual energy in this world, it would be difficult for even the most talented cultivators to reach the next level of cultivation. Before the cultivator had even gotten a breakthrough, he would have already exhausted all his life force and gone to meet the King of Hell!


    Su Ran pondered for a moment and felt that he had a low chance of winning. He didn¡¯t know about the other aspects, but he was taken by surprise with the golden kitten¡¯s appalling speed. One with strength could take on ten people, but one with speed could defeat ten strong men. Therefore, it was indeed quite tricky!


    He wrapped the human-shaped ginseng with a silk handkerchief and held it carefully in his hands. He rxed his body and used a few rocks as a point of leverage to gently drift down the towering cliff.

 Chapter 591 – Human Skin Mask

    <h4>Chapter 591 ¨C Human Skin Mask</h4>


    At this time, the injured old man had just woken up. He was lying on the ground and just happened to see the scene of the white-clothed Su Ran descending from the sky. He was shocked, thinking that he had seen an immortal.


    ¡®Oh my! They all say that there are immortals in the deep mountain. I actually met one!¡¯ Xu Ziyi¡¯s eyes were wide open, and his mouth formed an ¡®O¡¯ shape.


    Su Rannded lightly on the ground, and when he noticed his line of sight, he looked at him indifferently. With this nce, he not only frowned, but he also stepped forward and stared at the old man¡¯s wrinkled face for a long time.


    Xu Ziyi swallowed his saliva nervously. When he made eye contact with the questioning eyes of the ¡®immortal in white¡¯, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡®Immortals are indeed immortals. All of my disguises are useless in the other party¡¯s keen eyes.¡¯


    Just as this thought crossed his mind, something shed past his eyes and he felt a sudden pain on his face. The words ¡®sure enough¡¯ appeared within Xu Ziyi¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s the legendary human skin mask!!¡± A voice that was as crisp as an orioleing out of a valley sounded above his head, and then a face as delicate as a fairy¡¯s appeared in front of him. Wow! It was indeed true that the immortals and fairies in the mountains lived together harmoniously ah!


    Yu Xiaocao was both surprised and curious in her heart. She took the mask that was as thin as a cicada¡¯s wings in Su Ran¡¯s hands. The texture of the lines on the skin was very apparent, and even the long, white beard seemed to have grown out naturally from the mask. No wonder that she didn¡¯t notice anything despite examining his injuries for so long.


    ¡°Sir Su, how did you know that his face was fake?¡± Yu Xiaocao examined the mask over and over again, but still didn¡¯t see any ws.


    Before Su Ran could reply, Zhu Junyang had interjected, ¡°Even for twins, everyone¡¯s face shape, facial bones and facial muscles can¡¯t be exactly the same. No matter how delicately-made the masks are, it¡¯s still hard to perfectly fit the skin. However, this mask can be regarded as the product of a master craftsman. If I hadn¡¯t noticed that the skin on his body was different from his face when I was applying medicine on him earlier, I would have really been fooled!¡±


    ¡°So you also noticed that there was something wrong with him ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao curiously tried to put the mask on her own face.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want thess to have close contact with something that another man had worn, so he hastily scared her, ¡°In order to be delicate and realistic, many human skin masks are peeled off directly from the faces of living people, and then processed...¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡ªsh*t!¡± Yu Xiaocao was disgusted by his description. She immediately threw the mask in her hands away, as if it was a hot potato. Su Ran caught it with his empty hand.


    ¡°Skinning people alive! This guy is definitely a bad guy. Didn¡¯t all the good medicine that I just gave him ended up being fed to a dog?¡± Yu Xiaocao wiped her hands, which just held the mask, on the back of Zhu Junyang¡¯s ck clothes. If there was water nearby, she would certainly rush over to wash her hands until ayer of skin fell off!


    ¡°Hey! Before the court convicts someone, he must be brought to trial first! You guys are just making up an unjust and fake case!¡± Xu Ziyi propped himself up with one hand and slowly sat up from the ground while he covered his injured ribs with his other hand.


    He checked his own pulse and felt as if there was something repairing him. He found that his internal injury, which was quite serious, seemed to be 30% healed. Then he looked at the wound on his arm. The small scratches had already formed scabs and the bigger wounds had already stopped bleeding...


    Xu Ziyi had a somewhat entric personality, but after hearing their conversation just now, there was no way that he hadn¡¯t realized that he was just imagining things. How could there be immortals and fairies? They were just experts with deceptive looks. Ahem, of course, the so-called experts that he mentioned also included the young maiden with an innocent expression.


    But, ording to her words, were his injuries healed by her medicine? Also, although the technique wasn¡¯t very professional, the broken bone on his leg had indeed been straightened and secured with two wooden sticks. However, he wouldn¡¯tin too much about her technique. He was mostly curious about what kind of medicine the young girl used. It was actually even more effective than the medicine made personally by his grandfather, who was the master of Medicine King Valley.


    Xu Ziyi hadn¡¯t expected that during the brief moment he was in a daze, he would be used of the evil crime of ¡®skinning people alive¡¯. What a joke! He was the dignified heir of Medicine King Valley who was known respectfully as ¡®Divine Physician¡¯ in the jianghu and a genius in making medicine and medical studies. There was no way that he was going to ept this false usation.


    ¡°There¡¯s solid evidence here, so what more can you say?¡± Yu Xiaocao pointed at the mask in Su Ran¡¯s hands with a look of disgust. She didn¡¯t want to touch it at all. The apparent look in her eyes made it seem like he was a heinous person, which made Xu Ziyi so angry that he was about to spit out blood.


    Xu Ziyi gently rubbed his chest, which felt painfully stuffy. Just as he was about to say something, he felt a sudden surge in his chest and spitted out a mouthful of fishy liquid, leaving dark red marks on the ground. The stuffy feeling in his chest had disappeared and his whole body had rxed much more. However, he pointed at the blood that he spit out in a frivolous manner and usinglyined to the innocent-looking girl, ¡°Look! I spat out blood because of you. How are you going topensate me?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao curled up his lips, tsked, and said, ¡°Are you trying to fool a child? That¡¯s clearly the extravasated blood from your internal injury. This proves that the medicine that I just gave you has worked! As a doctor, you don¡¯t even understand this. Are you a ¡®quack¡¯?¡±


    The young master of Medicine King Valley, who was ranked within the top three in terms of medical skills, was actually called a ¡®quack¡¯ by a young girl. Xu Ziyi didn¡¯t know whether he should be angry or amused!


    ¡°Youngss, when I started studying medicine, you were still drinking milk in your mother¡¯s arms!¡± He took in a deep breath and became even more convinced that the medicine that he took when he was unconscious was a sacred product of medicine. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Lass, what medicine did you give me earlier? Do you have anymore? Can you show me?¡±


    ¡°Why should I tell a bad guy like you? You still haven¡¯t honestly exined the matter of the human skin mask!¡± Like an angry kitten, Yu Xiaocao red at the handsome young man with her big almond-shaped eyes. ¡®This annoying guy, who¡¯s still drinking milk in her mother¡¯s arms? You¡¯re not much older than this maiden, okay?¡¯


    If Xu Ziyi knew her inner thoughts, he would definitely be amused and annoyed. He didn¡¯t know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing to have a baby face. He was almost thirty years old, yet he still looked like a beardless young man who was too immature to handle important matters. Hence, when he went out to see patients, he had to wear a mask and pretend to be mysterious. He hadn¡¯t expected that this mask would cause such trouble for him!


    ¡°Does a human skin mask have to be made with human skin? Can you have somemon sense?¡± Xu Ziyi red at the handsome man in ck, who had an indifferent expression on his face and was acting as if nothing had happened. His troubles were all caused by this guy¡¯s nderous words!


    Yu Xiaocao had a ¡®stop making excuses¡¯ expression on her face as she said, ¡°If it¡¯s not made with human skin, then why is it called ¡®human skin mask¡¯? Say it! Do you guys also make human skinnterns...and so on!¡± Yu Xiaocao got goosebumps from her own words. She couldn¡¯t help but rub her own arms and move closer to Zhu Junyang.


    ¡°Littless, aren¡¯t your imaginations too wild? This isn¡¯t some ghost story, so why would I need a human skinntern?¡± Xu Ziyi was dumbfounded. It was true that ¡®a tiger who went down the mountains would be bullied by dogs¡¯. As the respectable ¡®Divine Physician¡¯, who wouldn¡¯t give him some face in the jianghu? Now he was being questioned unreasonably again and again by a young girl. Who did he offend ah?


    Yu Xiaocao blinked her big eyes several times and said with rich imaginations, ¡°Who knows what you¡¯re going to do with a human skinntern? Evil organizations like yours do all sorts of bad things. You people purposely do things that are ridiculous and harmful to others!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being wronged ah! What great injustice ah! Howe I didn¡¯t know that Medicine King Valley had turned into an evil sect that specializes in doing bad things?¡± Xu Ziyi felt like a schr who had met a soldier¡ª¡ªthey couldn¡¯tmunicate with each other.


    ¡°Medicine King Valley? You¡¯re really backed by a jianghu sect?¡± With a ¡®you¡¯ve been caught by me¡¯ expression on her face, Yu Xiaocao excitedly said, ¡°Is Medicine King Valley the kind of sect that specializes in making all kinds of poisonous and malicious drugs? For example, the ¡®Bone Dispersion Powder¡¯ that can turn people into a puddle of dead water when exposed to one¡¯s skin, or the ¡®Aging in a Flick of the Fingers¡¯ that makes people grow old instantly. Another example is the colorless and tasteless ¡®Seven-step Heartbreak Powder¡¯, which can kill people in seven steps. There¡¯s also the ¡®Crazy Laughter¡¯ that causes people tough until they die...¡±


    Hearing the young girl¡¯s nonsensical words, Zhu Junyang and Su Ran looked at her with a gaze full of helplessness, shock, and powerlessness.


    Xu Ziyi, on the other hand, looked very excited and acted crazy with her, ¡°The ¡®Bone Dispersion Powder¡¯ you mentioned sounds very vicious. Quickly tell me, what happened? Did you see someone using the ¡®Bone Dispersion Powder¡¯? Also, that ¡®Aging in a Flick of the Fingers¡¯, is there an antidote for it? If there is, can you give me one so that I don¡¯t have to cover my face with a mask everyday...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act funny with me! Stop trying to change the topic!! Right now, we¡¯re interrogating you about this human skin mask. Why are you talking about all these irrelevant things?!¡± As soon as Yu Xiaocao heard the word ¡®mask¡¯, she immediately continued to interrogate him in a serious manner, ¡°Say it! Which pitiful old man¡¯s face did you peel off to get this human skin mask?¡±


    Xu Ziyi rolled his eyes at the sky. Who was the one who changed the topic? After drawing out his curiosity, thess shifted back to the topic of ¡®human skin masks¡¯. This caused his curious heart to be suspended in midair, which felt very ufortable.


    ¡°This mask was made from the silk of the silkworms raised in Medicine King Valley. It¡¯s breathable and realistic. The beard on the mask is from a goat¡¯s beard. It can¡¯t be said that there are no such things as peeling off human skins to make masks in the jianghu, but our Medicine King Valley has always been proud and confident in our status. We won¡¯t do such cruel things...aiya! It¡¯s useless to tell you, noble young masters and maiden, the matters of the jianghu! I don¡¯t care if you guys believe me or not!¡± Xu Ziyi expressed his helplessness and had a ¡®go-for-broke¡¯ expression on his face.

 Chapter 592 – Fated or Not Fated

    <h4>Chapter 592 ¨C Fated or Not Fated</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao turned around fiercely and red at Zhu Junyang. He had misled her and caused her to be embarrassed in front of a stranger! She took the realistic-looking mask, which was as thin as a cicada¡¯s wings, and carefully stroked the lines on the mask with her hands. It actually felt the same as the texture of one¡¯s skin. Even the so-called goatee on the mask was wless!


    ¡°How many of these human skin masks do you have? Are there any suitable for a girl to wear? I want to buy it from you!!¡± Yu Xiaocao also wanted to buy a mask to wear. She could go out to y in disguise or scare her close friends. It seemed like a very cool idea!


    With a helpless expression on his face, Xu Ziyi sighed and said, ¡°The more exquisite the mask is, the more difficult it is to make it. Not to mention the rare and fine materials used for the masks to ensure that others won¡¯t be able to see the ws, but it might also take over a year to make a mask based on the bone structure and expression of a person¡¯s face. I was afraid that people would question my medical skills because of my young face, so I asked a master craftsman in the valley to make a mask for me. This one isn¡¯t considered a superior quality, otherwise, this brother wouldn¡¯t have seen through it with one nce!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong! The most top-quality human skin mask is one that can be worn by anyone and won¡¯t be seen through!¡± Su Ran looked at the mask. Like the person in front of him said, it indeed could only be considered an ordinary mask that was capable of fooling ordinary people. But it would be very difficult to fool experienced people in the jianghu.


    Xu Ziyi was very surprised at this person¡¯s familiarity with the affairs of the jianghu. He continued, ¡°The mask that you mentioned can only be made by Heavenly Mechanic. It¡¯s a pity that the old gentleman passed away a long time ago. All the masks he made were burned before he died, lest they fall into the hands of the bad guys and be used to do evil, and thus ruining the old gentleman¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°All burned? Not necessarily!¡± Seeing that Xiaocao had lost interest in the mask, Su Ran decided to return it to the owner. After all, Medicine King Valley had a good reputation in the jianghu. There were many talented people in the sect, especially in terms of medical skills. It was possible that they might need their help in the future, so it was necessary to maintain a good rtionship.


    Xu Ziyi took the mask and casually stuffed it into his chest pocket. Then he nodded his head and said, ¡°I also think that the old gentleman¡¯s manuscripts should still exist somewhere in the jianghu, but no one would easily show such a treasure.¡±


    Su Ran lifted his eyebrows but didn¡¯t say anything more. He handed the ginseng wrapped in a handkerchief to Xiaocao. Since they came down the cliff, the little kitten had been eyeing him, as if it was guarding against him from taking the thousand year ginseng. He wasn¡¯t so greedy as to ruin his own reputation for a mere thousand year ginseng. Over the years, his subordinates had offered him countless good items as a show of respect. Thus, even a rare old ginseng might not catch his eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao uncovered the handkerchief and casually nced at the ginseng inside, revealing a money-grubber smile. She took out a wooden box from the medicine box and put the handkerchief-wrapped ginseng inside. Xu Ziyi, who had a nose that wasparable to a dog¡¯s, gently sniffled his nose as he anxiously watched her put the ginseng that caused him to fall off the cliff into her medicine box.


    ¡°You¡¯re...using an ordinary wooden box to store the thousand year ginseng. Isn¡¯t that too careless? Treasures like this must be stored in jade boxes, otherwise, they would lose their medicinal properties!¡± Although he knew that he wasn¡¯t fated to obtain this ginseng, Xu Ziyi couldn¡¯t help but remind her.


    Before Yu Xiaocao stored medicinal herbs, she would have the little divine stone use its magic on them in advance. The little divine stone would cover the medicinal herbs with ayer of spiritual energy. Not only did it prevent the medical properties from dispersing, but it could also enhance its effects. But this was a secret that couldn¡¯t be known by others.


    Her eyes shifted around, and then she bent down and looked at Xu Ziyi with a smile, saying, ¡°So you have a jade box ah! Let me borrow it?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Xu Ziyi had originally nned on lending her a jade box, but when he saw her forceful and self-confident manner, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m your life savior ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a matter of course expression on her face, ¡°Don¡¯t you, noble and righteous sects, ¡®repay a drop of water with a spring of water¡¯? I won¡¯t make you repay the favor of saving your life. Let¡¯s consider you giving me a few jade boxes as a show of gratitude for my kindness. How about that?¡±


    It turned out that his status as the heir of Medicine King Valley was only worth a few jade boxes! Xu Ziyi didn¡¯t know whether he should be happy or depressed!


    ¡°There¡¯s also the saying ¡®bestow favors without expecting repayments¡¯ for upright gentlemen in the jianghu. What do you think about that?¡± Xu Ziyi suddenly thought that it was quite interesting to argue with this littless!


    ¡°That¡¯s something people in the jianghu says, and I¡¯m not someone from the jianghu. Moreover, I don¡¯t want to be an upright gentleman. I just want to be a quiet and cute youngdy!¡± The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face became even broader as she roasted in her heart, ¡®Don¡¯t people say that people of the jianghu are vigorous and unrestrained, and spend money recklessly? Why is this guy such a miser? He¡¯s not even willing to give away a few jade boxes!¡¯


    Xu Xiyi was rendered speechless by her. He took in a deep breath and waved his hand as he said, ¡°The jade boxes are in my medicine box. I don¡¯t know if they have been broken from the fall. I¡¯m injured, so please get it yourself!! Ay! I¡¯m too unlucky today. I finally found a thousand year ginseng, but I got hurt because I didn¡¯t take precautions against the beast that was guarding it. I fell off the cliff and almost died, yet the thousand year ginseng ended up in others¡¯ hands!¡±


    ¡°You fell down because you were trying to get this ginseng?¡± Yu Xiaocao searched through the medicine box that Zhu Junyang picked up for her, and as expected, found several jade boxes of different sizes. This medicine box must have hung on a branch when it fell. There wasn¡¯t any damage to the things inside, and the jade boxes were perfectly fine.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Xu Ziyi lifelessly pointed at the poisonous snake not too far away that was thicker than Xiaocao¡¯s arm. Although it was already dismembered, it looked quite frightening. At least Xiaocao felt the hairs on her body all rise up.


    Yu Xiaocao giggled and said, ¡°It seems like we picked up a great benefit! Should we share half the ginseng with you?¡±


    A thousand year ginseng may be rare, but there was no shortage of stock in Medicine King Valley¡¯s well-stocked storehouse. Xu Ziyi was more curious about what kind of internal injury medicine she gave him. It had such a miraculous effect.


    ¡°No thanks, but if you feel bad about it, then you can give me another medicinal pill. I still feel some pain in my chest, which should be an indication that my internal injury isn¡¯tpletely healed.¡± A hint of craftiness shed through Xu Ziyi¡¯s eyes.


    Yu Xiaocao put the ginseng into the jade box and carefully ced it in her own medicine box. When she heard his words, she looked at him with a spurious smile and said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel sorry at all! Cherish precious herbs, and those who are destined will get it. Although you were the first to discover this ginseng, we were the ones who ended picking it. It can only be said that you¡¯re not fated to obtain this ginseng!¡±


    Xu Ziyi nearly vomited blood. Thisss was really good at irritating people. Inparison, his arrogant younger sister was much cuter.


    ¡°Even if you disregard the fact that I helped you deal with the poisonous snake, can¡¯t you help me to the end and give me another medicinal pill?¡± Xu Ziyi desperately wanted to get his hands on the holy medicine for injuries. With his keen eyes and familiarity with the properties of medicine, he should be able to figure out the ingredients and develop the prescription.


    Yu Xiaocao nted her eyes at him and snorted, ¡°Stop pretending! The dead can be brought back to life with just one pill of the holy medicine passed down by my ancestors! What¡¯s more, sacred medicines like this will decrease with each usage! My ancestors had only passed down three pills!! My heart is already aching after wasting one on you, aplete stranger. Do you think that I will be so foolish as to let you trick me into giving you another one?¡±


    ¡°Tsk! Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?! It turns out that this young master¡¯s trick to appear pitiful just made myself look like a clown your eyes?¡± Xu Ziyi quietly told himself inwardly, ¡®Don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao giggled and said, ¡°Since you worked so hard in your performance, this maiden will reward you with a bottle of wound balm! Don¡¯t underestimate this wound balm. It¡¯s used by the imperial army and its effect is ten times better than normal wound medications!¡±


    The effects of the enhanced wound balm had been strengthened by spiritual energy, but its ingredients were not much different than ordinary wound medications. Therefore, she wasn¡¯t afraid of others wanting to get their hands on it.


    Xu Ziyi had also heard of the wound balms provided by the imperial army. He had long wanted to bring a couple bottles back to study it. However, there was a gentlemen¡¯s agreement between Medicine King Valley and the imperial court. Thus, it was difficult for him to make a rash action. This wasn¡¯t bad either. Even if he couldn¡¯t get the internal injury medication, it was also good to get a bottle of wound balm.


    ¡°Thank you very much then!¡± After all, Xu Ziyi hadn¡¯tpletely recovered from his serious injury. After squabbling with Xiaocao for so long, he couldn¡¯t support himself anymore and leaned weakly against a rock. His somewhat young-looking baby face was ghastly pale.


    ¡°Master! We finally caught up with you guys!!¡± Hou Xiaoliang and the two maidservants, Chunhua and Qiushi, finally caught up to their masters. They sat down on a stone and gasped for their breath.


    Zhu Junyang had long been upset that hisss¡¯s attention had been taken by another man. Without waiting for Hou Xiaoliang to catch his breath, he ordered, ¡°This gentleman¡¯s leg is injured. Go make a stretcher with Qiushi, and then carry him back to the vige to recuperate.¡±


    ¡®Ah?! Weren¡¯t they going to hunt for bears and tigers?¡¯ Hou Xiaoliang cried in his heart, and then looked towards Xu Ziyi with a bit of resentment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore! We¡¯re going to return in two days. Remember that this gentleman¡¯s ribs and leg are injured, so he shouldn¡¯t be moved carelessly. Be careful when lifting him up!¡± In the spirit of humanitarianism, Yu Xiaocao casually advised. Just as she finished speaking, she was pulled away by the vinegar jar, Zhu Junyang.


    ¡°In the past few days, you have gotten a good harvest of medicinal herbs! The winter arrives earlier at the northern borders, but you didn¡¯t bring much thick clothing. This prince will hunt some furs for you to bring back to make clothes!¡± Zhu Junyang took her to the deep mountains. Su Ran followed them with a knowing expression, leaving behind Xu Ziyi, who had a sad expression on his face as if he had been abandoned by them.


    ¡°You actually have a discontented look on your face! I¡¯m the one who should be discontented!! I came out to have fun with my master, but now I have to do hardbor!!¡± Hou Xiaoliang pulled a long face and grumbled angrily.

 Chapter 593 – Devilish?

    <h4>Chapter 593 ¨C Devilish?</h4>


    Chunhua, the only one who wasn¡¯t called on, looked at them with a helpless gaze. Then she hurriedly followed her master and protected her closely.


    In the following days, both Yu Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang were very satisfied with their harvest. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s medicine box was almost stuffed full. In addition to the old ginsengs and reishi mushrooms, there were also quite a lot of valuable medicinal herbs such as Gastrodia ta, acanthopanax root, Chinese gentian root, five-vor berry, pine leaf, and so on. She collected everything that she wanted in her medicine box.


    Now, the full medicine box was being carried by Chunhua. The box was quite heavy, and thus no longer something that her thin, weak shoulders could bear!


    As for Zhu Junyang, he was hung up on getting furs. Speaking of furs, she had to mention the mink fur. The three treasures of the Northeast were ginseng, mink fur, and Carex meyeriana sedge. As one of the three treasures of the Northeast, mink fur was known as ¡®the king of furs¡¯. Mink fur belonged in the category of fine furs. It had excellent quality pelts and was soft and sturdy. The dense fur also had a lustrous color. Fur garments made of it were graceful and luxurious, and thus it was loved by the noblewomen in the capital.


    However, no matter if it was the sable, ferret, or marten, the colors of their furs were too decorous. It was only suitable for the older noblewomen. If a young girl like Xiaocao wore it, she would appear old-fashioned. But that was okay! Zhu Junyang had found a kind of ferret in the forest with pure, snow-white fur. If hisss wore it, she would definitely look very cute!


    As a result, the nightmare of the ferrets in the forest had begun. In particr, therger male ferrets with fuller furs were almostpletely wiped out. Had Xiaocao not stopped him, the ferrets in the forest would have been hunted to extinction by Zhu Junyang! Looking at the pile of snow-white fur, Yu Xiaocao felt an apologetic sense of guilt.


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t understand her feelings. In his opinion, the value of game was either to be used as food or their fur. There was no need forpassion. In addition to minks, he also hunted a lot of silver foxes, ck foxes, and red foxes.


    Zhu Junyang still wasn¡¯t satisfied because the purpose of this trip was to hunt tigers and ck bears. But, after wandering in the mountain for several days, they didn¡¯t even encounter a single beast. This was a very lucky thing for other hunters, but in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, it had be bad luck!


    He swept his slightly resentful eyes towards the ck and white figures, who were guarding Xiaocao step by step. Perhaps it was to prevent unnecessary trouble and affect her mood of collecting medicinal herbs, but after they entered the mountains, Xiaocao had the two disy their imposing force, which scared away many beasts.


    Sometimes, they had clearly entered the territory of some fierce beast, but the two giant wolves, Little ck and Little White, had been raised with mystic-stone water and emitted a powerful force. Even a fierce tiger wasn¡¯t a match for them and would avoid confronting them. Who would daree out to touch their ¡®tiger whiskers¡¯?


    When they decided to leave the mountains, Zhu Junyang suggested to thess to have the two wolves restrain themselves a bit. In this way, he might be able to get a tiger pelt mattress or bear fur nket for her. Xiaocao patted the heads of the two little fellows and let them go hunting freely in the mountains. She also reminded them to be careful. If they encountered a beast that they couldn¡¯t beat, they should run away and avoid getting hurt.


    Zhu Junyang rolled his eyes in his heart. When the two wolves were together, he reckoned that it was impossible to find anyone who could harm them in the human realm. They would have to search for one among the demonic beasts in the celestial realm.


    The two ck and white figures charged into the mountains like dragons entering the sea. Little ck was focused on medicinal herbs. During the past few days, its master had collected a lot of good herbs and it could also recognize the smell of several herbs. Every time it saw one, it would dig it out with its paws and bring it back to its master to get credit for its aplishment.


    Little White, on the other hand, was inspired by Zhu Junyang and ran deeper into the mountains to find animals with lustrous, dense fur. After a few trials, it had developed a skill¡ª¡ªto bite the prey¡¯s neck without damaging its fur. At this time, the furs it hunted back were mostly intact.


    Under this out of control situation, Xiaocao¡¯s luggage had seriously exceeded the standard weight on the way back. In addition to the few boxes of medicinal herbs she collected herself, there were piles of precious tanned furs. They really couldn¡¯t carry them all back, so with no other choice, they bought two carriages from the nearby town to transport the furs back. Xiaocao jokingly thought, ¡®I can open a fur shop when I get back to the capital!¡¯


    When they came out of the mountains, they didn¡¯t return on the same route. Instead, they opened up a new path. They had taken a longer detour, so they returned a few dayster than expected.


    As dusk approached on this day, one could look through the dense branches and leaves and vaguely catch a glimpse of the red clouds in the sky. The forest, which wasn¡¯t very bright originally, had gradually dimmed. Zhu Junyang found a dry cave in the mountains not too far away. They worked together to clean the rocks and dead branches inside, and then smoked the cave with herbs to prevent the appearance of poisonous snakes and insects.


    With Chunhua, Yu Xiaocao picked up some dead branches nearby to be used as firewood and made a fire in the cave. After getting a jug of water from the nearby mountain stream, they boiled it on the fire and made a cup of herbal tea for everyone. With a light fragrance of medicinal herbs, one would have a warm feeling when drinking the tea. It helped drive all the fatigue on one¡¯s body.


    Although they were in the deep mountains these past few days, they had the master chef, Xiaocao, with them. Therefore, they didn¡¯t have to suffer in terms of food. If others saw them right now, they would have thought that they hade to y instead of hunting in the mountains.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go around and see if I can hunt a hazel grouse!¡± Zhu Junyang knew that thess loved to drink fresh and richly vored hazel grouse soup. In the past, Little White was responsible for hunting the hazel grouse, but this fellow wasn¡¯t ¡®doing its job¡¯ these past few days. They hadn¡¯t eaten hazel grouse meat for two to three days.


    Yu Xiaocao agreed with his suggestion. The meat of a hazel grouse was white, tender, and nutritious. No matter if it was roasted or used to make soup, it was a rare delicacy. In her past life, hazel grouse had be an endangered species and was listed as a protected animal. Thus, she had no chance to try the delicious taste of the hazel grouse. In this life, she had satisfied her desire for good food.


    ¡°Lass, Little ck and Little White aren¡¯t here, so don¡¯t casually wander around. If you want to go out, you must have Chunhua apany you. Chief Steward Su, I must trouble you to take care of her!¡± After they entered the deep mountains, Zhu Junyang had turned into a loyal knight, never leaving Xiaocao¡¯s side. If he needed to leave, he would warn her repeatedly, lest the bold littless unknowingly get herself into a dangerous situation again.


    ¡°Just go! I¡¯m seriously tired of hearing you say that! Am I someone who would leave thess in a dangerous situation?¡± A hint of impatience appeared on Su Ran¡¯s handsome and refined face.


    ¡®You, Royal Prince Yang, aren¡¯t the only one worried about thess¡¯s safety. The cold-faced demon king, who has always been cold and resolute, has turned into a super nanny in front of the person he liked. He would only feel assured if he can have her tightly secured on himself. I¡¯m seriously defeated by him. He¡¯s too cheesy!!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang ignored his ridicule and anxiously whispered to the young girl, who he was constantly worried about, ¡°When I¡¯m not around, you must not provoke Chief Steward Su. He¡¯s not as harmless as he appears, okay?¡±


    With a confused face, Yu Xiaocao protested, ¡°When did I ever provoke Sir Su? Don¡¯t wrongly use me!¡±


    ¡°Just...don¡¯t tease him about his appearance. That¡¯s taboo for Chief Steward Su. The grass on the grave of thest person who joked about his appearance is already very tall now. So be careful. When I¡¯m away, you must remember to not mention the topic of his good looks!¡± Zhu Junyang was so frightened by thess¡¯s unintentional actions that he broke out in cold sweat every time. Even if he was present, he still may not be able to handle Chief Steward Su¡¯s anger. Fortunately, Chief Steward Su never lowered himself to thess¡¯s level!


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with praising someone¡¯s good looks? I also oftenpliment you for looking very devilish, enchanting, and bewitching... Did you ever have the urge to hit me?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a very innocent expression on her face.


    Zhu Junyang grinded his teeth inwardly, and the expression on his handsome face was somewhat stiff as he replied in a stiff tone, ¡°Yes! Had it been someone else, this prince would have smacked him to death! Also, how is that praising me? Can¡¯t youpliment me with some positive words?¡±


    ¡°In my heart, those are all positive words ah! They are such apt descriptions ah. Your face is enough to bring disaster to the country and the people...¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s big, round eyes were opened wide, and her long eyshes flickered. Her expression appeared very innocent.


    Su Ran, who had profound martial arts skills, naturally also heard their conversation. At the beginning, he felt relieved with Zhu Junyang¡¯s warning. However, unlike what Royal Prince Yang had said, he wouldn¡¯t actually do anything to the young girl.


    But, a grown man...cough cough. Well, although he wasn¡¯t aplete man now, he had always regarded himself as a man in his heart. Coupled with his unpleasant experiences before and after he entered the pce, his handsome appearance had be a burden to him. Therefore, he could never feel happy to be praised as good-looking by a young girl, even if she was very sincere.


    However, he seriously didn¡¯t understand what thisss was thinking. Compared with the words she used to describe him such as ¡®like an immortal¡¯, ¡®elegant and outstanding¡¯, and ¡®gentle like a jade¡¯, it seemed like Royal Prince Yang had it worse than him. Here, what exactly were these descriptions: devilish, enchanting, bewitching. Now, she also added a ¡®bring disaster to the country and the people¡¯! His heart finally felt better now!


    Zhu Junyang lowered his head to look down at the pair of clear, innocent eyes in front of him. A sense of helplessness shed over his heart. He red at Chief Steward Su, who was sniggering at the side, and then said to thess in a lowered voice, ¡°Stop! Why does this prince feel that your words are descriptions for a ¡®gorgeous enchantress¡¯? Devilish... Do you think that I¡¯m a fox demon from the mountains?¡±


    ¡°In my heart, you¡¯re exactly a man of unrivalled beauty. The term ¡®devilish¡¯ isn¡¯t what you think it means. It¡¯s used to describe the beauty of men! Anyway, I¡¯m just praising you for being good-looking, beautiful, and breathtaking!¡± Yu Xiaocao realized that there was a generational gap between ancient people and modern people, so she hastily exined.


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 594 – Lost Pearl?

    <h4>Chapter 594 ¨C Lost Pearl?</h4>


    Zhu Junyang felt even more helpless. He was a grown man, so could he not ept these pliments¡¯? However, he felt a somewhat speechless sense of rejoice in regard to thess¡¯s ¡®lust for beauty¡¯, ¡®Fortunately, his appearance was enough to get favor with thess. Otherwise, his road of pursuing his wife would be much longer and more arduous.¡¯


    ¡°Alright! In the future, just think about these adjectives in your mind and don¡¯t say them out loud, okay?¡± Zhu Junyang took the second-best option and made this small request.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even praise you when we¡¯re alone?¡± How could he refuse when faced with thess¡¯s slightly pouted mouth, cute dimples, and innocent gaze? When they were alone in private? Well, he would just take it as a small amusement between themselves.


    When he turned to leave, Xiaocao made a funny face at his back, ¡®Young fellow, do you think I don¡¯t know how to deal with you?!¡¯ It seemed like there would be expected gains from acting cute on asions.


    ¡°You, thisss!¡± Holding his personal cup in his hands, Su Ran took a sip of the fragrant tea and shook his head with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Royal Prince Yang, who has always been calm and wise, would actually be under theplete control of you, this little girl. Is this considered ¡®there is also one thing to ovee another¡¯?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao withdrew her arrogant expression and calmly replied to Sir Su¡¯s teasing, ¡°In the rtionship between two people, the matter of who subdues whom doesn¡¯t exist. ¡®Love¡¯ makes people change themselves to yield to others. Sometimes, I feel very lucky to be the person who made him change. However, more often than not, I feel that this luck is just an illusion and the person who ends up getting hurt will be me...¡±


    Su Ran sensed her worry about losing, so he hastily withdrew the joking expression on his face and gently rubbed the young girl¡¯s hair. In regard to ¡®rtionships¡¯, he was aplete nk sheet of paper. He had long lost the right to like others, and it was even more difficult for him to understand the mentality of people who were drifting in the feelings of love. He could only advise her in a somewhat listless manner, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it! I have a keen eye for people. Royal Prince Yang definitely isn¡¯t a fickle person! What¡¯s more, the emperor has mentioned promoting the awareness of women¡¯s rights many times. He appointed you as an official to encourage women living the shadow of men to boldlye out and show themselves! In a woman¡¯s world, there shouldn¡¯t only be the deep inner courtyard and love. Instead, they should face a broader world. The emperor said that women aren¡¯t subordinates of anyone, and that the ¡®the three injunctions and four virtues¡¯ is nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mood changed very quickly. She turned to look at Su Ran and asked, ¡°If the emperor dared to say this in front of those old fogies, do you think it would cause those old officials toin in tears, and even ¡®make threats of suicide to show their stance¡¯?¡±


    Seeing that she was no longer bemoaning her own fate, Su Ran¡¯s worried heart rxed, ¡°The emperor¡¯s idea is good, but after all, the view of ¡®men being superior to women¡¯ had been around for thousands of years. Thus, it¡¯s not something that can be changed overnight. However, with you as a role model now, many women havee out to disy their talents in various aspects. I heard that the second madam of the Zhou Family asked for several shops from her son and has managed them quite well. Her skills in business have been unanimously affirmed by the Zhou Family!¡±


    Second madam of the Zhou Family? Wasn¡¯t that Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s mother? She hadn¡¯t expected that the gentle and amiable noble madam, who usually grew flora and raised pets, would actually have the talent and potential to be a career woman!


    ¡°Sir Su, what¡¯s your opinion on this? Do you think, like most men, that women are meddling in politics and causing absurdity, and thus will bring disaster?¡± Since Yu Xiaocao took office in the Ministry of Revenue, she had heard a lot of these remarks. Fortunately, she had the strong heart of a modern person, so the public opinion couldn¡¯t influence her enough to make her lose confidence in herself.


    ¡°Man?¡± Su Ran mulled over the word for a moment, and then revealed a somewhat pitiful-looking bitter smile, ¡°Even an iplete person like me can be entrusted with important matters by the emperor. There are numerous women with knowledge and ability in the world. Why can¡¯t they have the opportunity to show their own talents?¡±


    Looking at Su Ran¡¯s handsome face, the mncholy and sadness that seeped deep into his bones caused Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart to feel a tearing pain as if it was seized by someone, ¡°Sir Su, you have always been an upstanding and dauntless man in my heart! Because you are loyal, capable, resolute, clever, and wise... You have all the qualities of a true man! I believe the emperor also thinks of you in the same way. You¡¯re not only his subordinate and official, but you¡¯re also his indispensable right-hand man. Not just a mere friend or confidant, but more than that. You¡¯re someone who he can show his back to withplete trust!¡±


    Su Ran turned around and stared at the young girl for a long time. From her eyes, he could see sincerity and respect. Suddenly, he smiled softly, as if a gentle breeze blew on one¡¯s face and the spring flowers blossomed in an instant, ¡°Lass, sometimes, I think you¡¯re really simr to the emperor. It¡¯s hard for people to understand what you guys are thinking, and from time to time, you two wille up with some weird ideas. The emperor also has this inexplicable trust in you. There¡¯s an unexinable connection between you two¡ª¡ªtell me honestly, are you a lost pearl that the emperor left among themoners?¡±


    ¡°Lost pearl?¡± Yu Xiaocao was taken aback, and when she understood the meaning of this term, she convulsed withughter. Sheughed so hard it almost felt painful to breathe, ¡°Sir Su, I seriously admire your imagination!! How old was the emperor when I was born? Would he be able to father a daughter my age?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fifteen this year, and the emperor has already passed the age of thirty! When you were born, the emperor was already seventeen!¡± Su Ran also felt that his thought was ridiculous, but the age matched up.


    At that time, the emperor, who was still the imperial grandson, established a shipyard in the area surrounding the capital, and often traveled to Tanggu. At the age of seventeen, one was very hot-blooded. Thus, it wasn¡¯t impossible for him to have an intimate night with a fisherman¡¯s daughter and ended up getting her pregnant!


    ¡°Ah? The emperor is seventeen years older than me?? I can¡¯t tell at all!¡± Yu Xiaocao mumbled softly. However, she had to defend her ¡®innocence¡¯, ¡°When I was born, my eldest grandaunt helped with the delivery. Moreover, I¡¯m twins with Xiaolian and we look extremely simr. People who aren¡¯t familiar with us often mistake us! I¡¯m certain that I¡¯m my mother¡¯s biological daughter!! You wouldn¡¯t be suspecting that the emperor had an affair with a married woman, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± He knew that the emperor was a slight clean freak. If he wanted to get intimate with someone, he would have chosen a young maiden. Why would he like a peasant woman with an ordinary appearance? In actuality, he was just speaking thoughtlessly earlier. Thess sometimes spoke in a nonsensical manner, so he was also led astray and made a thoughtlessment.


    ¡°I heard that Sir Su was already serving the emperor when he was in his teens. Would you not know about the women he had a rtionship with in the past? Or...is the emperor a womanizer who flirts everywhere in your heart?¡± Yu Xiaocao had no doubts about her own identity. Her parents doted on her even more than her brothers, so she was certain that she wasn¡¯t adopted!!


    ¡°A big promiscuous radish? Can a radish be promiscuous?¡± Su Ran tried to change the subject to cover up his nonsensical remark.


    Generation gap ah! Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but exin to him, ¡°A big promiscuous radish isn¡¯t describing the radish. It¡¯s used to describe someone who is very flirty and fickle in rtionships...¡±


    ¡°Is it really alright for you to say that about the emperor?¡± Su Ran sometimes felt that this girl was very bold. She even dared to joke about the emperor. Wasn¡¯t this a clear disy that the emperor was reluctant to punish her?


    ¡°Uh...I didn¡¯t say that the emperor was this kind of a person. Don¡¯t nder me!¡± Yu Xiaocao was instantly led off topic. Did she call the emperor a womanizer earlier? She didn¡¯t, right? No, right?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know you didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I won¡¯t report it to the emperor. You ah, you should be careful when you speak in the future, lest someone with ulterior motives hears you and stirs up trouble in front of the emperor!¡± In a seemingly serious manner, Su Ran reminded her with an earnest tone.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded obediently with a confused expression on her face, ¡°Mhm! I will pay more attention in the future! Thank you, Sir Su! You¡¯re such a good person!¡±


    Chunhua, who heard everything, had the urge to cover her face, ¡®My dear Young Miss, you just got led astray by Chief Steward Su! Wasn¡¯t he the one who suspected that you were the emperor¡¯s long-lost daughter? Wasn¡¯t he the one who suggested that the emperor was flirting everywhere? Shouldn¡¯t he be the one who should reflect and correct his mistakes? Why did you two switch roles?¡¯


    Su Ran cast a warning nce at her andughed in his heart, ¡®Thisss is really easy to trick.¡¯ She was fooled by just a few words. The way she thanked him just now was just like what the emperor said¡ª¡ªfoolishly cute. If he was Royal Prince Yang, he probably also couldn¡¯t help but be attracted by this cute yet somewhat muddle-headed girl, right? Su Ran quietly suppressed the weird feeling that emerged in his heart and shifted his gaze towards the outside of the cave that was gradually darkening.


    ¡°Eh? Why is that fellow Zhu Junyang gone for so long? Nothing happened, right?¡± Following his gaze, Yu Xiaocao looked towards the entrance of the cave and muttered to herself in a somewhat worried and concerned tone.


    Su Ran turned his head and saw the worried expression on thess¡¯s face. He finally understood why Royal Prince Yang saw him as an eyesore. At this moment, how much he hoped that the person she was concerned about was him ah!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± He suddenly realized that there was something wrong with the fluctuation of his mood, so he hastily withdrew all his emotions andforted her by saying, ¡°Royal Prince Yang is strong enough to kill a bear with one punch. The only thing that can hurt him in this mountain would have to be a powerful monster! But, didn¡¯t you call him devilish? The situation of a fight between the same species probably won¡¯t ur. Therefore, your Zhu Junyang is safe!¡±


    ¡®Your Zhu Junyang? To bebeled as one who belonged to thess, that fellow, Royal Prince Yang, is seriously lucky! What¡¯s with this slight sense of envy within my heart?¡¯ Su Ran, who had always been shrewd, felt somewhat confused.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Thessughed heartlessly and almost fell to the ground, ¡°That guy, Zhu Junyang, has hunted so many foxes recently. Do you think that some fox demon wille to settle ounts with him? The fox demon had originallye to get revenge for its fellow fox descendants, but when it saw that fellow¡¯s appearance, it was immediately attracted by his seductive phoenix eyes and decided to devote itself to him...hehehe... Aiya, this won¡¯t do! My tummy hurts fromughing so much! I can¡¯t continue to think about this!!¡±

 Chapter 595 – White Tiger

    <h4>Chapter 595 ¨C White Tiger</h4>


    Su Ran felt the corner of his mouth involuntarily rise up. He looked at the littless, who wasughing so hard that she had to hold her belly. His eyes had a gentle look in them as he said, ¡°In that little head of yours, just what are you thinking about all day long? Did you read too many storybooks ah? Tell me, if Royal Prince Yang heard your earlier words, just what would he do?¡±


    Xiaocao howled inughter for a bit longer before she finally straightened up and weakly threatened Chunhua and Su Ran, ¡°You two are not allowed to tell Zhu Junyang a word of what I said earlier. Otherwise, I¡¯m not going to make food for you two tonight! Not only tonight, but also tomorrow...when we get back to the stud farm, you also won¡¯t be able to eat any food that I make either. Are you going to remember this ah?¡±


    After she finished, she even waved a tiny fist in their direction, which wasn¡¯t the least bit threatening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not the type of person who likes to gossip. It enters my ears and doesn¡¯t leave my mouth! I swear on my honor!¡± Su Ran readily promised her. As for Chunhua, if she dared to gossip, then Yu Xiaocao would send her back to Zhu Junyang! She gave her own maidservant another warning look.


    Last time, Chunhua and Qiushi had almost been returned back to the hidden soldiers ranks by Zhu Junyang. If it weren¡¯t for their young miss pleading for them, they would have been locked in the hidden soldiers¡¯ torture room and might have lost their lives right then and there. The two of them were immensely grateful to Xiaocao. In addition, Wutong continuously reminded them about staying loyal to their mistress, so they had long changed their mindset and now only saw her as their master.


    Chunhua knew if she dared to bring those words to Royal Prince Yang, the first one to suffer a cmity would be her. She could only have one master and be loyal to one person. That was the standard that every hidden soldier needed to follow. Therefore, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s warning was truly superfluous!


    ¡°They¡¯re back!¡± Su Ran slowly got to his feet. He, who was skilled at martial arts, could hear the sounds of numerous footsteps in the distance. No wonder it took them so long toe back. Apparently, they had been slowed down by some other people!


    Yu Xiaocao threw the dry stick in her hands into the fire and also stood up. She arrived at the mouth of the cave and copied Sir Su¡¯s pose, cocking her head to the side to listen carefully. Her five senses had been slowly altered by mystic-stone water ingestion, so she was already at the level of Chunhua and Qiushi. After listening for a bit, she revealed a puzzled expression, ¡°Sir Su, did Zhu Junyange back ah? Howe I hear more than one personing back? It sounds like a whole group of people instead!¡±


    Su Ran nced at her in a bbergasted manner. If he wasn¡¯tpletely sure that the littless hadn¡¯t learned martial arts before, he would start to wonder if she wasn¡¯t a hidden expert right now.


    ¡°Young Miss, there are truly a lot of peopleing over this way! I don¡¯t know what type of people these are. Do you want to go into the cave and hide out until we figure out their identities?¡± Chunhua cautiously stepped in front of her young miss as she quietly advised her.


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Su Ran and shook her head, ¡°Don¡¯t we have Sir Su here ah? Even that little monster, Zhu Junyang, isn¡¯t Sir Su¡¯s rival, so isn¡¯t it safer to stay by him?¡±


    ¡°Just who are you calling a little monster ah? Howe this prince keeps hearing someone saying bad things behind my back?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s low and melodious voice suddenly transmitted through the darkness.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s small face lit up in happy surprise and she hurriedly went forward, ¡°Zhu Junyang you¡¯re back ah! You were gone for so long that I was worried to death!¡±


    ¡°Why are you mentioning the word ¡®death¡¯? Quickly spit for good luck!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s tall and broad figure split apart the dusky darkness of the night, as if all of the remaining light was shining on him alone. His whole body seemed to emit a maizing aura that made it hard for people to look away from him. On his shoulders was a giant white tiger.


    This white tiger was sorge that, if it were standing on its four legs, it would absolutely tower over an adult man¡¯s height. However, when her man carried the tiger along on his shoulders, he acted as if it was as light as a feather. It didn¡¯t impede his light and fast steps at all. In fact, the group of panicked and scared people behind him had to run to keep up with him.


    ¡°Wow! A white tiger! Zhu Junyang, you are too awesome. You actually managed to hunt a white tiger! Can you give its pelt to me, ah? I really want it!!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s excitement could be seen from head to toe. A white tiger was the product of a gic mutation, so it absolutely was a rare find. Wow! Their luck was truly too good. Just as they were about to leave the mountains, they were able toe across and hunt such a surprising animal.


    Zhu Junyang supported the tiger with one arm, making it seem weightless while his other hand was protecting his abdominal area. When he heard what she said, he nted a look at her with his phoenix eyes and snorted, ¡°What did you call this prince earlier?¡±


    ¡°Zhu Junyang...¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s entire attention had been taken up by the white tiger this entire time. When she raised her eyes and saw that the expression on his face wasn¡¯t quite good, she hurriedly corrected herself, ¡°Ruizhi, Junjun, Yangyang, Jun Yangyang...as long as you give the tiger pelt to me, I¡¯ll call you anything you want!¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart skipped a beat and a suspicious smile crossed his lips, ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯ll call me anything?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao saw the evil grin on his face and stared at him alertly, ¡°Just what sort of wicked idea is going through your head now? Lord husband, beloved husband, husband...if you want me to call you things like that, dream on! Now tell me straight, are you going to give it to me or not?!¡±


    She had urately guessed what he was thinking, so he felt a bit at a loss. He thought for a bit and decided that they needed to set their engagement next year. That way, hisbel would be all over the littless. In another two years, the littless would finally be married to him. Then, wouldn¡¯t these ways of calling him be the norm?


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop teasing you! Didn¡¯t this prince say so earlier? During this outing, all of the pelts we get during hunting are all yours!¡± When Zhu Junyang first spotted this fierce white tiger, he didn¡¯t feel nervous or rmed at all. Instead, he felt pure joy. He finally hade across a fitting gift for his littless ah!


    ¡°Eh? Who are they?¡± After she had finally gotten a satisfactory answer, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s attention was taken over by the messy group behind him. The vast majority of people had frightened and panicked expressions on their faces and there were also a few who were supporting the injured. The most gravely hurt one was a man who was lying down on a simple stretcher that was made out of woven rattan vines. He was a sturdy man whose face was pale from pain.


    ¡°They¡¯re the hunters from the vige at the foot of the mountain! When this prince encountered them, the white tiger was currently fighting them, so I saved them while in passing. If we¡¯re going to save them, we should do it correctly. Take out some medicine and give it to them...the wound balm from Tongren Medicine Hall should do the trick!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t forget to give a pointed reminder to the muddle-headed littless. A few days ago, when they saved the young master of Medicine King Valley, she had already aroused an outsider¡¯s interest in her wound palm. He was afraid that one day the littless would reveal too much of her secrets and cause a problem.


    The leader of the group of hunters was a man who had the typical build of a northerner. He had a tall and brawny body, broad shoulders, and a full beard on his face that were paired with his bushy eyebrows. Hisrge eyes were bright and full of expression. He first had the injured hunters carefully ced down in a corner of the cave and when he heard what they said, he bowed deeply towards Zhu Junyang, ¡°Although they say that a big favor cannot be repaid with verbal thanks alone, we are truly grateful that my lord came out to help us now. I, Jin Tiankui, will never forget this boon for the rest of my life!¡±


    ¡°No need for pleasantries now, quickly go treat those who are heavily injured. If we wait any longer, I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll be able to live!¡± Zhu Junyang ced the dead white tiger in another corner and carelessly waved a hand at the hunter. His right hand was still covering his abdominal area.


    Yu Xiaocao delivered the wound balm to that named hunter and taught him how to use it. She also gave him a pouch of diluted mystic-stone water. With these two items, the King of Hell wouldn¡¯t be taking their lives today!


    After she saw them almost finish binding and treating the injured people¡¯s wounds, Yu Xiaocao suddenly had an idea flit into her head, ¡°Older Uncle, your surname is Jin? Then are you familiar with Jin Xiaohu at the nameless vige at the foot of the mountain?¡±


    When Jin Tiankui heard her question, he threw her a startled look and asked, ¡°How do you guys know my youngest son? Did you guys go past our vige before you entered the mountains?¡±


    ¡°Before we entered the mountains, we lodged at Grandfather Jin¡¯s residence in the nameless vige. You are Xiaohu¡¯s father, what a coincidence!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled brightly and her two adorable dimples blossomed on her cheeks.


    ¡°Second Uncle, apparently our savior had lodged at our residence ah! Our savior is truly very skilled as he was able to knock down such a ferocious tiger in a few moves! If I could be as skilled at martial arts as he is, in the future, we don¡¯t need to be so scared whenever we enter the mountains!¡± Jin Xiaodong, who had overheard the conversation between the young girl and his uncle, sighed a bit enviously over this.


    Xiaocao exchanged a few other words with Jin Tiankui before she turned around and noticed that Zhu Junyang was still holding his abdomen like he was earlier. She anxiously rushed over and pulled at his hand to ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you get injured there ah? Let me look to see if it¡¯s serious or not.¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s left hand pulled at her arm, preventing her from pushing aside his clothes. He hinted that she should sit down next to him.


    ¡°This prince has a surprise that I want to give you!¡± Zhu Junyang pretended to smile mysteriously. His phoenix eyes seemed to shimmer with a watery light, causing his handsome face to look even more enticing.


    Yu Xiaocao was stunned for a moment before she finally asked, ¡°What sort of surprise?¡±


    ¡°Come look...what is this?¡± Zhu Junyang finally rxed the hand that was covering his abdomen, revealing a shaggy and white little thing.


    ¡°Wow! A small white tiger? It¡¯s so small ah. It must have just been born not long ago as it hasn¡¯t even opened its eyes! So adorable!!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a pure look of delighted surprise on her face. She carefully took the weak and pitiful little animal from Zhu Junyang¡¯s hand. It was truly very tiny and was smaller than an adult cat at this point.


    The little white tiger, which had been trembling in fear this entire time, gradually quieted after it reached Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands. Perhaps the smell of mystic-stone water on Xiaocao¡¯s body naturally made animals want to get closer to her? The little white tiger calmlyy in Xiaocao¡¯s chest, acting as if it had returned back to its mother¡¯s embrace. The uneasiness and fright that surrounded it earlier hadpletely disappeared.


    ¡°Is this the surprise you were talking about ah? How did you find it?¡± Yu Xiaocao gently stroked the little white tiger¡¯s soft fur. The little thing licked her hand, causing a tickling sensation, which made her giggle a few times.


    Zhu Junyang stared a bit unhappily at the little white tiger that was worming its way into the littless¡¯s chest. He almost couldn¡¯t resist the urge to pluck the animal out and throw it away. His line of sight suddenly stopped at a certain area, as if his eyes were being maized there. The littless had grown up. At least, her chest had finally started to develop and they were happily growing in his direction...


    ¡°Stinky pervert! Just where are you looking?¡± His ear suddenly hurt and the angry face of the littless, which was paired with her blushing red cheeks, appeared before his eyes. This littless was getting braver with every passing day. She was unexpectedly pulling on his ear to punish him.


    How could she not give him any face in front of everyone here by pulling tantly on his ears? In a moment, he needed to have a good talk with the littless. If she was going to pull on his ears...she should wait until they got back to a more private setting where there were no other people around!


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 596 – Kindness

    <h4>Chapter 596 - Kindness</h4>


    They spent the night in the cave. Early in the morning on the next day, Yu Xiaocao checked on the two most severely injured hunters. The one who was most injured had gotten his left arm neatly bitten off from the elbow down. If they didn¡¯t use Xiaocao¡¯s wound balm and medication to stop bleeding, she was pretty sure that this guy would have died at this point. The other hunter had a nasty-looking gouge in his shoulder, which was missing arge piece of flesh. It was quite bloody and frightening looking.


    This time, twenty-six hunters from the nameless vige had gone into the mountains. They had appointed the experienced hunter, Jin Tiankui, as their leader. The vast majority of the hunters were father and son or had very good rtionships with each other. Because of that, when the white tiger appeared before them, none of the group tried to leave the hunter who had gotten his arm bitten off behind to feed the tiger.


    The hunters had already been out for about a dozen days now. At first, their trip had gone rather smoothly and they didn¡¯t encounter any fierce beasts. However, staying on the outskirts of the mountains meant that they weren¡¯t able to hunt many creatures that were worth a lot of money. For the sake of having more spending money in town during the winter, they had all participated in a vote, which was unanimous for going deeper into the forest.


    In the previous few days, all of them felt gratified at their choices as they had encountered a lot more animals with valuable pelts. In fact, one sable fur pelt could be sold for a few dozen taels even to a middleman. If a person¡¯s luck was even better and he encountered the servant of a rich man out buying furs, then they could make double of what they could sell it for to the middleman. Now, every family had a few valuable fur pelts on hand to sell.


    After tasting the sweetness of sess, the hunters wanted to push their luck and gradually headed deeper into the mountains. Jin Tiankui relied heavily on his over twenty years of experience and sensitive senses to guide the group of hunters around several territories that were imed by fierce beasts. In the end, however, they were unable to avoid a white tiger who was protecting its young.


    Prior to Zhu Junyang appearing, Jin Tiankui and the other hunters feltplete despair in their encounter with the fierce and vicious tiger. The two heavily injured hunters wanted to use their own lives to stop the tiger and give their friends and family time to run away. However, not a single person in the group wanted to abandon these two and live the rest of their lives in guilt and regret. The group summoned their courage and used every skill they had in an effort to possibly scare off the vicious beast or maybe kill it with a lucky blow.


    However, how could they know that this was a female tiger who had just given birth to its young? The mother tiger believed that they would hurt its child, so it went all out against them, leaving them no room for error. Their hunting forks and knives were mere toys in front of the white tiger. After fighting for half a day, other than inciting the tiger into a blood-frenzied rage, they had been unable to aplish anything else or injure the creature.


    As the number of wounded increased, the smell of their blood caused the tiger to be more ferocious. At the moment they were all in despair, ready to face their deaths, Zhu Junyang appeared like a ck-d god from the skies. The fierce and vicious tiger was like a weak little cat in front of him. In the blink of an eye, he ended up subduing and neatly killing the animal, leaving only a corpse on the ground.


    Jin Tianjin managed to calm down a bit and came forward to thank their savior. However, the ck-clothed man had a cold expression on his face and only nced at him apathetically before he bent down to pick up the dead tiger. The white tiger, which had to weigh more than a few hundred catties, seemed as light as a feather in the man¡¯s arms and he easily carried the beast on his shoulders.


    The man carried the dead tiger on his shoulders and walked around the vicinity quickly. When he got back, his right hand was in front of his abdomen in a protective manner. The hunters there didn¡¯t know just what valuable thing he came across. On the way back to the cave, Jin Tiankui had wanted to express his gratitude, but the ck-clothed man had an aloof and cold expression the entire time, making it difficult for them to get closer.


    It was only when they arrived at the mouth of the cave did the ck-clothed man finally melt his icy exterior temporarily when he saw a young maiden dressed in a pink dress. His warm smile only blossomed for one person. The gentle and doting man in front of them was like a whole other personpared to the previous icy and cold iceberg of a man. Only then was Jin Tiankui able to fully express his thanks and gratitude to the whole group¡¯s savior.


    They were truly very fortunate today. Not only had they been able to get a good haul of game, but they also had someone save them in their moment of crisis. Furthermore, a sweetly smiling young girl, who looked as beautiful as a fairy, had even fervently taken out wound healing medicine made by Tongren Medicine Hall for them to treat their wounds.


    Jin Tiankui had traveled to the prefectural city a few times and Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s business was quite booming there. He had heard other people mention that their wound balm and patent medicine very quickly sold out as soon as they got new stock. This caused people to wait in front of the store for the exact moment when the supplying carts arrived. Once resupplied, these people would quickly stand in line, waiting anxiously to buy the medicines produced by the Yu Family.


    There was a reason why Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s wound balm and patent medicine sold so well. It was said that Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s wound balm could staunch bleeding, reduce inmmation, and speed up the healing of wounds! As for their patent medicine, you avoided losing potency as you didn¡¯t have to brew it over a stove and it worked faster. Furthermore,pared to drinking the bitter medicinal brew, taking a pill or drinking a sweetened syrup was much more ptable to most people.


    When Jin Tiankui found out that the wound balm was that effective, he had once wanted to buy some to bring back home. As a hunter, it was hard to avoid getting injured all of the time, so wound balm was an essential item back home. However, when he got to the sales counter, he found out a bottle of wound balm cost fifty taels. They would need to sell a lot of game in order to make enough money to buy one bottle of wound balm! Jin Tiankui couldn¡¯t bear to spend that much money and finally decided to buy some ordinary wound balm instead.


    However, the young maiden in front of them was neither a rtive nor a friend, yet she easily gave them a whole bottle of Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯s wound balm. This was a great kindness to them ah! Furthermore, there was a reason why this wound balm was so expensive because it worked very well. His nephew, who had gotten his arm bitten off by the tiger, had his suffering decrease significantly after the balm was spread on his ravaged stump. This morning, when he went to check on the younger man, the bleeding hadpletely stopped and there were even scabs starting to form. As for the other hunter, who had gotten a big piece of flesh ripped off his shoulder, he could walk around like nothing had happened.


    ¡°Uncle Jin, you should alle down the mountain with us ah. That way, we¡¯ll be able to keep each other safe and on the right track!¡± Yu Xiaocao had alreadye to an agreement with Zhu Junyang to escort this group of hunters safely down the mountain. After all, this area wasn¡¯t safe. Who knew whether they would encounter another fierce beastter?


    Jin Tiankui had long wanted to travel with these people but he felt embarrassed to propose the idea. After all, they had the wounded among them, so their speed would bepromised traveling with them. When he saw that the young maiden had taken the initiative to give them an invitation, he was overjoyed at the unexpected good news and gratefully thanked them repeatedly.


    They had truly encountered a living Buddha today! From the way these people addressed each other, he could already guess that these three were absolutely extremely wealthy and powerful nobles, especially the man dressed entirely in ck. He was, unexpectedly, a royal prince. However, none of these people had the arrogant and willful manner of most influential and noble people. In fact, they continuously helped them, meremoners, without a hint of attitude. He had lived for over forty years and had never seen such esteemed nobles like them before.


    Jin Tiankui didn¡¯t dare to let these nobles wait for too long, so he hurriedly had the other hunters pack up their things, load up their strings of game, support the wounded, and follow the nobles from behind at a close distance. He was afraid that they¡¯d be impatient and regard them as an eyesore on the way back.


    After he had leisurely finished his simple breakfast. Zhu Junyang once again put that white tiger corpse on his shoulders and also picked up a bag of fur pelts that had been skinned off of their other game in his other hand. Because they had hunted so much game, he had to skin the pelts in the mountains and the meat was left for the carnivores in the mountains to enjoy.


    However, even though he had a few dozen pelts on him, he only had two hands. There was still a pile of fur pelts on the ground! He nced at Chunhua, who was behind Xiaocao, and saw that she was carrying a basket full of medicinal herbs on her back and her arms were also holding more baskets. It was clear that she couldn¡¯t hold anything more. Xiaocao¡¯s medicine box was perched on her shoulders. It held the truly valuable herbs. In her arms was the white tiger cub. Chief Steward Su Ran, on the other hand, was empty-handed, which made him resemble a spoiled noble son out for a stroll in the woods.


    ¡°Chief Steward Su, please help with bringing the remaining two bags of fur pelts down!¡± Zhu Junyang naturally wouldn¡¯t let go of this opportunity to make the other manbor. He gestured with a pout towards the fur pelts on the ground.


    Su Ran looked briefly at the pile of pelts that still stunk of blood and then looked down at his spotless white clothing. Then he raised an eyebrow at Zhu Junyang while revealing a helpless expression. He had mysophobia ah! Even if you beat him to death, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to get close to those dirty things! In addition, the high and mighty Royal Prince Yang in front of him looked incredibly foolish carrying game and holding fur pelts. He needed to retain an image of pure elegance in front of thatss Xiaocao. Thus, getting him to help¡ª¡ªan impossibility!


    Only now did Jin Tiankui notice therge pile of fur pelts on the cave floor. There were sable furs, marten furs, ferret furs, red fox furs, silver fox furs, and ck fox furs¡­ferret furs made up the majority of the furs there. Did these people catch all of the animals whose furs were worth a lot of money in these woods?


    ¡°Benefactor, if you don¡¯t disdain our help, we are more than willing to help you bring these down the mountains!¡± Jin Tiankui and the other hunters had already hidden the ordinary game they caught earlier in a small cave further down the mountain. The cave had been securely sealed with a rock. Currently, each hunter didn¡¯t have much game on them, so they were able to free up three to four people to help these nobles transport the furs.


    Zhu Junyang angrily red at Su Ran and then threw the furs on the ground again. He nodded his head towards Jin Tiankui and said, ¡°Apologies for the inconvenience!¡±


    His courteous words made Jin Tiankui feel immensely honored and he hurriedly replied, ¡°Not an inconvenience, not an inconvenience at all! Compared to you saving all of our lives, this is nothing worth mentioning! Xiaoshan, Xiaomu, Xiaobao, Xiaodong, give the game in your hands to other people. Come here and help our benefactor bring their haul back!¡±


    These four youngsters were all nephews from his paternal family. Thus, he had no qualms in ordering them around. The four youths had tall and strong bodies, and were in the prime of their lives. Each of them carried a giant bag of fur pelts and followed their benefactor from behind as they all headed down the mountain.


    Jin Tiankui supported his injured maternal nephew as he held his red fox and sable fur that he hunted himself in his other hand. He also followed closely behind the four youngsters.


    Since the group of hunters were all helping their wounded descend, Zhu Junyang and the others deliberately chose a speed that wasn¡¯t too fast. They finally got off the mountain on the next day, at dusk. In the distance, they could faintly see the sparse houses in the nameless vige in the distance.


    Jin Tiankui gazed at the smoke rising from the roof of his own residence and almost had the desire to start crying. They were this close to never seeing the smoke rise above their homes again or seeing their family again. If the whole vige was only left with the old, weak, women, and children, it was obvious what their fates would be.


    ¡°Uncle Jin, give Older Brother Zhuzi some water ah. He¡¯s heavily injured so it¡¯s important that he avoids getting dehydrated!¡± On the whole journey down, Yu Xiaocao would always send some of her own water to the more heavily injured hunters. Although they had walked for two whole days, all of them managed to endure the journey. When she saw that the color on Wang Dazhu¡¯s face, the hunter who had gotten his arm snapped, wasn¡¯t looking too good, Yu Xiaocao gave him another mouthful of diluted mystic-stone water.

 Chapter 597 – Medicine Fiend

    <h4>Chapter 597 ¨C Medicine Fiend</h4>


    ¡°Thank you, Your Royal Highness! If we hadn¡¯t encountered your group, I, Wang Dazhu, would be dead in the mountains now!¡± Wang Dazhu drank a few sips of water and felt a bit better. He gratefully expressed his thanks to the noble maiden who resembled a little immortal girl. Her Highness, the royal princess, didn¡¯t have any of the arrogance of her rank and was cordial and kind to all of them. She truly had a heart of gold. When he got back, he needed to erect a long life que to her to make sure his descendents would remember her great kindness to them!


    Yu Xiaocao waved a hand at him in dismissal and stated, ¡°When you get back, take good care of yourself ah! Here are two bottles of medicine. One is to be applied externally, while the other you need to take. Your wounds will very quickly heal if you take them consistently. It¡¯s not a big deal to be missing an arm. There is no difficulty that can¡¯t be surmounted by people, so treasure your life!¡±


    Wang Dazhu was so moved by her words that tears streamed down his face. Miss Yu absolutely had to be an immortal who hade down to earth. Not only did she give him precious medicine but she also tried tofort him. It was hard to find such a kind and sweet maiden in this world!


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Hou Xiaoliang had heard the ruckus and came out of the Jin Family¡¯s residence. He was so moved that he resembled a lost young kid who had finally been reunited with his mother. He rushed over and unexpectedly gave his master a giant bear hug. Zhu Junyang pushed him away in disdain.


    Hou Xiaoliang took the dead white tiger from his master¡¯s shoulders and was so astonished that his mouth was wide open for a long time, ¡°Master, you¡¯re truly too awesome. You actually encountered a legendary white tiger! Just this fur pelt alone is enough to make other people endlessly envious of you. Go wash up and rest first, this servant will help you prepare this white tiger.¡±


    Zhu Junyang was afraid that this guy might end spoiling the tiger pelt and warned him, ¡°Be careful ah, this is this prince¡¯s betrothal gift. If you ruin it, I will never forgive you!¡±


    ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. This servant will be extremely careful and I will absolutely not dy your process to get a wife!!¡± Hou Xiaoliang nced in the direction of Yu Xiaocao and had an ambiguous smile on his face as he hauled the dead tiger into the inner courtyard.


    Although Qiushi was only a step behind him, she also came forward to take the medicine box from her young miss. She softly said, ¡°Young Miss, the stove has hot water on it. This servant will help you take a bath and change your clothes.¡±


    All in all, their journey into and out of the mountains took around a dozen days in total. Although her body and skin had been subtly altered after long-term usage of the mystic-stone water, such that her sweat didn¡¯t have a lot of impurities in it, Xiaocao still felt that she was about to stink to the high heavens. She had never been so eager to take a bath as she was today.


    In her room, she scrubbed herself furiously in the tub. After she came out, she discovered that the entire Jin Family had already prepared a sumptuous evening feast for their whole group. Jin Tiankui had told the story of what had happened to Old Man Jin as soon as he got back. The whole Jin Family was immensely grateful towards Zhu Junyang and the others for their kind deeds and almost started treating them like living Buddhas.


    Xiaohu¡¯s mother¡¯s illness had gotten better after taking two days worth of medicine. She had a good hand at cooking. In addition, the hunters in the family had brought back quite a bit of game, so they ended up with a dozen dishes on the table. As a sumptuous feast, it was quite fitting to serve to Xiaocao and their other benefactors.


    ¡°That uh¡­can you take out a pill of your Healing Panacea for me to look at?¡± During the meal, another youthful and pleasant looking man suddenly appeared next to Xiaocao. He had a simpering and ttering smile on his face as he shamelessly asked her about her medications.


    Zhu Junyang was quite displeased that this young fellow was getting so close to his littless, ¡°Hou Xiaoliang! Why is this guy still here?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I still be here? It¡¯s not like this is your own home!¡± Was a royal prince that special? As the young master of Medicine King Valley, he wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone!


    Yu Xiaocao turned her head around and saw a round face shaped like a steamed bun. It was paired withrge round eyes and a small delicate mouth. From the looks of his face alone, it¡¯d be very easy for someone to mistaken him as a little boy. However, he had arge and sturdy body, broad shoulders, and a deep voice, which contrasted sharply with his childish face. With such a baby face, it¡¯d be hard for anyone to not doubt his abilities at medicine. It was no wonder he would paste on a mask on his face to alter his appearance.


    Such an adorable steamed bun face was right in front of her eyes. Xiaocao suddenly had an itching urge to pinch his cheeks. However, there was a jealous little vinegar jar right next to her, so she needed to control herself¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier ah? I only have three Healing Panacea that have been passed down by my family. I still regret being hot headed at the time and taking one out to save you! These are truly life-saving pills. You¡¯re neither rted to me nor a friend of mine, so how could you have the nerve to ask for one from me?¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that her special pills had mystic-stone water added to them. The special water had the ability to improve the effects of medications, which was why the effects of her pills were at least double of the effects of ordinary ones.


    This was the first encounter Yu Xiaocao had with someone from the jianghu. The famous leader of the Medicine King Valley sounded quite mysterious and talented, so she didn¡¯t know if she took out her pills whether the other person would sense something fishy. Hence, she needed to be more cautious.


    Xu Ziyi tried to move her emotionally and persisted, ¡°Young Maiden, the reason why I am able to be the direct sessor of Medicine King Valley is not only because I am the grandson of the current head but also because,pared to my peers, I am extremely talented and gifted.¡±


    ¡°What do your talents have to do with us?¡± Zhu Junyang picked up the stool that was under Xiaocao¡¯s butt and brought both person and chair closer to his side. What was this damned man trying to do by getting so close to hisss? If he needed to talk, he could just talk like a normal person. Although the youth¡¯s face looked quite youthful and tender, it was still quite good-looking, which made it likely that hisss, who loved handsome appearances, had no defenses against it.


    Xu Ziyi red at him and then scooted forward again. He opened his doe-like eyes wide and looked expectantly at Xiaocao, as if he was trying to say, ¡®Quickly ask me about my talents, quickly ask me¡­¡¯


    ¡°Alright ah! Just what sort of talents do you have? Tell us now.¡± Yu Xiaocao casually asked as she continued to eat the corn porridge in front of her.


    Xu Ziyi smiled and revealed his two dimples. He proudly stated, ¡°For most ordinary medicines, all I need to do is just take a sniff and I will be able to identify the ingredients inside as well as the ratios used. For moreplicated medicines, I just need to scrape a tiny bit off of the top and taste it to figure out the exact prescription. You said earlier that your family¡¯s recipe for the Healing Panacea has already disappeared. Don¡¯t you want to find the old recipe and benefit more people in the future?¡±


    ¡°You said so much, but aren¡¯t you just coveting the littless¡¯s family¡¯s secret recipe ah? What¡¯s the point in trying to make your intentions sound so honorable and glorious?¡± Zhu Junyang sneered and then moved the littless closer to him.


    Xu Ziyi stared at him with wide eyes and slightly frowned a bit. Then, a smile blossomed on his face as he nodded, ¡°Your Highness is right. This one is truly curious about the secret recipe to make this Healing Panacea. Simr to those who are obsessed about martial arts and books, I am truly a person who is obsessed about learning more about medicine. To tell you the truth, Miss Yu¡¯s family¡¯s panacea is even more effective than Medicine King Valley¡¯s ¡®Life-Returning Pill¡¯. No one would believe me if I imed I wasn¡¯t curious about this. However, if this panacea can be researched by me, wouldn¡¯t that be advantageous to both of us?¡±


    Zhu Junyang had an expression full of disdain on his face and Yu Xiaocao gently patted his knee before she turned to address Xu Ziyi, ¡°Young Master Xu is correct, if the prescription can be brought to light again, that would benefit many people in the future. Chunhua, bring out that purple ss bottle from my medicine box and cut the pill in half and give it to Young Master Xu.¡±


    ¡°Wait a second! This one only needs to scrape a bit of pill powder from the top!¡± This young maiden was truly too much of a spendthrift. Such a precious pill would be hidden carefully by any other person. She, on the other hand, easily took it out to save aplete stranger and even offered to cut it in half to give to someone. This was a living saving pill ah. If she did that, the healing properties of the pill would definitely degrade as time went on! Xu Ziyi couldn¡¯t bear to let that happen and hurriedly stopped them.


    Xu Ziyi carefully held the pill as he scraped off a tiny bit of pill powder before he impatiently used his tongue to lick it up. He concentrated on tasting the pill. Eh? Howe the ingredients he was tasting seemed no different than the ingredients found in ordinary internal injury pills ah?


    That couldn¡¯t be right¡­there had to be an ingredient in there that boosted the properties of the ingredients. However, even he, as an extremely experienced pill maker, didn¡¯t know what might be boosting the potency of the ingredients.


    There were many ingredients that had the ability to boost the potency and effects of others. However, if you directly added them into a pill recipe, it would end up destroying the effects of the pill itself. His father had researched this painstakingly for twenty to thirty years but ended up with nothing so far. This pill had unexpectedly perfectly paired these two contradictions in one entity.


    If the Yu Family¡¯s recipe hadn¡¯t been lost in the sands of time, perhaps his father, that crazy pill fiend, would do everything he could to get that recipe off of their hands so that he couldpare it to his decades of research. That way, he could find out just where he went wrong.


    ¡°How is it? Doesn¡¯t taste too bad right?¡± Yu Xiaocao had finished eating the food in her bowl and delicately let out a burp. She noticed that the young master of Medicine King Valley was tasting the pill dust as if he was eating a delicacy, so she couldn¡¯t help but ask him what he thought.


    ¡°Not too bad¡­¡± Xu Ziyu replied absentmindedly without thinking much. Suddenly, he came to a realization and looked at Xiaocao, ¡°Did your ancestors leave anything else along with these pills? Such as any special ingredients?¡±


    ¡°Nope, they didn¡¯t!¡± Yu Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t tell him that there was mystic-stone water in these pills. Otherwise, he would interrogate her on the origin of the mystic-stone water, which would be a great bother.


    Xu Ziyi looked at the pill paper in his hands that only contained the remaining pill powder and carefully folded it up. Suddenly, he raised his head and asked in a puzzled manner, ¡°You said that these pills were passed down by your ancestors. Howe the potency of the pills haven¡¯t decreased even a bit? It tastes like they were just made. Do you guys have some sort of secret recipe to preserve pills ah?¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a secret recipe, how could I easily divulge it to you?¡± Yu Xiaocao seemed to regard him with azy expression. In actuality, she was feeling quite insecure at this moment. These pills had truly been made by her just before she arrived at the stud farm. Thus, it wasn¡¯t surprising that the potency of these pills were still quite good.


    Xu Ziyi acted as if he was possessed. He lowered his head, staying still as if he was a sculpture. Even the half-eaten bowl of food in front of him had beenpletely forgotten. He was currently concentrating exclusively on trying to figure out this pill¡¯s properties. He needed to figure out just how it was possible to boost the efficacy of the ingredients while having them harmonize perfectly into a pill.


    Originally, he believed that his father¡¯s research direction was just a waste of time and was never going to seed. However, once a perfect example appeared before his eyes, Xu Ziyi was nowpletely obsessed with this idea, even more infatuated than his father.


    That evening, Zhu Junyang discovered that the fellow who knew how to act cute had actually left without saying goodbye. The ufortable feeling within him had also dissipated a little. Why did good-looking men always seem to appear in front of his littless, catching her attention¡­

 Chapter 598 – Thief

    <h4>Chapter 598 ¨C Thief</h4>


    The experienced hunters in this area were all good at skinning and processing fur pelts, especially Old Man Jin. He was famous not only in the vige but also in town for crafting the best fur pelts. Zhu Junyang and the other hunters had gotten so many furs. If they didn¡¯t handle them now, they would start to stink on the way home.


    Thus, they spent a few more days at the nameless vige. On the return journey back to the farm, they had an additional tworge carts filled full of furs. The merchants they had encountered on the road all asked them where they had gotten these furs when they saw the piles of top-notch pelts.


    When they got back to the stud farm, Steward Yan came over to greet his master and excitedly reported, ¡°Master, the guards have seen a white stallion leading a herd of horses in the vicinity of the farm when they are patrolling. This servant followed your orders and made sure no one went to disturb them. From time to time, we also put out some top-notch fodder in the areas they tend to appear. Those wild horses seem to be more trusting of our farm and don¡¯t always flee when we let the other horses out. There was one night when that white stallion appeared in the farm and was slyly eating ck Whirlwind¡¯s special food ah!¡±


    Ever since Xiaocao arrived at the stud farm, she had personallypounded Little Red¡¯s child¡¯s, ck Whirlwind, feed. Not only was the nutrition well bnced, but she also added a high concentration of mystic-stone water to it. That way, the feed would alter its body. There were quite a number of horses at the farm but there were very few horses who had the bloodlines of superior quality horses.


    The foreign tribes only sold their mediocre and inferior horses to the Great Ming Dynasty. Thus, the probability of encountering a divine steed was about the same as a meat pie falling out of the sky! Therefore, they could only use the horses they had to breed better steeds. Out of all of the foals in the farm, ck Whirlwind was the best out of all of them and also the one with the most promise. Xiaocao nned on altering it and five other foals using the mystic-stone water. That way, they would be the hope of the stud farm.


    The little fellow ck Whirlwind had absolute freedom on the farm. The small courtyard residence that Xiaocao and the others lived in almost always had its gates wide open for it. In addition, Yingchun especially liked the little horse and would always give it some rock candy that contained mystic-stone water in it. Thus, the little fellow frequently didn¡¯t rest in its own stable and instead shamelessly lodged at the small courtyard.


    Since it had its own stable, there was no one there to fight for food. Thus, the grooms taking care of it would often add some superior fodder in its manger as a midnight snack. However, who would have expected that, for a few nights in a row, when the little fellow strolled back, it found out that its food manger waspletely empty. It was quite displeased by this. Was someone secretly eating its food? Or were the humans shorting it on its midnight snack?


    In the middle of the night, ck Whirlwind ran over to where the grooms lodged and made a fuss. Only after it was given a midnight snack did it calm down. After the grooms had been disturbed for a few nights in the row, they started to wonder. At first, they thought that the little fellow was having a growth spurt and needed more food. However, even after they added more fodder to his manger, it still continued to pester them. Thus, they felt that there was something fishy about this and began to stake out the little fellow¡¯s stable at night. That¡¯s when they discovered the wild white stallioning over to steal the little foal¡¯s food. They reported these matters to Steward Yan.


    After hearing Steward Yan¡¯s report. Zhu Junyang surreptitiously nced at Xiaocao, who was organizing the fur pelts at the side, and thenmanded the steward, ¡°No need to do anything with that horse for now! How¡¯s the progress on the new horse stables going?¡±


    ¡°The construction on the new stables is already done. After letting it air out for a few days, it¡¯ll be ready to house horses! Master, the people that you¡¯ve instructed me to find to help out with raising the horses are already here. They are currently being trained by Old Zhang!¡±


    Old Zhang was the groom who was the most experienced at raising horses. In the past, he had been caught by some foreign tribes and forced to raise their horses for over twenty years. Recently, the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s troops had won a series of victories and reimed a lot of their lostnd. Thus, he was finally able to go home. When he found out that a noble from the capital was nning on establishing a horse breeding farm, he rmended himself to work there. Now, he was one of the small leaders here and had helped Steward Yan quite a bit.


    ¡°Make sure the new stables get cleaned. Tomorrow night, you can fill all of the feed troughs with some good quality fodder and there¡¯s no need to send anyone to keep a watch over it...¡± Zhu Junyang had heard the promise that the littless had given to the white stallion, so he instructed his subordinates to go through with her n.


    Steward Yan paused for a moment in surprise but very quickly understood what his master was trying to do, ¡°Is the n...for the new stables to serve the wild horses?¡±


    Zhu Junyang nodded slightly and waved a hand in dismissal at Steward Yan. The littless and her maidservants had already finished organizing the fur pelts. Right now, the young maiden had a bit of exhaustion visible on the face. Her usually bright and lively eyes seemed a bit unfocused, as if she was unconsciously rxing.


    Although this was supposed to be a leisurely hunting trip, they had still been camping out in the vast wilderness and had spent over twenty-some days out in the open. Even a strong and sturdy man wouldn¡¯t be able endure for so long, let alone a weak and delicate little maiden. These past few days had surprised him. She was the only one in their group who had no martial arts training. However, no matter where they were, whether traveling on the road or going into the mountains, she neverined about being exhausted. In terms of strength and energy, she had more than the average weak and delicate little maiden.


    ¡°Tired?¡± Zhu Junyang walked to Xiaocao and bent over to stroke the littless¡¯s thinned out face. He gently said, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, go rest now. No need to make yourself endure any longer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the washing water to get heated up...¡± Yu Xiaocao yawned elegantly and two sleepy tears were squeezed out of the corner of herrge eyes. After being on the road for a few days, it had been difficult for her to get a restful night¡¯s sleep. Fortunately, her maidservants were all quite perceptive and quickly heated up her bathing water on the stove before helping their mistress to wash herself in the warm water.


    Xiaocao slept until the moon had risen high above the sky and the only reason why she woke up was that her empty stomach wasining constantly. She ate some food that had been reheated on the stove and then dragged herself up to go to the private stall of ck Whirlwind.


    The round bright moon was hung high in the sky, covering the entire stud farm with its silvery glow. With Xiaocao¡¯s current eyesight, it wasn¡¯t an issue for her to see clearly as she walked on the small paths towards the stable. Behind her, she could hear light tapping sounds and she didn¡¯t even need to look back to know that the fellow, ck Whirlwind, was following her. Whenever Xiaocao was around, that little fellow liked to stick around her. Even when it was resting, it would choose a ce that was closest to Xiaocao¡ª¡ªwhich was right outside her personal room. Thus, as soon as Xiaocao left her room, this little fellow quickly sensed it and trailed behind her.


    Eh? Its master was heading towards the building where it lived. Did the master know that it was getting close to when it usually ate its midnight snack and wanted to add some more food? ck Whirlwind blinked itsrge, gentle eyes as joy surged in its heart. The food that the master made, as well as the tasty blocks of sugar, were all more delicious than the food the grooms sent over. Yay! It was going to have a good snack! ck Whirlwind became immensely excited and even its steps were much lighterpared to before.


    Wait! Why was there the smell of a strange horse in the air? Its stall was its own and it already knew the other horses that were stabled nearby. This strange horse had a strong aura about it; just where did ite from?


    ck Whirlwind raised its head and looked curiously over in the direction of the stables. It discovered that there was a snow white,rge horse that was currently inserting its head into its own stall and stealing food from its feed trough!


    The little horse immediately became furious. It had wondered why it hadn¡¯t been able to eat any midnight snacks recently. Originally, it thought that the humans in the farm had carelessly forgotten to add its snack to its stall. It had never suspected that its food was being ruthlessly stolen by another horse!! ck Whirlwind felt its mind go nk and it charged forward as it wanted to warn the other horse and teach it a lesson.


    However, when it reached the strange thief, it discovered that its ¡®tiny build¡¯ was like a tiny ant in front of the other horse. Wah wah wah...when could it grow up and beat this evil thief underneath its hooves?


    The white horse heard ck Whirlwind charging over and turned its head to nce at the little colt. An angry little foal? It barely reached the height of its legs but it was quite brave. The young horse stood in front of it angrily as if it wished it could go up and bite. This little fellow quite had guts. Once it reached adulthood, it might be able to put up a fight with it. As for now...a tiny body and spindly legs, it had better obediently stand aside!


    The white stallion had no intention of harming the little fellow. It gently used its head to nudge the foal away and continued to eat the delicious feed that was in the stall. It had been a long time since itst encountered that human little girl. However, it had not been able to forget the special sugar cubes that had the ability to change its constitution that the little girl had fed it. After resisting for a long time, it brought its herd to slowly get closer to the stud farm to investigate just what the humans there were up to.


    When it found out that neither the patrolling guards nor the staff of the farm tried to capture or shoo them away, the head stallion brought its herd closer and closer to the farm. It hoped to encounter that little girl again. However, it was destined to be disappointed as Xiaocao had already left the farm to go into the mountains to search for rare medicinal herbs.


    However, it wasn¡¯t entirely without benefit. The humans at the farm seemed to know that they were there and stocked a bunch of feed near them. Within the feed provided was some food that had the same tantalizing smell as the special candy the girl gave it. The food was slightly inferior in taste to what the girl had, but it was still better than nothing.


    The white stallion still longed for the taste of that rock sugar candy that emitted a faint spiritual energy. It dawdled around the vicinity of the farm for a few days and discovered that on a particr young foal in the farm, there was the faint smell of the sugar candy. Later, on a particr night where the wind was blowing hard, it followed the smell to the horse stables and discovered that the feed inside was the food that it couldn¡¯t seem to forget. It couldn¡¯t resist the urge to eat everything in there.


    Following that, it came over every day to visit as if it was entranced and became a frequent visitor at the stud farm. Today was no exception. However, it didn¡¯t think it would be discovered by the owner of this stall¡ª¡ªa ck colored little colt had appeared. However, what did that matter? The white stallion continued to eat the food inside withrge bites and nced at the little colt with a look of disdain in its eyes.


    ck Whirlwind let out a furious whinny at the sight of this. Although it was still very young, it had a quite imposing manner. That damned little thief was stealing food right in front of it without a hint of shame. The other horse was truly looking down on it. ck Whirlwind opened its mouth and rushed towards the white stallion that was more than twice as tall as it. It bit down hard on the strong and sturdy stallion¡¯s leg and ground its teeth. It needed to bite this damned thief to death!


    The white horse, who was currently happily eating the food, only felt a light tickle on its leg followed by a bit of pain. It couldn¡¯t help but kick out that leg. Little ck Whirlwind ended up tumbling to the ground by the other horse¡¯s light kick. Although it wasn¡¯t injured at all, it was coveredpletely in dirt and had a huge blow to its ego.

 Chapter 599 – Boiling Frog Syndrome

    <h4>Chapter 599 ¨C Boiling Frog Syndrome</h4>


    ck Whirlwind pitifully ran towards its master as it whined and cried in a spoiled manner. Xiaocao stifled her desire tough and stuffed a rock candy into the little fellow¡¯s mouth to sooth its bruised little ego.


    The head stallion sensitively could tell that there was spiritual energy that wasing off of the sugar lump. It hurriedly raised its head and followed the smell over. Under the light of the moon, a familiar figure was dressed entirely in white and her body seemed to emit a white glow like an immortal. The white stallion wasn¡¯t able to appreciate the looks of a small human girl as its entire attention was taken up by the rock candy that the little ck colt was currently chewing on in pleasure.


    The head stallion gracefully headed over in the direction of Xiaocao. Little ck Whirlwind could sense the wildness on the other horse and thought that it was going to try to harm its master, so it advanced a couple steps forward. It used its small and weak body to block Xiaocao from the older horse.


    It was this fellow again! The white horse lowered its head to nce at the tiny ck Whirlwind and its eyes were full of disdain. If it wanted to harm this human little girl, did the little foal really think it could stop it? It gently used its foreleg to push the little fellow away and stopped in front of Xiaocao. Itsrge mouth beelined for that familiar embroidered pouch.


    At this time, a ck colored little figure swiftly rushed over in an attempt to smash into the white stallion¡¯s head. The white horse backed up a step and avoided the little exploding bomb¡¯s figure.


    ¡®Hissssss¡ª¡ªYou¡¯re not allowed to harm my master!!¡¯ Although ck Whirlwind had a small figure, the noise it made was both loud and trumpeting, ¡®Where is everyone? Where are the grooms? Where are the guards? Did everyone die in their sleep? There¡¯s a bad horse here bullying my master. Peoplee here and help ah!¡¯


    When she saw little ck Whirlwind making a heroic stance, trying to protect her from this intruder, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or feel touched by the little foal¡¯s protectiveness. She stepped forward, bent down, and gently hugged the little fellow¡¯s slightly trembling body. She stroked the foal¡¯s soft and downy fur tofort it and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t be scared. It won¡¯t harm us!¡±


    Although ck Whirlwind was still quite young, its intelligence was already at around a five year old human child¡¯s. It was able to understand the vast majority of what its master was saying. ¡®What the? The master recognizes this scoundrel of a thief that had been stealing my midnight snacks?¡¯ ck Whirlwind swiveled its head around to look at Xiaocao doubtfully.


    ¡°However, ck Whirlwind is so brave. I¡¯ll reward you with a piece of sugar candy!¡± Yu Xiaocao took out a piece of rock sugar, ced it in her palm and was about to feed it to the little ck foal.


    Suddenly, arge head butted over and a warm tongue curled around the rock candy, stealing it from her hand. The white stallion closed its eyes in pleasure as it chewed on the sugar. It also silentlyined that the amount of spiritual energy within the candy seemed to be lesspared to the ones the little girl gave to him before. Not enough to satisfy its craving!


    ck Whirlwind was infuriated by this! Not only did this interloper steal its midnight snack but it also tantly stole its rock candy. This meant war! ck Whirlwind, whose head was filled with rage, seemed to go mad as it rushed towards the white stallion. It began to kick and bite at the other horse and was making quite a ruckus.


    However, that white horse seemed to disregard the little fellow, who only reached the height of its knees. It sidled a bit to avoid the foal¡¯s attack and then just let the younger horse pummel it. That little bit of strength was only a tickle to it. The most important thing was to swindle a few more pieces of candy over!


    ¡°ck Whirlwind, there¡¯s still candy here,e back!¡± Yu Xiaocao was a bit afraid that the little fellow might be stomped upon by the white stallion. She hurriedly called it back and fished out another piece of candy. She avoided the white stallion¡¯s open mouth and stuffed the rock candy into the little fellow¡¯s mouth.


    After chewing a bit on the sweet candy, ck Whirlwind¡¯s reason gradually came back and it cooled its temper. It red angrily at the white stallion and raised its head arrogantly as if it was trying to say, ¡®See ah?! The master still likes me the most!¡¯


    The white horse cast a resentful nce at Xiaocao and stretched out its mouth to snatch at Xiaocao¡¯s embroidered pouch. Xiaocao dodged it and tried to entice it, ¡°See ah? The treatment at this farm is quite good. If you decide to stay here, every day you¡¯ll get a piece of candy! How¡¯s that? Do you want to think it through?¡±


    The white stallion momentarily stopped its attempts to steal food and then pretended to not have heard a single word as it resumed its attacks towards her embroidered pouch. Yu Xiaocao noticed that it was pretending and felt a bit helpless. However, since she had already said she wanted to say, there was no need to press on. She was sure that, like a frog being gradually boiled in a pot of water, the white stallion and the other wild horses would soon be enticed and captured by the farm¡¯s benefits.


    She shoved another piece of candy into the white stallion¡¯s mouth and patted its neck as she smiled, ¡°Alright, you ate some food and got a few candy pieces too. Quickly go back to where you need to go, ok? Oh right, in the future, if you encounter any storms or nasty weather, remember that there¡¯s a new set of buildings over there that can shelter you. We especially prepared that for you and your herd! There won¡¯t be any people there to bother you. Trust me, even if youe to live at the farm, you will still have plenty of freedom. However, there is one thing I need to mention. If you want to find some wives here, you need to pick first from the horses here!¡±


    After sessfully getting another piece of candy, the white stallion was finally satisfied and stopped its attempts at stealing more. It knew that there was a limit on how much spiritual energy it could eat in one day. If it ate too much, it would end up being harmful instead of beneficial. It reluctantly nced at the human little girl again before it finally turned away to leave.


    Yu Xiaocao quietly watched as that snow white horse, who didn¡¯t have a single w on its body, gracefully treaded away under the gentle glow of the moon. She felt as if the horse had juste out of a storybook. It was so stunning that a person couldn¡¯t bear to take their eyes away.


    The cold night breeze blew past and she shivered from the drop in temperature. She shook her shoulders a bit. During the tenth month in the north, many areas already had some snow falling. The stud farm had been built in a sheltered area in the north, so it took longer for winter to arrive there. However, the evening winds were still quite cold.


    At this moment, a cloak that held the warmth of another had been gently ced on her shoulders and a familiar aura enveloped her from behind. She let the heat sink in and rx her.


    ¡°It has already left, so we should head back!¡± As soon as Xiaocao left her room, Zhu Junyang sensed it. He knew what the littless was thinking about. In order not to startle that white stallion, he kept his aura back and followed the littless from far behind, protecting her silently.


    Zhu Junyang had seen the little ck colt bravely protecting its master and his impression of Fierce Wind¡¯s descendant had gone up a few notches. A young foal who dared to attack a lead stallion meant that it was very courageous and loyal, which spoke volumes about its future. The stud farm desperately needed a horse like it to be its leader. Perhaps this little fellow was destined for that position.


    When the grooms heard the ruckus, they once again added more fodder into the colt¡¯s stall. Yu Xiaocao also added some special food for ck Whirlwind. The little ck colt was so happy that it was temporarilyforted about the previous insult and joyfully ate its midnight snack. Its small tail swished back and forth excitedly, which showed just how happy it was feeling at the moment.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had been escorted back to her small courtyard by Zhu Junyang, naturally didn¡¯t know that when the white stallion left, it had stopped by the direction she had pointed in to take a look. At the outermost part of the stud farm, it saw the newrge and clean stables. Each stall was filled with plenty of feed, just as the little human girl had said. There were no guards or other humans guarding the area and it knew it didn¡¯t have to worry about any traps or sinister plots.


    It suddenly thought of theing long and hard winter as well as the weaker and older members in its herd. Every winter, there would always be a few members of its herd that would end up dying from the harshness of the winter climate here. That was survival of the fittest. However, as the head stallion, it also felt grief and sadness at the death of its members. If there was such a shelter like this in the past, perhaps those herd members who had died in the past might be alive today. What was more important between life and freedom? The white horse now felt a bit conflicted...


    Four nights after they came back from their autumn hunting, the icy cold northern wind blew around in the area for an entire night. Frosty chilliness enveloped the entire farm. In the beginning, snowkes as bright as stars floated slowly to the ground and then the chill wind, which felt as sharp as a knife, began to reign, forcing people to cover up their extremities.


    Yu Xiaocao curled up on the warm and cozy kang bed. She had nothing to do now and decided to do her best to make an embroidered pouch so that she could exchange the extremely ugly and faded one that still hung on that fellow¡¯s, Zhu Junyang¡¯s, waist.


    Wutong, who was also on the kang bed, was currently dexterously sewing a set of clothing made out of ferret fur pets for her young miss. Winter came early to the north and they didn¡¯t prepare enough clothing to handle the cold. Thus, it was necessary for them to quickly craft some suitable clothing to help their mistress stay warm in the rapidly dropping temperatures. Out of all of the maidservants, Wutong wasn¡¯t the best at handicrafts but her skills at needlework were among the top. If she hadn¡¯t been selected by the young miss to be a personal maidservant, it was likely that she would have been recruited into the General¡¯s Residence¡¯s embroidery and sewing section.


    Yingchun was currently on the kang bed spinning some thread. She asked her mistress out of puzzlement, ¡°Young Miss, why are you telling us to spin such thick threads? What do you need to make with it ah?¡± If these thick threads were used to weave cloth, then how thick would the fabric end up bing? Were they going to knit nkets?


    Chunhua and Qiushi, who were currently whittling bamboo into needles on the side, nced at the thick bamboo needles they made. They were also quite curious about their young miss¡¯s ns.


    ¡°Once it¡¯s all ready, you will all find out!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled mysteriously and continued to work on her embroidery. She had already finished sewing the pouch. She turned it over a few times, inspecting her work. It looked like the seams in this pouch turned out quite straight, so she was quite pleased. The hardest part, however, was to embroider a design on top.


    She had picked out the most simple embroidery pattern out of all of the ones Wutong had prepared for her¡ª¡ªa few stalks of bamboo with leavesing off of them. In actuality, a mischievous idea had popped up into her mind. She kind of wanted to embroider a cute and adorable cartoon figure on top. Would the cold and solemn Royal Prince Yang truly dare to hang such a pouch on his waist then?


    At this time, a gust of cold wind preceded the person who had lifted the thick door curtain toe in. A tall and sturdy figure quickly stepped in. He sat next to Xiaocao and looked at the drawing that she was currently sketching out. It was a peculiar little dog that seemed oddly adorable.


    Although it was merely a sketch, it was easy to tell what she was drawing. It had a small body, perked up ears, bright eyes, and there was even a scarf around its neck. From the slightly arrogant positioning, he could tell that it was somewhat rted to Little White.


    ¡°What are you drawing? Looks pretty interesting!¡± It was the first time that Zhu Junyang had seen something so...abstract and cute. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration.


    Yu Xiaocao stifled a giggle, ¡°This is the design I¡¯m preparing to embroider on the pouch. Since you like it, I feel relieved.¡±


    As soon as Zhu Junyang heard this, the expression froze on his face. He nced at the other patterns on the paper and picked the simplest bamboo sketch and squeezed out a somewhat unnatural smile, ¡°That design looks tooplicated, just how long will you have to sew to finish? This prince doesn¡¯t want you to work so hard, how about you choose something simpler instead ah?¡±

 Chapter 600 – A Sweet Burden

    <h4>Chapter 600 - A Sweet Burden</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao ¡¯dejectedly¡¯ lowered her head and shoulders, and said in a sorrowful voice, "You must have disliked my embroidery and thought that I couldn¡¯t embroider moreplicated patterns, right?"


    "Absolutely not! As long as it¡¯s embroidered by you, I will like it!" With that, he untied the purse from his waist and showed it to thess who was ¡®depressed¡¯ to show that he was serious.


    Yu Xiaocao snatched the purse that was worn to the point that its edges were frazzled. She really wanted to destroy it. It must¡¯ve been difficult for him not to be afraid of beingughed at, carrying this ugly and deformed purse with him for two years.


    "Then, if I embroidered Little White¡¯s image onto this purse, would you wear it?" As soon as Yu Xiaocao looked up, her eyes, which looked like a clear sky that had been washed by rain, stared at him without blinking.


    Zhu Junyang nodded his head without even thinking about it, "As long as it¡¯s embroidered by you, I¡¯ll always carry it on my person! I¡¯m just afraid your eyes will be tired..." He had carried such an ugly purse for two years. Although the pattern didn¡¯t match his temperament, it had to be better than the original one right?


    Yu Xiaocao also drew a little cute yellow duck. Holding back a smile, she asked, "What about an embroidered pattern like this? With sky blue brocade as the background and yellow embroidery thread as the outline..."


    Zhu Junyang imagined himself dressed in ck with such a bright purse hanging at his waist, and he couldn¡¯t look directly at that image. However, what already came out his mouth had to be abided by. He nodded his head with great difficulty and said, "As long as you embroider it, I will wear it!"


    He was the grand and intimidating chief military instructor of the firearms camp, yet he was going to wear such a foolish and cute looking purse. He didn¡¯t know how much the brats wouldugh at him behind his back! Going with her idea, it would be better to not change it, at least the people he knew were already used to his ugly purse.


    "<i>Pfffttt</i>¡ª¡ª" Xiaocao couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. Sheughed and fell onto the <i>kang</i> bed as her hands kept pounding the mat. Out of breath, she said, "I was joking with you! These patterns are designed for pillows and satchels. How could I let you carry such a purse that contrasts with your heroic and dashing image so much?"


    "Naughty girl!" Zhu Junyang waspletely relieved when he heard her words and let out a sigh of relief. His slender hands rubbed her ck hair. He remembered what he hade for and said, "The fodder in the new stables was eaten up a lot. The guards patrolling nearby saw a white horse, in the distance, bringing some wild horses to eat. They only left early this morning."


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t surprised at all. She nodded and said, "It¡¯s possible that Snow Scar predicted the changes in the weather and brought the weaker horses to the horse farm to eat, hoping to enhance their resistance to the cold." Snow Scar was the name for that leader white horse that she hade up with. Compared to Little White, Little ck, and Little Glutinous Dumpling, she had made great progress.


    "If it is as you¡¯ve said, then the horses wille again. After all, the winter in the north is very long. Low temperatures and snowstorms will bring a fatal blow to the old, weak, sick, and pregnant horses in the herd." Zhu Junyang was curious about this horse¡¯s high IQ. However, once he thought of hisss¡¯s abilities and those evil pets at home, he felt that this matter should have something to do with her.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s prediction was soon confirmed. When Xiaocao was almost finished embroidering the green bamboo patterned pouch, the horse farm ushered in the biggest snowstorm of the winter. Snowkes the size of a baby¡¯s fist were falling from the yellow sky. The visibility outside was only a few meters.


    All the horses in the horse farm stayed in their stables. Even ck Whirlwind, who liked to wander and roam, returned to its warm single room. In every corner of the horse farm, fire pans were burning to keep warm. Every other day, Doctor Wang would take the veterinarian team at the horse farm and check the horses one by one to ensure that every horse could safely survive the long and cold winter season.


    Head Steward Yan braved the wind and snow toe to report new discoveries to the master. In the master¡¯s room, he found that it was empty. He turned and went to Miss Yu¡¯s courtyard. Sure enough, he found his master there.


    "Rest a bit. I¡¯m not in a hurry to wear it, don¡¯t strain your eyes!" Zhu Junyang enchanting phoenix eyes were looking at the knitting needle in thess¡¯s hands. The expression on his face was so soft that water could¡¯ve dripped out. Unexpectedly, thess had this ability. Her fingers flew as they plucked the knitting needle up and down. The thing that was said to be a sweater was slowly gaining length under her skillful knitting.


    Thess said that she wanted to knit him a close-fitting sweater, which was warm and light. In his heart, he was looking forward to it and was afraid that thess would be tired, so he couldn¡¯t help but remind her to take more rest.


    "It¡¯s ok. I¡¯m free anyway! When I finish knitting it for you, I will also knit one for Sir Su. This ce gets cold too early. It looks like Sir Su didn¡¯t bring any clothes for the cold weather!" Yu Xiaocao¡¯s speed in knitting the sweater didn¡¯t slow down as she talked.


    In her past life, to save money, her brother¡¯s and sister¡¯s sweaters and woolen pants were all knitted by her. Although she hadn¡¯t knitted for a long time and was a bit rusty, she soon got back to the old days with a bit of practice. At her speed, it wouldn¡¯t take longer than a week to knit a sweater. Looking at the blue-dyed wool under her hands, she imagined the appearance of the handsome Zhu Junyang wearing it. He would definitely look very warm and handsome!


    "What? You¡¯re gonna knit for that guy?" Zhu Junyang¡¯s happiness in his heart was suddenly mixed with a sour feeling. "You can teach Wutong and Yingchun. With the two of them knitting together, Steward Su can also wear it sooner."


    He had to admit that he didn¡¯t want thess to knit clothes for others. When he thought of other people wearing the stuff she made, he wanted to take it off them. He rather destroy it than give other men any hope!


    "You¡¯re just a big jar of vinegar! So jealous!" Yu Xiaocao nced over sideways at him and chuckled. How could she not understand the thoughts going through this guy¡¯s head?


    "I¡¯m just worried about tiring you!" Zhu Junyang stubbornly insisted.


    "I just regard Sir Su as an older brother, so why are you getting jealous over nothing?" Yu Xiaocao put down her knitting needle and brought over a pillow Wutong had sewn. She put it behind her as a cushion so she could be morefortable.


    "Tired? Take a break and have some pine nuts and hazelnuts!" Zhu Junyang put the pine nuts and hazelnuts he had peeled into thess¡¯s hands. He took the half foot long sweater she had knitted from her hands and carefully put it to the side.


    When Yu Xiaocao received the bounty from his hands, she ate the nuts in small bites. Outside, someone reported that Steward Yan was requesting an audience. What important matter would let Steward Yan brave the snow and wind on this snowy evening to run back and forth to report on the affairs of the horse farm?


    "Come in!" Zhu Junyang gently pinched open a hickory nut, carefully took out the kernel and put it on another te that was on the <i>kang</i> bed table.


    After Head Steward Yan came in and gave his greeting, he stood at the side, watching his master concentrate on peeling nuts. He was stunned for a moment and in his heart, he thought, ¡¯Could he be peeling it for Miss Yu?¡¯


    As soon as this idea arose in his head, he saw his master take the empty te from Miss Yu¡¯s hands and put the peeled hickory nuts into her hands. Head Steward Yan thought to himself, ¡¯I didn¡¯t expect my master, who had the titles of a cold-faced cmitous star, would be just like his father, the imperial prince, someone who dotes on their wife to no end.


    "Is there a matter?" Zhu Junyang saw that thess preferred to eat the pine nuts and patiently peeled them out one by one. His movement was extremely leisurely and elegant as if he wasn¡¯t peeling pine nuts but using his fingertips to dance instead. It was very pleasing to the eye.


    Head Steward Yan hastily took back his gaze and with a smile reported, "As Your Highness has expected, the herd led by the white horse has moved into the new stables outside today. When the man in charge of the stable over there went to add the feed, the wild horses, although agitated, didn¡¯t attack the horse breeder nor did they seem to intend to escape."


    "Lass, you guessed right. The white horse hase to the horse farm to seek shelter for his species!" The matter was expected by both of them. However, it was going to be a process to gain the trust of the lead white horse.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled and said to Head Steward Yan, "Keep the people of the horse farm as far away from the new stables as possible. Besides sending water and feed, the horse breeders shouldn¡¯t go over there."


    "Yes! I will tell the others now..." Head Steward Yan knew very well that Miss Yu¡¯s orders were the master¡¯s orders; thus, he very respectfully agreed.


    "Wait!" Yu Xiaocao suddenly thought of something and called back Head Steward Yan, who had turned around to go out. "When the grooms add feed to the stables, let them take notice of whether there are any sick horses or horses about to give birth in the herd."


    "Yes!" Miss Yu was very considerate but would the wild horses allow the veterinarians ess to them even if they were sick? Head Steward Yan took a look in the direction of his master and left with doubts in his heart.


    When Zhu Junyang¡¯s sweater only had the two sleeves left to sew, Head Steward Yan presented the statistics. The condition of the wild horse herd wasn¡¯t optimistic. There were seventy-five wild horses of all sizes, with more than a dozen sick or weak. There weren¡¯t many horses pregnant, only around two or three.


    In the horse farm, the sick horses were quarantined to prevent other horses from getting infected. Fortunately, the wild horses had a warm shelter. Every day, they could eat grassced with spiritual energy and drink from well water, so their resistance was greatly enhanced. Some of the less ill horses had begun to improve.


    "It seems that the wind and snow outside is lighter. Ruizhi, I want to go to the stables and have a look. Will you apany me over?" Yu Xiaocao saw that there were several seriously ill and mares about to give birth ording to the statistics. She was a bit worried and used a coquettish tone to act cute with Zhu Junyang.


    She knew that with Zhu Junyang, she might be allowed to go for a walk. If she was on her own, that overbearing wife maniac would absolutely not agree! Aiya! Having a man who cared too much about her was also a kind of sweet burden!


    "Okay! I¡¯ll go with you¡ª¡ªHowever, you have to put on the duck down cotton-padded trousers, as well as the sheepskin vest and wear the ferret fur lined coat on the outside..." Every time Zhu Junyang saw thess¡¯s thin arms and legs, he always worried about her health.

 Chapter 601 – Addicted to You

    <h4>Chapter 601 - Addicted to You</h4>


    Fortunately, thess looked thin but she had a good constitution. However, the snow and temperatures of the north couldn¡¯t be taken lightly. Inparison, the capital¡¯s winters were much warmer!


    "I know! You¡¯re nagging like a little olddy!" Yu Xiaocao chased him out of the room. Resignedly, she put onyer afteryer of clothes to keep out the cold. If she let Zhu Junyang continue talking, she would have to go out wrapped in a nket!


    Zhu Junyang had ck lines on his forehead, ¡¯Is there an olddy as handsome as me? Thisss is really heartless.¡¯


    "Ah! It¡¯s so cold!" As soon as she came out, a piercing cold wind with flying snowkes came at her small face. Yu Xiaocao wrinkled her face; she wasn¡¯t used to the extreme cold of the north!


    Zhu Junyang took off her snowcap and added a thick mink scarf, leaving only two big eyes exposed. The snow outside was just below the calves. Zhu Junyang had the advantage of height, so walking in the snow wasn¡¯t much effort. However, with Yu Xiaocao¡¯s present height, which hadn¡¯t reached 1.6 meters, it was a tragedy for her small short legs.


    She tried to pull one foot out of the snow, took another arduous step, and then pulled out her back foot. From the courtyard to the front door, which was only the short distance of a few meters, she walked for more than ten minutes and her whole body was sweating!


    Zhu Junyang turned back and saw that thess was far behind him. Her figure tottered with every step. He couldn¡¯t help from turning back, walking towards her, and squatting in front of her, gently saying, "Climb on!"


    Yu Xiaocao stared at the broad and strong figure in front of her and pursed her lips, trying to stop the corners of her mouth from rising. These few years, under her subtle influence, Royal Prince Yang, this cold stone man, had gradually developed towards the direction of a caring guy, the overwhelming power of a doting boyfriend! She liked it! She had made the decision! She must seize this man of the century and not allow any others to have any chance!


    "Come on! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you fall!" Seeing that Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t moved in a long time, Zhu Junyang looked back at thess, who was stupefied behind him, and soothed her.


    All of a sudden, thess, who had been standing still, rushed at him. The target wasn¡¯t his back. Instead, she held onto his handsome face and gave him a hard kiss. A sweet sound entered his heart, "Jun Yangyang, I now see your good side more frequently. If you continue on like this, I will get addicted and not be able to quit!"


    Zhu Junyang stood up and caught thess in front of him. He lowered his head and kissed thess¡¯s big eyes, which were the only things exposed. His soft and moist lips were in a charming gentle smile, "I will always treat you well, only you! You don¡¯t have to quit because as long as you turn, you will see me beside you, never far away!"


    Yu Xiaocao sniffled and her eyes heated up, "What do I do? I have an urge to cry. Jun Yangyang, what you said is so touching? Where did you learn how to please girls?"


    ¡°In this world, you¡¯re the only one worthy of my ttery! Don¡¯t cry, the tears will turn into ice as soon as theye out!" Zhu Junyang gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with warm fingers and preciouslynded a hot kiss there.


    He bent down and held thess in his arms like a princess. If he let her continue on like this, he didn¡¯t know if they would get to the new stables before dark!


    It was not a bad thing to have a tall and strong boyfriend! She was wrapped up like a ball. Adding in her bodyweight, she must¡¯ve weighed at least ny to a hundred pounds. However, in his arms, it was as if he was holding a baby, free and rxed. Zhu Junyang walked steadily and rapidly in the snow.


    Soon they were at the new stables. Yu Xiaocao was afraid that his imposing manner would cause the wild horses uneasiness, so she let Zhu Junyang put her down not far away. When she got to the stable, she looked back and saw the figure standing upright in the snow, with his eyes focused on her the entire time.


    "Don¡¯t just stand there, find a ce to avoid the snow and wind! Come pick me up in half an hour. Don¡¯t worry, with Snow Scar there, the other wild horses won¡¯t hurt me!" Yu Xiaocao put her hands up to her mouth and shouted at him.


    Zhu Junyang knew that if he didn¡¯t leave, thess wouldn¡¯t enter the stables. He waved in her direction and turned away in the storm. He strode in the direction that had a thatched pavilion nearby for the guards on duty.


    In the stables, the lead white horse heard the familiar voice and soothed the horses that were startled by the sound. It walked towards Xiaocao with elegant steps. It tilted its head and looked at Xiaocao, trying to find the familiar smell from her thick clothing.


    Yu Xiaocao patted its head and walked into the stable. A wall with flues for space heating was set up in the new stable the second day the storm began. Therefore, although the doors of the stable were open, it was still warm andfortable inside.


    "How is it? Snow Scar, are you used to living here? Is there enough fodder to eat every day?" Yu Xiaocao inspected several stalls, said hello to a few familiar wild horses, and then started chatting with the white horse.


    Snow Scar was still unfamiliar with its name, but it saw that, when the human girl was talking, she looked in its direction. After a few times, it recognized the designation she had given it, just like that dark little guy was called ¡¯ck Whirlwind¡¯.


    The white horse didn¡¯t reject its new name and followed the girl, swishing its tail. It looked at her examining its herd members that were too sick to stand up, listening to her nagging like a chatterbox.


    "<i>Hiss</i>¡ª¡ª" Snow Scar gave a low sound and the little divine stone helped to trante, [It asked if you can cure its herd members!]


    "No problem! It¡¯s just amon spasmodic hernia. It¡¯s caused by the cold or drinking a lot of cold water after running and sweating." From her medicine box, Yu Xiaocao took out the herbs she needed, ground them into powder, and mixed the powder with warm water that had mystic water added in before pouring the resulting mixture down the throat of the sick horse.


    The sick horse, that was so thin that it seemed like it was only bone, acted as if it knew that she was curing it. It was very cooperative when she opened its mouth for examination and didn¡¯t fuss when she poured the bitter medicine.


    "Alright! If there is nothing unexpected, you should be able to jump around tomorrow! Snow Scar, let all the sick horses go into one area. It will take too much time for me to go check them one by one!" She didn¡¯t care if the white horse understood or not. After all, there was a trantor named the little divine stone, so she didn¡¯t need to worry.


    Little Divine Stone thought resentfully, ¡®I¡¯m a divine stone. I don¡¯t know how to speak horse, ok?¡¯ However, it still could convey the meaning of Xiaocao¡¯s words through mind to mind contact.


    Xiaocao cleaned an empty stable and brought over the wild horse that had just drunk the medicine. Soon Snow Scar came with a dozen horses to join her. Fortunately, the sick horses all hadmon diseases that were caused by cold weather, gastrointestinal diseases, or injuries.


    She examined more than a dozen horses and gave them medicine ording to their symptoms. Some of them were cooperative, while some of them, at most, restlessly turned under the pressure of their leader, and some of the younger horses refused to open their mouths faced with the bitter medicine. Xiaocao spent a lot of strength, even coaxed and cheated, and gave them some sugar cubes. She finally poured the medicine down their throats after working up a full body of sweat.


    "Ok! Let them stay here and I will let some people bring specialized feed over. Snow Scar, you¡¯re in charge of supervising the other horses so they don¡¯te over to steal food!" Yu Xiaocao took water from the water trough to wash her hands. After thinking about it, she added a drop of mystic-stone water to all the water troughs.


    The white horse, who had been following her around, noticed the spirit energy of the porcin bottle in her hand and immediately became restless. Intuition told it that even a drop of that liquid was better for its body than a sugar cube.


    Noticing its covetous gaze, Xiaocao took out a sugar cube, dripped a drop of mystic-stone water onto it, and rewarded it to Snow Scar. She believed that as long as they made unremitting efforts, the horse herd headed by the white horse would gradually be assimted, adding strong reinforcements to their horse farm.


    "No! Only one drop today!" Yu Xiaocao saw that Snow Scar was still coveting the mystic-stone water in hand and refused firmly. "I¡¯lle again tomorrow to assess the recovery of the other horses. If anything goes wrong, go over to the courtyard over there to find me! If you don¡¯t know the way you can have ck Whirlwind take you!"


    Although it didn¡¯t want to see the big fellow who always stole its nightly snack, ck Whirlwind and Snow Scar still gradually became familiar with each other. The white horse also knew which stable ck Whirlwind was in, so Xiaocao said it like this!


    "You and your herd can settle down here without any worries. None of the staff at the stud farm will harm you!" Yu Xiaocao told the white horse not to harm the staff of the horse farm as she was walking out. After all, there were people who came to deliver feed and water every day, as well as those who cleaned the stables.


    Aftering out, she looked up to see a tall and straight figure standing in the wind and snow, like a god standing between heaven and earth. The white horse also noticed Zhu Junyang¡¯s scent. It looked up at him once and then calmly returned to the stable. That human¡¯s scent, although powerful, wasn¡¯t threatening. What¡¯s more, the scenting from him was the same as that of the human girl, so he shouldn¡¯t be a bad person!


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know that he benefited from thess and was given a good person card by the white horse. He only had eyes for hisss. She was walking against the snow and wind, which was blowing harder and harder, toe towards him.


    Zhu Junyang went up and helped thess to tighten the clothes wrapped around her body. He picked her up again and quickly went back. Their speed going back was obviously faster than the waying out! This was because Zhu Junyang found out that Xiaocao¡¯s face was as cold as ice when he was helping her wear her snowcap earlier.


    The sooner they got back, the less hisss would have to endure in the cold. He didn¡¯t know if those maids were ready with the ginger soup to expel the cold, whether the <i>kang</i> bed was heated up hot enough... Zhu Junyang rotated his inner energy and lightened his body without a trace of effort. Xiaocao buried her face in his chest and put her arms around the man¡¯s neck. The curve of her smile couldn¡¯t be hidden...

 Chapter 602 – About to Give Birth

    <h4>Chapter 602 ¨C About to Give Birth</h4>


    Snow fell continuously for seven days and only finally stopped on the eighth day. Gradually, the dark clouds covering the sky scattered and the sun stealthily peeked through the cover.


    The white horse brought along its herd to live at the stables that were built at the outskirts of the stud farm. This ce not only had plentiful food and drink avable but there were also humans here who helped to diagnose and treat their bodies. Their lives had improved perceptibly here! The dozen or so wild horses who had gotten ill were now leaping and frisking about as if nothing had happened. As soon as the weather took a turn for the better, the horses all ran out to celebrate and left trampled snow behind them.


    The prairie had been buried under the snow from the great blizzard. In former years, their herd had to travel to a very far off ce to find some withered grass beneath the snow to eat, which barely filled their stomachs. When they were thirsty, they had to gnaw on icy snow. The horses who were weaker often couldn¡¯t endure the bitter cold and poor fodder and ended up getting ill and dying. There were also some unlucky foals who were born in the dead of winter. They didn¡¯t even get to open their eyes to see the world before they froze to death next to their mothers¡¯ sides.


    The white stallion strode over to a mare who had arge pregnant belly. That little human girl had already examined her body and stated that it was very likely that the birth would ur in the next few days. Thus, she had especially prepared a clean, cozy and warm birthing stall for this mare.


    Eh? The mare seemed to be a bit out of sorts. Goodness, was it time to give birth?! It raised its head to look at the ufortable expression on the mare¡¯s face and heard its grunts of pain. Snow Scar stopped moving. What should it do? What should it do?!


    That was right! That human little girl had said that if anything came up, it could go to the stud farm to find her! However, as soon as it exited the stables, Snow Scar paused out of bewilderment. Where should it go to find her? Where did she live? Oh right! It could go find that little ck colt; it was sure that little fellow knew where the girl lived!


    The white horse galloped away and glided over the snowy fields. In the distance, it looked like a snowy whirlwind as it billowedyers of snow in its run towards a certain direction.


    ¡°Eh? Who let Treading Snow out during the winter storm? If it gets chilled, Miss Yu will surely get angry! Huzi, go catch that horse and bring it back to the stables!¡± One of the firearm soldiers, Xiaoqi, who was patrolling around the area with his subordinates, saw the white horse galloping swiftly in the snow and mistakenly identified it as Treading Snow, which was the horse that Xiaocao had ridden over here.


    Huzi was a tall and sturdy young man. Because he had a full beard on his face, he had received the nickname of ¡®Huzi¡¯ 1 . He followed the orders and got closer to the white horse. However, he discovered that the white horse didn¡¯t have any tack on it, so it would be difficult to corral it in the right direction. Despite that, he wasn¡¯t flustered. He prepared to go forward to grab onto that horse¡¯s neck and hoist himself onto the animal¡¯s back to stop and control it.


    At this moment, Snow Scar sensed that there was a human who wanted to ¡®control¡¯ it. Hmph! Didn¡¯t that human little girl say that it would haveplete freedom toe and go as it pleased at the horse farm? Was that lie being exposed now? When it saw her, it needed to interrogate her closely!


    ¡°Treading Snow! Stop, you¡¯ll get chilled and sick from being outside in this weather!!¡± Huzi saw that the horse had neatly avoided him and was now running in a different direction, so he hurriedly called out the animal¡¯s name, hoping to calm it down to a stop.


    ¡®Treading Snow? What the heck?? Wasn¡¯t its name Snow Scar ah?? Did this guy mistake it for another horse ah? Not all white horses were Treading Snow, okay ah?¡¯ Snow Scar noticed that Huzi hade over again to stop it, so it suddenly tensed its muscles and leaped forward, soaring over that man¡¯s head. Then it gracefullynded on the snowy ground behind the man. The snow that it brought up from its jump spewedpletely on Huzi¡¯s head.


    By the time Huzi was able to react, the white horse had already ran far away. When Xiaoqi detected that the horse seemed out of the ordinary, he remembered his leader¡¯s warning and walked over to pat Huzi on the shoulder before saying, ¡°We were the ones who were wrong! That horse should be one of the wild horses that came here to shelter from the wind and snow. The leader told us that we should directly ignore them if we see them! Earlier I was a bit too hasty when I gave themand. Are you okay ah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! If it¡¯s a wild horse, why is iting over to the inner area of the stud farm? Is it trying to inspect the farm to see if it¡¯s a suitable ce to stay long term?¡± Huzi shook the pile of snow off of his head and grinned, revealing a row of bright white teeth.


    ¡°Ha ha ha...perhaps! How could the environment outside of the farm be asfortable as here? After living here, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it didn¡¯t want to leave. How could our leader¡¯s idea not work?¡± Xiaoqi and the other soldiers guffawed and then continued to patrol around the area as if nothing had happened.


    A few days ago, they had caught a few outsiders who clearly had bad intentions in the area. Thus, they had increased the security around the horse farm by another level! The powers above had sent down an order to make the security lookx on the outside while being very stringent on the inside. Maybe by doing that, they could catch a big fishter on!


    Snow Scar roved around the stud farm and finally arrived at the private stable of ck Whirlwind. It gently kicked aside the door to the stall and saw the little fellow leisurely eating its breakfast there¡ª¡ªa stack of hay that had been infused with spiritual energy.


    The little fellow unhurriedly turned around when it heard the noise to nce in the direction of the door. ck Whirlwind¡¯s carefree demeanor immediately changed when it saw who the intruder was and it forgot all about its breakfast. It revealed a cautious expression as it stared fixedly at that ¡®thief¡¯. Did the other horsee over to steal its breakfast ah?


    Horses had their own way ofmunicating with each other. Snow Scar told the young colt its purpose ining over. ck Whirlwind was a bit unwilling to help the other horse. Why did it have to help such a horrid fellow? It still held a grudge against it! However, this fellow¡¯s affairs were rted to the future of the stud farm. Its master had told it before that all of the foals here were the future of the farm! If it dyed the birth of another little foal because of its own personal grievances, then the master would be angry, right?


    Although it was unwilling, ck Whirlwind still brought the repulsive ¡®thief¡¯ along to the master¡¯s courtyard for the sake of the ¡®overall situation¡¯. When it saw the familiar courtyard gate, the little fellow excitedly and happily rushed forward as it let out a joyful whinny¡ª¡ª¡°Master, your most favorite ck Whirlwind is here! It¡¯s been a long time since we saw each other, did you miss me?¡±


    Snow Scar was not in the mood to appreciate the little fellow¡¯s foolish demeanor. The pregnant mare in the stable was still waiting for the little human girl to save its life! It eagerly stepped forward and pushed aside ck Whirlwind so hard that the little fellow staggered a bit. It followed a familiar smell straight into Xiaocao¡¯s courtyard.


    The servants in the courtyard, who were currently sweeping the area clean of snow, saw that their frequent visitor, ck Whirlwind, had brought along a beautiful white horse along today. They all revealed admiring looks in their eyes. Almost everyone who had worked a long time at the stud farm was able to differentiate between different horse bloodlines. This white horse was an absolute divine steed and was in no way inferior to the fine steeds that their masters rode!


    Yu Xiaocao had just finished washing herself up and was wearing a pink dress paired with a pink coat. She was sitting by the kang bed table and eating a delicious breakfast. Across from her sat a pair of handsome fellows who were respectively dressed entirely in ck or white. Being able to eat at the same table with two handsome and stunning looking men, who each had their own merits, truly made her appetite better! Yu Xiaocao felt as if the in white congee in front of her was more fragrant than before.


    Suddenly, a ruckus could be heard in the courtyard and she heard the small cry of an animal. Yu Xiaocao looked inquiringly out but her line of sight was blocked by a thick door curtain. Zhu Junyang ced down the bowl in his hands and hollered out to ask, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The sound of Yingchun¡¯s voice from the outside transmitted back, ¡°In reply to Your Highness, a white horse has entered the courtyard. The servants are about to drive it away!¡±


    ¡°A white horse? It wouldn¡¯t be Snow Scar, right? Is it about to leave with the herd of horses and came by to say farewell?¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed another spoonful of congee into her mouth and then used the handkerchief Zhu Junyang handed over to wipe her mouth before she put on her fur boots and jumped off the kang bed.


    ¡°Put on your mink fur overcoat. It¡¯s cold outside!¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help but nag a bit. Only when he saw the littless obediently allow Wutong to wrap her up tightly in the warm coat did he finally rx.


    ¡°Tsk tsk!¡± Su Ran used a handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth, revealing an ambiguous looking smile, ¡°I never would have expected the cold hearted and tyrannical Royal Prince Yang, who¡¯s like a fierce lion, had such a considerate and sweet side to him. A fierce lion bing as docile as a kitten. This truly has opened up my eyes!¡±


    Zhu Junyang smiled faintly and didn¡¯t think that he was doing anything improper as he struck back, ¡°Hasn¡¯t Chief Steward Su, who has always been a loner and never bothered to make close rtionships with other people, also changed quite a bit recently? You make it sound as if only this prince treats thatss well!¡±


    He was already feeling unhappy about the way Chief Steward Su treated that littless. Ever since Xiaocao had knitted a white wool sweater for the other man, Chief Steward Su seemed to dote on the littless without any restraint. Zhu Junyang had seen everything from the side and always felt like the other man was treating Xiaocao as if she was his own daughter!


    That damned old eunuch was trying to steal the littless away from him since he couldn¡¯t have his own children! Zhu Junyang silently cursed the other man. This absolutely could not continue! Clearly, in the future, his road to woo his little wife now had another ¡®father-inw¡¯ who was there to bar his way. Zhu Junyang truly wished he could pack that fellow up right now and send him back to the capital!


    ¡°Thatss Xiaocao is worthy of being doted upon. If I don¡¯t favor her, who else should I favor?¡± Su Ran deliberately revealed the white woolen sweater that Xiaocao had knitted him¡ª¡ªhe really wanted to infuriate that little brat to death!


    Su Ran felt his heart lighten when he remembered the constipated look on Royal Prince Yang¡¯s face when Xiaocao had given him the sweater. He deliberately asked the littless to also make him a pair of gloves and a scarf toplete the set. The more he could irritate the other fellow, the happier he felt!


    Didn¡¯t Xiaocao say that she regarded him as an older brother ah? It was right and natural for an older brother-inw to make things difficult for his younger sister¡¯s husband, right? Right? After all, wouldn¡¯t anyone feel a bit upset seeing such a lovable little girl being taken away by a big bad wolf, right? The Yu Family didn¡¯t dare to make things difficult for this son-inw, so he, Su Ran, would help them in their stead! Did the other guy really think it¡¯d be easy to swindle away someone¡¯s daughter, who they had painstakingly raised for over a decade?


    The two handsome men in the room stared at each other with pointed eyes. Sparks of fire seemed to being off of them. If Xiaocao, this crazy fangirl was around, she might have started imagining a romance between the two of them!


    With the little divine stone tranting for her, Xiaocao discovered that the white stallion hade by to tell her about a pregnant mare who was about to give birth. Thus, she sent Yingchun to inform Doctor Wang and bring him over. Although she had a cheat item in her hands, it was only useful in decreasing pain for the horse. As for helping the horse give birth, that was out of her abilities.


    She brought along her own medicine box and climbed onto the white stallion¡¯s back before the two of them sped towards the outskirts of the stud farm, where the stables for the wild horses were located. There truly weren¡¯t a lot of horses who gave birth in the middle of deep winter within the herd. Xiaocao was a bit worried about this, so she felt that it was for the best that she also be present for this.


    When Little ck Whirlwind saw that its master hadpletely ignored it and had her entire attention taken up by that ¡®little thief¡¯, it felt quite unhappy. It threw a little temper tantrum in the courtyard and only calmed down after Wutong gave it two pieces of rock candy.


    This was not okay! It could not allow that little thief to take its master away. It needed to keep an eye on that uncouth fellow. Despite the cold, Little ck Whirlwind trotted outside in the direction of the outskirts of the horse farm. Before long, it caught up with the old veterinarian who was also headed to the stables there.

 Chapter 603 – Returning Back

    <h4>Chapter 603 ¨C Returning Back</h4>


    The birth of the new foal had gone quite well considering the circumstances. Perhaps it was because the mother horse had eaten fodder that had spiritual energy in it, so she was in good shape. Not long after Xiaocao arrived there, the mare had given birth on her own to a red colored foal. Once Doctor Wang arrived, he inspected both the mare and her new foal from head to toe. After ascertaining that both animals were doing well, he left.


    ck Whirlwind squeezed through the group of people and curiously regarded the pitiful little fellow who couldn¡¯t even stand up properly. It turned its head away in disgust and walked away. However, it was also afraid that its master would start loving the other fellow more than it, so it ended up waiting obediently at the side, actingpletely different from its usual fiery and childish self. In fact, it didn¡¯t even try to steal the drop of mystic-stone water that Xiaocao had fed to the other little foal.


    The new little foal had a decent bloodline and had just been fed some mystic-stone water to improve its constitution. After spending a winter at the stud farm, the little foal would likely not be the least bit inferior to Snow Scar once it grew up! Yu Xiaocao noticed that within the wild horse herd there were quite a few other pregnant mares. Thus, she especially sent out a few experienced grooms to take good care of these mares and their future little ones. These foals were all the hope for the future at this farm! She was pretty convinced that the next generation of these horses, who would spend their entire childhood in the cozy environment of the horse farm, would likely be quite reluctant to leave such a wonderful ¡®home¡¯ in the future.


    After she finished settling everything down with the wild horse herd, it was already getting close to the twelfth month. Yu Xiaocao took a few of her maidservants on a day with good weather and had them pack all of their belongings in preparation to head back to the capital.


    During this time period, the guards at the stud farm had caught a few outside spies who had tried to infiltrate the area to poison their water source. After interrogating them, they confirmed that these spies hade from the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe and had been sent out by Xiao Rong¡¯s brainless younger brother on this mission.


    Did they really think that the Great Ming Empire, a fierce tiger, was a weak little Hello Kitty ah? In a pique of fury, Zhu Junyang took these spies along with some soldiers from the firearm barracks and headed out to attack the tribe with a night ambush. This group ended up setting the tribe¡¯s winter supplies all on fire and they also hung the heads of the in spies on the gpoles at the camp. For these ambitious foreign tribes, it was necessary to teach them a hard lesson. Otherwise, they would never learn!


    The elite warriors of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe had finally experienced the savagery of the long-distance gunpowder powered firearms. After experiencing aplete defeat, they finally realized the giant gap between themselves and the troops from the Great Ming Empire. Just because the other side didn¡¯t bother with them did not mean it was because they were afraid of them. Instead, it meant that they truly didn¡¯t even regard them as a rival and saw them as little jumping fleas instead.


    In the middle of winter, it was extremely difficult for a tribe like them, which lived on the outskirts, to gather extra food and supplies. Almost half of their wintering supplies had been burnt to a crisp, which meant that arge portion of the tribe would go hungry during the long winter. In addition, the new chief of the tribe was tyrannical and muddleheaded. Many of the lower-ranking warriors andmoners were quite unhappy about this turn of events and began to long for the times when Great King Xiao Rong, who was a wise leader, was still around.


    Xiao Rong, who had recovered fully from his wounds in the outer residence at the outskirts of the stud farm, had already infiltrated the tribe with his two loyal advisors. He was patiently waiting for the perfect time to strike and regain his throne. When Royal Prince Yang¡¯s firearm troops began their ambush, he took advantage of the situation and struck when the iron was still hot. He roused the warriors and people who were still loyal to him and swiftly rounded up all of the turncoats and imprisoned them. Thus, he finally regained the power that he had lost within the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe.


    At this time, the tribe was facing a crisis with theirck of supplies for the harsh winter. Xiao Rong called all of the high-ranking warriors to take part in an urgent meeting and stated that he was thinking of making Tuha¡¯erhanbu a subject-tribe under the Great Ming Empire such that themon people would be able to survive the uing season. Although there were a few high-ranking warriors who vehemently disliked this idea, the vast majority of people were cool-headed enough to analyze the situation logically. After realizing the severity of their situation, the votes came in and Xiao Rong¡¯s n was approved.


    Xiao Rong then informed Royal Prince Yang of their sincere desire to be a vassal under the Great Ming Empire, so the prince immediately sent someone off on a fast horse to send this information to the capital. The emperor swiftly sent over some officials to negotiate this settlement and the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe ended up signing an agreement. Every year, the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe would give a tribute to the Great Ming Empire in raw silks and cash while the Great Ming Empire would provide the tribe with enough food and supplies to get through the harsh winters in the north. Furthermore, they would craft a marketce where the two nations could trade freely, leading to an improved business rtionship between the two...


    But none of this could affect Xiaocao¡¯s desire to go back home. Did she want to go back to Dongshan Vige to celebrate the New Years this year? Or should she bring her family into the capital to celebrate it instead? Since she wasn¡¯t sure herself, she wanted to go back earlier so that she could discuss this matter with her parents.


    Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, hoped every day for a giant snowstorm. That way, they would be stuck here in the north, unable to travel. If that happened, he would be able to celebrate the New Years with the littless himself, just the two of them! Naturally, if he could also find a way to get rid of that eyesore, Chief Steward Su, that would be even better!


    Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with his wish. The eleventh month pretty much only had clear skies and bright sun every single day. He began to find every excuse he could to dy their departure back but his anticipated blizzard never appeared during that time.


    Naturally, Su Ran, as a perceptive man, had long seen through his desires. Although he also wanted to spend a happy and bustling New Years with thatss, Xiaocao, he didn¡¯t want that brat, Zhu Junyang, to get his heart¡¯s desire either. As Zhu Junyang was trying to find another excuse to dy Xiaocao heading back, Su Ranmpooned his idea with a single sentence, ¡°If Royal Prince Yang is much too busy to go back, I can go in your stead and escort Xiaocao back to the capital!¡±


    Zhu Junyang was infuriated by Chief Steward Su¡¯s suggestion. This stinking old eunuch was definitely doing this on purpose! He was definitely deliberately going against him and instigating thatss to go back to the capital earlier! What made the prince even more angry was that the littless expressed her approval of Chief Steward Su¡¯s idea and was nodding her head in agreement. Did she truly want to leave him behind and head off with Su Ran alone, who only had a pretty face?


    Helpless in the face of the events, at the end of the eleventh month, Zhu Junyang reluctantly journeyed off with Xiaocao back to the capital. Within their luggage, they had added a few carts of valuable fur pelts as well. Naturally, the most expensive items that they were bringing back home, the rare and hard to find medicinal herbs, were all stored within Xiaocao¡¯s medicine box!


    At the start of the twelfth month, Xiaocao finally arrived back at the capital. In the midst of a windy and snowy day, she obtained the news that Fang Zizhen and his wife were waiting to wee their adopted daughter home at the Shili Pavilion in a suburb outside of the capital.


    ¡°Godfather, Godmother! It¡¯s such a cold day yet you both still came out of the capital to wee me!¡± Yu Xiaocao exited the carriage and excitedly threw herself into Lady Fang¡¯s arms. After spending almost two months away from the capital, the closer she got to the city, the more Xiaocao reminisced about her time there and missed her rtives. The fact that her godfather and godmother came out to wee her back had touched her greatly and made her feel very fortunate¡ª¡ªshe also had people who missed her!


    Lady Fang carefully inspected her goddaughter from head to toe. She noticed that Xiaocao¡¯splexion was bright and rosy and it looked like she had gained a bit of weight as her cheeks felt much more soft under the gentle pinch of her hand. She helped the littless to stand up straight and discovered that her daughter had seemed to have grown a bit taller. Furthermore, the girl¡¯s body had added a bit more curve to it and she now resembled a little flower that was gradually blooming, beautiful and stunning.


    She felt herself rx and revealed a smile, ¡°Your godfather, ah, started to inquire after your whereabouts right at the start of the twelfth month. A few days ago, he found out from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate that you would probably be back within the next two days, so he couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. He ran out here every day. In fact, even snow didn¡¯t stop him from heading out. I secretly calcted a bit and thought that you would likely be back by today, so I headed out with him. And see, it looks like my hunch was right. I truly did pick the right day. Doesn¡¯t that show that us two have our hearts linked together?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hugged her godmother¡¯s arm and swayed a bit as she chirped in a sweet voice, ¡°Does that mean only Godfather was waiting for me ah? Godmother, does that mean you weren¡¯t excited about meing back?¡±


    ¡°How could she not miss you? Right after you left the capital, she began to incessantly mutter into my ears: ¡®As a girl, do you think Cao¡¯er will be able to get used to life at the border ah? Is Cao¡¯er at the stud farm at the border yet? Will Cao¡¯er be bullied by the horses? When will Cao¡¯ere back? Cao¡¯er should be back by now right? Why has she been gone for so long? It couldn¡¯t be that something has happened right...¡¯ She was like a broken record that it made my head spin every day. Even your younger brother learned from her and began to ask when his older sister woulde back!¡± Fang Zizhen roasted his wife as he gently stroked his daughter¡¯s ck and silky hair with a fake helpless expression on his face.


    Zhu Junyang silently stood at the side and waited until the three of them had finished their conversation before he sidled forward to wish his two future inws well. However, all he got in return was a disdainful eye roll from General Fang¡ª¡ªIt was this fellow who took his daughter off to the forsaken border to help him establish a horse breeding farm. Having a young maiden live in the crude and harsh conditions of the border front in order to build a stud farm was only an idea this brat coulde up with!!


    Fang Zizhen directly ignored Zhu Junyang, who was a royal prince, and instead warmly greeted Chief Steward Su and even thanked him for taking good care of his goddaughter.


    Zhu Junyang: Clearly it was this prince who had been taking care of the littless, alright? How was any of this rted to that stinking old eunuch?


    ¡°If you want to chatter, do it once we get back to the capital. It¡¯s windy and snowing right now, so we shouldn¡¯t let our daughter get exposed to the cold!¡± Lady Fang pulled on her daughter¡¯s hand and led her onto Xiaocao¡¯s carriage. After entering the carriage, she discovered that the inside was wide and spacious and had been appropriately supplied. There were fur nkets in the carriage and plump cushions on the seats to make sitting morefortable. Furthermore, the carriage had a warm and weing brazier in the corner, which made the entire inside cozy and at afortable temperature. Only then did Lady Fang rx after seeing all of this.


    Xiaocao nestled next to her godmother and the two of them began to chat about the residence. Lady Fang told her some good news, ¡°When your father and mother found out that you had been sent to the border on a mission and that you wouldn¡¯t be back until the twelfth month, they couldn¡¯t bear for you to make another journey to Tanggu Town and decided to bring their entire family over to the capital at the end of the month.¡±


    ¡°My parents areing to the capital to celebrate the New Years ah! Then what about their business in Tanggu Town?¡± Their farmstead in Tanggu Town had over a thousand mu innd that was cultivating out of season vegetables under greenhouse pavilions. Normally, her father and her eldest brother managed the day to day operations, so was it truly okay for them to leave at this time?


    Lady Fang patted her daughter¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Are the stewards at the farmstead eating and drinking for nothing ah? If every owner ofnd and business had to manage everything themselves, then what¡¯s the point of having stewards? You, ah, at such a young age, really like to worry over things. It¡¯s not the first year that your family has grown vegetables out of season in greenhouses and there are so many experienced hands on the farmstead. Your parents will only be gone for less than a month, so what sort of problems could arise then?¡±


    ¡°You are right! Steward Ding, who is in charge of the greenhouses, is quite capable despite his young age! This is also the right time to test him. If he¡¯s unable to handle everything, then it¡¯s better we find a new steward to take his ce instead. That way, we can avoid my father and eldest brother bing overtired from working so hard!¡± Yu Xiaocao forcefully nodded her head in agreement.


    Lady Fang tapped her head and lightly said, ¡°You must be tired after traveling so long, right? Come lean against me and sleep for a bit. When we get back home, I¡¯ll wake you up! We¡¯ll first go back to the General¡¯s Residence as your younger brother has been asking after you for days. If you didn¡¯te back soon, I¡¯m sure he would throw a huge temper tantrum!¡± The ¡®younger brother¡¯ that Lady Fang was referring to was naturally her blood-rted son, Fang Haolin, who had just turned three this year.

 Chapter 604 – Wedding Invitation

    <h4>Chapter 604 ¨C Wedding Invitation</h4>


    Because Xiaocao had spent most of her time in the capital these past few years and was often at the General¡¯s Residence to keep her godfather and godmotherpany, her rtionship with Little Linlin was better than most rtionships that biological siblings had with each other. If the little fellow didn¡¯t see his ¡®older sister¡¯ for two days, he would immediately be unhappy and would even refuse his loving mother as he scampered away on his two little legs to find his older sister at the Yu Residence.


    When they got to the General¡¯s Residence, Su Ran said his farewells as he had to go see the emperor. After all, the emperor was still waiting for him to report on all of the matters that had urred at the stud farm! Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, was quite happy to see this brazen faced fellow leave and drank a cup of tea. Unfortunately, Fang Zizhen only received him in the study at the outer residence, so the prince could only nkly watch as the littless turned around and headed through the Drooping Flower gate with a crowd of maidservants waiting for her in the inner residence.


    Xiaocao, who had just entered the inner residence, had her legs immediately hugged by the little fellow, Fang Haolin. She bent over and hoisted the little fellow up and enthusiastically kissed the little boy a few times on his pudgy cheeks.


    ¡°Be careful! This fellow is not light! Lin¡¯er, your older sister is very tired after spending the whole day traveling in the carriage. Don¡¯t make your older sister overtired!¡± Lady Fang helped Xiaocao prop the little boy up from the side. Her son had been so slight and weak when he was first born but after being treated by her daughter, he had a ravenous appetite and continued to gain weight. In addition, he was wrapped up from head to toe in winter clothes and currently resembled a plump little meatball.


    ¡°Mother, Linlin is not fat. Linlin got taller!¡± The little fellow hated people calling him fat the most. Thus, he often imed that he didn¡¯t gain weight and instead grew in height, which was why he was heavier!


    Xiaocao let out a peal ofughter after being amused by the little fellow. When the little fellow began to pout out of anger, she hurriedly agreed with his previous statement, ¡°That¡¯s right! Linlin is now a couple centimeters taller than he was before I left. In a few more years, you¡¯ll be taller than Older Sister!¡±


    When Fang Haolin heard this, he revealed a brilliant and angelic looking smile as he vigorously nodded his head, ¡°I absolutely have to be taller than Older Sister! A shorty would not be able to marry a wife!¡±


    ¡°Haha! You¡¯re so young but you already want to marry a wife? Do you have a particr young maiden in mind?¡± Yu Xiaocao grinned as she made fun of him.


    Lady Fang suppressed augh and smiled, ¡°A few days ago, I brought him to the Imperial Tutor¡¯s residence to admire the plum blossoms. Lady Feng¡¯s youngest son had just added a daughter to his family. That little girl baby was adorable and pretty with a pair of luminous inky ck eyes and long, lush eyshes. Her entire body was soft and sweet with a hint of a milky smell. This little guy insisted on hugging her, so Lady Feng made a joke that she should be his wife. This little guy shamelessly nodded his head in agreement!¡±


    Lady Fang didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry as she recalled what had happened, ¡°When we were about to leave, this guy even threw a tantrum stating that he wanted to bring his ¡®little wife¡¯ back! Lady Feng and I tried to calm him down but, in the end, only Lady Feng¡¯s youngest daughter-inw managed to cate him by stating that he could only marry a wife once he reached his father¡¯s height. This is the reason why he now states that shorties are not able to find wives!¡±


    ¡°Our Little Linlin really wants to marry a wife? If you want to grow taller, then you can¡¯t be as picky as you were before. You need to eat less meat. Otherwise, you¡¯ll only grow horizontally and not vertically. Furthermore, you need to eat more vegetables and exercise more. Every day you should runps in the practice arena and you shouldn¡¯t ck off on practicing martial arts...¡± Fang Haolin wrinkled his nose after hearing Yu Xiaocao¡¯s opinions. Finally, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and blurted out that he didn¡¯t want to find a wife anymore!


    Fang Haolin loved to eat meat the most. If the meal didn¡¯t have any meat, then he refused to eat. Furthermore, he hated eating vegetables the most, especially the leafy green ones. Since he was already three years old, General Fang had already started to instruct him in the basics of strengthening his body and martial arts. However, Fang Zizhen often had to leave the capital to head to Tanggu Town and Lady Fang really doted on her son, so the little boy onlyzily practiced these skills every few days or so. Making him change his eating habits as well as increasing his exercise regime was something the little fellow was deathly against!


    When she saw that the little fellow was starting to pout again, Xiaocao hurriedly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be a big hero like your father, who¡¯s a great general?¡±


    When she saw that he responded immediately by nodding his head in agreement, she pressed forward with her advantage, ¡°The reason why Father¡¯s martial arts are so good is because he worked very hard in training his skills when he was young. Just think about it. If you go on the battlefield without even the strength to hold onto a sword, then you can only get beaten down when the enemy appears because you are weak! Just look, I can easily push you down with just a tiny bit of force. If I, a weak little maiden, can even push you over, then how could you possibly be a big hero? Instead, you¡¯re just a weakling!¡±


    ¡°Linlin is not a big weakling, Linlin will be a great hero when I get older and help Older Sister beat away the bad guys!!¡± Tears hade to Fang Haolin¡¯s eyes after being pushed around by his older sister. However, he had an obstinate expression on his face as he stated, ¡°Tomorrow, Linlin will start to practice martial arts and I won¡¯t ck off anymore!!¡±


    Lady Fang looked incredibly gratified after hearing this and smiled, ¡°Lin¡¯er still listens the most to you, his older sister. Every day I nag him over and over and use all sorts of methods, but he¡¯s never agreed so readily like this! Even when his father shows him a stern face and reprimands him, he still stubbornly holds onto his convictions. The fact that you were able to make him agree so readily to agree to train is something that your father would be incredibly happy to hear!¡±


    ¡°What would make me happy to hear?¡± At this moment, Fang Zizhen had just entered the inner courtyard. He had noticed his wife and daughter were both in the main hall having a conversation, so he came over and picked up his fat son from his daughter¡¯s hands, throwing him up into the air a few times. Fang Haolin giggled happily as flying up in the air was his favorite game that he yed with his father.


    ¡°Your precious son has made the decision that he¡¯s going to train hard! Are you happy or not by this?¡± Lady Fang leveled a re at her husband and snatched her son back, cing him on the warm couch.


    Fang Zizhen looked appreciatively at his son and spoke to Xiaocao, ¡°Daughter, it must be you who managed to convince him, right? This little fellow will only listen to you when he has a stubborn streak going on! He¡¯s so little yet I don¡¯t know where he learned this from. He has such a temper!¡±


    ¡°Are there other fathers who speak about their sons in this way? Wasn¡¯t Lin¡¯er still young in the past ah? After the New Years, our Lin¡¯er will be older by a year again so he¡¯ll be more mature and will improve more!¡± Lady Fang only bore her precious son after reaching the age of forty. Thus, she normally spoiled him to no end and couldn¡¯t bear to say a single harsh word to him.


    Fang Zizhen nced at his wife and earnestly persuaded, ¡°Wife, please remember the saying that ¡®a doting mother often ruins a son¡¯. In my opinion, we should hire a strict boxing tutor for our son so that he¡¯ll learn the basics well. What do you think? Otherwise, it¡¯s likely that with our soft hearts that we won¡¯t be able to let him truly learn what he needs to learn.¡±


    Although Lady Fang was still a bit reluctant in her heart, she also knew that her husband was right in this situation. She gently stroked her son¡¯s soft hair and managed to eke out a nod in reply, ¡°Okay! Go see if there¡¯s anyone among the people below you who has a good handle of the foundations...the best would be to find someone who has a bit more patience and doesn¡¯t have a bad temper...after all, Lin¡¯er is still small...¡±


    ¡°Alright then! I will handle everything for this matter! I know what needs to be done!¡± Although Fang Zizhen verbally agreed with his wife¡¯s request, in his heart, he became even more convinced that he needed to find a strict tutor for his son.


    Yu Xiaocao pinched the cheeks of Fang Haolin, who had scrambled up onto herp and was nestled against her chest, and then said, ¡°I have a recipe for medicinal baths on my hands. When the timees, I¡¯ll make sure to alter it appropriately to suit my younger brother¡¯s needs. This bath can strengthen his bones and muscles and relieve exhaustion and fatigue. That way, he won¡¯t have to endure too much aches and pains after exercising hard!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Older Sister! Older Sister, you¡¯re the best!¡± Fang Haolin wasn¡¯t someone who was stubborn beyond means and didn¡¯t know how to think. After all, he was still young and had never experienced the cruelties of life before. Every time his father made him practice martial arts, his whole body would ache from head to toe the next day as if someone had given him a beating. This was the reason he did everything within his power, such as acting cute, to get away from having to do more. Once he heard that his body wouldn¡¯t ache after practicing martial arts, the little fellow immediately became much more enthused. As for his older sister, who seemed to know everything, the little fellow now liked and worshiped her even more.


    Lady Fang watched fondly as the two siblings revealed their harmonious rtionship with each other and revealed a gratified smile. Suddenly, she remembered something and hurriedly had Linglong take out arge red wedding invitation from her grooming case, cing it into Xiaocao¡¯s hands, ¡°This is the wedding invitation from the Zhou Family¡¯s heir. He first sent it to your residence but when he found out that you had left to handle some affairs, he personally came over to our residence to have us tell you instead.¡±


    The Zhou Family¡¯s heir? Who was that? Yu Xiaocao looked puzzled for a bit and only after she opened the invitation did she realize that Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s Third Young Master Zhou had now be the acknowledged heir of the Zhou Family. Oh ho! This fellow had wordlessly even found his future wife and was going to get married on the sixteenth of this month!!


    After thinking about it, she realized that this fellow Zhou Zixu was older than her by six years and would be twenty-two after the New Years. It truly was the right time for him to marry a wife and beget children now! Time really passed too quickly. At that time, when her family was still incredibly poor and in hard times, she had coincidentallye across Third Young Master Zhou, who was fourteen at the time. He had been a youthful and handsome young teenager then!


    In the blink of an eye, seven to eight years had already passed. She herself had grown from a small little cabbage in a rural vige to be a royal princess who helped the emperor with his affairs. Furthermore, the many businesses under her hands were all roaring and doing quite well. As for Third Young Master Zhou, he had already be a sessful businessman. Not only did he expand Zhenxiu Restaurant throughout the country, but his condiments, vermicelli and century eggs factory had also expanded such that its goods were now shipped everywhere. He had expanded the Zhou Family¡¯s business by arge degree and helped them firmly keep their imperial merchant status. This status naturally made it easier for him to conduct more business...


    Yu Xiaocao held onto the invitation and signed reminiscently. She and Third Young Master Zhou had started off in a mutually beneficial rtionship. Third Young Master Zhou needed her abilities to help forge a way within hisplicated family and create a stable position for himself. As for herself, she needed a fast way to make money to change her family¡¯s poor and embarrassing state. At that time, the two of them were like two weak little creatures who relied on each other for warmth and strength as they slowly grew up in this world.


    Before she knew it, that tough and stubborn youth had already reached the age where he was going to marry a wife. Howe she suddenly had a feeling that she was suddenly going to lose a son after he became an adult?


    Fang Zizhen had noticed that his daughter had been sighing repeatedly over this and couldn¡¯t help but start thinking down the rabbit hole. He carefully probed, ¡°Daughter, despite the Zhou Family¡¯s wealth, this heir of the Zhou Family is still a merchant when all is said and done. When considering a marriage, one must remember that it is best of people of simr statuses to be matched with each other. The person he¡¯s going to marry is the daughter of the Huang Family, who are also imperial merchants. Thus, it looks like they are well matched in this aspect.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s going to marry the daughter from the Huang Family, one of the four great merchant families of the empire? Is this a marriage of convenience for the two families ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao frowned even more deeply as she was afraid that this fellow was trying to sacrifice his own future happiness for the sake of his family.


    ¡°Uh...a marriage that benefits the family isn¡¯t necessarily one that leads to unhappiness for the individual. That fellow surnamed Zhou doesn¡¯t really have a lot of rtionship with us and is mostly just considered a business partner for you. He¡¯s already an adult man so I¡¯m sure he can make his own decisions. Let¡¯s not worry too much about him!¡± Previously, Fang Zizhen had once considered this fellow as a match for his goddaughter as he had seen how well he had treated Xiaocao.


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 Chapter 605 – Choosing a Husband

    <h4>Chapter 605 ¨C Choosing a Husband</h4>


    However, when he realized that Zhou Zixu only had his mind and soul on improving his family¡¯s business, Fang Zizhen decided to pass on this fellow as a prospective marriage candidate. He definitely didn¡¯t want his future son-inw to only be preupied with the family business, leaving his daughter alone to live a lonely life in the inner courtyard. Furthermore, perhaps the fellow only saw his daughter¡¯s abilities and talents as a way to further the family business. Neither of these scenarios was something he wanted for his daughter!


    At the time, his daughter might have been too young and not mature enough to consider the rtionship she could have with the opposite sex. He rejoiced in the fact that she hadn¡¯t been entranced by that fellow¡¯s good looks and gentle treatment of her. Naturally, this also couldn¡¯t be separated from the fact that the tyrannical Royal Prince Yang had clung onto her, which put out the Zhou Family¡¯s youngster¡¯s slight me of desire.


    Fang Zizhen felt his head ache again once he thought about Royal Prince Yang. In his opinion, Royal Prince Yang wasn¡¯t the best choice of husband for his daughter despite the fact that he was the youth with the most promising future at court. First of all, that fellow had an explosive temperament. The prince was like an unsteady cannon that could explode at any time.


    After all, didn¡¯t the prince almostpletely destroy Official Wu¡¯s residence earlier? If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the prince¡¯s two loyal bodyguards had given their all to stop him, then it was likely that the whole Wu Family would have perished at his hands! His daughter had a weak figure with slender arms and legs, so she absolutely wouldn¡¯t be able to survive one blow from him.


    Even if his daughter could stop him from bursting into violence, wasn¡¯t the fellow just too good looking as well? Was it really alright for an adult man to be more beautiful and better looking than most women? If this guy didn¡¯t have his violent and temperamental reputation, Fang Zizhen was willing to bet that almost all of the young maidens in the capital would be willing to go up to the guy and stick themselves to him! If his daughter ended up choosing Royal Prince Yang as her husband, wouldn¡¯t she have to guard him from wolves every day and have to try to stop other women from throwing themselves at him?


    Argh! The emperor was truly too much. Why did he have to send a little girl out to handle official work and also allow thatrge wolf, Royal Prince Yang, go along with her? The capital already had many rumors swirling about how Royal Prince Yang had his eye on Royal Princess Jinan. If this news also came out, who knew what the rumormongers would spin this story into?!


    Hmph! Regardless, he couldn¡¯t allow any of this to benefit that brat, Royal Prince Yang! If that guy refused to treat his daughter well and keep her as his one and only, Fang Zizhen was willing to raise his daughter for the rest of her life rather than allow her to be tormented at the royal prince¡¯s residence!


    That being said, it was not as if Royal Prince Yang was the only suitor avable for his daughter. The second young master of Duke Ronggu¡¯s Estate was cultured and refined, and it was obvious the man had a gentle temperament. From what he had observed, it seemed as if Second Young Master Ning had some good feelings towards his daughter.


    Furthermore, there was his martial teacher¡¯s grandson, Zhao Han. He had a handsome appearance and was also childhood friends with Xiaocao. Currently, that youth was doing quite well in Tanggu. By relying on his own abilities, Zhao Han was already the head of a battalion there. As for therge and small military campaigns at sea, he always managed toplete the missions in a satisfactory manner.


    Fang Zizhen was in charge of the garrison at the harbor, so he was very close to where Zhao Han was stationed. In addition, because he had a close rtionship with his martial teacher, he had always kept an eye out on this young marital nephew of his. He was quite satisfied with the youth¡¯s performance. Furthermore, the Zhao Family had a family rule where they didn¡¯t take concubines, which made Fang Zizhen even more satisfied with the youngster.


    All in all, his daughter didn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to marry someone. Thus, she didn¡¯t need to ce all of her hopes on the crooked tree that was Royal Prince Yang!!


    Yu Xiaocao obviously didn¡¯t know that her godfather had gone through all of the marriageable young men in the capital in the blink of an eye, weighing them to see if they were suitable and finding Royal Prince Yang quitecking. She was currently preupied with her own thoughts as she was trying to figure out just what sort of wedding gift she should give Third Young Master Zhou, who was her good business partner.


    Figuring out the intricacies in a rtionship was not one of her strengths. In her opinion, things were much simpler in modern times. When friends got married, all you had to do was give them some wedding money. If you were closer to the person, you gave more money. If you were not as close, you gave less. This saved the hassle of trying to figure out what was a suitable gift to give to the other person!


    ¡°Daughter...just what are you thinking about now?¡± Fang Zizhen noticed that Xiaocao was frowning and had a ¡®depressed¡¯ expression on her face, so he felt his heart drop. Was it possible that his daughter had finally realized she liked that youngster surnamed Zhou after she saw the wedding invitation...


    General Fang, you¡¯re going down the wrong rabbit hole!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s frown became even more severe and her entire face scrunched up as she sighed, ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out just what sort of wedding gift is appropriate to give to Third Young Master Zhou ah!¡±


    When Fang Zizhen heard this, he felt his heartpletely rx. He grinned and spread his hands open, ¡°Your godmother is the one who¡¯s in charge of these matters. Why don¡¯t you ask her ah?¡±


    Lady Fang smiled ruefully and leveled a look at her husband before she said to Xiaocao, ¡°Gift giving requires paying attention to reciprocity. Last time, during youring of age ceremony, Third Young Master Zhou not only took on all of the banquet¡¯s expenditures but he also gifted you an expensive hair ornament. This time, you can select a gift that is of equal value to give back to him. It is best that you tailor the gift to his personal likes. For example, if he likes antiquities, then you can give him some valuable curiosities. Or if he likes more tangible goods, then you can give him gold and jade...if you truly don¡¯t have any good ideas, after you rest for a whole day, I can take you out to some jewelry shops to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll have to rely on you, Godmother!¡± Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and finally felt as if this headache was over. If all else failed, she could alwaysmission an artisan to craft a golden money tree to give to Third Young Master Zhou. As a businessman, he likely cared about good omens.


    In order to get back to the capital faster, Xiaocao and the others had taken advantage of the good weather and made good speed to get back here, camping along the way. After she conversed a bit with her godmother and godfather, she finally felt her exhaustion catch up to her. Lady Fang hurriedly sent her back to her own courtyard and the servants there had already prepared hot water and were just waiting for her. Yu Xiaocao enjoyed afortable hot bath and ate a simple lunch before she immediately fell asleep. She slept until thetter half of the evening and it was only the growling of her hungry stomach that woke her up.


    Lady Fang had already ordered the servants to bring back dinner for her and it was quickly heated up in her small kitchen. After she hastily stuffed her stomach full, Yu Xiaocao quickly went back to sleep. The next day, when Royal Prince Yang came over to visit, she was still happily snoring away on her warm andfortable kang bed.


    Fang Zizhen had finished up his affairs at the harbor and was currently on his year end break. Thus, he received Royal Prince Yang at the outer study and was currently talking circles around the other man. The conversation somehow never seemed to touch upon his daughter. Zhu Junyang was helpless under the other man¡¯s tactics and could only use official matters as an excuse to bring the topic to where he wanted, ¡°Yesterday when I saw the emperor, he was quite interested in Cao¡¯er¡¯s special recipe to bait horses over. He wanted me to get the recipe from her so he could take a look at it. So...¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, please conduct yourself with propriety! In the future, the name ¡®Cao¡¯er¡¯ should not be easily said around other people. In the past, when my daughter was still young, it wasn¡¯t necessary to observe these customs around her. However, she has already reached a marriageable age, so, in the future, you need to be much more cautious when speaking about her!¡± Although Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t make his dislike of the prince extremely obvious, he wasn¡¯t going to make it easy for this fellow who clearly didn¡¯t have pure thoughts towards his daughter.


    Zhu Junyang would have never had expected that before he could endure difficulties from his future father-inw, he would first have to endure the pickiness of his future godfather-inw. However, he refused to retreat from this matter and smiled in a good natured way, ¡°General Fang, thatss Cao¡¯er has already agreed to be engaged to me after the New Year passes. Thus, there¡¯s no need for us to be too concerned about propriety now.¡±


    ¡°Who agreed to allow you two to be engaged? This is called making a private deal behind the parents¡¯ backs! My daughter is still young and quite immature, but you, Royal Prince Yang, should understand how things are done around here, right? If you want to want to be betrothed to Cao¡¯er, don¡¯t you need to make sure your elders also approve of this? You¡¯re being much too negligent, right? Is it because you think my Cao¡¯er has no backing nor power behind her? I¡¯ve never seen such a bully like you before!! That¡¯s not okay, I need to go to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate and have a good talk with your lord father!¡±


    When Fang Zizhen heard this, he immediately exploded! This stinky brat was unting his stunning good looks in order to seduce his daughter and even obtain her consent for marriage. This was showing the Yu and Fang Families that he wasn¡¯t afraid of them at all!


    ¡°General Fang, please calm down! Please don¡¯t tack on the crime of going behind our parents onto us! The rtionship between me and Cao¡¯er didn¡¯t just happen out of nowhere. In the past, when thess was still young, I had privately contacted Uncle Yu to see what he thought about betrothing her to me in hopes that I could obtain his approval. However, Uncle Yu had said at the time that the littless was in charge of her own life and that any marriage for her needed her consent before it could go forward. I spent a lot of time and effort over the past few years in order to have thess finally agree to marry me. If you don¡¯t trust me, then you should at least trust your daughter¡¯s judgement. When has she ever gone wrong?¡± Zhu Junyang knew that the rtionship between Yu Xiaocao and Fang Zizhen was of the same calibur as the one she had with her biological father. Thus, he patiently exined all of the details to the older man.


    ¡°I naturally trust my own daughter! However...parents and matchmakers should be the one to decide a child¡¯s marriage. It is out of the ordinary for the two of you, at such a young age, to make such a momentous decision! This decision cannot hold as neither myself nor Brother Yu have given our permission yet. If you want to trick our daughter away from us, we definitely won¡¯t make it easy for you!!¡± Fang Zizhen pped the table forcefully causing all of the trinkets and other items to bounce at least a foot in the air.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly tried to cate his future godfather-inw, ¡°Uncle Fang, please rx. I will absolutely go through all of the needed etiquettes and customs for this matter. I absolutely won¡¯t have anyone say a bad word about the littless. After a month has passed after the New Years, I will have my lord fathere to your residence to propose marriage with the three letters and six rites. We absolutely will not shirk one bit on anything on our part. Furthermore, I will absolutely follow the emperor¡¯s rmendation and will wait until the littless turns eighteen before I marry her. So what do you...¡±


    As soon as he heard that the prince was willing to wait until his daughter turned eighteen to marry her, the indignation within Fang Zizhen¡¯s heart settled down perceptively. Although the court had rmended that women wait until they were eighteen and men wait until they turned twenty to marry, there was still the pressure of the old customs from long ago. Change didn¡¯t happen in a short period of time. Within themoners, most girls still got engaged and married as soon as they passed theiring of age ceremony.


    Royal Prince Yang was actually older than Cao¡¯er by seven to eight years and many of the other young lords his age in the capital had long been married with a herd of children around them. Despite that, the prince was willing to wait patiently for another two years. Fang Zizhen naturally felt the young man¡¯s sincerity from that.


    The ufortable feeling he had in his heart after finding out that his daughter had been snatched away had been slightly ameliorated. Fang Zizhen still asked the youth suspiciously, ¡°Tell me the truth. This time, when you guys went to the borders, did you take advantage of Cao¡¯er in any way? After all, why else would she so easily agree to marry you? My Cao¡¯er is such a sweet and obedient child so how could she make such a momentous decision without obtaining the consent of her elders?¡±


    Zhu Junyang naturally wouldn¡¯t tell the older man that the two of them had already hugged and kissed each other. Otherwise, his future godfather-inw would definitely explode in anger and start throwing the stool he was sitting on at him. He seriously replied, ¡°Uncle Fang, just what sort of man do you think I am? This time, Cao¡¯er had brought along four maidservants along with her toplete this mission. The maid, Wutong, was especially diligent. Every day she kept a close eye on us. Even if I had the desire to take advantage of your daughter, I never had the opportunity with the maids along. What do you think?

 Chapter 606 – Admiring a Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 606 ¨C Admiring a Beauty</h4>


    ¡°You dare to have improper thoughts towards my daughter? You shameless little brat...¡± Fang Zizhen immediately stood up and looked around before he picked up a paperweight. He was nning on throwing it at Zhu Junyang.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly eximed, ¡°Uncle Fang, please wait! This paperweight was given to you by Xiaocao, who especially picked it out for you. Regardless of how valuable it is, do you really think you can bear to break something that she¡¯s given to you ah?¡±


    When he saw Fang Zizhen hesitate in his throwing motion, the prince continued on, ¡°Uncle Fang, you¡¯ve misunderstood me! Just think about it, I¡¯ve watched thatss Cao¡¯er grow up under my eyes, so how could I possibly treat her poorly ah? That being said, other than that maid Wutong, Chief Steward Su was also there keeping an eye on us. You don¡¯t know this yet, but Chief Steward Su treats Cao¡¯er as if she was his own daughter in every possible way and he¡¯s extremely docile and gentle with her. From my perspective, it looks like he¡¯s trying to steal your daughter away from you!¡±


    This guy was truly too much. In order to obtain his future inw¡¯s trust, he was willing to crown himself as a ¡®beast¡¯. As long as he was able to hug his littless home, he was more than happy to have ¡®beast¡¯ as his name.! (Author: Royal Prince Yang, where¡¯s your integrity? Royal Prince Yang sends out a re: What is integrity? Can that be eaten ah?)


    Fang Zizhen¡¯s attention had been sessfully transferred over to Chief Steward Su now. What? Chief Steward Su wanted to steal his daughter away? How could that be okay? Fang Zizhen really couldn¡¯t do much against his daughter¡¯s biological father. However, why did an eunuch also need toe into the mix? Did the guy want to steal someone else¡¯s daughter because he was unable to father his own?


    Furthermore, that fellow wore all white every day of the year and had severe mysophobia. In addition, the other man¡¯s tactics at handling people was enough to scare children and his moods changed all the time. In all aspects, this guy was definitely not a good father, so he needed to make sure the eunuch didn¡¯t end up influencing his daughter in the wrong way! Not okay! In the future, he needed to prevent that fellow from getting too close to his daughter. However, Chief Steward Su was the head of the hidden guards and had a wide reach. Was he really going to be able to stop the other man?


    ¡°Uncle Fang, I truly have something that I need to see Xiaocao about. Can you be a bit flexible and let me see her? If you don¡¯t feelfortable, then you can be present in the same room as us. That way you can see if I am improper in any way!¡± Zhu Junyang was willing to concede some things in order to win the overall battle as he truly wished to see the littless. Argh! Why was it so hard for him to even see his future wife in person?


    Fang Zizhen stared at Zhu Junyang for a long time before he finally curled his lip and waved a hand. He stated in a voice that showed he was conveying a great favor, ¡°Forget it, I may not trust you but how could I not trust my own daughter? Go ah? I¡¯m only giving you two hours and it¡¯s not negotiable. Don¡¯t even think of trying to cadge a meal from us!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s lips involuntarily twitched. He had originally wanted to spend time with the littless at the noon meal. It looked like...he needed to work on Lady Fang on this point now!


    ¡°Master, are we going to Miss Yu¡¯s courtyard now? I¡¯m not sure if thatss, Wutong, is here or at the Yu Residence right now.¡± The second sentence that Hou Xiaoliang uttered was mostly for himself.


    ¡°Oh what? You¡¯re interested in that maidservant?¡± Zhu Junyang nced at his own assistant. Ever since Dong Dali had been transferred over to the Xishan Barracks to take over leadership there, Hou Xiaoliang had been at his side. Perhaps the youth was of a tender age, but the fellow was not as steady as Dong Dali and had a livelier personality. However, he still managed to finish his tasks and assignments in a satisfactory manner.


    Hou Xiaoliang chuckled and candidly admitted his thoughts, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Wutong has a pleasant appearance, is loyal and reliable, and is quite capable and clever. I haven¡¯t even worn the sweater and gloves she knitted for me because I don¡¯t want them to get dirty or ruined! She¡¯s also gentle without being a pushover so I think she¡¯s quite good!¡±


    ¡°You need to make sure you think things through. In the future, Wutong will likely stay by Cao¡¯er¡¯s side and be the chief manager of her courtyard. As for you? You can just look at Older Brother Dong to see what your future is like. In the future, it¡¯s quite likely that you¡¯ll be a fifth or sixth ranked general. At that time, other people may mock you for marrying a maidservant and you may not be able to hold your head up high among your colleagues. Don¡¯t me this prince then when it happens!¡± Zhu Junyang reminded the other fellow a bit.


    However, Hou Xiaoliang wasn¡¯t the least bit grateful, ¡°Master, this subordinate has no aspirations. Being able to stay by your side, running your errands, is already more than enough for me. I¡¯ve really never thought of entering the military and bing an official. This subordinate has already decided that it¡¯s best for me to stay by your side for the rest of my life as your assistant. After all, wouldn¡¯t I have more freedom doing this then going into the military?¡±


    ¡°Just look at you with yourck of ambitions! For the sake of your wife, are you willing to give up officialdom?! In the future, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a hen-pecked man and bepletely controlled by your wife!¡± Zhu Junyang jokingly scolded his assistant.


    Hou Xiaoliang gathered his courage and grinned mischievously, ¡°A certain type of master will have the same type of servant. This subordinate is only taking a page out of the master¡¯s book, that¡¯s all. I still need to continue to study from you so I can bring the beauty home earlier!¡±


    ¡°Stinky brat, who gave you the guts to make fun of this prince? You¡¯re looking for a beating, right?¡± Zhu Junyang turned around and swiftly sent a not-gentle kick at the youth¡¯s butt. Even though Hou Xiaoliang had taken precautions, he still wasn¡¯t able to avoid his master¡¯s fast reprisal.


    ¡°Greetings to Royal Prince Yang!¡± The sound of Wutong¡¯s voice could be heard from behind the plum blossom de. Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s eyes, which weren¡¯t veryrge but were full of life, immediately lit up. He raised his head and saw a graceful, simply-dressed figure through the picturesque scene of the plum blossoms. The fiery red flowers contrasted beautifully with her pale, white face. Hou Xiaoliang immediately fell under her spell.


    Zhu Junyang quietly rebuked, ¡°Such an embarrassment!¡±


    Then he looked at Wutong, who was wearing a cloak made of weasel fur, and asked, ¡°Is your young miss up yet? How did she restst night?¡±


    Wutong appropriately replied in a decorous manner, ¡°In reply to Your Highness, my young miss has been awake for quite a bit. She is currently with Lady Fang discussing her ns for tomorrow. The young miss slept very wellst night and seems to be in good spirits today.¡±


    ¡°Younger Sister Wutong, are you...¡± Hou Xiaoliang came over in a ttering manner and was trying to find some way to have a conversation with her.


    Wutong nced at him briefly and quietly replied, ¡°The red plum blossoms in the courtyard are quite beautiful right now, so this servant was nning on cutting a few branches to ce them in a vase to decorate the inner room.¡±


    ¡°Younger Sister Wutong, which branches do you like? If you need any help in cutting them, please feel free to ask me.¡± Hou Xiaoliang sidled over and stood next to her. He looked in the direction that she was facing and gazed at the plum blossoms.


    Wutong increased the distance between them by a couple of steps and shook her head at him in a distant manner, ¡°No need to trouble yourself, Bodyguard Hou. The plum blossom trees are not very tall, so this servant can easily reach the branches. Your master has already left, so why aren¡¯t you following him?¡±


    ¡°The master has matters to discuss with your young miss and doesn¡¯t need me by his side. Younger Sister Wutong, don¡¯t be too courteous. If there¡¯s anything you need help with, give me a holler!¡± Hou Xiaoliang warmly sidled over, which frightened Wutong into stepping back.


    She couldn¡¯t persuade him otherwise, so Wutong hurriedly offered the ceramic container in her hands towards him and said, ¡°How about you help me gather the snow that is underneath the plum blossom petals? Remember, you can only gather the bit of snow that has touched any fallen petals...¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang saw that he finally obtained his chance to spend more time with Wutong, so he eagerly took the container and idly chatted, ¡°Younger Sister Wutong, is the snow that we¡¯re gathering going to be used to brew flower blossom tea? Could I possibly have the honor of trying the tea that you¡¯ve personally brewed?¡±


    ¡°You...just do your job, okay? If you do well, then next summer, I absolutely won¡¯t forget to give you a share of the tea that is brewed from flower-scented snow. The plum trees are blooming quite nicely over there, so I¡¯m going to take a look...¡± Wutong was a bit flustered by Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s actions and was trying to think of ways to dodge this fellow who was acting oddly.


    How could Hou Xiaoliang let go of this good opportunity? He hurriedly followed after her with the container in hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go together! I¡¯m pretty good at climbing trees and I might be able to help...Hey! Younger Sister Wutong, walk a bit slower as it¡¯s slippery around here...¡±


    As those two talked, Zhu Junyang walked familiarly along the paths that lead to Xiaocao¡¯s courtyard. The young maidservants stationed there all knew who he was. The maid in charge of keeping an eye on the gate hastily jogged forward to announce his presence to her mistress but was only about a second or two faster than the long legged Royal Prince Yang from reaching the main room.


    Lady Fang hade over early in the morning with her clingy son in tow. Right now, she was fondly watching as her son and daughter horsed around on the warm kang bed. Her daughter, who was usually quite mature, was teasing her son quite mercilessly. Her son, on the other hand, foolishly took it in stride and allowed his older sister to y around with him. His hair had been tied up with a red string and there was bright red blush on his cheeks, making his face resemble a monkey¡¯s bottom. It truly was a sight for people to behold. Despite that, the little fellow giggled happily and had a brilliant smile on his face.


    When she heard the young maidservant report that Royal Prince Yang hade by, Lady Fang smiled knowingly at her daughter and lightly chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s only been one night since hest saw you yet he stilles over like a little begging puppy! Do you think Royal Prince Yang ns on hanging himself from your waistband now?¡±


    ¡°Godmother! Are there mothers like you in this world who make fun of their daughters in this way?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face immediately turned bright red and herrge eyes had a bit of bashfulness in them.


    The two of them weren¡¯t able to say much more before they heard Yingchun on the outside greeting Royal Prince Yang. Lady Fang nced at her daughter mirthfully again. Speaking of Royal Prince Yang, Lady Fang was quite pleased by his behavior in the past few years.


    If one was evaluating Xiaocao by the standards of nobly born maidens in the capital, she didn¡¯t hit the mark of being graceful or gentle enough in either speech or decorum. Although her personality was able to attract the attention of some youths, she still wasn¡¯t an ideal daughter-inw in the eyes of many matrons.


    Sometimes she wanted to make the hard decision and invite an etiquette master over to instruct her daughter. However, she was also afraid that, by doing so, she would end up erasing her daughter¡¯s unique personality and transform her into another living doll like the other noble young maidens, who lived as if they had masks over their faces. On the flip side, if Xiaocao didn¡¯t learn these mannerisms, she was afraid that her daughter would have difficulty finding a good marriage in the future.


    Fortunately, Royal Prince Yang was present and he had always done his best to protect and shield her daughter. Furthermore, he epted all of her quirks, even her wily little temper, shocking verbal discourses, and her lively and mischievous expressions...the most valuable thing was that even Royal Prince Yang¡¯sdy mother seemed to regard Xiaocao quite highly and was satisfied with her.


    In her youth, Princess Consort Jing hadn¡¯t been a maiden bound by the soulless shackles of decorum. Furthermore, Imperial Prince Jing spoiled her like a little princess. Because of this, she was much more tolerant of young maidens going outside of the norm in terms of speech or temperament. Xiaocao also helped her to heal her body and often helped her raise her rare and valuable flowers. This allowed Princess Consort Jing to have a lot of status in her circle of flower loving matrons.


    During the littless¡¯sing of age ceremony, Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had added quite a bit of honor and grandeur to her. Not only did the whole familye out to celebrate, but they also gave a bunch of expensive and valuable gifts to her, acting as her future inws. For many in the capital, the fact that the two families were going to be united in marriage was an iron-set thing.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s obvious regard and affection for the littless made Lady Fang feel much more relieved about their rtionship. The prince was about to turn twenty-three yet he had kept himself chaste and celibate this entire time. There had never been a whiff of scandal between him and another young maiden. He never took a second nce at another maiden except for Xiaocao. Even the youngdies who stared at him with adoration and tried to get closer to him were all rebuffed by him with his signature icy-cold re. Thus, he froze all attempts by other women.

 Chapter 607 – Satisfied

    <h4>Chapter 607 ¨C Satisfied</h4>


    However, no matter how cold and unfeeling Royal Prince Yang was, he didn¡¯t have the heart to scold his littless with harsh words. He wouldn¡¯t even put on an attitude in front of her. Lady Fang believed that some of Xiaocao¡¯s actions and speech sometimes ¡®took advantage¡¯ of Royal Prince Yang, but Royal Prince Yang would merely look at her dotingly. He would dismiss her unruly actions with augh and spoil her even more.


    Lady Fang was a blessed little woman. Although her husband was nothing more than an uncultured martial artist in other people¡¯s eyes, he treated her very well. They have been married for over 20 years, but the two of them had never gotten into an argument before. Even though her temper became a little more irritable over the years because she had yet to conceive a child, he had always endured her temper.


    She thought that she was her fault for being infertile, so she restrained her jealousy and took in a few concubines for him. However, he drove all the concubines out and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want any other woman except you!¡±


    She searched far and wide for doctors and inquired about various medicines that would cure her of her infertility. She just wanted to conceive a child that looked like him. But heforted her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if we¡¯re destined to have no children, we will still grow old together.¡±


    When he learned that he might be the reason why the two of them couldn¡¯t conceive a child, he did not hide the fact from the world to protect his ego. Instead, he publicized that he was the reason that they were unable to conceive to help relieve the external pressure on her...


    He didn¡¯t know how to whisper sweet nothings to her, but he would always hold her hand to apany her silently andfort her when she was down. Others believed that she made the wrong choice by marrying him, but she knew from personal experience that it was not true! She was truly happypared to other women! As for other women, their mothers-inw would deliberately make things difficult for them, they would be ignored by their husbands, and they had to fight against numerous other concubines every day! What more could she ask for when she had a husband who loved her?


    Lady Fang believed that Royal Prince Yang and Imperial Prince Jing were the same kind of people as her husband. They were considerate men that would spoil their wives no matter what. If one met a man like them, why wouldn¡¯t one seize every opportunity to snatch him for oneself?


    Her daughter would be sixteen years old once the new year starts, so it was time for her to start considering her daughter¡¯s marriage. As luck would have it, there was a man that treated her wholeheartedly, so there was nothing she had to nitpick about.


    Lady Fang looked at Royal Prince Yang like how a mother-inw would look at her son-inw. The more she looked at him, the more satisfied she became.


    Fang Haolin was ying with his favorite sister on the kang bed. When he heard the news that Royal Prince Yang wasing, he immediately had a ¡®change of affections¡¯ and abandoned his favorite sister. He headed straight for Zhu Junyang who had just walked in and addressed him sweetly, ¡°Brother-inw! Does Linlin look handsome?¡±


    ¡°You little traitor!¡± Yu Xiaocao blushed bright red when she heard her younger brother address Zhu Junyang as ¡®brother-inw¡±. It was not a surprise that Zhu Junyang was loved by her younger brother. Every time he came to visit, he would bring a few toys from the west for the little guy. For example, he had gotten him a horse that could run after pulling its string, a mechanical music box, and an borate Russian nested doll. Thanks to these toys, Zhu Junyang sessfully gained the little guy¡¯s trust and lured him into addressing him as ¡®brother-inw¡¯. Xiaocao was angered to death by it!


    ¡°Err...you look very handsome~¡± When Zhu Junyang saw how his littless had messed with his future brother-inw¡¯s appearance, he hesitated before he gave him apliment against his will. Fang Haolin¡¯s clown-like appearance was extremely eye-catching. However, when he was faced with the littled¡¯s enthusiasm and sparkling bright eyes asking to be praised, it was impossible for him to say, ¡®it¡¯s ugly¡¯.


    ¡°Brother-inw, do I look as handsome as you?¡± The littled looked at him expectantly. He was used to hearing her older sister mention that Zhu Junyang was a beautiful man, so he believed that Zhu Junyang was the beauty standard he needed to live up to. He believed that if he looked like his brother-inw when he grew up, then he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about not being able to find a wife who was willing to marry him!


    Zhu Junyang had a helpless expression on his face when he looked at the littless who was lying on the kang bed and kicking her legs inughter. He forced himself to squeeze out an ugly smile and nodded his head with difficulty and said, ¡°You look more handsome than me!¡± He had no choice since the littled was his future brother-inw. In order to be able to quickly marry his littless, he needed to coax the people around her to like him.


    Fang Haolin¡¯s face was as red as a monkey¡¯s butt as he sat back on the kang bed happily. He took the jumping frog toy that his brother-inw had given him and studied it with his full attention. Once he pulled the string on the frog, it would jump very high upwards. It was very interesting!


    ¡°Auntie, what are you discussing with Xiaocao?¡± Zhu Junyang paid his respect to Lady Fang and sat down. He noticed that there was a satisfied expression on her face.


    Lady Fang smiled gently while she helped Xiaocao wring the ball of yarn as she knit gloves at flying speed. She said in a soft voice, ¡°I¡¯m discussing with Xiaocao about what we should buy Third Young Master Zhou as a congrattory gift tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Third Young Master Zhou? Isn¡¯t he the head of the Zhou Family? Is he getting married?¡± Zhu Junyang was very petty. He hadn¡¯t forgotten that he had once harbored some feelings for his littless. Fortunately, he was able to nip the problem at its bud, otherwise...humph!


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he¡¯s engaged to the daughter of a merchant family, the Huang Family! I heard that the youngdy had been learning business acumen from her father and older brothers in the past few years. As a result, she has developed a keen insight. The Huang Family left her in charge of a few shops and the shops prospered under her hands. She is a very capable young woman!¡± Lady Fang told the two everything she knew.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head when she heard Lady Fang¡¯s words and said, ¡°That¡¯s good! In the future, Third Young Master Zhou will have an additional helping hand! If he married a soft, weak, and fragile young woman, then she¡¯ll be more than what he can deal with!¡±


    ¡°It seems like you know that man with the surname Zhou, pretty well. You even know his likes and dislikes.¡± Zhu Junyang had to admit that he was being petty again. His words wereced with jealousy.


    Yu Xiaocao looked up and nced at him. She sounded very confident as she said, ¡°I¡¯m just saying this from my point of view. If I were him, then I would definitely find someone who could help me instead of a pretty white flower who only knows how to cry all day. Of course, there are some men that like those types of women. It¡¯s uncertain whether he is one of them or not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what type of woman he likes, nor do I want to know. But I have to agree with your taste. I like someone who is efficient and capable!¡± Zhu Junyang quickly expressed his agreement when he saw that his littless seemed to be a little unhappy.


    ¡°I can¡¯t control what type of woman you like. I don¡¯t want to be able to control it either!¡± Yu Xiaocao lowered her head and continued to knit the gloves. The gloves were blue with white rhombus patterns; she was making it for Fang Haolin.


    Despite Lady Fang¡¯s presence in the room, Zhu Junyang hurriedly coaxed her like he was coaxing a child, ¡°Why are you leaving me all alone? I want you to control me! I¡¯ll love it if you can control me for the rest of my life...¡±


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± Lady Fang coughed twice loudly when she was ignored. It seemed like Zhu Junyang was much better at whispering sweet nothings than her husband. His sappy speech made goosebumps rise all over her arm.


    ¡°Auntie, when the two of you head out tomorrow, will you need a guard?¡± Zhu Junyang had a serious expression on his face when he offered his services. Lady Fang didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry¡ª¡ªhow could he be so thick-skinned?


    ¡°Our family do notck guards!¡± Yu Xiaocaozily rejected his offer.


    ¡°I¡¯m very familiar with the capital. I can help you with a lot of things!¡± Zhu Junyang continued to persist.


    ¡°My godmother was born and raised here. She¡¯s twenty years more familiar with the capital than you!¡± It was a habit for Yu Xiaocao to go against him.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er!¡± Lady Fang rebuked and red at her daughter. It seemed like her daughter treated Zhu Junyang too casually. However, when she turned to check on Zhu Junyang, she noticed that she seemed to be enjoying their banter. She couldn¡¯t help but defend him and said, ¡°Royal Prince Yang offered his services out of good intentions. You can¡¯t repay his goodwill with rudeness! If Royal Prince Yang doesn¡¯t have any matters to attend to tomorrow, then we will trouble you for your service.¡±


    ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re acting too polite with me. Addressing me as Royal Prince Yang is too formal, you can address me as Yang¡¯er or Junyang.¡± Zhu Junyang seized this opportunity to be closer to his future mother-inw. His actions had sessfully earned him an eye roll from the littless.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ept your service! Junyang, do you know which jade shop in the capital sells the highest quality jade?¡± The more Lady Fang examined him, the more she felt that Zhu Junyang was a perfect match for her daughter. He was handsome, rich, and talented. He also had a good temperament, as well as a promising future. It was hard to find another man like him.


    ¡°I believe the shop called Wisdom Jade Pavilion has just received a shipment of jade from Xinjiang. However, it will take them two days to open and fully examine the shipment to determine whether there is anything of value.¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression remained the same as he exined.


    ¡°Wisdom Jade Pavilion? Doesn¡¯t that shop belong to your family?¡± There were many prosperous shops that belonged to Royal Prince Yang and Wisdom Jade Pavilion was one of those shops. The quality of the jade there was superb and the carvings on the jades were extremely intricate. Each jade produced and sold by the shop could be considered to be a valuable piece of art. It was rumored that they spent a huge sum of money to hire a master jade carver. Every work produced by the master jade carver was worth a considerable value!


    ¡°Auntie, you only asked me for a ce that produced quality jade, but you didn¡¯t ask me if the shop belonged to me. You should check out the jade there; I¡¯ll give you discounts if you find something you like!¡± Zhu Junyang did not tell her that the jades would be free because he knew that if he offered it for free, then Lady Fang would never take a step in Wisdom Jade Pavilion in the future. She would do that to avoid suspicion, especially since he was going to be Xiaocao¡¯s future husband.


    Zhu Junyang paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°If you can¡¯t find anything you like in Wisdom Jade Pavilion, then you should check out Treasure Pavilion. Treasure Pavilion received a new batch of western goods in the previous year. Among those goods, there is a grandfather clock that is of good quality. It would chime every hour and when it chimes, a bird would pop out and start chirping...¡±


    ¡°Brother-inw! Brother-inw! Linlin wants to go with you guys tomorrow to see the chiming grandfather clock!¡± Fang Haolin was still ying with the frog, but he didn¡¯t forget to make sure that they didn¡¯t forget his existence by chiming in their conversation.


    ¡°Okay! Okay! Brother-inw will deliver one to your house!¡± Zhu Junyang stroked the littled¡¯s braids as he said softly.


    ¡°How much do you hate Third Young Master Zhou ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked indifferently as she stifled herughter.


    Zhu Junyang raised his eyebrows and asked in a puzzled manner, ¡°Why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°It should be a happy day for the couple since they¡¯re getting married, yet you¡¯re giving them a clock instead!¡± Yu Xiaocao could no longer hold back herughter as she burst outughing.


    ¡®Giving them a clock? Giving them a clock...paying his respects to the dead?!¡¯ Zhu Junyang pondered over it and immediately understood what the littless meant. Hmm...the meaning behind the gift was not auspicious!!


    ¡°Linlin, if you like the chiming grandfather clock, then you should ask your sister to buy it for you! She doesn¡¯tck money!!¡± Zhu Junyang quickly said. He didn¡¯t care whether or not they would give the grandfather clock to Third Young Master Zhou as a wedding gift. He didn¡¯t want to offend his mother-inw and brother-inw.


    ¡°Yeah! My sister is very good at making money! My sister can make more money in a month than our family in a year!!¡± Fang Haolin nodded his head earnestly as he recalled the words that his parents hadmented in the past.


    ¡°You little brat!!¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her hand and gently tapped the littled¡¯s forehead.


    Fang Haolin¡¯s covered his forehead with his chubby little hand and moved to Zhu Junyang¡¯s side. He wanted some sympathy as he pitifully said, ¡°Brother-inw, my sister beat me up! You need to get revenge for me...¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re getting more and more daring!!¡± Yu Xiaocao red at her heartless brother. She decided to cancel his afternoon snack!!


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 608 – To Become Your Harbor

    <h4>Chapter 608 ¨C To Be Your Harbor</h4>


    Zhu Junyang hugged the littled¡¯s chubby body as he patiently instructed him, ¡°You need to remember this lesson clearly; you can only dote on your wife! She can hit you, but you can¡¯ty a finger on her. If your wife beats you, it means that you didn¡¯t perform your husbandly duty well enough. You have to correct your mistakes until she¡¯s happy, do you understand?¡±


    Fang Haolin looked confused as he looked up at him. How could a three-year-old child understand his words? Zhu Junyang said this mostly for his future mother-inw and wife to hear.


    Lady Fang¡¯s teeth ached when she heard his sappy speech. She pulled her son over, put some warm clothes on him, and handed him over to the wet nurse standing to the side. She smiled and said, ¡°Since the two of you have some official business to discuss, I will take Lin¡¯er to the main courtyard first. Junyang, you should stay for lunch. You can ask Xiaocao to make something you like!¡±


    ¡°Linlin wants to eat cream puffs!¡± Fang Haolin was unwilling to leave her sister, he immediately reached out his ws.


    Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue at him and snorted, ¡°You a little traitor! There¡¯s no cream puffs, cakes, or biscuits for you today!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister¡ª¡ªOlder Sister is the best! Sister is the prettiest! You¡¯re the most amazing sister in the world!¡± Fang Haolin threw himself into her embrace. Xiaocao was startled by his sudden action; she quickly put away the needles she was holding in her hand and patted the littled¡¯s chubby bottom. That was too dangerous. If the knitting needle had identally stabbed the littled¡¯s face or eyes, then the consequences would¡¯ve been unthinkable.


    Lady Fang broke into a cold sweat. She red at the stunned wet nurse standing to the side and rebuked her son harshly, ¡°In the future, when someone has something in their hands, then you are not allowed to throw yourself into their arms. What if that needle has identally poked you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid because Older Sister has a lot of medicine!¡± Fang Haolin grew up drinking Xiaocao¡¯s medicine concoction. He stared at Xiaocao with his big round eyes and seemed to be a little confused.


    Yu Xiaocao had a solemn expression on her face, ¡°It¡¯s no excuse to be careless just because I have medicine. Did it hurt when your hand was cut by a knifest time? Your wounds would still hurt if you get punctured by a needle, even if you have medicine. In a more serious case, if you were blinded by a poisonous needle, then you will never be able to see me or your parents anymore!! Do you know what¡¯s wrong now?¡±


    When he heard that he might never be able to see his sister and parents again, Fang Haolin immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. He cried out, ¡°I don¡¯t want to never be able to see my sister again. Linlin still wants to be able to see my parents. Wah wah waahh...Linlin knows that Linlin is in the wrong. I will never do that again!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao watched as the littled cried so much that his face flushed red. She felt distressed for him, so she embraced him in her arms andforted him softly, ¡°Linlin, be obedient, and stop crying! As long as you know that you were wrong and learn from your mistake, then you¡¯ll still be a good boy!!!¡± Then, she took this opportunity to tell the littled a few cautionary children¡¯s fairy tales. The littled listened to the fairy tales with great interest and soon forgot about crying.


    Seeing that the littled was lively and full of energy again, Lady Fang hurriedly asked the wet nurse to take him away. Didn¡¯t you see how restless and helpless Royal Prince Jun looked by the sideline? They should stop acting like bad guys and leave the two for a chance to be alone.


    ¡°Tell me, what important matter did youe across that made youe running here instead of staying at home and resting?¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up the knitting needle again and skillfully started to knit again.


    Zhu Junyang took off his shoes, climbed on the kang bed, and sat cross-legged next to Xiaocao. His littless waszily leaning on the pillow while she sewed. He wanted to pull her into his embrace, but the maidservants were staring at them with bright eyes. He was in his future inws¡¯ house, and he didn¡¯t dare to act too rash since he wanted to leave a favorable impression of himself to his future inws.


    The gloves that Xiaocao was sewing were slowly taking shape. He smiled at her and said, ¡°Is there anything more important than apanying my future wife? I was afraid that you missed me, so I came here to ease your lovesickness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being insincere!¡± She never expected that the cold-hearted, apathetic, and cruel Royal Prince Yang would act like a rogue.


    Zhu Junyang leaned toward her ear, blew softly toward her ear, and whispered, ¡°Not only do I have a glib-tongue, but I also have a ¡®skillful mouth¡¯. Would you like to...experience it?¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed away his handsome face that was inching towards her. His charming face was squished into a deformed shape under the palm of her hand, turning his handsome face into¡ª¡ªan ugly face!


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s talk about important matters! Thanks to Chief Steward Su praising and ttering us around the emperor¡¯s side, he was very pleased with our assignment. I¡¯ve heard that the emperor shifted our vacation to an earlier date as a reward. I suppose we will be able to go on vacation once the matter with the horse farm is settled!¡± Zhu Junyang pulled off the tender and fair little hand that was covering his face. He fiddled her small hand in his palm. Wutong, who had just entered the room to arrange the plum flower in the vase, remained calm when she caught sight of the couples¡¯ intimate actions.


    ¡°Oh right, the emperor asked us to write a proposal for the horse farm exhibition. Once we¡¯re done writing the proposal, we will be handing it over to the imperial horse supervisor to be implemented...¡± Zhu Junyang was already in charge of managing the Xishan Barracks, so he didn¡¯t have the spare time to personally manage the matter rted to the horse farm located beyond the borders. It was beneficial for him to split this task with her because he already had too much power in the court and some people were already eyeing him warily. However, he was a little worried about his littless because by passing this task to her, she would be making the biggest contribution to this assignment.


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this, she stopped knitting the gloves. She looked up at Zhu Junyang and saw that the expression on his face was the same as usual. She pursed her lips and asked cautiously, ¡°Is the emperor trying to divide the power in your possession? Is it because you have performed overwhelmingly well in the past two years and caused the emperor¡¯s suspicion to rise?¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t expect that his littless would directly ask him about this matter and she even took a step farther by realizing the scheme behind it. He smiled at her and tried to appease her, ¡°It¡¯s not as serious as you have described! The main reason is that I control the barracks in charge of the capital¡¯s safety. If I also take charge of the horse farm, then it will definitely earn some criticism from the ministers of the court. Besides, I also have to manage the Xishan Barracks. I already don¡¯t have enough time to apany you because of my duty, so if I shoulder more responsibility, then I would barely have any time to apany you. I¡¯m afraid that you, like a fish swimming back in the water, would forget about me if I stay away for too long!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that the emperor really doesn¡¯t suspect you?¡± Seeing how Zhu Junyang had nodded his head solemnly, Xiaocao lowered her head and started knitting again. As long as the ultimate boss in this world didn¡¯t harbor any suspicions, then she was fine with distributing their powers. Besides, telling other people that they raised horses as a job didn¡¯t sound like a good job.


    ¡°However, the emperor still wants you to help prepare the potions that will help with the horses¡¯ growth and reproduction.¡± Zhu Junyang hesitated for a moment, but he couldn¡¯t hold back by asking, ¡°Littless, does the emperor know your secret?¡±


    ¡°The emperor is so clever and wise (sly like a fox). How can I ever keep a secret from him?¡± Yu Xiaocao replied dispiritedly. Moreover, he knew more of my secret than you! He even knew about the secret of my transmigration. s...he got a hold of my weakness. She deserved to be a servant to him for a lifetime!


    The expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face turned serious. It was natural that a person¡¯s talent would arouse the envy of others. What should he do if the emperor suddenly became interested in the littless¡¯s secret and wanted to kill her to rob her treasure? No, he mustn¡¯t let that happen. He needed to work harder so that if the emperor ever wanted to touch his littless, he would have to consider his position before doing that. Once he possessed that much power, then he would be able to protect his littless properly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! The emperor knows that Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯s life and mine are connected. If I die, then Little Glutinous Dumpling will also disappear from this world. He can¡¯t hurt me and he must always guarantee my safety. After all, if the emperor wants to be a good ruler, then he will have to rely on my farming skills!¡± Yu Xiaocao was afraid that Zhu Junyang might do something inappropriate, so she quickly exined the rtionship between her and the little divine stone.


    Zhu Junyang was relieved after hearing Xiaocao¡¯s exnation. It turned out it was not because the emperor didn¡¯t want to steal the treasure from her, but it was because he couldn¡¯t! The littless was correct. In this case, as long as the treasure was in her hands, then the emperor would need to rely on Xiaocao¡¯s ability to provide peace, prosperity, and ample food and clothing for the nation. Xiaocao¡¯s safety was rted to this country¡¯s welfare and people¡¯s livelihood! As long as the emperor didn¡¯t have any desire to hurt the littless, there would only be a few people in this world who could hurt her!


    Zhu Junyang was fully confident that he would be able to provide a safe and quiet haven for his littless with his own ability. He would take care of everything and guard her for the rest of his life!


    Zhu Junyang loitered around the Fang Family until they were all fed up with him. He finally left reluctantly at nightfall. But before he left, he made an appointment with the littless to pick her up the next day to shop together...with Lady Fang.


    It stopped snowing the next day and the sky was filled with brilliant rays of sunlight. The snow on the streets had been swept away by the residents of the area. The snow was neatly piled up on both sides of the road. There were even a few eye-catching snowmen of various shapes piled in front of some shops.


    It was now the twelfth month of the lunar year, and the capital was shrouded in the cold wind. As a result, there were barely any pedestrians on the streets. Xiaocao carried Fang Haolin¡¯s chubby little body onto the custom carriage and sat down. The carriage was gifted to her by Zhu Junyang. There was a separatepartment below the carriage that had anthracite burning inside. The four walls of the carriage were built with simr fireproof linked to thepartment below the carriage. Once they entered the carriage, it was like they had entered a warmly heated room. It was a luxurious and extravagant carriage. However, Zhu Junyang had worked hard to make sure that his littless would stayfortable when going outside!


    The carriage was very spacious. Even though Xiaocao, Lady Fang, and Fang Haolin, as well as two servants were in the carriage, there was still more than enough space left. Wutong and Linglong were able to bask in their master¡¯s glory and sit in a warm carriage on such a cold day like this. They were able to see the pedestrians shivering outside in the cold when they lifted up the curtain of the carriage.


    It must be said that the maids from wealthy and influential families lived morefortably than ordinary people. This was especially true for them since they had such a kind and easy-to-serve master; it was a blessing from their previous life to be able to serve someone like their master.


    Besides the bodyguards from the Fang Family outside the carriage, Royal Prince Yang was also present. He was wearing a thick ck coat made from a fox. The grave and stern expression on his handsome face contrasted beautifully against his dark clothing, making him appear more charming than usual. Hou Xiaoliang was Zhu Junyang¡¯s personal guard, so he naturally stayed by his side at all times. He shrank his neck and from time to time, he would look back at the carriage, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman he yearned for day and night.


    ¡°Why is Imperial Bodyguard Hou acting so silly? What is he trying to do?¡± Lady Fang nced outside the carriage and didn¡¯t notice the unnatural expression on Wutong¡¯s face.


    Yu Xiaocao raised her eyebrows and nced at Wutong. Wutong had be more steady and capable over the years. She was also two years older than the body Xiaocao possessed, so it was time to start thinking about arranging a marriage for her soon. She originally nned on keeping Pipa and Wutong by her side, grooming them to be her left and right arms. However, it seemed like her n would have to change!

 Chapter 609 – Providing for the Elderly

    <h4>Chapter 609 - Providing for the Elderly</h4>


    "What else could he be doing? He¡¯s taken a fancy to some beauty!" Yu Xiaocaozily replied. Her right hand assistant that she had trained was stolen. It was the same as having all the vegetables she worked hard to grow stolen just when she could harvest them. That feeling of loss...


    "Miss!" Wutong twisted her body with shyness, and her face flushed red. Hou Xiaoliang recently came to her side whether something was happening or not. Yesterday in the plum-tree grove, he acted very courteously. She was aware of his fondness for her.


    However, due to Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s lively temperament and yful grin, it made him seem unreliable. Furthermore, the people around Royal Prince Yang would have a good future as long as they had the ability.


    She was just a little maid and her appearance was only slightly above average. Maybe right now he was just looking for something new, but who knew if he would end up regretting today¡¯s decision in the future. Wutong was a person who thought twice before she acted, and the more a person thinks, the more they¡¯ll have to worry about. At least for the moment, she hadn¡¯t epted the guy.


    From Wutong¡¯s perspective, there was nothing better than to be allocated as apetent subordinate under her master and remain at the young miss¡¯s side to serve her and the future little master. That was the greatest blessing to her. As for being an official wife of an official, she dared not have such greedy thoughts. After all, not all men were as unchanging as Prince Yang.


    "Miss, please allow me to stay and serve by your side. Please don¡¯t give me to someone else, okay?" Wutong held back the ache in her heart, pleading with a pitiful tone as if worried that she would be abandoned in the next second.


    Yu Xiaocao looked at her in surprise and said, "Have you thought it over? Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s character isn¡¯t bad. Don¡¯t think that his temperament is just energetic. Every time he has a task, he does a very good job. In the future, even if he doesn¡¯t join the army, he will still have a bright future in the <i>yamen</i>! I was just thinking about letting him hang around for a couple of years. When you¡¯re old enough, I will return your citizenship and let you go be an official¡¯s wife!"


    Lady Fang nced at Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s figure, which was moving towards the side of the carriage from time to time, through the gap between the curtains from the carriage. She smiled and said, "Your young miss is correct. When the opportunityes, you have to catch it yourself. Imperial Bodyguard Hou seems to be a good person. As the sayings go, the type of master will determine the type of servant. He doesn¡¯t look like a man with a lot of ulterior motives!"


    Wutong lowered her head and unsurely whispered, "But...my status as a servant is too far from his. He can clearly choose someone from a suitable family or someone who can help in his future developments. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll regret the decision he made today."


    Yu Xiaocao gently patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "You usually hide everything in your heart, so it¡¯s easy toplicate things. Take me and Royal Prince Yang for example! In the beginning, I was just an ordinary little peasant girl, and he was a high-ranking royal prince, holding an important position. ording to what you said, he could have just found a youngdy from a high ranking official¡¯s family, or a girl from a neutral family of an official, who would¡¯ve been helpful to his future, couldn¡¯t he? "


    "I will fight for my future myself. What ability do I have if I rely on my inw¡¯s? Am I a coward that relies on others to help so I can climb up?" Zhu Junyang¡¯s hearing was quite good and he heard thess, who was in the carriage, talking about Wutong and Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s matter. Hearing that he was being brought up, he quickly refuted. He didn¡¯t forget to re at his bodyguard, ¡¯You can¡¯t even get a woman, useless!¡¯


    "It¡¯s none of your business! Don¡¯t butt in!" Yu Xiaocao opened the curtains and made a face at him, but choked on the cold wind outside and coughed.


    ¡°Quickly put down the curtains and put on the fox fur cloak. Be careful about catching a cold!" Zhu Junyang saw this and wished he could get into the carriage to wrap the littless into a cocoon. Thisss couldn¡¯t stop making him worry, opening the carriage curtains while wearing a thin jacket. How cold it was outside, did she want to freeze?


    Xiaocao coughed a few times and drank the hot tea that Wutong handed over. She made a sound at the person outside and half-heartedly said, "I know, I know! Caretaker!" In actuality, her heart said, ¡¯It¡¯s so warm in the carriage, why would I wear a cloak, and be overheated?¡¯


    "See? A man with the ability will have his own pride! We won¡¯t be satisfied by those good-looking young men who depend on their inw¡¯s families!" Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t forget to continue to straighten out her servant girl¡¯s anxiety.


    Wutong thought about and shook her head gently, "Miss has great potential. The emperor values your ability to cultivate high yield seeds and your ability to make a profit. You¡¯re like a golden doll, but this servant is an ordinary girl. I don¡¯t have any skills in literature or martial arts, what good am I?"


    A chilly voice came from outside, "Maid, your words are unreasonable. It¡¯s as if I liked your youngdy only because of her ability to earn money and farm?"


    "That wasn¡¯t what this servant meant!" Wutong hurriedly exined. "What this servant meant is that the Miss is outstanding and thus is naturally loved by others. I¡¯m too ordinary andmon..."


    "Silly girl! Why belittle yourself? Every girl is a beautiful angel. When she is willing to break her wings for a man, for love, and stay in the mortal world, and that man doesn¡¯t treasure it, then we should take care of our wings and resolutely fly away from him and soar into our own world. Don¡¯t avoid giving your heart because you¡¯re afraid of meeting a sc.u.mbag! No matter what the results may be, I will always be your strong support." Yu Xiaocao gently embraced Wutong and let her lean on her shoulder.


    At this moment, Wutong¡¯s uneasy heart settled down in the thin and weak arms of her master. What the young miss said was right. She should go for a bold attempt and she might be able to harvest her own happiness. Even if the result left her in pain, at least there was a warm hug that was always open to her, unconditionally epting her.


    "Thank you, Miss.." Wutong¡¯s nose tingled and her eyes were warm. She was afraid of getting her master¡¯s clothes wet, so she hurriedly brought out a small handkerchief and dabbed her eyes.


    "Silly girl! It¡¯s only those of you who are closest to me that feel I¡¯m so good. In fact, I know that in the eyes of those old fogeys, my words and deeds are different, and can even be called ¡®a woman usurping man¡¯s power¡¯. When I chose to control my own life, I was fully prepared. If I didn¡¯t meet a person who understood, tolerated me, and supported me, I¡¯d rather be single my entire life. I will try my best to earn a lot of money. In the future, whoever among my brother¡¯s and my younger brother¡¯s children is willing to support me then I will give all the wealth I have .u.mted in a lifetime to him or her in a hundred years! "


    When Yu Xiaocao first transmigrated over, she really had this idea. After all, men in ancient times were male chauvinists and regarded women as vassals. How could she ept this as a modern person who had lived for thirty years in the 21st century?


    "Talking about Wutong, you¡¯re the silly girl!" Lady Fang poked her forehead and scolded her whileughing. In heart, she was thankful, ¡¯Fortunately Royal Prince Yang appeared in my goddaughter¡¯s life¡¯. Otherwise, she would really worry that her goddaughter would be alone for life as she had said.


    "Older Sister! Linlin is willing to support you when you are old. Don¡¯t worry!" Fang Haolin, who was napping in his mother¡¯s arms, came out to alert them he was still there.


    "Little Lin¡¯er, go to the sidelines. Do you think I, your brother-inw, is dead, ah? Supporting thess when she¡¯s old; it¡¯s not your turn yet!" Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice came in from outside the window. The cold that seeped in through the gaps of the carriage seemed to have deepened suddenly, which made people feel chillier.


    Fang Haolin was unconvinced and said, "You¡¯re older than my older sister. When that timees, you¡¯re gonna be so old that you can¡¯t walk, so how can you support my sister?


    Zhu Junyang almost choked half to death by his reply and had to remind himself not to get on the same level as a kid under four years old. To a certain someone on the carriage, he said, "You, don¡¯t think about it! Keep your wealth for my children. Not only yours but my shops too will be taken care of by you when you marry over. At that time, when you get busy, you won¡¯t have time to think about such things!"


    Lady Fang couldn¡¯t continue listening. Wasn¡¯t this man too good at beating the snake with a stick? Where the wedding will be held hadn¡¯t even been decided yet, and he wanted to leave the property for the children already. Then, she looked at her goddaughter, who didn¡¯t have a hint of shyness on her; thess was still foolishlyughing. As her godmother, she needed to teach more, so Royal Prince Yang wouldn¡¯t lead her astray.


    "Madam, we¡¯ve arrived at the Wisdom Jade Pavilion!" The carriage came to a stop. The two servant girls inside quickly put on their thick clothes and hopped out of the carriage first to help their masters get off the carriage.


    Zhu Junyang got off his horse and went straight to the carriage, squeezing Wutong aside. When Yu Xiaocao came out, she saw a handsome face that was as stunning as the spring blossoms waiting for her outside of the carriage. She hid a smile and turned around and picked up Little Linlin and put him into his hands. She then went to take Wutong¡¯s hands and leisurely got off the carriage.


    Zhu Junyang reluctantly took the chubby child given to him by force and wrapped him up in his little cloak. He adjusted his position so he could sit on his left arm and his right hand went to support thess when she got off the carriage.


    "Brother-inw, why can your son support Older Sister when she¡¯s old but I can¡¯t?" Fang Haolin was still thinking about the problem in the carriage.


    Zhu Junyang pinched his chubby cheeks and said with a smile, "You only need to take care of your parents when they are old. Your older sister will naturally be taken care of by her children! It¡¯s a natural thing for children to take care of their parents when they are old. Only those elderly people who have no children are taken care of by their younger brother. You don¡¯t want your sister to be like that, right?"


    "It¡¯s pitiful to not have any children! Will my sister be provided for by her children? Mother, when Linlin grows up, I will support you!" The little guy nodded his head and grinned sweetly at thedy who got out of the carriage. That little figure was as good as can be.


    Yu Xiaocao looked over and stood on her tippy toes with a greedy look. She held the little guy¡¯s face and mercilessly kissed it, "Our Little Linlin is so precious!"

 Chapter 610 – Jade Stone Material

    <h4>Chapter 610 ¨C Jade Stone Material</h4>


    With a touch of emotion in her eyes and a happy smile on her face, Lady Fang said, ¡°Your godfather and I are not the kind of people who can say sweet words. I don¡¯t know who this little guy is like to have such a sweet mouth.¡±


    ¡°Like Older Sister!¡± From a young age, Fang Haolin listened to his own father, who spoiled his goddaughter immeasurably. His father, when in front of his mother, always talked about how good his sister was, how capable she was, and how filial she was. In his young mind, the seeds of ¡®Older Sister is the most capable¡¯, ¡®Older Sister is the best¡¯ and ¡®wants to be like Older Sister¡¯ were subconsciously nted. So, when his mother sighed and asked who he was like, he blurted out his thoughts.


    When the adultsughed in good faith, the little guy looked foolishly at his mother, brother-inw, and older sister, blinked hisrge eyes a few times, and asked strangely, ¡°What are youughing at? Where are Older Sister¡¯s children? What if they don¡¯t behave and don¡¯t take care of Older Sister? ¡±


    ¡°If they dare to do so, I will beat these unfilial sons to death! ¡± Zhu Junyang glowered angrily as if the ¡®children¡¯ that weren¡¯t there were right in front of him.


    ¡°Brother-inw, I¡¯ll help beat them for you!¡± Fang Haolin smiled tteringly at Zhu Junyang, with the appearance of a dog that couldn¡¯t be directly looked at.


    ¡°Are you guys done?¡± Yu Xiaocao gave a hard re at the guy who caused this topic to be brought up and helped her godmother into the Wisdom Jade Pavilion, leaving only the view of the back for small and big men behind her.


    Fang Haolin stared with big eyes, looking innocently at Zhu Junyang and whispered, ¡°My older sister seems to be angry. What should I do? Then... I won¡¯t hit her sons? ¡±


    ¡°Yes! Your sister loves her son! ¡± Zhu Junyang solemnly talked nonsense.


    ¡°But... Where is Older Sister¡¯s son? When did Older Sister have children? When you went to the border? Howe you didn¡¯t bring her children back? Did you leave them at the studfarm with the foals?¡± Fang Haolin, this kid, had opened up the 100,000 why mode.


    Zhu Junyang carried him into the shop and nodded at the shopkeeper who greeted him graciously. He followed behind the pair of godmother and goddaughter and entered the private room in the shop. He didn¡¯t forget to continue to brainwash Little Linlin, ¡°Your older sister¡¯s child hasn¡¯t been born yet. You have to wait until your older sister marries me before there can be a baby. If you want to see them early, let your older sister marry me as soon as possible! ¡±


    ¡°But... My father said that all the people who try to steal my older sister from me are bad guys! ¡± Fang Haolin wrinkled his little face and miserably said.


    Zhu Junyang pinched the little guy¡¯s chubby face and continued the ruse, ¡°How can brother-inw be a bad guy? I love you so much that I always bring you something fun every time. If you think about it, when your sister marries your brother-inw, we will be a family. The fun stuff in brother-inw¡¯s Treasure Pavillion, you can take whatever you want, whenever you want. Just like taking your own stuff at home! Not only do you not lose your older sister¡¯s love, but you also have a brother-inw who loves you. How profitable is that? ¡±


    ¡°Zhu! Jun! Yang! That¡¯s enough! Don¡¯t teach children bad things! If you continue speaking about those things that haven¡¯t happened, then don¡¯te to propose marriage at the New Year¡¯s! ¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that this guy was getting more and more outrageous, and he was leading Little Linlin askew, so he had to be stopped!


    The shopkeeper, who personally made a pot of good tea, heard this and had an expression of unbelief on his face, ¡®This miss is so bold. There¡¯s actually someone who dares to yell at my master! What is even more unbelievable is that my master has no intention of getting angry, and still has a smiling face while coaxing the miss to be happy.¡¯


    It was said that the master had taken a fancy to a girl from a peasant family. It was reasonable to say that this girl from a low background should be grateful, courteous, and hold the master¡¯s heart. Yet the girl in front of him, had an impatient look on her face, repeatedly pushed away the master, and had rolled her eyes at him from time to time.


    Could it be...This girl was not the peasant girl, and the master had a crush on someone else? He looked at the demeanor of the noble matron beside the girl, and the movement of the two servant girls. They didn¡¯t seem to havee out of a small family! It must be that his master was looking for something new and the novelness has passed. Thus, naturally, he still felt that the temperament of noble girls in the capital was more suitable for him.


    However, it seemed that his cold-hearted master really spared no effort to coax the little girl. Unexpectedly, he pulled down his self-esteem to be nice to her when she was having none of it. This girl was quite suitable for the master. It was really hard to find noble girls in the capital that weren¡¯t afraid of the master! She was the only one who dared to stand up to his master.


    After the shopkeeper came in, Zhu Junyang immediately put up airs and yed the role of Royal Prince Yang, ¡°How much jade material arrived a few days ago, and how many are opened? Are there any of them that can be regarded as fine quality? Bring it out for Lady Fang and Miss Yu to have a look! ¡±


    ¡°Little Linlin will have a look too!¡± Fang Haolin murmured in a low voice, showing his presence.


    ¡°Alright! Show Little Linlin, too! Choose whichever one you like, and your brother-inw will give it to you!¡± Zhu Junyang found Fang Haolin more and more interesting. When will he be able to have such a lovely baby? s! It was a pity that the mother of his future son was still angry with him. If he didn¡¯t coax her well, it was still unknown whether or not he would be able to marry the little girl in two years.


    Lady Fang adjusted her expression and asked the wetnurse to take her son. In a low voice, she scolded, ¡°Lin¡¯er, what did Mother tell you? When the adults talk, the children shouldn¡¯t interrupt! If there¡¯s something that can¡¯t be said, wait until the adults finish talking to say it!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Linlin is wrong!¡± Fang Haolin, this small kid, obediently sat well in the chair with his small hands on his knee, with a look of ¡®Linlin is a good baby¡¯. Yu Xiaocao wanted to knead the little one into her arms and kiss his little face¡ª¡ªhow could Little Linlin be this cute?


    ¡°Answering Master, one-fifth of that batch of material has been opened. There are two pieces that are pretty good. One was ordered by Imperial Prince Duan, and it was said to be carved into a white jade Guanyin for his princess consort. The other one was a smaller piece of suet jade, which was ordered by Lady Yu, and it was in the style of a hairpin. It was said to be given to Miss Yu for her hairpin ceremony.


    The jade from Wisdom Jade Pavilion was always very popr. Every time new material came in and the jade was unearthed from the raw ore, it was very quickly reserved by a customer. Thus, when Zhu Junyang asked him whether there were any good raw jade around, the shopkeeper felt quite embarrassed¡ª¡ªwho would have known that the master would suddenly want to use jade to gain favor from his future mother-inw ah?


    ¡°In that case... the rest of the material should be opened as soon as possible. If you have a good quality product, reserve it for me!¡± Zhu Junyang frowned. It seemed like he was going to have to disappoint his wife and future mother-inw. It was because he didn¡¯t n properly. In the future, when there was good material, he must reserve it for the people close to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s said that all the white and creamy jades are cut from stones, aren¡¯t they? How can jade be in the middle of a stone? How strange!¡± At this time, jadeite jewelry was not asmon as nephrite jade, and most of the jade materials were raw materials transported back from Xinjiang.


    Zhu Junyang saw that thess was curious about the jade stones and was no longer angry at him. He eagerly said, ¡°Lass, do you want to see what raw jade material looks like? Shopkeeper Zhang, do you have jade stone materials in the shop now?¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang quickly replied, ¡°The materials are all in the warehouse behind us. If Miss Yu wants to see it, I¡¯ll let someone carry some of them over right away!¡± Considering that some of the materials weighed more than one hundred catties, Shopkeeper Zhang wiped the invisible sweat off of his forehead. In order to help the master please the little girl, he needed to work the staff in the shop hard.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother, I¡¯ll go take a look at the warehouse!¡± Yu Xiaocao stood up and looked in Zhu Junyang¡¯s direction, implying that he should speak soon. They shouldn¡¯t make everyone busy because of her whims.


    Zhu Junyang nodded to Shopkeeper Zhang, indicating that he should listen to Miss Yu. Finally, the little girl wasn¡¯t mad at him anymore. He had to perform well and let the littless, who was puffed up, to be less angry. Just now, he was impulsive. After all, the girl¡¯s godmother was still there. Didn¡¯t he say he wanted to increase his mother-inw¡¯s good feelings towards him? Would Lady Fang feel that he was frivolous and disrespectful to thess?


    Lady Fang was in the warm private room, drinking mellow tea and eating delicious snacks. Oh? The taste was very familiar! It seemed that the business of the Wisdom Jade Pavilion was really good. All the snacks for guests were ordered from Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop. It should be known that the snack shops under her goddaughter¡¯s name were full of customers every day. Like the ones ordered out by Wisdom Jade Pavilion cost quite arge sum of money. They couldn¡¯t be bought in the store. They could only be reserved, and it was a limited reservation. If people camete, they could only go home disappointed!


    The little kid, Fang Haolin, who had delicious food, immediately put his sister and his so-called brother-inw aside. In his eyes, there were only delicious cakes and puffs. Delicious food! However, it was not as good as his older sister¡¯s personally made food. Older Sister said she would make delicious snacks for him when she was free. He was looking forward to it!


    Zhu Junyang apanied Xiaocao to the storeroom, and the loyal Wutong closely followed. The young miss was older and she had more worries. She couldn¡¯t let her youngdy lose her reputation and honor at the hands of Royal Prince Yang!


    Seeing Wutong follow them out the door, Hou Xiaoliang, who was enjoying the snacks, immediately stood up. He was the bodyguard of the master, and he had to apany him at any time. However, what were you trying to do by getting so close to someone else¡¯s maid?


    The light in the storeroom was rather dim. Shopkeeper Zhang asked the guard in charge of the warehouse to light all the oilmps inside, and before letting the master enter.


    Xiaocao set a foot over the threshold of the warehouse and saw the collection ofrge and small stones inside. Some were as big as eggs, while others were so big two people wouldn¡¯t have been able to lift them. Some of them are round in shape, showing white jade flesh, while others had edges and corners, with only rough stone skin...


    [There¡¯s spiritual energy in the jade stone!] The little divine stone jumped out of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wide sleeves in the form of a cat. His fur was shining in the candlelight, scaring Manager Zhang.


    The little divine stone walked through the raw materials with haughty and arrogant steps. Xiaocao followed behind the golden cat¡ª¡ªconcerning matters with spiritual energy, the little divine stone was always sensitive. At the time, it was able to sense the small amounts of spiritual energy within spring water that came from the deep mountains and use it to further its cultivation. Thus, perceiving the energy within jade material that took ten thousand years to form after being baptized in pure snow water was a snap for it.

 Chapter 611 – Top-Notch Treasures

    <h4>Chapter 611 ¨C Top-Notch Treasures</h4>


    The golden kitten stopped in front of a piece of fist-sized raw jade ore and nced at Xiaocao. When it saw that she bent over to pick up the material, it continued to walk forward. It didn¡¯t take Xiaocao much effort before she picked four to five pieces. There were somerge ones, small ones, exquisite-looking ones, and even some crude-looking ones.


    The raw jade ores selected by Yu Xiaocao were all in Zhu Junyang¡¯s hands. He was reluctant to make his littless do all the work, so whenever she picked up one from the ground, he would take it from her and carry it. Both of his hands were now full of ores, luckily, none of the rocks selected by the little divine stone were overlyrge, so he could still handle the ones he was currently holding.


    In the end, the golden kitten stopped in front of an ore that was covered in tiny little dots, simr to the tiny pores on a human¡¯s face. The kitten¡¯s golden dark eyes shed with joy when it sensed the rich aura inside the rock. The aura the rock was exuding was somefortable and warm that all it wanted to do wasy on top of the ore.


    Shopkeeper Zhang saw that Miss Yu¡¯s gaze hadnded on top of the raw jade ore that was asrge as a millstone and hurriedly gone over to exin ¡°Don¡¯t judge it by its appearance. Although the surface of this rock is bumpy and full of holes, this type of ore falls under the ¡®sandy, rough, and bumpy¡¯ category of jade. The rough exterior of this raw jade ore is ssified as one of the ¡®finer jades¡¯, and it has a rtively high chance to develop into a quality jade. If you like this one, then I¡¯ll have someone get it out for you.¡±


    ¡°This piece is ratherrge, so moving it out will be too troublesome. Why don¡¯t we break into it right here?¡± Yu Xiaocao marked a few lines on the stone under the little divine stone¡¯s guidance and then nodded her head at an experienced master to break it out.


    After thirty minutes had passed, the stone cracked open and a piece of smooth, exquisite, and mutton fat white jade was exposed. This piece of mutton fat jade was white and wless in appearance; it was as moist as milk. It was even slightly warm to the touch.


    The experienced master who was brought over to extract the jade held the mutton fat jade that was bigger than the size of a regr basketball. His eyes shone as he eximed in admiration, ¡°I have worked in this field for decades and I have never seen such high equality mutton fat jade before!¡±


    It was well known that jades were expensive and can support people financially, this was especially true for quality-jades, which can fetch a higher price than regr jades. Quality jade was hard toe by, but there was no doubt that the jade in the experienced extraction master¡¯s hand was a top-notch jade. Based on its color, texture, and appearance, it was impably perfect.


    Even a small jade pendant or jade tassel made from this variety of mutton fat jade would cost a fortune. This jade exceeded the quality needed to make a jade bracelet. It was not an exaggeration to say that this jade was priceless. If any of the family had a jade bracelet made from this jade piece, then it could even be regarded as a family heirloom and pass it down through the generations!


    It would be more than enough to carve ten jade bracelets from thisrge mutton fat jade and still have some remaining jade leftover. The remaining material from this piece of jade could be sculpted into small flower decorations. This piece of jade was worth enough to produce the amount Wisdom Jade Pavilion could earn in three years! If they carved thisrge piece of jade into arger object instead of bracelets, then it would definitely be one of the great treasures of the capital. There were only a few people who could afford such a jade sculpture in this world!


    The final product of the jade was based on the ¡®material¡¯, ¡®craftsmanship¡¯, and ¡®meaning¡¯ behind the jade. The price could increase by ten times when the material was made from the finest jade material and it could increase by ten times again if the craftsmanship was done by a first-ss craftsman. The quality of this jade was definitely the best among the best. There were many excellent jade craftsman masters in Wisdom Jade Pavilion. There were only a few craftsmen in the entire Great Ming Dynasty who had surpassed the mastery of the craftsmen in Wisdom Jade Pavilion. Those craftsmen rarely took the initiative to openly carve for others. As for the ¡®meaning¡¯ behind the jade, as long as Master Wu from the Wisdom Jade Pavilion sculpted the jade, then there would be no problem.


    Shopkeeper Zhang cautiously took the mutton fat jade from the extraction master. He narrowed his eyes in admiration at the extremely rare treasure in his hands. He had worked in the jade industry for over thirty years, and this was the first time he had seen such a perfect and beautiful piece of raw jade. He loved jade, so it was impossible for him to contain his excitement while holding this piece jade in his hands.


    A voice suddenly broke him away from his trance, ¡°Master, did you extract the jades from the other rocks?¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang suddenly snapped out from his trance. His master had already promised to give this piece of rare jade to Miss Yu. Based on how much his master doted on Miss Yu, he would never ask her to pay a huge sum for the jade. Instead, he might even give the jade to her for free as a sign of his affection. This was a rare treasure from the Wisdom Jade Pavilion! Yet it was already destined to be given away! If the jade could be stored in the Wisdom Jade Pavilion, then he would be able to admire the jade every day. However...his dreams were bound to fail!


    Zhu Junyang red at Shopkeeper Zhang in contempt for howcking he was currently acting. He didn¡¯t even feel distressed as the owner of the Wisdom Jade Pavilion, yet Shopkeeper Zhang acted like someone had carved his heart out from his chest.


    ¡°It seems like I¡¯m quite lucky today and managed to have a good start! Let¡¯s strike the iron while it¡¯s hot and extract all the jades from these rocks!¡± Yu Xiaocao leaned over and looked at the mutton fat jade. She didn¡¯t know much about jade, but she could tell that the jade looked wless and it was warm and smooth to the touch!


    Zhu Junyang stared at her profoundly and thought, ¡®Continue pretending! Do you think I¡¯m blind? You chose whichever ore that the golden kitten stopped in front of. The longer the golden kitten stood in front of it, the higher the quality the jade will turn out to be. The golden kitten stood in front of this piece of jade the longest, and it turned out to be a top-notch treasure. As a result, all the pieces of ores she picked out must all be quality jade!¡¯


    Just as he expected, there were two more pieces of mutton fat jade from the remaining pile of jade. Although the quality and value could notpare to the first mutton fat jade they found, they were still of rare quality. However, the two mutton fat jades were not asrge as the first one. One piece of jade was enough to be carved into a pair of jade pendants and small decorations while the other one could be carved into a pair of mutton fat jade bracelets. The remaining jade were all white jade, which were also very valuable.


    Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s heart bled as he watched! If these jade were sold in the Wisdom Jade Pavilion, then this year¡¯s profit would definitely soar and his bonus as the shopkeeper would also be extremely generous. But now...it will all be gone!


    But Shopkeeper Zhang was somewhat doubtful. How could this young girl¡¯s luck be so good? She was able to extract good quality jade from every raw ore she picked up. Could she be a master in discerning jade? No, that was impossible because the jade experts that Wisdom Jade Pavilion hired all had decades of experience. Yet, none of them were able to extract a jade from every piece of rock they chose, let alone a high-quality jade each time! Even if she was a young girl who learned how to identify jades from the moment she was born, it was still impossible for her to be more experienced than those jade experts. It seemed like...he could only reluctantly attribute all of this to sheer luck!


    ¡°Littless, do you still want to choose more jade?¡± Zhu Junyang asked the littless softly when he saw that his littless was fiddling with the mutton fat jade that wasrge enough to sculpt two pieces of jade pendants from it. When he saw that his littless shook her head in response, he turned to Shopkeeper Zhang and said, ¡°Bring these jade rocks to Miss Yu¡¯s private room!¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°Do...do I bring all the jade to her private room?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pursed her mouth and jokingly asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you afraid that I don¡¯t have enough money to pay for them? Don¡¯t worry, even though I didn¡¯t bring enough money today, I will have someone send the full amount tomorrow! Or, is it because Shopkeeper Zhang is unwilling to part with the top-notch mutton fat jade?¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression immediately darkened. What was wrong with this manager? The shopkeeper was usually very capable and clear-minded, so what happened to him today? Why was he acting so muddle-headed? Didn¡¯t he see that his master was the one who invited this guest over? Didn¡¯t he realize that he was causing him to lose his face in front of his littless?! He was even willing to give her the entire shop as well as all the workers of the shop over to his littless! He wouldn¡¯t even feel the least bit unwilling or distressed!


    So what if she didn¡¯t bring enough money? This prince didn¡¯tck money! Besides, she was going to be his wife in the future, so how dare a mere shopkeeper babble so much when the future female head of the house came over to choose a few ores? It seemed like Shopkeeper Zhang was getting bored of working in the Wisdom Jade Pavilion as a manager! Theycked a shopkeeper in the western border jade exchange, so maybe he should send Shopkeeper Zhang there to work for a few years.


    His master¡¯s gaze was as sharp as a knife. Shopkeeper Zhang immediately sobered up after he received a re from Zhu Junyang. What was he doing? Since his master took the initiative to invite a guest over, that meant his master valued the guest a lot. The whole shop was owned by his master and since his master didn¡¯t feel heartbroken by this, then why would a mere shopkeeper like him interfere in his master¡¯s personal matters? He had to quickly find a way to make amends quickly because if he had identally angered his master, then it would be the end of his career as the Wisdom Jade Pavilion¡¯s shopkeeper. His master might even send him to the west border out of anger; if that happened, then he wouldn¡¯t even have enough tears to cry!


    Although Shopkeeper Zhang had only worked in the Wisdom Jade Shop for three years, the business of the shop soared to new heights each year. His master also changed the shop¡¯s business model, causing the annual profits to greatly exceed their expected amount. All the employees would receive big bonuses because of the increased profit. Even the young clerk working at the shop received two hundred taels as a bonus, much higher than usual. Since a small-time clerk had received such arge bonus, it was unimaginable how much the manager received!


    It was almost the end of the year now and the shop ountant had begun to calcte this year¡¯s profits. He knew that this year, the shop had made more profitspared to the previous years, so the bonus the employees would receive would definitely exceed that ofst year. Last year, he received two thousand taels of silver as a year-end bonus!


    At the end of the year, when he reported Wisdom Jade Pavilion¡¯s ounts along with the other managers to his master, none of the other properties couldpare to how much Wisdom Jade Pavilion earned except for Treasure Pavillion and the ntation. The other shopkeepers could only stare at them enviously because it was impossible for them to earn the same amount of profits as they did. Being the manager of Wisdom Jade Pavilion was a lucrative job and many people were eyeing his job. He couldn¡¯t lose his cushy job over something minor!


    When he noticed that his master was unhappy, Shopkeeper Zhang hurriedly tried to make up for his mistake, ¡°Miss Yu, you must be joking with me! You are the one and only distinguished guest that master has ever personally invited over. Let¡¯s not discuss money because that would be too formal! This servant was just asking whether I should bring it all the jade to your private room first or have the master craftsmen look at the jade first. Then, you would be immediately able to discuss the style you want them to carve it into. As for this piece of top-notch mutton fat jade, would you like it to be carved into a bracelet? Or would you want to carve some ornaments or decorations from it? The experienced craftsmen from our shop can give you some good suggestions...¡±


    ¡°Oh...is that so? I thought Shopkeeper Zhang was reluctant to sell this jade!¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled sweetly at Shopkeeper Zhang who was sweating profusely. Zhu Junyang had a gloomy and displeased expression on his face while Yu Xiaocao secretly pulled on his hands.


    ¡°Miss Yu must be joking! The jade and the shops are all under my master¡¯smand, so how could a mere servant like me make such decisions? But I have to say, Miss Yu, you have a great eye for discerning jades. You managed to discover such a high-quality mutton fat jade that could only appear once in a century. This servant has been selling jade for no less than twenty years and this is the first time I have seen such a fine piece of jade!¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang keenly noticed that Miss Yu was the key to determining his master¡¯s mood based on their earlier interactions. He noticed that the young girl merely tugged on his master¡¯s sleeve and gave him a warning look, and the expression on his master¡¯s face immediately improved. His master¡¯s gaze no longer felt like a sharp knife aimed at him. Shopkeeper Zhang felt like he was reborn again after this cmity passed.

 Chapter 612 – Betrothal Gift

    <h4>Chapter 612 ¨C Betrothal Gift</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t know much about jade because, in her previous life, she was just a regr citizen struggling at the bottom of the pyramid. She struggled to feed herself and her younger siblings every day. She would asionally visit the mall and hang around for a few moments by the jewelry stores. She would merely nce at the beautiful sparkling jewelry and jade that were way out of her price range.


    She looked at the smooth and radiant jade in her hand with interest. Although the jade had not yet been polished, the jade still exuded a beautiful white color. It was no wonder that the prices of these jades remained as expensive as ever, even in the future. People still flocked to shops to buy unattainable and rare jade!


    The top-notch mutton fat jade that wasrger than a regr-sized basketball was ced on the table of Xiaocao¡¯s private room. The golden kitten hurriedly jumped onto the table and climbed on top of the jade. Itid on the jade on its stomach and started cultivating. It was unwilling to dy its cultivation even for a few seconds! However, to other people, they merely thought that the young little kitten really knew how to find a ce to sleep. It chose the most expensive ce to sleep!


    Shopkeeper Zhang was shaking at his core when he saw the kitten jump on top of the jade. He feared that the young kitten would damage the jade. However, he was being too worried! If the jade was that fragile, then no one would want to buy it!


    If Yu Xiaocao was still ignorant of the mutton fat jade¡¯s value based on Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s reactions, then she would be stupid. She guessed that she had probably chosen all of the best jades from this batch of jade. In the next month or so, Wisdom Jade Pavilion would probably not have any quality jade to sell! Naturally, she would not take all the jades she found from him. After all, Zhu Junyang owned Wisdom Jade Pavilion, so she should leave some leeway for him to survive, right?


    ¡°Shopkeeper, I heard that we have recently found a top-notch mutton fat jade. Can this old man have a look?¡± An old but enthusiastic voice could be heard from outside the private room. Shopkeeper Zhang¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. Why would this old gentleman be suddenly willing to take the initiative toe here?


    He hurriedly walked outside and greeted the esteemed old man with an enthusiastic smile, ¡°Old Lin! We¡¯re honored with your presence. Your presence brings light to our humble shop!¡±


    ¡°Humble shop? If Wisdom Jade Pavilion is a small humble shop, then the other jade shops in the capital are even less worth mentioning! Hurry up and show me the top-notch mutton fat jade, so this old man can take a look!¡± Old Lin had a petite build, grizzled hair, and a ruddyplexion. He was a hearty and small old fellow.


    It turned out that the top-notch mutton fat jade had lured Old Lin out! Old Lin was the best jade craftsman in the capital. He had retired many years ago and unless there was something that caught his interest, he wouldn¡¯t step a foot outside his house. Old Lin had been in the Wisdom Jade Pavilion before and told the employees to inform him if any quality raw material was found. The obedient and good-natured clerk had probably run over to inform Old Lu about the new jade.


    ¡°Old Lin, I¡¯m sorry, but that piece of raw jade has already been bought by someone!¡± Shopkeeper Zhang apologized to the old man.


    Old Lin red at him, blew his beard, and said, ¡°Could it be that you guys already decided on a jade craftsman since the jade has already been bought? If this piece of jade meets my expectation after I have a look, then I am willing to make an expectation and carve this jade!¡±


    The manager was extremely surprised. Old Lin was one of the leading figures in the jade carving world. Even the jade carved from ordinary jade would fetch a high price after going through his hands. Numerous people begged Old Lin to help them carve a piece of jade, but he declined them all! It was unthinkable that this old man woulde here after hearing the news and even promised to sculpt the jade if it caught his interest before even seeing the actual jade.


    ¡°It¡¯s a once-in-a-lifetime blessing to have you carve for them. I don¡¯t think that anyone would refuse this offer, right?¡± The shop manager politely asked Old Lin to wait. Then, he entered the private room and informed his master as well as Lady Fang and her daughter of the news.


    Yu Xiaocao did not know of Old Lin, but Lady Fang had heard of the old gentleman¡¯s name before. As soon as the shopkeeper mentioned the old gentleman¡¯s name, Lady Fang didn¡¯t even ask her daughter¡¯s opinion before immediately agreeing. She would be foolish if she didn¡¯t immediately ept the offer. A piece of raw jade that was worth two hundred taels of silver could have its value increase by ten folds or even more after being carved by Old Lin! Only an idiot wouldn¡¯t take up on this chance!


    As soon as Old Lin entered the private room, his eyes immediatelynded on the raw jade on top of the table. Just at this moment, the golden kitten had just finished cultivating andzily jumped off the jade. Old Lin¡¯s heart pounded rapidly and he shouted, ¡°How can you let a kitten trample on such a precious piece of jade? If the jade is even slightly damaged, then even skinning the kitten wouldn¡¯t even be enough to make up for it!!¡±


    The little divine stone wasfortably stretching itself when it heard the old man¡¯s words. The little divine stone¡¯s fur stood on its end in anger and immediately screamed at the old man [I am a divine stone that has cultivated for tens of thousands of years! I am the ancestor of all stones, so how can I be inferior to a broken piece of jade like this one? If you start beeping your mouth off again, then this divine stone will push this broken piece of rock from the table and break it!!]


    It walked up to the mutton fat jade and put one of its paws on top of the stone. Its dark golden pupils had turned into slits due to anger as it stared at the old man threateningly.


    Yu Xiaocao was amused at the little divine stone¡¯s reaction, but she was also angry for the little divine stone. A top-notch jade like this one was indeed rare, but it was a dead object. She was opposed to taking the life away from a living thing for a dead object!


    Xiaocao reached out her hands, took the kitten, and gently stroked its fur that was standing on its end. She looked at Old Lin disapprovingly, ¡°Old gentleman, what you had just said is wrong! I was the one who picked up this stone and Royal Prince Yang has already agreed to sell this piece of jade to me. This means that I have full right over how I use this jade, so it¡¯s none of your concern. Little Glutinous Dumpling has been raised by me for five to six years already, so how could my affections for a living being exceed that of a stone? If the jade was destroyed, then at most, the value of the jade would decrease. However, even the humblest life has the right to live and to be respected by others!! What do you think?¡±


    Shopkeeper Zhang was afraid that Miss Yu would cause Old Lin to leave in anger, so he wanted to interfere. However, when he received a sharp re from his master, he immediately changed his mind. Got it! Since the jade belonged to Miss Yu, then she had full right to do with it as she liked. Why should he interfere?


    Old Lin was not a stubborn old antique who was bound to his old fashioned ways. When he saw that the jade was not damaged in any way, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, ¡°I cherish this jade a lot, so I identally made an inappropriate analogy, so I blurted out something crude. If youngdy is still upset by what I said, then this old man will dly take back what I just said. However, this old man has to remind you that this jade is among the best mutton fat jade I¡¯ve ever seen. Have the two of you discussed the price yet?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± Yu Xiaocao turned to look at Zhu Junyang who had a poker face on. She blinked her eyes yfully and asked, ¡°Royal Prince Yang, how much do you n to charge me for this piece of jade?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Zhu Junyang silently stared at her charming and adorable appearance. He fell silent for a moment before he raised his index finger and then shook his head lightly.


    ¡°One million taels of silver?¡± Old Lin cried out in rm and promptly started to talk, ¡°Royal Prince, please think twice about this! This piece of jade is extremely valuable. I believe one million taels of silver is too low!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t charge even one tael of silver!¡± Zhu Junyang had an unhappy expression on his face. Didn¡¯t he tell her that what he owned was going to be hers in the future, and what she owned would always be hers? Didn¡¯t speaking about the price of the jade make the rtionship between the two of them too awkward and unfamiliar?


    ¡°Uh...¡± The words that Old Lin wanted to say next were stuck in his throat. He turned to look at the youngdy carefully and realization suddenly hit him when he recalled the rumors he heard. ¡°It would be a pity if this piece of jade is made into jewelry. However, if it¡¯s carved into an auspicious ornament such as ¡®Lovely Flower, Round Moon¡¯, ¡®Amidst the Flowers Under the Moonlight¡¯, and ¡®Hundreds of Children and Thousands of Grandchildren¡¯, etc., as a betrothal gift, then it would be the first of its kind in the entire Great Ming Dynasty!¡±


    Betrothal gift? Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart skipped a beat. After the New Years ended, he was definitely going to head over to the Yu Family to propose. The littless residing in his heart deserved the best of the best. He would make Old Lin carve this piece of top-notch mutton jade and send it as the defining piece of his betrothal gift. His gift would definitely cause a big sensation in the capital! He had set his mind; this mutton fat jade will belong to his littless no matter what. But this gift will just be sent to herter than he had originally nned.


    Zhu Junyang no longer pretended to be cold and domineering. He looked at Old Lin earnestly and asked, ¡°Based on your experience, what do you think the theme of this jade should be?¡±


    Old Lin¡¯s eyes were still focused on the jade and he answered without hesitation, ¡°Based on the shape of this piece of jade, I believe it would be best if we carved it into ¡®Amidst the Flowers Under the Moonlight¡¯. In addition to that, ¡®Amidst the Flowers Under the Moonlight¡¯ is more appropriate and suitable for your highness¡¯s needs. When you grow old, you can always reminisce about your youth when you look at the jade carving. Wouldn¡¯t that be great?¡±


    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s do as Old Lin said! Old Lin, will you be able to finish the final product within two months?¡± Zhu Junyang already came to his decision, but if he nned on using it as a betrothal gift, then it needed to bepleted on time!


    ¡°Why? Is the Royal Prince nning to propose in two months?¡± Old Lin looked down and pondered for a moment. Then, he nodded his head vigorously and said, ¡°This old man will release the vigor from my youth and finish the jade carving for you in two months! I will make sure I won¡¯t dy your matter!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes; he had just told her that the jade belonged to her and that she could do whatever she wanted with it. After a span of a few minutes, he selected the jade craftsman for the jade, the theme of the jade, and even the deadline for thepletion. He decided everything on his own initiative! Didn¡¯t he tell her that he was going to listen to her?


    ¡°Ahem ahem!!¡± Xioaocao cleared her throat, reminding him of her existence.


    Zhu Junyang suddenly turned to look at her and smiled apologetically and said, ¡°Littless, I¡¯m sorry but you can¡¯t take this piece of jade by for the time being. Rest assured because this piece of jade belongs to you. However, it will be dyed by two months. Oh right, littless, what do you think about the theme of the jade carving being ¡®Amidst the Flowers Under the Moonlight¡¯?¡±


    ¡®You have already decided on everything, so what¡¯s the point of asking me?¡¯ Could she p him on his face in public and make him lose face? Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips and said with no interest, ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you believe it¡¯s fine. Is my opinion even important?¡±


    ¡°Your opinion is important! Of course, your opinion is important! If you don¡¯t like the theme, then we can rece the theme with something else...what do you think of the theme, ¡®Hundreds of Children and Thousands of Grandchildren¡¯?¡± He asked in a fawning manner. Zhu Junyang saw that she was unhappy, so he hurriedly became a filial and devoted dog.


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    ¡®Why would you give a jade carving with the theme ¡®Hundreds of Children and Thousands of Grandchildren¡¯ to an unmarried girl? Royal Prince Yang, did you have a brain spasm? Or are you deliberately trying to get scolded?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao took in a deep breath and suppressed the curse that she was about to spit out. She rolled her eyes at him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go with the ¡®Amidst the Flowers Under the Moonlight¡¯ theme. As long as it¡¯s something that won¡¯t arouse suspicion, then it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Old Lin watched the young couple with interest as they ¡®tantly flirted¡¯ in front of him while he held the twelve catty jade. He didn¡¯t feel the weight of the jade in his arms at all; he wouldn¡¯t mind holding another ten pieces of jade with simr qualities!


    However, the young girl from the Yu Family was as the rumors had described; she was a fascinating person. The interactions between her and Royal Prince Yang were very natural. Themunication between the two seemed to have stemmed from their spirits and was not restricted by the morals of the secr world. It was particrly pure and innocent!

 Chapter 613 – Future Lady of the House

    <h4>Chapter 613 - Future Lady of the House</h4>


    Since Yu Xiaocao was unable to stop Zhu Junyang¡¯s ridiculous behavior, she decided to ignore him and said to Shopkeeper Zhang, ¡°How much would it cost to buy all the remaining jades?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Shopkeeper Zhang secretly looked towards his master . His master had already given away a top-grade mutton fat jade worth over a thousand taels, so would he still care about this ¡®little money¡¯? Although these added up to over six figures...just thinking about it made his heart ache!


    ¡°Why are you looking at this prince? Just ept what you¡¯re supposed to take!¡± Although he said this, Zhu Junyang avoided thess¡¯s line of sight and secretly made an implicit expression at Shopkeeper Zhang . They definitely had to collect some money; otherwise, thess would get angry and leave without taking any of the jades . As for his betrothal gifts, it would probably be difficult to even send them out after the New Year .


    Shopkeeper Zhang received his master¡¯s signal and said with a polite smile, ¡°Miss Yu, for the two mutton fat jades in your hands, the smaller one cost 10,000 taels and the bigger one is 15,000 taels . I¡¯ll just take 5,000 taels for the remaining white jades and green jades . Thus, it¡¯s a total of 30,000 taels . You¡¯re bought over by the master himself, so I¡¯ll offer you the best discount avable at the store . You just need to pay a total of 15,000 taels!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t continue to argue . After all, if Zhu Junyang went to shop at her stores, she would also give him the best discount . After she swiftly paid the money, she felt an aching pain as she looked at the several pieces of unimpressive looking jades .


    ¡®People often say that gold is valuable and jade is priceless, but this is too expensive ah!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao sighed in her heart . If she didn¡¯t have the money-making business ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, there was no way that she would spend over ten thousand taels for several worthless rocks!


    ¡°Miss Yu, rest assured, this old servant will definitely pick the best craftsman to process these jades for you . Do you have any special requests?¡± Shopkeeper Zhang spoke in a very humble and polite manner . His master had that he would send the betrothal gifts after the New Year, so it was certain that status of the futuredy of the house belonged to this young maiden .


    When Shopkeeper Zhang first saw Yu Xiaocao, he was confused by her casual and indifferent attitude . He had originally thought that when a peasant girl entered the grand and imposing ¡®Wisdom Jade Pavillion¡¯, she would feel uneasy and slightly nervous . However, this young maiden wasn¡¯t like that at all . Furthermore, the bearing of Lady Fang and the two maidservants behind her gave him the wrong impression that his master had changed the target of his pursuit . (Author¡¯s note: If Zhu Junyang knew what he was thinking about, he would definitely want to crack open his head to see what was inside!!)


    But, afterwards, his misconception was broken by the name ¡®Miss Yu¡¯! Was there anyone who didn¡¯t know that the Yu Family were a nouveau riche family in the capital? They came from a low origin and had a low-ranked official¡¯s position and an awkward status, but no one in the capital dared to publicly offend the Yu Family .


    One should know that in the winter, they had control of the meals on the dining tables of the noble families in the capital! Even if one didn¡¯t care about the food, there was no guarantee that one¡¯s wife and daughter didn¡¯t love beauty ah .


    Loving beauty was a woman¡¯s nature . Due to the excellent quality of the products and services at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, manydies with troubled skin had obtained satisfactory results after using their products . These results were spread by word of mouth, and now, most of the noble madams and young misses in the capital had a ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ membership card .


    Even if they couldn¡¯t apply for a card due tock of financial resources, they would use their long-time savings to buy a set of skin care products suitable for their skin . During the winter, the climate in the capital was cold and dry . If they tried to use other products after using Blossoming Beauty¡¯s products, their skin would feel dry and ufortable as if they were wearing a mask .


    Recently, Blossoming Beauty hadunched skin care products for children, which were naturally non-irritating and could protect the child¡¯s skin . This was good news for the children in the capital .


    One must know the strong influence of bedside whispers . Even if there were officials who were dissatisfied with Yu Xiaocao being an official, they wouldn¡¯t be able to take up the idea of going against the Yu Family due to the gentle advice from their fierce wives and precious daughters .


    It was just that Shopkeeper Zhang hadn¡¯t expected that Miss Yu had such poise andposure . She didn¡¯t seem rustic at all and might be even more graceful than some of the noble young misses in the capital . What he admired the most was that such a small person was able to tame his master, who was such a big monster . She could get Royal Prince Yang, who was known for his ruthlessness and cruelty, to be so obedient and vowed to marry no one else but her . How skilled was that? It seemed like, in the future, he must do his best to please his mistress in order to secure his status!


    Shopkeeper Zhang had actually thought about so much in this short period of time . Xiaocao, on the other hand, was still discussing with Lady Fang about what the jades should be carved into and how to carve them!


    ¡°This smaller piece of mutton fat jade can be carved into a pair of dragon and phoenix pendants . It¡¯s quite fitting to gift a pair of dragon and phoenix pendants for Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s uing marriage!¡± Lady Fang thought about the hairpin that Third Young Master Zhou gavest time and felt that a ten thousand taels jade pendant should be considered presentable . Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and decided to also give the bride a pink pearl bracelet . In this way, the wedding present wouldn¡¯t seem stingy!


    ¡°This piece can be made into a pair of bangles . Cao¡¯er, I noticed that you don¡¯t have much jewelry, so let¡¯s make it ording to the size of your wrist!¡± It was difficult for women to resist jewelries, and Lady Fang was no exception . However, it was hard to find exquisite jades . As a mother, how could she try to take a fine piece of jade from her daughter?


    She didn¡¯t have much jewelry? How was that possible? One should know that the man in front of her, in order to gain her reassurance, did everything he could to send her gifts from time to time, and most of them were jewelries worn by young maidens . As long as there was something that he liked at Treasure Pavillion, it would be sent over to her . There were things like diamond earrings, diamond nes, diamond bracelets, and jewelry made of ruby, sapphire, and emerald . There were also a lot of jades and corals... There was barely any space left in her little treasure box .


    After Xiaocao expressed that she had enough jewelry, Lady Fang looked at her and said, ¡°Even if you¡¯re not going to wear them, it¡¯s good to save it as your dowry in the future!¡±


    Royal Prince Yang had sent such valuable betrothal gifts over, so their family naturally had to enrich her dowry . It was difficult toe across high quality jade, but it shouldn¡¯t be toote to start saving up now .


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes in her head, ¡®Do I need these to make my dowry look more ample? Blossoming Beauty, pastry shops, pharmaceutical workshops, and the wine distillery...which of these aren¡¯t golden hens that produced money? Isn¡¯t just any one of these more valuable than the top-grade mutton fat jade that can¡¯t be eaten or drunken?¡¯


    ¡°Godmother...why don¡¯t we both get one each¡ªmother-daughter bangles! I reckon that the quality of this piece of jade is quite good . You can pass on your bangle to my younger sister-inw as a family heirloom that can be passed down generation to generation . It can be considered a memento of the ancestor for the descendants . What do you think?¡± Yu Xiaocao urged Lady Fang as she looked at Fang Haolin, who was eating pastries and ying with the new toy that Zhu Junyang gave him .


    Upon hearing himself being mentioned, Fang Haolin nodded his little head hard and said, ¡°Okay! One for Older Sister and one for Little Linlin!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for your wife, not you!¡± Yu Xiaocao helped him wipe the crumbs on his face andughed as she tapped his little head .


    With a matter-of-course expression, Fang Haolin said, ¡°What belongs to my wife also belongs to me!¡±


    ¡°Wrong!¡± Zhu Junyang came out to show his presence again, ¡°It should be ¡®everything that belongs to you also belongs to your wife¡¯! What are men earning money and working so hard for? Isn¡¯t it for their wife and children? Little Linlin, you must quickly change your thinking, lest you can¡¯t find a wife in the future . At that time, you won¡¯t have any tears left to cry!¡±


    When Shopkeeper Zhang heard this, he felt even more firm about his decision to curry favor with his future mistress . Even his master had said that everything he owned belonged to his wife, which meant that Wisdom Jade Pavillion and himself, a servant, were no exception . It seemed like his master would be changed soon!


    Fang Haolin, the little fellow, felt troubled for a moment, and then reluctantly said, ¡°Alright! Everything that belongs to Linlin belongs to my wife, and everything owned by my wife is also Linlin¡¯s, okay?¡±


    ¡°No! What belongs to you also belongs to your wife, and everything your wife owns belongs to herself only!¡± Zhu Junyang firmly abided by Xiaocao¡¯s words . He indeed had the potential of being apletely devoted husband .


    Fang Haolin¡¯s little face scrunched up even more as he looked at the delicious pastry in his hands . When he thought about how there would be a young girl fighting for food with him in the future, his mood immediately turned bad . With an expression as if he was about to cry, he looked at his mother and older sister, and pitifully said, ¡°Getting married isn¡¯t fun . Linlin don¡¯t want a wife anymore!¡± Everyone in the room was immediately amused by his words!


    In the end, Xiaocao made the final decision to make two bangles¡ªone for her godmother and one for herself . The rest were made into jewelries or jade pendants to be given as New Year gifts to every member of the family . Even Little Linlin was given a jade amulet!


    After that, the mother and daughter strolled around the shop again . Xiaocao noticed that there wasn¡¯t a single jadeite essory in the store . When exactly was jadeite introduced into China? In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t graduated from middle school and didn¡¯t know much about jades . Thus, she naturally didn¡¯t know about this . However, it seemed like jadeite wasn¡¯t very popr at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty!


    Her eyes suddenly lit up at this thought! The business opportunity was self-evident . Perhaps, she and Zhu Junyang could be the first to endeavor in this business . With this thought, she pulled Zhu Junyang aside and whispered, ¡°Ruizhi, I thought of a way to make money that will need your help . Are you willing to help me?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Only a dumbass would refuse to earn money!!¡± Zhu Junyang had heard this phrase from Xiaocao by chance!


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a team specialized in foreign trade? In the southwest of our Great Ming Empire, there¡¯s a small, undeveloped country . There¡¯s a lot of mountain forests in the country, but they produced a kind of jade called ¡®jadeite¡¯ . There are various colors such as green, purple, red, blue, yellow, and ck . Good quality jadeites are as transparent as ss, and glossy like mutton fat jade . It¡¯s simr to nephrite and also good for people¡¯s health!¡± Yu Xiaocao stopped for a moment and looked at Zhu Junyang with a gaze full of expectation .


    Zhu Junyang was inwardly curious about how she, who rarely left home, knew about everything around the world . Was it that cultivated stone who told her? Perhaps that ce was the hometown of the multicolored stone? The little divine stone, who was in its master¡¯s embrace, rolled its eyes, ¡®Dude, you¡¯re thinking too much!¡¯


    ¡°You mean...you want this prince to gather a group of merchants to do jadeite business with a small, unknown country?¡± Zhu Junyang asked as he looked at the young girl¡¯s face, which brightened up as soon as she talked about making money .

 Chapter 614 – Promising Prospects

    <h4>Chapter 614 - Promising Prospects</h4>


    ¡°Mhm! Not only can we do a jadeite trade, but we can also set up a stone betting shop near the stained ss factory! The jade rocks transported from there can be put on site for people to buy with a marked price . Like gambling, if the value of the jadeite is higher than that of the original jade rock, then you win the bet! If not, then you lose! One shall know that it¡¯s hard for even immortals to break jade . The jade stone is mined in the mountains and wrapped within a thickyer of stone . Is there jade inside? How much? How¡¯s the quality? It¡¯s all based on luck or experience...¡±


    In her previous life, Xiaocao had seen a movie about stone betting . She knew a little about stone betting, and thus sounded quite believable . In actuality, she didn¡¯t know the slightest about stone betting . But she had the little divine stone as her cheat ah! If this was her previous life, she might have gotten rich overnight with a trip to Tengchong!


    [It¡¯s a pity that you were so stupid at that time . You had this divine stone beside you for so long, yet you didn¡¯t initiate the process of recognizing the master . What an idiot!] The little divine stone roasted her .


    [Who knew that there would actually be a little sprite hidden within an unassuming, little multicolored stone . I used to be an atheist, so I never expected that there would be so many immortals and demons in the world!] Yu Xiaocao roared back in her mind . At that time, she had picked up the little divine stone by chance and tied it onto her wrist with a red string . Who would have thought that such a cute, little thing could be summoned with one¡¯s own blood!


    [You¡¯re the one who¡¯s cute, your whole family is cute!!] It was the dignified divine stone who could be ranked among the deities if it cultivated up another level . But it was actually called cute by a young human girl, and she even called it a little thing . There was no way that it was going to tolerate it!


    Yu Xiaocao replied in a matter-of-course manner, [Of course I¡¯m cute¡ªeveryone loves me . It¡¯s pitiful that no one loves you . You got abandoned by your master and punished by your master¡¯s friend to cultivate in the human realm . If you hadn¡¯t encountered me, who knows how many more years it would take for you to see the light of day again!]


    [This divine stone exhausted all my spiritual power in order to save your soul, lest you have to suffer the cycle of reincarnation . Is this how you should treat your life savior?] The little divine stone was angered because of her teasing .


    [Ok, ok, ok! You have worked hard and achieved great merit . You¡¯re the best . You¡¯re the most amazing, okay?] Yu Xiaocaoforted the angry golden kitten perfunctorily . Seeing its cute and proud appearance, she couldn¡¯t help but kiss its little ear .


    She saw the color of the golden kitten¡¯s face gradually darken, and it was close to a light pink color . It turned out that the proud divine stone would also be shy . Yu Xiaocao felt that it was very interesting . When she moved closer to kiss its small head, she suddenly noticed that her hands were empty . Someone had snatched the little kitten away!


    She looked up and found Zhu Junyang ring at her with a displeased expression...to be exact, he was staring at her red lips . Perhaps it was the effect of the mystic-stone water on her body that caused her lips to appear pink like a spring peach blossom . It looked glossy and moist as if she had put on ayer of pink lip gloss . Her mouth was very small yet plump . After looking at them for a long time, one would have the urge to kiss her .


    At this time, it felt like this for Zhu Junyang . However, his future mother-inw and younger brother-inw weren¡¯t too far away . He had this thought in mind, but he didn¡¯t have the guts to act upon it . He could only re fiercely at the littless and silently threatened, ¡®I¡¯ll deal with you in the future!¡¯


    ¡®Such a huge vinegar jar¡ªhe¡¯s even jealous of a kitten!!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao felt very speechless .


    The little divine stone felt very embarrassed, ¡®This divine stone was harassed by a weak human girl . Will those shameless immortalsugh at me when I return to the celestial realm? No way, I must cover up this matter and never let others know!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao nced at Zhu Junyang and asked, ¡°I¡¯m telling you something serious . What nonsense are you thinking about? Stone betting and jadeite are definitely profitable businesses! But it¡¯s an inhospitable environment there . So I reckon that it won¡¯t be peaceful on the road . ¡±


    ¡°Leave it to this prince . I guarantee that you will get a satisfied answer in a few days!¡± Although Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know much about jadeites, thess was very excited when she mentioned it . Therefore, it must be a profitable business .


    As for stone betting, he was more optimistic about this . In the capital, there were a bunch of profligate sons of wealthy families who had money on hand and no ce to spend them . They would be very interested in gambling . An example would be the entertainment club in the suburbs . Horse racing was the most popr and profitable activity . He pondered about it in his heart . If the stone betting business was managed well, it would earn money faster than horse racing! After all, who could resist the temptation of getting rich overnight?


    After they left Wisdom Jade Pavillion, the group went to eat at the nearby Zhenxiu Restaurant . Originally, they had wanted to meet the groom and congratte him . Unfortunately, the decoration of Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s main hall was in full swing . It was all managed by a steward, and Third Young Master Zhou was nowhere in sight . There were only a few days before his wedding, so that guy was probably very busy!


    Yu Xiaocao nced at the main hall, which was decorated in a very festive manner . It seemed like Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t forget to promote his own business even on his wedding day . He was inspired by her hairpin ceremony and decided to hold his wedding at his own restaurant! Her hairpin ceremony was one of the first in the capital to be so grand and unique . Since then, many families followed suit and held their daughter¡¯s hairpin ceremony at Zhenxiu Restaurant .


    The cost of holding a hairpin ceremony wasn¡¯t cheap, but more importantly, it saved a lot of work and gained a lot of face . It didn¡¯t matter that it was expensive because there were plenty of families in the capital who didn¡¯tck money .


    In the twinkling of an eye, it was the day of Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s wedding . The guests of the wedding naturally had to dress more festively . Yu Xiaocao wore a moon-blue colored beaded top-jacket with narrow sleeves and a pinched waist red outer gown with embroidered hems . It was embroidered with soft, elegant patterns using silver silk threads . On the bottom, she wore ake colored silk gauze pleated skirt . There were faint multicolored flowers between the pleats, and golden flowers woven on the azure stripe on the hem . She was covered with a pale mauve colored ferret fur cloak with plum blossom patterns . She didn¡¯t have a lot of essories on her head . The red coral hair-ornament iid with diamonds was particrly eye-catching . The bright red color was embellished with bits of broken diamonds that looked like stars falling from the sky . Whenplemented with thess¡¯s fair jade-like skin and pair of big, bright eyes, she looked as delicate and dazzling as a porcin doll .


    Zhu Junyang, who came to pick Xiaocao up to go to the wedding together, saw that she had ¡®carefully¡¯ dressed up for another person, but that person wasn¡¯t him . Moreover, it was for another man . He couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely jealous . He wished he could hide this delicate and beautiful maiden so that he would be the only one who could see her beauty .


    ¡°Why are you just standing there foolishly? It¡¯s gettingte, so let¡¯s go!¡± Seeing the sh of amazement in his eyes and his dazed expression, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s vain heart felt an unprecedented satisfaction . This ugly duckling could also turn into a swan when dressed up!


    However,pared with the handsome man in front of her, her appearance was only 70% as good as the other party¡¯s . But she already felt very satisfied . Ay...this guy¡¯s looks was toow-defying . The heavens were too partial towards him! She was originally a delicate beauty, but when she stood beside him, she had directly turned into an ugly duckling .


    It was thanks to her careless attitude and strong heart that she didn¡¯t feel inferior and despair under his radiating aura . ¡®Ay...this man must have saved the entire gxy in his previous life, and thus he was able to meet such a great woman like me in this life¡ªpfft!¡¯ She couldn¡¯t hold back andughed .


    ¡°You...do you need to wear more clothing? I heard that it¡¯s cold today!¡± Seeing thess¡¯s slender waist and delicate figure under her cloak, Zhu Junyang had an urge to wrap her up tightly with clothes .


    Was it cold...today? Yu Xiaocao looked up at the bright sun in the sky . Compared to a few days ago, today was a rare day of fine weather! Then she looked at her clothes . She wore a jacket on the inside, and the cloak she had on was extra thick... She shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m wearing more than enough! I¡¯m wearing twoyers of woolen trousers inside the dress, so I¡¯m not cold at all! If I add on more clothes, I¡¯ll feel so heavy that I won¡¯t be able to walk properly!¡±


    ¡®If you can¡¯t walk, then this prince can carry you!¡¯ Zhu Junyang almost said that out loud, but he knew that if he did, thess would look at him with an angry expression and roll her eyes at him . ¡°Alright! Then hold this brazier . Wrap it with a piece of cloth to avoid burning your hands... Also, when you go out, put on your hood and scarf . ¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too over? It only takes a few steps to reach the carriage, and then I¡¯ll enter the house again after getting off the carriage . How cold would I be?¡± Although Yu Xiaocao said this, she felt very pleased inwardly that she had trained such a warm man for herself . In the ancient times, when male chauvinism was so widespread, there was such an attentive and considerate man waiting for her love . What more could she ask for?


    Mhm...she must swiftly take in this pretty boy, so as to not be intercepted by others who noticed his good qualities! When he mentioned the matter of the marriage proposal in the uing year again, she would stop keeping him in suspense and go along with him . Her parents and family members should probably arrive in the next few days, right?


    ¡°What are you thinking about? You¡¯re not even looking up . Did you almost trip on the threshold?¡± She felt a strong hold on her hand . The warmth of the warm and strong palm transmitted to her hand through the cotton gloves . Under his help, Yu Xiaocao crossed the high threshold and reached the carriage . Yet he was still unwilling to let go of her hand and directly supported her onto the carriage .


    ¡°Have you...settled on Royal Prince Yang?¡± Lady Fang, who had entered the carriage first, looked at her daughter with a slightlyplex expression . On one hand, she was very happy to see Royal Prince Yang being so considerate and good to her daughter . On the other hand, they weren¡¯t an official couple after all . If they acted so intimate in public, would it lead to people gossiping about them?


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head without any hesitation . She wasn¡¯t really someone from ancient times, so it wasn¡¯t her style to be reserved .


    Lady Fang smiled helplessly and said, ¡°In this case, tell him to quicklye to propose the marriage!¡± This was to avoid bad rumors about her daughter if it got dragged out for too long .


    ¡°Mhm! He ns on getting someone to calcte a good day to have his elderse over to propose the marriage after the first month...¡± It was just a marriage proposal . They would have to wait at least until she reached the age of eighteen for the actual wedding . She had already held her hairpin ceremony that represented adulthood, but in her mind, one would only be considered an adult when one reached eighteen . It was very dangerous for girls, who weren¡¯t fully developed, to get married and give birth too young, okay?


    However, that guy, Zhu Junyang, wasn¡¯t that young anymore . He didn¡¯t seem to oppose the idea of her getting married after the age of eighteen . Could it be that the emperor, who was also a transmigrator, said something to him? If that guy could wait, what was her rush? She thought that it was too early to get married at eighteen! In her previous life, a young girl of this age was still a senior in high school ah!

 Chapter 615 – Wedding

    <h4>Chapter 615 ¨C Wedding</h4>


    The wedding ceremony was grand and novel, and nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was carried out ording to the ancient traditions. Before the groom, Third Young Master Zhou, went to escort the bride to the wedding, he saw Xiaocao and her party and hastily came to greet them. After that, he would be very busy. Even after hepleted all the procedures of the wedding, he still needed toe out to toast and entertain the guests.


    Royal Prince Yang¡¯s arrival had caught the Zhou Family by surprise. They had no connection with Royal Prince Yang, and thus there was no way that they could invite him. Why did the prince deign toe here? But the Zhou Family members instantly understood when they saw the young maiden beside him who he was carefully protecting.


    In addition to Lady Fang¡¯s status of a noble-titled madam, Xiaocao had a position as an official and was personally bestowed the title of ¡®royal princess¡¯ by the emperor. Thus, they were invited to sit at the main table, which was surrounded by the most respected members of the Zhou Family. The group of old men were afraid that Xiaocao, a young girl, had no one to talk to, so they specially got Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s mother, Second Madam Zhou, who was originally unqualified to sit at the main table, to apany and talk with Xiaocao. After all, when they were at Tanggu Town, Xiaocao often visited the second branch of the Zhou Family and the two had a decent rtionship.


    When the groom came over to toast the table, Xiacoao watched as he, who was dressedpletely in red, drank several cups of wine and his handsome face flushed with a healthy glow. There seemed to be a strong sense of happiness in his smile. She joked, ¡°As the saying goes: ¡®People are in high spirits when involved in happy events.¡¯ Third Young Master indeed looks radiant today ah!¡±


    The elders of the family all knew about Yu Xiaocao¡¯s rtionship with the Zhou Family, or to be exact, Third Young Master Zhou. It could be said that if he hadn¡¯t met Yu Xiaocao, the current young head of the household might still be the third young master of the second branch who had great ambition butcked opportunities to disy them.


    People often said that Third Young Master Zhou was a business genius, but without Xiaocao¡¯s recipes and methods of making vermicelli, seasonings, and century eggs, his Zhenxiu Restaurant would probably just be an inconspicuous restaurant in Tanggu Town. It would just struggle under the exclusion of the long-established Fulin Restaurant.


    With his abilities, he might still be able to be sessful. However, there would be a lot of hardships and obstacles in the process, making his road to sess even longer. By that time, the position of the head of the Zhou Family might have already fallen into the hands of his ¡®eldest uncle¡¯. There wasn¡¯t anyone who was amazingly talented among the legitimate descendants of the first branch, so, perhaps, the Zhou Family would have slowly disappeared in the business industry after struggling to stay afloat for several generations.


    With the sess of the young head of the household, the Zhou Family had a resurgence that was closely rted to the delicate and weak-looking Royal Princess Jinan in front of them. Who would have thought that an inconspicuous girl from a fisherman¡¯s family would be acquainted with the third young master of the Zhou Family because of selling seafood. Furthermore, she used her ability to help Zhou Zixu, who wasn¡¯t sessful at the beginning, to seed step by step, allowing the Zhou Family to regain its glory.


    This young girl looked unassuming, but no one would have thought that, with her own abilities, she first gained the trust of Royal Prince Yang and boldly attempted to grow high-yielding corn kernels brought back from the western hemisphere. The output had shocked the imperial court.


    After that, she cultivated the high-yielding winter wheat, which caused the emperor to make an exception to promote her to be the first female official in history. She also repeatedly made great achievements, such as greenhouses for vegetables and fruits, delicious canned fruits, nourishing fruit wines, and amazingly effective medicinal pills...


    Each and every one of them were achievements that caused people to feel envious. However, they could only be covetous because she was no longer a mere peasant girl without any support. She now had very strong backing ah!


    It was said that the emperor emeritus was fond of her craftsmanship and character, and wanted to take her as an adopted granddaughter, but she rejected the offer. Not to mention that the emperor had attached great importance to her and bestowed her the title of ¡®royal princess¡¯, but he also gave her a dragon shaped jade pendant that symbolized the ¡®golden token that saved one from the death penalty¡¯. Most importantly, the cold-faced killer, Royal Prince Yang, who was feared by all of the children of noble families in the capital, had actually fallen in love with this young girl. He had pursued her for many years, yet their status was still unknown.


    People in the capital had been specting the rtionship between the two for many years. At the beginning, they all said that the little peasant girl clung onto Royal Prince Yang in order to gain a firm foothold in the capital. Later, it was said that Royal Prince Yang liked the little peasant girl¡¯s capability and wanted to take her as a concubine, but the little peasant girl wasn¡¯t satisfied. Thus, Royal Prince Yang gave her the cold shoulder and refused to give her a formal status. Now, with the affirmation of the young girl¡¯s abilities, the rumors had changed again. Royal Prince Yang had long been interested in the young girl, but her family didn¡¯t easily agree because she was still too young. He was now waiting for the young maiden to reach the age of eighteen to marry her...


    The members of the Zhou Family and guests who came to celebrate the happy asion were lucky enough to see Royal Prince Yang personally apanying Miss Yu to congratte the young head of the household. In their hearts, they had all tacitly approved the third spection. Royal Prince Yang showed a very meticulous attitude towards Miss Yu. When they entered the door, he personally held her cloak. He handed warm tea right into her hands. With the advantage of having long arms, he filled her bowl with the dishes that young girls liked to eat at the banquet. It seemed like this Miss Yu had remarkable means. She was able to train the fierce horse¡ªRoyal Prince Yang¡ªto be so docile and obedient!!


    Looking at the natural and harmonious interaction between Xiaocao and Royal Prince Yang, Lady Zhou maintained a polite smile but her heart wasn¡¯t as calm as she seemed. As his mother, there was no way that she didn¡¯t know her son¡¯s feelings. At that time, when Xiaocao was still the daughter of an ordinary fisherman¡¯s family and first revealed her talent in cooking, Lady Zhou had been silently observing her. She felt that, despite having an inferior background, if the young girl could help her son, it wasn¡¯t impossible for her son to marry her.


    However, others had noticed the young girl¡¯s beauty and talents before she had even grown up. Moreover, this person was a royal prince with a prestigious status. Even if her son was the head of the Zhou Family, he still couldn¡¯tpete with a member of the imperial family. What merchants feared the most was to get into a conflict with government officials.


    She had originally thought that Royal Prince Yang only wanted to try something new. Perhaps, after two years, he would give up on this idea and listen to his elders¡¯ advice to marry a noble maiden of equal status. However, she was surprised to find out that he was a devoted lover who silently waited on the side for the young girl to blossom into her most beautiful side.


    Her son just had that thought in mind. On the one hand, in order to ensure a better future for the second branch, he was busy with family matters. With the expansion of Zhenxiu Restaurant, he seldom returned to Tanggu Town. When he had the rare chance to return, he still had to apany her¡ªhis mother. The chance of the two interacting gradually decreased. On the other hand, her son had also shared simr thoughts as her. He felt that the girl was too young, and he wasn¡¯t in a rush to express his feelings, lest he scared her.


    However, he had never expected that someone with a strong presence appeared beside the young girl. With his patience and efforts, he won thess¡¯s approval and love.


    ¡°Miss Yu, this cup of wine is a toast for you! Thank you for helping me for so many years. Without you, there wouldn¡¯t be today¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant, and the current me! I shall finish my cup first to show my respect!¡± Zhou Zixu drank all the wine in the cup in his hands. The young girl in front of him, who was like a small bud, had slowly blossomed into her most beautiful times. However, the one who witnessed her growth wasn¡¯t him. The wine in his mouth was clearly good wine from The Yu¡¯s, yet the taste had instantly turned bitter!


    Let this be thest time for him to be enamored by this young maiden who could never be his. After today, he would have his own life partner, so he must treat her wholeheartedly. Although he might not be the best husband, he could give his loyalty to her.


    Didn¡¯t the young girl in front of him admire ¡®one partner for a lifetime¡¯? He wanted to show her that he could do it. Unfortunately, that person wasn¡¯t her!


    ¡°Third Young Master, you¡¯re speaking as if I¡¯m an outsider! Speaking of this, had you not generously helped us, how could the Yu Family develop so smoothly? In my heart, I regard you as my older brother and good friend, yet you act like a stranger and call me ¡®Miss Yu¡¯. Ay...I¡¯m hurt. I can¡¯t drink this cup of wine!¡± In the weddings in her previous life, there was a custom of teasing the newlyweds. Yu Xiaocao pretended to put down the fruit wine in her hands with a ¡®this baby is unhappy¡¯ expression on her face.


    Xiaocao was still the Xiaocao in Tanggu who liked to tease,ugh at, and annoy him. Perhaps, it was only his state of mind that had changed. Third Young Master Zhou shook off the emotions in his heart and showed a joyful smile, ¡°Since you regard me as your older brother, I¡¯ll ept this honor and dare to call you ¡®Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯. Alright, no need to say anymore. Everything goes without saying. Younger Sister Xiaocao, give Older Brother face and drink this cup of wedding wine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it! Third Brother Zhou, I wish you a lifetime of mutual, unchanging love. On the widend and high sky, two pairs of wings fly side by side. May you two grow old together, live in conjugal bliss, and be blessed with a child soon!¡± Yu Xiaocao had no qualms at all as she presented the congrattory phrases that she giarized from the weddings in her previous life.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Younger Sister Xiaocao! I still need to toast at other tables, so please excuse me. You should eat more. Mother, please help me take care of her.¡± After Third Young Master let go of the beautiful dream in his heart, his words and actions had be much more natural.


    Lady Zhou looked at her son with relief and nodded, ¡°Go, I¡¯m here! Don¡¯t drink too much...¡±


    ¡°Today is Third Brother Zhou¡¯s good day. Even if he wants to drink less, it¡¯s still unavoidable. However, in order to prevent him getting dead drunk and being disliked by Older Sister-inw, I have a sobering pill here. I guarantee that he won¡¯t get drunk after taking this!¡± Yu Xiaocao had wanted to say ¡®be careful that Older Sister-inw would punish him to kneel on a washboard for getting drunk¡¯, but this was the ancient times when one had to respect their husband. Thus, it was better not to act too unconventional.


    Third Young Master Zhou felt that he had a decent alcohol tolerance. However, with certain business partners and bad friends here, he wasn¡¯t confident that he could leave the banquet sober! Since Xiaocao said that, then the sobering pill must be very effective. After he thanked her, he took the pill and directly swallowed it.


    After toasting the elders¡¯ tables, it became very lively when he came to the table with people of the same generation! Although several people were arranged to help him block the alcohol, Third Young Master Zhou was still forced to drink a lot of alcohol.


    Looking at the bustling scene in the main hall, Xiaocao sighed, ¡°These people really know how to look for trouble. Getting married is so tiring ah!¡±


    While no one was watching them, Zhu Junyang quietly whispered in her ears, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this prince will be there! You just need to rest in the bridal chamber. If you want to eat something, then just have someone go make it. This prince will take care of everything outside. You won¡¯t be tired!¡±


    ¡°Go away! Did I say that I¡¯ll marry you?¡± Yu Xiaocao made sure that no one was paying attention to them as she red at him fiercely and pinched the flesh on his thigh with her hands under the table. ¡®Damn! Is this guy¡¯s flesh made of iron? My hands are sore, but he still looks fine.¡¯


    Previous Chapter


    Next Chapter

 Chapter 616 – Fangirl

    <h4>Chapter 616 ¨C Fangirl</h4>


    Seeing that the kitten was baring her ws, Zhu Junyang quickly coaxed her, ¡°Isn¡¯t this prince just worried that you will be traumatized by weddings? Who would you marry other than this prince? If you dare to marry someone else, then I will rush over to steal the bride and demolish the family while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°Bandit!¡± Yu Xiaocao withdrew her sore hands and scolded lightly.


    Zhu Junyang grinned at her and said, ¡°Yes, this prince is a bandit. A bandit who only steals your heart...¡±


    ¡®Damn!! There¡¯s something wrong with the cold-faced royal prince today ah!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao had goosebumps all over her body when she heard his cheesy remark. Would it be too impolite if she puked right now? ¡®Hey, the guy surnamed Zhu, can you act like a normal person? You¡¯re ruining my appetite!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang, who probably saw the unpleasant expression on Xiaocao¡¯s face, stopped while he was ahead. He quickly reached out to grab some of Xiaocao¡¯s favorite dishes and put them into her small bowl. Yu Xiaocao felt like she had lost her appetite, and it was all thanks to this guy!!


    That night, after Third Young Master Zhou lifted the bride¡¯s veil and drank cross-cup wines, he took out the dragon and phoenix pendants that Yu Xiaocao gave them. Then, he handed one of them to the bride. Huang Shuya looked bashfully at the handsome and gentle man in front of her. He didn¡¯t have the air of a sordid merchant, but instead appeared like a refined groom. Her heart slightly palpitated as he thoughtfully helped her put on the jade pendant.


    Although it could be said that she had agreed to this marriage herself, they had only seen each other two or three times before the wedding. Her husband¡¯s appearance was well-known in the business industry, and some people privately gave him the nickname of ¡®Jade-faced Lord Mengchang¡¯ [1] .


    She had heard about him a long time ago. He was handsome, a business genius, and a phnthropic man... Because of her curiosity, she had once dressed up as a man to peep at him without her family¡¯s knowledge. His handsome looks and unique disposition left a deep impression on her. When the middleman came to propose marriage, her mother had quietly told her that the person who proposed marriage was actually the future head of the Zhou Family. At that time, she had inwardly jumped with joy.


    Huang Shuya was apetitive woman. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have studied business with her older brothers at a young age. Furthermore, she acted like spoiled brat and asked her father for the management rights of several shops. She also dered that she wanted topete with her older brothers to see who was better. Facts had proven that she indeed had her own knacks in business. The shops that she managed thrived, which caused her father and brothers to look at her in a new perspective.


    She was the youngest child in the family and the only girl after her mother gave birth to five boys. At home, she was loved by her father and pampered by her older brothers. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have let her ¡®monkey around¡¯ and study business as a woman.


    As for her marriage, her family had also asked for her opinion. Her parents had even agreed to her ¡®absurd¡¯ request to meet Third Young Master Zhou before the engagement. So, apanied by her parents, she met him in a private room at The Yu¡¯s Tea and Pastries Shop.


    At that time, Hunag Shuya had wanted to pretend to be an elegantdy. However, when her father and Third Young Master Zhou mentioned the founder of The Yu¡¯s¡ªher idol Miss Yu¡ªshe couldn¡¯t help but join in the conversation. She expressed her respect and admiration towards Miss Yu, as well as familiarity with her ¡®great achievements¡¯. She solemnly stated that Yu Xiaocao was the person who she admired the most beside her father!


    Huang Shuya had a lively appearance when she spoke excitedly, which reminded Third Young Master Zhou of Yu Xiaocao. He had thought that he wouldn¡¯t meet another young girl, who was independent and ambitious, except for Xiacoao. He hadn¡¯t expected that the wife chosen by his family was such an interesting person. Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s impression of the daughter of the Huang Family had deepened. Perhaps, this unanticipated marriage alliance would bring him unexpected gains!


    ¡°Thank you, Husband!¡± Huang Shuya looked at the dragon shaped jade pendant on Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s waist. It was obviously made of the same piece of jade as her pendant. She had a jewelry box that stored jewelry made of gold, silver, and pearls. There were also some jade hairpins, jade bangles, and jade pendants. The texture of this pair of jade pendants was absolutely exquisite. It was apparent that they were carved by an expert craftsman, and they were worth a lot.


    ¡°Husband, did you buy this jade pendant from Wisdom Jade Pavillion? It¡¯s really rare to find such an exquisite jade essory shop in the capital!¡± Huang Shuya originally had a generous and straightforward temperament. After getting over her shyness at the beginning, she had gradually opened up.


    Third Young Master Zhou took out a pink pearl bracelet, pulled on her fair, soft hands, and gently put it on for her. With the pink pearl bracelet, her pale and slender wrist looked even more clear and smooth. He retracted his gaze and looked at his bashful wife, saying, ¡°I think so? This pair of jade pendants is a wedding gift from Younger Sister Xiaocao. She also specially instructed me to give this pink pearl bracelet to her older sister-inw...¡±


    Upon hearing the title of ¡®Older Sister-inw¡¯, Huang Shuya¡¯s face flushed bright red with embarrassment, as if pink clouds had drifted onto her lovely face. To be honest, she preferred the pearl bracelet on her wrist to the jade pendant. It wasn¡¯t difficult to find pearls the size of a joint of a pinky finger, but it was hard to find pink pearls. Furthermore, no matter if it was their size, roundness, or color, this string of pearls seemed to be identical, which was even more rare. There were very few young girls who didn¡¯t like soft pinkish colors. Hence, Huang Shuya really liked this pearl bracelet.


    ¡°A gift from Younger Sister-inw? Isn¡¯t this too expensive? I have only heard of the older sister-inw giving presents to the younger sister-inw. Would it be bad for me to ept such a valuable gift from my younger sister-inw?¡± Huang Shuya had heard a little about Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s background. She thought that it was a gift from the younger sisters-inw of the first branch, so she hesitated whether she should ept it.


    ¡°She¡¯s not those younger sisters you¡¯re thinking about. How could they be so considerate?¡± Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t know how he should treat the first branch, let alone those so-called siblings. So it was better not to mention them. He held his wife¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao is Yu Xiaocao ah! Haven¡¯t you always wanted to meet her and ask her for tips on how to manage a shop?¡±


    ¡°Miss Yu? You mean Miss Yu is your younger sister?!!¡± When Huang Shuya heard that her idol was so close to herself, she couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and immediately stood up. Then she felt a slight disappointment within her heart. If it wasn¡¯t her wedding today, wouldn¡¯t she be able to see her idol? However, Miss Yu had sent her gifts¡ªan exquisite jade pendant and precious pearl bracelet! No, she had to carefully cherish two items, lest her heart ache because something happened to them!


    ¡°Wife, what are you doing?¡± Third Young Master Zhou looked strangely at his new wife. After she wandered around the room, she solemnly opened her dowry box. She carefully took off the bracelet, wrapped it in a silk handkerchief, and gently put it inside the box. After that...she started to untie the jade pendant on her waist. He felt puzzled and couldn¡¯t help but ask what she was doing.


    ¡°I need to put it away so that it won¡¯t be broken! This was a gift from Miss Yu!! I actually received a gift from Miss Yu, who had started from scratch and established ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯!! I must put it away carefully!¡± Huang Shuya focused on untying the jade pendant on her waist. Perhaps it was tied too tightly, but after trying for a long time, she still couldn¡¯t untie the jade pendant. She couldn¡¯t help but pout.


    ¡°Wife, calm down for a moment! Sit down and listen to me!!¡± Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. The most important person in his newlywed wife¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t him. There was actually a slight unpleasant feeling in his heart!


    Huang Shuya seemed to have epted being addressed as ¡®Wife¡¯. She might have also been too focused on the fact that her idol had given her a present, and thus she didn¡¯t notice what he had called her. Unable to untie the jade pendant, she couldn¡¯t help but ask a certain person for help in a tone that she usually used when she acted spoiled with her family, ¡°Help me untie it~¡±


    ¡°Who am I? If you¡¯re asking for one¡¯s help, you must properly address them. What do you call me?¡± Third Young Master Zhou suddenly wanted to tease his new wife. He looked at the na?ve and cute young maiden in front of him with a smile. He had heard the young maiden had a unique insight in business, so he had thought that she would be a calm and clever woman. He hadn¡¯t expected that she was gentle and adorable in private. Could this be that all capable women had two sides? This was true for Xiaocao, so was it also like this for his little wife?


    ¡°Hus...Husband...please help me, okay? Okay?¡± Huang Shuya lowered her head with a blushed face as she was too embarrassed to look at him.


    Third Young Master Zhou held the young maiden¡¯s soft hands, and said with a smile, ¡°My silly wife, you don¡¯t need to act like this. After you interact more with Younger Sister Xiaocao in the future, you will know that she isn¡¯t as lofty as you think. She¡¯s also just an ordinary young girl. You two are about the same age and both like to earn money, so you two will definitely get along in the future!¡±


    ¡°You mean...I can meet Miss Yu in the future, and I even get to speak with her? She seems to be very busy with the assignments from the imperial court and matters of The Yu¡¯s. How would she have the time to meet me? Husband, you aren¡¯t trying to coax me, right?¡± Huang Shuya¡¯s face flushed with excitement, and her cheeks were even redder than when she was shy earlier.


    Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s sense of helplessness deepened a little bit. It seemed like he didn¡¯t have to worry about another man stealing his wife, but he had to prevent his wife from being stolen by his younger sister!


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao is a business partner of Zhenxiu Restaurant. You have also heard the rumors about the sess of Zhenxiu Restaurant, right? Those special seasonings, as well as many of the best-selling dishes, were all made by Younger Sister Xiaocao. It can be said that we wouldn¡¯t have the current Zhenxiu Restaurant without her.¡± Third Young Master Zhou informed the young maiden about his rtionship with Xiaocao.


    ¡°Wow! Miss Yu is so amazing! She actually created so many new dishes! It turns out that my favorite ¡®fruit-scented roasted duck¡¯ is made by Miss Yu ah!! I¡¯ll be happy to death if I can try the dishes made personally by Miss Yu!!¡± Huang Shuya¡¯s eyes became even brighter, and the expression on her face was full of admiration.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that unlucky word on this auspicious day. Quickly knock on wood!¡± Third Young Master Zhou felt very powerless. His wife didn¡¯t worship him, her husband, but instead regarded another person as her idol. How should he fix this?


    Huang Shuya suddenly frowned, looked at him puzzledly, and asked, ¡° But why didn¡¯t Miss Yu open her own restaurant when she knew the recipes for so many popr dishes? If Miss Yu opened a ¡®The Yu¡¯s Restaurant¡¯, your family¡¯s Zhenxiu Restaurant definitely can¡¯tpete with her! Why did she give such a profitable business to you?¡±

 Chapter 617 – Forgot Something

    <h4>Chapter 617 - Forgot Something</h4>


    Upon seeing his wife¡¯s questioning gaze, Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. Whose side was his wife on?


    He patiently held his wife¡¯s hands and exined, ¡°At that time, when the Yu Family just separated from the main family, they were impoverished. Even if they wanted to open a restaurant, they didn¡¯t have the capital. Younger Sister Xiaocao sold the recipes to me, and slowly umted the funds to do what she wanted to do. You wouldn¡¯t think that everyone is like you, with a family to prepare the shop and goods for you to freely utilize, right?¡±


    Huang Shuya¡¯s face slightly heated up when she heard his words. She had always thought that her shops flourished because she had the talent to do business. Now, it seemed like she wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish much without her father and brothers. From the bottom of her heart, she seriously admired this young girl of the Yu Family, who was younger than herself but had started from scratch and created one miracle after another.


    ¡°I heard that Miss Yu started to earn money to support her family before the age of ten. It¡¯s really not easy ah!¡± Huang Shuya¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but ache for her idol.


    Third Young Master Zhou was d that he had married a wife with such a lively, sincere, and na?ve character. He had long inwardly made up his mind to treat his wife well, but if the other party was difficult to get along with, or had a personality that he didn¡¯t like, then there was nothing he could do. Because, as the head of the Zhou Family, he was destined to sacrifice most of his time on the family and business. How would he have the spare time to bepatible with the other person?


    Well, now, his heart throbbed for the young maiden¡¯s sometimes shrewd and sometimes na?ve personality. The smile on his face became even more genuine. Looking at the young maiden¡¯s blushing face, he suddenly had the urge to tease her. So he looked at her with a seemingly intive expression and said, ¡°Wife, can we not talk about Younger Sister Xiaocao?¡±


    ¡°What else would we talk about other than Miss Yu? Quickly help me take it off. What if it breaks? This is something Miss Yu gave me ah!¡± Huang Shuya was still struggling with the jade pendant¡¯s dead knot with her head lowered and didn¡¯t want to lift her head at all.


    Her personal maidservant, who was serving by her side, felt very anxious. ¡®What is Young Miss doing? Is it really alright for her to ignore the young master and focus on her own matters? What should they do if the young master is displeased with the young miss? Before the wedding, the madam repeatedly reminded the young miss to restrain her temperament and prioritize her husband. How can she forget it as soon as she leaves home?¡¯


    The maidservant tried to remind her young miss several times, but she was stopped by Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s gaze. In order to shift his wife¡¯s attention back to himself, he had no choice but to use Xiaocao¡¯s name, ¡°Usually, there will be maids serving you when you¡¯re dressing up, so how can it get broken? Moreover, thatss has made a lot of money over the years. If it got broken, then let¡¯s just have our younger sister rece it!¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so easy. It¡¯s hard to even buy this jade pendant without at least ten thousand taels. Such a high quality jade would be reserved before it appeared in public. People can¡¯t vie for it even if they wanted to! Don¡¯t take advantage of Miss Yu just because you two have a close rtionship.¡± Huang Shuya defended Yu Xiaocao.


    ¡°After you return from your maiden home on the third day, I¡¯d nned to take you to the Yu Estate and introduce you to Younger Sister Xiaocao! If you put away the jade pendant and bracelet, Younger Sister Xiaocao might mistakenly think that you didn¡¯t like her gifts. She will be so heartbroken ah! Using the gifts given by others is the proper way to show respect and appreciation to the giver. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Third Young Master Zhou threw out a small bait.


    Sure enough, the little fish got hooked! Huang Shuya was so excited that she grabbed his arm and shook it vigorously. With excitement in her voice, she said, ¡°Really? You¡¯re not lying to me, right? You¡¯re taking me to meet Miss Yu? That¡¯s great! I can finally talk to Miss Yu!! I need to tell her I love the pastries at her shop, especially the newlyunched chocte mousse. I buy all my skin care products from ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. After using them, my skin has be brighter and softer. I also like her family¡¯s fruit wines. The sweet fruit wines taste really good!! I even asked my parents to include a lot of her family¡¯s medicinal pills and syrup in my dowry...¡±


    The young maiden was ted and chattered endlessly with him. Third Young Master Zhou didn¡¯t know he should react to her words. He had originally thought that he had gotten thess¡¯s attention, but now, the other party was still focused on his younger sister. Ay...he really wanted to ask, ¡®Wife, if you can only pick one between me and Younger Sister Xiaocao, who would you choose?¡¯ But he didn¡¯t dare to ask, for fear that she would blurt out an answer that he didn¡¯t want.


    Third Young Master Zhou could only vaguely agree, ¡°Mhm, Father-inw and Mother-inw are quite scrupulous. They even preparedmonly used medications for you. But, Wife, our family don¡¯tck medicinal pills and syrups. Furthermore, they are all personally made by Younger Sister Xiaocao. The effects are even better than the ones sold at the pharmacy...¡±


    ¡°Wow! Medicinal pills and syrup made by Miss Yu herself?? Can you show me? Can you give me two pills? Let me taste it to see if it tastes the same as the ones sold at Tongren Medicine Hall...¡± The young maiden¡¯s eyes shone brightly as she looked at him expectantly. Her expression made it hard for one to refuse her request.


    Third Young Master Zhou immediately pulled a long face, ¡®It¡¯s medicine, not candy. You even want to try it!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t let his silly wife, who became foolish when she heard Younger Sister Xiaocao being mentioned, continue on like this!


    ¡°Wife, did you forget something?¡± Third Young Master Zhou leaned forward and lowered his head to look at the pair of sparkling eyes and small face.


    ¡°What?¡± Huang Shuya blinked several times and thought hard. Before she got married, she had brought along everything that she needed ah! Her parents and older brothers had prepared a rich dowry for her. The shops that she managed were also included in her dowry. Mhm...she had even taken along her favorite white Pekingese. It seemed like she didn¡¯t forget anything, right? Even if she did forget something, she could just send Huaying back to fetch it!


    Huang Shuya thought seriously for two seconds, and then gave up. She looked at today¡¯s groom with a slightly confused expression. Mhm...when dressed in red, he appeared more charming than usual and gave off a different feeling.


    ¡°No, you forgot what day it is tonight!¡± Third Young Master Zhou moved closer again and their bodies were almost touching each other. Huang Shuya had to lean her upper body backwards to avoid her chest being squashed.


    However, Huang Shuya didn¡¯t instantly understand what he meant and resolutely said, ¡°I didn¡¯t forget. Today¡¯s the day of our wedding! Look, we haven¡¯t even taken off our wedding attires yet!¡±


    Third Young Master Zhou chuckled, put his arms around her slender waist, and said in a low voice, ¡°Since it¡¯s our wedding night, let¡¯s not talk about irrelevant matters! Wife, you want to take off your wedding dress? Why don¡¯t I, your husband, help you?¡±


    When Third Young Master Zhou moved closer to Huang Shuya, the maids in the room had tactfully taken the young madam¡¯s maidservant out of the room. At this time, only the newlyweds were in the room.


    Huang Shuya¡¯s face suddenly flushed red, and she shyly shifted her gaze. On the night before the wedding, her mother had vaguely told her about the matters between a married couple. However, in front of her newlywed husband, she was still at a loss and didn¡¯t know where she should look.


    Every moment of the wedding night was precious. How could Third Young Master Zhou waste such a beautiful night and beauty? After that, Huang Shuya no longer had time to think about her idol. She spent her wedding night in the joy of shyness and pain.


    Afterwards, she had to offer tea to the elders, as well as get to know theplex rtionships and rtives in the family. On the third day of the wedding, she had to visit her maiden home. She also had to take over managing the affairs of the second branch. The New Year was approaching, so she had to discuss details of the New Year celebrations with her mother-inw... When everything was on the right track, she finally remembered that, on their wedding night, her husband had once promised to introduce her idol to her. More than two months had already passed.


    After much longing from her parents at Tanggu, Xiaocao had returned home after the wedding. As the new year approached, the greenhouse vegetables business at Tanggu was even more prosperous. Fortunately, the steward that Royal Prince Yang sent over was very capable. Now, Yu Hai and his son only had to send one person over to inspect the operations daily. No matter if it was the greenhouse vegetables or breeding base, Steward Ding had everything arranged in good order.


    No kidding, Steward Ding was one of the most capable stewards in Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Xiaocao had once inadvertently mentioned to Zhu Junyang that her father was in charge of the breeding base and greenhouses, and he was so busy that he often missed meals and had gotten a size thinner. She had a rather gloomy expression when speaking, so as a considerate and devoted man, Royal Prince Yang naturally couldn¡¯t bear to see his littless unhappy. Thus, he sent Steward Ding over.


    Well, of course, Steward Ding was only temporarily helping out. When he found a capable person to take his ce, he would return to the capital and manage some of the businesses under Royal Prince Yang¡¯s name.


    After Zhu Junyang obtained new ideas for business opportunities from Xiaocao, he sent a team of explorers to the barbariannds in the southwest. He had never doubted Xiaocao¡¯s ability to know all matters of the world, despite the fact that she had never left home. Since it was her mystical stone that told her, it was definitely right. But this business couldn¡¯t be established in a short period of time.


    However, he could foresee that, as long as it was done, it certainty wouldn¡¯t be inferior to the entertainment club in the suburbs of the capital. After all, getting rich overnight was a fatal temptation for many people. Steward Ding was the talent he had reserved to manage the stone betting house. By the time the stone betting house waspleted, Steward Ding should be ready to let go of the affairs in Tanggu and officially take over the matters of the stone betting business.


    His considerate arrangement greatly relieved the Yu Family¡¯s father and son. Although Yu Hai was considered quite capable in the vige, his abilities were limited after all. With Steward Ding¡¯s assistance, the father and son had learned a lot of management skills from him. Yu Hai finally gained some confidence in managing such arge project for the first time.


    Yu Hang was still the one who learned the most seriously! He was originally a clever person, and under Xiaocao¡¯s careful supervision, he had read a lot of books. Thus, he learned faster than his father. His younger siblings all had their own futures. As the eldest son, he must stay in their hometown to protect their old residence and roots. Therefore, he was left in charge of the breeding base and greenhouses in Tanggu.

 Chapter 618 – Plans for the Family

    <h4>Chapter 618 - ns for the Family</h4>


    In Yu Hang¡¯s opinion, most of the family businesses were his younger sister¡¯s credit. He never thought about taking the properties in Tanggu Town for himself. He wanted to help his younger sister as much as he could so she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about everything.


    However, he didn¡¯t know that Xiaocao regarded the money made from the greenhouse vegetables in Tanggu Town and thirty percent of the profits from the seed breeding farms as ie for the family. In addition, all of this would be inherited by him, the eldest son of the family, in the future.


    Xiaocao naturally wouldn¡¯t treat her other siblings badly. The pharmaceutical workshop in Dongshan Vige had expanded to three times the original size and was used to just supply the Tongren Medicine Halls in the region south of the Yangtze River. Ever since Yingtao transferred to the capital to develop a new pharmaceutical workshop, Xiaolian had been in charge of the workshop in Dongshan Vige.


    Every year, forty percent of the annual profit of the Dongshan Vige Pharmaceutical Workshop was taken out by Xiaocao and deposited in the bank ount Xiaolian had opened. When she saw a good shop, she didn¡¯t just buy it for herself but also bought several for Xiaolian. Every year, there were several thousand taels of ie just by collecting rent.


    Xiaolian was kept in the dark about all of this. That is to say, Xiaolian unknowingly had an annual ie of more than ten thousand taels and was now a rich woman!


    As for Little Shitou, who had the best rtionship with Xiaocao, she naturally wouldn¡¯t be stingy towards him. The fruit and medicinal wine business in her hands had thirty percent taken out for her little brother. In the future, her younger brother would take the path of an official. With his teacher Headmaster Yuan, there definitely wouldn¡¯t be a shortage of connections. However, in the official¡¯s circles, without the backing of money, it was difficult to do anything.


    With therge share of annual ie every year, her little brother would be able to be an upright official without any worries. Xiaocao helped him n this in secret!


    In the middle of the twelfth month, the family gathered in the capital and surrounded Yu Hai and Madam Liu, gossiping about their daily lives. Xiaocao took out a few papers from her room and gave them one by one to her parents and siblings.


    Yu Hai looked at the title deed with his name on it. He frowned slightly and looked at his daughter with disapproval, "The property in Tanggu Town is the business that Cao¡¯er bought with money you saved up cent by cent. I¡¯m just managing it for you. In the future, it will be for your dowry. You...How could you secretly change the name on the title deed to mine?"


    "Father, I don¡¯t agree with you if you say it like that! Our family¡¯s property was clearly bought by the little bit of money we umted from the watermelons and vegetables we worked hard to grow. It should be counted as shared. You put all the credit on me, but be careful as Older Brother and Older Sister may say that you are biased!" Yu Xiaocao quickly gave a sweet smile when she saw that her dad was upset with the decision she made on her own. Yu Hai, the perfect example of a good father from the Twenty-four Filial Exemrs, couldn¡¯t stay upset faced with the cute smile of his youngest daughter.


    Madam Liuughingly looked at her man, who was coaxed by their little daughter, and hurriedly said, "Cao¡¯er, the methods of nting the early maturing vegetables and fruits were thought of by you. We can¡¯t take that credit. Also, when you bought thend for the property, the money you obtained from your recipes, and your share of the Zhenxiu Restaurant went into it."


    "Mother! I¡¯m your daughter. It¡¯s my duty to contribute to the family. We¡¯re family, so why do we have to be so clear on this? Father, Mother, I¡¯ve seen a lot in the capital these past few years and naturally thought further in the future about things. Many of the officials in the capital go home to worship their ancestors every year as they all have ancestral homes."


    After a pause, Xiaocao looked at her younger brother who was holding the piece of paper with a look of opposition and continued, "In the future, Younger Brother¡¯s prospects will certainly be not bad! To be an official is to be in the ughtering house. Tanggu and Dongshan Vige are his roots, so there must be an ancestral home and property right? The house in Dongshan Vige can be the ancestral home of the Yu Family. The properties between Tanggu and Dongshan Vige can be our ancestral property! Not only that, but all the money we earn in the future and the property we invest in will also be in our Yu Family!"


    Then she looked at Xiaolian, who looked simr to her, and smiled, "Xiaolian and I will have to marry in the future. No matter who we marry and where we go, Tanggu and Dongshan Vige is our maternal home. As long as our maternal home is strong, then you can support us as married daughters! In the future, our family will certainly be one of the richest families in Tanggu Town and then we will be able to stand upright in our husband¡¯s home! Don¡¯t you think this is reasonable?"


    Madam Liu listened to this and had nothing to say. She looked at her husband. Yu Hai¡¯s frown loosened and he sighed, "Alright! I¡¯ll take the title deed for the time being. In the future, the production of the properties will be divided into five parts, one for each of you four siblings and one for your mother and me. I¡¯m gonna say this first, Cao¡¯er, when you get married, your mother, and I will definitely give you more help financially to make up for it. The rest of you can¡¯t have anyints then!"


    Yu Hang opened his mouth first and said, "How can we have any opinions? We are already taking advantage of our sister! Little Sister, Tanggu Town¡¯s other businesses are part of the ancestral property so we are getting the advantage. However, the seed breeding farm is the investment that you and Royal Prince Yang made. Currently, it¡¯s mostly managed by Head Steward Ding. Why are you giving me thirty percent of the share? As an older brother, how can I take advantage of my sister so clearly? Do you still want me to have respect as a man when I go out?"


    "Older Brother! What are you saying? Zhu Junyang has other ns for Head Steward Ding. He is only staying in Tanggu Town temporarily. You should learn as much from him as possible while he¡¯s here. As you know, I have my own assignment. There are a lot of trivial matters in the capital, so I don¡¯t get toe back to Tanggu Town often every year. Father is getting older. In the future, I will have to rely on you to manage and operate the farm! Financial matters should be settled clearly even between biological brothers. If you help me manage the farm, then you¡¯re basically half owner. Thirty percent of the share is considered too little!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a good point.


    Yu Hang didn¡¯t think so. Each of the managers, regardless of their level, of the farm had their own duties. He only went over when it got busy to take a look. He couldn¡¯t even help much. Besides, siblings helping each other shouldn¡¯t have benefits being linked in. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it be too impersonal?


    He was about to continue refusing but Xiaocao stopped him, "Older Brother, do you think that we have a good rtionship as siblings? Wouldn¡¯t you do your best to help even without a share? But, you haven¡¯t thought about it clearly. In the future, you will have to take a wife and have your own children. Over time, would they be dissatisfied because you are busy with other people¡¯s businesses all day? When that timees, how do you want me, this married younger sister, to face my sister-inw and nephews?"


    Yu Hang was turning neen after the New Year. He and Liu Huifang¡¯s love for each other was something the family elders noticed. The Yu and Liu Families already had a private discussion and agreed to have the marriage of the two ur after the New Year.


    Although Liu Huifang had a good rtionship with Xiaocao, they would all have their own families and would think of their own family first. No matter who, seeing their husband being busy for someone else¡¯s business, and leaving their own business behind, it would be ok for one or two days but after a while, they would definitely be in a bad mood. Yu Hang knew about the matters of the world. Xiaocao¡¯s pointers made him unable to speak.


    Yu Xiaolian, who was in charge of the pharmaceutical workshop in Dongshan Vige, also listened to her younger sister¡¯s words at this time. She knew that, in addition to the shares that she deserved, her younger sister also wanted to supplement her.


    When she was a child, looking at her weak little sister, Xiaolian¡¯s young heart made a wish to take good care of her and protect her from being wronged. However, as her little sister got better and better every day, she became more and more like an older sister and ended up taking care of her instead.


    Not only her, but the whole Yu Family, unknowingly had thought of the young and small Yu Xiaocao as the backbone of their family. Her younger sister used her weak body to pick up the burden of their family. She brought the Yu Family from a small farming family to a nouveau riche of Tanggu Town in one leap. Even in the capital, they could have a foothold.


    Xiaolian knew that, even if she refused, her little sister would have a lot of reasons to persuade her. So she solemnly put away the deed paper, looked at her younger sister, and said, "I, this elder sister, will have to shamelessly ept this important gift."


    With a smile, Xiaocao put her arms around her neck and said, "We¡¯ve been together since we were born. You took care of me when we were children, and now you have helped me so much. This is what you should get. Xiaolian, if you treat me like an outsider, see if I acknowledge you as my sister!"


    "Second Sister! Elder Brother and Elder Sister can help you, so you can give them a share. I didn¡¯t help with anything, so why did you give me shares of the winery? " Little Shitou couldn¡¯t help but put his head between his two sisters to ask in doubt.


    Xiaocao hadn¡¯t pinched the boy¡¯s face in a long time and her hands itched to do it. She reached out her hands, held the face of the little bun-shaped face of the schr who passed the county level exams, and pulled it to both sides beforeughing, "Does an older sister need a reason to give a younger brother gifts? What do you say?¡±


    "Well, whatever you say. I¡¯ll take the contract, so are you satisfied? Second Older Sister, be merciful!¡± Although Little Shitou wasn¡¯t at home all year-round, he still adored and stuck to his second sister. He listened to what she said and had no intention of refuting it.


    When he was little, his second older sister liked to pinch his cheek. He was almost fourteen years old now. Next year, he was going to take part in the prefectural examination, yet he was still being pinched by his second sister. If his ssmates knew about it, wouldn¡¯t theyugh at him? However, only his second sister could wreak havoc on his face. If it was anyone else trying, he or she would be killed by sharp words!


    ¡°Shitou, you¡¯ve lost weight. The flesh on your face doesn¡¯t feel as good. Studying abroad must be hard right? Elder Sister will fill you up at New Years. That way, you¡¯ll have the spirits to deal with the autumn exam. How about it?" Yu Xiaocao had learned about her younger brother¡¯s situation from her friend, Yuan Xueyan. She knew that Great Schr Yuan thought highly of him and there would be no problem for him to pass the small provincial exam.


    When Little Shitou heard that his sister would cook delicious food for him, he showed an expression of salivation, "Second Sister is the best. When I go out, the most painful thing is that I can¡¯t eat the food made by you. It¡¯s all I can think about! Second Sister, don¡¯t worry! At this time next year, you will be the elder sister of a provincial official!"

 Chapter 619 – The Difficult Younger Brother-in-Law

    <h4>Chapter 619 - The Difficult Younger Brother-in-Law</h4>


    "Good! Today, Older Sister will do her best for her dearest younger brother!" Yu Xiaocao rolled up her sleeves and put her hands on her hips, striking a very heroic pose.


    Madam Liu held back a smile to re at her youngest daughter and said, "What do you look like right now? You don¡¯t look like a girl at all. Careful, you won¡¯t be able to get married..."


    Yu Hai wasn¡¯t happy at this and immediately said, "Do you have to say such a thing about your daughter? How can our daughter not get married when everyone loves her when they see her?"


    Little Shitou came out reminding everyone he was still there, "Second Sister, it doesn¡¯t matter! I think you¡¯re very nice right now; you are true to yourself and have no pretenses! If someone doesn¡¯t like you because of this, he has no sense! Don¡¯t worry, if you can¡¯t get married. I¡¯ll support you!"


    "Go, go, go!" Xiaolian gently pushed her younger brother. She looked at her younger sister yfully and snickered, "Our family¡¯s Xiaocao has been thought about by someone for a long time. They are just waiting for her to bloom and take her home! How could it ever be your turn to raise her?"


    Madam Liu heard this and frowned slightly in worry, "Cao¡¯er, after these years of observation, I know that Royal Prince Yang is sincere towards you. However, the prince¡¯s status is too high, and marriage is about the right family. Our family¡¯s condition can still be counted on in Tanggu Town, but in the capital, we won¡¯t be able to know anything since it¡¯s so far. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll be wronged if you marry into the prince¡¯s estate..."


    "Mother, you must tell Royal Prince Yang when you see him. See how he responds. If he can¡¯t guarantee happiness for Second Sister, then he shouldn¡¯t continue courting her! Humph, my second sister¡¯s food is so good. For her to be stolen by a lump of ice, I feel that it¡¯s a loss for her!"


    Speaking of Zhu Junyang, Little Shitou, the protective maniac, would get angry thinking of him. In his opinion, his second sister should find someone who was gentle, considerate and could take care of her rather than a person who had a scowling face all day, as if someone owed him several hundred taels! How could he be worthy of his sweet, lovely, cute, smart, and capable Second Sister?


    ¡°Master, Madam, Second Miss, Royal Prince Yang is here...¡± Speak of the devil and he shalle. Zhu Junyang hade over in a hurry. Who was he kidding, this was the real father-inwing to the capital, how could he, the future son-inw, note over to give a good impression?


    Before Yu Hai could open his mouth, Little Shitou took the lead and said, "Invite him to the study outside and serve him with good tea and water. I¡¯ll be over with my father in a bit."


    Xiaolian covered her mouth and secretly enjoyed herself. She looked over at her younger sister, who was beside her as if nothing had happened. To Little Shitou, she said, "He didn¡¯te over to see you. What are you going over for? To be annoying?"


    Little Shitou raised his eyebrows and said with a face full of smiles, "Is my second sister a random person that he can see whenever he wants? Right now, Second Sister isn¡¯t alone. As brothers, shouldn¡¯t we make trouble for those who have evil designs on her?"


    "Come on? You¡¯ll be afraid to say a word once you see the face of Royal Prince Yang!" Xiaolian was afraid of Zhu Junyang with his cold face. She didn¡¯t know how her little sister could always talk andugh around him. Sometimes she even had a little temper. Her little sister was too brave to not be afraid of him at all.


    "What is there to be afraid of? Can he eat me? If he dares to do anything to me, Second Sister will avenge me!" Although Little Shitou said it like that, he stillcked some confidence. To tell the truth, he was a little afraid of Royal Prince Yang!


    "Who is it? Who dares to bully my future brother-inw? Where did he get the bravery? Shitou, with me, your second brother-inw as your backing, you can walk across the capital without any problems!" Zhu Junyang, who didn¡¯t treat himself as an outsider in this situation, had already arrived in the inner courtyard after the servant girl reported. He heard half of Little Shitou¡¯s words in a half trance and thought there was some blind son of a noble family who had offended his brother-inw so he spoke up to support him. If he wanted to take the beauty home, then he must put in a great amount of effort!


    "This is the inner courtyard of Yu Estate! How can an outsidere in and out at will? How did you guys be servants? How can we leave Second Sister in your care in the future!¡± Little Shitou heard Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice and felt a little guilty. However, his desire to be protective over his elder sister made him ready for war again.


    Zhu Junyang was not stupid. Naturally, he heard that his brother-inw¡¯s words were aimed at himself. But he pretended to be an idiot and agreed, "Your second young master is right! The inner courtyard mustn¡¯t allow outsiders to enter at will. Chunhua, Qiushi, you must protect your young miss. If there¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t have eyes, just beat them out. It doesn¡¯t matter if they be broken. I¡¯ll take care of it! "


    Little Shitou frowned and looked at the shameless man entering the hall naturally to greet his parents. Where did he think the Yu Estate was? His backyard?


    "I¡¯m talking about you! You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to get kicked out of here!" Little Shitou saw him smiling and walking toward his second sister. He hurriedly went over to his second sister and stopped in front of her, ring at Zhu Junyang.


    Zhu Junyang looked down at youth, who was a head shorter than himself and had a childish looking face. Despite that, the young man was clearly resolute in shielding his elder sister¡¯s body from him. Zhu Junyang smiled at him and rubbed his head, "Shitou, I¡¯m your second sister¡¯s future husband, your future second brother-in-Law. How can you regard me as a stranger?


    "Don¡¯t ruin my second sister¡¯s reputation! Without a matchmaker and without an engagement, who would admit that you are my second brother-inw? " Little Shitou didn¡¯t like his confident appearance and deliberately challenged him.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to get on the same level as him, the little guy who was in the middle school phase. He looked at his future father-inw and his mother-inw with a smile and said, "I¡¯m here today. Besides treating Uncle Yu and Aunt Yu for dinner on arriving, I also want to discuss with you about the marriage proposal after the new year..."


    "Marriage proposal? I don¡¯t agree! Don¡¯t think you can steal my second sister away!" Yu Fan, who was normally polite and courteous to schoolmates and people outside, currently turned into a middle school student. He jumped out and red at Zhu Junyang with hatred. If he didn¡¯t know he couldn¡¯t beat him in a fight, he would¡¯ve jumped and bit him already.


    Zhu Junyang gently frowned and looked down at his future brother-inw. He couldn¡¯t help but silently curse the younger man, ¡¯Are all youths this annoying? If this was my son or younger brother, I would have mmed him off to one side already. However...if he was a son who looked like Xiaocao, I¡¯m not sure I could do that, seeing a small face that is simr to hers...¡¯


    "Did you ask for your second sister¡¯s opinion? If your second sister is in love with me, the way you are acting would destroy your sister¡¯s marriage. She would¡¯ve loved you for nothing!" Zhu Junyang reminded himself to remain calm as he did not need to get on the same level as a child that was half the size of an adult.


    Little Shitou was still ring at him, biting his teeth, "My second sister wouldn¡¯t be so blind!"


    "Alright! Then let¡¯s talk. What kind of man, do you think, is worthy of your second sister?" Zhu Junyang asked.


    "My second sister is worthy of the best person!" Little Shitou felt that his second sister, who loved him and saved him from poverty and hunger, was going to leave him, and the bitterness and pain in his heart gushed out.


    Zhu Junyang positively said, "Can you name someone more suitable for your second sister than me? With your sister¡¯s talent, what kind of consequences will it bring if there is no one to protect her? You¡¯ve been reading books for so many years, so you can tell by using your brain! And my identity, ability, and methods are enough to protect your sister¡¯s safety and let her do what she wants to do without worry! "


    At this point, he paused. He saw the young boy¡¯s hands gradually clench, and he knew that he had understood. Then, he lowered his voice into a gentle voice and softly said, "Can you guarantee that other people can tolerate her capriciousness and will not interfere with what she is doing now and in the future like me?"


    No, he couldn¡¯t! Over the past two years, Yu Fan had followed his teacher to and from and had seen many different situations. He had a very clear idea of what men were like. They looked down on women and couldn¡¯t stand to see women be better than them. In their eyes, the meek and obedient women who followed the three injunctions and four virtues were the best candidates for wives. He couldn¡¯t even stand the sight of men like them, let alone his second sister! He didn¡¯t want his second sister to be like a bird with its wings clipped, forever trapped in the small space of the inner courtyard...


    However... "Can you promise to treat my second sister like what you just said forever though?" Little Shitou¡¯s tone loosened. If Royal Prince Yang could do it, then he was willing to give some consideration.


    "Of course!" Zhu Junyang looked at thess who had been smiling at her younger brother, who was putting him in a difficult position. The guarantee of those two words was not only for his future brother inw but also for her to hear the words from his heart.


    "Humph! If you break your promise in the future, I will take my second sister back and support her!" Little Shitou finally let it go. He knew very clearly in his heart that Royal Prince Yang was correct in what he said. If Second Sister didn¡¯t have anyone to back her up and met someone inhumane, she would end up very miserable...


    These few years, Second SIster was alone in the capital and ran her few shops smoothly. Without Royal Prince Yang looking after her, it wouldn¡¯t have been as easy. He hated that he was too young and grew too slowly to be a powerful support for his second sister. Well, after waiting for Second Sister for so long, Royal Prince Yang, at present, could be considered a qualified choice. As long as he was good to her, then he wouldn¡¯t have that many opinions!


    Seeing that his little brother-inw was finally not so against him, Zhu Junyang felt relieved. He steadfastly said, "Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t let you have that chance! So...can we sit down and talk about the marriage proposal and engagement?"


    "My second sister just had her hairpin ceremony. Isn¡¯t proposing right now too early?" Little Shitou always thought that once his second sister got married, she would be someone else¡¯s family, so he still opposed it.


    "Not early! Once the New Years is over, thess will be sixteen! If she goes through the three letters and six rites, another year and a half would have gone by. Are you going to keep your sister until she¡¯s an olddy before you let her marry?" Zhu Junyang was speechless at this child. Who was the master of the Yu Family? No one else hase out to say a word about this little guy¡¯s actions.


    "Alright!" Yu Hai, who was silent for a long time, finally said something. "Marriage is a matter of two families. What does your family think of this situation? Would they think our family is marrying to climb into a higher position? After all, our family¡¯s door is much lower than your family¡¯s..."

 Chapter 620 – Very Good

    <h4>Chapter 620 - Very Good</h4>


    ¡°Uncle Yu, please don¡¯t worry about it! If my parents opposed, then they wouldn¡¯t have treated her that well at hering of age ceremony! I have been chasing after the littless every day for a while now, so my lord father anddy mother have already acknowledged it. You have no idea how much mydy mother cherishes her. She has long urged me to marry her!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing worried that her son wouldn¡¯t be able to find a suitable woman to marry due to Zhu Junyang¡¯s violent and cruel temper. She even feared that even if he did, he might identally injure his wife or even worse...


    But Xiaocao¡¯s appearance finally allowed Princess Consort Jing to see the light. The little girl was able to stop her son from losing his temper and as a result, her son¡¯s violent temper gradually became more and more gentle. In the past two years, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t even lose control of his temper once. Princess Consort Jing would pray in the estate¡¯s ancestral hall multiple times over the years. She believed that Xiaocao was someone sent by the heavens to help redeem her son and that they were a match made in heaven. She was extremely relieved that her son didn¡¯t have to live the rest of his life in solidarity!


    If it weren¡¯t because of Xiaocao¡¯s young age, she would¡¯ve urged the two to get married a long time ago. Then, they would be able to give birth to a few small buns for her to y with. When her son was still young, he was extremely clever and cute, so she believed that her grandchildren wouldn¡¯t becking! She dearly wished for her son to give her beautiful and clever grandchildren soon!


    It didn¡¯t matter what your identity or status was because once you reached a certain age, you would definitely look forward to having more grandchildren and a peaceful family. Princess Consort Jing was reaching fifty years old, but under Xiaocao¡¯s careful hands, she didn¡¯t look a day over thirty. Even so, it was impossible for her not to be envious when she saw others y with and spoil their grandchildren.


    It was a pity that her only grandson from her eldest son was taught by the strict Imperial Prince Jing. As a result, her grandson acted like an old man even though he was still tender in age, so he wasn¡¯t cute at all. Her second son, who was twenty-five years old now, was still in the military. She didn¡¯t even see a shadow of a potential daughter-inw from her second son. She was worried to death about his future!


    She was originally most worried about her youngest son, but he managed to find himself a potential wife early on. It was a pity that his potential daughter-inw was still too young. She had eagerly waited for her for six to seven years, and now, her potential daughter-inw finally reached marriageable age. But why did her youngest son have to listen to the emperor¡¯s idea and wait until she was eighteen to get married?! When would she finally be able to carry her sweet and adorable little grandchild in her arms?!


    She wasn¡¯t concerned about Xiaocao¡¯s family background and whatnot. Imperial Prince Jing will unconditionally like whatever Princess Consort Jing liked. Once Zhu Junyang got married, he would move into the royal prince estate that was bestowed to him by the emperor. As such, the opinions of her brothers-inw and sisters-inw didn¡¯t matter!


    Zhu Junyang had taken care of all the potential problems for Xiaocao. He had been guarding her for so many years, so how could he allow his soon-to-be wife to receive the slightest injustice? Therefore, all the concerns that the Yu Family had for Xiaocao¡¯s future was unnecessary.


    The Yu Family secretly breathed a sigh of relief after all their worries were resolved. They agreed that on the second day of February, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household coulde to propose marriage


    While Zhu Junyang was discussing his marriage proposal with the Yu Family, Xiaocao led her maid out of the room and headed for the main kitchen. She instructed them to make Little Shitou¡¯s favorite dishes. When she looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting dark soon, she realized that Zhu Junyang was probably going to stay for dinner too. So, she instructed the kitchen staff to include a few dishes that Zhu Junyang liked to eat.


    Although she cooked it herself, the truth was that all the ingredients were prepared by the kitchen staff. She would instruct and correct them while they prepared the simpler dishes, but for the moreplicated dishes, she rolled up her sleeves and made the dish herself.


    They were able to finish preparing a dozen or so dishes in less than half an hour. During the meal, Little Shitou was unhappy because he believed that his older sister had been snatched away by his future brother-inw. Thus, not only did he childishly eat all his favorite dishes, but he also ate a lot of Zhu Junyang¡¯s favorite dishes. Little Shitou wasn¡¯t careful and didn¡¯t pace himself, and as a result, he was overwhelmed by therge amount of food he consumed. His face turned pale as heid on the kang bed while groaning in pain. He would only reveal his childish side in front of his family. To his fellow ssmates and strangers, Yu Fan was a talented, clever, quick-witted, gentle, polite, and elegant youth!


    Yu Xiaocao found the situation to be quite funny. She stuffed a pill into her younger brother¡¯s mouth that will aid his digestion and then urged him to head to the back garden to y with Tiny. Zhu Junyang, who had finally received the approval of Xiaocao¡¯s family, left after having a short dinner with them. Xiaocao walked him to the door.


    Zhu Junyang turned around and straightened the hood on her head. Xiaocao was wearing gloves when Zhu Junyang held her hand and smiled brightly at her. His smile was as brilliant and beautiful as the sun in the spring of March, ¡°After the New Years, you will be marked by me exclusively. You should obediently wait for me to propose to you!¡±


    ¡°When was I ever disobedient?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes widened to express her dissatisfaction.


    Zhu Junyang raised his head and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His seductive phoenix eyes were gleaming with emotions. His thin pink lips parted slightly as he said, ¡°You have never behaved yourself. Every day, you would hop around my hearts, making it impossible for me to not think about you for even a mere second!¡±


    Damn! When did the people from the ancient era be such smooth talkers? For a moment, Xiaocao almost believed that the devilish-handsome man standing in front of her was someone who had transmigrated here from the modern era, just like her!


    Xiaocao¡¯s small heart was pounding rapidly as she stared at him with her round, apricot eyes. Her small cherry red lips formed a small ¡®o¡¯ shape, and her clear ck pupils reflected his handsome smiling face.


    Zhu Junyang reached out and stroked the top of her head. Then he helped her retie the cloak that was slowly loosening. The smile on his handsome face deepened, ¡°You should head back. I¡¯lle to visit you again in a few days. I really liked the dishes you cooked for me today, but in the future, you don¡¯t need to cook anymore. You can leave these tasks to the kitchen maids; you don¡¯t need to personally cook.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was a little touched by his concern. She smiled mischievously and blinked her eyes innocently at him, saying, ¡°I was going to make ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ for you the next time you visit me. But since you feel so distressed for me, then...¡±


    ¡°Uh...the recipe for the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall isplicated because there are many steps to the recipe. It¡¯s also very troublesome to make...but I believe it¡¯s okay to make it once in a while! I will visit you again in three days and I will also bring a New Year gift for your family...¡± The littless had been busy with the task that the emperor assigned to her ever since she returned to the capital. She was busy earning money, so it had been a while since she had personally cooked.


    It had been nearly a year since Zhu Junyang had eaten a delicious meal that was personally prepared by her. Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was a dish that needed a lot of preparation to be made. He was only about to eat itst time thanks to the emperor emeritus! Although he was reluctant to make his littless prepare something so tedious in the winter, he was unable to resist the delicious temptation of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.


    Xiaocao knew that the cold and lofty man in front of her was secretly a foodie. Even so, she enjoyed feeding such a devilishly handsome man like him, ¡°I understand! If I open a restaurant with Buddha Jumps Over the Wall as the signature dish, do you think the restaurant will be profitable?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it will be profitable! If you open a restaurant, then it will definitely oupete Zhenxiu Restaurant!¡± Zhu Junyang felt indignant for Xiaocao because the man with the surname Zhou was profiting off his littless¡¯s recipes. He would unconditionally support his littless if she wanted to open a restaurant. Once she opened the restaurant, she would only need to train a few cooks to overlook the restaurant and he would take care of the rest for her. If she had free time, then she could go inspect the restaurant to see how well the business was doing. If she didn¡¯t have time, then she didn¡¯t have to go.


    Even though Yu Xiaocao proposed the idea of opening a restaurant, she still regarded Third Young Master Zhou as a friend and a business partner. Opening a restaurant wouldn¡¯t be fair to him, ¡°Forget it! I already have to manage a lot of properties, so I probably won¡¯t have the time to run a restaurant. I think it¡¯s better for me to sell recipes instead!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that you want to run a medicinal cuisine restaurant? Didn¡¯t you tell me that the Buddha Jumps over the Walls dish has the ability to slow down aging and strengthen a person¡¯s immunity to diseases? We can set Buddha Jumps Over the Wall as the main attraction of the restaurant while simultaneouslyunching delicious yet healthy medicinal cuisines to the menu. We¡¯ll just open one location in the capital, so it won¡¯t be considered as a directpetitor to the Zhou Family¡¯s business.¡±


    Zhu Junyang proposed his idea. The main reason he was persuading her to open a restaurant was that he loved eating Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, yet he was reluctant to make his littless tire herself out to make it for him. It would be a perfect solution for them to have a ce where he could eat the dish whenever he wanted to! He believed that if his imperial grandfather knew of his grand n, then he would definitely agree with his idea.


    Yu Xiaocao pondered over his business proposal seriously. The truth was that her shop, ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, also offered a simr service. The shop offered its guests medicinal cuisines, and the business was booming. Many of the powerful and influential families in the capital would order medicinal cuisines from the shop daily tailored to their own needs. The rear court of the shop had been set up solely to provide medicinal cuisines. The service was overwhelmingly popr, but the supply was unable to meet therge demand. He was right; it was time for her to create a separate shop for medicinal cuisines.


    ¡°Okay...then let¡¯s discuss this again once I have met with Third Young Master Zhou. Since we¡¯re nning to enter the food and drink industry, it will be inevitable for us to havepetition.¡± Yu Xiaocao was torn, she didn¡¯t want to lose a close friend, so she hesitated for a moment before she made her decision.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t try to conceal his dissatisfaction, ¡°Littless, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too concerned about his feelings? He isn¡¯t rted to us, and at best, he is just a business partner. He might not necessarily appreciate your kindness!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where is this sour smelling from? Did someone knock over the vinegar jar? Why are you jealous of someone who is already married?¡± Yu Xiaocao was helpless in front of his jealousy. This man was perfect in every aspect, except¡ª¡ªhe was a little petty.


    ¡°Humph! Do you think that I didn¡¯t know that he liked you before?! If I hadn¡¯t kept a tight watch over you, then who knows what he would¡¯ve done?!¡± Zhu Junyang believed that he had a keen sense and he believed that the man with the surname Zhou had coveted his littless before. Fortunately, his littless was still young and innocent at that time.


    Yu Xiaocao let out a long sigh in her heart. She coaxed him like she was coaxing a child and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough! You¡¯re overthinking things. I don¡¯t have a beautiful face or a nice figure. I don¡¯t evene from a prominent family. You¡¯re the only one who would tightly guard me like I¡¯m a treasure. No one else would even put me in their eyes!¡±


    ¡°Who said that you don¡¯t have a beautiful face and a good figure? Is he blind? My littless is extremely beautiful! I think you¡¯re an amazing woman!!¡± Zhu Junyang was unhappy when he heard Xiaocao¡¯s words! Did his littless overhear someone gossiping about her? He must ask Hou Xiaoliang to investigate this. He wanted to see who was bold enough to criticize his littless!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes were smiling when she nced at him. Her gaze was somewhat flirtatious when she smiled at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s natural for you to attach more value to things that belong to you because those things belong to you! No one criticized me. It¡¯s merely because I don¡¯t have any confidence in my own figure. People with good figures have a big chest and a perky bottom, while I...¡±

 Chapter 621 – New Year Gif

    <h4>Chapter 621 - New Year Gif</h4>


    After Xiaocao finished speaking, she lowered her head and looked at her ¡®little steamed buns¡¯ that had started budding not long ago. Xiaocao felt both joyous and helpless. She felt happy because she didn¡¯t turn out to be t-chested, but she felt somewhat helpless because they were still quite small. She hoped that they would grow into ¡®big steamed buns¡¯ soon.


    As soon as she raised her head, she noticed that Zhu Junyang¡¯s gaze had followed her line of sight. Xiaocao hurriedly folded her arms across her chest and looked at him like she was staring at a wolf, ¡°Where are you looking? Pervert! Lecher! Do you know that you¡¯re acting indecently?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was actually very innocent. The littless was wearing threeyers of clothes and she was wrapped up like a bear. What was there for him to see? He felt somewhat unhappy after being scolded for no apparent reason


    He grabbed Xiaocao¡¯s arm and gently pulled her into his embrace. Then, he ced his other hand behind the back of her head and leaned in for a peck on her small yet brilliant red lips. He even gently nibbled on her lips, leaving behind a light teeth mark on her alluring and soft lips. He let go of his dazed littless while Wutong and Yingchun let out a soft exmation of surprise. Zhu Junyang chuckled softly, ¡°Do you understand now? This is how a real lecher acts!¡±


    A few cries of exmation entered his ears. The beautiful, warm smile on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face disappeared instantly and his gaze turned into sharp icy arrows as he stared at the servants that worked in the outer courtyard. The words he spat out chilled their hearts to the core, ¡°If any of what you dare to gossip about what you had just seen, then I will make sure you will never have a tongue to chew food again in the future!¡±


    The servants fell silent and shook their heads repeatedly, indicating that they hadn¡¯t seen anything. The servants shivered when they recalled the rumors they heard about the demon in the capital. It was like they were suddenly suffocating in a sea of blood when Royal Prince Yang¡¯s gaze swept across them just before.


    In the past, it was already intimidating enough when they saw Royal Prince Yang¡¯s indifferent expression on his face every time he came to visit. However, when his icy cold gaze pierced through them just now, it felt like their liver was almost about to split open!


    ¡°Let it go. You¡¯re the one who hasmitted a misdeed, and yet you¡¯re scaring off my family¡¯s servants. Stop bullying them intolerably!¡± Yu Xiaocao watched as the outer courtyard servants¡¯ faces ashen as they trembled in fear. The servants who were more timid than the others couldn¡¯t stand the pressure and soon fell onto the ground, unable to stand up. She was so angry that she reached out her small paw and pinched Zhu Junyang¡¯s waist.


    Although Zhu Junyang¡¯s cold and stern gaze did not affect Wutong and Yingchun, the two maids were still frightened by the murderous aura Zhu Junyang was exuding. When they saw that their young miss¡¯s hands were pinching his waist, their pounding heart gradually calmed down.


    No matter how powerful Royal Prince Yang was, how could he escape from their young miss¡¯s grasp? Their young miss was amazing! She actually dared to pinch the ck-faced Royal Prince Yang. They worshiped their young miss¡¯s courage!! From this moment forward, Yu Xiaocao received two diehard fans who would blindly worship her!


    Zhu Junyang took Xiaocao¡¯s restless little paw from his waist and held her hand. He pinched Xiaocao¡¯s cute nose and dotingly said, ¡°You should head back. It¡¯s cold outside!¡±


    Three dayster, Zhu Junyang personally came to visit her again, but this time, he came with a lot of gifts. The gifts included the venison meat that was bestowed upon him by the emperor, fruits from the southern region, gold, pearls, silk, gauze, satin, and so on. There were even one-of-a-kind treasures from his Treasure Pavilion. These gifts would also be presentable as betrothal gifts.


    When Yu Hai and his wife saw all the precious and expensive gifts, they felt a little nervous. In contrast, Xiaocao epted all his gifts calmly. Since they were going to get married soon, then there was no need to divide their properties too clearly. After all, once they got married in the future, then all his belongings would belong to her. There was nothing wrong with him delivering some of his belongings to her in advance.


    In return, Xiaocao made a big meal for everyone, which included ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯. She even stewed the venison that Zhu Junyang brought over with red wine, giving it a distinctive vor.


    However, it was impolite to only receive and not give in return. Since he had sent them so many precious gifts, then they must give back! Yu Hai and his wife were worried because even if they pooled together all of the wealth belonging to the Yu Family, they still probably wouldn¡¯t have enough money to purchase a gift that would meet Royal Prince Yang¡¯s standard. What should they do?


    Xiaocao had already prepared a return gift in advance! She used the cocoa beans and coffee beans that were brought back by the fleetst time to make choctes with various vors. There were coffee-vored toffee and some other unusual snacks. For example, she made tiramisu, matcha red beans cake, banana pudding cake (the banana was one of the southern types of fruits that was bestowed by the emperor to Zhu Junyang), shredded dried pork cake, fruit tart, and many others.


    Madam Liu looked at the return gifts that Xiaocao prepared and believed that her gifts were too meagerpared to the expensive gifts given by Royal Prince Yang. She felt embarrassed giving him such small gifts inparison.


    Xiaocao consoled her mother, ¡°Prince Jing¡¯s Estate doesn¡¯tck gold, silver, pearls, silk, gauze, satin, and other expensive items. The rarer an item is, the more valuable it is. For example, my sweets and desserts are one of a kind in the capital. You wouldn¡¯t even find these sweets in The Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store. I¡¯m not trying to boast, but based on my skills, these sweets and snacks will definitely protect you from losing face. It¡¯s natural to give back to those who have given to you; it¡¯s also natural to reward servants who have done well! Mother don¡¯t worry! Princess Consort Jing will definitely be satisfied with our return gifts!¡±


    It was easy to preserve choctes and candies in the winter, so Xiaocao prepared many different kinds of sweets. Not only did she made a mellow and rich type of dark chocte, but she had also made milk vored chocte, hazelnut vored chocte, silky and smooth vored chocte, wine-vored chocte...most of the candies were coffee-vored and some of the chocte was stuffed. She packed the sweets in an elegant and ssy case and wrapped the case in high-grade wrapping paper.


    The pastries were made simr to the Jing Ba Jian . There were several different varieties of pastries in each box and there were dozens of boxes prepared. She told her elder brother, who was the one sending the gift to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, to inform the steward that the pastry needed to be eaten within five days.


    Yu Hang was assigned the task to give a New Year gift in return to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate because he was the eldest son of the Yu Family. He was so nervous that he was sweating buckets inwardly. Fortunately, the steward was informed in advance about his arrival by his master, so the steward treated him with enthusiasm and great courtesy. Zhu Junyang valued his future brother-inw, so he personally headed to the outer courtyard to apany Yu Hang to drink tea and chat.


    The New Year gift prepared by the Yu Family naturally received Princess Consort Jing¡¯s approval and love. As the female head of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, there weren¡¯t many things that she hadn¡¯t yet seen. Her husband doted on her a lot, so he would give all his treasures to her. Furthermore, she had a son who liked to go on adventures. Her son even managed to give her many gifts from the western hemisphere and overseas. As a result, it was hard to capture her interest with rare and expensive treasures because she had already seen most of them.


    However, the candies and desserts that Xiaocao sent over were items that she had never heard of, seen, or even tasted before. Princess Consort Jing was entertaining a few noble-titled madams for the New Year when she received the New Year gift from Xiaocao. She immediately opened the gifts once she received them and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when she saw what was inside! It was impossible for her not to love Xiaocao; she even managed to deliver the snacks right on time.


    She immediately asked the servants to serve the snacks and candies that were given by Xiaocao. However, she put aside the well-preserved chocte and coffee-vored candies. Instead, she opened the boxes containing the pastries first.


    When the madams heard that the New Year gift from the Yu Family only contained sweets and snacks, they felt contempt for the Yu Family. It was no wonder that they were a family who came from the countryside. How could they send out such cheap gifts? They believed that Princess Consort Jing was too kind. If they were the ones who received such cheap gifts, then they would¡¯ve already thrown the gift back at the person who gave them the gift. Were they looking down at people from Prince Jing¡¯s Estate? How could they send out such poor gifts as a New Year gift?


    However, the madams knew that Royal Prince Yang was extremely protective of the little girl from the Yu Family. So, even though they felt contempt for the people of the Yu Family, they didn¡¯t express their true feelings.


    ¡°Xiaocao must¡¯ve made a new type of dessert again! You probably didn¡¯t know, but Xiaocao is a very considerate little girl. Whenever there is something delicious to eat, she would never forget to send some to me. Seeing how much care to put into wrapping the gifts this time, I bet the snacks will definitely taste delicious. You guys are in luck today because you¡¯re in for a treat!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing personally opened the delicate lid of the case. A strong yet novel fragrance slowly filled the room. Even though she was a princess consort who had tasted all kinds of delicacies, she couldn¡¯t help but be intoxicated by the sweet fragrance produced by the snacks inside the case. She could feel her saliva increasing.


    The madams looked at each other profoundly after noticing Princess Consort Jing¡¯s attitude towards Yu Xiaocao. They didn¡¯t dare to feel the least bit of contempt towards the dessert. It seemed like the people from Prince Jing¡¯ Estate had already epted the little girl from the Yu Family as their future daughter-inw. The Yu Family had climbed onto a higher social status. In the future, not just anyone could step on them or look down on them!


    At the same time, the madams couldn¡¯t help but reveal a slightly surprised expression when they smelled the delicious fragrance that the content of the case was exuding. What kind of dessert could exude such a rich yet mellow fragrance at the same time? This fragrance was something they had never encountered before. With this fragrance alone, it was already enough to pique their interest and appetite!


    They all subconsciously started focusing on the content inside the delicate food case. The round food case was divided into six equal parts, and there were six different kinds of snacks inside the food case. None of the madams present, including Princess Consort Jing, had ever seen any of the snacks inside the food case. These snacks didn¡¯t appear in any of the limited-edition snacks presented in The Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop.


    Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t wait as she picked up a dainty and delicate spoon and reached out to scoop a spoonful of the tiramisu. Even though she was impatient to taste the snacks, her actions remained graceful and attractive as she put the spoonful of tiramisu into her mouth. The dessert melted the moment it entered her mouth. The tiramisu contained a slightly bitter but strong coffee aroma. It tasted sweet like a cake made from eggs and sugar and was mellow like sweet wine. The fragrant chocte, the denseness of the cake, the rich aroma of the whipped cream, and the dryness of the cocoa powder¡ª¡ªeachyer of the tiramisu evoked a different taste. When eachyer was all eaten together, the resulting taste reached the peak of what a dessert could taste! Princess Consort Jing was infatuated with this incredible taste.


    The other madams were very curious about the fragrant dessert when they noticed that Princess Consort Jing still had her eyes closed as she relished the taste. What did it taste like? They were curious, but they couldn¡¯t speak their mind since Princess Consort Jing still hadn¡¯t spoken yet. Although they didn¡¯t reveal their curiosity on the surface, their hearts were itching to taste the dessert.


    Princess Consort Jing finally snapped out of her daze after tasting the rich vors of the tiramisu. When she noticed that the madams were looking at her hungrily, she hurriedly said, ¡°I have never tasted a dessert with such aplicated yet harmonious taste. Meixiang, go and serve the snacks along with some scented tea to the madams. It will be a delicious treat!¡±


    Soon, each of the madams was served a fragrant and alluring dessert on a delicate porcin te the size of a palm. The Ministry of Ceremonies¡¯ wife, Lady Wang, followed Princess Consort Jing¡¯s example. She picked up a small spoon and gently scooped a small portion of the simple and elegant matcha vored red beans cake and put it into her mouth.


    [1] Jing Ba Jian/Beijing 8 (¾©°Ë¼þ) - a series (of 8 different types of confectionery) of Chinese desserts made during the Qing Dynasty. Each of the eight desserts means different things. The eight meanings: happiness, sess, long life, luck, wealth, education, excess, and fertility.

 Chapter 622 – Satisfied

    <h4>Chapter 622 - Satisfied</h4>


    The thin piece of cake actually had fouryers. On the top, there was ayer of cream with matcha powder. Then, it was ayer of cake. Under the cakeyer, there was ayer of peeled red bean paste. The cake tasted very delicate, and thebination of red beans and matcha was perfect. It had a mild yet slightly rich vor, but it didn¡¯t taste overly sweet or greasy.


    As chance would have it, Lady Wang ordinarily didn¡¯t like to eat sweets very much. This dessert was just right for her. The piece of cake wasn¡¯t big; she finished it in a few bites, wishing there was more!


    Lady Liang, who was from the household of the Left Minister of the Imperial n, was attracted by the colorful banana pudding cake. She was very fond of eating the cream cake from ¡®The Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store¡¯, but eating too much of it made her feel sick. The topyer of the banana pudding cake was reced with a bright yellow pudding paired with pickled green grapes and red cherries, making people love it at first sight.


    When eaten, the pudding had a very smooth and soft mouthfeel, and the aroma of banana was soaked into it. It was novel and delicious. In addition, the taste of the cake was richer and smoother than the one bought in the store. After eating this cake, Lady Liang¡¯s first thought was, ¡®It would be great if I can buy this cake in The Yu¡¯s! Even if it¡¯s limited sales, I will eventually be able to get it.¡¯


    The wife of the Imperial Censor, who loved to eat fruits, first picked up a fork and aimed for the fruit tarts. This kind of fruit tart was made up of red grapes, strawberries, oranges, green apples, red apples, watermelon, muskmelon, and cherry tomatoes. The bottom of the fruit tart was soft, and the vani vor cream melted in the mouth. The fruits were fresh and refreshing, and its shape, color, and taste were very good.


    In ancient times, the technology of preserving fruits wasn¡¯t advanced enough. Only the Yu Family could get this full set of fruits in the winter. To be able to eat fresh fruits in the winter, Xiaocao built a huge cer in Zhu Junyang¡¯s farmstead, which was in the suburb of the capital.


    When the fruit was harvested in autumn, ice was ced around the cer to produce the effect of a freezer. Thus, the fruits wouldn¡¯t rot for a long time. Combined with the preservation effects of the mystic-stone water, the stored fruits would be fresh all winter.


    With strawberries, cherry tomatoes, watermelons, and cantaloupes grown in greenhouses, there was no other family in the capital that was so rich in fruits, both in variety and quantity. Even those in the pce wouldn¡¯t be able to eat such fresh fruits!


    The imperial censor¡¯s wifeughed while eating and tentatively asked, "These fruits taste very fresh. Could it be that Miss Yu can get the fruit trees to bear fruit in winter?"


    Since the ¡®cold storage¡¯ was built on her son¡¯s farmstead, Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had never been short of fruit. Princess Consort Jing chuckled, "Thatss, Xiaocao, isn¡¯t an immortal in charge of the seasons. How could it be so mystical? These fruits are put into a little storage by her like a little squirrel. To make the ice cer, she put in a lot of work. Fruits are the most delicate, so too low of a temperature can cause it to frostbite easily and too high of a temperature can cause it to rot easily. Thess has tried many times before finding the best temperature to store the fruits!¡±


    After eating the small fruit tarts, the imperial censor¡¯s wife gently wiped the corners of her mouth with her handkerchief and said with a smile, "Miss Yu is really capable! Princess Consort, your skin is so good, you must¡¯ve eaten a lot of fruits this winter, right?"


    "Don¡¯t mention it! Thatss is the most filial. Even if she¡¯s not in the capital, she still tells the people at the farmstead to send a basket every three or five days." Princess Consort Jing¡¯s tone was full of unting. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that she ate fruit every day, but the fact that her son had a good eye and found her a filial and considerate daughter-inw.


    Looking at each other, the madams no longer dared to feel contempt for the young girl from the Yu Family and agreed with Princess Consort Jing¡¯s words one after another.


    The imperial censor¡¯s wife had a temperament that was very simr to her husband¡¯s. She was frank and didn¡¯t care about speaking tactfully. She listened to her words with slight envy and said, "Your Highness is really blessed! However, if Miss Yu¡¯s method of preserving fruits can be made public so that more people in the capital can eat fresh fruits like you, it would also be a merit! "


    The other madams all looked at her with contempt. Wasn¡¯t trying to find out how to preserve fruits from Miss Yu the same as cutting off her wealth? If there were fresh fruits for sale when the snow was flying in the capital, the business would¡¯ve been as popr as the greenhouse vegetables. Who wouldn¡¯t want to make money by themselves? If the method was made public, how would the other party still make money?


    Princess Consort Jing ate another piece of fruit tart and was reminded by Meixiang that she had to eat the cake sparingly. Hearing her words, she didn¡¯t think much. She just smiled and said, ¡°Xiaocao, thatss, created this for the first time this year. ording to what she said, they¡¯re still working on developing the technique. It is estimated that the storage method will be published for the public next autumn.¡±


    Seeing the slightly abnormal expressions on the other madams¡¯ faces, she smiled again and took a sip of the mellow and simple tea. In a low voice, she said, "You must think that thess is messing about like this to make money just like what happened with the greenhouse fruits and vegetables, right? Then you¡¯re wrong! She mainly wants to satisfy her own desire for good food. She even said that sitting at the warm kang bed during the New Year¡¯s without cold and crispy fruits was the pity of life! She didn¡¯t have any ns to make money off of it!"


    When the imperial censor¡¯s wife heard this, the smile on her face became more sincere and she eagerly asked, "Then... does that mean we can send someone over to your farmstead next year to learn how to preserve fruits?¡±


    "That¡¯s correct! I can make this decision in her stead! This winter, you guys should store more ice cubes so as to not have to send money to our Xiaocao to buy ice cubes from her!" Regarding the preservation method of fruits, Xiaocao had mentioned this matter to Princess Consort Jing. Princess Consort Jing casually helped her out and settled this matter for her.


    With ns in mind, the madams made a series of pleasant remarks to Princess Consort Jing and also praised Xiaocao, as if she was a flower. While chatting and enjoying the snow, they tasted the unique and delicious cakes. Unconsciously, they had finished the entire box. When it was time for them to leave, the madams realized that they had identally eaten too much. These noble madams, who had always restrained their appetite for good food, all had an expression of bashfulness on their faces.


    Princess Consort Jing had an understanding expression on her face. Thess¡¯s cooking was something that even she, who often had the chance to eat it, was unable to resist, let alone others.


    When the madams were leaving, Princess Consort Jing had ordered some servants to give each of them a box of pastries as a return gift. Gifts didn¡¯t need to be expensive¡ª¡ªit was enough as long as they could make the recipient satisfied! Seeing the expressions of the madams carrying the wooden box, she felt satisfied. Princess Consort Jing liked the consideratess, Xiaocao, even more now.


    After the guests had left, she opened the box containing choctes and took out a dark, round, and fragrant ¡¯candy¡¯.


    Seeing this, Meixiang hesitated before saying, "Your Highness, you have eaten two pieces of pastries today... Be careful that you don¡¯t have an appetite for dinner tonight. "


    "As if I want you speaking out of turn!" Princess Consort Jing carefully looked at the dark candy in her hand, nced at her, and said, "How much room will a small piece of candy take up? Besides, it won¡¯t make any difference if I skip dinner! ¡°


    Zhu Junyang, who had just sent off his future brother-inw, came in and heard thest few words from his mother and said, "Lady Mother, if Lord Father found out that the reason you didn¡¯t eat dinner was because of these cakes and sweets, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll never be able to eat the snacks sent by the littless again!¡±


    ¡°I know! I¡¯m not a criminal in prison. Why are each of you so strict with me?!¡± Princess Consort Jing said angrily, and then continued, ¡°This ¡®candy¡¯, I¡¯ll only eat one, okay?¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, this is called ¡®chocte¡¯. It is made of cocoa beans brought back from the western hemisphere and processed throughplicated procedures. If you like it, I¡¯ll ask Xiaocao to make it for you more often." Zhu Junyang saw that his mother wasn¡¯t happy, so he changed the topic.


    "The raw material is rare, and it¡¯s troublesome to make it. Xiaocao, thatss, has enough on her hands already. It¡¯s enough to eat good food for novelty once in a while! ¡° Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart also ached for thess who was too busy to be seen. She just came back from the bitter cold of the borders a few days ago.


    Yang¡¯er was really too much. He went to raise horses at the borders, yet he also pulled thess with him. She was a charming little girl, nothing like him. He had thick skin and rough flesh, so he could withstand the sand and cold wind at the borders! A few days ago, the littless came back to the estate to pay her respects to her. She looked so pitifully thin, like willow branches.


    Now, her son wanted her to make theplicated choco...something for her! He didn¡¯t even know to be more considerate. If her daughter-inw flew away, see who he could cry to!


    "Lady Mother, if Xiaocao knew that you cared for her so much, she would be very moved!" Zhu Junyang sat down beside his mother and gently massaged her shoulders for her.


    "She¡¯s my future daughter-inw, who else would I dote on? Besides, the littless is also worthy of being cared for. No matter what she does, she¡¯s always thinking about me, her future mother-inw. The ferret cloak that she sent over a few days ago had such a pure color! Just thinking about the envious look that Princess Consort Duan gave when she saw me wearing it makes me happy!" Princess Consort Jing was very pleased with herself. Princess Consort Duan took advantage of the fact she gave birth to the emperor and suppressed her sisters-inw. Although Princess Consort Jing was indifferent to these worldly disputes, she still felt a little upset.


    ¡®So what if you¡¯re the mother of the emperor? Even the tributes to the pce aren¡¯t as high ss as the fur her future daughter-inw gave her to show filial respect! Even if you¡¯re the emperor¡¯s mother, would you be able to eat the pastries and sweets made personally by thess?¡¯


    When she thought of this, there was a look of pride on her face. Princess Consort Jing put the chocte into her mouth, and her tongue curled around the round shape. The chocte gradually melted in her mouth and the unique aroma of cocoa overflowed her mouth. That rich, delicate, and silky mouthfeel, which teased her taste buds, was a new banquet of taste.

 Chapter 623 – Silly Son

    <h4>Chapter 623 - Silly Son</h4>


    After a while, Princess Consort Jing woke up from this addicting sensory overload. She let out a long sigh and said, ¡°Thisss¡¯s talent is really surprising. As long as she wants to do something and does it with all her heart, she will be able to do her best. Once this chocte is released on the market, it will definitely cause amotion in the capital, no less than her greenhouse vegetables and fruits and her Blossoming Beauty. It¡¯s a pity that the raw material is so rare that only the people closest to her can even have a taste of it.¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at the second piece of chocte in her hand and quickly took it from her. He put the lid back on and put the box into Meixiang¡¯s hands, letting her put it away. He told her to only let the princess consort have two pieces every day.


    Seeing his mother¡¯s discontented expression, he gently exined to her as if he was coaxing a young maiden, ¡°Chocte can make people feel energized and excited. Your health hasn¡¯t been good, so if you eat too much of it, you might not be able to sleep well at night.¡±


    ¡°Also, you don¡¯t have to worry about the raw materials being too rare. I already sent people to buy an ind in the south to nt cacao beans. Not just cacao beans but coffee beans will also be nted. I reckon that these kinds of food will be popr in the capital next year.¡±


    Zhu Junyang gradually shifted the topic to avoid giving his mother time to think about how to eat more chocte. Hisdy mother had been spoiled by his lord father, so she was like a young girl who was ignorant of worldly affairs. Sometimes she was even more unrestrained than Xiaocao.


    Upon hearing this, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s creased brows immediately rxed, and she said with a smile, "There¡¯s a manor that was part of my dowry in the outskirts of the capital. It¡¯s not far from yours, so you can set up the chocte workshop there. It would be more convenient for you and Xiaocao to take care of it. Do you have anyone under you who is suitable to manage this? Do you need yourdy mother to help you take care of it?¡±


    "Uh...Lady Mother, the chocte workshop and coffee workshop belong to Xiaocao. Shouldn¡¯t she decide the management and location?¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t doubt that his mother wanted to keep this workshop for herself, but his mother¡¯s enthusiasm made him feel uneasy.


    "My silly son! You don¡¯t even know how to make a girl happy. How could Xiaocao, that clever girl like you, a piece of wood?" Princess Consort Jing poked her slender finger at her son¡¯s head and snorted, "Xiaocao is alone in the capital, so it¡¯s not easy for her. Since you are interested in her, you should help her more. What¡¯s more, after the New Year¡¯s, your marriage will be set. Her matters will be your matters. Be more attentive and don¡¯t be like your father, who¡¯s not romantic at all!"


    "Ahem!¡± Imperial Prince Jing, who had just stepped into the room, happened to hear his wife say that sentence with a tone of hidden bitterness and quickly self-reflected, ¡¯Have I been too busytely and ignored my wife, making her feel unhappy? Should I take advantage of the New Year¡¯s Break and take her to rx at the hot springs nearby?¡¯


    "Don¡¯t interrupt me. I¡¯m talking to your son about important matters!" Princess Consort Jing didn¡¯t seem to think there was anything wrong with what she had just said. She continued saying to her son, "You can take both the manor and the steward in charge. I¡¯ll have Meixiang find the title deed and send it over tomorrow. At that time, you can provide the manor, workers, and raw materials, and Xiaocao can invest with her technique. Then, you two can figure out how to split the ie.¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing finally understood and quickly nodded his head, saying, ¡°Did thatss, Xiaocao,e up with a new way to make money?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing took a look at the box in Meixiang¡¯s hand, took a piece of hazelnut chocte from it, and put it into her husband¡¯s mouth. The strong fragrance of chocte made her lick her lips unconsciously, "Try this new food. With this delicious vor, it will definitely sell well.¡±


    "Mhm! Not bad!! Women and children must love it. Princess Consort, why aren¡¯t you eating it? You don¡¯t like it?" Imperial Prince Jing, who had never liked sweets, finished the piece of chocte. His ¡®not bad¡¯ was rare praise.


    []


    Princess Consort Jing immediately frowned, red at her youngest son, and said with resentment, "It¡¯s because of your good son. He¡¯s only allowing me to eat two a day. Wait, I¡¯ve only had one today, so I can eat one more!¡±


    "Lady Mother, you¡¯ve just eaten a lot of pastries, which also contain cocoa. If you eat more, what will you do if you don¡¯t sleep well at night?" Zhu Junyang hurriedly exined when he saw his lord father, who doted on his wife, re at him without any reasoning.


    As soon as Imperial Prince Jing heard this, he immediately sided with his son and said, "Yang¡¯er is right. No matter how good things are, there should still be restraint. It won¡¯t run anywhere, so let¡¯s eat it slowly!"


    "By the way, you just said to invest with the manor. In my opinion, why do you still need to invest? After the first month, the marriage of the two children will be settled and the manor can just be given as a betrothal gift!" When that girl married over, wouldn¡¯t the manor and the workshope back over as dowry? Why bother bing business partners and making the rtionship so distant? Although Imperial Prince Jing didn¡¯t say the rest of those words, his wife and son could understand him.


    Princess Consort Jing naturally didn¡¯t covet her daughter-inw¡¯s dowry. However, those noble-titled madams were not very optimistic about this marriage between her family and the Yu Family. They thought that their standings weren¡¯t a match. If her daughter-inw¡¯s dowry was so amazing that it would shut their mouths, she would naturally be happy to see it.


    However, her son, whose heart and mind already belonged to someone else, insensibly said, "But Cao¡¯er already has so many businesses in her hands. If she wants to leave the chocte production workshop to her family, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to have the workshop at the manor in the betrothal gift we sent. How about... I¡¯ll help her find and purchase somend nearby, and then build the workshop there."


    Imperial Prince Jing and his wife red at their son and inwardly sighed, ¡®Who are we doing this for? This stinky brat is so ungrateful. We worried about him for nothing!¡¯


    As the days went by, New Year¡¯s Eve came quietly in the snow. The Yu and Fang families had a loud and noisy New Year¡¯s Eve dinner. Fang Haolin and his many siblings spent the New Year together. He was so excited that he couldn¡¯t bear to go to sleep for most of the night. Because they had to stay up all night on New Year¡¯s Eve, the two families just let him. However, he was still too young and ended up falling asleep before dawn. Xiaocao left him to sleep in her room.


    In the first month, when the two families were free, they would asionally meet up to y cards and mahjong. On the sixth day of the month, Princess Consort Jing invited the opera troupe to the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate and invited the Yu and Fang families to go to see the show. Not only these two families but almost all the influential figures in the capital had been invited. This was also a means to introduce their future inws, the Yu Family.


    At first, Madam Liu was still a little stiff-faced when facing so many of the capital¡¯s noblewomen. However, Princess Consort Jing acted very friendly and familiar with her, and she was apanied by Lady Fang. Gradually, her appearance and behavior began to be more natural.


    Madam Liu knew very clearly that at this moment, she was representing her daughter. Her daughter¡¯s future inws would be high in power and her future mother-inw was also of noble birth. There would be many wives of high-ranking officials waiting with critical eyes to see her be a joke. Her younger daughter made a living for herself in the capital alone and finally had a breakthrough. As her mother, even though she couldn¡¯t help, she wouldn¡¯t drag her down!


    In her mind, the etiquette that the senior pce servant taught her gradually became clear. She became calmer and morefortable. She even handled a few difficult questions the nobledies threw at her. Of course, the most important thing was Princess Consort Jing¡¯s attitude towards her. Seeing her attitude, the noblewomen present dare not slight her. Lady Fang¡¯s help from time to time had also prevented her from having many difficulties.


    As for Yu Hai, Yu Hang and Yu Fan, who were in the outer courtyard, there was no need to worry about them. Not to mention the protectiveness in Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s words, but with the way that Royal Prince Yang took good care of them, no one would dare slight them and offend the death god.


    It didn¡¯t matter whether the opera was entertaining or not. The most important thing was that the aristocrats of the capital all knew about the marriage between Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household and the Yu Family. The Yu family, a small family of a peasant origin, would have a foothold in the capital.


    On the other hand, the noble misses in the inner courtyard were happily enjoying the sweets and snacks served to them. Since the opening of ¡®The Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store¡¯, these proud women of the capital have instantly abandoned the so-called established brands and favored these novel foods. In particr, The Yu¡¯s limited sales cakes were hard to buy every day. If anyone was lucky enough to grab one, she could show off among her sisters for a long time.


    What could they do when ¡®The Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store¡¯ was able to satisfy these pampereddies¡¯ appreciation of beauty in terms of both appearance and taste?


    When these noble misses, who thought they had tried all the delicious food in the world, tasted the cakes served at the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, they realized how ignorant they were. They listened as the servants introduced ¡®tiramisu¡¯, ¡®fruit tarts¡¯, ¡®matcha red bean cake¡¯, ¡®opera cake¡¯, and ¡®chocte mousse¡¯... Just the names alone seemed high ss!


    Not only were the names nice sounding, but the appearances of the cakes were also beautiful and attractive, which made them not want to destroy their art-like shapes. However, their attractive fragrance made people want to taste them.


    As the daughter-inw of the host, the wife of the Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s heir gave each of the young maidens a small spoon, inviting them to have a taste of the cake.


    Yu Xiaocao was pulled aside by several of her good friends, and they sat around a round table, forming a small circle. In this small circle, there was the high status Royal Princess Minn, the two talented beauties of the capital, and the sisters with an impressive family background, Li Mengqi and Li Mengru. The person in the center was Yu Xiaocao, who was rumored to be engaged to Royal Prince Yang.


    Although theposition of the members of the small circle was a bitplicated, everyone was envious of it, and it was impossible for them to get close to it. It could be said that if this small circle wanted to expand, all the noble maidens in the capital would wrack their brains to integrate into it.


    Not to mention that there were noble maidens in this group that many want to tter but couldn¡¯t, but not just anyone could curry favor with Yu Xiaocao, this shining Buddha. It wasn¡¯t that she was arrogant and cold, but it was that she was usually too busy and didn¡¯t have many opportunities to get together with the noble maidens in the capital. She also often has a frightful ¡¯big and loyal dog¡¯ guarding beside her, giving everyone a sense of alienation.

 Chapter 624 – Idle Conversation Between Friends

    <h4>Chapter 624 - Idle Conversation Between Friends</h4>


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, if my guess is correct, these new desserts should be from your ¡®Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store¡¯, right?¡± He Wanning ate the tiramisu in front of her in small, delicate bites as she savored the delicious vors. Her eyes curved up into small crescents in enjoyment, and the pleased expression on her face resembled a sleepy little kitten who had just eaten its fill and was basking itself in some warm sunshine.


    The other young noble maidens at the nearby tables were also tasting these new delicacies. All of them perked up their ears to eavesdrop more closely on the conversation urring at the main table.


    Yu Xiaocao personally preferred ck Forest gateau herself. She swallowed down the bite of cake in her mouth and her little pink tongue quickly licked the corner of her lips to wipe away any remnants of chocte before she mysteriously said, ¡°Older Sister He, this time you guessed wrong ah!¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly guess wrong? Other than the Yu¡¯s Dessert Store, what other ce could possiblye out with such unique and eye-opening desserts? After all, aren¡¯t ces like ¡®Daoxiang Vige¡¯ only able to make out-dated and old fashioned pastries?¡± Prior to the opening of the Yu¡¯s Dessert Store, ¡®Daoxiang Vige¡¯ was He Wanning¡¯s favorite ce to get desserts and pastries. However, once Xiaocao¡¯s family business opened, she had an abrupt change of heart and became a diehard and loyal fan of the Yu¡¯s Pastries Store¡¯s products.


    On the other hand, Yuan Xueyan picked up a piece of chocte that didn¡¯t look very special and ced it into her mouth. This was the first time she had ever eaten something that slowly released a dense and rich vor on her tongue. Within the bitterness of the chocte was a faint taste of sweetness. She usually never became enamored with delicious foods, but this piece of chocte had actually managed to send her into a dreamlike reverie.


    When she heard her good friend¡¯s words, she lightly replied, ¡°I believe Younger Sister Xiaocao is trying to say that these desserts aren¡¯t a product of the Yu¡¯s family business. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that they are unrted to her. In my opinion, these desserts were personally made by Younger Sister Xiaocao and they can¡¯t even be bought at the Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store right now.¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Yuan is still as brilliantly sharp as before. This younger sister is starting to wonder if you have the ability to peer into other people¡¯s hearts ah!¡± Yu Xiaocaoplimented her as she picked up a piece of wine infused chocte and ced it into Yuan Xueyan¡¯s hands. She watched avidly as the older girl bit into the chocte. The abrupt change in Yuan Xueyan¡¯s expression belied the fact that she had tasted the very sweet liquor that came out of the chocte shell. Yu Xiaocao stifled a giggle and the mischievous look in her eyes made her resemble a little squirrel who had just stolen some pine nuts. Xiaocao obviously knew beforehand that Yuan Xueyan wasn¡¯t very fond of sweet foods and definitely didn¡¯t like the taste of alcohol. She was deliberately teasing the other girl!


    Yuan Xueyan endured the bombardment of the two vors she hated the most in her mouth and picked up her teacup to drink arge sip of tea to dilute the sweetness. She red at the littless who was still surreptitiously giggling and huffed as she said, ¡°You naughty girl. You¡¯re clearly asking for a beating, right?¡±


    Royal Princess Minn was quite bbergasted by this. Just what sort of vor could make the usually cold and aloof beauty reveal such an exaggerated expression? She picked up a piece of wine infused chocte and ced it into her mouth.


    ¡°Eh? This candy actually has some liquor in it and it¡¯s quite sweet. It tastes quite good ah! However, Older Sister Yuan hates the taste of alcohol the most. Younger Sister Xiaocao, did you give it to her on purpose?¡± Royal Princess Minn savored the somewhat sickly sweet chocte and gazed at Yuan Xueyan, who was currently rinsing her mouth with some tea, with a teasing look.


    Yu Xiaocao let out a long sigh, ¡°In life, one needs to constantly try new things and challenge one¡¯s set thoughts. It¡¯s important to experience new things constantly. I was only trying to help Older Sister Yuan experience more things ah!¡±


    Yuan Xueyan picked up another piece of dark chocte and let it slowly melt in her mouth. She unhurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m quite upset now! For an apology gift, you need to give me a box of this type of candy. Otherwise, don¡¯t even think of obtaining my forgiveness!¡±


    ¡°And me, and me!! I want the ones that have fruit filling and the ones that have cream filling, and I also...what should I do? Younger Sister Xiaocao, can¡¯t you give me a box of each?¡± He Wanning wasn¡¯t practiced at shamelessly asking for choctes like her other friend in a roundabout way, so she could only directly voice her wishes. She pulled at Xiaocao¡¯s hand, swaying it back and forth.


    The other young maidens at the main table also looked at Xiaocao with fervent gazes. Their eyes glittered with anticipation. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t handle the dozen or so ¡®feverish looks¡¯, so she hurriedly assented to their request and stated that she would give everyone two boxes of choctes aspensation. As for Yuan Xueyan, she got an extra box of toffee to soothe her ruffled feelings.


    The noble young maidens sitting at the other tables were so jealous that they almost turned green. Every table at Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate today had two boxes of choctes and two tes of pastries for the guests. However, when split between all of the people at the table, each person could only get a couple pieces of chocte at the most. However, there were very few people who didn¡¯t be enamored with these new candies after tasting them. Unfortunately, earlier Miss Yu had stated quite clearly that these couldn¡¯t even be found at the Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store. After eating some here, they could only return empty handed with these fleeting memories in mind. It made them feel quite unhappy.


    However, that was not the same for Miss Yu¡¯s good friends who were sitting at the main table. They, on the other hand, received two boxes of choctes each as a present. All of them were guests at Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate and all of them were the daughters of high-ranking officials at court. The only difference was how close of a rtionship they had with Miss Yu, but that was enough to result in such arge disparity in treatment. This truly caused a lot of people to feel incredibly jealous!


    But this was something they had no power to change. After all, the choctes hadn¡¯t been provided by Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Instead, Miss Yu was the one who brought them over as a treat for everyone involved. This was also the reason why many noble maidens now wanted to enter her little circle. Everyone in the capital knew that Miss Yu was very generous to those who were close to her. However, that small circle of hers wasn¡¯t something that anyone could just enter willy-nilly. The person needed to get the personal approval of Miss Yu and that was a difficult thing to obtain. Miss Yu usually treated everyone around her in a polite and courteous manner. However, there were only a select few that she saw as her own people and treated ordingly.


    In fact, if one thought more about this, it wasn¡¯t surprising it was like this! After all, who would treat someone, who had obvious ulterior motives, in a sincere manner? If one wanted sincere treatment from someone else, the first thing that person should do was to show their own sincerity. Who didn¡¯t know this rtionshipw?


    Later on, it was Miss Yu Wanqing who had asked the question that everyone was harboring in their thoughts, ¡°Older Sister Yu, when will these pastries, choctes and candies be avable at the Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastries Store? I can finish two boxes of these delicious choctes by myself in two days, let alone all of my brothers, sisters-inw, nieces and nephews. There¡¯s just not enough to go around!¡±


    Within the heated pavilion silence prevailed. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for Xiaocao¡¯s answer to this important question.


    Xiaocao had also sensed the difference in the atmosphere. Without thinking too much, she replied in a regretful manner, ¡°Whether it is the choctes, tiramisu, ck Forest gateau...all of them require a raw ingredient called cocoa beans from the western hemisphere. This time, the trade ships only brought back a limited amount. It¡¯s enough for me to make some desserts and pastries for my own use. However, if I decided to bring these desserts out for the public, I¡¯m afraid the supply would onlyst for a month¡¯s worth before it was gone. Thus, I¡¯ve decided not to sell the pastries and candies here to the public.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Wanqing let out a disappointed scream and it was likely everyone else was also screaming within their hearts, ¡°Then, does that mean, in the future, I won¡¯t be able to eat such delicious and unique snacks anymore? What should I do?¡±


    He Wanning shoved a coffee candy into her mouth and crunched on it. She had a wicked smile on her face as she said, ¡°What do you mean what should you do? If you want to eat some, then we can go together to Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯s ce and ¡®seize the goods from the tyrant¡¯! If she dares to hoard it for herself, just watch as I tickle her to death!¡± As she spoke, she waved her two forefingers in front of Xiaocao in a threatening manner.


    ¡°Older Sister He, you¡¯ve actually learned to use the phrase ¡®seize the goods from the tyrant¡¯! I¡¯m not sure if the Grand Princess Royal will me me for taking you down the wrong path ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao almost couldn¡¯t resistughing at the thought that she had ended up teaching some old rural sayings to a noble young maiden in the capital.


    ¡°My paternal grandmother wouldn¡¯t me you at all! After all, she often lectures me and tells me that I need to learn more from you instead of spending all of my time like a tomboy causing trouble. When have I ever caused trouble though? I don¡¯t even know who¡¯s her blood-rted granddaughter anymore!¡±


    Xiaocao truly had a knack of getting along with the older generation. The grand princess royal was quite partial to her. Sometimes, even He Wanning, as her blood-rted granddaughter, became jealous at the other girl¡¯s treatment. However, whenever she thought of her adorable new nephew and niece back at the residence, He Wanning felt at ease again. The fact that Younger Sister Xiaocao was able to cure her older brother¡¯s problem and relieve the hereditary crisis at Marquis Anning¡¯s Estate was truly a good thing. Thus, having her paternal grandmother dote on the other girl a bit was something she was more than willing to allow.


    Li Mengqi knew that her family¡¯s background was inferior to the other people present here and sighed, ¡°These desserts and candies truly require expensive and rare ingredients. Even if they were to be sold on the market now, that doesn¡¯t mean that most ordinary families would be able to afford them!¡±


    Although Li Mengru was a concubine-born daughter, she was getting quite arge dividend from her shares at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯. She was probably the little god of wealth in her family right now! When she heard her sister mention this, she smiled and said, ¡°Older Sister, if these pastries were up for sale, this younger sister would buy them for you!¡±


    ¡°Then that would be awesome. This older sister will have to hug onto yourrge thigh, you little god of wealth!¡± In the past two years, Li Mengqi had be a lot closer to this younger concubine-born sister of hers. Thus, her tone when speaking to her had also be more intimate too.


    Yu Xiaocao grinned as she watched the two sisters converse with each other. Then she disseminated some good news, ¡°Although this year I won¡¯t be selling these new desserts, that doesn¡¯t inter years they won¡¯t be sold ah!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? That in the future we¡¯ll have enough raw ingredients?¡± Royal Princess Minn was also very interested in this problem and couldn¡¯t help but ask a follow up question.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t continue keeping her audience in suspense and proimed, ¡°Royal Prince Yang has an ind in the south. He opened up thend there and created a cocoa and coffee ntation. Those two ntations will only raise cocoa and coffee bean trees. After two to three years pass, these trees should be able to produce enough cocoa and coffee beans to supply the dessert shop. At that time, we won¡¯t have to worry about not having enough raw ingredients. Then, you all won¡¯t have to worry about not being able to eat chocte mousse and ck Forest gateau, right?¡±


    He Wanning had a foolishly happy smile on her face as she waxed, ¡°I still need to wait two to three years ah! I don¡¯t care. In these next couple of years, you need to prepare yourself. From time to time, I¡¯m going to rush over so you¡¯ll have to prepare some pastries and candies. If not...hmph hmph!¡±


    Yuan Xueyan immediately burst her bubble, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao is already sixteen this year. By the standards of the Great Ming court, the best time for women to marry is when they turn eighteen. In two to three years, she¡¯ll be a married woman. As for you, you¡¯re going to be Lu Hao¡¯s wife very soon. Are you still shameless enough then to rush over to Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯s inw¡¯s residence to beg for food?¡±


    That fellow Lu Hao had alwayse over during the events and outings that Xiaocao organized in the past. As time passed, before other people realized it, he and He Wanning, the little chili pepper, had be a loving but quarrelsome couple. Their families had alreadye to a marriage agreement. At the end of autumn this year, everyone would be able to drink wine at their wedding.


    ¡°Why not? That guy Lu Hao is also great buddies with Royal Prince Yang, whereas Younger Sister Xiaocao and I are a pair of close sisters. It¡¯s not as if our good rtionship will change after we get married. Can Royal Prince Yang just send me away if Ie over to visit her?¡± He Wanning suddenly thought of that cold and icy face. Her heart shivered for a second and she no longer felt as confident as before.


    ¡°Older Sister Yu, you really decided to marry Royal Prince Yang ah? That face of his is so scary looking though. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to think more about this?¡± Yu Wanqing had also seen Zhu Junyang before. She acted like a mouse around a cat whenever she was near him. Although Royal Prince Yang currently treated Older Sister Yu quite well, could she endure even one blow from him with her tiny figure if she identally angered him in the future?

 Chapter 625 – Feas

    <h4>Chapter 625 - Feas</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao had a face full of puzzlement. She looked at her good friends, who all had solemn expressions on their faces, and rubbed at her nose. She cautiously asked, ¡°Is Royal Prince Yang¡¯s face really that scary? Does anyone here think that he has a handsomely sculpted face, so good-looking that it could entrance someone? He clearly is very good-looking, so why do you all think he looks frightening?¡±


    He Wanning popped another piece of chocte into her mouth and closed her eyes in enjoyment. She candidly stated, ¡°Royal Prince Yang¡¯s default expression is as cold as the ice from a ten thousand year old cier. It¡¯s so icy that it freezes people instantly and the re from his eyes seem to pierce a person¡¯s heart, so no one dares to look at him directly. His whole body seems to give off a razor sharp aura and people can¡¯t help but tremble in front of him! Even if he is handsome, no one would dare to appreciate it ah! However, in front of you, he¡¯s as obedient and clever as Little ck. You¡¯re not afraid of him, and you¡¯re able to stand up to him. Thus, it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯re able to appreciate his...good parts, right?¡±


    The other young maidens in the room didn¡¯t know the ¡®Little ck¡¯ that He Wanning was referring to, but all of Xiaocao¡¯s good friends knew. When they saw He Wanning daringlypare Royal Prince Yang to that pet wolf, who could act adorably spoiled in front of Xiaocao, they had to muffle their giggles. Yu Wanqing had been in the middle of taking a sip of coffee and had identally choked on the liquid after hearing He Wanning¡¯sparison. The young maiden coughed and sputtered for a few minutes.


    Royal Princess Minn grinned broadly and used her pointer finger to tap He Wanning¡¯s head as she said, ¡°You ah! You only have the guts to make Royal Prince Yang a joke in front of us. If these words of yours end up being transmitted into his ears, you¡¯re not going to have a good ending!¡±


    ¡°Uh...all of us are good friends here, ah. Thus, the words we say here should not be transmitted outside of this pavilion. None of us are flighty gossip mongers who can¡¯t keep ahold of our tongues!¡± He Wanning red warningly at all of the young maidens in the room. She then also showed an entreating expression to all of her close friends.


    Li Mengru covered her mouth with her handkerchief and nced at Xiaocao, who wasughing with the crowd. She smiled in amusement and said, ¡°Older Sister He, I think it slipped your mind that Royal Prince Yang is Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯s sweetheart. The two of them spend a lot of time together. What if one day she forgets and identally tells him what you said today? What will you do then?¡±


    He Wanning sent a fierce re in the direction of Yu Xiaocao, who was grinning like a maniac. Xiaocao hurriedly mimed locking her mouth and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Am I the type of person who is that unreliable ah? When has anything our little group has talked about ever been disseminated into the public? That being said, I also think you¡¯re right. He really does resemble Little ck sometimes!¡±


    ¡°See, Younger Sister Xiaocao also agrees with me! As soon as Royal Prince Yang is in front of our younger sister, he immediately bes obedient. Otherwise, our younger sister wouldn¡¯t be interested in such a big ice cube. What do you all think?¡± He Wanning casually continued to devour pastries. Most of the desserts on the table had been consumed by her.


    Xiaocao reminded her, ¡°Try not to eat too much here. In a bit, lunch will be served and if you eat too much here you won¡¯t have an appetite for the food then.¡±


    He Wanning waved a hand in dismissal, ¡°What kind of food is there for lunch? It¡¯s all the same anyway. How could it be any more novel than this? These desserts and choctes aren¡¯t something that I can eat whenever I want. Thus, I naturally have to eat more now.¡±


    Royal Princess Minn rolled her eyes at the other youngdy and said, ¡°You¡¯re such a disgrace!¡± Although she said it like that, she also didn¡¯t stop eating the desserts on the table.


    Yu Xiaocao raised her voice to announce, ¡°Lunch today will have a few dishes that I have personally juste up with. This will be the first time they will be making an appearance in the Great Ming Empire! The most important one is a dish called ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯, and it¡¯s a dish that even the emperor emeritus and emperor cannot forget. Are you guys sure you don¡¯t want to try them?¡±


    ¡°Wow! The food that Older Sister Yu makes is truly delicious. I¡¯m so excited to try these new dishes! The name ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯ is quite unique. Doesn¡¯t that mean that the dish is so tasty that even Buddha himself can¡¯t resist the temptation?¡± After personally tasting Xiaocao¡¯s food, Yu Wanqing had be a die-hard fan of her cuisine so she gratifyingly showed her support in a pleasing manner.


    He Wanning rubbed her tummy, which was about seventy percent full, and then red at Xiaocao, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you mention this earlier? You made it such that I ate a full belly full of sweets before tempting me with the food at lunch...however, I absolutely won¡¯t hold back at lunch today. Every time Younger Sister Xiaocao cooks, the food is divine. I¡¯ll stuff myself to death if I have to!¡±


    Yuan Xueyan calmly shoved a verbal knife, ¡°Then who was the oneining earlier that her clothes were getting tight and that she needed to eat less to lose some weight?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked at He Wanning, who had a beautiful figure, from head to toe and remarked in a shocked manner, ¡°Older Sister He wants to lose weight ah? Then this is bad. These desserts and choctes provide a lot of energy and are more likely to cause people to gain weight than eating fatty braised pork ah! How about...when you leave, you don¡¯t take those two boxes of desserts with you?¡±


    ¡°How can that be ok? What about...what about in the future I¡¯ll go practice martial arts a bit with my eldest brother or I could spend some more time on horseback? These desserts are so delicious, so those two boxes aren¡¯t even enough for me to eat!¡± He Wanning had a nervous expression on her face as she was afraid that Xiaocao would not give her the boxes of choctes and desserts.


    Yuan Xueyan rolled her eyes, ¡°Then if you die of overeating, it¡¯s all on you!¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t eat delicious food, then what¡¯s the point in living?¡± When He Wanning had to choose between ¡®losing weight¡¯ and ¡®eating delicious food¡¯, she naturally ended up selecting thetter.


    Yu Wanqingforted the older maiden by saying, ¡°Older Sister He, you¡¯re not fat, so why torture yourself to lose weight ah? My mother said that I need to eat more like you, that way I can have a strong and healthy body and avoid having my skin produce more issues.¡±


    He Wanning pulled Wanqing into her arms and almost nted a kiss on the younger girl¡¯s face, ¡°You¡¯re clearly my little sweetie. This older sister didn¡¯t dote on you for nothing. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m not even fat so why do I need to lose weight? Why torture myself for nothing?¡±


    Royal Princess Minn had originally stopped reaching for desserts after hearing Xiaocao¡¯sments on the food. However, she nced at He Wanning¡¯s ¡®curvaceous¡¯ figure and then lowered her head to look at her own slim and slender waist. Then, she began reaching for the tiramisu again. If He Wanning¡¯s figure wasn¡¯t considered fat, then what did she have to be afraid of?


    Once the other maidens found out that new dishes were going to be presented for lunch, all of them either slowed their speed or stopped eating the desserts on the table. One after another, they began to quietly discuss amongst their good friends about the rtionship between Miss Yu and Zhenxiu Restaurant. They were all looking forward to the noon meal.


    Meixiang came over as ordered to invite all of the young maidens over to the theatre pavilion and noticed that the atmosphere looked peaceful and harmonious. Originally, when she found out that Miss Yu was the one hosting these maidens, Meixiang was a bit worried that these noble youngdies would try to make things difficult for Miss Yu. She didn¡¯t expect that Miss Yu had the skills to make everyone behave in such a courteous manner.


    However, how could she know that Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t use much effort to make the event go well? As soon as the desserts and choctes came out, all of the young maidens here immediately shelved any thoughts of causing trouble. They were eating her food. If anyone came out to say some sour remarks now, that would truly mean they had no sense.


    While they were watching the ys, the youngdies were all preupied thinking about the uing noon meal and fantasizing about ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯ as Xiaocao had described it in such a tantalizing manner. Thus, most of them seemed quite distracted. Only a few of them managed to pay attention to even the most favored y of thedies. Their elders all noticed the change in their juniors but couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on.


    It was only after when the servants came over to announce that the noon meal was ready for the princess consort and her guests that the young maidens all seemed to snap out of their daydreams. Only then did the matrons anddies present realize that their daughters (granddaughters) were preupied with thinking about the meal. Then, they remembered that the Yu Family¡¯s young maiden had received the juniors earlier, which meant that the uing meal was rted to her as well. Thus, they also began to excitedly anticipate lunch.


    As expected, the unique dishes at the lunch didn¡¯t disappoint a single one of the guests.


    ¡®Lightly fried mandarin fish fillets¡¯ was a dish that required fine knife skills. The bones of the mandarin fish were carefully removed and then, with one knife stroke, the skin was removed entirely in one piece before cooking. The cooked flesh was then delicately sliced into fillets that were as thin as a cicada¡¯s wing and arranged beautifully on the tter.


    ¡®Dried scallop rings¡¯ was a dish that used strips of daikon to form the ¡®ring¡¯ portion of the dish. Inside the ring, dried scallops were ced in the middle. The golden-yellow color of the scallops contrasted sharply with the whiteness of the daikon, making an elegant and pleasing sight. When the dish was eaten, the texture was soft and tender with a light, pleasing fragrance.


    ¡®Squirrel fish¡¯ was a dish whose name referred to the fact that it looked like a squirrel. The fish had tender meat, golden-yellow luster, and tasted sweet and sour in the mouth. Furthermore, it had the faint aroma of pine nuts.


    ¡®Crystal meat slices¡¯ was a dish that mixed fragrant chopped meat with solidified tasty broth. The red of the meat contrasted beautifully with the transparent, sparkling solidified broth. The texture was tender and soft, rich without being greasy, and the dish had a delicate savory vor.


    ¡®Stewed bamboo shoots from Wenzheng Mountain¡¯ was a dish that cooked the bamboo shoots until they were tender with a delicate mouth feel and they were infused with a rich vor. The dish also contained sausages and shiitake mushrooms, which elevated the savory taste. A single bite would flood a person¡¯s mouth with a delicious aroma...


    Every single dish was refreshing and unique. Even those old gluttons, who thought that they had eaten all of the delicious foods in the world, had never encountered food that had such a pleasing look, tantalizing aroma, and mind-blowing vor as these dishes. A few of the older guests, who were obsessed with food, inquired about the new chef that the prince¡¯s estate had invited, so that they could find a chef like that too.


    When they found out that these new dishes had all been created by Imperial Prince Jing Household¡¯s future daughter-inw in her spare time, they all became upset and regretful. Why hadn¡¯t they struck first when they had the chance and snatched such an ideal wife for their sons or grandsons?


    Oh my, for the sake of eating delicious foods, these people were willing to sell their sons and grandsons. These old men put up an elegant and dignified front while they were at court, but, in private, they were just some old urchins who loved to eat delicious foods.


    When the star of the meal, Buddha Jumps over the Wall, appeared on the tables, these old officials, who had eaten until they were stuffed, seemed to get a second wind. It was as if those people who had seconds ago been burping and huping from fullness weren¡¯t them! They ate as if they couldn¡¯t stop themselves!


    As the host, Imperial Prince Jing was quite rmed when he saw this sight and hurriedlymanded the servants to brew more digestive soup to avoid having the issue of these old men, who were the pirs of the court and country, bing heavily ill from indigestion.


    As for the women in the inner courtyard, they weren¡¯t doing much better than the men. In the morning, they had already eaten quite a few pastries and desserts. The olderdies and matrons were aware of their statuses and were able to control their appetites in an effort to keep their reputation. However, the younger maidens had ended up eating many choctes and desserts.


    Unfortunately, the tables in front of them were testing them again. There were a plethora of delicious and unique dishes, so none of them could resist letting this opportunity pass, especially the tables that were next to Xiaocao. When the maidens seated there heard her describe and introduce all of these dishes and then tried them themselves, how could they possibly stop themselves from eating more?


    Prior to the arrival of Buddha Jumps over the Wall at the table, He Wanning cradled her bulging little stomach and repeatedly muttered loudly, ¡°I can¡¯t do this anymore. If I eat any more something bad is going to happen. No matter how delicious the next tes are, this maiden will have to decline!¡±


    Seated at the main table was Marchioness Anning. She sent a pointed re at her daughter. Her daughter was almost an adultdy, at the cusp of getting married, yet she still spoke without thinking and in a rash manner. In contrast, Yu Xiaocao was younger than He Wanning by two years but was clearly much more mature and steady. Furthermore, thatss knew how to experiment with foods and had quite the culinary talent. Argh! Comparisons could truly infuriate a person, especially when you came out as inferior. Why didn¡¯t the heavens have eyes and let her birth a daughter like Royal Princess Jinan instead?

 Chapter 626 – Engagemen

    <h4>Chapter 626 - Engagemen</h4>


    However, once ¡®Buddha Jumps over the Wall¡¯ was served to the table, He Wanning immediately forgot the words she had just said when the dense, mesmerizing aroma of the dish hit her nostrils. She couldn¡¯t restrain herself andpletely ignored her protesting, full stomach and rushed to grab a bowl to start stuffing herself with the fragrant stew.


    As she ate, thisss continued topliment the dish without end. She stated that she had never eaten something as delicious as this. The other young maidens around them all nodded their heads in agreement with their cheeks stuffed full of food. He Wanning evenined endlessly, grumbling that Xiaocao had such culinary talent but had only shown it off today. Clearly, she had slighted the other girl as He Wanning had to wait this long in order to eat such delicious food. In the end, the remaining food left in the ceramic bowl had been unceremoniously partitioned out to her.


    Xiaocao was truly afraid that her good friends would end up with stomach aches after eating this much. Thus, when the digestive soup was passed around, she hurriedly added a few drops of mystic-stone water to the pot. She personally served a bowl to all of her friends and made sure that all of them drank it. By the time they said their farewells, her friends had recovered to their normal state and were no longer holding their stomachs and crying out in pain.


    This banquet had truly given a lot of face to both Imperial Prince Jing and Princess Consort Jing. Everyone told them that this was the best feast they had ever been at. There were even some people who surreptitiously asked Yu Hai and his wife whether the ¡®Yu¡¯s Line of Business¡¯ nned on opening up a restaurant in the future.


    Yu Hai had been prepared by his youngest daughter and vaguely let out the news that the Yu Family was nning on opening up a medicinal cuisine restaurant. In fact, ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ was going to be the main attraction there. Some of the guests were quite surprised by this and asked, ¡°This dish is incredibly delicious but it¡¯s actually a type of medicinal cuisine?¡±


    Yu Hai described the effects of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. It could make a person blossom with their innate beauty, stymie the inevitable aging journey, increase immunity, and had an overall energizing benefit. He described all of these effects to the people around him. Everyone¡¯s interest in medicinal cuisine had immediately increased by a notch. It was a dish that not only could benefit one¡¯s body but it also satisfied a person¡¯s craving for delicious food. Clearly, this was something to look forward to.


    Although the medicinal cuisine restaurant had not been established yet, its reputation had already been quietly disseminated throughout the capital. The dish ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ had also been discussed enthusiastically by all of the officials who had attended Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s banquet in a bragging manner. Those who hadn¡¯t been fortunate enough to receive an invitation were now incredibly curious and looked forward to the day when the medicinal cuisine building would open. Even if they had to tighten their money belts, they still had to try the dish that has been praised to the skies by other people, ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯.


    Xiaocao pasted on a smile and dealt with another batch of young noble maidens whom she was unfamiliar with. After sending them off, Xiaocao rubbed at her face. Just when did her rtionships with other people be so good? Why did all of these noble maidens in the capital, who usually didn¡¯t even deign to nod their heads at her, sidle over to speak with her? Furthermore, they always directed the conversation towards the spective ¡®Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯.


    The high-ranking officials and their wives were all quite in touch with the capital¡¯s gossip. In only a few days, the rumors that the Yu Family¡¯s Business was nning on opening a medicinal cuisine restaurant had pretty much been transmitted to every corner of the capital. Even the dish, ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, had be zingly popr. Those who had tried it bragged that this was a dish that ¡®was something that could only be found in the Heavens, and was a rarity in the mundane world¡¯.


    Well! At least that saved her the trouble of racking her brain toe up with a method to advertise this new business. The location of the Medicinal Cuisine House has already been decided; it was going to be located at one of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s dowry shops. The building was situated on the west side of the capital, which was a wealthy district and was also quite close to the imperial princes¡¯ estates and the imperial pce. The shop itself had seven interconnected rooms on each floor and had three floors in total. Thus, it had the idealyout for a restaurant-based business.


    In order to avoid Xiaocao bing uneasy at getting this building, Princess Consort Jing had prepared early and had already transferred the deed to this building to her youngest son¡¯s name. Furthermore, she stated that this was to be a betrothal gift to the Yu Family. When the Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s heir¡¯s wife had married over, she had been given a few more shops and stores than this. However, the stores that she was given were in slightly worse locations than this one. Both of them were daughters-inw, so they had to avoid these betrothal gifts causing friction between the twoter. Thus, Princess Consort Jing did her best to make things as equal as possible. She still had some dowry shops left in her hand and those would be used in the future when her second son got married as betrothal gifts.


    As Xiaocao got closer and closer to opening up Medicinal Cuisine House, Zhu Junyang also helped her quite a bit from the background by providing the materials and manpower needed to renovate the building. Furthermore, the day where the two of them were to be engaged also got closer. Zhu Junyang excitedly counted down the days to that date.


    In ancient times, the people followed the customs of ¡®three matchmakers and six rites¡¯ and the ¡®three letters and six rites¡¯. Imperial Prince Jing had originally invited one of his uncles, who was a person of high repute and virtue, to be the matchmaker on the men¡¯s side. However, once the emperor found out through Chief Steward Su that Royal Prince Yang and Xiaocao were going to get engaged, he insisted on stepping in as the male matchmaker with the excuse that the two of them were both important officials under him.


    As for the matchmaker on the female¡¯s side, that had already been arranged a long time ago. The person selected was Little Shitou¡¯s, Yu Fan¡¯s, beloved teacher, the most brilliant and famous schr of the Great Ming Dynasty, Yuan Sinian. It must be stated that Headmaster Yuan was a giant in the eyes of schrs and had legendary status. The fact that they were able to have him be her matchmaker was a very illustrious and grand honor!


    For the ¡®three matchmakers¡¯, the male and female side had all been selected, and both of them were important people. Thus, the middle matchmaker couldn¡¯t be someone of no repute. The two families were pondering this problem as they needed to find an appropriate person to bridge between the two matchmakers. At this time, the emperor emeritus, who had juste back from his travels in the southern part of the country, found out that thess Xiaocao was going to be engaged with his darling grandson. He didn¡¯t even take the time to rest a bit before he came up and insisted on bing the middle matchmaker between the two.


    Did he actually know how to be a middle matchmaker to bridge between the two families? If you asked him that question, he would immediately re at you with hisrge eyes and state in matter of fact manner, ¡°Absolutely not!¡± That wasn¡¯t surprising. After all, when the emperor emeritus was the emperor, he didn¡¯t need to bridge things between two families at all. Instead, he just bestowed marriages as he liked. After he retired from his position, he spent all of his time traveling around the country, tasting the delicacies of the empire. When would he have the time to act as a matchmaker then? Furthermore, who would have the guts and face to ask the emperor emeritus to act as matchmaker for them?


    Then what should he do if he didn¡¯t know how? Just wing it! In any case, that stinky grandson of his and the littless already had an affinity for each other. Thus, the matchmakers in the marriage were only for show. That being said, it didn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t know the correct rituals, that was what his subordinates were for! For this matter, Chief Steward Su Ran had especially instructed his subordinates to gather all of the information and materials needed for the emperor emeritus. Once that was done, they created a special ¡®cheat sheet¡¯ for the emperor emeritus to refer to on the prospective day.


    All in all, when the news came out about the ¡®three matchmakers¡¯ that Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household and the Yu Family had chosen, itpletely stunned all of the nobles and officials in the capital. Once again, Xiaocao had be the jealous target of all of the other maidens there. She was the first person who was able to invite such illustrious personages, the emperor, emperor emeritus, and Great Schr Yuan, as her matchmakers. In the future, it would be hard for anyone else to top that!


    Naturally, her close friends were a bit envious but all of them were happy for their younger sister. This level of ostentation truly showed how much the male side valued the female side. So what did it matter that her background was lowly? Did it matter that her identity didn¡¯t match his? Clearly, she was favored by the heavens as she was able to find such an ideal match within the imperial family. Furthermore, she was also someone highly regarded by the emperor. The most important thing was that Royal Prince Yang truly liked that little sprout from the Yu Family, and had chosen illustrious matchmakers to show his pleasure.


    When the calcted date of auspiciousness finally arrived, Zhu Junyang set out in high spirits. He was dressed in a dark maroon brocade robe and his hair had beenbed into a shiny style. On his left was his middle matchmaker, his imperial grandfather, and on his right was his lord father, Imperial Prince Jing. With them were all of the betrothal gifts that had lucky and fortuitous meanings. They waited outside the Yu Residence for the start of the formal proceedings.


    This was the first rite of the ¡®three letters and six rites¡¯¡ª¡ªthe formal proposal. The male side was inquiring as to whether the female side agreed to this marriage. Thus, they first had the matchmakers enter the female side¡¯s residence to send them betrothal gifts. After they obtained the agreement from the female side, then they would have the matchmaker conduct the formal ¡®betrothal and exchanging of gifts¡¯ between the two families.


    The presents that Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had brought over were all disyed in the main reception hall. The gifts included all sorts of expensive and valuable silk bolts, gold and silver, jewelry, and a few dozen boxes of expensive pastries. The most conspicuous and eye-catching gift was a pair of live geese. They had just passed the first month of the year, so all of the geese should have flown off to the south already to spend the winter months in a warm climate. Thus, it was incredibly hard to find any liverge geese in the capital area, which was far up north.


    It must be mentioned that Zhu Junyang had long started to prepare for his engagement day. Thus,st year at the start of fall, he had gone out and caught a few pairs of live geese. These geese were all sent to the farmstead in the suburbs to be raised. Fortunately, all of the wells at the farmstead had been transformed by Xiaocao to contain mystic-stone water. Otherwise, these geese might have frozen to death while staying there.


    The type and amount of betrothal gifts sent over by the male¡¯s side was considered quitevish by the capital¡¯s standards. All of the fine fabrics were tribute goods sent into the imperial pce. They had even given the female side a dozen or so bolts of the most rare and expensive ¡®floating clouds¡¯ cloth. The jewelry, as expected, were all top-notch pieces whether it was the craftsmanship or the materials used. Among them included gems that Zhu Junyang had brought over from the western hemisphere. There were rubies, sapphires, cat¡¯s eye gems, and colored diamonds. The jewels filled up more than a dozen boxes and the glitter from them was enough to blind a person.


    No one in the Yu Family paid much attention to the betrothal gifts. After all, there were three great personages currently at the Yu Residence and it made Yu Hai, Yu Hang, and all of the other members there a bit uneasy and unsure of what they should do. Whether it was the emperor, emperor emeritus, or an imperial prince, all of them were people that they needed to kowtow three times to. However, these people were all here with gentle smiles on their face while greeting them in a casual manner. It made them feel quite tense as they had no idea what to expect.


    When Zhu Junfan saw this, he hurriedly stated, ¡°Today we can do away with the customs between a ruler and his subjects. It is a day for celebrating a rtionship. You all are the family members of the female side. If there are any requests to be had, please tell us immediately. After all, you spent over a dozen years raising your daughter and letting all that work benefit another is a shame...¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing nced over briefly at him¡ª¡ªYour Imperial Majesty, just who¡¯s side are you on anyway?


    Although the emperor said it that way, these three great personages were still right there. How could the Yu Family possibly open their mouths at this point? Fortunately, Headmaster Yuan and Fang Zizhen were both there as their backing, so that allowed the awkward atmosphere in the room to dissipate a little.


    As the matchmaker that was here to bridge the two families, the emperor emeritus picked up a pastry from the table in a nonchnt manner and stuffed it into his face. He noisily ate it in one bite and nodded his head repeatedly, ¡°That¡¯s the taste of good stuff ah! Although this lord isn¡¯t super fond of these sweet treats that women like, it¡¯s been decades since I¡¯ve had any and I¡¯ve missed them a bit. Hey you...Little Shitou, is there any coffee here ah? Get me a cup, no milk and only a touch of sugar!¡±


    ¡®My dear father ah, just what are you doing here today ah? Do you really think you¡¯re here to drink some afternoon tea ah? Asking for coffee and desserts?¡¯ Imperial Prince Jing suddenly felt quite exhausted inwardly. Neither the elder nor the junior were here to help him. Instead, they only seemed to be making him look bad!


    Coffee? Little Shitou made a noise in assent and headed towards the inner courtyard with his head full of confusion. He needed to find his second sister to save this situation. Because drinking coffee could affect the growth rate of young children, Xiaocao also didn¡¯t really like to drink any. Thus, no one in the family knew that this stuff existed. Zhu Junyang, on the other hand, had realized the benefits of consuming this beverage, so when he was busy he¡¯d have Xiaocao send him a cup now and then.


    When Xiaocao heard this request, she didn¡¯t say anything as she took out the coffee that had been finely ground into a powder. She mixed an appropriate amount of powder with some cold water and then heated it up in a porcin pot on top of a small fire. Brewing coffee required fine control over the amount of heat, but that wasn¡¯t something that was considered to be difficult to Yu Xiaocao. Two minutester, once the oils came out and the liquid began to foam, she took it out of the charcoal heat and ced it on a smaller me to simmer for a few minutes. Finally, she took it off of the heat for half a minute and then filtered out the coffee. After adding a bit of powdered sugar to the coffee, she ordered one of the servants to bring it out.

 Chapter 627 – War Begins

    <h4>Chapter 627 - War Begins</h4>


    Naturally, this coffee wasn¡¯t prepared for the emperor emeritus alone. Thus, Xiaocao considerately also ced some milk and sugar on the serving tray. Whoever felt that the coffee was too bitter could easily add either to their own taste.


    The emperor emeritus drank some pure coffee and ate a few pieces of sweet but not too sweet western-style pastries. He nodded his head in satisfaction. The fatigue that had settled into his bones for months had dissipated away as soon as he ate the delicious food. Other than the emperor, who had added a bit more milk and sugar to his cup and drank it down with pleasure, the rest of the people present weren¡¯t used to this bitter drink.


    However, Headmaster Yuan was able to taste the uniqueness of the coffee. There was still more than half a year before the autumnal exams started, so all of the students were studyingte every day. Naturally, their energy levels couldn¡¯t keep up with this schedule. If they had ess to this energizing drink, it may be of great help to them in the future. He silently remembered the properties of this drink and reminded himself to ask the littless for ¡®the secrets¡¯ of this drink.


    ¡°Ahem ahem! We¡¯ve done most of the ceremonies today, and it¡¯s starting to gette...¡± The emperor emeritus finished the cup of coffee in front of him in one gulp and wished to drink more.


    The Yu Family and Headmaster Yuan, who was the matchmaker on the female side, all thought that he was going to say his farewells next, so they hurriedly interjected, ¡°Lunch preparations has just been finished, so you should eat before you go ah!¡±


    The emperor emeritus nodded his head in a matter of fact manner and said, ¡°That was precisely my thought. It¡¯s gettingte and about time to eat the noon meal. I heard that when my second son had guests over, the littless hade up with a few more new dishes. I¡¯m not sure whether this old lord would be able to try any today at noon.¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing had a constipated look on his face. Why did he agree to allow his old father to be the middle matchmaker? Was there anyone else who would shamelessly cadge a meal from the female side when they were here to match the birthdates between the prospective groom and bride?


    ¡°Will ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ be at the meal today? Every time the imperial chefs make it, I always feel like it¡¯s missing something. The taste is never as good as when thatss Xiaocao makes it.¡± The emperor also had a face full of approval, showing that he had no intention of moving even one iota out of the chair.


    Imperial Prince Jing let out a long sigh inside. It looked like he was truly going to be shamed to the heavens today. After all, it was impossible to not get bitten when there was a lot of lice around! He also had no intention of saying his farewells now either.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! When Cao¡¯er found out that Your Imperial Majesty was going to personallye today, she made sure that all of the ingredients for the dish were ready in advance. She had woken up bright and early to begin preparing. Not only will there be ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, but she also prepared your favorite braised pig head meat, sliced pig ears in chili oil, braised pig snout...all of these have been personally made by thatss Cao¡¯er!¡± Yu Hai realized that both the emperor and the emperor emeritus were quite easygoing, so he slowly rxed as time went on. Thus, when he spoke, he wasn¡¯t as afraid as before.


    The emperor emeritus chuckled and said, ¡°Looks like I didn¡¯t dote on thatss for nothing. She still remembers what this old lord likes to eat the most. However, these past two years my teeth have be more loose in my mouth. Thus, it looks like the sliced pig ears will have to benefit the rest of you stinky brats instead.¡±


    As one of the ¡®stinky brats¡¯, Imperial Prince Jing rubbed at his nose. He was almost fifty years old but was stillbeled a stinky brat. It felt like he had gone back to his youth again during a time when his old father would beat him out with a broom.


    Headmaster Yuan guffawed loudly, ¡°You¡¯re already seventy years old and your teeth have only started to loosen now? You should be pleased ah! However, Xiaocao mentioned that she wants to open a medicinal cuisine hall. You should ask if she has any recipes that can help with your teeth. If you don¡¯t have any teeth, then eating is not as enjoyable since there will be many things you can¡¯t eat anymore.¡±


    ¡°Old Yuan, you are right. Eating with no teeth is just not the same! Thatss Xiaocao has all sorts of crazy ideas in her head, so I¡¯m sure she has a solution. It¡¯s a pity that the medical technology here is too backwards. If they were able to nt teeth, then this old lord wouldn¡¯t have to worry.¡± The emperor emeritus quite missed the dentists in his previous life now.


    ¡°nt teeth? I¡¯ve only heard of nting flowers, grass or crops before. I¡¯ve never heard of being able to nt teeth. You¡¯re thinking a bit too outside the box, eh?¡± Yuan Sinian was around the same age as the emperor emeritus. When he was younger, he had served under the emperor emeritus and consequently had a good idea of the other man¡¯s temperament. Thus, when he spoke, he didn¡¯t have to be too cautious around him.


    ¡°I have no suitable conversation topics to have with you ancient people. The two of us have a very big generation gap between us. In a bit, I¡¯ll have a nice chat with thatss Xiaocao!¡± The emperor emeritus had long guessed that Xiaocao was also a transmigrator. However, he wasn¡¯t quite sure just what she used to do in her past life.


    She knew many medicinal cuisine recipes, so perhaps she had been born in a traditional medical doctor family or was a nutritionist instead? She was also quite skilled at making foods, so maybe she was a chef in her past life? But thess was also very proficient at nting crops...it really made it difficult for one to guess just what she did in her past life. However, he didn¡¯t think too much of this. As long as he was able to eat the foods he loved in his past life, he was more than satisfied.


    The guests and the hosts all had a merry time during the noon meal. The emperor emeritus drank quite a few cups of the Yu¡¯s Distillery¡¯s new high alcohol-content drinks. Furthermore, he had pulled his grandson, the emperor, into his drinking shenanigans andpletely forgot just what he was here for today. Imperial Prince Jing sat at the side and watched the two of them with worry¡ª¡ªwas it toote to swap out matchmakers by this point?


    Not long after the presentation of the betrothal gifts, the matchmakers needed toe back to the female¡¯s residence and ask about the prospective bride¡¯s name and her eight characters. Then, it would be used with the prospective groom¡¯s to divine whether they werepatible. This was the second of the ¡®six rites¡¯¡ª¡ªbirthdate horoscopes. Birthdate horoscopes also required the man¡¯s side to bring gifts and it usually was a pair of wild geese. Imperial Prince Jing was anxious about this step, so he also tagged along. On the way there, he prayed that his old father and the emperor wouldn¡¯t act as ridiculous as before and cause him to lose more face.


    Fortunately, Headmaster Yuan was much more qualified for his role of a matchmaker and still remembered his duties. He took care of the exchange of birthdate data between the two families. Some people would take the prospective bride¡¯s data back home and ce it on the censer in the family¡¯s ancestral hall. If three days passed by peacefully, that meant the two were fated to have a harmonious rtionship. If something bad happened in three days, then it was likely they would return the woman¡¯s birthdate and decline the marriage.


    However, Zhu Junyang had long be familiar with the littless¡¯s birthdate data, even more so than his own. Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had also sent their birthdates to Huguo Temple and had the head priest there divine a reading. The results showed that, in every way, the littless would bring fortune to the prince¡¯s estate and be a lucky charm for them. Thus, theparison of their birthdates today and the presentation of the bridewealth were mostly just for show.


    Under the reminder of Su Ran, the emperor took out the betrothal card and handed it to the matchmaker for the female side. The so-called betrothal card was made using red colored paper and had both the prospective groom¡¯s and bride¡¯s names and birthdates written on top. By receiving the betrothal card, the Yu Family was stating that they were agreeing to this marriage.


    The two juniors had a good rtionship, so the two families regarded this marriage with a pleased eye. Naturally, Yu Hai was still a bit anxious about this. After all, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household was truly too grand and noble. If, in the future, his daughter was wronged by them, and he wanted to get justice for her, that would be very hard for him to do.


    With the Yu Family¡¯s current reputation and status in Tanggu, no matter who his daughter married in that area, as the maternal family, they would be able to arrogantly be her supporters from behind. However, in the capital, it was different. One could randomly throw a stick into the streets and end up hitting someone from the imperial family. Thus, the Yu Family¡¯s status was nothing to be remarked upon.


    In other people¡¯s eyes, the fact that a daughter from the Yu Family was able to marry into Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household was a grand and glorious thing. Clearly, it was their immense fortune. Yu Hai, on the other hand, could only silently pray that Royal Prince Yang would stay true to his words and give his youngest daughter the happy life that she deserved.


    Since Xiaocao was still young, Zhu Junyang insisted on waiting until the littless turned eighteen before marrying her. Thus, they only finished up to the giving of betrothal gifts and bride price in the ¡®six rites¡¯. As for the three remaining rites, that would have to be done two yearster.


    Just the first three rites required almost two months to finish in order to show just how much Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate regarded the female side. Now, the entire capital knew that Royal Prince Yang had been earmarked by Xiaocao.


    At this time, news of war came back from the northwest border of the empire. When the Great Ming Dynasty was first established, the emperor emeritus dealt with war at all of the borders. Thus, at that time, he had kept an iron grasp on the northern and northwestern borders. After the Jianwen Emperor ascended the throne, he slowly rxed their grip on the borders as the country needed to recover from years of warfare and slowly build up themoner base. The Turpans at the northwestern borders and the Qinghai Mongols all secretly began to amass possible and often skirmished with the Great Ming soldiers at the borders.


    After the old and young Zhao generals were stationed at the northwest, they managed to obtain a few victories in a row. The two foreign states had eaten a few losses, so they became quiet for a few more years. Now, they could no longer wait anymore and wanted to bite off arge piece of territory from the Great Ming Dynasty. Under ordinary circumstances, with the two Zhao generals there, who were very experienced at warfare, these two invaders would only be dancing clowns in front of them.


    However, the foreign invaders had somehow managed to send in a spy into the armies stationed at the northwestern border. Furthermore, this spy had managed to hide himself from everyone and had be the right hand man of one of the assistant generals. When the spy received some hinting from his old masters, he somehow managed to poison all of the high-ranking generals and officers within the Great Ming¡¯s northwestern army. Although this poison wasn¡¯t enough to immediately kill these people, it was enough to cause some damage to the Zhao Family¡¯s two generals.


    Seizing this situation, the Turpans and Mongols struck using a pincer attack. The northwestern army, now without anypetent leaders, immediately suffered a huge loss. In a short period of time, about a month, the Turpans managed to conquer Kurpal City and the northwestern army had no choice but to retreat. Following that, the Turpans struck further into the empire and the Great Ming Empire lost a few other cities. By the time the emperor received this news eight hundred kilometers away, the situation had already turned urgent and the Great Ming¡¯s army had already retreated to Jiayuguan City.


    This was the first time since the Great Ming Dynasty was established that they had suffered such a loss at the borders. The emperor was furious and immediately sent out Royal Prince Yang after appointing him Great General Zhengxi. He brought with him the soldiers from Xishan Barracks and a hundred thousand people from the Yulin Army to reinforce the northwestern army.


    As the proverb said, ¡®Before an army moves, one must first consider the supply train¡¯. If this had happened five years earlier, the emperor naturally wouldn¡¯t have dared to send all of these men out to war. However, now that Yu Xiaocao was here and the empire¡¯s storehouses were now filled with grain from the past few bumper years, themoners had plenty and the national treasury was full. Even if the warsted for three to five years, the emperor wouldn¡¯t have to worry about running out of supplies and money.


    The task of preparing and transporting the supplies had fallen upon Minister Liu and Yu Xiaocao from the Ministry of Revenue. Since the northern parts of the country had been given high-yielding seeds first, they now had arge supply of grain stored there. Thus, getting enough food to supply an army a hundred thousand strong was merely a small appetizer. As for the official in charge of transporting the grain, that had fallen onto Count Zhongqin, Fang Zizhen.


    The reasoning for this appointment was simple. The Fang Family was now rted in marriage to Great General Zhengxi and they also had a master-disciple rtionship with General Zhao in the northwest army. Thus, Fang Zizhen wouldn¡¯t try doing any tricks in dying help to those two people.


    When Xiaocao found out that Grandfather Zhao and Uncle Zhao had both been poisoned, she immediately went to work. She stayed up the entire night to craft a few bottles filled with detoxifying pills that had been enhanced with mystic-stone water. Furthermore, she was worried that her fianc¨¦ might get injured in the uing war. Thus, she personally made some pills and balms to treat internal and external injuries.


    The little divine stone had helped her by teaching her a few elementary methods of concocting medicines that it had learned in its other dimension. Although Xiaocao could only use ordinary ingredients, ordinary medicine furnaces and fires to make these pills, the medicines she made were all at least ten times more effective than the other pills made in this world. With the addition of mystic-stone water in these medicines, their efficacy was naturally quite good.


    For example, it didn¡¯t matter how severe an external injury was as long as it wasn¡¯t a fatal strike. As long as that person used a pill to treat external injuries, the bleeding would immediately stop and the person could bounce around like normal in two days. As for the pills used to treat internal injuries, it wouldn¡¯t be too far-fetched to im that it could bring the dead back to life. As long as one breath remained in that person, taking a pill could help them preserve their life.


    [1] match the birthdates - A type of fortune telling that is used to predict the future of that couple-to-be.


    [2] Jianwen Emperor - the title of the current emperor

 Chapter 628 – Leaving on a Journey

    <h4>Chapter 628 - Leaving on a Journey</h4>


    When Yu Xiaocao appeared in the middle of the crowd sending off the army, with dark circles under her eyes and her eyes red-rimmed from staying up the entire night, Zhu Junyang, who was seated on top of Fierce Wind, immediately spotted her.


    Today, the emperor had personallye out to send off these troops. Just as he finished his speech, he saw the newly anointed Great General Zhengxi jumping off his horse and striding towards a certain area. The emperor looked in the direction the youth was headed towards and immediately spotted a familiar face.


    ¡°That stinky brat!¡± The emperor growled in amusement.


    Su Ran lightly chuckled and stated, ¡°Since ancient times, even heroes have a weakness for beautiful women. This is something that is quite natural for humans.¡±


    Su Ran also looked in that direction and spotted Xiaocao, who had a worried and anxious expression on her face. The littless had just been engaged to Royal Prince Yang, yet the prince had to enter the battlefield right now. It wasn¡¯t surprising that she was worried. The foreign invaders at the northwestern borders were all fierce and vicious warriors who weren¡¯t afraid of death. Although Royal Prince Yang was incredibly brave and strong, the battlefield was full of hidden dangers. Who could guarantee that nothing bad would happen to him? If the prince had met an untimely end, the littless would naturally be quite heartbroken and would likely decide to stay alone for the rest of her life...Su Ran¡¯s heart suddenly felt ufortable at this thought and an idea sprouted in his head.


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, this subject asks to be sent to observe the army this time!¡± Su Ran suddenly bowed with his hands together as he volunteered himself.


    Zhu Junfan was caught by surprise by this request. He didn¡¯t understand what his chief steward was asking for and instead thought that Su Ran was afraid that his younger cousin might have disloyal thoughts after gaining so much power. He hurriedly said, ¡°Chief Steward Su, we have full confidence and trust in Royal Prince Yang. There¡¯s no need for you to keep an eye on him and the army, right?¡±


    Su Ran replied solemnly, ¡°This subject also believes that Royal Prince Yang is loyal to the bones. However, recently, the hidden soldiers have gotten information that there are some people who are quite unhappy with how the army was arranged this time. Imperial Majesty, you currently don¡¯t have any other projects for me, so there¡¯s really no point in me staying in the capital. It¡¯s probably better for me to also go along this time!¡±


    ¡°Those so-called generals who helped to establish the empire all have too much idle time on their hands. All they do is gossip and grumble all day, like a bunch of gossipy old women. Alright, then go along with the army ah! Our younger cousin is truly like an unstable bomb that could explode at any time. Although he¡¯s had Xiaocao keeping him in check thesest two years and hasn¡¯t lost control, there¡¯s no guarantee that he might not lose himself in the bloody environment of the battlefield. With you there, there will at least be someone who can control him! In actuality, I was thinking about letting thatss Xiaocao go along as that would be more secure...¡± The emperor suddenly came up with an absurd idea of wanting to send Yu Xiaocao, who was Great General Zhengxi¡¯s special medicine, along with the army.


    Su Ran hurriedly interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t, please don¡¯t! Although thatss is braver than most, she¡¯s still a maiden. The battlefield is full of vicious sights and scary beasts. I¡¯d be surprised if she wasn¡¯t scared silly after seeing something like that. If you gave out the order, I¡¯m pretty sure Royal Prince Yang would have a falling out with you right then and there. What do you think?¡±


    The emperor rubbed at the tip of his nose and recalled just how much his younger cousin liked the littless. It was very likely that the prince would cause a ruckus if he did exactly that. Zhu Junfan coughed and said, ¡°We were just mentioning a thought. What are you so nervous for? Could it be that you...¡±


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, this subject views Xiaocao as my younger sister!¡± Su Ran hastily interrupted the emperor to stop him from finishing that thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what we were referring to, alright? Why are you acting so off as if you¡¯re feeling unconfident about something?¡± Zhu Junfan eyed his chief steward from head to toe. That fellow had a handsome figure, red lips with spotlessly white teeth, and an elegant schrly demeanor. If one forgot the fact that he wasn¡¯t a whole man anymore, he would absolutely be considered an incredibly handsome specimen. However, after all, he was still someone who had that alteration done. Could it be...that eunuchs could also end up liking women?


    ¡°When has this official ever been unconfident? Imperial Majesty, you¡¯re the one looking too much into this!¡± Su Ran once again returned to his usual calm and unruffled image and looked towards that littless, whose eyes were full of worry, ¡°If she didn¡¯t care about my awkward status, this eunuch would truly like to make her my younger sister officially...¡±


    ¡°Mhm! We also believe that could be feasible!¡± The emperor sent another piercing gaze at him as he nodded, ¡°When my eldest son passes his adulthood ceremony, we will abdicate from the throne and be a leisurely emperor emeritus, bringing the empress along to tour thends. As for you? You should hurry up and finish training up your disciples and their disciples. When the timees, if you want toe along with us you can. If you don¡¯t, then you can have your younger sister Yu Xiaocao provide for you in your retirement.¡±


    Su Ran was already used to the emperor asionally spouting off weird ideas. Although his heart clearly yearned for the ordinary lifestyle of ordinary people, this was just wishful thinking on his end. He didn¡¯t want thatss Xiaocao to be affected by malicious gossip rted to him. Thus, this was only a passing thought for him.


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, when the eldest imperial prince turns twenty, this subject will not be quite forty. That¡¯s probably too early to retire, right?¡± He watched as the little maiden cried openly in the arms of Royal Prince Yang. This littless always revealed her true, sincere self around people and never seemed to care about other people¡¯s opinions about her. Perhaps, the emperor¡¯s ideas weren¡¯t so far fetched after all.


    The emperor and Chief Steward Su both focused on one figure¡ª¡ªZhu Junyang, who was currently tightly hugging Xiaocao¡¯s trembling shoulders against his chest. He could only use his words to try tofort her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this prince is extremely skilled. Can¡¯t you believe in me? Don¡¯t worry ah, the medicines you have given me won¡¯t even have to be used. This prince wille backpletely whole and safe. Not even a single hair on my body will be gone!¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s voice sounded a bit stuffed, ¡°A person sheds around a dozen or so hairs a day. Thus, your im that not even a single hair will be gone is just something you¡¯re using to trick me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, this prince may trick other people but I would never try to trick you! This prince will use all of my skills to make sure Ie back safe and sound, without a single injury. Furthermore, I also have the highly skilled Head Steward Liu and Dong Dali with me this time. This prince will also have a gun at my side. Even the most stubborn enemy can¡¯t possibly get the upper hand against this prince now.¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that when the littless raised up her face, her eyes were wet with tears and had turned bright red, like a small bunny¡¯s. A pang went through his heart. He silently vowed, ¡®Going forward, I need to make sure to protect her well and prevent her from shedding even one tear.¡¯


    ¡°Are the firearms barracks going this time too? Howe I didn¡¯t see Zhang Yao, Liu Xin or the others?¡± Zhang Yao and Liu Xin were captains of their squadrons within the firearms barracks. Last year, these two had apanied them along with their soldiers to the northern border. They had been in charge of the safety of their small courtyard residence. Thus, Xiaocao still remembered them.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly whispered into her ear, ¡°The firearms barracks have already set out to head out to reinforce the army. Perhaps, by the time this prince arrives at the northwest, the war will already be over! Don¡¯t cry. How can this prince leave without any worries when I see you cry?¡±


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll stop crying!¡± Yu Xiaocao used the back of her hand to wipe away the remaining tears in her eyes. She sniffled a few times and then said, ¡°Then you absolutely have to be very, very careful on the battlefield. You need to keep the medicine I gave you on hand at all times, and don¡¯t be stingy with using it...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! These medicines were all made by you staying up all night. This prince will definitely keep them safe on me. When you get back, you need to catch up on your sleep right away. Look at those dark circles of yours, you¡¯re almost a panda at this point!¡± Zhu Junyang attempted to be witty in order to drive away the mncholy in his littless.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head obediently. She still raised her head to look into his phoenix eyes as she was notpletely convinced. She sternly stated, ¡°You need to take good care of yourself. If anything bad happens to you, don¡¯t even think that I¡¯ll obediently stay by your side! I will use the fastest speed possible to find someone else to marry. Thus, your many years of waiting will all go to waste!¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s handsome face immediately darkened and his heroic brows furrowed into a deep frown. He lowered his head speedily to steal a little kiss from his adorable yet hateful littless. He coldly huffed, ¡°This prince will never give you that opportunity! Just obediently wait for this prince toe back and marry you. Eat a little more in the meantime. This prince doesn¡¯t like gnawing on pork chops!!¡±


    ¡°Shoo shoo! Just who are you calling a pork chop? You disgusting pervert! Tell me the truth! Do you prefer women who are plump and curvy? If you dare to like some other woman, I will make sure to poison your two beautiful eyes until they¡¯re blind!!¡± Yu XIaocao lowered her head to nce at the small dumplings on her chest as she snarled angrily.


    ¡°Women are truly too frightening when they get angry ah! Is it toote for this prince to regret my decision?¡± Zhu Junyang revealed an expression full of remorse.


    Yu Xiaocao forcefully pinched his sturdy and muscr waist, ¡°Regret your decision if you dare!! You told me before that in the future you¡¯ll listen to everything I say. Then...I solemnlymand you today: Come back safe and sound for me!! Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I receive yourmand, Lady Wife!¡± Zhu Junyang seriously agreed to her request.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! With me, this expert, keeping an eye on things in addition to Royal Prince Yang¡¯s impressive skills, the only people who are able to harm him are still in their mothers¡¯ wombs!¡± Su Ran had openly eavesdropped on the two of them as he had been standing next to them for quite a while. He almost burst out intoughter after being amused by their previous conversation.


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this, her eyes lit up and the worry on her face immediately disappeared. She excitedly gushed, ¡°Sir Su, you will also be going to reinforce the army ah! With you by Ruizhi¡¯s side, keeping an eye on things, I canpletely rx. This time, I will have to humbly ask Sir Su to keep a closer eye on things...¡± After she finished, she solemnly gave Su Ran a ny degree bow.


    Su Ran lightly lifted her back up with a hand and smiled genially, ¡°No need to be so courteous. This is merely what I should be doing. Don¡¯t worry, if he tries to be impetuous, I will make sure to beat him for you.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao giggled simple-mindedly and said, ¡°Mhm, then I will have to count on you, sir. Zhu Junyang, you need to make sure you listen to Sir Su¡¯s proposals and you absolutely need to make your own safety a priority. As for the war, if it takes longer to win, then it takes longer. I will make sure to nt more high-yielding crops and support Great General Zhenxi with all of my might. I will be your most ardent supporter!!¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s frown deepened even more. That fellow Su Ran was truly an eyesore that kepting back. Also, thatss Xiaocao seemed to believe that eunuch wholeheartedly. He had made promises left and right and didn¡¯t relieve her worries, yet a single sentence from that loathsome fellow had made her happy. Hmph! Was this prince really not reliable ah?


    ¡°Hey! Why are you keeping an eye on the army as the army supervisor? Howe this prince had never seen such a position in the army before?¡± Zhu Junyang gritted his teeth and asked. He crossed his arms across his chest as he glowered at Su Ran.


    Su Ran nced at him with an ambiguous look in his eyes. He waved the scroll containing the official order in front of the prince¡¯s face as he slowly remarked, ¡°The emperor cares about you as you are his younger cousin. He was afraid that it¡¯d be too much work for you, so he had me go along to help you a bit. See, this was written by the emperor himself. Do you really think that it¡¯s a fake order?


    Zhu Junyang snatched the order over and noticed that the ink on the paper had just dried and still had the slight fragrance of wet ink. He knew then that the emperor had just written it. He shot a nce over in the direction of the emperor¡¯s carriage and met the mischievous eyes of his older cousin¡ª¡ªthe emperor was nning on watching a y ah! Otherwise, why would he deliberately choose Su Ran, the eye sore, to be the army supervisor when anyone else would do? It was truly infuriating!

 Chapter 629 - Oral Order

    <h4>Chapter 629 - Oral Order</h4>


    The third month of the year was the start of spring, and it was a time when all things wereing back. At a farmstead in the suburbs of the capital, the winter wheat was turning a verdant green and made all of the fields look lush and bright. The view of the fields reminded people of a beautiful ink-painting, awash with green. Xiaocao, who was dressed in a bright yellow dress, resembled the adorable and sweet looking winter jasmine flower. She gracefully stood in-between the fields as she watched the tenant farmers tending to the nts. She quietly worried about the army that was traveling to the northwest.


    ¡°Master! The emperor sent down an oral order, stating that you need to immediately go back to the capital.¡± Chunhua ran like the wind towards her, not even taking time to catch her breath as she bowed down to greet the slim figure.


    Yu Xiaocao frowned slightly and muttered somewhat to herself in a puzzled manner, ¡°An oralmand? Why did the emperor suddenly summon me back to the capital?¡±


    Yu Xiaolian, who was currently bent over in the fields pulling up weeds, hurriedly walked over when she heard the news. She quietly said, ¡°It must be something urgent. Otherwise, the emperor would just wait until you went back to summon you into the pce. I¡¯ll stay here and keep an eye on things. You should quickly head over.¡±


    The start of spring marked the busy time period for farmers. Yu Hai and his wife weren¡¯t the type of people to just sit back and rx. Thus, they brought their eldest son with them as they left the capital to go back to Tanggu well before the nting period started. Because they were afraid that their youngest daughter would be depressed after Royal Prince Yang was sent to the battlefield, they left behind Xiaolian to keep herpany. That way, she would have someone to talk to on a daily basis and distract her from fretting too much. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Xiaocao was doing work for the emperor, Yu Hai and his wife might have brought Xiaocao back to Tanggu with them.


    Princess Consort Jing also frequently invited Xiaocao over. The future inws had a very good rtionship with each other, so good that the wife of the heir often joked that her mother-inw had forgotten the old for the new. Xiaocao knew that the princess consort was worried, so in order to relieve the older woman, she always pretended to be as carefree and adorable as usual. Furthermore, she also always came with delicious medicinal cuisines for her future mother-inw. Consuming all of these foods made Princess Consort Jing glow with health from head to toe. In fact, she looked about seven to eight years younger than her actual age. It made all of the noble matrons in the capital envy her incessantly and created even more interest in the future Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House.


    The wife of the heir had also benefited from her mother-inw¡¯s rtionship with Xiaocao. After eating a bellyful of delicious and nourishing foods, her body was also at the peak of health. Her belly, which hadn¡¯t had any stirrings for many years, was now even carrying a child. All of the lords anddies of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had an imperial physiciane over every month to check their pulses. Last time, her pulse was normal, likely because it was too early to tell. This month, however, they had discovered that she had been pregnant for more than a month now.


    Princess Consort Jing repeatedlyplimented Xiaocao, stating that she was their family¡¯s lucky star. It truly was as the head priest of Huguo Temple had stated: Good fortune follows her, bringing luck to her family and her husband¡¯s family. She hadn¡¯t even married over but she had caused a whole host of good things to happen. Not only was the princess consort¡¯s body nursedpletely back to health, but her youngest son¡¯s ¡®problem¡¯ was also fixed without requiring any medicine. Even her eldest daughter-inw had benefited from Xiaocao. It had been eight years since the wife of the heir¡¯sst child but she was now pregnant again. Sheplimented Xiaocao so much that Xiaocao was a bit embarrassed and had to avoid going to the estate for a few days.


    In order to avoid dwelling on her worries, Xiaocao threw herself into work. Originally, she could have sat back and let things happen at the Imperial ntations. However, now she ran to the Imperial ntations on an almost daily basis to manage the work there, causing all of the stewards to have no work to do. Ever since Zhu Junyang left the capital, she spent at least six days out of ten at the Imperial ntations. Naturally, she didn¡¯t spend all of her time there. Instead, she also spent some time at the neighboring farmstead, which was owned by Royal Prince Yang, and workshops on the mountain.


    Behind the farmstead, at the foot of the mountain, the outline of the workshops could already be seen. At a nce, it was obvious that these workshops would be even more grand than the farmstead. Now, other than opening a workshop to process flower teas, they were also going to open a fruit wine workshop and canning workshop. All of them were going to be under the management of Xichun.


    Thatss Xichun was bing more and more like a confident head manager. All of the workshops under her ran a tidy and efficient ship. The amount of business she had had already surpassed the amount of business that the Yu¡¯s Frozen Dessert and Pastry Shop had, which was under Yangliu. Although these couldn¡¯tpare to Hechun¡¯s ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ and Yingtao¡¯s medicine factory, the profits were still quite good.


    The maids all had good rtionships with each other but they also silentlypeted amongst themselves. At the end of the year, when they had to report on their businesses to their mistress, Xiaocao always felt like the four were quietly trying to stay ahead of the others. Each maid under her was extremely hardworking, which actually gave her, as the mistress, quite a bit of pressure!


    As for now, ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ was the business under Xiaocao¡¯s hands that made the most money as its membership system drove the noble matrons, who loved topete and brag amongst themselves, to act like bees who had seen honey. Thesedies rushed to throw money into Xiaocao¡¯s pockets. Thus, the beauty salon and its essories always had thergest profits, which made ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ the venture that made the most money for her.


    The second most profitable business had to be the pharmaceutical factory. Other than the prepared pills that treated colds, fevers, and coughs, Xiaocao was also in the process of experimenting to make a few other pills. For example, she nned on making medicines to treat insomnia, low energy, diabetes, and palpitations...under Yingtao¡¯s management, the capital¡¯s medicine factory had expanded by arge factor and all of the Tongren Medicine Halls in the northern parts of the country were now stocked with the Yu¡¯s medicinal pills. Furthermore, the Yu¡¯s wound balm was also very popr. In the eyes of other people, the pharmaceutical factory was the goose thatid the golden eggs!


    Xichun was in charge of the winery and distillery. Whether it was the pure and cold high-alcoholic drinks or the sweet and effective fruit wines that nourished a person¡¯s body, almost all of the restaurants and eateries in the capital had their products on the menu. The dried fruit and fruit canning factory had also signed an exclusive contract with the Zhou Family to provide their goods. Thus, the factory only needed to concern itself with manufacturing and the Zhou Family was in charge of sales and marketing.


    Huang Shuya had wrangled her way into being in charge of selling and marketing the dried and canned fruits. She seized the opportunity to see her idol, Yu Xiaocao, and also asked for some tips along the way. For example, she learned how to use holiday sales, limiting products on the market, starvation marketing tactics, etc. With her idol pointing out a few ideas, it caused her to have a lightbulb go off in her head. Thus, she began her journey on the road of bing a strong, independent woman. Naturally, in her heart, Yu Xiaocao had also be a figure like a god now.


    The frozen desserts and pastry store that Yangliu was in charge of was also doing quite well and caused many people to eye it with jealousy. However,pared to the other businesses under her fellow friends¡¯ hands, it was the least profitable. But, she was obsessed with cooking and baking, so she wasn¡¯t down about this at all.


    Xiaocao was nning on putting the medicinal cuisine restaurant under her management. Thus, Yangliu was currently in closed-door cultivation, learning how to cook ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ perfectly. Her mistress didn¡¯t care about how expensive the ingredients were to allow her to practice. Yangliu had a gift for cooking, so in about a month, her ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ had already reached about seventy to eighty percent of the perfection of her mistress¡¯s. If she was able to get the timing and heat down right, then she could truly graduate from this training.


    Uh...apparently we had gone off topic. Back to Xiaocao, who was often ¡®neglecting sleep and forgetting about eating¡¯ at the Imperial ntations. The emperor had something he needed to see her for, so he had no choice but to send an eunuch out to the suburbs to transmit his oralmand.


    The emperor had been in a bad mood recently. His right hand, Su Ran, had left. Although Su Ran¡¯s disciples and grand disciples were all quite good, they still didn¡¯t have the natural connection that he had with Su Ran. It wasn¡¯t something that could be cultivated in just a day or two. Thus, Zhu Junfan often felt that getting things done was not smooth as before, so he had a belly full of rage now. He was nning on letting it all out once Chief Steward Su came back.


    Xiaocao galloped at top speed the entire way there and didn¡¯t even bother to wash up or change her clothes before she entered the imperial city. The jade tile, which had been carved with a dragon on top, allowed her to go through all of the checkpoints without any problems. She directly entered the imperial study. The emperor was currently seated at his desks, frowning as he stared at the official documents in front of him.


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, Miss Yu is outside waiting!¡± The direct sessor that Su Ran had trained, Su Chi, quietly reminded the emperor as he nced at his master cautiously.


    ¡°Quickly allow her toe in!¡± Zhu Junfan straightened his body and leaned back in his chair. His face was full of fatigue. These were truly troubled times. War had started at the northwest border and the northeast border was starting to be restless too. Then there was the stud farm there...


    ¡°Greetings to the emperor...¡± Xiaocao hadn¡¯t even finished her official greeting before Zhu Junfan stopped her in her tracks.


    ¡°Alright, no need to act so falsely meek! Take this document and look at it for yourself!¡± Zhu Junfan took a sip of his already cold coffee and his frown became deeper. Should he change out the chefs in his private kitchen? They couldn¡¯t even brew a cup of coffee properly. Why couldn¡¯t the coffee they made taste as good and fragrant as the one he had at the Yu Residence?


    Yu Xiaocao obediently received the official document and flipped through it casually. Apparently, now that the stud farm at the borders had obtained some good breeding stock from the wild horses, it provoked the actions of some foreign tribes and they started to scheme against them. However, with the detoxifying pills that Xiaocao left behind as well as the well water that she had altered to contain some weak spiritual energy, the usual plots that could be used against them weren¡¯t effective against the horses at the ranch at all.


    However, at the time, Zhu Junyang was afraid of having her act too conspicuously, so the pills that Xiaocao left behind and the well water could only do so much. Counteracting the normal sort of poisons could be done, but there were all sorts of weird venoms and toxins to be had in the world. Thus, it wasn¡¯t hard to concoct poisons that were out of the ordinary that normal detoxifying pills couldn¡¯t cure.


    This time, the stud farm had hit a hard rock. Other than the head stallion of the wild herd, Snow Scar, and the extremely intelligent ck Whirlwind, who had dodged this crisis with their heightened sense of danger, the rest of the horses at the farm had fallen into a trap.


    It looked like the rest of the horses had be infected with a type of horse gue. They had fevers, pulmonary edema, and internal bleeding. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they had special fodder, the well water with spiritual energy, and the detoxifying pills, then it was likely that the only horses remaining now would be Snow Scar and ck Whirlwind.


    Even though this problem was discovered early and they had treated these horses with a lot of well water and pills, there were still a few older and weaker horses who had died from this. The most tricky problem was that the disease afflicting these horses was now resisting the effects of the detoxifying pills and gradually destroying the horses¡¯ bodies. If this continued on, it was likely that...


    A spark of anger and anxiety twined within Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart. The stud farm was her fianc¨¦¡¯s, Zhu Junyang¡¯s, special project that he had poured his heart and soul into. She had stayed at the borders for almost half a year and it could be said that she had watched the farm slowly grow into what it was today. As for the horses at the ranch, she had a deep rtionship with a lot of them. She absolutely couldn¡¯t allow their special project to fall apart just like that. She also couldn¡¯t allow her fianc¨¦, who was on the battlefield risking his life for his country, toe backter and find out that his project had been utterly destroyed!


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, please send down your orders ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao was now very clear as to why the emperor had summoned her today. She held the documents in her hand as she steadily stared at Zhu Junfan.


    Originally, Zhu Junfan had prepared all sorts of arguments to convince her. Now he knew that he had thought too much. However, he nced at Su Chi, who was standing at the side, and said, ¡°We know that Beloved Official Yu has the ability to concoct medicines that are heavenly in effect and that you are quite skilled at diagnosing and treating. Thus, we were nning on sending you along with a few famous veterinarians there...¡±


    He paused for a second before continuing, ¡°We suspect that those foreign tribes have an expert at concocting poisons on their side. However, why would he send a poison that mimics a horse gue instead of directly killing the animals in one shot? This is quite suspicious and requires more thinking!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was quite clever and slightly furrowed her brows as she thought out loud, ¡°Imperial Majesty, what you¡¯re trying to say is that the poison that they snuck into the farm is just a bait. Just who are they trying to bait out with this?¡±

 Chapter 630 - Disguise Oneself

    <h4>Chapter 630 - Disguise Oneself</h4>


    Zhu Junfan nodded and said, ¡°The person who had set the poison has already been caught. The perpetrator was one of the first set of people who had been recruited to take care of the horses. It¡¯s said that he¡¯s normally very obedient and looked like an honest and loyal man. Usually, he didn¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary either. Who would have thought that he had hidden for so long and only came out now?¡±


    Zhu Junfan had already made sure to deeply investigate all of the people who worked at the stud farm and they had actually managed to pull out a few people who had suspicious backgrounds. However, these people didn¡¯t have the chance to do anything before they had all gotten caught.


    ¡°Steward Yan from the stud farm stated that he had once lost one of the detoxifying pills. After interrogating the culprit, he admitted that he had secretly sent out the farm¡¯s fodder and pills to his master. If the enemy has an expert medicinal chemist who is good at making poisons, it¡¯s possible that he has figured out the secrets to these pills and fodder. Thus, that is why they made this deeply hidden spy reveal himself and cause this cmity.¡±


    Zhu Junfan wasn¡¯tpletely sure whether or not his deduction this time was correct. After all, Yu Xiaocao was his younger cousin¡¯s sweetheart. If anything ever happened to her, it was more than likely that his cousin would ughter his way up to the throne to beat his ass...however, the stud farm at the border was not only Zhu Junyang¡¯s special project, but it was also something that he himself had looked forward to. Didn¡¯t every leader of a country long for a rich empire with a strong army?


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, from what you¡¯re saying, it looks like the reason why they caused this problem was to bring me out to take the bait? However, the detoxifying pills and horse fodder had all gone through Ruizhi¡¯s hands to Steward Yan¡¯s. How could a small horse groom find out just who made these things?¡± While she was at the horse farm, Zhu Junyang was afraid of making her too conspicuous and acted as a smokescreen for her the entire time. Did she still end up raising the suspicions of these foreign enemies?


    Zhu Junfan ced his long, slender fingers onto the desk and solemnly said, ¡°That spy stated that Junyang, you, and Chief Steward Su had been marked as the most likely targets. Your appearances, personalities and clothing preferences have all been transmitted out to them. This time, whoever goes out, will be marked as the person who made the medicines. The other side had already sent down orders: Do your best to catch the person alive. If it¡¯s too hard to keep them alive, then kill them!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and said, ¡°So from what you¡¯re saying, this particr mission is quite dangerous! This official strongly requests that if I¡¯m to take this mission, the money given should be increased by a few fold...¡±


    ¡°In actuality, you could also make the detoxification pills at your residence and then we will send guards to transport it over!¡± Zhu Junfan paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°You are a trusted aide and official. The people of this empire need you ah!¡±


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, please don¡¯t say it like that! This official¡¯s goosebumps have risen! This official is only a small, insignificant farming girl, so please don¡¯t put the pressure of all of the people on my head. I¡¯m a weak and tender maiden and cannot handle such lofty responsibilities!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was now used to acting silly around this old transmigrator friend of hers. Su Ran had already gotten used to her antics but the little eunuch, Su Chi, was so shocked that his eyeballs almost fell out of his head¡ª¡ªthere was actually someone who dared to speak this way to the emperor. Did she feel like she had lived for too long?


    Zhu Junfan red at Su Chi and then continued to converse with Xiaocao, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re nning on starting to hybridize rice nts at the Imperial ntations, right? We don¡¯t have high expectations. As long as these new rice paddies are able toe up to a thousand catties per mu, then we will be satisfied!¡±


    Su Chi¡¯s eyes widened even further, ¡®A thousand catties per mu, wasn¡¯t this expectation a bit too high? Did you want to force Official Yu into a death sentence ah?¡¯ As the young eunuch thought about this, he looked sympathetically towards that slender and delicate looking girl.


    However, he would have never expected that the young maiden, who he was sympathizing with, would actually boldly state, ¡°Super high-yielding hybrid rice strains can already produce three thousand catties per mu. Thus, there¡¯s no reason why I can¡¯t end up producing a hybrid rice that can get up to a thousand catties per mu!¡±


    ¡®Three thousand catties per mu? Miss Yu, are you sure you¡¯re not dreaming? Right now, rice paddies that produce three hundred catties per mu only happen during a prosperous year, alright? The emperor is letting his imagination run wild, so you should be bringing him down back to reality. Instead, you¡¯re dreaming the same dream as he is. When the timees and you¡¯re unable to make good on your promise, wouldn¡¯t that be a crime of ¡®deceiving the monarch¡¯ ah?¡¯


    Before his master had left, he had repeatedly reminded him that he needed to pay more attention to the Yu Residence and Miss Yu. If they encountered any difficulties, he should help them if he could. However, what was he supposed to do now? Was he supposed to stop Miss Yu in front of the emperor and have her take back her words? ¡®Master, ah, master. This task you set upon me is too hard. This disciple can¡¯t do it ah!¡¯


    ¡°When you say it like that, we truly don¡¯t want you to take any risks anymore...¡± Jiangnan had a lot ofnd suitable for rice cultivation. If the rice paddy yields could go up, then all of the people in the Great Ming Empire would be fortunate! Zhu Junfan now regretted his previous decision.


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes shifted a bit as she replied, ¡°Not a problem. This official can pretend to go. I don¡¯t know whether, within the hidden guards, if there are any suitable soldiers who have a simr appearance and build as me.¡±


    Zhu Junfan threw a look towards Su Chi. Before Chief Steward Su left, he had stated that all of the matters regarding the hidden guards would be temporarily given to his future sessor. This fellow should know the hidden guards like the back of his own hand.


    Su Chi immediately stepped forward to state, ¡°There are a few soldiers who have a simr build to Official Yu. However...Official Yu¡¯s skin is as pale and luminous as snow. There are probably very few people in this world who canpare to her skin quality...¡±


    What a ttering statement! Yu Xiaocao thought carefully for a bit. She didn¡¯t think she had any previous interactions with this new assistant chief steward before, so why did it seem like he was trying to curry favor with her? Eh, it didn¡¯t matter. Having someone treat her well was much more pleasing than having someone regard her with an arrogant expression.


    She smiled, ¡°Little Chief Steward Su¡¯spliments are too much! As long as you find someone withrge eyes, it doesn¡¯t matter if her skin is on the tanner side. I have some special face powder on hand. After using it, one¡¯s skin will look white and bright and it also looks extremely natural.¡±


    ¡°Official Yu, I don¡¯t dare to take the title of ¡®chief steward¡¯. If you don¡¯t dislike it, then you can call me Ah Chi instead, alright?¡± Su Chi was even more deferential towards her. His master had told him that he considered Miss Yu like a younger sister. This meant that seeing Marital Aunt Yu was like seeing his master in person.


    ¡®Ah Chi? But I¡¯m younger than you!!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao met the eyes of her old transmigrator friend¡¯s eyes and saw the mockery within his eyes. Zhu Junfan resisted the urge tough. Instead he coughed and said, ¡°Lass, address him the way that we do. Call him Little Chizi instead ah!¡±


    Su Chi peeked at Xiaocao as he thought, ¡®Although Miss Yu is younger than me, she¡¯s considered a senior since she¡¯s in the same ¡®generation¡¯ as my master. So it should be fine for her to call me ¡®Little Chizi¡¯.¡¯ Thus, he hastily agreed with the emperor¡¯s words and nodded in assent.


    Xiaocao silently roasted, ¡®Little Chizi, what a fitting name for a eunuch ah!¡¯


    ¡°Official Yu, please be at ease. This servant will definitely find someone who looks very simr to you. I will also send a few people who look simr to your maidservants from the hidden guards...Official Yu, the hidden guards have people who are skilled at disguises, which you may need when dressing up. Perhaps...¡± Su Chi took the initiative to mention that the hidden guards had people skilled in disguise.


    ¡°Looks like Little Chi...Chief Steward Chi has everything in hand. Then I will just have to thank you!¡± Yu Xiaocao vaguely felt that the reason why Su Chi was treating her so differently had to do something with Sir Su. However, his proposals truly did help make her rx a bit. Originally, she was nning on getting in contact with Medicine King Valley¡¯s Xu Ziyi and have him get her some human skin masks for her. Now it looked like she didn¡¯t need to!


    The imperial edict was sent down very quickly. Thus, the vast majority of high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital knew that Yu Xiaocao had been appointed an imperial envoy and was being sent to the stud farm at the border. Very few people knew that she was actually being sent to resolve a bad crisis there.


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, you¡¯re going off to the border to enjoy the sights of the grasnd prairie again?¡± He Wanning was over for a very particr reason. After all, one didn¡¯t visit a temple without a cause. She was here to find Xiaocao, ¡°Can¡¯t you bring me along? I¡¯ve never seen the sights at the northern border. I won¡¯t make things hard for you. I can even pretend to be one of your maidservants...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a noble maidservant. This younger sister absolutely cannot handle you!¡± Yu Xiaocao quipped, ¡°I don¡¯t think you actually want to see the sights at the border, that¡¯s just a convenient excuse for you. You clearly have an ulterior motive. Obviously, you want to have a sweet couples trip with your fianc¨¦, right?¡±


    This time, Lu Hao had been given the heavy responsibility of escorting ¡®Imperial Envoy Yu¡¯ to the northern border. He was bringing along five hundred expert soldiers from the Jin Wu guards along with the hidden guards who were disguised as Xiaocao and her maidservants. These troops were all there to create an effective smokescreen.


    He Wanning immediately turned bright red and bashfully said, ¡°Stinkyss, just what nonsense are you saying? He¡¯s going to be on an official mission, so how would he have the time to...have a sweet couples trip with me? I really just want to enjoy myself among the horses at the stud farm and see the Snow Scar and little ck Whirlwind that you¡¯ve been telling me about~¡±


    ¡°Have you gotten permission from your family yet? If Marchioness Anning and the grand princess royal agree, then I¡¯ll bring you along!¡± Yu Xiaocao also felt like that since she had to go off in disguise, she couldn¡¯t just be alone the entire time. She also needed to have more decoys along.


    She didn¡¯t know how He Wanning exined this trip to her family but she had actually managed to obtain permission from her parents and grandmother. Furthermore, she had managed to drag Yuan Xueyan along too! Did they truly think that they were out on a leisurely spring outing? However, the other girl not only brought maidservants with her but her family had also sent along a few bodyguards who were skilled at martial arts.


    Yu Xiaocao knew that this journey was incredibly important and full of danger, so she didn¡¯t bring along Yingchun or Wutong along as they had no self-defense skills. She only took along Chunhua and Qiushi as her personal maidservants. Furthermore, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate also sent along a few bodyguards who were from the hidden guards.


    On the day that they were to set off, He Wanning brought her maids and guards and arrived at Sanli Pavilion, where they had agreed upon early as their meeting spot. However, she discovered that the pavilion only had a young master who looked to be about thirteen to fourteen years old. By convention, men and women should not touch once they passed the age of seven, so she didn¡¯t take the time to look more closely and instead waited outside, not far from the building. She waited and waited. Yuan Xueyan had also appeared within the agreed upon time. However, the usually timely Yu Xiaocao, her sweetheart, and the Jin Wu guards, who were supposed to be escorting them, were not to be seen at all.


    ¡°This is so weird! Did I remember the wrong date? Today is the sixth day of the third month right? It¡¯s already past nine in the morning, but where is everyone else ah? Could it be that Younger Sister Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to bring us along and gave us the wrong time to fool us?¡± The more He Wanning spoke, the more she thought that her conjecture might be right. She angrily stomped to and fro on the road as she paced around.


    Yuan Xueyan frowned slightly and the usual cold look on her face became more serious. She nced over in the direction of the pavilion and noticed that there was a young master inside, sitting with his back as straight as a tree trunk¡¯s. It looked like he was waiting for people...


    Wait! The young master had six bodyguards behind him and two of them seemed on the shorter side. They looked a bit familiar...on a closer look, the young master, who was dressed entirely in white and had a clean lookingplexion¡ª¡ªalthough his skin was tanner, eyes a bit longer, and eyebrows a bit more heroic...but no matter whether it was his figure or physical appearance, they all gave her a sense of familiarity.

 Chapter 631 - Teasing a Woman

    <h4>Chapter 631 - Teasing a Woman</h4>


    ¡°Beautiful maiden, if you keep looking at this young master, this young master will feel shy! Since when were our capital¡¯s young maidens so warm and brazen ah?¡± That young master smiled slightly and the dimples by his lips were faintly visible. Although his voice was lowered, this deception was not enough to cloud Yuan Xueyan¡¯s sharp eyes as she had always been someone who noticed the smallest of details.


    ¡°**** your bullshit!¡± He Wanning was in an irritable mood, so as soon as she heard ¡®the youth¡¯s¡¯ glib provocations, she immediately exploded, ¡°You dare to be so frivolous and impolite at such a young age! You¡¯ve got some stupid guts to try to tease this old maid¡¯s good sister. Today, this maiden will have to punish you in your parents¡¯ stead, you little brat!¡±


    ¡°Oh ho ho! This young master is oh so scared ah! If you have the skills, thene over ah? Although you¡¯re not as beautiful as your sister, it¡¯s still enough to catch my eye! This master will dly take you as you rush into my arms!¡± The young master dressed in white opened up the fan in his hands. The words ¡®the most handsome under the heavens¡¯ had been written on the fan. The youngster waved the fan around in a theatrical manner, covering the wide smile on his face.


    ¡°Yu! Xiao! Cao! You get your butt down here for this older sister. Come! Here!¡± Yuan Xueyan blocked He Wanning, who was about to rush over to fight the white-clothed youngster with a whip in her hand. She sneered as she addressed the robed youngster in the pavilion.


    ¡°Yu Xiaocao? Are you saying that the little brat over there is our Younger Sister Xiaocao? That can¡¯t be true, right? Younger Sister Xiaocao¡¯s skin is so pale that it looks transparent. Although he is also pale, the shade of his skin is about two levels tanner! Also, his eyes look different. Our Younger Sister Xiaocao has round andrge eyes. Although his eyes are alsorge, they nt upward...¡± He Wanning searchingly looked at the young master who was clothed in white, trying to find simrities between him at Xiaocao. She had to admit that it did seem like there were some simrities between the two.


    ¡°The jianghu has a type of odd ability called changing appearance art. Although the appearance has changed, the feeling that this person gives off is quite familiar. The only reason you didn¡¯t sense it is because you¡¯re as dense as a block of wood!¡± Yuan Xueyan couldn¡¯t help but give a verbal stab towards her good friend.


    ¡°Oh my oh my! I¡¯ve been exposed so quickly! Not fun at all!¡± Yu Xiaocao folded up the fan in her hands and stood up from the stone bench she was sitting on at the pavilion. She quickly went down the steps and gleefully went towards the two older sisters.


    ¡°It really is you?!¡± He Wanning put away the whip in her hand and rushed forward. She circled around Xiaocao a few times and looked her up and down for a long time. She tsked as she said, ¡°Who helped you to alter your appearance? Truly some good work. I couldn¡¯t tell at all that you¡¯re a young maiden. In fact, you¡¯re remarkably like an arrogant and infuriating young master who had been spoiled rotten by his family.¡±


    ¡°But of course! This young master has plenty of talented people around me! There¡¯s no one I can¡¯t find that you cane up with!¡± Yu Xiaocao arrogantly raised her head until her nose was pointed towards the sky.


    Yuan Xueyan hit her in the back of the head with her fan and coldly huffed, ¡°Which family are you from, Young Master? Who gave you the guts to tease us older sisters?¡±


    ¡°Aiyo! Older Sister Yuan, you are too cruel ah! Don¡¯t you know that women shouldn¡¯t hit a man¡¯s head ah? And you guys! Just how are you all bodyguards? The master has been attacked but you don¡¯t even try to protect me!!¡± Yu Xiaocao turned around to holler at her Chunhua and Qiushi, who had also been disguised as the opposite sex, but the mirth in her eyes didn¡¯t decrease one bit.


    Chunhua and Qiushi giggled and replied, ¡°Young Master, we were wrong!¡±


    ¡°A man¡¯s head cannot be touched eh? Well I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going to touch it, you little swindler!¡± He Wanning rushed forward and took advantage of her height to cause havoc on Xiaocao¡¯s head with her hand. Xiaocao¡¯s head, which originally didn¡¯t have a single hair out of ce, was now as messy as a bird¡¯s nest.


    The three friendsughed as they fooled around and then sat down in the pavilion. He Wanning regarded Xiaocao¡¯s confident and leisurely manner as she waved her fan idly around with pure envy. She spoke in a cozying tone, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, do you think I can also disguise myself as a man? I think it¡¯s more convenient to walk around in that way!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister He, you still need to disguise yourself?¡± Yu Xiaocao nced at He Wanning in surprise. The amusement in her eyes could not be hidden.


    He Wanning had a puzzled look on her face as she asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Yuan Xueyan immediately inserted a verbal knife, ¡°She¡¯s saying that you don¡¯t need to disguise yourself to look manly!¡±


    ¡°You stinkyss, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s manly! Just watch as I sink my ws into you...¡± He Wanning stretched out her two hands and there was an evil grin on her face as she stepped closer and closer towards Xiaocao.


    ¡°Look! Your boyfriend is here!!¡± There was never too much deception in war. Yu Xiaocao casually pointed in the direction of the capital and He Wanning¡¯s attention was immediately redirected.


    ¡°Eh? The young maiden in the middle of the troops looks quite a lot like you! Her eyes are so big and her skin is so luminous. She¡¯s even wearing bright and colorful clothing. If I wasn¡¯t so familiar with you, I really might have mistaken that person as you ah!¡± He Wanning looked first at Lu Hao, who was seated straight on arge horse. He looked quite strong and imposing. When she moved her line of sight, she noticed a familiar slender and delicate looking figure, which caused her eyes to widen in surprise.


    Yu Xiaocao looked in the same direction that her friend was. She chewed merrily on a soft fruit candy as she gestured, ¡°Wow! I finally got to see what Official Yu looks like. It¡¯s exactly as the rumors say. Official Yu is so pale that she¡¯s the same shade of noodles that have just been fished out of the noodle vat.¡±


    ¡°Pu-chiiiiii¡ª¡ª¡± He Wanning burst out intoughter and pointed at her as she guffawed, ¡°The same shade of noodles that have just been fished out of the noodle vat? Is there anyone else who would describe themselves in such a hrious manner? Wait wait...you...you...just what are you doing? That faker is Official Yu, so who are you?¡±


    ¡°Me? This young master is bringing along two great beauties to go on a leisurely trip, enjoy the sights, and have a taste of the charms of the wild and rough grasnds. After all, I am the youngest son from Imperial Prince Sa¡¯s Estate, Royal Prince Guo!¡± Once again, Xiaocao snapped open the fan in her hands, revealing the words ¡®the most handsome under the heavens¡¯ in an effort to show off her distinguished and elegant side.


    ¡°Older Sister He, Older Sister Yuan!¡± The ¡®faker¡¯ as He Wanning termed had noticed the two great beauties within Sanli Pavilion and smiled brightly as she jumped off her date-red horse. She bounced over in a lively manner with two adorable dimples at the side of her lips, which really made her resemble Xiaocao.


    ¡°Pshhhhh¡ª¡ª¡± He Wanning noticed that the fake Xiaocao¡¯s face was an unnatural shade of white and suddenly thought of the description ¡®noodles that have just been fished out of the noodle vat¡¯. She truly thought that it was quite amusing and couldn¡¯t stop the smile from forming on her lips. If it wasn¡¯t for Xiaocao elbowing her from the side, she likely would have burst out into mirthfulughter.


    ¡°Older Sister He, why are youughing ah?¡± The fake Xiaocao opened her eyes wide and looked in puzzlement at He Wanning. The acting skills of this person was quite good, so she was going to get an extra chicken leg for lunch!


    Yuan Xueyan already understood what was going on and smiled faintly at the ¡®Yu Xiaocao¡¯ who dressed in a bright red riding habit, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, she¡¯sughing because she¡¯s happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Yuan, where are you all nning on going to? And this young master is...¡± ¡®Yu Xiaocao¡¯ looked towards the real one and the confused look on her face didn¡¯t look fake at all. This person truly was worthy of bing a ¡®film empress¡¯!


    ¡°I am Royal Prince Guo from Imperial Prince Sa¡¯s Estate. I¡¯ve invited these two older sisters out to go hunting at the border! Who would have thought that we¡¯d encounter Official Yu at Sanli Pavilion. I¡¯ve long looked forward to meeting you!¡± Yu Xiaocao earnestly conversed with ¡®Official Yu¡¯.


    ¡°Oh so you¡¯re Older Sister He¡¯s younger maternal cousin ah! We are also going to the northern border. If you don¡¯t disdain it, how about we travel together on this journey?¡± ¡®Official Yu¡¯ warmly gave them an invitation.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t very fond of using the term ¡®on this journey¡¯ . She squeezed out a fake smile and said, ¡°No need, we¡¯re still waiting for a friend...¡±


    She wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence when a gentle voice interrupted, ¡°Forgive me for getting herete. I made Younger Brother and these two maidens wait for me!¡±


    ¡°You are all too much. Going out to y at the northern border but you didn¡¯t even invite me, Third Young Master Ning!¡± The voice of the fool, Ning Donghuan, could also be heard.


    The three good friends looked at each other, all thinking, ¡®Why are the Ning Brothers here?¡¯


    ¡°Did you invite these two?¡± He Wanning quietly asked Yu Xiaocao, who was disguised as a boy.


    Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders at her two friends and opened out her hands. Her actions made it clear, ¡®Only devils would know why these two brothers are here at this ce. It wasn¡¯t this young master who invited them, alright?¡¯


    ¡°Miss He, Miss Yuan,¡± Ning Donn was dressed entirely in white and his long, jet-ck hair flowed down his back with a small portion of it confined in a copper cor. He looked like the epitome of a gentle and elegant young man. He turned to face Xiaocao and smiled slightly, ¡°Younger Brother, this Older Brother arrivedte. I ept my fault!¡±


    ¡°Older Brother! Just when did you be familiar with such a younger fellow?¡± Ning Donghuan sidled over and carelessly reached out to touch Xiaocao¡¯s hair, which had just beenbed back into order. She immediately dodged his attempt.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a rude fellow! Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re not supposed to touch a man¡¯s head or a woman¡¯s waist ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao lowered her voice as she scolded him, but she was unable to disguise the youthfulness from her voice. However, her current appearance, as she red furiously at Ning Donghuan, quite resembled a young youth who was only around twelve to thirteen years of age. Thus, having a somewhat childish voice was still within the realm of possibility.


    ¡°Bwahaha!¡± Ning Donghuanughed much more boldly than He Wanning. He held his belly as he snickered, ¡°You? Your whiskers haven¡¯t even grown yet, so how can you be considered ¡®a man¡¯. Look! This young master¡¯s appearance is what is considered a man!¡± As he spoke, he rolled up a sleeve and flexed his arm muscles.


    Yu Xiaocao sneered andughed, ¡°Haha! A white poached chicken like you dares to call himself a man? A real man is someone like my...older paternal cousin, Royal Prince Yang. Tall, sturdy, fierce, with a body full of sinewy muscle!¡±


    Ning Donghuan didn¡¯t want to back down but he didn¡¯t dare to refute Royal Prince Yang¡¯s fierce reputation. He could only snort and say, ¡°Your older paternal cousin is your older paternal cousin, while you are you! If I¡¯m a white poached chicken, then you¡¯re a tiny, weak little chick!¡±


    ¡°Screw off! Don¡¯t provoke this young prince or else be careful that this young prince doesn¡¯t make my bodyguards beat you until your teeth fall out! Elder Brother Ning, why did you bring your stupid fool of a younger brother along? This fellow only causes trouble and brings no benefits. If he messes up our n, then what can we do?¡± She wasn¡¯t the one who invited the elder Young Master Ning along, but it clearly looked like he was here for a reason. Thus, it meant that there was only one other exnation¡ª¡ªNing Donn had been sent by the emperor to protect her.


    ¡°Your n? What sort of n? A travel n or is it the hunting n?¡± Ning Donghuan sidled over and asked with a voice full of curiosity.


    ¡°Last time, my older paternal cousin managed to catch a white tiger at the borders. My lord father eyed that tiger pelt enviously for a long time, so this young prince has decided to also hunt a white tiger and bring its pelt back for his birthday present!¡± Yu Xiaocao lied without blinking an eye, easily convincing Ning Donghuan without a hitch. The older youth also began to hoot, mouring that he wanted to help hunt a white tiger down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Miss Yu will be bringing her two hunting dogs along to the stud farm. If we¡¯re able to borrow them, I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be a lot easier to hunt down a white tiger.¡± Ning Donghuan was still obsessed over Xiaocao¡¯s two beloved wolf pets.


    [1] Yes, this was actually censored in the raws.


    [2] Can also mean ¡¯on the road to death¡¯.

 Chapter 632 - Long Journey

    <h4>Chapter 632 - Long Journey</h4>


    The soft spring wind of March gently brushed across her cheek. Gentle rays of sunlight shone brilliantly on the mountain. On both sides of the road were wheat fields and they were so green it looked like the nts had been dyed. It truly showed that the world was full of verdant life.


    ¡°Hey! I gotta say! The wheat seeds that Royal Princess Jinan bred are not that bad. Our entire north has been nted with it. It¡¯s said that the previously fertile and plentiful Jiangsu area is now envying the people in the north. Not only are they able to eat enough to fill their stomachs but they can also, from time to time, enjoy the tastes of refined grain!¡±


    Ning Donghuan gazed at the bright green wheat fields with the farmers working hard in them. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a fewpliments. In actuality, as someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, how could he possibly know how hard the lives ofmoners were? In the past, being able to eat food made with white flour was considered something only the wealthy could enjoy ah! Thus, just how wretched were the lives of themoners in the north then?


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Themon people have plenty, the treasury is full, and Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s contributions cannot be forgotten ah!¡± Ning Donn agreed as he nced over in the direction of the youth dressed in white.


    ¡°But...why aren¡¯t we traveling along with Royal Princess Jinan¡¯srge entourage ah? I heard that the conditions in the north aren¡¯t always peaceful, so if we traveled together as a group, wouldn¡¯t that be more safe?¡± Ning Donghuan was a bit puzzled. Clearly, they were all headed towards the same destination and He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan were also very good friends with Royal Princess Jinan, so why were they traveling separately?


    He Wanning heard his question and immediately answered, ¡°Every time Younger Sister Xiaocao travels, she always brings along delicious snacks, fruit juices, and canned goods. Third Young Master Ning, perhaps you¡¯re more interested in the good things that Younger Sister Xiaocao brought along?¡±


    Ning Donghuan immediately rearranged his expression and stated seriously, ¡°Am I, Ning Donghuan, such a person ah? I was just curious. You two are really good friends with Royal Princess Jinan and usually inseparable from each other. Howe this time you¡¯re not with her?¡±


    ¡°In the past when we were together it was because we had agreed upon having fun together. This time Younger Sister Xiaocao is out on an official mission, so how could we muck it up for her?¡± He Wanning stated in a lofty manner.


    Ning Donghuan ¡®tsked¡¯ at her and then turned his attention to the only person he hadn¡¯t met before, the youth, ¡°Royal Prince Guo, I heard that in the past your health wasn¡¯t the best and that it was Royal Princess Jinan who helped you by giving you some medicines and writing medicinal cuisines for you. Are thatss¡¯s medical abilities even better than the imperial physicians¡¯?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao, who was currently disguised as the never before seen Royal Prince Guo, replied in a shameless manner, ¡°This young prince cannot make the judgement as to whether Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s medical skills are better than the imperial physicians¡¯. However, my imperial uncle¡¯s body and myself have all been treated by her, so she definitely has some skill!¡±


    Ning Donghuan seemed to fall into contemtion and he muttered to himself, ¡°In the future, I cannot offend thatss. Otherwise, if I have an issue with my body in the future, then I¡¯ll have no face to beg her for help.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao let out a peal ofughter, ¡°Third Young Master Ning, you are quite a practical person!¡±


    ¡°I just have a clear view of things!¡± Ning Donghuan didn¡¯t think he was doing anything wrong, ¡°However, when will Little ck and Little White have pups ah? If I could get one, then I could die contently!¡±


    Ning Donghuan¡¯s dog-fighting arena had attracted all of the rich good-for-nothings in the capital. In other people¡¯s eyes, this arena was too bloody and cruel but, in these people¡¯s eyes, it was a provoking, interesting, and entertaining area! Consequently, Ning Donghuan made quite a bit of money from this endeavor. His dog-fighting arena was now breeding fighting dogs and it had all sorts of breeds there. Even a few of the western hemisphere¡¯s sheepdogs had been brought over. However, this fellow still constantly thought about the Yu Family¡¯s two special dogs and it had be an obsession for him.


    Ning Donn didn¡¯t want to see his younger brothermit a faux pas and hurriedly interjected, ¡°In actuality, by being not too close and not too far from them is a good thing. Not only do we have some freedom but we also have the protection of the soldiers in the front. What could be better?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense!¡± Ning Donghuan also didn¡¯t want this leisurely trip to be constrained by external factors, ¡°Eh? It looks like they¡¯re nning on settling down right now? But it¡¯s still light out ah! Are we going to be like them and also spend the night outside in the wilderness?¡±


    Xiaocao looked at the color of the sky and then took out a map. After she identified where they were, she pointed towards a direction and said, ¡°There¡¯s a vige about fifteen kilometers from here. If we pick up our speed, we can get there before the sun goes down. Isn¡¯t hunkering down in a small vige better than sleeping in tents outside?¡±


    Although the weather in March was a bit warmer, it was still chilly at night, the early morning and evening. Even if they used their tents, it still wouldn¡¯t be a veryfortable night¡¯s sleep. Xiaocao was also considered half a hedonist, so why wouldn¡¯t she choose thefortable area when she had the choice?


    ¡°Oh ho! From your appearance, Royal Prince Guo, I couldn¡¯t tell that you knew so much despite not stepping a foot outside before! Where did you get a map like this from? It even has the small viges marked on it and is quite detailed!¡± Ning Donghuan had spurred his horse forward and craned over to look at the map that was full of densely crowded drawings. It was a bit overwhelming for him so he looked away within seconds.


    How could Yu Xiaocao tell him the truth? After all, she had been to and from the northern border twice and this map had been drawn after she solicited the observations of all of the people who had traveled with her. Although there were a few minor errors here and there, for the most part, this map was quite detailed and urate.


    ¡°Why does it matter where this young prince got it from? All that matters is that it¡¯s useful! Come, let¡¯spete! Let¡¯s see who can get to the vige first! The person who wins can make the person who loses do something. Do you dare to take this challenge?¡± Yu Xiaocao had gotten the attitude and arrogance of a young royal prince down perfectly. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan knew her true identity, they would have truly believed that the person in front of them was a spoiled and headstrong young master.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have the guts? Do you think I¡¯m afraid of you?¡± Ning Donghuan nced at the horse, which didn¡¯t look like much, that the prince was riding on. Naturally, he also didn¡¯t spare her tiny little figure a look either, ¡°We already made an agreement. So if you lose, don¡¯t cry and im that I, Third Young Master Ning, am bullying a child ah!¡±


    ¡°Who can be certain who will win? Your boastful words are being said too early!¡± Yu Xiaocao lightly squeezed at the horse, prompting that dusty yellow horse, which was clearly impatient earlier, to be more energetic. After receiving its master¡¯smands, it shot off like an arrow from a bow. It stretched out its four hooves and ran like the wind into the distance.


    Ning Donghuan was stunned for a moment, ¡°What the! That yellowish horse doesn¡¯t look like a heavenly steed, so why does it run so fast? However, the starting speed is of no use, the most important thing is its endurance!¡± He hadplete confidence in his purebred Dayuan horse. Even though he started a bitter, he was sure that he could easily close the gap between them and then overtake the young prince.


    Everyone was riding a horse that was of decent quality. At first, there wasn¡¯t a true difference that could be seen between them. However, after they ran five kilometers, the bodyguards were slowly being left behind and the gap between the five nobles was also increasing.


    Yu Xiaocao continued to hold onto the lead and the gap between her and the second ce horse was gettingrger andrger. Although the horses from the Yu Residence didn¡¯t look like much, they had all been raised since they were young on mystic-stone water and fodder with spiritual energy imbued in it. Thus, their bodies had been altered by the energy into ones that could easilypete with horses that were from much better bloodlines. The best example of this was Little Red.


    However, for this journey and her disguise, she couldn¡¯t bring Little Red along. Thus, that fellow was currently back in the stables at home, sulking and in a temper. It even bit some of the other horses residing there. Little Red was now the head honcho of the horses at the Yu¡¯s Residence. Whenever it was throwing a temper tantrum, the other horses would only obediently stand at the side quietly. None of them dared to even make a peep.


    This dusty yellow colored horse could only be considered one of the middle-level horses within the Yu Family¡¯s stables. In fact, its name, ¡®Golden Jadeite¡¯ was only casually given by Xiaocao when she headed out on this trip. However, this horse was clearly a male horse, but it had been given a feminine sounding name. Unfortunately, it was unable to object to this name and had even been marked by Little Red, who was jealous that it had received such an ¡®elegant and ssy¡¯ sounding name. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that it was going to head out with the master the next day, it likely would have been injured from head to toe as punishment.


    As expected, Xiaocao was the first to arrive at the vige. At this time, the sun was still hanging out at the western mountains. The bodyguards, who were in charge of finding a ce for their masters to live, had also just arrived at the vige. Xiaocao watched as one of them took out a ck colored official tile. It was rumored that these tiles were held by imperial bodyguards. Only then did she realize that other than Chunhua, Qiushi, and four of her other personal bodyguards, the rest of the guards had been sent specifically by the emperor for her. They were only borrowing the name of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate for convenience.


    ¡°Master, Vige Official Wu has already vacated a courtyard residence for you and your friends. Although the conditions are a bit crude, it is a clean ce to live. Master, please head on over.¡± This tall and sturdy looking bodyguard was surnamed Yuwen and seemed to have a body full of muscle. Just one nce was enough to tell that he wasn¡¯t someone to be pushed around.


    Yu Xiaocao waved a hand at him and said, ¡°When we¡¯re out in the open, there¡¯s no need to be too picky! Having a roof above our heads is still way better than spending the night outside. I¡¯m going to wash up first. Make sure the servants start preparing food and you all need to help this prince keep an eye out to see who exactly lost this bet.¡±


    The results came out very quickly. Ning Donghuan, who bragged earlier that he was riding a Dayuan horse, had actuallye inst. He was also incredibly surprised by this oue and repeatedly stated that he couldn¡¯t believe it. The facts spoke louder than the words and Xiaocao didn¡¯t try to embarrass him. She only had him go off to feed and water the horses. While everyone else was in the main room, happily eating their evening meal, that unfortunate fellow Ning Donghuan had be banished to be the horses¡¯ groom for the night.


    By the time he staggered over to the table, hungry and exhausted, he discovered that his fellow travelers, who had no love from him, had pretty much finished eating. Only sad looking leftovers were left on the cold table.


    ¡°You are all such big bullies ah!¡± Ning Donghuan howled in anguish and was almost to the point where he was biting on his handkerchief, sulking in the corner of the room.


    He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan stifled theirughter and left the main room to go to the eastern side room to rest. Even Ning Donn, his blood-rted older brother, was toozy to pay him any attention. When he left, he didn¡¯t forget to insert a verbal knife, ¡°Eat faster as we have to head out early tomorrow. If you end up dying my rest, I¡¯m going to banish you outside! Oh right, don¡¯t forget to wash uppletely after you finish eating. The disgusting odor on your body is enough to make anyone want to vomit immediately!¡±


    ¡°Are you still my full-blooded older brother ah?¡± Ning Donghuanmented just as his belly let out a rousing howl of hunger. It was as if it was protesting its master¡¯s decision to dy eating food.


    She had to admit that having such a fool along with her on this journey made it seem less lonely and boring. Xiaocao relented her teasing and had one of the servants bring in the leftover food she had saved for him to the table. Although it was a simple spread of four dishes and a soup, the taste of the food was so good that Ning Donghuan began to cry in happiness.


    ¡°Royal Prince Guo, you are truly the best out of all of them! Don¡¯t worry, in the capital, this older brother has a lot of clout. If anyone dares to bully you, then that means they don¡¯t want to have a good rtionship with Third Young Master Ning!!¡± Even the taste of delicious food wasn¡¯t enough to stop the bbermouth Ning Donghuan from talking.

 Chapter 633 - Ambush

    <h4>Chapter 633 - Ambush</h4>


    Ning Donghuan wolfed down his food as he let outpliments from his mouth, ¡°Who would have thought that in such crude surroundings there was actually a hidden tiger here? How could a mere cook maid from a vige official¡¯s residence end up making food that tastes just as good as the food from Zhenxiu Restaurant? Do you think if I bring this cook maid back to our estate that I¡¯d be able to eat delicious foods all the time?¡±


    How could Yu Xiaocao actually correct him and let him know that this table of food had actually been personally made by her? Wouldn¡¯t that be blowing her cover? She didn¡¯t want this stupid idiot to rush over and ask Vige Official Wu to transfer his servant over and hurriedly interjected, ¡°In actuality, the food is just so-so. It must be that you are too hungry, which is why you think the food is that good! By stating that the food here is even better than the food from Zhenxiu Restaurant is too much of an exaggeration! As for the cook maid, it¡¯s better you not ask for her. Otherwise, the people here will mock us for being so unsophisticated despite living in the capital!¡±


    After he stuffed his belly full, Ning Donghuan paced around the courtyard a few times and couldn¡¯t help but ask his older brother, Ning Donn, in the end, ¡°Second Older Brother, do you think the food we ate today, which looked very ordinary, tasted even better than the food made by the head chef at our family¡¯s estate?¡±


    Ning Donn secretly nced over at Yu Xiaocao and slowly shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t think so. This Wu Family¡¯s cook maid¡¯s skill could only be considered average. Perhaps it really is as Royal Prince Guo said. You were probably ravenous after spending the entire day on the road and then taking care of the horses. Thus, anything you ate would taste incredibly delicious.¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with my taste buds? That can¡¯t be true ah. I¡¯ve always been a picky eater, so how could I possibly mistaken good food for average?¡± Ning Donghuan muttered to himself as he tried to figure out just where he had gone wrong.


    The next morning, at breakfast, Ning Donghuan frowned the entire time as he ate. The food he had today seemed to have been made by an entirely different person. It truly was as his second older brother said. The food here was incredibly average. Perhaps he had been delusionalst night from hunger?


    The group of people traveled merrily, enjoying the thrilling sights of untamed nature the entire way as they basked under the warm spring sun. The entourage escorting ¡®Royal Princess Jinan¡¯ was sometimes in front of them and sometimes behind them. All in all, the two groups were only about ten to fifteen kilometers apart the entire time.


    ¡°In front of us is a desert mountain and there is no sign of human habitation there. After passing the mountain, I believe there is a small town about five kilometers away. Tonight, we could spend the night there. However, judging by the time right now, we¡¯ll need to ride hard in order to get there in time.¡± Once again, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s map came in handy. The sun was already in the western part of the sky. They needed to go past a mountain and then had a few more kilometers to go to get to the town. If they wanted to settle down before it got dark, they needed to speed up their current leisurely pace.


    It had already been eight days since they left the capital, which meant that other than eating and sleeping, they spent most of these days on horseback traveling. After the novelty of the journey had passed, the rigors and fatigues of their trip had long caught up onto the delicate bodies of these noble misses and masters.


    ¡°Eh? We need to speed up again ah?? My legs are about to fall off and my waist is about to snap in half. Didn¡¯t we go out to have fun ah? Why do we need to hurry up so much?¡± He Wanning listlesslyy across her horse and swayed with each step. She looked like a soldier who had been solidly defeated.


    ¡°Compared to camping out in the wilderness, I would much rather prefer being able to rest in a safe andfortable area. If we need to ride hard then let¡¯s do it. It¡¯s still better than camping out in these woods. The mountain in front of us looks a bit deste and creepy, so it¡¯s likely that there might be wolves or other nasty creatures there!¡± Yuan Xueyan thought longingly about being able to rest at a guesthouse in the small town in their warm, soft beds. After traveling for a whole day, if they weren¡¯t able to get a good night¡¯s sleep, then how would they be able to handle the rest of the journey?


    The incredibly intelligent and perceptive Yuan Xueyan looked again at the people who were escorting the fake ¡®Royal Princess Jinan¡¯. She knew that this trip out to the northern borders was not as simple as it looked. The maidservants who were around the fake Royal Princess Jinan all had the bearing and demeanor of Chunhua and Qiushi, so it was likely that their identities were out of the ordinary too. Furthermore, there were soldiers from the Jin Wu Guards within the group. This meant that the trip to the stud farm was likely to be going across roads that were not that peaceful.


    In addition, Younger Sister Xiaocao had always intentionally or otherwise kept their group a certain distance away from the other one. It was as if the group in front of them was a small carrot that they had to follow. It looked like something definitely had urred at the stud farm!


    ¡°Alright ah! For the sake of being able to eat well and sleep well, this old maid will do her best!¡± He Wanning gritted her teeth and spurred her beloved steed further in the direction of the deste mountain. The group of people stayed together as the sounds of their horses¡¯ hooves broke the silence around them.


    The mountain wasn¡¯t very high. The official road wound around the edges of the mountain. Although the road was on the more craggy side, it didn¡¯t impede the horses at all as they went forward. As the horses cantered forward, Ning Donghuan looked all around him as he quietly muttered to himself, ¡°I wonder if this mountain has any wild pheasants or hares around. If we¡¯re able to catch some to add to our dinner, that¡¯ll make this trip a little less hard.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t resist the urge to rebuke him, ¡°Have we shorted you on food or drink these past few days? Every time we stop to rest, you¡¯re the one who eats the most out of all of us and yet you¡¯re the one with the mostints too! This isn¡¯t good, that isn¡¯t good, but no matter how bad it is I¡¯ve never seen you stop eating!¡±


    ¡°Argh...it¡¯s because I have no choice! Every day we spend so many hours on the road, so if I didn¡¯t eat enough, how would I be able to endure this? How could I allow myself to be super skinny? The vor is truly not that great but you won¡¯t even allow me toin a bit?¡± Ning Donghuan pped his lips and turned his head to address Xiaocao, ¡°Royal Prince Guo, do you still have any ky pastries left? Give me a piece so I can fill my tummy!¡±


    Although Golden Jadeite was not as intelligent as Little Red, it was still much smarter than most of the other horses along. She didn¡¯t even need to direct it and it was able to run steadily on these mountainous roads. Yu Xiaocao retrieved a piece of sesame ky pastry from her pouch and had the horse get closer to Ning Donghuan. When the two of them were side by side, she stuffed the pastry into Ning Donghuan¡¯s outstretched hand.


    ¡°Eat slower to avoid choking! This is thest piece, so you won¡¯t be able to eat more even if you want any!¡± Yu Xiaocao gave this foodie the evil eye. This fellow only came along to cause trouble. If he wasn¡¯t able to eat the ky pastry, he would definitelyin and slow down the entire group.


    ¡°Hey! Royal Prince Guo, you¡¯re quite good! You brought along so many pastries from the Yu¡¯s Shop on this journey. I¡¯ve learned a lot this time. The next time I go out, I need to bring some more tasty snacks and pastries that are easy to transport with me. The ky pastries may be gone but don¡¯t you have dried meat ah? Don¡¯t hide it from me, this young master¡¯s eyes are very sharp ah!¡± Nign Donghuan munched on the pastry and didn¡¯t forget to eye the dried meat that was with Xiaocao.


    ¡°We need to stop for a bit. There¡¯s something going on in the distance!¡± Ning Donn, who was at the front of the group, suddenly made the signal to tell them to stop. He lightly pulled on the reins in his hands and had his horse slow down to a stop.


    Because they were traveling on hilly roads, no one was riding very quickly, so they all swiftly came to a stop after seeing Ning Donn¡¯s signal. Ning Donghuan swallowed down hisst bite of pastry and drank a gulp of water as he asked in puzzlement, ¡°Second Older Brother, why did you stop so suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ning Donn red at him and turned his head to listen. A gust of mountainous wind blew by and he could hear the faint sounds of people shouting and weapons nking. Xiaocao¡¯s senses had been sharpened by mystic-stone water so she was able to pick up on more than other people could. She frowned and then turned tomand Chunhua, who was behind her, ¡°Go in the front and take a look. If there¡¯s something wrong,e back to report!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chunhua went forward after getting her order. Ning Donghuan stared at her back as he frowned deeply. Why did this short bodyguard give off such a familiar feeling to him?


    ¡°Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s carriage has been in front of us this entire time today. Did something happen to her?¡± Ning Donn nced at Xiaocao. Luckily, the real Royal Princess Jinan had gone out incognito. Otherwise, the person in trouble would be her right now. Although this young maiden was quite intelligent and capable, she was still an ordinary little girl without much way to defend herself. It¡¯d be quite likely for her to get injured in a chaotic situation.


    When Ning Donghuan heard this, he immediately blurted out, ¡°Since Royal Princess Jinan is in trouble, then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go up and help right now!¡±


    Ning Donn scowled and red fiercely at his stupid dunce of a brother. The target of these foreign tribes was right in their midst. If they rushed forward now, wouldn¡¯t they be walking right into a trap? He quietly said, ¡°Royal Princess Jinan has the emperor¡¯s hidden guards protecting her as well as the elite troops under General Lu¡¯smand. If they are unable to fend off these attacks, then what can our small group do by rushing forward rashly? It¡¯d be in vain. That being said, we also have two weak and delicate young maidens in our group and a youthful royal prince. We absolutely should not make a rash decision!¡±


    ¡°But we also can¡¯t just sit back and watch Miss Yu get attacked ah! Miss He and Miss Yuan, aren¡¯t you Miss Yu¡¯s best friends? We shouldn¡¯t be fair weather friends...yeouch!¡± Ning Donghuan didn¡¯t even get to finish his thought when a heavy p interrupted him.


    Ning Donn pulled back the hand he used to hit his brother and coldly said, ¡°Just who are you calling fair weather friends? Are you saying that if we send our lives into an unwinnable situation, that¡¯s called being a good friend? Or are you saying that to be a good friend, we should just show up and allow the enemy to use us to threaten Royal Princess Jinan? You stupid idiot!¡±


    Just as they were about to get into a heated discussion, Chunhua, who had been sent up to make inquiries, had returned, ¡°Master, Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s group was attacked by some people from a foreign tribe. Although the attackers were quite bold and fearless, the group wasn¡¯t very big and has already been beaten back by the Jin Wu Guards. Royal Princess Jinan hasn¡¯t been injured and was only a little bit frightened by the situation.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lowered her head down to think for a bit before she opened her mouth, ¡°If their target truly is Royal Princess Jinan, why would they send such few people along to attack her and get pushed back? Isn¡¯t that beating the grass to scare the snake ah?¡±


    ¡°I think that these foreigners were only trying to sound things out. They were trying to see whether the group ahead actually had the target they had in mind. It looks like the rest of the journey will not be very smooth anymore!¡± Ning Donn now truly admired the person who came up with this decoy n. With the group in front of them to draw the attention of the enemy, it was a lot easier for him to keep the real Royal Princess Jinan safe on this journey.


    He Wanning was now alert and excited. She sat up straight and excitedly said, ¡°Let¡¯s rush forward and catch up with them. Perhaps we¡¯ll encounter some of the enemy running away. This old maiden¡¯s whip isn¡¯t just for show and I¡¯m certain I can make them cry for their parents!¡±


    ¡°Just stop ah! With your cruddy abilities, you wouldn¡¯t be able to harm a single person on a real battlefield. Those foreign tribes are as sturdy as a bear, very skilled, and extremely cruel and vicious. Calm down and don¡¯t add to the mess!¡± Nign Donghuan had also been given a tutor who taught him how to ride and do martial arts. However, he didn¡¯t like to work hard and wasn¡¯t as proficient in these areas as his second older brother. Despite that, even he looked down upon He Wanning¡¯s so-called ¡®whip skills¡¯, let alone more skilled people.

 Chapter 634 - Conspiracy

    <h4>Chapter 634 - Conspiracy</h4>


    Ning Donghuan was whipped a few times by He Wanning before he finally begged for forgiveness, ¡°Miss He, I was wrong. I¡¯m the one who only has shy moves with no substance, alright ah? Your good friend Miss Yu has been frightened today. Do you n on going over tofort her ah?¡± The fact that she was in the mood to whip him showed that she was only surface friends with Miss Yu.


    He Wanning red at him and then nced briefly at Yu Xiaocao before she said, ¡°You finally said something that makes sense. Although my younger sister Xiaocao puts up a brave front normally, she¡¯s a scaredy-cat at heart ah! I definitely need to go andfort her little trembling heart since she experienced such a frightening and exciting event today.¡±


    The expression on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face didn¡¯t change one iota as she nodded in agreement, ¡°A meeting by chance has fate involved. Since this has happened, I should definitely go up and greet her courteously!¡±


    The group of them spurred their horses forward and, after about fifteen minutes of fast travel, they arrived at the scene. It was obvious that the enemy was only sounding things out with this attack before retreating quickly. Thus, neither side had suffered a lot of losses. The enemy left behind a few dead corpses while their side only had some injured soldiers. These soldiers had been treated with Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s special wound balm, so they were in no danger.


    The first person He Wanning thought of was her fianc¨¦, Lu Hao. She sidled over and saw that there were bloodstains all over him. She asked in a worried tone, ¡°You got injured? Is it serious ah? I have some extra strong wound balm that Younger Sister Xiaocao personally made here. Go take it...¡±


    Lu Hao happily gazed at his fianc¨¦e¡¯s pretty little face. He noticed that she couldn¡¯t seem to hide her anxiety and felt his heart twinge. He softlyforted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t have any faith in your man¡¯s abilities? How could those tiny thieves possibly be worthy opponents for me? The blood on me is all from other people! Not even a single hair was harmed on me, so don¡¯t worry!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s my man?!¡± He Wanning felt herself rx a few degrees and immediately blushed. Her wateryrge eyes shed a re at him.


    ¡°Although I¡¯m not your man now, it¡¯ll be a done deal very soon! After this mission is over, it¡¯ll be very close to our marriage date.¡± Lu Hao also didn¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t end up liking those gentle and sweet young noble misses. Instead, he had to be fond of a little spicy pepper. However, this little spicy pepper was incredibly good looking, for even her res seemed to have the ability to draw a person in.


    He Wanning felt her face be even more hot. She seemed to be feeling something as she ran a few steps towards the carriage. She stammered haltingly, ¡°I...I¡¯m going to go see Younger Sister Xiaocao. I¡¯m sure she must have been scared to death!¡±


    Yuan Xueyan also entered the luxurious andfortable carriage. Yu Xiaocao wanted to have a better idea of the situation and climbed into the vehicle too. The dunce, Ning Donghuan, wasn¡¯t able to take a single step into the carriage before the hidden guards blocked his way.


    ¡°Oi, howe he can enter but I, Third Young Master Ning, can¡¯t?¡± Ning Donghuan gestured at Xiaocao, who was disguised as Royal Prince Guo, as he asked in a disgruntled manner. Come to think of it, Miss Yu only had a very shallow rtionship with Royal Prince Guo, whereas, he, on the other hand, could be considered an old acquaintance of hers. Thus, wouldn¡¯t he be considered closer to her than Royal Prince Guo? Ning Donghuan smugly decided that his train of thought was spot on with the situation.


    Ning Donn pulled his third younger brother back and admonished him, ¡°Royal Princess Jinan will be marrying Royal Prince Guo¡¯s older paternal cousin. As the younger cousin, it¡¯s within reason for him to go andfort his future inw. Why are you trying to butt into all of this?¡± When he said the words ¡®future inw¡¯, Ning Donn felt a pang go through his heart. Wouldn¡¯t it be so much better if he had been the one to encounter Xiaocao first? Their meeting by chance had urred toote and he was too distracted by other matters to strike...


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± One of the hidden guards who had been disguised reported to Xiaocao in a lowered voice, ¡°This time the enemy sent around fifty or so experts to attack. Although they were disguised as people from our empire, they were unable to conceal the tell-tale odor of sheep from their bodies. As you and the emperor have both suspected, their target truly is you, Your Highness!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head slightly, ¡°This is only the beginning. This attempt was only to see what we have on our side. Since they have confirmed that their target is here within the entourage, the true battle will start very soon. If I¡¯m not mistaken, I¡¯m sure that their next attack will ur at Wild Wolves Slope! That area has a grove of trees that is quite thick, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll set an ambush over there!¡± Wild Wolves Slope was the area where Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang had previously saved Xiao Rong.


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, please be at ease. This subordinate will send people right now to survey the area!¡± Another hidden guard, who had been disguised as a maid, bowed towards Xiaocao before she exited the carriage to run off in the distance.


    He Wanning had a face full of puzzlement when she heard the conversation between them. She remarked in surprise, ¡°What¡¯s going on? It looks like you all knew beforehand that there would be bandits attacking, right? Why does it feel like that this outing isn¡¯t for the sake of giving us a fun trip and, instead, we¡¯re here to create a smokescreen for you?¡±


    Yuan Xueyan tapped the other maiden¡¯s head and lightly sighed, ¡°Do you finally realize it now? I¡¯m pretty sure that, within our group, other than that numbskull Ning Donghuan, you¡¯re the other stupid one. It took you this long to figure out something so obvious!¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough you guys! Clearly we¡¯re not as good friends as you im we are since you all hid such an important matter from me! That¡¯s not okay! My poor little heart has been injured now, so I need to beforted. Otherwise, I¡¯ll break off all rtions with you cold-hearted fellows!¡± He Wanning wasn¡¯t stupid beyond measure and at least said her threats to Yu Xiaocao in a lowered tone.


    ¡°Two boxes of chocte vored cakes!¡± Yu Xiaocao casually waved the fan in her hand as she made the number two sign in the other.


    He Wanning continued to act as if she was furious as she countered, ¡°So apparently our sisterly rtionship is only worth two boxes of cakes in your eyes, Younger Sister Xiaocao! This is such a shock to my system, I am so dismayed now!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll add on a box of hazelnut choctes too!¡± Yu Xiaocao went up on her offer.


    ¡°epted!!¡± He Wanning¡¯s favorite treats were hazelnut choctes. Thus, she quit while she was ahead and candidly epted the offer as soon as it came out of Xiaocao¡¯s mouth. ¡°However, for the two boxes of cakes, one needs to be tiramisu while the other needs to contain ck Forest Gateau!¡±


    ¡°Such an embarrassment! You¡¯re so easily bribed by just one extra box of choctes. You¡¯re not the least bit reserved at all!¡± Yuan Xueyan red at He Wanning in an exasperated manner, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that ck Forest Gateau is a tad too bitter for you and is not as tasty as tiramisu? Why didn¡¯t you ask for two boxes of tiramisu then instead of one of both?¡±


    Right at this moment, Lu Hao¡¯s strong and sturdy figure shed by the window of the carriage He Wanning stared at him as she chuckled sheepishly, ¡°Well that¡¯s because...that fellow Lu Hao likes the taste of ck Forest Gateau the most ah...¡±


    ¡°Older Sister He, you normally seem quite dense. Who would have thought that even you would have such a side for details too ah? Looks like my future brother-inw will be lucky in food ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but tease the older maiden.


    He Wanning had never been the type to be embarrassed over small things. She nted her hands on her hips and proimed in a confident manner, ¡°He¡¯s my fianc¨¦, not some random person on the street. What¡¯s wrong with caring about him ah? When Royal Prince Yang had to leave the capital to go to war, didn¡¯t you stay up all night until your eyes turned red like a rabbit¡¯s to personally make some special medicine and dried rations for him ah?¡±


    When she spoke this time, He Wanning didn¡¯t try to lower her voice. Thus, Lu Hao, who had good hearing, heard everything she said. Bubbles of happiness rose up in his heart. Hmph! That fellow surnamed Zhu always bragged about how virtuous and sweet his littless was. Now he also had someone who cared about him and would think of him always!


    The hidden guard who had been disguised as Xiaocao secretly observed the true Royal Princess Jinan. She never would have thought that such an innocent and delicate looking girl could tame the great devil that was Royal Prince Yang. It was just as that saying said, ¡®brine can be used to cure tofu, thus an unlikely object can be the nemesis of the other!¡¯


    Xiaocao finally came out of the carriage with her two good friends after she finished talking to the hidden guards. They chatted a bit with Lu Hao before their group left, traveling at top speed to head towards their destination for the night. By the time they reached the small town, the moon had already risen past the tree tops.


    This small town was much smallerpared to Tanggu Town. There was only one restaurant within the town and also one guesthouse. The group first entered the inn and reserved all of the remaining rooms there. It was just enough for all of them to fit in if they were willing to squeeze a bit. Dinner was had at the only restaurant in town and the food was delivered to the inn. The ingredients were considered quite fresh but the taste of the food was incredibly average.


    Qiushi had gone out into the town, pretending to buy supplies as she scoped out the area. She came back to report, ¡°There are quite a few suspicious looking characters in town. I¡¯m pretty sure that these are all spies from the enemy tribes.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s five senses were quite sensitive so she nodded her head in agreement, ¡°No wonder as soon as we entered this small town I always felt like there were people surreptitiously observing us. I originally thought it was the citizens of this town who were curious about our group. Now I know that these people were watching us for another reason. Truly makes one feel honored by their preparations ah!¡±


    Chunhua came in with the hot water and quietly said, ¡°Master, the other rooms in this inn have been reserved by people who are suspicious too! If I¡¯m not wrong, I¡¯m sure they are the enemy too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re all here to prevent their target from inadvertently slipping away ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao rubbed her chin and thought for a bit before she continued, ¡°Tonight, we need to stay on guard ah. We need to avoid the situation where they try to kill us just to be safe!¡±


    She then had people go remind He Wanning, Yuan Xueyan, and the two Ning brothers. When it was time to sleep, Chunhua and Qiushi had originally nned on taking watches separately throughout the night, but Xiaocao had convinced them not to. After spending an entire day on the road with more dangerous roads ahead of them, it was important to get enough rest in order to be alert enough to deal with the surprises of tomorrow.


    As for night watch, wasn¡¯t there the little divine stone ah? That fellow didn¡¯t need to cultivate recently and spent all day every day within the multi-colored stone. It was already bored to death by now.


    A tiny golden kitten appeared in the corner of the guestroom. Chunhua and Qiushi immediately recognized that this pretty little cat was their master¡¯s beloved pet. They hadn¡¯t seen heads or tails of it during this entire journey, so just where did this fellow pop out from this time?


    Although Chunhua and Qiushi still had some doubts within their hearts, they didn¡¯t persist in trying to take over the night watch. This was because they knew that their master¡¯s pets all were very intelligent. When true danger arrived, these pets would definitely warn them. The two of them squeezed onto the other bed in the room and very quickly fell asleep. In their slumber, they missed the kitten slowly transforming its color from its bright golden coat into a dark ck color.


    The little divine stone vanished into the darkness and sidled over to the other guest rooms in the inn. Right now, there was a group of people from the enemy tribes who were grouped together,ing up with their n. Although they spoke a foreignnguage, that wasn¡¯t enough to stump the little divine stone. It had the ability to directly hear the thoughts from other people¡¯s heads.


    One of the men, whose face was covered with a beard and looked quite vicious, spoke in the Mongol¡¯snguage, ¡°From my standpoint, there¡¯s no point in dilly dallying ah. Let¡¯s catch this group of people! What¡¯s the point in hesitating anymore? It doesn¡¯t serve any purpose!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget our mission here. The Heavenly Teacher had said that we need to capture them alive!!¡± The man who rebuked the first one was a brawny fellow with a knife scar on his face.

 Chapter 635 - Mad About Money

    <h4>Chapter 635 - Mad About Money</h4>


    The man with the big beard snorted out a gust of air from his nostrils and grumbled, ¡°Heavenly Teacher, Heavenly Teacher! The great king has been bewitched by that fellow and believes that dribble about ¡®immortality medicine¡¯! How could a stupid teenage girl possibly know any arts to make immortality medicine? In my eyes, that Heavenly Teacher, who we have no background information on, is the one who is suspicious!¡±


    ¡°Second Brother, hold your tongue!¡± The person who spoke this time was a middle-aged man who had a graceful and elegant demeanor to him. His face was pale without any facial hair and he was dressed in schrly clothes. However, his eyes shone with a crafty light, whichpletely destroyed his outward elegant appearance.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯ve already asked around. The guests here contain one royal prince and the other two youths and girls are all the children of high-ranking officials. From their appearances, it doesn¡¯t look like our target is among them. It¡¯s better not to act rashly in case we end up beating the grass and scaring off the snake!¡± The man with the knife scar on his face looked at the middle-aged schr as he quietly stated.


    When the big bearded fellow heard this, his eyes immediately lit up, ¡°The children of high-ranking officials? I¡¯m sure they have a ton of cash on them. If we catch any one of them, we can eat and drink merrily for the rest of our lives!¡±


    The man with the scarred face red at him and huffed, ¡°Did you get addicted to masquerading as a bandit ah? Do you think the guards they brought with them are pushovers? What¡¯s her name, the royal princess, is lodging not far from town. If a ruckus happens here, do you think they wouldn¡¯t be able to find out? Perhaps there are even their spies here already. It¡¯s better not to introduce a new twist in our ns without thinking it through!¡±


    The man with the beard sneered and replied, ¡°Old Three, I think you¡¯ve spent too much time here in the Central ins. Not only do you speak all fancy now but you¡¯ve also be more of a coward too! In my opinion, we should have our fellow brothers ambush them when these guys leave town. After they¡¯re dead, we can plunder the loot. By the time that whatever royal princesses along, we would have fled long ago!¡±


    Although the middle-aged schr seemed a bit tempted by this proposition, in the end, he decided to say this instead, ¡°Official business first! The rest we can all figure outter!¡±


    The little divine stone waited in the dark, listening for a long time. When it knew that these people had no intentions of harming its master tonight, it eavesdropped for a bit longer to learn their ns. After getting the information it was looking for, it turned around and silently left.


    These foreigners would have never expected that their carefully thought out ns had inadvertently been leaked out without them even knowing what had happened. When the little divine stone got back to Xiaocao¡¯s room, it told its master everything that these fellows had outlined. As she had expected, the enemy had set up an ambush at Wild Wolves Slope with about a thousand men there. They were all waiting for ¡®Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s¡¯ carriage and escort to walk into the trap!


    Yu Xiaocao knew that there were countless eyes in town staring at them, so it wouldn¡¯t be convenient for them to send someone out with this information. Instead, she wrote down all of the details on a piece of paper and asked the little divine stone to carry it in its mouth to the decoys outside of town.


    The little divine stone was displeased with her n.


    ¡°Then do you n on morphing into a homing pigeon? I can tie the paper onto your tail instead.¡± Yu Xiaocao retorted.


    The little divine stone thought about its beautiful and elegant tail with a stupid piece of paper bound to it. It was still better for it to carry it in its mouth. At least it¡¯d look less dumb that way. It grumbled a bit as it unhappily headed out with the note in its mouth, jumping through the window. It disappeared silently in the darkness of the night.


    Since the foreign enemy wasn¡¯t nning on attacking them tonight, Xiaocao went to sleep with a light heart. She slept deeply without any dreams. The next morning, after washing up, she saw He Wanninge out of her room listlessly with a pair of prominent panda eyes.


    ¡°What happened? Did you go outst night to steal some needle and thread from other people?¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t resist the urge to make fun of the other girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it! Didn¡¯t you sayst night that there were countless foreigners in town with ulterior motives ah? After hearing that, she was anxious the entire night and tossed and turned, disrupting the entire room! Didn¡¯t you always im that you were bold and brave ah? Howe you¡¯re so cowardly now?¡± Yuan Xueyan spared no effort in ridiculing her good friend.


    He Wanning righteously stated, ¡°I have some skill in martial arts, so if bandits appear I can at least defend myself for a few moves and stall for enough time for the bodyguards toe over. I was worried for you, okay. You¡¯re a weak and delicate young maiden. I was the one who brought you out so the responsibility rests on me to bring you back safe and sound. Last night, the reason why I didn¡¯t sleep was because I was trying to keep a night watch, okay? Argh...I¡¯m so sleepy. I¡¯m pretty sure I can fall asleep while riding my horse today!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao remarked out of guilt, ¡°I was the one who wasn¡¯t thoughtful enough. I should have sent either Chunhua or Qiushi over to protect you guys!¡±


    ¡°No need! Among the maids I brought, two of them also have some martial arts skills. Although they¡¯re not as strong as Chunhua or Qiushi, even ten of me wouldn¡¯t be able to beat any one of them. The enemy¡¯s target is you, so it¡¯s better that Chunhua and Qiushi stay by your side to keep you safe.¡± He Wanning yawned again and rubbed her eyes with a hand as she spoke casually.


    As they talked, the Ning Brothers also exited their rooms. The two men seemed to be in good spirits and Ning Donghuan was as cheerfully happy as ever. When he saw them, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and try out some special breakfast foods in this area. I¡¯ve already investigated everything. Not far from here is a small shop that sells barbecued donkey meat and almond milk. It should be decent.¡±


    Another group of people exited the inn as they conversed. Yu Xiaocao could sensitively tell that there was an unfriendly gaze staring at them tantly. She nced over secretly and saw arge fellow with a giant beard looking at them as if they were a herd of fat sheep. The man had a vicious looking smile on his face.


    Yu Xiaocao remembered what the little divine stone had told herst night and unconsciously frowned slightly. Did the bearded man still want to attack them for their goods? Xiaocao silently became wary at that thought.


    While they were eating breakfast, Yu Xiaocao told her thoughts to Ning Donn in order to make sure that he was prepared for the possibility of an attack. She also deliberately revealed some wealth in front of the bearded man when they were packing up their luggage to head out¡ª¡ªarge embroidered pouch that was bulging with cash had been dropped right in front of him. A few golden coins fell out. She could distinctly tell that the bearded man¡¯s breathing had quickened when he saw this happen and that his eyes had shed with the light of greed. Aha! the bait had been cast and she didn¡¯t have to worry that the quarry wouldn¡¯t bite!


    As expected, not long after they left town, their group heard the sound of hooves behind them chasing them when they reached a more deste area. They slowed down their pace and a group of fifteen to sixteen gruffy looking men on horseback surrounded them.


    ¡°Fellow citizens, I¡¯m not sure why you are blocking our way. Is there something that we need to be instructed on?¡± Ning Donn went forward one step and greeted them in an official manner as he addressed therge bearded man who was clearly the leader of the scruffy group.


    ¡°Heh heh!¡± A vicious light shed through therge bearded man¡¯s eyes as he coldlyughed, ¡°Instruct you? This old man doesn¡¯t have the time! I¡¯m here to send you to the next life early, so there¡¯s nothing you can do exceptment your poor fate!¡±


    ¡°You think you can do that with just a dozen small fish with you ah? It hasn¡¯t been set in stone who will be sent to their next life yet!¡± Yu Xiaocao lightly brushed off some invisible specks of dust from her white clothing as she regarded the attackers with a look full of disdain.


    ¡°You little brat! You¡¯re just arrogant ¡®cause you have a few guards with you right? This old man has even fought against proper army soldiers from the Great Ming Dynasty. Do you think your little toys here can do anything? Brothers, let¡¯s go! Firste, first served. This little brat is marked by me, so don¡¯t even think of trying to snatch him away!¡± Therge bearded man waved the cuss in his hands and shed it furiously in Xiaocao¡¯s direction.


    Chunhua pulled her master back about ten meters in a hasty retreat. Out of the four hidden guards that the emperor had sent over, two of them rushed forward to engage the bearded man, nking him on his right and left. The other people present weren¡¯t to be outdone and quickly found their targets among the group as they ran over eagerly.


    He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan were protected fiercely by their maidservants as they headed over in the direction of Xiaocao. Chunhua and Qiushi, as well as the other two hidden guards, grouped around the three maidens, keeping them safe in the middle.


    Therge bearded man thought that the noble young maidens and masters from the capital only brought a few guards along that weren¡¯t very strong. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have brought along only a dozen or so friends along to chase them down. However, as soon as he began to fight, he discovered that something was off. Why did the two men fighting against him seem to be even stronger than the soldiers he had fought yesterday?


    Therge bearded man wasn¡¯t aplete idiot as he knew he had hit a hard wall. He brandished the cuss in his hands as he fought against the two soldiers. He hollered, ¡°Muerhan! Geji! Come over and help me out!¡±


    The two people he had named ran towards him and began to attack the two hidden guards fiercely. Therge bearded man disengaged swiftly and rushed towards the direction of Xiaocao as he screamed, ¡°There¡¯s definitely something off with that white-clothed brat¡¯s identity! Brothers,e up with me. No matter if we live or die, we need to capture him!¡±


    In actuality, out of the guards that were protecting her, only the few hidden guards among them were truly great experts. The rest of the people were just ordinary guards sent by their families. When fighting against these fierce foreigners, at most, these guards could only fight them to a stalemate.


    Immediately, a few warriors from the enemy¡¯s side rushed over after hearing the bearded man¡¯smands. The other two hidden guards were quite skilled but they still needed time in order to fight off the enemy. Chunhua, Qiushi, and the other maidservants had all been engaged by the enemy. Thus, only Xiaocao and the two beauties of the capital were left standing alone by themselves.


    Therge bearded man had avoided the hidden guards and stalked the three people with an evil smile on his face. He Wanning waved the whip in her hands and stepped forward, keeping herself in front of the other two girls. She solemnly stated, ¡°Xueyan, take Younger Sister Xiaocao away on horseback now! I¡¯ll stall for now!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Little beauty, ah, do you really think you can stop me with just that measly little whip in your hands? It¡¯d probably be better if you stripped naked now and show yourself to me! You two beauties, I may look rough but I still have tender feelings for the opposite sex. How about you twoe and engage me? I¡¯ll make sure to keep you two alive!¡± Therge bearded man had a disgusting smile on his face. His mouth was wide open in a grin, revealing a row of yellow, revolting, uneven teeth.


    How could He Wanning possibly not explode after encountering such a disgusting insult? She snapped the whip in her hand as she snarled angrily, ¡°Thisdy will fight against you!!¡± Just as she was about to rush forward, she was pulled back by Xiaocao, who was behind her.


    Therge bearded man had never considered He Wanning, who had slender legs and arms, to be of any threat. He stalked forward as he continued to spew insults from his mouth. He wasn¡¯t in any hurry to attack them. In his eyes, the fat little sheep and two beauties in front of him were all going to fall into his hands sooner orter.

 Chapter 636 - Guns

    <h4>Chapter 636 - Guns</h4>


    Therge bearded man was very well aware that when people faced their death, they were more likely to be more fearful with every little movement. Thus, he deliberately made each step forward at a slow pace. As he raised therge cuss in his hands up in an exaggerated manner, the expression on his face immediately congealed right before he was about to sh in Xiaocao¡¯s direction.


    He Wanning looked over in the direction that he was looking when she noticed the scared expression on his face. She unexpectedly saw a dark colored barrel pointing in the direction of therge bearded man¡¯s chest.


    ¡°A gun?¡± He Wanning shouted in surprise, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take it out earlier if you had something like this on hand? You really scared me to death, making me think that I¡¯d have to sacrifice myself to save you two from this bandit!¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fun if I took it out early, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao steadily pointed the gun in her hands at therge bearded man, who had cold sweat dripping down his back, as she regarded him in a steely manner. A cold smile shed on her face, ¡°Oh ho! You recognize what this is, ah? Looks like you¡¯ve already experienced the might of the Great Ming Empire¡¯s new weapons! What¡¯s wrong? Since you know that our firearms are powerful, you still decided to rashly attack a royal prince. Were you tired of living and wanted to court death?¡±


    ¡°Ah...it¡¯s a misunderstanding. It¡¯s all a misunderstanding!!¡± The big bearded man couldn¡¯t be more terrified now. He squeezed out an uneasy smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been strapped for cash recently. Young Master, you identally revealed your wealth at the inn, which caused me to be quite greedy, leading to uncouth thoughts. I never wanted to do anything that would cause permanent harm, so please, Young Master, be generous and merciful. Give me and my brothers a way out alive.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him ah! Fire the gun and let this criminal die!¡± He Wanning had been stoked into a fury by this man¡¯s insults and words. Now that they had the upper hand, she needed to make sure that his man ate his words!


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t! My little ancestor, I was the one who didn¡¯t have eyes and offended you. If you feel unhappy, you can use your whip on me a few times to relieve your temper...¡± Thisrge bearded man apparently knew when to bend and grovel. He immediately revealed a ttering smile and even began to p his own face a few times.


    Yu Xiaocao impatiently pointed the gun at him and shouted, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to drop your weapon and quickly tell your subordinates to stop? Or do you really want to have a taste of what our Great Ming Empire¡¯s guns are like?¡±


    tter! Therge bearded man immediately threw his cuss onto the ground and screamed at his subordinates, who were slowly losing the fight, ¡°Back off, you bastards. Stop fighting for f***¡¯s sake!¡±


    ¡°Second Older Brother!¡± Arge man, who seemed as sturdy as a bear, opened hisrge eyes wide and aggressively charged towards Xiaocao. Despite his hulking size, he wasn¡¯t the least bit clumsy as he sped over with a longsword in his hands that he swung in her direction.


    Bam! That sturdy fellow staggered a couple steps forward and finally stumbled to the ground. He fell about three steps away from Xiaocao andy on the ground near the bearded man¡¯s feet, no longer moving.


    Therge bearded man slowly looked at the man at his feet and discovered that the other man¡¯s chest had arge hole in his chest. Copious amounts of blood oozed from the wound. Then, he turned his head to look at that young master dressed in white and discovered that the youth had switched out the gun in his hands for another. The gun that had been used to kill his subordinate was now in the hands of a short bodyguard, who was currently reloading the still steaming muzzle.


    Just when did the new Great Ming Empire¡¯s firearms be so cheap? A tiny, insignificant royal prince actually had two of them on hand! Didn¡¯t they say that the empire¡¯s firearm factories had trouble manufacturing these guns inrge quantities, which was why civilians were prohibited from carrying them? Was that just fake news that their spies had obtained?


    This was also the first time Yu Xiaocao had killed someone. Her back dripped with cold sweat as her heart trembled inside. However, none of her tumultuous emotions could be seen on her cold, serious looking face. Her eyes glittered with an icy light as they stared fixedly at therge bearded man. The loaded gun in her hands was pointed steadily in the direction of therge bearded man¡¯s chest.


    Their current guns had an annoying w as they were only able to hold one ¡®bullet¡¯ at a time. Thus, after they were fired, they needed to be reloaded before being used again. Because of that limitation, the soldiers within the firearms barracks were trained to have half of their men shoot the first batch and then step back to allow the other half to shoot while the first patch reloaded...that was the cycle they used now.


    Yu Xiaocao rejoiced in the fact that she had two guns on hand. The first one had been given to her by the emperor as he had been worried about her safety on her journey. The other one, well, that had obviously been given to her by her beloved fianc¨¦ so that she would have a way to protect herself. This time she had brought both guns along and they truly proved their worth right now.


    Yu Xiaocao felt her heart swell with courage when she thought of Zhu Junyang, who was currently on a bloody battlefield, defending the country. She took the reloaded gun from Chunhua in her left hand and pointed at the dumbstruck bandit in front her. She coldlyughed and said, ¡°Do you want to experience the might of my Great Ming¡¯s legendary weapon? This royal prince will dly allow it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare, I don¡¯t dare!¡± Therge bearded man immediately quelled any sneaky thoughts and detedpletely, ¡°Spare me, Your Highness. Please spare our worthless lives ah!¡±


    ¡°Spare you guys? I guess I could consider showing mercy!¡± Yu Xiaocao paused for a second and then waved a hand at the bodyguards under her. Shemanded them, ¡°Round up these bandits and strip them dry. Then leave them hanging at one of the small forests next to the road! As for when they might obtain rescue from their fellowpatriots, that would have to rely on their own luck and fortune!¡±


    The corner of the hidden guard¡¯s lips twitched as he obeyed her orders. He Wanning was still upset though, ¡°Are we going to let them off that easy ah? It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t hear the horrid things that brigand said earlier!¡±


    ¡°Do you hear that? Older Sister He over here is quite dissatisfied by your earlier words and insults and has no desire to let you off that easily! Now that I think about it, she¡¯s right. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that this prince had guns on hand, who knows what would have happened by now? We can forget about everyone else, but as for you ah...¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t keep your word, you¡¯ll reap the consequences!¡± Therge bearded man regarded the gun pointed at him with a look of pure fear as he howled.


    ¡°I only said that I would spare your life but I never said that I would allow you to leavepletely unscathed!¡± The smile on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face was enough to freeze a person¡¯s heart. ¡°Destroy their right arms such that they will never be able to pick up weapons again!¡±


    ¡°As for you ah! You¡¯re the leader of this vile group so you need to pay a higher price! Otherwise, that wouldn¡¯t be fair!¡± Yu Xiaocao turned towards He Wanning and said, ¡°His mouth is foul, so you can go wash it for him!¡±


    He Wanning picked up a rock from the side of the road that was about asrge as a man¡¯s fist and pelted it viciously at therge bearded man. The bandit screamed in pain and almost half of his teeth fell out of his mouth. His lips were swollen like sausages as blood dripped onto the ground.


    ¡°Vented enough ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao nted a look at the other maiden as she asked.


    ¡°Mmm, just a bit ah!¡± He Wanning¡¯s eyes flickered as she said, ¡°Lend me that gun of yours. I want to destroy an arm and leg of his. That¡¯ll be enough to sate my temper. Otherwise, if I hold it all in it¡¯d cause problems for me in the future!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes twitched. Thisss spoke so much only for the sake of ying with the guns, right? She put the gun that the emperor had given her into He Wanning¡¯s hands. She warned the other girl repeatedly, ¡°y as you wish but don¡¯t hurt yourself. Make sure you keep his worthless self alive. This prince doesn¡¯t want to have a stain on my reputation because of him.¡±


    The unspoken implications were clear. As long as the man was kept alive, everything else was negotiable. After she finished, Xiaocao gracefully marched away, leaving He Wanning with therge bearded man. The other girl waved the gun in her hands excitedly towards the man, making him turn pale out of fear. He was frightened that she might identally discharge the gun at him and end his life!


    He Wanning ultimately aimed at therge bearded man¡¯s right leg. Pow! The man howled as if he was a pig at the ughter.


    ¡°Oh ho ho! Looks like my aim was poor and I wasted a bullet!¡± He Wanning sighed regretfully. While Chunhua reloaded the gun for her, she snapped her whip at therge bearded man¡¯s face as she asked, ¡°What are you screaming for? I didn¡¯t hit you. Just look at you, your courage is smaller than an ant, yet you dare toe out and cause trouble!¡±


    ¡°Screw you¡ª¡ª¡± Therge bearded man wasn¡¯t able to finish his string of profanities when the reloaded gun was pointed in the direction of his chest. He hastily swallowed down what he was about to say.


    ¡°If you make this young maiden even more unhappy, I might aim poorly and hit the wrong ce! At that time, it¡¯ll be my mistake and not Royal Prince Guo not keeping his word, right?¡± He Wanning felt her temper sate as she watched therge bearded man in front of her sob and beg piteously.


    ¡°Stop ying around! If this continues on for too long, we won¡¯t be able to make it to our next rest stop in time!¡± Yuan Xueyan shouted towards He Wanning as she followed Xiaocao from behind.


    He Wanning shot therge bearded man in the knee and then also shot the man¡¯s right arm as well. The man howled grievously in pain while he was being tied up arge tree. After that was done, she hurriedly caught up with her two good friends.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± When she got to Xiaocao¡¯s side, she found out that the younger girl¡¯splexion looked wan while her hands and feet trembled.


    Yuan Xueyan supported Xiaocao as she gently patted her back. She answered He Wanning¡¯s question, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Earlier she seemed just fine but she began to vomit when we got here. She also can¡¯t seem to stand up straight.¡±


    ¡°...¡± He Wanning took out her waterskin and had Xiaocao drink a few sips as she worriedly inquired, ¡°Was she scared silly from earlier? She seemed quite calm and confident just a few moments ago. That demeanor, that expression, I almost became her die-hard fan after seeing that! Who would have thought that she would also be frightened by what had happened?¡±


    Ning Donn had finished cleaning up the remains of the battle and walked over. When he saw this scene, he stated, ¡°The first time I killed someone my hands also trembled and my heart felt uneasy. Did anyone bring any calming pills? Give her one. This is something that has shadowed her heart and only she can walk out of it.¡±


    Qiushi hurriedly took out a pill that gave off a refreshing fragrance from the small medicine box she carried on her. After helping her master take it, she muttered guiltily, ¡°It was all this subordinate¡¯s fault for allowing the young miss to get frightened so much!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯ll be perfectly alright in a few moments! No need to worry about me!¡± Yu Xiaocao sat down on a rock at the side of the road and inhaled a few deep breaths through her nose. She could still smell the scent of fresh blood in her nose. rghhhh¡ª¡ªshe vomited again.


    Yuan Xueyan personally fed some water into her mouth and helped her rinse. Then she gently hugged Xiaocao as sheforted, ¡°That person deserved to die! If you didn¡¯t fire your gun, then we would be the ones who are dead now! Killing a bandit to save the people most close to you was the right decision! There¡¯s no need to put pressure on yourself over this!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Earlier you were so cool! You were able to urately hit him from such a far distance, which means you must have practiced before! I was unable to hit something even from such a close distance. So embarrassing ah!¡± He Wanning sat next to Xiaocao as she chirped and jabbered at the younger girl in an almost worshipful manner.

 Chapter 637 - Traitor

    <h4>Chapter 637 - Traitor</h4>


    At this time, Yu Xiaocao had already rested for a good while. She smiled wanly at her two good friends and said, ¡°Junyang...Older Cousin Junyang had once instructed me for a period of time on how to use guns. With that added onto my natural talent, I can¡¯t say I will hit every single thing I aim at but I¡¯m sure I can hit it ny percent of the time!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t bragging. She truly was more talented in this areapared to other people as she had been infused with spiritual energy from the little divine stone. Thus, it only took half of the time and effort for her to learn how to use a gun wellpared to other people. Zhu Junyang had even repeatedlyplimented her for being so talented.


    Ning Donghuan slung an arm around her neck and tteringly said, ¡°Royal Prince Guo, can you lend me a gun to y with for one day ah? I just want to y with it for one day, alright?¡±


    ¡°Not okay! This young maiden hasn¡¯t had enough either! Thus, it absolutely cannot go to you first!¡± He Wanning red at him fiercely and then smiled fawningly at Xiaocao, ¡°Young Royal Prince, don¡¯t you have two guns ah? Just let me y with one of them for a few days, alright ah~¡±


    ¡°rghhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Ning Donghuan mimed vomiting, ¡°Surnamed He, ah, you¡¯re a woman with a fianc¨¦. Is it really alright for you to fawn over a young master who is in his early teens without that fellow Lu Hao knowing about it?¡±


    ¡°Why do you care ah? You¡¯re just a dumb schmuck¡ª¡ªmind your own business ,okay!¡± He Wanning snarled viciously at him, ¡°This young maiden is considered maternal cousins with Royal Prince Guo ah! What¡¯s wrong with asking one¡¯s younger cousin to lend me something? Is that something I need to hide from others? If that fellow Lu Hao dares to voice aint, just watch me put him in his ce!¡±


    Ning Donghuan repeatedly shook his head and felt some pity towards his good friend, ¡°Such a good youth yet he has such a shrew at home...¡±


    ¡°If you dare to speak more nonsense, then I¡¯ll let you have a taste of just how strong this gun is!¡± He Wanning pointed the gun in her hands in the direction of Ning Donghuan with a threatening look on her face.


    ¡°Both of you stop! This gun isn¡¯t a toy, so you need to be careful to not harm someone! For the sake of fairness, neither of you are allowed to borrow it. Give it back!¡± Yu Xiaocao felt much better after taking the calming pill. She took the gun from He Wanning and locked the safety catch on it before putting it away on herself.


    He Wanning had a deted expression on her face and she turned her head around to glower angrily at Ning Donghuan. Ning Donghuan shrank his head down as he muttered quietly, ¡°It¡¯s not as if I was the one who told you that you¡¯re not allowed to y with the gun. Why are you ring at me ah?¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t butt in, perhaps Royal Prince Guo would have lent me the gun to y with for a couple of days. It¡¯s all your fault! You¡¯re the one who ruined everything for me!!¡± He Wanning didn¡¯t want to admit her own fault when there was a perfectly good scapegoat here. Why not vent her temper on an easy target?


    Ning Donn quietly advised Xiaocao¡¯s two maidservants, Chunhua and Qiushi, to keep a close eye on their master that evening. That night, when they had hunkered down in a farmer¡¯s house, Yu Xiaocao ran a high fever. Fortunately, they had brought along some fever reducing solution. In addition, the little divine stone stayed by her side the entire night, helping her to process through theseplex emotions. After tossing and turning for an entire night, she was finally able to settle herself by the next day.


    The other people saw her pale and listless looking face and felt pity rise in their hearts towards her. Thus, they decided to rest for another day in the farming vige before heading out the subsequent day. By doing that, they were now behind ¡®Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s¡¯ carriage train again.


    By the time they arrived at the site of the next ambush, Wild Wolves Slope, the battle had already finished. Although the enemy had the advantage of numbers, their warriors were not as skilled. The soldiers within the Jin Wu troops were all seasoned veterans who had undergone hundreds of battles. Furthermore, there were a few hidden guards within them who were highly skilled, so even the hidden guard disguised as Xiaocao didn¡¯t need toe out. Within the bleak environment, the soldiers had also hidden themselves, which hindered the enemy. In addition, Xiaocao had given them some paralyzing poison, so it made victory quite easy for them.


    Long before Xiaocao and her group arrived at Wild Wolves Slope, they could smell the distinct scent of blood in the air. Ning Donn was afraid that Xiaocao would be ill from fright again, so he had her and her two friends wait at the side as he went forward to check on the situation.


    Ning Donghuan quipped foolishly, ¡°Little Royal Prince, obediently stay here in order to avoid getting scared out of your pants again! Argh~you¡¯re such a sissy that you¡¯re giving a bad name to all men!¡±


    He Wanning frowned immediately and strode forward inrge steps and began to quarrel riotously with Ning Donghuan. Suddenly, she revealed a crafty smile on her face and stretched out her tiny ws. She forcefully scratched down on Ning Donghuan¡¯s wounded hand. Everyone could only hear him howling in pain and it was loud enough that even Lu Hao, who was cleaning up the battle, was startled.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just bragging about how manly you were? You can¡¯t even endure a little bit of pain, so how manly can you possibly be?¡± He Wanning smiled proudly. Ning Donghuan was in so much pain that he wanted to hit her but he had been raised since birth that he wasn¡¯t allowed to hit women. The expression on his face twisted, which made He Wanning grin even wider.


    ¡°Third Younger Brother!¡± Ning Donn had already seen things for what they were. His younger brother would never be able to gain an advantage over these three maidens, so he hurriedly called him over. Otherwise, that fool would end up just getting even more hurt over the tricks of these three girls.


    Although the battle at Wild Wolves Slope had been won by them, they had still been outnumbered so it was unavoidable that they had some casualties. Out of the five hundred Jin Wu Troops, there were around twenty who had been seriously injured and seven who had perished. The seriously injured ones were able to stay alive thanks to the special medicine Yu Xiaocao had made. Even those who had only one breath left in their bodies were brought back from the brink of death. Otherwise, they would have lost more people.


    When he found out that Xiaocao¡¯s group had also encountered danger, Lu Hao came over to inquire about everything after he finished cleaning up his area and making sure the fake Xiaocao was okay. Naturally, he spent most of his time making sure his bold and impetuous fianc¨¦e, He Wanning, was alright since she only had the most rudimentary skills at defending herself. He was afraid that she might have lost her temper in the midst of battle and rushed forward, injuring herself. He Wanning did her best to convince him that everything was fine. It was only after he saw that the person he needed to protect and his fianc¨¦e was safe and sound did he finally leave anxiously.


    For the rest of the journey, the main group had been ambushed a few more times. However, these attacks were all much smaller than the attack at Wild Wolves Slope. The crafty enemy even began to use poison. Luckily, Xiaocao had refined arge batch of detoxifying pills. Thus, although there were people who had gotten injured, no one had ended up dying during these attacks.


    With Lu Hao and the others as the bait, Xiaocao and her group were able to swimmingly get closer to the stud farm. Unfortunately, when they were about twenty kilometers away from their destination, they had gotten intercepted by a group.


    The leader of the enemy group was a handsome fellow with a pretty face and elegant demeanor. However, an evil aura could be sensed from him and it was easy to tell at a nce that he wasn¡¯t a good person. Furthermore, he was able to immediately spot the disguise on Xiaocao¡¯s face. He grinned confidently as he said, ¡°Royal Princess Jinan, it¡¯s quite difficult to get an audience with you ah!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not remembering incorrectly, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve never met before. Why do you want an audience with me?¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that the hidden guards she had brought with her had already gone ahead to the stud farm. As long as they stalled for an hour, the stewards and guards at the farm would notice that they hadn¡¯t arrived and would absolutely send people to look for them. Furthermore, the stud farm even had a squadron of special soldiers from the firearms barracks guarding them.


    The man smiled faintly and replied, ¡°Although you have no knowledge of me, this lowly one has admired you for a long time. I don¡¯t have any ill intentions in inviting you over. This one is interested in concocting medicines and is considered talented in this area. When I found out that Your Highness was also proficient, I wanted to invite you over to my residence so we couldpare notes!¡±


    ¡°Then I will have to disappoint you. This young maiden only has a shallow knowledge of the medicinal arts and only knows how to make the most ordinary of medicines. If you want to find someone topare notes with, our Central ins has quite a few talented people, such as Young Master Xu from Medicinal King Valley. His abilities are much better than mine!¡±


    The little divine stone had the ability to read people¡¯s minds, so he had told Yu Xiaocao that the person in front of her was the traitor from Medicine King Valley, Lei Tengfeng. This guy had oncepeted against Xu Ziyi for the status of the future master of the sect. However, because the current leader didn¡¯t like his personality, he ended up losing to Xu Ziyi. That was the reason why she deliberately mentioned Xu Ziyi earlier.


    As expected, the expression on Lei Tengfeng¡¯s face changed as he couldn¡¯t keep the smile on his face anymore. He asked, ¡°Your Highness truly is learned and has a good memory. You even know about the hidden and secretive Medicine King Valley. Perhaps you¡¯ve had some contact with the young master there?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be considered to be very close. However, thest time when I was here, I ended up saving Young Master Xu¡¯s life while I was deep within the mountains. That¡¯s all.¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled slightly as she spoke in a calm and collected manner. It was as if she didn¡¯t think much of what had happened in the past.


    The expression on Lei Tengfeng¡¯s face changed again. It was important to realize that Medicine King Valley was a sect that repaid its debts and grievances in a strict manner. The young maiden in front of him had actually saved the young master from the sect, which meant that Medicine King Valley owned her an incredible favor. If he ended up kidnapping her, that meant the people from the sect would never let him go!


    However, after thinking a bit, he realized that he had been living incognito ever since he fled from Medicine King Valley. Even if he didn¡¯t kidnap her, the sect would never let him go either. As long as he was able to obtain what he wanted from this maiden surnamed Yu, then the people from the sect wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to him either!


    Lei Tengfeng frowned deeply as he said, ¡°Your Royal Highness, now that you mention it, this one is also rted to Medicine King Valley. In fact, Young Master Xu is considered my younger martial brother ah! Since you¡¯ve saved him, that means you¡¯re my benefactor too. This one has a residence in a nearby town. If you don¡¯t disdain it, then pleasee back with me to allow me to toast some good wine to thank you...¡±


    ¡°I will have to refuse!¡± Yu Xiaocao immediately pushed away his offer, ¡°You say that this wine is good, but can the wine here in the middle of nowherepare to the wine that my Yu Family makes? If you want to invite me for food, do you really think the food at your ce canpare to the food at Zhenxiu Restaurant? Since you¡¯ve already investigated me before, then you must know that many of the recipes at Zhenxiu Restaurant are rted to me as I was the one who gave them their recipes. Thus, don¡¯t mention bringing me over as a guest to your residence anymore. I still need to finish my journey, so please stop blocking me!¡±


    ¡°Your Royal Highness, I¡¯m afraid that I cannot let you go!¡± Lei Tengfeng clearly didn¡¯t expect Yu Xiaocao would reject his offer so directly. He was unable to keep the fake smile on his face as he continued, ¡°Your Highness, this one will have to advise you to obediently go with me. Don¡¯t refuse my good intentions now, otherwise you¡¯ll regret itter!¡±


    ¡°Since this princess has no interest in drinking a toast with you, I naturally have no desire in drinking a forfeit either!¡± Yu Xiaocao crossed her arms around her chest and stubbornly stood her ground. This demeanor paired with the male clothing on her made her seem quite heroic, causing He Wanning¡¯s eyes to shine in admiration.


    Lei Tengfeng sneered coldly, ¡°Your Royal Highness, do you truly believe that you will be able to prevail against all of my brave soldiers with just those two puny guns on you?¡± After he spoke, he blew a loud whistle. Not far from where they were, a dozen horses appeared from a small de of trees, galloping over at high speed. There was a strong warrior seated on each horse.


    ¡°Psh¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s confident expression didn¡¯t change one iota as she chuckled icily. She asked casually, ¡°Did you forget just whose domain you are standing on now?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe? They just finished quelling internal unrest, so how would they have the time to meddle in other matters? Let me advise you to stop trying to stall for time as it¡¯s all in vain. Obedientlye with me to avoid suffering more in the future!¡± An evil expression surfaced on Lei Tengfeng¡¯s face.

 Chapter 638 - Xiao Rongs Help

    <h4>Chapter 638 - Xiao Rong¡¯s Help</h4>


    ¡°Great Leader Xiao Rong, if you guys don¡¯te out now, then the people who saved you will be taken away by some bad people. I don¡¯t think refusing to repay a boon is Great Leader Xiao Rong¡¯s personal style!¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her voice.


    ¡°Ha ha ha¡ª¡ª¡± A bout of clear and resoundingughter could be heard. The expression on Lei Tengfeng¡¯s face immediately changed. He had never expected that the ancient saying, ¡®the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind¡¯, would actually apply to him today!


    Suddenly, a group of several hundred warriors seemed to appear from out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, this group had easily surrounded Lei Tengfeng¡¯s group of men and Xiaocao¡¯s group. After looking more closely, one would discover that these men had all been disguised with mats woven from fresh grass. When a personid down on the ground with the mat on top, they blended seamlessly into the grass prairie. It was truly a good disguise.


    ¡°Miss Yu, how did you know that my men and I were in the vicinity?¡± A fine looking steed trotted forward from the dust, stopping not far from her. The person sitting on top of that horse was the current leader of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe, Xiao Rong.


    ¡°Chief Xiao, I trust you have been well since west met?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a bit of admiration in her heart for Xiao Rong. He was decisive and confident in his actions while being brave and intelligent. In the period of short months, he had managed to not only quell his tribe¡¯s inner turmoil but also swallow up a few small tribes in their vicinity. If he had been born in the Great Ming Empire, he would absolutely be a wise and great general there. Having such a man as an enemy would not be an easy thing to deal with!


    Lei Tengfeng interrupted the greetings between the two people as he coldly huffed, ¡°Chief Xiao, I, Lei Tengfeng, have long admired you for being a true man. Who would have thought that a mighty chief would be the mere dog of the Great Ming Empire! Such an utter waste of your talents ah!¡±


    ¡°Esteemed Heavenly Teacher, Xiao Rong has also heard that you are a person of the Central ins. A citizen of the Great Ming Empire is asking for my help because of a grievance between you two. Esteemed Heavenly Teacher, are you in any position to criticize me at this point?¡± Xiao Rong easily dismissed the other man¡¯s attempts at sowing dissension between them.


    ¡°Absolutely true! Does someone who has betrayed their own country have any qualifications to criticize other people? That being said, the Great Ming Empire and the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe are in a mutually beneficial diplomatic rtionship with each other. How is this one countrymanding another then?¡± When Yu Xiaocao learned that Lei Tengfeng was a traitor from the Medicine King Valley Sect, she felt even more disdain towards the other man.


    ¡°Since the Tuha¡¯erhanbu tribe is not beingmanded by the Great Ming Empire, then it¡¯s best, Xiao Rong, if you don¡¯t butt into today¡¯s matters. That way you can avoid rousing the ire of all of the other outer tribes!¡± Lei Tengfeng noticed that the other man had almost the same number of men as he did. When added onto the bodyguards that Yu Xiaocao brought along, that would make victory uncertain for him if Xiao Rong decided to interfere.


    Xiao Rong smiled slightly and leisurely replied, ¡°At that time, when I was at my lowest and severely injured, Miss Yu had helped me out. If it weren¡¯t for her help, then this world would no longer have me anymore. The warriors from the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe always return a boon for a boon and an eye for an eye. We are honorable warriors. Today, I will consider this as returning the favor that Miss Yu had shown when she had nursed me back to health!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao slightly bowed towards him and said, ¡°Chief Xiao is too kind. As a student of the medicinal arts, I¡¯m not like some practitioners who only know how to rely on my skills to harm others. I was only doing my duty when I had helped you out!¡±


    A particr practitioner¡¯s expression changed before he managed to wrest his face back under control. Lei Tengfeng spoke to Xiao Rong, ¡°If Chief Xiao doesn¡¯t interfere today, then I, surnamed Lei, will be willing to supply a year¡¯s worth of medicines to the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe for free!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao sneered and said, ¡°Do you think you¡¯re the only one who knows how to make medicine? As a medicinal practitioner, for your own benefit, you even dared to set poison down at the stud farm. Who would dare to use medicine made by such an immoral person? What if you decided to add something a little extra to your pills...¡±


    Lei Tengfeng had seen that his words had somewhat tempted Xiao Rong. Thus, when he heard Yu Xiaocao¡¯s rebuttal, his face immediately darkened and he raged furiously, ¡°Shut up! I, surnamed Lei, am willing to use my reputation as a guarantee...¡±


    ¡°Psh! Does someone who has betrayed his own masters, who have taught him everything, have a reputation left?¡± Yu Xiaocao pressed on her advantage and wasn¡¯t giving the other person an opportunity to maneuver! He Wanning would have never expected that Younger Sister Xiaocao, who had been born in a peasant farmer¡¯s family, could have such an imposing manner and not back off when against a formidable enemy. The admiration and worship in her heart towards the other girl increased until it almost overflowed. She regarded the younger girl with stars in her eyes.


    ¡°Chief Xiao,¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t going to give Lei Tengfeng a chance to speak. She looked at Xiao Rong head on and addressed him solemnly, ¡°Once the problem at the stud farm has been resolved, this princess will immediately send a request up to the emperor once I get back to capital to ask him to allow the addition of the Yu¡¯s Medicine Stall to the mutual marketce between our two countries. This stall will sell somemonly used medications and will sell to the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe alone. However, it will only contain themon types of medications. That¡¯s the most I can guarantee at this point!¡±


    Xiao Rong was immensely delighted by her promise and nodded his head repeatedly, ¡°Many thanks, Miss Yu! I am extremely grateful for this!¡± One had to realize that the weather in thends north of the border was cruel and bitter. It wasn¡¯t an easynd to live in. Every year, many of the tribe¡¯s old and weak would end up perishing from somemon illnesses as they weren¡¯t able to get enough medications for treatment. Xiao Rong had long known of the efficacy and might of the Yu¡¯s Pharmaceuticals.


    Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t a branch of ¡®Tongren Medicine Hall¡¯ outside of the borders. Thus, one could only buy the Yu¡¯s Pharmaceutical¡¯s products within the border. Furthermore, these products were extremely popr and as soon as they were restocked on the shelves they were sold out. Xiao Rong had sent a few of his subordinates to the nearby Zhou Prefecture. They had waited for over half a month before they were finally lucky enough to buy two bottles of the Yu¡¯s cough and cold medicines. These medicines were now regarded by the tribe as heavenly cures.


    Last winter, these medications were a saving grace for Xiao Rong. His stupid younger brother¡¯s die-hard supporter, one of the highest ranking generals of the tribe, only had one son. That son had gotten heavily ill from the cold and was at death¡¯s door. It was only after taking some of the Yu¡¯s medications that he survived. Because of that, that general had switched allegiances to Xiao Rong out of immense gratitude, making his victory over the internal turmoil of the tribe that much easier!


    If they could truly open a medicine stall at the mutual marketce, a stall that actually sold medicines from the Yu Family, then themoners of the tribe would regard him even more highly. Thus, his position within the tribe would be even more stable and assured! Furthermore, he had already been nning on returning the favor to her, so even without this benefit he wouldn¡¯t just stand aside and watch hernd into hot water. Xiao Rong immediately ignored the words Heavenly Teacher Lei had said and didn¡¯t fall into temptation.


    ¡°Warriors, for the sake of the miracle medicines, for the sake of preventing sickness from taking our wives and children away from us, protect the royal princess!¡± Xiao Rong forcefully waved his arm as he trumpeted loudly. All of the men beneath him enthusiastically shouted, ¡°Yes!¡±


    The hundred of valiant warriors from the Tuha¡¯erhanbu gathered around Yu Xiaocao¡¯s group, protecting them tightly within the middle. They brandished their weapons towards the troops from the foreign tribes that were under Heavenly Teacher Lei. An immense battle was about to begin!


    Lei Tengfeng was so angry that he almost broke a tooth from clenching his jaw so hard. He silently cursed the eighteen generations of Chief Xiao Rong¡¯s family. If that man hadn¡¯t suddenly appeared, Royal Princess Jinan would already be safely ensconced away in his hands.


    With her on hand, then the secret behind the special horse fodder at the stud farm would be easily found out. Once he investigated the secret within the fodder, then extracted what he needed to make sure that it wouldn¡¯t harm humans, he was absolutely certain he¡¯d find an ingredient to prolonging life. Perhaps, once he understood this ingredient¡¯s properties, he would truly be able to make the legendary immortality elixir!


    After making secret investigations, he was certain that this special fodder was closely linked to the young maiden who was by that cold royal prince¡¯s side. As expected, as soon as he set a devious poison at the stud farm, the imperial court immediately sent Royal Princess Jinan out to fix it.


    However, he had miscalcted. The current emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty was a shrewd and clever one. He had sent out a fake royal princess out to draw away the vast majority of men under hismand. Furthermore, the real princess had been disguised and had almost arrived at the stud farm. If it weren¡¯t for the fact he had treated that bearded idiot¡¯s gunshot wounds, he would have never realized the switcheroo.


    However, from the way things looked now, if they decided to battle them head on, it was unlikely that he¡¯d have an easy victory. Even if he managed to kidnap Royal Princess Jinan, he would have to pay a high price to do so. On the other hand, he really didn¡¯t want to let this opportunity slip away! It was time to fight!


    With one word from Lei Tengfeng, the battle began! Chunhua, Qiushi and the other four hidden guards had surrounded Xiaocao and her two good friends, keeping them safe within a tight circle. Xiao Rong also went into a protective stance by her side. Thus, the fighting spread like a wildfire while Xiaocao was in the safest area.


    ¡°Oh no! This sneaky fellow is actually using poison now!¡± Ning Donghuan had been ordered by his second older brother to not enter the battlefield but he was quite antsy at this moment. However, as soon as he saw the people on their side inexplicably fall over one by another, he remembered that Xiaocao had once mentioned that this despicable fellow knew how to make poison. He immediately became incensed and eximed his findings.


    Xiao Rong watched as his men and horses slowly fell down to the ground. The stronger ones didn¡¯t end up on the ground but they were still barely holding on. A shiver went through his body and he involuntarily clenched harder to the horse whip in his hands.


    ¡°Using poison? Who hasn¡¯t used that before? Little Glutinous Dumpling, it¡¯s up to you now! Let them experience what it means to ¡®use one¡¯s weapons against them¡¯!¡± Yu Xiaocao obviously didn¡¯t have any poison on hand. However, she had the little divine stone use its own spiritual power to cause a simr effect. The little divine stone¡¯s cultivation level had improved again, so doing something like this was only a small appetizer for it.


    Before Xiao Rong could figure out what this ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯ was, a sh of golden light vaulted off his shoulder and went straight into the battlefield. As the tiny golden figure passed the enemy troops, it left them staggering and falling down to the ground.


    When Yu Xiaocao found out that her opponent was highly skilled at making poisons, she had prepared special detoxifying pills to bring along. She nodded her head towards Chunhua and the maid took out a few bottles of pills. She hurriedly disseminated them to He Wanning¡¯s bodyguards as well as the other men fighting in the field. In an instant, she had be a ¡®white clothed angel¡¯.


    After taking a single detoxifying pill, the warriors from the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe, who had previously been rolling on the ground in pain, immediately calmed down. A breathter and these previously poisoned men were able to stand up again. Within a quarter of an hour, it was as if they had never been poisoned. They picked up their weapons again and began fiercely fighting against their foes.


    Lei Tengfeng watched this all with jealous eyes. He was very well aware of the effects of the poison he had made. Those who were misfortunate enough to encounter the poisonous gas would start rotting from within. Even his own antidote wasn¡¯t as effective as the detoxifying pill that the other person had. What did this mean? This meant that Royal Princess Jinan absolutely had a special recipe on her and it might even be a legendary method from the ancient times to concoct medicine! His desire to capture her and steal this method away had risen by another hundredfold.


    ¡°Heavenly Teacher! It is not safe here, so this subordinate will escort you to retreat now!¡± One of the brave warriors watched as the soldiers from his side fall over one by one from an unexinable method. Slowly, the tide turned against them. If this continued, then it was likely it would end in their total defeat. The most important thing now was to escort the Heavenly Teacher away safely!


    ¡°No! No!! That stinky brat absolutely has a heavenly concocting method on her hands. If I¡¯m able to capture her, then I¡¯ll be an immortal and the world will be mine!!¡± Lei Tengfeng had fallen into a frenzy as he was obsessed with obtaining this method. He howled like a madman.

 Chapter 639 - What Is an Elixir of Immortality?

    <h4>Chapter 639 - What Is an Elixir of Immortality?</h4>


    "You¡¯re crazy! I think you¡¯re probably possessed by evil spirits and had a cultivation deviation! How could there be a way to refine an immortality elixir in this world? Even if there was, do you think themon herbs of the mortal realm could be used to refine an elixir of immortality? Anyone with a brain wouldn¡¯t sacrifice the lives of their subordinates to pursue such an illusionary goal!" Yu Xiaocao sneered and raised her voice.


    In actuality, when she said these words, she felt a little guilty because she had a refining method the little divine stone had given her. However, refining an elixir of immortality was absolutely impossible, but it was possible to prolong life, strengthen the body, or increase the ability of something!


    Lei Tengfeng¡¯s two subordinates looked at each other, quickly brought the Great Heavenly Teacher onto a horse, and raced towards the horizon. Yu Xiaocao thought that this guy was a numbskull. For the sake of the so-called immortality elixir, he ignored the lives of others and created so much trouble. If she didn¡¯t teach him a lesson, the resentment in her heart wouldn¡¯t disappear.


    She took out a gun and fired a shot at the butt of the horse that was under Lei Tengfeng. Originally she wanted to hit Lei Tengfeng, but he was protected by his subordinates, so she could only fire at the poor horse.


    The horse stumbled and fell to the ground after its hind leg was injured. Due to gravity, Lei Tengfeng and his subordinate, who were on the horse¡¯s back flew off over the horse¡¯s head and fell on the ground. They rolled several times before stopping. The other two men were busy dismounting and helping the two people onto their horses before riding away. They were afraid that the Great Ming Empire¡¯s gun would fire again!


    "Hahaha! How funny! Little Sister Xiaocao, you¡¯re so strong! Anyone could tell that guy was a flop just at a nce. Unfortunately, he escaped this time. Who knows what kind of lousy idea he¡¯lle up with next!" He Wanningughed and pped.


    "Miss Yu, you are not being a good friend! Hiding the truth the whole way here! However, your disguise technique is very sessful. I really thought you were Royal Prince Guo; it looks so real!" Ning Donghuan crowded over and grumbled.


    However, he was soon attracted by the art of disguise and pestered Xiaocao to learn it. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t beat him at stubbornness, and threw him to the imperial hidden guard, who was proficient in the art of disguise to let him mess around however he liked!


    He Wanning, on the other hand, didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to embarrass him, "Only you, the one without a brain, wouldn¡¯t know Xiaocao¡¯s identity. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask your second brother!"


    Ning Donghuan turned his sights to his second brother. Seeing him nod slightly, he wailed and said, "It¡¯s ok if others don¡¯t tell me. Yet even you...you are my brother!! Second Brother, when did you find out about Miss Yu¡¯s identity? "


    "I knew from the very beginning. The emperor was worried about the three young maidens. He secretly summoned me to the pce and gave me the order to protect them." Otherwise, how could Ning Donn know when Xiaocao would be leaving the capital?


    "Ah? It turns out that you taking me hunting outside the pass was just to cover up your own business! To think I was moved for such a long time!" Ning Donghuan mumbled and felt ufortable because he was the only one in the dark.


    By this time, the battlefield was almost cleaned up. Heavenly Teacher Lei brought more than five hundred people here. When he left, a lot of them were knocked down by the little divine stone, and only about a hundred people escaped with him. Lei Tengfeng, this time, could be said to have stolen the chicken but lost the rice and suffered a big loss.


    On Xiao Rong¡¯s side, except for those who were killed by the enemy at the beginning by poison, the other men who had been poised were nowpletely cured and they were tying up the fallen opponents one by one. They had discovered that these enemy soldiers, who had fallen to the ground, were unconscious for some reason. They even stabbed them twice, but no one woke up.


    The warriors of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe thought that Yu Xiaocao¡¯s medicine was responsible for their unconscious state. Also, her antidote pill could easily detoxify the other party¡¯s poison, which showed that her pharmaceutical skills are much higher than that of the so-called Heavenly Teacher. As a result, they looked forward to the opening of a medicinal stall at the mutual market.


    "Chief, arge group of people areing!¡± D Citeng, who was leading his men to clean up the battlefield, inadvertently looked up and saw a group of men on horses racing towards them in the distance. He didn¡¯t know whether they were friend or foe and immediately went to Xiao Rong¡¯s side, on guard.


    Yu Xiaocao stood on her tiptoe and looked at the gap between Xiao Rong and D Citeng. Her eyesight was good and she immediately recognized the equipment of the firearms camp and said to He Wanning in a rxed way, "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s our reinforcements."


    He Wanning breathed a sigh of relief. This trip was quite frightening. If she were to do it again, she didn¡¯t know whether or not she would copse. She rolled eyes and said, "Coming now, what use is there? If it was not for the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe, we wouldn¡¯t even know how the situation would¡¯ve been at this time. "


    Yuan Xueyan patted her and gently said, "Don¡¯t be angry! The people at the horse farm didn¡¯t know we were in danger!¡±


    "Your Royal Highness, please punish me for beingte!" The firearm camp was taught by Royal Prince Yang and they always respected his wants and orders. The news of Royal Prince Yang and Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s engagement had been spread outside the pass. Therefore, themander of the firearm battalion, who hade to rescue them, respected Xiaocao as much as he did Royal Prince Yang.


    "Commander Li¡¯s words are too serious. After all, it was thanks to Chief Xiao¡¯s help this time. If Chief Xiao isn¡¯t against it, I¡¯ll prepare water and wine in the side courtyard to thank you all! " Yu Xiaocao looked at Xiao Rong and smiled calmly.


    Xiao Rong looked highly upon this teenage girl in front of him. He had been to the Central ins before and those Han women, especially those who grew up in noble and wealthy families, were all delicate, like weak and useless flowers. When they encountered difficult situations, they could only cry and sob.


    However, the youngdy in front of him gave him a new understanding of Han females. Facing more opponents that had ten times the amount of people, she was fearless in the face of danger, retorting arrogantly, and dealt with her opponent. The bloodshed on the battlefield didn¡¯t even make her blink. The retreat of their side was also timed so they could turn the tides and hit the opponents by surprises, letting them turn defeat into victory. When he was saved in the past, he was also greeted with kindness and prestige, which made him think highly of her.


    She was standing there upright, with her delicate waist, like a young bamboo in the spring, standing tall and straight even though it was weak. Her small figure appeared very conspicuous, making people unable to move their sights off of her. Were only such people qualified to stand beside a hero like Royal Prince Yang? Xiao Rong had an unknown feeling well up in his heart.


    With a smile on his face, he saluted the respectable youngdy and said, "We can skip going to the side courtyard! However, I heard that the Yu Family¡¯s liquor is very tasty! Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t been able to taste it. If Miss Yu is willing to part with it...¡±


    "Chief Xiao is too polite. Compared to Chief Xiao¡¯s help today, what are a few jars of wine worth? Qiushi, take ten jars of ¡®Northern Spring Sword¡¯ from our luggage cart and give it to Chief Xiao!" Every time Yu Xiaocao came out, she was well prepared, especially regarding food and drinks. This time, she originally brought the liquor to reward the soldiers at the firearms camp stationed at the horse farm. Who would have thought that this liquor would end up benefiting the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe?


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t a stingy person, giving out ten jars in one go, which made D Citeng, who was beside Xiao Rong, open his big mouth and smile like a blooming flower. He rubbed his big hands together and said with a smile, "Miss Yu really is friendly and honest. Elder Brother, can you spare one of these ten jars of wine?"


    This D Citeng ordinarily had no other hobbies besides drinking a few drinks when he was free. Unfortunately, the quality of the wine outside the border was too poor. He heard that the liquor produced by the Yu¡¯s Family Business in the Central ins was very strong. If it wasn¡¯t for the eventful autumn in the tribe, he would have sneaked into the Central ins to taste how good the so-called liquor was that it was rumored to be supernatural.


    "Everyone will have some! When we go back, we kill a few cattle and sheep and reward all the warriors today!!" Xiao Rong¡¯s ability to gain loyalty was really unique!


    D Citeng felt a sharp pain in his heart when he heard this! After all, there were at least four or five hundred people present. There were only ten jars of alcohol and each person getting one bowl of wine each would be considered lucky; how could they even have a good time?


    Hearing this, Xiaocao said, "All the warriors who worked and bled for me today! I¡¯ll take out ten more jars of liquor to reward you! Qiushi, bring out ten more jars of alcohol. The previous ten jars of liquor will be considered as gifts for Chief Xiao. You better keep them for yourself!"


    As soon as the Xiaocao had finished speaking, a burst of cheers broke out among the warriors of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe. The cheer floated far and wide with the wind on the grasnd. D Citeng felt a lot morefortable in his heart. His elder brother had ten jars of wine in his hands. No matter what, he should be able to get a jar, right?


    The warriors of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe were happy, but the soldiers of the firearm camp weren¡¯t happy. Twenty jars of fine liquor and they all disappeared like this! If it hadn¡¯t been for today¡¯s event, all these fine alcohol would have been theirs. s! They didn¡¯t know how many jars of alcohol the boss¡¯s future wife had brought, and whether or not she could give them some.


    Xiao Rong returned with the warriors of the Tuha¡¯erhanbu Tribe carrying the wine jars. He Wanning stared at Xiaocao worshipfully on the side and eximed, "Sister Xiaocao, after these past three days, I¡¯m impressed! I did not expect you to face such a fierce battlefield and be so fearless and generous; you can face the leader of a tribe without being too humble or arrogant. You¡¯re really showing that women aren¡¯t inferior to men!"


    Yu Xiaocao gave a bitterugh and lifted her shaking hand to show her, "Who said I wasn¡¯t afraid? I was just pretending to be calm. I didn¡¯t want to let my timidity show in front of my opponent. Quick, catch me, my legs have gone weak!"


    He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan looked at each other, rolled their eyes and each took an arm of Xiaocao, who they were just praising! However, faced with such cruel scenes, it was also a skill to pretend to be calm to the extent of what was false seemed to be real!


    Xiaocao and the others arrived at the horse ranch under the protection of the firearms camp without any trouble. However, Lu Hao¡¯s team wasn¡¯t so lucky. On the way, their opponents used assassination, poison, and endless other methods to intercept them. If it wasn¡¯t for the antidotes given by Xiaocao, they were afraid that arge part of them would have died on the way.

 Chapter 640 - Arrival of the Young Valley Master

    <h4>Chapter 640 - Arrival of the Young Valley Master</h4>


    Fortunately, the team was full of excellent soldiers who had experienced many battles. Also, the imperial hidden guards with high martial arts skills, and even the skinny and small fake princess could equal up to five or six foreign warriors, which surprised the enemy to no end.


    They arrived at the horse farm three dayster and almost everyone was injured. Even if there was a special medicine on hand, they still lost thirty-four Jin Wu Guards. This made Xiaocao¡¯s heart feel like there was a heavy stone in there, making her breathless.


    "No! I can¡¯t take this!" Yu Xiaocao stomped her feet angrily after solving the poison problem at the horse farm. She wouldn¡¯t let the one with the surname Lei have an easy time!


    He Wanning helped here up with bad ideas, "Yes! Yes! Our Royal Princess Jinan isn¡¯t someone who can easily be bullied. You have to give him some lessons! How about, you make some poison and let the brothers at the firearms camp sneak attack the enemy camp at night so they can poison all their men and horses!"


    "No! The traitors of the Medicine King Valley should be dealt with by the Medicine King Valley! I think Xu Ziyi must be very grateful for the news I sent him! " Yu Xiaocao¡¯s skill of killing people with a borrowed knife was perfected.


    When Xu Ziyi left back then, he left behind the method of sending messages to him. Yu Xiaocao let an imperial hidden guard under her go. Due to the potential threat of the lunatic Heavenly Teacher Lei, Xiaocao and her two good friends could only obediently stay on the horse farm.


    Yuan Xueyan had a quiet temperament. No matter where she was, as long as she had a book in her hand, she could spend a whole day quietly. In the spring, the grasnds were as green as if they had been rendered with heavy colors. There were some wildflowers scattered on the green grass. Against the blue sky were white clouds and distant mountains. It was a rugged and boldndscape painting.


    From time to time, Yuan Xueyan, with her two maids, would ride the horses on the horse farm, traveling along the grasnd freely. When she saw a scenery that she liked, she would stop to quietly draw a picture of the spring scenery of the grasnd. As long as they were on the horse farm, even if they didn¡¯t remember the way back, the horse would return to the stables in the evening.


    Besides, the stud farm¡¯s firearm camp guards were well-known. No one dared toe to the horse farm to find trouble openly, even though it was a tough area. Thus Xiaocao didn¡¯t have to worry about her safety.


    As for He Wanning, she was a horse lover. After arriving at the stud farm, thisdy was like a fish in water, mixing with horses all day long. Especially the little ck Whirlwind, He Wanning almost raised the colt as her son.


    Unfortunately, the ck Whirlwind was very proud. When faced with He Wanning, it always looked cold and indifferent. At the sight of the Xiaocao, it would change its face. It licked her face in front of He Wanning and asked for her to pet it. Compared to it when it was in front of He Wanning, it was apletely different horse.


    He Wanning¡¯s eyes were green with envy and jealousy when she saw this cute and adorable side of ck Whirlwind. However, she knew that she couldn¡¯t be envious, because her little sister, Xiaocao, had an inborn affinity for animals. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to tame two wolves better than dogs.


    When Snow Scar led the wild horses back to the horse farm to supplement their ¡®nutrients¡¯, He Wanning¡¯s attention turned to this white horse, as she was full of anger and resentment. However, Snow Scar only let the Xiaocao ride it, which made her suffer another blow. However, He Wanning didn¡¯t retreat but started being stubborn with Snow Scar, vowing to tame the fine stallion.


    Thus, this girl took her dry rations and bedding and went deep into the grasnd to chase the wild horses. She often didn¡¯t return to the horse farm for ten days to half a month. The wild horse herd was getting familiar with her. However, Snow Scar was still on its guard.


    If she changed her taming target, she might have seeded in her carelessness. It was a pity that she chose the tough nut, Snow Scar...the winds on the grasnd made her pale skin dull and rough, but He Wanning didn¡¯t care at all. In the end, however, she didn¡¯t fulfill her wish. Later on, she was caught by her fianc¨¦ and taken back on horseback.


    As for Xiaocao, she focused on discussing with Veterinarian Wang the prescriptions for treating equine diseases. They worked together and made many targeted patent medicines. Xiaocao¡¯s factories must produce a fine product. The quality of these horse medicines were naturally superior, and their effects were also immediate.


    In the days when Xiaocao stayed at the horse farm, the horses in the horse farm were well-conditioned. One by one, they became bigger and stronger, which was very pleasant. Newborn foals were also the biggest beneficiaries. Originally the very ordinary-looking foal, once raised by the grass, actually had the potential to be one of the finest horses.


    Spring was the season for all things to multiply. The mares in the stud farm and the wild horses, one by one, became pregnant with young horses. ording to Xiaocao¡¯s statistics, it was estimated that by the end of the year, more than six foals would be added to the horse farm. These were all the hopes of the horse farm!


    The mares of the wild horse herd and their young foals all stayed in the horse farm as they enjoyed the special perks¡ª¡ªdrinking mystic stone water, having ess to fresh horse feed, and being served by specialized personnel. After the winter¡¯s imperceptible influence, the wild horse herd had made the horse farm their second home.


    The days passed by one by one. In the blink of an eye, Xiaocao and her group had been at the horse farm for more than a month. He Wanning was ying on the horse farm and wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go back. However, Lu Hao was in a hurry! He had nned after this assignment to ask the emperor to take a vacation and marry his little wife. But now? He would like to go back, but the reality couldn¡¯t tolerate his wish!


    After all, the demon-like Heavenly Teacher Lei had suffered such a big fall in Xiaocao¡¯s hands, and he would never give up with his fanatic personality. It was only the firearms camp by the horse farm that frightened the enemy so they did not dare to invade them. If at this time, no matter who left the horse farm, they would surely suffer his crazy revenge. Lu Hao only had around four to five hundred men with him. Compared with the forces of several tribal alliances, they were not enough! Although he was anxious to get married, he had to face up to reality and not take risks.


    Fortunately, before long, Xiaocao received the news from Medicine King Valley. Young Valley Master Xu, who was leading the experts in the valley, had already set out for the border. The matters of the Jianghu belonged to the Jianghu. As long as Xiaocao achieved her goals, it didn¡¯t matter if she did it herself.


    Another half a month passed, and just when Snow Scar had ¡®condescended¡¯ to let He Wanning help it take a bath, Xu Ziyi came to the horse farm and brought the good news that he had captured the traitors.


    "Young Valley Master Xu, the traitor of your Medicine King Valley, has inflicted physical and mental damage on me and brought irreversible losses to our side. How are you nning onpensating us? " Yu Xiaocao knew that she was venting her temper on the other party.


    However, Lei Tengfeng had caused so many troubles to the horse farm for the sake of nothing, causing her toe to the border in person, which dyed her many businesses and caused indelible trauma to her little mind. Also, Lu Hao¡¯s subordinates who had died in the battle would never return. Their parents, siblings, wives, and children would be so sad...


    "Well...when the holy elixir for internal injury is developed, how about I share it with Miss Yu?" Xu Ziyi had figured out the little girl¡¯s personality. He knew that he couldn¡¯t tweak her whiskers at this time and had to be careful.


    Yu Xiaocao snorted coldly and said, "This holy medicine for treating internal injuries was originally left by our ancestors. Isn¡¯t it right to give us a copy of the prescription when ites out when we gave you the form to research? "


    "Then... how does Miss Yu want to bepensated?" Xu Ziyi looked like he was amenable to discussion


    After thinking for a while, Yu Xiaocao said, "How about this? It¡¯s said that the ¡®Nine Paths to Recovery Pill¡¯ in Medicine King Valley is the elixir dreamt of by martial arts practitioners. How about...thirty to fifty? And the pill I provided. After it is sessfully developed, the valley should provide me at least twenty pills a year...What¡¯s more, your Medicine King Valley owes me a favor. When I need your help in the future, you can¡¯t shirk it! "


    Hearing this, Xu Ziyi felt pain in his heart and said, "The ¡®Nine Paths to Recovery Pill¡¯ that you mentioned, due to the rare medicinal materials, Medicine King Valley can only refine two bottles of about a hundred pills every year. You¡¯re asking for one-third to even half of it. Isn¡¯t this making things difficult? What¡¯s more, there is one substance in the holy medicine handed down by your ancestors which can¡¯t be reced. Thinking of it, even if it can be reced, the medicinal materials are very precious. Twenty a year... Aren¡¯t you opening your mouth too wide?¡±


    "Well...how much does Young Valley Master Xu think is appropriate? " Yu Xiaocao had already left room for the other party to bargain and asked unpleasantly.


    "Miss Yu, look... the ¡®Nine Paths to Recovery Pill¡¯ I have only ten with me, I¡¯ll give all of them to you! And the healing holy medicine, we provide you with two pills a year. How about it?¡± With a smile, Xu Ziyi stretched out two fingers.


    Yu Xiaocao frowned and replied in a very dissatisfied manner, "I want twenty pills. You, on the other hand, directly used two of them to try and fool me. Are you trying to send beggars away? Forget it, give me back my medicine, I¡¯ll work out the prescription myself! Although I¡¯m not good at refining medicine, I¡¯m talented! Maybe in thirty or fifty years, I¡¯ll make it! "


    "Miss Yu, Miss Yu! Don¡¯t be impatient! Let¡¯s talk about it!¡± When Xu Ziyi went back to the Medicine King¡¯s Valley, the holy medicine was taken away as a treasure by his drug crazy father. Even his grandfather, the old Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley, had shut himself in and became fascinated with his father¡¯s research on the holy medicine.


    Right now, all the affairs of Medicine King Valley were in his hands, but he was too busy! If he went back and said that the owner of the medicine was going to take back the holy medicine. His grandfather and father would eat him!


    Xu Ziyi clenched his teeth and made a decision, "How about this? If the elixir really is made, I will give you five pills a year! For 20 years, how about it?" His father said that to rece medicinal materials, the materials had to be about five hundred or even more than a thousand years old, and all of them were extremely rare. Five a year to the Yu Family was his biggest concession!

 Chapter 641 - Exorbitant Demand

    <h4>Chapter 641 - Exorbitant Demand</h4>


    In actuality, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t interested in the so-called ¡®Healing Panacea¡¯ that she could easily make. She just wanted to find a justifiable reason to get the elixir into her hands. From Xu Ziyi¡¯s micro expression, she could see that five pills was his limit, so she stopped forcing him.


    She revealed a sly smile and said, ¡°Alright! For the matter of the Healing Panacea, we will do as you say. But¡ª¡ª"


    ¡°But what?¡± Seeing the smile on the young maiden¡¯s face, Xu Ziyi helplessly begged for mercy, ¡°My little ancestor, what else do you want? Can you not act so crafty?¡±


    ¡°Actually, this request is a piece of cake for your Medicine King Valley! That is¡ª¡ªif the descendants of our Yu Family need medical treatment from Medicine King Valley, may I ask Young Master Xu to please help out!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t continue to make things difficult for him and came straight to the point.


    ¡°No problem, no problem! With our rtionship, this is something that goes without saying ah!¡± Xu Ziyi thought that it would be a tricky request. Medicine King Valley had always provided medical services to outsiders, so it naturally wasn¡¯t a problem to provide free medical treatment and so on.


    Of course, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s request wouldn¡¯t be that simple. When she was around, she naturally wouldn¡¯t let the members of the Yu Family have any major illnesses or injuries. After all, she had a cheat¡ª¡ªthe little divine stone. She was doing this for the benefit of her descendants ah!


    ¡°Does your Medicine King Valley have some sort of token that, when presented, will ensure that you guys will go all-out to save the patient?¡± Yu Xiaocao thought about it and said, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you. But, decadester, our generation would be aged. So we need a token that the younger generations of Medicine King Valley will acknowledge!¡±


    Xu Ziyi smiled bitterly and pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°Originally, there was no such thing! However, since you mentioned it, we must have one now! When I get back, I¡¯ll have someone carve a few ¡®Rescue Tokens¡¯ with ten-thousand-year-old ebony wood. Those who possess this token are benefactors of Medicine King Valley. With the ¡®Rescue Token¡¯, one can request Medicine King Valley to save a life with all their might once. Is it alright like this?¡±


    ¡°Mhm! Can you give me three of these tokens?¡± Yu Xiaocao made an exorbitant request.


    ¡°Miss Yu, aren¡¯t you just making things difficult for me? Only those who Medicine King Valley are indebted to can get a token...¡± Xu Ziyi felt as if his face was about to turn into a bitter gourd. This Miss Yu was too hard to deal with. He felt so helpless ah!


    Yu Xiaocao counted her fingers and said, ¡°Look, Royal Prince Yang and I saved your life in the deep mountains. As the sessor of Medicine King Valley, you¡¯re carrying the hope of the rise and fall of Medicine King Valley. Isn¡¯t saving you a great favor to the entire Medicine King Valley?¡±


    Xu Ziyi had to agree with this. As the heir of Medicine King Valley, the n devoted themselves to train him to be a qualified sessor of the valley. If he died while collecting medicinal herbs, it would certainly be a great loss to Medicine King Valley.


    Seeing him nod, Xiaocao continued, ¡°Secondly, not only did I let you eat one of the Healing Panacea that my family treasured for decades, but I also provided a pill for Medicine King Valley to do research on. With Medicine King Valley¡¯s attainment in medicine production, it would only be a matter of time before you analyze the form and produce the holy medicine of life and death! Since I provided such an important form to you guys, isn¡¯t it considered a favor to Medicine King Valley?¡±


    Alright! Although she didn¡¯t provide the form, the Healing Panacea used for research was indeed given by Miss Yu. Xu Ziyi must acknowledge this favor!


    ¡°There¡¯s more! It was thanks to the clue I provided that your Medicine King Valley was able to sessfully capture the traitor. Isn¡¯t this considered a favor?¡± Yu Xiaocao had a matter-of-fact expression on her face. Her meaning was very clear¡ªit wasn¡¯t an exorbitant demand to request three tokens because she deserved them!


    Xu Ziyi couldn¡¯t win against her, so he could only suffer silently and agree to give her three tokens. In any case, if he could sessfully produce the Healing Panacea, it would be worth it no matter how many tokens he had to give her.


    After sending away Xu Ziyi, Yu Xiaocao was so happy that she was about to fly. First of all, Xu Ziyi resolved the biggest concern in her heart. Without Heavenly Teacher Lei misleading the public with rumors, she could go about freely in the northeast with her hidden guards! Furthermore, she had gained three chances to save the lives of her descendants, which was also an unexpected surprise! Ah, if she knew that Young Master Xu was so easy to persuade, she would have asked for a few more tokens.


    While taking the traitor back to the valley, Xu Ziyi sneezed and had an ominous premonition in his heart. He should hurry back to the valley because it was too dangerous outside. Who would have thought that a young maiden, who appeared like a little white rabbit, would be a sly fox?


    It was now alreadyte spring to early summer. With suitable temperature and pleasant climate, the grasnd in the north was a good ce for summer vacation. Unfortunately, someone had been anxious for a long time, waiting to go back to marry his wife. For fear of missing the auspicious date, he urged the group to return to the capital as soon as they settled the foreign invasion.


    On the way back, Xiaocao rode in her royal princess carriage. One could lie down or sit in the spacious andfortable carriage, and it could amodate seven to eight people. He Wanning and Yuan Xueyan had also benefited from this and satfortably in the carriage. Compared with their trip toe here, they were so happy now.


    When they travelled to the borders, they had to rush over on horseback because a certain little grass had a task on hand. When they settled down each day, their waist and back would ache. They didn¡¯t even want to get up in the morning. They had also encountered many setbacks on the way, which let the two pampered noble maidens from the capital experience the feeling of thrill.


    The return trip went smoothly. The firearms camp sent a dozen men to escort their caravan out of the borders so that foreign tribes eager to cause trouble would give up on the idea and powerlessly watch as their targets passed the borders.


    It was already midsummer when the group arrived in the capital. Yu Xiaocao, Lu Hao, and Ning Donn entered the pce to report to the emperor. Due to the dangers of this job, Xiaocao was rewarded with a lot of goods tofort her startled heart. She was also granted a half-month vacation so that she could have a good rest.


    When Princess Consort Jing heard about the danger on the road, she called Xiaocao to the prince¡¯s estate and held her hands as she carefully examined her from head to toe. After she confirmed that Xiaocao was not hurt, she pulled her into her embrace and said with lingering fear, ¡°How could they assign such a dangerous task to a girl? It¡¯s perfectly possible to make the antidote in the capital, and then have someone deliver it to the borders! You must be scared, right? Tomorrow, I¡¯ll take you to Chongan Temple and ask the abbot to calm your uneasy and startled heart!¡±


    Allegedly, the Chongan Temple¡¯s soul calming mantra was very effective in soothing one¡¯s mind and soul. For children who had suffered a fright, many would invite the abbot to chant the soul calming mantra to dispel the fright in the child¡¯s heart. Yu Xiaocao really wanted to say that she wasn¡¯t a child, and she didn¡¯t suffer a fright. However, she couldn¡¯t refuse the good intentions of her future mother-inw and could only go along with her. She would just take it as easing Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart!


    The war in the northwest borders was in full swing. They had Royal Prince Yang, who was the invincible ¡®God of War, so they had never lost any of the battles. With the protection of all the different kinds of medicinal pills he carried, the enemy had no chance to plot against him. In terms of martial arts skills, there was no one in the entire northwest who was on par with him. He could even fight to a draw with Su Ran, the army supervisor.


    Normally, in between battles, Zhu Junyang often asked the army supervisor for advice. Royal Prince Yang and Xiaocao were already engaged and confirmed their rtionship. With the mentality of ¡®love the house and its crow¡¯, Su Ran gave him advice unreservedly, which greatly improved Zhu Junyang¡¯s martial arts skills.


    Repeated reports of good news helped relieve Xiaocao¡¯s anxious heart. Next, she had to put all her attention on the Medicinal Cuisine House. During the period when she went to the borders, the Medicinal Cuisine House had been fixed up in ordance to the blueprint that she had left behind. The training of the medicinal chefs was also in full swing.


    The division ofbor in the back kitchen was very clear. Each medicinal chef was only responsible for one medicinal meal, and they each had their personal kitchen. Thus, each medicinal chef was only trained in one method of cooking medicinal cuisine. The less than half a year of intensive training made them very familiar with the cooking technique, heat control, and so on. The medicinal meals not only required color, fragrance, and taste, but it was also important to achieve the curative effect of the medicinal meals.


    This would test the ability of the medicinal chef. Fortunately, Yangliu had high talent in cooking and was strict towards others. Some of the medicinal chefs had worked under her since she was managing the braised food shops. To be able to work for her for so many years, they definitely had some merits.


    Allegedly, when they were at the pastry shops, these people could only work as assistants. But ¡®a real piece of gold would shine sooner orter¡¯. Hence, when the master announced that she wanted to establish the most popr medicinal cuisine restaurant in the capital, these girls, who had followed Yangliu for many years, suddenly felt that there was a use for their abilities.


    When they learned to cook the medicinal meals, they were particrly diligent and attentive. Moreover, they were all decently talented. All of them passed the medicinal chef examination with excellent performance and were honored with positions as medicinal chefs of ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯.


    In addition to these four, the other medicinal chefs were recruited from outside. There were both men and women, and some of whom were cooks with good cooking skills. There were also housewives skilled in cooking who hade for the high wage offered by the medicinal cuisine restaurant. There were also people who were loyal fans of ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯. These young maidens and youths had no doubts about the abilities of the founder of ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯, who was also the first female official of the Great Ming Dynasty, to prosper in all the business that she endeavors in. They strived to be a member of ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯ with their own efforts...


    Before ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ had opened for business, the notice of recruiting medicinal chefs became a heated topic as soon as it was posted. The people signing up almost filled the room that served as a temporary recruitment agency. For the recruitment of twenty medicinal chefs, over a hundred people had signed up for training.


    The training also abided by the principle of fairness and equity. The hundred or so people were divided into twenty groups, which consisted of five to six people in each group. Each team was trained on twenty different medicinal meals, respectively. After over four months of intensive training, Yu Xiaocao, the owner of the ¡®Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ who had just returned from the borders, personally tasted and selected the top two medicinal chefs of each course. The first ce in each group was the main chef, and the second ce was responsible for assisting. If there was booming sales and exceeding demands for the medicinal meal, the two medicinal chefs would have to work on the cooking...


    Those who weren¡¯t selected could continue participating in the training with no fees until they received Xiaocao¡¯s approval. These people were all reserved talents of Medicinal Cuisine House, who could be used when the restaurant expanded or opened branches in the future.

 Chapter 642 - Grand Opening

    <h4>Chapter 642 - Grand Opening</h4>


    ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ had been a well-known dish before Medicinal Cuisine House had opened. It had even attracted many influential officials to book in advance. Of course, this was thanks to the unsparing promotions from the emperor emeritus, Great Schr Yuan, and more.


    The medicinal chef in charge of cooking the ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ was Yangliu herself, as well as one of her trusted subordinate maidservants. Yangliu was highly talented in cooking. Not long after she learned the technique of cooking ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, she had received the approval of her master. Her trusted subordinate maidservant, Jinhuan, was slightlycking in terms of heat control. However, after Medicinal Cuisine House opened, Jinhuan had progressed considerably and was soon able to work on her own!


    ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ opened for business on the sixth day of June. Although it was the height of the summer season, the hot weather didn¡¯t extinguish the nobles¡¯ anticipation of the opening of Medicine Cuisine House. What¡¯s more, all the tables for the first month of operation were long booked. Only ten servings of ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ were served each day, so the nobles were in a fiercepetition for the sake of eating this dish!


    On the first day of business, many high status ¡®bigwigs¡¯ in the capital had deigned toe to ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ for the que unveiling ceremony. Two full tables were upied by the emperor emeritus, Imperial Prince Duan, Imperial Prince Jing, Imperial Prince Sa, as well as their princess consorts, heirs, and daughters-inws. It had almost turned into a gathering of the imperial family. There were also Duke Rongguo, Marquis Dingyuan, Prime Minister, Assistant Minister Yu, and Minister Li of the Ministry of Ceremonies... They had also brought their families over for the celebration.


    There were some people who came that seldom had contact with Yu Xiaocao, and she didn¡¯t even recognize their faces. They were influential people who hade with presents to congratte the opening of their restaurant, so she couldn¡¯t just drive them away. In addition, there were also guests who normally interacted with Xiaocao and the Fang Family. There were more than thirty private rooms upstairs, and the rooms barely amodated all the guests. Xiaocao seriously suspected that some people hade today just to try out the medicinal meals.


    Alright! She immediately went to the back kitchen in person to cheer on the medicinal chefs, ¡°Today¡¯s guests are either rich or influential, and they are all potential customers of our Medicinal Cuisine House. Whether it can be an instant hit will depend on your performances! Don¡¯t spoil ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯ good reputation!¡±


    Seeing that several of the introverted medicinal chefs looked slightly nervous, Xiaocao quickly pacified them, ¡°Rx! No matter how powerful they are outside, they would only have one identity once they enter our restaurant¡ª¡ªa customer! I have personally appraised each of your culinary skills, and many have already surpassed your teacher. As long as you continue to do things as normal, they will definitely be amazed!!¡±


    Her words seemed to have sessfully soothed the hearts of the medicinal chefs. Some of them were diehard fans of Yu Xiaocao, and they had be even more spirited. They were ready and eager to let their master see their skills and efforts. Their master had said that in the future, the medicinal cuisine restaurant would definitely open branch restaurants. Manager Yangliu had limited energy. The position of the branch manager was like a carrot hanging in front of a donkey. It stimted the medicinal chefs with ambitious hearts to strive for the position.


    Let¡¯s put aside the position of the branch manager to talk about the employee treatment at the medicinal cuisine restaurant! In addition to a good base pay, all medicinal chefs also received amission for each dish. In other words, whoever got the most orders and sold the most dishes would get the higher sry. This was enough motivation for them to constantly improve the medicinal dish that they specialized in and strive to make every meal perfect.


    The grand opening of ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ would be talked about enthusiastically for a long time. Not to mention the creative and novel performances at the opening ceremony, but just the important figures who came to celebrate the asion had almost covered more than half of the imperial officials who were third-ranked and above.


    Almost all the members of the imperial family hade. Even the emperor had personally written an inscription for Medicinal Cuisine House, which was hung in the main hall on the first floor. As soon as one entered the door, one would be able to see the emperor¡¯s calligraphy! The eldest imperial prince, who had been bestowed the title of crown prince, also visited the medicinal cuisine restaurant. He tasted the medicinal meals and gave a high evaluation.


    As Xiaocao had said, the honored guests who hade today immediately became loyal fans of Medicinal Cuisine House after tasting the delicious, fragrant, and visually appealing medicinal meals. Based on their past experiences with the other businesses under ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯, these people decided to gain the advantage by striking first. Almost every household made reservations for medicinal meals.


    After all, ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ had limited space and couldn¡¯t amodate too many customers every day. In order to let more people taste the delicious and nourishing medicinal meals, the restaurant enabled takeaway service. If booked in advance, it could be picked up at the restaurant or delivered to one¡¯s door. Delivery fee must be added to the order!


    Medicinal Cuisine House had adopted the tiered membership system. Diamond card members and gold card members could enjoy the service of imperial physicians¡¯ medical consultation and customized diet ns based on their pulse examination results. If there was no improvement in their health within one month, then a full refund would be given! As for the other members, they could also bring their pulse examination results over and let Medicinal Cuisine House develop a nourishment n. However, a fee would be charged!


    In actuality, on the wall of the main hall on the first floor of Medicinal Cuisine House, there was an introduction of all the medicinal meals, as well as their effects. In addition, each private room had a menu, which introduced the medicinal dishes with pictures and texts. For this menu alone, Xiaocao had put in a lot of effort and invited an renown painter in the capital to help out.


    Great Schr Yuan was the one who introduced this leading figure of the painting world to Xiaocao. As soon as Xiaocao made the request, this famous painter immediately pulled a long face. Had he not considered his old friend¡¯s, Yuan Sinian, face, he would have driven her out a long time ago.


    His paintings were hard to get even with money, yet she actually wanted him to draw menus. It was simply an insult to him! However, the reason this great master painter could be close friends with Yuan Sinian was that they shared amon hobby¡ª¡ªeating delicious food!


    In order to be able to paint good works, he had visited well-known mountains and rivers. He had also boasted about eating all the delicacies in the world. When he got together with Great Schr Yuan, they often bragged about the delicacies that they had eaten, in an attempt to best the other party.


    This great master painter seemed rather angry and resolute at the beginning, but Yuan Sinian had a calm smile on his face and only needed to say, ¡°If you help with this request, you can eat ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ for free for one year!!¡±


    The great master painter had heard of the dish ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ from his old friend many times. His old friend praised the dish to the skies, and the gluttonous bug inside him had long been hooked. On numerous asions, he had regretted that he didn¡¯t have any rtionship with the Yu Family. But he couldn¡¯t be thick-skinned like his old friend and bum meals off others. He had long been tempted by ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, yearning to try it.


    He could finally taste ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and it was for free for an entire year!! Upon hearing this, the great master painter had set aside all of his initial persistence as a cultured individual and reservation as an artist.


    ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ became a hot topic again, and this time it had nothing to do with the taste of the medicinal meals, the curative effects, and the services! It was because the thin menu in the private rooms of the restaurant were original works of Old Lin!! Many literati were extremely envious when they saw the menu. They seriously wanted to steal the menu and admire it on the walls of their studies every day...


    The staff in charge of the private rooms of Medicinal Cuisine House had a heavy responsibility. In addition to serving the customers, they also had to prevent others from taking away their restaurant¡¯s menu, or secretly tearing a page out...


    In conclusion, ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ was very popr in the capital! In the capital, anyone who didn¡¯t know about The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House would be ridiculed as a country bumpkin!


    The mostmon topic regarding Medicinal Cuisine House was the curative effects of the medicinal meals! Since they dared to promise a full refund if there were no effects within a month, they definitely had the confidence! For members with gold card membership and above, members who had bad health showed apparent improvement in their health after consuming Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯s medicinal meals on a daily basis.


    The grand tutor¡¯s migraine, the insomnia of the matriarch of the Minister of Appointments¡¯ household, and the qi--blood deficiency of the wife of the assistant official of Crown Prince Affairs...had all cured miraculously without any medication! After a month, The Yu¡¯s arranged a consultation with an imperial physician. The proven facts became another advertisement for Medicinal Cuisine House.


    The second topic was the taste of the medicinal meals. When most people heard ¡®medicinal meals¡¯, they would think about the smell of medicinal herbs. But that was wrong! If one didn¡¯t say that the dishes served at ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ were medicinal meals, one wouldn¡¯t be able to detect the taste of medicine. None of the medicinal meals were inferior to the delicacies of Zhenxiu Restaurant. How could it not be popr when it can be eaten and nourish one¡¯s health?


    Of course, these medicinal meals weren¡¯t affordable for everyone! The third topic of Medicinal Cuisine House was the astonishing price of each dish!! Even a dish that seemed to have ordinary ingredients cost two hundred taels. But they imed to have added precious medicinal herbs that were over a hundred years old, and thus it really wasn¡¯t that expensive! Without good medicinal herbs, how could the curative effects be so good?


    ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ was the signature dish of the restaurant. In addition to medicinal herbs, it also contained many precious food ingredients. All kinds of valuable ingredients were collected in one jar, so it was even more expensive. A jar of ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ cost five hundred taels, yet there were still people rushing to get it. Only ten servings were offered daily, and they had all been booked for the next three months. Poverty had limited one¡¯s imagination, so one could only sigh that there were too many people who didn¡¯tck money in the capital!


    If others found out that the so-called precious hundred-years-old medicinal herbs were just a drop of the little divine stone¡¯s bathing water, they would definitely scold Xiaocao for stealing money!


    Every day, the medicinal chefs of Medicinal Cuisine House received a special ingredient¡ª¡ªmystic-stone water. Xiaocao imed that it was extracted from over a dozen precious medicinal herbs. One drop was added to ordinary medicinal dishes, while two drops were added for dishes like ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯. She also told the medicinal chefs about the principle of ¡®too much was as bad as too little¡¯ to prevent people from adding too much mystic-stone water. If the effects were too astonishing, it would be too eye-catching.


    In fact, those people were right. This medicinal cuisine restaurant was just like picking up money off the ground for Xiaocao, and she was using a rake to get the money. ording to an iplete calction, the daily turnover for ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯ was equivalent to the monthly turnover for Zhenxiu Restaurant, which was also very popr.


    Shortly after the medicinal cuisine restaurant opened, Third Young Master Zhou brought his wife¡ªa fangirl of Yu Xiaocao¡ªover for a visit. He deliberatelyined to Xiaocao that she had robbed him of at least half of his business, and if this continued, Zhenxiu Restaurant would have to close down for good. Before he had finished speaking, Xiaocao tsked at his nonsense.

 Chapter 643 - Happy Occasions in Succession

    <h4>Chapter 643 - Happy asions in Session</h4>


    ¡°Yeah right! You really think I¡¯m so easy to fool ah! There¡¯s no corrtion between the customers whoe to our Medicinal Cuisine House and your Zhenxiu Restaurant. Most of the people whoe to Medicinal Cuisine House are focused on regting their bodies. Who would be such a squanderer to frequently eat dishes that cost hundreds of taels for the sake of satisfying their appetite? Therefore, there are very few whoe to Medicinal Cuisine House for the sole purpose of eating! There¡¯s no impact to the business of Zhenxiu Restaurant at all, okay?¡± Yu Xiaocao stated the facts and rejected Third Young Master Zhou¡¯s grievances.


    Third Young Master Zhou had wanted to act pitiful and get some new recipes from Xiaocao, but his n had been terminated by Xiaocao. With his rtionship with Xiaocao, he didn¡¯t have to beat around the bush. He directly stated his intention, and Xiaocao also generously gave him some recipes. No matter what, she was also considered a shareholder of Zhenxiu Restaurant. She invested with her recipes and received a rather impressive annual dividend!


    The business of Medicinal Cuisine House was bing increasingly prosperous, and there was exceeding demand for both in-store dining and takeout. Which one of those old generals and old ministers who had fought along the emperor emeritus didn¡¯t have old injuries? Not only were the medications prescribed by the doctors in the past were too bitter to swallow, but they also weren¡¯t very effective and couldn¡¯t cure the root of the problem.


    Since the opening of The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House, those filial sons and grandsons who had initially just wanted to let the elders in the family try out the medicinal meals noticed that the health of their grandfathers and fathers were bing better day by day. Even their old injuries didn¡¯t act up before the winter. They felt happy and were also willing to help advertise the medicinal cuisine restaurant for free.


    The good reviews were spread far and wide. This was a period when filial piety was very important. As long as their family conditions permitted it, they didn¡¯t mind spending a lot of money on ordering medicinal meals for the elders in the family to regte their bodies. The women of this era would, more or less, suffer from some childbirthplications such as puerperal fever, blood deficiency, or menstruation problems. Therefore, there was excessive demand for Xiaocao¡¯s medicinal meals, which could regte women¡¯s constitutions.


    In response to the request made by the vast majority of the customers, the business of Medicinal Cuisine House expanded significantly after the New Year. The takeout service was separated, and the business was even better than the restaurant. The manpower that Xiaocao had initially reserved were now put to use, but they were still shorthanded. Thus, Yangliu began to train another group of medicinal chefs as stand-by.


    The sry was rted to the sales and quality of the medicinal meals, and Medicinal Cuisine House was blooming with business. Thus, although the medicinal chefs were tired, they beamed with smiles when they received their sries. Some had even received up to nearly eight hundred taels in a month. One wouldn¡¯t be able to find another ce that offered a higher wage in the capital. Allegedly, Head Chef Wang, who had devoted himself to Zhenxiu Restaurant for nearly ten years, only received a monthly sry of five hundred taels.


    The medicinal chefs of Medicinal Cuisine House had worked for half a year at most, yet they were already receiving such good benefits. Their enthusiasm for work increased even more, and they tried their best to show a good performance in front of Manager Yangliu, for fear that they would be reced by the backup medicinal chefs if they didn¡¯t work hard enough.


    There would naturally be a lot of people envious of such a blooming business, but they could only be envious and make some sour remarks in private. ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯ had a strong backing that others couldn¡¯t afford to easily offend. Disregarding the fact that the boss of ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯ was a royal princess personally conferred by the emperor, with her identity as the future wife of Royal Prince Yang, no one dared to offend her no matter how powerful and impudent they were in the capital. They were afraid that Royal Prince Yang would settle ounts with them when he returned!


    Not to mention the backing of Royal Prince Yang, but from time to time, the emperor emeritus would visit Medicinal Cuisine House to eat ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯. Imperial Prince Duan even specially reserved a private room at Medicinal Cuisine House and regarded the restaurant as his own kitchen. The emperor and empress would also asionally travel incognito to dine at Medicinal Cuisine House...


    Yu Xiaocao had finally experienced the feeling of ¡®counting money until one¡¯s hands got cramps¡¯. Xiaocao was truly a rich littledy in the capital. She didn¡¯t dare to call herself wealthy, but if there was a ranking for the richest people in the capital, she would definitely be in the top ten. Other tycoons had umted their wealth for generations, but she relied on her own efforts to create a legend in the capital¡¯s business industry. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s reputation had spread far and wide. From an old man in his eighties to a five-year-old child, there wasn¡¯t anyone who didn¡¯t know her name.


    A year had unconsciously passed by in a hurry. The war in the northwest borders was alsoing to an end. Royal Prince Yang had led the Great Ming Army to drive out the tribe in the western borders all the way to present-day Kazakhstan, and they no longer had the ability to confront the Great Ming Empire. There wouldn¡¯t be a major war in the northwest borders for at least thirty years.


    Since the war wasing to an end, it wasn¡¯t too far from the date when Royal Prince Yang would return to the court. In the past year or so, the Yu Family had many happy events. First, the youngest son of the Yu Family ced first in the provincial exam. This youth, who was only fifteen years old, had be the first provincial official in Dongshan Vige. This wasn¡¯t just a happy asion for the Yu Family, but it was a major event for the entire vige.


    Next was the marriage of Xiaocao¡¯s eldest brother. In the spring of the year that Yu Hang turned neen, he married his long-time fianc¨¦e, Liu Huifang. The wedding ceremony was held at the Yu Family¡¯s ancestral home in Dongshan Vige. This was the first wedding of the Yu Family¡¯s younger generation, so it was held in a grand manner. All of the officials, gentry, and merchants in the Tanggu area, as well as customers who had business rtions with the Yu Family, hade to congratte the happy asion.


    The heir of Imperial Prince Jing had even personallye to Tanggu for the asion, giving face to his future inws. There were also a lot of people who had a good rtionship with Yu Xiaocao, who had sent people to deliver valuable gifts to congratte the marriage of the future head of the Yu Family.


    The wedding banquet was held at the Zhenxiu Restaurant in Tanggu Town. Zhenxiu Restaurant was now the most popr restaurant in Tanggu, and its scale had expanded significantly. Many guests hade to the celebration, and it was just able to amodate all of them.


    Yu Hang¡¯s wedding banquet had caused quite a stir in Tanggu. No one dared to look down on the Yu Family, who hade from a farmer¡¯s background. No matter if it was their connections, financial resources, or material resources, the Yu Family was very outstanding in Tanggu. Many old noble households, who originally looked down on the Yu Family and just viewed them as nouveau riche, gradually made friends with the Yu Family and regarded them as people worthy of being friends with.


    The rtives of the Yu Family had alsoe to Dongshan Vige early to help prepare the first wedding for the younger generation of the Yu Family. After consuming the nourishing medicinal meals that Xiaocao sent over, Xiaocao¡¯s maternal grandparents, who were almost seventy years old, had even healthier bodies than their fellow vigers, who were in their fifties. They didn¡¯t have any health problems and were able to directly travel from home to Dongshan Vige without any need to rest.


    The three brothers of the Liu Family traveled between the prefectural city and the neighboring counties to deliver goods to various fruit and vegetable shops. There were the early-maturing vegetables in early spring, melons inte spring and early summer, various fruits in the fall, and out-of-season fruits and vegetables in the winter... They rarely had free time throughout the year.


    At the beginning, the oldest son of the Liu Family was responsible for transporting the goods, the second son, who took care of the farnds at home, asionally helped out, and the third son worked on port construction at the harbor. As the work got busier, Second Maternal Uncle realized that transporting goods made much more money than farming at home. After helping out a few times, he opened up a new route and also started doing this business with a few horse carriages.


    Later, when the port construction waspleted, Third Maternal Uncle could only take on some casual jobs and became the person who earned the least in the family. Hence, Eldest Maternal Uncle invited him to help transport goods between the prefectural city and neighboring counties. In actuality, the business that they were doing was simr to the fruits and vegetable wholesale inter generations.


    The Yu Family¡¯s out-of-season vegetables were of high quality and had excellent taste, so they were naturally very popr! It wasn¡¯t something that could be brought by just anyone! The three brothers of the Liu Family had the advantage of being able to obtain an unlimited supply of goods, so for the sake of convenience, the fruit and vegetable shops within the vicinity all got them to deliver the goods. Although it cost 20% more than getting the goods from the Yu Family directly, there were still some profits.


    In order to attend her oldest nephew¡¯s wedding, Xiaocao¡¯s oldest paternal aunt handed the braised food shop and pickled vegetables shop to the steward working under her and arrived early in Dongshan Vige to help out. Although the braised food shops still used the name ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯, it had long be the property of Xiaocao¡¯s oldest paternal aunt. The business of the braised food shop and pickled vegetables shop was so good that they opened several more branches in the prefectural city, and the business was thriving.


    On the day of the wedding, an unexpected guest had appeared, which was Yu Hang¡¯s younger paternal uncle, Yu Bo. After moving to the prefectural city, Yu Bo had changed his impetuous temperament. He had studied hard for three years and finally passed the county-level examinations. Madam Zhang relied on selling the braised food that she got from The Yu¡¯s to support the whole family. They even had extra money to buy ten or so mu of farnd in the outskirts of the prefectural city, which they rented out to farmers who had nond.


    Yu Bo clearly realized that with his skills, passing the county-level examinations was the most he could aplish. He didn¡¯t even need to think about passing the provincial examination. Thus, he opened a small private school in the south side of the city to teach young children and earn a small ie.


    It had been a long time since Yu Bo and Madam Zhang had appeared in front of the Yu Family. At this time, he hade to Yu Hang¡¯s wedding with a gift. While it surprised the Yu Family, they also warmly weed him. Yu Bo was quite selfish in the past, but he had never done anything to harm Yu Hai¡¯s family. His biggest mistake was to have Madam Zhang as his mother.


    Not long after Yu Hang¡¯s wedding, Zhuang Xiaomo prepared a grand gift and solemnly asked the Yu Family for Yu Xiaolian¡¯s hand in marriage. Yu Xiaolian and Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s wedding was scheduled to be held in early winter. At this time, Zhuang Xiaomo no longer sold greenhouse fruits and vegetables. Instead, he had taken over the business of supplying seafood to the major restaurants in the capital.


    At the beginning, it was because of the hot sale of ¡®The Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯s¡¯ signature dish, ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, which required arge supply of seafood. Since they had to find a supplier, they might as well hand it to Zhuang Xiaomo, who was the future son-inw of the Yu Family.


    Zhuang Xiaomo, who had been doing business in Tanggu for several years, knew quite a lot of people and had umted a decent amount of personal connections. In addition, when he used to gather seafood in the sea, he had made many friends in the seafood market and had many resources. Therefore, the seafood he purchased was the freshest and best quality in the market.


    Third Young Master Zhou, who had inadvertently learned about this, also let him be in charge of supplying seafood to Zhenxiu Restaurant. Gradually, the reputation of Zhuang Xiaomo¡¯s seafood supplying business had spread out. Many restaurants in the capital contacted him and were willing to work with him. A year and a halfter, Zhuang Xiaomo, who was in his early twenties, had be the biggest seafood supplier in the capital.

 Chapter 644 - Reporting Back with Victory

    <h4>Chapter 644 - Reporting Back with Victory</h4>


    Due to his rtionship with the Yu Family, no one in Tanggu and the capital dared to mess with him. His business operated smoothly, and with the ice making technique that the Yu Family had mastered, there was no need to worry about the freshness of the seafood. The famous restaurants in the capital had established a stable client-supplier rtionship with him. In addition to fresh seafood, Zhuang Xiaomo had also opened a dry seafood store in the capital, and the business was very good.


    After more than a year, Zhuang Xiaomo had made quite a lot of money. With the money he earned, he bought a small courtyard in the capital. After they got married in the future, if Xiaolian wanted to live in the capital, then they could live in the capital for a period of time. If she missed home, they could live in Tanggu for some time. Uncle Yu and Xiaolian didn¡¯t look down on him even when he had nothing. Over the years, Uncle Yu and Auntie Yu had treated him like their son and helped him a lot. Even this seafood business was arranged by Younger Sister Xiaocao. It could be said that the current Zhuang Xiaomo wouldn¡¯t exist without the Yu Family!


    Zhuang Xiaomo remembered this gratitude deep in his heart. After they got married, he treated her twice as well, and they never got into conflicts. When they had disagreements, Zhuang Xiaomo always took Xiaolian¡¯s opinion as the most important. Even when he monopolized the marine goods industry in the capital and its surrounding area and became an influential magnate in the capital, he still treated her in the same way.


    At that time, the two most envied girls in the capital were the Yu Sisters. One married a powerful prince who no one dared to offend, while the other wedded a famous and rich merchant. The two men were loyal to the Yu Sisters and spoiled them to the skies. Both emotionally and physically, they were able to stay devoted to one person for a lifetime. This should be recountedter...


    The Yu Family celebrated many happy asions, and their business of improved varieties was bing more and more prosperous. The seeds of high-yield wheat had been poprized in the north and gradually expanded to the central regions. There were more and more seed merchants relying on the Yu Family¡¯s breeding farm. At the Yu Family¡¯s farm, no matter if it was seeds for corn, potato, or winter wheat, there was no need to worry about the sales because there was excessive demand for them.


    During the summer and fall harvest seasons, seed merchants lined up overnight in front of the farm, for fear that they wouldn¡¯t be able to get the improved varieties. It should be noted that the people in the northern region only epted the seeds from the Yu Family¡¯s farm and the Imperial ntation.


    As soon as the improved varieties were in stock, all of them would be sold out immediately. Even if the imperial court suppressed the price of the improved varieties, seed merchants still made a considerable profit. One must grasp the opportunity to make money in their hands. So what if it took some hard work?


    The Yu Family¡¯s lives were bing increasingly prosperous, and Xiaocao¡¯s business grew bigger and bigger. However, even the growing numbers on the ount book couldn¡¯t suppress Xiaocao¡¯s longing for a certain person.


    It had been nearly two years since Zhu Junyang left the capital with his troops. They maintained contact during this period of time, but he wasn¡¯t physically by her side after all. Since he appeared in Xiaocao¡¯s life, he had never been away for such a long time. She was used to hispany, his care, and his doting love. No matter how busy Xiaocao was, she still couldn¡¯t ignore the empty feeling within her heart. It felt as if it could never be filled up, making her anxious.


    In the past year or so, Xiaocao deliberately kept herself busy. She could have been a master who only ordered others to work at the Imperial Breeding Base, but from time to time, she would run over there to provide some suggestions. It caused the officials and stewards in charge of the breeding farm to think that their work ability had declined due to the overlyfortable work environment recently. In order to keep up with Miss Yu¡¯s pace, all of the officials and tenant farms of the breeding farm worked even harder and diligently. By the time of the fall harvest, the yield went up slightly, which was a pleasant surprise.


    The annual output of the high-yield winter wheat increased each year, so with fertile soil and meticulous care, an output of six to seven hundred catties per mu definitely wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Compared to the previous two hundred catties per mu, the yield had increased two to three folds. The sessful breeding of the high-yield winter wheat had benefited the people in the central regions and the northern regions. They were able to live in a time when they didn¡¯t have to worry about food and clothing.


    As a result, the officials in the southern regions couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. They submitted a joint memorial to request the emperor send Official Yu to the south to investigate and help them improve the rice yield.


    If Zhu Junyang was around, Xiaocao would have travelled to the south at public expense without any hesitation. If a certain person was free, he would apany her on the trip and made proper arrangements for all the matters of the trip so that she didn¡¯t have to worry about anything. She only had to enjoy the trip and sightseeing.


    But, since Zhu Junyang left, she hadn¡¯t been in the mood to attend the gatherings hosted by her good friends, let alone a long and arduous journey to the south. However, since the emperor had summoned her into the pce to discuss the matter of the high-yield rice, she couldn¡¯t disregard the face of the biggest boss.


    As a result, she opened up around ten mu of experimental rice paddies near the water source in the breeding farm to grow rice. For the selection of the rice kernels, she deliberately asked the tenant farmers to pick kernels that were full andrge one by one. They had to be careful and meticulous. When preparing the paddy, they made sure to use enough farmyard manure. After sowing, they specially added ayer of stic film to help with incubation.


    Thisyer of stic film had high efficiency in preserving moisture, soil, and fertility. It could increase the temperature and elerate the growth of the rice seedlings. Of course, when cultivating the rice seedlings, she definitely wouldn¡¯t forget to add diluted mystic-stone water to ensure that the seedlings were robust, resistant to diseases and pests, and high yielding.


    As for the water in the paddy field, she also altered it a bit. Many officials of the imperial court were keeping a close eye on the experimental fields, and the emperor also attached great importance to this matter. However, Xiaocao knew that ¡®one must learn to walk before one could run¡¯. Thus, when she used her cheat, she made sure to control how much was used.


    Even so, the yield of rice in the experimental fields reached 500 catties per mu during the summer harvest this year. Even when the most fertile fields in the south were carefully managed by experienced farmers, the highest output would be 300 catties per mu. Generally speaking, a field with an output of more than 250 catties per mu was already considered a top-grade field.


    When this number was announced, Yu Xiaocao and the Imperial Breeding Base became famous again. The officials in the south burst into tears of excitement. It should be noted that in the past two years, the officials in the north had frequently reported good news supported by a series of data, leaving the south in the dust. Many people, who used to not care about the northern regions, viewed it as an area with adequate food and clothing. Some people had left their hometown and moved to the north... How could the officials of the south feel good when they saw this?


    But, what could they do when an expert farmer had appeared in the north? Not only did she cultivate high-yield corn, but she also enhanced wheat seeds, ensuring that the people in the north could fill their stomachs. The officials of the south had submitted the memorial to the emperor with a mindset of doing a trial. After all, there were many dry fields in the north, so that amazing Official Yu might not be good at cultivating in paddy fields.


    It was fortunate that they had made this attempt. Otherwise, as a fertile region, Jiangnan would be surpassed by the northern regions and never be able to prove themselves again! The more the officials of the south envied the northern officials in the past, the more they felt grateful to Royal Princess Jinan now. In their hearts, they almost regarded her as the Child of Fortune who served beside the Bodhisattva! She had doubled the output on the first year of attempting to nt in paddy fields! Based on their experience with winter wheat, the yield would increase again next year. Jiangnan was saved, and the people of Jiangnan were blessed!!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s reputation reached a new high in the imperial court. Many old ministers who used to look down on her, who was a littless, were pped in the face. They inwardly pondered whether thess was favored by the heavens. Not only was she talented in farming, but she was also skilled in business!


    Now, the most popr person in the imperial court was thisss! She was highly favored, and the emperor had rewarded thess with many goods because of the rich harvest of the experimental fields. The goods rewarded by the emperor had upied nearly half of the Yu Family¡¯s storehouse! Furthermore, the businesses under her name were all closely rted to their lives. People would be desperately trying to curry favor with someone like her. How could anyone be so blinded as to try to offend her?


    In the past year or so, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s career and business had been going smoothly, but there were fewer and fewer smiles on her face. This was because the longing in her heart was surging at all times. During the day, she worked so hard that she didn¡¯t have time to rest.


    But, no matter how tired her body was, her heart and mind would be upied by that hateful fellow when she was free. That feeling of longing had turned into an urge to cry. Xiaocao, who had lived for two lifetimes, never knew that there would be this persistent gloomy mood in the bottom of one¡¯s heart when one missed someone.


    Just when Xiaocao had the bold idea to fight for the position of an official in charge of army provision and travel all the way to the northwest to see her lover, there was finally news about General Zhenxi¡¯s victory and return to court.


    When the news reached Xiaocao¡¯s ears, she immediately felt as if the shackles on her body had been released. At the thought that she could be able to see the devilishly handsome and devoted man, Xiaocao¡¯s mood suddenly became as clear as the autumn sky, and all the haze in her heart had disappeared. The troubled, painful, and stuffy feelings were all left behind. Her long lost smile had returned on her face.


    Before the victorious troops had entered the city, the person who Xiaocao was longing for had appeared in the courtyard of the Yu Estate. Seeing the familiar figure, Xiaocao disregarded all the reservations and shyness of a young maiden and rushed towards Zhu Junyang like a butterfly fluttering towards a flower.


    Perhaps her footsteps were too quick, or she was too eager, but in the process of rushing over, Xiaocao had identally stepped on the hem of her dress and sadly fell towards the ground.


    Just when her little face was able to have close contact with the ground, a pair of strong arms lifted her up like he was holding a little chick. Xiaocao, who was d that her nose had escaped a misfortune, was pressed into a chestparable to an iron wall. The hard chest muscles almost knocked tears out of her eyes. Her nose felt painful and sore. If her nose was fake, it would definitely be ruined now! Xiaocao was so entric that she had the time to think about this.


    ¡°Be careful! You¡¯re already a year older, yet you¡¯re still so reckless?¡± The voice that sometimes emerged in her dreams was still as elegant and touching as a cello. It easily moved one¡¯s heartstrings.


    ¡°Waahhh~~~¡± Xiaocao suddenly couldn¡¯t control her emotions anymore and burst into tears as she hugged the slim waist of the person in front of her and buried her head in his chest. Her tears soon dampened that person¡¯s clothes.


    [1] It was originally ¡¯Zhengxi¡¯ but the author changed it to ¡¯Zhenxi¡¯.

 Chapter 645 - I Miss You

    <h4>Chapter 645 - I Miss You</h4>


    Zhu Junyang was flustered and hurriedly pacified the petite maiden who was going through an emotional breakdown in his arms. He softly said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s this prince¡¯s fault. I shouldn¡¯t have scolded you as soon as I saw you. If you¡¯re unhappy, hit me a few times. Don¡¯t cry until your beautiful eyes are swelled. This prince¡¯s heart will ache ah!¡±


    ¡°Waahhh~~~I miss you. I really, really miss you! I think of you when I eat. I dream of you when I sleep. When I see you now, I wonder if I¡¯m dreaming and you will disappear again when I wake up. Waahhh...you¡¯re so hateful. As soon as we got engaged, you left me in the capital and disappeared. Were you enthralled by the young maidens of the northwestern tribes, and thus reluctant toe back?¡±


    At the beginning, Zhu Junyang was moved when he heard her words. His littless finally understood, and his feelings were finally reciprocated. But he didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry when he heard thetter part of her words. She was indeed his littless; the sentimental feelings onlysted for three seconds.


    ¡°Good, be good! Today isn¡¯t a dream. This prince is right in front of you. In the future, this prince will take you wherever I go and never leave you by yourself. Don¡¯t cry. Don¡¯t cry anymore...how can those young maidens of foreign tribes be as lovable as my littless? This prince likes you so much, so other women are the same as the men in the army in my eyes!¡± Zhu Junyang held Xiaocao¡¯s face and wiped the tears on her face with his somewhat rough fingers.


    Yu Xiaocao raised her head and looked at the delicate and enchanting face in front of her. There was a sense of pity in his charming phoenix eyes. His plump red lips parted slightly, producing a pleasant voice. This must be a dream. How could someone who had been in the army and out in the battlefield in the northwest for over a year be even more good-looking?


    Like an open faucet, the tears in her clear, big eyes kept flowing down along her eyshes. She sniffled her nose, lifted her own little hand, and opened her mouth to bite down on it.


    Zhu Junyang acted swiftly and blocked her action with his own hand. He had a smile on his handsome face as if it wasn¡¯t his hand that was being bitten. He even joked to lighten up the mood, ¡°What? There¡¯s no one to bring you ¡®braised pig trotters¡¯ when this prince isn¡¯t in the capital? You want to eat it so much that you¡¯re actually gnawing on your own hands. It¡¯s no wonder that you got thinner again. Do you not eat properly when this prince isn¡¯t around? You should be punished!¡±


    ¡°Waahhh~~~¡± Xiaocao, who had just stopped crying, started crying again. This time, her cries sounded even more sad, wailing endlessly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I won¡¯t punish you! I won¡¯t punish you! How can this prince bear to hit you? Only you can hit me. If this prince makes you unhappy, I¡¯ll be willing to let you beat and punish me!¡± As he spoke, he held Xiaocao¡¯s small, tender hands and hit himself a few times.


    ¡°Waahhh...it doesn¡¯t hurt when I bite my own hand. I¡¯m indeed dreaming again...¡± Xiaocao couldn¡¯t stop crying. As soon as Wutong saw her young miss rush towards Royal Prince Yang, she had cleared out everyone in the courtyard and quietly retreated far away. At this time, Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang were the only ones in the huge courtyard.


    Upon hearing her words, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. He showed her the small teeth marks on the back of his hand, saying, ¡°Silly girl, you were biting this prince, so how can you feel the pain? There¡¯s no way that this prince will let you get hurt; even if you¡¯re the one biting yourself!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stared at the teeth marks for a long time, and then stopped crying with slight embarrassment, ¡°This time, it¡¯s really not a dream?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dream! This prince is back and I¡¯m really standing in front of you. If you don¡¯t believe me, then...why don¡¯t you pinch my face?¡± Since Zhu Junyang was three years old, he had firmly rejected others pinching his face. He was also desperately opposed to Xiaocao pinching his face in the past. At this time, he actually offered to let Xiaocao pinch his face, which immediately caused her to feel that this situation was unreal again.


    Looking at thess¡¯s wrinkled up face and tears welled up in her big eyes, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know what to do. With a sudden thought, he bent down and stopped the young maiden¡¯s loud cries with his warm, full lips.


    Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes wide open, and clearly saw the scorching affection within his enchanting, bright phoenix eyes. His lips, which were soft and carried a pleasant scent, were tightly pressed against her lips. The sudden kiss was filled with a deep sense of longing and full of emotions. It was like a violent storm that took her by surprise.


    His strong and powerful arms held her slender waist tightly as he pulled her into his embrace, leaving no gaps. Their lips made contact and their tongues instinctively entangled together. He caressed her back with his hands, and then lifted her silky hair. He gently rubbed the soft skin on the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him.


    His kiss was gentle yet domineering. The fresh breath from his lips made her feel dizzy and intoxicated as if she was drinking wine. Putting aside all her reservation and worries, she wrapped her slender arms around his beautiful neck and closed her eyes in afortable and sweet manner. At this moment, the emptiness within her heart had been filled up, all her confusion was dispelled, and all her thoughts had turned into a breeze that gently wrapped around him.


    After an unknown period of time, Xiaocao¡¯s engrossment was interrupted by the sound of heavy breathing. The touch on her lips disappeared and she was gently pushed away, creating a distance. She pouted her lips and kissed him again. It seemed like only this close contact could calm her heart.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t push away the soft young maiden in his arms. He took a deep breath and calmed his heated and restless heart. He really wanted to marry and bring thess home right now. If this happened a few more times, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it.


    The young maiden¡¯s attachment to him made him feel as if a feather had brushed over his heart. He had originally thought that all his efforts and feelings were one-sided. Thess seemed like a child who still didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of love, and she was alwaysughing merrily without a care in the world.


    Unexpectedly, he had gained a pleasant surprise from this separation. His feelings were finally reciprocated. The appearance of the littless clinging to him reminded him of a kitten that he used to raise. When it was seeking attention, it would grab onto his trousers tightly and look as if it wanted to be caressed and hugged.


    His heart was filled with a sense of happiness. Zhu Junyang hugged the young maiden¡¯s slender waist and gently lifted thess up. Xiaocao cried out in surprise, and then realized that her feet were lifted off the ground. Only when her view was suddenly shifted to be looking downwards did she notice that she was being lifted up in the air like a child. She had a sturdy and strong fianc¨¦, who always surprised her.


    Her surprised cry attracted the look of Wutong, who was inwardly muttering ¡®look not at what is contrary to propriety¡¯. She looked over and just happened to see a beautiful scene. Amongst the fluttering golden gingko leaves, a tall, strong, and handsome youth lifted a beautiful, petite, and lovely young maiden in the air. With the sun shining on their bodies, they appeared to be shrouded by a circle of light. That wonderful scene was unforgettable!


    Looking at the bright smile on the young miss¡¯s face, all the gloomy mood had been swept away. Wutong suddenly felt that Royal Prince Yang was perhaps the fated person that the heavens specially arranged for Young Miss. Only when the two of them were together would they beplete!


    ¡°Why did you get thinner again? Did you not eat properly?¡± After putting Xiaocao down, Zhu Junyang felt her thin arms, which seemed like they would break with a little force. Thus, he asked with slight dissatisfaction.


    After Yu Xiaocao was put down, she stayed in her boyfriend¡¯s embrace as if she had no bones. She replied in a coquettish manner, ¡°Because I miss you ah! I didn¡¯t have any appetite, and even ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ didn¡¯t seem appetizing anymore. No matter how good the food is, I can hardly eat without you helping me get the food!¡± As she spoke, she stood on her tiptoe and kissed his chin.


    ¡°Cough!¡± Zhu Junyang was momentarily overwhelmed by his fianc¨¦e¡¯s sudden outspoken words of affection. He lowered his head to kiss her small, red lips, and said, ¡°It turns out that this prince has the role of serving food. Howe I never knew?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly showed a cheeky smile, which gave Zhu Junyang an ominous premonition. Generally, this kind of smile was a precursor of thess¡¯s mischief. Sure enough, she shook her head and said, ¡°As the ancients said, ¡®a feast for the eyes¡¯!¡±


    As she said this, Xiaocao reached out her right hand and pinched his sharp chin with her index finger and thumb. She revealed a lecherous expression and said, ¡°Looking at this exquisite, gorgeous, and devilishly-handsome face, even if there aren¡¯t any side dishes, I can still eat two more bowls of rice!¡±


    In this world, this bold and mischievousss was the only one who dared to tease him about his appearance. Thest person who said he was beautiful seemed to have been bedridden for half a year. After that, that person always took a detour upon seeing him.


    What could he do to the littless that he chose himself? What¡¯s more, he had this inexplicable sense of joy in his heart over the fact that she was attracted to his appearance.


    ¡°It¡¯s my honor to be able to serve food to the future princess consort of Royal Prince Yang. Alright, you must eat at least three bowls of rice tonight. You¡¯re not allowed to go back on your words!¡± Zhu Junyang decided toe to the Yu Estate for the next few days to supervise thess¡¯s meals. His next goal was to ensure that thess regained the weight that she lost. If she got any thinner, she would turn into a stick of firewood. If outsiders saw her like that, they would think that he, Royal Prince Yang, was a miser who was unwilling to feed his wife!


    Three bowls of rice? Yu Xiaocao red at him with big, round eyes andined, ¡°Are you trying to make me eat until I burst? Be honest! Did you get hurt? Did the medicine I give you work?¡±


    ¡°The medicine that you gave me yed a big role! But, don¡¯t worry, it wasn¡¯t used on me.¡± Zhu Junyang briefly recounted the chaos at the borders to her. It turned out that the rebellion in the northwest wasn¡¯t a simple invasion at the borders by foreigners. There were actually descendants of the former dynasty involved in the conflict.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that martial art experts of the former dynasty were hiding within the thousands of troops. Among them, there was the big boss who used to train with Su Ran and had always been hard to distinguish. However, unlike Su Ran who had forsaken darkness for light, this fellow had fanatical supporter of the former dynasty. He was very loyal to the former dynasty, and thus held deep hatred for Su Ran¡¯s betrayal. Therefore, he took advantage of the chaos to attack Su Ran, who was the army supervisor.


    It was originally hard to determine who had the better martial art skills between the two. But, with the addition of petty and unscrupulous tactics, Su Ran almost lost his life in that man¡¯s hands. Fortunately, Zhu Junyang was beside him at that time. Seeing that Army Supervisor Su was injured and about to die, he didn¡¯t hesitate to use Xiaocao¡¯s special internal injury medicine, giving them all to him.

 Chapter 646 - Loving Iron Man

    <h4>Chapter 646 - Loving Iron Man</h4>


    Xiaocao¡¯s specially prepared medicines were only a tiny level away from the legendary elixirs in the stories. With them on hand, even if Su Ran wanted to die he wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    ¡°So shameless! To mount a sneak attack! If it was a fair fight, Sir Su likely wouldn¡¯t have lost to him!!¡± When Yu Xiaocao found out that Su Ran was fine, she let out a sigh of relief. She then waved her small fists in the air and cried out for the injustice that he had endured.


    ¡°Okay, okay! Your Sir Su is very strong, alright ah?¡± Zhu Junyang almost pped his own face. He knew that the littless was a crazy fangirl of that fellow, so why did he have to bring that stupid eunuch up in such a good atmosphere?


    Yu Xiaocao frowned perceptibly and snarled angrily at him, ¡°What sort of attitude is that? Huh? Do you want to borate?¡±


    Zhu Junyang inwardly rolled his eyes as he thought, ¡®Your Sir Su, who is soooo skilled, actually had to be saved by your man. Within the whole army, other than the heavily injured Su Ran, only I, your man, can be considered a worthy opponent to that person. Although that person ultimately fell due to the might of the gun, the person who reacted the fastest when Chief Steward Su Ran got attacked was still your man. If it wasn¡¯t for me blocking the way, your Sir Su would have long died without even the chance of getting medical treatment!¡¯


    Now he needed to bring the littless¡¯s attention back to himself, ¡°Chief Steward Su is truly quite skilled but he had been heavily injured. It was I, your man, who had bravely stepped forward to fight his enemy despite the danger. It was also I, your man, who ended up subduing the other party. In the end, it was also I, your man, who saved Chief Steward Su¡¯s life. Based on the facts, who do you think is the strongest now?¡±


    Oh ho! Who was being jealous again? Such a narrow-minded man! However, this was exactly the type she liked! Yu Xiaocao jumped up and gave a quick kiss to the handsome man in front of her who was currently incredibly jealous. She grinned and said, ¡°You¡¯re the strongest! In my heart, you¡¯re the biggest hero in this world and no one can surpass you!! Sir Su¡¯s enemy was so strong, so I need to check to see if you¡¯re injured or not.¡±


    ¡°Nope! When this prince left, I had promised you that not even a single hair on my head would be harmed ah!¡± Zhu Junyang acquiesced to the littless¡¯s request and turned his body around, allowing her to easily inspect him. As Xiaocao began to pull apart his clothing to get a closer look, he grabbed onto her busy little hands and said, ¡°This prince isn¡¯t stupid. If I couldn¡¯t beat him, don¡¯t I also have a gun on hand? One shot and that fellow fell straight to the ground!¡±


    Apparently he had used this type of strategy. Yu Xiaocao feltpletely rxed as she said, ¡°My Junyangyang is the smartest of them all! You¡¯re absolutely right. What¡¯s the point of trying to beat them head on if you don¡¯t have to? That¡¯s something only an idiot would do! Guns are so easy to use ah, so it¡¯d be idiotic of you to not use it if you have one ah!¡± As she spoke, her eyes glittered with worship as she stared at him. It made Zhu Junyang feel quite proud and ted.


    ¡°Junyangyang, did you eat lunch yet? What do you want to eat for dinner? It¡¯s been a long time since youst ate something that I made, so I need to make sure topensate you!¡± Yu Xiaocao rubbed her hands together in anticipation. She was nning on making sure she had a firm grasp on Great General Zhenxi¡¯s stomach.


    "I didn¡¯t eat yet! In order toe back earlier to see you, I even ate breakfast on horseback. I just gnawed casually on a few bites of dried rations.¡± As he spoke, Zhu Junyang held his stomach in an exaggerated manner as he pasted a pitiful look on his face.


    Yu Xiaocao immediately felt her heart soften, ¡°Aiyo! How can that be okay? I can¡¯t let my great hulking hero starve to death! Wutong, Wutong! Quickly take out the pastries that I personally made at noon and bring them to the reception pavilion! You should first eat a few pastries for now. Later on, I¡¯ll make a sumptuous meal for you!¡±


    Although she had deliberately stationed herself further away from the two of them, Wutong had been observing the events in the courtyard quite carefully. She had seen everything: her young miss sobbing pitifully when she saw Royal Prince Yang, her young miss acting spoiled and cute, her young miss being intimate with the prince...ahem ahem. In the past, she had done her best to prevent Royal Prince Yang from taking any liberties, but now there was no need for her to be so cautious. In a year, her young miss would be Princess Consort Yang. If she continued to block these two lovers, she¡¯d end up drawing the ire of both. Even her young miss wouldn¡¯t forgive her for those actions!


    When she heard her young miss¡¯s orders, Wutong made a noise in assent and quickly headed into the small kitchen. Earlier, during lunch, her previously down and depressed young miss finally had be more lively and had made some chocte sandwich cookies in the kitchen. After she finished making them, she only ate a few cookies. Was it because her young miss had a premonition that Royal Prince Yang was going to appear so she had especially prepared these pastries for him?


    At the moment, Xiaocao had already entered the small kitchen and was bustling about. Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to waste a single moment he had to interact with Xiaocao, so he picked up the te of sandwich cookies and strolled into the small kitchen. He gazed at Xiaocao¡¯s busy figure and felt a burst of warmth rise up in his heart. He really wanted to marry his littless as soon as possible. That way, she would only make food for him. Everything would be for himself only!


    ¡°What sort of delicious foods are you nning to make for me?¡± Zhu Junyang bit into a ky and delicate sandwich cookie. He delicately chewed on the pastry as he asked.


    ¡°Today I was sent over some fresh prawns, so I¡¯m going to make you a dish from the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast , ¡®Peacock Prawns¡¯. Yu Xiaocao shelled therge prawns with a practiced ease and cleaned out the middle intestines before seasoning them. Then, she whipped some egg whites until they were foamy and ced the peeled prawns within them. Afterwards, she fried the coated prawns until they were a golden yellow, ¡°Try some, ah...¡±


    ¡°These are...done?¡± Didn¡¯t she say that this dish was called ¡®peacock prawns¡¯? Where was the peacock? Zhu Junyang ended up asking the question that rose within his mind.


    ¡°Peacock?¡± Yu Xiaocao rubbed her nose in an unconfident manner. Her eyes roved around as she said, ¡°That is just made by using some squash and carving it into a pretty shape for the te. It¡¯s just for show. We¡¯re very close to each other, so there¡¯s no need to do it today!¡±


    One of the sous chefs who was quietly helping out on the side took out a piece of wintermelon and carved it into a life-like looking peacock head and neck before handing it to her master. Yu Xiaocao smiled gratefully and made a funny face at Zhu Junyang, ¡°Alright ah, now we have the peacock! My dear prince, do you have any other requests now?¡±


    The golden yellowrge prawns were now paired with the light green color of the ¡®peacock¡¯ neck. A delicate aroma wafted from the dish and the beautiful aesthetics of the dish delighted one¡¯s eyes. With such delicious and tasty looking shrimp in front of a person, who would want to eat some boring cookies instead ah? Zhu Junyang stuffed the te of cookies into the drooling Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s hands, ¡°These are gifted to you now!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Hou Xiaoliang was exhausted and starving after spending a grueling journey on horseback following his master. Although Wutong had considerately given him a piece of jujube cake earlier, he had seen the tantalizing te of cookies within his master¡¯s hands. Furthermore, it was said that these were made by his future mistress. Thus, the jujube cake became tasteless in his mouth.


    Everyone in the capital had acknowledged his future mistress¡¯s culinary talents. However, he had never been lucky enough to eat any food personally made by her. He would have never had expected that his master would be so kind to bestow upon him a te of chocte sandwich cookies to him. Boo hoo...he was so touched. What should he do from now on? In the future, he needed to work even harder for his master in hopes that he would get rewarded with more delicious food to eat!


    Naturally, Zhu Junyang had no idea of the thoughts that were running through his assistant¡¯s head. He was currently stretching out a hand to pick up a golden-yellow fried prawn. He stuffed it in his mouth and tasted it delicately. Mhm~~~crispy on the outside while tender on the inside. ky and immensely tasty. This truly was the hallmark of hisss¡¯s cooking!


    ¡°Oh right! What is the ¡®Manchu-Han Imperial Feast¡¯?¡± Zhu Junyang ate threerge prawns in quick session before he had the time to voice the question that had risen in his heart.


    ¡°Ah? Uh! Hm~~¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s hands paused for a second as she pondered how to answer this question, ¡°The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, ah, is a type of legendary court feast that has been lost in the sands of time. This feast not only has the elegant qualities of imperial dishes but also has the refreshing qualities of local delicacies. Itbines the tastes and qualities of both Manchu and Han culinary traditions. It¡¯s considered one of the best feasts within our culture and has reached the pinnacle of culinary sess. The entire feast has a total of a hundred and eight dishes. It contains sweet and savory dishes, vegetarian and meat foods, extensive and rare ingredients that are found in the deep mountains and frigid seas.¡±


    Wow! A hundred and eight different dishes? Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes immediately lit up when he heard this detail. Didn¡¯t that mean that once he married his littless he would have such a delicious feast in the future?


    ¡°Wife, were the recipes for this legendary ¡®Manchu-Han Imperial Feast¡¯ recorded in that ancient scroll remnant that you had found?¡± Zhu Junyang considerately found a perfect excuse for Xiaocao. Yu Xiaocao paused for a second and then lightly nodded her head, ¡°Mhm! However, the scroll remnant is just a remnant, after all. I only know a few dishes that were used in that legendary feast!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already amazing that you know how to make a few of these dishes! This prince¡¯s little wife is truly the best among the best!¡± (Author¡¯s note: Royal Prince Yang, where is your cold and aloof image now? Royal Prince Yang: Cold and aloof image? Isn¡¯t this prince a loyal and loving dog in front of his wife ah?)


    ¡°Who¡¯s your little wife? Looks like not even food can keep your mouth shut!¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him in a coquettish manner as she continued to prepare food.


    Zhu Junyang sidled over and stuffed a fried prawn into her mouth. When he saw her chewing happily, he felt like this te of ¡®peacock prawns¡¯ had be even more tasty.


    ¡°Wife, you are clearly this prince¡¯s little wife, right? In about a year, you¡¯ll be eighteen. Hasn¡¯t our wedding date been set long ago ah?¡± Their wedding date had already been booked over a year ago. They had decided to get married at the start of spring next year, during the third month. At that time, the weather wouldn¡¯t be too hot or cold, so it was perfect!


    Zhu Junyang watched as Xiaocao concentrated on making delicious food for him. As expected, seeing Xiaocao fully focused made it hard for a person to stop staring at her. He gazed at her in an infatuated manner. Even the te ofrge prawns in his hands wasn¡¯t enough to draw his attention, ¡°Wife, what are you making now?¡±


    ¡°I noticed that the kitchen has both meat and fish and remembered there¡¯s a dish from the ¡®Manchu-Han Imperial Feast¡¯ called ¡®Affection of the Dragon and Phoenix¡¯, so I n on making that!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t raise her head as she deboned and skinned the fish in her hands. She then expertly skinned and deboned some chicken breast before she thinly sliced both meats into slender slivers. Following that, the two meats were ced into two bowls and seasoned with some cooking wine and a bit of salt. After mixing it up, she then ced the two meats into some egg white and corn flour.


    ¡°Wife, this name is quite nice! However, when you take this dish outside this residence, it¡¯s better to find a different name. Otherwise, certain people would use this name as an excuse to attack our reputations!¡± Zhu Junyang had juste back triumphantly and didn¡¯t want some jealous officials to find anything to bring him down in front of the court.


    ¡°Okay! Then I¡¯ll change the name, I¡¯ll call it¡ª¡ªLoving Iron Man!¡± Yu Xiaocao also felt the ¡®Dragon and Phoenix¡¯ in the name of the dish was a bit too eye catching. Although the emperor wasn¡¯t someone who was that petty, she was afraid that there would be nitpicky jealous officials who would take it as a point of contention against her andin endlessly.


    ¡°Wife, this name is very good! It sounds like this dish was named especially for this prince!¡± Wasn¡¯t he the perfect example of a ¡®loving iron man¡¯ ah? He was such a manly man but in front of his littless, he acted like a gentle and loving person instead.


    ¡°However, this dish looks to be quite cumbersome to make! In the future, you should have the chefs and cook maids make suchplicated dishes!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want his littless to work so hard. Cooking was quite difficult sometimes and his wife was supposed to live a leisurely life. She wasn¡¯t there to be his personal chef. In the future, she shouldn¡¯t have to do so much work if she didn¡¯t want to!


    [1] Manchu-Han Imperial Feast - a grand banquet held sometime in the Qing dynasty. One of the grandest meals ever documented in Chinese culinary history, the banquet reportedly consisted of 108 dishes served in six meals over the course of three days.

 Chapter 647 - Quarrel

    <h4>Chapter 647 - Quarrel</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao nced at him and revealed a honey-sweet smile on her face. The words that came out of her mouth subsequently also delighted him to his core, ¡°It¡¯s not a bother at all! I¡¯m happy to make food for you. Even the smallest detail needs toe out of my hands!¡±


    As she spoke, she went back to her task at hand, leaving Zhu Junyang, who was touched beyond measure, to stand silently at the side. She heated up the wok and oil before searing the slender strips of fish and chicken in separate batches. Then, she took them out of the pot and left some oil in there before adding the fish back into the pot with some cooking wine and fine salt. She let it simmer until it produced a fragrant broth and then added some cornstarch to thicken it. Finally, she poured the cooked fish into one half of a prepared te.


    Following that, she did the same procedure for the seared chicken meat, making sure to also thicken the broth with starch at the end. She then poured the cooked chicken into the other half of the te, creating a sort of yin-yang presentation between the fish and chicken. Finally, she stir fried some bean sprouts with some special seasoning and ced it in the middle of the chicken and fish meat in the dish. The final dish wasplete!


    Zhu Junyang looked at the beautiful dish that was in front of him. The simple and elegant aesthetics of the te immediately conquered him and he shifted his attention away from the te of shrimp in his hands. He shoved the remaining te ofrge fried shrimp into Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s hands and used a pair of chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish meat. Immediately, the tender and savory taste of the food invaded his mouth, tantalizing his taste buds. It was truly too delicious. It was fragrant and tasty and the two types of different meatplimented each other perfectly as if they were meant to be together. The food was so delicious that it was hard for a person to stop eating.


    The dishes afterwards all satisfied the raging glutton within Zhu Junyang¡¯s stomach. He ate and ate until his belly was about to burst. Only then did he finally reluctantly put down his pair of chopsticks in defeat. Hisss¡¯s food was seriously too good. If he could eat this kind of food very day, then he would have a very fortunate life. Unfortunately, cooking was too exhausting. Not only did she have to prepare all of the ingredients but many of the cooking processes were also time consuming. Furthermore, the kitchen was full of high heat and oily smoke. In the summer, the heat was almost unbearable, like you were being steamed alive. How could he bear to let his littless endure such conditions all the time? Forget it, in the future, he needed to reign in his inner glutton in order to avoid making his littless suffer too much.


    Hou Xiaoliang had truly benefited from following his master around today! His future mistress¡¯s culinary talents were heavenly! Even the imperial chefs in the pce likely wouldn¡¯t be able to make food as delicious as the food she made today. He was so envious of his master. In the future, his master would be able to eat scrumptious food like this every day ah! That wouldn¡¯t do. He needed to cling himself shamelessly to his master in order to find other opportunities like today. Perhaps on days when his master was in a good mood, he¡¯d be rewarded a few dishes here and there. That would truly be the fortune of a lifetime for him!


    That was right! Wutong wasn¡¯t getting any younger. Shouldn¡¯t he beg his future mistress for a favor and have her engage Wutong to him? His future mistress¡¯s culinary talents were so good, so shouldn¡¯t the maids by her side also be very good at cooking too ah? Then...in the future, wouldn¡¯t he be living in thep of foodie luxury?


    Hou Xiaoliang happily fell into his own thoughts. However, how could he know that the maids under Xiaocao, other than Yangliu who had the talent and desire to learn more, were all dunces in the kitchen? In fact, Xiaocao often felt that they were pulling her back when they tried to help her prepare ingredients in the kitchen, which said volumes about their actual cooking abilities. Wutong, for example, might not even know how to properly cook rice! Thus, Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s silly fantasies were quite off the mark!


    Xiaocao felt a bit sorry when she saw Zhu Junyang shoveling down food as if he had never had a good meal in his life. She added a few bites of food to his te from time to time and repeatedly warned him, ¡°Eat slower, ah! I know you haven¡¯t had a good meal in a while, but eating too fast will make your stomach hurt.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem. Don¡¯t I have the medicine you gave me in the pouch ah?¡± Zhu Junyang ate and guzzled down food and drink before he was finally so stuffed that he couldn¡¯t eat anymore. He regarded the remaining food on the table with a gaze full of regret. If he hadn¡¯t eaten those cookies earlier, he would be able to eat more food now.


    Yu Xiaocao nted him a disapproving look and said, ¡°The medicine I gave you is to treat you when unfortunate things happen, not give you an excuse to use your body poorly. If you continue to do this in the future, then believe it when I say I won¡¯t cook food for you anymore!¡±


    Zhu Junyang pulled at Xiaocao¡¯s fair little hands and rubbed them between hisrge palms as he gently said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to make food, then don¡¯t! This prince doesn¡¯t want his princess consort ving away every day at the stove. In the future, ah, all you have to do is enjoy yourself at home. nt some flowers, do some hobbies...don¡¯t you like little animals ah? I heard that in foreignnds, there¡¯s a type of small dog that looks a bit like a lion. It¡¯s gentle, cute, and obedient. We can get two for you, if you like. If you get bored, then you can y and tease your animals! For everything else, this prince is here and you don¡¯t need to worry...¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang was dumbstruck by the wordsing out of his master¡¯s mouth, ¡®Master, ah, you are truly too skilled at sweet-talking your wife. This is truly an example of the disciple overtaking the master. Master, you¡¯re better than your father at this!¡¯


    On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t the least bit grateful for any of this. Her eyes opened wide and she stated in a somewhat threatening manner, ¡°You want me to just idle around for the rest of my life until I be a simpleton ah?? You also know that I¡¯m not the type to just sit around, doing nothing. If you keep me at home all the time, that¡¯s the same as taking my life away from me! That won¡¯t do. You need to promise me that I can do whatever I want after I get married to you and you won¡¯t interfere either. Otherwise...otherwise, I¡¯ll rescind this marriage, hmph!¡±


    ¡°Break the wedding off? This prince has already hugged and kissed you. If you don¡¯t marry me, who will marry you instead?¡± Zhu Junyang immediately exploded after he heard her threat. His entire face turned pitch ck like the bottom of a pot and he stared furiously at the littless, who had sessfully angered him. His entire body seemed to ooze out an imposing aura. If it were anyone else in front of him, they would have long fallen to the ground in abject terror.


    Xiaocao, on the other hand, forcefully pulled her hands out of his and ced them on her hips. She snarled in a shrewish manner, ¡°Do you want to make me into a hapless canary and shut me in a cage for the rest of my life? I would rather be single for the rest of my life than marry a stupid oafish pig like you!¡± Her attitude in front of Zhu Junyang seemed like a little kitten whose tail had just gotten stepped on. She roared and raged in an uninhibited manner.


    Hou Xiaoliang surreptitiously scooted over towards the door. mes were raging inside and he didn¡¯t want himself, just a little fish, to get in the line of the fire. His future mistress was truly too fierce. When facing off with his master¡¯s icy cold face, she wasn¡¯t the least bit intimidated. However...howe it seemed like the two people in front of him resembled a tiny kitten confronting a giant wolf? It actually looked a little bit funny for some reason.


    ¡°You...this prince traveled without stopping day and night in order to see you sooner. I didn¡¯t do this to fight with you. Calm down a bit!¡± Although Zhu Junyang was quite angry inside, he couldn¡¯t bear to say a harsh word to the littless in front of him. What was he to do with her?


    ¡°Do you think I wanted to fight with you too? You¡¯re the one being too tyrannical, trying to force me into a life I don¡¯t want to live! You also know that I¡¯m the type of person who has my own ideas and I love having freedom and independence. I don¡¯t like it when people try to control me. You should have known all of this before you proposed marriage to me. I thought that you liked me for who I am, my entire self, and that you didn¡¯t want to change me! If things go the way you described, then why don¡¯t you just marry any noble young miss in the capital? That¡¯s the type of life that they long for!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought of how much she had missed this stupid fellow in front of her for the past year. In fact, she even spent a lot of time and effort making a table full of delicious foods for him, yet all she got in return was his grim and icy looking face. Instantly, the feeling of being wronged rose in her heart.


    Zhu Junyang felt his heart fall when he saw the tears form in the littless¡¯s eyes. He hastily said, ¡°You misunderstood this prince. This prince doesn¡¯t want to control you. I just feel bad seeing you work so hard for the court¡¯s matters while also managing all of your businesses. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll be too tired, so I wanted to give you afortable and rxing environment. If you don¡¯t like it, then this prince won¡¯t force you to be an idle young matron in the inner courtyard. In the future, you can do whatever you like, as long as you keep yourself safe and don¡¯t tire yourself out. Is that okay ah?¡±


    ¡°You were the one who didn¡¯t say it clearly, which made me misunderstand you. It¡¯s all your fault!! Furthermore, you red at me in such a hateful manner while yelling at me. You need to apologize for that!!¡± Apparently it was because the man in front of her cared too much about her and wanted her to be well rested. Why couldn¡¯t he say it clearly earlier? Yu Xiaocao blinked away the tears in her eyes as she pouted her little mouth. It was clear that she was stubbornly holding onto her position.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly took out a handkerchief and helped the littless wipe away the tears on his face. He sighed again and said, ¡°Alright, alright, alright! It was all my fault! In the future, this prince won¡¯t re at you ever again, okay ah? However, in the future, please don¡¯t say anything about breaking off the wedding. It felt like someone was stabbing a knife into my heart when I heard those words. Right now I¡¯m still hurting!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t one person who was stronger in rtionship issues between men and women. The outwardly heroic Royal Prince Yang easily acquiesced and bent his head down in front of his littless, as if it were no big deal. As long as his littless wasn¡¯t sad anymore and would smile again, it was worth it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you rub it a bit so it won¡¯t hurt anymore!¡± The person in front of her had apologized sincerely. In addition, she also had some fault in the manner, so Yu Xiaocao felt a bit embarrassed now. She stretched out a little hand and began to massage Zhu Junyang¡¯s chest. It didn¡¯t look like she was trying to relieve a hurt. Instead, it looked more like she was taking advantage of him.


    A few times, that little hand rubbed him in such a way that made him feel sensitive. Zhu Junyang simultaneously enjoyed her ministrations while being tortured by them. Finally, he restrained her naughty little hand. If he continued to allow her to stoke his fire, he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d be able to endure any longer without ravaging the littless. He needed to wait a little longer; there was less than half a year left for him! The littless didn¡¯t have any adult women around to remind her at the moment so he needed to make sure he respected her. He needed to wait for the most important step of their rtionship and do it on their wedding night. It would be an unforgettable experience.


    ¡°Is it bad that you didn¡¯te back with the army?¡± Yu Xiaocao quietly leaned against Zhu Junyang¡¯s chest as she listened to the sound of his beating heart. She felt incredibly calm and secure at this moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. Only Inspector Su knows about meing back early. Before I entered the capital, I made sure to disguise myself, so no one saw me. Tonight, this prince will secretly go back to where the army is. There¡¯s no need to worry. This prince isn¡¯t someone who does things rashly!¡± Zhu Junyang had made sure to make all of the proper arrangements in order to see hisss earlier. It had taken quite a bit of effort for him.


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and then worriedly asked, ¡°If Sir Su knows, doesn¡¯t that mean that the emperor will know too? Will the emperor use this as an excuse to make trouble for you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much ah! At the worst, the prince could get rid of all of the duties that I was given. I¡¯ll just go back to what I was before, an idle and leisurely royal prince. However, at that time, this prince will have a much lower ie stream, so Wife, you¡¯ll have to make sure I don¡¯t go hungry!¡± Zhu Junyang had absolutely no interest in keeping and obtaining political power. The only reason why he worked so hard right now was to improve his status and be a better shield for his littless. That way, he could prevent all harm from reaching her.


    Furthermore, from his understanding of the emperor¡¯s personality, the situation would never get to the point that thess worried about it. Thess was only being wary of shadows because she was concerned about him.


    Yu Xiaocao forcefully nodded her head and said, ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll raise you ah!! All you have to do is keep yourself forever young and beautiful, and I¡¯ll be in charge of the money in the household. Hee hee...it suddenly feels like I¡¯m raising a little kept man at home!¡±


    ¡°What sort of nonsense are you spouting now? This prince was only horsing around. I don¡¯t think my circumstances are that bad, alright? Do you really think this prince is someone who would happily live off my wife?¡± Zhu Junyang had a helpless expression on his face as he gently pinched thess¡¯s cheek to ¡®punish¡¯ her.

 Chapter 648 - An Inconvenient Position

    <h4>Chapter 648 - An Inconvenient Position</h4>


    Once again, Hou Xiaoliang sidled a few steps closer to the outside. ¡®My future mistress ah, you truly have guts to call the master a ¡®kept man¡¯. Out of the whole Great Ming Empire, you¡¯re probably the only one who¡¯s able to say something so impolite to him without retribution.¡¯ He needed to get out of earshot. Otherwise, his master might fly into a fury over the fact that his subordinate had heard something so humiliating. He also didn¡¯t dare to reprimand his future mistress either.


    ¡°Hee hee! I¡¯m only teasing you ah! Do you think there¡¯s anyone in the capital who will dare topete against us when webine both of our enterprises? In the future, wouldn¡¯t that mean I could count money every day until my hands cramp?¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly had a feeling that she was going to be the richest nobledy in the capital and felt incredibly proud at the prospect.


    ¡°Is counting money exhausting ah? This prince will send a few people over and have them count for you. You can just stand at the side and watch them.¡± Zhu Junyang aggressively said as he gently stroked the littless¡¯s fine and glossy ck hair with a hand. He relished in the silky feeling slipping through his fingers.


    ¡°Hee hee!¡± Yu Xiaocao, the little money grubber, sniggered. Her whole demeanor resembled a tiny squirrel who had just eaten some stolen pine nuts. She was simultaneously adorable and childish. Zhu Junyang loved and hated that image at the same time. Just where did she get that oddball temperament from? Uncle and Auntie Yu were both cid and down to earth people. Her older brother and sister were the same. Her younger brother was also steady at a very young age. It was only thisss who had a weird personality.


    Zhu Junyang loafed around the Yu Residence until the moon peeked over the willow trees. Only then did he reluctantly say his farewells. After leaving the Yu Residence, he and Hou Xiaoliang headed out of the capital, back towards the army. Although he never took outside criticism to heart, he was someone who was about to be married. Thus, he couldn¡¯t let his wife be worried about him in the future. It was important to keep up his image. Thus, he had no intention of getting used of the crime of privately returning back to the capital without the army!


    Three dayster, Great General Zhenxi returned back to the capital. News from the northwest had just gotten back and the entire capital was thunderstruck and then ted by what had happened. Royal Prince Yang, who had be Great General Zhenxi, was now also given the nickname of ¡®War God¡¯. In the short time period of a year, he had managed to beat back the invaders and traitors of the northwest until they couldn¡¯t even raise their heads anymore. Thus, the people of the northwest now had a few decades of peace in the future. No matter what the time period, themoners all hoped and prayed for peace in where they lived.


    In order to see the ¡®War God¡¯s¡¯ imposing demeanor in person, many of the capital¡¯s people had arrived in the suburbs of the capital early to wait. The Yulin Division had imposed martialw within a one kilometer radius of the suburbs for safety. This was done because the emperor himself, along with court¡¯s civil and military officials, wereing out to receive the army back home.


    On the day of the procession, Xiaocao had been summoned to enter the pce. Within the imperial study, Zhu Junfan was currently looking over the crown prince¡¯s school work. The crown prince was already twelve this year and had grown into an impressive youth. All of his work had been praised to the skies by his various imperial tutors and, more and more, he was gaining the appropriate demeanor and solemnity as the imperial heir.


    Although the imperial pce had added a few more young princes and princesses, the second oldest prince, who was a three to four year old, had an eight year gap between him and the crown prince. By the time the second oldest prince got older, the crown prince would have almost reached his age of majority. Thus, no one could possibly be a threat to his position then! Furthermore, as long as the crown prince didn¡¯t make a huge blunder such as being unfilial to his parents or be a traitor to the empire, it was very likely his position would be rock steady. Consequently, it was highly unlikely that a bloody fight for the throne would happen in this generation.


    ¡°Official Yu!¡± Zhu Hanwen ced down the brush in his hands and smiled when he saw Xiaocao being summoned inside.


    ¡°This official greets the emperor and the crown prince!¡± Yu Xiaocao was holding a box of food in her hands. She hesitated for a moment before she went down on her knees to perform an official bow. However, the emperor interrupted her before she could finish.


    ¡°Alright, no need to do these false courtesies. You are exempt from the official greetings and may take a seat!¡± Zhu Junfan never expected his fellow transmigrator to do these overly convoluted andplicated customs in front of him. He pointed at the food box in her hands and heatedly said, ¡°Oh! It¡¯s rare that you think of us. You actually brought a present along! If we hadn¡¯t summoned you, you would probably never show your face around here, right? It¡¯s fine that we don¡¯t see heads or tails of you at court, but do you truly believe the imperial token that allows you to ess the pce to be a mere frippery?¡±


    ¡®Your Imperial Majesty, just why are you speaking in such an aggrieved tone?¡¯ Yu Xiaocao nced over in confusion towards the crown prince, who was sitting at the side. The two of them exchanged clearly puzzled looks.


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, this official¡¯s rank is not high enough to allow me to attend the daily court sessions.¡± Yu Xiaocao quietly reminded him.


    Zhu Junfan snorted a bit and retorted, ¡°Oh what? Do you dislike your position for being too low now? I would have never expected you to be someone who was obsessed with getting promoted ah.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was seriously starting to wonder whether another soul had transmigrated over and taken over the emperor¡¯s body. Why was he acting in such a weird way? Why did she get the feeling that the emperor was currently whining and acting spoiled in front of her now? Oh my gosh, she was starting to get goosebumps from his behavior!


    Zhu Hanwen looked at his imperial father and blinked a few times. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Official Yu had already been engaged to his imperial uncle, he would have seriously started to suspect that his imperial father was interested in Official Yu! After all, just what did that aggrieved expression and casual tone of voice mean?


    He turned his attention back to Yu Xiaocao. The young crown prince regarded her seriously for a few moments and came to a few conclusions. In the past two years, Official Yu had truly grown into her looks. Just her wless skin alone, which seemed as delicate as the outer shell of an egg and as luminous as a wless crystal, was enough to blow all of the noble born maidens in the capital out of the park. Furthermore, she had a pair ofrge and lively eyes that seemed to have the ability to pierce a person¡¯s soul.


    Zhu Hanwen suddenly felt a bolt of lightning go through his heart. He returned his gaze back towards his imperial father. ¡®Imperial Father, did Official Yu truly catch your fancy now ah? That absolutely cannot happen ah! Imperial Uncle Yang has just done a great deed for our empire and obtained a great military victory. You absolutely cannot steal his wife from him! If you do, it¡¯s likely that Imperial Uncle Yang would fly into a rage over this and there¡¯s very few people in the capital who can possibly stop him when he is incensed...¡¯


    ¡®Imperial Father, ah, Imperial Father, you¡¯ve been a wise ruler all this time, so you cannot, in a moment of muddle headedness, be an infamous ruler who tried to steal one of his official¡¯s wives ah!¡¯ One had to admit that the crown prince had a pretty active imagination sometimes.


    Zhu Hanwen suddenly discovered that his imperial father had looked over in his direction. He met his father¡¯s eyes and immediately hid his thoughts as he said, ¡°Imperial Father, Official Yu has done many meritorious deeds over the past few years. She has undertaken hard tasks despite receiving criticism from other officials, yet she still only has a lowly sixth ranked position as an agricultural official. This son believes...isn¡¯t it about time to promote her a bit?¡±


    Zhu Junfan regarded his son with an impressed eye. He had spent all of these years painstakingly educating this son to be his sessor for the sake of handing over the throne once his son turned twenty. At that time, he nned on bing a leisurely emperor emeritus, traveling with the empress throughout the country as well as into foreignnds. Wouldn¡¯t that be such a rxing life?


    ¡°Imperial Son, rewards and punishments must be allotted ordingly in order to be a wise ruler. In your eyes, what is the best way to promote Official Yu?¡± Zhu Junfan had also thought about promoting this trusted official of his. However, he didn¡¯t have a precedent to do so and he had just awarded her with the glorious title of a royal princess, so he had dyed her promotion in officialdom.


    Zhu Hanwen pondered for a moment before he seriously replied, ¡°This son has studied with the imperial tutor and remembers that in the Qin Dynasty, there was a position called the ¡®Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯. This son believes that, with Official Yu¡¯s current duties, it falls well within the position of ¡®Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯...¡±


    ¡°Imperial Son, what you¡¯re trying to say is...that within the Ministry of Revenue, we should add in the position of Clerk of the Capital for Grain? What rank should it be?¡± Zhu Junfan searched his mind but couldn¡¯t remember what the heck the ¡®Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯ was. Just what the hell was this title? Howe he had no inkling of what it was? However, for the sake of preserving an imposing and all-knowing demeanor in front of his son, he pretended to project a mysterious expression in front of him.


    ¡°Imperial Father, Official Yu currently has the position of ¡®Agricultural Official¡¯. Wasn¡¯t that a position that you had created on the spot too ah? For the past few years, Official Yu not only managed to properly cultivate the western hemisphere¡¯s corn, but also produced a high-yielding strain of winter wheat. Furthermore, she¡¯s perfected the art of growing fruits and vegetables out of season in greenhouse pavilions, adding variety to our tables during the previous dead season. This year, she also began experimenting with rice paddies and the preliminary results are incredibly promising and exciting. By adding together all of her merits and sesses, I believe she should at least be promoted three levels right? This son believes that this position should be at least rank four or above. Otherwise, we¡¯d be slighting Official Yu too much.¡± Zhu Hanwen had be close to Yu Xiaocao during his tender childhood years. Naturally, he now stood at her side and advocated for her benefit.


    However, Yu Xiaocao had no desire to be promoted into officialdom. No matter whether it was in her past life or this one, she wasn¡¯t interested in obtaining more power. Other than her desire to make more and more money, the rest was ephemeral to her and of no value. She was quite satisfied with the way her life was now and really didn¡¯t want a promotion. This was because she knew that the higher the rank, the more power she had, the more responsibilities she would get. In fact, the number one reason she didn¡¯t want to get promoted was because rank five officials and above all had to attend morning court. Being forced out of the house before the sun had risen was truly a fearsome thing!


    ¡°That uh...¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that if she didn¡¯t open her mouth now, her new position would be set in stone, so she hurriedly interrupted the father and son duo, who were currently discussing this with enthusiasm, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, Imperial Highness, this official is already very satisfied with my current position. I don¡¯t think I need to get promoted now, right?¡±


    ¡°How could that be okay?!¡± The father and son duo simultaneously eximed. Zhu Junfan red hatefully in a threatening way at his fellow transmigrator and said, ¡°We are a wise ruler. Sesses need to be rewarded, so we naturally need to find something proper for you. Just sit there obediently and don¡¯t butt in!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao hastily interjected, ¡°In actuality, rewards doesn¡¯t have to be a promotion necessarily ah! Other things that are more practical, like gold and jewels, are also quite good, right?¡±


    Zhu Junfan revealed a toothy grin and suddenly asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t the businesses under your hand doing quite well now? Did you encounter any problems with your medicinal cuisine business or Blossoming Beauty enterprise recently?¡±


    ¡°No, why? They¡¯re all doing quite well!¡± Yu Xiaocao was a bit confused now. She stared warily at the emperor as she wasn¡¯t sure just what the emperor was hinting at now.


    ¡°Since your businesses are doing quite well, that means you don¡¯tck money, right? What¡¯s the point in throwing a bit of money down a money-filled well ah? The little bit that we could possibly give you is merely the cherry on top for you. Do you stillck money? Are there truly officials like you who don¡¯t long for the glory of promotion?¡±


    Zhu Junfan hatefully red at her as he grouchily thought, ¡®The amount of money you have in your hands is much more than what we have in our personal treasury. Yet you still want to spend money from our hands. You are truly quite cold-blooded ah!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao still needed to struggle to the end, ¡°But...I¡¯m just a silly girl, why do I need to have such a high rank at court ah? I only know how to farm and make some tasty food. I¡¯m not cultured enough nor do I have enough elegance, there¡¯s no point in ying music to me, the cow!¡±


    ¡°Being able to farm is already enough!! The ¡®Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯ is a special position that manages agriculture matters, after all! Alright, why do you have to be so stubborn, Lass? We are giving you a promotion, so do we need to ask for your permission ah? Enough nonsense, we are getting annoyed!¡±


    Zhu Junfan felt quite sullen now. Other people racked their brains toe up with an excuse for promotion, yet thisss was theplete opposite. She not only wasn¡¯t grateful for the opportunity but she was also doing her best to push away a possible promotion. Did she think that having a high rank at court was an inconvenient thing? That wouldn¡¯t do! This emperor¡¯s tender heart was quite hurt by her excuses and he needed some delicious delicacies to soothe the painful wound.


    ¡°Just what are you holding in your hands? Aren¡¯t you tired from holding it up for so long ah?¡± Zhu Junfan had long been eying the box of food in her hands. Zhu Hanwen had also been regarding it in a pathetic manner. The delicious aroma from within had already tempted the gluttonous bug in his stomach out. However, in front of his imperial father, he had to preserve his image.

 Chapter 649 - Being Promoted Forcefully

    <h4>Chapter 649 - Being Promoted Forcefully</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao watched as the two faces, which quite resembled each other, revealed simultaneously an expression of longing and thirst. She felt quite tickled by it. If they were in any other ce, who would have believed that these two, who were regarding her quite pathetically, were actually the two most important personages of the Great Ming Empire?


    ¡°This subject was idle at home, so I came out with a few new mousse-type cakes. I thought that they tasted quite good, so I brought some over to show my respect to Your Imperial Majesty! Children all love to eat mousse cakes, so I hope that Your Highness, the crown prince, would like to try some too.¡± Yu Xiaocao stood up and ced the box of cakes onto the study table. She lightly lifted the lid to the box, revealing the tiny adorable pieces of cake within to the father and son pair in front of her.


    Zhu Hanwen originally wanted to protest, ¡°This prince isn¡¯t a child anymore...¡± However, once he saw the beautiful and delicate cakes in front of him, he immediately forgot the rest of his words. He only had eyes for the pastries.


    As soon as the Yu¡¯s Dessert Shop¡¯s western-style pastries came out, it caused a huge sensation within the capital and instantly became famous. The cakes were soft and bouncy, sweet without being overwhelming, so they obtained everyone¡¯s approval. However, these pastries could not evenpare to the legendary chocte mousse cake, ck Forest gateau, and tiramisu that had been made by Royal Princess Jinan.


    Unfortunately, the western-style pastries made by Royal Princess Jinan weren¡¯t something that could be eaten whenever one had the desire to. Those legendary pastries weren¡¯t for sale anywhere. Only the people closest to her were lucky enough to eat them on asion. Last time, the matrons and noble maidens who had been invited to participate at Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate for a banquet were all given the opportunity to try her hand-made desserts. When they left, the rumors spread throughout the capital about how amazing her cakes were. Thus, the chocte vored desserts had reached another level of fame within these noble circles.


    The imperial pce naturally was given desserts made by Yu Xiaocao. Once, when Zhu Hanwen was at his imperial mother¡¯s pce, he had the chance to try some. He immediately fell in love with these chocte vored desserts. However, his imperial father told him that as the heir the empire he needed to learn how to endure hardships before pleasure, have a backbone as strong as steel, control his appetites, and strive for enlightenment...so how could he indulge in gluttonous pleasures? Then, all of the pastries that wereter sent into the pce had mostly gone into his imperial father¡¯s stomach. Zhu Hanwen secretly wondered if his father¡¯s teachings were merely an excuse for him to stop fighting for sweets with him!


    There wasn¡¯t a second person within the Great Ming Empire who could make pastries that couldpare with Official Yu¡¯s. Unfortunately, she was way too busy. She had to manage the tasks that the court tasked her as well as keep her own businesses afloat. Thus, she very rarely had the time to bake pastries. Zhu Hanwen could never forget the memory of those unique vored desserts. When he saw the box full of a variety of mousse cakes, it immediately brought to his mind the taste that his memory savored.


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, please wait a bit. This subject will first taste these pastries for poison...¡± Under the usual state of things, in order to keep the pce safe, it was forbidden for outsiders to bring food into the pce. All of the food served to the emperor first had to undergo tasting by his eunuchs for poison. This was the usual custom, so Eunuch Su Chi¡¯s reminder wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary.


    However, the emperor kicked his butt forcefully and growled in aughing matter, ¡°Screw off! You¡¯re such a sly servant,ing over when you smell delicious food. We haven¡¯t even had the chance to try Lass Yu¡¯s food before you butt in to have a taste. Go stand where it is cool. There are only a few cakes in the box, so there¡¯s definitely not enough for you to get a share. So dream on!¡±


    ¡°Imperial Majesty, food brought in from the outside of the pce normally can¡¯t be...¡± Su Chi now had a visible footprint on his clothing but he didn¡¯t dare to dust it off. He had an aggrieved expression on his face as he recited the customs.


    ¡°Customs were all made by people! If we can¡¯t trust Lass Yu then who is to be trusted? That¡¯s enough, stop looking for an excuse to fight for pastries with us. Aren¡¯t you going to back down now?¡± Why did this fellow not have any eyes for the situation? If it were Su Ran here instead, he absolutely would not have made such a fuss.


    Yu Xiaocao stopped herself fromughing and took off of the lids from all of the boxes she brought with her as she quietly said, ¡°Imperial Majesty, this official has brought over four types of mousse cakes. Each cake came with nine pieces. How about you let Chief Steward Su Chi let you taste test them first?¡±


    ¡°No need, no need! Each cake only has nine pieces, which is barely enough to satisfy us. How could we possibly allow someone else to try a piece of paradise?¡± Zhu Junfan protectively brought the food boxes towards him and impatiently took out a piece of mousse cake that had been crafted in the shape of a lychee.


    ¡°Imperial Father...¡± Zhu Hanwen noticed that his father seemed to have forgotten that he was here, so he pitifully cried out. He felt like this was deliberate. His imperial father didn¡¯t seem to want to share these cakes with him.


    ¡°Hmph! Look at you, do you even have the demeanor of an heir to the empire at this point? If you can¡¯t even restrain your desires for food, how can you possibly keep the empire in your hands in the future?¡± As Zhu Junfan spoke, he shoved the cake that was in his hands into his mouth. He revealed an ecstatic expression on his face.


    Zhu Hanwen silently cursed, ¡®Imperial Father, you also have a hankering for good food but isn¡¯t the empire flourishing and doing well under your hands? There isn¡¯t a conflict between the two, alright ah? Do you truly intend on enjoying these pastries alone, letting me, your son, to just watch you pathetically?¡¯


    Zhu Junfan felt a sliver of guilt enter his heart when he saw the despondent and pathetic look on his son¡¯s face. He dryly coughed and said, ¡°Alright ah! Since you¡¯ve been working hard on both your studies and martial arts, I will reward you with one piece!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Imperial Father!¡± Zhu Hanwen¡¯s face immediately lit up in joy as he carefully picked a piece of cake and delivered it into his mouth. He savored it in small bites as he eximed, ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so incredibly delicious ah! It has the vor of fruit and the spongy texture of cake. Official Yu, what is the name of this cake?¡±


    ¡°In reply to Your Highness, this is called ¡®fruit mousse cake¡¯. Within the smooth texture of mousse is the vor of fresh fruit, which restores the original essence of lychee within it. The taste is very rich.¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that the father and son pair had the exact same joyful expression on their faces. She suddenly realized that it seemed like the ¡®foodie gene¡¯ could also be inherited. The emperor emeritus was an old glutton, the emperor loved to eat good foods, and, now, even the crown prince was a tiny little foodie!


    ¡°Is this a chocte vored cake ah? I love chocte the most!¡± Zhu Hanwen saw another type of cake in the box and immediately forgot the words that his imperial father had said about him only being allowed one slice. He reached his hand into the box and pulled a piece out as he delightedly tasted the pastry.


    The emperor red angrily at the look on the crown prince¡¯s face. It was truly too interesting! Yu Xiaocao controlled the twitching lips on her face as she was afraid she might burst intoughter at any time. She managed to say with a straight face, ¡°Imperial Highness, that piece has hazelnut mousse. Mousse that is chocte hazelnut vored is filled between the slices of chocte cake. The hazelnut adds a unique fragrance to the mousse. Chocte and hazelnut are a pair made in heaven, so when paired with the cute shape of the pastry, it is truly considered a piece of culinary art!¡±


    Zhu Junfan also ced a piece of mousse cake into his mouth. He delicately tasted it for a long time before he finally said, ¡°Mhm...in one bite, the dense mousse explodes into my mouth. Paired with the refreshing vor of fruit and the spongy cake, it truly makes me feel quite satisfied!¡±


    The European pear mousse cake was also another example of a beautifully made cake. Not only was the outside delicate and lively, but it also preserved the unique characteristics of a European pear. The cake was filled with a caramel pear mousse filling, and, naturally, the taste was divine.


    ¡°Thest type is cherry mousse. The outside is beautiful and translucent. In order to decrease the amount of mousse filling needed in the cake, this official added a bit more cherry flesh inside to improve the vor¡ª¡ªplease go ahead and try some!¡± Yu Xiaocao had finished introducing all four types of mousse cakes but noticed that the father and son pair were solely preupied with eating. They didn¡¯t even say a word, so that¡¯s how she knew that they truly loved these cakes.


    Zhu Junfan saw that his son had eaten a piece of each type of cake and was raring to grab more. Thus, he ced the lid back on the boxes and said, ¡°Don¡¯t eat anymore. Otherwise, in a moment when it¡¯s time for the meal, you won¡¯t be able to eat much. The rest of the cakes should be given to your imperial mother!¡±


    Each piece of mouse cake was only about the size of a ping pong ball. After eating four pieces, Zhu Hanwen naturally desired to eat more. However, he was a filial child. As soon as he heard that the rest were to be given to his mother, he didn¡¯t protest anymore. His imperial mother loved him very much and always gave him the best she had to offer. How could he possibly fight for food with her?


    ¡°Official Yu, are the raw ingredients for these cakes easy toe by ah? Will these be added onto the pastries that will be sold at the Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop?¡± Zhu Hanwen was very interested in this point. If the market had these cakes avable, then, in the future, when he wanted to eat these cakes, all he had to do was send one of his personal eunuchs out to buy them.


    He remembered that the previous chocte vored desserts required raw ingredients that were too hard to find, which was the reason why they weren¡¯t sold on the market. If the ingredient problem could be solved, then all of these desserts could be added to her store, which would be too awesome. Official Yu was someone who really loved to make money, so she wouldn¡¯t let go of such a good money-making opportunity, right?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao solemnly replied, ¡°These mousse cakes truly test a pastry chef¡¯s abilities. I¡¯m pretty sure that if someone didn¡¯t study under me for at least a year, it¡¯d be hard for them to create a satisfactory product. However, Imperial Highness, you don¡¯t need to worry. If the emperor decides not to promote this official, then this official will have plenty of time to make these new cakes to send into the pce...¡±


    ¡°Official Yu, you¡¯re quite an odd person. Other people, for the sake of a promotion, wrack their brains to find out a method to climb up higher. You, on the other hand, act as if my imperial father was harming you for trying to reward you for your merits. What should we do with you? Looks like you don¡¯t care about fame or fortune.¡± Zhu Hanwen was a bit curious. Why didn¡¯t she treasure this opportunity to increase her official rank?


    ¡°Sigh...the higher one climbs, the more responsibility one has. I¡¯m just a small little girl and I¡¯m about to be a married woman soon. In the future, I¡¯ll be tending the household and children for my husband, so how would I have so much extra time to do other things? The most important factor is this: this subject remembers that ranked five officials and above all need to attend morning court...¡± In a moment of carelessness, Yu Xiaocao said her true thoughts.


    Zhu Junfan burst out intoughter and pointed at Xiaocao. He stated in a voice filled with bemusement, ¡°Apparently the reason why you really didn¡¯t want to get promoted is right here ah! Is it really that bad having to go to morning court once every five days ah?¡±


    ¡°This subject truly sleeps heavily and likes to sleep in. I¡¯m afraid I might sleep past the time and get punished for missing morning court...¡± Yu Xiaocao meekly replied in a quiet voice. What a joke! Morning court started at five in the morning, so that meant she had to leave the residence at around four. Didn¡¯t that mean she had to get out of bed before four then? That was asking for her life ah! When her younger brother and sister were studying for their college examinations, they didn¡¯t even have to get up that early.


    Zhu Junfan snorted and said, ¡°If I waived away the requirement for you to go to morning court and promoted you, would you be okay with that?¡±


    ¡°Uh...after I get promoted, would I still only be in charge of the imperial ntation and other farming matters ah? If I need to manage anything else, I¡¯m not sure I could do it!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a good grasp on her own abilities. She knew she was only able to handle so much, so she truly didn¡¯t want to have more extraneous duties added on!


    ¡°Your duties will not change! The only change that could happen would be that you will have more people under you. We will send some officials over to help you. All you have to do is make sure your high-yielding crop breeding continues on course!¡± Zhu Junfan suddenly felt fatigued. This was the first time he had to chase someone to promote them yet they truly didn¡¯t want this honor.


    ¡°Then...that will work ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao reluctantly said as if someone had a knife to her throat, ¡°Then make sure you send two hardworking and humble ones over. Ones that are easy to get along with. I don¡¯t want to deal with any annoying ones ah!¡±


    Zhu Junfan: ...

 Chapter 650 - Returning Home in Honor

    <h4>Chapter 650 - Returning Home in Honor</h4>


    Zhu Hanwen frowned at this. Wasn¡¯t his imperial father being a little too lenient? It was too obvious that he had some vague intentions towards Official Yu. That wouldn¡¯t do! He needed to surreptitiously remind his mother a bit on another day. His imperial father had always respected his imperial mother¡¯s opinions, so he should be willing to listen to her advice. He needed to make sure that this got nipped in the bud before it got toote!


    Following that, at the next court session, Yu Xiaocao had been promoted to the fourth rank ¡®Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯ for her efforts in eradicating the poisoning case at the stud farm as well as the promising results in the rice paddies. She was nowpletely in charge of crop breeding and her task was to improve the rice paddy yield as well as the winter wheat seeds.


    The emperor recalled that Xiaocao was Great General Zhenxi¡¯s fianc¨¦e, so he especially summoned her along to leave the capital to wee him back home. His intention was simple. He wanted to give her the opportunity to see her fianc¨¦ as soon as possible. However, he would have never expected that his younger cousin had snuck into the capital earlier and had bummed around the Yu Residence, acting lovey dovey with his future wife, before he finally left.


    Regardless, Yu Xiaocao felt a sense of pride and glee rise up within her heart when she saw that familiar dark figure within the army as she rode next to the emperor¡¯s carriage with the envious gazes of other officials surrounding her. When a woman¡¯s man was sessful, her face also became brighter.


    The high-ranked officials who hade out today to receive the army all felt mixed feelings arise in their hearts when they saw the handsome and heroic Royal Prince Yange back. In the past, Royal Prince Yang was impetuous and cruel with a cloud of bad rumors surrounding him. His reputation wasn¡¯t much better than the hedonistic good-for-nothing sons from rich families. Who would have thought that after he turned fifteen and was given the mission to travel to the west, he woulde back like a changed man. His personality had be stable and steady and he became more and more outstanding as time passed.


    He not only brought the high-yielding corn seeds back, but he also luckily discovered the current ¡®Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯, Official Yu, who had a talent for farming. With higher-yield crops now on hand, themoners, who had previously been living in harsh, post-war times, now had a surplus to eat. As the fortunes of the people rose, so did the fortunes of the empire. Now that themoners were living better lives, the empire was now richer and more powerful than ever.


    Furthermore, Royal Prince Yang wasn¡¯t just good at regr issues, he was also a genius at military matters. After the Xishan Barracks were given to him to manage, in less than two years, any soldier from that assignment could easily fight against three to five ordinary soldiers with ease. The firearms division was especially astounding. Each soldier there had top-notch martial arts skills like the rest of the soldiers within the Xishan Barracks, and they were also sharpshooters with their firearms. They were truly the best of the best!


    Not only was he talented at training troops, but he was also skilled at military strategy and tactics. When the northeast rebellion had urred, it felt like only a practice session for him to put it down. This time, with the war in the northwest, he was finally able to disy his outstanding abilities. Even the previous dynasty¡¯s Old General Zhao and Young General Zhao had to admire this young and skilled royal prince¡¯s talents.


    Furthermore, the two generals from the Zhao Family were only alive today because of him. Naturally, this was also rted to the fact that Royal Prince Yang had external help¡ª¡ªRoyal Princess Jinan¡¯s medicinal abilities. Only he had a fianc¨¦e who was skilled at medicine and detoxifying poisons.


    It was also rumored that the unfathomable Military Inspector Su had been saved by him! Chief Steward Su was the emperor¡¯s closest and most intimate confidant and subordinate. Unfortunately, he was very hard to get close to and was extremely cunning and sly. Whoever could catch his eyes and have him say a few ttering words in front of the emperor naturally had a career that would soar without boundaries. However, Royal Prince Yang didn¡¯t require his good words as his own abilities were more than enough to ensure a smooth and steady climb up to the top!


    Royal Prince Yang was a youth with an extremely promising career ahead of him. Unfortunately, he was an engaged man. The high-ranking officials who had previously rejected Princess Consort Jing¡¯s attempts to matchmake her son in years past were now incredibly regretful. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they had disdained Royal Prince Yang when he had a bad reputation, they could be his future father-inw now and have another strong ally at court. Thus, their official careers would also be more smooth. What a pity...


    However, there were still some people scheming quietly in the background, thinking about their concubine-born daughters at home. Some of them even thought about offering their legitimate daughters to the prince to be his concubine. What man, especially the hardworking and talented ones, didn¡¯t have a crowd of wives and concubines at home? Royal Prince Yang was very likely going to be promoted into an imperial prince in the future, and it was very normal for a grand and noble imperial prince to have a courtyard full of women at home, right? For example, Royal Prince Yang¡¯s imperial uncle, Imperial Prince Sa, not only had two ranked concubines at home but he also had so many lower ranking concubines that he couldn¡¯t keep them straight.


    Naturally, there were also some people who wondered whether Royal Princess Jinan could even marry the prince at this point. No matter whether it was personal or familial status, the two of them were not of the same background. Royal Princess Jinan was truly talented. After all, a little girl climbing up to a fourth-ranked official¡¯s position wasn¡¯t something to be scoffed at.


    However, the vast majority of men preferred women who were gentle and unassuming. If one had to be honest, Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s personality couldn¡¯t be considered sweet and considerate...perhaps the position of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s official wife was something that could be negotiated!


    Royal Prince Yang had no idea that his future marriage and inner courtyard was currently being schemed over by many people. Currently, he had just spotted his littless, who was next to the golden yellow imperial carriage. She was dressed in a tiny official¡¯s robe and her hair had been styled into a nimble and handsome ponytail. The day before yesterday he had been preupied with spending time with her, so he didn¡¯t pay attention to the fact that she had some pretty significant physical changes in the past year.


    Although she still had a very slim and slender figure, she had grown perceptibly in height. By now, the top of her head should be around his chin height. Her facial features had also blossomed. She had a pair of round and innocent looking eyes that now seemed more elongated. They glittered with liveliness and an air of coquettishness. Her roomy official¡¯s robe also couldn¡¯tpletely hide her alluring body figure, mhm...his littless had truly matured and was bing more and more beautiful with every passing day.


    At this time, Xiaocao¡¯s entire attention seemed to have been maized. She couldn¡¯t seem to move her eyes away from the heroic figure in front of her. Zhu Junyang was attired in a general¡¯s armor and looked incredibly handsome! There was something incredibly manly and stunning about him! His broad and sturdy figure paired with that alluringly handsome face didn¡¯t seem out of sorts at all and harmonized into one perfect whole. The mere sight of him made her little heart pound faster. Yu Xiaocao ced her hands over her heart as she was afraid that her heart might jump out of her chest from being too excited...


    The emperor was speechless at this. It looked like it was truly the wrong choice to bring thatss Xiaocao along with him. These two people only had eyes for each other. He was pretty sure that neither of them had heard a single word of his grandiose and imposing speech. Such a waste of his eloquent and touching words!


    Under the gazes of everyone around them, this youthful engaged couple stared longingly at each other. The soldiers under Zhu Junyang all grinned knowingly as they elbowed each other. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the emperor was present, it was likely that they would have long started heckling the prince.


    Yu Xiaocao finally realized that everyone was staring at the back of her head. However, she wasn¡¯t the least bit embarrassed. Instead, she calmly moved away her gaze and smiled tranquilly. This made all of Zhu Junyang¡¯s subordinates view her, as their leader¡¯s future wife, in a different light. She truly was a woman worthy of being admired by their leader as she had the right temperament to be with him.


    It was no wonder that she, as a woman, was able to be an official and a sessful businesswoman. At such a young age she had been made into an official...eh? The leader¡¯s wife was currently wearing the robes of a fourth-ranked official. Heavens! Two years ago, the leader¡¯s wife was only a tiny little sixth-ranked official. Now she had already been promoted into a fourth-ranked official.


    Fortunately, their leader was also someone with incredible abilities. This time he came back victorious from the battlefield, so getting rewarded was a sure thing now. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t he be surpassed by his own wife by now? Royal Princess Jinan wasn¡¯t someone that anyone could marry. After all, most ordinary men would bepletely pressured by her!


    Yu Xiaocao looked at the army and stopped her eyes on two familiar figures. The Zhao Family¡¯s two generals had also spotted the slender and graceful young maiden who was next to the imperial carriage. Gradually, their memories of that super thin little figure in that tiny fishing vige had merged with the youthful maiden in front of them.


    They would have never expected that the Yu Family¡¯s sickly and tiny Xiaocao was now the most sessful out of all of them! Although they had been stationed at the border, the Zhao Family¡¯s two generals had also heard the stories of Royal Princess Jinan, who was talented at farming and had expertly bred high-yielding crops, changing the lives of the people for the better.


    Furthermore, Lady Zhao, who had been left at the capital, often wrote letters to them that spoke of this littless. She stated that thess had a kind andpassionate heart. Xiaocao was afraid that she might be lonely by herself in the capital, so she often came over every few days to spend time with her. In addition, Lady Zhao wrote that thess¡¯s pastries were incredibly delicious. Every time she came up with new pastries, she never forgot to send some to her. Finally, the littless had also helped to nurse Lady Zhao back to health. She had a lingering illness after giving birth but now her problem hadn¡¯t reurred for several years.


    Lady Zhao oftenmented within her letters that she would have liked Xiaocao to be her daughter-inw if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Royal Prince Yang moved too fast. Unfortunately, it was toote. Their family hadn¡¯t struck when they had the advantage and allowed Royal Prince Yang to monopolize this child. Now, the prince was only waiting for her to reach adulthood before marriage.


    Eight years had passed since the two Zhao generals hadst seen this littless, who used to sweetly call them ¡®Grandfather Zhao¡¯ and ¡®Uncle Zhao¡¯. They would have never expected that she, by relying on her own abilities, would be able to be a fourth-ranked official. Normally, fourth-ranked officials weren¡¯t high enough on the rankings to apany an imperial procession to wee back a victorious army. However, the littless was standing next to the emperor¡¯s personal carriage, which meant that the emperor himself had allowed her the great favor ofing along. Who else within the empire could obtain this type of honor and glory?


    However, thatss¡¯s personality hadn¡¯t seemed to change one iota. She was still as simple and pure as before. Just look, when she saw the two of them, the littless revealed a broad and wide smile and even raised her right hand to wave at them furiously. All of the other officials here looked at her with expressionless faces. Even the emperor cocked his head over at her and red at her with a smile on his face. The young maiden sheepishly lowered her hand and rubbed her nose. Her actions now were the exact same as when she was young.


    The two of them began reminiscing of years past. Back then, there was a skinny and slight little girl who childishly followed their son (grandson) from behind, begging him to teach her how to set traps. Now, she had already grown into the Yu Family¡¯s glorious and honorable young maiden!


    Royal Prince Yang had been put inmand of the army to fight the war in the northwest. He fought against the odds and put out a daring n, which seeded in pacifying their borders. He managed to beat back those ambitious wolves, the foreign tribes hankering at their border, sending them into a riotous retreat into the bitter and harsh conditions of the north. In less than two years¡¯ time, he had obtained a total victory and was likely going to be a rock steady figure in the empire! He was truly too good to be a match in marriage. They weren¡¯t sure whether the engagement between the two would be a fortune or cmity for her in the future!


    The news that the emperor had personallye out of the capital to wee Great General Zhenxi back to court had long been disseminated throughout the city and its surrounding suburbs. Themoners had also alle over, finding a suitable ce to stand as they crane their necks to get a glimpse of the Great Ming Empire¡¯s army who had protected their country from foreign invaders. The bulk of the army had been stationed about two kilometers outside of the city while Royal Prince Yang brought all of the high-ranking officers along to enter the city.


    Both sides of the street in the capital, as well as the shops lining the area, were all squeezed full of people. The men entering the city had just experienced the bloody and exhrating battlefield, so they came in with austere and serious looking faces. The emperor¡¯s carriage and escort were also glorious and stately, cowing the people in the crowds into a silence. The entire street was as quiet as if there wasn¡¯t a single person there.

 Chapter 651 - Bestowing the Title of a Prince

    <h4>Chapter 651 - Bestowing the Title of a Prince</h4>


    At the entrance of the city, the imperial guards wore armors and stood upright in two rows on both sides of the gate. The imperial symbol was stitched onto the bright yellow imperial canopy, and the canopy was followed by feather fans that were embedded with precious jewels as the procession led them into the city. Music was ying, people were singing, and the sound of a drum could be heard. The emperor donned a bright yellow dragon robe and sat on the luxurious carriage. The officials of the court crowded around the carriage, escorting the emperor as they headed for the imperial city.


    Themoners that were standing on the two sides of the procession held their breath as they watched. Marching orderly behind the officials was a row of ck-armored guards with their armored horses. Among all the guards, one man was d in silver armor, carrying an ¨¦p¨¦e on his waist. He sat upright on an ink-colored warhorse. The man exuded a dense and austere aura. Next to him, was a lean andpetent man, carrying a unique bow. The ck g fluttered in the wind; the words ¡°Great Ming¡± were written wlessly and powerfully on the g!


    Royal Prince Yang took the lead in the procession. He lifted the reins of the horse, urging it to move forward. The armored horses followed after him unanimously in order. The warhorses¡¯ hooves hit against the ground in a neat and orderly fashion, which resonated within the people¡¯s inner hearts...


    It took awhile for themoners to snap out of their trance after the army passed by. They began to gossip in low whispers.


    ¡°The man d in silver armor, leading the procession, has such an imposing aura that I didn¡¯t even dare to look straight at him. I heard that he is the famous ¡®God of War¡¯ of our Great Ming Dynasty. As soon as he led the soldiers to the northwestern border, they managed to defeat the different tribes to the point where they didn¡¯t even dare to raise their heads anymore!!¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to see how our great general, who is always victorious, looked like. However, when he nced back at me with his ice-cold and murderous gaze, I immediately lowered my head and almost fell to the ground in fear. Even now, my legs are still trembling from the shock! He was so scary!!¡±


    ¡°The man next to him is Old General Zhao. Although both his hair and beard has turned white, he is still strong despite his age. He isn¡¯t weaker than any of the young men following behind him. If it were not for Old General Zhao, who was stationed in the northwest for a long period of time, how would we have been able to live such a stable and peaceful life?¡±


    ¡°Look at General Zhao! He has a tall and sturdy build. He is the best of the best of all the men on the battlefield. It doesn¡¯t matter whether he is leading his soldiers or ughtering the enemy, he always does a great job. Unfortunately, he fell into the foreign tribes¡¯ devious traps; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have asked Royal Prince Yang for help.¡±


    ¡°Although General Zhao is brave, he is not as skilled as Royal Prince Yang. The father and sons of the Zhao Family have been stationed in the northwest border for many years now, but they have never managed to defeat the different tribes upying the borders. However, Royal Prince Yang was stationed by the border for merely a little over a year yet he managed to drive the tribes far away like he was herding a group of chickens. The tribes don¡¯t even have the courage to bother us again!!¡±


    ¡°Did you see the young girl next to the emperor¡¯s carriage? Is that Royal Princess Jinan? I¡¯ve heard that Royal Princess Jinan managed to cultivate rice fields in the Imperial ntation that produce up to four to five hundred catties per mu this spring! It has only been five years since she¡¯s taken office, and she already has produced cornfields that yield more than a thousand catties of corn per mu and high yielding winter wheat. She also grows fruits and vegetables in greenhouses, which allows the people of the capital to continue to be able to eat fresh vegetables in the winter...all the meritorious deeds she has contributed helped the country immensely! Now, her experiment of creating high yielding rice fields has also seeded. Who could¡¯ve imagined that a young girl would be able to make such major achievements?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! I have a distant rtive who is married to someone from the northeast. When I went to visit them, I heard that the northeast could only nt one type of crop in a year due to the climate and the yield from the crops was always low. As a result, they have a famine every year. However, ever since they started nting the corn and high yielding winter wheat, the family could finally eat without fear of having another famine!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the important officials from Jiangnan requested Royal Princess Jinan to help them improve the rice seeds a few days ago. Royal Princess Jinan has a kind heart. She nted dozens of rice fields on the Imperial ntation at the beginning of spring to improve the yields of the rice seed. It was unexpected that she managed to seed in such a short time frame. Each field managed to produce over five hundred catties, which is more than double the original output. Reportedly, Royal Princess Jinan isn¡¯t satisfied and is determined to improve the rice seeds until it yields a thousand catties per mu!


    ¡°Rice seeds that yield a thousand catties per mu? Stop joking around! Aren¡¯t you worried that your tongue might be cut off? A mu of rice yielding five hundred catties is already quite high. Rice seeds are not like sweet potatoes and corn, it¡¯s impossible for one mu of field to yield a thousand catties of rice!¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie to you? My younger cousin is a tenant farmer at the Imperial ntation. He told me that he heard Royal Princess Jinan say this to the Imperial ntation¡¯s steward!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t make it up? Royal Princess Jinan actually said that? If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s us, themoners, who will benefit in the end. If she seeds, then everyone will be able to afford to eat white rice and white noodles. Every family will have a surplus amount of food. We won¡¯t have to worry even if there¡¯s a disaster!¡±


    ¡°Do you think Royal Princess Jinan is the Child of Fortune sent by the Heavens? No matter what she grows or raises, the crop will always produce high yields; it seems like she¡¯s able tomunicate with the spirits. She¡¯s definitely not an ordinary person since she¡¯s able to grow vegetables in seasons where vegetables aren¡¯t supposed to grow.¡±


    ¡°It must be because of the emperor¡¯s concern for the country and themoners that moved the Heavens. The Heavens have sent an immortal girl to assist the emperor and establish a foundation for this country that willst throughout the ages. The heavens protect the Great Ming Dynasty and themoners!


    ...


    Themoners that were watching the procession were originally talking about the army stationed in the west. But now, the topic changed to ¡®the Child of Fortune¡¯, Royal Princess Jinan.


    Xiaocao didn¡¯t know that in the blink of an eye, she was branded as a little fairy who had descended from the Heavens. At the moment, she was watching the ¡®soldiers being promoted to nobility¡¯ with great interest!


    The emperor¡¯s carriage had just arrived in front of the imperial gate. The emperor straightened his dragon robe before he descended from the carriage. He was escorted by the civil and military officials as he entered the Jinluan Hall and sat down upright at the Dragon Throne in the middle of the hall.


    The civil and military officials stepped into two neat rows on either side of the hall. Xiaocao was standing in one of the rows, fading into the background. She stood upright and remained quiet as herrge eyes watched the scene unfold in front of her with great curiosity.


    At this moment, her gaze was solely focused on the tall and heroic general d in silver armor. He stopped at the imperial gate and raised his right hand slightly. The soldiers behind him immediately stopped moving forward. Zhu Junyang got off his horse and slowly walked forward with a straight back. He was shrouded with a murderous aura. His face was so handsome that it made the heavens angry and the mortals resentful. His solemn and serene expression gave off a frightening feeling.


    Xiaocao¡¯s gaze remained on his enchanting face for a long time. He had been fighting in a war all year round, so his originally fair skin had now turned a healthy wheat color. His charming phoenix eyes were brimming with anger and might. His straight nose bridge was like a delicate work of art sculpted using a carving knife. She originally thought that his thin lips weren¡¯t that sexy, but now, it gave off a majestic feeling.


    The corners of her mouth curved up slightly and her eyes shone with pride¡ª¡ªthat man was her man, a man that can support both heaven and earth with just his bare hands! She suddenly recalled a well-known sentence from ¡®Journey to the West¡¯ in her mind: ¡®My sweetheart is an unrivaled hero. One day, he will ride a seven-colored magical cloud to pick me up¡¯...Fairy Zixia never received the mystical treasure, but she found her ¡®unrivaled hero¡¯!


    The ¡®unrivaled hero¡¯ in Xiaocao¡¯s heart, had already quickly arrived in the throne room. He walked up the marble staircase one step at a time and unhurriedly stepped into the throne room. He slightly lowered his gaze and kneeled down. There were several generals who had contributed to the war kneeling one after another not far behind him.


    ¡°Fortunately, this official has not failed your orders!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s words were resounding, powerful, and concise. He immediately raised the tiger tally over his head. Su Chi bent his waist and took the tiger tally from him with both hands, then, he presented the tiger tally to the emperor. In the beginning, many of the officials were worried and feared that giving the tiger tally thatmanded the army would incite disloyalty in Zhu Junyang.


    However, the emperor reprimanded them for worrying too much at the time! The emperor was good at judging other people¡¯s characters. Although Royal Prince Yang achieved outstanding military service by subduing the enemy army at the northwest border, his heart did not yearn for power that the tiger tally provided. Instead, he took the initiative to return the tiger tally back to the emperor. It seemed like the old generals were worried about nothing!


    ¡°My beloved officials, please rise. My beloved officials, please rise.¡± The emperor did not take the tiger tally from Su Chi, so Su Chi ced the tiger tally on a case. Zhu Junfan raised his hand slightly, hinting at the head eunuch, Su Chi, to announce his decree.


    It was silent in the Jinluan Hall, and only Su Chi¡¯s voice could be heard as he read the emperor¡¯s edict in a shrill voice. The imperial edict started off politely by praising Royal Prince Yang for the illustrious feats he had done. It was only at the end of the imperial edict that something substantial was said¡ª¡ªbestowing the title ¡®Imperial Prince Xu¡¯ to Royal Prince Yang. The meaning behind the title was quite clear; it referred to a rising sun and a bright future. The meaning behind the title was simr to the ¡®Yang¡¯ title he received.


    Not only was he rewarded a lot of gold and silver, jewels, silk, gauze, satin, and so on, but his feudal fiefdom was also expanded to epass the entire Jinwei Prefectural City. In other words, all of the taxes collected in Jinwei Prefectural City, except for the ports, was going to belong to Imperial Prince Xu, Zhu Junyang! Jinwei Prefectural City was very close to the capital, and it was the top three wealthiest prefectural cities of the Great Ming Empire. For the emperor to bestow Imperial Prince Xu this feudal fiefdom showed that the emperor regarded him highly and favored him greatly!


    Zhu Junyang received the yellow imperial edict made of thin silk with both of his hands. He thanked the emperor for the rewards and rose. He turned around and faced the high-ranking military officers standing outside the throne room. He said in a respectful yet solemn voice, ¡°This achievement and glory was achieved through the blood-soaked efforts by the soldiers of the western army. It was achieved thanks to the brothers who lost their lives on the battlefield! For the brothers who died on the battlefield, in addition to the emperor¡¯s reward, I will also look after their family¡¯s old and weak women until their children reaches adulthood and finds a job!¡±


    The hundreds of soldiers in the army were all soldiers that Zhu Junyang trusted, and every single one of them was a brave warrior. The soldiers¡¯ blood began to boil when they looked at the bright yellow imperial edict in their leader¡¯s hand and after they heard their leader¡¯s generous speech. They began to shout in unison, ¡°Long live the emperor¡± and ¡°We pledge our lives to protect the Great Ming Dynasty¡±...their voices resonated through the sky and shook the heavens and earth!


    The emperor revealed a satisfied smile as he looked at the majestic soldiers standing before him with their battle regalia fluttering in the wind. These people represented the spirits of the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s army. With such an invincible army, he didn¡¯t need to worry about the stability and strength of the Great Ming Dynasty.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I think Imperial Prince Xu harbors bad intentions by doing this...¡± One of the old officials couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and stepped forward. It was the emperor¡¯s job to reward the soldiers in the army. Wasn¡¯t Royal Prince Yang...no, Imperial Prince Xu overstepping his boundary?


    The old official¡¯s words actually drew the emperor¡¯s resentment. Zhu Junfan nced at him indifferently and said, ¡°Are you doubting Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s loyalty? If I didn¡¯t know how hardworking and loyal you are normally, then I would¡¯ve already punished you for trying to sow discord!¡±


    ¡°In the imperial court, anyone can suddenly have a change of heart and betray me, all except for Junyang! You can¡¯t just be suspicious of him for abusing his powers in the future just because has the skills to lead an army. A man being used cannot be suspected, but if he bes suspected, he cannot be used. If my beloved official doesn¡¯t understand my meaning, then you should return home and think carefully about it behind closed doors!¡±


    [1] The character used for ¡¯Yang¡¯ is also the word for sun. The character used for ¡¯Xu¡¯ means the rising sun.

 Chapter 652 - Separating from the Estate?

    <h4>Chapter 652 - Separating from the Estate?</h4>


    The emperor looked at the civil and military officials and sighed deeply, ¡°Only an incapable ruler would be overly suspicious of a god-like general and push him away, forcing a once loyal subject to rebel! Do we look like a muddle-headed and an immoral ruler to you?¡±


    The old official was terrified by the emperor¡¯s speech. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness.


    Yu Xiaocao almost started pping and cheering for the emperor, ¡®The emperor is mighty. The emperor is wise. The emperor is a fair and just ruler.¡±


    People believed that bing the emperor was amazing and wonderful, so everyone would scramble for the throne. The truth was that it was a demanding position that required a lot of work. If they wanted the throne, then they could just fight for it, but her Jun Yangyang wouldn¡¯t fight for such a strenuous and unrewarding job! Some people put great importance on power and influence, while others viewed power as a pair of discarded shoes. Different people had different views! The unrivaled hero of her heart was not the kind of person who would covet the army for himself and plot a rebellion! She could guarantee that as long as the emperor retained his trust in him, then he would definitely return his trust 100% with loyalty!


    After that, the generals of the war were bestowed their rewards. Of the father and son duo from the Zhao Family, one was bestowed the title of a first-rank General Jianwei, while the other one was bestowed the title of second-rank General Longhu. With the addition of the Duke of Zhenyuan, all three generations of the Zhao Family continued to prosper.


    The emperor even graciously allowed the father and son from the Zhao Family to rest in the capital for an extended period of time. They couldn¡¯t leave the Zhao Estate unattended without a man in charge, so General Longhu stayed in the capital with an official position. General Jianwei, old General Zhao, returned to the northwest after resting for half a year to protect the Great Ming Dynasty¡¯s borders. In addition to that, his loyal and hardworking apprentice, Fang Zizhen, General Fang, went with him.


    Fang Zizhen had been idle in the capital for many years and now, he finally had the opportunity to achieve his ambition. Even if there wasn¡¯t any war on the northwest border, it was better than idling at home and taking care of some trivial matters. Moreover, this was an opportunity for him to gallop through the battlefield with his master. He was undoubtedly overjoyed by this opportunity!


    The only regret he had was that he was going to be separated from his wife and son in the future. He wondered if his son, Fang Haolin, would still recognize that he was his father the next time he returned to the capital. His wife doted on their child too much. It seemed like he needed to ask his daughter to visit her family frequently to make sure that his wife didn¡¯t raise his son into someone useless.


    After Zhu Junyang was conferred the title of Imperial Prince Xu, rumors of the two princes from the Jing Estate spread far and wide. Imperial Prince Jing returned to the estate and happily held his princess consort in his arms and proudly said, ¡°This prince¡¯s title was only bestowed on me because this prince was the previous emperor¡¯s son. When our child was young, I didn¡¯t think that he would achieve much. But now that he¡¯s older, not only does he have a prosperous future, but he also depended on his own abilities and contributed military merits to the country and earned the title of nobility! No wonder he¡¯s my son!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Stop acting so shameless!! Prince, you don¡¯t need to be so humble. You are also a pir of the country and one of the emperor¡¯s most trusted aides! You deserve your title.¡± Princess Consort Jing was also ted by the news, but nevertheless, she still took her husband¡¯s feelings into consideration andforted him by saying a few pleasant words.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Prince Jingughed happily for a long time. ¡°Not only did the emperor redivide Yang¡¯er¡¯s fief, but he also rewarded him with arge estate. The estate in question is said to belong to one of the corrupt officials in the previous dynasty. I have seen the estate and the estate is grander and more majestic than our Jing Estate. The estate was originally reserved by the emperor for his elder brother as a retirement house, but the emperor¡¯s elder brother said that he was used to living in his current house. He didn¡¯t want to move, so the estate was left empty. Although the house was built during the previous dynasty, it was still being repaired over the years. There are even people who have been assigned to take care of the house. They can move in anytime they want...¡±


    A lonely expression appeared on Princess Consort Jing¡¯s face. She sighed softly and said, ¡°Is it necessary for Yang¡¯er to move out of the Jing Estate? If he moves out, then there will be fewer opportunities for him to visit us. I was even thinking about helping him raise his kids after he has a child. When I visited Dongshan Vige, I saw that it was always the grandmother of the family who helped raise the children...¡±


    ¡°We have so many maidservants and senior servants working in our family, why would you need to raise the children yourself? When the timees, we can just send the couple a few hardworking and capable senior servants. It¡¯s time for him to separate from the flock. Yang¡¯er has been bestowed with the title of an imperial prince, so it¡¯s no longer suitable for him to live with us. Let¡¯s take his elder brother for example, will Yang¡¯er need to greet his elder brother first, now that he received a title?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be disheartened. Their new estate isn¡¯t far from our estate. It will only take a quarter of an hour by carriage for them toe here. Xiaocao is a filial child, so she will definitely encourage our son toe and visit us often. Besides, if you miss the kids, you can move to their estate for a couple of days. You can also move into their estate for a few days when I¡¯m busy or if I don¡¯t have time to apany you because of work. I feel at ease if Xiaocao is there to apany you.¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing tugged Princess Consort Jing¡¯s hand andforted her carefully. Under the candlelight, it seemed as if her beautiful pair of phoenix eyes were twinkling with reflections of waves of sunlight; it was extremely charming. In the beginning, it was her beautiful and moving pair of eyes that had captured his heart and his heart still belonged to her after nearly thirty years.


    Ever since Xiaocao produced the anti-wrinkle skin rejuvenation cosmetic cream and sent some over, the princess consort looked much younger after using it for less than half a year. Her skin became dewy and delicate and the fine wrinkles around the corners of her eyes had magically disappeared. She was around forty-five to forty-six years old, but she looked like a woman in her early thirties. If the princess consort stood next to her daughter-inw, they would look like a pair of simrly aged friends.


    Imperial Prince Jing stroked his old face. He was already three years older than the princess consort and he was usually very busy with his work. Even if he persisted in eating the medicinal cuisine that was prescribed by Xiaocao, he would only have a strong and youthful body. But his face... if he stood next to the princess consort, would people mistake him for her father?


    ¡°Princess Consort, have you asked if the anti-wrinkle skin rejuvenation cosmetic cream can be used by men?¡± Imperial Prince Jing thought about how hisplexion was ashy and his face was covered in wrinkles while his wife still appeared beautiful and youthful like a mature honey peach, would she dislike him because he looked old? With that thought in mind, he instantly blurted out the question.


    Princess Consort Jing was originally immersed in the mncholy of having to separate from her son and was immediately stunned when she heard Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s question. When she finally came back to her senses, she almost couldn¡¯t help but burst out intoughter after understanding the reason behind his question. However, she knew that her husband was someone who had great pride, so she tried her best to control her facial expressions. She pretended to be calm and collected and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if men can use it. Xiaocao told me that this set of skincare products that she gave me was specifically made ording to my skin type. Since it was specifically made for me, it¡¯s not sold to the public. Should I... ask her when I meet her again?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing raised her head and looked at her husband. Although there were a few wrinkles around the corner of his eyes, the wrinkles made him look more manly. Her husband was handsome; the more she looked at him, the more handsome he looked!


    ¡°You...can¡¯t tell her that I¡¯m the one who asked that question. Just say that your friend¡¯s husband asked. Cough cough...I have some matters that I need to attend to, so I¡¯ll head back to my study. You...if you can¡¯t stay awake, you can head to sleep first, okay?¡± Imperial Prince Jing walked away quickly. In the princess consort¡¯s opinion, it seemed like there was a wolf chasing after him as he quickly walked away.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Princess Consort Jing could no longer hold back her mirth and burst outughing. Imperial Prince Jing was extremely adorable. It had been many years since she had seen him blush like that. He told her to head to bed early, but it wasn¡¯t even dinner time yet, why would she head to bed to sleep?


    Standing to the side and serving the princess consort was Meixiang, whose hairstyle wasbed into a married woman¡¯s updo. She resisted her desire tough and brewed a cup of scented tea for her master. Even though Meixiang married a young steward that worked in the outer courtyard of the Jing Estate, she remained by Princess Consort Jing¡¯s side to serve her.


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s maidservants Lanxiang and Juxiang also married the stewards working for the Jing Estate. However, they left the estate with their husbands after the marriage. Zhuxiang and Meixiang remained in Prince Jing¡¯s Estate; one of them was in charge of the princess consort¡¯s courtyard while the other one was in charge of teaching the young maid servants working in the courtyard.


    The four main maidservants serving by the Princess Consort¡¯s side were reced with fifteen-year-old Chuxiang, Xiaxiang, Qiuxiang, and Dongxiang. Yu Xiaocao almost burst outughing when she heard the names of these four maids. She couldn¡¯t help but stare at the beautiful young girl named Qiuxiang for a long time. Qiuxiang was anxious and uneasy when she saw that Xiaocao was staring at her. She racked her mind, wondering if she had made any mistakes in front of Royal Prince Yang¡¯s future wife. Was she not hospitable enough? Did she somehow annoy her by ident? How could she have known that the future Princess Consort Yang was thinking about the movie, ¡®Flirting Schr¡¯ , and the scene in the movie where Qiuxiang¡¯s head was kicked beyond recognition?


    Yu Xiaocao had a stronger connection with Meixiang, so she was specially prepared by Princess Consort Jing for her future daughter-inw. Once Xiaocao married into the family and had her own courtyard, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s n was to reward Meixiang to Xiaocao as the head maid of her courtyard. Now that her youngest son was bestowed arge estate for his military merits, it was even more crucial for them to have head maidservants and head senior servants!


    ¡°Meixiang, in the past six months, you have to observe the servants in the estate and note down which servants can be used, their temperament, and their capabilities. Xiaocao is busy with the court matters and she also has to take care of her own business. I¡¯m considering sending her a few capable managers that can take care of and arrange all the minor matters. This way, she won¡¯t have to worry about the matters regarding the estate as much as she needed to, and she won¡¯t exhaust herself.¡± Princess Consort Jing browsed through the book that listed all the staff that worked in the estate and would ask her a few questions from time to time.


    Meixiang stopped talking and chuckled softly, ¡°Miss Yu is really fortunate to have a mother-inw like you, who would worry about her wellbeing! But this servant heard that not all wives want their mother-inw to push servants into their courtyard...¡±


    Princess Consort Jing stopped browsing through the staff book. She lowered her head and pondered over what Meixiang said for a moment, before she slowly said, ¡°Xiaocao is not someone who can¡¯t tell what¡¯s good from what¡¯s bad! Besides, I¡¯m only sending her servants because I¡¯m afraid that she doesn¡¯t have many servants working under her since she¡¯s still young. When she moves into the new estate, she will have to take care of arge courtyard and it will be a lot of work. Xiaocao wouldn¡¯t overthink my intentions of sending her servants as something intrusive, right? Even so, I think your worries are not too excessive. The next time Xiaocaoes to visit me, I¡¯ll ask her what she thinks about my n...¡±


    ¡°Princess Consort, if you directly ask her for her opinion, I¡¯m afraid that Miss Yu would be too embarrassed to reject your offer even if she doesn¡¯t want it. Why...don¡¯t you let the third young master ask her for her opinion?¡± Meixiang was afraid that she would be sent to serve Xiaocao but would be pushed to the side and not granted an important position. If that happened, then she would be caught in an awkward position.


    Princess Consort Jing nodded and said, ¡°You are right, I¡¯m d to have someone who is thoughtful and cautious like you. It seems like I didn¡¯t choose the wrong person. I¡¯ll feel so much more relieved with you by Xiaocao¡¯s side!¡±


    [1] Flirting Schr - Aedy/martial arts movie that parodies famous works of literature which feature the same characters and settings. It¡¯s about a famous schr who has 8 wives who are gambling addicts. His wives don¡¯t care for his artistic talents. He wants to find a woman who can truly appreciate him for his talent and thinks that Qiuxiang, a maidservant, is his true love.

 Chapter 653 - To Become More Attractive for the Woman He Loves

    <h4>Chapter 653 - To Be More Attractive for the Woman He Loves</h4>


    However, Meixiang was feeling a little apprehensive. Could she receive the approval from her future master even though she was originally Princess Consort Jing¡¯s servant? Besides, it wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t any capable servants serving Miss Yu. Wutong had be more and more steady and capable recently and, in addition to that, she was solely devoted to Miss Yu. She was one of Miss Yu¡¯s most trusted aides. Wutong was in her early twenties now and she still hadn¡¯t gotten married yet.


    Based on her observation, Wutong would definitely be the head maidservant to the future princess consort... at that time, it was uncertain whether it would be her or Wutong who would end up receiving the role!


    ¡°The third young master is back! The third young master is back!¡± There was a burst of footstep sounds outside. A young girl¡¯s excited voice could be heard by Princess Consort Jing.


    Meixiang curbed the emotions from her face. She raised the curtain, headed outside, and scolded the maidservant, ¡°Why are you making such a big ruckus? Don¡¯t you know the rules? If you identally frightened Princess Consort Jing, then you will be skinned alive!¡±


    ¡°Forget it! Today is Yang¡¯er¡¯s big day, so don¡¯t fuss over minor matters. You can teach the maidservants in the future on how to properly behave.¡± Princess Consort Jing was in a good mood today, so she waved her hand at Meixiang to stop.


    While they were talking, a tall figure d in silver armor walked in, bent his waist, and greeted the princess consort. Princess Consort Jing looked at her third son and noticed that his skin was darker, and he became thinner. Even so, he appeared much sturdier and more reliable.


    Recalling how her most beloved son must¡¯ve suffered a lot of hardships at the border after being stationed there for more than a year, the rims of her eyes started to sting. She was choking with emotions as she said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back! It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back! Look at your tanned skin! You should hurry and ask your wife to produce some skin whitening products for you and nurse your skin back to how it originally looked!¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, why would a man be afraid of being a little tanned? Don¡¯t you think that your son looks very masculine now with the tan?¡± Zhu Junyang posed like how a bodybuilder would with his arm, showing off his muscles.


    Princess Consort Jing smiled slightly and pped his arm. She said, ¡°I would never dislike you for being ugly! No matter how tanned or ugly you are, you¡¯re still my son. However, my future daughter-inw has skin as fair as snow and if you stand next to her, there will be a drasticparison between yourplexions!! Aren¡¯t you afraid that she will dislike you for being tanned and ugly? Aren¡¯t you afraid that she will change her mind and break off the engagement?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing was merely amused and was deliberately teasing her son. However, Zhu Junyang took his mother¡¯s word to heart. He naturally knew his littless¡¯s character; she was very superficial. She could never resist a handsome man.


    He remembered when his littless was still young, she was extremely shocked by his handsome appearance. Before the engagement, she would drool over his handsome face from time to time! He reckoned that the littless only agreed to marry himrgely due to his handsome appearance and because he was destined to have a prosperous future.


    Zhu Junyang subconsciously touched his cheek. Hmm... it seemed like his skin had be rougher. He looked at his skin that wasn¡¯t covered by the armor; he noticed that his skin tone was also several shades darker. Although he rarely looked in a mirror for more than a year, he didn¡¯t even need to use one to check to know that his face had definitely be less attractive!


    The littless told him that she was going to make ¡°Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡± for him tomorrow. Not only did she invite him, but she also invited the father and son duo from the Zhao Family as well as Su Ran! It was fine if she only invited the father and son from the Zhao Family. They were stationed in the northwest all year round, so their skin was in no better condition than his. However, he didn¡¯t know how, but Su Ran¡¯splexion and skin tone remained the same; he didn¡¯t be tanned at all. He still had that annoyingly handsome face.


    The littless kept telling him that Su Ran looked like ¡®an immortal that had been banished from heaven¡¯, and that he had a refined and clean temperament. She even said that although Su Ran appeared to be cruel and heartless on the surface, he was actually a warm and kindhearted guy deep inside. Humph, the littless was cheated by that guy¡¯s outer appearance. That guy killed people like cutting grass. His methods of dealing with people were cruel and merciless. He just never showed his true colors in front of Xiaocao!


    No! Compared to that guy, his skin was tanned and rough, and he was definitely going to lose to him in terms of appearance! Although he believed that his current appearance made him look more manly, his current looks didn¡¯t match his littless¡¯s taste. Her taste was different from ordinary people¡¯s. Well, he believed that hisdy mother was correct. He needed to ask his littless to make some skin whitening cream and moisturizing cream for him to use. Otherwise, he would really be in danger of being abandoned!


    Seeing how her stupid son actually took her words seriously, Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t help but smile and said, ¡°You should ask her to give you some whitening, anti-wrinkling, and moisturizing cream!¡±


    Zhu Junyang was startled and immediately touched the corners of his eyes. He asked in an impatient manner, ¡°Lady Mother, does my face have wrinkles? It must be because I¡¯ve been pondering over how to end the war earlier, so I lost a lot of sleep during the past year! I¡¯m doomed. The littless looks tender and lovely, like a budding flower. If I stand next to her, won¡¯t I look like her father?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing had never seen her son care about his appearance so much. Before he met Xiaocao, he would be unhappy if someoneplimented him for being handsome. Now, he was actually concerned about whether his skin was fair or not and whether or not he had wrinkles.


    She was amused by this, but she didn¡¯t forget tofort her son, ¡°No, you don¡¯t look like her father. At most... you look like her uncle. Pfft¡ª¡ªlet meugh a little bit! To tell you the truth, you are older than her by seven to eight years. In many families, uncles and nieces are around the same age, so there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about!¡±


    How could he stop worrying? His littless would definitely dislike his old and ugly appearance. Hmm... he needed the skin care products soon, so he should hasten his littless to make it for him. He should take the break he was given to nurse his skin back to its original condition.


    ¡°Oh right, can you ask Xiaocao to also make some skin care products for your father? It¡¯s time for him to start taking care of his aging face! You have to believe me when I tell you that the gap between those who take care of their skin and those who don¡¯t, will only be more drastic with time. Look at me, I don¡¯t look like a person who is about to reach fifty, right?¡± Princess Consort Jing happily showed off her delicate and dewy skin to her son. The other married women asked her what skin care products she used, but these skin care products were something specially made for her by her future daughter-inw to show her filial piety. It wasn¡¯t something that can be bought publicly!


    Zhu Junyang recalled the age gap between his father and mother, and he noticed that hisdy mother seemed to grow younger each year. It was a bit of an exaggeration to say that she was growing younger each year, but she indeed looked much younger than before. It seemed like the thousand-year-old ginseng that his littless found in the northeast was quite useful!


    His lord father anddy mother were only two years apart in age. However, based on appearance, it seemed like his lord father was over ten years older than hisdy mother. He was seven to eight years older than the littless. If he didn¡¯t pay attention to the future maintenance of his skin, then he will have an ashy and wrinkly face. If he went out with his littless, other people might have mistaken him to be her grandfather. No! Although it was a little effeminate for a man to use skin care products, he was only going to be using it at home. Who would know besides him?


    ¡°Your son will be heading to the Yu Estate now. I think the littless might have some finished skin care products that I can use!¡± Zhu Junyang could no longer sit still and immediately got up to leave.


    Princess Consort Jing didn¡¯t forget to remind him, ¡°Remember to ask for some skin care products for your father... also, aren¡¯t you tired? Why are you still wearing the heavy armor? Why don¡¯t you change first before leaving? It¡¯s not going to take much time...¡±


    Before she even managed to finish speaking, Zhu Junyang¡¯s figure disappeared in the courtyard. Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°That stinky little boy! Whenever it¡¯s something concerning Xiaocao, he would panic and try to calcte his gains and losses. He is simply a mirror image of his father when his father was younger!¡± After she finished speaking, the corners of her mouth were curved upward into a joyous smile. Her gaze became unfocused like she had returned to the time when she was still a young girl...


    Zhu Junyang listened to Princess Consort Jing¡¯s words and returned to his courtyard. He took off his heavy armor and changed into a fresh ck embroidered robe. Hebed his hair until there wasn¡¯t a strand that was out of ce. He pondered for a few seconds before he went to wash his face and asked the servants to shave his beard. He peeked at his reflection in the mirror and saw a man with charming features but a tanned skin tone. He was still very handsome! However, his current appearance didn¡¯t necessarily conform to the littless¡¯s taste!


    When Zhu Junyang arrived at the Yu Estate, Xiaocao had just taken off her court robes. At this moment, she was reclining happily on a rocking chair that was located under the grapevines in the courtyard while tasting the sweet grapes!


    The orchard nted on the mountain located at the back of the Imperial ntation had expanded to more than three hundred mu ofnd in the past two years. With all of the various kinds of fruit trees added up, there were about five to six thousand fruit trees. This year, there was a bumper harvest on most of the fruit trees.


    The rumors of the fruits from the Yu Family¡¯s orchard had spread far and wide. She didn¡¯t need to worry about not being able to sell all the fruits! Almost the entire northern capital woulde to the Yu Family¡¯s orchard to purchase fresh fruits from them, even if they lived thousands of miles away. However, some of the people lived far away from the capital, so it was inevitable for some of the fruits to turn bad from the long trip.


    As a result, Yu Xiaocao established a transportation team that specialized in transporting fruits door to door. However, the price of the fruits would increase around ten to twenty percent based on the distance. But this meant that none of the fruits would turn bad. This way, people didn¡¯t have to spend as much time and effort to buy fruits. It was much more cost-effective than personally going there to buy it themselves. Over time, except for those that lived in the nearby prefectural city, most people would rather pay a higher price to have the Yu¡¯s deliver the goods to them.


    The Yu transportation team now had more than eighty carriages and more than two hundred employees. These employees were recruited by Zhu Junyang¡¯s former attendant, Dong Dali, who was now Commander Dong. He received a lot of injuries from the battlefields. Although he was wounded and sick, it never affected or dyed his work. His valiant temperament as a soldier was still there and he was not afraid of fighting against the enemies even if he was outnumbered three to one.


    Many of the people that were part of the transportation team were formerly soldiers that worked under Royal Prince Yang, so they naturally respected his future wife. In addition to that, the people working in the transportation team received great benefits. The medicines that they needed were pricey and rare, but Xiaocao gave them bottles after bottles of the medicines they needed.


    Before they joined the transportation team, their leader¡¯s future wife even invited doctors from Tongren Medicine Hall over to treat their illnesses and injuries. Their old diseases and injuries that had hindered them for a while now were treated and they quickly recovered.


    For example, the captain of the transportation team had his arm broken on the battlefield before. The treatment he received before wasn¡¯t done correctly, so his left arm was not properly reconnected together. As a result, he couldn¡¯t fully extend his left arm, nor could he apply too much force on it. When he returned to his hometown, he couldn¡¯t farm, and no one wanted to hire him for a job because of his arm. He was twenty-seven to twenty-eight years old and yet he still didn¡¯t have a wife.


    When Commander Dong found him, he was poor, dejected, and barely hanging onto his life. After he was diagnosed, Miss Yu sought his permission before she helped him reconnect the bones that weren¡¯t properly connected before. Although the medical procedure was quite painful, his bones grew quickly, and he made a full recovery after using a high-quality bone replenishment ointment. After two months of rest, he was no different from an ordinary person. Now, he had no problem carrying a basket containing one hundred catties of fruit with one hand!

 Chapter 654 - Wishing to Appear Beautiful

    <h4>Chapter 654 - Wishing to Appear Beautiful</h4>


    An example like the captain of the transport team could be found everywhere on the transport team. Because most of the transport team were ex-soldiers, the robbers suffered several losses. They remembered the words ¡¯The Yu¡¯s¡¯ deeply and didn¡¯t dare to provoke the transport teams anymore.


    The Yu Family had a method of preservation so there was very little loss during transportation. When they left, they transported fruits and vegetables from the orchards in the capital. Coming back to the capital, they transported local specialties and some good, cheap products to sell in their own shops. Back and forth, taking into ount the various expenses of the transport teams¡¯ personnel, they made a couple thousand taels of silver every month.


    Although the profit of the transport teamspared to Xiaocao¡¯s other businesses could only be considered a drop in a bucket, Yu Xiaocao was satisfied that she could help the wounded and retired soldiers who had difficulties and also make an ie.


    The leader of the transportation teams was also a talented person with a unique vision. Every time the goods were transported back, they were in great demand and there was never any worry of not being able to sell them. The transport teams carried all kinds of fruits in the fall and greenhouse vegetables in the winter. Out of season vegetables were more profitable than fruits.


    After spring, the Yu Family¡¯s vegetable sales were good. Then there were cherries, strawberries, peaches, watermelons, and so on. In short, the transport teams never had an idle time.


    Now, it was the season for grapes, pomegranates, apples, oranges, and crisp pears.. The taste of the Yu Family¡¯s fruits was iparable. Of course, the price of their fruits was also two or three times higher than ordinary fruit, so they were especially sold to the rich!


    Xiaocaofortably picked up a purple sparkling grape from the fruit te Wutong had brought over and put it in her mouth, enjoying the sweet taste and feeling it slowly spread in her mouth. The evening breeze was slow and the setting sun was picturesque. What a pleasure!


    When Zhu Junyang came in, he saw this scene of a zy leisurelyss lounging under a cherry-apple tree.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t move his gaze, thess was even more dazzling than the cherry-apple tree!


    "Miss, Imperial Prince Xu has arrived..." Wutong saw who wasing and quickly whispered in her master¡¯s ear to remind her.


    ¡°Imperial Prince Xu? Who¡¯s that?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t register what she said and casually asked.


    "Is the ¡¯Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯ really a noble person who¡¯s forgetful? It hasn¡¯t been an hour since I left you and you¡¯ve already forgotten me?" Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice jokingly rang out in her ear.


    Yu Xiaocaozily opened her eyes and continued leisurely rocking in the rocking chair, not getting up. Her chin pointed towards the bench next to her and casually said, "You¡¯re here! Sit and try some of the ¡¯rose fragranced¡¯ grapes that I nted. They are sweet and fragrant, and the vors are pretty good!"


    Zhu Junyang took one and put it by her mouth. After seeing that she ate it, he took another one and put it in his mouth and said, "Mhm, it¡¯s really good. It¡¯s sweeter than ordinary grapes;ss, you really know how to enjoy life!"


    "Life is just a few decades of suffering from fatigue, so one should enjoy it as much as one can when one has the chance!" Yu Xiaocao worked hard for her younger brother and sister in her previous life. In this life, the first few years were also very hard and tiring. Days like these where there were things came to her easily with the snap of her fingers, she naturally would cherish and enjoy it.


    "After you marry me, you can live a leisurely life and do whatever you want without any difficulties. Of course, others wouldn¡¯t even think about forcing my wife to do anything!" Zhu Junyang helped her push aside a stray, naughty piece of hair by her cheek and put it behind her ear.


    Yu Xiaocao lightlyughed and said, "What¡¯s more, I¡¯m a fourth-ranked official,¡¯Clerk of the Capital for Grain¡¯. Was the emperor giving me the title for fun? We still have to go along with it from time to time to keep people¡¯s mouths shut! Since you came over right now, is there something important?"


    "Nothing! Just asking if you need me toe over early tomorrow to help?" How could Zhu Junyang say that he purposely came over for skincare products?


    Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips and asked, "Can you help me tend the fire or wash the dishes for me? Forgeting over to help me, I bet you¡¯reing over to make trouble, right? "


    "Are you looking down on me? Tending the fire, washing the vegetables, these are simple things, how could it be hard for me?" Zhu Junyang said, looking proud and confident.


    "Gentlemen keep far away from the kitchen. How could I dare to ask Your Highness, Imperial Prince Xu, the Great General Zhenxi, to do odd jobs in the kitchen?" Yu Xiaocao opened her mouth and let the man put the peeled grape in her mouth, and enjoyed it happily. Her man looked rough but he was actually very attentive and indulged her. It looked like she had taught him well over these past few years!


    The two of them chatted for a bit longer before Zhu Junyang finally said what he came for. Yu Xiaocao held back her smile and looked at his face carefully for a moment. Then she nodded slightly and said, "Your skin is pretty good. Although it is a little tanner, it¡¯s not a natural-born tan. It will change back soon! However.... didn¡¯t you always think that men were more masculine if they were tanner? Why do you suddenly want to maintain your skin? "


    "Aren¡¯t I doing it for you? Tell me, do you like tanner ones or fairer ones?" In her bright eyes, Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression was slightly unsettled.


    "As long as it¡¯s you, fair or tan, I will always like it!" Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t seen her handsome men for more than a year. Now the longer she looked the more valuable he became.


    These words made Zhu Junyang feel sweet. He took thess¡¯s hand and wanted to be a single body with her. Unfortunately, there was arge oilmp (third wheel) hanging around him, so he could only anticipate for nothing.


    However, ording to Zhu Junyang¡¯s understanding of thess, she still liked that kind of gentle, elegant, warm, white, and pure type of man. He had a height of nearly 1.9 meters and a strong physique. Elegance, gentleness and he would never be on the same side. Only his face could attract thess¡¯s sight. Not to make trouble, but he was afraid that shortly, thess wouldn¡¯t want to see him! s, the Imperial Prince Xu, the ever-victorious general on the battlefield, was reduced to the point of pleasing people with his face.


    In the end, Zhu Junyang got the whitening skincare product from Xiaocao. A few days ago, Xiaocao was very bored and made a lot of high-grade skincare products. Whitening, anti-wrinkle, moisturizing, firming...there were a lot of bottles and jars. Zhu Junyang chose two sets of anti-wrinkle and firming products, saying that hisdy mother had asked him to take them back.


    Yu Xiaocao was a little puzzled. She seemed to have just given her future mother-inw a set of anti-wrinkle and firming skincare products. It had only been half a month. It was impossible to use it up already. Unless...Princess Consort Jing wanted these two sets to gift people?


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes dodged Xiaocao¡¯s surprised eyes. He wrapped the three sets of skincare products in a bag and put them into Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s hand, and told him to handle them with care.


    Hou Xiangliang¡¯s mind was currently all on Wutong. He thought about it, the two of them weren¡¯t young anymore. Should they arrange something for their marriage? But then he reconsidered, Wutong had said she had to wait till her young miss was married before she could consider the matter of marriage. Also after marrying, she wanted to continue staying by her young miss¡¯s side. If he couldn¡¯t fulfill these two conditions, then he would have to choose someone else.


    Hou Xiaoliang didn¡¯t know what he loved about Wutong. Was she gentle? When thisss was protecting her young miss, she was as fierce as a cat with ws and open teeth. She could withstand pressure in front of her young miss. Call her virtuous? What kind of master will determine the type of servant. She was like her young miss; someone who didn¡¯t stay within their bounds, and she also ran about outside all day. Her ability to handle affairs was not any less than that of a man.


    However, her loyalty and willingness to work hard were really impressive. Perhaps, it was because of this that he had a deep affection for her. s, as mentioned before, the kind of master will have what type of servant. His master wasn¡¯t married yet, but he was already like a ve to his wife. He would have to yield to her about when they might get married. He didn¡¯t lose any face by doing this!


    Besides, he had no intention of leaving his master or nned for another way out. In the future, he was going to be the most effective person around the master, and she was going to be the most important person around the mistress. They were going to help their masters manage their residence and share their worries. Wouldn¡¯t that be good?


    The next day, Yu Xiaocao entertained several ¡®meritorious officials¡¯ in her home, which could be regarded as helping them. The first to arrive, of course, was Zhu Junyang, who self proimed to be half a host at the Yu¡¯s. The Yu Family father and son pair were in Tanggu most of the time and needed to have a crash course in receiving noble guests. When entertaining the guests, they naturally wanted him, ¡®the future half son of the Yu Family¡¯, to help!


    ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ had been simmering on the stove for a long time. Other dishes, ingredients, and so on had already been prepared and waiting Once the guests arrived, they could be cooked immediately.


    Although Su Ran had not yet recovered from his injuries, he only arrived a littleter than Zhu Junyang, and he had alsoe to Yu¡¯s Estate early in the morning. Looking at Su Ran¡¯s pale face and lips, which had no trace of blood, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s tears almost came down. Even if she was half skilled in medicine, she could see that Sir Su¡¯s vitality was greatly damaged. If he was not well taken care of, then he may be bedridden for the rest of his life.


    "I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be able to recover after a few days with some care." As soon as Su Ran arrived back to the pce, the emperor had called over an imperial physician to diagnose and treat him. This time, a vital point had been gravely injured. If it weren¡¯t for Royal Prince Yang¡¯s... Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s medicine, his bones would be rotten into the mud at this time.


    He knew very clearly that the medicine Imperial Prince Xu carried with him was specially made for him by thess, Xiaocao. He reckoned that a lot of precious medicinal materials such as the thousand-year-old ginseng and the hundred-year-old purple lingzhi collected in the northern region were used in them. Otherwise, how could he be pulled back from the hand of the underworld? This time, he owed thess his life! He didn¡¯t know if this broken body of his would ever have a chance to repay her.


    Yu Xiaocao knew that his physical condition was not as trivial as he said. However, she still nodded and said, "I¡¯ll prescribe some medicinal food for healing and nourishing your body. Eating that along with some Thriving Vitality pills for half a year will ensure that you¡¯ll recover to full andplete health just like before."


    Su Ran knew that thess was really worried about his health. Going with what she said, even if he recovered up to seventy to eighty percentpared to before, he would be satisfied. No matter whether the medicated diet and pills were good for his body or not, he needed to be the most cooperative patient: "Then my health will be all up to you, Godly Doctor Yu!"

 Chapter 655 - The Tactics of Men

    <h4>Chapter 655 - The Tactics of Men</h4>


    "I don¡¯t dare im to be a godly doctor, but the medicinal cuisine and medicine made by the Yu¡¯s are definitely excellent! You will not regret believing and trusting me!!" As long as Sir Su trusted her and cooperated with her, Yu Xiaocao was confident that she would be able to help him take good care of himself, "However... If Sir Su continues to stay in the pce, I¡¯m afraid it might not be convenient... "


    "The emperor has allowed me to leave the pce to recuperate. I set up a small courtyard near here a long time ago. It only takes around a quarter of an hour to walk to it from here... " As the eunuch in charge of the pce, the emperor¡¯s right-hand man, he naturally had the wealth to buy a residence outside.


    Yu Xiaocao said with a smile, "That¡¯s great. You can tell me the location. After that, I¡¯ll send the cooked medicinal cuisine to you every day! To improve your health, you will have to take a variety of specially prescribed medications every day. Just taking the Thriving Vitality pills alone will make your recovery more slow."


    "As long as I can recover around seventy to eighty percentpared to what I was before, I will even be willing to drink bitter Chinese goldthread soup every day." He only knew how to cherish his health once it was gone. The current Su Ran, after having a ray of hope at recovery, had emotions of anticipation and hope.


    Xiaocao giggled and joked, "I didn¡¯t expect Sir Su to still have the habit of drinking Chinese goldthread soup. When I make your medicine, should I put in some Chinese goldthread to fulfill your hobby?"


    "Bad girl! Who would like to eat something so bitter? Just go with what you prescribed, don¡¯t put anything else in. I¡¯m old and can¡¯t afford to be messed with." Su Ran red at the mischievousss and the corner of his mouth could help but turn up into a little smile.


    Yu Xiaocao made a cute face at him and said with a smile, "Don¡¯t worry! I wouldn¡¯t dare to trouble you, Sir Su! I have always respected you."


    ¡¯If no one loaned you the courage, wouldn¡¯t you still be able to make fun of me? You say you don¡¯t have the courage? Who would believe you? You¡¯re someone who dares to bargain and mess around with the emperor!¡¯ Su Ran roasted her in his mind.


    "Don¡¯t you think you should drink the medicinal soup while it¡¯s hot? If you send it over, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s likely that some medicine might be spilled. I¡¯d bettere here every day. " Su Ran was aware that his originally cold iron heart was gradually beginning to soften and warm up. It was getting closer to those of ordinary people.


    That cold and small residence, even if theyout was more gorgeous, had no sense of home. The Yu¡¯s Residence was simple with warmth, low-key mixed with excitement, was this what a home was like? He was getting more and more attached to thess that brought him warmth...


    "That¡¯s good! However, you should stay in bed and recuperate right now, can you stand going back and forth like this?" Yu Xiaocao also took his left hand to check his secondary pulse. His pulse was very chaotic and weak. Even an amature like her could diagnose that his current condition was not optimistic.


    Seeing the care in Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, Su Ran felt a heat stream attack his heart. He nodded slowly and said, "It¡¯s not like I¡¯m walking over. Lying on the bed every day as if I¡¯m waiting for death will make a person think about everything and be depressed, which isn¡¯t conducive to recovery. It¡¯s good to get out and walk about. The emperor has said, ¡¯Life lies in moving around¡¯. This quote is quite reasonable."


    ¡®Of course it made sense. He giarized the achievements of his predecessors!¡¯ Yu Xiaocao silentlyined about it. However, since he insisted, she had to order her servants to prepare a room for Sir Su¡¯s recovery in the outer courtyard of the estate. In this way, he coulde in the morning and go back in the evening, so as not to rush back and forth, which would not be beneficial to the recovery of his injury.


    Zhu Junyang was upset, very upset by all of this! This old eunuch was so cunning, acting pitiful in front of thess and winning the sympathy of Xiaocao. How big was his reputation? Letting the future Princess Consort Xu personally concoct and make medicinal cuisine for him?


    He himself wasn¡¯t willing to order the little girl about, but the eunuch, on the other hand, wasing over three times a day to get a meal. This ticked him off. He didn¡¯t even have this type treatment, yet this old stinky eunuch had taken over the attention of hisss. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn¡¯t have taken out the medicine to save this annoying guy!


    Zhu Junyang snorted coldly and said, "Lass, it seems that there is something wrong with your decision. If you think about it, you¡¯re the master of Yu¡¯s Estate, and you are still a girl. Chief Steward Su Ran, after all, is a man. Having himing in and out of Yu¡¯s Residence so often is harmful to your reputation... "


    Su Ran raised his eyebrows, nced at him provocatively, and said, "Your Highness, your worries are not unreasonable. However, in front of the emperor, I still have a bit of influence. If the emperor knew that thess, Xiaocao, can cure my body, he should agree with thess to take care of me. At that time, Royal Princess Jinan will be ordered to treat me. A doctor gives her patients care, so others will not dare to talk about it again. "


    ¡®You¡¯re so shameless, asking myss to help take care of your body, have you asked her future husband, me?¡¯ Zhu Junyang felt that he was about to blow up. He would like to drag this hateful guy out and beat him violently, regardless of life or death!


    Xiaocao naturally knew that his vinegar jar had been turned over again and hurriedly said, "This is not a trivial matter. It¡¯s not a time to have a childish temper. If Sir Su¡¯s body is not nourished in time, it may hinder his life span. Sir Su is loyal to the emperor, devoted to the court, and has helped me a lot. Since I have this ability, I can¡¯t just ignore it! "


    "Lass, your medicinal skills must have improved again. What you¡¯ve said is still too courteous. The imperial physician said that my body, even if provided with good medicines and supplements, can¡¯t survive pass five years and I also have to stay in bed. I¡¯ve thought about it, if I have to stay in bed like a piece of trash, then it would be better to die at once, nice and clean!" Su Ran deliberately said this purposefully and sessfully won Xiaocao¡¯s sympathy.


    Xiaocao looked at him tearfully and shook her head. "Sir, don¡¯t have this idea anymore. You can rest assured that since I said that I can take care of your health, I will certainly cure you! The premise is that you have to be a cooperative patient!"


    "Alright! I promise I will be the most cooperative injured patient in the world!" Su Ran patted his chest for assurance, hesitated for a moment, and he asked, "If I cooperate fully with the treatment, how many years can I live? Ten more years...is that possible?"


    Not that he was afraid of death, ever since he chose this road, he always regarded each day as thest day of life. He asked but it was only for the warmth of love in life, he was just reluctant to let thess be sad for him.


    "Sir Su, you look down on me too much!" Yu Xiaocao smiled through her tears, took out amon Thriving Vitality pill to let him take it, then continued, "Rest assured, as long as Yu Xiaocao is here, the King of Hell will have no chance to take you. ording to my method, after a year and a half of recuperation, the injury will be cured. If there are no other idents and diseases, it¡¯ll be possible to live a hundred years!"


    Thess¡¯s confident look was so lively and lovely, Su Ran could not help but show a genuine smile. Long life, a hundred years old, was of little significance to him before. At this moment, he was eager to fulfill this wish. This way, he can witness her get married, have children and her children grow up day by day, and then apany her in a distant ce to grow old together...


    "Lass, don¡¯t forget that we will be married in less than half a year. During this period, there are many things to prepare, which are veryplicated, and you won¡¯t be able to handle it. Look...how about Ie and give you a hand?" A normal man would not be willing to have the opposite-sex appear next to his future wife, and at such close contact at that. No, he had to watch from the side.


    "Howe I remember that married men and women cannot meet before marriage?" Su Ran covered his chest and coughed gently two times. Well, just after the Thriving Vitality pill was eaten, he felt morefortable. At least when he coughed, it no longer felt like ten thousand arrows were piercing his heart.


    Zhu Junyang stared at him fiercely with anger and pulled a long face, "The custom of marriage is that two days before marriage, the couple should not meet. Is there not half a year left? Why can¡¯t we meet? Moreover, many things are inconvenient for Xiaocao to do. Caring for a male patient, but men and women should have boundaries. However, this prince can do it on her behalf."


    "Come on! Didn¡¯t you say after the marriage, we can move into the residence that the emperor bestowed upon you and the two of us can close the doors and live our daily lives? How many years has it been since that residence had someone live there? Shouldn¡¯t there be some repairs or maintenance done? The main courtyard we will live in, shouldn¡¯t it be arranged ording to our preferences so we can livefortably? As you said, with half a year to go, it¡¯s only enough time to rush the renovations on residence. When do you have the time to care for Sir Su?" In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mind, there was a feeling of helplessness; there was nothing she could do about this narrow-minded and petty man.


    Listening to the series of ¡¯our daily lives¡¯ and ¡®the courtyard where we live¡¯ and ¡¯ours¡¯, Zhu Junyang was almost so happy that he almost became dizzy with glee. What thess said was very correct, no matter how bad the damn old eunuch was, Xiaocao belonged to him after all. Hmph! When they got married, Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate would definitely keep that fellow out!! Unfortunately, after marriage, he was not the head of the family!


    "That¡¯s all right, I keep so many people under me. They weren¡¯t there to just eat food. As long as I visit once a day, what do I have to do personally?" Zhu Junyang had not yet returned from the imagination of their future couple¡¯s world, and he had a silly smile on his lips.


    "I don¡¯t need you here either! My father sent a letter saying that he and my mother, as well as my brother and sister-inw, will arrive in the capital after the New Years. They will help at that time. If there¡¯s anything that they don¡¯t understand, isn¡¯t there still my godmother and godfather?" Yu Xiaocao felt that if Zhu Junyang came, besides adding confusion, he really wouldn¡¯t y a big role.


    "Your godfather? Is he not going to the border garrison?" Zhu Junyang disappointedly muttered.


    "Godfather has asked the emperor for a favor. When he finishes attending our wedding, he will go to the frontline. Godfather has said that I¡¯m his precious goddaughter and he couldn¡¯t miss my marriage. He was afraid that the emperor wouldn¡¯t agree and even squeezed out a few crocodile tears in front of him!"

 Chapter 656 - Reminisce

    <h4>Chapter 656 - Reminisce</h4>


    Every time this memory was brought up, Xiaocao always felt it was very funny and touching at the same time. Her godfather was truly a manly man, yet he had run to the emperor, crying and weeping in order to have the chance to see her get married in front of his eyes.


    In all of these years, her godfather had truly treated her like his true biological daughter. Whenever he had something good to eat, fun to y, material for clothing, or bright jewels and gold, he always thought of her and left her a portion. He didn¡¯t even change after Linlin was born. Sometimes, he would treat her better than his own son. Her godmother had also never treated her like an outsider. She had taught her how to manage rtionships, oversee the household, and customs and etiquettes of the nobility.


    And then there was the little fellow, Fang Haolin. He had always regarded her as his true older, biological sister and would even fight for favor with Little Shitou. However, Little Shitou was now older and disdained trying topete with a tiny brat. Fang Haolin had always been very close to this older sister. Whenever she was around, he would even throw his mother to the side. With an extra set of parents to love and pamper her, Xiaocao truly felt like she had fallen into a pot of gold.


    If she had the choice right now to go back to her previous life in the twenty-first century or stay here, she would easily make the choice to stay. That was because this era had people who loved her and people who she loved!


    ¡°Young Miss, Old General Zhao, General Zhao and his wife are here!¡± One of the second ranked maidservants came over with hurried footsteps as she greeted the guests clearly.


    ¡°Grandfather Zhao and Uncle Zhao are here? And Auntie Zhao as well? I need to personally see them!¡± Yu Xiaocao had Su Ran rest in the rocking chair that she often lounged in as she bustled over to the inner gate. Zhu Junyang noticed that the littless regarded the Zhao Family highly, so he also came along. There wasn¡¯t a man in the residence now, so he needed to help her receive the male guests.


    However, when he saw the group of people from afar, he knew he had thought too much. The littless¡¯s godfather was currently respectfully next to Old General Zhao, listening to his teachings and wisdom!


    ¡°Grandfather Zhao, Uncle Zhao, it¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw you. I¡¯ve missed you both terribly!¡± In front of her elders, Xiaocao had always had a sweet and endearing manner, making her a likable girl. Although it had been almost ten years since theyst saw each other, when she saw these familiar faces, it was as if she had been transported back to when she lived in Dongshan Vige. In those years, during her family¡¯s hardest times, Grandfather Zhao and his family had weed them with open arms and helped them quite a bit. The fact that they had sent aid during their time of greatest need truly showed the depths of their kindness.


    ¡°Lass Xiaocao, in the blink of an eye, you¡¯ve grown up into a young maiden. At that time, when Grandfather Zhao left Dongshan Vige, you were such a wee thing and so skinny that you looked like you could fall over at any second. You didn¡¯t dare to eat any of the prey that you managed to trap with great effort and hid it at our residence before sneakily going into town to sell them. At such a young age, you learned how to manage money. No wonder you¡¯re such a sessful businesswoman now!¡± Old General Zhao gestured with his hand at his waist as his eyes sparkled with mirth.


    ¡°Grandfather Zhao~~¡± Yu Xiaocao stepped forward and pulled at his rough and calloused hand as she swayed back and forth. She looked quite bashful as she said, ¡°At that time, my family hadn¡¯t split from the main family, right? If I brought the game back home, not a single bite would go into my mouth and not a single coin would fall into my purse either. Thus, selling it off and keeping the money in my purse was the only right thing to do!¡±


    General Zhao also grinned, ¡°I also remember that when you, littless, became gluttonous, you would have your Auntie Zhao help you cook the wild pheasant you had trapped. You¡¯d sneakily eat the cooked meat like a tiny mouse. However, you never forgot to leave some for your parents and your siblings. What did I say then? Yu Hai and his wife would rely on their daughter to have a good life. Didn¡¯t those words be true now?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zhao, I¡¯m not a tiny mouse ah! Have you ever seen such a beautiful and adorable mouse like me?¡± Yu Xiaocao proudly turned around in a circle, showing off her newly made bright yellow clothing. She looked quite elegant and stately.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re beautiful, but at that time ah¡ª¡ªa mouse had more meat on its body than you!¡± General Zhao guffawed loudly.


    Fang Zizhen revealed a sad expression on his face after hearing this, ¡°Argh! This child had a hard life. It was I who had showed up toote, allowing this child to suffer so much! That old crone surnamed Zhang treated my Cao¡¯er so poorly then. I shouldn¡¯t have let her off so easily!¡±


    Auntie Zhao had a gentle and sweet smile on her face, ¡°What¡¯s the point in bringing up those old bad memories now? Without the icy cold of winter, could we possibly enjoy the beautiful scent of plum blossoms? Hasn¡¯t Xiaocao emerged from the bitter parts of life and is now enjoying the sweet? Not only are all of her businesses extremely sessful, but she also has many noble maidens in the capital vying for her favor. She¡¯s also the only female official in the entire Great Ming Empire. Now she¡¯s even a fourth-ranked official and it¡¯s possible one day that she¡¯ll surpass you all!¡±


    The smile on Uncle Zhao¡¯s face became even more brilliant, ¡°Then I must work even harder in order to avoid being surpassed by the younger generation. Wouldn¡¯t that be so embarrassing ah?¡±


    ¡°The student has surpassed the master. You should enjoy the glory and achievements of the younger generation instead!¡± Yu Xiaocao cracked open a smile, revealing a row of perfectly white teeth, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, I heard that Older Brother Han has now been promoted to the leader of a battalion now, right? He has relied on his own abilities to slowly climb up! He¡¯s definitely much more talented than I am!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s only a tiny little sixth-ranked military official. He¡¯s just killed a few pirates here and there. How could he be as talented as you? Your actions have benefited all of themoners of the empire ah!¡± General Zhao gave a big thumbs up in approval.


    ¡°Uncle Zhao, let¡¯s stopplimenting each other now! The reception pavilion already has tea set out and the leaves being used today have been personally processed by me. The taste should be eptable!¡± Yu Xiaocao pulled on Auntie Zhao¡¯s hand and weed all of the guests to head towards the pavilion to rest.


    After they passed the wisteria flower gate, the group of people suddenly saw Su Ran, who was clothed entirely in white and had a deathly pale face. Despite his obvious poor health, he couldn¡¯t hide his inner elegance. The Zhao Family had known that he had been injured heavily and hasn¡¯t recovered yet, but they would have never expected that they would see Chief Steward Su at a wee home party at Xiaocao¡¯s ce. Clearly, Xiaocao had quite the status in the capital!


    ¡°Old General Zhao, General Zhao, I¡¯m currently indisposed and it¡¯s difficult for me to get up to greet you.¡± Su Ran apologized gently to them and didn¡¯t have a hint of his famous icy and aloof demeanor around him.


    ¡°No need to be so polite, Chief Steward Su. Your health is most important!¡± Old General Zhao had also heard what had happened to Su Ran. He was afraid that it¡¯d be difficult for the man to make a full recovery, so he addressed the eunuch with equal parts politeness and slight pity.


    The group of people entered the reception pavilion and sat down. The fragrant tea was quickly served up and, naturally, the food present included pastries personally made by Xiaocao. As they reminisced and chatted, they ended up inadvertently touching upon the topic of Su Ran¡¯s injuries. At that time, Xiaocao vehemently vowed that she would help him reach aplete cure.


    Auntie Zhao remarked somewhat worriedly, ¡°Xiaocao, I have never regarded you as an outsider. You¡¯re still young and are still inexperienced. You can¡¯t be too certain when you speak sometimes. Otherwise, if you can¡¯t fulfill what you promised, other people will end up hating you for it. Not even the imperial physicians are certain that they could fully heal Chief Steward Su¡¯s injuries. Even though you have some good remedies on hand, you can¡¯t make aplete guarantee...¡±


    ¡°Auntie Zhao, thank you for reminding me. I know you¡¯re doing this out of the kindness of your own heart towards me. However, don¡¯t worry, I am a hundred percent certain that I can heal Sir Su until he ispletely healthy as if nothing had ever happened.¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up a te of fruit mousse cake and ced it into Auntie Zhao¡¯s hands. Her eyes glittered with a warm light.


    ¡°Alright, as long as you¡¯re confident, that¡¯s what matters!¡± Lady Zhao knew that Xiaocao wasn¡¯t someone who would make a promise she couldn¡¯t fulfill, so she smiled in relief and took a bite of the cake. She eximed in awe, ¡°Xiaocao, you are truly incredibly talented. The cakes you¡¯ve made are not only so enchanting that people almost can¡¯t bear to eat them but they also taste incredibly good!¡±


    ¡°Auntie, I made too many earlier. You should take some back when you head outter.¡± Yu Xiaocao intimately nestled next to Auntie Zhao in a way that was exactly like how she used to act around the older woman back when they were still at the old Zhao Residence halfway up the West Mountain in Dongshan Vige.


    Although Old General Zhao was a military official, he was quite fond of tea. Currently, he was spellbound by the fragrant and mellow taste of tea that had been served to him. After taking two sips, he looked towards Xiaocao and said, ¡°Lass, even when you were in Dongshan Vige you knew how to process tea. After all these years, I can¡¯t seem to get the taste of your tea leaves out of my mind. None of the teas that are sold on the market, no matter how expensive they are, canpete with the taste of the tea that you¡¯ve made!¡±


    It was obvious why the other tea leaves couldn¡¯tpete with the tea that she personally pan-fried and processed. This was because the other tea artisans didn¡¯t have the giant cheat item, the little divine stone, on their hands ah! It wasn¡¯t that she was bragging, but even the most precious Da Hong Pao in the imperial pce couldn¡¯tpete with the taste brewed from her own tea leaves.


    ¡°Grandfather Zhao, I made around ten catties or so of spring tea. If you don¡¯t disdain my wild tea for being crude, you can take back two catties with you to drink. Next spring, I¡¯ll make sure to process more and have someone send it to you at the border garrison. In the future ah, I will supply all of the tea that you drink!¡± Yu Xiaocao was always generous to the people she saw as her own. It was only tea leaves. The back mountain behind the imperial ntation had a dozen or so old tea shrubs which should produce more than enough tea leaves for her purposes.


    Old General Zhao nodded his head in satisfaction and continued to quietly enjoy the taste of the young tea. General Zhao asked about Yu Hai, who had been good buddies with him back then, ¡°Lass Xiaocao, has your father been welltely? Does he have any hint of his old injuries now? At the time, if it weren¡¯t for your father¡¯s bravery, then there wouldn¡¯t be me, the ¡®Longhu General¡¯ ah!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zhao, my father is even more healthy and strong than he was before. He can even jog around easily with a hundred-catty sack of wheat seeds on his shoulders! The farmstead in Tanggu and the business there are all being managed by him and my older brother. My father also talks about you constantly and often mentions that if it weren¡¯t for you teaching him how to hunt so well, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to bring home game from time to time. Without that food, it¡¯s possible that I, an unfavoredss, would have already died from disease or starvation now ah! If the dangerous situation had been reversed at the time, I¡¯m sure you, Uncle Zhao, would have chosen to save my father just like he chose to save you. Otherwise, why else would you two be considered close friends?¡± Xiaocao felt her heart tremble a bit after remembering the dire situation that her family was in at that time. It was also the event that turned their fortunes. They had used that opportunity to split from the main family. Otherwise, they would still have that old witch leeching blood off of them even now!


    ¡°Oh right, my father should be entering the capital the day after tomorrow. If he knew you hade back from the borders, he would definitely be extremely happy.¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly remembered that she didn¡¯t mention the news about Grandfather Zhao and Uncle Zhaoing back to the capital in her letters to her family, so she felt a bit annoyed at herself.


    General Zhao Bufan chuckled loudly and said, ¡°At that time, I¡¯ll need to drink a few more cups of wine with your father. I heard that the strong alcohol made by the Yu¡¯s Family Business has a unique taste and very limited sales. Even those with money may not be able to buy any. Your Uncle Zhao has been thinking about it even when I was out in the northwest!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah, Uncle Zhao, there is definitely enough good alcohol today to be had! Although other people may not be able to buy any, how could people from our own family not be able to have any?¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that her Uncle Zhao only had one particr hobby and that was that he enjoyed drinking some alcohol here and there. In any case, Uncle Zhao was probably going to spend a good amount of time in the capital in the future. Thus, with the good rtionship between their families, he would definitely notck for good alcohol to drink.


    [1] Da Hong Pao - very expensive type of oolong tea

 Chapter 657 - Anger

    <h4>Chapter 657 - Anger</h4>


    ¡°Hahaha, I was waiting for those words of yours!¡± Zhao Bufanughed even more uproariously.


    Auntie Zhao gave him a look and then smiled, ¡°You clearly don¡¯t see yourself as an outsider. Do you know how much a jar of ¡®Jiannanchun¡¯ or ¡®Gujinggong¡¯ costs ah? They¡¯re a couple hundred taels a bottle. As an uncle, do you really feel okay taking advantage of Xiaocao¡¯s generosity?¡±


    ¡°Auntie Zhao, these words truly make us seem like outsiders then! As the younger generation, what¡¯s wrong with giving a few bottles of alcohol to my own uncle? Are you implying that the words you said before, when you stated that we were as close as a family, were just for politeness sake?¡± Yu Xiaocao cutely swayed back and forth with Auntie Zhao¡¯s hand in her own as she eximed in an adorable manner.


    ¡°Lass Xiaocao is right. We¡¯re not outsiders!¡± Zhao Bufan grinned until his eyes scrunched up into a small line.


    Xiaocao chatted about household matters with Auntie Zhao while Old General Zhao happily enjoyed the tea in front of him. Zhao Bufan conversed idly with his martial brother Fang Zizhen.


    As they talked, the topic of the conversation had turned to Zhao Han. Xiaocao asked out of concern, ¡°Auntie Zhao, will Older Brother Han be spending the New Years at his garrison again? It¡¯s been so many years but he hasn¡¯te back once to celebrate the New Years. Does he really need to work this hard ah?¡±


    ¡°But of course! Originally, I wanted him to go into the northwest with his grandfather and father, but he was as stubborn as a donkey then and insisted on advancing through the ranks through his own efforts. Last year, I used the excuse of feeling under the weather to trick him home. He only spent two days at home before he went back! It¡¯s as if the garrison wouldn¡¯t be able to survive if he wasn¡¯t there to oversee things.¡± Auntie Zhao had a belly full ofints whenever she talked about her only son. She also felt bad. Thest time her son came back he was tanner and thinner...


    When Uncle Zhao heard this, he remarked in disapproval, ¡°Being a man means you need to advance your career and protect your home and country. The seas around our country haven¡¯t been very peacefultely. Han¡¯er is just doing his part in keeping the peace. Don¡¯t be an impediment to his duties ah!¡±


    Zhao Bufan was quite pleased with his son¡¯s abilities and hard work. He had just reached the age of twenty but had already been promoted to the leader of a battalion, which was a sixth-ranked official¡¯s position. As someone in the military, how could one obtain merits and promotions without any battles to fight? For the next dozen or so years, the northwest would likely be very calm, with only a few skirmishes here and there. Serving in the navy was also a good choice as in recent years the Wokou pirates and other ruffians wouldn¡¯t be as bold as before in their attacks.


    Auntie Zhao red at him with suppressed anger and sighed, ¡°People always say that it¡¯s important to first establish a family before pursuing a career. Lass Xiaocao is younger than him by four to five years, but she¡¯ll be getting married at the start of the new year. Yu Hang is younger than him by two years but is about to be a father. He, on the other hand, is already in his twenties but he¡¯s still alone by himself. He neveres home. Just when will someone like hime back to show me his wife ah?¡±


    Zhao Bufan picked up his cup and drank a sip of tea, ¡°Han¡¯er is only around twenty-two to twenty-three, so why are you in such a hurry ah? His Highness, Imperial Prince Xu, is only older than Han¡¯er by two years and he isn¡¯t married yet.¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who was at the side helping to take care of the guests, wanted to express his own feelings of indignation at this, ¡®Hmph! This prince is not like that foolish son of yours. He clearly knew the littless from childhood yet he had no idea of his true feelings and let me take advantage instead...ahem ahem, in any case, this prince needs to thank him for being slow in the feelings department. Otherwise, how could I possibly be able to find such a perfect wife?¡¯


    Auntie Zhao had been pushed into a frenzy by her husband, ¡°Imperial Prince Xu has long known the target of his affections and has only been patiently waiting for Xiaocao to grow up. After all,st year in the spring, he finalized his engagement with Xiaocao. If Han¡¯er had his own marriage matters all tidied up, how could I be so worried now?¡±


    Auntie Zhao nced briefly at the sweet and adorable Yu Xiaocao and a sh of mncholy passed through her heart. Clearly her own family had known Xiaocao¡¯s family first, so why didn¡¯t they strike first and set down a childhood betrothal down then? If they had done that, then Imperial Prince Xu wouldn¡¯t have been able to butt in! Where else would she be able to find such a sweet, hardworking, and perfect daughter-inw like Xiaocao?


    ¡°Auntie Zhao, don¡¯t worry. Marriage is something that is ordained by the heavens and is controlled by fate. Thus, it will happen when it happens. Older Brother Han is so outstanding and has such a great family background. If you let the word out, I¡¯m sure there are plenty of young noble maidens in the capital who woulde mouring for him ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao wittily interjected as she tried to soothe Auntie Zhao.


    ¡°If only it woulde as you say! May the heavens bless your Older Brother Han such that his marriage bes official very soon. That way I would no longer have to worry about this!¡± Auntie Zhao pped her hands together and bowed towards the sky.


    After chatting a bit longer, Xiaocao finally stood up and said, ¡°Godfather, help me entertain Grandfather Zhao and the others. I¡¯m going to the kitchen to whip up a few dishes. Grandfather Zhao, Uncle Zhao, Auntie Zhao, please sit here first. In a bit, you will all be able to try my food.¡± Zhu Junyang had also been instructed by his little wife to go and spend time with Sir Su. Zhu Junyang¡¯s response: ¡®I don¡¯t want to go!¡¯


    Auntie Zhao also stood up, ¡°How could I not know about your culinary talents,ss? When we were still in Dongshan Vige, you didn¡¯t even have a full set of spices yet you were still able to craft a table of delicious foods. At that time, you were still a tiny thing who had just reached the height of the stove. In the blink of an eye, you¡¯ve grown into a beautiful young maiden. Let¡¯s go, Auntie will go be your sous chef. In the past, when we were living in the residence on the West Mountain, didn¡¯t we work together? I still recall those memories fondly ah. Although it was harder at times, our whole family was still together, living happily as one...¡±


    ¡°Alright ah, is there any point in saying more? I think you have too much time on your hands, causing you to think too much!¡± Zhao Bufan interrupted her. In actuality, he had also known it had been hard on his wife to live alone in the capital by herself. All she could do was think about her father-inw and husband, who were at the borders, defending the empire. However, as a manly man who had the duty to protect his country and home, how could he be solely preupied with his immediate family?


    Xiaocao hurriedly changed the subject out ofpassion and said, ¡°Auntie Zhao, every year my family cleans and fixes up your family¡¯s residence in Dongshan Vige. All of the furniture and household items are also preserved as well! When Older Brother Han goes on break, he¡¯ll even stay there a couple of days. The vigers in Dongshan Vige constantly speak of you all. If you have time on your hands, you can go back there a few days to see Older Brother Han or find my mother to chat a bit.¡±


    Auntie Zhao also thought that this idea was feasible and smiled, ¡°Then that will have to wait until after you and Imperial Prince Xu are married. Didn¡¯t you say that your parents will be here in the capital the day after tomorrow ah? At that time, your mother will have more than enough to preupy her.¡±


    Xiaocao wasn¡¯t the least bit bashful when the subject of her own marriage came up. She even shamelessly said, ¡°At that time, Auntie Zhao shoulde over and help more often. Otherwise my mother won¡¯t be able to handle everything.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay! At that time, I wille over every day and help you, you shameless littless, prepare your dowry!¡± Auntie Zhao tapped Xiaocao¡¯s head a few times. Why was this littless such an odd ball sometimes?


    All of the ingredients had long been prepared and ready to go in the kitchen. The servants had washed all of the raw foods and had followed Xiaocao¡¯s instructions on what to cut into cubes vs slivers. Now, they were just waiting for the ¡®head chef¡¯ to appear. On the stove, there was a pot of ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ bubbling merrily and blowing off steam. The aroma of the pot wafted through the air, tantalizing everyone it encountered.


    ¡°This is the signature dish of Medicinal Cuisine House¡ª¡ªBuddha Jumps Over the Wall, right? It truly lives up to its name. Just the smell of the dish alone could make a person fall into ecstasy!¡± Auntie Zhao saw that all of the ingredients had been prepared in the kitchen and there were even some that she couldn¡¯t recognize. Thus, she realized that there was very little she could do to help now.


    Yu Xiaocao had shamelessly used the fruits of future people¡¯s efforts and grinned, ¡°Isn¡¯t the seafood in our Dongshan Vige famous ah? In my free time, I wondered if I coulde up with a dish that used a lot of top-notch seafood and other ingredients! ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ was the result of my slow experimentation. In terms of ingredients, it requires at least eighteen, such as sea cucumbers, abalone, shark fins, shark lips, peppercorn and other famous and expensive materials. Furthermore, this dish replenishes the body, eases and lubricates the lungs and intestines, and prevents inmmation. Not only does it taste divine but it also heals the body! Thus, although it is on the expensive side, there are plenty of people who want to try it!¡±


    ¡°You are truly being too modest now. Who doesn¡¯t know that the Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House¡¯s ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ requires a three month wait ah?¡± Although Auntie Zhao very rarely left her residence, there was very little that happened in the capital that escaped her notice.


    ¡°This only means that there are plenty of people in the capital who don¡¯tck money! The emperor is a wise ruler as themon people¡¯s lives are only improving as time goes on!¡± Yu Xiaocao gleefully chirped. During this entire time, her hands had never stopped moving.


    ¡°This looks like ground meat, right? Are we making dumplings for lunch?¡± Auntie Zhao saw that she was mixing up the already minced meat together with slivers of water chestnut and egg white, so she couldn¡¯t help but ask out of curiosity.


    Xiaocao rolled the meat mixture intorge meatballs as she exined, ¡°I¡¯m nning on making Four Treasures meatballs. This dish embodies the meaning of luck, good fortune, long life, and happiness all in one.¡±


    Before long, she had finished making the fourrge meatballs. Following that, she had the servants pour oil into arge pot and heat it up until it was smoking. Then she ced the meatballs into the hot oil, frying them until they became a golden brown. Next, she took out another pot and added an appropriate amount of hot water, soy sauce, star anise, scallions and ginger before cing the fourrge meatballs in. On low heat, she let them stew before raising the heat to finish the cooking. The finished Four Treasures meatballs had a lustrous golden shell and a fragrant aroma. It was obvious that Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills had improved again.


    Following that, she also made ¡®pan-baked pork fillet¡¯ ¡®West Lake fish in vinegar gravy¡¯, ¡®hand-held mutton¡¯, ¡®steamed pork with rice flour¡¯, ¡®braised intestines in brown sauce¡¯, which were all famous dishes...and everything had been prepared perfectly. First on the table were the cold appetizers. These included ¡®capital roast duck¡¯, ¡®unique roasted chicken¡¯, ¡®pickled pepper chicken feet¡¯, ¡®century eggs with tofu¡¯, ¡®pig ears with chili oil¡¯, and ¡®tree fungus sd¡¯. Since most of the guests present were men and most men preferred eating meat, she deliberately made sure to have more meat dishes present.


    When all of the beautiful and delicious dishes appeared on the table, everyone looked at them appreciatively. Zhao Bufan couldn¡¯t help but say a fewpliments, ¡°Lass Xiaocao¡¯s culinary talents are too good. She could even be a chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant!¡±


    Zhu Junyang unhappily retorted, ¡°Many of the chefs at Zhenxiu Restaurant have personally taken lessons from myss ah! If it weren¡¯t for myss, I¡¯m pretty sure Zhenxiu Restaurant wouldn¡¯t even be standing very steadily in Tanggu Town!¡± His meaning was clear. Comparing hisss with the head chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant was an insult to her culinary talents and skills.


    Fang Zizhen became quite displeased after hearing the prince throw around the words ¡®myss¡¯. He red hatefully at the youth and coldly huffed, ¡°My Cao¡¯er isn¡¯t a part of your family, Imperial Prince Xu. You need to be more careful with what you say in order to avoid harming my Cao¡¯er¡¯s good name and reputation!¡± Oh ho, there was a fight brewing between the father-inw and son-inw now.


    In order to be able to marry his littless smoothly, how could Zhu Junyang possibly dare to confront Fang Zizhen, his future godfather-inw, right now? He was quite sullen in his heart though¡ª¡ªin about half a year¡¯s time, the littless would be a part of his family! They were already engaged so what was wrong with him saying ¡®myss¡¯ from time to time?

 Chapter 658 - New Fashions

    <h4>Chapter 658 - New Fashions</h4>


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes flickered as he looked towards Yu Xiaocao. Thatss was currently grinning simple mindedly. The thing that made him the most angry was that the littless was personally helping that fellow Su Randle up a bowl of ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ and she even blew on the soup a bit as if she was afraid he would get scalded...


    ¡°Ahem ahem!¡± Zhu Junyang coughed fakely a couple of times. When everyone turned their heads to look at him, including the puzzled Xiaocao, he slightly frowned and pretended to look out of sorts as he sighedmentfully, ¡°Argh, I don¡¯t know if I wasn¡¯t used to the crude environment of the northwest, but I wasn¡¯t able to eat very well there. Lately I¡¯ve been feeling under the weather quite often. Not sure if I¡¯ll ever get back to full health...¡±


    Old General Zhao and his son were speechless at this.


    Everyone who had served in the northwest knew that, from time to time, they would sneak into the enemy side in the middle of the night and steal some cattle and sheep from them. These stolen goods were then used to reward the soldiers with some added meat to their rations. As themander of the northwest army, Zhu Junyang ate quite a lot of beef and mutton while he was there. In addition, this fellow frequently took his trusted aides along to infiltrate deeply within the prairie and hunt game. They ate and ate until all of them were plump and brawny. Who within the army didn¡¯t know that Royal Prince Yang had a set of barbecue condiments on hand that caused any meat that he roasted to taste incredibly delicious and unique?


    If he imed that his body was weak and sad, Old General Zhao would be the first to jump out and state that he was lying! However, when he saw Imperial Prince Xu look over in his direction, he understood a simple point¡ª¡ªa certain person was feeling jealous and was now ying pathetic to get attention!


    How could Yu Xiaocao not know what tricks this fellow was ying? Obviously he saw herdling up some Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for Sir Su and became incredibly jealous! In front of all of these people, she also couldn¡¯t say much and silentlydled up a bowl for him as well. She red at him surreptitiously and said, ¡°The reason why ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ has be the signature dish at the Medicinal Cuisine House is because it has the ability to replenish a person¡¯s yang energy, ease constipation, clear the lungs, and prevent cold energy from settling into a person¡¯s body. Thus, you should eat more.¡±


    Following that, she served up a bowl of the soup to everyone present. Although Old General Zhao didn¡¯t spend much time in the capital, he had also heard of the fame of the Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House, especially the dish, ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯. All of the rich and powerful individuals in the capital praised this dish to the skies. Old General Zhao was also considered an old glutton and sent his servants over to reserve a spot at the Medicinal Cuisine House. However, who would have thought that all of the private rooms had been reserved for the next ten days? As for ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, there was a three month wait in order to eat this dish...so was it easy to eat something scrumptious anymore?


    Luckily, the owner of the Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House was an old friend of the Zhao Family. Today, she had weed them back with a feast that included ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯. Furthermore, the creator of this dish had cooked it for them today. He needed to savor this food as much as possible!


    Old General Zhao first used a spoon to bring up some soup to his mouth. He lightly blew on it before taking a sip. The rich and savory taste of food exploded onto his taste buds. He ate a few more bites in quick session before he finally remarked in pure satisfaction, ¡°This dish has simply been simmered in a ceramic pot but it has a veryplicated and delicate vor while preserving the unique taste of each ingredient. The food is soft, tender and moist with a dense savory taste. It¡¯s rich without being greasy and every ingredient adds its own vor to the whole. It is incredibly delicious. Very good, very good! It¡¯s worth waiting three months to eat this!¡±


    ¡°Grandfather Zhao, if you like it, I¡¯ll give you the ¡®most honorable¡¯ membership card to the Medicinal Cuisine House. Members who have this card have supreme authority to eat at the restaurant and don¡¯t need to reserve a spot in advance or wait in line. They can eat as much as they wish...¡± There were only five special membership cards avable and they were made out of carved pieces of nephrite and iid with pink diamonds. These cards looked very ssy and elegant. She had only given out two ¡®most honorable¡¯ membership cards so far. One had been given to the emperor and the other had been given to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate.


    When Old General Zhao heard this, he shook his head repeatedly. What a joke, only the emperor could be considered ¡®the most honorable above all¡¯. As for Imperial Prince Jing, he was Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s father and Xiaocao¡¯s future father-inw, so it was fine for him to take it. He, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have the virtues or connections. How could he dare to get the same treatment as the emperor?


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that he was persistent in declining her offer, she didn¡¯t force it and said, ¡°In actuality, it doesn¡¯t matter whether or not you have this card. I¡¯ll inform the manager of the store that when you go and give him your identity, there will naturally be someone who will bring you to your own private room to eat there.¡±


    Only then did Old General Zhao nod his head in agreement. Zhao Bufan chuckled, ¡°Can this special private room of yours only be used by your Grandfather Zhao? Can your Uncle Zhao also enjoy the glories of this benefit?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can! However, you need to make sure you discuss things with Grandfather Zhao to avoid going there on the same day.¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled. In actuality, she rarely went to the Medicinal Cuisine House to eat there herself. Thus, the private room that was set aside for her was hers in name only.


    The two Zhao Generals looked at each other and expressed their satisfaction. Thatss Xiaocao hadn¡¯t distanced herself from them just because they moved away from Dongshan Vige and hadn¡¯t seen each other for a long time. Instead, she remembered them ordingly.


    Following that, the rest of the meal went by smoothly and happily for both the guests and hosts. ¡®Pan-baked pork filet¡¯ had a golden color and delicate texture. It was salty and savory. ¡®Sweet and sour crispy pork¡¯ was ky on the outside and tender on the inside with a tasty sweet and sour vor. It truly stimted people¡¯s appetites. ¡®West Lake fish in vinegar gravy¡¯ had a tasty sweet and sour vor while also containing the savory vor of crab. ¡®Steamed pork with rice flour¡¯ had the sweet scent of glutinous rice permeating into the fatty cuts of meat, making the dish incredibly rich.


    The father and son pair from the Zhao Family had simr tastes and both fell in love with the taste of ¡®braised intestines in brown gravy¡¯. The dish used cleaned pig intestines that were first nched in boiling water before being deep fried. Following that, more than a dozen condiments were roasted slowly over a low fire to create the sauce. It was sour, sweet, fragrant, spicy, and salty. It truly contained all five vors. The dish had a red and glossy appearance and the meat was soft and tender. The giant tter ofrge intestines had pretty much been monopolized by this father and son pair.


    Auntie Zhao covered her face helplessly. Fortunately, they were guests at Xiaocao¡¯s residence. If they were at anyone else¡¯s banquet, the hosts might have thought that she privately treated her husband and father-inw quite harshly and restrained their food intake. Otherwise, why else would they eat as if they were a bunch of hungry ghosts? However, she still thoughtfully picked out food for these two men. After all, was there any delicious food to be had when they served in the frontiers of the northwest?


    After lunch, the group began idly chatting again and couldn¡¯t avoid the topic of the uing nuptials between Imperial Prince Xu and Xiaocao. The two of them had set their wedding date in the third month of the uing year. That day was chosen after Princess Consort Jing had taken the birthdate data from both parties and gone to the head priest of Tianan Temple, which was just outside the capital, to divine some good dates. Although Tianan Temple could notpare to the fame of Huguo Temple or White Horse Temple, it was said that they were the best at divining good dates. Thus, many people who lived far away from the capital would travel long distances to get their dates divined.


    The old priest gave Princess Consort Jing three dates. There was the sixth day of the third month, the eighteenth day of the ninth month, and the twelfth day of thest month. Princess Consort Jing didn¡¯t even think about it before choosing the first date. How could she not understand her son¡¯s feelings? She had never thought that her youngest son could have so much perseverance and patience before, but he had waited for the littless for around eight to nine years. Her son¡¯s thoughts were probably the same as her own. He wanted to bring the littless back to his home as his wife as soon as possible!


    Fortunately, her son had set his sights on her very early and made his im. Otherwise, with the littless¡¯s fame and fortune in the capital, there were plenty of people who would want to take her as a wife or daughter-inw. After all, the littless¡¯s abilities and immense fortune were an enticing lure that many people couldn¡¯t resist. For example, she had caught the emperor¡¯s eye, so if they had a rtionship with her, that would be the same as entering the emperor¡¯s eye themselves. Thus, they would be able to be on speaking terms with many influential officials...


    Zhu Junyang clearly showed that he approved of hisdy mother¡¯s wise and brilliant decision. Now they had just entered the tenth month, so there was less than half a year from the date of their marriage. The betrothal gifts and other things had long been prepared by him and his father¡¯s estate, but he still felt like there wasn¡¯t enough. In his eyes, only by sending arge amount of gifts and precious items could he show the world just how much he and Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate esteemed and respected the littless.


    He had already sent people over to renovate the residence that the emperor had given him. As the future masters of the estate, he and Xiaocao would naturally live in the main residence. He was nning on bringing the littless over on another day so she could also voice any opinions she had about the renovations. After all, this was the ce she was going to live in the future. He needed to do his best to make it cozy, rxing, and up to her standards!


    The two Zhao generals and Chief Steward Su Ran all considered themselves to be on Xiaocao¡¯s family side. Thus, they also participated in the discussion about what to add to the betrothal and dowry gifts.


    They talked and talked and somehow ended up on the topic of Zhu Junyang¡¯s ¡®Wisdom Jade Pavilion¡¯. Manager Zhang was truly a genius. Even though his master hadn¡¯t been back in the capital for more than a year, he still made sure the business at the store was up and roaring the entire time. He did especially well with Xiaocao¡¯s idea, which was gambling with raw jadeite and nephrite ores. This had already be a very popr feature at the store.


    Although the people living in the southwest were doughty, the environment there was a bit chaotic. Nevertheless, the subordinates under Zhu Junyang weren¡¯t pushovers. Shop Manager Zhang especially had gone once to the southwest to find the most famous expert in identifying jade ores. With the help of this person, he daringly bought two jadeite ore mines that had just opened and then came to a business agreement with a few local mine owners. On the first trip, he came back with over twenty carriages full of jadeite raw ores. It was quite difficult considering thepses inmunication in this time period!


    As soon as the jadeite ores got to the capital, Shopkeeper Zhang winningly invited Xiaocao over to pick a few. Within the twenty or so carts, Xiaocao picked out a stone that produced a piece of jadeite that was about the size of a basketball and was a pure emerald green color. She happily took that into her hands. In addition, she also picked out a piece of crystal red jade and golden yellow jade.


    One had to admit that Manager Zhang had a good eye. After buying two jadeite mines, both of these mines produced raw ores that were quite likely to produce good stones. Out of ten rough ores, there was at least one that had a good piece of jade it. Thus, in twenty carriages, it was quite likely that he¡¯d get around ten pieces of the ss-type or the better quality ice-type jades.


    After Manager Zhang asked her to, Xiaocao helped him pick out a few other pieces of jade to be the selling points of the store. The jadeite ¡®great master¡¯ that Manager Zhang had invited over was quite shocked by Xiaocao¡¯s abilities. Every single one she picked produced great quality stones. He would never have expected that there would be a hidden expert in the capital of the Great Ming Empire. A young and beautiful young maiden was actually better than him, someone who had worked with jadeite ores for more than a dozen years, at picking the right ores.


    Once the delicate and fine jadeite jewelry and decorations came onto the market, the bright colors and lustrous stonesbined with the fine craftsmanship instantly attracted a bunch of fans. Although the prices of these new stones were not low, it couldn¡¯t stop the capital¡¯s noble matrons and maidens from pursuing them.


    The mouring for these new stones especially reached a fever pitch once Princess Consort Jing appeared at a flower banquet wearing an entire set of deep emerald green jadeite jewelry and head ornaments. The dense and concentrated color seemed as if it could drip out at any time. Under the direct light of the sun, the stones appeared ake blue with a few streaks of teal within. Then, in the blink of an eye, the color seemed to have changed into a bright green. The constantly changing shade made it unpredictable and incredibly beautiful. This set of jadeite jewelry made Princess Consort Jing look even more dignified, noble and elegantly beautiful.


    Furthermore, Yu Xiaocao had also invited many of the capital¡¯s noble maidens over to her first ¡®tasting banquet¡¯. At the party, the delicious food was no longer the focus of the youngdies¡¯ conversation. Instead, they were all mesmerized by the red jade bracelet that was on Xiaocao¡¯s wrist. It was the shade of rosy red that appeared in the sky at sunset, and she also had a set of head ornaments in the exact same color that were carved into delicate flowers. The color glowed brightly and the texture of the stones were lustrous and glossy.

 Chapter 659 - Betrothal Gifts

    <h4>Chapter 659 - Betrothal Gifts</h4>


    Compared to the white jade, light green jade, and even the mutton-fat jade that they had seen a lot of, the young maidens much preferred this type of jade that had gorgeous and dazzling colors. A couple of them were about to get married and were especially enthused about this new type of jade. If they could wear a set of bright red jade hair decorations on their wedding day, then they would definitely be the talk of the capital!


    With Princess Consort Jing and Yu Xiaocao both making an all-out effort to personally advertise this new type of jade, it very quickly became popr within the noble and high borns in the capital. Within moments, Wisdom Jade Pavillion¡¯s jadeite goods were all sold out. Shop Manager Zhang was not only keeping an eye out on the artisans who were working overtime to carve and make the jewelry but he was also paying attention to the workers in charge of transporting more material. He was so busy that he was on his feet constantly yet he still had a body full of energy!


    Since the jadeite was selling so well, Manager Zhang made the executive decision to open all of the raw ores so that they could use and sell all of the jadeite within. As for his future mistress¡¯s idea of using these ores as a gambling product, he had also smelled the whiff of a golden opportunity. There were quite a few wealthy rascals in the capital who were itching to ¡®gamble¡¯. The zing poprity of the horse racing track and amusement arena in the capital was just a peek of what was possible.


    However, ¡®gambling on stones¡¯ was definitely an unfamiliar concept to the people of the capital. The fact that one could possibly pick a raw ore, open it to reveal beautiful jade and jadeite, and be rich overnight was an incredibly enticing lure to many of the gamblers in the city.


    Manager Zhang clearly was a capable person. Although he didn¡¯t n on using the first batch of raw ores in this gambling business, he still invited a group of customers who were fascinated by the new stone to participate in a public ore opening. As the unassuming rocks were opened one after another in front of the audience, revealing gorgeous and dazzling veins of jadeite, the people found themselves astounded. This was the first time they had ever seen something as mystical as this!


    Manager Zhang also picked a few lucky people from the audience and gave them the opportunity to pick out a jadeite raw ore to be opened in front of everyone. Naturally, all of these rocks had all been previously inspected by the jadeite grand expert and the shop¡¯s future mistress. Although there were a few stones within the batch that didn¡¯t have anything interesting inside, more than half of the specimens contained jadeite. However, the quality of the jadeite within could not be guaranteed and was dependent on luck.


    When the stones were opened in front of everyone, revealing the sparkling and pure jadeite within, the lucky customers who had been selected to choose a raw ore couldn¡¯t help but reveal proud expressions. As for those who selected duds, they couldn¡¯t ept their loss and begged to choose another one...everyone was leaping to participate, which pushed the poprity and legend of these jadeite stones into a whole other level.


    Naturally, these opened ores of jadeite were still the property of Wisdom Jade Pavilion. There were some people who were reluctant to lose the jadeite that had been opened in front of their eyes and immediately paid a high price to buy it right then and there. Then, they asked the artisans at Wisdom Jade Pavilion to help them process the raw jadeite. There were even some who directly took the raw jadeite back home to keep as a souvenir of this amazing day. Everyone who had been invited to participate in this jadeite ore extravaganza were naturally old customers of Wisdom Jade Pavilion. Thus, who among them would care about the money required to buy some pieces of jadeite?


    Under the hard work of Shopkeeper Zhang, jadeite jewelry became extremely popr within the capital¡¯s high society. The noble matrons would often deliberately wear a new dazzling set of jadeite jewelry at the various parties they gathered at to show themselves off. As for the otherdies and maidens, even if they were a bit hard pressed for money, they would end up gritting their teeth to buy a set of jadeite hair ornaments or a jadeite bracelet. Otherwise, how could they show their faces at the next banquet?


    It wasn¡¯t just the noble matrons and maidens who werepeting amongst themselves. Even the imperial court¡¯s old officials began showing off. Whoever had a jadeite belt decoration hanging off his waist would also be subject to the envious stares of his colleagues. Other people couldn¡¯tpare to Imperial Prince Jing. He would have a new jadeite belt essory switched out every few days and each one, whether it was in terms of its color or crystal rity, was a piece that was incredibly valuable and precious to the discerning person¡¯s eyes.


    Some of these essories had been picked out for him with the help of Princess Consort Jing, while others had been given to him by his son. However, the vast majority had been given to him by his future daughter-inw to show her filial respects to him. He was the only one with a future daughter-inw with an extremely discerning eye. Every single jadeite ore she picked produced a top-notch quality stone. Furthermore, the ones she opened were always used to make ornaments to be sent to him and his wife.


    After receiving countless ambiguous looks from his colleagues, Imperial Prince Jing felt incredibly refreshed from head to toe! He truly felt like he had a rich and imposing aura now as he could use a set of jadeite essories and then toss it aside to use another. It was the feeling of a rich tyrant ah! Oh what was that? People were envious of him? Well, they just weren¡¯t lucky enough to father a good son who had found a good daughter-inw for him.


    Once jadeite jewelry and essories came into vogue, Wisdom Jade Pavilion was flooded with money every day. Its business wasn¡¯t in any sense inferior to the Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House or Blossoming Beauty. Using the analogy of the goose thatid the golden eggs to describe Wisdom Jade Pavilion wasn¡¯t an exaggeration at all.


    However, ¡®Wisdom Jade Pavilion¡¯, the goose thatid the golden eggs, had actually been offered up as a betrothal gift. Manager Zhang had ended up hearing the news through some unofficial channels and pursed his lips at the thought. It looked like he was about to change masters very soon. Although the Yu Family would definitely not try to take advantage of Imperial Prince Xu and would send Wisdom Jade Pavilion back as dowry, it still meant the owner would ultimately change!


    However, in Manager Zhang¡¯s eyes, his future mistress was famous within the capital for having good business sense, so she would obviously be much more reliable than Imperial Prince Xu, who was a boss who left everything to his stewards to handle! After all, wasn¡¯t the reason why jadeite was selling so well rted to the fact that his future mistress had casually given him an idea on how to advertise properly? He had a feeling that as long as he followed his future mistress¡¯s orders, he wouldn¡¯t regret it!


    Other than Wisdom Jade Pavilion, Zhu Junyang also added all of the fruits and vegetables stores under his name to the list of betrothal gifts. Within the capital, there were around a dozen or so of these shops in the capital and all of them were supplied with fruits and vegetables grown in the ntations and orchards in the suburbs. With the super cheat item, the little divine stone, on hand, not even the vegetables and fruits produced in season by the imperial farms couldpare to the tastes of these specially raised nts.


    After eating these specially grown vegetables and fruits, how could the picky nobles and officials possibly be able to stomach eating ordinary fruits and vegetables anymore? Naturally, it was obvious that these fruit and vegetable stores ran a brisk business. Even though their products were much more expensive than the normal stores, they didn¡¯t have to worry about their fruits and vegetables sitting out to rot. Furthermore, the out of season vegetables and fruits they sold were naturally extremely popr too!


    Out of all of the stores under Zhu Junyang¡¯s name, these fruit and vegetable stores were among the most profitable. Now, they were all on the betrothal gift list. In Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, the reason why the profits of these stores were so high were rted to his littless. As a man, not being able to give his wife money and also taking advantage of her talents was really too shameful.


    Thus, it made the most sense to give them all to his wife. The littless used to always quip, ¡®After marriage, what was his was hers and what was hers was still hers!¡¯ If she was able to handle it, what was wrong with him handing all of his businesses over to her?


    Nevertheless, with such a hardworking wife at his side, Zhu Junyang felt quite a bit of pressure. If he didn¡¯t do his best, then he would end up bing a husband who relied on his wife to eat and drink. The littless would happily raise him but he would lose out on the pleasure of making money so his wife could spend it. Thus, would there be any meaning left in his life at that point?


    Old General Zhao, General Zhao, and Fang Zizhen all had their heads lowered, inspecting the betrothal gift list that Zhu Junyang had given to them. Within the list, there were all sorts of gold, silver, jewels, gems, antiques and paintings written. It was enough to dazzle a person¡¯s eyes. Then there were precious damasks and silk brocades that could only be found within the warehouses in the imperial pce. It was too much for their eyes to take in. Further down, the list contained properties, farmsteads, and stores galore. It was enough to make a person dizzy. That didn¡¯t include the rare treasures listed. Any one of those would be more than enough to shock a person speechless.


    Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s wealth was truly too astounding! The three men looked at each other and they could all see the same type of surprise in their eyes. Imperial Prince Xu was truly too willing to give anything to thatss Xiaocao. They now regarded Imperial Prince Xu with an additional look of approval and admiration in their eyes. Oh right! The morevish the betrothal gift was, the more it showed just how much the bridegroom¡¯s side valued the bride¡¯s side! Would Imperial Prince Xu truly end up sending all of his property and wealth to thatss Xiaocao as his betrothal gift?


    This thought of theirs wasn¡¯t out of the realms of possibility. Zhu Junyang had truly given almost half of his belongings as betrothal gifts. What was wrong with that? He was fine with it, so who could stop him?


    ¡°Uh...Your Highness, do you want to take this list back home and discuss it first with Imperial Prince Jing and Princess Consort Jing?¡± Old General Zhao also thought that this list was a bit too excessive and was afraid that Zhu Junyang had done it privately without consulting his parents. This would lead to Xiaocao¡¯s future father-inw and mother-inw resenting her. After thinking about this for a bit, he opened his mouth to tactfully remind the prince.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had gone outside to make some pastries for the afternoon tea, entered the room again. When she saw her godfather, Grandfather Zhao, and Uncle Zhao muttering over the betrothal gift list incessantly. She casually took the list from their hands and sat next to Zhu Junyang. She grinned and remarked, ¡°What¡¯s this about the betrothal list? Let me look...was this fellow too stingy and gave you guys a list you look down upon? It doesn¡¯t matter. If we¡¯re not satisfied with this list, then we can push back our wedding date a bit farther ah!¡±


    Auntie Zhao red at her and stated in a scolding tone, ¡°How could you possibly change a wedding date that has already been set? You littless. Everything else about you is good but you¡¯re just too pure and don¡¯t think before you speak. Fortunately, Imperial Prince Xu understands your personality and won¡¯t me you for it...¡±


    Zhu Junyang knew that Lady Zhao¡¯s words were meant for him so he immediately expressed his position, ¡°The littless¡¯s personality matches this prince¡¯s taste the most. This prince disdains those noble maidens who only speak in riddles and refuse to say what¡¯s on their minds! Old General Zhao, please don¡¯t worry! Mydy mother has always stood at the littless¡¯s side and she personally wishes that I would send all of the estates and businesses under my name to the littless. Sometimes I feel like I was a kid picked up from the side of the road and Xiaocao had been personally birthed by her!¡±


    ¡°Hee hee hee! This shows that I am loved by all. Birds of a feather flock together ah! You¡¯re already so big but you still want to fight for favor with me? Isn¡¯t that too embarrassing ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao bantered as she mirthfully met his eyes. Only then did she lower her head to inspect the betrothal gift list in front of her.


    ¡°This prince is ecstatically happy that mydy mother likes you, so how could I possibly fight for favor with you? Once you marry over, not only will my mother spoil you but I also n on spoiling you until you are the happiest woman in the world. You absolutely will not regret your decision!¡± Zhu Junyang shamelessly said some sweet nothings in front of all of the elders. His honeyed words made Su Ran, who was drinking medicinal tea at the side, grimace in disgust.


    Auntie Zhao¡¯s face turned bright red and nced at the little maiden next to her who was sniggering like a fool. She couldn¡¯t help but silently sigh at the silly little girl¡¯s stupidly good fortune. Her son had truly lost. With Zhao Han¡¯s slow-witted nature, he would never be able to say such slick and corny words. Royal Prince Yang...Imperial Prince Xu looked cold on the outside but he was surprisingly adept at expressing his feelings.

 Chapter 660 - Virtuous

    <h4>Chapter 660 - Virtuous</h4>


    ¡°Wow ah! You¡¯re giving me so many shops as a part of the betrothal gift ah! Then the dowry I¡¯m preparing absolutely can¡¯t lose to you, right? Zhu Junyang, you¡¯re so devious ah! In order to catch me, this giant fish, you¡¯re quite willing to send out the bait!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw the dozen or so estates and shops on the list and felt like she had suddenly been rocketed from a small wealthy woman into a giant tycoon.


    ¡°Just what are you saying? Imperial Prince Xu views you with importance which is why he is giving you such an excessive amount of items and estates as a betrothal gift!¡± Auntie Zhao lightly patted the littless in an effort to hurriedly mediate between the two. She lightly sighed inwardly. Why did the littless always have to say things that made it difficult for other people?


    Zhu Junyang felt bad for the littless as he watched her being patted in the same location for a while. He opened his mouth to say, ¡°Without the Wutong tree, how could one attract the golden phoenix? If I don¡¯t offer up enough capital, then how would I be able to show just how precious and valuable Xiaocao is to me? You deserve the best!¡±


    ¡°Hee hee! You truly have a good eye!¡± Yu Xiaocao casually ced the list of betrothal gifts on the table and sent an admiring look towards Zhu Junyang. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you be at a loss here. This maiden¡¯s residence absolutely can handle and return such a magnificent betrothal gift. However, now I¡¯m worried about whether or not the dowry I bring during the wedding might be too excessive or not?¡±


    ¡°This dynasty at the moment hasn¡¯t set down clear-cut customs for marriage. However, the previous dynasty did, but since we¡¯ve already switched dynasties, who cares about the customs of the previous one? That being said, Imperial Prince Xu is now an imperial prince, so even if his princess consort¡¯s dowry is a bit on therger side, who would dare to voice theirints out loud?¡±


    Fang Zizhen also believed that his daughter deserved the best. He had obtained so many good things over the years for the sole purpose of making sure his daughter would be able to lift her head proudly on the day she got married. What was wrong with having avish dowry? If the residence was able to support it and wanted to give a lot for the dowry, what could other people do about it?


    ¡°Well now I¡¯m relieved!¡± Yu Xiaocao shamelessly wondered if she would end up bing known as the woman who had thergest dowry in the Great Ming Dynasty. Having a dowry train that spanned five kilometers was a dream every nobly-born maiden yearned for, right?


    Zhu Junyang apanied Xiaocao as they sent off the three members of the Zhao Family to the front gate as well as his future father-inw. Fang Zizhen red at him with an ambiguous and telling look as he said, ¡°Your Highness, you should also head back soon ah. After all, you¡¯re not married yet, so it¡¯s best to keep those gossipy tongues away!¡±


    ¡°Lord Father-inw is right. Once Chief Steward Su is all settled, this prince will head out immediately!¡± Zhu Junyang righteously and shamelessly used Su Ran¡¯s name as an excuse. He was a bit unhappy that this fellow would be able to live in the outer courtyard of the Yu Residence for a while. Although this fellow¡¯s identity was special, he still had his stunning looks and those from the outside, who might not know of his eunuch¡¯s status, may start having odd thoughts when they saw an ¡®adult man¡¯ who wasn¡¯t rted to Xiaocao living at the Yu Residence.


    Fang Zizhen had a cursory understanding of Su Ran¡¯s current condition after talking to his daughter. Although he was also not entirely happy with this situation, his daughter had said that ¡®a doctor has the heart of a parent¡¯ and didn¡¯t have any other intentions. Furthermore, that fellow...ahem ahem, although it wasn¡¯t something that was nice to say, that fellow wasn¡¯t truly considered a man ah! That being said, in a couple of days, Yu Hai and his family would enter the capital. At that moment, they didn¡¯t need to worry about the impropriety of the situation anymore.


    When he saw that Zhu Junyang had an eptable excuse, Fang Zizhen didn¡¯t bother trying to quibble with him anymore as he still had things to aplish that afternoon.


    After he saw Fang Zizhen mount his horse and leave, Zhu Junyang turned around to look at that adorable and spoiled little maiden next to him and smiled, ¡°Are you satisfied with the betrothal gift list that I gave you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao slightly shrugged her shoulders and revealed a crafty smile, ¡°If you also added in Treasure Pavilion to the gifts, then this maiden will bepletely satisfied!¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang, who had been standing slightly behind his master this entire time, raised his head to look at his future mistress briefly as he thought, ¡®Miss Yu¡¯s appetite is quite big. The master has given more than half of his estates to her but she still hankers after my master¡¯s Treasure Pavilion.¡¯ One had to know that the ie from Treasure Pavilion ounted for around eighty percent of his master¡¯s total ie.


    Zhu Junyang reached out his hand and tapped her adorable little nose. Hemented in a voice full of love, ¡°You, ah, are truly a tiny little money grubber! Since you¡¯ve opened your honored mouth, then this prince will have to agree otherwise it will seem like I¡¯m being too miserly. Alright! When I get back, I will add Treasure Pavilion to the list as well...¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang had long be used to his master¡¯s bottomless ability to pamper his wife. Even if his master had said right now that he was going to give all of his businesses over as a betrothal gift to her, there still would be no ripples in his heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t! I was just casually joking, that¡¯s all! You¡¯ve already given me every business that makes money in your hands. If you end up being hard-pressed for moneyter on, then people willugh at you!¡±


    As an imperial prince, he would only have more subordinates and servants beneath him, so he would naturally have increased expenditures. Xiaocao believed that she was a ¡®virtuous¡¯ person and didn¡¯t want to be so tight-fisted with his purse that her man had to be stingy whenever he went out. Money had very little rtion to whether a man would turn bad or not. The crucial point was whether he still had her within his heart!


    ¡°This prince knows what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ll give it to you, so you should take it!¡± Zhu Junyang tasted a flood of sweetness when he saw his littless considering him first. He used arge hand to ruffle her hair for a bit before continuing, ¡°In my heart, you are the most precious thing in the world!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao felt extremely touched by this statement. She raised her head and revealed a brilliant and glittering smile, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t leave, I won¡¯t abandon you! Whether or not someone has sincere feelings for you isn¡¯t measured by money or the amount of betrothal gifts. Thus, you should still keep those businesses...¡±


    Her first statement caused Zhu Junyang¡¯s enchanting pair of eyes to light up. He held onto the littless¡¯s soft and tender hands as he gently said, ¡°I will love you for the rest of my life, so let¡¯s grow old together. In this life, don¡¯t ever think that this prince will ever let you go. Everything that is mine is yours, including myself!¡±


    If a person from the ancient times became enlightened, then his ability to say terms of endearment would blow a modern man out of the park. Yu Xiaocao felt her cheeks grow hot and she bit her lip before smiling, ¡°Since you say it like that, then do we really need to care whether or not our estates and stores are in your hands or mine?¡±


    ¡°However, this prince wants everyone in the capital to know just how much I regard you! I don¡¯t want other people to look down on you...¡± The littless¡¯s cheeks, which were normally as lustrous and pale as the finest mutton-fat jade, now had two enchanting red clouds blooming on them. Zhu Junyang felt a bit bewitched looking at her.


    Yu Xiaocao lowered her head in embarrassment after seeing his fervent eyes that werepletely filled with love and adoration. She inadvertently began to draw circles on the ground with the tip of her foot. An ¡®old¡¯ man, who had been single for twenty-five years, truly had some astounding offensive abilities in the romance department. It really made it hard for a person to resist.


    Under the warm light of autumn, there were two figures that could be seen. One had a tall, strong, and elegantly handsome figure while the other was short, delicate, and adorable. They looked incredibly harmonious together and the pair of them made a sight that other people couldn¡¯t look away from.


    Ning Donn quietly stood at the corner of the street as he gazed at these two familiar figures from a distance. That adorable and special little girl was currently revealing a shy countenance that only a youngdy could have. Ning Donn knew that, within the capital, Yu Xiaocao was considered to be an unconventional young maiden. Compared to the other noble maidens who were gentle, refined, sweet, lively, and cautious, she was quite fickle and unpredictable.


    At the imperial ntations, she was extremely confident. When she was with her friends, she was bright and pretty. In front of a powerful enemy, she was calm andposed...but he had never seen this type of her before. Apparently, in front of the person she liked, she could also be embarrassed and shy and would reveal what other girls often showed. She could also show that she wanted to lean against someone.


    He really wanted to be the one standing in front of her now, to be able to affect her every frown and smile, to be the man that she loved with all of her heart! Unfortunately, in her life, he had arrived toote. He could only gaze at her from a distance and silently give his blessings to her...


    Zhu Junyang seemed to sense something and turned his head to look towards a specific distant corner. Ning Donn had already dodged into one of the side stores on the street, leaving an empty and deste street corner. It somehow seemed as mncholy as a cool breeze.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Yu Xiaocao advanced a step and curiously looked in the direction that he was gazing at. She didn¡¯t see anything special and looked back at him with a confused look while she inquired.


    Zhu Junyang frowned slightly and lowered his head to look at the youngdy in front of him before smiling again. He pinched her cheek and softly said, ¡°Nothing! Let¡¯s go and see your Sir Su. He should be awake now.¡±


    Su Ran, who had just eaten lunch and drunk his medicine not long ago, had been escorted to one of the guest rooms in the outer courtyard to rest. His injuries had severely sapped his energy. Even if he wanted to endure and discuss the betrothal gift list with everyone to get more good things for thess, he wasn¡¯t able to. Under the effects of the medicinal tea, he fell into a lethargic sleep. In fact, the eunuch he had brought along with Zhu Junyang had to help him organize the guest room.


    ¡°Sir Su, how are you feeling? Was sleeping here okay?¡± After knocking on the door, she entered the room to see that clever little eunuch currently helping Sir Su wash up. Yu Xiaocao revealed a sweet smile on her face.


    The little eunuch who was helping him was one of the many disciples under Su Ran. He knew the chief steward usually regarded his words as precious as gold, so he smiled and hurriedly replied, ¡°Thank you, Royal Princess Jinan, for concocting your special medicine. The chief steward hasn¡¯t been able to sleep so well in a long time. In the past, he would always wake up halfway through from pain and have a full body of cold sweat on him...¡±


    ¡°Go down first ah!¡± Clearly, this eunuch¡¯s attempts to be helpful were not appreciated. Su Ran faintly gave him a look and the little eunuch immediately felt cold sweat pour out of his pores. He hurriedly bowed and left the room.


    Xiaocao stopped the eunuch, ¡°Go brew another cup of the medicinal tea I gave you. Sir Su, you need to drink more of this medicinal tea as it will help your body recover better.¡± Thetter sentence was to warn Su Ran and had a hint of ¡®cajoling a reluctant kid to take medicine¡¯ to it.


    The subordinate eunuch sent her a grateful look and hurriedly stepped out. He had only been sent out to serve the chief steward after the master hade back to the capital with heavy injuries. Before he took this position, he had been instructed that the chief steward didn¡¯t like social niceties, so he needed to be clever. He had only been in this position for a short while but had analyzed the chief steward¡¯s likes and dislikes incorrectly. It looked like he needed to be more careful in the future.


    Su Ran didn¡¯t attempt to engage with Xiaocao¡¯s childish tone. He was an adult but he was being treated like a child. He really didn¡¯t know what to say. However, when he raised his head and saw the constipated look on Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s face, he immediately felt his spirits rise and his heart lighten.


    ¡°If I obediently follow your orders, will I get a reward ah?¡± Su Ran deliberately asked.


    Zhu Junyang muttered in a grouchy manner, ¡°We¡¯re trying to heal your body. It¡¯s up to you if you want to obey. But isn¡¯t your face too thick to also want a reward for this?¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter

 Chapter 661 - Protect Older Sister Pt 1

    <h4>Chapter 661 - Protect Older Sister Pt 1</h4>


    Not long after the Yu Family arrived at the capital, the new first-ced candidate in the provincial exams, Lord Little Shitou, also leisurely arrived in the city. After the autumn exams were over, he couldn¡¯t stay in the capital and went back to the Hubei and Hunan provinces along with his ssmates to travel and y.


    Little Shitou had always been a clever and quick-witted child. Under the imperceptible transformation of the mystic-stone water, not only was his body extremely healthy but his intelligence had also gotten a boost. In the past, when he took the county level and prefectural level exams, his results could only be considered towards the top and he had never gotten first ce. Who would have thought that in the period of six years, he would end up taking first ce in these exams!


    Originally, the Yu Family wanted to prepare arge banquet to celebrate him taking first. However, the fellow didn¡¯t even leave a word before he packed up a few sets of clothing and ran off with his ssmates to y in the south! Without the main person there, what was the point of celebrating? That being said, at that time, the news of Zhu Junyang having a rousing sess in the north had trickled back to the capital but they still weren¡¯t sure when he was going to be back. Thus, Xiaocao was also absent minded during this period and didn¡¯t organize a party either. In Little Shitou¡¯s words, ¡°When I get the top grade in the imperial court exams, then we will celebrate together!¡± This fellow was quite confident in himself and didn¡¯t seem to have any pre-exam pressure.


    The metropolitan civil service examination was going to be held next year at the start of the third month. He still had more than half a year. If it had been anyone else, they would have long started shutting themselves at home, studying long and hard. He, on the other hand, had the leisurely mood to go run off and find ssmates to y around with. It was hard to say whether he had confidence in himself or was just overestimating his abilities!


    When he found out that the great expert, Chief Steward Su, was at his family¡¯s residence, recuperating from his wounds, this fellow sidled over, asking to be taught martial arts. If it had been anyone else, Su Ran wouldn¡¯t even give them a proper look. After all, this was Xiaocao¡¯s younger blood-rted brother, so Su Ran felt Little Shitou¡¯s body and bones and remarked in disdain, ¡°Your aptitude could only be considered medium. If you had started to slowly train at the age of three to four and practiced for at least a dozen years, then you could almost be considered an expert. Now you¡¯re already sixteen and have long missed the optimal period for learning martial arts, so....you should keep your focus on studying and reading books and stop getting these silly flights of fancy of yours!¡±


    Little Shitou smacked his lips a couple of times and continued on this line of questioning out of his own desire to wonder, ¡°If I had started practicing martial arts when I was young, how big of a chance would I have to fight to a draw with Imperial Prince Xu?¡±


    Su Ran acted as if he had just heard the world¡¯s funniest joke and stared at him for a long time before he finally said, ¡°It¡¯s best that young people such as yourself don¡¯t spend too much time daydreaming! Your future older brother-inw is one of those geniuses at martial arts who can only be found once every a hundred years or so. He¡¯s like the incarnation of the devil himself. Before I got injured, I could only barely manage to avoid suffering a defeat when sparring with him. In other words, there¡¯s probably not more than a handful of people in the Great Ming Empire who could currently surpass him!¡±


    ¡°Eh? So what you¡¯re saying is that Imperial Prince Xu is an exceptional expert ah?¡± Little Shitou had a face full of despair, ¡°I had wanted to learn some boxing and stuff. That way, if he tries to bully my older sister in the future, I could help her out! Is there really no one in the world who can press him down?¡±


    ¡°There is ah! How could there not be anyone? There¡¯s someone right underneath our noses who can do that!¡± Su Ran felt the perception of the little fellow in front of him improve by a few levels after finding out that he had wanted to learn martial arts to defend his older sister.


    ¡°Who? Quickly tell me ah!¡± Little Shitou was shocked at this and repeatedly asked. There was actually someone hidden nearby who could surpass a crazy expert like Zhu Junyang.


    ¡°Your older sister ah!¡± Su Ran raised an eyebrow as he looked at the youth and then grinned, ¡°Everyone has a fatal weakness! Only your older sister is able to tame the wild beast that is Imperial Prince Xu!¡±


    Little Shitou, on the other hand, misunderstood those words. He pped his hands and smiled, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! My older sister is an expert at concocting medicine. She has no issues making paralyzing powders, confusing powders and even tasteless poisons. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t dare to treat my older sister badly!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s trying to bully your older sister? Do they think that I, your older brother-inw, does not exist?¡± Speaking of the devil, Zhu Junyang stepped over the threshold and only heard Little Shitou¡¯s veryst sentence. He hurriedly scowled, as if he was ready to fight with anyone at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Su Ran had a teasing look in his eyes as he replied in a voice full of anticipation, ¡°Your younger brother-inw wants to use paralyzing powder and confusing powder to handle you ah! Imperial Prince Xu, ah, Imperial Prince Xu, do you now know just how much other people dislike you ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was bbergasted at this and lowered his head to stare at the unnatural expression on the youth¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t explode into anger and asked doubtfully, ¡°Little Shitou, what has this prince done to make you hate me so much? Is it because I¡¯m about to marry your older sister very soon that you...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the reason at all! I¡¯ve already thought things through. My second older sister will have to marry one day regardless. So does it matter who she marries?¡± Within his siblings, Little Shitou was the closest to his second sister. In his childhood, it was his second sister who brought him up to the mountain to trap game and catch fish. Whenever she had something delicious to eat, she always gave it to him first. The reason why he was able to be Great Schr Yuan¡¯sst disciple was also very heavily rted to his second sister. The reason why his family¡¯s life was improving every day was all connected to his second sister¡¯s efforts.


    Consequently, when his second sister became engaged to Royal Prince Yang, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sad inside as it felt like his second sister was being stolen away by someone. Therefore, he had started to dislike Zhu Junyang. How could Zhu Junyang, who had always had the good opinion of the Yu Family, not sense this change in temperament? All he could do was try to find methods to make his future brother-inw to like him again and slowly break through the guards on his heart.


    Who would have thought that this fellow still harbored the desire to fight against him like a viin? Zhu Junyang silently let out a deep sigh and lowered his voice to ask, ¡°What has this prince not done to make you hate me so much?¡±


    ¡°Hate you? I don¡¯t hate you! Sir Su only said half of what I said. What I was trying to say was if you dare to treat my second older sister poorly, I need to find some way to get back at you, no matter how skilled you are at martial arts or how many subordinates you have to protect you! I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re an imperial prince. If you dare to bully my older sister, I will risk my life to tear a piece of flesh off of you!¡± Little Shitou bared his teeth at him and acted very simrly to the wolf cub that Little ck had just brought back from his wolf mother¡ª¡ªall bark but no bite.


    Zhu Junyang felt his heart rx. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t inadvertently offended his future brother-inw without being aware of it. He smiled and gently patted Little Shitou¡¯s shoulder. He stated in a firm voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! This prince loves your older sister like no other. How could I bear to bully her? Your worries are superfluous! If you still don¡¯t believe me¡ª¡ªyou can get as many poisons as you want from your older sister!¡±


    ¡°You better remember the words you said today ah!¡± Little Shitou still wasn¡¯tpletely convinced so he continued, ¡°My second older sister has said before, ¡®if one can count on a man, then pigs will fly!¡¯. Especially men with high positions and power and those who are extremely good-looking!¡±


    Zhu Junyang rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner and insipidly said, ¡°Thank you forplimenting me on my looks! Are you not a man yourself? If you manage to pass the imperial pce exams next year and be an official, wouldn¡¯t you also be one of those unreliable men that you speak of? After all, you don¡¯t look bad either.¡±


    ¡°How could I be the same as you ah? I¡¯ve been taughtpletely by my second older sister, so I¡¯m reliable to the extreme!¡± Little Shitou red at him angrily and continued coldly, ¡°You had best remember what you said today! Although my family currently cannotpare with the status of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Household, that may not be the case in the future! My older sister has me and her family as her support!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! You are the future top scorer in the imperial pce examinations and will be a first-ranked official of the empire! With you as your older sister¡¯s support, how could I, this leisurely imperial prince without learning, dare to treat your sister badly?¡± Zhu Junyang felt quite helpless in front of this little devil who was in the midst of puberty. This fellow was his future brother-inw so there was not much he could do.


    Fortunately, his future younger brother-inw had been sent by his master to study at the Imperial College. For the sake of his little disciple, Yuan Sinian had broken his rule of not entering officialdom and became an idle fourth-ranked official at the imperial college. When he was in a good mood, he would lecture a few times at the school. He spent most of his energies and efforts on his little disciple. At the beginning of spring next year, his little disciple was going to participate in the metropolitan civil service examination. As thest disciple of the greatest schr of a generation, if Little Shitou fell behind on the ranks at this examination, that would be an insult to Yuan Sinian¡¯s name!


    Although his little disciple¡¯s aptitude was very high and very rarely made him, as his master, worry, his little disciple had too many varied interests. Within the four arts, his disciple insisted on skimming through every discipline and learning a bit. In fact, everything he tried, he ended up doing well at. In painting and calligraphy, Little Shitou had only studied for less than three years but was already better than his own master and was now being pursued by some elegant schrs. A single painting of his was now worth more than a thousand taels of gold and was very hard toe by.


    Luckily, Little Shitou only signed his paintings with a pen name that he found amusing, ¡®Drifting Idle Person¡¯. There were very few people who knew that these wondrous works of arts had been created by the newest first-ce candidate in the provincial exams who had only reached the age of sixteen. Otherwise, this fellow would be pestered to death by art fiends and wouldn¡¯t have the time to study anymore.


    Right after he finished the provincial exams, his little disciple had gone off to Hubei and Hunan to y around as one of his ssmates had obtained a first-rate bloodstone seal. This fellow seemed to be a bit infatuated with precious metals and stones recently...in order to avoid the little fellow bing distracted at an inopportune time, he, as the master, truly worried a lot over this. He had used up his connections and even himself to get his little apprentice to enter the Imperial College. He now had to lecture three times a month too. Argh! It wasn¡¯t easy to be someone¡¯s master nowadays!


    Yuan Sinian was currently sitting in his privately reserved room at the Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House, eating the ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ that other people couldn¡¯t even reserve anymore. Next to him was his son¡ª¡ªthis generation¡¯s prime minister, Prime Minister Yuan. Headmaster Yuanined incessantly that it wasn¡¯t easy serving as a role model for others.


    Prime Minister Yuan, who was only second to the emperor, was an extremely busy man with a multitude of things to do every day. He had been pulled over by his old father to cadge a meal. They were currently sitting in the private room that belonged exclusively to the Yu Family and eating ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, which other people couldn¡¯t even reserve. Yet, his father was actuallyining that the Yu Family¡¯s son was disappointing. Other than his old father, there was probably no one else in the world who could do this!


    ¡°Father, did you invite me over solely to brag about how your disciple is erudite and multi-talented?¡± Prime Minister Yuandled up a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for his father as he also got a piping full bowl for himself. His bearing was incredibly elegant despite the fact he ate at a lightning fast speed.


    ¡°Eat slower! Stop acting like a cow chewing on a peony. Such a waste of natural resources!!¡± Great Schr Yuan also picked up his eating speed andpletely regretted his decision to call his son over to eat with him. If it were not for the fact that his youngest grandson was also going to participate in the metropolitan civil service examination, he would have brought Yuan Yunxi over instead. His grandson wasn¡¯t like his father, trying to fight for delicious food with him!


    Prime Minister Yuan rapidly inhaled three bowls before he finally stopped. The taste and mouthfeel of ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯ was truly not exaggerated. Other than the opening day, when he had basked in the glory of his daughter and was able to eat some, this was the second time he got to eat this dish. Once again, it was an unforgettable experience for the taste buds!

 Chapter 661 - Protect Older Sister Pt 2

    <h4>Chapter 661 - Protect Older Sister Pt 2</h4>


    It truly wasn¡¯t easy to eat a meal at the Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House, especially the dish, ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯! Those without patience really wouldn¡¯t be able to get to taste it. It was still his father who had the clout¡ª¡ªno, it would be more urate to say that his old father had received a good disciple. Perhaps...the next time he invited people over for a meal, he needed to use his old father¡¯s name.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Yuan Sinian was able to see at a nce what his son was scheming and leveled a re at him as he rubbed his full belly in contentment. He leaned back in his chair as he slowly said, ¡°This old man needs to call ahead in order to borrow this private room. Today, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that that musclehead surnamed Zhao had something to do and ended up changing his reservation at thest minute, we wouldn¡¯t be sitting here right now! If everyone was like you, asking to use it to invite anyone over, then wouldn¡¯t the Yu Family¡¯sss have a giant headache now? That being said, as the grand and magnificent prime minister of this dynasty, how could you have the face to take advantage of a young maiden¡¯s generosity?¡±


    Prime Minister Yuan silently roasted his father, ¡®You¡¯re shameless enough, so how could I, as your son, also not be shameless ah? That being said, Miss Yu actually should be calling me ¡®uncle¡¯ as she¡¯s best friends with my daughter...¡¯


    ¡°Oh right, find some time for your younger disciple brother and son to talk to them about the metropolitan examination! Impart them some tricks of the trade on how to take the exam! For this exam, I, your old father, have hope to produce another top scorer in the imperial pce examinations!¡± Yuan Sinian easily ordered his son around as if it were nothing.


    Prime Minister Yuan slightly frowned and said, ¡°Father, the emperor ns on having me take on some duties in rtion to the exams. It¡¯s not suitable for me tomunicate with exam candidates prior...¡±


    ¡°Has the head examiner been set yet?¡± Yuan Sinian continued his line of questioning.


    Prime Minister Yuan shook his head, ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten to that point. I and the Imperial Tutor should be picking one together.¡±


    ¡°Then resign ah! Your son and youngest disciple brother are going to be participating in the preliminary round, so it¡¯s best that you avoid rousing any suspicion. Otherwise, if they end up cing in the top two, other people will use this to attack you and im that you fraudulently altered the exam results!¡± Yuan Sinian had quite a bit of confidence in his little disciple and youngest grandson. He had taught many students in his life and there were very few people he had encountered who had the talent and ability of his youngest disciple. He truly had high expectations for this disciple and was hoping that he would ce first in all three sets of this exam. As the greatest schr of his generation, being able to patronize hisst disciple to get first in all three sets would allow him to leave this world without any regrets!


    When he thought of this youngest disciple brother who was younger than his youngest son and younger than him by a few decades, Prime Minister Yuan couldn¡¯t help but grimace in difort. His youngest disciple brother¡¯s older sister was good friends with his daughter and called him ¡®uncle¡¯. This really made the rtionship web between themplicated and messy. In essence, it was all the fault of his old father to take such a young boy as hisst disciple!


    ¡°Then that should be all set! Try to push back on bing the chief examiner or being involved at all ah! When the Imperial College lets off for break, let¡¯s go to the Yu Residence and tutor your youngest disciple brother a bit on the matters of the preliminary round. That way, we can avoid him losing the grasp on first ce due to being unfamiliar with the exam¡¯s customs!¡± Yuan Sinian didn¡¯t wait for his son to voice his opinion beforeing to a final decision.


    What could Prime Minister Yuan do? He was powerful and mighty at court, but he still needed to obediently listen to his father as he had no desire at past the age of forty to be beaten by a nk in front of all of his descendents. His old urchin of a father really made things hard for him sometimes!


    ¡°Go to the Yu Residence? Is that proper? The Yu Family is incredibly busy as they¡¯re currently preparing Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s dowry. That being said, who knows who¡¯sing and going at their residence, it¡¯s better to have my youngest disciple brothere to our study...¡± Prime Minister Yuan wasn¡¯t able to continue his line of thought before being red at by his father.


    Yuan Sinian angrily growled, ¡°Come to our residence? Can the chefs at our housepete with Lass Yu¡¯s culinary talents? Can they make food that causes the heavens to sing? Can they bake delicious and beautiful pastries? Your head is not screwed on right. Can it be that officialdom has made you stupid? Do you really believe that your youngest disciple brother needs your advice?¡±


    The old man almost said these thoughts out loud, ¡®As your father, I see that you¡¯re working hard and I¡¯m trying to find excuses for you to cadge a meal. That way your poor stomach can get rewarded with some tasty food ah!¡¯


    Little Shitou, who had been captured by his master and sent to the Imperial College, was now obediently settling down, throwing away all of his extraneous thoughts, and focusing his mind on studying. Although he already knew all of the essays in his books by heart and had an original and refreshing interpretation of these texts, he still had quite a harvest from staying at the most illustrious academy in the country being able to talk to all of these schrs, exchanging ideas.


    Furthermore, the Yu Residence wasn¡¯t very far from the site of the college. Thus, he was able to return home every day and eat the nutritious meals that his second sister had personally made for him. Every night, he also had tasty midnight snacks and pastries. He was living an incredibly happy life. It was as if he had returned back to six years prior, when he was about to take the county-level exams. His second sister had especially gone to that simple and crude residence they had in Tanggu Town to cook for him. Although their conditions were not as good as they were today, his second sister still managed toe up with tasty meals for him every day then.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that there was an eyesore thinking up excuses to cadge a meal at their home every day and showing his face to his second sister, then he would be even more pleased!


    LIttle Shitou was like a fish in the water at the Imperial College. He also had very good rtionships with the other schoolmates there. After less than half a month, he had made quite a few good friends there. This clearly was with the help of his second sister, using a tactic that she called ¡®snack diplomacy¡¯,


    This was because he needed to take his noon meal at the Imperial College. Xiaocao felt bad that her younger brother was working so hard to study, so she especially made delicious and unique pastries for him every day. He brought them every day to school to eat. She made arge variety of food and they were all incredibly delicious. Even a tightly closed meal box was unable to conceal the fragrance within. Thus, it was obvious he had attracted the attention of other students.


    The vast majority of students at the school were all going to participate in the metropolitan civil service examinations next year. At first, they regarded Little Shitou, this new student, with a bit of suspicion. They were either cautiously polite around him or ignored him coldly. Before Little Shitou could even start implementing ¡®snack diplomacy¡¯, the sweet smell of his meal box had already perked up the interest of some cold-looking students.


    Most of these students were the sons of officials in the capital. Naturally, they knew about the Yu Family¡¯s line of businesses. Furthermore, Little Shitou was the younger blood-rted brother of the creator of the Yu¡¯s Businesses, Royal Princess Jinan. Royal Princess Jinan not only knew how to manufacture medicine, brew wine, cook medicinal cuisine, but she was also an expert at baking pastries.


    The pastries that Princess Consort Jing had once given out at her banquets had caused quite a sensation in the upper circles long ago in the capital. The two beauties of the capital and Royal Princess Minn¡¯s wedding banquets all had new dishes and refreshments there, which caused people to praise them endlessly. It was said that many bold guests hade over to congratte Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s friends¡¯ weddings in order to eat at their tables. Thus, they had to add table after table at the banquet and it was quite a lively atmosphere!


    Many people were now starting to n, wondering if they should show up with a big present at Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s uing wedding the next year. That way they could enjoy some delicious food. It was possible that every table would have a big surprise! The fact that all of these powerful officials who were willing to throw away their faces for the sake of delicious food spoke volumes about her culinary talents.


    Many families of the students here at the Imperial College did their best to find a way to break into Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s and Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s inner circle. Nowadays, Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s younger brother had appeared in their midst and always brought a box of pastries to ¡®tempt¡¯ them. If they didn¡¯t take advantage of this opportunity, then they¡¯d be the biggest idiots around!


    Although Yu Fan was young, he had a good understanding of the world and of how people worked. Second Older Sister was helping him smooth the way for him, so he naturally needed to treasure her work. At first, he only shared his food with a few schoolmates who expressed their goodwill to him. Afterwards, his friends increased and increased. During lunch, even the teachers and lecturers at the Imperial College would sometimes cozy over and ask him and his friends courteously about how their studies were going.


    Therefore, his young personal servant began carrying more and more food boxes along and the contents inside became more and more rich andplex. Other than some light refreshments, there would even be some substantial dishes in the boxes. Thus, he and his friends could add some food to their lunches.


    After spending more than a month there, he was now the student with the best social connections out of all of them. Although his ¡®snack diplomacy¡¯ only opened the way, his clever mind, likable personality as well as his sincere treatment of others caused many people and ssmates to view him in a good light.


    ¡°Hey! Xiaofan, what delicious foods did you bring today?¡± Little Shitou¡¯s closest friend, the youngest son of a schr at the Imperial Hanlin Academy, Zang Borui, came up from behind him. He patted Shitou¡¯s shoulder.


    Little Shitou nted him a look and asked, ¡°So if I don¡¯t bring tasty things along, you wouldn¡¯te over and greet me?¡±


    ¡°Haha, how could that be? To tell you the truth, at first, ah, I truly wasing over because of your food. After spending some time with you, I feel like you¡¯re a chummy fellow and worthy of my friendship, which was why I kepting back. Do you think I, this older brother, would spend time with just anyone?¡± As he talked, he also inadvertently threw a look at his arch-enemy, Liu Hongzhang.


    Zang Borui and Liu Hongzhang had been enemies since they were toddling kids. The two families had been fighting against each other since their father¡¯s generation. Neither wanted to back down from the other. Zang Borui¡¯s father was a fifth-ranked official at the Imperial Hanlin Academy and Liu Hongzhang¡¯s father was the consultant of the Communications Bureau and was also a fifth-ranked official. The two of them used a lot of effort to defeat the other.


    There truly wasn¡¯t a great grievance or hatred between the two families! Their fathers, in their youth, only had a few quarrels now and then, leading to the two families not seeing eye to eye with each other. As soon as they saw each other, they did their best to put the other down. Now, even Zang Borui and Liu Hongzhang acted the same way too.


    However, it turned out that these two people both had decent rtionships with Little Shitou. In order to not embarrass their friend, the two of them would calm down a bit in front of him and would at most use their eyes to express their displeasure at the other.


    Liu Hongzhang ignored the provocative look and spoke to Little Shitou, ¡°In three days, on your birthday, it will also be coincidentally a break day at school. How about we use this opportunity to rx a bit and have a celebration?¡±


    Little Shitou remembered the words his second sister had said yesterday and smiled foolishly, ¡°My second sister had said that she was nning on having the family¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House cater my celebration. I¡¯ve already prepared the invitations. When the momentes, you guys need to do me the honor ofing!¡±


    ¡°Does that even need to be said?¡± Zang Borui had a tall and strong figure and didn¡¯t look like a schr. He somewhat resembled a military man instead. He hugged Little Shitou¡¯s neck as he chucked mischievously, ¡°Your birthday celebration will be held at the Medicinal Cuisine House, then...will the banquet have ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯? Will your second sister personally make a birthday cake for you? Will there be the Yu¡¯s fine wine there? Will there be...¡±


    ¡°The friendship between gentlemen is clear like water, no vor but free of harmful substances like self-interest. As the son of a schr at Hanlin Academy, do you not know of this?¡± Liu Hongzhang couldn¡¯t take it anymore and raised an eyebrow as he coldly remarked.

 Chapter 662 - Birthday Banque

    <h4>Chapter 662 - Birthday Banque</h4>


    ¡°You¡¯re a gentleman? Then what are we, just nobodies?? Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t lust after the Yu¡¯s pastries, good wines, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? What a hypocrite! Xiaofan, when the momentes, just prepare a cup of in water for him. He so badly wants to be a gentleman, so let him stay one!¡± Zang Borui exploded in anger and began to argue vehemently with Liu Hongzhang.


    Little Shitou, who was stuck in-between them and feeling quite awkward, helplessly sighed within his heart before he said, ¡°My dear friends, just what sort of hatred do you have between you two that make you fight whenever you see each other as if you¡¯re in a love-hate rtionship? Let¡¯s get it all out in the open and decide whether you will both make up or have a clean break. Make it final, alright?¡±


    Zang Borui had a more straightforward personality and frowned, thinking for a long time, before he finally stated with a stupefied expression on his face, ¡°We don¡¯t really have a hateful history between us. But, what the hell is a ¡®love-hate rtionship¡¯? Xiaofan, can you stop spewing out these weird and bizarre phrases of yours?¡±


    ¡°You dare to im that the phrases that my second older sister likes to say are weird. You¡¯re done! Be careful. My second sister might add some wasabi into your favorite matcha cake!¡± Little Shitou had a look in his eyes that said ¡®you¡¯re done for¡¯, which made Zang Borui¡¯s heart rate speed up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell her ha! Your second older sister is truly your second older sister and has a creative turn of mind when ites to words. She doesn¡¯t stick to the norm and is ingenious in her way in usingnguage to describe the world...¡± Zang Borui immediately turned pale after hearing this¡ª¡ªalthough he had no idea what ¡®wasabi¡¯ was, he could tell from Yu Fan¡¯s expression that it wasn¡¯t something that was very good or tasty.


    ¡°Such ackey!¡± Liu Hongzhang coldly spat those words out but his eyes hid a smile within them. A love-hate rtionship? Just who was in love with this stinky little firecracker? As for hate, that was too intense for him. He only liked to tease him asionally as he thought that the other fellow¡¯s angry expression and antics, like a snarling little puppy, were quite interesting.


    As expected, Zang Borui immediately exploded, ¡°You¡¯re theckey! Your whole family areckeys! Hmph! You talk as if you¡¯re so high above but I¡¯ve seen you. Every time Xiaofan takes out his pastries, you always eat your fill! Xiaofan, did you bring any ck Forest Gateau along today? I¡¯m going to reserve them all...¡±


    ¡°Eh? Bear Zang, don¡¯t you hate eating chocte vored things the most? Why are you suddenly interested in ck Forest Gateau ah?¡± Little Shitou looked at him with a bbergasted expression. He had already be ustomed to the two of them bickering all the time. Perhaps this was the way the two of them just liked to interact with each other? Or perhaps they didn¡¯t need him to mediate their conflicts at all.


    Zang Borui nted a look at Liu Hongzhang and chuckled mischievously, ¡°Only demons would like the oddly bitter-sweet chocte. However...if I¡¯m able to prevent a certain someone from eating his most favorite ck Forest Gateau, then I will happily eat them down as if I was downing an unpleasant medicine!¡±


    ¡°What a waste of natural resources to allow a cow to munch on peonies!! Childish!!¡± Liu Hongzhang wasn¡¯t going to be scared by the other youth¡¯s worlds. The truth woulde to light at the right moment. When had the fellow surnamed Zang ever won against himself? And he wanted to threaten him?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being a bit childish if I can make you furious?¡± Zang Borui made a funny face and stuck out his tongue at Liu Hongzhang¡¯s backside. One of his other ssmates, who was sitting at the side, saw all of this and looked at him with a weird expression. Zang Borui stared at him and aggressively said, ¡°What are you looking at? Have you never seen a fellow as handsome as myself?¡±


    ¡°Are you sick? Did you not take your medicine?¡± That other ssmate wasn¡¯t in their usual circle of friends and they were mere acquaintances. Earlier, when he heard about Little Shitou¡¯s birthday celebration, he crept over silently, ¡°Yu Fan, let me wish you an early happy birthday...would I have the honor of being able to...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh! The day before my birthday party, I will hand out invitations.¡± Right after Little Shitou finished his sentence, a few more familiar faces popped out from nowhere as they all stared at him fervently. They all resembled little wolf cubs salivating over a big meaty bone. Little Shitou felt his head start to hurt. He wasn¡¯t sure whether his second sister had prepared enough tables to handle all of these schoolmates who were cozying up to him. He braced himself and said, ¡°If you all don¡¯t disdain it, when the timees, you shoulde along and enjoy the festivities?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, not a problem!¡± The nearby students in the Imperial College immediately revealed happy smiles and burst into cheers. There were some who were afraid they had missed their opportunity and hurried up to introduce themselves such that Little Shitou could hear their names. In the span of the time it took him to travel from the entrance gate of the academy to his ssroom, he had promised to give out a dozen more invitations.


    When he got home, hemented to his second older sister about what had happened. Yu Xiaocao immediately had the manager of the Medicinal Cuisine House find all of the customers who had reserved a table on the day of his birthday and had them exchange their tables for a free of charge first ss medicinal cuisine meal instead. Thus, they managed to take all of the private tables back. Then she had Little Shitou send out invitations to all of his teachers and ssmates at the Imperial College.


    Naturally, the invitations to the students were only restricted to the thirty or so people who were in the same ssroom as him. Although the Imperial College hadn¡¯t reached a thousand enrolled students yet, it still likely had around eight hundred total. The Medicinal Cuisine House would burst open at the seams and still wouldn¡¯t be able to hold that many people. Xiaocao thought about this again and decided to invite the people back to their own residence instead!


    The ssmates who got the invitations were naturally incredibly gleeful. The students in the other ssrooms, on the other hand, were green with jealousy. In the couple of days prior to his birthday celebration, wherever he went, Little Shitou could feel the angry gazes of other people staring at him from the side. He was so frightened that when ss was done for the noon meal, he was too afraid to step out of the ssroom as he wondered if he¡¯d be stopped by people if he went anywhere else. At the end of school, he also had to be escorted home by his best friends.


    On the day of his birthday banquet, his best friends: Zang Borui, Liu Hongzhang, Li Wenfeng, Huang Zixu, and Zhong Lifeng, arrived bright and early at the Yu Residence. They were taking on the honored duty of helping him receive his other schoolmates. However, when they entered the outer courtyard, they were immediately dominated by the imposing and majestic Imperial Prince Xu and they instantly became as docile as a flock of doves.


    Once Zhu Junyang greeted the two Zhao Generals and had invited the teachers from the Imperial College into the reception pavilion to have tea, Zang Borui finally quietly came over as if he was frightened to say, ¡°Wow! Xiaofan, you truly have a lot of clout to have Imperial Prince Xu help you greet the guests! You even have the guts to bicker in front of him. If it were me, I¡¯d be so scared that I would have peed my pants by now!¡±


    ¡°Look at your sorry state! The younger brother-inw has the most power. Don¡¯t you know this fact? If you were Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s younger brother-inw, he would also give you some grace!¡± Liu Hongzhang never gave up a chance to diss Zang Borui. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be happy.


    Zang Borui nted him a look and said, ¡°Hypocrite Zhang, speak the truth. In front of Imperial Prince Xu, don¡¯t you also want to pee your pants too?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything shameful, so why would I want to pee my pants?¡± Liu Hongzhang had to admit that it was hard to not be affected by Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s imposing aura. However, as a guest, he had a proper invitation in hand. Imperial Prince Xu was like the other host here, so what could he do to them? Was there anything for him to be afraid of?


    ¡°Little Shitou, howe you¡¯re not inviting your ssmates here into the pavilion to sit?¡± A clear and sweet-sounding voice could be heard from behind them and it resembled the dulcet singing of an oriole. Zang Borui and the other four looked over and saw an elegant, graceful and beautiful young woman smiling at them.


    ¡°Second Sister, let me introduce you to them. These are my good friends!¡± Little Shitou introduced his best friends to Yu Xiaocao one after another and then he spoke to his friends, ¡°This is my second older sister!¡±


    ¡°Hello, Second Older Sister!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Second Older Sister, for allowing Yu Fan to bring your pastries to us every day!¡±


    ¡°Second Older Sister, you look even younger than Xiaofan!¡±


    ¡°Second Older Sister...¡±


    Little Shitou couldn¡¯t stand the fawning andckey-like actions of his good friends and hurriedly stopped them, ¡°Just what are you guys doing by calling her ¡®older sister¡¯? My second older sister has just turned seventeen and is younger than you all by quite a bit!¡±


    ¡°Although our second older sister is young in age, she has seniority over us all! Based on the rtionship between us, your second older sister is naturally my second older sister. Second Older Sister, your matcha cakes and fruit cakes are incredibly delicious. I have never eaten such tasty desserts before in my life! Second Older Sister, your culinary talents are the best in the world!!¡± Zang Borui was the mostckey-like of them all. Hevishedpliment afterpliment on her.


    Yu Xiaocao would have never expected that her younger brother¡¯s good friends at school could be so amusing. She had thought that the students of the Imperial College were all die-hard bookworms. This youth surnamed Zang was truly too adorable.


    ¡°Today, I¡¯ve prepared a wide variety of desserts. If you like anything, please tell the servants to get some. There¡¯s no need to be polite. Little Shitou, treat your schoolmates well as you shouldn¡¯t slight our guests ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao warned him a few times before finally saying goodbye to the students from the Imperial College. She went back with her Auntie Zhao and godmother into the inner courtyard.


    ¡°Wow¡ª¡ªXiaofan, apparently your childhood nickname was Little Shitou ah! So funny!¡± Zang Borui covered his mouth and grinned so broadly that he resembled a little mouse who had stolen some cheese.


    ¡°Is it as funny as the childhood nickname ¡®Big and Sturdy¡¯ ah?¡± Liu Hongzhang interjected before the other youth could react.


    ¡°Hypocrite Zhang! Do you want to fight??¡± Zang Borui immediately snarled back, acting like an angry up little rooster who had its neck and feathers all puffed up. Whenever his childhood nickname, ¡®Big and Sturdy¡¯ got mentioned, he felt his head hurt. He had been born prematurely and was quite weak and tiny as a baby, like a delicate little kitten.


    His paternal grandmother had believed in the custom that ¡®a crude name makes a child easy to raise¡¯, and gave him the nickname of ¡®Big and Sturdy¡¯. However, one had to admit that from childhood to now, he really didn¡¯t get sick very often. Once he reached adulthood, he was not only extremely tall but also very sturdy. When he started protesting against this nickname, no one at home used it anymore once he turned ten. However, it had always been his sore point and he would erupt in fury whenever someone mentioned it.


    ¡°Alright ah, alright! Can¡¯t you two see that this isn¡¯t the right environment for you two to fight? This is Yu Fan¡¯s good day today, so please calm down. you need to leave a good impression for Second Older Sister!¡± The eldest of the group of five and the one with the calmest personality was Zhong Lifeng. In one sentence, he was able to stop the two of them from blowing up.


    Huang Zixu had the liveliest personality out of all of them and smiled brilliantly, ¡°Xiaofan, can you bring us to the back kitchens to take a look at what sort of desserts are avable? How about...we can go help ourselves?¡±


    ¡°Alright ah, alright! I agree with this n!¡± Zang Borui immediately forgot the embarrassment of his nickname being mentioned and jumped up to express his agreement. Li Wenfeng¡¯s eyes also lit up as he nodded his head repeatedly.


    Little Shitou was a bit embarrassed, ¡°You are all guests, so how could I take you to the back kitchen...¡±


    ¡°Come on ah! Don¡¯t be such a worrywart. Just who are we to you? Go, go! Bring us to look around your residence¡¯s kitchens!¡± The group of youths heckled him and began to squeeze through the corner gate to enter the courtyard.


    These fellows had long andnky legs, so they very quickly arrived at the back kitchens. Because the birthday banquet was being catered by the Yu¡¯s Medicinal Cuisine House, the kitchen only had Yangliu and a few capable assistants from the pastry shop busily working. When they saw Zang Borui leading the pack into the kitchens, Yangliu immediately raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips as she hardly said, ¡°Who are you ah? The kitchen isn¡¯t a ce for random people to juste and go as they please. Go back out!¡±


    ¡°Older Sister Yangliu, it¡¯s me!¡± Little Shitou hastily came forward to help Zang Borui and revealed a bright smile on his face.


    When she saw her mistress¡¯s younger brother, Yangliu put away her fierce expression. However, the kitchen truly wasn¡¯t a ce for strangers toe and go. Thus she said, ¡°Young Master, whatever you need, just tell one of the servants toe over. Why send these honored guests over to see such a crude area?¡±

 Chapter 663 - Tes

    <h4>Chapter 663 - Tes</h4>


    ¡°Older Sister Yangliu, Second Older Sister was the one who told us toe over and choose the desserts we like!¡± Huang Zixu gave a quick excuse and then scuttled over to the area where the pastries were held. Wow! Next to the wall was a giant stand with five shelves on it and it waspletely filled with all sorts of cakes and pastries. It was truly a sight to dazzle a person¡¯s eyes. What was to be done? He wanted to eat everything that was there!!


    Yangliumanded her subordinates to give each of the guests a tray and asked, ¡°Honored guests, what would you all like to drink? Tea? Fruit juice? Coffee? Or how about some fruit tea?¡±


    Liu Hongzhang had strolled over to the beverage area while all of his ssmates were selecting pastries. He had been attracted by the rich fragrance of coffee. The beverages could all be had at the Yu¡¯s Tea Shop, but coffee was the newest addition to the lot. Every day it sold out very quickly. Because the shop didn¡¯t take reservations for it, people who wanted it needed to line up for a very long time before they could buy some. Thus, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to try any until now!


    ¡°Could you give me a cup of coffee, please?¡± Liu Hongzhang naturally couldn¡¯t miss out on this opportunity.


    ¡°Alright. Do you want to add the cream and sugar yourself or would you prefer to have us mix it up instead?¡± Yangliu personally poured a cup of just brewed coffee in a cup and quietly asked.


    ¡°Older Sister Yangliu, mix it up to suit the average person¡¯s tastes! Older Brother Liu, although coffee has a very rich aroma, its bitter taste is not something to be underestimated and the average person cannot stand the taste of it alone. It¡¯s better to add more cream and sugar to it to make it taste better!¡± Little Shitou gave his opinion to help out. Compared to the bitter coffee, he vastly preferred the sweet taste of fruit juice.


    In the blink of an eye, he noticed that his close pals were all crazily adding one te after another on their trays. None of them seemed to be slowing down, so he didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. He hastily reminded them, ¡°Are you all sure you want to take that many pastries back? The noon meal will be catered by the Medicinal Cuisine House. If you guys don¡¯t have any room in your stomachs to eat ¡®Buddha Jumps Over the Wall¡¯, then don¡¯t me me for not warning you all first!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! We¡¯re going to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for lunch!!!¡± Zang Borui, who had taken the most pastries earlier, hurriedly put one small te after another back on the shelves. He needed to save some room in his stomach such that he¡¯d have enough space to enjoy the legendary delicacy¡ª¡ªBuddha Jumps Over the Wall!


    ¡°Young Master, Young Master! A few of your schoolmates have arrived and your lord father sent me over to ask you, do you want to receive them in your study or have them all go to the reception pavilion?¡± Little Shitou¡¯s personal servant panted as he ran over.


    Little Shitou thought for a bit and then ordered, ¡°Take them to my study ah! The teachers are all in the reception pavilion. If we head over there, then it¡¯d be hard for us to leaveter on!¡±


    ¡°Right, right! Younger Brother Shitou is the thoughtful one here!¡± Zang Borui smiled foolishly as he held his tray full of beverages and desserts in his hands. He had bumped into something and now everything was nking on top.


    ¡°Thank you, Older Brother Big and Strong, for yourpliments!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s flippant reply caused the older youth to eat his own words. He closed his mouth dispiritedly. Liu Hongzhang was sipping coffee at the side and was appreciating his arch-enemy getting put in his ce.


    ¡°Just what are you looking at?! It¡¯s all your fault, telling others my childhood nickname!! Is it that great to not have one ah? All that means is that no one cares about you at home, hmph hmph. Just wait. I¡¯ll find your weakness one day!!¡± Zang Borui angrily stuffed a piece of matcha cake into his mouth. Only the sweet taste of pastries was able to soothe his ruffled heart!


    The lively Huang Zixu shot a nce at Imperial Prince Xu, who was helping receive the guests with a faint smile on his face. The youth¡¯s eyes roved around a bit and then he sidled over to Little Shitou to whisper, ¡°Yu Fan, Imperial Prince Xu is as cold and hard as a giant ice cube. Our second sister is so delicate and weak, so how¡¯d she end up liking him? Could it be that Imperial Prince Xu used his power and might and forced her to marry him ah? Don¡¯t worry, although our family¡¯s power and influence cannotpare to his, we can¡¯t allow him to take advantage of his position to bully other people! Even if we need to bring this fight to the emperor, we still need to save Second Older Sister from his evil clutches!¡±


    ¡°Older Brother Zixu, did you lose your mind ah?¡± Little Shitou rolled his eyes at the older youth and huffed, ¡°Do you think that I, Yu Fan, am an unscrupulous person who would sell my own older sister for my personal glory and honor ah? Are you blind? If my second sister didn¡¯t like that guy, I would risk my own life to prevent their marriage!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Zixu, if you can¡¯t say something nice, then don¡¯t say anything at all! Earlier, our second older sister smiled so sweetly and happily, so how could she possibly be the one being forced into a marriage? Our second older sister is so capable and talented, who could possibly force her to do anything?¡± Zang Borui had already be Xiaocao¡¯s faithful and crazy fanboy.


    Huang Zixu thought about his own older sister, who was unable to do as she wished, and couldn¡¯t help but mumble, ¡°No matter how capable she is, she is still a woman. Just how many women in this world are actually able to take their lives and happiness into their own hands?¡±


    He said this with an undertone of deep emotion. His most beloved older sister, who was fully rted to him, had actually been married off by his father to be the second wife of a widower. She was now the stepmother of a five year old. This only happened because that man, her now husband, was able to help his father in his career. At that time, he had also argued and fought for his older sister. Unfortunately, his father refused to listen to anyone. If Imperial Prince Xu had set his eyes on Yu Fan¡¯s second older sister, with his status and position, how could the Yu Family possibly refuse him?


    The rumors all said that Imperial Prince Xu was a tyrannical and grim man who had cruel methods in his hands. He had also gone onto the battlefield and killed people as if they were nothing. Earlier he had just met the prince¡¯s eyes once and he was frightened until his heart froze and almost forgot to breathe. Yu Fan¡¯s second older sister was a delicate and delicate young maiden. Wouldn¡¯t she faint instantly as soon as Imperial Prince Xu red at her? Huang Zixu was truly worried for Yu Xiaocao!


    Yu Fan chuckled and put an arm around Huang Zixu¡¯s shoulders as he whispered, ¡°You¡¯re truly thinking too much right now. Although Imperial Prince Xu normally looks quite fierce and vicious, in front of my older sister, he¡¯s as obedient as a house dog.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just Huang Zixu who didn¡¯t believe him. None of his ssmates did. They all stared at him with a look that said, ¡®Can you at least say a believable lie?¡¯.


    ¡°You all don¡¯t believe me? Let me prove it right now for you all!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s eyes flickered as a mischievous smile appeared on his lips.


    He walked up to his father who was talking to Zhu Junyang and revealed a sincere look. He stared at the prince with a half-smile on his face as he said, ¡°Future Brother-inw, earlier I saw my second sister in the back kitchen. She said that she was wearing a set of purple clothing but didn¡¯t have any hairpins that matched with it. I remember that Wisdom Jade Pavilion seemed to have just finished carving a set of purple jadeite hair decorations yesterday and it would match my sister¡¯s clothing splendidly.¡±


    Although Zhu Junyang felt a burst of happiness when he heard himself being addressed as ¡®Future Brother-inw¡¯, he hadn¡¯t lost his head over it. Ordinarily, when this youngster saw him, he acted like an angry little toad, puffed up with anger. It was as if he owed Little Shitou a few hundred taels or something. Today, on the other hand, he had flipped his attitude, so there must be something fishy.


    He let out a bit of his ability and read the youngster¡¯s thoughts: ¡®Faster, go help my older sister get it. Don¡¯t you always do everything you can for her ah? It¡¯s time for you to show off your stuff!! Let my best friends see how sincere you are to her ah!¡¯


    This stinky brat was using him as a joke ah! His schoolmates were all a bit too imaginative, right? They actually thought that he, as the grand and magnificent Imperial Prince Xu, would actually use his immense power to force the Yu Family to promise their daughter to him...they all had too much time on their hands!!


    However, he had to give face to his younger brother-inw. He stared at Little Shitou for a bit with a faint smile on his lips until the youth finally looked away sheepishly. Only then did he raise his voice, ¡°That set of hairpins was especially made for your second sister. This prince will go get it for her now!¡±


    When he finished that statement, he whispered quietly into Little Shitou¡¯s ear, ¡°Since you called me brother-inw, I will y along with you this time. Remember that you owe me, your brother-inw, for this ah!¡±


    Little Shitou replied in a somewhat unnatural manner as he wasn¡¯t willing to admit his motives in doing this, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that you can hide your little tricks from me? If your older sister wanted me to get that set of hairpins for her, she would directly tell me and not y word gymnastics, saying that something matched something else. You, ah, always brag about how close you are with your second older sister but you don¡¯t really understand her personality! Also, young children shouldn¡¯t get into the habit of telling lies!¡± After he finished this, he used hisrge and powerful hand to ruffle his future younger brother-inw¡¯s hair.


    Little Shitou did his best to dodge the w that was messing up his hair and growled, ¡°I¡¯m not telling lies. I¡¯m just testing to see how much you care about my second older sister! Also, a man¡¯s head and a woman¡¯s waist are not areas where other people should be touching. So stop it!¡±


    ¡°Psh...you¡¯re a little brat who hasn¡¯t even grown facial hair, so what right do you have to call yourself a man ah? And you also know that a woman¡¯s waist is not to be touched, which makes it sound like you¡¯ve tried to do that before! Does this prince need a brat like you to test my love for my future princess consort? All I need is your second older sister¡¯s approval, as for everyone else...this prince doesn¡¯t care!¡± Zhu Junyang threw an aggressive look at the group of five who were peeking over in the distance. He nced at all of them, scaring the five brats intoplete silence.


    Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s tyrannical aura had just been exposed. Just one nce from him was enough to cause a person¡¯s heart to start pounding. Furthermore, his oppressive manner and words had truly shown just how much importance he ced on Yu Fan¡¯s Second Older Sister.


    ¡°Who are you calling a bat who hasn¡¯t grown facial hair yet? I¡¯m already sixteen years old! There are many guys at this age who are already fathers because they married early!¡± Little Shitou continued to hop around Imperial Prince Xu, who was taller than him by half a head. He resembled a tiny flea bouncing around. Although he imed he was sixteen that was ording to traditional method of reckoning , in actuality, he had just passed his fifteenth birthday.


    Zhu Junyang ignored hisints and reached out a hand to pinch Little Shitou¡¯s cheeks a couple of times and then turned around to speak to Yu Hai for a moment. Then, he took Hou Xiaoliang with him as he left the Yu Residence. His Treasure Pavilion had gotten a shipment of pink diamonds recently, and he hadmanded the craftsmen to work overtime to make a set of jewelry. They should be done today, so it was just in time for him to give out his present during his future younger brother-inw¡¯s birthday. The littless would definitely look quite stunning wearing this new set of jewelry to receive the guests. The future Princess Consort Xu¡¯s good name was also his good name. Mhm! He needed to personally retrieve this set to look more serious and solemn!


    When they saw Imperial Prince Xu leave, Yu Fan¡¯s five best friends immediately gathered over and theyplimented Little Shitou to the heavens in an esteemed manner, ¡°Xiaofan, you¡¯re too sick!! You even dare to quibble head on with that imposing face...¡±


    ¡°But, howe I feel like there was something fishy going on? Like you¡¯re not as strong as you seem ah?¡±


    ¡°Go scram! If Imperial Prince Xu stood in front of you, you wouldn¡¯t even dare to let out a fart. How do you have the face to im that he¡¯s not as strong as he seems ah?¡±


    ¡°It would be the embarrassment of a lifetime to fart in front of Imperial Prince Xu. If I had a farting out I would definitely have to hold it back!¡±


    ¡°However, Xiaofan, Imperial Prince Xu seems to treat you quite well as the younger brother-inw ah! He even strokes your hair and pinches your face. Even when he talks to you, he speaks in a gentle manner and has a slight smile on his face.¡±


    ¡°Now I truly believe that our second sister hasn¡¯t been threatened or forced into this uing marriage. From the way Imperial Prince Xu treats Xiaofan and Uncle Yu, it¡¯s more than enough to prove just how much he esteems our second sister.¡±


    Little Shitou grumpily waved a hand, ¡°Do I need you guys to say this? You were the ones who were doubtful, wondering if something bad was going on, and insisted on specting on whether Imperial Prince Xu loves my second sister or not. You forced me to lose all face in front of that fellow!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Imperial Prince Xu found out what you were trying to do? Then why did he head out of the residence?¡± Zang Borui scratched his head as he asked in puzzlement.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me, but who can I ask now? Let¡¯s go to my study and help me receive the other guests!¡± Little Shitou didn¡¯t want to continue on this topic. That fellow could go do whatever he wanted!


    [1] traditional method of reckoning - Traditional method of ounting for age in Chinese Culture states that you¡¯re one year old when you¡¯re born. It¡¯s a bit moreplicated than that but that¡¯s the simplified version.

 Chapter 664 - Dowry

    <h4>Chapter 664 - Dowry</h4>


    They had originally nned on holding Little Shitou¡¯s birthday celebration before the metropolitan civil service examinations as a family. This would also allow him to rx a bit and avoid him from bing too nervous and not bncing himself between work and rest.


    Xiaocao nned on inviting Grandfather Zhao¡¯s family, her godmother¡¯s family, and a few of her good friends. In addition, she wanted to invite Little Shitou¡¯s master, Great Schr Yuan, and a few of his good school friends. However, her only mistake was in assuming that this would be a simple matter. She had thought that holding the banquet at the Medicinal Cuisine House would be enough.


    In general, the rooms at Medicinal Cuisine House needed to be reserved at least a week in advance. Xiaocao had quickly estimated the number of people and decided to reserve three rooms. That would have been more than enough space to cater her own family, Grandfather Zhao¡¯s family, her godfather¡¯s family, the guests that Zhu Junyang wanted, her own good friends and their husbands, as well as Little Shitou¡¯s schoolmates and teachers.


    She didn¡¯t expect that once word got out at the Imperial College that things would change that much. Now, even the teachers who were invited were enough to fill one whole table. As for the students who got the invitations, they would be able to fill three rooms until they burst. Then there were the students who were usually mere acquaintances with Little Shitou who turned up without being invited; they ended up filling another table.


    Somehow, the news that the Yu Family was getting food catered from the Medicinal Cuisine House had also reached the ears of the emperor emeritus and a few of the imperial princes. That was it! These old men, who loved food, had all scurried over with gifts along too. Then there were a few families who had good rtionships with the Fang Family; all of them also appeared at the Yu Residence. It was so busy that the Yu Family and Fang Family¡¯s people had no time to deal with it all!


    Fortunately, Xiaocao had taken all of the private rooms back from the Medicinal Cuisine House in advance. Otherwise, this banquet would be a farce that everyone wouldugh at.


    Their master¡¯s younger brother was having his birthday celebration, and it was turning out to be a big event. Thus, the chefs and servants from the Medicinal Cuisine House did their best. Every single dish was made toplete perfection. This meal was so delicious that those old gluttons ended up stuffing themselves silly. It could be said that both the hosts and guests at this celebration were immensely satisfied by this event. Before they left, every person also got a box of pastries as a gift. However, one shouldn¡¯t look down on this mere box of desserts. In the Yu¡¯s Western-Style Desserts Store, this tiny little box cost at least a few dozen taels!


    There was only one shop in the entire capital, even the entire Great Ming Empire, that sold western-style desserts. As for those old dessert shops, like Daoxiang Vige, who sold traditional style desserts, they were all incredibly happy that the ¡®Yu¡¯s Businesses¡¯ hadn¡¯t extended their reach into their territory. Otherwise, they would have no road left to live.


    The manager of Daoxiang Vige had once tactfully inquired Yangliu whether The Yu¡¯s nned on making traditional style desserts. When she reported to Xiaocao, her answer back was enough to set their hearts at ease¡ª¡ªwithin the next twenty years, The Yu¡¯s only nned on making western-style desserts. This allowed all of the old and famous dessert shops to let out a big sigh in relief. Many things could change in the span of twenty years. Who knew what things would be like twenty yearster?


    After his birthday celebration passed, Little Shitou discovered that his rtionships with other people had improved immensely. Within the Imperial College, whether it was the teachers or students, everyone would show him a genial smile whenever they saw him. Those who were closer to him would evene over and greet him! When the students were debating, many of them would go and find him to exchange thoughts and ideas. It truly helped him to refine his own thoughts. Thus, at the college, Little Shitou was maturing at a breakneck speed.


    When Yuan Sinian began quizzing his little disciple, he discovered that the youth¡¯s ideas and thoughts had matured greatly and that his essays had be more rigorous. If one had topare, prior to entering the Imperial College, Yu Fan was like a young eagle who had just left the nest. Although he was quite dynamic, he was also a bit young and tender in his thoughts. Now he had already matured into an adult eagle, able to fight with the winds and soar the vast skies withplete ease. He had a long-term vision and loads of potential and was just waiting for his opportunity to fly up into the clouds.


    Great Schr Yuan didn¡¯t show much of his thoughts on the outside but when he returned back home, he was quite cocky and boastful in front of his son. Prime Minister Yuan felt quite helpless by this. ¡®Yes! You managed to obtain a good disciple! He has the talent to be the top scorer of the Imperial Pce Examinations. He has the potential to be one of the legendary schrs who got the top score in all three rounds of the pce examinations! What does any of this have to do with me, huh? For the sake of your good disciple, my younger disciple brother, I even needed to resign from the spot of the top examiner. Did you have toe over and unt this in my face ah? My dear father, have you forgotten that you have a grandson who is also going to participate in these exams? In your eyes, in your speech, in your heart, do you only have your precious disciple now? Did you disce your young grandson ah? Then what is my cing in your heart now, as the father of your grandson, ah?¡¯


    Fortunately, his youngest son¡¯s personality was like his and didn¡¯t depend on the attention of others. Everyday, his son would follow his usual routine and go to the Imperial College to study, then go back home to meditate and review his schoolwork. In addition, he would even sometimes ask for guidance from the little genius, Yu Fan. Hard work could make up for a lot of things, so he was confident that his son would be able to get a good cing in the metropolitan civil service examinations!


    The days passed by one after another. In the blink of an eye, the capital had already entered the season of wind and snow. In the past, winter at the Yu Residence had a different atmosphere than it did this year. This was thest New Years that their youngest daughter was going to spend with their family. Thus, Yu Hai and his wife became busy at the start of the twelfth month as they wished to give their youngest daughter a perfect memory of thisst holiday as an unmarrieddy.


    As the eldest sister-inw, Liu Huifang had alsoe to the capital with the Yu Family. In the past, she had oncee to the capital after getting an invitation from her good friend, her future younger sister-inw, Xiaocao. The Yu Family¡¯s residence in the capital wasn¡¯t much different than the one they had in Dongshan Vige. The only difference was that the furnishings were a bit more delicate and fine.


    After Liu Huifang entered the capital, she began to learn how to manage arge residence from her mother-inw and her younger sister-inw¡¯s godmother. On the day of her younger brother-inw¡¯s birthday, she had gained quite a bit of experience and hade into contact with a lot of upper ss maidens in the capital. Although she was a bit reserved and restrained when interacting with them, she had slowly learned how to conduct herself. During the preparations for the New Year¡¯s celebrations, she had continued to help her mother-inw and hade up with many good ideas and proposals.


    Liu Huifang had grown up with Xiaocao and had personally witnessed the Yu Family¡¯s journey from rags to riches. She knew that Xiaocao was the one responsible for the sudden rise in the Yu Family¡¯s fortunes. It could be said that, without Xiaocao, they wouldn¡¯t have the current Yu Family.


    After she married over, her husband had often mentioned that all of the businesses in the capital were the result of his youngest sister¡¯s hard work. As the eldest brother, he couldn¡¯t help her with much, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t be so shameless to ask for a piece of the pie there. In fact, even the Yu Family¡¯s properties in Tanggu were all a result of his youngest sister¡¯s efforts in setting up a good foundation. Their Tanggu seed breeding farm and fruit and vegetable business, as well as those prosperous shops at the harbor, all had the shadow of his youngest sister in them.


    As the family¡¯s eldest son, he naturally needed to stay in Tanggu to keep an eye on the Yu Family¡¯s ancestral home and foundations. No matter how wealthy or prosperous the capital was, he wasn¡¯t the least bit envious. The size of one¡¯s head dictated the size of one¡¯s hat. Yu Hang was very well aware of his own abilities and was clear-headed enough to recognize his limitations.


    He was afraid that a person¡¯s heart could change once money was brought into the picture. Thus, he would, from time to time, mention certain things in front of his wife in a deliberate manner. Liu Huifang naturally knew the worth of the properties and businesses of the Yu¡¯s in the capital. Every single one of them could be described as bringing in gold every day.


    But what did that matter? She wasn¡¯t a royal princess and wasn¡¯t someone favored by the emperor like Younger Sister Xiaocao. Even if these businesses entered her hands, how long could she keep them there? It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that one could throw a stick and end up hitting a few nobles on any street in the capital. How could there not be any envious and jealous people eyeing these businesses? Wasn¡¯t the only reason why her younger sister was able to do so well because she had a powerful backing? If any one else tried, who could do it?


    That being said, one needed to be content with one¡¯s situation. Huifang was already quite satisfied with her current life. She had grown up in times where things werecking, where her family went hungry between meals and the only thing they could afford to eat were tbreads made of coarse grain. She could still remember those days as if they had just happened. If it weren¡¯t for Younger Sister Xiaocao, her father, the pir of their family, might have died long ago during that harsh winter. Without the Yu Family as a business partner, even if their family decided to raise chickens and ducks, they may not have been able to find a good market...


    Now, she was married to the eldest son of the Yu Family and was the envy of all of the young maidens in the vige. She was living the leisurely life of a young matron in a wealthy family. Why did she need to get her panties in a bunch and let greed blind her own two eyes?


    Thus, when her mother-inw began to prepare her younger sister¡¯s dowry list and had called the whole household to her rooms to discuss this matter, she was able to view the long list of items and estates with a peaceful heart.


    ¡°Mother, I want to leave this wine brewing workshop to Older Brother. Take it off! This candied fruit and canned fruits factory is for Xiaolian ah! This newly bought farmstead only nts out of season fruits and vegetables and this refrigerated storage building is for Younger Brother...also, this, and this...take them all off the list!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had noticed that all of her industries in the capital had been written on her dowry list. Furthermore, the valuable items and properties in the Yu Family¡¯s treasury had all been added to her dowry too. Although she was extremely touched, she didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry at this¡ª¡ªher parents were truly too much. They were giving everything away from the family for her dowry, so what would they do in the future?


    Madam Liu took the list out of her hands but didn¡¯t take anything off like she had hoped for. Instead, after thinking a bit, she added a few more precious items.


    ¡°As for hair ornaments and jewelry, we should go to a few famous shops tomorrow in the capital and see if there are any new varieties to be had so we can add some more for Cao¡¯er. At Exquisite Garments, are the clothing sets we ordered ready to be picked up ah? Ah, that¡¯s right, I think Precious Shining Fabrics has gotten a new shipment of satins and damasks. Your godmother told us that we should get some bright cloud brocade...¡± Madam Liu chattered on for a long time and had her youngest son write everything down. That way she could avoid forgetting things in the bustle and mess of the end of the year.


    ¡°Mother! Did you hear a single word I said ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao had been ignored for a long time and helplessly opened her mouth again.


    Madam Liu raised her head to look her in the eye before she lightly sighed, ¡°Those businesses were all established by you after a lot of hard work and effort. Although they are under the name of the Yu¡¯s, who in the capital doesn¡¯t know that they are owned by Royal Princess Jinan? Your intentions are good in that you want to add some ie to your brothers and sister, but if they took them, how would other people view them? Especially your younger brother. In the future, he is going to enter court and be an official. How will his colleagues view him then?¡±


    Yu Hai also agreed with her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the family anymore! As your father, I can¡¯t help but feel upset when I remember how you took on the responsibilities of the family at such a young and tender age. In the blink of an eye, it¡¯s now time for you to get married. The family¡¯s circumstances nowpared to then are as different as the sky and the earth. No matter how good the rtionships are between siblings, after they get married, they need to rely on themselves to eat and live. What¡¯s the point of relying on others all the time? Listen to us, your parents. Other than the Yu Residence in the capital, you need to take everything else!¡±


    ¡°Second Older Sister, the Yu Family has me and Older Brother! You just need to live your own life in afortable manner. If Imperial Prince Xu ends up hurting you, feel free toe back to our home. The Yu Family¡¯s gates will always be wide open for you.¡± Just as Little Shitou finished his words, two palms had hit the back of his head.


    ¡°Stinky brat, can¡¯t you say something nice for once?¡± Yu Hai and his wife took their hands back and red at their youngest son.

 Chapter 665 - Adding a Son

    <h4>Chapter 665 - Adding a Son</h4>


    Little Shitou rubbed his forehead, which had turned red after being hit. Earlier his words were a bit inappropriate. His second older sister was the family¡¯s most capable and daring person. How could she allow herself to be pushed around so easily? He smiled sheepishly at Xiaocao and continued, ¡°In these past few years, the share of the profits that you¡¯ve given us have been used to buy a few estates in the capital or in Jinwei Prefecture City. So we all have our own sources of ie now! As for the rest of the profits, you should keep it yourself now to avoid other people gossiping that we¡¯re taking advantage of Imperial Prince Xu.¡±


    Little Shitou hated it when outsiders imed that the Yu Family were a bunch of social climbers. Clearly it was that fellow, Imperial Prince Xu, who insisted on clinging onto his second sister, but how did it be their family clutching onto him instead?


    Yu Xiaocao knocked on her younger brother¡¯s forehead, pretending to be angry, ¡°I, your older sister, haven¡¯t even married yet you want to split away from me? These businesses are all mine, so it¡¯s up to me on what I do with them. Who cares about what other people say? If you all think it¡¯s inappropriate to take all of these obvious businesses, then if I leave the farmsteads, shops, and residences that people don¡¯t know about to you all, would that be ok?¡±


    She had been living in the capital for the past five years and had many businesses under her banner. However, Xiaocao didn¡¯t actually have that much free cash sitting around, piled into a giant gold and silver mountain, like other people thought she did. She had been influenced by the ideas of people in her previous life who were skilled investors. When she had money on hand, she used it to exchange fornd, shops and houses.


    Whether it was the government brokers or private brokers in the capital, they all knew about Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s little hobby. As soon as an appropriate property came into their hands, they would immediately head over to discuss with her. Consequently, Xiaocao had at least a dozen or so farmsteads on hand within the suburbs of the capital. Other than the shops that she used for her own businesses, she had around fifteen other shops that she rented out in the west and east sides of the city. Furthermore, she had around six to seven residences that were in prosperous areas of the capital. Her stack of deeds became a thick pile when ced on a desk and it was enough to cause many people to feel jealous.


    When she bought these farmsteads, shops, and residences, she always put the master of the Yu Family, Yu Hai¡¯s, name on the deeds. The rental contracts she signed were also under his name. In other words, while Yu Hai was unaware, the Yu Family had already gained quite a few properties within the capital.


    Yu Hai sighed endlessly within his heart. His youngest daughter had long begun paving the way for him, the head of the Yu Family. Argh! As a father, he was truly too useless to have his youngest daughter take on the responsibility of improving the Yu Family¡¯s lot!


    ¡°Alright ah, your mother and I will take these businesses and properties then. As for the shops at the harbor, you four siblings will divide them evenly amongst yourselves.¡± Yu Hai took the deeds for thends and properties over and felt that it was really quite heavy in his hands.


    When Xiaolian heard this, she exchanged looks with her husband before saying, ¡°Father, Mother! These are all the Yu Family¡¯s properties and businesses. As a married daughter, I won¡¯t step into this. You should give Younger Sister a share as a part of her dowry and use the rest for Younger Brother to establish his family. Older Brother and Younger Brother can split it as they see fit! Oh right, Younger Sister, you need to find a capable steward for the medicine manufacturing factory in Dongshan Vige. Once you marry, it¡¯s not suitable for me as a married sister to continue managing the businesses under you.¡±


    When she saw Xiaocao was about to say something, she hurriedly continued, ¡°Right now, my household¡¯s seafood business is expandingrger andrger. Xiaomo can¡¯t handle it all by himself and needs someone to stay in the capital to keep an eye on it while the other goes back and forth between Tanggu and the capital. I truly don¡¯t have the time to manage the medicine manufacturing factory anymore...and you must not say that you want to give the business to us. In the entire Great Ming Empire, who doesn¡¯t know that the Yu¡¯s medicine business was created by Royal Princess Jinan? If the owner changes, who would still trust in it ah?¡±


    In the end, the dowry list didn¡¯t lose a single thing and even continued to get longer and longer. Auntie Zhao had been invited over to coborate on the dowry matter. When she saw the extensive number of things on the list, she couldn¡¯t help but be stunned speechless.


    Almost all of the extremely prosperous businesses in the capital, other than Zhenxiu Restaurant, were on the dowry. The medicine factory, wine and alcohol distillery, flower and herbal tea house, candied and canned fruit factory, therge-scale refrigeration and orchard storage warehouse, the western-style desserts shop, Blossoming Beauty, Medicinal Cuisine House...in addition, the betrothal gifts that were given to her, such as Wisdom Jade Pavilion, the fruit and vegetable shops...almost half of the capital¡¯s businesses were contained within the dowry. The Yu Family was truly willing to pull out all of the stops on the dowry of their daughter. They didn¡¯t keep a single business they had in the capital for themselves!


    In the entire capital or even the entire Great Ming Empire, this was probably the only dowry that was this excessive. The term ¡®five kilometers of dowry¡¯ was insufficient to even describe the amount of precious items and properties that were in this one. Auntie Zhao couldn¡¯t help but remark in a joking manner towards Lady Fang, ¡°This Imperial Prince Xu truly has a good fate to be able to marry such a golden doll. Even if they split from his father¡¯s estate as soon as they marry, they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about their future. No, in fact, what they needed to worry about is how to spend all of the money they had on their hands!¡±


    Busy days always flew by quickly. In the blink of an eye, the New Years had arrived. Xiaocao had a joyful and excitingst New Years with the Yu Family. Zhuang Xiaomo, as an orphan, didn¡¯t have any rtives in his family anymore. Thus, his first New Years as a married man was spent with his inws.


    During the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner, Yu Hang helped his wifedle up a bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. This medicinal dish enriched the blood, healed the body, and was incredibly tasty. Huifang immediately fell in love with it after tasting it once. Today, as soon as the first spoonful of tasty soup entered her mouth, she ended up frowning involuntarily as the urge to retch suddenly attacked her. She couldn¡¯t help but dry heave a few times.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where do you feel ufortable?¡± His wife¡¯s appetite had always been good and she ate everything with pleasure. When he saw her reacting this way, Yu Hang couldn¡¯t help but ask her out of concern.


    Madam Liu also looked over in worry. When she saw that her daughter-inw¡¯splexion looked waxy as she held her stomach with an ufortable expression, she quietly asked, ¡°Are you tired from being so busytely?¡±


    ¡°Older Sister-inw, let me, this divine doctor, take your pulse ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao leaned forward and held onto her right hand and then searched for the right ce to take the pulse. She felt it attentively.


    ¡°What is it? Is there a problem?¡± Yu Hang was deeply concerned and inquired anxiously.


    ¡°The pulse is fluid, smooth and evasive, and feels like a pearl rolling around a jade te...¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s heart had a shot of happiness go through as she deliberately cultivated a mysterious manner, reciting poetic words.


    Madam Liu couldn¡¯t help but pat her as she scolded her with a smile, ¡°Speak like a human being! Is your older sister-inw okay ah?¡±


    ¡°How could she not have an issue? It¡¯s a major event!! A major, life-changing event!!¡± Yu Xiaocao had a very serious expression on her face and her tone was also very grave. It scared Yu Hang so much that his face immediately paled.


    ¡°Younger Sister, you are the little divine doctor that everyone in the capital respects. Can your older sister-inw¡¯s illness be cured ah?¡± Yu Hang tightly held onto his wife¡¯s hand as his eyes turned red.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that her joke had gone too far and hurriedly cracked a giant smile on her face, ¡°My older sister-inw¡¯s symptoms can¡¯t be cured by me. She can onlypletely recover about eight monthster, when the melon is ripe and my little nephewes out!¡±


    Everyone at the table was stunned silent by this statement. It was quiet for a few seconds until she received another smack on her body. Madam Liu happily scolded her, ¡°You naughtyss, were you trying to scare us all to death by saying it was a life-changing event ah? Your older sister-inw is pregnant, so just say she¡¯s pregnant ah! Why do you need to scare everyone ah?¡±


    Old Man Yu, who was seated at the head of the table, also finally reacted. He opened his mouth, which was missing a few teeth, and grinned, ¡°Great news, our family will very soon have four generations under one roof! I didn¡¯t expect that I, Yu Liqiu, would be able to live until I could see my great-grandson one day.¡±


    ¡°Grandfather, on such an auspicious day, what sort of words are you saying? Your body is so healthy that I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll live to the ripe old age of one hundred. Let¡¯s not talk about four generations under one room, I¡¯m sure you can live until there are five generations under one roof!!¡± Yu Xiaocao giddily watched as her older brother fussed over her older sister-inw. It must be a Yu Family tradition to pamper and love one¡¯s wife right? Uh...if it weren¡¯t for the fact that her grandfather had indulged Madam Zhang too much, then she wouldn¡¯t have climbed all over him and be such a nasty-tempered old woman!


    When she thought of Madam Zhang, Xiaocao naturally thought of her younger uncle, who shared half of the same bloodline as her father. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Shitou, I heard Younger Uncle had also participated in the provincial exams that you took. Did he pass?¡±


    ¡°Ever since that event happened, Younger Uncle moved to the prefectural city and has been studying very hard. He finally managed to pass the county level exams after two years. This time, when the provincial exams were over, I met him outside of the exam room and chatted with him a bit. He said that he felt like he did well. As for whether or not he passed, I didn¡¯t pay attention. Why did you suddenly decide to ask about him?¡± Little Shitou didn¡¯t have a lot of feelings for this younger uncle of his. Furthermore, it was better to show respect from a distance with that mother of his too.


    ¡°Nothing much, it just popped into my mind to ask! After all, he is our grandfather¡¯s son...¡± Last time when she went back to the prefectural city and met up with her eldest paternal aunt¡¯s family, she heard that Madam Zhang had aged quite a bit as everyone in her household relied on her to live. She also needed to make money to send her son to school, so she didn¡¯t have it easy. As a mother who wanted her son to stand out among his peers, Madam Zhang would be delighted to do all that she could, no matter how bitter or tiring it was, to help her son, right?


    This New Years passed even more happily and joyfully after the Yu Family found out that Yu Hang¡¯s wife had good news. Yu Xiaocao ignored her family¡¯s protest and took the candied and canned fruit processing nt out of her dowry to give to her future nephew as a present. As for the little tyke, it had no clue that its younger aunt had just given it a giant present and was contently resting in its mother¡¯s uterus drawing nutrients to quickly getrger.


    Everyone all said that this little fellow was certain to be very well-behaved. Other than its actions on New Year¡¯s Eve to show everyone it existed, it acted as if it wasn¡¯t there for most of the time. Liu Huifang didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of symptoms that other pregnant womenmonly had. Sometimes, even she forgot that she was pregnant and would energetically follow her mother-inw around to help with her younger brother-inw¡¯s exam preparations and her younger sister-inw¡¯s wedding nning.


    Everyone in the family wanted her to rest more but she pushed away their efforts, ¡°Am I that fragile ah? In our vige, there are many matrons who are about to give birth but are still working hard in the fields with their giant bellies!¡±


    Madam Liu had also heard the older generation mention that if a pregnant woman moved around more, it¡¯d be easier for her to give birth. Furthermore, she saw her daughter-inw bustling about for a few days without any problems, so she let her be. However, she would still warn Liu Huifang from time to time to not get too tired and make sure to rest properly.


    Once the first month of the year passed, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate sent the letter of appointment and letter of ceremony to the Yu Residence on a fortuitous day. There was still more than a month¡¯s worth of time left before the eighteenth of the third month. Zhu Junyang had started to press his family to help him with the wedding.


    Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had chosen four people who hadplete luck; they were Princess Consort Duan, Duchess Rongguo, Marchioness Dingyuan, and the wife of the Director of the Board of Rites. The so-called plete fortune¡¯ was that these people still had healthy parents alive and well, a son and daughter each, a loving rtionship with their spouse, and peaceful rtionships within their siblings.


    These four had noble statuses and, along with the matchmaker¡ª¡ªImperial Prince Jing¡¯s father, the honorable emperor emeritus, came over to the Yu Family to bring the betrothal gifts and money. Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s betrothal gift list made these four noble and high matrons, who had seen much of the world,pletely speechless.

 Chapter 666 - Worried

    <h4>Chapter 666 - Worried</h4>


    Goodness gracious, was Imperial Prince Xu nning on moving from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate to the Yu Family¡¯s house? In addition to some of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s own properties as well as some of the rare treasures he collected, nearly half of the treasury from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate had been emptied. This included a portion of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s dowry as well. The weight of the dowry was not light!! Imperial Prince Xu really wanted to make sure his future wife would have face.


    However, when they saw Xiaocao¡¯s dowry list, they became speechless! When the sole daughter from Prince Jing¡¯s Estate married off to a distant ce, her dowry consisted of a hundred twenty-eight chests full of precious items, causing all the youngdies from the capital to turn green with envy. It was probably impossible to fit all of Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s dowry into a hundred twenty-eight chests. It seemed as if this would be a new record for the most amount of dowry received! Look at the quality of her dowry; it was definitely something that an ordinary family could neverpare to. No, it was probably hard even for a wealthy family to match this. It could be estimated that it would be difficult for someone to receive a dowry worth beyond this even after hundreds of years.


    The most interesting part of this entire process was when the two families had to decide on the betrothal gift. This process would mainly be a discussion between the head of the family as the matchmakers mediated the conversion. The problem was that the matchmakers invited by the two families all came from prominent backgrounds. The emperor emeritus was alright. He missed Xiaocao¡¯s cooking, so he came running pretty quickly. But the main problem was that no one dared to order him to pass on the message between the two families! On the other hand, the emperor was already a busy man. It was already a great honor for him to show his face. Due to this, Yuan Sinian suffered; his legs were about to turn into thin sticks as he ran between Prince Jing¡¯s Estate and the Yu Family to pass on their messages.


    Generally speaking, when it came to negotiating betrothal gifts, the bride¡¯s family wanted more betrothal gifts while the groom¡¯s family wanted to give fewer. As a result, it usually became an endless quarrel between the two families. When it came to the two families, after Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate sent the list of betrothal gifts, the Yu Family looked through the list and started discussing which betrothal gifts they could take off from the list. After all, there was still a son in Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate that was still unmarried. The two sons should receive the same treatment. If both sons gave out such a generous amount of betrothal gifts, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate¡¯s family property would all be used up.


    After the matchmaker expressed the Yu Family¡¯s thoughts, Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate not only did not subtract the number of betrothal gifts but also added a few more to the list. Princess Consort Jing told them that most of the betrothal gifts were saved up by her youngest son himself, and since he was willing to give, then no one else had a say in it. Her second son was stationed at the border and had stayed there for many years. Except for the asional letters he would send to tell them that he was safe and healthy, he never came back. It was already difficult to find a female pig in the middle of the army stationed at the border, much less a woman. Even if Princess Consort Jing was worried about her second son¡¯s marriage, there was nothing she could do about it. Princess Consort Jing had been saving up betrothal gifts for her second son and she would have enough in a few more years.


    Princess Consort Jing originally thought that among her three sons, it would be most difficult to arrange a marriage for her youngest son. After all, he was a difficult child when he was young. She was afraid of a tragedy where her son might identally kill his wife. She didn¡¯t expect the Heavens to bless her youngest son, allowing him to meet the right person early on. He was usually cold and stiff like a smelly stone, but unexpectedly, he matured early. He understood that he had to decide on his wife early on. As a result, as soon as his wife reached a marriageable age, he couldn¡¯t wait to marry her home.


    Her second son, who had been the least worrisome for her when he was young, became the most problematic one. s! She wondered if he would be willing to take a leave of absence after receiving the news that his younger brother was getting married. The Great Ming Dynasty was bing more and more powerful, and the country was prospering, so there weren¡¯t many wars at the border. Why was he still in the army? Why didn¡¯t he hurry back home and take a good look at the well-bred youngdies in the capital, so he could settle down early and marry? This unfilial son of hers didn¡¯t even know how to empathize with his parents¡¯ feelings!


    In a gloomy mood, Princess Consort Jing added a few more pieces of valuable jewelry from her own dowry onto the betrothal list. She was still pondering whether she should add a few more profitable properties onto the list. Even Zhu Junyang started to wonder if hisdy mother had forgotten that she still had another son. Were they actually trying to empty out the family¡¯s properties?!


    ¡°Lady Mother, there are already a dozen or so properties and shops in the betrothal gift list, so there¡¯s no need for you to add any more. Why don¡¯t you save your dowry for my second brother? Otherwise, he would think you¡¯re being biased to me, your youngest son again!¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t remain silent anymore. He felt that the more the bride¡¯s side asked to deduct from the betrothal gifts, the more hisdy mother added to it. With this amount of betrothal gift, it was more than enough for him to marry an imperial princess with money remaining. Uh...that was just an example, after all, how could he marry an imperial princess? Wasn¡¯t that considered marrying a close rtive? Furthermore, there was a generation between him and the current oldest imperial princess!


    After Princess Consort Jing heard what her son had said, she put down her brush in her hand, sighed, and said, ¡°Your second brother is hard to deal with due to his temper! It¡¯s no wonder that he feels that I¡¯m acting biased towards you. Since childhood, he was the clever kid that caused me no headache or trouble. Your eldest brother will be the one who will inherit the title and estate in the future, so your father naturally took him under his wing and raised him personally. Your situation was special, so it was natural for me to pay more attention and care to you! I would have never expected that the child who appeared to be the most obedient would be the one hiding the most resentment and dissatisfaction in his heart. Your second brother joined the army seven to eight years ago, and he had never visited us once. He must still me us!¡±


    When Zhu Junyang led the troops to the northwest border, his second brother had already transferred to the southwest border. From General Zhao, he received news that his second brother was doing well. His second brother started off as a regr soldier and worked his way to a fourth rankmander. This was all due to the meritorious deeds he contributed during his time there. On his way back to the imperial court, he received news that his second brother had performed an outstanding job suppressing the bandits in the southwest border. He would definitely receive a promotion this year.


    The reason that he didn¡¯t return to the capital for so many years was that Zhu Junxi initially had no vacation days due to his low military status. Later on, he became busy with earning military merits, so he really didn¡¯t have the time to return home. He didn¡¯t resent his family at all.


    Zhu Junyangforted her and said, ¡°I have already written to my second brother, telling him the news that I¡¯m getting married. I have just received a letter saying he would definitely be present since he¡¯s my elder brother. Lady Mother, you will soon be able to see your second soon, who you missed dearly!¡±


    ¡°Is that true? When did you receive the letter? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that your second brother wrote you a letter?¡± When Princess Consort Jing heard this news, she immediately asked her youngest son to fetch the letter for her. She read the letter over and over again before she happily put the letter back in the envelope. She didn¡¯t return the letter to her youngest son; instead, she put it inside a jewelry box on top of her dressing table, like she was storing something precious. The box stored all her most cherished jewelry, and among them was a Monarch Green Jade head ornament from her youngest daughter-inw.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart softened when he saw this scene. Even though his motherined about her children, it was obvious that she cared for and worried about them. He remembered that before he met his littless, hisdy mother¡¯s health was not well, yet she was still worried about him. He believed that his mother¡¯s health deteriorated because of his condition. At that moment, he stepped forward and embraced hisdy mother¡¯s shoulder and said emotionally, ¡°Lady Mother, you are the best mother in the world!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing was surprised by his sudden hug. Ever since her youngest son fell into the water and was rescued when he was five years old, he disliked having close contact with other people. His temper became odder and more irritable as time passed. If it wasn¡¯t for Xiaocao¡¯s appearance, she didn¡¯t dare to imagine what her son would be! She never expected that she would receive a hug from her youngest son again. This reminded her of the time when her son was still very young and liked to stick to her embrace the most. His chubby little body was so soft and he smelled like milk...


    After hearing her youngest son¡¯s emotional words, the rims of her eyes turned hot. At the same time, she felt extremely grateful. Fortunately, the Heavens had heard her pleas and sent Xiaocao to her son. Her youngest son was growing into a ¡®warm man¡¯. Although he still maintained his indifferent and distant attitude on the outside, he was more and more willing to express his true feelings to the people he cared about! It was all thanks to thatss Xiaocao; she taught him well!


    At the same time, Princess Consort Jing was feeling a little sour in her heart¡ª¡ªshe raised her son with great difficulty, but he was rushing to leave the nest and rush into the embrace of another woman. s, there was nothing she could do since her son had grown up; he was probably going to forget her after marrying his wife... Fortunately, she had a reliable daughter-inw. Whenever her daughter-inw had something good, she would immediately send it to her future mother-inw!


    ¡°Cough cough!¡± Imperial Prince Jing had just finished attending to his official business. When he walked in, he saw the little brat holding his wife in his arms. He unhappily said, ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you too old to be acting like a spoiled child? Quickly release this prince¡¯s wife. If you want to hug someone, you should head over to the Yu Family to hug your wife!¡±


    ¡°How can you talk like that to the child?¡± Princess Consort Jing found the situation to be quite funny as she happily punched her husband¡¯s body. She took out the letter her second son wrote and showed it to him, ¡°Our second son is expected to return at the beginning of next month. I don¡¯t know how long he can stay. I don¡¯t even know when his next visit will be. I will arrange for the youngdies that I have taken a fancy to, to meet him when he returns, okay? This time, no matter what, I will make sure he will at least settle down on a marriage. Ah! Look at your sons, each and every single one of them caused me headaches! How old is your second son? He¡¯s almost thirty, right? Do you think you can find an unmarried man like him in the capital at such an age?¡±


    When Zhu Junyang saw how hisdy mother was nagging his lord father, he looked at him sympathetically. Then, he made an excuse to escape, ¡°That...Lord Father and Lady Mother, my younger brother-inw will be taking the metropolitan civil service examination at the beginning of next month, so I¡¯ll head over to see if there¡¯s anything I can help him with...¡±


    Seeing how her youngest son was leaving in a hurry, Princess Consort Jing sighed and said, ¡°They say that a daughter will leave you after marriage, but having a son is no better! Look at him, he hasn¡¯t even married yet and he already threw us to the side. Tell me, how can a crude general like him help his brother-inw who is taking a civil exam? Isn¡¯t he just using that as an excuse to meet his wife? There are around twenty or so days left before he marries his wife. At that time, he could look at her as long as he wants to.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes! It¡¯s all my fault! Our son loves and dotes on his wife because he took after me!!¡± Imperial Prince Jing saw that his youngest son had left and that the maids had also tactfully retreated, so he started to fiddle with his wife¡¯s delicate and tender hands.


    When Princess Consort Jing heard his words, her face flushed red. She red at him and scolded him yfully, ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed? What are you saying? Aren¡¯t you afraid that someone will overhear?¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing peeled a grape, removed the seeds, and plopped it into Princess Consort Jing¡¯s mouth. He said, ¡°We are the only two people in this room. Who will overhear us? Besides, I¡¯m telling the truth!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing ate the grapes that he fed her. She was feeling sweet and happy until she remembered the problem of her second son¡¯s marriage. She frowned again and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care. When Junxi returns, you tell him that he will have to settle down on marriage before he can leave the capital. It¡¯ll be even better if he can marry her before he leaves!¡±

 Chapter 667 - Imperial Prince Jings Daughter

    <h4>Chapter 667 - Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Daughter</h4>


    ¡°The younger generations will do well on their own! You ah! You worry too much!! Okay, when the timees, I will bring the child to go on a blind date, okay? s, it¡¯s a sin to have too many children... oh right, our daughter will also be returning. She will be staying in the capital for a month. How about it? Are you happy?¡± Imperial Prince Jing mentioned his only daughter.


    Princess Consort Jing was overjoyed by the news; she sighed and said, ¡°In the past, we shouldn¡¯t have married our daughter to such a distant ce. It takes over twenty days on the road for her to return to the capital. Isn¡¯t it a difficult journey?¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s older sister, who was the second oldest of the family, Zhu Junya , married Lu Nianhua, who was the eldest grandson of one of the founding fathers of the dynasty, Lu Changfeng. Lu Changfeng was well versed in literary and military strategy. He was also resourceful, and was known as ¡®the second Zhuge Liang ¡¯. In the past he followed the emperor emeritus to seize power from the old dynasty. With his brains and the emperor emeritus¡¯s brawn, the two of them swept everything before them and built the Great Ming Dynasty. If the emperor emeritus was themanding officer in a modern era army, then Lu Changfeng was equivalent to the military chief of staff who assisted themanding officer. The two people recognized and appreciated each other¡¯s talent and forged an extraordinary friendship.


    After the emperor emeritus abdicated from the throne, Lu Changfeng retired to his ancestral home to live in seclusion. The children of the Lu Family were equally proficient in literacy and military affairs. They were said to be extremely talented people. However, Lu Changfeng understood the meaning behind the saying ¡®water surges only to overflow¡¯ . He set up a family rule, stating that no one from the Lu Family can take up an official post within the next three generations. The Lu Familypletely withdrew themselves from the political arena.


    The Lu Family¡¯s ancestral hometown was located in between the Guangdong and Guangxi districts. After he retired from his government post, Lu Changfeng opened a private school in his hometown. The school was originally dedicated to teaching the children of the Lu Family, but the reputation of the school spread far and wide. As a result, the private school gradually developed into an academy. The reputation of the academy located between the Guangdong and Guangxi districts wasparable to Rongxuan Academy.


    When the emperor emeritus was young, he once joked with Lu Changfeng that the two families should be inws in the future. Unfortunately, the children of the second generation from both families were all male, so the matter remained unsettled. Later on, when Lu Changfeng¡¯s eldest grandson, Lu Nianhua, was being harassed by a group of hooligans, Zhu Junyang¡¯s second sister appeared. She was someone who defended the weak against the strong, so she fought the hooligans, causing the hooligans to run off. A heroic woman rescued a beautiful man and thus, the two became acquainted.


    There was a very funny reason why Lu Nianhua was being harassed by the hooligans, but, at the same time, it was extremely embarrassing. His appearance was a mixture of all the best traits from three generations of his family. He had a delicate appearance and was often mistaken for a very beautiful girl when he was still young.


    When Lu Nianhua was rescued by Zhu Junya, he was only eleven years old, so he was still short. It didn¡¯t matter what he wore, because even though he was dressed in men¡¯s attire, his delicate and beautiful face turned all the women around him green with envy. He actually looked like a young naive little girl crossdressing as a man at first nce. At that time, Zhu Junya was twelve years old and she inherited her family¡¯s slender and tall figure. She was almost 1.65 meters tall. She had been practicing martial arts with her older and younger brothers at home, so she was more than capable of fighting against a group of hooligans.


    Zhu Junya had also mistaken Lu Nianhua for a young girl who disguised herself as a man to sneak out from her family. As such, she nagged him for a long time, repeatedly warning him to bring a few bodyguards along when he went out in the future. She also warned him to avoid going to secluded ces alone and prattled on about how girls needed to know how to protect themselves. She chattered away with him, making her appear like a caring older sister.


    When she found out that he was from the Lu Family, she even kindly escorted him home in person. When she met Lu Nianhua¡¯s mother, she told her not to me her ¡®daughter¡¯ and that in the future, she should bring out her children more to gain knowledge and experience. This way, they wouldn¡¯t sneak out and encounter people with bad intentions...


    After Lu Nianhua¡¯s mischievous mother found out what had happened, she had to stifle back herughter until her stomach hurt. She pretended to go along with the story, by earnestly agreeing to the youngdy¡¯s words. She even thanked her profusely for saving her ¡®daughter¡¯. After sending Zhu Junya off, Lu Nianhua¡¯s mother told everyone the story as a joke when the family members gathered around for dinner.


    Lu Nianhua was speechless. He was often mistaken for a young girl since he was a child, so he had long been ustomed to this. He remained calm and collected as he ate and drank. His grandfather suddenly remembered the promise that he and the emperor emeritus made and joked that the two families could finally fulfill the original promise.


    Although Lu Nianhua was a year younger than Zhu Junya, he was mentally more mature. He was an eleven year old boy, but he had already begun to have hazy and good feelings towards the opposite gender in his heart. The figure of the attractive and intelligent young girl, who was clothed in red attire, brimming with high spirits had already left a quiet mark in his heart.


    In theing days, Zhu Junya would often invite the ¡®beautiful younger sister¡¯ along to attend activities she hosted, such as horse racing, going for an outing, and hunting in the mountains... Because she was surrounded by her older and younger brothers at home, Zhu Junya developed a tomboy temperament. As a result, she didn¡¯t y well with the youngdies from the capital, causing her to spend most of her time alone.


    After meeting Lu Nianhua, she discovered that her ¡®younger sister¡¯ who was only a year younger than her, was very athletic. Whether it was horsemanship, archery, or life skills, the ¡®younger sister¡¯ excelled in them more than her. She was smart and was able to learn new things quickly. Zhu Junya both loved and admired her ¡®little sister¡¯, so the number of times she invited ¡®her¡¯ out to y increased. But Zhu Junya didn¡¯t understand why her ¡®little sister¡¯ had a habit of wearing men¡¯s attire. However, she knew that everyone had their own quirks and uniqueness, so she didn¡¯t ask.


    Zhu Junya¡¯s temper was simr to He Wanning¡¯s; she was blunt and a little careless. Three years passed and during that time, the foolish older sister still didn¡¯t realize that her beautiful little sister was actually a man. That was until the year Lu Nianhua turned fifteen; he suddenly had a growth spurt, growing up from 1.6 meters to almost 1.8 meters in a year.


    At the time, Zhu Junya had stared at Lu Nianhua, who was now half a head taller than her, with strands of a beard starting to appear around his mouth, and an Adam¡¯s Apple that was starting to be more prominent. She was dumbfounded¡ª¡ªwhen did her younger sister suddenly turn into a stinky man? Moreover, he was a beautiful stinky man?! Zhu Junya couldn¡¯t ept the truth and became so angry that she ignored Lu Nianhua for half a year.


    Lu Nianhua couldn¡¯t sit still. In the four years they¡¯ve been together, that girl had slowly entered his heart, and now she wanted to run away? Did she think it would be easy? One shouldn¡¯t be tricked by Lu Nianhua¡¯s gentle, refined, and calm outer appearance because deep inside, he was a thick-skinned and ck-bellied man.


    In the past, it was Zhu Junya who would oftene by, looking for him to y with her, but now, he was the one who would often run to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Zhu Junya was a year older than him; she was sixteen years old now. If Princess Consort Jing¡¯s health hadn¡¯t been deteriorating, then Zhu Junya would¡¯ve already had a marriage set up for her.


    When Princess Consort Jing¡¯s health was starting to improve, she started to worry about her children¡¯s marriages. Her eldest son was the heir to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, and at eighteen years old, his marriage was already settled by his father early on. Her only daughter was sixteen years old and she was ady now. Although every parent wanted to keep their daughter by their side for two more years, they still needed to start looking for a suitable partner for her. Otherwise, all of the good candidates at the appropriate age would all be snatched away by others.


    She didn¡¯t know who her daughter¡¯s temperament took after. Her daughter was careless and negligent, and, as a result, she didn¡¯t y well with the other youngdies from the capital. However, her daughter still had a close friend. Her daughter most often talked about a youngdy from the Lu Family, named Lu Nianhua. She praised her for her beauty, intelligence, and capability.


    Her daughter had never admired anyone else, but she was subdued by a young girl who was a year younger than her. If her health wasn¡¯t in bad shape and if she didn¡¯t need rest, she would¡¯ve long visited the Lu Family to meet this outstanding youngdy that her daughter often talked about.


    However, during this period of time, her daughter seemed to be reluctant to leave and stopped mentioning Lu Nianhua. What happened? Did the two young girls have a quarrel?


    While she was trying to find an opportunity to ask her daughter for the reason, a servant reported to her, ¡°Lu Nianhua is seeking an audience.¡± Zhu Junya, who was currently ying chess with herdy mother, had a sudden change in expression and firmly replied that she was not going to meet the guest.


    Princess Consort Jing had long wanted to meet this ¡®beautiful and smart young girl¡¯ that her daughter had mentioned numerous times. She was under the impression that her daughter was just acting like this in a fit of anger, so she persuaded her, ¡°Since the other party has taken the first step bying here to look for you to reconcile and since there¡¯s no hatred between the two of you, you should meet her. Once the misunderstanding is resolved, the two of you will still be good friends.¡±


    She didn¡¯t wait for her daughter to reply when she ordered the servant to invite Lu Nianhua to the inner courtyard. Zhu Junya was flustered and exasperated, but she didn¡¯t know how to exin the situation to herdy mother. How did she even start to tell herdy mother that her friend who apanied to y with her, whom she missed dearly, was actually a stinky man?


    However, the facts made it impossible for her to continue being an ostrich. When Lu Nianhua heard that Princess Consort Jing invited him in, he was nervous and tensed for a split second before he quickly calmed down. Since he already had his eyes on the reckless and willful youngdy, then he should remain calm when meeting her family. He needed to formally walk through the road to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate; otherwise, the youngdy he had taken a fancy to would be snatched away by others!


    Princess Consort Jing was speechless when she saw Lu Nianhua, who was 1.8 meters tall and was currently in the period where his voice was steadily changing. She had a helpless expression on her face as she gazed at her daughter. How careless and scatterbrained could her daughter be in order for her to mistake a man for a young girl that needed protection?


    ¡°You can¡¯t me me! Who told him to have such an androgynous appearance? He has a face that would turn girls green with envy, so it¡¯s impossible for people not to misunderstand!¡± At that time, that was the argument that Zhu Junya made.


    A pained expression appeared on Lu Nianhua¡¯s face: He didn¡¯t want to have such an appearance like this, okay? If he could choose, then he rather himself be a little tanner or uglier rather than having this type of appearance.


    However, he was still the ¡®younger sister¡¯ she had ¡®protected¡¯ for four years. Seeing the pained expression on his wless and delicate face, Zhu Junya¡¯s heart immediately softened. As Lu Nianhua deliberately pretended to be pitiful, she gradually forgave him for his deception.


    Although Princess Consort Jing was sheltered by Imperial Prince Jing, she could see through Lu Nianhua¡¯s attempt to court her daughter. But she didn¡¯t expose him, instead, she happily watched the young man slowly win over her daughter¡¯s heart and step by step, walked into the young man¡¯s gentle trap.


    Imperial Prince Jing had already investigated Lu Nianhua¡¯s background. He came from a good family background, his principles were good, and there was nothing wrong with his character. The only problem was that he was a year younger than his daughter. However, since the youth in question didn¡¯t mind that his daughter was older than him, then he was fine with going along with the flow. Princess Consort Jing was able to take another load of worry off her chest since she no longer had to worry about her daughter¡¯s marriage.


    Everything flowed naturally. In front of the cunning Lu Nianhua, the simple and ignorant Zhu Junya was quickly captured. When Lu Nianhua was eighteen years old and Zhu Junya was neen years old, the two got married. At that time, Zhu Junya¡¯s dowry was splendid; there were so many betrothal gifts that the train of gifts could be seen five kilometers away. By the time the first chest of betrothal gifts were entered the Lu Estate, but thest case was still in Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate. This caused the youngdies from the capital to be extremely envious.


    [1] Zhu Junya - the author previously used the name Zhu Miaoke for her many, many chapters ago.


    [2] Zhuge Liang - A Chinese politician, military strategist, writer, engineer and inventor. He served as the chancellor and regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is recognised as the most aplished strategist of his era, and has beenpared to Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War.


    [3] ¡¯water surges only to overflow¡¯ - Things turn into their opposites when they reach their extremes or in more simpler terms, too much sess at once can have adverse effects.

 Chapter 668 - Older Sister-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 668 - Older Sister-inw</h4>


    After Zhu Junya and Lu Nianhua got married, one was meticulous and gentle, while the other one was generous and straightforward. Lu Nianhua doted on his wife extremely dearly after he finally married her with great difficulty. The two lived a happy and simple life. Both families were located rtively close to each other, so Zhu Junya would frequently return to her maiden home to apany and talk to herdy mother, as well as help with managing the household. The rtionship between the mother and daughter was even better than it was before the marriage.


    Unfortunately, happiness did notst forever. The following year, Lu Changfeng returned to his hometown, and Zhu Junya followed them back to the region between the Guangdong and Guangxi districts. They were separated by thousands of miles and, in the ten years they were separated, her daughter had only returned twice to visit. A trace of mncholy shed in Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart. She regretted marrying her daughter to the kid with the surname Lu, causing the mother and daughter pair to live far apart from each other. In the past, she should¡¯ve chosen a family located in the capital to marry her daughter to!


    s! Her daughter married to a distant ce, her second child was stationed at the border all year round, and her third child was going to be moving out once he got married. Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, which was big and grand, now appeared to be lonely and empty. As for her eldest son, after his wife gave birth to the eldest grandson, she didn¡¯t get pregnant again. Princess Consort Jing wondered whether she should discuss with her eldest son¡¯s wife whether they should invite Xiaocao here to take a look at her health, so she could give birth to a few more grandchildren. This way, the grandchildren could add more vitality to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate.


    ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t be upset over nothing, the younger generations will do all right on their own. Don¡¯t you have me by your side? In a few more years, after our eldest son can assume my responsibility, I will retire and be an idle prince. I will apany you wherever you wish to go, okay?¡± When Imperial Prince Jing mentioned their daughter, the princess consort became unhappy. He knew why she was secretly worried, so he hurriedly exined his n.


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart was feeling iparably sweet, but she said, ¡°You only know how to sweet talk, just promise me that by that time that your mind won¡¯t be preupied with thinking about your job and cause you to break your promise! After you retire from your post, we should buy a residence close to our daughter¡¯s residence. We should live in Guangzhou in the winter since it¡¯s warm there; in the summer, we should head back to the capital. We should rotate between the two sides!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will agree to whatever you say! You¡¯re the decision maker of our family!¡± As long as his wife would stop being depressed, Imperial Prince Jing would promise her everything she wanted.


    In early March, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s daughter, Zhu Junya finally arrived at the capital with her husband and children. Zhu Junyang was sent by hisdy mother to pick up his older sister outside the city gate. His sister poked her head out of the carriage while excitedly waving her hands at him. She had ruddy cheeks, a bright smile, and her eyes had remained clear and pure. From this, he knew that her older sister had lived a good life these years.


    After exchanging a few greetings with his brother-inw, Zhu Junyang was surrounded by a group of small radish heads. When his older sister left the capital, she was already pregnant, so her eldest son was almost ten years old now. In addition to the eldest son, Lu Jiarui, there were four other children. All of her kids were male, and the youngest child, Lu Jiapei, was less than three years old. He wasn¡¯t afraid of strangers at all, grabbing onto his trouser without fear as he climbed up, huffing and puffing.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. In the capital, he was known as the ¡®cold-faced demon¡¯. Not to even mention a child, even a half-grown man would be intimidated by his cold face. But why didn¡¯t it work when it came to his nephew?


    His unscrupulous sister had a yful expression on her face as she watched her sons bully her younger brother. He understood now that his nephews inherited their thick skins from his older sister!


    He resigned to his fate and bent down to pick up the two radish heads that called him ¡®Third Maternal Uncle¡¯ the most enthusiastically with one in each arm. Lu Jiapei, who was a little over two years old was afraid of falling, so he grabbed onto his hair and yelled excitedly, ¡°So high! Third Maternal Uncle, lift me higher! I want to be lifted higher!!¡± The ear-piercing yells almost caused Zhu Junyang to be insane.


    ¡°Hahaha! I almost died fromughing. I never imagined that the grand and cold royal prince would be in such a difficult position! Husband, quickly record this scene down, so when we return you can draw it for mydy mother. She must have never seen this side of her youngest son like this, right?¡± Zhu Junya got off the carriage, showing no intentions of saving her third younger brother. She stood beside her husband with an amused expression on her face.


    It was Lu Jiarui, who was the eldest of the family, that had the most benevolent heart. He nced at his unscrupulous parents and sighed. He ¡®retrieved¡¯ his youngest brother, who was the noisiest, from his third maternal uncle and held him in his arms. Lu Jiapei was afraid of his eldest brother who acted more solemn and mature than his parents. Although his mouth had a poutrge enough to hang an oil bottle from it, he still didn¡¯t dare to cause a fuss in front of his eldest brother.


    Lu Jiayu, the fourth child, also obediently slipped off his third maternal uncle under his eldest brother¡¯s warning gaze. He looked around before stretching out his white and chubby little hand, and said in a milky tone, ¡°Third Maternal Uncle, where¡¯s the meeting gift for Yu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°A meeting gift, Third Maternal Uncle, give me a meeting gift! Pei¡¯er also wants a gift!!¡± Lu Jiapei who had remained quiet for fewer than three seconds started to mor for a meeting gift.


    Where would Zhu Junyang have the experience to know that he needed to prepare a meeting gift? Even if he took off all the essories on his body, he still wouldn¡¯t have enough gifts for his five nephews. Lu Jiayu grabbed the ugly embroidered pouch on his uncle¡¯s waist and smiled evilly, ¡°Third Maternal Uncle, this embroidered pouch with the pink pig sewn on it is very cute. Yu¡¯er really likes it!¡±


    His big eyes shed with expectation; his eyes were saying, ¡°Say that you will give it to me. Give it to me!¡±


    If it was anything else, even if it was a top-notch jade pendant carved from ink jade, Zhu Junyang wouldn¡¯t even blink his eyes before giving it away. However, the embroidered pouch on his waist was embroidered with a lot of effort by his littless who wasn¡¯t good at needlework.


    Although he disliked the strange-looking pig named Peppa, he knew that if he gave the embroidered purse to someone else, then he would never receive another embroidered purse from his littless in his life since she knew how to hold a grudge.


    ¡°Third Maternal Uncle will give you your meeting gift once we return! This embroidered purse was given to your Third Maternal Uncle by your Third Maternal Aunt. I can¡¯t give it to you!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s attitude was very firm and his tone was very decisive, making sure there was no room for negotiation.


    Lu Jiayu knew from his father and mother that things sent by a wife were something that must be cherished. It didn¡¯t matter how much the brothers threw a tantrum, acted shamelessly, rolled about, or cried, their father, who loved his children deeply, would never yield.


    The fourth child from the Lu Family thought that he had seen through his Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s his aunt. Her eyes rolled around before he smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Third Maternal Uncle, when we return, can you ask Third Maternal Aunt to embroider the same purse for me?¡±


    Zhu Junyang immediately refused without even pondering it, ¡°Your Third Maternal Aunt is very busy. She doesn¡¯t have the time to do needlework. Just look at your Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s entire body, this is the only embroidered gift that I¡¯ve received from your Third Maternal Aunt. She doesn¡¯t even have the time to embroider clothes for her own husband, so where would she have the time to embroider a purse for you? If you want one, then ask your mother to embroider one for you!¡±


    Zhu Junya¡¯s expression turned unsightly when she heard her younger brother¡¯s suggestion. One must know that her embroidering skills were at the same level as Yu Xiaocao. Asking her to embroider a purse was the same as killing her. She didn¡¯t have a choice but to reluctantly embroider her husband¡¯s personal items as well as his pouches. If she embroidered an embroidered pouch for her fourth child, then her other children would definitely pester her to embroider one for them. This meant that she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the house for at least two months. She would have to hold a needle and a thread every day...it was just dreadful just thinking about it!


    She hurriedly changed the subject, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, so hurry up and get in the carriage. Don¡¯t make Maternal Grandfather and Maternal Grandmother wait until they¡¯re worried!¡± Like she was herding a flock of ducks, she made the group of little radishes get into the carriage. However, she rode on a horse with her husband. Since her eldest son was in the carriage, the four other children would not be able to escape from his grasp. She acted like she was in the right to leave her younger children in her eldest son¡¯s care. What a fraud of a mother!


    Zhu Junyang was annoyed by the small group of radishes until he finally returned to the capital and sneakily left for the Yu Family¡¯s estate with fear still lingering in his heart. He looked at Xiaocao, who was currently pouting after she was forced by Madam Liu to embroider her veil. He suddenly said, ¡°We should only have two children in the future. I would prefer it if both of them are girls as they¡¯re quiet and obedient. Boys are too loud...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao looked up at him in surprise before she lowered her head, continuing to work on the veil as she asked, ¡°Why are you talking about this out of the blue? What kind of trauma did you receive?¡±


    ¡°My older sister returned, bringing back five rotten little kids. Those kids are devils; they were so noisy that they almost broke a hole in the sky. It had been merely half a day but the back garden at Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate looked as if a typhoon had suddenly blown through it. I pity mydy mother¡¯s precious flowers and nts. I don¡¯t know how many of them are able to survive!¡± Zhu Junyang would have a major headache whenever he thought of his five little nephews. He really admired his sister and brother-inw for being able to look after a group of monkeys all day without going crazy!


    ¡°Your older sister returned? Should I pay her a visit?¡± She had heard her future mother-inw, Princess Consort Jing, mentioning her only older sister-inw numerous times. She had learned that her older sister-inw was blunt and had a straightforward character, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to get along with her...right? Who knew? But she would eventually have to meet her and find out about her true temperament and character. After all, a mother would consider all her children to be the best in her heart!


    Zhu Junyang picked up the half-embroidered red veil from the littless¡¯s hand and put it to the side. Then he started ying with her small hands, ¡°Of course you need to! My older sister wants to meet you too! Our family doesn¡¯t care about the rule where you¡¯re not supposed to meet members of the opposite family before the marriage. My older sister has just arrived today, but mydy mother said that she will hold a weing dinner for them after letting them rest for a day. You have toe too! However, you must make some mental preparations. My older sister¡¯s five children...sigh, it¡¯s hard to exin in a few words ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao secretly chuckled in her heart. The famous and outstanding cold-faced prince actually fell victim to his five nephews. It was not surprising since the children were still young, so he couldn¡¯t hit them and it would be hard to convince children to do as he said. It could be quite hard to deal with the kids. However, she still had some experience in dealing with children. Seeing how Little Shitou and Little Linlin were so attached to her was enough proof to show off her experience.


    The next day, she woke up early in the morning and made strawberry, honey peach, apple, and tangerine vored gummy candy. She also made lollipops in a variety of vors and shapes and for pastries, she made egg tarts and cream puffs, which were pastries that were very popr among children. She also made several kinds of western-style mini cakes that she specialized in before packing all the food in exquisite boxes.


    When she recalled Zhu Junyang¡¯s sorry figure when he was pestered by his nephews for a meeting gift, she took out the small cartoon animals carved from the leftover jade from the jade bracelet from the box, preparing them as meeting gifts for the children. After she was fully ready, she changed into a simple and stylish attire, adorning herself with the pink vermillion diamond hairpin and earrings given to her by Zhu Junyang. Her simple and low-profile outfit gave off a luxurious, exquisite, and lively appearance.

 Chapter 669 - Candy Diplomacy

    <h4>Chapter 669 - Candy Diplomacy</h4>


    Zhu Junyang personally went to the Yu Residence to pick up Xiaocao. He saw that she had a host of maidservants behind her, all of them carrying boxes full of candies and desserts. He remarked out of tenderness, ¡°What are you doing up so early ah? Don¡¯t bother with that bunch of stinky brats and do this again in the future!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I have servants helping out so it¡¯s not a lot of work for me. It¡¯s nice to give the kids a treat!¡± Yu Xiaocao grinned at him as she took the hand he offered her and entered the carriage.


    Zhu Junyang looked at the sparkling and shining pink rays of light that came off of the jeweled flowers in her hair. It made her exquisite and fair little face seem even more transparent and glowy. His eyes were stuck on her as if he couldn¡¯t look away. Glittery and shining jewels truly suited the littless. In the future, when Treasure Pavilion had more diamonds and precious stonese in, he needed to bring them all back to let thess get first pick!


    Yu Xiaocao felt her face turn bright red after feeling the fiery gaze at her back. This fellow was more and more unable to restrain the look in his eyes. In about half of a month, she was about to be his bride and then they would truly be one household. Originally, she had been quite nervous and keyed up, but this guy would always make his presence known and would express his red-hot feelings to her. It made her have a bit of happiness within the embarrassment within her. Gradually, herplicated feelings had gone away and she became more tranquil and calm. She was now convinced that he was her soulmate in this life!


    Since they both lived in the western part of the capital, it didn¡¯t take very long for them to arrive at Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. As soon as they entered through the side door, a group of brightly dressed kids sped over noisily. Xiaocao knew already that these were Zhu Junyang¡¯s nephews from his older sister. She stopped and smiled gently at the little kids who were giggling as they ran towards them.


    The youngest one of them was an adorable little fellow and ran the slowest. He did his best to keep up with his older brothers. His chubby and sweet little face was bright red with effort. As a toddler who hadn¡¯t reached the age of three, it was already pretty good that he could run steadily, so how could he possibly catch up with his older brothers, who were whizzing by? He was so frustrated by this that he was about to cry. Behind him was an elegant young boy who looked to be around eight to nine years old. He was following them at an unhurried pace. Although he looked quite leisurely, he kept his eyes attentively on his younger brothers and kept his speed the same as the youngest one as he strolled forward.


    ¡°Third Maternal Uncle, Third Maternal Uncle!!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression immediately changed when he saw the group of small devils running towards him. He felt his head start to hurt again.


    He advanced forward a step to protect the littless behind him as he was afraid that this group of little guys would knock into her. He picked up the four and half year old, Lu Jiayu, and ced him on his shoulders and then picked up two other boys, one in each hand as he stiffly said, ¡°Why did you guys run into the outer courtyard instead of obediently staying next to your mother? What about Pei¡¯er ah? If he fell, what would you all do?¡±


    The second son, Liu Jiaqi, pinched the rock hard muscle on his third maternal uncle¡¯s arm. He was already eight years old and it had been a long time since someone hadst held him up in the air. His maternal uncle was so strong and clearly looked a lot more difficult to deal with than his father (Lu Nianhua: I, your father, am teaching you guys to be independent! I absolutely refuse to admit that I am weak!).


    The third son, Lu Jialong, giggled happily. His personality took after his mother and he was quite simple-minded, which made Lu Nianhua quite worried about this son of his.


    The youngest, Lu Jiapei, almost burst into tears when he saw his second older brother upying the highest space that used to be his. He pulled on his third maternal uncle¡¯s pants and incessantly whined, ¡°Third Maternal Uncle, Pei¡¯er also wants to be hugged. Pei¡¯er wants to be held up high!¡± He almost pulled Zhu Junyang¡¯s pants down from his antics.


    Yu Xiaocao watched as Zhu Junyang wrangled with the kids. He resembled a Christmas tree with the children hanging off of him and the scene in front of her had unlocked a whole new view of Imperial Prince Xu. He was being pushed around by a herd of children. Despite the helpless expression on his face, his eyes were full of gentleness¡ª¡ªthis man would definitely be a good father who loved his children in the future!


    Since Xiaocao could see the kids from her vantage point, Lu Jiarui naturally also saw the youngdy, who had a smile in her eyes, behind his third maternal uncle. Her skin was so fair that it almost looked transparent. She had a pair of veryrge eyes, so big that they seemed like they could see straight through a person¡¯s soul. She looked so small, and it seemed like such a waste that she was paired up with his rough and crude third maternal uncle! His father had told him that a person¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t trick people. His future third maternal aunt had a pair of eyes as gentle as water and resembled the purity of ice and jade. They were full of kindness and he could tell in an instant that she was someone who loved children and had a kind and gentle heart!


    If Zhu Junyang knew that his eldest nephew from his sister, who normally seemed quite sensible and clever, believed that he wasn¡¯t good enough for the littless, then he would definitely start vomiting blood¡ª¡ªhe had praised that kid for nothing!


    When Yu Xiaocao saw that Zhu Junyang¡¯s clothing, which had been very tidy earlier, was now aplete mess, as if he was an eggnt that had just been trampled over, she hurried up to rescue him as his pants had been almost pulled down to his knees. She advanced forward and stooped over to hold the plump little fellow who was hollering at his third maternal uncle, begging to be held.


    Lu Jiapei, who had been unable to find a ce on his third maternal uncle to hold on, was almost about to cry when he suddenly felt someone pulling on his armpits. His two feet left the ground and he immediately fell into a gentle and fragrant hug. It felt warm and soft and reminded him of the time when he was still a baby and had been held in his mother¡¯s arms.


    Zhu Junyang was afraid that the little fat fellow would squirm along, causing thess trouble, so he hurried over out of concern. When he saw the actual scene, he almost felt bloode up into his mouth. The young brat, who was usually as lively as a monkey, was currently nestled quietly into Xiaocao¡¯s chest. It was as if the disturbance he had caused earlier had just been an illusion. What annoyed him even more was that stinky brat had unexpectedly hugged his future wife¡¯s neck and had given a messy ¡®muah¡¯ on the littless¡¯s delicate cheek!


    ¡°Mother said that Third Maternal Uncle had gone out to bring my third maternal aunt back. Are you my third maternal aunt ah?¡± Lu Jiapei¡¯s voice was sweet and tender. The Lu Family had good genes and all of the kids were as beautiful as porcin dolls. The little fellow¡¯srge eyes were opened wide and he had a face full of innocence. Yu Xiaocao felt her heart soften immediately.


    The three children on Zhu Junyang all turned their attention towards her. Lu Jiayu, who was riding on his third maternal uncle¡¯s neck, regarded the strange young maiden with curiosity. He blinked hisrge eyes and childishly corrected his younger brother, ¡°That¡¯s not right, she only bes our third maternal aunt after marriage. Right now, we can only call her ¡®auntie¡¯! Nice to meet you, Auntie! I am Lu Jiayu and I¡¯m the fourth in the family. Auntie, Yu¡¯er really likes you ah!¡±


    ¡°Pei¡¯er also likes Third Maternal Aunt!¡± Lu Jiapei was very attached to using this title to call her as he obediently leaned against her shoulders¡ª¡ªThird Maternal Aunt smelled very good. It was sweet and fragrant and made him feel veryfortable around her!


    The eldest son of the Lu Family, Lu Jiarui, saw how sweet his youngest brother was being and almost couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. If he had to choose the two people in his family who caused the most headaches, it wasn¡¯t his seven and eight year old brothers, who were respectively the second and third oldest in the family and at the stage where they were getting into trouble. Instead, it was the two youngest brothers. All of the trouble that came to them were self found and the youngest two somehow always managed to get into the thorniest situations.


    He had never seen his youngest brother act so sweet and obedient before. Even when his youngest brother was still nursing from his mother, he had never been so quiet. Now, he was like a sweet little kitten, nestled obediently next to Third Maternal Aunt¡¯s bosom. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had kept his eye on this fellow, he would have been certain that his youngest brother had been spirited away and reced with another boy.


    The fourth son of the family, Lu Jiayu, was a bit jealous and blinked a couple of times. Then he began his campaign to swindle his younger brother, ¡°Younger Brother, you¡¯ve never ridden on Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s shoulders, right? The view is so good here, don¡¯t you want to try it?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lu Jiapei wasn¡¯t the least bit fooled by his brother¡¯s tricks and buried his face into Xiaocao¡¯s neck before breathing in deeply a couple of times. He closed his eyes in bliss¡ª¡ªhis older brother was definitely trying to steal his ce from Third Maternal Aunt. Which idiot would want to cozy up to Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s hard and firm body (Author¡¯s note: Then who was the one crying and wailing to get into Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s arms and almost pulled his pants down?)?


    Lu Jiayu¡¯s eyes flickered and then he extended his little hand, revealing a piece of toffee that was mostly half melted. He coaxed, ¡°Older Brother has a piece of delicious candy here. If youe out of Auntie¡¯s arms, this piece of candy will be yours ah!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t...want!¡± Lu Jiapei found it difficult to resist the bait but ended up refusing. His eyes, however, were stuck on that piece of candy. Wah wah wah wah, he really wanted to eat candy ah. Maternal Grandmother¡¯s residence had such tasty candy! However, he also didn¡¯t want to leave Third Maternal Aunt¡¯s arms, so what should he do?


    ¡°Pffftttt...¡± When she saw the two little fellows interacting with each other, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but let out augh. She gazed at Lu Jiayu with amusement and quietly remarked at Zhu Junyang, ¡°This little fellow has a lot of tricks up his sleeves!¡±


    Zhu Junyang huffed, ¡°He must have taken after the Lu Family. My older sister is a very direct and frank person...¡±


    Lu Jiayu saw that the beautiful auntie wasughing at him and his face turned red. He bashfully took back the hand with the toffee in it and said, ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto this for Younger Brother. Mother said that we shouldn¡¯t eat too much candy as our teeth will turn ck!¡± An expression asking for praise surfaced onto his face, ¡®Quicklypliment me for being sensible,pliment me for thinking of my younger brother...¡¯


    ¡°Eh? Then, does that mean that candies and pastries I brought today won¡¯t be used ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately had Wutong open up a box of strawberry vored gummy candy, revealing a set of delicate and pretty red soft candies. When the lid was taken off, a dense puff of sweet scented air permeated the surroundings and seeded in drawing all of the children¡¯s attention towards the box. They were all staring at it avidly.


    Six year old Lu Jialong stared at the red candies that he had never seen before for a long time. Finally, he couldn¡¯t resist from saying, ¡°Mother said that as long as we brush our teeth after we eat, we can still eat a few sweet things! Isn¡¯t that right, Fourth Younger Brother?¡±


    ¡°Mhm mhm, Third Older Brother is right! If we brush our teeth after we eat candy, our teeth won¡¯t hurt and won¡¯t turn ck...that¡¯s what Mother said!¡±


    Lu Jiarui suddenly had the urge to cover his face when he saw the gluttonous expression on his fourth younger brother¡¯s face¡ª¡ªhad the family ever shorted you on food or drink? This was the first time they were meeting Third Maternal Aunt but he was losing face for all of them! What a disgrace! ...however, the candies that Third Maternal Aunt brought over really smelled very good, which made them hard to resist!


    Lu Jiapei, who hadn¡¯t reached the age of three, couldn¡¯t bother to think too much anymore. His eyes glowed as he looked towards Xiaocao as he sweetly said, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, can Pei¡¯er try a piece of candy ah? Pei¡¯er will taste them for his older brothers ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao restrained her desire tough and pinched the little fellow¡¯s bun face as she said in a voice full of tenderness, ¡°You¡¯re such a clever little fellow!¡±


    At this moment, the group of little fellows had already climbed down from their Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s body and surrounded Xiaocao. The spurned Zhu Junyang stood quietly behind Xiaocao as he was afraid that the herd of monkeys might bump into her. Oh ho! He was treating Xiaocao as if she was a delicate porcin doll that needed protection!


    Lu Jiarui quietly observed this scene. It was as if he was seeing the way his father and mother interacted with each other. The way that Third Maternal Uncle treated Third Maternal Aunt must be the type of ¡®true love¡¯ that his father talked about, right? It must be a fortunate thing to be able to meet one¡¯s true love in one¡¯s lifetime, right?

 Chapter 670 - The SpeeChapter of Children

    <h4>Chapter 670 - The SpeeChapter of Children</h4>


    Just as he was lost in his thoughts, a beautiful box appeared in front of him. Inside were brightly colored red and yellow candies that all gave off a dense, sweet aroma. He raised his head and saw Third Maternal Aunt¡¯s innocent and sweet smiling face. It looked incredibly dazzling. The young woman in front of him said, ¡°Try some. Auntie personally made these fruit juice gummies. The red ones are strawberry vored, the yellow ones are tangerine vored, the pink ones are honey peach vored and the green ones are apple vored...go ahead and find out which one you like the most, okay?¡±


    Lu Jiarui took the candy box and smiled politely at his third maternal aunt, ¡°Thank you, Third Maternal Aunt!¡± Then he took all of the boxes from his younger brothers and handed them over to the assistant behind him.


    ¡°Eh? ...Eldest Brother.¡± Lu Jiayu was just about to pick up a piece of red fruit juice gummy but the box in front of him had suddenly disappeared. He angrily raised his head and discovered that it had been taken away from him by his eldest brother. He immediately reverted back to his pitiful demeanor and gently called out to his sibling.


    ¡°Are you telling me that the Lu Family¡¯s customs allow you guys to surround Third Maternal Aunt in the outer courtyard and beg her for candy to eat ah? Did you all forget what Mother and Maternal Grandmother told us to do when we came out ah?¡± Lu Jiarui was incredibly stern and solemn as he addressed his younger brothers.


    The four little fellows were not afraid of anything or anyone under the heavens but they were all scared when their eldest brother¡¯s expression turned dark. When they heard his question, they exchanged looks before lowering their heads down. Only the youngest, Lu Jiapei, who was in Xiaocao¡¯s arms, acted differently. He hugged her neck and cutely said, ¡°Mother told us toe out and wee Third Maternal Aunt...Third Maternal Aunt, Pei¡¯er¡¯s been very obedient and hasn¡¯t been horsing around. Can I eat a piece of sweet candy ah?¡±


    All of the children of the Lu Family had inherited the Lu Family¡¯s good looks, especially the little devil, Lu Jiapei. Not only did he inherit all of the good-looking genes from the Lu Family, but she could also see within his eyebrows a hint of Zhu Junyang¡¯s shadow. Everyone said that nephews resembled their maternal uncles. When the little fellow grew older, he would definitely be a bewitchingly handsome young man!


    Yu Xiaocao stole a kiss from the little fellow¡¯s cheek and held him as she headed towards the inner courtyard. She gently said, ¡°Of course! In a moment, our sweet treasure Pei¡¯er can get a whole box of candies as a reward ah!¡±


    Lu Jiapei gleefully pped his plump little hands when he heard this. Suddenly, he climbed closer to Xiaocao¡¯s ears and quietly asked, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, can you help me keep the box safe ah? When Pei¡¯er wants to eat some, I¡¯ll go find you!¡±


    ¡°Why is that ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao felt that his request was a bit odd.


    ¡°Fourth Older Brother will trick Pei¡¯er out of his candy ah!¡± Lu Jiapei pouted pitifully as he brought up his fourth brother¡¯s dark past.


    Yu Xiaocao grinned until her eyes crinkled up into lines. Lu Jiayu angrily red at his youngest brother when he saw him tattling to Third Maternal Aunt but he didn¡¯t dare to refute it. This fellow always used little tricks to swindle his brothers out of their things. Thus, the other three were on the lookout for him! As for his eldest brother, Lu Jiarui, there were two things stopping him from doing the same thing. One was that he didn¡¯t dare to and the other factor was that whenever his eldest brother got something good, he rarely used it for himself and would always share with them, his younger brothers. Thus, he didn¡¯t need to try to cheat him.


    ¡°Everyone will get their own box ah! When you¡¯re finished eating them, Auntie will make more for you! Whoever tries to steal or cheat candies from other people will be punished and will never be able to eat candies or desserts made by me!¡± Yu Xiaocao propped up the youngest fellow¡¯s fat butt. Although the little guy wasn¡¯t very old, he was quite heavy.


    Zhu Junyang, who had been walking silently behind her, reached out and took the little fatty over to hold in his arms. Lu Jiapei wasn¡¯t happy about this. Who would want to suddenly trade a fragrant and soft hug for a hard and icy cold one?


    Just as he was about to protest, Zhu Junyang silenced him with one sentence, ¡°If Third Maternal Aunt gets too tired, in the future, she won¡¯t be able to make any delicious candies or pastries for you!¡±


    Lu Jiarui sighed in his heart when he saw his maternal uncle easily grasping his youngest brother, who was the devil incarnate, within his hands. He opened his mouth to say, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, Second Younger Brother has just finished growing in his adult teeth, Third Younger Brother is in the process, and Fourth Younger Brother and Fifth Younger Brother aren¡¯t supposed to eat too much candy. You shouldn¡¯t go through the effort to do this...¡±


    ¡°The candy that I make won¡¯t hurt one¡¯s teeth! However, you can¡¯t eat too much and at most can eat five pieces a day. Do you all remember this?¡± Yu Xiaocao could tell that the eldest one of the bunch was being very courteous to her. A little kid, who was only ten, had taken on the responsibility to teach and guide his younger brothers. It really made one admire and feel sorry for the young boy.


    At home, under the rules of their mother and eldest brother, they could only eat one piece of cake and one candy a day. When they heard Xiaocao say that they could eat five pieces of the new candy in one day, the little radishes immediately became giddy. Within their hearts, they now viewed their third maternal aunt, who was both beautiful and talented at making candies, as a little immortal girl who had saved them from the sea of bitterness.


    With the chatter of the little radishes surrounding them, they very quickly arrived at the inner courtyard. In the corridor, there was a young woman standing next to Princess Consort Jing as they admired the camellia flowers together. She had thick brows and a heroic air around her. In addition, she had an aura of a free spirit surrounding her.


    Zhu Junya heard the sounds of them talking and raised her head to look towards the middle of the courtyard. She saw her children grouped around a young maiden who was dressed entirely in pink. Her usually energetic boys were all obediently holding onto the corners of the maiden¡¯s clothes and walked quietly by her side. From time to time, they would even reveal looks of admiration and worship towards her. Even her eldest son, who was always the most wary of strangers, had a calm look on his face as he walked with his fourth younger brother¡¯s hand in his. He was quietly listening to the youngdy talk.


    ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, are you sure you¡¯re not a little immortal girl from the heavens ah? You¡¯re so amazing! You even know how to grow strawberries and cantaloupes out of season ah!¡± The one who spoke was the second son of the family, Lu Jiaqi. He loved eating strawberries the most. Unfortunately, the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi didn¡¯t grow strawberries, so he had only eaten strawberry jam before. Furthermore, this jam had been sent to him by his maternal grandmother.¡±


    Lu Jiayu immediately piped up, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt must be the reincarnation of the little immortal girl in charge of candies in the heavens. Third Maternal Uncle has some doggone luck in order to encounter her! Third Maternal Aunt, have you ever thought about it? Third Maternal Uncle really doesn¡¯t match up to you...¡±


    Zhu Junyang suddenly felt his hands itch. What was wrong with this group of little brats? Couldn¡¯t they think a bit? After all, if he hadn¡¯t struck first to get close to her, would they have a Third Maternal Aunt then? Did they want to be able to eat delicious candies and desserts?


    Lu Jiaqi shed a quick look at Third Maternal Aunt and surreptitiously pinched his fourth younger brother as he quietly hissed, ¡°You¡¯re so dumb! If Third Maternal Aunt changes her mind and doesn¡¯t marry Third Maternal Uncle, then Third Maternal Uncle will marry someone else. Then, Third Maternal Aunt won¡¯t be our aunt anymore, right? Then would she still make delicious candies for us to eat ah?¡±


    Lu Jiayu¡¯s eyes opened wide when he heard this and he covered his mouth with his hands. What should he do? He couldn¡¯t take back the words he just said earlier, right? Would Third Maternal Aunt really listen to him and decide to not marry Third Maternal Uncle?


    ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, in actuality...although my Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s face is a bit stinky and he looks a bit too feminine and has somewhat of a bad temper...he¡¯s really not that bad. Aren¡¯t you a little immortal girl ah? Be benevolent and take him into your care ah! Otherwise, he won¡¯t be able to get a wife even when he gets old and it¡¯ll be quite distressing!¡± Lu Jiayu wasn¡¯t a bit like a four year old kid and was quite eloquent for his age!


    Yu Xiaocao had been quite amused by the children¡¯s childish words and thoughts. She could tell, however, that there was someone observing her. She raised her head and saw a heroic and free-spirited beautiful young matron who was gazing at her with a smile on her face. Yu Xiaocao knew then that this was her future older sister-inw.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s older sister didn¡¯t resemble him at all. Although her features were quite pretty, she was more handsome than stunning. Her eyes were pure and clear and her smile was frank and open. In actuality, out of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s four children, only Zhu Junyang resembled Princess Consort Jing in appearance. All of the others took after their father. When Zhu Junyang was born, Princess Consort Jing had once muttered to her husband that her youngest son and daughter were birthed incorrectly. They should have had their genders switched.


    This was amented fact! Zhu Junyang had also expressed that he was willing to switch appearances with his older sister. When he was younger, he was constantly being mistaken for a girl by other people and it had caused him a lot of trouble ah!


    Princess Consort Jing introduced the two of them to each other and they politely greeted each other before heading into the reception pavilion. Zhu Junya was afraid the children would cause trouble and sent them off to the side hall to y after they showed her the boxes of candy they received. These kids would be a bit quieter with a snack to eat.


    However, she would have never expected that her youngest son, who could never sit still, was clinging to his third maternal aunt¡¯s bosom like a sweet little boy with his box of candies in his hands as he asked, ¡°Mother, Pei¡¯er will be very, very good. Pei¡¯er will sit here and quietly listen to Third Maternal Aunt and Mother talk and I won¡¯t disturb you two. Can Mother let Pei¡¯er stay behind ah?¡±


    Zhu Junya wondered if her son had been swapped out for another boy. Ever since this kid could crawl, he was never willing to obediently stay in someone¡¯s arms. However, he was currently quietly sitting in her future younger sister-inw¡¯s arms as he obediently shared the candies he loved the most. Something was going on today!


    Princess Consort Jing had a gratified look on her face as she remarked, ¡°Our Pei¡¯er has a connection with Lass Xiaocao! Lass Xiaocao always gets along very well with children. In the past, ah, her youngest brother liked to stick close to her at all times and always listened to whatever she said! Now, he¡¯s only fifteen years old but he¡¯s about to participate in the metropolitan civil service exams this spring and enter officialdom. Furthermore, the Fang Family¡¯s only son, her godmother¡¯s son, also wants to spend all of his time at the Yu Residence. Even his mother takes a back seat to her!¡±


    Following that, she described the fate that had linked her to Xiaocao to her daughter, ¡°Ya¡¯er, if it weren¡¯t for thisss, Xiaocao, I don¡¯t know if my body would havested long enough for me to see you today ah! Imperial Physician Zheng had once privately talked to your lord father about my condition but I was very well aware of how bad it was. He said that my body wouldn¡¯t be able tost more than five years! Look at me now! More than two sets of five years has gone by. Not only has my bodypletely recovered but I¡¯m also bing younger with every passing day ah! Everyone says that I look like I¡¯m in my early thirties and that when I stand next to your eldest brother, we look like brother and sister! Just look, I¡¯ve skipped a generation now!¡±


    Although the words made it seem like she wasining, she was extremely happy as she said all of this. Which woman didn¡¯t like to be beautiful and want to spend more time in their youth?


    ¡°This daughter also believes it is true! When we stand next to each other, we truly look like a pair of two sisters. Younger Sister-inw truly is capable. Please tell me your secrets in conserving and preserving one¡¯s health!¡± Zhu Junya spoke quickly and pulled at her mother¡¯s hand, which looked even more tender than her own, andplimented it zealously.


    Princess Consort Jing patted her daughter¡¯s hand and looked towards Xiaocao, ¡°Since these are all secrets, we absolutely cannot let it leak outside! However, you can have your younger sister-inw prescribe some medicinal cuisine and teas for you to use. Furthermore, she can select some proper skin care cosmetics at her shop for you too. At that time, you can put it on my credit. After all, I am one of the only diamond card members at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ and I get half price off of everything!¡±


    Even Zhu Junya, who lived in the faraway two provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, had heard of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ and the name struck her silent. In the Hubei and Hunan regions, any noble matron who had a set of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ skin care items was the envy of all of her peers. Every nobledy in the capital wracked her brains to use herwork to get a set of ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯ cosmetics as well.

 Chapter 671 - Metropolitan Civil Service Exam

    <h4>Chapter 671 - Metropolitan Civil Service Exam</h4>


    The sun¡¯s rays were harsher in the south and they were out longer as well. Zhu Junya had once written a letter to herdy mother,ining that she had gotten tanner there. Her mother then sent her a set of brightening skin care items. After using it for less than a year, the effects were very obvious. Not only was her skin brighter but the texture of her skin had also perceptively improved. The other married matrons within her circle all asked her about her skin care routine.


    She would have never expected that the mastermind behind ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, the zingly popr shop that all women under the heavens mored to buy from, was actually a young maiden who hadn¡¯t even reached the age of eighteen. Furthermore, this legendary figure was also going to be her future younger sister-inw.


    Yu Xiaocao was currently helping Pei¡¯er hold onto his box of sweets. The little fellow stretched out a plump little hand and picked out an orange colored gummy candy that smelled of tangerines. He plopped it into his mouth. It was soft with a sweet and sour taste. He immediately fell in love with the vor of the candy.


    When she heard the request, Xiaocao raised her head and carefully observed her future older sister-inw¡¯s face for a bit before she finally smiled, ¡°Older Sister Junya¡¯s skin foundation is very good as the texture is quite fine and tender. However, you probably didn¡¯t protect it from sun exposure in the past, so your skin is on the duller side. My shop has just made a set of brightening and hydrating skin care items. On another day, I¡¯ll bring it over for Older Sister. Added onto some suitable medicinal cuisine, I guarantee that Older Sister¡¯s skin will be brighter and more tender in less than three months!¡±


    ¡°Will it be as white as Auntie¡¯s skin ah?¡± Lu Jiapei, who had been preupied with eating his new candy, suddenly made his presence known. Third Maternal Aunt¡¯s face resembled a freshly peeled boiled egg and he wanted to feel if it felt as soft and slippery as it looked...


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression immediately darkened. He reached over and grabbed his nephew¡¯s hand, which was sticky with saliva. He couldn¡¯t allow him to touch his littless¡¯s tender and fair face, ¡®Stinky brat, men and women should not touch when they give and receive things! Only I, your maternal uncle, have the rights to touch her face!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao looked down and pinched the little guy¡¯s bun-like face and grinned, ¡°That¡¯s right ah! It¡¯ll be as white and tender as my own face. Wouldn¡¯t that be great ah?¡±


    When Zhu Junya heard this, she felt her own face. Her future third younger sister-inw¡¯s skin had to be the best she had ever seen in her life and it didn¡¯t have a single w that she could see. In actuality, before she married and was still a young maiden, she often liked to spend a lot of time outside exercising and ying around. Thus, herplexion was often tannerpared to other young maidens. If these products truly were as efficacious as her sister-inw imed, then she¡¯d be able to smile happily in her dreams. After all, who else had to endure the pressure of having a husband who was fairer and prettier than herself?


    It was very easy for women to be closer to each other when they started to talk about cosmetics and skin care routines. In a short period of time, Zhu Junya now saw her future sister-inw as a close younger sister and was pouring out all of her thoughts to her.


    The little radishes from the Lu Family finished their daily quota of five gummy candies and one dessert under the supervision of their eldest brother. They were allpletely conquered by their Third Maternal Aunt¡¯s culinary talents. When they came out to perform the formal greeting, Xiaocao took out her greeting gifts to the children¡ª¡ªexquisite little animals carved out of ssy blue jade. The children all loved the carvings and immediately strung them around their necks.


    Only Lu Jiayu, the shrewd little kid, sidled over to Xiaocao as he asked in a perplexed manner, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, you¡¯ve already given us meeting gifts, why did you give out a second set to us?¡±


    ¡°I did? I don¡¯t think so ah. These jadeite carvings are the greeting gifts that I¡¯m giving to you all ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at him with a bbergasted expression, waiting for his exnation.


    ¡°That box of sweet and sour candies ah! If I had to choose between the candies and animal carvings, I would definitely choose the candies. Third Maternal Aunt¡¯s candies are really tasty and Yu¡¯er has never eaten such tasty candies before. If the box was just a little bit bigger, then that would be the best!¡± The little fellow hemmed and hawed for quite a bit of time and finally reached the true subject manner!


    Yu Xiaocao stifled back herughter and replied, ¡°Not to worry. When you finish, I¡¯ll make other kinds of candies for you. They will definitely taste good too!¡±


    Lu Jialong also scurried over. He still had some egg tart crumbs leftover on his face and his lively little tongue swiped back and forth to sweep them up. He chuckled, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, your egg tarts and cream puffs are also very, very delicious ah!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make them all! I also know how to make pudding, vored gtin, frozen dairy desserts...when I have the opportunity, I¡¯ll bring them all for you to try!¡± The children all swallowed down saliva when they heard Yu Xiaocao¡¯s words and their eyes were so bright that they could scare a person.


    Lu Jiayu muttered, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt, quickly marry over ah!¡± In his eyes, the earlier she married over, the earlier they¡¯d be able to see her at the residence. At that time, whenever she made something delicious, he¡¯d be able to eat it faster.


    Zhu Junya pulled her son over and grinned until her spotlessly white teeth were shown to the world. She didn¡¯t have the grand and dignified demeanor of most noble women as she said, ¡°Your Third Maternal Uncle and Aunt have their own residence. Even when she marries over, they wouldn¡¯t be living with us. That being said, we can¡¯t spend all of our time at your maternal grandmother¡¯s home. Once our estate in the capital has been renovated, we¡¯ll be moving there!¡±


    When Princess Consort Jing heard this, a shot of happiness went through her heart and she smiled, ¡°You are nning on renovating the Lu Family¡¯s Estate? Does that mean you are nning on staying at the capital for a long time and won¡¯t be returning back to the south?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Zijin has been instituted at the Imperial College as a special teacher. In the next few years, he¡¯ll be taking a post there!¡± Zijin was Lu Nianhua¡¯s courtesy name. In the Hubei and Hunan districts, the Lu Family was famous for their schrly achievements. Lu Nianhua, who was skilled in both schrly and martial fields, naturally had many people admiring him. Jiangnan¡¯s famous Donglin Academy and Yuelu Academy had both extended out invitations for him to teach there. However, who would have thought that the Imperial College would strike first and imed him before all of the other schools?


    Pure joy filled Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart when she found out that her daughter, who had previously lived far away from her and could only meet up every few years or so, would be staying in the capital. However, she still asked out of confusion, ¡°Didn¡¯t Old Lu set down a family rule that the next four generations of the Lu Family were not allowed to enter officialdom ah? What changed?¡±


    ¡°Zijin is only a ¡®visiting schr¡¯ and only lectures, so he¡¯s not actually entering officialdom as he wasn¡¯t given an official rank and posting.¡± Without an official rank or post, it didn¡¯t count as entering officialdom. Thus, it didn¡¯t conflict with the family¡¯s rules. Before they had traveled to the capital, they had already obtained the old patriarch¡¯s permission.


    The happiest person here naturally was Princess Consort Jing. The Lu Family¡¯s residence in the capital wasn¡¯t very far from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s estate, so her daughter would be able toe over often to chat with her. However, when she thought of her youngest son moving out as soon as he was married, a feeling of reluctance entered her heart.


    Although her youngest son didn¡¯t spend much time at home these past few years since he often had tasks to do, he always came back to pay his respects to her when he was done with his affairs. If he moved out, that meant they would have fewer interactions with each other in the future. What made her more sad was that she had originally thought that Xiaocao was entering the estate and would keep herpany; who would have thought...


    However, she very quickly regained her spirits. Her husband was right. When the children grew up, they all had their own lives to live. She had a husband who loved her with his whole heart and all of her children were sensible and filial. Thus, she should be satisfied with this lifetime.


    After she got back from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, Xiaocao became busy again. Not only did she have to prepare for her uing wedding, but her youngest brother would also be attending the metropolitan civil service exams a few days earlier. Originally, ever since the Tang Dynasty, the spring exams were set on the ninth, twelfth, and fifteen day of the second month for a total of three sessions separated by three days. However, during that time, the capital was very cold and many of the students who attended these exams did poorly because of nerves, getting ill, or the cold conditions. Thus, once Zhu Junfan ascended the throne, he pushed back the exams by one month and had them held in the third month. The exams were ending only three days before Zhu Junyang¡¯s wedding with Xiaocao.


    On the ninth day of the third month would be the first session, which consisted of three whole days. The second session was on the twelfth day and the third session was on the fifteenth. The students sitting for the exams needed to spend nine days and seven nights in the cramped and stifling exam stalls. After entering the exam hall, the candidates needed to bring a prepared exam basket. Inside these baskets they were allowed to bring some dried rations, ink, brushes, ink stones, and other necessities.


    Yu Xiaocao had prepared some special dried rations for her younger brother. These foods were all well preserved, which prevented them from spoiling while he was at the examinations. There were instant noodle blocks that were about the size of a square inch each and small and exquisite biscuits. The newest type of rations she came up with was a type of dried soup dumpling. Inside these dumplings were dehydrated vegetables and seasonings. As long as he used some hot water to soak these dried dumplings when he was about to eat, it would create a bowl of delicious vegetable soup. If he also added the instant noodles to the soup, then he would have a bowl of tasty and delicious vegetable noodle soup!


    In order to avoid the candidates smuggling in cheat sheets within their food, the rations they brought in could not surpass a square inch per ration. Thus, the instant noodle blocks she made used thin and slender noodles that were piled into blocks about the size of a copper coin. A regr bowl of noodles required about a dozen coin sized noodle blocks to be rehydrated. Xiaocao had packed more than half of the basket full with instant noodles. When Great Schr Yuan saw the food basket that his little disciple had, he also asked Xiaocao for some instant noodle blocks too, so he could give them to his youngest grandson, Yuan Yunxi, to bring along.


    The examinations in ancient times were truly too horrifying! Each exam stall was only about a meter and a third in length. About two thirds of a meter above the ground, there were two brick props which allowed wooden nks to be ced on them.


    During the day, the upper nk was the table and the lower nk was the seat for the examinees as they answered the questions. At night, the nk on the top could be put on the bottom, making a hard bed for the exam takers. However, the stalls were very narrow, so Little Shitou, who was already over 1.75 meters tall, could only sleep with his body curled up. Furthermore, who could possibly sleep well on the hard wooden nks? Luckily, Xiaocao had packed some instant coffee powder for him. The exam grounds provided a ready supply of hot water for the examinees, so when he was feeling fatigued, he could make a cup to perk himself up.


    During the exams, Little Shitou ate pretty well. When he wanted to eat sweets, there were all sorts of fragrant and tasty biscuits and cookies for him to eat. When he was tired of sweet foods, he would make a bowl of delicious vegetable noodle soup. From time to time, he would even make a cup of instant and fragrant coffee for himself. The students on either side of him, however, were truly suffering an odious ordeal. Not only did they have to endure the vile and horrible exam stalls, but they also had to smell the delicious food from their neighbor. When they looked at the dried rations, which resembled pig food, that they brought along, they truly felt sad inside!


    The students who participated in the preliminary rounds of the imperial examinations, whichsted nine whole days, becamepletely different people when they left. Many of them had to be carried out by other people and a lot of them ended up bing extremely ill post-examination. The metropolitan civil examinations were still tolerable as the temperatures were still cool. Thus, the food they brought along wouldn¡¯t spoil. However, during the autumnal examinations, the weather was blistering hot. Oftentimes, the examinees would faint from sunstroke after eating and living in the tiny and narrow exam stalls or end up getting food poisoning from eating spoiled rations. In fact, it wasn¡¯t unusual for people to die during the exams either.


    The precautions to prevent cheating in these ancient times were quite strict. Other than the fact that they could only bring in food that was cut up into pieces no bigger than a square inch in size, if any person was caught bringing in cheat materials, then their schrly achievements would be erased and they would never be permitted to take an exam again in their life. Furthermore, they would be bound in front of the exam hall and publicly exposed for two months.

 Chapter 672 - Adding to the Dowry

    <h4>Chapter 672 - Adding to the Dowry</h4>


    However, because the preliminary round of the imperial examinations had a direct impact on one¡¯s path to officialdom, attempts at cheating continued without end. Among the candidates, a joke about ¡®pigeon messenger¡¯ was passed around. It was said that, in thest dynasty, there was a student whose family had trained a pigeon. Every night, that pigeon would fly into the student¡¯s exam stall and the student would write all of the questions from the exam in tiny handwriting and have the pigeon bring the tied up note on its leg back. The family had hired an expert at answering questions and had him write all of the answers to the questions before having the bird bring it back. Because the pigeon couldn¡¯t bring back anything too heavy, both sides of the paper had been used to write the answer. Since the hired schr was afraid that the candidate might miss the back side, he had written ¡®there is more on the back¡¯ on the front side of the paper. Unfortunately, that candidate had copied that phrase without realizing it and had gotten caught by one of the graders...


    Although no one was able to verify the authenticity of this story, it caused many of the candidates to begin to raise pigeons at home. It truly made the lives of the soldiers guarding the exam hall hard. At night, they needed to increase their precautions and they even added on some archers to their ranks. When birds flew over the area, they shot them down. It was rumored that one of them had even shot down the messenger pigeon of a young noble maiden, who was exchanging love letters with her sweetheart.


    After the nine days of the metropolitan civil service exam passed, Little Shitou came out of the exam hall with an exhausted and sallow face but he was in good spirits. The only people outside waiting for him were his older brother-inw, Zhuang Xiaomo, and his personal assistant. Little Shitou looked quite bbergasted for a moment before it dawned on him as to what had happened.


    Zhuang Xiaomo took his exam basket from him and smiled, ¡°Today is the fifteenth and is the day that they¡¯re adding to your second older sister¡¯s dowry. Originally, she wanted to personallye here and wait for you toe out but she was stopped by everyone in the family. Your second older sister¡¯s godmother had actually said: ¡®How is it suitable that the female host isn¡¯t there for her own dowry adding day?¡¯ Furthermore, she needs to be there to receive her good friends. Quite a lot of people have arrived for this and their statuses are quite high and noble. Everyone at home is incredibly busy. When your eldest sister saw that it was about the right time, she sent me over to pick you up and also exin what was going on.¡±


    Zhuang Xiaomo didn¡¯t ask his younger brother-inw how he thought the exams went. In his eyes, with Great Schr Yuan as his teacher and his younger brother-inw¡¯s talents, it¡¯d be surprising if he didn¡¯t do well!


    ¡°Then let¡¯s head back faster! I need to see if I can help out in any way!¡± Little Shitou felt a bit sad and conflicted about his second sister¡¯s marriage that was urring three dayster. His second sister would very quickly enter someone else¡¯s family and begin her own household. Never again would she be able to spend all of her time around him like before. When she had her own children, he was pretty certain that he would be forgotten by her!


    After thinking that, he felt a bit embarrassed! He was about to be an imperial official and would be taking up a post at court, yet he was still acting like a child, clinging onto his older sister. He was even trying to strive for favor against his future nephew. Was he truly the youth that everyone admired for being talented and having boundless opportunities in the future ah?


    Little Shitou went through the corner gate to enter his own courtyard. After washing up and changing into a clean set of clothing, he went out to help receive the guests.


    There truly were a lot of people present today for the dowry adding ceremony. Although the empress herself hadn¡¯t left the pce, she had sent one of her personal pce maids out to deliver a mutton-fat jade scepter carved into reishi mushroom. In the middle was a peanut carved out of jadeite. The meaning behind this scepter was ¡®have a gratifying and satisfactory life and may you have heirs soon¡¯.


    The grand princess royal was quite advanced in age but personally appeared at the Yu Residence to participate. She gave an inky ck jade scepter that was carved into the shape of a flower and had gold threads tied around it in the shape of the character for ¡®double happiness¡¯. The meaning behind this gift was that one hoped that the married couple would always be linked together in their hearts.


    Marchioness Dingyuan and her eldest daughter-inw each gave a set of expensive and valuable hair decorations. One was the product of Treasure Pavilion. It had bright and shy diamonds set into it, and they sparkled enough to dazzle a person¡¯s eyes. The other set was from Wisdom Jade Pavilion. It was made out of crystal-clear red jadeite. The color was lustrous and shiny, and it was incredibly gorgeous. It wasn¡¯t surprising that these two sent such expensive gifts to Xiaocao¡¯s dowry. After all, if it weren¡¯t for Xiaocao¡¯s help in fixing the heir and his wife¡¯s fertility problem, then Marquis Dingyuan¡¯s residence would not have any grandsons in the legitimate line. How else would they be able to have a bunch of little radishes running around now?


    After the wife of the heir gave birth to the eldest grandson, she became pregnant three more times during the following four years and had even given birth to a set of dragon-phoenix twins. Marquis Dingyuan¡¯s Household now could lift their heads proudly in society. Marchioness Dingyuan became a lot more energetic after helping to take care of her grandsons and granddaughters, and herplexion had improved boundlesslypared to before. She also started to be interested in preserving her own health and had reserved medicinal cuisine from Medicinal Cuisine House. Every day, she would get a delivery of food for her to eat. In her own words, she needed to keep herself healthy as her daughter-inw had five young children to take care of and it was too much to handle for one person. She needed to stay alive to watch all of her grandchildren grow up and marry their own spouses. Then, she might even live long enough to see her great grandchildren!


    Marchioness Dingyuan had long wanted to find an opportunity to thank the great benefactor of Marquis Dingyuan¡¯s Household. However, Xiaocao had been linked to Royal Prince Yang for a long time and Royal Prince Yang had achieved great military merits and ended up being promoted to Imperial Prince Xu. In order to avoid other people maliciously gossiping about their estate trying to climb thetter, other than asionally encountering her at social events, she did her best to not get too close. Now, she finally had her opportunity at Xiaocao¡¯s wedding to show just how much she appreciated the young maiden.


    Marchioness Dingyuan¡¯s daughter, Xiaocao¡¯s close friend, He Wanning, had also arrived. She had just finished her confinement month and looked a lot more curvypared to before. In addition, she seemed to have added on an aura of maternal gentleness to herself. He Wanning also gave a set of hair ornaments to Xiaocao¡¯s dowry and it was iid with sparkling pink crystals that added life to the jewelry. It was also a product of Treasure Pavilion.


    Although crystal wasn¡¯t an expensive material in the modern world, it was a material imported by international ships in this time period. The rarer something was, the greater its value. Furthermore, crystal was transparent and clear with bright and beautiful colors. Young maidens loved pink crystals the most. A single pink crystal hairpin from Treasure Pavilion cost around a thousand or so taels and was something that everyone mored for. Thus, aplete set of hair ornaments made out of it was even more precious.


    Xiaocao¡¯s other close friend, Yuan Xueyan, had just discovered she was pregnant and there was a superstition in ancient times that a pregnant woman should not see a bride. Thus, she couldn¡¯t personallye. She also gave a set of exquisite jewelry made out rubies that was worth a thousand taels.


    Yuan Xueyan had gotten herself married offst spring and the groom was actually Duke Rongguo¡¯s Second Young Master, Ning Donn. This event caused both Xiaocao and He Wanning¡¯s eyes to pop out of their heads. When did these two begin to see each other in a different light? Howe there wasn¡¯t any hint of this before?


    When the two of them interrogated Yuan Xueyan, she unexpectedly replied, ¡°Since women cannot escape the fate of being married, as long as I found someone I didn¡¯t hate, marrying anyone is about the same. I have a colder personality while Ning Donn makes other people feel warm. Spending the rest of our lives together shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    Xiaocao had once poured out her worries to Zhu Junyang about this and had especially spent some time observing the newly married couple. The newlyweds were respectful to each other and treated each other like honored guests. They seemed to be getting along well. From Xiaocao¡¯s reckoning, she would have thought that with Older Sister Yuan¡¯s personality, it would take a bit more time before they werefortable with each other. However, Ning Donn had always been smooth when he wanted to and always did things well. As long as he wanted to do something, there was nothing he couldn¡¯t achieve, let alone conquer an iceberg, right? She would have never expected that they would be anticipating a future baby so soon. It was likely after having a child that the two of them would have nothing wrong with their rtionship, right?


    Following that, more and more of her friends arrived to add to her dowry. Royal Princess Minn, Yu Wanqing, and the two sisters, Li Mengru and Li Mengqi, had all shown up. In addition, there were some rtives of the Fang Family who brought along their daughters to take the opportunity to show their faces to the future Princess Consort Xu. Furthermore, more noble young maidens from the capital, who usually were mere acquaintances with her, had also arrived to add to her dowry.


    That evening, when she saw how many good objects she obtained, Yu Xiaocao deliberately revealed a greedy expression and repeatedly said, ¡°I¡¯m rich, I¡¯m rich! If I could get married a few more times, then wouldn¡¯t I be the richest woman in the whole capital? ...OW!!¡±


    Before she could finish her thought, her head had been knocked by two fists. When she turned ahead to look at the offenders, she saw her mother and godmother both looking at her with aplicated expression on their faces.


    Madam Liu sighed, ¡°Older Sister Xia, just look at her. She¡¯s about to be a married woman but still speaks thoughtlessly. If she was marrying an ordinary person it¡¯d be one thing, but she¡¯s marrying into Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Residence. I really can¡¯t help but worry over her!!¡±


    Lady Fang sent a look at the young maiden who was rubbing her head with an embarrassed expression andforted the other woman, ¡°I think you¡¯re thinking too much about this! For one, Imperial Prince Xu truly treats our daughter with sincerity. Furthermore, don¡¯t you know our daughter¡¯s personality? She only speaks like this in front of people close to her as that is when she rxes. When she is out and about, when has she evermitted a faux pas? However, Lass, you need to keep your tongue in cheek for the next couple of days in order to avoid bringing bad fortune along! How could you possibly b about getting married more than once?¡±


    Herst two sentences were said in a much more serious tone, so Xiaocao obediently lowered her head to show her regret. Xiaolian and her eldest sister-inw, Liu Huifang, thought that she looked a bit pitiful, so they hurriedly spoke up in her defense.


    Madam Liu once again warned her a few times and then looked at the entire room full of items to add to the dowry with worry, ¡°These past few days we¡¯ve fretted about the dowry until half of our hairs have turned white. We just barely managed to stuff all of her items into a hundred and twenty chests. Now we have so many more dowry items, so what are we supposed to do ah?¡±


    Lady Fang also frowned out of worry as she looked at the items piled up in the room. She sighed and said, ¡°It looks like that having too many good connections is also a burden ah! It¡¯s one thing that her friends have added to the dowry. But the empress, grand princess royal, Duchess Ronguo, Marchioness Dingyuan, the wife of the prime minister...these all need to be put into one chest...it looks like that we need to redo a dozen or so chests in order to contain everything!¡±


    ¡°Then what are we to do? We racked our brains to get down to a hundred and twenty chests, stuffing as much as we could into each one. How are we supposed to find this much space to add all of this?¡± Other people fretted over the fact that they didn¡¯t have enough dowry. Apparently having too much dowry was also a worrisome thing!


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, acted as if this problem had nothing to do with her and casually said, ¡°If we can¡¯t fit it all, then leave some behind ah! It¡¯s not as if we¡¯re counting on the dowry to bring down the gates! Who doesn¡¯t know that I am the equivalent of the God of Wealth now? Marrying me is the same as marrying a giant mountain of gold...OW!! Mother, you hit me again! If you end up breaking me, what are you going to say to Imperial Prince Xu?¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else as shameless as you to brag so much ah? Mother is worrying for whose sake, ah? For you, right? Imperial Prince Xu sent over such a big amount of betrothal gifts to us, so if we send over a smaller dowry, how would the people outside gossip about us?!¡± Madam Liu had taken great offence to the malicious rumors about the Yu Family clinging onto Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s legs for their own gain. In just what way was her daughter not a good match for him? The fact that she didn¡¯t disdain him for being too old or for having such a weird personality was a good thing! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he was very sincere towards Xiaocao, she wouldn¡¯t be happy that her daughter was marrying him!


    ¡°Those wagging tongues live in other people¡¯s mouths, so who cares what they want to say ah? In my opinion, you should leave the shops and residences for my eldest brother and youngest brother. One of them will be inheriting the family¡¯s business while the other will be entering officialdom, so don¡¯t both of them need more assets?¡± Yu Xiaocao had always been opposed to her parents splitting their assets into four fractions and giving one fraction to herself as a dowry. Her eldest brother and youngest brother were the family¡¯s future. Her parents had painstakingly worked to gain their wealth, so they should be giving them to her brothers and future grandsons.

 Chapter 673 - Sending the Dowry

    <h4>Chapter 673 - Sending the Dowry</h4>


    Madam Liu red at her and snorted as she remarked in a sour tone, ¡°What¡¯s that ah? Do you think that the shops from your parents aren¡¯t worth much and not up to standard? Mother knows thatpared to your businesses, which bring in gold every day, we can¡¯tpare! You¡¯re capable now, like a fully fledged bird, and can make your own money, so that¡¯s why you¡¯re looking down on what we prepared for your dowry ah...¡±


    As she spoke, she felt a feeling of sorrow enter her heart and her eyes turned red. Madam Liu turned around and showed her back to everyone. When she saw that her mother was truly upset, Xiaocao immediately panicked and hurried over. She apologized regretfully, acted spoiled and acted cute before she finally finishedforting her mother. Madam Liu loved this youngest daughter of hers a lot. Thus, on the night before her wedding, she felt quite sad and tried to use other methods to hide her true feelings.


    She remembered back to the day when her youngest daughter was born. She was so small and thin, and could only let out a tiny noise like a small kitten. In her childhood, her youngest daughter was extremely weak and often fell ill. There were a few times when she almost passed away. The whole family did all they could to withstand Madam Zhang¡¯s pressure to preserve her little life. In the blink of an eye, that frail medicine pot had matured into a slender and elegant young maiden who was free-spirited, optimistic, and extremelypetent...however, this young maiden, who everyone in the family spoiled and loved, was about to be someone else¡¯s wife the day after tomorrow. As her mother, how could she not feel at a loss or sad?


    Her youngest daughter had done so much for her family. Before she got married, as her mother, she wanted to do something for her and add more dowry. However, her daughter wasn¡¯t grateful and always attempted to push stuff away so that she could leave it to her eldest and youngest brothers. Such a sensible and sweet daughter was about to get married, boo hoo hoo hooo...just thinking about it made her feel sad, ¡®Darling daughter, I wasn¡¯t getting angry at you, I just don¡¯t know how to control myself!¡¯


    Lady Fang watched the mother and daughter pair worry over the dowry issue. She came up with an idea, ¡°In any case, we love our daughter and we¡¯re doing this out of love not because we need to show off. How about this? We¡¯ll still go with a hundred and twenty-eight chests of dowry. Everything that was given to us today will be added. As for the stuff that gets disced, we can secretly send it to the estate after the formal presentation of the dowry. We can also prepare two lists; one will be for the formal presentation while the other one will be the true dowry.¡±


    Madam Liu was very satisfied with this solution and repeatedly nodded her head, ¡°Older Sister Xia, thank you foring up with such a good idea. I¡¯m going to rearrange the dowry again. Shitou,e with me as I need you, the future first ce examinee of the imperial service examinations, to transcribe the dowry list for me!¡±


    Wow! He had worked on his exam for nine days straight and didn¡¯t even get a chance to take a sip of water before he began to help his father and eldest brother take care of the guests. Now, at night, Little Shitou was still being put to work. However, for the sake of his second older sister¡¯s dowry matter, he didn¡¯t say a single peep and got up to follow his mother.


    The next day was the day to send and present the dowry. A full a hundred and twenty-eight chests of dowry were all disyed on red tforms with servants dressedpletely in festive red carrying them along. The red tforms were also decorated with crimson red silk flowers. Drummers and flute yers merrily yed in the front as the dowry train followed them from behind as they left the Yu Residence.


    At the front were all sorts of official caps: ones made of sable fur and fox fur, hats decorated with dragons, hats made of velvet that were embedded with precious pearls...all in all, the court hats took up twelve chests.


    Then there was the jewelry. There was jewelry shaped into flowers, phoenix shaped jewelry iid with green jade, gold and silver hairpins crafted into auspicious shapes, hairpins carved into longevity shapes, silver jewelry shaped into the character for ¡®double happiness¡¯, silver jewelry shaped into ¡®as one wishes¡¯, peony shaped jewelry, Chinese flowering crab-apple shaped jewelry...it was enough to dazzle a person¡¯s eyes.


    In terms of ornaments, there were four crafted of jadeite, four crafted from white jade, and four crafted of green jade.


    There were ten sets of hairpins. There was a pair of long pure gold hairpins decorated with delicate threads of gold, a pair of pure gold hairpins engraved in the shape of waves, a pair of pure gold hairpins that were enameled, a pair of jadeite hairpins, a pair of white jade hairpins, a pair of hairpins made of white jade iid with gems, a pair of blueish-green hairpins shaped into longevity symbols, a pair of hairpins shaped into ¡®double happiness¡¯ and ¡®as one wishes¡¯ characters...


    Then there were the bracelets: a pair of pure gold bracelets that were engraved, a pair of pure gold bracelets that were iid with jewels, a pair of pure gold bracelets decorated with golden threads, a pair of pure gold bracelets enameled with blue-green coloring, a pair of round white jade bracelets, a pair of white jade bracelets carved with flowers, a pair of round jadeite bracelets, a pair of jadeite bracelets carved with flowers...


    Then there were the smaller beaded hairpins, hair clips, dangling hair ornaments. In addition, there were all sorts of earrings, jade pendants, rings, nail covers, hair decorations and other misceneous goods...all was in great abundance. Each jewelry type had a lot of different varieties present and they were all done in pairs or in even numbers. The jewelry in her dowry had ended up taking up twenty chests of space.


    In her dowry, there naturally wouldn¡¯t be ack of clothing materials. There was mink furs, yuan fox furs, red fox furs, snow fox furs, woven silk with fox fur, woven silk with weasel fur, and all sorts of damasks and silk fabrics. In fact, many of these fabrics had never been seen before and were made of materials no one had heard of before. The vast majority of clothing that she brought along was from Exquisite Garments and Modiste Jiang herself had made twelve of them. All of the young maidens and noble matrons were extremely envious when they saw this.


    Furthermore, she had two tiger pelts, six silver fox pelts, six otter pelts, six ck fox pelts, six wolf pelts, a ck giant squirrel pelt, a sable pelt, and about two hundred bolts of a variety of highest quality silks. Then there were two hundred colorful satin bolts, two hundred flower brocade bolts, two hundred silk damask bolts, two hundred and twelve cloud brocade bolts, and two hundred and twelve Sichuan brocade bolts. Then she had a hundred and twelve bolts of silk scarves, a hundred and twelve bolts of velvet woolens, two hundred pce silk bolts, two hundred pce satin bolts, two hundred pce cotton bolts, and four hundred bolts of cloud satins. Then there was python satin, shantung satin, gold brocade, cicada¡¯s wing muslin, soft smoke gauze, pomegranate damask, etc. As for the embroidered pouches, the dowry contained four hundred of them. All of the cloth and pouches were packed into ten chests.


    As for the furniture and decorations, any one of them was enough to shock a person. There was a pair of standing screens that were carved out of red sandalwood and iid with foreign ss, a pair of red sandalwood foot stools, twenty small boxes that were carved out of red sandalwood, twenty chests made of red sandalwood, a pair ofrge armoires made of carved red sandalwood, an intricately carved bed frame made of red sandalwood...a carved four-poster bed made of fragrant rosewood, an enclosed bed frame with a circr framed door that was carved out of fragrant rosewood, a set of carved fragrant rosewood screens iid with ss and a matching bed frame...


    In addition, there were all sorts of curios, brush paintings, decorations, articles for daily use, and medicinal ingredients in the dowry. These items filled another few dozen chests. The most eye-catching chests were the ones containing the deeds for the estates and shops: over a hundred thousand mu in farnd, more than a dozen shops, and six residences. The residences included four three-courtyard estates and two five-courtyard estates. Then there were six farmsteads and two farmsteads next to hot springs...the properties that were worth the most money were the businesses under Xiaocao¡¯s name: the pharmaceutical factory, the brewery and winery, the medicinal and flower teas factory, the canned goods and candied fruits workshop, the desserts shop, the medicinal cuisine shop, and ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯...


    This was absolutely the most extravagant dowry that had ever been seen in the Great Ming Dynasty. The Yu Residence wasn¡¯t very far from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate, but they deliberately made the dowry train take a roundabout route. The entire procession went along the western side of the city before circling back. Even after they did this, by the time the dowry first entered the prince¡¯s estate, there were still more chests within the Yu Residence that hadn¡¯t been carried out. This amount of dowry had long surpassed the record from when Imperial Prince Jing married off his daughter ten years ago and was now the new record for the most extravagant dowry.


    For decades after, whenever people in the capital saw a dowry procession, they couldn¡¯t help but think of what happened when Princess Consort Xu got married and the grandiose dowry procession she had. Five kilometers of dowry was no longer enough to describe this asion. Some people were incredibly envious of the Yu Family for having so much wealth to create such a dowry and being willing to part with so much. Others sourly remarked that the Yu Family was trying to make themselves look important in order to ingratiate themselves with their great patron, Imperial Prince Xu. How could these people understand that everyone in the Yu Family dearly loved this daughter of theirs and were reluctant to part with her?


    After all of the dowry arrived at Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate, the entire inner courtyard and front courtyard had been stuffed full with chests. The people who hade over earlier to watch the dowry procession arrive were the friends and family of Imperial Prince Jing and Xu. Naturally, their statuses and positions were quite high and they had seen quite a lot of grandiose and extravagant processions in their lives. However, when they saw this whopping dowry, they couldn¡¯t help but be speechless either.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s good friend made fun of him despite the risk of retaliation, ¡°Looks you picked up a treasure here! You need to treat your future wife well. Look at how much her family loves her. If you treat her poorly, her family will definitely do all they can to get back at you ah!¡±


    ¡°Stop being such a wet nket! How could he possibly be willing to treat his wife poorly? Haven¡¯t you seen how he acts around Royal Princess Jinan and how he treats her like the most precious treasure in the world? You only see this massive dowry in front of you but you didn¡¯t see how he gave up pretty much half of his assets as a betrothal gift. If he could have, he would have wrapped himself up and sent himself to Royal Princess Jinan!¡± The person who replied was that fellow Lu Hao. He had seen with his own eyes just how much of a ve Zhu Junyang was for Xiaocao.


    No matter how much his good friends poked fun at him, Zhu Junyang continued to keep a giant smile on his face, like a simpleton. The silly look of pure happiness on his face had truly given the people around him a whole new image. Apparently, the ¡®cold-faced prince¡¯ could also be a soft and tender gentleman ah! Royal Princess Jinan was truly very skilled to tame such a cmitous demon as Zhu Junyang!


    Zhu Junyang looked at the chests of dowry but his mind was on one particr fact alone: Tomorrow, thess would truly be considered his and his alone. His heart filled with glee. Custom dictated that the bride and groom should not see each other the three days before marriage. He had been thinking about her constantly during this time, tormenting himself. He just needed to be patient for one more day and then he couldpletely celebrate being hers alone! His wife, his princess consort, the person who he was going to grow old together...


    On the night before the wedding, Madam Liu slept in the same room as her daughter and spoke a lot. She reminisced about their past memories, instructed her daughter on how to be a good wife and daughter-inw, and obscurely went over the event that was going to happen on the wedding night. People in the ancient times tended to be quite conservative. Thus, Madam Liu only told her daughter to go along with her husband and to not allow him to harm herself too much!


    As a modern woman who had lived for almost thirty years, Yu Xiaocao had read quite a few descriptive novels and seen some matureics. Although she had still been an unmarried woman on that day she had her ident, she wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with the rtions between a man and a woman. If she was truly a well-bred youngdy in these ancient times, judging by what Madam Liu had sketched out, she would have beenpletely clueless of what was toe.


    The two of them finally fell asleep at ate time that night. Before the sky turned bright, Xiaocao was woken up unceremoniously. She was stuffed into a bathtub and was washed clean in a groggy stupor. After getting some sweet smelling lotion rubbed into her entire body, she was pushed into the chair at her dressing table. Theplete fortune matron, who they had invited over, began using a cotton thread to clean up her face.


    Theplete fortune matron repeatedly praised Xiaocao when she saw her fair and tender face, which was as wless as a chicken egg, ¡°Look at this skin that is as beautiful as porcin. I can¡¯t even find a single hair. This old one has helped many nobledies clean up but this is the first one I¡¯ve seen such a tender face!¡±


    As she spoke, she only symbolically went a few passes across Xiaocao¡¯s face with the thread and then picked up the duck egg powder. She spread on a thickyer of powder and then colored Xiaocao¡¯s lips a bright red. Following that, she colored in her eyebrows a deep ck. In the end, Xiaocao resembled a geisha from a certain ind country and everyone was underwhelmed by her finished makeup. Even Xiaocao¡¯s personal maidservants couldn¡¯t stand it¡ª¡ªwas this called makeup ah? Obviously it was clown makeup instead ah! Wutong, Yingchun, and the other maidservants all wanted to speak up but were afraid to do so.


    [1] yuan fox - type of extinct fox

 Chapter 674 - Getting Married

    <h4>Chapter 674 - Getting Married</h4>


    In order to personally attend their young miss¡¯s wedding, all the Yu Family¡¯s shops were closed for the day and had signs that said ¡¯the owner has an event for celebration¡¯. The managers of these businesses, Yingtao, Yangliu, Hechun, and Xichun, were usually so busy every day that they rarely had the time to sit and rest their feet. Despite that, they all needed to congratte their mistress on her special day.


    As theplete fortune matron took a bold and resolute approach to her makeup, these loyal maidservants could only helplessly watch as their sweet and lovely young miss was turned into a white-faced, red-lipped blood-sucking monster.


    Hechun¡¯s makeup skills were good and she wanted toe forward and give her young miss a beautiful makeover. Unfortunately, she was an orphan and was a servant bought by the Yu Family. For auspiciousness, all the people invited to do the makeup for the bride were all people who were fortunate in all corners of their life. Sadly, this era¡¯s makeup could only be described in one way: not ttering!


    Theplete fortune matron praised Xiaocao for having soft and silky ck hair as she braided it and wound it around her head. She put on the head ornaments and was stopped by Xiaocao just as she was about to put on the headpiece, "It¡¯s only morning. It¡¯s still too early for me to get picked up. If I wear that for half a day my neck will break. How about waiting until the afternoon and let the maidservants put it on for me? Madam, you¡¯ve worked hard. Ying Chun, please take the madam to the side hall for some tea and pastries!"


    When theplete fortune matron heard there was good tea and pastries, her heart was full of joy. Who didn¡¯t know that the tea and pastries of the Yu Family were the best in the capital? Unfortunately, with her identity, she would never reach the level of Royal Princess Jinan. She got really lucky to be invited over to do makeup for Royal Princess Jinan, the future Princess Consort Xu. There was even tea and refreshments, how ttering!


    Once theplete fortune matron left, Yu Xiaocao turned to Hechun and said, "Quick, help me wash this foundation off. How thick is this powder? It¡¯s like I rolled out of the flour jar!"


    Hechun was hesitant. Yu Xiaocao stared at her and said, "Is it because I¡¯m getting married now so you don¡¯t have to listen to my orders? I¡¯m just telling you to wash it off and let you do my makeup, what are you worried about? You¡¯ve followed me for so long, so when have I ever cared about societal views? If a couple¡¯s happiness is affected by the status of the person who puts on your makeup, what¡¯s the significance of such a fragile marriage?"


    Wutong heard this and her expression changed slightly. She looked around the room and saw that the ones left in the room were all close servants. She breathed a sigh of relief and said in a cating manner, "Let¡¯s not talk about such sad things! Today is your wedding! Hechun, you can do what the young miss tells you to do. When has our young miss¡¯s decision ever been wrong?"


    Seeing this, Hechun no longer hesitated. She picked up the cosmetics on the dressing table and gave her master a thin foundationyer. Her young miss¡¯s skin was bright and clear, so using too much powder would appear thick and unnatural. The young miss¡¯s eyebrows were very stylized, so just a slight sweep with the eyebrow brush was enough. For the area around the eyes, Hechun expertly drew on a fine line of eyeliner and blended in a faint pink eye shadow. This was paired with a pink blush and the corresponding lip color. This was the most suitable spring peach blossom makeup, natural and transparent, with a bit of sweet charm.


    It had to be said that Hechun¡¯s makeup skills were better than the one who taught her. No wonder the newlyunched cosmetic products for Blossoming Beauty were selling so well! Hechun also sighed that her young miss¡¯s base was so good that she didn¡¯t need too much makeup to achieve the ideal effect.


    Yingtao, who had just given birth to her eldest son, was a little plumper in shape. Her round face was full of joy, and she said with a smile, "Young Miss doesn¡¯t normally dress up. With the make-up, she¡¯s be a peerless beauty. It¡¯s too bad that Imperial Prince Xu has gotten such


    Yangliu red at her and scolded with a smile, "Only you know how to be cheeky when the person in question is not around. When his highnesses to pick her up, if you dare to say that, then you¡¯re my biological sister!"


    Yangliu and Yingtao were born in the same year on the same month, so the difference in age between them wasn¡¯t any more than a few days. Yingtao relied on her earlier birth by a few days and called herself the older sister all the time. Yangliu seemed honest but she wasn¡¯t easy to fool. They had been quarreling about it for seven to eight years but they still hadn¡¯te to a conclusion. Yangliu¡¯s words today were a dare that Yingtao wouldn¡¯t dare to mess around in front of Imperial Prince Xu like this.


    Sure enough, at the thought of the prince whose gaze could make hearts stop, Yingtao¡¯s plump expression copsed and she pouted unwillingly!


    "Alright! You guys are all managers yet are still fighting so childishly. Be careful that your subordinates might see this! This might damage your image in front of them." Wutong persuaded the two maidservants.


    Pipa was as quiet as ever, cleaning her young miss¡¯s makeup box at the side with a small smile on her face. Yingtao, Yangliu and Pipa were the first to follow the young miss. Now Yingtao and Yangliu had be Xiaocao¡¯s assistants in business, while Wutong and Pipa were in charge of the many matters in the courtyard. All of them had indispensable roles.


    There was also Hechun, who was in charge of Blossoming Beauty and Xichun who was in charge of the cold storage and the canned preserved fruits workshop. There was also Yingchun and Tanchun, who were both the head maidservants in the courtyard and acted as the left and right hands of Xiaocao. These people were all going with her along with their businesses as part of her dowry once she married over.


    The mistress and her servants were chatting andughing in the inner courtyard but it was very lively outside. The whole street where the Yu Family was located was shrouded in a festive atmosphere and was filled with people. There were many people waiting to see the festivities. The dowry lineup yesterday had shocked the entire capital. To be able to witness the marriage of Royal Princess Jinan and Imperial Prince Xu was a once in a lifetime opportunity!


    Among the people who came to give congrattions, there were those who came to give the couple their sincere blessings, those who came because of the two¡¯s power and influence to gain some publicity and tter them, and also those who came with the crowd to maintain their reputations... Everyone¡¯s intent was different but they all had the same festive, happy smile on their faces.


    As time went by, Xiaocao¡¯s good friends gathered around her to congratte her and appreciate her makeup. Those of them who had already gotten married especially admired her makeup.


    He Wanning put out her hand and poked Xiaocao¡¯s face twice, pouting unhappily, "Xiaocao, you¡¯re too sly, hiding such a beautiful bridal makeup from us. When I got married, I had a pale white face and lips that looked like I just drank human blood. I didn¡¯t even dare to look at myself in the mirror. Lu Hao¡¯s surprise and dislike when he lifted the veil was clear to me. Hmph! I even thought of you like a sister, but you¡¯ve actually hid such beautiful makeup."


    Yuan Xueyan was alright. When she got married, theplete fortune ,atron revered her so she went with her requirement of having a lighter makeup, the lighter the better. However, all that could be said was that the makeup at least didn¡¯t make her look worse.


    Royal Princess Minn and Li Mengqi were both older than Xiaocao by one or two years, and had gotten married in the past two years. Their makeup was also done by theplete fortune matrons...Ah, it was best not to mention the results!


    "It¡¯s not that I¡¯m hiding it. In the past two months, our Blossoming Beauty has juste out with a new cosmetic line, right? Manager Hechun learned a few new makeup skills. Originally, we were originally nning to gain publicity using public activities. Today, I tried it on my face using this opportunity. You should know that I have no taboos, not like your families, sticking to traditions! Even if you guys didn¡¯t get married first, and learned how to do this makeup, would your families allow Hechun to do your makeup for you?" Yu Xiaocao said this to save herself from her friends¡¯ints.


    When they heard this, they looked at one another, and didn¡¯t say anything more! Xiaocao was right, if just anyone could do their makeup then there wouldn¡¯t be any need to invite someplete fortune matron over!


    Li Mengqi and Yu Wanqing, who had set down their engagements, quietly squeezed in and talked to Xiaocao, "Elder Sister Yu, Manager Hechun¡¯s makeup was taught by you right? So...when we get married, can we ask Older Sister Yu to help with our makeup?"


    Yu Xiaocao pinched them on their red faces and said with a smile, "Do you know what aplete fortune matron is? In addition to the parents being alive and in a loving rtionship, their brothers and sisters must be in harmony, and their various children must be still alive! If you can wait, maybe in three to five years, seven to eight years, when my son and daughter are born, I will do your makeup. The point is, can your fiance afford to wait that long?"


    Yu Wanqing¡¯s eyes were disappointed, but she said naively, "Maybe your first pregnancy will be twins that are boy and girl? Then next autumn, when I get married, you can help me with my make up... "


    "I thank you for nning my first pregnancy as a girl and boy pair! The main thing is that having a child also depends on fate. How can they appear like when and how you want?" Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help pinching the young girl¡¯s tender face, and sheughed until she cramped.


    After Royal Princess Minn married, she became much more mature. She looked at the two girls who didn¡¯t know shame and said, "The two of you are unmarried girls. Talking about having children or not having children, don¡¯t you know shame? It¡¯s almost time for the escort group to arrive. Quick, put on the phoenix headpiece and wedding robes."


    Xiaocao, who put on the whole set of clothing, surprised everyone present. The phoenix headpiece on top of her head was different from the traditional one. The gold base was in the unique and exquisite shape of a phoenix. It was decorated with festive rubies and fine diamonds, which were blinding. Before her forehead hung a few wisps of gold twisted tassels, which had glittering rubies dangling at the ends. This made Xiaocao¡¯s delicate face seem even more charming and alluring.


    The red wedding dress was an improved wedding dress in the Qi-style with a small cor, delicate buttons, and was made of cloth that had a pattern of a noble peony in golden silk threads. The waist area was designed to look slender and elegant and the crystal ornaments at the neckline and sleeves made it seem even more elegant and luxurious. This wedding dress was carefully embroidered by Modiste Jiang for two months. After finishing the embroidery, Modiste Jiang was reluctant to send it out. She repeatedly said that this wedding dress was the pinnacle of her weaving and embroidery career!


    Just as they were allplimenting it, a sound of joy came from the front courtyard. "Coming,ing!" There was a stiring from the outer courtyard.

 Chapter 675 - Bowing to Heaven and Earth

    <h4>Chapter 675 - Bowing to Heaven and Earth</h4>


    Outside the Yu¡¯s Residence, the wedding procession had entered the street with beating gongs and drums. In the middle of the crowd, the bridegroom, who was shining with happiness, rode on a high horse. Wasn¡¯t the person dressed in red and wearing a big red flower on his chest Zhu Junyang, Imperial Prince Xu?


    Before entering the sedan chair, Yu Xiaocao kneeled to her parents to bid farewell with the help of Wutong and Pipa. Through the hazy red veil, she could still clearly see her mother¡¯s tearful smile and her father¡¯s reluctant eyes. She recalled her first arrival to this home. Her parents still gave her the warmest love even in their most difficult times and tried their best to protect her...


    She turned her eyes to the side to look towards her elder brother, younger brother, and twin sister, who was very simr to herself. They were all gazing at her. At that time when she first transmigrated over, they lived in a single room that had very poor conditions. Despite being children themselves, her siblings always left the best things to her. Xiaolian, who was only a few minutes older than herself, took good care of her like a big sister. In this life, she made up for theck in her previous life and was able to bask in her family¡¯s affection. This was her biggest harvest, but also her deepest desire and sentimental attachment.


    Madam Liu tried to keep the smile on her face, but the wet corners of her eyes showed her deep reluctance to let her daughter go. In the beginning, the little girl,who was now getting married, wasn¡¯t as big as her palm and was as weak as a newborn kitten. Her little daughter, who was like a medicine pot that she tried her best to take care of, finally grew up and was about to marry someone. She didn¡¯t know if that person, like her family, could give her a free and happy living space and give her a happy home....


    "Cao¡¯er, when you get to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence, you will be a daughter-inw and someone¡¯s wife. Between husband and wife, there should be considerations toward each other, so remember to talk about any problems... It¡¯s most important to live your own life well. Don¡¯t worry so much..." Even though there were thousands of words in her heart, it only turned into a voice of exhortation.


    Yu Hai¡¯s heart ached. Since his second daughter was the one closest to him, she liked to pester him. Every time he came back from hunting, she always tried her best to ask him for his captured prey. When she was a little older, she learned to rece the captured prey with copper coins and hide the money. Later, with her own abilities, she gradually umted wealth as he looked on.


    He was an ipetent father. Otherwise, why else would his youngest daughter take the burden of the family as her responsibility when she was young? Over the years, he had been trying to keep up with his daughter, to lighten her burden and shoulder the burden of their family. However when his efforts were sessful, his little daughter was about to leave his wings and be someone else¡¯s bride.


    ¡°...Live your life well, there¡¯s still your brother and I at home! If you are wronged outside, don¡¯t bear it. Father will make sure to support you one hundred percent!¡± Although her father¡¯s words were simple, they were full of deep affection for his daughter.


    Yu Hang said with a nasal voice, "Little Sister, we don¡¯t have much else, but we have lots of seafood. If you have anything you want to eat, please send a message back, and I will send it over to you. Wutong and Pipa, you are both loyal, take good care of your miss.¡± The two servant girls agreed.


    Little Shitou¡¯s eyes were red. If so many people weren¡¯t watching, he would have taken his second sister¡¯s hand and begged her to not get married! However, his future brother-inw was eyeing him fiercely. He could only re at Prince Xu who robbed him of his second sister and say in a reluctant voice, "Second Sister, just you wait! After a few years, I will be someone you can be proud of. Then, I will be your backer, that way someone wouldn¡¯t dare to bully you!! You must not think that our family background is inferior to someone else¡¯s and endure everything! We will always keep the door open to wee you, and no matter what decision you make, we will support you! Don¡¯t wrong yourself... "


    Zhu Junyang, who was quietly listening to his wife saying goodbye to her family, wanted to express that he was the one being kicked after falling down. He wasn¡¯t reassuring? They already had a way of retreat, and could wee his wife home and kick him away at any time! ¡®Humph! I won¡¯t give you a chance!! I devoted all my patience and guarded her for seven to eight years. He finally was about to marry his wife. Of course, he would love her, and wouldn¡¯t bear to let her suffer any injustices. Brother-inw, your n is doomed to fail!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang gave a look to theplete fortune matron beside him. The matron said with a smile, "It¡¯ste. It¡¯s time to get on the sedan chair, so as not to miss the auspicious time."


    "Little Sister, I¡¯ll carry you to the sedan chair!" Yu Hang bent down and waited for her toe up his back.


    Yu Xiaocaoy on her big brother¡¯s broad back. Her heart was full of sadness and reluctance. At that time when she first transmigrated over, her eldest brother was just a thin and weak boy about ten years old. In order to lighten the burden on the family, he followed Madam Zhang¡¯s arrangement and went to the carpenter¡¯s shop to be an apprentice. He was tortured and nearly killed by the cruel shopkeeper.


    The weak and sensible young man from back then had grown into a tall and strong man that was gradually bing the future master of the Yu Family. She believed that with her own well-paved road, her elder brother will be able to develop the Yu Family into one of the best in Tanggu.


    Yu Hang¡¯s heart was also not calm. As a child, he often carried his frail little sister on his back to allow her to see the scenery outside. His little sister was so thin back then that he could hardly feel the weight of her small body. She stayed on his back obediently, which made him feel pity and heartache. After many years, his mood was moreplicated when he picked up his younger sister again. From today on, his sister would be someone else¡¯s wife. He hoped that the person she married would be kind and considerate. All the sufferings should have already passed for her, leaving only happiness and joy!


    Zhu Junyang, who walked by his brother-inw, endured and endured before he managed to press down the idea that he wanted to snatch his wife and put her on the sedan chair himself. He did not want hisss to be intimate with another man, even if he was her older brother. Humph! Soon the littless wouldpletely belong to him, so he only had to endure for onest time...


    Madam Liu watched her eldest son carry her youngest daughter out. She could no longer hold back her tears as they rolled down her face. Liu Huifang, who was supporting her, had red eyes. Yu Hai and Little Shitou, the father and son pair, quietly looked at the Xiaocao¡¯s back until the curtains of the sedan chair blocked their sight.


    Firecrackers went off, while gongs and drums rang in the sky. The procession of weing rtives was gradually moving away, leaving a trace of sadness and loneliness in the house. On the other hand, Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence was full of excitement, with an endless stream of guests. Almost all of the high and powerful people in the imperial court came. There were also some capital officials who weren¡¯t fourth ranked or above, who gave their gifts, to have a sense of existence in front of Prince Xu, and wisely left. Otherwise, even arge estate like Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s would not be able to hold so many people!


    None of the members of the imperial family were missing. As the grandfather of the groom, the emperor emeritus acted as the host and warmly exchanged greetings with those who came to congratte him. Imperial Prince Jing, who was almost robbed of the limelight by his father, was also busy entertaining his colleagues. Imperial Prince Duan and Imperial Prince Sa were also pulled in to help with the guests.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s eldest brother was also so busy that his feet didn¡¯t stay on the ground and he didn¡¯t even have time to drink water. There were too many guests, and many of the guests were even the same generation as him! Zhu Junyang¡¯s second older brother had finally left the border and managed to arrive in the capital yesterday, just in time. Today, he also didn¡¯t get to rest. With Zhu Junyang¡¯s cousins, he joined the weing procession of rtives. Among them was Royal Prince Guo, whose identity Xiaocao had once borrowed, who was now quite healthy.


    After removing the curtain and kicking in the door of the sedan, Zhu Junyang leaned into the sedan and did what he wanted from the beginning under the whistling of his cousins and brothers. He picked up his little bride and crossed the brazier and strode into the assembly hall on the red carpet.


    The auspicious time had arrived, and just when he was about to bow to heaven and earth, a sudden "The emperor has arrived¡ª¡ª¡± made the originally lively scene turnpletely silent. The officials present looked at each other and they could all see surprise and admiration in each other¡¯s eyes. Imperial Prince Xu and Royal Princess Jinan were really blessed. Even the emperor himself came to attend their wedding!


    Zhu Junfan not only came personally, but he also brought his wife and son. The family of three were all in regr clothes. Apanied by the maids, the empress went to the inner courtyard, but the emperor stayed in the assembly hall. The two master seats were taken up, one for the emperor emeritus and the other for the emperor.


    Argh! It was their son¡¯s marriage, but they couldn¡¯t even sit at the master seats. It was a bit hard to swallow. Imperial Prince Jing gave aplicated look to his father and his imperial nephew. He was feeling a little discontented!


    "Go on, go on! Don¡¯t miss the auspicious time because of me!¡± Zhu Junfan was aware of theplex look in his imperial uncle¡¯s eyes, and he felt the thrill of ying a prank on someone.


    "One, bow to the heavens and earth-¡ª¡ª" Imperial Prince Sa stole the responsibilities from the master of ceremonies, and raised his voice and called out every process of the ceremony. The master of ceremonies, who was pushed aside, was helpless. The other was a member of the imperial family, how could he win over him?


    Covered with a red veil, Yu Xiaocao felt like a puppet, following other people¡¯s orders, meticulously doing everything. Fortunately, it was not a one-man y. The big hand that carried her in the hall and put her down had not let go, which made her feel less frightened and gradually settled her down. It was nice to have him beside her!


    When "Enter the bridal chamber¡ª¡ª" was announced by Imperial Prince Sa, Xiaocao let out a breath in relief. She should be able to rest for a while!


    Then she was sent to a wedding room in the inner courtyard. Zhu Junyang had been holding onto her with the red silk, but when the red silk had be a decoration, the guy directly held onto the tender hands of his little bride. He was coaxed by his friends and subordinates. Today was his wedding day. Many of his subordinates who were afraid of him were bolder and joined in on the fun.


    Not only this, but they all also crowded into the wedding room. The process of the wedding was still going on. Zhu Junyang picked up a small scale made of red gold. When the woman employed to wait on the bride on her wedding day said, "May your wishes be granted", he raised up the slightly coarsely embroidered red veil top of the Xiaocao¡¯s head, revealing her red face. After so many years, Xiaocao¡¯s embroidery hadn¡¯t improved much..

 Chapter 676 - Into the Bridal Chamber

    <h4>Chapter 676 - Into the Bridal Chamber</h4>


    Her skin was fair and translucent. Her eyebrows were curved, and her eyes were as clear as a clear pond. With a tall nose and rosy lips, two shallow dimples appeared on the sides of her face when she smiled shyly, making people intoxicated and unwilling to wake up.


    Most people were used to seeing bridal makeup with thick powdered faces and bright red lips, so they were amazed by her refreshingly light but brilliant peach blossom makeup. The rough army men didn¡¯t hesitate to praise her:


    ¡°Leader¡¯s wife is so pretty ah! She¡¯s simply a little peach blossom that just bloomed, looking fair and tender...¡±


    ¡°Leader, how did you manage to get such a tender little peach blossom? This is the prime example of ¡®an old cattle eating tender grass¡¯ ah!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the leader¡¯s wife, who¡¯s an expert in farming and business, to be different from what I had imagined. She¡¯s a delicate and beautiful young woman! You have good eyes, Leader!¡±


    ¡°Leader¡¯s Wife, do you have any sisters in your family? You should consider me. Ie from a well-known family. I¡¯m also tall, strong, and good-looking. Most importantly, I have a good character and good temper. I¡¯m definitely the best candidate for a perfect husband...¡±


    ......


    Had it been another noble maiden, she would either be too shy to raise her head, or very angry. Xiaocao, on the other hand, looked openly at each person who spoke with a smile. She knew that these people were fellow soldiers of her husband, and they all had a rather close rtionship.


    The face of the young military official who spokest flushed red upon her staring. He touched the back of his head and chuckled. In actuality, he was actually quite serious about the question. The leader¡¯s wife had such excellent cooking skills, so her sisters also definitely wouldn¡¯t be too bad. Last time, when he went on a mission with Leader, he had risked his life to snatch thest piece of dried meat that Leader¡¯s Wife packed. That taste was truly unforgettable ah! If he could also marry a wife with such skills, would he still have to steal from the leader and risk the chance of being beaten and going through intense training?


    ¡°I have an older sister!¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at the young military official¡¯s eager face and deliberately paused for a moment. Under the dazzling gaze of the other party, she slowly added, ¡°We¡¯re twins!¡°


    All of the military officials in the room let out enthusiastic howls, which made Zhu Junyang so angry that he threw eye daggers at each of them. What did they mean? Why were these guys so excited about thess¡¯s older twin sister? What were they thinking about? It seemed like he had been so busy with the wedding preparations recently that these brats were too idle and rxed!


    All of the military officials, ¡®Why did the temperature in the room suddenly drop a few degrees? What is this chilly feeling?¡¯


    ¡°But...¡± Yu Xiaocao took the tea, which was just the right temperature, that Zhu Junyang handed her and drank a small sip of it. Then, under everyone¡¯s anticipating gazes, she finally said, ¡°But she got marriedst year!¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± A series of pitiful cries sounded!


    The wedding attendant, who had been pushed to the side, took advantage of this opportunity to squeeze to the front. She cut a lock of Xiaocao¡¯s and Zhu Junyang¡¯s hair with scissors, tied them together, and said with a smile, ¡°Forever united.¡±


    Then, they had to drink the nuptial wine. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Yu Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang held the cdon cups, intertwined their arms, and drank the wine in the cups.


    The wedding attendant took the te of dumplings from the maidservant beside her and handed a pair of silver chopsticks to Xiaocao. The dumplings were small and exquisite. Xiaocao hadn¡¯t eaten since the morning, so she had been hungry for a long time. She picked up a dumpling and put it into her mouth. She chewed on it, and then frowned, ¡°It¡¯s raw?!


    The wedding attendant chuckled merrily on the side, ¡°May you soon be blessed with a child!¡±


    Seeing a trace of disappointment on thess¡¯s face, Zhu Junyang whispered in her ears, ¡°Hungry? This prince will tell Ying¡¯er and Yan¡¯er to prepare some snacks so that you can eat something first. I have already ordered the kitchen to make your favorite dishes, and they will be sent over shortly!¡±


    After that, the wedding attendant told them to sit side by side on the wedding bed. She sprinkled some longan, peanuts, and dates on them. After another bout ofughter in the newlywed¡¯s room, the young guests finally withdrew from the room.


    Zhu Junyang still needed to return to the front courtyard to entertain the guests. He sped Xiaocao¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Let Wutong and the others help you change intofortable clothes, eat something, and then rest on the bed for a while. This prince will return quickly.¡±


    After that, he looked reluctantly at his wife¡¯s lovely face. He took a deep look at her again, and then immediately turned around to leave. At this time, he seriously wanted to drive out all the guests in the front courtyard so that he could stay with his bride.


    When Yu Xiaocao, who was originally sitting obediently on the bed, heard the sound of the doors closing, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Then, she started to look around the room curiously. The room was very spacious, and the decoration was gorgeous and elegant. Most of the furnishing were simr to her room at the Yu Estate, but the standards at the Yu Estate were definitely iparable to the furnishing here.


    Wutong smiled and brewed a cup of tea for her mistress with the tea leaves that she brought over. Then she picked up the snacks on the table and carried them to her young miss. She teasingly said, ¡°His Highness is just worried that Young Miss would be unustomed to the new environment, so he arranged the room ording to your preferences! His Highness cherishes you dearly and wants to give you all the best!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao withdrew her gaze from the pair ofrge, red candles on the candlestick. It was apparent that this candlestick was made by Zhu Junyang. With exquisite patterns, it was made with pure gold and iid with a thumb-sized ruby. One may not even be able to buy this ruby with over a thousand taels in Treasure Pavilion. So extravagant!


    She lowered her head to drink two sips of tea. She had gotten up early in the morning, and it was now evening. However, she hadn¡¯t eaten anything at all. Brides in the ancient times were really pitiful. They were afraid of making mistakes during the wedding, so they simply didn¡¯t eat since the morning. In the morning, her mother felt bad for her and cooked two poached eggs for her to eat, but she didn¡¯t dare to let her drink too much water. She was dying of thirst ah! She finished the flower tea in one go, and then ordered Wutong to pour her another cup.


    She finally noticed that there were two unfamiliar maidservants standing by the door. She reckoned that they were Ying¡¯er and Yan¡¯er, who Zhu Junyang had mentioned earlier. They appeared submissive as they stood there motionless, like two statues. In other people¡¯s eyes, there was nothing to nitpick about such good discipline, but Xiaocao just raised her eyebrows and didn¡¯t make anyments.


    After wearing the phoenix cor for most of the day, Yu Xiaocao felt as if her neck wasn¡¯t hers anymore. Since there wasn¡¯t anyone else in the room now, she told Pipa to help her take off the golden cor that was iid with gems.


    Pipa carefully took off the phoenix cor on her master¡¯s head, and then massaged her stiff neck and shoulders. She pressed the acupuncture points on her head to help her rx, and then shebed her hair into a simple bun style. It was a simple and refreshing style without too many hair essories.


    Even though Pipa was usually very quiet and didn¡¯t have much sense of presence, she was actually the most attentive one. She also had skillful hands. Over the years, she had been responsible for the young miss¡¯s dress and makeup. She had learned a lot of different hairstyles, but it was a pity that she seldom had the chance to use them on her young miss. The young miss mainly wore clothing that werefortable and neat, and she preferred simple hairstyles. At most, her hair ornaments were embedded with simple pearls. Pipa could change the simplest hairstyle into a different style every time. It was apparent how attentive she was.


    Xiaocao had put down the te after just eating one piece of snack. She leanedzily on the quilt to rest. When people stayed hungry for too long, they would lose their appetite. At this time, a light knocking sound came from the door. Xiaocao said e in¡¯, and then the door was immediately pushed open. Meixiang, whose hair wasbed into the style used by married women, walked in with a smile on her face. Several young maids followed behind her with food boxes in their hands.


    ¡°Meixiang greets Your Highness!¡± Meixiang bowed a greeting, and then told the young maids to put the food in the boxes on the table.


    It might be due to the difficulties of supporting her younger siblings in her previous life and the hardships that her family endured in her childhood in this lifetime, but everyone around Xiaocao knew that she wasn¡¯t a picky eater and she also thought the same. However, the foods on the table were indeed food that she normally favored. She hadn¡¯t expected that Zhu Junyang, who usually appeared cold and daunting, had such a considerate side. Perhaps, in his heart, every detail concerning Xiaocao was worthy of his careful attention.


    Xiaocao liked to eat shrimp and crab, but she didn¡¯t like to peel the shells. She liked to eat fish, yet she disliked picking out the bones. Thus, she rarely touched these dishes when they appeared on the table. Her close friends, as well as her family, all thought that she didn¡¯t like these dishes. As a result, dishes with shrimp, crab, and fish rarely appeared on her family¡¯s dining table.


    On the table, there were ¡®crystal shrimp¡¯, ¡®crab roe soup dumplings¡¯, ¡®steamed eggs with crab meat¡¯, and thepletely boneless ¡®fish fillet porridge¡¯...which were all her favorites. They were also light and easy to digest. Anyone who had missed two meals wouldn¡¯t feel well after eating avish meal.


    Yu Xiaocao sighed again that she had found a treasure. She was ¡®causing trouble¡¯ for such a warm and considerate man. Most importantly, a man in ancient times who was willing to spend time on his wife was indeed rare and hard to find!


    Seeing the smile in her future mistress¡¯s eyes, Meixiang said with a smile, ¡°His Highness specially ordered the small kitchen to prepare these. Although the cooking skills of the kitchen maids in the estate aren¡¯t as good as that of Your Highness and your maidservants, His Highness spent great efforts to find them. I heard they are descendants of the imperial chefs of the previous dynasty, and they had mastered the cooking techniques of their ancestors!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao picked up the bowl of fish fillet porridge and drank a mouthful. It was indeed very good. The fish meat was tender and smooth and tasted delicious. It was apparent that the people who made this had excellent control of the heat. After she drank a few more mouthfuls, she picked up a crab roe soup dumpling. Spring wasn¡¯t the best time to eat crabs, so she didn¡¯t know where Zhu Junyang managed to get crab roe!


    With thin skin, it was tasty and fragrant. When the soup entered the mouth, it didn¡¯t taste too salty or too mild. The taste was just right. The soup went directly to the stomach, and there was still a trace of residual fragrance in one¡¯s mouth, leaving a rich aftertaste. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but praise it. The remaining dishes also had their own characteristics, which showed the skills of the kitchen maids.


    The tasty dishes had aroused Xiaocao¡¯s appetite, and thus she overeate unknowingly. After the dishes on the table were removed, Yu Xiaocaoy on the bed contentedly while holding her bloated tummy.


    ¡°It seems like my younger brother¡¯s worries are unnecessary. Younger Sister-inw doesn¡¯t need mypany ah!¡± Zhu Junya came in from outside, and she was followed by two kids¡ª¡ªLu Jiayu and Lu Jiapei. Zhu Junyang was worried that his little wife would be bored if she had no one to speak to in this new environment, so he asked his older sister to apany her.


    The word for ¡¯raw¡¯ (Éú) is the same one used for ¡¯giving birth¡¯.

 Chapter 677 - Bashful

    <h4>Chapter 677 - Bashful</h4>


    ¡°Third Maternal Aunt! Mother said that, from today on, you will be my real third maternal aunt!¡± Lu Jiapei worked hard to climb onto the wedding bed. He hugged Xiaocao¡¯s neck, leaned in her embrace, and touched her face intimately with his own face.


    Zhu Junya felt slightly jealous. Since her youngest son could walk, he frolicked like a little monkey and never stayed still. It had been a long time since he had acted so close with her. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the fact that Xiaocao had a natural affinity with children. Her sons all seemed to quite like this younger sister-inw of hers.


    ¡°Fourth Brother said after you marry Third Maternal Uncle, we cane visit you whenever we miss you. You will make a lot of tasty food for us!¡± Lu Jiapei nced at the Chinese-style pastries on the table and immediately looked away. Although the pastries at Third Maternal Uncle¡¯s house were also delicious, the small cakes and little egg tarts made by Third Maternal Aunt were still the best. Third Maternal Aunt also said that she could make pudding. What was pudding? What did it look like? Was it good?


    Lu Jiayu was worried about his younger brother¡¯s intelligence. Didn¡¯t he already tell that fellow to only say that he missed their aunt and not to mention food? Why did that fellow let that slip?


    Yu Xiaocao swept a nce at Lu Jiayu¡¯s exasperated expression, and then pinched Lu Jiapei¡¯s small face. She said with a smile, ¡°Did you miss Aunt, or the pastries that Aunt makes?¡±


    ¡°Both! I miss the fragrant scent on Third Maternal Aunt¡¯s body. It smells even better than candies and pastries!¡± Her body had been transformed by the mystic-stone water, so there weren¡¯t any impurities. Even if she sweated, there was still a refreshing scent. Only when one got close enough to her would they be able to detect a special scent. The perception of children and animals were very simr, and this was one of the reasons why Xiaocao was so popr with children.


    Zhu Junya pulled her chubby son off her younger sister-inw¡¯s body and said, ¡°Third Maternal Aunt has been tired for a day, so let her rest for a while. Sit on the chair obediently and chat with your third maternal aunt.¡±


    With the two cute little guys apanying her, time passed very quickly. Familiar footsteps soon came from outside the door, but the pace was slightly hurried. Zhu Junya stood up and picked up her youngest son, who had begun to rub his eyes and looked tired. She said with a smile, ¡°Younger Brother is here, so I won¡¯t stay and be an eyesore.¡±


    When she went out the door, she came face-to-face with her younger brother. Zhu Junya couldn¡¯t help but tease her ice-faced younger brother. She hadn¡¯t expected that her youngest brother, who worried the whole family the most, had gotten married before her second brother.


    With the sound of the door being opened again, Yu Xiaocao felt somewhat nervous and shy as she held her hands together with her fingers entangled together. Uh...despite living as a human for two lifetimes, she had no experience of intimate contact with men. How should she spend this wedding night?


    The rays of light swayed as the red candle flickered. Under the candlelight, there was a hint of a shy blush on Xiaocao¡¯s smooth and delicate face. She appeared like peach blossoms in March¡ª¡ªbeautiful beyond measure. Zhu Junyang was stunned, and he couldn¡¯t help but step forward to pull her petite and dainty body into his arms. As soon as he entered the room, Meixiang and Wutong had tactfully left the room, closing the doors and windows.


    ¡°From today on, you will belong to this princepletely.¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart felt fulfilled as if there were countless fresh flowers blossoming one after another, and the gorgeous flowers seemed to make one feel giddy and intoxicated. Was this the taste of happiness?


    Yu Xiaocao was so nervous that her entire body stiffened. She was like a littlemb caught by a tiger and didn¡¯t dare to move. In order to relieve the tension, sheined in a low voice, ¡°Your whole body smells of alcohol. So stinky! Stay away from me!¡±


    Zhu Junyang buried his face in Xiaocao¡¯s hair and took a deep breath. He lifted Xiaocao¡¯s face, which still had makeup on. He couldn¡¯t suppress the smile on his face as he said in a rascally manner, ¡°Wife still hasn¡¯t bathed yet. Are you waiting to bathe with me, your husband? There¡¯s no way that this prince can reject you, so I¡¯ll reluctantly take a ¡®mandarin ducks bath¡¯ with Wife, okay?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face turned even redder. She angrily pushed him away, ¡°Who wants to take a bath with you! Shameless...how did you know about ¡®mandarin ducks bath¡¯? Speak honestly, have you personally experienced it?¡±


    Zhu Junyang had seen through his little wife with one look. She was covering up her shyness and nervousness by acting irritated. At this time, Xiaocao had changed into a fitted qipao embroidered with golden peony flowers, which made her waist look very slim. She had a slender figure and enchanting face. Her eyebrows were faintly drawn, and she had light rogue on her cheeks. Her skin was very smooth and soft...Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes suddenly dimmed, and there was a restless me in his deep eyes.


    ¡°Wife has misunderstood me. My heart is very, very small. It can only amodate you and can¡¯t see anyone else. You don¡¯t understand men. There are certain things that men can learn without a teacher, such as...¡± His deep voice carried a bit of sexy huskiness. His seductive voice stirred her heartstrings and caused her heart to palpitate.


    The warm breath lingered around Xiaocao¡¯s ears. Her delicate earlobes instantly turned red because of the suggestive atmosphere. With his warm, thin lips, he sucked on the delicate flesh of her ears. He slightly teased the earlobe with the tip of his tongue, causing the owner to shudder.


    His soft, thin lips moved along her earlobe, cheek, and chin. Then it stopped at her red lips that exuded an alluring fragrance. It wasn¡¯t the first time that Zhu Junyang had kissed her, but this time was obviously different. Xiaocao¡¯s breathing stagnated, and her face became burning hot, like a raging fire. As their kiss became increasingly intimate, the fire gradually covered her entire body.


    ¡°I...I haven¡¯t washed up yet. You have eaten all the powder on my face...¡± When Xiaocao felt nervous, she couldn¡¯t help but talk, as if this was the only way for her to ease the tension in her heart.


    Zhu Junyang also noticed this. He gently bit her slender neck, leaving a red mark. Then he said with a hint ofughter in his voice, ¡°It¡¯s okay. This prince doesn¡¯t mind. I¡¯m not only going to eat the powder, but also the rouge on your face...¡± In the end, I would devour you as a whole!


    Her clothes left her body one by one, and they piled up on the ground. It was hard to tell which ones were hers and which ones belonged to him. Xiaocao, who was pulled into the curtains, struggled hard and said, ¡°No, I want to take a bath first!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Zhu Junyang, who felt a swollen pain in a certain area, looked speechlessly at her face for a moment. Then he picked her up and said, ¡°Since this prince¡¯s little wife is so eager to experience the pleasure of taking a ¡®mandarin ducks bath¡¯ with me, this prince will fulfill your wish!¡±


    In the bathing room, there was arge bathtub with a depth that reached up to Xiaocao¡¯s chest, and there was still steaming out of it! After Xiaocao, who had already been stripped to nothing but her undergarments, was put into the tub, she worked hard to push the thick-skinned man who also wanted to get in, ¡°No, you go out first! With you here, I¡¯ll be so nervous that I don¡¯t know what to do!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as this prince knows!¡± How could her cat-like strength be able to stop the wolf? In a sh, he had taken off all his clothes. Under the shy and evasive gaze of thess, the wolf sessfully entered the bathtub and imprisoned a certainmb in his arms. ¡®Mhm? Why is there still ayer of clothes? Take it off! Take it off!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao shrank to one side of the bathtub, trying to distance herself from a certain wolf. However, the bathtub was only so big. It was hard to avoid a certain person¡¯s long arms and legs. In the sshing water, the struggling Xiaocao couldn¡¯t avoid the fate of being stripped of thest piece of clothing on her body and forced to ¡®meet openly¡¯ with a certain wolf.


    Yu Xiaocao folded her arms in front of her chest and red angrily at that dangerous person. Although there was ayer of flower petals, he could still vaguely see his wife¡¯s exquisite figure under the water. Zhu Junyang¡¯s breathing became heavy. Yu Xiaocao felt cowardly and didn¡¯t face the meaning behind his deep gaze.


    ¡°You...didn¡¯t you say that you will listen to everything I say after we got married? Right now, I¡¯m ordering you to turn around. You¡¯re not allowed to look!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s voice sounded weak andcked her usual imposing force.


    A certain wolf¡¯s eyes darted around, and then he shamelessly said, ¡°Wife, you must be tired today, right? Why don¡¯t your husband, I, take on the task of helping you bathe?¡± As he said that, not only did he not turn around, but instead, he moved even closer. His action provoked the littlemb to ssh water at him as her final resort.


    But, no matter how much the littlemb struggled, there was a great disparity in their strengths. The wolf¡¯s physical strengthpletely dominated the littlemb¡¯s struggles. Under the pretext of helping her bathe, he touched the littlemb¡¯s entire body from head to toe. Their ¡®mandarin ducks bath¡¯ finally concluded when the water turned cold.


    ¡°Bad guy!¡± Xiaocao wanted to pull away the big hands that were on her chest. Her face was so red that it looked like she used a whole box of blush. Although they didn¡¯t reach the final step in the bathtub, he had touched and kissed all that should, or should not, be touched and kissed. She had been thoroughly taken advantage of by a certain wolf.


    A certain wolf stood up from the waters and picked up the littlemb, carrying her out of the bathtub. He wrapped her up with arge towel, and then walked quickly to the wedding bed. He felt that if he didn¡¯t relieve a certain area, he was about to explode!


    ¡°Wife, your husband, I, will let you know what¡¯s a real ¡®bad guy¡¯!¡± The crimson red nuptial bedding made the littlemb¡¯s skin appear even more radiant and fair. Zhu Junyang suddenly felt his body and heart heating up.


    He casually wiped the water on his body. Then he pinned thess, who was covering her eyes yet peeping from the gaps of her fingers, under his body and said with a voice full ofughter, ¡°How is it? Are you satisfied with what you see?¡±


    Satisfied! Very satisfied! A certainmb, who was about to be eaten, nearly revealed her inner thoughts. He had wide shoulders, a thin waist, narrow hips, and long legs. His eight-pack abs were also very apparent. With well-proportioned and strong muscles, he looked even more perfect than the artworks carved by western sculptors. Ahem...of course, that was if you ignored a certain person¡¯s arrogant and proud words!


    With his strong-built body, he trapped the littlemb within his arms. Zhu Junyang lowered his head and kissed her delicate neck. He moved downwards and arrived at the small, exquisite area of her chest. He sucked on it, licked, and teased her... His hands wandered on her smooth skin, and as if there was electricity, it made Xiaocao tremble.


    The littlemb¡¯s clear eyes were shrouded by ayer of hazy mist. When she looked at him with a seemingly intoxicated gaze, she seemed to be able to lure out one¡¯s soul.

 Chapter 678 - Serving Tea

    <h4>Chapter 678 - Serving Tea</h4>


    Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. He took action and immediately experienced an unprecedented feeling...the iparable feeling rushed from the tip of his toes to the top of his head.


    ¡°Groan...¡± Zhu Junyang stopped all of his movements when he heard a suppressed cry of pain.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Zhu Junyang lowered his head and kissed his wife¡¯s slightly creased brows.


    Yu Xiaocao bit her lips, and with a flushed face, she nodded. But, then, she shook her head. It was inevitable for women to experience this, so things that shoulde would eventually arrive. For him, this pain was nothing.


    The red candles were brightly lit outside the curtains of the bed, and the silhouette of the couple on the bed could be seen. There was a beautiful scenery in the room... Wutong and Meixiang, who were on duty outside the room, heard the faint sound of movementing from the room. They looked at each other with blushing faces, and then swiftly shifted their gazes.


    In the dark blue sky, the vast Milky Way was shining with brilliance. Altair and Vega stood on opposite sides of the Milky Way, looking at each other from afar. Like scattered pieces of jade, the flying stars looked gorgeous. In the yard, the breeze swayed the flower branches, sending wisps of fragrance over. The gentle moonlight shone on the ground...


    The wolf, who had devoured the littlemb, personally helped the exhaustedss clean up. Then he stuffed her into the quilt and hugged her tightly. A certain wolf felt restless with the soft, petite person in his arms. However, considering that it was themb¡¯s first time, he suppressed the little me in his heart.


    ¡°So good!¡± Zhu Junyang sighed, and then gently brushed the hair on thess¡¯s face behind her ear. He softly whispered, ¡°Knowing that you will belong to mepletely in the future feels even better than eating hotpot around the stove in the freezing cold weather and eating a slushie during the hottest days of the summer.


    Yu Xiaocao, whose face was still hot, couldn¡¯t help but said, ¡°You also have to remember that you belong to mepletely! You¡¯re not allowed to use your charming phoenix eyes to flirt with young maidens! You¡¯re not allowed to attract little beauties with your sexy voice! When you¡¯re outside, you can¡¯t smile like right now! Your gentleness is exclusive to me only!!¡±


    ¡°Understood! I, your husband, dare not disobey Wife¡¯s orders! This prince is taken now, so the cold-faced prince¡¯s smile, gentleness, and love...can only belong exclusively to Princess Consort Xu! I guarantee!¡± Hearing a trace of uncertainty within thess¡¯s voice, Zhu Junyang hugged her with an aching heart. It turned out that this youngss, who had always been full of confidence, also felt uncertain about the future!


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it! I want to sleep¡ª¡ªsing a luby for me!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s dimples reflected her happiness. She hugged her husband¡¯s strong waist and rested her face on his chest.


    ¡°Sing?¡± Zhu Junyang was stumped by this request. He struggled for a long time, but he still couldn¡¯t think of a suitable song. When he lowered his head to look at thess in his arms with an apologetic expression, he found that she had unknowingly fallen asleep.


    Her breathing sounded very even and rxed. With thick and curled eyshes, she had a small face that was red like an apple, and a sweet smile on her face. When thess was asleep, she was as obedient as a kitten!


    Xiaocao slept veryfortably. The weather in mid-March was still chilly at night. But, since she was hugging a big, warm brazier, her limbs weren¡¯t cold anymore. After a long stretch, she noticed that her body felt sore and tired. When she recalled that she had evolved from a young maiden to a young matronst night, she felt a sense of sweetness within her bashfulness. She turned her head and saw that she was the only one left on the bed. She touched the other side of the bed and noticed that there was no warmth on it anymore. That fellow Zhu Junyang had left without her knowledge. After making an inquiry, she found that Zhu Junyang had gone to train at the training arena. Didn¡¯t they say that men exhausted more energy in the matter between men and women? Why did her whole body feel as if it was scattered, yet that fellow was still filled with energy andpletely fine?


    She suddenly froze, and then asked the people outside the room, ¡°What time is it now?¡±


    ¡°In reply to Your Highness, it¡¯s a quarter past seven.¡± Pipa voiced a reply. Yu Xiaocao immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It was just slightly past seven in the morning ah. Good, she wasn¡¯t toote. Today, they were going back to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate to offer tea to her father-inw and mother-inw. She was really afraid that she would sleep until thete morning¡ª¡ªthat would be so embarrassing!


    ¡°Is the princess consort awake?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice sounded from outside the door. Then the sounds of the maidservants¡¯ greetings could be heard. Pipa replied, ¡°In reply to Your Highness, the princess consort is awake!¡±


    The sound of the door being pushed opened was apanied by the sound of footsteps. After walking around the zed, red sandalwood four-season folding screen, Zhu Junyang¡¯s figure appeared in the inner room. Yu Xiaocao, who was still in bed, only wore a thin piece of clothing. She didn¡¯t know how to face the man who now had a physical rtionship with her. Thus, shey straight on the bed, pulled the quilt up to her nose, and pretended to sleep with her eyes closed.


    Zhu Junyang chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at thess¡¯s slightly fluttering eyshes. Her breathing was also somewhat rushed. How could he not know that thess was pretending to be asleep? He pinched her nose and pulled the quilt down a bit. Then he said with a voice so gentle that it could drip out water, ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up, youzy cat. The sun is about to reach your butt!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao pretended not to hear him and continued to pretend to sleep. Zhu Junyang¡¯sughter sounded again, ¡°Alright, since you don¡¯t want to get up, this prince will apany my princess consort to sleep for a while...but should we do something to express our love before sleeping?¡±


    When Xiaocao heard his words, she immediately got up and opened her eyes wide without any trace of sleepiness, ¡°I¡¯m up! You go out first and tell Wutong toe in to help me change!¡±


    ¡°In actuality, I can help you with that!¡± From the opening of thess¡¯s cor, Zhu Junyang could see the marks that he had left behind. His gaze became deep and fervent again.


    Yu Xiaocao followed a certain wolf¡¯s eyes and looked down to see the red marks around her fair neckline. She grabbed her cor, red angrily at him, and said, ¡°I dare not ept the service of Imperial Prince Xu! Wutong, Pipa, your miss needs to change clothes and wash up!¡±


    ¡°Miss? You¡¯re not one anymore afterst night! My princess consort, if you don¡¯t recognize your own identity, then you shall be lightly punished!¡± After he said that, he bent down and held his little wife¡¯s chin. He kissed her with his thin lips and gently bit her lower lip. He quickly let go of his angry little wife before the two maidservants came in.


    With their heads lowered, Wutong and Pipa ignored their masters¡¯ actions and swiftly helped their mistress wash up and get dressed. Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes lit up when Xiaoaco appeared in front of him again.


    Today, Xiaocao was dressed in aplicated pce attire. She wore a fitted red silk dress embroidered with linked-flower patterns, and a light bluish-green fine gauze cardigan iid with silver threads. She had on a short light pink jacket with water lily patterns, and a pastel pink gauze tied around her waist. Her glossy, ck hair was arranged into an exquisite flying cloud bun. In the loosely twisted bun, there was a gilded swaying phoenix hairpin iy embedded with rubies, jade bits, and pearls. There was an exquisitely carved diamond ne around her neck. She looked very elegant and gorgeous.


    Looking at the western table clock in the outer room, it was already gettingte. Xiaocao and her husband hastily ate the breakfast carefully prepared by the kitchen maids, and then went to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate on the same carriage.


    Princess Consort Jing had already drunk two to three cups of tea. She looked outside somewhat anxiously and muttered to herself with a frown, ¡°Why aren¡¯t they here yet?¡±


    Zhu Junya, who was sitting beside herdy mother, tittered with her hand over her mouth and said, ¡°Lady Mother, you should be considerate of Younger Brother¡¯s feelings. After guarding her for nearly ten years, he has finally married his beautiful wife. How can he not cherish her? I really didn¡¯t expect that the person who seemed the most violent and impatient in our family turned out to be the one with the most endurance. Younger Brother is indeed a devoted lover ah!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried that there aren¡¯t any elders by their side who can guide them. Thatss Cao¡¯er is delicate and weak, so if your younger brother goes overboard...ay! I don¡¯t know what your lord father told your younger brother about the matter of consummation, and whether he warned Yang¡¯er to take it easy!¡± Now, Xiaocao had already be a threat to Zhu Junyang¡¯s status in his mother¡¯s heart. Princess Consort Jing expressed concern for her youngest daughter-inw with both her words and thoughts.


    Zhu Junya silently sighed that her youngest sister-inw¡¯s charm was too great¡ª¡ªshe was loved by both the young and the old. Not only was she able to get her five sons to talk about her nonstop, but she had also conquered the big boss of the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate¡ª¡ªherdy mother. It seemed like Third Younger Sister-inw didn¡¯t have to worry about the issues between inws, which was the biggest concern for women when they got married.


    However, when Zhu Junya thought about her own mother-inw, she wasn¡¯t envious of her third younger sister-inw at all. Her mother-inw was also quite good and treated her like her own daughter. She personally taught her how to manage the household, breaking down all the principles for her. Even one¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t be so thorough. She was fortunate to have met a loving husband, a clever and gentle mother-inw, and an open-minded father-inw...


    ¡°They¡¯re here! Third Young Master and Third Young Madam are here!!¡± Lanxiang, whose hair wasbed into a matron¡¯s hairstyle, pulled open the curtains and came in. Her voice was full of joy.


    Soon, Zhu Junyang and Xiaocao appeared in the courtyard. When they were walking over the threshold, Princess Consort Jing noticed that her youngest son had attentively helped his wife. Looking carefully at Xiaocao, Princess Consort Jing finally felt relieved when she saw that she had a ruddyplexion and appeared fine.


    Xiaocao blushed slightly as she kowtowed respectfully to Imperial Prince Jing and Princess Consort Jing. She followed Zhu Junyang to greet her inws. Xiaocao had frequently visited Prince Jing¡¯s Estate in the past, so she had seen Imperial Prince Jing and Princes Consort Jing numerous times. They also got along very well. However, this time, Xiaocao, whose identity had changed, was somewhat reserved and shy.


    Chunxiang, Princess Consort Jing¡¯s personal maidservant, held a red begonia carved tea tray and stood respectfully beside her. On the tray, there were two white porcin teacups painted with hibiscus flowers. Yu Xiaocao picked up one of the cups. Just when she was about to serve the tea to Imperial Prince Jing, a clear and resonant voice sounded from outside, ¡°Wait! My granddaughter-inw just joined the family, so as her grandfather, she should pay respect to me first!¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing almost rolled his eyes at him. ¡®Imperial Father, what are you doing here? Why didn¡¯t youe to drink tea when the heir¡¯s wife married into the family?¡¯ The emperor emeritus didn¡¯t care about whether his son was happy or not. He red at his son to have him add another chair in the middle of the host seats, and thus Imperial Prince Jing and Princess Consort Jing sat on his left and right, respectively. Then he looked at Xiaocao with satisfaction and nodded, saying, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start!¡±


    Xiaocao pursed her lips into a smile, raised the cup of tea above her head, and called out in a crisp voice, ¡°Grandfather, please have some tea!¡±

 Chapter 679 - Princess Consort Jings Wild Imagination

    <h4>Chapter 679 - Princess Consort Jing¡¯s Wild Imagination</h4>


    ¡°Good!¡± The emperor emeritus took the teacup and lowered his head to drink a sip. He took the wooden box that the elderly head steward handed him and ced it into Xiaocao¡¯s hands. He said with a smile, ¡°This is a meeting present from Grandfather. We will be a family in the future. Grandfather knows that you¡¯re filial, so when you make delicious food in the future, remember to send a portion to me...¡±


    Imperial Prince Jing: ...


    He seriously didn¡¯t want to admit that this gluttonous, old urchin was his biological father! Was there anyone who would immediately ask for tasty food upon seeing his new granddaughter-inw?


    The heir¡¯s wife, who originally felt somewhat ufortable inwardly because of the fact that the emperor emeritus gave face to Xiaocao, wasn¡¯t envious anymore now. It turned out that the emperor emeritus hade for the delicious food ah!


    Yu Xiaocao was used to the foodie nature of the members of the imperial family. She took the wooden box that looked ordinary but was made of Phoebe zhennan wood. When she opened it, she saw two jade-colored balls that were the size of baby fists.


    Seeing this, Zhu Junyang asked with slight surprise, ¡±Imperial Grandfather, where did you get this pair of luminous pearls?¡±


    ¡°Uh...this lord doesn¡¯t remember when I got it. Maybe it was from the time when I was fighting for the empire. I probably found it at the house of one of those corrupted officials of the previous dynasty. I found them in the corner when I searched through the storage this morning. This lord doesn¡¯t need these things, so I brought them here as a gift for you two!¡±


    When Zhu Huaiyong was fighting battles throughout the country, he had collected many goods and kept them in his private storehouse. Some of these rare treasures were covered with a thickyer of dust, and this Phoebe zhennan wood box was one of those items buried in dust.


    It was the legendary luminous pearls ah! They were priceless treasures!! It was said that the luminous pearl buried with Empress Dowager Cixi was worth 800 million RMB!! Oh my, she hadn¡¯t expected to be able to see the luminous pearl with her own eyes. Xiaocao still needed to serve tea to her father-inw and mother-inw, so she couldn¡¯t take a closer look. She handed the wooden box to Wutong. Anyways, he had given it to her now, so she could look at it as much as she wanted when she got home!


    Next, she offered tea to Imperial Prince Jing. Xiaocao received a box of thumb-sized East pearls. When she served tea to her mother-inw, Princess Consort Jing, she was given a pair of top-quality mutton fat jade bangles. It appeared to be an old item, so it should be one of the items in Princess Consort Jing¡¯s dowry. In ancient times, many jewelries were handed down from mothers-inw to daughters-inw, as family heirlooms to be passed down from generation to generation. Although Xiaocao didn¡¯tck bangles, she epted it respectfully.


    After that, as the eldest brother and sister-inw, the heir and his wife also gifted jewelry to their younger sister-inw as a meeting present. Zhu Junya, who was the elder sister, knew that Xiaocao could concoct medicine and didn¡¯tck essories, so she gave her a hundred-year-old ginseng. The second brother, Zhu Junxi, hadn¡¯t gotten married yet, so he wasn¡¯t required to give a present. However, he had also prepared aplete set of Miao silver essories, which had characteristics of the southwest. Although they weren¡¯t as valuable as the previous gifts, Xiaocao liked them for their uniqueness.


    Xiaocao had also prepared gifts for the heir¡¯s and Zhu Junya¡¯s children, all of which were precious items such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Lu Jiapei, who was the youngest, felt somewhat unhappy as he held the valuable inkstone. For the young fellow who had yet begun studying, an inkstone that cost several thousand taels wasn¡¯t as good as a pastry or candy made by his third aunt!


    Of course, Xiaocao had also taken time before the wedding to make some candies that were easy to keep. She brought them with her today and gave a box to each child. Seeing the fragrant and sweet candies, Lu Jiapei¡¯s wrinkled-up face finally eased. With a fawning expression, he kept calling her ¡®Third Aunt¡¯.


    Lu Nianhua, who imed toe from a family of literati, couldn¡¯t bear to look at his youngest son¡ª¡ªto be such a foodie, who exactly did Lu Jiapei resemble? He shifted his gaze and saw the emperor emeritus sitting at the main seat. He was currently taking advantage of the heir¡¯s youngest son¡¯s filial piety to con candy from his great-grandson ah! Could it be that his youngest son had inherited his love for food from his great-grandfather?


    They had lunch at Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. The whole family sat together and ate merrily. The emperor emeritus had also stayed for the meal. As he ate, heined about the culinary skills of the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate¡¯s cooks, saying that they were inferior to the cooking of his granddaughter-inw, Xiaocao.


    Zhu Junyang also didn¡¯t give any face and said as he helped his wife pick out the fish bones, ¡°The cooking skills of the cooks in the kitchen are quite ordinary. It seems like our estate¡¯s kitchen maids, who we hired with a high sry, are quite good inparison! They can¡¯tpare with you, but they are at least not inferior to that of the chefs of Zhenxiu Restaurant!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t eat a lot in the morning. She ate the delicious fish with relish. Seeing the re that Imperial Prince Jing shot at her man, she held back herughter and said, ¡°How¡¯s the taste ordinary? No matter if it¡¯s the taste or control of the heat, they have managed them quite well.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s good about it? There¡¯s barely any taste¡ª¡ªso in! Just eat a little bit, and when we get home, I¡¯ll have the kitchen maids make crab roe steamed buns for you. We saved the crab roes fromst autumn, so they¡¯re very plump. I know that you like to eat them, so this prince stored a lot in the icehouse at home, which will be enough for you to eat until this autumn!¡± Zhu Junyang tasted all the dishes on the table. He picked a few that were just passable and considerately put them into the bowl in front of his wife.


    Except for Zhu Junxi, who had not returned home in nearly ten years, all of the other masters of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate were already used to Zhu Junyang¡¯s perfect husband image. With a look of disbelief, he asked, ¡°Lady Mother, did Younger Brother get switched when I wasn¡¯t around? This gentle and considerate man isn¡¯t the same person as the cold and ruthless third young master of the Prince Jing¡¯s Estate, who was feared by the entire capital, right? Right?!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing red at her second son, gave him a piece of sparerib, and snorted, ¡°Just like your lord father, the men in our family are all good men who are considerate to their wives! Your younger brother was really worrisome in the past, but as soon as he fell in love with someone, he would treat her wholeheartedly. You, on the other hand, are almost thirty, yet there¡¯s no signs of a romantic rtionship at all. Do you think that¡¯s proper? While you¡¯re back this time, we must settle the matter of your marriage. Otherwise, you¡¯re not allowed to leave the capital!! Tomorrow, attend a blind date with me!¡±


    In a leisurely manner, Zhu Junxi slowly finished the sparerib that hisdy mother gave him. Then he picked up a glutinous rice pearl and ate it with relish. It wasn¡¯t until Princess Consort Jing¡¯s patience had run out that he finally opened his mouth to say in an unhurried manner, ¡°Lady Mother, you don¡¯t have to worry about my marriage! I already have someone in mind. There are two reasons for my return this time. On one hand, I want to attend my younger brother¡¯s wedding; on the other hand, I want to ask you to help me send a marriage proposal and settle my marriage.¡±


    When Princess Consort Jing heard this, the concern in her heart hadpletely vanished. Among her sons, her lord husband had long decided on her eldest son¡¯s marriage. The two families had reached a consensus early on that the children will get married as soon as they reached marriageable age. Everything was a matter of course.


    Her daughter¡¯s marriage was also settled under the silent operation of that big-tailed wolf, Lu Nianhua. Their feelings grew naturally day by day, and thus resulted in marriage.


    Her youngest son had been eagerly waiting for the young maiden even before she had reached the age of ten. As if he was a beast guarding his territory, he had long marked his ownership on thess. He was just waiting for the young maiden to agree so that he could marry her.


    She didn¡¯t have to worry much about these children. The only exception was her second son. He was already at the age to talk about marriage, but he had run off to the borders to join the army. Princess Consort Jing felt so worried ah. The troops at the borders were full of rough men without a single female in sight. When would he be able to bring a wife home? She had originally wanted to find a wife for her second son in the capital, so she wrote him a letter to ask him toe back. He, on the other hand, regarded the barracks as his home and didn¡¯t return for nearly ten years!


    Oh right! Second Son had been staying in the barracks the entire time, so where did this wifee from? He wouldn¡¯t...wouldn¡¯t bring a man back as his wife, right? Princess Consort Jing¡¯s imagination went wild, and she immediately looked at her second son with a horrified expression!


    Zhu Junxi felt ufortable with the look that hisdy mother was giving him. He thought that she was unhappy that he had chosen a wife himself, so he hastily exined, ¡°Lady Mother, as you know, the southwest borders had been unstable in the past two years and there were frequent wars. General Mu and I had been busy fighting the bandits, so we couldn¡¯te back to see you. This son is at fault, so please don¡¯t me Mumu!¡±


    General Mu? When Princess Consort Jing heard this name, she couldn¡¯t help but clutch onto the clothes in front of her chest, feeling as if she was unable to breathe. Seeing this, Imperial Prince Jing was startled and immediately went to stroke her back. He repeatedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where are you not feeling well? Quickly call for Imperial Physician Zheng...¡±


    After several years of care, the princess consort¡¯s health was no different from ordinary people. But, her current wanplexion caused Imperial Prince Jing to recall the scene of him being helpless when his princess consort fell ill several years ago. He couldn¡¯t help but hold tightly onto her hands and anxiously ask about her well-being.


    Princess Consort Jing waved her hand at him and shook her head to express that she was fine. However, she looked at Zhu Junxi with a gaze filled with disappointment and sorrow.


    Zhu Junxi had a confused expression on his face¡ª¡ªhisdy mother had always been open-minded ah! Younger Brother¡¯s wife hade from a farmer¡¯s family, and his mother could readily ept her. Mumu¡¯s paternal grandfather was one of the founding veterans who fought along the emperor emeritus to conquer the empire, and her father was the great general stationed at the southwest borders. They didn¡¯t have much contact with his family, but there also wasn¡¯t any grudges between the two families. Why was hisdy mother¡¯s reaction so big?


    Imperial Prince Jing finally realized that his wife was mad at their second son. He immediately pulled a long face and red angrily at his second son, ¡°You unfilial son, you¡¯re making yourdy mother angry as soon as youe back! Hurry up and apologize to yourdy mother and promise that you won¡¯t anger her anymore!¡±


    Since Zhu Junxi was a child, his parents had never needed to worry about him. Although he was jealous of his younger brother before he joined the army, as well as slightly sad and disappointed with his mother¡¯s bias, he was still filial in nature. He didn¡¯t know what he did to cause his mother to be unhappy, but he still admitted his mistake and apologized to hisdy mother with a good attitude, asking her not to be angry.


    Princess Consort Jing gradually collected herself. She took a deep breath and asked, ¡°What exactly is your rtionship with that General Mu?¡±


    Zhu Junxi felt even more astonished. Based on hisdy mother¡¯s tone, she really did seem to oppose his rtionship with Mumu. What exactly could be the reason? Could it be that there was a deep grudge between the Han Family and the Prince¡¯s Jing¡¯s Estate, or hisdy mother¡¯s maiden family, that he didn¡¯t know about?


    Phoebe zhennan wood was considered so valuable that only royals could afford to use them. It was used to create the pirs in the Forbidden City.

 Chapter 680 - Inspiration for DIY

    <h4>Chapter 680 - Inspiration for DIY</h4>


    Despite his confusion and doubts, Zhu Junxi, this hapless child, honestly exined how he and ¡®General Mu¡¯ got to know each other. This was the story of a beauty rescuing a hero. During an operation to eliminate bandits, a young general, who had just been transferred to the southwest, fell into the enemy¡¯s trap and got lost in the deep mountains because of his unfamiliarity with the dangerous and mountainous environment of the southwest.


    The dense forest, miasma, poisonous insects, and mysterious enemies caused the young general, who was a superb militarymander, to fall into a dilemma. Just when he had run out of supplies and driven into a corner, General Mu led a group of elite soldiers, like a god descending from the heavens, and saved the young general from the dangerous situation...


    ¡°Just because General Mu saved your life...you and the general...¡± Princess Consort Jing gnashed her teeth as she imagined General Mu¡¯s, the fellow who liked men, ¡®crime¡¯ of taking advantage of the life-saving grace. She inwardly swore at this perverted general.


    Recalling the scenes of the past, Zhu Junxi chuckled foolishly and said, ¡°It was indeed Mumu who expressed interest in me first. At the beginning, I was afraid that others would say that I got my military merits through connections, so I rejected the confession. But,ter...¡±


    A virtuous maiden was afraid of a pestering man, and it was the same when the roles were flipped. Han Xiaomu had grown up in the military camps and developed a straightforward personality. She had always been open to expressing her feelings to the man she liked. There were naturally many young military officials under General Han who were interested in Han Xiaomu. Seeing that this beautiful and resourceful sweetheart, who was also skilled in martial arts, had actually fallen in love with this foreign wolf, all sorts of open and covert attacks were directed at Zhu Junxi.


    Han Xiaomu was aware of the ¡®conspiracies¡¯ of these people and helped Zhu Junxi many times to ovee the ¡®schemes¡¯ of his colleagues. In the next few battles, the two became increasinglypatible, and they worked seamlessly together. They umted great military achievements by repeatedly defeating the enemy troops with a force inferior in number. When faced with the undisguised admiration of Han Xiaomu, who was jokingly known as ¡®General Mu¡¯ among the troops, Zhu Junxi could no longer remain calm, and he gradually fell for her.


    When Zhu Junxi joined the army, he hid his family background. There were few in the army who knew about his identity as the second young master of Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. However, his surname was ¡®Zhu¡¯ and he had the generation name of ¡®Jun¡¯. There was no way that he could hide his background from General Han, who was known to be an old fox. He pondered over the sons of the imperial princes. The only one who matched his age and appearance was the second son of Imperial Prince Jing.


    His father spoke highly of Imperial Prince Jing, saying that he was upright, selfless, good-natured, and capable. Thus, General Han was quite happy with his daughter¡¯s choice.


    General Han had quite a headache with his only daughter. General Han was deeply in love with his wife. After his wife passed away while giving birth to their daughter, General Han never nned to get married again. General Han had always doted on his daughter, who was looking more and more like his wife. She didn¡¯t want to stay in the capital, so he bought her along and raised her by his side.


    But, as a military official, how was he supposed to raise a delicate young girl? He had inadvertently raised his daughter into a tomboy who was a capable and crafty ¡®little fox¡¯ with superb skills in military operations. Seeing that his daughter was already twenty years old yet she still didn¡¯t seem to be interested in romance and only knew about fighting, General Han felt very worried. He felt that it wasn¡¯t a good idea for his daughter to stay in the military camps with a group of rough men! He should send her back to the capital and let her grandfather worry about her!


    General Han¡¯s wife had passed away for many years, and his youngest son, who was over thirty years old, didn¡¯t even have a wife yet. There wasn¡¯t a mistress at home to manage the household. Old General Han had invited a senior servant, who used to work in the Imperial Pce, to teach his granddaughter etiquette and rules.


    At the borders, Han Xiaomu was just like a wild horse that had never worn a harness. When it suddenly had to put on a rein and a saddle, it would feel unustomed as if it was tied with a thickyer of shackles. This child had always been an independent thinker, so while her grandfather wasn¡¯t paying attention, she left a letter and ran back to the borders. After that, no matter what General Han said, she never left the borders and the garrison.


    General Han had wanted to find a good husband among his talented subordinates. However, his daughter treated them like her brothers, colleagues, andrades in arms. Shepletely ignored the expression of interest of many of the young generals. The young generals didn¡¯t dare to frequently approach her because Han Xiaomu liked to get others to spar with her. She was highly skilled in martial arts, so if they weren¡¯t careful, they would get beaten up. It would be so embarrassing toe out looking battered.


    General Han was so worried that his hair had turned white, and his beard was almostpletely pulled out by him. At this time, Zhu Junxi, who had transferred over, appeared in front of the father-daughter pair.


    After Zhu Junxi was saved by Han Xiaomu, he was often coerced into practicing martial arts with her under the pretext that she had saved his life so he should be grateful and repay her. Although Zhu Junxi¡¯s martial arts skills weren¡¯t as good as his devilish younger brother¡¯s, he had studied hard with the martial arts expert hired by the estate. Coupled with his years of experience at the borders, his skills could be considered extraordinary.


    Because Han Xiaomu was a girl and his life savior, and for fear that she would feel embarrassed, Zhu Junxi always went easy on her and pretended to lose when they practiced together. Han Xiaomu had challenged nearly all the military officials in the garrison and had rich experience in actualbat, so how could she not see his yielding? Instead of being grateful, she was furious. She thought that Zhu Junxi didn¡¯t show his true strength because he didn¡¯t respect her and looked down on her. So she pestered him every day, like a shadow!


    With no other choice, Zhu Junxi used some of his real skills and defeated the bothersome young maiden. Unexpectedly, the more frustrated Han Xiaomu was, the braver she became. She viewed him like a boss and challenged him every few days. After repeated practices and battles, the youth and maiden developed good feelings for each other. Their feelings gradually warmed up, and they came together naturally.


    With their harmoniousbination and good teamwork, they obtained many military merits in the southwest. Han Xiaomu was respectfully known as ¡®General Mu¡¯, but she wasn¡¯t an official member of the army. Thus, their achievements were credited to Zhu Junxi. This was one of the reasons why he was promoted to a fourth-rank official so quickly.


    Imperial Prince Jing interrupted his son¡¯s recount, pondered briefly, and asked, ¡°Is this General Mu that you¡¯re talking about the granddaughter of Marquis Zhongwu, Old General Han? The daughter of General Han, themanding general of the southwest troops?¡±


    ¡°Uh? General Mu is a woman?¡± With a slightly opened mouth, Princess Consort Jing stared at them round-eyed.


    Imperial Prince Jing and Zhu Junxi: ...


    ¡°In reply to Lord Father, you¡¯re right! Lady Mother, of course, Mumu is a woman. Did you think that your son will find a man as his wife?¡± Zhu Junxi had imaginary ck lines on his head. He hadn¡¯t expected that hisdy mother would think that he was gay. Even if he fell in love with a man, he wouldn¡¯t foolishly bring ¡®him¡¯ back to see his parents and marry ¡®him¡¯!


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s expression changed very fast, and she said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s good, it¡¯s good that she¡¯s a woman! Second Son, it¡¯s all your fault. You didn¡¯t make it clear at the beginning and gave me a false rm! So, based on what you¡¯re saying, thess also came back to the capital with you? Why didn¡¯t you bring her back for me to see?¡±


    ¡®So, it¡¯s my fault now! Lady Mother is always thinking about all these nonsense, yet Lord Father isn¡¯t doing anything about it!¡¯ Zhu Junxi felt very helpless ah!


    ¡°Mumu also came with Old General Han to attend Younger Brother¡¯s wedding yesterday. At that time, Lady Mother was busy greeting the guests, so I didn¡¯t introduce her to you guys. Mumu said that she would pay a visit on another day. Lady Mother, what day would you prefer?¡± She was indeed worthy of being the descendent of a family of generals. She was straightforward and generous, and she didn¡¯t act coy at all. She had already felt a good impression in Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart.


    ¡°How about...tomorrow?¡± Princess Consort Jing couldn¡¯t wait to meet the female general, whose bravery wasn¡¯t inferior to that of a man. How capable was she, to be able to subdue her second son?


    Zhu Junyang, who had acted like a background for a long time, suddenly spoke up, ¡°Tomorrow is the day that my wife and I go back to visit her maiden home...¡±


    Princess Consort Jing really wanted to say, ¡®You guys can just go, and I can meet my second daughter-inw.¡¯ But, when she saw that Xiaocao had a face full of curiosity as if she wanted to join in the gossip, she held back her words and said, ¡°Then...the day after tomorrow!¡±


    Zhu Junya looked at Xiaocao. Then she looked around and said, ¡°Second Younger Brother and Miss Han have mutual affection for each other, but the two families have yet to meet. If we just invite her to our house like this, would the Han Family think that we have slighted them?¡±


    Princess Consort Jing thought about it carefully and also felt that it was somewhat improper. Then she casually asked her daughter, ¡°Then what do you think is the appropriate way to handle this matter?¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, don¡¯t you often hold flower appreciation gatherings, garden parties, and so on? Why don¡¯t you organize a food tasting banquet? You can invite the noble maidens of the capital to tour the garden and try some pastries. At that time, you can also send an invitation to Miss Han. In this way, wouldn¡¯t you be able to see her without being too obvious?¡± As Zhu Junya said this, she looked at Xiaocao.


    Of course, Zhu Junyang could tell what was on his older sister¡¯s mind. He pulled a long face and said unhappily, ¡°What does the food tasting banquet have to do with my wife? It wouldn¡¯t be that you guys want my newly wedded wife to work hard to make pastries for you guys, right? No way, I don¡¯t agree!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you agree or not. What matters is whether Third Sister-inw agrees!¡± Zhu Junya knew very well that her youngest brother was just a paper tiger in front of Xiaocao. As long as her youngest sister-inw spoke up, her youngest brother¡¯s opinion could be ignored.


    Yu Xiaocao thought about it, and then said with a smile, ¡°We can build several big ovens in the garden. We¡¯ll prepare the materials for making pastries in advance, so that noble maidens who are interested can make pastries themselves.¡± In her previous life, DIY choctes, cakes, and cookies were very popr among young men and women. There was a sense of achievement when one ate the pastries made by oneself!


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, Third Sister-inw! But, I¡¯m afraid that those noble maidens who have never done any chores will make aplete mess when making the pastries!¡± Zhu Junya was a terrible cook herself. After hearing the n, she was eager to try it out herself. However, she still had some concerns in her heart.


    Yu Xiaocao also had a sudden sh of inspiration. She wondered if she should set up a DIY pastries workshop in the back courtyard of her family¡¯s pastries shop. If this food tasting banquet was sessful, then it would be the same as promoting her new project! Why not go ahead with it when it could kill a few birds with one stone?


    She ignored her man¡¯s long face, and said excitedly, ¡°On that day, I¡¯ll select a group of apprentice pastry chefs from the pastries shop toe assist them. For the simple pastries, as long as the ingredients are properly prepared, even if the appearance isn¡¯t very good, the taste won¡¯t be affected!¡±

 Chapter 681 - Visiting Ones Parents

    <h4>Chapter 681 - Visiting One¡¯s Parents</h4>


    Princess Consort Jing looked at Xiaocao¡¯s glowing face and smiled, ¡°Lass Xiaocao, you look so excited. Did you discover another business opportunity ah?¡±


    ¡°Hee hee, Lady Mother, you truly understand me too well! I want to use this event as an experiment! If the other noble youngdies are interested, then I¡¯ll establish this as a regr thing at the dessert shop. Who wouldn¡¯t find it fun to make some tasty desserts on her own while showing off to all of her friends and then eating her favorite desserts? ¡° Yu Xiaocao grinned like a little fox who had eaten her fill.


    ¡°From the way you¡¯re describing it, even I¡¯m interested! My children always turn up their noses at my culinary attempts. If I could truly make some desserts that are delicious, then they will definitely be extremely surprised!¡± Zhu Junya raised an eyebrow at her group of little monkeys.


    Lu Jiayu made a face as he quietly mumbled, ¡°The ingredients will all be prepared by someone else, so it¡¯s not hard for anyone to make something that tastes good, alright? If it were me, I¡¯d also be able to do it!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in assent, ¡°Other than being a good event for the young noblewomen, it is also suitable for parents and children to participate together. The parents and children can work together to experience the joys of working with their own hands while teaching the kids that it¡¯s not easy for food toe to the table. This is very helpful in the teaching of their children.¡±


    ¡°Third Maternal Aunt! I also want to participate, is that okay ah?¡± Lu Jiapei¡¯s mouth was greasy from all of the treats he had eaten. He raised his small plump hand in excitement.


    Yu Xiaocao smiled as she stroked his head before using a handkerchief to help him wipe off the oils and crumbs from his face. She said in a gentle voice, ¡°Of course you can, alright? At that time, Third Maternal Aunt will teach you how to make adorable animal crackers and all sorts of gummy candies in different shapes.¡±


    ¡°Can I take all of the food I make ah?¡± Lu Jiapei was most concerned about this point!


    ¡°Of course ah! At that time, Pei¡¯er can bring back all of the desserts and candies you make so you can give them to your friends. You can tell them that you made them yourself so they¡¯ll all be jealous ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao pinched the little fellow¡¯s plump cheek as she outlined what could happen.


    Princess Consort Jing asked in a somewhat worried tone, ¡°What if someone decides to be sneaky and brings along a chef to steal your methods? Wouldn¡¯t that be bad?¡±


    ¡°The most important part about making pastries is the ingredients and their ratios. All of these things will be prepared in advance by the shop¡¯s employees. Using chocte as an example, we absolutely wouldn¡¯t teach them how to make chocte starting from the cocoa beans. At that time, as long as the participants melt them and pour them into molds, they¡¯ll be able to make the right shapes. As for the small cookies and biscuits, it¡¯s the same! That being said, it¡¯s not as if the desserts at my shop are easy to make once you know the ingredients. It takes skill and not just anyone can do it. Lady Mother, there¡¯s no need for you to worry ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao patiently exined.


    Only after hearing this did Princess Consort Jing smile again as she tapped Xiaocao¡¯s head with a finger, ¡°Just what is in that little head of yours to be able toe up with such weird and novel ideas all the time?¡±


    Zhu Junya also regarded her third younger sister-inw with a gaze full of admiration and envy. One absolutely could notpare oneself to others. She could only think of using her third younger sister-inw¡¯s pastries and delicious food to attract other people to her party. The otherdy, however, saw a perfect business opportunity. It was no wonder that every business that came out of her hands was popr beyond measure. She clearly had a creative mind and money-making opportunities just spilled out of her!


    After they finished the noon meal, Xiaocao once again spent some time with Princess Consort Jing and her older sister-inw in conversation before saying her farewells. On the way back to her residence, she saw that her husband was being uncharacteristically quiet, so she asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your wife once again hase up with a new method of making money, but you¡¯re unhappy?¡±


    Zhu Junyang sighed and pulled the soft and fragrant littless into his arms. He gently whiffed at her sweet smelling hair and he quietly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unhappy. I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll be too tired!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know me by now? If you had me staying at home, being a leisurely mistress of the residence, I¡¯d be bored to death! Being busy is better, ah, it gives me satisfaction!¡± Yu Xiaocao turned her head around and gave her husband a peck on the lips. In any case, it was just the two of them in the carriage, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.


    The reality soon told her that her man, who had been patiently waiting in a drought for twenty some years, wasn¡¯t someone to be idly teased. When they arrived at the gates of their home and heard all of the servants respectfully weing them back, Yu Xiaocao angrily pushed away a naughty hand from a particr wolf out of her clothing before she picked up an enameled mirror to fix her mussed up hair. Then she reapplied some lip color to her mouth. After ring ferociously at the fellow who was causing trouble for her, she lifted up the carriage curtain to leave.


    As soon as Imperial Prince Xu, who was acting like a hoodlum in the carriage, stepped out, he resumed his cold image. However, when he stretched out his arm to help Princess Consort Xue down, he looked very gentle and considerate.


    The people living next to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate were all high-ranking officials and nobles. When they saw this scene, they couldn¡¯t help but sigh in astonishment. Imperial Prince Xu clearly loved his princess consort very much! Not only did he stay by her side for almost a decade but his conduct towards her now was also very apparent. Who would have thought that Imperial Prince Xu, who always looked cold and callous in front of everyone else, actually had such a sweet side to him?


    Zhu Junyang, who was now considered the perfect example of an ideal husband, revealed his wolfish side as soon as they entered the inner courtyard. He carried his little wife as he rushed towards their rooms to get closer to her. After entering, the servants in the residence only saw their masters after the moon had started rising in the sky.


    Yu Xiaocaoy on the bed in exhaustion as her whole body felt sore from head to toe. The wolf by her side was carefully helping her massage her body. Wasn¡¯t the man supposed to get tired from doing husband-wife intimate rtions ah? Why was this particr wolf still so energetic after doing it over and over again? Why was she the onepletely exhausted by this?


    However, this particr person was doing quite a good job at massaging her! Whether it was the amount of pressure used and the location chosen, it was all quite good. Xiaocao gruntedfortably and was about to fall asleep. Not long after she silentlyplimented that fellow, he started to be naughty again...


    ¡°Are you trying to make it such that I can¡¯t get up tomorrow morning, ah? Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m going back to my family tomorrow. If I get therete, just watch my younger brothere raging here, alright?¡± Yu Xiaocao pressed down on therge hand that was being unruly and red at him angrily. He wanted to go again? How many times had they done it since the afternoon? She absolutely could not allow this fellow to get away with this too many times!


    The angry re from Xiaocao, in Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes, had be a flirtatious look instead and his heart started to itch again. The littless¡¯s body was soft and sweet, and she always seemed to harmonize well with his movements even though she seemed a bit shy. It truly sent him to the peak of ecstasy time after time again...he couldn¡¯t continue down this road of thinking again as a certain body part was starting to be excited! After spending so many years interacting with thess, he knew he couldn¡¯t poke her into a temper. Otherwise, the furious little kitten would make him suffer!


    Zhu Junyang engraved the look of thess in his heart and promised heartfully, ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t torment you further! Go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, this prince will apany you there!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao naturally could feel a certain hard body part on him and gave him a doubtful look, ¡°Are you sure you can endure this? Something bad isn¡¯t going to happen to you ah?¡±


    ¡°Shush! If you continue teasing me, this prince will take back what I said earlier!¡± Zhu Junyang held the beauty in his arms as he inhaled deeply. He could see her, touch her, but couldn¡¯t taste her. Naturally he wasn¡¯t happy about this, so his voice had a bit of sharp quality to it.


    ¡°How about...I use my hands to help you relieve some pressure?¡± Yu Xiaocao very soon regretted her decision to be kind. Wasn¡¯t this fellow¡¯s body constitution a little too good ah? Her hand felt so tired now! When she saw the look of pure pleasure on his face, she hatefully pinched him a couple of times on his arm.


    Zhu Junyang stated, ¡°Wife, please don¡¯t mess around. You can¡¯t take the consequences!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao immediately became obedient after hearing this and closed her eyes, pretending to be dead. Suddenly, from beneath the covers, arge gurgling sound could be heard.


    Only then did Zhu Junyang remember that the two of them had missed the evening meal. He ordered the maids outside the room to bring in some hot water and held his wife as they washed themselves clean before ordering their evening meal.


    They were truly eating dinner a bitte today. The clock in the outside hall showed that it was eight in the evening, almost nine. Usually, by this time, there weren¡¯t any servants in the kitchen. However, the maidservants and senior servants in the courtyard all knew that their masters hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet and had told the cook maids to stay in the little kitchen for them!


    All of the foods on the dinner table were good for rejuvenating and nourishing the body, like soups and congee. The cook maids had a perceptive eye, which made Yu Xiaocao blush after seeing the dishes. Zhu Junyang¡¯s waist was once again pinched by his wife.


    After finishing dinner, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t bother Xiaocao again. The two of them slept soundly the entire night until dawn arrived. Zhu Junyang, as usual, did some martial arts to exercise while he was waiting for Xiaocao to get up. By the time she got up, he had already changed into suitable clothing and was waiting to eat breakfast with her. She had to admit that the cook maids were quite good. Yu Xiaocao ate happily and identally consumed too much.


    Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence wasn¡¯t very far from the Yu Residence. In order to help Xiaocao digest herrge meal, the two of them let the carriage follow them from behind as they strolled towards her maternal home. Behind them were the gifts they were bringing along and it filled six whole carts. The people walking by all couldn¡¯t help but regard this with obvious surprise.


    In front of the Yu Residence, Yu Hai and his two sons were there looking back and forth, obviously waiting for them.


    ¡°They¡¯re here, they¡¯re here!¡± Little Shitou was the first to spot his second sister¡¯s figure in the distance and revealed a happy smile. He scuttled forward inrge steps and pushed aside his second brother-inw as he solicitously inquired after Xiaocao. He acted as if he was afraid that she had been bullied at the prince¡¯s residence.


    ¡°Second Older Sister, you have some dark circles under your eyes, did you not sleep wellst night? Is it because you¡¯re not used to sleeping in a new environment?¡± Little Shitou directly ignored the ¡®head criminal¡¯ who had stolen his sister from him. He could sensitively tell that his second older sister wasn¡¯t at her usual, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Yu Xiaocao red at Zhu Junyang and then turned back to soothe her worried younger brother, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s nothing I¡¯m not used to. I was too excitedst night, thinking about seeing you all today, so I was only able to fall asleepte at night. Don¡¯t you know that I, like my name, am like a tenacious de of grass. I can live anywhere without any problems!¡±


    Little Shitou finally felt himself rx when he saw the same brilliant and happy smile on his second sister¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t resist the urge to give a verbal jab at his older brother-inw, ¡°If there¡¯s anything diforting you in the future, don¡¯t force yourself to endure it. Our family¡¯s gates are always wide open for you!¡±


    ¡°Hee hee! With you, the future top scorer of the imperial examinations, as my backing, who would dare try to bully me? You should take this time to rx since you just recently finished one set of exams! As long as you do your usual during the court examinations, I have faith that you¡¯ll do just fine! Don¡¯t give yourself too much pressure. After all, you¡¯re only sixteen!¡± And that was considering the fact that this was the traditional way of counting one¡¯s age. In her previous life, someone as young as her brother would still be in middle school! In Xiaocao¡¯s heart, her younger brother was a genius and she hadplete faith in him!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Second Older Sister! My goal is to be the top scorer of all three sets of exams in the imperial court examinations!¡± If anyone else had heard Little Shitou¡¯s words, they would have absolutely thought that he was being too rash. In actuality, he hadplete confidence in himself!

 Chapter 682 - Uncomfortable Pregnancy

    <h4>Chapter 682 - Ufortable Pregnancy</h4>


    In fact, Yuan Sinian was more nervous about the exams than Little Shitou. As soon as his disciple left the exam hall, he instructed Little Shitou to write down from memory the questions that appeared on the exam and the answers he had given. Then, he called a teacher over from the Imperial College to look over them together. As for the Four Books and Five ssics, they didn¡¯t need to concern themselves over that as Little Shitou already knew them by heart and could recite them forwards and backwards. As for his essay reply on the policy question, his unique and creative viewpoint made his master, the best schr of his generation, praise him repeatedly. In Yuan Sinian¡¯s eyes, his young disciple was sure to be the best scorer in the exams! Unless there was a conspiracy going on!


    As for the pce examinations, Little Shitou had enjoyed the benefits of his second sister¡¯s connections and had already seen the emperor a few times, so he wasn¡¯t scared at all. His second sister was right. As long as he did his usual, the exams would prove to be no difficulty for him!


    Zhu Junyang helplessly watched as his wife¡¯s attention had been taken up entirely by his younger brother-inw. He could only follow the two of them from behind in a silent manner. It was truly difficult to have a younger brother-inw who was clinging onto his wife. Fortunately, his father-inw and older brother-inw, other than greeting his wife enthusiastically at first, were actually quite warm towards him.


    After entering the Yu Residence, his wife had been sent into the inner courtyard and he had been left in the outer courtyard with his two fathers-inw. Who wanted to spend that much time with those two old men? He wanted to spend more time with his wife, ah, hmph! Unfortunately, one of his fathers-inw was Fang Zizhen and had decisively refused his request with the excuse that ¡®it was not customary¡¯ to allow him in. After all, the inner courtyard also contained his two mothers-inw, his wife, and some sisters-inw. As an adult man, wanting to go there where there were so many womenfolk was a ridiculous idea!


    Alright, the fathers-inw words werew today. Zhu Junyang wrinkled his nose and stayed obediently in the outer courtyard. He drank a bellyful of tea as he had to converse with his godfather-inw about the army affairs in the northwest. In a few days, the two Zhao Generals would be heading back out there and it wasn¡¯t certain when they would be back again!


    His actual father-inw, Yu Hai, looked at all of the gifts that had been transported in and rubbed his hands in a somewhat awkward manner as he politely said, ¡°Your Highness, we¡¯re not outsiders here. Why did you bring so much stuff along?¡±


    ¡°My lord father-inw, the more precious and expensive the gifts I bring, the more it shows just how importantly and respectfully I view my princess consort and her family. You should be happy about this!¡± Zhu Junyang naturally knew that his father-inw deeply loved his daughter. This man was the epitome of a father who adored his daughter and ended up treating him, the son-inw, well as a result.


    Yu Hai was about to continue to say something when he was stopped by Fang Zizhen, ¡°Son-inw is right! These gifts are his way of showing his filial piety to you. If you¡¯re too polite, then you¡¯re taking him as an outsider! Our family has raised our daughter for eighteen years and this fellow has taken advantage of it. What¡¯s wrong with taking some gifts from him?¡±


    Zhu Junyang smiled and nodded his head at this. Suddenly, he discovered that Little Shitou, who had been at his side earlier, was secretly trying to sneak away out of the reception pavilion. His eyes caught him immediately and he asked, ¡°Younger Brother, where are you nning on going? Spend some time with me and talk a bit. I heard that you did quite well at the exams this time...¡±


    Little Shitou, who had been caught in the act, sat back down with a face full of disdain¡ª¡ªwho wanted to spend time with you? He wanted to go to the inner courtyard and ask his second sister how she had been doingtely! Although he had spent a lot of time traveling with his master and was often gone for a few months, he always knew that his second sister would be at home. As long as he got back, he¡¯d be able to see her whenever he wanted to.


    However, it wasn¡¯t the same anymore. Second Older Sister had gotten married and had been taken away from him by the irksome fellow in front of him. In the future, there was no one there who would pinch his cheeks anymore,ment that he had gotten thinner, ande up with all sorts of new foods for him. Over the past few days, he had spent a lot of time preparing for the exams and had gotten thinner as a result. However, Second Sister wasn¡¯t there anymore to make food to nourish his body. Wah wah wah...such a bad person to steal his second sister away from him!


    Little Shitou ignored Imperial Prince Xu in a pique of anger but had been scolded fiercely by his father. Finally, he reluctantly described how the exams had gone but his heart had long flown into the inner courtyard to be by his second sister¡¯s side...


    Yu Xiaocao had been pulled by her mother and godmother along into the small reception pavilion. After all of them had taken a seat, Madam Liu carefully observed her daughter from head to toe. When she saw that her daughter¡¯s cheeks were rosy andplexion looked bright, she felt her heart rx. The rims of Lady Fang¡¯s eyes were red as she smiled slightly to ask, ¡°In the past two days, how have you been doing at Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence? Is the food to your liking? Are the servants in the estate hardworking ah? ...¡±


    Her chain of questions came out so quickly that Xiaocao didn¡¯t know what to answer first. She could only pull at her godmother¡¯s hand, swaying back and forth as she smiled, ¡°Mother, Godmother, don¡¯t worry ah! It¡¯s not as if you both don¡¯t know what I¡¯m like. Have I ever allowed myself to be pushed around or bullied? Everything is great at the estate. Lady Mother has given me her most hardworking stewards and seniors servants and I also have Wutong and Pipa as my assistants. There¡¯s nothing for me to worry about in the residence!¡±


    ¡°Princess Consort Jing sent some servants to you? Which ones? What are their surnames?¡± Lady Fang had been born and bred in a noble family and had a good understanding of the darker sides of the inner courtyard. She was afraid that her goddaughter might be surreptitiously pushed around by these outside servants.


    Yu Xiaocao picked up her cup and drank a sip of flower tea before she smiled reassuringly at her godmother and mother, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! You already know the senior servant; she¡¯s Lady Mother¡¯s Meixiang!¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s her ah! No wonder thest time I saw Princess Consort Jing I didn¡¯t see her by her side! I had thought that she had left after getting married. Apparently, she had been transferred over to you! I must say I¡¯m relieved now. Thatss Meixiang¡¯s temperament and personality are both eptable!¡± Lady Fang paused for a moment and then added on, ¡°However, you need to make sure you have a good handle on the head stewards in the residence and you can¡¯t just allow other people to appoint any servant to those positions. Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate is veryrge, so do you have enough servants on hand? If not, I can lend a few at first.¡±


    ¡°No need, Godmother! The maidservants I brought along as a part of my dowry are already enough! That being said, it¡¯s not as if the other servants in the residence are unusable. I¡¯m having Wutong and Yingchun and the others keep an eye on them! The vast majority of servants in the residence are Ruizhi¡¯s people. Are you not able to trust the people he¡¯s appointed?¡±


    In actuality, Yu Xiaocao had very little patience for the trifling issues involved in running a noble estate. Zhu Junyang also knew this. Thus, no matter whether it was the stewards or junior servants or the maidservants in the inner courtyard, he made sure to be very careful when selecting him. Since he had the ability to read other people¡¯s thoughts, it was easy as pie for him to pick out the bad from the good. Naturally, Xiaocao had full confidence in the people he had chosen.


    Madam Liu and Lady Fang were both the type to view their son-inw in a better light as time passed. With such a capable and talented son-inw, they were quite happy and were able to rx after asking a bit more.


    Yu Xiaocao...on the other hand, was not so reliable. The two mothers couldn¡¯t help but worry about her!


    The two mothers then began to chat about more private matters. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eldest sister-inw, her childhood friend, was almost four months pregnant and her belly was already discernible. However, herplexion looked a bit wan and she appeared much skinnier now. Xiaocao knew that her eldest sister-inw was having a more difficult pregnancy as her morning sickness was quite severe. In the past several days, she had been busy helping out with her younger brother¡¯s exam affairs as well as her own wedding, so she didn¡¯t have enough time to take care of the other girl. Now, when she saw her today, Xiaocao felt a bit apologetic. She stood up and walked over, holding her eldest sister-inw¡¯s hand before taking her pulse.


    Liu Huifang was a bit surprised by her actions but when she understood what Xiaocao was doing, a blush rose up on her face. It was a bit embarrassing. In Dongshan Vige, her older maternal cousin was perfectly fine when she became pregnant. She was able to cut ragweed, cook food, wash theundry...no chores at home were dyed then. However, when it came to herself, why did she end up being so fragile and pampered?


    When she was three months pregnant, her father-inw and mother-inw were both so busy that their feet rarely rested. It was one thing to be unable to help them but it was another to add to their worries. However, she was quite helpless in this situation. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, she had be extremely sensitive to smells and couldn¡¯t handle many. In the past, the foods she liked to eat, such as chicken, fish, meat and eggs, were now all things that made her puke whenever she saw them. As for vegetables, she could only handle some whereas others caused her to vomit after eating them.


    Unfortunately, the child inside her belly needed nutrition, so she often forced herself to eat food. However, the food she so painstakingly forced down often came back up again. After she vomited, she¡¯d continue to eat with tears in her eyes! Yu Hang felt so bad seeing this that he wanted to find a famous doctor in the capital to treat her.


    Her good friend¡¯s, her youngest sister-inw¡¯s, wedding date was soon and she didn¡¯t want to add to the burden at that time, so she used the excuse of morning sickness being what it was in the early months and that it would get betterter. Yu Hang had also been very busy at hometely, so he hadn¡¯t been able to find the time to look for a suitable doctor.


    Liu Huifang knew Xiaocao had some medicinal knowledge but didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯d be able to spot that she was feeling unwell in the blink of an eye. She was sure the other girl would be able to help after taking her pulse.


    Madam Liu asked anxiously, ¡°Your eldest sister-inw hasn¡¯t been able to eat much and vomits all the time. I originally thought that as long as she passed three months it¡¯d get better, but it¡¯s already been four months and it¡¯s still this bad. Cao¡¯er, help her do something!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao put her friend¡¯s arm down and smiled at the two of them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all okay. The little guy is perfectly healthy. He¡¯s just being a bit naughty and making sure that everyone is aware that he is there!¡±


    ¡°Good, good, good! As long as the child is okay! However, it¡¯s not sustainable that your eldest sister-inw is unable to eat. Only a short period of time has passed but she¡¯s thinned out so much. Cao¡¯er, can you see if you cane up with some prescriptions for Huifang?¡± Madam Liu let out a sigh of relief as she held her daughter-inw¡¯s hand. She smiled until the wrinkles around her eyes deepened.


    ¡°Eldest Sister-inw¡¯s foundation is quite good, so, in her case, the benefits of medicine are not as good as good nutrition¡ª¡ªI¡¯ll write down a few recipes suitable for pregnant women to eat and I¡¯ll have the people in the kitchens make some for her. I guarantee that these foods will make my eldest sister-inw and her child healthy and strong!¡± Yu Xiaocao had the servants bring out some brush, ink, and paper from the small study in the courtyard. After considering it for a short time, she wrote down six to seven medicinal cuisine prescriptions that were suitable for nourishing the unborn child and replenishing the pregnant body.


    Madam Liu gingerly took the piece of paper and carefully put it away. Originally, she was nning on taking the entire family back to Tanggu after her youngest daughter got married. Now, Madam Liu decided to change her ns. Her daughter-inw¡¯s pregnancy was not very smooth and it wasn¡¯t suitable for her to endure a long voyage. Furthermore, there was no one as good as her daughter in nourishing and bncing a pregnant woman¡¯s body! After all, wasn¡¯t her Medicinal Cuisine House filled to the brim with customers every day? Not only was the food there delicious but it was also clearly very effective at healing ah!


    On her daughter¡¯s wedding day, there were many matrons anddies who were of much higher rank than herself, the mere wife of a small sixth-ranked official. Despite that, they were incredibly polite and courteous to her. Furthermore, many of them had privately thanked her, telling her that she had raised a good daughter. The medicinal cuisine that her daughter hade up with had healed many people and it was clearly very effective.

 Chapter 683 - Younger Brother-in-law

    <h4>Chapter 683 - Younger Brother-inw</h4>


    Although her youngest daughter was now married, the two residences weren¡¯t far from each other so if anything came up it¡¯d be easy for them to get in contact. Madam Liu made the quick decision to stay in the capital. The stewards in Tanggu were all experienced, so only Yu Hai and her eldest son needed to go back to keep an eye on things. She could peacefully stay by her daughter-inw¡¯s side and wait for her eldest grandson to be born!


    Yu Xiaocao watched as Xiaolian repeatedly congratted their eldest sister-inw and smiled, ¡°Xiaolian, should I take your pulse too ah?¡±


    Xiaolian immediately blushed a bright red and repeatedly waved her hands, ¡°No need, no need...I just changed!¡±


    In actuality, Xiaolian was quite looking forward to having children. Zhuang Xiaomo was an orphan and she knew that he thirsted even more than she did for affection. Thus, no matter how busy their seafood wholesale business got, he always carved out the time to apany her. If they had a small baby linking them even closer together, wouldn¡¯t he be incredibly happy ah?


    Madam Liu was so happy that her mouth was cracked wide open. When she heard that, she persuaded her eldest daughter, ¡°Have your younger sister take a peek. Xiaomo isn¡¯t getting any younger and it is the right time for him to start having children to keep the family line going ah! Your younger sister must have some good prescriptions for fertility and nourishing the body. Once your body is healthy and strong, would you need to worry about getting pregnant ah?¡±


    Xiaolian obediently stretched out her hand after hearing her mother¡¯s words, allowing Xiaocao to take her pulse. Although Xiaolian¡¯s body had been deficient in nutrients when she was young, she had been nourished over many years with mystic-stone water and had long recouped all that she needed. However, Xiaocao still warned her, ¡°I know your family business is busy but you need to take care of yourself. Haven¡¯t you been training a few maidservants to be your assistants? There¡¯s no need to do everything yourself!¡±


    In the past half year, her husband¡¯s business had been booming and he couldn¡¯t handle it all by himself. Thus, Xiaolian also became busy and was exhausted at the end of every day. After hearing her younger sister¡¯s warning, she asked somewhat anxiously, ¡°Is my body okay ah? Will I have trouble getting pregnant...¡±


    ¡°Child, what nonsense are you saying? Don¡¯t you have your younger sister here? She was even able to cure the infertility problem of the heir to Marquis Dingyuan¡¯s Household. What do you need to be afraid of now?¡± The smile on Madam Liu¡¯s face gradually disappeared and a tone of anxiety was added onto her voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it and scare yourself needlessly! Your body is quite healthy; it¡¯s just that you¡¯ve been more tiredtely! I¡¯ll give you two prescriptions to nourish your body. After drinking them for a month, you should be fine! However, while you¡¯re taking the medicine, you can¡¯t have any intimate time with Older Brother Xiaomo...¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t bring her medicine box along for this visit so she sent Yingchun back to get it.


    In actuality, Xiaolian¡¯s condition was quite serious. Although her body had slowly recovered throughout these years, she had been poorly nourished when she was young. After being married for half a year, she didn¡¯t have more mystic-stone water to strengthen her and spent a lot of energy in managing her husband¡¯s business. If it had been any other doctor treating her, they would have said a lot and cautioned her that she¡¯d need to rest and nourish herself for half a year.


    None of this, however, was a problem to Xiaocao. All of the medicines in her box had been infused with spiritual energy, so after drinking a few prescriptions, everything would be fine. However, she still nned on privately talking to Zhuang Xiaomo. The maidens of the Yu Family weren¡¯t married over to work until they were tired to the bone. Why should they work like a man?


    The kitchen followed Xiaocao¡¯s instructions and sent a goblet full of medicinal cuisine over. Liu Huifang sniffed lightly at the faintly fragrant medicinal congee and didn¡¯t have a bad reaction to it. She frowned as she took a small spoonful and ced it into her mouth. Eh? The taste was quite good. She ate a few more spoonfuls and didn¡¯t feel the desire to vomite up. After finishing a whole goblet of medicinal congee, Liu Huifang felt warm andfortable. Then, a feeling of something moving urred in her abdomen. Was that the baby moving around? She held her little bump as a maternal glow seemed toe off of her body.


    The news that Yu Hang¡¯s wife was able to eat something had transmitted to the outer courtyard. Yu Hang was delighted beyond measure and the smile on his face almost reached the back of his face¡ª¡ªthis was definitely the product of his younger sister¡¯s hard work, so now he didn¡¯t need to worry anymore! Little Shitou decided to be merciful to Zhu Junyang on ount of him almost bing an uncle and no longer treated him with disdain.


    Yu Xiaocao had lunch in the inner courtyard and sat around afterwards to talk a bit. Before long, word came from the outer courtyard that it was gettingte and time for her to head back. Madam Liu reluctantly escorted her daughter to the second gate as tears flowed down her eyes.


    She wasn¡¯t sure the next time she would be able to see her daughter after she left. Madam Liu truly missed her.


    Xiaocao hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe her mother¡¯s tears. She gently hugged her mother and softly said, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t worry ah! His Highness treats me very well. We currently live on our own and I am the only mistress in the house. If you miss me, I¡¯lle over a few times to visit!¡±


    Madam Liu stopped her tears after hearing this. Lady Fang, however, interjected, ¡°That¡¯s not okay! After all, you are a married woman now and can¡¯t always run back to your maternal home. If other people see this, what would they think?¡±


    ¡°Then...if you two miss me,e over to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate to visit! There are so many empty rooms in the estate, so pick any one to stay in!¡± Yu Xiaocao hurriedly said.


    Madam Liu gave her a look and said, ¡°Our two residences are so close to each other, so it¡¯s not proper for me to live at your ce. That being said, your eldest sister-inw is pregnant and as her mother-inw, what would people say if they saw me abandoning her while living at your residence?¡±


    ¡°Then bring Eldest Sister-inw along with you. I can personally make her some medicinal food to help her and then you won¡¯t need to be worried about her and your future grandson!¡± Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t just saying that to be nice. Although her husband had already resigned from being the armymander of Xishan Barracks, he was still in charge of the firearms camp! She was pretty sure after his vacation for his wedding ended, he¡¯d have to go back there and work early ande backte. He might even stay there for several days in a row. With only her around in the giant estate, wouldn¡¯t it be boring? If her mother and eldest sister-inw could frequently visit, then it¡¯d be pretty swell for her!


    Madam Liu felt quite tempted by this idea. Although her daughter-inw was able to eat without puking today, she had truly thinned out too much recently and really needed to nourish herself back to a healthy weight. If her daughter could personally make some medicinal cuisine for her daughter-inw, that¡¯d be the best scenario...


    At this time, Liu Huifang interjected, ¡°Am I that delicate ah? I¡¯m only pregnant, so do I need to live at the prince¡¯s estate and have Princess Consort Xu herself make food for me? In our vige, there are plenty of pregnant matrons doing work in the fields. Some of them work up until they give birth! How did I be so delicate now? Mother, my body is fine, so let¡¯s not bother my younger sister too much! That being said, Younger Sister is a newlywed; it¡¯s not right for us to disturb them at this time!¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who was waiting outside the inner gate to escort his wife, heard her words and inwardly nodded his head a few times. He and his wife were right in the midst of their lovey-dovey period and he definitely didn¡¯t want other people butting their heads in, especially that younger brother-inw of his, who was standing right next to him. As soon as that fellow heard that his wife had invited Madam Liu to live at their estate, his eyes immediately lit up. Even a blind person could tell what thoughts were running through that brat¡¯s head.


    How could he allow a clingy little brother-inw to invade his territory?? Men were simr to beasts in many ways and they all had their own territories and guarded them fiercely. This was especially true of newly married men. They absolutely didn¡¯t want anyone to break their couple¡¯s bliss.


    Little Shitou angrily red at the man next to him, ¡®I naturally want to visit my second sister¡¯s house, especially since I¡¯m her younger brother!¡¯


    Zhu Junyang stared back, ¡®Your second sister is my princess consort first and your older sister second. Remember that!¡¯


    Only now did Xiaocao, who had been conversing with her mother and godmother, sense the raging tension between the two men, one big and one small, in front of her. They were standing solemnly in front of her and staring at each other with serious looks. It looked like invisible daggers were flying in-between them as they conversed silently.


    ¡°Are you two¡ª¡ªusing your eyes to express your affections for each other?¡± Yu Xiaocao knew that her younger brother was deliberately picking on her husband and couldn¡¯t help but crack a joke.


    ¡°Wife...¡±


    ¡°Second Sister¡ª¡ª¡±


    Who would want to exchange affections with this guy?! The two of them looked away as their hearts moved in one.


    Little Shitou had only seen his second sister when she had just entered the residence and hadn¡¯t had the chance to properly talk to her. Thus, he naturally didn¡¯t have the time to deal with his brother-inw anymore. He scurried over to his older sister¡¯s side and pulled on her sleeve a couple of times. He even deliberately raised an eyebrow at Zhu Junyang.


    Yu Xiaocao originally wanted to ruffle her younger brother¡¯s hair like she always did when they were younger but discovered that he was now taller than her. She could only pat at his shoulder as she smiled, ¡°Before I realized it, my younger brother has grown up to be a young man. What sort of things did you talk about with your second brother-inw earlier?¡±


    Little Shitou grinned at her winsomely and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t say much; I only urged him to treat you well...Second Sister, take good care of yourself and don¡¯t let yourself get too tired. My master said that he ns on having me stay in the capital in the future to get used to the official circles. With me around, if you need any help from me, please ask. Also, you need to visit me often as I¡¯ll miss you!¡± As he spoke, the rims of his eyes turned red.


    Zhu Junyang fumed at the side. This stinky brat knew how to act cute and obedient in front of his wife. That wasn¡¯t the topic of the conversation at all! What he actually said was more along the lines of: ¡°My second sister is such a wonderful person but, in the end, she was stolen away by a certain someone!¡± and ¡°My second sister once said that her husband must be loyal and cannot take any concubines let alone any side consorts! Otherwise, she¡¯s willing to divorce her husband!¡± and ¡°If you dare to bully my second sister, I will make sure to take my sister back and I don¡¯t care about the fact that you¡¯re an imperial prince and favored official!¡±


    This stinky brat, how could he possibly think that he, Zhu Junyang, had the desire to take in any concubines? He married his wife so he naturally had to treat her well. Bullying her was not something that had ever crossed his mind. That stinky brat was just hoping for things not to go well between them! His hints at ¡®bringing my older sister back home¡¯ were clearly just him being sour about his sister marrying someone, right? Hmph! Since his second sister had married into his estate, she was naturally now a part of his family. If he wanted to take her back, it¡¯d be a no go! Not a single window would be left open for that brat!


    The grievances Zhu Junyang held towards his younger brother-inw naturally couldn¡¯t bepletely hidden. Yu Xiaocao was already used to the two of them not seeing eye to eye, so she ignored it. She first needed tofort her younger brother as he was going to be participating in the court exams this next month. Doing well was the most important thing now!


    ¡°As the older brother-inw, you¡¯re older than my younger brother by a few years, so how can you lower yourself to his level and squabble like a child? You¡¯re truly getting worse and worse with age!¡± Yu Xiaocao gave a sidelong look before turning back to Little Shitou, ¡°If your second brother-inw tries to bully you, make sure to tell me. I¡¯ll have your back!¡±


    If Little Shitou had a tail right now, it would be raised up, pointing to the sky. Hmph, Second Sister truly still loved him the most. His older brother-inw could only stand at the side now!

 Chapter 684 - Creativity Contes

    <h4>Chapter 684 - Creativity Contes</h4>


    Zhu Junyang almost wanted to vomit blood. Just when did he ever bully this stinky brat? Clearly, the one being bullied was him, alright??? ¡®My delicate little heart has been wounded too heavily. I need a hug, I need some pets, I need someforting, otherwise, I can¡¯t go on!!¡¯


    On the other hand, Little Shitou was so delighted by this turn of events that he proudly gave Zhu Junyang a knowing look and grinned in a cute way, ¡°Second Sister is the best! Looks like the one that you love the most is still me! With those words, who would dare try to bully me?¡±


    ¡°Childish!¡± At his age, he still wanted to act spoiled in front of his older sister. The most annoying part was that this brat was acting spoiled in front of his wife. Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to admit that he was feeling incredibly jealous now!


    Yu Xiaocao could feel the furying off of her husband as if it would solidify at any moment. She knew now that she had to spend a lot of effort tofort this beast when they got back home. After conversing a bit longer with her younger brother, she finally gave out her invitation, ¡°Three days from now, my residence will be holding the first ¡®tasting delicacies event¡¯ and I need a few young schrs to act as judges. At that time, you can invite a few of your good friends over.¡±


    ¡°Tasting delicacies event? Is this rted to eating good food ah? You absolutely have to keep this on the down low, otherwise I¡¯m afraid your entire residence would be filled to bursting!¡± Whenever he remembered the cacophony that was his birthday banquet, Little Shitou always felt some lingering fear. It had originally been nned to be a small family feast, so who would have thought that they would have to reserve the entire Medicinal Cuisine House in order to have enough food to feed all of the guests that hade over?


    Yu Xiaocao simply described the event she was nning. It was just an event where the young maidens of the inner courtyard would make some delicious and creative desserts. Those desserts would be sent out to the outer courtyard, where the youths could judge them and decide which ones took first, second, and third ce. Those maidens who ced in the top three would naturally get a prize. As for the prizes, Yu Xiaocao had alreadye up with a good idea. She was nning on giving a membership card to ¡®Creative Pastries¡¯ to the winners. This membership card gave them the privilege of getting half off everything at ¡®Creative Pastries¡¯!


    Oh ho, even the prizes were being used to advertise her not-opened next business! With this type of boss, did her businesses ever have to worry about not being popr?


    ......


    Zhu Junyang was unhappy, extremely unhappy! This period right after being married was supposed to be for the two of them to spend in bliss together. However, his new bride was ignoring him!


    Ever since they got back to the estate after visiting her maternal home, his little wife had be extremely busy. First, she summoned over some craftsmen to build fiverge ovens and stoves in the back garden. Then, she brought over all of the employees from her dessert and pastry shop to undergo some strict training. All of the servants in their residence had been orderedpletely around by his wife, who was immensely enjoying all of this.


    As the chief stewards of the inner courtyard and affairs, Meixiang and Liu Dequan did their utmost during this time period. This was the first time that Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate was holding a big event and all of the upper ss noble maidens, matrons, and noblemen would be attending. Thus, they needed to make sure everything was done perfectly in order to avoid the estate¡¯s reputation from being stained. As for the steward in charge of purchasing, he was even more cautious. Every day he would consult with the princess consort¡¯s store manager, Yangliu, as he was afraid that he might miss some important ingredient necessary for the event.


    The vast majority of Xiaocao¡¯s time was taken up by the rearrangement of the back flower garden. Fortunately, the servants in the residence were hardworking and capable. Otherwise, being able topletely renovate the garden in two days would be a pipe dream! All she had to do was voice her ideas and the stewards of the outer and inner courtyard would immediately bring her vision to fruition perfectly. This was also the opportunity for the stewards, servants, and maids to show off their abilities to the new princess consort! Everyone employed in the residence worked their hardest as they were afraid that the princess consort might be unhappy.


    Although they were technically employed by Imperial Prince Xu, who in the capital didn¡¯t know that their master waspletely obedient to their mistress even prior to their marriage? After marriage, he had be the epitome of an ideal husband and seemed to wish to be stuck to their mistress¡¯s side. Those who had been picked out by Zhu Junyang naturally weren¡¯t stupid and they had long noticed that the princess consort was the one in charge here. Even though their master wasn¡¯t happy about the fact that his newly wedded wife was busy with the pastrypetition during their honeymoon period, he still ordered all of the servants to do their best for her. Tsk tsk, who would dare to ck off now? If their mistress got angry at them, the master definitely wouldn¡¯t say one word for them and instead apud her for being right. For the sake of their own futures, especially those in managerial positions, they needed to show off their abilities and allow their new mistress to regard them in a pleasant light.


    Despite the fact that all of the servants were doing their utmost to help, Xiaocao still ended up doing a lot of work and was quite exhausted by all of this. In order to ensure that this event went off smoothly and up to her standards, Xiaocao had the servants running around throughout the day. At night, she would pick up her personal notebook and write down any ideas that came up. That way, she would remember to implement them on the next day. Sometimes she would stay up for half of the night in the small study in the inner courtyard.


    When he saw his wife working so hard, how could Zhu Junyang bear to add to her troubles? He needed to love her, pamper her, and support herpletely! Even though he was unhappy inside, he still continued along his perfect husband persona and helped his wife take on a lot of burdens.


    No one knew who spilled the beans but the news about the ¡®making your own pastries event¡¯ had somehow spread on the second day. Starting from when she got up in the morning, Xiaocao had a wave of calling cards to receive and all of them were from prominent families. These matrons came over with their daughters who ranged from ages eight to sixteen to see her. Their mission was simple. They wanted to cajole an invitation to her uing event.


    Originally, Xiaocao¡¯s intention in creating this event was to invite her second older brother-inw¡¯s sweetheart over to y around and allow Princess Consort Jing the opportunity to see her future daughter-inw. She was cognizant of the fact that the young maiden might feel awkward on her own, so she decided to invite over maidens from families that were familiar with their two families to apany her. The idea to have them make their own pastries was also done to increase the fun at this event.


    Princess Consort Jing and Xiaocao only nned on inviting over people they were familiar with. Thus, they only prepared twenty invitation cards. Princess Consort Jing was given ten cards and Miss Han was given five so she could invite her good friends over. Thus, Xiaocao was left with only five herself.


    However, on the next day, since the morning, Xiaocao began to receive guests at the residence. Sometimes she even had to receive a few matrons and their children at the same time. She continued to receive calling cards until the evening and was so busy that she barely got to eat lunch. In one day, there were over twenty or so families who had left their cards. Some of these families, whether it was Xiaocao or her husband, had barely even interacted with them in the past and couldn¡¯t even be considered acquaintances. Despite that, they still shamelessly came over, begging for an invitation to the uing event.


    In a short period of time, they had increased the number of guests at this event by almost double. Thus, they naturally had to prepare more materials for these people. Fortunately, Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s back garden was spacious, so all that was needed was to buy an extra stash of ingredients in order to avoid this party from bing a fiasco.


    As for the guests in the outer courtyard, it hadn¡¯t be crazy. Zhu Junyang had given invitations to his subordinates and military officials that he was close with. Little Shitou had given invitations to his group of five to six friends, whereas Imperial Prince Jing had given invitations to youths in his circle and the Han Family also had invitations...


    Xiaocao was grateful that this event had been put together atst minute¡¯s notice. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be just around twenty people who hade begging for invitations. The families who had gotten the newste and found out that they had missed out on their opportunity to sidle up to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate and have their daughters show off to promising youths in the capital not only wailed in disappointment but also became much more sensitive to the future movements of the prince¡¯s residence. That way, they could strike first the next time Princess Consort Xu organized a gathering.


    On the third day, which was the day of the event, there were all sorts of carriages parked in front of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence. From the insignias on these vehicles, one could see that almost all of the third-ranked and above official¡¯s families were here. Naturally, there were more people than that.


    Princess Consort Jing had used this gathering as the perfect excuse toe over and see her daughter-inw as it was the first time Xiaocao was holding such arge event after getting married. However, she didn¡¯t even get to see her daughter-inw before she was pulled into receiving all of the higher ranked matrons who had arrived.


    As the hostess, Xiaocao naturally couldn¡¯t be idle! Fortunately, her good friends, He Wanning and Royal Princess Minn, gave her a big hand. These two had long swam in these higher-ranked circles and they had married husbands who were also high-ranking. Thus, they knew pretty much every single maiden and young matron who had received invitations to this event today and were naturals at interacting with them. With them in charge of the younger guests, Xiaocao was able to be at ease.


    News had quickly spread that this gathering would allow them to personally make pastries. Not only did this pique the interests of the young maidens in the capitals but their older sisters-inw and older sisters who had gotten married were also very intrigued. Thus, everyone who had gotten an invitation brought along their entire family. Mothers, daughters, sisters, and sisters-inw of the invitation holders all arrived. Fortunately, Xiaocao had prepared arge amount of materials needed. Otherwise, this event would have ended up bing a farce.


    The spacious back garden in Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate had been divided into two parts. In the middle was a bamboo thicket separating the inner side from the outer side. On the inner side was where the matrons and maidens were currently chatting, whereas the outer side had been prepared to allow the noble youths to taste tea, y board games, y at throwing arrows into a pot, andpete at archery. Imperial Prince Xu had pretty much gathered all of the talented youths in the capital in one ce. Thus, from time to time, the matrons on the inner side would nce through the less dense areas of the bamboo forest separating the two sides in a telling manner.


    A pure and clear stream ran through the inner and outer parts of the garden. On both sides of the water were low tables and colorful nkets on the ground. From time to time, one could see flower petals floating down the water...


    Little Shitou and his close ssmates saw this stream and couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Looks like Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate is trying to mimic the ancient people¡¯s ¡®winding stream party¡¯ ah! What an elegant sight!¡±


    On the inner side of the garden, there were maidens, young matrons and children who had not yet reached the age of thirteen. Xiaocao simply outlined the rules of thispetition and emphasized that there were three elements that were being judged: ¡®creativity¡¯, ¡®aesthetics¡¯, and ¡®taste¡¯. The top three in each category would get a prize.


    When the maidens and young matrons heard this, they all became incredibly excited. Xiaocao didn¡¯t bother to speak too much and very quickly proimed the start of thepetition.


    For the creative pastriespetition, it was split further down into four groups: cookies, cakes, choctes, and misceneous. The children aged ten and below had all been grouped up together. Under the help of experienced pastry chefs, they were learning how to make some simple cookies and choctes.


    These cookies and choctes didn¡¯t take much skill to make. Thepetition had prepared a variety of animal and flower molds. All the children had to do was to use the prepared dough and the molds to press them into different shapes before cing them in the oven. After being baked, sweet and delicious cookies came out. As for the choctes, all the children had to do was to pour the already melted chocte into the selected molds. After the heated chocte cooled, they could take them out of the molds. In order to avoid the kids from getting scalded by the hot chocte, other than the experienced pastry chefs, each child also had two sharp-eyed maidservants at their side. Thus, safety was of paramount importance here.


    As for the older children and maidens, they were able to do more hands-on work. They could mold the dough into the shapes of their own choosing and frost the small cakes with the provided frosting and jams and decorate them with choctes. As for the chocte group, they were able to add some novel and fun ingredients into the melted chocte before letting them solidify... winding stream party - an old Chinese custom in which the participants wait by a winding stream andpose poems before their cups full of rice wine float down to reach them

 Chapter 685 - Satisfactory

    <h4>Chapter 685 - Satisfactory</h4>


    The vast majority of these noble young maidens were in their teens, so they very quickly forgot the fact that this was apetition and gleefully began to enjoy creating their own desserts. There were dexterous young maidens who chose to decorate delicate little cakes with swirls of frosting and dots of bright jam. Then there were those who knew that they were more clumsy and chose, instead, to make their own choctes. They added all sorts of nuts to them and some even melted fruit candies to add to the insides, which created a symphony of vors. Some of them used all sorts of preserved fruits and arranged them together to create a colorful piece of art...


    In short, this group of maidens had some that idly chatted with each other, some who put in a lot of effort into making their own desserts, some who happily judged other¡¯s works, and there were even some who couldn¡¯t resist the temptation to try out their own goods and gleefully sampled them in bliss.


    The matrons who were here had also been infected by the liveliness and happiness of the young maidens. They walked out of the shaded pavilion to arrive at the setting where the young maidens were currently having fun. Some of them arrived next to their daughters to help theme up with ideas or give them tips. Some of them sampled a few of the failed products that had urred so far. There were even some who washed their hands and began to personally experience the novelty of making their own desserts...


    Princess Consort Jing had been silently observing the young maiden from the Han Family this entire time. This young maiden, who had been called General Mu, was a bit tanner than the other maidens because she spent most of her time in the southwest, where the sun was much harsher. However, she wasn¡¯t super tan as her skin was more like a healthy wheat color.


    Her skin condition, on the other hand, was quite good. It had a good texture and seemed to glow with health. Her facial features were pretty and somewhat heroic. Her eyebrows were thick and her eyes looked pure and clear. When she was concentrating on her task at hand, her lips slightly curled up and one could sense a hint of stubbornness and perseveranceing off of her...


    Compared to the other noble maidens, she was dressed much differently. She was wearing a set of simple and easy to walk in attire. Her hair had beenbed up in a high bun and only a very simple jade hairpin acted as decoration. Her face was bare of cosmetics and she revealed a sort of pure and simple type of beauty.


    Princess Consort Jing was very curious as to what type of desserts the Han Family¡¯s young maiden had decided to make. She pretended to inadvertently walk over. When she saw the ¡®masterpiece¡¯ in front of the youngdy, she almost burst intoughter. The pastry in front of the girl didn¡¯t look much different than the ones in front of the children around ten years of age. She had used the molds to make quite a few horse shaped cookies and there were even some that looked a bit crooked on the side as if they had been beaten with a rod. After baking, there were some that became a bit deformed.


    Princess Consort Jing remembered what her second son had told her about this maiden. She had grown up without a mother and spent most of her life at the borders with her father, learning most of the things that young men did. Without a maternal presence by her side, there was likely no one at the borders to teach her any of the things that women were supposed to learn, such as cooking or embroidery. Her feminine skills likely ranked at zero.


    Han Xiaomu wasn¡¯t just fooling around. In fact, she was just really concentrated on making her cookies. She wanted to create a scenery that showed a very powerful army at war, but the little horse cookies she made wouldn¡¯t stand up on their own. She was getting pretty flustered by this.


    Princess Consort Jing saw how this child had ended up breaking a few cookies in a row without seeding in letting them stand. She couldn¡¯t help but give her some advice, ¡°You could sandwich two cookies together using a filling in between. There are soft candies, cream, and chocte there. All of those could be used.¡±


    That was right ah! With two cookies stuck together, they¡¯d be thicker and likely be able to stand up! A smile appeared on Han Xiaomu¡¯s face and she expressed her sincere gratitude to the graceful noble matron in front of her.


    Princess Consort Jing observed the young maiden with increasing pleasure. Although the youngerdy¡¯s bearing and demeanor was not as elegant and refined as the other noble maidens¡¯, she was a very courteous and thoughtful individual.


    In the end, Han Xiaomu ended up choosing chocte and strawberry cream to act as the filling. She had surreptitiously tasted them before and these two vors were her favorites out of the bunch. She wasn¡¯t sure whether the host of this event would allow her to take these sandwich cookies home. Tomorrow, her martial brother would be going back to the border and it was the perfect opportunity to allow her father to try these cookies she had made. She had personally crafted them! Her father had always poked fun at her, iming that the food she made wasn¡¯t fit for humans to eat. These cookies would definitely make him see her in a new light!


    ¡°Young Miss, I don¡¯t think horses eat bugs...¡± Princess Consort Jing saw that the young maiden was cing the finished horse-shaped sandwich cookies with some cookies that were shaped a bit like a wiggly worm together and couldn¡¯t help but open her mouth to let her know.


    Han Xiaomu had originally had a lot of confidence in her ¡®very powerful army at war¡¯, but after hearing what the noble matron said, she looked again at the swords she had made. They truly did somewhat resemble earthworms instead. Amused, she burst out into chuckles. Princess Consort Jing noticed that the young maiden¡¯sugh was open and unrestrained, which was very simr to her own daughter¡¯s personality. Thus, she also began tough too.


    Zhu Junya, who had been at a nearby table with her children, saw that herdy mother wasughing merrily with a young maiden. She hurried over and asked, ¡°What are you talking about to make you so happy?¡±


    ¡°Go! Go watch your children, there¡¯s nothing here for you to see!¡± Princess Consort Jing noticed that her daughter was currently rolling some cookie dough in her hands and even had some flour on her face. Although her voice was filled with disdain, she reached over with a handkerchief to wipe the flour off of her daughter¡¯s face.


    Han Xiaomu watched this somewhat enviously. She had lost her mother at a very young age and had grown up with her father. No matter how good her father was to her, it wasn¡¯t enough to make up for the gentle love of a mother. At the border, she would sometimes see themon people interacting with each other, such as the deep love between a mother and her daughter. She would always observe them for a long time and imagine herself as that child who was being tenderly cared for. She would alsofort herself, telling herself that if her mother was still alive, she would be the same as all of thepassionate mothers out there and love her very deeply.


    Her father had sensed the deep thirst she had for a mother¡¯s love and had drawn the five to six year old her into his arms and gently told her stories about her mother. When her mother was pregnant with her, her mother had been excited at the prospect of meeting her and would often hold her pregnant belly and talk to her and read stories for her. He told her that her birth had been very difficult and her mother had used all of her strength and life to bring her out in the world so that she may live. Before her mother had left this world, she had looked at her with a loving gaze. Herst words had been to implore him to take good care of their daughter for her...


    Since then, she had never envied people for their mothers and didn¡¯t feel at a loss that she didn¡¯t have her mother by her side. This was because she knew she had the most gentle, mostpassionate mother who loved her the most in the heavens, watching over her!


    Han Xiaomu looked away and a gentle smile appeared on her face. She brushed away a naughty strand of hair from her face and lowered her head to knead the dough. She wanted to make a sword-shaped cookie that was very straight and wouldn¡¯t make other people mistake it as a worm. Suddenly, she felt something gently brush the side of her face. She turned her head around and saw that the noble matron from earlier was helping her wipe her face. Herrge dark eyes shone with astonishment.


    ¡°Forgive me for being presumptuous¡ª¡ªyou had some flour on your face!¡± Princess Consort Jing had perceptively sensed the sh of envy that had gone through the young maiden. She felt sorry that she had lost her mother at a young age and saw that the youngdy had something sticking to her face, so she couldn¡¯t help but reach over and help her wipe it off. It was only when she saw the obvious surprise in the young maiden¡¯s eyes did she realize that she was being a bit rude.


    Han Xiaomu¡¯s eyes curved up into crescents and she quietly thanked her, ¡°Thank you, mydy! You are truly a gentle and good mother!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing wanted to say that she wasn¡¯t just a good mother but also a good mother-inw! However, this maiden hadn¡¯t seemed to have detected her true status so she didn¡¯t want to say it out loud and scare her prematurely.


    ¡°Mmmm...cookies with chocte filling are quite delicious ah!¡± Zhu Junya had already stepped forward and had taken one of the small horse cookies her future sister-inw had made and bit into it. Her face had a look of pleasant surprise on it. The crispy fragrant cookies paired with the dense vor of chocte made the cookies taste even better than them on their own. Howe she hadn¡¯t thought of this idea? She needed to make some sandwich cookies now instead of just making in ones with her children!


    Han Xiaomu watched in dumbfounded amusement as she saw a ¡®stupid big sister¡¯ boldly eating one of the cookies she had prepared to give to her father. Aplicated feeling arose in her heart. Didn¡¯t her father say that the noble maidens in the capital were all hard to understand and kept their feelings hidden behind smiling faces ah? Then why was this maiden...matron simr to herself, open and carefree and someone who would easily offend others without even knowing?


    Han Xiaomu originally didn¡¯t want to attend this event after receiving the invitation from Zhu Junxi because she felt like her personality wasn¡¯t suitable for hanging out around other noble maidens! Zhu Junxi didn¡¯t tell her the true motive behind this gathering as he was afraid she might be too embarrassed.


    When he saw her hesitation, he knew exactly what sort of misgivings she had. Zhu Junxi did his best to describe the event in the most interesting way possible and also told all of the stories he knew about Princess Consort Xu to her. Han Xiaomu became incredibly intrigued in this character, who had taken an official¡¯s position at the Ministry of Revenue at the tender age of thirteen and had managed, in only a few years¡¯ time, to cultivate high-yielding wheat, corn, and potatoes. Furthermore, this legendary figure had established so many sessful and popr businesses at the same time. She hoped that this future sister-inw of hers wouldn¡¯t be like the vast majority of noble maidens who liked tough at others behind their backs.


    However, Han Xiaomu didn¡¯t dislike this adorable young matron in front of her despite the fact that the other person had eaten one of her cookies. In fact, she quite sympathized with the other woman¡¯s direct and bold personality.


    ¡°Older Sister, are you eating someone else¡¯s handiwork again? Earlier a lot of young maidens hadined to me about this! For lunch, I have Zhenxiu Restaurant and Medicinal Cuisine House cater the food. If you be full from eating too many desserts and have no room to eat delicious foods, don¡¯t me me as your younger sister-inw for not reminding you ah!¡±


    The sound of a crisp and clear voice paired with the direct words and a hint ofughter made Han Xiaomu involuntarily raise her head to look for the owner of that voice. She saw an adorable young maiden, dressed in a married woman¡¯s attire, happily walking over toward her. The smile on her face was so bright that it even made the glittering sunlight in March seem to lose its luster!


    ¡°Miss Han, are you having a good time ah? I¡¯m the hostess of this event, so if there any aspects that arecking, please forgive me...that¡¯s right, this is some tiramisu that I¡¯ve made. Do you want to try some?¡± Yu Xiaocao had also seen Princess Consort Jing and her daughter surround this young maiden. She was afraid that it might be awkward and they would end up scaring off her future second sister-inw! However, it looked like the three of them were getting along quite well.


    Zhu Junya also btedly realized that she had been a bit uncouth and might have angered the other maiden. She hurriedly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just look at me, always barging around in an ungainly manner. Earlier I didn¡¯t get your permission before trying one of your cookies...how about I make one in return to make it up to you?¡± Her offer seemed a bit ridiculous seeing as the other person may not be impressed by her handiwork.


    Han Xiaomu, however, shook her head with a smile, ¡°That cookie was only one of my practice attempts and it wasn¡¯t very sessful. Older Sister, it¡¯s fine that you ate it and there¡¯s no need to apologize!¡±

 Chapter 686 - Receiving the Emperors Command

    <h4>Chapter 686 - Receiving the Emperor¡¯s Command</h4>


    Princess Consort Jing was rather pleased with the youngdy¡¯s temper. Although she wasn¡¯t bothered about the trivial matters, she was still conservative and courteous. The rock that was weighing down her heart was finally removed. It seemed like her sons all had great eyesight¡¯ after all, she liked all three of her daughters-inw!


    ¡°Everyone should rest up, have some snacks, and drink some fruit juice. This activity is established merely for everyone¡¯s pleasure, so don¡¯t tire yourself out! Our estate also offers packing boxes if you wish to bring home the cakes you made today!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but remind them after seeing how excited the children, youngdies, and the young married women were.


    Zhu Junya impolitely took the small and delicate piece of tiramisu cake from her hand, and handed a piece to herdy mother first and then another piece of her future sister-inw. After that, she took all the cakes on the tray that Xiaocao was holding and popped a piece into her mouth. While she happily savored the cake, she grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. The cakes and candies that you make are so delicious that I have already gained a few kilograms of weight recently!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed of saying that?! You have eaten a lot of the pastries and candies that your sister-inw sent to your children, yet you turned around and med her! Is this how you should act as her sister-inw? Fortunately, Cao¡¯er has a kind heart because if it was someone else, they would have ignored you!¡± After Princess Consort Jing finished eating a piece of cake, she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. Then, she smacked Zhu Junya¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Lady Mother, please slow down! It doesn¡¯t matter if you break my arm, just don¡¯t knock over the tiramisu cake that I¡¯m holding!¡± Zhu Junya looked at the cake nervously before she stuffed another piece of cake in her mouth and continued talking, ¡°I said that because I know that my younger sister-inw isn¡¯t a narrow-minded person. If it was someone who had a strange temper, then your daughter can fake a smile at her!¡±


    ¡°You ah, you ah! You¡¯re already a mother, yet your temperament is still so carefree. My son-inw doesn¡¯t even try to control you!¡± Princess Consort Jing tapped her daughter¡¯s forehead with her finger.


    Zhu Junya giggled, ¡°Your son-inw likes my personality and believes that there¡¯s no need for me to change! Your son-inw said that those whoin about their daughter-inw making them lose face are all good-for-nothings! A woman¡¯s honor is acquired by a man! As long as he is strong and outstanding, then who would dare to belittle him and his woman? Let¡¯s take my younger brother as an example. He returned from the army and earned a noble title all due to his own ability. As a result, wherever my younger sister-inw goes in the future, she will be praised by others. About half of the people who came to the party today came because of my younger brother and my younger sister-inw!¡±


    ¡°Stop spouting nonsense! If someone else overhears, they¡¯ll criticize you for bbing nonsense!¡± Princess Consort Jing was rendered speechless in front of her unreliable daughter. Her daughter would speak her mind no matter what; she wasn¡¯t even afraid of offending other people!


    ¡°A person¡¯s lifetime consists of only a few decades, so why should we live in a world where we calcte our worth based on others¡¯ criticisms andpliments?! Lady Mother, I know that you¡¯re worried that I would suffer a loss due to this. But do you think that I¡¯m the type of person that will silently endure being bullied? Even if there¡¯s someone I can¡¯t deal with, don¡¯t I still have your son-inw to help me?¡± Wow, she was really good at showing off her lovey-dovey rtionship!


    Zhu Junya stuffed another piece of cake into Han Xiaomu¡¯s mouth. She savored theplex vors of the tiramisu as she quietly listened to the conversation between her mother-inw and older sister-inw. She would be a fool if she didn¡¯t know the identity of the three people in front of her by now. She was proficient in literacy, war, and military strategy and tactics, so how could she be a fool?


    Zhu Junxi that brat! Why didn¡¯t he tell her that his mother, Princess Consort Jing, would attend the party in person? She was caught off guard by his mother¡¯s sudden appearance! Fortunately, she had learned how to control her expressions in situations like this, so she wouldn¡¯t have to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it due to embarrassment. She tried to recall her earlier words and actions and realized that she didn¡¯t overstep her boundaries or said anything offensive. Han Xiaomu was relieved¡ª¡ªshe was going to remember this and teach that guy a lesson once she returned!


    ¡°Miss Han...Miss Han!¡± Her future sister-inw called out her name, interrupting Han Xiaomu¡¯s thoughts. She raised her head and heard Zhu Junya ask her, ¡°Miss Yangliu over there is teaching people how to make tiramisu. Do you want to give it a try?¡±


    Han Xiaomu shook her head lightly, smiled, and said, ¡°I¡¯m clumsy, so it¡¯s quite impossible for me to learn how to make those delicate pastries. I think it¡¯s best if I try to perfect how to make simple sandwich cookies.¡±


    Princess Consort Jing nodded her head when she heard this. In her heart, she believed that Han Xiaomu was a gooddy; she was someone who knew not to bite off more than she can chew.


    When Zhu Junya heard this, she also dismissed the idea of learning to make tiramisu, ¡°Then I also won¡¯t join in the fun. I need to watch over my youngest two children! I¡¯ll make some more cookies, so I can bring it home and let my husband and other children have a taste! Miss Han, you should do as you wish. I¡¯ll be heading over to have a look at my children!¡±


    Princess Consort Jing used fatigue as an excuse to retire to a nearby pavilion to rest. Han Xiaomu was obviously relieved after she saw the mother and daughter pair off. Even though she was a generous and efficient person, she still felt ufortable in front of her future mother-inw and elder sister-inw.


    Xiaocao was also happy with her future sister-inw. She preferred people who were straightforward and easy to readpared to those who harbor their bad thoughts internally.


    ¡°Miss Han, if you want to make some delicate sword-shaped cookies, then you have to use a mold. If you mold them by hand, then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll only be able to do it if you have a lot of experience!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but remind her this when she saw that she was kneading the cookie dough into sword shapes.


    Han Xiaomu nced at the ce where the molds would ce. She shook her head in disappointment, ¡°But I didn¡¯t see a mold shaped like a sword?¡±


    ¡°You can ask someone to make one for you! It doesn¡¯t matter if you want a mold shaped like a sword, a spear, or other weapons because carving a mold isn¡¯t that troublesome. You can ask someone who is familiar with weapons to carve one for you!¡± Xiaocao had seen Zhu Junxi, her second brother-inw, carve some small animals from wood to tease his nephews. As a result, she knew that he knew how to carve some simple shapes.


    Han Xiaomu looked up and nced at her. She pursed her lips and then summoned her maidservant over. Then, she whispered a few orders in the maidservant¡¯s ear. The maidservant epted her order and then headed towards the other side of the garden where the bamboo forest is located. Yu Xiaocao taught her a few tips on how to spread the fillings evenly on the sandwich cookies. Han Xiaomu had gained a lot from Xiaocao¡¯s tips. The second batch of cookies finished baking; the sandwich cookies shaped like horses had turned out quite well.


    Lunch was designed for people to serve themselves. There were various kinds of vegetable and meat dishes on disy in the northwest part of the garden. All the tables were filled with tes of food. It was just as Xiaocao had said; all the signature dishes from Zhenxiu Restaurant and Medicinal Cuisine House were present. The dishes that were ordered from Zhenxiu Restaurant included: crispy roasted duck with fruits, roasted boneless chicken, eight treasure duck, braised mandarin fish with cream sauce, steamed bass with pine nuts, cuttlefish roe soup, stewed shark¡¯s fin, stewed pig knuckle in sauce...


    There were also many famous dishes from the Medicinal Cuisine House. Of course, the most famous dish, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, was present. They also had: braised duck with caterpir fungus, yam congee, pork belly soup with emia hawthorn, mutton with codonopsis root, stewed carp with red beans and peanuts, ten powerful tonic soup, lily with chicken slices, stewed fig with lean pork, scallop soup with three fresh ingredients...


    These were all bestsellers from Princess Consort Xu¡¯s shop, the Medicinal Cuisine House. It was a rare opportunity for them to have a taste. Many of the marrieddies had longed to have a taste of these medicinal cuisines, so naturally, they wouldn¡¯t miss an opportunity like this. Since everyone was the same, no oneughed at each other!


    After lunch ended, the pastries the nobledies had made had finished baking. Although they enjoyed the process of making cakes, they also respected thepetition rules. As such, they each selected the dish they were most satisfied with and wrote a sequence of numbers on it, and then ced it on a floating silver tray. The pastries traveled along the crystal clear canal and headed outside towards the gifted schrs.


    The gifted schrs from the capital rated the pastries based on appearance, taste, creative concept, as well as other aspects. There were two first-ce winners, three-second ce winners, and five third-ce winners! It was worthwhile to mention that General Mu had acquired one of the second-ce prizes thanks to her pastry¡¯s ¡°Shining Spear and Armored Horses¡± concept. To be fair, her workcked technical skills. However, there were many generals outside that favored her work. In addition to that, her future husband asked the others for their support to help her win, allowing her to win one of the second-ce prizes!


    The first-ce prize was a membership card that allowed 50% off at ¡®Creative Pastries¡¯. The second-ce prize was a 30% discount membership card, and the third-ce prize was a 20% discount membership card! The well-bred youngdies and children were all excited about the grand opening of ¡®Creative Pastries¡¯ when they learned of its existence and that there will be discounts and big bargains once it opened. As such, they paid close attention to the news regarding the pastry shop.


    Yangliu was currently in charge of the Medicinal Cuisine House, the pastry shop, and the frozen dessert and pastry shop that were now under the brand ¡®Jinan¡¯s Food and Drinks¡¯. After Xiaocao got married, all of these businesses couldn¡¯t be considered under the Yu Family¡¯s branding anymore. Thus, all of them changed their names from the ¡®Yu¡¯s¡¯ to ¡®Jinan¡¯s¡¯. This showed that Royal Princess Jinan was the owner of all of these.


    Yangliu had trained a group of staff, and their skills had all matured by now. They were now in charge of the pastry and frozen dessert shops. Yangliu had always personally taken care of all the matters regarding the Medicine Cuisine House because of how important it was. However, thanks to the help from the shopkeeper and the head chef, she was able to have some free time to take care of ¡®Creative Pastries¡¯.


    After many years of experience, Yangliu had be an outstanding manager. Yu Xiaocao merely wrote out the basic design of the shop and gave Yangliu full authority to make the preparations for the grand opening. Soon, Yangliu was able to n out a design that satisfied Xiaocao.


    However, when ¡®Creative Pastries¡¯ finally opened, Xiaocao, who was the owner, failed to take part in the grand opening of the shop. She had already left the capital and was on a boat on the Grand Canal that was heading towards Jiangnan.


    After a mere seven-day honeymoon, the emperor had summoned her to the pce. He asked her to inspect the experimental rice fields in Jiangnan as an imperial envoy. Last year, the Imperial ntation had developed rice seeds that increased production. A portion of those seeds was sent to Jiangnan and was nted on the fields in the spring. Because Jiangnan and the northern regions had different climates and soil, the emperor feared that a change would happen with the high yielding seeds from the northern regions when nted in the southern region. As a result, he also set up a few hundreds of acres of experimental fields in the Jinling area of Jiangnan. The experimental fields were nted with the high yielding seeds harvested from the Imperial ntation as well as the high yielding seeds created by Xiaocao.


    The temperature was high and there was plenty of rain in the south. Normally, the rice paddy fields in the south ought to yield more crops than the fields in the capital. But the person in charge of the Jinling experimental fields returned to the capital and toured around the rice paddies in the capital. He felt his heart sink. Whether it was the rice seedlings in the suburbs of the capital or the sprouts, they were allte to bloom by half a monthpared to the seeds nted in Jiangnan. However, the seedlings nted there were all more robust than the seedlings nted in Jinling experimental fields, so what was the cause?


    The steward in charge of the Imperial ntation in the suburbs of the capital jokingly said, ¡°It seems like it¡¯s impossible to nt high-yielding crops without help from Royal Princess Jinan, right?¡±


    The person who said that was merely joking, but the listener believed it. The person in charge of the Jinling experimental fields heard those words and remembered those words in his heart.

 Chapter 687 - Killing By Poisoning

    <h4>Chapter 687 - Killing By Poisoning</h4>


    Due to Royal Princess Jinan¡¯s imminent marriage, the old official, who had the wellbeing of the people in mind, patiently waited for over half a month in the capital. He spent every day in the experimental fields located in the suburbs of the capital. He ate and lived with the tenant farmers; they exchanged nting methods and techniques.


    The more he interacted with them, the more apprehensive he became. They obviously used the same steps when nting the seedlings, used the same types of fertilizers, and the managing procedures were also the same, so why was there such a difference between the seedlings they nted? The seeds were personally approved by the emperor and the old official had personally transported the seeds. There was absolutely no difference between the seeds or the nting process! Could the only difference be Royal Princess Jinan, who was now Princess Consort Xu?


    Could the rumors actually be true? The farther the rumors spread, the more exaggerated the rumors became. It was rumored that Princess Consort Xu was a fairy of farming that descended to the mortal world from heaven. Because she took pity on how hardworking the emperor was for his country and the people, she descended to the mortal world to help with his worries and difficulties. She gave him high-yielding seeds to increase the production of the crops. There were even rumors that stated that the emperor vomited blood because he worked his heart out, trying to improve people¡¯s livelihood. Heaven was filled with emotions because the emperor loved themon people like his own children, so heaven sent down an immortal to assist him. It was not without reason that the emperor ced such great importance on Princess Consort Xu when she was merely a teenager!


    Therefore the old official sent a sincere and moving memorial to the emperor. There was only one purpose in the sincere and moving memorial he wrote and that was to stir the emperor¡¯s emotions about themon people of the Jiangnan region and ask him to send Official Yu to Jiangnan. He wanted Official Yu to give guidance to the people in charge of the experimental fields in Jinling.


    The emperor was worried when he received the memorial. He would¡¯ve readily approved the memorial if the old official asked for any other official to be sent to Jiangnan. But the crucial point was that Yu Xiaocao was only on the fifth day of her honeymoon. Her seven-day honeymoon was not yet over, so it wasn¡¯t proper for her to intrude and send her on a business trip in the middle of it!


    However, if he didn¡¯t keep this under control and give an official reply to the old official, he was afraid that they would miss the optimal farming period. He was a wise emperor that paid close attention to the farming development of his country and ced great importance on the people of his country. He was still frowning when he returned to the imperial harem from the imperial study. The empress couldn¡¯t help but ask about his concerns, and Zhu Junfan poured out his worries and misgivings.


    The empress pondered for a moment and then gave him a suggestion, ¡°The emperor can summon Miss Yu to the imperial pce and ask her for her opinion. Wouldn¡¯t that solve everything?¡±


    In her eyes, Yu Xiaocao was not only a woman with outstanding abilities, courage, and insight, but she was also a woman who knew how to prioritize the overall situation over personal affairs. Ever since the time she courageously entered the dangerous northern region alone to save the horse farm, it was sufficient enough to disy her courage and bravery. It was cruel to force the young couple to part early in their honeymoon since they were barely able to enjoy their time together. But...what if she was willing to leave?


    On the sixth day of her honeymoon, Yu Xiaocao was summoned to the imperial pce. On her way to the empress¡¯s Kunning Pce, she ran into His Imperial Highness, the crown prince, who was heading to the imperial study.


    ¡°Official Yu, you don¡¯t need to act too polite...¡± Zhu Hanwen paused for a moment, but he still couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°I heard that the day before yesterday, a party to start a new store was hosted at Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate. It was lively and very sessful. A few of my studypanions from the imperial study were fortunate enough to be invited to the party. They even asked me to taste some of the cookies they personally made when they returned...¡±


    The crown prince¡¯s expression was filled with grievances and regret. His expression seemed to be asking her, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you invite me?¡±


    ¡®Can you stop staring at this official with such a cute expression on your face? It makes this official feel immensely guilty.¡¯ Yu Xiaocao was sweating buckets internally! ¡®Your Highness, your status as the crown prince is too precious, so I dare not to invite you. If something happened to you while you¡¯re traveling incognito, then wouldn¡¯t this official lose my head?¡¯


    ¡°Then...if the crown prince wishes to have some cookies, then this official will bring a variety of vors of cookies for you to choose from next time. The emperor has summoned me because he has an urgent matter he wants to discuss with me, so this official will be leaving first...¡± Chief Steward Su Chi watched as Official Yu sprinted towards Kunning Pce like her bottom was set on fire. He found the scene to be quite humorous. He held back his smile before he excused himself from the crown prince and also left.


    Zhu Hanwen was stunned for a moment¡ª¡ªAlthough Official Yu¡¯s legs were short, it seemed like she was quite a fast runner. Was he someone dangerous? Why would people avoid him in fear? ¡®Official Yu, my good cousin-inw, it¡¯s not the cookies that I want. I also want to experience the joy in making cookies and be able to rx my body and mind!¡¯


    ¡®A Buddhist monk can run, but in the end, he won¡¯t be able to run away from the temple! Isn¡¯t your shop, ¡°Creative Pastries¡± having a grand opening soon? I don¡¯t believe that I won¡¯t be able to find an opportunity to go there and experience it myself!¡¯ ¡°Xiao Dezi, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go to the imperial study!!¡± He needed to ask his studypanions about the date the pastry shop will be open and obtain some first-hand information. This way, he will be prepared once the timees!


    Yu Xiaocao had sessfully fled from the Crown Prince. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and slowed down. When she turned around, she realized that she was standing opposite of Imperial Princess Yi. Yu Xiaocao hurriedly bowed at one of the imperial princes and princesses again.


    ¡°We¡¯re all a family, so Auntie Yu doesn¡¯t need to act overly courteous.¡± Imperial Princess Yi was twelve years old and was born with a slender and elegant build. She had inherited the imperial household¡¯s beautiful appearance with red lips and white teeth, big eyes, and a tall nose. She looked as adorable as a doll.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare have Imperial Princess Yi address me like that!¡± Yu Xiaocao could tell that Imperial Princess Yi had something she wanted to say, so she couldn¡¯t help but began to sweat internally again. Had they all nned ahead to obstruct her path, right? Fortunately, she headed out early today, otherwise, the emperor would¡¯ve punished her for beingte!


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I address you like that? Official Yu has married my uncle, and I still haven¡¯t congratted you yet!¡± Consort Li had given birth to Imperial Princess Yi and she had inherited her mother¡¯s gentle temper.


    ¡°Thank you, Imperial Princess Yi. Imperial Princess Yi is very considerate!¡± However, Yu Xiaocao wasining in her heart; she thought that the pce gate was located too far away from the Kunning Pce. She couldn¡¯t help but wish she could step into Kunning Pce with just one step right now.


    She had merely hosted a party to teach people how to make pastries, so what were all the imperial princes and princesses all concerned about it? Sigh...the people living in ancient times were quite pitiful, especially the imperial princes and princesses that lived deep inside the pce. They had a limited source of entertainment. Xiaocao cried out tears of sympathy for them, but she also felt she was fortunate: Fortunately for her, she didn¡¯t transmigrate into the pce, otherwise...her small life would be tormented left and right.


    ¡°That...When Auntie Yu hosts another party to teach people how to handcraft something, can you also send an invitation card to me? Danyi wants to personally make a cake for my imperial father and consort mother...¡± Imperial Princess Yi blinked her beautiful big ck eyes as she looked at Yu Xiaocao expectantly.


    Yu Xiaocao wondered whether she should build a small handcrafted DIY cake workshop in the pce to satisfy the curiosity of the princes, princesses, and the imperial concubines. She didn¡¯t dare to freely send invitations to the imperial children living in the pce. Who would be responsible if something happened to them?


    ¡°Uh...if the emperor and Consort Li agree, then the door to the Xu Estate will always be open to you.¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t dare agree to disagree, so she yed dumb and pushed all the responsibility onto Imperial Princess Yi¡¯s parents.


    Chief Steward Su Chi had promised his teacher that he would take care of Miss Yu when she was in the pce. He stepped forward just in time to save Official Yu who was being thrown into a dilemma, ¡°Official Yu, the emperor is still waiting for you in the Kunning Pce...¡±


    Although Imperial Princess Yi didn¡¯t receive a satisfying answer from her, she knew that her imperial father had summoned Official Yu into the pce for official business. As such, she could only helplessly watch as Official Yu left!


    ¡°Princess, you don¡¯t need to be sad. Didn¡¯t Princess Consort Xu tell you? You can just ask the emperor for permission to go to the Xu Estate! I heard rumors that Princess Consort Xu enjoys personally making pastries. She should have equipment and ingredients ready at home, so if you want to experience the process of making cakes, it¡¯s not impossible ah!¡± The young pce maidservant gentlyforted her master softly.


    ¡°But...it¡¯s so boring if I learn how to make pastries alone. It¡¯s more fun to do it with everyone else!¡± Imperial Princess Yi had learned from Consort Li¡¯s niece about the party Princess Consort Xu hosted. It received many praises from all the nobledies in the capital a few days ago. It was a pity she was one of the imperial children, so she couldn¡¯t leave the pce at will. As a result, she missed this fun and creative party.


    Yu Xiaocao finally let out a sigh of relief when she stepped into the doorstep of the Kunning Pce. She was really afraid that her path would be blocked by another imperial prince or princess again.


    When the empress saw her arrive empty-handed, the empress jokingly said, ¡°The delicious fragrance from the Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate spread throughout the entire imperial city a few days ago. Why didn¡¯t you bring some pastries for me when you came to the imperial pce today?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Yu Xiaocao choked on the empress¡¯s words. She pretended to be serious and righteous as she said, ¡°This official was afraid that if anything goes wrong with the food this official brings into the imperial pce, then it would be used against me...¡±


    ¡°Alright ah! Your response is too fake. It¡¯s not like you haven¡¯t brought food into the imperial pce before. If I can¡¯t even trust you, then who would I trust?¡± Zhu Junfan said after she took a seat. He hinted at her to do as she wished.


    Yu Xiaocaoughed mischievously and said, ¡°This official is terrified of losing your favor...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stop with these empty words!¡± Zhu Junfan pointed at the cakes that were ced next to Xiaocao and said, ¡°Have a taste of the craftsmanship of the new imperial chef from the pce. These are authentic pastries and snacks from the capital.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, thank you for the reward¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao respectfully responded. Then, she picked up a piece of Glutinous Rice Rolls with Sweet Bean Flour and ate it with gusto. Hmm...it tasted pretty good! Huh? There seemed to be a strange taste inside the bean paste. If she hadn¡¯t been baptized by the mystic-stone water, then her five senses wouldn¡¯t have been this sensitive and she wouldn¡¯t have detected the abnormality! She suddenly felt a burst of sharp pain from her stomach¡ª¡ªdamn it! It couldn¡¯t be! If the emperor wanted her to die, then he didn¡¯t even need to use poison ah!!


    ¡°What happened? What¡¯s this?¡± When the empress saw the expression on her face change into a painful one, how her lips turned purple instantly, and how she was holding her belly, she panicked and shouted, ¡°Quickly summon an imperial physician!!¡±


    ¡°Who! Who actually managed to conceal themselves so deeply in the imperial pce?!¡± Zhu Junfan mmed the table in anger. Everyone in the imperial court was aware that he had summoned the Clerk of the Capital for Grain into the pce today. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s current identity was not as simple as a mere fourth-rank official, but she was also Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s wife. If something happened to her in the pce, Imperial Prince Xu might do something impulsive due to anger!! The person who poisoned Xiaocao wanted him to lose loyal officials and have those loyal officials turn against him. This would cause the entire country to be unstable! That person wanted to kill three birds with one stone with such a ruthless and extreme method!


    ¡°Uh...does that mean that the emperor didn¡¯t order the cake to be poisoned?¡± Yu Xiaocao became much calmer after she saw the emperor¡¯s and the empress¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Are you doubting me? Do you have feces clogging your brain? You and Junyang are my right and left arms. How brainless do I have to be to cut off my own arms?¡± Zhu Junfan was so angry that he copsed back onto his chair. He wished he could pry open her brain and check to see whether or not her brain was empty!


    The empress walked forward and personally supported Xiaocao, who had slipped off the chair and onto the ground. Along with the pce maidservant, the two supported Xiaocao onto a soft couch. When the empress heard the emperor¡¯s words, she nced at the emperor. For the emperor to be anxious to the point where he would start to curse, that just showed how much he valued Official Yu.


    ¡°Uh...since this was not...the emperor¡¯s intentions, then this official...will take the antidote...!¡± It was very, very painful! Her stomach was experiencing the same pain she felt when she needed to have surgery on her appendix when she was a child in her previous life. It was painful enough to cause her to die!

 Chapter 688 - Futile

    <h4>Chapter 688 - Futile</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao clutched her stomach as she took out a jade bottle from her embroidered pouch. Then, she poured out two sparkling and translucent jade white pills and stuffed them into her mouth like she was eating jelly beans. She chewed the pills a few times before swallowing it.


    ¡°You...are you stupid?! If you have the antidote, why didn¡¯t you take it right away? Are you waiting until you see the King of Hell before taking the antidote?¡± Zhu Junfan was angered to the point where he startedughing. Just what kind of person was she?!


    Yu Xiaocao smiled weakly at him and said, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, can you scold meter? Can you give me a cup of boiled water?¡±


    When the empress heard her request, she immediately ordered her most trusted personal maidservant to fetch a pot of boiled water from the small kitchen located in the Kunning Pce. She was still afraid that something was wrong, so she used her treasured parrot to test whether the water was poisonous or not. Parrot: ¡®...is the life of a bird, not a life as well? I¡¯m getting implicated in this when I just happen to be present here!¡¯


    The empress personally helped Xiaocao up, then she took the cup of boiled water from her trusted maidservant to feed Xiaocao. Xiaocao expressed her nervousness as she endured the pain from her stomach¡ª¡ªif she drank directly from the cup, how could she let the little divine stop release spiritual power into the boiled water?!


    After she drank a cup of water that was filled with lots of mystic stone water, Yu Xiaocao felt as if her small life had been saved. Sigh! Why did this happen to her? Why would the traitors attack her when she was merely an innocent bystander? If they wanted to rebel or something, then they should just kill the emperor and the empress. Ahem...Amitabha, it wasn¡¯t that she had a vicious heart¡ª¡ªit was because...it was because the poison had prated her brain and took control of her thoughts. That must be it!


    The person who had nned this conspiracy had actually nned on killing the emperor, the empress, and her altogether. However, when Xiaocao entered the pce today, she didn¡¯t bring pastries like she usually did. The emperor and the empress hadn¡¯t touched the pastries on the table before Xiaocao arrived.


    If Xiaocao brought pastries into the pce like she usually did, and if the emperor and the empress apanied her to eat the poisonous pastries that Xiaocao had made by herself, then it would be a mystery as to what had caused the poison.


    If an ordinary person had taken the poison, then the effects of the poison would¡¯ve started to act up an hour after consumption. However, Xiaocao¡¯s body was different from ordinary people; her body was very sensitive to poison. She had a clean physique, so whenever she consumed poison, the effects of the poison would immediately take effect. This was the reason why she started to have stomach pain instantly after eating two pieces of pastries.


    If everything had gone ording to the traitor¡¯s scheme, then approximately one hour after Xiaocao left the pce, the emperor and empress would suddenly be poisoned. Although Xiaocao would also be poisoned, she had a panacea that could detoxify all kinds of poison. Nothing would happen to her after she takes the antidote. However, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the emperor and the empress...


    When the time came, the traitor was just going to frame Imperial Prince Xu for poisoning the emperor and empress as an act of rebellion. Zhu Junyang definitely wouldn¡¯t idly stand by after being used and would certainly resist. Then, the capital will be thrown into chaos and the traitors would take advantage of the chaos...my god! It was such a ruthless n!


    It was a pity that Xiaocao acted out of their expectations. Not only did she not bring pastries, but the effects of the poison also disyed itself in advance. She had unintentionally exposed their scheme. Otherwise, why would people say that transmigrators were the favorite children of the heavens?! Ahem, these children didn¡¯t know anything; they were only innocently stir-frying chicken!


    When the imperial physician arrived, Yu Xiaocao had already recovered. She was inspecting the pastries on the te. Although she didn¡¯t have much knowledge about poisons, the little divine stone was able to analyze the contents of the pastry in detail, including the effects of the poison as well as its toxicity.


    The imperial physicians were tormented left and right when they arrived. Many of the imperial physicians were old and had white beards. They were impressed when they heard Xiaocao¡¯s detailed analysis of the poison. She was still in her teens, yet she had such a profound knowledge of medicine and medical expertise. It was no wonder the medicine manufactured by her shop was far superior in effectpared to the medicine manufactured by other shops!


    In the beginning, the group of old imperial physicians was discussing and analyzing the poison in the pastry. However, it soon became a discussion where the old imperial physicians were asking the Clerk of the Capital for Grain for medicine and medical advice.


    On the other end, the emperor had arrested all the servants who had contact or who possibly had contact with the poisoned pastries. The key suspect was the newly appointed imperial chef, who was now imprisoned.


    The imperial chef: ¡®I¡¯m being wrongly used! Isn¡¯t it simply a suicide mission if I poisoned the pastries that I personally made?! I¡¯m not that stupid! Who did it? Who caused me to be wrongly used? That culprit better not let me catch him, otherwise...I will stuff the entire te of poisonous pastries into that man¡¯s stomach!!¡¯


    All the people who were working in the imperial kitchen that had contact with the ingredients as well as the people who took part in making the pastries, as well as the imperial chef who had left his post when the pastries were made, were all locked up. Even the pce maidservant who had brought the food from the imperial kitchen, as well the eunuchs and the maidservants who the pce maidservant had met on her way to serving the pastries, were all locked up. He would rather kill someone who was innocent rather than identally letting the culprit roam free! This just showed that the emperor had attached great importance to this matter!


    Su Ran, who had recovered his health and was semi-retired, was also invited over. To be more precise, he actually took the initiative to head over to take care and interrogate the suspects after he heard that Xiaocao was poisoned in the imperial pce. The pce maidservants working in the imperial kitchen and the pce eunuch all turned pale and began to tremble like a quail when they saw Su Ran, the living King of Hell. Even if they haven¡¯t seen Head Steward Su Ran¡¯s methods of interrogation, they had at least heard of it from the rumors. The word ¡®extremely brutal¡¯ wasn¡¯t even enough to describe it!


    Su Ran actually didn¡¯t need to use any method of torture to get information from them. The workers working in the imperial kitchen, the pce maidservants, and the pce eunuch that were involved in the incident spilled out all the information like they were pouring beans. They clearly exined in detail, everything they knew, including every sneeze or cough. They feared that those terrifying punishments would be used on them.


    ¡°How is it going? Are there any clues?¡± It was in the evening now and the emperor was sitting with a gloomy expression on his face. He drummed his fingers rhythmically on the table.


    Su Ran¡¯s beautiful eyebrows were wrinkled into a tight knot as he faintly shook his head, and said, ¡°This official suspects that this incident was a carefully thought out n that was designed in advance. Otherwise, it would be impossible for it to be so wless.¡±


    ¡°What? Even you couldn¡¯t see a w in the scheme?¡± The emperor¡¯splexion turned even uglier. Although Xiaocao had recovered, she was still poisoned in the pce. She had suffered and he needed to give her an exnation!


    ¡°This official believes that this incident should be rted to the surviving members of the previous dynasty that are hiding in the imperial pce! In the past, there were thirteen spies who infiltrated the pce along with me. Over the years, we managed to only get rid of ten. There are at least three other spies hidden deep within the pce...¡± Since the spies hadn¡¯t made any movements over the years, Su Ran believed that the spies either chose to betray their original master or to hide themselves carefully until an opportunity arises. Could it be...this incident was the opportunity that they were waiting for?


    ¡°Use the ten great tortures on them. I don¡¯t believe that they won¡¯t confess the truth!!¡± Zhu Junfan was very anxious; he no longer cared about this title as the ¡®wise emperor¡¯ anymore! If he continued to tolerate this, then shouldn¡¯t he be embarrassed to call himself the emperor?


    The anxiousness disyed on Su Ran¡¯s face did not disappear, ¡°If they really are spies from the previous dynasty, then even if we slice off their flesh one piece at a time, we still would never get the information we need from the. Unless...¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Zhu Junfan asked quickly.


    Su Ran narrowed his eyes as he stared at Xiaocao who was resting on her cheeks and said, ¡°Unless we have the legendary medicine that will allow a person to rx their mind and tell us all his secrets...¡±


    ¡°Is there such a medicine? Can you actually believe something that only exists in the legend?¡± Zhu Junfan secretly thought that the legendary medicine probably wasn¡¯t as effective as hypnotism! But the crucial point was where would he find a hypnotist?


    ¡°If we don¡¯t give it a try, then how would we know? Isn¡¯t Official Yu¡¯s existence a legend as well?¡± Su Ran looked at Xiaocao, whose head was nodding off while she was pouting in her sleep.


    The corners of Zhu Junfan¡¯s mouth twitched. He wondered if Xiaocao had heard this, would she think of the outdated celebrity saying, ¡®please don¡¯t crush on me anymore, for I, your fairy sister, is just a legend¡¯?


    ¡°What?¡± Xiaocao rubbed her eyes and looked outside. She saw that the sky was already getting dark, so she asked, ¡°Ah? It¡¯s already dark now, will we be having dinner soon?¡±


    ¡°Little girl, why are you acting so carefree?¡± The person who poisoned you hasn¡¯t been found yet, and you still have the heart to eat dinner?¡± Zhu Junfan was both amused and angry!


    ¡°A person can¡¯t function properly on an empty stomach. I will lose my cool if I don¡¯t eat! This official hasn¡¯t eaten anything else from this morning until now besides the poisonous pastry! Had I known that I wouldn¡¯t be served lunch in the pce, then I would¡¯ve eaten the entire te of poisonous pastries. After all, the poison won¡¯t kill me, but I will definitely starve to death!¡± Yu Xiaocao rubbed her stomach which was growling in protest. She felt that today was quite an unfortunate day for her!


    ¡°Listen to her! She¡¯s only saying that because she has the antidote to the poison! The remaining poisoned pastries are evidence, so even if you want to eat them, you¡¯re not allowed to! Enough, I¡¯ll order the imperial kitchen to prepare a few simple dishes for you. It is as you said, people work better when they¡¯re full!¡± Zhu Junfan squeezed the bridge of his nose and stood up in an exhausted manner.


    Yu Xiaocao stroked her embroidered pouch. It was a pity that she didn¡¯t bring any small snacks for herself when she entered the imperial pce today. Otherwise, she could¡¯ve eaten those to sate her hunger for now. Upon hearing the emperor¡¯s word, she asked, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, aren¡¯t you afraid that the spy will try to make another attempt since we haven¡¯t caught him?¡±


    ¡°Do you think everyone else is as stupid as you? Since their attempt on your life was unsessful, do you think they¡¯ll try tomit another crime instead of hiding themselves? Besides, even if the spy is braindead and tries to poison my food, don¡¯t I still have you? I assume you don¡¯t only have one antidote pill in your jade bottle, right? I also want to taste what the poison tastes like!¡± Zhu Junfan unhappily replied.


    Yu Xiaocao smacked her lips, shook her head, and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll have to disappoint Your Majesty! The moreplex the poison is, the more colorless and odorless it is. Think about it, only a fool will eat a pastry if it¡¯s exuding a strong scent unless they¡¯re looking to die!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the fool? Weren¡¯t you the one who said earlier that you wanted to eat the poisonous pastries to fill your stomach?¡± Zhu Junfan red at her.


    Yu Xiaocao was not convinced, ¡°I¡¯m bold and daring because I¡¯m confident in my skills. I¡¯m confident in my antidote pill¡¯s effectiveness.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough! Don¡¯t be too smug, otherwise, you will fail a simple task due to overconfidence, causing you to lose your life!!¡± Zhu Junfan waved his hand in front of her with an impatient expression on his face.


    Su Ran was long ustomed to the way the emperor and Official Yu interacted with each other. However, his sessor, Su Chi, looked as if he had seen a ghost: this just goes to show how much the emperor favors Official Yu. Even when the emperor talked with the empress, he had never been as rxed as he is right now. Official Yu was also courageous. The emperor merely said a word, but she had ten words ready to counter the emperor!


    ¡°Close your mouth quickly and look at the way you¡¯re acting. Even if you¡¯re not my proud sessor, the most basic requirement for a servant is the ability to conceal your happiness and anger! At times like this, you should treat yourself like a piece of wood. You¡¯re unable to see or hear anything...do you understand?¡± Su Ran instructed his sessor. Su Chi nodded his head firmly and lowered his eyes, pretending to act like he was a man that was made from wood.

 Chapter 689 - The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 689 - The Truth</h4>


    The little eunuch outside came over carefully and whispered a few words in the head steward¡¯s ear. Su Chi nced at his teacher, and Su Ran stared at him and said, "What are you looking at me for, do I still have to teach you?"


    "Your Imperial Majesty, Imperial Prince Xu is outside the pce doors, requesting to see you!" Su Chi stepped forward, closing the gap, and reported the news brought to him by the little eunuch to the emperor.


    "Oh, he¡¯sing to us to find his person!" What should¡¯vee hade, but Zhu Junfan¡¯s heart was rxed. He wondered if that guy would flip the Kunning Pce after finding out that his wife had been poisoned in the pce. Hopefully, he would give them some face after seeing that Xiaocao was still alive and kicking, and not make too embarrassing of a scene!


    "Allowed!" Zhu Junfan gave Xiaocao a look. If Imperial Prince Xu, that boy, got angry, only thisss would be able to put out his fire!"


    Yu Xiaocao was puzzled, ¡®Your Imperial Majesty, my man ising. What do you mean by giving me looks?¡¯


    "This subject greets the emperor!" Zhu Junyang¡¯s steps were rushed and hurried. He had been waiting outside the pce for a long time and didn¡¯t see his little wife leave the pce, so he felt something was wrong. After entering the pce, he used his abilities to find out from Kunning Pce¡¯s maidservants and eunuchs that his wife had been poisoned. He was so anxious, he almost ¡®flew¡¯ in.


    Upon entering Kunning Pce, he looked for his wife. He saw her rosy cheeks and that she was sitting safe and sound in the warmed partition in the east side of the room. Only then did his anxious heart finally calm down.


    "Husband...hubby...my lord!" Yu Xiaocao¡¯s address for her man changes three times in a row. The first address wasn¡¯t appropriate for the moment. The second address was too embarrassing, so she finally settled on the third address. When she read transmigration novels in the past, the female leads always addressed the male leads, who had high ranks or were princes, like that. She thought it was pretty interesting at the time.


    As soon as the emperor¡¯s ¡®you may rise¡¯ came out, he saw Zhu Junyang taking long strides towards Xiaocao¡¯s side in two or three steps. The prince took her hand and looked at her romantically for a while before asking, "Is the poison gone?" This guy, how did he find out his wife was poisoned? Did he have eyes and ears in the pce?


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t answer the question and eximed in happy surprise, "Oh right! Your Imperial Majesty, I have an idea! My lord is the best at judging those tight-lipped tough guys. Let him help, maybe we¡¯ll have a breakthrough with the case!"


    ¡°Oh? You have so much faith in your man!¡± Zhu Junfan didn¡¯t have much hope. Even Su Ran didn¡¯t have any ideas. Could his cousin open someone¡¯s head and pick at their brains?


    Yu Xiaocao had apletely confident expression on her face as she proudly said, ¡°Of course! He¡¯s my husband, if I don¡¯t believe in him, who would I believe in?¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that she still had the energy to argue with the emperor and the rest of his unease was resolved. Hearing what Xiaocao just said, he frowned and said, ¡°What? You still haven¡¯t found the poisoner? They¡¯ve hidden pretty deep! Your Imperial Majesty, this subject is willing to assist with the investigation!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the evening meal is ready!¡± Su Chi¡¯s voice rang out once again.


    Zhu Junfan waved at his cousin and cousin-inw, ¡°Junyang hasn¡¯t eaten yet right? Eat some to fill your stomach first before talking about this case! Earlier your wife said people can¡¯t function on an empty stomach. Skipping a meal will cause extreme hunger! The emperor doesn¡¯t send out hungry soldiers,e! Eat with us!¡±


    The dinner was arranged in the Flower Hall in the warmed area of the western side of the room. Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t an outsider so the emperor didn¡¯t pay attention to the formalities. When dining, not just the empress was present, even the Imperial Prince Zhu Hanwen was called over. After all, he was regarded as the sessor to the country, being cultivated for so many years, and he would¡¯ve been an easy target for the traitors.


    Nearly half the chefs and workers in the Imperial Kitchen were arrested. Everyone was panicking, so only the Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen was calm enough to make a table full of presentable food for dinner.


    The dinner couldn¡¯t be counted as extravagant as there were only eight dishes and one soup. Compared to the luxurious pce banquets in TV shows, it was simple. There was Eight Treasures Soup, braised shark fin, braised deer tendon, imperial court lucky meatballs, steamed chicken, shredded chicken with vegetables, sliced sea cucumbers, fresh shrimp balls, and stir-fried water bamboo.


    Su Chi stood at one side with a silver needle, testing each of the dishes one by one. The dishes were only brought before the masters when the needle didn¡¯t change colors. Xiaocao was already waiting with her chopsticks.


    However, Zhu Junyang held down his wife¡¯s impatient hands and picked up a piece of deer tendon, took a bite, and chewed it carefully. After waiting a moment with no reaction, he put it into Xiaocao¡¯s bowl.


    Xiaocao ate the warm deer tendon, blinked, and said, ¡°Those pastries from this morning had slow-acting poison! My constitution is special and my tongue is sensitive to drugs so I could quickly detect it. Before the poison took its course I was able to take an antidote.¡± This meant that their method would only work on fast-acting poisons and not on slow-acting poisons.


    Zhu Junfan reacted to this by saying, ¡°Beloved subject, was your pain this morning just an act to test me?¡±


    ¡°No! How could I dare try to fool the emperor? Alright ah, it wasn¡¯t all pretending. It was only half true and half faked. Your Majesty, I was really poisoned!¡± Yu Xiaocao ate the shrimp ball her man had picked for her, blinking her big eyes, pretending to be innocent.


    The empress followed up with, ¡°Emperor, the imperial doctors have confirmed that the pastries did contain deadly poison. Official Yu wasn¡¯t trying to deceive you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yes! It¡¯s just that my body reacts more quickly to poison so we could see through the enemy¡¯s insidious tricks in time¡ª¡ªyour majesty, how about this subject helps you try these dishes to see if they are safe?¡± Yu Xiaocao was dissatisfied with the speed that her man was using to pick up food and her stomach was gurgling in revolt. She thought of a reasonable excuse to eat the imperial food that had a variety of vors and colors first.


    The head chef, who was standing off to the side with his head down and trying to minimize his presence, was also trembling inside. Although he cooked these dishes by himself and none of them had been touched by anyone else, the pastry this morning had poison in it despite having no idents in any part of the process. The new cook had nowhere to reason to!


    Zhu Junyang disagreed, ¡°This morning, the poison had already entered your body. If you were to get poisoned again, what if your body broke down?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already taken the antidote and will be immune to any poison for 24 hours!¡± Yu Xiaocao said with certainty, exaggerating a bit, ¡°For the sake of the safety of the rulers of the country and the future crown prince, as an official, I should take the lead andy down my life for them...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t care what she said and confiscated her chopsticks, in case she decided to y down her life¡¯ for them. Then he would be left all alone in this world, what would he do then? Thinking back now, he still was a little scared. If Xiaocao didn¡¯t have a habit of carrying antidote pills around with her and if the poison was a little stronger, he would probably be looking at a cold corpse of thess right now. At the thought of this, the dark demon in his mind started to move.


    ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll shut up, is that better? Don¡¯t get so worked up, calm down, calm down!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s emotional changes were clearly sensed by Xiaocao who was sitting beside him. She was afraid that if he lost his temper then he would flip the empress¡¯s Kunning Pce so she quickly pacified him.


    Zhu Junyang threw away the chopsticks in his hands and hugged her tightly in his arms. He felt the warmth of her body and smelled the fragranceing from her hair. The panic he felt calmed down a little, ¡°As long as you¡¯re well, then I will be well!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, ok! Both of us will be well, living until we are a hundred with a group of children and grandchildren!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s small hands smoothly slipped from his waist to his back, gently patting him, and softly soothed him.


    Zhu Hanwen had naturally never seen such an intimate action before and his face turned red with embarrassment. The empress, too, sheepishly looked away and pretended to tidy up the dishes.


    Zhu Junfan coughed in a very obvious manner and said, ¡°You guys should be careful not to show off your love all over ok? Eat, eat, the food is bing cold!¡±


    Next, Zhu Junyang continued doing things his way, picking some food, taking a bite, and leaving what was left for his wife to eat. At the end of the dinner, Xiaochao felt she was only half full. She drank a sip of tea and weakly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the dessert?¡±


    The head chef who led the eunuchs to clear the table thought, ¡®Princess Consort Xu is pretty brave. She just had a scare this morning with the pastries, but now she still dares to ask for dessert.¡¯


    He bowed and said, ¡°Your Highness, there are only two imperial pastry chefs in the imperial kitchen. One of them is on vacation, and the other is...¡± This meant she shouldn¡¯t be thinking about dessert.


    "Then... cut a tter of fruit and bring it here! Strawberries, cherries, muskmelon.... these fruits, bring whichever ones you like!" Due to the greenhouses, these fruits were avable on the estate in the suburbs of the capital and should be ced on the market.


    The head chef nced at the emperor. Upon seeing him nod his head, he said, "Yes, I will go wash some of them by hand right now."


    Zhu Junfan then continued on the topic before dinner, "Junyang, see, Su Ran still hasn¡¯te back. There is no progress in the investigation. Since your wife thinks highly of you, how about... you go over and take a look? "


    Zhu Junyang had long wanted to find out the guy who wanted to harm his wife. He was naturally duty-bound. He wasn¡¯t gone for long. Before Xiaocao could even finish eating her te of fruit, they already had an answer.


    It turned out that on the way from the imperial kitchen, the pce maid who was serving the meal had met a fellow viger, an ordinary eunuch who was not astonishing in appearance. She was stopped to say a few words. As they spoke, the food box was ced on the railing under the porch, and that was when something went wrong.


    This little eunuch was someone who was moved by money. He epted the money of a fellow eunuch who had regr contact with him. They wanted him to stop his fellow viger maidservant who was in charge of passing the food along and say he wanted to marry her. The maidservant got mad and scolded him before picking up the food box to take it back to Kunning Pce.


    After extracting this information from the fellow viger eunuch, Zhu Junyang caught the eunuch who had paid the money. When they caught him, the eunuch saw that the matter was revealed, and he bit through the poisonous pill in his mouth and wanted tomit suicide. Zhu Junyang forced down an antidote pill into the eunuch and saved him.


    Zhu Junyang used his mind-reading ability and assaulted the eunuch¡¯s mind. He found the person behind his actions, who was a spy who entered the pce at the same time as Su Ran. He was an old eunuch who had been guarding the cold pce for more than 20 years.

 Chapter 690 - Plead

    <h4>Chapter 690 - Plead</h4>


    This guy was hidden pretty deep. Ordinarily, the old eunuch was entric and seldom had contact with others. The cold pce was also seen as an ominous ce, so many of the pce maidservants and eunuchs took detours to avoid it which made it easier for him to do things.


    After finding out what was happening behind the scenes, Zhu Junyang summoned his ability again and found two secret aplices from the memory of the old eunuch. After confirming that the old eunuch and his aplice had no more information to offer, he took the two culprits who poisoned his wife and began torturing them. He pulled out their nails one by one, and then their arms and legs were torn off from their joints. They resembled dolls destroyed by a naughty boy.


    When Zhu Junyang came out covered in blood, Su Ran¡¯s hidden imperial guards went into the torture chamber to take care of the rest and immediately vomited. The scene inside was no different from that of a ughterhouse. The two prisoners only had their heads attached to their bodies and they were still lying in the pool of blood, wailing. Most people would have nightmares after seeing such a scene.


    "It¡¯s over?" Yu Xiaocao saw her mane out in white clothing. The clothing was a bit short and tighter on the shoulders. It was obvious that he borrowed clothes from Sir Su. After he came forward, a faint smell of blood came to her nose. She took Zhu Junyang¡¯s hands and asked affirmingly.


    Zhu Junyang touched her small head. His grim face melted like snow and ice and his eyes became gentle, "It¡¯s all over. We can go home soon!"


    Zhu Junfan looked at the list Su Ran handed over and nodded at his beloved subject. Su Ran left Kunning Pce and waved. Several hidden guards appeared. He said a few words, and the hidden guards scattered and left.


    "I don¡¯t know what these remaining evils of the previous dynasty are thinking. Now that the country is peaceful and the citizens are at peace, the situation is all good, but they are still thinking about the restoration of a lost country. Is it not good to live in peace and contentment? What are they doing?" Zhu Junfan drank a sip of cold tea and waved a hand at the maidservant to give him another cup with an expression of weariness.


    Yu Xiaocao gave an inappropriate yawn and said blearily, "It¡¯s all caused by power. The change in a dynasty is driven by the change in times. However, the remaining survivors of the previous dynasty don¡¯t think this way. They feel that they have been robbed of their throne and their country. They want to steal it back..."


    "Ahem!" Zhu Junyang interrupted his wife¡¯s words and softly said, "Are you tired? Come back with me to rest?"


    "Oh ok!" Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and rubbed her sleepy eyes. She was helped up by her man who had already gotten up to leave. She took a few steps toward the doors of the pce before thinking of something. She stopped and asked, "Your Imperial Majesty, why did you ask me toe to the pce today? I was interrupted by the poisoning case and almost forgot!"


    The emperor looked at his cousin and concisely said, "Official Wu, who is in charge of the experimental rice fields in Jinling, attaches great importance to this crop of experimental rice. He would like to invite you to go over and give some pointers.


    Yu Xiaocao hadn¡¯t opened her mouth before Zhu Junyang took over and said, ¡°Your Majesty, this subject¡¯s wedding leave hasn¡¯t ended yet, we are still in the newlywed phase...¡±


    "Junyang ah! Both of you are my most trustworthy subjects. The more capable someone is, the heavier their burdens. Therefore, you should put the affairs of the country first. You have to have the mind of someone willing to sacrifice their family to save everyone, serving the people wholeheartedly with the dedication to the public and your jobs...." Zhu Junfan said all these great principles, which made it difficult to refuse, "However...you still have two days of your wedding leave... We are not unreasonable either. Let¡¯s wait till after your wedding leave to travel out of the capital!"


    Zhu Junyang ground his teeth. After two days, he would have only been married for seven days. After being a virgin for twenty years, he hadn¡¯t even had his fill of holding his soft and delicate wife yet. Now he was to be forced apart from her like the cowherd and the weaver girl. It would be strange if he was willing!


    His little wife had no conscience. Her eyes were shining and her face was full of eagerness. Over the past ten years after her transmigration, she had experienced the difficulty of ancient rural life, the sweetness of having a golden finger business, the prosperity of the capital, and the magnificence of Northern Territory scenery...


    After living two lives, she had never experienced the pleasant scenery of Jiangnan before! Small bridges, flowing water with homes, a misty rainy Jiangnan, these words were derived from books or the mouths of other people, but they were only descriptions in the end.


    If it wasn¡¯t because the time wasn¡¯t right, she definitely would have happily left for Jiangnan. Eh...seeing her man¡¯s unhappy face, she felt that she shouldn¡¯t reveal her thoughts to avoid his narrow-minded revenge at night!


    Although Zhu Junyang waspletely unwilling, he could not vite imperial orders as an official. He made the final struggle, "Your Imperial Majesty, my wife has been badly poisoned and should be observed for several days to avoid having a rpse..."


    "Junyang, do you doubt your wife¡¯s pharmaceutical skills?" Zhu Junfan dug a hole for his cousin.


    Yu Xiaocao immediately expressed that she was in good health and that the poison had beenpletely cured! Imperial Prince Xu expressed frustration with this pig of a teammate¡ª¡ª¡®Wife, just who are you siding with?¡¯


    "Junyang ah! We can understand your mood, but the farming season doesn¡¯t wait for anyone, so... It is better for the Clerk of the Capital for Grain to leave early." Zhu Junfan had an apologetic expression, but his attitude was firm and unquestionable.


    Zhu Junyang returned home unhappily. After a healthy release, he hugged his wife and said, "Honey, if you leave, what should I do? I don¡¯t want you to leave... "


    Yu Xiaocao snuggled in his arms and reluctantly said, "I don¡¯t want to leave you either...if you could ask for leave, we could go to Jiangnan together like we were on a honeymoon trip."


    "Go to Jiangnan together?" Zhu Junyang thought about this phrase, and suddenly a charming smile appeared in the corner of his mouth, "Yes! Why didn¡¯t I think of it? Hahaha... "


    "What? What did you think of?" Yu Xiaocao asked puzzled. She was a little curious. She supported her head with her arm and looked at her man who wasughing happily.


    "The emperor made you an imperial envoy to Jiangnan. Just think, you¡¯re a youngdy and Official Wu is an old man over fifty years old. Isn¡¯t your safety very important as well? We must send someone to protect you! I will go to the pce tomorrow and ask for this job! When the timees, won¡¯t we be going together? " Zhu Junyang was so ted that he almost went into the pce to ask for orders that night.


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this, her pear-like mouth opened, and she nted a kiss on her man¡¯s lips. She praised, ¡°Who is this man? How is he so smart? This is a good idea, the two of us go together for work, but it¡¯ll be a vacation that we can charge as a business expense....hahaha! However, will the emperor agree?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at his little wife and gave her a deep kiss. He let go of his wife who was out of breath and confidently said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Leave this matter to your man. If the emperor doesn¡¯t agree, I will stay in the pce and not leave.¡±


    The next day early in the morning, Imperial Prince Xu got up earlier than was needed for the morning court session. When Su Chi announced, ¡°Imperial Prince Xu asks to see you¡±, the emperor was still sleeping with the empress in his arms!


    He finally had a day where there wasn¡¯t an early morning court session, so what was this Imperial Prince Xu thinking? The genius, it was dawn and he wasing to bother him. ¡®It had better be some important matter otherwise, we will teach him a lesson!¡¯ Zhu Junfan got up from bed angry, put on his usual clothing, hastily washed his face, and had someone lead the prince into the imperial study.


    ¡°You mean... you want to escort the imperial envoy to Jiangnan? After thinking an entire night, you finally came up with an idea to avoid separation from your wife? You really are promising!¡± Zhu Junfan resisted a yarn and threw the scroll in his hand at his cousin¡¯s head. Did his cousine over so early in the morning, ruining his sleep, just for this matter?


    Zhu Junyang let the scroll fall on him. He picked up the scroll that was on the ground and patted the dust off of it. He schooled his face and said, ¡°Your Majesty, after the poisoning case against you and the Clerk of the Capital for Grain in the pce, it¡¯s enough to show that the remaining survivors of the previous dynasty have focused on the Clerk of the Capital for Grain. Furthermore, right at this time, you are sending her to Jiangnan. The road is full of dangers! She is your most useful subject and has great achievements! She is beneficial to the nation¡¯s economy and livelihood, so she can¡¯t have any idents!¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Zhu Junfan listened to this and also started paying attention. However, the poisoning case¡¯s target seemed to be him, the empress, and the clerk of the capital for grain, and Imperial Prince Xu. He and the empress were in the inner pce, where it was safe. Imperial Prince Xu had excellent martial art skills and had few people who were able to be his opponent. Only Yu Xiaocao, who was a woman with not enough strength to bind a chicken, would leave opportunities for the opponent to attack when she left the capital for Jiangnan.


    ¡°See, Your Majesty! There are few people you can find in the capital that can match my skills, even in the entire Ming Dynasty. This subject and the great imperial envoy is husband and wife, which is even more convenient for all-day protection. What¡¯s more, this subject¡¯s wife, as you know, is a very active person. If she were toe up with an idea, how could others stop her? To sum this up, this subject thinks that I am the best choice to escort her!¡± Zhu Junyang had good reasons and a selfless appearance.


    ¡°Humph! Don¡¯t try to sound so dignified! You just don¡¯t want to be separated from your wife, right? If the great imperial envoy wasn¡¯t your wife, would you offer help so actively?¡± Zhu Junfan stared at him with a knowing look.


    Zhu Junyang saw that the emperor agreed with his point of view and gave a sigh of relief inside. A little smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said, ¡°Your Majesty, don¡¯t you agree with me? Then give me an official order?¡±


    ¡°Humph! Don¡¯t think you are the only option avable!¡± Zhu Junfan couldn¡¯t stand looking at his pleased expression. ¡®Interrupting our dreams so early in the morning, yet you want us to let you go so easily?¡¯


    Zhu Junfan¡¯s lips curled into a smirk, ¡°Chief Steward Su seems to be quite free recently!¡± Su Ran left all the affairs of the pce into the hands of Su Chi, leaving only the position of the head of the hidden guards for himself. Normally he didn¡¯t have many things to handle. Su Ran¡¯s martial art skills were not any worse than Zhu Junyang¡¯s. Head Steward Su was also a eunuch, so there would be no suspicion that the woman would be unfaithful and he could still protect her closely...


    ¡°Your Majesty, you can¡¯t do this!¡± Zhu Junyang cried out. ¡°Chief Steward Su is suitable in all aspects but you also forget that he is the target of the remaining survivors of the previous dynasty too. Wouldn¡¯t it be even more dangerous if he went?¡±


    The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is a Chinese folk tale. The tale of the cowherd and the weaver girl is a love story between Zhin¨¹ (¿—Å®; the weaver girl, symbolizing the star Vega) and Ning (Å£ÀÉ; the cowherd, symbolizing the star Altair). Their love was not allowed, thus they were banished to opposite sides of the heavenly river (symbolizing the Milky Way).

 Chapter 691 - Going South

    <h4>Chapter 691 - Going South</h4>


    ¡°From what you¡¯re saying...you¡¯re the only one who is suitable for this job?¡± Zhu Junfan deliberately asked in this manner.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly nodded his head and stated in a solemn manner, ¡°This official believes that I am the most suitable one! This official will use my own life as a guarantee and will do my utmost to protect the great imperial envoy¡¯s life. I am willing to sacrifice my own life if needed!¡±


    Zhu Junfan angrily rebuked, ¡°Don¡¯t say it as if you have such selfless reasons! You¡¯re protecting your own wife!¡±


    ¡°Who was the one who made my wife into the great imperial envoy ah?¡± Zhu Junyang arrogantly raised his chin up high.


    ¡°Quickly scram out of here! We still want to go back to sleep!!¡± Zhu Junfan furiously shooed the prince away.


    Zhu Junyang saw that he had achieved his goal. As he was leaving the pce, he still had his usual constipated look on his face. However, those familiar with him would have been able to spot a glow in his phoenix eyes and tell that he was in an incredibly good mood.


    Unfortunately, his good mood onlysted one day. On the next day, an imperial decree was sent out. It turned out that there were now two people in charge of the great imperial envoy¡¯s safety. The other one was Zhu Junyang¡¯s ¡®archenemy¡¯, the person he found incredibly annoying, Su Ran!


    Zhu Junfan cackled inwardly, ¡®Stinky brat. You think that by disturbing our sleep we would let you get your way? If we didn¡¯t do something to make you unhappy, we wouldn¡¯t be surnamed Zhu!!¡¯ Alright ah, in actuality, he wasn¡¯t surnamed Zhu in his past life!


    ¡®Brat, don¡¯t you just want to take advantage of this situation to have a sweet honeymoon, traveling leisurely, with your wife while she¡¯s out on official duties? We will give you a nice third wheel then! Didn¡¯t you give plenty of excuses why you had to go along, giving us no choice ah? Well, our reasoning is also perfect. The great imperial envoy¡¯s status is too precious and her safety is of utmost importance. It¡¯d be hard for one person not to miss something from time to time, so a second martial arts expert should be added to the trip! As for an expert, who in this empire canpete with Chief Steward Su?¡¯


    Consequently, the group of two that was heading to Jiangnan had now be three. As for the person in charge of the experimental fields in Jinling, Official Wu, he had been summarily ignored.


    All of the maidservants and bodyguards at Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate became excited when they heard the news of their masters heading out to Jiangnan. For the maidservants, being able to apany their mistress when she left the capital to travel was a very status boosting event. Furthermore, right now was the start of the third month, where everything was growing and blossoming. Traveling to the south with its different climate and flora would allow them to appreciate sights they wouldn¡¯t be able to see in the north. All of the maidservants in the masters¡¯ courtyard did their best to show off their advantages to them in hopes of being selected to go on the journey.


    However, His Highness had said that he nned on traveling lightly this time. He was only bringing Hou Xiaoliang as a bodyguard. As for the princess consort¡¯s maidservants, she was going to bring one who knew martial arts and one to take care of her daily necessities. He was afraid that if they brought too many people along, it¡¯d disturb their cuddling together as a couple.


    The requirement that one of them know martial arts had eliminated many prospective people. Inside the inner courtyard, there were only five who had martial arts skills. Among them included a bodyguard who had retired from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s hidden bodyguard¡¯s ranks when she was in her thirties and didn¡¯t want to leave her spouse. She had been appointed as a small steward by Xiaocao in the inner courtyard.


    Two of the other ones had been sent over by Sir Su and they were retired soldiers from the hidden guards. They were left in the main courtyard and were in charge of their safeties. As for the remaining two, it was naturally Xiaocao¡¯s Chunhua and Qiushi, who had been with her for many years. These two were the most suitable to be picked to go along. They were not only very skilled at martial arts but they were also familiar with their mistress¡¯s temperament and were able to manage her needs perfectly and up to standard. As expected, the mistress ended up picking Chunhua for this trip.


    As for the maidservant to take care of Xiaocao¡¯s personal needs, Xiaocao ended up choosing Wutong. Naturally, Hou Xiaoliang had also privately breathed a few words into the prince¡¯s ear about this. Within the maidservants at the estate, Wutong had to be the one who had spent the most time with Xiaocao and had been performing very well for the past few years. She was also extremely loyal. In addition, she was gentle without being gutless, courageous without overstepping her boundaries, and Xiaocao was quite pleased with her.


    Unfortunately, she was of age and there was Hou Xiaoliang staring from the side, so it was likely she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the maid by her side for much longer. The imperial bodyguards of an imperial prince were all ranked officials. She couldn¡¯t have Wutong by her side, serving her, after she had be an official¡¯s wife. If that happened, it was likely that rumors would spread about her, stating that she was treating her servants harshly.


    The group of people arrived at the docks the day after the imperial decree came out and boarded afortablerge ship. The Great Ming Empire¡¯s shipbuilding technology was considered the most modern in the world at the moment. Therge seafaring ships were all products from the imperial family. No matter whether it was in terms of safety orfort, it was guaranteed.


    At this time, the Grand Canal was unblocked and being renovated as it was the major method of transportation connecting the northern and southern parts of the empire together. It made it much easier to travel between the two areas. After entering the ship, the couple was granted thergest and most luxurious room onboard. Sir Su was in the room next to theirs. As for the old official, whose hair was turning white, he had been lodged in the room at the tail end of the vessel.


    Although Official Wu had also taken a ship to travel to the capital, he had been on a private little ship. Whenever the waves or wind were more boisterous, the boat would rock heavily. This old official, who was over the age of fifty, was also extremely seasick the entire way there. By the time he arrived at the capital, he lost over half of his vitality.


    Compared to now, he was standing steadily at the stern of the ship, gazing into the distance. On both sides of the canal, he could see the lush green scenery at the banks, while the aqua colored waterpleted the atmosphere. It felt quite surreal to him. As the ship steadily moved forward, he could hear the gentlepping of the water and asionally hear the sounds of some water birds singing...


    He thought again about the experimental rice paddies back in Jinling. Now that he had been able to invite the expert from the agricultural sector over, he was sure that the paddies would be able to reach a high-yield status simr to the crops that had been experimented on in the capital. Perhaps, he had always wanted to imitate the seed breeding operation in the capital and establish one in Jiangnan. Thus, preparations must be made so that when the time came, themoners of Jiangnan would also be able to live their lives with plenty to eat and truly be the prosperous people of thend of fish and rice! With his better mood, this old official didn¡¯t feel seasick either and had the energy to ask to see the great imperial envoy to ask her for some agricultural secrets.


    What sort of secret measures could Yu Xiaocao have? In her past life, she was truly a born and bred northerner. Although she had grown nts, she had only raised the northern crops, such as wheat or soybeans. She had never touched rice paddies in her life. Her only secret weapon was the little divine stone, which acted as her golden finger. However...recently the little divine stone very rarely came out of the multi-colored stone. Did it encounter some cultivation difficulties?


    [You¡¯re the one with cultivation difficulties! Can¡¯t you think optimistically for once?] A fair and pudgy little baby appeared inside Xiaocao¡¯s room. Then, at a speed that astounded the human eye, it slowly grew into a handsome and good-looking youth.


    Yu Xiaocao was stunned silly by this sight. She asked in a bbergasted manner, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling...did your cultivation increase again? Is this a transformation or were you able to cultivate back your true body?¡±


    [Don¡¯t speak nonsense if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Cultivate my true body? I don¡¯t need to do that. Isn¡¯t this divine stone¡¯s true body hanging out on your wrist ah? This is this human form that this divine stone has cultivated. How is it? Isn¡¯t it handsome ah?] The youth looked quite proud and pleased.


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, was a bit regretful, ¡°Argh! I still think your little golden kitten form is a bit more convenient. How can I possibly exin the appearance of a young youth with me this time?¡±


    [Hmph! You¡¯re already bringing your husband along, what¡¯s wrong with bringing your younger brother along too?] The little divine stone rolled its eyes at her. It strolled back and forth in her room and picked up her cosmetics box. It picked out her makeup and even took out a jeweled hairpin and tried it on!


    Yu Xiaocao burst out intoughter, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you choose a female form if you like cosmetics and jewelry so much? I could have dressed you up so beautifully that you could mesmerize the eyes of all the stinky men out there!¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling a stinky man?¡± Zhu Junyang had just walked in from the outside and saw that a strange youth had appeared inside his wife¡¯s room. The youth was even sitting on the bed. The prince immediately frowned and a cold light shone from his phoenix eyes.


    [Hey! What do you want? Want to fight? Come,e,e, let¡¯s fight together. Other people may be afraid of you but this divine stone isn¡¯t scared at all! I¡¯ll p you down instantly and you won¡¯t be able to get up!] The sound of the little divine stone¡¯s voice echoed inside his head. It was a familiar voice and had a tone that was asking for spanking, but it made it easy for Zhu Junyang to confirm this youth¡¯s identity instantly.


    ¡°Men and women should not physically touch. If you¡¯re using this form, you can¡¯t just casually appear inside the princess consort¡¯s room!¡± Zhu Junyang eyed the little divine stone with displeasure but didn¡¯t respond to the stone¡¯s provocations. Was there any need for him to squabble with a stone spirit? Wouldn¡¯t that be lowering himself to the stone¡¯s level?


    [You¡¯re the stone spirit; your whole family are stone spirits!] The little divine stone deliberately walked to Xiaocao and began touching her hair while pulling on her hand. When it saw Zhu Junyang¡¯s face darkening, it felt quite gleeful in its heart, ¡®Are you jealous ah? Go choke on it!!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao ignored the childish actions of the man and stone and pushed the little divine stone away with one hand. She fixed her clothing and walked towards the door as she asked, ¡°Xiaoliang, are you done preparing the fishing rods and bait like I asked you to?¡±


    Zhu Junyang had originally wanted to take this opportunity to act sickly sweet with his wife, but his n had beenpletely ruined by that stupid stone. It was so annoying! When he saw his wife going up on deck to fish, he followed her closely from behind. As he exited the room, a golden figure rushed past him through his feet.


    Following that, he could Wutong¡¯s surprised voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Little Glutinous Dumpling ah? It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw it, so how did it appear on the ship?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao shrugged her shoulders and casually said, ¡°Who knows ah? This fellow alwayses and goes as it pleases, so we never know where and when it might appear. Perhaps it found out that we were going out on a journey and hid in the luggage to board the ship!¡±


    Wutong thought for a bit and thought that was quite reasonable. The cat was very small and it¡¯d be very hard for people to spot it if it hid in a piece of luggage. It looked extremely cute right now as ity on the deck of the ship, waving its tail around as it watched its master go fishing.


    Wutong stepped forward and pulled the golden little kitten into her arms. She tapped its nose and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be naughty on the ship. You¡¯re not allowed to climb on the ship¡¯s masts. If you fall into the water, no one will go down to rescue you! Obediently watch your master fish. If we catch anything, we¡¯ll add it to your food!¡±


    The little divine stone didn¡¯t struggle and instead allowed Wutong to help it scratch its itches with a face full of pleasure. Zhu Junyang red at it angrily. It¡¯d be better if it kept its cat form the entire time. Why did it have to take the form of a handsome youth? This fellow was definitely doing all of this on purpose!


    He nced again at thezy little cat that was being cradled in Wutong¡¯s arms. Zhu Junyang then cast a knowing look towards Hou Xiaoliang and his eyes glittered with an amused light.


    Hou Xiaoliang felt the hair on his body rise when he saw his master looking at him. He wondered, ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything incredibly stupid or silly recently, right? Why is the master looking at me like that? Was there something wrong with the fishing poles and bait that I prepared for the princess consort earlier?¡¯


    ¡°Shhhh, don¡¯t be loud! The fish took the bait!¡± Wutong had a nervous expression on her face when she saw the fishing line in the water sway. She used a hand to cover the little divine stone¡¯s face. The golden little kitten was stunned by this, ¡®Hey! Who¡¯s the one being noisy? By covering the nose and mouth, do you still want this cat to be able to breathe ah? If this divine stone was a true cat, I¡¯d have suffocated to death ah! This is murder!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao snatched the right timing and pulled sharply up on the fishing pole. A crucian carp about the size of a hand flew onto the deck. ¡°Wow! It got caught! Your Highness, you¡¯re too awesome!!¡± Wutong finally let her hand down and the little divine stone used this opportunity to jump out of her arms.


    Hou Xiaoliang immediately scurried over and helped her to unhook the crucian carp. Then he put more bait on the hook and threw the caught fish into the prepared bucket that had some water in it. Hou Xiaoliang carefully nced over at his master¡ª¡ªLook, aren¡¯t I being very thoughtful here?


    Zhu Junyang looked at him briefly before picking up stool and cing it down next to his wife. He picked up a fishing pole and was about to sit down. Suddenly, the fishing pole in his hands was being pulled away by an external force. He waved an arm in that direction and was stopped by another person¡¯s hand.


    When he raised his head to look, he saw that it was that annoying fellow, Su Ran! Hmph, not only did that annoying guy disturb his close coupledom with his wife, but he was also trying to take his fishing pole away from him. If he had to endure this insult, was he still a man? Thus, he forcefully pulled the pole back towards him.

 Chapter 692 - The Lioness From Hedong Roars

    <h4>Chapter 692 - The Lioness From Hedong Roars</h4>


    Su Ran naturally wouldn¡¯t take this lying down. The two of them both had their hands on the same fishing pole while the other hand was being used to battle. Their movements were like lightning and so fast that the people watching could only see a faint shadow. It was a dizzying sight.


    Hou Xiaoliang fared better. He had already seen his master¡¯s fierce side before. Wutong, on the other hand, observed all of this with her mouth wide open and her eyes bugged out. She was usually a very lively person but now resembled a stunned simpleton.


    The two of them were making quite a ruckus as they fought energetically. Yu Xiaocao, who had been trying to fish at the side, noticed that not a single fish could be seen for quite some time and became infuriated. She threw her fishing pole to the side and stamped her feet. She took in a deep breath and screamed in a shrewish manner, ¡°The two of you!! Stop right now¡ª¡ª¡±


    The two supreme experts reacted immediately to the roar of the lioness and froze. Each of them still had a hand on the fishing pole while the other one was still in the middle of their next movement. They looked as if they had been frozen in a certain moment in time. The two of them turned their heads to look at Yu Xiaocao, who had her hands on her hips, and sheepish expressions surfaced on their faces.


    ¡°If you guys want to fight, go fight in the river! Not only are you two messing up my fishing, but if two also identally damage the ship while sparring, what are we supposed to do? Greet the fishes personally in the water?¡± Yu Xiaocao furiously red at the two childish culprits, whosebined ages were over sixty. She resembled a teacher scolding some wayward students. Although she wasn¡¯t old in age or tall, her demeanor was quite imposing.


    The old official at the back of the ship had heard the ruckus and looked over to see this surprising scene. He was stunned speechless. The people being scolded like schoolboys were not easy folk to deal with. One was the cruel and merciless, infamous head of the imperial hidden guards, while the other was an imperial prince, a highly skilled war hero with a face as cold as a cier.. Despite their reputations, they were both acting like weak little chickens in front of the young woman and taking her scoldings like meek children.


    It wasn¡¯tpletely surprising that Imperial Prince Xu was taking this without a peep. After all, he was the husband of the great imperial envoy and Official Wu had heard the rumors in the capital that the price was a husband who pampered his wife to no end. Chief Steward Su¡¯s reaction, on the other hand,pletely perplexed him. This man who was clothed entirely in white was obediently epting his verbal punishment with a smiling face. Was he truly the same Chief Steward Su who was known to be vicious, cunning, and cold to his bones?


    ¡°Then ah...may I ask, Great Imperial Envoy, how should we be fighting in the river?¡± Su Ran meekly asked. Were they supposed topete in swimming and catching fish in the water?


    Yu Xiaocao gave a sidelong nce at the two people and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She tapped the deck with one foot as she huffed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you both very skilled ah? Hmph! Here are two pieces of wood. You both can stand on them while they float in the river and you two can fight up to three hundred passes. Whoever¡¯s shoes don¡¯t get wet is the winner!¡± Following that, she threw in two pieces of wood that were about the size of a person¡¯s palm straight into the water. They were quite thin but she hinted at them to get started!


    Zhu Junyang and Su Ran exchanged looks as they didn¡¯t know whether they should cry orugh at the littless¡¯s absurd expectation. Zhu Junyang let go of the fishing pole that he had been fighting with Su Ran over and walked towards his wife. He pointed at the pieces of wood, which were halfway submerged in the water, and said, ¡°Do you want to kill me, your husband ah? That piece of wood wouldn¡¯t be able to hold a bird thatnded on it, let alone me, alright?¡±


    ¡°You both are skilled at martial arts. Can¡¯t you make yourselves as light and lithe as a swallow ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao snorted a few times as she fully expressed how displeased she was at the two of them for dying her fishing. In order to vent her temper, didn¡¯t she need to make things a bit difficult for them?


    Su Ran lightly chuckled and sat down at the side as he stated, ¡°Only the experts written in those wuxia novels have the ability to cross a river while stepping on floating reeds. Your Highness, Imperial Prince Xu, how about...you try it?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re the number one expert in the empire. If you can¡¯t even reach that level, why would this prince even bother trying to attempt such a task?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s wit was also quite good.


    Yu Xiaocao stuffed a fishing pole into her husband¡¯s hand and grunted a couple of times before she said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it matters anymore ah! You two were unable to figure out who¡¯s better than the other earlier, right? Then use fishing to decide! Starting from now, whoever catches the most fish and thergest fish will be the winner! The loser will have to wash the dishes from our lunch. Begin now!¡±


    ¡°Apetition is just apetition; neither of us are afraid of the other!¡± The two of them weren¡¯t considered fishing experts. They picked up their respective fishing poles and baited the hooks. Then they stared at the river as they cast their hooks, and, in an instant, there wasn¡¯t a sound to be heard.


    It was finally quiet. Yu Xiaocao let out a sigh and ordered Hou Xiaoliang to bring a fishing pole to her. Since these two unreliable guys were likely unable to catch much, she needed to do all of the work herself. Who knew when they would be able to eat a grand fish banquet ah?


    Hou Xiaoliang whimpered, ¡°Your Highness, the ship only has two fishing poles and this subordinate brought them all over earlier...¡± Argh! His mistress was mighty and was able to easily push around those two great lords like they were nothing. As a tiny shrimp, wouldn¡¯t he be punished heavily if he wasn¡¯t able to do things right?


    ¡°There¡¯s no more? Then bring over a bamboo rod and some fishing line. Wutong, go get a sewing needle. We can make our own fishing pole!¡± True experts didn¡¯t need fancy equipment to show off their skills!


    Zhu Junyang bent the sewing needle into the shape of a hook with his bare hands. Following that, they threaded the line through the needle¡¯s eye and then stuck it onto the bamboo pole that had a diameter as thick as a baby¡¯s wrist. Yu Xiaocao then put some dough seasoned with sesame oil on as bait and pulled the little divine stone¡¯s w over to imbue some spiritual energy on it. Okay, all preparations were done!


    She ced her stool in an area close to where Zhu Junyang and Su Ran were sitting. She cast the fishing line expertly and fixed the fishing pole at the side of the ship. Before long, there was movement on her pole. She waved a hand at Hou Xiaoliang and then pointed at the pole, hinting that he should bring it up. It wasn¡¯t that she was unwilling to work. In fact, this fellow had found a bamboo pole that was too thick for her to easily pull on. Her arms and legs were skinny, and she didn¡¯t have enough strength ah!


    Hou Xiaoliang knew exactly what he needed to do. If he was able to serve his mistress well, he would be able to hug the beauty earlier. He was very obedient in front of Xiaocao. As soon as he got the order, he stepped forward and pulled the pole up forcefully. A river carp that looked to weigh around four to five catties waved its tail as it wiggled on the hook.


    Hou Xiaoliang immediately flicked the pole up and the river carp fell onto the deck with a thud and it began to struggle even more heavily. He leapt over and caught the river carp before taking it off the hook. He presented to his mistress as he tteringly said, ¡°Your Highness, you are truly an astounding expert! This river carp can be cooked and be a fine main dish at the meal!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao nodded her head in satisfaction and replied, ¡°Not bad. Looks like we have the main ingredient for exploding garlic fish!¡±


    She revealed a victorious smile at the two people next to her and bent down to bait the hook so she could continue fishing. Before long, another fish was caught. When the pole was lifted up, they saw arge catfish that weighed around seven to eight catties. As Hou Xiaoliang was reeling the fish in, the fish struggled mightily and almost pulled the man off of the deck!


    ¡°Haha! We now have our Sichuan poached sliced fish in chili oil ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao deliberately pretended to be talking to herself. The expression on her face, however, betrayed just how proud she was!


    Following that, Xiaocao continued to catch fish left and right while the two fellows behind her didn¡¯t have anything to show for their continued wait. They could only pathetically watch as fish continued to get hooked onto her pole and fill the water bucket next to her until it was almost full!


    ¡°Uh...could it be that thess has caught all of the fish here so I¡¯m not able to get any?¡± Su Ran mumbled to himself. He stood up and took his fishing pole and chair to the other side of the ship to try¡ª¡ªhe wasn¡¯t convinced that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get a single fish all morning!


    Zhu Junyang also found a new space that was a bit farther from his wife. He frowned heavily as he stared at his fishing line in the water in a serious manner. Eh? He saw the line move! He forcefully pulled the pole up but there wasn¡¯t anything there!


    Following that, he either saw that the fish hadn¡¯t gotten on the hook or that his bait had been eaten away. All in all, he had very few opportunities where a fish was actually on hook. However, the bait on his hook disappeared much more frequently. From that, it showed him that there were fish to be had but it was skills that were in question now!


    ¡°Xiaoliang, faster, faster! Pick up the pole! If you¡¯rete, the fish will be gone!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush, don¡¯t rush!! The fish is testing things out right now¡ª¡ªnow it¡¯s okay, go pull the pole up!¡±


    ¡°You dunce, weren¡¯t you too slow ah? The bait has beenpletely eaten! No worries, let¡¯s try again!¡±


    ......


    When he turned his head over, he saw his wife leisurely sitting down on the chair as she ate strawberries that Wutong brought to her mouth. The bright red juice from the fruit had dyed her pink lips a darker color and her nimble little tonguepped up the sweet juice from the sides of her mouth.


    Argh! There was such a vast difference in treatment here! His wife had someone holding an umbre to block the sun, someone feeding her fruits, and someone in charge of manning her fishing pole. Thess only had to p her lips and tell Hou Xiaoliang when to bring the pole up. As for himself? He was all by himself and hadn¡¯t caught a single fish all morning.


    Wait! Why was his wife catching fish so easily? It had to be rted to the bait she was using. She must have made it herself. His wife was very skilled so the bait she made must be out of the ordinary. This wasn¡¯t okay. In order to avoid having a date with some greasy tes this noon, he needed to get some bait from her.


    Zhu Junyang stood up and walked to his wife. He nced at the bait box next to her and stealthily reached a hand in. At this time, anotherrge hand with long fingers had also reached in at the same time. When he turned his head around, he saw that annoying fellow, Su Ran, behind him.


    The two people exchanged fierce looks with each other and the air around them began to tremble. However, Xiaocao¡¯s one remark, ¡®you¡¯re not allowed to fight; each person is allowed ten baits from the box to make this a fairpetition!¡¯ immediately doused out the mes between the two of them.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± After retrieving their bait, the two of them headed back to their post. Now, they no longer had the problem of fish not taking to their bait. However, the two people¡¯s fishing skills were still quite bad. Over half of their bait had been eaten off the hook, while the remaining half had only been used to catch small river carps about the size of their palms. Not a single one weighed more than two catties. On Xiaocao¡¯s end, on the other hand, she always caughtrge fish and a vast variety of them. She could almost open a fishmonger¡¯s store now!


    ¡°Oh my goodness ah! A big guy is on hook now! Xiaoliang, you need to be careful with this one. Don¡¯t pull hard on the pole as the line may snap ah! You need to first lead this guy around so it uses up its strength. Once it¡¯s tired, then you can bring it onboard ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s butt had finally left her chair as she excitedly stood up and went to the edge of the ship. She instructed Hou Xiaoliang on how to reel thisrge fish in. Zhu Junyang and Su Ran both came over after hearing the ruckus.


    Hou Xiaoliang had a face full of excitement as he fought carefully with the strugglingrge fish on the line that was swimming back and forth.


    ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t let the line get too taut ah!¡± Hou Xiaoliang immediately followed her instructions.


    ¡°Look at the strength of this guy; it must be a big fat one! Bring the pole over to the side, perfect, just like that! Okay, now pull it right and left; we need to make this guy dizzy!!¡± Yu Xiaocao used her hands to illustrate the way he should be moving the pole.


    ¡°Be careful, that guy is trying to escape! Hou Xiaoliang, use your strength in the same direction the fish is going, right! Just like that!!¡± Yu Xiaocao intentionally instructed him in ways to use up the fish¡¯s energy. At this time, it wasn¡¯t the right opportunity to fight fire with fire.

 Chapter 693 - Being Taken Away By a Pig

    <h4>Chapter 693 - Being Taken Away By a Pig</h4>


    Hou Xiaoliang followed her orders exactly and swiftly went back and forth. He let the line loose and then pulled it quickly back as he dragged the struggling fish right and left.


    ¡°Avoid pushing it head on and use its strength against it. Think of it as borrowing the opponent¡¯s force to easily push aside a thousand catties. If you do it correctly, the fish will not be able to escape and we will be able to catch it!¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that her two audience members were listening attentively, so she borated on her strategy.


    At this time, over half of thatrge fish¡¯s energy had been used up. Xiaocao hinted at Hou Xiaoliang that it was time to reel it in. He had a serious look on his face as he gripped the fishing pole tightly before carefully bringing it up. They could first see the fish¡¯s head peeking through the water, followed by its body. What a specimen! From its head alone, one could tell that this fish weighed at least thirty catties. As its body left the water and it was brought up on deck, the people onboard could see that this was arge fish that was at least two meters long. It struggled heavily on the ship.


    ¡°Has this fish be aware ah?¡± Zhu Junyang asked in a slightly judgmental manner.


    The little divine stone red at him. Would an aware fish be so stupid to get caught by a baited fishing hook? This was merely a stupid and dumbrge fish!


    ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling,e back here now! You might get injured by that fish¡¯s tail!¡± Wutong held onto its tail and brought it back into her arms, ¡°Do you want to eat fish? You can eat after it¡¯s cooked at noon. Don¡¯t worry, we caught a lot today so you definitely have a share!!¡±


    That gargantuan fish continued to struggle mightily on deck, as if it was trying to protest onest time that it didn¡¯t want to die. Its tail pped the ship, making a ¡®pah pah¡¯ sound. From time to time, it would try to leap up and then fall heavily back down.


    The ship¡¯s coxswain heard the noise and ran over, ¡°Wow! What a big sturgeon. It must be at least fifty catties, right? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m trying to brag but my wife is a good hand at cooking sturgeon. If Your Highnesses don¡¯t disdain it, I can have my wife cook this sturgeon for you.¡±


    Xiaocao only knew how to prepare the mostmonly eaten types of fish. As for sturgeon and other rare fish, they looked to be much too high ss and she didn¡¯t want to damage such good ingredients!


    They had quite a good haul today, so the fish feast for lunch was incredibly beautiful and delicious. There was fresh steamed bighead carp, sweet and sour river carp, exploding garlic fish, Sichuan poached fish in chili sauce, pine nut fish, fish ball soup...the vast majority of the dishes were made by Xiaocao and the cook maids in the ship.


    As for the coxswain¡¯s wife, she was truly a good cook who showed her experience in living on the water. The methods she used for cooking the sturgeon opened Xiaocao¡¯s and the imperial prince¡¯s cook maid¡¯s eyes on new methods. With one sturgeon fish, she was able toe up with six different dishes: chopped peppers with sturgeon belly meat, spicy pickled vegetables with sturgeon fillets, spicy roasted sturgeon, light fried sturgeon fish fillets, sturgeon fish head with ck bean sauce, and ck pepper sturgeon steaks. Every dish was incredibly fragrant and delicious, and not a single person could stop eating after tasting them.


    In the end, Xiaocao and the two men, as well as Official Wu, ate until they couldn¡¯t bend over anymore. With their servants helping them, they strolled back and forth on the deck to help aid in digestion. There was still quite a bit of food leftover from their fish feast, so all of their subordinates benefitted from this. Hou Xiaoliang rubbed his protruding little belly and let out a burp. He sighed happily at Wutong, ¡°In this lifetime, my greatest fortune was being able to serve Imperial Prince Xu as I¡¯ve been able to eat so many delicious delicacies. This life was truly worth it!¡±


    ¡°Just look at you! Looks like this lifetime will only be used to stuff that silly face of yours!¡± Wutong rolled her eyes at him and stealthily popped a digestive pill into her mouth. Thevish fish banquet today was truly too delicious. She, who usually had an iron self-control, had also been unable to resist the temptation to stuff herself. That wouldn¡¯t do! In the future, no matter how scrumptious the food looked, she needed to restrain herself. Otherwise, with such a mistress who loveding up with new dishes, she¡¯d be so fat that she¡¯d be unable to walk anymore!


    Hou Xiaoliang snickered and said, ¡°Think of themoners; don¡¯t they spend their entire lives working in order to bring food to the mouths of their families? We now live in a good era as themon people at least have enough food to fill their stomachs. If we were still living in the past dynasty, as soon as a natural disaster came by, there¡¯d be starving people everywhere with corpses lining the road...¡±


    ¡°Go go go! You say it so realistically and scarily as if you had personally experienced it!¡± Wutong red at him and roundly scolded him.


    Hou Xiaoliang saw that she didn¡¯t believe him and became a bit agitated, ¡°Believe me! I¡¯ve heard those elders who have lived many years talk about it before. Before the end of the past dynasty, the imperial court was greedy and avaricious while the officials were corrupt. One year, the Huai River had massive flooding andmoners living at the banks of the river became homeless and destitute. The court barely just managed to scrape some relief funds together, but the local officials in the area took a greedy bite for their share and ended up absconding off with more than half of it...it was said that in some areas, there wasn¡¯t a single living person left in a vige. The people died of drowning or starvation. Vultures circled in the air above the disaster zone as they waited for the starving people to take theirst breath before they swooped down to enjoy a delicious feast...¡±


    ¡°Ugh...can you choose a different term besides ¡®delicious feast¡¯ to describe this? You¡¯re doing this on purpose, right? Do you still want people to be able to enjoy food in the future?¡±


    Wutong pinched Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s arm. He was truly a bit dumb and was nothing like his master! Imperial Prince Xu treated his princess consort incredibly well, as if she was a precious treasure that needed to be coddled and protected at all times. Didn¡¯t they say that a certain type of master would have a certain type of servant ah? Howe she couldn¡¯t sense a whiff of simrity between these two ah?


    ¡°Alright alright, it was my bad, my bad! Wutong, have you made a decision yet? When will you consent to marry me? I¡¯m already twenty-three years old and my family is starting to fret from impatience. If I hadn¡¯t vehemently refused, my parents would have already made an engagement between me and some other maiden!¡± Hou Xiaoliang was also impatient now. Many of his childhood friends already had kids old enough to go out to the store to buy soy sauce on their own, yet he hadn¡¯t even married a wife.


    Last time, when he saw one of his good friends, he felt quite battered afterwards. Argh, other people had no problems marrying their wives. He, on the other hand, had such a difficult time!


    Wutong had already be convinced after hearing Xiaocao¡¯s thoughts on the matter. However, she couldn¡¯t consent so easily to his proposal. Her mistress had said that the harder it was for a man to obtain something, the more he treasured it. She rebuked Hou Xiaoliang with one sentence, ¡°Your master was twenty-five when he finally married my mistress. You still have two years to go, so why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°The reason why His Highness married Her Highness sote was because Her Highness wasn¡¯t of age earlier ah! You¡¯ve already reached the age of majority, so why do we need to wait until I turn twenty-five ah?¡±


    ¡°My mistress said that men who are older know how to treat their wives better. Look at His Highness; he treats the princess consort so well and listens to all of her opinions andmands!¡± Wutong pouted in the direction of their two masters. The epitome of a good husband, Imperial Prince Xu, was currently carefully supporting his wife as they strolled on the deck. He would even help her massage her stuffed belly from time to time.


    Hou Xiaoliang immediately interjected after hearing this, ¡°I¡¯m not young either and I¡¯m nothing like those rash, young youths. Whatever type of master one is will have the same type of servants. Don¡¯t worry, after you marry me, who would I treat well besides my own wife? At that time, you will be in charge of everything at home. We can discuss outside affairs together. Whatever you say, I¡¯ll listen!¡±


    ¡°Her Highness said that if a man¡¯s words were to be believed, then even pigs would fly! Promises said before marriage will always be forgotten immediately afterwards! Her Highness has also said that all men have roving eyes. They forget about their red g at home and go out to find multi-colored ones instead! Her Highness has also said...¡± Wutong began using her fingers to count out all of the ¡®faults and crimes¡¯ that men had.


    Hou Xiaoliang felt his skull go numb at this¡ª¡ª¡®Your Highness, can you not make things so difficult for a man? Was your n in telling your maidservants all of these bad things about men to keep them by your side and not marry them off ah?¡¯ After thinking a bit, he was relieved again. Since his master was able to pass the princess consort¡¯s ¡®test¡¯, then why couldn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Wutong, I know you still don¡¯tpletely trust me! We should use time to relieve your fears ah!! The patriarch of my family has also suffered from the tricks of concubines before, so he had set down a familyw that says ¡®one may only take in concubines if one is heirless at the age of forty¡¯. Thus, you don¡¯t need to worry about me taking in concubines or bed warmers ah! I will promise you that I will only be preupied with our family and I won¡¯t go out drinking or gambling. If I break this vow, may the Heavens strike me with lightning...¡± Before he could finish his crazy vow, he was stopped by a little hand at his mouth. Hou Xiaoliang hurriedly took this hand into his palm and used his thumb to gently stroke the back of her hand.


    Wutong¡¯s face had turnedpletely red as she pulled lightly at her captured hand. She was unable to free it, so she allowed him to keep it as she scolded him bashfully, ¡°Bah! You¡¯re such a sly pervert and sneaky hoodlum!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only interested in you, so I¡¯ll y my tricks on you!¡± Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s mouth seemed to be as sweet as honey. When he saw a glimmer of joy in Wutong¡¯s shy eyes, Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s admiration towards his master increased another few steps¡ª¡ªfollowing in his master¡¯s footsteps truly was the right thing to do! Men needed to be more silver tongued. Furthermore, the other important point was to always take advantage of an opportunity to act a little roguish. After all, the worst oue was getting pped in the face! He had thick skin, so what was he afraid of? A virtuous woman¡¯s weakness was a persistent man, and that ancient saying was true!


    Yu Xiaocao had caught the interactions between the two out of the corner of her eye. She elbowed her husband and grumbled resentfully, ¡°Your subordinate is trying to steal my trusted assistant away! My Wutong is such a good little cabbage but that stupid pig, Hou Xiaoliang, is taking her away from me!¡±


    ¡®Uhhhh...Wife, didn¡¯t you say that fellow Hou Xiaoliang resembled a hyper monkey ah? How did he turn into a pig today? What did it matter ah? Wife is right!¡¯


    ¡°Mhm, mhm! That fellow does kind of resemble a pig when he¡¯s being a pervert!¡± Zhu Junyang earnestly agreed with his wife¡¯s opinion.


    Su Ran snickered at the side. Zhu Junyang nced at him briefly, silently expressing that he had nothing to say to a single dog. What was wrong with pampering, cajoling, and loving his wife?


    Yu Xiaocao sighed and stated in a somewhat lost manner, ¡°It looks like I need to train a few more talented maidservants up faster. Otherwise, once Wutong and Pipa and the others marry, I won¡¯t have any good assistants left!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, isn¡¯t thatss, Yingchun, quite shrewish? I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be able to handle things on her own.¡± Zhu Junyang did his best to console his wife as she was feeling a bit downcast.


    Yu Xiaocao still shook her head, ¡°But Yingchun is around the same age as me. After two more years, I need to let her go. That¡¯s not okay. I need to write a few letters and have Meixiang and Pipa pick out a few smart maidservants and begin training them properly.¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that his wife seemed a bit down so he hurriedly changed the subject matter, ¡°In front of us is Cangzhou Prefecture. I heard that their donkey burger, mutton intestines, and cured bacon is quite good. When we go ashore, this prince will take you around and you can try some local delicacies to see if their reputation is deserved!¡±


    Yu XIaocao¡¯s spirits immediately perked up when delicious food was mentioned. In her past life, she had watched a well-known foodie show, ¡®A Bite of China¡¯. One of the episodes showed a donkey burger and it had left a deep impression on her. She would have never expected that she¡¯d have the opportunity to try it herself now.


    For this trip to Jiangnan, in her eyes, the official business was secondary. Seeing the beautiful sights and tasting the local delicacies was the true purpose of this trip for her!


    Chopped or shredded donkey meat or offal is ced within a hu¨¯sh¨¡o or shao bing, a roasted, semi-ky bread pocket

 Chapter 694 - Speak of the Devil

    <h4>Chapter 694 - Speak of the Devil</h4>


    Therefore, in order to make his little wife happy, on the exact evening they arrived at the boundary of Cangzhou Prefecture, Zhu Junyang gave the order to have the ship dock. The two people...no, that¡¯s not right, plus Su Ran, so it should be three people, changed into ordinary people¡¯s clothing and came off of the ship without a single servant along with them.


    The docks had a seafaring ship docked there. Although the harbor in Cangzhou was a bit more simple and crudepared the newly constructed one in Tanggu, it still had a decent amount of lodging and eateries in the area.


    That night, there were a lot of vendors of snacks open. Although many of them were located in crude looking shacks, they could smell delicious aromas wafting out of them.


    ¡°Donkey burger! This is the authentic donkey burger from Hejian County!!¡± One particr shack had someone bawling out an advertisement in a thick dialect ent and Xiaocao¡¯s attention was immediately caught by it. She followed the direction of the voice and was instantly mesmerized by the savory fragrance that came out of the eatery.


    ¡°Uncle, give us three donkey burgers and make sure to add extra meat please!!¡± Xiaocao ordered from the forty year old man who was selling the food.


    ¡°Alrighty ah! Three donkey burgersing right up! Please wait for a moment!¡± The man skillfully grabbed and portioned out some dough before pulling each portion into a long strip. After brushing on some oil and sandwiching them together, he ced it on a hot, t bottomed pan. After the griddled bread was cooked, he then ced them into the stove to make the outsides crispy and ky.


    ¡°Miss, please choose a piece of meat! I¡¯ll give you whichever one you want!¡± The man pointed at the donkey meat inside the pot.


    Xiaocao picked out a piece of meat that had equal proportions of fat and lean parts alternating through it. The man sliced it into thin pieces and then seasoned it with some green chili peppers before adding some seasoned savory sauce to it. The most important ingredient was the sauce and that often determined whether the donkey burger would be tasty or not!


    ¡°Miss, eat it while it¡¯s hot as that¡¯s when it tastes best! This one will now make some for your two older brothers!¡± The man had clearly misunderstood the rtionship between the three people. However, Xiaocao wasn¡¯t in the mood to correct him because¡ª¡ªthe donkey burger was seriously too delicious!!


    As the proverb said, ¡®In the Heavens there is dragon meat, while on earth there is donkey meat¡¯, the donkey meat within the donkey burger was tender and soft. It was a bit more delicatepared to beef, wasn¡¯t as fatty as pork, and didn¡¯t have a strong odor like mutton. It was very unique and incredibly tasty!


    Xiaocao ate the crispy and ky donkey burger inrge bites. The luscious donkey meat filled her mouth with vor and a satisfied expression surfaced on her face. When she saw that the two burgers for the men had also been cooked, Xiaocao asked what the bill was and gave the vendor thirty copper coins. The three of them strolled along the docks as they ate.


    After they made a big circle around the harbor, the three of them then tasted the famous mutton intestines from Cangzhou Prefecture. The broth that came with the intestines was milky white and glistened brightly. The mutton intestines were fatty without being greasy and had an aroma that mesmerized people. It didn¡¯t have a bit of fishiness to it and instead seemed to have a slight sweet taste instead. The more a person ate, the more addicted they would be and the more they loved the dish.


    From the vendor¡¯s description, the mutton intestines soup had a warm character so it was able to dispel asthma and stomach colds. Furthermore, sheep¡¯s head soup had the effect of nourishing the brain and eyes and it was suitable for the elderly with dementia symptoms to drink. Sheep¡¯s tongue soup could strengthen and nourish the body as well. It was a suitable food for those recovering from a serious illness. Then there was mutton tripe soup...


    Yu Xiaocao tried a few bites of everything and made sure to remember the taste and properties of these dishes. She was nning on writing them all down when she got back to the ship and send a letter back to the Medicinal Cuisine House in the capital. That way, Yangliu could develop these dishes into new ones for the restaurant and increase the variety of foods offered there.


    Xiaocao, who had eaten and drunk to her fill, also bought some local bacon to bring back to the ship. She was nning on adding it to the noon meal tomorrow. She also bought a few jars of Cangzhou¡¯s preserved dried vegetables.


    Cangzhou¡¯s preserved dried vegetables had a distinctive vor and unique style. The vegetables were golden yellow and had a fragrant odor to it. It had a sweet, salty and slightly spicy taste and thebined vors delighted the pte with all four major vors. It could be used as a side dish for the meal or it could be stir-fried or added to soup to add vor. It could also be cooked together with winter bamboo shoots and make a famous dish in Cangzhou called ¡®two winter stir-fry¡¯. This dish was crisp and tender with a fresh and sweet aroma...


    After they got back to the ship, the maids, servants and imperial bodyguards, who had alternateding and going, except for Wutong and Hou Xiaoliang, had alle back. Another quarter of an hour passed and the two of them finally came back, joking along the way. Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s two hands were full of bags as he was carrying snacks and curiosities that couldn¡¯t be found in the capital.


    The ship rested at the dock for one night and, the next day at dawn, set sail again. The next area they were going to pass by was Dezhou Prefecture. When Xiaocao thought of Dezhou¡¯s pulled chicken, she felt her saliva pool in her mouth again.


    However, Official Wu risked death to have the ship only briefly pass by. Xiaocao could only sigh and think of the pulled chicken.


    Official Wu almost wanted to cry at this point, ¡®Great Imperial Envoy, you¡¯re not here to sightsee and taste food, so can¡¯t you take your official duties seriously? Farming doesn¡¯t wait for anyone!! The several hundred mu of experimental fields in Jinling are waiting for you! Can¡¯t we just travel all day and night to get there faster? The local delicacies won¡¯t run away. On the return trip, you and the two important imperial guards can eat and rx as much as you want then! Alright ah??¡¯


    When Wutong gave Official Wu¡¯s proposal to her mistress, Xiaocao finally remembered that she was an imperial envoy now and couldn¡¯t fool around too much. Thus, she didn¡¯t try to make things difficult for the old official who only worried about the empire and its people.


    Following that, other than docking to resupply itself, the ship didn¡¯t stop temporarily anymore. As they left the border of Cangzhou, the canal became more narrow and the speed of the water increased. There were towering mountains and cliffs on both sides of the canal and they were now in an uninhabited region ofnd. It looked like a good ce for murderous bandits and pirates to hang out.


    When Xiaocao told her thoughts to her husband as a joke, Zhu Junyang had a solemn look on his face as he stated, ¡°You¡¯re right! There are often pirates who prowl around this area. The ships that pass through here either have to pay up a protection fee to avoid getting attacked or they end up losing some goods. However, as long as the ships don¡¯t resist, these pirates will only take goods and not hurt any people.¡±


    Just as they were talking, a few swift boats showed up and aggressively headed in the direction of their official ship. Behind them also appeared simr looking boats and they were now pincered between these two fleets. These ships pressed on towards their vessel and the coxswain hastily ran over and bowed towards Zhu Junyang, ¡°Your Highness, pirates have appeared and we¡¯re surrounded by them!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure they¡¯re pirates?¡± Zhu Junyang narrowed his long phoenix eyes. Most pirates would only try to attack ordinary merchant ships. Their ship was obviously on governmental business, so pirates should be fleeing at the sight of them. Why would theye towards them instead? There was definitely something odd about this scenario!


    The coxswain also realized that there was something off about this and said, ¡°The markings on the ships really are the markings of pirate ships...it¡¯s reasonable to say that most pirates wouldn¡¯t dare to directly attack a government ship. Could it be someone else pretending to be pirates to attack us?¡±


    The coxswain was also one of Zhu Junyang¡¯s subordinates, and he was in charge of trade between the northern and southern parts of the country. Because he was very familiar with the canal and was experienced in guiding ships, he had been appointed to this trip.


    Zhu Junyang lightly waved a hand and gave an order, ¡°Ready the cannons at the front and back of the ships, then fire a couple of warning shots. If they continue on attacking us foolishly, then let theme ah!¡±


    The coxswain grinned broadly and excitedly said, ¡°Yes! This subordinate will follow your orders! Time to make them see what we¡¯re made of! Everyone, begin to light the ¡®guns¡¯ ah!¡±


    ¡°Okay ah!!¡± More than a dozen sailors appeared on deck and the sound of their assent thundered across the ship.


    Xiaocao found all of this quite interesting and smiled, ¡°My Lord, the people serving beneath you are all very clever. When it¡¯s time to battle, they all be extremely energetic!¡±


    ¡°Some of these people are retired soldiers from the army, so their warlike tendencies have been engraved into their bones. Some of the others are some bandits that I tamed. Although they¡¯re called bandits, they¡¯re mostly people who had been forced into that life out of dire circumstances. Not a single one of them is a coward!¡± In the past ten years, as Zhu Junyang himself matured, he not only consolidated his power at court but also found some capable subordinates among the people to help him do tasks!


    Bang¡ª¡ªBang¡ª¡ªBang¡ª¡ªYu Xiaocao could only feel the deck tremble a bit. After a few guns finished firing, she heard the sailors cheering, ¡°We hit, we hit!¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang appeared out of nowhere and revealed two rows of sparkling white teeth, ¡°Leader, Old Cai and the others are pretty good at using the cannons. They sank two opposing ships!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao leaned against the side rails of the ship and went up on her tiptoes to look in the distance. There were two opposing ships that had stopped moving now as they slowly sank deeper into the water. The remaining ships, however, didn¡¯t seem deterred by this and continued to sail towards them. Clearly, they hade prepared!


    The coxswain directed the battery of cannons at the bow to fire a few more shots at the opposing fleet. Another two ships were hit and gradually sank. The battery at the aft also destroyed two other ships. The opposing fleet¡¯s ships were too fast and when the distance between them closed, the cannons could no longer be used!


    ¡°Brothers, it¡¯s time to fight!!¡± The coxswain bellowed loudly as he took off his outer, more restrained jacket, revealing a short-sleeved jumpsuit. His arm muscles bulged menacingly. At this time, arge and long hatchet had also appeared in his hands. The sailors on the ship all revealed their own weapons.


    The opposing ships threw up hooks towards their vessel and they swooshed through the air. Zhu Junyang pulled back his curious little wife and gently pushed her in the direction of the inner rooms of the ship as he said, ¡°Be good ah! Go hide in the rooms for now and it¡¯ll be over very soon. Chunhua, make sure to carefully protect the princess consort...¡±


    ¡°That ah...I can help too!¡± Yu Xiaocao waved the firearm in her hands as she had been previouslyplimented as a natural in using one.


    ¡°Be good! In a moment, it will be very chaotic here and I don¡¯t want you to be sttered with blood!¡± Zhu Junyang helplessly tried to convince her. His wife was too brave and that made it hard for him.


    Yu Xiaocao pouted a bit and then reluctantly said, ¡°Alright ah¡ª¡ªyou be careful too.¡±


    With Chunhua and Wutong protecting her at both sides, Xiaocao headed towards the rooms on the ship. Suddenly, she saw a head wrapped in a ck cloth appear on her right at the side of the ship. She excitedly bounced, ¡°Chunhua, quickly p this fellow away for me!¡±


    As she spoke, her eyes roved around and she spotted the bamboo pole, which was as thick as her arm, that had been used previously to fish a few days ago. She hurriedly holstered the gun onto her waist, grabbed the bamboo pole with both of her hands, and forcefully smacked a pirate who had just appeared on deck.


    That unfortunate pirate screamed and fell face first into the water. The pirate behind him saw this and became a bit more cautious. When the bamboo pole headed his way, he grabbed onto it and stopped it from hitting him.


    When Xiaocao saw that the pole had been grabbed, she tried to pull on it but was unable to move it. She stopped trying to fight force with force and took out the gun from her waist with her right hand. She stepped forward and aimed at the pirate who was only a couple steps away from her.


    ¡°Hey!¡± When that pirate just about thought he had seeded in boarding the ship, Xiaocao waved her left hand at him as her right hand steadily aimed the gun at him. The smile on her face was bright and brilliant. The pirate stared down the ck barrel of the gun with rm and seemed to have realized what this object could do.

 Chapter 695 - A Crushing Defea

    <h4>Chapter 695 - A Crushing Defea</h4>


    Bam! The gun barrel shed and smoke billowed out of it. That pirate didn¡¯t have the chance to observe this new firearm before he got hit.


    Zhu Junyang was already entangled in a fight with an old and skinny man. Someone who was able to fight properly with the cold and callous prince was truly an expert.


    When he heard the noise of a gun going off where Xiaocao was, Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression immediately became colder and he decided not to y around with the opponent anymore. The long sword in his hands immediately stopped for a moment before it shed like lightning and struck without any openings.


    ¡°The sword with no openings?!¡± The old expert was truly someone who was knowledgeable. He twisted his body to the right a few steps to avoid the sh from the sword but he was still a bit slow. Although he avoided getting his vitals hit, he still got wounded on his left side and a long gash, about the length of a foot, was now open.


    ¡°Hou Xiaoliang! Go escort the princess consort back to the rooms and guard her well there. If any people dare to get close, ughter them immediately!¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t press on his advantage and instead called over Hou Xiaoliang, who was currently fighting fiercely in high spirits, and gave him an important task.


    ¡°Yes! Whoever tries to harm the mistress will have to step over my dead body to do so!!¡± Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s eyes shone with a cold light and his entire body was drenched in the enemies¡¯ blood. He resembled a bloody battle god. The fact that he had been able to stay by Zhu Junyang¡¯s side for all of these years showed that he had his own skills. In terms of martial arts, he was quite talented and would be considered one of the top experts in the jianghu.


    After seeing his capable subordinate escorting Xiaocao back to the room and guarding the entrance, Zhu Junyang felt himself rx a bit as he focused on fighting the people boarding the ship. Thisss had clearly agreed to his proposal earlier but, in the blink of an eye, she hade out again to y around. She truly wasn¡¯t easy to take care of! Once he finished his task here, he needed to teach her a lesson!


    An old man dressed entirely in white and whose hair had turned entirely white and looked to be in his sixties secretly gave a look to his subordinates. Then, he sneakily moved his feet and headed towards the middle part of the ship.


    ¡°Gentleman Huang, it¡¯s been many years since we¡¯vest seen each other. I trust you¡¯ve been well?¡± Su Ran, who was also dressed entirely in white, held a long sword in his hands as he blocked the older man¡¯s way.


    A sinister look immediately appeared in the white-clothed old man¡¯s eyes as he coldly huffed, ¡°Little Ranzi...no, I should call you Chief Steward Su. Betraying your master and exchanging it for wealth and power. Do you not feel guilty about this at all?!¡±


    ¡°Gentleman Huang has the wrong idea! Both the blood of the Han flow within our bodies and the previous dynasty was not of the same ethnicity as us. They made the Han people ves and didn¡¯t see themon people as human. I resent the previous dynasty¡¯s callous tyranny and switched masters. This is called having ambition. If you insist on calling me a traitor...you are the one who is selling yourself out to your Mongol Masters, betraying all of the Han people and betraying your own group. I wonder if the ancestors of the Huang Family know about this and whether they¡¯re able to rest peacefully now?¡±


    Su Ran¡¯s white clothing floated in the air as he had an elegant smile on his face. His whole demeanor resembled that of a gentle schr and people who didn¡¯t know him would have erroneously guessed nine times out of ten that he was one. Those people would all be wrong though! His sword always encountered blood when it was unsheathed and people died whenever he fought. He was infamous for his decisive cruelty.


    ¡°Shut your mouth, you traitorous servant! This old man was blind at the time to think you had a good foundation, buying you to be one of my disciples. Who would have thought that you¡¯d be an ungrateful one-eyed wolf? Everything you have started from me so everything will need to be ended by me ah!¡± Gentleman Huang nimbly waved his hand down and immediately the sounds of arrows swishing through the air could be heard. More than a dozen arrows flew in the direction of Su Ran. The incredible speed and force of the arrows showed that they had been all shot out of strong crossbows.


    Su Ran calmly smiled and gently waved a sleeve. The flying arrows instantly changed their direction in mid-flight and went back to the archers who shot them. Only the sounds of mournful screams reached their ears. Fewer than half of the archers had been able to hide themselves in time, so the arrows that flew back had neatly skewered them in their bodies. The screams were from these unfortunate people.


    Gentleman Huang¡¯s eyes shed with a deep killing intent as he growled, ¡°At that time, I should have let you starve to death in the wilderness instead of raising a tiger that invited cmity!¡±


    ¡°Cut the nonsense. If you¡¯re going to fight, just fight!¡± Su Ran¡¯s face was grave as if he was just waiting for the other person to show his sword.


    A sharp and glistening sword had suddenly appeared in Gentleman Huang¡¯s hands. His movements couldn¡¯t be seen as the tip of the sword ended up pointing at Su Ran¡¯s throat.


    Su Ran seemed to have predicted his opponent¡¯s swift attack trajectory. He lightly moved his feet and easily got out of the crisis. At this time, more and more enemies were on the official ship and there were now three long swords attacking Su Ran. They were all incredibly fast, which showed that they were experts.


    Su Ran snorted coldly. He flipped his left hand and easily grabbed onto the hilt of one long sword. In mid-air, he suddenly let out a kick with his left foot, pushing his opponent off of the ship, sshing into the river water. The long sword in his right hand moved like lightning and emitted a cold light as it easily cut the other person neatly in half at the waist. The enemy screamed in horror.


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this scream, she cracked open the door to reveal a small slit and was about to nce outside. Suddenly, a man thudded heavily into the door. If it weren¡¯t for Chunhua, who was supporting her, she would have been blown away!


    When she lowered her head to look, she discovered it was the assistant, Hou Xiaoliang. He leapt out of the door like an energetic carp and hollered back, ¡°Wutong, barricade the door behind you! Protect the princess consort!¡±


    Wutong saw that he was being heavily preupied and didn¡¯t have the time to ask whether it was ¡®urgent or not¡¯ before Hou Xiaoliang charged out of the room to entangle with five enemy invaders.


    Although Hou Xiaoliang was very skilled, his opponents were nothing tough at. The enemy had the advantage in numbers and pressed him until he was desperately fighting for his life, unable to do much else!


    Yu Xiaocao and Wutongy near the crack of the door as they worriedly looked outside. That was right! Didn¡¯t she have a hidden weapon called ¡®torrential pear blossom needles¡¯ in her pouch? This particr hidden weapon of hers had been picked up when she was at the stud farm near the border. The young master of the Medicine King Valley, Xu Ziyi, had given it to her to y with.


    This concealed weapon had been obtained from the traitor that Xu Ziyu had captured. Inside, it could hold around a dozen or so needles that were as thin as a cow¡¯s hair. By gently pressing down on the mechanism, the weapon would let all of the needles fly forward. They were incredibly fast and the weapon was well hidden, making it hard for people to react against it.


    Yu Xiaocao had once read a wuxia novel before and thought that the weapon, ¡®torrential peach blossom needles¡¯, was quite cruel so she gave the same name to this device. This time, she had especially brought along this little weapon, which resembled a tiny music box on the outside. She had coated all of the long needles within the device with a powerful sedating agent. Anyone who came in contact with this substance would fall into a deep stupor immediately. Even a sword poking at someone wouldn¡¯t be enough to wake those people up.


    At this time, they could hear Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s muffled grunts outside the door. Wutong was anxious and couldn¡¯t help but open the door a little to look outside. At this time, she covered her mouth with her hand in order to not let out a cry of shock. Hou Xiaoliang had just been injured to the bone on his left side with a long sword with blood flowing out of his wound.


    ¡°Wutong, give me space! Chunhua, protect me closely!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that Hou Xiaoliang struggled heavily to cripple two experts with his heavy injuries. There were three other experts who, although injured, were still in good shape. Those three people pressed on harder after seeing that the bodyguard had gotten hurt.


    There was no time to waste. If she continued to cower inside, Hou Xiaoliang would likely lose his life. Once he died, then the three of them in the room would be easily subdued within moments. Although Chunhua was quite skilled, she was still much inferiorpared to Hou Xiaoliang. With such experts stalking them, the conclusion was inevitable. If they used her to threaten her husband and Sir Su, then the consequences were unimaginable.


    The door was pulled wide open. Chunhua protected her sides and used a sword to threaten away a little bandit. Xiaocao had her back towards the door as she lightly pressed down on the mechanism of the box that was in her hands. Following that, the sounds of needles swiftly flying out could be heard and ¡®torrential needle rain¡¯ flew out in a circr arc around her.


    A bizarre sight had urred in front of her immediately. The three opposing experts, along with Hou Xiaoliang and the seven to eight pirates around them, were now all slumped over on the ground in a stupor. Some of them even snored loudly.


    Wutong saw Hou Xiaoliang on the floor and didn¡¯t care about her own safety as she held onto his arm in an attempt to pull him inside the room. Although he was slender, he had a tall and muscr figure, so he weighed at least a hundred and thirty-some catties.


    Although Wutong had been born as a maidservant, she had been the young miss¡¯s personal maidservant for almost a decade and hadn¡¯t done any heavy work all of those years. Furthermore, she even had lower-ranked maidservants around her to order around. Everyone said that the maidservants fromrge noble families were more delicate than the young pretty misses of humble families. This wasn¡¯t an exaggeration at all.


    However, the limits of humans were undefined. When there was a crisis at hand and she wanted to save her beloved sweetheart, she was able to use her own strength alone to drag him from the deck and into the room.


    ¡°Young Miss, why did you also make Hou Xiaoliang unconscious?¡± Wutong tore off Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s outer jacket and saw the open wound that was still oozing out blood. Her eyes immediately turned red. She knew that the princess consort always brought her personal medicine box out whenever she traveled, so after asking her mistress, she took out some medicine to treat his wounds.


    Yu Xiaocao allowed her to use the special wound balm she had personally crafted. It was very effective in stopping blood from flowing and it was never sold to outsiders as it was for her own use.


    When she heard the question, she rolled her eyes, ¡°You can¡¯t make the needles from the concealed weapon dodge around things. Hou Xiaoliang had been fighting with those three experts. If I gave him a warning, the enemy would also be on guard. Here¡¯s the antidote; help him take it. Also don¡¯t forget to pull out the long needles from his back using tweezers.¡±


    At this time, the door to the outside had been opened and Yu Xiaocao immediately aimed the weapon towards the personing in. This special box could be used three times, so it wasn¡¯t a one and done deal!


    ¡°Mistress, it¡¯s me!¡± Chunhua was afraid that the enemy outside would wake up, so she used her sword to permanently make them sleep. She had the scent of blood around her as she came in.


    Yu Xiaocao watched as she re-barricaded the door and casually asked, ¡°How¡¯s the situation outside? Is His Highness and Sir Su okay?¡±


    ¡°Although the enemy has a lot of people, they only had around twenty or so who could be considered true experts. Hou Xiaoliang has dealt with five here and His Highness and Sir Su have also defeated several now. Your Highness, please rx. We have the advantage now!¡± After Chunhua had finished cleaning up the enemy around them, she had also nced around the battleground outside and was now much more relieved.


    Yu Xiaocao felt her heart finally settle down after hearing this. The words that came out of her mouth, however, were allints, ¡°It¡¯s all his fault! He wanted to show off just how strong he was and didn¡¯t want to bring more bodyguards along. Now see, once we reached a crisis, we didn¡¯t have enough people on board, right? If he brought along a dozen or so soldiers from the Firearms Barracks, they¡¯d shoot the enemy down with a bang. Hou Xiaoliang also wouldn¡¯t be injured now!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, this subordinate is fine. It¡¯s only a small wound after all!¡± Hou Xiaoliang had taken the antidote and was now awake. He held his bandaged up shoulder as he picked up his sword to head out again.

 Chapter 696 - Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 696 - Arrival</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao red at him and stopped him by saying, ¡°You should stop before you wound yourself and waste my good medicine. Listen, it seems to be getting quieter out there. The most you can do is go out and clean the battlefield. The wounded should act like the wounded....¡±


    Her voice became silent as the sound of someone pounding on the door urred! Yu Xiaocao nced at Chunhua. Chunhua nodded, quietly went to the door, and suddenly opened it. At the same time, the ¡®rainstorm of pear blossom needles¡¯ in Xiaocao¡¯s hands also shot out. Dozens of ox hair-thin needles came at the tall figure at the door.


    Although the light was behind him and his face couldn¡¯t clearly be seen, Yu Xiaocao still recognized the person from his figure.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help covering her face. Her man was turned into a hedgehog by her!


    Zhu Junyang gently rolled up his sleeves, giving them a swing. All the ox hair needles were easily collected in his clothes. He returned the needles to his wife and rubbed her head. With a smile, he said, ¡°You are nning to murder your husband!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao put her arms around his thin waist and put her face on his chest before sticking out her tongue, ¡°When you knocked on our door, your movements were too rushed. We thought it was the enemy bing desperate, trying to take me as a hostage to threaten you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be alert.¡± Zhu Junyang praised her and gently pushed away his wife. With a smile, he said, ¡°My clothes are dirty, so I¡¯ll go change them first!¡±


    ¡°Did you get injured?¡± Yu Xiaocao followed behind him, went around the screen, and took a purple robe from his luggage. Most of her man¡¯s clothes were ck. After getting married, she asked the sewing department to make some clothes in other colors for him. Her man wearing purple made him look more seductive and bewitching!


    Zhu Junyang raised his eyebrows and an evil and cheeky smile appeared on his face, ¡°How about this prince strips bare so you can personally check ah?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want that!¡± This guy loved to behave like a rogue whenever he thought he could get away with things! Yu Xiaocao put his clothes on the bed and turned to go out.


    Just as she was about to leave, Su Ran pushed the door open toe in. His white clothes were stained with blood and it resembled red plum blossoms in the snow. He saw Xiaocao was fine and he nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re okay. It¡¯s messy outside right now, so you should stay in the room for the time being.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao obediently nodded in reply. She saw the bloody gauze that was wrapped around his arm and eximed, ¡°Sir Su, you¡¯re hurt! Wutong, bring my medicine box over.¡±


    Su Ran waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just a small wound; there¡¯s no need to make a fuss!¡±


    ¡°How could that be? The wound must be treated. What if it gets infected?¡± Yu Xiaocao asked him to sit down on the stool. Then, she carefully untied the gauze on his arm and cut open a section of his sleeve, revealing a wound that was four fingers wide and was open like a child¡¯s mouth.


    Zhu Junyang finished changing his clothes and came out from behind the screen. He saw his wife with her head bowed, carefully cleaning Su Ran¡¯s wounds with a high concentration of alcohol. He was very upset, ¡°Chief Steward Su, don¡¯t you have an apprentice to take care of you? Go back and let one of your subordinate eunuchs take care of it!¡±


    Su Ran raised his eyebrows and his eyes showed a clear look, ¡°That apprentice of mine is more injured than me. He¡¯s currently lying in bed unable to get up!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say, Chief Steward Su, your martial arts are getting worse! Just a few small thieves can hurt you like this. I¡¯m suspecting that your reputation is false!¡± Zhu Junyang saw his wife helping the other man wipe some anesthetic on him before she sewed up his wound withmb gut threads. The stitches she made resembled the most careful stitches in an embroidered piece and her careful appearance made him feel sorry for her.


    ¡°Imperial Prince Xu, that is not true! Out of the ones who besieged me, one of them was my master during my training and the other two were my ssmates who received the same demonic training. Any one of them could be regarded as the best if they were in the Jianghu!¡± Su Ran¡¯s wound was re-covered with some clean gauze and it was tied with a beautiful bow.


    Yu Xiaocao had long been used to the quarrel between the two childish men. She put away the medicine box and said to Su Ran, ¡°Seven dayster, remember to remind me to help you remove the stitches!¡±


    ¡°What medicine did you give me? It didn¡¯t hurt at all when you sewed it up!¡± Su Ran asked.


    Yu Xiaocao grinned, ¡°My homemade anesthetic...er, it¡¯s almost as effective as the anesthetic powder of the legendary Hua Tuo.¡±


    Zhu Junyang heard this and immediately asked, ¡°Can this medicine be conveniently mass-produced? Many wounded soldiers on the battlefield have to be amputated to save their lives. However, there¡¯s no pain-relieving medicine. Most of the time it¡¯s very painful. With this medicine, many soldiers can be saved.¡±


    This anesthetic prescription was given to her by the little divine stone. The medicinal materials weremonly used and there wasn¡¯t a problem with mass-producing them. However, her Pharmaceutical Workshop had already taken the business of producing wound balm and high concentration alcohol for the army. If she added in the anesthetic, she was afraid that she would bring unwanted attention. She decided to publicize the prescription, which would be considered a good achievement for the country and its citizens!


    Zhu Junyang heard her say this and he frowned. He immediately came up with an idea, ¡°I¡¯ll write a memorial and report it to the imperial court. This way the court can let your pharmaceutical workshop be one of the government manufacturers...¡±


    ¡°The old guys in the imperial hospital, who are too idle and bum around all the time, can choose two people to be responsible for the research and development of new drugs!¡± Su Ran also added in a sentence from the sidelines. He received some news that some old guys headed by Imperial Doctor Wang were mumbling about Xiaocao, saying that she was just lucky. She cured several patients on pure good luck when in fact she had no ability.


    These old guys, however, relied on their family recipes to get into the imperial hospital. They only thought of how to fight with each other and hadn¡¯t made any progress in their medical skills. It was time to make room for someone with real abilities to serve the emperor.


    By dinner time, the outside had been cleaned up and the blood on the deck was washed with water. For the sake of safety, the ships that were about to enter the boundary of Huai¡¯an today as nnednded at the wharf in Suqian.


    The captain of the ship, along with the ship¡¯s staff, carefully checked the official ship inside and outside. Xiaocao took advantage of the opportunity to go ashore to look for food and local specialties.


    The official ship stayed in Suqian for two days. Zhu Junyang took her to the nearby counties to taste the local fatty chicken slices, braised lion¡¯s head meatballs, double skin crucian carp, and pan-fried stuffed bitter melon. They also bought some dried daylilies, braised duck breast, and other such local specialties to bring back with them. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they had a tail, Su Ran, apanying them, then he would be even more satisfied.


    The rest of the voyage was smooth. On the twelfth day, they entered Zhenjiang. The boat changed its course onto the river and traveled along the Yangtze River for half a day. Finally, they arrived at Jinling, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties period.


    When she thought back to the TV introductions of Nanjing snacks in her previous life, such as: beef potstickers, soy-sauce duck, soup dumplings, braised lion¡¯s head meatballs, sugared lotus root....her saliva was about to flood her mouth! Maybe in this era, she might not be able to eat all the delicious delicacies in the world but being able to eat at least one of them was good!


    When Zhu Junyang saw his wife¡¯s gluttonous face, he couldn¡¯t help shaking his head. Could his wife¡¯s proficiency in cooking be rted to her love of delicious food? Because she loved it, so she specialized in it? Also, the shops in her hands came from her love of money, right?


    On the wharf, the inspector-general of Jinling and the governor of Zhili waited quietly in front of their people and horses, which had lined up into two lines.


    ¡°Here theye! Here theye!¡± The prefectural magistrate, with sweat on his head, galloped over from the quayside. In front of the inspector-general and governor, he, the head of a prefecture, had be an errand-runner.


    The inspector-general and the governor were surprised. Looking out as far as they could see, they only saw a magnificent official¡¯s shipe ashore. They stepped toward the official ship and came to a stop in front of it. They quietly waited for the arrival of the imperial envoy.


    A tall man wearing ck with a cold face came out of the ship. The inspector-general rushed forward and respectfully said, "The inspector-general of Jinling pays respects to the great imperial envoy..."


    Unexpectedly, the man in ck waved his hand to him and said, "You¡¯ve got the wrong person. I¡¯m not the great imperial envoy. I¡¯m just a small guard!"


    The governor at the side, however, saluted respectfully, ¡°This humble subject pays respect to Imperial Prince Xu. You¡¯ve worked hard!¡± Zhu Junyang was very kind to the governor of Zhili. It could be said that without Zhu Junyang¡¯s mentorship and promotion, he might¡¯ve not been able to climb to the position of governor in his life.


    ¡°There is no Imperial Prince Xu here! I¡¯m just a small bodyguard beside the great imperial envoy!¡± Zhu Junyang patted the governor on the shoulder.


    Governor Fan¡¯s heart was filled with surprise. What was the origin of this imperial envoy that made the rebellious Imperial Prince Xu willingly be his bodyguard?


    The inspector-general of Jinling saw a gentleman in white getting off the boat. He thought, ¡®The imperial envoying is in charge of agricultural affairs and should be from the Ministry of Revenue. The one from before should be from the military, so this one should be the right one, right?


    ¡°The imperial envoy hase all this way, you¡¯ve worked hard...¡± Official You¡¯s face had a broad smile on it and he warmly weed the white-clothed man.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong! I¡¯m not the imperial envoy, I¡¯m just a little bodyguard like Imperial Prince Xu!¡± Su Ran smiled slightly and walked past Official You.


    ¡°Official Wu, after you!¡± Yu Xiaocao adhered to the tradition of respecting the elderly and, being virtuous, she helped to support people who were over 50 years old.


    Official Wu was ttered, ¡°No, No! Your Honor, you should go first!¡±


    What? Was the imperial envoy a teenage girl? Inspector-general You and Governor Fan¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of their heads. No, in terms of dress, she should be a beautiful young madam. This, this.... what was happening? Could it be a mistake?


    When the two high-ranked officials heard that Official Wu, who was in charge of the experimental fields of Jinling, repeatedly calling the beautiful young matron in front of him with the title of ¡®Imperial Envoy¡¯ and insisting that she go first, they were stunned.


    Official Fan: ¡®What¡¯s happening? Imperial Prince Xu and the head steward court eunuch are guards for a woman? Did I not sleep wellst night so I¡¯m hallucinating now?¡¯


    Official You: ¡®What can such a young imperial envoy, and a woman at that, do? If she saw a toad jumping out in the fields, she would be so scared that she burst into tears! Official Wu is too unreliable. Leaving for the capital for so long and this is the result!¡¯


    Hua Tuo - A Chinese physician who lived during thete Eastern Han dynasty. The historical texts Records of the Three Kingdoms and Book of the Later Han record Hua Tuo as the first person in China to use anaesthesia during surgery.


    fatty chicken slices - this name is deceiving. It¡¯s actually a dish made of fatty ground pork, eggs, and some starch binding it together along with seasonings. Steamed into a meatloaf and then sliced thinly.


    braised lion¡¯s head meatballs - not actually made out of lion. Name reflects the fact that these meatballs are very big.

 Chapter 697 - The Princess Consorts Status

    <h4>Chapter 697 - The Princess Consort¡¯s Status</h4>


    However, in consideration of the other¡¯s identity as an imperial envoy, the two officials reluctantly came forward to salute. Official You, after all, was a veteran old official. He gathered up his doubts with a smile and said, ¡°The great imperial envoy has worked hard,ing all this way. I¡¯ve prepared some drinks and refreshments in the Lion¡¯s House to wee and help you clean away the dust of the journey.¡±


    ¡°The kindness of these two officials is something that would be disrespectful for me to decline!¡± Lion¡¯s House? Since the highest officials of Jinling chose it to receive the imperial envoy, it should be good right? She didn¡¯t know if she would have the chance to enjoy the authentic food of Jinling at that ce. Xiaocao revealed a faint smile, that was unhurried and calm. It gave people a sense of unfathomability. In actuality, she was very happy in her heart.


    Official You saw that the other party, although young, was graceful and generous and the contempt in his heart lessened. When she got off the boat, Imperial Prince Xu stepped forward and stretched out his arms to support her. Official You couldn¡¯t help but think of the rumors about Imperial Prince Xu and Princess Consort Xu that had circted through the capital thest time he went to report his work.


    Rumors said that Imperial Prince Xu, who was still Royal Prince Yang at the time, had been chasing after a female official. The female official at the time merely had a peasant family¡¯s background. Because she improved the seeds, allowing them to give high crop-yields, the emperor had assigned her to take charge of the Imperial Breeding Base. Afterwards, because of her great achievements, she was granted the fourth rank title of Clerk of the Capital for Grain. Was the imperial envoy sent by the emperor the Clerk of the Capital for Grain?


    Looking at the way Imperial Prince Xu took care of the imperial envoy, he thought of the news that had juste from the capital¡ª¡ªin the middle of the third month this year, Imperial Prince Xu married the Clerk of the Capital for Grain. Thus, didn¡¯t that mean that the great imperial envoy was Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s new wife?


    Official Fan suddenly realized something. It seemed as if only Princess Consort Xu would be able to let Imperial Prince Xu be her bodyguard? However, what was the situation with Chief Steward Su? Two great gods were sent out to escort her, which clearly showed the great importance the emperor attached to the Clerk of the Capital for Grain!


    The two highest officials of Jinling finally understood what was going on. They looked at each other and their contempt disappeared. Official You even became excited. If the Clerk of the Capital for Grain was as miraculous as the rumors said, did that mean the rice breeding base of Jinling would be able to be established and develop into something like the Imperial Breeding Base? That would be a marvelous achievement. When he returned to the capital to report on his work two yearster, he would definitely have the opportunity to be promoted!


    In Jinling¡¯s most famous restaurant, Lion¡¯s House, Xiaocao gleefully sampled sauced pork ribs, Jinling braised duck, sweet-scented lotus root, and Jinling¡¯s soup dumplings.


    The Jinling braised duck was dark-skinned with tender meat. It was rich but not greasy, fragrant, and delicious. The dish was fragrant, spicy, crispy, and tender. The meat was chewy, tender, and tempting. It made people salivate and could never be forgotten once eaten. Due to its functions of clearing away excess heat, detoxification, nourishment, aid in blood clotting, and reducing diarrhea, Xiaocao decided to add it to the menu of her Medicinal Cuisine House.


    Regarding the method of cooking and the recipe, Xiaocao gave this problem to her man. She believed that a simple braised duck recipe couldn¡¯t defeat his imperial highness. However, she never thought that the boss behind the Lion¡¯s House was Governor Fan of Zhili. Imperial Prince Xu expressed to him his interest in the dishes of the Lion¡¯s House. Before he even spoke, Official Fan gave him the Lion¡¯s House to thank him for his kindness and the promotion he received in recent years. In the end, the governor just wanted to hug the prince¡¯s thigh.


    Yu Xiaocao picked up a soup dumpling, which looked simr to her own. However, Jinling¡¯s soup dumplings were more authentic as they had the three traits of a pure translucent-white outside, rich fragrant soup, and a delicious taste. The skin of the soup dumpling was crystal clear, chewy, and smooth. The stuffing was fresh, aromatic, and smooth. There was a lot of soup in each dumpling and had a slight hint of sweetness. When one sucked on the dumpling with a reed tube, the broth flowed out, Xiaocao ate an entire bamboo steamer basket of dumplings in one breath. She devoured the food in front of her until she had food stuffed up to her throat before she reluctantly stopped.


    However, when the sauced spareribs were served, Xiaocao couldn¡¯t sit still. The sauced ribs tasted sweet with a unique vor. They had a red color, tender meat, rich aromatic bones, and the sauce was salty with hints of sweetness within. Xiaocao braved her bulging stomach and tasted two ribs. She finally had to put down her chopsticks regretfully.


    When the sugared lotus root was on the table, she could only gaze at it with a pathetic look in her eyes. Her eyes resembled that of a wounded animal¡¯s, with a pitiful light in her big eyes.


    Zhu Junyang was angry and thought it was funny at the same time. He told Wutong to let her mistress take a digestive pill before he rxed. He had a good idea of how much thess could usually eat. Today, she had eaten twice the amount! This greedyss wasn¡¯t afraid that she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to be staying in Jinling for some time? If you like it, I will bring you here to eat every day!¡± Zhu Junyang slowly put down his chopsticks at his wife¡¯s pitiful expression. If she didn¡¯t have enough then she didn¡¯t have enough. His wife shouldn¡¯t cry over this!


    The wilted Yu Xiaocao immediately became energetic again, ¡°Then let¡¯se tomorrow to eat the sugared lotus root! And that braised Lion¡¯s head meatballs seem to be pretty good too, and...¡±


    ¡°Are you sure your stomach can handle it?¡± Thisss, her eyes were bigger than her stomach. He couldn¡¯t help saying a word to remind her.


    Xiaocao wilted again before immediately saying, ¡°If I can¡¯t eat everything...then at least I can have a taste of everything!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can stand it?¡± Zhu Junyang couldn¡¯t help stopping her,


    Xiaocao scratched her head, ¡°It seems that I can¡¯t! What should I do? There are too many delicacies in Jinling to eat!¡±


    Governor Fan watched the interaction between Imperial Prince Xu and the princess consort and silently roasted them in his mind. Everyone said that the prince had decided on her when she wasn¡¯t even ten yet and had waited for her to grow up. Today he¡¯d seen that the prince favored the princess consort like she was his daughter, and this situation gave him goosebumps.


    ¡°The great imperial envoy is right. Jinling is a famous ancient capital of five dynasties (Author¡¯s note: The Ming dynasty¡¯s capital wasn¡¯t in Jinling due to the founding emperor being a transmigrator). It¡¯s not only prosperous and rich but also full of delicious food. The Lion¡¯s House is just the tip of the iceberg. Many of the local delicacies are among the citizens. Jinling¡¯s snacks all have different vors. It would be a pity if the imperial envoy didn¡¯t taste them one by one!¡± Official Wu was just afraid that there wasn¡¯t an excuse for the imperial envoy to stay longer. He saw that she loved delicious food so much, so he decided to seize this opportunity that the heavens gave him.


    Yu Xiaocao heard this and became even more upset, ¡°Official Wu, you¡¯re purposely trying to get me in trouble! You know that I¡¯m gluttonous but you¡¯re tempting me!¡±


    Official Wu hurriedly denied, ¡°Great Imperial Envoy, the emperor didn¡¯t set a deadline for your return. You can spend more time in Jinling to experience the local conditions and customs and taste all the snacks of Jinling...¡±


    Xiaocao was immediately full of energy. That was right! She could use the excuse of observing the growth and harvest of the rice in the experimental fields of Jinling until this crop of rice was matured and harvested. At that time, when she brought the new data back, no one would use her to make an issue of!


    Besides, if conditions permitted, she wanted to experiment with hybrid rice. She knew the rough idea of how to go about it but the key was experimentation. When she thought of it this way, a bright smile came to her face.


    When Zhu Junyang saw this, he gave an approving smile to Official Wu and poured him a cup of wine. The other people at the table were old experts at observing, seeing this, how could they not understand? This Imperial Prince Xu was someone who doted on his wife without a bottom line. That was to say, as long as Princess Consort Xu was happy and satisfied, he would view the person who made her content in a better light.


    Who was Imperial Prince Xu ah?! He was the emperor¡¯s favorite right-hand man and had a high reputation and status in both the court and military. In the world of officialdom, it was very difficult to advance without a backer. Only a fool would not take advantage of getting closer to such a big and powerful backer!


    In the following days, Yu Xiaocao found that those Jinling Officials, who had doubts about her identity, suddenly became very thoughtful and weing.


    First of all, the vi where she lived with Imperial Prince Xu was a scenic, beautiful and quiet ce. It was said this was the estate of the richest family in Jinling. Everything she ate and used all suited her to a T. It seemed that everything was all specially prepared for her ording to her preferences. These people were well-intended and had done their work very carefully. For example, they knew that she usually liked to make her own snacks and food, so the kitchen was well prepped and they had even sent over a new oven to be installed in.


    The inspector general also invited a Jinling tour guide to serve Imperial Prince Xu and Princess Consort Xu. In their spare time, they were taken around the famous scenic spots of Jinling, brought to every corner of Jinling for tasty food, and were told some legends and literary quotes from Jinling.


    After a day¡¯s rest in the estate, Xiaocao rode to the experimental estate that was more than ten miles away from Jinling under the eager eyes of Official Wu. It was said that this piece of estate was originally the property of a certain vassal of the former dynasty. After the copse of the former dynasty, it was taken over by the imperial court. When the officials of Jinling reported to the imperial court saying that they would set up a test field in the south, the emperor set aside these thousand acres of goodnd to support agricultural experiments.


    Most of the estate¡¯s many paddy fields were still nted with traditional rice. Only three mu of good farnd near the manor were to be used as experimental fields.


    At this time, it was entering the fourth month of the year. The temperature south of the Yangtze River was higher and the nting time was earlier than in the north. Thus, the rice in the fields were already as high as a person¡¯s shin. The rice in the experimental fields were growing better. From the distance, it looked like a thick green carpet. The scene full of green looked very refreshing.


    Official Wu pointed to the experimental field, silentlypared it to the others, and said, ¡°Imperial Envoy, look at the rice seedlings here. They¡¯re not as good as those of the Imperial Breeding Base in the capital. The ones in the capital seem to be stronger.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought, ¡®I always go over the wells and rivers in the suburbs in the capital every three to five days. Thus, the water irrigating the capital all has some spiritual energy in them. The ones here naturally can¡¯tpare.¡¯ However, she could only keep this to herself and not let it out!


    As a result, due to the different climate, soil, and water, the growth of the rice would also be affected to a certain extent. Then she showed Official Wu and some experienced farmers some of the advanced rice nting methods she picked out from her past life.


    The experimental fields had been ced in front of the emperor and the imperial court supported it so much so that it couldn¡¯t be ced in the hands of those not in the trade. Official Wu was born in a peasant family and only became an imperial official at the age of forty. He had only be a small seventh-ranked official. Now that he was reaching the age of retirement, he was still only a sixth-ranked official.

 Chapter 698 - Spare No Effor

    <h4>Chapter 698 - Spare No Effor</h4>


    Official Wu wasn¡¯t one of those people who only knew how to study. Prior to passing the court examinations, he had been with his family¡¯s tenant farmers and personally helped his family manage their rice paddies. On the year he turned forty, he gave himself a goal. If he was unable to pass the exams again, then he wouldpletely renounce his studies and spend the rest of his life experimenting with the rice paddy fields to get higher yields. After bing a court official, he was also very interested in agricultural management and often traveled to farming viges, living and eating with these people, and bing more experienced in the ways of farming. Because of that, the experimental paddies in Jinling had been put under his jurisdiction and he had also been promoted two levels.


    When he saw the methods that Xiaocao gave him, he was struck silly. He even struck the table in amazement when he reached the main point. Many things that had puzzled him in the past were nowpletely clear to him after he read the great imperial envoy¡¯s writings on the topic. It was no wonder that the emperor had ced so much importance on a mere woman. She really was more knowledgeable and talented than others! The emperor truly was a wise and capable ruler!


    If Yu Xiaocao had known that Official Wu saw her in this way, she would have felt quite embarrassed. The things she had written down were all stuff she had put together piecemeal from the stuff she had learned in her past life about farming. She was only a little dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants! How could she possibly be that impressive?


    Other than going out to try some delicacies from time to time, Xiaocao spent most of her time after she arrived at Jinling on the ¡®hybrid rice paddies¡¯. In her previous life, the hybrid rice paddies were able to produce a thousand and five hundred catties of rice per mu. Even the rice paddies watered with mystic stone water in this era could only get up to six hundred catties per mu.


    It was said that hybrid rice paddies were the result of Yuan Longping¡¯s, the father of hybrid rice, research and he had discovered a type of hybrid rice one day in a field somewhere. Yu Xiaocao decided that, in order to deceive others on the true process, she also needed to find a naturally urring hybrid rice paddy somewhere. Following that, then they could begin research on it.


    Following Xiaocao¡¯s proposal, the emperor had already sent down an imperial order to have Jiangnan begin to try to grow two seasons of rice in one year. Because Jinling had experimental paddies, some of them were nted on the early side. Official Wu was originally afraid that the temperatures at the start of spring would be too cold and affect the seedlings¡¯ growth progress. However, he didn¡¯t expect that the rice seeds brought over from the capital grew very well despite the lower temperatures. The ordinary rice seeds, on the other hand, only had so-so germination and survival rates.


    After Official Wu finished transcribing a copy of the great imperial envoy¡¯s ¡®Rice Growth Strategy Guide¡¯, he immediately began his work in the fields and didn¡¯t even bother returning home to visit. His entire mind was preupied on getting the fields up and running. He had to admit the rice seedlings grown by the methods provided by the great imperial envoy truly did better than the ones nted with traditional methods. When he felt the panicles of these rice nts, he could tell that they were at least a factorrger than the regr ones and were also more plump. The rice paddies grown with the new methods also had a shorter growth cycle, so it was likely that they¡¯d be able to harvest them in the sixth month.


    As it got closer to harvest time, Yu Xiaocao came by more frequently to the experimental rice paddies. In the past, she would go over every three to five days to supervise the work there. Now she came by every other day to inspect things. There were many nts in the experimental fields, so she couldn¡¯t possibly look every single one over. However, she had her cheat item on hand and it¡¯d be a waste for her to not use it.


    She had the little divine stone emit its spiritual energy to make the young nts be more vigorous and strong. Then, she had Official Wu and his assistante over to record them. Within the rice paddies, she ended up finding a real ¡®crane within a flock of chickens¡¯ rice patch. It had thick and tall stalks with plump kernels of rice. She carefully counted the number of rice seeds within the panicle and found that it contained around two hundred grains. It truly exceeded the number of grains found in other nts.


    Alright ah, she now had the opportunity to give an experimental direction for Official Wu and his subordinates to look at. The most important part of hybridized rice was the ¡®hybridization¡¯ portion. In her past life, Xiaocao had been a little fan of the father of hybridized rice and looked over many things in regards to hybridized rice. However, since she was merely ayman, she only knew the foundations of breeding hybridized rice.


    She knew that in order to make hybridized rice paddies, she needed three types of rice. One type had to have sterile pollen, and one type had fertile pollen. When the sterile type was fertilized with the pollen from the fertile type, they created hybridized rice, which was the third type. Although this type of hybridized rice had a higher yield, the amount it produced was around the same as the rice that was grown with mystic-stone water. Furthermore, it onlysted for one season and couldn¡¯t be used for the next. They needed to continue to pollinate the sterile type with the fertile type to make more seed.


    Based on that, they needed to have one set of fields devoted to breeding and the other set for harvesting. In the breeding fields, they needed to grow and nt the ones with sterile pollen before being fertilized with regr pollen while the other fields were the ones used to grow the hybridized rice nts for harvest.


    In the fields, she found all of the rice nts with sterile pollen and marked them. They were set aside to be used in the breeding fields. When she got back to her personal courtyard, she concentrated solely on writing down all of the methods she could remember about ¡®hybridizing rice paddies¡¯ into a little pamphlet in preparation of giving it to Official Wu, so he could have other people investigate it. In terms of growing rice, she was merely an amateur dabbler and couldn¡¯tpare to Official Wu, who had spent decades in the fields working with the farmers.


    His hard working wife hadpletely forgotten Imperial Prince Xu, who was quite heartbroken by the matter. They had previously agreed upon traveling and seeing the sights here, right? Weren¡¯t they going to try all of the delicacies to be had in the Jinling area? Hadn¡¯t they agreed on journeying around Jiangnan to experience the saying: ¡®the skies have the Heavens and the earth has Suzhou and Hangzhou¡¯? Zhu Junyang stared at the back of his princess consort as she steadily worked through the night, ignoring him. Why did he have to marry a wife who was a workaholic ah?


    As for that fellow, Su Ran, as soon as they arrived in Jiangnan, he had disappeared. It was said that the famous mountains around Jinling had all been toured by him. Furthermore, he woulde back from time to time to brag and boast about the sights he had seen and the foods he had eaten. The most annoying part was that this fellow would always bring some snacks back from his travels, which would always take his wife¡¯s attention away. Every day, when she wasn¡¯t talking about work to him, she would beplimenting that loathsome fellow, Sir Su. It was truly too infuriating. Just who was her husband here?


    When his wife ate some dried persimmons that the stinky fellow Su Ran brought back and beganplimenting him again, Zhu Junyang seriously couldn¡¯t take it anymore! He shot himself towards his wife and seriously let her know just how jealous he was. He especially made her experience just how a jealous and thirsty man could be once he lost his control! Alright ah, he was just looking for an excuse for his own advantage!


    The next day, Yu Xiaocao only managed to crawl out of bed at noon while rubbing at her sore waist. She had finally finished writing her pamphlet on ¡®the strategy to breed hybrid rice¡¯ and brought it along to find Official Wu. After giving it to him, she spent another long stretch of time exining the contents to him. Her task was now off her shoulders, so it was time for her to cate her ignored husband.


    Official Wu acted as if he had received the most precious treasure. In the seventh month, he hadpletely organized the breeding fields and hybridizing fields. As for the great imperial envoy, she had gone off with her husband and left Jinling. They had just arrived at the border of Yangzhou Prefecture. They were eating sweet and tender lotus seed heads and seated in a small sailboat on the West Lake picking lotus flowers!


    In the seventh month, the Jinling experimental rice paddies had obtained their first harvest. Currently, they were at eight hundred catties of rice per mu. Such arge crop yield made Official Wu, as the person in charge, cry tears of pure joy. In the past half year, he had put all of his energy and hopes on the experimental fields. His hard work hadn¡¯t gone to waste. He had also seeded in raising high-yield rice paddies. The yields from this experiment were even higher than the one in the capital. It was truly extremely good news!


    Official Wu wanted to give the good news to the great imperial envoy, but he didn¡¯t know where she was at the moment. She could be in Suzhou, Hangzhou, or even more south...who knew ah!


    Official Wu quickly pivoted his energies on the problem of developing hybridized rice. The great imperial envoy had told him that if he were able to develop hybridized rice then the yield would likely be higher than the current experimental fields by a whole factor. What was a whole factor? That was to say, the yield could get up to a thousand and five hundred catties per mu. Heavens! Wouldn¡¯t he be dreaming then? Or was the great imperial envoy crazy and spouting nonsense?


    No! How could he possibly not believe in the great imperial envoy¡¯s words? If it weren¡¯t for her, the rice paddies would still be stuck at two to three hundred catties per mu. In the past, if anyone had told him that the rice paddy harvest could reach six hundred catties per mu, Official Wu would have definitely pped them for impertinence. But now, wasn¡¯t that fact true ah? The great imperial envoy had said that hybridized rice paddies could go over a thousand and five hundred catties per mu, so that meant it was possible! If it weren¡¯t, then it meant that he hadn¡¯t worked hard enough and didn¡¯t reach the goals of the great imperial envoy.


    Official Wu, who was in his sixties, had be Yu Xiaocao¡¯s loyal die-hard fan at this moment!


    By the time the breeding paddies and hybridization paddies were in full swing, Yu Xiaocao and her husband had already traveled all around Jiangnan. On their way back, they had encountered the merchant caravan train that was in charge of bringing back raw jadeite ores to ¡®Wisdom Jade Pavillion¡¯. Yu Xiaocao expressed that she was very interested in seeing where the ores were mined in person. As a man who doted upon his wife to no end, Imperial Prince Xu naturally wouldn¡¯t disappoint her. Thus, the loving couple headed out with the merchant caravan to go to the southernmost tip of Yunnan Province.


    Thend in that area was surrounded by mountains and was heavily forested. The locals there were tough and intrepid. Fortunately, the merchant caravan from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate had already made a name for itself. No matter whether it was the small tribes in the area or the chiefs in Myanmar, none of them dared to look down upon them. Furthermore, with the southwestern army of the Great Ming Empire stationed there, they would have to think very hard before deciding to attack them.


    Zhu Junxi and Han Xiaomu had gone back to their military post in the southwest after attending Xiaocao¡¯s wedding and getting swiftly engaged themselves. Yu Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang had especially taken a trip to the Rui Province¡¯s military station and stayed there overnight. They went there to see General Han and also came with many snacks for their second older brother and future second sister-inw. The vast majority of what they gave to them were snacks that Yu Xiaocao made herself along with some candied fruits and dried meats. It took up an entirerge basket.


    Han Xiaomu was very touched by all of this and hugged...therge basket full of goods with an excited expression on her face. She almost didn¡¯t want to let it go. Ever since she had tried the food that came out of Xiaocao¡¯s hands, this tough and fierce female general had prostrated herself in front of Xiaocao¡¯s culinary skills. Xiaocao¡¯s position in her heart had gone straight up and she was now even more admired than her own fianc¨¦, Zhu Junxi. Zhu Junxi could only shake his head and sigh¡ª¡ªthere was nothing he could do with such a gluttonous future wife on hand!


    They had been back in the southwest for over three months now. Thus, it was impossible for them to have any of the food they brought back with them no matter how hard they tried to scrimp and save. Every time she had to eat the ¡®pig¡¯s swill¡¯ in the cafeteria, Han Xiaomu thought longingly of Yu XIaocao. She only spoke of the other girl and thought of her constantly. Zhu Junxi was now even jealous of his own younger sister-inw!


    Fortunately, when they left the capital, hisdy mother had prepared a bunch of spices and condiments for barbecuing meats for him. He may not be good at other cooking methods, but at least he was good at barbecuing. With the addition of these special spice blends, he had conquered the female general¡¯s stomach and got his fianc¨¦e¡¯s attention back on him and not his younger sister-inw.

 Chapter 699 - Tired at Hear

    <h4>Chapter 699 - Tired at Hear</h4>


    However, Han Xiaomu ate the fragrant, tender, and fatty barbecued meat as she asked, ¡°The spice blends you used must have been made by Younger Sister Xiaocao. This type of taste and vor can only be created by an expert like her.¡±


    Zhu Junxi growled, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, Younger Sister Xiaocao! Every day you only talk about her. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought that she would be the one living with you for the rest of your life ah!¡±


    Han Xiaomu chuckled, ¡°If I were a man, I would definitely snatch Younger Sister Xiaocao over!¡±


    The thick scent of jealousy congealed around Zhu Junxi as he sourly remarked, ¡°If you were a man, then what would I do? Also, are you sure you can defeat my younger brother? When he loses control of himself, you will end up losing your life!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I have you to protect me ah?¡± Han Xiaomu sliced off another te of roasted mutton leg and began to eat it with great relish!


    ¡°So now you think of me? If you were a man, I wouldn¡¯t care if you died!¡± Zhu Junximented angrily.


    Han Xiaomu continued to simple mindedly eat her barbecued meat as she casually remarked, ¡°What are you angry for ah? Are all men this petty and narrow-minded? Or is it just the people in your Zhu Family who are this way? Your younger brother is the same. I only spoke a few extra words to Younger Sister Xiaocao yet he red at me so fiercely! His eyes are more beautiful than most women¡¯s so who would be afraid of him?¡±


    ¡°My little ancestor, please don¡¯t say anymore ah!¡± What was she bbering on about, saying that his Zhu Family were all petty and narrow-minded? One couldn¡¯t forget that the most noble person in the empire was also surnamed Zhu! Furthermore, saying out loud that his younger brother was more beautiful than a woman was something that was forbidden and taboo for his younger brother. If that fellow overheard her, then no one would be able to save this woman who liked to cause trouble!


    ¡°General Zhu, General Mu, there¡¯s a youth named Zhu Junyang who wants to see you both...¡± One of the soldiers assigned at guarding the barracks came over to bring a message. The young soldier was currently wondering, ¡®Zhu Junyang, Zhu Junxi, the names only differ by one character. Could this guy possibly be General Zhu¡¯s brother? However, the two of them don¡¯t look alike at all. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the young man had a tall and sturdy figure, I would have thought that it was General Zhu¡¯s younger sister dressing up in man¡¯s clothing to find her older brother!¡¯


    ¡®Psh, speak of the devil and he appears! Why did he run over to where the southwest army is stationed? Did the emperor give him a secret mission or something?¡¯ Zhu Junxi grumbled in his heart as he sternly told his future wife, ¡°In a bit, when we see Imperial Prince Xu, you absolutely cannot mention his good looks. I¡¯m telling you, the two of usbined cannot win against him!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really that powerful?¡± Han Xiaomu¡¯s excited manner made Zhu Junxi¡¯s head hurt¡ª¡ªit was too tiring to have a future wife who was so warlike!


    However, when his future wife saw Yu Xiaocao by his younger brother¡¯s side, she immediately forgot her desire to spar with Zhu Junyang. She instead pulled on Xiaocao¡¯s hand as she chirped happily, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, you also came along? Don¡¯t you have official matters to attend to ah? How do you have the time to leave the capital and y? It¡¯s really too good that you were able toe. The minced meat sauce, jerky and canned fruits that you gave me before I left have all been eaten. Make some more for me please! I¡¯m telling you, ah, there are a vast variety of fruits here. If you can make dried or canned fruits out of them, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be very delicious!¡±


    Zhu Junxi was dumbfounded by this and made an apologetic gesture to his younger brother, who had a displeased expression on his face. He pulled Han Xiaomu over and said, ¡°Calm down a bit. You asked a bunch of questions at once, so don¡¯t you need to give Princess Consort Xu some time to reply ah? Furthermore, they just got here and you need to give her some time to rest first...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! Younger Sister Xiaocao, are you tired? The house only has my father and me and I live in arge courtyard. How about you move in with me, drink some water, eat some fruits and rest a bit? You came just at the right time! Right now, the mangosteens, papayas, mangos, and bananas are all ripe. You can eat as much as you want...¡± Han Xiaomu chattered on without stopping and her lips pped on and on. No one else was able to get a single word in.


    Yu Xiaocao hid her smile and had Wutong take out a food box when there was a pause in the talking. The box held a bunch of meat floss inside. At this time of year, the south was hot and humid so it was hard to keep other foodstuffs from spoiling too quickly. Only meat jerky and meat floss items were able to stay fresh for a longer period of time.


    ¡°So delicious!¡± Han Xiaomu pinched off a piece of meat floss and let it dissolve gently in her mouth. A burst of savory, fragrant, and sweet vor...all of them were harmoniously blended together and made a person feel intense bliss from eating it.


    ¡°This is called meat floss and it was made with pork. There¡¯s also fish meat floss, chicken meat floss, and beef meat floss. Other than eating it directly, you can sandwich it between two crackers to eat, use it as a topping for rice porridge, use it as a filling inside rice balls...if I have the time, I¡¯ll make some meat floss bread for you to try.¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but soften a bit when she saw the other girl hug the box full of food in a hoarding manner.


    Han Xiaomu nodded her head repeatedly and had an excited and touched look on her face, ¡°Okay ah, okay! Younger Sister Xiaocao, you are truly the best! If I were a man, I would definitely want to marry you and bring you back home!¡±


    ¡°Ahem ahem!!¡± The expression on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face darkened even more. As soon as they arrived at the army camp, his wife¡¯s attention had been taken by someone else. Now another person hade out of the cracks and was trying to steal his wife away from him. This was absolutely not okay, even if this person was female!! The only reason why he had never hit a woman before was because no woman had ever crossed his line too far. His wife was absolutely a taboo target for other people!


    Han Xiaomu wasn¡¯t the least bit frightened by him, ¡°What are you coughing for? If your throat is itchy, go eat some licorice drops!! I was only joking around. It¡¯s not like I would truly try to steal your wife away from you! Why do you need to be so petty ah?¡±


    ¡°This prince just has a petty personality! As long as it has something to do with the princess consort, this prince cannot be generous! Even jokes are not okay!!¡± Zhu Junyang snorted coldly.


    ¡°Hmph! So tyrannical! Younger Sister Xiaocao, your man has such a bad temper and tyrannical manner, are you sure you can handle it? Are you sure you¡¯re not getting bullied by him every day ah? That¡¯s not okay! You can¡¯t be too gentle and sweet¡ª¡ªhe doesn¡¯t hit women, right? Heavens! What could be done?¡± Han Xiaomu pinched off another puff of meat floss and stuffed it in her mouth in a worried manner. She couldn¡¯t beat Imperial Prince Xu and had no way of saving Younger Sister Xiaocao from the depths of despair. What to do?


    Yu Xiaocao suppressed her desire tough and used her eyes to cate her husband, who was about to explode in fury as she gently said, ¡°Older Sister Mu, he doesn¡¯t hit women and definitely wouldn¡¯t hit his wife. He treats me very well ah! All of the men from Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate love their wives very much. Once Older Sister Mu marries, you¡¯ll know that for the truth.¡±


    Zhu Junxi gave a grateful look towards her. Ever since the two of them had gotten engaged in the third month, thess had always dodged his question on when they were going to get married. Furthermore, General Han obligingly went with his daughter and said that everything was up to her. For himself, he thought the two of them weren¡¯t young anymore and it was the right time to get married now. Otherwise, as the older brother in the family, his son might end up having to call his younger brother¡¯s children ¡®older brother¡¯ and ¡®older sister¡¯. Wouldn¡¯t that be so annoying ah?


    Could it be thatss had gotten the thing called ¡®wedding jitters¡¯ that the emperor had talked about before? Argh, what was to be done then? His future wife believed his younger sister-inw a lot. Perhaps with this younger sister-inw around it was the best opportunity for him to convince her to set a date on their wedding.


    When Han Xiaomu heard this, she nced at her stunningly handsome fianc¨¦ and remembered what her father had talked to her before. In actuality, Han Xiaomu had a decent understanding of herself and saw herself quite clearly. She calcted a bit and decided she didn¡¯t have many pros but had a whole lot of cons. She had a bad temper, wasn¡¯t gentle, wasn¡¯t considerate, was too carefree, and didn¡¯t have a whiff of a gentledy. It was hard for a man, especially such a good specimen of a man, to be blind to those weaknesses of her and love her for herself. What else did she need at this point?


    That being said, even a man like Imperial Prince Xu, who looked like a cold devil on the outside, knew how to pamper and spoil his wife after marriage. Thus, someone like her fianc¨¦, who had always been good, would definitely be better. Younger Sister Xiaocao had said that the Zhu Family knew how to pamper their wives, so it must be true! Mhm...the next time he brought up the topic of marriage, she should go along with it right?


    Zhu Junxi nced at his younger brother, who was taller than him by half a head and was stunningly talented. Even when he was just standing there casually, he resembled a leisurely king of the jungle and had an air about him that he couldn¡¯tpete with. The stories from the northwest stated that his brother was an undefeated god and was a cold death god to their enemies. He was so frightening that the foreign invaders turned tail and ran when they saw him. At such a young age, he had also been titled an imperial prince as thanks for his military achievements...when he thought of how jealous he was of his younger brother in the past, it seemed like a farce now!


    ¡°?¡± Zhu Junyang sensed that his second older brother had been staring at him and nced over questioningly at him.


    Zhu Junxi pointed at the nearby thicket and suggested, ¡°Come walk with me over there ah.¡±


    Zhu Junyang lightly nodded his head but first headed over to Xiaocao¡¯s side. He lowered his head to her ear and spoke a few words. XIaocao looked over and then slightly smiled before gently nodding her head.


    Once again, Zhu Junxi was struck by just how much this younger brother of his treasured his new wife. Prior to heading out, he always went over to tell her. It was as if he was afraid that she might be worried if she didn¡¯t see him around. Who would have thought that the family¡¯s most cold and aloof person was the one who had the most emotions in the end? Perhaps, the reason why he hadn¡¯t been able to persuade General Mu to set a date for him was right there...


    ¡°Did you know? When I was young I had always been envious and jealous of you. The reason why I ran into the army was to be far away from you as I was afraid that if I stayed around you for too long, I wouldn¡¯t be able to control my jealous feelings and be a loathsome person that even I would hate.¡± The two brothers slowly walked around in the quiet forest for a long while before Zhu Junxi finally stated the purpose of this walk after lightly sighing first.


    Zhu Junyang was bbergasted by his confession, ¡°You envied me and were jealous? At that time, I was like a dumb beast, being forced onto death row. I was violent, ill tempered, and often lost control of myself. I even hurt myself from time to time. Someone actually envied me at that time?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right ah! It was because of your problems that ourdy mother poured all of her care and attention on you. Lord Father also did everything he could and begged our imperial grandfather to send his most trusted steward over to you as a guard. As for me, I was only older than you by a few years and was still a child then. I wished for someone to care about me but I was always ignored by everyone.¡±


    Zhu Junxi smiled bitterly for a moment before he continued, ¡°Out of us four siblings, Eldest Brother is the heir and held the hopes as the sessor of Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Older Sister was the only girl and had been pampered and spoiled all her life. You, we don¡¯t even need to mention as the entire estate revolved their attention around you as they were all afraid you might explode at any time. It was only me...¡±


    Zhu Junyang lightly shook his head and his eyes were as calm as a quiet spring. He stated in an emotionless voice, ¡°Second Brother! The person who should have been envious of others was me! Do you understand what it¡¯s like to have a devil living in your heart, one that would devour all of reasoning at any moment and make you harm all of your loved ones within a moment¡¯s notice? Do you know how a little child would feel if he was afraid to get closer to people and couldn¡¯t rely on his most beloveddy mother? Can you imagine what it is like to slowly lose more and more control of yourself and realize that one day you may transform into a mindless monster and nevere back? Do you realize how scary that is ah? Now that you know, are you still envious and jealous of me ah?¡±

 Chapter 700 - Finding a Mine

    <h4>Chapter 700 - Finding a Mine</h4>


    With Zhu Junyang¡¯s special ability, he naturally could tell that there was something bothering his second brother for all this time, causing the rift between them. In the past, he didn¡¯t wish to investigate further. Perhaps they now had the opportunity to repair these misunderstandings.


    Zhu Junxi patted his shoulder and grinned, ¡°After arriving in the army, I¡¯ve encountered more people from all walks of life and my views of the world have gradually broadened. From that, I¡¯ve be more understanding. Now, you have your own career and family and I have my own direction to work hard at. If I still act like a child, striving for the favoritism and love of our parents, wouldn¡¯t that be silly?¡±


    ¡°Second Brother, as parents, it¡¯s hard not to spend more time and attention on the weaker and more troublesome child. In actuality, I have always envied you and Eldest Brother the most. If I had the choice, I would rather be like all of the other children and have a carefree and happy childhood. I¡¯d be able to act spoiled and willful in front of our parents.¡± Zhu Junyang looked at the youngdy who was smiling as brightly as the flowers around her. His eyes gentled considerably¡ª¡ªThank the Heavens for allowing him to meet the only hope he had in this lifetime.


    Zhu Junxi also looked in the same direction as his younger brother and saw two youngdies,ughing loudly. His lips curved up into a smile as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I know where the wild pigs here like to hide. Your archery skills are good, so let¡¯s bring a wild pig back. Didn¡¯t Younger Sister-inw say that she knows how to make meat floss and jerky ah? Without any meat, how can she make any?¡±


    ¡°The two of you sure know how to order people around! My wife and I just arrived here and we¡¯re being pushed into hunting wild pigs and making jerky.¡± Althoughints flowed out of his mouth, Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t stop walking forward. The two brothers headed deeper within the jungle.


    In the mottled darkness of the forest, the sound of Zhu Junxi¡¯sughter could be heard, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling bad for your wife? Don¡¯t worry ah, we won¡¯t have your wife do a thing. General Mu has several female soldiers under hermand who are more than capable. Your wife only needs to p her lips and it¡¯ll get done.¡±


    By the time Han Xiaomu finished eating half a box of meat floss and devoured the few remaining dried apricots that Xiaocao had left, the two brothers came back carrying arge wild pig that weighed around three hundred to four hundred catties. For lunch, the meat from the wild pig had been divided up. Half of it had gone to add on a dish to the high ranking soldiers and Zhu Junxi¡¯s personal aides. The rest had been allocated for preservation. Arge portion was going to be used to make jerky while a smaller portion was going to be made into meat floss.


    The next morning, Xiaocao followed up on her promise and used some simple tools and ingredients to make some meat floss bread and meat floss pastries. The southwest was hot and humid, making it difficult to keep food for long. Han Xiaomu finished devouring these new goodies in the span of two meals. She even begged Xiaocao shamelessly, asking her for the method to create these breads and pastries. She was nning on having one of her female soldiers who was good at cooking learn these recipes. As for herself, she was someone who even needed molds to make eptable looking cookies, so she knew that she wasn¡¯t up to par for this.


    Zhu Junyang and his wife rested at the army camp for two days before they left for the border next to Myanmar. Over there, Wisdom Jade Pavilion¡¯s Manager Zhang hade to an agreement with one of the princes there and he was able to buy a jadeite mine. The jadeite mined from that spot was quite good. However, the mine was on the smaller side and had been previously used before Wisdom Jade Pavilion bought it. Thus, the supply of jadeiteing out of there was gradually not enough to fulfill the shop¡¯s needs in the capital.


    Currently, the jadeite ore gambling business required the most raw ore from the store. Wisdom Jade Pavilion¡¯s jewelry business, on the other hand, had fallen second. The prospect of bing rich overnight not only attracted the people from noble and wealthy families but also became popr with people from middle ss families. There were some who would save up a bunch of money in order to buy an ore to gamble, and there were truly some lucky customers. There was one who had selected an ore that produced jadeite that was of crystal ice quality and above. Wisdom Jade Pavilion bought that specimen off the lucky customer at a very high price. After Manager Zhang spread the news about this, the gambling side of the business became even more popr.


    The reason why Zhu Junyang came over this time wasn¡¯t just to satisfy his wife¡¯s curiosity. He had another motive as he wanted to see if he could buy another jadeite mine.


    After touring his wife around their current jadeite mine, Zhu Junyang had a middleman send a message off to the prince and proposed buying another mine from him. With Wisdom Jade Pavilion¡¯s booming business as an example, the vast majority of jewelry merchants in the Great Ming¡¯s capital had all set their eyes on this b of fat meat. Thus, the people mining jadeite ore no longer had to worry about not being able to sell.


    The prince of Myanmar naturally wouldn¡¯t allow a foreigner to get all of the profits here. However, he also knew of the identity of the person in front of him. It was the Great Ming¡¯s Empire famous God of War¡ª¡ªImperial Prince Xu. Having a connection to this impressive personage would increase his bargaining chips at gaining the throne in the future. Thus, if he openly refused this man¡¯s request, it would damage the rtionship between them. The prince, instead, decided to go about this in a roundabout manner.


    ¡°Within these mountains, there are a lot of untapped jadeite veins. How about Your Highness choose to buy an untouched mountain instead? Perhaps you may evene across arge jadeite ore in there that is way better than the mines we currently have! If Your Highness doesn¡¯t have any experienced people in finding mines, this humble prince can lend you a few people.¡± The prince from Myanmar was very sincere in his conduct.


    Not all of the mountains in this area bordering Myanmar had jadeite ores. Clearly, buying a mountain to find mines was also a big gamble.


    When he saw that Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s face remained cold and aloof, as if he was displeased by this suggestion, the prince hurriedly added, ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t worry. This humble prince has several jadeite experts under me. With them working together, I¡¯m sure seven to eight times out of ten, the mountain they identify will have a good jadeite vein. The mountain that you propose to buy will also be sold to you at a very reasonable price by me.¡±


    Zhu Junyang stayed silent, ¡®...this prince hasn¡¯t even said anything yet you are already making the terms a bit sweeter for me. It looks like having a cold poker face has its advantages too.¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao remembered that the little divine stone had once said that naturally urring mines of precious materials would all harbor a thick concentration of spiritual energy. Didn¡¯t that mean she could use the little divine stone as a cheat item and be able to easily find any unearthed jadeite mines?


    When she thought of this, she tampered down the excitement in her heart with great difficulty and pulled at her husband¡¯s sleeve as she quietly said, ¡°How about...we look around these mountains first and take it as a beautiful tour of the scenery?¡±


    Zhu Junyang would never refuse a request from his wife. He immediately made the decision: buying a mountain was just buying a mountain ah!


    When the young prince from Myanmar saw that the youngdy next to Imperial Prince Xu had merely said a few words and the esteemed personage immediately changed his mind (Zhu Junyang: I hadn¡¯t even made a decision. Why are you saying I changed my mind?), he knew then that the woman was highly regarded by the imperial prince. Thus, he immediately became a few fractions warmer towards her.


    As a giant vinegar jar of jealousy, Zhu Junyang naturally wasn¡¯t happy about this. Why was an adult prince who was around twenty years old treating his wife so politely? What were his intentions? Did he think that he, the husband, was dead ah?


    The Myanmar prince didn¡¯t know that his attempt at ttery had gone t and he had almost felt his face go numb from the sudden cold auraing off of Imperial Prince Xu. His Highness¡¯s personality was truly as the rumors said: temperamental to the extreme! The imperial prince was just fine earlier, so why did he suddenly change his demeanor?


    For the next few days, with thepany of the young Myanmar prince and his jadeite experts, Zhu Junyang and his wife, along with a giant third wheel¡ª¡ªChief Steward Su Ran, leisurely toured around the few mountains in the area.


    These mountains were nketed densely with thick vegetation and weren¡¯t the type of scenic and beautiful mountains that were touted in poetry. Other than poisonous snakes and insects, there were also vicious beasts and poisonous miasma to contend with. Xiaocao had consulted with the little divine stone to create some special medicine that repelled insects and snakes. When it was ced in their scent satchels, the poisonous creatures voluntarily avoided them like the gue. As for vicious beasts, with Zhu Junyang and Su Ran around, who were both killing machines, there was nothing to be afraid of. As for poisonous miasma, a single all purpose detoxification pill was more than enough to protect them.


    The group of people strolled around the no man¡¯snd of the deep mountains without a single issue. This made the Myanmar¡¯s prince¡¯s group feel quite bbergasted. They all said that the ruler of the Great Ming Dynasty was the true born son of the heavens. As one of the imperial rtives, was Imperial Prince Xu also blessed by the heavens?


    The young Myanmar prince was superstitious so he was even more respectful and polite towards Imperial Prince Xu.


    ¡®Little Glutinous Dumpling, have you found anything in these past ten days?¡¯ One night, Xiaocao, who was resting in a cozy cave, was simultaneously roasting a snake as thick as a person¡¯s wrist as she conversed mentally with the little divine stone.


    [I did detect some mines but the amount of spiritual energying off of them was too little. These veins absolutely don¡¯t have a lot of jadeite in them, so buying them would be a venture that loses money.] The little divine stone had transformed into its golden little kitten form. It stretchedzily and hid behind Xiaocao after being eyed fervently by the prince from Myanmar.


    The young prince reached out a hand to pet the little divine stone¡¯s golden fur but ended up getting wed for his attempt. A long red line appeared on the back of his hand. However, he merely grinned and said, ¡°Your Highness, your pet¡¯s fur is bright and it¡¯s very spirited. It¡¯s not like an ordinary cat.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao enjoyed herself as her husband fed her a piece of roasted meat. She savored the food with her mouth before she gently wiped the corner of her lips and yed teasingly with the little cat¡¯s front paws. Only when the little divine stone looked at her resentfully did she ce it down and smile, ¡°Is that so ah? This princess didn¡¯t think it had any special in particr.¡±


    She continued to mentally converse with the little divine stone, ¡®There are so many mountains and hills here. Just how long will it take for us to walk through them all? How about you exert yourself at night and speed around the immediate area to see if there is anything interesting around?¡¯


    [You sure know how to order people around!] The little divine stoneined for a bit yet still gracefully exited the cave.


    The prince from Myanmar asked worriedly, ¡°There are a lot of fierce beasts in the mountains, would it get into trouble from wandering around outside? Should you send a few people to keep guard?¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± She was pretty sure that the stone had transformed into a beam of light and had gone off into the forest as soon as it exited the cave. Yu Xiaocao came up with an excuse, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling is very clever and most animals can¡¯t possibly catch it.¡±


    That night, Xiaocao snuggled deeply within her sleeping bag, which she had sewn herself, and slept peacefully next to her husband. The young Myanmar prince saw this and felt quite puzzled inside, ¡®Didn¡¯t they all say that the noblewomen from the Great Ming Empire were delicate and squeamish ah? Princess Consort Xu, on the other hand, seems to be an exception. She¡¯s followed along with us, a bunch of men, for all these days but didn¡¯tin a single bit. The trails here are hard to work and even an experienced hunter would feel tired after an entire day. Why did Princess Consort Xu seem fine? Is it possible that...Her Highness is also an expert at martial arts?¡¯


    The prince suddenly felt like the temperature in the cave had gone down by several degrees and couldn¡¯t help but shiver a few times. He discovered that Imperial Prince Xu was staring at him in an unfriendly manner. Only then did he realize that he had been looking at Princess Consort Xu for a bit of a while and had caused a certain vinegar jar to get angry. Imperial Prince Xu was a bit too protective of his wife. Even looking at her too long wasn¡¯t okay with him!


    This couple was truly too odd. It didn¡¯t seem right that they were going on a trip to improve their rtionship as they had brought along an unrted person (Su Ran, the third wheel). Could it be that the emperor of the Great Ming Empire wanted to do something to Myanmar and sent them over to investigate? That also didn¡¯t seem right. This couple had been in the mountains for several days. Other than hunting and gathering some medicinal herbs, they hadn¡¯t done anything else! Furthermore, they never seemed to be interested in asking him and his group about the jadeite mines. Argh! He needed to observe them more!

 Chapter 701 - Gold Mine

    <h4>Chapter 701 - Gold Mine</h4>


    In the early morning, the sounds of birds merrily singing woke up the deeply asleep Xiaocao. She popped out her arms from her sleeping bag and stretchedzily before rubbing her groggy eyes gently.


    Suddenly, she felt the side of her cheek tickle. She used her hand to feel the area and discovered that the little divine stone hade back at an unknown time. Its butt was against her face and it was currently snoring peacefully. She rubbed its soft head and wriggled out of her sleeping bag.


    After using the clean mountain water to brush her teeth and wash her face, she applied ayer of skin care. Only when she was done did she realize that her husband wasn¡¯t by her side.


    ¡°His Highness left early this morning and said that he wanted to find some wild fruits for you to eat. These past few days, we¡¯ve only been eating roasted meats and he was afraid that you might end up with excessive heat in your body.¡± Wutong had finished assisting her mistress in her morning ablutions and was currently packing away their luggage and sleeping bags. When Hou Xiaoliang came back, he would be in charge of transporting these items.


    The first toe back was Su Ran, who was dressed entirely in white. In his hands were some banana leaves and nestled inside of them were some wax apples about the size of a person¡¯s fist. They were bright red and looked very appetizing. Wutong hurriedly took them from him and washed them clean in the spring water before presenting them to her mistress.


    Xiaocao chose a wax apple and began eating it. The fresh and ripe wax apple was juicy and sweet. It tasted quite good! She divided up the remaining apples to Wutong and Chunhua. Recently, Chunhua had a bit of excessive heat build up in her body and arge canker sore had appeared in her mouth, so she needed to eat some foods with vitamins in it.


    ¡°Surnamed Su, you are very sly and tricky!!¡± Zhu Junyang, who was dressed entirely in ck and had a simr dark expression on his face, came back with a bunch of wax apples. When he saw his wife gnawing happily on a wax apple, the displeasure on his face became very apparent. If it weren¡¯t for that fellow Su Ran tricking him, saying that there was a de of wild lychee trees, then he would have definitelye back first. He was truly too loathsome!


    Xiaocao had already gotten used to the two of them quarreling and bickering over mundane things. She took a wax apple from her husband¡¯s hands and began eating it with relish. Compliments flowed out of her mouth as she eximed that the apple was ¡®so sweet¡¯. Only then did the dark look on her man¡¯s face finally recede a bit. Argh! Men were truly childish and silly creatures.


    After getting some crucial information from the little divine stone, Xiaocao finished her breakfast before pointing in a direction and said, ¡°How about we go over there to take a look today?¡±


    The prince from Myanmar looked at the mountain that she was pointing at and he frowned, ¡°The terrain over there is steep and arduous and there¡¯s a section of miasma and marsnd too. If we¡¯re not careful, it¡¯d be very easy to fall into danger. How about we go there another time after bringing on some suitable tour guides?¡¯


    ¡°No need, I have a method to counteract the miasma. As for the marsnd, all we need to do is go around it!¡± Yu Xiaocao had found out from the little divine stone that the spiritual energy there was very dense, so there must be arge vein of jadeite ore there. She needed to go there.


    The young prince looked over at Imperial Prince Xu, hoping that he would make his wife back down. However, contrary to his expectations, the imperial prince didn¡¯t say anything and agreed. Argh! Everyone said that the Imperial Prince Xu doted on his wife to the heavens and now he had experienced to what degree the prince was willing to favor her!


    With the little divine stone as a silent guide, the group managed to sessfully go around the section of treacherous marsnd and arrived at the area nketed by poisonous miasma. In the gloomy forest, they could see a multi-colored fog gently permeating the area. It made it look as if they were within some heavenly clouds and it was quite a mesmerizing sight.


    The expression on the Myanmar¡¯s prince¡¯s face became even more solemn as he said, ¡°I never would have thought that the miasma here would be the dangerous peach blossom miasma. As soon as it touches you, your skin will start to rot and, following that, the flesh within. In the end, it¡¯ll prate a person¡¯s bones...Your Highnesses, are you sure you want to go there?¡±


    The mountaintop that Princess Consort Xu had pointed at only had marsnd or the highly toxic peach blossom miasma around it. It looked like they would need to return without getting to the top.


    Yu Xiaocao lightly frowned and took out a very strong and potent detoxifying pill. The little divine stone had said that this pill would have no issues in counteracting the peach blossom miasma. However, if this mountain truly had arge jadeite vein, they needed to find a way to get rid of the peach blossom miasma in the forest. Otherwise, it¡¯d be too difficult to open up the mine and take out the ore!


    Zhu Junyang watched as she took out a bottle from her medicine box and poured out a pill. He snatched over the pill from his wife¡¯s hands and stuffed it into his mouth as he said, ¡°You all wait here for a bit. This prince will go first to investigate...¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang was so rmed by this that sweat poured off of him. He blocked his master¡¯s way as he said, ¡°Your Highness, this subordinate should go instead...¡±


    ¡°What if there are some other dangers lurking in the forest? With your poor skills, will you be able to fight against them?¡± Zhu Junyang stopped Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s movement with a nce, ¡°Keep the princess consort safe. This prince will look around ande back.¡±


    As he spoke, he leapt into the multicolored fog and disappeared quickly. Su Ran saw the worried look on Xiaocao¡¯s face and also took a strong detoxifying pill before he said, ¡°I¡¯ll follow him and take a look. With two people in there, there should be no issues.¡±


    With two experts inside, Xiaocao felt her worries go down by half. However, if her husband was right, the forest might have many dangers looking around. Although the peach blossom miasma couldn¡¯t harm them, she didn¡¯t know if there were other perils just waiting for them.


    Fortunately, the two men didn¡¯t make the rest of them wait for too long. After an hour, a ck and white figure, who both looked quite simr, appeared back in their eyes.


    When the Myanmar prince saw that Imperial Prince Xu and Chief Steward Su came back without a single hair on their heads harmed, his eyes almost fell out of his head. The tyrannically poisonous peach blossom miasma had absolutely no effect on them. The young prince looked over at the medicine box in Xiaocao¡¯s hands and became incredibly excited.


    One had to know that Myanmar had many mountainous jungles and there were a lot of areas hiding poisonous miasmas. It was very easy for someone to fall into danger if they weren¡¯t careful. The prince¡¯s eldest brother, who was very skilled and had been the most likely candidate for the throne, had been trapped by their third brother and had stumbled into a de with poisonous miasma. He was bedridden for more than a year before he finally passed away. If he had a detoxifying pill on hand, that was equivalent to having another chance at life. The young prince wondered just what could he bring out to make Princess Consort Xu willing to exchange a bottle of detoxifying pills for him.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Yu Xiaocao sprayed a medicinal solution on the two of them, which dissolved any remnants of poison from their clothing, and hurriedly asked.


    ¡°There are no living creatures within the de. The peach blossom miasma must be too strong and most animals would dissolve into dust after encountering it. Fortunately, the de isn¡¯t too big and the mountain you have your eye on has a lot of good things in there.¡± Zhu Junyang revealed a reishi mushroom the size of a person¡¯s face and gave it to his wife. Perhaps the mountain¡¯s marsnds and poisonous miasma acted as a natural barrier. There were a lot of rare and precious medicinal ingredients inside. His wife would definitely like it!


    As expected, Yu Xiaocao revealed an expression full of pleasant surprise, ¡°Wow! That¡¯s too amazing ah! However, with this reishi mushroom on hand, I can start refining some ¡®long life medicine¡¯.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of precious medicinal ingredients inside. After all, no people have dared to venture in for many years. However, this prince doesn¡¯t know enough about medicinal ingredients. When this prince buys this mountain, even if there are no jadeite ores to be found, we can just use this as a farm for your precious life extending medications!¡± Zhu Junyang lightly stroked his wife¡¯s hair as he gently spoke to her.


    Xiaocao closed her eyes in pleasure and acted like a little fox who had just stolen a chicken to eat. Pink bubbles seemed to have appeared in the air around them...the Myanmar prince didn¡¯t realize that he was acting as an eyesore when he suddenly asked, ¡°This prince will give this mountain to you all! However...can you sell some detoxifying pills?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Does this prince require you to give the mountain that my princess consort wants?¡± Zhu Junyang coldly snorted in displeasure and red daggers at the Myanmar prince.


    The young prince didn¡¯t know why Imperial Prince Xu was suddenly throwing a tantrum. He scratched the back of his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not giving it to you, I¡¯m using it as a trade for the pills! Trading!¡±


    ¡°Trading is also not okay! This prince has decided to buy this mountain to give to my wife, so give me a price ah!¡± Zhu Junyang thought that his wife would definitely like a mountain full of medicinal ingredients. He didn¡¯t even wait for the jadeite experts to look around before arrogantly making a decision.


    The Myanmar prince thought that they weren¡¯t willing to trade their pills to him and felt very despondent about this. After thinking about it, it made sense to him. These pills had to be very expensive and hard to make. It was likely that a lot of valuable herbs went into these pills. There was no guarantee that the mountain had any jadeite ore so it was unlikely they were willing to trade for it!


    The young prince gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Your Highness, how about I trade an open jadeite mine for some of the princess consort¡¯s pills? Is that okay?¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked at his wife for the answer. The pills were hers so he needed to get her opinion. This was something that needed to be respected between a married couple.


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a moment and then pointed at a nearby mountain, ¡°I¡¯ll pass on the jadeite mine. How about you use that mountain to trade for it instead?¡±


    The Myanmar prince was a bit perplexed by this and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t looked at the mountain over there and are not sure as to whether there are any jadeite veins there. Furthermore, that mountain doesn¡¯t have any natural defenses, so the nearby vigers go in and out of it all the time. I¡¯m sure any medicinal ingredients have long been harvested from there. Your Highness, you need to make sure you¡¯re okay with this decision!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao casually nodded her head, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it and I want that one! Your Highness, how many detoxifying pills do you want in return?¡±


    Apparently, these pills were called detoxifying pills. Didn¡¯t that mean that they could treat other poisons too? The young prince asked the questions that had surfaced up in his heart. After the princess consort affirmed his thoughts, he was even more excited. After thinking about it, he tentatively gave out a figure, ¡°Would it be okay to give me ten pills in exchange?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao agreed immediately and took out a bottle of detoxifying pills. The two of them then signed a contract. Following that, Xiaocao picked another two mountains that the little divine stone had pointed out and they signed the purchase agreement. As for the mountain surrounded by poisonous miasma, the young prince sold it to them at a very low price.


    The next year, this particr mountain revealed a giant pure gold mine. The young Myanmar prince regretted his decisionpletely. If he wasn¡¯t afraid of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s might, he would have ripped up that contract and snatched the gold mine back.


    As for the other mountains that Xiaocao pointed out, they also found jadeite veins in them. The one that they traded for using detoxifying pills not only had a very rich vein of raw jadeite ore but the jadeite mined from it were also of top-notch quality. It was only better and not worse than the other jadeite mines that the prince currently had.


    The young prince from Myanmar was quite puzzled by all of this. When they had agreed on the purchasing contract for the two mountains, the other side hadn¡¯t even investigated them but valuable jadeite mines appeared. Wasn¡¯t their luck too good to be true? Were they truly people who were blessed by the Heavens?


    If they were blessed by the Heavens, wouldn¡¯t going against them mean going against the Heavens? The young prince¡¯s inner beliefs told him that he needed to follow the heavenly mandate and obey the Heavens. He could only cooperate well with those who were blessed by the Heavens and not work against him. Perhaps by doing that he would be able to get some luck off of Imperial Prince Xu and would end up helping him in the future! Thus, he always did his best to protect and cooperate with the people who worked on these new mines.


    Many yearster, the young prince became triumphant over his many older brothers in the fight for the throne and became the King of Myanmar. He was even more certain that he had been imbued with a hint of the heavenly blessings that Imperial Prince Xu had. Otherwise, how could he have been able to gain a victory over his legitimate older brothers? From then on, as the king, he was very obedient and respectful towards the Great Ming Empire. The southwest border didn¡¯t have any battles or skirmishes appear for decades. This was allter though.

 Chapter 702 - A Sense of Loss

    <h4>Chapter 702 - A Sense of Loss</h4>


    In a jiffy, the two of them had bought five mountains for their own use. By the time Imperial Prince Xu and his wife leisurely returned back to Jinling, it was already time for the autumn harvest. The experimental rice fields in Jinling were a beautiful golden color and the nts swayed gently, resembling a golden ocean.


    They had found the sterile rice nts with great difficulty and they had been nted in the breeding fields. At this time, at harvest, they really couldn¡¯t see a huge difference between those nts and regr rice nts. However, in the hybridization fields, where they nted the twoplementary nts, there were rice tassels that wererge and very plump. Each rice ear had around two hundred rice seeds in them.


    Official Wu now had hope that they could produce high yielding rice nts in the future. After he saw Xiaocao, he was unable to restrain himself and cried like a child in front of her. Although they were still a bit away from making true hybridized rice crops, they just needed to persevere longer. After all, now he had hope, right?


    Yu Xiaocao praised Official Wu a few times and saw that he became even more eager and excited about researching on how to produce hybridized rice. Within her heart, she admired this man, who worked wholeheartedly for the people and was throwing himself into ¡®scientific research¡¯, even more.


    [In actuality, this divine stone could just use a bit of power and these rice paddies would get up to a thousand catties per mu without any issues. Furthermore, the seeds used for next year will also have the same high yield.] The little divine stone sensed its master¡¯s thoughts and proimed in a somewhat arrogant manner.


    ¡°No need, if it¡¯s too eye-catching, it¡¯ll be hard to exin to outsiders. They will start believing that I¡¯m a monster or something!¡± Yu Xiaocao refused the little divine stone¡¯s good intentions, ¡°The people¡¯s potential is endless. As long as we give them a direction, I believe that they will very quickly get some results.¡±


    [You¡¯re willing to waste a few more years to get the exact same oue? That¡¯s up to you then!] The little divine stone suddenly felt that it had lost its meaning and felt a bit at a loss.


    Xiaocao, who was intimately linked to it, naturally could sense its somewhat downcast thoughts. Sheforted it, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, you possess great powers, but there¡¯s no need for you to interfere in something that humans can do on their own¡ª¡ªthat¡¯s right, in the past, you told me that when you regained all of your cultivation, you could alter seeds permanently. Doesn¡¯t this mean...that you have already gained all of your lost powers?¡±


    The little divine stone¡¯s voice echoed prominently in her mind as it stated in a proud manner, [That¡¯s right! This time, when we went to the border between the Great Ming Empire and Myanmar, this divine stone came across a great opportunity. All of the fetters that the Goddess of Spirits had left upon me are now gone. Now this divine stone could fly up into the heavens in full glory, ha ha ha!]


    ¡°Congrattions!¡± Xiaocao happily congratted the stone at first. Suddenly, she became downcast, ¡°Then...doesn¡¯t that mean that you will be leaving this mundane world soon?¡±


    When she transmigrated over, the little divine stone had given her earth-shattering powers to turn her life around. On the day before she got married, she remembered the ¡®dream¡¯ that seemed very real that her younger brother had told her.


    In his dream, the delicate and weak Yu Xiaocao had passed away after getting hit on her head before Doctor You had the chance to treat her. Her callous grandmother wrapped her dead body in a bunch of broken straw and threw her onto the burial mound at the South Mountain before her father hade back from hunting. By the time her father went there to retrieve her corpse, her dead body had already been torn into pieces by wild dogs and even her face had been gnawed in half. It was truly a horrifying sight.


    After more time passed, her father and Uncle Zhao had gone up into the mountain and he had gotten savaged by a bear. Because Madam Zhang only cared about money, they missed the most optimal opportunity to treat him and his wound became infected and he died. Her older brother, Yu Hang, had been beaten to death by Shopkeeper Zhang in one of his drunken frenzies but had been posthumously used of being a thief. Finally, the money that was given to them inpensation had been confiscated by Madam Zhang.


    Madam Liu and her remaining son and daughter had been driven out of the Yu Family¡¯s home and lived in the broken old residence. Without undergoing renovations, the old house leaked and let in the cold wind from everywhere. Madam Liu¡¯s originally weak body could onlyst another two years before she finally passed away. Even in death she still wasn¡¯t at ease about her remaining two children and had died with her eyes still open.


    Xiaolian and her youngest brother also didn¡¯t escape their fate of early death. In the span of a few years, a family of six hadpletely died out. Even a single descendent wasn¡¯t left over. Perhaps, the dream that her younger brother had was what had happened in a different timeline.


    In this lifetime, she had transmigrated over and brought along the little divine stone, her golden finger. They hadpletely transformed the destiny of this family. Not only did Yu Xiaocao live past that ident, but the mystic-stone water had also transformed the family¡¯s bodies and saved the head of the house, Yu Hai¡¯s, life. It kept Yu Hang alive after being beaten to a pulp and even made her younger brother have a highly retentive memory...


    All of her sesses couldn¡¯t be separated from the little divine stone¡¯s help. With the little divine stone, even if she was able to grow and nt corn sessfully, it wouldn¡¯t necessarily be a high-yielding crop. In fact, in history, when corn first came over, the yield from the crop was only around two to three hundred catties per mu. Without the high-yielding corn, she wouldn¡¯t be able to get the attention of Zhu Junyang and wouldn¡¯t be able to be linked with him in marriage.


    Without the little divine stone, the high-yielding wheat, the greenhouse grown fruits and vegetables, the extremely effective pills, the obviously effective cosmetics and skincare, the healing medicinal wines...all of these wouldn¡¯t be able to be a reality. In the end, she could only be considered a little farmer girl who knew how to make braised food. How could she possibly be fit in terms of status to the noble and mighty Royal Prince Yang?


    Thus, the little divine stone had already permeated into all of her life and every business required it. She was unable to imagine what her life would be like if she didn¡¯t have the little divine stone.


    Naturally, she would have never expected that the time when it was going to leave her was going toe so soon. However, this was also good! People couldn¡¯t rely on luck for the rest of their lives. What was fated toe woulde to them in the end! Since she couldn¡¯t change this, then she should just ept it.


    [Are you that eager for this divine stone to leave ah?] The little divine stone¡¯s voice was quite upset. It thought that its master really wouldn¡¯t want to part with it. After all, it had helped her with so many things. However, it had identally recognized a pitiless master, wah wah wah...


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed the multicolored stone on her wrist and smiled bitterly, ¡°You know I don¡¯t want you to leave me. Don¡¯t tell me that you can¡¯t read my mind. Does it matter though? If I beg and plead, would you really not go? I¡¯m incredibly grateful for yourpany and help all of these years. Just as parents are reluctant to let their children go, in the end, their children need to fly off on their own and find their own skies. Even if I beg you to stay, if you are unhappy by this, I will feel very guilty. The other dimension is your true home and ce where you need to be. I can¡¯t be too selfish.¡±


    The little divine stone became silent for a long time after hearing her true thoughts before it finally replied, [In actuality, you can be a bit selfish ah. As long as you ask, then I will stay!]


    ¡°Really?¡± A look of pure happiness crossed her face but she very quickly became calm again, ¡°No, you need to go back ah! Goddess Nuwa is waiting for you and cares about you. The Goddess of Spirits had worked very hard in order to find a way to polish your will and endurance. All of your good friends are waiting for you there...¡±


    [So annoying! This divine stone had originally decided to stay behind and keep youpany, yet you insist on saying these words to me. I¡¯m so conflicted, what should I do?] The little divine stone had some feelings towards this small and weak master. Although this type of feeling was a bit hazy, it always seemed to feel a bit reluctant whenever it thought about leaving.


    Perhaps this was what the Goddess of Spirits was trying to teach it before. Only when one understood ¡®emotions and feelings¡¯ could one truly achieve true enlightenment. In the secr word, ¡®emotions and feelings¡¯ epassed tens of thousands of ideas. There was affection, friendly feelings, romantic feelings, homesickness, kindness, empathy...it had already reached the threshold of understanding ¡®emotions and feelings¡¯. If it left now, wouldn¡¯t that ruin everything?


    However, it really wanted to see Goddess Nuwa and tell her that it had missed her a lot. It also wanted to tell her that it wouldn¡¯t cause trouble for her anymore and tell her stories of everything it encountered in the mundane world...


    The little divine stone transformed into a beam of golden light and shot into the sky, disappearing in the vastness above. Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t hold back her tears anymore and they fell to the ground like raindrops.


    Many of themoners in Jinling had seen a golden light appear in the area around the experimental rice paddies. Following that, news about the increased yields of rice had spread around. Some of them spread rumors that the God of Farming had descended to bless themoners of Jiangnan.


    The little divine stone had been gone for almost a dozen days and Yu Xiaocao had been depressed ever since it had left. Zhu Junyang had sensed the difference in her mood and asked her to find out what was going on.


    Yu Xiaocao showed her empty left wrist to him. Zhu Junyang seized the opportunity to stroke her little hand and rub her arms before he asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Does your wrist feel sore? Should this prince give you a massage? How about we go see a doctor? Doctor Zhen in Jinling¡¯s Tongren Medicine Hall is said to be quite good...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. Look, aren¡¯t I missing something?¡± Yu Xiaocao felt her eyes grow hot after thinking about the little divine stone again and buried her face into her husband¡¯s broad and sturdy chest.


    Only now did Zhu Junyang discover that the multicolored stone, which had previously been inseparable from her, was no longer to be seen. He hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? The stone is gone? Do you remember where you lost it? Did it get lost in the mountains in the southwest? Don¡¯t be said, this prince will send some people there and find it for you...¡±


    ¡°No one will be able to find it! It returned back to its own world!¡± Yu Xiaocao sniffed and used the clothes on her husband to wipe her tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled against him, seekingfort.


    Zhu Junyang now remembered that all of the odd things that urred around her were all rted to that little stone. However, now that it was gone, it was gone. He no longer had to worry all the time that her unusual abilities would be discovered by other people and cause cmity for her. He could protect her against most people but what if the person above him found out? That would be more tricky to handle.


    ¡°If it¡¯s gone, then it¡¯s gone! Don¡¯t you still have this prince ah?¡± Zhu Junyang lowered his head and gently nted a kiss on her head before sweetly patting her back. It was as if he was trying tofort an injured little kitten.


    ¡°Will you always be by my side? Even if my businesses stop and fall to the ground and I only be an ordinary little girl? You will still stay by me, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao used her red eyes to look at Zhu Junyang as she emotionally said.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment as he nodded his head, ¡°I will! As long as you are you, I will always be yours. If you don¡¯t leave me, I won¡¯t abandon you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± Yu Xiaocao quietly hugged her man¡¯s waist and resembled a helpless child, ¡°When we get back to the capital, the first thing I need to do is apologize to the emperor and leave my court position. All of the businesses in the capital also need to be organized around. The ones that need to be stopped should be stopped earlier rather thanter...Husband, in the future, I will have to rely on you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it right and proper for me to keep my wife safe and sound? This prince has long thought that all of your businesses and ventures have used too much of your time. A tinydy like you has a jammed packed schedule every day. In the past, you¡¯ve ignored me too much. Now is the time to get that all back!¡± Zhu Junyang lowered his head to give his wife a deep kiss...

 Chapter 703 - Lure the Tiger Away

    <h4>Chapter 703 - Lure the Tiger Away</h4>


    Zhu Junyang thought that he shouldn¡¯t allow the littless to dwell too long on these things. They needed to find something else to preupy her; thus, he began to do something...


    ¡°You, it¡¯s bright daylight now yet you...¡± Yu Xiaocao raised her eyes to look into his and understood what he wanted to do. Her face immediately turned bright red.


    The two of them were quite harmonious in this aspect. Xiaocao didn¡¯t have an ancient person¡¯s thoughts on this manner and wouldn¡¯t act like a block of wood on the bed sheets like some women. She would react ordingly to the other¡¯s movements and gain pleasure from their coupling.


    Zhu Junyang also wasn¡¯t someone who was solely preupied with his own pleasure. On the contrary, when his wife let out sounds of enjoyment and had an ecstatic expression on her face, it made him even more excited and aroused. In addition, his wife had exquisite smooth skin,rge eyes that became bright with emotion, a little face that blushed easily, and an alluring voice...all of these stirred up primitive feelings inside of him.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Xiaocao was too busy most of the time and the fact that an irksome fellow hade along with them, Zhu Junyang really would have liked to trap his wife on the bed day in and day out, so they could ¡®battle¡¯ each other for three hundred times.


    The two of them mutually enjoyed a flipping of the sheets together. At the end, Xiaocaoy on her husband¡¯s slightly sweaty chest in azy manner as if she didn¡¯t want to move one iota. Her man had too much stamina and sometimes made her feel quite tired despite all of the enjoyment.


    ¡°Once the autumn harvest is finished, let¡¯s go back to the capital ah?¡± From the end of the third month until now, it had already been half a year since they left their home. For the past half year, they only spent a third of the time in the experimental fields at Jinling. The remaining of the time was expended on travelling around and buying jadeite mines in the southwest border.


    When the topic of the conversation came up to the mines they bought, Xiaocao once again couldn¡¯t help but rub at her empty left wrist. The little divine stone had been gone for a dozen days. Although the stone spent the vast majority of its time cultivating within the multi-colored stone, once it left, it was a bit hard to get used to it.


    Zhu Junyang felt his wife¡¯s movements and knew that she was thinking of the little divine stone again. When that stupid stone had left, thess had frankly told him about the golden finger she had relied upon. In his opinion, the littless relied too much on the mystic-stone water and had no confidence in herself.


    Even without the mystic-stone water, the food she made was unique and delicious. The pastries she made were creative and sweet and the cosmetics and skin care items she crafted would also be beneficial to a person¡¯s skin. The medicinal pills she crafted would still be more effective than other people¡¯s and her methods for brewing alcohol could still make sweet and tasty alcohol...


    However, he also understood that after bing ustomed to something, it took a long time to forget it. In order to not let his wife continue to feel sad, he still needed to distract her and make her so busy that she didn¡¯t have the time to think of anything else!


    ¡°You...didn¡¯t you just finish ah? How could you...¡± Yu Xiaocao discovered that a certain body part of his had begun changing again. Sure enough, her attention was taken up again.


    Zhu Junyang grinned wolfishly, ¡°As a strong man, how could once be enough for me? This prince will let you experience what is called ¡®seven times in one night¡¯...¡±


    ¡°Stop boasting so much! Be careful that you don¡¯t lose so much energy that you end up dying from it!¡± Xiaocao had just made a critical mistake¡ª¡ªdoubting her man¡¯s ability and energy in that area. The results were obvious.


    Like a piece of salted fish, Xiaocaoy limply on the bed after being tossed and turned around. Her limbs felt soft and her waist hurt. She groaned in pleasure as her husband massaged herfortably. This shameless fellow had tormented her from the afternoon untilte at night. No matter how much she begged, this fellow didn¡¯t let her go. He even said, ¡°I¡¯ll do the parts that require strength, you can just lie there and enjoy the moment.¡±


    What crock! It was still tiring to spend half of her time lying on her back, let alone having a certain fellow incessantly pulling her around to do gymnastics together. Argh! Her old back...didn¡¯t they say that the man got the most tired from these antics ah? Howe the main offender was still as lively as a dragon and as energetic as a tiger?


    Rumble¡ª¡ªXiaocao¡¯s stomach issued a loud noise in protest.


    Zhu Junyang lightly chuckled and asked, ¡°Are you hungry? The evening meal is already ready, I¡¯ll have the maidservants bring it in...¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have the face to see anyone. I¡¯m so embarrassed now...I don¡¯t want to eat dinner, who cares if I starve to death?¡± Yu Xiaocao whimpered and turned around, showing her back to him and refusing to acknowledge him.


    Zhu Junyang patiently said, as if he was trying to console a child, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see anyone, then this prince will go out and bring the evening meal in. After using up all that energy, don¡¯t you need to replenish yourself? You¡¯re not allowed to say ¡®who cares if I die¡¯ anymore. If you say it again, this prince will have to p your bum bum!¡±


    ¡°You dare! Domestic violence! You actually want tomit domestic violence against me! Didn¡¯t you say that you would take care of me for the rest of my life ah? We¡¯ve only been married for half a year yet you¡¯ve already shown your true colors. Heavens and earth ah¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao theatrically eximed.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. He carried his wife into the washing room and helped wash herself clean before personally dressing her in a set of lounging attire. Then he carried her back to the outer room and set her down next to the table made of fragrant rosewood.


    Wutong held the serving tray full of food that was given to her by the younger maidservants and was just about to push the door to enter when the prince stopped her at the threshold. He took the food from her and then closed the door in her face. Xiaocao acted like a dead fish andy on the table, showing him the back of her head.


    ¡°Your Highness, this lowly one will serve you your meal!¡± Zhu Junyang took out several kinds of strengthening porridges, soups and stews and ced them on the table. These had all been ordered by him for the kitchen to make.


    When the smell of the food hit her nostrils, Xiaocao¡¯s stomach¡¯s rumblings became even more apparent. She turned her head around and saw the table full of strengthening and revitalizing foods. Her face turned bright red and she awkwardly turned around again, lying down on the table, pretending to be dead.


    ¡°Your Highness, please partake in the meal. Open your mouth, ahhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Zhu Junyang held a bowl of bird¡¯s nest soup and crouched in front of his wife as he offered a spoonful of soup to her mouth.


    ¡°Today I¡¯ve been so embarrassed that I don¡¯t even want to raise my head. It¡¯s all your fault!¡± Yu Xiaocao continued to grumble and twisted her head away from the spoon. She refused the temptation of delicious food. She couldn¡¯t let that scoundrel off too easily!


    Zhu Junyang sidled over to the other side and continued to squat down with the spoon in his head. He good naturedly said, ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s all this prince¡¯s fault. Next time, I won¡¯t torment you for this long, is that alright? Alright ah, don¡¯t be angry! If you want to be angry, you can be angry after you finish eating. That way you¡¯ll have the strength to fight!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re not allowed to be like this next time!¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s stomach was very hungry, so she decided not to quarrel anymore. Once she was full, she could begin to argue again. She finally ¡®graciously¡¯ opened her mouth and allowed her man to feed her one spoonful at a time. A bowl of bird¡¯s nest soup was only enough to stave off her gaping hunger a bit, so she ate some shrimp dumplings, shumai, and lotus root soup before she was finally satisfied.


    When he saw his wife eating deliciously, Zhu Junyang felt his appetite rise. The two of them devoured the entire table full of food and cleaned it offpletely. When Wutong and Chunhua came in to clean up the remains, they looked at the pile of empty tes and bowls with amazement. However, the two of them knew that their mistress got easily embarrassed and didn¡¯t reveal a single expression as they retreated out. Only once the two of thempletely exited the room did the two of them look at each other andugh.


    The next morning, Su Ran and Zhu Junyang left to help Governor Fan as he had asked the two of them to help him with a case. For over a month, Jinling had encountered a host of bandits who especially targeted the rich. Not only did they steal their valuables but they also exterminated entire families and their methods were extremely cruel. The yamen had once fought head on against these bandits and discovered that the enemy was extremely powerful. The yamen ended up having disastrous casualties while the enemy left without any issue. They even left a parting insult, ¡®The authorities are all rubbish¡¯.


    Governor Fan had sent out officers and men and Jinling Prefecture¡¯s yamen had put out a warrant for arrest. Despite their preparations, they still ended up returning with their tails between their legs in defeat. Helpless, Lord Fan could only think of the two experts living in Jinling right now and asked them toe. At this time, three families had been exterminated around Jinling and over twenty officers had lost their lives. The casualties naturally were much higher.


    When Zhu Junyang heard this, he was quite surprised and eager to investigate. He just wanted to see just who was this unbridled to do such cruel things under his own nose! Before he left, he especially warned Xiaocao several times that Jinling wasn¡¯t very peaceful recently. She was not allowed to leave the safe area without permission before he came back.


    This group of people was quite cunning too. They seemed to know that the authorities had gone out to find some rescuers and didn¡¯t appear for several days in a row. When Zhu Junyang and Su Ran slightly rxed, another ident appeared in the suburbs of Jinling. By the time Zhu Junyang hurried over, the only thing left of that family¡¯s residence was a bunch of ash.


    All in all, the whole family had eighteen people and even the servants and maidservants weren¡¯t spared. Out of the ruins, they took out forty-two badly burned corpses. The stink was so bad that even people over five kilometers away could smell. it. Zhu Junyang gripped his hands into tight fists and believed that this group of criminals did it deliberately!


    ¡°Your Highness, do you think that this group of people is targeting you deliberately...¡± Su Ran¡¯s handsome face had a solemn look on it.


    ¡°Not good!!¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart. He leapt onto his horse and sped towards the opposite direction of Jinling towards a different courtyard like a madman.


    This family¡¯s residence waspletely opposite of where he wanted to go. He needed to pass through the entire city before he could get where he needed to go. Furthermore, this group of people made it very obvious that they had struck this area, as if they wanted to deliberately bring their attention there. In addition, they had held back their attacks for several days, allowing them to rx their vignce. By choosing to strike today at this family, they definitely had a different motive.


    Zhu Junyang was a superb equestrian but he was helpless as the horse he was riding wasn¡¯t as spirited and intelligent as Fierce Wind. Furthermore, there were lots of peopleing and going in the streets of Jinling, so he couldn¡¯t gallop at top speed. Worries gnawed at his heart. He was certain that this group of people had deliberately lured him and Chief Steward Su away. Their target was definitely the residence where they had been living at...


    Ever since they had the water battle on the journey there, he had ordered a dozen highly skilled bodyguards from their residence over to guard their guest house. These people were the best of the best. As long as Xiaocao didn¡¯t leave the safety of the courtyard, that group of criminals wouldn¡¯t find it easy to attack her. He was just afraid...


    Behind was the sound of frantic horse hooves. He didn¡¯t need to turn his head around to know that it was Su Ran, who was also extremely worried about Xiaocao. Zhu Junyang could only pray to the heavens now¡ª¡ªXiaocao must have listened to him and remembered his words, staying obediently within the courtyard!


    ¡°Get out of the way! Get out of the way!!¡± The hapless pedestrians on the roads all scuttled away. There was a peddler, carrying his goods, who didn¡¯t have enough time to back away. He could only throw his stuff away to preserve his life.


    ¡°Who is that ah? Racing horses on the official streets, are the authorities not going to take charge of this?¡± When the horses galloped away, the pedestrians were all covered in dust and couldn¡¯t help butin a bit.

 Chapter 704 - Conspiracy

    <h4>Chapter 704 - Conspiracy</h4>


    ¡°Shhh¡ª¡ªdon¡¯t be so loud! Didn¡¯t you see that thest horse in the group was being ridden by the governor himself? The two people in front of him should be the noble individuals living in the guest residence. Perhaps one of them is even the great imperial envoy!¡± A young fellow whose aunt¡¯s third nephew had a job at the neighborhood yamen spoke up in a quiet voice.


    ¡°The great imperial envoy can¡¯t recklessly hurt people. How could it be okay if the horses rushing by trampled people?¡± The person who spoke up was a schr dressed in appropriate attire.


    The person with the rtive at the yamen continued, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s rted to the recent spree of crimes. I heard that in the northwestern suburbs another family had been extinguished and it was a very bloody sight. These horrible criminals are too cruel. Stealing valuables is one thing but why do they need to kill off an entire family?¡±


    ¡°Is the governor riding fast through the marketce rted to that group of criminals?¡± Another passerby believed this was the truth.


    No oneined anymore. Recently, all of the families that had a bit of wealth had been trembling with fear as they were afraid that they might be the next unlucky target. The earlier this band of criminals got caught, the earlier the people of Jinling could go back to their regr business and not be on tenterhooks.


    The highly anxious Zhu Junyang felt like an eternity had passed before they arrived at the guest residence. He leapt off the speeding horse and pelted towards the gatehouse. He picked up the gatekeeper with both hands by the other man¡¯s clothes and hurriedly asked, ¡°Did the princess consort go out today?¡±


    The gatekeeper was startled. After recognizing the person in front of him, he stammered, ¡°Your Highness, the princess consort had been called out by one of the people from the experimental fields about half an hour before you got here...¡±


    ¡°What? She was called out by someone?!¡± Su Ran¡¯s face turned icy cold and he gripped his hands so hard that they made crackling noises, scaring the people around him.


    ¡°Please calm down, my lords! Perhaps the great imperial envoy had truly been called over by Official Wu?¡± The gatekeeper wiped his forehead full of sweat as he silently prayed, ¡®Please, let the princess consort be perfectly safe and sound ah!¡¯


    ¡°Ming Xin, Ming Gui!¡± Zhu Junyang entered the residence and called towards a dark corner. A figure clothed entirely in ck immediately answered and the prince asked, ¡°Tell me, what exactly happened earlier?¡±


    ¡°Master, after you left, a small official under Official Wu hurried over, saying that the experimental fields were ame and over a hundred fields were burning. When the princess consort heard this, she immediately changed clothing and left. Apanying her were her two maidservants and the four special bodyguards. Ming Gui was also worried so he followed along...¡± Ming Xin knelt on the ground and concisely went over everything that had happened that day for his master.


    ¡°Go! We¡¯re going to the fields!!¡± An ominous premonition settled into Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart. If the experimental rice fields in Jinling had truly caught on fire, then there¡¯d be smoke everywhere, billowing into the city. Currently, things were going on in the city like usual and not a single person was gossiping about the experimental fields burning up. What did this mean? This was a trap; it was a conspiracy that targeted his princess consort!


    The group of people rushed over on horseback to the fields. Official Wu was currently leading the tenant farmers in harvesting the ripe rice. When he saw Imperial Prince Xu and the governor arrive, he went over to greet them and asked out of confusion, ¡°Imperial Highness, why did youe over alone? Where¡¯s the great imperial envoy?¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart fell and he grabbed him to ask, ¡°Where¡¯s that assistant of yours that helps you record the field data?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Little Zhang ah? His mother got sick, so he asked for a day off to take her to Tongren Medicine Hall to get treated. What¡¯s wrong? Are you looking for him?¡± Official Wu sensed that something was off about Imperial Prince Xu, so he stopped smiling and replied in a serious manner.


    The look on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face was so gloomy that it looked like a thunderstorm would start anytime. Either this Little Zhang had a problem or someone had impersonated him. They hadn¡¯t seen any sign of Xiaocao or her servants on the way there, so the situation wasn¡¯t optimistic anymore.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, thatss Xiaocao is blessed by the heavens and nothing should have happened to her.¡± Su Ran was also very worried but he patted the other man¡¯s shoulder in an attempt to console him, ¡°Thatss has always treated others with kindness and doesn¡¯t have any real enemies. It¡¯s likely that the group took her away for one motive¡ª¡ªto control the two of us. No news is good news, so thatss should still be safe right now.¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s phoenix eyes were full of fury as he growled out angrily, ¡°It must be the evil remnants of the past dynasty again! They keep popping up like a bunch of cockroaches!! Let¡¯s go, we need to investigate the road between the residence and the fields to see if there are any clues to be found.¡±


    The two of them took the group back and they carefully investigated the roads. As expected, not far from the side of the road, they found a yellow jadeite bead that came off of Xiaocao¡¯s bracelet hidden in dried up leaves. If they hadn¡¯t been searching carefully, it would have been very easy to miss it.


    ¡°Judging by the tracks here, it looks like the enemy has a lot of people. Fortunately, I don¡¯t see any signs of a struggle. Thatss must have sensed that something was off and stopped Chunhua from fighting. It¡¯s better that way. At least thess wouldn¡¯t get injured.¡± Su Ran inspected the clues carefully and made a very urate assessment.


    ¡°I also see wheel tracks in the forest, which means that the enemy used carts to bring the people away. With so many people as well as horses and carts, they must have left some signs along the way. If we follow the wheel tracks along, we should be able to find them.¡± Su Ran looked at Zhu Junyang, asking him for his opinion on the matter.


    Zhu Junyang inhaled deeply, forcing himself to calm down before finally voiced his opinion, ¡°The fact that we could think of this means that the enemy probably has to. Let¡¯s first follow these traces and look around a bit.¡±


    Since there were no signs of a struggle, that meant Ming Gui hadn¡¯t shown himself yet. The littless was still safe for the moment. However, it also meant that the enemy had a lot of experts, so Ming Gui didn¡¯t dare to confront them even though he was amander of the hidden guards.


    Hou Xiaoliang had been with his master this entire time and right now his heart was full of worries too. After a great amount of effort, he had finally obtained Wutong¡¯s consent for marriage. They were nning on organizing their wedding once they and their masters got back to the capital. Now, they had encountered such a bad situation.


    In order to lure the imperial prince, the criminals wouldn¡¯t dare to harm the princess consort, but that didn¡¯t mean that they wouldn¡¯t harm the people underneath her. If they wanted to intimidate her, it was very likely they would use one of her servants as an example. Couldn¡¯t Wutong be an unlucky victim then? When he thought of this, sweat poured down Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s body.


    Around twenty-five kilometers away from Jinling, the wagon wheel tracks disappeared. An extremely ordinary horse cart had been abandoned at the side of the road. The road in front of them had split into three forks and they didn¡¯t know which one the criminals went down.


    ¡°If thatss Xiaocao had been lucid the entire time, she likely would leave another clue for us.¡± Su Ran thought of that yellow jadeite bead and proposed the idea that the group split into three to search alongside the forks. If they weren¡¯t able to find anything, they would regroup at the start of the fork and then look for another ce to search.


    Using his intuition, Zhu Junyang chose the left fork and brought Hou Xiaoliang along. Su Ran went down the middle and Governor Fan chose the rightmost fork.


    Zhu Junyangmanded his horse to trot down the road as he opened his eyes wide as he sharply looked through the greenery at the sides of the road. Before long, he discovered another yellow jadeite bead on the ground.


    ¡°They went down this road! We need to hurry!!¡± Zhu Junyang spurred his horse faster. Hou Xiaoliang did his best to keep up and the two of them sped down the meandering trail on horseback.


    Whenever they reached a fork in the trail, they would soon discover a little bead, telling them the right path to take. Whenever he saw a yellow jadeite bead appear, Zhu Junyang felt his heart rx a bit more¡ª¡ªat least, the littless had been aware this entire time. As long as she was fine, everything was good! Before long, the other two people who were on the search mission caught up with them and the four of them worked together to follow the clues that Xiaocao left behind for them.


    ¡°This group of criminals is very cunning!¡± After running around, Zhu Junyang discovered that the criminals went back to Jinling City. As expected, the criminals were following the saying: ¡®the most dangerous ce is the safest ce¡¯!


    ¡°We¡¯ll be entering the city soon and there are a lot of people going to and fro. This makes it harder for us to find any clues.¡± Su Ran muttered. He frowned deeply and his well-defined eyebrows furrowed as he stared at themoners and peddlers heading about their day.


    ¡°Your Highness, the criminals have a lot of people and it must have been obvious when they entered the city. This subordinate will go to the gate guards and ask if they saw arge group of people and horses entering in this morning.¡± Governor Fan sped his fists together in a salute before he left. He arrived at the gate and found a few officials there. He asked them if they had seen any suspicious groups of people go through the gate that morning.


    After getting all of the information, Lord Fan came back to report to Imperial Prince Xu, ¡°Your Highness, this subordinate believes that there are three groups of people who went through today that are suspicious. One of them is the Chen Family¡¯s merchant caravan who just got back, another one is the Wang Family¡¯s string of carts that had traveled to Suzhou and Hangzhou to buy and sell silk, and thest is the ¡®Formidable Goods Couriers¡¯. These three groups all had a lot of people and horses and they all had many experts traveling with them. What do you think...¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang interrupted, ¡°Is it possible that the group of criminals split up outside the city before going in smaller groups?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely!¡± Su Ran replied with conviction, ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have known when their pursuers woulde after them. They have a lot of people and splitting them up takes time. It¡¯s easier and faster for them to disguise themselves as a merchant caravan or armed couriers.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll start with these three groups of people ah!¡± A red glow faintly shed through Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes. If thess had encountered something bad, he would make Jinling run with blood! Since this old bag of bones of his wasn¡¯t able to protect her in this lifetime, then he would turn into a monster and clean up everything in this mortal world! If she wasn¡¯t alive, then it was the same as throwing him into the depths of hell! Without her, he would transform this world into a purgatory to act as a living burial for her.


    The three people next to him all felt the abrupt, violent change in his aura. Su Ran was the least affected out of the three and hurriedly interjected, ¡°Imperial Prince Xu, please calm down for a moment! Thatss Xiaocao is still waiting for you to rescue her ah!¡±


    Dear gods ah! If this crazy fellow lost control of himself now, he wasn¡¯t his opponent anymore, especially when Imperial Prince Xu transformed into his insane final boss form! He wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the guy back ah! Fortunately, when he mentioned thess Xiaocao, the aura around the prince decreased significantly but he still looked quite imposing and scary.


    Hou Xiaoliang forcefully swallowed down some saliva as he said in a quiet voice, ¡°Master, do you think the mistress might have left some clues for us in the city?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say! There are many people in the city, so it¡¯s likely that anything she leaves behind might be picked up by a child. Furthermore, the criminals would be even more cautious after entering the city and wouldn¡¯t give her the opportunity to do something.¡± Su Ran sighed.


    Lord Fan cupped his hands together in obeisance and said, ¡°Your Highness, this subordinate will send some people out. Even if we get some information, we still need to investigate the giant crime scene outside the city. What do you...¡±

 Chapter 705 - Meticulous

    <h4>Chapter 705 - Meticulous</h4>


    ¡°Go ah!¡± Although Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t have much hope for the local authorities in making much headway on the case, it was still important for them to do what they needed to do.


    ¡°Master, out of these three groups of people, which one of them is the most suspicious ah?¡± Hou Xiaoliang was very confident in his master¡¯s abilities. He had wracked his own brains and couldn¡¯te up with anything, so he could only look pleadingly at the imperial prince.


    Zhu Junyang frowned. He seemed to be half replying to his question while also muttering to himself, ¡°The armed goods courier group can be eliminated from the list...¡±


    ¡°Why? That group of criminals are very skilled. If they disguise themselves aspetent armed goods couriers, wouldn¡¯t that be a good cover?¡± Hou Xiaoliang was actually more suspicious of that group of people.


    Su Ran nced at him and scornfully said, ¡°You¡¯re an idiot ah!! Didn¡¯t you hear that ¡®Formidable Goods Courier¡¯ had juste back from a job ah? Since their wagons and carts were empty, where would they possibly hide thatss Xiaocao and her two maidservants? Furthermore, if three weak women suddenly appeared within the ranks of the armed goods couriers, wouldn¡¯t that tell everyone that there was something fishy going on? That being said, when the governor asked the gate guards earlier, they said that the armed goods couriers only hadrge and brawny men within their ranks. What do you think the princess consort would like if she was dressed in men¡¯s attire?¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang thought his mistress¡¯s slender and delicate figure, uh...if she was clothed in men¡¯s clothing, as long as one wasn¡¯t blind, one would be able to spot her in a moment. As expected, his brains,pared to his master¡¯s and Chief Steward Su¡¯s, were no match for theirs.


    It looked like the other two groups were more suspicious. Although no one had seen any sign of the women in the other two groups, they hade back with carts filled with goods. It wasn¡¯t entirely impossible to hide three people in the mountain of stuff they brought back...


    Just as the three of them were discussing which family to investigate first, Xiaocao and her two servants had been dug out of a pile of silk bolts and had been carried into the hidden room like a bunch of baggage. Following that, they had been thrown to the ground like garbage and they were now lying next to the feet of an old and weakly handsome looking man.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Yu Xiaocao secretly rejoiced that her shoulder had hit the ground first and not her head. Otherwise, it was likely that her nose would be broken now.


    ¡°Mistress, are you okay ah?¡± Wutong heavily resisted the paining off her hands. After getting used to the dimness in the room, she wriggled mightily towards Xiaocao.


    Why was she wriggling? That was because her arms and legs had been tied up, making her resemble a bundled up rice dumpling.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! How could you treat Her Highness, the Great Imperial Envoy, in such a crude manner? Go receive your punishments now!¡± The owner of the shrill yet gentle voice was a man of an indeterminate age with white hair. Although his white hair made him seem old, it didn¡¯t match with the rest of his appearance. His face only looked to be around forty years old as he only had some fine wrinkles around the corners of his eyes.


    A somewhat sickly handsome young manmanded the ck-clothed experts within the room, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you guys releasing the Clerk of the Capital of the Grain?¡±


    The ck-clothed men didn¡¯t move and they turned their heads to the white-haired eunuch. A bit of helplessness shed through the sickly man¡¯s eyes and he smiled faintly at the white-haired eunuch, ¡°Eunuch Yuan, this official is talented and once the throne is retaken, we need people with talent serving us.¡±


    Dissatisfaction flickered through Eunuch Yuan¡¯s eyes. The other man was merely an invalid and a useless one to boot! If he didn¡¯t have the blood of the previous dynasty flowing through his veins and didn¡¯t have some use, he would have killed the man instantly!


    Was this guy¡¯s head full of stinky dung? Who was the person in front of them? She was one of the pirs of the Great Ming Dynasty¡ª¡ªImperial Prince Xu¡¯s princess consort. After their ns seeded, they absolutely couldn¡¯t keep Imperial Prince Xu alive. If they ughtered her husband, did they really expect her to go along with them? He was truly too naive!


    However, this wasn¡¯t the time to broadcast his ambitions to the world. Eunuch Yuan shrilly shouted at the ck-clothed men, ¡°Are you all dead ah? Why aren¡¯t you loosening the bonds on the great imperial envoy?¡±


    After finally getting her limbs liberated, Xiaocao rubbed her shoulder. Luckily, she wasn¡¯t hurt down to her bones. However, she couldn¡¯t escape from having a nice bruise form there.


    ¡°Young Miss, are you okay ah?¡± Wutong identally used her previous form of address for her in her anxiety. Chunhua moved into a guarded position and stood in front of the two of them.


    Yu Xiaocao noticed that Wutong was holding her left arm and had a face full of worry. She rushed over to look at the maid¡¯s arm. She found out that it was only dislocated and maneuvered it back in with a practiced motion.


    When Eunuch Yuan saw this, he raised a white eyebrow and smiled, ¡°I almost forgot that the great imperial envoy is skilled at diagnosing and treating people. Everyone says that those skilled in medicine are also skilled in poison. In order to preserve my and my master¡¯s safety, we will have to carefully search the great imperial envoy¡¯s body. Please forgive us, your excellency!¡±


    Eunuch Yuan didn¡¯t deliberately ¡®embarrass¡¯ her and had a woman clothed in ck search her from head to toe. Even the snack pouch at her waist had been searched through. This little activity truly did turn up a few interesting things.


    Eunuch Yuan casually picked up a small bottle and read thebel, ¡°High-level wound balm¡ª¡ªhm? There¡¯s even a high-level wound balm? Ah, I know now. It¡¯s the legendary wound balm that¡¯s not sold to outsiders and it¡¯s a holy medicine that¡¯s only given to the people around you. Nine Turns Golden Elixir? Heals internal injuries and is even more effective than Medicine King Valley¡¯s recovery pill. Was that brat Su Ran dragged back from the King of Hell after taking this pill?¡±


    Eunuch Yuan narrowed his eyes. It looked like they really did need to leave this particr official alive. It wasn¡¯t because she had skills in nting and raising crops but because she could make these medicines.


    ¡°I heard that you were preparing to concoct a life-elongating ¡®prolonging life pill¡¯, is that right?¡± Eunuch Yuan arrived in front of Xiaocao and looked at her with great interest. His cold eyes seemed to be slithering around her like a disgusting snake and Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but feel goosebumps rise on her arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xiaocao had always thought that people with something missing were never truly right in the head. Naturally, her Sir Su was an exception to the rule. Thus, she didn¡¯t believe that being confrontational with Eunuch Yuan was the right choice. Before her husband found them, she needed to keep herself very safe, so she replied in a very obliging manner.


    Eunuch Yuan asked with great interest, ¡°When do you n on concocting this? How long will it take? How much life can one pill give?¡±


    ¡°The efficacy of the prolonging-life pill naturally depends on the rarity and value of the ingredients used. For example, if you use some ordinary ginseng and reishi mushroompared to using hundred year old or even thousand year old variants, there would naturally be a big difference between the two. The more inferior types can only prolong life by about three to five years. The better types can give a person one to two more decades without any issues!¡± Yu Xiaocao threw out a bait. She needed to preserve her safety first before making other ns.


    Eunuch Yuan¡¯s eyes lit up. He only looked to be around forty but his head full of white hair revealed his true age. He was one of the great experts of the previous dynasty and was even older than the emperor emeritus. He was getting close to eighty.


    In this era, he was already considered quite long-lived. After all, those who practiced martial arts kept their bodies in tip-top form. However, time eroded all things, including the body. Eunuch Yuan was well aware of this reality.


    He was wildly ambitious and desperately wanted to recover the previous dynasty so that he could be the power behind a puppet emperor. Unfortunately, time was not on his side...if he could extend his life by another twenty years, he would be able to reach his cherished goal. Eunuch Yuan¡¯s heart became more excited at this prospect.


    ¡°If all of the ingredients are prepared for you, how long will it take for you to make?¡± Eunuch Yuan¡¯s power had flourished all these years, so he naturally ended up with quite a number of good things in his hands. Even if he couldn¡¯t take any out now, with his connections and wealth, it¡¯d be very easy for him toe up with a full set of ingredients for the prolonging-life pill.


    ¡°A total of forty-nine days!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that Eunuch Yuan¡¯s face had twisted and hurriedly added, ¡°The more precious a pill, the more time it needs to be made. Just think, one needs to purify the medicinal ingredients, make sure the ingredients are harmoniously incorporated together, shaping the pill...all of these require time. If someone told you that you can get it in three to five days, they were definitely trying to trick you!¡±


    Eunuch Yuan wasn¡¯t well-versed in making meds, so when he heard her exnation, he was mollified. He even told her to give him a list of ingredients and then had his subordinates go prepare what was needed.


    ¡°Chief Steward, a group of authorities are here. They say that they are searching for a group of criminals and need to go through our residence!¡± The door to the hidden room opened and a very ordinary looking person in nondescript clothing entered. The expressions and mannerisms of this person were not any different than those of ordinary servants in ordinary households.


    Eunuch Yuan revealed a scornful smile and replied in a gentle voice, ¡°Then allow them in to search around! We arew-abiding citizens and will cooperate fully with the authorities.¡±


    Outside the hidden room, Zhu Junyang took a group of soldiers and entered into Jinling¡¯srgest silk merchant¡¯s residence, which was owned by the Chen Family. They began to search the area from top to bottom.


    Governor Fan ordered, ¡°Everyone keep their eyes open and search carefully. You can¡¯t let a single corner off!¡±


    Chen Guang, the head of the Chen Family, was a middle-aged man in his fifties with a long beard. When his two sons got the message, they hurried over and personally escorted the authorities along to every corner and cranny of the Chen Family¡¯s residence. All of the male servants had also appeared in the outer courtyard.


    Chen Guang and his descendents all had the proper reaction to this situation. All of them were a bit anxious but none of them seemed to be hiding anything more. They resembled the other families who had gotten their homes searched. They had the right level of nervousness but nothing else.


    Other than the head of the Chen Family, Chen Guang, no one else in the family knew about the secret room in their warehouse. Furthermore, none of them had an inkling that all of the recent scary events were rted to their family. Except for a select few that were carefully chosen and trained, the rest of the servants were all clueless and in the dark.


    The people of the inner residence were also fooled! Even Chen Guang¡¯s wife of decades didn¡¯t even know that her husband was a secret supporter of the previous dynasty. This truly showed just how much he had endured and disguised himself. Thus, Zhu Junyang and Governor Fan were destined to fail here.


    ¡°If you discover any suspicious people, you need to report it immediately. Recently, make sure the guards patrol a bit more around the residence. That group of criminals only targets families who have a bit of wealth and status!¡± Governor Fan couldn¡¯t help but leave a parting warning as he took his officers out.


    The head of the Chen Family gratefully said, ¡°Thank you, Your Excellency. Thismoner will definitely have the guards patrol the area. If anything happens, we will immediately report it to the authorities!¡±


    ¡°Master, this is thest family! Did we get tricked by the tracks in the beginning?¡± After searching frantically for an entire day, they still had nothing to show. Hou Xiaoliang had be quite fretful.

 Chapter 706 - Seriously Injured

    <h4>Chapter 706 - Seriously Injured</h4>


    Zhu Junyang turned around to look at the patriarch of the Chen Family, who was standing at the threshold, smiling. He sneered and said, ¡°Even the most well thought out ns will have their holes. We only didn¡¯t find what¡¯s wrong here!¡±


    Zhu Junyang was willing to bet everything he owned that there was something off about the Chen Family¡¯s patriarch. With his ability to read people¡¯s minds, he only saw a nk white space in the other man¡¯s head. This man either had a natural gift or had been carefully trained by someone else. Ordinary people would always have something appear in their heads when they were talking to others. Thus, it was likely that thetter was true for this man!


    Hou Xiaoliang felt his spirits lift at the sign of a breakthrough. He asked excitedly, ¡°Master, does the Chen Family really have something fishy?¡±


    ¡°The patriarch of the Chen Family is not a simple man!¡± Zhu Junyang mounted his horse in an easy movement and followed the officers as they headed down the road. He coldlymanded, ¡°Ming Xin, Ming Ding, keep an eye on them!¡¯


    ¡°Yes!¡± Two voices could be heard from the street in the area where there were the most people. immediately, a pair of beyond ordinary men disappeared into the crowd.


    The Chen Family absolutely had something going on in order to have his master say that they were ¡®not simple¡¯. Hou Xiaoliang wanted to cry with joy. They finally had a clue of where his mistress and his Wutong had gone. Wutong, just wait, this older brother will save you soon!


    However, for the next few days, the news from Ming Ding and the others only told them that nothing of note had urred at the Chen Family¡¯s residence. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that this involved his own wife, Zhu Junyang would have praised them for having nerves of steel!


    Five days had passed and they still had no leads. Hou Xiaoliang was so frantic that he was running around in circles, ¡°Master, since there¡¯s something wrong with the Chen Family, isn¡¯t it better to make a show of force and take the patriarch out? With Chief Steward Su¡¯s abilities, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be able to crack that nut!!¡±


    ¡°No! Currently, no news is good news. This means that they need something from my princess consort. Otherwise, I¡¯m sure they would have leaked something regarding her in order to make a nice trap for us to fall in!¡± Zhu Junyang frowned heavily. The only thing that hisss had that other people might covet was her medicine concocting skills. Was it possible that these people had heard the rumors that he was looking for materials to a life prolonging pill? That was also good as it meant that thess was at least safe for now.


    The thick smell of medicinal ingredients wafted around the secret underground room in the Chen Family¡¯s warehouse. Eunuch Yuan watched as the rare and valuable medicinal ingredients were ced into the medicinal stove one after another. They slowly dissolved into a thick medicinal extract that looked incredibly astounding. A strange, eerie smile appeared slowly on his pale face. The reason why it looked odd was because it looked like someone had drawn the caricature of a smile on a stiff mask as it didn¡¯t have any true emotion to it.


    Time had passed and they were getting closer and closer to the forty-nine day mark. Xiaocao and her servants had worked until their eyes turned red and all of them had be markedly thinner. They looked incredibly sallow and wane. In order to reach his goal of obtaining twenty more years, Eunuch Yuan naturally wouldn¡¯t treat them poorly.


    However, concocting pills, especially the ones from the recipes that the little divine stone had given her, was not that easy. In the past, when she made pills, she had the little divine stone next to her, helping her to control the me. Thus, Xiaocao had a much easier time. Only once it left her side did Xiaocao realize just how much she relied on it.


    This time, Xiaocao needed to do everything personally by herself, especially the most important part of controlling the heat. Even Wutong¡¯s and Chunhua¡¯s help wasn¡¯t enough to make her confident. Forty days had gone by as she worked tirelessly day and night. They could only sleep a few hours every day, so it¡¯d be more surprising if they hadn¡¯t be run down!


    When the sweet medicinal fragrance came out of the stove, Xiaocao extinguished the fire under the stove and tottered over, swaying with each step. She opened up the medicinal stove and retrieved three sparkling white pills that resembled luminescent balls of jade. The pills glittered under the wan light like jewels and their unique smell filled the entire underground room. The fatigue from working overtime for many days seemed to have dissipated as soon as the three of them smelled the pills.


    ¡°Are...are these the Prolonging Life Pills? You truly seeded in concocting them?!¡± Eunuch Yuan became gleeful and rushed over. He snatched the three pills into his hands and stared at them as if they were the most precious treasures in the world. He gazed at them carefully...


    Suddenly, he held his own throat and his eyes bugged out so much that they almost fell out of his head. He red malevolently at Xiaocao and managed to snarl out, ¡°You bitch!! You actually dare to poison me!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lightly brushed some dust off of herself as she faintly smiled, ¡°Nothing much. I just made an interesting medicine from the remnant ingredients that were lying around in my spare time.¡±


    Fortunately, in order to keep this secret, Eunuch Yuan had sent all of his subordinates out of the secret room. Other than Xiaocao and her two servants, there was no one else in the medicine concocting room. Earlier, when he had snatched the pills from her, he brushed past Xiaocao¡¯s hand and that was when she set the poison on him.


    Yu Xiaocao slowly walked over and retrieved the three Prolonging Life Pills from his hand while she looked at his furious face. She sneered and said, ¡°Eunuch Yuan, you¡¯re such an ambitious person with a disregard for other people¡¯s lives. Someone like you isn¡¯t fit to spend more time in this world. These Prolonging Life Pills should be given to more worthy people instead ah!¡±


    ¡°Pfffttt¡ª¡ª¡± Before she could finish her thought, her body flew through the air and crashed into the rock-hard wall behind her. A sickly sweet taste flooded her mouth and she expelled out blood that hade up from her chest.


    ¡°Young Miss!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness!!¡±


    Wutong and Chunhua both ran towards their mistress, who was lying on the ground like a limp rag doll. Tears streamed down their faces as they supported her up and slowly walked her over to where Eunuch Yuan was standing.


    ¡°You...¡± Yu Xiaocao felt another clot of blood reach her mouth and she did her best to endure the crushing pain in her innards, ¡°Didn¡¯t you get poisoned by my ¡®Bone and Flesh Dissolving Powder¡¯? Why...¡±


    ¡°I need to thank you ah!¡± Eunuch Yuan tossed a jade bottle in his hands and a sinister smile appeared on his lips, ¡°This high-level detoxification pill is truly out of the ordinary. It was able to immediately get rid of the effects of such a scary poison. However...Your Highness, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re as lucky as me. You have such a severe internal injury and don¡¯t have a ¡®Nine Turns Golden Elixir¡¯. What are you to do?¡±


    ¡°Young Miss, how are you feeling? Are you okay ah?¡± Wutong wept profusely. If her young miss¡¯s condition was truly as serious as that damned eunuch said, she didn¡¯t know how long she couldst without any medicine or doctor nearby. What to do? Why hadn¡¯t His Highness found them by now? Just what was that idiot Hou Xiaoliang doing?


    ¡°Achoo¡ª¡ª¡± Hou Xiaoliang rubbed his nose right after he threw a man dressed in servant¡¯s attire in front of his master. He asked, ¡°Master, are you sure this fellow has something up with him? Almost fifty days have passed and I don¡¯t know whether the mistress and Little Wutong have been tormented enough. Are they able to eat enough, sleep well, or...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!!¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly felt as if a sword had pierced through his chest. He held his chest as the expression on his face changed. Everyone said that a married couple had their hearts linked together. Did something suddenly happen to Xiaocao?


    He went forward a couple of steps and lifted up the man who looked like an ordinary servant in his hands. His blood-shot eyes stared fixedly into the servant¡¯s eyes. The servant¡¯s eyes transformed from rity to muddleness and, in the end, he couldn¡¯t take the strain and fell over in a faint.


    ¡°Wow! Master, you actually know how to hypnotize people?¡± Hou Xiaoliang eximed in surprise. A thoughtful expression also appeared on Su Ran¡¯s face after seeing this bizarre scene.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We need to head to the Chen Family¡¯s warehouse in the western part of the city!!¡± Not everyone was like the patriarch of the Chen Family and had been trained in protecting their minds. After snatching away the important information from the servant¡¯s mind, Zhu Junyang strode out quickly and mounted his horse before speeding off.


    A few dayster, when this servant woke up in the yamen¡¯s jail cell, he had already be a simpleton...


    Inside the secret underground room in the Chen Family¡¯s warehouse, Eunuch Yuan grinned evilly as he stepped closer and closer to the three women. Chunhua bravely went forward to fight but her moves were very easily countered by Eunuch Yuan. In a jiffy, Chunhua lost the encounter and had been blown away, flying through the air and falling to the ground with a heavy thud. No one knew whether she was alive or dead.


    ¡°Originally, I wanted to keep you alive as your medicinal concocting skills have some use for me. At my side, you could watch as I climbed onto the highest throne. At that time, I was going to give you the position of the personal physician of the emperor and allow you to enjoy glory, honor, and riches.¡± Every step of Eunuch Yuan¡¯s was deliberately slow as he was trying to prolong their suffering as much as possible.


    Eunuch Yuan had a little habit. He really enjoyed watching people struggle and squirm in front of him. As they became more and more frantic and scared, like a caged animal, he became more excited!


    Suddenly, the expression on his face changed. His pair of eyes resembled that of a venomous snake¡¯s and he stared furiously at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Who would have thought that you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference between good and bad and would actually try to poison me? This reminded me that you¡¯re not only an official for the Great Ming Dynasty but you¡¯re also that stupid imperial prince¡¯s woman. The person who can¡¯t get along with the Zhu Family the most is me. As his woman, you have deep feelings for him. If I keep such a disloyal person like you by my side, then that¡¯d be like trying to drink poison to quench my thirst! Perhaps one day you would actually seed in poisoning me!!¡±


    Eunuch Yuan red furiously at Xiaocao¡¯s face as he snapped, ¡°It looks like I can¡¯t keep you alive! These three Life Prolonging Pills will be more than enough to let me aplish my goals! You all should die now¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Yu Xiaocao cradled her chest and lightly coughed. After swallowing a bit of blood that had just risen to her mouth, she stared at him firmly, ¡°If you go forward another step, I will swallow these three Life Prolonging pills right now, so you also can¡¯t get what you want!¡±


    Eunuch Yuan snarled malevolently, ¡°You dare!!¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? In any case, like you said, you wouldn¡¯t be keeping me alive. If I can¡¯t live, why should I let you get your way?¡± As she spoke, she ced the pills in her hands towards the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Eunuch Yuan sputtered and reached out a hand in an attempt to stop Xiaocao from going further. His eyes flickered and he squeezed out a smile, ¡°Official Yu, let¡¯s make a deal. I¡¯ll let the two of you go and you give me the Prolonging Life Pills. How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an idiot ah? Can anyone possibly trust such a cruel, merciless, ambitious person who is willing to do anything to get to his goals? As soon as the Prolonging Life Pills fall into your hands, do either of us have any ce to turn ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s chest seemed to be more and more painful with every passing second and her grip on reality was slowly slipping away. She couldn¡¯t faint right now. If she passed out now, she would never have the opportunity to open her eyes again.


    ¡°Then what do you want?!¡± Eunuch Yuan was slowly losing his patience.


    ¡°Let my maidservant go! After I know she is safe, I will give these Prolonging Life Pills to you!¡± Yu Xiaocao thought that there was a very low chance that she¡¯d be able to live longer, so she wanted at least one of them to live.


    ¡°No! Young Miss!! I don¡¯t want to leave you! If death ising, then we should die together!¡± Wutong forcefully shook her head as tears streamed down her face and onto Xiaocao¡¯s face.

 Chapter 707 - Unexpected Recovery

    <h4>Chapter 707 - Unexpected Recovery</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao stroked her face and valiantly squeezed out a smile, ¡°Sillyss, I¡¯m seriously injured and can¡¯t even move much now. Dying alongside with me would just be a waste. I¡¯ve already agreed to Hou Xiaoliang¡¯s request to allow you to marry him. A married out maidservant is like spilled water...in the future, you need to enjoy your life with Hou Xiaoliang ah.¡±


    She panted a few times before she continued, ¡°Tell my final words to the prince: The fact that I wasn¡¯t able to apany him to the very end was my bad. In the next life, I will still be his wife, so he needs to be able to spot me in the crowd in the blink of an eye. Otherwise, I¡¯ll punish him to kneel on a washboard and won¡¯t let him into...my bed!¡±


    ¡°No! Young Miss, Wutong won¡¯t marry anyone! Wutong will stay with you, so don¡¯t abandon me! Who will take care of you in the other world? You¡¯ve onceplimented me, saying that I¡¯m the most considerate and the person who understands you the most. Don¡¯t abandon me!¡± Wutong noticed that her mistress¡¯s breath was getting more and more shallow and didn¡¯t know what to do anymore. Tears flowed down her face and dripped onto the floor.


    A slight bit of moisture appeared at the corners of Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes. She murmured in an almost inaudible voice, ¡°Go and find His Highness. Get him to save me.¡±


    When she was certain Wutong had understood her secret signal, Yu Xiaocao suddenly angrily scolded, ¡°Stop saying such things ah! In the past, you were afraid of hard work and didn¡¯t want to leave the capital to go to the small town Tanggu to serve me when I was still an ordinary farmer¡¯s girl. At that time, you lost this princess consort¡¯s trust! If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you¡¯ve been pretty obedient these past few years, I would have sold you off long ago!!¡±


    ¡°Just look, you¡¯ve been with me longerpared to Hechun and Xichun, yet I gave the important responsibility of managing ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, the dessert and pastry shop, and the flower tea business to them. As for you, you¡¯re just a maidservant who serves me on a day to day basis. Don¡¯t you understand now ah? You only say such touching things tofort yourself!!¡± Yu Xiaocao scolded her as she also gave her a silent signal through her eyes.


    ¡°But...¡± Wutong wiped some tears off her face and was still reluctant to leave her mistress.


    ¡°There are no buts! This princess consort gets angrier the more I think of it. I don¡¯t want to see you anymore!¡± Yu Xiaocao used all of her strength in onest snarl, ¡°Get out¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk! Such deep feelings between a servant and her master!¡± Eunuch Yuan smiled maliciously and suddenly pulled Wutong into his hands. He ced his left hand under her chin and snarled at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Give me the Prolonging Life Pills, otherwise...your good maidservant¡¯s neck will be snapped in two by me!¡±


    ¡°Wring away ah! In any case, neither of us would be let go by you after you get your hands on the pills. Since we¡¯re going to die anyway, I¡¯ll make sure to die without leaving you what you want!¡± Yu Xiaocao picked one Prolonging Life Pill and slowly ced it into her mouth. Under the rmed eyes of Eunuch Yuan, she leisurely chewed on it before swallowing while enduring the pain in her chest. Then she did the same to the second pill.


    Just as she was about to ce thest pill into her mouth, Eunuch Yuan screamed in anguish, ¡°Stop!! Don¡¯t swallow any more, I¡¯ll let this maidservant go!¡±


    It took a full seven weeks, forty-nine days, to make these three Prolonging Life Pills. If all of them were swallowed by her, he didn¡¯t know how long it would take to get the ingredients again and wait for that bitch to recover from her wounds! At that time, he also couldn¡¯t guarantee that the situation wouldn¡¯t have changed either.


    Wutong, who had just escaped from the clutch of death, had been thrown out unceremoniously by a ck-clothed man. She looked back to stare at her young miss again as if she was trying to say, ¡°Young Miss, please hold on. I will go find His Highness right now to save you!¡±


    Time seemed to have stopped flowing and was creeping by incredibly slowly. Yu Xiaocao discovered that her grip on life was slowly bing looser. At this time, she didn¡¯t even have the strength to ce the remaining pill into her mouth.


    This life had been picked up by her coincidentally. She had family who loved her and had fortuitously encountered a man who understood her, deeply loved, and pampered her to the heavens. It was worth it! The only thing she regretted was that she was unable to apany him to the very end and wasn¡¯t able to help him birth a few beautiful and adorable children. She wasn¡¯t able to see whether he would still be as stunningly beautiful in old age...if there was another life ahead of her, she hoped that she would be able to encounter him again...


    Yu Xiaocao felt her consciousness slowly slip away drop by drop...


    Eunuch Yuan had sensed that her breath was bing more and more shallow. When he thought of the fact that he had lost two pills for nothing, he wanted to scream in fury, ¡®Even if you die, I will make sure to rip your body into shreds so I can vent my temper a bit.¡¯


    He stepped closer...in Yu XIaocao¡¯s blurry eyes, she could see a pair ofrge feet slowly heading over towards her. Was her life about to end like this?


    Just as Eunuch Yuan¡¯s hand was about to grip around her delicate neck, a beam of golden light shot through the thick wall of the hidden room. With a rumble, the golden light transformed into an elegant young man who was currently pushing Eunuch Yuan away from Yu Xiaocao.


    If Yu Xiaocao was still conscious, she would have immediately been happily surprised to discover that the person standing in front of her was the little divine stone in its human youth form.


    [Psh¡ª¡ªthis immortal was only gone for a few days yet you managed tond yourself in such a precarious situation? It looks like this divine stone...that¡¯s not right, it¡¯s this immortal, can only stay by your side in the future, keeping an eye on you. It¡¯s so exhausting having a master who only knows how to get herself into trouble!] The little divine stone took out a pill that he had shamelessly begged off of the Goddess of Spirits and stuffed it into Xiaocao¡¯s mouth, who had just stopped breathing. He then ced his actual self, the multicolored stone, back on her wrist.


    Eunuch Yuan avariciously eyed the jade bottle inside the little divine stone¡¯s hands. His intuition told him that this bottle of pills was even more valuable and rare than the Prolonging Life Pill in his hands. Those pills would have great use for him.


    ¡°Just who are you?¡± Eunuch Yuan only had eyes for that jade bottle that was apparently filled with divine medicines and had seemed topletely disregard the fact that the little divine stone and a golden light had appeared from nowhere.


    [This immortal has no need to tell you my identity!!] The fellow in front of him had hurt his master so badly that she had almost lost her life. Thus, how could the little divine stone possibly allow him to live on in this world? Someone who was destined to die had no qualifications in finding out his identity.


    This immortal? That was right ah! Earlier, there was clearly a beam of golden light that had shed in before this youth appeared. Furthermore, the hidden underground room had thick walls and many mechanisms preventing entry, yet the youth had easily entered like nothing had blocked it. Were there truly gods and immortals in this world? Then, were the pills in his hands...immortal medicines?


    Eunuch Yuan¡¯s desire for evesting life had already clouded his reason. He actually tried to steal the bottle of pills from the little divine stone in an obvious manner.


    [Go die!!] A beam of golden light shed and the hand that Eunuch Yuan had stretched forward had fallen to the ground, severed from his arm. After the shock passed, an anguished and painful scream echoed in the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s so loud¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Xiaocao, who had been at the gates of death, was currently frowning slightly as she weakly groaned.


    Zhu Junyang and Su Ran were currently running through the broken door that they had just pummeled down outside the Chen Family¡¯s warehouse. When he heard the scream from within, the look on Zhu Junyang¡¯s face changed and he leapt through the hole that the little divine stone had created. Within the underground chamber, ck-clothed men flooded out like a bunch of water. Zhu Junyang remembered the tearful Wutong¡¯smentations and the sword in his hands became a death reaper, killing everyone in his path.


    Su Ran¡¯s sword danced around like a deadly ded storm and his usually gentle face looked to be frozen over with frost. He was like a white-clothed grim reaper. He howled at Zhu Junyang, ¡°I¡¯ll hold back the enemies here, go in and find thatss Xiaocao!¡±


    Zhu Junyang beheaded another ck-clothed man and skewered another in the heart. When he heard this, he leapt away from the crowd and bolted towards the broken wall at top speed. Behind him were a few ck-clothed men who had gotten entangled with more hidden guards.


    By the time he broke through a couple more defenses, he arrived at the medicine concocting room that Wutong had mentioned. A thick stench of blood hit his nose and the sound of the shrill scream was slowly dying off. Zhu Junyang felt his heart tighten as he was afraid to see just what a dismal situation had unfolded here.


    [Hmph! Don¡¯t they all say that men are unreliable ah? By the time he arrived, who knows where your soul had flown off too? I think you should repudiate him sooner rather thanter. This immortal will help you find an even better man!] The little divine stone supported Yu Xiaocao up and regarded Zhu Junyang with a face full of disdain.


    On the ground was Eunuch Yuan. His two arms and two legs had been neatly severed from his body, causing a bunch of blood to pool on the ground. He was howling in grief as he wriggled around. The Prolonging Life Pill that he had desperately wanted was only about a meter away from him. The glistening pale white pill had a bit of fresh blood stained on it and seemed to glow with an alluring light.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright...¡± Yu Xiaocao had strolled around the gates of hell before her soul had been pulled back. At this time, she saw her husband who was covered in blood from head to toe. Her deathly pale face revealed a bright smile¡ª¡ªit was truly good to be able to see him again...


    When he saw that the littless had be significantly thinner and was ghostly pale with a dab of dried blood by her mouth that had a smile that looked like it might disappear at any time, Zhu Junyang felt like his heart was being crushed by a giant hand. It hurt so much that his bones ached.


    Zhu Junyang felt his nose and eyes sting and he reached out a hand towards thess, ¡°I came toote...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re notte. As long as I can see you, you¡¯re never toote! Because I know my unparalleled hero will go through anything in order to save me from the depths of despair. Zhu Junyang, you are my true hero!¡± Yu Xiaocao ced her hand into the burning hot hand of her husband as tears of pure joy and happiness shone in her eyes.


    [Ugh...isn¡¯t that too corny?] The little divine stone had just been served up a te of lovey-dovey mush and rolled his eyes in a vulgar and exasperated manner.


    Zhu Junyang ignored the stone and carefully propped up Xiaocao¡¯s bloodstained little hand as if he was holding onto the most delicate treasure in the world. He slowly sped his hand around hers and gazed deeply within her eyes, ¡°I let you suffer hardship, I...¡± When he reached that word, his voice choked up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. I was the one who didn¡¯t listen to you and easily trusted an outsider, leading me out of the residence. In the future, I will be very well-behaved and won¡¯t let you worry...¡± After experiencing this round of torments, Xiaocao finally understood that only when she was by her husband¡¯s side was she truly safe. Without him holding up the sky for her, she would be surrounded by danger at all sides and be unable to move a single step.


    ¡°Where are you injured? Wutong said that you had been hit by one of them and even spit up blood. The young master of Medicine King Valley is at our residence. Let¡¯s have him take a look at you.¡± Zhu Junyang noticed that thess was very careful when she spoke. She must have been scared to death. From when she was young until now, the littless had never faced such a frightening situation before. Would she be scarred for life by this experience?


    He wanted to bring the littless into his arms andfort her, but he was also afraid that her injuries were too heavy and he¡¯d end up inadvertently hurting her more. He didn¡¯t know what to do now. Only someone who loved someone dearly like this would feel so helpless in this situation.

 Chapter 708 - Human Swine

    <h4>Chapter 708 - Human Swine</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao felt a dull pain when she touched her chest. The pain that felt like her inner organs were being burned and chopped had disappeared. Moving her hands down, when she felt her ribs her small round face suddenly became wrinkled. It was very painful!


    ¡°It hurts! My ribs seem to be broken.¡± Her big eyes were filled with crystal-like tears and were like a cute fawn¡¯s eyes that stared at Zhu Junyang pitifully. He felt very distressed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move around! Hou Xiaoliang, did you die somewhere? Bring a door panel over here! Zhu Junyang yelled towards the outside. He didn¡¯t know the condition of Xiaocao¡¯s injury and was afraid that moving her would cause her broken ribs to cause secondary damage to her fragile body.


    ¡°It¡¯s... not possible! She clearly stopped breathing. How could someone who diede back to life? Unless...she has an elixir that can bring back the dead. Haha...if the world knew that Princess Consort Xu has such an elixir, I wonder if you can still protect her!¡± Eunuch Yuan, who had been turned into a human stick, was bloody and ferocious like a ferocious ghost that had crawled out of hell, trying to drag someone down with him as he was dying.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s frosty eyes looked coldly at Eunuch Yuan and said, ¡°Elixir? Are you hallucinating before death? You old useless coot, if you dared to go directly against me, I would respect you as a man and give you a quick death. However, you really shouldn¡¯t have messed with my princess consort. I will make you wish you were dead instead!¡±


    As he said thus, he pinched open Eunuch Yuan¡¯s mouth, pulled out his tongue, blinded his eyes, and stopped the bleeding from the wounds of his severed limbs. Towards Hou Xiaoliang, who came in carrying a door nk, he said, ¡°Take him to the hidden guards¡¯ Punishment Hall and take very good care of him. Everyday use a sharp de to cut him 100 times and then cook his flesh in a hotpot and feed it to him. Remember to disinfect the wounds with salt water so he doesn¡¯t die of infection. This is a survival pill. He should be cut for a hundred days. Don¡¯t let him die before the hundredth day!¡±


    ¡°Retch¡ª¡ª¡± the sound of dry heaving reached his ears. Zhu Junyang¡¯s face suddenly changed, and he quietly got angry at himself for ordering such a cruel punishment in front of thess. Thess was so pure and kind, would she think he was terrible?


    ¡°You...¡± Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t dare toe forward easily, fearing that he would cause her more disgust. He looked at her carefully and found that she was holding her chest, looking as if she wanted to vomit. Coupled with the pain from her ribs, Xiaocao¡¯s pale face turned even more white.


    Yu Xiaocao saw that her man was worried and uneasy. Before she had time to think about it, she angrily said to him, ¡°If you don¡¯t get me out of here, the smell of blood is too strong, I¡¯m about to suffocate!¡±


    Zhu Junyang saw that there was no disgust in her clear eyes so he put down his worries. He took off his outer coat and spread it on the door nk before he went over, gently picked her up, and carefully set her down.


    ¡°Hou Xiaoliang, you carry at the back. Be careful and don¡¯t bump the princess consort.¡± Zhu Junyang carried the other side of the door nk. Every step was smooth. Xiaocao couldn¡¯t feel the movement of the door nk at all.


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly thought of Chunhua, whose status was unknown. The maid had tried her best to save her. She hurriedly said, ¡°Chunhua is hurt, go see how she is now!¡±


    Zhu Junyang pointed his chin at the little divine stone who was doing nothing at the side and said, ¡°Little Glutinous Dumpling, you go see her. If she¡¯s still angry, give her a Nine Turns Golden Elixir.¡±


    [Who allowed you to call me Little Glutinous Dumpling? Am I someone who can be ordered around by you and other mortals? Hmph, useless and stupid mortal, you can¡¯t even protect your wife, but you¡¯re still pretending to the best in martial arts in the Ming Empire!] The little divine stone disliked this nickname. When he was a cat, the name could be considered cute. However, he was currently a beautiful teenager. How could he use such a nickname?


    Yu Xiaocao saw her man¡¯s expression change and knew that the little divine stone had stuck a verbal knife in him, so she said, "Alright, alright! Great Immortal Divine Stone, can you please lower yourself and help us cure thatss, Chunhua, based on the fact that she is usually pretty good to the little golden cat?"


    The little divine stone¡¯s little golden cat form was small, eye-catching, and adorable. However, it had a proud attitude. The contrast in its appearance and attitude was so cute that it won the heart of her maidservants. When they were free, they always yed with it. When they had delicious food, they always thought of keeping a share for it. Although the little divine stone definitely wasn¡¯t interested in these metal foods!


    Petting a cat all day, was this considered being pretty good to him? The little divine stone gritted his teeth but still went over to check on Chunhua¡¯s injury. The injury wasn¡¯t light, however, thankfully she was still breathing. The Nine Turns Golden Elixir on Xiaocao was taken away by that old useless coot. Fortunately, Zhu Junyang was ordered by his wife to carry all kinds of medicine for internal and external injuries. The little divine stone took one for Chunhua to take and, without any concern for the fairer sex, dragged her out by the back of her cor.


    By this time, the battle in the underground pce wasing to an end. Although Eunuch Yuan¡¯s group was well developed, most of his people were dispersed leaving only a small part of them in the underground pce. Most were mediocre in martial arts, so the soldiers under Official Fan were enough to deal with them. The problematic ones were taken care of by Su Ran and the hidden guards.


    Ming Xin came out with a bloody figure on his back. Using a seemingly calm tone that was kind of stiff, he said, "Master, Ming Gui was tortured by that old coot and is going to die..."


    It turned out that after Ming Gui followed Eunuch Yuan and the others into the Chen Family¡¯s warehouse, he was found by Eunuch Yuan. The old man had him outnumbered and captured. Eunuch Yuan wanted to get information about the hidden guards on Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. However, as one of the ten leaders of the hidden guard, how could Ming Gui disclose his own information? Even though he suffered from inhumane torture, he still clenched his teeth and said nothing.


    Zhu Junyang saw that his arms and legs looked as if they had no bones and knew that the bones of his limbs had been broken. Even if he survived, he would be a disabled man.


    "Yuanzi, give him a Nine Turns Golden Elixir and send him to the Tongren Medicine Hall. Ask the doctors to connect his bones. When I get back, I¡¯ll make a bone growth cream.... maybe he¡¯ll be able to stand up.." However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the hidden guards. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s expression was suddenly a little gloomy.


    The little divine stone poured out a Nine Turns Golden Elixir from a jade bottle and threw it at Ming Xin. He then asked Yu Xiaocao, [How do you know the name that was given to me by the Goddess Nuwa?]


    That was right. Yuanzi was the nickname the Goddess Nuwa gave the little divine stone when he had just be sentient. It had always liked this name, although the name ¡®Yuanzi¡¯ wasn¡¯t very lofty and grand.


    "You told me a long time ago, didn¡¯t you? I didn¡¯t expect the immortals to be so forgetful. " Yu Xiaocao was lying on the door nk with a slight pain in her abdomen. Strange, she was hit in the chest, so why would her stomach ache? Could pain be transferred?


    The little divine stone pursed his lips, but the corners of his mouth still couldn¡¯t help rising. The human master still attached great importance to it. She still remembered what he said when she first came here!


    "Young Miss! Miss...wah wah wah wah..." Wutong, who had gone out to send information, was not allowed in until after Chen Family and the Underground Warehouse fell. As soon as she came in, she saw her weak master lying on the door. Her tears poured out like rain.


    Xiaocao had originally closed her eyes and finally opened them after several tears fell on her face. She said, "Wutong, I am all right! I¡¯m pretty dirty right now, don¡¯t use your tears to wash my face anymore, ok? "


    "Mistress, you¡¯re alright? This is great! I was so afraid... If anything happened to you, how will I live in the world, wah wah wah... " Wutong thought of her mistress¡¯s serious injury. Despite that, Xiaocao had still supported her and fought to give her a chance to escape. She thought, ¡®No one can ever separate me from her. My life is for her and I will always be by her side!¡¯


    Hou Xiaoliang, ¡°...¡± (The wife who was finally in reach was gone again? Why was it so hard to marry someone!)


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t I perfectly fine right now. You told the prince in time and the prince also came in time to save me. I have already taken a Nine Turns Golden Elixir. Most of my internal injuries are healed and there are only a few scratches left. After resting for a few days, it¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t cry, my wounds are starting to hurt because of your crying.¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang looked at his future wife who had cried until her eyes were red and puffy and couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Mistress is correct. Stop crying, be careful that your crying will ruin your eyes. Her Highness still needs you!¡±


    ¡°What you said is right!¡± Wutong wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve and finally stopped crying, ¡°This time Chuanhua came out with the two of us again and she got hurt again. I will be the only one by Mistress¡¯s side. I have to be well so I can take care of her... Pay more attention and don¡¯t bump her into anything!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was soon carried to Tongren Medicine Hall, where she was treated by her old acquaintance¡ª¡ªDoctor Sun. Doctor Sun originally lived in the small town, Tanggu, and was not valued by his family. Later, due to Xiaocao¡¯s superb medicines, Tongren Medicine Hall gained a chance of survival.


    Tongren Medicine Hall then became a leader in the pharmaceutical industry because of its exclusive sales of Yu Family¡¯s pills and solutions in the beginning. Its sales of other drugs more than doubled because of this. As a result, Doctor Sun was transferred from the small town of Tanggu to the general shop of Jiangnan¡¯s Tongren Medicine Hall in Jinling and became a popr doctor. His medical skills were gradually recognized by his family and he became a famous expert in Jinling.


    "Oh! Lass, what¡¯s wrong with you? " When Doctor Sun saw his old acquaintance, he was shocked. After a while, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Even if he was thousands of miles away from the Yu Family, the connection still couldn¡¯t be cut.


    In Tanggu, he helped thess, Xiaocao, take care of her illness, helped her mother to take care of her weak body, treated her father¡¯s leg bitten by the blind bear, and dragged Yu Hang back from the gates of hell. How could he once again meet this girl in Jinling?


    Yuanzi - can be tranted as ¡¯roundy¡¯

 Chapter 709 - Pregnant?

    <h4>Chapter 709 ¨C Pregnant?</h4>


    ¡°Grandpa Sun, my ribs seem to be broken. I¡¯m going to trouble you again!¡± Yu Xiaocao revealed a pitiful smile and a pale face, which made others feel sorry for her.


    Doctor Sun carefully gave her a checkup and said after much deliberation, ¡°The injury on your ribs isn¡¯t an issue. Just take some prescribed medication, put some bone healing balm on it, and rest for a while and it¡¯ll be fine. However...¡±


    Seeing Doctor Sun¡¯s expression of hesitance and his reluctance to say more, Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart suddenly dropped, he picked up Xiaocao¡¯s hands and asked, ¡°Is there something wrong with thess¡¯s health? Doctor Sun should just say it! As long as there is a cure, I will do my best to get it no matter how hard it is...¡±


    Doctor Sun waved his hands, sighed, and said, ¡°The princess consort¡¯s health is fine, but...¡±


    ¡°But what? Doctor Sun, you should say it quickly!¡± Wutong was so anxious she almost reached over to grab Doctor Sun¡¯s arm to shake it. What was wrong with this man, saying half and leaving the other half to the imagination?


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s gaze seemed to be hot and it was burning him with its intenseness. Doctor Sun braced himself and hesitantly said, ¡°It¡¯s still early and I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯ll take at least ten days to halve a month to confirm it.¡±


    [Hmph! The old man is beating around the bush for so long. What¡¯s there not to say? Isn¡¯t it just that you are pregnant? It¡¯s not even as big as a bean sprout and so weak that it can disappear at any time. No wonder this quack doctor doesn¡¯t dare to confirm it!¡± The little divine stone crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked unhappily at Doctor Sun¡¯s expression, what was he making them anxious for?


    ¡°What? I¡¯m...I¡¯m pregnant?!¡± Yu Xiaocao ¡®heard¡¯ the little divine stone¡¯s words and froze. She thought about it for a moment. It had been about half a year since she got married, and she hadn¡¯t taken any contraceptive measures. It was normal for a healthy married couple to have a pregnancy ur. However, she didn¡¯t expect that a child would bring such surprise and shock to them in this situation!


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s original worried and anxious expression froze on his face before turning nk. Pr...Pregnant? He was gonna be a father? The one he loved was going to give birth to a baby for him? In another nine months, there would be a small white bun calling himself father? (Author¡¯s note: You¡¯re overthinking it. A baby calling you father right after being born, wouldn¡¯t that be strange?)


    A silly smile alighted on his face. Suddenly the smile disappeared and a touch of worry and panic appeared on his face, ¡°Doctor Sun, my wife...she was captured by some bad people and was injured by a powerful martial artist. She suffered serious internal and external wounds..will the child be affected?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Doctor Sun¡¯s expression became serious. His fingers went to Xiaocao¡¯s pulse again. After careful identification, he thought carefully and said, ¡°Your Highness, this unworthy one is unable to sense the internal injuries you talked about. As for the injuries on the ribs, they are healing so just do as I said. It¡¯s just that we will have to consider what kind of prescriptions we use. After all, medication is three parts poison, and we must choose a medication that is mild that will have little effect on the fetus. In this way, the healing process will be lengthened and the princess consort will have to suffer a few more days.¡±


    ¡°Then... if she were to lose the child now, would she experience any effects?¡± Zhu Junyang asked bitterly when he heard that his wife would have to endure more than one or two months in bed and suffer.


    ¡°Surnamed Zhu, what do you mean? This is your own flesh and blood, yet you dare to kill it? You¡¯re too cold-blooded!¡± Yu Xiaocao exploded at him on the spot. If her ribs didn¡¯t hurt as bad as they did right now, she would jump up and w at his face on the spot! Who gave him the right to decide the fate of her children?


    Zhu Junyang saw her touch her wounds and immediately felt sweat pop up on his head. He hurriedly let her lie back down, ¡°In my heart, your safety is the most important. No one canpare, even if it¡¯s my children. There will be no exceptions. Behave, we can still have children...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was so angry she opened her mouth and bit down on his wrist. She didn¡¯t let go until the taste of metal spread in her mouth! ¡°Bastard! This child, even if you don¡¯t want it, I want it! If you dare take away my child, I will fight with you using my life!¡± Yu Xiaocao was like a lion protecting her cubs, ring at Zhu Junyang fiercely. Her appearance was very cute and fierce.


    Doctor Sun reminded her, ¡°Your Highness, please calm down. You have to control your emotions as the first three months of the pregnancy are unstable. Plus you¡¯ve already disturbed the fetus, so you must be careful.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao immediately took a few deep breaths upon hearing this and calmed down. She grabbed Doctor Sun¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°Grandpa Sun, please, you must help me keep this child!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok! I¡¯ll give you a prescription to stabilize the fetus. However, to avoid interacting drug properties, you can¡¯t take the medicine for bone renewal in the near future!¡± Doctor Sun saw that the prince was just a tiger without its teeth in front of his wife and couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    Yu Xiaocao covered her belly with her hands and showed a gentle smile, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll only use the bone renewal ointment. As long as I can keep the child, it¡¯s all worth it!¡±


    Thess exuded a maternal glow making Zhu Junyang¡¯s line of sight focused on her, at the same time, a sadness rose up in his heart. He just put everything in front of her, but in her heart, he wasn¡¯t the first now that there was a baby. Was the baby¡¯s father not important anymore?


    Zhu Junyang stepped forward and hugged his wife¡¯s petite and thin body, covering her delicate hands with his big palm.


    ¡°Go away! The baby and I hate you!¡± Yu Xiaocao saw that he no longer persisted in his line of thinking. In her heart, she knew that he was doing for her own good. However, she was still a little ufortable. This was the crystallization of their love, the continuation of their bloodline. How could he be so cruel and end such a small life?


    Zhu Junyang patted her head and exined with words, ¡°Wasn¡¯t I just worried about your health? Although the internal injuries have been healed by the Nine Turns Golden Elixir, your health is still shaky. Besides, your ribs are injured. I¡¯m afraid that your body is weak and it won¡¯t be good for you or the child.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a doctor myself. How could I not be clear about my own body?¡± Yu Xiaocao pushed aside his big hand that was rubbing her head. She turned so that the back of her head was facing him, ¡°You still don¡¯t know what you did wrong!! Before getting married, you said that I am in charge of the small things at home, and we will discuss the big things. About the baby, you didn¡¯t even discuss it with me before you decided to take it away! ¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s my fault, ok? I apologize! In the future, you will be the master of all our major and minor affairs, will this make you happier? ¡± Zhu Junyang was afraid that thess¡¯s anger would affect her internal injuries. Naturally, everything she said goes.


    Yu Xiaocao, however, puffed her cheeks and was still unhappy, ¡°Well said! However, when ites again, you¡¯ll change your face again! ¡±


    ¡°Which face? Isn¡¯t it just the same pretty face? ¡°To amuse his wife, Imperial Prince Xu didn¡¯t even think before throwing away his reputation in front of the doctor and so many of his subordinates. One had to know, he had always hated people talking about his delicate appearance, but now he had the cheek to say that he was ¡®beautiful¡¯. This sacrifice was really big.


    It was okay for the other people around as they were used to the couple showing off their love all the time. However, Governor Fan wasn¡¯t calm. Was this man in front of him still a cold-blooded and stoned faced killer? This was a man devoted to doting on his wife! It turned out that the rumors weren¡¯t groundless after all. In fact, this person was even worse than what the rumors said! ¡®Master, do you still have a bottom line?¡¯


    (Imperial Prince Xu showed off a cold expression, ¡®What is a bottom line? Can one eat it? Can one use it to make one¡¯s wife happy and not angry?)


    Yu Xiaocao turned around and stared at him. However, the man stared back at her with innocent-looking eyes. His cute expression almost made herugh. However, she quickly controlled the corners of her mouth. She couldn¡¯t let it go so easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant with your flesh and blood, and you don¡¯t want it. Tell me, do you have another woman outside? Don¡¯t you love me? Are you going to get rid of my child and let the illegitimate son of a mistress enter the main courtyard? Are you trying to anger me to death and then let the mistresse in? Hmph! Your Highness, don¡¯t try to plot so hard. I¡¯m willing to step down and let the mistress take my ce, is that better?¡±


    ¡°Pfftt¡ª¡ªahem ahem ahem....¡± Seeing Imperial Prince Xu, who was usually so majestic and proud, acting so humble in front of Xiaocao, made Su Ran in a good mood. He heard what Xiaocao said and couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter¡ª¡ªthisss, her ability to stir up trouble had improved again. He needed to beg for forgivenesster, he really couldn¡¯t hold back because the expression on Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s face was hrious.


    Zhu Junyang frowned slightly and was about to say something, but his little wife grabbed the opening, ¡°Look, look! Before I even said anything, you began to look impatient! Who are you frowning at? What are you frowning for? You...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wrong. It¡¯s all my fault! Don¡¯t get excited; be careful about your injured ribs!¡± Seeing that thess was still restless in bed, and that she even sat up with her hands on her hips, Zhu Junyang felt helpless. He could only maintain a good attitude and admit his mistakes. First, he had to calm down thess who was making up unreasonable things.


    ¡°You guys, is it that fun to watch, ah?¡± He turned around and gave a cold look at the people behind him.


    Wutong¡¯s eyeballs shifted, ¡°Uhh... this servant has to go see if Chunhua has woken up and see if she needs any water, or go to the bathroom.¡± Then, she ran away like the bottoms of her felt had oil on them.


    Hou Xiaoliang sputtered, ¡°I¡¯m going to prepare the carriage. The conditions here are too simple and crude. It¡¯s better for the princess consort to go back to the courtyard to rest....¡± He turned and left the medicine hall in a hurry like a dog was chasing him.


    Official Fan blurted, ¡°Since Her Highness¡¯s condition has stabilized, there are still things with the Chen Family that have to be dealt with. Such an important case, I can only go and do it myself.¡±


    Su Ran looked at Zhu Junyang for a long time and finally raised his hands in surrender, ¡°Alright! Just think of me as being kind enough to leave the room for the two of you. Imperial Prince Xu, whether you can handle it or not, it¡¯s up to you! Hahaha...¡± Then he left through the door leaving behind a stream ofughter.


    When Su Ran left, he also took the divine stone with him. He was very curious about this beautiful unknown youngster. Thess seemed to trust him.

 Chapter 710 - Making His Wife Happy

    <h4>Chapter 710 - Making His Wife Happy</h4>


    Doctor Sun thought for a bit and decided it was best for him to leave in order to not be an irksome third wheel, ¡°This old doctor will go concoct some stabilizing pregnancy medicine!¡± Old man, wasn¡¯t your excuse a bit thin ah? There were so many helpers in the pharmacy, so did you really think that they¡¯d need a grand doctor in his sixties to help them out?


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± Zhu Junyang saw that an eyesore had tactfully left, so he hurried to sit next to his wife¡¯s sickbed. He pulled at his wife¡¯s small hand as he gently inquired after her condition.


    ¡°Hurts! My bones hurt and my chest hurts! The thing that hurts the most is my heart ah! I hurt for my baby. Baby is so small yet the father spurns it!¡± Yu Xiaocao wanted to pull her hand out of his, but her husband had a very gentle and firm grip on it. She was upset so she could only pout, like a little frog that was hopping with anger.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly put his right hand on her t stomach as if he was afraid of startling the child within. He softly said, ¡°Lord Father doesn¡¯t dislike you! On the contrary, when I found out that you were here, the first feeling I had was joy and surprise. However, I was worried that yourdy mother¡¯s body was too weak to endure a pregnancy, so I said some hurtful words to your mother. If yourdy mother wasn¡¯t injured, then I would definitely have been very excited to see youe because you have the blood of both myself and your mother inside you...¡±


    ¡°Hmph! My little baby isn¡¯t someone who would be easily fooled by sweet and honeyed words ah!¡± Her husband¡¯srge hand made her stomach feel warm and cozy. She wasn¡¯t sure if she just imagined it but she felt like the displeasure that was inside her stomach had slowly disappeared.


    Zhu Junyang sensed that his wife¡¯s attitude towards him was softening and hurriedly added on, ¡°Why do you say I¡¯m saying sweet and honeyed words? Look at my incredibly sincere and honest face! Don¡¯t mention any little threes or illegitimate children anymore. This prince isn¡¯t blind and has no interest in the shallow facade of rouge and powder, so how could they possibly catch my eye? This prince will only have you have my children...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be a fool to believe your words! A man¡¯s mouth, when he¡¯s trying to coax a woman, always has a bunch of honey spread on it.¡± Yu Xiaocao acted as if she was conveying a great favor to him and gave him a look.


    ¡°How would you know if this prince has honey on his lips or not? How about you try a taste?¡± Zhu Junyang perked up and asked in a rascally manner.


    ¡°Get lost! Your brains must have been eaten by worms! What the heck do you want to do? I¡¯m severely injured right now and I¡¯m also pregnant with the baby...¡± Yu Xiaocao almost couldn¡¯t take it anymore. When this man became ¡®interested¡¯, he was more relentless than the male protagonists in sexy romance novels.


    Zhu Junyang muffled hisughter and lowered his head to kiss the corner of his wife¡¯s mouth, ¡°I only want to kiss you, that¡¯s all. How is that in any way rted to your fractured ribs and our unborn child? Your Highness, do you think you¡¯re thinking too much?¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± The littless¡¯s embarrassment instantly morphed into rage. She twisted her head around and only allowed him to look at the back of her head.


    ¡°However, the ¡®little three¡¯ you speak of must be referring to an outside woman, right? Why is she called a ¡®little three¡¯ ah?¡± Zhu Junyang was the third son of his family and had been called ¡®little three¡¯ by hisdy mother many times when he was young. When he thought of this, he panicked even more, ¡®Was the littless doing this deliberately?¡¯


    ¡°Little three refers to the third party who has interfered in a married couple¡¯s life. Marriage should only be between two people, so someone who tries to butt in naturally bes the third party who has destroyed the harmonious and blissful rtionship between a couple. Thus, ¡®little three¡¯ is a contemptuous way to refer to such a despicable person¡±.


    Zhu Junyang nodded his head furiously, ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah! There will never be a third party appearing in our house. This prince will never allow anyone to destroy the rtionship between us two!¡±


    ¡°Men, ah, always say the sweetest things but they all secretly desire to have the happy fate of the man from Qi who had his wife and numerous concubines living in harmony. Words are not enough. It¡¯s the actions that matter! I¡¯m pretty sure that after you were given the title of Imperial Prince Xu there were some people who tried to send some women to your residence or some beautiful maidservants. Am I right?¡± Yu Xiaocao nced briefly at her husband. He had money, power, and was physically attractive. This type of ¡®Mr. Perfect¡¯ was the most troublesome to live with!


    ¡°There were ah!¡± Zhu Junyang noticed that thess¡¯s eyes had widened in fury and hurriedly continued to exin himself, ¡°However, the people who tried to use crafty plots and machinations to destroy our rtionship were all beaten to a pulp by this prince! Furthermore, I also put out the story that whoever tried to send people to this prince in the future, this prince would make sure to break their legs for them. After that came out, it became much more peaceful. Just look, you¡¯ve been married to me for so long but have you ever seen any maidservants trying to sidle over to this prince? Before you married me, I only had male servants take care of me. If you don¡¯t believe me, go ask Chief Steward Liu.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Stop trying to fool me. I see the orioles and swallows fluttering around in the courtyard. Do you think I¡¯m blind and can¡¯t see them ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao coldly huffed and felt that this fellow wasn¡¯t being obedient.


    ¡°Orioles and swallows? Where?¡± Zhu Junyang was perplexed. Was there someone who was trying to plot and destroy the rtionship between him and his princess consort? In a moment, he realized what had happened, ¡°Are you talking about the two maidservants named Ying¡¯er and Yan¡¯er?¡±


    When he saw Xiaocao lightly nod in reply, he hurriedly tried to exin, ¡°You¡¯re misunderstood ah! These two maidservants were especially brought over for you. They are simr to Chunhua and Qiushi and were sent there to protect you. I picked them out personally. When did you ever see them sidle over to my side?¡±


    Now that she thought about it, she didn¡¯t think she ever saw them make any moves towards her husband. In addition, even when her husband wasn¡¯t around, those two maidservants didn¡¯t try to hover around her either. She was right in that these two maids didn¡¯t look like maids who knew how to serve people normally. Apparently, her husband had sent them over to protect her.


    ¡°Uh...I¡¯m tired and I want to sleep for a bit.¡± Yu Xiaocao was a bit upset about her misunderstanding and decided to shamelessly close her eyes, pretending to sleep.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t try to expose her trick and stroked her deathly pale little face as he gently said, ¡°Go sleep ah, this prince will stay by your side.¡±


    She had been imprisoned by the remnants of the previous dynasty and forced to refine the Prolonging Life Pills continuously. Thus, she hadn¡¯t been able to rest well that entire time. Although the little divine stone¡¯s elixir had pulled her back from the gates of hell, her body had been weakened for too long. The warmth from her husband¡¯s palm and his familiar scent made her feel safe again. Before long, Xiaocao, who had been pretending to sleep, had actually fallen into dreand.


    Zhu Junyang looked at his wife¡¯s dark circles, wan face, and almost colorless lips with a bit of distress. The desire to kill Eunuch Yuan rose again. However, killing the man would be too quick of an ending for that bastard. He needed to make sure the eunuch ¡®fully enjoyed¡¯ the endless pain and fright toe. Even the hope of death would be a fleeting dream for Eunuch Yuan. Only then would his hate be quenched.


    Yu Xiaocao wasn¡¯t allowed to sleep for very long before she was lightly roused. The preserving pregnancy medicine had juste off of the stove and if she didn¡¯t drink it immediately, the medicine would lose its efficacy after it cooled down. Although Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t want to wake her from her much needed sleep, he knew just how much she viewed their unborn child with importance. Thus, he reluctantly woke her and helped her take her medicine.


    Hou Xiaoliang hade along with the horse carriage. Doctor Sun once again felt Xiaocao¡¯s pulse and proimed that the pregnancy was now stable. Other than the fact that her body was on the weak side, he couldn¡¯t sense any symptoms of the severe internal injury that the prince had talked about. The facilities at the medicinal hall were limited. If the princess consort was up to it, she could go back to the guest residence to recuperate.


    Therefore, Yu Xiaocao began her life as a ¡®pig getting fat¡¯. Every day, she drank tonics and soups that were meant to nourish her body and replenish her blood. All sorts of precious medicinal soups went into her belly and she had taken the preserving pregnancy medicine for a full seven days. Zhu Junyang was worried about her condition and especially sent Hou Xiaoliang on horseback to speed back to the capital to bring a chef from the Medicinal Cuisine House over. That way, Xiaocao would have someone making nutritious foods for her everyday.


    Consequently, when Yangliu found out that her mistress was pregnant and had also be hurt, she arranged to have her assistants take over the shops under her, gave her just weaned child to her husband and inws to take care of, and traveled to Jinling with Hou Xiaoliang.


    When Yangliu arrived in Jinling and saw her mistress, who had be thinner, tears poured down her face. After she settled in and heard the harrowing story from Wutong, Yangliu immediately became gung ho and raring to get started. Her mistress had been so badly injured that she threw up blood, yet she still did her best to save a negligible maidservant¡¯s life at the brink of her own death. How could she not do her utmost best in serving her mistress with her heart and soul?


    Although her mistress had almostpletely recovered from her internal injury, she had still vomited up blood and her body had been hurt tremendously. The most dangerous part was that when her mistress had gotten injured, she was also pregnant with the future young master or miss...Yangliu became energetic and took out everything she knew about medicinal cuisine. Every day she made new dishes and tonics for her mistress to eat.


    In actuality, with the elixirs that the little divine stone had brought back from the otherworld, it¡¯d be as simple as snapping one¡¯s fingers to bring Xiaocao back to full andplete health. In fact, Xiaocao had to ask it to not heal herpletely. Instead, she was willing to slowly nurse her fractured ribs and weakened body with time and regr medicines.


    After all, when she got injured, both Wutong and Chunhua had seen it happen. If she came back to health without a single thing wrong with her, it¡¯d be hard to exin to others. However, she would have never expected that she had been pregnant at that time. Fortunately, her unborn child was safe and sound. Otherwise, she¡¯d feel guilty for the rest of her life.


    With Yangliu and Wutong carefully taking care of her and the addition of the elixirs and medicines, Xiaocao¡¯s body recovered very quickly. Her previously thin face became full and bright again. After nourishing her weak body, her tender and fair cheeks became bright and rosy again.


    As for her fractured ribs, it only took her a month of convalescence to have them fully heal. However, in order not to arouse the doubts of outsiders, she had been firmly forced by Zhu Junyang to lie in bed another month before she was finally allowed to leave.


    The unborn child in her belly had been praised by his or her father for being obedient and sensible. Ever since the pregnancy had stabilized, Xiaocao didn¡¯t feel the least bit indisposed by it. She didn¡¯t have any of the symptoms that most pregnant women experienced. She was able to eat and drink whatever she wanted and sleep without any issues. If she had to point out something that changed, it mostly seemed like she had arger appetite and was more sleepy than usual.


    Yu Xiaocao and her husband waited until they were past the three month mark of her pregnancy, which meant she was out of the period of greatest danger, to pack their luggage and head back to the capital. By this time, the northern part of the country had already entered the season of snow.


    They had left at the start of spring in the third month and wereing back during the start of winter at the twelfth month. After thinking things through, the two of them had actually been away from home for nine months. As the Clerk of the Capital of Grain, Xiaocao had aplished what she set out to do. Fortunately, the research on the hybrid rice paddies in Jinling were well underway, so she could bring a promising report back to the emperor.


    As an important minister at court, Imperial Prince Xu was in charge of the Xishan Barracks and Firearms Barracks. However, he had been gone for such a long time, so some of the officials at court were unhappy about this. This was because the leadership post at both the Xishan Barracks and Firearms Barracks were something that many people were eyeing covetously. Unfortunately, because of his incredible skill and strategy, no one had ever dared to try to snatch these positions away from the prince.


    Incidentally, Imperial Prince Xu had ¡®used official authority for his own private interest¡¯ and had gone off to Jiangnan to travel with his princess consort for over half a year. Some people used the excuse that the Xishan Barracks and Firearms Barracks shouldn¡¯t be without a leader to start causing trouble for him at court.


    Ying¡¯er and Yan¡¯er - These two maidservant¡¯s names mean oriole and swallow respectively.

 Chapter 711 - Returning to the Capital

    <h4>Chapter 711 - Returning to the Capital</h4>


    In fact, whether it was the generals of the Xishan Barracks or the Firearms Barracks, all of them were people of some clout in the capital. Thus, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that they were all proud and arrogant. Naturally, not just anyone couldmand these generals without an issue. At that time, when Zhu Junyang was still Royal Prince Yang, he relied on his hard fists and inconceivable strength to subdue these generals. Even when he wasn¡¯t physically present, the two barracks went through their training exercises without an issue. At this time, only their leader could make them back down, so if they switched leaders, what would happen?


    In actuality, the emperor had been bothered by the officials so much that he had no choice. Thus, he sent people over to transmit his oral order to have Zhu Junyange back. However, the first time he sent people, they came back with the news that the great imperial envoy was currently researching something called ¡®hybridized rice paddies¡¯. Because there was the attack on their ships along the way there to Jinling, as the bodyguard in charge of the envoy¡¯s safety, he needed to stay there and ensure her safety.


    The second time he sent people, they didn¡¯t even get to see heads or tails of the married couple. This was because Imperial Prince Xu had apanied his wife to travel around the scenic areas. Since they didn¡¯t know where they went, how could they possibly find them?


    The third time he sent people over, they had finally seen the two in question. However, at that time, Yu Xiaocao had just been rescued. Thus, they could only bring back the report that Imperial Prince Xu had written. The report stated that the evil remnants of the previous dynasty had wanted to destroy the experimental fields at Jinling in order to ruin the lives of the people. Furthermore, they had also captured the great imperial envoy to steal the method away from her. Although she had been rescued, she was gravely hurt.


    Zhu Junyang had written his wife as someone who was faithful and unchanging. In order to save the ¡®hybridized rice paddies¡¯ methods from being stolen, she had withstood the enemy¡¯s torture, threats, and promises, and truly became an incorruptible official who wasn¡¯t swayed by any means. By the time she was rescued, she had almost lost her life. Not only was she seriously injured, with fractures all over her body, but the most grave injury was that she had also almost lost the unborn child in her belly.


    When the emperor read this report during court, all of the officials trying to cause trouble immediately shut up. Although this married couple had been gone from court for more than half a year, one of them had begun research on ¡®hybridized rice paddies¡¯ that could produce a thousand catties per mu, while the other one had rooted out a malignant tumor from the previous dynasty and captured one of the of the direct descendants of the old dynasty¡¯s imperial family. In addition, he had eradicated a hidden traitor from the previous dynasty. Although neither of them were at court, who couldpete with their aplishments?


    The great imperial envoy had be severely injured and almost lost her unborn child for the sake of the empire. It wasn¡¯t that the other party didn¡¯t want toe back. In fact, it was because she was trying to preserve her pregnancy and couldn¡¯te back! Who else dared to say another word now?


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, this official requests that we use the navy to wee them back to the capital!¡± When he returned to the capital, Zhao Han had been promoted to a third-rankedmander in the Jinwei Navy. Currently, he was asking the emperor for permission to escort Imperial Prince Xu and his wife back home.


    Ever since Xiaocao got married, Zhao Han had been telling himself to let her go. In the past few years, he had spent all of his time in the navy patrolling the waters. Hepleted his missions sessfully and had been steadily promoted over time. He had originally believed that news about her no longer had any hold over him.


    However, when he heard the emperor state that the weak and delicate girl, in order to keep the empire¡¯s secret on high-yielding rice, had been imprisoned, tortured and almost lost her life, he felt as if his heart was being squeezed by a vice. Xiaocao had always been so delicate, even when she was young. In childhood, she would even run to Uncle Yu in a spoiled manner when she only had a minor cut on her finger.


    Severe internal injuries, multiple fractures, almost had a miscarriage...he really couldn¡¯t believe that such a weak and delicate girl could manage to withstand the horrible tortures from the remnants of the previous dynasty. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that there was a vast difference in their statuses, Zhao Han really would have liked to run over to Jinling and to lift Imperial Prince Xu by his cor, asking him just how was he, the bodyguard, protecting Xiaocao.


    He inhaled deeply and tried to calm the waves within his heart. Zhao Han wasn¡¯t so naive to believe that by eradicating a nest of old traitors in Jinling meant that all of the remnants of the previous dynasty were gone. A cornered dog was a dangerous one. It was very possible that other traitors would try to do something now! Furthermore, they had captured one of the descendents of the previous dynasty¡¯s imperial family. Thus, it was obvious that their journey home would be fraught with danger.


    After thinking all of this through, Zhao Han asked for this appointment at court. It would be much safer for them to travel in the open seas, with the navy escorting them,pared to traveling by river or onnd roads.


    Zhu Junfan also wanted to make sure these two officials were safe and was currently wondering what would be the best course of action to bring them back from Jinling. When Zhao Han proposed his idea, it was as if the youth was offering up a soft pillow to a sleepy individual. How could the emperor not agree to his request? He immediately set that task upon Zhao Han and ordered to take the most elite soldiers from the navy as well as the most modern ships to pick the great imperial envoy and Imperial Prince Xu and bring them back home safely.


    ¡°Older Brother Han?¡± Yu Xiaocao eximed in happy surprise when she saw Zhao Han arrive in the outer courtyard of the guest residence. He was dressed in military attire and seemed very energetic.


    Zhu Junyang had always disliked his wife¡¯s ¡®childhood friend¡¯ and naturally didn¡¯t have a pleased expression on his face, ¡°Why are you here?!¡±


    ¡°The emperor had gotten the news that the great imperial envoy had gotten injured and was worried that having only two bodyguards was insufficient for her safety. Thus, he sent this official over to bring the navy to escort the great imperial envoy back to the capital.¡± Zhao Han was very displeased with Imperial Prince Xu as Xiaocao had gotten injured. The prince couldn¡¯t even guarantee his wife¡¯s own safety, so how could he possibly give her happiness?


    Su Ran had been drinking tea under the tree. After being inadvertently insulted, he rubbed his nose and decided to leave as he didn¡¯t want to be in the crossfire between these two jealous men.


    Zhu Junyang could hear the unspoken words within Zhao Han¡¯s words and his gaze sharpened, ¡®If this prince isn¡¯t able to make my princess consort happy, who could? You, ah? You¡¯re a coward who doesn¡¯t even have the guts to confess your feelings. You deserve being left behind by the object of your affections!¡¯


    Zhao Han didn¡¯t back off after receiving Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s sharp look. He stared back and sparks flew between them. The tension was palpable.


    ¡°Oh wow! We can travel on seafaring ships back ah! Doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll pass by the harbor at Tanggu? I might even have some time to visit my family for a couple of days!¡± Yu Xiaocao inserted herself between the two men with the help of Wutong. She cradled her belly that was already a bit prominent and immediately dissolved the awkward atmosphere between the two.


    Zhao Han carefully looked at Xiaocao from head to toe. When he saw that her face was rosy and bright, he knew that she had been nursed well recently. He nced briefly at the slight swell of her belly and then pretended that he hadn¡¯t seen anything. He smiled, ¡°Get everything ready. We will do our best to get to the harbor at Tanggu before the ice starts to spread. When I left, I had someone send a letter over to Uncle Yu. He said that he will personally receive you at the harbor.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much that needs to be packed. All of the gifts and presents I bought in Jiangnan have long been sent away. As for my personal belongings, we¡¯re pretty much done organizing them in the past few days. If all goes well, we can head out tomorrow.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fact that her husband had insisted on having her stay in Jinling longer to recuperate her body, they would have headed back half a month ago to the capital. Even if the emperor didn¡¯t send anyone over to take them back, they would have begun traveling within the next few days.


    Although Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯t pleased by the fact that Zhao Han was here, for the sake of his wife¡¯s safety, he was willing to pinch his nose and deal with it. With his wife¡¯s current condition, he didn¡¯t want to take any unnecessary risks.


    They took a ferry from Jinling before they reached the open waters and boarded the seafaring ships. Their journey back was notpletely smooth. Fortunately, Zhao Han was very experienced in battles on the water and he easily defeated the attacks sent over by the traitors. The enemy wasn¡¯t even able to get close to the official ships before they were eliminated by the navy.


    The well equipped warships leisurely embarked away from the docks. Xiaocao stood on the deck and breathed in the familiar fishy smell of sea air. She opened her arms out wide, looking as if she was trying to hug the entire ocean as she yelled, ¡°Great ocean, I, Hu Hansan, havee back again ah!¡±


    ¡°Who is Hu Hansan?¡± Zhu Junyang appeared behind her and helped her put on a silver fox cape. It was now the eleventh month of the year and Jiangnan was also more chilly. With the billowing ocean winds, he was afraid that thess would catch a cold from getting chilled.


    ¡°¡®Hu Hansan¡¯ is me, and I am ¡®Hu Hansan¡¯!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to tell him that this name hade from an old film she had watched in her previous life. It was the name of a stereotypical viin and it was a well known catchphrase of this character.


    Zhu Junyang was quite curious by this obviously male name. He really didn¡¯t understand why his wife woulde up with such amon and crude name for herself. However, as long as his wife wanted it, even if she wanted to call herself ¡®Ergouzi¡¯, he would pinch his nose and endure it.


    ¡°You like the ocean this much?¡± He helped his wife fasten the hood on her cloak and then bent over to tie the waist tie for her. Then he nced briefly at a certain area of the warship¡ª¡ª¡¯Hmph! Are you trying to sneak a peek at my wife? Let me infuriate you!¡¯ He leaned over and nted a kiss on his wife¡¯s forehead, ¡®I¡¯m doing this on purpose, but what can you do?¡¯


    As a third-ranked military official, Zhao Han saw the scene in front of him and his eyes dimmed. Su Ran, who was holding a bamboo fishing pole, appeared behind him. The older man looked in the direction he was looking and also saw the ¡®eye-blinding¡¯ scene as well. A wicked smile curved up on Su Ran¡¯s lips as he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go and do some deep ocean fishing. I¡¯m sure thatss Xiaocao will be very interested.¡±


    Zhao Han naturally saw the evil smile on the other man¡¯s face. He paused for a second before he immediately reacted. He nodded, ¡°Good idea. Younger Sister Xiaocao is very talented at cooking seafood. I don¡¯t know if she had taught any of her maidservants her skills.¡± Younger Sister Xiaocao was pregnant and naturally wouldn¡¯t be suitable to spend a long time in the kitchen. This was mostly an excuse. After all, he just needed to find something usible to interrupt the sickly sweet alone time between Imperial Prince Xu and his wife!


    When the two of them arrived by the couple, Xiaocao was currently jabbering away, telling the prince that she hade up with a bunch of expensive ingredients on the first time she went gathering seafood with her father. During the hardest time of her family, they had relied on selling pig¡¯s head meat and pig intestines to make a living. They had also relied on the sea then because their customer base were the dockworkers working at the docks. Only then were they able to change their family¡¯s living conditions step by step.


    In her previous life, Xiaocao didn¡¯t have much opportunity to see the ocean. However, after transmigrating over into a fisherman¡¯s family, she had been intimately connected with the ocean. With the help of the little divine stone, she had gathered abalone and sea cucumber from the deep waters, helped her father hunt sharks, participated in the pearl hunting contest, and became acquainted with the adorable dolphin named Xiaobu...being able to be so close to the sea again made her happy.


    Zhao Han and Su Ran came over with fishing poles in their hands, ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao, do you like to eat lobster ah? Watch Older Brother Han today. I¡¯ll make sure to fish up a lobster asrge as a serving te for your lunch today.¡±


    ¡°Be careful that you¡¯re not promising too much. Do you really think that you¡¯d be able to catch a lobster asrge as a serving te?¡± Zhu Junyang had an unpleasant expression on his face after his sweet time with his wife was interrupted by the two men. If the look in his eyes could kill, then Su Ran and Zhao Han would be dead many times over.


    ¡°Okay ah, okay ah!¡± Unfortunately, his wife didn¡¯t sympathize with his plight and, instead, excitedly took a fishing pole and enthusiastically added herself to thepetition.


    Hu Hansan - a despicablendlord from the film ¡¯Flickering Red Stars¡¯. He had gotten overthrown by the peasant farmers but then came back while screaming ¡¯I, Hu Hansan, havee back again ah!¡¯

 Chapter 712 - Its All the Babys Faul

    <h4>Chapter 712 - It¡¯s All the Baby¡¯s Faul</h4>


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a lobster fishingpetition then! I¡¯ll use the lobsters we catch to make lobster broiled with minced garlic. There¡¯s a lot of seafood that I like to eat and my favorite is crabs. At this time of year, the crabs are fat and full of vor. It¡¯s a pity I have a little one inside me, so I can¡¯t eat too many.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed at her small belly and silently spoke to her unborn child, ¡®Sweetie, for your sake, your mother has made many sacrifices. In the future, you must be a filial child to me ah!¡¯


    Ever since she found out she was pregnant, her husband had abruptly transformed into an old nagging nanny. She wasn¡¯t allowed to eat many things or do many things. He was very strict with her. Crabs were a cold-natured food, so Xiaocao, who was pregnant, wasn¡¯t allowed to eat much and could only pathetically watch as other people ate the in-season delectable and fat crabs. She wasn¡¯t even allowed to eat her favorite crab roe soup dumplings, so she thought that she lived quite a pitiful life now.


    Although they were said to be deep sea fishing, it was mostly an excuse to pass the time. Since they were on a fast moving ship, how stupid would the fish and other sea creatures have to be to get caught ah? Consequently, by the time it was lunch, the group of them had nothing to show for their efforts. Although Xiaocao was quite hungry, she had no appetite as she saw that they had caught no seafood to add to her table. The little divine stone sighed and then changed into a swimsuit. Despite the fact that other people tried to stop it, it jumped off the ship and into the water.


    ¡°Uh...Younger Sister Xiaocao, does this younger adopted brother of yours have good swimming skills? Will he be alright ah? Should we have the ship stop for a bit and wait for him?¡± Zhao Han asked with a bit of worry.


    Ever since the little divine stone decided to stay in its human youth form, Xiaocao proimed to everyone else that it was her adopted younger brother. She also said that ¡®he¡¯ was her savior. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had appeared in the nick of time and prevented the traitor from the previous dynasty from killing her, she might not havested long enough for Imperial Prince Xu to save her. Thus, everyone around her treated this youth named ¡®Yuan Zi¡¯ with great respect and gratitude. Wutong was especially deferential to this youth and almost was at the point where she was burning incense to him every day.


    As someone who loved the crow because he loved the house, Zhao Han was worried about the little divine stone because it was the savior of Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao held onto the deck rails and stared out into the sea. Her expression, however, belied that she wasn¡¯t the least bit worried. In fact, she had a somewhat excited look instead. Oh ho, when the little divine stone decided to go out, he absolutely wouldn¡¯te back empty-handed. Her mouth was in luck today. Giant lobster, crab, sea fish...once they were cleaned, they were just waiting to be sent to her table!


    Ever since she discovered she was pregnant with her baby, Yu Xiaocao felt like she had be incredibly picky. In the past, even if she encountered a dish she wasn¡¯t fond of, she was able to stomach a few bites. Now, she didn¡¯t even want a whiff of the not favored dish. If someone tried to use the excuse that it would be good for her body and unborn child to eat the food, she would even throw a temper tantrum. At the same time, if she craved something and wasn¡¯t able to eat it, she immediately lost her appetite. Even if her stomach flipped and she was weak from hunger, she wouldn¡¯t even move her chopsticks one iota.


    She also refused to admit that she was the one being picky and difficult. In fact, sheined to her husband and imed that the reason why she was so picky now was all rted to the baby inside her tummy and that it was the baby¡¯s fault. The poor little fellow had already been used as a scapegoat for his mother before he (she) was even born.


    And just who was the little divine stone? He didn¡¯t have her wait for long before he came back with a basket full of top-notch seafood. Other than a giant lobster that was more than a foot long, he also brought back the best quality sea cucumber, abalone, and other types of tasty seafood that were appropriate for pregnant women to eat.


    Both Zhao Han and Su Ran were stupefied by the incredibly varied haul the youth came back with in so little time. However, they only thought that he had good swimming skills and had taken advantage of the good conditions in the sea. Even if someone else had other doubts, they wouldn¡¯t investigate much given that this youth had the identity of the younger adopted brother of the princess consort.


    Although they had missed lunchtime, Yu Xiaocao was very pleased with this table full of seafood. She ate with great relish. There was lobster broiled with minced garlic, steamed turbot in a light broth, sea cucumber bone soup, abalone cooked in oyster broth, salted egg and crab meat rice, broiled cod steaks...


    After inquiring a bit, Zhu Junyang found out that, other than the crab meat, the rest of the seafood was safe for pregnant women to eat without limits. Thus, he allowed her to eat until her belly turned round.


    However, Yu Xiaocao¡¯s tastes changed constantly. After eating seafood for a few days in a row, she suddenly wanted to eat fresh vegetables. It was already the winter season, and the ships were traveling from south to the north. Not all of the prefectures along the way had shops that were supplied with greenhouse grown vegetables. Consequently, the fact that Xiaocao was keen on eating vegetables became a big headache for everyone else on the ship. It was harder to find fresh vegetables in winter than seafood, alright?


    Fortunately, the child within Xiaocao¡¯s womb wasn¡¯t picky about what type of vegetable she ate (she insisted that it was the baby that was picky, so everyone could only hold their noses and assent). The rtively in-season spinach, Chinese chives, daikon, cabbage, and potatoes were all eaten by her with relish as long as they were cooked properly.


    With the Jinwei Navy¡¯s ships, which had the best ships in the Great Ming Dynasty, it ordinarily should have only taken them seven to eight days to arrive at Tanggu Harbor. However, it took them half a month for them toplete the journey despite the speed of the ships. There was nothing they could do. After all, in order to satisfy Yu Xiaocao¡¯s incredibly hard to please pte, they needed to supply the ships with a vast variety of foodstuffs every time they went to shore. This was to avoid being out at sea and having nothing to satisfy the little ancestor that was Yu Xiaocao.


    Just as the men were about to be exhausted from figuring out the food situation, the Tanggu Harbor could be seen in the distance. Zhu Junyang, Su Ran, and Zhao Han all let out a sigh of relief in their hearts.


    Perhaps it was because the Jinwei Navy was known to be tough fighters with excellent warships on their side, their journey to the north had been very smooth other than the fact that they had to deal with a certain person¡¯s changing appetites. When the warships reached shore, Liuzi got the news immediately and brought a few of his capable subordinates along to wee them. He personally helped Xiaoaco and the others to transport their luggage tond.


    Among the people there was Yu Heizi, who could be technically considered to be Xiaocao¡¯s older paternal cousin. Ever since Madam Zhang had left to go to the prefectural city with her youngest son, her eldest son¡¯s family, who had been ¡®abandoned¡¯, were left to their own devices. Madam Li was greedy andzy, so she always tried to find ways to ck off at work. Yu Dashan, on the other hand, was slow and ipetent. Thus, the family now relied entirely on Yu Heizi to support them.


    At the port, Brother Six had taken decent care of him because of his rtionship with Xiaocao. In addition, because Heizi was willing to work hard and was also on the clever side, he had slowly moved up the ranks and became Brother Six¡¯s right hand man. Thus, his monthly sry was considered quite good. He had bought a house close to the harbor and had gone through an intermediary to find a wife. Although she was only average in the looks department, she was a hardworking and capable partner to him.


    As for his parents, they weren¡¯t too old and were still rather healthy. Thus, he gave them five taels a month as a living allowance. Madam Li had originally wanted to move in with her son and daughter-inw, hoping to take her son¡¯s entire sry into her hands. Yu Heizi, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t someone who took filial piety to the extreme. He knew just what type of personality his own mother had, so he gave her an ultimatum: she could either continue to make a fuss about this until they no longer were on speaking terms with each other and he would no longer deal with her, or she could quietly live in Dongshan Vige and get the five taels a month from him as a sign of his filial piety.


    Madam Li only had one son and was truly afraid that her son would break off all rtions with her and refuse to support her. That being said, in Dongshan Vige, there were many people who worked from dawn to dusk and weren¡¯t able to make five taels a month. Thus, she finally agreed to his conditions.


    With a capable wife handling the household, Yu Heizi was able to work without any worries at the harbor. Thus, his life was going rather well at this point. On this particr morning, Yu Heizi, who was now in control of many affairs at the port, had found out that the great imperial envoy¡¯s ship was about to dock at Tanggu. Consequently, he immediately reported this to Brother Six.


    After Yu Heizi saw the light and turned his life around, he had be pretty close to his second uncle¡¯s entire family. On the major holidays, he would always bring a present along to pay them a visit. Thus, he naturally knew that his second uncle¡¯s youngest daughter had be an official at the imperial court and even had a higher position than his second uncle. Then, she got married to Imperial Prince Xu and was appointed as an imperial envoy toplete her task at Jinling. The emperor had even personally sent the navy over to escort her back, which clearly showed just how much importance the emperor viewed her with.


    When Brother Six got the news, he naturally wouldn¡¯t dare to slight the imperial envoy. Even if the entire Tanggu area wasn¡¯t the fiefdom of Imperial Prince Xu, just the fact that Princess Consort Xu had arrived meant that they couldn¡¯t treat her poorly due to her status. Although she had been born in an ordinary family, she had the skills to make her an important official at court. That being said, the reason why he was able to do so well at the port and monopolize the freight transport business was because Princess Consort Xu had given him a few pointers all those years ago. She wasing back triumphantly, so he absolutely could not slight her. Furthermore, he could use this as an opportunity to show his face to the high and mighty Princess Consort Xu. There were only advantages to this and no disadvantages.


    ¡°Eh? Brother Six? Older Brother Heizi? Foreman Sun? Howe you are all here?¡± When Xiaocao had disembarked from the ship like a pampered queen, with her husband on one side and Wutong on the other, she immediately felt a sense of intimacy seeing all of these familiar faces.


    When Brother Six heard the way the princess consort had addressed him, cold sweat immediately appeared on his body. He immediately stated in a frightened manner, ¡°Your Excellency...Your Highnesses, this lowly one, Liuzi, greets you all with respect!¡±


    ¡°This lowly one, Yu Heizi, greets Your Highnesses...¡±


    ¡°This lowly one, Sun Youwei...¡±


    Zhu Junyang noticed that his wife was starting to pout unhappily and hurriedly addressed the kneeling group of people in front of them, ¡°Alright ah, you¡¯re all excused from kneeling!¡±


    Afterwards, he asked his wife in an amicable manner, ¡°Are you hungry? Should we first go to Zhenxiu Restaurant to have the noon meal and go back to the vi for the evening mealter?¡±


    The Tanggu Harbor had been growing faster than the town itself in recent years. In terms of restaurants, it already had four to five big ones open. Naturally, Zhenxiu Restaurant was the one who beat them all in terms of taste, presentation, and atmosphere.


    ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll eat Zhenxiu Restaurant¡¯s roasted chicken and duck for lunch!¡± Although Jinling also had a branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant, it had altered the vors of its roasted duck and chicken to suit the taste buds of the southerners. Consequently, when she was in Jinling, Xiaocao ate more braised duck in brown sauce and osmanthus duck. She only tried their roasted chicken and duck once before deciding to not eat it again. After being gone for more than half a year, she had really missed the tastes of northern style roasted duck and chicken!


    Yu Xiaocao went forward a few steps before turning her head around to address the still respectful Liuzi and Yu Heizi, ¡°Come along with us. I want to hear about what has happened at the harbor.¡±


    The group walked on the streets to Zhenxiu Restaurant after disembarking from the ship. When she saw the vastly different harbor that was now bustling and glorious andpared it to her memories of the old docks that were simple and crude, Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but fall into contemtion.


    At that time, in order to use the braised food recipes she brought over from her past life to supplement her family¡¯s ie, she procured the cheap ingredients, pig¡¯s head meat and pig offal, and sold them at the docks at one copper coin a portion. The men who relied on the docks for a living had be her primary customers. During that time, she would call them using ¡®older brother¡¯ and ¡®uncle¡¯. If she still reverted back to her old ways of interacting with them, they would only be scared and frightened by her current status. They respected her now but were afraid of bing too close. After her status in life had changed, it was inevitable that she would end up losing many things, including the warm feelings she had with her fellow citizens in the past.


    Liuzi and Yu Heizi described all of the changes and events at the harbor in great detail with some anecdotal stories thrown in. Yu Xiaocao listened with great interest. Before she knew it, they had arrived at Zhenxiu Restaurant.


    The current manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant was informed in advance about their arrival, so he waited deferentially for them outside the main entrance. Under the envious gazes of the other managers of the nearby restaurants, he respectfully greeted Imperial Prince Xu, Princess Consort Xu, and Chief Steward Su.


    Yuan Zi (Ô¬è÷) - The name that the little divine stone goes by is a homonym for ¡¯Little Glutinous Dumpling¡¯ in Chinese.

 Chapter 713 - Deciding to Stay

    <h4>Chapter 713 - Deciding to Stay</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao smiled happily when she saw the familiar face, ¡°Manager Liu, I trust you¡¯ve been well since we¡¯vest met ah! When were you transferred over to the branch at the harbor ah?¡±


    Manager Liu was very touched by the fact that Yu Xiaocao, who was now an important imperial envoy and a princess consort to boot, had still remembered him. He replied emotionally, ¡°In reply to Your Highness, something came up at the harbor and the master let this onee over to smooth things over. I would have never have expected to have the honor to see both Highnesses here...¡±


    ¡°No wonder ah! It was a bit odd to me that you¡¯d leave the capital ande back to Tanggu instead. Apparently, the owner needed the great expert, Manager Liu, to get things into shape here ah!¡± Xiaocao¡¯s attitude to this familiar person was just as sweet and amodating as before.


    Manager Liu, on the other hand, was incredibly honored by her familiarity with him and gratefully thought, ¡®Miss Yu truly has a kind heart and treats people well. Even after she¡¯s be a high and mighty princess consort, she¡¯s still as sweet as ever.¡¯ Thus Manager Liu waxed on excitedly, ¡°Your Highness is much too kind. This one is incredibly honored, incredibly honored...Your Highnesses, pleasee to the third floor. We¡¯ve already reserved two private rooms for you. Is that enough space?¡±


    Since they had the Jinwei Navy escorting them back home, Imperial Prince Xu had already sent the hidden guards and bodyguards back on their own. Thus, with only a few people present and not that many servants, the two private rooms had more than enough space for them.


    After Yu Xiaocao finished an incredibly sumptuous and satisfactory meal, her father and older brother had rushed over from Tanggu Town. When they got the news that she had arrived, the father and son pair set down everything they were doing and didn¡¯t even bother to eat the noon meal before galloping over on horseback. They wanted to see their daughter and son-inw as soon as possible.


    ¡°Cao¡¯er¡ª¡ª¡± Yu Hai carefully inspected his daughter from head to toe. When he saw that herplexion was bright and that she had gotten plumper, he finally rxed a bit.


    However, when he saw Zhu Junyang, it was hard for him to not frown at his son-inw, ¡°What did you tell me on the day that you two got married? That no matter what, you would make sure to protect Cao¡¯erpletely and wouldn¡¯t even let a single hair on her head be harmed. But what happened now? You let her get so injured even when she was pregnant! Fortunately, Cao¡¯er¡¯s body was rtively healthy in her youth, otherwise...that¡¯d be two lives lost at once ah!¡±


    As he spoke, Yu Hai¡¯s eyes turned red. His poor daughter ah! When she was young, she had endured so many illnesses and idents and it was a miracle that she had survived early childhood. As she got older, she became healthier and their lives became better. She even ended up marrying an imperial prince. He had originally thought that her life would only get better from then. Who would have thought that she¡¯d be so injured while out on an official duty in Jinling even with her husband by her side? She almost had a miscarriage too.


    In order to make the emperor sympathize with them, Zhu Junyang had deliberately written about Xiaocao¡¯s injuries in a frightening manner. However, he didn¡¯t expect that this woulde back to hit his own toes right now.


    Despite the fact that he was an imperial prince, Zhu Junyang could only keep his head lowered meekly in front of his father-inw, who deeply loved Xiaocao. He repeatedly murmured that it was his fault and that something like that would never ur again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me me for being too coarse in my talk ah! She¡¯s my daughter and I had transferred her care to you. However, then I got news that she ¡®had a severe internal injury¡¯, fractured a few ribs, and ¡®almost had a miscarriage¡¯. As her father, how could I possibly be okay with this ah?!¡± Yu Hai still remembered to leave some face for his son-inw. Although he had a belly full ofints, he restrained himself as much as he could.


    Yu Hang spoke up, ¡°Your Highness, you¡¯re almost a father yourself so you should be able to understand a father¡¯s love for his children. When we first got the bad news, my mother fainted from shock. If it weren¡¯t for the fact I begged my father not to, he would have packed his bags and gone to Jinling to find my younger sister. You two are really too much ah! Why didn¡¯t you bring more bodyguards along after leaving your safe residence? Not only did you encounter pirates on the road, but my younger sister also got kidnapped...argh...¡±


    Zhu Junyang was being scolded roundly but what could he do? One was his father-inw and the other was his older brother-inw. That being said, it truly was his fault. He had been too confident and allowed thess to get hurt. It was only right and proper that he was getting scolded for this.


    When Xiaocao found out that her mother had fainted, she felt guilty and anxious. She hurriedly asked, ¡°Older Brother, how¡¯s mother? Is she a bit better?¡±


    ¡°Princess Consort Jing sent an imperial physician over to treat her. He said that she had be sick with worry and prescribed a few calming pills, so she¡¯s alright now.¡± Fortunately, Madam Liu¡¯s body had been well nourished these past few years. If this had happened right around the time Xiaocao had first transmigrated over, she might have be severely ill.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault to let everyone in the family worry about me.¡± Yu Xiaocao rxed as she stated remorsefully.


    Yu Hai looked at his daughter¡¯s belly, which was already protruding, and sighed, ¡°Cao¡¯er, ah, I know you have high ambitions and don¡¯t like to lose. However, you¡¯re someone¡¯s wife and about to be a mother. If you¡¯re able to, don¡¯t take on more official duties ah.¡±


    Yu Hai loved and worried about this daughter of his. He didn¡¯t know who she took after. Ever since she was young, she acted more like a boy. She was hardworking and incredibly trustworthy. In the short span of ten years, she had managed to build a bustling family empire for the family. As a girl, she was also the first female official in the Great Ming Dynasty, and was a fourth-ranked official to boot. However, in his eyes, no matter how capable she was, she needed to settle down after marriage. The most important thing for her now was to take care of her husband and children.


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry ah! I know what¡¯s important.¡± Yu Xiaocao had alreadye to a decision. Once the yields of the high-yielding wheat and the Jiangnan hybrid-rice experiments were a sess, she was going to retire...and focus solely on her own businesses.


    Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but smile when she remembered the talk she had with the little divine stone the other day.


    After being rescued, Xiaocaoy in bed, resting with nothing to do. She took advantage of a time when no one else was near her and asked the little divine stone, ¡°Why did youe back? Didn¡¯t you say that once your cultivation returns, you¡¯d be able to break through the barrier between dimensions and go back to your own world ah? Did you end up reaching a bottleneck or something?¡±


    [Stop saying such inauspicious things! Can¡¯t you tell that this immortal is perfectly fine ah?] The little divine stone rolled its eyes in a very human-like fashion and continued, [This immortal went back to my dimension. I had a simple bath, changed my clothes and only had a short conversation with Goddess Nuwa before you almost ended up losing your life. You¡¯re such a


    ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect this to happen. Who would have thought that those traitors would be so tricky and cruel ah?!¡± Yu Xiaocao quietly replied in a somewhat sheepish manner.


    [You¡¯re also aplete ditz. You believe whatever other people say. Your husband even told you that you shouldn¡¯t leave the courtyard residence, so why didn¡¯t you listen to him? Your husband has spoiled you too much. From my perspective, you deserve a big spanking before you¡¯ll finally grow some brains!] The little divine inwardly shuddered. If it had been just a few seconds slower, thisss would have already entered the King of Hell¡¯s domain with no return ticket home. They had been ¡®linked in all ways¡¯ for many years, so it¡¯d be impossible to say that there wasn¡¯t some attachment between the two of them.


    It thought back to when it first arrived back home. Goddess Nuwa had told it, ¡°If you truly want to reach the peak of cultivation, you cannot rely only on training alone. What¡¯s more important is you strengthening your heart and understanding emotions. The so-called ¡®heart¡¯ is bing connected with human emotions. If you never understand the word ¡®affection¡¯, then you won¡¯t be able to be a true immortal.¡±


    At Xiaocao¡¯s side, the little divine stone realized that it had finally understood what it meant to care for someone else, love someone else, and be friends with someone else...in its heart, the master that it used to disdain had gradually be someone who it really cared for. In the upper dimension, even when it was bickering yfully with the Goddess of Spirits, in the back of its mind, it was still worried about that stupid and kindheartedss. Without it by her side, would she be bullied by other people? Would she sob pitifully when she had difficulties?


    Humans only lived up to around a hundred years. To the immortals like him, that was the blink of an eye. After twiddling its thumbs for a few days in its world, the little divine stone finally couldn¡¯t take the thoughts tormenting it anymore and left the Goddess Nuwa to return to the mundane world. It was fortunate that it decided to go back when it did, otherwise...it had followed the smell of its owner¡¯s breath to find her. By the time it arrived by her side, she was already breathing herst.


    It was also fortunate that it had stolen the ¡®rise from the dead¡¯ elixir from the Goddess of Spirits to infuriate her. Otherwise...in that moment, it had truly experienced what it felt like to feel fury, grief, pain, and the desire to destroy everything. Apparently, the so-called ¡®seven emotional states and six desires¡¯ were that close to its psyche.


    After grasping these feelings, would it finally be a true immortal ah? However, it wasn¡¯t happy because of this. Instead, joy bloomed in its heart because its master had been saved. Perhaps, this was also an important experience for it as well?


    It lowered its head to look at Xiaocao, who had hung her head down, and sighed, [When that little one leaves your belly, you better be much more mature than you are now.]


    ¡°Then¡ª¡ªyou¡¯re not going back?¡± Yu Xiaocao suddenly raised her head and her brightrge eyes stared at the youth. She was full of hope.


    [You¡¯re sooooo stupid! If this immortal doesn¡¯t stay by your side, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d end up losing your life for some stupid reason or another. I don¡¯t have a second divine elixir to save you!] Although the little divine stone¡¯s words were quite harsh, the tone of voice it used betrayed the fact that it was quite worried about her.


    Yu Xiaocao, who had just been told off as ¡®stupid¡¯, was in bright spirits. Arge smile curved on her mouth and her bright eyes crinkled up into crescents as she joyfully said, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful! To tell you the truth, I felt quite sad when you left before!¡±


    [Be a bit more careful! Do you still want your ribs or not? That child in your belly is relying on you, his stupid mother. Poor thing!!] Happiness bubbled through the little divine stone¡¯s heart. It was in a great mood but its tongue was as poisonous as usual.


    The little divine stone, who had decided to stay in the mundane world, had been using its status as the savior of Princess Consort Xu. It was now her adopted younger brother and was staying by her side.


    At this time, Yu Hai was currently holding on its hand as he gushed gratefully, ¡°Many thanks, Young Master, for arriving at the nick of time to save my Cao¡¯er. You¡¯re our savior ah!¡±


    The corner of the little divine stone¡¯s mouth twitched. It wasn¡¯t used to other people touching it. It did its best to resist the urge to pull his hand out of the other man¡¯s grasp and red surreptitiously at Xiaocao, who was snickering quietly, before it patiently said, ¡°Uncle Yu, we are all one family. There¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±


    ¡°Oh right! Father, Yuanzi has been an orphan ever since he was young. You and Mother should pour more love on him.¡± Yu Xiaocao noticed that the little divine stone looked ufortable so she deliberately made things worse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ah, Ah¡¯zi, in the future, I will definitely treat you like my own son!¡± Yu Hai took this to be the truth and his eyes held a bit of pity in them as he looked at the little divine stone.


    ¡®Gee thanks ah! I don¡¯t need your pity though, alright?¡¯ The little divine stone kept an aloof look on his face. However, the other man¡¯s warmth had seemed to ignite a me inside its heart and made it feel quite cozy. Perhaps this was the taste of familial affection ah?


    This ¡¯Yuanzi¡¯ (Ô²×Ó) is a homonym from the Yuan Zi (Ô¬è÷) that the little divine stone took as a name. It actually means ¡¯ glutinous dumpling¡¯.

 Chapter 714 - To Sob

    <h4>Chapter 714 - To Sob</h4>


    After staying in the vi in Tanggu Town for two days, Yu Xiaocao and her husband traveled back to the capital with the escort of a thousand soldiers from the Firearms Barracks. The journey was uneventful and took only a short three daysplete. Naturally, this was the stretch of the journey that was most vulnerable to attack.


    If the enemy didn¡¯t bring arge number along, then it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. After all, with the two great experts, Imperial Prince Xu and Chief Steward Su, along it¡¯d be difficult for anyone to gain the upper hand. However, if the traitors from the previous dynasty decided to use the tactic of flooding them with people who were willing to use suicidal tactics, they¡¯d be hard pressed to protect the now already four-month pregnant Xiaocao.


    Thus, when the emperor got notice that the party had reached shore, he had sent out the Firearms Barracks to escort these two important officials back. The thousand or so soldiers from the Firearms Barracks were led by the second-inmand and they arrived in a grand manner to the Tanggu Harbor. If people didn¡¯t know better, they would have thought that arge-scale battle had broken out at the docks!


    With the fierce and well-equipped soldiers escorting them, the enemy naturally wouldn¡¯t try to attack them in vain and end up dying for no reason. Thus, they had a rtively quiet journey back to the capital. The carriage that Xiaocao sat in had also been especially prepared for her. The shock absorption had been upgraded and all of the furnishings were renovated in order to increase herfort to the max. Even with these amodations, Xiaocao still slept heavily for two days after getting to the capital before she finally felt like herself again.


    As the imperial envoy, she naturally needed to report on her mission after arriving back. Yu Xiaocao donned her official¡¯s attire and appeared at court with the swell of her pregnant belly visible under her clothing. As she greeted the emperor, Zhu Junfan personally came down from the dais and bent over to support this interesting official.


    Yu Xiaocao, on the other hand, didn¡¯t stand up and instead hugged the emperor¡¯s calf as she wept loudly, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty ah¡ª¡ªthis official almost died and wouldn¡¯t be able to see you again. Wah wah wah...it¡¯s not important whether I die or not but this official hasn¡¯t finished her dream of seeing rice paddies that produce a thousand catties per mu, allowing the people of the empire to be able to not starve anymore. Even if this official died, I wouldn¡¯t be able to close my eyes out of regret¡ª¡ªwah wah wah!¡±


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t expect that the littless would y this type of scenario. His phoenix eyes bugged out in shock and he stared fixedly at the calf that his wife was hugging in a furious manner¡ª¡ªhe needed to chop that leg off ah!


    The emperor: ¡®You dare! This is plotting to harm the ruler! Think again and open up those dumb eyes of yours! Your wife is holding onto us, why don¡¯t you chop off your wife¡¯s hands instead of our leg?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang: ¡®Can¡¯t bear to hurt her!¡¯


    The emperor: ¡®You can¡¯t bear to hurt your wife but you¡¯re okay with hurting us?! You¡¯re truly our good official and good cousin!¡¯


    When the officials in the court saw this scene, they couldn¡¯t help but feel tears stinging their eyes. Originally, the report that Imperial Prince Xu sent back had seemed a bit exaggerated as he had described Yu Xiaocao¡¯s wounds in a pitiful manner. Now, when they saw her obviously pregnant self, crying like a child, they suddenly realized that the imperial envoy was only a young eighteen year olddy. Furthermore, she was also the mother of an unborn child.


    In addition, this mother who almost lost her child was sobbing, not because she had be injured or that she had almost had a miscarriage, but because if she had died at this time, she¡¯d be letting down the country¡¯s experimental fields and all of the empire¡¯s people. The officials who had gotten word that the imperial envoy and Imperial Prince Xu had been using her time in the south injudiciously to travel and y around now felt guilty that they had nned on making things difficult for them at court.


    The emperor¡¯s lips twitched and he hurriedly supported Xiaocao up. He gave her a look that said, ¡®You¡¯re being a bit too dramatic now. Looks too fake!¡¯ However, the words that came out of his mouth were different, ¡°Beloved Official, it was we who were not thoughtful enough and allowed you toe into harm¡¯s way!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m able to make the rice yields from the hybrid rice crops stable, it¡¯d be worth it no matter how hard!¡± Yu Xiaocao switched out the handkerchief in her hands and wiped her eyes. Oh my goodness, the pepper water she had used was a bit too fierce and her eyes were now swollen!


    Yu Xiaocao¡¯s tactic of crying out inmentation had earned manypliments and sympathy from the other officials at court. After the session, Minister Liu from the Ministry of Revenue came over with an excited expression on your face, ¡°Official Yu, is the hybridized rice you speak of truly able to get up to a thousand catties per mu?¡±


    ¡°But of course!¡± Yu Xiaocao replied in a confident manner. Although hybridized rice was something that would take awhile to experiment, with the right direction, they would reach what their goal was eventually. With Official Wu¡¯s research, they had already seen the possibility of sess. She was sure that hybridized rice would be able to appear in this world soon.


    Official Liu had a gratified look on his face as he asked, ¡°Then what about wheat? Would you be able to develop a type of wheat that can produce a thousand catties per mu?¡±


    People in the north relied more on wheat for their staple food. Thus, more wheat was nted there. If they were able to develop wheat that could reach a thousand catties per mu, Official Liu could foresee a glorious future. In his history books, he recalled that during the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the country was flourishing and the strings that held their copper coins in the treasury were rotting. The grain warehouses were so full with surplus food that they would pile up the new harvest on the old and they had run out of space, so they had to store the excess grain outside the buildings.


    When he had read that, he couldn¡¯t help but wish that he could live in such a flourishing period. If he was able to be an official like Sang Hongyang, that¡¯d be for the best! Although his current contributions to the country were still quiteckingpared to Sang Hongyang¡¯s, if he was able to guide the country while the head minister of Ministry of Revenue into an era where it was so prosperous that ¡®grain was rotting in the warehouses¡¯, that¡¯d be a glorious sight indeed!


    Xiaocao thought for a moment. In her previous life, it wasn¡¯t an impossibility to have wheat that reached a thousand catties per mu. However, the current era¡¯s fertilization technology and field management weren¡¯t up to par. Thus, this issue was even a bit tricky for her. When she got back home, she needed to ask the little divine stone on what it thought about the problem.


    ¡°It should be possible. However, Official Liu, you also know that the yield of a crop isn¡¯t dependent only on the seed quality. There are also other anciry things, such asnd management and fertilization, that affects the crop yield, so...don¡¯t worry ah, I will continue to work hard in this direction!¡±


    Official Liu wanted to say something more but was interrupted by Imperial Prince Xu, ¡°Official Liu, Official Yu¡¯s body is still weak and she shouldn¡¯t be discussing official matters for this long. The emperor has already approved a length of vacation for her. When the vacation is done and her body is up to it, you can discuss more then!¡±


    He didn¡¯t give Official Liu any chance to reply as he escorted his wife out of the main hall.


    ¡°Your Highnesses, the empress is worried about Princess Consort Xu and allowed this servant to prepare a sedan for her, please enter...¡± The person who spoke was the head eunuch of the empress. Behind him were four strong body servants and they were currently carrying afortable sedan on their shoulders in silence.


    ¡°Please thank her imperial highness for her kindness. On another day, Xiaocao will personally visit her to give thanks.¡± Xiaocao felt exhausted from head to toe. She had to wake up early to make morning court and had stayed there for two hours. After thanking the head eunuch, she entered the sedan with the help of her husband and sat down. The sedan slowly left the pce. The other officials leaving court saw this and were incredibly envious of her good fortune of being favored by the empress.


    However, did it matter that they were jealous? Were they as hardworking as Official Yu? If they wanted to be favored, howe they didn¡¯te up with a method to produce rice paddies that yielded a thousand catties per mu? The vast majority of officials now saw the light. With Princess Consort Xu around, Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s rtionship with the emperor would only get better with passing time. Whoever tried to drive a wedge between the emperor and Imperial Prince Xu would have a very bad oue now!


    Following that, for a long period of time, Zhu Junyang discovered that things had gotten a lot easier for him at court. In the past, all of the fellows who liked to cause trouble for him were now quiet and obedient. In order to understand the change, he had secretly used his powers to glimpse into their mind. The answers he got made him want to eitherugh or cry. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t because they now acknowledged his abilities but it was because theypletely acknowledged his wife¡¯s abilities.


    As for Xiaocao, now that she had a proper vacation time, she continued her days of ¡®being a pig¡¯. Every day she ate and then slept, followed by more sleeping and eating. Her husband pampered her and made it such that she never had to lift a finger. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t restrict her from leaving the residence. Otherwise, she might have gone insane.


    However, she still wasn¡¯t as free and independent as before, going to wherever she pleased. She still needed to have her husband apany her. If he didn¡¯t have the time, she needed to go out with her ¡®adopted younger brother¡¯. She also couldn¡¯t go too far and could only visit her maternal family, her godfamily, and a few of her close friends. That was because these ces weren¡¯t too far from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate.


    Imperial Prince Xu wasn¡¯t as lucky as his wife. When he got back from the capital, the emperor had sent him off to the Xishan Barracks to continue drilling them. Zhu Junyang knew that Yuan Zi¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t normal, so when he wasn¡¯t around, he always asked him to keep an eye on her wife.


    The little divine stone was starting to get annoyed by this. Xiaocao was also its master and her safety was within its realm of responsibilities. Was it really necessary that the prince nag all the time?


    Naturally, the ce that Xiaocao visited the most was her maternal family! At the beginning of the eighth month, her older sister-inw had birthed a nephew for her. Now, he was already three months old and was a bright and adorable little fellow. Her favorite thing to do was to sit on the warm and cozy kang bed and watch the little fellow huff and puff as he tried to flip over. When he finally seeded, she would gleefully flip him back over. The little fellow had a good temper and continued to use great effort in flipping back over.


    ¡°You, ah, only know how to bully your nephew!¡± Madam Liu felt a bit bad seeing that her grandson had been flipped over for the nth time by his aunt. She gave her daughter a look and hugged her grandson in her arms before feeding him a bit of warm water.


    ¡°Wah wah wah...now that Mother has a grandson, she doesn¡¯t love me anymore. I¡¯m so pitiful, there¡¯s no one who loves and pampers me...¡± Yu Xiaocao covered her face and pretended to cry.


    Madam Liu had a helpless expression on her face as she said, ¡°How old are you now to still strive for favor with your nephew ah? You¡¯re about to be a mother but you¡¯ve made no personal progress!¡±


    Xiaolian, who had just discovered she was pregnant, was currently sewing a tiger cap for her nephew. She smiled at this, ¡°Younger Sister, who said that you have no one to love you? Imperial Prince Xu would carry you everywhere if you asked him to!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao reached out a hand to tickle her, ¡°Alright ah! Since you¡¯re making fun of me, just watch me make you...¡±


    ¡°Slow down a bit, my little ancestors. Be more careful! Cao¡¯er, you and your older sister are both pregnant and shouldn¡¯t be horsing around!¡± Madam Liu saw that her youngest daughter was jumping around and was so scared that cold sweat poured out of her body.


    Her youngest daughter had gotten pregnant but ended up suffering such horrendous injuries shortly thereafter. She almost lost her unborn child. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the imperial physician and her own daughter had promised her that her body and her baby were perfectly healthy now, Madam Liu would still be so worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well.


    Yu Xiaocao saw the worried expression on her mother¡¯s face and hurriedly sat down in an obedient manner. She watched her plump little nephew wriggling around on the kang bed like a worm. Even when he reached an obstacle, he didn¡¯t cry or throw a tantrum. She chuckled, ¡°Feng¡¯er¡¯s personality must be like my older brother¡¯s. He has a very good temper.¡±


    ¡°Younger Sister, those words make me unhappy. You make it sound like I have a really bad temper or something!¡± It was almost the twelfth month of the year and there were more things to manage in the residence. Liu Huifang had been busy up until now and had just gotten some time to chat with her younger sister-inw.


    Sang Hongyang - an official under Emperor Wu of Han who was famous for his economic policies.

 Chapter 715 - Carefree Life

    <h4>Chapter 715 - Carefree Life</h4>


    ¡°Second Older Sister, Second Older Sister!¡± Little Shitou¡¯s clear, bright, and gentle voice can be heard from the courtyard. In a brief moment, the hanging screen to the door was pushed open, and a handsome young boy walked in, ¡°Did the little nephew bother you today?¡±


    Following the twelfth month, the fetus in Xiaocao¡¯s stomach started to move for the first time. At that time, Xiaocao was leaning against the kang bed in her maternal family¡¯s house as she watched her mother knit small pieces of clothing for the child in her womb. Xiaocao acknowledged that she has no talent for needlework and, up until now, the embroidered pouches she made still had crooked threading. Madam Liuined that she waszy and didn¡¯t try to learn earnestly; however, she immediately started to sew hats, shoes, and socks for her unborn grandson.


    Yu Xiaocao was pleasantly surprised when she felt the fetus move, and immediately shared the good news with her mother. Her brother was there at that time, and he happily and earnestly ¡®taught¡¯ his nephew to be more obedient, be more considerate of his mother, and not to cause too much of a fuss. After that, whenever he saw Xiaocao, his first question to her was to ask whether his little nephew had caused her any trouble.


    Although her little brother always addresses her child as ¡®little nephew¡¯, and her mother also addressed her child as ¡®little grandson¡¯, Yu Xiaocao believed that the child in her stomach should be a girl. Why would she believe that? It was because the child in her belly had always been well-behaved. After the first time, she felt the fetus move, the fetus stayed in her belly without moving again. This caused Xiaocao to believe that what she felt before was merely an illusion.


    Speaking of this, Zhu Junyang remained upset for a long time because he missed his child¡¯s first movements. As themanding drillmaster of the army, his unhappiness caused the soldiers under his wing to suffer. The soldiers practiced every day like dogs, causing theirints about theirmanding drillmaster to rocket towards the sky! But behind his back, the soldiers secretly discussed whether their leader had offended his wife and was punished to sleep in a separate room...


    Xiaolian, who was doing needlework at the side, deliberately put on an unhappy expression and said, ¡°Younger Brother, aren¡¯t you acting too biased? You have more than one little nephew, besides the one in your second sister¡¯s belly!¡±


    ¡°Eldest Sister, isn¡¯t the little nephew in your belly still small? Once he starts moving around, I will also greet him every day.¡± Xiaolian took over half a year to recuperate her body and had smoothly be pregnant with a baby. However, the baby in her belly was two months younger than the baby in Xiaocao¡¯s belly. The baby wasn¡¯t even three months old yet, so it didn¡¯t look obvious that she was pregnant.


    ¡°Did our top schr finish his work? Come and taste the egg tarts and puddings that Yangliu had specially made for you,¡± Yu Xiaocao jokingly teased. She pointed her finger at snacks and pastries on the table of the kang bed. She picked up a walnut and used a small hammer to crack it open. Then, she ate the pulp inside the walnut shell. It was often said that eating walnuts during pregnancy would make the children intelligent. Although she didn¡¯t know whether there was any scientific research backing the im, she still persisted in eating a few walnuts every day.


    Little Shitouined, ¡°Second Older Sister, I am no longer a child, so stop using snacks to cajole me like I¡¯m still a little kid.¡± While he said that, his hand faithfully stretched toward a piece of egg tart. The egg tart was ky and sweet, which was his favorite type of pastry.


    Speaking of which, when Xiaocao wasmanded to leave the capital, the date of her little brother¡¯s metropolitan exams hadn;t been released yet. She also missed his pce examinations. It was onlyter that she received a letter from her family stating her little brother ced first on the metropolitan exams. He also did well on his pce exam. When the results of the examination were released, people both envied and admired the sixteen year old who had gotten the best score on the exam.


    Little Shitou had his wish fulfilled, bing the ¡®top scorer of three governmental examinations¡¯, and couldn¡¯t wait to write a letter to his second sister, who was in Jinling. Xiaocao also sent some specialty products from Jinling as a gift for her younger brother.


    After that, he also took the examination for a temporary position at the Hanlin Academy, officially starting his career. His workload every day was not heavy. He just needed to help the emperor draft some edicts and exin some religious text and so on. After hearing Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s exnation, Xiaocao understood that the temporary position was offered to the member of the emperor¡¯s inner ministerial circle and was a cab consisting of talented schrs.


    Prime Minister Yuan, who was above ten thousand people and only below one person, was someone who had started out as a temporary position at the Hanlin Academy. Many people from the imperial court said that in the future, Yu Hang would be walking the same path as Prime Minister Yuan. If there were no mishaps, then his future was boundless. Families with daughters around Little Shitou¡¯s age all revealed that they want to marry into the Yu Family.


    Even though Little Shitou was only sixteen years old this year, there were many young men around his age in the countryside that had already started to look for a wife. Madam Liu discovered that her peaceful days were gone forever. Madams whom she recognized and didn¡¯t recognize, all brought their daughters to visit their residence as guests, praising their daughters incessantly. Although Madam Liu was not familiar with dealing with these scheming madams, she was not stupid.


    Before Xiaocao got married, Xiaocao told her parents not to worry about her little brother¡¯s marriage. Little Shitou¡¯s master was well-known in the north and south, and his senior brother was the current prime minister of the empire. Furthermore, he also had her and Imperial Prince Xu backing him up. His future achievements were not going to be small. They couldn¡¯t just casually pick his future wife, otherwise, she might hinder his achievements in the future.


    Madam Liu had a weak temperament, but she never made an important decision on impulse. When her youngest daughter was still at home, she would always ask her daughter for her opinion whenever she encountered these matters. After her youngest daughter got married, she would ask her god family or her younger son for their opinion whenever she didn¡¯t know how to make a decision.


    Therefore, she withstood all the pressure from the matrons in regards to her youngest son¡¯s marriage and responded to them ording to Lady Fang¡¯s words.


    ¡°Fan¡¯er¡¯s marriage will be arranged by his master...¡±


    ¡°Fan¡¯er told me not to worry about his marriage...¡±


    ¡°My Cao¡¯er said that she will personally help pick out her younger brother¡¯s wife...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m someone from an uninfluential and small background, so I won¡¯t hinder my son. He always had his ideas. As his mother, my duty is to prepare the betrothal gift and the wedding ceremony...¡±


    After this, people started to gossip about how ¡®small-minded and petty¡¯ she was, but people gradually stopped bothering her about her youngest son¡¯s marriage. She didn¡¯t care what other people said about her as long as it didn¡¯t affect her children¡¯s future.


    In fact, Little Shitou didn¡¯t have high standards about his marriage. As long as his future wife was pleasant to the eye, had a good temper, and was clever... and wouldn¡¯t hinder him, then she would be good enough for him. But if she could be simr like his second sister, who had a good temperament, was efficient, witty, andpetent, then it would be even better. He didn¡¯t mind if his future wife didn¡¯t have the talent as his second sister had in business and money-making; as long as she was dependable and was able to take care of the residence in his absence so that he would not have any worries while he served the emperor in the imperial court, that was all he needed.


    Following the twelfth month, all the families were busy preparing for the festival. In Prince Xu¡¯s Estate, Imperial Prince Xu has speciallymanded the stewards that, if they could make the decisions themselves, to do it themselves. If they couldn¡¯t, then they should report to him and that under no circumstance were they allowed to disturb the princess consort who was caring for her unborn child.


    The matters rted to the outer courtyard were all taken care of by the head steward of the outer courtyard. Meixiang and Wutong were in charge of the inner courtyard matters. Xiaocao was able to spend her simple lifefortably and peacefully. Her two best friends, He Wanning and Yuan Xueyanm came to visit her and were both envious of how carefree and leisurely she is.


    After marriage, a woman had her father-inw and mother-inw watching over her, as well as numerous aunts and sisters-inw. As a result, there were more matters to attend to and they weren¡¯t as carefree as the time when they were not married. After Xiaocao got married, she didn¡¯t have her inws watching over her shoulder nor did she have aunts and sisters-inw to please. The two of them were jealous that she was able to live such afortable life.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too avaricious and insatiable. Lu Hao and Ning Donn are not the eldest sons of the family, so you naturally aren¡¯t the eldest daughter-inw of the family. Compared to those who are in charge of preparing the food and clothing for the entire household, the two of you are already very blessed, alright?¡± Yu Xiaocao nced at the two women who werementing how envious they were of her as she ate the cold grapes that were sent from the ntation.


    He Wanning nibbled at a fragrant and sweet pear as sheughed mischievously, ¡°I¡¯m just shocked by howfortably you¡¯re living. You might not know, although I have two older sisters-inw, my mother-inw was afraid that I would haveints, so she forced me to manage the household. I don¡¯t have the talent to manage an entire house! Do you think my mother-inw is trying to torture me on purpose? As a matter of fact, I came here under the pretext of visiting you to take this opportunity to avoid work. My husband has also participated in the training exercise, so he won¡¯t be home until the beginning of the new year. Tell me, should I head back and tell my mother-inw that I¡¯m worried about you living home alone, so I¡¯ll be moving in with you to keep youpany?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at her as she teased Yuan Xueyan¡¯s six month old daughter. The young child has inherited her parents¡¯ good looks. Her adorable appearance made it impossible for people not to love her dearly.


    Before Yuan Xueyan married, she appeared cold and indifferent,pletely different from other people. After she married Ning Donn, the two treated each other with mutual respect, but Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help feeling like something was missing between the couple. But after the birth of their daughter, Yuan Xueyan¡¯s motherly nature caused her to bloom brilliantly. She appeared to be more approachable. Her rtionship with her husband also started to warm up all thanks to her daughter.


    ¡°Since you like Chan¡¯er that much, why don¡¯t you be inws by marriage?¡± He Wanning had a straightforward temperament. Her habit of speaking her mind had not changed, so it could be seen that she also livedfortably in her husband¡¯s family. Her mother-inw and sisters-inw weren¡¯t purposely making her life difficult, so her temperament never changed.


    Now it was Yuan Xueyan¡¯s turn to roll her eyes at her, ¡°Don¡¯t let Ning Donn hear what you had just said, otherwise, he will fight you as if his life depends on it!¡±


    Everyone in the capital knew that Ning Donn loved his daughter dearly. As soon as she was born, he visited every jewelry shop in the capital to buy custom made jewelry and pendants for his daughter. Even though he was a man, he visited numerous clothing stores, ordering enough clothes for his daughter to wear until the age of ten.


    When he was home, he refused to let his daughter leave his hand. Even if his daughter is asleep, he will still hold onto her. The little child was now so used to being held, that she started crying if she¡¯s not constantly held, even when she fell asleep. As soon as she was ced on the bed, she would cry until her voice was hoarse. Yuan Xueyan was so angry that she had a huge quarrel with him. She solemnly warned him that if he tries to spoil their daughter anymore, she would take her daughter back to her maternal family. This caused Ning Donn to finally stop.


    These were all rumors that she heard of after she returned to the capital. She rubbed her five month pregnant belly and softly said, ¡°I think the child in my belly should be a little girl. She¡¯s so obedient. If she doesn¡¯t asionally move around to remind me of her presence, then I would¡¯ve long forgotten that I¡¯m a pregnant woman.¡±

 Chapter 716 - Im Satisfied With My Life

    <h4>Chapter 716 - I¡¯m Satisfied With My Life</h4>


    "Little girls are the best! Obedient, considerate, and quiet!¡± He Wanning gave Ning Yuchan¡¯s chubby bottom a little squeeze as she continued toin, "Listen, my older brother¡¯s second son is just so naughty! He¡¯s just learnt to walk and hasn¡¯t had a quiet moment since! His elderly grandmothers cannot keep up with him at all. I¡¯m really afraid that Marquis Dingyuan will produce a demon king!"


    ¡°What about you? It¡¯s been more than two years since you got married. Xiaocao got married more than a year after you did and is already five months pregnant. Yet, there¡¯s no good news from you at all. Does your mother-inw nag you about it? Is Lu Hao getting anxious?" Yuan Xueyan asked in concern for her sister.


    He Wanning touched her stomach, and the smile on her face faded. "What else can they do? They can only me me for not being able to get pregnant, as usual.¡± It was not that they weren¡¯t anxious about it, but...


    "By the way, Xiaocao, aren¡¯t you quite skilled with treating infertility? You were the one who treated my brother, and now my two nephews and little niece are running amok all day in our house. Could you take a look and tell me if there¡¯s anything wrong with me?" He Wanning looked at Xiaocao hopefully.


    Yu Xiaocao took her pulse. She remarked that while there was some coldness in her womb due to an imbnced diet, there wasn¡¯t anything severe enough to cause infertility. If there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with Lu Hao, then perhaps it was just that they were not fated to have children at the moment.


    Upon hearing Xiaocao¡¯s words, the weight on He Wanning¡¯s heart lifted. She had been married for two years and still had not been able to conceive. Although her mother-inw didn¡¯t say much about it, she sometimes seemed at the verge of wanting to speak out. People have also started to gossip that the He Family had fertility issues, and that she might have simr ailments as her brother.


    He Wanning was not one who would endure the nder of others silently. She used to have quite a temper when she was younger and would beat up anyone who dared to talk behind her back. But this matter was one that persistently troubled her. She had feared that there was an issue with her that resulted in their infertility.


    With Xiaocao¡¯s reassurance, a smile returned to her face, "When my husband returns, take a look at him as well. If there¡¯s an issue, we will treat it, and if there¡¯s nothing wrong, we would also be more at ease. Xiaocao, prescribe me some medicinal remedies that will help to bnce the coldness of my womb. I remember you saying that if one¡¯s womb is cold, even if they got pregnant, it will not be good for the baby."


    "That¡¯s right! The womb is where the fetus grows and develops. What will happen to you If you live in a cold and dark environment for a long time? It will be ufortable for sure, and you might even fall sick. The same is true for the fetus, if they grow in a cold environment, it is might curb their development and even lead to miscarriage. Moreover, the babies born from cold wombs not only have weak immune systems, but are also prone to attention deficit disorders, and are not easy to bring up." Thetter part of her statement were things that Xiaocao heard in her previous life, and she wasn¡¯t sure if there was any actual basis for those ims.


    Xiaocao prescribed some medicinal herbs for He Wanning and told her to prepare and drink it ording to the method that she wrote. Soon, the coldness in her womb was alleviated. Not long after spring in the following year, the good news of a pregnancy came out. Xiaocao didn¡¯t dare to take credit for it this time. The couple had no major issues that would affect fertility to begin with. It was probably just a matter of time before they would conceive.


    She did teach He Wanning how to calcte her ovtion period¡ªincreased intimacy between the couple during that period naturally increased the chances of pregnancy. Apart from that, He Wanning¡¯s pregnancy really had nothing to do with her. But that wasn¡¯t what the people thought. They believed that Princess Consort Xu had excellent medical skills, especially with regards to the treatment of infertility. Didn¡¯t Lady Fang, who was already over forty at the time, manage to conceive? Weren¡¯t the He siblings also able to have good results after her diagnosis and treatment?


    However, due to her elevated status and her being a pregnant woman herself, not many people came to seek medical treatment. Those who were able to enter the gate of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate were all children of powerful nobles or high-ranking officials. As long as it did not affect her own rest, Zhu Junyang did not prevent his wife from prescribing treatments.


    As Princess Consort Xu treated more people, Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s standing in court also improved. This is all due to his princess¡¯s efforts!


    On the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, the demonic training at the Xishan Barracks came to an end. When Zhu Junyang returned to his estate and saw his little wife¡¯s bulging belly, he said with a little rm, ¡°This... is your belly growing a little too fast? It¡¯s only five months along, right? Why do you look like you¡¯ve got a big watermelon strapped on your belly?"


    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re the one with a watermelon stomach!" Yu Xiaocao threw a pillow at him, which was easily caught by the man¡¯s long arm. During this period of time, she had always felt that her stomach was like a bottomless pit that she couldn¡¯t fill. Even if she ate a lot during the regr meals, she got hungry easily, and had to have something extra like a bowl of wontons or chicken noodle soup between meals. She hadn¡¯t gained much weight in spite of all the extra food¡ª it all went straight to her belly.


    Her mother said that the nutrition had all been absorbed by the child. She advised her to rx, eat less at every meal, and walk about more often, so that the fetus will not get too big and cause unnecessaryplications during birth.


    Madam Liu was not without suspicion about the prospect of twins. However, Xiaocao got the little divine stone to use its spiritual power to check her body, and was told that it was indeed just one child. Seeing that she was still a little anxious, the little divine stone reassured her that the child was developing well, so she didn¡¯t have to worry. With it frequently nourishing the little fetus with its spiritual power, the little one could only get healthier. As for the concern of the fetus being too big, there was no need to worry at all. With its reassurance, Xiaocao set her worries aside and ate and drank as she liked.


    Every night before bed, Xiaocao would rub oil on her stomach to prevent stretch marks. The lightly aromatic body oil was made from pure nt extracts. Nourishing to the skin, it was a gentle and soothing remedy that waspletely safe to use.


    Zhu Junyang took the body oil from her hands and gently massaged it onto her round and delicate belly. "Are you sure they are not twins? Isn¡¯t this belly too big?" He asked.


    "I already told you that I am only carrying one child. The imperial physicians have confirmed it. So, you are destined to be disappointed!" Yu Xiaocao gave him a look and continued. "Some people¡¯s wombs tilt forward, and that can make the belly seem very big. For those who tilt backwards, the belly is still small even when they give birth. And then there are some who don¡¯t even seem pregnant with just a bit of weight gain. Now, in my belly, our little bean is still small. Everything else is amniotic fluid and so on..."


    Xiaocao gestured with her hands to indicate the size of their baby. Zhu Junyang¡¯s eyes suddenly grew wide. He stared at her belly with a look of incredulity and stammered. "He... I think he kicked me!"


    Xiaocao also felt the strong fetal movements, which took her by surprise. The little one had always been rtively calm, and there¡¯d been only a few asional movements. Even then, the baby only wriggled slightly. This time, however, the fetus was giving his father a rather hard kick.


    Yu Xiaocao touched the spot where the baby was moving and smiled. "Our baby must know that his father is back. He¡¯s saying hello to you."


    Zhu Junyang put his hand over his wife¡¯s little hand and asked with a mixture of delight and concern, "He gave such a strong kick, was it ufortable for you? Will it cause you any harm? Son, be good. Show a little morepassion for your mother, it¡¯s not easy for her to be carrying you..."


    As soon as he finished, a small bulge protruded from Xiaocao¡¯s stomach as if in response. This time however, it was much less intense. Zhu Junyang gently rubbed his wife¡¯s belly, hoping to relieve her difort.


    Fortunately, the little one was not a mischievous one. After the two interactions with his father, he calmed down and was quiet. Zhu Junyang quickly finished applying the body oil. He then held his wife in his arms with a gleam in his eyes. "My wife, I heard that except for the first three months and thest three months, as long as we are careful, we can still..."


    In Jinling, he had been meticulously caring for his wife in the first trimester of her pregnancy. After the initial three months, he went back to the capital. He was worried that his wife would suffer on the journey, and did not want to trouble her. After returning to the capital, he was thrown into the barracks by the emperor, and had spent a month with a group of rowdy men. After all this time, now that he finally had his beautiful wife by his side, how could he be expected to hold back?


    It is said that pregnancy would make one ugly, but that was not true at all for Xiaocao. Instead, because of her nutritious meals and ample rest, herplexion was even more radiant and wless. There was not even a trace of the tiniest pores, and her skin could be said to be even smoother and more polished than the most luxurious suet jade. Apart from her bulging belly, the biggest change to her body was probably her chest. If there were soup dumplings previously, now, they¡¯ve developed into good-sized meat buns. Zhu Junyang¡¯s hand cupped one, and it was just the right...


    "Get your hands off me!" Yu Xiaocao pped her husband away as he started caressing her breasts. Just as she was straightening her clothes, he started caressing and kissing her again. Since she became pregnant, her body had be more sensitive. Soon, she melted under his unrelentless caresses, and gave in to his whims...


    On the 30th, Zhu Junyang brought his wife back to Imperial Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. His second brother, Zhu Junxi, had also returned from the border with his fianc¨¦e. There was a big and happy reunion as they celebrated the new year.


    Looking at her eldest son¡¯s family of three... No, they were soon to be a family of four. After more than half a year of treatment, the heir¡¯s wife had finally conceived a second child, only a monthter than Xiaocao. In theing year, the family would have another two little beans. Princess Consort Jing drank a cup of mellow wine and a contented smile spread slowly on her face.


    Then, she looked at her second son, who was serving Han Xiaomu somd food. The wedding date for the couple had already been set, and it was to take ce in the second month of spring. Her second son had also said that when he returned to the capital to submit his report, he would also apply to remain in the capital. Anyway, the border was currently peaceful, and there wasn¡¯t much for him to do. He would rather be near his mother and carry out his duties as a son.


    The youngest son who had worried her the most in recent years had not only married a wife, but was also about to be a father. He also held an important position in the court and was considered to be the most promising one in the family. Turning her gaze to her youngest daughter-inw, she thought to herself that the transformation in her youngest son all began when they first met. It was said that Yu Xiaocao was a fairy who had descended from heaven¡ª she not only saved the lives of the people, but also gave her Yang¡¯er salvation.


    Wasn¡¯t she also a beneficiary herself? Without Xiaocao¡¯s medicinal prescriptions and years of meticulous care and treatment, her body would never have held out long enough to be able to see her second son and youngest son settle down and start families! And he¡ªshe turned her attention to the man who had cherished her her entire life¡ªwithout her, would he be able to be as energetic and full of life as he was now?


    Gazing at the happy family, Princess Consort Jing suddenly felt that her life wasplete...

 Chapter 717 - Premature Labor

    <h4>Chapter 717 - Premature Labor</h4>


    The upper-ss nobles in the capital all praised the yet to be born heir of Imperial Prince Xu as the most filial andpassionate child towards hisdy mother. There was a reason for this.


    First, when Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s heir was still a fetus, Princess Consort Xu often forgot that she was pregnant. She didn¡¯t have any morning sickness in the early stages of her pregnancy and her feet didn¡¯t be swollen or cramped in theter stages of her pregnancy. As Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s heir, the fetus has been quiet and had never troubled his mother.


    Second, Princess Consort Xu was expected to be due in mid-May (lunar calendar), towards the beginning of summer. Women were most afraid of convalescing for a month during the summer. They wouldn¡¯t be able to wash their hair or take a bath for an entire month. Wouldn¡¯t they smell bad in the summer?


    Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s heir decided toe out two months earlier, arriving into this world in the spring of March. At that time, the spring flowers bloomed beautifully and the weather was neither hot nor cold, which was perfect for convalescing. If this wasn¡¯t showingpassion to his mother, then what was?


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t expect that she would give birth prematurely. Without any sign, her belly started to hurt. At that time, she was eating tasty roasted hazelnuts and walnuts, while drinking juice from freshly squeezed fruit from the ntation¡¯s cold warehouse. She was lying on the couch happily andfortably as she basked in the warmth from the spring sun.


    During her pregnancy, she was spoiled by her husband, and pampered by her mother and godmother. Her mother-inw would frequentlye over to take care of her. She was living sofortably that the Heaves couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and had yed a joke on her.


    She had just finished drinking half a cup of strawberry juice. Yu Xiaocao reached out her hand towards the hazelnut kernels that her husband had peeled for her. She grabbed a handful of hazelnut kernels and was just about to put them in her mouth when she suddenly felt a wave of pain from her stomach. She didn¡¯t take the incident to heart at the beginning because she thought she still had two more months before her due date. Who would¡¯ve known that her body, which had been nourished until it was healthy by the little divine stone, would actually go intobor prematurely for no apparent reason?


    However, the attentive Zhu Junyang noticed the momentary difort disyed by his wife. He asked with concern, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is it because one of the hazelnut kernels is bitter? That shouldn¡¯t have happened because I hand picked them one by one.¡±


    The wave of pain quickly disappeared, making it seem as if the pain was merely an illusion. While Zhu Junyang was pinching the walnuts open, Yu Xiaocao picked up a piece of hazelnut kernel and stuffed it into his mouth. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Have a taste of this hazelnut kernel. I had someone roast this with the new recipe I made. How does it taste?¡±


    Zhu Junyang opened his mouth obediently and ate the hazelnut kernel that his little wife had fed him. Just as she was about to pull her finger away, he gently nibbled on her finger and grinned, ¡°Sweet! It¡¯s very fragrant!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and asked, ¡°Are the hazelnut kernels fragrant or are my fingers fragrant?¡±


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly used his beautiful phoenix eyes to stare at her. His gaze was filled with electricity as he said, ¡°No matter how fragrant the hazelnut kernels are, they still can¡¯tpare to my wife¡¯s fingers...¡±


    ¡°Elegant but insincere words... hiss!¡± The expression on Yu Xiaocao¡¯s face suddenly changed. She touched her bulging belly and frowned slightly.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly put down the hazelnuts in his hand and wiped his hands on his clothes. He supported her into a sitting position and impatiently asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Where do you feel ufortable?¡±


    ¡°My belly suddenly started to hurt...¡± Yu Xiaocao subtly noticed that something was wrong.


    Stomach pain? ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re about to give birth?¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s first thought was this. After all, he had noticed that his wife¡¯s belly, which had supported their child for seven months, was almost the same size as other women¡¯s who were about to give birth.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be because I¡¯m less than eight months pregnant! Isn¡¯t it the norm for a woman to be pregnant for ten months before giving birth? My mother said that I need to carry the child at least nine months before giving birth!¡± Yu Xiaocao held her stomach with a puzzled and doubtful expression on her face.


    Zhu Junyang frowned and asked, ¡°Could it be that you ate something bad that caused you stomach pain? That shouldn¡¯t be right either. In the past few days, I have personally checked all the food you consumed and there¡¯s nothing different or spoiled!¡± The past few days, it was his turn to take a vacation from work, which was why he was leisurely staying at home today. He willingly allowed himself to be his wife¡¯s walnut mp.


    ¡°Hup...¡± Xiaocao suddenly turned red from embarrassment. The corners of her mouth turned downward as she looked at her husband. She stammered, ¡°I...I seem to have...peed my pants!¡±


    In theter stages of pregnancy, due to the fetus repressing the belly, it was normal for pregnant women to frequently urinate. However, urinating without any sign was something to be concerned about.


    At this time, Senior Servant Li walked over with a bowl of bird¡¯s nest lotus seed congee. Once again, it was time for the princess consort to have an afternoon snack. Senior Servant Li was one of Princess Consort Jing¡¯s servants. She also raised Zhu Junyang when he was still young. When Xiaocao became pregnant, Princess Consort Jing became worried because there wasn¡¯t anyone with experience around, so she sent Senior Servant Li to serve them.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly exined the situation to Senior Servant Li. Senior Servant Li¡¯s expression immediately changed as she said, ¡°Could it be that Princess Consort Xu¡¯s water broke? Quickly send someone to invite a midwife over! Your Highness, don¡¯t worry. This is your first child, and the young heir probably won¡¯t be born so soon, so please drink the bird¡¯s nest congee first.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao obediently listened to her words and drank the bird¡¯s nest congee, which was currently cooled to the perfect temperature in one breath. After she let out a hup, she cupped her belly and endured the pain as she asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t knock or bump into anything, so why am I giving birth prematurely?¡±


    Senior Servant Li didn¡¯t know the situation well either. She hesitated a little before she said, ¡°This servant doesn¡¯t know either, but I¡¯ve heard that a small number of women would give birth after being pregnant for only seven months after their water broke... don¡¯t worry, a premature child can survive at seven months old, but not at eight months... the young heir will definitely be fine!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by living or not living? Don¡¯t you know how to speak?!¡± Zhu Junyang was so angry that he almost pped the old thing to death. Didn¡¯t she see how scared the princess consort appeared to be? Why would she still say these frightening words? Was she trying to deliberately make his wife ufortable? Imperial Prince Xu, who had always been an unwavering mountain, stuttered as he tried tofort his wife, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. How can my seed not be able to withstand even a small storm? You and the baby will both be fine...¡±


    Yu Xiaocao endured the pain and rolled her eyes at her husband, ¡°What do you mean by ¡®your seed¡¯? It¡¯s unpleasant to hear! Moreover, my baby is strong!¡± Even though she said that she was still very nervous. In her previous life, there were many babies who were born prematurely and died even though the medicinal treatments and conditions were so advanced in modern times. It was impossible for her not to worry at all.


    ¡°Where is Yuanzi? Invite him here for me!¡± The little divine stone could sense her baby¡¯s life force. As long as he was there, Xiaocao would feel much more at ease. On the other hand, if there was something wrong with the child, it could also guard the baby with its spiritual power, so that the situation would not worsen.


    Zhu Junyang was currently confused and didn¡¯t know what to do as he stared at his wife who was in pain while letting out cold sweat. But after hearing his wife¡¯s request, he straightened up immediately and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, yes! Bring the guy named Yuanzi here. He will definitely have a solution!¡±


    He had long guessed Yuanzi¡¯s identity; however, since his wife didn¡¯t want to discuss it, he didn¡¯t ask her. There were many mysterious and unsolved riddles surrounding his wife, but he was willing to guard them for her until she nned on disclosing it.


    ¡°Your Highness, please carry the princess consort to the delivery room first. Be careful not to let the wind blow her...¡± Senior Servant Li, who had just been reprimanded, saw that her master was still standing rooted in ce like he didn¡¯t know what to do. The princess consort was still sitting on the couch!


    ¡°Oh right, yes, you¡¯re right! Littless, let¡¯s head to the delivery room first. The midwife should be here soon. don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here and I will stay by your side!¡± Zhu Junyang bent down and picked up Xiaocao. He strode towards the delivery room that had been prepared in advance.


    After another wave of pain passed, Yu Xiaocao looked up and saw that her husband¡¯s forehead was covered in a thickyer of sweat. She was still in the mood to tease him, ¡°Look at how much you¡¯re sweating. If other people didn¡¯t know the truth, then they would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯re the one who¡¯s experiencingbor pain!¡±


    ¡°If I can, then I would rather experience the pain in your stead!¡± Zhu Junyang was very distressed when he saw how his wife was biting her lip to endure thebor pain. In all their years together, except for the one time in Jinling, when did his littless ever experience such pain?


    The littless had always been delicate. When the needle pricked her finger while she was embroidering a purse, she would cry andin to him. If pain was divided into twelve different levels, then the pain a woman experienced during childbirth would reach the highest level of pain. How could he not feel distressed for her after seeing how pale her face was while she forced herself not to let out any cries of pain?


    ¡°Where¡¯s the midwife? Why isn¡¯t she here yet? Also, where¡¯s Yuanzi? On a regr day, he would always hover around the princess consort, but when she needs him, he can¡¯t be found anywhere...¡± Zhu Junyang paced back and forth in front of the delivery bed. The floor was about to be worn down from all the pacing.


    ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t worry! This is princess consort¡¯s first child, so she wouldn¡¯t be delivering the baby so soon...¡± Senior Servant Li couldn¡¯t help but try andfort him.


    Zhu Junyang suddenly stopped pacing and looked towards her, ¡°Senior Servant Li, is there anything that can help ease the princess consort¡¯s pain? Don¡¯t you see how much pain she¡¯s experiencing?¡±


    ¡°Uh...Your Highness, women are bound to experience pain like this, you...¡± Senior Servant Li expressed her disapproval. Who didn¡¯t experience pain when having a baby? Even the empress had to experience pain for over five hours when she was giving birth to the crown prince. If there was a method to ease the pain, then wouldn¡¯t it be used on the empress, who was the mother of the country?


    But this was not what Zhu Junyang wanted to hear. He waved his hand impatiently at her and said, ¡°Okay, fine! I don¡¯t even know why mydy mother has sent you here. You can¡¯t help with anything and instead, all you do is say things that make me angry...¡±


    Senior Servant Li felt quite aggrieved by this. What did she say wrong? All she said was the truth, okay? s, she didn¡¯t expect the young imperial prince to be such an unreasonable master!


    ¡°Your Highness, Young Master Yuanzi is here!¡± Yingchun ran until she was out of breath. She was currently dragging the little divine stone, who had been fishing in the lotus pond of the back garden.


    When she found the little divine stone, she didn¡¯t say anything and just pulled him away. The little divine stone was still dumbfounded and puzzled as he was shoved to the front of the delivery room. At this time, he finally understood everything after he saw how much pain Xiaocao was experiencing frombor.


    He asked Imperial Prince Xu to make all the people in the delivery room that didn¡¯t have a specific duty to leave. He put his right hand two centimeters above Xiaocao¡¯s belly and a golden ball of light scattered from the palm of his hand. The soft light enveloped Xiaocao¡¯s belly. Xiaocao suddenly felt the pain from her stomach easing significantly.


    ¡°Yuanzi, can you help me check to see if my baby is okay?¡± When she saw the little divine stone, who was her pir, Xiaocao rxed immensely. When Zhu Junyang took notice of it, he felt a burst of anger rising from his heart. It seemed like he was not the only person who could give her a sense of security.


    The little divine stone used his spiritual power to softly cate the little bun inside her belly. After he retracted his hand, he said, [The baby is in good health!]


    convalescing for a month - needs to follow a special diet, observe various taboos to protect the body from exposure to the "wind"

 Chapter 718 - Ugly Heir

    <h4>Chapter 718 - Ugly Heir</h4>


    ¡°Then...do you know why I¡¯m giving birth prematurely? Will this have a bad effect on my child?¡± Although the child had yet to be born, as a mother, Xiaocao¡¯s heart was full of worries for the child¡¯s health.


    [Melons fall when ripe, and you¡¯ll naturally give birth when it¡¯s time! As I told you, the child is fine, so stop overthinking and scaring yourself!] The little divine stone rolled its eyes at her.


    Yu Xiaocaopletely rxed after hearing its words. However, she still grumbled in her heart, ¡®Others are pregnant for ten months, but howe I¡¯m ready forbor in just eight months?¡¯


    With the ¡®painkiller¡¯, the little divine stone, here, Xiaocao didn¡¯t have to suffer much pain during the process. In order to not arouse the suspicion of the servants outside, Xiaocao pretended to groan every once in a while.


    Zhu Junyang knelt on one knee beside the bed and held his wife¡¯s hand. He had more sweat on his face than Xiaocao, who was inbor. From time to time, he would yell out, ¡°Where¡¯s the midwife? Why isn¡¯t she here yet? Are you guys crawling over to fetch her?¡±


    They had already found a midwife, and they nned on bringing her into the estate in the fifth month, to be on standby. Who would have thought that contractions would start so early for the princess consort. Fortunately, the midwife, who had a great reputation in the capital, didn¡¯t get called to another household. Otherwise, it would be problematic!


    The midwife, who was in her fifties, was basically carried over by Hou Xiaoliang. There was no choice because her bound feet made it difficult for her to walk. Hou Xiaoliang was afraid that his masters couldn¡¯t wait for too long, so he half-dragged and half-carried her for most of the trip. Even so, he was still scolded by his master, ¡°Are you a snail or a tortoise? How can you be so slow when you¡¯re just going to fetch someone?!¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang felt wronged in his heart. He drove the carriage at top speed all the way to the north side of city and dragged the midwife away without wasting any time. He was almost taken as a bandit and reported to the yamen. This was the fastest speed, okay? Another person may not even be as fast as him.


    Fortunately, he wasforted by Wutong, ¡°His Highness is worried about the princess consort. Even if you flew over, the prince would still think that you¡¯re too slow. No matter who went on this trip, he would still be scolded. Take a sip of pear juice to moisten your throat. Look at all the sweat on your head!¡±


    Hou Xiaoliang lowered his head and let Wutong wipe off the sweat on his face, enjoying the rare gentleness of his fianc¨¦e. He had originally wanted to set the wedding date in the second or third month, but Wutong insisted on waiting until her mistress gave birth and finished her post-natal confinement period before she was willing to marry him. Therefore, the date was set for autumn of this year.


    Hou Xiaoliang and Wutong had reached a consensus that after they got married, it was up to her whether she wanted to enjoy her happiness at home or stay beside her mistress. He would respect her decision. Wutong intended to wait until her subordinating maidservants were capable of handling matters themselves, and then she would shift her attention to taking care of her family.


    ¡°Wahhhh¡ª¡ª¡± A loud cry of the baby indicated that the young heir of the Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate was born.


    Hou Xiaoliang hadn¡¯t even finished drinking his cup of pear juice. He looked at Wutong with a dumbfounded expression and foolishly asked, ¡°She gave birth so quickly? The midwife just went inside...¡±


    ¡°Shhh¡ª¡ªdon¡¯t let His Highness hear what you just said. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be thrown to the Xishan Barracks to train for half a year. What would you do then?!¡± Wutong nced at the imperial prince who had been driven out by the midwife and pacing back and forth. At this time, the imperial prince must feel that time was passing very slowly. Who would dare to say the word ¡®quick¡¯ in front of him?


    The door of the delivery room opened and Meixiang came out with a basin of bloody water. Zhu Junyang was rmed, ¡°Why is there so much blood? Is the princess consort alright?¡±


    Meixiang reported the good news with a smile on her face, ¡°Congrattions, Your Highness! The princess consort gave birth to a little heir. Both mother and son are safe...ay, ay, ay! You can¡¯t go inside right now. We have to clean up before you can go in. Don¡¯t worry, Her Highness is fine!¡±


    Senior Servant Li came out with a tightly swaddled newborn in her arms. With a joyous expression, she said, ¡°Congrattions, Your Highness! Congrattions, Your Highness! The young heir weighs 3.4 kilograms. His cry sounds very strong, and one wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that he was born prematurely. Your Highness, look at his big eyes and tall nose. He will definitely be a beautiful young man when he grows up.¡±


    Zhu Junyang looked over and couldn¡¯t see the word ¡®beautiful¡¯ from the wrinkle-faced red monkey. He thought in his heart, ¡®So ugly!¡¯ But he said, ¡°What¡¯s the point in a boy being so beautiful? Such a waste!¡±


    Senior Servant Li suddenly recalled that this prince hated when othersplimented him on his looks. So she hastily changed the subject, ¡°Your Highness, would you like to carry the little heir?¡±


    ¡°Uh...as the eldest son, he will inherit the household in the future, so we can¡¯t spoil him.¡± The little baby was delicate, soft, and tiny. Zhu Junyang wouldn¡¯t admit that he was afraid that he couldn¡¯t control his strength and ended up hurting the child painstakingly birthed by his wife. Thus, he simply pretended to be a ¡®strict father¡¯.


    Senior Servant Li thought, ¡®How old is the little heir? He doesn¡¯t know anything, so how would holding him be spoiling him?¡¯ However, as a servant, she couldn¡¯t refute the master¡¯s words, and could only echo in agreement.


    The midwife came out and informed them that they could enter the room. Before she had finished speaking, a figure had shed past her, walked around the screen, and entered the inner room of the delivery room.


    The midwife stuttered slightly, ¡°That...that...Your Highness??¡±


    Wutong quickly handed a pouch to her and said with a smile, ¡°Many thanks to Matron Liu! You have worked hard today!¡±


    The midwife squeezed the pouch. It was very light, so it was obviously not gold or silver ingots. When she thought of all the businesses under the princess consort¡¯s hands, she reckoned that she definitely wouldn¡¯t be stingy. A bright smile immediately appeared on Matron Liu¡¯s old face, and she hurriedly said in a polite manner, ¡°Her Highness is blessed, and the young heir is also a filial one. This olddy has never delivered a baby so smoothly for someone giving birth for the first time! The princess consort and the heir will surely be blessed for a long time in the future...¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your well wishes. These pastries are for your young grandson. Yingtao, escort Matron Liu back.¡± Wutong considerately handed a paper box to her.


    Matron Liu smiled so much that her teeth were showing. Who didn¡¯t know that Princess Consort Xu was famous for her skills in making pastries ah? It was said that any one of her maidservants could make pastries that didn¡¯t lose to those sold in pastry shops. She thanked her repeatedly, ¡°Aiyo, Young Maiden, you are so considerate. Then this olddy will shamelessly ept it.¡±


    After getting on the carriage, she eagerly opened the box, took out a small piece of cake, and stuffed it into her mouth. The cake melted in her mouth, and the enticing fragrant spread inside her mouth. Matron Liu felt as if she was floating and intoxicated. Matron Liu was afraid that she couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and eat all the remaining pastries, so she quickly closed the lid.


    She smacked her lips a few times, and then took out the pouch that was given by Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate from her sleeve. Sure enough, it was a hundred taels banknote! She helped deliver babies for rich and influential noble madams all year round, so it wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t received such a heavy reward for her service. However, she seldom encountered a situation like today, in which she easily earned a hundred taels by just going into the delivery room for less than an hour. Furthermore, it would cost at least several dozen taels to buy this box of pastries at ¡®Jinan Pastries Shop¡¯.


    Needless to say, when Matron Liu got home, her family all held the box of pastries in high regard. As for Zhu Junyang, he was currently staring fixedly at his wife¡¯s sleeping face, for fear that she would leave him if he blinked his eyes.


    Many people in the capital privately gossiped about Princess Consort Xu being an immortal girl descended from the heavens. How could Zhu Junyang, who had seen her extraordinary abilities, not also think the same? But, no one could understand the uneasiness in his heart. There was also a time when Imperial Prince Xu, who others viewed as omnipotent and fearless, was afraid. Yes, he was afraid! He was afraid that his little wife would return to her world one day and leave him alone in this world.


    Looking at the nearly transparent face on the bed, he grasped onto her hands tightly, for fear that his wife would leave him as soon as he loosened his hold. He shifted his gaze to the small, delicate bundle beside his wife. He was their son! Although the child¡¯s little face was bright red, wrinkled, and very ugly, his heart still instantly softened.


    His little wife had once said that the child was the fruit of their love, the proof of their love, and the continuation of their blood. Alright, he had decided to ept the fact that their son was ugly. After all, his wife gave birth to him so he wouldn¡¯t dislike him.


    When the little heir grew up, he inherited the good looks of his parents and was hailed as the ¡®most beautiful youth in the capital¡¯. He never knew that when he was just born, his lord father had ¡®scorned¡¯ him for being outrageously ugly.


    When Yu Xiaocao woke up, her mother, her godmother, her mother-inw, and Auntie Zhao had all received the good news and came to see her.


    They had supposedlye to see her, but they were all currently circled around the newborn. Even a minor frowning expression would cause them to fawn over him. Yu Xiaocao expressed that she was jealous!


    Princess Consort Jing carried the little monkey-like heir and happily said, ¡°Look,e look! These eyes and this nose...look exactly like his lord father¡¯s. He looks so handsome!¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who was the first to notice that his wife had woken up, was currently feeding brown sugar water to his wife. When he heard hisdy mother¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but curl up his lips. Lady Mother was seriously lying with her eyes wide open. The little fellow looked like an ugly monkey, yet she said that he resembled him. If he looked like that, would his wife, who liked good-looking people, take a fancy to him?


    Lady Fang echoed in agreement, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Look at his skin. He must have taken after his mother. It¡¯s so smooth and fair ah!¡±


    Lady Fang, could your words be more fake? The little fellow¡¯s skin was bright red and his face was full of wrinkles. How exactly did you see that he looked fair and delicate? It waspletely different to that of his wife¡¯s skin ah!


    ¡°Inw, let me hold him!¡± Had it not been for her identity of Princess Consort Jing, Madam Liu would have long snatched the little bundle from her. When the little guy was transferred from his paternal grandmother¡¯s hands to his maternal grandmother¡¯s hands, he seemed to be slightly annoyed that his sleep was disturbed. He frowned, slightly opened his eyes, and then continued to sleep.


    ¡°This child, it¡¯s apparent that he has a good temper.¡± Auntie Zhaomented on the side.


    Princess Consort Jing quickly agreed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so! Senior Servant Li said that when the child was just born, he only cried when they patted his bottoms and remained quiet throughout the rest of the time.¡±


    ¡°A quiet child is easy to take care of! Our Cao¡¯er is blessed.¡± Madam Liu touched the little guy¡¯s face and liked him even more.

 Chapter 719 - Breastfeeding

    <h4>Chapter 719 - Breastfeeding</h4>


    Madam Liu was stunned when she received the news. She hadn¡¯t expected that her youngest daughter would give birth prematurely without any warning. In the countryside, there was a very low survival rate for premature babies. This was her daughter¡¯s first child, so things must not go wrong ah!


    When she saw her young maternal grandson, her heartpletely rxed. Her young grandson wasn¡¯t small, and he was just slightly thinner than a full-term baby. The situation wasn¡¯t too bad. It was much better than when her daughter was just born.


    Her two daughters were twins. Her eldest daughter was alright. She was somewhat small, but she had a strong cry. Her younger daughter, on the other hand, was not much bigger than her father¡¯s palm. She cried softly, like a little cat. Even the midwife said that she wouldn¡¯t be able to survive to adulthood!


    When her youngest daughter was a child, she was indeed brought up on medicine. Fortunately, her health gradually recovered. It was often said that ¡®one who escaped from a great disaster was blessed with great fortune afterwards¡¯. Wasn¡¯t this true for her youngest daughter? Not only did she gain such a big family business with her own abilities, but she also married Imperial Prince Xu. Even her maiden family was blessed thanks to her.


    To be reborn in her daughter¡¯s belly, her young grandson must also be one who was blessed. However, what was wrong with this child? They had been taking turns to hold him for a long time. During that period, he had woken up and opened his eyes to look at them, but he didn¡¯t cry at all. Earlier, she had deliberately poked his chin. Although the little fellow showed an annoyed expression, he still didn¡¯t cry. This didn¡¯t seem right ah...


    Just as she was thinking about this, the little fellow wrinkled up his face and grunted twice. Seeing this, Princess Consort Jing hastily said, ¡°Is he hungry? Where¡¯s the wet nurse? Quicklye feed my dear little grandson.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao and Zhu Junyang were stunned for a moment, and then they looked at each other. Princess Consort Jing saw this and asked, ¡°It can¡¯t be that you guys didn¡¯t hire a wet nurse, right? Just look at these two kids. How can there not be elders around to look after you guys? Senior Servant Li, what did I send you over for? The young imperial prince and young princess consort are inexperienced, but how can you not know about these matters?¡±


    ¡°In reply to Your Highness, the young princess consort said that those who have been nursing for more than half a year have little nutrition in the breast milk. Therefore, we selected two wet nurses. One hasn¡¯t given birth yet, while the other still has ten or so days until she¡¯s done with her one-month post-natal confinement...¡± Senior Servant Li felt wronged.


    The young princess consort was famous for her medical skills in the capital, so her words must be right. But, who would have thought that the young princess consort would give birth two months ahead of schedule? This proved that saying, ¡®ns could never keep up with the changes¡¯.


    Seeing that her inw was anxious, Madam Liu hastilyforted, ¡°When a child is just born, he needs to discharge meconium first. I reckon that the child doesn¡¯t seem to be hungry. Let¡¯s first check if he has defecated.¡±


    With that, she skillfully unwrapped the swaddled cloth and pulled out his diaper. Sure enough, it was stained with dark green feces. Madam Liu cleaned her young maternal grandson¡¯s butt with warm water, and then put on a clean diaper. The little fellow feltfortable now. He opened his gleaming ck eyes and stared fixedly at his maternal grandmother. He kicked his legs and appeared very clever.


    A group of granny-aged women were fawning over him. However, they encountered slight difficulty when they were rewrapping the swaddling cloth. The little fellow had experienced the taste of freedom, so he no longer wanted to be tied up and unable to move. He worked hard to kick his two little legs, which weren¡¯t considered very strong. Madam Liu wrapped up her little grandson again with much difficulty.


    When her eldest grandson was born, Princess Consort Jing was unable to take care of the child even for a day due to her health. She hadn¡¯t touched an infant in over twenty years, so despite being worried, she couldn¡¯t help with anything. Seeing that her little grandson¡¯s face was wrinkled up with a displeased expression after being wrapped up again, Princess Consort Jing tapped his little forehead and lovingly said, ¡°You, this naughty little fellow, made your maternal grandmother so tired. So disobedient!¡±


    The little fellow stared at her without blinking, and then...blew a bubble at her. Princess Consort Jing liked it so much that sheughed for half a day.


    Princess Consort Jing took the baby and under Madam Liu¡¯s guidance, she gently patted him to sleep. She suddenly thought of her grandson¡¯s source of food and instructed, ¡°Oh right, Senior Servant Li, check the servants of the two estates to see if there are any with children born within the past two to three months. Find one who is neat and nimble and has an upright character. We can let my little grandson go hungry.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao touched her swollen chest and said in a low voice, ¡°Lady Mother, actually, I can feed the child myself. I heard that the first mouthful of milk is the most nutritious and good for the child¡¯s health...¡±


    Princess Consort Jing had always treated her youngest daughter-inw like her own daughter. She looked at somewhat haggard Xiaocao and said hesitantly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it very tiring to take care of the child yourself? Wouldn¡¯t that affect your recuperation during your post-natal confinement?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t. Look, the little guy is so well behaved. He doesn¡¯t cry and throw tantrums. Moreover, I¡¯m just nursing him. Isn¡¯t Meixiang and Senior Servant Li usually here to help me? How could it be tiring?¡± Yu Xiaocao strived for rights to take care of her own children. She felt ufortable with the thought of her child growing up being nursed by other people.


    ¡°It¡¯s often said that a child would be closer to the person who nursed him. Inw, you should just let her try.¡± In the countryside, which family didn¡¯t raise their children themselves? At that time, they had to care for their children, as well as do the housework. Didn¡¯t all married women go through the same experience? When her eldest grandson was born, it was also her eldest daughter-inw who took care of him while she helped on the side. They raised him into a fair and plump child, and he was very close to his maternal grandmother and mother!


    Before Xiaocao began breastfeeding, she applied a hot towel for a while and carefully cleaned the tip. It was finally her, the mother¡¯s, turn to hold the baby. When the little fellow stared earnestly at her with his damp, dark eyes, the corners of Xiaocao¡¯s eyes turned red. A thing called ¡®familial affection¡¯ slowly flowed within her.


    Infants were born with the innate ability to suck for milk. As soon as he was in his mother¡¯s arms and smelled the special scent, the little fellow rxed his brows and opened his mouth to firmly grasp onto his ¡®source of food¡¯. His small face waspletely red as he worked hard to suck a few mouthfuls. The sweet milk flowed into his mouth.


    Madam Liu guided her daughter on her posture of holding the baby. After nursing for a while, she told her to change to the other side. Newborns had a small appetite, so he stopped sucking after less than ten minutes. The little fellow, who was now full, looked at Xiaocao with his dark, gem-like eyes. The mother-son pair stared at each other until the little guy couldn¡¯t stand it anymore¡ª¡ªhe closed his eyes and fell asleep.


    Zhu Junyang was afraid that his wife would be tired, so he hastily picked up his son and held him in a clumsy manner. His stiff posture looked more tiring than having him lift a stone dumbbell two hundred times.


    Princess Consort Jing held back herughter and reached out her hands to save her foolish son. Zhu Junyang finally felt relieved inwardly after he handed the little fellow into hisdy mother¡¯s hands. He was seriously afraid that he couldn¡¯t control his strength and hurt the child.


    Madam Liu, Lady Fang, and the others spoke briefly with Xiaocao. Seeing that she was tired, they got up and bid their farewells. Lady Fang said, ¡°When Little Linlin heard that I wasing to see you, he pestered me for a long time, insisting toe along. I was afraid that he would cause a disturbance, so I persuaded him not toe.¡±


    ¡°Godmother, bring Linlin along next time. He has always been an obedient child. We should let the little uncle see his nephew.¡± Yu Xiaocao could imagine the disappointed expression of Fang Haolin, this little friend. Fang Haolin had grown up in front of her eyes, and thus the sister-brother pair naturally had a close rtionship.


    Lady Fang thought about it and nodded her head, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll bring him along the next time I visit! That fellow has been moring to see his older sister for a long time!¡±


    Madam Liu shared some child-rearing experiences with her daughter. Upon leaving, she said, ¡°I¡¯lle to see you tomorrow. Remember that during the confinement period, you should not get chilled, take baths, and most importantly, exhaust yourself...¡±


    ¡°Inw, rest assured. I¡¯ll stay to look after her.¡± Princess Consort Jing was reluctant to let go of her young grandson. Lanxiang and the other maidservants looked at each other. Her Highness didn¡¯t mention this beforeing out ah. They didn¡¯t bring any change of clothes and necessities that the princess consort normally used...


    The elders knew that Xiaocao liked to be clean. In the past, when they didn¡¯t have good living conditions in Dongshan Vige, she still insisted on bathing daily. After she came to the capital, she had specially built a bathroom with heated flooring. She must take a bath every day. As her elders, they were afraid that she wouldn¡¯t listen to them and wash her hair and take baths during her post-natal confinement period.


    Princess Consort Jing had suddenly proposed to stay for two reasons. On one hand, she was reluctant to leave her dear little grandson. On the other hand, she also wanted to watch her daughter-inw. It was really worrying to not have an elder to watch over these two children.


    The little guy grew very fast, and his facial features soon became apparent. He had charming phoenix eyes that indeed resembled his father. His nose was very delicate, and his mouth was slightly more plump than his father¡¯s. Princess Consort Jing held her young grandson in her arms everyday and was unwilling to put him down.


    There was something different about the little guy every day, and he was so endearingly well-behaved. He never caused trouble and would only grunt a few times when he was hungry or needed to change his diapers. He was always quiet when they took care of him. When they yed with him, he would stare at them with his gleaming ck eyes and from time to time, show a toothless grin. He also didn¡¯t throw tantrums when he wanted to sleep. His eyelids would droop, and then he would try hard to open them. After a few times, he finally couldn¡¯t resist the calling of the ¡®God of Sleep¡¯ and fell into a slumber.


    Such a clever and lovely little grandson. The longer Princess Consort Jing took care of him, the more she liked him. Thus, she decided to stay long-term at Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate. Imperial Prince Jing couldn¡¯t persuade her against the idea, so he could only let do what she wanted. Everyday, after attending court, he would also directly go to Prince Xu¡¯s Estate.


    To have an elder at home was the same as having a treasure. The young couple were naturally willing to let theirdy mother care for the child. Furthermore, Princess Consort Jing treated Xiaocao even better than her own son. There was no discord between the mother-inw and daughter-inw. The three generations got along quite well.


    The Heir of Imperial Prince Jing felt very helpless. His lord father anddy mother didn¡¯t stay at Prince Jing¡¯s Estate and insisted on living at his youngest brother¡¯s residence. Fortunately, his lord father had yet to pass his title to him. Otherwise, what would outsiders say about him? The eldest son, who had inherited the title, drove his parents out to live at his youngest brother¡¯s residence. How improper ah!


    The heir personally visited the estate several times, but hisdy mother rejected him with the reason that she was unable to leave the child because he was too young. ¡®Lady Mother, can you find a more genuine excuse? As the dignified Imperial Prince Xu, would Youngest Brother not be able to hire a wet nurse? Take a look at the other powerful and influential families. Which one of them didn¡¯t have several people, such as wet nurses and senior servants, taking care of their newborns? Would your help be needed?¡¯


    However, after he visited Prince Xu¡¯s Estate several times, he realized that hisdy mother really wasn¡¯t just making up an excuse. Each time he saw hisdy mother, she was holding his young nephew in her arms. He had also seen hisdy mother skillfully change his young nephew¡¯s diapers and clean his butt!

 Chapter 720 - Cold War

    <h4>Chapter 720 - Cold War</h4>


    Perhaps his gaze had stayed on hisdy mother and little nephew for too long, as hisdy mother actuallyforted him, ¡°When Di¡¯er was born, Lady Mother¡¯s health wasn¡¯t very good and couldn¡¯t help you take care of him. Don¡¯t think that yourdy mother is being partial. By the time that the child in your wife¡¯s belly is born, Xuan¡¯er wouldn¡¯t need me around all the time. At that time, Lady Mother can help you take care of your child! Lady Mother will have experience, so I will surely take good care of the baby!¡±


    ¡®Lady Mother, please don¡¯t say that. If Youngest Brother or Youngest Sister-inw heard you, they might think that you¡¯re practicing with their son!¡¯


    Zhu Yunxuan was the name that Imperial Prince Jing gave the little fellow. His nicknames were Baozi and pork steamed bun, both of which were given by his ¡®unreliable¡¯ mother. As the heir of Imperial Prince Xu, it was quite silly for him to have such humble nicknames. When he grew up, he was often teased by other kids. In the end, after these people were made very miserable by this ck sesame filling steamed bun, there was gradually no one who dared to make fun of his nickname.


    Little Baozi was different from his lord father, who subdued others with his strength. He would use his intelligence to make others unable to lift their head. When he grew up, he appeared handsome, gentle, and harmless on the surface. But, in fact, he was actually very ck-bellied. Almost all of the noble young masters, who were around his age, in the capital had stumbled in his hands. Later, there was a saying in the capital, ¡®It¡¯s better to offend Imperial Prince Xu than to provoke his heir¡¯.


    At this time, Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s heir was still an adorable little bun. After the wet nursepleted her post-natal confinement period, Imperial Prince Xu, who felt bad that his wife had to get up multiple times every night to feed the child, gave Little Baozi to the wet nurse to be taken care of. However, Little Baozi was already ustomed to the usual taste and was desperately unwilling to consume the wet nurse¡¯s breast milk.


    Zhu Junyang hardened his heart and decided to let him starve for two meals. Little Baozi, who had never been troublesome, cried until his voice was hoarse and still refused to drink even a mouthful. Even if it was ced into his mouth, he would push it out with his tongue. If he couldn¡¯t push it out, he would just hold still and not suck or swallow. With his mouth blocked, his cries were soundless, and he could only shed silent tears.


    Princess Consort Jing¡¯s heart pained to see this. She snatched her grandson from the wet nurse¡¯s arms and carried him to Xiaocao. With reddened eyes, she choked, ¡°How can there be such cruel parents like you two? The child has been crying all day and hasn¡¯t even drunk a mouthful of milk. Do you guys want to starve him to death ah? My pitiful Little Baozi, your parents don¡¯t care about you, but your grandmother does. If your parents don¡¯t want to raise you, Grandmother will bring you back to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate to raise!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao heard Little Baozi¡¯s low and feeble cry, she felt as if her heart had been pulled out by someone. She red fiercely at Zhu Junyang and asked angrily, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Little Baozi is doing very well with the wet nurse¡ª¡ªeating well and sleeping well? Why didn¡¯t you tell me about Little Baozi refusing to drink the wet nurse¡¯s breast milk? Why didn¡¯t you carry Little Baozi back when he¡¯s crying so much that he can barely breathe? You¡¯re abusing my son; I won¡¯t let you off!!¡±


    Seeing this, Princess Consort Jing realized that it was her son¡¯s fault. She quickly put Little Baozi into her daughter-inw¡¯s arms. Then raised her hand and smacked her youngest son a few times. She hit him so hard that even her hand had turned red. ¡°Is there such a father like you? Is your heart made of stone? Little Baozi is only around a dozen days old, so he can¡¯t miss a single meal. How can you be so cruel that you let him starve for an entire day?¡±


    Little Baozi, who had arrived in his mother¡¯s embrace, stopped crying upon smelling the familiar scent. His little face was still wrinkled up in aggrievement, and from time to time, he would sniffle, appearing extremely pitiful.


    With a pained heart, Xiaocao kissed her son¡¯s forehead and opened her clothes. When Little Baozi, who had been starving for a day, smelled the luring fragrance of milk, he urately located his ¡®source of food¡¯ and sucked and swallowed big mouthfuls.


    It was no wonder that Little Baozi refused to drink other people¡¯s breast milk. Xiaocao¡¯s body had been nourished and transformed by mystic-stone water since childhood. Her breast milk contained a faint amount of spiritual energy, and thus it had a better taste and higher nutritional value than that of normal people¡¯s milk. This was simr to suddenly letting a nobleman, who was used to eating rich feasts, eat a coarse grain steamed bun. It would be strange if he was willing to eat it!


    He was his own flesh and blood after all. How could Zhu Junyang not feel distressed? He believed that boys should be raised in a rough manner, especially the eldest son. In the future, he must be able to stand on his own and not be used to relying on him for everything.


    In his opinion, his refusal to drink the wet nurse¡¯s breast milk was probably because he wasn¡¯t ustomed to it. Habits were developed slowly. Besides, drinking milk was an innate skill for young children. He would naturally eat when he was hungry. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that his son would go against his thoughts¡ª¡ªno matter what he just refused to eat.


    Zhu Junyang, who was criticized by hisdy mother and ignored by his wife,pletely gave up on the idea of letting the wet nurse take care of their son. He repeatedly apologized and tried to put in a good word for himself in front of hisdy mother and his wife. But, unlike before, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t easily forgive him. She didn¡¯t hit or scold him, let alone pulled a long face. Instead, she ignored himpletely.


    When Zhu Junyang spoke to her, she directly disregarded him. When Zhu Junyang loitered in front of her, her gaze went straight through him and fell behind him. When Zhu Junyang pulled on her arm, she would only stare fixedly at the hand on her arm until it withdrew from her staring...


    For Zhu Junyang, this felt even worse than being beaten and scolded. As for his son, who was the ¡®culprit¡¯, he acted just like his mother and didn¡¯t act in ordance with his father.


    As long as Zhu Junyang appeared in Little Baozi¡¯s line of sight, he would wrinkle up his little face and whimper. It was a tearless cry that only had sounds. Once Zhu Junyang retracted his head and was out of his sight, he would immediately be all sunshine and rainbows again, showing a toothless grin to his mother and grandmother. If his father wanted to get close to him and hug him, that would provoke him and lead to a loud, deafening cry. As soon as he put him down, even if he was just ced on the bed, he would abruptly stop crying as if there was a switch on his body.


    Tsk! Imperial Prince Xu felt very aggrieved that both the mother and son didn¡¯t want to see him. Princess Consort Jing just had to make things worse at this time, ¡°Serves you right! Let¡¯s see if you would do such a stupid thing again in the future?! My dear grandson, your lord father is a baddie. Let¡¯s not forgive and teach him a lesson!¡±


    Ay! Even his own mother was pulled into the enemy camp. Zhu Junyang felt utterly helpless ah!


    This situationsted for ten or so days, and it wasn¡¯t until Little Baozi¡¯s full moon banquet that his wife finally slightly softened her stance. Because Little Baozi was a premature baby, his washing ceremony was held in a simple manner with some close friends and rtivesing to see the baby.


    Imperial Prince Xu and his wife also didn¡¯t n to host a big event for Little Baozi¡¯s full moon banquet. Zhu Junyang felt bad for his wife, who had just finished her post-natal confinement period. He was afraid that she would be tired, so the full moon banquet was held in Zhenxiu Restaurant. Even though they didn¡¯t send out many invitations, there were many who came uninvited.


    Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s position in the imperial court was rising like the morning sun, and Princess Consort Xu¡¯s reputation among themon people was bing better and better. There was absolutely no harm in bing acquainted with them ah! It would be very foolish of them to note to increase their sense of presence! Even if they weren¡¯t qualified to sit at the banquet, their names would be recorded on the gift list when they delivered their presents. When Imperial Prince Xu and his wife looked over the list, their names would eventually appear in the couple¡¯s eyes.


    There were many people who had such thoughts, and thus Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s huge outer courtyard was nearly swamped with gifts. The full moon banquet was also very lively with friends and family gathered together. Little Baozi was first carried by his mother to walk amongst the womenfolk and received a lot of valuable gifts. Then his father carried him away to show off among the male guests. One would be tired from holding all the presents that he had received.


    Little Baozi gave his father a lot of face. At the full moon banquet, he was carried around by his father for half a day, but he didn¡¯t cry at all. Zhu Junyang inwardly pondered, ¡®Does this brat¡¯s attitude towards him depend on his mother¡¯s attitude? It can¡¯t be. This little fellow is so young, so what would he know?¡¯


    In the evening, after Little Baozi fell asleep, Zhu Junyang scooched closer to his wife and told her his guess. Yu Xiaocao thought about it seriously and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s quite possible! Infants don¡¯t know anything, but they should be able to feel their parents¡¯ emotions. Perhaps Little Baozi felt my indifference towards you, so he also didn¡¯t like you.¡±


    Zhu Junyang had a wronged expression on his face that looked exactly like his one-month old son, ¡°Wife, you¡¯re being too cold and indifferent to me. We can¡¯t let this happen again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Who told you to do something so vexing? He¡¯s only around a dozen days old, moreover, he¡¯s a premature baby. How can you let him starve for a day? If something bad happens, do you think that I will let you off easily?¡± Yu Xiaocao still felt infuriated when she spoke of this matter. Had it not been for her meticulous care, Little Baozi might have already fallen ill from being starved by his father!


    Zhu Junyang sincerely admitted his mistake, ¡°This prince is indeed at fault for this matter! I didn¡¯t expect that the little guy would be so persistent¡ª¡ªhe would rather starve than give in. To have such a resolute, firm, and tenacious temperament, he is indeed this prince¡¯s son...¡±


    ¡°You still dare to mention it! Have you ever thought that if something bad happened, how in the world would you give me back my son?¡± Yu Xiaocao grabbed his ears and pulled them hard towards opposite directions.


    Unexpectedly, when this guy heard her words, his phoenix eyes instantly lit up. He hugged his wife and jumped onto the bed. With a smile on his face, he hinted, ¡°Our son is fine, but that doesn¡¯t stop me from giving you another son. Cao¡¯er, my dear sweetheart, this prince really misses you¡ª¡ª"


    ¡°Scram! Where did you learn to speak in such a tone as if you¡¯re flirting with na?ve women?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s mouth was soon blocked, and the clothes on her body fell to the ground like autumn leaves. Then it was followed by the gasping sounds that could cause one¡¯s face to flush...


    Imperial Prince Xu, who had been ¡®starving¡¯ for several months, could finally eat a delicious meal. Furthermore, it was a huge banquet¡ª¡ªan all ¡®milk¡¯ feast. The taste was extraordinary!


    That night, the young heir, who was having a midnight snack, worked hard to suck tasty breast milk. However, today¡¯s ¡®food bag¡¯ seemed to be quite empty¡ª¡ªhe had to suck very hard ah! Little Baozi exerted a lot of strength yet only ended up half-full before he pitifully went back to sleep.


    Yu Xiaocao was so angry that she twisted and pinched the flesh on her man¡¯s body. This guy was so shameless that he even stole his son¡¯s food. How could there be such a father! It was no wonder that Little Baozi didn¡¯t like him! He was a father who didn¡¯t act like a father!


    With a contented expression on his face, Zhu Junyang let his wife pinch him as if she was just giving him a massage. But she had inadvertently lit up a fire with her pinching. As if she was a salted fish, Yu Xiaocao was flipped around and tossed about for most of the night. She was so tired that she didn¡¯t even have strength to move her fingers. When their son woke up hungry in the middle of the night, it was Zhu Junyang who carried him over and ced him in front of her chest to be fed. As for the exhausted Xiaocao, she had no idea about this matter and slept until thete morning.

 Chapter 721 - Not the Ending

    <h4>Chapter 721 - Not the Ending</h4>


    Perhaps he was frightened when Xiaocao gave birthst time, Zhu Junyang had secretly gotten a contraceptive prescription from the imperial physician. As a result, Little Baozi had already reached the age of five, but he was still the only child in Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Household.


    Princess Consort Jing felt very anxious ah! Why were they all like this? Her eldest daughter-inw also couldn¡¯t get pregnant for many years after giving birth to her first child. It was after Xiaocao helped her nourish her body that she was able to sessively give birth to three sons and a daughter. Her second daughter-inw¡¯s mother had died early, so there weren¡¯t any female elders to look after her. There was severe coldness in her uterus. After she got married, she had nourished her body for two years before she finally received good news and consecutively gave birth to three sons.


    But, that wasn¡¯t right ah! Her youngest daughter-inw was a doctor herself. Even if she had hurt her body when she gave birth to Little Baozi, shouldn¡¯t she have already recovered after recuperating for so many years? But it had already been five years. Why hadn¡¯t there been any good news at all? Could it be that ¡®doctors didn¡¯t treat themselves¡¯? After Princess Consort Jing privately murmured to her husband several times, she finally couldn¡¯t resist looking for her youngest son, ¡°Yang¡¯er, perhaps you should get an imperial physician to check on your wife?¡±


    Zhu Junyang, who had just led the Xishan Barrack to suppress bandits and returned victorious, was startled by her words. He repeatedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xiaocao? Where does she feel unwell? When I saw her earlier, she was ying hide-and-seek with our son. Was she trying to make our son happy while putting up a front?¡±


    The young heir, Zhu Yunxuan, had a helpless expression on his face, ¡®Lord Father, are you sure it¡¯s not your son who¡¯s ying with your wife to make her happy?¡¯


    The five-year-old Little Baozi had a rtively precocious temperament and gave off a sense of maturity for his young age. He had long been dismissive of ¡®childish games¡¯ like hide-and-seek, rolling iron hoops, and throwing sandbags, ok? He was now more interested in writing, mounted archery, and practicing martial arts.


    He enjoyed all of these activities, but hisdy mother didn¡¯t think so. She felt that her son, who was so young, was very pitiful to be ¡®forced¡¯ by his lord father to study and practice martial arts. He was such a tiny person, yet he had to half-squat under the zing sun for over an hour. His little face was flushed red from the sun and sweat trickled down his face. As his mother, her heart pained to see this ah! In order to not destroy the nature of a child, Yu Xiaocao used her spare time to y parent-child games with her son. However, she didn¡¯t know that these games, which she thought were interesting, were extremely childish in her son¡¯s eyes.


    Seeing that his lord father often went out for official business for many days, Little Baozi, who loved hisdy mother, reckoned that hisdy mother was too lonely and thus she wanted him to apany her. He was filial, so although he was annoyed by these childish games, he still impatiently apanied hisdy mother and tried to make her happy. Old Laizi still wore colorful attires to entertain his parents when he was over eighty years old. So what was wrong with him sacrificing a little to apany hisdy mother to y these stupid and simple games?


    However, his lord father obviously didn¡¯t understand his act of filial piety. He thought that his wife had gotten sick from exhaustion from ying with their energetic son. He felt very anxious ah! He chided his ¡®ignorant¡¯ son in his heart!


    Seeing that her son¡¯s mind had wandered elsewhere, Princess Consort Jing quickly pulled on him and asked after a moment of hesitation, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Lady Mother wanted to ask you...there¡¯s nothing wrong with your wife¡¯s health, right?¡±


    ¡°What could be wrong?¡± Zhu Junyang suddenly thought of his wife¡¯s medical skills and how there weren¡¯t anyone in the Great Ming Empire who could surpass her in making medicine. If she was ill, she would be fine after taking some medication. What exactly did hisdy mother mean by talking about this?


    ¡°She¡¯s fine ah...then...¡± Princess Consort Jing paused for a long time and hesitated to speak as she looked at her son. Could it be that there was something wrong with her son? Men usually had strong self-esteem and were unwilling to ept the truth. It was quite possible for him to avoid getting medical treatment.


    ¡°Lady Mother, what exactly do you want to say? Can you stop beating around the bush?¡± Princess Consort Jing hesitated to speak and looked at him from time to time. Zhu Junyang felt weird from hisdy mother¡¯s staring, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Princess Consort Jing told him about the worries in her heart. Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know if he should cry orugh, ¡°Lady Mother! Your son is in perfect health! You should focus your energy on Second Brother¡¯s daughter. Second Sister-inw doesn¡¯t look like someone who can take care of children, so you need to stay beside her and help her out more.¡±


    ¡°If you are both healthy, then...why aren¡¯t you guys giving Xuan¡¯er, who is already five, a younger sibling?¡± Princess Consort Jing finally expressed the purpose of her visit.


    Zhu Junyang didn¡¯t know whether he shouldugh or cry. He coaxed hisdy mother, ¡°You can rest assured! We will definitely give you another grandchild next year, okay?¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so easy ah! It¡¯s not something you can control...¡± Princess Consort Jing grumbled as she returned to Prince Jing¡¯s Estate. Then sheined to her husband, who had ¡®retired¡¯ and was staying at home. Imperial Prince Jing was so annoyed that he went to Duke Rongguo Estate everyday to y go and drink tea with his old friend.


    Imperial Prince Xu, whose ¡®ability¡¯ was questioned by hisdy mother, tried to prove his capability with his wife throughout his entire break. Xiaocao¡¯s whole body felt sore everyday, and she kept scolding her man for acting crazy. The filial Little Baozi saw that his mother often held her waist, and thus thought that she was ill. He thoughtfully helped massage her back and waist and seriously reminded her to rest more.


    Under Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s hard work, the good news of Princess Consort Xu¡¯s pregnancy finally came out of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate. At this time, the yield of winter wheat, which produced a thousand catties per mu, had finally stabilized. Themon people said that this younger son of Princess Consort Xu would be born with good luck.


    The current Great Ming Dynasty had truly be an empire that was strong, prosperous, and peaceful. In Jiangnan, hybrid rice with a yield of over one thousand catties per mu had been poprized. The breeding base for hybrid rice had expanded to ten thousand mu and provided seeds for most paddy fields in Jiangnan.


    Old Official Wu had been promoted three ranks for his contribution to the research on hybrid rice. However, he had declined the good opportunity to work in the capital and insisted on staying at the breeding farm in Jinling to continue working in the improvement of hybrid rice. The Clerk of the Capital for Grain had once mentioned that it was not a dream for super hybrid rice to produce two thousand catties per mu. This had be a lifelong goal of Old Official Wu! Old Official Wu¡¯s achievements wereter recorded in the Annals of History, and he became known as the ¡®Father of Rice¡¯...


    The seeds for high-yielding winter wheat, corn, and potatoes were widely nted in the northern regions. This was especially important in the most impoverished regions, the northwest and the northeast, where only one crop could be harvested in a year. These high-yield crops had freed the people there from the threat of starvation.


    The Xishan Armory under Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s supervision was producing more and more sophisticated weapons. No matter if it were the refined steel weapons or firearms such as muskets and cannons, the productions were increasing year by year. The armory had also improved the firearms and produced a firearm that could shoot continuously. The range and uracy had improved significantly.


    In short, the Great Ming Empire was like an enormous dragon entrenched in the east side of the world. The small neighboring nations and belligerent tribes in the north had to submit to them for fear of being swept by the tail of the soaring dragon. Fortunately, the emperor wasn¡¯t a militant and ambitious man. He had no intention of upying the smaller nations around the empire. Otherwise...the territory of the Great Ming Empire would expand to the max!


    Princess Consort Xu and Imperial Prince Xu, who were great heroes in the eyes of themon people and imperial officials, were currently suffering from morning sickness and anxiously loitering on the side while feeling heartache for his wife, respectively.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Everything was fine when she was pregnant with Xuan¡¯er. Why is she vomiting whenever she eats this time? Thess has already lost so much weight in just a few days!¡± Seeing that his wife immediately vomited as soon as she smelled the scent of scrambled eggs with shrimp, which was a dish that she usually liked, Zhu Junyang hastily ordered the maidservant to take the dish away. Then he got a cup of water and personally helped her rinse her mouth.


    Yu Xiaocao vomited so much that she didn¡¯t have the strength to speak. Her eyes were rimming with tears as she looked at her husband with a wronged expression. She was clearly very hungry, yet she puked out everything that she ate. The mystic-stone water had sustained her through the past few days, otherwise, her constitution would have gotten very bad.


    Zhu Junyang was very distressed, but he didn¡¯t know what to do. He stared at his wife¡¯s belly and said, ¡°How can this child be so different from its older brother? It¡¯s torturing its mother so much. When it is born, I must teach it a lesson.¡±


    The little fellow Zhu Yunxuan stayed by hisdy mother¡¯s side with tears in his eyes. He had never seen hisdy mother suffering so much. Hearing his father¡¯s words, he red angrily at his mother¡¯s belly with phoenix eyes that were very simr to his father¡¯s, ¡®Younger Brother (Younger Sister) is naughty. In the future, I must help Mother look after my younger siblings, lest they cause trouble and make things difficult for Mother.¡¯


    In the years toe, Zhu Yunxuan gave full y to his role as the eldest brother and acted very strictly to his younger siblings. The future little buns weren¡¯t afraid of their cold-faced lord father, nor their gentledy mother. They were only afraid of their extremely beautiful older brother who had a smile on his face all day long. This was a story for the future.


    In the first trimester of her pregnancy, Xiaocao often vomited almost everything that she ate. Even if Yangliu took a break from managing the business and personally prepared delicious medicinal cuisines for her mistress, she still didn¡¯t change this condition.


    Xiaocao, who was in the early stages of her pregnancy, felt very painful and often puked out everything in her stomach. In order to ensure the nutrition of the mother¡¯s body and the fetus, she had to force herself to eat. She would immediately vomit and then continue eating. She, who was originally very thin, was about to turn into a stick from losing so much weight.


    Xiaocao¡¯s mother, godmother, and mother-inw were all very worried and decided to stay in Prince Xu¡¯s Estate. This made it more convenient for them to take care of her. Knowing that she could eat some fresh fruits, the fruit orchards, greenhouses, and icehouses of the ntation all did their best to send seasonal, off-season, and refrigerated fruits to the Prince Xu¡¯s Estate.


    However, the appetite of the child in Xiaocao¡¯s belly constantly changed. Today, she might be able to eat a few bites of an apple, but on the next day, she would vomit after just eating a couple bites. However, she would be able to eat a few pieces of grapes... It was unknown how the news spread to the outside, but when others heard this, they all said that this was only possible because Princess Consort Xu owned many businesses so they were able to get many different types of fruits. Had it been other families, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it.


    This torturested for three months before all the symptoms came to end abrupt end. Yu Xiaocao¡¯s appetite gradually improved. With Yangliu and the kitchen maids of Prince Xu¡¯s Estate, their mistress soon regained all the flesh that she had lost.


    Yu Xiaocao felt that the child in her belly would surely be a picky eater. Today, it learned to eat spicy food. There was ayer of chili pepper on top of the Sichuan poached fish in chili sauce. Her mouth was numb from the spiciness, but she still ate with relish. The chili pepper in the spicy chicken bites were crisp and fragrant. She could eat half a te of the chili pepper. Princess Consort Jing happily said, ¡°Sourness for sons and spiciness for daughters; it must be a delicate little royal princess this time. With a boy and a girl, we¡¯ll have the character ¡®good¡¯.


    But, on another day, she would like sour food. She could eat an entire te of extremely sour green plums without a change on her face. She ate two or three lemons, which were shipped back from the southern coast, in session without even blinking her eyes. Her mother and mother-inw were afraid that she would eat too much of the sour food, and thus took turns to keep an eye on her.


    At times, she would be very interested in food with a very strong smell. For example, she would find the foul-smelling stinky tofu and durians, which had an extraordinary scent, to be very delicious.


    When she was five to six months into her pregnancy, her tummy inted like a balloon and was much bigger than the average pregnant woman. But, with their prior experience of her first pregnancy, no one paid too much attention to it. However, they had prepared the delivery room and invited the midwife to the estate before the seventh month, for fear that they would be caught off guard like when the heir was born.


    However, this child was not as impatient as his (her) older brother. It stayed in its mother¡¯s womb for more than nine months. By the time that Yu Xiaocao was about to give birth, her belly was so big that her skin nearly appeared transparent, which made others worry that it might explode at any time. Her swollen legs looked like radishes. When one poked on it, a deep pit would appear. She couldn¡¯t fit in her own shoes, so she had to totter around in her man¡¯s shoes. She didn¡¯t like to wear the shoes that the sewing department made for her.


    When she was seven months into her pregnancy, Imperial Prince Xu had requested for a break and stayed around his wife everyday. Especially when she strolled around in his big shoes. He was afraid that she would trip on the shoes, so he carefully supported Xiaocao like how Li Lianying served the empress dowager.


    When Xiaocao got cramps in her legs in the middle of the night and teared up due to the pain, he would get up and gently massage her to relieve the symptoms. Her belly was too big, and she often needed to use the bathroom at night, so he would carry her over. Every day, he personally helped her soak her feet and massage her lower legs. Hepletely followed through with the role of a perfect husband.


    The director of the Imperial Hospital had warned them that there might be more than one baby and that they should prepare all the necessary supplies. Therefore, they weren¡¯t taken by surprise when the boy-girl twins were born.


    However, the delivery didn¡¯t go as smoothly as thest time for Xiaocao. It took six to eight hours for the two little fellows to finally arrive in this world. Since they were full-term babies, Little Mantou and Little Guozi weighed about the same as their older brother when he was just born. One weighed 3.2 kg and the other was 3.1 kg. Their thunderous cries were enough to prove that the two little fellows were in good health.


    After the two little fellows grew older, those who didn¡¯t know would often mix up their genders. The reason was simple. Little Mantou, the baby boy, looked 80% simr to his mother. He had cute, round almond-shaped eyes and thick, long eyshes, just like Xiaocao. The baby girl, on the other hand, had inherited her father¡¯s phoenix eyes. In particr, her dashing eyebrows caused others to mistake her gender.


    It was apparent that Zhu Junyang favored their second son, who resembled his wife. When he had time, he would carry him in his arms and be unwilling to let go. Princess Consort Jing, on the other hand, preferred her young granddaughter. She often imagined what her youngest son¡¯s facial features would look like if it was on a girl. Her young granddaughter had satisfied her imagination¡ª¡ªshe looked exactly the same as when she dressed her youngest son up as a girl when he was an infant.


    When Yu Xiaocao gave birth, she almost had a massive blood loss, which hurt her vitality. Thus, her husband forced her to have a two-month post-natal confinement period. Zhu Junyang had also been frightened by his wife¡¯s dangerous childbirth process, and secretly decided that they wouldn¡¯t have any more children. He secretly took the ¡®sterilization pill¡¯ made by his wife.


    ording to the Annals of History, Imperial Prince Xu and Princess Consort Xu had two sons and one daughter. They lived past the age of one hundred, and passed away in their sleep on the same day...


    (Author¡¯s note: As the title says, this isn¡¯t the ending ah! Haha!)


    The character for ¡¯good¡¯ (ºÃ) is made up of the characters Å® (girl/daughter) and ×Ó (boy/son).


    Li Lianying (ÀîÁ«Ó¢) - a highly influential eunuch during the regency of Empress Dowager Cixi te Qing Dynasty)

 Chapter 722 - Daily Life of Adorable Kids

    <h4>Chapter 722 - Daily Life of Adorable Kids</h4>


    ¡°Little Mantou, Little Guozi, Maternal Uncle hase to see you guys¡ª¡ªeh? What are you guys doing?¡± When Yu Fan walked through the garden and passed by the lotus pond, he saw two tiny little fellows squatting beside the pond. He felt rmed in his heart.


    Little Mantou, who had big eyes that were simr to his mother¡¯s, looked at him with his round eyes and showed a cute smile, ¡°Uncle Shitou, we¡¯re teaching the little chick to swim.¡±


    Little Guozi, who was beside him, narrowed her slender phoenix eyes and said with a look of disdain, ¡°Second Brother is so stupid! I already told you that little chicks can¡¯t swim¡ª¡ªit¡¯s little ducklings that can!¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know how, so they need us to teach them ah! Won¡¯t they know after they learn?¡± Little Mantou, who was holding a furry little chick, seemed like he wanted to throw the little chick into the water. The pitiful little chick was trembling in his hands, as if it had foreseen its fate.


    Little Guozi rolled her eyes cutely and replied in a sharp voice, ¡°Do you know how? You don¡¯t even know how to swim, so how are you going to teach the little chick? If you want to teach the little chick to swim, you need to first learn it yourself!¡±


    Yu Fan thought that his nephew and niece looked extremely adorable. Why were they so cute? Especially his little niece, when she reasoned in such a serious manner, she looked exactly like his second sister when she was a child. However, there didn¡¯t seem to be much logic in her reasoning. Even if Little Mantou learned how to swim, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to teach a little chick how to swim.


    ¡°Zhu Yunxiao! Did you steal a little chick from the east side courtyard again?!¡± Zhu Yunxuan, the Heir of Imperial Prince Xu, had returned from outside. He was already nine years old, and he looked exactly like his lord father when he didn¡¯t smile.


    The east side courtyard used to be a huge garden, but it waster transformed into a rural scenery. There was a uniquely shaped thatched pavilion, a house with earthen walls and a thatched roof, as well as a fishing pond with rippling waves. There was also a lush green vegetable garden and a wheat field with a promising harvest. The reason Imperial Prince Xu did this was because Princess Consort Xu had expressed, ¡°I¡¯m really afraid that our children will neither do physicalbor nor be able to distinguish the five grains.¡± Hence, he plowed down the garden and nted wheat. Although two of the three children of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Household were only four years old, they all participated in the field work. But, of course, the two younger ones tended to cause trouble more often than not.


    In order to cultivate the children¡¯spassion, a chicken coop was built next to the vegetable garden. A group of chicks were hatched for the children to raise. They were supposedly responsible for raising them, but, in actuality, they just needed to use some time every day to feed them a handful of grains and some water. There were servants in charge of cleaning the chicken coop.


    Today, when Zhu Yunxuan came back from horse racing at the racetracks, he went to the chicken coop to feed millets to the little chicks. However, he found that one was missing. Due to the fact that his younger brother had done something simr in the past, he charged directly to the lotus pond. Sure enough, he found the missing chick in his younger brother¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? Little chicks can¡¯t swim! If you throw it in, you¡¯ll just end up killing it. Did you forget about Little ck Mouth? Didn¡¯t it drown because of you?¡± Zhu Yunxuan was about to cry because of his younger brother¡¯s stupidity.


    ¡°But...¡± Little Mantou pouted and still wanted to say something.


    ¡°No buts! Now, this instant, take Little Ball back immediately!! In the future, you¡¯re not allowed to catch the little chicks to y again! Do you hear me?¡± Zhu Yunxuan stated each word clearly, and his plump lips were pursed into a line.


    Little Mantou knew that his older brother was upset. He was unwilling, but due to his older brother¡¯s imposing force, he had no choice but to answer, ¡°I understand...¡±


    This was because he knew that if he didn¡¯t listen to his older brother, he would be the one who would suffer in the end. When he was about to finish drinking his porridge, he would find a fat bug at the bottom of the bowl. There would be a hole in the back of his clothes, which would cause his friends tough at him upon seeing the white flesh of his butt. When he practiced calligraphy, ink would ¡®identally¡¯ stain hispleted works and he would have to rewrite them...


    There were many simr situations. When he went to tell his parents about his older brother, Eldest Brother got praised instead. Over time, he had learned from these suffering that he couldn¡¯t offend his older brother. He couldn¡¯t disobey his older brother¡¯s words, otherwise, he would suffer badly.


    Although he really wanted to teach the little chick a new skill, he had no choice but to give up on this n. The little chick named Little Ball had escaped a disaster.


    Seeing that his younger brother was so well-behaved, Zhu Yunxuan decided to ¡®give some sweets after a scolding¡¯, ¡°If you show improvement in your handwriting, can memorize the <i>Thousand-Character ssic</i>, and can do the half-squat for an hour, I¡¯ll help you persuade Lady Mother to let you raise a duck as a pet. But, you have to take care of the duck yourself and can¡¯t let others help you!¡±


    When Little Mantou heard this, he instantly became energized, ¡°Eldest Brother, I have already memorized the <i>Thousand-Character ssic</i>. Listen¡ª¡ªThe sky is dark, and the earth is yellow; the space is vast and limitless. The sun and moon wax and wane; the stars lodge in their constetions...I practice calligraphy seriously everyday, and even Lord Father has praised me for being talented. Also, also...I persisted in squatting for an hour this morning. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask Little Wu¡¯zi.¡± Little Wu¡¯zi was his personal manservant. He was only ten, but he was a very clever fellow.


    Little Mantou was very envious that hisdy mother could raise two ¡®big dogs¡¯ as pets. He had always wanted to have a pet of his own, regardless of what it was.


    Yu Fan, who was watching the interaction between his nephews,ughed incessantly in his heart. There were so many options, so why did he want to raise a duck? He looked forward to seeing his little nephew¡¯s anxious expression when the little duck jumped into the water


    ¡°Uncle Shitou, did youe to see mydy mother? Right now, she should be in the small study of Jiale Hall.¡± Every day at this time, as long as Lord Father was at home, Lady Mother would apany Lord Father to study¡ª¡ªone grinded the ink, while the other practiced calligraphy.


    Practicing calligraphy was just an excuse for them to spend some time together. The three children of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate were all used to their lord father being clingy to theirdy mother. At the beginning, Little Mantou and Little Guozi had protested against their lord father for frequently stealing theirdy mother from them. After repeated failures, they finally admitted their fate.


    Yu Fan nodded his head and patted his oldest nephew¡¯s shoulder. Then he caressed Little Mantou¡¯s head and pinched Little Guozi¡¯s cheeks. He said with a smile, ¡°Maternal Uncle needs to first find yourdy mother for official business. I¡¯ll y with you guyster. Little Baozi, take good care of your younger siblings ah!¡±


    Seeing Zhu Yunxuan wrinkle up his face, which looked very simr to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s, Yu Fan snickered in his heart. He did it on purpose. He knew that his oldest nephew didn¡¯t like others calling him by his nickname, but he wanted to see a helpless expression on a face that looked simr to the guy who stole his second sister from him.


    ¡°Uncle Shitou came to fight for Lady Mother with Lord Father again. Lord Father is so pitiful!¡± Little Guozi ate a piece of candy that her younger maternal uncle brought over from the candy shop and sighed. But, could she somewhat suppress her expression of wanting to see a good show?


    Little Mantou opened his mouth to let his younger sister put a candy into his mouth. He said in a muffled voice, ¡°Is this retribution for Lord Father because he¡¯s always stealing Lady Mother from us?¡± This brat, if his lord father heard what he had said, who knew where the retribution would fall on?


    ¡°You two, it¡¯s time to study soe to the outer study with Eldest Brother. Be careful that the teacher will hit your palms if you¡¯rete!¡± Zhu Yunxuan took his younger siblings, who had wanted to join in the fun, all the way to the side courtyard.


    Little Guozi looked around and revealed a pitiful expression, ¡°Eldest Brother, today, Little Mantou pulled me along to watch him teach the little chick to swim, so I didn¡¯t get to eat my afternoon snacks. I¡¯m so hungry...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have candies in your hand? Eat two pieces for now; we¡¯ll have dinner soon!¡± Zhu Yunxuan was used to his younger sister¡¯s tricks, so he replied indifferently.


    Little Mantou held the little chick in his hands in front of his older brother, ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t we have to take Little Ball back before going to the outer study? If the teacher sees it, he will throw him out. At that time, it will be a pitiful stray chicken¡ª¡ªa beggar chicken. That¡¯s so pitiful ah!¡±


    ¡°Little Wu¡¯zi, bring the chick in Second Young Master¡¯s hands back to the east side courtyard!¡± There were no emotions in Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s voice. Without stopping, he took the two little fellows to the outer courtyard.


    Little Mantou opened his hands and wailed, ¡°Eldest Brother, there¡¯s chicken poop on my hands. So stinky! Can we go back to my room to wash it first?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a wash basin, as well as hand soap, in the outer study.¡± Zhu Yunxuan spoke in a tone that didn¡¯t allow any doubt. His younger siblings were very smart and learned very quickly, but they just didn¡¯t like learning. Since they started studying at the age of three, they would try to challenge the teacher every day in an attempt to slip away.


    Although the teacher was very knowledgeable, he had a rather pedantic temperament. Thus, the two little fellows often seed in skipping sses. After Lady Mother heard the teacher¡¯sint, she handed the task of supervising his younger siblings¡¯ studies to him, the eldest brother. He would rather use this spare time to read another book or practice another set of boxing with his martial arts teacher.


    As a result, the earlier situation would repeat every day. The two little fellows would try their best to escape from the ssroom or dy entering the ssroom. He, on the other hand, would foil their little schemes one by one¡ª¡ªAy! It was so tiring to be the eldest brother!


    After Zhu Yunxuan threw the two little fellows in the outer study, he warned the two people who were obviously thinking of bad ideas, ¡°You two better behave! If I hear the teacherin about you two being disobedient, then Little Mantou will be served a bug feast tonight and Little Guozi won¡¯t be allowed to eat sweets for a month!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡ªdon¡¯t, Eldest Brother¡ª¡ª¡± The two little fellows wailed. Little Mantou was a boy, but he was the most afraid of squirmy bugs and so on. Allegedly, he had been scared by a little green insect that had fallen on his nose when he was younger.


    As for Little Guozi, like other children, she loved to eat sweets. Especially when herdy mother was suddenly in the mood to cook, the pastries that herdy mother made herself were her favorite. Herdy mother was afraid that her teeth would rot so she only permitted her to eat two pieces of candy and a piece of cake each day. She must brush her teeth after eating.


    Zhu Yunxuan grasped the weaknesses of his younger siblings, so even if they were the Monkey King, they still wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from his palm. Uh...would Lady Mother continue with yesterday¡¯s <i>Journey to the West</i> for tonight¡¯s parent-child storytelling time? He really looked forward to it ah!


    ¡°Disciples follow rules, while the sage teaches. Filial pietyes first, and sincerity is next...¡± The childish voices of his younger siblings reciting sounded from the room. Zhu Yunxuan went into the adjacent room and listened with relish to his lord father¡¯s former subordinate telling him about the arts of war and military tactics.


    He liked to read books, but he was even more interested in listening to his lord father and Second Paternal Uncle talk about the ups and downs of the battlefield. His lord father said that when he reached the age of ten, he would take him to experience life at the Xishan Barracks. Before that, he must be fully prepared so that he wouldn¡¯t disgrace his lord father...

 Chapter 723 - The Violent Royal Princess

    <h4>Chapter 723 - The Violent Royal Princess</h4>


    The imperial family¡¯s academy was located on the east side of the imperial city and was a school for the ¡®rich and nobility¡¯. It started off from ¡®kindergarten¡¯ all the way to the ¡®ss for people taking the metropolitan civil exam¡¯. The academy only allowed members of the imperial family as well as the children of fourth-ranked officials and above to attend.


    The teachers in the academy were all extremely qualified as they were all well-known schrs who had gotten either first, second, or third ce in the imperial exams. The current prime minister was also an instructor there and the martial arts instructors were all experienced generals. Imperial Prince Xu had also been invited over to teach the students martial arts and equestrian skills...


    It was now a known fact that the crown prince was going to be the next emperor and that the imperial academy was established for the crown prince to find talented folks. In order to enter the imperial family¡¯s eyes, many people in the capital racked their brains to find a way to get their children in. This was because the academy had strict entry requirements. One not only had to have the right status, but the school also cared about the morality and behavior of the prospective students. Those who didn¡¯t meet these standards were asked to leave.


    Currently, a little issue had urred at the imperial family¡¯s academy. The wife of the imperial tutor was leading along a pale and fat...¡®panda¡¯, and she was currently vehemently arguing with Yu Fan, who was unfortunately on duty that day, ¡°Just look ah! My grandson has been beat up into a pulp. Isn¡¯t the academy a safe ce for learning ah? Isn¡¯t it important that all of the students behave properly and correctly ah? As teachers, how could you indulge the members of the imperial family and allow them to bully other students ah?¡±


    The little fatty that she was holding onto had two ck eyes and a split lip. It was obvious at a nce that he had been pummeled by someone.


    ¡°Paternal Grandmother, Paternal Grandmother, please don¡¯t say anymore! I already told you that I had gotten identally injured when I was sparring with one of my ssmates. It was truly an ident. Don¡¯t make a fuss anymore!¡± The little fatty pulled anxiously on the older woman¡¯s hand. Sweat poured down his face.


    The wife of the imperial tutor felt even worse now. Her eyes turned red, ¡°Just look, just look! The child is this scared now! He doesn¡¯t even dare to speak up after being pushed around! Teacher Yu, just look at his injuries. It¡¯s obvious that he had been beaten heavily by someone. He not only has wounds on his face but also his body. Who would believe that it was a mere ident ah? Today, if you don¡¯t resolve this in a satisfactory manner, I will change into court dress and ask the emperor to take charge of this!! We absolutely cannot allow some rtive of the imperial family to use his power and background to bully the weak!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! The imperial family¡¯s academy absolutely would not allow anyone to bully other students. Beloved Official Yu, I assign this task to you and you must investigate it thoroughly!¡± The crown prince, Zhu Hanwen, walked into the room. He was eighteen years old and had a tall and handsome figure. His body gave off a kind of aura that awed people instantly.


    Yu Fan bowed in greeting and murmured in agreement. He first asked the wife of the imperial tutor to sit down and had the servants serve up a cup of flower tea. Then, he pulled on the little fatty¡¯s hand and gently asked, ¡°Liang Guodong, please tell me exactly what happened to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like I said. I was practicing martial arts and identally got injured...¡± Liang Guodong stiffened his neck but he refused to look Yu Fan in the eye. He had an unconfident expression on his face.


    The wife of the imperial tutor became incensed and eximed, ¡°Dong¡¯er, my good grandson! With me as your support and His Highness, the crown prince, on your side, there¡¯s no need for you to feel afraid. Tell us the perpetrator¡¯s name. Actions always have consequences. By shielding the other person, you¡¯re actually hurting them!¡±


    Liang Guodong was so anxious about this that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He looked at his paternal grandmother with a begging look and quietly said, ¡°Paternal Grandmother, I already said that it wasn¡¯t an issue. Can you not make a fuss about this anymore?¡±


    When the crown prince saw this, he felt that there was more to this situation that met the eye. He asked, ¡°It¡¯s Liang Guodong, right? Let me ask you, were the injuries on your face caused by someone in the academy?¡±


    Liang Guodong didn¡¯t dare to lie to the crown prince, so he obediently said, ¡°Yes...that¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Was it someone in your same ss who did this?¡± Zhu Hanwen continued his line of questioning.


    ¡°No...no, it wasn¡¯t!¡± Zhu Hanwen noticed that an awkward expression had appeared on Liang Guodong¡¯s face and that the boy looked even more ufortable.


    ¡°Your Highness, you must take our Dong¡¯er¡¯s side ah! It must be someone in a higher grade who bullied our young fatty here by taking advantage of their superior height and weight. Bullying the weak isn¡¯t the type of behavior that should be allowed at the academy!!¡± The wife of the imperial tutor was so furious that her chest was heaving up and down. The hand holding her cup of tea trembled violently and tea spilled all over.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, Paternal Grandmother...you don¡¯t understand the situation. Please don¡¯t say anymore!!¡± Liang Guodong was about to cry at this point. If the truth came out, he was certain that the one being expelled from the academy would be him.


    ¡°Younger Maternal Uncle! Liang Guodong was beat up by me!¡± A clear and melodious voice could be heard from outside the room. Following that, a young girl who was wearing a bright yellow dress with her hairbed into two buns came in. Behind her was a young boy who was about the same size of her and he was dressed in white schrly attire.


    When the wife of the imperial tutor heard this, she pped the table and stood up to see just who had hurt her grandson. What she saw astonished her. It was a sweet and adorable little girl who was shorter than her grandson by a head. The scathing words that were about to tumble out of her mouth choked in her throat.


    Yu Fan felt a headache appearing. Thest time he had gone to his second sister¡¯s home, he had persuaded his second sister and brother-inw to send their children into the imperial family¡¯s academy. He had encountered his younger nephew teaching some chicks to go swimming. He had originally thought that only his young nephew was naughty and didn¡¯t expect that, out of his second sister¡¯s three children, the one that caused the most trouble was actually her youngest child, her only daughter.


    This was because¡ª¡ªher lord father had brainwashed her into believing that fists did all the talking. If someone said something that she didn¡¯t like, she needed to beat them up. Furthermore, she was also incredibly talented at martial arts. This was probably the so-called one in a million talent that his second sister had talked about that she had seen in wuxia books.


    They had only been at the academy for a short period of time but there had already been a slew ofints from other parents. They all imed that Zhu Yunxin had held onto the cors of their children, threatening them until they cried. Zhu Yunxin, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t the least bit remorseful. In fact, she even mumbled quietly on the side, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that mydy mother told me I can¡¯t just hit anyone I pleased, then I would have long beat them into a pulp!¡±


    When he asked her why he frightened the other children, she merely said, ¡°They just didn¡¯t look right to me,¡± and even red ferociously at the victims while their parents were there. She had a pair of phoenix eyes simr to Imperial Prince Xu and was quite imposing when she used them to stare down other people. As for the parents of these unfortunate children, they decided to let it slide since her parents were Imperial Prince Xu and Princess Consort Xu. Later on, these parents had all warned their children to stay far away from Zhu Yunxin, so none of them dared to provoke her in the future.


    However, in the past, she had only scared the other kids in the same year as her and had never touched a single hair on their heads. He really wasn¡¯t sure how the little fatty had offended her to make her beat him so hard that it wasn¡¯t even funny.


    Liang Guodong covered his face and cried out loudly, ¡°No, no! It wasn¡¯t her ah...¡±


    The fact that he had gotten beaten up by someone who was younger than him by two years and was a girl to boot was the most disgraceful thing that had ever happened to him. He was trying to do his best to conceal this had ever happened, so how could he possibly tell the teachers about this? However, he would have never expected that his grandmother, who spoiled him, didn¡¯t believe the excuse he had painstakinglye up with. Furthermore, she had even caused a ruckus at school. He truly had no face left anymore!!


    Little Guozi marched forward to him and used her little fist to gesture at his eyes, ¡°Why do you say it wasn¡¯t me? Just look at these bruises. Compare them to my fist and you can tell that I did it. Also, I had kicked you in the thighs. How about you drop your pants andpare them to my feet to see if they match?¡±


    Yu Fan really wanted to cover his face¡ª¡ª¡®My dear niece, as a girl, is it really proper for you to say ¡®drop your pants¡¯? I thought you were a gentle and exquisite young maiden ah? How did you suddenly be a vicious T-rex that blows mes out of your mouth?¡¯ He felt his head hurt for his second sister.


    Liang Guodong held onto his pants tightly with an rmed look on his face. He shook his head vigorously, ¡°No need topare. I admit that you beat me up, alright?¡±


    Zhu Hanwen was almost about to explode from holding in hisughter. Oh ho ho! His younger female cousin from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Household was truly too funny. Such a bad temper was akin to how his uncle had acted when he was young. When he got back and told his story to his imperial father, he was sure his father would find it hrious as well.


    The wife of the imperial tutor really didn¡¯t know what to say or think at this point. She looked at the young maiden in front of her, who looked to be around four to five years old and was as pretty and delicate as a sprig of winter jasmine. How could her grandson, who was already seven years old, not be able to win over a kid who was only around four to five? Furthermore, this child was also a sweet and adorable young maiden. No wonder her grandson begged her not toe to the academy to make a fuss. This was truly too embarrassing!


    ¡°Uh...Young Miss, can you tell Grandmother just how Liang Guodong offended you ah?¡± The wife of the imperial tutor had a bad premonition about all of this. Was her own grandson the person who was actually bullying others but he had unluckilye across a little flower who had vicious thorns? Was that the reason why he insisted that he had merely gotten injured during a practice session and refused to admit that he had gotten beaten up instead?


    Little Guozi nted a look at Liang Guodong and coldly huffed, ¡°If the person he had offended was me, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to walk anymore. They¡¯d have to carry him out instead!¡±


    The wife of the imperial tutor was so shocked by this that she couldn¡¯t reply for a long time. Was she supposed to be grateful that the girl had been lenient? Princess Consort Xu seemed to have a polite and amiable temperament, so how did she have a daughter that was a hot chili pepper?


    ¡°Little Guozi,e here to me ah,¡± Zhu Hanwen was afraid that the wife of the imperial tutor might explode from fury and hurriedly called his younger cousin over, ¡°Tell me, why did you beat up Liang Guodong? Don¡¯t give me the excuse that he just didn¡¯t look right to you. I believe that you wouldn¡¯t beat up a person for no reason ah!¡±


    The littless, Zhu Yunxin, bounced towards Zhu Hanwen and pulled on his hand. She stuffed a chocte drop in his hand and smiled sweetly. Although her eyebrowspletely resembled her father¡¯s, she had inherited her mother¡¯s dimples. When she wasn¡¯t smiling, she looked very imposing but as soon as she smiled, she became a cute and adorable young girl.


    ¡°Older Brother, this is a new form of candy that mydy mother made, it¡¯s called ¡®malted chocte drops¡¯. The outside has a coating of chocte and the inside is fragrant and crispy. It¡¯s super delicious! Try some.¡± The cute and adorable girl had a very sweet smile on her face, which caused everyone in the room to feel their hearts soften.


    Zhu Hanwen also couldn¡¯t defend against this attack and grinned as he nodded, ¡°Okay okay! I¡¯ll try the taste of these ¡®malted chocte drops¡¯ so I can see whether if Little Guozi was right about how fragrant and tasty they are.¡±


    Liang Guodong watched this enviously and couldn¡¯t help but nod in agreement, ¡°These ¡®malted chocte drops¡¯ are very delicious and they taste better than regr choctes and cake. If they could be sold at the Yu¡¯s Dessert Shop, I will definitely line up to buy them!¡±


    ¡°My family¡¯s dessert shop is no longer called ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯. It¡¯s now called Jinan Dessert Shop, so make sure you remember that!¡± Little Mantou who had been silent this entire time finally opened his mouth.


    Liang Guodong replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same ah? Although the name has changed, many people in the capital still call it by ¡®The Yu¡¯s¡¯. In any case, it¡¯s still owned by your family!¡±

 Chapter 724 - The Tyrannical Little Flower

    <h4>Chapter 724 - The Tyrannical Little Flower</h4>


    ¡°Your Highness, the young royal princess has beaten someone up at the academy. The victim¡¯s rtive is currently at the academy, asking for an exnation!¡± Weizi hurried in from the outer courtyard and ran towards Princess Consort Xu, who was feeding the fish by the lotus pond. Her voice held a hint of rm and impatience.


    Yu Xiaocao currently had four first-ranked personal maidservants and they were named after the four famous peonies. They were Yaohuang, Weizi, Doulu, and Zhaofen.


    Yu Xiaocao picked at her ear and asked doubtfully, ¡°Who? Who did you say beat up someone else?¡±


    Weizi slightly panted as she replied, ¡°Your Highness, you didn¡¯t hear incorrectly. It was the young royal princess who beat up another student. It¡¯s said that the student has two ck eyes and a split lip. He looks quite pitiful apparently.¡±


    ¡°Little Guozi is only four, yet she¡¯s able to beat someone to that degree?¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t quite believe this, ¡°That can¡¯t be right! Are you telling me that my sweet and adorable girl had actually fought with someone at the academy? Are you sure this is right and not someone mistaking Little Mantou for Little Guozi ah?¡±


    Little Mantou¡¯s face resembled Xiaocao¡¯s more, so many people often mistook him for the young royal princess from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate who liked to wear boy¡¯s clothing. Furthermore, the true royal princess, Zhu Yunxin, looked more like her father and older brother and was often mistaken as the male twin out of the two.


    Weizi also felt a bit doubtful after hearing his mistress¡¯s questions. She quietly continued, ¡°Your Highness, how about...this servant could go to the academy and get the details?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao had just been at home with nothing to do, so she put down the fish feed in her hands and said, ¡°Regardless of whether it was Little Mantou or Little Guozi, someone had beaten another student up. As their parent, if I don¡¯t show my face, that wouldn¡¯t be proper. Have Pipae and dress me, I need to go to the school.¡±


    Her previous four first-ranked personal maidservants had all been married off when they reached the age of twenty. Only Pipa stayed behind as she decided to stay with her mistress and be in charge of her clothing and jewelry.


    Yu Xiaocao changed into a set of gorgeous clothing that was finely embroidered with peonies. Her hair had beenbed into a simple flying immortal knot, which revealed her bright and clear forehead. It was decorated with fine pearl flowers, which made her look fresh and elegant. It contrasted beautifully with Xiaocao¡¯s fair and exquisite skin, making her look like a fresh young maiden.


    Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence wasn¡¯t very far from the academy. She got off from the carriage and had just entered the chair¡¯s ¡®office¡¯ with the help of the doorman when she heard a familiar voice that seemed sweet and shrewish at the same time, ¡°Shut your mouth! Even if we add them to the store, we won¡¯t sell them to you!¡±


    When she clearly saw the young girl inside, she didn¡¯t expect to see her usually clever and gentle little girl currently standing in an aggressive manner with her two hands on her h.i.p.s as she regarded the little fatty in front of her with a contemptuous look. Eh? Was she truly mistaken earlier? Was this really her daughter?


    ¡°Lady Mother...this son greets Lady Mother!¡± The first one to spot Yu Xiaocao was her clever and quick-witted son, Little Mantou. He gave a look at his younger sister and hurried forward as he supported Yu Xiaocao¡¯s left hand in a ttering manner.


    The expression on Zhu Yunxin¡¯s face changed slightly as she recalled what her father had repeatedly warned her about: ¡®Daughter, in front of yourdy mother, you must act like a young gentlewoman and not make yourdy mother worried about you, alright ah? This is especially important when I¡¯m not home. All of you must take good care of yourdy mother...¡¯


    She immediately snapped her feet together and ced both hands on her abdomen as she revealed a sweet smile. The little dimples on her face were faintly discernible and her voice had be as gentle as the spring wind as she said, ¡°Lady Mother, when did youe over? Lady Mother, please sit down. I¡¯ll make some tea for you...¡±


    Whether it was the wife of the imperial tutor or the crown prince, everyone¡¯s eyes almost bugged out of their heads. Was...was this the overbearing and aggressive little tyrannical flower from earlier ah? How did she suddenly change into a sweet and adorable little child? Just what was going on?


    Yu Fan was already used to his little niece¡¯s ¡®quick transformations¡¯ and it no longer phased him. Since his second sister had arrived, he could now sit back and allow this headache inducing little kid to be put into order by her mother. He leaned against the back of his chair calmly and drank the fragrant tea in front of him in a pleased manner.


    ¡°Alright ah, stop pretending! You¡¯ve already revealed your little tail and I have a grasp on it ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao used her forefinger to poke at her daughter¡¯s forehead. Apparently, the littless was only pretending to be sweet and obedient in her midst! She really was in the running for the title, ¡®the Emperor of Acting¡¯!


    ¡°Lady Mother...this little fatty hit me and wanted to steal my things, wah wah wah...Lady Mother, you must get justice for this daughter ah!¡± Tears came to Little Guozi¡¯s eyes onmand and everyone could see the trail of two tears on her sweet and tender little face. Her rosy lips trembled as she raised her tearful eyes to look at Yu Xiaocao. Her whole appearance roused pity within people¡¯s hearts.


    Even the wife of the imperial tutor, who hade rampaging over, felt her heart soften. She looked at her grandson, who was taller than the girl by a head and had a body about twice the size as well. Why did she suddenly feel like the one bullying other people was her own grandson? She nced at Little Guozi, who was silently shedding tears, and gently said, ¡°Your Highness, it wasn¡¯t right for Dong¡¯er to bully you! When we get back, I¡¯ll make sure his father punishes him appropriately. Don¡¯t cry, if girls cry too much, they won¡¯t be pretty anymore!¡±


    Liang Guodong opened his two panda eyes wide and stared nkly as his grandmother, who had been pletely fooled¡¯ by thatss¡¯s tears and had defected to her side. ¡®Grandmother, look again at your own grandson, just who was bullying who?¡¯


    ¡°Child! How could you possibly steal things from your younger brothers and sisters just because you¡¯re bigger than them? Was everything your father taught you in vain ah? You even made this olddye out to support you. I¡¯ve almost lost all of my face because of you!¡± The imperial tutor¡¯s residence had an abundance of males and a dearth of females. In Liang Guodong¡¯s father¡¯s generation, they had four sons and only one daughter. In the grandchildren¡¯s generation, there were only grandsons. Thus, the wife of the imperial tutor really had no defenses against a cute and adorable little girl.


    Liang Guodong pouted a bit and had identally hurt his split lip again. He sharply inhaled in pain. He was feeling really quite wronged, ¡®Paternal Grandmother, just who was the one who insisted on making a ruckus ah? Clearly I was the one who was trying to avoid things from happening, okay?¡¯


    ¡°Hmph! Using your strength to bully the weak has finallye back to you ah?¡± The wife of the imperial tutor felt her heart soften again after looking at her grandson¡¯s colorful face.


    ¡°Come here and let Auntie take a look¡ª¡ªoh my, just who beat you so hard ah? Look at those ck eyes and your swollen lip...does it hurt? Auntie has some medicine here and as soon as you spread it on, it¡¯ll reduce the swelling. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t hurt a bit!¡± Yu Xiaocao took out a tiny medicine boxy from Doulu¡¯s hands and took out a bottle of ointment.


    After the sweet-smelling ointment was spread on his face, Liang Guodong felt a cooling effect and the painful heat had immediately disappeared. It was sofortable. Princess Consort Xu was so gentle and had such a sweet-sounding voice. She was also beautiful and smelled fragrant. Furthermore, she made top-notch cakes, pastries and candies. Wouldn¡¯t it be great if he was Princess Consort Xu¡¯s son...


    The wife of the imperial tutor knew immediately what her grandson was thinking. He had forgotten his own mother! He was so shameless to forget his own ancestors for the sake of food.


    ¡°Do you have any bruises on your body?¡± Yu Xiaocao was about to lift up his sleeve.


    The six year old little fatty was already aware that there was a difference between s.e.xes. He hurriedly grabbed onto his sleeve and blushed, ¡°No, I really don¡¯t have any...¡±


    ¡°Oh! It looks like you¡¯re a little embarrassed!¡± Yu Xiaocao quipped as she offered the ointment in her hand to the wife of the imperial tutor, ¡°This ointment was personally made by me. Young kids, ah, always end up hurting themselves in some manner or another. After using this ointment, it can reduce swelling and pain. My children had ended up beating up your grandson so badly, so I apologize to you. I¡¯m truly very sorry!¡±


    Her children? Little Mantou wanted to express his own innocence. It was clearly the sole work of his younger sister, so why was he getting pulled down into the mud?


    The residence had hired a famous teacher to teach the children martial arts and equestrian skills. In Yu Xiaocao¡¯s eyes, her daughter was only joining in on the fun. How could she know that her youngest daughter had already been trained by her father into a thorny little tyrannical flower when she was unaware? When she looked at the wounds on the little fatty¡¯s face, she felt like it had to be the joint work between the two twins.


    ¡°Lady Mother, do you not love Guozi anymore ah? Lady Mother...wah wah wah!¡± She had cried so pitifully yet herdy mother had summarily ignored her. In fact, her mother spent more time with that despicable fatty and even personally spread ointment on him.


    Her father had once told her that if they didn¡¯t listen and used their skills to bully others, their mother wouldn¡¯t love them anymore. She didn¡¯t want that! She didn¡¯t want her mother to dislike and ignore her! The fake tears she had originally been crying were now transformed to true distress.


    Yu Xiaocao sighed and used a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her daughter¡¯s face before bending over and carrying her. She looked at the littless in her arms and asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t scolded you or punished you. Why are you crying then?¡±


    ¡°Lady Mother, Guozi knows that I was wrong. In the future, Guozi will never hit other people again.¡± Zhu Yunxin hugged her mother¡¯s neck and candidly admitted her fault in the matter.


    Xiaocao stroked her daughter¡¯s head and gently asked, ¡°If you understand that you did something badly and apologize, you¡¯re still my little treasure. So tell me, why did you fight someone else?¡±


    Little Guozi buried her face into her mother¡¯s neck and stated in a somewhat embarrassed manner, ¡°Today, I wasn¡¯t good and brought the malted chocte drops you made to school.¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao heard this, she already had a good idea of what had happened. Her daughter must have bragged about the new snacks she made and the little fatty couldn¡¯t resist the temptation. In the end, he had be like that.


    ¡°Liang Guodong stole the malted chocte drops that I had given Liang Guoquan, so I couldn¡¯t stand it and beat him up. Lady Mother, I was wrong, I shouldn¡¯t have brought the food you made to school to show off. I shouldn¡¯t have beat someone up and done it such a fierce manner...¡± Little Guozi truly expressed her remorse in a very sincere manner.


    The wife of the imperial tutor felt her face first turn green, then red, and finally white out of fury after hearing the story. No wonder when she asked her grandson what had happened, he had hemmed and hawed and refused to tell the truth. All this ruckus had happened because he was the one trying to steal food from others ah! She even ran over furiously to find the academy to make them exin things in a proper manner to her...she truly had no face left to see people!!


    ¡°Child, how could you possibly steal food from your thirteenth younger brother? Didn¡¯t I tell you that as the older brother, you need to take care of your younger brothers ah?¡± The wife of the imperial tutor pulled on his ear and scolded him roundly.


    Liang Guodong had a wronged expression on her face, ¡°In the past, my thirteenth younger brother had asked for my sponge cake to eat when he was hungry. He promised me then that the next time he had something good to eat, he would give it to me...who would have thought that he didn¡¯t truly want to give the malted chocte drops to me? When I ate them, he suddenly started crying.¡±


    Following that, he had been beaten up. Furthermore, he had been pummeled by a little girl who was much younger than him and it had been a one-sided fight. He was innocent, alright?


    The truth was now in the open. Although her daughter had fought for the sake for her ssmates, it was still wrong of her to hit others. Yu Xiaocao had her daughter apologize to the little fatty and then gave him a box of malted chocte drops as an apology gift. She also gave him an invitation toe over whenever he was free along with his thirteenth younger brother to the prince¡¯s estate to y.


    However, many people now knew that the young royal princess from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate was a tyrannical flower and shouldn¡¯t be offended...

 Chapter 725 - The Two-Faced Heir to the Estate

    <h4>Chapter 725 - The Two-Faced Heir to the Estate</h4>


    ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, are you sure you want to personally race this time? You have an ill.u.s.trious and prominent background, so there¡¯s no need for you to fight with a parvenu, right? If a single hair on your head gets hurt, how could this lowly one possibly exin this to Their Highnesses?¡± Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s personal servant, Dong Ming, was so anxious that his forehead was dotted with sweat.


    The thirteen year old Zhu Yunxuan had inherited his father¡¯s tall and lofty stature and looked to be around sixteen to seventeen years old. He coldly snorted and said, ¡°Mydy mother has already been insulted in such a poor manner by that person. If I endure this, am I still human ah? Would I still have the gall to call myself a man ah? Or be able to call myself the heir of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate ah? That being said, isn¡¯t he just unting the fact that his family has some stinky money? He wants to strut and show off his stuff on my domain, so just watch as I bankrupt his pockets in one go and make him have to leave this cepletely n.a.k.e.d!¡±


    Apparently, a man who called himself the richest person in Jiangnan had burst into the ¡®Celestial World Entertainment Facility¡¯ that was in the suburbs of the capital and had been causing trouble. This Celestial World wasn¡¯t the same as a certain not fit to be seen by ce of entertainment. This ce had elevated eating, drinking and entertainment to a whole other level.


    This ce not only congregated the most famous dishes in the capital, but it was also the ce where people could taste the fine wines personally brewed by Princess Consort Xu. There were all sorts of games and entertainments that people had never seen or yed. Those who came here were able to rx and enjoy themselves to the utmost, relieving themselves of pressure and forgetting their worries. They could indulge in pleasure and forget about the outside world.


    This so-called richest man in Jiangnan was in the silk business in Jiangnan. After the Chen Family fell, he rapidly overtook all of the silk business that the Chen Family had and, overnight, became the richest individual in Jiangnan. The silk business in Jiangnan gradually wasn¡¯t enough to hold his ambitions and he wanted to expand his business into the capital. It was said that he hadtched onto a high-ranked official at court and had gifted arge amount of money to that person.


    Many sessful merchants had a couple of worthless sons that only caused trouble for them. Jiangnan¡¯s richest man, Long Yikui¡¯s, youngest son, Long Tianba, was one of those sons.


    Long Tianba unted the fact that his mother was in favor with his father and had begged his mother to say a few words to his father to allow him toe to the capital to gain some experience. In a moment of madness, Long Yikui had agreed to allow him toe along. However, he also knew that his son had a worthless personality and had warned his son many times before they entered the capital to not cause any trouble.


    Long Tianba had originally promised he would be good. However, after they arrived at the capital, his father was so busy that his feet almost never touched the ground. He often didn¡¯t even have the time to eat a proper meal, let alone have the time to keep his son in check.


    Thus, Long Tianba was like a wild horse that was freed from its restraints and became an arrogant young master in the capital. He was very generous in spending money and didn¡¯t know how to be subdued. Consequently, a group of wastrels in the capital had their eyes on him. Wasn¡¯t the sole purpose of dumb fools with lots of money to spend money on them ah?


    These wastrels also had decent background and the lowest ranked out of all of them was still the grandson of a fourth-ranked official. They had deliberately leaked their identities to Long Tianba and this idiot immediately took the bait. Long Tianba had heard his father saying that they needed to get a firm footing in the capital by finding a powerful backer.


    Thus, his thought process was quite simple. If he was able to get a good rtionship with these young noble masters, then wouldn¡¯t he be able to help his family business? Then, his father wouldn¡¯t dislike him for only knowing how to spend money and not knowing how to make money.


    Once he did something great for the family, perhaps the position of the head of the family would then be his. After all, wasn¡¯t the head of the imperial merchant family, the Zhou¡¯s, now their previous third young master? Didn¡¯t he get that position by working extremely hard and expanding the family¡¯s business? By doing so, didn¡¯t he manage to surpass the legitimate son of the first branch, cementing his status as the next family head?


    In order to get into the good graces of these young masters, Long Tianba spent money like it was water. The pocket money that he had saved up had all been invested into these new friends of his. Every day he apanied them to eat, drink, and y around. Although it was ¡®apanying¡¯ them, in actuality, he was mostly just paying their bills like a foolish spendthrift.


    Long Tianba¡¯s saved up pocket money was actually quiterge and was equivalent to a middle-sized family¡¯s entire savings. However, it also couldn¡¯t survive being spent like water! Before long, the money he had brought along with him was all gone.


    Naturally, these wastrels would give him a taste of sweet in order to get more money out of him. They introduced a few merchants in the capital to him and Long Tianba had actually managed to make a few deals with them. Even his own fatherplimented him after that!


    Since he had just gotten the sweet taste of sess, Long Tianba naturally wouldn¡¯t let go of such a good opportunity to show off in front of his father. Once he ran out of money, he asked his father for more. Using the excuse that he was furthering the family¡¯s connections and not spending money recklessly, he was able to confidently hold his hand out.


    Long Yikui had also gotten the news that his youngest son was quite close to these young masters who liked to y around. After asking around a bit, he discovered that these young fellows all had very good backgrounds in the capital. In the future, they really might be able to ask these families for help. Thus, when his son asked for money, he gave a few thousand taels to him.


    Long Tianba had somehow gotten the information that the best ce for women to go to in the capital was ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯, whereas the best ce for men to go was ¡®Celestial World¡¯. Those who hadn¡¯t been to the entertainment facility weren¡¯t considered true wastrels. Thus, he was easily convinced by his group of friends and arrived at the entertainment facility with all of his money in his pockets.


    The wastrels very quickly regretted their decision to bring him along. Long Tianba was the type of person who liked to im he looked down on things even when he was shocked by what he saw. It was as if he was trying to boast and show off how experienced and cosmopolitan he was.


    In actuality, how could he know that he was overreaching himself? Everyone who heard his boasts all looked at him with disdain, as if he was the biggest fool they had ever seen. Even the wastrels who brought him along felt as if they had lost all face.


    As soon as Long Tianba entered the gambling facility, he began strutting around as if he was a high and mighty lord. How could he know that the people who yed around here all had ill.u.s.trious backgrounds? They were either astoundingly wealthy or incredibly powerful, so how could he, as the son of a merchant outside of the capital, possibly afford to offend them?


    While they were eating, Long Tianba continuously looked down on the food they were eating, iming that the taste was ordinary or the food was not crafted finely enough. The waiter, who had a good temper, almost couldn¡¯t keep the polite smile on his face. At this time, Long Tianba began to im that the waitstaff weren¡¯t satisfactory in their service.


    The wastrels who brought him along were almost ready to blow their tops and continuously gave him looks to shut him up. Unfortunately, Long Tianba acted as if he was blind and never received the hints that they were giving him.


    They were screwed,pletely screwed! Although the staff at the facility looked very ordinary, all of them could be spies of Imperial Prince Xu. If Imperial Prince Xu found out that they had brought along such a foolish and crazy guest, they didn¡¯t know what might happen to them. Seeing Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s cold and icy eyes made them want to pee in their pants.


    They hastily finished their lunch and pulled Long Tianba to the racetrack to bet on horses. They had originally thought that betting on racehorses was a novel event and this greenhorn wouldn¡¯t have much to say. All they had to do was buy their tickets and then wait for the result of the race. Who would have expected that this idiot would talk big and im that he had gambled a lot on racehorses before and such a thing was boring for him now? He even stated that whoever came up with this idea was only giarizing others and not creative at all.


    Unfortunately, the heir of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate had heard these insulting words. Who in the capital didn¡¯t know that this Celestial World Entertainment Facility was the work of Imperial Prince Xu and that many of the fun activities were the ideas of Princess Consort Xu? Someone who continuously looked down on these facilities was also someone who belittled Princess Consort Xu, right? Imperial Prince Xu was infamous in the capital for loving and coddling his wife. Insulting her was the same thing as insulting him as well as the entire estate!


    When they thought of how much the prince loved his wife and how much the heir loved and respected his mother, the wastrels all felt their faces turn gray. They looked at each other silently and began to surreptitiously distance themselves from Long Tianba. When he wasn¡¯t aware, they disappeared...


    Zhu Yunxuan, who had heard the insults and boasts from Long Tianba, was like his father. He always fiercely protected his family members, especially hisdy mother. Whoever touched her was destined to experience a cmity!


    Naturally, Zhu Yunxuan wasn¡¯t as direct as his father in his ways of obtaining revenge. When he decided to act, he could torment a person until they were begging to die but there¡¯d be no clues leading back to him. The people who faced him could only bite their tongues and admit defeat. Although the heir to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate was only thirteen years old, he had already obtained the nickname, ¡®The Smiling Asura¡¯, and was quite powerful and famous in the capital.


    The gambling tickets for the racetrack were all printed in advance and the numbers on the racehorses were all fixed. The only thing that could possibly change was the jockey on the horses. Good jockeys often could turn a defeat into a victory, creating a miracle.


    This was the first time this wealthy fool had been to the racetrack, so he wasn¡¯t at all familiar with the horses there. Thus, he could only pick without knowing anything¡ª¡ªbasically blind. However, who would have thought that this fellow actually had decent luck? The ticket that he bought was on a very vigorous colt named Thunder and this horse was favored to win the race. In the past half year, Thunder had obtained eight first ces and five second ces.


    The only horse that could possibly beat Thunder was a white horse called Swift Wind. However, it wasn¡¯t optimistic. This was because Swift Wind had once lost to Thunder in the past. However, Zhu Yunxuan had confidence that his consummate equestrian skills would allow Swift Wind to produce an upset at this race!


    The manager of the horse track saw that the young master was personally going to ride in this race, so he hurriedly came up to ask, ¡°Your Highness, how about...we switch the jockey on Thunder?¡±


    ¡°No need! The vast majority of gamblers in this crowd are all old customers. If we switched the jockeys now, it¡¯d be hard to avoid peopleining! Could it be...that Manager Fang doesn¡¯t believe in my equestrian skills?¡± All of the regr customers at the racetrack knew that the horses who had the best odds of getting the championship had regr jockeys that rode them.


    In the gambler¡¯s eyes, Thunder had the best odds of winning this race. If a jockey was switched at thest minute, it was likely that the customers would cry foul y. Zhu Yunxuan wanted to win this beautifully and without any doubts!


    The result of this race waspletely in the bag now. Zhu Junyang had personally taught Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s equestrian¡¯s skills. It was very likely that one day he¡¯d surpass his father¡¯s skills. Thus, the jockey on Thunder was a mere joke in his eyes.


    However, for the first few circles, he stayed half a horse¡¯s length behind Thunder. He could hear the crowds cheering for Thunder, especially during the first half of thest circle around the track. Thunder was still in the first ce and the crowds in the racetrack were almost ecstatic with glee.


    Long Tianba was so excited that he was about to do flips in his seat! Although the odds on Thunder were only 1 to 3, he had bet all of the money he brought along with him on the horse. If he won, the eight thousand taels he had bet would be twenty-four thousand. That¡¯d surpass the amount of money that his father made from a business deal! Hah! The people in the capital were truly stupid with money. It was too easy to make money here!

 Chapter 726 - One Careless Move and the Whole Game is Lost

    <h4>Chapter 726 - One Careless Move and the Whole Game is Lost</h4>


    Before long, the saying ¡®extreme joy turning into sorrow¡¯ had quickly appeared before him. In thest circle around the track, the white horse that was numbered 5, had slowly shortened the distance between it and the horse numbered 8 in the front. In thest ten meters of the race, the number 5 white horse had a burst of energy and sprinted forward, seeding in reversing the course of the race and seizing first ce.


    The audience was deathly silent for a moment before raucous cheers and shouts of joy filled the air. Although not as many people bought tickets for horse number 5 as they did for horse number 8, there were still a good number. Prior to the start of the race, horse number 5 and horse number 8 had the most tickets bought.


    Long Tianba, who had already stood up in excitement in anticipation of making it big, felt the smile on his face congeal and freeze. He almost couldn¡¯t believe the sight in front of his eyes!


    On another viewing stand was Zhu Yunxin, who was dressed in men¡¯s attire. Her phoenix eyes crinkled up in happiness and adorable dimples appeared on her face. She spoke to the handsome young boy next to her, ¡°Second Older Brother, quickly thank me now! I helped you earn a giant fortune ah! Aren¡¯t I the smart one ah? Betting on Eldest Brother is the sure choice!¡±


    Zhu Yunxiao had nothing to say. Wasn¡¯t the person who first bought the tickets on their eldest brother him ah? Who in the family didn¡¯t know that their eldest brother had fully inherited their lord father¡¯s equestrian skills and that their usually strict father had evenplimented him? Only fools wouldn¡¯t bet on their eldest brother ah!


    Now all of the praise had gone to his younger sister. Argh...who told him to be a good older brother ah? It was better to let his little sister¡¯s words slide. After all, it was fine as long as she was happy.


    Zhu Yunxin¡¯s eyes flickered a bit and the smile on her face became so sweet that it could sicken a person. She looked at him and Zhu Yunxiao shuddered. He rubbed at the goosebumps on his arm and sighed, ¡°Alright ah, there¡¯s no need to ask. I know what you want! The money that I won will also be given to you to spend, alright?¡±


    ¡°Second Older Brother, you¡¯re so good to me. Second Older Brother, you¡¯re the best older brother in the world!¡± Zhu Yunxin didn¡¯t stint on herpliments to him. Haha! The pink crystal bracelet that she had been eyeing was now going to be hers! Herdy mother was so stingy ah! She insisted that they save up their own money to buy the things that had caught their eye, even if it was from their own shops!


    After marriage, Yu Xiaocao took all of the businesses under Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate into her hands. She had her hands tightly around the wallet. When she was teaching her children, she made sure to teach them the right way of handling money and never allowed them to take their wealth for granted. For her three children, they only had a set monthly allowance and if they wanted to buy something, they needed to use their own money to get it.


    Take Zhu Yunxin for example. She was the high and noble young royal princess, but she even needed to work at ¡®Blossoming Beauty¡¯s¡¯ skincare store on her days off in order to make some money. She already had her eye on a pink crystal bracelet at Wisdom Jade Pavilion for a long time. After saving up two months worth of allowance, she still had another half to go. With the money she won in the bet, she could finally buy the bracelet that she had admired for so long!


    ¡°Do you dare repeat what you just said in front of Eldest Brother ah? Aren¡¯t you afraid he¡¯ll scold you forcking a conscience?¡± Zhu Yunxiao wasn¡¯t easily fooled by his younger twin¡¯s tricks and coldly huffed. It looked like even the money he set down for the initial bet wouldn¡¯t go back into his pockets.


    Zhu Yunxin giggled and said, ¡°You both are the best older brothers in the world! Eh? Eldest Brother is nning on riding in the next race? So weird, Eldest Brother never participates in these things. Just what is going on ah? However...who cares, whichever horse that Eldest Brother rides is the one we need to bet on because it¡¯s sure to win!¡±


    When he saw how excited and exuberant she was, Zhu Yunxiao shook his head and was resigned to his fate of keeping close to her. He had a responsibility today. He needed to keep a close eye on his younger sister¡ª¡ªstop her from causing trouble!


    There was another person who had the same thought process as Zhu Yunxin and that was Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s best friend, Lu Junbo. Lu Junbo was the precious son of He Wanning and Lu Hao. He was born three years after they had married and was younger than Zhu Yunxuan by a year. The two families had a good rtionship with each other so they had yed together since they were young.


    This fellow was simr to his father and didn¡¯t like to use his head. Oftentimes, Zhu Yunxuan woulde up with a scheme in the shadows while he acted in the front. Lu Hao frequently scolded him to use his head more and not be led around by the nose by the heir of Imperial Prince Xu.


    In actuality, Lu Junbo wasn¡¯t someone who was dumb. He was justzy. Furthermore, he knew that Zhu Yunxuan was the type of person who treated his friends well. He not only would shield them from trickery but would also think about what they preferred as well.


    Consequently, Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s connections with people were a lot betterpared to his lord father¡¯s. All of the noble young masters who were around his age were willing to hang out with him. The a.d.u.l.ts of these families were also secure in letting their sons y with the heir of Imperial Prince Xu.


    What was the point of using his head when he had such a reliable and good friend around? Too tiring ah!


    At the area where they ced bets, Zhu Yunxin saw the tall and sturdy Lu Junbo and greeted him warmly, ¡°Older Brother Junbo, did youe here with my eldest brother ah? How much did you make from the earlier race? Dividends, dividends, you must split me some!¡±


    Lu Junbo looked back and saw two twins who looked nothing like each other and chuckled loudly, ¡°Yunxiao and Little Yunxin alsoe here to y? Howe you guys didn¡¯t go to the children¡¯s section and decided to go to the racetrack instead? If yourdy mother finds out, I¡¯d be surprised if she didn¡¯t spank you two!¡±


    In Lu Junbo¡¯s eyes, this pair of twins were like his own younger brothers and sisters. Thus, when he spoke to them, he used an easy and intimate manner.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of opportunities toe out and y, so don¡¯t be such a wet nket ah, Older Brother Junbo!¡± Zhu Yunxin pouted her little mouth.


    Everyone said that Imperial Prince Xu was a stern father while Princess Consort Xu was a loving mother, but it wasn¡¯t true. Ever since they were little, their father had never hit a single one of the three siblings¡ª¡ªnaturally, he didn¡¯t need to. After all, one re from him was more than enough to stop them in their tracks. Theirdy mother, on the other hand, was able to harden her heart and p their wrists when they were naughty. Other than their eldest brother, who was incredibly clever and never let himself get caught, Zhu Yunxin and her second older brother had both been punished by their mother before!


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say any more! Don¡¯t worry ah, I won¡¯t tattle on you. However, earlier today Xiaoqing had told me she was going to find you to y. Looks like she¡¯s missed you then.¡± Xiaoqing was Lu Junbo¡¯s younger sister and was older than the twins by two years. Her full name was Lu Yuqing.


    It was said that on the day He Wanning gave birth to her, it was storming very hard. However, as soon as she was born and gave her first cry, the clouds dissipated away and the rain stopped. A clear and boundless sky appeared, so that¡¯s how she got her name[1].


    Zhu Yunxin also really liked Older Sister Xiaoqing, who had a frank and lively personality. She grinned, ¡°When I get back, I¡¯ll give Older Sister a ruby flower as an apology gift¡ª¡ªthat¡¯s right, Older Brother Junbo, you haven¡¯t told me how much you won from thest bet ah!¡±


    ¡°Not much, not much. Here, look!¡± Lu Junbo waved his winnings in front of her face and raised his eyebrow proudly.


    ¡°Wow! Older Brother Junbo is so rich ah! ¡ª¡ªCan you lend me some ah?¡± Zhu Yunxin never saw herself as an outsider when interacting with the Lu Family¡¯s siblings.


    Lu Junbo rubbed her little head and began to open his wallet, ¡°Your eldest brother is participating in the race, so how could you not bet on him? Oh? Did you not win enough money to buy your crystal bracelet ah?¡± As he spoke, he fished out two banknotes worth five thousand taels each.


    Zhu Yunxin took out one from his hand and gleefully said, ¡°You also know that my second brother and I don¡¯t get a lot of pocket money, so our wallets are a bit thin. We don¡¯t have a lot of capital to go off of so we naturally can¡¯t win a lot at one time. I have just enough to buy the crystal bracelet but I also want to buy the rest of the pink crystal jewelries in the store toplete the set. My lord father had said that that type of crystal is rare. Furthermore, I love the color pink the most. Older Brother Junbo, I¡¯m only borrowing this from you and I¡¯ll return it in a bit!¡±


    After she spoke, she took out the five thousand tael banknote andbined it with the two thousand she and her second brother had just earned and used it all to bet on the horse her eldest brother was riding on, horse number 6. The earlier race had a payout of 1 to 10 and the current one was a bit lower, 1 to 5. If she won, she¡¯d have around thirty thousand taels! Ah ha ha, she¡¯d be rich in a moment! The little mini-her in Zhu Yunxin¡¯s heart was currentlyughing gleefully with her hands on her h.i.p.s.


    After the race, Lu Junbo and Zhu Yunxin had their pockets full of gold. The pitiful Long Tianba, on the other hand, was left with nothing and didn¡¯t have a copper coin to his name. When he left to settle the bill, he had forgotten that he still had to pay for the things he and that group of wastrels consumed earlier. Altogether, it came out to five thousand taels and six hundred copper coins. Where would Long Tianba, who had lost all of his money,e up with the cash needed to pay the bill now?


    This fellow was a stupid one as he decided to make a fuss at the office, ¡°I just ate a table of food and took a bath, yet you guys want five thousand taels and six hundred copper coins? Just what are these ridiculous prices? This isn¡¯t a ¡®Celestial World¡¯; this is a bandit¡¯s den! You¡¯re not asking for people¡¯s money; you¡¯re asking for their deaths!¡±


    The customers who were near the office were all regr members here and had noble and wealthy backgrounds. Naturally, they all knew that this was one of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s businesses. Why was there an idiot trying to cause trouble here? Looked like that guy¡¯s guts were quite big! Within moments, many people stopped what they were doing and stared at this fool in anticipation of what the idiot might do next.


    Long Tianba had actually thought that he was sessful in bringing together other dissatisfied customers and became even more confident.


    The manager of the entertainment facility was a retired officer from the Xishan Barracks. He had a tall and sturdy figure with a body full of sinewy muscle. There was a long scar on his face and he looked quite frightening.


    When he stepped towards Long Tianba, the fool began to yell in rm, ¡°What are you trying to do? Are you going to hit me? Let me tell you, when I left this morning, everyone at home knew I wasing here. If you try to imprison me here, my father won¡¯t let you off!¡±


    The manager quickly stopped moving and didn¡¯t try to get closer to him. He calmly said, ¡°Guest, please calm down a bit. No one will try to hurt you here and no one will dare to imprison you to force you to pay. If you have any questions about your bill, please ask me. Our facility makes it very clear the prices of our services and we¡¯re an honest business. We wouldn¡¯t cheat any customer here.¡±


    Long Tianba swung the stack of receipts in his hands and argued loudly, ¡°This young master just ate a few dishes and had one hot bath, yet it cost five thousand taels ah? Are your facility¡¯s dishes made of gold ah? Or...is your facility¡¯s baths made of molten silver?¡±


    After hearing his words, the other guests who were in the area began tough under their breaths. Would you dare to go into a bath made of molten silver?


    When he heard the snickers, Long Tianba became even more confident. He puffed out his chest and raised his head up high and an arrogant expression appeared on his face. How could he know that all of his posturing and strutting just made him look like aplete fool in other people¡¯s eyes?


    The manager of the entertainment facility took the bill from his hands and scanned it. An ambiguous smile arrived on his face, ¡°Whether or not our facility is cheating our guests, everyone else can find out after hearing what this guest has enjoyed here!¡±


    [1] The characters in Yuqing¡¯s (ÓêÇç) name mean ¡¯rain cleared from the sky¡¯.

 Chapter 727 - Tossing On a Burlap Bag

    <h4>Chapter 727 - Tossing On a Bup Bag</h4>


    After receiving Long Tianba¡¯s permission, the manager began to read off of the items listed on the bill, ¡°Six portions of cheese lobster, seven hundred and twenty taels. Two pots of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, four hundred and twenty taels. Six portions of top-notch abalone, nine hundred taels. Sea cuc.u.mber special rice...from the food and drink alone, you spent four thousand and five hundred taels. As for the baths, you chose the milk bath with added flower petals and special infused medicinal herbs as well as massages...in total that was a thousand and a hundred taels. Thus, in total, your billes out to five thousand and six hundred taels. The other customers can tell you whether we are cheating you out of your money or not.¡±


    All of the other guests suddenly realized that this fellow only ordered the most expensive items on the menu and ordered several of the same dish! Furthermore, for his baths, he had ordered a bunch of extra services added! No wonder his bill was sorge! Immediately, a look of disdain appeared on their faces. The entertainment facility¡¯s prices were all posted clearly on their restaurant menus and at the bathhouses. If someone thought the prices were too high, then they didn¡¯t have to spend their money on the expensive foods and services! Instead, this fellow was trying to im foul y and run off on the bill!


    What had just happened? Long Tianba noticed that the looks that everyone had in their eyes had changed. After all, his family was one of the wealthiest in the Jiangnan region and he had experienced different scenarios before. He had also heard the manager of the facility narrate out the contents of his bill. Out of the food he ordered, just the lobster, abalone, sea cuc.u.mbers, and shark fins alone were very expensive ingredients. However, what the heck was the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? Why was it even more expensive than all of the other delicacies?


    Despite his confusion, he didn¡¯t ask the questions he had in his heart. From the looks of everyone else around him, he could tell that the bill for his expenditures was fair and without any tricks. When he had ordered these things, he didn¡¯t look closely at the prices because he was confident in the size of his purse. In order to show off to his friends in the capital, he made sure to order a portion of everything good they said for every person...


    Eh? Where did his good friends go? It looked like they had disappeared while they were at the horse track. These people were really too much as they didn¡¯t even say a word of farewell when they left! Although Long Tianba was upset about this, he didn¡¯t think too much about it.


    ¡°Honored Guest, do you...have any other questions ah? If you don¡¯t, then please pay your bill right here.¡± The manager of the entertainment facility was still as polite and courteous as ever.


    ¡°That uh...the prices here are truly quite expensive! However, my Long Family¡¯s fame as a wealthy family in Jiangnan isn¡¯t for nothing, so I¡¯m more than able to afford it.¡± An awkward expression appeared on Long Tianba¡¯s face as he continued to state confidently, ¡°Earlier I was too excited when betting on horses and lost all of my money there. Can you be a bit flexible...I¡¯ll bring the money I owe here tomorrow!¡±


    The look of disdain deepened on all of the guests around him. He had no money yet still boasted about his family¡¯s wealth? Wasn¡¯t he just iming that the facility was ckmailing him? It looked more like he was trying to dine and dash!


    The smile on the manager¡¯s face gradually disappeared. He snorted quietly, ¡°Honored Guest, I must apologize, but this facility does not allow customers to stay on credit! If you don¡¯t have any money on you, you can have someone go and bring it back. Our facility is open all day and night and you don¡¯t need to worry about inconveniencing us.¡±


    The awkward expression on Long Tianba¡¯s face deepened, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring my servant along when I left this morning. My friends who came with me had somethinge up and had to leave early...¡±


    ¡°If you have a member of our facility vouch for you, you can also dy paying your bill by a couple days.¡± The look on the manager¡¯s face became more dignified.


    Long Tianba looked at the crowd around him and didn¡¯t see a single familiar figure. He hadn¡¯t been in the capital for long. Other than that pack of hooligans he hung out with, he really didn¡¯t know anyone else with any status or power. He hesitated before he replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t been in the capital for a long time and don¡¯t know anyone here...¡±


    ¡°Look here, you don¡¯t have anyone who can vouch for you nor do you have a method of getting in contact with your family. Earlier you also said that you hade from Jiangnan, if we just let you go, you might just flee to Jiangnan. Jiangnan is veryrge, so how are we supposed to find you?¡± The manager asked intently.


    ¡°I am the Fourth Young Master of Jiangnan¡¯s Long Family. My word is my guarantee. How could I possibly renege on my bill?¡± Long Tianba was starting to get impatient and shouted loudly.


    The manager replied in a calm manner, ¡°Who can say for sure? You im you are the Fourth Young Master of the Long Family, but do you have anything that can back that up? If everyone all imed to be some family¡¯s young master to dy paying their bill, can this entertainment facility still operate in the future?¡±


    ¡°I really am the Fourth Young Master of the Long Family...Uh, look at this jade pendant. it has the Long Family¡¯s crest on it. Only the direct blood descendents of the Long Family can have something like this. Also, look at the clothes on my body, it¡¯s made of the best sky silk there is to be had, and costs around a thousand taels for a bolt in the capital. I also have...¡± Long Tianba was anxious to prove his identity and revealed every thing of value that he had on his body.


    The manager took the pendant over for a look and then casually handed it over to one of the workers next to him as he said, ¡°Young Master Long is providing us an ordinary mutton-fat jade pendant as a security, looks like it¡¯s worth around two thousand and six hundred taels. Here¡¯s one jadeite ring worth around six hundred taels...a set of clothes made of sky silk is worth around eight hundred taels. All in all, this stuff is worth around five thousand and two hundred taels. Write out a receipt for him as well as an IOU for an additional four hundred taels.¡±


    Long Tianba watched as all of the items on his body had been taken away by the manager. Even the clothes from his body were not left out from this process. He opened his eyes wide as he eximed with a voice full of disbelief, ¡°Just what are you guys doing here? Why are you taking away my jade pendant...you den of robbers, return my stuff back to me...¡±


    The manager didn¡¯t pay attention to him. Once the entire receipt was written, he stuffed it in the youth¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Paying up one¡¯s debts is thew of the universe. By taking away your items as a security deposit, we¡¯re already given you enough face. If you continue to cause a ruckus, then we will no longer be polite to you!¡±


    As he spoke, a fewrge men with a murderous aura around them appeared around Long Tianba. Only now did this foolish fellow be terrified. He stuttered repeatedly, ¡°A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Keep those things as a security deposit for now. I will definitelye back tomorrow to pay my debt and won¡¯t leave out a single copper coin!¡±


    Finally, Long Tianba could only tremble as he left the entertainment facility¡¯s office, clothed only in his undergarments. It waste autumn now and the weather had turned chilly. He hugged himself as he left, wanting to cry.


    ¡°Second Older Brother, that fellow is so funny! He didn¡¯t have any money yet still strutted about like a c.o.c.ky young lord!¡± Zhu Yunxinughed so hard after seeing this event that her belly was aching. Was this guy a clown that was sent over by his family of monkeys?


    The gentle expression on Zhu Yunxiao¡¯s face hid exactly what he was thinking. A dangerous light shed through hisrge round eyes, which resembled Xiaocao¡¯s, ¡°I heard that this fellow had said many insulting things about the entertainment facility while he was at the racetrack and he even insulted the owner of this facility...¡±


    ¡°What??!!¡± Zhu Yunxin bit down hard on the lollipop in her mouth, breaking the candy in two, ¡°Second Older Brother, why didn¡¯t you mention this earlier?! Insulting the facility is one thing but he also insulted ourdy mother! How can I allow this to slide?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to endure something more than you can bear,¡± Zhu Yunxiao snarled in an angry manner.


    When Zhu Yunxin heard this, she knew that her second brother wouldn¡¯t try to stop her if she decided to teach that oaf a lesson. She waved her fists around excitedly, ¡°Let¡¯s go! If I don¡¯t beat up that guy surnamed Long so hard that his own mother wouldn¡¯t recognize him, then I¡¯m not surnamed Zhu!¡±


    Zhu Yunxiao reached out a hand to stop her.


    Zhu Yunxin became agitated, ¡°Second Older Brother, are you starting to feel bad for that guy ah? He insulted ourdy mother in such a manner, which is the same as pping our estate in the face and hitting our faces. If we let him go so easily, how can we repay the love and affection that our mother gives us?¡±


    Zhu Yunxiao grinned, ¡°What are you in a hurry for? No wonder ourdy mother wanted me toe along with you as I need to make sure that you start using that brain of yours more! Just wait a bit, I¡¯m going to have the manager prepare a bup sack for us...¡±


    ¡°Second Older Brother, are you telling me that we¡¯re going to toss a bup sack over his face? That sounds so fun! I¡¯ve never done this to anyone else!!¡± Zhu Yunxin became even more excited and almost was about to bounce up in glee, ¡°Hurry up, we can¡¯t let this guy go too far!¡±


    ¡°No worries, his horse has also been confiscated by the facility as a security deposit. He¡¯ll be walking back and is not familiar with the roads. How far can he get?¡± Zhu Yunxiao narrowed his eyes and the corners of his lips curved up.


    Long Tianba felt as if today was just a really bad day. When he was gambling, he had especially asked around about the horses¡¯ conditions and made sure to buy the ticket of the one that had won the most races previously. However, he didn¡¯t win a single bet. While betting at the race track, he had forgotten that he still needed to pay the bill from earlier. Thus, not only were all of the valuable items on his body taken away, but even his clothes and horse were also confiscated as well.


    On the way back, he also didn¡¯t know just what bandit hade across him and decided to toss a bag over his head before beating him to a pulp. He had never been subjugated to such pains before in his life!


    What had happened was this: Long Tianba was shivering as he pitifully walked back to where he and his father were lodging. From time to time, there would be people on horseback or in carriages passing by him on the road and all of them would look at him with bbergasted gazes. He was feeling quite embarrassed and covered his head with his two hands as he tried to quickly walk on the side of the road.


    He was passing by a small grove of trees when he suddenly felt his foot slip and he fell to the ground. He had thought he had identally stepped on a stone and sprained his ankle. Just as he was about to crawl up, his eyes turned dark. Before he could react, he had been pulled into the de by some people.


    Following that, fists and kicks rained upon him like a storm. Why did it feel like there were two people beating him up? One seemed to be focused on his head, raining punches and kicks in quick session. The other viin was quite crafty and focused on his vulnerable spots. That person only hit the spots that hurt the most and it was so painful that he felt himself going faint.


    Long Tianba howled and pleaded loudly, but there were fewer people in the suburbs. In addition, it was gettingte, and not many people passed by this little grove of trees. Just as he was about to cry himself hoarse, he finally heard the sound of people approaching. The perpetrators had ¡®no choice¡¯ but to let him go.


    After he managed to take off the bup sack from his head, his head, face, and body hurt all over. His eyes were so swollen that they looked like a pair of slits and he couldn¡¯t see very well. Underneath his nostrils was a trail of blood and his inner white colored clothing was dirty from blood and mud. It was likely that if he stood in front of his father at this moment, he wouldn¡¯t be recognized.


    Long Tianba didn¡¯t know how he managed to get back to the guest house. By the time he got back, the sky had turnedpletely dark. When he went to greet his father, Long Yikui saw that his face had swelled up like a pig¡¯s and waspletely startled. Then he furiously said out of pity, ¡°Just who did this to you?¡±

 Chapter 728 - Its Not Over Yet

    <h4>Chapter 728 - It''s Not Over Yet</h4>


    Long Tianba told his father everything that had happened today to him and even grumbled in a righteous manner, ¡°It must be the people from ¡®Celestial World¡¯ who did this to me! They are a bunch of bullies. Not only did they take all of the valuables off of me, but they also sent people to beat me up...Father, you must support me on this!¡±


    As soon as Long Yikui entered the capital, he made sure to ask around for some information. The person who was the best at doing business and had the most talent at making money was Princess Consort Xu. All of the merchants used the phrase: ¡®we can only see her dust and have no hope of catching up¡¯ to describe her.


    She was in her preteens when she first entered the capital. Despite her young age, she managed to create her own business kingdom in the span of a few years. Furthermore, the businesses she made were unable to be copied by other people. If she truly wanted to, she could have expanded her ventures throughout the whole country and be the richest person in the Great Ming Dynasty. However, she also knew to stop before going too far and only developed her businesses within the capital.


    When one spoke of her, one couldn¡¯t forget Imperial Prince Xu. That year, he had pretty much given all of his belongings to the Yu Family as his betrothal gift to her. Now, all of the industries in his hands had been given to his wife to manage. He was afraid this might tire her, so he also found a lot of talented subordinates from other ces to assist her.


    As for the entertainment facility, Celestial World, it¡¯d be too difficult for Long Yikui to not hear about it. All of the influential officials congregated there to y. It was said that one could merely stretch out one¡¯s hand and end up hitting a few sons or grandsons of these high and mighty nobles. The wealthy and powerful could be found everywhere there. Furthermore, what made him even more cautious was the fact that this ce was owned by Imperial Prince Xu. It was rumored that Princess Consort Xu had given him many ideas for this ce before she married him.


    His son actually daringly insulted their ¡®Celestial World¡¯ when he was on their turf and several times to boot! The fact that they didn¡¯t shoo him out immediately was already courteous of them. As for taking all of his valuables as a deposit, that was a very light punishment with all things considered.


    How could he, a very shrewd businessman, end up with such a stupid and idiotic son? Why didn¡¯t his son think a little and realize that no matter how much money they had as merchants, there was no way for them to win against the high and noble officials? Imperial Prince Xu not only was a member of the imperial family and a close rtive of the emperor, but he also was in charge of the Great Ming Empire¡¯s most elite troops. Furthermore, he was one of the most trusted and favored officials of the emperor. With his high and mighty status, could meremoners like them afford to offend him?


    If anything that his son said today got transmitted to Imperial Prince Xu, the Long Family would not only be screwed in the capital but it¡¯d be hard to say if they could also keep their ce in Jiangnan either...The more Long Yikui thought about it, the more fearful he became, and the more he felt that the worst was yet toe. That night, he went through a lot of effort and spent a lot of money to get an audience with a first-ranked official in the capital.


    Although that first-ranked official was quite irritated at being disturbed during the middle of the night, he was reluctantly willing to meet them after seeing the vast amounts of valuable gifts they had given him. However, when he found out that the Long Family had offended Imperial Prince Xu, the expression on his face immediately changed. He quickly told the main steward to return all of their gifts to them and had the servants shoo them out of the residence as quickly as they could.


    If Imperial Prince Xu found out that he had taken the Long Family¡¯s bribes, then it¡¯d be hard to say if he¡¯d even be able to keep his own official¡¯s hat anymore. Furthermore, he warned Long Yikui, ¡°Remember, you don¡¯t know this official and have nevere to this official¡¯s home. Don¡¯t you dare to drag me down to cmity after you guys provoked the dragon¡¯s wrath!¡±


    As they shooed them out, the head steward gave Long Yikui a tip out of kindness, ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do or say. No matter who you beg, no one in the capital will be willing to brave Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s wrath to say a word for you. If you¡¯re smart, then you will obediently head to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence and admit your guilt and ask for your punishment ah...¡±


    Only now did Long Yikui realize the severity of the matter. The next day, he brought his son along as they both went to ¡®Celestial World¡¯ to apologize. Not only did they bring double the amount of money that was owed, but he also had his son kneel in front of the office to beg for forgiveness.


    The manager of the entertainment facility merely took five thousand and six hundred taels out of what was offered to them, which was the amount Long Tianba owed. Then he returned all of the items he had taken from Long Tianba on the previous day and said, ¡°As for the matter in regards to you insulting our master, we, as servants, have no right to offer an opinion. Master of the Long Family, please leave ah!¡±


    Finally, the manager gave them a ¡®good intentioned¡¯ tip, ¡°The heir of the master is currently at the office. If your sincerity is enough to move his heart, perhaps...¡±


    After getting some ¡®advice¡¯ from the manager, they asked to have an audience with the heir to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate. Zhu Yunxuan didn¡¯t put on any airs and courteously allowed them to meet him.


    The father and son pair trembled as they exined the situation to him. Long Tianba, who finally knew how to be afraid, sobbed piteously in front of the heir. Furthermore, he even began pping his still swollen face with his own hands as he berated himself for not knowing right from wrong, insulting the entertainment facility, and insulting Imperial Prince Xu and Princess Consort Xu. He imed he deserved death for this and that no matter how the heir decided to punish him, he was willing to do it. He was willing to do anything to make up for his mistakes ah!


    Zhu Yunxuan waited until Long Tianba had hit himself around twenty to thirty times before he finally opened his mouth as the other youth was about to turn dizzy, ¡°This heir has already received your apology. You have also been duly punished for your insulting words. This heir will leave you with a parting word: ¡®A loose tongue may cause a lot of trouble¡¯, and it¡¯ll be good for you to take mind of that in the future.¡±


    After he spoke, he courteously escorted them out.


    By the time Long Yikui and Long Tianba had left ¡®Celestial World¡¯, they were still confused. What did the heir mean earlier? Did he actually forgive them or not? When they left, the expensive and precious gifts they had brought along with them had all been summarily given back.


    Zhu Yunxuan snorted coldly and spoke to himself, ¡°Do they really think that by using the trick of injuring themselves to soften my heart and a mere apology would work on me? They insulted Lady Mother, so they won¡¯t be let off that easily!¡±


    If Long Yikui was smart, he would have taken his son back to Jiangnan and never let the Long Family set foot in the capital again. However, he had been dazzled by the profits he had earned in the capital. After observing for a few days and discovering that everything was calm, he thought that this issue had blown over and began bustling about in the capital again.


    As for Long Tianba, once the wounds on his face healed, he became unruly again. The original group of wastrels he had hung out with were nowhere to be found now but, before long, he found a few more friends who were only interested in having fun and also had decent backgrounds. Long Tianba felt quite content now!


    Within this group of friends was a fellow surnamed Dong who was the son of a general. This friend¡¯s favorite activity was collecting jadeite stones. In order to get into his good graces, Long Tianba had given him a hanging green jadeite ornament that was made of the finest ss-quality jadeite before this guy had finally ¡®deigned¡¯ to treat him in a friendly manner.


    On one particr day, Long Tianba had taken this Young Master Dong along to Wisdom Jade Pavillion and generously offered him to pick out any jadeite ornament he liked. Young Master Dong looked at all of the valuable and expensive jadeite specimens and sighed, ¡°Although the jadeite ornaments here are very beautiful, I always feel like they¡¯re missing something. I heard that Imperial Prince Xu also has a shop that sells raw jadeite ores. If I could personally pick out an ore that held beautiful jadeite, that would be so awesome ah! Unfortunately, my father is very strict and doesn¡¯t allow me to participate in anything that involves gambling...¡±


    Shrewd people would notice that this Young Master Dong was actually the personal bodyguard of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s heir, Dong Ming. In fact, he was the son of Dong Dali, who used to be Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s personal bodyguard. Dong Dali was a valued subordinate of Imperial Prince Xu and was now themander of the Firearms Barracks. Thus, saying that Dong Ming was the son of a general wasn¡¯t a lie!


    All of the people in the noble circles in the capital knew that the Long Family had offended Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Household. When they saw Dong Ming appear next to Long Tianba, they knew that the heir to Imperial Prince Xu was getting ready to strike. Thus, the noble customers here all observed this Long Tianba with barely concealed glee.


    When Long Tianba found out that this was one of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s businesses, he immediately became a lot more timid. However, after thinking a bit, he decided that he was going to be spending money and not causing trouble, so it should be fine as long as he watched his tongue. Furthermore, he might even spend quite a bit of money, which might let the people from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Household see him in a new light! This was also considered sending gifts to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate too, right?


    He went to speak to his father. Long Yikui considered this carefully before he finally warned, ¡°It¡¯s fine for you to take a look as it might be a good opportunity to see whether Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate has changed their outlook on us! However, you need to keep that mouth of yours shut tight this time and hold back on that arrogant side of yours! If you screw up this time, I will disown you from the family to avoid causing the rest of us cmity.¡±


    Long Tianba hurriedly assented, ¡°Father, don¡¯t worry ah. I will make sure to do everything properly for you this time!¡±


    The next day, Long Tianba invited Young Master Dong over to the ¡®stone gambling hall¡¯. At first, Young Master Dong declined, stating that he was afraid that his father would throw him into the army for some grueling training as punishment. Long Tianba said, ¡°Young Master Dong, it¡¯s not as if you¡¯re participating in gambling personally, you¡¯ll just be apanying me to take a look. If your honored father finds out, he won¡¯t me you either!¡±


    Young Master Dong hesitated for a long time before he finally ¡®reluctantly¡¯ agreed.


    The gambling stone hall was a veryrge courtyard residence and a bunch of raw jadeite ores that didn¡¯t look very impressive were inside the courtyard. When he saw these ¡®stones¡¯, Long Tianba was not impressed and silently cursed, ¡®These stones can also be sold for a sky high price? Imperial Prince Xu is clearly ripping people off!¡¯ However, since he had learned his previous lesson, he kept his thoughts to himself.


    ¡°Young Masters, do you want to participate in a ¡®full gamble¡¯ session or a ¡®half gamble¡¯ session?¡± The two of them had been led in by a clever young shop assistant. After greeting them, he politely asked them where they wanted to go.


    Young Master Dong asked, ¡°What does ¡®full gamble¡¯ and ¡®half gamble¡¯ mean?¡±


    The shop assistant pointed at the ores in the space and smiled, ¡°This courtyard¡¯s jadeite ores all have not been opened. Whether or not they contain jadeite is all dependent on luck, so it¡¯s called a ¡®full gamble¡¯. As for the rooms around the courtyard, all of them contain ores that have mostly been opened on one side and you can see the jadeite peeking out. However, the amount of jadeite inside is not guaranteed, so it¡¯s called a ¡®half gamble¡¯. If you are proficient in examining the outside of these ores, then you can look at the ones in this courtyard. If this is your first time here, then we rmend that you look at the stones that have already been opened.¡±


    Young Master Dong looked at Long Tianba and said, ¡°I have no knowledge in betting on stones. What about you, Brother Long?¡±


    Long Tianba coughed dryly a few times before saying, ¡°Although I have some knowledge, I¡¯m not proficient either. How about...we go into the room and then decide?¡±


    They entered the room and there were all sorts of raw jadeite ores disyed on the shelves. Each ore had been sliced open, revealing the sparkling jadeite within.


    ¡°Wow! These rocks really have jadeite in them ah!¡± Long Tianba eximed in astonishment.


    Young Master Dong and the shop assistant exchanged looks as they both disdained this Fourth Young Master Long to the extreme. The fact that the Long Family had such a stupid descendant meant that the family hadn¡¯t .u.mted enough merit. Was he truly doubting the fact that these ores had authentic jadeite in them? Or was he suspecting Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate for fooling the masses and practicing fraud? Even if one had doubts, one shouldn¡¯t show it to the outside! He was truly idiotic to the extreme!

 Chapter 729 - Play Until Your Heart Pounds

    <h4>Chapter 729 - y Until Your Heart Pounds</h4>


    Naturally, since it was more likely for someone to get jadeite when choosing the stones from the half gamble area, the cost of buying these ores were much higher too. A stone that was about the size of a medium-sized ball was actually around ten thousand taels. Of course, if more than half of this type of raw ore was upied by jadeite within, it could be sold for at least twice the previous buying price. Thus, getting rich overnight wasn¡¯t an umon thing at the gambling stone hall.


    Dong Ming noticed that Long Tianba was hesitating and proposed an idea, ¡°We don¡¯t know much about this, so how about we first go outside and take a look?¡±


    Long Tianba had gotten his father¡¯s permission this time before he came here. Thus, he had around fifty thousand taels in banknotes on him. However, even with that much money on hand, there weren¡¯t a lot of options for him to pick from, especially in the half gamble array of stones. Any one of those partly opened oresmanded a price in the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.


    Long Tianba was well aware of the sky-high price of jadeite. He had given Young Master Dong a hanging ornament made out of bright green jadeite that was of ss quality. It was only about the size of half a palm¡¯s length but cost him over thirty thousand taels. As for the piece of high-quality majestic green jadeite, which was the size of his head, it¡¯d be able to supply enough material to make tens of hanging ornaments with extra material to spare. If it was used to make a fine jadeite bracelet, it could be sold for around the high price of a million taels.


    After calcting it in his head, asking for a hundred and fifty thousand taels for a raw ore really wasn¡¯t that bad! After all, that high quality jade had immediately been bought by someone as soon as it was revealed. Furthermore, the man who bought the jadeite was named Businessman Liu and had been congratted by everyone around him, ¡°This piece of majestic green jadeite can make around eight to nine bracelets as well as some hanging ornaments and face ornaments. You could make ten times the profit after selling those off. Businessman Liu, you move too fast ah!¡±


    ¡°I was lucky, just lucky!¡± Businessman Liu gleefully held onto his newly bought jadeite. Of course he needed to be fast and swift when a good piece of jade came out. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t everyone else steal it away from him?


    Didn¡¯t getting ten times the profits mean that he would make ten million taels soon? Long Tianba¡¯s previously hesitant heart suddenly became interested again.


    However, he still decided to follow Young Master Dong¡¯s proposal and arrived at the full gamble stone hall to watch how other people picked their stones. Young Master Dong was quite well-known in these circles. Many of the more knowledgeable people here all treated him with politeness and patiently answered his questions.


    The people here bbered on about gambling on ¡®color, type, rity¡¯ as well as looking at ores outer shell, pine-flower patterning, and python marks...Long Tianba felt his head spin after hearing all of this and his temples began to pound.


    Young Master Dong seemed to be the same as him and didn¡¯t seem to quite understand what was going on. In the end, he said, ¡°Older Brother Long, how about...we first choose a couple stones from these bins that are sold by weight. In any case, they¡¯re not very expensive, so we wouldn¡¯t lose too much anyway...¡±


    ¡°Jackpot! Hit the jackpot ah! It¡¯s the three fortunes three color jadeite!¡± In the northwest corner of the stone gambling hall, they could suddenly hear a ruckus that interrupted Young Master Dong¡¯s words. The two of them exchanged a look and began to move to that area.


    There was a youth around twenty years old holding onto a piece of jadeite that was about the size of a basketball. He had a giant foolish smile on his face. The jadeite had stripes of green, purple, and red colors. Even though it hadn¡¯t been polished yet, it still glittered with a mesmerizing glow.


    ¡°This young master, are you willing to sell the jadeite or not?¡± A middle-aged merchant came up and asked the youth.


    ¡°Sell! I¡¯ll obviously sell it!!¡± The youth looked like he came from a rtively ordinary family and the clothes he wore were only of middling quality. Those who knew him knew that his family had only opened a couple of grocery stores in the north part of the city. Thus, his family was only moderately well-off. He didn¡¯t have a lot of money on hand and could only buy from the general bin of stones, spending three hundred taels in total. Who would have thought that he¡¯d encountered Lady Lucky today and the stone would reveal a decent quality three fortune¡¯s jadeite?


    The middle-aged merchant took the jadeite over and looked at it before saying, ¡°I offer you thirty thousand taels for this jadeite. What do you think?¡±


    Thirty thousand taels? He had actually made a hundred-fold profit in mere minutes? Long Tianba was so shocked that his mouth fell open. The youth who owned the jadeite was so excited that his face turned red.


    ¡°Businessman Xiang, the price you offered isn¡¯t fair. You only want to offer thirty thousand taels for such a good quality three fortunes jadeite?¡± Another old man showed up. He had arge belly and snowy white beard. He rubbed at his whiskers as he addressed the young man, ¡°This old man never cheats the old or young when doing business. Young man, I offer you fifty thousand taels.¡±


    The middle-aged man who had been addressed as Businessman Xiang didn¡¯t expect that someone would butt in halfway through his deal. He huffily said, ¡°He¡¯s offering you fifty thousand, but I¡¯ll offer you sixty thousand!¡±


    ¡°Eighty thousand!¡± The fair and fat old man countered. Long Tianba recognized this man. He was a famous jewelry merchant in Jiangnan. He would have never expected that he¡¯d see him here, buying jadeite in the capital.


    ¡°I offer a hundred thousand!¡± If this material was used to make bracelets, they¡¯d be able to be sold for twenty to thirty thousand taels each. Paying a hundred thousand would still allow him to make a tidy profit.


    Finally, the three fortunes jadeite had been bought by the fair and fat old man for a price of a hundred and fifty thousand taels. Jiangnan¡¯s market for jadeite jewelry and essories had just started, so the prices there were higher than the ones sold in the capital. After going through processing, the material he bought for a hundred and fifty thousand taels could be sold for at least an additional thirty to forty thousand taels in profit. The reason why Businessman Xiang couldn¡¯t go higher was because of where he sold his goods. He was closer to the capital, so the prices of jadeite were a bit more suppressed by Wisdom Jade Pavilion.


    ¡°Three hundred taels to buy the ore but the jadeite inside was sold for a hundred and fifty thousand...he made five hundred times of what he invested ah!¡± Long Tianba muttered to himself in disbelief. The fire in his heart had been ignited by what he had just seen.


    Young Master Dong sighed, ¡°If I could be that lucky, it¡¯d be worth it even if I got beaten by my father!¡±


    ¡°How about...we try our luck?¡± Long Tianba was thinking. Let alone three hundred taels, even if he had to spend three thousand or thirty thousand taels, it¡¯d be worth it if it sold for a hundred and fifty thousand. He might be unlucky with the first one, or the first ten, but if he bought a hundred, he had to be lucky with one of them, right? Otherwise his luck would be too crappy right?


    Long Tianba and Young Master Dong both chose two pieces from the general pile and it came out to be around a thousand six hundred taels. Long Tianba insisted and ended up paying for the both of them. Furthermore, he also picked out an ore from the full gamble pile, which cost around five thousand taels, to bring to the opening table.


    The two that Young Master Dong picked out cost around six hundred taels total. After opening them, one revealed a white milky stone and the other one had some jadeite but it was only the size of a baby¡¯s fist. It could, at most, make two jadeite buttons. At best, it would be worth around five hundred taels.


    ¡°Sigh...my luck is not good, darn it!¡± Young Master Dong sighed heavily.


    The older gamblersforted him, ¡°That¡¯s already considered quite good! Some people bought ores worth tens of thousands but ended up with absolutely nothing! They lost a lot!¡±


    When it came to Long Tianba¡¯s ores, he became incredibly nervous. He stared rigidly at the stonemason who was opening the stones with his hands balled up in his fist. His lips were pressed into a thin line.


    ¡°There¡¯s jadeite!¡± After the stone mason created his first slice, he used some water to wash the surface and shouted out in excitement, ¡°It¡¯s red jadeite! rity looks very good; you¡¯ve hit the jackpot!


    He had selected this jadeite from the general bin and spent eight hundred taels on it. When the entire jadeite was extracted from the ore, it was about the size of two fists and flickered with a red glitter under the sun.


    ¡°The color of this red jadeite is pure and is of icy quality. Not bad, young man, are you willing to sell it for twenty thousand taels?¡± The man surnamed Xiang sidled over and asked him anxiously.


    The fair and fat old man had recognized Long Tianba and came over with a smile on his face, ¡°Fourth Young Master Long, this old man will offer twenty-six thousand taels, what do you...¡±


    ¡°Old Man Zhao, are you here today to fight against me?¡± Businessman Xiang saw that the old fat man hade over to steal business again and was so angry that he was about to start hopping.


    ¡°Not selling, not selling!!¡± Does this young master look like Ick that kind of money?¡± Long Tianba was starting to act arrogant again, ¡°I n on using this jadeite to make my mother and younger sister a set of bracelets.¡±


    ¡°Fourth Young Master Long is a filial child who loves his mother and younger siblings. When you get back to Jiangnan, you can find this old man to turn the raw jadeite into bracelets. I¡¯ll give you half off the fee!¡± The old man, who was named Zhao Xing, smiled.


    The second ore that was opened revealed nothing and was aplete dud. Not even a single speck of jadeite could be seen. However, with this red jadeite on hand, even if everything else was a dud, he still made back his investment.


    Thest ore he had bought had cost five thousand taels. A man who knew more about jadeite nodded in approval, ¡°The outside has a speckled sand appearance and has a pearly-white shell. It has a high chance of revealing bright green jadeite inside...¡±


    Long Tianba grinned widely and attentively watched as the stonemason began moving.


    ¡°There¡¯s jadeite, more jadeite! This is pure golden-green jade and looks to be around at least ice quality!¡± When the first slice was opened, the people nearby howled in excitement.


    ¡°Younger Master Long, your luck is quite good ah! This piece is a true good find!¡± Old Man Zhao Xing had an expression full of envy. He had also tried buying a few stones but all of them were duds. This rash young fellow had actually managed to hit the jackpot with two stones, so his luck was out of the ordinary.


    ¡°Haha! Young Master Dong, earlier, this younger brother said that I knew a bit about jadeite but I was only being modest. I¡¯ve truly spent quite a lot of time studying jadeite ores in the past!¡± Long Tianba was so ecstatic that he couldn¡¯t even remember his own name anymore.


    ¡°Older Brother Long is truly quite skilled! That¡¯ll be enough for me today. I still have stuff to do, so let¡¯s meet up together some other time.¡± Young Master Dong refused Long Tianba¡¯s offer to give him the golden-green jadeite before he separated from the other youth at the door.


    After he watched Young Master Dong leave, Long Tianba struggled inwardly for a long time and finally remembered his father¡¯s cautious words. He went back to the guesthouse to see his father and report on his doings.


    After he left, Young Master Dong appeared at the inner office of the stone gambling center to report back to his master, ¡°Your Highness, the bait has been set, so now we¡¯re just waiting for the fish to bite!¡±


    Zhu Yunxuan nodded and a cold smile curved up on his lips, ¡°The bait is so attractive so I have no doubt that that idiot will take it!¡±


    After tasting the sweet vor of sess, Long Tianba threw all of his father¡¯s cautionary words out the window. He started to appear more and more frequently at the gambling stone hall and began spending more and more money on the raw ores. At first, he had both sesses and failures, with the sesses outranking the failures. Thus, he ended up with quite a collection of jade that was worth more than ten million taels.


    Following that, he had spotted an ore that had been already opened at the half gamble section. The jadeite that peeked out was of ss quality and it was a majestic green color. The price marked on the ore was twenty-six million taels and the raw ore was around three hundred kilograms in weight. Even if the jadeite inside only took up ten percent of the raw material, he¡¯d get at least double his investment back.

 Chapter 730 - The Heirs Might

    <h4>Chapter 730 - The Heir''s Might</h4>


    Long Tianba felt his heart race, but he had never had that much money on him. The only he could do was shamelessly beg the manager of the gambling stone house to use his Long Family¡¯s identity jade token as a deposit and get a IOU slip for 15 million taels. By doing that, he finally managed to buy that ore from the half gamble area.


    The results were obvious. Although the sliver that had been sliced off showed a bright green jadeite, the rest of the ore only had a little bit of gemstone and the rest was just granite. The ten million he had previously made hadpletely disappeared and now he had a 15 million debt to pay. Long Tianba immediately felt cold sweat pour down his body and his legs trembled before he fell to the ground. There was no way for him to get back up.


    This was worse than the time he had screwed up at Celestial World and only owed a few thousand taels. Then, his father was still able to wipe his bum for him. 15 million taels, on the other hand, was likely how much his whole family made in an entire year. Even though he was only an idle young master at home, he at least had this much knowledge!


    He suspected that the gambling stone hall had set a trap for him. However, no one at the hall forced him to buy this ore. If he wasn¡¯t too greedy and decided to leave after making ten million, then how could something like this happenter?


    This wasn¡¯t something he could hide and hope it went away. Long Tianba somehow managed to get back to the guest house. When he saw his father, he knelt immediately in front of him and sobbed out the story.


    Once Long Yikui understood the situation, he kicked his son hard and then kicked him a few more times. He sat down heavily on his chair, holding his chest while breathing heavily before finally retrieving a calming pill from his chest pocket and taking it down with a cup of tea. Then, he threw his teacup to the ground in a pique of fury. Shattered porcin bits flew through the air and one of them even cut Long Tianba¡¯s face.


    ¡°Father, beat me heavily to relieve your anger ah! It¡¯s all this son¡¯s fault for losing my head and not staying in control!¡± Long Tianba hugged onto his father¡¯s legs and cried like a child. He was truly frightened this time and relentlessly promised that he would be good in the future and not cause any trouble for the family.


    At this time, Long Yikui had pretty much had a good idea of what had happened. There was someone in the shadows who had set a trap for this unfilial son of his ah! Perhaps there were other people who hady down family fortunes in the course of one night at the gambling stone hall. However, even the most proficient stone identifiers wouldn¡¯t be as lucky as his son to get jadeite with every stone he chose. His son wasn¡¯t someone who had a heart of steel. Thus, he had naturally been blinded by the prospects of incredible wealth and fallen into this perfect trap that someone else had set.


    He thought back to the day when he brought his son along to Celestial World¡¯s office to apologize to the heir of Imperial Prince Xu. At that time, he was wondering why the heir would let them off so easily. After all this time, the crux of the matter had finally appeared. However, if they were able to appease the heir by spending 15 million taels, that might actually be a worthwhile investment.


    The only thing he didn¡¯t understand was how the trap had been set so well. Was there actually a hidden expert at Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate who was able to clearly tell which stones had jadeite or not? Thest ore that his son had bought was especially astounding. There was a sliver of bright green jadeite in the giant stone, so the odds had to be high. NIne out of ten people would have bet that the raw ore would have a jackpot waiting inside. If that expert had made an error of judgement, wouldn¡¯t that have let this stupid son of his out of the trap?


    Inside Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s residence, the heir, Zhu Yunxuan, was currently pouring a cup of tea for the little divine stone. He smiled, ¡°Older Brother Yuan, this was all thanks to your help. I know you don¡¯t drink wine, so let me use some tea to thank you instead.¡±


    Zhu Yunxuan was very curious about this Yuan Zi¡¯s true identity. The youth was able to identify with a hundred percent uracy which ores had jadeite and how much they¡¯d be worth. Furthermore, he was even able to tell that an ore held some top-notch green jadeite, could it be...that he had x-ray vision? However, hisdy mother had once solemnly warned him to not investigate the secrets that orbited around Yuan Zi. Thus, no matter how curious he was, he could only restrain himself.


    The little divine merely took a small sip of tea before cing the cup down. He gave his master¡¯s eldest son the side eye before huffing, ¡°Call me Uncle Yuan! In fact, when you were in your mother¡¯s belly and a tiny sprout, I, your Uncle Yuan, had saved yours and your mother¡¯s life. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I showed up in the nick of time, you and your mother would both be long dead ah!¡±


    Zhu Yunxuan felt his lips twitch, ¡°You always use that fact to make me quiet. If you¡¯re not tired of saying that, I¡¯m tired of hearing it! Alright ah, since you don¡¯t want to talk about this, we won¡¯t talk about it any longer. However, you look to be around my age. Isn¡¯t calling you ¡®uncle¡¯ making you seem too old?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m of the older generation ah! Little Xuanxuan ah, children should act like your children. Stop acting like your father all the time with that stiff look on your face!¡± The little divine stone reached out a hand to ruffle Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s hair but the youth avoided his grasp.


    ¡°I¡¯m already thirteen years old and no longer a child! At around the same age, my lord father got the heavy responsibility of traveling with the imperial sh.i.p.s to find high-yielding crops for the Great Ming Dynasty and came back gloriously!¡± Zhu Yunxuan rolled his eyes at the little divine stone. He only revealed his more childish side in front of trusted people.


    The little divine stone shook its head, ¡°Your father was fifteen years old when he traveled to the west and came back when he was seventeen years old. If you want topare yourself to him, wait a few more years and grow up first!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, Her Highness asks that if you¡¯re not too busy to go see her.¡± Princess Consort Xu¡¯s first-ranked personal maidservant, Chuntao, came into the study after obtaining permission and smiled at the prince.


    Zhu Yunxuan replied, ¡°Alright, go back to mydy mother. I¡¯ll head over right now.¡±


    Seeing that Chuntao had gone a good distance, he spoke to the little divine stone, ¡°Older Brother Yuan, what do you think mydy mother wants me for? Did you tell her everything?¡±


    ¡°I told you, call me Uncle Yuan!!¡± The little divine stone seeded in ruffling Zhu Yunxuan¡¯s hair as it grinned proudly, ¡°Do I look like someone who can¡¯t keep a secret ah? Your mother is in charge of all of the businesses under the estate, so did you really think you could hide anything from her? Go see her quickly and don¡¯t let her wait too long for you!¡±


    When Yu Xiaocao saw her son, she passed over a piece of a new pastry she had made and smiled, ¡°Come try the new apple pie that I made. I know you don¡¯t like sweets so I especially made sure to not add too much sugar.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm! Delicious!!¡± Zhu Yunxuan finished the entire slice of apple pie, leaving only crumbs. He was simr to his father and didn¡¯t know how to use pretty words topliment the taste of food. He could only use his actions to show how much he truly liked this apple pie.


    ¡°Little Baozi, I know everything you¡¯ve done recently with the businesses. It¡¯s time to let it go ah. Otherwise, people will start gossiping maliciously, stating that our Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Household only knows how to use our power to bully others.¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up a piece of caramel apple pie and ate it with obvious pleasure as she casually spoke to her son.


    Zhu Yunxuan smiled, ¡°Lady Mother, there¡¯s no need for you to worry about this. Are you not confident in the things I arrange? Before Lord Father left the capital with his troops, he had especially warned me to protect you and Younger Sister well. If I let someone who insulted you off too easily, that would go against my moral principles!¡±


    Xiaocao felt a bit troubled by her son¡¯s desire to protect her and show his filial respects. She stroked her son¡¯s silky hair and smiled, ¡°Our Little Baozi has grown up and is a tiny man who knows how to protect his own mother!¡±


    Zhu Yunxuan grumbled a bit awkwardly, ¡°Lady Mother, can you get rid of the ¡®tiny¡¯ you like to use so much? I¡¯m not a kid anymore!¡±


    ¡°But in my eyes, you will always be a tiny, soft, and red little bun!¡± Yu Xiaocao hugged her son, who was now taller than her, and saw that his ears were slowly turning so red that it looked like blood wasing up. Yu Xiaocao was the best at teasing her own son.


    The situation at the gambling stone hall was only resolved once Long Yikui managed to somehow scr.a.p.e up 15 million taels and personally delivered it to the ce to resolve the lingering debt.


    However, Long Yikui gradually discovered that it was getting harder and harder for him to do business in the capital. First he was swindled out of arge bunch of silk bolts, which was worth more than eight million. For the Long Family, who was now short on cash, that was just adding insult to injury.


    Following that, he discovered that the customers he previously had at the silk shop slowly disappeared and business cooled down. Another silk shop had opened across the street from his and its business was booming. It was as if it had stolen all of his customers. Furthermore, the merchants behind that silk show were the arch-enemy of the Long Family, the Qin Family. In the past, the Qin Family had been suppressed for many years by the Long Family and had nowhere left to grow.


    Long Yikui also discovered that the Qin Family had also begun to overthrow the steel hold the Long Family previously had on them and slowly became more prominent. It looked like all of the silk merchants in the north had decided to buy in bulk from the Qin Family. Even when the goods at the Qin Family were not as good or if the Long Family tried to lower their prices, the merchants still only went to the Qin Family.


    In Jiangnan, the bitter fight between the Long Family and Qin Family came out in the morning as they struggled for business...the Qin Family had been suppressed by the Long Family for many years. If it hadn¡¯t been for the fact that someone had given them a lot of support, the Qin Family absolutely would not have developed as quickly as they were. Only now did Long Yikui realize that the 15 million taels hadn¡¯t resolved Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Household¡¯s fury against them. In fact, that was only the prelude to the rest of this disaster.


    It was no longer suitable for him to continue doing business in the capital. Long Yikui made the hard decision to close the silk shop and sell all of the remaining silk bolts at a lower price. However, even when he lowered the prices so much that he wouldn¡¯t even get back how much he originally spent on them, no one would buy any. If he brought it all back, he¡¯d have to spend a lot of money on transportation and storage. Helpless, he put out a sign that stated that everything was seventy percent off. A strange customer bought everything that remained in the store.


    Just as Long Yikui finished wrapping up everything inside to leave, he inadvertently looked towards the Qin Family¡¯s silk shop and discovered that the customer who had bought everything from him was bringing everything into their warehouse. It was very obvious that the silk hade from his shop earlier. What made him more angry was that the Qin Family took out a sign stating they had a fifty percent sale for the next two days. The bustling busy shop across from his contrasted sharply with his pitifully empty one.


    This wasn¡¯t the end. The fight between the Long Family and the Qin Family in Jiangnan had just started. For a very long time, the Long Family had encountered setback after setback and the title of the richest family in Jiangnan had been given to the Qin Family. Because of the giant mistake that urred in the capital, the Long Family had also stripped the position of the head of the family from Long Yikui and had given it to Long Yixing from the fourth branch.


    Although Long Yixing was very talented, he could only pause the inevitable decline of the Long Family by seceding some of the benefits the family previously had. Then, he trusted someone with connections to beg the soft-hearted Princess Consort Xu for mercy before the Long Family finally avoidedplete defeat.


    When Zhu Junyang came back from his trip, he heard about what had happened and praised his son to the skies. This also seeded in winning a stern look from his wife.


    Consequently, the saying that ¡®the heir to Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate isn¡¯t someone to be messed with¡¯ was now engraved deeply within the hearts of all of the nobles in the capital. Thus, the legend that Princess Consort Xu was the person who could not be touched became even more prominent...

 Chapter 731 - Little Shitous Springtime

    <h4>Chapter 731 - Little Shitou''s Springtime</h4>


    When Yu Fan obtained first ce in the imperial examinations, he was still quite young. His master, Great Schr Yuan, proposed that he take the Hanlin Academy¡¯s internal examination to receive a temporary position as an academician there. Ever since the previous dynasty, there was an unwritten rule that said: ¡®A graduate of the imperial examinations who is unable to pass the Hanlin internal examinations cannot be an official of the central government.¡¯ Therefore, the temporary position at the Hanlin Academy had also been called ¡®excellent prospect¡¯, as whoever was able to get there was destined to have a bright future in officialdom.


    Since Yu Fan had a beautiful running script and he had his older sister, Yu Xiaocao, as a connection, he had been chosen as one of the members of the emperor¡¯s inner ministerial circle and was in charge of drafting edicts. Later on, he also held several instructor positions at the imperial family¡¯s academy.


    On one particr day, the emperor had Yu Fan organize the doc.u.ments in the imperial study. After they were split up into appropriate categories, the emperor would read and evaluate them. Just as Yu Fan wasser focused on his work, a little eunuch came in.


    The little eunuch wasn¡¯t very tall and looked to be around twelve to thirteen years old. He had a fair and pretty face with a pair ofrge bright eyes that roved around with tant curiosity. He looked extremely lively as he strolled quietly around the imperial study. From time to time, he would reach out inquisitively to touch things. Suddenly, Yu Fan flipped one of the doc.u.ments in front of him and the little eunuch was so startled that his face turned white. The eunuch froze, as if someone had shot a freeze ray.


    Afterwards, the eunuch discovered that Yu Fan, who was reading through the imperial doc.u.ment, hadn¡¯t actually spotted him. He started acting like a little monkey again and stood on his tiptoes to head out of the study.


    ¡°Little Huizi, please pour a cup of tea for me.¡± Yu Fan didn¡¯t even raise his head as he requested a drink.


    The little eunuch froze in mid-movement and looked quite hrious. When he turned his head around to look at Yu Fan, he noticed that the schr still hadn¡¯t looked in his direction. The little eunuch stiffly left the imperial study and patted his chest once he was out with a frightened expression on his face.


    His eyes flickered and he headed towards a certain destination. Before long, he came back with a pot of tea and appeared at the entrance of the imperial study. This time, he boldly entered the room and approached Yu Fan, who was behind the stack of imperial doc.u.ments.


    When he saw that the cup next to Yu Fan¡¯s hands was empty, he clumsily lifted the teapot and began to pour tea into the cup with great effort. From his posture alone, one could tell that he wasn¡¯t used to doing this type of work and was quite unfamiliar with it.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± The boiling hot tea sshed out of the teacup as it tumbled in and a few drops hit the eunuch¡¯s fair, white hand. He cried out in surprise and his hand trembled. Tea spilled onto the desk and doc.u.ments that were neatly stacked there.


    ¡°What to do, what to do? I will be hit to death by my imperial...the emperor!¡± The little eunuch ced the teapot on a chair by the side of the table and began to use his sleeve to wipe the liquid off of the doc.u.ments in a frazzled manner. However, before he could begin, Yu Fan grabbed onto his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.


    Yu Fan looked at the words written on the paper. Because it had be wet, the ink began to smudge and rise off of the doc.u.ment.


    ¡°You...what are you trying to do?¡± The little eunuch retrieved his hand and backed up a few steps, using his hand to cover his own face.


    Yu Fan didn¡¯t even look at him as he continued to use some absorbent paper to gently blot the droplets of tea on the doc.u.ment. Although the words on the paper were lighter than before, he could still tell what words had been written on it, so it wasn¡¯t bad. If he had allowed that rash little eunuch to use his sleeve to wipe the tea off, it would have definitely caused the doc.u.ments to be a giant mess.


    ¡°Is...your hand alright ah?¡± Yu Fan took out a small container of wound ointment he always carried with him and wiped a fingertip on the little eunuch¡¯s scalded hand which had turned red. This ointment was very effective at treating cuts and burn wounds and wouldn¡¯t leave any scars afterwards. His second sister had personally made this for him, and ordinarily, he was too thrifty to use it on himself!


    The originally hot and painful feeling on his hand had immediately disappeared, reced by a cool sensation. The ¡®little eunuch¡¯ knew that this ointment wasn¡¯t ordinary, so he quietly said a word of ¡®thanks¡¯ with a bright flushed face.


    ¡°You look unfamiliar. Are you new? Howe you¡¯re serving in the imperial study today? Where did Little Huizi go ah?¡± Yu Fan nced at the little eunuch¡¯s beautiful visage. Although his siblings were all quite fortunate in the looks department, he still had to secretlypliment the person in front of him. He also wasn¡¯t sure whether it was a good or bad thing for a eunuch to have such an attractive appearance.


    The little eunuch stammered, ¡°Eunuch Little Huizi...had received the emperor¡¯s orders to leave the pce for an errand and had me take his ce in the study instead. This is the first time I¡¯ve been assigned to the imperial study, so I was feeling quite nervous and was afraid I might do something to make Milord angry, so...it looks like I made a giant mistake earlier, what should I do?¡±


    Yu Fan saw that the little eunuch¡¯s elegantrge eyes were full of tears and stated kindly, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, in a moment, I¡¯ll apologize to the emperor and say that it was my mistake. The emperor is kind and won¡¯t me me.¡±


    The little eunuch sniffled a few times and used his sleeve to wipe his eyes and he quietly said, ¡°Thank you, Official Yu. You are truly a good person!¡±


    This little eunuch wasn¡¯t a true eunuch. In fact, ¡®he¡¯ was Imperial Princess Danyi[1] disguised as one. She had heard her father mention that a young schr who had gotten first ce in the imperial examinations was now working at the imperial study. He was only sixteen but got first ce. He also said that he was talented beyond measure, had a highly retentive memory, and vast breadth of knowledge and experiences. He was one of those hard toe by talents.


    Imperial Princess Danyi became even more curious about this schr after hearing her imperial father praise him a few more times. She wanted to know just who exactly could obtain so manypliments from her father. Thus, she shook off her personal pce maids and changed into a little eunuch¡¯s clothes to secretlye to the imperial study. The heavens were helping her as the eunuch who usually served the imperial study, Little Huizi, was unexpectedly not there. Thus, it was easy for her to trick the imperial bodyguards and enter the imperial study smoothly.


    At that time, Yu Fan was sitting behind therge stack of imperial doc.u.ments doing work. Imperial Princess Danyi couldn¡¯t see him behind that and thought that there was no one in there. Disappointed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see him, she wandered around the imperial study. Usually, she never had the opportunity to get so up close and personal in the space that her imperial father worked in. Thus, she looked around with great curiosity.


    Just as she was immersed in looking around, she heard a sound from behind the stack of doc.u.ments, which startled her immensely. She secretly looked over and sensed that the person behind the doc.u.ments hadn¡¯t noticed her presence. She hurriedly did her best to retreat but had unexpectedly been mistaken by the other person for Little Huizi and had been ordered to go make some tea. How could she possibly know how to brew tea? She ended up stopping a pce maid and revealing her identity so that the pce maid would make a pot for her. Unfortunately, she had never poured tea before and made the mistake of sshing the important doc.u.ments on the desk.


    The tears in her eyes were real as she was truly afraid. Her imperial father normally treated her very well and doted upon her but she had done something wrong. Sneaking into the imperial study and dirtying the imperial doc.u.ments were a big mistake and he would definitely reprimand her furiously. So scary, so what should she do?


    Official Yu was so gentle and kind. Not only did he not me her, but he also helped her put on some medicine on her hurt hand and decided to take the me for her. A few hazy feelings rose inside the thirteen year old Imperial Princess Danyi¡¯s heart, though she didn¡¯t know what they meant at this point.


    The second time she saw Official Yu was when she was at Jinan¡¯s Frozen Desserts Store, which was under the management of Princess Consort Xu.


    At that time, Imperial Princess Danyi had begged her father for a long time before he finally allowed her to leave the pce. She clothed herself in men¡¯s clothing and threw off the two attendants that came with her. She strolled around the streets for an entire morning. When her stomach began to growl with hunger, she raised her head and saw the sign for ¡®Jinan¡¯s Frozen Dessert Store¡¯. Excited, she squeezed through the crowd to get into line.


    Every time Princess Consort Xu entered the pce, she would always bring delicious cakes and pastries along! She had often heard her older imperial brother mentioning the frozen desserts were even more delicious. There was ice cream, iced sweet porridge, iced coffee...unfortunately, by the time he got back to the pce with the sweets, they had already melted into a sweet soup and lost their original vor. Today, she needed to eat her fill and try all of the frozen dessert in the store! There were many people there today and she had been bumped into by someone else before long. Imperial Princess Danyi silently cursed the other person for not having manners as that person didn¡¯t even say a word of apology after crashing into her.


    She waited patiently in line for a whole hour before she finally got to the ordering area. However, Imperial Princess Danyi wasn¡¯t influenced poorly by this and was still giddy at the prospect of being able to eat delicious food. She ordered a six inch ice cream cake and a bowl of frozen fruit ice and ate them both with great pleasure.


    Unfortunately, when it came time to pay the bill, she discovered that her money pouch was nowhere to be found. After thinking a bit, she realized that the fellow who bumped into her must have stolen her wallet. She had never experienced such a thing, so her face turned bright red as she faced the waiter who hade over for her payment. If there had been a crack in the ground right now, she would have jumped right into it.


    At this time, Official Yu Fan appeared like an angel in her sights. She was saved! She felt her heart rx by a lot.


    ¡°Official Yu!¡± When Yu Fan passed by her, Imperial Princess Danyi summoned up all of the courage inside her and called out towards him. At this time, it had already been two years since the first time she met him in the imperial study. She didn¡¯t know whether he still remembered her.


    Yu Fan heard someone calling his name and looked in the direction. He paused for three seconds and finally remembered where he had seen that familiar face, ¡°Oh so it¡¯s you ah! Were you sent out of the pce to run some errands? Ever since that day where we first met, I never saw you again. Have you been transferred over to somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°I...I had just been called over to fill the spot temporarily. Later on, I was sent over to serve Imperial Princess Danyi...¡± Imperial Princess Danyi stuttered out a reply.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s pretty good then! I heard Imperial Princess Danyi treats people well and doesn¡¯t punish her pce maids or eunuchs for no good reason. In the future, you¡¯ll need to be more clever and less clumsy.¡± Yu Fan grinned.


    ¡°That uh...Official Yu, did you bring any money along ah?¡± Imperial Princess Danyi revealed a bashful look as she quietly said, ¡°My money pouch got stolen and I don¡¯t have any money to pay for this...¡±


    Yu Fan revealed an understanding expression and took out a banknote worth a hundred taels from his money pouch to help her pay for her food. Imperial Princess Danyi said in embarrassment, ¡°Uh...I¡¯m just borrowing money from you. When I get back to the pce, I¡¯ll repay you.¡±


    ¡°No need, I¡¯m a diamond card member here and enjoy a fifty percent discount off of everything. It¡¯s not that expensive. In the future, when you leave the pce, you must be careful, especially in ces with more people. You need to keep an eye on your own belongings. This must be the first time you¡¯ve left the pce, right? You¡¯re the most favorite target of these thieves. Aftering out a few more times, you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Yu Fan waved his hand casually and told her to not take it to heart.


    ¡°No, I must...<i>hisssssss¡ª¡ª</i>¡± Imperial Princess Danyi suddenly felt a sharp pain go through her abdomen, as if a knife was being dragged around in her insides. It hurt so much that she became cold and mmy, and she fell back onto her stool.


    When Yu Fan saw this, he asked out of concern, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your tummy hurts? Could it be that you ate too many cold foods causing your stomach to rebel?¡±


    ¡°It hurts, it hurts a lot ah!¡± Imperial Princess Danyi doubled over and held her hands against her abdomen. She almost didn¡¯t have the strength to breathe properly and tears dripped down her face.


    Yu Fan saw that cold sweat had appeared on her face out of pain. He was a bit fl.u.s.tered and rubbed his hands, ¡°Could it be cholera or acute appendicitis ah? That¡¯s not good. I¡¯ll bring you to the medicine hall and find someone to help you!¡±


    When he bent down to carry the ¡®little eunuch¡¯, his hand inadvertently touched the backside and it felt oddly wet. After touching a bit more, it felt sticky as well, so he took his hand back to look and discovered that there were bright red blood stains. Yu Fan was shocked for a moment before he finally realized something. He almost threw the person out of his arms. This little eunuch was actually a girl! Someone who was able to leave the pce and was around that age could only be...


    Imperial Princess Danyi was quite pitiful. The first time she had her period at age fifteen had urred in such an awkward ce and manner...


    [1] She might actually be Imperial Princess Yi as well (who was mentioned in a previous chapter) since the author often forgets what names she¡¯s used before for her characters...

 Chapter 732 - Best Doctor Under the Heavens

    <h4>Chapter 732 - Best Doctor Under the Heavens</h4>


    On a beautiful summer night, the sky was clear and the stars sparkled like bright diamonds. Under the darkness of the evening with flickering silver night in the background, the two masters of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate were enjoying the cooling breeze in the pavilion in the back garden.


    Yu Xiaocao was reclined in a rocking chair with some smoldering mosquito repent herbs at the side. Her chair swayed lightly back and forth. Her eyes were closed and it was sofortable that she almost fell asleep.


    Next to her was Zhu Junyang, who was lightly fanning her and asionally feeding her a sweet gr.a.p.e. When she finished eating the gr.a.p.e, he used his hand to take away the spitted out seeds and skin from her mouth. He looked so sweet and tender and didn¡¯t even have a hint of the decisive and murderous aura of the headmander of the Xishan Barracks.


    ¡°My Lord, do you think our second child,pared to our eldest and youngest, is a bit too...how do I say this? Alright, look at our eldest, Little Baozi. At such a young age, he has his own views and ideas. Although he hasn¡¯t fully matured yet, at his preteen age, we can already see hints of his future intellect and schemes.¡±


    ¡°Our third child, Little Guozi, is a youngss but she¡¯s crazy for martial arts. Furthermore, she has the best talent for it out of all of our three children. Just how many older children in the academy have been beaten up by her in these past four years? I can¡¯t even count them on my own two hands! How many times have I told her that force isn¡¯t the only way to resolve a disagreement? However, she always talks back and says ¡®but it¡¯s the most effective method¡¯...¡± Whenever she talked about her problem child, Zhu Yunxin, Yu Xiaocao always felt her head hurt.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s face turned solemn and used a toothpick to spear a piece of cantaloupe before delivering it to his wife¡¯s mouth, ¡°Little Guozi talks back to you? When I get back, I¡¯ll give her a talking to!¡±


    Zhu Yunxin, who was currently on the training grounds practicing her martial arts, suddenly felt her back turn cold. This was a warning, telling her that danger was approaching. She became alert and looked around her but didn¡¯t discover any suspicious people. Puzzled, she scratched the back of her head before deciding to clean up her boxing equipment to head back to her own courtyard.


    ¡°You¡¯re going off topic, okay? Your daughter is too worrisome. How are we supposed to find a family for her in the future? Do you know what the rumors say now ah? They say that she¡¯s a smiling demon with quick fists! It¡¯s all your fault. Why did you have to allow our girl to practice martial arts with you and her brothers? Just look at her now! She¡¯s a violent youngdy who has no sense ofw and natural morality!¡± Yu Xiaocao was so angry that she bit down on his hand, leaving teeth marks.


    Zhu Junyang used his tongue to lick the wound on the back of his hand and grinned, ¡°Being more fierce is better than getting bullied after she gets married, right? Don¡¯t worry ah, do you really believe that no one will want my daughter ah? Does it matter if she can¡¯t marry in the future? This prince will raise her for the rest of her life!¡±


    ¡°You...you¡¯re the one spoiling her to high heavens!¡± Yu Xiaocao was furious and refused to eat anymore. She turned around so she wouldn¡¯t have to look at him.


    Zhu Junyang hurriedly changed the subject when he saw that his wife was angry, ¡°Weren¡¯t you talking about our second child earlier? Did he make you angry somehow?¡±


    ¡°The exact opposite! I actually want our second child to do something that would make me upset ah. Like you said earlier, Little Guozi is very skilled and doesn¡¯t have the personality that would let her get bullied around easily. Little Baozi ah, on the other hand, it¡¯s a miracle if he doesn¡¯t push other people around. As for our Little Mantou, he¡¯s just like his childhood nickname, soft and gentle. He doesn¡¯t have a temper at all.¡± As expected, Yu Xiaocao forgot to be angry and began to worry about her second son again.


    ¡°Furthermore, our eldest and youngest children both have what they like and goals in the future. However, our Little Mantou doesn¡¯t seem to have that. He¡¯ll work very hard to learn whatever you teach him but he¡¯s never expressed a true liking or interest in anything. Little Baozi will inherit this estate in the future. As for Little Guozi, we¡¯ll just prepare more for her dowry and find a man who will be able to ept and love her for who she is. But Little Mantou will need to separate from the household and go out on his own. With this type of temperament, how will he be able to do it?¡± Argh! Children always caused troubles and worries for their parents ah!


    Zhu Junyang felt like there was nothing to be worried about. With the industries under his and his wife¡¯s name, it was more than enough to allow Little Mantou to squander money as he pleased for several lifetimes. In the future, even if he decided not to do anything, he wouldn¡¯t starve.


    That being said, in his eyes, Little Mantou wasn¡¯tpletely without a temper. After all, when that fellow surnamed Long had insulted his mother, he had brought his younger sister along to toss a bup bag over the stupid guy¡¯s head and beat him to a pulp. He even targeted the guy¡¯s most vulnerable spots.


    Furthermore, Little Mantou wasn¡¯tpletely uninterested in everything. In fact, he had too many interests. He had to try anything that caught his eye. If it didn¡¯t suit him, he would drop it to attempt something else. He was only at the stage where he hadn¡¯t found something that attracted his interest entirely, that was all.


    Zhu Junyang used these points tofort his wife. Yu Xiaocao sighed and said, ¡°If only it were so ah!¡±


    Sure enough, Zhu Junyang¡¯s words became trueter on. When Little Mantou turned ten, he suddenly told his parents that he wanted to learn medicine! Yu Xiaocao was quite bbergasted by this announcement and asked him why he chose to study this.


    He replied in a forceful and righteous manner, ¡°Lord Father has cultivated elite troops for the nation and guards our empire for the people. By doing so, he¡¯s given all of the people in the empire a safe living environment. Lady Mother has improved crop yields, which benefited both the country and the people, allowing all people to have ample food and clothing. I want to be someone like my lord father anddy mother!¡±


    ¡°So, you decided to be a doctor?¡±¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s voice was neutral, revealing none of his inner thoughts.


    Little Mantou replied instantly, ¡°Yes! Right now the country is prosperous and the people at peace, so everyone is living a bountiful and plentiful life. However, when illness strikes, there are still manymoners who can¡¯t afford to see a doctor or the medicine that goes with it. There are also some hard to understand illnesses with no good treatments...I wish to help all of these people and help them be perfectly healthy!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was so touched that she wanted to cry. Apparently her Little Mantou wasn¡¯t so soft without any thoughts of his own but instead had apassionate heart that thought of everyone! However, as his mother, she wouldn¡¯t feel relieved if he had to leave her at such a young age to find a doctor. She looked towards her husband.


    Zhu Junyang could sense her unease and muttered to himself for a bit before finally saying, ¡°Yourdy mother and I both feel very gratified that you have such a bold andpassionate goal in your heart. As the proverb says, ¡®medicine does not divide families¡¯. You also know that yourdy mother is skilled at manufacturing and concocting medications and is the best in the Great Ming Empire. Before you start your journey on medicine, you first need to understand all of the medicinal ingredients, their properties, and theposition of every medication. That way, when you be a disciple of a famous doctor, you¡¯ll have a better grasp. What do you think?¡±


    Little Mantou thought carefully for a bit and didn¡¯t persevere on his track of thinking. He nodded, ¡°Lord Father is right. As for drug ingredients, their nature and properties, I have already learned almost everything I could from Manager Yingtao. Should I first start with learning how to concoct medications then?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was stunned by this. When did he learn these things and howe she, as his mother, didn¡¯t know about any of this? She truly wasn¡¯t qualified to be a good mother! She was vexed for a few seconds and then began to test her son a bit on medicinal ingredients. Sure enough, Little Mantou was able to answer all of her questions without any issues.


    While teaching her son the art of concocting medications, Yu Xiaocao discovered that Little Mantou could be considered a true genius. Once he was concentrated on something, he reached the state of a perfect memory. She only needed to demonstrate the method to make a drug once and he was able to imitate it very well. Furthermore, the medications he made had the exact same efficacy as hers. As for the moreplicated ones, he was able to get a hang of it after learning two to three times. He even had no issues learning the concocting methods that the little divine stone had taught her.


    Before a year had passed, Little Mantou had learned everything his mother knew about concocting medications and was at the same level or even better than she was. Yu Xiaocao had nothing else to teach him, so she sent him to Medicine King Valley and had Xu Ziyi worry about him instead. After another year passed, Little Mantou came back from Medicine King Valley and brought along a letter that was written by the current head of the sect, Xu Ziyi.


    The letter first started off with how much he envied and was jealous of her for having such a genius as a son. It also stated the grand and glorious deeds of Little Mantou while he was at Medicine King Valley. Then, it expressed his regret that he had been refused by Little Mantou after asking him to be his disciple. In summary, Little Mantou not only learned everything that was taught to him during the year or so he had spent at Medicine King Valley, but he also learned all of their secret methods that weren¡¯t taught to outsiders. Now, there was no one in the Great Ming Empire who couldpete with him at concocting medication.


    Two years had passed, and Little Mantou insisted on pursuing his studies in medicine. With the rmendation of the sect leader of the Medicine King Valley, Little Mantou had be the disciple of a hidden godly doctor. It was said that this godly doctor was the best doctor under the heavens. As long as a person had a breath of air left, he was able to save that person. Even the ck and white reapers had to give him some respect.


    Little Mantou began his journey to be a doctor. That hidden godly doctor had only reluctantly taken this prince as disciple because he had owed Medicine King Valley a favor. Originally, he was only nning on teaching him a few basics and that was it.


    He didn¡¯t expect that this youth, who had an ill.u.s.trious background, was actually a rare, one-of-a-kind, genius at medicine. He was like a dry sponge and absorbed everything that was taught to him at lightning speed. Furthermore, he was able to go beyond what he was taught and get to the next level. The teacher was enthusiastic now and so was the student. Before long, the hidden godly doctor hadpletely changed his attitude towards Little Mantou. Thus, Little Mantou had seeded in bing thest disciple of this goldy doctor and was being cultivated appropriately.


    Five yearster, the seventeen year old Zhu Yunxiao finished his studies. When he left the mountain, his master told him, ¡°Dear Disciple, you¡¯ve already learned everything I have to teach you. The future is up to you now!¡±


    When he got back to the capital, his mother told him that they had already prepared ten thousand <i>mu</i> in fields located in the north and southwest to grow medicinal herbs for him. Furthermore, they coborated with all of the noble and wealthy individuals willing to do charitable works to contribute to a project that would provide free medical consultations and medications. They even used his name and named the ce ¡®Yunxiao Benevolent Hospital¡¯ and it was especially established to help the elderly and children who couldn¡¯t afford treatment.


    Little Mantou felt incredibly touched. His parents had sacrificed more than he had ever expected for the sake of his dream. With his father and mother at his back, he didn¡¯t need to fear more troubles popping up.


    A lone tree was not enough to make a forest. Thus, he quickly got in contact with some fellow students from his generation and their disciples and managed to persuade them to join his venture. Furthermore, he also recruited a few good doctors with good skills and morals to also work at the hospital.


    Of course, the amount of money required to do charitable treatments was beyond one could imagine. Zhu Yunxiao naturally wouldn¡¯t bankrupt his father¡¯s and mother¡¯s pockets for the sake of his own dream. He needed to use his own medical expertise to keep himself and the hospital afloat. When he was learning the skills of a doctor, he especially concentrated his studies on some hard to understand illnesses. There were some ¡®incurable¡¯ diseases that he could actually treat and eradicate by using his special prescriptions.


    Who cherished their lives the most? Obviously, that was people who had money and power! If these people were told that they had a disease that was incurable and deadly but suddenly someone told them that it could be treated, they¡¯d give up their entire family fortune for the grasp at a miracle!


    Once Zhu Yunxiao cured a few diseases that were considered incurable or ineradicable, his reputation as a godly doctor grew and grew. As for his considerable consultation fees, he invested all of them into the Benevolent Hospital and Pharmacy. As their reputations grew, more and more people went out to find him so that he could treat them. Some only had ordinary illnesses and came to Yunxiao Hospital to get a proper diagnosis and treatment for the sake of their own anxieties.


    ¡®Yunxiao Benevolent Hospital¡¯ soon became a godly hospital that themoners saw as a ce of hope and it had also be a ce that saved the lives of those with previously determined incurable disease. As for Godly Doctor Zhu Yunxiao, he had also achieved his dream of bing the best doctor under the heavens...

 Chapter 733 - Meeting in Another World

    <h4>Chapter 733 - Meeting in Another World</h4>


    The one hundred and twenty-one year old Imperial Prince Xu had hair that turnedpletely white but he still looked to be around his sixties to seventies. His stature was still as tall and lofty as before, but it was no longer as ramrod straight as it was in his youth. In those days, no one could fight against him, but now he could only quietlyy on his bed with his phoenix eyes half closed as he breathed weakly. The imperial physicians were helpless at this point, so his children and grandchildren were all squeezed into this room with heavy expressions and mournful looks.


    Sitting next to him in the armchair was the a hundred and fourteen year old Yu Xiaocao. Although her hair had turnedpletely white, her skin was still fair and exquisite with fine wrinkles deposited throughout. The signs of age added a bit of maturity and loveliness to her.


    Imperial Prince Xu and his wife had lived long lives and both of them had entered their hundreds with hale and healthy bodies. In the west side of the capital, people could often see a tall and lofty figure with a slender and short figure strolling idly on the streets. Their hands were always linked together as they slowly walked around. They looked like a picture that would never fade.


    In the capital, Imperial Prince Xu and Princess Consort Xu had be legendary figures. Themoners told stories about them, while the literati wrote them down. It was widely known throughout the public that they had a constant and ceaseless romance. The stories about their great and grand feats were also well known and added to their mystical lives.


    Imperial Prince Xu only had Princess Consort Xu as his woman in his lifetime. Some imed that he was afraid of his wife and didn¡¯t even dare to nce at other women; others imed that Princess Consort Xu had bespelled him, which was why he had no interest. There were even some who said that Imperial Prince Xu truly loved his wife down to his bones, which was the true reason why he had never had any interest in other women...


    Regardless, no matter what people said or imed, none of it influenced the married couple. At the age of sixty, Imperial Prince Xu had finally freed himself of all of his duties and had gone off with his wife to travel the country to sightsee. The two of them had set foot into every crook and cranny in the Great Ming Empire and left footprints everywhere.


    Imperial Prince Xu had even fulfilled a promise he made in his youth. At the age of sixty-five, he had taken his wife to sail the oceans to head to the west so that they could travel and expand their horizons. Princess Consort Xu had even be sworn sisters with one of the queens in a small country. Imperial Prince Xu had even fought against some man-eating people in one of the areas there and beat them until they kneeled and begged for forgiveness. He was truly an old but extremely vigorous man.


    Imperial Prince Xu had celebrated his one hundred and twentieth birthday in a grand celebration, which had coincided with Princess Consort Xu¡¯s one hundred and tenth birthday. Despite the many years that had passed, their feelings and emotions for each other had not been diluted. Instead, their rtionship was like a pot of good wine, bing more and more fragrant as the years passed by.


    Everyone believed that they would both be like Peng Zu[1] and be living auspicious icons. However, Imperial Prince Xu fell down one day soon after he reached one hundred and twenty-one years old. He didn¡¯t have any illnesses or injuries. His body was finally reaching its end. At first, he began to sleep longer. Sometimes, he¡¯d be chatting with you for one minute and the next minute he¡¯d be fast asleep. Now, he spent over seventeen to eighteen hours a day asleep in his bed. The times when he was awake and alert became shorter and shorter.


    Although Yu Xiaocao had long prepared herself or this, she still couldn¡¯t help but feel distressed that this imposing man, who had held up the sky for her and was a great hero, was past his prime and about to go. At the same, she also felt somewhat terrified. She was someone who had experienced a previous life before and didn¡¯t know whether she¡¯d have the luck to encounter him in the next one...she hoped that when she was in front of Grandmother Meng, she would be able to keep her memories from this life while drinking the soup of oblivion. That way, in her next life, she¡¯d be able to find his shadow in the crowds of others.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake! Great Paternal Grandmother, Great Paternal Grandfather is awake!¡± The person who spoke up was the thirty year old grandson of Zhu Yunxuan.


    Yu Xiaocao blinked away the mist in her eyes and smiled gently as she sidled closer to husband. She grasped his hand and quietly asked, ¡°Husband, are you hungry ah? Do you want me to make a bowl of noodles for you?¡±


    Zhu Junyang pulled on her hand tightly and lightly shook his head. His muddy phoenix eyes became as bright as when she first met him. He slowly replied, ¡°Help me sit up...¡±


    With the help of her great-grandsons, Yu Xiaocao helped him sit up and put two pillows behind him as support so he could lean against them. She had already asked the little divine stone and knew that her man¡¯s time was toe in the next few days. The fact that he was suddenly so clear-headed meant that it was probably hisst wind.


    She sat at the bedside and gently leaned her head against his shoulder as she lightlyughed, ¡°Old man, your shoulder is too bony and it hurts for me to lean against it. When you get better, you need to eat more, otherwise, it¡¯s notfortable for me to do this.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, alright! I¡¯ll make sure to eat more and be nice and fat to be the perfect pillow for you!¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s deep voice was still as melodious as before and she still hadn¡¯t heard enough of it in this lifetime.


    ¡°Great Maternal Grandmother, there¡¯s a young maiden outside who says she¡¯s an old friend. She wants to greet you.¡± This was Zhu Yunxin¡¯s youngest granddaughter. She didn¡¯t look like her paternal family and, instead, her face was about seventy to eighty percent simr to Xiaocao¡¯s. This was why she was her grandmother¡¯s favorite.


    When the young maiden who imed to be an old friend was invited in, Yu Xiaocao stared at her for a long time. It was only after the young girl revealed a faded embroidered orchid pouch that she finally found the figure of this young girl in her memories. She was the little dragon girl that she had once encountered in the ocean. She would have never expected that she¡¯d be able to cross between dimensions ande here to find her.


    The little dragon girl stared at Xiaocao¡¯s face for a long time before she finally sighed, ¡°Mortals¡¯ lives are so short. Fortunately, I was hardworking and you are long-lived. Otherwise, the two of us would never get the chance to see each other again in this lifetime. I have finally fulfilled a dream of mine by being able to see you. Unfortunately, you are no longer that cute and adorable young maiden who spent time talking and ying with me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for taking the time to find me at a time that is most important for me. Little dragon girl, I hope you will continue to work hard on cultivation and be an immortal soon.¡± Yu Xiaocao sincerely blessed the other girl.


    The little dragon girl nodded and said, ¡°I will. Then...we¡¯ll meet again in the future!¡± After she finished, a light breeze blew by and she disappeared from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s courtyard.


    All of the descendents of Imperial Prince Xu weren¡¯t very surprised by the sight that had just urred before them. In their hearts, their mother (grandmother, great-grandmother) wasn¡¯t someone from the ordinary world. Otherwise, how else would she have so many legendary adventures?


    When Yu Xiaocao was talking to the little dragon girl, Zhu Junyang never took her gaze away from her. After she left, he spoke to the already ny years old Zhu Yunxuan, ¡°I want to spend some time alone with yourdy mother.¡±


    ¡°Lord Father...¡± Zhu Yunxuan looked at his lord father, who he had always chased after and worshiped. His voice was choked with emotion.


    Zhu Junyang looked at his three children and slowly said, ¡°You are all good people and didn¡¯t disappoint either of us. I am very relieved about you all...¡±


    The elderly eighty-five year old Zhu Yunxin immediately began crying like a child when she heard this, ¡°Lord Father, you need to live well. If you go, I¡¯ll be a fatherless child. If your son-inw decides to bully me, there will be no one to support me anymore. Wah wah wah wah!¡±


    When her sons and grandsons heard this, they all were dumbfounded. It was clearly she who was bullying their father (grandfather), alright? Didn¡¯t she have a conscience anymore?


    ¡°Silly child, there is no feast under the heavens that doesn¡¯t end! You all go out, I want to speak to yourdy mother alone. I want to use thest bit of remaining time I have with her!¡± Zhu Junyang looked at Xiaocao with a gaze that still showed how much he loved and adored her.


    Zhu Yunxuan stopped his younger sister from saying more and took everyone out of the room, leaving only the old couple by themselves.


    ¡°Do you regret marrying me ah? I¡¯m older than you by seven years. If you had married someone who was about the same age as you, he would be able to spend a few more years with you. I really hate myself foring out earlier than you.¡± Zhu Junyang also knew that his life hade to an end and was only filled with worry and love for Xiaocao.


    ¡°You ah, stop going on flights of fancy. Marrying you was the best decision of my life. If I could repeat this again, I would still choose to marry you. If you weren¡¯t there, where would I go to find someone who loved me to the heavens like you did?¡± Yu Xiaocao picked up an ivoryb and began to slowly help himb his hair.


    Zhu Junyang chuckled, ¡°When I¡¯m gone, you need to live well and be happy. Please don¡¯t be sad. You know that I can¡¯t stand it when you¡¯re sad or upset. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to be at peace in the underworld.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t be sad! You can scout out what it¡¯s like down there first, and I¡¯ll follow youter.¡± Yu Xiaocao talked as if death was only another ordinary topic. There wasn¡¯t a hint of sadness in her voice, as if she was just saying, ¡®the weather is nice today¡¯.


    ¡°When I¡¯m gone, you¡¯re not allowed to hook up with another old man. Those old men aren¡¯t as good-looking as me and they¡¯re also stubborn to boot! There¡¯s likely no one like me who can handle your temper.¡± Zhu Junyang¡¯s jealousy was still sky high.


    ¡°Mhm, I will only be yours. Just like you will only be mine.¡± Yu Xiaocao promised.


    Zhu Junyang was satisfied by this but was still a bit worried, ¡°If you feel worried, you can call over Little Guozi¡¯s youngest granddaughter over to spend time with you. If any of our children or their spouses are not filial to you, burn some incense to tell me. I¡¯ll make sure to give them bad dreams at night...¡±


    The two of them chatted idly for a bit. Zhu Junyang suddenly fell silent and just as Yu Xiaocao thought he had fallen asleep again, he opened his mouth to say, ¡°Cao¡¯er, can you tell me what it¡¯s like in your world ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao knew that he had already guessed that she wasn¡¯t from this world. What made her feel gratitude was that he had never asked her out of his own curiosity. Furthermore, he even always helped her to disguise herself, as he was afraid other people might find out.


    Yu Xiaocao simply outlined a few bits and pieces about her previous life. Zhu Junyang silently listened and sighed at the end, ¡°There are cars that don¡¯t require horses to pull them, nes that can fly in the area, and boats that can go underwater...too good! Do you think that if you didn¡¯te here that there¡¯d be someone in your world who was supposed to be me?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps ah! However, in that world, I was already thirty years old and hadn¡¯t met you then. Just what were you trying to do by arriving sote?¡± Yu Xiaocao lightlyughed and pinched her husband¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Therefore, in this lifetime, I made sure to show up early by your side, so I could guard you as you grew up and for the rest.¡± Zhu Junyang had a premonition that his end wasing and suddenly tightened his grip around her hand as his voice became weaker, ¡°Do you think we will be able to find each other in our next lives and be together as well?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suddenly picked up his hand and bit down hard, leaving teeth marks with blood. She smiled with tears in her eyes, ¡°We will! Just look, I already gave you a marking. So in all the lives toe, you better not try to escape.¡±


    Zhu Junyang lowered his head to look at the mark and slowlyughed...


    Yu Xiaocao felt that the hand in hers abruptly became heavy. Tears rolled down her face. She helped her husband change into his favorite martial attire and took out the pillows supporting his back, allowing him to lie downpletely. Finally, she crawled onto the bed andy down next to him and felt her life slowly slip away...


    The sound of weeping swept through Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate. That day, they had lost both parents at the same time...


    In the year 2018, in a hospital ward in Xu City in the Su Prefecture, a voice cried out in surprise, ¡°Awake! Older Sister, you¡¯ve finally woken up!¡±


    ¡°Older Brother, Older Brother! Older Sister woke up! Look, her hands are moving and her eyelids are trembling...¡±


    ¡°Quick, quickly call the doctor!!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao slowly opened her eyes and noticed that there were white walls all around her and a bright incandescent light in the ceiling. Next to her were all sorts of medical equipment...was this...a hospital? A modern hospital? Did shee back and not die?


    ¡°Older Sister, Older Sister! Can you see me ah? I¡¯m Xiaochan ah, your younger sister, Xiaochan...Older Brother, do you think Older Sister might have amnesia from hitting her head?¡± Lin Xiaochan suddenly had a thought hit her and asked the question that came up.


    Lin Xiaochan? Her previous life¡¯s younger sister? Following the sound of the voice, she looked at a somewhat strange but also familiar face. As expected, she hade back to the modern world. In this world, she was only an owner of a small braised-food shop who struggled to survive on a daily basis.


    Earlier she had just been chatting with her prince about whether or not he was here in her world and now she suddenly came back. Did this world have the man who had loved her for a lifetime or not? The answer wasn¡¯t clear. Even if he was here, in the millions of people in the world, she might not be able to ever encounter him.


    ¡°Older Sister, you¡¯ve been in aa for more than a hundred days. I was really afraid you¡¯d be a vegetable and never wake up again. Older Sister, you need to take care of yourself and enjoy your younger siblings¡¯ efforts. You can¡¯t have anything happen to you again!¡± Lin Xiaochan¡¯s eyes had turned wet as she choked out her words.


    ¡°Little Jun¡¯s wedding ceremony, was it ruined because of me?¡± Yu Xiaocao...no, now she was Lin Xiaowan. She came back to the present and asked in a faint voice.


    Lin Xiaochanughed despite her tears and said, ¡°Older Sister, you haven¡¯t forgotten everything ah! That¡¯s wonderful! I was still thinking that if you had amnesia, just what should I do to jolt your memory back. Older Sister, don¡¯t worry, Little Jun had already sent most of the guests off...Older Sister, you really scared me to death this time!¡±


    ¡°In the future...that won¡¯t happen again.¡± Lin Xiaowan felt extremely distracted. The hundred years she had in that other life seemed to have passed like a dream. However, who could exin why she returned back to this world?


    The little divine stone, who had already gone back to its world, had an inscrutable smile on its face, ¡®Goodbye, my master. I hope you like the present I sent you.¡¯


    ¡°Older Sister, you don¡¯t seempletely like yourself.¡± Lin Xiaochan helped her drink some water from a cup. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°It seems like every movement you make is filled with elegance and grace, I don¡¯t know how to describe it...¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I was in aa for too long, so I¡¯m still a bit mixed up!¡± Lin Xiaowan quietly said.


    ¡°Your tone and intonation are also different. It¡¯s kind of like you¡¯re speaking each word very clearly. Older Sister, do you think another soul from a different world has transmigrated into your body like those storybooks?¡± Lin Xiaochan liked to read transmigration novels and joked.


    Lin Xiaowan rolled her eyes and rebuked, ¡°Did you read too many novels ah? Do you want to hear the story of when you wet the bed again...¡±


    ¡°No, no! You¡¯re my older sister, my true older sister, okay?¡± Lin Xiaochan raised two hands up in surrender.


    ¡°Older Sister, do you feel ufortable anywhere?¡± Lin Qijun came in with a few white coat doctors. When he saw his sisters talking to each other, he hurriedly asked to inquire after her condition.


    ¡°No, just a...¡± She suddenly stopped. Lin Qijun and Lin Xiaochan became nervous all of a sudden, ¡°Just a bit hungry. I want to eat roast duck, red braised pork, and braised pig trotters!¡±


    In her previous life, because she and her husband were getting old in age, their stomachs had also be weaker. Thus, there were many oily foods that they were not allowed to eat anymore. The couple, who were unhappy if they had to eat a meal without meat, were so starved of these goodies that they even thought of running to the kitchen to eat some secretly.


    The doctor next to Li Qijunughed, ¡°Having an appetite is a good thing. That means the body is recovering. However, with your current condition, you need to eat some nd foods first.¡±


    ¡°What? I still need to eat nd foods?¡± She had a bit of arrogance and temper after being spoiled for a hundred years. This time, her voice had a hint of all of that.


    Within the group of doctors, there was a particrly tall and imposing looking man. Above his surgical mask was a pair of handsome eyes and they looked at Lin Xiaowan with aplicated expression in them. There was a bit of disbelief in them as well as some hope...


    ¡°This doctor is an expert who was invited over from the capital¡¯s best hospital. He¡¯s studied abroad and is an expert in neurology in the country. Have him take a look at you ah.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure why this particr expert was interested in such an ordinary case of someone going into aa because of a head injury. However, since the man had opined his desire to see the case, what was wrong with allowing him to do so?


    Lin Qijun immediately stepped to the side. After going through a series of inspections, the result was that thest bit of blood in Lin Xiaowan¡¯s head had already been absorbed, leading to decreased intracranial pressure. Perhaps that was what allowed her to wake up now.


    During his inspection, that expert from the capital paid attention to the patient¡¯s every word and movement. However, he did it in a rtively secretive manner, so no one else noticed it.


    ¡°She needs to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation before she can be discharged!¡± The expert from the capital told this to the patient¡¯s family members.


    Lin Xiaowan quietly muttered, ¡°I think I could leave the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Older Sister, we should listen to the doctor. After all, he¡¯s an expert in this field. The remaining blood in your head isn¡¯tpletely gone, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with staying a few more days. I know you¡¯re worried about the money issue. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay for everything here!¡± Lin Xiaochan had married well and her husband treated her well. Thus, the money for the hospital stay wasn¡¯t considered too much for her. That being said, didn¡¯t she also have the rural county¡¯s insurance to help too?


    The tall expert looked at Lin Xiaowan with a bit of tenderness. Was it her ah? For the sake of her younger siblings, she had worked hard for more than a decade. At the age of thirty, she still hadn¡¯t married. When attending her younger brother¡¯s wedding, she identally fell down the stairs. All of these seemed to match up...was it her?


    He had taken the Xu City¡¯s People Hospital¡¯s invitation toe over to consult on a few hard cases. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he came across Lin Xiaowan¡¯s circumstances by pure coincidence, he would have long gone back to the capital. Unfortunately, Xiaocao didn¡¯t give him a lot of details when she talked about her previous life. If he knew that he¡¯d be able to arrive into her world, he would have asked more details.


    He observed her for a bit longer and felt like her movements and speech were quite simr. However, if he tried to be presumptuous and his hunch was wrong, she might think of him as a pervert and end up beating him. Naturally, there were very few people who could beat him at boxing in this world.


    Lin Xiaowan spent another two days at the hospital eating nd food before she finallyined and threatened to leave against medical advice. Furthermore, she also threatened her siblings that if they didn¡¯t help her process the discharge now, she¡¯d escape on her own! This type of willful manner was something she never dared to show in the past.


    Helpless from her demands, Lin Qijun could only start the discharge process for her. Lin Xiaowan changed out of the hospital gown and began to happily stroll around the hospital wards.


    Suddenly, she saw a familiar face pass by¡ª¡ªa handsome visage, long and narrow phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips...


    ¡°Zhu Junyang!!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but blurt out the name and it echoed through the hospital corridor. Her voice was very excited and loud. Even the other people in the hallway looked over at her.


    However, the person who looked about eighty percent simr to her Imperial Prince Xu didn¡¯t look over. Lin Xiaowan ran over and continued to yell, ¡°Zhu Junyang, is that you ah?¡±


    The person finally stopped walking and a burst of happiness exploded in Lin Xiaowan¡¯s heart. However, when that person looked at her he only nced at her coldly as he asked, ¡°Are you calling me ah? I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ve mistaken me for someone else. My name isn¡¯t Zhu Junyang!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t him, it wasn¡¯t him! Her prince would never look at her so coldly. Her prince would never speak to her in such a way. That man only looked like him. Lin Xiaowan felt a pang go through her heart and it hurt so much that she almost couldn¡¯t breathe. Was her Imperial Prince Xu truly just a dream?


    ¡°Are you an idiot? Do you only recognize that face ah?¡± His deep melodious voice held a bit of familiar love and tenderness.


    Lin Xiaowan suddenly turned around and looked at that tall and lofty figure that had eyes full of love. It was an incredibly familiar sight to her.


    ¡°Zhu Junyang?¡± Lin Xiaowan¡¯s voice was full of hesitation. Wasn¡¯t the man in front of her that authority in neurology ah? Her awesome prince had actually gone into medicine?


    She looked at him again. He had a manly figure, a sculpted face, and his dark eyes glittered with friendliness. The smile at the corner of his mouth still held some stunning beauty. Even when he was just standing casually, he still had an imposing and noble aura around him. Her prince was still such a stunning and handsome man!


    ¡°Silly goose, what are you spacing out for? Why aren¡¯t you running to this prince¡¯s arms?¡± Zhu Junyang opened his arms and had an alluring smile on his face that people couldn¡¯t look away from.


    Lin Xiaowan wiped the tears from her eyes and twisted her head away in a coquettish manner. She snorted a few times, ¡°Not going, I refuse to go! You told me that if you had your previous life¡¯s memories, you¡¯d be able to recognize me at a nce. Is it because I became ugly that you don¡¯t want to be with me anymore...¡±


    Before she could finish, Zhu Junyang took threerge steps forward and arrived next to her. He pulled her into a tight embrace with his muscr arms. Lin Xiaowan was just a hair width¡¯s shy of 1.6 meters tall. Compared to his 1.86 meters, she was only a little sprout. Lin Xiaowan had to step on her tiptoes in order to hug his neck.


    ¡°Let my older sister go! You stinky pervert!¡± Lin Xiaochan ran over in fury and was using her bag as a weapon, but she was stopped in time by Lin Qijun.


    ¡°Can either of you tell us just what is going on here ah?¡± Lin Qijun wasn¡¯t blind. He had noticed that his older sister, who had always been on the bashful side, was actually clinging onto the other man¡¯s neck. If they weren¡¯t in the hallway of the hospital, he would have reckoned that the two of them would have started kissing each other.


    Lin Xiaowan hugged her man¡¯s neck tightly and hung from it. She turned around and grinned sheepishly at her younger siblings as she said in a low voice, ¡°If I said...the two of us fell in love at first sight, admired each other wholeheartedly at our second meeting, and have decided to marry on our third, would believe it?¡±


    Psh! Who would believe you? Li Qijun and Lin Xiaochan rolled their eyes at the same time.


    ¡®Who cares whether you guys believe us or not? We will never be apart, together forever¡¯...Lin Xiaowan (Yu Xiaocao) and Xiao Mubai (Zhu Junyang) grinned at each other...


    [1] Peng Zu - Legendary figure of Taoism who lived for 800 years

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (1)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (1)</h4>


    Dark clouds covered the blood red setting sun. The strong, viscous smell of blood permeated the deadly battlefield. The umtion of corpses appeared ferocious and terrifying, and the strong sense of death made it nearly impossible to breathe.


    A young and tall figure looked at the gloomy sky. His gaze was bleak and lonely. The steed under him snorted loudly, and then lowered its head and continued to gnaw on the weeds on the ground. He slowly lowered his head and looked at the ck foal with a touch of warmth in his eyes¡ª¡ªshe was the one who gave him this horse!


    ¡°General, what are you thinking about? Are you...thinking about my future sister-inw?¡± The person teasing him was his deputy, Dafu. They had been together since they were new recruits and had known each other for nearly ten years.


    They had experienced life-threatening situations together and could give their backs to one another. So, in private, the two often tease each other as amusement.


    Upon hearing his words, Zhao Han just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. Sun Dafu, on the other hand, continued, ¡°General, don¡¯t be shy ah! This is a good thing! Look, I¡¯m three years older than you and my son is already five years old. Yesterday, I received a letter from my wife, saying that she had hired a teacher for him. You, on the other hand, don¡¯t even have a wife yet. People often say, ¡®get married and start a career¡¯. Getting married first won¡¯t dy you from making aplishments and bing sessful ah! It¡¯s no wonder that the General¡¯s Estate kept sending you letters, urging you to go back. Does the old general want great-grandchildren?¡±


    That¡¯s right ah! In a blink of an eye, he was almost thirty years old. He hid in the army again and again to evade his family¡¯s urges for him to get married. This time, he finally couldn¡¯t avoid it! His family had arranged a marriage for him. The other party was also a descendant of a military family. It was said that she had a straightforward personality and looked pretty and kind.


    Looking back on the past few years, in order to avoid his family¡¯s urges for him to get married, he had transferred from the Tanggu Garrison, which was closer to the capital, to the bitterly cold and remote northwestern borders. He hadn¡¯t returned to the capital for many years.


    His parents did everything that they could to force him to get married. His mother pretended to be ill many times to trick him to return from the borders. When he hurried back to the capital, he was indeed greeted by his cheerful mother, who had a ruddyplexion and was holding a thick pile of portraits of noble misses in the capital.


    In order to make him agree to take a look, his mother, who was such a gentle and demure noblewoman, forced herself to use the tricks of crying, screaming, and threatening to kill herself...


    Seeing that he was so dead set on not getting married, his mother had even privately asked if he had any unmentionable illnesses. Or perhaps...he didn¡¯t like women?


    Who said he didn¡¯t like women? It was only that the person he liked had already be another person¡¯s wife...


    The image of that small fishing vige with a faint fishy scent floating in the air and the sounds of waves appeared in his mind again. A thin figure came out from the dpidated house that looked as if it was about to copse. She smiled sweetly at him and she cheerly called him, ¡°Older Brother Han¡±...


    If, at that time, his grandfather and father didn¡¯t ept the title bestowed by the imperial court, they would still be ordinary hunters in a small fishing vige. If so, wouldn¡¯t he be able to appear in front of her every day, teach her how to set traps, and take her hunting? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to secretly help her sell the game that they caught and save up the money bit by bit?


    Wouldn¡¯t they be able to quietly avoid the vigers and secretly roast pheasants, or wild hares, with her special seasonings, eating happily together? Moreover, wouldn¡¯t they be able to take this as their little secret that he could keep for her?


    If he hadn¡¯t left, wouldn¡¯t he have been able to stand by her side during the most difficult time of her life? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to share the burden with her and support her?


    If he didn¡¯t leave, wouldn¡¯t he be able to light amp for her when she came homete?


    If he never left, wouldn¡¯t he be able to help her carry a heavy basket when she was tired?


    If he had stayed by her side, would he have been the one who married her?


    But, what-ifs were just what-ifs...


    She had long be another¡¯s wife and mother. As for him, he could only look in the distance from afar¡ª¡ªreminiscing about her...


    ¡°Hey, I heard...Future Sister-inw had been to the battlefields with her father and older brothers. She has quite a fiery temper and often whips people in the capital. Can you subdue her?¡± Sun Dafu nudged him with his arm and made a face at him in amusement.


    Zhao Han¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by him. He nced at him with his deep ck eyes, gently tugged the reins, and rode towards the camp.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s just a joke! You aren¡¯t angry, right?¡± Sun Dafu hurriedly urged his horse forward andforted, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just a rumor? Future Sister-inw came from a prestigious family, so how could she be like the rumors? Besides, with your martial arts skills, there¡¯s no way that you can¡¯t subdue a littless.¡±


    Zhao Han forcefully squeezed his horse¡¯s belly. The fine stead, like an arrow shot out from the bow, galloped on the vast grasnd. Sun Dafu wanted to chase after him, but his horse was far inferiorpared with the general¡¯s. He could only watch as the figure of his back gradually disappeared from his line of sight.


    Sun Dafu mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s so good to have a younger sister who can raise horses ah! Although she¡¯s not blood-rted, she¡¯s even more generous than a biological sister would be. Knowing that Han¡¯zi was transferred to the northwest, she gifted him with a fine stead. That¡¯s a precious horse that could travel a thousand <i>li</i> in a single day. It can¡¯t even be bought with money! Ay forget it. I¡¯m not going to be envious anymore. Even if it can be bought, I can¡¯t afford it!¡±


    ¡°What ¡®younger sister who can raise horses¡¯? The general¡¯s younger sister is a horsekeeper? It can¡¯t be, right? Isn¡¯t the general¡¯s grandfather a famous general from the former dynasty? Why would he ept a girl who raises horses as his younger sister?¡± A hairy head appeared next to him. It turned out to be the general¡¯s personal guard, who liked to gossip the most!


    Sun Dafu pushed his head away and said, ¡°Go away! Your younger sister is a horsekeeper! Don¡¯t let Imperial Prince Xu hear what you said. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that your head would stay on your neck!¡±


    As soon as the guard heard ¡®Prince Xu¡¯, he immediately retracted his head¡ª¡ªthat person was a lethal weapon and demon ah! Even if there were dozens of him tied together, he still couldn¡¯t afford to offend him ah!


    ¡®But...weren¡¯t we talking about the general¡¯s younger sister? What does that have to do with Imperial Prince Xu? Deputy General, don¡¯t leave me hanging. Can¡¯t you just say everything directly?¡¯


    Prince Xu¡¯s Estate, Capital


    With his short legs, a chubby, little round figure charged towards Princess Consort Xu¡¯s arms, like a cannonball.


    Unfortunately, he failed to do so. When he was about to enter his mother¡¯s fragrant embrace, he got intercepted halfway by a firm hand.


    Little Baozi blinked his pair of phoenix eyes as he stared at a pair of eyes that looked exactly like his own. He called out softly, ¡°Lord Father¡ª¡ª¡± Then he stretched out his chubby, little arms to Yu Xiaocao, who was beside them.


    Compared to his lord father, whose whole body was hard and firm, he preferred his fragrant and softdy mother.


    Zhu Junyang pinched his son¡¯s chubby face and said with a gentle voice, ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you many times? Your younger sister is in yourdy mother¡¯s tummy, so you can¡¯t charge into her arms anymore. Yourdy mother can¡¯t hold you now because your younger sister will get squashed.¡±

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (2)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (2)</h4>


    Little Baozi, Zhu Yunxuan, had tears in his eyes that hung on his eyshes as if they were about fall. ¡®I don¡¯t wanna. I want Lady Mother to hold me. <i>Waahhh</i>, Lord Father is so bad. Younger Sister isn¡¯t even born yet, but he already doesn¡¯t love me anymore!¡¯


    Yu Xiaocao was amused yet also felt somewhat bad for him. She walked over and gently hugged them. She said in a soft voice, ¡°Little Baozi don¡¯t cry. Isn¡¯t Lady Mother hugging you now? You¡¯re already four years old and have a lot of meat on your body. Lady Mother doesn¡¯t have a lot of strength, so I can¡¯t carry you. Your lord father is worried that Lady Mother will be tired because of you!¡±


    Little Baozi looked at his own arms, which looked like lotus roots, and pinched his chubby waist. With his cheeks puffed up, he deliberated for a long time before saying, ¡°Then...I¡¯ll eat less in the future and lose some weight?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was afraid that his son would take it seriously and starve himself, so he hastily said, ¡°Baozi isn¡¯t fat. It¡¯s just that you have grown up! You can¡¯t stay a child forever and have Lady Mother hold you, right?¡±


    With a distressed expression, Little Baozi sighed like a little adult and expressed. ¡°Ay! This is the trouble of growing up ah!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but pinch her son¡¯s chubby cheeks. She smiled and diverted his attention, asking, ¡°Little Baozi, you didn¡¯t run over so quickly just toin to Lady Mother about the troubles of growing up, right?¡±


    Only then did Little Baozi remember the intention of his visit. He excitedly said, ¡°Lady Mother, Uncle Lin said that the imperial army is returning to the imperial court to report their victory. Why don¡¯t we also go and have a look?¡±


    Also? It was apparent that her son was induced and led astray by that youth Fang Haolin. Was that brat itching for a beating? Yu Xiaocao looked at her husband, ¡°Husband, I reckon Little Linlin¡¯s training isn¡¯t enough. He has potential for more.¡±


    Zhu Junyang rubbed his smooth chin. Many people around his age had grown beards after they had gotten married and had children. However, his little princess consort refused to let him do so. She even said that if he dared to grow a beard and cover up his beauty, she would take their son and leave home. He could just live with his beard.


    On the outside, he was the majestic Imperial Prince Xu who everyone was afraid of. But, when he returned to Prince Xu¡¯s Estate, he couldn¡¯t even freely grow out a beard. He was a prime example of a henpecked husband. However, the feeling of being controlled by the princess consort wasn¡¯t bad!


    ¡°Husband, you should say something ah!¡± Seeing that he was distracted, Yu Xiaocao gave him a light push.


    Zhu Junyang nodded and said, ¡°Since Fang Haolin worships the triumphant general so much, I reckon that it¡¯s time to take him to the Xishan Barracks to experience the taste of a military camp. I¡¯ll ask themander of the Xishan Barracks to take special care of him.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao lit a candle for Little Linlin in her heart. She had only wanted her husband to increase his training. She didn¡¯t expect her husband to directly throw him into the Xishan Barracks and let the teenager train among a group of soldiers. He was definitely going to suffer ah! Sure enough, who could be more cruel than Imperial Prince Xu?


    ¡°Lady Mother, are we going or not? Little Baozi also wants to see the victorious general and big horses!¡± Without realizing that he had dug a hole for his youngest maternal uncle with one word, Zhu Yunxuan continued to act cute and pester hisdy mother.


    Yu Xiaocao caressed his little head and said with a smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t I bring you to see it when your lord father returned victorious?¡±


    Little Baozi thought hard with a wrinkled face. He knew about his lord father¡¯s victorious battles. Everyone around him all said that his lord father was very powerful, and they didn¡¯t dare to provoke him. But...when did he ever see his lord father return to report his victory in war? He had no impression at all.


    Zhu Junyang said with a smile, ¡°Thest time I led a victorious troop home, he was only two years old. How can he remember?¡± In the past two years, in order to apany his wife and son, he seldom led soldiers to the battlefield. He even used the glorified excuse of ¡®creating more opportunities for the younger generation¡¯!


    Little Baozi moved deeper into hisdy mother¡¯s embrace and said, ¡°Lady Mother, just take me there, okay? Uncle Lin said that we can see them on the upper level of our Medicinal Cuisine House. Bring me, okay? Baozi will act cute for you¡ª¡ª<i>gujiguji</i>...¡±


    Little Baozi blinked his big eyes as he clenched his hands into fists and ced them on his chubby cheeks. He also made cute sounds with his mouth. How could Yu Xiaocao refuse him when he looked so adorable?


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you pestering your lord father? He¡¯s the one who makes the decision at home.¡± Yu Xiaocao intended to enhance the bond between the father-son pair and urged him to go bother Imperial Prince Xu. She knew that Imperial Prince Xu appeared like a strict father in the eyes of outsiders, but, in fact, he had no resistance to Little Baozi¡¯s requests.


    Little Baozi shook his head hard and said, ¡°Lady Mother is lying! Lord Father listens to Lady Mother the most. Lady Mother is the one who makes all the decisions at home. My dear Lady Mother, please take me to see the soldiers and big horses, pretty please? If you take me there, I¡¯ll...wear the bunny pajamas for you tonight.¡±


    In addition to acting cute, the little fellow had also learned to tempt others with promises! This was quite difficult for him! Normally, he hated all those various kinds of animal outfits that hisdy mother made for him. He felt that it damaged his prestige as the Heir of Prince Xu. What kind of prestige would a puny kid have?


    Zhu Junyang lightly jolted Little Baozi, who was in his arms, and said unhappily, ¡°Why are you ignoring something that is right under your eyes and seeking something far away? Ask me, your lord father. If yourdy mother won¡¯t take you, I will take you!¡±


    Little Baozi looked at his lord father, and then looked at hisdy mother. After repeating this several times, he finally said, ¡°Lord Father¡¯s words don¡¯t count without Lady Mother¡¯s consent. As soon as Lady Mother gets angry, you will immediately change your mind. It¡¯s better if I just ask Lady Mother! Lady Mother, Baozi loves you the most...¡±


    Zhu Junyang pinched his son¡¯s butt. He felt very embarrassed, and thus ostensibly reprimanded, ¡°This child!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao suppressed herughter and tapped her son¡¯s little nose as she said, ¡°You ah! Why are you tantly speaking the truth? Aren¡¯t you going to give your lord father some face?¡±


    Little Baozi replied in a seemingly mature yet mischievous manner, ¡°I didn¡¯t say it in front of outsiders, so I¡¯m already giving Lord Father a lot of face.¡±


    Zhu Junyang expressed helplessness, ¡°You two are on the same side! This prince is being bullied to death by the two of you! I hope that the child in your belly is a gentle, lovely, and understanding little princess who can appease Lord Father¡¯s poor self-esteem.¡±


    Little Baozi took another jab at him, ¡°Lord Father, how do you know that it¡¯s a younger sister when it¡¯s separated by ayer of belly? What if it¡¯s a younger brother? Moreover, a younger brother who isn¡¯t as clever, obedient, and sensible as Baozi. What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Stinky brat! Are you looking for a beating? Quickly spit on the ground!¡± Zhu Junyang was about to go crazy for a daughter. Upon hearing his son¡¯s words, he almost couldn¡¯t control himself from pping Little Baozi¡¯s butt. ¡®This stinky brat is always singing a different tune.¡¯


    Seeing that Little Baozi wasn¡¯t cooperating, he threatened, ¡°Do you still want to watch tomorrow¡¯s Troops Weing Ceremony?¡±


    Little Baozi, on the other hand, looked at Yu Xiaocao, ¡°Mother...¡±


    ¡°Alright, go! Mother will send someone to reserve the private room with the best view at Medicinal Cuisine House. Let¡¯s all go tomorrow!¡± Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t bear to let her son down. What¡¯s more, Older Brother Zhao Han was the one leading the troops. She also wanted to see his heroic appearance when returning triumphant.


    Zhu Junyang disagreed, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant, so don¡¯t add more to the trouble. If you want to see the triumphant return of a general, I can just put on my armor and ride on my horse for you two to watch until you both are satisfied, okay?¡±

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (3)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (3)</h4>


    Little Baozi shook his head like a rattle, ¡°No! I want to see the great general. In the future, I want to be a great general too and beat up bad guys until they¡¯re too scared to cross the border again!¡±


    ¡°Son, if you go out and ask, who wouldn¡¯t know that your lord father, me, is the best of the best? What¡¯s the point of running afar when there¡¯s a master here? When you reach the age of five and it¡¯s time to start your schooling, I will teach you the art of war. A good deal of what I know was inspired in me while on the battlegrounds!¡± Zhu Junyang hoped that he would be the hero that his son worshiped. As for that fellow Zhao Han...hmph, get lost!


    ¡°Really ah?¡± Little Baozi didn¡¯t quite believe his father¡¯s words, so he turned his head to look at hisdy mother to confirm these statements.


    Yu Xiaocao pulled her son into her arms and had him sit on her legs as she smiled, ¡°Our Little Baozi is so brave and strong. You even know that it¡¯s important to ¡®not allow the enemy to cross the border¡¯! Clearly, you¡¯ve inherited your lord father¡¯s superior genes. In the future, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a great hero and a fantastic great general!¡±


    Her words had pleased both the father and son pair. The two of them revealed satisfied smiles. Zhu Junyang thought, ¡®As expected, in my wife¡¯s heart, I am the hero of all heroes and the best great general there is!¡¯


    Little Baozi: ¡®Lady Mother is right! In the future, I will be a great general and a hero to boot!¡¯


    ¡°Then...are we still going to the Medicinal Cuisine House tomorrow to see the great general ride his stallion ah?¡± Little Baozi blinked hisrge obsidian eyes. The expression on his face was so adorable that it made it hard for adults to resist his plea.


    Yu Xiaocao had no immunity to cuteness, so she nodded her head and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go ah! Since we¡¯ll be there, we can also enjoy some medicinal cuisine there.¡±


    ¡°I also want to eat the Chinese yam cake, red bean paste shaved ice, and cream puffs from the Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop!¡± Little Baozi counted off the treats he wanted to eat on his fingers one by one¡ª¡ªwhat was he to do? There were too many things he wanted to eat and he couldn¡¯t count them all!


    ¡°You little gluttonous kitten! How many stomachs do you have ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao lightly flicked her son¡¯s small nose and grinned, ¡°If you want to eat, in the future, I will have someone make these for you every day. However, you can only eat one type a day and you can¡¯t let these treats substitute for actual meals ah!¡±


    Little Baozi obediently nodded his head, ¡°Then...can I eat two types tomorrow ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then nodded in agreement, ¡°That¡¯s okay. However, you can only have one piece from each type!¡± As she thought, she decided to send a servant over to the Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop early to have them make some special treats suitable for kids.


    The current Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop had been given to Xiaolian by her as a dowry. Thus, a loyal and trustworthy servant from Xiaolian¡¯s household was currently in charge of it. Consequently, the name had changed from Jinan¡¯s Pastry Shop to the Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop again. Business was still as booming as ever. In fact, every day, there were loads of people waiting patiently in line to buy their famous desserts and there was never enough to satisfy the demand.


    Her son was still young, so Yu Xiaocao was afraid that if he ate too many sweet foods it¡¯d ruin his appetite and he wouldn¡¯t want to eat proper meals. Thus, she had restricted the amount of desserts he could eat every day. However, which young child didn¡¯t like to eat sweets? Every day, Little Baozi thought constantly about the desserts he could have after he finished his meals!


    When he found out that he¡¯d be able to go out to y tomorrow¡ª¡ªNo, he was going out to admire the aura of the great general, and that he¡¯d be able to eat a few pieces of his desired desserts, Little Baozi became ecstatic with joy. He began to wriggle happily in hisdy mother¡¯s embrace.


    The little fatty had quite a bit of strength, so Yu Xiaocao almost couldn¡¯t hold onto him. Zhu Junyang was afraid that his son wouldn¡¯t know his own strength and end up harming the baby that was still in his wife¡¯s womb. He hurriedly took the little fellow from his wife and ced him on the ground. He patted his son¡¯s butt and said, ¡°Go find the little white tiger to y with!¡±


    The little white tiger had already grown into an adult tiger. Although it had been very weak and small when Yu Xiaocao first got it, it had grown into a fierce and imposing tiger after being ¡®baptized¡¯ by the little divine stone¡¯s essence for a few years.


    The size of its head was almost two timesrger than a normal adult tiger¡¯s and when it stood up on all fours, it was the height of an adult man. Its head resembled a giant serving tter and it had a pair of luminous eyes. At night, they resembled two ghostly fires and, at first, a few servants had fainted out of fright when encountering it.


    However, the little white tiger had grown up at Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate, so it didn¡¯t have a hint of wildness around it. In fact, it was about as gentle as a normal house cat¡ª¡ªof course, that side of it was only revealed around its few masters and little master, the people that it had recognized as its own. As for other people, it was the lofty and arrogant lord tiger around them!


    Little Baozi had pretty much grown up alongside the little white tiger. Before he could crawl, he had already started to reach out a hand to pull on the white tiger¡¯s fur or stroke the tiger¡¯s whiskers. Sometimes, he would even naughtily reach out a hand and grab onto the white tiger¡¯s fangs. This scared the servants out of their wits and they had no idea how to best react.


    Although the little white tiger hadn¡¯t reached adulthood yet at the time, it was still a big and massive creature at this point. It usually engaged in rough y with Little White and Little ck. However, when it was around Little Baozi, it became a statue instead¡ª¡ªit never moved as if a single step from it would harm the weak and tender little thing in front of it.


    When Little Baozi learned how to crawl, he was often found right behind the white tiger. He would often roughhouse along. The little fellow was truly the son of Imperial Prince Xu. His little legs were strong and fast. In the blink of an eye, he¡¯d crawl away from the eyes of the servants. Consequently, the whole yard full of maidservants and senior servants often spent a lot of time trying to find their little master again.


    As his mother, on the other hand, Yu Xiaocao never panicked when this happened. She would always say to the servants, ¡°You can find Little Baozi wherever Big White is around. No need to panic. Big White wouldn¡¯t allow Little Baozi to get into dangerous situations.


    That¡¯s right, this little white tiger had been given theme name, ¡®Big White¡¯, by its master. However, the wolf named Little White wasn¡¯t happy with this¡ª¡ªwhy did such a tiny tiger get to be called ¡®Big White¡¯, while it, arge and handsome adult wolf, had to be named ¡®Little White¡¯? Due to its anger over the names, Little White had bullied the little white tiger quite a lot in its youth.


    After the little white tiger grew for about eight months, it was finally at a ce where it wasrge enough to contend with the white wolf. Furthermore, itsbat abilities had also improved during this time. Only then was the tiger able to change its fate from being bullied.


    As expected, when the crowd of servants found the white tiger by theke in the back garden, they also saw their little master there, crawling towards theke with great interest. They were still quite a distance away and couldn¡¯t prevent the young master from going in, so they were so frightened by this that they almost fainted to the ground.


    Big White, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t flustered by this at all. Just as the young master was about to enter theke, he gently took a mouthful of the boy¡¯s clothes in the back and steadily walked away from theke with the boy in hand. Then, he ced the little boy gently on the soft grass. Little Baozi didn¡¯t cry or wail. After being set down, he continued to crawl towards theke again.


    As they got older, Big White ended up bing the little master¡¯s personal steed. The back of the tiger was very broad, so Little Baozi always sat very steadily there. Furthermore, the white tiger¡¯s fur was soft and silky. In the winter, Little Baozi loved to nap and rest in Big White¡¯s den with an arm around a giant foreleg¡ª¡ªit was morefortable than his featherdown mattress!


    Thus, Big White had be the closepanion of Little Baozi as he slowly grew up. When the boy heard his lord father suggest he find the white tiger to y, he didn¡¯t continue to cling onto his mother anymore and instead pranced away on his little legs to go to his courtyard to find his friend.


    Zhu Junyang sat next to his wife and stroked her belly, which was already starting to show a bump. He muttered in a worried tone, ¡°Cao¡¯er, do you think our daughter is growing a bit too far? I remember that when Little Baozi was only three months old in your belly we couldn¡¯t even tell you were pregnant!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember the circumstances of my pregnancy with Little Baozi? Little Baozi developed at a slower pace and was as small as a tiny kitten when he was first born. This child must be a big fat...daughter!¡± Yu Xiaocao patted at her belly. She had originally wanted to call this child a big fat fellow but when she saw her lord husband obviously thirsting for a daughter, she had to change her form of address on the fly.

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (4)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (4)</h4>


    Zhu Junyang was so frightened by her movement that he hurriedly moved to stop her, ¡°Don¡¯t pat, you¡¯ll scare our daughter.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed!¡± Yu Xiaocao revealed a wronged look as she scolded him, ¡°With our daughter around, I¡¯m no longer as precious to you! You only want to pamper our daughter, not me!¡±


    ¡°How could that be?¡± Zhu Junyang hurriedly began to soothe his wife, ¡°In my heart, you will always be the most important person. No one could possibly rece you, not even our daughter. At most she could be the number two!¡±


    ¡°Then why did you yell at me when I just patted her ah?¡± Yu Xiaocao had be more temperamental with this pregnancy and was now a mood-changing imp.


    Zhu Junyang exined, ¡°I wasn¡¯t yelling at you. Your body is yours alone but I was afraid that you¡¯d end up hurting yourself. That being said, if the child in your womb was injured, wouldn¡¯t the person most upset be you in the end?¡±


    Zhu Junyang had talked to the imperial physician before and learned that pregnant women often had unstable moods. If he wanted to make sure that their child was healthy, it was best to go with her whims. It must be that the child in her belly wasn¡¯t being kind to her that was causing her to act like this. His Cao¡¯er had always been a kind and understanding youngdy!


    When he saw the clouds lift from her face, he continued, ¡°Why did you agree to our son¡¯s request to go to Medicinal Cuisine House? Don¡¯t make yourself overtired.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao rubbed at the slight swell of her body and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I¡¯ve already passed the most dangerous period of the first three months. The child is also very obedient and hasn¡¯t given me any trouble. I¡¯m able to eat, sleep, and I have tons of energy. My mother said that pregnant women should move around more as that will make birthing the child easier.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, tomorrow this prince will apany you.¡± Zhu Junyang wasn¡¯tfortable with only Xiaocao and their son going by themselves. Little Baozi was at the age where he was lively and unpredictable, so he was afraid that his wife wouldn¡¯t be able to control him enough. Furthermore, the fact Little Baozi wanted to see the armye back in glory clearly had been instigated by that fellow Fang Haolin. When those two got together, it was never a good thing! He needed to go; otherwise he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease!


    Yu Xiaocaoughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, what could happen to us at our own Medicinal Cuisine House? At that time, I¡¯ll have Yuanzie along with us. Little Baozi and Little Linlin won¡¯t be an issue with him around. You, ah, just obediently go along with the emperor to wee the troops back to the capital.¡±


    When he thought about that stinky rock, who always unted its close rtionship with his wife in front of his face, Zhu Junyang felt the pang of jealousy. In the past, it was so cute and adorable in its cat form, so why did it have to be so loathsome in its human form?!


    ¡°You, ah, is it really necessary for you to get so jealous over a stone?¡± Yu Xiaocao smiled, ¡°The tea that you drink every day along with the water you use is all from the mystic-stone water that Yuanzi makes.¡±


    If she didn¡¯t bring this up, he would have actually felt better. That stupid rock always dropped the fact that the water and tea he drank was made from the rock¡¯s bathing water. It caused a shadow to form on his heart to know this. Every time he drank some tea or soup, an image of that despicable youth floating around in a bathtub surfaced in his mind.


    He wanted to have the guts to stop drinking it. However, that stupid rock jumped out again and informed him, ¡°This divine stone¡¯s bathing water has spiritual energy in it, so it is very nourishing to humans. It can even push back the natural effects of aging.¡±


    ¡°If you decide not to drink it, then when our Xiaocao is around sixty years of age, she¡¯ll still look to be in her thirties, while you¡¯ll be an old and decrepit stinky man. At that time, I¡¯ll help our Xiaocao find a nice young fellow...¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this guy so infuriating? His wife was perfect in every way except for one little part¡ª¡ªshe would always take a second look whenever a handsome man or beautiful woman appeared. He reckoned that if he hadn¡¯t been born with his ster good looks, his Cao¡¯er wouldn¡¯t even give him a second nce!


    If he became a white haired, stooped over old man, with wrinkles all over his face, he was truly afraid that his wife would abandon him. Even if she didn¡¯t, his body would still be more sickly and weaklypared to his lively and energetic wife¡¯s. Perhaps he would even end up leaving the world of the living early and leave her as a widow with children...


    The more he dwelled on this, the more upset he became. Thus, Zhu Junyang could only figuratively hold his nose and continue to drink...the stone¡¯s bathing water every day. Argh, he had finally experienced what it was like to be pushed into a situation that he had no choice but to endure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring up that stupid rock[1] now...¡± Zhu Junyang truly felt exhausted now.


    ¡°Older Brother-inw, just how did I offend you again? Why can¡¯t my older sister even mention me in your midst?¡± Yu Xiaocao¡¯s younger brother, Little Shitou, Yu Fan, walked over with a puzzled look on his face. Did he annoy his older brother-inw recently? He couldn¡¯t think of anything...


    When he saw the younger brother-inw who insisted on fighting over his wife with him, Zhu Junyang felt even more tired, ¡°It¡¯s almost time for the autumnal examinations. Why do you alwayse to the prince¡¯s estate so often instead of staying at home studying?¡±


    ¡°Second Older Sister, just look at Second Older Brother-inw, he doesn¡¯t wee me! Why, is the prince¡¯s estate so high and mighty that I, a poor schr from a humble background, have now means to step over the threshold anymore?¡± Little Shitou looked towards his sister with an aggrieved expression on his face.


    Yu Xiaocao had already gotten used to the two men bickering constantly, so she smiled and said, ¡°Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s Estate is my home. Thus, no matter how high or lofty the status is, you will always be wee. Alright, tell me the reason why you had time to visit today.¡±


    ¡°In actuality, I¡¯m not really busy. You guys always believe that I need to study quietly whenever it gets close to the exams. However, I already know all of the books front to back,pletely memorized. Those who rely onst minute cramming are people who are bound to fail anyway!¡± Yu Fan pointed at his brain in a proud manner as he exined.


    Yu Xiaocao remarked in a gratified tone of voice, ¡°That¡¯s correct. The closer it gets to exam time, the more important it is to rx. Seeing you like this has relieved my worries.¡±


    ¡°Second Older Sister, you¡¯re currently pregnant, so you absolutely cannot worry too much. My teacher said that as long as I don¡¯t enter the exam with a nk head, I will have no trouble passing. In fact, if I¡¯m not careful, I might evene back as number 1 in the exams!¡± Although there was a chair next to Little Shitou, he didn¡¯t sit in it and instead squatted next to his sister like he used to do in their youth. His eyes glittered brightly and his entire face showed that he was looking for praise.


    Yu Xiaocao ruffled his hair and grinned, ¡°I believe in you. You¡¯ve worked hard all these years, so it¡¯s finally time for you to unfurl your wings and soar into the sky. However, remember that ¡®an arrogant army is bound to lose¡¯, so don¡¯t be overconfident and it¡¯s better to be more cautious.¡±


    Little Shitou had passed the county level exams six years ago. At that time, he was only nine years old. In the past few years, he had spent time studying painstakingly at Rongxuan Academy and very rarely went home even on vacation days. Great Schr Yuan loved to travel and lecture. Other than bringing his own grandson along, he also brought Little Shitou with him on every trip.


    It wouldn¡¯t be wise to underestimate Little Shitou due to his age. Compared to those old schrs who had only passed the county level exams, he knew more and was more creative than them by several magnitudes. Even Great Schr Yuan had praised him, iming that Little Shitou¡¯s potential was even better than his own grandson¡¯s, Yuan Yunxi.


    ¡°What did Great Schr Yuan say about your prospects?¡± Just like any other parent of a child about to take their high school examinations, Yu Xiaocao couldn¡¯t help but ask this question.


    Little Shitou grinned toothily and said, ¡°My master said that I am definitely guaranteed one of the top three ces in the metropolitan civil service exams.¡±


    ¡°Then you need to do your best during the exams and not disappoint Great Schr Yuan ah!¡± Even the great schr himself had said this, so Yu Xiaocao finally could let her worries rest, ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯re going to watch the army return in triumph and we n on eating lunch at the Medicinal Cuisine House. Do you want toe along ah? We¡¯ve reserved the best private room there, the second floor¡¯s ¡®literary park¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Of course ah. How could you possibly leave me out of having fun and eating good food ah?¡± Little Shitou revealed his sparkling white teeth as he continued, ¡°However, all of the delicacies I¡¯ve had all of these years can¡¯tpare to the deliciousness of the braised pig head meat you made all those years ago, Second Sister.¡±


    [1] Shitou means rock/stone

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (5)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (5)</h4>


    The first step for their family had urred at the docks as they sold braised pig¡¯s head meat. In Little Shitou¡¯s memory, that was the first time in his life that he was finally able to eat to his fill and also eat white rice and flour on a more frequent basis. Whenever they braised pig¡¯s head meat and offal, his second sister would always secretly cut off a piece for him and stuff it into his mouth...in his eyes, there was nothing more delicious than this. After all, that meat held all of his second sister¡¯s love toward him and all of the hopes and dreams of his family...


    ¡°You, ah, if you want to eat braised pig¡¯s head meat, then go to the Yu¡¯s Shop to buy some. Although it can¡¯tpare to ones made by me, they are about eighty percent there. I also want to eat sliced pig ears in chili sauce. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll have the servants buy some to take home with us from the Yu¡¯s. Little Shitou, whatever you want to eat, just have the servants go out and buy for you.¡±


    ¡°Wife, howe you¡¯re not asking me if I want to eat anything in particr?¡± Zhu Junyang, who had been forgotten by the brother and sister pair, asked in a pathetic manner.


    Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t want to admit that she had truly forgotten that he was there. She blinked her craftyrge eyes a few times and responded back with a question, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already say that as long as I like to eat it, you like to eat it too? Perhaps...Your Highness was only saying that to make me happy ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang choked on his words and silently nodded his head before finally replying, ¡°How could this prince possibly try to fool you? Order whatever food you like. This prince likes everything you like to eat...¡± Wasn¡¯t this getting hit by the stone that he had thrown before?


    Little Shitou sniggered from the side as he watched the two interact. His older brother-inw was usually a very astute and clever person. However, in front of his older sister, he was merely a monkey ying around in Buddha¡¯s palm, never getting out. He now had a good idea of their rtionship: because of deep love, they were able to support and love each other through everything.


    Zhu Junyang surreptitiously red at Little Shitou. Just what was that brat snickering for? What the hell did a half-grown boy know? Once he became married, only then would he realize what true married life was like¡ª¡ªa wife that he had chosen needed to be pampered as much as possible!


    Meanwhile, Yu Xiaocao had already gone through a list of things that she wanted to make sure Little Shitou took note of before the autumnal examinations. Naturally, Little Shitou knew these things better than she did. After all, he had a famous schr as his master and had many schrly brothers who had taken first, second, or third ce in the imperial examinations. A simple pointer from any one of these people was able to give him a great harvest.


    However, he still loved listening to his second sister lecturing him. After all, it held all of the deep love and concern she had for him. In front of his second sister, he would always be her younger brother who needed to be looked after. No matter what status he reached in the future...


    The next day arrived with glorious and beautiful weather. The blue sky seemed to be awash with rity and purity, while the white clouds resembled gorgeous blooms of white cotton candy. Yu Xiaocao, who was currently sitting in her carriage, gazed at the clouds and sighed, ¡°I really want to eat cotton candy ah!¡±


    Cotton candy? What the heck was that? Zhu Junyang and Yu Fan exchanged looks. Little Shitou asked the question first, ¡°Second Sister, where can we buy this cotton candy you speak of? I¡¯ll help you buy some!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao faintly replied, ¡°If I was able to buy some, I wouldn¡¯t be sighing over it right now ah!¡±


    Zhu Junyang butted in front of his younger brother-inw, ¡°How do you make cotton candy? Go have people learn how!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought back to her childhood in her previous life. There were cotton candy machines that were powered by people using a pedal. The machinery would spin at high speeds as cottony soft candy appeared. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know how these machines were made or the methods behind cotton candy. She merely described the basics of the machine and then let out a deep sigh, ¡°I guess in this lifetime I¡¯ll never be able to taste cotton candy.¡±


    Little Baozi, Zhu Yunxuan, was being held by his father and asked out of curiosity, ¡°Lady Mother, is cotton candy like actual cotton? Is it sweet ah? Tasty ah? Is it as sweet as gummy candy ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang noticed that his wife¡¯s spirits were low and hurriedly stopped his son from asking a flood of questions. He quietly said, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb yourdy mother, let her rest in peace for a bit.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao stroked her son¡¯s small head and spoke to her husband, ¡°I¡¯m fine, no need to worry! Little Baozi¡¯s guesses are correct. Cotton candy resembles puffs of snowy white cotton and is as fluffy as cotton. Once you bite into it, it melts in your mouth and sweetens a person from head to toe.¡±


    In Little Baozi¡¯s heart, his lord father was omnipotent. He urgently eximed, ¡°Lady Mother wants to eat cotton candy. Lord Father, quickly have some people figure out the machine!¡±


    Little Shitou pinched his nephew¡¯s chubby little face and smiled, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s yourdy mother who wants to eat it and not you?¡±


    Little Baozi was afraid that if his lord father really figured out how to make the machine, he¡¯d only make candy for hisdy mother, so he hurriedly corrected, ¡°Little Baozi and Lady Mother both want to eat! But Lady Mother wants to eat it a bit more!¡±


    At this time, the carriage stopped and the curtain covering the window was lifted up. A young youth who was around the age of ten squirmed in. Little Baozi happily jumped over as he screamed, ¡°Uncle Lin, let¡¯s go ride a big horse together!¡±


    Little Shitou had instantly be jealous, ¡°I¡¯m your true maternal uncle here, blood-rted to boot! Howe I¡¯ve never seen you act this close with me ah?¡±


    Little Baozi, who was already in Fang Haolin¡¯s arms, turned around to look at him and then inserted his chubby little body into Shitou¡¯s arms. He nted a kiss on his uncle¡¯s face and sweetly said, ¡°Maternal Uncle Shitou, Baozi likes you the most.¡±


    Fang Haolin chuckled, ¡°You only like Uncle Shitou and no longer Uncle Lin? In the future, I won¡¯t bring you to ride horses anymore. My father gave a beautiful young colt but I already have a favorite steed. In the future, whenever you want to ride you cane along.¡±


    Little Baozi hurtled himself back, ¡°Uncle Lin, Baozi also likes Uncle Lin the most...¡±


    ¡°Little Linlin, tell me the truth. Just when did you take Little Baozi out on a horse before?¡± Yu Xiaocao became serious and gave the two of them stern looks.


    Fang Haolin stiffened and carefully replied, ¡°Older Sister, my good older sister, don¡¯t be angry ah. It was...it was when Little Baozi went to the manor to yst time. There¡¯s a big grassy field there. I was riding a horse and I held Little Baozi while I did it. Oh right, I also had the riding instructor next to me and there was a servant leading the horse...do I really seem like a reckless boy ah? Little Baozi is so small and I¡¯ve also just started learning, so how could I possibly bring him along for a fast ride?¡±


    ¡°Little Baozi, was that right ah? Good children don¡¯t tell lies and those who do will have very long noses ah!¡± Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t believe the youth¡¯s exnation of being led along on the horse, so she turned her sights to her son. She was pretty sure she could get the truth from him.


    Little Baozi rubbed at his own nose before he obediently replied, ¡°There was a servant leading the horse and the horse ran very slowly. Uncle Lin doesn¡¯t know how to ride a horse, so he wasn¡¯t steady on the horse and almost fell down. Little Baozi is obedient and didn¡¯t fall down.¡±


    Fang Haolin would have never expected that his own nephew would so easily reveal such an embarrassing incident. He nced surreptitiously at Xiaocao¡¯s face and then quietly defended himself, ¡°Actually, when the riding instructor was teaching me, I didn¡¯t get the skills right and almost slipped off the horse¡¯s back...I¡¯m a very good rider now ah!¡±


    ¡°Then you tell me, have you ever gone behind the instructor¡¯s and adults¡¯ backs to secretly ride a horse?¡± Yu Xiaocao stared into his eyes as she slowly said each word.


    Fang Haolin wasn¡¯t afraid of his own father and he also had tricks to get around his own mother. He was only perfectly obedient in front of his older sister as he couldn¡¯t bear to trick her. He lowered his head and quietly said, ¡°I¡¯ve snuck off once to ride a horse. I¡¯ve already gotten a hang of things, but I make sure to ride slowly. I¡¯m really careful and haven¡¯t been in any dangerous situations.¡±

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (6)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (6)</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao stared at him. Fang Haolin couldn¡¯t endure her knowing look any longer and admitted his faults, ¡°Older Sister, I was wrong! In the future, I will never sneak behind the adults to go riding by myself.¡±


    ¡°Just where were you wrong?¡± Yu Xiaocao had raised her two younger siblings well in her past life, and had also done a good job raising Little Shitou in this life. She was quite experienced in the ways of disciplining unruly kids.


    Fang Haolin began counting on his fingers as he recited, ¡°A gentleman shouldn¡¯t do things that he knows that are dangerous. I shouldn¡¯t have gone out riding by myself as I knew that it could be bad. I also didn¡¯t think of the consequences of my actions and weigh what might have happened. I didn¡¯t take into ount the feelings of my family once they found out...I made my father and mother worried about me as well as my older sister...I won¡¯t do it again!¡±


    Little Baozi also chirped in to show his good side, ¡°I was also wrong. Lady Mother, don¡¯t be angry. Baozi won¡¯t dare to do something like that again.¡±


    Little Shitou felt all of this was quite interesting and nced at his nephew¡¯s chubby little face as he asked, ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t do it again? Then, in the future, you won¡¯t be able to ride a horse again ah!¡±


    Little Baozi scrunched up his face and sobbingly said, ¡°Lady Mother, Maternal Uncle Lin isn¡¯t reliable, so I won¡¯t let him take me riding again. Is it ok if other people take me along though?¡±


    Fang Haolin didn¡¯t expect for his young nephew to change colors so quickly. He angrily huffed, ¡°Such a coward! Once I¡¯ve mastered horseback riding, I won¡¯t bring you along to y!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you! My lord father is better at riding than you and his horse can run really fast!¡± Little Baozi pulled on Xiaocao¡¯s hand, swaying it as he asked, ¡°Lady Mother, can I have my lord father take me riding?¡±


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s heart felt as if it was about to burst with happiness as he crowed, ¡°Of course ah! You don¡¯t need to ask yourdy mother, I can give you permission. Once you get older, I will teach you personally how to ride!¡±


    Little Baozi surreptitiously looked at his mother¡¯s face and when he saw there was no rejection, he became happy, ¡°Lord Father, you¡¯re awesome. Lord Father and Lady Mother are the absolute very very very best people in the world! Lord Father, Maternal Uncle Lin has his own little horse, but I don¡¯t have one...¡±


    ¡°Once you learn how to ride, I will give you an even better one! The heir of Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s definitely requires a Ferghana horse to pair with him!¡± What a joke, his family was the one in charge of the imperial family¡¯s horse-breeding program. It was a simple matter for him to get a Ferghana colt for his son.


    If the emperor didn¡¯t object...then he would bring his wife along to the horse breeding farm to stroll around and get a few wild horses to tame. What was so hard about that?


    Fang Haolin suddenly felt as if his normal little horse wasn¡¯t that interesting anymore. He shamelessly asked, ¡°Older Brother-inw...my good master, can you also give me a Ferghana horse as well?¡±


    ¡°Do you think Ferghana horses are that easy toe by? That we can just reach out and grab one ah?¡± Zhu Junyang saw that the youth didn¡¯t act as an outsider at all, so he nced at him briefly as he calmly replied.


    Fang Haolin opened his eyes pitifully, ¡°Then...didn¡¯t you just say you were giving Little Baozi one ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang chuckled lightly, ¡°Yunxuan is this prince¡¯s son and the heir of my estate. Isn¡¯t it right and proper for me to give such a precious gift to him? Just who are you to me?¡±


    Fang Haolin nced at Yu Xiaocao and then righteously said, ¡°The eldest sister is like a mother, and a brother-inw is like a father. I¡¯m sure Older Brother-inw has heard of this saying before ah?¡±


    ¡°This prince doesn¡¯t have such good fortune to suddenly have a son like you!¡± Zhu Junyang wanted tough at the ridiculousness of this, ¡°That being said, General Fang is still around. Thus, this prince has no right to be your father right now.¡±


    ¡®General Fang, did you know that your son, for the sake of a Ferghana horse, is willing to call someone else his father? Shouldn¡¯t you rein this youngster in?!¡¯ This type of fellow was just begging for a spanking. He needed to be pulled back home and disciplined!


    ¡°Your Highnesses, in front of us is the main road but there are too many people to allow the carriage to go through.¡± The carriage driver was Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s personal aide. Today, the army wasing back in glory so there were manymoners out to see the procession. Consequently, all of the main streets were plugged full of people. He had noticed that many of the noble matrons and youngdies had abandoned their carriages to walk on the streets instead.


    Zhu Junyang looked at Yu Xiaocao¡¯s slight swell of a belly and remarked worriedly, ¡°How about...let¡¯s go back to the estate ah? It¡¯s not as if you haven¡¯t seen the armye back before. Let¡¯s not try to mingle with all of these people now.¡±


    Yu Xiaocao flicked a look at Little Baozi, who had raised his chin pathetically and was regarding her with pleading eyes. As long as he was willing to bear the brunt of his son¡¯s disappointment, she had no objections.


    ¡°Lord Father, you¡¯ve already promised me. How can you refute it now?¡± Little Baozi had tears in his tworge eyes as he sobbed piteously.


    Zhu Junyang looked at him in disapproval, ¡°A man doesn¡¯t even cry when he¡¯s injured and bleeding. Are you a little girl crying over something like this?¡±


    Little Baozi pouted, ¡°Then Lord Father needs to realize that you always go back on your words. Are you not afraid that you¡¯ll be a big fatty and that Lady Mother will no longer like you ah?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao giggled andughed, ¡°Little Baozi, where did you hear that people who go back on their words be fat ah?¡±


    Little Baozi felt a bit embarrassed after seeing his motherughing, ¡°Everyone always says that ¡®eating one¡¯s words will make one grow fat¡¯, so aren¡¯t I right about thinking Lord Father will be fat ah? Lady Mother, if Lord Father bes a big fatty, you won¡¯t like him anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! If your father truly became a big fatty, I¡¯ll find a new father for you, alright?¡± Yu Xiaocao had begun teasing her son again.


    Little Baozi frowned so hard that his face wrinkled. He thought for a long time before he finally shook his head, ¡°Although Lord Father has some faults here and there, it¡¯s not so bad that he needs to be switched. Lady Mother, let¡¯s just ept him for who he is for now and don¡¯t switch, alright?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two, do you think this prince isn¡¯t here right now? You want to switch me out? Just who gave you the guts to do so?¡± Zhu Junyang had be quite unhappy and his entire face had be dark. A gust of cold air billowed off his body.


    Yu Xiaocao continued to tease, ¡°Just look, not only does your father not keep his promises, but he also has a bad temper. How about I find you a good tempered father who never gets angry and follows your desires all the time?¡±


    Little Baozi had no doubts about this and he shook his head even harder, ¡°Not good! A father who does everything I ask is poison in disguise and will only spoil me rotten!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Our Little Baozi even understands that this is bad ah! Not bad, not bad!¡± Yu Xiaocao nted a kiss on her son¡¯s face, making him giggle in glee.


    Zhu Junyang¡¯s expression had be darker as he remarked sourly, ¡°Wife, did you forget about something?¡± ¡®Don¡¯t just make our son happy ah; can¡¯t you see that this prince is sad ah? Make me feel better ah!¡¯


    ¡°Oh right! We¡¯re still a bit away from the Medicinal Cuisine House. Let¡¯s head over fast. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to see the show!¡± Yu Xiaocao put down her son and, with the help of her maids, came down from the carriage.


    Little Baozi let out a gleeful cheer and impatiently exited the carriage. Yu Xiaocao grabbed onto his hand and said in warning, ¡°Be good! There are a lot of people around, so there might be kidnappers prowling looking for young and pretty children like you. They want to sell kids into little sweatshops that won¡¯t give you food or water and will beat you all day with a whip!¡±


    Little Baozi had been thoroughly frightened by this and obediently held onto his mother¡¯s hand as they stepped forward. He didn¡¯t dare to rush through the crowd on his own anymore. Within his youthful heart, the sweatshops were a very scary ce that tormented little children.


    The two of them, encircled by guards, headed towards the Medicinal Cuisine House and hadpletely forgotten that there was an abandoned and frustrated prince behind them.


    Little Shitou and Fang Haolin exchanged looks after looking at their older brother-inw¡¯s upset face. They stifled their giggles and jumped off the carriage, speeding off towards their older sister and nephew. There were too many people on the streets and their older sister was pregnant. They needed to keep her safe and stop people from bumping into her.

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (7)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (7)</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao was enjoying the treatment of a national treasure¡ª¡ªher husband supported her, and her two younger brothers guarded both sides like fierce bodyguards. The guards of prince residence protected her in the center, like a myriad of stars surrounding the moon. Even her four-year-old son was ¡®protecting¡¯ her. For a moment, she felt as if she was the queen of the universe...


    ¡°Alright, Your Highness, wake up from your daydream. We have arrived at Medicinal Cuisine House!¡± Zhu Junyang had long been used to the ¡®nonsense¡¯ that his wife said from time to time.


    ¡°Humph! It doesn¡¯t cost any money to daydream, yet you¡¯re not even going to let me do it for a little while? Stupid male chauvinism¡ª¡ªnot considerate at all!¡± Under the head manager¡¯s hospitality, Yu Xiaocao slowly walked up to the second floor.


    Medicinal Cuisine House was already packed with people even before mealtime. Especially the private rooms on the second and third floors, they had long been reserved. Had it not been for the fact that Yu Xiaocao was the owner of Medicinal Cuisine House, they would not have been able to reserve a good room for this sudden trip.


    The head manager of Medicinal Cuisine House had forethought and saved the room with the best view in advance. See, didn¡¯t ite in handy now?


    The head manager followed his masters up to the second floor with a smile on his face, ¡°Yesterday, Medicinal Cuisine House ordered pastries from The Yu¡¯s Pastry Shop, and they just arrived. Masters and Young Master, what pastries would you like?¡±


    When Little Baozi heard The Yu¡¯s pastries, his eyes lit up and he looked eagerly at hisdy mother. Little Baozi was very well-behaved¡ª¡ªhe let hisdy mother order first.


    After thinking about it, Yu Xiaocao didn¡¯t have anything special she wanted to eat. So, she lowered her head to look at her son, ¡°Little Baozi, haven¡¯t you longed for The Yu¡¯s pastries for a long time? What do you want to eat? Order some.¡±


    Little Baozi reached out his chubby little hand and worked hard to count three fingers. He said in a babyish tone, ¡°Lady Mother, you promised Baozi yesterday that I can eat three kinds of pastries.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s three pieces, not three kinds!¡± Yu Xiaocao corrected.


    ¡°I want to eat egg tarts, caramel pudding, and...¡± Little Baozi bit his fingers with a troubled expression. ¡®There are so many delicious pastries at Lady Mother¡¯s pastry shop. I want to eat them all. What should I do?¡¯


    That¡¯s right! His two uncles hadn¡¯t said what they wanted to eat. They were his elders, so they should take good care of him, their little nephew. Baozi should just order for them too!


    An angelic smile appeared on Little Baozi¡¯s tender face, ¡°And also a piece of cream cake...Uncle Shitou, Uncle Lin, do you guys want to eat pork floss Beckham and animal crackers?¡±


    Seeing them nod, he quickly interjected, ¡°Then let¡¯s order a serving of pork floss Beckham and crackers for my two uncles!¡±


    Yu Fan rubbed his nephew¡¯s head¡ª¡ªthis clever boy. Both of these were foods that he liked to eat, yet he had to insist that he was ordering for them. Needless to say, he had inherited his intelligence from Second Sister. Second Sister had a weak constitution when she was a child, but she was very smart. She made all the decisions in the family!


    Yu Xiaocao had sent down instructions in advance, so Little Baozi only noticed that the pastries had shrunk in size when the pastries were served. Originally, the normal size of an egg tart was about the same size as his palm, but it was now about half the size of his hand.


    Also, the cream cakes that he saw at the pastry shop were even bigger than his small hands. However, he could finish the one in front of him in two or three bites. The pork floss Beckham that he ordered for his uncle was also only one-third of the size of the original...what was going on?


    ¡°Lady Mother, it¡¯s time to change the people at the pastry shop! How can the pastries be smaller and smaller? If the customers get cheated once, they won¡¯t buy our pastries next time!¡± Little Baozi scooped a mouthful of cake and put it into his mouth. ¡®Well, the taste hasn¡¯t changed¡ª¡ªit¡¯s just as delicious! But isn¡¯t it too small?¡¯


    Zhu Junyang picked up his son and patted his fleshy butt. He said with a smile, ¡°Stop eating. The army has already entered the city!¡±


    Little Baozi instantly threw the matter of the pastries shrinking in size to the back of his mind. He rushed towards the window and yelled, ¡°Entered the city? Where? Let me see what the big general looks like!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao was startled by his sudden action. Seeing that her husband had held the child tightly and didn¡¯t let him jump out, she poked her son¡¯s little head and said, ¡°You ah! So fearless! This is the second floor. If you fall down, your head will surely crack open! If you do this again, then we won¡¯t bring you out!¡±


    Little Baozi casually agreed as he tried hard to look out the window. Zhu Junyang decided to just let him sit on the window. The view was good here and Little Baozi had good eyes. Seeing the armying over in an orderly fashion, he excitedly eximed, ¡°They¡¯re here! They¡¯reing!¡±


    The window next door was also opened, and upon hearing his voice, a little head stuck out. When the little guy saw Little Baozi sitting on the window, he also pestered his older brother to let him sit on the window.


    With no other choice, his older brother carried him onto the window and cast a look of dissatisfaction in their direction. When he saw Fang Haolin, he snorted coldly, ¡°I was wondering who it was. So it turned out to be you, this boorish man!¡±


    ¡°Humph, loser! What are you looking at? A weakling like you cane, so why can¡¯t I?¡± Fang Haolin, who had taken over his brother-inw¡¯s ce, held his young nephew¡¯s arm as he shot back sarcastically.


    Little Baozi looked at the adjacent window curiously. He nodded politely at the young boy, who was two years older, and meditated in a childish voice, ¡°Uncle Lin, don¡¯t quarrel with others. You must be reasonable!¡±


    Fang Haolin lowered his head to look at his nephew and said loudly, ¡°One can only speak reason with those who understand. For certain unreasonable people, you should use your fists to make them surrender!¡±


    The youth recognized the chubby child in Fang Haolin¡¯s arms and knew that Imperial Prince Xu was also in the room next door. He endured it and didn¡¯t hurl insults back at the other party. Imperial Prince Xu wasn¡¯t someone who they, the family of a third-ranked military official, could offend!


    Little Baozi continued, ¡°Uncle Lin, fighting is wrong!¡±


    ¡°Some people need a beating!¡± Seeing that the other party had remained silent, Fang Haolin felt as if he was punching cotton.


    Zhu Junyang was afraid that his younger brother-inw would lead his son astray. He coldly snorted, ¡°Since you like fighting so much, you should go stay at Xishan Barracks for a few months! There are countless fights there every day, so you can fight to your heart¡¯s content!¡±


    Growing youths all had a yearning for the military camp in their hearts. Especially Fang Haolin, who was born in a military family and fell asleep listening to his father¡¯s battlefield stories every day. He had long wanted to go prove his ¡®strength¡¯ in the military camp!


    He still didn¡¯t know about his misery in the next few months, and excitedly said, ¡°Older Brother-inw! Can I really go to Xishan Barracks to experience military life? You aren¡¯t lying to me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea, right?¡± Yu Xiaocao looked at Fang Haolin. He was still a growing child¡ª¡ªit wasn¡¯t good to let him suffer too much.


    ¡°Older Sister, don¡¯t worry! My martial arts was personally taught by Older Brother-inw. Even if you don¡¯t believe me, shouldn¡¯t you believe in my older brother-inw? Moreover, I¡¯m just going to the barracks to experience life, and with my rtionship with Older Brother-inw, no one will dare to do anything to me!¡± Fang Haolin was so happy that he was about to fly.

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (8)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (8)</h4>


    A few dayster, when he was thrown into the barracks to receive intense training with a group of new recruits, he was in a situation where he had nowhere to turn for help. It turned out that going to the Xishan Barracks wasn¡¯t an affirmation, but instead a punishment from his brother-inw ah! He seriously regretted his past deeds, but he could only grit his teeth and carry on...


    The cheers outside grew louder and louder. Fang Haolin¡¯s attention was attracted by the sounds downstairs, so he temporarily let go of the youth next door. Little Baozi looked at the majestic general, who was dressed in shiny armor and riding on a ck and white horse, and excitedly shouted along with the others, ¡°Great General! Great General!!¡±


    Unfortunately, he was too small. His young voice was drowned in the noisy shouting of the crowd. People worshiped heroes, especially heroes who defend the borders and protect the nation for the peace andfort of themon people.


    As the triumphant troops got closer, the cheers on both sides of the road came wave after wave, like tides. All the windows of the shops on both sides of the road were open, and each window was crowded with people.


    The young, handsome, and burly general in the front attracted the most attention. It was said that this young and promising general had not gotten married yet. His marriage would be settled during his return this time. The noble young misses on the second floor couldn¡¯t help but blush as they secretly looked at him behind their fans.


    It was unknown who started it, but a purple embroidered pouch was thrown down at the young general. Then other pouches, pendants, flowers, and fruits...like rain, pounded down towards the young general.


    Zhao Han dodged one ¡®hidden weapon¡¯ after another, looking skillful and calm. His deputy general, who was next to him, reached out his hand and caught an apple. He took a bite and teased him, ¡°In ancient times, when Pan An[1] went out, he was thrown a cart full of fruits. Our Young General Zhao isn¡¯t inferior at all ah! Tsk tsk, are young maidens so bold now?¡±


    Zhao Han turned a blind eye to the purses, flowers, and fruits that flew past him andnded on the ground. His eagle-like eyes swept across the windows on both sides, attracting a group of young girls to cheer excitedly. He, on the other hand, was wondering if she, who loved to join in the fun, would watch him at a certain window.


    With this thought in mind, Zhao Han straightened his back, brimmed with energy, and had sparkling eyes. He appeared as if he had been injected with chicken blood¡ª¡ªlooking extremely excited. His deputy general looked at him curiously and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Who did you see? Which maiden caused you to suddenly be a whole different person? Is it my future sister-inw?¡±


    Zhao Han ignored him and continued to move forward on his horse, looking straight ahead. He wanted to show her the best of him¡ª¡ªhe would always be the trustworthy and reliable Older Brother Han!


    ¡°Lady Mother, the great general ising! Quickly look!!¡± Little Baozi, who was sitting on the windowsill, danced with excitement, and turned around to gesture at Yu Xiaocao.


    Yu Xiaocao stood up with a smile. When she walked over, she had identally stepped on something. She slipped and fell towards the table. Her subconscious reaction was to protect her belly, lest she knocked on the table and hurt the child inside.


    Zhu Junyang, who had been paying attention to Yu Xiaocao, was the first to rush towards her. He managed to support her before she fell on the table. Little Shitou and Fang Haolin, with lingering fear, also came over to check if their older sister had fallen or strained her waist.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just a little startled!¡± Yu Xiaocao held her belly as her husband supported her to sit on the chair. Perhaps it was due to her usual consumption of mystic-stone water, but although she had slightly sprained her ankle, the child in her belly was very stable and wasn¡¯t affected at all.


    At this time, the handsome and mighty General Zhao just happened to pass by their window. Little Baozi was so excited that he leaned forward and shouted, ¡°Great General! Look over here!¡±


    The little fellow¡¯s childish voice sounded quite special among the cheering crowd. Zhao Han, who passed by under the window, couldn¡¯t help but raise his head and look towards the voice.


    Little Baozi¡¯s big bright eyes met with General Zhao¡¯s. The little guy danced excitedly while yelling, ¡°The great general is looking at me! The great general saw me!¡±


    Everyone around him was currently focused on hisdy mother. Little Baozi was so happy that he had lost track of himself. He tilted forward and fell head first downstairs. When Fang Haolin heard the rmed cries of the crowd, he rushed over and reached for his nephew. But he only caught one of his shoes.


    Yu Xiaocao was fine when she slipped earlier. But, when she saw this scene, she was so scared that her stomach started to hurt. She ignored her stomach, endured the pain, and rushed towards the window...


    Zhao Han lifted his head when he heard the young voice calling him. Upon raising his head, he saw a fair, chubby child falling from the window on the second floor. In the midst of everyone¡¯s cries, he immediately jumped from the horse¡¯s back and caught the heavy little meatball.


    When theynded back on the horse¡¯s back, the little fellow in his arms actually didn¡¯t cry¡ª¡ªhe must have been frightened. Zhao Han lowered his head tofort the little guy, but he met a pair of big, excited eyes instead...


    ¡°Wow! The great general is carrying me! Let me get some of your good energy so that I can also be a great general in the future!¡± The chubby child didn¡¯t seem scared at all. Instead, he reached out his little hand to touch his silver armor and picked on the sword hanging on his waist. He even wanted to take out his helmet!


    ¡°Little Baozi¡ª¡ª"


    Just when Zhao Han was hurriedly trying to stop the little guy¡¯s restless little hands, a voice that often appeared in his memory sounded, with a sense of fear and panic, from above his head. He abruptly lifted his head and saw a delicate face that he was very familiar with.


    ¡°Lady Mother! The great general caught me. He¡¯s so amazing!¡± Hearing hisdy mother¡¯s voice, Little Baozi looked up happily and waved his hand at her.


    ¡°Younger Sister Xiaocao...¡± Zhao Han couldn¡¯t help calling out to her like when they were children.


    Little Baozi looked up at him, ¡°How did you know mydy mother¡¯s name? Why are you calling mydy mother ¡®younger sister¡¯? Are you also my maternal uncle? Wow! The great general is my maternal uncle! I have a great general as my uncle?¡±


    Zhao Han stared fixedly at the face that appeared at the window as he exined to the excited Little Baozi, ¡°Our families have been friends for generations. We have addressed each other as brothers and sisters since childhood...¡±


    Seeing that her son was fine, Yu Xiaocao finally felt the difort in her stomach. She gently covered her lower abdomen with her hand that the divine stone was tied on. A sense of pain could be seen on her pale face. She couldn¡¯t even force out a smile for Zhao Han.


    Zhao Han looked over worriedly¡ª¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong with her? Was she not feeling well? Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t proper for the troops to stop right now. He couldn¡¯t go check on her and ask about her situation...


    Even if he slowed down, the horse still slowly walked past her window. Zhao Han looked back, but the face that always appeared in his dream was no longer at the window.


    Zhu Junyang seriously wanted to grab his son and spank his butt. If there was anything wrong with his wife and the child in her stomach, he would definitely teach that stinky brat a lesson!


    [1] Pan An (real name: Pan Yue) - A prominent poet in the Western Jin dynasty who was well known as one the most handsome man in ancient China.

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (9)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (9)</h4>


    Zhu Junyang picked up Xiaocao, who had a pained look on her face, and ran towards the nearest clinic. However, there were too many people who hade to receive the army and he also had to make sure that no one bumped into his wife. Thus, he was stalled for a few minutes without going anywhere. Finally, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore and used his energy to jump up onto the roof. After getting there, he then hopped onto other buildings as he headed towards the clinic.


    The crowd around there no longer stared at the soldiersing back. Instead, they raised their heads in wonder as they gaped at the disappearing figure in the sky. There was a young child sitting on his father¡¯s shoulders and he pointed at Zhu Junyang¡¯s flying figure as he gasped, ¡°Father, look! There¡¯s someone who can fly!¡±


    Next to the building, there was someone sitting at the second floor of the restaurant who had recognized the prince. She eximed, ¡°Wasn¡¯t that Imperial Prince Xu ah? Who is he holding in his arms? It looks like he¡¯s headed towards Divine Physician Zhong¡¯s clinic...¡±


    ¡°Who else could it be? Use your brain and think a bit and you¡¯ll realize that it is Princess Consort Xu ah! Have you ever seen Imperial Prince Xu ever look at another woman with such worry and concern in his eyes?¡± A young noble maiden retorted sourly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so jealous! You¡¯ve only been in the capital for the past two years so you don¡¯t know the whole history. Prior to Imperial Prince Xu getting married, he had been possessed by a demon and had even destroyed someone¡¯s entire residence. Only Princess Consort Xu had the guts to marry him. However, once he married I haven¡¯t heard of him losing control of himself again. Everyone says that Princess Consort Xu is a lucky star and is the only one able to suppress the demon inside Imperial Prince Xu!¡± Another young maiden smiled as she nced at the other one.


    In the capital, it wasn¡¯t just one or two who envied Princess Consort Xu. She had been born in a lowly fisherman¡¯s vige but had risen abruptly above her station. It was only because the emperor had appreciated her ability to grow high-yielding crops that allowed her to soar so high. Furthermore, she had even captured Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s heart and had be the envied princess consort.


    However, prior to their marriage, there weren¡¯t any young noble maidens who wanted to marry the prince. At that time, it was rumored that the emperor had wanted to decree a marriage for him. This had frightened many noble families into setting up engagements as fast as possible for their daughters. However, now that he was better, they hated and envied his wife? Just what were they thinking?


    ¡°Earlier, Imperial Prince Xu had jumped through the window over there ah...oh my gosh! General Zhao had caught a young boy. Didn¡¯t that boy also fall from the window ah?¡± Another young maiden eximed in surprise.


    Another noble maiden interjected, ¡°I recognize the boy who fell from the window. It¡¯s the heir to Imperial Prince Xu and his only son!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s odd! His son fell down yet he wasn¡¯t the least bit worried as the father. Instead, he carried his wife to the clinic. Is it possible that Princess Consort Xu has be suddenly ill...that cannot happen ah! If something happens to her, I don¡¯t know whether or not the prince will go crazy!¡±


    Zhao Han stared at the rapidly disappearing figure on the rooftops and then lowered his head to gaze at the child in his arms. He asked anxiously, ¡°Xiaocao...is yourdy mother sick?¡±


    His parents had both left and left him behind. Little Baozi held back the tears in his eyes as he pouted. He replied with a sob, ¡°Lady Mother isn¡¯t sick. There¡¯s a little sister in Lady Mother¡¯s tummy. Lord Father wanted me to be good as she can¡¯t be scared at this time...I wasn¡¯t good earlier, wah wah wah¡ª¡ª¡±


    She was pregnant again? They must have a loving rtionship right? Zhao Han didn¡¯t know what he was feeling at this point. For her sake, Imperial Prince Xu would even neglect his own heir. She must be very happy right?


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, yourdy mother has received the blessing of the heavens, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯s alright!¡± He was so useless! She was in danger but he could only stare and watch from the side. He was leading back the army in triumph to greet the emperor. As the main character in this act, no matter how he personally felt, he couldn¡¯t just abandon all of this to check up on her.


    He felt so helpless! It was as if he had gone back to the time when his grandfather and father had been called back to serve the country. Although he really didn¡¯t want to go to the capital with his family, he had no choice. The feelings from back then had welled up now.


    Little Baozi hadn¡¯t been consoled by him at all. He wailed, ¡°Lady Mother, I want mydy mother! I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong...wah wah wah¡ª¡ª¡±


    The crowds on either side of the great general didn¡¯t know the details of what had happened. All they saw was that the heroic and handsome general was frazzled trying to calm down the child he had rescued. He looked a bit funny. Oh what to do?


    An old matron smiled, ¡°The great general hasn¡¯t gotten married, right? No wonder he doesn¡¯t know how to soothe the child! Once he has his own children, he¡¯ll have plenty of practice!¡±


    The surrounding people around her began to chuckle good naturedly.


    ¡°Great General Uncle, I want to see Lady Mother. Bring me to see her ah...¡± Little Baozi wanted to get off the horse but the horse was too tall and there were too many people around them. He looked beggingly towards the person holding him.


    Zhao Han didn¡¯t even have the chance to reply when a figure dressed entirely in white walked towards them. His inky long hair was elegantly confined as he strode gracefully. When Little Baozi saw the man, he stretched out his arms, ¡°Uncle Su, hold me¡ª¡ª¡±


    The person who had just appeared was the man most trusted by the emperor himself, Chief Steward Su Ran. He often left the pce to bum a meal from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate and annoyed Zhu Junyang to no end. Little Baozi was like his mother and liked handsome and beautiful faces. He adored Su Ran for his elegant and handsome appearance. Sometimes, even his lord father became jealous by this!


    Su Ran smiled at Zhao Han and then reached out his hands, ¡°General Zhao, you can give Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s heir to me ah!¡±


    Because the emperor he served was a transmigrator, he was never expected to use the term ¡®this servant¡¯ to refer to himself. Thus, no matter who he was addressing. Su Ran always used the pronoun ¡®I¡¯.


    Zhao Han wanted to hold her son a bit longer but he also knew that now was not the right time. Chief Steward Su Ran hade over likely under the orders of the emperor. Thus, he reluctantly handed the child over.


    As soon as Little Baozi arrived in Su Ran¡¯s arms, he pointed in the direction that his father and mother had gone, ¡°Uncle Su, go help me chase after Lady Mother...I was the one who injured both her and my younger sister, wah wah wah!¡±


    Su Ran wiped off the tears from the little fellow¡¯s face as he reassured him, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you find your mother now. Don¡¯t cry!¡± As soon as he finished, he lightly jumped up from the ground and headed up towards the roof.


    The young maidens in the area all felt flustered by this sight. Which family¡¯s young master was this? He was too handsome. He looked like an immortal who had descended from heaven, pure and incorruptible. Was he married already?


    The noble young maidens who knew of his identity all revealed dreamy looks on their faces as they silentlymented within their hearts¡ª¡ªIf the chief steward wasn¡¯t the chief steward, wouldn¡¯t that be great ah? He looked so warm and sweet as he held the child and he had such a gentle look on his face as he wasforting the little heir. He was sure to be a good father...so unfortunate....


    Zhu Junyang held his wife as they arrived at Divine Physician Zhong¡¯s clinic. The vast majority of people in the area had left to see the festivities, so the clinic was quite empty. When the doctor sitting in the clinic saw a gueste down from the roof, he was quite startled.


    When he found out that Imperial Prince Xu was here with his wife, who might have injured her unborn child, the doctor hurried into the inner courtyard to find his master. In the past, other than the imperial physicians from the pce, only his master had taken care of the people from Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s estate.


    The little divine stone that was on her wrist faintly let out a golden light that whirled around Yu Xiaocao¡¯s abdomen. She had already started to feel much better. When she saw her sweat-soaked husband, who still looked incredibly worried, she gently held onto his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Right, you and the baby must be fine. Cao¡¯er, don¡¯t be nervous, the divine doctor will be here soon. Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m right here with you!¡± Zhu Junyang was actually a bit incoherent now but he still did his best to calm his wife down.

 Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (10)

    <h4>Drop of Cinnabar in the Heart (10)</h4>


    Yu Xiaocao smiled¡ª¡ªshe had found a husband who truly loved and cared for her. Transmigrating over was worth it after all.


    Fortunately, her body had been nourished by the little divine stone. Even though the little divine stone wasn¡¯t present in its human form, its original form still had a lot of spiritual energy to help protect her. Thus, as soon as the child in her womb became unstable, the multicolored stone on her wrist had emitted some energy to protect her unborn child.


    By the time Divine Physician Zhong arrived, her condition had already stabilized. He prescribed her a few medications to stabilize her pregnancy and advised her to be on bedrest for the next few days but that she should be alright.


    When Zhu Junyang was about to leave the clinic with his wife in his arms, the soldiers had already left the vicinity and the vast majority ofmoners had also dispersed. There were a few groups here and there gathered up to discuss the majesty of the returning army. They also gossiped about how Imperial Prince Xu had flown up in the air with his wife in his arms to go see the doctor.


    Imperial Prince Xu¡¯s carriage was waiting outside the clinic. Zhu Junyang gently held his wife as he entered the carriage and inside was Little Baozi in Su Ran¡¯s arms with tears all over his face.


    When he saw hisdy mother being gently carried onto the carriage, even more tears streamed down his face, ¡°Lady Mother, it was all my fault. I wasn¡¯t good. Please beat me a few times ah. Lady Mother, are you alright?¡±


    Zhu Junyang hardened his heart and red at him, ¡°When we get back to the estate, we¡¯ll settle everything appropriately!¡±


    Yu Xiaocao patted him and then took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears off her son¡¯s face as she gently said, ¡°Little Baozi isn¡¯t very big, so he must have been very scared! When we get back, you¡¯re not allowed to yell at him or beat him. Little Baozi is already quite obedient¡ª¡ªXuan¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m fine and was just worried a bit. Your lord father is the one making a mountain out of a molehill.¡±


    Little Baozi sniffled a few times. When his mother wasn¡¯t teasing him, she was very kind and gentle. He loved hisdy mother the most and didn¡¯t want her to be in any difficulty, ¡°Lady Mother, Lord Father said that the little sister in your belly can¡¯t be frightened. Today, I was wrong to make you worry about me.¡±


    ¡°The saints themselves have said: change your faults once you know to improve oneself for the better! In the future, you¡¯re not allowed to climb to dangerous areas or do anything that can lead you to get hurt, alright?¡± Yu Xiaocao was the epitome of a benevolent mother at this point.


    Little Baozi scooted over to his mother and leaned against her arm as he lowered his head in obedience, ¡°Uh huh. In the future, I¡¯ll always be good and not make you worry. Once my younger sister is born, I will help Lady Mother take care of her and protect her.¡±


    After he finished, he surreptitiously nced at Zhu Junyang¡¯s face. When he saw that his father¡¯s expression was still quite dark, he quivered like a frightened quail and lowered his head even more, making himself look even more pitiful.


    Su Ran had always treated Little Baozi like a blood-rted nephew. When he saw this, he pulled the little fellow into his arms and coldly eyed Zhu Junyang, ¡°The young heir is only around four years old. Just how many noble families have a child as young as he is and as obedient? You shouldn¡¯t judge him with the standards of an adult. Just think, what were you like when you were four years old?¡±


    Because his wife had once salivated over Chief Steward Su, Zhu Junyang had never liked the eunuch. Unfortunately, his wife still regarded the man with lots of respect and adoration. Every time this stinky eunuch had a break, he¡¯de over to their estate to bum a meal and interrupt their lovey-dovey marriage.


    Zhu Junyang red back with cold eyes, ¡°I¡¯m disciplining my child. Outsiders should stop butting in!¡±


    ¡°An outsider? Xiaocao, ah, go tell your husband, am I really an outsider ah?¡± Su Ran raised his beautiful eyes and looked at Yu Xiaocao, who was watching the show from the side while she snacked on potato chips.


    Errrr...Yu Xiaocao put down the potato chip that was just about to be sent into her mouth and lightly cleared her throat, ¡°Older Brother Su, how could you possibly be an outsider ah? In my heart, I¡¯ve always regarded you as an older brother.¡±


    Su Ran smiled in satisfaction, ¡°Did you hear that ah? Xiaocao has been my adopted younger sister for a long time! If we take that into ount, then I am also the heir¡¯s uncle. Thus, why can¡¯t I help my nephew say a few words, ah?¡±


    Zhu Junyang was infuriated that his wife was undermining him. She clearly knew that he didn¡¯t like that fellow Su Ran but instead of helping him out, she instead made things more difficult for him. He restrained himself and quietly asked, ¡°Cao¡¯er, when did you take him as an older brother? Howe I didn¡¯t know about it?¡±


    Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then replied, ¡°Older Brother Su is a great person! When I was still an inconsequential young farming girl, Older Brother Su never disliked me for my lowly status and always took care of me. I have only gained by taking him as an older brother!¡±


    ¡°Is it because he¡¯s handsome that you thought he¡¯s great and decided to take him as an older brother?¡± Zhu Junyang thought of a certain young general who cut a dashing figure on horseback. He flickered his eyes to look at the window¡ª¡ªthat fellow clearly didn¡¯t have pure intentions. Just thinking about it made him angry!


    Yu Xiaocao thought that he was getting a little bit too jealous for no reason, ¡°Just what nonsense are you saying? Just what do you take me for? Do you really think I¡¯m someone who takes an older brother for no reason ah? Don¡¯t talk to me anymore, I¡¯m annoyed at you!¡±


    ¡°Lord Father, Lady Mother has my younger sister in her belly, so you need to be more good and not make her angry!¡± Whenever his parents were squabbling, Little Baozi always stood on his mother¡¯s side despite his father¡¯s ferocious exterior.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, I was wrong, is that alright?¡± His wife had just had an event ur and Zhu Junyang was afraid that she¡¯d get very angry again. Thus, he admitted his faults as quickly as his son had earlier.


    Yu Xiaocao turned her face away, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you. Leave me alone!¡±


    Zhu Junyang then did a lot of cajoling and pleading as well as promising many things before he finally was able to get his wife to smile again. Su Ran coldlymented, ¡°If you had only been this good earlier, then you wouldn¡¯t need to make such an effort now!¡±


    Zhu Junyang did his best to not say anything and somehow managed to restrain himself. There were too many annoying men around his wife!


    Su Ran only left after they arrived at the entrance of their estate. He needed to go back to the pce to report to the emperor on what had happened and also gossip about how much Imperial Prince Xu pampered his wife.


    After Zhao Han got his rewards, he left the pce and asked one of his aides, ¡°So how is it? Did you find out the information? Just what happened to Princess Consort Xu?¡±


    The aide knew that Princess Consort Xu¡¯s family had a good rtionship with the general and hurriedly replied, ¡°I found everything out. When she saw her son fall from the window, she was frightened and ended up destabilizing the fetus. Fortunately, she was sent to the doctor in time and is out of danger now!¡±


    When he found out that Yu Xiaocao was fine, Zhao Han let out a sigh of relief. Apparently, she was now pregnant with her second child! Imperial Prince Xu was so worried about her that he disregarded the crowds to personally send her to the doctor. She must be living very happily right?


    All that mattered was that she had a joyous life! There was a type of love that was carefully guarded as the other person watched from afar. The feelings he had for her were like a drop of cinnabar in the depths of his heart and would forever be hidden there...


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